A/N: Hello once again, Audience.
Once again, we come to a moment in the RP where we borrow from events that occur in the anime/manga. Tee hee. It's always super fun to me to make homage to the original.
Anyway, there is a ton that happens in this chapter. I had to stop where I did because it could have gone on for a while longer still, but you'll just have to wait until next week for some things to come to a better close!
Ciao for now!~
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 Shikiyoku and Youko/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.
(Words in italics and within parenthesis is dialogue between Hiei and Shikiyoku via the bond between them after Hiei becomes Shikiyoku's Consort. As soon as the 'thought' occurs, it can pass between them, and does not actually have to be formed into exact words-feelings and sensations can pass through as well-in order to be picked up and the meaning translated immediately by the other. For the sake of the coherence by the reader, words and sentences are used as normal. It cannot be picked up by telepathy.)
"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).
The Nabu Exception also applies to anyone when they are in an animal form, if the dialogue is in italics and quotations, unless stated otherwise.
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Hiei remains with Shikiyoku for days,
and when Mukuro finally calls for him,
it is to inform Hiei that his former comrade,
Yusuke, has called for a brief truce
so that he may speak with Yomi and Mukuro.
As Hiei and Mukuro speak on the matter,
Shikiyoku fetches Hiei's cloak and boots,
the timing of her return coinciding with Hiei's,
to whom she gives the items.
When she passes him by,
he fully expects her to kiss him,
and when she doesn't,
she feels his desire shoot through her,
but cannot believe it,
and enters the other room,
where Hiei tells her all that Mukuro revealed.
Eventually, the Mobile Fortress reaches the meeting place,
a corner where the three territories meet.
Troops of both Mukuro and Yomi are stationed
as if for war
Mukuro revealing herself atop the Mobile Fortress
without cloak and causing a brief stir as to her identity.
Across the "battlefield,"
Akari is within Yomi's troops' ranks,
and Kurama near Yomi's ear,
neither of them knowing that Yusuke is nearby.
The Mazoku himself is watching the preparations,
speaking with Raizen,
and eventually he and a few of Raizen's court
reveal themselves atop a cliff nearby.
Yusuke begins a speech addressing Yomi and Mukuro,
but is interrupted by an earthquake
that ravages the entire area.
A giant rift,
not unlike the one that opened downtown from Shikiyoku's home,
splits the sky miles high
right in the center of where the three territories cross.
From within it comes a voice
that calls itself Samhain,
King of the Realm of the Dead.
He accuses the living of treading on his territory,
for moving back and forth freely across the Veil
while still wearing their flesh.
A chill, howling wind sweeps out from the rift,
dropping scores of weaker demons.
In an instant, chaos.
Fighting breaks out,
but with what exactly few can tell,
those with battle sense like Hiei beginning to defend themselves
against opponents they cannot see.
Word spreads among those fighting on the ground
that they must close their eyes in order to see their enemies.
Yomi dives gleefully into these spirits,
Kurama activating the plant army he sowed
and doing the same.
Mukuro watches at first as Samhain
orders the newly fallen to arise under his power,
and demons begin being forced to fight their former brethren.
Enraged at this turn of events,
Mukuro unhooks herself from the Fortress,
and free of her bondage,
leaps from it's side to the ground,
her thoughts turning red as she dashes for Samhain himself.
As for Akari,
she is at first bolted in place
when Samhain reveals himself,
recognizing him as the being
with which she had her encounter
back in Yomi's compound all the months ago.
Finally, thoughts of her pack,
and of self-preservation,
drive her to action,
and she beings fighting for her life...
"What the hell?!" Yusuke repeated for what was probably the twentieth time in the last two minutes as he watched all of those supposedly dead on the ground below him rise up and begin fighting on the wrong side at the call of their master.
As soon as he felt Hiei tell him about closing his eyes to see the spirits that were attacking, Yusuke's astonishment had grown exponentially from there as he relayed the message to those standing around him.
"This entire situation is certainly...unexpected." Hokushin agreed mildly from where he stood on the other side of Raizen, also at the edge of the cliff.
Instead of joining in on the fighting, every single one of Raizen's subjects had lept up to view the battle next to their King, who had also chosen not to immediately join the fray, instead merely observing the "unexpected" event unfolding before them.
The fact that Yusuke hadn't impulsively dashed down the cliffside was a testament to how far he had come in his time with Raizen.
The boy actually was attempting to spot what had happened to his friends, and while he could sense their energy signatures still among the living, the chaos below made it difficult to get sight on them.
This problem soon began solving itself.
"Urameshi!"
Glancing up, Yusuke spotted a grinning Wind Master shooting towards his place at the top of the rocks and started frantically waving at Jin who landed nearby.
The two grabbed one another in a giant hug as they exchanged greetings and pounded each other on the back, Yusuke's lips mirroring the wide, open, and excited expression of the redhead before him.
"Is this all your doin'?" Jin immediately asked once they had separated.
"Hell no."
"His plan was much more mild than this." Raizen rumbled.
Jin turned and gave the would-be King a happy salute, "Di'na think so. Thought it was a little flashy for this one." He jabbed a thumb at Yusuke as he grinned wider.
Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest, "I was gonna suggest we all team up to take down the King, and whoever was left could join a tournament to decide who would take the throne. Whoever won could either take it themselves, dissolve it, or pass it to someone else."
Jin nodded, "Not half'a bad plan there, boyo. Probably would have worked, or at least given e'rone somefin tah think about."
A hand sudden slapped the ground near Yusuke feet over the top of the cliffside as Chu pulled himself up, breathing hard and smelling strongly of alcohol.
"Jin, you wanker." He wheezed as he collapsed into a seated position. "Leavin' all of us behind like that."
Jin just grinned at him as others, Touya and Shishiwakamaru among them, began appearing along the cliffside and rushing to join Yusuke and the others.
Yusuke's smile might have split his face in two at seeing all of them around him, seeing all the old allies joining him instead of fighting him, and the reunion was well-received by all present, even Raizen and his people.
A shimmering of the air behind them interrupted the shouts of joy from the gathered demons who had begun welcoming Yusuke as a true member of their race, and everyone there took a step back, getting their feet underneath themselves as they prepared for whatever might step through the opening.
