Its been quite a while, and since I don't wanna get sued… I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. Everything else, however, is mine.
He felt it, and he smelt it…But he couldn't find her anywhere. She was there in the forests somewhere, and he knew she hadn't gone through the portal to the Dragonic Realm. Since the near-peace had come between the different worlds, he had had no opportunity to right what he knew she would consider a wrong, nor had he the chance to clear his name with the other tiger he knew would be after his neck over what happened in the past…But he knew it wasn't his fault, nor was it his problem. No, he wasn't going to apologize; just finish what had been started so that he didn't have one more thing to hang over his head. As he was looking, however, he came across Sesshoumaru, who seemed to be regaining his strength; judging by the blood that had dried on his shirt, he guessed the wound from the dragon's attack hadn't closed, and the moonlight was going to be the only way to fix that…Not that he thought Sesshoumaru should mind the inconvenience; it was bad enough to have only one good arm, and there couldn't be any chances taken. At least, not since he slaughtered the woman who had given him the replacement anyway.
While his mind was jumping topic, his brother was faintly starting to notice his presence; with his senses so dulled with the hateful fatigue he felt, the full-demon couldn't help but be grateful to fate that he and Inuyasha were on the same side. Had this been only a few centuries ago, he hated the realization that he would have been killed on the spot…But this was no time to dwell in the past. He had enough problems in the present, as it was. There was another war coming closer, and the Dragons were keen on finishing what they had started--or rather--forcing a rematch for the battle that they had lost. Either way, if it was enough to worry Koenma, it was going to be a real problem…Amazingly how he ended up being the first demon the man could call. He loved to fight as much as the next demon, as it was in his blood, but this senselessness was going too far--he loathed the stupidity of the last war, and had no real intentions of submitting to such asininity again. He felt himself being watched, far too closely to be comfortable, and he looked down, to meet Inuyasha's golden irises with his own; such a spark they held…A spark that he hadn't seen for quite some time…
Inuyasha: Wassamatter, Sesshoumaru; too old to heal on your own?
Sesshoumaru: What do you want? Surely you didn't come this deep into the forest to aggravate me, hmm?
Inuyasha: Since everybody else seems to wanna come this way, I kinda wondered where the party was.
Sesshoumaru: I don't know, so why don't you go and find it?
Inuyasha: Are you that eager to get rid of me?
Sesshoumaru: Does the word 'bye' answer your question?
Inuyasha: Fine, I'll be serious.
Sesshoumaru: Tch…
Inuyasha: Look, you can scoff till you choke, but before you do that, tell me; have you seen her around here? I know you know who I mean, Sesshoumaru, so don't even think of playing stupid.
Sesshoumaru: Hn.
Inuyasha: Answer me! I won't leave until you stop ignoring me.
Sesshoumaru: …No.
Inuyasha: No, what? You haven't seen her, or No, you want me to give you another wound to have to heal up before you talk.
Sesshoumaru: Take your answer as the former, little brother; either way, you will keep me out of your affairs. What goes on between you and that emerald-tigress is your issue. Not mine.
Inuyasha: I know that…But would it kill you to be helpful, only because the kindness of your heart?
Sesshoumaru: …I have no heart. Your point is rather irrelevant. Now leave.
Inuyasha: I know, but you don't have to be so cruel. Besides, you know as well as I do that there's some dirty work going on around here, and that half-dragon is going to end up in the middle of it sooner than need be.
Sesshoumaru: It has nothing to do with me, therefore, its not my problem.
Inuyasha: Why can you care for no one but yourself?
Sesshoumaru: Since when did the same not apply to you as well? You never were one to have your heart bleed for a stranger; do not expect me to change in the same way, dear brother. (These last words were spat with a seemingly forgotten venom that Inuyasha hadn't heard or felt the sting of in quite some time. As a reflex, he brought his hand to the hilt of his sword, but stopped, as Sesshoumaru became only more infuriating.)
