Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Call off your lawyers.
Quote of the week: "People are tasty - especially en flambé." -Fangirlitis
Well, it's been over a year since I first posted this... time sure does fly. Anywho, only a few more chapters... then I get a well-deserved vacation... But enough about that - here's the recap of last chapter:
Things are picking up as Finals are coming ever closer and everyone is studying their brains out. But, what should occur but a line of mysterious killings, where the victims have been casualty by means of Soul Consumption... not a very nice topic indeed, (seeing as I got my ass beat by Suzuka for just mentioning it.) and its bound to screw up final one way or another. It seems the laird's warning is coming true. But just who is to blame for this?
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"It's ridiculous! Why would someone just go around eating a bunch of random people?" Givanni leaned back in his chair, idly reading a notice on his desk while the elf in front of him angrily argued further.
"It wasn't the bodies that were devoured, it was their souls! Even you know how horrible that is." Ryo stood up, his small fist banging down on the headmaster's mahogany desk, sending the notice and a number of other papers flying. "I say that we keep the academy on alert, and try to keep as close an eye on all the students as possible."
Looking over his reading glasses, the head of the academy neatened his papers and took off his reading glasses, which were hanging dangerously close to the end of his nose. "Yes, I suppose that's all fine and well; but what about the end-of-year finals? Surely such extreme measures would interfere with the tests, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"Look, I don't think you quite grasp the whole of what I'm saying. The old protections and even the wind pipes are failing; this place isn't nearly as ecure as it was ten years ago-"
"Fine, you know what? I'll allow you to keep watch of the students and grounds, but if you dare even try to interrupt any of the finals - and I don't care if that means vanquishing some high-level demon or just getting yourself a cup of water - you are out of this school. Do I make myself clear?" Givanni had his hands folded on his lap, dark brown eyes holding the teacher's own in a steady glare, and the elf bowed his head meekly after a few seconds of the headmaster's unnerving gaze. "Yes sir, perfectly understood."
"Good." It became deathly silent as Ryo opened the door and left, letting his green eyes wander over the autumn-scene that hung over the fireplace before stepping out into the office lobby.
A pair of black ears pricked up behind a potted plant, and a tail swished back and forth around the feet of a fairly tall cat demon. Shikyo stood up from his slouching position against the wall and managed to form a wry grin, a brilliantly white fang poking over his lower lip. "So, how'd it go?" Ryo stormed past, his green eyes narrowed, and the English teacher, with a few apologetic looks back at the secretary behind the desk, ran after him.
"It was that bad, huh?"
"No, much worse." Ryo stopped in the middle of the plush carpeted hallway, making sure no one was around to listen, then slipped into an unused classroom, dragging Shikyo, by the tail, behind him. The cat hissed in pain, his pupils becoming mere slits, and possessively held the damaged appendage in his claws, stroking the ebon fur as his elven companion whispered in hushed tones.
"Givanni seems to totally ignore the fact that the killings even took place; he barely let me get away with watching the academy borders."
"Sounds a bit stupid to me... if something that bad was attacking random passerby, at least I would warn the students." The cat had stopped lovingly petting his tail, and now stared at Ryo, black ears cocked forwards. The elf sighed, and snuck a look outside of the room. "Yes, well, I'm on thin ice already... If I'm not careful, I'll be "let go" like Michealangelo."
The bell rang, breaking the momentary silence between the two teachers, and both of them jumped, Shikyo's tail puffing out to an alarming size. With a growl, he wiped the grimy face of the wall clock and took a look outside. "Seventh period already. I'll be seeing Rachel after last period, so I'll tell her to keep an eye out then."
The elf nodded in reply and opened the classroom door. "I'll go inform Suzuka, but I'm guessing he's already heard a bit about last night." Both teachers shared a look, then pretended that nothing had ever been said.
With a groan, he groggily stared at the clock across the room, trying to make out the numbers from the spots. Three in the morning... had he fallen asleep while studying? With a slight yawn, Kurama stretched his arms and leaned back in his computer chair, green eyes blearily staring off into space for a moment, then shut the thick tome in front of him. It was one of those times when, although it wasn't quite the pitch-black of night, there wasn't enough sunlight to make everything clear, coloring the world in a palette of hazy grays.
Kuwabara and Yusuke were both sleeping soundly, never even bothering to stir as the fox tip-toed out of the room, and Hiei was most likely downstairs already; besides his sudden lapse into hibernation after absorbing the Black Dragon Wave, Kurama hadn't really seen Hiei sleep at all, as the fire demon was often outside till late at night, and first up in the morning. The door to Lark and Holly's bedroom was open a crack, and the redhead could barely make out the gauzy curtains floating in the breeze that came from the open window while he passed by. Lyra's door was firmly shut, although the complex menagerie of locks and bindings were gone, and the faint sound of soft jazz music wafted through the crack under the door – the raven-haired girl had probably fallen asleep with her stereo on yet again.