Yusuke, however, took a step forward, eyes glimmering with an excitement he had not felt in a long time as he watched what looked like a small tear in reality start to slice through the middle of the air to the ground.
The first man through was none other than Kazuma Kuwabara himself, wielding his Jigen Tō as if it were nothing as he stepped through the opening and then directly up to Yusuke, grinning as he rested the sword across his shoulders.
"Didja miss me, punk?"
Yusuke punched Kuwabara in the chest with a giant smile before grabbing him for a hug and thumping him heartily on the back.
"Not at all, jerk!"
"You've gotten taller." Kuwabara tilted his head to the side as Yusuke stepped back. "Leaner too."
"Yeah and you look as dumpy as ever, dork."
Kuwabara only raised an eyebrow, smirking.
Everyone could see that the redhead before them was more filled out than before, more man than boy as the cut of his jaw had hardened and the look in his eye seemed more focused than ever.
Out from the opening Kuwabara left behind, others started coming through. Shizuru first, a lit cigarette stuck firmly between her lips and a delighted fierceness in her eyes that mirrored her younger brother's, then Genkai, looking as she did the first day Yusuke saw her. Botan, also unchanged and with that same cheery air as always. A few others Yusuke did not recognize, though he could tell by their auras they were denizens of Spirit World, and strong ones at that. Yukina, taller and more beautiful than before, if still in the same type of kimono as always, and finally Koenma in teenager form and leading the last person to step through.
The last one blinked into the strange brightness of the Eighth Layer, her long brown hair settling down her back and curving around the jeans she wore in a way that made Yusuke's heart-or rather his demonic core since his death by Raizen's hand had made him reborn-fluttered in his chest.
Everyone else grew quiet as Yusuke took a step forward, rendered speechless at the woman who let go of Koenma's hand just as Kuwabara stepped back and passed his Dimensional Blade over the opening to close it.
Keiko's eyes narrowed as Yusuke got closer, the usual soft brown color flashing with anger, an anger that Yusuke had missed.
The swing of her hand was completely expected, but the lightness with which it landed on his cheek had Yusuke's eyebrows lifting with a gentleness he caught reflected in her gaze.
"Give me a kiss, you idiot." She murmured up at him.
Yusuke's cheeks grew hot and his eyes widened, "Everyone's watching."
"Just kiss me, stupid." Keiko threw her arms around his neck and with a little leap covered his lips with her own, causing those present to whoop and holler or cheer or just watch with a knowing smile.
"Alright you two." Koenma finally said when the kiss had lasted long enough.
When Yusuke pulled away he knew Keiko didn't think it had lasted long enough either, and the knowing smile on her face had his neck growing even hotter.
More than a few of those around him chuckled.
"Koenma." Yusuke unwrapped his arms from where they had gathered Keiko up, though one hand slid down her arm to find her hand and grasp a hold of it, and stepped up to the King of Spirit World, extending his free hand.
Koenma took it firmly and they shook.
"It's good to see you again, Yusuke."
It was not hard for Yusuke to see that much had changed with the former Prince. None of the light in his eyes had disappeared in the time since Yusuke saw him, but now there was something much deeper to it, something Yusuke found had no name for.
"I'm hoping your appearance means you have some sort of good news." Yusuke gave Keiko's hand a gentle squeeze and he was pleased to feel her return the gesture.
Koenma tilted his head slightly, "Perhaps."
"At the very least, we can tell you a bit about what'sh going on." A tall, lanky being with his dark hair up in a ponytail stepped out from the group of Spirit World denizens, his breath smelling more heavily of alcohol than even Chu's, and Yusuke immediately realized this was a demon, a swordsman at that, and one that would prove to be a match even for the son of Raizen.
Yusuke glanced at Koenma who gave a nod.
"Yusuke, this is Uryo."
Yusuke extended that same hand for a shake that Uryo completed.
"He's the main reason why we're all here." Koenma continued, catching Yusuke's eye and holding it. "Spirit World has finally, completely, collapsed. I am King no more."
Yusuke's eyebrows rose, along with all the others standing around him that had not just come through the portal.
"And we are here to defend the land of the living." Uryo added, giving a little nod towards the rift through which Samhain could still be seen. "This is no longer some naive skirmish between three would-be demon Kings. This is a war for our very existence. A war in which human and demon and denizen alike must fight side-by-side."
"There have been other, smaller openings throughout New Human World. Openings that lead to the same place this one does." Koenma indicated the giant rift which was hard to miss. "With the Dimensional Blade, Kuwabara has been able to force them closed. It's where we ran across Uryo, who had apparently been single-handedly fighting back the invading dead."
"Though none quite as big as this." Uryo added. "And none giving direct access to Samhain."
"Who the hell is this guy anyway?" Yusuke shifted around to take another look at the overbearing image peering through the rift at the fighting below.
"Originally, he was simply the Guardian of Purgatory, the First Circle of the Afterlife." Koenma explained. "A keeper, a watcher, over the souls of those who were waiting for judgement by Spirit World, the 'unclassifieds.' He was meant to keep them in check, and was put in place to maintain the Veil, the barrier that was set up to separate the living from the dead. He sustains it, even could be himself considered the Veil, or is at least the cornerstone upon which the Veil rests. Without him, those dead would freely roam the earth as they did in days long past, in the beginning of the world. He rules nothing." Koenma tacked on to the end, a sense of harshness creeping into his voice. "He apparently took the title for himself and my father did nothing about it, letting more and more souls become lost to the Realm of the Dead to fester there for centuries without anyone knowing."
Koenma had by this point walked to the edge of the cliff, everyone else following behind to watch the fighting.
Both Kuwabara and Shizuru shivered as they caught sight of Samhain, able to feel more keenly than anyone else the oppressive aura seeping out from behind the Veil onto the Eighth Layer. Their eyes watched as the grass near the rift began wilting and dying, and they knew that if this was not stopped, such death would soon seep into the entire world.
Koenma let out a sigh.
"It is a losing battle. Even now those who have fallen will soon rise and serve a new master, and those spirits that are dispersed with reform anew."
"Then how do we stop it?" Raizen asked.
Koenma glanced in his direction before looking towards the rift itself.
