A/N: Hello again, here we are in the double digits chapter wise! I hope everyone liked the last chapter, I'm grateful to see the amount of views and visitors I've been getting, just wish the reviews matched! Though I do love to see ObsidianPhantom's kind words on each chapter! Your reviews never cease to put a smile on my face, thank you!
** So question for you all – Would you like to see Kasumi gain powers of her own eventually or stay at her regular human power, but get better at fighting? I don't want her to turn mary-sueish, but I do want her to get stronger in some way. I have some ideas but I want to hear your opinions! **
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own YYH, darn.
Warnings: Blood/gore, lots of swearing/curse words, adult themes, violence, etc. Same as other chapters, it is M rated for a reason. Also, I have no beta-reader so please excuse any mistakes. If there are glaringly obvious ones though, please point them out to me so I can fix them!
This chapter is in HIEI'S POV! Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 11. Enjoy and happy reading!
P.S. I noticed the link for the fanart is all messed up in the last chapter (thanks !) so I put it in my profile instead if you'd like to see it!
. . .
After the girl had fainted and Kuwabara had hideously and tirelessly lamented at the loss of his human death trap he called a truck, we regrouped and found another way to travel to the old woman's land. While everyone else had decided to go and exchange their tickets at the train station I had been sidled with transporting the human child called Kasumi because she had gotten herself so beat up she would have stuck out like a sore thumb on the train. The last thing we needed at this point was anymore police involvement. It was bad enough they had allowed Kasumi to become knowledgeable of our kind, even if her life was in danger.
I ran the entire way to Genkai's in order to lessen the time I would have to hold on to her and she never stirred from her slumber. I made sure to pay attention to the steady rhythm of her heart beat because if I arrived with a corpse I would surely have to deal with a certain amount of unpleasantness from the team. The last thing I wanted to hear was the fool's whining or Kurama's lectures and I sure as hell didn't want to see the look on Yukina's face if I showed up with a body instead of an alive, albeit very beat up, human girl.
The thought of Yukina and the fact I hadn't seen her in quite some time made me pick up the pace, the land blurring past me in a barrage of streaking colors. She had moved back to the hag's temple after spending more time than I felt was necessary at the Kuwabara household. She had used the time to learn more about the human race, as useless as that was in my opinion, but had returned to the old woman's side so she may take care of her in her increasingly old age. The oaf had been distraught at her departure (though I had felt nothing but satisfaction) and I had been forced on more than one occasion to listen to him blather on about how much he missed her. How I wished I could cut his tongue from his mouth just for uttering her name. He had no business looking at her, let alone thinking he may claim her as his own – ridiculous.
I reached the temple's long staircase faster than the time it would take the train to arrive at the station, not to mention the two more hours it would take a taxi to bring them to the base of the old psychic's stairs. I shouldn't have rushed, but at least I could pawn off the girl to Genkai and be rid of her. While I found Kasumi to be an interesting conundrum she was still nothing but a bag of flesh and bone – a human incapable of properly protecting herself. I could respect the fact she had dedicated most of her life to learning martial arts, as wasteful as it had ended up being considering.
I took my time reaching the temple's grounds, jumping from tree to tree instead of taking the stone steps. I didn't go any faster than I needed to in order to complete each jump. When I finally reached the top and passed through Genkai's wards (which had no effect on me anymore and they had very little to begin with) I was relieved to see the old hag waiting for me within the entry way of the tall, heavy fencing that surrounded the inner temple grounds and the temple itself. Someone must have warned her of my coming, how convenient.
"I received a call about your visit an hour ago, it took you long enough," said Genkai. Her voice was even raspier sounding than the last time I had seen her and she had aged somewhat again, her hair's pinkish tint fading into more of a white.
