Death Dimension
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I do own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, 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. Also, the story uses the traditional vampire theme, instead of the new "modern" one. Don't complain about it to me.
Regarding the chapter title... If you've seen 'Mary Poppins', you'll know doubt remember the phrase "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down". Change a few words here and there, and that should explain a few things.
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Chapter Five: A Cupful of Blood Helps the Pain Go Down
"Now, now... No need to fight. Trust me, it would be over soon, and I'd be the one lying on the ground." the woman chuckled. "It's obvious. No normal dark angel would enter the Shade Realm unless they were forced to, because humans hunt them, idiot. (Do you know how many people saw you today? There'll be a bounty on you soon.) Vampires only leave the Shadow Realm to feed. Also, any vampire is smart enough to not venture out into the sunlight! Even a human child knows that! And, on top of that-!"
She cut herself off when she saw the youth's blank look. "...You're not following me, are you...?"
Slowly, Yusuke shook his head. "No... I kind of lost you around the 'Shade Realm'."
"I knew it... Typical male." Kathryn said, sighing. "Alright... Where should I start...?"
"Try, 'where are we?'. That could help." Yusuke replied, sweat-dropping.
A surprised look appeared on Kathryn's visage, obviously saying, 'You don't even know that?' However, she responded with the simplest answer possible.
"Well, we're in Estatris."
Another groan came from Yusuke as he looked up at the ceiling, already feeling a migraine forming.
---
Kathryn giggled softly before looking up at the ceiling as if it would give her an idea. "Now... Let's see... Estatris has four realms: the Pure, Shadow, Shade, and Sea. Different creatures reside in each, like-."
Yusuke interrupted. "What kind of creatures?"
"I'm getting to that. The Pure Realm generally contains 'good' beings, while the Shadow is the opposite. You could say that the Shade and Sea ones are the neutral creatures." the innkeeper explained, flicking through a few pieces of parchment.
The detective raised a brow in curiosity. "What Realm are we in now?"
"The Shade one. Some of the creatures to watch out for are werewolves, faeries, harpies, griffins, roc, centaurs, and an occasional vampire or two." Kathryn replied, her gaze flickering to Hiei and narrowing. "...Humans openly despise the last..."
Yusuke's fists clenched slightly at her last comment, but he pushed his anger away. "...Er, what about the Pure and Shadow Realms?"
"The Pure holds light angels, phoenixes, faeries, unicorns, roc, and elves." she said. "As for the Shadow Realm, no one knows exactly what resides in there, as humans never return from it after entering. However, we do know that there are two similar and deadly creatures in existence, one in the Shade and one in the Shadow. People are saying that it's unlike anything else, and just looking it in the eye could kill you."
The youth leaned forward in interest, though was disappointed when Kathryn stopped. "...Has anyone lived to-?"
Kathryn shook her head. "No. And before you ask, that's all I know about this supposed 'monster'. Now, though..." She leaned forward, her gaze suspicious and curious. "...Tell me how and why you are here..."
Yusuke gulped. He wasn't sure what he should say, how much to tell her...
'This is an alternate dimension, Yusuke. There's no Reikai or Makai anymore... There's no way she'd be able to use the information as it is...'
The detective sighed, crossing his arms before explaining. "Alright... We're from another universe... Hiei and Kurama were demons, Kuwabara was human, and I was half-and-half. We worked for the ruler of the Spirit World, or the lord of the afterlife; however you want to put it. We caught rogue demons that had escaped from the Spirit World prison or into the Human World from their own.
"Anyway, we were fighting one of them a few days ago; Taikyo was his name. He somehow could open portals, and during the fight, he... well... yeah." Yusuke finished, his eyes closed in thought.
Kathryn nodded, having tried her best to understand. "So... You need a way back home?"
"You think?" Yusuke remarked, rolling his eyes. "Do you know how?"
The woman paused before speaking. "...I'm not sure, but there might be someone who could help you in the Pure Realm... If it weren't for the barrier between the Shade Realm and that one, you'd be able to get there in a few days. However, because there is... You'll have to travel through the Shadow one."
Yusuke shook his head, skeptical. "But you're not sure... This guess could be completely wrong... If what you said was true, we'd end up dead sooner or later."
Kathryn shrugged, suddenly standing. "And it'll be sooner if you stay in our Realm. With an inexperienced, moronic vampire who probably doesn't even know how to feed, and an angel that can't fly, your mismatched group won't last long."
A soft growl escaped the detective as he also stood, fighting to keep his temper under control. "What do you think we should do, then?"
"Head to Indarcis, which is about a two day walk east from here, Escea. From there, go to Laurivias, a small, run-down village that borders the Shadow Realm. After that, you're on your own." Kathryn replied as she put the chair back, striding over to the door after.
Yusuke followed her, pulling it open quickly. "Thanks for the 'lesson'."
"You're welcome." Kathryn shrugged as she stepped out, though she cast one last glance to the comatose Jaganshi on the bed. "...You can purchase blood in the tavern down below... It would help him."
Yusuke looked back to Hiei, worry instantly filling his gaze as his anger subsided for a second. "...Alright..."
