To Break the Chain
Kohari: -muffled screams (locked in closet)-
Kaimonetstaska: Hey, everyone. I'm doing the intro for this chapter. Kohari? She's mad because the machine ran out of ice cream. And they filled it up FOUR TIMES!
Kohari: -banging on door- You b-tch! Let me out! I didn't do anything!
Kaimonetstaska: That's not what Hiei said about last night.
Hiei: Excuse me?
Kaimonetstaska: Eep! –nervous voice- Can't you take a joke man?
Hiei: Baka onna. –starts to attack Kaimonetstaska; accidentally chops door open-
Kohari: -watches Hiei torture Kaimonetstaska- Told her to let me out the closet. –to readers- Oh. Hey! Well, this is chapter 11. Yippers! Anywho, we all know the disclaimer, and...on with the fic!
Chapter 11Kohari was perched in a tree, scanning the horizon for any sign of an aura. Mal was just below her, ready to catch her if she happened to fall. They had split into two groups to better find the orbs of which the elder had spoken. How could eight spheres be so hard to find? Especially if they had an aura.
"Hey, I found one!" she heard Kuwabara announce from their searching grounds not too far away. They had agreed to remain close together in case of an ambush. The way Yusuke and Kuwabara were carrying on, being discovered was practically a guarantee.
"That's a rock, you dipshit!" Yusuke hollered. Kohari shook her head. Their arguments were more fun to listen to than hers and Todd's.
Later----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Okay, so we're all done," Yusuke announced, brushing his hands together to accentuate a job well done. An array of orbs was at their feet as they stood in a circle around their findings.
"So how do these things work?" Kuwabara asked in his usual idiotic manner.
"Finally, Elder May, things will be back to normal," Kohari addressed her mentor as she (May) stepped forward to examine the results of their hard work. Kohari was anxious for things to be like old times.
"Yes, and the world will be at somewhat of a peace again," Kurama agreed calmly, the forest back to its original splendor because of his restoration potions and a little help from his aura. He looked so glorious leaning against a tall, grand oak tree at the edge of the small clearing.
"Not quite, child," the old lady contradicted, extracting gasps from the entire group.
"What'dya mean, ya hag?!" Yusuke practically shouted. The woman cleaned out her ears with her pinky (like people do when they hear a deafening sound).
"I mean, pupil of Genkai, that there are only seven of the spheres present." The news was shocking. They had collected all that they had been able to sense, and had even done several "final sweeps" before they deemed their task complete.
"What're you saying?!" Yusuke demanded at the top of his lungs, scaring into flight a few nearby birds resting in Kurama's tree. The crimson-locked spirit detective watched wonderingly for a moment, and then turned his eyes back to his teammate and the old lady. "All this was for nothing?!"
"What're you yelling at her for?" Kohari retorted, defending her teacher. "You're the one that didn't count to make sure there were eight!"
"Well, I didn't see you adding up the numbers, either!" The argument would've gone back and forth for eternity had Mal not broken in and silenced the two.
"Pointing fingers at each other is not helping the situation!" The naïve team leaders quit fighting. "You are both acting like children!" Mal went on, and the addressed hung their heads at his speech, ashamed. The speaker turned toward the village elder. "Do you know where the final orb is?"
"Yes." This simple word got Yusuke once again into a bad temper.
"And you didn't tell us?!" Elder May ignored his brash rudeness and anger. Before Urameshi could further embarrass his friends, Mal cut in once more.
"Where is it?" He had no harshness in his tone. Urgency, yes, but he was being polite about it.
"Where do you suspect it is?" the old lady responded.
"Come on, Grandma!" Yusuke blurted out with impatience.
"Don't tell me it's with Shorty?!" Kuwabara guessed. The wrinkled, aged woman smiled knowingly, hinting that he was right.
"Shit!" Yusuke slammed his fist into a tree, a few more birds desperately escaping toward the stratosphere, everyone's heads turned toward the winged creatures for a second. "Now how are we supposed to get it?"
"From the inside," Kurama answered quietly, barely audible to the others. "I'm sorry, Kohari." All of them turned their attention to her. She sighed sadly and closed her eyes. Freedom had been so close, and just like sand, it had slipped from her fingers. She slung her pack over her shoulder and left without a word, concerned looks following her every step of the way.
