When The Water Burns
A/N: Chapter 2 of the 'When the Water burns' series. Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho and any of its characters. The Acire on the other hand are my characters, so don't use them as your own.
Chapter 2: Souls of Water
Back in the Reikai palace, the Reikai Tantei waited for Koenma. The prince told them to stay, but most of the team just wanted to go home.
Kurama looked down, wondering who could have done such an awful thing. Most demons didn't care about killing, to some it was a daily routine, but these demons made sure their victims suffered. 'All those innocent demons. I swear, I will find the ones responsible. I swear...'
Hiei on the other hand thought about other things. 'Why didn't they fought back? A water demon race, whipped away at the bottom of the sea. They had the advantage, why... Why didn't they fought?'
Kuwabara just stared, not knowing what to think. He was so shocked when Kurama and Hiei told them what happened. He had refused to see the room where the Acire where gathered before they died, in his eyes that was unworthy towards them.
Yusuke walked around, an angry expression on his face. He was angry with the ones that attacked, but even more, angry with himself. He was to late to help the demons.
Looking at his friends, he realized that they all had a hard time trying to accept it. Botan seemed to have the most difficulties keeping herself together. She was sitting quietly in a corner, staring blankly in front of her, holding her kimono tight in her fists.
Seconds, minutes, they felt like hours. Suddenly the doors to the room opened and Koenma, in his toddler form, entered the room. Once he sat down on his chair, he gestured them to come closer.
When all gathered around the desk, which was filled with all kinds of papers and files, Koenma started to talk.
"What you saw today must have been quite a shock to all of you. Keep in mind, it's not your faults that they didn't survive. Even if we'd responded faster, we'd still been too late."
"Then why did you send us?" Hiei asked, slightly irritated that no matter what, they weren't able to help.
"Unbelief... I didn't want to believe that they were gone. But now that we know that the Acire race is destroyed, we need to try to find the offenders and punish them. And we just lost the only demonic race that was willing to form an alliance with the Reikai."
"Alliance?" Yusuke looked confused. "You mean..."
"I mean that the Reikai and the Acire were allies. They lived in peace at the bottom of the Ithara Sea for the past three thousand years. The water demons didn't believe in violence and murder. They refused to feed on other living intelligent creatures, like humans."
'Good thing they never met Kuwabaka, or else they would've changed their mind.' Hiei thought.
"My father personally visited the leader of the Acire race. That was about thousand years ago. He and the leader of the Acire made the deal, that if they kept their peaceful way of living and didn't harm any creature from Reikai or Ningenkai and would give us information about what was going on in Makai, we would help the Acire out whenever a group of other demons threatened or attacked them. An old deal... They kept their part, but we failed to keep ours. That's why I didn't want to believe that is was to late..."
"Then, what about the singing?" Yusuke asked.
"He's right. It must be created by someone. If they'd all died, then how could there be singing in the air?" Kurama added.
"There couldn't be. Not if they all died." Botan whispered.
"That's why we know that at least one survived." Koenma shuck his head. "In my entire life I've only seen an Acire mad one time. Lets say, I hoped never to see such an outburst again. Once angry, they are very lethal and determent, not stopping before they got what they want."
"What happened?" Kurama asked.
"The Acire have 2 sacred objects, the Book of Wisdom and the Orb of Light. About 300 years ago a demon stole the Orb. Together with an Acire, her name was Rehana, I went to search for it. Once we found the demon, she lost control, ripping the creature apart. He wasn't even able to lay a hand on her."
"Nasty," Yusuke said.
"Are they a danger to us?" Kurama asked. 'If the Acire are as determent to undo the injustice done to them, the survivor would certainly come after the ones responsible, meaning the offenders and maybe one of us.'
"Under normal circumstances, no. But now... I don't know. Most likely. After all, Reikai did promise to help them out, and failed..." Koenma looked down at his desk and sighed.
"And the objects? Are they still in the village?" Kurama asked worried, that if not, their anger would be even greater.
"I don't know. I've sent some people down there to find out. They'll also burry the bodies like the Acire always do with their deceased. The bodies will be wrapped in fabric and will be taken to the streaming layer that flows to the West. According to them, that is where the Sea of Death is, where the souls will unite with the water from which they were born."
"Born from... water...?" Kuwabara scratched his head.
"Yes. During a certain amount of time the Acire gather water from all 4 flow directions. At night, when the moon shines just right, which is only a few days a year, they combine water from all 4 flows, making it solid with sand from the sea bottom. In the light of the moon, a new Acire will be born," Botan explained.
"Indeed. They are creatures born from water. Thanks to this, they are able to control all water, and I mean all. That's the reason why they're so dangerous."
The Reikai Tantei was quiet. Not only would they have to find the demons responsible, but also had to look out for the Acire, which had now become their enemies as well.
"Go home, get some rest. You need it." Koenma said. "Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. The ones that survived are most likely hiding in Ningenkai, because at this moment, that is the safest place for them to be. Keep in mind that the Acire always give a warning before they act, giving the victim or anyone close to them one chance to get away. That way one can never say they hadn't been warned. So remember, if you hear singing from the water, be at your guard."
"Ok," Yusuke answered.
Botan brought them to the portal that leaded to Ningenkai. The team went through, getting back in their own trusted city.
Kuwabara rushed home, because it was already getting dark. He knew his sister hated it when she didn't know where he was.
Hiei disappeared in a blur, getting to the forest. He jumped in his tree, closing his eyes after a long day.
Kurama had one last question for Botan. "Does Koenma have any idea who's behind this all?"
"He's suspecting some demon thieves, but he isn't sure yet. Once it's clear they're the ones, he'll let you know. Then you can hunt them down and give them what they deserve!" Botan told, getting more fanatic by the second.
"It'd be my pleasure!" Yusuke said.
"You're not going without me! I want to do something too," Kurama smiled.
"Don't worry. You'll get your part," Yusuke grinned.
"I hope so!"
"Anyhow, I'll see y'all around!"
"Bye!" Kurama waved his friend goodbye. Botan flew of as well, returning to Reikai.
Kurama walked home, hands in his pockets. It was still raining, but less than first. His hair was sticking to his face. With his hand he put a strand of hair back where it belonged.
The drops on the street stones and his footsteps were the only sounds present. Walking around a corner he stepped into a pool of water, getting his shoe and sock wet. He shrugged and walked on.
He had just walked a few steps, when he heard a sound behind him. Quick he turned around. He saw no one, but the pool in which he had stepped a couple of seconds ago was disturbed. Someone else had stepped into it, too. So he drew the only possible conclusion at a moment like that: He was being followed.
Carefully he looked around the corner, but saw no one. He searched with his eyes every possible place, but there was no sign of anything living but him.
He tried to sense the persons Ki, but he felt none.
"Strange," he mumbled. "I could have sworn..."
He began walking home again, on his guard for anything that might move or any sound other than rain.
The entire way there were no more signs that he was followed, but the feeling was still present. Once home he went inside. He put away his wet jacket and went to his room to get some dry clothes, not noticing that a shadow ran away from the house the moment he had entered.
Chapter 2! I'm on a roll. . Please R&R !