"The Ruler must be removed from his throne."
"Which is apparently really hard to do." Kuwabara piped up, brandishing his Jigen Tō. "So I'm here to seal up the rift."
"You really think you can do it?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
Kuwabara shrugged, "Haven't found an opening I couldn't close yet."
Yusuke pursed his lips.
"I guess all we gotta do now is get you close enough."
"Which is why the rest of us are here." Genkai spoke up, her eyes darting around the battlefield. "It's going to be one helluva fight to get there."
Koenma shook his head, "The only problem with just sealing the hole back up is the fact that we don't know how the rifts are opening in the first place. Who's to say another, bigger one doesn't open up and Samhain figures out a way to come through himself?"
"That's why you think we have to kill the guy? How do we do that?"
Koenma frowned at Yusuke, "I-...I don't know."
Yusuke caught sight of a certain teal-haired Grim Reaper ducking behind someone as if to hide.
"...Botan."
"Hm?" She peeked over the shoulder of the person next to her, appearing perfectly innocent.
"You're not a fighter, what are you doing here?" Yusuke wanted to know.
"Neither is she." Botan stuck her tongue out at him and pointed at Keiko, who stuck her nose in the air and turned away.
"What do you know about this guy?" Yusuke pried.
"Absolutely nothing." She replied with a cheery disposition, clasping her hands together behind her back.
"Hey, Koenma, where exactly is the River Styx located?" Yusuke asked on a hunch.
Yusuke noted that Botan's eyes grew wide.
"On the edge of the First Circle." Koenma was quick to reply.
"The First Circle being that whole Purgatory thing."
Koenma nodded, "Mm-hm."
"So what are the chances that the Grim Reapers have some lore passed down through their ranks about Samhain?"
"Lore that I don't know?" Koenma asked, glancing over at Botan with a gaze that quickly turned suspicious when she refused to meet his eyes. "I was going to say 'highly unlikely'..."
Botan sighed and her shoulders slumped, "You can't kill him."
"What?"
"He's unkillable." She muttered.
"You've tried?"
"Well...no."
"Then how do you know?"
She shrugged, "That's just how the legend goes."
"If the legends tell you something is unkillable, that usually just means terrible things can happen if you kill it." Genkai noted.
"Like the collapsing of the Veil and the dead overtaking the living anyway." Shizuru conjectured.
Koenma's gaze had grown thoughtful as the others turned away to continue watching the fighting.
"Sir?" George refrained from nudging his former ruler, "That face usually means you have an idea."
"It-..." Koenma let out a little breath, his eyebrows lowering over his eyes as his lips moved, but no one could hear him speaking.
"What was that, sir?"
"You may pass the River, and seek the Master Veil-"
"I'm sorry, are you singing, sir?"
"What? No, ogre. Well, yes. It's just this silly little nursery rhyme my mother used to sing me to sleep to."
George blinked, "I never knew you had a mother, sir."
"She...died, ogre. When I was very young. I barely remember what she looks like anymore."
George stayed quiet for a moment before asking, quietly, "What was the song, sir?"
Koenma had gotten a faraway look in his eyes, trying to recall his mother's face, but only able to get a shadowy image of her leaning over his crib, and while he could no longer remember what her voice sounded like, though he could remember the tune, her words still rang clearly in his ears.
You may pass the River
and seek the Master Veil
You may pass where death has trod,
and challenge with your flesh a god,
he who reigns beneath the sod
and break your mortal coil.
"Sir?"
Koenma blinked and realized George was still hovering over him.
"I don't remember it all." He replied with a shortness that George recognized and after which the ogre grew silent again.
"Well," Uryo said after taking a long swig from a flask and catching Kuwabara's eye. "Are you ready to try to close this thing up, boy?"
Kuwabara flashed the fire demon a wicked grin, "Are you ready to clear the way for me, old man?"
Uryo let out a huff of a laugh, "Only if you think you can keep up."
"Children." Genkai grunted, taking the last few steps forward and jumping from the cliff.
"Hey! Head start! No fair!" Kuwabara shouted after her as he ran in her direction, noting that he had lost sight of Uryo.
"You'd better let a few of us in front." Touya assured him as he too left the cliffside.
"Someone's gotta be clearin' the way!" Jin left in a whoosh, spiralling towards the ground.
"Let your betters go first, little brother." Shizuru grinned at him as she stepped backwards off the cliff, tossing him a taunting glance.
Kuwabara only growled good naturedly at her as he jumped off after her, the other demons and Spirit World denizens around him having either jumped off as well or flanking him as he fell.
"Have fun storming the rift, guys!" Botan called as she waved after them, grabbing Yukina's arm and holding her back.
Yukina's eyebrows rose with concern as Botan winked at her.
"We'll be here if they need us. I'm certain we'd just be a distraction."
"I suppose."
Botan didn't stop her when she stepped up to the cliffside to watch.
~!**!~
Even after Mukuro launched herself from the top of the Mobile Fortress in a rage, Shikiyoku continued to watch impassively as the fight unfolded beneath her.
She took note of the telepathic message from Hiei that in order to see the spirits, one had to close their eyes, though she had also gotten the impression that Mukuro planted there saying as much the same thing.
His momentary presence in her mind had brought a brief little smile to her lips though.
The others with her on top of the fortress appeared to have no interest in joining those fighting for their lives on the ground, in spite of the fact that their supposed leader had just taken the leap of faith off the edge herself.
Rikei and Iketeru remained on either side of Shikiyoku, intermittently lifting their gazes to watch the battle while simultaneously scratching notes upon the papers on their clipboards.
"If either of you have the capabilities of using the inbetween, I would not suggest doing so before making certain others are successful in their attempts."
Shikiyoku sounded bored, monotone. The two scientists looked at one another, eyebrows raised and waiting for her to continue.
"It appears as though anyone trying to escape by using this 'Veil' that Samhain rules is immediately having their souls ripped from their bodies. I have seen the soul almost immediately exiting the rift to fight for him."
"Noted." Rikei replied.
"I also wouldn't suggest dying either. At this point, anyone who drops is also coming back fighting for his side."
"A sound suggestion." Rikei admitted. "I think by avoiding the battle altogether we should not find ourselves in either situation."
