[A/N: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.. blah. blah. blah... or the Pokemon Theme Song.]
What was with all the weird looks lately? What is Romi so upset about? And why is she so jumpy and distracted? Suechi walked through the park near school. Sparce trees lined the well worn path and the sounds of children playing could be heard dimly over the nature sounds.
Suechi barely noticed when Hiei fell in step with him, he was so deeply intertwined with his own thoughts. It took a moment for him to realize Hiei was speaking. "I'm sorry. What?"
"Well, originally I said 'hi'. Then added that you smell like a dead sheep carcass lying half squashed in the middle of the road..." Hiei braced himself after repeating the insult in mock terror. "Where is your mind today, Kurama?" he probed when his friend's expression did not falter.
"A friend of mine has been acting weird late-."
He was cut off by the unmistakable tones of the Pokemon theme song. Hiei swore and rummaged through his backpack to triumphantly retrieve the battered cell phone emitting the offending tune.
"New ring?" Kurama was barely able to keep himself from bursting out laughing.
"Shut up," the dark haired boy retorted dismissivly as he flicked open the cell phone and brought it up to his ear. "It was Kuwabara and I can't figure out how to fix it... Hello? Speak of the devil! We were just-... Okay. Where?... What?! Why not-?! Shoot! My batteries died!"
"What did Kuwabara say?" From the sound of it, something happened and Hiei wasn't happy about it.
"Only that an extremely dangerous demon- or something is destroying your house and I'm not allowed to tell you because if I do you'll go after it and it is currently trying to find you to kill you." Hiei's voice remained calm, his eyes steady, but his pace quickened in the direction of Kurama's place of dwelling.
"So why'd you tell me?"
Hiei gazed at Kurama with serious eyes, "Because you deserve to know that your mother is there-"
The sentence wasn't even finished before Kurama darted towards home as fast as his demon strength would allow him to go.
"I'm coming, Mom!"
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Chiyo was truly the rambunctious spirit. Content to wait for her prey for only so long before she called it into the open. Romi's pitiful collection of magazines, CDs, manga, etc. failed to occupy her for long. And there were only so many pictures available to burn.
Instinct and heightened senses allowed her to track Kurama's scent to his nearby home. "Perfect."
A few minutes later saw her sorting the contents of his room into piles; to burn now, to rip up, to use to set the house on fire later, to destroy in a new creative way... etc. Chiyo closed her eyes and concentrated on drawing a small ball of fire into her hand, then began torching one picture at a time.
"Oh, what a cute girlfriend," she cooed, then set the picture of Emiko and Kurama on the beach to the flame. "But I like her better this way."
"Romi?!" Came a call from downstairs. "Is that you?"
The door opened and a middle aged woman walked. Kurama's mortal mother. Chiyo forced Romi's face into a smile.
"What are you doing up here? Suechi won't be home for a while yet, he said he'd be late up at school today. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Wind gathered at Chiyo's heels, lifting her a few inches off the ground and whipping her skirt and hair across her body. The lights dimmed, casting longer shadows that reached out like clawing hands.
"Yes," her voice boomed with eerie power, cold and ruthless. "You can serve as bait. I'm sure he'll come for you. Mortals tend to have attachments to the ones that raise them." She laughed merrily.
The chase ensued. Chiyo played with the poor woman's mind, creating shadows that came alive and tore at her skin. Each scream made her smile widen a touch more. How could Kurama NOT come? And if she was forced to kill this inferior mortal woman, would he be enraged enough to put up an amusing fight before she ripped him to shreds? Hopefully. Too many men just went on about how much pain she'd caused them and then died quickly.
"Now, now, play nicely."
The short woman now held a kitchen knife in one trembling hand, it's point catching light and shining menacingly. "I'm done running, if you want to kill me, I won't have died a coward." She lunged, blade flashing.
Chiyo smiled as the knife slid between her lower ribs. Blood stained the knife wielder, not the demi-goddess. "Mortal, fall back. Save yourself from the fate of watching your precious son die a bloody and undignified death."
"Nev...er..." the woman gasped with failing lungs. She pulled the dagger back, hearing the knife grating against bone. Dark wind picked her up and whirled her around, her blood falling to stain the carpet below. Her hair whipped around her face as she watched the familiar stranger with cold eyes. Dulling, clouding over in pain, but cold none the less.
"Hang around for a while. If you died now, what good would you be as a pawn of torture?" Chiyo turned and once again began throwing miniature balls of fire at random objects, almost lazily. She demolished the entire front door and wall on the street side. Hurry up, my insignificant prey, she thought coldly, I've waited so long for this. At that moment a red-topped blur ran down the street towards the smoldering house. "Finally."
Kurama hesitated only when he saw his mother across the threshold of the house, bleeding and suspended in the air by a dark mass of swirling colors.
"Mom!" He ran to her, plucking her from the air and cradling her against his chest.
Her blood seeped into his clothes and covered his hands. Her breath came in short, rasping gasps. "Suechi..." she forced her mouth to form the words. "I... am proud... of y-you." She smiled, then her features relaxed, her form limp as she passed quietly beyond his help and understanding.