Review Responses: well I'm creating this section because I've noticed that a lot of fic writers have them and I need to clear up some misconceptions caused by the way that I write so without no further ado, here are my responses.
To Hieifan666: Thank you so much for first of all reading my fic, secondly for enjoying it and thirdly for reviewing. Just to let you know, I am also a die hard Hiei fan, he's my favorite character of YuYu Hakusho and I love him because he is so complicated. As for what I said in the first chapter about there being a romance between Hiei and another character, it still applies. However, it's going to take time, Hiei is not one to fall in love quickly, and the manner in which he will get entrapped into the romance may not be liked or expected by some people, but, I feel that it will be the only way he will find love. Anyways, this story will be WELL OVER fifty chapters and I already have a sequel planned out so I don't want to give too much info away, or reveal too much in these early chapters. I just wanted to let you know that I will definitely have a Hiei x oc romance.
Secondly, the thing about Shihiko being kind of Mary Sue, it is my fault that I wrote that passage like that, it wasn't very clear. What I really meant that passage to be is a sign of weakness and imperfection on her part to belie the beauty that she has on the outside. Think of her as an opposite of Mukuro, Mukuro did something about her beauty when she was being sexually and physically abused, that took strength for her to pour acid all over her body, but, Shihiko lacks that strength and determination. She has a lot to learn for someone who has been through so much. So basically that passage was meant to show weakness on her part, but, after reading it over, I see that it was very unclear and I apologize.
P.S. I am not trying to flame, far from it; I admire you for saying what you did. I just want to clear up some things that were imprecise. I needed a true critique and I hope you continue to critique me. Thanks!
Katana: Thank you for reviewing yet again, my ever faithful fan!!! Sorry about the cliffie, but everything will be resolved in this chapter, no cliffies this time. Personally, I like the piss up a flagpole response versus just saying no; and I think that Shihiko was thinking that exact thing after the Kurama Botan thing in chapter 16.
Kate Sefcik: Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing, I am happy that so many new people are actually reading this fic. I was becoming depressed thinking that no one else was reading it except Katana and Ash the Wanderer. So thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!
Also, I just wanted to apologize to everyone about the tardiness of this chapter. It was written on pen and paper about around Christmas, but my computer broke, literally, and we did not have internet access any longer. So here is chapter 18, better late than never ne?
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Chapter 18: The Choice is Yours…
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His words rang through the prison cell, further emphasizing the shock of the offer. There was no way she could have predicted that the toddler would give her her freedom because of a few low class dragon keepers causing some trouble. Indeed, she knew the two warriors who were ravaging Ningenkai, and they were no more powerful than any one of the tentei. So then why was he giving her this offer?
"My freedom," she said, not hinting at the ambiguity of the prince's offer, "Well, Kairen must be pulling out all of the stops for my release if it drove the little prince to present such a gift to the likes of me. HE must miss me." She said suggestively looking Kurama dead in the eyes. The golden stained emerald orbs spoke volumes of jealousy and curiosity although no shade of emotion passed across his features.
"Yes, your lover must have great need of your services for him to go through such a dramatic show of power and malice." He said icily.
Shihiko's eyebrows rose slightly, evoking an innocent expression, "My Yoko, doth my ear deceive me? Is there a hint of jealousy that I hear in your tone?" she mocked mercilessly.
Kurama merely stared at her. He had no idea that she could be so vindictive. Her words sliced through him like a hot dagger. He was jealous, he had to admit it. The thought of another man touching and tasting her made his blood boil.
"The offer has been presented before you, do you accept or yield," he said, ignoring her mockery. He had no time to ponder the vagaries of her relationship with the dragon lord. He stared at her for a while and it seemed an eternity passed between them. Her flawless features never hinting or betraying the thoughts that lie beneath the surface; she was a true master at the art of stoicism.
"My my, Yoko, aren't we in a rush to retreat," she said silently. She looked down at her hands which were now toying with the bottom strands of her ponytail, "I assume that there is another part to this proposal. As you once said, so memorably, long ago, usually, in order for something to be a proposition, one must offer something to the other in return for their services. So, what is it exactly that I have to offer up to the lord of the babes?"
"He needs your assistance to find the dragon keepers causing the natural disasters. We know that they are located in Okinawa, but we do not know where exactly in Okinawa they are located. If you give us your assistance then you will gain your freedom, however, if you decline then you will remain in this prison for all of eternity."