"Perhaps." Shikiyoku allowed, finally catching sight of Hiei as he released the Dragon of the Darkness Flame into the air.
She let out a half-hearted sigh of resignation and took a step forward, almost instantly feeling Iketeru's hand on her arm, holding her back.
"And exactly what do you mean to do, Kuraku?" Rikei wanted to know.
"Even out the odds." She replied without emotion.
"You can't fight." Iketeru pointed out.
"You're right. I can't."
Ever since the active Crusnik had been expelled, Shikiyoku had been unable to kill while in her pain form, and both scientists knew it.
She shrugged off Iketeru's hold, taking another step and squaring her shoulders, giving the pair a final glance as she stepped off the edge.
"But I can dance."
Resisting the temptation to pull herself inbetween as she dropped, Shikiyoku let the pull of gravity quicken her fall, her long hair whipping around her face until she landed and took her first step across the ground, almost immediately changing forms as a demon with glowing blue eyes blocked her path.
Eyes closed as her body shimmered forms, smooth pale skin given way to grey scarred skin, radiant, yellow energy darkening and deepening around her as she released strands of it from her body, she wove into the air with her movements a spell of pain that struck the demon as one such strand reached him and appeared to pass through his chest, dropping him to the ground and leaving him twitching in place.
Nikolai whirled in place as he heard the gurgling noises, seeing Shikiyoku start to almost flow forward and leave the demon where he writhed on the earth.
"Kuraku!" He called as she moved further away, himself having taken a moment to breathe.
Following in her wake, he noticed the demon she dropped start to rise up as the strand of her energy pulled away and as he turned to deliver a killing blow, he heard her voice, flat and growling, order him to stop.
"Knock him out." She demanded as she kept moving. "As if for him to remain unconscious for days."
"Wouldn't it be easier just to kill him?" Nikolai asked, his attack stopped in mid-blow as he glanced from her back to the demon at his mercy.
"Spirits will continue to rise even if the body falls." She informed him, pausing in place though she continued to dance with the strands of power that began multiplying around her. "We make this day much harder by culling our own ranks. I seek to even the odds."
Nikolai let out a short breath and turned back to the demon that was almost to his feet.
"Sound tactics." Nikolai admitted aloud as he struck the demon at the base of the neck with enough force that the demon collapsed limply back to the ground, still breathing.
"I am a sound tactician." Shikiyoku stated flatly, as if it were obvious, appearing to take little effort in doubling again the number of strands around her person until her aura appeared to writhe like a living cloud before she took another step and began dancing once more.
Nikolai dashed up next to her as she increased her speed, keeping in stride and knocking out any demon with glowing blue eyes that got close enough to be struck with pain.
"And where did you learn such strategies?" Nikolai continued the conversation with a sort of calmness that might have better served them had they been sitting down at a table for tea rather than in the midst of a wailing, frantic battle field with the aura of death itself looming over them from the rift.
"A courtroom is only a battlefield with four walls and a ceiling." Shikiyoku replied with that same emotionlessness as before.
Nikolai found himself grinning as he himself began almost dancing around and between the strands of her power as they struck, finishing the work of the incapacitated by knocking them out cold.
It did not take long for others among Mukuro's army to catch sight of the spectacle that was slowly making its way towards the rift, and soon the wake she left of demons with glowing blue eyes rolling on the ground in pain grew larger as she most readily accommodated her growing number of escorts that flanked her and knocked out those she struck as she cleared a path through the ranks of the enemy.
Each time a spirit attempted to assault one among their number, Shikiyoku would send out a near-black strand of energy that would strike the being through their chest to their core, grabbing ahold of the organ and rendering them incapable of anything save registering the pain that coursed through their spiritual bodies. These spirits would be dragged along with her as she continued forward, unable to burst into ashes and reform as their master commanded. 3
Hiei carved his own path through demons and spirits alike, the dragon ahead of him and his sword passing through the demons that made attempts at coming at him from the sides. Ashes seemed to follow him wherever he went, and after a few minutes he realized that he even had a group of demons following after him, sticking to one of the only paths being created through the destruction that was the undead.
Even when the Jagan informed the fire demon of the spirits returning after being turned to ash, Hiei continued on the same path, eyes focused ahead but his senses telling him of Shikiyoku's movements, as well as Yusuke's, Chu's, Jin's, and several others that he so very easily recognized.
For him, it was all too easy to cut the path through the crowds that lead him to the path that Shikiyoku was making, and even easier still to make that sharp turn that put him at her side, but dodging away from her dark tendrils of energy.
So as to not distract her for long, the only communication Hiei gave to her was an image of Kuwabara and Koenma heading for the rift- something the Jagan had taken interest in earlier before focusing on the path it would require to reach that point.
The dragon dissolved shortly after, and Hiei took to silently striking demons on Shikiyoku's left side, having realized just before he joined her ranks what she'd been able to accomplish.
And really, he was all too happy to be fighting at her side.
~!**!~
Akari knocked another spirit to the side, finding that even though her attackers seemed to have no tangible body, they were easily able to be fended off if one was able to foresee their attacks. And they could even be killed, though the logic of such a concept didn't seem quite right. It made no sense, but she continued to tear through the danger as it closed in on her over and over again.
It was hard to concentrate when one's mind continued to be pulled to another place, another duty, another time almost.
It was only inevitable that she slip and earn several painful gashes along her shoulder and arm, where blood quickly welled to the surface and began to stain her light colored shirt. The assailant was taken care of with a quick swipe of her arm, which had been cloaked very thickly with a shadow that had jumped to her aid without asking.
Not that she minded.
She ducked and weaved through more of the creatures, eyes ahead and staring at the rift where she could still see the creature of Death, staring at the scene. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to turn and run the other direction, to wrap up in the layers and seek refuge elsewhere, to get as far away as possible.
And she almost did turn around, until one of the soul-like creatures stepped into her way, eyes dark and lifeless, teeth bared and claws at the ready. And yet this one did not immediately attack, instead staring at her with its head turned just slightly.
The dog demon's core lurched, feeling as if this was one battle she'd rather not get into, and she changed directions. Her stomach dropped and her brain jolted into awareness, telling her very quickly that the one she tried to leave behind was actually on her heels.