The stairs proved nothing of an obstacle for the fox, even in his sleep- induced daze, and he slowly perked up as he made it past the living room and dining room, then poured water into the teakettle, letting the water boil as he searched through the crammed cabinets for his preferred brand of tea. Cautiously taking a fragile ceramic mug from the shelf above the sink, the fox glanced at the school calendar that was posted on the fridge and reality clicked. Finals were in two days... how time had passed that quickly, he couldn't really tell.
It seemed like just a few days ago he had driven up the drive in the crummy van that Koenma had provided, listening to Hiei's choice of gloomy classical music and George's almost constant complaints about traffic; then the surprise of stepping out from the sliding van door with its tinted windows and staring in shock at the inexplicably purple house that was to be his new home... he couldn't have given any better an explanation than the one Kuwabara had provided, himself.
"Ah, couldn't sleep very well, Kurama-san?" The fox jumped at the noise, the turned towards the smooth voice. Koryu had poked his four-eyed, whiskered head through the kitchen window, and was now searching the room with his eyes. Kurama put the tea mug down on the counter next to the sink, and turned to face the aquatic creature, who had retreated his head and was now cleaning his long whiskers. "No, I've been studying too much, I fear... at this point, I might just burn out."
"Ah, that would be a pity, wouldn't it? Personally, there are more important things going on than your silly school finals."
"So, is that the reason you're hanging around outside the house when Yusuke blatantly threatened to turn you into a fur coat?"
Koryu sniffed, ignoring the comment, and started to clean his iridescent fins. "Miss Lyra's health is much more important that my own." He gave a final check over of the fin on his right foreleg, then moved onto the left. "Besides, do you really think, Kurama-san, that I would leave this place unprotected when such trouble was brewing?" The teakettle gave a shrill whistle, steam pouring from the spout, and Kurama broke off the conversation to pour the boiling water into his mug. Dipping the teabag in the hot water, the fox leaned against the counter and got a spoon from the silverware drawer, then turned to Koryu. "Want to continue this on the front steps?"
The rodent-like monster nodded his large head, the whiskers moving in a silent sweep in the same direction, and disappeared from view, except for the long, rainbow-colored fin along Koryu's spine.
"Maaa?" The dragonling twisted her neck around, one eye still focused upon the moths fluttering about her head, and nuzzled Hiei's collarbone. The fire demon sub-consciously reached up and scratched her underneath her slim chin, the dragonling's soft mane tickling his fingers as she leaned into his hand, a soft purr reverberating in her throat. "Maaa..."
"Quiet, now." Hiei shut the young one's delicate snout, trying to listen in on the conversation between Kurama and Koryu; no doubt the pair felt his presence, but as far as they were concerned, he was just keeping watch out of boredom. Straining his usually exceptional hearing, the demon leaned forwards on the tree branch that was his perch and grumbled something incoherent as he shifted the sheathed katana at his waist.
"I hope you understand that soul consumption is a serious predicament, saved only for those who are truly evil and twisted in hopes that they cannot be resurrected."
"Yes, of course." Kurama sipped his tea, stirring the teabag with his spoon, and rested his hands on his lap. "However, I doubt Reikai has anything to do with this." Koryu nodded, the larger pair of eyes closing in thought, the curled his tail around himself. "No, it is not Reikai... I fear it is something much closer. Whoever has set this up has been planning for quite some time, and when informed of Koenma's interference, took serious measures to create the illusion that nothing is wrong."
Kurama was about to reply, when a voice cut through in the darkness. "Well, you certainly know quite a bit for an overgrown water rat."
Both Kurama and Koryu looked over at the tree, the former brushing a stray clump of red hair out of his face. "Nice to see you deem the conversation fit to join in, Hiei." The fire youkai glared at his compatriot, but vanished from the leafy boughs, taking position next by Kurama's side. The hatchling gave an indignant squawk at the rough form of transportation, but hung on, which was a definite improvement from merely a week ago; stretching down her neck, she accepted a gentle ear rub from the fox and cooed softly, her eyes lidded, the white lashes brushing against his hand.
"The little one is quite taken with you, Hiei... Hard to believe such a gentle and affectionate creature could imprint a demon such as yourself." Hiei's right hand inched towards his katana, but the dragon's incessant nuzzling distracted the demon's attention.
