In the dreams of a demon, recovery is the shallowest sequence and deepest state of painless nothing. Though the slightest twinge of inflicted wounds reflects in an unpleasant figure of nightmares, a roaring pride of lions wouldn't wake the mind.
Unless of course the king of the pride has the mind of a fox.
"AH! Omae o korosu!" (1)
"Gomen," the apology was less than humble.
"Bastard, what the hell did you do to me?" Hiei sat up, ignoring the blood starting to dampen the bandages around his middle.
Amber eyes resisted the urge to roll, looking instead disdainfully at the rashness of their friend. "Nothing more than you've managed yourself."
"Hn. How long?" He suppressed a hiss of pain as Youko sighed and applied a cotton cloth seeped in a foul smelling substance over the darkest part of the bloodstain.
Noting the absence of a gruff refusal of his help, Youko entertained the thought that they might be setting foot on friendly grounds again.
"Precisely twelve hours. Your ribs seem to be setting nicely, despite the fact you keep moving," he let a ghostly trace of a smile, one usually seen on his human counterpart's lips. "You'll have a lovely scar to add to your collection."
Hiei shrugged him off, letting the jest slip by. He'd stick the fox's tail in a light socket to even the score later. Right now, that smile bothered him too much. It set off an annoying tick of concern, suggesting that all was not as right as the silver haired demon played.
"Out with it."
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you still here?"
"Usually concern for a friend reaps better rewards than accusations," Youko's tail twitched minutely in his agitation. "Perhaps I shouldn't expect so much of you."
"Maybe. Perhaps I shouldn't expect more than self imprisonment in the face of failure from you," he gave a sneer as his retort hit home. "Your woman is gone isn't she?"
Youko gave him a look of warning. It was more or less in vain in the presence of Hiei's favorite game of "I'm Right, You're Wrong."
"You've locked him away just like he did to you. Why? Because he failed to protect your precious little human?"
Now it was Youko's turn to ignore, smoothing out the bristles in his tail with a casual flick. Hiei went farther.
"You're pathetic," he laughed to himself despite the throbbing in his lower ribs. "A pathetic fool fallen victim to a flying baby's arrow. I thought you were supposed to play the hero? You can't even do that right, even in the role of a demon. I warned you about-" (2)
"You're wrong," his voice was eerily calm, even surrounded by the suppressed shakes of anger coursing through him. Youko turned to the injured demon with Kurama's smile. "She gave me the power to change, sacrificing her own energies even if it meant harm to herself."
He poured Hiei and himself a bit of sake he'd been saving for them to drink together. In the soft lighting of the room it reflected their faces dimly in the depths of the tiny dishes.
Youko saw the familiar image of his face; silver ears, spider's silk hair, and narrow face set with golden demon eyes. Yet the image was not as familiar as it used to be, something else was starting to meld between his born features.
"Shuichi Minamino has his freedom, he may come to the surface when he chooses. But for now-" he knocked back the sake with fever and great satisfaction. "-something bigger than the both of us is happening. At the end of it we may not be as separate as we seem."
Youko stood, hearing the approaching steps of the other temple inhabitants. He left the jug of sake behind, having had more than his share while watching over the untrusting swordsman.
As he turned to leave, his voice was a deal lighter in quality. "She keeps risking her life because of her belief in us. All of us." He tossed the broken cord from Hiei's tear gem necklace into the injured one's lap. "It's time we started risking our lives for our belief in her, not in our own abilities if we wish to get through this." With that said, he went on his silent way to exit the room.
The katana narrowly missed its intended target of Youko's neck as Hiei launched it like a projectile. The finely made sword gave a wavering cry, vibrating in its new sheath of shredded rice paper and oak in the room across the way.
Youko stuck his head back in the doorway with a raised brow. "We're going after her, whether you like it or not. So long as there's a chance of her being alive Shuichi hasn't broken his promise, and you are going to help him keep it."
"I see the patient's feeling better," Yusuke smirked, coming up to lean smugly against the doorframe. "You looked like you'd fallen out of the whoop ass tree and hit every branch on the way down before Yukina fixed you up." (3)
"More or less the actuall story," Youko shrugged with a sly glance in the conversation subject's direction.
Hiei was not amused.
"Hey, when did you get a haircut?" Yusuke squinted sideways at the prideful splay of hair over Youko's shoulder.
With a sweatdrop, the fox ran his hand through the section of shortened hair. A lock of silver lay scattered over the floor.
"I do not recommend Hiei as a barber. He's scissor happy."
"Youko-sama!" Yukina gasped as she hurried towards the room they stood before, the supplies on her tea tray tinkling against one another. "Boton has returned with the information you requested. I think something is wrong; she seems very distressed and says Koenma requests your presence as soon as possible!
With a nod of thanks, Youko was off without a word. Yukina stared at the place where he had disappeared. Yusuke nudged her with curiosity.
"What's up?"
"Did he do something to his hair?" the ice maiden pondered the thought for a moment, then shrugged it off.
Yusuke laughed and resumed his doorway leaning. "He's going to get so much shit for that. Maybe that was your plan, eh fire boy? Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"If that bastard thinks he can--"Hiei used his empty sheath as a crutch, leaning on it heavily to get to his feet. Pure hell was in his eyes and a certain fox was going to burn in the flames.
