Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or practically anything else, though I wish I owned Hiei. grins maniacally I also don't own the mutant crab/worm/heart-eating thing from Resident Evil: City of the Dead a.k.a. Resident Evil 3. I've never played the game, but the books are awesome! I actually got several of my ideas for this story from City of the Dead, meaning it's going to get gorier.
Genkai's First Student by Toxic Tears
Rated 'R' for: language, violence, substance abuse, and sexual situations
Chapter 19: Time is of the Essence
Snow swirled thickly around the four figures as they trudged through the perilous Kiken Mountains. None of them were sure how long it had been since Hiei and Kurama led them to the nearest, and tiniest, Makai portal, but it had been at least a few hours. Kurama himself was leading the party over and around deep sinkholes and invisible gorges. It was amazing how much he recalled from so long ago. Talk about a photographic memory.
"Landscapes in Makai are so old, they rarely change." He explained after Kuwabara questioned him.
The air was filled with poisonous fumes, but it wasn't quite so bad in the mountains. Being demons, Hiei and Kurama were used to the atmosphere, but Yuusuke and Kuwabara were not, causing them to stay quite a few feet behind.
'Worthless humans.' Hiei thought to himself every so often, even though he knew it wasn't true. Still, the slower they moved, the more time he had to think. Was this really worth it? Was his 'mate' worth all this trouble? As much as he kept telling himself yes, doubt was always lingering in the shadows of his mind. If Nikai had wanted to be his mate, why would she give herself up? That was a sign of a weak soul; not something Hiei would tolerate in a lifelong partner. He thought before that he loved her, but perhaps he had let his emotions get the best of him and had misinterpreted love for something else.
Something suddenly whapped him in the back of the head, making him stumble and almost trip. He spun his head around saw Yuusuke and Kuwabara holding balls of snow and looking quite surprised.
"Sorry Hiei," Yuusuke apologized. "We thought you would dodge it."
Hiei turned back around, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had dropped his guard. "Hn."
Kurama's voice cried, "Hiei, watch out for that--!" As the hiyoukai's right leg sank thigh-deep into freezing slush.
Now Hiei was mad. He wrenched his leg out of the snow, only to overbalance and start to topple over. His sword was out in a flash to stop the fall, but the steel sank into the soft substance easily, so he still fell flat on his face. Jumping to his feet, his sword pointed at all of them, daring them to laugh. Instead, they all watched him in thinly veiled concern.
"Hn." He growled again
Kurama looked at the other two. "Let's keep moving." He glanced at Hiei who was sheathing his blade. "Hiei, come up here please?" he asked gently.
Hiei folded his arms across his chest and grudgingly obliged to the fox's request. "What, kitsune?" he snapped.
Kurama looked down at him. "She's going to be all right Hiei. We are going to find her." Hiei didn't even spare him a glance. Kurama blinked, confused. Didn't he want to save Nikai? It took him a moment of staring at Hiei's cold-set face and wondering, to realize what was going on. "Are you rethinking your feelings for her?" he asked cautiously. Kurama knew Hiei. Any mis-step would send his temper through the roof. When the fire demon glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the powdery ground, Kurama knew his suspicions were correct and had to hide a shocked look. "Hiei, I know I shouldn't interfere, but this is not right! Two months isn't a very long time, but don't you see how Nikai looks at you? She loves you and I was under the impression the feeling was mutual. You even marked her!"
Hiei began to growl. "Not that she returned the gesture."
"Listen to me Hiei, I know you have always refused your feelings, but you need to break the habit." Hiei tried to interrupt but Kurama held up his hand. "You and Nikai were meant to be together, whether either of you admit it or not. If you leave her, you'll both--" He was cut off by cold steel pressing against his throat.
"Quiet, Kurama. You have no business telling me anything about emotions, or that woman." Hiei spat. "I don't need her, she impairs my judgment. Just look what happened at that club." He seemed to be saying this to convince himself. "So shut up." He finished with a threatening conviction.
Kurama gave his friend a searching look, but let the subject drop. He would need to speak with Sukara about this if they got back. 'When.' he corrected himself. 'I won't leave my mother or Sukara.' He and Hiei stopped and waited for the others to catch up. In front of them was, quite obviously, a mine field. There were pockmarks in the snow everywhere. None of them could see a way through or around.
