DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH, but all my original characters and original storyline(s) are mine, if you don't mind.
a/n: (sigh) I don't know what do with myself tonight n.n;; -- I've felt like that for a few days now, so I hope it's just a faze XD
Anyway, again I'd like to remind everyone that, well…my memory's definitely not the best :nervous laugh: so bear with me those of you who have watched the Chapter Black saga! Gomen nasai!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HOLY CRAP I FINALLY FOUND A REPLACEMENT WEBSITE! T.T (haha, but I pretty much found it right when I'm about to finish this chapter…but o well! I'll have it for the next one WHOOOOOOOOOO!)
Thoughts
Forever Fornever III
:Genkai's Ruse:
The door creaked open instantly when Kurama's hand touched the handle. Kurama took a small step backwards as his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the interior of the house. Slowly, he raised his hand and gestured for the others to follow him.
They hesitantly obliged; first Kurama, Kuwabara, Mai and Botan, then finally Hiei. But as the shorter apparition passed over the threshold, the doors promptly slammed shut. The two girls let out a small cry of surprise (along with Kuwabara), but Kurama and Hiei both kept their eyes forward and narrowed dangerously.
In front of them, the entire room closely resembled the outside of the building; there were bookshelves along the wall that bent in every sort of angle – and a small corridor on the other side of the room bent the same way. But it wasn't necessarily the shape of the room that caught their attention, but the excruciating heat radiating around them (it even appeared as though a thick haze was rising up from the ground.)
But Kurama's gaze was set darkly on the inhabitant of the room.
"Heh…I never would have guessed that the great Suichi went by the alias of 'Kurama'…" he said coolly towards the akage.
Kuwabara blinked between his friend and the dark-haired teen sitting calmly at the cent er of the room, "Kurama, you know this guy?"
He nodded stiffly, "Yes," he answered without averting his eyes, "He's one of my classmates…Kaitou."
Mai stared inquisitively at the other boy sitting in the middle of the room. It was odd…but she could have sworn she had seen him somewhere before…
Behind the two boys, Botan suddenly let out a sigh as she fanned herself with her hand, "Is it just me, or is this room unbelievably h—"
"Botan!" Mai cried hastily as she slapped her hand over her mouth, "We all know what the temperature's like in here—you don't have to point it out!"
The ferry-girl blinked and laughed nervously, "Hah! Oh right! Silly me!"
Kaitou smirked, "I see you've received my note…"
The akage stepped forward seriously, blocking his view of his companions, "I don't know what you're doing as a part of this…But I warn you – if you harm Yusuke in any way, I assure you we will show you know mercy."
"Ya-ho!" cried Mai suddenly as she stepped up next to Kurama, "Where is he anyway? Where the hell are you guys holding Yusuke?"
The other teen smirked in amusement, "Oh, he's perfectly safe," he answered calmly, "He's upstairs with my friend Kido…But I'm afraid none of you will be able to get to Mr. Urameshi until you've gotten the key to the next room," he gestured over his shoulder and the group suddenly noticed a second party member guarding a door at the back of a corridor, "Yanagisawa…" he told them simply (and Mai blinked again – she could have sworn she'd seen him too!), "But you won't be able to get to Yana either until we've had a little time to talk. Even so, you only have an hour before Mr. Urameshi's safety cannot be guaranteed."
Kazuma clenched his fist, "Then we don't have any time to talk, darn it!"
From behind Kaitou, Yana patted his breast pocket where the end of a single golden key stuck out, "Besides…" he said, "I can be pretty stubborn, so even if you are able to defeat Kaitou – it'll be hell trying to get this from me."
Beside her, Kurama placed his hand on Mai's shoulder and ushered her gently to the side, "Please Mai…" he said quietly under his breath, "Don't to anything brash; there's something about this room that doesn't feel right…"
Kuwabara took a step forward angrily, "This guy's nothin'! I don't need any spirit power to know he's just a big pushover!" he clenched his fist again, "I'll fight my way through if I have to!
Suddenly, the redhead charged forward. He raced past a smirking Kaitou straight towards the teen on the other side of the room. Kurama suddenly noticed his rival's calm appearance – as well as Yana's – and cried out to his friend.
"Matte! Kuwabara!"
Kaitou calmly closed his eyes, "I wouldn't do that if I were you…"
SLAM!
Without warning, Kazuma fell sprawling backwards before he had even reached his opponent. He slid back out of the corridor and into the other room. The redhead blinked before he jumped to his feet and clenched his fists.
"What the hell was that!" he demanded furiously.
Yana smirked calmly and brushed off his coat as if Kuwabara had actually managed to hit him, "We should really be more gentle with one another here," he said coolly.
