When I woke up, I felt a lot more refreshed, though I could not remember the dream I had, I knew it was a good one. Going to the bathroom, I turned on the cold water and let it pound me. After cleaning up, stood there for a moment, waking up. Turning off the water, I grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around me. Going into my room, I went to my bag to find some clothes. I heard a knock on the door. "Hold on a minute." I called back out, dumping the contents of my bag onto my bed. Selecting a clean set of undergarments, jeans, and a T-shirt, I dropped the towel and had finished pulling on my underwear and adjusted my bra when the door opened.
Hiei opened his mouth to say something, closed it, turned around, and went right back out. I slammed the door behind him. "LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PRIVACY WILL YA!" I shouted after him. I really didn't mind that much, considering I wasn't completely naked, but he needed to give a girl her privacy! Typical boy, though. Oh well. After I finished dressing, I tied my hair back in a ribbon and left the hotel room to train.
I walked along in the forest. It was nice and peaceful. But I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched. Though the feeling I got wasn't that they wanted to hurt me, that they were merely curious. "I know you are there. Show yourself." I called out. The presence vanished. Hm. Whatever.
As I continued to walk along, I ran into a familiar face as I came to a clearing. "Hey! CHU! RINKU!" The two turned around.
"Yusuke!" Rinku hopped down from Chu's shoulder, who looked at me and grinned.
"How's it goin'?" Chu asked, looking me over.
I grinned. "Fairly good. How's the head?"
He smirked. "Good enough to take you in a rematch." He rubbed his mohawk ruefully at the thought of what happened to him in the first one.
I laughed. "Not in this condition, drunkie." I added the nickname teasingly. He laughed.
"Yusuke." I looked down at the yo-yo kid.
"Yeah? What's up?" I squatted so I was eye level with him.
"Um... Why did you defend us?" Rinku's aquamarine eyes bored into mine.
I grinned and ruffled his hair fondly. "Because I like you guys. And if anyone wants to mess with you, they mess with me." I gave him one last smile and glanced up at Chu. "And next time we meet, you'll get your rematch."
"I'm countin' on it, Yusuke." He grinned.
"Good." I stood and walked back into the forest. "See ya 'round."
I suddenly collapsed, shaking, weak about a mile into the forest. "Why... am I so damn tired...?" I whispered to myself, getting to my feet, wobbly. "Dammit!" So much for training, I was too exhausted. Sleep was probably the best thing I could do. Regretfully going back to the hotel room, I passed Hiei. I glanced at his arm. He looked up at me.
"What is it, Yusuke?"
"Is your arm better?"
His expression was empty, obviously trying to hide the pain. "Yes, I am fine."
"Liar." Putting him-seeing-me-with-hardly-any-clothes-on behind me, I gently grabbed his upper arm, and kneeled so I could examine the burnt lower half. I barely touched it, and he hissed in pain when I did. I raised an eyebrow as I attempted a reiki technique. No effect whatsoever. "Maybe electric therapy might help, get the nerves working again, but I would not know." I stood up. "I am not a doctor or physical therapist. Some training and exercise might help. As well as some morphine." I grinned, though it was forced.
He nodded. "Hn." He continued to walk down the hallway and took the stairs down to the lobby, to go presumably to the forest.
Shaking my head at his masochism, I went to my room and collapsed on the bed. Sleep was immediate, and so were the dreams.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, which wasn't too fast, considering I was five years old. My breath was coming in painful gasps, my legs burned and my lungs were on fire. I yelped as I tripped and fell on my face. I sat up and scooted backward, away from the shadowy figures. "Mommy..." I whimpered. The assailants just laughed. As one was about to dice me in two, a narrow stick, a senbon, I found out it was called later, hit him, straight through the neck, killing him. The others ran off. I glanced up fearfully as a tall, cloaked figure appeared. I could tell it was a he, somehow, before he spoke.
"What cowards, attempting to hurt a cub." He squatted down so he was eye level with me. His stunning violet eyes and pale skin were all I could see, from beneath his cloak. "Who are you, youngling?" He sounded like he was in his early twenties. But an aura around him made him seem older. I found out a few days later that he was actually a few centuries old.
