Kurama and Hiei found the gateway back to the Reikai and took it quickly. When they crossed through they quickly made their way up to Koenma's office. No one dared to stop them one because they found Botan and were escorted by her and two none of them would dare stop two powerful demons like themselves. When they arrived at Koenma's office the little godling raised an eyebrow at Kurama's unexpected "arrival."
"Kurama?" the fox looked at him with a pleasant smile. "There better be a good reason for why you're here."
"Would you like to hear how your Spirit Detective and his friends were defeated by an interesting demoness," he liked the description he called Arika, "or do you just want to know about her history?" His sweet smile and emerald eyes gave no indications that he was enjoying the godling's confused look.
Koenma looked away form the tall red head and stared at his shorter companion. Hiei was leaning against one of the walls and clearly not one bit interested in discussing anything with anyone at the moment. "As powerful as I am I still don't know what goes through his mind." Koenma sadly admitted to himself. He shook his head then looked at Kurama once more. "First, tell me as much as you know about her past," he figured out that that information wasn't coming from Hiei, "then, tell me what happened when you found her." Kurama smile and nodded. "Botan?" Koenma called before Kurama opened his mouth.
"Yes, Koenma!" Botan responded, floating down on her ore and hopping off of it. It disappeared in thin air with a flash of yellow light.
"Take notes on everything Kurama says and whatever special abilities this creature has," Koenma explain, she nodded then ruffled through her pink outfit to find a piece of paper and pen. Koenma didn't notice that Hiei made a slight growl at the name he dared call his "old friend" but he didn't make a scene. Koenma nodded toward Kurama to begin when he returned to his seat behind his desk.
Kurama started to explain everything Hiei finished telling him not to long ago. He looked to his small companion every few minutes to see if he missed or said something wrong but Hiei didn't give any notion of inaccuracy. Kurama told about Arika's past like Hiei did, he spoke of a human. When Kurama was done Koenma sent Ogre to find any files on the names Narika Twin and Baruko. Koenma decided any information regarding her might be found in their files, if those two had one. However he knew it would take at least a few days for them to find any files.
Kurama then began discussing the battle he and the others had to endure with Arika. It crossed Koenma's mind that it might have been easier on them if they were able to fight no holds bard but he did want her alive. When Kurama was done detailing Koenma only thought of one thing, "How did we miss this demon?" It was common for a human to be misfiled or not filed at all but a demon was taken more care of unless it was tampered with.
Kurama noticed that Koenma wasn't disturbed that Arika was beyond doubt a demon and a twin so he pressed his question, "Koenma?" The small boy looked up at him in acknowledgment. "Can twin demons exist?"
Koenma looked at him with confusion. "Is that a rhetorical question, Kurama?"
Kurama realized that he didn't understand. So he explained, "We've pretty much came to the conclusion that she is a demon." The small boy nodded. "Well if she's a demon wouldn't her sister be one as well?"
"If they're twins, of course. Why would you ask me…" Koenma stopped his question suddenly realizing what Kurama was trying to point out to him. "Impossible…"
"Shot Gun!" Yusuke yelled again.
Arika barely dodged the second shot Yusuke threw at her. The first one came as a surprise to her, even though she moved it still nicked her pretty good. She tried to lift herself off the ground to find her left arm barely able to hold her weight. "Shit! Bastard really got me!" She knew she couldn't use her arm, not to its full extent at least.
"Ah!" Arika yelled out loud as Yusuke hit her again in the back. It wasn't that bad of a hit, but it still hurt. She winced as she tried to get up, maybe he got her better than she thought. She barely heard Kuwabara when he charged her, he always made the mistake of yelling when he charged. She had a hard time summoning her spirit energy to form a purple Spirit Sword like Kuwabara's.
"What the…?" Kuwabara was confused. He could have sworn he saw her use sais in the previous battle. "Can she form either?" Kuwabara shook the idea out of his head as he tried to force her down, pressing down on her sword with his own. She was trying to bring any strength she had to push him off but she didn't have any in her body, but she did have enough spirit energy.
Yusuke watched as Arika changed her Spirit Sword into a…shield? He watched as a violet disk formed from her hands and forced Kuwabara off of her. The shield never left her hands it just extended to shove Kuwabara. He flew a good twenty feet away from her, almost farther than her punch did the previous battle.
Yusuke drew his attention back to Arika. He noticed her "shield" disappeared and her expression of exhaustion. Yusuke took the opportunity to hit her again, physically this time.
Arika knew, the dark haired boy was going to hit but she was expecting a spirit energy shot, not the fist that landed on the side of her face.
He threw her a good ten feet from where she stood. He noticed she tried to get up only to fail from her bad arm and semi-diminished spirit energy.
Arika attempted to get up again but her arm failed again. "Can't lose…keep fighting…can't die…"
Yusuke saw her second failed attempt at getting up when he remembered the little "gift" Kurama gave him. He pulled out the bulb from his pocket and did as he was instructed. As he was about to brake the stem he noticed something he didn't want to happen. "She changed!"
