This is getting done fast... ^_^
Review responses:
Darkfire180: ^__^ Glad to know that I can make people happy. I like to see my work appreciated.
Naoko Kensaku: ^_^; Neh, what I write tends to be influenced by what I know, and I don't like manipulating things I don't have the original impression of. And my poor, pitiful funds will not afford me the untranslated DVDs where Yusuke turns into a demon. T_T So, for now, there will be no Majin Yusuke in my stories. And Taki can't really sense if someone's a demon, which will be dealt with later in this chapter...
Disclaimer: Taki is mine! *glares* And I don't own YYH.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instrumental
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Absolutely out of the question!"
Koenma glared at us, the papers he'd been stamping lying forgotten on the desk, or else fluttering on the floor with his assistant, Jorge, chasing wildly after them. I'd been informed by the ever-helpful Yusuke and Kuwabara that while he might not look like it, he commanded all of Spirit World while King Yama was away, which was often. And right now he was vetoing their attempts to help me on my search.
"Look, all we need to do is help him find his sister," Yusuke wheedled. "Surely there's enough time between missions to do that? I mean, it couldn't take more than a day or so... not with all of us on it..."
"I said no and I mean no," Koenma snapped, sitting back down and gathering up his papers. "Your time and energy are too valuable to waste on some wild-goose chase!"
Yusuke threw up his hands in disgust. "I give up!"
He stalked back to the rest of us. Kurama sighed and shook his head. "You should have let me handle it from the beginning, Yusuke," he said, moving to speak with the diminutive authority.
"I didn't know he was going to be so tight-assed about it," Yusuke muttered sourly.
Kurama stood before the desk and cleared his throat mildly.
"What is it now?" Koenma said crossly, his attention on the papers he was now fully engaged in stamping.
"With all due respect, sir, Yusuke has not told you the full story of why we wish to help this boy," Kurama said carefully.
Yusuke snorted and rolled his eyes. "Damn fox always has to be so polite," he muttered - careful to speak low enough that they wouldn't hear.
I played a few light notes on my flute. ~Wouldn't hurt for you to take a few lessons.~
"I know enough to see that it's not a top priority, not when you could be tracking down dangerous criminals," Koenma stated, but despite himself, he seemed a bit curious.
Kurama smiled. "But that is exactly my point."
"What do you mean?" He had the godling's full interest now.
Kurama leaned forward conspiratorially. "Taki is not simply on a search for his sister because she ran away or because they were separated. She was taken by two demons, who are at least B-class, possibly higher." He paused for emphasis.
This, unfortunately, was wasted on Koenma, who sat back with a bored and slightly disappointed look on his face. "So? If they'd meant to cause trouble, they would have attacked a large city, not a remote human family."
Kurama coughed. "If I may continue?"
"Go ahead," the tiny ruler said, with a bored wave of the hand.
"These demons may not be as benign as you seem to think. They kidnapped his sister for one specific purpose - to raise a demon so powerful, it could take over all three realms."
I stared at him in surprise. This was news to me. I began to wonder if he knew more about Goron and Chiris than I did - and if so, how?
"With the power then unleashed, I would not be surprised if they came to challenge you personally, Koenma-sama," Kurama continued calmly. "It's only a matter of time before the seal is broken. And if we do not have warning of this, we will not be any more effective in stopping this menace than if it were a steamroller and we ants." Koenma looked more and more panicked as he went on. Then Kurama paused, delicately.
"Unless..."
"Unless what?" Koenma asked nervously, hanging on his every word.
"Unless, of course, you give us leave to go and search for Taki's sister," Kurama stated smoothly. "If we find her, we can prevent her from summoning the de-"
"All right, all right already!" Koenma shouted. "Just go! I don't want any more work on my hands at the moment, so go stop those two!"
"As you wish, sir," Kurama said, bowing. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I caught the slightest hint of a smile on his face.
Once we had gotten out of the throne room and were en route to the portal we would use, I questioned Kurama about what he had said. ~How did you know about what they were planning to do? Despite all that I've done, I haven't managed to gather any information on that...~
"I didn't," Kurama laughed. "I had no idea of what they might do."
Yusuke sweatdropped. "You mean you were bluffing? All that time?"