Akari ignored it, hoping they were dumb too.
While on this path, her eyes caught sight of a familiar group of demons falling through the air in the distance, accompanied by a familiar human that she had honestly forgotten over the course of the past several months.
She switched directions again, finding no reason to join them in whatever they were doing.
It was at this moment that she realized not all of the undead were dumb.
Her path was cut short within a few feet by the very creature she'd been trying to avoid, who held a very dangerous looking smirk on his face and an expression that had her momentarily thinking of the smug smile that Kurama used to wear when he'd known she no longer had any argument to supply for whatever he'd been taunting her about.
She couldn't stop fast enough, her heels digging into the soil and her arms flailing a little in hopes of creating sufficient wind resistence to stop her momentum. Her brain told her it was an impossible feat, that she should have turned to the side and broke into a run the other direction, but her core told her she wouldn't have made it either way.
And that sparked the first real emotion within her in weeks.
Her countenance changed, turning to one of anger and daring challenge of her opponent. Those milliseconds stretched into minutes as she skid closer, her glare darkening and her energy exploding around her to release shadows from every denizen in the area, creating an army of her own that converged on the one being with her.
Time caught up the very second Akari's arm lifted to block the strike from the undead spirit, and blow after blow was exchanged one after another in a flurry that even she wasn't sure she kept track of. Instinct drove her to attack, to take down the threat in her way so she may move to the next and eventually make it to her pack.
The very second her opponent slipped, he was done and Akari was moving on to the next, finding that several converged on her and her circle of shadow beings all at once, Akari's anger ever growing. Anger she'd bottled up for weeks, or months, or however long it had been since she'd killed Manami. Anger at herself, at the world, at the three kings, at anything and everything that moved. Anger that turned to a blinding rage.
Anger that had her charging at the next demon, whose blue eyes glared lifelessly at her as she charged, not noticing the sword that was raising to strike until it nicked her skin at the collarbone, at her shoulder, at her neck. The blows were executed by the once living swordsman who now executed each blow as if he'd trained his entire life for this one moment. He skillfully dodged shadows, ignoring them as if they were nothing more than specs of dirt on the wind, his entire entity trained on Akari and every open spot he could see.
She really didn't feel the cuts, the scratches, the gashes that parted her skin. So Akari had no idea, really, when the blade passed over her neck, severing a necklace that had come loose from its hiding spot and sending the petals and leaves floating away in the midst of the scuffle. She paused only briefly, remembering a certain redhead crafting it for her, but not really caring about its pieces that fell unwanted to the dirt.
Time paused as she watched the petals fall, however, her brain trying to supply to her the reason the necklace had even been made in the first place.
She was jerked from those thoughts with a blade across her cheek however. Her irises darkened and she lifted her glare up to the assailant, before deciding to strike. All at once, the fight was over and Akari was moving on again, the darkness of the shadows that followed her dulling the color in her eyes as she charged another group of the undead. *
~!**!~
She could not enter the Realm herself.
"My lady?"
"Silence, fool." The ferocity of her voice had the demon at her side cowering as if she might strike him.
He would not let her. Not even now. Not even after she had completed his task.
Her jaw flexed from her place of safety inbetween the layers, watching the battle unfolding before her with ever-increasing irritation.
Samhain might have allowed her the luxury and protection of continuing to use the Veil even here where his aura would not normally let her, but in truth it was all she could do not to rush through the giant rift and retrieve her children.
"Lady Kearia?"
"What?" She seethed, whirling towards the simpering demon who cringed away from her.
Lady Kearia could not believe she had allied herself with this weakling, this imitator of powers, this imposter, who had so long ago lost himself to the memories of the copies from whom he received his powers that he could no longer remember his own name.
His latest power source had been a demon of extremely small stature, one whose growth had been stunted by spells in which he had dabbled: a death dealer. A gate opener. Specifically gates to the underworld, to the Realm of the Dead.
After Otento had sealed away her twin children's powers as they spoke the ritual to combined the three worlds into one, the resulting backlash of leaving the ritual unfinished had destroyed the pair, leaving Lady Kearia bereft and seeking out any way that she might bring them back from the dead.
Enter Tahatchi, a demon with his own rituals. Ones that could pierce through the Veil to the land of the dead. And so with her pretender, she had copied those powers and begun her trek across the layers, attempting the rituals wherever she went.
But somehow Tahatchi had not transferred the true secret to completing the rituals to her ally.
That hadn't stopped her. Only delayed her. Only made her wait for her children longer.
It was a blood sacrifice. A living soul was required to pierce into those long dead.
Tahatchi had been their first sacrifice.
But his soul was so small, and his opening so small. A couple of dead had been called through, but what good was that to the mother?
Several rituals and sacrifices and hole openings later and she had caught the attention of the self-proclaimed "Ruler" of the purgatory which she had been unknowingly accessing. He spoke with her, pacted with her, promised her the return of her children should she help him achieve his goals. He spoke of a certain place where, with a more powerful ritual, he might emerge into the living world, release the dead upon the accursed air-breathers and rule over them all.
And so here she stood, with her single ally by her side, and still waiting, still impatient, still ignored and unable to venture herself into the rift where she could see Samhain observing the slow battle he was winning.
He would not let her through.
And she had tried.
The aura of the ruler was devastating, and she could feel if she tried to approach that her own soul might separate itself from her body and leave her perhaps with her children, but no longer alive herself.
Her mate would not be happy with her were she to die.
The stale air of the inbetween place bringing her back to the present, her eyes focused once more on the short imposter at which she had whirled to face, seeing now how he pointed beyond her, and whipping her head to follow his wavering finger.
Eyes sharp and piercing through the inconsequentials, Lady Kearia knew immediately what her ally meant for her to see.
A redhead, a human of all things, was slashing his way through the army of dead and undead and redead, but with each swipe of his sword, an impression was left behind in the air, and as she watched closer, she realized that the impression was actually an aftereffect of the dimensions being torn apart as this human appeared to banish those fighting against him back into the Realm.
