Hmm I think my chappies are getting a bit longer word-wise...eh, why not? Anyways, I'm uploading this one one review early cuz I'm in a really good mood. But I want three reviews before I update again, you hear? Thanks to the two reviewers.
By the way, it's been pointed out, and I am aware of this, that at random times I shifted from past tense to present tense. This is because The Feline Curse was originally in present tense in quiz format on Quizilla. Yes, the story is mine, it's on my quizilla account (my user is lobogirl-nariko if anyone's interested) but as a fanfic I've been doing a lot of editing, and I think it's much better than the quizzes. However, while I'm recopying the chapters, sometimes I'll accidentally make a verb present tense instead of past tense. So I apologize in advance for any mistakes I may have overlooked. Thanks for understanding!
Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. I do own The Feline Curse.
CHAPTER ELEVEN – CHANGE OF HEART
When Catalyn returned from insensitivity, she was surprised to feel no pain whatsoever. She also had the strange feeling that she was standing. She opened her eyes. She was in a small, dimly lit room with almost no walking space. She was upright, but her arms and legs were chained to a wall. Kurama was in the same position next to her, still out of it.
"Kurama," she whispered urgently. "Kurama, wake up."
Kurama slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and quietly drank in the situation. "Where's Kuwabara?" he asked.
"I don't know," she answered.
Her ears prickled, and she noticed a small TV screen in the corner across from her. It showed Kuwabara, in the dark room from before, his aura sword out. He was fighting a greenish, monstrous looking thing with multiple arms, legs, eyes, tails, ears, mouths, and whatever else possible (just don't stray down the wrong path). "Where are my friends?" Kuwabara was yelling.
"They have been locked away," the monster roared. "Defeat me if you wish to set them free." And they fought.
"I can't believe this happened," Catalyn muttered. She felt weak and ashamed.
Then they heard that same unknown voice echoing throughout the room. "Do you want to know where your two other friends are?"
"Yes!" they both said.
The voice laughed, and the wall in front of them suddenly displayed an image. The screen showed the three doors they had been facing before. The right door opened. The screen went dark, and the scene changed. Now they saw a type of prison like theirs. Yusuke and Hiei were inside. Hiei was lying on the ground, unconscious, with a wound to his back that was covering the floor with blood. Yusuke looked to be on the verge of collapse. He was gasping and banging on the door, but to no avail. Every few seconds he sank to the ground, only to get up and try again hopelessly. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.
Catalyn understood in an instant. "There's no enough air in there!" she exclaimed. "They'll suffocate!"
"How did they get like this?" Kurama demanded.
The voice laughs. "I'm glad you asked," he said, and the screen changed. It showed a clip of Yusuke and Hiei's fight against Kai. Yusuke seemed tired, and his eyes were strangely blank. It was obvious he had fallen under Kai's control. He attacked Hiei ruthlessly, and Hiei merely dodged, though he seemed tired as well. He doesn't dare attack Yusuke, Catalyn thought. And with Yusuke in the way, he can't attack Kai. Hiei suddenly put on a huge burst of speed, pretty good for someone who looked as tired as he did, and attacked Kai directly. Still, Kai withstood Hiei's attacks with ease.
Hiei soon found himself caught between Yusuke and Kai, facing Yusuke. He said something that Catalyn couldn't catch, because Kurama said at that moment, "What's he thinking of doing?" and then his eyes widened. Catalyn realized it too. Hiei was going to let Yusuke attack him, to see if that would make Kai release him.
Yusuke fired his spirit gun, and Hiei didn't give an inch. As the blast grew closer, Yusuke snapped out of it and yelled, "HIEI, BEHIND YOU!" Hiei turned slightly to see a second blast, coming from Kai, but it was too late. The blasts hit him from both sides, causing a mighty explosion and sending Hiei flying. He hit a wall and crumpled to the ground, battered and bleeding.
"No!" Yusuke yelled, and he ran over to Hiei. "Hiei, wake up! Hiei!" Then he turned to glare at Kai. "KAI, YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
Kai laughed. "What you've done, you mean," he corrected.
"SHUT UP!" roared Yusuke, and with what seemed to be his last reserves of energy, he fired a massive shotgun blast, causing everything around Kai to explode. Then he fell to the ground, utterly spent.
The screen paused and the voice laughed. Then he said, "His fighting spirit diminished after that last shot. He couldn't even put up a struggle when my servants came in and brought them to their prison. Now they are stuck there with little air. It's only a matter of time before they suffocate – but the shrimp might even bleed to death before then! And there's no point in trying to save them, because even if you do manage to find them, you'll never make it back alive!" He laughed once more and the screen went black.
"We have to try to save them," Kurama said instantly.
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Catalyn snapped. "It's not like we can leave these chains whenever we want."
