Yu Yu Hakusho: Dead or Alive
Chapter 4: Rain
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Great, it's starting to rain, Yusuke thought. Just what I need.
The light droplets of water fell on his upturned face. The sky was dark with gray clouds. Soon, the light drizzle turned into a storm, as if the heavens themselves were crying. Yusuke walked along the street, now thoroughly soaked. "I hate the rain," he muttered sourly.
"Interesting, since you're making no move to get out of it, kid."
Yusuke looked up to see a massive man standing in the way of his passage. He had a slight accent, chopping off his "g"s. Yusuke growled. "Get out of my way. I've had a bad day and I'm pissed."
"Not unless you pay the fee. A kid like you should have a simple 500 yen on you somewhere," the giant said.
"I said 'move'!" Yusuke snarled.
"Look, kid, give me the money or I'll force it outta yah!"
"I'd like to see you try."
"Fine, then!" The big guy rushed at Yusuke, who smirked and stayed put. He tensed his abs just as the guy punched him in his stomach. He just stood there and kept smiling. The man pulled his arm back, glaring. Then he lunged again.
Yusuke jumped up, dodging the blow. Then with a broadening smirk, he let gravity take over and landed hard on the guy's back. Yusuke used the guy's back as a springboard and jumped off it, front-flipping and landing on his feet to eye the stranger smugly.
"You said you were gonna force the money outta me, did you?" he sneered. "I don't see any forcing."
"Brat," the guy spat. "Son of a bitch!"
Yusuke's eyes flashed and narrowed. "You can insult me all you want, I'm sure I deserve it. But callin' my mother a bitch is going too far!"
He ran up to the guy and punched his stomach. The guy's eyes widened in pain. Yusuke punched him again and again, letting the frustrations of the day flow out through his fists. After a minute, he stopped, and the guy fell to the ground. Yusuke's normally slicked-back hair hung in front of his eyes, and his clothes stuck to his body, freezing him.
"Ass," Yusuke muttered. Then he continued walking through the downpour, hands stuffed into pockets. He was confused, tired, and angry, but he kept walking, his eyes downcast. Now that he didn't have to face anyone, he had to focus on getting out of the rain.
Where to go? he asked himself. Where the hell to go?
* * *
Kurama knocked on the door of the Yukimura's house. If Keiko had seen Yusuke, maybe she could give him some more information. He needed to know if Yusuke was guilty or innocent.
"Yes?" Keiko asked, opening the door. "Oh! Kurama! What brings you here?"
"May I come in?" Kurama asked, and waited for Keiko's nod before stepping into the house. "I was wondering if you'd seen Yusuke," Kurama said, removing his shoes.
"Yusuke?" Keiko said, frowning. "No. He left me a note, though. Why? What's wrong? What did he do?"
Kurama sighed, knowing she would not like what he had to say. "Yusuke has been accused of murder."
"What?" Keiko cried. "He couldn't have been!"
"I agree," Kurama said. "But all the evidence points to him. His reiki was on the dead man."
"Was he a demon, or a criminal of some kind?" Keiko asked immediately, hoping desperately that what she was hearing wasn't true.
"No. He was a human, completely innocent," Kurama replied. How he hated be the bearer of bad news.
"It can't be true," Keiko whispered, mouth agape.
"Hiei saw it," Kurama stated. "He's positive that it was Yusuke."
"He couldn't have," Keiko said. "He just couldn't have! Not Yusuke; never Yusuke"
Kurama didn't know what else to say. It seemed there was nothing he could say. Keiko was staring off into space, her eyes wide. Then her gaze shifted back to Kurama. "Yusuke would never kill anyone. He was mortified that he killed Toguro, back in the Dark Martial Arts Tournament! His sense of justice is strong, but his conscience is stronger. He would never kill anyone, never."
"I know," Kurama whispered. "I'm sorry."
Then he left.
* * *
Yusuke found himself sitting under a tree in a park. The rain had not let up, and it was beginning to get dark.
"God, I hate the rain," he said, shivering. He was truly at a loss as to where to go. At the moment, he was broke. That meant all public transportation was out of the question. He couldn't hitchhike, but walking in his condition would be hazardous. Especially with the weather as it was. "I'm broke, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, and I'm tired. What a day"
Settling in as best he could, he closed his eyes and slept. And he began to dream
Yusuke crept down the street. It was late, but he recognized the area. I'm in the bad part of town he thought. The alleys were full of trash bags and other not-so-nice things, and tramps and drug sellers lined the streets. A girl came up to him then, scantily dressed.
She opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a wave of his dagger. Dagger? I didn't know I had a dagger "I'm busy, so leave."
The girl scampered away. He snorted. This makes no sensewhy am I here? He turned down an alley, frowning and wrinkling his nose at the stench. "Ugh. It smells like something died."
Then he came upon what he was looking for. It was a door, and he slipped inside. He used a bit of spirit energy to create a warm glow around his finger and to light up his immediate surroundings. There were boxes everywhere, and in the middle of the room was a man.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked, getting up from his sitting position. For some strange reason, Yusuke smirked. He raised the dagger. What am I doing?
"I'm the devil who has come to take you to hell," he whispered, then threw the dagger with deadly accuracy. The blade was going so fast that it went straight through the man, finally coming to rest with a muffled thud in the wall. The man fell, dead or dying. Yusuke walked over to the wall and yanked the knife out.
He grinned at the blood that dripped off the handle. Most of the red liquid was on the wall rather than on the blade, which suited him just fine. Then he ran
Yusuke's eyes shot open, stunned and horrified. He felt a cold blast of wind on his face, making him shiver. He became aware that he was no long under the tree and that it wasn't raining.
He looked down, because there was something in his hand that felt crusty and flaky. Something that wasn't supposed to be there. Yusuke froze. Nodear god, no In his hand was the dagger from his dream, silver blade shining, black handle crusted with dried blood. My dreamit was
His eyes widened in fear. No
He began to run, dropping the dagger. No
People stared at him, curious, as he barreled through them. He needed to get away from the peopletoo many people
NO!
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A/N: OhDid I just write that? O.o I think I'm gonna haveta up the rating on this
Yami no Ryu
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