Well now, recap! Uh... the Mushiyori Butcher was in the middle of beating the crap out of Kurama... Yusuke and Botan and Kuwabara are on the way... and the Yoko has emerged. Yes, well, end recap. Let's move on, now shall we?
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan arrived to the Hatanaka/Minamino house and pounded on the door. No answer. "HELLO!" Botan yelled, "IS ANYBODY IN THERE!" The true question was: was anybody in there alive?
Shiori opened the door. Yusuke widened his eyes. She was bleeding form a wound on her head. "Mrs. Hatanaka, are you al-?"
"Upstairs!" she shrieked hysterically. "Suichi and that thing are upstairs! H-he sealed off the staircase so we couldn't follow!" He followed her graze to the barrier of vines. Muffled screams could be heard from the upstairs. Yusuke cursed, Kurama planned to sacrifice himself so his mother may escape.
Immediately he and Kuwabara rushed for the stairs while Botan attempted to calm Shiori. They passed an unconscious Mr. Hatanaka, but saw no sign of the younger Suichi. The two tried breaking through Kurama's barricade, but no matter how much they hacked or shot at the plants, new vines twisted and braided, thickening the mass, making it stronger. "Fuck!" Yusuke screeched, pounding on the mess. "KURAMA!"
"Urameshi," Kuwabara began.
"WHAT!" he snapped.
"Listen. Do you hear that?"
He listened. Dead silence. Had they come too late? Trembling, he balled his hands into angry fists and ran downstairs, tripping over the now-conscious Kazuya. "Keep trying!"Yusuketold him and Kuwabara, pointing at the vines. "I'll shoot out his window if I have to." He made to run for the door when the air was pierced by a bloodcurdling shriek.
The air grew thick and heavy with an intense energy, causing everyone's hair to stand on end. "What is that?" Shiori asked, trembling under the aura's dark weight. No one replied; the atmosphere in the house had grown so choked by the new energy it was hard to even breathe.
The vines untangled and pressed against the walls, creating a gap in the seal. They heard a loud cracking noise, and a figure fell, screaming, to the ground below. The creature landed on its back, revealing itself as the Mushiyori Butcher. He groaned and struggled to his feet, clutching the stump where his right arm used to be. A moment later the arm itself landed in front of him, knife still in hand. He stared at it dimly, then looked up and backed away as a second figure descended form the top floor, coming to land in the hall in a low crouch.
It rose and straightened itself. Everyone stared. They were looking at a terrifying and beautiful Fox Demon who stood over seven feet tall, had skin the color of the Moon, long hair resembling spun threads of silver, and cold amber eyes containing an arrogant gleam and a hint of malice in them. A loose white robe was draped over his lean, slender physique; a long, sleek silver tail grew nearly to his heels, while a pair of velvety vulpine ears sprouted atop his head, pricked and alert to the most miniscule sounds around him. He ignored the humans surrounding him, instead staring calmly at the Butcher with those cold eyes, his lips slowly twisting into a cruel, evil smirk.
No longer pregnant, no longer weak and exhausted and helpless, his powerful youki radiated form his body so densely it nearly smothered the other inhabitants in the house. Yoko Kurama.
Yoko grinned, showing sharp fangs of the palest porcelain white. In one hand, he held a rose whip, the end of it dripping blood. He cracked it, chuckling sadistically as the Butcher recoiled. "Well," he said in a calm, if slightly amused voice, "you were a lot easier to beat than you first let on. I suppose you were never challenged enough to achieve your fullest potential as a demonic criminal. Of course, you never will if you limit yourself to hunting weak Ningens, never looking for someone stronger or smarter." He carelessly tossed the whip aside, producing another seed. "A shame you didn't learn that you can't expect to tear at the soft petals of a rose without running the risk of encountering a thorn."
While he said this Yoko fed his youki into the seed. It responded quickly, growing, snaking up his arm, draping itself over his shoulders. When it fully matured, it was recognized as a Death Tree. The Butcher saw it and began to shake visibly.