With a slight cough, as if to steer the conversation away from the white creature sitting ever-so comfortably on the black-clad youkai's shoulder, Kurama sipped his tea and continued on. "I have a feeling that this "little one", as you call her, if quite a hassle to our protagonist's plans... the very same night she was born, we were attacked..."
"And if Lyra is SO important to you, why didn't you show up?" Kurama sweatdropped at his friend's outburst.
"Well, uh, that's a bit uncouth, Hiei-"
"No, it's fine. I just happened to be clearing the beach over there," Koryu tilted his head towards the cliff side staircase, lip stuck in a snarl. "A few skelefins were around, as well as a good-sized kelp spirit... believe me, no fun at all. If you ever need my assistance, though, Hiei, a blood- curdling scream should work-"
"Would that be before or after this sword is pierced through your neck, vermin?"
"Ah, now, now, you two... calm down before someone gets hurt." Both ebon companions stared at Kurama as if it was the stupidest idea in the world to keep the pain in check, and glared at each other out of the corner of their ruby-red eyes. With another sip of tea, the fox slowly stood up and opened the screen door, about to step through when a small light flared up on the screen, glowing a brilliant green. Reaching up with one finger, the fox had barely touched the bright being before it fluttered up, bobbing and weaving, then flew past his hair and collected with a group of other green lights that clustered near the end of the drive. As the hatchling snapped out to catch one that zipped by her nose, Hiei snatched it out of the air; his fingers gently closing around the light, and just as quickly released it.
"Firefly," He remarked, moving his charge's head away from the said insect. Kurama nodded and remarked, "Well, isn't that a bit strange for this time of night," before leaving the front steps.
Far above, a little black cat twitched and grumbled in his sleep, paws flexing and relaxing as though he were dreaming; with a sudden meow that sounded remarkably like a cry, the familiar was awake and pawing at his mistress' face.
"Holly, you nitwit.... get up! Dammit!" Kyuro hissed, his back arched, then stole a glance outside the bedroom door as a faint clunk came from the hallway. Prepared for some specter or intruder, the cat tensed up, then relaxed, if not by much, when the door swung open to reveal the awkward shape of the golem that had been roosting in the house for nearly a week now. Realization struck, and, deciding that waking up Holly was rather the lost cause, Kyuro scampered off the witch's bed and out into the hall. He didn't stop until he was outside the tantei's bedroom, standing on the line of dull gray duct tape that separated the room since the beginning of the year.
Kuwabara was passed out, utterly and completely, the blankets wrapped up around his body and a thin line of drool coming out of his open mouth as he snored; Yusuke wasn't in much better shape, although the spirit detective had managed to at least keep his sheets out of a knot. Pacing back and forth, the familiar wracked his brain for a way to wake the tantei up, then slowly grinned as he came up with quite the wicked idea. Grinning his evil little grin, the cat bounded up onto Kuwabara's nightstand and narrowed his green eyes at the ceramic cow on the table.
"Hey, mooooooooove you ass out of bed! Come one, lazy ass... moooooo-" There was a loud crashing noise, followed by several others as the little ceramic bovine was flung down the stairs, and a very angry Yusuke, with bags under his brown eyes and his black, un-gelled hair in his face, stood in the door way of his bedroom, panting heavily. "That was the last straw... who set the alarm off, huh? Hey, stupid! Kuwabara, you idiot!" The punk gave the redhead a good punch to the diaphragm, thoroughly waking Kuwabara up with a fair amount of coughing and choking.
"U... Urameshi.... don't do that to someone so early in the morn- hey... where'd my clock go?"
From the shadowy corner near the night stand, Kyuro watched the scene with glee, but a faint sense of duty called him from his mental gloating. Gaining his fuzzy nerves, the cat leapt down between them. "Alright you two, stop whining. If you would be so polite as to sense the property for energy, make it snappy. There's trouble brewing."
Both teens stared at the cat, wide eyed, then snapped out of their stupor to check on the aura's surrounding the house. When they were done, not a split-second later, both of them had sobered up quite nicely indeed.
"Alright, furball, what's up?"
"I dunno, but you better get the others up quickly." The black cat ran out the door, pausing at the top of the stairs. "I'll get Rachel and Erika; you wake up the others." Kyuro started down the stairs, then halted and looked back. "Do me a favor and leave Holly asleep... it's for her own good." With a swish of his silky tail, the familiar disappeared down the stairs.
They called, the energy drawing forth millions of shattered particles - together, yet separate - as they floated in the endless heavens of reikai. Clouds faded, weakening and thinning until they were nothing more than gray wraiths of the majestic, billowing, puffs of white; the azure sky turned a sickly shade of greenish-gray, a bright green bolt of lightning dancing across the sky and making everything show up in stark black and white before it faded from the insides of her eyelids.
