At last the girls had calmed themselves a level or two. They seemed in no
hurry to get back to the hotel, and chose to slow their pace to that of an
elderly woman. Jessica was filled with an oddly content feeling, as though
she was a basin, suddenly filled up with warm water. She let her gaze
travel from her giddy friends to the other people on the sidewalk. She
spotted a young man, and after a moment, let out a gasp. The young man had
long, scarlet hair that hung to his back, with slight curls here and there.
His mouth teased upward in a pleasant smile, his boyishly handsome face
lighting up with a look that matched hers. His attire was casual: a simple
green T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He fit in well with the other people
wandering around them. He inclined his face, his eyebrows slightly raised
at her. She gazed into his brilliant emerald eyes with an expression only
to be described as love.
Jessica didn't dare blink, her hazel eyes wide in surprise. She hadn't a thought of the Kurama look alike, nor of the night she had pursued him. Her fingers splayed at her sides, then contracted inwards upon themselves, then repeating the gesture several times. She lifted her elbow, sharply jabbing it into the closest person's ribs- Autumn. Her response to this rudeness was a dog-like snarl, as she always reacted. Jessica nodded her head at the redhead, then poking Shanta in the shoulder, nodding again. Both girls rolled their eyes, but seemed to understand none-the-less. Jessica's hand sought her pants pocket, sure enough, there was a warm bulge. The freaky marble from that night... Immediately she sensed that was what Kurama wanted.
"Hey you!" Shanta cried at the redhead, her hands resting lightly on her hips, "We wanna talk to you, boy."
Jessica stiffened at her straight forward manner. One of these days, Shanta would end up telling some thug that he was ugly- and get her face bashed in. Kurama's smile melted her nerves, and she was sure she would keel over at any moment. He was just so gorgeous! "Kawaii!" She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. Kurama's eyes lit up with a warmth that Jessica had never experienced. Her body tingled and her brain went dead.
"Thank you for the compliment." Kurama approached the three, whose steps had long since ceased. Jessica shivered at the sound of his voice, it was just as it was on the show, yet more real to her, some how. "Though I hardly consider myself charming."
Jessica felt her cheeks burn with the hue of embarrassment- scarlet. I only she was prettier! "I sopose you don't look in the mirror often then, K- Kurama."
"I haven't the time. Besides, I might become conceited if I looked at my mirror often enough to make myself believe I'm Kawaii."
"It wouldn't take very long." Jessica hurried to say, her freckles standing out far more than normal against her crimson cheeks. She nervously stuck her hands into her pants pockets and stared at the ground, her mousy brown hair falling infront of her face, a bashful hush coming over her. She scuffed the sidewalk with the edge of her shoe. A nervous chuckle came from her lips.
Autumn swallowed hard, her brown eyes looking oddly glossy, a broad grin on her face. It occurred to her that both Jessica and the both really thought he was Kurama! "Well, Kurama," She said, more than a hint of mockery to her tone, "Where's Hiei?"
Kurama turned to her, his emerald eyes glinting. Her sensed her disbelief, and chose to ignore it, for now. She would soon see that her wildest dreams had come true, along with her worst nightmares. "Hiei..." He called softly, inclining his head towards a darkened alley, his smile fading into a look of serious contemplation.
Taking his sweet time, Hiei emerged from the shadows, tilting his head to the side as though curious. His eyes fell on Autumn, who gasped, her body giving a little involuntary twitch. He laphed, stowing his hands in the deep pockets of his robes. He sauntered over to a bewildered Shanta who was bit lightheaded from the sudden rush of adrenaline that had flooded her system at the sight of the short demon, she let out a nervous giggle. She leaned back, not planning to get in his face just yet. Their reaction to this was very amusing to Hiei, who took his place beside Kurama, who shot him a warning glance.
Botan chose to come from the crowd then, her long ponytail of blue hair swinging behind her head with every step. She smiled at Shanta and Autumn. But when her gaze came to Jessica, her smile sagged to a frown. "Whats with her?"
Jessica lifted her face a fraction of an inch to peer at the ditzy Grim Reaper. Her shoulders gave a little twitch as Autumn had, and she straightened herself to get a good look at Hiei. "What do you want with us?" Jessica asked at long last, her hazel eyes flashing. She knew quite well what they wanted, it was a bit obvious. That marble was not of this world, she knew it. But it had drawn her in, and she realized that she didn't want to give it up. Even to Kurama! What demonic powers did it have over her?! She would never want to keep something from Bishouhen! "Wait, let me rephrase that question: What is it that I've got? Whats with this freaky marble?"
Kurama's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth opening a slight fraction. Then he calmed down, his smile returning, "Of course you realized you had something special. I've noticed you have great perception skills. But I cannot tell you here. Come with me." He lifted a hand, extending it to her. Jessica refrained from screaming giddily and jumping up and down, and quickly put her hand to his. Their fingers touched, and Jessica shivered despite the warmth of his skin. His hand held hers tightly, and he gave a small pull, leading her closer to him. She was only a foot or less away from him! She longed to just wrap her arms around him and kiss him before he could stop her- but she some how felt that would be wrong.
Shanta smiled happily, her pupils sliding to the corners of her optics. She frowned when she saw Hiei's hands were in his pockets. She gradually inched closer to him, finally letting out a scream and grabbing his arm, pulling it to her with a sudden jerk. Hiei snarled, his other hand reaching for his katana as he struggled to regain his balance. As his fingers touched the hilt, Kurama spun on his heel and told Hiei off. "You know not to flash that thing around in public! Put it away- put it away!"
Hiei let out a snarl, but did as Kurama said. He cringed as Shanta's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him right up against her. Shanta snuggled with him, despite his desperate pleading to be released. He put a hand on her forehead, shoving her away, but her iron-like grip on him was unbreakable. He gave up, folding his arms acrossed his chest, the usual scowl settling on his face. Oblivious as to his discomfort, Shanta held fast.
Autumn watched Shanta with a look of mingled curiosity and jealousy. She shoved her hands into her jacket's pockets and followed the group as they headed down the sidewalk again, her silent figure ignored. Well, not ignored, just overlooked and forgotten. She stubbornly told herself this was a dream, it wasn't real. Botan slowed her pace to walk beside the uncharacteristically quiet, curly-headed short one. Not sure if the girl wished to talk, Botan kept silent. "So, you're telling me this is real," Autumn said at last, to soft for the others to hear.
Botan gave her a quizzical look. "Well, of course it is! What do you think I am, your imagination!?"
As Botan and Autumn bickered back and forth, Jessica felt her mind slipping into a dreamy state. Kurama was holding her hand! She knew it was simply because she had the stone, and it must be protected, but that did not bother her much as she let the warmth of his hand course through her body. Kurama gave her a smile with his eyes when looking at her occasionally. Jessica looked at her sneakers so as to keep herself from openly staring at him. "Where is it that we're going?"
"Spirit world; it's the only place safe for you." Kurama said from the corner of his mouth. "No more talking, it's to dangerous."
Her mind wandered, and she found herself considering asking him to kiss her. It also occurred to her that her mother would flip had she known her daughter was holding hands with an Anime character [the key words there were "holding hands"]. Unable to restrain her eyes any longer, she raised her face to gaze at him. She felt her face burn as her eyes met his- he had been looking at her! His cheeks had a scarlet tinge to them as he looked away.
