Pt 18
The giants challenged him again but this time he knew how to handle them. He struggled to clear his mind of all violent thoughts, a pretty amazing feat considering how damn angry he was just then. The mammoth guards froze, weapons raised in an empty threat, allowing Yusuke to pass through uninhibited. As he neared the double doors a shadow fell next to him.
Tensing, he reacted instantly, swirling to face the person behind him and…
And there was no one there.
"What in the…" He slapped his forehead a few times. "Damn, I've got enough problems without adding paranoia to the list!"
He pushed through the doors and hurried to find Hiei.
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Miya watched from the lengthening shadows as Yusuke reached the door. Her breath caught in her throat when he swirled and looked in her precise direction. For a moment his eyes wandered across the courtyard then he turned back and went inside. How the hell did he hear me? Subconsciously she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Keiko had given her a cute page-boy and she still had to get used to how much lighter her hair was now.
She waited until she was sure he had gone. Stealthily she slipped across the courtyard and slid in the door, carefully shutting it behind her.
"What the…" The hall was empty. The hall was never empty! In all the years she had lived there she had never seen a moment when the front hall was as deserted as it was right then. "Where is everyone?"
The other rooms were equally empty. To say Miya wasn't curious would be a lie; she was horribly curious. She went from room to room but the same deserted state greeted her everywhere she turned. She paused outside the kitchen door; even here was silent. She didn't even need her kitsune senses to know that something was very wrong. She pressed on almost hesitantly, unsure if she really wanted to know what happened. Finding even the kitchen devoid of life she headed directly to the door at the opposite side which led below. Surely there were people in the slaves' quarters.
Strangely the door seemed rusted in place. It took a few well placed blows to finally tear the door from its hinges. The other side was as dark as night; the torches that lined the wall of the staircase were unlit. Miya concentrated her energy around her hand, allowing the silver glow to emanate through the room. Carefully the kitsune navigated the stone stairwell, ever cautious of the cracks and loose rubble. At the bottom another door barred her way. Having learned from the first door she didn't even bother fighting with the knob.
The moment the door was released from the hinges it fell outwards; Miya had to hurriedly step back to avoid being smashed. Nothing prepared her for the sight that greeted her.
Unable to stop herself she stumbled a few more steps back. Lying on the floor in front of her was one of the fighters who had first taught her years ago. Tousho, she remembered. He still clutched the doorknob, a look of desperation frozen across his face. Panicked eyes stared up at her. Gingerly she stepped down and reached out to touch him. The cold clamminess of long dead flesh filled her with dread. His body had stiffened in place but somehow hadn't decayed.
She stepped around him and into the room. The glow of her energy fell across the faces of familiars and strangers alike. Horror took over her as she moved from person to person, all dead, completely drained of all life energy. A few of them wore looks of suffering and despair while others seemed to have merely fallen in their tracks. It appeared that no one suspected anything until the first few died.
They had been harvested, all of them, had been harvested for their energy. Numbly she backed out of the room, unwilling to search any farther; she knew what she would find in the other rooms.
She stood frozen in the stairway between floors. Absently she put out the light, throwing everything back into darkness; she couldn't bear to look at them anymore. She didn't know how long she stood there before forcing herself back up the stairs. She put the top door back up and sealed it in place by melting the edges to the doorjamb.
Jougen would pay for this cruelty. Miya's face hardened and her green eyes grew steely. She would personally make sure he paid for this.
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Hiei blocked a punch by crossing his arms in front of his face. Jougen's fist landed and Hiei felt himself being shoved backward by the aftershock alone. He struggled but just wasn't strong enough. He stumbled back and braced himself for the inevitable attack. It never came.
"Miss me?" He looked up and smirked.
"Like a toothache." Yusuke chuckled and pulled Hiei to his feet. They both turned toward Jougen.
"Hiei, he's not Banshi." Yusuke said quietly. Hiei looked up at him in shock.
"What?"
"Apparently Kurama was stronger than he let on. Miya's certain that Banshi and Jougen are not the same person."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along!" Jougen got to his feet and tilted his head to the side and smiled. "Two competitors, finally I will have some sort of a challenge."
