Reviewer Responses:
Crystal Koneko-Yup, you were right! Thanks!
Ellamr-You guessed it, but in this fic Shizuru is NOT Kuwabara's sister. The two are not related! Yeah I guess Kayko, Botan, and Shizuru all have gems don't they? Who knows, maybe when Yukina makes her appearance maybe she'll have one too! I'm glad you liked how Kurama acted, I'm trying to draw on his darker side to the best of my ability but I'm not sure how well I'm doing it. He's actually hard to write like that!
LivingImpared-Wow, thanks to you I'm going to be spelling impaired wrong the rest of my life! Haha. Don't worry I've made dumb mistakes that top that. Yesterday my friend walked straight into a door because she was so busy talking to me she didn't see it! It was so hilarious and I was happy she didn't hurt more than her pride. Matane!
Kuwabara99-Yeah, you got it! Wow, either I described her well or you're all psychic! I like Botan's dress too:) Yukina will be coming soon in the upcoming chapters. She was supposed to appear this chapter but I miscalculated and the chapters began getting too long so I had to end them and start a new chapter. I'm too fond of details…grr.
Peneia Teke-Glad you liked the chapter! I tried my best and was sorta happy at how it came out! I never liked shopping much either, now I do though but I never buy anything. I'm far too attached to my money…Nailed it! It was Shizuru! I'm surprised everyone got it!
Vindiya-Yup! Shizuru's here! Man, you guys are good!
TearsofSadness17-Thank you! No! Don't say I'm getting good at updating! It's a bad jinx! Lol. Last time I told myself that I got lazy and it took like months to post the next chapter! But I appreciate it! Thanks!
MystiKoorime-You liked the Yusuke line? I need to start adding a favorite quote section. Lol, you can be in charge cuz I think you're the one who always says it! And I like that! Yeah, you got Shiz too! All of you are too smart! Note to self, be more vague…Hiei is possessive of Botan and cares for her in his own way, but I wouldn't call him in love yet. Definitely the beginnings of it are starting to show, but Hiei's a tough shell to crack. I don't think he'll fully realize he loves her for awhile, at least to himself!
Betabonanza-Thank you, thank you!
Mel A. T-Uhuh it was Shiz. I'm starting to think the punch gave it away! About your suggestion, Botan is spunky and energetic but she just went through a really rough time. She sees Hiei as her support, especially with what almost happened to her, she's not about to jeopardize her only security just yet. Her personality and character will shine through with time; I think you'll be please with how Botan acts in this chapter!
Heartluv-I'm glad you liked how Yusuke and Kurama reacted! I thought it was sweet too…In a dangerous kind of way…lol.
Kitsune Kit-Yes, you got it as well. The lady is none other than Shizuru.
Bookworm0492-Not a Kurama/Shizuru fan? I wasn't either when I started writing, but I got a request to write it from someone, so I tried it. Now I'm like addicted to it. There are some hints in the anime too, now that I think about it. I'm not a die-hard fan of this couple myself, but I think it's cute enough and I rather like it in this fic especially. I think I made their personalities fit each other. I'm sorry you don't like it, they will be a pairing, and there is some action between them in this chapter. Give it a try though, you might like it.
Ashley Dawn Kirk-Thanks for the extensively long review! I love those! The girl is Shizuru and she will be paired up with Kurama and another character. I'm glad you might join and post a Hiei/Botan fic! We could always use more of those!
Blu-babe-Thanks and I will!
Disclaimer: This fic and situations are all mine, but Yu Yu Hakusho itself does not belong to me…yet.
Tales of the Jagan
Chapter 8
Shizuru's Reason
OOOOOBotanOOOOO
I stood disbelievingly in amazement. It was definitely the treasure piece we had been searching for, no question. It was if time and space had frozen and hours were passing by as I stood frozen, eyes locked on the gem. I clutched my own in my hand instinctively.
Hiei noticed where my eyes were and smirked, pleased that now the Jagan would have one more piece of the treasure of Mortar.