Kurama shrugged. "Well, most of the demons we've fought all want revenge in some way... and all of the powerful ones have aspirations to conquer the world - or worlds. I just assumed this one would be the same way." He walked on. "Shall we go?"
Yusuke followed, with Kuwabara and I close behind. ~He always has the answers...~ I fluted softly.
Kuwabara shrugged. "Yeah, he's always like that. Sometimes I think it's just that he doesn't think the way we do."
~We?~ I questioned.
"Well, he isn't human, you know..."
~He isn't?~
Our conversation was cut short by our arrival at the portal. Kuwabara shivered, and I remembered about sensitives being affected by open portals.
"Ready?" Yusuke asked, looking at me.
~Yup,~ I answered.
We stepped through the portal together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We ended up in a meadow, surprisingly like a meadow in the `Ningenkai', as I had learned that our world was called. A light breeze swept over the tall grasses and bright flowers, while trees bordered the expanse. A road at the southern edge signaled the existence of civilized life nearby. It was a far cry from some of the places I'd been in this world - places so like the human world it was scary, complete with drug dealers, prostitutes, gambling, and beings who'd slit your throat just to steal the clothes on your back...
A thought occurred to me, and I smiled grimly. ~I've been through heaven and hell to find you, Shira. Literally.~
~... I hope you appreciate it.~
A blur of black shot past, and I almost lost my balance, so absorbed was I in my thoughts. It halted in front of me, and solidified into a short man with spiky black hair, deep red eyes, and a sword at his belt. I didn't notice much but the eyes, though. They were staring into mine as if they could see my very soul... and I had the uncomfortable feeling that they could.
"Hey, Hiei," said Yusuke, sounding as if he spoke from miles away, instead of right beside me. I barely noticed. The eyes were still locked on mine, and I couldn't move a muscle.
Suddenly, I felt something probing at the edges of my mind. It delved into my memories, the ones I hid from myself so that they didn't hurt so much, and brought them to the surface.
I relived the entire awful experience of my family's slaughter in under a minute - then the presence went through my memories of the last two years.
My fear turned into anger. How dare this thing probe into my memories, into the center of my very being! How dare it touch these painful moments and make me feel the pain again!
I took control, strengthening my shields and roaring at the intruder, ~Get out!~ I touched it to throw it out-
A feeling of cold fire, of defensive walls built and perfected over the centuries, of merging with something that increased the power to more than I could bear, overwhelmed by the power, the memories, the pain, like a tidal wave crashing over me-
The presence withdrew, leaving me staggering inside my own mind. It trailed behind it a feeling of amusement that something so insignificant would challenge it, and slight surprise that it actually could.
I came back to the real world in time to see the blood-red eyes drop from mine. The short man disappeared, to end up leaning against a tree nearby. "Hn," he grunted.
"Hiei approves of you," Yusuke said cheerfully. When I turned to stare at him, he winked. "If he didn't, your head would be rolling on the ground right now."
I looked at Hiei's sword, which, I now saw, was a katana. It was no ornamental piece. It looked like it could slice through flesh and bone... and, judging from the hilt, had been used in that exact same way quite often.
I gulped. ~I'll... remember that,~ I fluted carefully.
"Well, we should get going," Yusuke said, heading towards the road. Then he paused.
"What is it?" Kuwabara asked, looking tense.
"I... have no idea where I'm going."
All of us facefaulted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Following Kurama's directions (and I don't even want to know how he knew his way around so well), we soon came to the demon city. We were careful to keep to the alleyways, as the sight of humans would likely attract trouble and hungry demons. At last, we arrived at the tavern Kurama had mentioned.
We crouched in an alley near the dusty, dirty street. "This is a typical Makai tavern, so the only ones allowed in are demons," Kurama whispered. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, that rules you two out."
~What about me?~ I piped softly. ~And Hiei,~ I added mentally.
"You should come in with an illusion, since this concerns you in particular," Kurama told me. He looked at the man in black. "Hiei, I'd rather you stayed with the other two, since you would most likely intimidate everyone to the point of speechlessness."
Hiei "hn'd" in response.
That answered my question. Hiei was a demon. It also brought me some small measure of comfort - that I wasn't the only one he scared out of his wits...
~So who's going with me?~ I asked, looking from face to face.
Yusuke grinned, and Kurama chuckled.
~Okay, what's the joke?~ I fluted crossly.
