Falling Into Darkness
READ AND REVIEW OR DIE!
Disclaimer: Here we go, again—I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I hold any claim to any characters pertaining to that show. All I own are my many original characters, my plot, my ideas…basically everything in this fic. Tsuki, however, is "technically" kuramagirl44's, although I've been using that name forever, and this version is different, yet still somewhat hers. This was to be the sequel to a fic of hers, but it's not, so deal.
Author's Note: Now I finally bring in the characters that I do not own (other than Koenma, who doesn't really count)—kinda sorta. Midoriko is so awesome, and I wanna know: who do you like the best (of my OCs)?
Chapter Three: Recruiting What Was Missing (1)
Midoriko Takashimi, Chihori Kudo, Hikaru Himura, and Meia Suzuki stood atop the tallest building in Tokyo, over-looking the sleeping city. Or, at least, the mostly sleeping city. They are wide awake, as are many others, but the city itself is asleep—the perfect time for the human scum and demons to emerge, thrive and go unbothered. That is, they are all unbothered except when there are others stronger than they out to stop them, but even when such strength is out as well, it rarely does anything about them.
Take Midoriko and her "crew" for an example. (Can/do you see what I mean?) Most of the tough guys, the top dogs (so to speak) are rather self-centered, and a good deal of demons hold humans in high contempt, so when they actually venture into a human city they are usually there on official business, or to cause mayhem, chaos and perhaps settle old scores, so they rarely even acknowledge the scum. Midoriko kills 'em as she sees 'em, but that's only because she despises them almost as much as she loathes humans.
"Filthy scum, not worth my time, hardly better than humans…" Midoriko murmured poisonously as she wiped the blood of yet another street-demon from her katana. She doesn't even bother to sheath it any longer, for they keep on popping up, and it's starting to get on her nerves.
She's the one going on ahead, because she's the one leading this little expedition. They are traveling along the back-alleyways, through the grimy, dirty, filth-encrusted ways of the city. And although this means that humans do not notice them, it also means that the scum keeps popping up, because it is the ideal location for all demons that don't wish to be seen. They are little more than pests to one such as Midoriko, but pests they are, and they piss her off. Problem is, anything short of smearing herself with their blood to get across the message that they are to stay away from her won't keep them away—and she is definitely not willing to do that. (Ew!)
"You're the one who offered to go on ahead," Meia sweetly reminded her, untouched by the filth of the city, still as innocent and pure as ever. Midoriko stopped abruptly and turned around, scowling, sweat covering her face and blood coating her hands.
"Not so much offered as insisted and ordered," Tsuki grumbled, careful to keep her volume low, lest Midoriko hear.
"What did you say?" It didn't work.
Tsuki looked away innocently, intently studying the discolored and sickening brick wall. Midoriko turned back to the front in anger…
…Only to be greeted by a demon.
And what a demon at that. The beast was eight feet high if it was an inch, and half as broad.
Its skin was discolored to a green tint, which made you wanna be sick just looking at it. Its
hair was oily, greasy and tangled, thick with the dirt and grim of a decade or more. The
monster's skin was smeared with all manners of unpleasantness, and it fairly reeked of the
sewers—which is where it undoubtedly lives (as to avoid sunlight, the peering eyes of
humans, and rain—which would be a virtual shower). It wore a kilt around its mid-drift, but
it was so filthy that you couldn't even tell the color of the original fabric.
All in all, it was the epitome of all Midoriko hates in a demon.
Meia lurched, Tsuki was quick to comfort, and Taiyo just stared, a look of venomous disgust evident across her face. She stepped back, allowing the now boiling-mad Midoriko to vent—she could help, but she hates Midoriko at the moment, Midoriko has been a bitch for a good while, and if she tried to help she would only get in the way, and Midoriko might turn on her.
Midoriko's face was fixed into a snarl. "Disgusting, filthy, vile, loathsome excuse for a demon!"
