Disclaimer: Don't own YYH or Osa.
Japanese to Know:
Hajime - Begin
Nani - What
Hokage wa doko ni imasu ka - Where's Hokage? (lit. "Where is Hokage living/alive?")
Chapter 32
Letting the Chained Bird Sing
Yuusuke and Kuwabara took up their stances in one of the gyms. Kuwabara readied his Spirit Sword. Yuusuke unbuttoned his shirt. The tension mounted between the two. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Hajime!" they shouted, running forward.
Kuwabara moved faster and with more precise motions. He was no longer clumsy and uncertain. Moving with determination and a fierce will to prove himself. The boy he once was now lay in the past, and a new man strode forward. He thought clearly and carefully, taking in everything. And yet, at the same time, he thought about nothing. His mind was empty. But his heart—yes—was full of fire. That's where he was fighting. That's what drove him.
Yuusuke, too, had changed. He was no longer the punk from his teenage years. No, he was a man—a demon. The blood pumping in his veins transformed him. Made him fight smarter, think harder, move faster. But still, the demon blood only brought out those traits faster. He had begun changing into a man a long time ago. His friends, his courage, and his will to keep living gave everything that he was to him. And he used every bit of it.
"Yuusuke."
The two combatants froze in mid-swing. Yuusuke looked to the door to see Kurama. "Nani?" he said, straightening.
"Hokage wa doko ni imasu ka."
"Eh? I dunno. She was with Koenma when we left. After that…who knows?"
"Kuwabara?"
He shrugged.
Kurama sighed. "All right, thanks anyway." He left the room and wandered through the halls. "I wonder where she could be."
Hokage wrapped a blanket around her tightly and sauntered onto the balcony. She leaned her head on Hiei's shoulder and smiled softly.
"Aren't you cold?" she whispered, stroking his bare chest.
"I don't get cold."
"Your toes were freezing."
Hiei smirked and leaned over to kiss her head. Chuckling, Hokage wrapped the blanket about him, too, and together they gazed at the stars.
After a bit, she took on a sad smile and said, "No matter what happens, Hiei, I'll always love you."
He hugged her naked body to his and kissed the nape of her neck. "Nothing's going to happen. I trust you, Hokage. I trust you."
"Please don't stop trusting me, Hiei. On that battlefield, things will get tough. Swear you won't stop me."
"Stop you from what?"
She turned to face him. "Just swear to me, Hiei. Don't ask. Please."
"I swear."
Leaning into him, she closed her eyes and smiled. "You trusting fool."
Hiei's eyes widened and he tried to push her away, but Darkfire held tightly. "Release me!" he hissed.
"You think it's that easy? You think you can swear to trust someone? Fool. How can you trust someone who won't tell you what she's up to?"
"That doesn't concern you!"
"Doesn't concern me, you say. That's funny! She's not the only one using this body, you know. Our lives are intertwined…so I think it concerns me a great deal!" She gripped his skin beneath her nails. "You've no idea how much this concerns me, you arrogant bastard!"
The demon bared his teeth, eyes glowing with anger.
"We share this girl, Hiei. I love her just as much as you. Her survival depends on my love…not yours." She sighed and removed her nails. "When the time of her death comes, though, it'll be you she calls for. You'll be the last thing on her mind. The last word on her lips. Feel grateful of the fact."
"You speak as though she's already dead."
Darkfire closed her eyes tightly. "If only you knew," she thought. "Hokage is dead, a walking corpse. She didn't want to appear weak…that's why I'm out here. Hiei, if only you could feel her pain. If only you could save her."
"Dearest Hiei," she whispered, "your beloved will never really be dead. Not to you, not to anyone."
"I think I can handle it now," Hokage thought.
"Are you sure?"
"No, but I'm going to try."
Darkfire stepped aside and allowed Hokage to once again control her body. In a desperate attempt to neither cry nor fall, she held Hiei tightly and bit her lip. She pressed her face into his chest as the blanket began to slip away.
"You don't have to be afraid," he whispered, pulling the blanket around her. "I won't let you fall. I won't." He picked her up and carried her back into the room, shutting the door to the balcony. After laying her on the floor, he began picking up the clothes. She watched his half naked figure move busily about the dark room, eyelids heavy.
"Hiei, I'll always love you."
He stopped and looked back at her. "Sleep, you look tired."
"Oh, Kurama-kun," Osadyro smiled, stopping at the end of the hall. She noticed his searching eyes as he walked towards her. "Lose something?"
The fox halted beside the girl. "Hokage…you haven't seen her, have you?"
Osadyro shook her head. "Not since we left Koenma's office. Why?"
"Huh? Oh, I…honestly, I don't know." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter." His eyes flashed gold as he stroked her cheek tenderly. Opening one of the nearby doors, he pulled her in. A smirk spread on his lips and he gripped her neck, driving her to the ground.
Osadyro pulled roughly at his hand and arm. She kicked out, but he wrapped his legs around hers. Her green eyes glared at him frightfully.
"Why do you fight? Do you not trust my hands?" he laughed in a voice that did not match his face. His free hand traced her hip softly. "If you relaxed, you'd see that you're in no danger."
"Is this your way of revenge, fox?" the angel snarled, still struggling.
He smiled. "Revenge? No, no, not at all. This is merely an experiment of pleasure."
"Yes, well, perhaps you could experiment on someone else."
Kurama kissed her nose. "No, just you."
"She doesn't love you, fox. Kurama is the one she wants. You can't force her."
"Kurama may be the one she loves, but he's not the one you love." He kissed her lips tenderly, red hair turning silver. "Just relax. You're free now. You're bound by no rules."
She closed her eyes and let her arms fall limp. Her breathing fell in rhythm with his. For a moment, when everything was silent and still, she remembered who she used to be. She remembered how free she was. How happy she was. Before God took her soul and made it obey.
And then her thoughts were only of Youko.
Special note to Osa, the creator of Osadyro - You know that review you gave me? Well, HA! Your turn!
Yea, just had to do that.