With that said, the innkeeper left the doorway, muttering to herself about 'stupid bloodsuckers'. Yusuke sighed, leaving as well after a few moments.
'Koenma... You really need to get us back...'
---
A rather loud groan escaped the Jaganshi as he heard someone calling his name faintly. He was laying on something incredibly soft, warmth surrounding him on all sides. For a moment, he wondered were he was, his eyes quickly fluttering open.
A choke of surprise came from him as he bolted upright, not recognizing the beige walls. Hiei gasped softly as a spasm of pain ran through him, and he fell back onto the bed he was in.
"Whoa, Hiei! Watch it. You're still hurt..."
The Jaganshi hesitantly opened one crimson eye, peering up at the person who had spoken, finding it to be Yusuke. He made to reply, only to realize that his throat was parched.
Yusuke looked at him in concern. "Hey, do you think that you can sit up for a moment? I've got something that could help."
Hiei nodded slightly, not having the energy to argue, or to object when the detective wrapped an arm around his small frame to help him. Instinctively, Hiei glanced down at his body, his eyes widening when he saw the blistering scorch marks that covered him. His gaze wandered up to Yusuke, demanding answers.
The youth sighed. "In short... Hiei, you're a vampire... The sunlight burnt you."
The Jaganshi froze, but Yusuke continued before he could say anything. "Kurama can give you more of an explanation later. For now, you need to drink this." he said, reaching for a rather large cup that was on the dresser.
Hiei looked at the garnet liquid inside of it, sniffing the air experimentally. Immediately recognizing the metallic scent, he flinched in repulsion.
"That's... blood." he murmured softly, shaking his head to the side. "I'm not drinking that, Yusuke..."
The detective frowned. "You'll have to eventually. Otherwise, you'll die completely, Hiei..."
"No." the Jaganshi spat out, glaring. He attempted to growl, only to have it come out stuttering. Yusuke returned the glare with one of his own, his grip on Hiei tightening as the former demon made a move to get away.
A sudden yelp escaped Hiei as he put pressure on his injured wrists. Yusuke took this opportunity to press the glass to Hiei's lips, tilting it upwards so that the crimson trickled into his mouth. The Jaganshi's struggling immediately ceased; his eyes went wide as unmistakable lust filled them. He weakly took a hold of the glass, greedily lapping up the blood.
Yusuke sighed in relief as he released the cup, which Hiei pulled closer to himself. The detective couldn't help but laugh as the apparition fell backwards onto the mattress, still licking at the garnet liquid.
"It's almost like alcohol to him now... Wonderful." Yusuke muttered to himself as he stood. Hiei's wounds were healing rapidly with the blood intake, as predicted. "I'm going to be leaving for a bit, alright? Just stay here and rest..."
The former demon merely nodded and Yusuke chuckled again. After giving his friend one last glance, he headed towards the large glass doors, which he pulled open. He stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him as he took in a deep breath.
"Alright, Kat'... Let's see if I'm really a damned angel that can't fly..."
---
A long sigh escaped the Jaganshi as he stared up at the ceiling. Had anyone else in the room been conscious, he wouldn't have been in the vulnerable position he was in now, nor would he have let his icy demeanor fall for the few minutes he had to himself.
Hiei's eyes fluttered closed for a second, not caring that he was acting submissive at the moment, with his throat and stomach exposed for attack. The glass was set on the dresser, now devoid of all traces of crimson. The apparition opened one eye to glance at it, mentally thanking Yusuke for the blood.
The Jaganshi bit his lip, wincing as the vampiric fangs dug into the soft flesh. He quickly retracted them, unconsciously licking up the small amount of garnet liquid that appeared. His gaze once again returned to the plain ceiling as his mind mulled over the recent events.
They were in another dimension, he knew that, along with everything the onna had said to Yusuke. ( After all, he had only been partially unconscious at the time. ) Speaking of the detective, he had somehow transformed into a dark angel... Simple enough. The former demon had heard thousands of myths concerning them while in the Makai, along with many about...
...Vampires.
A soft, almost undetectable moan escaped him as he closed his eyes again. He didn't require Yusuke to tell him of what he had become. He had known the moment that the hunger for blood had begun...
Hiei gritted his teeth together in annoyance. This new 'transformation', so to speak, had taken a lot out of him, both figuratively and literally. The weaknesses of a vampire had obviously affected him, and judging by how he felt at the moment, it would still take a few days to recover from the initial shock. However, none of that would amount to the result of losing his demon heritage.
The Jaganshi let out another long sigh as he sank lower into the mattress, his gaze distant. As soon as he had awoken after death, the Kokoryuuha had... had left. Hiei no longer possessed it. It had been ashamed of being a part of him, of what he had become...
The apparition shut his eyes tightly. Secretly, he felt so weak and powerless with out his infamous destructive attack. All the time and effort he had put into making that beast obey him was now for nothing...
His Koorime blood was gone. He didn't think he'd miss that half of him, but he did. That was the half of him binding him to his sister, the fragile ice maiden... The only thing.
The Jaganshi glanced out the window at the cloudy sky, the weather only causing him to feel even more depressed. She was in an entirely different world...
