A/N: ahahahaha…^_^; Gomen! The story isn't done yet! To all those who thought I had left the story at that, I apologize. I should put "to be continued" or something. To all those who thought asking me if I ended the story was a stupid question, I am disinclined to agree with your statement. It was –not- a stupid question. It was a good question and I apologize once again for making you believe that the story was done.
Shadow: Schio13 no baka.
Schizo13: grrrr…^_^ I don't feel like attacking dear Shadow-kun right now-I'm in a very good mood. 39 reviews for only 4 chapters! I'm very happy with that outcome and I'm also very happy because I am downloading episodes of Prince of Tennis right now. *giggles and hugs a Tezuka-bouchou plushy* ahh…Tezuka-bouchou is soooo hott! Oh…errr, I also meant to thank all of my reviewers, old and new. ^_^
Shadow: Don't forget to apologize.
Schizo13: Huh? Pourqoui? I already did.
Shadow…
Schizo13…oh! Eheheheheh I apologize in advance for what you're about to read. *ducks and pleads* don't kill me!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH, but I do own 3 packs of YYH cards. *grins and frames a Hiei card*
Now, on with the story! Enjoy!
Abc: thoughts
Abc: emphasis
Abc: flashback
~abc~: Insanity
~*abc*~: Orcus (aka the Vardoulacha)
*abc*: actions
Chapter 5
Pain V
Hiei hesitated, still staring at his friends. One by one, they turned around and walked away. Choking, Hiei ran after them, hand outstretched. No matter how fast he ran, he could not catch up to them.
"No! Don't go! Please! Don't go…Don't leave me alone…please…" Hiei screamed, his voice slowly dying away. At once he found himself back in his mind. Surrounded by broken crystal, broken soul and heart wept tears of blood.
They really left me…they really broke their promise…I can never, never trust again…
~*Now now, Hiei-kun, don't be like that! Of course you can trust again! You can trust me! I never broke a promise to you and I would never leave you like that. *~
Hiei remained silent, staring at the shards of crystal, lying about his feet. Why had his friends done that? Something had felt off about that moment. Something had felt unnatural.
"Something had felt unnatural…" Hiei unconsciously whispered, frowning slightly. Orcus narrowed his eyes. Did Hiei know? Deciding that he had to know whether or not Hiei knew about his…trick, Orcus opened up a link to Hiei's thoughts.
I can't place it…When Yusuke and my friends turned their backs on me, something felt wrong. It's almost like they weren't there. I couldn't feel them, I couldn't feel their presence. And…their auras…I couldn't see their auras! That's impossible. None of them know how to make an aural shield. None of them can hide their auras from others-they don't know how. What could have happened?
Orcus smiled, knowing that Hiei was too confused and hurt to figure out who had made his friends walk away from him like that. Hiei would never be able to figure out that it was he, Orcus the Vardoulacha, who had made his [Hiei's] friends turn on him. Smiling like a content cat, he summoned an eerie looking throne and sat down to watch his precious toy figure out his thoughts.
Blinking, Yukina looked around her, confused. How had she gotten outside? Last thing she remembered was watching the others figure out a way to help Hiei. They had come very close to finding out a solution.
"Ne, Yukina?" A quiet voice asked from behind her. Turning around, pale blue eyes met with confused brown ones.
"Ah, Keiko. Daijoubu?" Yukina asked, smiling.
"H-hai. Ano…how did we end up out here? I don't remember coming out here at all…and why is everyone else out here as well?" At those words, Yukina looked around her for the first time. Keiko was right, everybody was out here. Excluding Hiei.
"I'm not sure…" Yukina said slowly as she walked with Keiko towards the others. As they neared the group, they were disappointed to discover that no one knew how they had come to be outside.
Snarling, Yusuke punched a fist into his palm, "I don't understand! I know I didn't walk out here! I also know that we were almost able to figure out how to help Hiei. Now, I don't remember anything except a darkness wrapping around my mind!" Yusuke was so frustrated he was not able to distinguish what he had just uttered. Shizuru, on the other hand, understood the full meaning of the last five words.
"Wait, Yusuke. Stop pacing! What did you just say?" Shizuru demanded, holding onto Yusuke's arm.
"I said, 'Why can't I remember anything'. Are you okay?" Yusuke asked, frowning angrily at the older woman's face.
"No, no. Before that! When you said something about remembering nothing except-" Shizuru was rudely cut off.
"A darkness wrapping around my mind!" Yusuke's eyes widened to impossible size. "A darkness wrapping around my mind! Something or someone went inside my head and messed with my mind! Damn that bastard Insanity!"
"I don't think it was Insanity, Yusuke. Any states caused by the shattering of the Chalice can only remain within the person or avatar, rather, in Hiei's case. It must have been something/one else…" Koenma stated, matter-of-factly before trailing off and gaining a thoughtful look on his face.
