When The Water Burns
A/N: Hello! - Please tell me what you think of this fanfic, but please, go easy on me... Anyway. Don't mind the stiffness. There can be some OOC, I'm not really sure...
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or the characters. But I do own the Acire. Do not take them as your own characters. They're mine. ALL MINE!!! MHAHAHAHAhaha cough out of breath I should stop doing that...
Chapter 1: Hidden in the Deep
Dark clouds began to cover the blue sky. Thunder could be heard in the distance. The wind, that just an hour ago could barely be felt, now swept over the land. Small trees bent under its power. A storm was coming.
"Just my luck," whispered the boy. With his brown eyes he looked at the clouds that came closer by the second. He could run home, but he didn't feel like it. Or he could walk, getting wet by the rain. He didn't feel like that either. "Decisions, decisions..." he mumbled.
After a thought, he decided to walk and just get wet. You couldn't stop the rain and he wasn't going to be afraid for a bit of water.
Slowly it started to rain, but soon it was pouring. Yusuke walked on, slightly cursing. The now abandon streets reflected every image, almost mirror-like. The sound of drops hitting steel, wood and stone filled the air.
In the distance he saw a green sail. Normally it was used to block the sun, but under this condition, it could also be used as a spot to take cover. Yusuke looked. No, no other persons there.
"Shelter!" he said happily. He sat down on one of the chairs. It was made from reed, painted white. Personally, Yusuke found this pavement café very pleasant. When the wetter was good, people would come here to buy ice cream and talk about who knows what.
Which reminded him of the time he and Kurama took Hiei out to get some 'sweet snow'. Hiei looked at the ice cream like it was everything he lived for. The face of the cashier, it was priceless.
He let out a small sigh, a smile on his face. He closed his eyes and listened to the rain, ticking on the sail and the street stones. It was so peaceful. Ok, that was not something he would say out loud, it could ruin his reputation, but still, he liked the sound.
When lighting flashed through the sky, his eyes shot open. "Damn," he whispered. He really wanted to go home, warm dry home.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the sail, staring at the clouds. They were dark gray, almost black. He hated lightning. He told Kurama more then once to stop talking about all the accidents that happen during storms, it creped him out. Another sigh escaped his mouth. "OK. I'll just run home, as fast as I can."
He looked at the street and was about to run, when... "What the...!"
Just that moment he heard a sound. Not that of footsteps or any other thing moving. It was more like... words. Not speaking, certainly not nearby, almost like singing.
Where'd come from? It was so soft, it could barely be heard, but it was there. Looking around, he saw no one. Whispering words, slowly forming sentences. It seemed to hold on the same pass as the raindrops.
'We've fought an endless road
Based with awful lies...' (A/N Don't own, song name: This is how it is, by Twarres)
"It couldn't..." Yusuke stared at the water on the streets. The same pass, drops, pools, every bit of water moved the same way.
'We couldn't find the key
To open up our eyes'
"Ok, this is really freaking me out," he said. 'This is defiantly NOT normal. I'll have to tell Koenma about this...' Again, he looked at the sky. 'Now, how to get to him fast...?'
'Together... forever
It wasn't meant to be'
"Yusuke!" a very familiar voice yelled.
'My prayers have been heard... Well, almost...' he thought to himself. In front of him landed a girl on an oar. Her blue hair was sticking to her face and her pink kimono had become a few shades darker. "Botan! How good to see you! I was just thinking about you!"
'If we can't hold on,
Then we've got to let it go'
"No time for a chat. We have a serious problem!"
"You're wet and need some dry clothes?"
"That too, but that's not what I'm here for. You noticed the rain, didn't you? The point is, everywhere, and I mean everywhere in the 3 worlds it's raining."
"So...?"
"So? SO...? It's a major problem SO!
"Does the singing have anything to do with it?"
"You mean you hear it?"
'And this is how it is now
No more looking back'
"Yes, don't you?"
"Of course I do! But the singing is mere an extra proof of who are behind this. We need to go to Koenma's, now. This is very serious. The Reikai Tantei must respond and act now, before it's too late. So, that's why I'm here. To pick you up. The others are waiting for us, so lets go!" She grasped Yusuke's jacket and flew of.
