A/N: Hello once again, Denizens of FF!
Onwards and upwards!
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko/Shikiyoku and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Akari makes it back to Kurama with their ramen,
and Nabu resting his head on Kurama's knee.
Kurama has managed to sit up but is leaning heavily into the wall behind him,
still feeling deeply the affects of having Youko so completely locked away from him.
Nabu has realized that Kurama cannot understand him anymore,
and the dog also notes that Kurama no longer has any 'ears' or a 'tail.'
Akari insists upon feeding Kurama herself, not taking 'no' for an answer,
and Kurama obliges her with only a little protest.
As Akari feeds him, the two banter back and forth,
until Akari finally comes around to asking Kurama what happened
and how he managed to get so beat up.
This leads to a conversation between the two that ends with Akari getting up,
intending to use the compact Botan gave her to call Koenma and ask for Botan's healing.
Akari discovers that Enma has ordered a lock-down of Spirit World
because of a threat of an attack, no one allowed in or out of the place.
Koenma wants to send someone to get them and bring them to help,
but he informs her it might be a while.
She tells all of this to Kurama, who agrees that the sooner they could get to Spirit World, the better.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku reveals how violent the death of her first Champion had been,
and how she is concerned the same sort of thing will happen here,
given how big the ritual that night for the Northern Tribe will be.
When Hiei expresses an ultimatum of her doing the ritual anyway,
his desire for it rocks her to the core, and she believes he has given her to death,
though he tells her to leave what she cannot handle to him.
Starting preparations for the ritual, she demands he leaves the Elders' Tent,
telling him he is not needed, and such a statement throws Hiei into his own turmoil.
Finding Uryo, Hiei is assigned to a section of the forest that needs burning without prejudice,
and he sets into it furiously.
Internally, Hiei eventually realizes that perhaps her words shook him so much,
when others had said such things and he had never thought a second thing about it,
because he actually respects and cares for the person who said them this time.
Sensing the emotions in his fire, Uryo comes to watch for a moment,
and the two are joined by a third demon who was sent for Uryo by Shikiyoku,
but who expresses an unsettling amount of concern for the state he had seen her in.
As this demon is speaking, Hiei realizes someone, or something,
is attempting to speak with him telepathically, a presence coming to rest at his shoulder.
The voice in his head asks Hiei if he knows from where it is that Shikiyoku, the Ward, gets her strength...
The thrum, no the purr, grew louder as something soft and furry that wasn't there butted itself affectionately against the side of Hiei's neck at the bottom of his ear.
And as the fur made contact with his skin, so too did the answer alight into his mind.
"It is you, Hiei Jaganshi."
As the soft fur moved away, the voice went on.
"You are the source of her strength. She reflects you, amplifies your power. She can only be as strong as her Champion will allow, only as strong as he can strive and grow to be. And...because of that...
She needs you. Desperately. With every fiber of her being. But not only that...she needs you to need her. For something. For anything. Even if it is only as simple as desiring her presence. Something you can express to her. Tell her. Without purpose from you as her Champion, she is better off dead, for the pact within her causes an isolation that will drive her to do things even the insane would not applaud. And she is no good on her own-she would die-just as you will find yourself so much less when she is gone." 3
Hiei's body stiffened for a moment as recognition hit him like a blow to the gut, the voice suddenly very recognizable to him. And the words spoken to him were ones he could feel the truth in, as if he should have known the entire time.
Words were recalled in his mind, words he had ignored earlier that day, because they had had nothing to do with him at the time. "She was not as strong as I first thought. Or perhaps...no, I am for sure that it was actually I who was not as strong as I first thought. She took her own life. And I was not there to stop her." Hiei blinked, slowly, and his eyes refocused on his surroundings.
Even as Maneshi's voice filled his mind, he was moving, listening but simultaneously acting.
Yes, her words had stung. Perhaps it was for the very reason he'd come to respect her: because she'd refused to call him the cursed child that everyone else deemed him. But for the moment, it didn't matter.
Because he was her Champion, and it was his duty to see to her, keep her safe. And his speed made it very easy to return to the very tent he'd left earlier, entirely forgetting the two he'd left behind. When he was at his destination, Hiei brushed the tent flap aside unceremoniously and stepped into the very dark room, eyes finding the cloaked figure farthest from the entrance to the tent.
He could still taste the last of her energy lingering in the room, telling him it had blanketed it enough to have been a very dangerous thing should anyone had entered.
He stared at her evenly, arms hanging loosely at his sides as he took in her appearance- or what little he could see of it for her cloak.
"...she needs you to need her."
"Do you plan on sitting in this tent forever?" he asked in a calm, even tone.
~!**!`
Akari nodded once, but sighed at Kurama. "If you know of another way to Spirit World that doesn't require Botan, I'm all ears." She paused, assessing him for a moment. "Though, it's hectic, just from what I saw and heard."
She glanced at Nabu, who was still curiously looking at her. "Is this your… boss?"
She nodded at the dog before turning back to Kurama. "I was trying to get Botan specifically, but she's busy…" *
"We are in Human World." Kurama started, "There are portals from here to both Demon and Spirit World, though I think it would be a matter of finding them, which is our current problem anyway."
Kurama leaned his head back against the wall.
"Something is bothering me though. The fake Youko needed me sealed away. But why now? Is he going to show himself finally? Is that what the attack on Spirit World is about?" It didn't feel right, but it was the closest thing Kurama could come up with. He shifted in place, agitated that he could not place his metaphorical finger on what didn't sit correctly with him about the current situation.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku could feel her entire body tense when it was Hiei's voice and not Uryo's that she heard from the front of the tent.
"Until I am needed." She replied softly without thinking, feeling the dryness of her throat as she tucked her hands into the sleeves of the cloak and ran her fingers along skin that no longer felt enticing.
She found a scar on her left arm that had disappeared sometime before then, the scar from when she fell into the pit near Central Tribe. The imperfection was back now, her fingers tracing the rough patch, and she didn't understand why. 3
Hiei didn't react to her words at first, finding that now he understood the deeper meaning of such a thing to say. Before now, he'd always thought that a creature of desire never felt the need to be… well desired. To him, it didn't really make sense, but that part didn't matter.