"Stop right there!" The sternness in Yukina's voice was enough to make Yusuke jump. He looked from one demon to the other warily. "Yeah, I think I'll leave you to it," the Spirit Detective left a trail of dust in his wake.
Hiei himself was also thinking twice about the look in the small girl's eyes. It wasn't sufficient to keep him from his foxhunt, however.
"Onegai, please will return to your bed? You'll injure yourself further if don't rest," her concerns fell on deaf ears. She saw that pleading would not deter him.
Letting the tray fall with a slam, Yukina latched onto Hiei's bandaged wrist and yanked. Off balance, he toppled painfully back onto the futon. The terrible aching in his shifting ribs kept him down.
He groaned through clenched teeth. "What do you think you're doing??"
"Shut up." Yukina snapped, practically ripping the dirty bandages from his waist. "You are going to lay here while I change you bandages, again, and then you're going to stay there until I say you can move."
The cool cloth she pressed to his burning forehead wiped any protest from his mind. Hiei wondered where she'd learned to be so bossy. The old woman probably had a hand in it.
"You've made your fever return," Yukina scolded, albeit more gently. There was little more talk; Hiei, desperate to be fit to walk again, let his sister working her healing in peace.
My sister…
"Ni-san--" (4)
"Don't." Hiei turned his face away with a scowl.
Something pelted him in the stomach. Another one followed and another dropped to the floor. The gem rolled across the warm wood like a blue marble, throwing a bright shadow of sparkling blue before it like a headlight.
A feeling of distress came over him; the fierce urge to protect his sister kicked in. He'd kill whoever had made those tears fall.
"Why are you crying?" Hiei sat up on his elbows, hoping not to invoke her wrath for moving.
"How can you ask me that?" Her eyes hid behind a veil of mint hair, her voice just above a shaky whisper. "How could you be so cruel?"
"I'm cruel?" No, it couldn't be. How could he be the cause of her sadness? He wasn't around the temple long enough to find her annoying. He'd never deliberately make her sad. "Am I cruel for protecting you? Watching over you?"
"Protecting me from what? You?!" Yukina's knuckles were white, clutching the roll of sterilized bandages so hard it felt like they were melding into the skin of her palms. "What about what I wanted? Was my searching all for nothing?!"
He didn't like the pained and angry look on her face. She was supposed t be happy.
"Why can you have a sister, but I can't have a brother? It's not fair! Even Togoro's torture was better than this, Hiei!"
"Don't be naïve," Hiei tried to rationalize and push her away. He kept telling himself it was for the better. "You don't know what you ask. Find someone else."
"Baka!" Tear gems were falling like rives of blue pearls, sparkling with horrible beauty in Yukina's desperate anger. "I don't want someone else! I want you."
Before he knew it, the little round arms of his sister were around him. She cried with the beat of his heart in her ear. "I wouldn't have left the island if I hadn't been prepared to accept whoever my brother might be. I am not a child Hiei; I know what you've done, and it doesn't matter to me! You had your reasons and no one to point at which ones were right.
"You want to protect me, but who's going to protect you from yourself? Please, brother, let me help you be who you really want to be. I don't care what happens to me; I can't be your weakness if I am your strength!"
Something broke free. The red of his eyes was clouded in dark.
It was like a piece of the night sky had fallen right her head; Yukina reached up and smoothed it from her hair, wrapping her fingers around it tightly. Black, and no bigger than the nail of her little finger, Yukina wrapped her fingers around the tear gem her brother had shed, savoring the warmth from his soul before it cooled.
The fire demon could hear the resented words of his friend ringing in his ears like a horrible revelation. The truth had never burned him so badly.
"You're so obsessed with eliminating your own weaknesses you've banished your own sister to a life of unhappiness, wondering if her brother is alive or dead!
Am I dead? Have I killed her brother?
"You may not see it, but those eyes of hers, eyes that you yourself posses, are laden with sadness. Even set in such a happy face, she's hurt inside."
He couldn't breath. It was the denial that he needed anyone but himself that had told him Yukina was better off not knowing. In truth, it was fear of re-abandonment, not concern for her well-being.
Hiei's efforts had been in vain. For all the fighting, it was a useless excuse of revenge, of running from what he truly feared. Finally it had caught up, eating him little by little in amounts he'd barely noticed.
The fear had built up into a wall, one you could see through, but couldn't—or wouldn't break. Hiei stared at the wall in abhorrence. Terror filled him as he felt it crumbling, a miraculous black tear gem fallen from the first crack.
"Hiei…? Hiei!!"
The war inside Hiei's head was overwhelming. He half expected Yukina to laugh at his distressed confusion and leave him. The vulnerability was awkward and new; what was he supposed to do? How could he look at her, speak to her?
What can you do now? You're useless like this. This is exactly what you didn't want!
A strange scent misted the battlefield. It smelled like the cold wind felt against his face in winter with a hint of juniper and healing herbs laced through. The hole in his wall grew a bit larger; he recognized the demon scent of his sister as the living picture filled his sight.
Hiei had never really taken a close look at her. Yukina had gone back to nursing him, mixing one of her special teas to help with the fever she thought had made her brother temporarily insane. Her hands were as quick and precise with the measurements as Hiei's were with a katana. The shape and structure of their faces was nearly identical.