"Hey Yusuke, we have to finish this now. The sun has pretty much set and we can't let this fight drag over into tomorrow. He can kill us then."
Yusuke glanced strangely over at Hiei.
"And he can't kill us now because…"
"It's a game. It's all a damn game to him. He's not going to make a drastic move against us until tomorrow. He won't move until the ninth of January."
"A game? As in all this time he's just been playing?"
"He has rules and punishments for those who don't obey them; that's why Kurama died."
"You give me too much credit Hiei. It's not my game and the rules aren't mine either. I'm at the mercy of the rules just as you are. The punishments for breaking the rules are the same for both of us."
"Then we need to take advantage of the time we have left before those rules allow him to hit back." Hiei nodded, sliding his left leg back and crouching for an attack.
"Right."
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Yusuke set up for a spirit gun attack then thought better of it. Jougen could just reflect it. The yokai took advantage of his moment of indecision and pinned him to the wall by his neck. Yusuke struggled for breath as his fingers constricted. Jougen glanced over his shoulder then released Yusuke suddenly, darting to the side.
Hiei's attack went wide, hitting the wall instead of Jougen. Yusuke was up on his feet immediately and flew at Jougen, leaving him no time to recover from Hiei's attack. The only way to defeat him is to repeatedly catch him off guard! Hiei seemed to catch his thought for he moved around and hit him from behind, causing him to stumble forward. He couldn't move out of the way; once Hiei pulled back then Yusuke attacked.
Finally he jumped up and aimed a spirit attack directly below himself. To Hiei and Yusuke it looked as if the ground itself had formed waves. It was impossible to hold their balance. They were tossed to opposite sides of the room.
Jougen went after Hiei first; the koorime was faster and he was counting on the fact that the human wouldn't be able to come to his aid fast enough. Hiei struggled to get back on to his feet but was immediately thrown back down by a blow to the head. Jougen kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying into the air. The yokai appeared beside him and punched him down. Before he hit the floor he felt Jougen's knee land in his back with a bone-shattering crack. The world exploded before his eyes from the pain. He didn't hear Yusuke yell as the human ran to him. He landed with a thud and bounced and rolled to the side.
Hiei was torn from Jougen's grip when the spirit gun hit him squarely in the back of the head, tossing him to the wall before reflecting itself at Urameshi. Yusuke recovered from the recoil and dived out of the way of the reflection. He got to Hiei before Jougen did.
"Hiei!" Blood poured from the koorime's mouth and nose and he chocked on his own bile when he tried to breathe. "Come on Hiei, don't die on me man!" He half turned as Jougen rushed toward him.
Yusuke's mouth dropped open when a hole literally opened up in Jougen's chest and light flared out the other side. Black blood gushed from the little that remained of him. The human's eyes turned to the doorway.
"Miya!" The kitsune walked over and knelt beside him and placed one hand on Hiei. Almost immediately the bleeding stopped.
"Keep him upright. If you allow him to lie down then the fragments of his ribs will pierce his lungs." Yusuke nodded and promptly pulled Hiei to a sitting position. Hiei was right; the side of Kurama's daughter he was seeing now was completely different from the one he had seen before.
Miya rose and turned to Jougen who by now had already healed himself.
"Dearest Koji, I was wondering when you would join us!"
"Do not call me that." Her voice flatly stated. "My name is Kirai."
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Kirai? Yusuke wondered. What the hell…nobody ever mentioned an alter ego!
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"Very well then, Kirai. I much prefer Koji though," he complained.
"Grow up Jougen; I'm through playing." Jougen snickered.
"Au contraire, my lady, the game has only just started. Tell me though, how did you manage to attack me without it reflecting?"
"I'll have the answer inscribed on your tombstone." This time Jougen made the first move. His smirk disappeared from his face as he flew at Miya/Kirai. She side stepped him easily and followed it with a punch. It only grazed his head but it was enough. A split second later the edge of her hand landed in the back of his neck. Her fingers wrapped around his skull and smashed his face into the floor. His hand reached for her ankle but she stepped back in time.
