Me: Mwaha, new chapter. I decided to be nice and evil at the same time and update now, even though you guys haven't hit 100 reviews. Only 96. So you guys get to hang for a while and I get to have a break before the last chapter. 'n.n'
Yusuke: You're being evil.
Me: I know. n.n
Kurama: You better start typing so you can finish this soon.
Me: I'm already done with it and working on the next story.Hiei, will you read out the reviews I've answered?
Hiei: …hn. Fine.
Me: thaaaank you! (hug)
Hiei: …you're giving me second thoughts, onna.
Me: Fine, I'll read them myself.
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Fuyumi Togashi: Yay, New reviewer! I'm glad you like this story, and please don't make Hiei listen to Kids Bop. You'll corrupt him. n.n
daisyashley: Thank you! (blushes)
Hikari-Kayko: Yeah, I decided to go on with that. Many thanks to 4-is-lovely who helped me expand on the details of it. n.n You'll be really mad at me at the end of this chapter heh heh…Hiei, don't listen to her.
Hiei: Hn. I don't listen to anyone. (So, So true… T.T)
Icedragongurl16: COOKIE!
Gaara's Pyro RACCOON: I'm not a pickle! XP
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Me: Well that's it for reviews and I hope you enjoy the next to last chapter of "Left in the Shadows"!
Chapter 19: Sacrifice
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I want to know why you've been holding a grudge against the koorime race for so many years.
Those words rooted Akuma to the spot. His eyes grew wide as the stared at the kaze kitsune in front of him. "For…revenge." He whispered.
"Revenge?" Kuwabara echoed.
"It's because of them and their ways that Aya is dead!" his voice rose and Hiei stepped closer, his hand tightly gripping his katana, but Amanda held out an arm to stop him.
"I…we met in the forests of Demon World." Akuma's eyes were misty, as he recalled the details. "I don't know what she was doing there, but I found her in one of the more hostile areas. At first she wouldn't come near me, but after a while, she warmed up. She told me that she didn't understand the laws of her homeland and why they had to stay isolated to stay safe. It had happened after two of her friends, Hina and Rui, had either died or fled the island of Koorime. Rui had told her that it wasn't right to have done the tings that they did and Aya decided to see for herself." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We fell in love…and I wanted to take her as my life-mate. It had been about two years since she left the island but she wanted to get their consent. Even if the Elders did not give their blessings, it would have given her peace of mind to at least let them know what had happened. So I agreed." His eyes narrowed and everyone knew that this was going to be the nasty part.
"We traveled back to the island of Koorime to see the elders but…as we suspected, they were fiercely against it. They told us that they were not going to have another incident like the Forbidden Child-" Hiei stiffened, "-Or have another Koorime flee the island as Rui did."
"So what did they do?" Amanda asked softly.
"We made our way to the outskirts of the island and were desperately trying to look for the portal, not to Ningenkai, but to somewhere…anywhere in Makai. But we were not able to get off. They captured us and bound Aya up so she would not flee. As for me, they cornered me at the edge of the island and forced me off…as Aya watched. I didn't know where I was when I came to, but the Island was nowhere in sight. It wasn't where it had been before, so I was at a loss. I didn't know what to do…but I searched and searched. That's when I found power…the same person who gave me my power told me where the island was. In exchange for this power, I would only have to swear my allegiance to him."
"Who?" Yusuke asked. Akuma didn't seem to hear him and continued.
"With this information, I easily found the island again and went to the elders to demand about Aya. But they told me that she had thrown herself off the cliff to follow me into death. She didn't know I had survived. But it's because of the koorime that she died! I destroyed the island with my new power, but I knew that some more remained. The Forbidden Child, his sister, Rui and her daughter!" His eyes flashed. "Only three remain…" before anyone could react, his shadow dagger materialized in his hand and he brought it down at Amanda.
"Mandy!"
But there was a clang of it striking metal and everyone saw that Hiei had moved in front of Amanda and blocked the blow with his katana. "And three will still remain after this." He gritted. But Akuma was engulfed in his hatred and his aura spiked and flared in response. In a blink, Yusuke and Amanda were shackled to the wall and he clutched his shadow daggers tightly in each hand.
"I'll start with you. Your sister and lover will be easy kills." A triumphant grin spread across his face. Hiei's jagan glowed a burning red and the bandana burned off as violet-black aura flared around him and he held his katana up.
"You can try." He snarled. The two raced forward and from what the others could see, it was only a clash and blur of scarlet-black and violet-black youki. There were flashes and the two auras flared and spiked dangerously close to the rest of the group.
"I've…never seen Hiei fight this hard." Rinae murmured.
"There's no telling how fierce one can fight for someone they care about." Kurama said softly.
"If…only we could get out of these cuff things!" Kuwabara growled, struggling to break free. "He's just to scarred to fight us head on."
