(August 21, 2005)
131 reviews. I told you 200 was too ambitious for a five-chapter story... Unless I get 69 reviews on this chapter... Which I doubt... seriously... 69... teeheehee...
Yes, I decided to update a day early. I wasn't getting very many reviews anymore, so I was bored and I want to get some feedback on this chapter...The title of this chapter doesn't really fit in with the rest of them, either... But I couldn't really come up with anything from this chapter that would be like that... Oh well.
Oh yeah, while we're on the subject (actually, we're totally no where near the subject), something in this chapter is majorly gonna PO a lot of people... XD Yay for po'ed fans! I'll say no more. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Oh yeah... There's an amusing INTENTIONAL "typo" in this chapter... See if you can catch it...
CHAPTER FIVE
Lesson Five: Silence is Golden
The second day of Shadow and Eclipse's captivity passed uneventfully. Shadow attempted to counsel Karasu again, then ended up having to counsel Ryosei, too, because as it turns out, he really likes Karasu and apparently the cold-hearted crow doesn't return his feelings. Wonder why? But that's okay, because Karasu had no idea about Ryosei's feelings. That only would have made it worse.
In the world of Hiei and Kurama, the fox was rather nervous about going alone. Hiei subtly reminded him he was willing to go along ("Then don't go alone! I'll go too; I already said this four hundred times!"). Eventually, Kurama agreed.
"You can come... But I'm sure the second Karasu sees you, he'll tell you to get lost. And if he does... I guess you should go."
"Then what's the point of me coming along?" the fire demon pointed out dryly.
"It doesn't matter. We should leave soon if we're going to get there on time. It's an hour of driving, at least."
Hiei nodded, grabbing his sword. Kurama glanced at it and said nothing, heading out the door instead.
Karasu came down to the dungeon around 11 that night. Shadow greeted him with a hug that practically broke his ribs.
"Aren't you excited!" she asked, bouncing from one foot to the other and clapping her hands together. "In a little bit, you get to get rid of us!"
"Yes. I'm excited. But... Unfortunately, I have to chain you up again."
"What? Why?"
"Just to maintain my advantage. I can't have you running off when I open the door, now can I? Not that you will..."
"No, I understand. It's okay," she sighed melodramatically. "Chain me up..." She walked over to the wall and let him lock the shackles around her wrists and and ankles again.
Eclipse was asleep. She'd been asleep all day. It was like, after being traumatized to death by seeing Shadow and Karasu kiss, she'd fallen asleep and probably was erasing the memory by dreaming about pink bunnies and rays of yellow sunshine.
Kurama and Hiei arrived at the designated meeting point at 11:59. Both of them got out of the car, on guard and ready for anything. All they got, though, was Ryosei. He just strolled right on out of the forest that bordered the in-the-middle-of-nowhere back road.
"Kurama," he said, smiling and looking at the fox. Then he looked at Hiei, but still spoke to the redhead, "Didn't I tell you to come alone?"
"Where is Karasu?" Kurama asked coldly. Ryosei looked up, startled.
"You know?"
"It wasn't that hard to figure out. Not with your little mistakes on the phone. That's why I brought Hiei."
He faintly heard Hiei repeat "brought" in a scoffing tone behind him.
"Well... I'm sorry, but Karasu-sama will not allow Hiei to accompany you. He will have to stay here. I cannot guarantee their safety, or his, if he comes along."
Hiei snorted. My safety is no problem, and I hardly believe Shadow's is, either. She owns that damn crow. But out loud he said, "I'll stay with the car, fox. Go ahead."
Kurama nodded, but he knew Hiei would be watching. Turning to Ryosei, he said, "Lead the way."
The second the two were out of sight, Hiei pulled the headband off his Jagan and allowed his normal eyes to shut as he concentrated on the images from the third eye.
Kurama followed after Ryosei through the woods for over twenty minutes. The half-demon boy was clearly in no hurry to get to where they were going, and the fox was starting to get irritated.
"Where are you taking me?" he asked finally. Ryosei glanced over his shoulder at the ire teen.
"To where your girlfriend is being held. Don't you trust me?"