"Kazuma are you alright—?"
"Enough!" Kurama said sharply, and swiftly turned back towards Kaitou, "How long can you afford this brazen façade, Kaitou? There is something that you're obviously not telling us; if we are to play by the rules…we should know what game we're playing…" he said darkly.
The other teen smirked, "Heh, no wonder you were always the top in our class, Kurama…" he said mockingly as he ignored the akage's murderous glare and he rose slowly out of his chair, "But let me properly introduce myself to your friends, Suichi…"
He stood and made a short bow to those in front of him.
"My name is Kaitou…and I have the power of Taboo."
Kazuma whirled, "Whaddya say?" he blurted.
Mai even saw Kurama grow surprised and glanced between the two teens nervously; the power of Taboo…?
Almost as if reading her mind, Kaitou laughed and slipped his hand into his pocket, "I'm sure both you and your shorter friend there sensed it when you entered the room," he told Kurama, and gestured behind him towards Hiei (who's hand only clenched tighter around the hilt of his katana), "This entire room…is my territory…"
"Once again…" Kuwabara said as he came around to his companions, "What the hell are you spewing?"
He smiled calmly, "In this room…my word is law. And as a psychic, the power of Taboo allows anything that I forbid becomes forbidden – or the price is simply your soul."
Botan cried out, "What?"
But Kurama's eyes only narrowed further, "So you've made this into a game, have you Kaitou? Do you and your friends find it as a game to watch us play for our souls…?"
Kaitou shrugged, "You make it sound so cynical, Kurama."
His gaze darkened dangerously, "You have already tabooed the word from your warning, then…" he continued and his eyes flashed quickly towards Yana, "…and any fighting."
The other teen smiled, "Any violence is naturally prohibited," he reassured them, "It's my way of making sure everyone is on an equal level…or at least that it has to take at least more than brute force to get past me in my territory…"
Kshnk
The group turned suddenly as Hiei withdrew his katana from its sheath. The apparition glared dangerously at the teen across from him and gripped the sword in both his hands.
"Are you deaf?" Kuwabara shouted, "He just said you can't fight in here—Oi! Are you even listening?"
Without warning, Hiei vanished from their sight –
Only to reappear directly above Kaitou with his katana raised above his head. But underneath him, the dark-haired teen merely watched him calmly as the apparition began to swing his sword downwards.
But even before Hiei came close to striking, his katana instantly collided against an invisible barrier surrounding Kaitou. The apparition furiously gritted his teeth as he forced his sword further – but it wouldn't delve any deeper into the shield. He felt the strain growing from the hilt and his eyes narrowed.
And all at once, his sword shatter clean of its hilt.
The fragments clattered to the ground below Hiei as he leapt backwards furiously. In frustration, he hurled the hilt of his katana away from him.
"There is no one in this world that can control my destiny," he muttered under his breath and glared defiantly, "One three-letter word will not decide my fate—!"
"—Hiei, wait!" Kurama cried hastily.
"HOT!"
In a blinding flash of light, the group hurriedly covered their eyes as the air around them shifted eerily…as if something was being removed from it. But by the time the light subsided, both Mai and Botan cried out in unison when they found themselves standing behind a chillingly, life-like stone carving of the apparition.
Kaitou calmly raised his hand towards Hiei's body as a stream of red light extracted itself from within. It gathered in his palm to form a small ball of light in his hand.
He smiled, "Your friend sure is stubborn, Kurama."
The akage gritted his teeth. Behind him, Kuwabara was curiously poking the stone likeness of Hiei…
"Eh…even as a statue, he's still kinda creepy…" he said as he poked it again for safe measure. He straightened and turned back to Kaitou – who had seated himself comfortably back into his chair at the center of the room, "So that little orby-thing is the shrimp's soul?" he asked, slightly creeped out.
"Strange, isn't it?" Kaitou wondered as he glanced down at it, "That such a vast element could be so tiny in a physical form…"
"Hey!" Mai said as she cut him off and stepped forward yet again, "We don't need a lesson on it! Just hand back his soul already so we can get out of this heat already – you must be some be some sort of camel or something to stand this!"
The other teen smiled calmly, "I've gotten used to it, yes…" he said simply, "But if you're overheated, you can always get something to drink…"
He gestured off to his side to a small, compact refrigerator sitting against the wall. The group eyed it suspiciously, but Botan was the first to move towards it. She opened it and lifted a can of soda cautiously in front of her as if it were poison.
"You drink it first, Kaitou," Kurama said dangerously as he turned to his classmate. He nodded towards the ferry-girl and she tossed the other teen a second can.
Kaitou shrugged casually, "If it'll make you feel better," he said and popped open the can. He took a deep sip from it and then gestured when nothing happened.
