Chapter: Just Out Of Reach
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following characters, except for Keiyma Suriei, Myrani Sakai, Etsu Nakamura, Itachi, and Zakoto.
Keiyma's eyes flashed from Hiei's unmoving body to follow the mind-numbingly cruel laughter beside him. The maliciously pleased grin upon the face of Zakoto blocked her line of sight locked upon.
"What did you do to him?" She was screaming, clenching into a wraithlike shade of white.
"Now, now, don't worry. He isn't dead... yet." Zakoto sneered.
"Let him go, or else I swear that I will kill you," she said through gritted teeth.
"I think it's you who should be worried about the else case, my dear. You see, I'm the only one who can break that barrier around your little boyfriend. There's no way in or out; he's trapped. So, unless have some kinky desire to watch him die, you'd be wisest to listen to me."
Her mouth went dry.
"What do you want?"
"I've tried to have you join me, so that we could work together and build your power, but you denied me. I know I could have controlled you before, but you've changed, partly because of the likes of this scum." He nodded menacingly at Hiei.
Keiyma growled at his comments, but stood her ground, waiting for him to continue.
"I simply had to get control of your power by another means. I used your heart against you, the very thing that was preventing me from gaining control in the first place. Rather cunning, wouldn't you say?" He paused, waiting for a response, but continued when he found none. "All you need to do is relinquish your power to me, and I'll free him."
"How do you expect me to do that?"
"It's not complicated in the slightest. You just need to concentrate your powers into me, exactly how you transfer it into a spirit weapon."
"How do I know you won't just kill me after?"
"That would waste my efforts. For you see, should you die, your power will die with you."
"If… If I do it, then you'll set him free?"
"On my word."
Keiyma glanced back at Hiei's body. She could now tell he was breathing, but they were ragged breaths and the rise and fall of his chest was slight. His mouth hung open, making him look weak and helpless.
Every second that went by drained the life out of him even more.
"Fine. I'll do it."
"Perfect."
Zakoto walked over to Keiyma, Itachi's disturbing self slithering behind him.
Keiyma looked up at Zakoto's face. It was brimming with both greed and anticipation, while her own was tinged with fear.
She flinched as Zakoto picked up her hand and regained eye contact with her.
"Ready when you are, my dear." A small smirk crept across his lips.
Keiyma focused her energy into Zakoto's hand. Colossal rushes of burning heat passed through her. She was like a glass of water, her energy being poured out until she was completely empty.
Her knees were wobbling and incredible fatigue washed over her. Every breath she took and eye she blinked was draining her of even more of her energy.
She felt a 'crack!' in her chest as the last of her power left her and she fell onto the ground.
"I…can't…move…"
"Oh, did I perhaps forget to mention...? How silly of me. After the power transfer, your body falls into a life-long state of barely existing. Also, you can't quite leave any time soon, for the closer you are to me, the stronger I am. Not to worry, I assure you that you'll be in good hands." Zakoto turned to his assistant. "Itachi."
"Y-yes master?" Itachi squealed eagerly.
"I place the girl in your care." He waved his hand, creating a black portal. "Make sure to keep her from the spirit detectives, or it will be on your head."
"Of course... thank you sire..." Itachi said, snatching Keiyma into his arms and pulling her through the portal.
She didn't want this. She wanted to be with Hiei. But, Keiyma was too strained to speak, to scream, to object to what was happening to her in any way.
"I'll take good care of you," cooed Itachi, placing Keiyma on a couch in a room she didn't recognize. "We can be together forever."
He delicately stroked her hair, slowly moving his icy cold fingers through her brown locks. He was moving closer and closer, but Keiyma couldn't move away.
Itachi pulled her against him, crushing her with a deep kiss. His roughly chapped lips scratched her, the passion of the kiss causing her to bruise.
She was terrified. She was revolted. Her stomach lurched painfully in a failed attempt to throw up.
When Itachi finally broke the kiss, Keiyma quickly administered the only defensive maneuver she felt she could manage. She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
It wasn't difficult. Her body was tired and weak.
In a matter of seconds she escaped from reality into unconsciousness.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Hiei lifted his head up, groaning in pain as his whole body ached against the hard earth. Though his eyesight was blurry, he managed to see Itachi carrying an unconscious Keiyma through a black portal. He tried to call out to her, but all that came out was a hacking cough.
"You're too late," came a hiss from behind him.
Ignoring the shooting pains throughout his body, Hiei immediately stood up and raced toward Zakoto with his godlike speed. He obliviously ran through the barrier that had surrounded him, breaking through it without the slightest pause in step.
He was about to hit Zakoto, to knock him down, but was stopped in his place.
Looking down to see what had caused his halt, Hiei discovered that a mere outstretched finger had been the offender. He felt the opposite hand of Zakoto snatch him around the scruff of his neck and lift him several inches off of the ground.
