Disclaimer: who would've thought Utada Hikaru's songs would be for sale on Real Player?
Fall
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame
—U2, "One"
Chapter Three: Solitary Right
Hiei put a finger to his lips as they walked from Kurama's apartment building. True, keeping silent wouldn't get Koenma off their tail (if he was actually tracking them), but it made Hiei feel marginally more secure, so why not? Walking silently down the sidewalk, Hiei glanced out of the corner of his eye to make sure Kurama was following him. Indeed he was, but looking rather more like he was a secret spy on some dangerous mission than the casual fox who perfectly blended in with the human race he was. Hiei rolled his eyes and shook it off, trying not to focus too much on Kurama's absent-mindedness. He concentrated instead on placing one foot in front of the other in a perfectly straight line.
Almost.
Walking on in this manner for some time, Hiei eventually looked back at Kurama again and saw him walking in a similar fashion, apparently trying to mimic Hiei's steps exactly. If Hiei had been leaving footprints, he was sure Kurama would have stepped in them. That wasn't at all odd, he told himself firmly. Not considering the circumstances. People with mental disorders, so they were called, often developed obsessive and peculiar habits, Hiei knew. It was all right.
All right.
Tempted, a few minutes later, to look back at his partner again, Hiei stubbornly determined that he would not turn around until they had reached their destination. He could sense Kurama behind him and visual confirmation was not necessary. The trees in the throes of autumn were pretty; he could look at those, instead. Yes, would you just look at those bright oranges and yellows and reds, Hiei thought idly. How pretty. That poor, dying chlorophyll would be revitalized soon enough. Periodic death was good for something like that.
Kurama's aura still flickered behind him and would you just listen to those dead leaves crunching underfoot! And that wind was wonderful, of course. Not so hard as to slow him down but not so light as to make him question its existence. Nicely autumn-ish. Like some kind of natural coolant.
Natural coolant, that was an interesting thing to think of, Hiei thought sarcastically. He absolutely refused to turn around, though—he would not look for Kurama when he could sense him right there. His energy—slight warping, with a warmish tint to it—was completely accounted for. Hiei would not turn around; there was no need.
Walking blindly back to where he had emerged into the human's realm, Hiei stared at the ground and thought about Yûsuke's appearance back at Kurama's house. It had been awfully inconvenient…hadn't Kurama said on the phone that they had a lot of catching up to do? So they hadn't seen each other in some time. Yet oddly, Yûsuke had chosen that afternoon to call Kurama and propose a visit. He insisted that Koenma had nothing to do with it, but the demigod had a nasty habit of interfering with their team's business when he wasn't wanted. Was it Koenma's doing? Did he worry so much over Kurama's well being? Why? They were all officially out of his services—Kurama kept in contact with him as a matter of convenience. If he ever needed a book from Koenma's library or to monitor an acquaintance or such a thing, it was better to make sure they were on good terms.
But then why was Koenma so concerned with Kurama staying in good mental capacity? Unless he was worried Kurama would go completely insane and try to take over the Earth, he would have no reason to be worried. And Kurama taking over the world…was not something Hiei could see.
Abruptly realizing that he wasn't walking anymore, and hadn't been for some time, Hiei turned around and saw Kurama standing there, placidly watching him with large doe eyes for some reason. He shrugged it off (figuratively—Hiei wouldn't let Kurama know he was even slightly unnerved) and whistled loudly. Kurama watched with some apparent amusement as an imp appeared, handed Hiei something, and promptly had his head chopped off (with much squealing and what sounded like attempted reason). Hiei looked at whatever the imp had given him and incinerated it, pulling together some energy and tearing open a portal.
"What was that?" Kurama asked sweetly, gesturing to the space in which the paper had been burned. Hiei shrugged.
"A note from Mukuro," he said idly. "She wants me to come back now."
"Shouldn't you, then?" Kurama asked. Hiei shook his head.
"This is just a little more important," he said. Kurama smiled brightly and nodded.
"I suppose."
