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.
Warnings: This story contains mild shonen ai. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care.
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Chapter Two: Without A Soul
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...
---
A low groan came from the detective from his position on the ground. His whole body ached, especially his back. Wincing slightly, Yusuke pushed himself up, noticing the forest around him. 'What...? I thought we fell into a portal. Shouldn't we be somewhere else...?'
Moaning softly, he glanced around the area. A flash of white from his left caught his eye, and he crawled over to it. Upon further examination, the detective found that it was a pure white flower that had bright pink and green spots covering the petals, along with a peculiar striped stem.
'Okay, I know for sure that this isn't a normal Ningenkai flower...' Yusuke thought as he tentatively reached out to stroke one of the leaves on the stem. However, when he was almost an inch away, a large dark shape behind him caught his attention.
Yusuke whipped around, only to see nothing. A rustling sound reached his ears, and he spun around again, quicker this time, yet he was still met with the same sight. He frowned in annoyance. Something was there, and he had to find out what; otherwise, he'd probably go insane with anxiety.
The detective jumped when something brushed against his shoulder, and rested there. He didn't look back, afraid of what he'd see; instead, he tugged at the object on his shoulder and brought his hand back to his face to examine, ignoring the dull pain that he felt when he had pulled on the object.
'A... A black feather...?' Yusuke choked slightly at the thought as he realized what it came from. With a strangled gulp, he looked behind him, letting out a yell of shock a second later.
The detective's vision spun and he felt his legs begin to shake. Unable to stop himself, Yusuke collapsed back to the ground, having only one coherent thought.
'What the hell happened to me...?'
---
Kurama's eyes immediately snapped open as soon as he regained consciousness. Something didn't seem right. The kitsune sat up, ignoring the sharp pain in his left leg as he glanced around the forest. It seemed to be the same as the one they were in earlier, but Kurama knew that it wasn't. Tentatively, the former Youko sniffed the air, letting out a rather loud gasp when the barrage of scents filled his nose, instantly creating a migraine.
Raising a hand to his forehead to try and dull the headache, Kurama began to sort through the scents. Eleven of them came from plants of species that he knew, while fifty-six came from ones that he did not. Three scents were of his teammates, though they appeared to be a bit different. Another fifteen were ones that he couldn't identify. Finally, Kurama recognized the heavy stench of death surrounding the forest.
Also, it appeared to be around one in the morning, the lack of sunlight causing everything to be covered in shadows.
Well, at least he knew for sure that something wasn't right.
A frown found its way onto the kitsune's visage. He knew that they weren't in the Ningenkai; that part was obvious. The Makai? No, none of these plants were native to any of the three worlds that Kurama was extremely familiar with, so that also excluded the Reikai.
A small growl escaped him. Too much thinking; not helping the migraine at all...
'But finding out my location is more important. I'll deal with the headache later.' the redhead corrected himself.
His mind drifted to their battle with Taikyo, and what the youkai had said; no, that wouldn't help... The fox already knew that daring a demon was as good as signing a death wish. Instead, Kurama thought back to what Koenma had told them of the demon's power: the ability to create a portal to any time, place, or dimension.
...Wait a minute...
...Dimension?
The thief stiffened, instantly alert. If they really had been sent into an alternate universe, he had no knowledge of the beings that inhabited it; whether they were dangerous, gentle, or fearful of people was unknown.
Kurama got up from his kneeling position and onto his feet, sniffing the air again to find the fire apparition. After confirming Hiei's location, the former Youko sped off in that direction, wincing as a jolt of pain traveled up from his ankle. Apparently, he had sprained it one way or another.
The Jaganshi's scent led him into a much darker part of the forest, which was also incredibly wild and untamed. The trees grew thicker and close together here, giving Kurama next to no space to wriggle through. There was no path to follow, and the kitsune knew that if he lost track of Hiei's scent, he'd probably spend weeks wandering aimlessly before finding the boundary.
Kurama stopped when the trail ended, and he looked around. No sign of Hiei. Growing worried, the fox glanced up, and let out an audible sigh of relief when he saw the familiar black cloak in the tree above him.
However, as he began to climb, that same paranoid feeling came back, telling him that something was wrong... that the situation wasn't how it was supposed to be...
