Sorry for the EXTREMELY long hiatus, but my family encountered a swathe of
computer trouble. First the internet was screwed up and then it took
forever to get someone to fix it (how can any company that makes computers
that work so fast have workers that are SO DARN SLOW??!!??!!).
Add in a visit from the Writers-Block gremlin, stir simmering for fifteen minutes, and you have the perfect recipe for an MIA authoress!
*deep breath*
Thank you all for your patience.
So . . . yeah., I'm back now! *throws confetti* All cry hallelujah and rejoice!
(I apologize in advance for any spelling errors, but I just managed to finish and my mom is telling me to go to bed, so I don't have time to proofread. I'll check it tomorrow and fix it when I have time.)
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Some people were curious about the fact that I had reviews for Ch. 18 when it wasn't posted yet. Answer: as per the latest rules posted on the main page of ff.net, I have removed the A/N chapter at the beginning of the story, so now all the numbers have been scooted back one. Kapish?
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Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?
Also, most of the kitsune information in this chapter (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm (Do I have to say it again? Copy, paste, remove the spaces and hit enter.). I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.
- : - : - Chapter Seventeen: Mall Mayhem, Part Two of Two - : - : -
Yuusuke grumbled mutinously as yet another article was added to the sizeable clusters dangling from both of his arms. The group of shoppers -- now, since Hiei had deserted, consisting of Yuusuke, Kurama, Kurt, Kitty, Rahne, Jean, Jubilee and Rogue-- were scattered throughout yet another clothing store (the fourth one that day). Yuusuke and Kurama stood placidly beside the doors leading to the changing rooms, waiting while the girls gathered up a new batch of clothing for them to try on. Kurt had, unfortunately, been accosted by Jubilee on her way to the women's wear section, doomed to act as her own, personal, two-legged shopping-cart.
Yuusuke glared at Rahne's back as the disappeared back into the racks of merchandise in search of more 'bargains.' ="Kurama, tell me: if we came here to shop for clothes for you, me and Hiei, then why in the seven hells are there tube-tops and high-heels in some of these bags?"=
Kurama allowed himself a barely discernable grimace before composing his expression into one of polite neutrality. ="You've never gone shopping with Keiko before, have you?"=
="No."=
Kurama shifted his own burden of boxes and bags carefully, attempting to work some of the stiffness out of his arms without unbalancing the precariously stacked packages. ="Then listen carefully: never, under any circumstances, give females access to a sizeable cache of wealth and a near- limitless shopping ground at the same time. It is comparable to leaving Kuwabara in a pet store . . . only more detrimental to your financial backing."=
Yuusuke arched an eyebrow, glancing over at the red-haired kitsune-turned- human. ="You sound like you're talking from experience."=
A slow smirk stretched across Kurama's features, making him look far more like his legendary persona of Youko Kurama. ="I have survived for longer than most demons could dream, Yuusuke. Surely you don't think that I lived for so long without . . . companionship?"=
Yuusuke choked, his eyes widening, before coughing to clear his throat. ="Gods, Kurama, do I LOOK like I want to hear stuff like that from you?"=
Kurama chuckled. ="What do you expect?"=
="A small bit of tact, maybe?"= Yuusuke paused suddenly, turning to level a suspicious glance at the taller boy. ="Hold on; let me guess. Tonight's the full moon?"=
="Indeed."=
="I KNEW you were acting more Youko-ish than normal."=
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Rogue sneered at the frilly, flower-patterned peasant blouse that Kitty held up for her inspection. "There's no way in heaven or hell that Ah'm wearing one of those."
Kitty frowned, looking miffed. "Like, hello? It's the latest style."
"During the Renaissance, maybe."
"You'd so totally look good in it, though. A pair of faded jeans and, like, maybe some sandals and . . . Voila!"
Rogue folded her arms across her chest. "What have Ah ever worn that makes you think Ah would wear somethin' like THAT?"
"Um . . ."
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she felt a small sense of satisfaction. Kitty Pryde, chatterbox extraordinaire . . . at a loss for words. "Mah point exactly."
Kitty huffed irritably. "Well, be that way, then." She returned the blouse. "Good grief, Rogue, what's the point of, like, going to a mall if you're not going to shop?"
Rogue shrugged eloquently. "What else was Ah goin' t'do? Ah don't like shopping or anythin', but it beats the alternative of mopin' around the Institute ."
Kitty rolled her eyes, sighing. "God, you don't have to be so PERKY all the time." She picked up another blouse, this one a brilliant shade of lime green with a band of pink flowers across the chest., and held it against her body, frowning meditatively.
Rogue grimaced, wondering if it was possible to go blind just by looking at such bright colors. "Ah'm outta' here. Ah'll meet ya'll at the food court for dinner around six, all right?"
"Fine." Kitty put the blouse back on the rack, much to Rogue's relief. "I'll give the other's a heads-up. Hey, do me a favor?"
"What?"
"See if you can spot Hiei, could you? We've bought some stuff, but it isn't the same without seeing the clothes ON him."
Rogue winced mentally. She had been on the receiving end of Kitty's fashion advice before; it was NOT fun. But . . . hey. At least it wasn't HER standing over by the changing rooms.
"Ah'll see what Ah can do."
- : - : - An Hour and a Half Later - : - : -
Sigh. Blink. Shuffle. Glare. Sigh. Grumble. Glare. Sigh.
"For god's sake, Blue, would you knock it off already!?"
Kurt blinked, turning his eyes toward Yuusuke. "Vas [1]? Vhat am I doing?"
The raven-haired boy arched one eyebrow sardonically. "Aside from trying to rub a hole in the carpet with your feet?"
The blue-haired boy huffed irritably. "I'm BORED."
Yuusuke grinned in response. "Well, you COULD have bamphed us both away from the girls when you had the chance, but NO, you had to play scaredy- mutant."
Kurt glowered, feeling his fur prickling beneath the hologram as he shivered. "Have you ever seen Kitty vhen she's mad? It's not pretty, especially vhen said anger is directed at ME."
Yuusuke's grin broadened, and he laughed. One his other side, Kurt could see Shuichi chuckling softly as well . "Sounds like Keiko."
Kurt blinked, frowning. "'Kay-koh'?"
Yuusuke looked smug. "My girlfriend. Ukimura Keiko . . . or Keiko Ukimura to all of you backwards English-speakers."
Shuichi murmured something that Kurt couldn't understand --something in that strange, growling, hissing language of theirs-- and Yuusuke snickered merrily before replying the same way. Kurt felt decidedly left out and kicked idly at one of the piles of bags/clothing/shoes lying on the floor by the wall, resulting in a satisfying 'whumph' sound.
"That is SO not fair," he grumbled.
Shuichi's eyes immediately focused upon Kurt's face. "Pardon?"
"It's like the both of you have some sort of secret society that no-vone else can get into!"
Shuichi and Yuusuke exchanged a glance. Shuichi was the one to reply, calm and unruffled as always. "What makes you say that?"
Kurt frowned. "You're alvays talking in that langvage of yours, and you von't tell anyvone vhat it is! None of us ever have a clue vhat you're saying."
Yuusuke looked thoughtful. "It's kinda' hard to explain. It's . . . a rare dialect, you might say."
Kurt could hardly believe it; it sounded as though he were actually about to get some answers from a member of the mysterious trio. "Vhere did you learn it, then?"
Shuichi stepped in. "Yuusuke picked it up a little before he began training with Genkai [2], a martial-arts master. Hiei and I learned far earlier."
Kurt's curiosity was fully aroused. "Vould it be possible for me to learn?"
"Why would you want to?" asked Yuusuke.
Kurt grinned broadly. "All of the guy's at the Institute are betting on vhat langvage it is. Since you von't tell anyvone vhat it is, it vould put me vone up on them, nein?" He did his best 'I'm-so-CUTE,-how-can-you- POSSIBLY-refuse-me?' look.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though both Shuichi and Yuusuke were both immune to his famous pleading expression. Shuichi merely smiled and shook his head.
"I don't think it wise. It is hard to get the pronunciation of most of the words correct."
Yuusuke nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the minor differences in lots of the definitions."
Kurt blinked. "Vhat?"
"Ah . . . How can I explain?"Yuusuke folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. "Hmm . . . how many words for 'kill' are there in English?"
"Uh . . ." Kurt rubbed the back of his neck while he thought, not really seeing the relevance. "Vell . . . not many. I mean, kill, murder, execute. Maybe a couple more."
"The language we speak," Shuichi began, "is a language spoken by fighters. Can you guess how many words for 'kill' are a part of it?"
Kurt frowned. ". . . eight?"
Yuusuke snorted, smirking. "Try over twenty."