Kurama smiled. "You're wrong there," he said, and pulled himself out of his restraints effortlessly.
Catalyn stared in surprise, but when she tried to break loose, she was able to as well. "What do you know," she mused as they left the room (the door was unlocked), and found themselves in the hallway with the three doors. "Kuwabara's in this one," she said, indicating the middle door. "Let's go help him win his fight and move on."
"We can't do that," Kurama argued. "Yusuke and Hiei will die if no one goes to help them."
"Then you go," Catalyn said. "I'll move on with Kuwabara."
"Didn't you hear what that man said to us?" he said. "It's obvious that it will be very hard to come out of that rescue alive. That's why we both need to go, to improve our rate of success."
"Are you crazy?" she practically yelled. "Why should I risk my neck to save an arrogant jerk and an even worse jerk who has never done anything for me?"
"So this is about debts?" he retorted. "You'll only save someone if they've done something for you?"
"You catch on quick," Catalyn said coldly.
Kurama replied, "If everyone was like that, then no one would ever risk their lives for each other, and everyone would die."
"Good for that. But I'm not risking my life for Hiei."
"You don't have to," he said. "I'll handle Hiei, and you can help Yusuke."
Catalyn considered the proposition for a moment, then shook her head. "No," she said shortly. "I'm not going anywhere near them. Because I'd still be helping Hiei indirectly. I'd rather him die."
"You don't mean that," Kurama said instantly.
"And what do you know?" she asked angrily.
"I know a lot," he answered. "And I know you're still angry with Hiei for what making you pass out after that vampire demon." She flinched. She hated to think about that. Kurama continued, "But you know as well as I do, whether you admit it or not, that Hiei didn't mean for that to happen. He regrets what he did. He's just too ashamed to admit it."
"So what?" she snapped. "The only guilt he might have felt was because you guys were angry with him. Hiei has no heart."
"No heart?" exclaimed Kurama, chuckling in disbelief. "If he didn't have a heart, he would've killed Yusuke while he was under Kai's control and defeated him himself. If Hiei had no heart he would never have gotten the Jagan Eye, the operation that weakened him greatly. And he wouldn't care if Yukina died."
Catalyn just stood there, stunned. She didn't know what to say.
"You have a heart too, Catalyn," Kurama said, more gently than before. "You're a decent person. You're not someone who would let them die."
She remained silent. Kurama's right. But she couldn't bring herself to say it.
"I know you agree with me," he said. Something in his voice surprised her. It was filled with bitter sadness. "See what's happened to humanity? Everyone's developed a huge ego, and no one can admit it when they're wrong because it would ruin who they are, or who they pretend to be." She knew he was right, and the reality was quite sad. She knew he was right, but she couldn't admit it she was wrong even though she knew he was right and couldn't admit she was wrong… and so on. Kurama continued, "Besides, you've told me a lot about yourself. I know you used to train at a prestigious martial arts school. Surely your sensei had mentioned rescues and justice?"
Yes, he had. "Someone with a true fighting spirit would never back down from a challenge, and would always fight for justice," he would say. "They never hesitate to do what's right. Whether it's rivals or enemies, true fighters know to join together when it counts, and to bring peace. That's what true fighters strive for. Never forget that."
Catalyn looked at the ground sadly. How could she have forgotten one of her most important lessons? It didn't matter if she hated Hiei. It didn't matter if she still hated him after the rescue. What mattered was that the rescue took place.
"I was wrong," she said slowly, looking up at Kurama. She paused. "I'm sorry." She felt ashamed saying that, but almost instantly she began to feel better. Kurama put a hand on her shoulder. She added, "Even if I feel resentful towards Hiei, it shouldn't stop me from helping when his life is on the line."
Kurama smiled, and she smiled back. "You can hate him all you like," he said, "just as long as you help." She nodded, and together they opened the door that would lead to Yusuke and Hiei. "Let's go."
It was pitch black. Catalyn took a step and instantly felt herself falling. Kurama grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up. This time, she felt the ground cautiously with one foot, but there was nothing there. She summoned flames to light the way, but all they illuminated was her and Kurama.
"Hmm," Kurama said, pulling a rose out of his hair. "This is interesting." He summoned his rose whip and felt around with it. It touched solid ground a few meters ahead and above. Kurama jumped, and she jumped after him, landing safely next to him. They looked at each other and nodded.
With Kurama's whip as their guide, they navigated themselves further away from the entrance, steadily rising higher and higher, avoiding a few misses where one had to catch the other. Finally, the whip touched the ceiling above them, and there was nowhere else for them to go.
"It's a trap," Catalyn said, weighing the odds. "Yusuke and Hiei are probably fine, and the Ten lured us here for nothing."
"Impossible," Kurama said. "That video was too real. Besides, I feel air coming from somewhere.
