To Break the Chain
Kohari: Yeah! We have a new character! He rules! I think. And I shall credit...Bar-Ohki for him, even though I had to change him to fit our needs. And DO NOT see me as the same Kohari as in the story! We are two different people. Anyway, you can't sue me for this cuz I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I won't waste any time beating around the bush. To the fic!
Chapter 6
"I am," the stranger said plainly and mysteriously.
"Who's the shrimp?" Yusuke inquired rudely, while gawking at the height-challenged runt.
"Finally, someone shorter than Hiei!" Kuwabara laughed. Even Kurama couldn't resist a small chuckle, hiding his smile with his hand in front of his mouth.
All these insults, though they were only playing around, made the newcomer angry. He glared Hiei's signature death glare as he stopped where he was, a few feet from the doorway. He seemed to be internally debating whether to take this bull crap or to slice their heads off with the short, curved sword hanging at his belt beside his daggers and ropes.
Todd walked over to the boy, who happened to be 4' 7", ruffling the shorter boy's hair, who looked annoyed at this display of friendly affection. "This is Mal. He handles all the stealth stuff. Not to mention all the technical stuff," he explained.
"Malhavoc," the boy corrected, stating his full name. His voice was a little...flat, evil...like he had a dark past.
"Oh, come on, Mal. That's what you let us call you," Kohari pleaded as she skipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her fingers and letting them hang down to his chest, leaning her head against his (they're just friends!). He didn't seem all that enthusiastic about this display, either.
"Please don't do that." His voice was the same as it was. No emotion whatsoever.
She let go of him, putting her hands in the air as though she was being arrested and stepping away slowly.
"It's what he lets you call him," Todd contradicted. "He doesn't answer by that name to anyone else."
"I think you're just jealous," Kohari chided playfully. Todd took the bait, and walked to where he was inches from her face. They were both just messing around. You could tell by the fact that Kohari was laughing and Todd was trying (and failing) to hide a small smile.
"And why would I be?" he challenged. Malhavoc was nonchalant to this whole thing.
"Because I don't hang on you like that," Kohari answered, unhesitant. Mal snorted and said something that sounded like "lucky." All ignored this.
"And I should care because…" Todd continued.
"I don't know why you should. Why don't you tell us why you were blushing when I did it?" She smirked at this. She got him there. Todd blushed at this as well.
"I did not," he lied, the red tint in his cheeks darkening.
"Mm-hmm," she said sarcastically, walking past him.
"Why do you hang on him?" Todd asked. She turned around.
"Because he's short. I dunno," she laughed. She turned quickly to the mastermind behind the Blitz quickly, realizing what she said, "No offense, buddy."
"Whatever." Malhavoc took his exit.
"What's up with Half-pint?" Kuwabara asked once the boy was out of earshot.
"He's always like that," Todd shrugged it off. "But I will say, he is quite an asset to the team."
"Does he even listen? He doesn't look like one to respect authority," Yusuke commented, jerking his head in the doorway's direction.
"Believe it or not, he actually does. He's not really a rebel in his own ranks, if you get what I'm saying." (Todd)
"How long you guys known him? Childhood friend?" Yusuke again questioned.
"No," Kohari and Todd answered at the same time as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Actually, it was right after we left the village," Todd recalled. "We camped in some city, and we split up to search for supplies. Next thing we know, Kohari shows up with the kid." She nodded.
"How old is he?" Kurama wondered.
"No idea." Silence followed for a while.
"Like I said, though," Todd went on, "I don't know what we'd do without him." He pulls up some files on the computer, and the screen scrolls down it all on its own, showing all kinds of remarkable work. "The kid's brilliant. Best stealth in the world. Ain't nothing he can't hack into, and his size is valuable when it comes to infiltrating a base. Of any kind."
"And you know this how? You seem like amateurs," Yusuke observed rudely. Todd raised his eyebrows.
"Amateurs?" he repeated. "Dude, how d'ya think that base near the mountain disappeared?" Awed silence from Team Urameshi. "Though, I don't know why I'm taking the credit for the team. Mal did that all on his own."