* * *
His pale blue eyes glistened in the light of the moon, his long azure hair blowing across his face in the slight breeze. A chuckle arouse from his lips as he watched the miniscule figures trudge through the endless crowds, unaware of his presence. His attire was that of a demon, most defiantly. His pure white shirt had slits on the sides of the sleeves, showing his ashen skin. His navy blue pants hung loose about his legs. His bare feet rested on the edge of the roof of an old temple, remade into a restaurant. He tilted his head to the side, a smile on his lips. "Ah, Kurama, you merely prolong the capture of that girl. As soon as you let go of her hand, she is mine." He let his gaze fall away from the scarlet hair of the fox, turning to look at Autumn, his smile twitching. "A weakness..." He laphed again, his hands now resting on his hips. He tossed his head back as he laphed, lifting his hands to his front, his fingers giving a lusty spasm. "Fools!"
He walked with calm reserve to the end of the roof, his eyes trailing Autumn's every movement. His hands assumed the position of some sort of spell's stance, his fingers intertwining with each other, then his palms facing outward into the night, the backs of his hands against his chest. He began to utter the ancient words of an incantation, his eyes closing in concentration. His aura spun around him, a stream of sheer light and power. Behind him a slight blur in the scenery appeared. Slowly it began to take a physical from, that of a girl. Its lines defined themselves, darkening until the figure was fully complete. Autumn looked about her, confused and terrified. Had she not been running along with that Botan-looking woman? When she caught sight of the one who summoned her, she screamed.
* * *
"Hiei, we're being attacked!"Kurama released Jessica's hand, leaning over and putting his arms around the girl's waist instead. He hesitated only a moment before he gave his hair that-all-to-familiar sweep with his hand, the pulling his hand back infront of him, holding the blood-red rose loosely between his index and middle fingers. He pulled the rose to his left shoulder, slowly with the skill he had gained by constant usage and practice, only to whip it down to his right hip, calling out, "Rose whip!" The thorn-coated vine fell to the ground at his feet, the thicker end in his hand, serving as the handle. Soft, red rose petals scattered around them, floating down in swirling bunches. Jessica inhaled sharply, her hazel eyes reflecting the little blurs of red. Kurama pulled her closer, one hand holding his waist, the other holding the whip. Her face burned with embarrassment at his straight forward manner, and a quiet sigh let her lips before she could stop herself.
Hiei's hand strayed down to the hilt of his sword, closing around it and unsheathing it with speed like the gods. His intense red eyes scanned the area for possible enemies, adrenaline rushing through him, giving him a strong sense of excitement. Botan inched over to his side, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in horror. Shanta's grip loosened and she let her arms fall away from his body. Hiei's face jerked in her direction and he ordered her not to let him go. Blushing happily, she did as he commanded.
"Botan," Kurama snapped, not having the time to be polite. "Do you have you're paddle?" She nodded. "Good. I need you to bring these two to Spirit world, and get there as soon as possible!"
Botan lifted her hand above her head, and with a small snap and a glimmer of light, she had acquired her paddle. She beckoned to Shanta, and swung her leg over her oar. Shanta looked at Hiei for a moment, then dropped away from him and leapt onto the oar. Kurama gave Jessica a slight nudge with his thigh, and she stumbled over to Botan and her best friend. Her shoulders shook with fear, her hazel eyes examining her surroundings, as Hiei did, looking for Autumn. She knew perfectly well Kurama had spasded because she had disappeared, but something told her that she was still near. Stifling a sob that had welled up in her chest, she climbed rather clumsily onto the paddle. "We're off." Botan cried, a slight note of nervousness to her tone. Jessica tried desperately to lock eyes with Kurama, to make him tell her who had taken Autumn. She knew he knew, she knew he didn't want her to know, she knew he knew what sort of trouble had befallen Autumn. But he didn't meet her eyes. In fact, he avoided them.
As the oar left the ground, their feet lifting from the pavement, Jessica said, "Be careful, Kurama! I haven't been obsessed with you for years for you to up and die right after we first meet!" She flushed and hid her face against Shanta's shoulder. Shanta wrapped her arms around Botan's slim waist to keep from falling off . Jessica felt herself sliding into Shanta, and fought panic as she grabbed the wood in her hands and closed her eyes. She told herself not to be scared of heights. Unfortunately, she didn't listen. "This ride is going to suck."
* * *
"Okay Botan, now you're just showing off!" Shanta cried, lifting an arm to shield her eyes from the onslaught of air. Botan laphed richly and spun the oar again, stopping when they were completely upside down, Jessica screaming, her eyes wide as she looked at Tokyo, hundreds of feet below her. Shanta let out an excited scream, releasing Botan's waist to let her arms hang beneath her, her legs securely curled around the oar.
Jessica screamed louder, tears streaming from her eyes. "PUT US UPRIGHT- PUT US UPRIGHT!" Botan chuckled and did as she was told. Jessica panted, her breathing strained and her nerves twitching. She shook madly as she tightened her grip on Shanta's waist.
Shanta stuck her tongue out, her face tinted purple. "Ugh! You're.. suffocating... me, Jessica!" She swatted at Jessica's hands, forcing the girl to loosen her grip. Shanta leaned over slightly to look at the spectacular view below her. She let out a gasp of happiness, and urged Jessica to open her eyes and check it out. Jessica's face, however, was firmly planted against Shanta's back, her eyes tightly closed and her sobs muffled. Shanta watched her closely from the corner of her brown eyes, sympathy causing her to croon softly to her hysterical friend. Jessica sobbed louder, again her grip began to tighten for fear of falling.
"Botan, where are we going? I thought we were headed to Spirit World." Shanta said, fairly shouting against the roar of the wind.
"We are- but to get there we must first go through the prepared portal a few miles from here!" Botan cried back, then added, "How's your friend doing?! She seemed a bit skittish to me. I'm worried about her!"
"She'll be fine once we get off," Shanta said as though trying to convince herself along with Botan. She grinned at the thought of Jessica stuck in this apprehensive state for the rest of her life. Her grin turned demonic as she imagined how easy it would be to scare her. "But you better hurry, I think she's going to wet her pants!"
"I AM NOT, YOU BLOODY LIAR!" Jessica thundered. As soon as the words left her mouth, lighting cracked against the dark night shy, a rumble of thunder accompanying it. Botan screamed, altering her course to avoid another strike, swerving side to side, her control over the oar weakening. They all screamed in unison as another lightening strike lit the sky beside them. The wind picked up, blowing them further off course. To top it all off, it began to down pour. "Oh, this so figures!" Jessica bellowed, her fear of heights gone, replaced by her intense hate of rain. "Botan, hurry this thing up!"
* * *
Kurama's face jerked upward, his emerald eyes coming to rest on the rooftop on a nearby restaurant. Hiei followed suite, his red eyes glowing with a dark radiance in the dark night. The figure that stood on the edge of the roof backed away into the shadows, a scream accompanying his departure. Kurama's body went rigid as he heard the scream, shivers playing up and down his spine. "Autumn!" He murmured, his eyes narrowing in rage. Hiei moved to follow, but Kurama put a hand infront of Him, halting him. Hiei cocked a brow, perplexed as to why Kurama would have reason to be so rude.
"Fox?" Hiei muttered, facing Kurama.
"It would be suicide to attack him now, with just the two of us. He is teleporting back to his nasty little hide out. We alone can not take on an entire demon army. Even with Yuskue... We will have to let him go." Kurama spoke with a soft tone, his face darkening with both hate of the figure, and himself.
