Dark. Pitch black. Without illumination. Dark. Dark. Dark. Dark! Jessica
lifted the blanket higher up on her face, so that only her hazel eyes could
be seen, for the blanket was pulled over top of her head like a hood. Tears
welled up in her eyes, and slowly rolled down her freckled cheeks.
She was laying on a bedroll in Yuskue's living room, as was Autumn, one arm hanging out from under the blanket, her snores loud and peaceful. Shanta was wide awake on the couch, sitting Indian style, her arms folded. Her light brown eyes glinted slightly as she watched her unknowing friend cry. She did not enjoy watching her suffer like that, but did not choose to comfort her either. What would she say? 'Gee, Jessica, I know you're upset for almost killing us, and you're really scared over the whole possession thing, but you need to perk up!' AS IF! So she stayed silent and rigid, her eyes eventually wandering from her friend to the blank television. Her reflection, a mere glimmer of it, scowled back at her.
Shanta did not want to sleep for fear that she would once more fall into one of the freak-psychic's memories. Or have another vision. She had realized that there was a difference in the two; the visions she had had all of them in it (Kurama, Autumn etc.), and were, or at least looked to be like, future happenings. But the old things, back one hundred or so years ago, were memories from Aoitsuki's very own mind. But the thing with the visions was that they did not all seem to come true.
She put a hand to her neck, which had broken out in cold sweat. Back in Kurama's office the day before, she had fallen asleep, and had dreamed...No, foresaw, what was to happen in the records library. But the problem with it being a vision was the fact that in the 'dream' Kurama lost and Shi killed him. And Jessica chose to leave with Shi...
Jessica pulled the pillow to her midsection and curled around it in effort of calming her raging stomach. She felt the taste of bile in her mouth and stood abruptly, and darted from the room with a hand covering her mouth. Shanta heard her vomiting in the bathroom.
Below Koenma's eyes were purple smears, proof that he had not slept that night. His clothes were the same he wore yesterday, and it was obvious he had attempted to sleep in them, for the were uncharacteristically wrinkled. He heaved the ninetieth sigh of the day and slumped back in his chair. He did not bother yelling at Oger to shut up as the oni tried to cheer him up with some stupid a story about a dragon and some milk. Or maybe that wasn't even what he was talking about. Koenma was so dazed that he wasn't even sure. He was only partially aware that he had a headache, and that he was sitting on the remote which caused his butt to be sore. But he didn't honestly care. All he wanted was some...
"QUIET!!!!"
Oger cried out and fell over in surprise. He looked up to see his employer putting his hands over his head and start balling, his tears soaking the poor oni within seconds.
"I just want to rest," Sobbed the distraught prince, "But I can rest until this ordeal with Aoitsuki is over, and that could take months! MONTHS, YOU HEAR ME? MONTHS!"
"There is no need to shout, Koenma, none at all. Maybe if you weren't so stupid in the past, you wouldn't be in this mess."
The prince of spirit world lifted his face to see Jessica standing infront of his desk. Her face was impassive, the only sign of emotion came from her tone. Cold as ice. Kurama stood at her side, looking just as worn and hassled as Koenma himself. They had left the apartment as soon as the other two (Shanta and Autumn) had fallen asleep.
Jessica suddenly started shouting herself, her hands in fists at her side. They tightened, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She pulled herself to her full height. "You think I wouldn't find out?! You think I could be possessed by her and not see at least some of her memories?! I don't even have a bad enough word to call you without cussing, which is not something I'm going to do!" Thick streams of blood seeped from between her fingers as her fists tightened. "You're a monster! How did you justify doing it? HOW DID YOU JUSTIFY KILLING HIM IN COLD BLOOD!?" Her angry cry echoed, unanswered, in the cavernous room. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to eye-level with her. "EARTH TO TODDLER-JERK! TELL ME!"
Koenma remained calm, and his words showed it. "I was wondering when you were going to blow up in my face. Ever since Kurama sent word that you had awoken at the hospital, I've been expecting you to demand to come here and sort this all out." She could hear the gritting sound of his teeth being ground against each other. "It was all done a long time ago, before-"
"Spare me your excuses!" She snapped, giving him a shove, releasing him. He sat back in his chair, still collected. "I would have come sooner, trust me, but I was having trouble sorting through it all. It's all hazy."
"As I was saying-" He straightened his clothes as best as he could manage, "-this all happened a long time ago. Things were different. In the war, everything was black and white. Kill the demons, they were the enemy. It was the same in the ranks of our army- insubordination was punishable by death. Killing a demon would get you recognition. Black and white. Bad and good. Wrong and right. Evil and pure. Those who joined our cause were pure, and all those who resisted were evil. Understand?"