Sesshoumaru: Are you going to kill me, Inuyasha? (he taunted, dropping from his branch as he did so. Golden eyes pierced down into near-exact replicas of themselves, and their owner took a step backward, a scowl on his face.)
Inuyasha: Look, Sesshoumaru…You may want to go through life like an evil bastard, but that's not the life for me. I've got a kid to think about, and I'm not about to influence her the wrong way by murdering her uncle. You do as you please, but I'm going to hunt down that snake-in-the-grass that calls himself a dragon and make sure everyone else knows what he's all about. See ya 'round.
He let his hand drop from his sword, and brushed past Sesshoumaru, gaining a frown of displeasure as he did so. Right now, however, he didn't care; he only wanted to make sure things didn't have time to go beyond the breaking point. Should the Dragon's attack, there was no doubt in his mind that the true blame would go back to the humans, and that was the last thing he needed. The fact that it was simply the right thing to do was only a plus, but he had to make sure nothing happened to the Human World; after all that happened in the past, another war, he knew, would be too much for Kagome to take…They had lost enough the first time. He ignored the feeling of eyes at his back; the shivers up his spine would only come if he were being watched by his elder brother, and it seemed, that old habits died hard. The uneasiness was a constant reminder of the less-than-pleasant past the two shared…and that too, he was willing to put behind himself--
"For good," he kept reminding himself, "For the good of the people he can harm…I have to keep the past away from my future."
If only he'd known how hard that was going to be…
Yusuke: How much further do we have to go before something looks different?
Satsuki: Do you consider complete darkness to be different?
Yusuke: …Yeah…
Satsuki: Good, because its all you're going to be seeing after I bludgeon your head with a rock.
During much of the verbal attack the two were bestowing upon each other, Kurama had remained silent, simply ignoring them. Hisaka, so seemingly fiery before, was also in a deep silence, but seemed more subdued than before. Claiming to be uneasy while simply doing nothing, she insisted that they get back on the move; he didn't dare say a word, but he knew she was afraid of something. Assuming her fear hadn't been caused by the dark, he thought it had something to do with a familiar scant coming toward them…But he didn't remember who, or what it was exactly; only that it was very strong, and rather nagging. However, he was forced to stop pondering this; the small battle before him was starting to grow out of control.
Yusuke: Such a bitch…
Satsuki: Better than a jackass.
Yusuke: Whore.
Satsuki: Asshole.
Kurama: Will you two please stop that. You're acting like children, and as its obvious that the both of you most certainly are not, then get along until we reach our destination.
A unanimous 'whatever' reached his ears, and he sighed softly, not really pleased, as there was a thick, electricity going between the two as they silently glared at each other, but still, it was silent, and that, currently, was the only thing he found to be grateful for. However, there was one thing on his mind: the tigress walking silently behind them, her head down, and her focus on the ground as they continued. Something about her eyes was rather different, and he would have thought her depressed, were her scent not focused around pure rage; waves of invisible currents radiated from her body, and she was positively mad…But about what?
Kurama: I hope you don't think me rude…But what ails you, Hisaka? (She looked up, a frown on her face and a glare in her eyes. They seemed to have changed their color, and were now a very pale lavender-blue.)
Hisaka: Why bother ask? You wouldn't understand; leave me be, fox.
Kurama: Very well…But if you please, get over whatever it is that frightens you; the scent is overwhelming.
With his statement, she looked up completely, a mixture of anger and embarrassment in her eyes as she did so; a faint blush crept up her face as she looked away, and she began to mumble something. Apparently, she knew that Kurama couldn't hear her; her words became louder.
Hisaka: Its obvious that I make you uncomfortable, so just leave me alone. I don't want to have to hurt you too.
Kurama: I'm sorry; I don't quite understand.
Hisaka: Because of what the half-demon did in the past, I've held a rather fatal grudge against all who aren't of pure blood; from anger, I've killed many, and though I know it was wrong, I couldn't control myself. Not after…
Kurama: After? (he knew it wasn't right to press, but he couldn't help but find himself interested. Perhaps the Gemstones would come up…)
Hisaka: …After my mate was captured. When it was a dragon that took him prisoner, I knew that what I'd been doing was wrong; no matter how many half-breeds I killed, it wasn't going to bring Taoru back.