"Hn." Hiei sheathed his sword with a hesitant air, a slight pout to his face. He followed Kurama as the redhead bolted towards the other end of town- and the portal to the Makai.
* * *
Koenma settled himself a bit more comfortably against his throne-like chair. He folded his hands on the desk infront of him and cleared his throat importantly. "Girls," He began, his tone heavy as though he were burdened with very bad news.
"Look toddler, we wanna know who the heck took Autumn and why!" Shanta snapped, obviously undaunted by his superior air. She slammed her fist on the desk, causing both the prince, and timid Jessica, to wince.
Peeved at being interrupted, Koenma's next words had a slight growl to them. "I'll get to that in due time!" He stopped for a moment as Kurama and Hiei entered the room, soaked and tired. He continued, "Jessica has in her possession a stone of unfathomable power. I tell you this because I have no choice, I'm afraid you have me cold. I cannot forcibly take it from you, no matter how hard I try. The stone's actual name is not 'freaky marble', nor is it a stone at all. It is Aoitsuki's soul."
Shanta's brown eyes enlarged to roughly the size of the stone, her mouth hanging open in horror. Jessica's eyes sought her's, for she was perplexed as to her reaction. But Shanta, as Kurama did, avoided her eye.
"Aoitsuki is a psychic from the early five-hundreds, most likely the strongest earth has ever seen, and hopefully ever will see. She had skills one can only dream of: one of which was the freedom to pass between worlds without much effort, despite the barrier. She could annihilate entire towns with a breath, and even bragged that she could slay an A class demon. At first, she used her talents for good, allying with us to push our forces farther in the demon world. But she fell in love with a demon while in the demon world, and, at his prompting, she refused to continue aiding us. In fact, she and Zurui, her demon mate, began fighting our forces, pushing us back. We were forced to retreat. They left the demon world to terrorize earth and it's people. Ever heard of Atlantis? It was the continent that they managed to fully destroy."
"T-They destroyed an entire continent?!"
"Yes. But one day our forces came acrossed Zurui, alone and unprotected by his love, and destroyed him. He had little power compared to hers. Enraged, she gathered up a demon army, planning to fight my father so she could open the gates to the after life and get Zurui back. Father had little power against her, and he sought the help of an A class demon that had escaped into the Makai, but had chosen to ally with us. He went by the name of Shi, his real name was never told to us. He fought her, and managed to kill her. What we didn't know until now was the fact that Shi had hit her so hard with one of his blasted spells, he had knocked out her soul. She some how managed to harden it against fading away, making it into a perfectly round, blue stone. Shi had it in his possession up until a week ago, not trusting anyone with it. But he was attacked, and it was stolen from him. He pursued the demon that had attacked him, but was unable to find the stone. The demon had dropped it. As you may have guessed, the demon was one of Aoitsuki's old followers. Shi was ambushed again, this time he couldn't handle them, and was captured. As far as we know he's dead, and we hope so. If the enemy has gained his assistance, we're doomed. We are also doomed if you refuse to give us that stone." Koenma looked directly into Jessica's hazel eyes, she inhaled sharply, her lungs contracting painfully.
"K-Koenma, why can't you take it from me?! If it's so darn powerful, why do you play these games, why don't you just take it?! I'm not in the least a problem to you, just take it!" She shouted, her eyes sparking with an angry fire. "But you can't, can you?!" Her voice became soft and quiet, "Can you? What is it that prevents you from taking it, start talking or I'll use this thing on you!"
Koenma looked flustered at her sudden aggression. "Well, well, you see... The power of that stone is said to awaken from a strong, heartfelt emotion. If we where to attempt to take it from you, it may just set the stone off. The only thing with that is, the stone can only awaken in the hands of a proper host body, and we don't know if you're the one."
"Host body, eh? Kuwabara said something about that." Yuskue stood in the door, his body leaned against the doorframe. His arms were crossed, and his face was pale and serious. Jessica hadn't ever seen him so grave, not in a single one of those episodes.
"Yes, he did. A host body is a body capable of harboring souls other than their own, either at the same time, or giving up theirs for another's." Koenma informed them heavily, "That is why Aoitsuki's followers are so bent on getting Jessica, they seem to be sure she is the body they need."
"A-Am I?" Jessica asked softly, her head inclined, her eyes on the tile floor.
"Well-"
"We don't know that for sure!" Kurama interjected hastily, "We have no proof!"
Jessica's mouth turned down in a frown, her eyes dulling in thought, her contemplation ending the conversation. "I-I need to think..."
"Ayume!" Koenma snapped, "Get these girls a room to rest in!"
* * *
Jessica did not bother to look at the room before collapsing onto the bedroll with a groan. She curled up and pulled the pillow over her head. Shanta, who was younger by a year and had far more energy, took a cautious look around the small, closet-like room. It was obviously an office, for a desk stood in the corner with a neat pile of papers stacked in a tray and an empty coffee mug. Two bedrolls had been place in the room, Jessica occupied one. Curiosity sparked in Shanta and she ventured over to the desk to open its solitary drawer. It slid open with the slightest prompting of her fingers, revealing several pens, blank notepads, and a framed picture. It was one of Kurama's mother, Shori. She sat on a bench in a pleasant little garden, her smile radiant. So this was Kurama's office! Shanta, her curious nature now satisfied, lay down on the bedroll and closed her brown eyes.
Jessica's mind spun. She had never felt to torn! Some thing deep within her told her to hold fast to the stone, but another told her to give it up immediately. Was the stone affecting her thought process? Was it telling her to keep it so she (Aoitsuki) could take over Jessica's body? Or, could she not take over without some sort of spell? Koenma had kindly left that part out. He had also left out why Autumn had been kidnapped, but Jessica knew it was because of the heart-felt emotion thing. Those followers would get to her through Autumn. But why couldn't she make up her mind? Was it because her skittish side was afraid of holding such power? Was it because she secretly wanted that power, to use it to became some one special? "Whats wrong with me?!" She screamed into the pillow, her words accompanied by muffled sobs. She turned onto her stomach and pounded the floor with her fists in frustration. "Why is this so hard?!"
Unable to make up her mind, Jessica stood and left the room, Shanta not noticing. She stumbled down the hallway, her eyes encircled by red, puffiness. Her light steps made no sound in the hall, or she would have been found and reproved. She passed various doors, but not the one she wanted to see. She wanted answers, and if Koenma wasn't going to give them to her, she'd find them herself! After a good ten minutes of walking, she found the room she wanted. The door to the records library swung open without sound, and she breathed in deeply before entering. Shelves of books tower hundreds of feet above her, just looking at them made her dizzy.
She wondered what she ought to look under. A for Aoitsuki, or P for possession? Maybe hey didn't have anything on it. As Jessica set about the task of gaining information, the absence of her friends welled up within her, and she longed for Shanta's company. She curled up beside a ladder, her arms pulling her knees up to her chin and sobbed softly to herself. "Autumn... You're probably dead now... All because of me..."
"You can't deny that." A voice said above her with cunning softness. "However, you can get the girl back. That is to say, if you're willing to pay. The price is great, though not as great as what your friend's life is worth to you."
Jessica lifted her face from her knees, her vision bleary on account of the tears. She came face to face with a demon- and she immediately knew who it was. The one who had kidnapped Autumn. Anger burned within her at his smiling face. He sat across from her in the library's isle, his arms folded against his chest. "What is the price, you-"
He interrupted before she said something nasty. "You're cooperation, is all."