A quiet growl answered. Frustrated, more than angry. Ryosei smiled.
"We're almost there. Two more minutes, tops."
Karasu leaned against the wall just inside the stronghold type thingy he'd conveniently pulled out of a plothole. When Ryosei came into sight with Kurama in tow, he smiled. The redhead was on guard the second he saw the crow.
"Hello, Kurama," Karasu purred happily.
"Karasu," he greeted in a semi-polite voice.
"He brought Hiei along," Ryosei said. "I made him stay back there."
"Good," Karasu said.
"Where is Eclipse?" Kurama asked.
"You'll be taken to her once I've gotten what I want."
"Which is?" Duh.
"You."
"No," Kurama growled. "You won't get me. You won't get anything from me until I have the girls back."
Karasu's smile faltered and he suppressed a sigh. "You may see them. But I will not release her until I've got what I want. Come with me, then. Ryosei, you aren't needed for this."
"Yessir."
The crow led Kurama down to the dungeons and paused outside the metal door behind which Shadow, Eclipse, and Kokuei were chained to the wall.
"Stay right there. You may see them, but that is it. Try anything tricky and I will hurt them all."
Kurama's glare intensified. Karasu smiled and opened the door. Inside, both girls were sleeping, and Kokuei was wide awake and watching the door, as if she knew what was going on. She probably did. The second the door opened, she stood and walked to stand in front of the snoozing girls protectively, baring her teeth without a sound. Karasu hesitated.
"Call the dog off, Kurama."
Been having some problems with Kokuei, have we? Mildly amused by the thought, he spoke her name firmly and she glanced at him, then reluctantly slunk away from Shadow and Eclipse. Karasu approached Shadow and looked at her fondly, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. He tipped her head up and kissed her.
Red eyes bolted open and she turned her head sharply away. "Jeesh! You sure know how to wake a girl up!"
"Kurama's here," the crow said quietly. Shadow peered past the crow and smiled, then her face fell.
"No Hiei? HIIIIIEIIIII! I want Hiei!"
Eclipse's head snapped up and she looked around tiredly. "Food?"
"HIEI ISN'T FOOD! HE'S MY BABY!" Shadow screamed, appalled.
Karasu smiled and straightened Eclipse's shirt, which had slipped off to one side to reveal her shoulder and bra strap. She glanced at him with eyes half-lidded with sleep. "Who're you?"
Shadow, meanwhile, had taken up a chant. "Hiei, Hiei, Hiei, Hiei!"
"Hiei?" Eclipse peered at Karasu with narrowed eyes. "Did you change your hairstyle? And you grew!"
"Eclipse!" Kurama snapped. Her eyes widened.
"I hear Kurama!" She looked around. "I SEE Kurama! KURAMA! MY BABY CAME TO SAVE ME!"
Karasu smirked and left the cell to stand in the hall with Kurama. "You see? They're fine."
"Hiei, Hiei, Hiei, Hiei..."
"KURAMAKURAMAKURAMAKURAMA!"
"Let them go," Kurama said. "You surely are above this, Karasu."
"Kurama... I couldn't think of any other way. You won't be with me voluntarily..."
"HEY!" Shadow snapped, cutting off in the middle of a 'Hiei'. "I thought you wanted to get OVER him! What did all my counseling do!"
"What do you want?" Kurama asked coldly. "My life? My body?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Karasu asked. "I want you. I want you to be mine. Just once, at least. Have sex with me. Please."
"No."
"You JERK! DON'T TOUCH MY FOX!" Eclipse exploded.
"WHAT'S ANY OF THIS GOT TO DO WITH ME!" Shadow screamed. "LET ME AND KOKUEI GO HOME! I WANT HIEI! HIEIHIEIHIEI!"
"Your concern for your friends is evident," Eclipse said, frowning.
"HieiHieiHiei--Shut up. I want Hiei. HieiHieiHiei..."
"Karasu wants to have sex with Kurama. Karasu is a psycho. We should be CONCERNED by that! He's got me hostage! He might rape Kurama! Kurama might do something stupid since he loves me so much!"