Kurama: Taoru? Is he your mate?
Hisaka: No, my son. In the aftermath of the war, there were still many disputes over land and such. He was one of those killed in the process. My mate went on a rampage, and left the territory he himself had claimed; a dragon found him and planned to use him on enemy sides to run demons back to the Human World. When he refused, however, he was locked away. I haven't seen him since then…It was nearly four-hundred years ago.
Kurama: Four-Hundred years? My goodness…And still you search?
Hisaka: I know it seems pointless, but I've been searching since the day he disappeared. Our clan has long since vanished, and seeing as how I haven't anywhere else to go, I also haven't a choice in the matter…Now please, leave me alone. I don't wish to discuss it further.
Kurama: Forgive the term, but I understand. I ask of nothing else from you.
Of course, he knew he would never truly understand such things…No, he had no mate to lose. But four-hundred years? It seemed unbelievable to keep searching for someone for so long, loved one or not…
"Oh well…" he thought, "I suppose if you love someone as much as she does him, you'll do anything to keep hope that your loved one is alive, even if it does mean searching the far-corners of the Earth and even other realms to do so. …It must be nice…"
He thought nothing more of the subject. Instead, he opted to walk along in a comfortable silence. Of course, it wasn't too much of a silence, as Yusuke and Satsuki began to argue again, but at least it took his mind off things, even though his subconscious was far from willing to let go of certain thoughts. He did wonder how Kyubi was doing with her Gem-Hunting, after all…
At least, that was the story he was going to stick to…
Kenyusa: Hiei! Come on, where are you!
Still, she couldn't find him anywhere. She knew he'd come this way, for she felt his energy pattern in the forest, but why could she not find him anywhere? How far could he have gone in so little time? Answers failed to come, both to her questioning thoughts as well as her outcries of his name, and she sighed as she stopped, to take a seat on the trunk of a fallen tree. It was well into the night, and she didn't know what had compelled her to come this deep into the forest in the first place, but suddenly, she was beginning to regret ever leaving the castle. There was no way she'd find her way back in this darkness, and it was the darkness itself that she feared the most. So much had happened in the darkness…All of it, she'd rather forget.
She put her head in her hands, trying to block out the fear before it grew too strong and some sort of demon could come after her; it, however, was easier said than done, and she found herself looking up at every little sound she heard. Sure, she knew by now that not every creature in the forest was a demon of some sort, but that didn't quell her fear. In fact, it only made her feel worse…
"What am I going to do…" she thought, trying to relax herself into a calmness, "There's no way I can get out of here now, and if I go back, I'll only run into Sesshoumaru; that's the last thing I want right now…He already thinks I'm a worthless coward."
And there was no doubt in her mind that it was a true fact. The way he looked at her when he said 'fear' was enough to convince her completely, and now, she felt positively nauseous. First, Hiei couldn't stand her, and now Sesshoumaru thought she was a coward. She knew that Yusuke had never really trusted her, and Kurama had been nice enough, only because he was polite, she was sure. Inuyasha had brushed her off; Abunai had done the same, and Taisei seemed to have a problem with women in general. Hitairu had only used her for the tournament; Setare had betray her, and now, Yashira was going to be fighting against her…
Kenyusa: How much worse can things get? (She spoke aloud, not really realizing she even was, but was completely startled when she received a reply.)
Hiei: Quite a bit, actually. You could be facing a blood-thirsty Vampire or something.
Whirling around as she stood, she saw two glowing lights in the shape of eyes; the body of the creature was hidden in the darkness, and she backed away, not really caring to pay attention to the familiarity of the voice. She hadn't brought her sword with her, she soon found, but she materialized a whip of violet light in her hands. Striking out at the creature hiding in the darkness, she felt her blood run cold when it was no longer in front of her, but breathing warm air onto the back of her neck. She would have turned around, had a clawed hand not gripped loosely at her throat, and the voice came again, this time, forcing her into relaxation.