Jessica scoffed. "And the catch?"
Thrown a bit by her quick perception, he faltered. "... My name is Shi. I do believe that Koenma told you about me. What he did not tell you is that I chose to join Aoitsuki's followers, willingly. Why, you ask? Because she was justified to turn on that lying little brat. I don't know what nonsense he told you, but Aoitsuki did not betray him for her love. She betrayed him because he pushed first! Koenma was certain that her demon lover would convince her to turn, so he had him executed. Aoitsuki told me this before I killed her. I did not believe her, until I asked Koenma himself. He told me it was true, but that I must never tell another soul of it. He said he had that demon slain, and he said it with pride. I knew I had done wrong. So I waited for so may years for her followers to reappear so I could aid them in reviving her. Finally, a week ago, my dream came true. But the follower and I were attacked by the one you seem to adore- Kurama. He slew that demon, though did not take pride in it. He asked me why I had been speaking with one of the enemy, and when he learned my reason, he fled from me, knowing I could snap his weak body in half if he dare attack me too. He tattled to Koenma, and Koenma sent out a search for the stone. But it emits no energy so it is not easily found. You happened to stumble upon it, and now I ask this of you: will you ally with us? Will you help me ease my guilt and revive this innocent woman?"
Jessica shook her head with mocking laphter, then stopped abruptly at the perplexity on his face. "You- You really think I'm that dumb? Do I come off as that stupid?!" She blinked at him in pure amazement. "I know that you want me to give up my body so her soul can shove mine out and I fade away. I don't want to seem selfish, but I don't want to give up my existence. Also, do you realize you are in a heavily guarded office building, and if a guard was to happen upon you... Sorry, but no."
* * *
Kurama lifted his head from his hands at the sound of a scream. He ran from Koenma's office, darting down the hall to the records library. As he ran through the open door, her scream met his ears again, this time not one of terror, but of pain. The demon had Jessica pinned to the wall, her arms stuck to it by blackened aura ropes. He had his hand on the bottom of her chin, the other around her neck. Her face was a dark shade of purple, her air cut off, and she was no longer able to scream. Her hazel eyes fell on Kurama, and she struggled harder against her bonds. Kurama did not think as he leapt at the demon, his whip as ready to slay Jessica's torturer as he. "You will give your consent girl, even if I have to skin you alive to do it!" The demon snarled.
"Let her go, Shi!" Kurama shouted, bounding towards him, swinging the whip in an arch high above his head. Shi's response was a laph of mockery, and he tilted his head so as to look at the redhead, a sadistic smile on his face.
"You think you have a prayer against me? Fool, you're heroism will get you killed." He applied pressure to Jessica's throat. She squirmed weakly, her eyes closing in pain. She gasped for breath, her body going limp.
Kurama stiffened. "Let her go!" He snarled softly, but loud enough for Shi to hear. "Let her go. Perhaps I am not a match, but Yoko may be!"
"He is another gnat that easily can be swatted." Shi let his hand fall away from her throat as he turned and advanced on Kurama with a calm air. "I will rip your tongue out and force you to each your words of valor. Then you can drown in your own blood."
"N-N...ooo, Kurama!" Jessica gasped, her face pulled into a wince. She fought her bonds, her feet kicking madly as she attempted to set foot on the floor. Her weak body could do little against the spirit-made shackles. "Kurama... Please don't hurt him!"
Kurama blinked at her protectiveness of him. She really would rather suffocate than see him in a battle? She must have known he had no hope against Shi. Kurama dare not look at her desperate hazel eyes, he knew he could not bare to see the agony within their depths. "Shi, I know I cannot possibly beat you, but you must at least listen! Koenma does not believe you are of your own person, he thinks you're possessed. But if it is you, then look at what you're doing! I know you, you are a man of compassion. So how can you torture an innocent child like this?! She has done nothing to hurt anyone!"
"She has the stone. If I can get her to that high level of emotion, I can awaken Aoitsuki!"
"Do you really think that she deserves to live more than Jessica?! Is that it? Is she more righteous than this girl? This girl is not to live so Aoitsuki can? That is injustice beyond that of killing Aoitsuki. Her soul will cease to exist, at least the psychic is in the after life!"
"Please, leave me alone..." Jessica murmured weakly as Shi turned and resumed strangling her. This time she did not fight back, but let her face fall forward, her brown hair hiding her face. Her glasses slid from her nose and fell to the floor with a sound of shattering lenses. Her body gave an involuntary spasm of pain. Shi laphed at her helplessness.
Kurama let his anger build, rage coloring his face red. He face had never had such hatred shine upon it, not even when his mother had been threatened. He knew how to get out of that one, but this situation was impossible to beat. So he let his anger bubble up into power, and he felt the sensation of adrenaline flooding his system. "If you do not stop this immediately, you will find yourself in a world of pain... And that world will never end for you. No, death is to good for one such as yourself, using others' pain as a distraction from your own sense of guilt. I will keep you alive so you can live in your agony, breathe it in, focus your pitiful existence on it. You will live long enough for me to shatter every bone in your body, bruise every inch of you skin, rip off each of your fingers, one by one. Finally I shall grow bored of you, and smash your soul within my hands..."
Jessica struggled to lift her face. That wasn't the usual Kurama. Her hazel eyes sought his form, but her vision was blurred. Her glasses had fallen off, and now she could not see farther than the end on her nose. Her eyes trailed to the outline of Kurama's face- despite being half blind. Pointing in a rather definite fashion, from the top of his head, were the contour of two fox ears. Jessica pressed herself to the wall, more fear adding to her already large quantity. She did not know a whole lot about his Yoko form's attitude, nor his morals. Perhaps when he was done with Shi, he'd come after her, too. "Kurama... Please, don't get yourself killed!"
"Don't plan to." The Yoko answered, his tone rather general, as though bored. "Nor do I plan to slay you, Suichii would not be pleased with me."
Jessica blinked, suddenly aware that Shi had released her, and she could freely breathe. Her strength had returned to, and she fought hard against her bonds so as to escape. Shi seemed insensible towards her, his focus now upon Yoko Kurama. As he walked from Jessica's short line of vision, she pulled her head back, breathed in deeply, and spat on him. Immediately after, she cringed against the wall, fearing for her life. But Shi did not react to her, as if he did not realize she had spit on him, he simply ignored it. Amazed at her own daring, Jessica's mouth fell open, and she was stunned beyond thinking capabilities. Her mind went dead, to put it simply.
"You're death is assured, Kurama. I do not care if you choose to hide in that body instead, it is all the same to me. As I said before, to Suichii, you are just another gnat to be squashed beneath my feet." Shi said, the maliciousness in his tone further scaring Jessica. By now she was on the verge of hysterics.
"Now it not the time to talk, it is time to fight."
"I was sure you'd like to prolong your life a few more moments, Kurama, by stalling me with a conversation. But if you are in a hurry to die, I can gladly be of assistance."
* * *
Yay! My first cliffhanger! *Does her victory dance, but trips on the carpet and falls on her face* OUCH! Um, anyway, please review! I'm much prefer if you email me if you have a question, so I can answer via email. Thank you, bye!
