Pt 16
"This is the place?" Hiei nodded. The house in front of them was decrepit and deserted. Vines and weeds had taken over the front which was no more than a burned out shell. The back still stood, but barely. They picked their way through ashes. Chances were that whatever they were looking for had been destroyed. Banshi wanted no one to find him. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"What in the world…Hiei! What are you doing out there?" Hiei ignored her. He pushed past her into the house, pulling her in behind him, and bolted the door. "Wha…"
"No time to explain. Where's the baby? We need to get the two of you out of here now. Hurry up, there's not much time. Grab as much food as you can carry." It was one a.m. and Shinbi was barely awake. Hiei gently took her face in his hands. "Listen to me Shinbi. This is going to be really hard for you. We lost today. Banshi is looking for you and Miya. You have to leave now." She nodded and rushed up the stairs to get Miya. The koorime headed for the kitchen to pack some food since Shinbi would probably forget. She wasn't exactly the most coordinated women he had ever known. In fact she was quite air-headed, if one were to tell the truth. He basically shoved everything non-perishable into a plastic bag. By the time he was done she stood in the doorway, cradling the baby. Hiei sighed; she was too sheltered. He once again wondered why Kurama married her but reminded himself that it was none of his business. He grabbed a few strips of cloth and made a sort of sling from her shoulder to her waist and put the baby in it. Miya opened one eye and grabbed one of Hiei's fingers, cooing happily. Gently Hiei pulled his hand free and grabbed the bag of food.
"Let's go."
"Wait, what about Kurama?" Hiei looked at her directly and her eyes brimmed with tears. "He's dead, isn't he?" Hiei nodded. She took a moment to collect herself; when she looked up her eyes were dry and a fiercely determined look settled on her face.
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She wasn't used to this type of traveling, that was for sure, but she didn't complain, not even once. Hiei wasn't sure what to make of it but didn't comment. Tree limbs jutted into the path, catching on anything they could and greatly hindering the procession. It was the new moon that night and for that Hiei was grateful; anyone tracking them would have to wait until sunrise. Off to the right a branch snapped and Hiei froze. Seconds later dry leaves that covered the forest floor rustled a warning to him. Quickly he pulled Shinbi off the trail.
"Stay low to the ground!" He whispered fiercely and headed towards the source of the noise.
False alarm, Hiei lowered his sword, irritated at the rodent that scampered off into the darkness. Behind him he could hear the sniffling of a baby.
"Damn it!" For reasons known only to her, Miya burst into tears. Nothing Shinbi did would silence the girl and she kept wailing. "Give her to me." Shinbi looked up as Hiei re-appeared and after a moment reluctantly handed her over.
Hiei held her up, slightly cringing. Damn she was loud. He had no idea why he offered to try to calm her. He felt a slight brush against the edges of his mind. His eyes widened and he responded instantly.
It wasn't quite words, more like an incomplete feeling; she was just echoing what the other two were feeling. She was confused and wasn't sure how to say it. She didn't understand when Hiei tried to get her to stop making noise; she didn't know the danger she was in or what would happen if Banshi found her. All she cared about was her bed. It took a few attempts but Hiei was finally able to communicate to her the need to be quiet. She yawned and her eyes closed as she went back to sleep. Carefully Hiei handed her back to Shinbi who stared at him wide-eyed.
"How did you do that?"
"She's barely telepathic; your emotions are scaring her."
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Food was brought to her but Miya hurt too much to eat. It hurt to eat, stand, sit, breathe or even think. Using her powers was completely out of the question. She couldn't even manage to keep up her illusion, not that it mattered anymore; Jougen already knew. How long he had known was anyone's guess.
For the first time in her life she was truly helpless. She pulled herself to her feet. There was no way in hell she would let a jerk like Jougen get the better of her.
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"Sir, she's up."
"Well it's about time." Banshi glanced idly at the screen then back at Jougen. "Go ahead and don't screw up this time. I'll be very angry if you fail again. We don't need another episode like Shinbi." Jougen nodded and disappeared.
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With every step pain increased but she refused to stop moving. Slowly she reached out to the door.
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Miya sat up in bed, yawned and stretched. The sun peeked over her window sill, warm rays driving out the last traces of last night's nightmare. She jumped up and rushed to the bathroom.
She ran down the stairs, jumping over the last two steps.
"Walk dear, it's Saturday, there's no rush." She grinned and breezed into the kitchen.
"Morning mom!" she hugged Shinbi, then reached around her and grabbed the two pieces of toast that popped up. She stuffed one piece in her mouth then made a bee-line for the door.
"Where's the fire?" She ran head-first into Kurama.
"Oh, morning dad!" she also gave him a quick squeeze and dodged around him and through the door. Kurama looked questioningly at Shinbi who shrugged.
"Don't look at me, I don't speak teenager!"
It was slightly cold outside since it was autumn. Miya headed to the park.
"Miya!" Yukina waved from beside the pond.
