Solitary Mask
Chibi Tsuki
A/N: It's up, it's up, it's finally up! I'm sure you have all been waiting long enough for this chapter. I must admit that the last chapter was rather crappy and it didn't really hold much relevance to the story. It was more like a filler… That tape mentioned in chapter 11 (I think) is actually the tape from the original series. It's translated as 'The Black Chapter' and it had on it the footages of the sickly things that human have done to the demons. I'm not going to say more in case I spoil it any further for anyone.
Chapter 13
The Summoning
His jet black trench coat contrasted his flaming red mane which was tied up conveniently in a ponytail and his striking green eyes, held a sense of seriousness. Kurama entered the old rundown shack which was the Reikai Tantei's meeting area. He scanned the place and headed towards a man cloaked in black, dark spiky hair unable to conceal the third eye on his forehead. Sitting at the only table inside, Kurama greeted the man quietly. Neither were in the mood for anything. For five days the last five, they had been trying to gather information of the whereabouts of Kokudo, but to their dismay, none were successful. Kokudo's operations were to commence the in two days and if they weren't able to halt them in their footsteps then trouble may sound all three worlds once again. The members were arriving one by one, each with as little as they had started off with. Nothing seemed to be right. Being the last to step in, the Reikai Tantei captain approached them immediately noting their gloomy faces. "I guess no one has had any luck," he mumbled, sitting beside him. At the end of the day, they retired to their makeshift beds and rested their tired bodies. Unable to sleep, Kurama sat on his bed and leaned against the window sill, staring outside with the only light being moonlight. Night in Makai was much different to Ningenkai. They were much longer and there were three moons; a shadowy blue one, a minuscule yellow one and a white one. Noticing a thin layer of smoke billowing from the forest outside of the long-abandoned village, he let his eyes follow the smoke rise into the vacant space up above until it dispersed. Most youkai never relied on those outside of their village or gang unless for special circumstances. Every youkai that didn't have a gang lived as a loner which was often a harsh life. In Makai there were also those that lived alone by will and others who lived alone but had connections with assorted groups. This was how life was in Makai. Thinking of camping suggested to Kurama that the Kokudo would also have to be camping in the area for the tunnel that led to the Fury Whirlpool was not far from the village. They could either guard the tunnel or search for their camping area. Or perhaps the camp in the forest was theirs, but now was not the time to be rash. Quietly he made his way out of the shack, careful not to wake the others. Jumping down beside him was the three-eyed fire demon. He had been up sleeping in the branches and seemingly had the same idea as Kurama. They nodded at each other and went to the camping area separately.
~*~*~*~
Somehow I don't think this will be as easy as it seems. Kurama leapt through the trees, using the branches as leaping stones. He slowed down as he approached the camping grounds and listened for any warnings. Just as he straightened his position he heard a strange melody that was almost soothing. Before he was caught by this trance, Kurama stuffed a seed into each ear as replacement earplugs to block out the sounds. If he had listened to it for a second longer it could've hypnotised him. All he could hope now was that Hiei could avoid it. Transforming a rose into a thorny whip Kurama gathered it in his hand and brushed the leaves aside gently with the back of his hand.
"I see we have a guest," said a voice in a calm, gentle tone. "Come out little one." Kurama relaxed his tensed muscles slightly as the speaker moved to pick up an object of the ground. From his position, he noticed a small bundle of fur in the unidentified man's arms. He was a man with a slender frame and long sweeping dark red hair that ended just above shoulders. He wore a loose green shirt that revealed his chest and a small gold earring on his left earlobe. His lower arms were bound with bandages that ran all the way around his wrists and hands. "Hey- huh? Where'd she disappear to at this time?" The man sighed and simply shrugged, leaning against the rock while holding the creature in his arms. It whimpered and leapt out of his arms, following a trail while wagging its bushy tail.
"She's down at the lake," a monotonous voice mumbled.