As Kurama reached the branch that Hiei was on, he bit his lip. Something about the apparition was different, but the kitsune couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was how strands of Hiei's ebony hair were hanging in front of his eyes, or how he seemed rather limp, or that his skin was paler than usual...
Or maybe it was because he wasn't breathing.
---
Darkness...
Shadows...
Nothing at all...
But was it really that bad?
Hiei opened his eyes to see black. Everything was black... It was an abyss. He frowned and stood, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his chest. His crimson eyes traveled over the void, trying to determine where exactly he was.
The pain in his chest instantaneously doubled, and a gasp of anguish escaped the apparition. A sudden wisp of white smoke erupted around him, along with a piercing scream.
Wait...
His scream...
Hiei fought to stay upright, but despite his efforts, he collapsed to his knees. While gritting his teeth in agony, the Jaganshi opened one eye partially to look up at the supposed smoke. To his surprise, it seemed to be taking the form of himself, yet it remained transparent...
Hiei's eyes widened in horror when he realized that it was his soul leaving him. A choking gasp came from him as he crumpled to the ground, his eyes instantly falling closed.
'So, this... this must be Death...'
---
A sound of irritation escaped Kuwabara as he found that he was right where he started: next to a gigantic tree that looked like it was hundreds--no, thousands--of years old. He had been wandering around this accursed forest for at least an hour, and he'd gotten no where. Plus, his team was missing.
That was another thing: he couldn't track them at all. His sixth sense seemed like it had disappeared, in a way. The ningen couldn't pick up a thing, besides the unnerving feeling that the forest was giving him. Along with that, Kuwabara had found that he couldn't summon his Spirit Sword when he tried.
A sudden cry of misery erupted from the trees around him, seeming to come from his right. The cry soon died away, only to be followed by more wails.
'It sounds like... someone's hurt... Hey, maybe I should go and see if I can help 'em!'
Deciding upon this, Kuwabara sped off into the trees again, intent on finding the source of the shrieks. He tried to keep on a straight path, but the crying was coming from the left now, while the trail veered off to the right. Shrugging, Kuwabara left the safety of the trail.
The sound of weeping led him to a cluster of thick trees, and the ningen just barely squeezed through. However, the sight that met his gaze caused him to freeze instantly.
Kurama looked up from the Jaganshi's body, unknowingly revealing the tears that were cascading down his cheeks. He pulled Hiei's form closer to himself, almost protectively...
Kuwabara frowned, and took a step closer. "Fox-Boy, w-what's-?"
"Hiei's dead."
The ningen's eyes widened in disbelief, and he shook his head while trying to process the information. "N-No way... That's not possible...!"
The kitsune looked away, another sob racking his body. "I c-checked for a pulse; there's nothing, no heartbeat... He wouldn't respond when I tried to wake him up..." Kurama's watery gaze wandered to the apparition's face, and he bit his lip incredibly hard to stop the cries from escaping. "...The scent of death surrounds him, Kuwabara... It is him..."
Kuwabara's fists clenched at his sides. Sure, Hiei wasn't the greatest guy he knew--er, had known--but the shrimp was a teammate. Just the thought of him dying... No. He... He couldn't be dead...!
The ningen slowly made his way over to Kurama, and knelt down next to the Jaganshi's limp form. "...Have you tried giving him some of your life energy...? I mean, it worked for me when Urameshi beat that Suzaku guy..."
Kurama shook his head, not meeting the other's gaze. "It wouldn't work... I've t-tried everything..."
Kuwabara fell silent, his eyes downcast.
---
'At least the sobs have stopped...' Kurama thought sadly as he ran his hands through the Jaganshi's hair. He had been here for at least an hour, if not two, judging by the amount of light getting through the thick canopy above them.
He sighed, forcing his gaze away from Hiei. Kuwabara had fallen asleep a short time ago, leaving the kitsune alone with only a corpse as company. Kurama went back to stroking the unmoving Jaganshi, trying to ignore the unnerving feeling he was getting.
A small, wry smile appeared on the thief's visage. If this was another of his "something is wrong" feelings, he'd probably trust it. After all, they had been correct the first two times... 'It's highly unlikely that I have psychic techniques now... This is purely instinctual, unlike Kuwabara's sixth sen-'
A low gasp suddenly escaped Kurama. Had he just imagined it, or had Hiei just... twitched?