"Vas!?"
Yuusuke began to tick off definitions on his fingers. "There's plain 'kill,' then there's to kill as an assassin, to kill for sport or fun, kill for food, torture to death, to kill with a blade, to kill from afar --as with a bow--, to kill through poison, kill in revenge, kill by mistake, kill in anger, mercy killing --also known as putting someone out of their misery--, to kill a brother or sister, to kill a parent, kill a distant cousin or uncle or other extended family member, to kill for love, to kill while in bloodlust, to kill someone to acquire power, to kill to acquire wealth, to kill to acquire land or territory, to kill to acquire power, wealth AND territory, to kill in order to protect something or someone, to kill in self-defense, to kill just for the heck of it, to kill something for the mere reason that it's an annoyance . . ." He glanced idly at Shuichi. "Am I missing any?"
"/Azhglav/."
"Yeah, there you go. To kill oneself. Suicide. Suicide for love, suicide in sorrow, suicide in spite, and probably more that I can't remember . . . Get our point, blue?"
Kurt swallowed audibly. "Yah."
There was silence for a short moment.
Yuusuke shrugged slightly. "If it helps any, all we were talking about was how Keiko could sometimes be . . . temperamental. Shuichi compared her to a demoness."
"Which is really quite apt," murmured Shuichi. "She's one of the few people that Yuusuke has ever actually been afraid of."
Yuusuke grinned at his red-haired companion. "Damn straight."
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Hiei had never known that humans could generate such noise. Even on his perch among the metal rafters crisscrossing the high, vaulted ceilings of the mall hallways, he could feel the omnipresent rumble of combined human voices vibrating the thick beam of steel beneath his boots. He didn't bother to attempt to sort through the various sounds; it would have been nigh onto impossible to pick out any one conversation amidst the jumble, and so he contented himself with allowing his eyes to trail over the river of movement and color beneath him.
He had --instinctively-- traveled far away from the store which had become temporary prison to the Reikai Tantei. Now he was nearer to the end of the mall containing the exit to the parking garage . . . near where the girls had first brought the boys inside.
Ch. Boring. The most exciting thing he had seen thus far was two boys bickering incessantly over a small bag of candy, causing their mother no small amount of irritation and exasperation.
A flash of red and white hair caught his eye, and his gaze was drawn to the lone figure of one of the girls from the Institute --he was relatively certain her name was Rogue--, weaving her way through the thick crowds clogging the hallway. Idly, he followed above her, flitting from rafter to rafter, wondering idly at her history. She was a loner from the other students of the Institute. usually preferring her own company to that of others. Hiei was reminded vaguely of himself.
He pondered upon this silently, also wondering exactly what her power could be. He suspected that it might have something to do with touch. Hiei was nothing if not observant, and he had seen how she was forever avoiding skin- to-skin contact with any other human, even going as far as wearing long- sleeved shirts as much as possible and covering her hands with gloves. Perhaps . . .
His thoughts were interrupted by a faint buzz of energy tickling at his sense, so faint that he could have overlooked it completely . . . had it not been so near to his current position.
He leapt to his next foothold and dropped into a crouch, extending his senses as to their fullest, attempting to home in on the strange energy.
It was not reiki, nor meiki, nor seikouki [3] . . . That left youki, but the amount of energy he could sense was not enough to support even the weakest of Lesser E-class demons.
Reaching up, he tugged lightly on his bandana, pulling it just the barest centimeter away from the skin of his forehead, allowing his Jagan to open the smallest crack.
With the added power of his Jagan, it was a simple matter to pinpoint the entity giving off the odd energy signal: a lone human, a female sitting comfortably on a mall bench. Momentarily, he wished that he was closer so that he could examine her scent: the sole way to know the difference between a mutant and a normal human was through scent, and if she possessed the powers of a mutant, it would be better to be forewarned.
Hiei opened his Jagan wider, keeping his power-level low enough to be nigh onto unnoticeable, seeking to gain more information, but his attention was drawn back to Rogue as he became aware of the emotions of surprise and fear that swirled around her.
She was surrounded by four humans, all of them adolescent males.
Four humans who were now pressing near to Rogue, herding her toward the side-hallway that Hiei knew led toward the parking garage, a place that was certain to be nigh onto completely deserted.
Had he been human, Hiei might have sighed. Things were never simple when it had anything even REMOTELY to do with Koenma or a mission for the Reikai Tantei.
However, he was a demon, an A-class, and a Jaganshi as well. He snarled and glared, threatened and fought, decapitated and dismembered, but he did NOT sigh.
He settled for an irritated snort instead.
Now, what to choose? Follow the not-demon woman sitting below, or to go and play hero for the girl?
He sneered.
Damn the Toushin and his cavalier, 'save-the-day' attitude anyway . . .
With a feeling of resignation, he flickered out of sight, leaping down from among the rafters and darting down the hallway to follow behind the four humans and Rogue, raising his youki levels more than enough to handle the four weaklings he hunted.
. . . And damn himself twice over for allowing the Detective's heroic tendencies to rub off on him . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
The hairs along Kurama's neck prickled even as he felt Hiei's youki flare a short distance away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuusuke's stiff posture and closed, alert expression, a sure sign that the dark- haired boy had felt Hiei's energy raise as well.
="Yuusuke?"=
="I feel it, Kurama. Are you sensing anything else?"=
="No, though that's not saying much. The only reason we can sense Hiei at all is due to long familiarity with his youki. At this distance and with all the interference from human reiki, I would probably only be able to detect a B-class battle-aura or higher."=
Yuusuke slowly relaxed back into his normal slouch, leaning idly against the wall behind him and ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from Kurt. ="Probably nothing to worry about. That's not even a tenth of Hiei's sparring-aura, much less his full-blown battle-aura."=
Kurama sent an incredulous look toward the Toushin. ="Are you joking? You want to leave even a MINUTELY battle-ready Hiei unsupervised in a building full of humans?"=
Yuusuke blinked, a grimace spreading across his face. ="Good point."= He sighed heavily but straightened his shoulders resolutely. ="Time to go save humanity . . . again. Lead the way."=
It was a testament to how focused they were on their current goal --find Hiei and perform whatever damage control they deemed necessary before the building came down around their ears-- that neither of them said a word to Kurt as they left, leaving the disguised mutant standing alone in a broad sea of scattered bags, boxes, and clothing. Neither Yuusuke nor Kurama were aware of the fact that, as soon as they exited the store, Kurt disappeared in a cloud of blue-black smoke and reappeared, perched easily atop one of the metal rafters supporting the mall's ceiling.
Kurt followed their progress through the mall by bamphing from rafter to rafter, unknowingly following the same path that Hiei had tread just a short while earlier . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
Admittedly, Rogue hadn't been having one of her better days.
To begin with, she hadn't been able to find her gloves when she had first gotten dressed, which had resulted in an accidental 'touching' moment between herself and Rahne, in turn resulting in the unfortunate side-effect of claws and fur sprouting on her body at inopportune moments for the better part of the morning. Luckily, the contact with Rahne had been brief, and the semi-transformations had worn off with relative swiftness.
Her second clue that the day ahead was bound to be anything BUT peaches'n'cream was when she had walked in on a Scott-and-Jean-Tender- Moment, not exactly something she wanted to see before breakfast.
Ah, yes. Breakfast. Spilling milk down her front . . . having a certain, blue-furred SOMEBODY bamphing in ON TOP of her . . . dropping a plate of sausages onto Bobby's lap while she was trying to pass them along the table . . . Yes, breakfast had been just DANDY.
And NOW she was being manhandled by four muscle-bound toughs who looked like they'd be more at home in the orangutan exhibit at the local zoo.
Needless to say, Rogue's temper was wearing dangerously thin.
"Git your filthy paws offa' me, ya yahoos!" Her voice echoed eerily down the empty hallway down which she was currently being led. She bucked against the grips that two of the guys had on her arms. "Ah'm warnin' you! Let me go!"
Thank god that Logan wasn't anywhere near right now. He'd never let her hear the end of this if he knew that, not only had she let her guard down in an open, crowded place where attack was always feasible --if slightly unlikely--, but that she had actually been too shocked by being manhandled by four complete strangers to yell out for help.
Stupid, ignorant mall patrons . . . You'd think that SOMEONE would have noticed a girl getting accosted by four young men, but NO.
Rogue resolved silently to never walk alone at the edges of a crowd ever again; it was much like a young fawn straying away from the safety of the herd and tempting the wolves to supper.
She stiffened and blinked as surprise as there was a flash of black out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to investigate, looking past the two men standing on her right side, all she saw was a blank wall, and an out-of-place breeze brushed several of her white bangs into her eyes.