They looked at each other. "You feeling up to a transformation?" Yusuke asked Kurama.
Kurama shrugged, a slight smile touching his lips. "Oh, I think I can handle it."
He got up and backed against the wall. I was still wondering was going on, when smoke arose around Kurama. I bit back a noise of surprise, recalling where we were. Then the smoke cleared.
I stared, open-mouthed, at the creature that now stood before us. White, furry fox ears sat atop his head, twitching slightly. His long, silver hair flowed down the back of his tunic, almost touching the tail that poked out from his robe. Amber eyes regarded me with amusement.
"He affects everyone that way - guys AND girls," Yusuke murmured, noticing my stare. I hastily shut my mouth and tried to look as if people transformed into fox-guys every day.
"In this form, I am known as Youko," the fox said. (Now I understood why Yusuke had called him `fox' earlier.) The expression in those amber eyes reassured me. He might look different, but he was still the Kurama I knew.
Ku- I mean, Youko- took a mocking bow and swept his hand towards the door. "Shall we enter?"
~You first,~ I piped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the door swung open, several pairs of eyes - disproportionately large, on stalks, and more than usual - swiveled towards us, then turned back to whatever they were doing. I was rather tense, since this was a very complicated illusion. Rather than my ordinary one, which was the guise of a scrawny, low-class demon, I had woven a special cloak of music for the occasion. Whoever looked at me wouldn't see a human boy, but a demon, and a pretty unremarkable one at that. But - to make sure nobody remembered me - the cloak showed a demon that looked vaguely like someone they knew and trusted, and that they wouldn't think unusual to see with a higher-class demon.
Youko led me to the bar, and we sat down on bar stools that were slightly modified. (They had holes for tails.) He was apparently waiting for someone.
That someone became clear as the bartender bustled over. He looked just like a fat, friendly human bartender. Except that his skin was green. And he had four arms. And three eyes. And a horn. And... you get my drift. He was a demon.
"Youko!" he exclaimed. "Haven't seen you in a long time! I thought you were dead." He looked expectantly at Youko, obviously wanting a complete account of how he escaped. He was to be disappointed, however.
"So did the ones that shot me," Youko laughed. "I'll have one of your famous Helvana Fireballs. The young one here-" He clapped my shoulder playfully. "-will just have a Moltani."
"Would you like that with or without cream?" he asked kindly. I just stared at him, not wanting to try and use my flute. I was also afraid to ask, ~Cream of what?~
"What's wrong with him?" the bartender frowned.
"Traders," Youko lied smoothly. "They cut out his tongue. Show him, Taki."
Obligingly, I started to open my mouth, but whatever the bartender saw was good enough because he shuddered and motioned for me to close it. He then bustled off to get our drinks.
"Whatever you do, don't drink the Moltani," Youko whispered to me. "It wasn't meant for human stomachs."
I nodded. Since I wasn't sure what the Moltani was made of, this seemed like the best course of action.
When the portly demon returned with our drinks, Youko thanked him and dug some oddly-shaped money from his pocket. (That robe has pockets?) He sipped his drink, casually, while the bartender stared at me with a curious expression.
"Interesting youngster," he said. "He's the spitting image of old Kuronue."
Youko nearly spat out his drink in surprise. As it was, he choked, and had to be assisted by the bartender so that he wouldn't keel over.
He gave me an astonished look. I stared back helplessly and shrugged. There hadn't been time to warn him what I would do. The illusion must have incorporated someone from Youko's past into it.
"Yes," Youko said slowly, still staring at me. "He's Kuronue's son. I had a devil of a time finding him." He shook himself briskly. "But that's not why we came here, Tashkrvah."
"Oh?" Tashkrvah - or whatever his name was - lifted one eyebrow. "What's the occasion, then?"
Youko leaned forward conspiratorially, and I was struck by how similar this was to the scene with Koenma. "We would like to know if you have any information concerning a blond-haired demon, B-class, by the name of Chiris, and his partner Goron. See, we have some problems that we'd like to take up with them..."
The bartender scratched his head. "Not much I can tell you. They used to be in here a lot, buying drinks and trying to be tough. But a couple of years ago, they stopped coming so frequently, and when they did come they were - different. There was a sense of real power, y'know? And they started preaching about this old god, trying to get people to `convert, and see the light' or something." We caught our breaths at that. "Nobody joined `em, though," he continued, and we surreptitiously relaxed. "Load of horse crap, in my opinion. But..."