She began flitting around the battlefield while inbetween, taking note of those around him that appeared to be paving the way, and influencing the flow of enemies so that slowly, almost unnoticeably, those allies were dispersed one-by-one, drawing away further into the fight, further away from this human who appeared to be muttering something to himself as he kept glancing up at the rift, and then back to his Dimensional Blade, and then returning his attention to the fight around him.
"What's wrong, little brother?" Shizuru shouted, maneuvering her way deftly through the crowd of attackers to her sibling's side.
From within the Veil, Lady Kearia growled.
"Don't tell anyone, yeah?" He replied as the two of them began moving together to take down approaching spirits. "This isn't like the others. I can't do it."
"Can't do what?"
"Seal it up."
"What?!"
"Yeah. It's...it's that thing in there. He's too strong. The dead keep pouring in and we can't stop them because he's just going to keep calling them and I can't close it with him right there. I'm...not strong enough."
Shizuru knew that Kuwabara was fully aware of his capabilities, and if he said it was not possible, then it would not be possible.
She glanced up at the looming figure through the rift.
"Gotta get rid of him somehow then, huh?"
Kuwabara raised and lowered a shoulder before making four quick slashes at attacking spirits.
"You know as well as I do that we're not getting rid of that."
She let out a sigh and shifted the cigarette in her mouth to the other corner.
"Yeah. I do. But look, Koenma's got this idea. If we can make it to him, I think we can take care of this thing."
Kuwabara nodded and adjusted his stance to accommodate the advance of another demon under Samhain's power, making quick work of knocking the demon unconscious to the ground so that its spirit would not rise out of the portal to fight again.
"We're gonna make a break for him." Shizuru relaxed her stance for a moment, taking her cigarette out of her mouth and tossing it to the ground near her foot, stepping on it to put it out. "Ready?"
Another nod.
On an unspoken cue, the pair shot off towards the rift, Kuwabara feeling from his sister the direction in which they needed to go.
Lady Kearia let out another growl, surprised when she noted Kuwabara looking around as if he heard her, slowing his stride by a beat as if to let his sister take the lead. Shizuru didn't seem to notice.
Eyes flashing, Lady Kearia let her malice fluctuate again, but this time more to his left, noting that Kuwabara followed and also making sure Shizuru was met with no initial resistance when he left her, urging Shizuru onwards by sending along behind her other demons under Samhain's control whom she manipulated into forcing Shizuru faster forward.
She provided for Kuwabara enemies that he might become more distracted with, sensing that the more spirits around him, the more he would feel the need to banish them back to their rightful places, all the while pulling him in the direction most opposite from the ways she led the his allies.
When he had been distanced sufficiently from all others, she stepped out from the inbetween in front of him, a terrible beauty for whom he stopped without hesitation and inclined his head in a brief bow, extending a free hand towards her.
"My lady. I would lead you to a safer place should you wish it."
"I do wish it." She replied, reaching towards his hand and clasping it firmly in her own.
That's when Kuwabara's eyes widened and he realized his mistake in the instant before the pain collided with his brain, every single nerve feeling as though it had been set on fire all at once as his legs gave out underneath him and she let go of his hand so that he could drop.
Out from the Veil stepped a second demon, much shorter than she, but one whose features Kuwabara found himself unable to process as he gave another cry of pain and curled up on the ground.
No longer holding back those spirits and demons around her under Samhain's control, Lady Kearia watched with a fierce smile as the owner of the Dimensional Blade fell beneath the onslaught of the attackers, helpless and alone.
"With this power, we shall tear for ourselves a hole into the Realm of the Dead and I will retrieve my children myself." She snapped, never looking away.
Just as the light began to leave his eyes, the imitator stepped forward and began the task of duplicating Kuwabara.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku gladly opened her dance to include Hiei in its steps, feeling once more a sense of completion with his being nearby.
She had been moving her way across the battlefield towards Samhain's rift, and as they drew closer, the number of demons fighting them grew less, and the number of spirits assailing them increased as those struck down elsewhere emerged in a howl of wind to fight once more.
There was no counting how many of the spirits she had a hold of, and even as she incapacitated five or ten at a time, there were so many of them that those around her were forced to defend themselves from the others.
It was only once this point was reached that Shikiyoku even broke out into a sweat, starting to release more empty strands into the air even as she held onto the spirits swarming around her from before. Dropping demons to the ground in pain was one thing, as she had released them almost immediately. Here, she was holding on to spirits that she began gathering from her first step onto the battlefield, refusing to release them so that they would not return to fight again.
The strands of her energy writhed in the air around her as she continued taking deliberately placed steps that were all a part of the dance she had been executing across the three territories towards the rift. A flourish of her hand and four more spirits were held. Another movement forward and she caught five others.
There were coming much faster now.
~!**!~
Few faced down with Mukuro that day and lived.
But it was not the living that mattered, after all.
She tore for herself a path of blind rage towards the rift at the epicenter of the battle, most unable to so much as step in her aura without winking out of existence in a flash of dying light.
~!**!~
Koenma picked up the pace.
Their tactics had changed once the group became separated, and the former King knew that his survival depended upon the efficiency of those around him.
The lullaby his mother once sang to him continued playing over and over again in his head as he neared the rift.
Had Samhain been keeping spirits even so long ago as that?
...had his father killed her?
Koenma wouldn't have been surprised. If what his gut told him about her song was true, and knowing now what he did about others of his father's actions, there left little doubt in Koenma's mind that she was likely slain by Enma's own hands.
You may pass the River
and seek the Master Veil
You may pass where death has trod,
and challenge with your flesh a god,
he who reigns beneath the sod
and break your mortal coil.
Koenma flinched as Jin managed to block an attack aimed for the teen's head.
Jin winked at him and whirled away.
Dashing across the seemingly empty field, Shikiyoku led her escorts so that they might join up with Koenma's, their group making for quite the spectacle as they made their way closer and closer to the rift that crackled with an energy they could all feel seeping into their bones.
Just as they all might have collided with the bottom-most portion of the opened rift, the guardians parted so that Koenma might make the final sprint through them and into the hole between dimensions.
Anyone who thought to follow very quickly found themselves on the ground in pain without exactly understanding why even as a strand of dark-yellow energy snaked away from them to snap into another spirit.
