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, Griffin's Tavern, and the alternate universe. Estatris
References are made to the three following movies: "Dracula", "The Thirteenth Year", and "Van Helsing". I claim no ownership to them, obviously.
Warnings: This story contains 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. Finally, werewolves, when transformed, will be depicted as regular wolves. I'm not a huge fan of the human-wolf hybrid form.
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Chapter Eight: Trial by Moonlight
Yusuke stared at the kitsune in awe. Needless to say, he had never heard Kurama say anything so... well, pessimistic.
'He's probably just... having an... off night. Yeah...' The detective came up with the excuse quickly before retreating back into the room. Hiei's whimpering had increased, and so he made his way toward him, intent on comforting the Jaganshi in order to quiet him down. ( Otherwise, there'd be no chance of him getting any sleep at all. )
And yet while doing this, Yusuke kept his now-violet gaze on Kurama, who had started up yet another song...
---
Sleepy emerald eyes peeked open as the rather loud chirping of birds reached their owner's ears. A light breeze was whistling through the trees on the ground below him, while the bright sunshine reflected off of the glass doors.
A frown immediately appeared on Kurama's visage. He sat up quickly, finding that he was lying on the balcony.
'That's odd... Why would I be waking up out here...?' the kitsune though as he pulled himself to is feet. He seemed to be the only one outside, too...
Obviously confused, Kurama slowly made his way back towards the room entrance, his steps slow and tired. However, as soon as he caught site of the bed that Hiei and himself shared, his gaze narrowed dangerously.
'...Yusuke...?'
Sure enough, the detective was there, having fallen asleep sitting up. He was leaning against the headboard, while Hiei was curled up beside him. Yusuke's hand was resting atop the kyuuketsuki's head, his fingers entwined in the ebony hair.
Kurama felt his fist clench at his side, the abnormally sharp nails digging into his palms. Without realizing what he was doing, the former Youko found himself striding over to the side of the bed, only becoming aware of his actions when he grabbed the tenshi by the front of his shirt and threw him across the room, sending several loose feathers flying.
Instantly, Yusuke was awakened. His eyes opened, quickly taking in his surroundings. He noticed the kitsune standing over him, and his gaze filled with confusion when he saw the rage in his friend's jade orbs.
"Kurama... What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed, pushing himself into a sitting position while leaning on his hands.
"I could be asking you the same thing." Kurama spat back, blood dripping from the slits created by his semi-demonic claws.
"What are you talking a-?" Yusuke started, though he cut himself off when he glanced back at the bed. "...Oh... Listen, I can explain-!"
The fox interrupted him, glaring angrily. "I trusted you, Yusuke... Isn't Keiko-chan enough?"
The detective's eyes went wide as he comprehended what his teammate had sad, and he lept to his feet. "Kurama, if you think that I'm trying to 'steal' Hiei from you, you've got it all wrong! I was just-!"
Once again, the fox interjected. "Yes, Yusuke! What were you doing? I'd love to hear it, because from what I saw, you were obviously trying to sleep w-!"
Yusuke's lips were pulled back in a snarl, his wings spread slightly. "You idiot! I woke up last night, and Hiei was having some kind of fit. I was tired, and I wanted to get some rest, but that would've been impossible with him whining like a whipped dog!" The former hanyou allowed a growl to escape him before he continued. "I went to comfort him, but then fell asleep on accident! It could've happen to anyone!"
Kurama watched the detective silently as he strode over to the door, grabbing his cloak on the way. While throwing it around his shoulders to conceal his wings, the tenshi glanced back. "But if you're going to wake me up and then yell at me about crap like that, then I'm leaving. I'll be at the bar if you need to accuse me of anything else."
As the door slammed in his face, Kurama turned back to look at the peacefully sleeping Jaganshi, unable to hide the flickers of hurt that appeared in his eyes.
---
"So, Fox-Boy, when do you think we'll be leaving? I mean... We've gotta try to find a way to get back home, and it won't be in this place, you know?"
The kitsune looked over to Kuwabara, who was leaning on the back of the chair he was sitting on. "Perhaps tomorrow... Though, we'll need to find means of transportation... As fit as we are, I highly doubt that we'll be able to trek through this land on foot, considering what we know about it. What do you think, Hiei?"