Quickly he made his next move and threw the bulb. It hit her and fell to the ground. Nothing happened. "What!" Yusuke yelled, surprised.
Now in her stronger skin Arika turned to face the boy lashing out her now formed Spirit Whip. She slashed him right through his shirt, she drew blood from him. Now yellow, she turned her eyes from the scarlet tint on his green shirt.
Yusuke grabbed at his now sliced shirt and slightly bleeding stomach. He growled at her but was cut off when Kuwabara slammed into him. Apparently Kuwabara got up and attempted to strike her again, but she had a different idea. Kuwabara caught her attention and wasn't fast enough to stop her whip from seizing his ankle and thrashing him into Yusuke.
Yusuke growled underneath his friend and then looked over to Arika's direction. He saw her on her knees attempting to stand. He noticed something else, Kurama's bulb not to far from her feet. The stem wasn't broken. "That's why it didn't work!" Yusuke was in such a hurry to throw it he forgot to break the stem off.
Yusuke got up throwing Kuwabara off of him. Arika looked at them, exhaustion in her face.
"Tired?" Kuwabara was happy to see her fatigue. He and Yusuke only got pumped when the battle kept going but he couldn't say the same for her. Arika growled at him, her eyes shimmered an angry gold tone. She was pissed and they knew it.
Yusuke smile and her and then said, "Think fast!"
He stepped behind Kuwabara and shot his Shot Gun at his friend's back. It was enough force to throw Kuwabara straight at Arika.
Completely surprised by this move Arika barely made a shield at the last second. Kuwabara bounced off of it and landing on the ground near Yusuke.
"Gotcha!" Arika heard the dark haired boy yell, she looked back at him, he was aiming another Shot Gun at her. "Oh no…"
The room was dark except for the little light coming from the candle on the table. The innkeeper quietly poured the wine into the now empty glass. A dark tanned hand reached from behind the shadows and took the glass. The innkeeper watched in fear.
"Ah…" the deep hoarse voice said holding the glass, "My compliments to your workers. It's hard to find such good wine these days."
The innkeeper nodded his head. He didn't move as the huge body sat there watching him with his yellow eyes. He reached down to the table and picked up a pointed bone and used it as toothpick. His entire mouth of sharp teeth were exposed, the innkeeper shook at the memory of what those teeth did to his daughter the night before. He couldn't stop the tear that formed in his eye nor stop it from falling. His "guest" ignored him and just said, "Weakling."
Suddenly he heard a loud rustling in the other room. The door flew open allowing more light to enter. Two strong looking demons escorted a cloaked figure who held a small looking boy with green watered hair and blue yes. He had a horn coming out of his forehead and wore nothing but a simple pair of white slacks.
"Tenko?" the deep voice said while the boy was held down on the table by the cloaked figure. The boy could hardly look up from his current position. "Let him go, Slayer," the voice commanded. The dark figure obeyed and then stood next to their master in the shadows.
Tenko stood up rubbing at his neck from the vice grip that held him. He looked up at the two pair of amber eyes glaring in front of him, one pair belonging to the master and the other to his cloaked apprentice, Slayer. Although he didn't want to Tenko shook at those eyes, either pair promised immediate death.
"Tenko…" the voice called his name again. "I've seen you do much in these past years but you've sadly disappointed me recently."
Tenko couldn't stop his entire body from shaking. He noticed over in the side of the room a small being trembling, the innkeeper he presumed.
"You know," his attention back at his leader's voice, "I hate it when my men fail me but do you know what I hate even more?"
Tenko shook his head no, although he truly didn't want to know. He merely wanted nothing more than to wake up from this "nightmare."
"No?" the voice said, calmly. Suddenly the glass of wine was thrown to the side of the room. It barely missed the innkeeper when it hit the wall.
Tenko barely blinked before he realized that his leader stood up and reached for him. He lost his breath when his leader's hand wrapped itself around his throat. His bare feet dangled off the floor as he tried to remove the hand holding him up. When he was unsuccessful he tried to speak but was only cut off when the hand gripped harder. Tenko could see Slayer's fanged smile at his present position. He's seen that smile to often, he knew Slayer enjoyed watching others suffer. His attention was drawn back to his leader when he felt the grip become even tighter. He looked back at those massive yellow eyes.
"Well, let me tell you," the husky voice said in his face. He was so close Tenko could smell the strong wine on his breath. The huge demon loosened the grip on him but kept him afloat, he didn't want him dead, not yet.
"I hate to find out that my men are cowards!" his squeezed Tenko's throat again but retracted it as he continued to explain, "Boku and Gulu got off easy because they both died when I sent them. Your brother, Komo, failed as well; however," the voice paused, "unlike you," the grip tightened and loosened around his throat again, "he came back to admit his failure!" the coarse voiced was booming loudly in the room. The only ones who shook were the innkeeper out of fear and Tenko because the death grip on him grew tighter again.