"Your strength may have brought you here, but you would not survive that other place. It would kill you in an instant." Uryo extended his hand down to Touya, who accepted the offer and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet, shaking his head to rid himself of the momentary pain that had riddled his body.
Sheathing his sword for the moment, Uryo watched as Shikiyoku sank to the ground with closed eyes as if in a meditative trance.
With his eyes open, he could not see how many spirits she had snared, as when her energy pierced their cores and held them, it was no longer visible on any spectrum of light that he could make out.
When he took a moment to close them, he found himself taking a step back as a spirit nearly passed through him as it writhed in the air, their number filling each and every space between the demons and humans and former denizens of Spirit World, and darkening the sky above him as well.
Blinking, he watched as more strands spiraled out from Shikiyoku's body, her breathing steady, but the strands this time thinner than the last, as if to conserve what power she had left.
On occasion, a fist would fly or a sword would flash to return a spirit momentarily into the Realm, but all they could do now was wait.
Uryo caught sight of Hiei nearby, his only greeting one that Hiei could decide for himself to hear or not.
Fire warrior.
Looking up at the rift, Koenma seemed infinitesimally smaller than the being whom he faced down, and there was no way of knowing what words were said between them.
~!**!~
A deathly silence.
Would have been amusing had a strange sort of peace not overtaken Koenma the instant he made it through the rift.
Samhain was larger than life itself. More enormous than even Enma at his most powerful. And while Koenma could feel an oppressive aura fighting desperately with his soul, he found that it was not so hard as he imagined to maintain his physical body even while standing on the other side of the River Styx.
"And who are you to challenge death, tiny one?"
"Having flesh is all it takes, my lord." Koenma responded steadily.
Samhain regarded Koenma with eyes that would have torn most souls from their bodies in a single glance, much less the prolonged look that scrutinized the insignificant form Koenma had taken.
"I offer to you a simple solution." Samhain finally rumbled, his voice pitched so low that Koenma almost could not hear it. "Kiss my hand and you will become one with the spirits. There will be no pain." 3
The very moment that Koenma was through the rift, Hiei came to a standstill near Shikiyoku, standing on her right and near her in silent support, eyes keeping watch of the demons that fell to the ground due to her interference and of the d\spirits that sought them out, the occasional flame stopping them from gaining any more leeway, even though he knew they returned with a war cry.
And this was all he did, acting in this way as Shikiyoku's guard, a sword in one hand and a flame in the other, his eyes alight with a fire that dared any to get closer and smoldered with the burning ash when they did get too close.
So it was only by chance that Hiei heard Uryo, and only momentarily did he spare a glance at the older fire demon, though he did manage a nod of respect and hello as he turned away.
When a spirit got too close, Hiei reacted with yet another ball of flame, at which point he realized his tattoo had begun to glow just a little, its golden light melding with the glow of the flame in the palm of his left hand.
(Draw on me, if you must.)
Hiei did not so much as hesitate to let his energy expand around himself, radiating a warmth that he allowed to stretch around him and envelop Shikiyoku. He could see the sweat on her face when he turned to look at her, and see the amount of strained effort it took for her to concentrate her power in this way.
He still had his sword, so if she so chose to borrow his energy, he would allow it to be exclusively for her, and would only use his katana.
~!**!~
Anger was no longer the best descriptor for the emotion that had seized control of Akari's movements, her instincts, her fighting. To call her 'angry' would have been similar to saying she was just as nice as a child on a playground at this point.
She no longer wasted time on dodging attacks, instead charging through demons who had turned undead and simply thrusting a hand through their chest cavity to rid it of their core, which somehow still seemed enough to at least stun the creatures, though she didn't exactly stop to see if they actually died again or not.
And yet that mood seemed to continue escalating, until all she saw was red. Any who caught sight of her likely thought she was part of the undead herself, were it not for the shadow warriors following in her stead. Her eyes no longer had color, the irises completely taken over by what one could only guess to be as a part of one of the shadows that ran alongside her. Her entire body had an eerie shadow that gave her skin a dark color of gloom, as if she herself might be a worker for Death.
So really, the only person who noted the actual change was Akari.
One moment she had her hand through the chest cavity of a demon, and the next she was standing still, watching her own body continue on a path to destruction, snarling and growling and spitting at anything that even so much as moved, even the still living demons who had somehow survived up until they encountered her own soulless person.
She blinked, momentarily remembering the necklace that she had watched fall to the dirt in pieces, and suddenly remembering that it had been crafted to prevent this from happening. To prevent her soul from departing her physical self and potentially killing her later.
She blinked in the direction that her body had gone, realizing that she could no longer see it.
For that moment, however, she was not attacked. She was not even noticed by the spirits of the walking dead, and all she knew was that there was a very large chance that she may not be able to return to her body.
She couldn't even remember how anymore.
Even still, she made an attempt to relocate herself. *
~!**!~
Yusuke paced back and forth in front of the rift, as close as he could get without feeling as if his soul was about to be ripped from its body.
The number of spirits passing out of the Realm had greatly lessened, and he almost absently took swings at ones that did, realizing when he did so that they would only emerge again, and possibly doing it just so that he had something to do.
He could see Koenma in there, could feel the presence of Samhain, even without straining his neck up to see past the being's ankles, but couldn't hear a thing, and had already dropped to the ground once when he tried to go farther forward, stopped by a one of the multitude of strands that Shikiyoku was wielding while protecting them from being overwhelmed.
This is taking too long.
What's going on in there?
Yusuke turned to go back the other way when he felt a heavy hand come to rest on his shoulder, looking up and blinking for a moment before registering Raizen towering over him.
"What are you thinking?"
"Of rushing in there to help."
"I would advise against that."
"Yeah, I've already tried once." Yusuke brushed Raizen's hand off his shoulder and the older demon let him do it.
Raizen glanced over his shoulder to where Shikiyoku sat cross-legged on the ground, wishing to speak with her and yet knowing she was doing a great deal of the work in regards to their current, semi-restful state of non-combat.
All at once Raizen felt a presence he had not been near in a very long time, and shooting like a bat out of the very bowels of the deepest circle of hell, Mukuro tore through the ranks of the demons that had come to a stop, most of them successfully scrambling to get out of her way as in her rage she paid them no heed.