Jougen pushed himself off the ground and wiped the blood from his nose.
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Hiei shuddered and Yusuke tightened his grip around him. "Hey, hey Hiei, don't be an idiot. This'd be some payback if you died right now. I swear, if you croak I'll rip your body to shreds and scatter it all across the human world. I'll put your brain in the driveway and have Jon drive over it and I'll mount your heart on a dart board and throw darts at it." Quietly Hiei chuckled and coughed.
"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." He whispered.
"You're awake!" Hiei nodded slowly.
"Barely. I feel like I'd be better off dead."
"Forget it; you're not getting off that easily."
"Damn!" Hiei swore.
"What is it!?" Yusuke asked worriedly.
"I'm gonna kill her for cutting off her hair!"
Yusuke glanced at Miya then back at Hiei and smiled.
"Oh, yeah, you're gonna be fine." xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Why'd you do it Jougen? Why'd you kill them?"
"It's called equivalent exchange, dearest. In order to gain, something of equal value must be lost. In order to become stronger, life had to be lost." He grinned. "Luckily I had you here to help me!"
Miya/Kirai's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?" Jougen laughed maniacally
"Isn't it obvious? Dear Kirai, you were my intended target. It was your life energy I had planned to use to defeat your friends. You broke the rules just like your father did. When you deflected the illusion you deflected the draining. Where the hell did you think it went?"
"Kami…" Color drained from her face. "You're lying!"
"You and I know better. You can't control yourself. Deep down you want to kill so your subconscious just gives you a helping hand."
"BULLSHIT!" Both looked over to where a protesting Yusuke unsuccessfully tried to stop Hiei from getting up. Finally he settled for holding on to the koorime to keep him from falling over. "When spirit energy is reflected it goes right back to the source - that's the principle he uses to deflect our energy attacks. The only way it would have hit something outside of this room was if he re-directed it as it was about to hit him." Jougen glared.
"Fool." He gestured at Hiei and a blinding flash of light barreled towards him. Yusuke reacted quickly and pulled him to the floor, wincing as the blow hit.
"Baka, Yusuke!" Yusuke managed a half-smile.
"Just a scratch, I'll be fine." He slowly pulled himself off the koorime as Miya/Kirai flew at Jougen.
Her fist landed directly in his jaw, forcing his head back. His hands joined together and light shone from between his fingers. The energy surrounded her and pulled her in opposite directions. She screamed and the light seemed to attempt to rip her apart.
You don't stand a chance Dear girl. The rules have already designated me as the victor." She fell to her knees. "That's right, bow before your master."
Miya/Kirai growled as her body rocked with anger. Surprise registered in Jougen's eyes as she pushed herself back onto her feet. Her eyes darkened and fangs protruded from her mouth.
"You don't own me!" Her low voice hinted danger as she seemed to appear before him. He responded instantly, placing glowing hands on either side of her head. He smirked when her face contorted with pain but then gasped when pain of another kind exploded in his chest.
Slowly he looked down to find her hands twisted into a single brown vine and thrust through his heart. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
"I'll bet the rules didn't see that coming!" He choked up blood as his eyes slowly glazed over. Miya/Kirai yanked back her hands and allowed him to slide to the floor. His mouth twisted in a futile attempt to draw in air.He reached up, desperately trying to draw strength from the Seal Master Banshi had placed on his head. As long as it remained he could draw from his master's strength.
Yusuke stiffened warily when a circular seal appeared on Jougen's forehead. Miya stepped back once or twice as he rose to his feet. His hair and clothes fluttered in a self initiated breeze as he hovered inches above the floor.
"You cannot defeat me!" His booming voice echoed deafeningly through the room. "I AM INVINCIBLE!" An orb of light surrounded him. Miya winced as inside the orb floated souls of the people who had once been fellow slaves. In spite of herself she couldn't suppress a shriek when a shadowy replica of Tousho, the same fighter whose body she found first, reached out to her. She sliced through the creature but it just re-formed around her. Her green eyes widened when it buried itself in her heart. Her mouth opened as if screaming in pain but no sound came out.