The demon roared and lifted its weapon—a club the size of a small tree, quite capable of smashing the brick wall off to the left—high above its head. Midoriko saw the strike coming a mile away and casually stepped out of the way, still with time to spare. The beast was slow, all brawn, no brain. It would be easy to kill; and what's more, its amazing amount of stamina and endurance would make it a slow kill, if Midoriko didn't purposefully or accidentally kill it quick. And why should she? She was angry, and she really did need to vent, so she decided to make it last, hitting it hard, just to let off some steam, and inflict some pain, because she was in a horribly bad mood, and needed the fight.
She hates not being about to ever fight a worthy opponent; Midoriko is strong, that much is obvious. They she can fight, are allowed to fight, are too weak, they go down easy. All powerful demons are off limits—even the powerful ones she could kill fairly easily. She can't just go into Demon World and start a slaughter. It wouldn't do any damage to her side, because the demons are evil, but if it were to be traced back to Spirit World, Koenma, Konatsu and the Royal Couple, a rebellion could ensue; so, no massacre. And then there are always duels; willing battle fought for sport or training, usually before a crowd and betted on; to the death or knock-out. But in those it is voluntary, and most no one will fight her. Most that would dare are also on the Council—such as Karada and Taiyo—but the Royal Brats forbid that, to avoid causing "worker's tension." That's why Midoriko and Karada are always slyly trying to start fights with one another; Karada has run into the same problems as Midoriko, they are so similar like that.
It lurched to the side, roaring with anger, swinging its club haphazardly. Taiyo was only just able to avoid having it collide with her and the others as it completed its wide arc. She pushed them far off to the side, with her in front as a shield, a guard, just in case. She wasn't needed, but she was going to be ready just in case.
The battle didn't last long, despite however much Midoriko tried to make it do just that. She's just so strong, and sometimes she doesn't know her own strength, much less how to tame it, control it and hold it back. She punched it in the abdomen, her fist sinking deep into flesh that was all muscle, going in deeper and deeper. It crushed ribs and squashed organs. The beast knew it would die after that, whether by instinctual impulses or scraps of a hidden intelligence it is hard to say, but it knew. It was pretty obvious, actually. Midoriko knew it too—but she didn't dare to relax. The beast wouldn't stop until it dropped, and now it was determined to take her down with it. It fought with renewed vigor, possessing no more care for its own life, because that was no longer a variable.
The last few seconds were fun and liberating for Midoriko, dodging the monster, almost being crushed several times, all of it. But, it didn't last long. By that point there was no point in attacking it, because it was only a matter of time before it died anyway. She was so fast that the beast couldn't keep up, which got it infuriated, frantic and even more vicious. Midoriko laughed and played with its head, toying with it cruelly; a new, heightened form of sadism. As she showed the inexplicit horrors of demon nature, she was smiling, looking genuinely happy, enjoying herself for once in a millennia. (By the way, an exaggeration).
Her three companions watched, transfixed. Her glinting smile lit up her face and transformed her into a truly radiant beauty. Now, if she would smile more often, she would be as beautiful as Meia. After so long doubting the old truth, Taiyo now realized it to be true—"sisters" really did (or would) look alike, almost impossible to tell apart. She always doubted it in the case of Midoriko and Meia, but if Midoriko smiled and Meia turned into a sourpuss…yeah, they really would look the same. Almost identical.
It's a good thing they were far back, and that the demon hardly processed their existence, because the three of them were gazing at Midoriko so intently that they could've been confronted by a demon, and they wouldn't've noticed, much less processed it and reacted to it. It was truly a beauteous sight, and many would kill or die to be able to see it; in that, Taiyo, Tsuki and Meia were truly fortunate. I wish I could've been there, in person, to see it…and I'm sure many other feel the same way. (Especially just about every guy to ever exist EVER!)
Now, back to the battle! (I'm getting carried away here, sheesh!)