No sound followed it.
No booming thunder, nothing, and with that realization, there was a sucking sound, almost as if her soul was being split in two, and everything turned to black.
...until a little green light brightened her path.
"G'way, Urameshi..." Jin stifled another yawn, almost tripping up the basement steps again, ignorant to the panicked looks on Rogerik and the spirit detective's faces. There was no blast of energy; just a silent, yet painful, throbbing in the back of his head. Still, it probably deserved a good look, whatever it was, and even if nothing appeared, his tromp upstairs wouldn't be completely fruitless. After all, there was ibuprofen in the kitchen.
"Hurry up, Windy. Something pretty big is out there, and I for-"
From somewhere outside, through the door and stifling morning air, the tiny specks of ki, a signal so weak only a lower-life form could transmit it, grouped together, clumping and growing, drawing towards one point. Whatever it was, it was growing in power and sent waves of nausea over everyone.
And the emptiness... it was like a part of his mind had been sucked out, blocked, just... not there. A part of him was missing.
Yusuke and Rogerik obviously felt it; the thief was deathly pale, and Yusuke's brown eyes looked dull and lifeless. His ears drooping, Jin made it up the stairs, fighting off the aura of depression and melancholy, and managed to reach the front door, leaning against the doorframe, his blue eyes searching the gray horizon.
By the door, Hiei was sitting on the front steps, and Koryu, the giant monster he was, was curled up into a ball by the fire demon's feet; only the dragonling was unaffected, and she was now nuzzling her "mother's" hand, making strange cooing noises and trying to get the demon to look up and clear his normally bright and murderous eyes.
The drive was home to a swarm of little green lights, floating amidst the sudden fog that had rolled in from the sea, and then, there was a black shadow among them; it was vaguely human-shaped, and moved forwards as if it was gliding. The fog swirled around its feet, which were hidden under the dark cloak that went down past its ankles. Squinting his eyes as it came nearer, Jin noticed that, whatever it was, it was in a black dress, not a cloak. The figure's hands were hidden under the black, gauzy material that trailed from the sleeve collars in a flowing train, but the face, for that was the only other skin that showed, was a pale white.
"That's it, isn't it? That's what caused all those deaths yesterday?" The windmaster almost jumped, but was lacking the energy as Rogerik's voice, trembling a little, came from behind.
"Y-yeah... I guess. It just constantly draws energy." There was a strangled cry, and a small barn owl fell out of the plum tree as the specter floated across the front yard. Yusuke was at the door now, and was shaking Hiei's shoulder, but to no avail; the swordsman seemed to have gone into a coma of sorts. "Don't bother, Yusuke; I doubt anything will wake him until that phantom is gone."
"Kurama-"The fox was leaning against the kitchen island, nearly panting, his green eyes half-shut. He momentarily closed his eyes, drawing up all his strength, then staggered to the living room and collapsed completely on the couch, his stamina spent. The detective looked back, about to rush towards his companion, when there was a screech from Koryu; the creature's fins had lost their iridescent sheen, the colors fading to a muted gray, and his body shook in spasms.
"Wha- H-hey! Water-rat! Wake up you fleabag! Come on..." The words died in his throat, as the black figure came ever closer, a mere ten feet away from the front door. The dragonling was more anxious than ever now, latching her little claws onto the collar of Hiei's shirt and trying to drag the Jaganshi away by pure force, her wings flailing uselessly, her eyes wide in fear.
The fireflies descended down upon Koryu, the monster's glossy black fur reflecting their green glow. The figure's face was slightly visible now, the short hair a light whitish-blue, the eyes a milky white... it was blind, as Jin realized.
But, as the sun came over the horizon, turning the world from a dreary gray to a brilliant ochre, and the shadows lengthened, the tantei's eyes widened in horror.
The specter, although completely stationary except for the rustling of its black gown and blue hair, came into full light, and the face was distinctly familiar. As if to further ratify their suspicions, its shadow stretched up, higher than anything that could be produced from such a humanoid creature, and spread broken wings, the sinewy neck stretching over the roof of the cottage.
But it couldn't be... it, she, was dead...
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Ah... so our mysterious phantom shows itself... but just who, exactly, could it be. Many of you, I hope, can piece it together and come up with a plausible answer.
Preview of next chapter:
She's back... but is she really whole?
Kuwabara pins the blame on himself for not telling a higher authority figure (or anyone else, for that matter) about his teacher's warning... but who is behind the happenings, really?
Hiei snaps out of his coma, and the hatchling receives her name.