"HieiHieiHiei--Kurama? Stupid? Ha!--HieiHieiHiei..."
"Kurama, please," Karasu murmured, stepping closer. "Please, just give me a chance. You may find out I'm not all that bad."
"Doubtful. Release them."
"If I release all three of them, will you have sex with me?"
Kurama's eyes narrowed. "No."
"Then they'll stay here and rot," the crow said simply. "You can take Hiei and run along home."
"Hiei? HieiHieiHiei?" Shadow said questioningly.
"I won't leave them," the fox insisted.
"Then you're in quite a fix."
Kokuei snarled deep in her throat. Other than that, there was silence. Shadow's 'Hiei' chant had turned into repeatedly moving her lips to his name without actually saying it. Kurama's mind was racing. Karasu waited patiently for the fox to reach a decision. In his mind, he only had one option.
The redhead sighed slightly, running his hand through his hair--something he never did, Hiei noted absently. He ran his fingers across his mouth to wipe away the sweat accumulating on his upper lip. Slowly, he turned to face Karasu, licking his dry lips, seeming nervous. Quickly, he closed the distance between himself and his enemy, and kissed him.
Eclipse screamed like she'd just had a steak rammed through her heart. Shadow's lips stopped moving and her jaw dropped with surprise.
Outside, Hiei's eyes snapped open wide. THIS is his plan? he thought with horror. He could tell, even in the not-quite-clear vision his Jagan showed him, that Kurama had hadan idea. But... The stupid fox's great and wonderful plan is to kiss the damn crow! No. There had to be something else.
Kurama, meanwhile, was holding Karasu's body against his, one hand tangling in the demon's silky locks as he pulled his mouth closer, his tongue pushing far into the crow's mouth. Karasu was very willing to let the great Youko Kurama dominate him, at least for now. He tugged open Kurama's shirt as his hips ground into the fox's. His hands slid over the fox's bared chest, down to his belt, and he suddenly froze. Kurama pulled away, out of breath, with a golden glint in his narrowed eyes.
Zillions of Kurama fangirls scream in unison and bombard me with fiery, sharp objects of death.
"Y-you..." Karasu stuttered. His eyes were wide and slightly unfocused. "You betrayed me!" His body was trembling with the effort of staying on his feet. He collapsed, eyes closed. Shadow looked from the crow to the fox.
"Is he dead?"
Kurama shook his head. "I don't think so."
"You don't think so! What did you do?"
"I forced him to swallow a seed."
"A seed?" Shadow said flatly, sounding unimpressed. "What's he, like, gonna get watermelon vines growing out his ears now?"
"It was the seed of the eimin no shokubutsu."
"'Plant of eternal sleep'? So in other words, you killed him," Shadow continued flatly.
"The plant gets its name because the leaves are the main ingredient in a very powerful sedative. It induces a sleep so deep the heart barely beats."
"YOU ONLY SEDATED HIM! KILL THE BASTARD!" Eclipse shrieked, thrashing around like a nutjob.
"The leaves on their own are fatally poisonous to most demons."
"But that was a seed, not the leaves," Shadow pointed out.
"Exactly. I doubt he'll die, but he will be asleep for quite a long time, and probably be quite weak when he wakes up." He glanced at Hiei, who had appeared sometime during his explanation. The fire demon glanced at Karasu and shook his head.
"You should've killed him," he sighed. Shadow perked up. Hiei was out of her line of sight, but she could hear his voice.
"Hiei?" she said hopefully. "HieiHieiHiei?"
Kurama knelt and searched Karasu's pockets for the key to the girls' shackles. Hiei walked into the dungeon and Shadow went into fits.
"HIEIHIEIHIEI! I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!"
"I love you too," he said, reaching up and grabbing the chains that held both his girlfriend's wrists. The metal went orange, then red, and Hiei broke the chains. Shadow squealed and flung her arms around him.
"I love you!"
"Yeah, but you're still chained to the wall..."
"My ankles? Those shackles always opened when he kicked them."
Hiei kicked them and they popped open. Shadow flung her legs around his middle and hugged him so tight it had to hurt. Then she dropped off him and stepped back just enough that she could smash her mouth against his and kiss him fervently.