What in the world . . . ?
- : - : - : - : - : -
His crimson eyes glittered with the bloodlust that only predators knew. He knew that it was unlikely he would kill any of the four humans, but the thrill of a hunt, stalking unknowing prey who had no idea the danger they faced . . . It was one of the few pleasures he could still indulge in.
The girl's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he brushed past their small group, but he knew that she couldn't know what it was that she had seen or heard.
The men hadn't noticed a single thing out of place, bringing a disdainful sneer to his lips. True hunters would know if there was a threat about. These were nothing more than typical human thugs.
Still, it would be enjoyable to see them squirm.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"Outta' my way! Move it, people! Guys in a hurry coming through!"
Yuusuke had learned many things while serving as a Spirit Detective. One such thing was that, if he was anywhere near a group of people --no matter what size-- and he was in a desperate hurry to save the world or something along those lines, they would find SOME way to block him. Right now, he could swear that the other people were pressing more tightly around himself and Kurama instead of getting out of the way!
"God damn it, you morons, move your asses!"
At times like this, Yuusuke truly wished that people DID know about Reikai and demons. Then he could have just pulled out a badge and said "Urameshi Yuusuke, Spirit Detective. Demon activity has been detected nearby. A-class power level. Get the hell out of my way."
No, he had to make like a mole and burrow his way through the damnably thick crowd.
Kurama was directly on his tail, no doubt finding it easier to just traverse the path that Yuusuke was making instead of creating his own. Yuusuke could even hear the redhead's soft voice as he apologized for jostling the people he bumped into. ". . . your pardon, excuse me, I'm sorry . . . can I get through here? Thank you . . . excuse me, sorry . . ."
Stupid Youko. Why couldn't HE have taken point?
"Don't you people have ears? I said SCRAM! That means YOU! GET A //CLUE//, PEOPLE!"
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue found herself being thrust through a doorway and found herself standing in one of the more remote corners of the parking garage, next to a pair of dumpsters. Huge concrete columns supported the high ceiling, and the only light came from a dim yellow bulb perched above the door she had just exited. The four young men filed out behind her and stood there, smirking.
The largest of the four stood forward from the rest, his smile anything BUT friendly. "Hello, my little mutant."
Rogue glared, falling into a slight crouch. "Ah don't know who you are, what you want with me, or how you know what Ah am, but Ah suggest that you git away while you can. Ah'm not exactly in a good mood at the moment."
She couldn't run. They were too close. They'd tackle her before she'd gone three steps.
"We just want to give you something."
"Thanks, but no thanks. You can take whatever it is and shove it up your homely ass."
His smile widened. Rogue didn't like the look in his eyes. It was oddly blank, and she had yet to hear any of the other three speak at all. She had met plenty of run-of-the-mill thugs, and it was standard for them to blab off at the victim, hurling threats, insults, demands for money, etc.
This wasn't adding up.
The leader reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, grape sized . . . something. It looked vaguely like something small and round wrapped in cloth or plastic or something. Rogue squinted, trying to make out what it was more clearly, but she continually glanced up at the four men, ensuring that they weren't about to jump her while her attention was distracted.
Of course, they HAD released her once they had come outside. If they wanted to mug her or something, why would they have done that?
"All right," she said at last, still suspicious. "Ah'll bite. What is it?"
"A present," he said. "From a friend."
Rogue slipped into an even more secure fighting stance. She had friends, sure, but they were either at the Institute or members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. And none of said friends would be sending her a 'present' in such a way.
The man seemed to sense her thoughts, and he drew back his arm, swinging it as though about to---
"Here," he said and tossed the odd package toward her.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Coming nearer to where Hiei's youki was emanating from, yet still unable to pinpoint the small demon's exact location, Yuusuke grabbed Kurama and pushed the redhead in front of him roughly. "I don't know my way around this place any more than I know Portugese! Get up there and use that nose of yours, fox-boy!"
Kurama went without hesitation, understanding the reason for Yuusuke's suddenly heightened level of haste.
There was the faintest scent of something demonic in the air --if not an actual demon, then something closely related to Makai--, and it was not coming from any of the Reikai Tantei.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue watched as the small parcel tumbled through the air toward her, glittering an odd shade of green, and she was vividly aware of the smirks upon all four men's faces.
Should she bat the thing away? Catch it? Move aside? It would hit her if she did nothing---
She saw that same flicker of black, and felt the same odd gust of wind, and suddenly the parcel just . . . disappeared.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei bared his fangs in satisfaction as his hands curled carefully around the small orb, cushioning it from any harsh, jarring movements even as he leapt back up into the shadows, back to his impromptu perch upon a convenient beam of concrete supporting the roof of the garage, and he tucked the object carefully into one of the pockets within his cloak.
The scent of Makai was heavy in his nostrils, the smell emanating from his newly-acquired prize, and his gaze was sharper than the blade of his katana as he turned his eyes back to the four humans.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Had she not been so shocked herself, Rogue might have grinned at the look of utter shock upon the leader's face.
"W-what? How---?" His eyes turned toward Rogue. "You! You used your powers, didn't you?"
Rogue's glare reached an entirely new level of fierceness. "Ah didn't do anythin', dumbass. Any mutant who knows me well enough to pick me out from a crowd should know what Ah'm capable of. Just another example of your pathetically poor plannin'."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei smirked. He could truly learn to like this girl. She sounded entirely too much like himself.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"And another thing." Rogue straightened slightly and began to tug at the fingers of her gloves, neatly pulling them off of her hands one at a time and tucking them into the waistband of her jeans. "Ah'll give you a chance to tell me just what you were tryin' to pull before I take things into my own . . . hands." She flexed her fingers meaningfully.
The 'leader' glared at her furiously. "I know it was you! What did you do with it?"
"If Ah did somethin' with it, then isn't it mah business? I mean, seein' as how it was a 'gift' for me and all . . ."
All four men stared at her intensely, and when they spoke, it was together, as though they were a single entity.
"We want it back."
With that, they leapt forward.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurt had turned off his inducer and was now jogging lightly after the dim, distant figures of Yuusuke and Shuichi as they ran on toward some unknown goal. Every now and then, he would make a short BAMPH to gain ground on them before they were lost to sight.
Something fishy was going on, and he wanted to know what . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
For several short moments, the air was filled with a confusing array of dull thuds, grunts of pain, and sharp cracks.
Rogue blinked, trying to understand what was going on.
The four men had leapt toward her, and then . . .
A flicker of black. A rush of wind.
They had been thrown back like limp rag dolls,
Several attempted to get to their feet, and the 'flicker' returned once more, knocking them flat on their backs. Rogue could see at least two men with abnormally bent arms and one with a leg twisted at an awkward angle.
"If you wish to take on worthy prey, it is probably best that you make certain you are a worthy hunter first."
Rogue's eyes were drawn to the slight, black-clad figure who had suddenly appeared amidst the strewn bodies.
Hiei.
Her mouth opened and closed several times in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out. She swallowed thickly, and tried again, her eyes locked upon the silvery blade of the sword held in the boy's right hand.
"Y--- You . . . killed them?"
He spared her a brief, disinterested glance. "No. They all still live, though they will sport some interesting bruises. I struck them with the flat and the blunted edge."
All she could managed in reply was a very weak 'oh.'
Hiei stepped toward the largest of the four men, the sole one still moving even slightly, and a cold sneer twisted his lips, giving Rogue her first good look at the young man's oddly pointed canines. The sword which she had always though he carried for show hung comfortably in his grip, held there as easily as though it were but another part of his body.
Rogue shivered, wondering when in the world she was going to wake up from this insane dream.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei smirked down at the 'leader' of the gang. "Foolish. Very foolish. One would think that you would possess enough intelligence --limited as it may be-- to realize that, since the girl is a mutant, SHE possesses abnormal powers . . . and as a human, YOU DON'T. Even if she had not had backup, that fact alone would give the girl quite an interesting advantage, ne?"
The man twitched, raising his head so that the dim fluorescent lighting of the back corridor shone upon his battered features. He spat weakly, a gobbet of spit and blood spattering upon the cold tiles. "F-freaks . . . both of you---"
"Ch." Hiei snorted in amusement, causing Rogue no small amount of discomfort at his callousness. "You're so typical. Typical HUMAN.---" He spat the word as though it possessed a foul taste. With a sneer showing clearly upon his eerily childlike features, Hiei pressed the sole of his boot against his target's cheek, forcing the man's face against the floor. "Your kind NEVER know your place."
The man's body stiffened despite the awkward position it lay in, and his eyes rolled in his head, a disturbing chuckle building up in his chest. Those unfocused eyes slid up to gaze unsteadily at Hiei's face.