Hiei: Calm down, Kenyusa, its me. Relax, already; there's nothing to be afraid of.
Kenyusa: H-Hiei? Why didn't you answer my calls?
Hiei: There was no need to. Every demon in the forest doesn't need to know I'm here…Why are you following me?
Kenyusa: I'll tell you if you let go of my neck.
Hiei: No, I don't think I will…
She was in the process of saying 'What?' when the grip became chokingly tight. Her hands struggled with the one at her throat, and fear instantly overcame her again; her mind raced, and she began to try to squirm out of his grasp. At her futile attempts, ht man behind her began to laugh; there was no doubt in her mind that this dragon wasn't Hiei…In fact, she had no idea if it was a dragon at all. However, her suspicions that it was were confirmed, when she saw a familiar face emerge from the trees in front of her. True, she noticed that he looked much less cruel and angry than he had at the tournament, but that failed to change the fact that he was the same man. Onyx hair, Sapphire eyes appearing both lavender as well as emerald in the darkness…Yes, this was the same Hitairu that she knew.
He approached, stepping over the log on the ground to stand before her. Up close, she saw that he looked far less healthy than he had at the tournament; his tanned skin had paled drastically, and he looked positively ill…But what did she have to do with him and his worrying sickness? Her only concern should have been breaking free of the bind she was in, not having motherly compassion for someone she had a fling with over a period of only about a month or so… He reached out, and with a hand on her chin, brought her face up so that their eyes met; a cruel irony, that such habits as shivering from light touch or cold eyes died so hard. He spoke as he forced her eyes to keep contact with his own, and she knew instantly what he was doing; his gaze was hypnotic, should one stare into it for too long…It was a fact that she had learned too hard a way, but she had no intention of reliving old moments. She listened closely, trying to hear what he was saying, but her senses had dulled too much to catch much of his low voice; the sound of the speech behind her, however, she heard perfectly fine--she was still together enough to figure out the conversation on her own…Or so she hoped.
Hitairu: W… ne, Sansai. I see…cap…nicely.
Sansai: It wasn't hard. Put that draglet in front of her, and she's caught like a fly in a honeyed spider web. What do you want me to do to her?
Hitairu: …ing. Take…o the pl…others are bei…pt. If you…ne hai…ead, I'll k…sonall…derstood?
Sansai: Geez. No need to get testy; almost seems like you got some kinda bond with her…
Hitairu: An…t if…o? Ei…ay, doesn't ma…Make su…n't touch a si…on her h…Oth…ise…have two…gry dragons on you…Now go.
She was beyond confused, partly because of her heavy daze, and partly because she couldn't make out what he had said. She was ignorant of the situation entirely, but it didn't seem to matter. As she felt herself slipping away into a blissful abyss, Hitairu's voice rang clearly in her mind…
"…Kenyusa…Just hold on; I am sorry to have to do this to you, but its for my life, as well as the safety of your own. Hiei will come for you--I promise…" After that, she heard no more. Her mind was pushed into darkness, and her body relaxed. Sleep overcame her, and therefore dreamless, she knew she shouldn't have seen him beneath her eyelids…But Hitairu's words continued to echo through her ears, until they finally became silent, and she fell into unconsciousness.
He had settled to get some well-needed sleep, never expecting what would awaken him. In the upper branches of a tall tree, he thought he was hidden away from the annoyances of the world beneath himself. He had crossed the barrier between the worlds, and though it was rather difficult as he had done it only once before, he knew that something was out of place. His stomach dropped, and he felt uneasy about his situation, but he figured that it was his body's way of telling him to get some sleep--amazing how long he'd gone without that particular necessity. However, he was about to drift off, when he sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake, and having the familiar tug on his body that he'd felt as he got up to leave the castle back in the Demon World. He found himself feeling frustrated and angry…But about what? As he was beginning to think he'd lost his mind, he heard an ear-splitting crack come from somewhere below him; looking down, he saw that instead of a bolt of lightning, it was the controller of the element himself…
"Kenta…He's supposed to be with the others. Why is he here without them?"
