Okay, I'm writing this, like, five minutes before I have to leave. Sorry, but no reviewer responses today. Thanks to all who reviewed!
Disclaimer: I don't, nor will I ever, own Yu Yu Hakusho.
The Girl, The God, and The Demons
Chapter Eleven: The Goddess, Challenges, and Thievery
The mysterious women had mid-length brown-red hair, tied in a messy braid. She wore a white linen dress and Greek-style moccasins covered her small feet. Her piercing turquoise eyes surveyed the situation coolly; until she saw Yoko, that is. Her eyes widened in shock, but then narrowed in hate. Her petite mouth formed a straight line, which radiated extreme hatred. Hiei used this opportunity to try and escape, but the mysterious women stuck out her arm and flicked her wrist in a practiced movement; suddenly Hiei was bound to the ground by numerous plants. Yoko just stood there, shocked by the plants' reaction to her movement. He hadn't done anything, had he? The only explanation was that this woman had forced the plants to do that. But how? He sensed no demonic aura around her. The only mortal that could do that was...
"Oh, no..." Yoko whispered inaudibly, now staring open-mouthed at the familiar stranger. His normally arrogant attitude had been abandoned for a more timid approach. "How....How are you alive?" He asked, bewildered.
She merely laughed arrogantly, sending chills up both Hiei's and Yoko's spine. She then responded in a melodious voice, "Did you think that you would get rid of me that easily? No, I will still get my revenge. On both of you." She laughed again and added to Hiei, who was struggling on the ground, "I do not think we have met before. My name is Artemis, the almighty huntress, and Yoko's worst nightmare," she finished, her turquoise eyes glittering with malice.
Hiei looked at Yoko questioningly, and the fox demon responded with a shrug. The silver-haired fox glared at Artemis, as she was called, and growled menacingly, "I don't know who you are, or why you hate me, but I will kill anyone who challenges me." He tried to regain his cool, but failed spectacularly. She laughed yet again, causing another bout of chills.
"You always were a liar, Yoko. You know exactly who I am; you're just trying to cover up your past. You cannot hide from a Goddess, surely you know that now." Her turquoise eyes sparkled as she read the minds of the two boys. She laughed again. Hiei had sensed a strange aura about her, and with that last statement it was clear what the aura was. Or rather, to whom it belonged. He remembered sensing the very same aura around Diana, though it had been notably fainter than that of the Goddess's. His red eyes widened in shock as he slowly realized the truth.
Artemis looked right into Hiei's eyes, reading his mind. She chuckled and said, "Yes, Hiei. You are correct. I am Artemis, otherwise known as...Diana" Her eyes glittered mischievously, looking exactly like Diana's when she was up to something. She gave them both a smile, which said quite clearly, 'You're all going to die.'
Yoko shuddered in horror at some past memory and responded, losing all of his feigned arrogance, "P-Please l-leave us a-alone, Ar-Artemis. We've done no harm. J-Just leave us be." He earned severe looks of disapproval from Hiei, because he had humbled himself before the obviously superior Goddess. He's supposed to be the strong, arrogant one! How dare he show weakness! Hiei thought disgustedly. Artemis, who had been reading his mind, disapproved of this attitude, like many others. However, unlike many others, she could actually do something about it. The turquoise-eyed goddess gave him an 'I dare you to challenge me' look, and he, being Hiei, did not back down.
The spiky-haired demon freed himself of the vegetation, unaware that Artemis, who was eager for a challenge, had allowed him to do so. She suppressed a giggle and got in a fighting stance, mirroring Hiei's. Yoko, meanwhile, began to revert to his normal form, as did Hiei. His now green eyes shined with compassion as he screamed, "Noooooooooooo! Hiei, you mustn't challenge her! She's too strong for you!" He looked utterly pathetic; his long, red hair was knotted and his normally perfect face was contorted with fear for his best friend. Artemis merely glanced at him and laughed, yet again. Hiei gave him a 'Stay out of this, fox!' look and continued, preparing for the impending fight. However, he found himself paralyzed as Artemis removed his katana from behind her back, the steel shining in the approaching dawn.
She smirked arrogantly. "Do you recognize this, Hiei? Do you remember your actions?" Hiei glimpsed a slightly confused look on Kurama's face and he gingerly touched a thin, red line on his throat. An overpowering feeling of shame, mingled with fear, rose in him, flooding him from black-booted feet to spiky hair. Artemis, seeming to perfectly understand his dilemma, laughed. "Well, let's hope you've read Greek mythology," she spoke. And with that she walked closer to his frozen form, wielding his katana expertly.
A/N: Okay, I'm fairly sure that that sucked. I didn't proofread it, so you'll have to deal. Later! Happy Holidays!