And then there were the eyes. He'd seen the same fury in hers as others saw in his.
Yukina wasn't done fighting; it was obvious. She'd merely stopped long enough to care for her opponent to ensure he'd be able to finish what had been started.
Is this what I want?
"Yukina."
She looked up, startled to hear the silence broken. There was hesitation, a want not to make a move too early lest her opponent was lying and not fully capable to continue.
No, it's not. But it is what she wants and I've denied it too long.
"Hand your brother that tea before I pass out," Hiei grunted. "And be quick about it, woman."
The squeal of happiness turned the heads of the friends gathered in the temple. The loud curse that followed earned a round of chuckles.
"Does this mean I can't call him a heartless bastard anymore?" Botan asked innocently.
Kuwabara laughed. "Guess so! Otherwise you'll have his sister on your ass."
"Pity," Genkai smirked. "It was my pet name for him."
"That's—you--I have absolutely no way of responding to that," Yusuke concluded. "Hey lover boy, how'd you know they were related?"
"C'mon!" Kuwabara scoffed. "You'd have to be an idiot not to see it!"
The group blinked.
"Yeah…so how'd you know they were related?"
"You wished my presence?" Youko stood before the prince of the Spirit World's cluttered desk, an escort of two nervous ogres on either side. As if they could even hope to stop the legendary thief from causing havoc…if he so chose to. He had half a mind to take it as an insult.
"Yes, thank you for coming so quickly--"
"If you don't mind…" Youko interrupted, giving a golden glance at each sweating ogre in turn. They could be useless lumps of Spirit World lackey meat in less than three seconds. "I would prefer to go straight to the point."
Koenma looked a bit put out at not being able to hand out his princely thanks. "Of course."
Shuffling papers around, he nodded and motioned for the fox to take a seat. When he looked up again, Youko was already comfortably seated, although there was a slight ridge of stress in his shoulders.
The little god impatiently waved the ogres towards the door. "You can leave. Now."
Relieved, they nearly split the door in two when slamming it shut behind them. Clearing his throat, Koenma drew his small self up in his cushy work chair. The silver kitsune wasn't impressed.
"With Botan's report of the kidnapped girl, it is customary to do a background check on al suspects involved."
"You're boring me with tactless fact. Give me something I can use." Yoko was in no mood for baby babble, nor was there time for it.
"This Ieyoshi character's profile isn't as criminal-like as his personality suggests," Koenma went on, unperturbed and expectant of the attitude. With Yusuke working for him, he was used to far worse verbal abuse and cheekiness. "He did a stint for impersonating medical personnel, but otherwise led an uninteresting life studying genetic engineering."
"Then what's he doing in command of a legion of demons?"
"Like I said, his past isn't interesting. A look into his current employer's file and things get a little more meaty."
"Food for thought? Throw me something to chew on."
"Ichimora Takahira: head of Developmental Nucleic Anatomies Incorporated, and Ieyoshi's boss." At the lack of interest shown, Koenma elaborated. "The company doesn't exist. At least not at the address listed in Tokyo. Another interesting factoid: Ichimora Takahira is about as real as the company. It's all been fabricated."
That earned a reaction, small as it was. Youko's eyes focused out of his detached reverie.
"There's nothing there but a small abandoned building between a paper shop and a noodle stand. When the company ran into a bit of legal trouble, they changed their name, packed up, and shipped out. No one's heard so much as a microscope click on from them since."
"What exactly do they do…?"
Koenma wanted to grin and scowl at the same time. "I pulled a favor out of a…friend and had an old employee questioned. Apparently they researched and studied new drugs, particularly ones pertaining to human enhancement. He happened to mention that the old agency building the address lists is a decoy. More of a lookout for who's poking around."
Youko chuckled in amusement. "I hope your 'friend' didn't hurt to poor bastard too badly. Did he casually mention what the legal trouble was while he was having tea?"
Koenma wasn't fazed at the accusations, which made an impression on the fox. Usually in his toddler form, the little lord was fond of yelling tantrums to get his point across.
"Too much hate mail I guess. Many of their test subjects were animals, specifically rare species. Animal rights activists didn't like that too much."
At this, Youko went into staring at a spot just to the right of the prince's ear, mouth set into a thin line. His tail made a soft swish against the side of his thigh.
After a few moments silence, there was a squeak; like teeth on wet rubber. Koenma stopped his anxious pacifier chewing long enough to prod Youko to speak his broodings.
"You have a theory." It wasn't a question.
"I might." The fox blinked slowly, turning to look straight at Koenma with an indiscernible expression. "I felt psychic energy around Ieyoshi and traces of a very powerful demon when he let his guard down long enough to be scanned. My guess is that they somehow came to be league with one another; most likely the demon thought if there were ways to make humans stronger, then it could be done with interesting results with demons. You said they tested on rare animals?"
Koenma nodded. "Yes. I suppose the more exotic the animal, the more unique the results."
"I'm more than certain their tests include crossbreeding," Youko thought a while longer, organizing his speculations. "Not to be rude to the families, but I've seen horrifying results between interbreeding species of demons, and they looked exactly like that army. No doubt; Ieyoshi and his mysterious Master are running some sort of 'ultimate demon' research program that's gone sour a few thousand times."
