To Break the Chain
Kohari: Well, I got sixteen reviews. Sorry it took so long for me to update. It's gonna be even worse from now on. School starts, for me, on Monday --anime cry--. That's gonna suck. So, I'm writing this to celebrate summer vacation (which will be longer next year! YAY!). Enjoy!
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Chapter 7
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(A/N: This is completely irrelevent, but I'm listening to "Break Down Here" by Julie Roberts. "Out in the middle of nowhere, noway, I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rolling..." Sorry.)
"So what's the game plan?" Yusuke asked as quietly as he could. The last thing they needed was guards all over their sorry little asses. Crouching in these bushes was bad enough. Stupid wedgies.
"They don't have great security," Malhavoc started, but was interrupted by Kuwabara.
"Why are we doing this? We are so gonna die! We're gonna die!" Kohari clamped her hand over his mouth. He had practically shouted it, and the strange noise had alerted the guards to their presence.
"You twit!" she hissed. The two men from Hiei's army wandered over cautiously, whispering suspicions. "What're we gonna do, Todd?"
"We're gonna whoop their ass," he answered, and when the guards got close enough, they pulled them into the shrubbery, pummeling the guards senseless.
"Someone's bound to notice their disappearance," Mal pointed out.
"That's kinda why I say we go in now," Todd replied. He handed out communicators.
"I stand corrected," Kuwabara stated. "NOW, we're gonna die." At least this time he managed to keep his voice down. The others shook their heads at the hopeless moron. Why was he on their team, again?
"We are not gonna die, you idiot!" Mal whispered harshly. "If we stick to the plan, we should be able to take down Hiei's strongest base. And if you keep your mouth shut, we may keep our heads." Everyone stared. Before they could blink, Mal had pulled out his signature dagger, the blade resting against Kazuma's throat. "You screw this up, and I swear..." He left off there, intensifying the torture. "Understood?" Kuwabara nodded. "Good." He put his weapon away and briefed them once again on what they needed to do. "Let's go."
They mustered up all their stealth and courage as they made their way to the entrance. A few times, they were nearly caught by the guards, but a few slashes from Kurama's rose whip took care of the problem. None of the nuisances were dead, but the thought was very tempting to the fox after their insults and threats.
They managed to avoid the multiple cameras (yes, even with the fights) and force their way to the control room. From their hiding place they heard his voice discussing battle strategies and threatening his minions, describing in detail what would happen if they failed.
"Kohari, leave now," Todd ordered, remembering to keep his voice low.
"What?!" she cried softly so Hiei and his soldiers wouldn't hear her. "No, I'm coming with you!"
"No. Todd's right," Mal agreed with his leader. Kohari turned to him and glared at him as if he had betrayed her. "There are quite a few flaws in this scheme now that Hiei's actually here. If we don't make it...someone has to continue the resistance."
"Does this have anything to do with her being a female?" Kuwabara asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Partially," Todd answered honestly. Kohari gasped.
"How rude!"
"No, it's not."
"Is."
"It's not just that, okay?" The argument went back to Todd. "Dmitri trained you personally. Not me. You're the one that should succeed me if we don't get through this. And there's still a chance this isn't suicide."
"You suck."
"Go. Now," Mal broke in. Everyone looked at him. "It's time." Kohari nodded sadly, and walked out, careful that no one but her team saw. The others rushed in when she was around a corner and out of sight.
The sounds of battle and explosions halted her at the entrance. Her hand was on the door. No one had replaced the guards at the front, so she had no worries about escaping. But something kept her from leaving. After a few minutes, there was silence. She checked the communicator, calling out individually her teammates' names. No response. It was true; they had failed. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't allow herself to cry. She had to remain strong...for them.
She opened the door and took a few steps out. Her rounded-toe boots collected a little dust, but she didn't care. Before Hiei had shown up, the thought of dirt on her shoes would've drove her insane. Now, it was the least of her problems. She turned around for a second, looking back, then closed her eyes. In her mind, she said her final farewells.
