Warnings: some butt-kicking…
The Welder of BlackFire:
Thorn's New Life-The Legend Lives
Chapter Twenty: Kuwabara's Fight
"Hiei! What the hell are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked in his usual, annoying screech.
"Yeah, Hiei. I don't get why you're here instead of tracking down that girl. Having difficulties?" Yusuke asked teasingly. Hiei never, never had difficulties.
"That's the reason why I came back. She's coming here," Hiei said, ignoring the Spirit Detective's insulting question. He was standing in front of the two boys, Kurama on his left, leaning against the wall, watching him with an expression of curiosity.
"What?" Kuwabara asked, his eyes looking up sharply, laced with evident surprise.
"I came to tell you that she's coming here. Actually, she should be here any moment. But she wants to see you," Hiei said, nodding toward the tall carrot-top.
"Me?!"
"Kuwabara? Why?" Yusuke asked. Hiei shrugged, silent.
"How do you know that's who she's after?" Kurama asked. Hiei glared at him, searching in the kitsune's eyes for something that would give him away to suspecting what no one knew. He shrugged it away when he found nothing. Paranoia.
"Because that's what she said. She talks to herself often," he replied darkly, a dare in his voice silent and unnoticed.
"But why would she only want Kuwabara? It seems strange that she would ask for only him. Does she know that we are to take her to Spirit World?" Kurama asked, watching Hiei's expression as it remained stoic and smooth.
"Yes," Hiei replied.
"Then it doesn't make any sense that she would come to us like that," Yusuke said, looking to Hiei, then to Kurama in hopes that one or the other could ease his sense of confusion. Hiei was silent. Kurama wanted to ask the youkai questions, but felt that he would not get straight answers in this environment. Something about the fire demon spoke of caution around this revealing of information. Maybe after she met with Kuwabara he would have more answers and would not have to ask the stubborn demon.
Hiei walked toward the window to his right, staring out its clear surface. The sun beat down mercilessly, but was not burning. Just comfortable in the morning light. He fingered the paper in his pocket. No energy came from it. And it did no glow, or he would feel the warmth. She was not here yet. Strange, he thought she'd be here by now. Wait. He closed his fingers around the parchment. She was here. But she was different. Her energy... the one he felt the last time he used the card to pinpoint her was not this...well, it wasn't the same as it was now. He held the paper tighter in his pocket and closed his eyes, tucking his chin.
"She's here," he said.
*
"You guys! I can't fight a girl!" Kuwabara whined as they made their way through some thick woods, brushing away a branch that had just been thrown back in his face. Only his reflexes caused it from smacking him square on the chin.
"Where is she?" Kurama asked, looking around expectantly.
"Its against my code! Ah, I think its this way. I can't hit a girl! Its not right!" Kuwabara continued after pointing in a direction most would have considered random. His ranting had grown old and the other three had begun to ignore it as they steadily pressed on. "Are you guys listening to me? I CAN'T FIGHT A GIRL!"
"Shut-up, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled, turning his annoyed glare toward the taller boy, whipping around in anger.
"But I can't, Urimeshi!"
"Well you'd better break that code right now. Or you'll walk away with a broken neck. If she lets you walk away at all," Hiei said, in his usual, dark tones. That silenced the big oaf for a few minutes.
'Baka. She wont kill him. Well, he doesn't know that and I see no reason to tell him,' Hiei thought to himself. 'It'll add to the amusement of the battle.'
They continued walking, following Kuwabara's feelings toward her. Not that they had to. Hiei knew it would be much faster if they used her 'map'. But he didn't feel like telling them that he had been close enough to kill her just once, not to mention all those other times. And then, and explanation would have to occur, and he didn't feel like talking at the moment.
"She's close," Kurama said suddenly, his pace slacking unnoticeably.
"Yeah. Right ahead of us," Kuwabara said, his tone suddenly blank. He was thinking more than anything. How could he defeat her? And why would she want to fight him instead of Yusuke or Kurama or even Hiei, who would be much more on her fighting level then him? This was weird, and he didn't like it. But he had the strangest feeling like he was the only one who could get the job done right. Like he was the only one that could fight the way she wanted to. He shuddered. Her power had grown quite close, and it gave him the willies. It had changed from the last time he had felt it. It seemed to grow... darker? Eviler? He shook his head. No, he was imagining things.