"And the motive for attacking the temple?"
"There are several, one of which is obvious. That feline demon was under orders to capture Yukina. Young Koorime are not exactly common; I can only think of the field day scientists would have with her.
"The main objective of the demon legions was to play decoy, a manifestation of a red herring. With the more serious obstacles distracted with a hoard of rejects, it would be easy to break into the temple. If I'm not mistaken, Ieyoshi's senses must have pointed out that Eris was more than a teenage human girl. Bringing back one of the only Koorime maidens left and a human with more than one life force, half of which possessing spirit energy, would make his Master piss himself with gratitude.
"There's something else that worries me. They must have known that even one demon let loose into the living world would send a warning signal to the Spirit World. Why send that many? Surely they've managed to breed an infinitely strong demon that could distract us just as easily? And if their base of action is located in Japan, playing host to demon strengthening trials, why aren't you picking the activity?"
Koenma was pale in the face, pacifier barely being held back from falling to the floor. "That's right…our sources and detection equipment have to be working if they picked up the army, so why wouldn't it point the facility earlier?"
"Has anyone checked for holes between the two worlds recently?"
"What?" The prince was having a hard time processing all of this. His head was starting to throb. "Yes, about a week ago. Nothing out of the norm; a few weak spots, but nothing big enough to let in a number of smuggled or rogue demons of that magnitude."
This answer wasn't satisfying. "I would run your famous background checks on your employees, specifically in the portal and barrier divisions. I believe D.N.A Incorporated has a few detectives of their own."
Koenma looked as if he'd grown a few years older with this shock. He sunk into the back of his chair, wearily hitting the base of his palm against the sign of Jr.
"Shit." The simple curse summed up the trouble he was in. King Enma would mount the boy's head on the wall.
Youko nodded in agreement. "Shit indeed."
Koenma sat up fast; the alarm he felt apparent in his voice. "Another load will hit the fan if you don't get that girl back!"
"Not that I won't do it," Youko ran a nail along the edge of Koenma's desk, a distraction to stave the eagerness to leave that very moment. "But you sound as if there's another reason beside avoiding further displeasure with your father."
Koenma slid a manila folder across the desk surface, coming to a stop after bumping Youko's finger. Youko flipped it open, reading the first lines of information with growing surprise. "William Baker, status: living, age:17? This must be wrong."
" I assure you it is not," Koenma seemed to be in a permanent grim mood now. "I am a kami, the junior kami of the Spirit World. I know the aura of a possessed human when I come across one. Ever since you brought that girl in, I've had a team digging to find who the spirit was."
"Asking her would have saved you a headache, Koenma," Youko smirked inwardly at the little lord's annoyance, but changed the subject anyway. "I didn't know spirits had birthdays."
"The dead don't, although you're only dead if you have no body. The ferry girl couldn't find the boy's spirit. There are hundreds of these cases, especially involving children with violent deaths," Koenma sighed. Maybe he should have just asked Eris. Then the girl wouldn't have gotten out of his sight and into this mess.
"The brain knows when it will cease to exist, but that does not make it any less confused. Times that confusion by ten after the death occurs as the soul bursts free of the body, no anchor to weigh down any reasonable thought to make sense of what's happened. That's what our ferry girls are for, to be that anchor, but sometimes the impulse to cling to life overrides all purpose of seeking answers."
Youko ran a pensive hand through he shortened portion of his hair. He ignored Koenma's inquisitive look. It was already starting to return to its normal length, but that didn't make the process any less itchy. He willed his hand to his side. "I see."
He'd done much of the same thing, after all. Refusing to have his life taken, Youko fled to the living world and now shared a human body.
"The host could be a house cat or even a tree. We never find them until the host dies. Have you ever tried to convince a ghost it's not the soul of a potted plant? It's a real bitch."
"You've been around Yusuke for too long," Youko stood with a small smile. "If there is nothing else--"
"Youko." Koenma was standing on the seat of his chair. It would have looked comical if any other talking toddler had done it. The prince was emitting perfect seriousness, a strange picture to behold in this form.
"I don't doubt you know how important it is that you find Ms. Bueller and bring her back safely. It's not fun ripping two souls apart once they've fused to the same body."
Youko rubbed a spot on his chest, mulling this over. The statement was directed more toward his own well being than Eris'.
"I'm starting to understand that." He said, brushing off the junior's pointed look.
"One more thing, and this is for all of you," he said, wanting to smirk. "Don't do anything stupid!"
Now Youko smiled, throwing Koenma off. It was bizarre, in an oddly reassuring way, to see Kurama's smile on the fox.
"Dying now would be incredibly painful, so I don't think you'll see either one of us back here very soon."
Before he could be delayed any longer, Youko was off towards the nearest portal, worry lines creasing the normally untroubled face.
"Good heavens! Look at this window! Quite a number done on it."
"Quite. The results are pleasing; extraordinary the blood stream carried the material so fast. Though I can't say we'll be congratulated with a pay raise."
"True. These things cost a fortune."
Eris watched the two lab coat wearing men inspect the art of her escape. With eagerness, they pointed spatters of blood to one another, mopping up samples with pristine handkerchiefs. Chatting excitedly, strangely enough in Eris' own language, the apparent scientists had yet to discover the blood droplet trail leading to the small alcove in the far wall.