The demon fell, and Midoriko's new-founded allure and joy immediately melted away, gone so quickly that all four of her companions began to doubt if it had even truly been there in the first place. She sneered down at the demon, which had been of little use; but it had still been of some use, if not a whole lot. Before she could wipe the grime off of her blade and re-sheath it, a wind blew through the alleyway. It chilled all four of them to the bone, and fairly reeked of demonic, magical and spiritual energy. Midoriko felt a shiver run up her spine; Taiyo felt as if a snake slithered around inside her; Meia shook as if a bucketful of cold water had been dumped over her; and Tsuki had to bite her lip to keep from crying out, for it felt as if an invisible ghost had tickled her underneath her ear.
It all added up to one thing and one thing only: They aren't alone.
Kazuma Kuwabara was out cold almost immediately upon arriving home to his sister's apartment. Granted, it was nearly midnight when he finally did come home; a fact which did not please Shizuru Kuwabara in the slightest. She had been staying up, awake, waiting for him to return, just so she could yell at him like he deserved. When she saw, however, that her little brother was knocked out, as if someone had beaten him unconscious, she decided to hold off the accusations and demands and yelling until tomorrow. Besides, she needs sleep too—even though she has tomorrow off. So does Kuwabara—like he needs an excuse to not go to school!
Yusuke Urameshi arrived back home a little later than Kuwabara, because they had gone to the same place, and his home was farther away from the source off all the action. He stumbled inside, catching his mom at a time inbetween watching TV and dozing off, so she noticed and heard him come in. She shot up and proceeded to yell at him all the way up the stairs, loud enough for everyone on the block to hear. She had no room to talk, of course, because the both of them had been "engaged in the same activities" at the time of night in which they should be asleep, or at least at home. Atsuko followed her son all the way up the stairs, yelling as he ignored her in a way that portrayed years of practice and critique. He slammed the door in her face, but that didn't stop her. Finally she gave up and went back downstairs to sleep. She'd yell at her good-for-nothing son later, when they were both refreshed—and plagued by major hangovers.
Shuuichi Minamino, aka Yoko Kurama, had not bee out with "the boys", so he did not arrive home late, nor did his sweet mother have to yell at him—not that she ever would, of course; she would just be silently disappointed. She was asleep when he went to bed, this is true, but he only stayed up a bit later for homework and research. His mother trusts him, so he could do anything he wants at night—including "sneak out" (it wouldn't really be sneaking, though), but he would never betray his mother's trust so. He went to bed around midnight, tired and content, careful to remain quiet and not wake up his mother. He took off his shirt and socks, got under the covers, and was out in minutes for a peaceful and uneventful sleep—little did he know how interesting and enlightening it would truly prove to be. Far from peaceful and uneventful, though. Very far from it.
Hiei, the Jaganishi Forbidden Child, does not sleep—usually. And even when he does, he does not do it in the same way that us lowly mortals do; of course not! That would make him like a part of that filthy race, and he is far from it—superiors do not sleep or rest as subordinates do, which shall be forever true. Instead of truly sleeping, Hiei goes into a sort of trance where he loses touch with the mortal realm and shuts everything off. He does this rarely, only when he is perfectly safe or supremely tired. Unlike humans, demons do not need to sleep every night. And unlike humans, demons do not transcend to the spirit world, where dreams truly take place. The only time they do that is when they are forced or brought there—hence their lack of dreams…but not tonight.
Midoriko and the others finally arrived at their first of "many" destinations. In truth, they only had four, because there are only four of them, four targets, four places they have to be. It is midnight, and the night is black. It was supposed to be a full moon, but you can't travel into others minds on nights of full moons, because the moon protects the vulnerable mind. Tsuki kinda shifted it over to another night where it was supposed to be a new moon, and very few people are going to notice. Those who do notice won't believe it, and people won't believe them, so it's all good. Nothing bad'll come out of this…
"Something bad's gonna come outta this," Taiyo softly hissed, looking up at the night sky and shivering. She had a feeling in her bones, and she felt an ominous feeling. People shouldn't ignore such feelings, and this bunch should ignore theirs even less.