Time began again as the brunette snatched the gem quickly off the ground, but it was too late, the damage had been done. She tensed and backed away, her posture screaming defiance. Hiei immediately took it upon himself to take matters into his own hands.
"The gem, wench. Give it to me."
She glared challengingly and hissed.
"No." The reply was so cold I thought I might get frostbite.
At the sounds of grunts and groans, we were momentarily distracted. The two goons that were bothering the woman before had dusted themselves off and stood up.
The woman with caramel hair stiffened even more so, now against the odds of four to one in her mind.
"Hey, woman, we were trying to be nice but-" One of them spoke up angrily, but Hiei silenced him quickly with an uppercut. He fell to the ground, and this time I was certain he would not be getting up for a couple hours. Hiei just as easily turned on the other one and knocked him out cold as well. The three of us were once again in a stand off.
Her eyes widened a bit with the unexpected help, but she wasn't about to thank the pirate captain. Hiei cracked his knuckles for intimidation or maybe just because he had just punched two humans in the jaw, I'll never know.
"I do so hate distractions," the crimson eyed demon murmured arrogantly, "Now that they're out of the way, shall we continue?"
I stood off to the side, watching the show down play out. I of course knew the brunette stood no chance. She was a human, and Hiei was a demon. Really, the match up was far from fair.
"I won't give it up!" She snapped acidly.
Hiei's eyes narrowed. Playtime was over.
"That's fine. I'll take it off your dead carcass if I must." The coldness in his eyes proved that he wasn't bluffing.
"I'll never give it up! This jewel means more to me than my life!" she growled undeterred.
The words rang out in my soul familiarly. I looked at her and could see myself in her shoes. The similarity of the situation brought waves of sympathy over me. The girl would not back down, it was evident that the jewel piece meant as much to her as she declared it did. I could understand how she felt; my gem was the world to me as well. My eyes glazed over as I thought about it.
Hiei wasn't bothered by any of that though, or perhaps he didn't care.
"It doesn't matter to me how I get it, but mark my words I will be leaving with that gem," he promised.
I heard a rustle coming from behind me and turned around. The noise came from a crowd of figures were running towards us, people jumping out of the way to avoid them. I noticed they didn't look normal. Their skin was tinged green, their eyes yellow and reminded me of a reptile. Another thing that set me off was that they had some sort of bone sticking out of their head much like a spike.
"Lizard demons," Hiei hissed.
Apparently he thought they were more of a threat than the girl because he switched his attention to them as the approached.
"Get the girl!" a lizard demon shouted.
"Damn!" Hiei cursed, "Botan get behind me!"
I complied immediately and took refuge behind his back. These demons also wanted the girl for some reason or another, but their reason was irrelevant. Hiei wasn't going to let anyone else touch her until he got what he wanted first. After that, she was fair game.
The fire demon unsheathed his sword and stabbed it through the first lizard demon. I watched in amusement, surprised the kill wasn't gory. The kill didn't bother me in the least actually. As I watched him, I grew more impressed with Hiei's abilities. There were at least fifteen lizard demons but none were a match for him.
He gracefully and effortlessly cut each one down, clean and precise. His skill reminded me of a dance, deadly but beautiful. My eyes followed his movements, entranced. It was hard not to watch in awe; Hiei was death in motion. The last one hit the ground and I rushed to him excitedly.
"Hiei that was amazing!" I gushed happily.
"Hn." He smirked arrogantly.
His eyes darted around, looking for someone.
"Where's the girl?"
I swirled around. She was gone.
OOOOOHieiOOOOO
I swore internally and cursed my bad luck. The wench had escaped and with her, the gem.
"What are we going to do now?" Botan asked.
I was more than capable of preventing something like this. It would've been so simple to subdue the whole lots of lizard demons in no more than a second but I didn't. I had only meant to kill the first one slowly to intimidate the rest of the lizard demons, forewarn them so that they knew ahead of time that this was one opponent they were not capable of defeating. To see the terror, futility, and finally the solemn acceptance that they were going to die was what I was aiming for.
