Warnings: misunderstandings or flat out betrayal, you decide!
The Wielder of BlackFire:
The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance
Chapter Sixteen: Betrayal?
"No! Do it again!" Genkai barked. Rose gritted her teeth and repeated the difficult exercise.
"You're not focused! Tell me, what the hell is in your head that's so damn interesting?" the master growled. The girl narrowed her eyes and continued, forcing the uneasy feeling that ran through her blood away, trying to concentrate on the advanced maneuver. She had advanced quickly, and so Genkai had put increasingly more stress on her slowly strengthening muscles.
Rose could hear Kuwabara in the other part of the temple, his voice loud and irritating. He and Yusuke must have had the day off from school. Or skipped. The latter seemed a more likely answer.
"Here Yukina! Let me take those!" Kuwabara said, giving the Ice Apparition a goofy smile.
"Oh, thank you Kazuma," Yukina said with a shy smile, handing the tall boy a pile of folded clothes, who put them in a laundry basket as she began to fold more. He grinned stupidly and blushed as he picked up a towel and began to fold as well.
Yusuke shook his head, rolling his eyes at the carrot-top's actions, before flipping through more channels on Genkai's large screen television. Kurama sat on another couch which lay to the Yusuke's right, lost in a trance of deep thought. On his left, between Yusuke and his own couch, was Hiei, sitting in an armchair, his katana leaning against his shoulder, also in his far-away place of thought, although glancing up and behind him when Kuwabara spoke to his half-sister. The room was quiet but for the loud advertisements on the TV and the gentle, muffled 'poff' of towels and clothing landing atop other textiles.
Kurama looked up, his eyes losing their thoughtful sheen as they strayed to the door. Hiei too looked, followed by Yusuke, who lookedbored toward their sudden admiration of the door.
Suddenly, Botan burst into the room, her coral eyes wide in wild fear. Her breath was quick and ragged as she gasped in the doorway. She glanced frantically around the room at the five pair of questioning and worried eyes.
"They're here!" she gasped. Yusuke stood up.
"Who's here?" Kurama asked calmly, standing as well.
"The Wave Master!"
Images of the green-haired demon on the lone pinnacle of rock flashed through Kurama's mind. He glanced at Hiei, who caught his gaze and gave a small nod of knowing. The cloaked figure had laughed at the destruction they had caused, their chuckle rumbling over the foaming waters below them. They had told Koenma that nothing could stop them. They probably were here to assure that.
"Why are they here?" Yukina asked, fear glistening in her eyes. But the ferry had disappeared, running around the side of the temple to inform Genkai.
"Don't worry Yukina! You stay here and I, Kazuma Kuwabara, shall protect you!" Kuwabara stated almost nobly; if he hadn't been blushing so furiously with a comical pull to his lips. She gave a small smile and the crimson blanket spread further across his cheeks.
"Let's go, Kuwabara!" Yusuke yelled as the other three boys bolted out the door. The tall boy quickly followed.
"What's going on?" Genkai demanded, striding toward them from around the corner of the temple. Rose followed behind her at a respective distance, glancing around in one could almost call shiftiness.
"The Wave Master is making their way here!" Botan explained, beginning to regain her breath from her run. "They used whatever portal they keep bragging about and escaped into the human world."
"The Wave Master?" Rose questioned quietly. She had removed the tie that bound her hair, letting the limp locks fall around her shoulders before replacing the band. Botan shrugged.
"That's just what we heard they were called," the Grim Reaper said.
"And your ears did not prove you wrong," came a smiling voice. It was high, like the chiming of small bells, a sound that was destined to aggravate the nerves of the people who were forced to listen to it. The large group turned to see a tall woman, nearly five twelve, standing atop a high pine tree. A small breeze ruffled her restrained, dark green tresses. Her cloak sighed lazily around her form, under which one could barely make out as brawny, yet sleek with muscle. Her face was dark, tanned a fawny hue by long hours spent in the sun. Her eyes were a piercing black and shallow, devoid of the expression that normally occupied eyes.
"Ahhhh! Thorn! So nice to see you again!" the demoness nearly squealed. Kurama and Hiei moved in front of Rose defensively. Rose said nothing to the greeting aimed at her. "I told you I'd get stronger! Now I'm strong enough to take over the worlds, just as we planned with the Black Blaze!" she said exuberantly. There was a hearty line of gasps of shock from around the group. "You know, you shouldn't hide so high up in the mountains. It took me a long time to trace you. You look surprised. You didn't think I would get strong enough in just a year!" She giggled. "But you've kept yourself busy! I know that you've been here for a while, 'against your will'. So I take it you've discovered the weakness' of the Reikai Tentai by now."
The boys, Botan, and Genkai looked at the girl. Her face was hard and expressionless. Her eyes were brighter. Hiei's eyes widened as the pain impaled him full in the stomach, harder than any punch and shaper than any knife. A slight wind ruffled her hair, bringing two locks from behind her ears and suddenly, she looked so much like Thorn, he could swear that the Wave Master was telling the truth. Was it true, was Thorn really before them, deceiving them so easily? Rose was an actor, and a good one at that, but... No. There was no way…. Was there? Thorn would not betray him like this. Would she?
………………..
Authoress' Notes: I know it's a short chapter, but I'm posting the next one ASAP! Promise. Don't worry, I haven't abandon this, and I plan on finishing it! However, I don't really know about the prequel to the series yet. I have about three/four chapters done on it, but nothing more than that. Blah! Anyway, thank you all for keeping with me!
Reviews:
Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha:
Well, the reason Rose calmed down was because it was more like home to her, out in the woods and with something to do. Its just infused in her character to do something and the activity and stress Genkai is giving her helps a lot. Lol, the curiosity has gotten the best of her too, though. Now that she's thinking rationally instead of 'escape escape escape!' She's got intuition toward Hiei, I think, but little more. I've kept Yusuke and Kwabara in the dark I really need to get them more involved. I mean, Yusuke's the main character of the series, but I think at least Yusuke suspects something. Lol, I dunno, I think I just like Yusuke better in his 'huh?' state instead of his 'I really do know everything, I just pretend to be a cocky little bastard.' and I went through the chapter last time, and I think its my fault. I'll fix it when I get the time, but thank you for pointing it out . Thank you!
HieiFan666:
Lol. New reviewer! Wonderful! Thank you very much for your encouraging comment. I dunno about Poe, his work is BEAUTIFUL. We're getting down to the nitty-gritty soon too, so we'll learn more about Rose, Thorn and BlackFire's relationship. thanks again!
The Password:
This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of context. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!
Reviews help make the fat lady sing! LALALALALA!