Chapter: Slow
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the following characters, except for Keiyma Suriei, Myrani Sakai, Etsu Nakamura, Itachi, and Zakoto.
Itachi was dead.
Zakoto hadn't killed his enemy. He didn't kill someone close to Hiei and Keiyma in a cruel attempt to hurt them. That would have hurt more, but it wouldn't have been so… terrifying.
He had killed his own alley, his loyal servant. He didn't care. It was simple and thoughtless, as if Zakoto was only swatting away at pesky little fly buzzing in his ear. When he looked at the bloody, mangled corpse of Itachi, he didn't even flinch.
Which is what really scared them.
"That was disgusting," Hiei spat.
"Mercy is a weakness, demon boy. It only gets in the way of the pursuit for power. A thirst for conquest and supremacy is natural in all living beings, a thirst that can only be quenched if you admit it and use it to your advantage. I use people to my own will, their life is no matter to mine, and they are the tools I use to succeed. I take what I want, regardless of pointless emotions." Zakoto shot Keiyma a grin.
'Please, daddy… I don't feel so good.'
He folded up her pink skirt and hooked his fingertips into her white cotton panties.
'Don't misbehave. You want to be good for daddy, don't you?'
'I…'
He pulled them down, letting his hands run along her thighs as he removed them.
'Do you want to do this the bad way?'
'N-no! I'll be good, daddy. I promise.'
He unbuttoned his slacks.
'That's my girl.'
Keiyma blushed. She wanted to be angry at Zakoto's words, but felt only humiliation.
Hiei, on the other hand, had no trouble.
"Friends, family… you use them all. You take for granted people actually care for you, people whom many search for their whole lives. You're shameful, disgraceful, and unreal."
A sudden stomping noise in the background caught Keiyma's attention. She made no movement to look at it, noticing that the two men seemed too distracted by their battle of words to pay it any mind. She could make out three sets of footprints, still far away, yet running very hastily.
The rest of the spirit detectives were close, but they needed to hurry.
"Unreal? Are you blind to the demon blood that flows within you? Do you deny its lust for power, the desire to smell and feel fresh blood of murder upon your hands?"
"I'm aware of my demon blood, but I also have a mind, to control my actions, and a heart that reminds me of what I want. I keep my goals in sight and work to them, in the most intelligent way I can. You are incapable of this in any way. You are unreal."
"Such disappointing logic, little demon boy. I know my goals, I know my passions, and I know how to get them. I enjoy the suffering I cause. I don't care if it's necessary. I enjoy the power I gain. There may be a path deemed to be 'right,' but anyone who want me to abide by it is more than welcome to feel my wrath."
They're so close... just a bit longer...
"What kind of freak gets off on innocents suffering?"
"You don't understand the feeling. Weak, strong, strangers, family... they all crumble beneath me, begging for their lives, willing to please me however I want. I've seen strong men melt into weak fools. It feels incredible."
"Strong men? Hah. You've spent your days torturing little girls. Any death is an ego boost. You think you can beat anyone, but you're wrong, and I'm more than willing to help you realize that. So, step up. I'm your challenge."
No, It was too soon!
Keiyma took a few small steps forward. A glint in Hiei's eyes acknowledged her. She heard his voice resound in her mind.
'Stay back. I can handle this.'
"I can smell your life blood already." Zakoto sniffed the air. "It smells sweet. Funny, I thought it would be spicy... your temper deceived me."
"And yours must smell of bile. Stop talking, the sound of your voice is making me squeamish."
"Oh? I find yours quite enchanting... but if you insist, I'll hurry this along and collect my prize." He grinned at Keiyma. "I guarantee that this next attack will tug at your heartstrings."
Keiyma took a few more steps forward, no plan of action set in her mind. She was expecting Hiei's glare of warning to send her back. Nothing came. She was relieved. The footsteps steadily grew closer behind them, supportive of Keiyma's action.
Zakoto placed his hands over his heart, the left in a fist, the right overlapping it. They glowed with a frightening red aura and his face glowed with a frightening smile.
Keiyma stepped forward again, now next to Hiei. The two men's eyes were so sternly locked upon each other that they no longer noticed her.
If they would only wait for just a few more seconds…
"Scorned Revenge!" Zakoto yowled as he pulled his hands apart. A small, red teardrop-shaped bead of energy flew out from his chest.
"No!" Keiyma yelled, jumping in front of Hiei.
She turned, trying to push Hiei down, out of the way. She would duck down after.
It was all planned within a second, but it was poorly planned.
She was much too slow.
O—o—O—o—O—o—O—o—O
There was pang in his chest, in his heart. It felt as though his heart was being filled up with air, close to exploding. The pain went no further, as the attack had been weakened before it entered Hiei's body.
He only wished it had been weakened in some other way.
Keiyma fell to his feet. She had been hit with the attack full on. He had no doubt in his mind that the attack had done extreme damage to her heart. But he didn't think…
He brought his hand to her neck. Her pulse wasn't there. The attack had stopped her heart.
When he'd seen her jump in front of him, he froze. He hadn't been expecting it. He thought she was still behind him.
He had tried to grab Keiyma and pull her out of the way of Zakoto's attack.
But, he was much too slow.
Hiei entered a daze, something he had never experienced before. He watched as Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke arrived and quickly pulled Keiyma away. Hiei didn't even question the strange motions they administered on her, pounding and pressing her chest with their palms.