Anxious, fidgety, and the pain finally getting to her as the adrenaline high wore down, Eris pressed herself into the mildly shadowed space. It was a large room, but with only one door that opened from the outside. No amount of force she could exert would make it open.
It had been only a short while after breaking the glass that the scientists had come to investigate. Apparently there was a surveillance system watching the animals detained in the mock jungle forest. So wrapped up in the evidence of Eris' new strength, the scientists hadn't even glanced around the room to confirm if the escapee was still present.
An overhead vent came to life with a whirr. The air was cool, feeling rather nice; Eris wouldn't move from the spot. Assessing the damage, she didn't think she'd be able to put up much of a fight.
Not that I wouldn't damn well try. Eris smiled wryly, leaning her temple against the cool plaster wall and lazily watching the men twitter. The smell of foreign chemicals was making her nauseated. Why wouldn't they just leave? All she wanted was to get out of there.
Wherever 'here' is…
It was a wonder the slight wheeze in her chest didn't attract the attention it should have. There was a loud 'POP!' and both kneecaps dislocated themselves. Eris fell, nearly crying with the affliction; now she'd be discovered for sure.
"What's going on here??"
Shaking, hand covering her gasps, Eris took a peek around the corner. A tall man walked with a regal and distinguished gait, iridescent green eyes locked onto the scientists with annoyance. The addressed parties stood up hastily, proving to be much lankier and taller than previously thought.
Silver garments rippled like water as the newcomer onto the scene stopped, towering over the men despite the 4-inch difference in their favor. The long silver-blue hair in its high tail wavered like a banner in the smallest of air currents.
Eris' knees throbbed, feeling for the entire world like they were reforming themselves under the twitching muscles. The shock and humility shown by the lab coats in the presence of this unsullied man must have blown any other thoughts of strange noises out of their minds.
"Sir!!"
"Canis L-2192--"
"—The spectral girl Mr. Ieyoshi brought in--"
"—Broke through the observation window! It's a remarkable feat! The genetic converter collar has only been on for eight hours!"
"The breech was recent; the blood on the floor is still warm even!"
'Sir' was didn't bother to hide his boredom. He was evidently used to the boundless excitement excreted over the smallest detail.
There was something odd about this man; if he moved just so, Eris could see rainbows of color reflected off what she first assumed was just pale skin. His eyes even sported flecks of prisms. Eris found him very pretty to look at; shiny things always did attract her like a magnet.
"If she's such a valuable specimen," the strange man's voice was light, almost like a passing wind, yet firm with more body. "Then I suggest you find her before she makes a mess of my facility!"
The sudden anger was startling; a red luminescent ripple shimmered over the pale being's skin.
"Ah! Forgive us, Sir!"
"It was just so unusual--"
"A real show of improvement from the early canine trials!"
"We had to observe while everything was still fresh."
Sir sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with extraordinarily long fingers. "Just find the animal! Clean this mess up and get someone in here to replace the window. I don't need drugged up test subjects running wild and hurting themselves."
Little late for that… Eris used her teeth to separate glass from skin. She winced at the fresh blood flow. Eris hoped the demon wouldn't smell it; her whole lower body was numb.
How'd I know he was a demon?
There was no smell to him. The other two were human, the unique scent permeated from them.
He's just weird I guess.
Becoming careless, she spit the coppery tasting shard away from her. The glass made a minute 'tink-tink' as it bounced to a rest. It wasn't by any means loud, but looking around the corner again the scientists appeared confused. An element was missing in the picture.
"Where did he go? Sir was just standing here not a second ago!"
"Ah! Such a display of Master's abilities! Perfect camouflage."
"Flattery is such an overrated thing…"
Eris was taken by surprise, hearing Sir's voice in her ear. No warning bells had gone off to warn of his nearness.
"Sir?" The shorter of the men followed Sir's voice to the injured girl. He seemed more shocked than surprised at seeing her sitting haphazardly. "Oh my…Klaus! Over here, quickly!"
Sound of hurried footsteps, Klaus gasped. "Canis L-2192!"
Eris was sure her heart was beating faster than humanely possible; it would burst right from her chest. They stared like it was ordinary for a girl to be bleeding from a blinking collar around the neck and slouched on the floor.
"Goodness! It's blue!"
"Stage four!"
"The presence of the spirit must be hurrying the process along."
Eris cringed away from their awkward peering, wanting to disappear. It was awful the way the humans could hardly wait to stick her full of needles, or cut her open and examine her from the inside out or something of the sort. Her reeling mind thought of dozens of things she'd seen doctors do on TV.
"You're right! Dear me…special containment--"
"With ah…" Klaus looked behind him at the shattered observation window. "Reinforced windows."
"What sort of chamber mates do you think? Something to keep her calm."
"Hmm..not sure. Strong ones for sure; she'll be violent--"
If her legs had been working like they were supposed to, Eris would have bolted long before. Now that she couldn't so much as wiggle a toe, the ideal of fighting to get away by tooth and nail was becoming the overwrite in her brain.
"Gentlemen! Please, you're scaring the poor child." The silver smile Sir offered did not quite reach Sir's eyes; there was an absence of…something. She couldn't read it. Eris couldn't get anything off of him.