Hiei shoved Kurama forward into the gaping hole and followed at once, closing the gate behind him. Kurama walked purposefully forward, not waiting for Hiei to point the direction—that might have been a good sign. Kurama was keeping himself collected enough to know that these portals were not harmful. Of course, Hiei reflected, he could be so blinded by his foolishness that he forgot to be afraid. Hoping for the former, Hiei pushed on.
Despite all his time to think (which may have seemed longer than it was), the trip was quick and in the dull flash of a closing portal, Hiei and Kurama landed on the ground in Makai. Idly, without the careful and suspicious eye most used when walking around this wasteland of slave trades, death, and prostitution, Kurama looked up at the bloody red sky and wandered off in no particular direction. Leaping over, Hiei took Kurama's shoulders and held him fast, stopping him from getting away.
Feeling more and more like some kind of keeper, Hiei shoved Kurama to the ground and knelt before him.
Kurama smiled. "Now what?" he asked.
"Now," Hiei replied, heaving a deep sigh, "I…don't know. You're Miru's target—is there anywhere she might be waiting for us, although we've arrived unexpectedly?"
"I don't think so," Kurama said with hints of his old reasoning skills leaking into his voice. "There are some haunts I would go to, but anyone who would be waiting there wouldn't really be waiting for us, per say. They would be there as insurance, in case we arrived unexpectedly, as you put it."
"How would that help her?" Hiei asked curtly. Kurama shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked more and more like himself.
"I'm not certain," he said. "Perhaps the person waiting would be merely bait, and she would be using some sort of lookout system to track them all."
Hiei raised an eyebrow. That sounded a little farfetched…so Kurama was close to himself, but not quite there yet. The air, thick with the stench of blood, seemed to be good for him. Could it be reminding him of who he was? Had he forgotten? Hiei shook his head and stood, offering his hand to help Kurama up. The fox didn't take it, but not out of insolence or anything—he seemed to have looked over it, or at least not seen it. Withdrawing his offer with the air of someone who had been burned, Hiei turned in a slow circle, looking around the scenery.
What he was searching for, even he wasn't sure. Some trace of energy he recognized as being part of Miru's crew, perhaps, though the likelihood of sensing anything like that from his present location—almost exactly where the portal had dumped him—was low at best. If he was an extremely lucky person, maybe, but Hiei was not known for his high levels of good fortune.
"Which direction should we go?" he asked idly. Kurama seemed to be as clueless as he felt just then, but maybe he would know where to try to look.
"Oh?" Kurama said, seemingly startled. He turned around, looking like a paranoid deer, and Hiei tried not to laugh at him, instead raising his eyebrow and tilting his head. He didn't want to interrupt, if Kurama was sensing…something (which he seemed to be, or at least trying to).
Then, as though he wasn't paying attention to his own actions, or was in some kind of trance, Kurama pointed due south. Hiei set off at once and it took him a moment to realize that Kurama wasn't following. Turning back around, he looked at his companion quizzically and gestured for him to follow, but the fox was still standing there, staring ahead with muted eyes. Hiei tried gesturing again with more energetic waves, but Kurama didn't seem to notice him at all.
"Kurama!" Hiei said sharply. Blinking a few times, a usual sign of awakening from a daze, Kurama looked at Hiei and nodded. Though this confused the fire demon a great deal, he beckoned Kurama to follow him again and he did so. Resisting the urge to ask Kurama what had happened, for fear he would somehow interpret it as a threat (despite his apparent bits of recovery, the fox was in an extremely unstable place), Hiei walked on, making sure to match his pace to Kurama's. Surprisingly, Kurama looked down at Hiei with sharp eyes and picked up his pace just a little.
"Why are you moving so slowly?" he said in a matching voice. "If we hope to catch Miru, we have to move quickly."
Hiei turned aside under the pretense of getting his bearings, but secretly glared at the scenery. Kurama had no right to speak to him as such—he was only trying to help, and the fox wasn't well off enough (mentally, at least) to be making any judgments at all. Hiei simply nodded, still not looking away from the mountains in the distance. They walked on a bit faster than before.
Idly, Hiei pondered what to do next. He was bored, yes, and he wouldn't act too well under that condition…but he shouldn't be bored. His best friend's—at least, he thought Kurama was still his best friend—anyway, his sanity was teetering between there and not, and that was never good.