"Well, that is one hell of an ultimatum; my freedom in exchange for my committing treason…" she chuckled softly, "again; or an eternity in this hell hole." She said in a calculated manner. She folded her arms and walked away from the invisible field as if deliberating her dilemma. She stood facing the wall, not saying a word. In truth, she did not want to remain in prison; who would want to stay in solitary confinement for all of eternity. However, the deal sounded too good to be true. There was no way that the toddler could undo her sentence without the permission of his daddy. And there was no way that daddy dearest would let his precious dragon keeper free for some miniscule information. 'There must be something else going on,' she thought, 'some plan to offer me my freedom, but then not truly deliver it. Those sneaky bastards.' She discretely stole a glance over at Kurama. 'They really must think that I am stupid enough to fall for their weak plan; and they must have sent HIM here to soften and cloud my judgment. They must have guessed that I had no true loyalties to the dragon race, what with my past discrepancies with the race. After all it was they who ruined my life and destroyed everything I had ever loved, why should I remain loyal to such a damnable race? I owed them nothing!'
But then again, she did not want to help Reikai or Kurama and get cheated out of her freedom.
His voice interrupted her thoughts, "What is your choice Shihiko? This offer will not last forever." His patience was at an end.
She stared at him; she felt a slight twinge of hurt that he would conspire against her to keep her in prison after everything that she did for him, "My freedom…go back to your master, and tell him that I will not fall for his trickery. Tell him to offer me a true contract and then I will talk."
Kurama seemed shocked by her words. He had no idea what she was speaking of. She turned her back to him once again and sat in her meditative position. Judging by her mannerism, he assumed that their conversation was over. He turned and walked away from her cell. He walked for about fifteen minutes until he found the Reikai prince leaning against the wall waiting for him. Koenma walked towards Kurama, with anticipation shining in his eye. "So, what did she tell you?" asked Koenma. He was sporting his handsome teenage form.
Kurama gave vent to a sigh, "She told me nothing of the attacks."
"You're kidding me; how in the hell could she turn down her freedom?!"
His gaze sharpened upon Koenma's visage, "But, you were not truly offering her her freedom were you Koenma." It wasn't a question; he knew that Koenma was up to something. It was evident in the fact that he would just offer her her freedom, the very thing he was fighting so hard to withhold, in exchange for information which could obtained through other means. Why he hadn't realized his plot earlier was beyond him, but now that he knew what Koenma was planning, he could not go along with it.
Koenma was taken aback by Kurama's words, "How dare you question the validity of my motives? Are you implying that I intended to leave her in prison?"
"I don't know, why don't you tell me," said Kurama. His features were devoid of all expression. His poker face was famous and would not betray any of the thoughts and emotions which swam beneath the surface of his visage. However, Koenma had no such ability. He looked spooked and amazed that Kurama had seen through his plot. All of his thoughts and feelings could be read, as plain as day, across his features.
He had been caught, he had no choice now except to truly bargain with her. He needed information on these dragons before the casualties became too great and she was the only one who could help them. He had no choice now… "I'll go to see her…alone. Go back to the others and wait for news from me,"
Kurama was puzzled, but, he obeyed. Koenma turned to walk towards the white dragon keeper's cell. When he arrived there, the girl was seated in the same manner and direction that she was in when he first saw her.
"Lady Shihiko," he said quietly. He watched her slowly turn her head, the tiniest centimeter to the side, barely acknowledging him. The light of the cell reflected dully off of the three earrings in her elfin ears.
"The toddler prince; what can I do for you?" she said silently, almost sadly, as if she were expecting someone else.
'Perhaps she still does love Kurama,' Koenma thought. Slowly, he waved his right hand in front of the force field and dissolved it. She looked perplexed by his actions, "I have a proposition for you…"
45 minutes later, Koenma's office
The tentei sat in the Reikai prince's office for what seemed like an eternity. Yusuke had staked his claim on Koenma's grand office chair and was now lounging in it, his hands cradling his head and his feet were thrown on top of Koenma's gold and mahogany desk, conquering the piece of furniture with an air of satisfaction. "Aahhh! A guy can get used to this kind of treatment. Hell, I should be prince of Reikai. I bet I can do a hell of a better job than old pacifier breath." Said Yusuke, smirking with his eyes closed.
"Hn, the day you become prince of anything is the day the seven hells freeze over," retorted Hiei who was standing near the prince's desk next to Botan.
Yusuke opened one eye to stare at Hiei, "Don't hate on me short stack; and, let me guess, I suppose you see yourself running things ne?" he drawled.
"Hn,"
"Now now boys, behave," said Botan in a teasing tone, "we all know that neither of you are comparable to the almighty Koenma, and therefore neither of you would be competent enough to rule anything!" she tried to stifle a giggle but was unsuccessful, thus garnering potent glares from both Hiei and Yusuke. The fact that she would even compare them to Koenma was insulting enough.
