Chapter: Truths Revealed
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following characters, except for Keiyma Suriei, Myrani Sakai, Etsu Nakamura, Itachi, and Zakoto.
Keiyma was still looking into the face of the deep voiced man. Thousands of questions filled her mind, her fear was only surpassed by her curiosity.
"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"
"Me?" He laughed. "My name is Zakoto. But it's not important who I am, but who you are, my dear Myrani."
"Myrani?."
"They mustn't have told her yet, my lord," said the slimy voice from the corner of the room. Keiyma looked nauseously at the face of her attacker. He wore dirty, torn rags that were almost the same color as his pale skin. He was the epitome of creepiness, with his wide, gray eyes and hairless, and emaciated body.
"I guess not, Itachi," Zakoto said to the man. He turned back to Keiyma. "You see, they didn't even tell why they were all so very interested in you. How can you trust someone who keeps such secrets from you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You are Myrani Sakai. You have an incredibly strong spirit, with the potential to become one of the world's most powerful fighters. You can unleash that power with my help. Imagine it, complete control over you're life. Nobody would ever be able to hurt you, or push you around."
Keiyma listened to his words for a moment and began imagining them to be true. She'd always longed to be in control. Never again would she have to face the torment other people had put her through. She snapped back into reality focused her gaze on to Zakoto's glittering brown eyes.
"I understand," she whispered.
"Then join me. Join me and embrace your destiny."
"I understand that you're a total PSYCHO," she yelled at him. He scowled menacingly and looked as though he was about to yell at her but then smiled.
"You're a little firecracker, aren't you?" he asked with a superior laugh. Keiyma made a face, which just made him laugh louder.
Zakoto stopped. There was a loud noise coming from the ceiling above them. He looked up at it and frowned.
"Why is it that you can never find a villainous hideout with proper ventilation units?" he said, and then chuckled, impressed at his own wit.
Keiyma slowly sat up on the musty brown couch where she had lain and rubbed her head. It was still very sore from Itachi's attack on her, and the bewildering ordeal she was going through now wasn't helping.
"Move to your left," came a sudden voice.
"What?" Keiyma asked, looking around the room. Zakoto raised an eyebrow at her.
"I didn't say anything."
"But..." Keiyma began, confused, but was hushed when the voice appeared again.
"Shut up! Don't say anything to them. Move over to the left." Keiyma recognized the voice this time to be Hiei's. However, she continued to sit there unmoving, baffled as to how she, and she alone, could be hearing Hiei if there was no Hiei to be seen.
"NOW!" boomed the voice. Keiyma sprung up from her seat, ignoring the sudden rush of pain she felt, and ran to her left. She turned around in time to see the air vent above where she had been sitting burst open. The short, spiky-haired form of Hiei fell from it and landed on the couch.
"HIEI!" Keiyma yelled, completely caught up in the moment. He ignored her and stayed focused on the man in front of him.
"Great job, Zakoto. Not only did your associate," he began, pointing a thumb at Itachi, "get the wrong girl, but you made me have to come all the way here to your 'secret' lair, which Kurama sniffed out months ago, to get her back."
"You're lying," huffed Zakoto.
"Look, I'd love to stay here and explain it all to you, but your highly developed stupidity could be contagious," Hiei added with a smirk.
Keiyma laughed slightly at this. Hiei walked over to her and picked her up in his arms bridal-style, startling her. She suddenly felt a tremendous gust of wind whip into her face. It was such an immense pressure that she had to press her face against Hiei's chest in order to avoid it.
She carefully lifted her eyes from the protection of Hiei's shirt. His face was serious and incredibly alert. She looked towards the left and right and saw swirls of colors flashing past her at an insanely fast rate. The whirring blues, greens, reds, and yellows made her feel as though her head was spinning. Feeling sick, she buried her head back against Hiei.
Keiyma stayed there, pressed against the warm black cotton of his shirt. It felt… cozy.
Suddenly, the rush of wind against her side suddenly stopped and a wave of inertia pushed her forward. It would have caused her to slam right onto the ground if Hiei hadn't been holding her so tightly.