She burst passed Shikiyoku, causing the other demon's hair to be whipped forward in the wild wind she created.
Shikiyoku made a pass at the air with a single hand and the energy Hiei had enveloped her with, which she had not yet accessed, fluctuated into her body all at once, erupting out of her interwoven with the dark yellow strands of her power and surging after Mukuro.
The Kuraku's eyes flew open, black as the darkest night, but whirling with their combined demonic energy.
The first strand reached her and wove itself about her arm, Mukuro easily shaking it off, but a second strand followed, and then a third and a fourth, and then suddenly the others caught up, snapping themselves around her arms and legs and straining taut as she slowed, vision tunneled in upon Samhain.
The hand Shikiyoku had raised made a sudden forward motion and a final, larger ribbon of energy darted out of the power that licked off of her skin, rushing to close the distance and then plowing through Mukuro's body, reaching her core and enveloping it as if a fist grasping hold of a human heart.
That last strand of energy made a violent jerking motion and managed to successfully halt Mukuro's forward motion, though she managed to stay on her feet and very quickly regained her momentum until the large strand jerked at her again and another batch of smaller ones encircled her limbs and torso, slowly starting to drag her back from the opening.
"Do you wish to die, Demon of Rage?"
Shikiyoku's voice was laced with power, cleaving into Mukuro's mind and through the blindness of her mad rampage.
"If so, do not allow me to stop you."
Another jerk and Mukuro suddenly blinked, aware of her body and the restraints upon it, ones that she realized she could easily snap should she decide to sink below the tide of fury again.
She blinked, unaware that she was still straining against Shikiyoku's grasp.
"Hiei." Shikiyoku could feel his presence nearby. "I need you to kiss me."
~!**!~
Seeing that the situation with Mukuro was well under control, Raizen turned his attention back to the dark-headed boy that had begun pacing again and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"And what exactly do you think you can do?"
Yusuke paused for a second, turning to look at his ancestor before holding up his pointer finger which began to glow with energy.
Raizen raised an eyebrow.
"I don't think Koenma is in such bad straights that he needs to be put out of his misery."
Yusuke shook his head, pointing the finger at Samhain.
This time both of Raizen's eyebrows lifted.
"And what exactly is that supposed to accomplish?"
"Killing the unkillable?"
"Heh." Raizen stood there for a moment longer as if gauging both Yusuke and the towering ruler on the other side of the rift.
"You could help." Yusuke added, starting to smirk.
Raizen appeared to consider it.
"Destroying a god of the dead, huh? Haven't ever done that before." He admitted.
"It'll be fun." Yusuke sent him a grin.
Raizen shook his head, "You're terrible."
"Well, I did take after you."
"Ha!" Raizen barked the laugh into the air, hands on his hips. "Alright, fine. But if you half-ass this, you're going to answer to me."
Yusuke cringed, "Alright, alright. Fine. Deal."
Turning towards the rift, Yusuke squared his shoulders and Raizen put a hand on one of them, beginning to glow softly with power.
It didn't take long for Yusuke to gather it. After all, he didn't exactly want anyone else to catch on to what he had planned.
"Spirit Gun!" 3
Hiei batted away another spirit lazily, taking very careful stock of his energy and how much of it was shared with Shikiyoku. It seemed easy to regulate on his end, but he also knew he had enough of it to not have to regulate it by any means. His training under Mukuro had served him well.
Speaking of said Demon of Rage, Hiei wouldn't have known she was coming if it weren't for the Jagan, who warned him to step just a little to the left, a step closer to Shikiyoku, to avoid being in Mukuro's path.
He did just that, turning to watch the would-be King fly by, only mildly surprised that she'd run for the rift. And to be honest, as Shikiyoku's energy began to wrap about the demon, Hiei's lips gave a very slight twitch of amusement, finding himself very glad to have the bond with Shikiyoku that he had.
Because he would never want to be on the receiving end of that onslaught.
He'd much rather be the one helping supply the onslaught, as he was now.
Shiki's telepathic message caught him off guard, causing him to turn a look of momentary confusion down at her before he blinked and realized that yes, she had indeed made the demand. Without another thought about it, the fire demon stepped in front of her and crouched to her level, ignoring the "Yaaaaaassssss" of the Jagan as his lips met hers, forcing his thoughts centered around switching her back, as he assumed she wished for him to do.
"Finalllyyy." The Jagan added, its 'voice' quieter now as he realized the third eye was closing for the first time in weeks.
~!**!~
Had she had the ability, Akari would have taken to the air at this point in hopes of finding her physical self, having lost it in the still growing crowd of demons and walking undead. She couldn't even see any of her shadows at this point, all of them having continued on after the being who still lead them through battle.
So she moved in a random direction, her eyes focused ahead and her spiritual self passing through demon after demon, until she no longer thought about where she was going or what she was doing. Moving became second nature to her, and nothing else seemed to matter outside of her destination.
In fact, it was almost as if she was wandering, her feet carrying her North, her eyes fixated forward and never noticing any of the faces she passed, not even the ones she should have recognized. And for whatever reason, she didn't seem to register the gaping hole in the realm anymore. *
~!**!~
Koenma didn't know what had happened until it was already over.
There was very little left of Samhain upon his boney throne, and Koenma stood there blinking at the place where the former Guardian had been sitting.
Starting at the bottom-most edge, the throne slowly started turning to ash and disappearing as Koenma watched.
A sudden jolt nearly took Koenma off of his feet, and his stomach sank as he felt the Realm around him rumbling.
Son of Enma.
Koenma could not place the source of the voice that seemed to echo from everywhere around him.
Son of Enma, without a cornerstone upon which to rest, the Veil will crumble and the dead will rule over their living brethren.
Koenma felt as if he couldn't move, forced to watch the throne as it dissolved faster and faster, exponentially disappearing at a rate too quick to follow.
Claim your rightful place as Guardian of Purgatory, as the Gateway from the First Circle of the Afterlife to the next.
There is no need to worry, Son of Enma. We are preparing a Champion for you, a Guardian of the Gateway between life and death, a new Keeper of the River Styx.
So, just to give credit where credit is due, the character Samhain is based on the character of the same name from King's Quest VI, and much of his lines are taken from his quotes in that game.
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off!