"So what now Kurama?" Yuusuke asked.
The fox's mind was racing. How had he and Kuronue done it before? Oh, right, Kuronue had wings, they flew over. So Kurama was stumped. None of the Tantei could fly, as far as he knew...
"Hey, what about you Hiei?" Kuwabara spoke for the first time in a while. "Can't you run over them real fast so they wont pick up your weight?" he asked, showing a lot more intuition than anyone would give him credit for.
After Yuusuke and Kurama raised their eyebrows at him, they turned to Hiei in expectance. The demon in question nodded slightly and took off. He could see the manor in the distance, so it shouldn't be too far away. Invisible to the untrained eye, he proved Kurama's thoughts wrong and 'flew' over the mines. On the other side should have been a switchbox to turn off the explosives, at least that was usually the case. Barely a second later, he landed in clear snow, with the said box only feet away. Hiei strolled over and flipped open the front. There were only two buttons so not even an imbecile could get confused. One was labeled 'Arm' and the other read 'Disarm'. How convenient. Hiei pressed the obvious one labeled 'Disarm' and to his and his teammates great surprise, the mines still blew up.
It took several minutes for the commotion to die down. The snow that hadn't melted was slowly floating back to earth, slightly dirtier than before. The Spirit Detectives were nowhere to be found.
The next moment, a hand burst from the snow, along with a green-sleeved arm. Yuusuke pulled himself up out of the freezing prison. He cursed and dug through the snow around him, looking for his comrades. Kurama was up next, bleeding shallowly from shrapnel cuts on his cheek and forehead. Both of them had to work together to drag Kuwabara out.
The big carrot top was pretty mad. "That stupid Shorty! Can't he read?!"
As for Hiei, he had been able to dodge most of the blast and was currently shaking snow out of his hair. 'Why the hell did they explode?!' he thought hotly. The answer was pretty easy to figure out. Shoula was an asshole and nothing he did would be what it seemed.
Hiei waited as the others caught up. Yuusuke and Kuwabara stalked over to him once he was in sight and glared.
"Can't you read?!" Yuusuke snapped. Kurama sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. The look he gave them both was enough to make them shut up.
Hiei turned without another glance and gazed up at the mansion that was almost two hundred yards away. They were here. As Hiei was looking up, the three behind him nodded to each other. Just like that, Kuwabara included, they started running toward the manor that might mean their demise.
When at fifty yards and closing, just as the four were about to split up to reduce attention, something vaguely humanoid shot past. What it was couldn't be determined by any of them, but they exchanged glances, then went for the entrances they had been given. The only important thing was to save Nikai, they could talk later. Yuusuke went for the front door while Kuwabara headed towards the side. Kurama snapped his whip out, the end curling around a spike on the roof. He swung himself up, disappearing from sight. Hiei phased out and reappeared on the sill of a second floor window. He wedged his katana beneath it and pried it open about a foot. He crawled through the opening like a cat and landed in a crouch on the floor. A gasp alerted him that he wasn't alone in the room. He looked up and spotted the maid who was bolting into the hall to sound an alarm.
'Feh.' Hiei chased her down in a moment and slit her throat silently. He felt nothing, the only thing important right now was to save Nikai, even if he had convinced himself that he didn't care. Hiei was more like his old self now than he had been in almost a year.
He noticed how the halls were lit by flickering torches and had to watch them to keep in the shifting shadows. Uncovering his jagan, Hiei sped through the corridors, searching with all three eyes for either Nikai or Shoula. He actually preferred Shoula because, not only would Nikai probably be with him, he would be able to get his revenge on the ice youkai for disgracing him. 'I will kill that bastard. He will pay for...everything.' Hiei thought coldly. His jagan seemed to react to his wish by zoning in on a particular area of the manor. The library. Hiei now knew exactly where to look. He took an immediate left, ran through a darkened sitting room, up a flight of stairs, and finally reached a set of double oak doors. He didn't pause and jerked on one of the knobs, flinging the door open.