"Koenma, what are you thinking about now? Spill it!" Yusuke spat, scowling. He was upset that his theory had been shot down.
"Urusai, Yusuke. Do you remember anything about what Hiei told when he first connected with you?"
"Sure, a bunch of stuff."
"I mean names or events, something along those lines."
"Now that you mention it…"
"Athelas!" Kurama suddenly interrupted. All eyes turned to look at the kitsune. "Athelas! We were talking about Athelas! You know, when we were trying out to figure out how to help Hiei? Remember when I nearly killed Hiei by putting him to sleep? We were able to wake him up through Athelas. I highly doubt that Athelas will pull Hiei from Insanity's grasp, but the plant does have some healing factors and it might just help Hiei regain his strength a bit. Once he does, we figured that since he is the Crystal Chalice and he has the Jagan Eye, we could mentally connect to him because he's psychic. Also, most, if not all of us, have strong minds so once Hiei connected to us, we could hold out long enough to stay with Hiei for at least several days here, in the Ningenkai. In Hiei's mind, that might be the equivalent to I don't know, months maybe. That's what we were talking about!"
Shocked, the memory of that moment came rushing back. Kurama was right, that's what they had figured out. It wasn't a very reliable theory, but it was all they had.
"Let's try it!" Botan urged, hopping up and down.
"Wait a minute. Yusuke, you have to tell me what you remember!" Koenma said, staring at the Spirit Detective.
"I'm thinking! Just wait a few minutes!" Yusuke frowned and scrunched his face up. Something was blocking his memory of the exact moment Hiei told him the name of that thing. Swearing, Yusuke stomped around and began to bang his head on the wall. Alarmed, Keiko reached out and grabbed his arm. At that moment, when Keiko grabbed his arm, the blockade disappeared.
flashback
"The Vardoulacha is gone. It does not stay when it knows that continuing his plan would be a hopeless endeavor. The Vardoulacha is not stupid."
End flashback
"Vardoulacha!" Yusuke shouted in triumph.
"That's it! Vardoulacha means 'vampire'. This vampire we're dealing with is extraordinarily strong. We must be careful from now on. He knows what we're up to and he can stop us." Koenma said slowly.
Yusuke growled in frustration as he realized the truth behind Koenma's words. So the one who had gone inside their heads and screwed with their minds was the Vardoulacha.
Damned bastard Yusuke thought angrily. "Still, Vardoulacha or no Vardoulacha, I'm going to help Hiei! He's our friend and who knows what he might have done after we turned our backs on him? We still might have a chance to stop Hiei from making the wrong choice! Hiei's not stupid, even if he is some kind of projection or whatever. He'll know something is wrong but I doubt he'll know what is wrong, with the state he's in right now. We have to try something! I'll never forgive myself if I let the Vardoulacha get what he wants when I could have done something. So, are you in or out?" Yusuke demanded, glaring heatedly at them all.
"Yusuke…we still don't know if our theory will work. It certainly sounds plausible but would it work?" Kurama pointed out, looking uncertain. He flinched as cold brown eyes turned on him.
"What's wrong, Kurama? Weren't you the one who told us that 'plausible theory'? Weren't you the one who promised Hiei first? Aren't you closer to Hiei than the rest of us? What suddenly changed your mind? Or has Vardoulacha gone into your mind and totally screwed up your brain?" Yusuke spat out, disgusted. Emerald eyes wide, Kurama stared at Yusuke, shocked. Yusuke was right. He [Kurama] was the one who had told them the theory. He was the first to promise Hiei. He was closer to Hiei than anybody else, despite Yukina being Hiei's sister. Why was he [Kurama] suddenly thinking such stupid thoughts? Hiei would never let him live this down if-no, when- he [Hiei] is rescued.
"G-gomen. You're right, we have to at least try. 'If you don't succeed, try, try again'." Kurama smiled weakly, going over to stand next to Yusuke.
"Kuwabara? What about you?"
"'Ch, do you even need to ask, Urameshi? Of course I'm in! I still want the chance to defeat Shorty in a match!" Kuwabara snorted, hitting Yusuke on the head.
"Ow! Geez, you stupid carrot-head! You didn't need to do that! Okay, so we're all set? Good. Let's-"
"Hold on a sec, Yusuke. You don't honestly think you're going to leave us behind, do you?" Shizuru's voice cut smoothly through Yusuke's voice.
"Uh…"
"Yeah, Yusuke! You aren't leaving us behind just because we're girls, are you?" Keiko asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.
"Yusuke Urameshi, if you say yes, I'll never let you ride on my oar again!" Botan shouted, glaring at Yusuke.
Underneath his breath, Yusuke muttered, "That would not be punishment-that would be the best gift I've ever received from you."
"What was that? I didn't hear yooooou!" Botan said, glaring suspiciously at the flinching detective.