She lifted her head and opened her eyes. Hiei's face came into her vision. She gazed into it for a brief moment, and he gazed back at her. He then placed her gently back down on the ground.
Still quite dizzy, Keiyma turned around to find herself in Shiori and Kurama's living room. Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the blonde girl they had gone after at the fair were all there. She also noticed a blue-haired girl sitting on an oar and an old pink-haired woman.
Keiyma blinked.
"I guess we have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" Kurama said nervously.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
"All right, so let me get this straight," Keiyma said, fifteen minutes later, sitting in a chair with her hands pressed against the sides of her face. "You're detectives who fight against evil demons from another world called Makai, working for a baby named Koenma. Kurama's an ancient fox spirit with... plant-power, Hiei's a speedy little fire demon with three eyes who can read minds, Yusuke died and came back to life to become the apprentice of Genkai, Botan is the Grim Reaper, and Kuwabara has a sword made of his spirit."
"Bingo!" yelled Botan.
Keiyma glanced at the blonde girl from the fair. "And what are you, a mermaid?"
"I'm Etsu Nakamura. Apparently, I'm who those guys were really after," said the girl. She had an uncommonly squeaky voice.
"But, aren't they after someone named Myrani?"
"I can explain that!" said Botan cheerfully. "You see, fifteen years ago, there was a human child born named Myrani Sakai. A very old and powerful Jaganshi predicted that this babe would be able to contain the most powerful spirit in the universe. It was not certain of her future, or whether her power would be unleashed as a force of good or evil. Word of Myrani spread to the ears of demons. Among them was Zakoto. He attempted to kidnap Myrani, planning to raise her to rule beneath him, killing both of her parents in the process. The Jaganshi knew of this attack ahead of time and hid the child with a fake mother and father. He used his power to alter their memories into thinking that the child had always been theirs. The Jaganshi didn't tell a single soul of the child's new whereabouts. He simply sent a letter to Koenma saying that, in fifteen years, at the exact fair you came from, his spirit detectives would find her, and that they would notice a distinguishing mark on her."
Etsu pointed to the heart shaped birthmark on her face and beamed.
"Zakoto found out through spies that the girl would be at the fair, however, they didn't know how to recognize her. His lackey saw you accompanying the detectives and simply assumed you were Myrani," Botan finished, taking a deep breath.
Keiyma started laughing. "This is all just a joke, right?"
"No, Keiyma. Everything we've said is true." Kurama said sincerely.
Keiyma just sat there for a moment, her head pounding.
"This is too much. I think I need to just... go lie down for a while," she said, rising to her feet and walking up the stairs to her room.
When she got there, she crawled in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her mind should have been going crazy right now, but, as she lay there, it was completely blank.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Kurama walk into the room through the open door, which she had forgotten to shut, and sit on her bed.
"Are you okay?" His tone said he was genuinely concerned. Keiyma paused for a moment.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, looking up at him. He sighed.
"Sometimes people keep secrets because they're afraid people will treat them differently if they know. It wasn't that I don't trust you.
Keiyma considered his words for a moment. She didn't want to tell Kurama anything about her past, so how could she be mad at him for keeping something a secret?
"I hope that you aren't too upset by everything. I really do enjoy having you as my guest here, and still very much want you to stay."
Keiyma smiled at him. Even though everything she had known about him had been a lie, she felt as though she understood him. Maybe not what he is, but who he is, as a being. She sat up and pulled Kurama into a warm embrace. Keiyma had never hugged, or been hugged by someone in return. At least, not like this. Not… happily.
"Thank you... for everything." She whispered to him, and then pulled away. She saw Kurama's look of surprise at such a display of emotion from her. "But don't you EVER keep something like this from me again, got it?" she said, very acutely.
He held back a little laughter.
"Got it." He said, just as she let out a huge yawn.
