I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Thanks RAW19 for reviewing (you forgot the little number after your name. Lol. I knew who it was though. And I don't know what happened to him either…) Thanks for sticking through thus far :D
Chapter 18
What do you mean she's dying?!" Koenma cried.
"Van-Gareth poisoned her!" The panicked spirit envoy cried back. "He was in the form of a black dragon!"
Koenma changed the station on the screen so that he could see the group. Era was deathly pail and breathing slightly unevenly, eyes closed. The Reikai prince sucked on his pacifier quickly in worry before changing the screen back to the map. With the click of a button a section of the map was zoomed in.
His eyes scanned the map looking for something and when he found it he put it in the middle of the screen with a green circle around it. "The red dot is the group, get Era to that green circle."
"Sir?" Botan asked in confusion.
"Don't ask!" Koenma yelled, "Just do it!"
"Yes sir!" she cried and ran from the room.
Koenma sighed and slumped into his chair, "I hope this works."
vvvv
Touya felt Era shiver beneath his cool hand and quickly pulled it away. Kurama looked her over with a frown of concern, "We should get her to sit up so she doesn't choke on her own blood."
With a nod Touya carefully put one arm around the back of her shoulders and the other went to her stomach before he very carefully made her sit up. Era whimpered helplessly as she was shifted. Blood began to leak from in between her lips and land on her clothing.
"Oi!" Chu cried at the sight. "From laying down she looked bad, but now she looks worse!"
"She's lookin' like a 'elpless child," Jin said in dismay.
Touya wiped away the blood flowing out of the water maidens lips with an immense amount of worry etched on his fair features. "Her skin is scorching but she's cold."
Jin kneeled down and brushed a few stray hairs from the maidens' face, "It's like 'er body is water itself. Hot on top, 'ut cold on bottom."
"Water…" Touya muttered to himself. "Nelien… Water!" He cried the last part. "That's what she needs! Water!"
"Bingo!" Botan cried as she landed on the ground, oar disappearing. She had figured out where Koenma was sending them as she has been on her return journey. "We need to move NOW!"
"Right," the group replied hurriedly.
Touya carefully picked Era up; now that he was not injured he could do this without worry. Era whimpered again in her semi-conscious state, a small trickle of blood coming from one corner of her mouth once again.
"Hang on Era," he whispered to her.
vvvv
"How do you think they fair milady?" came a voice from the shadows, the bearer being known as Firan.
"Quiet well," a female voice replied, completely hidden in the shadows. "It's going just as planned."
"Then you wish me to leave?" Firan asked.
"Indeed," the female replied.
As if ignited Firan's fiery body appeared as he bowed, "As you wish milady." His fiery wing spread and he took off into the darkness, disappearing moments later.
vvvv
The group was running through a dimly lit forest as they followed Botan to wherever she was leading them. Era was still in Touya's protective arms and, if it was possible, seemed even paler than before.
Yusuke had not yet awoken and so was still over Kuwabara's shoulder, but no one thought much of the unconscious Spirit Detective as they knew he would be alright. Instead all worries were directed at the barely conscious water maiden who's life was quickly diminishing.
"Why is it that Era seems to almost get herself killed so often?" Suzuka asked as they continued to run.
"What do you mean," Shishiwakamaru asked.
"The tree branch piercing her back and now this," he explained, "Every time Van-Gareth comes about she's nearly killed."
"Van-Gareth is very dangerous," Rinku reminded them.
"Obviously kid," Suzuka bit back, "But that's not what I meant. It seems that Era is so much weaker than him given the predicament every time the two of them encounter each other."
"All but one," Botan reminded him as she kept her gaze in front of her. "The first encounter, before we met up with you, she had only been punched. Not even a bruise amounted from the assault."
"But that wasn't a real fight," Hiei reminded her, "Their full potentials had not yet been released and Van-Gareth had run off for whatever reason moments after it had begun."
"True," Botan said.
A horrid coughing sound came from Era as he began to choke on her own blood. Touya stopped and carefully put the water maiden down, holding the front of her shoulders so that she could cough the blood onto the ground and not herself.
"Here Touya," Botan said as she handed him a new handkerchief. "I picked this us just before I left the Reikai."
Touya nodded and took it with a soft, "Thank you." He wiped the blood on his face off as he waited for Era's coughing to subside. When it seemed she had calmed he wiped the blood of her face and neck.
The handkerchief was then shoved into the ice masters pocket before he picked up the very weak water maiden. Her breathing became even more labored than before and he could hear the blood filling her throat once more.
"She's fading!" Jin cried in dismay.
"Let's get moving," Kurama said with haste to Botan.
The spirit envoy did not hesitate in the least and took off as fast as she could with the other right behind her.
vvvv
Roughly ten minutes later the group made an abrupt stop in front of a dark bluish-brown lake. "We're here," she panted, hands on her knees as she gasped for breath after their extreme haste.
"Good!" Jin exclaimed. He ran out to the water, but upon his feet touching it he yelped and jumped into the hair where he hovered.
"What's wrong?" Rinku asked.
"Cold!" the wind master cried from the air, "My feet er frozen stiff."
Touya sighed and shook his head as he made his way to the water, "You were in there not even a second."
"Don' matter," Jin complained as he rubbed feeling into his feet.
The master shook his head once more as he briskly walked into the water. For one who was used to the cold the water sure surprised him. The water had to be far below freezing, but not even a thin layer of ice marred its surface. Touya could not suppress a shiver when the water was waist high and this startled his further since an ice demon, let alone an ice master, should never shiver from the cold.
When the water was up to the middle of his chest Era coughed up a bit more blood before opening her eyes. He looked down at her with a faint smile, "Nelien Era, water."
Era smiled, a trickle of blood flowing out the corner of her mouth. She reached out one had and placed touched the ice masters cheek, "Touya…"
"Era, it'll be alright," he told her softly.
More blood fell from the water maiden, "G-go t-to Era-Erala-Eralasea."
Her words were strained and faint to his ears. He shook his head, "You're going with us."
"I- I me-meet you," Era said as more blood trailed down her jaw line, "I m-meet yo…"
What happened next seemed to be slow motion and every movement and feeling became forever etched in the ice masters mind.
Era closed her soft blue eye. Her hand slipped from his cheek, leaving a trail of blood, and the feeling of her feverish warmth on it. It seemed to take eons to fall the small distance to the water with a splash. The ice master's eyes seemed to allow him to see every water droplet as it was sent into the air, some of it hitting his cheek. Her hair waving in the ripples of water caused by her hand.
"Era…" Touya said softly, hoping she would open her eyes and start laughing at him. But it never came and she never stirred.
He closed his eyes fighting back the emotions that threatened to make him do something he had not done in centuries; cry. This was one giant nightmare and he screamed at himself to wake up, expecting to see the water maidens face to hover over his with a curious look of some sort.
But once again any hopes of the maiden in his arms moving in any fashion were destroyed as he felt the bitter cold of the water nipping at his skin. This couldn't be happening! Not after all that they had been through together. Not after all the hope she had given them.
Not after he had let the barrier around him crumble.
He opened his mouth and he was sure that anyone within several miles heard him scream, "ERA!"
O.o Era just… T.T How's the world going to survive now?!
There's still more to go so we'll have to wait and see.
Please review.
Thank you.
