Author's note: wowies! It's been since x-mas since last time I wrote on
this story oO well, I have an excuse this time around! I had track
season and just started a job, so now that it's summer it'll get done
(this'll be the last chappie... I think0)
venusgirl ..
Last time in Too Late for Love?: The boys continue on their little escapade into the Makai. They find Karasu and he did that evil talk into your mind thing to Kurama (he's so cruel!) Anyhoo, they find him and start to fight and all and Karasu and Kurama are gonna go at it (fighting, pervs! Lol)0 Now we gotta see who'll win, so break out the popcorn and read on...if you dare! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...cough cough HA! Gomen, I love that; it's just soooo much fun!
Too Late for Love: Part III
"Rose whip lash!" Kurama shot out his greenery to make the first attack.
Karasu easily sidestepped the oncoming assault. "Hm, I seem to remember you being a bit tougher than this the last time we fought. Have you gone soft since?"
Kurama grunted in response and took a leaf from his hair. Concentrating, he willed his ki into the tiny plant particle. The leaf glowed a soft green and grew into a magnificent sword, veins streaming this way and that making it seem as if a life of its own pulsed within. He positioned the blade sideways in front of his face so that eyes were on either side of the blade. "Hardly." Having said that, he raced forward, blade outward ready to slice whatever or whoever stood in its way to bits and pieces. "Ahhhhh!" Kurama lunged forward, sailing through the air, blade in hand.
Karasu simply laughed and stepped to the side, evading the plant sword. "Oh, do stop playing around, Kurama. I'm a busy man. I do have other plans for today you know."
"The only plans you should have, Karasu, are attending your own funeral!" Kurama slashed from the backside.
Karasu gasped audibly, turned about-face, and leapt backwards, barely dodging what would have been a fatal assault. "But, how did you...?" He reached up and felt his cheek, which was letting off a dull ache, making his whole left jaw pound in anguish. He brought his hand back before his eyes. His eyes widened as he saw his hand had a streak of blood on it. He turned towards Kurama and let out a feral growl. He then smiled at Kurama; an odd sadistic smile. "Hm. You're more than you seem. (A diamond in the rough venusgirl comment gomen, couldn't help it!)
"Hn, I have some new talents as well. Besides, a low-class demon even could attack while you listen to yourself."
Karasu scowled. "Fine, then, have it your way. After all, I still have my own stunts and tricks up my sleeves."
"Kurama, watch out!" Kuwabara yelled from thirty-some yards away.
Kurama looked around, confused. What does he mean? His eyes widened, pupils dilated, and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. He peered over his own shoulder and saw his leg, bloodied.
"It is a pity, Kurama, that your spiritual sense is not so high as your ningen friends, for it is a waste, such power being dominated by one as he."
He's not making his bombs visible this time around Kurama thought in worry. I don't the have the spiritual sense to see his attacks even
"No, you don't now, do you? This should be interesting, but fear not. I shall make them visible once again; otherwise this game loses its zest."
Kurama turned wild eyes on his enemy.
"Yes, yet another one of my new tricks is reading minds. Yours, theirs," he said waving a pale hand vaguely at his colleagues fighting for their lives. "Anybody's I want to, really." He flipped his long raven hair over his shoulder nonchalantly. He looked over to the redhead and smirked.
Kurama quickly put some guards up around his mental thinking. He's toying with me
Karasu looked at Kurama. "Fine then, keep your guards up. Guessing will add to the game's zeal as well. Now, shall we continue?"
Kurama jumped backward, blade still in hand, in a fighting position. He ran forward, blood squelching from his wound with every step he took. With one great squirt of blood, he leaped into the air, blade pointed at the earth, at Karasu. "Haaaaaa!" Just as he knew, Karasu moved easily out of the way when he saw the foolish attack. I've got him now he thought to himself.
Karasu gasped as he saw the intention of the leap. A vine, willed by Kurama, unraveled itself from a tree it had clung to and wrapped around his ankle. With one violent yank, Karasu was on his stomach being dragged toward the tree. The other vines unraveled their selves as well and now posed as bondage to keep Karasu restrained against the tree itself.
Kurama smiled inwardly, but showed no outer sign of happiness at this step towards victory. He landed smoothly and pushed off the ground in a lunge, point of blade aimed directly at his rival's heart.
"Clever," Karasu said. "But you forget one thing!"
Kurama saw something green glinting from the corner of his left eye. Before he had time to react, he was blown to the side. Tiny bombs erupted beside Karasu, freeing him from the vines and leaving only minor scorch marks on his skin, along with a stench of burnt hair.
