Yes, we know the routine...must I say it? I must? Fine, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Happy? No? Too bad.
Chapt. 17
My Father?
"Wind Master...is the Ice Master not with you?" I ask.
"Icy? Sure 'e is! 'Ey! Icy!" he calls over his shoulder. The wind blows cold and a figure steps into the light of the fire. His ice blue hair stuck crisply to his head; four green bangs stuck out to left. A large blue tank top was being worn over a ninja netting type shirt. And over both of those, a white cloth was draped loosely and held at the top by a purple jewel; a purple belt about his waist held the cloth at his middle, still allowing the rest to dangle freely. He had on navy blue, baggy pants similar to Jin's. He, too, was barefooted.
"I am Touya, the Ice Master," he says in an icy voice. "What happened to all of them?"
"I did!" a child yells. A figure leaps from the dark into the light. "I am Ronin, and I did this!"
"A runt like you?" Kuwabara asks, scanning the small wolf.
"I may be small, but I hacked...wait a sec. What happened to the wound I gave you?!" he cries.
"I have it," I say, fumbling to my feet.
"How?! Miho canceled your charm!"
"There's more than one way to steal injuries."
"It doesn't matter anyway. I beat him once, I'll beat him again! And now you're weak. I'll send you all to Hell!" He jumps into the air and his sword becomes surrounded by flames. "Delayed flame!" He swings. Nothing. Then, suddenly, a flame erupts in the air and shoots towards us. It cracks and sizzles as it makes contact with something.
"You can't beat me with flames!" I yell behind a flaming barrier.
"How in the Hell?!"
I step weakly in front of my comrades. A katana of fire springs to life in my hand and blazes with intensity. "Fire is mine. And in the dark of night, my abilities are heightened. You should've left when you were finished with my friends. But since you decided to stick around, you'll pay."
"You can't scare me!" He slashes the air again – across the waist this time – and fire leaps through the air. It hits an invisible barrier and dissipates. I slash the air – diagonal, right to left. Nothing. Ronin screams in pain and falls to the ground, bloody and smoldering.
"Invisible fire. It's the hottest fire there is. Can you feel it?" I cringe as a sharp pain shoots from my stomach, and I start to fall back. A strong breeze pushes me back up. I look back at Jin.
"Din't tink you be wantin' ta hit da ground righ' now," he grins warmly.
"No, not really. Thanks."
"That was really neat Darkfire," Kuwabara compliments.
I smile.
"I think it was stupid of you," Hiei puts.
"Hiei, be nice to Darkfire. She saved your life again. All of ours," Yukina says kindly, steeping beside me. "Let me heal you. You look very tired and hurt."
"No, I don't need it. This is what I get for not being strong," I growl, pulling away from her touch.
"That's way you do this? To punish yourself for not being strong enough to save them?" Hiei asks, almost angrily.
"This isn't the time Hiei. Not here, not now."
"'Ey Icy. You know wot dey be talkin' 'bout?" Jin whispers to Touya.
"Not a clue," he whispers back.
"If you want to talk about something, I suggest you do it now. For in the Reikai, you might part ways," a deep voice calls from the dark.
"Who be dat?" Jin asks.
"Kiyo," I snarl in hatred.
"Kiyo?" Hiei asks.
"The last wolf of fire."
"And the one that will be your executioner!" he yells, jumping into the light. He lands on his knees; his left hand on the earth and his right on his left arm. "My siblings are weak, I won't be defeated so easily." The ground shakes and cracks. Fire springs from the crack and heads for us. I stand there, weaker still.
Strong arms pick me up in a clumsy bridal style. The air cuts sharply across my face as I am propelled to my right. My head feels light and my breathing becomes more labored with each passing moment. The smell of blood fogs all my senses.
"Where do you think you're goin'?" a cold voice asks. We stop abruptly. I look up and see Kiyo standing before us. Hiei's eyes are wide with amazement and fear. My vision blurs. I hear skin smack together and I am being carried back. I can see the ground. It gets closer and closer to my face every second. Suddenly, I'm staring at the sky. We hit the ground with a thud. I take a minute to catch my breath.
"Hiei..." I whisper.
"What?" he whispers in a pained and irritated voice.
"I can't get off if you don't let go." He slips me gently to the side and onto the ground. "You ok?"
"Yea. He's just so fast."
"Don' jus' lay there! Move 'Ragon Boy, move!" Jin yells. Heat comes upon us quickly and the sky seemingly grows brighter.
"Move damn it!" Touya yells angrily. The heat is intense now.
"Barriers are good any time now," Hiei informs me, slight worry in his voice as he lays beside me, unable to move.
"It has to be perfect. Wait for it...wait for it...now!" A blinding light envelopes us. I can hear screams of terror and fear. The light slowly fades. I stand there and look at the shocked faces, Kiyo's in particular.
"How?!?!" he yells.
"I can steal injuries and fire attacks. You just handed me all the power I need to leave you like your siblings there," I say sinisterly, pointing to the limp figures on the ground.
"You can't win, Darkfire. Not against me."
"I'll prove you wrong right here and now," I growl. Black flames spring from my body and fly through the night air.
"Dragons...of black fire..." whispers Touya in awe.
"Min'ature versi'ns of Hiei's 'Ragon," Jin states, staring up at the black dragons I summoned.
"But just as deadly," Touya finishes.
"What...what are those?" Kiyo asks in fear.
"Dragons of my black fire. They're unlike anything you've ever experienced. And now, you will suffer under them for the damage you've caused my friends," I snarl furiously.
"Would you believe me if I told you we were sent here by your father?" Kiyo asks in desperation.
"He's dead," I tell him curtly.
"I know, I was there. But it was before that, before he died. He told me that I needed to find you. That one day you would be parted from the wolves. He told me that when I was eighteen, I needed to find you. To see how strong you've gotten in the Ningenkai.
"I had asked him how he knew that you would leave. He just told me to do what I was told. Since then, I trained for the day I would meet you. The day I would face the Chosen Child. I see now that you are still too strong for me. Your father would be proud if he were still here," Kiyo finishes.
"If he were here, I would still be with the wolves. And how can I believe you? You tried to kill them," I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
"We had to. I'm sorry. But you know I'm telling the truth. If you didn't trust me, you would still have dragons looming above me." He was right, my dragons were gone. I did believe him. I didn't want to, but I did. I wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out for what he'd done, but I couldn't. My father asked him to find me, and he did.
"Please leave before I change my mind in letting you live," I say, tears welling up.
"We'll be seeing you again," he says, taking off into the dark with his siblings. I fall to my knees and clutch the ground. Tears silently dripped from my eyes. Footsteps came towards me. Then it was black.