Quote of the week: "People are tasty - especially en flambé." -Fangirlitis
Well, it's been over a year since I first posted this... time sure does fly. Anywho, only a few more chapters... then I get a well-deserved vacation... But enough about that - here's the recap of last chapter:
Things are picking up as Finals are coming ever closer and everyone is studying their brains out. But, what should occur but a line of mysterious killings, where the victims have been casualty by means of Soul Consumption... not a very nice topic indeed, (seeing as I got my ass beat by Suzuka for just mentioning it.) and its bound to screw up final one way or another. It seems the laird's warning is coming true. But just who is to blame for this?
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"It's ridiculous! Why would someone just go around eating a bunch of random people?" Givanni leaned back in his chair, idly reading a notice on his desk while the elf in front of him angrily argued further.
"It wasn't the bodies that were devoured, it was their souls! Even you know how horrible that is." Ryo stood up, his small fist banging down on the headmaster's mahogany desk, sending the notice and a number of other papers flying. "I say that we keep the academy on alert, and try to keep as close an eye on all the students as possible."
Looking over his reading glasses, the head of the academy neatened his papers and took off his reading glasses, which were hanging dangerously close to the end of his nose. "Yes, I suppose that's all fine and well; but what about the end-of-year finals? Surely such extreme measures would interfere with the tests, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"Look, I don't think you quite grasp the whole of what I'm saying. The old protections and even the wind pipes are failing; this place isn't nearly as ecure as it was ten years ago-"
"Fine, you know what? I'll allow you to keep watch of the students and grounds, but if you dare even try to interrupt any of the finals - and I don't care if that means vanquishing some high-level demon or just getting yourself a cup of water - you are out of this school. Do I make myself clear?" Givanni had his hands folded on his lap, dark brown eyes holding the teacher's own in a steady glare, and the elf bowed his head meekly after a few seconds of the headmaster's unnerving gaze. "Yes sir, perfectly understood."
"Good." It became deathly silent as Ryo opened the door and left, letting his green eyes wander over the autumn-scene that hung over the fireplace before stepping out into the office lobby.
A pair of black ears pricked up behind a potted plant, and a tail swished back and forth around the feet of a fairly tall cat demon. Shikyo stood up from his slouching position against the wall and managed to form a wry grin, a brilliantly white fang poking over his lower lip. "So, how'd it go?" Ryo stormed past, his green eyes narrowed, and the English teacher, with a few apologetic looks back at the secretary behind the desk, ran after him.
"It was that bad, huh?"
"No, much worse." Ryo stopped in the middle of the plush carpeted hallway, making sure no one was around to listen, then slipped into an unused classroom, dragging Shikyo, by the tail, behind him. The cat hissed in pain, his pupils becoming mere slits, and possessively held the damaged appendage in his claws, stroking the ebon fur as his elven companion whispered in hushed tones.
"Givanni seems to totally ignore the fact that the killings even took place; he barely let me get away with watching the academy borders."
"Sounds a bit stupid to me... if something that bad was attacking random passerby, at least I would warn the students." The cat had stopped lovingly petting his tail, and now stared at Ryo, black ears cocked forwards. The elf sighed, and snuck a look outside of the room. "Yes, well, I'm on thin ice already... If I'm not careful, I'll be "let go" like Michealangelo."
The bell rang, breaking the momentary silence between the two teachers, and both of them jumped, Shikyo's tail puffing out to an alarming size. With a growl, he wiped the grimy face of the wall clock and took a look outside. "Seventh period already. I'll be seeing Rachel after last period, so I'll tell her to keep an eye out then."
The elf nodded in reply and opened the classroom door. "I'll go inform Suzuka, but I'm guessing he's already heard a bit about last night." Both teachers shared a look, then pretended that nothing had ever been said.
With a groan, he groggily stared at the clock across the room, trying to make out the numbers from the spots. Three in the morning... had he fallen asleep while studying? With a slight yawn, Kurama stretched his arms and leaned back in his computer chair, green eyes blearily staring off into space for a moment, then shut the thick tome in front of him. It was one of those times when, although it wasn't quite the pitch-black of night, there wasn't enough sunlight to make everything clear, coloring the world in a palette of hazy grays.
Kuwabara and Yusuke were both sleeping soundly, never even bothering to stir as the fox tip-toed out of the room, and Hiei was most likely downstairs already; besides his sudden lapse into hibernation after absorbing the Black Dragon Wave, Kurama hadn't really seen Hiei sleep at all, as the fire demon was often outside till late at night, and first up in the morning. The door to Lark and Holly's bedroom was open a crack, and the redhead could barely make out the gauzy curtains floating in the breeze that came from the open window while he passed by. Lyra's door was firmly shut, although the complex menagerie of locks and bindings were gone, and the faint sound of soft jazz music wafted through the crack under the door – the raven-haired girl had probably fallen asleep with her stereo on yet again.