"Until you are needed?" he repeated, tone almost incredulous. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't good at… touchy-feely things. Not in the least. "Perhaps you should try that again."
~!**!~
Akari frowned. Finding one of those portals could take… hours. Days, if one was not within this particular city or the next. Surely Koenma would be able to act quicker than the time it would take for Akari and Kurama to hunt down a portal themselves.
Especially with Kurama in as much pain as he was.
When he spoke up again, her frown deepened, leaving her watching the redhead thoughtfully even as his words died away.
He's right.
There had to be a reason for Youko to be locked away, and locking him away for the sole purpose of attacking Spirit World, who knew where the real Youko was at all times anyway, did not seem… intelligent. It didn't seem..
Like Foko.
"He's been using that skin for business deals." she suddenly said, blinking once at herself as the words simply fell from her lips. She pursed those lips together, trying to remember what had caused them to say those words.
Right.
She suddenly remembered slamming into a tree. A sigh escaped her. "Business deals and keeping his power over other demons, right? So maybe it's a deal he's trying to distract us from." *
Kurama looked at Akari suddenly.
It fit.
Youko would not use this moment to attack Spirit World. What good would it do him to be so open about it? Subtlety. Manipulation. These were his strongest weapons.
That meant something else was going on instead.
"So...I am in Human World. Unable to be Youko." Kurama began slowly. "Spirit World is attacked. It's a distraction."
That felt right.
"But a distraction from..." From what? "...to keep Spirit World's eyes off of Human World. Youko would use the distraction to-" Kurama took a shot in the dark, "Bring more demons into Human World right under Spirit World's notice." Kurama blinked at Akari, the gravity of how sure he felt about that statement settling over him. "I think perhaps it is not Spirit World who needs help...but us."
~!**!~
Try what again?
Shikiyoku scratched absently at the scar.
She was simply waiting until...well since Uryo was likely not coming, until she was to dance.
She let out a defeated sigh, attempting to put it as many different ways as she could think of off the top of her head, "What do you wish me to say? I wait until I am called for, until I am necessary, desired." She choked, about to say 'wanted,' but unable to get the word past her lips.
She fell silent again. 3
Hiei crossed his arms over his chest lazily, still blocking the tent flap and not moving any closer to the woman who had done rather well in pushing him away earlier. He still felt reluctance, but he ignored it as best as he could.
"I do not desire anything." he suddenly said, going back to what she'd asked him earlier. He paused, staring at her with a blank stare. "Material things have no value to me." He blinked once at her again. "What I want is you to do what you know you can do." he paused again, contemplating his words. "Leave the rest to me." Again, he paused.
Should he elaborate?
What would I elaborate?
~!**!~
Akari blinked. Did they just figure it out? Did they just decode the unpredictable enemy?
"Lots of it, I bet." she responded in a mumble. She sat silently for a moment, thinking. If they informed Spirit World, would Foko find out? Would that blow their chances?
"If they've threatened an attack, how long before they begin bringing demons? Are we a factor to their movements?"
She thought back to Foko, his actions when she was nearby.
No.
He'd act regardless. If something happened, he'd deal with it. He'd kill anyone in his way, or anyone who put a hitch in his plans. Even if they just made him wait. *
"Why?" Kurama asked suddenly aloud. "Why will there be an influx of demons to Human World? What's the point?" He searched his mind for an answer. "Getting them here is just the first step. Throw Spirit World into chaos, make them think they're in danger. When the dust clears, do they know there are more demons here? Are they allowed to realize what the deception was for? And if so, does that make them feel safer, think that they're safe? And then they attack Spirit World? Or are they just wanting to get here. To the humans."
That last part felt off. Something else had to be going on. If it truly was a simple task to transport many demons to Human World, and the end goal was to overtake Human World, then surely they would have done so by now.
It was all about timing. If it was all about timing...then why now?
~!**!~
"You desire something." Shikiyoku replied in that same defeated tone-otherwise I would not be here. "Everyone desires something."
Did he desire to have a desire? Did they pact simply so they could become unpacted?
She had no answers anymore. Merely felt as if she had failed somewhere along the way. And if so, then she deserved the only ending she could foresee occurring that night.
"I will do as you say you want." She added softly, running her thumb over and over the scar. Or I will at the least die doing so.
She would not cry in front of him, tears of joy for fulfilling what she believed he wanted or tears of sorrow for utterly failing him, she did not know...but he was making it very hard. 3
Hiei scowled, deciding he'd say just what Maneshi told him to say. Though the word desire was not a word he liked, he decided to use it anyway. After all, Maneshi said it was the only way, so..
"I desire you. Your presence." he grumbled, only loud enough that if a human were nearby, they would not have heard him. He continued to stare at her with an even gaze. "I desire for this mood of yours to pass."
He suddenly realized that, maybe, these words rang more truth for him than he'd thought.
~!**!~
Akari frowned. "That's too simple. Just overthrowing Human World…. it's too simple." She let her eyelids slide closed as she thought of each and every encounter with Foko, with Otento. "He wants as little casualties as possible, but he was dead set that Shikiyoku would be one." She thought harder, rubbing her temple with her hand.
Was it something that was obvious, and she was missing it? Or was it something completely absurd to her, something she'd never dream of?
Suddenly she was thinking as if she were talking to Sensui, planning elaborately. Keeping up with his seemingly overrated plans and-
"If they wait for the dust to clear, let Spirit World know of their distraction, then attacked… Why would they attack Spirit World? Not for possessions, they've got all they need. Would every demon go? If so, that means Shikiyoku would have been needed, or in the very least, another like her who could control such a large group…. Meaning it's something…"
Something one wouldn't do of their own will. *
"So, say they attack Spirit World." Kurama allowed. "Do they really think they're going to over-power King Enma? Did they find themselves another demon like Shikiyoku who is meant to…" Kurama blinked, "Who is meant to take over? Or, would controlling Enma have killed Shikiyoku and done their job for them?" Kurama fell silent again.