"Uh, nothing, nothing! You can come too *whispers* if you can handle it, that is. Yukina, Koenma, do you want to join us?"
"No, thank you. I'll stay here and prepare food for you in case you're hungry when you get back." Yukina smiled sweetly.
"Same, except I'll be doing more research. Ganbatte!" Koenma said, reverting back into his baby form.
"Ok, thanks. Ikuso!" Yusuke commanded, walking back inside the temple.
Faces set and determined, Yusuke and friends were ready to give it their all. They were going to save Hiei, no matter what the cost. They were going to save him, even if it meant death.
Orcus suddenly narrowed his eyes when he felt one of his bonds breaking. That detective, Yusuke, was it?, had just broken his carefully set up wall. How in the world did that boy do that? No matter. As long as his other bindings didn't break, everything would be fine.
(A/N: dun dun dun dunnnn. Sorry 'bout that…I hit myself in the forehead with the edge of a door, so now I literally have a lump on my head. I think it's mussing up my brain.)
Orcus jerked in surprise and amazement as he felt all his bindings, which were connected to Hiei's friends, break. What the… Orcus frowned as he tried to find the ningens/half-youko and came up with nothing. How could this be possible? Those bindings of mine, no-one has ever been able to break through them-no one! As if a sudden thought just occurred to him, Orcus jerked his head around to look at Hiei. Nothing had changed. Hiei was still sitting there, trying to sort out his thoughts albeit unsuccessfully. At least my bindings on him are still holding. Then again, I did use stronger bindings on him. That's it. My bindings were just too weak on the others. Their [Yusuke and co.] presence brushed against Orcus's mind, allowing him to reestablish a connection between him and them. No! What are they doing? The red haired ningen, Kurama, had just pulled out a pouch of ordinary looking plants. Orcus knew they were no ordinary plants, however. They were athelas. Athelas was the only plant that could do him some kind of harm. Orcus tried to regain control over the red-head but was stopped by a pale and delicate looking had on his arm. Turning his head around, black eyes met blood red eyes.
"No. You will not harm my friends, Orcus." Hiei said, nonchalantly but with a tone that sent shivers racing down Orcus's spine. Although Orcus didn't show anything outwardly, inwardly, he was shaken. Hiei had somehow managed to break his binds. That should have been impossible, what with the state his [Hiei's] mind was in. And yet, the damned fire demon had done it. He had broken his bonds.
"Ah…Hiei-kun. I see you've managed to figure things out. Too late though, in a few moments, my control over you will be complete. There's nothing you can do to stop that." Orcus grinned evilly.
Narrowing his eyes, Hiei conceded to that fact. "That may be right. I won't be able to do anything but my friends will. You haven't forgotten about them, I hope."
A faint smell of Athelas drifted through the dark void, a void made by Hiei himself. Trying to ignore the smell, Orcus grit out, "You're still insane. Your chalice is still shattered. The athelas won't work for long. It will merely temporarily stop me, but I'll come back. None of you can defeat me because you don't know how."
"Oh, I think I do. I noticed that you only appeared when cracks began to show in my Chalice. When it was whole and there were no blemishes, you never showed. Yet, when smudges, cracks, anything that began to tarnish the Crystal Chalice appeared, you began to show. All I need to do in order to defeat your sorry ass is to rebuild the Chalice. Rebuild myself. Since the Chalice is me, I discovered that rebuilding it won't be as hard. I've discovered a little trick to piecing the bits back together. When my friends have told them apart from each other, all I need to do is pull some strings-literally.
Orcus's eyes widened in fear. The athelas smell was getting stronger and he knew that Hiei knew he was right. He [Orcus] could only be there when the Chalice was completely shattered, like Hiei's. He [Orcus] had been so stupid to underestimate the demon standing right in front of him! Still, he had some tricks up his sleeve. He wasn't The Vardoulacha for nothing.
"Why are you smiling?" Hiei asked roughly.
"Because, my dear Hiei, that athelas has given me time. Time which I can use, and will use. You may have all of your friends' help but you won't have enough time to repair the whole Chalice before I return. When I do return, you'll discover who you're actually dealing with." With those last words, Orcus disappeared, his disembodied laugh echoing in the chamber. Hiei's eyes turned dark with fear and hatred.
"Kurama, is the athelas water ready?" Yusuke asked, peering over Kurama's shoulder.
"Yes, it is. I already told you so. All that's left is to connect to Hiei. Um, create a circle around the bowl of athelas and hold onto each other. Yusuke and I will hold onto Hiei. Actually, just hold hands, everyone. I don't think we all need to touch Hiei in order to connect to him." Kurama instructed heading over to stand to the right of Hiei.