"Urameshi... Urameshi, Yusuke." I stuttered. "Who... Are you?"
His eyes softened. "Call me Doku." He stood and helped me up. He noticed how thin I was. "Do you have a home?"
"Yes." My voice grew steadier, I knew he was not a threat. "But mommy is never home, so I have to go look for food." I shrugged. Even then, I knew how to pick pockets and steal.
"Come with me." I followed him without hesitation. My first encounter with the hitokiri. He trained me. And I found out later that he was a kitsune who had been banished to the human world and found the hitokiri and joined, making his living that way. He taught me how to fight, to survive. He became something like an uncle, showing me how to rise up through the ranks and I eventually became a Shidosha with him under me. He even got me someone to play with, Shinkiro, whose parents were killed and joined the hitokiri with revenge. He got it and stayed with me. He was actually fifty years old but was about his mid-teens. An older brother practically. And then I met Naifu. And he eventually became a body guard of sorts. And Kangae eventually became one of my friends and members of my Shuha, after much rivalry and competition. But I eventually earned his respect and became one of my most important fighters and ally.
By seven, two years later, I had become a full-fledged hitokiri. A few days later, I made my first kill without any regrets. And barely after my tenth birthday, I was a Shidosha. I hid this well from my mom, with the help of Shinkiro's illusions and eventually Kangae's mental abilities, which included mind wipes, and manipulation. During the day, I was Yusuke Urameshi, troublesome punk, but at night, I was Yurei'ha, the emotionless assassin, who became Yurei'ha Shidosha. I was two different people, and I was respected and feared, even among the hitokiri. Everyone, when they saw me, averted their gaze. We became the most feared Shuha by the time I was twelve. We were the best, feared by everyone in power, until that botched assassination and that was yet again, a year later, and this time as thirteen. And I am now fourteen.
Blood flew everywhere, friends and allies dying, my own throwing themselves in front of me to protect me... NO! I WANT TO REMEMBER! STOP! KANGAE NO! I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP! HIEI! KURAMA! HELP! I WANT TO REMEMBER THEIR SACRIFICES!
"HIEI! KURAMA!" I screamed as I bolted up, panting and tired from thrashing around. "No... I want to remember..." I whispered, clutching my head in my hands, burying my face in my knees.
"Yusuke!" Kurama rushed into the room, Hiei on his heels. Hiei looked as if he had been running, his hair was tousled and his cheeks flushed. "Are you all right?" Kurama asked, sitting besides me, Hiei shut the door behind them and leaned against the wall beside me.
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine..." I whispered, wiping sweat out of my eyes. I shivered, the sheets sticking to my skin.
"Liar." I glanced at Hiei and smiled tiredly.
"Yeah... But... Ugh. I just... Never mind." I sighed. "Sorry for disturbing you."
Kurama smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it. Just remember that we are here for you if you need us."
I tried to smile genuinely, but I felt to exhausted. "Thank you." He nodded and got up. "We should go, Hiei." his eyes met mine. "Unless you want us to stay."
I shook my head. Hiei pointedly ignored the gesture and stretched out beside me. Kurama hesitated, then did likewise. "You want us to stay, admit it." Hiei smirked.
I just rolled my eyes, then closed them. I felt the body heat rise from both of them. I felt... Safe, protected, lying between the two demons. I snuggled in closer. Why not? I felt Hiei gently stroking my hair out of my face as I heard him whisper something. "Ai..." Was all I heard before I fell asleep again, a dreamless slumber.
Senbon: acupuncture tool used for medicinal purposes, but when pierced in a vital point, death is instantaneous, but when it misses slightly, death is slow and painful. Can be used to pierce other points as well.
Hitokiri: assassin
Kitsune: fox demon
Shidosha: leader of the hitokiri
Doku: poison
Shinkiro: mirage
Naifu: Knife
Yurei'ha: Ghost Blade
Kangae: "thoughts" or "mind"
Shuha: sect
Votes:
Hiei: 2
Kurama: 1
Hiei and Kurama: 3