Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or it's characters. I do own Angela, Star, and the twins. Oh, and I forgot to say that I own the Darkness, the shadow creatures, and the zombie queen.
AN: You're going to hate me...
Legend:
-Thought-
-Telepathy-
/Flashbacks/
/Dream/Visions/
Noise
Chapter Six
It took them nearly a week before they arrived at the Forest of Fools. In that time Angela had more nightmares about the forest. She watched over and over people enter the forest and never come out. Each time the storm would arrise and the forest would glow red. She could sense something growing in power inside the forest. She watched the officer walk into the forest away from the camp that he was making, probably to gather wood for a fire, she watched various fighters walk into the forest, almost as if in a daze. She saw the twins that Mukuro had sent come near to the forest. They must have sensed the evil for they started to back away from the tree line. That was when the demons attacked, trying to drag them in. She watched again Hiei walk into the forest. As they got closer to the forest the dreams became more vivid, more horrifying. She could sense the fear in the victims, the pain, and the terror. As she stood a football field away from the tree line, she could still sense their feelings.
Kurama stood close to her. "I don't want any of us to go any closer to the forest," he said to the others. "Angela, can you sense Hiei?" he asked her.
She concentrated, holding Hiei's 'guarantee'. "Yes, I can. Faintly," she replied. "The feelings I'm getting from him are 'pain', and a sense of 'lost'. I think he's trying to escape from the forest but can't. I feel the forest trying to confuse him, keep him in."
Kurama looked at her. "Can you call to him?" Angela nodded.
-Hiei...Can you hear me?- she sent into the forest where she thought Hiei was. She waited a few seconds then, -Hiei, it's me, Angela. Please say something if you can hear me.- She waited another few seconds then repeated her message.
After awhile she heard him. -Angela?- he asked, his mind voice was faint and weak, but he was there.
-Yes! It's me!- she replied, relieved to know he was alive.
-I...can't get out...You're not in here are you?- he asked, worry in his mind voice.
-No, I'm at the edge of the forest. Can you sense where I am? I'll try to lead you out. Just come to me.-
After a few seconds Hiei replied. -Yes, I can sense you. I can sense where you are. Please, keep talking.-
They kept up a conversation about ordinary nonsense for nearly two hours before Angela saw him just inside the tree line. -Hiei! You're almost there!- Angela cried. She saw Hiei pause and look behind himself. He started to make a dash out of the tree line as something chased him.
"Hiei!" Angela shouted as she started to fly towards him. Jin caught her.
"Jin take her away!" Kurama ordered as he, Yusuke, and Chu started to run towards Hiei. Jin nodded and flew high.
Angela struggled. "Let me go!" she cried. Jin ignored her as he looked down on his friends.
Hiei was half way to them when whatever was chasing him overtook him. "Hiei!" Yusuke shouted, in the lead. His eyes widened when he reached Hiei. The things Hiei was fighting were zombies. "What the hell!" he yelled as he started to fight the zombies that surrounded Hiei.
"Nevermind! Just fight!" Hiei yelled as he slashed the zombies with his sword.
Before Kurama had even reached them he took out a rose from his hair and turned it into a thorny whip. He was able to take out several zombies before he even came close to the fray. Chu took out a flask and chugged the booze in it as he ran to the mass of zombies. Once there he started to throw his fists, knocking zombies left and right.
They fought for a good ten minutes before Hiei yelled. "We have a chance now! Run!" Kurama looked at Hiei, but nodded.
From above Jin and Angela watched the trio run away from the other zombies, Hiei in the lead. -Odd, why would Hiei run. It's not him to run away from the fight first,- Jin thought.
Suddenly Hiei turned around, yelling something. The others dodged out of the way as a dark flame surrounded him and the bandages on his right arm burned off. Hiei shouted something as he pointed his arm towards the on coming zombies. A black fire dragon formed from his arm and rushed towards the zombies, incinerating them. "Ah, that was why," Jin said, his suspicion lifting.
Angela looked at him. "What was why?" she asked.
"Oh, nothin'," Jin said.
Kurama looked at Hiei as Yusuke signaled Jin to come down. Hiei caught him staring and his eyes narrowed slightly. "What is it Kurama?" he asked lightly.