"Okay, you heard him! Get in a circle, everyone!" Yusuke ordered, standing to the left of Hiei. Once everybody had assembled around the bowl of athelas water, Yusuke gave one final command, "Everybody, close your eyes and concentrate solely on Hiei. We need to connect to him. It's best if you think about events or things about Hiei. Or anything in general that happens to be related to Hiei. Make sure you have a lot of images." With that, Yusuke closed his eyes, knowing the others did the same. Frowning slightly, his first memory of Hiei was when he first met the little demon-when he [Hiei] had kidnapped Keiko. Mentally shrugging, Yusuke threw that memory out to the center of the circle. Images began following after that.
A wounded and unconscious Hiei, being tended to by Kurama.
A menacing looking Hiei glaring at everyone.
Hiei summoning his Black Dragon for the first time.
Series of flashes of light from Hiei's fight with Seiryuu.
Random fights from the Dark Tournament.
More images flowed through everyone until Yusuke knew they only needed one more memory, thought, whatever, to complete the connection. Before he could throw his own out, he was surprised to find Botan sending out the last memory.
A hidden Hiei standing on a high tree branch, looking at Yukina as she fed birds on a snow covered ground.
Everybody could feel the suppressed brotherly love he [Hiei] felt for Yukina. Biting his lip, Kuwabara realized the truth and vowed to apologize to Hiei after they helped him out. He [Kuwabara] had been wrong to yell and threatened Hiei for talking to Yukina. He [Hiei] was only watching out for her, like any brother. Kuwabara shuddered when he felt a cold air touch his skin. Blinking his eyes open, Kuwabara was met with a swirling darkness that represented Hiei's mind.
What a freaky place… Kuwabara thought, shuddering.
"I heard that." A cool voice cut through everyone's daze as they were still coming to grips with what had just happened. The reality of where Kuwabara was finally hit him. It had worked! Their plan had actually worked! But…where was that annoying little demon?
"That 'annoying little demon' is right here, baka." Hiei snorted, his calm gaze looking at most of his friends. "I see you figured out a way to get into here."
"H-Hiei? Is that really you?" Botan stuttered, eyes wide.
Rolling his eyes, Hiei sniffed disdainfully at her, "Of course it's me. Who else could I be?"
"Wow…It really is you. Where's Insanity? Or Vardoulacha? I'm positive they were here before…"
"So you know, do you? No matter. Vardoulacha has been driven away for the time being. Insanity? Who knows."
"It's great to see you again, Hiei. However, I believe we have some work to do. Where are all the pieces of your Chalice?" Kurama asked, looking around his feet. He had a point; nobody could see any glimmering pieces of crystal littered across the floor. Except for some round objects…
Walking over to get a closer look at the spheres on the ground, Shizuru realized that they were tear gems, like the ones Yukina had. Except of being clear blue, they were midnight black. Black tear gems? Could these be…
They're mine. Shocked?
Hiei…
I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone.
Why?
I have my reasons.
Very well. You might want to explain the absence of the fragments, though. The others are beginning to panic.
Shizuru was right. The others were beginning to panic. Where were the fragments of crystal? Did they come too late? Where they talking to Hiei's…ghost?
"I'm not a ghost and you didn't come late. I took you to a different chamber than the one holding all the fragments. You are in my sanctum, currently." Hiei explained, turning around and walking away.
"Hiei, wait up! Where are you going?" Yusuke shouted, chasing after the dark figure.
Without stopping or turning his head, Hiei just walked through the dark inky swirls that made up his sanctum. Frustrated, the others just followed him; trying to ignore the weird feeling they felt when they walked through what they deemed to be a door. The room they had entered was different than the room they had just left. There was no swirling darkness, just a solid mass. In addition, there was the crystal fragments scattered across the floor. The newcomers, namely Keiko, Botan, and Shizuru stopped for a moment to look around this new area. The others, Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara just went to work. Almost at once, three different colors showed up on the fragments. Hiei, remembering what he had told Orcus, grabbed a hold of a glowing green fragment and concentrated. About half a minute later, a large green part of the Chalice was glowing in front of Hiei. Carefully, Hiei attached it to the other completed part of the Chalice, watching in satisfaction as the pieces shifted to allow this new piece. He [Hiei] continued this method for the remaining two colors, until what looked like the bottom of the Chalice was done.
"Girls…it'd be really helpful if you stopped gaping and helped us!" Yusuke said, amused.
Blushing, Keiko and Botan mumbled several apologies and knelt down to mimic what the boys had done. Shizuru blatantly ignored Yusuke and quickly identified a sixth color. Once again, the process was repeated over and over again until all that was left of the Chalice was the last piece of the cup-part. (A/N: A chalice looks like one of those medieval goblets, except a lot bigger bowl-like thingy) The friends had been working for hours, but with each piece, they had been able to work faster, because they were now used to the method of finding and attaching pieces to the nearly completed Chalice. Just as Keiko was beginning to find the last pieces, Orcus returned.