He frowned and scrunched up his face in concentration. "Last I heard, they made camp somewhere on Caer Fallis," he said at last. "No one goes up there anymore. They scared everything else away."
"Thank you for your time, friend," Youko said as he rose. I got up, too, noticing that while I hadn't touched my drink, Youko had somehow found time to completely drain his. "You've helped us a lot."
He nodded to me, and we made our way towards the exit.
"Come back any time!" the bartender called after us.
We met up with the others outside of the tavern. "Well?" Yusuke said impatiently.
Youko laughed. "Patience is a virtue, Yusuke. We did find out where they make camp, and-" He stopped, and sniffed the air. Then his eyes went wide.
That was all the warning we had. Suddenly, the air was full of gas, a noxious, oily green substance. Everyone in the street started coughing, and fell to the ground.
I gasped, clutching my throat. This stuff was paralyzing me, making it hard to breathe. My mind grew fuzzy as I fell on my face.
Someone was coming towards me. I squinted, trying to make out details. Blond hair... a green mask...
~A gas mask,~ I realized suddenly. ~Chiris!~
A hand reached toward me...
Suddenly, Hiei was in front of me. His movements were slowed and dull because of the gas, but his katana was planted firmly at the base of the man's throat, and his voice was rock-steady. "Touch him and you die," he growled.
~Wait a minute... he's protecting me? HIEI is protecting ME? Pigs will start sprouting wings any moment now...~
A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I twisted my head with a massive effort. Someone with black hair, also wearing a mask, was approaching Hiei from behind.
~Hiei!~ I tried to make some noise to warn him, but all that came out was a soft hiss. He must have caught my mental whisper, because his head swung around. Unfortunately, that only meant that he got punched in the face, instead of slugged over the head.
He dropped, and I began to lose my tenuous grip on consciousness. The last thing I saw were those hands reaching towards me, the same ones that had crippled me years ago.
~No...~
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Wow. In quite a bit of trouble, isn't he?
Review, and I work faster!
Review responses:
Darkfire180: ^__^ Glad to know that I can make people happy. I like to see my work appreciated.
Naoko Kensaku: ^_^; Neh, what I write tends to be influenced by what I know, and I don't like manipulating things I don't have the original impression of. And my poor, pitiful funds will not afford me the untranslated DVDs where Yusuke turns into a demon. T_T So, for now, there will be no Majin Yusuke in my stories. And Taki can't really sense if someone's a demon, which will be dealt with later in this chapter...
Disclaimer: Taki is mine! *glares* And I don't own YYH.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instrumental
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Absolutely out of the question!"
Koenma glared at us, the papers he'd been stamping lying forgotten on the desk, or else fluttering on the floor with his assistant, Jorge, chasing wildly after them. I'd been informed by the ever-helpful Yusuke and Kuwabara that while he might not look like it, he commanded all of Spirit World while King Yama was away, which was often. And right now he was vetoing their attempts to help me on my search.
"Look, all we need to do is help him find his sister," Yusuke wheedled. "Surely there's enough time between missions to do that? I mean, it couldn't take more than a day or so... not with all of us on it..."
"I said no and I mean no," Koenma snapped, sitting back down and gathering up his papers. "Your time and energy are too valuable to waste on some wild-goose chase!"
Yusuke threw up his hands in disgust. "I give up!"
He stalked back to the rest of us. Kurama sighed and shook his head. "You should have let me handle it from the beginning, Yusuke," he said, moving to speak with the diminutive authority.
"I didn't know he was going to be so tight-assed about it," Yusuke muttered sourly.
Kurama stood before the desk and cleared his throat mildly.
"What is it now?" Koenma said crossly, his attention on the papers he was now fully engaged in stamping.
"With all due respect, sir, Yusuke has not told you the full story of why we wish to help this boy," Kurama said carefully.
Yusuke snorted and rolled his eyes. "Damn fox always has to be so polite," he muttered - careful to speak low enough that they wouldn't hear.
I played a few light notes on my flute. ~Wouldn't hurt for you to take a few lessons.~
"I know enough to see that it's not a top priority, not when you could be tracking down dangerous criminals," Koenma stated, but despite himself, he seemed a bit curious.