"Astonishing," Kurama praised.
"Interesting hair color," Kuwabara said randomly.
"Huh?" (everyone)
"Pipsqueak, there. Red streaks aren't exactly common. And they didn't look unnatural, if you ask me," he answered. "And with his size, he's bound to be noticed."
"The kid's a natural at this stuff, I'm telling ya," Todd restated.
"Must you call him a child?" Kohari broke in, startling him somewhat. "He respects you. Don't you think he, too, deserves some respect? And you don't even know if he is a kid. He could be an adult for all you know."
"I think you like the boy," Todd responded with a false assumption, hoping it wasn't true. She got an infuriated look on her face, turned from him, and crossed her arms.
"Certainly not!" she declared truthfully. "My heart belongs only to Dmitri." Nobody noticed that this last statement slightly wounded Todd. "And besides, he's the most loyal friend you could ask for, Mal is. More so even than you at times, Todd!"
"Excuse me?!" Argument time. This happened frequently, unbeknownst to the newcomers. "When have I ever abandoned you? Tell me!" She got quiet a moment, as though hesitant to say anything. Todd took this to mean that she couldn't think of a time. She glared at him.
"When I fell off the balcony when we were kids. You weren't the one that reached for my hand to pull me back up. Dmitri was. And when I was nearly crushed by that avalanche. You weren't the one that pushed me aside to prevent it. Mal did. Let's see…is there anything else I forgot?" This last part was sarcastic. Truthbetold, she couldn't think of anything else.
"Okay. I get it!" Todd admitted. "So I wasn't 100% there for you. But you said yourself that you could look after yourself didn't you?!" No one noticed that a pair of red eyes witnessed the whole scene. Team Urameshi didn't know what to do about this. It was a little awkward.
"Just shut up." Kohari turned once again to glare at him, though she had calmed down by now. "This isn't helping. And I don't have to take this." She started to leave.
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Todd demanded.
"Somewhere away from you," came the response. When she was gone, the leader (Todd) sighed.
"That girl…" He began to rub his temples in irritation. He regretted his harsh words, now. "Sometimes, she is just so..." he didn't finish his sentence. He turned to the others. "Well, back to business."
Kohari had retreated to a balcony overlooking a stream-like trail of water a large, broken water pipe had created. It was a great view, for what it was, one had to admit. After a few minutes of tears pouring down her face, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Go away, Todd," she commanded blankly.
Nobody answered but when a tissue began to wipe the drops of sadness and their trails from her face, she knew it most definitely was not her new leader. "Oh." Mal stooped down in front of her and delicately wiped away the tears. A side probably nobody had seen before. "Thanks."
"No problem." He stood and got ready to leave, but she grabbed his hand, and he stayed.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not usually this pathetic."
"Why should you be sorry for crying?"
"It's weak."
"Why?" She couldn't answer that.
"You don't cry, either."
"I have nothing to shed tears over." He retained his emotionless tone. And he spoke truthfully. He had lost everything. Silence followed. All of a sudden, Kohari just blurt out something.
"Before Hiei had shown up, I had never shed a single tear. Never!" The eye-water began to fall once again. "Not even when things most precious to me were taken from me! Not when the village was in ruins. Only when Dmitri died did I ever let my emotions take me over. And look at me now! I shouldn't cry over something so stupid! Especially not over TODD!" She pounded her fist into the concrete. "I hate him sometimes. He's always doing this. As though nothing I do is good enough. Even when Dmitri was alive..." she left off there. Thinking of him made her...weaker...
"If you're so tired of it, why don't you just leave?" This was unexpected.
"Huh?" She looked at him as he got ready to leave.
"I'm not saying that you aren't valuable to this team as well. But you do have a say in what happens. The Blitz follows you because they know they can trust your leadership abilities. From what I heard, they were hesitant to take even a second glance at you until Dmitri showed them that you were just as good as he was."
"But I wasn't..." This was the most he had ever said.
