Chapter five
Black Seas
Dark, dazed blue eyes opened slowly, taking in the bright light. It stung his eyes irritably, making him close them again.
What day was it?
He couldn't even remember how long he had been in there, but he knew from the pain in his back that it had been awhile. They usually only put prisoners in here for about four days to a week, depending on their crime. His crime was punishable by death, but instead they decided to torture him. Maybe they would kill him later.
Dammit, when had he become so attached to Nadia? He had never loved her in anyway other than a sister, since his real sister died a few years back, before he became what he is today.
He really hadn't figured that out, but he knew that he had to get out of there as soon as possible and find her. Just as soon as he got his energy back. He was too weak to do anything now.
His eyes stayed closed this time as he fell into another restless sleep...
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( Dark, gray eyes opened slowly, taking in everything around them. Everything was dark and fuzzy, but off in the distance there was a strange bright light. Nadia pushed up with all her strength and sat up, not even bothering to check the back of her head. "Momma", She whispered as she stood up and swayed from side to side. Her entire body felt numb as the blood slowly started to pulse through her unused limbs, making them throb to life. She stepped and tripped towards the still blurry light. A warm gust of wind hit her face as she neared it, making her sweat slightly. Her hand brushed the last tree limb away, and she was welcomed with the vision of her village, on fire. Bodies and blood were strung out on the ground, mixed in with the dirt and dead, dried up leaves. Her feet carried her forward, not sure of what else to do, but not being able to just stand there anymore. She found herself calling out for her mother, with no response. No one else was alive. Everyone was dead, and her mother's body was no where to be found...)
The girl woke with a start, sweat lingering down her forehead. Her breath was uneven and her eyes glazed over with unshed tears.
"Mother..." She whispered into the cool night air.
Hiei looked up at the now awake girl, who had just woken him from another dream that wasn't his. At least he knew why she was whispering for her mother.
"Nadia." He said quietly, almost cautiously, afraid that anything louder might make her break down into tears.
Her tear filled eyes shifted over to him and he saw that they were no longer gray or even silver, but completely black.
He shivered inwardly. Something about those eyes... they unnerved him.
Her body started to shake and she wrapped her arms around her chest, and started to cry. Hiei had no idea what to do.
Should he... tell her to stop? Slap her out of it... uh, no... maybe he was supposed to comfort her, whatever that meant. He didn't know how to comfort someone.
"Nadia." He said again, hoping that his voice would break through whatever wall had decided to block her from the real world.
The air around them seemed to change, grow heavier. Everything stayed the same, yet didn't. He could feel her energy level rise up slowly, and then spike up. It was powerful... but unlike anything he had ever felt in her before. It was... dark; something that had been buried deep inside her for a long time.
The fire in between them started to dance away from her as if a heavy wind were pushing it away. Hiei stared at her, unsure of what to do. He seemed almost frozen in place, like someone had taken a large needle and pinned his entire body down to the ground.
He couldn't move, at all.
A sudden gust of wind hit him in the face as something large and black flew out of her back. Two black feathered wings sprouted out, flapping slightly beside her. A few feathers danced through the air, one falling into his lap, waking him from his trance.
He picked it up and looked at her again, tears now streaming down her face. Her eyes started to slowly dull down to their normal color.
"No... no... don't look at me!" She began to whisper, but it grew into a shout as she hugged her chest, trying to comfort herself. Her wings formed a blanket around her, trying to protect her from the outside world.
Oh shit... women! What was he supposed to say? Or do? He couldn't just... sit there and do nothing, as much as he would like. That'd just make him look like a complete ass. Well, he was one, but not completely any way.
"Nadia... it's all right now. You're safe." He said in a chilly voice. Wasn't he supposed to say that a little... nicer? Hey, he was trying! Dammit, why couldn't the fox be here right now, so he could go to sleep and not have to listen to this... woman cry her eyes out!
He hesitantly reached over and touched one of her wings, not sure of what else he could do. He just wanted to shut her up so he could go back to sleep! The action had a different response.
Hiei was suddenly thrown back. His back hit a tree before he finally fell on his ass, where he just sat and stared at her. Her wings were now spread outwards and quivering as her body shook with some kind of force he had never seen in her before. Her body was lifted off the ground by her wings, and began to flap.
She was flying away!