"And that which you forget, love, is fate. I am to win this, not you."
Kurama stood painfully. "I won't...let you..." he managed between teeth clenched in anguish. He held onto his side, trying in vain to stop the blood flow. His fingers twitched and his abdomen shuddered in spasms as blood leaked through his fingers. Looking down at the damage, he could see straight through to the muscle and tendons hung limp as rags against his body. He squeezed a bit tighter and tried taking a step only to fall. He rose, trying again. Every inch moved was misery, every step taken hell. As he would move, more flesh and muscle tore. He wished now that he had access to the youko, but thinking about such things would not help.
"Yes, perhaps the youko could be a challenge. At least more so than the ningen...Shuuichi." He paused and watched Kurama's face twist in a mixture of just about every emotion possible; anger, fear, pain, misery, and a hint of...longing, though Karasu couldn't put his finger on just what he was longing for.
Kurama threw his guards back up. When the bomb had been unleashed, his mental guards had inadvertently gone down. Kurama stood and slowly removed a rose from his hair. "Rose Whip!" The whip came, but as he tossed it backward to lash, it flickered and blinked and then ceased to be. No, not now, this can't be happening
"Hm, this all seems so familiar," Karasu remarked. "Where have I seen this before?"
"Yes, I remember that I defeated you!" Kurama shot back.
Karasu growled. "That is not how it will turn out this time around though. This time, I shall be the victor!" Karasu laughed maniacally and summoned new explosives.
Kurama dug his heels into the ground, ready to run and dodge the bombs when there came a shout from behind. One that made him turn his head so quickly, a normal human would have contracted whiplash.
"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled, just one of Karasu's minions attacked with a sword to the back at Hiei.
Hiei glanced and quickly tried to evade the onslaught. He succeeded, but only barely. He clutched his side, a wound leaking blood. Kurama's guards went down.
Karasu stopped his attack and looked at Kurama oddly. "I see, so it's the Fire demon that's the key to your heart. Hm, yes, it would make the game more fun if I saw true sadness develop on that beautiful face of yours." He raced off towards Hiei, a bomb at the ready.
No! "Hiei, look out!" Kurama shouted.
Hiei turned just in time to jump out of the way of Karasu's bomb.
"This will be my victory over you Kurama!"
Hiei continued dodging each conjured explosive. What is this fool talking about?
"You mean to say you don't know?" Karasu asked.
K'so! He can read minds now too?! Hiei quickly threw up mental shields as Kurama had.
"My, my, Kurama, secretive one, aren't we? Well, it's really very simple, half breed," Karasu explained to Hiei, never stopping the attacks. "The fox over there loves you."
"What?! That's impossible! You lie!" He looked over to Kurama, as if for confirmation of Karasu's insanity. But he saw only pure compassion and fear in Kurama's eyes. He watched as Kurama slowly nodded his head.
"I tried to tell you. I just couldn't."
Even though it was but a whisper, Hiei heard him all the same. He couldn't say or do anything about it at present though, as he was still running from Karasu.
The fight continued on; Karasu throwing a bomb, Hiei dodging. Hiei lashing out with his katana, Karasu jumping out of the way.
Kurama stood and watched on bated breath, still bleeding profusely (why hasn't he fainted from loss of blood you ask...b/c he can only faint if I want him to, and I say he can't...so there! ). Suddenly he saw it, Karasu's plan to victory. No Green, growing steadily larger, shone behind the little Fire demon. "NO!" Kurama ran with energy he never thought it possible to have in his condition.
He ran on and pushed Hiei out of the way just in time. The bomb exploded, launching Kurama like a human projectile into a rock face; one with many razorblade sharp rocks jutting out.
Kurama gasped and tried to scream in pain, but all that came out was red, sticky liquid; blood. It dribbled down his chin as he hung crucified, a large rock protruding from his chest another from his left forearm. The right hung limp and useless at his side.
"NO!" Hiei screamed as he watched his best friend and comrade slowly dying. "You bastard; I'll kill you for this!" He glowed a dark purple; so purple in fact, that one may be fooled into thinking it was black.
"My, isn't this precious?" Karasu mocked. "It seems that perhaps the Fire demon here may have a bit of crush on you as well, Kurama."
"Dragon," Hiei started. His shirt ripped and flew off (gomen, I love that part in the show, 'cuz it's cool...and Hiei's sexy!). "of the Darkness Flame!" The dragon came from the depths of Hell, roaring and full of life and malice.
Hiei willed the dragon, told it that its enemy was Karasu.