None of this changed the confidence or the intelligence that the woman possessed, and while I did not necessarily like her, I did respect her. She might have given away most of her exorbitant amount of power to Yusuke, but that didn't mean the old hag wasn't still deadly. I smirked at her and made a noise of noncommittal to give her as an answer. She did not look amused and crossed her arms over her chest so she could glare at me. Genkai was one of the few humans who weren't afraid of me, the only others being the detective, the two Kuwabaras, and Yusuke's woman…though it was more toleration on her part than anything. I would also have to place Kasumi on that list now as well…other than the first day we had met she had not shown any fear in the face of me, not even when I hurt her. She had been angrier at my existence, if I were to be honest, more so than afraid.
As I have said…she is a fucking conundrum. A confusing, irritating, but intriguing human being, though I did find her attitude distasteful. I knew she was trustworthy and that was all that mattered to me. I would never have allowed them to bring her here otherwise – Yukina meant far more to me than that. I would never risk her life in any way, least of all to save some pathetic little human. Even as I thought of her that way, I knew I would end up becoming involved in her life – this situation with Purgatory had piqued my interest. I also knew that even if I chose to stay out of it, the detective would find some way to lure me back in, just as he always has done.
I realized the old woman was not about to let me enter the compound unless I answered her, so in irritation I said, "Where can I put her?"
Genkai looked down at the girl in my arms (I had chosen to carry her a little gentler than I had done previously, considering how wounded she was) and pursed her lips. "When Koenma told me who you would be bringing today I almost refused him."
I didn't know why she was telling me this, or why it even mattered, but she continued on anyway without my prompting.
"But now, I am glad I did not," she said solemnly.
Intrigued now I asked, "Why?" because I wished to know what could have changed the usually stubborn old hag's mind.
"The seal I placed on her twelve years ago has weakened considerably."
My eyes narrowed, because I had not noticed anything, not even with the Jagan. "What seal?"
"We should wait for the others, bring her inside so Yukina may tend to her." and then she pivoted on her heel and began to walk away. Why was it that all the humans that had somehow managed to worm their pathetic selves into my life were all also infuriating?
Angry at the old woman, I beat her to the porch and entered her home without waiting for her. I didn't bother removing my boots; I never did when I entered others' homes. It was a foolish human superstition and I refused to conform to it. In the Makai, even lacking a pair of shoes could mean your death.
The temple was larger than most, attesting to Genkai's vast fortune, but I had easily mapped it out after the first time I had entered it. The Jagan was useful in many ways and that was one of them. With my knowledge of the building I was able to find the den that Genkai used most often, which housed a television, a large couch, and kotatsu. A set of rice paper doors at the opposite end of the room opened up to the outside and they were currently closed to keep out the chill in the autumn air. It was here that I placed the girl; I left her lying on the couch and then fled back outside so I could settle amongst the branches of the tallest tree that stood on the edge of Genkai's grounds.
I would wait for the other's arrival here and in the process keep a watchful eye on Yukina.
. . .
I must have fallen asleep because before I knew it the sun had moved significantly across the sky, indicating it was late in the afternoon. When I blinked my eyes open (they were luckily shielded from the sun's rays thanks to the canopy of leaves above my head) it was only to discover the auras' of my teammates as they climbed Genkai's stairs. I had awoken just in time it would seem. I don't jump down from my perch until they have crested the top of the staircase and when I do so I gained no reaction from the detective or Kurama, but the idiot jumped straight out of his skin. If I was the type of person to laugh, I probably would have.
"Shit, Hiei! Why do you have to do that?!" the oaf yelled.
There was no point in answering such a stupid question so I ignored him.
"Hey man, are the girls here?" Yusuke asked.
I was smart enough to figure out he was not asking about Yukina or Genkai, but as I had not seen Kurama's car at the base of the temple's stairs I highly doubted they were here. I hesitated on voicing this to the detective, because he would believe it meant his human lover was in danger and it would send him off on a rampage no doubt. Then again…it wasn't like I could avoid it either.
"No," was all I said.
"You're serious?" he asked.
I glared at him, because, when wasn't I serious? He'd have to be a fool to think I was joking and while he certainly was an idiot he had enough sense in him to realize I wouldn't treat the loss of his mate as a laughing matter.