Eris must have been quite the sight; the scientists' enthusiasm disobeyed their master.
"Look Leary!" Klaus looked about ready to wet himself. "Fight or flight in action! See the skittishness in the eyes??"
"Goodness, look at those feet! The bones have completely restructured themselves!" Leary was practically drooling. "Sir! If Canis L-2191 is showing results like this our procedure is proven effective!"
Leary was getting a little too close for comfort; crying out, he clutched the scratched wrist to his chest.
"Whoa! Calm down, you're all right," Sir, ignoring the injured man, kneeled next to Eris. She recoiled, franticly looking for a way out. The half of her that wasn't taken over by animalistic fear was pleased she'd been able to get the point of not touching her clear, that they may have reserved a room in the hospital with what they'd done to her.
For now, even with the dark cloud-like voice of Sir smoothing the beast in her back, Eris couldn't her desperation to get away. It was humiliating how they talked like she couldn't understand their words; whatever they were saying about "containment," Eris was sure she wouldn't like it.
"Quite now, no one's going to hurt you…" Sir had managed to inch close enough to touch her shoulders and turn away from the now wary scientists to face him. Eris blinked a few times, wondering how he'd been able to do that without involuntary harm on her part.
Now with him as the focus point, the silver in his hair reminded Eris of Youko, though it wasn't quite as long or even remotely in the same style. As much as she'd always wanted to play with the fox demon's hair, she couldn't see him letting her put it in a tail like that.
His eyes were kind and understanding, much like Kurama's. It was hard to be scared under them. A pang of anxiety ailed her stomach; everyone was likely to be worried sick about her. Why was she here? What did these people want?
"She can cry yet?"
"Hmm…must still be a few stages to go. There's no fur yet. See, the bulb is still on blue."
"I am not crying!" Eris gave a watery growl, swiping her hands under her eyes, accidentally scratching the sensitive skin. Frustrated, it only made her eyes water more and her temper return. "What the hell have you done to me?!"
Taken aback, Klaus and Leary quickly looked away and began comparing notes.
"Pay no mind to them," Sir waved their behavior off, dragging Eris back. "My most brilliant, but naive men."
Eris glared at his attempt at a friendly smile. He changed the subject. "Can you walk?"
"No," she snapped. "Now answer my question!"
Sir didn't answer, ignoring the demand and made to pick Eris up. Instantly she scooted away; there was the idea that if she were to be touched it would hurt. Strange, Eris didn't know where this had come from, but it was the loudest voice in her head. So Eris believed it.
"Hey!!" When he still didn't answer, the rising temper flared again. Eris lashed out with a clawed hand. Annoyingly, Sir caught her by the wrist.
"Reconstructing your fragile human body into that of a creature more suitable for demonic gene reprogramming. There, I answered." He pursed the light purple skin of his lips. "I hope you appreciate the explanation after being so bent on injuring me."
The words passed right through her ears. Eris had been taken over by an overwhelming surge of curiosity. The hand clamped around her wrist was no longer silvery and pale, but the exact color and tone of her own. The change strangely tapered off at the forearm, going from smooth to patterns of small scales.
"That's nice…" Eris turned her head to the side, thinking a different angle would make it change again. "Wait, what?"
Sir let go and swupped Eris up bridal style, her useless legs dangling his arm. (It changed to blend perfectly with the trashed kimono, right down to the blotches of dirt.)
Movement behind the demon caught her eye; leaning back casually she spotted a long, reptilian tail curling and uncurling itself. It was sufficient enough to stuff the protests of being carried back down her throat. Sir stepped through the left open door into a well-lit hallway of blue-ish metal, plaster, and tile. Labeled doors of a lighter blue dotted the hall on either side; a ways ahead, the tile flooring and plaster walls branched off into a fork.
"Interesting. Severe mood swings as well as angry temperament."
"Well she is female."
"HEY!" Eris twisted around to deliver a hard swat at whatever body part of the two men she could get at. Failing, she settled for a death glare that made them walk slower to fall a ways behind their master and his changeling cargo.
"I'm ordering you two to be silent." Sir's voice was as ice like as his appearance. "You're agitating…"
"Eris." Eris supplied helpfully. If she wanted any chance at all of going back to her friends she'd have to be on this one's good side.
"—Eris as well as I."
Eris smirked and stuck her tongue out at Klaus. He raised a superior brow and spoke from the corner of his mouth to Leary. "I thought you took out the puphood regression stage?"
"What's you name?" Eris asked of her transporter, ignoring the "puphood regression" comment. Whatever that meant.
"Kenmei."
"What kind of demon are you, Kenmei?"
"Chameleon mostly. How'd you know I was a demon?" Kenmei asked, pleasantly surprised.
"No idea. Where are you taking me?"
"Heliopolis 69185."
There were a pair of gasps from behind.
"Something wrong, Klaus? Leary?"
Leary wrung his hands. "We were hoping to put it--"
"Don't call me 'it'! I am not a genderless animal!"
"—in with the other wolves. See how they take to a new addition." He finished without so much as an indication to hearing Eris' outburst.
"She's bleeding and defenseless--"
"Am not!"
"—and you want to put our most successful manifestation in midst of a nervous wolf pack? I thought I paid you to be logical?"