The dragon turned hungry eyes on its prey. Opening its mouth, it flew down towards Karasu, devouring him.
But before it did, Karasu got his final words in. "I've won, Kurama! I've won!" He was then taken; eaten into oblivion.
Hiei ran towards Kurama, where Yusuke and Kuwabara already stood. Together they lowered the redhead down form his cross, gently laying him on the ground. Hiei sat, gently placing Kurama's head in his lap. Kurama took Hiei's hand in his own and squeezed it lovingly.
Hiei squeezed back. "Kurama, don't go," Hiei whispered, his voice cracking a bit.
Kurama shook his head. "Ai shitteru, Hiei. Keep me always..." He paused, spitting up more blood and allowing it to dribble down the same path as had the blood already crusting to his face. "Keep me always, in your heart."
He breathed one shallow breath, his last. His eyes fluttered, fighting to stay open, but finally submitting and closing, taking Kurama into the sweet abyss. His hand that had formerly been in Hiei's fell to the ground with a deafening 'thud.'
Hiei quivered, and one small black tear gem fell from his eyes, unnoticed by the two others as it was lost in the wrinkles of his dark cloak.
Hiei stood, lifting Kurama easily despite his short stature ratioed against Kurama's more awkward size. He turned slowly but sharply, not saying a word but heading off in the direction of the caves. He walked surely even amongst the death, carrying Kurama onward.
Yusuke and Kuwabara followed behind, still quiet. They knew better than to disturb him. Though they too mourned for the passing of their friend, they knew no one would be as affected as Hiei had been.
And so, they continued. Back to a home where loved ones were anxiously waiting on bated breath for their victorious return.
Owari
2nd A/N: hm, different ending, but I think it's fitting, don't you? It's a bit out of my style of writing, but I kinda like the ending all the same if anyone would like an epilogue of say a year or so later to show how Hiei deals, I could do that for you don't worry, I don't need a whole bunch of people to say 'yay' vs. 'nay,' or anything. If one person says yeah, they would like to see it, then I'll write it for 'em! 'k, ja 'til next time around!
venusgirl ..
Preview for next titleless story0 : The gang stared at the girl who was standing over the body of the slain demon.
Hiei growled. "Who the hell are you?!"
The girl looked up with piercing red eyes. "Don't you know?"
gasp who is this strange girl? Well, whenever I write the story, I suppose you'll know, won't you? Ja ne!
venusgirl ..
Last time in Too Late for Love?: The boys continue on their little escapade into the Makai. They find Karasu and he did that evil talk into your mind thing to Kurama (he's so cruel!) Anyhoo, they find him and start to fight and all and Karasu and Kurama are gonna go at it (fighting, pervs! Lol)0 Now we gotta see who'll win, so break out the popcorn and read on...if you dare! MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...cough cough HA! Gomen, I love that; it's just soooo much fun!
Too Late for Love: Part III
"Rose whip lash!" Kurama shot out his greenery to make the first attack.
Karasu easily sidestepped the oncoming assault. "Hm, I seem to remember you being a bit tougher than this the last time we fought. Have you gone soft since?"
Kurama grunted in response and took a leaf from his hair. Concentrating, he willed his ki into the tiny plant particle. The leaf glowed a soft green and grew into a magnificent sword, veins streaming this way and that making it seem as if a life of its own pulsed within. He positioned the blade sideways in front of his face so that eyes were on either side of the blade. "Hardly." Having said that, he raced forward, blade outward ready to slice whatever or whoever stood in its way to bits and pieces. "Ahhhhh!" Kurama lunged forward, sailing through the air, blade in hand.
Karasu simply laughed and stepped to the side, evading the plant sword. "Oh, do stop playing around, Kurama. I'm a busy man. I do have other plans for today you know."
"The only plans you should have, Karasu, are attending your own funeral!" Kurama slashed from the backside.
Karasu gasped audibly, turned about-face, and leapt backwards, barely dodging what would have been a fatal assault. "But, how did you...?" He reached up and felt his cheek, which was letting off a dull ache, making his whole left jaw pound in anguish. He brought his hand back before his eyes. His eyes widened as he saw his hand had a streak of blood on it. He turned towards Kurama and let out a feral growl. He then smiled at Kurama; an odd sadistic smile. "Hm. You're more than you seem. (A diamond in the rough venusgirl comment gomen, couldn't help it!)
"Hn, I have some new talents as well. Besides, a low-class demon even could attack while you listen to yourself."
Karasu scowled. "Fine, then, have it your way. After all, I still have my own stunts and tricks up my sleeves."