But Botan – still a little suspicious – eyed the can in her hands a final time before the top opened with a hiss.
"Hey, Botan," Kuwabara called to her, "Why don't you grab a couple straws so we can share it with each other, alright—?"
—A second flash of light suddenly enveloped the room, as the essence of Kazuma's soul formed into an orb in Kaitou's hand. Now, a second stone carving was seated within the room.
"Kuwabara!"
The ferry-girl whirled towards the psychic, "That's not fair!" she retorted angrily and placed her hand on her hip, "He didn't even come close to saying the word 'hot'!"
"Botan—!" Mai cried in disbelief.
She blinked when she realized what she had just said – and laughed nervously, "Ah-hah…Whoops!"
—Then a third light flashed through the room, and another soul was added to the collection in Kaitou's awaiting palm. Botan's spirit now joined Kuwabara's and Hiei's as her body grew cold and turned to stone…
The guardian blinked in complete disbelief, "Geez that was quick…"
"Oh…that's right, I should have warned you," Kaitou said almost as if it were unimportant, "Speaking the letters H, O and T in order, and in anyway…That is still considered taboo…"
Kurama's hand suddenly reached out to Mai's shoulder as he held her back, "Please don't say anymore…" he said quietly under his breath while his eyes never left Kaitou, "…it will be hard enough trying to get back their souls…"
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly and nodded. The akage moved forward and calmly took the seat in front of his classmate and crossed his legs.
Kaitou smirked and held the tiny orbs of light out in front of him, "A soul really is a fragile thing…scratch just one tiny part, and the entire thing might just collapse," his eyes flashed dangerously and Kurama's eyes narrowed, "Yes…Maybe I'll just make a little scratch.
In an instant, the akage's mood changed, "I warn you…" he said darkly. He folded his hands, but left his index finger pointing towards the other teen – similar to a gun barrel, "You so much as bruise what's in your hand and I'll show you pain. The hue of your soul will cease to matter because you will not be judged when you die…" his gazed burned in anger, "You will no longer exist."
He flicked his thumb, and a flash of gold flickered in his hand. Both Mai and Kaitou's eyes widened in surprise when they realized that in Kurama's hand, he held on to the key Yana had been protecting.
The dark-haired teen's eyes flickered to the floor next to the Kurama, and the guardian saw it too. Crawling out from the akage's pocket was a single vine of ivy that stretched across the floor of the room and up onto the wall. From there, it crept along the ceiling where it hung directly above Yana.
"But how did you—?"
"I was not stopped since I refrained from violence," Kurama answered him simply, "With gentle discreetness I merely borrowed the key from Yana's coat pocket…"
Yana gaped, "So you picked my pocket with some greenery? You really are a first class freak!"
Kurama appeared to ignore him, and turned back to his opponent, "I'll make a deal with you, Kaitou…we'll play by your rules, and if I am victorious, then you'll return the souls of my companions…and if not, you're rules will still apply. But be warned," a small smile actually appeared along his lips, "You'll still have another one of us to deal with if I fail…"
The psychic thought for a moment before he narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What's you're game then…?"
"It will start out as one letter, but as time moves forward, we eliminate more. There are 26 letters in the alphabet and forty-five minutes left to play, thus, every one-hundred and four seconds we will lose a letter we can say starting from the end – at Z – and moving backwards," he explained to him coolly as he quickly scribbled the letters onto a piece of paper.
Kaitou watched him for a long time, before a smile made its way onto his lips as well, "Follow the rules both host and guest, don't utter a letter crossed off from the list. Each hundred-and-four seconds, note too, another letter becomes taboo..."
Behind him, the second hand of the clock hit the twelve, and he smirked.
"Let the games begin, Suichi."
-:-
"Heh…so how much longer 'till my friends get up here to kick your ass?" Yusuke called from the doorway. After awhile, he had learned to definitely appreciate that endurance training he had done a few months ago – not to mention all that damn fighting from the tournament…it was sure as hell paying off right about now after standing in that doorway for a good three hours.
But in front of him, Kido smirked for the countless time (and Urameshi's eye began to tick), "That would be if they get up here," he corrected, "You obviously don't quite know the depth of Kaitou's power do you…?"
The detective frowned dangerously as the psychic placed his hand into his pocket.
"My friend Kaitou – quite simply – has the ability to steal a person's soul."
Yusuke's eyes widened, "What's that?"
Kido laughed in amusement, "And my sources tell me that already three of your friends have fallen prey to his territory – Now tell me again," he said slowly, and his eyes glinted, "Which of them was your guardian, Urameshi? From what I here, you two are quite an item…"
At once, the detective's eyes flashed dangerously, "Urusai!"