His thoughts, however, were promptly answered when another dragon appeared before him, stepping out from a void of swirling ebony and violet. What struck him as odd, however, was the appearance of this man; Hiei was positive that he was looking down on an image of himself…But who was he holding in his arms? Being so high up, even his sharp eyesight couldn't make out crucial details on the scene below, but it didn't really matter in any case. The figure that replicated him began to morph, and its form was much unlike his own…but there were the distinct similarities.
The dragon looked much like he remembered Setare to appear; tall, pallid, and having a blue tail. His hair was rather short, and of an aqua green hue; his pants were white, and his shoes the same color. The man wore no shirt, but by now, Hiei had come to know dragons wore as little clothing as possible; being fighters, there was no need to wear dragging garments that would slow down movement. The two spoke briefly, and the blue-tailed dragon sped off down a hidden path in the forest. Kenta, after looking around, followed a completely different path; Hiei wasn't sure, but he suspected that Kenta was going to head-off the people he had left behind. Odd, it seemed, that he would have left them in the first place…But it wasn't his problem. Hiei's tugging feeling was pulling him after the blue dragon that had run into the trees; it wasn't catching up that would be the issue, however, were he to catch the man before he got where he was headed. It was a fight with an unknown enemy that Hiei wanted to avoid; he had had enough of those in the past to last him the rest of his future, and he didn't need to add to his gracious surplus of said encounters.
But he wasn't going to just ignore the beckoning feeling, either. Besides…he was curious to know who the creature was that the man was holding; something told him he should have known, but alas, memory chose to fail him this night. Having his curiosity peaked, and his instincts screaming, he rolled effortlessly from the branch, and landed silently on the ground; he followed the path that the assumingly-aqua based dragon had taken, and picked up his pace, using his own supernatural speed. This particular path, however, seemed to be more of a tangled web of fallen trees, rapidly flowing river currents, and dense foliage that to an outsider like himself, would have proven (aside of frustrating) to be the complete antonym of maneuverable…But he caught up to his target, who was slowing in his pace, as if looking for something; Hiei wasn't going to question, but simply get a better look at the thing in the man's arms--a harmless action, right?
He found surprisingly abrupt lack of trees to be a large inconvenience, but as Hiei's object of pursuit halted in the middle of the clearing, Hiei was sure that he'd lost his way…But that wasn't the case, as the dragon reached out, and grasped hold of some invisible item that only revealed itself, seemingly, when touched. A large door, looking to be stone, but having the glint of metal in the moonlight, appeared; it was far larger than any normal door could have been, and Hiei compared only the Gates of Spirit World to be a comparison of size. It was pulled open rather easily, by the looks of things, and as the man looked around, Hiei made sure to press himself into the shadows at the edge of numerous trees; it obviously worked, for he didn't seem to be spotted, and by a course of luck, the door was left open as the dragon ducked into the seemingly endless void of black behind it. Wasting no time, Hiei followed as his tugging impulse became steadily stronger, but as he entered, the door slammed shut behind him, no doubt disappearing from view to anyone who might choose to show themselves later. Torches flared along the walls, showering the corridor in eerie, flickering flames of both violet as well as jade; footsteps sounded toward him, and not one to like being caught off guard, he gripped the hilt of his sword, and moved forward. What greeted his eyes was a web-like maze of different halls and corridors, stairs leading both upward as well as down, and in addition to all of this, ladders, seemingly made into or from the wall, some being gold, others silver, or red, or any other color of the spectrum, he saw as he continued to look…But as footsteps ceased, a wall of fire erupted to grasp his attention, and he whirled around; his eyes immediately widened in shock at what he saw.
There she was. Her small, lean form radiating with the energy of anger; her normally placid eyes lit by a fire like none he had ever seen…Subconsciously, he began to wonder if the chilling feeling in his spine was because of the figure before him, or because it was a grim realization that this image had also adorned his body when he became enraged and temporarily out of control. In her hands, she held a scythe that looked to be made of pure ice; the other, he noticed, was clenched tightly into a fist as her aura radiated, pure malice running from her in waves.