From across the room, the kyuuketsuki shifted slightly from his position against the wall. "Hn. Ask the detective. He's supposed to be the expert on things like this."
Kurama's gaze narrowed slightly before he turned it to Kuwabara. "He's downstairs in the tavern... Why don't you get him?"
"Why me?" the orange-haired youth asked, though he immediately shuddered at the icy look that Kurama sent his way. "Alright, alright... I'm going..."
---
As Kuwabara descended the flight of stairs that led to the pub, he fell into a defensive state of mind. Needless to say, he wasn't too fond of the inn they were staying at; though, that wasn't the main reason. Something was telling him that something terrible would happen today, and he was in no rush to be the victim of such an event.
Perhaps his sixth sense wasn't entirely gone, after all...
A sign was placed above the bar door, which the ningen quickly read out to be 'Griffin's Tavern'. The name seemed odd to him, as he wasn't sure what a griffin was. Shrugging the matter off, he pushed open the door only to be greeted by a round of obnoxiously loud talking and the scent of alcohol.
Kuwabara glanced around the tavern, finding it to be much like the ones back home. The only difference was the lack of electricity and stone countertops. (As it appeared, the main building item in this dimension was... wood.)
Frowning, the youth scanned the different people once again, this time finding his friend in one of the shadowy back corners with a table to himself. He began to shove his way through the uproarious crowd, letting out a relieved sigh when he reached Yusuke.
Some of that relief ebbed away when he saw the light blush that stained the tenshi's cheeks, signifying that he was completely drunk, or close to it. However, Kuwabara was surprised to see that the detective had only consumed two bottles, along with half of another which was clutched loosely in his hand.
"Geez, Urameshi. I thought that you could knock back a lot more than three shots before you got stoned!" he exclaimed.
A lopsided grin appeared on Yusuke's visage as he looked up at his teammate. "...This is stronger stuff then what we have back home..." He was going to say more, but was cut off as he hiccupped.
Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "C'mon... This is no time to be drunk! We need to meet Fox-Boy and the shrimp outside."
Yusuke took a swig from the bottle before he replied in a whining voice. "But why...?"
"Because we just have to, okay!" Kuwabara exclaimed, and he promptly grabbed the detective by the hood of his cloak, choking him a bit. "Now c'mon, and stop wasting time!"
As his friend proceeded to drag him from the tavern, Yusuke took one last wistful drink before dropping the empty glass bottle to the floor, where it shattered instantly.
---
After discussing the matter with Yusuke, he had instantly come up with the most idealistic mode of transportation for them: horses.
Luckily for them, the streets weren't as crowded as the day before, which made it much easier for them to locate the stables, which were at the edge of the town. According to Kathryn, the city of Escea was known for its equines, as they had a wide selection of different breeds, all in perfect condition for what the Tantei needed them for.
When they arrived at the ranch, they were bombarded by the smell of hay and animals. There were around thirty stalls on each side of the building, each occupied by a majestic horse. Some were pawing at the ground below them, their hooves scrapping against the stone like nails on a chalkboard, only to a lesser extent. Others were chewing slowly on the hay laid out for them, while a few were merely staring around in boredom.
On the opposite end of the stable, a large group of people surrounded a single stall. Whatever they were ogling at was blocked from view, though it was apparent that it was of great interest.
Kurama turned his curious gaze away from the crowd, instead focusing on the other selection. "Alright, well... I suppose that we should each search for our own, ne?"
Hiei watched silently as the rest of the Tantei spread out, browsing about the animals. He stayed where he was, having no desire to rush. In truth, he didn't like the idea of relying on something else to travel. Not that he hadn't ridden on a horse before, of course. He had once, when he was still young, living in the Makai...
The Jaganshi frowned before turning his gaze to the others. Kurama was stroking a steeple-gray thoroughbred's face, smiling as it nudged his hand. Kuwabara was looking at a large, gangly mustang, his features contorted in thought.
Yusuke, though... He was talking to a sleek black stallion whose breed was undeterminable. When Hiei listened closely, he found that the tenshi was actually hitting on the horse, apparently still under the influence of the alcohol he had consumed. The horse, in turn, seemed to be laughing at his antics.
The former youkai shook his head in slight disbelief before glancing around at the selection once more. To him, most of them were nearly identical: shades of brown and beige. However, a chestnut-colored mare caught his eye soon enough, and with a small sigh, he began to approach it.