"My my, what do we have here? Looks like Hiei-kun has almost rebuilt his Chalice! Now, we can't have that, can we?" Orcus smiled, looking for all the world like a benevolent monk, but with a flick of his hand, a fresh crack appeared on the stem of the Chalice. Eyes widening, everybody rushed forward to heal the crack, but even as they finished that, another crack appeared.
This can't be happening? How is Orcus doing that???
In a rush of pure anger, Kurama lashed out at Orcus.
"Kurama, no!" Keiko shouted, eyes widening in terror. She watched as Kurama's rose whip was deflected, the force of the deflection throwing the detective several paces back. Undaunted, Kurama threw himself at Orcus over and over, trying in vain to maim or kill the Vardoulacha. Although he failed to injure Orcus, he did succeed in stopping Orcus's attempts to shatter the Chalice. This bought some precious time for the others, allowing them to heal the Chalice and place a protective barrier around it.
"You pathetic youko. You can't stop me with those weak attacks! What are you thinking?" Orcus glared at Kurama before sending out a dark string of powerful ki. He was surprised, however, when that same dark ki was shot right back at him. "What the…"
"Don't forget about me, Orcus." Hiei snarled, his sword held up in front of him as he [Hiei] stood in front of Kurama. "Don't forget that I am the Chalice and can rival your power. I may also be even stronger than you." The blade glinted in the darkness, matching the burning fire in Hiei's eyes.
"Yes, but you are not complete. You don't have enough strength to defeat me since the Chalice is not even finished! You can't beat me, Hiei-kun."
Thinning his lips, Hiei rushed at Orcus, his speed giving him the advantage of looking like he disappeared. At the same time, the others were putting the remaining piece of the Chalice together, knowing that if they did not complete the Chalice, Hiei might not be able to win.
"Koenma-sama?" Yukina asked as she stood by the doorway holding a tray.
"Ah, Yukina. Come on in! Mmm! That smells delicious! What is it?" Koenma hopped over to the blue-haired ice maiden as she approached the desk.
"Just some chrysanthemum tea and bento. It's lunch time."
"I see. Have you eaten yet?"
"Iie."
"You should eat. Why don't you eat with me? While we're eating, we can either talk or just continuing looking for more information on this Vardoulacha."
"Okay, arigatou." Yukina bowed and retreated. Koenma sighed happily as he took a sip of the delightfully hot tea. The smell of the home-cooked lunch enticed his hunger as he hungrily took a bite out of some sushi. A few minutes later, Yukina was back, holding her own bento.
"Yukina, here, have a seat." Koenma bounded over to the other side of his desk, pulling a chair along with him. Offering the pretty demon a seat, he returned back to his own and began eating once more. After a few minutes, Koenma noticed that Yukina had barely touched her own food. "Yukina-chan, what's wrong?"
"I'm just worried about the others, I guess… They still aren't back yet. I wonder if everything is okay."
"I'm sure that they're fine. If anything happens, Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara can fend and protect the others. Also, Shizuru, Botan, and Keiko have their own devices. Don't forget Shizuru is a good fighter and Botan can pull her oar out from nowhere. Keiko also has a good right-hook. And, Yukina, Hiei is there as well. They've been gone for almost an hour already. Once can only imagine how long that's been in Hiei's mind. Chances are, the Chalice is either almost completed, or finished. That means that Hiei can fight."
"You're right. Still, I'm worried. I'm not sure why, but it feels like there's something wrong or going on."
"Hmmm, yes. I can feel it too." Uneasily, the two glanced over to their group of friends. Shivers ran down their spines as they gazed into blank empty eyes. Who knew what was happening in Hiei's mind?
Hiei grunted as he blocked yet another blow with his sword. Thanks to his friends for almost completing the Chalice, he had a plethora of energy. Hopefully Orcus didn't. If he did, this fight would go on for a long time, and Hiei couldn't afford that. Hiei attacked Orcus again and again, but each time, his attacks were blocked. The two were on equal levels. At this rate, it was hard to see who would win. He only hoped that his friends were very close to finishing the last piece. Once the Chalice was completed, Orcus would stand no chance against him [Hiei].
"Yusuke, we need your piece!" Shizuru commanded, holding out a hand to the teen.
"I already gave it to you! I don't have any more!" Yusuke retorted, glaring at her. Shizuru sighed, frustrated. They only need one more piece, but none of them had it!
Where the hell is that damned piece?!
~I know where it is! ~ Insanity's voice rang out, echoing in everyone's ears.
"Omae! Why are you back?" Kuwabara asked, preparing his Spirit Sword.
~What a silly question! Of course I'm back! I just couldn't bear leaving Hiei-kun all alone with you dirty low-life ningens! ~
"Take that back, scum!" Kuwabara shouted, his pride injured. "We aren't dirty low-life humans! If anything, you're the dirty low-life! Controlling Hiei's body like that, torturing him, and trying to convince him to join your side."