So what did he need to do? Get Kurama around Miru and kill the bitch, of course. So…why? To restore Kurama's state of mind. And that was important because Hiei loved him, right? Right, of course. That was the reason. The only reason.
Only because Hiei wanted the love of his life to be better. Because, Hiei continued reasoning, if Kurama was better, Hiei would feel better. And that was really what mattered…dammit, he was trying to do something selfless and it wasn't working out. Help Kurama restore his precious, valuable, brilliant mind so as to keep the fox thinking clearly and thinking like himself. Then Kurama would be all better and then Kurama would be happy. That was good, that was thinking about someone else. But such a thought as that…thinking about someone else was making him selfless, but taking pride in that was selfish. Dammit!
Even beyond that base degree, was Hiei really trying to restore Kurama's mind for Kurama's sake? If Kurama was well, then Hiei could go to him with all his own problems and seek advice. Kurama would be able to help, which would make Hiei feel better. So Hiei helping Kurama was really…only to help Hiei in the long run. This was why selflessness was never worth it, Hiei thought bitterly. None of it was really selfless at all, and it was better not to pretend.
"Indeed," he said, partly reflecting his own thoughts, partly in late response to Kurama's earlier insistence.
"Hurry along, then," Kurama said slightly snappishly, picking up his own pace and forcing Hiei to follow suit.
Awkwardly tripping in surprise, Hiei quickly matched Kurama's pace and walked in step with him. Role reversal, he thought with a little resentment. Wasn't he supposed to be the sane one? In other words, the one to keep control? Yet here was Kurama, being distinctly un-Kurama and ordering (at least, as good as ordering) Hiei to move faster. As though he wanted Hiei around him, which was odd.
Frustrating as this all was, though, it was a good sign—sort of. Kurama wasn't necessarily keeping his head, but at least he was trying to take control of the situation. That was…good. Yes…good.
"Do you even know where you're going?" Hiei asked suddenly, realizing that he had no idea where they were headed. Kurama blinked, seemingly startled—at what, Hiei couldn't tell—and looked at his partner incredulously.
"Of course I do," he said. "Don't you?"
"To find Miru," Hiei guessed sarcastically.
"Yes, of course," Kurama said. Hiei did a quick double-take. He hadn't been serious…but Kurama was nodding, and from what Hiei could tell, he wasn't in a mood to joke, so he must be!
Choosing not to comment, Hiei nodded as well, his expression (still facing aside) turning silently stunned. Maybe he should stop talking entirely…which would only leave him with his thoughts, and those weren't cheerful or uplifting, or even comforting at all. Hiei frowned. Damn, but this was frustrating.
"Do you know where she is?" he ventured after a little while. Kurama looked down at him, and he stared back, his eyes slightly narrowed. He was clearly doubtful, but whether or not Kurama would pick up on that, he wasn't sure. He hoped not, something he usually wouldn't be able to do due to Kurama's acute sense of others' emotions. But in this case…it was possible. Even likely.
"She's this way," Kurama said simply, gesturing forward. Hiei nodded, his face falling a little. He had known that, and Kurama pointing it out was another sign of his absent mind. Oh, well. They would work on that.
"Right, then," he said quietly. Things would be better. Eventually, they had to be. Eventually.
So they walked, and walked, and walked a little more. Finally, after what seemed like hours (and probably was), Kurama stopped walking and pointed again. Hiei looked at him curiously and waited for some explanation of this random act.
"It's not her," Kurama said, "but it feels like her. Like she was there."
"Is there someone there?" Hiei asked, recalling the wild goose chase Miru had sent them on for the last mission.
"Someone…" Kurama trailed off. "Yes, someone. Someone weak."
Hiei huffed and rolled his eyes. Someone weak—so this was very much like the chase they had run last time. Wonderful.
"Can you pinpoint him?" Hiei asked anyway. Kurama nodded, pointing again.
"There. Let's go, shall we?"
"…indeed."
---
For the third time in a row, Yûsuke picked up his telephone and dialed Kurama's apartment. The fox had been acting weird when he'd visited, and he'd suspected that something was about to happen. Something big that he might or might not be involved in. Being the curious little beaver he was, he wanted in—whether he was involved or not.
