Yu Yu Hakusho Inversed
Chapter 15
August 15, 2005
"Where exactly are we going, Toguro?" Bui inquired.
"I don't know; Kurama didn't specify where."
"Otouto," Yukina broke in, "shouldn't we go to the police or something? Karasu murdered Sakyo!"
"I don't think the police will do anything for people like us," Toguro stated bluntly. "Or Sakyo, for that matter." Yukina narrowed her eyes.
"What was that?" Bui asked suddenly.
"What?" Toguro and Yukina asked suddenly. And then they heard footsteps.
"Brother," somebody said.
"Ani?" Toguro asked as the older, albeit much smaller, Toguro brother approached. "I was worried; Karasu appeared, and we couldn't find you... Bui and Yukina, you two run for it- Ani and I'll go back and help Kurama."
"Why?" asked his brother.
Toguro blinked. "You weren't there," he recalled. "Sakyo's dead. Karasu killed him because he refused to join in a plot against Kurama; Karasu wants to-."
"I know Karasu's plan," Ani interrupted. "And by now Kurama may already be drugged and on his way to the surgeon's."
"What?" Toguro demanded.
"Face it, Brother: Kurama's a drunk. His movements aren't as quick as they used to be. Karasu didn't have much trouble overpowering him."
Toguro grabbed his brother and slammed him against the wall. "And you left him there!" he hissed. "He's at the mercy of Karasu and some equally insane surgeon because you-."
"Why are you yelling at me?" he asked defensively. "Everyone's with Karasu."
"Karasu's insane! Kurama is our boss!"
"Kurama was our boss," Ani corrected him. "But it's rather hard to lead the gang when you're constantly drunk and everyone's against you, and you're... dead."
Toguro uttered a feral growl, and shocking Bui and Yukina, smashed his brother's face with a massive angry fist.
"What are we doing?" Hiei asked.
"Getting out of here," announced the Yoko. "Karasu's preoccupied right now- those explosions of his apparently attracted pedestrians and the press, and I believe I heard some police sirens..." He found an empty box, and filled it with the different items he'd uncovered from the crawl space. "You, carry this." The redhead dumped the box into Hiei's arms. "This way." He led Hiei downstairs and toward the back of the house. "Go out the backdoor; wait for me," he stressed.
"Where are you going?" Hiei asked.
"Last I checked, those kids were still in the basement." The Yoko shoved Hiei out the backdoor and ran back into the house.
"Now what's going on?" Kuwabara whined.
"I already told you, how the hell am I supposed to know?" Keiko snapped.
"Wait," Yusuke said. "Listen." They did; footsteps descending into the basement.
"Don't rape me!" exclaimed Kuwabara as the Yoko appeared.
The cross-dresser narrowed his eyes at the carrot-top. "Keep a mind-set like that, boy, and the only place you'll succeed is amongst the holier-than-thou, sin-and-fire-and-brimstone-and-Satan-obsessed religious zealots. Now, if you'll shut up and pretend you're not a moron, I'm trying to save you."
"Uh, huh?"
Kurama rolled his eyes. "Evidently, you can't pretend. There's been a bit of a revolution upstairs, if you will. It's not safe for you or for me to stay in this house. I thought I'd be nice and remove you from the threat of a knife to the throat, a bullet to the brain, a detonated explosive..." He shrugged. "However, if you're convinced that I'm Evil Incarnate, I suppose I could just save myself and Mr. Jaganshi-."
"I don't think you're Evil Incarnate!" insisted Kuwabara. "She already took that position!" He nodded towards Keiko.
"EvilIncarnate"glowered at him. "Where are we going?" she asked the Yoko.
"I suppose you have several choices," he answered as he cut Yusuke's binds first. "The uprising has lured the press and possibly the police. You could try running to them; however, you'd have to pass Karasu and his league of two-faced traitors first. You could try running on your own and find your way out of downtown; however, you may run into the wrong type of people... Or, I suppose, you could come with me." He cut loose Keiko, and then Kuwabara. "But whatever you decide, it's unwise to stay here."