Midoriko sneered and growled, the sound sounding very animal and dangerous, originating from the back of her throat. It was so primal, in fact, that it gave her the near-likeness of a wild cat. Her sharp, pointy, longer-than-normal eyeteeth did nothing to diminish the illusion—neither did her currently yellow eyes. They're always changing color like that, to startle people and scare demons. It's there one second, gone the next—confusing and frightening all at once. Taiyo matched her glare, her eyes blazing an amberish-red.
Tsuki and Meia knew they had to intervene before they started fighting beneath the window of Kazuma Kuwabara's bedroom. It just so happens that Meia stopped it first, which turned out for the best. She reached out and touched Taiyo's shoulder gently, immediately calming her bloodlust. Midoriko was trickier, but by squeezing her neck she hit the pressure-point few know exist, and she tensed up then relaxed. "Stop it," Meia whispered, and they did. No need to tell them twice!
Tsuki peered into his bedroom. The door was closed and the room dark, the only light originating from a crack under the door. His sister must still be awake, reading or some such. A few minutes later, the light went off, and they could only see because of their demonic night vision (which works better when there is no light, rather than just very little). Kuwabara was sprawled out on his bed, out cold. All four of them thanked the High Gods that he had been too wasted to take off his clothes and go to sleep in his boxers. That would truly be torture!
"Who's going in?" Tsuki whispered, afraid of what the answer may be.
Disgust evident in her voice, Midoriko spoke up quickly (beating the other two to it), "Not me—we wanna gather 'im, not kill 'im."
They all nodded in agreement, and Midoriko scowled.
Taiyo shook her head. "I refuse to do it, because I'll just end up beating the shit out of him for something inappropriate, suggestive or lecherous he says, does or thinks."
"I'll go if no one else wants to," said Meia, ever the sweet, selfish one; a good friend through-and-through.
Taiyo and Midoriko, the ones most protective of her (no matter how Le Chienne may act) spun their heads around to face her, eyes wide and urgent. Seeing Meia, they shifted their gaze to Kuwabara (in unison) and back, several times. They had heard all about his nasty self, and how he "loves his women" and all of that crap. He is a big, dumb brute who has his mind in the gutter. Meia is a dainty, delicate, kind girl who is strong, but still far too sweet to tell him off or push him away—perfect prey (especially since she is belle and not just jolie).
Together, the two of them said, far louder that was wise: "HELL NO!"
Tsuki and Meia jumped, startled. Luckily no one heard, and Kuwabara/Shizuru didn't wake up. If they had, the four of them would be in great trouble. They were also lucky; in that Tsuki and Meia didn't fall off the tree branch the four of them were perched on to allow easy access to Kazuma Kuwabara and his bedroom.
"Then who is going in, if none of you guys will?" Tsuki demanded testily, regretting it almost immediately.
Midoriko's eyes glinted, back to an eerie silver. She hissed softly, sounding like a snake, "Why Tsuki-chan, it's so nice of you to volunteer…"
Next stop: Yusuke Urameshi, their group now down to three, with three more destinations to go. The three of them arrived and snuck into the house, creeping silently. This was, of course, completely unnecessary, because Atsuko is just wasted as Yusuke—if not more so. They could've burst in, causing a ruckus, turning on the lights and TV and appliances and crap, and nobody within the house would actually notice—neighbors would, but they had long since lost and surrendered on the grounds of that battle.
They stood outside his bedroom and peered in. Unlike Kuwabara, Yusuke had remained conscious long enough to take off his shirt and his socks—if he had even arrived with them, that is. But unlike with Kuwabara, they didn't really mind. They pushed the door open slowly, and it creaked all the way. He didn't even stir.
Taiyo sighed and leaned on the doorframe. "We could be demons, coming for him, and he still wouldn't notice; some Spirit Detective."
Meia gave her a significant look, cocking her head. Softly, she commented, "We are demons, and we are coming for him."
Midoriko bust out laughing, and Taiyo burned bright red, baring her teeth and getting very angry at Midoriko. Meia smiled at her reassuringly, which didn't make it better; she felt like a young child who just did something stupid, with a sympathetic aunt and a scornful cousin, neither of whom are making it any better.