="The Master sees you . . ."=
Hiei smirked and pressed the blade of his katana lightly against the man's jugular.
"I'm terrified."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue's brain was beginning to hurt. First she got kidnapped . . . well, semi-kidnapped anyway . . . and then the kidnappers tried to pull some weird mind games on her, and NOW she was being rescued by the shrimpiest, most anti-social member of the Trouble Trio.
To top everything off, he was now about to decapitate someone.
Yes, things are bad enough, why couldn't they just add second-degree murder to the list?
God, could her day get any worse?
"Hiei, no!"
She darted forward before she could fully think things through --things including the impeccably sharp sword so casually held in the boy's hand-- and pushed the black-clad figure away from the prone man. "You can't just kill him like that!"
He blinked calmly at her. "Why not?"
"'Cause . . . well, 'cause . . . you just CAN'T, okay?"
The red-eyed boy smirked coldly. "Consider it an extermination."
He made to move around her, but she reached out and grabbed his closest hand, the one not covered with the odd, ancient-looking bandages that seemed a permanent part of his wardrobe, intending to stop him before he got them both in jail.
She didn't account for the sudden rush of information that flooded into her mind at the contact, far stronger than any contact she had previously experienced, and she tried her best to fight it.
Damn it, first Rahne, now Hiei . . . Her gloves were never around when she needed them, were they?
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurama skidded to a halt within a millisecond of exiting the final door. Had it not been for his many years of torture/training at the hands of Genkai, Yuusuke would have bowled him over. There was something to be said for demon agility combined with hellishly hard training, however, and he managed to both slow himself sufficiently and twist over to one side, avoiding contact with the other young man completely.
"What's---?"
Yuusuke's cut himself off mid-question as his eyes took in the odd scene before him.
Four human males lay scattered upon the ground, unconscious, some of them with limbs twisted out of place or dark, oblong bruises slowly darkening upon their skin, and both of the demons immediately recognized Hiei's handiwork.
Their attention was swiftly drawn elsewhere.
More specifically, their gazes were drawn to the odd sight of Rogue grasping Hiei's hand, both of their bodies abnormally stiff, their eyes with shock. Rogue's breathing was erratic, nearly to the point of hyperventilation.
What was most disturbing, however, was Hiei. His skin was taking on an odd, greenish tinge, his hair spiking more than usual, and his Jagan eye was glowing brightly through the bandanna around the small demon's forehead, the white cloth smoking slightly and charring around the edges beneath the pressure of the youki seeking to escape.
"Oh, Inari," whispered Kurama.
Yuusuke couldn't have agreed more.
"Oh, shit."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue fought with all she had against the tide of memories and emotions and thoughts seeking to flood into her mind, but it was like battling a tsunami with a dam built of matchsticks.
The barrier broke swiftly beneath the onslaught, and any sense of 'self' was washed away in the ensuing deluge . . .
. . . the warehouse was dimly lit, and no doubt very cold even if she could not feel it. She cared not about such things, though; her only concern at the moment was the young adolescent human standing before her and the two treasures he held cradled in his hands, a strange mirror and a black and green ball.
The boy glared at her heatedly, brown eyes alight with fury, as he demanded to know what had happened to the girl she had taken hostage.
A slow smirk spread across her face, and she summoned forth two of her newly-made servants, not even bothering to turn her head and watch as they dragged the girl's unconscious form forward. Instead, she savored the look of complete horror and --for a short moment-- fear that showed upon the boy's expression before his eyes filled with burning fury.
She sneered at his blatant display of emotion. It was weak to allow your opponent to read your feelings with such ease; the boy's every thought was mirrored plainly upon his face . . .
. . . "You're a team player. A save-the-day superhero . . . I hate people like you." . . .
. . . Green eyes glittered brightly with the awareness that only many battles could teach, and the fighter's long, red hair flew around his face as he leapt and dodged the stone monster's attacks.
Her voice echoed eerily throughout the large chamber, despite the noise of the ongoing battle, as she spoke to the dark-haired human from before.
"Do you know why I chose him to be my partner? So I wouldn't have to fight him myself. He's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and utterly ruthless." . . .
. . . the fair-haired, crimson-eyed girl looked up at her with hope shining upon her face as she asked for any information about her lost brother, and the hope slowly faded as the very sibling she sought fed her naught but lie upon lie . . .
. . . She sneered up into the face of the orange-haired, ape-faced human.
"Tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" . . .
. . . the crowd roared in approval, many of the spectators baring their fangs in feral grins, as her sword slashed down toward her opponent. One more win to add to the tally . . .
. . . a small spark of amusement flared within her as she caught sight of the strange, blue creature perched atop her companion's dark hair, but she hid the emotion behind a slight glower and a smirk.
"What IS that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head?" . . .
. . . mist swirled through the middle of the arena, slowly fading away to reveal the white-clad figure of the silver-haired male now standing at the heart of the stadium. Triangular ears swiveled, catching the many sounds around him, and his tail twitched slightly. Golden eyes glittered coldly as he smirked at the dumbstruck crowd . . .
. . . shock and horror filled her, emotions that she would never have thought to feel for a human, as she gazed down at the young man's lifeless body where it lay upon the rocky floor of the cave. The black hair, now soft and messy without the restraining gel, was matted with blood, and the wound in his chest, a small, round hole directly over his heart, still wept red. Around her, the others were feeling emotions equal to, if not surpassing, her own. Her eyes turned toward the killer, and her shock slowly melted into rage . . .
. . . the phoenix stretched its wings wide as it soared above the rocky plain of the battlefield. Her hands were buried deep in the thick, blue feathers as she balanced upon its back beside the orange-haired human and a brown-haired young man wearing red and blue robes. Out of the corner of one eye, she could see the silver-haired being soaring alone, born aloft by wings created from one of his plants. Down below, the fight between the raven-haired boy --now a raven-haired demon-- and his most powerful opponent yet raged on . . .
. . . power surged through the air, thickening it, making it hard to breathe. She watched in amazement as the transformation took place, as the boy's --no, the DEMON'S-- hair lengthened, growing into a thick mane that fell past his knees, and dark blue markings appeared upon the bare skin of his arms and chest.
She was witnessing the birth of a god. She knew it.
A War God.
Demon Lord.
//Toushin// . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
Arms were around her waist, pulling her away from the flood of memories. Someone was speaking, and she tried desperately to comprehend the words even as her mind was spinning with the disjointed images and sounds that were all she could remember from the contact.
". . . crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"
". . . shut UP, Detective."
That voice . . . Hiei. And he sounded pissed.
"She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"
Shuichi?
"With my luck? She'll hurl all over me."
Yuusuke, definitely.
"Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."
". . . I never liked this shirt much anyway."
"I thought so."
"Ch."
She felt herself being shifted, her shoulders pressing against something warm . . . a chest. Someone was holding her.
"Rogue? Hey, Rogue, you in there? . . . what is that name that Claw-Boy calls her? Streak? . . . Stripes! Yo, Stripes, wakey wakey . . . "
She pressed her eyes closed, fighting against the migraine that was making itself at home in her skull, and tried her damnedest to tell the annoying voice to shut up.
"Mmphnf."
"This isn't any time for beauty sleepin', Stripes, trust me. Come on, gimme' a break."
"Yuusuke, she could be having a bad reaction to Hiei's youki. We don't know how well humans can deal with it."
"Hey, I turned out all right, didn't I?"
"That's debatable."
"Shut up, Hiei."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke looked down at the girl's pale face. Not that she wasn't ALWAYS pale, but now she had a sort of greenish tint to go along with it, something that was not at all attractive.
Her eyes fluttered slightly, and she managed another soft moan.
Sighing and wishing that he had a glass of cold water handy to douse her with, he reached up instead to slap lightly at one of her cheeks, hoping to bring her around.
He never heard Hiei's sudden, panicked shout of warning . . .
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
Whew! Long one! I hope you enjoyed!
[1] Vas- German: What?
[2] Remember, Yuusuke was able to speak with the first demon he met (the little imp that was controlling the gang member who stole Kuwabara's kitten --What was its name, Ekishi?--), and the imp was startled that Yuusuke could a) see him in the first place, b) catch him, and c) understand the demon speech.
[3] Meiki is like the power of darkness, the energy of the Meikai. Seikouki is light energy, the energy used by Koenma and other beings of spirit realm. Reiki is to seikouki as youki is to meiki.
(People, please don't rag me about my German. You know what I'm trying to say, so please leave it at that. I don't need everyone telling me it's supposed to be 'was' and not 'vas,' even though it IS pronounced as 'vas' . . . *groan* Headache . . . )
Add in a visit from the Writers-Block gremlin, stir simmering for fifteen minutes, and you have the perfect recipe for an MIA authoress!