The agony was excruciating, almost paralyzing her. Why? Tousho was my friend in life; why would his spirit attack me? It was then that she realized; the spirit wasn't attacking her, it was trying to help.
"What the hell is she doing?!" Yusuke shook his head.
"No idea, but then again, I've not exactly understood much of what has gone one so far."
Jougen was trying to absorb the spirits. She couldn't let that happen! She reached inside the circle of light, ignoring the energy that threatened to tear her apart.
The moment her hand entered the light, Tousho reached out to pull her the rest of the way through. Jougen faced her angrily. "Ahh!" Miya clenched her fists as another soul, seeing Tousho, followed his example and pulled himself into her body. Soon hundreds of others came swarming at her, some pulling themselves from Jougen's body.
"What…what's happening?!"
"Those you killed are seeking revenge against you Jougen!" Many voices spoke at once from her mouth. "The dead are finding retribution for their slaughter by assisting the living! They have deserted you…we have deserted you." He stepped back, souls still spilling from his body.
"No! No!" Miya held her hands in front of her and between them a black sphere formed. Dark energy swirled inside as it grew larger and larger.
"Go back to hell Jougen!" She held it above her head and threw it at him. He tried to move but he found himself in a headlock. Tousho smiled serenely.
"How does it feel to be betrayed?" Jougen struggled helplessly as other spirits latched on to him, preventing him from moving and dodging the attack.
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No, this is wrong! It was not supposed to end like this! Flesh tore off of his body and burned. He couldn't feel anything; the seal protected him but even its powers were now limited . His eyes slowly opened to see Banshi standing in front of him.
"Master Banshi! Help me Master!" Banshi glared.
"How pathetic!" He reached forward and touched Jougen's head. The seal disappeared.
"No, master, don't desert me!" Banshi vanished and instantly the pain set in. Jougen screamed from the torture.
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"Can you see anything?" Hiei shook his head worriedly, eyes never leaving the cocoon of light hovering in front of them. As suddenly as it appeared it vanished. For a second screams were audible as Jougen flew backward, seemingly propelled by an invisible blast. As they watched his skin burned away. By the time he hit the floor his body was unrecognizable and getting worse. When the effects of the blast dissipated there was no more than a pile of charred boned and blood.
Hiei ran to Miya who had crumpled to the floor. Please, please let her be alright!
Wisps of what looked like smoke blew from her body. Hiei had to actively resist the urge to touch her. Those wisps were remnant energies, if he touched her now they would kill them both. He had to wait until they had completely left her body. Once again he could only wait and hope she would be fine.
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Yusuke came up beside him. He watched wordlessly for a while before feeling a sharp punch to his shoulder.
"What the…" He whirled and came face to face with…
"Kuwabara!"
Hiei turned and his mouth fell open as well. The orange haired ningen snickered.
"Well whadya know! Both of your asses had to be saved by a girl!" He shoved Yusuke again before vanishing.
"Wha…"
"His energy was trapped in Jougen. Now that Jougen is dead I'm sure Koenma can restore him to life."
Yusuke looked over at Hiei.
"You mean that was just Kuwabara's ghost?! That's so unfair! I couldn't become visible when I was dead, so how come…Hey Koenma! You getting this?"
"Yes!" The freakishly disembodied voice replied. "I'm working on it as we speak." Right then Miya moaned. Hiei swirled and knelt beside her, taking her head in his hands. After a second he smiled.
"She's asleep; she'll be fine." Yusuke breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, now let's get the hell out of this place!" Hiei nodded and picked up Miya. Her head fell on his shoulder as he carefully carried her out, almost as if he was afraid she would break.
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Outside the gate they turned to face the large building where they had almost died.
"Adios!" Yusuke pointed his finger at the castle and yelled "Sprit Gun!"
The walls were ignited and for a while they watched as the flames devoured everything that had been there. Then they turned and walked toward the sunrise.
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A/n Hey everyone. I feel like putting a lime/lemon in pt 18. Reveiw and tell me if I should go ahead with it!