Author's note: Took me long enough to finish this chapter. I've been really busy lately. Enjoy! And please review.

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
Chapter Five: Conjecture

Another vision.

Kurama found himself back within his subconscious, once again witnessing something that he did not understand. The transparent redhead floated outside the entrance to the cave. Near the entrance stood an altar bearing the statue of a faceless goddess. Around the altar were crowds of people, all bearing offerings.

He watched closely as each person brought his or her gift to the altar. There were food, money, jewelry, and clothing. Incense burned next to the statue, releasing intoxicating fumes. After all the offerings were placed, they let a great fire consume the collection while the people got on to their knees and prayed.

The unknown goddess, however, did not seem to appreciate the people's gifts. The sky darkened suddenly and rain began to pour. The fire was immediately put out. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed, and one thunderbolt struck and destroyed the altar. Nothing remained of it. The people were devastated and frightened.

What's going on? Kurama thought as the scene faded to blackness, Why am I seeing this? A new scene replaced the old one.

It was still the same cave entrance but instead of a crowd of people, there were only two. They were a young couple, no more than twenty years of age. The girl looked absolutely terrified. The young man did his best to comfort her but he was not successful. Actually, he seemed afraid as well. They clung to each other as they tentatively entered the cave.

Kurama continued to stare at the opening for what seemed like forever, waiting for the scene to change again. He didn't expect a bloodcurdling scream echoing out of the tunnel followed by a spine-chilling laugh. The couple was undoubtedly dead.

The same thing happened again and again. Every time a young couple was sent into the cave and every time they would meet the same horrible fate as the first couple. The scenes were so similar that they looked like repetitions. Kurama stopped watching after the fifth couple but he couldn't block out the screams and the laughs.

Stop it, he pleaded, Why am I forced to watch this? He begged his mind over and over for the torment to end. After the twelfth couple, his subconscious consented to his pleas.

"If I can't be free," an angry female voice boomed from inside the cave, "then I will just have to imprison you all."

That was the last thing Kurama heard before he was snapped out of his trance.



"What exactly are we looking for, Kurama?"

"I'm not quite sure, Kuwabara. Hiei and I felt a strong binding spell earlier, before we met Shinju. I'm guessing that it's what's restricting Shinju within this cave."

He had awoken to a trio of worried faces; even Hiei had let his concern show. Apparently he just fell unconscious with no warning. They immediately bombarded him with questions, demanding to know what happened and if he was alright. The redhead spent twenty minutes reassuring that he was fine and explaining the details of his newest vision. Kurama assumed that the voice he heard was Shinju's and that she was trapped. How that was done, he wasn't sure yet, and that was precisely why they were all searching for the object of her captivity.

They searched for an hour with no luck. The feeling of the spell wavered on and off so they could not get a definite fix on its source. And of course, since none of them knew the form of the ward, they could have easily overlooked it during their search. It could have been something as small as a pebble or something as big as a tree. Kurama finally suggested a rest after the unproductive hour. They found a nice elevated spot and sat down. From the space, they had a great view of the entire cave, from the trees to the grasses to the lake.

Surprisingly, Yusuke was the first to notice it.

"Hey, Kurama?" he asked slowly.

"What is it, Yusuke?"

"I'm not so good with kanji but I'm pretty sure that says 'seal.'"

"What does?"

"That."

The raven-haired young man pointed straight ahead at the cave wall. The others followed the point of his finger and rested their eyes a ledge on the side of the cave. On the wall next to the cave was written the word 'seal' in perfect kanji. The character covered an area of probably ten square feet. It was dark red in color, almost black in shade.

Hiei undid his bandana and allowed his Jagan to open. He closed his set of normal eyes. After several seconds, his third eye stopped glowing and he placed the white cloth back over it. "That's the source of the binding spell," he confirmed, "And it's written in blood."



Shinju would awake everyday expecting to be in her bedroom at home, hoping that all the suffering was just some prolonged nightmare. And everyday, she would be disappointed and saddened by the fact that she was indeed imprisoned, that her nightmare was a reality. Then her anger would re-ignite.