Kurama smiled. "But that is exactly my point."
"What do you mean?" He had the godling's full interest now.
Kurama leaned forward conspiratorially. "Taki is not simply on a search for his sister because she ran away or because they were separated. She was taken by two demons, who are at least B-class, possibly higher." He paused for emphasis.
This, unfortunately, was wasted on Koenma, who sat back with a bored and slightly disappointed look on his face. "So? If they'd meant to cause trouble, they would have attacked a large city, not a remote human family."
Kurama coughed. "If I may continue?"
"Go ahead," the tiny ruler said, with a bored wave of the hand.
"These demons may not be as benign as you seem to think. They kidnapped his sister for one specific purpose - to raise a demon so powerful, it could take over all three realms."
I stared at him in surprise. This was news to me. I began to wonder if he knew more about Goron and Chiris than I did - and if so, how?
"With the power then unleashed, I would not be surprised if they came to challenge you personally, Koenma-sama," Kurama continued calmly. "It's only a matter of time before the seal is broken. And if we do not have warning of this, we will not be any more effective in stopping this menace than if it were a steamroller and we ants." Koenma looked more and more panicked as he went on. Then Kurama paused, delicately.
"Unless..."
"Unless what?" Koenma asked nervously, hanging on his every word.
"Unless, of course, you give us leave to go and search for Taki's sister," Kurama stated smoothly. "If we find her, we can prevent her from summoning the de-"
"All right, all right already!" Koenma shouted. "Just go! I don't want any more work on my hands at the moment, so go stop those two!"
"As you wish, sir," Kurama said, bowing. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I caught the slightest hint of a smile on his face.
Once we had gotten out of the throne room and were en route to the portal we would use, I questioned Kurama about what he had said. ~How did you know about what they were planning to do? Despite all that I've done, I haven't managed to gather any information on that...~
"I didn't," Kurama laughed. "I had no idea of what they might do."
Yusuke sweatdropped. "You mean you were bluffing? All that time?"
Kurama shrugged. "Well, most of the demons we've fought all want revenge in some way... and all of the powerful ones have aspirations to conquer the world - or worlds. I just assumed this one would be the same way." He walked on. "Shall we go?"
Yusuke followed, with Kuwabara and I close behind. ~He always has the answers...~ I fluted softly.
Kuwabara shrugged. "Yeah, he's always like that. Sometimes I think it's just that he doesn't think the way we do."
~We?~ I questioned.
"Well, he isn't human, you know..."
~He isn't?~
Our conversation was cut short by our arrival at the portal. Kuwabara shivered, and I remembered about sensitives being affected by open portals.
"Ready?" Yusuke asked, looking at me.
~Yup,~ I answered.
We stepped through the portal together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We ended up in a meadow, surprisingly like a meadow in the `Ningenkai', as I had learned that our world was called. A light breeze swept over the tall grasses and bright flowers, while trees bordered the expanse. A road at the southern edge signaled the existence of civilized life nearby. It was a far cry from some of the places I'd been in this world - places so like the human world it was scary, complete with drug dealers, prostitutes, gambling, and beings who'd slit your throat just to steal the clothes on your back...
A thought occurred to me, and I smiled grimly. ~I've been through heaven and hell to find you, Shira. Literally.~
~... I hope you appreciate it.~
A blur of black shot past, and I almost lost my balance, so absorbed was I in my thoughts. It halted in front of me, and solidified into a short man with spiky black hair, deep red eyes, and a sword at his belt. I didn't notice much but the eyes, though. They were staring into mine as if they could see my very soul... and I had the uncomfortable feeling that they could.
"Hey, Hiei," said Yusuke, sounding as if he spoke from miles away, instead of right beside me. I barely noticed. The eyes were still locked on mine, and I couldn't move a muscle.
Suddenly, I felt something probing at the edges of my mind. It delved into my memories, the ones I hid from myself so that they didn't hurt so much, and brought them to the surface.
I relived the entire awful experience of my family's slaughter in under a minute - then the presence went through my memories of the last two years.
My fear turned into anger. How dare this thing probe into my memories, into the center of my very being! How dare it touch these painful moments and make me feel the pain again!
