"It hurts! No!"
Chest clenched, eyes wide, I peered over the top of the back of the couch. There was creepy and then there was creepy and then there was creepier. Makihara had turned out to be able to read minds, no wonder he'd been laughing before. He must have overheard my thoughts. My planning. But, I guess thankfully, not mentioned it in his monologue. And then he'd turned out to be the elder Toguro. Creepier. But creepiest and scariest beyond all else was this.
Kurama. And his plants.
"I'll show you! Aah! Ah-ha ha!"
The plant wrapped and wrapped and wrapped around the elder Toguro brother, his head sticking out from Makihara's body, hair-raising up on the back of my neck as the plant cocooned him.
"I'll tear you apart! And just wait! Aah! Hahaha! I'll keep enough of you alive long enough to see what's planned for that woman's apprentice! Aaah!"
"Such is the plant's nature," Kurama spoke evenly. The plant had entirely enveloped the screaming man. It looked like the Scream painting, the limbs encircling the elder Toguro in some weird mockery of a hug. "Only your own sins can hurt you."
Oh my. Something inside of me swore. Sensui wanted me to help buy time if needed to make sure the tunnel formed properly. Like I bought that or did not know better, but he believed it. Along with me having some sort of… I swallowed. What was I supposed to do? Shock the experienced fighters with my growing spirit energy? Was it supposed to be impressive of who Sensui thought I was supposed to be?
"Uh, Kurama? If I ever did something that pissed you off, I'm sorry."
"Me too."
I stared over the couch, utterly terrified. The thought up plans in my head, things I could possibly do, they all just left my head. I'm not even eight years old yet! This is crazy!
Sensui leaned over and murmured something to Itsuki, who was at his side.
"Now only two remain in our path."
"Right." Yusuke's head dipped down at what Kurama stated and stepped forward, toward Sensui and Itsuki. "Your end of the world party's dwindling, Sensui! And I trust you don't want to be plant food."
At this point, I don't really think I would mind that option. I peered over to the sharp face. With that eyes and stance and what I just witnessed and what Makihara, er, the elder Toguro mentioned before of why that face… Go, Kurama.
My fist clenched, tingling a bit. And then I pulled it back inward, hand dropping down. I swallowed. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. Really loudly. I knew, I knew, but still… Tsukihito…
"You bastard!"
I lift my head back up. Focus. Focus, Rin! You can't not pay attention. Carefully, I watched from behind the couch, waiting.
Sensui said he'd let me know when he needed me to step up and help with the 'Spirit World mission' to protect the tunnel and buy time. Which meant, I needed to be quick and try to figure out the best way to look like I tried to buy time, but not actually help him. Or figure out if he was or wasn't going to need me—Me? Really?—and go with a way to sneak around whatever he had going on.
To Yusuke's yell, however, Sensui nodded his head in a direction just off to the side and behind them. Tied up, with ropes from the boat before Makihara, AKA the elder Toguro brother, placed on him before his time with Kurama, was Kuwabara. He sat on the ground, struggling to wiggle his way out of the ropes, looking wide eyed in alarm.
"Look, there!"
"Kuwabara?" Yusuke shouted loudly. I stared in amazement as he turned his back to Sensui. As did the others as they followed behind, racing over to Kuwabara. "What the hell are you doing over there?"
Attention split, I caught Kurama untying Kuwabara and Sensui merely watching with no signs of being bothered. Well. I guess he's at least not the type to take advantage that way. Even if he was taken advantages in other ways.
"Geez. Not being able to tell you guys how to fight…that's worse than dying."
"Stay focused. How did you get over here?"
The smile on Sensui's face changes. I'm not close enough to see how or figure out what kind of smile it looks like, but I know it changed. Just slightly. But enough. I scan across him and Itsuki and the group gathered by Kuwabara. A pair of red eyes quickly snapped away from glancing over at me, flickering to and fro in the cavern as shadows shifted from the lights and tunnel. It wasn't me, Hiei. Er, well, I don't think so. Pretty sure.
I looked back to Sensui. His gaze was focused on them. If this was the time he wanted to call me, it certainly did not look like it.
"I dunno really. One minute I was sitting in the boat and the next thing, I was all mixed around. Dizzy. Soon as I got my wits together, I was here."
"Did you see something?"
"Well, uh…"
I gasped. There shouldn't be a shadow like that on the ground, moving like that! We were in a cavern! There wasn't any light source from up above. Popping up, I climbed as high as I could on the couch, trying to see it better.