~!**!~
In the darkness, Shikiyoku's head lifted, dull eyes finding Hiei's shadowed form across the tent.
For the first time in so many hours, the pact within her stirred and she blinked at him.
What?
"I-" She hesitated, confused at the sudden contradiction. "I do not understand." Her eyebrows furrowed together. 3
Hiei scowled at Shikiyoku now, eyes hardening at her slightly. "You're being rather slow." he responded, really not sure he could say it again. He just… he wasn't one for saying such things…. no matter how true he felt them to be.
He stayed quiet another moment before repeating himself. "I desire your presence."
~!**!~
Akari rubbed at her temple again. He was asking questions she wasn't sure about. But, if she had a guess… "Foko." It was a one-worded answer, in regards to who would take over. Because, quite frankly, she couldn't see it going any other way. "Otento will go out of control, likely be killed by Foko anyway. Shikiyoku was meant to die by Enma… Why? Why target Spirit World? What's causing their uprising?"
She suddenly sat back, eyes sliding open.
"If fake Flowers doesn't want casualties, why were you and Stripes attacked that day?"
Akari sighed. "Demons, Nabu, attack for no reason sometimes. They're mad, they hate this world, and their bloodlust is…" she frowned. "let's just say that you know the nicer demons."
"Are there a lot of mean demons?"
"Nabu, now really isn't the time for 20 questions."
The dog huffed and Akari turned to Kurama. "Why would they want to take over? Why now, and why Spirit World, instead of Human World or Demon World?" *
"There's something Spirit World has that the other two doesn't." Kurama found that his reply came simply, though he hadn't considered it before. He shrugged, "I have no idea what that would be. If it were truly Youko, I would have to say the end result would most certainly have to be something shiny, but I'm almost positive our fake Youko has other reasons in mind."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku was taken aback by Hiei's repetition.
She had not misheard him the first time, and once more that same soft pulse reverberated in her soul from the pact, her skin tingling.
"But-" She attempted to rationalize away the obvious with the lies that had been whispering in her head since the day they had first met, "But you hate me." The word seemed foreign coming out of her mouth. "Wish to be rid of me." Her responses sounded confused, "You don't want me."
This time when Shikiyoku scratched at the scar, it was because her skin had started itching, the pact humming at her in direct contradiction to everything she was saying. 3
Hiei raised a brow, scowl still in place. Her words were odd, and brought back something Kafu had said to him the night they'd been in the Niiro Kaga. His sneer disappeared, his expression turning… soft almost. At least, for him, this neutral expression could be seen as soft for his normal mask.
"I would have killed you myself by now if that were the case." he retorted calmly, shifting his weight enough that his cloak shifted, revealing briefly his sheath in a show of emphasis.
~!**!~
This time, Akari had no thoughts on the matter. She'd shared just about as much as she knew of Foko. And, as it turns out, it was much more than she'd realized. But the information they had gathered for the time being was… enough. Enough to catch up even if just a little.
She sighed, and then smiled at Kurama. A very small smile. "Well, at least we've figured out more." She sat back, resting her palms flat against the wood floor. "If there's going to be more demons, then we're going to need more help." She took a deep breath.
Well, at least my research into the other's whereabouts will be put to good use. *
"I think I may know of a few we could rally to our cause." Kurama mirrored Akari's smile with one of his own.
For the moment, perhaps they had a chance. At least of being able to say they had attempted to put up a front line defense.
~!**!~
A sudden thought, seemingly out of nowhere, stuck Shikiyoku.
He had no mother.
Where Shikiyoku craved words, craved touch, needed to be told and showed how useful she was, here stood a demon who seemed capable of doing none of those things in the manner she had been raised up with-even outside The Palace as she was-in the manner each of her previous Champions had discovered quickly to their advantage. He did not understand them. Had not been taught them.
Several pieces started to fall into place in Shikiyoku's head all at once. Little things she had realized along the way, but had never gathered together until that moment.
He did not wish for ultimate power, or ultimate riches. For him, it was much simpler than that.
Perhaps he only needed...her.
She blinked at him.
Perhaps just as desperately as she needed him.
The muscles at her neck that had tightened upon Hiei entering the tent suddenly dropped, releasing her shoulders.
"You..." Shikiyoku picked her words carefully, looking back into his face, "You only wish for my presence? For my...companionship? There is nothing else you would ask me to do for you?" The question was important, a genie offering three wishes, more than that, countless desires fulfilled, unconstrained by any liabilities. All of it...for him.
What do you desire? 3
Hiei was suddenly sneering, completely and utterly amused at her question. He hadn't realized before now that she was simply desperate to fulfill her Champion's desires. He released a sound similar to a single dry chuckle. And when his eyes found hers, they were filled with amusement.
"You'll be the first to know should anything else arise." He scratched idly at his face. "For now, your presence is enough."
~!**!~
Akari smiled and nodded at Kurama, "But, alerting Koenma may not be the best idea. Foko's got sources." She shifted until she was standing. And then she remembered Kurama couldn't really move, and promptly sat back down. Finding people could wait for just a bit longer, until Botan or someone with those abilities cou-
Yukina could heal, right?
She remembered seeing the female once, when Sensui had briefly taken interest in her. He'd considered an attack, considered picking the team off one by one before he'd decided he enjoyed the chase more than the actual kill.
Or, even better… Kamiya.
Two birds with one stone, no? She smiled and turned her eyes around and around the room. Shadows responded to her gaze, some stilling, some moving, others moving towards her. In a second's notice, a shadow had moved to her side, only large enough to fit in her palm, and her eyes were locked on it. It moved, changing from a dark blob into a shape similar to a small creature, a mouse with red eyes that chittered once.
And then it was gone and Akari was sitting back again, eyes closed with an expression of calm patience, serenity. *
Kurama nodded in agreement with Akari, becoming lost in thought.