The three followed him upstairs. "This way, out the backdoor..." Kurama gestured toward the back exit.
There was the blast of an explosion; the kids shrieked and ducked behind furniture, while Kurama cried out in pain. The redhead lurched forward, one hand gripping the wall, the other clutching his stomach- of which it and his thigh had been hit by splintered objects. "Shit..." he grimaced, examining the blood dripping onto his hand. He noticed the three kids, watching him. "Don't just stand there!" he growled. "Go!" They appeared to snap out of it, and scurried for the back door.
Somebody stepped on a splintered piece of wood, causing it to snap. "What are you doing, Foxy?" Karasu asked calmly, his eyes malicious. "You really shouldn't over-exert yourself, you know, seeing as how you're due in for an operation." Kurama glared. "I see you're playing the runaway bride. Well now, I hear those wedding-day jitters are quite normal, really- I could give you something to relax you..." Karasu grinned evilly.
Kurama took a step backwards, and then grimaced: whatever had hit his thigh hadn't merely cut it like his stomach; it'd lodged itself into the flesh. "I don't think this surgery's really my thing, Karasu. I mean, despite the fact that you're a big enough dick for the both of us several times over, I'm still rather partial to-."
"Shut up!" Karasu growled, raising his hand against the cross-dresser. Kurama took a step back, but the wounded leg gave out from beneath him. Karasu grabbed a handful of red hair and slammed his head into the wall; Kurama retaliated by grinding the stiletto of his shoe into his attacker's groin. "You cunt!" Karasu exclaimed, his voice an awkward high pitch. He drew a knife, slashing Kurama's midriff with it before he could get away.
"Hey!" Keiko yelled angrily. "Leave him alone!"
"What are you doing?" exclaimed Yusuke and Kuwabara.
"He needs help!"
"Who cares? He kidnapped us!" Kuwabara countered.
"And he didn't have to help us either!" she retorted.
Karasu narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah," he said coolly. "I'd nearly forgotten about you three." He took a step towards them.
Keiko put her hands on her hips. "I'm not scared of you!"
"Ooh, sassy!" he jeered. "And such a pretty face… I wonder how lovely it'll be when I'm done-."
Karasu sailed backwards, blood flying from his nose. Kurama took this opportunity to run (dragging his injured leg) for the backdoor. "Come on!" he hissed, while outside a new wave of gunfire broke out.
It seemed none of them heard him- they were all too busy staring at the stunned Karasu, then at Yusuke's fist, spattered with Karasu's blood. "Who... did I...?"
"Yes, yes," Kurama said, annoyed. "You punched him out; good for you. But unless you have a gun"- 'Something I should have brought,' he thought angrily- "we need to leave now." Once again, Kurama was ignored, but when Karasu began to move again it appeared the three snapped out of it, following Kurama out the back way.
Hiei quirked an eyebrow when he saw the Yoko limping out the door with three kids he'd never seen before. "What happened to you?" he asked the redhead, but his question was waved off.
"You have my stuff?" he asked. Hiei held up the box. "Let's go."
"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed, spotting Hiei. "You're Hiei Jaganshi!"
The billionaire blinked. "Um, yeah..."
"Funny, you're a lot shorter than I figured," the carrot-top continued.
"Must I repeat everything to you!" the Yoko demanded.
"Hey, Yoko person?" Keiko pointed down the alleyway. "Should we be worried?"
He followed her gesture, and then narrowed his eyes. "What the hell! Does nobody listen to me anymore?"
Toguro looked past his boss. "The house is on fire."
He looked behind him and groaned. "Perfect. Smashing. Absolutely, fucking brilliant. Somebody shoot me."
"Please don't joke like that," said Toguro. "Not here, right now. Where are you going?" Kurama had turned away from him and was now limping down the alley. "What happened to you leg?"
"We're relocating," the redhead replied, evading the latter question. I have another place..." He glanced back at the blazing Minamino house, something akin to sadness on his face. "I'm going to kill Karasu for this," he muttered.