Yet as soon as he was roughly three steps away from her, the horse reared backwards while letting out a loud neigh of fright. Hiei leapt back from the stall as she began to buck wildly, only settling down when he retreated. Once at a safe distance, the Jaganshi bared his fangs at the mare. Perhaps it was only 'disturbed', but it had truthfully startled him.
Shrugging the matter off, the kyuuketsuki turned instead to a pinto, and once more tried to move towards the horse; it too began to kick about, its large black eyes wide in what seemed to be terror. Hiei backed away from it as well, his small frame shaking with pent up anger. He would like no more than to slaughter all of these wretched animals... And he was about to do just that when a woman approached him.
Briefly, Hiei recalled glimpsing her in the crowd clustered at the back of the barn. Apparently, the frantic cries from the two horses had drawn her attention over here. "Aye, havin' a bit o' trouble there, vamp'?"
Instantly, Hiei had rounded on her, his crimson orbs having already been blazing. How dare that idiotic human wench speak to him as if they were equals? His lip pulled back in a snarl, his fangs suddenly aching to be imbedded in her throat. The urge came from no where, but Hiei found that he was about to willingly submit to it.
That is, until Yusuke and Kurama strode up.
Hiei's wrists were grabbed by one of the two, knowing it to be the tenshi when Kurama strode in front of him. The kyuuketsuki let out a rage-filled growl, though it cut off when Yusuke tightened his grip; while this quieted him, Hiei only began to struggle against the detective. (Also, it was made clear that the alcohol effect had started to wear off just enough for Yusuke to think clearly.)
Ignoring the subtle 'fight' going on behind him, Kurama turned his attention to the woman. "May I inquire as to why you were speaking with our friend?"
With crossed arms, the female replied, her voice carrying what seemed akin to a Scottish accent, of all things. "Well, the horses started actin' up when he got near 'em, an' I was curious abou' it. Besides, he was already angry when I got 'ere!"
Yusuke let out a snort of disbelief, paying no attention to the fact that Hiei had started to nip at his arms. "Do you really think that a horse will let a vampire ride it? They're smart animals, and know the difference between good and evil!"
The human rolled her eyes. "So then he should've known that, too. I can't help it if he's stupid."
Kurama cleared his throat loudly, trying to control his tone. "Be that as it may... I suppose I must apologize for our friend's... attitude." - (Hiei growled once again at that comment.) - "Now, if you don't mind me asking... What do the people over there find so interesting?"
"Oh, that." the woman muttered, apparently still agitated. She glanced back at the crowd behind her before continuing. "Someone bloke caught a rogue unicorn, of all things. They're talkin' 'bout what t' do with it."
The kitsune raised a brow, feigning a mixed tone of curiosity and something akin to shock. "Rogue unicorn? I wasn't aware that such a thing existed." He ignored Yusuke's whispered comment of, 'That's bull, Fox-Boy!'
"They're very rare beasts. These ones are the complete opposite of your regular unicorn; all black and dark, red eyes, too. If ya' had to categorize 'em, they'd be righ' up there with your kind." she said, directing the last phrase to Hiei. The vampire merely snarled at her again.
There was a short pause in which no one spoke, though it ended when Kurama's eyes widened a bit. He glanced back to the woman. "How much for the rogue?"
"Um... I'd have to say around three or four hundred gold pieces... Why do you ask?" the ningen replied, looking at the group in suspicion.
Yusuke's grip lessened in surprise, giving Hiei the opportunity to free his wrists, which left the detective clutching the former demon's upper body. "Kurama, are you insane? What the hell would we do with it?"
The kitsune turned his gaze to the tenshi. "Were you not listening? Vampires and 'rogue' unicorns are supposedly placed under the Dark element... Perhaps there is a chance that it will allow Hiei to ride it." Yusuke looked as if he was going to continue the argument, but stopped as a yelp came from him as the Jaganshi started to gnaw on his arm with renewed vigor.
"Anyway... Let's make it seven-hundred gold pieces, to include the other three horses as well. Would you like me to pay you right now?" Kurama questioned as he returned his attention to the woman once more, hiding a smirk at her flabbergasted expression.
