Catse: Heyya guys! So sorryt his is late! My internet decided to down on me! Evillllllllll! Anyways, I've got this next chapter and if things go right with me, chapter 32 will be here on schedule! Anyways, this story is coming to a close. I'm not sure how many chapters are between here and the finish, but I'm sure it won't be one or two. I'm thinking maybe six, or seven is probable. Those will most likely be the longest most descriptive passages that come up. Anywas, here's the story so please, enjoy.
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Disclaimer: See chappie one...
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Kenya sighed as the portal closed behind the four of them. There was no turning back now. He was stuck. Therefore, there was only to move forward, and either accomplish, or fail miserably.
Katai slipped her new bladed gloves over her fingers, and rested her hands on her hips, looking around.
"Where is Lord Rioko's castle again?" Became her first question.
"I'm not sure, but I believe it could be in the Northern hemisphere." Seika answered again, using Shadow's experience and knowledge of Spirit World.
"The far North, to be exact." Came Haku, kneeling in front of a rather reddish plant with thorns. He seemed rather interested in it.
"Where are we now?" Kenya inquired, coming to the front of the group to take a look around.
Katai shook her head. "I don't know. I don't recognize this region."
"You brought us here and you don't know this place!" Seika shouted in disbelief, glaring at his surroundings.
"Hey, the idea was to get you here. I was thinking on where we would drop off. The way here usually doesn't allow for control of location—"
"I know where we are." Haku interrupted, standing, his eyes staring down one way of the large open space.
The area was a desert habitat, with giant building sized cactus and lizards with five eyes and two legs running around across the tough reddish ground.
"This is the Eastern hemisphere of demon world. It would be a walk of five days to reach the North, and another two to locate the palace of Lord Rioko."
"How do you know that?" Seika inquired, hands on hips in a disbelieving style.
"That." Haku pointed at the red weed. "That is called the Scarlet Fly Keep. It's a demon plant that only lives here, in the Eastern reaches of demon world. No where else harvests it."
"But seven days! That's way too long and we won't get to Lord Rioko in time to stop his plan!"
They were all silent after Katai's plea. Even Haku couldn't come up with a way of speedy travel that would get them where they needed in less than seven days.
Finally Seika sighed and patted Niko on the head. "I have a way, but I don't know how far we can get in such a small amount of time."
"What way?" Katai inquired, as Kenya and Haku turned to the sound of Seika's voice.
"Niko."
"Niko?" Returned Katai.
"Of course. Dragon's have been known for centuries to be able to change their size into whatever is fitting. Considering the fact that Niko is partially dragon, and has figured out how to gain his wings, perhaps we can move over land instead of through it."
"Right on Haku!" Seika shouted. "But like I said, I don't know how far we can get."
"It's worth a try." Kenya piped in, looking at Niko. "We have to do something."
Seika nodded and coerced Niko to pounce from his shoulder.
The spirit beast landed on the ground with cat-like reflexes and pounced again, this time growing so rapidly that by the time his feet touched the ground again, he stood over the cactus's of demon world.
Then, with a yowl, a large set of electrical wings sprouted out from his shoulder blades and swiped at the air, preparing for the journey.
"Come on guys! Let's get going!" Seika shouted, leaping up to the base of Niko's neck.
The other's nodded agreement, and leapt up to the large cat like creature, and in a moments time, Niko was off the ground and flying at a speed none of them thought imaginable.
In a matter of a couple of hours of boredom, they were amazingly in the Northern Hemisphere of Demon world, and had landed near Lord Rioko's castle in a third hour. They would have gone to the castle directly, only it was buried deep in a mountain side, without a single place for Niko to land.
The group came off of Niko's back, and the spirit beast shrunk back into a carrying size once more, reclaiming his post at Seika's shoulder.
"Good job little buddy. You did better than expected. When we get home you're getting' a big burger!"