"Goodnight, Kurama"
"Goodnight, Keiyma. Sleep well." He said, before flicking out the light switch. Keiyma's eyes immediately welcomed the darkness, and shut, bringing her into a deep sleep.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Keiyma woke up woke up in the morning, and shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight that came from her room. She showered in the bathroom next to her room and then slipped into a fluffy bath robe and made her way down the stairs. She found Etsu, who was also staying at the house, sitting at the kitchen table, strumming her long, pink-nailed fingertips on it.
"Finally, you're here! I've been waiting at least ten minutes. I'd like two eggs, poached, not fried. Also an English muffin with grape jelly," Etsu ordered.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, go on."
Keiyma stared.
"What are you waiting for?"
"You to realize that I'm notthe maid."
"Oh. Sorry." She didn't sound sorry. "Well, why are you here, then?"
Keiyma didn't answer. She just sat down and poured herself a bowl of cereal with the ingredients on the table.
"Well, anyway..." Etsu began, obviously annoyed. "I'm so excited about everything! I guess I'm like some kind of goddess, or something." She grinned. "I always knew that this beauty mark I had was special."
"Uhmm… yeah, I guess."
"Everything is perfect! I love my life," Etsu squealed happily. Then she looked at Keiyma with sudden pity. "Oh. I guess shouldn't talk about that, huh? I mean, I don't want to offend you. I'm sure you've had a... well, less than charmed life."
"What?"
"I can tell just by looking at you that you grew up poor. And, uck, your nose!" Keiyma self-consciously touched her nose. "You poor thing. You probably used to get into fights in the alley over old sandwiches or something."
"No, that is not what–"
"Oh, you don't need to hide it, it's okay. Now, I know you can't learn anything from the people around here, but, it would be my pleasure to teach you how to act properly."
"Now look–"
"Good morning!" Kurama had entered the kitchen. He noticed the look of anger on Keiyma's face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine," she said and began walking past him toward the back door.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Keiyma stepped outside the house and into the backyard, inhaling the morning air. She admired the graceful beauty of the colorful fall leaves and the dewiness of the grass. She sat at the base of a large maple tree, leaning her back against the trunk as she listened to the soft music of nearby birds.
She couldn't help but think how stunning and serene it was among nature.
"Yes, it is," came a voice from atop the tree. Keiyma jumped in surprise and looked up the tree to see Hiei sitting on a high branch.
"Do you mind? Those are my thoughts, you know."
"It's not as if you're thinking about anything interesting."
"Yeah, well some things are private, okay?"
"You afraid of me, now, too?"
"What?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. So many people avoid me once they know how easily I could read their every thought. In one second I could know all the little secret in their pathetic lives."
"Can you really blame them? I mean, aren't there things in your life that you don't want people to know?"
"Hn."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Thanks... for coming after me last night," Keiyma said.
"Kurama had asked me to take care of you. I'm a man of honor, don't think it was anything more."
Keiyma sighed.
"You're hopeless."
"Why don't you come up here and say that?"
Keiyma looked down at her feet. He knew she couldn't. She couldn't bear to be up so high in the air.
"It's our fears that make us weak," he said.
"Yeah, well unless you have some miracle anti-fear potion, I guess I'm out of luck."
Hiei smirked.
"Maybe I do. Meet me here at midnight."
"Why–? " she began, but he had disappeared before she had the chance. She wrinkled her brow, bemused.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Keiyma decided to take a walk around street to get her mind off of everything. For some reason, Hiei had put her in a better mood, a sort of excited curiosity. She went inside to change her clothes and leave again out the front door, saying she'd be back later, and leaving a puzzled Kurama.
She stepped outside for the second time and looked around at all the houses in the city. It was strange to see a neighborhood so peaceful. She'd remember in the past when she'd have to walk past screaming households, drug dealers, and groveling homeless people, just to get to school.
Early on in her life, Keiyma had figured out that in order to survive she needed to learn to defend herself, so she did. She practiced hard and long in her room and in empty allies, punching till her knuckles bled and kicking till her feet were bruised. She didn't mind the pain; since if she didn't feel it on her own someone was sure to issue it to her. It made her feel safe to know that she could put up a fight.