---
A ferocious growl escaped Hiei as the tenshi pushed him into a corner of their inn room. Kurama and Kuwabara were watching from a ways away, the former showing that he was utterly concerned.
"Dammit, Detective! Get the hell away from me!" the Jaganshi yelled, lunging at Yusuke, who dodged easily.
"It's for your own good, idiot!" Yusuke exclaimed before shoving the kyuuketsuki to the ground. A small whining noise came from Kurama as he watched, too worried to be angry.
"Yusuke... Is this really necessary?" the kitsune whimpered.
"Because it's the night of the full moon, hell yes! Tonight is when vampires are thrown into the worst bloodlust that they'll ever experience; no matter how much they feed, their thirst won't be quenched until the next day. Considering the fact that they're taken over by their more animalistic mind, they'll attack anything they see in the search for blood." Yusuke said all of this calmly while pulling out the Holy wards they had purchased the day before. "That's why we need to bind him."
As Yusuke muttered the activation spell, the slips of paper began to glow brightly, the writing on them shining eerily. Hiei's crimson eyes widened as he felt the Pure energy rolling off of them in waves, tainting his essence. He scrambled about madly, his claws raking across the adjacent walls behind him as he tried to press himself against the floor. "Don't you dare-!"
The kyuuketsuki was cut off as one of the wards was pressed against his wrist. The bright white energy traveled up his arm before spreading throughout the rest of his body, forcing Hiei to shriek loudly. The intensity of the sound made the others wince, though Yusuke continued to place the wards upon his friend. One went on Hiei's other wrist, another on his chest. Two bound his legs, while two more were placed on the back of his neck and between his shoulder blades.
Through all of this, the Jaganshi cried out, his eyes wide in disbelief and pain. Even as a demon, such things hadn't affected him so greatly; perhaps only stunning him for a bit. Never had a sutra like this led to him screaming, and just the thought of that almost caused his cheeks to flush with embarrassment; and he would've if he wasn't preoccupied with trying to kill Yusuke.
The detective lept back as Hiei's claws flew through the air, raking through the space that his head had been moments before. The energy was covering most, if not all, of the vampire, and would soon paralyze him, or knock him out if the Holy power generated was strong enough.
As soon as that thought had crossed his mind, Hiei had started to appear lethargic. When his talons swung through the air, the act wasn't as swift as usual; if anything, it looked as if it was a pathetic, submissive attempt to attack.
(Of course, Yusuke kept that opinion to himself.)
Eventually, Hiei's arms fell limp at his sides, leaving him panting heavily as the energy continued to course through him. With a groan, the kyuuketsuki slumped to the ground, but not without giving Yusuke one last glare before his eyes fell closed, signifying that he was unconscious.
---
A small sound of relief came from the tenshi as he alighted upon the balcony railing. He'd really gotten the hang of this flying thing; as he'd been 'practicing' every night, he'd become quite good at it. And flying under the full moon was even better.
Grinning to himself, Yusuke jumped down from the banister, the action causing a few loose feathers to fall from his wings. Barely noticing what he was doing, the detective caught one of them between his fingers and started to twirl it about, gazing at the gossamer feather fondly. 'I have to admit... I really like this change. Having wings isn't as bad as I thought...'
Yusuke was jostled from his thoughts as a figure suddenly appeared in the doorway. He instantly recognized it to be Kurama, though something seemed different about him. The kitsune's scarlet locks were tousled, looking much more rugged, as if he hadn't brushed his hair in several days. However, his emerald eyes were the complete opposite, looking bright and excited. If Yusuke didn't know better, he'd say that they were glowing in the dark.
Despite the appearance of his eyes, the fox's voice was tainted with nervousness. "Yusuke, could I speak with you?"
The former hanyou frowned in slight confusion. Wasn't Kurama still angry with him over what had happened earlier? "Er... Sure."
After a quarter of an hour, the two found themselves inside the forest that they had appeared in. They didn't stray too far in, instead lingering a ways away from the boundary. Kurama reminded him that they should keep the town in their sights so as to prevent them becoming lost... again.
Exhaling quietly, the detective leaned against a tree as they came to stop in a small clearing, quite similar to the one that he had woken up in. Brushing the thought aside, he glanced over to his companion, noting how disheveled he looked. "...Kurama, is something wrong?"
The kitsune hesitated before replying. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I was hoping that you would have an idea after the incident with the silverware..."