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The two friends lay on the ground next to a huge cherry tree. Pink and white blossoms danced in the breeze before coming to rest on the grass-covered floor. The branches of the tree cast shifting shadows across their faces. Yukina sighed.
"Isn't it just beautiful?"
"I…I'm not sure." Yukina giggled.
"You're not sure whether it's beautiful or not?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that…" Miya pushed herself up. "It's too beautiful, too perfect. It's not right."
"But I thought that's what you wanted."
"It was. But now I'm not so sure."
"You have your family, your friends, a perfect life. What more could you want? Then again, it doesn't matter what else you want, you can instantly have anything you want. No darkness exists here; it's perfect."
"Too perfect." Miya repeated. "I can't live in a world like this. Light is the absence of darkness, how would we define light without using darkness? One can't exist without the other."
"Your past here is gone. Nothing you've ever done has any consequence here. Don't you understand? You're free. You're living a freedom that you could never attain on your own. You'd give that all up just to go back to being next to nothing?"
Miya's hand ran across the side of her neck and the skin was smooth. The H that Hiei had carved there was gone.
"Why did you choose to create this place?" Yukina also sat up and reached out until her fingers brushed against Miya's face.
"I didn't, these are all of your dreams and secret wishes, everything you've wanted for yourself. This world's for both of us."
This wasn't real, it could never be.
"Tell me, is this how you killed my father?" Yukina's eyes flashed as she drew back.
"What are you talking about?!"
"None of this is real, I can see that now. My world wasn't right, but neither is this. There's no such thing as a fairy-tale ending, where the evil vanishes and the good lives happily ever after. Darkness is undesirable but," she turned hollow, grief-stricken eyes on the entity that represented her friend, "some things are necessary."
The metal plate separated from her neck and clattered to the floor.
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"Ahh!" Hiei clutched at the sides of his head in pain. Yusuke fell to his knees and braced himself against the side of the abandoned house. It seemed like an eternity although it was only a few seconds. The blast faded leaving the two fighters breathless.
"What the hell… was that Banshi?" Hiei shook his head.
"No, that's Miya's. I'd recognize it anywhere."
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Jougen backed away slowly from the kitsune. Miya's body trembled and a black and red aura swirled around her. Her red hair slowly changed to a shimmering silver shade.
"Thorn Storm!" Minute thorns materialized and hurtled towards Jougen. He didn't even have time to react to the initial assault before she attacked again. He was flung to and fro by her punches. He struck out but she pulled back before it connected. Vines grew out of her skin and wrapped around her outstretched hand, hardening into the shape of a sword.
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The moment they came in sight of castle they were set on by ten large yokai. Hiei drew his sword and Yusuke yelled Spirit gun, slicing through three in one shot.
"What the, these guy's are pushovers!"
"Don't get cocky Urameshi!" Hiei dodged the blows from the largest of them and responded with a slice that cut through its head.
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It was as if she was watching herself fight from someplace very far away. Her sword sliced through Jougen's shoulder, severing his arm. Enraged, Jougen yelled at her but she couldn't hear what he said. Bolts of lightning flashed around her, several actually hitting their target but she didn't feel them.
Jougen tensed, gathering all that was left of his energy. Suddenly he let it all out, directing it at the kitsune. There was a blinding flash of light and Jougen stood panting. He smiled victoriously: the same attack had killed both father and daughter.
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They were down to two giants and so far these two were stronger than the all the others put together. Hiei's sword had shattered and none of his spirit attacks worked. Yusuke was bleeding from a gash to the head. He couldn't dodge a blow and was flung backwards. He braced himself but after a second or two realized that nothing had happened. The yokai stood in the exact same spot, unmoving.
"Hiei!" Hiei didn't answer, too busy fending off his own problem. "Hiei damn it, listen to me. Stop fighting!"
"Damn Urameshi! Don't distract me!" A thin trail of blood ran down his chest.
"I'm serious. Stop fighting, you can't win by force alone! Trust me!" Hiei sighed and struggled for a moment, then did what the human said. He stood still and to his utter amazement the giant did too.
"What the…"
"One can't exist without the other, remember? If we don't fight, they don't fight." Slowly the giant yokai both turned to stone. "They were only statues. See what would have happened if I weren't here? You'd have kept fighting until you died from excessive blood loss."
"Hn."
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The two burst in to find a bleeding Miya kneeling in the middle of debris. A vengeful Jougen advanced towards her.
"Urameshi, get her out of here!" Yusuke nodded and ran to the fallen girl.
Hiei whirled on Jougen.
"What the hell do you gain from this Banshi?"
"Me? You think I'm Banshi?" He flung back his head and laughed. "That's funny Hiei, real funny. No, I'm not Banshi, I'm just a pawn in a game much larger than you'd ever know." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yusuke carry Miya out the door and he turned back to Jougen.
"Cut the crap Banshi. This philosophical shit doesn't suit you!" Jougen chuckled.
"Very well Hiei, believe what you want. Isn't it true that whatever we believe becomes our reality?"
"I don't know what the hell your problem is but you've killed my best friend and tried to use his daughter. I'll kill you for that!"
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