No... impossible...
The former Youko scoffed. "And now you're hallucinating, Kurama. Wonderful."
However, when a sudden weight rested on his knee, all thoughts on hallucinating and illusions vanished.
Kurama looked down only to see Hiei's hand weakly gripping the kitsune's leg. Kurama's eyes widened in shock, and he swallowed the shout that dared to form, instead settling for a whimper. "H... Hiei...?"
Slowly, one crimson eye fluttered open, locking gazes with the kitsune. "H-Hn... Fox..."
Kurama's hands fell limply to his sides, and he said nothing for a moment before he had embraced the Jaganshi, crying softly. "Hiei... W-What happened!"
A look of surprise appeared on Hiei's visage before he relaxed, being too tired to put up a struggle. "...I died..."
"What?" the kitsune asked, pulling back slightly. "But then... How are you-?"
"I don't know, fox." Hiei muttered softy. "All I know is that I died and that I no longer have a soul. Don't ask me about how I can be in the Living Realm..."
Kurama nodded, returning to stroking him. There was nothing that he could say to comfort the apparition. Sure, Youko Kurama had "died", but he had never lost his soul as Hiei apparently had...
The Jaganshi rested his head on Kurama's shoulder, his eyes closing lazily. "Where are we?"
"I'm not sure. All I know is that we're no longer in any of the Three Worlds." the kitsune replied, biting his lip. "Kuwabara's here, but we still need to find Yusuke-san..."
A soft growl escaped Hiei. "I hate it when you do that..."
Kurama looked slightly surprised. "Do what?"
"Call him like he's superior to you." Hiei snarled out, his fists clenching. "He's not. If anything, the Detective should be referring to you with '-sama'..."
The thief chuckled, unable to stop from blushing lightly. "We'll look for him later, alright...? You should rest."
Hiei raised a brow, unseen by Kurama. "Fox, I'm dead. I assume that I don't need sleep."
"I don't care. Sleep. Now." Kurama ordered, nudging him like a vixen would her children.
Hiei blinked before complying, settling down in his companion's lap. "Did you ever think about having children?"
The kitsune's eyes narrowed, a growl escaping him. Hiei only smirked as he once again fell into the dark state of unconsciousness...
A/N
Magus Black: I've never heard of that... I'll check it out sometime, probably once I've got a free day with no homework. Also, your third guess for Hiei was correct, though the others weren't. Gomen! I thought along those lines, but... I'm trying to write something that doesn't follow the normal guidelines for this kind of story. ( However, you did mention what Kurama will be, but did not list it as a guess. If you did, tell me. x.X My eyes were hurting when I read your email... ) Though, the idea of Hiei as a mortal is quite enticing...
x. Don't tell me that I didn't "reveal" what Yusuke is, exactly. I think you can take a pretty good guess. Besides, it's for plot-structure.
x. Ningenkai, Makai, Reikai: Human World, Demon World, and Spirit World. ( I'm surprised that some people didn't know this. )
x. Tantei: "detective". ( Reikai Tantei: literally, "the Spirit World Detectives". )
x. If you can't tell what happened to Hiei, here's the summary: Hiei "died", and his soul was ripped away from him. No, he won't be getting it back any time soon.
x. Yes, there's mild shonen ai. Get used to it. I'm a fan of it, so if you dislike it, tough chow. Don't you dare review and tell me to take it out. I like it, I want it, and it's my story! If you don't like it, write your own!
x. Don't correct me if I get anything wrong on the "symptoms" or details of the supernatural creatures. As I said earlier, it's my story. I'll write it how I want. Also, some things just won't fit in for the plot, so I'll be excluding a few.
x. Lousy place to end it, I know. I would have ended it after, "Or maybe it was because he wasn't breathing.", but I'm too kind and decided to give everyone an extra long chapter. Feel special. I don't do this often.
x. And don't worry! The action will pick up after a few more introductory chapters! ( Maybe around.. two? Or one, if I'm feeling nice. ) It's necessary to do this, otherwise no one would understand a thing about the universe they're in.
x. OOC, whatever. I'm trying as best I can.
x. Hint: They've been 'changed' into different beings... Now, let's think about Hiei; what supernatural creature is "dead"? Hm? Any questions? No? Didn't think so.
