Tori the Hanyou: Eh... heh heh... sorry for not updating? ...OK! OK! I'm sorry already! I just had a lotta crap going on... but now that the school year's out, things should go a lot faster, namely my updates.
Fighting Back 2
Chapter 4: The Dangers of Love
Two evil laughs sounded far away…echoing through the dark corners of the Makai forest.
"Just wait, dear Kagome, you'll see what it's like to be rejected," said a woman's voice, dripping with malicious glee.
Meanwhile-
Kagome hurried through the forest, completely forgetting all of her displeasure towards Kurama. All she cared about was seeing him safe. The feeling in her heart…it had deeply worried her. She could care less about the stupid fight. If he wasn't ok, she'd never forgive herself…but if he was, well…
She skidded to a stop in front of the tree house, looking around. Her brown eyes searched fearfully about, sensing something.
"You coming in, Kagome?" asked Tori. She shook her head, and waved Tori off.
Tori, Yusuke and Kuwabara hurried into the stairwell, unknowing of the hand that had covered Kagome's mouth, hot breath bating on her neck…
Tori came inside, panting.
"Hiei?" she called, "HIEI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"
Yusuke looked around.
Kuwabara growled.
"HEY, YA STUPID FIRECRACKER, YOUR GIRL'S WORRIED ABOUT YA! GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE AND SHOW HER YOU'RE OK, FOR CRIPES SAKE!"
Yusuke and Tori looked at him with amazement.
"That oughta have done it," said Yusuke. Tori looked around.
"Apparently, it didn't. Thanks for trying, Kuwabara," she said. Still breathing heavily, she looked around. "It's like he vanished," she murmured.
"And I don't like the feel of this place," said Yusuke. Kuwabara looked around.
"Something's been at work here," he said.
Tori felt tears coming to her eyes.
"HIEI!" she screamed, running about, looking for him. Yusuke and Kuwabara went down the halls to search for either him or Kurama. He wasn't around, either.
Tori raced down the hall towards her room, hoping to God he was just hiding in there to scare her. He probably was, the jerk, and if he was…OH, he'd get it…
A newfound smirk appeared on her face at the thought that she'd catch him in the act, and Tori threw open her bedroom door. Nothing but silence reached her ears. She crept in, looking in the corners. He usually hid there, waiting for her to walk in so he could spring like a panther out of the jungle….
But he wasn't. He wasn't there, or under the bed, or IN the bed…or anywhere. Tori sat on the floor, thinking. Where else could he be? She went to the large picture window, searching the forest for him from her perch. She sat on the cushioned window seat to keep looking, scouring every moving cloud shadow of the trees to look for him, hoping he'd be one of them. She hoped to see a glimmer of the sunrays peeking through the clouds against his sword to let her know he was just out training…but nothing…he wasn't there, either.
She sighed, leaning back against the wall, desperately searching with her eyes. Where could he be? Where…
"Hey, beautiful," purred a low voice from the door. Tori jumped, not used to a voice after such long silence, and she spun towards the door.
"Hie- …oh, hi Yoko…" she said, her shoulders dropping. Indeed, the tall, silver fox stood leaning against the doorway, watching her, his ears turned straight up, his tail swishing gently. Tori turned sadly back to the glass, continuing her fruitless search through the trees for him. "You seen Hiei anywhere?" she asked quietly.
"No, why would you ask?" he questioned softly, and Tori turned. He'd come up next to the window, looking out at the forest, his amber eyes illuminated by the morning sun. Tori looked at him curiously. Yoko had been coming out a lot recently; she figured it just had to do with the natural demonic air of the Makai. He looked very proud, standing tall with his head held high. He truly looked to be a master of the Makai.
"I haven't seen him, and I've gotten worried," said Tori, "He should be back from training by now."
Yoko didn't move.
"I see. Perhaps he's simply gone off on his own," he said. Tori furrowed her brow.
"He'd better not have! If I'm not allowed to go anywhere without him, then he isn't allowed to go anywhere without me!" she snapped. Yoko chuckled.
"Apparently, you two don't have the same thinking pattern."
"Yeah, well he'd better straighten out his priorities fast," said Tori, a poisonous tone to her voice. She jumped when she suddenly felt Yoko sit down next to her on the window seat.
"You're so lovely when you're angry," he whispered. Tori gave him a bored look.
"Quit joking around, Yoko, I'm not in the mood," she said. Yoko loved playing around with her whenever Hiei was nearby, just to try to see how angry he'd get. Tori usually liked playing along, but only when she knew where everyone was and she didn't have to worry.
