Towa no Mirai: Elemental Gem Stones: #3 - Raikou Kaze no Shoujo! Zhu-chan Toriageru Uchuu Kitsu no Maho
- Enter the Maiden of Wind! Zhu takes up the Magic of the Heavens Fox -
By: Reiko Aya (KitsuneMaya@koreanmail.com) and Towasei Norei (Mokuro29802@aol.com)
Official Webpage: http://towa-no-mirai.tk http://freewebs.com/mayamukuro]
It was a calm, peaceful morning at the temple. Yukina and Chunzhu were helping Genkai with the daily cleaning of the temple. An extremely strong gust of wind then interrupted the peaceful day. From the whirlwind-like formation it made came a young girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail, with thick bangs, hanging high in the air. Her large blue eyes spotted the temple.
"Time to have some fun!" she smirked and flew down to grab a handful of grass, and arranged it on the porch. After finishing it, it said: DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE ELEMENTS ANY LONGER.
She smiled to herself, "Yousokaze, you are just brilliant... Let that be a warning." she then flew up into the sky, and dissapeared as quickly as she had appeared.
When Chunzhu went out to sweep the porch, she spotted the message. "Genkai-shihan? Yukina-san? Someone has written something!" she called.
After everyone examined it and considered it harmless, Genkai sweeped it away. "I don't sense any youki around here, so we're safe for now, though I'm not sure how anyone could have gotten in here so easily."
Chunzhu closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "That is good. So there will not be a fight for now." Remembering fights, she looked off into the horizon, thinking of Kurama and Kushiyè. She was surprised to see two figures walking up to the temple. She recognized who they were immediately. "Kurama! Kushiyè!" she ran over to them. "Well? How did it go?" she started to walk alongside them.
Before anyone could answer, Yukina mistakenly interrupted. "It's wonderful meeting you, Kushiyè." She gave a short bow. "Zhu-san kept talking about you... and Kurama. WOuld you like to come inside? We can talk about it over a small meal or tea, maybe?"
Chunzhu beamed. "Yes, that would be excellent." She clapped her hands together and walked inside, followed by everyone else.
* * * *
"...and after I gave him some 'Rope Burn'," Kushiyè paused during her explaination and smiled at Kurama when she used his joke. "I managed to defeat Yousorai and get..." She smiled and handed the Thunder Gem to Chunzhu. It was white-yellow, and the inside of it looked like a lightning storm, full of power.
Chunzhu's face lit up when she saw it, and she immediately took it, careful to not let it fall down. She clasped it in her hand, put it to her heart, and the gem stone vanished. Something told everyone they shouldn't ask how she did that. "What about Yousorai?" She asked.
"It's most likely that he was killed by the others. He lost an Elemental Gem Stone, and Yousobi doesn't seem to be a merciful person." Kurama guessed.
"Most of you are still hurt." Genkai observed. "You should stay here." she suggested.
Kushiyè shook her head in refusal. "I'd rather go back to the Youkai Mori, thank you." she explained quickly before exiting.
Hiei also seemed to want to go to his own place outdoors as well. Without a word, he also left.
"Ano..." Chunzhu began. "As a kitsune, religion is one of my weaknesses. I am not sure what I should do about that."
"I'll see what I can do." Genkai offered. "Perhaps a wall of reiki...?"
Chunzhu shook her head. "Oh, you really should not. I will figure out a way to handle it." She sighed. "Though I lack the ability to perform kitsune magic..."
"You should be fine though." Kuwabara thought, a little confused. "Kurama stays here all the time and..." he trailed off when he saw that Kurama was galring warningly at him.
"I'm fine since I was reborn human." He explained quietly and quickly to him.
"What's that?" Chunzhu looked up from her trance of thought.
"Um..." Kurmaa said the first thing he thought of. "Were'nt you reborn human? You should be fine then."
Chunzhu laughed. "Ha? This? It is but an illusion."
Yusuke looked interested. "You can do illusions?"
She sighed, wondering how to explain it. "No, but you can say I have help." She felt the reiki barrier that went over her heard spark up as she said this, but nobody seemed to notice.
"Oh, you said you couldn't do kitsune magic..." Yusuke remembered. "Well don't worry about it. I don't think Kura-" He stopped there when he caught another glare coming from Kurama.
This time Chunzhu wasn't paying attention. Her concentration was focused on keepin the theistic energy away from her. Then, a white set of fox ears appeared on her head, followed by white highlights taht appeared through her hair. Her eyes snapped open to realize that everyone was laughing at her.
"Suishori..." Kurama tugged gently at a large white ear.
"Like I said, not good with this sort of thing at all..." She sighed, returning to her human form, and let out a little giggle as well.
Kurama felt that sympathy again. Inari, why him? "Suishori? Would you like me to help you with your abilities?" he offered.
"Thank you, but..." Chunzhu looked up at him. "I really do not want help with this. I should learn to solve this myself, ne?"
"I wouldn't mind. You seem like you need it." He argued.
Chunzhu thought for a moment. "May we all sleep in the same room? I might feel more secure that way." Everyone was surprised by this statement. Chunzhu didn't like the reaction, so she added. "In seperate futons."
Yusuke let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
"Good. Then we've compromised." Chunzhu cheered.
"Perhaps we should pair the two kitsune together." Genkai muttered to Yusuke and Kuwabara, a sly smile on her wrinkled face.
"Baasan..." Yusuke gasped.
"...was that a joke?" Kuwabara finished, stifling a laugh.
She only smirked. "Just help fix everything up." she ordered.
* * * *
Kushiyè and Hiei had returned the next morning, joining the others seated in a sloppy order having breakfast. Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed now every time they saw Genkai, Chunzhu, or Kurama, recalling the joke.
"So," Kushiyè began. "How was your night? How did you handle the religion?"
"I was fine." Chunzhu replied. "I managed to deflect most of it with reiki."
"Most?" Kushiyè asked.
She nodded. "The rest of it... Kurama helped me with."
Yusuke and Kuwabara started laughing again.
"What's wrong with them?" Kushiyè asked.
Hiei glared. "I hope they're not implying..."
Genkai interrupted. "Don't even mention that." She regretted the joke she had made when she had realized that they would be monitering them all night, keeping her up as well.
"Well, we should be going to school now." Kurama announced, walking from another room.
"Oh..." Chunzhu sighed.