"Hey Botan, I think you've gone coo coo. That blue hair dye you use must've killed off too many of your brain cells. It's making you sound stupid. You should see someone about that," mocked Yusuke mercilessly.
Botan bared her teeth and growled menacingly at Yusuke. She grabbed him viciously by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him out of the chair and over the desk, knocking off many of the papers that were scattered on it. "BIG LIAR!!! You have something to say to me?!!!" she said, a huge stress vain pumped relentlessly in the side of her head and her eyes set on Yusuke in a murderous glare. The young spirit detective began to sweat profusely and truly began to fear for his life.
Hiei's eyes widened to saucers as he witnessed Botan's transformation. He could have sworn that he saw flames blazing in her eyes, 'Hn, and they call me demon,' he thought to himself.
In the midst all of the commotion in the office, Hiei turned his gaze to the other soul within the room. Kurama stood off to the side, seemingly in deep thought with a decidedly depressed expression on his face. He knew for a fact that the kitsune's mind was on that white dragon onna, Shihiko. He honestly couldn't blame Kurama for his feelings. The life of the woman he cared for was at stake and dependent upon this meeting. Hiei truly pitied the fox.
Suddenly, Koenma's monitor blared on and his face appeared. He was still in the prison of Reikai judging by his surroundings. However, there was no sign of Shihiko in the background. "Listen Yusuke, I just received some pertinent information about the dragons attacking ningenkai. The demons are located in the northern area of Okinawa. Our source tells us that there are two demons that are causing this ruckus."
"Only two?!" asked Yusuke in disbelief.
"That's right, they are lovers, the dragon keeper of the red dragon, Kirra, and the dragon keeper of the brown dragon, Gedon. Lady Shihiko has reason to believe that Kirra and Gedon would be located near the jungle and mountainous area of Okinawa near Yonaha-Dake. Since the red dragon keeper's main powers deal with flames she will be the one who will reside near the Yonaha, whereas Gedon will reside in the jungle area. We have procured a portal for you to get you to the area quickly. From there, the two dragons will most likely find you. Good luck and don't die." Koenma was about to sign off when Kurama stepped up.
"Koenma, if I may inquire what has become of the status of lady Shihiko's sentence?" He asked, carefully concealing any emotion that may seep from his voice.
"Oh brother; Kurama you don't have time for that. I will debrief you of everything when you return. But now, you have more pressing matters to attend to. Godspeed." With that said Koenma's face faded from the screen and it went black.
Botan came abreast of Kurama and placed a hand on his shoulder. She looked consolingly into his eyes, "come on, let's go fry those buggers," Kurama, smiled gently down at her and with that the tentei left.
Okinawa, the jungles of Yonaha, 10 miles from Yonaha-Dake
"ARRGHH!!!! SHIT!!! I HATE NATURE!!!" Yusuke shouted, scaring a multitude of birds out of their slumber and sending them flying into the night from fright, after having stepped in the hot and gooey droppings of some errant creature. "I swear, one step, JUST ONE STEP in the freaking jungle, and I'm already swimming in dung," he said as he vigorously wiped the bottom of his shoes off in the grass.
Hiei turned his head to the side trying to hide his obvious amusement over the situation. "Eeeww," Botan crept away from Yusuke, trying to avoid the terrible smell coming from the bottom of his shoe.
Kurama covered his mouth with his right hand trying to conceal his smile, "I DID try to warn you," he said, the amusement coloring his tone.
"Hey fox boy, you want a fistful of crap down your throat?!!!" Said Yusuke as he glared menacingly at the kitsune. Kurama frowned, raising up both of his hands and waving them side to side as if to say 'no thank you.'
After Yusuke rid his sneakers of nature's special calling card, the tentei began walking North ward. They had stretched their senses out and faintly sensed ryuuki in that direction. "Is it me, or does it seem as though this is gonna take forever?" Said Yusuke. They had been walking for about an hour now and they had not seen any signs of ryuukind anywhere. "I'm starting to wonder if that broad gave us the right location."
"Patience is a virtue Yusuke," said Botan cheerily as she floated next to him on her oar, attempting to save her shoes from anything brown and gooey.
"It's not when the world is gonna end in like a week!"
"Can you two shut up, I would like it if we had the upper hand over our enemies and not alert them to our whereabouts," said Hiei, a bit irked.
They continued to walk in the same direction until they came upon a huge wall of rock erected before them. "Interesting," said Kurama with some worry. There didn't seem to be any way around it, which meant that they could only go up.
"So how are we supposed to-," Botan's words were cut off as Kurama raised his hand in front of her face. She looked towards him with a questioning look on his face, but he was not even looking in her direction. His eyes were focused akimbo, looking dead into the greenery of the jungle.