Carelessly, the psychic rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Well, let's just hope she wasn't one of the three…" he told him.
Urameshi's hand balled furiously and Kido simply watched him.
"Oh, I think I've struck a nerve," his eyes flickered towards him, "Is it a fight you want, Yusuke?" he wondered.
"The hell I do!" the detective shouted, "Just take your foot off my damn shadow and I'll be happy to pound your face in! Just keep talking – I dare you!"
He smirked, and suddenly…he did just that.
Yusuke's body jolted as he was suddenly released from the psychic's hold – but without hesitating, clenched his hand into a fist and charged.
Yet just before he reached him, Kido's foot suddenly slid back onto his shadow and the detective rammed into an invisible wall. His eyes burned furiously as his fist remained outstretched just inches away from the psychic's face.
"Calm yourself, detective…" Kido told him with a sneer, "They'll get here soon enough…"
He smirked.
"Or at least what's left of them."
-:-
The psychic watched him for a long time with that twisted smirk across his face. His eyes flickered behind the akage and Mai, to the three statues sitting in the foreground. In front of the stone carvings, each one of their souls hovered in front of their body. And it was apparent to both sides of the battle, that they would not get them back until Kaitou's power relinquished.
He stood then and calmly made his way around his chair towards the corridor behind him.
As Kaitou closed the bathroom door, Kurama quickly stood. The guardian behind him quickly jolted out of a small daze after sitting in that room for a good forty minutes so far (and after thinking to herself over and over again 'Don't say anything. Don't say anything. Don't say anything'). She watched though as he casually moved towards a bookcase. He looked as though he was going to pick out a book, but instead she saw a single vine crawl out from under his sleeve and watched as it crept into the corridor. Only a second later did she hear a small thump and the sound of a body slumping to the ground.
Mai stared at the akage in surprise, but he only moved quickly about the room. For awhile it looked as though he was simply pacing in random areas, but when he returned to the center of the room, he placed his hand at the center of the table (and although she couldn't see it) released a small amount of energy into the air. At once, it was as if the entire area came to life as dozens of plants began to appear from various corners of the room.
Before she had even realized it, Kurama grabbed her hand and swiftly lifted her into his arms. She blinked as – in one leap – the akage jumped off the ground and landed in the large chandelier hanging above the ground. The light fixture swayed dangerously as they settled, but Kurama still held the guardian by her arm. She turned towards him and saw him put a finger to his lips; already almost the entire alphabet had been eliminated – any form of noise would most likely fatal.
The guardian blinked again as her eyes fell along the plants still curling along the floor below; what the hell…?
From beneath them, a flushing sound emitted from the corridor as the bathroom door clicked and opened.
Kaitou stopped suddenly as he closed the door behind him. His eyes flashed quickly down the corridor and realized in shock that Yana now lay unconscious on the floor. The psychic stared in disbelief…but how…?
His gaze suddenly flickered back into the room and he took a step back. Even from where he stood, the vines and plants growing within the depths of the interior curled towards him. Irritably – yet still with a bit of uneasiness – he kicked them away with his foot and cautiously made his way into the room, but not before he glanced over his shoulder back at the door.
Kurama and the guardian could have left already to the next room... he contemplated as he maneuvered through the greenery. Kaitou stopped though when he came upon the three lifeless bodies still sitting exactly where he had left them; their souls still floating in front of them.
But he wouldn't have left his friends, would he? Even Suichi isn't that heartless…
He started suddenly and whirled around the room. He had realized suddenly that the game was still on – and Kurama was most likely still in the room; just hiding within his shrubbery and waiting to jump out and surprise him so that he might cry out the letters that had already become taboo. His eyes flickered frantically around the room.
No…I won't be caught off guard! I can't afford to lose this fight – especially not to Suichi!
Swiftly, the psychic covered his mouth to prevent himself from accidentally saying anything aloud. I will not lose…he told himself, I will not lose!
Mai turned her head when she noticed Kurama lowering himself from the chandelier. His feet hooked over the edge and she stared at him in disbelief.
What the hell is he doing…? She blinked as she looked down below them, eh…?
It was then that she realized that Kaitou was standing almost directly beneath the light fixture, still trying desperately not to be caught off guard. But as the akage lowered himself back down into the room, it suddenly occurred to her what he was doing, and her eyes flickered quickly back to the list sitting at the center of the table. Red marks slashed through almost all of the letters, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she turned towards the clock.
Only two letters left…
I will not lose. I will not lose. I will not lose. I will not lose! Kaitou screamed inwardly over and over again. Yet, ironically, he was so enthralled in being prepared, he didn't seem to notice Kurama hanging down directly behind him.