What in the three worlds lie with the Spirits that neither the Demons nor Humans had?
He could think of several things off-hand, but none demanding the level of deception that the fake Youko was employing.
If only he could speak to Koenma in private, pause and pick the Prince's brain. Even Botan might know of something that Kurama would not have been privy to, being only an avatar.
"Akari, what do you wish for more than anything else in the three worlds?" Kurama asked thoughtfully.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku smiled at Hiei from underneath the hood of her cloak, her eyes just starting to glitter again.
"You are...a strange demon." She informed him with amusement. "Has anyone ever told you that?" 3
Hiei sneered even more at Shikiyoku. "Not directly." He went quiet again, watching her carefully. He'd never considered something as simple as companionship before. He'd relied on it as a child, with the bandits, but after that, he couldn't have cared less one way or the other. He'd always just done as he pleased.
Now things were different. She depended on him, and in a strange way, Hiei found he'd come to depend on her as well. Her company since arriving in Demon World had become something he was accustomed to, enjoyed even.
As Maneshi said, she reflected his power. But, what did he reflect about her, because there was no way it was a one-way mirror.
"Now, do what you're capable." he repeated for the umpteenth time this evening. "And leave the rest to me."
~!**!~
Akari was waiting in silence, tracking her own energy through town with closed eyes when Kurama spoke up with a question she found rather random. Random enough to bring her eyelids open and gaze on the redhead.
Something I want… out of all three worlds? More than anything?
She didn't know.
"Can I put that aside for a later date?" she inquired, indirectly saying she had no idea.
How'd that happen? Before now, had she been asked that question, her answer would have been quick, she wouldn't have hesitated. Before now, she would have wished for her memory to be erased, her skin be clear and her past be nothing more than a dream. Maybe even return home in Demon World, despite the trifles she'd dealt with there. Those troubles had seemed nothing compared to what she'd experienced here.
"What do you want?" she reversed to him, curious. *
"Safety." He replied readily. "For my mother and her husband-to-be. But how many demons do you know that would only ask for such a thing?" In truth, Kurama did not have an answer to that question because when he thought about it, there were not many demons with which he had ever sat down and discussed it.
None that weren't trying to kill him in the first place.
~!**!~
"As you wish, my Champion." Shikiyoku's smile stayed in place as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Would you send Uryo in for me? He's been waiting outside the tent for you to leave." 3
Hiei blinked once calmly at Shikiyoku, expression turning neutral again after a moment. He felt… calmer than he had in weeks. Perhaps he reflected her moods, to some degree. The thought made him scoff as he turned to leave.
"Foolish woman."
He swept the tent flap aside and stepped into the darkness of the night, looking about until he spotted Uryo, "Your turn."
~!**!~
Akari watched Kurama calmly as he spoke, finding his answer odd, but at the same time… suitable. He had something to protect, someone to look after. She had Nabu. A dog who could handle himself should it come down to it, because he knew this city like the back of his paw and was smart enough to find the easiest ways to lose a pursuer.
Unless they had a net.
She suddenly laughed once without meaning to, and automatically covered her mouth with a hand and waving the other one in the air in front of her face. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise."
She took a deep breath. "It's good, having something to protect, someone to look after." The mental image of Kurama hanging from a tree bombarded her mind and it took almost all of her effort not to flinch physically. "Having something to fight for makes one very dangerous." *
"That is why a soldier is almost always fiercer than a warrior. One is called upon to protect, while the other only destroys." Kurama sighed, "I asked because I wonder what would drive demons to act in this way, if not to simply rule. Are you and I too few in number? Is most of our kind truly bloodthirsty with desire for little else?"
~!**!~
"They have just started the celebration." Uryo commented as he passed Hiei to reach for the tent flaps. He grinned. "Find us a good place where we can sit and watch."
"Hiei," Shikiyoku's voice called from within the darkness of the Elder's tent, "It will ease my mind to know you are nearby tonight. You are most assuredly needed." As if the pact within her had not confirmed that little fact with its trills. "And wanted."
The pact thrilled once more within her, finding truth in these words were there was not in fact truth in their opposites before.
Uryo raised an eyebrow at the other fire demon, but kept moving into the tent. 3
Hiei paused and turned back to the tent flap for a moment, expression neutral at Shikiyoku's callings. His eyes turned to Uryo as he entered the tent, giving a short nod to the male before he turned and continued on his way. He moved through the night, moving towards the fire he could see and even feel dancing nearby, hands in his cloak pockets.
As he passed demons, he nodded a greeting when addressed.
~!**!~
Akari stayed quiet for a moment, thinking back to the days she could remember of her own home. Those memories were clouded, almost entirely forgotten and rather difficult to call forth. It was almost painful to pull them forward, to focus on the unity that had been present there, in the pack of dog demons that had depended upon one another for… everything.
She'd been the daughter of the Alpha, who hadn't really had time to play games. Her mother had been kind, until she'd come of age for..
Didn't matter.
"I don't know much about the rest of Demon World, but my own family, my own home had been filled with serenity. Interdependence. Losing one person meant the whole pack falling apart, scrambling to fill that person's duties. Similar tribes around us lived like that, never bothering us." She took a deep breath. "The fourth level, from what I remember of it, was a simple place. While there were territorial fights, there was also peace, the ability to trade amongst each other should we need it. I often ran those errands."
A small smile formed on her face and she refocused on the present, looking at Kurama. "We all had a duty to fulfill, and someone to return to. I don't think we're few in number, just… quiet. And if we speak up, it's because we've been wronged." Another pause. "I've been on both sides." *
Kurama made a thoughtful noise.
"So...what cause do you think would drive you, would drive your entire clan, to fight for? What could they desire beyond their territory that would make life better for them?"
~!**!~
The Northern Tribe's encampment no longer simply buzzed with excitement, it practically erupted with it.
The merriment that had come with Shubou's tribe celebrating was magnified tenfold, and the area in front of the Elder's tent was very much packed with people. Food and drink were being passed along without discretion, musicians were playing instruments, dancers were stepping about next to the bonfire which had been placed not far from the Elder's tent itself, most of the demons spread farther West into the clearing Uryo had a hand in making for them earlier.