Once again, Hiei's anger was reaching the boiling point. No matter how hard he tried to land a blow, it seemed that Akuma was always one step ahead. So he decided to take a leaf out of Kurama's book and lead Akuma into a pattern, one of the fox's favorite tricks. Stab to the chest, block and oncoming blow, feint a downward slash, Akuma seemed to anticipate and outmaneuver Hiei's every move. But now, Hiei was making changes in the routine to begin landing painful blows. Unfortunately though, Akuma was having none of it. He quickly adjusted to Hiei's new pattern, adding to the fire apparition's irritation.
"Damn…" he hissed. He sheathed his sword and flames engulfed his fists. Instead of going for Akuma, he waited until he swung at him to duck and counterattack from underneath. "Fists of the Mortal Flame!" he landed several rapid blows to the chest and stomach before Akuma was able to react.
"Hiei watch out!" Amanda called frantically. Akuma had Hiei right where he wanted him. His hand shot out in a point blank uppercut to his stomach right under his ribs. Amanda winced as everyone heard several loud cracks and Hiei was sent skidding across the ground. He stood back up and spat out some blood, but Akuma wasn't finished yet. In a flash, he was there and wouldn't let up.
Amanda's eyes grew wider with every crunch and pained grunt heard and a faint light-blue aura began surrounding her body. "You shouldn't let any of your energy loose." Kurama warned. "You won't have enough to survive." Amanda didn't reply.
"Almost…" Yusuke spoke through gritted teeth. "I need to get these pain-in-the-ass cuffs off!" Yusuke was glowing with a mixture of bright blue reiki and deep red youki but the shackles were only barely creaking.
"Yeah, you're S-class Urameshi!" Kuwabara urged. "Hurry up and help the shrimp! That Relee person left, so there's nobody t'stop you!" he was right. Relee had left some time ago.
"E…easy for you…to say!"
Back in the fight, Akuma was still giving Hiei a hard time. "See the gulf between our power, Forbidden Child!" he shouted. "I have strength you can never hope to reach! You might as well get on your knees and ask for a painless death. I might even grant the other two the same."
"Never." Hiei spat. "I'll die killing you if that's what it takes." He struggled to get to his feet and he held his katana once more.
"You want to die fighting? I can give you that too." Akuma's lips quirked into a malicious grin. "Come at me if you wish." Hiei took a few ragged breaths and he was swifter than before as he came face to face with Akuma and his sword plunged straight into his stomach…just as his dagger sank deep into his left shoulder. Akuma looked stunned for a minute as Hiei twisted his sword and pulled it out. But to his dismay, Akuma didn't look the least bit worried about the wound to his stomach.
"What!" Hiei was speechless.
"Sorry to disappoint. It'll take more than one simple wound to affect me." He looked pleased.
"Hiei…" more and more pale blue youki was building up around Amanda and the shackles began to groan under the pressure, something even Yusuke couldn't make them do.
"Amanda, if you release any more energy, you could die!" Rinae told her. "That isn't demon energy, it's your life force."
"Well, if it helps me get out of here, then I don't care what it is! I'm not going to sit here and let Akuma kill him!"
"With that energy band still on your arm-" Kurama began.
"Shut up! I don't care!" Tears were streaming down her face and falling to the stone floor with small clinks.
Meanwhile, Hiei was once again on the ground. He had lost a fair amount of blood and his vision was beginning to fuzz. "Damn…"he struggled to get up, but his body wouldn't respond.
"I have to admit, this was a fairly amusing fight. It's been so long since someone's landed a solid hit on me. I would've granted your wish to die fighting, but here it seems that you can no longer get up. Well…" his dagger lengthened to a sword. "Time to die, Forbidden Child." He raised his new sword.
"NO!" Amanda screamed and her aura flared around her and the shackles shrieked before bursting free.
"Mandy!"
The next few seconds seemed to be in slow motion for Hiei. He couldn't comprehend them until it was all over.
The twisted grin of Tora Akuma looming above him…
His sword of shadow screaming down at him…
An explosion of pale blue aura to his left…Amanda's aura.
He heard her voice call his name and the sound of a weapon piercing flesh was heard. But…
It was the wrong person.
(end chapter 19)
Translations for the whole story:
Inu: Dog
Kafusu: Cuffs, but it sounded better as shackles ;P
Kage: Shadow
Kaze: Wind
Kitsune: Fox
Koi: type of fish, but it means love in this fic
Koishii: Beloved
Maboroshi: Illusion
Makai: Demon World
Tatakau: to fight. Remember Tora Akuma's technique, Reikai Tatakau? Well, its translation means, "to fight Spirit World". So any spirit energy healing won't work.
Reikai: Sprit World
Reiki: Spirit Energy
Tantei: Pretty sure it means "team" but not positive.
Youkai: Demon
Youki: Demon Energy