"But Sir!" Klaus piped up. "This one will have streaks of bloodthirsty violence--"
"I think I'm having one right now…" Eris glared, a doggish growl growing in her throat.
"But what of Mistress Phoenix, Sir!"
"Mistress Phoenix can very well take care of herself. And then some. Which is precisely why I am putting Eris in her care." Kenmei's voice held little patience for the trailing lab coats.
"Phoenixes? Wolves…?" Eris blinked in confusion.
Kenmei gave her a glittery wink. "You plus that collar equals wolf, got it?"
Eris grazed her blackening claws carefully over the collar. The things in her neck were merely uncomfortable now, but it was a loathsome contraption. "Yeah, I got that part, but I don't like it."
"Doesn't matter." Kenmei shrugged, successfully angering Eris once again. Her left leg even twitched.
"You can't just go around kidnapping people for your weird little science projects--!"
"Kidnapping?"
"Yeah, kidnapping! You got a buddy called Ieyoshi or whatever the hell his name is? Might wanna have a little chat with him. In fact, include Tweedledum and Tweedledee for the party. I can smell them hiding rats in their pockets."
Kenmei's grip slipped a little. His walk had gone a bit stiff as well. He spoke no words of retribution, but his tone was clipped.
"Are you hurting too badly?"
Eris felt a little guilty for snapping at him. She had the sneaking suspicion Kenmei had nothing to do with her capture if the scent of conspiracy was anything to go by. Damn…this moodswing thing was a bitch.
"I can't feel my legs yet, but now that you mention it my back is starting to kill me."
Behind Kenmei and Eris, Klaus and Leary forgot their fear of her in the heat of science.
"Spinal reconstruction!"
"That will twinge a bit," Kenmei tried not to grimace.
Eris narrowed her eyes. "I get the feeling it's going to be more than a twinge."
"No need to worry yourself. They'll take care of you once in Heliopolis. I think they'll like a nice girl like you."
"Don't patronize me."
Kenmei smiled in good humor. "Glad you trust me."
"I don't! But seeing as whatever you've done to me is already to far to do anything about, which I'm going to kill you for later, I have no choice in anything right now. That and you're the only one being nice to me."
Kenmei laughed, a light and charming sound. "Well, I hope you make my death a quick and painless one, Eris."
"Depends. Are yo--"
The sentence went unfinished. The annoying ache in her back had suddenly become unbearable.
"Am I what?" Kenmei went on, unnoticing. The door he sought was just ahead; there was the familiar change in the atmosphere that only the prized beings behind the door could create. "Eris?"
Looking down to the girl in his arms, the urgency to deposit her into the care of those beings rose twenty-fold. Eris' face was twisted in a silent scream, making little noises in the back of her throat. A series of sickening pops and the scream gave way. Her body jumped and twitched so badly that Kenmei nearly dropped her.
He hated causing pain for her, but it was necessary. In a few hours, the girl could be the only key he had to breaking the barricade between human and demon.
"You alright up there, Hiei?"
"Ask me again," he called from the branches above. "I'll give you a demonstration of how 'all right' I am."
"Creepy…" Kuwabara raked the tree canopy with apprehensive eyes. "That's almost jubilant for him."
Two snorts of laughter from the other two detectives burned through the tall teen's cautiousness. "What's so funny??"
Yusuke and Youko replied simultaneously. "Big word."
"Someone's been studying hard," Yusuke teased and tripped his best friend to break the monotonous walking.
"And someone hasn't," he shot back, whapping the half demon upside the head.
"Hey! Watch the hair!" Yusuke smoothed back strands that hadn't so much as shivered. "Stupid monkey…"
"Monkey?! Who you callin' a monkey you grease head? Even an A class demon couldn't break through that gel helmet you call hair."
"Che. An A class wouldn't even be able to get near me." Yusuke gloated, clasping hands behind his head. "Are we there yet?"
Not watching, Yusuke was pitched forward, smells of rotten leaves and forest floor taking up lodge in his nose. Wiping dirt from his face, and untangling the rose vine from his ankle, Yusuke laughed, embarrassed.
"Heh…uh, no offense?"
"None taken." Youko shrugged, a smirk slipping as Hiei appeared ahead, waiting for them to catch up.
And so there they were, teammates trudging through the wild of Japan towards the evil demon bent on world harm.
"So what else is new?" Yusuke had said. Youko had been surprised to see the others waiting for him on his return from Koenma. Bandaged with exhaustion setting in, they looked like a band of thieves from an ambushed raid. The set look of retribution in their eyes made him feel that itch of Makai life. Oh for the good ole days…
"Anything wrong?" Youko called out to the fire demon. As anxious as he was to retrieve Eris, he didn't wish for the apparition to strain himself so soon. It was amazing Yukina had let him out of her sight. Of course the look the siblings shared before departure had room for pause.
"There's a barrier eight kilometers ahead," Hiei flexed his arm experimentally under his cloak. It was healed, yet the soreness persisted. He fell in step beside the kitsune. "Demon made. Hardly strong enough to keep any of us out."
"A blinder? Man, these guys really don't wanna be found," Yusuke said idly. "Well, at least we know we're going in the right direction. Up to some barrier breaking, Monkey?"
"Don't call me a monkey!"