"Kind of hard not to. I'm not as dense as you wish I was, toddler-jerk."
"Yes, Aoitsuki didn't like the feel of blood on her hands. The greasy, sticky feeling between her fingers. But she adored the love and admiration she got for being such a good warrior, and she liked the feel of power as she soared up the ranks to general. So she compromised her morals. She justified herself with the belief that demons cared nothing, and were bad. She was a good guy. The good guys are always right. . . . .But she felt her confidence in that weak justification waver as she fell in love with a demon named Zurui. She had thought demons, even those in the army, to be dark and evil. But here was this fellow, so kind to her...She fell for him."
"Yeah, this stuff I know. I want to know why you did what you did. She tried to come up with an answer, but I want to hear you side of the story. So cough it up!"
". . .As their relationship progressed, so did her hate for the war. The blood shed. She was killing Zurui's kin! And. . . .Zurui was defying her. He was slowly leading her to believe that it was her own kind who were evil . . . .That humans needed to die. And she believed him." Koenma ceased his story-telling and heaved the ninety-first sigh of the day. It was disturbing to see that wrinkles adorned his face. The face of a toddler. "She finally confronted me with her new-found conviction. I'm afraid I reacted a bit harshly, and further angered her. So, she set off to the Nigenkai, killing humans and destroying homes and villages. Her anger intensified when I sent some of our military power to attempt to detain her. She and Zurui were getting out of hand! Not long after they had incinerated an entire continent, and then banished it to the bottom of the sea, we managed to capture Zurui, alone, and my forces sent word of it to me. . ." Koenma lifted a hand to his face to block the emotion that was starting to make him loose his cool. "I ordered him to be killed. I-I was afraid if I even tried to transport him to Demon Jail, Aoitsuki would just break him out. So, I assumed I had no choice. . .She literally went insane with rage. Armageddon-type chaos consumed the earth by her hand. She said I had no right, that it was just another demon's blood to me, and that I did not care. She vowed to break open the gates to the afterlife and unleash the vengeance of all those who died in the war on me. . . . .But at the same time all of this was happening, a demon god had approached my father's army. He said he did not want to fight, but to help. To aid in the war. Shi was an A class demon, the demon god of fear."
Kurama's beautiful green eyes flashed at this. "So," He said, his voice husky, "That is how he defeated Yoko. He caused him to fear the death that was inevitable in that battle. That is why I changed back so quickly."
"Yes. We immediately dispatched him to the Nigenkai to stop Aoitsuki in her senseless rampage. He used his powers against her, and succeeded in using one of his spells to slay her. Her soul was gone, and we had assumed that it had fallen from her body, and had dissipated away after a day. But it turns out this was not so. He had kept the soul. Some how having it so near began to affect him, and he began to see things in his sleep. Images of Aoitsuki in some of the more horrible of battles. Of how, even at your age, she easily slew demons without regret."
"My age?"
"At the age of ten, Aoitsuki showed immense promise in the area of psychic power. We recruited her as a small-time spirit detective. She blossomed under the teachings of several older psychics, and by the age of twelve, she was able to control her powers completely. We drafted her into the army. It seemed so right. . . . ."
"At the time?"
"Yes. At the time."
Thick black rain clouds blocked the sun's rays, making nightfall come an hour early that night. Thunder rumbled distantly in the heavens, and lightening shot across the sky, lighting up the darkness for a few seconds before it faded away. Torrents of rain fell slanted and thick, making visibility impossible. A camp stretched out as far as the eye could see (which was not very far, but it went farther than you could see), rows upon rows of tents and stacks of military equipment. Here and there, a demon or psychic dared to stand out in the storm. A few fires, protected by tarps, brought a little light to the dreary night.
Shanta looked about her with wide eyes. It was yet another of the psychic's memories, and this one seemed to be in the Makai. An army base of some sort. She spotted the woman she was scanning the tents for, and followed her, her sneakers making no sound, because she was not really there.
Aoitsuki was one of the few people up and about so late at night, her cloak billowing against her in the strong wind. She hurried along the edges of tents, unknowing that a human girl was chasing her, panting with the effort. At last, she reached her destination, a small tent that was pitched a few yards away from the others.