Kurama unchained Eclipse and got a tight hug, but she only kissed his cheek.
"Sorry if I don't kiss you after your mouth was on that freak."
"It's okay," he said, smiling. "That's perfectly understandable. I can't say it was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life..." He looked down when something nudged his leg. It was Kokuei. She looked up at him pathetically with her two-tone eyes and he had to chuckle.
"I didn't forget you," he said, bending and unlocking her heavy metal collar. He grabbed it before it fell and tossed it towards the corner of the room. The loud CLANG that resulted made Shadow jump, thus disentangling her and Hiei's mouths. Hiei cast a sour glance at the collar, then at Kurama, who was smiling at him with Eclipse clinging to his sleeve and peering around from behind him. Kokuei was standing there panting and looking happy.
"Button your shirt," the fire demon snapped at Kurama. Kokuei romped over and jumped on Hiei, licking his cheek. She dropped down to her feet and barked happily, prancing around until he petted her.
"What now?" Eclipse asked.
"Where's Ryosei?" Shadow asked, glancing around. "Apparently, he's the only one able to take off our collars."
"Ryosei?"
"The cute guy with the silver eyes? Karasu's pawn? The dude who actually committed the act of kidnapping us? He's probably upstairs."
"Then let's go," Kurama said.
As they left the dungeon, Eclipse glared at Karasu's unconscious body, still clutching Kurama's sleeve. She kicked him right in the ribs. "Jerk! That's for kidnapping me!" Then she paused, making Kurama stop as well. Then she kicked him again. "That's for kissing Shadow!"
Hiei's eyes darted to Shadow, widening.
Eclipse then stomped on Karasu, right between his shoulder blades. "That's for chaining me to a wall!" She kicked his other side. "That's for daring to obsess over Kurama worse than most drooling fanatics!" Another kick. "That's for... uh... Just cuz I felt like it! I hate you!" She jumped up in the air to slam both feet down on his back, but Kurama caught her in mid-air with two arms around her middle.
"WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING HIM?"
"I'm protecting you. From Shadow."
Shadow made to lunge at Eclipse anyways, but Hiei grabbed her around the middle. "What was that Eclipse said about Karasu kissing you?" The girl stopped struggling instantly.
"I'm so, so, so, so sorry, Hiei. I'll make it up to you. I promise. I love you."
He growled slightly with annoyance. She whimpered.
"Please? I'm sorry."
Kurama cleared his throat. "I know this is important, but it's a bad place. Work it out at home. Right now, I just want to get out of here."
Hiei sighed and started walking towards the stairs. Shadow got watery eyes and grabbed Kurama. "He hates me now!"
"He doesn't hate you. You just need to work on your loyalty." He set Eclipse down and started following Hiei.
"I'm loyal!" Shadow whined, trailing along beside him.
Eclipse and Hiei snorted. Even Kokuei sneezed, glanced at her, then trotted up to walk alongside Hiei.
"You know, you had a chance to deny it," Eclipse said. "You just totally missed it. When I said he kissed you, you could have insisted it was against your will. I did say he kissed you, not you kissed him."
"Well it's a bit late for that now, isn't it? And I wasn't going to lie to him! Are you implying I should lie to my boyfriend? I would never do that!"
"If I hadn't mentioned it, you never would have told him," Eclispe said.
"Yeah, so?"
"That's not lying?"
"No! It's called 'plausible deniability'!"
"No it isn't, stupid! What, if you never say it it's like it never happened?"
"Exactly!"
"You are so stupid. I can't see why Hiei stays with you."
Hiei glanced back at them and looked forward again just as fast. Shadow glared at Eclipse.
"So what are we now? Eclipse the Counselor? Eclipse the Wise?"
They started up the stairs, the two girls still bickering. Finally, Kurama got tired of it. He smacked his hands over their mouths.
"Neither of you is aiding the situation."
"Eclipse started it!"
"I did not!"
They lunged at each other, only to find themselves suspended in the air by strong vines coming out of Kurama's sleeves. Neither of them was going anywhere.