If only Botan hadn't look so entranced in it all. I could feel her watching me with an expression akin to being entranced. My form was perfect, movement fluid and elegant. My swordsmanship and fighting skills were refined to the top level. Any passerby could have thought me a battle god and they would not have been far off.
I enjoyed her fascination immensely, which led me to showing her an encore. Smoothly, I defeated all of them with ease. It was a dance I had mastered, alluring and forbidden. But in my showing off I had wasted precious time, and the young damsel had taken the opportunity to flee.
I sighed, annoyed. That stupid, troublesome wench of a girl was a pain in the ass.
"We'll find her."
"Hiei? Maybe we should give up. She seemed awfully attached to it and she's already left…" Botan trailed off, twiddling her fingers and avoiding my eyes.
I clenched my teeth and growled.
"Don't be stupid. On this quest no one is simply going to hand over a piece of the greatest treasure there ever was," I growled roughly. Leave it to Botan so sympathize with a woman she doesn't even know. Their predicaments are similar; perhaps that's where her sympathy stems from, but really. This was no time to be sentimental.
She turned her lavender eyes to look at me pleadingly and I sighed, my gaze softening the slightest bit against my will.
"If we don't take it someone else will. She'll be safer with it no longer in her possession."
This seemed to work on her mind. By making it seem like it was for the brunette's own benefit, Botan became willing to search for the gem again. Well, so be it. Botan will take it for her own reasons, while I take it for others. Anything to twist the girl's mind into cooperating.
I snarled to myself internally. Botan complicates too many things, whether it's convincing her or impressing her. If I'd been alone this would already be finished. The other part of my mind argued that if it weren't for Botan we'd not have stopped here, therefore missing the gem completely. But for now I tossed that treacherous inner voice out the window and stabbed it.
OOOOOBotanOOOOO
"And how are we going to find her?" I asked.
I didn't really have it in me to separate the woman from her prized gem, but I had recently become aware of the dangers surrounding the mysterious object. She at least deserved to know how much it could cost her to try to keep it. Hiei did have a point. If we didn't take it someone else would. At least with Hiei I could ensure that her life remained intact at the very least.
"We have to interrogate some people for information," he responded evenly.
I nodded. Fair enough. I was about to tap someone on the shoulder and politely ask if they knew something about the girl we were searching for when Hiei grabbed a human that was unlucky enough to come within he reach. Pulling him up by his neck, Hiei had his sword positioned dangerously close to said appendage.
I gasped in shock. Hiei! I mentally screamed his name to myself and asked what in the world he was doing. The poor man was shaking in fear and terror, trying desperately to edge away from the pointed sword with no success.
"Do you know a woman who has in her possession a jewel," Hiei lifted my hand with his free arm to show him my gem, "that is similar to this? She was cornered by two men earlier today and tried to fight them off. Ring any bells?"
His voice was not a question but a dangerous threat signaling that if he did not answer with the correct information, nasty consequences could befall him.
"I-it must b-be Shizuru!" the man stuttered, "She's the bravest and most cunning woman in this village! It has to be her! I know no other woman who has the guts to pull off something like you say." The man was all but quivering.
Hiei was still not convinced and tightened his hold on the man's throat.
"Describe her," the fire demon ordered.
"S-she has brown eyes and h-hair…wears tighter clothing…" the man gasped, his air supply being cut off.
Hiei released him and threw the man to the floor.
"Sounds about right. Where does she live?" the crimson eyes demon questioned.
I gawked at him. The whole display unsettled me. I wasn't used to seeing Hiei's ruthless side but I was grateful it was not directed at me. It made me nervous, but I somehow knew he wouldn't hurt me. I was uncharacteristically proud that Hiei was so strong and could command so much authority. It was addicting, but I knew it morally wrong at the same time.