As she turned again to leave, she gasped as she found herself facing a taller version of Hiei. No, it was Hiei. But taller? How? Genetic experiments. She had discovered some of the files last night. So it had been successful. She whispered, "Uh-oh," aware that she was in huge trouble. She wasn't afraid. She was terrified.
"Yeah. Uh-oh," the apparition taunted. Kohari was frozen in place, looking around, trying to figure out what to do. She made a dash to her right, but was caught by a Spirit Chain, a technique she herself had been studying, and pulled back to her enemy. He had her back against his chest, one hand clasped around her wrists, preventing her from using them. He had a hand to her neck, ready to strangle her should she try anything. The idea to kick him occured to her, but she knew that as a reflex, his hand would close tighter around her throat. She would never have a chance.
"Game over, bitch." Kohari closed her eyes, bracing herself for any attack that he would use to finish her, but instead found herself being flung away. He gave her a glare as he went back inside the base, no sneer, but a scowl on his face. Hatred was etched all over it.
He had spared her? Again? Was this possible? How long was he going to draw out her death? And where would she run to now? She sighed as she made her way to Yukina's street to meditate. She, too, knew its secret, and really needed some time to get her thoughts together. What she had felt when she had been brought under Hiei's mercy wasn't just fear. There was something else there. Something familiar. But it wasn't possible. (A/N: Not to ruin the moment, but "Together We Can" by Cheetah Girls!)
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Todd pulled himself out of the rubble. They had managed to do okay. At least, until Hiei stepped in. He had just stood there, just watching them "die," like it was amusing. Then, we most of them had proven themselves unable to "survive," Hiei decided it was time to test out his newfound skills. Was it him, or had the apparition seemed...taller? Oh, yeah. Kohari had found some files on genetic engineering that night. Had they actually attempted it so soon?
He heard the girl's voice over the communicator, calling out to him and the others. He could barely pick himself up. There was no way he'd be able to get to it. He collapsed on the cold steel of the floor, sweat pooling onto the metallic surface. He heard her desperation and could do nothing to assure her that he was okay. Couldn't say the same for the others, though. He heard the communicator drop on the other end of the line and a gasp. Hiei had gotten to Kohari. No. He heard the short struggle, and Hiei's voice say, "Game over, bitch." Then, there was the sound of someone stumbling, Kohari, before falling to the ground. So Hiei had spared him, but not her. How evil could someone be?
He hadn't heard her sigh, signalling that she lived on. The dragon-master had trod, purposely, on the communicator, completely destroying it. Circuits and wires were strung all over the ground, though Todd could not see this.
He also could not see his teammates, who had been buried under the rocks and crumbled walls. They were alive. Barely. But he, again, didn't know this.
He sighed, regretting he had made them do this so early. Had they waited until Hiei had left, maybe they...But no. There was no use dwelling on the past and mistakes. After a quick rest, he ran out of the base, toward the park. There was a special pavillion there that he liked to sit under since arriving in this city. Little did he know what would be waiting for him there.
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Kohari got up from her kneeling position in the street. Maybe there was a chance that Todd was still alive. If Hiei had spared her, then it was possible he had allowed Todd to remain breathing as well. There was one place he loved to go. To be alone. To gather HIS thoughts. The pavillion on the far side of the park. She had to check. That was where he'd be if he were spared. She had lost Dmitri. She couldn't afford to lose Todd as well.
She let out a determined breath and inhaled again deeply. 'Here I go. Please, God, let Todd be there.'
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Kohari (authoress): Well. This chapter's over. Was it worth the wait? I hope so. You want a preview of the next chapter? Too bad! MWAHAHAHAHA! Well, I've been somewhat nice up until now, might as well give you a sneak peak.
Next Time: Showdown! Todd vs Hiei. What will happen to Kohari (character)?
Kohari (authoress): Okay. Review for me. And I'll hurry along with the next chapter. BTW, I finally turned off my music. I found myself trying to type the lyrics and the story at the same time. Very annoying. Anywho, Byes!