*deep breath*
Thank you all for your patience.
So . . . yeah., I'm back now! *throws confetti* All cry hallelujah and rejoice!
(I apologize in advance for any spelling errors, but I just managed to finish and my mom is telling me to go to bed, so I don't have time to proofread. I'll check it tomorrow and fix it when I have time.)
- : - : - : - : - : -
Some people were curious about the fact that I had reviews for Ch. 18 when it wasn't posted yet. Answer: as per the latest rules posted on the main page of ff.net, I have removed the A/N chapter at the beginning of the story, so now all the numbers have been scooted back one. Kapish?
- : - : - : - : - : -
Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns them, but it certainly isn't ME. AND I OWN NONE OF EDGAR ALLEN POE'S WORKS, GOT IT!?
Also, most of the kitsune information in this chapter (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm (Do I have to say it again? Copy, paste, remove the spaces and hit enter.). I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.
- : - : - Chapter Seventeen: Mall Mayhem, Part Two of Two - : - : -
Yuusuke grumbled mutinously as yet another article was added to the sizeable clusters dangling from both of his arms. The group of shoppers -- now, since Hiei had deserted, consisting of Yuusuke, Kurama, Kurt, Kitty, Rahne, Jean, Jubilee and Rogue-- were scattered throughout yet another clothing store (the fourth one that day). Yuusuke and Kurama stood placidly beside the doors leading to the changing rooms, waiting while the girls gathered up a new batch of clothing for them to try on. Kurt had, unfortunately, been accosted by Jubilee on her way to the women's wear section, doomed to act as her own, personal, two-legged shopping-cart.
Yuusuke glared at Rahne's back as the disappeared back into the racks of merchandise in search of more 'bargains.' ="Kurama, tell me: if we came here to shop for clothes for you, me and Hiei, then why in the seven hells are there tube-tops and high-heels in some of these bags?"=
Kurama allowed himself a barely discernable grimace before composing his expression into one of polite neutrality. ="You've never gone shopping with Keiko before, have you?"=
="No."=
Kurama shifted his own burden of boxes and bags carefully, attempting to work some of the stiffness out of his arms without unbalancing the precariously stacked packages. ="Then listen carefully: never, under any circumstances, give females access to a sizeable cache of wealth and a near- limitless shopping ground at the same time. It is comparable to leaving Kuwabara in a pet store . . . only more detrimental to your financial backing."=
Yuusuke arched an eyebrow, glancing over at the red-haired kitsune-turned- human. ="You sound like you're talking from experience."=
A slow smirk stretched across Kurama's features, making him look far more like his legendary persona of Youko Kurama. ="I have survived for longer than most demons could dream, Yuusuke. Surely you don't think that I lived for so long without . . . companionship?"=
Yuusuke choked, his eyes widening, before coughing to clear his throat. ="Gods, Kurama, do I LOOK like I want to hear stuff like that from you?"=
Kurama chuckled. ="What do you expect?"=
="A small bit of tact, maybe?"= Yuusuke paused suddenly, turning to level a suspicious glance at the taller boy. ="Hold on; let me guess. Tonight's the full moon?"=
="Indeed."=
="I KNEW you were acting more Youko-ish than normal."=
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue sneered at the frilly, flower-patterned peasant blouse that Kitty held up for her inspection. "There's no way in heaven or hell that Ah'm wearing one of those."
Kitty frowned, looking miffed. "Like, hello? It's the latest style."
"During the Renaissance, maybe."
"You'd so totally look good in it, though. A pair of faded jeans and, like, maybe some sandals and . . . Voila!"
Rogue folded her arms across her chest. "What have Ah ever worn that makes you think Ah would wear somethin' like THAT?"
"Um . . ."
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she felt a small sense of satisfaction. Kitty Pryde, chatterbox extraordinaire . . . at a loss for words. "Mah point exactly."
Kitty huffed irritably. "Well, be that way, then." She returned the blouse. "Good grief, Rogue, what's the point of, like, going to a mall if you're not going to shop?"
Rogue shrugged eloquently. "What else was Ah goin' t'do? Ah don't like shopping or anythin', but it beats the alternative of mopin' around the Institute ."
Kitty rolled her eyes, sighing. "God, you don't have to be so PERKY all the time." She picked up another blouse, this one a brilliant shade of lime green with a band of pink flowers across the chest., and held it against her body, frowning meditatively.
Rogue grimaced, wondering if it was possible to go blind just by looking at such bright colors. "Ah'm outta' here. Ah'll meet ya'll at the food court for dinner around six, all right?"
"Fine." Kitty put the blouse back on the rack, much to Rogue's relief. "I'll give the other's a heads-up. Hey, do me a favor?"
"What?"
"See if you can spot Hiei, could you? We've bought some stuff, but it isn't the same without seeing the clothes ON him."
Rogue winced mentally. She had been on the receiving end of Kitty's fashion advice before; it was NOT fun. But . . . hey. At least it wasn't HER standing over by the changing rooms.
"Ah'll see what Ah can do."
- : - : - An Hour and a Half Later - : - : -
Sigh. Blink. Shuffle. Glare. Sigh. Grumble. Glare. Sigh.
"For god's sake, Blue, would you knock it off already!?"
Kurt blinked, turning his eyes toward Yuusuke. "Vas [1]? Vhat am I doing?"
The raven-haired boy arched one eyebrow sardonically. "Aside from trying to rub a hole in the carpet with your feet?"
The blue-haired boy huffed irritably. "I'm BORED."
Yuusuke grinned in response. "Well, you COULD have bamphed us both away from the girls when you had the chance, but NO, you had to play scaredy- mutant."
Kurt glowered, feeling his fur prickling beneath the hologram as he shivered. "Have you ever seen Kitty vhen she's mad? It's not pretty, especially vhen said anger is directed at ME."
Yuusuke's grin broadened, and he laughed. One his other side, Kurt could see Shuichi chuckling softly as well . "Sounds like Keiko."
Kurt blinked, frowning. "'Kay-koh'?"
Yuusuke looked smug. "My girlfriend. Ukimura Keiko . . . or Keiko Ukimura to all of you backwards English-speakers."
Shuichi murmured something that Kurt couldn't understand --something in that strange, growling, hissing language of theirs-- and Yuusuke snickered merrily before replying the same way. Kurt felt decidedly left out and kicked idly at one of the piles of bags/clothing/shoes lying on the floor by the wall, resulting in a satisfying 'whumph' sound.
"That is SO not fair," he grumbled.
Shuichi's eyes immediately focused upon Kurt's face. "Pardon?"
"It's like the both of you have some sort of secret society that no-vone else can get into!"
Shuichi and Yuusuke exchanged a glance. Shuichi was the one to reply, calm and unruffled as always. "What makes you say that?"
Kurt frowned. "You're alvays talking in that langvage of yours, and you von't tell anyvone vhat it is! None of us ever have a clue vhat you're saying."
Yuusuke looked thoughtful. "It's kinda' hard to explain. It's . . . a rare dialect, you might say."
Kurt could hardly believe it; it sounded as though he were actually about to get some answers from a member of the mysterious trio. "Vhere did you learn it, then?"
Shuichi stepped in. "Yuusuke picked it up a little before he began training with Genkai [2], a martial-arts master. Hiei and I learned far earlier."
Kurt's curiosity was fully aroused. "Vould it be possible for me to learn?"
"Why would you want to?" asked Yuusuke.
Kurt grinned broadly. "All of the guy's at the Institute are betting on vhat langvage it is. Since you von't tell anyvone vhat it is, it vould put me vone up on them, nein?" He did his best 'I'm-so-CUTE,-how-can-you- POSSIBLY-refuse-me?' look.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though both Shuichi and Yuusuke were both immune to his famous pleading expression. Shuichi merely smiled and shook his head.
"I don't think it wise. It is hard to get the pronunciation of most of the words correct."
Yuusuke nodded in agreement. "Not to mention the minor differences in lots of the definitions."
Kurt blinked. "Vhat?"
"Ah . . . How can I explain?"Yuusuke folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. "Hmm . . . how many words for 'kill' are there in English?"
"Uh . . ." Kurt rubbed the back of his neck while he thought, not really seeing the relevance. "Vell . . . not many. I mean, kill, murder, execute. Maybe a couple more."
"The language we speak," Shuichi began, "is a language spoken by fighters. Can you guess how many words for 'kill' are a part of it?"
Kurt frowned. ". . . eight?"
Yuusuke snorted, smirking. "Try over twenty."
"Vas!?"