"A burger? Please. Don't you think that's bad for him?" Katai inquired as they began their treck towards the castle. In order to get to it, they would have to venture through a rather large demon town, and none of them were really happy about that fact.
"Hell no! If I can eat one he can too! Right Niko!"
In reply to Seika's statement, Niko jeered up a yowl of appreciation, in which Seika nodded his head with a "See."
Katai rolled her eyes in disgust as they came into the front gates of the city. Two guards glared at them as they passed, and, apparently deciding to make trouble for the small group, extended their spears with a shared growl.
"Halt. Who trespesses here?" Inquired one dog like creature with red eyes.
"We trespess here!" Seika shouted, fists in the air. Niko stared at his owner a moment, and stood on his hind legs, apparently trying to imitate the action.
"Dare you speak to a demon? You human waste!" The other shouted, spear coming to the ready. A bladed glove caught the spear before it ever hit Seika's chest.
"Woman! Let go of my weapon!" The demon snarled.
"Demon. Put down your weapon." Katai answered, a professional glare in her eye. "I cannot believe that you would wish harm to a group of Lord Urameshi's services."
Seika and Kenya snickered, watching as Katai gave them the ever infamous "Urameshi Stare Down".
"Who's to say you speak the truth woman?" One of the guards inquired, glaring.
Katai sighed and reached into her back pocket, pulling free a golden medalion. "This is the emblem of my father, Lord Yusuke Urameshi of this region. You will drop your spears or I may be forced to bring him forth to fight you himself. And he does not like to be disterbed." Katai left a glint in her eye that meant she was serious.
Finally, after a little thinking, the guards nodded and stepped away with an "You may enter Lady Urameshi and Team."
After they were inside the gates, Katai dropped her serious professionalism and smiled. "It pays to have a dad that owns a third of the lands in this world. You can get around almost anywhere on his lands!"
Seika chuckled and stepped up to stride beside her. "Sure does. Kinda wish I knew my old man. Then again, from what I have heard of him, he was a drunky that couldn't tell a grown woman from a gay man. So, then I get confused on whether I want to know him or want to laugh about him."
Katai smiled, as did the rest of them. Even Haku gave a rare smile to the thought.
As they trudged through the city, many of the demons that lived and shopped there stared at them. It wasn't often you saw a company of human like half-breeds walking through town towards and infamous castle of blood and torture for all that were despised. Only children entered that castle. Only demons left.
Which usually got them wondering how demons got in or how they were born.
Or whether Lord Rioko grew them up himself. Some demons were organic after all…
"What the hell you starin' at! Never seen a human girl before!" Katai shouted at one snake like demon that stared but never blinked.
Seika instantly slunk behind Kenya, eyeing the serpant like creature. Although he had stood up to Miroki, it was a totally different matter to stand up to a serpant he had never met before. At least with Miroki, he had seen the antics a good two times. With other snake demons, there was no telling the possibilities of attack that could be performed.
"Blink! Blink will yah!" Katai shouted at the snake, earning a few strange glances in their direction.
"Katai."
"Blink! Blink! BLINK!"
"Katai?"
"BLINK! BLINK!"
"KATAI!"
"What?"
Kenya sighed in exasperation. "Katai. Snakes don't need to blink that often. The under lid usually doesn't need to clean the eye ball for a good while."
"Oh." Katai grinned, looking sheepish. "Heheheh…."
"Yes. Very much like the senior." Haku mumbled clearly, stepping ahead of them as they stood still and stared at his back.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!" Katai shouted, running after Haku.
"It means, fool, that your father, although a genius in strategic fighting, was not at all a genius in school or even common knowledge of things taught in the daily school life. You are very similar to him from what I recall."
"English please?" Katai returned, looking iritated.
Seika smiled and patted her shoulder. "He means you're a lot like your father."
"Oh, okay! Thanks for the compliment!"
To say the expression on Haku's face was one of boredom, was an understatement. He merely could not understand how the simplest speech he could compile for anyone could be misinterpretated by a girl older than him.