It was over, Tenko knew it, his end had finally come he was just waiting for the pain to overcome him. It didn't. Instead he found himself falling to the floor and crashing with a loud thud. He gasped as he deeply took in much needed air. He laid there on all fours wheezing at his master's feet.
"And…" he looked up at his master's tall stature, "…unlike your brother, you're not worthy of death."
Tenko exhaled in gratitude of his leader's mercy. He lowered his head to the floor, knowing it was over.
"That is…" Tenko heard the voice continue, "…not by my hands."
Tenko suddenly remembered that his brother was personally killed by his master. He lifted his head to see his master signal to his apprentice, who's eyes grew with joy. Tenko suddenly rolled back on his heels trying to beckon an ice blade to protect him as he yelled, "No! Please Baruko have mer…"
His words were cut off just as his head was removed from his body by the red Spirit Axe that Slayer held in her hands. She now stood over Tenko's headless body and she frowned. She wasn't please, not yet. She raised her axe above her head and hammered down on the lifeless body slicing at every portion of visible skin. Gushing blood in every direction. Baruko had returned to his seat and watched while he drank his wine now from the bottle itself. When his apprentice was pleased with the amount of blood she stopped and stood there admiring her "masterpiece." There wasn't a body anymore just an open wound with a pair of gashed arms and legs coming from it. Tenko's head vanished into the shadows when she detached it.
A strip of her white hair floating in front of her face. She growled and then ruffled her now blood stained left hand through every inch of white she saw, her right hand continued to hold her axe. Because of this habit of hers her hair was a mixture of white, pink and dark red, mostly red since she despised its natural pure color. She wore a cloak just so the rain could never wash the blood off her hair or body. After wrestling with her locks she noted her red axe stained with Tenko's blood. With gleaming yellow eyes she brought the axe closer to her lips and she licked the delicious liquid off the blade. She smiled as she brought her tongue back into her mouth, she grew accustomed to the taste of blood she enjoyed trying a new "sample."
"That's enough, Slayer!" she heard Baruko's voice roar. She looked back at her master with defiant yellow eyes. She continued to lick the blood off her weapon.
"I said enough, Narika!" Baruko snarled again, this time calling her by her real name. He rarely called her that anymore, she grew accustomed to her nickname that she despised it whenever she heard her real name. However her master was the only one who could call her that, everyone else who tried were shortly after hung by their balls as she watched them scream in agony.
"Slayer!" he barked the name she was more akin to. She looked straight at his eyes this time. He glared back at hers, daring her to continue, she turned from his gaze and lowered her weapon. However she still licked the blood off her lips.
Baruko then sighed. He hadn't let her kill in a while, he knew she was hungry for blood. He noticed the shivering innkeeper leaning against the wall. He shook his head in pity when he noticed that the innkeeper became so scared that he pissed on himself. Baruko then looked back at Slayer, she was staring at the innkeeper then at Baruko with anticipation. "Might as well." He concluded to himself.
He then looked at his two men, the ones that escorted Slayer and Tenko when they first came in. The two were accustomed to Slayer's…gruesome ways, then again they were accustomed to his ways. "Tell the others we're leaving." The two demons nodded then left the room.
When they were gone he stood and walked toward the door. He stopped right next to Slayer and looked at her and she back. "Kill the weakling and his associates." After that he walked out of the room.
The innkeeper jumped when Slayer turned toward him with a demonic grin. He didn't get a chance to scream before her Spirit Axe sliced him in two. She snickered when she "opened" him up. She then traveled out the door to find whomever else was still breathing in the inn.
Baruko was walking away from the building, a good twenty men followed him. He heard only a few screams before he saw Slayer, now walking at his side. He took a quick glance down at her. She didn't carry her axe anymore and she had spots of crimson all over even on her ebony skin. The only hint of red that wasn't blood was the rim that circled her eyes. That only appeared when she had sated herself with bloodshed. Her gazed was fixed at the nothingness before her.
"Soon, Master?" her faint voice asked.
"Yes, Narika," Baruko responded. She growled at him but was silenced when he glared at her. "Soon we'll see your sister again. Soon you'll have Arika's blood."
Slayer licked her dried lips. The thought of tasting her own twin's blood brought a wicked smile to her face.
"Shot Gun!" Yusuke yelled.
Arika waited for the blue blast to hit her but it never did. She looked over at the two humans. The big one was getting back to his feet and about to yell at his now smiling leader.
"G'night, toots!" Yusuke said to her as he waved his hand at her.
She was confused until she noticed an orange gas appear next to her. She looked down at her feet to see where it came from, that weird seed he threw to her earlier was there with its green stem broken off. Before she knew it she breathed in the gas. "Poison!" She tried to run but her legs fell from underneath her and darkness began to shroud her vision. The last thing she saw were a blue and green figures standing over her. She heard one say, "Just pick her up and let's go ba…" The blue blur reached down for her. "No…H…Hiei…" She blacked out.
Finally, they caught her! Thanks to Kurama of course. Let's wait and see what Koenma will do with a demon that shouldn't exist. Catch the next chapter to see Arika's fate.