"Look, Kurama." Hiei quickly spoke up.
"Ugh! Yeah! Maybe something like that!"
"Okay," Yusuke spoke up. Tense and glibly all at once. I wish I could manage that trick right now. Glibly. Eyes wide, I stared at the huge shadow thing. "Another thing on my weird list just got checked off."
The shadow made its way underneath them, its shape looking vaguely human from my viewpoint. I swallow, throat dry and watch as they all freeze. Casting gazes down and about for a way away. I strain higher up and look for a safe place, a place of light where the shadow cannot reach. But when I hear Itsuki chuckling, I shout out.
"No!"
And a hole opens beneath them. In the shape of a mouth. Swallowing them down, down under the ground, down into the shadowy depths.
"Yep. There goes another one!" Yusuke yells, arms pin wheeling. All of them falling, screaming.
I stare.
Decidedly crunching type noises and what looked like to be a mouth on the giant shadow, if only lips counted for a mouth, moving as though it were a human part and working a bite of food. Eyes and mouth disappeared as the shadow moved across the cave floor.
I, uh, I don't think he'll need me to buy time after all…
Goosebumps shiver up my arms and meet someplace at the back of my shoulder blades.
That thing just ate everyone!
Wide eyed, I stared at it. What was that even? That's not right! Not right! They were gone. Gone. I had a plan for this. I had a plan if they were not here in time or did not manage to give Sensui a run for his money in going against him. But…
How was I to enact somehow sneaking around Sensui and Itsuki, which sounded difficult enough, to try my plan in buying time on the tunnel actually forming and slowing it down with this thing?
It ate them!
The mouth reappeared as the shadow went up the wall. Why? Why was the mouth back? I stared. And then it spat out Yusuke—He was alive!—sending him flying across the air, screaming and landing with a hard crash onto the ground.
I turned my head back to the shadow thing, which did not move. Was that it? Could I still try sneaking when Sensui and Itsuki were distracted? Wait, no, Yusuke was here to do… I breathed in. Distraction!
Yusuke got up, brown eyes going over to the pair. "Stupid."
"I'll leave you two alone." Itsuki said. And he sunk into the floor.
Into the floor? Right, spirit energy, demon energy, odd abilities. Come on, Rin, focus. Where'd he go? And can I sneak while Yusuke distracts Sensui in his need to fight him?
With the odds and ends I caught about him, saw pieces of animated him, Yusuke seemed the type and looked ready for it.
My chances looked up and good. Or better at least. I shifted, preparing to move as soon as they started going at it.
Sensui made a large jump, twisting in the air to land before Yusuke. Looks like it. Yusuke leapt back from him, defensive. Both look ready to go.
Quickly, I look to the shadow thing on the wall, unmoving. No idea where Itsuki went to, but…
I took in a breath. You can do this Rin. Yuu isn't here. He won't be dragged into this. Sensui can't use him. And he can't use me. Or former life me like he thinks he can.
But… I swallowed. And stayed put.
Yusuke is a fighter. He has a chance. Has a chance to take down Sensui.
Still, I had to do something about that gaping hole up there. I have something of a plan, an idea. And a distraction about to begin so I'll have time to try it. A distraction away from where I am and what I will be doing.
I steeled myself, waiting for the cue of skin hitting skin to make my break for it.
Okay, I need to pause. Just for a moment.
You know what?
I was and am still serious. I am going to be taken seriously. I will keep talking. I am going to keep telling my story and things and everything in between. I am not giving in. I will not give myself up.
Okay. I don't know everyone of who is all listening to me out there. But I know you're there. Right now. You've got to be, I'm sure of it. If you're not… Oh, oh words fail me if you're not one of those listening.
But you. You know who you are. And you are going to listen to me. You are going to hear me, I swear it. You will have to, I am making sure of it. For when this fails.
Because I was straight up, not shitting you, fucking serious. You utter royal asshole.
"I don't know what you did with my friends, but I tell you now for every one you hurt, I'm taking a limb."
That's…that's terrifying. Coming out of the mouth of anyone. Much less a kid. Even if he was older than me, he was still younger than Yuu. A kid.
"You're misunderstanding it. Your friends haven't been touched." Watching, I noticed Sensui's head angle to the side, eyes meeting mine for a second. Then back. Keep your eye on Yusuke mister. "They are not dead, nor hurt. I'm not interested in their fates. I just don't want distractions."
"So. Then it's time."