Yuusuke began to tick off definitions on his fingers. "There's plain 'kill,' then there's to kill as an assassin, to kill for sport or fun, kill for food, torture to death, to kill with a blade, to kill from afar --as with a bow--, to kill through poison, kill in revenge, kill by mistake, kill in anger, mercy killing --also known as putting someone out of their misery--, to kill a brother or sister, to kill a parent, kill a distant cousin or uncle or other extended family member, to kill for love, to kill while in bloodlust, to kill someone to acquire power, to kill to acquire wealth, to kill to acquire land or territory, to kill to acquire power, wealth AND territory, to kill in order to protect something or someone, to kill in self-defense, to kill just for the heck of it, to kill something for the mere reason that it's an annoyance . . ." He glanced idly at Shuichi. "Am I missing any?"
"/Azhglav/."
"Yeah, there you go. To kill oneself. Suicide. Suicide for love, suicide in sorrow, suicide in spite, and probably more that I can't remember . . . Get our point, blue?"
Kurt swallowed audibly. "Yah."
There was silence for a short moment.
Yuusuke shrugged slightly. "If it helps any, all we were talking about was how Keiko could sometimes be . . . temperamental. Shuichi compared her to a demoness."
"Which is really quite apt," murmured Shuichi. "She's one of the few people that Yuusuke has ever actually been afraid of."
Yuusuke grinned at his red-haired companion. "Damn straight."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei had never known that humans could generate such noise. Even on his perch among the metal rafters crisscrossing the high, vaulted ceilings of the mall hallways, he could feel the omnipresent rumble of combined human voices vibrating the thick beam of steel beneath his boots. He didn't bother to attempt to sort through the various sounds; it would have been nigh onto impossible to pick out any one conversation amidst the jumble, and so he contented himself with allowing his eyes to trail over the river of movement and color beneath him.
He had --instinctively-- traveled far away from the store which had become temporary prison to the Reikai Tantei. Now he was nearer to the end of the mall containing the exit to the parking garage . . . near where the girls had first brought the boys inside.
Ch. Boring. The most exciting thing he had seen thus far was two boys bickering incessantly over a small bag of candy, causing their mother no small amount of irritation and exasperation.
A flash of red and white hair caught his eye, and his gaze was drawn to the lone figure of one of the girls from the Institute --he was relatively certain her name was Rogue--, weaving her way through the thick crowds clogging the hallway. Idly, he followed above her, flitting from rafter to rafter, wondering idly at her history. She was a loner from the other students of the Institute. usually preferring her own company to that of others. Hiei was reminded vaguely of himself.
He pondered upon this silently, also wondering exactly what her power could be. He suspected that it might have something to do with touch. Hiei was nothing if not observant, and he had seen how she was forever avoiding skin- to-skin contact with any other human, even going as far as wearing long- sleeved shirts as much as possible and covering her hands with gloves. Perhaps . . .
His thoughts were interrupted by a faint buzz of energy tickling at his sense, so faint that he could have overlooked it completely . . . had it not been so near to his current position.
He leapt to his next foothold and dropped into a crouch, extending his senses as to their fullest, attempting to home in on the strange energy.
It was not reiki, nor meiki, nor seikouki [3] . . . That left youki, but the amount of energy he could sense was not enough to support even the weakest of Lesser E-class demons.
Reaching up, he tugged lightly on his bandana, pulling it just the barest centimeter away from the skin of his forehead, allowing his Jagan to open the smallest crack.
With the added power of his Jagan, it was a simple matter to pinpoint the entity giving off the odd energy signal: a lone human, a female sitting comfortably on a mall bench. Momentarily, he wished that he was closer so that he could examine her scent: the sole way to know the difference between a mutant and a normal human was through scent, and if she possessed the powers of a mutant, it would be better to be forewarned.
Hiei opened his Jagan wider, keeping his power-level low enough to be nigh onto unnoticeable, seeking to gain more information, but his attention was drawn back to Rogue as he became aware of the emotions of surprise and fear that swirled around her.
She was surrounded by four humans, all of them adolescent males.
Four humans who were now pressing near to Rogue, herding her toward the side-hallway that Hiei knew led toward the parking garage, a place that was certain to be nigh onto completely deserted.
Had he been human, Hiei might have sighed. Things were never simple when it had anything even REMOTELY to do with Koenma or a mission for the Reikai Tantei.
However, he was a demon, an A-class, and a Jaganshi as well. He snarled and glared, threatened and fought, decapitated and dismembered, but he did NOT sigh.
He settled for an irritated snort instead.
Now, what to choose? Follow the not-demon woman sitting below, or to go and play hero for the girl?
He sneered.
Damn the Toushin and his cavalier, 'save-the-day' attitude anyway . . .
With a feeling of resignation, he flickered out of sight, leaping down from among the rafters and darting down the hallway to follow behind the four humans and Rogue, raising his youki levels more than enough to handle the four weaklings he hunted.
. . . And damn himself twice over for allowing the Detective's heroic tendencies to rub off on him . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
The hairs along Kurama's neck prickled even as he felt Hiei's youki flare a short distance away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yuusuke's stiff posture and closed, alert expression, a sure sign that the dark- haired boy had felt Hiei's energy raise as well.
="Yuusuke?"=
="I feel it, Kurama. Are you sensing anything else?"=
="No, though that's not saying much. The only reason we can sense Hiei at all is due to long familiarity with his youki. At this distance and with all the interference from human reiki, I would probably only be able to detect a B-class battle-aura or higher."=
Yuusuke slowly relaxed back into his normal slouch, leaning idly against the wall behind him and ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from Kurt. ="Probably nothing to worry about. That's not even a tenth of Hiei's sparring-aura, much less his full-blown battle-aura."=
Kurama sent an incredulous look toward the Toushin. ="Are you joking? You want to leave even a MINUTELY battle-ready Hiei unsupervised in a building full of humans?"=
Yuusuke blinked, a grimace spreading across his face. ="Good point."= He sighed heavily but straightened his shoulders resolutely. ="Time to go save humanity . . . again. Lead the way."=
It was a testament to how focused they were on their current goal --find Hiei and perform whatever damage control they deemed necessary before the building came down around their ears-- that neither of them said a word to Kurt as they left, leaving the disguised mutant standing alone in a broad sea of scattered bags, boxes, and clothing. Neither Yuusuke nor Kurama were aware of the fact that, as soon as they exited the store, Kurt disappeared in a cloud of blue-black smoke and reappeared, perched easily atop one of the metal rafters supporting the mall's ceiling.
Kurt followed their progress through the mall by bamphing from rafter to rafter, unknowingly following the same path that Hiei had tread just a short while earlier . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
Admittedly, Rogue hadn't been having one of her better days.
To begin with, she hadn't been able to find her gloves when she had first gotten dressed, which had resulted in an accidental 'touching' moment between herself and Rahne, in turn resulting in the unfortunate side-effect of claws and fur sprouting on her body at inopportune moments for the better part of the morning. Luckily, the contact with Rahne had been brief, and the semi-transformations had worn off with relative swiftness.
Her second clue that the day ahead was bound to be anything BUT peaches'n'cream was when she had walked in on a Scott-and-Jean-Tender- Moment, not exactly something she wanted to see before breakfast.
Ah, yes. Breakfast. Spilling milk down her front . . . having a certain, blue-furred SOMEBODY bamphing in ON TOP of her . . . dropping a plate of sausages onto Bobby's lap while she was trying to pass them along the table . . . Yes, breakfast had been just DANDY.
And NOW she was being manhandled by four muscle-bound toughs who looked like they'd be more at home in the orangutan exhibit at the local zoo.
Needless to say, Rogue's temper was wearing dangerously thin.
"Git your filthy paws offa' me, ya yahoos!" Her voice echoed eerily down the empty hallway down which she was currently being led. She bucked against the grips that two of the guys had on her arms. "Ah'm warnin' you! Let me go!"
Thank god that Logan wasn't anywhere near right now. He'd never let her hear the end of this if he knew that, not only had she let her guard down in an open, crowded place where attack was always feasible --if slightly unlikely--, but that she had actually been too shocked by being manhandled by four complete strangers to yell out for help.
Stupid, ignorant mall patrons . . . You'd think that SOMEONE would have noticed a girl getting accosted by four young men, but NO.
Rogue resolved silently to never walk alone at the edges of a crowd ever again; it was much like a young fawn straying away from the safety of the herd and tempting the wolves to supper.
She stiffened and blinked as surprise as there was a flash of black out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to investigate, looking past the two men standing on her right side, all she saw was a blank wall, and an out-of-place breeze brushed several of her white bangs into her eyes.
What in the world . . . ?