After shaking his head and continuing on, the group finished their trek through town and to the castle. Amazingly, they were not attacked as they first thought they would when it came to entering a demon city uninvited. Instead, it seemed as if most of the people there didn't want any trouble whatsoever.
"This is nice." Katai commented. "And here I was expecting to have to kick ass for my life, and everyone seems completely content that we mixed bloods are wondering around their city."
"Maybe their frightened. I mean, after all, you are Yusuke's daughter right? Some probably recognize you and aren't stupid enough to take us on." Seika replied, as Kenya stared at the castle sprawled out before them. The castle, or mansion as some would call it, was tall in deep red brick, reminding him of a splay of blood. The roof tops were a glossy black that reflected the brilliant sun over head, and the greenery around it were scraggly, thorn covered demon bushes, most likely hidden guards for the idiot that might try to climb that walls to an open window around the top. The tall fence around it was hooked at the top and black, with tiny gargoyle statues at the main gate. The front door, was a tall bronze giant, looking hundreds of times more powerful than any demon in that world.
"Actually, these demons are unusual in species. Many do not share the proper characteristics that the normal demon should have." Haku supplied, glancing back at the town. Many people walked around in a sort of daze, as if dead in the mind.
"What's that mean?" Seika inquired, staring at the castle in a similar way to Kenya.
"It means…" Kenya began, kneeling to feel the dirt. "…they are not real demons."
"He?" Came Katai next, snorting. "That's the most stupid thing I have ever heard in my life."
"Really. Is it really so stupid." All attention turned to Haku. Their group became silent as they strained to listen. "A few hundred years ago, there were scientists from this world that would kidnap human children and perform tests on them. Many of these tests consisted of demon blood being introduced to the body, bones being tampered with, brain cells either destroyed or inhanced. It was a time of death and destruction for any child that happened to be picked up. Most of the experiments were failures that ended in the children dying or mutating to the extent of self destruction. Until one child became the breakthrough. I'm not sure if it was a boy or a girl, but whatever it was was tested on for five weeks. This child was strapped to a table, opened up like a science experiment, and its bones and veins were removed and replaced all in the while it was still awake. They gave it nothing to numb the pain. After a while, the child supposedly grew used to the pain, and instead of screaming like the doctors enjoyed, set to creating a plan that would destroy them and the entire mutant race. This child waited until its body was finished and completed, and then broke free, and killed every creature in that place with the utmost pleasure. Blood was spilled on its hands, and it left, never to be heard of again. Since that time, no one has attempted human testing, lest they create a monster like the one some say still roams the Earth tiredly."
"Uh…Creepy." Katai supplied before anyone else, cringing at the thought. "I may like to kick ass but torture just isn't my thing."
Seika and Kenya nodded their agreement.
"Too bad. It is mine."
All time seemed to stop after that statement.
The voice was familiar, and all too well too.
Slowly, the four turned to meet the bloody scarlet eyes, of none other than Kenya's older sister Yoru, standing as pretty as she pleased ontop of the tall hooked black gate before the castle.
Koenma paced his rooms in discomfort. It had been almost half a day since the children had left, leaving a very worried group of parents on his hands, and the possiblity that his father would become enraged with the children's decision to take care of the mission on their own. Of course, he was all for them finding their own way in the world. Their parents couldn't do everything for them, otherwise they would never learn what they needed. But there were a few things that had left him bewildered since the last mission, and it was bothering everyone.
First of all, what would a powerful demon like Lord Rioko need with one thousand human children. Humans didn't possess much energy worth use, and it would be a waste to use human children, when one thousand demon children could generate ten times as much energy. Human children couldn't make a good enough army for such a fiend, and although trainable, they weren't exactly fail proof. They had weaker skin than demons, and were some times not as intelligent if trained by the demon race. So why would he want the children.