"Kurama, watch out!" Kuwabara yelled from thirty-some yards away.
Kurama looked around, confused. What does he mean? His eyes widened, pupils dilated, and a grunt of pain escaped his lips. He peered over his own shoulder and saw his leg, bloodied.
"It is a pity, Kurama, that your spiritual sense is not so high as your ningen friends, for it is a waste, such power being dominated by one as he."
He's not making his bombs visible this time around Kurama thought in worry. I don't the have the spiritual sense to see his attacks even
"No, you don't now, do you? This should be interesting, but fear not. I shall make them visible once again; otherwise this game loses its zest."
Kurama turned wild eyes on his enemy.
"Yes, yet another one of my new tricks is reading minds. Yours, theirs," he said waving a pale hand vaguely at his colleagues fighting for their lives. "Anybody's I want to, really." He flipped his long raven hair over his shoulder nonchalantly. He looked over to the redhead and smirked.
Kurama quickly put some guards up around his mental thinking. He's toying with me
Karasu looked at Kurama. "Fine then, keep your guards up. Guessing will add to the game's zeal as well. Now, shall we continue?"
Kurama jumped backward, blade still in hand, in a fighting position. He ran forward, blood squelching from his wound with every step he took. With one great squirt of blood, he leaped into the air, blade pointed at the earth, at Karasu. "Haaaaaa!" Just as he knew, Karasu moved easily out of the way when he saw the foolish attack. I've got him now he thought to himself.
Karasu gasped as he saw the intention of the leap. A vine, willed by Kurama, unraveled itself from a tree it had clung to and wrapped around his ankle. With one violent yank, Karasu was on his stomach being dragged toward the tree. The other vines unraveled their selves as well and now posed as bondage to keep Karasu restrained against the tree itself.
Kurama smiled inwardly, but showed no outer sign of happiness at this step towards victory. He landed smoothly and pushed off the ground in a lunge, point of blade aimed directly at his rival's heart.
"Clever," Karasu said. "But you forget one thing!"
Kurama saw something green glinting from the corner of his left eye. Before he had time to react, he was blown to the side. Tiny bombs erupted beside Karasu, freeing him from the vines and leaving only minor scorch marks on his skin, along with a stench of burnt hair.
"And that which you forget, love, is fate. I am to win this, not you."
Kurama stood painfully. "I won't...let you..." he managed between teeth clenched in anguish. He held onto his side, trying in vain to stop the blood flow. His fingers twitched and his abdomen shuddered in spasms as blood leaked through his fingers. Looking down at the damage, he could see straight through to the muscle and tendons hung limp as rags against his body. He squeezed a bit tighter and tried taking a step only to fall. He rose, trying again. Every inch moved was misery, every step taken hell. As he would move, more flesh and muscle tore. He wished now that he had access to the youko, but thinking about such things would not help.
"Yes, perhaps the youko could be a challenge. At least more so than the ningen...Shuuichi." He paused and watched Kurama's face twist in a mixture of just about every emotion possible; anger, fear, pain, misery, and a hint of...longing, though Karasu couldn't put his finger on just what he was longing for.
Kurama threw his guards back up. When the bomb had been unleashed, his mental guards had inadvertently gone down. Kurama stood and slowly removed a rose from his hair. "Rose Whip!" The whip came, but as he tossed it backward to lash, it flickered and blinked and then ceased to be. No, not now, this can't be happening
"Hm, this all seems so familiar," Karasu remarked. "Where have I seen this before?"
"Yes, I remember that I defeated you!" Kurama shot back.
Karasu growled. "That is not how it will turn out this time around though. This time, I shall be the victor!" Karasu laughed maniacally and summoned new explosives.
Kurama dug his heels into the ground, ready to run and dodge the bombs when there came a shout from behind. One that made him turn his head so quickly, a normal human would have contracted whiplash.
"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled, just one of Karasu's minions attacked with a sword to the back at Hiei.
Hiei glanced and quickly tried to evade the onslaught. He succeeded, but only barely. He clutched his side, a wound leaking blood. Kurama's guards went down.
Karasu stopped his attack and looked at Kurama oddly. "I see, so it's the Fire demon that's the key to your heart. Hm, yes, it would make the game more fun if I saw true sadness develop on that beautiful face of yours." He raced off towards Hiei, a bomb at the ready.
No! "Hiei, look out!" Kurama shouted.
Hiei turned just in time to jump out of the way of Karasu's bomb.
"This will be my victory over you Kurama!"
Hiei continued dodging each conjured explosive. What is this fool talking about?