"I see, judging by you reaction, that you are familiar with this species of plant?" He coolly stroked the Death Tree while it hissed at the Butcher. "It's always been one of my favourites. A useful plant, and I'm rather fond of the color." Indeed, the Death Tree possessed a unique, chocolate-burgundy pigment. "Do you know its origins? This breed is native only to the darkest regions of Makai. It adapted to grow independent of Light Energy, evolving to use another substance in place of chlorophyll: Blood."
The tree appeared to grow longer, and larger, creeping toward the Butcher, opening its mouth to reveal long, razor-sharp teeth. Yoko yawned lazily and rested a hand on his hip. "I think it rather a waste, having to kill someone such as you. True, you never worked to your potential, but I sense you have a brilliant mind. Too bad you didn't use common sense. Even when you had Suichi's body on the floor, proceeding to beat the Life out of it, I still may have spared your life. However, I regard the motive to cut out and murder my unborn heirs as an insult, and I hate being insulted." The Death Tree moved in, allowing the Butcher one strangled scream before proceeding to dine on him.
Everyone save Yoko turned their faces away while the plant made quick work of the Mushiyori Butcher. He watched, stone-faced, as the Death Tree moved to devour the arm, then called it back. No evidence was left of the demon who mere moments before had been cowering against the wall. 'The last Butcher,' he thought as the Death Tree regressed into a seed once more. 'It's over then. You've been avenged, Hiei.' The deed done, he allowed his frame to slump against the wall and closed his eyes.
Yusuke dared to look and, seeing there was no carnage evident, cautiously approached the Fox. "Hey," he said carefully. Yoko perked up his ears and opened an eye. "Um, guess you didn't need help after all, huh?" The Yoko raised his eyebrows and shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Hm. Hiei impregnated Suichi. The twins grow inthat womb." He straightened up and looked Yusuke in the eye. "Due to that fact, I'm unsure as to if they can survive the transformation."
"What!" Yusuke exclaimed. "Y-You mean that when you turn back you might-?"
"Lose them," he replied grimly. "Fetch Genkai and I'll try to maintain this form until she comes. I'd like for her to be present in case the worst happens."
"Yeah," his friend managed shakily, amazed Kurama could remain this calm. "Okay, I'll go get her. Botan, can you give me a ride?"
The two left to retrieve the psychic while Kuwabara stayed with Kurama and his family. "Where is Suichi?" the Kitsune asked.
"He happened to be in the living room when that Butcher broke in." Kazuya gestured to a displaced window. "That- that thing hit him in the head and knocked him out. I put him in mine and your m- uh, Shiori's bedroom." He wasn't sure about addressing his wife as this creature's mother. His behavior contrasted greatly with what he'd always seen Kurama display.
Kurama looked over at Shiori. "You're injured," he observed, pointing to the wound on her head.
She hitched her breath. Until then she'd been frozen in awe of seeing this majestic, beautiful, frightening being. His speaking to her, showing concern for her, reminded her that though his form had changed, he was still her son. "It's minor. I'll be fine." She bit her lip. "You really don't know how the twins are?"
He shook his head, taking a seat next to her on the sofa. "I've no idea. For all I know the transaction of bodies may have left them unharmed. Or they may already be dead. Until I return to my pregnant state I won't be able to sense them either way." The Yoko's placid exterior cracked and he began to look very distressed.
Shiori hesitated, then reached out and scratched one of his ears. He pressed his head against her hand, enjoying it while thinking how ridiculous he must look. The King of Thieves, allowing a Ningen woman to act as though he were a lapdog. He didn't care though; screw appearances. Even Legends needed mothers sometimes.
My apologies if that last bit of the chapter seemed rather corny or what not, but I figure that as I pumped this damn story so full of melancholy and the like, I could afford a little sappiness, right?
So... what did you guys think of my explanation for the Death Tree's coloring? I couldn't think of a plant myself, so I just took one the Yoko had previously used, you know, and gave it an interesting origin that would fit into my chosen demise for the Mushiyori Butcher, you know?
Anyways, comments on the sappiness, the plant, or whatever... as I said, I am a review whore Later.