He was about to stop her when he thought it over. Maybe it would be good if she left... then he could go to sleep and not have to worry about her. She was fine now, she was free and not hurt, too seriously. She'd probably have scars on her legs now, but that's all.
For those reasons, and maybe the fact that he didn't know what to do with her, he didn't go after her. He just let her go.
Black feathers fell and graced the ground as she flew away, as if she were fleeing from the devil himself.
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The winged creature flew through the air, creating tunnels in the light blue and silvery clouds. Wings danced gracefully as they were finally free, making more feathers fall. But more kept on growing back.
"Mother..." Nadia whispered.
She was going to find her, no matter what.
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"Uh... thank you, Hiei." Koenma said as he looked down at the demon's head on his desk.
"Hn."
He moved back to his normal corner of the room.
"Well... uh, were there any ningens there?"
"No." Hiei answered. There had been none there at the time, but he could still smell them in the old, empty quarters the demon lord had.
Sigh.
"Then how did you know he was the one who was selling them?" He asked, indicating the bloody head on his desk.
"It smelled."
Koenma sighed again, he knew that that was all he would get out of the dark koorime. Closing his eyes, he tried to come up with a plan on what in the hell he was going to do! If the humans had been there at one time, then where in the hell were they now! And more importantly, how was he going to find them?
"So, the humans were there, but they're not there anymore?"
Hiei nodded his head.
Sigh.
"You know I can't just leave it at that. This whole mission was made to get them back, and instead you bring me a head. And it's not even a human's."
He rubbed slow circles on his temples, trying to keep his cool.
"You're going to have to go back and find them. I'll send in the rest of the team as well. They'll meet you there at...," He stopped talking to think about where they could meet.
"... at I guess the village you four were at a few days ago."
He contacted Botan and had her fetch the others, while Hiei left to go on ahead.
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The next day, the door creaked open and the sun blinded him momentarily before he was roughly pulled out.
"You're lucky that the boss likes you, or else you'd be dead, kid." One of the guards that were dragging him said.
He was thrown into his cell and the door slammed behind him.
"It's only because you're a good fighter, otherwise I'd be having myself a good time nailing you to a cross right about now." The other one said with a laugh, his dark green eyes sparkling with amusement.
The guard he had attacked was no where to be found, for his sake. He had no energy for a beating right now.
Akashi slumped down against the wall, his head turning out of custom towards the cell next to him. It was empty.
"Nadia..."
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The darkness that settled over the small village that night was comforting and cheerful, as the demons there held a small festival. The fires in the town square, used for hangings and public beheading, was tall and roaring as drunks threw half drunken bottles of liquor into it.
The guards were of no exemption to this fun, as they abandoned their posts for a pint of beer and half naked youkai females.
Akashi was left alone and unsupervised in his cell, as were the others. A few were jealous, others were trying to find a way out, and some were just plain annoyed, like Akashi, who wanted to sleep.
As he sat there in the dark stillness, with the warmth from the fire in town not touching him, he gazed longingly at the outside of his cell door. Oh how he wanted to get out of there and be reunited with his little Nadia. He would give anything to get out of there, and be free. But no, he was stuck there, with little to no energy.
'Damn guards.' He thought bitterly as he closed his eyes.
The laughter and the sound of glass breaking were the only things that could be heard from a distance. But... then he heard something close by, a sort of swooping sound, like the flap of a bird's wings.
He opened his eyes to see a dark figure swoop down and land in front of his cell. Two dark wings resting on their back as they straightened up and walked towards him.
A pair of silver eyes stared down at him.
"Nadia?"
She didn't say anything as she jammed one of the keys on a large metal ring into the lock. It didn't work. She tried the next and then the next, until finally, the last key opened the door. She rushed in and helped Akashi up, draping one of his arms over her shoulder.
"Where did you get those from?" He asked curiously.
"Off of a drunk, passed out guard."
Silence.
"You ready?" She asked. He shook his head, not really knowing why she was asking him that.
But he soon realized what she meant by it as she grabbed him from underneath his arms and hoisted him into the air, flying off into the star filled sky.
Oh shit, he hated heights!
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Sry for the lateness, but I really have no desire or inspiration as of lately. So, sry if the chapters seem to suck, but I got nothing! Anyway, thanks for the reviews and have a good night... or day, whatever!
later,
rob
