Hearts Held Captive
Chapter Three: Preparations
"So…what just happened here?" Yusuke asked as he turned to see Keiko turning the corner, almost sliding down the freshly waxed floors. He was amused and intended to take full advantage of the situation he had stumbled upon.
"Nothing!" Koenma yelled as he slammed the door. He glanced Ayame and she was wide-eyed, a flush or red was prominent across the slopes of her cheeks.
Yusuke could hear the Prince's voicing mingling with Ayame's, both frantic in tone. Suddenly the door opened again and Koenma's head popped out. He looked sternly at Yusuke.
"You know, I'm never going to let you forget this. I'm scarred for life." Yusuke spoke with a smile as he noticed Koenma's imperious expression falter.
"You didn't see anything. Right Yusuke? Right?" Koenma said in what turned out to be a pleading voice rather than the commanding one he intended to be delivered.
"We could arrange it so I didn't see anything…if you get what I'm saying." Yusuke said slyly. He laughed inwardly as he saw Koenma's eyes widen.
The Prince slipped out of the door and closed it on Ayame's prying eyes. He walked up to Yusuke and said, "What the hell do you want from me? Are you going to blackmail me on my birthday? Is that it? You're low." He glared at Yusuke's unwavering look of pure satisfaction and sighed. "So what do you want?"
Yusuke leaned in and whispered something.
"Oh God no." Koenma gasped. "You can't make me."
Yusuke just nodded. "Yeah, I can."
"Have you seen Botan?" Keiko asked urgently. It was probably the eleventh time she had asked the question.
She passed by dozens of people in the corridors but no one knew where the ferry girl had gone to. Keiko followed her first instinct after running away from the uncomfortable scene with Koenma and Ayame, and headed for Botan's room, but the only thing she found was Botan's java-stained party dress spread out across the bed. As she power-walked through the halls she tried to play out the conversation in her head.
"Hey Botan! I just saw Koenma making out with Ayame. I guess that's not good right?"
Yeah. That's not going to work out very well.
Keiko could see her best friend's face crumpling like a piece of paper, and she would be the hand doing so. How can I break her heart, she wondered. There really was no way to break news like this to someone gently. Botan never said anything about the things she wanted, especially when it came to things like love. Keiko knew exactly how Botan felt about Koenma and she knew that Koenma was an oblivious idiot. She knew there was no way in hell she could tell Botan what she saw.
Without realizing she had gone full circle, Keiko was again at the Botan's door. She stood there for a moment and turned around to look at the door across the hall.
Of course, She smacked her head lightly, Hinageshi.
She rapped softly on the door and tried to slow her breathing. Keiko repeated to herself to be cool, casual, and to reveal nothing at all. She didn't know what to expect when the door opened. She was half afraid that Botan had already found out and was steadily soaking all of Hinageshi's pillows with her tears. What she didn't expect was Botan to answer the door, vibrant as a star, a blushing maiden who looked stunning in Hinageshi's dress.
"Is my tie straight?" Kurama turned away from skewed mirror to Hiei. He straightened his back, his stature becoming taller and towering over the shorter demon.
"I don't know what the hell a tie is." Hiei stated frankly. "I don't think it really matters. You're going in there to kill someone. I don't think the woman will care if you're properly dressed."
Kurama stiffened at the casual way Hiei mentioned his assassination, but he always did. Sometimes, on nights when his heart became so conditioned to this new lifestyle, he too would do the same and resort to the hypocrisy he hated. When he was first forced into this profession, he had tried to deaden his heart to emotion, but he began to change into a creature he could barely recognize, almost failing to return to himself. So each time he killed he was full of remorse, of guilt, of sorrow, but most of all he was filled with purpose. If he had to kill to protect what he had put in danger, then he had to kill.
"So I suppose we'll be leaving soon." He commented as attempted to straighten his tie out once more, then finally leaving it be, slightly crooked down the center of his chest. He didn't bother to glance back into the mirror, it only left him feeling dismembered, pulled apart by forces greater than he could comprehend.