"I'll pass." Yusuke said nonchalantly.
"Lucky!" She cried. "Then I will stay here as well."
"No you won't." Kurama argued, taking her by the hand and leading her out.
"Next time maybe I-" Chunzhu tried to tell them, getting cut off by the closing of the doors.
* * * *
Kurama and Chunzhu, strangely, didn't return until it was dark. Everyone was still up, sitting on the floor, strangely silent and by candlelight.
Hiei turned to them and said. "We've just sensed a youkai around the temple. A strong one. We have to be ready at any moment."
Right after he said that, a sudden chill entered the room, and icicles were formed upon the ceiling rafters.
Right after the two sat down, Kuwabara turned to Yukina, suspecting her, as the ice demon, being resposible for the freezing of the room.
"Yukina-san, why did you freeze the room?" Kuwabara asked.
"I... I didn't." Yukina responded slowly.
Silence enveloped the room after she said that. Everyone's senses were to the most acute, and sure enough, a soft, muffled giggle was heard in the center of the room and there stood Yousokaze, who then sat down and faced Chunzhu.
"Suishori, surely you would understand when I say 'Don't. Interfere. Anymore.'" The message she recited from her grass message was said with malice, very unfitting for an apparently young girl. "Instead of listening, however, you and these yarro just ignored the warning and kept looking for them. Suishori, now it is time to test your fighting skills with the ultimate test! You will have to defeat the wind, the very element that surrounds you this very moment!"
I have not really fought a battle before...but I have to beat her anyway. Chunzhu thought to herself. "Fine..." She muttered quietly. She followed Yousokaze outside.
Kushiyè's ears pricked up at the hearing of Chunzhu's response, and followed the two outside. "Zhu! Hey, are you sure you can take her?" She looked uncertainly at her.
Chunzhu put on a forced smile and paused. "Ummm...yeah...maybe...No, but I am going to try." She answered sweetly as she closed her eyes and braced herself.
Kushiyè knew how fragile Chunzhu was, that she couldn't possibly win, but even though those doubts flew into her mind, Kushiyè believed that maybe she could beat this demon.
"You might want to stop her before she kills herself! She definitely is not strong enough to beat me!" The wind demon Yousokaze declared.
Maybe she is right. Maybe I cannot win. Chunzhu thought.
Kushiyè frowned at her thought. "Zhu, did you forget I could read minds? Of course you can win. She's just trying to discourage you. Don't you dare listen to her!" Kushiyè encouraged her best friend not to be scared.
"Huh?" Chunzhu looked at her friend in surprise. "But Kushiyè, you know how weak I am." She started.
"Really? Guess I don't." Kushiè joked.
Yousokaze sighed impatiently. "Really, could we start fighting now? You're making me sick with all this sweet talk." The wind maiden complained.
"Right!" Chunzhu said confidently as Yousokaze started to charge at her.
"Zhu! Move now!" Kushiyè warned.
"Goodbye, guardian! Kaze Kamisori!" Yousokaze called as her hand started to circle around rapidly, and a tornado resulted that shot razors in all directions.
"Zhu!" Kushiyè got worried because she knew when Chunzhu got scared, she froze up stilly.
Chunzhu put on a determined face. "I can win! I know I can!" Chunzhu said to herself.
Yes! She's finally encouraging herself! Kushiyè thought. "You're going to die today, Yousokaze! Zhu, figure out her power!" Kushiyè declared as she stupidly walked onto the battlefield next to her best friend.
"Get out of here, you baka!" Chunzhu yelled to get her out of this fight.
"Too late! Okami, you're dead!" Tornadoes started to circle around Yousokaze's arm. "Kaze Kamisori!" She yelled again. Kushiyè couldn't move. She was too scared to even talk.
"Kushiyè you baka! Get away... move!" Chunzhu pushed Kushiyè out of the way, and was hit directly by the razor wind in her right arm, and sprawled onto the ground. Some razors managed to scrape against Kushiyè, but Chunzhu had taken the full hit.
"Zhu!" Kushiyè yelled as she ran to check on her friend. "Zhu!"
The Reikai Tantei showed up when they heard the yelling. Everyone noticed Chunzhu and her injury first.
Hiei closed his eyes in frustration. "The beginning of the fight and she was stupid enough to already get hurt.
Kushiyè didn't hear that rude remark. "Zhu! Oh, Zhu, are you okay? Please wake up!"
"Ow." Chunzhu opened her eyes and rose to her feet. Red blood was dripping fastly onto the ground from her arm.
"Oh no, your arm is bleeding a lot. Can you still fight?" Kushiyè asked worridly.
Chunzhu smiled. "Sou, I can. Do not worry about me." Chunzhu walked toward Yousokaze, and recalled the injuries they had both recieved. Making her get hurt... over someone else none the less! "You... You heartless jerk. I shall not let you escape. Today you will perish." Chunzhu's eyes turned a cold ice blue and started glowing. This was probably the only way to beat her...
"Kushiyè!" Hiei ran over to Kushiyè, who was badly scratched and extremely shocked. She tried moving, but the scratches all over her stinged with pain. "Ouch."
"Daijobou ka?" Hiei asked as he helped her up.
Kushiyè glared. "Get off me you pervert." she then felt a rise of power and turned her attention to the fight. "Zhu! Impossible. That's...that's Suishori-sama's power." Kushiyè threw Hiei off her.
Impossible... Before her power wasn't at all impressive, but now that she and her friend got hurt, she has unlocked the secret of her power. The wind maiden thought to herself as Chunzhu moved closer to the wind demon, eyes still glowing, her hair now white, and white ears starting to come out of her head. Her five white tails whipped around in the air. She couldn't waste too much energy on her old form... She really needed all she had... She also needed that old weapon of hers...
Yousokaze looked nervous for a second and then said to Suishori. "Dammit! What's wrong with you?! YOu're all still alive! I didn't kill anyone!" She yelled from the sky. "Yet..." She muttered to herself.
Suishori looked up in the sky in thought. "I did overreact...but this is my first fight...and it's too late to do anything now." She smiled at the wind demon and clasped her hands. "Let us begin, yes?"
Hiei helped Kushiyè as they quickly exited the battle.
"So that's Suishori then?" Kurama asked Kushiyè.
They both looked over. The fighting still hadn't begun. "I guess so..." Kushiyè replied. "I've never seen her in this form either."