Kurama's face had turned grim and I watched as he dug around in his pocket for that human contraption they used to communicate with people over long distances. Before he could pull it from the inner parts of his jacket Yusuke placed a hand to his arm and stopped him.
"Don't bother, I have Keiko's cell phone." His tone indicated he was rather angry at himself, but I could also hear the worry and panic hidden within it.
"Do you have your communicator on you then?" Kurama asked Yusuke.
The detective dug around in his coat pocket for a while and finally pulled out the compact. He wasted no time in flipping it open and pushing the buttons that would connect him to the ferry girl. The three of them waited with bated breath while I just shoved my hands into the pockets of my cloak and hoped they would get on with it so this day could come to an end. I was still rather pissed at the battle I had just fought in and subsequently lost without it even really having begun. The fact a weak human woman was able to stand up to that man…Hideki…and live whereas I had been tossed through the air like a fucking tennis ball was unacceptable. I had been out for his life to begin with…now I would make his death as painful as I possibly could. My mind was still reeling from the fact he had survived Yusuke's Reigan in the first place – he would certainly make a worthy opponent. So worthy I would make sure to kill him in the cruelest way possible: by cutting off his head.
The communicator chirped out a tune for a while, much like a telephone, before the other end eventually connected with someone. Botan's grating voice entered my ears seconds later.
"Moshi, moshi, this is Botan speaking!"
"Botan you idiot, where the hell are you?!" the detective screamed at her, placing his face as close to the compact as he could possibly get it. He was such an imbecile, truly.
"Oh, Yusuke you're alright! Where is everyone else?" her voice sounded tiny and distant through the communicator's speakers.
"We're all here, now where the fuck are you and Keiko?!"
"Calm down, there's no need to swear at me! We're fine; I brought Keiko to the Reikai just in case things turned ugly."
Yusuke sighed in relief and closed his eyes briefly, "Good, just get to Genkai's ASAP."
And then he clicked the communicator shut, even though Kurama had reached out a hand to take it from him…more than likely to ask about his death trap. His face ended up crest fallen and I couldn't resist the snort I released at the sight of his turmoil.
"Don't worry fox I'm sure that…" I paused to think of the word and when I couldn't come up with it said the closest equivalent I could think of, "…hunk of metal and plastic is just fine."
"Yes well, to you it may be a hunk of garbage but it was a very expensive hunk of garbage." he snapped.
I just shrugged, because I couldn't care less about his idiotic mode of transportation or the whining he was doing because it had been misplaced.
"I'm sure it's fine Kurama," Kuwabara said and he slapped a hand onto the kitsune's shoulder.
Kurama rolled his eyes and sighed, then marched off towards the main temple grounds. I followed behind him at a safe distance so not to incur his wrath should I find some other smartass remark to say to him. He invited himself into the temple, removed his shoes at the entrance and gave me only the briefest of disapproving looks when I once again refused to remove mine. I pretended I hadn't seen it and he sighed again before striding off in the direction of Genkai's energy signature.
Yusuke and Kuwabara were not far behind us and before we reached the den where Genkai was currently watching over Kasumi they caught up to us. We entered the room together and I spotted the old woman sitting at her kotatsu sipping a cup of tea. Yukina rested on folded knees beside the couch as she healed the girl. I was surprised it had taken this long to attend to her, because normally my sister was quick to help anyone in need – a testament to her overly trusting nature.
The fool shouted something about "his love" and rushed around the couch to kneel beside Yukina. She gave him a little smile, but turned shortly back to her work. Kuwabara was smart enough to leave her be and just sat quietly watching as her energy entered Kasumi's body and hastened the healing process. I was curious to know why they had waited, for I must have been asleep for several hours, but no one felt the need to voice the question and I was always hesitant to speak with Yukina.
I turned to the old hag instead, "Why did you wait till now to heal her?"
Genkai looked unamused but gave me an answer anyway, "I had to make sure she wasn't dangerous."
"What?" Kuwabara exclaimed, as he turned in his spot to stare at the old woman.
"As I told Hiei earlier, I will wait until everyone's arrival before I start explaining anything. I hate repeating myself." And then she lit a cigarette and dismissed us all. What an irritating old bitch she was.