"We are not alone," he said quietly. His, Hiei's and Yusuke's eyes were already searching the terrain for anything out of place. It was strange; there was nothing around them that would cause for any alarm. But, there was something within their presence. It was as if the earth was alive and hostile.
Botan relaxed slightly after five, uneventful minutes passed by, "Really now, I don't think we have anything to worry about, there isn't anything here."
"No, something is definitely approaching," said Hiei. He drew his katana as his jagan began to glow violet beneath his bandana.
"Well, I don't see anyth-," she was cut off by the sound of all of the birds and wildlife in the jungle being riled up. She looked up in the sky and saw hundreds of birds taking off into flight at once and she was spooked. Indeed, something was coming, and that something was undoubtedly frightening to scare all of the woodland creatures out of their habitats.
The earth beneath them began to rumble violently and a strange whistling/ buzzing sound began to grow louder and louder, as if it were approaching them. "What is that?" Yusuke asked while trying to figure out what it was, exactly, that was approaching them. He didn't have to wait long. The distinct buzzing noise was the sound coming from a huge boomerang (like Sango's) flying towards them at an astronomical speed, taking down numerous trees and other flora and fauna that came in its path of destruction. As the boomerang came abreast of them, Hiei and Yusuke jumped out of the deadly weapon's reach as Kurama scooped Botan up into his arms and evaded the lethal blow that was sure to follow if either of them were hit by that monstrosity of a weapon.
The three warriors and Botan landed some distance away from the weapon. However, just as they thought that the danger had passed, the boomerang swung back around to them. As the weapon picked up speed, a strange woman, engulfed in red flames appeared behind it. In a split second, she positioned her hands in the shape of an 'X' and then swiped them downward and behind her, causing a huge red flame in the shape of an X to fly and crash into the boomerang. The weapon, which began feeding off of the flames, turned a glowing red, like a hot poker, and gained momentum as well. With little time to escape, Yusuke jumped in front of the rest of the tentei and flexed his energy into a barrier to shield them. The fire engulfed boomerang crashed into Yusuke's energy shield and the combined energies of the two forces clashed violently causing a huge explosion. Fire and dirt flew everywhere causing a massive cloud of debris to cover the area.
As the debris began to clear, a low, deep chuckle slowly rose over the echo of the explosion. The tentei were all sprawled across the terrain. Yusuke lifted himself up shaking his head slightly as if trying to dispel the memory of the sight and sound of the explosion. Hiei and Kurama followed suit, each pulling themselves up from the ground to see who it was who attacked them. Kurama looked to the right of him and saw an unconscious Botan lying on the ground. "Botan," Kurama called out as he tried to rouse her. She was injured, but not badly, only having received a few bumps and bruises. At the sound of the cynical male chuckle that sounded, Kurama and the other tentei turned to face their attackers.
The two dragon keepers, Gedon and Kirra, stood facing the prostrated tentei. Gedon, a mountain of a man, stood at six foot four, his skin color was a dark bronze, he had long hair, which hung to his lower back, the color of chocolate and his eyes held the striking, contrasting color of Gold. His body was pure muscle and solid as a rock. He wore only black ninja pants which were tapered at his calves and tied with black cloth (like Hiei's). To the right of him stood a woman, obviously Kirra, with golden tanned skin and copper red hair styled in a wild bob. Her eyes were a piercing crimson with golden flecks running through them. She was incredibly beautiful, and incredibly short, looking no older than fifteen years old, while her better half looked to be in his thirties. They were truly and odd couple, resembling a parent child relationship, rather than a lover x lover relationship. She wore an all red ninja ensemble with pants similar to those of her lover's and a midriff halter top.
Yusuke and Hiei got up, while Kurama picked Botan up and moved her to a more secure area. Yusuke chuckled slightly while wiping a trickle of blood off of his mouth, "So, you're the bastards causing all of trouble," Kirra's eyes narrowed at Yusuke's use of bad language, "well, it's about time you all showed up, I was getting bored."
"Don't worry, you will not be bored for long, Yusuke Urameshi," Kirra all but hissed at him, her crimson eyes glinting menacingly at him. Just then Kurama returned from securing Botan. Both Kirra's and Gedon's eyes focused sharply on him. "So, you must be Kurama," she said, looking him up and down appreciatively, "I can see why she fancies you. And to think that this is just a mere shadow of the man you used to be. How sad…" she cupped both of her hands together at her waist and concentrated her ki into that area. Suddenly, a burst of red flames accumulated in them, "…that I must destroy you now," with that said she flung herself towards the tentei without hesitation, the blazing fireball smoldering in her hands.