She stopped and closed her eyes, letting her ears do the work. Sure enough, she felt air coming from the left. She told Kurama, and he searched with his rose whip. It hooked onto what was unmistakably a door handle, but there was no landing beneath it.
"Keep the whip like that, and hold it tightly," Catalyn instructed, having thought of something. She jumped onto the whip and balanced herself. Then, she began to walk through the darkness towards the handle.
"Be careful," Kurama warned, making sure he didn't loosen his grip.
"Don't worry," she assured him with a smile, using her tail to help keep her balance. "This is baby stuff." She reached the door and bent the handle. The door opened a crack, but it pulled the whip. She didn't want it pulling Kurama off his platform. "Okay, let the rose whip off the handle," she said. Kurama obliged and as she felt herself falling, she pushed herself into the door and it opened all the way, taking her into a lit hallway. "Nothing invisible here!" she called happily. Kurama joined her seconds later.
The hall was narrow, but she couldn't see the end. Up ahead, taking up the whole space, was a black sort of cloud, as if inside was a storm. She reached out to touch it, and her arm kept going through, and the force pulled her in. Acting through reflex, she reached for Kurama's hand the same moment he reached for her, and they connected, dragging him in as well.
Inside the cloud, it was dark, but things were still visible. As Catalyn's eyes adjusted, she realized that they were in a forest. She sniffed the air. It smelled almost fake. "Something's wrong here."
"Yes," Kurama agreed. "This is probably an illusion of some sort. Our best bet would be to just walk right through, without letting ourselves get distracted. Stick to the path. If you don't you'll never make it out."
She nodded, and they began to walk side by side. She kept her eyes fixed on the path ahead of them, refusing to look anywhere else. Illusions will get to you the moment you set eyes on them, she told herself. She could hear the chirping of imaginary birds. Something bumped against her leg. She turned to see what it was, but Kurama grabbed her arm.
"They're all illusions," he reminded her. She nodded, he let go, and they continued, with Catalyn trailing slightly behind. "You know, Catalyn, illusions will try to get you by showing you what you want – or even fear – the most. You just have to remind yourself that they're not real, and keep going. We'll make it out."
"I know," she said.
They continued walking in silence for a few minutes. Then Kurama stopped short. Catalyn followed his gaze. It was –
With a sort of cry, Kurama rushed into the darkness.
"Kurama!" she screamed, and hurried to follow him, but she tripped over a tree branch, which reminded her that she had to stick to the path no matter what.
The same voice from before echoed throughout the forest. "Now we have your friend the fox demon too," he said. "Now there are three to save, and only one of you to do it. You'll never make it out alive."
"Oh yeah?" she retorted boldly, to distract herself from the cold feeling seeping through her body. "Well, I'll prove just how wrong you are! I'll rescue Kurama and Yusuke – and Hiei – and we'll all make it out alive!" With fresh determination, she set out once more.
However, she'd been walking a while, and still the path showed no signs of ending. When will this illusion end? Catalyn asked herself. Have I been walking in circles? What exactly did Kurama see that made him stray from the path? Is he okay? Will I even be able to make it at this rate?
Suddenly two small thumps ran into her, and she looked down. It was Jet and Mari. "We found you! We found you!" they chanted.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We came to look for you," Jet said proudly.
"Botan was boring," Mari added. "But now, we get to play with you!"
They began to drag her off, and she did nothing to stop them. "So, can we play monsters?" asked Jet eagerly.
"Can we play house?" Mari demanded.
Each of them grabbed an arm, tugging it in the opposite direction. "Play! Play! Play!" they cheered.
Then Catalyn remembered her mission, and tried to break away. "I can't!" she exclaimed. "I have to save the others!"
They only pulled harder, and their faces broke into evil, identical smiles. "No!" they said. "You have to play with us now!"
That was the last straw. "I don't have time for this!" Catalyn screamed. "Hiei's gonna bleed to death unless someone treats his wound, and with the closed amount of air, he and Yusuke will be breathing in so much carbon dioxide that they will both die!" With that, she pulled herself free, and found herself staring up into Kurama's face.
"What? Kurama!" she cried. They were in a different hallway this time. It was wider and unfamiliar to them.
"I guess you fought off the illusions," he said with a smile.
Catalyn didn't understand. "But you! How did you get out?"
"Simple," he answered. "I never got in. When I tried to grab your hand, I was too late. And when I walked through I found myself here, on the other side. You were the only one stuck in the illusion, and once you defeated it, you exited. Now, we're on another level of the mansion."
I get it now, Catalyn thought. I never grabbed his hand. It was an illusion from the start.
Kurama took her hand in his. "Come on," he said. "We've wasted enough time as it is. We have to find Hiei and Yusuke, quick."
She nodded, and they hurried to the end of the hall and towards the door that stood there, somehow knowing that they'd reached their destination…