She never did it, though. She never fought back. Every time something bad came, an alarm would go off in her head, screaming for her to defend herself. But, she couldn't. She was too afraid. When she was little, she used to try and fight back… but, that always just created more pain.
Here, things were different . There was no constant threat against her. She wasn't alone anymore. She had people watching over her, people like Kurama, who had taken her into his home and his life without hesitation, trusting her immediately. Sure, Hiei acted unkindly towards her, but, it really wasn't that bad. At least he didn't pretend. He didn't act sickening sweet to her, then suddenly turn into a vicious beast. He didn't…
Keiyma broke off her thought when she noticed some shady looking figures inside a coffee house, next door to the diner she had stopped inside to eat lunch in a few hours before, as she'd been walking around for the whole day. She recognized them as a few of her schoolmates. She thought of maybe going inside to say hello to them, but reconsidered, convincing herself that they were from the past, a different life, and a different Keiyma. But, that didn't sit well with her.
What? Did she think she was better than them? Too important to waste time on them? She came from the same place. She's just as shady and stupid as them. She doesn't know how to act properly, just as Etsu said. All the good things that were happening for her were just a lucky break. She didn't deserve them.
'You're gonna be a screw up no matter what I do.'
Her mother was right. She was a screw-up. She wasn't valuable, not to the world or any person.
She ran back to Kurama's house, glad to see he wasn't around at the moment, to stop and question her. She scurried into her room, locking the door. She lied down on her bed and sobbed into her pillow until she fell asleep.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
She woke up around eleven, and just lay there. She should have expected to wake up in the middle of the night, considering how early she went to sleep. She didn't think about anything, didn't want to think about anything. She just watched her digital clock blinking by every minute that passed.
Although she had been staring at it, the clock didn't really hold Keiyma's attention until she saw that it read twelve o'clock. It was midnight, the time that Hiei had asked, or rather told, her to meet him.
Should I go out there? God, what's the point? I should just stay here, curled up in this be,d until I die.
"As entertaining as it would be to watch you die, that's not why I came up here," came Hiei's smooth voice. Keiyma sat up to see he was sitting in the windowsill.
"Ever heard of a thing called privacy, Hiei?"
"Ever heard of a thing called punctuality?" he responded. Keiyma huffed. "Are you going to come outside, or just stay in here and keep pitying yourself?"
"I wasn't–, "Keiyma started, before realizing that was, in fact, exactly what she was doing. "Hang on, I'm coming," She said, pulling off her covers and standing up.
They both went outside, Hiei jumping down the window, Keiyma using the back door, and stood at the base of the maple tree they had met at in the morning.
"Why are we here?" Keiyma asked.
"To get you over your fear of heights."
"How do you plan to do that?"
Hiei smirked sneakily and disappeared. Suddenly, Keiyma felt a powerful gust of air, barely a second long, and found she was atop of the maple tree's highest branch, thirty feet in the air. Keiyma whimpered and grabbed onto the trunk of the tree. She saw Hiei back on the ground and glared at him.
"HIEI! This isn't FUNNY!" she yelled, not loud enough to wake up the neighborhood, but enough to show she was upset
"You want to get over your fear, don't you? Then jump, Keiyma."
"What? I can't!"
"Yes, you can. I don't want to be stuck as your squeeze toy the next time something goes a little too high off the ground. Come on, don't let yourself be weak. I'll be here to catch you."
"You promise?"
"I'm a man of honor, remember?"
Keiyma whimpered again, and began to tremble heavily. She took a deep breath and let go of the tree, taking a small step forward.
She couldn't do it. Her arms wrapped back around the tree.
Hiei sighed.
"I thought you could handle this, but I guess I overestimated you. You really are pathetic," he said, walking away.
A determined glint appeared in Keiyma's eye.
"Wait!" she begged.
Keiyma carefully let go of the tree once more, shaking. Her eyes were wide open, too afraid to shut.
She bent her knees and jumped off the branch.