Kurama sweatdropped. "And you've been friends for a long time...?"
Kushiyè nodded. "Years." And then turned her expression serious as she looked toward the battle. Suishori now had something that looked like a sheath for a sword on. She drew two crossed crescent-shaped blades from it and held one in each arm by the handles it provided. The blades were parallel to her arms, and went all the way up to her elbows. Engraved on one was kanji that read 'Kesshou Namida', or Crystal Tears, and on the other was 'Urei Zaiten', Sorrow in Heaven.
Yousokaze smiled widely, showing her fangs. "Well, you still can't beat me, no matter what other tricks you might have. Your fighting class is still a B, but mine's an S." She closed her eyes in boastful happiness. "Moreover, you will never be able to get me if I just go high into the air!"
Suishori closed her eyes softly and smiled a little. She nodded her head. "It is true you can fly, but as for the fighting classificaion, only demons bother. It is an inner strength that cannot be glassified that decides winning."
The wind youkai put on a confused face. "If fighting classification is for demons, shouldn't you be fine with it? After all, you're a demon, ne?"
Suishori glared at her. "No." She crouched down. "Demons are evil."
Yousokaze was surprised when Suishori performed an intricate tumbling/jumping move, but she managed to dodge it, and instead the blade scraped against a tree, and the resulting friction made it scrape her own arm. A ball of energy came out of her as it happened, which Suishori took great care to keep safe.
Yousokaze laughed. "You've just been hurt by your own weapon!"
"Just a flesh wound." Suishori replied, blowing on it a little in an attempt for the blood to clot quicker. She carefully hung the ball of energy in the air in front of her, and then left it for a while to take another careful swing at her. The fighting moves looked so elegant and flowing, like she were flying...
Kushiyè gasped. "Did you see that last move? She seemed as if she were soaring. It appears to be a form of martial arts... But she would have told me, right?"
"I'm not sure." Kurama answered. "But that style... I think it's supposed to be Wind Dance. Supposedly, it's exclusive to a single village... Though I can't remember which one."
Zhu is keeping things from me then... Kushiyè thought sadly.
Hiei tapped her shoulder. "Pay attention. It's about to get interesting."
Kushiyè turned her head to the fight, and was surprised to see how much power Suishori was using.
Suishori raced over to Yousokaze, and when inches away from her, struck her in the stomach with the inside of a crescent-shaped blade. A blast of mauve colored ki came from the impact.
Yousokaze crashed into a tree, the impact causing her to pummel, knocking up some of the dirt on the ground and snapping some of its weaker twigs. Yousokaze got up from the mess, picked some leaves from her hair, and, with a noticable but small gash in her stomach, smiled.
"Maybe this will be fun!" She cried optomistically, seeing that Suishori knew something about fighting. She raised her arm high, and forcefully drew it down. A storm of giant icicles were brought down, surrounding Suishori.
"Oh no, I can't see anything!" Kushiyè complained.
"Try looking like this." Yusuke squinted his eyes. "You can make out a very blurry picture."
Kushiyè sighed and looked carefully, squinting, at the ice cage.
Yousokaze smiled proudly and announced. "As you know, I also control ice and snow as well as wind. Nice, isn't it?"
Suishori sighed as her attempts to shatter the ice with her blades were made futile. "And now I am stuck. Just come and defeat me!" She called. She really hadn't given up, although the chances of her winning looked hopeless.
Yousokaze started twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Sorry, I'm claustrophobic. Can't stay in one place too long...a wanderer or something."
"Are you giving up?" Suishori asked.
"Zhu...I mean Suishori you baka! She's going to attack you from long-distance!" Kushiyè called out.
"Ding ding ding! That's correct!" The wind maiden mocked as she flew up into the sky.
"Kushiyè, can you please get me out of here?" Suishori called.
Kushiyè sighed. "Well on normal circumstances I would, but," She held up her arm. "the arm I use to hold my rope is kind of injured."
"But my life is at stake!" Suishori cried.
"Want me to use fire?" Hiei offered.
"No! You might miss!" Kushiyè argued.
Hiei glared at her. "Well, thank you for the compliment." He said sarcastically. She hadn't even seen him fight!
The conversation stopped when they heard something fast approaching from the sky. It was Yousokaze, wind tunnels full of sharp razors on both arms.
She stopped in midair and chucked the tornadoes straight into the ice cage, the immediate stop making them shoot at it faster. The wind blew away the ice like paper, but both landed inside the area where Suishori was.
There was a humongous cloud of dust, but Yousokaze swet her hand, a strong blast of wind escorting it, and all the dust and dirt in her area was blown away to the Reikai Tantei. She laughed at them when they started couching, but the dust cleared in an instant, and everyone saw the condition of Suishori.
There were fresh slashes all over her, the fine cuts made by the razor sharp winds themselves. As the remaints of the tornadoes' wind died away softly, her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, her shins getting soaked in a small pool of blood that was forming on the ground. She stumbled back onto her own feet, as if ready to fall again.
Yousokaze laughed. "Now you can't even stand up! You should just quit!"
Kushiyè stood up for Suishori. "Don't listen to her! Yes, I can see you're hurt, but Genkai can heal you. Just kick her ass!" She yelled.
Suishori nodded at Kushiyè, and turned to Yousokaze. "Although I do not believe in fighting classification, I know you are not an S-class youkai."
Yousokaze glared. "What are you talking about?! I am so!"
"If you were, the Kaze Kamisori would have killed me!" Suishori snapped back.
Yousokaze looked smeechless for a moment. Eyes focused angrily on her, she said. "Once I kill you, I will be one!"
Suishori shook her head and gave a soft giggle, as if there was a little girl's mind inside a centuries-old body. "You are so young... but already all you want is power? You are a good person on the outside, are you not?"
Yousokaze folded her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?! On the inside, everyone wants power!"
Suishori prepared her elbow blades. "Not me." She crossed her arms, and spun around once to gather energy and concentration. She held the blades in front of her, and shards of charged mauve energy flew from them as she made the cuts herself through the air.
Yousokaze put her arms in front of her. "The Hitotoki Tatakikowasu technique?! Why are you so determined?! Kaze Kamisori!" Tornadoes formed around her arms, and she quickly tossed them.