She lifted the cloth opening with her hand, her purple eyes peeking in. The illumination of a lamp cast shadows on the walls. A solitary form lay on the bed, wide awake, however, laying on his back with his head propped on his arms. His long, blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His sparkling blue eyes lit up when he saw her blushing face, a smile teasing on his lips. He wore baggy pants made of red material, along with a long sleeved pale, white shirt, the sleeves wide with slits at the shoulders. His smile revealed a pair of long, dazzlingly- white fangs that rested on his bottom lip.
He got up from his cot, wrapping his arms around Aoitsuki. He held her against him, burying his face in her fine black hair, murmuring words of love. A sob broke her lips, and she began to shake. "Oh Zurui! Koenma will not listen to reason! Both he and his father believe that this is a holy war, and we have every right to continue!"
"Shh," He purred soothingly, "It's okay. If they will not listen, we shall show them what it feels like to loose so much, to have so much blood spilled."
Shanta stood rather out of place in the room, her eyes burning a hole into Zurui's back. She didn't like him at all. Something about his tone, though gentle and warm, there was a certain cunning ring to his words. Zurui, she reminded herself, did mean 'sly.'
"But. . . Zurui, how? We cannot hope to keep your secret much longer. I think King Yama already suspects it is you who sabotaged the last battle." She did not bother lifting her face from his shoulder.
"Pah. What do I care if he knows its me?! Even if he kills me, I know you'll continue to try to stop this war, my love. No one can harm you! You are blessed with power unparalleled by any. So long as you still want this war to end. . . ." He let it drift off their, his words spoken with meaning.
"I won't rest until it is! Even if-if I have to kill every single one of Yama's soldiers!"
His smile curled even higher upward, and suddenly, it was not so loving. No, while her face was buried against his chest, he smirked down at her, his eyes glowing with a sinister light. ". . . That's my girl. . . ."
Shanta was tempted to hit her and scream, "He's playing you--duh!" But what would that accomplish? Nothing. She jerked her head suddenly at a sound her brown eyes seeking the door of the tent.
Outside the tent stood a demon. He tilted his head towards the voices in the tent, his long green hair falling in his face, shadowing his eyes. He gasped at their treasonous words, and rushed to the main tent, that of King Yama.
Shanta crossed her arms acrossed her chest, and scowled at the two. So it was not Aoitsuki who wanted the war to end at all, it was Zurui. She had been tricked.
Please review! If not, then I shall tell Hiei to unleash his Dragon of the Darkness Flame on you, and that won't be good...! Not like Hiei would actually listen to my request, let alone fulfil it......But...I can dream can't I?
She was laying on a bedroll in Yuskue's living room, as was Autumn, one arm hanging out from under the blanket, her snores loud and peaceful. Shanta was wide awake on the couch, sitting Indian style, her arms folded. Her light brown eyes glinted slightly as she watched her unknowing friend cry. She did not enjoy watching her suffer like that, but did not choose to comfort her either. What would she say? 'Gee, Jessica, I know you're upset for almost killing us, and you're really scared over the whole possession thing, but you need to perk up!' AS IF! So she stayed silent and rigid, her eyes eventually wandering from her friend to the blank television. Her reflection, a mere glimmer of it, scowled back at her.
Shanta did not want to sleep for fear that she would once more fall into one of the freak-psychic's memories. Or have another vision. She had realized that there was a difference in the two; the visions she had had all of them in it (Kurama, Autumn etc.), and were, or at least looked to be like, future happenings. But the old things, back one hundred or so years ago, were memories from Aoitsuki's very own mind. But the thing with the visions was that they did not all seem to come true.
She put a hand to her neck, which had broken out in cold sweat. Back in Kurama's office the day before, she had fallen asleep, and had dreamed...No, foresaw, what was to happen in the records library. But the problem with it being a vision was the fact that in the 'dream' Kurama lost and Shi killed him. And Jessica chose to leave with Shi...
Jessica pulled the pillow to her midsection and curled around it in effort of calming her raging stomach. She felt the taste of bile in her mouth and stood abruptly, and darted from the room with a hand covering her mouth. Shanta heard her vomiting in the bathroom.
Below Koenma's eyes were purple smears, proof that he had not slept that night. His clothes were the same he wore yesterday, and it was obvious he had attempted to sleep in them, for the were uncharacteristically wrinkled. He heaved the ninetieth sigh of the day and slumped back in his chair. He did not bother yelling at Oger to shut up as the oni tried to cheer him up with some stupid a story about a dragon and some milk. Or maybe that wasn't even what he was talking about. Koenma was so dazed that he wasn't even sure. He was only partially aware that he had a headache, and that he was sitting on the remote which caused his butt to be sore. But he didn't honestly care. All he wanted was some...