"Oh, it's nothing," Kurama said carefully.
Before Jin even landed Angela jumped out of his arms and into Hiei's arms, hugging him tightly and kissing him. "Oh Hiei! I was so worried!" she cried.
Hiei smiled as he hugged her back. "Me too."
They kissed for a long time before Yusuke cleared his throat. "I think it'd be best if we get away from this place before those zombies decide to come back," he said.
Hiei nodded, and lifted Angela bridal style. "Let's go."
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They traveled their fastest for a day before they stopped to rest. As they sat around the small campfire, Angela laying her head in Hiei's lap, Yusuke ventured to ask the question that had been on everyone's mind. "Why the hell were those zombies there?" he asked Hiei. "I thought all the zombies turned to dust when the zombie queen was destroyed."
Hiei shrugged. "I'm not sure."
Kurama looked sideways at Hiei. "What exactly happened to you?" Kurama asked.
Hiei glanced at him. "I walked into the forest and then demons started to attack me from all sides; they blocked my way from getting out of the forest so I had to retreat further into it. Since then I've been running from them, searching for my way out of the forest. Then you came," Hiei said, a little vaguely.
"Did you see any zombies when you were in there, or was that the first time?" Kurama asked.
Angela sat up. "Kurama! Why are you interrogating him? He just narrowly escaped! Why are you acting all suspicious?" she asked harshly. She got up and pulled Hiei with her. "Let's go to bed." Hiei nodded and headed to their bed roll. Kurama watched them go, his eyes narrowing.
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Several days later they arrived back at what was left of the stadium. The makeshift camp ground was deserted except for the border patrol and a group of people tied up. "Who are they?" Hiei asked.
Mukuro looked at him. -It can't be...He can't be...- she thought, then she quickly put shields around her mind. "They're the ones that disappeared before the tournament. We have them under close guard to make sure they won't do what the others have," she said.
Hiei nodded. "Angela told me about what happened." He looked at Mukuro. "I, Angela, Yusuke and Kurama are leaving for Human world."
Mukuro nodded, face impassive. "I'll send someone if I need you again," she said, turning back to the prisoners.
She waited until Hiei and the others left before she turned to Yomi. "I thought for sure he was..." she whispered.
Yomi nodded. "So did I."
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"Oh Hiei! Angela!" Yukina cried as she ran outside of the shrine towards them when they arrived at the shrine. She hugged them fiercely. "I was so worried," she said.
Angela hugged her back. "Why?" she asked.
Yukina looked at her, unsure if she should tell her. "It's just that you've been gone for so long," she finally said.
"Well, we're here now," Hiei said.
Yukina looked closely at him. "Well, let's go in. I was about to cook dinner."
Kurama shook his head. "No, I think I'll head back home," he said.
Yusuke nodded. "I need to head home too. I'm eager to see Star," he said as he and Kurama turned to go down the stairs.
"Bye," Angela and Yukina said. Angela turned to Hiei, expecting him to 'hn', but he didn't say anything, he just started to walk towards the shrine. Angela looked oddly at him. -...Maybe he's just tired...- she thought.
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Yusuke walked into his apartment. "Star?" There was no reply but he heard the water running in the bathroom. He walked to the door, water was coming from under the door. He opened the door. "Star?" He looked inside, the bath tub was overflowing and Star was laying face down in it. "Star!"
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"Botan? Are you here?" Kurama asked as he closed the door to his apartment. There was no reply. He looked to the tv in between two tropical plants. A sticky note was on it. He took it off and read it.
Dear, there has been a rash of deaths so I'll probably be gone when you get back. I'll sometimes drop in to see if you're home. Till then love.
Botan
Kurama nodded, though concerned about the 'rash of deaths'. He thought about it as he readied himself some dinner.
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That night Angela cuddled close to Hiei as she told him about the nightmares. Hiei listened quietly, head propped by his arm, the other lightly thrown over Angela's waist. Angela thought this odd, usually he held her with both arms. She pushed the thought aside. "...So, did the trees glow when you walked in there?" she asked.
Hiei shrugged. "No."