"I-I don't know, sir," the man replied. Hiei narrowed his eyes.
The man was still crumbled on the floor where Hiei had deposited him before. At the unsatisfactory replay the captain placed his blade a hair's breath away from his neck once again.
"Not good enough," he growled sinisterly.
"Hiei wait." I grabbed his wrist, hoping to placate him. I knew my hand on his would do nothing to restrain him if he wanted the man dead for his insolence but I thought my feelings would have enough impact on him to make him listen to me in the least.
"Really, She is wanted by some gangs so she doesn't stay long in any one place!" he cried truthfully.
"Hiei, let him go. He really doesn't know anything," I said lightly.
Hiei's eyes narrowed in consideration as he took in my wishes with his own, but slowly complied, retracting his sword to its rightful place on his side.
"Guess we're on our own. But we'll find her one way or another."
At least we knew two things about her now; her name, Shizuru, and gangs wanted her.
OOOOOKuramaOOOOO
I trudged along the dirt path purposefully and swiftly, aiming to spend the shortest time as possible in town. My goal was to quickly obtain the item we had run low on and leave even faster.
How could they forget something as simple as firewood?
(Flashback)
"Hey, Kurama! We're out of firewood, buddy! How would our favorite fox like to go get us some in town?"
I frowned, not pleased at the news. Firewood was essential, without it we would not be able to light fires, and without fires over the deep, cold ocean the crew could get sick. Yusuke, Hiei and I were probably immune to most illnesses therefore be all right, but Kuwabara, Kayko, and Botan would be susceptible. The crew I didn't care about so much, but if all of them got sick and were unable to perform their duties, we would have trouble. Though easy enough to replace, we wouldn't be able to trade them off for new members unless we were at a town or village. It would be convenient if there were sailors waiting to be picked up in the middle of the sea, but life just didn't work like that.
On the drastic side, Hiei was capable of maintaining a fire without burning anything, but it would make him irritated and angry to have to waste his energy like that. And Hiei was not pleasant to be around when he was in a bad mood. To most people half the time he was not pleasant to be around when he was in a good mood.
"Why don't you go, Yusuke? After all, keeping track of the wood was your responsibility."
"Well, I moved the firewood in the kitchen for Kayko because she was complaining about how she had to get it for the stove and how it was tiring for her to lug it all the way back. So I transferred it here and when I checked on it this morning it was almost gone. So you can see, it was mostly Kayko's fault!" Yusuke accused.
Kayko, before had been looking apologetic, but turned red with fury at Yusuke's words.
"Yusuke you jerk! How dare you blame this on me!"
Whipping her arm around, she gave him a well-deserved slap on the cheek leaving Yusuke to curse loudly and rub his throbbing face.
"That still does not explain why you are unable to retrieve the wood yourself Yusuke," I reminded.
Yusuke blushed lightly.
"Well, Kurama…I'm not a very good haggler. Whenever I'm sent out to get something I always end up getting ripped off!" Yusuke said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
(End Flashback)
I sighed. It was true. Yusuke and Kuwabara both had no tact for haggling. Hiei could outright threaten the merchant into giving him what he wanted and I was smart enough to know a good deal when I saw one. Why? Why was Hiei the only other captain with half a brain cell?
OOOOOBotanOOOOO
After walking around for ages we finally spotted Shizuru. This poor girl always seemed to be in trouble. Men, demon and human alike surrounded her, jeering. It clicked that this must be one of the gangs in town that were after her. I wondered what they wanted with her.
The older woman must have had a will made of iron, for she did not back down. On the contrary, she was still resisting, struggling, hissing, spitting, anything to prove her defiance. So enraptured were they that the girl and thugs took no notice of us until we were all but upon them.
The struggle paused. Shizuru looked at us in surprise. The thugs looked at us with annoyance and a little fear. Still, they were cocky and overconfident in their abilities and numbers.
"You!" Shizuru pointed at us.
"Give us the woman," Hiei ordered scathingly.
