Wow, the last update for this was on Valentine's Day! I've been up to a lot since then, and even delved into a work that has a three character pairing. My goodness.
This chapter is going to answer absolutely no questions. It's main function is to connect arcs, introduce Yukina, place in false foreshadowing about how the Dark Tournament will go, and also add a bit more to the relationship between Hiei and Yusuke (and how their friends start seeing it).
I strongly urge you guys to read my other works Sketch Me and The Seibu Project if you like this one. This was basically the first in a string of less comedic and more dramatic writings, Seibu being the second, and Sketch being the latest.
I've also updated my webpage to include more of my works, which will also include content I didn't feel was suitable for for whatever reason. Eventually it'll have alternate endings or chapters in there. So check that out.
Fan-Art is fun. Send me Fan-Fiction Fan-Art!
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a fan-fiction using pre-existing characters in a pre-existing world that is not of my original creation.
Loan Me Life
By Zelia Theb
Thread VI
Yusuke felt it. He was being watched, in fact, not just now, but all day. Even while he was at school. He figured that if it was some sort of enemy, it would have to show itself sooner or later. Maybe Koenma would end up contacting him before then anyway. So he paid no mind to the presence, and walked home normally. Upon his arrival, he found a note from his mother; his apartment was empty as usual. No sooner had he put down his empty bookbag had a knock come from the door.
He was surprised to see his friend Kurama behind it. He hadn't seen him in nearly three months, since their first case together with Kuwabara and Hiei. He must have come fresh from school; as he was still adorned in the uniform of his academy.
"Hey, Kurama!" the boy said, embracing the other as a greeting, "You wouldn't happen to be the guy following me all day, would you?"
"No," the teen answered as he removed his shoes, "If it is the same presence I feel now, then it is Hiei."
Said demon revealed himself in a lazy manner, stating, "You're quite astute, fox." The two boys glanced at Yusuke's sofa only to find Hiei lounging impatiently upon its cushions.
"Hiei?" Yusuke questioned, "Haven't seen you in a while either."
"Hn. Can't say the same for you." The truth of the statement shed a little light into the demon's activities over the past ninety-four days
"I take it that you've been following our detective here for the same reason as my visit," the redhead said to Hiei.
"Indeed," the lounging one half-lied, "However I feel no need to inform him. I'd rather just begin our quest and return to this prison."
Kurama sighed, revealing a video-cassette tape which held a recording for the trio to watch. He handed it to Yusuke, requesting that he place it in his VCR right away.
As the static cleared, Kurama gave the tape its proper introduction; "This was sent to Koenma, with a note instructing him to pass it on to his Spirit Detective team. The contents are not pretty, as you'll soon find out."
The image of a dark-haired man taller than Kuwabara appeared on the screen. His eyes lay hidden behind thin black sunglasses, resting upon the bridge of his crooked, rocky nose. The thickness of his body could have been compared to trees, and his forest-leaf trench coat struggled to stay button around his broad torso.
"Yusuke Urameshi, Kurama, Hiei, Kazuma Kuwabara," the being started, "I am known as Toguro, and my elder brother and I demand your attendance at the most vile of competitions, the Dark Tournament."
"You see, Urameshi, you have somewhat of a reputation in the underground. Rumor has it that you defeated the demon Lord Kinpo, and the four Saint Beasts of Maze Castle. Not only that, but I know for a fact that you're an apprentice to one psychic, Genkai."
"Your whole ordeal is very intriguing to us. I've personally been looking for an opponent for which to flex my full strength upon. Allow me to show you some of the recent destruction I've caused by merely using fifty-percent of my strength."
A photograph of the recent collapse of a major building downtown was shown on screen. Yusuke remembered the event well; he had been passing by with Kuwabara when suddenly the construction site seemed to implode on itself. The eerie feeling that his classmate claimed to have at the moment seemed to make a lot more sense now.
"Urameshi. You'll enter the tournament with your comrades, plus one extra fighter as per tournament rules. You're the leader of the guest team this time around, meaning that you'll have to put on quite a show for the masses of filthy rich human underlords and low class demons, and win. If you don't want to go, fine. But allow me to show you some of the reasons that you'll want to win."
Girls appeared now; as still photographs. First was Yusuke's brunette mother, and next was the tall amber-eyed sister of Kuwabara, Shizuru. Third was an image of Shiori Minamino, and fourth...
Fourth was an image most foreign to Kurama and Yusuke. A pale and icy skinned beauty, with vampire-like blood-red eyes, and seagreen locks appeared. Her smile was most captivating, but something...something about her seemed so familiar.
"I trust you understand the implication that I will destroy them, and everything they love if you lose the tournament. I'll see you at Hanging Neck Island." The tape flickered off, and back into the flurry of static before Yusuke shut off the television.
"One of you explain. Now." The teen's eyes darted between his two demon guests, taking in the great sadness of Hiei and the stoic behavior of Kurama.
The fox was the first to offer up information; "The Dark Tournament is fighting competition of mainly demons, in which the victor is the team to survive all the deathmatch rounds. It's very dirty, and there are only rules in place in the event that two losers end up in tie. It is held every half-century and-"
"I don't want an encyclopedia, man," Yusuke interrupted him, "What I want to know is why the hell we just don't take this guy out and save all the girls."
"The girls are not in danger, fool," Hiei chastised him, "But they will be if we don't stop the Toguro brothers. They've basically been working as mercenaries for disgusting humans for the past few decades, but now it seems that your fame gives them a run for their reputation. So they have to threaten you in order to get you to fight them."