"But my dream..." she started.
Hiei sighed. "Dreams aren't always what they seem. Maybe the glowing trees and the storm represented the demons and the fact that I was lost." He didn't give her time to reply. "Go to sleep. You need to rest."
Angela looked at him, shocked. But she followed his orders and turned in his arms and went to sleep, her back to his chest. Hiei stayed awake, smiling.
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Yukina and Kuwabara were putting the twins to bed when the phone rang. "Kazuma? Will you get the phone?" Yukina asked as Ken, startled by the noise, started to cry.
Kuwabara nodded. He went and picked up the phone in the next room. "Hello?" he asked. A few seconds later his eyes widened. He hung up the phone and ran to get Yukina.
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Angela ran into the waiting room of the hospital, Hiei behind her. She found Yusuke pacing back and forth. "How is she!" she asked as she hugged him.
"I don't know," Yusuke said in a strained voice. "The stupid doctors won't say!" Angela continued to hug him as Kurama rushed into the waiting room. "Where's Yukina and Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked, trying to get his mind off of this damned waiting.
"They stayed home with the twins. We'll take turns in coming. We'll go back in a few minutes to catch the train," Angela said as she let him go.
"What happened?" Kurama asked gently.
Yusuke went back to pacing. "I don't know. I walked in calling her name but there was no reply. I heard the water in the bathroom running and I went to...well..." Yusuke started.
Angela nodded. "Just tell us what happened," she said gently.
"When I got to the door there was water coming from under it. I opened the door to see the bath tub over flowing and Star face down in the tub. I dragged her out of the water, but she wasn't breathing. I called the hospital and they talked me through CPR while they sent an ambulence. She...I don't know what happened next..." Yusuke was near tears. "Everything is a blur. The ambulence came, they put some type of mask on her, loaded her into the ambulence and rushed us to the ER. She's been in there for a while now..."
Angela hugged him again. "Don't worry. She's tough. She'll make it through," she said comfortingly.
They waited for several minutes before a doctor came to them. "We've managed to resuscitate her. She's still in grave condition. We'll have to keep her here for a few days."
Yusuke walked back and forth, his hands running through his hair. He turned back to the doctor. "May I see her?" he asked.
The doctor paused. "I guess, but only for a bit." Yusuke nodded and started to walk with the doctor.
"I guess me and Hiei will leave and switch places with Yukina and Kuwabara," Angela said. Yusuke nodded.
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"Well, the twins are resting peacefully," Angela said as she looked outside from the side door of the training room. She looked at the full moon. "Poor Yusuke. He's already lost one wife, now the life of his fiancee is hanging in the balance. I don't know what I would do if anything like that happened to you," she said. "What would you do Hiei?"
Hiei stood in the shadows of the training room, a smirk on his face. "I don't know, but I'll find out soon enough!" He started to run at her, sword drawn, but Angela, having felt his intentions through his emotions, was ready for him.
She spun around and dodged his sword. "Hiei!" she cried, as she dodged again to her right, further into the training room. "What are you doing!"
"Simple. I'm killing you," he said calmly as he slashed at her.
Angela fell as she dodged. She remembered having trained with Hiei long ago. He had said then if she fell down she was to be quick to recover and attack while her opponent was busy attacking where she had once been. She rolled to the side as he brought his sword down where she had been. She lashed her leg out and kicked his hands, forcing his sword to fly out of his hands. She rolled to the sword before Hiei could get it. She picked it up and rose to a crouching position. "Hiei! Please! What has come over you? What's possessing you?" she cried.
Hiei stood there for a second, eyes glowing. "I've just come to realize what a hassle you are and how I'll be better off with you dead." He rushed her, a black flame forming around his fist.
"Hiei!" Angela screamed.
Blood splattered. Hiei grinned at Angela's pained face. Angela started to cry. "Hiei..." she said faintly. Hiei continued to smirk as he fell slowly to the floor, pulling away from his sword, blood spreading over his chest and the floor. Angela threw the sword away and rushed to Hiei's side. "Hiei! Hiei!" she cried, shaking him as his eyes dulled. "No!" she cried laying her head down on him, sobbing. "No...No...no..."