The shattered energy moved easily through the wind, and hit Yousokaze. Every shard, sped up by the wind, had made either a cracking or crunching noise when it slammed into her, and she immediately fell, ironically, painlessly, but helplessly as well. As if she were a rag doll.
For Suishori, however, it was hurtful. The tunnels of wind had landed in a spot right next to her, which made the razor-like gusts swirl all around, once again cutting finer than a scalpel, and drawing even more blood. Suishori had fallen over, but she slowly got up, a strained but determined smile still there, and began a slow limp near Yousokaze, and slumped down next to her.
Yousokaze looked worried. "Don't kill me! Kaze Kamisori!" She held up the only arm that hadn't been hit by the Hitotoki Tatakikowasu, but nothing happened.
Suishori tilted her head. "My aim was not exact. That blast was supposed to completely paralyze you, but you can still speak and move an arm."
Yousokaze clenched the hand into a fist and pounded the ground as hard as possible, leaving a shallow but definite mark into the ground. "Well all my energy is gone, and I still can't move anything but this stupid arm!"
Suishori shrugged. "It is a good start for me." She reached over to the Elemental Gem Stone of Wind that Yousokaze wore around her neck.
Yousokaze realized what she was doing at the last moment. She quickly grabbed onto Suishori's wrist. "I don't need...any energy to...defeat you!" She threatened, voice strained by the tightening of her grip onto Suishori's arm, claws peircing the pale, delicate skin.
Suishori winced from pain, but kept trying to get it. She finally grabbed the gem stone, ripped it from the chain it was attached to, clasped it into her hand, and made it dissapear.
Yousokaze closed her eyes for a second and opened them again. "Huh?" She got up, and was now able to move fully. "What's happened?"
Kushiyè's eyes widened. "Oh, I think I found out what's wrong with the Wind Maiden!"
Yusuke looked over. "What? Amnesia?"
"No, Suishori will explain in a moment." Kurama said. He was right, because then Yousokaze asked Suishori what had happened.
She said. "Yousobi controlled you through the Elemental Gem Stone of Wind. You have just made an attempt to kill those who are innocent." Her voice was weak sounding, and her speech was filled with breaks and gaps. "I have a question. Why did you fight with such pride and determination?"
"Why..." Yousokaze pondered with a finger on her chin. "Because I don't want to dissapoint everyone else. Just because I'm the youngest and smallest, they thought I couldn't do anything. I fight...for their respect." She gave her head a sure nod. "But after the capture of the Elemental Gem Stones, everyone was telling me I was acting weird. I picked fights indiscriminately, and even wanted to kill. I think you were right. I was Yousobi's puppet."
Suishori sweatdropped. "I am scared of puppets."
Yousokaze ignored that. "But why did you fight me? You're not a violent person, are you?" She eyed her carefully.
Suishori shook her head. "I am not violent, but I am ready to fight anyone who causes harm to me. I protect myself, and will not be pushed around, and seek revenge for..." She couldn't finish. It brought back too many memories. "Never mind. During these times, one can only care about themselves. One day, hopefully, I'll be free to do as I wish...but I am probably going to get punished for this." She winced as another wave of pain swept over her, stinging her cuts. Why did injuries have to burn so much?
Yousokaze noticed all the blood everywhere, coming from the petite fox girl, and gasped. "I did that, didn't I?!" She started to run, but Yousobi appeared in front of her.
"Oh, you coward! And just when I've finally permitte you into this alliance." He prepared a fireball in his hand. "Useless, like I always believed!" He threw it at her, but she narrowly dodged it by jumping into the sky.
"Shit..." Yousobi cursed from under his breath. He turned his attention to a blank spot next to him and yelled. "Yousokawa! Come here, now!"
She appeared immediately from a swirl of fresh water on the ground. "Yes?"
He pointed at Yousokaze and commanded. "Kill that brat this instant!"
Yousokawa gasped. "Please reconsider sir! She's just a small girl-"
"DO IT!" He bellowed, his voice seeming to shake the trees in fright and surprise.
Yousokawa cringed and twirled a small curl around her index finger. "Right." She responded fearfully, being the subordinate. She gathered some black water into her hand, and shot it into the sky. "Ankoku Taiga!" It hit Yousokaze directly.
Yousobi smiled sadistically. "Very nice. Your death move..."
As Yousokaze's lifeless body thunked to the ground, an outline of her rose from her corpse as Yousokawa picked it up respectfully. Her spirit rose into the sky, as the most spiritually aware witnesses saw.
"Reikai?!" Yousobi growled. "She's supposed to go to hell!"
Yousokawa glared at him in a telling-off fashion. "She just wasn't evil enough."
Yousobi scowled at the surprised Reikai Tantei. "Damn you all!" He shouted, and he and Yousokawa dissapeared in bursts of their respective elements.
After taking a minute to recover ffrom the surprising scenario, Kushiyè said. "Finally, we beat that Wind Maiden..." Her statement echoed through the silence of the battlefield.
"Un..."
Everyone turned to see Chunzhu, although ki and blood where lost, she managed to return to her human form, not wanting to be a fox right now. She had reminded herself of the nightmare-like events of that one fateful day...and also of how hopeless it was to have someone else to care about besides herself. Love...that word she always had feared...
They all rushed over to her. Kushiyè looked worried. "Zhu, are you okay?"
Chunzhu's response was falling to the ground. "I...think I will...be fine. Itai..." Chunzhu tried to rise to her feet.
Kushiyè stopped her. "Please, let me get you over to the temple."
Chunzhu rose up. "Maybe...okay."
"Come sheila." Kushiyè grabbed Chunzhu and winced from the use of her arms.
Chunzhu looked over at her. "Kushiyè...are you...okay?"
Kushiyè smiled. "Sou, just tired."
"Same thing over and over again. You say that...all...the time..." Chunzhu then smiled, closed her eyes softly, and fell into a well deserved slumber.
"Zhu!" Yusuke yelled, trying to wake her up.
"Don't worry Yusuke, she's asleep. Let's get her over to Genkai." The very small girl tried lifting her, but Chunzhu was just too much of a burden. Kushiyè looked around. "Kurama, help me carry her."
"Fine..." He muttered, going over to help.
Kushiyè tilted her head. "What's wrong? Isn't Zhu your friend?"
"Friendships take time. Kurama pointed out, aiding her anyway, despite his statement.