I took control, strengthening my shields and roaring at the intruder, ~Get out!~ I touched it to throw it out-
A feeling of cold fire, of defensive walls built and perfected over the centuries, of merging with something that increased the power to more than I could bear, overwhelmed by the power, the memories, the pain, like a tidal wave crashing over me-
The presence withdrew, leaving me staggering inside my own mind. It trailed behind it a feeling of amusement that something so insignificant would challenge it, and slight surprise that it actually could.
I came back to the real world in time to see the blood-red eyes drop from mine. The short man disappeared, to end up leaning against a tree nearby. "Hn," he grunted.
"Hiei approves of you," Yusuke said cheerfully. When I turned to stare at him, he winked. "If he didn't, your head would be rolling on the ground right now."
I looked at Hiei's sword, which, I now saw, was a katana. It was no ornamental piece. It looked like it could slice through flesh and bone... and, judging from the hilt, had been used in that exact same way quite often.
I gulped. ~I'll... remember that,~ I fluted carefully.
"Well, we should get going," Yusuke said, heading towards the road. Then he paused.
"What is it?" Kuwabara asked, looking tense.
"I... have no idea where I'm going."
All of us facefaulted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Following Kurama's directions (and I don't even want to know how he knew his way around so well), we soon came to the demon city. We were careful to keep to the alleyways, as the sight of humans would likely attract trouble and hungry demons. At last, we arrived at the tavern Kurama had mentioned.
We crouched in an alley near the dusty, dirty street. "This is a typical Makai tavern, so the only ones allowed in are demons," Kurama whispered. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, that rules you two out."
~What about me?~ I piped softly. ~And Hiei,~ I added mentally.
"You should come in with an illusion, since this concerns you in particular," Kurama told me. He looked at the man in black. "Hiei, I'd rather you stayed with the other two, since you would most likely intimidate everyone to the point of speechlessness."
Hiei "hn'd" in response.
That answered my question. Hiei was a demon. It also brought me some small measure of comfort - that I wasn't the only one he scared out of his wits...
~So who's going with me?~ I asked, looking from face to face.
Yusuke grinned, and Kurama chuckled.
~Okay, what's the joke?~ I fluted crossly.
They looked at each other. "You feeling up to a transformation?" Yusuke asked Kurama.
Kurama shrugged, a slight smile touching his lips. "Oh, I think I can handle it."
He got up and backed against the wall. I was still wondering was going on, when smoke arose around Kurama. I bit back a noise of surprise, recalling where we were. Then the smoke cleared.
I stared, open-mouthed, at the creature that now stood before us. White, furry fox ears sat atop his head, twitching slightly. His long, silver hair flowed down the back of his tunic, almost touching the tail that poked out from his robe. Amber eyes regarded me with amusement.
"He affects everyone that way - guys AND girls," Yusuke murmured, noticing my stare. I hastily shut my mouth and tried to look as if people transformed into fox-guys every day.
"In this form, I am known as Youko," the fox said. (Now I understood why Yusuke had called him `fox' earlier.) The expression in those amber eyes reassured me. He might look different, but he was still the Kurama I knew.
Ku- I mean, Youko- took a mocking bow and swept his hand towards the door. "Shall we enter?"
~You first,~ I piped.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the door swung open, several pairs of eyes - disproportionately large, on stalks, and more than usual - swiveled towards us, then turned back to whatever they were doing. I was rather tense, since this was a very complicated illusion. Rather than my ordinary one, which was the guise of a scrawny, low-class demon, I had woven a special cloak of music for the occasion. Whoever looked at me wouldn't see a human boy, but a demon, and a pretty unremarkable one at that. But - to make sure nobody remembered me - the cloak showed a demon that looked vaguely like someone they knew and trusted, and that they wouldn't think unusual to see with a higher-class demon.
Youko led me to the bar, and we sat down on bar stools that were slightly modified. (They had holes for tails.) He was apparently waiting for someone.
That someone became clear as the bartender bustled over. He looked just like a fat, friendly human bartender. Except that his skin was green. And he had four arms. And three eyes. And a horn. And... you get my drift. He was a demon.
"Youko!" he exclaimed. "Haven't seen you in a long time! I thought you were dead." He looked expectantly at Youko, obviously wanting a complete account of how he escaped. He was to be disappointed, however.