"Kuwabara, what's your problem? You haven't said anything in a while," Yusuke asked, looking back behind him at the boy suspiciously.
"Nothing. I was just thinking. Ya know, why would she want to fight me instead of you guys? I mean, just me. But she's really strong and has a lot of spirit energy. I mean, why would she just want to fight me?"
"Maybe she's looking for an easy win," Hiei said with a smirk.
"Hey! Take that back, Shrimp!" Kuwabara yelled, anger pushing out the calm and thoughtful demeanor.
"Calm yourself, Kuwabara. We will find out soon enough the whys. For now let's just figure out the where," Kurama said, giving them both a pointed look.
"Yeah, I agree with Kurama, cut it out Kuwabara," Yusuke said. Hiei said nothing.
"She's right here," Hiei said, stopping to wait for the other three to catch up.
"Alright, let's go," Kuwabara said seriously, stepping forward through a thick wall of trees. He was followed by Yusuke and Kurama. Hiei hung back a moment, hesitating before stepping boldly into the clearing. If you could call it a clearing. Apparently she didn't think they would need much room. The trees around them were dense with the exception for this spot. She stood against one tree, facing them with her arms crossed and her right foot resting against the base of the tree's trunk. Her eyes, he noticed were, if possible, brighter than before. They almost seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her face was blank, and dangerously straight. She looked at all of them skeptically, her eyes lingering on Hiei a second longer than the rest. She closed her eyes slowly and gave an unnoticeable nod. A thanking. He did the same. No one noticed their small greeting.
"Please come with us, Thorn. Koenma would like to speak with you," Kurama said, the first the break the silence, hoping to exicute the meeting without bloodshed or fighting. Thorn glared at him. He sighed mentally. He knew that it was a futile attempt
"Do you really think that I'm that foolish? Dearest Kurama, you should know better," she replied in dark tones, her voice sarcastically sweet as she spoke his name. "I came here to ask Kuwabara a favor, you three were not needed."
"What do you want?" Kuwabara asked tensely. Her bright eyes turned toward him and made him suppress a shudder.
"A battle. There would be no other reason for me to come here. But the favor I ask is the rules to the battle." They all gave her a skeptic look. "That neither of us can use Spirit Energy. Don't you think that evens up the score? Your fists are much stronger than my own." They all stared at her dumbly.
"Huh?" Yusuke asked, confused.
"If Kuwabara wins, which is very possible, almost more possible than I would like for odds, but oh well. If he wins, I go with you to Spirit World to talk to Koenma," she said, turning her ghastly eyes to the detective and making the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge.
"And if you win?" Kurama asked, the green of his eyes much more suspicious than the others. Thorn shrugged.
"I ask for nothing but to let me heal in peace."
"Wait, then what's in the battle for you?" Yusuke asked. "There has to be a catch if you win."
"There is no catch other than the lack of Spirit Energy. That's all I ask," Thorn said. "No weapons, nothing but our fists and heads."
"But I can't hit a girl!" Kuwabara cried out suddenly, his frantic state seeping back into his mind.
"Yes, I know all about your code. I find it unfair, frankly. A girl can hit just as hard, if not harder, than any boy," Thorn scoffed. Kuwabara gave her a raged look. She raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to prove it?"
"That's not the point! Its just not right to hit girls!" the tall boy said.
"Well then I'll make it all right," Thorn said. "Either battle or I might just have to kill you." They all stiffened. But for Hiei. He knew. She stood up straight and her arms dropped to her side.
"This is stupid. I'll fight you," Yusuke said, stepping forward.
"No," Thorn said sharply, her eyes darting to him and making him freeze unknowingly in place. "Unlike Kuwabara, I don't trust you not keeping your word. He has this code and I trust that he will stand strongly behind it. Actually, I know for a fact that he will."
"How do you know?" Kurama asked. Thorn turned to him, a twitch flashing across her lips for half a second, the first time her expression had changed since they had arrived.
"Must you ask? I have told you all before that I know much about you four," Thorn said, her tone almost hinting sweetness.
"Everything you say you know is a lie. You just say that to freak us out," Yusuke spat. Thorn snorted, closing her eyes and letting just the faintest of smirks line her face for a fleeting moment before falling back into their smooth expression.
"Don't make me prove my point, Zombie-boy," she said almost pleasantly. Yusuke was taken back.
"W-what did you say?" he asked, bewildered.