The stairs proved nothing of an obstacle for the fox, even in his sleep- induced daze, and he slowly perked up as he made it past the living room and dining room, then poured water into the teakettle, letting the water boil as he searched through the crammed cabinets for his preferred brand of tea. Cautiously taking a fragile ceramic mug from the shelf above the sink, the fox glanced at the school calendar that was posted on the fridge and reality clicked. Finals were in two days... how time had passed that quickly, he couldn't really tell.
It seemed like just a few days ago he had driven up the drive in the crummy van that Koenma had provided, listening to Hiei's choice of gloomy classical music and George's almost constant complaints about traffic; then the surprise of stepping out from the sliding van door with its tinted windows and staring in shock at the inexplicably purple house that was to be his new home... he couldn't have given any better an explanation than the one Kuwabara had provided, himself.
"Ah, couldn't sleep very well, Kurama-san?" The fox jumped at the noise, the turned towards the smooth voice. Koryu had poked his four-eyed, whiskered head through the kitchen window, and was now searching the room with his eyes. Kurama put the tea mug down on the counter next to the sink, and turned to face the aquatic creature, who had retreated his head and was now cleaning his long whiskers. "No, I've been studying too much, I fear... at this point, I might just burn out."
"Ah, that would be a pity, wouldn't it? Personally, there are more important things going on than your silly school finals."
"So, is that the reason you're hanging around outside the house when Yusuke blatantly threatened to turn you into a fur coat?"
Koryu sniffed, ignoring the comment, and started to clean his iridescent fins. "Miss Lyra's health is much more important that my own." He gave a final check over of the fin on his right foreleg, then moved onto the left. "Besides, do you really think, Kurama-san, that I would leave this place unprotected when such trouble was brewing?" The teakettle gave a shrill whistle, steam pouring from the spout, and Kurama broke off the conversation to pour the boiling water into his mug. Dipping the teabag in the hot water, the fox leaned against the counter and got a spoon from the silverware drawer, then turned to Koryu. "Want to continue this on the front steps?"
The rodent-like monster nodded his large head, the whiskers moving in a silent sweep in the same direction, and disappeared from view, except for the long, rainbow-colored fin along Koryu's spine.
"Maaa?" The dragonling twisted her neck around, one eye still focused upon the moths fluttering about her head, and nuzzled Hiei's collarbone. The fire demon sub-consciously reached up and scratched her underneath her slim chin, the dragonling's soft mane tickling his fingers as she leaned into his hand, a soft purr reverberating in her throat. "Maaa..."
"Quiet, now." Hiei shut the young one's delicate snout, trying to listen in on the conversation between Kurama and Koryu; no doubt the pair felt his presence, but as far as they were concerned, he was just keeping watch out of boredom. Straining his usually exceptional hearing, the demon leaned forwards on the tree branch that was his perch and grumbled something incoherent as he shifted the sheathed katana at his waist.
"I hope you understand that soul consumption is a serious predicament, saved only for those who are truly evil and twisted in hopes that they cannot be resurrected."
"Yes, of course." Kurama sipped his tea, stirring the teabag with his spoon, and rested his hands on his lap. "However, I doubt Reikai has anything to do with this." Koryu nodded, the larger pair of eyes closing in thought, the curled his tail around himself. "No, it is not Reikai... I fear it is something much closer. Whoever has set this up has been planning for quite some time, and when informed of Koenma's interference, took serious measures to create the illusion that nothing is wrong."
Kurama was about to reply, when a voice cut through in the darkness. "Well, you certainly know quite a bit for an overgrown water rat."
Both Kurama and Koryu looked over at the tree, the former brushing a stray clump of red hair out of his face. "Nice to see you deem the conversation fit to join in, Hiei." The fire youkai glared at his compatriot, but vanished from the leafy boughs, taking position next by Kurama's side. The hatchling gave an indignant squawk at the rough form of transportation, but hung on, which was a definite improvement from merely a week ago; stretching down her neck, she accepted a gentle ear rub from the fox and cooed softly, her eyes lidded, the white lashes brushing against his hand.
"The little one is quite taken with you, Hiei... Hard to believe such a gentle and affectionate creature could imprint a demon such as yourself." Hiei's right hand inched towards his katana, but the dragon's incessant nuzzling distracted the demon's attention.