The detective exhaled quickly. Once again, he knew that there was an easy way out of this, but he figured that his boss would find some sort of spin to put on it, and make it seem like the entire world was in danger. He remarked, "So I bet Koenma said that we should go anyway, because the Toguro brothers are on some sort of 'Most Wanted' list, right?"
"Precisely," Kurama answered.
Yusuke took a seat next to Hiei, rearranging them so that the demon's legs were resting on his lap instead of on the cushion. There was a connection there, but Yusuke couldn't quite put his finger on it. All he knew is that the very familiar girl struck a chord within Hiei's eyes; which despite his cold and indifferent expression, seemed to gel over with anxiety.
"Is there more?" he asked in a soft, consoling tone, directing the question at Hiei. An uneasy tension settled like fog. Hiei's eyes glanced at Kurama, and then to Yusuke, before heading back down into his lap.
"My estranged sister," he uttered in response to the unasked meaning of the question, "We're twins. She doesn't even know who I am."
An 'ahh' escaped Kurama's lips. He had just found more jigsaws to complete the complex Hiei puzzle. He deduced, "So that is the purpose of the Jagan. After the three years I've known you, I always knew what the Jagan was, but never why you had one, since you were already strong enough as is."
"Yes, that's why I have it, Kurama," Hiei sneered bitterly, "And you'll not inform that oaf of this, either. Any of it."
An idea flickered within the redhead. Flashing his eyelashes, he said, "You're right. I should inform him of this so that we can prepare to leave right away. Hopefully it won't take long; shall we meet back here in an hour?" The other two nodded; "Good. See you two soon." He smirked, as if he had seen something he shouldn't have and now he just knew a little too much. But what could he have seen?
When Kurama's presence was officially gone, Yusuke reached over for the remote to his television, and turned it back on; this time to a station airing some martial arts competition; a rather ironic show to watch. Hiei was still on the sofa, resting in silence, with his eyes still seating in his lap. He could have complained of boredom. He could have gotten up and interrogated the detective on his recent training by sparring with him on the roof of the building. But he didn't. And one would have thought that the teen was so engrossed in the program that he could not speak or concentrate on other things; that was, until he said what he did next...
"No wonder she's so beautiful," he muttered, letting his thoughts purposely slip in order to not only break the calm of the room, but to assure his ally; the ally that he had been so close to and found himself missing even though their meetings were few and far between.
"She is," Hiei agreed in a whisper, bringing his eyes up to Yusuke but still fighting himself to ignore the compliment. Yusuke smiled at him, happy to make eye contact, but broke the gaze when he followed Hiei's legs to his...shoes. Shoes which were on the couch, not to mention, on feet.
"You know, Hiei," the boy smirked, setting his arm into position, "My mom would absolutely kill you if she caught ya with your shoes on our couch."
"Heh," the demon joked in return, "I'd like to see her try."
"Oh...would you?" The position of the arm turned into a spoon that scooped up Hiei's legs. Yusuke's other arm went beneath his body and now the fire demon was being cradled like a bride. He laughed, "Can't do much about that now, can ya?"
Hiei kicked a bit, using very little energy in his attempt to escape. However, Yusuke was now twirling them, dancing in his apartment and singing a tune that he had learned as child. It was...how would one say...annoying. And fun.
"Kagami no mukougawa, shiranai..."
It was a catchy tune; Hiei had hoped that it would not stay in his head. He once had the displeasure of hearing a song before, and it engulfed him like water. However, the lyrics felt nice as they vibrated out of Yusuke's warm chest. It washed over Hiei like sunshine on a puddle of rain.
"Yobikakeru te iru no wa, kegaremo nai..."
The demon could not help but laugh. The song was ridiculously morbid and depressing, despite its childish nature and mild phrasing. Yusuke laughed alongside him, garbling his elite singing skills with giggles; overall turning it into one silly moment that could have become far more precious than it already was...had Kurama not entered the apartment once more without knocking.
"My apologies," Kurama stated, deciding that he should have used the silver communicators handed out by Botan instead of intruding on their privacy to contact them.
"What's up?" Yusuke asked, literally dropping Hiei to the floor in order to further the guilty feeling that was plastered upon their faces.
"You should notify Genkai. I am certain she has already foreseen the necessity to train you for this, but she will be a great asset to us." Kurama waited for a response before leaving, hoping that he hadn't angered either of them. The tension was obvious to everyone, although his two charcoal haired comrades didn't understand that it was due to the tension between them.
"Gotcha," Yusuke remarked, "Not sure how long it'll take her to run here or whatever, but I bet Botan could fly her here. Or something. She doesn't have a phone so Botan will prolly be telling her to head here anyhow."
"Right," the other teen nodded, "Well. I'll be on my way." With a wave he left for the second time; figuring that if he took a few extra minutes to help Kuwabara pack it would not be huge issue.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note
Like I said. No questions answered. Okay, maybe one. Please don't forget to leave a nice long and constructive review! Short ones are good too. I'm aiming for over 100 on this work.
What I would like to know from you guys is this: What chapter is your favorite so far, and why? Has something in the fic affected you in some way? Do I need to work on a lot? Do I suck?
Another thing I'm challenging you all on is this; where are the song lyrics from? Please remember this story could get removed if you answer in a review but don't...leave a review in the review. Anyway, I prefer emails about anything, so feel free to send away with any questions, answer, requests, or whatnots.
Zelia