"So did the ones that shot me," Youko laughed. "I'll have one of your famous Helvana Fireballs. The young one here-" He clapped my shoulder playfully. "-will just have a Moltani."
"Would you like that with or without cream?" he asked kindly. I just stared at him, not wanting to try and use my flute. I was also afraid to ask, ~Cream of what?~
"What's wrong with him?" the bartender frowned.
"Traders," Youko lied smoothly. "They cut out his tongue. Show him, Taki."
Obligingly, I started to open my mouth, but whatever the bartender saw was good enough because he shuddered and motioned for me to close it. He then bustled off to get our drinks.
"Whatever you do, don't drink the Moltani," Youko whispered to me. "It wasn't meant for human stomachs."
I nodded. Since I wasn't sure what the Moltani was made of, this seemed like the best course of action.
When the portly demon returned with our drinks, Youko thanked him and dug some oddly-shaped money from his pocket. (That robe has pockets?) He sipped his drink, casually, while the bartender stared at me with a curious expression.
"Interesting youngster," he said. "He's the spitting image of old Kuronue."
Youko nearly spat out his drink in surprise. As it was, he choked, and had to be assisted by the bartender so that he wouldn't keel over.
He gave me an astonished look. I stared back helplessly and shrugged. There hadn't been time to warn him what I would do. The illusion must have incorporated someone from Youko's past into it.
"Yes," Youko said slowly, still staring at me. "He's Kuronue's son. I had a devil of a time finding him." He shook himself briskly. "But that's not why we came here, Tashkrvah."
"Oh?" Tashkrvah - or whatever his name was - lifted one eyebrow. "What's the occasion, then?"
Youko leaned forward conspiratorially, and I was struck by how similar this was to the scene with Koenma. "We would like to know if you have any information concerning a blond-haired demon, B-class, by the name of Chiris, and his partner Goron. See, we have some problems that we'd like to take up with them..."
The bartender scratched his head. "Not much I can tell you. They used to be in here a lot, buying drinks and trying to be tough. But a couple of years ago, they stopped coming so frequently, and when they did come they were - different. There was a sense of real power, y'know? And they started preaching about this old god, trying to get people to `convert, and see the light' or something." We caught our breaths at that. "Nobody joined `em, though," he continued, and we surreptitiously relaxed. "Load of horse crap, in my opinion. But..."
He frowned and scrunched up his face in concentration. "Last I heard, they made camp somewhere on Caer Fallis," he said at last. "No one goes up there anymore. They scared everything else away."
"Thank you for your time, friend," Youko said as he rose. I got up, too, noticing that while I hadn't touched my drink, Youko had somehow found time to completely drain his. "You've helped us a lot."
He nodded to me, and we made our way towards the exit.
"Come back any time!" the bartender called after us.
We met up with the others outside of the tavern. "Well?" Yusuke said impatiently.
Youko laughed. "Patience is a virtue, Yusuke. We did find out where they make camp, and-" He stopped, and sniffed the air. Then his eyes went wide.
That was all the warning we had. Suddenly, the air was full of gas, a noxious, oily green substance. Everyone in the street started coughing, and fell to the ground.
I gasped, clutching my throat. This stuff was paralyzing me, making it hard to breathe. My mind grew fuzzy as I fell on my face.
Someone was coming towards me. I squinted, trying to make out details. Blond hair... a green mask...
~A gas mask,~ I realized suddenly. ~Chiris!~
A hand reached toward me...
Suddenly, Hiei was in front of me. His movements were slowed and dull because of the gas, but his katana was planted firmly at the base of the man's throat, and his voice was rock-steady. "Touch him and you die," he growled.
~Wait a minute... he's protecting me? HIEI is protecting ME? Pigs will start sprouting wings any moment now...~
A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I twisted my head with a massive effort. Someone with black hair, also wearing a mask, was approaching Hiei from behind.
~Hiei!~ I tried to make some noise to warn him, but all that came out was a soft hiss. He must have caught my mental whisper, because his head swung around. Unfortunately, that only meant that he got punched in the face, instead of slugged over the head.
He dropped, and I began to lose my tenuous grip on consciousness. The last thing I saw were those hands reaching towards me, the same ones that had crippled me years ago.
~No...~
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Wow. In quite a bit of trouble, isn't he?
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