The akage blinked as he lifted his hands to his mouth, and he drew in a deep breath—
"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Kaitou nearly screamed in surprise – but quickly covered his mouth tighter and clenched his eyes. Above them, Mai blinked stupidly at the scene below and noticed out of the corner of her eye, the list instantaneously cross out the letter 'B'. The psychic beneath her shook furiously as he tried with all his might not to make a single noise, but his curiosity quickly clasped the better of him.
Slowly, the dark-haired teen turned around to face Kurama – and his face suddenly contorted, since now, he tried not to laugh at the ridiculous expression on the akage's face. But even still, a small snicker escaped him, and then a giggle…until he completely burst out altogether.
"Heh-heh ha…BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
From below her, a bright flash emitted from Kaitou's body and his laughter was cut short. She carefully peered over the ledge of the chandelier just in time to see the psychic's stone-cold body fall backwards and crash to the ground. And in a twisted turn of fate, his soul now hovered above his body.
Kurama lifted himself back up onto the chandelier and smiled slightly towards her, before he gestured back down to the floor beneath him. They both jumped back down into the forest of greenery below (which was slowly beginning to recede back into the original corners of the room).
As they landed, Mai noticed with a start that the souls hovering in front of their three companions…were beginning to draw back into their bodies. As the orbs of light retreated back into the statues, their bodies slowly began to unfreeze. From where their souls had entered, the color of their clothing began to come back, and spread across the other surfaces of their body. Until – at once – all three of them nearly fell forward as they grew conscious once again.
"Thank goodness!" Botan cried suddenly as she recovered, "I was afraid I'd be stuck like that forever!"
Kuwabara scratched the back of his neck, but stopped suddenly when he noticed Kaitou's body sitting not too far away, "Ew…what happened to him?" he wondered as he shied away.
"He fell prey to his own territory," Kurama answered. He pulled from his pocket the key to the other room, "And now, I think Yusuke has waited long enough," he said as he turned towards the corridor behind them. The rest of the group followed (with a sulking Hiei at the back).
The akage knelt down next to Yana's body.
"Yanagisawa-san," he called.
The second psychic's body stirred slightly and he groaned as he lifted his face up from the ground. He blinked, and suddenly jumped to his feet. His eyes darted back into the room behind them where Kaitou's body still sat motionless. Deducting what had happened, he frowned towards the group in front of him before he motioned towards the door.
"You're all lucky we never planned for you guys to make it this far…" he muttered under his breath as Kurama handed him the key.
As he opened the door, they were immediately greeted with a blast of cool air. Both Mai and Botan sighed with relief as they stepped over the threshold, and the ferry-girl wiped her forehead with her hand.
"Well that's a whole lot better!" she said cheerfully.
Yana moved ahead of them, and it was then that they noticed that on the other wall, were five doors – each a different color. The group stepped further inside the room almost cautiously as the psychic moved to stand next to the first door.
"Mr. Urameshi and Kido are both upstairs," he told them and smiled smugly, "But to get to them, you each must take a separate staircase through each of these doors. They all lead to the same place…if that makes you feel any better…"
Hiei snorted, "Then what's the point of separating us if they all end up at the same destination…?" he challenged darkly.
The psychic smiled again, "Just another game…"
"But hey…how are we supposed to know if we're all 'okay' if we're separated?" Kuwabara asked, and frowned at the thought, "How do we know these guys," he gestured over his shoulder at Yana, "Won't just attack us while we're not together?"
"We don't…" the akage answered seriously, and his eyes narrowed towards the psychic, "But we have to play by their rules, or Yusuke might not even be there when we get upstairs—"
"He sure as hell better be there!" Mai shouted suddenly and clenched her fist, "I still have to beat his ass for getting kidnapped in the first place!"
Behind her, the ferry-girl was thinking to herself carefully – and then her eyes suddenly flickered to the briefcase still in her hand. She blinked, and out of the blue, started to rummage through the case; fervently looking for something.
The guardian turned and blinked as well, "Botan…what are you doing…?"
"Getting these!" she answered cheerfully as she withdrew – what looked like – several coasters from her briefcase.
"And what are those?" Hiei muttered as he eyed them suspiciously.
She smiled and held them in her hand, "They're used to tell the condition of a person," she told the group and lifted one up to show them, "When the patch is blue, it means the person is in perfect health! When it's red it means they're sick or injured…but then when it's black it means that their, um, dead…"
Kazuma blinked, "So what do we do with 'em?" he wondered.
Botan grinned, "Well that's the easy part! All you have to do is write your name on four of these, and stick them on me, Mai, Kurama, and Hiei – that way we'll be able to keep track of your health and everyone else's even when we're separated."