She squeaked slightly when she felt his tail slide around her waist. His clawed hands gently stroked her bare upper arms, and his mouth lowered near her ear.
"Who said I was joking?" he whispered. Tori's eyes widened as she turned her head towards him.
"What?" she asked.
"You heard me." Before she could move, he'd grabbed her lips with his. Tori leapt like a frightened cat, shoving him off.
"YOKO!" she said, struggling to get away from him. Damn, his tail was strong…
She squirmed, trying to get out from behind him to run to the door, but seeing that was impossible, she did the only thing left. When physical strength couldn't help you, a good, loud voice could. "KAGOME!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the house. Yoko quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, and Tori struggled to try to bite it to make him let go.
She felt his vines wrapping about her arms, holding her where she was…
Tori's call echoed to the outside of the house, where Kagome stood, panting. She wiped the saliva from her foe's tongue off her cheek as she glared at him.
"Ok, dude, your mate needs me, so I'm just gonna leave now," she said, turning to run to the tree house.
Hiei disappeared, reappearing between her and the trunk.
"I don't think so," he said, "You'll stay right here with me." He walked towards her, a predatory look gleaming in his fiery red orbs.
Kagome glared.
"You've GOT a mate, pal, and SO DO I!" She charged for him, knowing his usual tactic. Just as she planned, he disappeared to avoid her, appearing right behind her. She threw her elbow behind her, connecting with something. She didn't stick around to see what as she raced inside the trunk, hurrying up the stairs with all the speed she could muster.
She tore into the house, soon finding Yusuke and Kuwabara in the living room.
"What're you guys doing? Where's Tori?" she yelled. They stared at her.
"We can't find her anywhere, or Hiei, or Kurama," they said.
"Oh, don't worry about Hiei, I FOUND him," snapped Kagome, jabbing her thumb behind her, "and I don't want to stick around to wait for him. Let's find Tori."
They took off down the hallways, looking in each room. "Tori? TORI! Where are you?" called Kagome. No answer reached her ears. She reached the last door at the end of the hall, throwing it open, and gasping.
Vines filled the room, large, beautiful flowers sprouting everywhere. Kagome blinked, staring for a second, before she sensed movement over near the window.
She heard muffled cries, and her eyes finally picked out rustling of a particularly large flower. Yusuke and Kuwabara appeared behind her.
"Stay here, I gotta get something," muttered Kagome. They nodded. Kagome raced back to her room, pulling her desired object from her bag and racing back to the doorway. The boys stared at her.
"What the-"
"Shh," said Kagome, pulling back the string. She shot, a pink arrow soaring, disintegrating the large flower, and Kagome's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, as did the boys.
A panicked Tori sat bound in vines by her arms, held tight to the body of Yoko Kurama by his arms and long, silver tail.
"K-Kurama? Tori?" she asked weakly. Tori finally wrestled her mouth free.
"KAGOME! YOUR MATE'S GONE INSANE!" she shrieked, before Yoko clamped it shut again, purring something inaudible into her ear, making her face pale.
Kagome blinked. She aimed an arrow for Yoko, glaring.
"Let her go, now, Kurama," she said.
And, for the first time since she'd even known Kurama, the fox narrowed his golden orbs at her, baring his fangs and flattening his ears.
Kagome was speechless, and almost dropped her arrow in shock. Kurama had NEVER looked at her like that before! He wasn't THAT mad at her, was he?
Yusuke finally piped up.
"Shit, Kurama, now you're cheating on your own MATE?" he asked, whistling. "Damn, you're goo-"
"Shut up, Urameshi," said Kuwabara.
Kagome's eyes were shining with tears as she hatefully pointed her arrow towards the fox demon.
"Release my friend, now," she snarled, "or this arrow's going in your head."
Yoko kept up his glare back at her as he released Tori, standing up. Tori thrashed, but the vines held her firmly to her seat.
Kagome fired her arrow, knowing it would miss.
Yoko disappeared, as Kagome planned. Using her knowledge of high-speed demons, she whirled about, an arrow knocked, hoping her assumption was correct.
She fired just as Yoko reappeared, catching him by surprise, and hitting him in the upper half of his right leg.
Yoko staggered, shocked by Kagome's success.
Kagome felt a tear of many emotions slip out of her eye as she watched Yoko fall. She hurried over to him, checking to see if he was ok. Yoko flattened his ears in disgust.
"Get away from me," he snarled, "you're not the one I love."
Tori had had just about enough.
