Burn it Black (Summary): Released from her dwelling place by mistake, a female demon seeks out her fated enemy. Now she battles to keep her mysterious ways out of the Detectives' knowing, but is thrown off course when she feels strangely toward a certain fire/ice apparition. Hiei/oc
"To belong to a world of things that cry in the dark"--unknown
Worthless Note: Once again, wonderful readers have shone their joy that they have found in reading my ramblings and reviewed. Yes, let's give a recognition to:
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ShadeSpirit: Thank you! I was confused on that for a bit and then forgot to check it up. Yes, "lie" is what I should be using. I hope I don't make that mistake again, I know it's a pet peeve for some people to have misspellings like that. Happens to me all the time!
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Now…
ONWARD MY TRUSTY READERS!
Burn it Black
Ch. 7 Queen of the Desert
"Koenma has a message," Hiei said sternly, "he says to meet him in front of Sarayashiki Junior High School at 4:15. Don't be late."
"And he tells me not to be late," I said angrily as I leaned against an old oak, one of the many trees that lined the border of the Sarayashiki School grounds. It was exactly 4:15, mid-day, so the sun was shining down through the leaves and left patterns across my skin. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back more and impatiently waited for something to happen.
As if answering my request, a cool raindrop fell from the sky and landed on my nose. My eyes crossed as I tried to glare at it, but only succeeded in earning a painful throb in my head.
"Off!" I shouted as I brushed the raindrop off my nose, and then continued to bat at my face. Once I was convinced that the water was completely removed from my body I sighed and leaned against the tree, a satisfied smile on my face.
"Stupid raindrops can't beat me," I said lazily as I closed my eyes and soaked in the filtered sun.
Suddenly another cool drop of water fell on the concrete, creating a distinct splashing nose. I opened one eye and watched the drop soak into the cement quickly. Another that fell close to my tree replaced it, and I took a deep breath and silently prayed that no more rain would fall. Unfortunately, nature had other intentions.
Five minutes later…
I yipped as I grabbed onto the side of the cement column. The rain was pouring out of the sky like there was no tomorrow, and I was stuck hiding in someone's garage. When I say pouring, I mean an outright downpour of torrential rain pelting from the gray clouds. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. At least in the Eirou House I had a roof over my head. Right now I had…. a garage door.
The cement column was one of two that stood seven feet apart, and the one green garage door was open and positioned above my head. The rest of the house was to the right, and behind me was a set of multiple bikes, most that were in the middle of repair. From the looks of it the family who inhabited the house wasn't here at the moment.
I looked out of the cave-like ledge sadly at the drenched world. Trees were swaying in the vicious winds and the rain hit the ground like bullets and shone white before they made contact. I had no intent whatsoever of taking a step outside. I watched as some sad soul rode across the street like an angry streak, absorbed in getting home as fast as possible. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. It was getting really cold.
Bwahahahahaha!
Laughing? Oh God… I hesitatingly opened my eyes a bit and hoped not to see whom I thought would be standing outside. My eyes narrowed and the corners of my mouth fell as I glared at the five figures standing in the rain, one bent at the middle laughing whole-heartedly. "Yusuke…" I growled dryly as I instinctively crept behind the cement column as much as I could.
"Oi! Kumori! Is that really you?" a painfully familiar voice shouted as the one laughing quickly ran toward me.
My eyes widened as I realized, I have to get out of here. I spun on my heel and ran for the back of the room. A whimper fled my throat as I felt a strong hand grab the back of my shirt and violently waved my arms in a desperate attempt to get my hands on anything. The laughing continued behind me as I was slowly dragged backward, even though I was still pulling with all my might forward.
"Don't be shy now!" Yusuke taunted as I saw the concrete under my feet lighten in hue from the car lights outside. The scent of light, clean raindrops filled my nose as Yusuke's back hit the water falling form the sky. In my most desperate attempt to avoid any contact with the damned stuff I hastily glomped a nearby column and refused to let go for all it's worth.
"Hey!" Yusuke said as he huffed in the rain.
I glared at him hotly and barked, "You don't touch me, understand!"
"Yeah, fine," he said as he put his hands up in defense.
Taking it, I nodded but remained steadfast in my decision to stay put.
The others waited impatiently, that is, until Hiei couldn't take the lack of motivation. He hissed, "Well, if we're not getting anything accomplished I'm leaving. No sense waiting in the rain for nothing."
"No! Wait, Hiei, stop. Kumori, come on. I have to talk to you all. Now," Koenma said as he grabbed Hiei's cape and glared at me.
I stuck my chest out in offense and huffed. "And get wet? I think not," I snapped. Besides, ordering me around like that? I wouldn't move if my life depended on it.
"No, Kumori, you come NOW-" Koenma shouted, but neglected to finish his sentence when Hiei frowned at him and yanked his cloak back. "No, Hiei, HIEI! YOU-! Wait, Kumori, Hiei, STOP MOVING!"
Hiei paused to glance over his shoulder and I flickered my gaze to the young ruler. Just now I noticed that he was thoroughly frustrated, what with his breaths coming out in silver wisps in the cold raining day.
It was silent for the moment as his outburst caused the boy previously riding his bike to crash into a lamppost.
"Now," Koenma said as he straightened his pose and gathered himself, "as I was saying, there is something I must discuss with you all, alone. It has to do with your next mission, and a peculiar hex."