Unfortunately, as they all went inside, no one noticed the stealthy figure staring at them from a thick tuft of leaves.
- Enter the Maiden of Wind! Zhu takes up the Magic of the Heavens Fox -
By: Reiko Aya (KitsuneMaya@koreanmail.com) and Towasei Norei (Mokuro29802@aol.com)
Official Webpage: http://towa-no-mirai.tk http://freewebs.com/mayamukuro]
It was a calm, peaceful morning at the temple. Yukina and Chunzhu were helping Genkai with the daily cleaning of the temple. An extremely strong gust of wind then interrupted the peaceful day. From the whirlwind-like formation it made came a young girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail, with thick bangs, hanging high in the air. Her large blue eyes spotted the temple.
"Time to have some fun!" she smirked and flew down to grab a handful of grass, and arranged it on the porch. After finishing it, it said: DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE ELEMENTS ANY LONGER.
She smiled to herself, "Yousokaze, you are just brilliant... Let that be a warning." she then flew up into the sky, and dissapeared as quickly as she had appeared.
When Chunzhu went out to sweep the porch, she spotted the message. "Genkai-shihan? Yukina-san? Someone has written something!" she called.
After everyone examined it and considered it harmless, Genkai sweeped it away. "I don't sense any youki around here, so we're safe for now, though I'm not sure how anyone could have gotten in here so easily."
Chunzhu closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "That is good. So there will not be a fight for now." Remembering fights, she looked off into the horizon, thinking of Kurama and Kushiyè. She was surprised to see two figures walking up to the temple. She recognized who they were immediately. "Kurama! Kushiyè!" she ran over to them. "Well? How did it go?" she started to walk alongside them.
Before anyone could answer, Yukina mistakenly interrupted. "It's wonderful meeting you, Kushiyè." She gave a short bow. "Zhu-san kept talking about you... and Kurama. WOuld you like to come inside? We can talk about it over a small meal or tea, maybe?"
Chunzhu beamed. "Yes, that would be excellent." She clapped her hands together and walked inside, followed by everyone else.
* * * *
"...and after I gave him some 'Rope Burn'," Kushiyè paused during her explaination and smiled at Kurama when she used his joke. "I managed to defeat Yousorai and get..." She smiled and handed the Thunder Gem to Chunzhu. It was white-yellow, and the inside of it looked like a lightning storm, full of power.
Chunzhu's face lit up when she saw it, and she immediately took it, careful to not let it fall down. She clasped it in her hand, put it to her heart, and the gem stone vanished. Something told everyone they shouldn't ask how she did that. "What about Yousorai?" She asked.
"It's most likely that he was killed by the others. He lost an Elemental Gem Stone, and Yousobi doesn't seem to be a merciful person." Kurama guessed.
"Most of you are still hurt." Genkai observed. "You should stay here." she suggested.
Kushiyè shook her head in refusal. "I'd rather go back to the Youkai Mori, thank you." she explained quickly before exiting.
Hiei also seemed to want to go to his own place outdoors as well. Without a word, he also left.
"Ano..." Chunzhu began. "As a kitsune, religion is one of my weaknesses. I am not sure what I should do about that."
"I'll see what I can do." Genkai offered. "Perhaps a wall of reiki...?"
Chunzhu shook her head. "Oh, you really should not. I will figure out a way to handle it." She sighed. "Though I lack the ability to perform kitsune magic..."
"You should be fine though." Kuwabara thought, a little confused. "Kurama stays here all the time and..." he trailed off when he saw that Kurama was galring warningly at him.
"I'm fine since I was reborn human." He explained quietly and quickly to him.
"What's that?" Chunzhu looked up from her trance of thought.
"Um..." Kurmaa said the first thing he thought of. "Were'nt you reborn human? You should be fine then."
Chunzhu laughed. "Ha? This? It is but an illusion."
Yusuke looked interested. "You can do illusions?"
She sighed, wondering how to explain it. "No, but you can say I have help." She felt the reiki barrier that went over her heard spark up as she said this, but nobody seemed to notice.
"Oh, you said you couldn't do kitsune magic..." Yusuke remembered. "Well don't worry about it. I don't think Kura-" He stopped there when he caught another glare coming from Kurama.
This time Chunzhu wasn't paying attention. Her concentration was focused on keepin the theistic energy away from her. Then, a white set of fox ears appeared on her head, followed by white highlights taht appeared through her hair. Her eyes snapped open to realize that everyone was laughing at her.
"Suishori..." Kurama tugged gently at a large white ear.
"Like I said, not good with this sort of thing at all..." She sighed, returning to her human form, and let out a little giggle as well.
Kurama felt that sympathy again. Inari, why him? "Suishori? Would you like me to help you with your abilities?" he offered.
"Thank you, but..." Chunzhu looked up at him. "I really do not want help with this. I should learn to solve this myself, ne?"
"I wouldn't mind. You seem like you need it." He argued.
Chunzhu thought for a moment. "May we all sleep in the same room? I might feel more secure that way." Everyone was surprised by this statement. Chunzhu didn't like the reaction, so she added. "In seperate futons."
Yusuke let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."
"Good. Then we've compromised." Chunzhu cheered.
"Perhaps we should pair the two kitsune together." Genkai muttered to Yusuke and Kuwabara, a sly smile on her wrinkled face.
"Baasan..." Yusuke gasped.
"...was that a joke?" Kuwabara finished, stifling a laugh.
She only smirked. "Just help fix everything up." she ordered.
* * * *
Kushiyè and Hiei had returned the next morning, joining the others seated in a sloppy order having breakfast. Yusuke and Kuwabara laughed now every time they saw Genkai, Chunzhu, or Kurama, recalling the joke.
"So," Kushiyè began. "How was your night? How did you handle the religion?"
"I was fine." Chunzhu replied. "I managed to deflect most of it with reiki."
"Most?" Kushiyè asked.
She nodded. "The rest of it... Kurama helped me with."
Yusuke and Kuwabara started laughing again.
"What's wrong with them?" Kushiyè asked.
Hiei glared. "I hope they're not implying..."
Genkai interrupted. "Don't even mention that." She regretted the joke she had made when she had realized that they would be monitering them all night, keeping her up as well.
"Well, we should be going to school now." Kurama announced, walking from another room.
"Oh..." Chunzhu sighed.
"I'll pass." Yusuke said nonchalantly.
