Author's note: About time I updated this, huh? Well, enjoy.

Note: italics indicate thoughts. /words/ indicate telepathy.


Confinement
Chapter Seven: Confrontation

I hope this works…Kurama thought as he climbed up a side of the cave wall, following Yusuke and Kuwabara. Hiei climbed next to him.

After brainstorming for a few moments, they decided that it was best if they did not stay in one spot for too long. The next destination was obvious: the place of the seal. It was the safest place for them. The spell placed upon the kanji will serve to protect them, preventing Shinju from getting too close. There, they could have more time to think up of a plan to escape. However, the danger was the journey to the seal itself.

The source of the spell lied within the character itself, which rested on a face of the cavern wall. The position of the seal was a few hundred feet up from the cave floor, right above a narrow rock ledge. There were no paths leading to the seal so they had to climb. That provided a problem as they would have no cover at all; they would be completely exposed for the enemy to find. Defending themselves while hanging off the side of the cave would also prove to be difficult. It was a very risky maneuver, but it was their best chance of survival.

And so they climbed.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara's voice shrilled, "Can't ya go any faster?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Yusuke retorted, "You're the one that's slow, you snail."

"How dare you call the great Kuwabara a snail?!?"

"Baka!" Hiei hissed, "Can't the two of you keep your mouths shut for more than two seconds?"

"What did you say, shrimp?" the carrot top screamed down at the fire demon.

"Guys, please," Kurama, being the mediator, interrupted the argument, "What Hiei was trying to say was that Shinju will hear you. We're already in an open area where we can be easily spotted, let's not attract attention to ourselves."

Kuwabara grumbled something that sounded like 'smart-ass little shrimp' but then closed his mouth and continued climbing.

A sudden rise of energy in the air caused Kurama to pause. He looked around and surveyed his surroundings. And because of it, he was able to dodge the boulder that was hurled towards him just in time.

/I found you,/ Shinju's singsong voice appeared in their heads.

"Shit!" Yusuke swore as he also dodged a block of rock.

Using her telekinetic powers, the dragon raised more boulders into the air and launched them towards the four climbers. Pillars of water also erupted from below them. They did their best to dodge the onslaught but due to their previous injuries, they were just too exhausted. They were slowing and the rocks and geysers were getting closer and closer to hitting their marks.

/There's no hope left for you now./

"Ryuujin-sama," an armor clad soldier said, "the prince of the Reikai seeks an audience with you."

The dragon king sighed and replied, "Tell him that I do not wish to entertain visitors today."

"My lord, he said it was urgent and that it was something that you would be interested to hear."

The king sighed again but agreed. "Fine, lead him in, then."

The soldier bowed and left to fetch the visitors. A moment later, he returned, followed by Koenma. Being not a dragon nor a breather of water, the prince was enveloped in a magical bubble that supplies him with oxygen while inside the underwater palace.

"Koenma," Ryuujin greeted with a small smile, "What is that you wish to discuss with me that is so important that it could not wait?"

"Ryuujin-sama, I have news concerning your daughter, Tatsumi-joshin," Koenma said in serious tone, "and I need your help to save my detectives from her."

The dragon king's smile faltered when he heard the news. "You say you have news about my Shinju?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," Koenma's voice turned more urgent, "She is currently in a mountain cave nearby a small village in China. She has been killing and trapping the souls of the dead for the past two thousand years. Right now, my detectives are stuck within that cave. If you, her father, could go in there and convince her to stop, I'm sure ¾"

"I can do no such thing," Ryuujin said sadly.

Koenma could not believe what he was hearing. "Why not?"

"Shinju may be my most precious daughter," the king answered, "but I'm afraid she no longer thinks of me as a father. She made that clear to me when she chose that human boy over her family two thousand years ago."

"But sir, don't you think it's worth a try? Don't you think that over two millennia she would have changed her mind?"

"If she did change her mind, why did she not return? Why did she insist on remaining on land instead of in the sea, where she belongs?"

"Perhaps," Koenma stumbled a bit for an answer, "perhaps she couldn't. Perhaps she was afraid that you were still angry at her. Or perhaps ¾"

"Perhaps she was sealed," the king said in a whisper. "Where did you say this cave is?"

Kurama could feel the sharp claws rake across his skin, drawing more red blood from his already weakened body. The redhead was already bleeding from several open wounds. He couldn't take much more; in fact, none of them could. However, even through all the danger, they had continued to climb. They were only within twenty feet from the ledge, which was probably why Shinju's attacks have increased. Now, she not only relied on her powers but she also used that dragon body of hers. She would sweep towards the detectives and attack with those diamond-hard claws.

When they were close enough, Kurama and Hiei used a burst of youki to jump towards the seal. Yusuke also threw caution to the wind and propelled himself up by using his reiki. Kuwabara, possessing neither youki nor enough reiki to do what the rest of his teammates have done, called upon his Rei Ken. He stuck his glowing sword into the cavern wall and used it as a spring to flick him towards the seal. Luckily for him, he used just enough force for his arms to reach the ledge. Thought they were about fifty feet left of the actual seal, they were now under its protective barrier that Shinju could not penetrate.

/Impressive. So, you've managed to reach it alive,/ Shinju said, /but don't think that seal's power will help you any. I may not be able to attack you directly, but I can still kill you./

More rocks bombarded them. Yusuke focused his reiki into the ball of his fist and let out a Shot Gun. The powerful attack destroyed all the boulders that were flying their way. The raven-haired boy smirked smugly and stared defiantly at the white dragon in floating in front of them.