Kohari: Well, I got sixteen reviews. Sorry it took so long for me to update. It's gonna be even worse from now on. School starts, for me, on Monday --anime cry--. That's gonna suck. So, I'm writing this to celebrate summer vacation (which will be longer next year! YAY!). Enjoy!
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Chapter 7
=================================================================================
(A/N: This is completely irrelevent, but I'm listening to "Break Down Here" by Julie Roberts. "Out in the middle of nowhere, noway, I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rolling..." Sorry.)
"So what's the game plan?" Yusuke asked as quietly as he could. The last thing they needed was guards all over their sorry little asses. Crouching in these bushes was bad enough. Stupid wedgies.
"They don't have great security," Malhavoc started, but was interrupted by Kuwabara.
"Why are we doing this? We are so gonna die! We're gonna die!" Kohari clamped her hand over his mouth. He had practically shouted it, and the strange noise had alerted the guards to their presence.
"You twit!" she hissed. The two men from Hiei's army wandered over cautiously, whispering suspicions. "What're we gonna do, Todd?"
"We're gonna whoop their ass," he answered, and when the guards got close enough, they pulled them into the shrubbery, pummeling the guards senseless.
"Someone's bound to notice their disappearance," Mal pointed out.
"That's kinda why I say we go in now," Todd replied. He handed out communicators.
"I stand corrected," Kuwabara stated. "NOW, we're gonna die." At least this time he managed to keep his voice down. The others shook their heads at the hopeless moron. Why was he on their team, again?
"We are not gonna die, you idiot!" Mal whispered harshly. "If we stick to the plan, we should be able to take down Hiei's strongest base. And if you keep your mouth shut, we may keep our heads." Everyone stared. Before they could blink, Mal had pulled out his signature dagger, the blade resting against Kazuma's throat. "You screw this up, and I swear..." He left off there, intensifying the torture. "Understood?" Kuwabara nodded. "Good." He put his weapon away and briefed them once again on what they needed to do. "Let's go."
They mustered up all their stealth and courage as they made their way to the entrance. A few times, they were nearly caught by the guards, but a few slashes from Kurama's rose whip took care of the problem. None of the nuisances were dead, but the thought was very tempting to the fox after their insults and threats.
They managed to avoid the multiple cameras (yes, even with the fights) and force their way to the control room. From their hiding place they heard his voice discussing battle strategies and threatening his minions, describing in detail what would happen if they failed.
"Kohari, leave now," Todd ordered, remembering to keep his voice low.
"What?!" she cried softly so Hiei and his soldiers wouldn't hear her. "No, I'm coming with you!"
"No. Todd's right," Mal agreed with his leader. Kohari turned to him and glared at him as if he had betrayed her. "There are quite a few flaws in this scheme now that Hiei's actually here. If we don't make it...someone has to continue the resistance."
"Does this have anything to do with her being a female?" Kuwabara asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Partially," Todd answered honestly. Kohari gasped.
"How rude!"
"No, it's not."
"Is."
"It's not just that, okay?" The argument went back to Todd. "Dmitri trained you personally. Not me. You're the one that should succeed me if we don't get through this. And there's still a chance this isn't suicide."
"You suck."
"Go. Now," Mal broke in. Everyone looked at him. "It's time." Kohari nodded sadly, and walked out, careful that no one but her team saw. The others rushed in when she was around a corner and out of sight.
The sounds of battle and explosions halted her at the entrance. Her hand was on the door. No one had replaced the guards at the front, so she had no worries about escaping. But something kept her from leaving. After a few minutes, there was silence. She checked the communicator, calling out individually her teammates' names. No response. It was true; they had failed. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't allow herself to cry. She had to remain strong...for them.
She opened the door and took a few steps out. Her rounded-toe boots collected a little dust, but she didn't care. Before Hiei had shown up, the thought of dirt on her shoes would've drove her insane. Now, it was the least of her problems. She turned around for a second, looking back, then closed her eyes. In her mind, she said her final farewells.