'This is so embarrassing. Can't she just buy a car, or something?' He started listening to the words again. What was going on? Maybe the answer was in the song.
'Love has finally left us
And is gone away
No, it wasn't meant to stay'
Whatever it was, he was more determined than ever to get the information from Koenma.
"Where is he?!" Koenma yelled. He was floating around in the room, getting more pissed by the second.
"I'm sure they could be here any minute now," Kurama said, trying to calm the prince of Reikai down.
"Hn, they'd better be. The sooner they're here, the sooner we can leave."
Hiei had barely completed his respond, when the doors slammed open. Yusuke rushed into the room, Botan hopping behind him, moving difficult in her wet kimono.
"What took you? I've been waiting for the past 21 minutes!"
"Gomen nasai," Botan whispered. "I had some trouble finding Yusuke."
"Just don't let it happen again," Koenma said. Clearly he felt this wasn't the time to argue. "Now, listen up, we don't have much time. You're going to the Ithara Sea, in the Eastern parts of Makai. Botan will take you there. At the bottom of the sea, there's a village. Its inhabitants are the Acire, a water-demon race. We've received messages that the village is under attack. Go there, and try to stop the ones behind the assault. Any questions?"
"How do we recognize an Acire?" Kurama asked.
"They are all very different, but the one thing they have in common is their blue-grayish skin."
"A sea isn't small. How will we find the right place?"
"Like I said, Yusuke, Botan will take you there."
"And just how are we going to breath. I mean, we'll have to go under water."
Koenma tossed all of them a small pill. "With that. It makes your lungs able to get oxygen out water, for about 2 hours."
"And I have a question too, sir," Botan said, slightly shaking. "Will we be on time? The singing often means that it has already happened."
"I know, but lets hope that this is one of the exceptions. Now, get going. The clock is ticking!"
"Alrighty!" Kuwabara said. And with that last statement the Reikai Tantei followed Botan, to get to the portal that would take them to the Ithara Sea.
"Let's hope they're on time," Koenma whispered. "I don't even want to know what would happen if they're to late..."
"Great, I'll never get this salty water out of my clothes, never!" Yusuke said.
"This isn't the time for complaining." Botan jumped of her oar in the water. "The village is down here. Five minutes swimming. Follow me."
They all dove down. Yusuke and Kuwabara swimming side on side with Botan, Kurama and Hiei behind them.
After 4 minutes of swimming the water started to change. It became warmer, the flow softer and calmer.
"Look!" Kurama said, pointing in the distance.
A blue light seemed to dance in the flow. When they came nearer they saw it was a water-like liquid that glowed almost like fire.
"That shouldn't be here..." Botan stated.
Swimming further it became clear the liquid came from a plain at the bottom of the sea. Looking closer the Reikai Tantei noticed small houses build on the lose sand. The walls were made from grayish bricks, roofs from sea plants. The ground was covered with shells and above the ground hung rope, made from seaweed. On the weed hung glass balls, slightly glowing. Some were broken, causing the liquid within to be carried away by the water.
In the village was an eerie quiet. There was no sound except that of the flow. Damages to the building suggested that there'd been a fight. The team looked, but they found neither the Acire, nor the ones that had attack the village.
After a while Hiei found a dragging trail. He called Kurama and together they followed it to a large building. They opened the entry doors.
In the hallway seemed to have been some struggles. Walls were damaged, lamps broken.
Silently the 2 demons swum through the hall to a door that was barricaded. Hiei easily got rid of the block of stone that was place in front of the passage with his katana. Holding his sword tight in his hand, ready to attack everything that moved, Kurama carefully pushed the door open.
Hiei's eyes widened, Kurama looked away. In the room were dozens of Acire, bound to blocks of stone, hooks on the walls and other objects. All of them had been blindfolded, their skin bruised and scraped. Wounds on arms and backs told the 2 demons that the water demons had been beaten up.
All water demons had stab wounds in their hearts, neck and other places on the body.
"We're too late..." Kurama whispered, guild in his voice. With sad eyes he looked at a young girl hanging on the ceiling, her lifeless body moving at the movement of the stream.
"The others need to know," Hiei said, closing the door. The ones responsible, he knew, were long gone.
A/N First chapter. Hope you liked it! Please R&R, let me know what you think.