"Yes. The portal is ready. Yuka's already prepared everything. Remember that we need to complete our business there promptly after the party, or else the portal will close. We can't leave it open to detection." Hiei crossed his arms and began to walk away. "I have the invitations, let's leave."
They left the room quickly, heading for Rekai. Yuka watched them travel down the darkened passageway and stared off for a moment, wading in thought before she stepped back into the room they had just left. Tsutamae already stood there expectantly, his eyes the only greeting given, eyes which were only gaping holes of black.
Yuka closed the door and leaned against the cold of the stones in the wall. "Don't you think it a little too risky to have the two mingling with Koenma's dogs. The Spirit Detective and his friends will be there. If the ferry girl escapes they will try to hide her and protect her. All of Rekai will put forth their efforts."
"Sweet, naïve child. I am no fool. If I were, I would have been dead a long time ago, and so would you." His eyes danced as he watched her shudder. He stalked toward her and placed his hand beneath her chin to bring her gaze level with his. "But you are not dead, are you Yuka? Not yet. I am not dead either, and soon, I will make certain that Death will never come knocking at my door. If you have learned anything from me, you will stop this obsession you have with Kurama, this emotional attachment. Your worry for his safety will only make you disposable and I do not think you want that."
Yuka's eyes widened and she stole away from his grasp. "I mean no disrespect Tsutamae, but what you speak of doesn't ring familiar. I just enjoy watching him writhe beneath my taunts. I don't worry for him, but for the success of this mission." She kept her eyes fixed on the mask her master wore, but never met his eyes.
Tsutamae smirked from beneath his mask as he stared at her. "You need not lose sleep over this Yuka. Rekai is in a time of peace. The Spirit Detectives grow complacent. And all of these assassinations appear like Ningens acting according to their nature, the savagery. Death is a natural occurrence for them. Massacres are something for their media to flaunt. As I have told you before, Rekai cannot piece this puzzle together, and by the time they can, it will be far too late. They know nothing of me. I have prepared quietly for centuries, and soon I will leave this world of darkness to taint their world of light."
"I understand." She turned to go, but Tsutamae raised his hand before she had reached the doorway. She saw his reflection in the mirror, misshapen and cracked. "Is there something else you need of me?"
"I only wonder if you need something of me Yuka." He glided across the room, past Yuka and toward the door. "It pains me to see you yearn so everyday. If you wish it, I could have those eyes plucked from his head and replaced with new ones. I know how they haunt you so." He paused for a response.
Yuka only choked on her words. "No. Don't. Don't do that." She whispered hoarsely. Her eyes followed his regal form, a sinister cloud that cast its shadow down upon her.
"And why is that?" He asked, as if the question were a test.
His eyes glinted at her and she peered into the mirror to remember who she was. She looked at her eyes, those evil eyes that always stared back at her for as long she cared to remember. That was who she was. Yes, not this. She returned her attention to Tsutamae, but only laughed and strode away.
"Do not deceive yourself Yuka. You are no better than he is, you only came before him." As his steps echoed in her ears she crouched down on the floor and clutched her stomach to try to refrain from vomiting. A spark of emotion almost fell from her eye, but disappeared before it could be deemed real. She rose with her back to the mirror.
"I will forget you. I will forget you if it takes the rest of my damned existence."
"Uh-um, Botan." Keiko stammered in surprise. "Hey." She finished lamely. She stood uncomfortably at the door as Botan seared her with a quizzical look. Her hair was freed from the usual ponytail and was flowing freely around her shoulders.
"Are you okay Keiko? You look like something terrible has happened. What's wrong?" Botan pulled her friend into Hinageshi's room and sat her down gently into the nearest chair. Keiko gave a smile that could have been blown away by the slightest expiration of breath.
"Nothing's wrong…Yusuke…" She trailed off as she searched for an explanation. "He's just being a jerk. It's nothing to worry about."