The gang brushed it off and had the gall to laugh at him.
"Hey, sorry buddy but we got her first. Our little lady needs to show some manners and repay her debts to us." The apparent leader came forward, of demon heritage of course. Most often the leader of a pack was the strongest, and humans couldn't compete with many things, least of all strength.
"That is of no concern to me. Give her to me or I'll take her."
"Heh. You, stranger, think you can take all of us down? We're the Yuwatari gang, we run this town. No outsider is coming to come in giving us orders," the leader boasted.
"Have it your way."
Hoping to make a fool of the pirate, three of the members charged Hiei simultaneously. They attacked in a three not because they recognized Hiei's strength, but because they were cowards. They had no shame in attacking another man in numbers.
As expected, Hiei easily parried their blows and took them out. Now angry, the whole gang charged him, having no honor code whatsoever to stop them. I stood behind and watched the all out brawl. In the mess, I remembered last time Shizuru had escaped like this. Quickly scanning the crowd I noticed her standing on the outside of the rumble much like I was. Then seeing as no one was paying her any attention, she nimbly darted off into a nearby bar.
I deftly followed and ran after her. Unfortuneatly, Shizuru might have been graced with some form of stealth that must have developed to give her a chance with all these gangs after her, but I had none of it. Some of the demons that were not engaged in the battle noticed me trying to leave and came after me.
I ducked, petrified as one of the humans tried to hit me with a spear, the weapon cut the air above my head, missing but not by much. Before he could try again, a sword plunged into his gut. Hiei pulled it out and swung it expertly at the numerous opponents that were beginning the crowd him from all angles again. I backed away to put distance between us.
Hiei tried valiantly to rid all of the opponents, but there were just too many for him to defend himself and me at the same time. They could fight for hours and they'd never land a blow on him but they also enclosed him, making it impossible to come to me should I need help.
Remembering Shizuru, I turned and fled hurriedly into the bar I had seen her take shelter in. Some of the thugs broke off and ran after me. The fire demon cursed and attempted to follow but the defense tightened and he was forced back. Blocking at axe with his sword, his leg kicked out to hit another member in the chest. Pushing the axe user back, Hiei grabbed the weapon with his free hand and snapped the handle in half and hurled the dangerous metal head at a different thug. He cried out in pain but was soon dead on the floor.
Hiei didn't care; he just wanted to finish them quickly so he could get to Botan. This was what he had been afraid of. The bluette wasn't a fighter. Without someone to protect her, the girl was defenseless and at the mercy of the thugs. May the girl be damned for running off, but Hiei knew just as well that he had no way of defending her in this situation, as much as he loathe to admit it.
I burst through the door to the bar and made a beeline for Shizuru.
"Wait!" I screamed and she paused long enough for me to grab her wrist.
"Let go!" she yelled, trying to pull out of my grip but I adamantly held on.
The door swung open again, this time with our pursuers. Breaking out of our stupor, we dove behind to bar in a last attempt to hide. Somehow the thugs didn't see us and were sniffing around the room trying to find us.
We sat with our backs pressed against the bar, out of view. I sighed in relief at the temporary safety. Shizuru glared heatedly but she couldn't run. If she got up, the gang would find her. We were stuck.
"Look princess," she snarled, "Let me make this perfectly clear. I'd sooner die than hand this gem over so you and your little bodyguard should just back off. I hate fools like you who think they can take whatever they want."
Her voice was low but threatening. The young lady was beyond pissed. And rightfully so, I guess a lot of jerks have been after her lately. All this stress would want to make me snap too. Still, I wasn't used to being talked to so harshly, and it showed on my face.
Shizuru's gaze softened a little when she saw my eyes widen and my forehead crinkle. I could picture myself looking like a scolded puppy. The ferocity in her eyes began to ebb away and retreat. She backed down with a sigh and leaned more fully on the support the bar offered.
