Author's note: I normally write my comments at the end but I thought I'd try something different this time around. The inspiration for this fic actually came to me in a dream. It was a weird dream but I thought it'd make a cool story, and here it is. Hope you enjoy. Just a warning, it has yaoi (HxK) but I'll probably keep it mild.

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho and all the characters in the wonderful show do not belong to me but all original characters do.

Note: italics indicate thoughts.


Confinement
Prologue: Conception

The cave was forbidden to all. Everyone knew that. It's because a monster lived inside. No one who's entered has ever returned, alive or dead. So even though it took days to go around the mountain, no one ever took the shortcut through the cave. It was just too risky.

San-wei knew all the rules and regulations about the cave. He's heard all the myths and legends about the monster that dwells within. But no matter how many times he's been told to stay away from the mountain, he wouldn't listen. His teenage mind didn't believe in the stupid superstitions that the elders told. They were a bunch of old, senile men who couldn't tell the difference between an apple from a banana. San-wei's generation was much more realistic.

That was why he wasn't far from the cave when he heard the voice.

The voice was female, melodious and soft. It was also crying for help. There was a sense of urgency in the tone, as if time was of the essence. San-wei stared into the entrance but he knew he wouldn't see anything. The tunnel leading into the mountain cave was long and winding. One could only see several feet into the tunnel before it turned pitch black from the lack of light. Still, the boy gazed into the tunnel and cried out. "Hello?" His voice echoed, bouncing off the walls of the cave.

"Is someone out there?" the voice yelled back.

"Who's there?" San-wei asked, "What are you doing in there?"

"I wanted to explore," the voice answered, "but now I'm in trouble. Can you come in and help me?"

San-wei was unsure. It was forbidden to enter the cave. Even if he didn't believe in all the nonsense about a monster, he was not eager to break the village law. On the other hand, he couldn't consciously leave a girl who was in trouble. Hell, maybe he'll be praised as a hero for saving her. At the very least, he could prove to all those old geezers in the village that their monster tales were wrong.

"I'm coming to help you," San-wei yelled, "Just keep talking and help me find you." He started to enter the cave.

"Oh thank you," the voice said with obvious gratitude, "And thank goodness you were there at just the right time. I would've died if you hadn't been out there."

San-wei was already feeling better about the whole thing. His uneasiness started to disappear and his confidence started to build. I'm doing a brave thing, he thought to himself. I'm a hero, he said in his head over and over again as he traveled down the tunnel and further into the cave. He looked backwards but could no longer see the entrance. So he continued walking forward.

It soon became too dark to see. San-wei used his hands to touch the walls of the tunnel and let it direct his way. Along with the guiding voice of the girl, he eventually made it all the way into the cave.

The sight was breathtaking. It was an enclosed paradise. The cave was not dark as would be expected. Rays of sunlight shined down from cracks in the walls and ceiling of the cavern. Trees grew all along the walls. Grass covered in long stretches, creating a giant green carpet. Flowers of every variety sprouted within that carpet, adding decorative colors to it. And in the middle of it all was a great lake, spanning a mile in diameter. It was the bluest lake San-wei had ever seen.

It was in the lake that San-wei found the girl. From the distance, he could see that the girl was young, probably no older than seventeen or eighteen, the same age as him. She was dressed in a simple white tank top with one of the straps ripped and hanging uselessly. The rest of her body was in the water. The girl was gripping onto a tree limb from the dead oak that shot up in the middle of the lake.

Upon seeing San-wei, the girl cried out with joy. "Thank goodness you're here."

"What's the matter?" San-wei asked.

"When I saw this beautiful lake, I thought it'd be nice to go for a swim," the girl explained, "But when I swam to the center, I suddenly got a leg cramp. It was a good thing there was something here for me to hang on to or I would have drowned. I've been calling for more than two hours. The water's cold and my whole body is numb. I don't know how long I can hold on so please hurry and save me."

It was a piece of cake for San-wei. He was a very capable swimmer. The boy ran towards the lake and started to take off his shoes and socks, shortly followed by his shirt. He dipped his right foot into the lake water, testing its temperature. It was a bit cold but nothing a young man like him couldn't handle. Without another moment of hesitation, he dove in.

After the initial reaction to the coldness of the water, he swam avidly towards the oak tree and the girl. He was halfway there when he felt something tug at his left foot. San-wei tried kicking, trying to shake off whatever it was that caught his foot.

It didn't let go.

Soon his right foot was caught as well, immobilized and trapped. And then San-wei was pulled underneath the surface of the water.

He never surfaced again.


You probably have no idea what's going on right now but don't worry, it'll all be explained later. I like building suspense in my stories; makes it more fun. This is pretty much a teaser. Hope you enjoyed it and continue to read the rest of the story. Please review!