Hiei turned lazily to Zakoto, who was looking shocked, angry, and incredibly frustrated. In his daze, Hiei couldn't figure out why the man was so upset.
Slowly, but surely, a stream of power began to surge into Hiei. He recognized it as his own, and it peaked a memory inside him.
'In the case that either person dies, all of the power will return to its original owner…'
Zakoto was losing his power.
That had been their goal, but it seemed pointless now, so unrewarding. They hunted for the sweet smell of success, but found only the bitter taste irony.
Hiei stood there, in desperation, slowly regaining his energy. It was excruciating. Every ounce of power that returned reminded him of the reason.
Someone coughed behind him. It was a long, hacking, wheezing cough, the kind of cough that caused mucus to rise up from the back of a red, contracting throat.
It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
Hiei turned to his side in efforts to confirm the incredible notion that had formed in his mind. He found Keiyma, barely conscious, sputtering away in pain.
But still, she was alive.
"How?" he asked mistily.
"You might mock them sometimes, but the ningen world actually has some incredible remedies, like CPR," Kurama answered.
"But my energy is flowing back to me…"
"Her heart stopped, briefly. I guess that was enough." Yusuke shrugged.
Hiei stared down at Keiyma. Her eyes were almost completely closed and her hands were held tightly over her chest, clutching her victimized heart.
He wanted to hold her, but was afraid it would hurt her. More than that, he was afraid he'd discover that she wasn't really alive, that she had died trying to save him, that he had failed trying to protect her. He couldn't face that.
Unable to draw his eyes away from Keiyma, Hiei didn't notice Zakoto stalking behind him. It wasn't until Zakoto's arms snaked around Keiyma and he pulled her against him that his presence became known.
In the blink of an eye, he'd pulled Keiyma to his face and kissed her. Their joining lips glowed black with energy, revealing that this was another of Zakoto's attacks. But based on the look on Keiyma's face, Zakoto's kiss was much more painful than whatever else he was doing.
She was shaking madly and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly. She made no movement to push him away. She couldn't. She was paralyzed in fright.
Zakoto's movements were so swift, that Hiei wasn't fast enough to stop the attack. But, as soon as he made sense of what was happening, he quickly grabbed his katana and sliced at Zakoto's arm.
The illusionist bellowed loudly, pushing Keiyma down to the ground. This time, he had been hit.
His right arm had been slashed through, almost completely. The cut was directly through the elbow. The lower part of the arm now dangled from a bare tendon. Blood poured from the raw edge of the arm, the white bone of the elbow clashed harshly against the blood. Muscle seemed to droop down from the upper arm, barely visible, yet impossible to miss.
Hiei hadn't intended not to completely slice through the arm. He lost control in his fear of Keiyma's life and didn't plan out his swing. That was just a pleasant result.
Rearing up to attack again, Hiei's blade was stopped by a strong barrier. Enough of Keiyma's power still coursed through Zakoto's veins so that he could block the second strike.
Zakoto gritted his teeth in pain, but a sadistic smirk crept along with it, resulting in quite a frightful expression. "I'd stay back if I were you. It can't be lifted if I die."
"What?" Hiei demanded, taking a menacing step forward.
"Oh, don't worry. You'll find out soon." He glanced over to Keiyma. "Enjoy the gift, my dear, a little present for helping out Daddy."
Hiei growled and Zakoto smiled in an innocent way. He opened up a black portal behind him, let down his barrier, and ran into it.
Hiei slashed his Katana at Zakoto's turned back, but only managed a shallow cut across it. It was just enough to splash blood onto Hiei's green skin, accompanying what had leaked from Zakoto's elbow, and mingling with the blood from Hiei's cut shoulder.
Snarling at the disappearing vortex, Hiei turned around and ran back to Keiyma. She was standing now, though still looking feeble. He looked up at Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, who were staring at him silently. He wanted to thank them, but couldn't seem to find the words. Still, by the look on their faces, they understood.
Returning his gaze to Keiyma, he watched her shaking form struggle to keep her eyes open. Her lips were black, stained with whatever power Zakoto used over her.
She looked mortified and was shivering viciously. Hiei just wanted her to calm down, afraid that her weak heart wouldn't be able to take the stress. He brought his hand tenderly onto her cheek, hoping that his touch would relax her.
But the instant they came in contact with each other, an unbearable sensation erupted from Hiei's flesh.
It felt as though his hand was being frozen, frost bite ripping away it the skin. It felt like it was on fire, small flames erupting across his fingers, licking away and burning deep into his nerves. It dug at his hand deeper and deeper, the pain getting more and more intense, scratching and piercing into his body.
Hiei howled and quickly pulled his hand away. The second it left Keiyma's cheek, the painful sensation was gone. Frightened and surprised by his sudden scream, Keiyma lost her balance and began to fall back.
Instinctively, Hiei grabbed her hand to stop her from falling. The same pain found its way to his hand, grinding away his flesh. Overcome with the pain, Hiei let go of her, causing her to fall straight on to the ground.
He glanced at his hand, which appeared unharmed, then back down at Keiyma. She said nothing, but he could tell by the look of bewilderment on her face that she couldn't feel the pain he did.
Her black lips frowned at him, confused at what was going on. Hiei closed his eyes and turned his head up at the sky.
"'It can't be lifted if I die.'" Hiei quoted.
"What?" Keiyma whispered.
"Your touch... it hurts..." He sighed.
She still looked confused. Sorrow in Hiei's eyes, he was afraid of how she'd take the news.
"Keiyma… you've been cursed."