"Lucky!" She cried. "Then I will stay here as well."
"No you won't." Kurama argued, taking her by the hand and leading her out.
"Next time maybe I-" Chunzhu tried to tell them, getting cut off by the closing of the doors.
* * * *
Kurama and Chunzhu, strangely, didn't return until it was dark. Everyone was still up, sitting on the floor, strangely silent and by candlelight.
Hiei turned to them and said. "We've just sensed a youkai around the temple. A strong one. We have to be ready at any moment."
Right after he said that, a sudden chill entered the room, and icicles were formed upon the ceiling rafters.
Right after the two sat down, Kuwabara turned to Yukina, suspecting her, as the ice demon, being resposible for the freezing of the room.
"Yukina-san, why did you freeze the room?" Kuwabara asked.
"I... I didn't." Yukina responded slowly.
Silence enveloped the room after she said that. Everyone's senses were to the most acute, and sure enough, a soft, muffled giggle was heard in the center of the room and there stood Yousokaze, who then sat down and faced Chunzhu.
"Suishori, surely you would understand when I say 'Don't. Interfere. Anymore.'" The message she recited from her grass message was said with malice, very unfitting for an apparently young girl. "Instead of listening, however, you and these yarro just ignored the warning and kept looking for them. Suishori, now it is time to test your fighting skills with the ultimate test! You will have to defeat the wind, the very element that surrounds you this very moment!"
I have not really fought a battle before...but I have to beat her anyway. Chunzhu thought to herself. "Fine..." She muttered quietly. She followed Yousokaze outside.
Kushiyè's ears pricked up at the hearing of Chunzhu's response, and followed the two outside. "Zhu! Hey, are you sure you can take her?" She looked uncertainly at her.
Chunzhu put on a forced smile and paused. "Ummm...yeah...maybe...No, but I am going to try." She answered sweetly as she closed her eyes and braced herself.
Kushiyè knew how fragile Chunzhu was, that she couldn't possibly win, but even though those doubts flew into her mind, Kushiyè believed that maybe she could beat this demon.
"You might want to stop her before she kills herself! She definitely is not strong enough to beat me!" The wind demon Yousokaze declared.
Maybe she is right. Maybe I cannot win. Chunzhu thought.
Kushiyè frowned at her thought. "Zhu, did you forget I could read minds? Of course you can win. She's just trying to discourage you. Don't you dare listen to her!" Kushiyè encouraged her best friend not to be scared.
"Huh?" Chunzhu looked at her friend in surprise. "But Kushiyè, you know how weak I am." She started.
"Really? Guess I don't." Kushiè joked.
Yousokaze sighed impatiently. "Really, could we start fighting now? You're making me sick with all this sweet talk." The wind maiden complained.
"Right!" Chunzhu said confidently as Yousokaze started to charge at her.
"Zhu! Move now!" Kushiyè warned.
"Goodbye, guardian! Kaze Kamisori!" Yousokaze called as her hand started to circle around rapidly, and a tornado resulted that shot razors in all directions.
"Zhu!" Kushiyè got worried because she knew when Chunzhu got scared, she froze up stilly.
Chunzhu put on a determined face. "I can win! I know I can!" Chunzhu said to herself.
Yes! She's finally encouraging herself! Kushiyè thought. "You're going to die today, Yousokaze! Zhu, figure out her power!" Kushiyè declared as she stupidly walked onto the battlefield next to her best friend.
"Get out of here, you baka!" Chunzhu yelled to get her out of this fight.
"Too late! Okami, you're dead!" Tornadoes started to circle around Yousokaze's arm. "Kaze Kamisori!" She yelled again. Kushiyè couldn't move. She was too scared to even talk.
"Kushiyè you baka! Get away... move!" Chunzhu pushed Kushiyè out of the way, and was hit directly by the razor wind in her right arm, and sprawled onto the ground. Some razors managed to scrape against Kushiyè, but Chunzhu had taken the full hit.
"Zhu!" Kushiyè yelled as she ran to check on her friend. "Zhu!"
The Reikai Tantei showed up when they heard the yelling. Everyone noticed Chunzhu and her injury first.
Hiei closed his eyes in frustration. "The beginning of the fight and she was stupid enough to already get hurt.
Kushiyè didn't hear that rude remark. "Zhu! Oh, Zhu, are you okay? Please wake up!"
"Ow." Chunzhu opened her eyes and rose to her feet. Red blood was dripping fastly onto the ground from her arm.
"Oh no, your arm is bleeding a lot. Can you still fight?" Kushiyè asked worridly.
Chunzhu smiled. "Sou, I can. Do not worry about me." Chunzhu walked toward Yousokaze, and recalled the injuries they had both recieved. Making her get hurt... over someone else none the less! "You... You heartless jerk. I shall not let you escape. Today you will perish." Chunzhu's eyes turned a cold ice blue and started glowing. This was probably the only way to beat her...
"Kushiyè!" Hiei ran over to Kushiyè, who was badly scratched and extremely shocked. She tried moving, but the scratches all over her stinged with pain. "Ouch."
"Daijobou ka?" Hiei asked as he helped her up.
Kushiyè glared. "Get off me you pervert." she then felt a rise of power and turned her attention to the fight. "Zhu! Impossible. That's...that's Suishori-sama's power." Kushiyè threw Hiei off her.
Impossible... Before her power wasn't at all impressive, but now that she and her friend got hurt, she has unlocked the secret of her power. The wind maiden thought to herself as Chunzhu moved closer to the wind demon, eyes still glowing, her hair now white, and white ears starting to come out of her head. Her five white tails whipped around in the air. She couldn't waste too much energy on her old form... She really needed all she had... She also needed that old weapon of hers...
Yousokaze looked nervous for a second and then said to Suishori. "Dammit! What's wrong with you?! YOu're all still alive! I didn't kill anyone!" She yelled from the sky. "Yet..." She muttered to herself.
Suishori looked up in the sky in thought. "I did overreact...but this is my first fight...and it's too late to do anything now." She smiled at the wind demon and clasped her hands. "Let us begin, yes?"
Hiei helped Kushiyè as they quickly exited the battle.
"So that's Suishori then?" Kurama asked Kushiyè.
They both looked over. The fighting still hadn't begun. "I guess so..." Kushiyè replied. "I've never seen her in this form either."