"Really Yusuke, don't ask stupid questions. I know all about your death. And if you all continue to pester me about such things as you have done I will be forced to say things I know you would hate to be known."
"Leave it alone," Hiei said quietly as Yusuke began to retort. Thorn smirked just slightly.
"But, if you know Kuwabara's code then you know he doesn't hit girls," Yusuke said, rewording what used to be a raged sentence into a semi-peaceful one, his anger held in check only by the clenching of his jaw.
"Yeah!" Kuwabara intervened. Thorn opened her eyes and glared at them, silencing them.
"I don't care," she said simply. "Kuwabara, you will fight me. Must I prove to you that I am capable of taking care of myself? You treat women like we are weak. We are not. We are strong. Stronger than you think."
"But-"
"Shut-up, Kuwabara," Thorn said, her voice ringing with authority. She stepped forward, her foot removing itself from the tree's base. "Get ready, I will not go lightly."
"I-"
"I ask for silence," Thorn said, her voice dark.
"You'd better go, Kuwabara. She is too stubborn to argue with," Kurama said pointingly.
"B-"
"Kuwabara! Just go. Its not like you have to kill her. Just give her a couple of hits so we can get this over with!" Yusuke said, his voice irritated. Kuwabara contemplated a moment.
"Let's go, Kuwabara. My patients grows short today," Thorn said. Kuwabara nodded and stepped forward. Thorn's fists rose.
"You said no weapons," Kuwabara said.
"That is true."
"Well that sword is a weapon." Thorn straightened.
"How true. Foolish of me to forget." She removed her sword, which hummed greedily. She turned toward a tree, looking up and down it, sizing it up. Her hand flashed. They all looked at the tree. She took the tip of her sword and tapped the tree's side gently a few times. Its thick trunk tipped to the side before it crashed down in a scream of snapping branches. She 'hn'ed and thrust her sword into the thick trunk, which was nearly two feet wide, making it stand upright. It buzzed angrily. If it could, it would have struggled against its prison, screaming angry words at her. She turned back toward the carrot-top. The sword did not relent in its struggle.
"Let us begin," she said with conviction. Kuwabara nodded. The other three looked on. [A/N: Even though you guys don't seem to think so, I really am bad with fighting scenes]
They did not move for a long moment. A breeze stirred, then settled. Silence hung thickly, draping over them stubbornly. Thorn growled.
"I grow tired of your hesitation," she said. She rushed forward, her right fist bolting out toward his face. Kuwabara blocked.
"C'mon, Kuwabara! Just give her a few good hits and it'll be over," Yusuke said.
"Shut-up, Urimeshi! I'm trying to concentrate!" the tall boy shouted. He blocked another hit. "Okay, fine." He gave a hesitating punch, Thorn took to the defense, blocking easily. She seemed to rely more on her defense than offence, and settled into an easy rhythm of blocks, taking to the offensive less and less often.
"C'mon, Kuwabara! Hit her!" Yusuke yelled after a long line of punches from his friend that never caught meaningful flesh. It had already been nearly five minutes since they had started.
"Stay calm, Yusuke," Kurama said. "Look. She is defending herself, yet you would think that she was doing all the work. She grows weaker by the moment. There is something wrong."
"Huh?" Yusuke asked, turning toward the kitsune, his eyes confused. He looked again. Kurama was right. Thorn's actions seemed to slow, her breath was heavier. Her eyes were bright blue, darting from one of the boy's hands to the other, yet always watching his entire body's movements as any good fighter did. At times she took a half-hearted swing, only to have it blocked or dodged. But for the most part she took to the defensive with only her sheer determination. She would not draw blood.
After nearly twenty minutes of blocking, Thorn's body began to became languid. It was visible to even the most untrained of eyes that she was tiring. She was weakening quickly, although there was no reason for it.
'You wont kill us. Our spirit will not be broken,' Thorn thought, gritting her teeth after an especially hard block. Slowly, her defenses were weakening. She took a hard hit to the stomach, and another clipped her chin. She did not waver, however. She strengthened her walls of defense. But eventually, they began to fall once again. Kuwabara got in another punch to the girl's stomach, making the girl suppress a grunt of pain.
Suddenly, her expression changed. It contorted in anger, silver tongues licking between the cracks in the wall of blue in her eyes. Her position shifted.
