This one is short. Yes. Very short. But I truly didn't know what else I could possibly add, so I did what I could. I like the content, though. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY, AS THEY SAY! R&R, it makes me smile!
Now...
ONWARD MY TRUSTY READERS!
Burn it Black
Ch. 2- Freedom at Last
最後の自由
I gently pushed open the loosened wooden door. It creaked loudly and softly tapped against the wooden walls of the inside, scratching stray pebbles and ashes from the gray stone under my feet.
As I walked further in I let go of the door, letting the others hold it for themselves. The entrance was only four feet wide, but after that it opened into a large single room. That was the remainder of the house, and was about thirty-five feet wide and eight feet tall. The walls were made of wood, with large holes at the corners where snakes and rats ran in and out.
To the right of that room was a large metal table with a strange swirling black vortex. Under the table were many skulls, and it was impossible to decipher whether they were human or animal by looking at them. Time had worn them mostly away, leaving the bone dull and yellowed.
Even though that was true, those whom had followed me had other thoughts. I knew what they were thinking. And, they were probably right.
"That vortex over there," I said, pointing my finger at it, "I don't know what it is, but I'm sure that's what keeps the house's force field erect. If one of you could step toward it and try to destroy it, I'm sure I could be set free. After all, that is what you came for, right?" I turned around, facing Yusuke.
As I opened my mouth for a suggestion, the short demon cut me off.
"What? You aren't strong enough to break it yourself?" he teased.
I shot him a glare. "There's a barrier around that as well, spiky."
"Hn!" he scoffed, turning the other way.
I turned back to Yusuke, "You seem like the strongest here, why don't you give it a try?"
"On my way!" he said eagerly, rolling up the sleeves on his jacket.
I heard his friend whisper something to the redhead and twitched my ear to get a better listen. "I dunno…seems suspicious to me. That swirly-thingy… it doesn't feel good."
Smarter then he looks, I suppose I thought, mildly concerned that they'd unravel it quicker then their friend could help me.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the corner of the stone, where the entrance turned into the larger room, watching the willing teenager walk toward what could very well be his demise. Yusuke, that's what they called him, met the barrier with a shocked face.
"W-What the-!" he shouted as he began slipping toward the vortex.
I smiled, flickering away into a shadow across from him. He looked at me with a face of twisted regret. "You witch!" he shouted as he tried to step backward.
"You-! You betrayed Urameshi just like that? He was tryin' to save you!" Kuwabara yelled angrily at me.
"Oh, he's saving me alright," I said with a condescending smile.
"Hurry up and explain!" Yusuke demanded, nearing the metal table slowly.
"That barrier isn't the usual barrier, you see. Instead of expelling an outside force it compels it toward what created it in the first place, that vortex. The rest, I'm sure you've begun to realize already," I explained.
He glared at me as he started to be dragged toward the vortex faster. "This…thing is…sucking in my… spirit energy!" he grunted out.
"Yusuke!" Kurama shouted, "Use your Spirit Gun to destroy the vortex! You should be released then!"
I watched with inclining interest as the human forced his hand upward, into the position a young child would to pretend they were holding a gun. Yusuke's fingertip began to glow, however, and my eyes widened in fascination. In a huge explosion of power, he shot it forward shouting, "Spirit Gun!"
The mass of spirit energy was forced toward the vortex swiftly and made a crackling noise. Yusuke gripped the metal table desperately as winds appeared around the vortex and the magnitude of it increased considerably. The noise inclined to a deafening blare, and I ran behind the barrier with unsheathed Sais.
With a cry of shock the human was shot backward by overpowering winds and passed over my shoulder as I ducked. I watched the barrier shatter to thousands of black shards and become sucked into the vortex.
"That thing is gonna suck up everything!" Kuwabara shouted, stumbling backwards.
This is it I thought and, compelled with the thought of freedom, raced toward the growing vortex. Shouts were drowned out behind me as I reached it, now five feet in diameter.
"HYAAH!" I shouted, thrusting my enflamed Sais across the black mass in an x cut. I tried to step back, a wild smile of my face, but the winds were even more powerful then before and swept my hair over my shoulders.
A moment later the x cut formed again, outlined in garnet red, and the vortex began to swallow itself up. With a final spark of fire, the roaring winds and crackling noise was sucked into the vortex as it disappeared.
I collapsed to the floor, smiling ever so broadly. My Sais were under my numb hands, pressed under the wavering weight of my body. I heard the other's footsteps ricocheted around the walls as they walked toward me.
"…Kumori," Yusuke's voice echoed, "You've gotta come with us. To see this kid, Koenma."
He extended his hand toward me, but a black fire sparked when it reached for me. Yusuke gave a yip of pain and took his hand back. "Hey! What was that! I just saved you!"
"I don't think so," I said, the smile slowly disappearing.
"What…? You aren't gonna come willingly?" Yusuke said.
I flickered into a shadow and reappeared on the other side of the room, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. "Why would I?" I asked, "I don't have any reason to go with you."
"Listen Kumori, don't make this harder then it has to be," Kurama coaxed.
"That isn't a reason at all," I said.
"Koenma did say we could use any force necessary," Hiei smirked, unsheathing his katana.
I eyed the weapon cautiously and knew that with anything he did, he would easily win, no matter how little effort he put into it. It was a sharp blade, and I had no way to defend myself. I had absolutely no demon energy left, and had no intention of losing my dignity this easily.
"Feh," I mumbled, and with that dissipated into the shadows. I fell backwards, into the black, and found the picture of those four boys fading into the distance. I groped for a wall, anything to hold onto, knowing well there would be nothing. The Shadow Channel was like a river, pulling me out and away from the shadows that would lead me to the NinjenKai.
With this little energy left I'll have to fight hard and get to the nearest shadow I thought, pulling my feet up and slowly moving forward. It was hard, like walking in knee deep sand, and my body felt like collapsing and not caring where the shadows took me.
But I knew damn well I couldn't. I just got free, and I can't afford to get lazy so soon I thought, and with that thought in mind fought against the pull a little more. Soon I saw the blurry image of a shady metal bench, and smiled.
"Almost…there!" I grunted, pulling forward headstrong. It was close enough to reach out and touch, and as soon as I got there I could recover.
So I closed my eyes and jumped.