She took out her bright green gem out of a hidden compartment in her skirt and stared at it in the flat of her hand. A faraway look took over her eyes and I got the feeling she was reminiscing about some time in her past.
"This gem was a gift to me, you know. Given to me by the most important part in my life." Shizuru looked at my reaction and my eyes begged for her to continue.
"My lover, Sakyo gave it to me as a present. Only days later he disappeared without a trace. That was months ago, and I haven't seen him since."
Her eyes were dull now, gazing at the floor in disinterest. The sorrow and pain could not be blocked out.
"I remember him saying as long as I held on to it we were sure to meet again. I thought it was strange then but now I realized he was planning to go missing. Don't you see? I can't let it go, it's all I have left of him. This gem's my only chance in meeting him again. He promised me as long as I had it we were bound to meet up again. I'm traveling now, searching for him."
I stayed silent during her tale. With that out of the closet I could understand her a lot better now. It wasn't the fact that it was a piece of the Treasure of Mortar that made it so special to her. Sakyo could have given her a bottle cap and Shizuru would've guarded it with the same passion.
Her gem was the key to finding Sakyo; my gem was the key to learning about my past. Both pieces were tied strongly to our goals. Without them, we were lost. Nodding, I made up my mind.
"Ok, go. I'll distract the goons so you can make a run for it," I said confidently.
Shizuru froze, bewildered. When she saw I wasn't joking the look changed to surprise and gratitude. Her brown orbs glazed in compassion and I smiled brightly, encouragingly.
"What about you?"
"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"
In all truth Shizuru had a better shot at them than I did. She was street-smart and had proved it when she punched that guy earlier. She was tough and hard to break. I didn't have enough experience to bluff my way out of a box but I sure wasn't going to tell her that.
We nodded to each other and stood up, revealing our position. I braced myself, happily noting that at least only two of the thugs had entered the bar. Shizuru turned to make a break for the back door but her eyes caught mine.
"Hey, thanks…" She was searching for the words to express her gratitude but I waved it off.
"Just go!" I shouted and we split apart.
"There she is!" the thugs exclaimed.
I ran to meet them, grabbing random items on top of the bar and hurling it at them. Beer bottles, shot glasses, ashtrays, it didn't matter to me. Anything at all to distract them. They closed the distance sooner than I would have liked. I tried to scramble away but they overpowered me.
They tossed me on a table, each pinning one of my wrists on the table so I would be unable to get up. I desperately tried to bite them; it did no good.
"Hey wench, you're going to pay for that," he hissed angrily.
I yelped when he gripped wrist tighter. Suddenly he was ripped off of me and thrown clear through the wall of the bar. Hiei's eyes were blazing when he, faster than my eyes could follow, slashed the other with his sword.
He sheathed his favored weapon, turning to me.
"You all right?" he asked. He was trying to look indifferent but his eyes betrayed his concern.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to you," I praised.
"No one touches what's mine."
He kicked one of the bodies hatefully.
OOOOOShizuruOOOOO
I made for the back door quickly not wanting to have the girl's sacrifice be in vain. She was different that was for sure. I didn't even know her name. She had acted so selflessly, she contained such a pure heart that surprised me. I had thought that all people with such a heart had long died out. If I ever got out of this I'd have to thank her properly.
As I ran through the doorway I noticed too late that I was not alone. Two demons belonging to the gang were stationed there, expecting me to make a break out the back. They were prepared this time.
I didn't stop running, their presence made me run all the harder actually. As one could expect they both moved to block my path. Not slowing down a bit, I punched the first demon as hard as I could. He clutched his face and landed on the floor. The other took the opportunity to grab my wrist in a death grip, yanking me back as I tried to speed past him.
Now halted, I struggled furiously to be free, but the result was his grip tightening even further. I just couldn't shake free of this guy. The other demon not holding me smirked arrogantly, raising his fist; I knew to deal me a blow for my 'insolence'. Really he just wanted to prove who was superior by smacking me.