Youko let his mind drift, the banter between his companions providing the background noise to lose himself. He kept drifting to the thought of Eris strapped to a table, people poking her with needles, prodding her, nodding their heads and jotting down notes on clipboards.
Hiei gave him a glare; the youkai's tail kept hitting him with all the jerking and swishing.
"Maa, you're losing your head." Hiei voiced (5). "You might need it later, so knock it off. There's nothing to worry about."
It was good to have the koorime back, especially since the world didn't seem to be pressing his shoulders so much, but the casualness with which Hiei talked unsettled Youko.
"Nothing to worry about?" He raised a fine eyebrow. "Where have you been?"
"Keeping your sorry ass out of hell, Kurama."
"I don't believe you should be one to talk," Youko slid his eyes away from Hiei's arm. Something smelled like blood, very faint, but still there. "You know I can't rightfully be called that."
"Close enough."
"Oh yeah, how's that goin' for ya?" Yusuke butted in; they had to stop and wait for Kuwabara to stop twitching. ("Yusuke, you ass! That hurt!" "Damn, I thought you'd be used to it. Heh, sorry buddy.")
"I noticed you were acting…well, warmer than usual. You've got this weird aura thing hanging around too."
Youko gave props to Yusuke's attention to detail. Even if the team leader didn't always act it, he was quite a bit sharper than most pencils in the pack. He also gave too much credit to Lady Luck and less to himself.
"Shuichi's human emotions seem to be taking root in darker soil. It's…interesting to say the least." Where was that smell coming from??
"So you're like becoming a human?? Weird! Oh man, you're not losing your demon powers too are ya?!"
"Kuwabara, you idiot! A demon can't be a human!"
"Can so!"
"How?!"
"Shuichi!"
"Excuse me?"
"Not you!" Kuwabara waved the fox off, windmilling his arms in frustration.
"Oh yeah…I keep forgetting about the whole 'reborn as a human' thing." Yusuke scratched his head and grinned. "You're just Kurama to me, whatever you look like."
Youko nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Yusuke."
"You're a half demon too, remember? I think that counts!" Kuwabara ducked to avoid a low branch.
Yusuke cut through the same branch with a spark of rei ki. "I'm not a demon or a human. I'm…an inbetweener."
"Welcome to the club." Undoing the bandana around his forehead, Hiei surveyed the surrounding forest with the jagan.
"See anything?" Kuwabara asked, thoroughly bored with the endless wilderness. They'd been traveling for hours.
"Your mother," the small apparition muttered; the oaf was distracting (6). In truth, there was an out of the ordinary trail leading in the direction of the approaching barrier.
"A large demon came through this way, bleeding. Possibly one that bore the lunatic, and your woman, away." He ended the last statement with a smirk. It was amusing to see the proud fox strut like a chicken. Especially when "his woman" was currently at the mercy of another man.
Hiei actually wanted to laugh. Not quite the 'gallant knight' type, friend.
"Good, I could use a big punching bag. Kuwabara's just isn't doing anything for me these days."
"Geez! Wouldja quite raggin' on me?"
"Aww, whassa matter? Did I hurt Mr. Monkey Man's feelings?"
"All right, that is it! Get over here, I'mma kick your ass, Urameshi!"
"Nice to see them taking things so seriously." Youko remarked in a deadpan voice. Hiei rolled his eyes in agreement, taking leave of the noisy pair in favor of the trees.
Youko watched him go, almost wishing he could follow. Yusuke and Kuwabara might get lost…no matter. They can't hide themselves; you won't be so lucky this time, Ieyoshi. You've gone beyond all mercy.
A/N: YAY CHAPTER! Sadly, or rather not, this isn't the end like I said it was. I had to split chapter 20 again because it was getting way longer than I originally thought it would take. But this is good! Because I'm liking the way everything is turning out. And no, you won't have to wait forever and a day for part three!! Since today is meh birfday, I REALLY wanted to present both parts two and three, but sadly my schedule was a bitch to me this past week and followed into this one. It is pitiful how close I am to finishing part three, but I just can't get it done today. Maybe tomorrow or Friday, folks.
Also, no review replies. sad faceThere seriously is not enough hours in the day. Grr. Sorry about the uber confusing chapter before, I hope you're somewhat understanding now. Not completely of course because what would be the fun in that for me? XD
Random thought: Does anyone else absolutely hate the new setup of ? I still can't figure out how half the crap works anymore.
Footnotes:
(1) Omae o korosu: "I will kill you!!" Gotta love Heero. squee
(2) "A pathetic fool fallen victim to a flying baby's arrow."—He's referring to Cupid. Wasn't sure how many of you would get that.
(3) "You looked like you'd fallen out of the whoop ass tree and hit every branch on the way down before Yukina fixed you up." – I forgot why I made this a footnote, but hey, it's amusing.
(4) Ni-san: brother. There's so much dispute about how to say brother I'm not even going to get into it.
(5) Maa: Calm down. Should be "Maa maa" for the whole meaning but I'm lazy and this is my story gall dernit!
(6) "Your mother," the small apparition muttered; the oaf was distracting. – Hiei is my insult bitch. XD
See you in a few days, kiddies! Pop into the LJ community for a sneak peek at part three! wink winkTake out the spaces, and put the underscore in between "erratic" and "petals": www. Livejournal .com/ community / erratic petals /