He backed away. For the first time he would admit…he was afraid.
Scythe raised in her hand, she made a step forward, and though it was both slow, and deliberate, Hiei refused to accept the image before his eyes. The weapon was anchored to her wrist by what looked to be a Spirit Chain, and he hoped against the sinking in his gut that this was a nightmare that he would awaken from…But he knew better, and yet…As she moved forward again, this time hurling the sharp blade toward him like one would toss a Frisbee, he was caught transfixed as a large, deep gash was torn into the flesh near his ribcage. He could only shake his head, as his front was soon dripping with blood, and the assailing weapon was caught with graceful fingers…fingers that now bore claws like those of a dragon. Her eyes were blank of all light, and were nothing more than a base of brownish gold blurs, contrasting greatly to the blue-white around those once-shimmering irises. She was oh, so very pale, and Hiei took a step backward from her, as she raised the weapon again, preparing to slash him again. Each step caused droplets of his blood to fall upon the smooth, stone floor, and the sight seemed to please the woman. She bore two sharp fangs as she smiled at his dazed, retreating form. Hiei, however, was lost to words; a delicate buzz drowned out all comprehendible impulses that might have found their way to his brain, and as his back came against chillingly cold stone, he felt the contrasting burn of another gash being torn into his torso as his stomach gushed a waterfall of near-ebony fluid. His head spun, and he felt nauseously ill; were it not for the throbbing pain in his stomach or the fact that he hadn't eaten in quite some time, he knew, though absently, that more than a great deal of blood would have spewed forth from his mouth…
But his mind was elsewhere. His conscious raced through the corridors of his brain, trying to find answers to his steadily hurtful question, unable even to be formed my his mind, let alone spoken aloud. Words and impulses raced through his head, making the dizziness change course into a full-blown migraine. He felt his body slumping, unable to stay upright, even with the support of the wall behind him; the blood, however, was too slippery for him to remain on his feet. He barely felt himself thud to the floor, nor did he realize that he was very near the possibility of both bleeding to death as well as drowning in said blood. An angelic laugh reached his ears, like an ironically evil melody…But he didn't dare to look up. He couldn't bear to see her face again, consumed by a demented rage, or illuminated so darkly by the flames along the walls…
Footsteps faded, and so, he knew, was his consciousness. Slowly, and surely, he was slipping into a shadow far beyond the darkness that came from his own eyes being closed…And yet he couldn't stop it. The question that refused to form only seconds before was now burning hotly into his brain. It was pushing him further, not ceasing, and not being merciful. He knew he refused to believe what he'd seen, but the fact still remained--if the mere illusion was enough to put him in such a condition…
"But it wasn't an illusion…" he thought, as his body drained of strength. To think it would only make it true, and he knew, that it wasn't. She wouldn't have done this to him, would she? No. No, she wouldn't have, and he knew she'd have killed herself before even thinking it…
"It couldn't have been you…" he thought stubbornly, even though there was a pan of sadness to accompany the thought. He refused to believe, and were he to ever move from the stone, he knew…he hoped…that he wasn't wrong.
"I know it wasn't you…" his mind was breaking down on him now; he could feel it. "Yukina…I know it wasn't you…" He fainted with his steady hope that he was right, but somewhere in the non-punctured areas of his gut, his instinct couldn't help but know that there was every possibility that he was wrong; that if a dragon wanted vengeance, then there was nothing that it wouldn't stoop to in order to reap their reward……
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HA! Sooner than I expected, longer than the last chapter, and a twist that I didn't even see coming until I typed it out. Some of the tie-together may suck, I know, but as I can't help but come up with this stuff from the top of my head, it gets tricky… Thanks to those who reviewed, and I would reply, but alas, I'm in a hurry. You aren't forgotten, you, know, and you'll get your dues next chap. See Ya!