Kohari: Again, no guest appearance. Oh, well. No disclaimer either. It hurts my self-esteem. Well, here goes. The final chapter.
-Chapter 14-
Kohari breathed a sigh of relief as Hiei turned away, walking deeper into the treasure room. "'Welcome to my parlor,' said the spider to the fly," he quoted. He stopped, extending his hand in a manner that told her clearly that he was inviting her in.
She wasn't exactly in the mood to run, so she didn't refuse. Cautiously, she took a step forward. She jumped in momentary surprised as the door was slammed telepathically. After that, she didn't take her eyes off the apparition for a second.
He stooped down, picking up an object out of the pile of gold coins that was at the back of the room. He twirled it around rapidly on his index finger in the fashion of an expert, seemingly amused at her confusion. It was only when he snapped the ball to a stop that she realized that it was the final orb. A tiny gasp escaped her lips.
"Tell me, what are you willing to do to get this in your possession?" he asked her tauntingly, smirking, referring to the sphere that was now glowing slightly. He had turned away, chuckling lightly at her expression, but he now stared at her in an intimidating manner, demanding an honest answer.
"Almost anything," she told him truthfully after a thoughtful pause, her voice barely audible. He smiled. Was he planning something? Like bargaining for something precious from her in exchange for the orb? No, he wasn't like that...was he? You could never tell with...people like him. Who knew whether he had had some kicks at a whore house at some time or other? She shook it off. He probably wouldn't want that.
"Why, exactly, do you want it in the first place? What, precisely, are you trying to accomplish?" He was menacing when he spoke like that.
She was silent for a moment. What do you say in a moment like this? "To restore the world to the way it was."
"Why?" he pressed.
"I-. Well, it was better back then," she tried to explain. "It was more peaceful...and-and..." She didn't know what to tell him. She knew in her mind it was better, but she couldn't find a way to put it into words. How do you explicate ethics? She stopped right there.
He understood, and amazed her when he tossed her the orb, without a second thought. She caught it instantly, and stood there, baffled. What was he doing? What was going on? Surely he wasn't giving it to her just like that.
Upon seeing her questioning look, he strolled past her nonchalantly, at the same time giving his own reasoning. "It's not like I need it anymore. Do what you want." The doors opened, and he walked out, not glancing at her once. It appeared he was serious. Before he was out of hearing range, however, he told her in so low a voice that she hardly heard it, "The password is 'pyrostorm.'"
Kohari gazed at her prize, mystified. That was all it took? She, stunned, stayed where she was, reflecting, trying to grasp what had just occurred. Hiei had just handed her the tool to remove his power, saying only that he no longer needed it. Why?
Was this some kind of trick?
No. This was the genuine article. That much was certain. But it was still unclear...
Kohari recovered swiftly and carefully wandered into the corridor, ready to make a break for it should Hiei change his mind or tip off the guards. She couldn't rule out the possibility that he had set an obvious trap for her that was so in front of her face that she couldn't see it.
She shook her head. No. It was apparent that he was sincere in his actions. He wasn't going to cause her any trouble any longer. He was done with his little game and ready to take the consequences for it. That was the impression he had made, and she was confident that she was right about it. And what did he mean by "the password is 'pyrostorm?' What password?
It didn't take her long to figure out what he meant. Before long, she found herself trapped within a sort of maze. The walls had shifted. It was now a labyrinth. And she didn't know how to get through it.
She touched the walls. There was nothing unusual about it. It was as though a spell had...well, morphed the walls into a new form. A defense method. Any intruder, even if they knew their way around fairly well, wouldn't stand a chance if he didn't know the new way. It was like the labyrinth in the Greek myth (is it a myth?) with Icarus and his father.
She remembered the story from her childhood. Dmitri had studied that kind of thing, and was always willing to share new findings with her. She used to beg him to tell her of the Greek myths for the origins of things. And one day, she wondered about a maze. She would always, after he told her of it, ask him to share the tale of the labyrinth. And he would, as sad as it was.
An architect by the name of Daedalus worked for the King Minos, ruler of Crete. He designed the labyrinth, to imprison the Minotaur, a beast that was half human, half bull. It was so expertly designed so that anyone caught within the maze's walls would be unable to find their way out again, or escape the Minotaur. Only he and Ariadne, the daughter of the king, knew the secret to escaping the labyrinth. Ariadne helped her lover to defeat the beast and get out of the labyrinth. Furious, Minos locked Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in the labyrinth. Unable to find their way out, Daedalus created wax wings so they could fly out of the maze, and warned his son before their flight: Do not go too close to the water, for the moisture shall cling to your wings and pull you down to drown; do not fly too close to the sun or your wings shall melt and you will drown in the waters below. However, Icarus, having so much fun flying in his own way, flew too close to the sun and drowned. His father watched in horror, unable to aid his son, for if he did, he, too, would drown. Daedalus made it to Sicily, where he was welcomed by the king. Minos attempted to pursue Daedalus, but was killed by the daughters of Sicily's king.
(A/N: My hand hurts now. Look at all that!)
Kohari nearly lost all hope. But she still pushed herself on, towards the center of the maze. All she ended up doing to begin with was wind up right back where she started. But she did get to the circular heart of the maze.
'Okay, what do I do now?' she asked herself. Setting small goals wasn't much better than setting large ones, she supposed. Then, she spied another security box on the wall. Upon closer observation, she realized that it, like the treasure room security, required a password. His words rang in her ears.
"The password is 'pyrostorm.'"
She understood now. She typed in the word, and the walls went back to the way they were prior to her attempted escapade. This allowed her to promptly exit the mansion, hopefully never to have to even look at it again.
End Chapter
Kohari: Stay Tuned!