"Oh, yes she is!" she yelled, her mouth freed.
Yoko glanced at her, and Tori glared back.
"No, it's you who my heart cries for," he said lovingly. Tori rolled her eyes, about to gag. How did Kagome put up with this mush?
Yusuke stomped up and whacked the fox upside the head.
"Dude, someone's been messing with your mind. Now, watch closely." He put his hand on Kagome's head. "THIS is your mate, dude, NOT her," he gestured to Tori.
Yoko was about to jump up and retort, but Kagome's arrow kept him from using his leg. He toppled to the floor, cringing in pain. Kagome gasped, unable to watch him suffer.
"I'm sorry, Kurama!" she sobbed, "Whatever I did to you, I'm sorry!"
She put both hands on the fox's face, despite his displeased twitches, and looked into his eyes. She'd been correct; Yoko wasn't himself. The depths of his golden orbs had been clouded over by some strange mist.
She released him upon this discovery and stood up. "I knew it," she declared, "Kurama's under some sort of spell."
Yusuke whistled again. Tori squirmed.
"Ok, that's all fine and good, but can someone get me out of here?" she snapped, gesturing to the vines that continued to bind her to where she was. Kagome looked at Yoko expectantly. He glared back.
"I won't release my lover. You're mistaken if you think I've been enchanted. Nothing's wrong with me, I just don't…"
"I'M NOT YOUR LOVER!" yelled Tori, now officially pissed, "WHERE THE HELL IS HIEI? JUST WAIT TILL HE GETS HIS HANDS ON-"
"Well, THERE you are, my beautiful flower," came a voice from the door. Kagome eeped and turned, having completely forgotten Hiei.
"Hiei? THERE you are, man!" said Yusuke, "You won't believe this! Yoko's in love with YOUR mate!" He nodded proudly, obviously hoping to have stirred something up. To everyone's shock, Hiei wasn't fazed.
"He can have her. I don't desire her. You, Kagome, are the one my heart lies with."
"Oh my GOD, Hiei! What the hell has gotten into you?" asked Yusuke.
"Yeah, you NEVER act like this!" said Kuwabara. Hiei glanced at them both.
"I don't know what you're talking about, you incompetent buffoons."
"Eh, heh, heh…" Kagome backed away from him, going towards Tori, who was speechless with shock.
"The same thing's happened to him, hasn't it?" asked Yusuke. Kagome nodded.
"Apparently the spell made them switch who they love," she said, continuing to back away from the approaching Hiei.
Tori kept her eyes fixed on him the entire time, but upon Kagome's words, she startled both of them.
"HIEI!" she screamed, "DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS ABOUT YOU, YOU SICKO? I CAME HOME, TERRIFIED YOU WERE IN TROUBLE, AND HERE YOU'VE GONE DECIDING TO TAKE KAGOME INSTEAD? YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
In her rage, her hands wrenched up into an accessible position of the vines. She drew out her claws, slicing them off, standing up and marching straight over to the shocked pyro, slapping him hard across the face, causing him to stagger backwards and nearly fall on the vine-covered floor.
Yoko smirked.
"That's my-"
"And you, SHUT UP!" she yelled.
Kagome had hidden underneath the bed. Tori lost it entirely, she needed anger management now, or the whole world would probably suffer.
She crawled out when she thought the dust had cleared. Hiei was shaking his head in a daze.
"What the fuck happened?" he moaned, touching his stinging cheek gingerly. He looked around. "Why are that fox's vines all over my room?"
Tori 'hmph'ed and marched towards the door, steam appearing to be blowing out her ears.
Yusuke and Kuwabara came out from behind the door once she was gone, gulping.
"Damn, that's even madder than I've ever seen Kayko be," said Yusuke, looking after her.
"She should be mad after what that punk did," said Kuwabara, pointing at Hiei.
"What're you talking about, cretin?" snapped Hiei.
"Hey, I think he's back to normal," said Kagome, coming towards him. "Hiya, Hiei!" she said cheerfully. Hiei gave her a weird look.
"Your constant happiness makes me wonder about your mental health," he said, walking out after Tori. Kagome smiled at the other two.
"He's fine."
"But whaddya think caused it?" asked Kuwabara. Kagome thought.
"Well, it was obviously either Tori's screaming, or that slap to the face," she said. She looked nervously at Yoko. "But that's the last thing I want to do to him. Besides, I'm not angry enough to do those things."
None of them had noticed Yoko leave the room.
CHAPTER TITLE PREVIEW: Another Journey, and Old Friends