Autumn groaned softly, her hand lifting to her face, massaging her not yet open eyes. Pain seared through her face, causing her to let out a scream. She felt the warmth of blood on her face and the sting of various cuts. She had fought with every ounce of fight in her; which was a great deal. Shi had finally knocked her unconscious, having grown tired of her and her incessant biting. That was all she could do, really, owing to the fact he had bound her with ropes of the same that bound Jessica hundreds of miles away at that very moment. Apparently Shi had untied her. "Where am I?"
Jessica didn't dare blink, her hazel eyes wide in surprise. She hadn't a thought of the Kurama look alike, nor of the night she had pursued him. Her fingers splayed at her sides, then contracted inwards upon themselves, then repeating the gesture several times. She lifted her elbow, sharply jabbing it into the closest person's ribs- Autumn. Her response to this rudeness was a dog-like snarl, as she always reacted. Jessica nodded her head at the redhead, then poking Shanta in the shoulder, nodding again. Both girls rolled their eyes, but seemed to understand none-the-less. Jessica's hand sought her pants pocket, sure enough, there was a warm bulge. The freaky marble from that night... Immediately she sensed that was what Kurama wanted.
"Hey you!" Shanta cried at the redhead, her hands resting lightly on her hips, "We wanna talk to you, boy."
Jessica stiffened at her straight forward manner. One of these days, Shanta would end up telling some thug that he was ugly- and get her face bashed in. Kurama's smile melted her nerves, and she was sure she would keel over at any moment. He was just so gorgeous! "Kawaii!" She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. Kurama's eyes lit up with a warmth that Jessica had never experienced. Her body tingled and her brain went dead.
"Thank you for the compliment." Kurama approached the three, whose steps had long since ceased. Jessica shivered at the sound of his voice, it was just as it was on the show, yet more real to her, some how. "Though I hardly consider myself charming."
Jessica felt her cheeks burn with the hue of embarrassment- scarlet. I only she was prettier! "I sopose you don't look in the mirror often then, K- Kurama."
"I haven't the time. Besides, I might become conceited if I looked at my mirror often enough to make myself believe I'm Kawaii."
"It wouldn't take very long." Jessica hurried to say, her freckles standing out far more than normal against her crimson cheeks. She nervously stuck her hands into her pants pockets and stared at the ground, her mousy brown hair falling infront of her face, a bashful hush coming over her. She scuffed the sidewalk with the edge of her shoe. A nervous chuckle came from her lips.
Autumn swallowed hard, her brown eyes looking oddly glossy, a broad grin on her face. It occurred to her that both Jessica and the both really thought he was Kurama! "Well, Kurama," She said, more than a hint of mockery to her tone, "Where's Hiei?"
Kurama turned to her, his emerald eyes glinting. Her sensed her disbelief, and chose to ignore it, for now. She would soon see that her wildest dreams had come true, along with her worst nightmares. "Hiei..." He called softly, inclining his head towards a darkened alley, his smile fading into a look of serious contemplation.
Taking his sweet time, Hiei emerged from the shadows, tilting his head to the side as though curious. His eyes fell on Autumn, who gasped, her body giving a little involuntary twitch. He laphed, stowing his hands in the deep pockets of his robes. He sauntered over to a bewildered Shanta who was bit lightheaded from the sudden rush of adrenaline that had flooded her system at the sight of the short demon, she let out a nervous giggle. She leaned back, not planning to get in his face just yet. Their reaction to this was very amusing to Hiei, who took his place beside Kurama, who shot him a warning glance.
Botan chose to come from the crowd then, her long ponytail of blue hair swinging behind her head with every step. She smiled at Shanta and Autumn. But when her gaze came to Jessica, her smile sagged to a frown. "Whats with her?"
Jessica lifted her face a fraction of an inch to peer at the ditzy Grim Reaper. Her shoulders gave a little twitch as Autumn had, and she straightened herself to get a good look at Hiei. "What do you want with us?" Jessica asked at long last, her hazel eyes flashing. She knew quite well what they wanted, it was a bit obvious. That marble was not of this world, she knew it. But it had drawn her in, and she realized that she didn't want to give it up. Even to Kurama! What demonic powers did it have over her?! She would never want to keep something from Bishouhen! "Wait, let me rephrase that question: What is it that I've got? Whats with this freaky marble?"
Kurama's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth opening a slight fraction. Then he calmed down, his smile returning, "Of course you realized you had something special. I've noticed you have great perception skills. But I cannot tell you here. Come with me." He lifted a hand, extending it to her. Jessica refrained from screaming giddily and jumping up and down, and quickly put her hand to his. Their fingers touched, and Jessica shivered despite the warmth of his skin. His hand held hers tightly, and he gave a small pull, leading her closer to him. She was only a foot or less away from him! She longed to just wrap her arms around him and kiss him before he could stop her- but she some how felt that would be wrong.
Shanta smiled happily, her pupils sliding to the corners of her optics. She frowned when she saw Hiei's hands were in his pockets. She gradually inched closer to him, finally letting out a scream and grabbing his arm, pulling it to her with a sudden jerk. Hiei snarled, his other hand reaching for his katana as he struggled to regain his balance. As his fingers touched the hilt, Kurama spun on his heel and told Hiei off. "You know not to flash that thing around in public! Put it away- put it away!"
Hiei let out a snarl, but did as Kurama said. He cringed as Shanta's arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him right up against her. Shanta snuggled with him, despite his desperate pleading to be released. He put a hand on her forehead, shoving her away, but her iron-like grip on him was unbreakable. He gave up, folding his arms acrossed his chest, the usual scowl settling on his face. Oblivious as to his discomfort, Shanta held fast.
Autumn watched Shanta with a look of mingled curiosity and jealousy. She shoved her hands into her jacket's pockets and followed the group as they headed down the sidewalk again, her silent figure ignored. Well, not ignored, just overlooked and forgotten. She stubbornly told herself this was a dream, it wasn't real. Botan slowed her pace to walk beside the uncharacteristically quiet, curly-headed short one. Not sure if the girl wished to talk, Botan kept silent. "So, you're telling me this is real," Autumn said at last, to soft for the others to hear.
Botan gave her a quizzical look. "Well, of course it is! What do you think I am, your imagination!?"
As Botan and Autumn bickered back and forth, Jessica felt her mind slipping into a dreamy state. Kurama was holding her hand! She knew it was simply because she had the stone, and it must be protected, but that did not bother her much as she let the warmth of his hand course through her body. Kurama gave her a smile with his eyes when looking at her occasionally. Jessica looked at her sneakers so as to keep herself from openly staring at him. "Where is it that we're going?"
"Spirit world; it's the only place safe for you." Kurama said from the corner of his mouth. "No more talking, it's to dangerous."
Her mind wandered, and she found herself considering asking him to kiss her. It also occurred to her that her mother would flip had she known her daughter was holding hands with an Anime character [the key words there were "holding hands"]. Unable to restrain her eyes any longer, she raised her face to gaze at him. She felt her face burn as her eyes met his- he had been looking at her! His cheeks had a scarlet tinge to them as he looked away.