Here, he didn't have a sister.
Here, Yukina didn't exist.
Here, he shouldn't even exist...
"Hiei?"
Immediately, the former demon lept up from his submissive position and into an alert and defensive one, the cold mask slipping back into place. His gaze swept over the room only to lock with a sleepy emerald one.
"Hn... What, fox?"
Kurama stood from his own bed and stumbled over to the one Hiei was in, rubbing one of his eyes. "How did you sleep?"
The Jaganshi clenched his eyes shut. 'Why do you have to act like we're back in the Ningenkai, Kurama? We're not. Don't even think about-!'
The kitsune sat down beside him, suddenly wrapping his arms around the kyuuketsuki's small frame as he pulled him close. "...I missed sleeping beside you last night..."
'-...doing anything like that. Shit.'
Hiei let out a growl of warning, attempting to pry away Kurama's arms. "...Fox... I don't want this right now. I'm not in the m-."
However, before he could finish, the former Youko began to place feather-light kisses along his shoulders, working his way towards Hiei's neck. The Jaganshi snarled deeply as Kurama reached his face, causing him to unconsciously bare his fangs.
Luckily, Hiei was saved as a rustling noise came from the balcony, which caused Kurama to spring away from him. A second later, the black-haired detective came in, covered in scratches and bruises. Several twigs and leaves clung to him, through Yusuke seemed not to acknowledge the plant life.
Kurama bit his lip as Hiei edged away from him, though his attention was on the kuro no tenshi at the moment. "What were you doing, Yusuke?"
The former human grinned cockily. "Flying. Anyway, we've got a bunch of stuff to do today!" Noticing his teammates' confused expressions, he decided to elaborate. "We need to shop."
Hiei stared at him, undeniably disgusted with the idea. "Listen, Detective, if this is some kind of pathetic attempt at a joke-."
Yusuke shook his head, replying while striding over to where Kuwabara was sleeping. "If we're going to find a way to get back, we'll need supplies. Do you really think that we'll be able to survive without anything? Honestly, don't you ever play any video games?"
Hiei's gaze narrowed while Kurama nodded in agreement. "I don't have time for games."
The detective sweat-dropped before roughly shaking his orange-haired friend. "Oi', Sleeping Beauty! Get up!"
Instantly, Kuwabara lept into the air with a shriek, quickly rounding on Yusuke. "Urameshi, what's the big idea! Can't a guy even get some s-!"
The angel held up a hand to stop him. "We're going out to buy some thing for this next big-ass adventure."
Kuwabara frowned before shrugging. "Whatever. Are we leaving right now?"
Yusuke nodded as he made his way to the door. "Just grab anything you think you'll need. Make sure you have your cloak on, Three-Eyes. The last thing we need is fried 'Jaganshi-On-A-Stick.'"
A/N
Taisuke Harakiri: Thanks so much for the review! I know, the interpretation is kind of weird, but then again, my parents won't allow me to read the Vampire Chronicles... ;-; I'm 'too young' for them, and the whole family is very religious, so... That should explain that. Besides, this is more of a... ah, how do you put it...? ...A "past" fantasy story. I needed some of the weaknesses and such from the Dracula-type vampires, seeing as not much can kill Anne Rice's vampires, from what I've heard. n.n; Sorry!
x. I know that the whole description of Estatris was completely confusing, but before you email me or a leave a review asking questions about it, please try and read it over.
x. Most of the supernatural creatures listed in this chapter won't appear. Sorry; I don't think I'd be able to fit in Yusuke flying with a giant, peace-loving bird Or a roc, if you will.
x. "Indarcis": pronunciation: in-DAR-sis; the 'cross-road' town of Estatris being in the very center of the land and directly between the three main Realms where other creatures besides humans live. Here, you'd probably encounter everything from an elf to a vampire, or anything that's in-between. It is also a main importing village, though not as large as the main city.
x. "Escea": pronunciation: ES-see-uh; one of the major towns, also a port town. Not many other beings other than humans reside in it, though you might see an occasional traveler. Escea also borders a dangerous forest that creates the boundaries of the three main Realms, that forest being the one that the Tantei awoke in.
x. "Laurivias": pronunciation: LORE-i-vee-us; a run-down village that borders the Shadow Realm, protected only by a thin mile-long stretch of trees. It is constantly attacked by non-human beings, and is anything but safe. However, it provides the only clear passage into the Shadow Realm, which is why the Tantei must travel that way.
x. If you're in need of a description of any of the creatures mentioned during the run-down of Estatris, please visit w w w dot monstrous dot com. ( Seeing as that's where I've gotten all of my information... )
x. "...The kitsune sat down beside him, suddenly wrapping his arms around the kyuuketsuki's small frame as he pulled him close. "...I missed sleeping beside you last night..." ..." - I honestly don't know why Kurama was acting that way. Personally, I think it might have been him coping with what had happened to his lover, or trying to comfort Hiei by showing him that he still loved him... I don't think the comforting part worked.
x. Hint: The "two similar and deadly creatures" that Kathryn mentions during the explanation will play a big part in future chapters, and will affect one of the Tantei's members greatly.