Insanity mocked widened his eyes. "I'm hurt! All those compliments, and I thought you didn't like me!"
"Those weren't compliments, aho! And I don't like you! Stop screwing around with my words, you ass!"
"Oh dear, my bad! So sorry, Kuwa-kun!" Insanity winked at a fuming Kuwabara and blew him a kiss.
"Why you!" With that, Kuwabara lunged at the floating specter, shouting in rage.
"Kuwabara, no!" Shizuru cried, trying to grasp onto one of his legs. She missed, unfortunately, and Kuwabara became engaged in battle with Insanity. "No…"
"Shizuru, don't worry. Kuwabara is strong, he won't lose to a jerk like that." Koenma said, placing a comforting arm on her [Shizuru] shoulder.
"I'm not worried about him. I know he can take care of himself. But with him gone, there aren't as many people to find the missing piece!"
Botan's eyes widened as she remembered something Insanity said. "Wait, Insanity knows where the last piece is!" Without waiting for acknowledgment, Botan summoned her oar and flew right into the middle of Kuwabara's and Insanity's fight. She was lucked that the two fighters were shocked out of battle, although Insanity's shock lasted for a little less than a second.
"Why, hello little oar-missy! What is the meaning of your visit?" Insanity asked, bowing.
"I'm not here for idle chit-chat, mister. I want to know where the last piece is. You said you knew where it was. Now tell!"
"I do know where the piece is but I won't tell!"
"Why not?!"
"What do I get in return? I give you the location of the piece and let you complete the Chalice. What happens to me? I disappear, that's what. If I'm to give you the piece, I want something in return."
"What do you want, you cunning jerk?"
"Hmmm…ooo! How 'bout a kiss, sugar?" Insanity leered at Botan, turning his face into an ugly mask.
"What? No! Never!"
"Aww…well, guess you won't get the piece then! Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to kill the annoying carrot-head standing below us."
"I refuse to let you fight him. You must give us the piece first."
"I already told you my terms. You didn't accept them so I don't give you the piece."
"Name different terms!"
"Sorry, but these are the terms that I want! Ta ta!" Turning, Insanity disappeared, only to reappear behind Kuwabara and send him [Kuwabara] flying.
"Kuwabara!" Keiko shouted, almost running to his side. She remembered in time though that he was in the middle of a battle and it would be dangerous to interrupt. In addition, Kuwabara would not be happy that she tried to help him. It would hurt his manly pride. "Oh Yusuke, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know…but something Insanity said is bugging me but I'm not sure what…" Yusuke slowly stated, frowning in consternation.
"Whatever it is, I hope you figure it out soon. It may be relevant." Kurama said, looking at the shorter boy.
"Yeah, I know. For now, just keep an eye on both Kuwabara and Hiei. They may need your help."
"Hai, I understand." Kurama turned around to watch Hiei's and the Vardoulacha's battle.
Hiei called it Orcus…I assume that's the Vardoulacha's name. I wonder what it means?
Emerald eyes darkened with worry and anger as he saw Orcus manage to get through Hiei's defenses and send the little demon careening into the ground. Hiei… Hiei stood right back up and attacked Orcus, however, proving that he was fine. Unable to tear his [Kurama] eyes away from the battle, he failed to notice that Kuwabara was in a bit of a tight spot.
~Ooo! I have you cornered! What are you going to do, carrot-boy? ~
Kuwabara grunted, straining to push Insanity's weapon away. The weapon was a long and heavy staff, with gold metal on the ends to provide an extra weight for stronger bruising. The staff itself was black, inlaid with strips of metal, therefore making it a dangerous weapon. One strong blow to the head could kill the person. Kuwabara did not want to feel how it was like to have your skull crushed in.
Damned bastard! I have to get free!
Concentrating briefly, Kuwabara lengthened his sword and forced it to become willowy and flexible. Giving a loud battle gasp, Kuwabara shoved with his mind and the sword rammed right through Insanity's back. Insanity's facial expression did not change, only showing a small hint of surprise before he faded away. A small tinkling sound, like a piece of glass or something falling on the floor sounded. Kuwabara missed this however, since he was still trying to get over the fact that he had been lucky and had stabbed Insanity right through his heart.
Breathing heavily, Kuwabara let his Spirit Sword disappear as he lent over his knees to catch his breath. Damn, that was actually a tough battle. Who knew the stupid thing could be so strong? Kuwabara slowly staggered away from the end of his fight, knowing Insanity had truly died. I wondered how long the battle actually lasted. It felt like forever!
"Kuwabara? You're okay! You look awfully tired though. Is everything alright?" Keiko asked, coming over to check on her friend.