Kurama sweatdropped. "And you've been friends for a long time...?"
Kushiyè nodded. "Years." And then turned her expression serious as she looked toward the battle. Suishori now had something that looked like a sheath for a sword on. She drew two crossed crescent-shaped blades from it and held one in each arm by the handles it provided. The blades were parallel to her arms, and went all the way up to her elbows. Engraved on one was kanji that read 'Kesshou Namida', or Crystal Tears, and on the other was 'Urei Zaiten', Sorrow in Heaven.
Yousokaze smiled widely, showing her fangs. "Well, you still can't beat me, no matter what other tricks you might have. Your fighting class is still a B, but mine's an S." She closed her eyes in boastful happiness. "Moreover, you will never be able to get me if I just go high into the air!"
Suishori closed her eyes softly and smiled a little. She nodded her head. "It is true you can fly, but as for the fighting classificaion, only demons bother. It is an inner strength that cannot be glassified that decides winning."
The wind youkai put on a confused face. "If fighting classification is for demons, shouldn't you be fine with it? After all, you're a demon, ne?"
Suishori glared at her. "No." She crouched down. "Demons are evil."
Yousokaze was surprised when Suishori performed an intricate tumbling/jumping move, but she managed to dodge it, and instead the blade scraped against a tree, and the resulting friction made it scrape her own arm. A ball of energy came out of her as it happened, which Suishori took great care to keep safe.
Yousokaze laughed. "You've just been hurt by your own weapon!"
"Just a flesh wound." Suishori replied, blowing on it a little in an attempt for the blood to clot quicker. She carefully hung the ball of energy in the air in front of her, and then left it for a while to take another careful swing at her. The fighting moves looked so elegant and flowing, like she were flying...
Kushiyè gasped. "Did you see that last move? She seemed as if she were soaring. It appears to be a form of martial arts... But she would have told me, right?"
"I'm not sure." Kurama answered. "But that style... I think it's supposed to be Wind Dance. Supposedly, it's exclusive to a single village... Though I can't remember which one."
Zhu is keeping things from me then... Kushiyè thought sadly.
Hiei tapped her shoulder. "Pay attention. It's about to get interesting."
Kushiyè turned her head to the fight, and was surprised to see how much power Suishori was using.
Suishori raced over to Yousokaze, and when inches away from her, struck her in the stomach with the inside of a crescent-shaped blade. A blast of mauve colored ki came from the impact.
Yousokaze crashed into a tree, the impact causing her to pummel, knocking up some of the dirt on the ground and snapping some of its weaker twigs. Yousokaze got up from the mess, picked some leaves from her hair, and, with a noticable but small gash in her stomach, smiled.
"Maybe this will be fun!" She cried optomistically, seeing that Suishori knew something about fighting. She raised her arm high, and forcefully drew it down. A storm of giant icicles were brought down, surrounding Suishori.
"Oh no, I can't see anything!" Kushiyè complained.
"Try looking like this." Yusuke squinted his eyes. "You can make out a very blurry picture."
Kushiyè sighed and looked carefully, squinting, at the ice cage.
Yousokaze smiled proudly and announced. "As you know, I also control ice and snow as well as wind. Nice, isn't it?"
Suishori sighed as her attempts to shatter the ice with her blades were made futile. "And now I am stuck. Just come and defeat me!" She called. She really hadn't given up, although the chances of her winning looked hopeless.
Yousokaze started twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Sorry, I'm claustrophobic. Can't stay in one place too long...a wanderer or something."
"Are you giving up?" Suishori asked.
"Zhu...I mean Suishori you baka! She's going to attack you from long-distance!" Kushiyè called out.
"Ding ding ding! That's correct!" The wind maiden mocked as she flew up into the sky.
"Kushiyè, can you please get me out of here?" Suishori called.
Kushiyè sighed. "Well on normal circumstances I would, but," She held up her arm. "the arm I use to hold my rope is kind of injured."
"But my life is at stake!" Suishori cried.
"Want me to use fire?" Hiei offered.
"No! You might miss!" Kushiyè argued.
Hiei glared at her. "Well, thank you for the compliment." He said sarcastically. She hadn't even seen him fight!
The conversation stopped when they heard something fast approaching from the sky. It was Yousokaze, wind tunnels full of sharp razors on both arms.
She stopped in midair and chucked the tornadoes straight into the ice cage, the immediate stop making them shoot at it faster. The wind blew away the ice like paper, but both landed inside the area where Suishori was.
There was a humongous cloud of dust, but Yousokaze swet her hand, a strong blast of wind escorting it, and all the dust and dirt in her area was blown away to the Reikai Tantei. She laughed at them when they started couching, but the dust cleared in an instant, and everyone saw the condition of Suishori.
There were fresh slashes all over her, the fine cuts made by the razor sharp winds themselves. As the remaints of the tornadoes' wind died away softly, her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, her shins getting soaked in a small pool of blood that was forming on the ground. She stumbled back onto her own feet, as if ready to fall again.
Yousokaze laughed. "Now you can't even stand up! You should just quit!"
Kushiyè stood up for Suishori. "Don't listen to her! Yes, I can see you're hurt, but Genkai can heal you. Just kick her ass!" She yelled.
Suishori nodded at Kushiyè, and turned to Yousokaze. "Although I do not believe in fighting classification, I know you are not an S-class youkai."
Yousokaze glared. "What are you talking about?! I am so!"
"If you were, the Kaze Kamisori would have killed me!" Suishori snapped back.
Yousokaze looked smeechless for a moment. Eyes focused angrily on her, she said. "Once I kill you, I will be one!"
Suishori shook her head and gave a soft giggle, as if there was a little girl's mind inside a centuries-old body. "You are so young... but already all you want is power? You are a good person on the outside, are you not?"
Yousokaze folded her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?! On the inside, everyone wants power!"
Suishori prepared her elbow blades. "Not me." She crossed her arms, and spun around once to gather energy and concentration. She held the blades in front of her, and shards of charged mauve energy flew from them as she made the cuts herself through the air.
Yousokaze put her arms in front of her. "The Hitotoki Tatakikowasu technique?! Why are you so determined?! Kaze Kamisori!" Tornadoes formed around her arms, and she quickly tossed them.
The shattered energy moved easily through the wind, and hit Yousokaze. Every shard, sped up by the wind, had made either a cracking or crunching noise when it slammed into her, and she immediately fell, ironically, painlessly, but helplessly as well. As if she were a rag doll.