"To them you were. They follow you because they have seen firsthand your talent. They follow Todd because you do." He was solemn. You could never tell what this guy was thinking, but somehow, you knew that he would never lie to you. Unless it was for your own protection, and there had never been a call for that.
"How do you know this?" Kohari was astounded by what the "stranger of the team" had to say.
"Amazing what you hear when no one thinks you are listening."
"Oh yeah. Stealth expert. I had forgotten," she laughed a little. A rare sound for the times.
"You are the one that truly leads this team, Kohari. They will not hesitate to abandon Todd if you force them to choose between you. If you leave, they will follow."
"Would you?" Silence.
"I go where I am needed most. My loyalties lie equally between you and Todd." Again silence. He turned to leave. "You can free yourself of this prison, Kohari. You needn't put yourself through this torture if that is what it is to you. But it's your call. I cannot direct your life for you." He got ready to take his leave.
"Wait!" Kohari called out. "How old are you really?"
"Sixteen." The word was barely audible. "But it feels like three times that age at times." And before she could blink her eye, he had disappeared.
"Mysterious boy," she commented, gazing at the flow of the the water. "Oh, well. I suppose I could leave. But...Todd may not be able to make it on his own, if what Mal said's true. And he'd never forgive me. I can't afford to lose on of the few friends I have. Not someone so close to Dmitri." She sighed. "Looks like I'm stuck here." She went inside to check up on the plans to invade the base.
Back in an underground lab that Team Urameshi had uncovered, thanks to Botan, Todd called for Malhavoc, who appeared immediately.
"Where is she?" were the first words out of the commanders mouth.
"I would know why?" he answered a question with a question.
"You know everything that goes on around here. You just don't tell anyone." Todd was stern and firm.
"This is all true," the addressed smirked. "She is closer than you think," and he left.
"Why does he speak in riddles?!" Todd asked aloud, to no one in particular. Returning to the search subject, he demanded to know from some of the "guards" at the lab entrance, "Where is Kohari!" It was more a statement than a question.
"Calm down. Geez, you're loud enough to wake the dead," came a voice from the entrance, and a black-clad Kohari stepped in. "I'm right here."
"About time you got your little ass in here. I'm about to go over these plans with Yusuke's group. Do you plan to join them?"
"Yes."
"Then get over here!"
"There's no need to shout, you know," Kurama broke in in an attempt to prevent another fight.
"Yeah. You guys are supposed to be friends," Kuwabara added.
"Look," Todd calmed down, as Kohari walked quietly and calmly to the map projection, glancing over the plans. "I'm sorry, alright? Forgive me, Ko?" She gave him a long, hard stare.
"Should I?" The inquiry shocked Todd.
"What do you mean?! I'm apologizing. I think you should accept."
"Then I will. But only because of our childhood friendship." They shook hands, and Todd began to go over the plans that, of course, Malhavoc had drawn up.
"Tomorrow," Todd announced, "We attack. Dismissed." They filed out of the room. When they were gone, Todd was left standing in the center of the lab. "I see you are still stuck on Dmitri, Kohari," he whispered to himself. "You will be mine, girl. I will make you. No matter what it takes. I will replace that bastard you admired over me!" he vowed angrily to himself. Then he went to his sleeping area.
In Kohari's "dorm", she had a flashback of that day, where Dmitri had died. Hiei had been the enemy, and yet, she was drawn to him. She had felt herself, halfway lost in his fiery eyes. She should hate him for what he did, but why couldn't she? She sighed and leaned against the wall. What was a girl to do when she couldn't even figure out where her heart belonged, much less control it. 'Kohari, you idiot,' she thought as she slept.
Kohari: Remember, review! I really am not sure I like the "middle" scene. It seems like a romance scene. But it wasn't meant to be. It's called sympathy. Pity. Friendship. Oh, God, I'm starting to sound like Anzu. That is just plain wrong. Oh, well. Tell me what you think. I've got big plans for this fic, but I can't continue unless I get...Well, it seems that I've gotten three reviews for the majority of the chapters, so I want 15 reviews. More would be good, but 15 minimum. I am too nice. Byes!