"Come on come on…" he muttered as the phone rang. Three chimes…four…
"Hello!"
"Kurama! Finally!"
"This is the Minamino Shûichi residence. I'm not in right now…"
Cursing violently, Yûsuke slammed down the phone. He knew he shouldn't be so angry, but he had only just seen Kurama and Hiei, yet let slip the chance to talk to…them?
Them…
Hiei must have something to do with this. Hiei meant a trip to Makai, almost certainly. Hiei and Kurama in Makai meant…ohh.
Damn that sneaky bastard.
Of course, that left only one course of action (well, two, actually): call Koenma. Then call Kuwabara. Looking up at the ceiling, Yûsuke decided to use an old, tried-and-true method of contacting the world of the dead.
"BOTAAAN!"
Yûsuke waited a few seconds and tilted his head further back, drawing in another breath.
"BOTAAAN!"
Another few seconds passed. Yûsuke was getting a little annoyed; he might actually have to make the effort to go see Koenma at his castle.
"BO—"
"All right, all right, I heard you!" Botan appeared out of midair, as she often did. Twirling her oar, she stored it in a private pocket in the space time continuum and shook her head as though clearing water from her ears. "What is it?"
"What took you so long?" Yûsuke asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. Botan crossed her eyes in an annoyed glare, her lower lip protruding just slightly and her arms crossed as well, her hip thrown out.
"So long?" she asked. "I got here as quickly as I could! I only just heard you—what, am I supposed to be psychic, able to read your thoughts from dimensions away? And what kind of greeting is that after all this time? 'What took you so long,' he says."
Huffing his irritation, Yûsuke sharply shook his head and spread his hands a little pleadingly. "Kurama's gone off," he explained, "and I was just over at his place earlier today."
"So?" Botan asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's hardly official business. He's probably at the store or something."
"No, no," Yûsuke said determinedly, shaking his head. "When I was over there, Hiei was, too. I think he got Kurama to go with him to Makai to—"
"—confront Miru," Botan finished with a small breath. "This is bad, very bad."
"I know!"
---
This trudging had been going on for quite some time. Hiei was getting annoyed and more than a little bored.
"How—" he stopped himself short of saying "How much longer?" Kurama looked down curiously, his pace (which was now quite fast) never faltering.
"Where is our destination?" Hiei asked instead. "From here, how much farther?"
That was basically the same question, he reasoned, but asked less childishly. It would do for just then.
Kurama looked around curiously, like an animal gaining its bearings, and gestured somewhere ahead of them. Hiei wondered if he actually knew where they were going or if he was only following his instinct. He wasn't sure which option he would prefer.
"Not far," Kurama elaborated. "See that villa there? It's just a bit beyond that. Maybe underground."
Underground, Hiei thought bitterly. This was exactly like the goose chase. Damn it all, why was she so fixated on his friend? It couldn't be Kuwabara, in which case this whole ordeal would be Yûsuke's problem. Damn!
"Let's hurry," Hiei said, hiding his impatience well enough and breaking into a sprint he knew Kurama would barely be able to keep up with. Sure enough, he did, and they made it to the villa's far boarder in record time.
"Right there," Kurama said, walking up to a scruffy-looking house and looking at the ground it rested on. Hiei stood beside him and looked down, as well. The dirt was soft and gravelly—easy to break. This shouldn't be too hard.
Stabbing his sword into the earth, Hiei set it all on fire and waited for the burn to die.
---
Ooh, and we're about to meet Miru's first lackey thing. No, this "goose chase," as Hiei calls it, will not be exactly like the one in "Balance." Similar, yes. The same, no. It gets even better later on.
The next chapter (or…not the next, but soon) should be focused at least a little more on Yûsuke and Kuwabara in Ningenkai. There is a tiny, slightly humorous side story going on with them as they try to track down Koenma and to find out where Kurama and Hiei have gone off to, precisely, and how they can get there ASAP. So in the meantime, be patient, forgive me for posting two new pieces before this chapter, and review, review, review.