With a slight cough, as if to steer the conversation away from the white creature sitting ever-so comfortably on the black-clad youkai's shoulder, Kurama sipped his tea and continued on. "I have a feeling that this "little one", as you call her, if quite a hassle to our protagonist's plans... the very same night she was born, we were attacked..."
"And if Lyra is SO important to you, why didn't you show up?" Kurama sweatdropped at his friend's outburst.
"Well, uh, that's a bit uncouth, Hiei-"
"No, it's fine. I just happened to be clearing the beach over there," Koryu tilted his head towards the cliff side staircase, lip stuck in a snarl. "A few skelefins were around, as well as a good-sized kelp spirit... believe me, no fun at all. If you ever need my assistance, though, Hiei, a blood- curdling scream should work-"
"Would that be before or after this sword is pierced through your neck, vermin?"
"Ah, now, now, you two... calm down before someone gets hurt." Both ebon companions stared at Kurama as if it was the stupidest idea in the world to keep the pain in check, and glared at each other out of the corner of their ruby-red eyes. With another sip of tea, the fox slowly stood up and opened the screen door, about to step through when a small light flared up on the screen, glowing a brilliant green. Reaching up with one finger, the fox had barely touched the bright being before it fluttered up, bobbing and weaving, then flew past his hair and collected with a group of other green lights that clustered near the end of the drive. As the hatchling snapped out to catch one that zipped by her nose, Hiei snatched it out of the air; his fingers gently closing around the light, and just as quickly released it.
"Firefly," He remarked, moving his charge's head away from the said insect. Kurama nodded and remarked, "Well, isn't that a bit strange for this time of night," before leaving the front steps.
Far above, a little black cat twitched and grumbled in his sleep, paws flexing and relaxing as though he were dreaming; with a sudden meow that sounded remarkably like a cry, the familiar was awake and pawing at his mistress' face.
"Holly, you nitwit.... get up! Dammit!" Kyuro hissed, his back arched, then stole a glance outside the bedroom door as a faint clunk came from the hallway. Prepared for some specter or intruder, the cat tensed up, then relaxed, if not by much, when the door swung open to reveal the awkward shape of the golem that had been roosting in the house for nearly a week now. Realization struck, and, deciding that waking up Holly was rather the lost cause, Kyuro scampered off the witch's bed and out into the hall. He didn't stop until he was outside the tantei's bedroom, standing on the line of dull gray duct tape that separated the room since the beginning of the year.
Kuwabara was passed out, utterly and completely, the blankets wrapped up around his body and a thin line of drool coming out of his open mouth as he snored; Yusuke wasn't in much better shape, although the spirit detective had managed to at least keep his sheets out of a knot. Pacing back and forth, the familiar wracked his brain for a way to wake the tantei up, then slowly grinned as he came up with quite the wicked idea. Grinning his evil little grin, the cat bounded up onto Kuwabara's nightstand and narrowed his green eyes at the ceramic cow on the table.
"Hey, mooooooooove you ass out of bed! Come one, lazy ass... moooooo-" There was a loud crashing noise, followed by several others as the little ceramic bovine was flung down the stairs, and a very angry Yusuke, with bags under his brown eyes and his black, un-gelled hair in his face, stood in the door way of his bedroom, panting heavily. "That was the last straw... who set the alarm off, huh? Hey, stupid! Kuwabara, you idiot!" The punk gave the redhead a good punch to the diaphragm, thoroughly waking Kuwabara up with a fair amount of coughing and choking.
"U... Urameshi.... don't do that to someone so early in the morn- hey... where'd my clock go?"
From the shadowy corner near the night stand, Kyuro watched the scene with glee, but a faint sense of duty called him from his mental gloating. Gaining his fuzzy nerves, the cat leapt down between them. "Alright you two, stop whining. If you would be so polite as to sense the property for energy, make it snappy. There's trouble brewing."
Both teens stared at the cat, wide eyed, then snapped out of their stupor to check on the aura's surrounding the house. When they were done, not a split-second later, both of them had sobered up quite nicely indeed.
"Alright, furball, what's up?"
"I dunno, but you better get the others up quickly." The black cat ran out the door, pausing at the top of the stairs. "I'll get Rachel and Erika; you wake up the others." Kyuro started down the stairs, then halted and looked back. "Do me a favor and leave Holly asleep... it's for her own good." With a swish of his silky tail, the familiar disappeared down the stairs.
They called, the energy drawing forth millions of shattered particles - together, yet separate - as they floated in the endless heavens of reikai. Clouds faded, weakening and thinning until they were nothing more than gray wraiths of the majestic, billowing, puffs of white; the azure sky turned a sickly shade of greenish-gray, a bright green bolt of lightning dancing across the sky and making everything show up in stark black and white before it faded from the insides of her eyelids.