Kohari: Yeah! We have a new character! He rules! I think. And I shall credit...Bar-Ohki for him, even though I had to change him to fit our needs. And DO NOT see me as the same Kohari as in the story! We are two different people. Anyway, you can't sue me for this cuz I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. I won't waste any time beating around the bush. To the fic!
Chapter 6
"I am," the stranger said plainly and mysteriously.
"Who's the shrimp?" Yusuke inquired rudely, while gawking at the height-challenged runt.
"Finally, someone shorter than Hiei!" Kuwabara laughed. Even Kurama couldn't resist a small chuckle, hiding his smile with his hand in front of his mouth.
All these insults, though they were only playing around, made the newcomer angry. He glared Hiei's signature death glare as he stopped where he was, a few feet from the doorway. He seemed to be internally debating whether to take this bull crap or to slice their heads off with the short, curved sword hanging at his belt beside his daggers and ropes.
Todd walked over to the boy, who happened to be 4' 7", ruffling the shorter boy's hair, who looked annoyed at this display of friendly affection. "This is Mal. He handles all the stealth stuff. Not to mention all the technical stuff," he explained.
"Malhavoc," the boy corrected, stating his full name. His voice was a little...flat, evil...like he had a dark past.
"Oh, come on, Mal. That's what you let us call you," Kohari pleaded as she skipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her fingers and letting them hang down to his chest, leaning her head against his (they're just friends!). He didn't seem all that enthusiastic about this display, either.
"Please don't do that." His voice was the same as it was. No emotion whatsoever.
She let go of him, putting her hands in the air as though she was being arrested and stepping away slowly.
"It's what he lets you call him," Todd contradicted. "He doesn't answer by that name to anyone else."
"I think you're just jealous," Kohari chided playfully. Todd took the bait, and walked to where he was inches from her face. They were both just messing around. You could tell by the fact that Kohari was laughing and Todd was trying (and failing) to hide a small smile.
"And why would I be?" he challenged. Malhavoc was nonchalant to this whole thing.
"Because I don't hang on you like that," Kohari answered, unhesitant. Mal snorted and said something that sounded like "lucky." All ignored this.
"And I should care because…" Todd continued.
"I don't know why you should. Why don't you tell us why you were blushing when I did it?" She smirked at this. She got him there. Todd blushed at this as well.
"I did not," he lied, the red tint in his cheeks darkening.
"Mm-hmm," she said sarcastically, walking past him.
"Why do you hang on him?" Todd asked. She turned around.
"Because he's short. I dunno," she laughed. She turned quickly to the mastermind behind the Blitz quickly, realizing what she said, "No offense, buddy."
"Whatever." Malhavoc took his exit.
"What's up with Half-pint?" Kuwabara asked once the boy was out of earshot.
"He's always like that," Todd shrugged it off. "But I will say, he is quite an asset to the team."
"Does he even listen? He doesn't look like one to respect authority," Yusuke commented, jerking his head in the doorway's direction.
"Believe it or not, he actually does. He's not really a rebel in his own ranks, if you get what I'm saying." (Todd)
"How long you guys known him? Childhood friend?" Yusuke again questioned.
"No," Kohari and Todd answered at the same time as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Actually, it was right after we left the village," Todd recalled. "We camped in some city, and we split up to search for supplies. Next thing we know, Kohari shows up with the kid." She nodded.
"How old is he?" Kurama wondered.
"No idea." Silence followed for a while.
"Like I said, though," Todd went on, "I don't know what we'd do without him." He pulls up some files on the computer, and the screen scrolls down it all on its own, showing all kinds of remarkable work. "The kid's brilliant. Best stealth in the world. Ain't nothing he can't hack into, and his size is valuable when it comes to infiltrating a base. Of any kind."
"And you know this how? You seem like amateurs," Yusuke observed rudely. Todd raised his eyebrows.
"Amateurs?" he repeated. "Dude, how d'ya think that base near the mountain disappeared?" Awed silence from Team Urameshi. "Though, I don't know why I'm taking the credit for the team. Mal did that all on his own."