I refused to let my fear show and instead looked on in anger at the impending doom. However, before his knuckles could make contact, he froze, eyes glazing over and then slumped backwards, no longer living. At this I couldn't help but gulp in fear.
A rose was embedded in his back, the cause of death.
"I don't approve of two male demons picking on a human woman," a cool voice rang out, sharp as steel and twice as deadly.
Breaking out of the stunned trance, I used the disturbance to forcefully remove the grip from my wrist while my demon captor was too startled by the interruption that he was unable to come back to himself in time. He snarled and reached for me again while I tried to keep the distance. My 'savior' if he could be called that, I really didn't know his intentions, was impossibly fast, and before I could blink, was between us. His stance was almost…protective.
It only took one punch from him to crumble the demon completely. Despite myself, this man scared me. He invoked fear in me that I hadn't felt since Sakyo left me. Until then I've been numb, uncaring, devoid of most emotions, above all fear. Life didn't matter to me as much; life was worthless without Sakyo.
But this man…He looked to be in his early twenties or late teens, but his eyes looked mature and impenetrable. He had eyes of someone who has lived long beyond their years, wisdom, experience, cunning, and intelligence. In a way, he almost looked like a girl; definitely had feminine qualities like his long, blood red hair.
His face was expressionless, in control; he must have had a lot of self-discipline to maintain such a cool demeanor. The man's frame was slender but strength practically vibrated off of his body. Just by one look I could tell that the man was more than he seemed. Deadly, conniving, clever, devious, killer, and power were all words I would associate with his person. Most of all he was intimidating. I was a firm believer in that the eyes were the windows of the soul, but his might have as well been a concrete wall for nothing could be depicted through them.
If death could take a human form I was certain he was it.
"I won't hurt you, I just want the gem."
I moved backwards, frightened. I knew it! He wanted it too! But this man…I couldn't fight him and win, this much I knew.
"No! I can't! It's more than just a precious stone to me! It was a gift from my boyfriend before he vanished! I need to keep it so I can find him again! It's my only chance!" I screamed desperately.
If I couldn't fight him, or at least defend myself against him, then my only option was to beg and lose my pride and hope he had a sympathetic heart. It had a very low success rate but my only shot depended on it.
The events of the day had fatigued me and wore me out. I pride myself in being collected and hard to crack, but even I have my limits. My nerves were high, my patience thin. It was just a really horrible day. I'm used to people coming after me, it happens everyday almost, but today was emotionally hectic.
The bluette had managed to soften me, the red-eyed demon that was with her and the emerald eyed demon (I figured he was demon. No human could be that fast, calculated, or natural killer that he was and pull it off with such ease), especially the emerald-eyed demon scared the heck out of me. They were a new volume of danger I had been exposed to; it frightened me and left me exhilarated at the same time.
The silence ticked on in a stand off, it was unbearable for me but the rose demon in front of me looked so at ease it disgusted me. With all the time, thoughts rushed into my mind, like how he killed the first demon. How could someone be so powerful that even a rose was deadly? It was a shame, that such a beautiful object could be turned into a murder weapon, but wasn't there a line saying every rose had its thorns? In that perspective, it seemed justifiable. Teaching not to overlook something as trivial as beauty because looks can be deceiving. The same would go for its wielder, as a matter of fact, because he was also an example of a deadly beauty.
Finally, after much consideration, he chose to break the silence.
"If you want to find him then come with me. It would be beneficial to us both. I need the gem and on the Jagan you would have better hopes of finding your boyfriend than stuck here."
Did he just say the Jagan? The Jagan? The most legendary and fearsome ship ever to sail the seas? That Jagan?
Just then two more people sped into the room through the back entrance.
"Shizuru!" I recognized the voice of the girl who had helped me earlier.
"Kurama?" She knew him?
"Kurama, you can't take the gem from her!"
"Woman, what are you talking about?" The demon with spikey black hair did not seem amused.
The red haired demon merely chuckled.
"Botan, I wasn't planning too. Meet our newest crew member."