The area Hiei had burned was free of ash and now full to the brim with tents, even what extra space he made being used completely.
The demons spread about the clear area meant for dancing were in varying states of reclining, some sitting on logs, others on the grass, there were groups standing about in pockets of laughter and discussion.
Directly across from the bonfire, and the Elders' tent, with a span of many hundreds of yards between the two, sat the white-haired female demon who had first welcomed Shikiyoku into their encampment, obviously an epicenter of activity with the other Elders sitting on the ground around her, smiles on their faces as they talked together and with other demons who approached. 3
Hiei looked around at the craziness of the area, taking in the sheer numbers of demons here and realizing why Shikiyoku had been so nervous. However, he still had confidence. If she couldn't do it alone, then he would add his own energy to hers. Should that become a problem, then he'd figure it out. That was his job, after all. Watch over her, and if problems arise, handle it.
He moved through the crowds with expert steps, eyes roving over each face he passed momentarily before turning to the bonfire again, sights set on it. She needed him nearby, and quite frankly, he wouldn't have it any other way.
So he moved as close to the fire as he could get, though it wasn't very hard since demons parted to let the Champion through.
~!**!~
Akari stared at Kurama as she thought, realizing he was quizzing her, testing her answer to see if it held any semblance to their current situation. And, really, she didn't see any difference between the reactions. What, however, would cause an uprising, a riot?
She thought, staring unblinkingly at him. "Personally, I… I'm not sure. I haven't been home in a few decades. I hardly remember what I shared." Her eyes slid closed again as she thought back. Had they ever actually fought before, that she knew of? "For a group at peace… it would take a lot of wrongdoing. A lot of…" she made a noise of consternation. "Betrayal." *
"It's no secret that many demons are unhappy with Spirit World." Kurama began, "How, or even what, could make them feel betrayed to the point of an outright attack? And what would be the end goal of such a maneuver?"
~!**!~
"Have you eaten yet, Champion?" A voice called over the hub-bub, approaching through the crowds from Hiei's left.
Douji threaded his way through the bodies with a plate in each hand and a portion of food hanging out of his mouth. On one plate was balanced a drink, and on either shoulder sat a lur'mog. The one much bigger than the other chirred a greeting at the fire demon barely heard over the noise of the celebration, and then appeared on Hiei's shoulder, leaning against his neck affectionately. 3
Hiei paused mid step at the voice that stood out, obviously calling to him though Hiei hadn't at first registered the question. He easily spotted Douji coming towards him in the crowd, seeing the plates in his hand and easily figuring the question that had been presented.
"No," he answered plainly, eyes turning away from Douji and to the lur'mog that landed on his shoulder. He moved a hand and prodded at the creature with his index finger in greeting.
~!**!~
"After being pushed for a while, people tend to act when they've had enough. Meaning whatever it is, it's been going on for a while, because it isn't big enough to have reached the state where word passes between worlds too. Such as the wars." She thought for a moment, thinking back again.
The only thing she could think of is how her own family would react to her disappearance. That was something she hadn't thought of in a long time, but it had nothing to do with Spirit World. Her own circumstances had been stemmed from, quite simply, wrong place at the wrong time.
"Kurama, do you believe everyone has something to fight for?" she suddenly asked, something popping to mind. "Everyone, even those driven mad?" *
Kurama considered Akari's first comment. It was little to say that Spirit World's 'oppression' had been going on 'for a while.' Since the beginning of time as far as he knew. Were the demons just now beginning to become fed up with it? Or had this plan been in the works for centuries?
Kurama's eyes pulled back to the present to regard Akari as she spoke.
"I think if someone is fighting, then they certainly have a reason for doing so, however convoluted their reason might be. Otherwise...why would they be fighting?"
~!**!~
"You are welcome to some of mine, then." Douji replied pleasantly, balancing the plates on one arm as he reached for the drink. "Though there will be plenty passed around."
"Don't mind if I do!" An equally good-natured voice called from behind the young demon, reaching over and plucking a handful of meat from the piled plate. "Though, I might advise we move a little to the left." Uryo stuffed his mouth, speaking around it and making a path for himself in the direction he spoke. 3
Hiei blinked once and Uryo was there, stuffing food in his mouth and then moving away. Hiei made to follow, grabbing meat from Douji's plate as he passed and putting it in his mouth, using his finger to very delicately tear off a small piece from the end and offer it to the lur'mog on his shoulder.
As he walked a bit further after Uryo, he plucked a drink from a demon's hand who had smiled and offered it to him, nodding and holding up his own as the fire demon continued on. "I'd forgotten what gatherings like this were like." he grumbled more to himself than anyone in particular.
~!**!~
"Then tell me something," she said slowly, eyes moving to the ground as she hesitated. "What does Yusuke, Kuwabara… What do you guys fight for? I understand the demons that attack humans, but what about those that are just mingling?" She looked up again.
"For instance," she began, tone small and voice quiet, "say I hadn't ended up where I am now. Say, somehow, I ended up in the Human World. I've been here a while, but haven't come to light until my energy was spotted by Koenma, who promptly orders my elimination because… I'm a demon in a world where I do not belong. No evidence of killing another, yet… I'm on the hit list." She met his gaze squarely. "It isn't something found often. But, if you saw no evidence of wrongdoing, would you still carry out your mission? Without pause?" *
"You know, I've often wondered why I was spared myself. Koenma knows the greatest thief of Demon World resides within me. And what about Hiei? Why were we simply not done away with?" Kurama shook his head, "No one came after me when I was a child in Human World. Not until I made myself known and stole the mirror. I do not think anything differently would have happened with you. It would not have mattered if Koenma picked your energy signature on a radar unless you started to terrorize innocent humans, which is where our job comes in. You would have never been on a hit list in the first place unless you deserved to be there. And even then...I was spared. As was Hiei. Who is to say the same would not have happened for you? Who is to say that it didn't?" His eyes gleamed with humor.