- : - : - : - : - : -
His crimson eyes glittered with the bloodlust that only predators knew. He knew that it was unlikely he would kill any of the four humans, but the thrill of a hunt, stalking unknowing prey who had no idea the danger they faced . . . It was one of the few pleasures he could still indulge in.
The girl's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he brushed past their small group, but he knew that she couldn't know what it was that she had seen or heard.
The men hadn't noticed a single thing out of place, bringing a disdainful sneer to his lips. True hunters would know if there was a threat about. These were nothing more than typical human thugs.
Still, it would be enjoyable to see them squirm.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"Outta' my way! Move it, people! Guys in a hurry coming through!"
Yuusuke had learned many things while serving as a Spirit Detective. One such thing was that, if he was anywhere near a group of people --no matter what size-- and he was in a desperate hurry to save the world or something along those lines, they would find SOME way to block him. Right now, he could swear that the other people were pressing more tightly around himself and Kurama instead of getting out of the way!
"God damn it, you morons, move your asses!"
At times like this, Yuusuke truly wished that people DID know about Reikai and demons. Then he could have just pulled out a badge and said "Urameshi Yuusuke, Spirit Detective. Demon activity has been detected nearby. A-class power level. Get the hell out of my way."
No, he had to make like a mole and burrow his way through the damnably thick crowd.
Kurama was directly on his tail, no doubt finding it easier to just traverse the path that Yuusuke was making instead of creating his own. Yuusuke could even hear the redhead's soft voice as he apologized for jostling the people he bumped into. ". . . your pardon, excuse me, I'm sorry . . . can I get through here? Thank you . . . excuse me, sorry . . ."
Stupid Youko. Why couldn't HE have taken point?
"Don't you people have ears? I said SCRAM! That means YOU! GET A //CLUE//, PEOPLE!"
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue found herself being thrust through a doorway and found herself standing in one of the more remote corners of the parking garage, next to a pair of dumpsters. Huge concrete columns supported the high ceiling, and the only light came from a dim yellow bulb perched above the door she had just exited. The four young men filed out behind her and stood there, smirking.
The largest of the four stood forward from the rest, his smile anything BUT friendly. "Hello, my little mutant."
Rogue glared, falling into a slight crouch. "Ah don't know who you are, what you want with me, or how you know what Ah am, but Ah suggest that you git away while you can. Ah'm not exactly in a good mood at the moment."
She couldn't run. They were too close. They'd tackle her before she'd gone three steps.
"We just want to give you something."
"Thanks, but no thanks. You can take whatever it is and shove it up your homely ass."
His smile widened. Rogue didn't like the look in his eyes. It was oddly blank, and she had yet to hear any of the other three speak at all. She had met plenty of run-of-the-mill thugs, and it was standard for them to blab off at the victim, hurling threats, insults, demands for money, etc.
This wasn't adding up.
The leader reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, grape sized . . . something. It looked vaguely like something small and round wrapped in cloth or plastic or something. Rogue squinted, trying to make out what it was more clearly, but she continually glanced up at the four men, ensuring that they weren't about to jump her while her attention was distracted.
Of course, they HAD released her once they had come outside. If they wanted to mug her or something, why would they have done that?
"All right," she said at last, still suspicious. "Ah'll bite. What is it?"
"A present," he said. "From a friend."
Rogue slipped into an even more secure fighting stance. She had friends, sure, but they were either at the Institute or members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. And none of said friends would be sending her a 'present' in such a way.
The man seemed to sense her thoughts, and he drew back his arm, swinging it as though about to---
"Here," he said and tossed the odd package toward her.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Coming nearer to where Hiei's youki was emanating from, yet still unable to pinpoint the small demon's exact location, Yuusuke grabbed Kurama and pushed the redhead in front of him roughly. "I don't know my way around this place any more than I know Portugese! Get up there and use that nose of yours, fox-boy!"
Kurama went without hesitation, understanding the reason for Yuusuke's suddenly heightened level of haste.
There was the faintest scent of something demonic in the air --if not an actual demon, then something closely related to Makai--, and it was not coming from any of the Reikai Tantei.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue watched as the small parcel tumbled through the air toward her, glittering an odd shade of green, and she was vividly aware of the smirks upon all four men's faces.
Should she bat the thing away? Catch it? Move aside? It would hit her if she did nothing---
She saw that same flicker of black, and felt the same odd gust of wind, and suddenly the parcel just . . . disappeared.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei bared his fangs in satisfaction as his hands curled carefully around the small orb, cushioning it from any harsh, jarring movements even as he leapt back up into the shadows, back to his impromptu perch upon a convenient beam of concrete supporting the roof of the garage, and he tucked the object carefully into one of the pockets within his cloak.
The scent of Makai was heavy in his nostrils, the smell emanating from his newly-acquired prize, and his gaze was sharper than the blade of his katana as he turned his eyes back to the four humans.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Had she not been so shocked herself, Rogue might have grinned at the look of utter shock upon the leader's face.
"W-what? How---?" His eyes turned toward Rogue. "You! You used your powers, didn't you?"
Rogue's glare reached an entirely new level of fierceness. "Ah didn't do anythin', dumbass. Any mutant who knows me well enough to pick me out from a crowd should know what Ah'm capable of. Just another example of your pathetically poor plannin'."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei smirked. He could truly learn to like this girl. She sounded entirely too much like himself.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"And another thing." Rogue straightened slightly and began to tug at the fingers of her gloves, neatly pulling them off of her hands one at a time and tucking them into the waistband of her jeans. "Ah'll give you a chance to tell me just what you were tryin' to pull before I take things into my own . . . hands." She flexed her fingers meaningfully.
The 'leader' glared at her furiously. "I know it was you! What did you do with it?"
"If Ah did somethin' with it, then isn't it mah business? I mean, seein' as how it was a 'gift' for me and all . . ."
All four men stared at her intensely, and when they spoke, it was together, as though they were a single entity.
"We want it back."
With that, they leapt forward.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurt had turned off his inducer and was now jogging lightly after the dim, distant figures of Yuusuke and Shuichi as they ran on toward some unknown goal. Every now and then, he would make a short BAMPH to gain ground on them before they were lost to sight.
Something fishy was going on, and he wanted to know what . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
For several short moments, the air was filled with a confusing array of dull thuds, grunts of pain, and sharp cracks.
Rogue blinked, trying to understand what was going on.
The four men had leapt toward her, and then . . .
A flicker of black. A rush of wind.
They had been thrown back like limp rag dolls,
Several attempted to get to their feet, and the 'flicker' returned once more, knocking them flat on their backs. Rogue could see at least two men with abnormally bent arms and one with a leg twisted at an awkward angle.
"If you wish to take on worthy prey, it is probably best that you make certain you are a worthy hunter first."
Rogue's eyes were drawn to the slight, black-clad figure who had suddenly appeared amidst the strewn bodies.
Hiei.
Her mouth opened and closed several times in an attempt to speak, but no sound came out. She swallowed thickly, and tried again, her eyes locked upon the silvery blade of the sword held in the boy's right hand.
"Y--- You . . . killed them?"
He spared her a brief, disinterested glance. "No. They all still live, though they will sport some interesting bruises. I struck them with the flat and the blunted edge."
All she could managed in reply was a very weak 'oh.'
Hiei stepped toward the largest of the four men, the sole one still moving even slightly, and a cold sneer twisted his lips, giving Rogue her first good look at the young man's oddly pointed canines. The sword which she had always though he carried for show hung comfortably in his grip, held there as easily as though it were but another part of his body.
Rogue shivered, wondering when in the world she was going to wake up from this insane dream.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei smirked down at the 'leader' of the gang. "Foolish. Very foolish. One would think that you would possess enough intelligence --limited as it may be-- to realize that, since the girl is a mutant, SHE possesses abnormal powers . . . and as a human, YOU DON'T. Even if she had not had backup, that fact alone would give the girl quite an interesting advantage, ne?"
The man twitched, raising his head so that the dim fluorescent lighting of the back corridor shone upon his battered features. He spat weakly, a gobbet of spit and blood spattering upon the cold tiles. "F-freaks . . . both of you---"
"Ch." Hiei snorted in amusement, causing Rogue no small amount of discomfort at his callousness. "You're so typical. Typical HUMAN.---" He spat the word as though it possessed a foul taste. With a sneer showing clearly upon his eerily childlike features, Hiei pressed the sole of his boot against his target's cheek, forcing the man's face against the floor. "Your kind NEVER know your place."
The man's body stiffened despite the awkward position it lay in, and his eyes rolled in his head, a disturbing chuckle building up in his chest. Those unfocused eyes slid up to gaze unsteadily at Hiei's face.
="The Master sees you . . ."=
Hiei smirked and pressed the blade of his katana lightly against the man's jugular.