"Again?" The man laughed softly. Kurama glanced around, trying to find the second person but unfortunately he couldn't be seen. For a moment he recognised that voice but he didn't have the time recall where from for another character appeared suddenly out of nowhere, landing on a pile of wood. Covering the moons once again, the only light available was emitted from the campfire. The third person had long hair tied up in a ponytail and a small frame visible in his or her thin layers of shirts. Although Kurama could only see the back, he assumed that the newcomer was a he, considering his swinging tail and pointy ears; he must be the one, the wolf youkai. A sudden bark startled Kurama. Behind him was a small creature no bigger than a domestic cat, wagging its tail. It licked his fingers and happily took off towards the direction of the campfire. He turned back around upon hearing laughter as the shortest youkai picked up the animal. "Come on kid, you'd better rest for the big days ahead," the first man said as he threw another log into the fire. Lying beside the fire, the young youkai grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around himself, the animal snuggling right in beside him. It made Kurama wonder whether his enemy was actually as threatening as he had once assumed. He glanced up at the tree in which Hiei had used to hide and noted his poise. The three-eyed demon was just about ready to strike, waiting for the other two to settle down. The red-haired man leaned against the tree trunk, closing his eyes while the remaining youkai stayed on watch. They seemed to be prepared for any ambush. Impatiently Hiei slipped out of the tree and landed next to the campfire, kicking the log into fire. The fire flared up more for a moment before dying back down again returning to its former state. Against three, Hiei had a dim hope of winning. Immediately joining his comrade, Kurama stepped into the battle, his whip cracking the ground. To his surprise, the sleeping form lying on the ground didn't wake up. But the animal he had figured to be a wolf pup was very much frightened. It whimpered and crept closer to the still masked youkai. The other two stood up and stared at them, glancing at them from head to toe before taking up their weapons. Kurama looked at the man he couldn't see before, noticing his familiar appearance. It was then that it clicked in his mind; the young man from the infirmary. No wonder, I should've guessed that he wasn't from around, he thought, mentally scolding himself.
~*~*~*~
Instantly launching themselves against the enemy, Hiei and Kurama fought strategically, a one on one battle. This meant that both were occupied leaving them no time to escape or launch a sneak attack. Kurama flung his whip towards the blue haired man, trying to test his abilities. But the man merely dodged left and right, blank expression planted on his face. His dark coloured cloak hung heavily on his shoulders, concealing the type of weapon on his belt. Nevertheless, Kurama didn't feel any less secure as he flicked the whip upwards at him, tearing past the opponent's shoulders.
Hiei blocked his opponent's sword with his own, a metallic 'clang' ringing through the area. Neither was exerting his true power into the fight. It was then that Hiei noticed the sleeping youkai was far from the protection of his fellow comrades. Their main goal was to diminish the Kokudo's plans and what's better than sacrificing the potential one to cause all this? This time, Hiei added more strength into his attacks, diverting his enemy's attention. Once the chance came Hiei swiped at him one last time before pushing off a branch and flying straight at his target with his sword in hand. His speed was incredibly fast. One would die from the impact of hitting the ground if they weren't skilled enough to avoid a harsh crash into the rocky surface. He was now only a metre away, there was no way that either of the wolf-youkai's companions could save him. He suddenly made a short gasp. 'Clang,' the sound of two swords clashing against each other sounded. Retreating, Hiei leapt back and studied the person facing him. He looked so familiar, but from where? The last time he saw someone alike him was… when he was with Mukuro on patrol! But that person was a girl and the one standing before him was a guy, how did this work… unless… Hiei was given no time to think further for his new opponent struck him with little hesitation, holding that deadly looking double-bladed sword in his right hand. His long hair blew wildly as the wind began to pick up, his ears twitched, once, twice. Again, he struck at Hiei with moderate strength as if he had never intended to fight seriously. But Hiei was confident he could easily defeat him.
Just as their weapons were disconnected from each other, his enemy jerked backwards and darted straight at the whimpering wolf pup, collecting it in his arms before a dart immediately struck the ground where the animal used to be. It was a close call. Any later and the creature would've been history.
Together they looked up at the sudden attacker, realising the unfamiliarity. The masked youkai changed the form of his weapon in some way and thrust it at the smirking demon, slicing it in half. The demon was merely a low-levelled creature, hired to do dirty work for a low pay.
Feeling the presence of unwanted guests, Kurama leapt towards Hiei so that their backs were against each other. A gang of around fifty or sixty demons surrounded them, each looking disgustingly ugly in their disturbing figures. They smirked in the most stupid and sly fashion, baring the blades of their weapons to their opponents. Kurama watched as their enclosed the circle around the five youkai. The biggest demon leading the gang chuckled and scrapped his two knives against each other, yelling with an overly-confident voice, "Get them! I want them dead!" Together the mighty group launched at the defending five, lashing their weapons at them as if it was a massacre. Continually, the quintet struck the advancing demons down with few slashes, their blood spilling everywhere. Nevertheless they got up again and attacked as if their lives depended on their defeat. Glancing around, Kurama looked desperately for their target, realising that the trio were nowhere to be seen. For a moment he lost concentration and didn't notice the shadow gliding down at him from above, dagger ready and waiting. But before he had time to react, a thin, clear, dart-like object flew straight at the unidentified shadow with great speed. The figure instantly flinched as the sharp edge scraped his hand, splitting the skin. It retreated, dodging the darts skilfully, escaping into the trees.
Kurama looked to his left where the flying object came from and saw the wolf-youkai facing his direction with a subtle smirk on his face, accompanied by his other comrades. "Don't die Kurama, we're expecting to see you in the future!" yelled the taller man in a calm and cheerful voice. Immediately they departed, disappearing from the area within seconds.