This time was no different. She woke up to the usual feeling of loneliness and longing, a feeling that, even after two thousand years, never faded. Over such a long period of time, she had learned that crying about it was utterly useless and quite pathetic, especially for a creature like herself. Instead, she turned her intense emotions into power.

After Shinju left her rock dwelling, she let herself float towards the surface. Once breaking water, she continued her ascension into the air. The porcelain girl flew effortlessly around the inside of the cave, looking down at the familiar view. Though she had long since memorized every aspect of her prison, she still enjoyed the peaceful scenery.

The white-clothed figure dropped lower as she neared a field of flowers. Shinju stopped her downward motion five feet about the ground, hovering in a slightly wavering fashion. With a raised hand, a blue iris plucked itself from its stem and floated towards her. Shinju took a flower and wove it into her silvery-white hair. Since the reflection of the water was the only way she could examine her new look, she flew towards the lake. The girl slowed her flight and landed when she saw the four boys waiting for her at the shore.

"If you're trying to avoid me, coming to the lake was not exactly a bright idea," Shinju said mockingly.

"We're not looking to avoid you," Yusuke replied, "We want to help you."

The girl smirked, amused by his statement. "Oh really? And why, pray tell, would I need your help?"

"You're trapped in this cave, aren't you?" he inquired, though he already knew the answer, "If you give us the answers we need, we can free you."

Shinju's laughter came as a surprise to the Tantei. "Free me?" She continued to laugh, as if what Yusuke suggested was the most amusing thing in the world. Then she got serious, once again wearing the stoic mask of indifference. "You people assume too much," the girl said in a deadly voice, "You assumed that you knew me when you don't even know a fraction of what I am and what I've been through. And the only way you can help me" her gaze fell upon Kurama and Hiei "is to wipe their existence from this earth."

"Why do you hate me so much?" Kurama asked. That was the question that had confounded him since Shinju first attacked. For the life of him, he could not recall meeting this girl before, not as a youko and certainly not as a human. Yet, she acted as if she knew him well, and he had obviously done something to earn her hatred. "What have I done that has angered you to this degree?"

"It's not so much as you as the filthy blood that runs through your veins," Shinju answered. She focused her gaze on Kurama alone, forgetting Hiei for the moment. "The grudge I bear is not against you, specifically, but against your bloodline and heritage. You, as the last of your line, must die."

Kurama's throat suddenly felt constricted, squeezed by a pair of invisible hands. His hands instinctively went to clasp around his neck as if to stop the strangulation. Voiceless gasps escaped from his opened lips. However, since the force behind the constriction was not exactly physical, Kurama was helpless to end it. The fox fell to his knees.

That was the last straw for Yusuke. The raven-haired leader of the group was getting sick and tired of seeing his friend constantly on the receiving end of unprovoked attacks. It was going to stop.

Right now.

The blast of the Rei Gun left Yusuke's fingertips swiftly and forcefully. However, Shinju was not unprepared for such an attack. She simply lifted her right hand and made a pushing motion. The sphere of spirit energy slowed to a stop several inches away from its target. The light from the ball lit up Shinju's entire frame, giving her an eerie glow. She brought her hand back, dragging the sphere with her, and then abruptly pushed forward again, thrusting the ball towards its originator. Yusuke barely had time to duck out of its path.

The two stared at each other for a moment in silence. Then, suddenly, both sprung into action. They collided in mid-air as a clash of pure energy. Yusuke was surrounded blue while Shinju radiated whiteness. Neither was purely on the offensive or on the defensive. Their blurred movements were faster than any human eye could ever possibly conceive.

Hiei did not waste time watching the battle. Instead, he used the distraction to free his lover from the slow death he was experiencing. The ward around the Jagan was unbound and the third eye was freed. With it, Hiei probed around the invisible fingers that constricted Kurama's neck. The force was strong, but due to the minimal amount of attention Shinju could spare, the fire demon slowly but surely removed the obstruction.