"QUIET!!!!"
Oger cried out and fell over in surprise. He looked up to see his employer putting his hands over his head and start balling, his tears soaking the poor oni within seconds.
"I just want to rest," Sobbed the distraught prince, "But I can rest until this ordeal with Aoitsuki is over, and that could take months! MONTHS, YOU HEAR ME? MONTHS!"
"There is no need to shout, Koenma, none at all. Maybe if you weren't so stupid in the past, you wouldn't be in this mess."
The prince of spirit world lifted his face to see Jessica standing infront of his desk. Her face was impassive, the only sign of emotion came from her tone. Cold as ice. Kurama stood at her side, looking just as worn and hassled as Koenma himself. They had left the apartment as soon as the other two (Shanta and Autumn) had fallen asleep.
Jessica suddenly started shouting herself, her hands in fists at her side. They tightened, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She pulled herself to her full height. "You think I wouldn't find out?! You think I could be possessed by her and not see at least some of her memories?! I don't even have a bad enough word to call you without cussing, which is not something I'm going to do!" Thick streams of blood seeped from between her fingers as her fists tightened. "You're a monster! How did you justify doing it? HOW DID YOU JUSTIFY KILLING HIM IN COLD BLOOD!?" Her angry cry echoed, unanswered, in the cavernous room. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to eye-level with her. "EARTH TO TODDLER-JERK! TELL ME!"
Koenma remained calm, and his words showed it. "I was wondering when you were going to blow up in my face. Ever since Kurama sent word that you had awoken at the hospital, I've been expecting you to demand to come here and sort this all out." She could hear the gritting sound of his teeth being ground against each other. "It was all done a long time ago, before-"
"Spare me your excuses!" She snapped, giving him a shove, releasing him. He sat back in his chair, still collected. "I would have come sooner, trust me, but I was having trouble sorting through it all. It's all hazy."
"As I was saying-" He straightened his clothes as best as he could manage, "-this all happened a long time ago. Things were different. In the war, everything was black and white. Kill the demons, they were the enemy. It was the same in the ranks of our army- insubordination was punishable by death. Killing a demon would get you recognition. Black and white. Bad and good. Wrong and right. Evil and pure. Those who joined our cause were pure, and all those who resisted were evil. Understand?"
"Kind of hard not to. I'm not as dense as you wish I was, toddler-jerk."
"Yes, Aoitsuki didn't like the feel of blood on her hands. The greasy, sticky feeling between her fingers. But she adored the love and admiration she got for being such a good warrior, and she liked the feel of power as she soared up the ranks to general. So she compromised her morals. She justified herself with the belief that demons cared nothing, and were bad. She was a good guy. The good guys are always right. . . . .But she felt her confidence in that weak justification waver as she fell in love with a demon named Zurui. She had thought demons, even those in the army, to be dark and evil. But here was this fellow, so kind to her...She fell for him."
"Yeah, this stuff I know. I want to know why you did what you did. She tried to come up with an answer, but I want to hear you side of the story. So cough it up!"
". . .As their relationship progressed, so did her hate for the war. The blood shed. She was killing Zurui's kin! And. . . .Zurui was defying her. He was slowly leading her to believe that it was her own kind who were evil . . . .That humans needed to die. And she believed him." Koenma ceased his story-telling and heaved the ninety-first sigh of the day. It was disturbing to see that wrinkles adorned his face. The face of a toddler. "She finally confronted me with her new-found conviction. I'm afraid I reacted a bit harshly, and further angered her. So, she set off to the Nigenkai, killing humans and destroying homes and villages. Her anger intensified when I sent some of our military power to attempt to detain her. She and Zurui were getting out of hand! Not long after they had incinerated an entire continent, and then banished it to the bottom of the sea, we managed to capture Zurui, alone, and my forces sent word of it to me. . ." Koenma lifted a hand to his face to block the emotion that was starting to make him loose his cool. "I ordered him to be killed. I-I was afraid if I even tried to transport him to Demon Jail, Aoitsuki would just break him out. So, I assumed I had no choice. . .She literally went insane with rage. Armageddon-type chaos consumed the earth by her hand. She said I had no right, that it was just another demon's blood to me, and that I did not care. She vowed to break open the gates to the afterlife and unleash the vengeance of all those who died in the war on me. . . . .But at the same time all of this was happening, a demon god had approached my father's army. He said he did not want to fight, but to help. To aid in the war. Shi was an A class demon, the demon god of fear."