"I'm terrified."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue's brain was beginning to hurt. First she got kidnapped . . . well, semi-kidnapped anyway . . . and then the kidnappers tried to pull some weird mind games on her, and NOW she was being rescued by the shrimpiest, most anti-social member of the Trouble Trio.
To top everything off, he was now about to decapitate someone.
Yes, things are bad enough, why couldn't they just add second-degree murder to the list?
God, could her day get any worse?
"Hiei, no!"
She darted forward before she could fully think things through --things including the impeccably sharp sword so casually held in the boy's hand-- and pushed the black-clad figure away from the prone man. "You can't just kill him like that!"
He blinked calmly at her. "Why not?"
"'Cause . . . well, 'cause . . . you just CAN'T, okay?"
The red-eyed boy smirked coldly. "Consider it an extermination."
He made to move around her, but she reached out and grabbed his closest hand, the one not covered with the odd, ancient-looking bandages that seemed a permanent part of his wardrobe, intending to stop him before he got them both in jail.
She didn't account for the sudden rush of information that flooded into her mind at the contact, far stronger than any contact she had previously experienced, and she tried her best to fight it.
Damn it, first Rahne, now Hiei . . . Her gloves were never around when she needed them, were they?
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurama skidded to a halt within a millisecond of exiting the final door. Had it not been for his many years of torture/training at the hands of Genkai, Yuusuke would have bowled him over. There was something to be said for demon agility combined with hellishly hard training, however, and he managed to both slow himself sufficiently and twist over to one side, avoiding contact with the other young man completely.
"What's---?"
Yuusuke's cut himself off mid-question as his eyes took in the odd scene before him.
Four human males lay scattered upon the ground, unconscious, some of them with limbs twisted out of place or dark, oblong bruises slowly darkening upon their skin, and both of the demons immediately recognized Hiei's handiwork.
Their attention was swiftly drawn elsewhere.
More specifically, their gazes were drawn to the odd sight of Rogue grasping Hiei's hand, both of their bodies abnormally stiff, their eyes with shock. Rogue's breathing was erratic, nearly to the point of hyperventilation.
What was most disturbing, however, was Hiei. His skin was taking on an odd, greenish tinge, his hair spiking more than usual, and his Jagan eye was glowing brightly through the bandanna around the small demon's forehead, the white cloth smoking slightly and charring around the edges beneath the pressure of the youki seeking to escape.
"Oh, Inari," whispered Kurama.
Yuusuke couldn't have agreed more.
"Oh, shit."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Rogue fought with all she had against the tide of memories and emotions and thoughts seeking to flood into her mind, but it was like battling a tsunami with a dam built of matchsticks.
The barrier broke swiftly beneath the onslaught, and any sense of 'self' was washed away in the ensuing deluge . . .
. . . the warehouse was dimly lit, and no doubt very cold even if she could not feel it. She cared not about such things, though; her only concern at the moment was the young adolescent human standing before her and the two treasures he held cradled in his hands, a strange mirror and a black and green ball.
The boy glared at her heatedly, brown eyes alight with fury, as he demanded to know what had happened to the girl she had taken hostage.
A slow smirk spread across her face, and she summoned forth two of her newly-made servants, not even bothering to turn her head and watch as they dragged the girl's unconscious form forward. Instead, she savored the look of complete horror and --for a short moment-- fear that showed upon the boy's expression before his eyes filled with burning fury.
She sneered at his blatant display of emotion. It was weak to allow your opponent to read your feelings with such ease; the boy's every thought was mirrored plainly upon his face . . .
. . . "You're a team player. A save-the-day superhero . . . I hate people like you." . . .
. . . Green eyes glittered brightly with the awareness that only many battles could teach, and the fighter's long, red hair flew around his face as he leapt and dodged the stone monster's attacks.
Her voice echoed eerily throughout the large chamber, despite the noise of the ongoing battle, as she spoke to the dark-haired human from before.
"Do you know why I chose him to be my partner? So I wouldn't have to fight him myself. He's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and utterly ruthless." . . .
. . . the fair-haired, crimson-eyed girl looked up at her with hope shining upon her face as she asked for any information about her lost brother, and the hope slowly faded as the very sibling she sought fed her naught but lie upon lie . . .
. . . She sneered up into the face of the orange-haired, ape-faced human.
"Tell me, what's it like living in a constant haze of stupidity?" . . .
. . . the crowd roared in approval, many of the spectators baring their fangs in feral grins, as her sword slashed down toward her opponent. One more win to add to the tally . . .
. . . a small spark of amusement flared within her as she caught sight of the strange, blue creature perched atop her companion's dark hair, but she hid the emotion behind a slight glower and a smirk.
"What IS that ridiculous appendage growing out of your head?" . . .
. . . mist swirled through the middle of the arena, slowly fading away to reveal the white-clad figure of the silver-haired male now standing at the heart of the stadium. Triangular ears swiveled, catching the many sounds around him, and his tail twitched slightly. Golden eyes glittered coldly as he smirked at the dumbstruck crowd . . .
. . . shock and horror filled her, emotions that she would never have thought to feel for a human, as she gazed down at the young man's lifeless body where it lay upon the rocky floor of the cave. The black hair, now soft and messy without the restraining gel, was matted with blood, and the wound in his chest, a small, round hole directly over his heart, still wept red. Around her, the others were feeling emotions equal to, if not surpassing, her own. Her eyes turned toward the killer, and her shock slowly melted into rage . . .
. . . the phoenix stretched its wings wide as it soared above the rocky plain of the battlefield. Her hands were buried deep in the thick, blue feathers as she balanced upon its back beside the orange-haired human and a brown-haired young man wearing red and blue robes. Out of the corner of one eye, she could see the silver-haired being soaring alone, born aloft by wings created from one of his plants. Down below, the fight between the raven-haired boy --now a raven-haired demon-- and his most powerful opponent yet raged on . . .
. . . power surged through the air, thickening it, making it hard to breathe. She watched in amazement as the transformation took place, as the boy's --no, the DEMON'S-- hair lengthened, growing into a thick mane that fell past his knees, and dark blue markings appeared upon the bare skin of his arms and chest.
She was witnessing the birth of a god. She knew it.
A War God.
Demon Lord.
//Toushin// . . .
- : - : - : - : - : -
Arms were around her waist, pulling her away from the flood of memories. Someone was speaking, and she tried desperately to comprehend the words even as her mind was spinning with the disjointed images and sounds that were all she could remember from the contact.
". . . crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"
". . . shut UP, Detective."
That voice . . . Hiei. And he sounded pissed.
"She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"
Shuichi?
"With my luck? She'll hurl all over me."
Yuusuke, definitely.
"Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."
". . . I never liked this shirt much anyway."
"I thought so."
"Ch."
She felt herself being shifted, her shoulders pressing against something warm . . . a chest. Someone was holding her.
"Rogue? Hey, Rogue, you in there? . . . what is that name that Claw-Boy calls her? Streak? . . . Stripes! Yo, Stripes, wakey wakey . . . "
She pressed her eyes closed, fighting against the migraine that was making itself at home in her skull, and tried her damnedest to tell the annoying voice to shut up.
"Mmphnf."
"This isn't any time for beauty sleepin', Stripes, trust me. Come on, gimme' a break."
"Yuusuke, she could be having a bad reaction to Hiei's youki. We don't know how well humans can deal with it."
"Hey, I turned out all right, didn't I?"
"That's debatable."
"Shut up, Hiei."
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke looked down at the girl's pale face. Not that she wasn't ALWAYS pale, but now she had a sort of greenish tint to go along with it, something that was not at all attractive.
Her eyes fluttered slightly, and she managed another soft moan.
Sighing and wishing that he had a glass of cold water handy to douse her with, he reached up instead to slap lightly at one of her cheeks, hoping to bring her around.
He never heard Hiei's sudden, panicked shout of warning . . .
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
Whew! Long one! I hope you enjoyed!
[1] Vas- German: What?
[2] Remember, Yuusuke was able to speak with the first demon he met (the little imp that was controlling the gang member who stole Kuwabara's kitten --What was its name, Ekishi?--), and the imp was startled that Yuusuke could a) see him in the first place, b) catch him, and c) understand the demon speech.
[3] Meiki is like the power of darkness, the energy of the Meikai. Seikouki is light energy, the energy used by Koenma and other beings of spirit realm. Reiki is to seikouki as youki is to meiki.
(People, please don't rag me about my German. You know what I'm trying to say, so please leave it at that. I don't need everyone telling me it's supposed to be 'was' and not 'vas,' even though it IS pronounced as 'vas' . . . *groan* Headache . . . )