"Let's go Kurama," Hiei uttered in a monotone. The demons they had identified as bandits had been instantly slain.
~*~*~*~
For the fifth time, the red-haired youth replayed that scene in his head where his target had saved him. That mysterious figure was definitely not a low-classed demon. Those demons were just decoys, attracting their attention while that skilled and experienced figure was the real deal sent by the mastermind to kill him. There are two possibilities; one is that the trio and the assassin aren't on the same side or two, they are in the same team except the trio are acting. But why would they do that? And why do I often think of Mikazuki when I see that youkai with the long light-coloured hair? And why did he risk his life for a simple demon-beast? Also, the melody he had heard was directed towards them, meaning that their enemies were much more experienced than he had originally assumed.
~*~*~*~
Mikazuki held the wolf pup closer to her, mind-speaking to it with soothing words. The wolf was a demon-beast with the ability to transform into a much more powerful and perilous form. Demon-beasts usually wandered around in Makai, some along with others of the same type, some finding worthy partners in a youkai. They did as they wished and refused to be controlled by others. They didn't have owners, only partners and friends. That was their way of living. The young youkai stroked her nameless friend who constantly reminded her of her close friend, Song as she tuned into her senior's instructions. Izure was a gentle, kind and charming young man who was currently eight years her senior. In fact, the dark red-haired man was much like her; a youkai mixed with human blood, an outcast from his own kind. Actually, basically everyone in their clan was. Although not a single member was bonded by blood, they were bonded by something else that brought them even closer together; the fact that they had potential and they were all mixed youkai with the label, 'outcast' imprinted into their names. Mikazuki glanced at Iryoku, the cool and quiet one. He was never one to publicise his feelings and emotions to those whom he barely knew. He always acted cool and emotionless towards them. But when among his close friends and comrades, he often displayed his caring and affectionate side especially to the youngest one of the gang whom he was always delighted to be near.
"We're meeting up with our leader tomorrow?" Mikazuki asked, her voice rather quiet and soft. Izure nodded in silence. "I guess that means we get to see the others again and perhaps this time we can catch up with each other." This time, her voice grew much more cheerful than before. She fiddled with her gold earring subconsciously and indicated her sleepiness. The trio searched for a more comfortable area to rest, finding an uninhabited cave. Mikazuki leaned against Iryoku's shoulder and immediately fell asleep.
~*~*~*~
It was already an hour past dusk and the youngest of the Kokudo gang stepped into the tunnel, the sound of her footsteps echoing through the tunnel. The walls were wet and the tunnel was just big enough for her to walk through without bending her knees. She could hear the faint sound of water coming from the other end. At the end of the tunnel was a dead end; a bridge had once connected to the other side of the wide gap below but that had collapsed, leaving a small ledge. Mikazuki studied the distance between the ledge she was standing on and the platform directly in front of her. It was about the length of two normal sized buses, an easy jump for one with experience. Icicles hung from the high ceiling, dangling dangerously as if they were ready to fall. Below were large spikes, made out of ice with their points reaching up for their victims. If one was to fall down, they would slip into a cruel and bloody death. Individually with Mikazuki leading, they leapt across to the other side, using their own routes according to their own abilities. Once on the other side, they reached a magnificent spiralling staircase formed by uneven ice ledges, ascending with the little light they had. It was almost pitch black ever since they stepped into the second tunnel. They soon arrived at a chamber with six alternate entrances. Using her keen smelling senses, she led them through the passage second from the right without pausing in hesitation. Izure used the tip of the fingers and tested the substance on the wall; it was cold just as he had suspected. He sniffed at his fingers, noticing the pure smell of water. "It'll take us slightly less than an hour to get there," Mikazuki informed, "if we travel at the same speed. But I'm positive that the track will be more dangerous as we go on." The group took the information into consideration and continued on their journey.
~*~*~*~
Upon stepping into the entrances of several different passages, the Reikai Tantei froze, noticing a sweet scent. "Don't inhale the scent!" Kurama yelled once he realised what it was. Everyone clamped their mouths and noses immediately with their hands and looked nervously at their team mate. But it was slightly too late; his comrades had already fallen prey to the strange scent. He noticed their weakening bodies, collapsing on the floor. With luck, Yuusuke was fast enough to avoid it and so the two helped their comrades down the stairs near the tunnel entrance, laying them against the cold stone walls, waiting for the substance in their bodies to wear off. Kurama explained to them that the scent carried a powder that could easily paralyse someone once they breathed it in. Unless one's body could tolerate such a strong powder, they could definitely be paralysed by it, unable to move for about two hours, one and a half if you're lucky. Now that Kuwabara, Hiei and Botan were in such a state, Kurama and Yuusuke were the only ones left to carry out the mission. "Yuusuke, your body seems to be immune to the powder," Kurama uttered as they raced through the maze, having lost twenty precious minutes already.