As she turned again to leave, she gasped as she found herself facing a taller version of Hiei. No, it was Hiei. But taller? How? Genetic experiments. She had discovered some of the files last night. So it had been successful. She whispered, "Uh-oh," aware that she was in huge trouble. She wasn't afraid. She was terrified.
"Yeah. Uh-oh," the apparition taunted. Kohari was frozen in place, looking around, trying to figure out what to do. She made a dash to her right, but was caught by a Spirit Chain, a technique she herself had been studying, and pulled back to her enemy. He had her back against his chest, one hand clasped around her wrists, preventing her from using them. He had a hand to her neck, ready to strangle her should she try anything. The idea to kick him occured to her, but she knew that as a reflex, his hand would close tighter around her throat. She would never have a chance.
"Game over, bitch." Kohari closed her eyes, bracing herself for any attack that he would use to finish her, but instead found herself being flung away. He gave her a glare as he went back inside the base, no sneer, but a scowl on his face. Hatred was etched all over it.
He had spared her? Again? Was this possible? How long was he going to draw out her death? And where would she run to now? She sighed as she made her way to Yukina's street to meditate. She, too, knew its secret, and really needed some time to get her thoughts together. What she had felt when she had been brought under Hiei's mercy wasn't just fear. There was something else there. Something familiar. But it wasn't possible. (A/N: Not to ruin the moment, but "Together We Can" by Cheetah Girls!)
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Todd pulled himself out of the rubble. They had managed to do okay. At least, until Hiei stepped in. He had just stood there, just watching them "die," like it was amusing. Then, we most of them had proven themselves unable to "survive," Hiei decided it was time to test out his newfound skills. Was it him, or had the apparition seemed...taller? Oh, yeah. Kohari had found some files on genetic engineering that night. Had they actually attempted it so soon?
He heard the girl's voice over the communicator, calling out to him and the others. He could barely pick himself up. There was no way he'd be able to get to it. He collapsed on the cold steel of the floor, sweat pooling onto the metallic surface. He heard her desperation and could do nothing to assure her that he was okay. Couldn't say the same for the others, though. He heard the communicator drop on the other end of the line and a gasp. Hiei had gotten to Kohari. No. He heard the short struggle, and Hiei's voice say, "Game over, bitch." Then, there was the sound of someone stumbling, Kohari, before falling to the ground. So Hiei had spared him, but not her. How evil could someone be?
He hadn't heard her sigh, signalling that she lived on. The dragon-master had trod, purposely, on the communicator, completely destroying it. Circuits and wires were strung all over the ground, though Todd could not see this.
He also could not see his teammates, who had been buried under the rocks and crumbled walls. They were alive. Barely. But he, again, didn't know this.
He sighed, regretting he had made them do this so early. Had they waited until Hiei had left, maybe they...But no. There was no use dwelling on the past and mistakes. After a quick rest, he ran out of the base, toward the park. There was a special pavillion there that he liked to sit under since arriving in this city. Little did he know what would be waiting for him there.
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Kohari got up from her kneeling position in the street. Maybe there was a chance that Todd was still alive. If Hiei had spared her, then it was possible he had allowed Todd to remain breathing as well. There was one place he loved to go. To be alone. To gather HIS thoughts. The pavillion on the far side of the park. She had to check. That was where he'd be if he were spared. She had lost Dmitri. She couldn't afford to lose Todd as well.
She let out a determined breath and inhaled again deeply. 'Here I go. Please, God, let Todd be there.'
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Kohari (authoress): Well. This chapter's over. Was it worth the wait? I hope so. You want a preview of the next chapter? Too bad! MWAHAHAHAHA! Well, I've been somewhat nice up until now, might as well give you a sneak peak.
Next Time: Showdown! Todd vs Hiei. What will happen to Kohari (character)?
Kohari (authoress): Okay. Review for me. And I'll hurry along with the next chapter. BTW, I finally turned off my music. I found myself trying to type the lyrics and the story at the same time. Very annoying. Anywho, Byes!