Hiei's Mansion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hiei twirled the orb around on his index finger (like basketball players do with the ball), smirking triumphantly. He had thought ahead. Even if his old "friends" did figure out how he had managed to come into power so quickly, they could do nothing about it. He then snapped his hand around the ball and got up from his seat. Kohari had only been missing for two hours, but her sudden disappearance had the guards in a frenzy. They were afraid of Hiei's anger when he found out that his captive was no longer trapped, unaware that he was a step ahead of them. It was amusing seeing them scramble around the castle, frantically, searching for the prisoner.
A soldier entered the domain, the same one who had let the "secret" slip twenty minutes into the search, though Hiei had already known what had happened. The warrior reported the search.
"Sir, we have yet to find her." He flinched, ready for an attack. "We looked everywhere. Every nook and cranny. Nothing." He whimpered as he braced himself for a brutal punishment.
"You've scanned the entire grounds?" Hiei sneered, frightening the poor man further. "The area in front of the gates? The gardens? Well?"
"N-no, sir," he stammered.
"Then get moving," the apparition commanded, and the guard, nearly tripping on his way out, left immediately to relay the message to his comrades.
"There she is!"
The shout awoke the poor girl laying on the bench in the rose beds. She sat up slowly, blinking and rubbing her eyes, sleepily.
"Get up, you!" an officer barked. "The master wants to see you." He dragged her to her feet, and, without releasing her arm, led her to her captor's (Hiei's) location.
When they had reached the chamber, the guard let go of her, and, on Hiei's command, left the kidnapper and the kidnapped alone.
"Where were you?" Hiei asked ominously with a superior tone, circling a scowling Kohari in an intimidating manner. "And don't give me any bull about sleeping in the gardens. I want the truth. Where, exactly, have you been?" He stopped behind her for a second; Kohari stared straight ahead, not trusting herself to look at him.
"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies," she replied seriously. He began to pace around her once again, taking a step with each word he spoke.
"Reasonable. Irrefutable. But not good enough." This time, he halted in front of her. "I could force it out of you. You know I could. And I wouldn't hesitate."
"And how would you do that?" she challenged. He slowly forced her to retreat until she was cornered against the wall. An uncomfortable predicament for her.
"Burned children fear the flame," he answered, his lips millimeters from hers. She knew what he could do. He was right. He wouldn't hesitate to take from her the only thing she had left that was precious to her.
"Dead men never bite," she retaliated, a dagger now in her hand, ready to strike. He grabbed her wrist, and she dropped the weapon, unable to fight back.
"You're building castles in the air if you think you can take me on," he whispered. There was no need for regular volume at such a close distance. For some reason, a tingle ran down her spine.
"Take it from me now, and you'll have no leverage for when you really need it," she pointed out, trying her hardest to scorn and anger him. He withdrew.
"True enough. I needn't really know at this time, do I?" She glared at him skeptically. "Besides, the game isn't worth the candle." He took his exit, and she was on her own now. He was toying with her to see what she'd do, and they both knew it.
Kohari sighed. She was going to have to tread carefully if she was going to get what she came for. It wasn't going to be easy to find and steal to begin with. After a shake of the head at her own pathetic self, she went on her way to her room, unknowing that Hiei was watching from the ceiling supports.
'The writing's on the wall before you even arrive, girl. Your love will be your downfall.'
End of Chapter 11Kohari: Okay, there it is. Um, where's Hiei?
Kaimonetstaska: I don't know! I was too busy –
Kohari: Who cares?! Anyways, I hope you liked the little Battle of the Proverbs/Sayings. I figured, hey, answer a metaphor with a metaphor or something like that.
Kaimonetstaska: Don't you have some Biology to do? Quit annoying people, ya dumb cracker!
Kohari: Actually, I left it in my locker. I got it done, just need to rewrite it. But no one needs to know about my clumsiness in my homework habits.
Kaimonetstaska: Must you use such big words?
Kohari: Yes, I must.
Toilet: -flushes-
Hiei: -comes out of door- What're you staring at?
Kohari and Kaimonetstaska: Nothing!
Kaimonetstaska: I suppose even anime characters must go to the restroom at some point.
Kohari and Kaimonetstaska: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star! –laughing-
Kohari: Review, please! Byes!