A rush of wind pushed against her, colors whirling passed. It reminded her of when Hiei had carried her away from Zakoto's lair. She felt the same contentment that she had felt when she pressed her head against him.
The fall was quick. She and she soon felt the warmth of Hiei's arms around her. She smiled at him as he put her down.
"I guess we've both faced our greatest fears," he said, with a smirk. Keiyma looked confused.
"What's your–?"She began curiously, but he disappeared again before she could finish. Keiyma chuckled to herself.
He certainly has a knack for getting the last word.
She went back upstairs to her room and she fell into a peaceful slumber.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
When Keiyma woke up the next morning, she made her way down to the kitchen, where she smelled something positively delectable. It was strange to have someone else cook for her. She had grown used to making her own food.
She was in the kitchen, cautiously stepping toward her mother, who was busy preparing a drink with the tall bottles she kept in the high cupboard. Though Keiyma was too small to reach the cupboard, her mother insisted upon locking it, insisting that the bottles were not for her 'greedy little hands'.
'Mommy, what's for dinner?'
Her mother glared at her. 'What?'
'What… what are we having for dinner?'
'Are you kidding me? I've only been home an hour, and you're already asking me for food?'
'I'm sorry, I was just–'
'Just what? Being a little pain in the ass? Fine.' Her mother walked over to the refrigerator and opened up the door to the freezer and yanked out a frozen steak. 'Here's your goddamn dinner.'
She slammed the frozen steak against her daughter's face, forcing her back against a wall. She let go, causing the steak to fall down to Keiyma's feet, revealing a stream of blood surging from Keiyma's now broken nose. She began crying, screaming in pain. Her mother stepped away, annoyed with the cries.
'You can cook it yourself. I'm not a fucking maid.'
When Keiyma entered the kitchen, she found Kurama sitting at the table reading the paper and Shiori was bustling around the stove. She was glad to see Etsu wasn't awake yet.
"What smells so good?" she asked as she took a seat next to Kurama.
"I just made some blueberry muffins. My famous recipe!" Shiori said happily, placing one of the baked goods on a Keiyma's plate.
Keiyma picked up the muffin and bit into it. Her heart skipped a beat. Warm and sweet, she'd never tasted anything so good. Every meal that the amiable woman made seemed above and beyond, but this was incomparable.
"It's delicious!" Keiyma said happily, stuffing the rest of the muffin into her mouth all at once.
Shiori gave a pleased smile before stepping out of the room to, regrettably enough, wake up Etsu.
"Wow. The last time I saw anyone eat like that was when Hiei discovered ice cream." Kurama said, laughing heartily. The mention of Hiei's name reminded Keiyma of his words the night before.
"Hey, Kurama... I know this sounds strange, but, what's Hiei's biggest fear?" she asked suddenly.
Kurama eyed her suspiciously.
"Not planning some kind of attack on him are you?" He replied jokingly.
Keiyma laughed.
"Maybe," she said, grinning.
"Well," he began, looking at her thoughtfully. "Hiei's one of the bravest people I know. The only thing that he ever seems to be truly afraid of is… well, caring about someone. I think that's why he always acts cold toward people. He wants to avoid going into relationship where he might get hurt."
"Why would he ever be afraid of something like that?"
"He's had a life full of rejection. He finds it easier just to be alone."
"Oh."
I faced my fear of heights by falling... could he have faced his own fear by caring for me?
"Why did you ask?" Kurama said, tilting his head to the side somewhat.
"No reason," Keiyma said quickly, shrugging.
"Morning." Came the squeaky voice of Etsu. Keiyma watched as she picked up a muffin from the counter and bit into it. She formed a sickened face before spitting it out the bit of muffin into the trash. "Honestly, the food here is so disgusting."
Keiyma scowled, but Kurama made no reaction to show he'd heard.
Etsu was either unbelievably inconsiderate or the biggest idiot on Earth. Keiyma was more inclined toward the second answer.
If she becomes the most powerful being in the world, everyone is doomed.