Sensui turned his head fully, I could see a smile on his face. At me. Oh. Oh, no. No, no, no.
"Not quite."
Tensing, Yusuke turned to look, wary brown eyes frowning and looking pissed. "You're plying another kid?"
"Not quite." Grasping behind his back, Sensui slipped out a thin book and tossed it over at Yusuke. Going wide eyed at the sudden move, Yusuke nearly ducked, but changed mind to snag at it, fumbling it with a curse.
"The hell's up with the—the hell?" Yusuke sputtered. "This is a guide book from Spirit World! How the hell do you even have this?"
I moved. Going over. Sensui still thought I believed him. Right? If I just play along, halfhearted until I figure out something or maybe I should just go right over to Yusuke, help from the start. Except…there was this danger warning blaring inside of me to not place myself as inconsequential to his plans and therefore easily disposable. Keep to the plan. Even if I may have to figure out a way to get around whatever Sensui had going on to get these two fighting each other.
Flipping the pages, Yusuke looked up, completely bewildered and thrown. "This is Kaito's guide book. What the… Why?"
Yuu?
Panic sprung through me again.
Sensui's lips slid into a pleased smile. "To know thy enemy. To know more than he even knows, or is allowed to know." Then his eyes slid momentarily over at me, smile growing, before his attention refocused onto Yusuke.
Completely unnerving.
Still, the gaping hole of demons, the growing space connecting here to there was getting so close. Quickly, I glanced over to check again while the guy wasn't looking at me. I couldn't really in my heart or head go with Sensui's idea to waste time. Then again, going against him was pretty beyond me too. Well, no, because I was already against him. But actually saying that or doing something directly against him, thing that likely could wind up with me fighting him… Uh, yeah, no. Freaking terrifying.
But why have Yuu's guide book? Why have that? He wanted me, or well, me. Not Yuu. I'd been reassured by that. Just a bit. But now… Why have that?
"The f—"
The snort and words were cut sharply short. Everything around Yusuke did. The constant ebb of energy and movement just went utterly still.
"You have… Kaito Rin to contend with."
Sensui's lips had quirked up at the use of my name, winking at me conspiratorially. A long limb stretched outward and lightly plucked the hood from my head. He nodded at me. Unsure, I turned to look up at Yusuke, who still remained, staring unseeing at Yuu's guide book.
As though he was waiting, Sensei did not speak again until the brown eyes slowly lifted from the guide book to stare, utterly discombobulated, right at me, mouth parting open.
"Feel free to not just take my word for it. But, she is far more than what her first appearance suggests."
Well, yeah, but…that for sure wasn't written in Yuu's guide book, much less mine as I was written to die, not…
What was in there that Yusuke had read?
"This is your opponent. No friends to step forward in your place. No distractions. So simple, isn't it?" Sensui's smile grew. His long arm swept across in front of him, eyes sparked in vested interest as he eyed Yusuke over and Yusuke's step back. I watched Yusuke too. His face had long since gone pale and pained. Eyes still on me, hadn't left me. "Laying it right out there. It's just you…versus her."
I'd rather figure out some way to take you down and use that bit of an idea in how to close up the hole. The thing I was hoping to do while you were distracted in fighting Yusuke. Not drawing me into the middle of you distracting Yusuke from his need to fight you.
"Old man," Yusuke croaked. Shaking his head and the inattentive words, his eyes never strayed off of me as he restarted. "Your old man is Yoshida? Yoshida Akio?"
Startled at the question, I merely nodded.
That was it? And, who and what exactly was our dad? That a street fighting punk would know and recognize the name and fear it? Some sort of high ranking yakuza member or something?
Huh.
That actually might explain why Yuu was so against physical altercations and violence.
Except, well, it looked as though Yusuke might need a jumpstart reminder to fight Sensui. And I couldn't just tell that to him. I'd be easily disposable. Thus, not able to even try my plan and idea of doing something to that hole of demons straining to burst out. He was a street punk and something in me informed me he was far more of an action guy, which fights brought out his best. Perhaps worst too, but…
Fisting my hands tightly, I drew the tingling feel of spirit energy into my palms.
There was a distraught intake of air. Yusuke's foot sliding back. Just a little. But noticeable. Sensui chuckled somewhere behind me. I flared up my energy, trying to quickly figure out the best attack to affect Yusuke, to knock him out of whatever funk he was in.
Best be in a hurry to have my never-been-in-a-fight-before butt kicked.
There wasn't time for this.
I ran right for him.