* * *
His pale blue eyes glistened in the light of the moon, his long azure hair blowing across his face in the slight breeze. A chuckle arouse from his lips as he watched the miniscule figures trudge through the endless crowds, unaware of his presence. His attire was that of a demon, most defiantly. His pure white shirt had slits on the sides of the sleeves, showing his ashen skin. His navy blue pants hung loose about his legs. His bare feet rested on the edge of the roof of an old temple, remade into a restaurant. He tilted his head to the side, a smile on his lips. "Ah, Kurama, you merely prolong the capture of that girl. As soon as you let go of her hand, she is mine." He let his gaze fall away from the scarlet hair of the fox, turning to look at Autumn, his smile twitching. "A weakness..." He laphed again, his hands now resting on his hips. He tossed his head back as he laphed, lifting his hands to his front, his fingers giving a lusty spasm. "Fools!"
He walked with calm reserve to the end of the roof, his eyes trailing Autumn's every movement. His hands assumed the position of some sort of spell's stance, his fingers intertwining with each other, then his palms facing outward into the night, the backs of his hands against his chest. He began to utter the ancient words of an incantation, his eyes closing in concentration. His aura spun around him, a stream of sheer light and power. Behind him a slight blur in the scenery appeared. Slowly it began to take a physical from, that of a girl. Its lines defined themselves, darkening until the figure was fully complete. Autumn looked about her, confused and terrified. Had she not been running along with that Botan-looking woman? When she caught sight of the one who summoned her, she screamed.
* * *
"Hiei, we're being attacked!"Kurama released Jessica's hand, leaning over and putting his arms around the girl's waist instead. He hesitated only a moment before he gave his hair that-all-to-familiar sweep with his hand, the pulling his hand back infront of him, holding the blood-red rose loosely between his index and middle fingers. He pulled the rose to his left shoulder, slowly with the skill he had gained by constant usage and practice, only to whip it down to his right hip, calling out, "Rose whip!" The thorn-coated vine fell to the ground at his feet, the thicker end in his hand, serving as the handle. Soft, red rose petals scattered around them, floating down in swirling bunches. Jessica inhaled sharply, her hazel eyes reflecting the little blurs of red. Kurama pulled her closer, one hand holding his waist, the other holding the whip. Her face burned with embarrassment at his straight forward manner, and a quiet sigh let her lips before she could stop herself.
Hiei's hand strayed down to the hilt of his sword, closing around it and unsheathing it with speed like the gods. His intense red eyes scanned the area for possible enemies, adrenaline rushing through him, giving him a strong sense of excitement. Botan inched over to his side, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in horror. Shanta's grip loosened and she let her arms fall away from his body. Hiei's face jerked in her direction and he ordered her not to let him go. Blushing happily, she did as he commanded.
"Botan," Kurama snapped, not having the time to be polite. "Do you have you're paddle?" She nodded. "Good. I need you to bring these two to Spirit world, and get there as soon as possible!"
Botan lifted her hand above her head, and with a small snap and a glimmer of light, she had acquired her paddle. She beckoned to Shanta, and swung her leg over her oar. Shanta looked at Hiei for a moment, then dropped away from him and leapt onto the oar. Kurama gave Jessica a slight nudge with his thigh, and she stumbled over to Botan and her best friend. Her shoulders shook with fear, her hazel eyes examining her surroundings, as Hiei did, looking for Autumn. She knew perfectly well Kurama had spasded because she had disappeared, but something told her that she was still near. Stifling a sob that had welled up in her chest, she climbed rather clumsily onto the paddle. "We're off." Botan cried, a slight note of nervousness to her tone. Jessica tried desperately to lock eyes with Kurama, to make him tell her who had taken Autumn. She knew he knew, she knew he didn't want her to know, she knew he knew what sort of trouble had befallen Autumn. But he didn't meet her eyes. In fact, he avoided them.
As the oar left the ground, their feet lifting from the pavement, Jessica said, "Be careful, Kurama! I haven't been obsessed with you for years for you to up and die right after we first meet!" She flushed and hid her face against Shanta's shoulder. Shanta wrapped her arms around Botan's slim waist to keep from falling off . Jessica felt herself sliding into Shanta, and fought panic as she grabbed the wood in her hands and closed her eyes. She told herself not to be scared of heights. Unfortunately, she didn't listen. "This ride is going to suck."
* * *
"Okay Botan, now you're just showing off!" Shanta cried, lifting an arm to shield her eyes from the onslaught of air. Botan laphed richly and spun the oar again, stopping when they were completely upside down, Jessica screaming, her eyes wide as she looked at Tokyo, hundreds of feet below her. Shanta let out an excited scream, releasing Botan's waist to let her arms hang beneath her, her legs securely curled around the oar.
Jessica screamed louder, tears streaming from her eyes. "PUT US UPRIGHT- PUT US UPRIGHT!" Botan chuckled and did as she was told. Jessica panted, her breathing strained and her nerves twitching. She shook madly as she tightened her grip on Shanta's waist.
Shanta stuck her tongue out, her face tinted purple. "Ugh! You're.. suffocating... me, Jessica!" She swatted at Jessica's hands, forcing the girl to loosen her grip. Shanta leaned over slightly to look at the spectacular view below her. She let out a gasp of happiness, and urged Jessica to open her eyes and check it out. Jessica's face, however, was firmly planted against Shanta's back, her eyes tightly closed and her sobs muffled. Shanta watched her closely from the corner of her brown eyes, sympathy causing her to croon softly to her hysterical friend. Jessica sobbed louder, again her grip began to tighten for fear of falling.
"Botan, where are we going? I thought we were headed to Spirit World." Shanta said, fairly shouting against the roar of the wind.
"We are- but to get there we must first go through the prepared portal a few miles from here!" Botan cried back, then added, "How's your friend doing?! She seemed a bit skittish to me. I'm worried about her!"
"She'll be fine once we get off," Shanta said as though trying to convince herself along with Botan. She grinned at the thought of Jessica stuck in this apprehensive state for the rest of her life. Her grin turned demonic as she imagined how easy it would be to scare her. "But you better hurry, I think she's going to wet her pants!"
"I AM NOT, YOU BLOODY LIAR!" Jessica thundered. As soon as the words left her mouth, lighting cracked against the dark night shy, a rumble of thunder accompanying it. Botan screamed, altering her course to avoid another strike, swerving side to side, her control over the oar weakening. They all screamed in unison as another lightening strike lit the sky beside them. The wind picked up, blowing them further off course. To top it all off, it began to down pour. "Oh, this so figures!" Jessica bellowed, her fear of heights gone, replaced by her intense hate of rain. "Botan, hurry this thing up!"
* * *
Kurama's face jerked upward, his emerald eyes coming to rest on the rooftop on a nearby restaurant. Hiei followed suite, his red eyes glowing with a dark radiance in the dark night. The figure that stood on the edge of the roof backed away into the shadows, a scream accompanying his departure. Kurama's body went rigid as he heard the scream, shivers playing up and down his spine. "Autumn!" He murmured, his eyes narrowing in rage. Hiei moved to follow, but Kurama put a hand infront of Him, halting him. Hiei cocked a brow, perplexed as to why Kurama would have reason to be so rude.
"Fox?" Hiei muttered, facing Kurama.
"It would be suicide to attack him now, with just the two of us. He is teleporting back to his nasty little hide out. We alone can not take on an entire demon army. Even with Yuskue... We will have to let him go." Kurama spoke with a soft tone, his face darkening with both hate of the figure, and himself.
"Hn." Hiei sheathed his sword with a hesitant air, a slight pout to his face. He followed Kurama as the redhead bolted towards the other end of town- and the portal to the Makai.
* * *
Koenma settled himself a bit more comfortably against his throne-like chair. He folded his hands on the desk infront of him and cleared his throat importantly. "Girls," He began, his tone heavy as though he were burdened with very bad news.