Kurama's beautiful green eyes flashed at this. "So," He said, his voice husky, "That is how he defeated Yoko. He caused him to fear the death that was inevitable in that battle. That is why I changed back so quickly."
"Yes. We immediately dispatched him to the Nigenkai to stop Aoitsuki in her senseless rampage. He used his powers against her, and succeeded in using one of his spells to slay her. Her soul was gone, and we had assumed that it had fallen from her body, and had dissipated away after a day. But it turns out this was not so. He had kept the soul. Some how having it so near began to affect him, and he began to see things in his sleep. Images of Aoitsuki in some of the more horrible of battles. Of how, even at your age, she easily slew demons without regret."
"My age?"
"At the age of ten, Aoitsuki showed immense promise in the area of psychic power. We recruited her as a small-time spirit detective. She blossomed under the teachings of several older psychics, and by the age of twelve, she was able to control her powers completely. We drafted her into the army. It seemed so right. . . . ."
"At the time?"
"Yes. At the time."
Thick black rain clouds blocked the sun's rays, making nightfall come an hour early that night. Thunder rumbled distantly in the heavens, and lightening shot across the sky, lighting up the darkness for a few seconds before it faded away. Torrents of rain fell slanted and thick, making visibility impossible. A camp stretched out as far as the eye could see (which was not very far, but it went farther than you could see), rows upon rows of tents and stacks of military equipment. Here and there, a demon or psychic dared to stand out in the storm. A few fires, protected by tarps, brought a little light to the dreary night.
Shanta looked about her with wide eyes. It was yet another of the psychic's memories, and this one seemed to be in the Makai. An army base of some sort. She spotted the woman she was scanning the tents for, and followed her, her sneakers making no sound, because she was not really there.
Aoitsuki was one of the few people up and about so late at night, her cloak billowing against her in the strong wind. She hurried along the edges of tents, unknowing that a human girl was chasing her, panting with the effort. At last, she reached her destination, a small tent that was pitched a few yards away from the others.
She lifted the cloth opening with her hand, her purple eyes peeking in. The illumination of a lamp cast shadows on the walls. A solitary form lay on the bed, wide awake, however, laying on his back with his head propped on his arms. His long, blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His sparkling blue eyes lit up when he saw her blushing face, a smile teasing on his lips. He wore baggy pants made of red material, along with a long sleeved pale, white shirt, the sleeves wide with slits at the shoulders. His smile revealed a pair of long, dazzlingly- white fangs that rested on his bottom lip.
He got up from his cot, wrapping his arms around Aoitsuki. He held her against him, burying his face in her fine black hair, murmuring words of love. A sob broke her lips, and she began to shake. "Oh Zurui! Koenma will not listen to reason! Both he and his father believe that this is a holy war, and we have every right to continue!"
"Shh," He purred soothingly, "It's okay. If they will not listen, we shall show them what it feels like to loose so much, to have so much blood spilled."
Shanta stood rather out of place in the room, her eyes burning a hole into Zurui's back. She didn't like him at all. Something about his tone, though gentle and warm, there was a certain cunning ring to his words. Zurui, she reminded herself, did mean 'sly.'
"But. . . Zurui, how? We cannot hope to keep your secret much longer. I think King Yama already suspects it is you who sabotaged the last battle." She did not bother lifting her face from his shoulder.
"Pah. What do I care if he knows its me?! Even if he kills me, I know you'll continue to try to stop this war, my love. No one can harm you! You are blessed with power unparalleled by any. So long as you still want this war to end. . . ." He let it drift off their, his words spoken with meaning.
"I won't rest until it is! Even if-if I have to kill every single one of Yama's soldiers!"
His smile curled even higher upward, and suddenly, it was not so loving. No, while her face was buried against his chest, he smirked down at her, his eyes glowing with a sinister light. ". . . That's my girl. . . ."
Shanta was tempted to hit her and scream, "He's playing you--duh!" But what would that accomplish? Nothing. She jerked her head suddenly at a sound her brown eyes seeking the door of the tent.
Outside the tent stood a demon. He tilted his head towards the voices in the tent, his long green hair falling in his face, shadowing his eyes. He gasped at their treasonous words, and rushed to the main tent, that of King Yama.
Shanta crossed her arms acrossed her chest, and scowled at the two. So it was not Aoitsuki who wanted the war to end at all, it was Zurui. She had been tricked.
Please review! If not, then I shall tell Hiei to unleash his Dragon of the Darkness Flame on you, and that won't be good...! Not like Hiei would actually listen to my request, let alone fulfil it......But...I can dream can't I?