"Its about time," Hiei said to no one in particular.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked, turning from the fight to look at the youkai.
"She's going to fight back now," Kurama supplied.
"She just looks pissed off," Yusuke said.
"She is," Hiei said. Thorn ducked under Kuwabara's fist, her own fist snaking its way into the boy's stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs unpleasantly. His arms wrapped around his burning stomach. She handed a powerful hit on his left cheek. He stumbled backward, gasping for breath to place in his deflated lungs.
She advanced, her fists clenched at her sides and her breath rapid. Her eyes were suddenly a deep, dark, silver. Her shoulders rose and fell with her breaths as she moved forward slowly. Kuwabara looked up, hunched over with his arms hugging his screaming ribs with his good eye. His left eye was already beginning to swell to the point of clasping shut as he watched her stomp toward him, every curve of her sinuous body expressing hatred and utter rage. She looked intimidating, and made him feel small, although he was a good two and a half feet taller. Her eyes bore down on him, only fury sparking their depths.
She hit him again, her knuckles like iron points jabbing into his jaw. He fell back again. He was confused by her sudden burst of power.
"Wow," breathed Yusuke.
'So she finally shows a portion of her true strength,' Kurama thought.
'Now things should get interesting,' thought Hiei.
Thorn walked forward again. Her teeth were grinding together, bared like a mad dog's evil and crazed grin. Again, she punched him, this time sending him sprawling on the ground. He sat up slowly, coughing twice before rising weakly, brushing the back of his hand gently across his cheek, which bulged in a soft, bubble-shaped blister. She hit him again in the stomach with such force he collapsed to his knees before she could even remove the fist. She looked down at him, her eyes returning to the shimmering blue. It looked as if she was about to sneer at him, but instead closed her eyes and sighed. Her hand fell from his stomach to move to his left shoulder, roughly using a pressure point that lay there to render him into the blackness of unconsciousness. He fell to the ground with a groan, his eyes closing and his body going limp.
Thorn stood there a few moments, panting heavily and holding her own stomach, where Kuwabara's powerful punch had landed. She fell to a knee, pulling her arm tighter about her. She looked at the boy beside her, but never even seeing the other three standing past him. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she pushed herself to her feet.
It was silent but for the ever-persistent, angry, hiss from the sword. She stumbled toward it. Yusuke took a step forward. Kurama's hand came out and blocked his path. The boy looked over at him. His head was down, his eyes closed in defeat and shadowed by his thick bangs, shaking. 'No,' he was saying. Yusuke turned to his left, but could make nothing out of Hiei's blank expression. With a quiet curse he took his foot back and dropped his right fist, which had slowly risen with his anger. But he saw the point the fox demon made. It would not be right, nor fair, to try to apprehend her now, after she had battled so brilliantly.
She turned away from them and faced the sword, which, to its seeming discomfort and anger, was still imbedded in the stump. She straightened, as if proving herself, before reaching down and yanking it from its prison with her left hand. She began to replace it on her back, but froze half-way there as it expressed an especially vibrant hiss . Instead, she looked around, before spotting a large boulder to her left and moving toward it. She stopped and removed her right hand from her stomach to raise it above her head. With an angry shout she brought it down heavily upon the rock, the broad side facing the rough stone. A pleading whine from the sword was drowned out by its scream of pain and the shattering of its blade as the stone held fast and the sword fragmented but for its black hilt.
Thorn fell to her knees, her breath, if possible, was faster than before and came in ragged gasps. She again held her stomach, now with both hands, with renewed vigor. She had, no doubt, strained the previously injured tissue. She glared at the shards of the silent weapon.
"...bastard..." she gasped. She took hold of the hilt once more, firmly and closed her eyes.
'Give me back my power,' she thought. Her eyes opened suddenly and she put down the hilt.
The three boys watched her, surprise evident even on Hiei's face. If she had the strength to do that to a metal object...then there was a possibility that she should have removed Kuwabara's head at anytime, easily.
She stood up slowly and went back over to Kuwabara's unconscious body. She returned to kneeling beside him and removed her hands from around her waist and placing them gently on the boy's back.
"You put up a good fight, Kuwabara. But you've served your purpose. And I thank you now," Thorn said quietly. She seemed to force her healing energy, as if she was so drained that just the simplest of healings was paining her. It had not taken her half as long to heal Yusuke at the Dark Tournament, and then she was drained well past what she was here, as it took her in that time to heal Kuwabara. Finally, after a long while, she sighed and sat back, closing her eyes. Sweat dripped down her brow. She turned toward the three boys for the first time since before the fight. She looked almost surprised to see them standing there. She gave them a small smile and looked at them, her eyes their normal, bright, green.