What he saw surprised him for a moment. It was as if a bomb had gone off inside there. Hundreds of books and ripped pages littered the floor while shelves were leaning against each other for support. Several chairs were upturned and some stuffing was floating out of them.
Hiei stepped slowly over a sheet of ice on the floor and looked around. Where was Shoula? The fire demon knew he was here, but where? Quickly, but still cautiously, Hiei darted around the piles of chaos, closer and closer to the back of the huge room. There was ice caked on the walls, floor, and even ceiling; the remnants of a fight. Since they weren't melted it must mean Shoula was still alive, but what had he fought? 'Probably himself.' Hiei mused. 'Or Nikai, but if it progressed as much as the damage shows, she must be dead by now.' He felt even more compelled to find the poison sprite now. Or at least her body.
Soon he reached the back of the room. An upright chair was sitting in front of a contentedly crackling fire. Hiei stopped in his tracks. There he was.
Shoula slowly stood up and turned to face the fire demon, his arms crossed behind his back. The firelight played with his face, making it look even more sinister than usual. Hiei noticed that the corners of his mouth were cut and bleeding.
"So, Koorime Bastard, I guess you came to save your precious mate." Shoula rasped, blood dribbling from his mouth.
Hiei narrowed his eyes at both the comment and the blood. What had that freak done to himself? "Where is she?" he asked sharply.
Shoula shrugged, but his shoulders twitched and he winced, touching his chest above his heart. Then he looked back up at Hiei. "Explain something to me. Why is it that you, as demon, feel anything for anybody? Demons are not supposed to love anything except power. We do not love our mates. Marking simply ties two together for additional authority as well as for our own amusement and conception of heirs for that ever-present power. So explain this to me, how were you able to mutate so drastically from the cold-blooded killer of Makai urban legend to this..." Shoula paused here and scoffed at the fire koorime. "Nearly-human mutt with his heart on his sleeve?"
Hiei was silent, having no suitable comeback. Shoula's words were seeping into him, freezing his insides with something close to fear. He looked back on what had happened since Yuusuke had beaten him. 'How could I have allowed myself to fall so far?' Damn Nikai, it was all her fault! If it hadn't been for her he would have never even thought about a love different than the one he had for Yukina. This sparked a new question, was his protectiveness and love for his sister just as pathetic and weakening as everything else? Hiei had to keep from clutching his head as thoughts and ideas poured into his head in a maddening rush.
Shoula knew he had thrown Hiei off guard. For this, he was satisfied with himself. 'Any fool could see his only weakness is his pride!' Shoula thought smugly. Without warning, his chest heaved, making him cough up a spray of blood. This time the coughing fit didn't stop, the stabbing pains in his chest becoming unbearably excruciating. Shoula fell to his knees, his black hair falling over his shoulders, and a pool of red beginning to gather on the expensive rug.
Hiei's eyes widened slightly, his mind breaking away from its furious disorder to focus on the ice demon who had fallen to the ground. Hiei then realized what was going on. 'That fool! How could he have come in contact with one of those!' Hiei smirked as he though of the intense torture Shoula was going through. He only felt slightly disappointed that he had not been the one to kill the bastard.
Shoula understood that he only had moments to live and choose to use those precious seconds to get the last word. "You'll find your prize in the dungeon, but I suppose if you go for it, you've simply proved my point." The instant the last syllable left his lips, his body gave a great shudder and a blood stain spread across his shirt from his heart, making the it almost black. It was obvious he was dead. The sick sound of tearing flesh echoed in the silent library and Hiei took a small step back, placing a hand on the hilt of his katana to ready himself. A high-pitched squeal issued from the general area of Shoula's chest and through the blood-soaked cloth of his shirt, ripped a disgusting creature.
Only a foot long, it's repulsive body was covered in gory sinew that could only be the remains of Shoula's heart. Screeching again, the thing propelled itself towards Hiei, its double rows of teeth glinting in the firelight. With a flick of his wrist Hiei sliced it in half, the bulbous flesh left twitching on the floor.
'Disgusting. A fitting end for that--' his thoughts were cut off suddenly by a voice behind him.
"Hiei?" It was vaguely familiar, surely was some enemy he had yet to finish off.