The dragon stared back at the boy with her cold blue eyes. /Once again, impressive,/ she admitted, /but I don't understand why you're fighting so hard when your friend's death is inevitable./ Shinju switched her gaze towards Kurama. /Look at how much blood he has lost. Even if I cease my attacks now, he'll die within a few hours./

She was right. Kurama, who was kneeling and panting, was losing blood by the second. Dozens of cuts covered his chest and back, all caused by Shinju's razor-sharp claws. Hiei, of course, was by Kurama's side. The fire demon was also injured, though not as severely as his lover. He tried to suppress the bleeding with strips of his torn shirt while silently cursing himself for not be able to protect the fox.

/It's a fitting place for him to die,/ she said, /next to the seal that his ancestor created from my blood. And once his blood has been drained out of him, I'll be free./ Her laughter rang in their heads.

Blood, Kurama thought through the pain, That's the answer, isn't it? An idea struck him. It was their last hope, his last hope. "Hiei," he said to his lover, "I need you to distract Shinju for as long as you can."

"What do you plan to do in your condition, fox?" the fire demon asked, more than a bit of concern evident in his voice.

"Getting us out of this mess," Kurama answered. "Do you have enough youki to control your Kokuryuuha?"

Hiei nodded.

"Alright, on my mark, release it."

Hiei didn't know what Kurama had in mind but he trusted his fox. He nodded again, already unraveling the ward around his right arm, slowly revealing the dragon tattoo.

Kurama turned towards Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were a bit confused about what Hiei was doing. "You guys might want to get down."

They did so without protest.

/The fire dragon again?/ Shinju asked, /It may have surprised me last time, in my human form, but I'm stronger this time. It won't have the same effect./

Kurama ignored the remark. He focused his remaining youki and transformed into his youko form. The wounds still remained after the change but then again, he never expected them to disappear. The silver demon looked over at Hiei and nodded, giving him the sign to release his most powerful attack.

"Jaoh Ensatsu Kokuryuuha!"

The transformation had surprised Shinju. A silver youko, she thought, No wonder he's so hard to kill. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice the Kokuryuuha until it was five feet in front of her. Shinju dodged out of the fire dragon's path just in time.

The Kokuryuuha was not about to be deprived of its prey. It reeled around and attacked again, chasing after the white dragon. Shinju, to counter the Kokuryuuha's fire, let her powers wash over her and transformed herself into a dragon of pure water. The two dragons of conflicting elements collided in the air, causing a huge energy wave. When the mist from the collision thinned out, the two dragons were still fighting, bodies intertwined.

The strain of controlling the Kokuryuuha was taking its toll on Hiei. He almost lost his hold once already and he didn't know how much longer he could continue. Whatever you're planning, fox, Hiei thought, you'd better do it soon.

While the battle raged on, Kurama raced towards the seal itself, his youko form allowing himself to run faster than his human one. Just hold her for a little longer, Hiei, Kurama prayed. He reached the seal just as Hiei collapsed from pure exhaustion, the Kokuryuuha dissipating as a result.

With the black dragon gone, Shinju returned to the form of the regal white dragon. The dragon's mouth curved upwards into a feral grin as she watched the weakened fire demon. /Pathetic./ Then she noticed that someone was missing: her target. Her eyes darted around and found him right next to the source of the sealing spell. /What do you intend to do, youko?/ she asked mockingly.

Kurama didn't bother to answer. Instead, he returned to his Shuichi form. He then put a hand over one of his numerous wounds and allowed the blood to flow into it, coating is completely. Please let this work, Kurama thought. The redhead raised his now bloody hand and placed it directly in the center of the kanji.

The effects were immediate. Kurama's blood reacted to spell and spread across the entirety of the seal. Soon, the character was coated with the vibrant red of fresh blood. The seal glowed brightly for a while and then, vanished completely from the cave wall, leaving no evidence that there was ever something written there.

/It's gone…/ The voice came as a shocked whisper within their minds. /It's finally gone…/

Water and light surrounded Shinju's body. They enveloped her form and blocked it from view. When they finally parted, there floated not a white dragon but a radiant goddess. Shinju's ashen hair was no longer blowing freely but was styled to suit that of her true status. The top layer of her hair was put up and tied with a string of red pearls into two hanging loops. The rest of her hair was left hanging, tied by a band near the end. Shinju's clothes also changed to those of a goddess. Her top was made of blue silk and ended above her midriff. The borders were formed by dark blue scales. Her sleeves were a sheer, light blue silk, so sheer that they were translucent. The skirt was also blue, but of a different shade than the top, decorated by rosy colored trimmings, red pearls and other jewels. The ensemble was finished with a violet sash that floated around Shinju. The girl glowed with unearthly light and power. It was utterly beautiful.

"Am I too late?" The silence that spread across the cavern was broken by an unfamiliar voice. At least, unfamiliar to the Reikai Tantei.

Shinju's eyes widened in surprise. She slowly turned away from the four detectives and faced the new speaker. "Father?" she whispered. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the dragon king standing next to one of the tunnels that led to the outside world. There was a moment of pause and uncertainty but then Shinju raced towards her father.

Ryuujin welcomed her with open arms. He embraced his daughter as she sobbed like the lost child that she was. Lost, but now found. "My pearl, I've missed you so much," he said in a loving voice, "I thought you were lost to me forever." He hugged Shinju's body even closer to him. "But now that I've found you, you will never suffer again." He raised his right hand and lifted Shinju's chin so he could stare into her crystalline blue eyes. "Let's go home."

Shinju nodded and the two of them disappeared from the cave that was her prison for over two thousand years.


There it is, the last official chapter. Just a short epilogue left to post, so be on the lookout for that. Please review!