No sound followed it.
No booming thunder, nothing, and with that realization, there was a sucking sound, almost as if her soul was being split in two, and everything turned to black.
...until a little green light brightened her path.
"G'way, Urameshi..." Jin stifled another yawn, almost tripping up the basement steps again, ignorant to the panicked looks on Rogerik and the spirit detective's faces. There was no blast of energy; just a silent, yet painful, throbbing in the back of his head. Still, it probably deserved a good look, whatever it was, and even if nothing appeared, his tromp upstairs wouldn't be completely fruitless. After all, there was ibuprofen in the kitchen.
"Hurry up, Windy. Something pretty big is out there, and I for-"
From somewhere outside, through the door and stifling morning air, the tiny specks of ki, a signal so weak only a lower-life form could transmit it, grouped together, clumping and growing, drawing towards one point. Whatever it was, it was growing in power and sent waves of nausea over everyone.
And the emptiness... it was like a part of his mind had been sucked out, blocked, just... not there. A part of him was missing.
Yusuke and Rogerik obviously felt it; the thief was deathly pale, and Yusuke's brown eyes looked dull and lifeless. His ears drooping, Jin made it up the stairs, fighting off the aura of depression and melancholy, and managed to reach the front door, leaning against the doorframe, his blue eyes searching the gray horizon.
By the door, Hiei was sitting on the front steps, and Koryu, the giant monster he was, was curled up into a ball by the fire demon's feet; only the dragonling was unaffected, and she was now nuzzling her "mother's" hand, making strange cooing noises and trying to get the demon to look up and clear his normally bright and murderous eyes.
The drive was home to a swarm of little green lights, floating amidst the sudden fog that had rolled in from the sea, and then, there was a black shadow among them; it was vaguely human-shaped, and moved forwards as if it was gliding. The fog swirled around its feet, which were hidden under the dark cloak that went down past its ankles. Squinting his eyes as it came nearer, Jin noticed that, whatever it was, it was in a black dress, not a cloak. The figure's hands were hidden under the black, gauzy material that trailed from the sleeve collars in a flowing train, but the face, for that was the only other skin that showed, was a pale white.
"That's it, isn't it? That's what caused all those deaths yesterday?" The windmaster almost jumped, but was lacking the energy as Rogerik's voice, trembling a little, came from behind.
"Y-yeah... I guess. It just constantly draws energy." There was a strangled cry, and a small barn owl fell out of the plum tree as the specter floated across the front yard. Yusuke was at the door now, and was shaking Hiei's shoulder, but to no avail; the swordsman seemed to have gone into a coma of sorts. "Don't bother, Yusuke; I doubt anything will wake him until that phantom is gone."
"Kurama-"The fox was leaning against the kitchen island, nearly panting, his green eyes half-shut. He momentarily closed his eyes, drawing up all his strength, then staggered to the living room and collapsed completely on the couch, his stamina spent. The detective looked back, about to rush towards his companion, when there was a screech from Koryu; the creature's fins had lost their iridescent sheen, the colors fading to a muted gray, and his body shook in spasms.
"Wha- H-hey! Water-rat! Wake up you fleabag! Come on..." The words died in his throat, as the black figure came ever closer, a mere ten feet away from the front door. The dragonling was more anxious than ever now, latching her little claws onto the collar of Hiei's shirt and trying to drag the Jaganshi away by pure force, her wings flailing uselessly, her eyes wide in fear.
The fireflies descended down upon Koryu, the monster's glossy black fur reflecting their green glow. The figure's face was slightly visible now, the short hair a light whitish-blue, the eyes a milky white... it was blind, as Jin realized.
But, as the sun came over the horizon, turning the world from a dreary gray to a brilliant ochre, and the shadows lengthened, the tantei's eyes widened in horror.
The specter, although completely stationary except for the rustling of its black gown and blue hair, came into full light, and the face was distinctly familiar. As if to further ratify their suspicions, its shadow stretched up, higher than anything that could be produced from such a humanoid creature, and spread broken wings, the sinewy neck stretching over the roof of the cottage.
But it couldn't be... it, she, was dead...
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Ah... so our mysterious phantom shows itself... but just who, exactly, could it be. Many of you, I hope, can piece it together and come up with a plausible answer.
Preview of next chapter:
She's back... but is she really whole?
Kuwabara pins the blame on himself for not telling a higher authority figure (or anyone else, for that matter) about his teacher's warning... but who is behind the happenings, really?
Hiei snaps out of his coma, and the hatchling receives her name.