"That was a great idea Botan," Kurama applauded.
She laughed and rubbed the back of her neck, "Heh, yeah and I almost forgot too!"
"…So you write your name on them like this?" Mai wondered (oddly enough finding a pen from somewhere) as she scribbled the kanji onto the patch.
The ferry-girl nodded while the rest of them did the same. When they had all written their names she said, "Okay…now all we have to do is apply them to one another – that way no one else can take them off, it has some sort of DNA sensor, you know?"
As the four of them attached the patches to one another, they all simultaneously turned towards Hiei.
He glared at them murderously; as if daring them to even try—
"Alright Hiei, it's your turn!" Botan chimed as she grinned, "Here let me see your shirt—"
When she reached out, he instantly grabbed her arm, "Touch me…" he growled, "And I break your wrist…"
The ferry-girl sweatdropped nervously as the shorter apparition glared fiercely at her – but this only gave Kurama time to step in and stick his patch onto Hiei's shirt…the rest of them quickly followed as the apparition only watched in a mix of disbelief and pure fury.
"Then we're all set!" Botan said almost cheerfully as they all moved towards their separate doors.
All in unison, they placed their hands on the handles and glanced at one another uncertainly. But at the same time the doors clicked open, and revealed five separate staircases leading above them. They all looked at one another a final time; Botan and Mai smiled uncertainly at one another and Kuwabara almost looked like he was about to wet himself…
"Well…" Kurama said, and offered a small smile, "I guess we'll see each other upstairs."
-:-
"…bsh…shkkrk…"
Kido blinked and glanced down at his side. He fiddled with his belt before he withdrew a small walkie-talkie from his pocket. Yusuke glared at him as he lifted the speaker to his mouth.
The detective snorted, "If you're both psychic, why do you need a walkie-talkie?" he wondered brazenly, "Can't you just talk to each other 'telepathically'?"
He shot him a look "What's that, Yana?" he called through – easily ignoring Urameshi's statement. He listened for a moment to the static crackling from the other end.
"They're on their way up, Kido," returned the voice.
"Hah!" Yusuke shouted triumphantly, "I guess your friend wasn't all as powerful as you though him to be! Now my friends are gonna be up here any minute to kick your ass – just like I said! So what are you gonna do when they get up here? You can't step on all their shadows at once, now can you?"
The psychic calmly hooked the radio back to his belt…and smirked.
Urameshi frowned irritable, "Oi, what are you so happy about…?" he muttered.
But the other teen didn't answer him…
-:-
Well these definitely aren't normal stairs…Kurama thought to himself as he continued upward. The further his walked, the more it occurred to him that he wasn't getting any closer to the doorway above him. It was like one of those dreams where you would walk and walk…but you'd never get anywhere.
But – judging already by the nature of the house – something like this was expected anywhere…
-:-
Kuwabara tried to pace himself as he continuously circled around his set of stairs. His happened to spiral upwards to the point where he didn't even think it had an ending point. But almost every other second, he would glance down at his shirt to make sure everyone else was okay.
As he glanced back up the path in front of him, he made a sickly face, "Ugh…I'm getting dizzy…"
-:-
The shorter apparition's eyes flashed over the staircase ahead of him. He frowned suspiciously as he began making is way upstairs. Hiei sure as hell didn't trust this house, especially – he hated to admit – after actually getting his soul sucked out in that last room.
The fox will never let me hear the end of it…he muttered inwardly—
Suddenly, he realized that there was no longer solid ground beneath him. His eyes darted downward just in time to see the floor open up beneath him – and he fell through into the dark abyss below.
-:-
Botan made a face, "Oh my…I-I think I'm going to be sick…" she hardly dared to open her eyes in fear of finding herself upside down again. The ferry-girl – just like the others – had quickly realized that these were not normal stairs; hers just happened to enjoy flipping her upside down and right-side up again at the most bizarre times.
-:-
"Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap!" Mai cried hysterically as she raced up the stairs. Behind her, she could still hear the rest of the staircase falling apart into the infinite ground below. But each time she stepped on a stair, it instantly gave way – and she ran even faster.
She sweatdropped frantically as she ran; "Why couldn't Hiei have had these stairs?"
-:-
Kido turned his head towards the door and smiled, "You're friends are here, Urameshi…"
The detective turned instantly just as Kurama entered through the doorway. He was closely followed by Kuwabara, then Hiei, Botan – and then a heavily panting Mai (who looked unbelievably grateful to be back on solid ground again).
"So you guys are all alright!" he called to them.