Grinning cheerfully, Yuusuke replied, "Not really, I just happened to be eating a bread roll and my nose was blocked after having a bleeding nose from walking into the wall."
Kurama smiled weakly, asking himself, is that guy just really lucky or plain stupid? As he was running, Kurama smelt another scent; this time it wasn't dangerous, just simply very familiar. He remembered smelling the fragrance while he was standing near someone. It was the beautiful and sweet fragrance of the Madonna Lily. I know where I've smelt this scent recently. It was the first time I met Mikazuki; inside the classroom. She always smelt of lilies and although it was faint, I could smell it… Smiling at the thought, he didn't notice his companion slowing down. "Kurama, did you hear that?" Yuusuke asked with a serious expression on his face. The red-haired bishounen gasped, barely audibly; something was wrong. Without further delay, they rushed on desperately.
~*~*~*~
Approaching another chamber, Mikazuki's face suddenly lit up even though she tried to hide her surprise. The entire chamber was made of crystal-like stalactites and stalagmites, their beauty surpassing all others she had seen. It was definitely extraordinary and something worth admiring. In the middle of the chamber was a gigantic pool, with surface water constantly dripping into the cold freezing pool. The pool itself was approximately eight times larger and deeper than an Olympic pool from the Ningenkai. Having forgotten about her mission Mikazuki took a few steps forward and stroked the water's surface with the tips of her fingers, feeling the icy chill. She took a quick glance back at her companions before suddenly tearing into water and disappearing altogether under the surface. When she resurfaced three minutes later, she jumped out and onto dry land, once again absorbing the water into her body. "It's just as I suspected, I've been-" she started, cut off by a voice.
"I see you've all gathered here," the speaker said, stating the obvious.
"Sir," the seven comrades addressed their leader in unison, supplemented with a polite bow.
The tall, dark framed man slowly walked towards Mikazuki, placing a broad hand over her head and stroked her gently. "You've never disappointed me and I hope you never will." He chuckled and stepped away from her, walking in the direction of the others. "I want you all to guard this place, make sure no one enters this place!" His voice was suddenly strong and commanding. "When the moon is full thrice, the ice will melt. The waters will find their way, chosen by the gleam of moon. Once mastered, it then will vanish!" He recited in triumph before relaxing once again. Whipping around, he walked up to the silent youkai, standing by the pool. "You've finally earned this Mikazuki." The man brought out a small box from his cloak and opened it in front of her. It was a simple gold ear ring: a symbol of the elite. Carefully taking it out of the box, Mikazuki smiled and fastened it onto the edge of her left furry ear, puncturing a hole through the skin. To her it didn't hurt the slightest bit, but that was because she had survived much harsher wounds and danger. If one were to whimper at a small puncture through the skin, they weren't worth anything in Makai. Come to think of it, Hiketsu had complained how much it hurt when he got his ear pierced… Dismissing the thought, she thanked her leader sincerely.
Light suddenly flooded into the chamber, moon rays reflecting off the water's surface. It was an amazing sight; one Mikazuki couldn't keep her eyes off. It's so beautiful… Without her even realising it, she was taking steps into the crystal clear water which was already up to her knees and continually rising. Her comrades watched her, some in amusement, and others in silence. When the water was up to her waist, she halted and stretched her arms forward, palms facing up as if holding the moon rays in her hands. Slowly they flipped and lowered onto the surface. The rays covered her body like snow, making it a blinding white. It took only a split second for her to vanish under their watchful eyes; a split second for her to suddenly disappear.
~*~*~*~
Hurtling down the never-ending passage, Kurama and Yuusuke never ceased to take a deep breath. They just kept running as fast as their legs could carry them. "We're nearly there, I can sense it," Yuusuke murmured. Suddenly there was light, revealing the end of the passage. From here on, it was only a two minute dash. But why was there light? As they came closer and closer, Kurama sensed something else; something tugging his mind.
"Be prepared Yuusuke," he cautioned. Yuusuke acknowledged it with a firm grunt.
As they ran into the chamber at the end of the passage, they were shocked, having seen the back of a figure standing in water at waist-height. There was a blinding flash… and then the figure was gone.
~*~*~*~
A/N: Yay, at last! Here's an extra long chapter for all you faithful fans out there. I'm sorry if it seems to be dragging a bit, but each chapter is sort of like an episode except it doesn't really work that well… Anyway for some reason I particularly like this chapter. Ooo… More bishie appearances starring Kurama! Perhaps Youko Kurama if we can catch him before he runs off…