~!**!~
"Would you prefer a ballroom, Champion?" Uryo threw the question over his shoulder at Hiei, tossing him a wicked grin as well. Uryo's eyes glowed in the light of the fire as he turned and stopped moving, halfway between where the Elders were seated and where the fire burned merrily to their right. "I think the atmosphere here is much more welcoming than that stuffy old building." 3
Hiei scowled at Uryo. "Never again." he responded almost immediately. Though, really, he hadn't minded it, other than the fact that he had been forced into it. Tossed into it at the last moment and practically learning as he went.
And he had to agree, the ballroom had been very stuffy, and this open air was much, much better. And the outfit back then-
He didn't want to think about it.
~!**!~
Akari took in a long breath and let it out through her nostrils. "Okay, fine. Here's this instead." She paused, blinking once as she gathered herself. "You're just gotten word of a demon in the area. There are rumors that they've been… antagonistic. Use your imagination there. But you have no proof. Still, you're ordered to attack. Would Yusuke pause, or simply deal with it? Would you pause, or simply deal with it?"
She didn't give him time to answer.
"You've dealt with it. The demon's dead and now there's ten more of them. They're angry, because someone who was close to them has been taken away from them. They're a small tribe who had been searching for sanctitude. None of them have traces of human blood in their system. You've just killed an innocent demon. There's a first for everything, right? Would you fight those who attacked you, or would you flee?"
Again, no time to answer. "Of course, it's all hypothetical." She sat back, rolled her shoulders as if the subject were nothing to her. "Another thing. Why would a demon simply come to Human World only to kill? If they're not fighting for something, then why are they fighting?" Her eyes slid closed as she thought of the Aswang she and Yusuke had killed. She'd killed a child, gutted the poor boy. But, why? "What causes one to attack a child?"
She laughed, suddenly remembering her own 'attack' on a child. "What would bring a demon to gut and eat the heart of a human child?" *
"For an attack to be ordered, to come to us by Koenma himself, then whoever we were to attack had most assuredly done something for Koenma to make such a call." Kurama shrugged, "He has never had us attack anyone who did not deserve it. And from what I can tell, the only ones to get through to Human World are the ones who have some vendetta or another against humans, and are thus those who attack and deserve to be punished for their crimes. Low-level demons are driven by hunger. Higher ones could perhaps be jealous of their state of living when compared to the humans. So, either the demon was hungry and ate the child, or the demon saw the child had something it wanted and so it took the child's life in retaliation."
~!**!~
Uryo gave Hiei another grin at the other fire apparition's answer.
A gasp went up from the dancers nearest to the bonfire, and the heads of other demons began whipping in the direction of the sound outwards from that point, unsure if such a gasp was meant for an injury or something more pleasing.
The music began to change, to fade away only into a few sounds reminiscent of the human's Feudal Era. As if to accentuate this, the dancers all began to back up as a portion of the giant bonfire had taken a humanoid form that slowly started moving forward, a flaming figure holding fiery fans taking a more definite shape.
The form's movements were precise, recalling ancient times when fan dancers had been well-known to the tribes, and so stilling the dancers who watched, transporting them back centuries.
Each wrists' flick was executed with pinpoint accuracy, and each time tongues of fire were released from the flaming fans themselves, swirling up into the air.
Finally free of the bonfire, this dancing portion of the blaze continued to step forward, parting the other dancers as the fans snap out very precisely from the main body each time a foot touched the grass, though the foot left no print behind, did not so much as singe the ground.
A smile was playing at Uryo's lips.
"So, she can dance."
Douji's eyes were wide, hand halfway to his mouth with food when he had caught sight of the blazing figure, and he nodded absently without looking away. 3
Hiei's own eyes shifted when the music changed, turning to the bonfire in time to see the emerging figure. He was immediately captured, eyes glued to the person coming into view, the movements fluid and very easy to follow. He didn't say anything to Uryo or Douji, who hadn't seen her dance at the other tribe.
Which was… different than this one was. He felt himself more entranced by it, focused and almost entirely unable to look away. Even if he wanted to.
~!**!~
Akari frowned, still unhappy with Kurama's logic. She'd been trying to have him ignore the norm. She gave a sigh and gave up on that, instead frowning with the question that arose. "Has it always been that way, though? Were the younger and/or lower level demons acted out of hunger, out of primal instincts? Anger… it's a basic thing…" She frowned. She herself remembered being temperamental, but… not irrationally so. At least, not to the point of letting her hunger and anger control her. And she'd never met a demon like that until she'd been… here… in Human World.
She'd heard stories of demons going insane and simply falling into that state after a trauma, but to be that way naturally, she'd never heard of. *
"I have perused some of Koenma's files in his office. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a moment of 'oops.'" Kurama's face turned grim. "The only moment of such that Koenma ever had documented was in sending Sensui after the portal the Black Black Club was using. In those days, Sensui had been sent to close many such places, and the Prince thought this would be another routine closing. He never would have dreamed humans would be using it to acquire demons when every other instances had been just the opposite. And when no such thing has been recorded by Koenma before or since, I have nothing else to draw conclusions from. Though...I'm sure such atrocities have and will continue to happen." The last part was accompanied by Kurama laying his head back against the wall, his face darkened by the thoughts and shallow from his pain.
~!**!~
The dancers had since sat down to watch, leaving the figure easily viewed by anyone who looked from the celebration around it.
As a roll of a chord rose higher, the flames began to thin, and the watchers could see that the figure was cloaked in something similar enough to a kimono-were it not for the hood-the fans nothing more than the long sleeves that now obviously hung towards the ground.
The flames seemed to leave a pattern as the dancer kept moving, a fiery trail along the fabric which swirled with the color of the fire and left the eyes wondering at whether its true dye was red, or maybe orange, or perhaps yellow.
With the fans gone, swirls of yellow energy began to form within the heat of the flames and it was with this that the figure began to weave shapes on the air, around the article of clothing and even with the fire itself.
