Death Dimension
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I do own Taikyo, the plot, and the alternate universe.
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Chapter One: Never Dare a Demon
"Lord Koenma!"
With a frown, the demigod looked up from the rather long paper that contained a complaint about one of his spirit guides to see the bubbly deity running towards him. "Yes, Botan? What's wrong?"
The girl skidded to a halt in front of his desk, her eyes wide with panic. "O-One of the demons e-escaped from the U-Underworld Prison when t-they were going in to t-torture him!"
Koenma jumped to his feet, forgetting about his previous activity. "Do you know what prisoner it was?"
"H-Hai, Koenma-san!" Botan replied, trying to calm herself down. As soon as she had caught her breath, she continued. "It was Taikyo..." (1)
A kind of choking noise escaped the demigod as he pulled up the profile database on the large screen in front of his desk. After entering the youkai's name, the profile on him came up.
In a shaking voice, Koenma began to recite the information. "Taikyo... A four-hundred year old demon capable of opening portals to any time, place, or dimension... Has only been caught once before..."
"And that was when we caught him, right? Before Yusuke came to us..." Botan whispered. "Well, I'm sure that he'll be able to handle this guy, right?"
Koenma shrugged. "I'm not sure... If Taikyo can open portals at random, I don't even know if Kurama could take him on..."
Simultaneously, they both gulped before Koenma spoke again. "...Assemble the entire team. We can't allow this demon to roam free any longer."
Botan nodded, and hurried out of the room, looking quite distraught. Koenma slumped back in his chair, starring up at the screen forlornly.
'If this turns into another catastrophe, I'm going to go through with those permanent vacation plans...'
---
Yusuke sighed as he and his friends continued to trudge through the dense forest. Botan had come with a presumably vital case for the Tantei, and she had wasted no time in getting the team together and sending them off to save the world, as usual. Behind him, Hiei and Kuwabara were slowly slipping into another verbal fight, while Kurama lingered next to him, alert for any sign of the renegade demon.
The detective turned to Kurama, intent on figuring out exactly how their enemy's powers worked. "So... What did Botan mean when she said that this Taikyo guy can open up portals whenever he wants to?"
The kitsune glanced at him before returning to observing the area. "Basically, Taikyo can create a rip between time, dimension, or location when he desires to. For example, when we're fighting him, he could create a portal between you and him when you're in a headlong charge, sending you careening into the rip."
"...What?" Yusuke asked, and the former Youko sweat-dropped. "I'm sorry if I'm not as smart as you, but-"
"He can make a portal to anywhere he wants, so be prepared. We'll leave it at that." Kurama muttered, ducking under a low branch.
"...Oh. Why didn't you say so?" the detective said, causing Kurama to shake his head mockingly. "Hey, don't give me tha-"
A sudden snapping sound and a loud cry of pain interrupted their conversation, and the two spun around to see Kuwabara lying on the ground, clutching his arm, while Hiei stalked up to them, looking positively infuriated.
"Geez, Hiei, what'd you do to him!" Yusuke exclaimed as he ran over to his friend's side.
The Jaganshi growled deeply. "He insulted my heritage, so I broke his arm. Do you have a problem with that, Detective?"
"Well, you didn't exactly help this mission, Hiei!" Yusuke responded, helping Kuwabara to his feet before glancing over to the kitsune. "You don't happen to have anything that can heal him, do you?"
Kurama paused before nodding, ignoring the dark glare that Hiei shot him. "Hai, I believe that I do..."
The former Youko made his way over to the youth, who was whimpering pitifully. Reaching into his scarlet locks, Kurama pulled out a small seed which he inserted into a cut in Kuwabara's arm. "It will take around half an hour to work."
"Thanks..." Kuwabara muttered, while shooting an angry look at the fire apparition, who merely scoffed in reply.
Letting out a sigh, Yusuke began to make his way down the path again. "C'mon, we should hurry..."
"I believe that won't be necessary."
Immediately, the Tantei spun around to face the direction that they heard the voice from. Hiei quickly drew his katana upon reflex, while Kurama pulled out a rose, hurriedly manipulating it into a whip.
An eerie laugh came from the darkness of the trees that lined the path. "It would not be wise to fight me... If those idiots up in the Reikai told you anything, you'd know why..."
Yusuke glowered at where he assumed that the youkai was. "Why don't you come out and stop playing hide-and-seek like a kid?"
"That really hurt, ningen... I am anything but a child..." the demon replied, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Slowly, and almost dramatically, he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his appearance. He had shoulder-length navy blue hair, and rather hypnotic silver eyes. Smirking at the group, which showed off his demonic fangs, he spoke again. "I do hope that you know that I won't be coming with you easily, nor coming with you at all."
"That's what you think." Yusuke retorted, readying his Spirit Gun. However, before he could fire, Taikyo vanished. A shimmering light was left in his place, which disappeared a second later.
Yusuke looked around wildly, trying to locate the demon. A sudden yell from Kuwabara made him spin around, only to falter when he saw his friend in Taikyo's grip. His fists clenched, and he glared daggers at the enemy. "Put him down. Now."
"Actually, I think that I won't... Perhaps I could just get rid of him?" the demon answered with a psychotic grin in place. Making a diagonal slash in mid-air, he opened another shining portal. He held Kuwabara in front of it threateningly. "Give me one reason to, and I swear that I will..."
Kuwabara swung an arm at Taikyo, attempting to hit him away. However, the demon caught his fist single-handedly, smirking down at him.
Yusuke tensed, feeling panic begin to settle into his mind. As he spoke again, his voice shook with anger and a slight hint of fear. "Don't you dare...!"
A soft cackle escaped Taikyo. "Never dare a demon, ningen... It will prove to be deadly..."
Yusuke's breath caught in his throat as he saw Taikyo pull back his arm before throwing Kuwabara into the portal.
Without thinking, the detective charged at the youkai, seething with rage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiei and Kurama doing the same. However, before they could hit Taikyo, the demon vanished.
A choke of fear came from Yusuke as he tried to stop himself. His feet dug into the ground as he leaned backward, while he also felt something wrap around his waist. He winced as he felt thorns dig into his flesh, and he recognized it to be Kurama's whip. A sudden weight came from the other end of the whip, and Yusuke saw Hiei gripping the kitsune as well.
Yet Yusuke's momentum was too great, and it carried him straight into the rip. Two shouts came from behind him, and he knew that he was pulling his friends in with him.
The last thing he felt was a tingling sensation, and a sudden pain in his shoulder blades. After that, all Yusuke knew was darkness...
---
Koenma and Botan stood frozen before the screen as they watched their entire team hurtle into the portal. It closed behind them, leaving not a trace behind. Taikyo then opened up another rip, which he disappeared through.
Botan let out a strangled gulp as she turned to the demigod. "N-Now what, L-Lord Koenma...?"
Koenma paused before shaking his head. "...We watch what happens... There's nothing that we can do for them. We have no way of knowing where that portal led to, unless we catch Taikyo somehow... Otherwise, they're on their own."
The deity sniffed loudly, staring back at the screen with watery violet eyes. "...Why did this have to happen...?"
Koenma hesitantly pulled her into an embrace, running a hand through her hair while she sobbed onto his shoulder. "I don't know, Botan... I don't know..."
(1) Taikyo: the sky / the universe