Yusuke nodded, falling silent. Once a few minutes had passed, he spoke up again. "...Listen, I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I just-."
A chuckle escaped Kurama. "Say no more. I spoke to Hiei about it as well, and he says that he has no knowledge of what was going on. As you said, he was fast asleep..."
A sound of relief came from the tenshi as silence enveloped the two once more. Yusuke glanced up at the bright moon, which was completely covered by a cloud at the moment. Despite his mental protests, he found his thoughts straying back to Hiei, wondering how the former demon was dealing with the bloodlust. He just hoped that Hiei hadn't removed the wards somehow and killed Kuwabara.
"Yusuke?"
The kuro no tenshi was drawn out of his thoughts by Kurama's voice. "Yeah?"
"Nothing. You just looked like you were in a trance." the redhead replied, a small smile gracing his lips.
"No, just thinking..." Yusuke murmured. However, the kitsune's words had brought the events of last night to his mind. "Wait... Speaking of trances, Kurama..."
His friend looked up at him. "Ne?"
"...Last night, you had gotten out of bed and went outside. I felt the wind coming through the doors and it woke me up. Naturally, I followed you." the detective said. "You were singing to the moon, like you had been hypnotized by it..."
Kurama frowned, slightly confused. "I don't remember doing that, though that would explain why I woke up on the balcony... But how would that help us?"
"I don't know..." Yusuke said softly. He could sense that something wasn't right. The silver, the trance... They were both pointing right at the answer, but he still couldn't think of the creature...
"Damn... I can't remember!" Yusuke exclaimed, clenching his fists.
Kurama looked at him in slight sympathy. "It's fine, Yusuke. Don't strain yourself. It's quite all right if we don't know what I am... We don't know about Kuwabara, either."
The dark angel shook his head. "Exactly... I should know these things, Kurama! I've seen almost every movie on supernatural creatures! I mean, c'mon! That one with Dracula, the old one? I've seen that ten times! I've even seen one about some kid turning into a merman! And then, the movie..."
As the tenshi continued to talk, Kurama's gaze wandered up to the moon, which was almost completely uncovered. He couldn't stop himself from staring at it with a dazed look in his eyes. It was so bright, so utterly gorgeous... Slowly, the cloud unveiled the full moon, and his emerald eyes lit up.
"...You know, where that sexy princess Anna teams up with that cool hunter guy - what was his name, Gabriel or something? - to go up against Dracula?" Yusuke asked, but when he received no response, he glanced over at his companion. "Hey, Kur-?"
The detective cut himself off when he saw how Kurama was bathed in moonlight, his eyes shining eerily. Suddenly, the former Youko's form went rigid as he let out a gasp of pain.
Yusuke looked at him in concern. "Hey, Fox-Boy, what's-?"
However, before he could finish, Kurama sank to his knees, clutching his head. The angel watched this in utter confusion as he slowly began approaching his teammate.
Yet before he could say anything else, Kurama let out an ear-splitting cry. To Yusuke's amazement, the agony-filled cry began to sound more like the wounded call of an animal...
Kurama's hands and feet shrunk, forming into paws before accumulating a rich red fur. The fur rapidly began to spread across his body, quickly consuming him completely. A sleek tail protruded from the base of Kurama's spine, through his skin and clothing.
His howls seemed to shake the very trees of the forest, and Yusuke began to back away, his eyes wide in shock. The former Youko sprouted two wolf-like ears a top his head, his eyes watering in anguish. The cracking of bones rung throughout as his form shrunk to match the body structure of a wolf, while his nose and mouth elongated to form a whiskered muzzle.
Yusuke backed up against a large oak tree, staring at the creature in front of him. He looked on in horror as the beast got to its feet before turning to face him.
"...Oh, shit."
A/N
x. Yeah, um... Rogue unicorns. 'No clue where I came up with those things.
x. Do I get points for confusing you? n.n; If you have any questions, just put 'em in your review, but only after you've thought about it for a while.
x. I was originally going to make this chapter a lot longer, but I decided that you've waited long enough, so the "second part" to this will be in the next chapter... And that'll be up... eventually...
x. "Perhaps his sixth sense wasn't entirely gone, after all...": This is not a clue for Kuwabara. His sixth sense hasn't really returned; that's just what he thinks.