My eyes, which had drifted again, found their way to Koenma's face again. He had my attention now.
--
"Towel?" Kurama offered me as I sniffled in the chair beside a circular table.
"Yeah," I mumbled as I took the white cloth from his outstretched hand and with my other gathered the dripping wet hair at the base of my neck. I tucked the towel underneath and sighed as the warm fabric dried my cold skin. I withheld a growl in my throat as I remembered the idiot who got me so wet…
Kuwabara offered to share his umbrella, which, as I discovered, is a contraption created by ninjens that is so stupid that it rivals the idiocy that of it's creator. I had agreed only to the knowing smile of Koenma and remembering that I had no where to go and that he could, without lifting a finger, construct my demonic abilities whenever he wanted. So I took the suggestion, not considering the consequences. Koenma, borrowing Kurama's green umbrella, said there was a place not too far that he owned as an archive. They'd talk there.
Halfway to said location the wind picked up, turning Kuwabara's umbrella inside out. The rain pelted me and I nearly froze on the spot, if it hadn't been for Kuwabara whacking me on the head with the handle as he swung the umbrella in the air trying to fix it. I, angry as hell, chased him in here with a record timing. He was now hiding on the opposite side of the library.
Most of us were seated among the varied seats in the middle of the library, where there were several small tables scattered. Hiei had seen it fit to perch himself among one of the many massive windowsills the library had to offer. I was currently residing in a green tweed stuffed chair with a lamp that hung over the back, although it was flickering. Yusuke was seated in one of the chairs and leaned on the back legs as he snored in his sleep lazily.
Koenma, an especially large misplaced book in his right hand, walked through the bookcases on the opposite side of the open space and cleared his throat. "Now then-" He stopped to a particularly large snore that sounded from Yusuke. Koenma's eye jerked in annoyance.
WHACK
"YEOW!" Yusuke screamed as he fell backward in his chair, fell onto the floor, and in an attempt to stand up hit his forehead on the table rather hard. The corner of my lips twitched despite myself. Yusuke then successfully stood, towering over Koenma by two and a half inches.
"Sit," the ruler commanded, and after Yusuke glared in contest, he soon found himself forcefully seated at the same round table we all were eventually. Koenma sighed and glanced at all of our faces briefly from right to left. Kuwabara was wincing at me, Yusuke's face was red in the spot where Koenma had hit him with the book, Hiei looked as if he was going to jolt for the door at any moment, and I was looking at the other side of the library, refusing to look at Hiei. We hadn't really gotten off on the best foot. All was as it should be.
"Your mission is that of a retrieving one," he started off in a strictly businesslike tone, "you are to travel in the Arano desert lands until you come to Kanson Shigai, City of the Desert. Once there, you mustn't tell of your origins, that'd ruin the plans. Secretly you have to retrieve Shikai, the current Queen of the land. Her sister is planning to use her enhanced abilities to overtake the city and gather strings from other lands and pose a threat to me."
"Question one," I asked flatly, "why'd she waste her time doing that? What've you done to her?"
"Well," Koenma scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "I kind of…um…well…actually…"
"Spit it out," Yusuke shouted impatiently.
"She wants to have my head because I killed her fiancé," Koenma sighed.
"Why'd you do something stupid like that!" Yusuke pushed.
"I was perfectly permitted to do so! He was trying to kill the former Queen of Kanson Shigai."
"Why'd he wanna do something like that?" Kuwabara asked.
"If you'd all just shut up for two seconds-" Koenma shouted "-I'd have a chance to tell you that you need to figure all of this out. I don't know any more on this subject, which is why I brought you all here. You will search this archive from roof down to the nooks and crannies in the floorboards if you have to, to find out anything and everything you can on Kanson Shigai and it's current ruling Queen, Shikai. I suggest you get cracking, you'll be up all night and day looking if you must."
With that said and done, Koenma smiled mischievously and snapped his fingers. A swirling blue portal appeared behind him, and he stepped back into it before any of us could grab him. After he disappeared into the blue light, it disappeared with a strong gust of wind. Little was left that the portal ever existed besides the flipped pages of the book Koenma had retired to the table after it's use had been fulfilled (Yusuke wasn't planning on forgetting any time soon) and others scattered slightly.
"What an annoying prick," I cursed under my breath as I dug my heels in the carpet beneath my feet and pushed my chair from the table. It squeaked in protest, but I ignored that and stood to my full length.
Turing briskly I walked toward the bookcases, the height of them so tall I half expected to see fog circling at the top. As I entered the hallway of them, I heard the others rise from their seats and head in opposite directions. Wise choice. Only problem: the archives were huge and mixed with regular novels that wouldn't help in anything but make the operation harder.
Somehow I found that this was beginning to entertain me…testing my knowledge and skills right under the noses of the prince of the spirit world and his detectives. In fact, I was enjoying myself more then I should be. After my masquerade was over and done with, I'd get right on with finding her and finishing what she started. Or rather, what he started. Just thinking about the two sent shivers down my spine, and I quickly reset my thoughts in an orderly way.
I reached the middle of the hallway, the tall bookcases beside me making me feel smaller then I was. I smirked, thinking, Hexes, hm? You've done that purposefully, I know it. You're not that careless, no, not at all. You're calling me back, which must mean you haven't found her yet. A race to see who can find her, is it? And if I find her first, I'll kill her on the spot. And nothing will be stopping me this time.