"I have done everything I came here to accomplish. I will go now. I acknowledge your patients with commandment. Thank you," she said. She stood up, her face twitching slightly at the pain that one was sure must burn in her body. She went back toward the boulder and picked up the sword, which seemed to have literally 'pulled itself together' into its original shape. Only cracks remained where it had shattered. She placed it on her back, gaining more surprised looks from the other three as they watched her in shock. "He'll be asleep for a few days, I've ensured it. When he gets up, make sure he does not strain his stomach or he'll rip open wounds on his organs. And he'll feel the cracked and fractured ribs then too. He wont be able to talk very well for a while as well, his jaw was fractured. I am weak from my battles, and could not heal him fully. Perhaps Yukina or Kurama will finish my work." She looked at them and sighed. "I must go. Koenma will have found out who I am by now, so next time we meet it will probably end with blood. I suggest that you wait for me to heal. Then I will take you all on afterwards. I will come to you after, or if, Koenma reveals who I am. Its almost sad, but I will try not to embarrass you too much then," she said with an exhausted smile. She turned away before they could say a word, melting into the darkness.
"What the hell was she talking about?" Yusuke asked, looking at Kurama.
"Hm. She knows that Koenma is after her. She must also know that he has found out whatever he was looking for about her. Apparently, it is not something to be proud of," Kurama said. Hiei stepped forward to follow her.
"Hiei, you should stay here until we can check with Koenma about her," Kurama said, looking down at him.
"I'll lose her trail if I don't follow her," Hiei said, stopping and looking up at the kitsune, his eyes hard.
"I'm sure that we will find her again eventually."
"Hn."
"Let's get Kuwabara back to his house," Kurama said. "And we can go from there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Authoress' Note: Yay! Two updates real close together! -does little dance-
Kuwabara: yeah, well ya didn't havta beat me up so bad. -is currently in a hospital bed in J's room, as she insisted he was fine enough to leave, covered from head to toe in bandages, ice obscuring his face-
J: -rolls eyes- suck it up you wimp.
Kuwabara: -pouts-
Yusuke: -is currently reveling in the fact that Kuwabara got his butt kicked- -hums happy tune-
J: anyway. Let's just skip to reviews.
Reviews:
miyako14: ^_^ Thank you! I feel so loved! Three reviews only 12 hours after I posted it! Yay!
baka-chibi-puffs :lol, you brighten my day, BCP! You're reviews are wonderful and very funny! Oh, and for the drugging part, Hiei didn't know he'd been drugged. Or, no doubt I would be down one character! ^_^'. thanks again!
SilverKnight7: yup, only half way! It's very long. Actually, I don't know how long! ^_^. But it's coming along nicely. Thanks for your review!
And the teaser for ya'll! ^_^ Just because I'm so evil.
Teaser:
"What are you thinking about, Hiei?" Kurama asked. Hiei had not noticed that the kitsune's green eyes had been on him, studying him intently.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that the rain would wash away any trail she left behind," the fire youkai said.
"Yes. I thought you were in America? How did you get here?" Kurama asked.
"I found a stray portal. It closed after I went through it. It came directly here."
"You just happen to come across it?"
"Yes. It was there and I walked through it."
"Hm," Kurama mused. There was silence between them for a long time, the only sounds being the rain outside the window.
"Hiei," Kurama began. "You've changed. There is something differant about you now, although I cannot place it." Hiei turned to look at him.
"What do you mean? I have not changed, I am the same as I always was."
"No. Before-I don't exactly understand it, but I know that if I had asked your questions like this, and it had been a differant case, you would have answered differtantly."
"No, I wouldn't have," Hiei said, turning back toward the window. "I wouldn't."
++++++++
J: I know, I'm just so mean! -points to Hiei- it's all HIS fault! He makes me this way! -whine-
Hiei: -is startled- ME?!?!
J: yes you! -before Hiei can retort- okay, let's get on with it. Please review, ya know how much Isa loves it! ^_^
The purple button is EVERYONE's friend! Push it, I promise it wont bite! And if it does, then sue ff.net. ^_^