"You are such an idiot," Midoriko finally muttered through all her crippling laughter. Taiyo was boiling, and at her comment she exploded. She turned on her and lunged; lucky for all of them Meia was there, and the scrap was brief and undamaging (not to mention quiet).
Meia pulled them apart and for once got very stern, scolding, "We are here on a job! The both of you—shame! Behave, or else!"
They obeyed.
Meia took several deep breaths and returned to normal, some of that anger still lingering, most unlike her and hard to be rid of. She tried, but it didn't work. It took a while for it to go away—she hates feeling like that. Such emotions disgust her.
After a long pause, Taiyo spoke up at a whisper, which was really dark muttering, "Who's going in?"
"I will," Meia volunteered, and no one argued.
As they were leaving, Midoriko muttered (to herself, not Taiyo, because they weren't talking—at least, not openly or in a sense they will admit): "Some Spirit Detective he is, the lazy, delinquent bastard."
Taiyo merely grunted in agreement, and they headed out.
Second to last destination brought them to the Minamino residence, a beautiful two story home, tended to and cared for in such an attentive way that it made Taiyo smile just to look at it. The housekeeper (keeper of the house; Shiori) really loved and cared for her home, that much is certain. Not that Midoriko would ever admit it, even to herself, but she thought the house was very nice as well—beautiful and calming, even. The lawn was clean and cut, the flowerbeds luscious and orderly, the vegetable, herb and spice gardens plentiful and beauteous. The house itself was neatly painted, practically radiating a cozy, warm feeling. This was a house governed and used by kind, loving people; it reflected, easy for anyone who can to tell. There are some things that cannot be hidden from ones such as them, and the nature of people is one of them, which in turn affects the "spirit/soul" of their abode.
The two of them stood directly under the bedroom window of their target, the earth fox demon (chikiu kitsune youkai) Kurama, and looked up. They watched it for a while, sensing the pulsing life-force of the powerful demon. Midoriko spoke up first.
"I'll take this one."
"You do that."
"You go find Hiei."
"Gladly."
Without even a single good-bye, Taiyo walked off, sad to leave the house, overjoyed to leave Midoriko. Midoriko sighed a sigh of relief once she was long gone and began the first part of many of her long, necessary, time-consuming mission.
Taiyo had her work cut out for her. The mission was to enter the dreams of each of the Spirit Detective team to tell them of the situation and recruit their help—when they are sleeping would be the ideal time to bring them in. That is why they had Tsuki hide the moon and pull Hiei into the Dream World of the Spirit Realm. Problem is, Hiei has no home, making him hard to locate. In order to enter his dreams Taiyo had to be near him, and to be near him you have to find him, and to find him you have to know where he is. Well, she doesn't, making the job all the more…interesting.
She was the only one who actually had to search, making her disgruntled and disagreeable. Every time she starts losing her temper or begins to feel the effects of frustration she forcibly reminds herself that it could be worse: she could still be with Midoriko. This calms her, but it makes her job little easier.
In the end she just wandered around, moving quickly for a human, but rather slowly for a demon, concentrating and searching for his unique demonic aura. She had to move slower than even close to her high speed, because if she didn't she may miss him, and that may cost her the mission. She traversed slowly, calming herself down as she felt out with her mind, eyes closed. Several times she almost ran into something, but she somehow avoided major collisions and crashes. She did bump into a few things, though.
Finally she picked up his "scent." Upon catching it she sped up, excited and anticipant. Within minutes she had it, and she found herself beneath the shade of a large oak tree, nearly five miles from Kurama's house. Relieved and accomplished, she climbed the tree, found his small sleeping form, and was ready to begin—the last one to do so, by the way.
Tsuki slipped into Kuwabara's room and nearly fell flat on her face because of the too-large a distance from the windowsill to the floor. Upon standing up she hit her head on the protruding wood, which caused pain to explode through her brain. She winced, rubbing her throbbing head, and silent muttered and cursed Kuwabara, his room, the mission, and the ones who sent her on the mission and made her have to "enter into the Mental and Physical Domains of Kazuma Kuwabara."