Kurama and Yusuke quickly jumped out of the way while Hiei stood his ground. When Kirra was about a meter away from him, he flared is ki into his left hand and a burst of scorching hot crimson flames crackled to life in his capable hands. Hell, he was tired of running; it was time to greet fire with fire.
With an unforeseen force on both of their parts, both Kirra and Hiei smashed their power against each other. The resulting consequences of this act caused a blinding light to ensue from the accumulating tension between the two struggling flames. Neither of the two fighters was giving up this private war; and thus the power they poured out into their attacks merely increased.
Yusuke and Kurama, sensing what was going to be the end result of this little spat, backed away slightly. They knew that the accumulated power being thrown out there would end up being explosive. Gedon, who had taken refuge atop a boulder, simply watched his lover with interest and appreciation present in his golden eyes.
"Hn, you do realize that if we keep this up, we'll both wind up dead," Hiei said, not faltering a bit in his power flow.
"Then…I suggest that you surrender and accept defeat. There is no way you can win against a red dragon, my friend," Kirra said, enjoying this struggle, and further enjoying the promising look of his defeat corpse lying in a pool of his own blood.
Suddenly, Kirra found it more difficult to handle her own as Hiei's power flow had definitely increased, "I think not, here's a better idea though; why don't I just kill you?" Hiei grunted as he upped the ante on his flames. The result was quite satisfying as an unprepared Kirra was blown back and scorched by Hiei's force. The woman/ girl let out and anguished scream as the flames engulfed her, "Hn, dragon or no, you all should have learned by now that I don't take to threats or over-confident bastards kindly,"
"Hmph," Gedon, the dragon who had kept silent this who time finally spoke up. Hiei and the other tentei looked towards the dark skinned man, "and you, Hiei, should realize by now that your little fire tricks don not work against dragons that breath and harness flames," he pointed towards the singed girl sprawled in the dirt. The tentei looked towards her.
Without pause, she lifted her sooty face up from the ground with an alarming grin on her face. Hiei growled, "Dammit," he cursed softly.
The girl giggled as she picked herself up off the ground and dusted clothes off, "Geez, you would think that you would have learned something from your little rendez vous with Kai, but, I guess you tried desperately to dispel that unpleasant memory from your mind. Do not get, how do you humans say, twisted? I am no where near as strong as Kai was, but, I am strong enough to take a couple of jokers like you all out." Her gaze flitted to Hiei, "However, the only joker that I am interested in… is you Hiei," she held up her hands and positioned them into the sign of a delta (or a triangle), placing her view of Hiei in the center of the opening, "You will pay, for getting my outfit dirty."
With that said her hands began to glow brightly, "AAAAHHHH-TAHHH!!!" she screamed as the light engulfed everyone and everything within the vicinity. After the echo of her screams dissipated, the blinding light began to dim.
"Ah, damn it," Yusuke cursed. This was the third time today someone decided to blind him; and frankly, he was getting tired of it. He heard Kurama gasp slightly behind him. He looked up at where Kirra and Hiei were only to find that the two had disappeared. "What the hell, she can do magic tricks too?"
"This is no time for jokes Yusuke," Kurama reprimanded; worry over his missing friend sounded evidently in his voice. This was not good; their team had been divided and robbed of their fastest and most cut throat member. They would truly pay for his absence.
A dark fit of laughter sounded from behind the duo. They turned to find the not-so-silent-anymore Gedon glaring sinisterly at the two tentei left, "well, it's about fucking time she left. I can never truly cut loose when she's around," Gedon said in a heavily Bronx-like accented voice that was the total opposite of the voice he presented them with earlier. He stood up on the boulder and stretched out his shoulders, rolling the two huge muscles back, relieving them of tension. He cocked his head from side to side, "but, now that the ole ball n chain's been cut loose, we can really have some fun!"
He jumped down from the boulder and crashed into the ground making the earth tremble, as if in fear, beneath him. He stood tall, overshadowing both Kurama and Yusuke by a good foot and more and beckoned to them with his left hand, a cocky smile spread across his features, "so, which one of you kids wants ta go first?"
To be continued…
Sorry, but I have to end it there, this chapter is like ten pages already and I still have a lot more to type. In fact, my computer is still on the fritz. I am at Xavier University typing this. That's right, I'm still at school even though my classes let out at 2:00, but I had to get this chapter (or part of it) out to you guys because its been written since before Christmas.
But, I will get the second part of this chapter out to you all before Mardi Gras, b/c I think that I will be too smashed to type during that time. Sooooo, chapter 19: Alliance will be coming your way soon!
Tchao!