Mai instantly got to her feet, "No thanks to you! The reason we had to go through all of this was 'cause you had to go get kidnapped in the first place!" she suddenly whirled on the psychic standing nearby, "And you! You better release him so I can beat his ass!"
Kido laughed, "I will in just a moment, be patient…"
"Oi! Urameshi I thought you were captured!" Kazuma shouted angrily, "And if you are then how come you're just standing there doing nothing—!"
"Don't come any closer, Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted angrily, "If he steps on your shadow he can stop you guys from moving…though I wish I had learned that sooner."
Mai narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "So that's how you got kidnapped," she muttered.
The psychic laughed, "You're so kind to warn your friends, Urameshi," he said, "But I'm afraid I'm not your opponent anymore…there is one here that is not who they say they are...they are your new opponent…"
The detective stared at him, "Nani?"
"The next round starts, Yusuke. One of the five who have come to rescue you, is a fake. You have only ten minutes to figure out which on it is…all you can do is ask questions, and they can only answer…"
Botan blinked, "But how can one of us be the fake?" she asked, dumbfounded.
Beside her, the redhead nodded, "Yeah, we were only separated for a few minutes!"
Kido smirked, "You misunderstand…" he said calmly, "One of you is a fake…therefore we have the real one hostage somewhere in this house. Mr. Urameshi isn't the only hostage now."
Yusuke gritted his teeth furiously, "What happens to them if I can't guess in ten minutes?" he asked darkly; his fist clenched at his side.
The psychic didn't answer. He looked down at his watch though, and smiled, "You have nine minutes now, Mr. Urameshi…" his eyes flashed towards him, "So will you play…? Or just wait for the time to run out and see what happens to your friend?"
He clenched his fist again, "Yeah, I'll do it," he muttered. Instantly, he whirled back towards the group and turned towards Kuwabara, "Hey, what's your blood type and birthday?" he called to him.
Kazuma blinked, "What the hell does that mean? Are you trying to say you think I'm the fake, Urameshi?"
"Just shut up and answer, Kuwabara."
The redhead growled under his breath irritably, before he suddenly blinked, "Hey…you don't even know my blood type or my birthday! What kind of question is that!"
Yusuke, satisfied (since – even after all these years – he really didn't know his birthday), he turned then to the second redhead, "Kurama, what's your mom's name?"
The akage smiled, "Minamino Shiori, forty years of age, she plans to remarry this autumn."
"Ah! Congratulations, Kurama!" Mai said cheerfully.
"Yeah, you should be sure to invite us to the wedding!" Yusuke said – quickly forgetting the matter at hand. But when he noticed Kido's eyes still on his watch, he quickly turned to the ferry-girl next, "Alright, Botan…what are your measurements?"
She nearly blanched, "What do you need to know that for?" she said accusingly, "You don't even know, anyway!"
"No, you told me that one time…remember?" he said and raised his eyebrows.
Botan eyed him suspiciously as she thought about it, but then she turned to him angrily, "What are you talking about Yusuke! I never told you!"
The detective swore slightly under his breath, "Damn, I was sure that was going to work…"
Mai's face dropped, "You're such a perv, Yusuke…"
Hiei snorted and folded his arms over his chest, "We're never going to get anywhere with you asking stupid questions like that, detective."
He turned towards the apparition, "Alright, Hiei you're next…" he thought for a moment before he smirked, "What's your sister's name?"
The apparition's eyes flashed murderously at the detective. For a second, Yusuke thought he wasn't going to answer, but then Hiei snorted again and closed his eyes, "Why should I answer when everyone else in the room already knows the answer?"
Kuwabara blinked, "Wait, the shrimp has a sister? Geez, she must be some badass youkai with an attitude, like yours."
Botan and Mai looked at each other, "Oh that's right…" the ferry-girl said, "Kazuma's the only one who doesn't know—"
"Botan, shhhh!" the guardian quickly hushed her.
Kurama turned his eyes on Hiei seriously, and the apparition glared at him.
"Don't look at me like that," he muttered.
"WHY AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO DOESN'T KNOW?" Kuwabara demanded and whirled on Hiei, "Darn it, just say it already!"
Kido glanced at his watch, "Five minutes," he said calmly.
"I'll tell you later, Kuwabara," Kurama told him hastily as his eyes flickered briefly towards the psychic.
Yusuke finally turned to Mai and thought for a moment. She watched him almost nervously after witnessing the questions he had already asked Botan, "So what kind of underwear are you wearing?"
…
"URAMESHI YOU PERVERTED ASS! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?" she screamed furiously and found that Kurama and Kuwabara had to hold her down to keep her from mauling the detective.
"Oh I see…" he mused casually, "So it's a thong…?"
She clenched her fist ferociously, "URAMESHI!"