The music appeared to be just as integral to the spell, both dancer and musicians reacting to one another as if they were the same being.
And as a low rumbling from the drums started to grow-or had they been there the whole time?-the flames at the bottom of the cloak actually began burning away the fabric, licking upwards and rendering the entire clearing dead silent as if everyone present suddenly realized the cloak had been holding something back, and the fire was removing the buffer between them and the dancer beneath.
When the music exploded back into the earthy sounds before, so to did the fire suddenly erupt upwards, taking the outer clothing with it and revealing a form dressed as one of the Northern Tribeswomen-Shikiyoku herself in their garb-that paused only a moment in a pose, laughter in her eyes which gleamed as yellow as the golden glow that enveloped her entire body. It made her appear as if she were still on fire as the energy twirled about her luminescent skin, which expanded outwards into tendrils of power and began to weave about her as she continued to dance.
The other dancers leapt to their feet with so many shouts and whoops to join her as the crowd roared and cheered in excitement with them. The dancers began weaves patterns around her, occasionally hiding her from view occasionally with their own patterns, but they were unable to completely block the yellow glow that emanated from the middle of their midst.
As with the Central Tribe, after a few minutes of dancing, intermittently being watched by the rest of the demons there that night, the innumerous threads of Shikiyoku's energy started to move to loop around those closest to her as she kept the others swirling about herself.
As before, each demon would receive a single loop, which would pull them back to the ground to watch her in awe, though each face would be left with a sadness they did not understand when the tendril of power would move on.
Soon, Shikiyoku was the lone dancer once more, weaving patterns into the air as she easily stepped about those sitting around her.
When the ribbons of her energy had finished looping the dancers, they started moving for those in the circle, and a pulse of power resounded from her into the air like a brief bubble, which appeared to cause more of the threads she danced with to snake forward to join the ones from the dancers and begin to give a single loop to those in the front of the crowd.
Another soft pulse of power. More tendrils. Already a hundred times a hundred more than she had to send out into the Central Tribe.
Shikiyoku could feel the sweat glistening on her body as she felt both her push and the demons' pull of her power that allowed her to make a wreath around each one. With most of them, it would quiet their desires and leave her free to move to the next, but with others, the loop acted as a rod that flung their deepest wishes into her mind where they all started to roll together inside her head.
And with so many, she felt herself beginning to be lost underneath their tide, pulled in every direction, in as many directions as her power now stretched.
And then there came the first one who received more than a single loop, which she felt keenly as the ribbon stiffened and started to snake its way back towards her body. But almost immediately another tendril found a second. And then there was a third.
Instead of instilling in her mind the strength to continue the ritual and find these demons afterwards, it only distracted her-a fourth, a fifth, how many could there be-and left her wondering if there would be enough length within the bits of her energy still wandering through the air.
...there were still so many left to go. 3
Hiei himself was utterly entranced, staring much the same as the rest of the demons in the area. His eyes never left the woman moving about.
Her energy colored the area a bright yellow that reminded him of the Human World's sun, and the rays it threw down to the earth. To him, it was warm and inviting, just as those sun rays were. But at the same time, he was separated from it, able to ignore her energy if he so desired and simply watch the source of such power.
And while he was indeed entranced, he was also able to think clearly, assess her state and read her expression. After a few minutes, he could see the sweat glistening in the glow of her energy and the fire, and while her eyes were closed, he could sense the tension behind the lids, see the tension between her brows as she obviously struggled.
Maybe not too much, but this early on…
He glanced about, noticing the stretch of her energy still had quite a ways to go.
When his eyes turned back to the dancing woman, they were glowing slightly, colored their normal hue, but… brighter, as if fire were alight within his irises.
And his own energy slowly, discreetly, began to seep from his body and move through the crowd, unseen, unnoticed, and towards her. It stretched enough to allow it to just brush her skin, inviting and warm should she have need of it soon, but not demanding. Calm, warm and only meant for reassurance. For now.
Should she need it, he would allow her use of it…
However she did it.
~!**!~
There was a small moment of silence as Kurama rested his head back and Akari simply watched him. Surely it wouldn't be too long now… Her eyes stared unblinkingly at Kurama, but not seeing him for the time being as she recalled the files she'd read about her former team mates. Each of them had changed from their days with Sensui, almost as if the male had… as if Sensui had controlled their thoughts altogether. Though, it had taken longer for Akari herself to change.
Probably because her own association with the man had been of her own choice. She hadn't needed to see the Chapter Black tape to be on board. She'd been happy to do whatever he wanted her to do, because… her life had belonged to him. He'd, in her eyes, saved her life.
Though, he hadn't meant to, she knew. Had he seen her on the floor that day, he'd likely have killed her as well. Instead, Itsuki had found her, helped her just enough to give her the freedom to move away from that place and do as she desired. She'd chosen to hunt him down, and somehow, for some reason she didn't understand even still, he had taken her in. Taught her the ways of the Human World and…
Well, everything else. How to fight, which had been forbidden to her in her homeland. He'd taught her how to weed out the enemy, how to overpower them with sheer emotion, intimidation. And then how to kick them when they were down.
He'd taught her how to harness the energy her father hadn't agreed with. And then, when his plan blossomed, she stayed by his side- watched the tape and laughed at the bitterness. She'd given herself to him and done everything he'd wanted her to do- short of killing another, though she'd been ready to do so.
So when he'd tossed her at Yusuke, and then kicked her aside.. She'd been ready to die.
The others hadn't had a clue, and at the time, she hadn't cared. She'd let them fall into Sensui's plans. Hadn't warned them in the least. Yes, she'd regretted it. It had been part of the reason she'd welcomed death.
So when she'd awoken to Botan…
She'd been angry. She'd thought her own self pity and suffering was over, that she wouldn't have the chance to repeat that mistake. Instead, in her eyes, Koenma had robbed her of her only chance at peace.
Only now did she realize that he'd not robbed her, but given her a chance. And while the others had changed immediately after Sensui's disappearance, Akari herself had remained bitter. She'd had no regard for herself, even attempted to anger one of them enough to attack.