Botan glanced down at Keiko, still unsure. "Alright…" She conceded. "If you want to talk about it, we can. The party doesn't start for another hour and a half."
"No don't worry about it. I'll just slap him and everything will go back to normal." Keiko forced out a laugh. She looked up at her friend and smiled. "Botan you look gorgeous in that dress, really. Everyone might just forget it's Koenma's birthday because they'll be so busy staring at you."
A light blush grazed Botan's cheeks. "I don't think that will quite happen—" She began to say, but a clamor in the bathroom cut her sentence short. Hinageshi emerged with her hair a little tousled and her arms filled with hair products and a curler.
"We aren't even finished yet Keiko." She grinned. "Koenma's guests better watch their step because there's going to be puddles of drool everywhere." She dropped the contents she held in her arms on top of her bed. "Keiko, you need to hurry and grab your dress from your guest room. We can all get ready together."
Keiko's mouth turned up in a smile. "I think that would be a great idea. I'll be right back." She exited quickly and walked quickly down the hall.
As she turned the corner she bumped into Yusuke, his face was filled with a secret amusement. He stepped back a little, and then grabbed her by the shoulder. She looked up at him and sighed. "Keiko? What's wrong?" She looked away from him and back toward the ferry girl quarters. "Does this have to do with Koenma?" He smirked, "Believe me, you won't be half as embarrassed as he will be after tonight is over."
Keiko fell forward and hugged him. His eyes opened a little wider as she did this, but just wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't quite sure what he did to deserve a moment like this, but he didn't mind. "Yusuke," she whispered into his shirt. "You have to promise you won't tell Botan what we saw."
"Oh shit." He breathed as he shook his head. He finally understood. "She's going to know tonight. They're hanging all over each other, but she'll bounce back. It's just a little crush." He stood her up straight and brushed the stray strands of hair from her face.
"I think maybe it might be a little more. She's always had feelings for him, don't tell me you didn't notice it." She backed away from him and crossed her arms across her chest. "Yusuke, we have to make sure she has a good time tonight. We can't let her think about Koenma."
Yusuke nodded. "Well, we better get ready then. It'll start soon. And don't worry about Botan, we'll watch out for her, maybe find her a nice guy to dance with. And if all else fails, we'll let Kuwabara dance with her. Maybe he'll accidentally set Koenma on fire again."
Keiko laughed and hugged him one more time. "I'll see you in an hour. Please don't look like a slob tonight. You're my date." She continued down the hall, and Yusuke went on about his way also, whistling pleasantly, wishing he had a video camera to record what was going to occur that night.
"If anything," He said under his breath, "that deal I made with Koenma will cheer Botan up for the rest of the night."
Replies to the Reviewers:
Crescentmoon-Cat: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I'm only sorry that it took me half a year to update again. (
Heartluv: Thanks for the support and not decapitating me for being such an irresponsible author. 3
Lady of Roses: I'm glad you like the story so far. Unfortunately I think Koenma just doesn't like Botan like that at all, at least, it's turning out that way. But that means you don't have to hate him even more! Lucky you, now you can spend your energy on more productive things, like loving Kurama and Botan. D
DrakenD4: Oh the fluffy luvin' shall come my friend. It shall.
Royal Blue Kitsune: Thanks for the review! I can't believe I updated, but I'm glad I did.
Arandomreader: Thanks for the compliment and a kick in the butt. I'm happy I've gotten going again. I really loved this story too.
Princess of Angels: They're meeting in the next chapter! I promise.
Author's Note:
Peeks out from behind a corner It's probably still not safe. I've been gone so long. People are probably angry with me. I'm so terribly sorry. I just moved seven hundred miles away from my home, my friends, and my boyfriend. I was really out of everything for a while, but I hope that I'll keep up with this. I'm going to start on the next chapter right away as a matter of fact. I think I may start writing on my other stories also. I hope you'll forgive and that this chapter wasn't awful.
Thank you for your reviews and your support.
-Reika