Secondly, why had Lord Rioko taken Yoru with him during the mission. If he wanted power, he could have taken Suki instead. She had the strenght required for whatever he needed, and the experience to boot. And then, why did he leave such an easily defeatable demon for the children to beat. If he wanted them to stop following him, wouldn't he have used something with a little more experience or skill? Or was he covering up for a much larger plan.
And why did he have someone like Arune, a simple demon girl that was much sweeter than she seemed working for him. And who was Enura?
Why did he take Tsuki when he could have had Satou, the more powerful child of the two.
And finally, there was only one thing that bothered him. A few days ago, Lord Rioko had sent a note to Spirit World castle, where Lord Enma had received it.
The letter stated that a three hundred year old ritual was to be repeated, and the most deadliest child was to be used in that ritual. Upon completion, all three world, spirit, demon, and human, would be at the mercy of the Demon Lord Rioko.
They figured the demon was confident, and was trying to lure them into a fright where they would make mistakes in their anxiety. But then, why send a note telling them exactly what he would do and where he was? Unless he was expecting a certain group to go and meet with him, and considering his mansion had a raised sheild for only children meant one thing. He wanted the four children.
And yet, Koenma saw an uncanny connection that would most likely give a few clues about Lord Rioko.
For one, each of the children he had so far was offspring to one of the former detectives.
Tsuki, Kuwabara's daughter, wasn't a fighter but she had just as much spirit awareness as her father.
Katai, Yusuke's daughter, although a girl, possessed his skill, spirit, and technique, along with what she had been taught by Chinese martial artists, and Genkai in a training course from along time ago.
Haku, Kurama's son, although young had the same intelligence, power, and ability of his father. He was different much however from his father, in which he knew when he had been beat and when to step in or out of a fight. Although Kurama had the same intelligence, his foxes pride kept him in spot to battle whatever came at him.
And then there were Kenya and Yoru. Koenma figured Yoru had been taken so as to be used as a pawn for Lord Rioko. She was a powerful fighter, and although rather intelligent, she also possessed a greed and a temper that could not be matched by many. She could easily be disposed of.
Then there was Kenya. Kenya was so far the most prized out of Hiei's family. He was strong, determined, and although he possessed a pride, he didn't let it conquer his judgement of right and wrong. He learned what he was given until he could close in on the mastery of it as much as possible, like his weapons, and he would willingly help anyone who needed him. He was Tsuki and Satou's favorite person to look up to, although Tsuki's had changed from him to Seika after a few weeks of getting to know the older boy.
Seika, although not offspring to the detectives, was similar to Yusuke and Kuwabara. He had had a similar life to Yusuke, learning how to fight on the streets and live with instinct. But he had Kuwabara's sense to him in that he possessed the similar energy, and a better judgement of society around him. He wore a smile even when he was depressed, and could sometimes prove to be either clumsy of comical.
Together, whatever ritual of Lord Rioko's would no match. But, if he seperated the team, there was no telling what would happen, and what Lord Rioko would do.
A bell chimed in the room and Koenma sighed. It was time to face his father and surely, Lord Enma would be wondering why his order to keep the children away from the mission would have been ignored.
After all, it was Lord Enma whom didn't want Kenya and his group to fight…because of their age.
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Catse: There you go. That may not be the longest I have ever written, but I do like the chapter. After all, my bad girl is back into play, and you can bet she has a few more new tricks on her hands. Well, there isn't much I can say, except for that I'm sorry for how really late this is and that you forgive me. Oh! And I've just recently drawn another picture of the group. This one is of Haku, Kenya, Katai, Seika, and Niko on Seika's shoulder, all dressed out and ready for battle. It's a group picture of before they get to demon world in their supposedly secret attempt to attack Lord Rioko head on. I generally like it. As of the moment, I am almost finished with the coloring of it, and will do my best to send it to whoever wants to view it if my e-mail wants to be nice to me. Oh well, got to go. Ja Ne for now everyone!