His room was a mess, which only made Tsuki pissier and even less happy about the job. The floor was not at all visible, coated in layers upon layers of dirty, sweaty, stinky, bloody clothes, some of which have probably never seen a washer—or a dryer. There were also old bits and pieces of food from long ago, empty wrappers, soda cans and all manners of scraps of other such things—she even found a picture of Yukina, the one thing that has not been ruined or soiled in some way. She put the picture on his bedside table, next to the alarm clock, and hoisted herself up onto the bed.
She looked sour and unhappy, standing over Kuwabara. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of his room and his ugly self. Sighing heavily, resigning herself to her duty, she put her hand on his forehead and concentrated. He went rigid, she went still. In a blinding flash of light she simply disappeared and he went totally limp.
She was in.
Meia tip-toed all the way over to Yusuke's bed, carefully closing the door behind her. She stepped over and around his piles of clothing and teenage boy messes. She moved with such beauty and grace that it was almost as if the things moved out of her way. She moves like a dancer, thinks like an angel and acts like one too. She stood by his bed, looking down, and smiled—he looked so peaceful, so sweet and innocent. A lot of people look carefree and blameless in their sleep—that doesn't mean they are, though. Yusuke is a prime example of that.
"So darling…" A picture caught the Light demon's eye. It was one sitting atop his dresser. She stepped closer and picked it up gently, almost as if she was afraid it might break. It was a fairly old picture, taken some months ago. It was of a slightly younger Yusuke. He was at the local park with his sober mother and Keiko. The women looked happy and joyous, while Yusuke was just sulking. Meia smiled, seeing the looks in their eyes. No matter how he may try to hide it, Yusuke has a good and loving soul, and nothing can hide that from Meia.
"You really do love her, don't you?" she whispered down at his sleeping self, not really expecting an answer. He stirred, muttering. Meia didn't hear all of it, but she could make out "Keiko…". Meia smiled and put the picture down. That was answer enough for her.
She knelt down by his side and looked at him for a minute. She made herself snap out of it, though, and she reached out her hand. Placing it upon his forehead as Tsuki had done, Meia closed her eyes. She concentrated, the both of them tensed, and she was gone, and he was limp—he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon (not that he would have, anyways).
Midoriko had to climb the wall outside Shuuichi's bedroom in order to even be able to reach him. That was, of course, not a problem for her; she easily pulled herself up the wall, unnoticed by anyone outside or within. She opened the unlocked window all the way via the forces of her magicks and pulled herself up and over the windowsill. She rolled as soon as she dropped in, arising by his bed.
Kurama slept without a shirt on, mostly because it was nice enough to do so. He still wore his jeans, having been too tired to take them off before slipping into bed. For that, Midoriko was grateful. His blankets were pulled up over his pants, exposing his bare chest and face to the chilly air. He stirred, but was too tired to wake up for something so minor, so trivial. He pulled the blankets up closer to his chin, turning over onto his side, facing Midoriko.
She sneered, almost wishing that she would've made Taiyo do this; but no. Hiei would have to be found. She smiled, imagining the discomfort Taiyo must be enduring looking for the elusive fire-demon, and proceeded as ordered. She had to enter his dreams and talk directly to his subconscious in Spirit World. No big.
Her hand was halfway to his forehead when the silver of the picture frame by his bed caught her eye. How it did so was a mystery in and of itself, for there was no light. Midoriko passed it off as a figment of her own imagination. Unable to resist the temptation she abandoned her mission momentarily to study the picture.
It was a picture of ten-year-old Shuuichi and his mother. They were standing outside in the garden, just in front of the rose bush. She was smiling, and he looked like a dork—young children shouldn't have red hair, especially not if it's short. He did, however, look adorable, and the joy and love in his mother's eyes was unmistakable. They are one happy family, even if it's just the two of them. Midoriko would have smiled, had she been Meia—but she's not, so she didn't; it's as simple as that.