And then when he did, she'd been… confused.
A smile formed on her lips.
What a team.
And for the first time in her life, she'd put her life before another's. She'd been worried about someone other than herself. And she'd changed entirely in that moment, her fighting stance, her thinking…
When she'd seen Kurama strung up like-
My thinking…. She blinked. I'd actually…. looked for his movements, tried to predict his attack. She'd become, for an instant, an actual fighter, not someone just trying to survive.
I need to figure out how I did that.
Suddenly, her energy hummed within her in warning, and she was moving to stand. She stretched her arms over her head and moved towards the door, energy testing the presence that stood outside and finding it to be human.
He's here.
She paused at the door and glanced back at Kurama, a hand clasping around the doorknob. Still she gave no warning, and turned back to the door to reveal a man she hadn't seen in over half a year. A man who didn't look even remotely similar to the one she knew.
"You called?" He asked, lips twitching into a wry grin. "Back from the dead so soon?"
"I don't stay still for too long." she replied good-naturedly before sighing. "Glad you're well, Doctor."
"Kamiya." he enunciated. "As you are not the Ace, I am not the Doctor. Not the one you knew." *
From the time his head found the wall behind him again, Kurama had grow lost, wandering within himself alone and dazed in a flurry of pain that did not appear to have lessened, and in a cloud of darkness that had yet to fade.
"Youko…"
~!**!~
For the first time since she had started, Shikiyoku could feel her brows attempting to draw together as she once more gave a push, and another pulse of energy bubbled out into the clearing, releasing another wave of her ribbons.
This time, she could feel the sweat roll down from her hairline at the back of her neck and her breath faltered as she forced her movements smooth and measured.
The tendrils left about her body looped sensuously about her as she continued to move through them, with them, even the ribbons that extended beyond her body still twisting lazily in the air.
Another. Was that six now?
Each time her energy stiffened and started to return to her, Shikiyoku could feel her legs wanting to give out.
Sure. Central Tribe I don't find a single one of them.
She almost grunted with effort as she continued to feed her spell with her energy, feeling like she was too little butter trying to spread over too much bread.
Just as she nearly faltered in her steps again, the brush of what felt like a finger made her open her eyes to confirm that she was the only one dancing still, but there was no mistaking the sudden warmth that hovered just at her cheek before she could feel that it had covered the portions of her skin that were revealed by the Northern Tribe's garb.
It was the same warmth she always felt when he invaded her mind with his, and she felt her muscles actually relax into its greeting, even when she had to send another pulse of energy outwards to release more tendrils, which were this time thinner than the ones before. She was reaching the end of her power, scraping now almost up against her life energy.
Seven.
This time her eyes clenched back together as another tendril stiffened and began to return.
Uryo found that he could not look away from her, found that he was actually smiling at her in an expression he had not worn in a very long time.
He was certain that each pulse of her energy was sobering him, and yet he felt no need to hurry to dull his senses, felt no buzzing of his core that made him feel as if he might die if he did not move.
He did not notice the ribbon that snaked its way through the air to him, pausing a moment when it realized he was not a member of the tribe, pulsing once and becoming a deeper gold before looping twice about his left ankle and starting to head back to its mistress.
For Douji, he would come later to realize that he did not blink the entire time Shikiyoku danced, but when the yellow bit of energy wrapped up his arm two times, he found his eyes drawn to it, his core humming excitedly. He felt the urge to step forward, to get past those at the edge of the circle of dancers so that he could stand where she might see him, and where he might see her with no obstructions. 3
Hiei could feel her strain now, as his energy touched her, brushed her and offered her some comfort, some help. He could feel how her energy was stretched, and for a moment, he thought he could feel pain as if it were his own energy being spent, when he knew it was not.
He could see her eyes were squeezed shut with concentration, her face now covered with sweat that seemed to make the glow about her a bit more prominent. So he let his energy thicken around her, and he even stepped closer, so that maybe she would feel his presence and know that he was offering assistance, and all she had to do was accept.
His eyes were trained on her, his mind recalling what she'd said about her first Champion who had died during a union for something similar to this. How she'd said she'd nearly killed herself in the process as well. He took three steps closer, and when he noted her eyes did not open, did not turn to him, he gently pulsed his energy to her again.
"Breathe."
He didn't wish to interrupt her, distract her, but she was tense. Too tense, in his opinion.
On some level he knew her energy had wrapped around him in two loops just as it had at the Central Tribe, but her comfort superseded such a realization.
~!**!~
Akari nodded once to Kamiya, smile still in place for the moment's notice. "I have a few things I'd like to ask of you."
"For old time's sake?"
Akari gave a humorless laugh. "How about not. Neither of us are those people."
"I see that. And I also feel…" His eyes wandered from Akari and landed on Kurama across the room. He made a small sound of confirmation, then gave a sigh. He moved by her, already having guessed what it was that she was to ask of him. "He's had quite the number done on him. I'm surprised he's even alive." Akari didn't respond, only closing the door with a soft click and following the male who crouched in front of Kurama, who, for the most part, didn't appear aware of Kamiya's presence. "Nice to see you again," Kamiya spoke in a low voice, as if testing Kurama's awareness and willingness to let the once-crazy man near him. *
"Kamiya." Kurama replied, his lips allowing themselves a small smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Kurama opened his eyes, unsurprised to see a face he did not recognize peering at him, but he did somehow see the same soul resided behind the dark eyes that peered back at him from the changed façade.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku smiled, eyes opening again, and as she made a turn, she scanned the edges of the much quieter crowd, seeing on her next turn the glimmering crimson gaze that pierced through the darkness to her.
She did as his suggested, steadying her lungs into a simple rhythm as much as the music around her wished for her to do the opposite.
When she felt his energy blooming around her, she hesitated in her own mind to reach out for it, remembering how to do so...or how it was supposed to go. But would the knowledge be enough?
She swallowed nervously, pushing her energy father and knowing that soon she might not have a choice. It would be either accept his help, or shorten her life span. 3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star