"Nah, I'm fine. How long was I fighting him?" Kuwabara asked, interested.
"Awhile…It's been an hour." Keiko said, examining a rather large bruise on Kuwabara's arm.
"Seriously? An hour? Wow, and I thought it was longer!"
"Hah! As if! You could never fight a battle for that long! No way! Still can't believe you managed to defeat Insanity, though. Hmm, he really must have been a wimp." Yusuke teased, grinning at Kuwabara. As expected, Kuwabara exploded.
"URAMESHI! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT MY FIGHT WAS A GOOD AND STRONG FIGHT! NOT LIKE YOUR PATHETIC ONES!"
"Haha. Chill, man. I was just joking. Glad you won. Not glad that he disappeared when you killed him though. How are we going to find the piece now?"
"I dunno…Kurama, daijoubu?"
The red haired boy didn't answer, his emerald gaze remaining on Hiei's and Orcus's fight. His [Kurama] whole body was a taught as a bow string as he watched Hiei and Orcus get through each other's defenses, dealing severe blows.
How long can Hiei keep this up. I know he feels like he has an extravagantly large amount of energy, but that's not true. He doesn't, but Orcus does. This fight has to stop soon! Either that, or we have to find the piece very soon!
"Kurama? What's going on?" Yusuke wandered over to watch whatever Kurama had been watching for such a long time. His eyes widened as he saw two blurry figures going at each other like dogs. A slash here, a kick there. No one was gaining, yet no one was giving. It was an extraordinary tense fight. Yusuke felt himself tense as well as he felt Hiei's levels of ki rise and drop, like a heart monitor recording the beating of a person's heart. Miraculously, every time Orcus injured Hiei, that was when his [Hiei] ki level was at its highest, resulting in a prevention of serious damage.
"Yusuke? Kurama? What's going on?" Botan had come over to see why the two boys were just standing there, looking like something bad was happening.
"Go away, Botan. You have to help the others find the piece. Kurama and I will keep an eye on Hiei. The fight is not good." Yusuke said crisply, never looking at the girl.
"H-hai! Come on you guys, let's find the last piece!" Botan shouted as she hurried over to the others. A quick discussion took place between her and Kuwabara, causing the latter to join his teammates and the former to gather the girls around.
"Insanity knew where the last piece could be found. From what it seems to be of Insanity, he can't go anywhere except for here and the Ningenkai. But in order to go to the Ningenkai, he has to have control of Hiei's body. I know he didn't go there because Koenma didn't send me any message or whatnot. This leaves that the piece has to be in here somewhere!" Botan concluded, her eyes sparkling with a newfound hope.
"You're right, but 'here' is a large place. We don't even know the expanse to this place! This isn't some castle that has a definite end and beginning. This is someone's mind, Hiei's to be exact. This is also the Chalice's home. I'm quite sure that the boundaries to this place are practically nonexistence. We can be taken anywhere anytime and we won't know how to get back here." Shizuru said, hating the fact that she was the one to dim the hope in the other girls' eyes.
Keiko frowned as she repeated, "'If I'm to give you the piece…I don't give you the piece…'" she murmured, her eyes going blank.
"Keiko? What is it? What do you know?" Shizuru asked urgently, holding onto Keiko's shoulders. She fought the urge to shudder as two blank brown eyes lifted to meet her own.
"'I'm to give you the piece…I don't give you the piece…' the piece, is in this area. The piece is where Insanity last was because it had the piece all along." Keiko intoned, her brown eyes finally getting a spark of life in them as she finished speaking. "What just happened? Why did I say that?"
"You don't know? No matter. We know where the piece is, we'll figure you out later. Come on!" Shizuru said, shaking her head as she ran towards the place her brother had killed Insanity.
As they neared, the three friends saw a faint glow in a sea of darkness.
The last piece! Their hearts and minds rejoiced as Botan picked up the tiny sliver of crystal. We found the last piece! Hiei is saved! We're all saved! Grinning madly, all of them actually rode on Botan's oar, just to get to the final piece quicker. They had done it. Three girls, who had never had to fight monsters, never had to face life or death situations in which one false move could kill them, had found the last piece to their friend's life. They would be the ones to save him.
~*Give up already, Hiei. You can't defeat me, not without the Chalice being healed. Your energy is spiking, it goes up and down, up and down. It's only been pure luck that every time I attacked you, your energy level was up. Your luck is going to change, however, because unlike you, my energy doesn't drop and yours. Just. Has!*~ Orcus shouted, charging at Hiei.