"How the heck did you two manage to stay in the same room for two and a half days!"
"Shadow was with Karasu most of the time!"
"I was not! You were ASLEEP for a whole fucking day! What do you know!"
"A lot more than you think!"
"For YOUR information, little miss know-it-all, I was only around Karasu so much because I was trying to get him to forget about your boyfriend!"
"By making him focus on YOU?"
"NO! By talking to him!"
"And kissing him!"
"I only kissed him, like, twice or something!"
"Twice is more than none!"
"No shit!"
"Well you have a boyfriend! You shouldn't have kissed him at all!"
"I know that! And for your information AGAIN, Karasu asked me to sleep with him last night, but you fuckin' know what? I didn't! Because I can only expect Hiei to forgive me to a certain extent, and I can only betray him to a certain extent! And I know I shouldn't have even touched Karasu, but he's my friend, and..." She sighed. "No use making excuses. Hiei's gonna hate me for a week or two after this anyways, no matter how many excuses I make." Her shoulders slumped where she hung and she became the picture of misery. Kurama would have let her down from the vines, but he had a feeling she would have fallen back down the stairs because she didn't want to support herself on her legs anymore.
Hiei glanced at her, then looked down, pausing before he continued forward. Kurama let Eclipse down.
"Jeez. This must be serious," she muttered.
They came around the last turn and stopped dead. Ryosei was standing there, and he looked most unhappy.
"Where's Karasu-sama?" he asked, eyes widening. "What did you do to him?"
Shadow perked up and started struggling. "Let me handle this. Get me out of these stupid flowers!"
Kurama let her go and she walked up to Ryosei, putting one hand on his shoulder and drawing close to him, whispering in his ear, "This is your chance to get closer to him. He's downstairs. Kurama used some kind of sedative on him... He'll be out for a while. Take care of him. Make sure you're the first person he sees when he wakes up."
"Oh... I see!" He smiled. "Thank you!" He started for the stairs. She caught his sleeve.
"Before you go... Could you take these ward collars off me and Eclipse?"
"Oh. Right." He grinned. "Sorry."
Shortly after, they were wandering through the halls.
"How... um... How do we... get out?" Shadow asked, glancing around. "We were blindfolded on the way in..."
"Hiei and I weren't," Kurama reminded.
"Oh yeah. So... like, what is this place, anyways? It's like a castle."
"It's a very well decorated cave," the fox said. "This is all underground. It looked like it was built into the side of a hill. And I severely doubt Karasu did it."
"Fucking sweet," Shadow said. "No wonder I didn't know there was a castle in England an hour's drive away from my house..."
Hiei and Shadow shared the back seat of Kurama's car with Kokuei on their way home. The dog had flatly refused to sit between them, so they ended up beside each other since Eclipse refused to vacate the front passenger seat. Hiei hadn't spoken a word to Shadow since the dungeon, and it had been obvious he was thinking.
"Turn on the radio, will you, Kurama? It's too damn quiet," Shadow requested after only a few minutes in the car. He did, and fiddled around for a few minutes until he found a suitable station (as in, one that actually felt like playing music instead of commercials at one in the morning).
Hiei finally got sick of Shadow's quiet. His lips pressed against hers, and her eyes widened. But before she could return the tender kiss, he pulled away.
"Hiei..." she murmured, surprised.
"I don't hate you," he said quietly, so only she could hear him.
"You don't!"
"No. But we do need to talk."
"So let's talk," she whispered. He moved closer and put his hand on her thigh, his eyes locked downwards as he thought of the right thing to say.
"I have to be able to trust you, Shadow..."
"You can!"
"You were kissing Karasu while he was holding you hostage!"
"I only wanted to distract him from Kurama. He had to feel like he could trust me. I only kissed him a couple times. He wanted sex, at first."
"It's good you didn't have sex with him. I would have left you so fast..."
"Hiei, I will never have sex with another living creature without your permission. Unless, of course, you break up with me. Then I'll go screw anyone that stands still long enough."
"I'm not going to break up with you unless you start cheating on me."
"Well I told you you can trust me. I'll never be disloyal to you again."