"Look toddler, we wanna know who the heck took Autumn and why!" Shanta snapped, obviously undaunted by his superior air. She slammed her fist on the desk, causing both the prince, and timid Jessica, to wince.
Peeved at being interrupted, Koenma's next words had a slight growl to them. "I'll get to that in due time!" He stopped for a moment as Kurama and Hiei entered the room, soaked and tired. He continued, "Jessica has in her possession a stone of unfathomable power. I tell you this because I have no choice, I'm afraid you have me cold. I cannot forcibly take it from you, no matter how hard I try. The stone's actual name is not 'freaky marble', nor is it a stone at all. It is Aoitsuki's soul."
Shanta's brown eyes enlarged to roughly the size of the stone, her mouth hanging open in horror. Jessica's eyes sought her's, for she was perplexed as to her reaction. But Shanta, as Kurama did, avoided her eye.
"Aoitsuki is a psychic from the early five-hundreds, most likely the strongest earth has ever seen, and hopefully ever will see. She had skills one can only dream of: one of which was the freedom to pass between worlds without much effort, despite the barrier. She could annihilate entire towns with a breath, and even bragged that she could slay an A class demon. At first, she used her talents for good, allying with us to push our forces farther in the demon world. But she fell in love with a demon while in the demon world, and, at his prompting, she refused to continue aiding us. In fact, she and Zurui, her demon mate, began fighting our forces, pushing us back. We were forced to retreat. They left the demon world to terrorize earth and it's people. Ever heard of Atlantis? It was the continent that they managed to fully destroy."
"T-They destroyed an entire continent?!"
"Yes. But one day our forces came acrossed Zurui, alone and unprotected by his love, and destroyed him. He had little power compared to hers. Enraged, she gathered up a demon army, planning to fight my father so she could open the gates to the after life and get Zurui back. Father had little power against her, and he sought the help of an A class demon that had escaped into the Makai, but had chosen to ally with us. He went by the name of Shi, his real name was never told to us. He fought her, and managed to kill her. What we didn't know until now was the fact that Shi had hit her so hard with one of his blasted spells, he had knocked out her soul. She some how managed to harden it against fading away, making it into a perfectly round, blue stone. Shi had it in his possession up until a week ago, not trusting anyone with it. But he was attacked, and it was stolen from him. He pursued the demon that had attacked him, but was unable to find the stone. The demon had dropped it. As you may have guessed, the demon was one of Aoitsuki's old followers. Shi was ambushed again, this time he couldn't handle them, and was captured. As far as we know he's dead, and we hope so. If the enemy has gained his assistance, we're doomed. We are also doomed if you refuse to give us that stone." Koenma looked directly into Jessica's hazel eyes, she inhaled sharply, her lungs contracting painfully.
"K-Koenma, why can't you take it from me?! If it's so darn powerful, why do you play these games, why don't you just take it?! I'm not in the least a problem to you, just take it!" She shouted, her eyes sparking with an angry fire. "But you can't, can you?!" Her voice became soft and quiet, "Can you? What is it that prevents you from taking it, start talking or I'll use this thing on you!"
Koenma looked flustered at her sudden aggression. "Well, well, you see... The power of that stone is said to awaken from a strong, heartfelt emotion. If we where to attempt to take it from you, it may just set the stone off. The only thing with that is, the stone can only awaken in the hands of a proper host body, and we don't know if you're the one."
"Host body, eh? Kuwabara said something about that." Yuskue stood in the door, his body leaned against the doorframe. His arms were crossed, and his face was pale and serious. Jessica hadn't ever seen him so grave, not in a single one of those episodes.
"Yes, he did. A host body is a body capable of harboring souls other than their own, either at the same time, or giving up theirs for another's." Koenma informed them heavily, "That is why Aoitsuki's followers are so bent on getting Jessica, they seem to be sure she is the body they need."
"A-Am I?" Jessica asked softly, her head inclined, her eyes on the tile floor.
"Well-"
"We don't know that for sure!" Kurama interjected hastily, "We have no proof!"
Jessica's mouth turned down in a frown, her eyes dulling in thought, her contemplation ending the conversation. "I-I need to think..."
"Ayume!" Koenma snapped, "Get these girls a room to rest in!"
* * *
Jessica did not bother to look at the room before collapsing onto the bedroll with a groan. She curled up and pulled the pillow over her head. Shanta, who was younger by a year and had far more energy, took a cautious look around the small, closet-like room. It was obviously an office, for a desk stood in the corner with a neat pile of papers stacked in a tray and an empty coffee mug. Two bedrolls had been place in the room, Jessica occupied one. Curiosity sparked in Shanta and she ventured over to the desk to open its solitary drawer. It slid open with the slightest prompting of her fingers, revealing several pens, blank notepads, and a framed picture. It was one of Kurama's mother, Shori. She sat on a bench in a pleasant little garden, her smile radiant. So this was Kurama's office! Shanta, her curious nature now satisfied, lay down on the bedroll and closed her brown eyes.
Jessica's mind spun. She had never felt to torn! Some thing deep within her told her to hold fast to the stone, but another told her to give it up immediately. Was the stone affecting her thought process? Was it telling her to keep it so she (Aoitsuki) could take over Jessica's body? Or, could she not take over without some sort of spell? Koenma had kindly left that part out. He had also left out why Autumn had been kidnapped, but Jessica knew it was because of the heart-felt emotion thing. Those followers would get to her through Autumn. But why couldn't she make up her mind? Was it because her skittish side was afraid of holding such power? Was it because she secretly wanted that power, to use it to became some one special? "Whats wrong with me?!" She screamed into the pillow, her words accompanied by muffled sobs. She turned onto her stomach and pounded the floor with her fists in frustration. "Why is this so hard?!"
Unable to make up her mind, Jessica stood and left the room, Shanta not noticing. She stumbled down the hallway, her eyes encircled by red, puffiness. Her light steps made no sound in the hall, or she would have been found and reproved. She passed various doors, but not the one she wanted to see. She wanted answers, and if Koenma wasn't going to give them to her, she'd find them herself! After a good ten minutes of walking, she found the room she wanted. The door to the records library swung open without sound, and she breathed in deeply before entering. Shelves of books tower hundreds of feet above her, just looking at them made her dizzy.
She wondered what she ought to look under. A for Aoitsuki, or P for possession? Maybe hey didn't have anything on it. As Jessica set about the task of gaining information, the absence of her friends welled up within her, and she longed for Shanta's company. She curled up beside a ladder, her arms pulling her knees up to her chin and sobbed softly to herself. "Autumn... You're probably dead now... All because of me..."
"You can't deny that." A voice said above her with cunning softness. "However, you can get the girl back. That is to say, if you're willing to pay. The price is great, though not as great as what your friend's life is worth to you."
Jessica lifted her face from her knees, her vision bleary on account of the tears. She came face to face with a demon- and she immediately knew who it was. The one who had kidnapped Autumn. Anger burned within her at his smiling face. He sat across from her in the library's isle, his arms folded against his chest. "What is the price, you-"
He interrupted before she said something nasty. "You're cooperation, is all."
Jessica scoffed. "And the catch?"