Botan's, I finally knew her name, widened in surprise, then happiness. The fire demon's opened too, but in shock and disbelief.
"Fox, what are you doing? You can't just do that!" he exclaimed angrily.
"Why not, Hiei? You did," Kurama replied smoothly.
Hiei's, as I know new the fire demon to be called, clenched his fists and teeth but did not argue. Botan blushed and I figured that she had been put in the same situation. For a second I had a bit of admiration towards Hiei, I just couldn't fathom how could he take anything from a girl as sweet as that. It didn't seem possible. I was glad he wasn't as heartless despite how he might have seemed.
"Shizuru, you're really coming with us?"
It took me a minute to put together they were all part of the same group. All eyes were on me, awaiting my decision.
I shrugged.
"If it allows me to keep my gem and continue searching for Sakyo. At least there these thugs can't follow me."
"You seem tough enough," Hiei considered.
I turned to him, "Glad you approve." But the intonation of my voice suggested that I didn't care in the least that I had his approval, and I didn't.
He glowered, not used to being talked down too. I knew that was possibly and dangerous, pissing him off, but right now it felt just too sinfully good.
"Should we go?" Botan asked, breaking us from the glare-off.
"Not yet," Kurama murmured, "I was sent to collect firewood, courtesy of Yusuke, and now all of you can help me."
OOOOOBotanOOOOO
As we neared the ship, carrying loads of wood, well technically I only held one bag, as did Shizuru, it was Hiei and Kurama who were carrying loads that should have been impossible to carry, I felt my pace slow down until I stopped completely.
Looking back over my shoulder, I took a last look at the scenery, thinking that it might be awhile before I was allowed off the ship again. I was startled to see that Hiei had stopped when I did, leaving Shizuru and Kurama to trek on alone.
"You handled yourself pretty well. If you would prefer, you can come along next time, but stick close to me. You're really quite helpless in a fight…"
I ignored the insult. I was so happy, if I had not the logs, I think I would have jumped on him. So I settled on a bright smile!
"Thank you Hiei!" I exclaimed giddily.
"Whatever," he said indifferently, but if one could look closely, they would see his eyes had melted their frozen look and were warmer than they had been in decades.
OOOOOO
Done! This chapter, no lie, took over five days to finish! It's over 6000 words! And on top of that I have a lot of things to say!
Congratulations for the following people for guessing that the mystery person was Shizuru: Crystal Koneko, ellamr, Kuwabara99, Peneia Teke, Vindiya, MystiKoorime, Mel A. T, heartluv, Kitsune Kit, booworm0492 and Ashley Dawn Kirk. Good job you guys!
If any unregistered users leave their email address then I'm just going to assume they want an email update when the next chapter pops up unless they tell me differently. So if you leave your email, I'm going to email you the next chapter ok? I'm doing this because I've offered before so I'm not sure if you leave your email if you want it or are just leaving it for whatever reason, so from here on out you've been warned! However, I'll only be emailing those who left their email for that chapter, so if you indeed do want the email update, then leave a review with it because I look at them when I write the responses for the chapter, so if it's not it there, you won't be receiving an update.
Shizuru is NOT Kuwabara's sister in this fic. They are in no way blood related and they have never met before. I may include some scenes where they have a brother/sister relationship but they are not connected by blood. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Last but not least, for future chapters I'm going to have a favorite line competition. In a review or email, leave you're favorite line in the chapter, and I'll put the winner in the next chapter to see which one won. Some reviewers just said a certain line was funny, and I'm surprise a couple of you said the same one. I thought it would be amusing to see which line in each chapter come out the favorite, so if its not to much trouble, if a certain line stays in your mind, write it down and submit it!
Last Chapter's Winner: "Obviously now you've figured out you've done something that's pissed us off so much I could spirit gun you to hell and back but you're not worth the hole in my ship!"-Yusuke.
Thanks for listening to all of that! The next chapter will be posted with 150 reviews!
Freesia