He chuckled and kissed her lips again. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
Her jaw dropped and she gaped at him.
"And close your mouth before I shove something in it."
"What do you mean 'Don't make promises you can't keep'! I can keep that!"
"Koi, I was giving your permission to keep acting like you do," he said.
"What, like a whore?"
"If that's how you want to word it." He sighed. "Shadow, I understand you never mean anything by playing around with other guys like you do. You never do it without reason. Never just because I'm not good enough and you want more than I put out. You do it because that's how you are. And I love how you are. I don't want to change you."
"Oh, Hiei! That's like, the most sensitive and profound thing I've ever heard a non-fictional guy say!" She started to kiss him, but he pulled away.
"It better never go beyond kissing and touching. Touching while clothed."
"I know. No sexual stuff. Koishii, I'd never do that anyway! I have no desire or need to be sexual with anyone but you. And nobody but you is worthy of me being sexual with them anyways."
He smiled. "I missed you."
"I missed you too. I love you."
Hiei's lips sealed over hers and he kissed her passionately, his tongue reaquainting itself with all the surfaces he hadn't felt for days. She hungrily accepted the contact, his hands on her, the sensations pounding through her body.
Even though they both consciously tried to keep themselves quiet while they made up for time apart, Kurama just happened to glance at the rearview mirror to check on them. He smiled.
"Well, they made up," he told Eclipse casually. She glanced at him, then started a sentence as she turned around.
"How do you--HOLY SWEET JESUS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE!" She spun around and faced forward, gripping the sides of her seat. "Do they HAVE to do that!"
"Why are you complaining?" Kurama asked quietly. "I was planning on doing the same thing to you once we get home."
"Oh. Ohhhh..." She melted into a puddle on her seat. "Drive faster..."
"Hiei, sex is for home," the fox said, aiming it towards the back of the car. "To be honest, it is a little disturbing to have you two on the verge of ripping off each others' clothes in the back of my car."
Kokuei glanced at them, then dropped her head and glowered at them out of the corner of her eye. When they broke for breath, she got up and started pawing at Hiei. He buried his face in Shadow's neck, arms around her.
"Make the dog stop..."
"Kokuei..." Shadow whined. The dog stopped and glared at her. The girl sat up straighter and looked at the dog angrily. "No! Make up your mind! I'm sitting with him!"
The dog's head sank and she glowered up at Shadow.
"Fine. We'll wait 'til we're home. But you'd better steer clear of the bedroom, cuz I've got a lot of forgiveness to beg for."
Hiei chuckled at her words. "Love you."
"Love you too."
And so, both couples and the dog made it to their own respective homes safely. Actually, Eclispe went to Kurama's house since his mother had conveniently gone to visit relatives again. Conveniently.
As for Karasu... He woke up several days later severely weakened, as Kurama had predicted, and refused to leave the underground fortress thingy and show his face to Kurama because he was mad at him for betraying him. The crow seemed to think Kurama cared if he showed his face.
And so... This severely short fic ends without a sixth, epilogue-ish, chapter... And for the Reikai Tantei (and Karasu, and Shadow, and Eclipse, and Kokuei, and Norman, and... need I go on?), life goes on as normal lives may, until I decide to put them through Hellish Doom again for my, and your, amusement.
THE END!
You all hate me for that kiss, don't you? -snicker- I thought it was funny. And I liked the way I worked it out, too... so that he wasn't just kissing him for no reason, or just kissing him to give him what he wanted so he'd give Eclipse back... He was being a sneaky little bastard like he is... Yes... credit it all to my amazing storycrafting skills... -glows with arrogance-
I guess this is the place where I say you better not scream at me in reviews... Fire is my element, flames don't effect me. :) Not that anything in this chapter was really flame-worthy, in my opinion. It's not like I killed anyone. Serious Anti-Karasu, Pro-Kurama fanatics might be a little more than appalled... But I'm Pro-Karasu, Pro-Kurama, Pro-Karasu-on-Kurama... So... That's what you get. Complaints will be laughed at. (Really, there's no point in complaining. It's written, it's posted, I like it, I'm not changing it).