For Suishori, however, it was hurtful. The tunnels of wind had landed in a spot right next to her, which made the razor-like gusts swirl all around, once again cutting finer than a scalpel, and drawing even more blood. Suishori had fallen over, but she slowly got up, a strained but determined smile still there, and began a slow limp near Yousokaze, and slumped down next to her.
Yousokaze looked worried. "Don't kill me! Kaze Kamisori!" She held up the only arm that hadn't been hit by the Hitotoki Tatakikowasu, but nothing happened.
Suishori tilted her head. "My aim was not exact. That blast was supposed to completely paralyze you, but you can still speak and move an arm."
Yousokaze clenched the hand into a fist and pounded the ground as hard as possible, leaving a shallow but definite mark into the ground. "Well all my energy is gone, and I still can't move anything but this stupid arm!"
Suishori shrugged. "It is a good start for me." She reached over to the Elemental Gem Stone of Wind that Yousokaze wore around her neck.
Yousokaze realized what she was doing at the last moment. She quickly grabbed onto Suishori's wrist. "I don't need...any energy to...defeat you!" She threatened, voice strained by the tightening of her grip onto Suishori's arm, claws peircing the pale, delicate skin.
Suishori winced from pain, but kept trying to get it. She finally grabbed the gem stone, ripped it from the chain it was attached to, clasped it into her hand, and made it dissapear.
Yousokaze closed her eyes for a second and opened them again. "Huh?" She got up, and was now able to move fully. "What's happened?"
Kushiyè's eyes widened. "Oh, I think I found out what's wrong with the Wind Maiden!"
Yusuke looked over. "What? Amnesia?"
"No, Suishori will explain in a moment." Kurama said. He was right, because then Yousokaze asked Suishori what had happened.
She said. "Yousobi controlled you through the Elemental Gem Stone of Wind. You have just made an attempt to kill those who are innocent." Her voice was weak sounding, and her speech was filled with breaks and gaps. "I have a question. Why did you fight with such pride and determination?"
"Why..." Yousokaze pondered with a finger on her chin. "Because I don't want to dissapoint everyone else. Just because I'm the youngest and smallest, they thought I couldn't do anything. I fight...for their respect." She gave her head a sure nod. "But after the capture of the Elemental Gem Stones, everyone was telling me I was acting weird. I picked fights indiscriminately, and even wanted to kill. I think you were right. I was Yousobi's puppet."
Suishori sweatdropped. "I am scared of puppets."
Yousokaze ignored that. "But why did you fight me? You're not a violent person, are you?" She eyed her carefully.
Suishori shook her head. "I am not violent, but I am ready to fight anyone who causes harm to me. I protect myself, and will not be pushed around, and seek revenge for..." She couldn't finish. It brought back too many memories. "Never mind. During these times, one can only care about themselves. One day, hopefully, I'll be free to do as I wish...but I am probably going to get punished for this." She winced as another wave of pain swept over her, stinging her cuts. Why did injuries have to burn so much?
Yousokaze noticed all the blood everywhere, coming from the petite fox girl, and gasped. "I did that, didn't I?!" She started to run, but Yousobi appeared in front of her.
"Oh, you coward! And just when I've finally permitte you into this alliance." He prepared a fireball in his hand. "Useless, like I always believed!" He threw it at her, but she narrowly dodged it by jumping into the sky.
"Shit..." Yousobi cursed from under his breath. He turned his attention to a blank spot next to him and yelled. "Yousokawa! Come here, now!"
She appeared immediately from a swirl of fresh water on the ground. "Yes?"
He pointed at Yousokaze and commanded. "Kill that brat this instant!"
Yousokawa gasped. "Please reconsider sir! She's just a small girl-"
"DO IT!" He bellowed, his voice seeming to shake the trees in fright and surprise.
Yousokawa cringed and twirled a small curl around her index finger. "Right." She responded fearfully, being the subordinate. She gathered some black water into her hand, and shot it into the sky. "Ankoku Taiga!" It hit Yousokaze directly.
Yousobi smiled sadistically. "Very nice. Your death move..."
As Yousokaze's lifeless body thunked to the ground, an outline of her rose from her corpse as Yousokawa picked it up respectfully. Her spirit rose into the sky, as the most spiritually aware witnesses saw.
"Reikai?!" Yousobi growled. "She's supposed to go to hell!"
Yousokawa glared at him in a telling-off fashion. "She just wasn't evil enough."
Yousobi scowled at the surprised Reikai Tantei. "Damn you all!" He shouted, and he and Yousokawa dissapeared in bursts of their respective elements.
After taking a minute to recover ffrom the surprising scenario, Kushiyè said. "Finally, we beat that Wind Maiden..." Her statement echoed through the silence of the battlefield.
"Un..."
Everyone turned to see Chunzhu, although ki and blood where lost, she managed to return to her human form, not wanting to be a fox right now. She had reminded herself of the nightmare-like events of that one fateful day...and also of how hopeless it was to have someone else to care about besides herself. Love...that word she always had feared...
They all rushed over to her. Kushiyè looked worried. "Zhu, are you okay?"
Chunzhu's response was falling to the ground. "I...think I will...be fine. Itai..." Chunzhu tried to rise to her feet.
Kushiyè stopped her. "Please, let me get you over to the temple."
Chunzhu rose up. "Maybe...okay."
"Come sheila." Kushiyè grabbed Chunzhu and winced from the use of her arms.
Chunzhu looked over at her. "Kushiyè...are you...okay?"
Kushiyè smiled. "Sou, just tired."
"Same thing over and over again. You say that...all...the time..." Chunzhu then smiled, closed her eyes softly, and fell into a well deserved slumber.
"Zhu!" Yusuke yelled, trying to wake her up.
"Don't worry Yusuke, she's asleep. Let's get her over to Genkai." The very small girl tried lifting her, but Chunzhu was just too much of a burden. Kushiyè looked around. "Kurama, help me carry her."
"Fine..." He muttered, going over to help.
Kushiyè tilted her head. "What's wrong? Isn't Zhu your friend?"
"Friendships take time. Kurama pointed out, aiding her anyway, despite his statement.
Unfortunately, as they all went inside, no one noticed the stealthy figure staring at them from a thick tuft of leaves.