Hiei narrowed his eyes as he perceived Orcus's last statement to be of the truth. His [Hiei] energy level had just dropped and if Orcus managed to hit him on time, Hiei would suffer a very serious wound. Bringing his sword up in an attempt to lessen the damage, Hiei was thrown back but the force of the hit, slamming into the wall of his mind. His breath left his body in a large gasp and his neck snapped back, slamming his skull into the wall. For a moment, Hiei saw stars as his vision blurred and focused randomly. He felt tears come to his mind as a sharp lancing sting raced through his skull. He knew he would have a bump there later. Shakily, he stood up, only to be caught by Orcus. Struggling against his captor's hold, Hiei knew that he would not be able to break free. Not in his current state.
~*Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't defeat me without your Chalice? You still had to try, didn't you. Now look, you have a rather nasty bump and cut on your head and I'm quite positive that you can't focus either. Focus gained, focus lost, right? Stop struggling, it'll only make things worse. Besides, you won't be able to break free of my grip-you're too tired. Isn't that nice? Your dear friends are coming! 'Tant pis' as they say in French. Too bad they won't be able to do anything either. You finally belong to me and I won't let you go so easily. Let your friends come and they shall experience the true extent of my powers. *~
Hiei thrashed even harder in his [Orcus] hold as he heard Orcus's last sentence. He did not want Orcus to hurt or even come close to his friends. He also did not want his friends to get close to Orcus. If the two groups [Orcus and friends] got into a battle, there was no doubt of who would win. He absolutely could not let Orcus get to his friends!
~*You don't like my plan? Oh, fine. As a special gift to your friends, I'll only use 1% of my power, not like the 5% I used on you. How's that? *~
Hiei's eyes widened as he realized that Orcus had just toyed with him. He [Orcus] had only used 5% of his strength while Hiei had used about 50%. Yes, 50%. Until the Chalice was healed, he [Hiei] would be unable to use his maximum strength. He could only be in the range of 0%-50% and he had used the highest amount he was capable of. Still, that 50% against Orcus's 5% had not been enough. How tough would Orcus be at 100%? Would there even be a fight to fight in? Or would there be total devastation? Hiei did not want to find out.
~*Still don't like that? Fine, I'll just use .5%! Is that much better? *~
"No! You will not touch them, kisama! I refuse to let you even go near them!" Hiei hissed, freeing himself enough so he could speak.
*~Me go near them? You must be joking! They're the ones who are coming to me! They want to fight me, even if it means death! You can't stop someone who isn't doing anything, you know. See if you can stop your friends. I highly doubt they'll listen though. *~
Hiei didn't say a word, only to stare desperately at his friends, sending them a mental message to stop. He knew they could hear him but he just wasn't sure if they'd listen to him. He had very stubborn comrades.
~*Just as I suspected. They didn't stop. Pas de probleme! More deaths for me! I'm so excited! *~ Orcus released Hiei, only to tie him up with strong Dark Sprit Ropes Hiei would be unable to break out of. He [Hiei] could only watch in horror as his family fought Orcus head on.
Please let something happen, please don't let them die, please heal my Chalice!
As Hiei made his final plea, he felt a strong tug on his soul and mind.
Nani? Twisting in his bonds to look towards the source of the pull, his eyes narrowed in cold satisfaction as he saw Keiko, Botan, and Shizuru slide the last crystal fragment of the last piece in. His satisfaction grew even larger as he saw Yukina and Koenma suddenly appear and aid with the piecing of the sliver. Everything was going to change. The tables were going to turn and everything would go his [Hiei] way.
Orcus too felt the disturbance, but later than Hiei. After all, he [Orcus] wasn't connected to the Chalice like Hiei was. Golden eyes widening, Orcus shot towards the group of five, intent on killing them all and destroying the piece. In his frenzy, he had forgotten that he was in the middle of a battle and that he had the power to crack the Chalice with his own mind. Lucky for Yusuke though, because he finally saw his chance.
"Rei gun!" Yusuke shouted, as a blast of pure Spirit Energy shot from his fingers to hit Vardoulacha dead on and knock him off course. "Hurry up and finish that last piece!" Yusuke shouted towards his friends as he rushed over to kick Orcus who was getting up.
Although Koenma and the girls were unable to hear him [Yusuke], they felt the sense of impending doom if they did not fix the last piece. Summoning the entire mental prowess they possessed, they focused it on the tiny crystal and gently put it back into place. Once the piece slid into place, a shrill scream was heard and a bright light enveloped the entire place.
"HIEI!!!!!"
A/N: Okay, end of Chapter 5 of Vardoulacha! Please don't hurt me!!!!!!!!!!! I hope this made up for the long delay and briefness of my chapters! Please review, I'd love to hear your feedback!
Pourquoi: why
Tant pis: too bad
Those two are in French, btw. I won't post up the Japanese definitions because I think all the words are old ones so yeah.
Shadow: You know, if Hiei is dead, you'll also be dead.
Schizo13: Of course I know that! That's why I'm building my handy dandy protective shelter that will protect me from everything. ^_^
Shadow: As if that's going to stop them…
Schizo13: -_-; Please review!
3.22.04