"Astonishing," Kurama praised.
"Interesting hair color," Kuwabara said randomly.
"Huh?" (everyone)
"Pipsqueak, there. Red streaks aren't exactly common. And they didn't look unnatural, if you ask me," he answered. "And with his size, he's bound to be noticed."
"The kid's a natural at this stuff, I'm telling ya," Todd restated.
"Must you call him a child?" Kohari broke in, startling him somewhat. "He respects you. Don't you think he, too, deserves some respect? And you don't even know if he is a kid. He could be an adult for all you know."
"I think you like the boy," Todd responded with a false assumption, hoping it wasn't true. She got an infuriated look on her face, turned from him, and crossed her arms.
"Certainly not!" she declared truthfully. "My heart belongs only to Dmitri." Nobody noticed that this last statement slightly wounded Todd. "And besides, he's the most loyal friend you could ask for, Mal is. More so even than you at times, Todd!"
"Excuse me?!" Argument time. This happened frequently, unbeknownst to the newcomers. "When have I ever abandoned you? Tell me!" She got quiet a moment, as though hesitant to say anything. Todd took this to mean that she couldn't think of a time. She glared at him.
"When I fell off the balcony when we were kids. You weren't the one that reached for my hand to pull me back up. Dmitri was. And when I was nearly crushed by that avalanche. You weren't the one that pushed me aside to prevent it. Mal did. Let's see…is there anything else I forgot?" This last part was sarcastic. Truthbetold, she couldn't think of anything else.
"Okay. I get it!" Todd admitted. "So I wasn't 100% there for you. But you said yourself that you could look after yourself didn't you?!" No one noticed that a pair of red eyes witnessed the whole scene. Team Urameshi didn't know what to do about this. It was a little awkward.
"Just shut up." Kohari turned once again to glare at him, though she had calmed down by now. "This isn't helping. And I don't have to take this." She started to leave.
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Todd demanded.
"Somewhere away from you," came the response. When she was gone, the leader (Todd) sighed.
"That girl…" He began to rub his temples in irritation. He regretted his harsh words, now. "Sometimes, she is just so..." he didn't finish his sentence. He turned to the others. "Well, back to business."
Kohari had retreated to a balcony overlooking a stream-like trail of water a large, broken water pipe had created. It was a great view, for what it was, one had to admit. After a few minutes of tears pouring down her face, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Go away, Todd," she commanded blankly.
Nobody answered but when a tissue began to wipe the drops of sadness and their trails from her face, she knew it most definitely was not her new leader. "Oh." Mal stooped down in front of her and delicately wiped away the tears. A side probably nobody had seen before. "Thanks."
"No problem." He stood and got ready to leave, but she grabbed his hand, and he stayed.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not usually this pathetic."
"Why should you be sorry for crying?"
"It's weak."
"Why?" She couldn't answer that.
"You don't cry, either."
"I have nothing to shed tears over." He retained his emotionless tone. And he spoke truthfully. He had lost everything. Silence followed. All of a sudden, Kohari just blurt out something.
"Before Hiei had shown up, I had never shed a single tear. Never!" The eye-water began to fall once again. "Not even when things most precious to me were taken from me! Not when the village was in ruins. Only when Dmitri died did I ever let my emotions take me over. And look at me now! I shouldn't cry over something so stupid! Especially not over TODD!" She pounded her fist into the concrete. "I hate him sometimes. He's always doing this. As though nothing I do is good enough. Even when Dmitri was alive..." she left off there. Thinking of him made her...weaker...
"If you're so tired of it, why don't you just leave?" This was unexpected.
"Huh?" She looked at him as he got ready to leave.
"I'm not saying that you aren't valuable to this team as well. But you do have a say in what happens. The Blitz follows you because they know they can trust your leadership abilities. From what I heard, they were hesitant to take even a second glance at you until Dmitri showed them that you were just as good as he was."
"But I wasn't..." This was the most he had ever said.