The first gulp of air felt like heaven. Kurama's lungs burned with the newly restored oxygen. He gasped in and out, slowly reaching a normal breathing rhythm. During the time necessary for recovering, the fox kept his eyes on Shinju. There was no way he was just going to accept this without contest. He stood as the battle between the mysterious girl and Yusuke came to an abrupt pause. "I don't know who the hell you are or who you think I am," Kurama said to Shinju, "but I will not sit back and allow you to threaten me and my friends."

As if that was some sort of signal, all four of the Reikai Tantei attacked. Hiei unsheathed his sword and swung lethally at the white-clad girl. The cracks of the Rose Whip filled the air. Kuwabara's Rei Ken shined brightly as it slashed back and forth, each time getting closer and closer to its intended mark. And Yusuke continued his forceful assault on Shinju, punches flying and powers clashing.

Each attack was carried out in vain. Shinju did not need to dodge as she erected a shield around herself in the form of a sphere. The shield repelled all attacks. Yusuke's Rei Gun shots bounced off the surface. The Rose Whip could not cut through it. Blows from Hiei's katana and the Rei Ken did not even leave a scratch. She had formed the perfect defense.

I can't continue this for much longer, Shinju thought. I must finish this soon. As before, geysers erupted from the earth below and surrounded the area. Unfortunately, the energy required to create such an attack weakened the girl to such a state that her defenses faltered.

Now! Kurama saw the opening and attacked. His Rose Whip broke past Shinju's shield and wrapped itself around the Shinju's thin frame. He pulled tight on the whip while he willed the thorns to grow longer and sharper, digging deeper and deeper into the girl's body. Shinju screamed a death cry but Kurama did not release his hold. Only when her body sagged and became limp did the redhead let his whip loosen.

"We did it!" Kuwabara exclaimed, raising his hand in victory. "We killed her. That means we've completed the mission, right?"

Before anyone could answer, a mocking laughter filled the air. All eyes returned to Shinju's body, which was slowly rising from the ground. Her bloodied form stood as they watched in disbelief. No hands clutched at the numerous wounds to stop the bleeding. Instead, she just stared at all of them and laughed.



"Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!" The blue oni entered the Reikai office clutching a book tightly in his hands.

"What is it, George?" the baby lord demanded in an annoyed tone, "Can't you see I have a lot of work to finish?" He didn't bother to look up from the stacks of papers he was stamping.

George laid the book down on top of all the papers.

"What is this?" Koenma demanded. The title read "The Deities of the Land and Seas."

"Hinageshi found it," George answered, "She said to turn to the pages concerning Tatsumi-joshin."

The prince of the Reikai was skeptical about the importance of the request but he did so anyway. A few sentences told him all he needed to know. "Masaka," Koenma whispered, "We have to get them out of there before it's too late."



Masaka, Kurama thought, That should have been a fatal blow. He stared at the girl with wide eyes. How is she still standing?

Shinju's laughter continued to echo through the cavern. The sound was chilling to the bone, filled not with mirth but with anger and madness. Her eyes were possessed with insanity.

"What's going on here?!?" screamed Kuwabara, "How did she survive that?"

"Foolish mortals," Shinju said in a derisive voice, "Did you honestly think you could kill me?" She stumbled forward a step. "Did you really think you could win against me?"

"Kisama!" Hiei was not one to pass up an advantage in battle. He surged forward and drew his sword. His katana slid through Shinju's heart in one swift attack. "You're done for."

The injured girl looked down at the sword impaled through her chest. She then raised her eyes to meet Hiei's and smiled. "Useless."

"Nani?" Hiei recoiled back, disengaging the sword from Shinju's body in the process. Shinju laughed again. "That trick may have stopped me two thousand years ago," she said, "but it won't work now."

Hiei growled in frustration.

Kurama's mind was racing. Nothing seemed to be working on the girl. My Rose Whip couldn't kill her and neither could Hiei's Kokuryuuha. Not even a direct blow to her heart did the job. "What is she?" he whispered, "Immortal?"

"Bingo."


Ah, another chapter done. It's nearing the end; it is within sight. Please review!