"Four minutes…" Kido reminded them coolly.
"Urameshi! Hurry it up and make a decision!" Kuwabara cried frantically (while he and Kurama still struggled to hold the guardian down).
Yusuke gritted his teeth, "You know, I would if I could! But I don't know who the hell it is—!" he blinked abruptly and stopped short. The detective suddenly pointed at the patches on each of their shirts, "What the hell are those?" he wondered.
Botan scoffed, "Well you should know! It's one of the spirit items I told you about earlier!"
He looked at her dumbly and she sighed.
"They monitor a person's health," she explained, "But only the person who applied them can…take them off…" she blinked suddenly as a thought occurred to her. The five of them instantly glanced at one another, "So the fake won't be able to take them off!"
The group simultaneously formed a circle around each other and position themselves next to their appropriate sticker.
"Ready?" Kurama asked.
At the same time, the all pulled…
And all the patches came cleanly off.
They stared nearly horrified at one another…But how…?
Hiei frowned darkly, "Then the imposter must have been with us before we put on those damn patches…" he muttered.
But Kido smiled, "That's a good guess…but no. It's part of Yanagisawa's power 'Copy'. He can make an exact duplicate of a person he touches, and take their appearance, memories, powers, and everything that has to do with them – right down to the type of ki they use, and how it feels…" he turned to the detective, "One of your friends, Mr. Urameshi, is Yana in disguise…I hope you know which one it is, because your time is up."
Yusuke gritted his teeth, and he clenched his fist furiously at his side.
"The only way to tell if you are right however, is to punch the one you think is the fake as hard as you can – only through a hard punch can Yana be knocked out of his copied form against his will…"
Behind him, the group simultaneously winced at the thought.
The psychic smirked, "I advise you put some reiki into your punch…"
Urameshi clenched his fist, "Mind telling me why the hell you guys are doing all this?" he muttered through gritted teeth.
His opponent smiled, "I was asked by someone to do it…and I'm happy to oblige. But be warned, Mr. Urameshi…" he pulled out of his pocket a small phone, "…If you try anything funny, one little push of a button and my partners will kill off your friend in an instant."
Kido suddenly stepped off his shadow, and the detective staggered.
"You have thirty seconds…" the psychic said coolly, "…I advise you hit one or I'll just have to tell my friends to kill the real one…" he checked his watch a final time and smirked, "Fifteen seconds…"
Yusuke snorted, "Heh, I don't need fifteen seconds," he muttered, "I've made my choice – I just hope they can forgive me when I punch their lights out."
His fist flared suddenly in ki – and he charged.
The group flinched in unison as he raced towards them—
And Yusuke's fist slammed into Kuwabara's gut. The redhead fell flying backwards and crashed painfully in the wall behind him into a pile of cardboard boxes. As the group turned in astonishment, they found that the contours of Kazuma's face began to change until they suddenly morphed into the features of Yana…
Kido stared in disbelief, "But…how did you know?"
Urameshi shrugged as he cracked his knuckles, "I'm used to hitting Kuwabara all the time…besides, Kurama and Hiei aren't dumb enough to fall into a trap like that…"
The akage smiled and turned to Hiei, "Yes, or scream the word 'Hot'," he added.
The apparition beside him glared murderously, "Hn."
"That left Botan, Mai and Kuwabara…" the detective continued as he counted off on his fingers, "Now I know Mai would've beaten the crap out of anyone who tried to touch her, and picking Botan off because she was the only non-fighter would have just gotten all you and your buddies a one-way-ticket to hell…"
Botan's eyes lit up, "Aw! My hero!"
"So then there was Kuwabara – and he was the safest bet anyway."
Mai narrowed her eyes towards him, "But what if it wasn't Kuwabara?" she demanded.
He blinked and then grinned sheepishly, "But it was Kuwabara," he told her.
The detective received a smart smack to the arm for that as Kurama stepped forward to face Kido.
"We've played by all your rules and games," he said seriously and he frowned, "Give us back Kuwabara so that we may fight you on even grounds."
But the psychic already held up his hands and sighed, "It's over anyway – and yes, we will return your friend…" his eyes flickered suddenly as he raised another remote from his pocket, "But first, I would like to show you who was behind all this…"
His finger fell on one of the buttons, and behind him, a mechanical door began to creak open. From beneath the shadows, there were footsteps…and a single figure emerged.
In unison, both Mai and Yusuke gaped.
"Master Genkai?"
-:-
a/n: Geez that was a long chapter (n.n);; I haven't written one of those since the fights from the Dark tournament…
GAH! My computer mouse is being all weird…and I gots to go study…
A lot (n.n);;
PEACE AND LOVE MINNA-SAN!