Thrown a bit by her quick perception, he faltered. "... My name is Shi. I do believe that Koenma told you about me. What he did not tell you is that I chose to join Aoitsuki's followers, willingly. Why, you ask? Because she was justified to turn on that lying little brat. I don't know what nonsense he told you, but Aoitsuki did not betray him for her love. She betrayed him because he pushed first! Koenma was certain that her demon lover would convince her to turn, so he had him executed. Aoitsuki told me this before I killed her. I did not believe her, until I asked Koenma himself. He told me it was true, but that I must never tell another soul of it. He said he had that demon slain, and he said it with pride. I knew I had done wrong. So I waited for so may years for her followers to reappear so I could aid them in reviving her. Finally, a week ago, my dream came true. But the follower and I were attacked by the one you seem to adore- Kurama. He slew that demon, though did not take pride in it. He asked me why I had been speaking with one of the enemy, and when he learned my reason, he fled from me, knowing I could snap his weak body in half if he dare attack me too. He tattled to Koenma, and Koenma sent out a search for the stone. But it emits no energy so it is not easily found. You happened to stumble upon it, and now I ask this of you: will you ally with us? Will you help me ease my guilt and revive this innocent woman?"
Jessica shook her head with mocking laphter, then stopped abruptly at the perplexity on his face. "You- You really think I'm that dumb? Do I come off as that stupid?!" She blinked at him in pure amazement. "I know that you want me to give up my body so her soul can shove mine out and I fade away. I don't want to seem selfish, but I don't want to give up my existence. Also, do you realize you are in a heavily guarded office building, and if a guard was to happen upon you... Sorry, but no."
* * *
Kurama lifted his head from his hands at the sound of a scream. He ran from Koenma's office, darting down the hall to the records library. As he ran through the open door, her scream met his ears again, this time not one of terror, but of pain. The demon had Jessica pinned to the wall, her arms stuck to it by blackened aura ropes. He had his hand on the bottom of her chin, the other around her neck. Her face was a dark shade of purple, her air cut off, and she was no longer able to scream. Her hazel eyes fell on Kurama, and she struggled harder against her bonds. Kurama did not think as he leapt at the demon, his whip as ready to slay Jessica's torturer as he. "You will give your consent girl, even if I have to skin you alive to do it!" The demon snarled.
"Let her go, Shi!" Kurama shouted, bounding towards him, swinging the whip in an arch high above his head. Shi's response was a laph of mockery, and he tilted his head so as to look at the redhead, a sadistic smile on his face.
"You think you have a prayer against me? Fool, you're heroism will get you killed." He applied pressure to Jessica's throat. She squirmed weakly, her eyes closing in pain. She gasped for breath, her body going limp.
Kurama stiffened. "Let her go!" He snarled softly, but loud enough for Shi to hear. "Let her go. Perhaps I am not a match, but Yoko may be!"
"He is another gnat that easily can be swatted." Shi let his hand fall away from her throat as he turned and advanced on Kurama with a calm air. "I will rip your tongue out and force you to each your words of valor. Then you can drown in your own blood."
"N-N...ooo, Kurama!" Jessica gasped, her face pulled into a wince. She fought her bonds, her feet kicking madly as she attempted to set foot on the floor. Her weak body could do little against the spirit-made shackles. "Kurama... Please don't hurt him!"
Kurama blinked at her protectiveness of him. She really would rather suffocate than see him in a battle? She must have known he had no hope against Shi. Kurama dare not look at her desperate hazel eyes, he knew he could not bare to see the agony within their depths. "Shi, I know I cannot possibly beat you, but you must at least listen! Koenma does not believe you are of your own person, he thinks you're possessed. But if it is you, then look at what you're doing! I know you, you are a man of compassion. So how can you torture an innocent child like this?! She has done nothing to hurt anyone!"
"She has the stone. If I can get her to that high level of emotion, I can awaken Aoitsuki!"
"Do you really think that she deserves to live more than Jessica?! Is that it? Is she more righteous than this girl? This girl is not to live so Aoitsuki can? That is injustice beyond that of killing Aoitsuki. Her soul will cease to exist, at least the psychic is in the after life!"
"Please, leave me alone..." Jessica murmured weakly as Shi turned and resumed strangling her. This time she did not fight back, but let her face fall forward, her brown hair hiding her face. Her glasses slid from her nose and fell to the floor with a sound of shattering lenses. Her body gave an involuntary spasm of pain. Shi laphed at her helplessness.
Kurama let his anger build, rage coloring his face red. He face had never had such hatred shine upon it, not even when his mother had been threatened. He knew how to get out of that one, but this situation was impossible to beat. So he let his anger bubble up into power, and he felt the sensation of adrenaline flooding his system. "If you do not stop this immediately, you will find yourself in a world of pain... And that world will never end for you. No, death is to good for one such as yourself, using others' pain as a distraction from your own sense of guilt. I will keep you alive so you can live in your agony, breathe it in, focus your pitiful existence on it. You will live long enough for me to shatter every bone in your body, bruise every inch of you skin, rip off each of your fingers, one by one. Finally I shall grow bored of you, and smash your soul within my hands..."
Jessica struggled to lift her face. That wasn't the usual Kurama. Her hazel eyes sought his form, but her vision was blurred. Her glasses had fallen off, and now she could not see farther than the end on her nose. Her eyes trailed to the outline of Kurama's face- despite being half blind. Pointing in a rather definite fashion, from the top of his head, were the contour of two fox ears. Jessica pressed herself to the wall, more fear adding to her already large quantity. She did not know a whole lot about his Yoko form's attitude, nor his morals. Perhaps when he was done with Shi, he'd come after her, too. "Kurama... Please, don't get yourself killed!"
"Don't plan to." The Yoko answered, his tone rather general, as though bored. "Nor do I plan to slay you, Suichii would not be pleased with me."
Jessica blinked, suddenly aware that Shi had released her, and she could freely breathe. Her strength had returned to, and she fought hard against her bonds so as to escape. Shi seemed insensible towards her, his focus now upon Yoko Kurama. As he walked from Jessica's short line of vision, she pulled her head back, breathed in deeply, and spat on him. Immediately after, she cringed against the wall, fearing for her life. But Shi did not react to her, as if he did not realize she had spit on him, he simply ignored it. Amazed at her own daring, Jessica's mouth fell open, and she was stunned beyond thinking capabilities. Her mind went dead, to put it simply.
"You're death is assured, Kurama. I do not care if you choose to hide in that body instead, it is all the same to me. As I said before, to Suichii, you are just another gnat to be squashed beneath my feet." Shi said, the maliciousness in his tone further scaring Jessica. By now she was on the verge of hysterics.
"Now it not the time to talk, it is time to fight."
"I was sure you'd like to prolong your life a few more moments, Kurama, by stalling me with a conversation. But if you are in a hurry to die, I can gladly be of assistance."
* * *
Yay! My first cliffhanger! *Does her victory dance, but trips on the carpet and falls on her face* OUCH! Um, anyway, please review! I'm much prefer if you email me if you have a question, so I can answer via email. Thank you, bye!
Autumn groaned softly, her hand lifting to her face, massaging her not yet open eyes. Pain seared through her face, causing her to let out a scream. She felt the warmth of blood on her face and the sting of various cuts. She had fought with every ounce of fight in her; which was a great deal. Shi had finally knocked her unconscious, having grown tired of her and her incessant biting. That was all she could do, really, owing to the fact he had bound her with ropes of the same that bound Jessica hundreds of miles away at that very moment. Apparently Shi had untied her. "Where am I?"