In actuality it was Yuusuke who had entered the library. 'Hiei's shaken up real bad, I can tell.' he thought worriedly. He saw Shoula's body on the floor along with the worm fiend. "Oh man, what the hell happened?" he asked.
Hiei did not sheath his sword, but he did turn his head to look at the detective. At first, the sight of the green-clad teenager did not register, but after a moment everything came rushing back clearer than before. First his defeat, then the Saint Beasts, Yukina and Tarukane, the Dark Tournament, and finally the past two months with Nikai. His hand started to tremble, causing him to almost drop his katana. He felt like he had just unleashed a thousand consecutive Dark Dragons, he was so unsteady.
Shocked, Yuusuke ran up to his friend, ready to help him somehow. "Hiei, pull yourself together! What's wrong?!" He watched as the youkai's blade clattered to the floor and his fists clench as he tried to control the shaking.
Hiei's eyes shut tightly and he bowed his head, grinding his teeth together. Yuusuke put his hands on his shoulders, firm, but comforting. Hiei felt pressure build up somewhere behind his eyes but held in the storm of emotions raging inside of him. He also shrugged Yuusuke off, finally being able to regain his composure. Well, some of it.
"Don't touch me detective." He snapped.
Yuusuke wasn't offended, only concerned. "Tell me what happened, Hiei."
"Nothing happened you witless human!" Hiei retrieved his bloodied sword from the ground and sheathed it.
"Fine Hiei, chill. We'll talk later. Did Shoula tell you where Nikai was?" Yuusuke was being reasonable. He wasn't sure what had gotten into his teammate, but whatever it was, it had really screwed with his head.
Hiei was quiet for a moment. "Dungeon." He replied shortly.
"Hiei? Yuusuke? What happened here?" Came Kurama's gentle, but also troubled, voice. The two look towards he and Kuwabara who was following behind.
Yuusuke waved his hand to brush aside the question. One look at Hiei's grim faced told them both they needed to wait for an answer.
"So did ya find out where the bastard was keeping Nikai?" Kuwabara asked hopefully. "Nice job killing him by the way Hiei." The demon was silent.
Yuusuke put a hand on Hiei's shoulder again and gave him a little push towards the door. "She's in the dungeon, so let's go!"
Only minutes later, the boys reach the dark passages in the basement. All four run down the corridors, smashing in doors in their search for their female member. Their search had been sped up even more by the fear of Nikai being frozen to death when they found her. Honestly, it had to be below freezing down here.
Kuwabara and Yuusuke slammed their shoulders into a particularly stubborn door, making it fly off its hinges and land with a bang. Running inside, they stop, fear etching each one of their features.
The picture was almost dream-like, with soft snowflakes floating from a grate in the tall, tall ceiling. Nikai was hanging from the wall in cuffs with blood running down her arms into her free hair. Only, the crimson trails were frozen in place, especially near the areas around her elbows where spell scrolls were clinging to the skin. Her head was tilted gracefully to the side, showing off the intense burn from which blood was still seeping. Blood was also frozen on the side of her mouth and a closer look showed the uneven angle of her jaw. The purple kimono, once so perfect for her, was torn in many places, not to mention the obi was gone completely. At Nikai's feet was a glowing speck that could only be her life-orb.
"Oh my..." Kurama was the first to run in, smashing the cuffs around her wrists, inadvertently leaving shards of metal in her slashes. As Nikai fell, frost broke away from her kimono in an icy cloud. Kurama caught her and tried to place her on the floor. "This is far beyond me! There is nothing I can do at this point. She must go to a hospital quickly!" he exclaimed as the others came dashing in.
Kuwabara looked like he was going to explode, he was so worried. Yuusuke closed his eyes and took out his communicator. Hiei was starting to shake again.
Flipping open the communicator, Yuusuke called Botan, who answered quickly. "This being the understatement of the century, Houston we have a big problem."
I hate to stop it there, but I think that's enough for one chapter. Yes, Hiei did temporarily lose his mind. I know it was ashamedly out of character, but it leads to the next chapter of him mourning Nikai, and breaking their bond for good. Whoops! Little too much information for y'all. Time to review.