She finally turned to Kurama and put her hand on his forehead. She didn't close her eyes, preferring to concentrate with her eyes open—it's an old preference, dating back to her younger days when she couldn't bear to leave her self so exposed—and instead glared at him. After a mere moment a flash of blinding light flared, everything remaining just as silent as it was when she first arrived. Just as she disappeared, just before he fell limp, Kurama opened his eyes. They closed almost immediately and he passed out, going limp, before he could even process that he had "woken up."
Taiyo had little difficulty climbing the tree, seeing as how she is a virtual tomboy, skilled at doing such things as tree-climbing. In her youth she used to love climbing trees, especially when playing hide-and-go-seek with her Nani; the woman who raised all of the Council. Well—at least, most all of the Council. She had to climb almost to the top, because Hiei was thoroughly covered and buried within the leaves, showing his many insecurities, and the fact that he really does possess the mind of a naïve little boy—sometimes.
She sat on the edge of the branch next to where he slept, not even panting. He was curled up into a little ball, as if to protect himself from the cruel world as he slept. Taiyo's soft, if not hardened, heart went out to him, aching for his sad and traumatic, horrible past. She is a good and kind person, strong as she may be, and she relates and sympathizes with him. She knows him well enough to be aware that he would not welcome such concern openly—which is why she would never tell him of it. She knows him, yet has never actually met him. A weird feeling to feel, let me just say so right now.
Before going on this mission, the four Council members had done a whole mess of research on the four of them, learning as much about the four of them as they could manage. They know practically all there is to know about the Spirit Detectives: their families, their strengths, their weaknesses, their loves, their hates, their likes, their dislikes, their pet peeves, their personalities—everything. In some ways, they know them better than they know themselves, which is especially true when it is their subconscious that feels something, their deep and hidden emotions, or things they deny. It's strange, but true.
Despite all of the faults of Spirit World Intelligence and Files (of which there are many) they do accomplish one thing, and one thing only, correctly, and that is: knowing everything personal about everybody, especially if that person doesn't want that something to be known. What a peevish, annoying, frustrating specialty/accomplishment, huh?
Taiyo looked down at Hiei's sleeping form and was about to put her hand on his head when she suddenly stopped. She spotted a scrap of paper clutched in one hand, held tightly to his chest. It was none of her business, but curiosity overwhelmed her. She reached out a hand and carefully pried the paper out of his grasp, managing to avoid awakening him.
It was a picture of Yukina, the sister who doesn't know she's related to him.
Taiyo nearly cried or did something else—but she didn't. It was so sad, knowing that you do—in fact—have family, but being unable to tell her. Especially if you do see her every once in a while, and when you do you have to suffer having her treat you like another stranger, all because she doesn't know you. Such a beautiful girl—Taiyo vowed that she would somehow bring them together, for Hiei's happiness. He is so alone, and he has to endure his life as such…She wanted to help him, and she promised herself that she would—somehow…(It was made worse by the fact that it was his own conscious decision causing him so much pain).
She put the picture back into his hand, silently swearing that she would help him in any way she could. She then reached out her hand, stopping halfway, frozen for some odd reason. No reason, really, just pausing to think…
..And to have him reach out and grab her wrist.
She nearly cried out from shock, just barely managing to contain herself. His crimson eyes burned and Taiyo's heart rate increased, just as her breathing came to a sudden halt. What seemed like an eternity was really only several seconds. Almost as suddenly as he had awakened, Hiei closed his eyes and nodded off again. Taiyo just sat there for several minutes, breathing ragged and heart pounding. Finally she recovered, shook it off, and reached her hand out again—far more cautiously and slowly this time.
He didn't wake up again, not even when her hand rested atop his brow. She relaxed, although remained a bit tense, concentrated hard and disappeared just as the others had, gone in a blinding light. Hiei took several seconds to go limp, but go limp he did.
They were all in. Time for the real work to begin.