"To them you were. They follow you because they have seen firsthand your talent. They follow Todd because you do." He was solemn. You could never tell what this guy was thinking, but somehow, you knew that he would never lie to you. Unless it was for your own protection, and there had never been a call for that.
"How do you know this?" Kohari was astounded by what the "stranger of the team" had to say.
"Amazing what you hear when no one thinks you are listening."
"Oh yeah. Stealth expert. I had forgotten," she laughed a little. A rare sound for the times.
"You are the one that truly leads this team, Kohari. They will not hesitate to abandon Todd if you force them to choose between you. If you leave, they will follow."
"Would you?" Silence.
"I go where I am needed most. My loyalties lie equally between you and Todd." Again silence. He turned to leave. "You can free yourself of this prison, Kohari. You needn't put yourself through this torture if that is what it is to you. But it's your call. I cannot direct your life for you." He got ready to take his leave.
"Wait!" Kohari called out. "How old are you really?"
"Sixteen." The word was barely audible. "But it feels like three times that age at times." And before she could blink her eye, he had disappeared.
"Mysterious boy," she commented, gazing at the flow of the the water. "Oh, well. I suppose I could leave. But...Todd may not be able to make it on his own, if what Mal said's true. And he'd never forgive me. I can't afford to lose on of the few friends I have. Not someone so close to Dmitri." She sighed. "Looks like I'm stuck here." She went inside to check up on the plans to invade the base.
Back in an underground lab that Team Urameshi had uncovered, thanks to Botan, Todd called for Malhavoc, who appeared immediately.
"Where is she?" were the first words out of the commanders mouth.
"I would know why?" he answered a question with a question.
"You know everything that goes on around here. You just don't tell anyone." Todd was stern and firm.
"This is all true," the addressed smirked. "She is closer than you think," and he left.
"Why does he speak in riddles?!" Todd asked aloud, to no one in particular. Returning to the search subject, he demanded to know from some of the "guards" at the lab entrance, "Where is Kohari!" It was more a statement than a question.
"Calm down. Geez, you're loud enough to wake the dead," came a voice from the entrance, and a black-clad Kohari stepped in. "I'm right here."
"About time you got your little ass in here. I'm about to go over these plans with Yusuke's group. Do you plan to join them?"
"Yes."
"Then get over here!"
"There's no need to shout, you know," Kurama broke in in an attempt to prevent another fight.
"Yeah. You guys are supposed to be friends," Kuwabara added.
"Look," Todd calmed down, as Kohari walked quietly and calmly to the map projection, glancing over the plans. "I'm sorry, alright? Forgive me, Ko?" She gave him a long, hard stare.
"Should I?" The inquiry shocked Todd.
"What do you mean?! I'm apologizing. I think you should accept."
"Then I will. But only because of our childhood friendship." They shook hands, and Todd began to go over the plans that, of course, Malhavoc had drawn up.
"Tomorrow," Todd announced, "We attack. Dismissed." They filed out of the room. When they were gone, Todd was left standing in the center of the lab. "I see you are still stuck on Dmitri, Kohari," he whispered to himself. "You will be mine, girl. I will make you. No matter what it takes. I will replace that bastard you admired over me!" he vowed angrily to himself. Then he went to his sleeping area.
In Kohari's "dorm", she had a flashback of that day, where Dmitri had died. Hiei had been the enemy, and yet, she was drawn to him. She had felt herself, halfway lost in his fiery eyes. She should hate him for what he did, but why couldn't she? She sighed and leaned against the wall. What was a girl to do when she couldn't even figure out where her heart belonged, much less control it. 'Kohari, you idiot,' she thought as she slept.
Kohari: Remember, review! I really am not sure I like the "middle" scene. It seems like a romance scene. But it wasn't meant to be. It's called sympathy. Pity. Friendship. Oh, God, I'm starting to sound like Anzu. That is just plain wrong. Oh, well. Tell me what you think. I've got big plans for this fic, but I can't continue unless I get...Well, it seems that I've gotten three reviews for the majority of the chapters, so I want 15 reviews. More would be good, but 15 minimum. I am too nice. Byes!