"Tell me, do you like my little addition? Apparently, Keiyma had the idea you were in some sort of danger. I haven't the slightest idea what could have brought on such thoughts, but I felt it rude not to accept her generous gift."
"You deceitful, repugnant bastard! What in the hell have you done with Keiyma? Let her go!"
Zakoto raised an eyebrow and lifted Hiei several inches more off the ground.
"Now, now, I can't have you taking my source of power out of my reach, can I?"
"I'll find her again."
"No, I should think not. Luckily, she won't have any little power surges for you to sense. She's just out of your reach and it's killing you, isn't it?"
"Hn. Mark my words Zakoto, I will find her. I will find her and you will die."
"I look forward to the challenge. In fact," Zakoto smirked and released his grip on Hiei, causing him to land back on the ground. "Why don't you bring along the other detectives? What's the use of all this power if I can't torture all of my enemies?"
Hiei stood straight, lifting his chin and dusting the dirt off of his shirt.
"Really, now. Is that necessary? There's no one you need to impress. Not anymore, at least…"
"Watch your back," Hiei growled, glaring with pure loathing at the man before vanishing from sight.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Hiei arrived hastily at Genkai's temple, hoping that the others were still there. He hated to admit it, but he knew he might need their help in some way.
But, he would make certain that none of them had the pleasure of ending Zakoto's futile life.
However hard he tried, Hiei's efforts to sense a signal of power from Keiyma had been quashed. He could sense Zakoto well enough, but he assumed that the man wasn't idiotic enough to stand in the same location as her.
Breaking down the door and running inside, he almost knocked down Kurama. The Kitsune stood unfazed, and steadily regained his balance.
"Hiei? What is it?" Kurama asked, taking a small step backward to give Hiei space.
"I found Keiyma, she wanted to leave, and come back to us... That son of a bitch Zakoto! I'll kill him…"
"What? What's happened?"
"I found her... but then I was knocked down from an explosion," Hiei began, purposely leaving out the romance in their meeting, both to save time and out of his own uncommon timidity. "When I got up, his pathetic excuse for an associate was carrying her through one of his portals. She looked almost dead. He took her away, and he took her power, DAMN IT!"
"He couldn't have. She'd have to give it up willingly," called Yusuke's voice from the corner of the room.
In his haste, Hiei hadn't even noticed him standing in the room. He now looked around and noticed that Kuwabara was also there, leaning against a doorway. Both seemed to have very serious looks upon them, despite their usually jocular nature.
"She did. He... he tricked her. She thought I was dying and gave her power in hopes that Zakoto wouldn't kill me." Hiei scoffed. "As if that imbecile could kill me."
"Well, that's good, right? He won't hurt her now," offered Kuwabara.
"Baka!" Hiei growled. "We can't sense her now. He'll keep her there forever, in a state almost as low as vegetation, as a source of power to feed of off."
"Not to mention the fact that now Zakoto's grown considerably stronger," muttered Yusuke.
"There's no question that we have to stop him, but how?" asked Kurama.
"I don't know but I'm sure as hell not going to give up." Hiei said, slamming his fist against the wall.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way. None of us will give up. We'll get him for this, Hiei." Kurama said softly in an attempt to comfort his friend.
"I know," Hiei said, speaking in his regular, cold, superior tone. "I can't lose her," he added, in a low whisper unintelligible by the others around him.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
Keiyma awoke, unsure of the time that had passed. Somehow gathering the bravery to open her eyes, she looked up at her surroundings.
It was fairly dark inside the room. All the lights had been shut off, but the light of day still shone somewhat through the closed drapes of the windows.
She felt something warm pressed against her body, and had been avoiding looking at it for fear that Itachi had curled up next to her. Finally, sheer curiosity got the better of her and she looked down. Keiyma let out a sigh of relief to find that it was simply a blanket bundled up against her body. It was a nice gesture, and she would have thought it sweet had it not come from her captor.
Wondering where the man was, she quickly glanced around the room and discovered him lying on a bed next to the couch she had been asleep on. His head was rested, asleep, on the edge of the bed facing her. Keiyma had a spine-tingling, creepy feeling that he had been watching her.
Her mind then drifted back into the dreams she had while she was sleeping. Lately, she'd been having premonitions of some sort, but this time she had the same dream that she'd had countless times before. It was of images from her past flashing by. The last time she'd had the dream was on her first night that Kurama took her in.
For some reason, her mind was concentrating on the dream, not letting her lose focus on it.
There was something she was missing… something she needed to see… but, what?
Suddenly, it came to her. She zoomed in on a particular memory. Something she'd seen recently, over and over again. Something she had tried to forget. Something that she'd never suspected.
Keiyma gasped, now in complete and total shock of what she had just uncovered.