"You mean to say you don't know?" Karasu asked.
K'so! He can read minds now too?! Hiei quickly threw up mental shields as Kurama had.
"My, my, Kurama, secretive one, aren't we? Well, it's really very simple, half breed," Karasu explained to Hiei, never stopping the attacks. "The fox over there loves you."
"What?! That's impossible! You lie!" He looked over to Kurama, as if for confirmation of Karasu's insanity. But he saw only pure compassion and fear in Kurama's eyes. He watched as Kurama slowly nodded his head.
"I tried to tell you. I just couldn't."
Even though it was but a whisper, Hiei heard him all the same. He couldn't say or do anything about it at present though, as he was still running from Karasu.
The fight continued on; Karasu throwing a bomb, Hiei dodging. Hiei lashing out with his katana, Karasu jumping out of the way.
Kurama stood and watched on bated breath, still bleeding profusely (why hasn't he fainted from loss of blood you ask...b/c he can only faint if I want him to, and I say he can't...so there! ). Suddenly he saw it, Karasu's plan to victory. No Green, growing steadily larger, shone behind the little Fire demon. "NO!" Kurama ran with energy he never thought it possible to have in his condition.
He ran on and pushed Hiei out of the way just in time. The bomb exploded, launching Kurama like a human projectile into a rock face; one with many razorblade sharp rocks jutting out.
Kurama gasped and tried to scream in pain, but all that came out was red, sticky liquid; blood. It dribbled down his chin as he hung crucified, a large rock protruding from his chest another from his left forearm. The right hung limp and useless at his side.
"NO!" Hiei screamed as he watched his best friend and comrade slowly dying. "You bastard; I'll kill you for this!" He glowed a dark purple; so purple in fact, that one may be fooled into thinking it was black.
"My, isn't this precious?" Karasu mocked. "It seems that perhaps the Fire demon here may have a bit of crush on you as well, Kurama."
"Dragon," Hiei started. His shirt ripped and flew off (gomen, I love that part in the show, 'cuz it's cool...and Hiei's sexy!). "of the Darkness Flame!" The dragon came from the depths of Hell, roaring and full of life and malice.
Hiei willed the dragon, told it that its enemy was Karasu.
The dragon turned hungry eyes on its prey. Opening its mouth, it flew down towards Karasu, devouring him.
But before it did, Karasu got his final words in. "I've won, Kurama! I've won!" He was then taken; eaten into oblivion.
Hiei ran towards Kurama, where Yusuke and Kuwabara already stood. Together they lowered the redhead down form his cross, gently laying him on the ground. Hiei sat, gently placing Kurama's head in his lap. Kurama took Hiei's hand in his own and squeezed it lovingly.
Hiei squeezed back. "Kurama, don't go," Hiei whispered, his voice cracking a bit.
Kurama shook his head. "Ai shitteru, Hiei. Keep me always..." He paused, spitting up more blood and allowing it to dribble down the same path as had the blood already crusting to his face. "Keep me always, in your heart."
He breathed one shallow breath, his last. His eyes fluttered, fighting to stay open, but finally submitting and closing, taking Kurama into the sweet abyss. His hand that had formerly been in Hiei's fell to the ground with a deafening 'thud.'
Hiei quivered, and one small black tear gem fell from his eyes, unnoticed by the two others as it was lost in the wrinkles of his dark cloak.
Hiei stood, lifting Kurama easily despite his short stature ratioed against Kurama's more awkward size. He turned slowly but sharply, not saying a word but heading off in the direction of the caves. He walked surely even amongst the death, carrying Kurama onward.
Yusuke and Kuwabara followed behind, still quiet. They knew better than to disturb him. Though they too mourned for the passing of their friend, they knew no one would be as affected as Hiei had been.
And so, they continued. Back to a home where loved ones were anxiously waiting on bated breath for their victorious return.
Owari
2nd A/N: hm, different ending, but I think it's fitting, don't you? It's a bit out of my style of writing, but I kinda like the ending all the same if anyone would like an epilogue of say a year or so later to show how Hiei deals, I could do that for you don't worry, I don't need a whole bunch of people to say 'yay' vs. 'nay,' or anything. If one person says yeah, they would like to see it, then I'll write it for 'em! 'k, ja 'til next time around!
venusgirl ..
Preview for next titleless story0 : The gang stared at the girl who was standing over the body of the slain demon.
Hiei growled. "Who the hell are you?!"
The girl looked up with piercing red eyes. "Don't you know?"
gasp who is this strange girl? Well, whenever I write the story, I suppose you'll know, won't you? Ja ne!