"Aw, come on Genkai baa-san! Botan and Keiko don't matter!" if Yusuke's woman had been there to hear that she would have beaten him into the ground. He was a lucky man they hadn't arrived yet.
"It isn't them I am waiting for, I am waiting for the all-important prince of the Reikai," she said sarcastically.
"Fucking Koenma," swore Yusuke.
We all picked places to rest while we waited for the fools from the Reikai to arrive. I sat in the one window that was present in the room and brought a leg up onto the sill with me so I could rest one arm around my knee. The sky had darkened and looked as if it were going to rain. I could smell it in the air and could feel the electricity charged and lying in wait. There was a big storm headed our way…
My attention was diverted from the weather when I heard Yukina exclaim, "Oh! I can't heal this burn…no matter how hard I try!"
"Don't worry my love, Botan couldn't heal it either," said Kuwabara.
They were speaking of the ragged, charred palm mark that had been burnt into Kasumi's arm. The damage was so extensive that you could see pieces of blackened and cracked skin spidering out from the main burn. It must have been horribly painful, even now. Another reason I have been slightly impressed by the girl – she took pain well…and never cried. Reading Kasumi's mind had given me a certain insight about her, though I hadn't dug as deep as I had led her to believe. I had only bothered to read her mind upon first meeting her, to make sure she was trustworthy, and then every time after that it was only if she brought something up from her past I found particularly interesting. The oath she had firmly ingrained into herself, the one where she had sworn to be strong for her sister, was one of the memories I had admittedly scoured over several times. She took it seriously and hadn't cried true tears once – I found this extremely unusual.
I was once again thrown from my thoughts so I could listen to the conversation at hand. Genkai consoled my sister by telling her, "It is not because of your ability, there is very little anyone could do for such a mark."
Yukina pulled her hands away from Kasumi hesitantly and looked rather disappointed that there was nothing she could do for her. Sadness washed over her features and she frowned, "Can you do something, Genkai-sama?"
"Perhaps…" the old woman hummed.
I felt the arrival of Koenma and the other two women long before they entered the den. The ferry girl and Yusuke's lover entered first so Koenma could enter last, with his idiotic dramatic flourish he liked to use whenever he felt important – which was all the time. He tossed his cape off his shoulders and stood in the entrance with his arms folded across his chest. Everyone besides Genkai chose to ignore him and you could see this irritated him to no ends, but was quite amusing for everyone else.
"Take a seat Koenma; I'd like to get on with it," the old woman snapped.
The godling pursed his lips at her, but as it was for most people, he did not argue with the woman's authority. He chose a seat at the kotatsu next to Kurama and flopped down onto the pillow provided for padding in a fashion that was not as refined as he normally acted. He leaned back on the palms of his hands and sighed.
He turned his head to stare up at the ceiling and said, "She's caused me a lot of trouble."
"Yes well, that is bound to happen when you use a human girl as a vessel."
This gained most of the room's occupants attention (other than Kasumi…given her current state) and almost as one they all shifted to stare at the old woman and Koenma. Even the detective was smart enough to remain quiet. Though we had been told the bare minimum about Kasumi in order to watch over her we had yet to receive the true and total tale. Even I wished to know of the secrets the Reikai was keeping from us. Purgatory was once a very real and feared place amongst demon kind, but the legends had petered out over time and not many spoke of its existence anymore. I had even been skeptical when Yusuke had first told me of Koenma's knowledge of Kasumi.
"A vessel for what?" asked Kuwabara when the room fell into an uneasy silence.
Koenma audibly swallowed and you could see the trepidation in his eyes. Whatever they had used Kasumi for, it hadn't been anything good.
"I might as well start at the beginning –"the godling began, "– as you have been told Kasumi is the guardian or gate keeper to the entrance of Purgatory."
He paused, collected his thoughts and then continued, "I guess a better way to have put it is that she houses the guardian of the gate."
"Huh?" said Yusuke.
"She is the guardian's vessel and that right has been passed down between generations in her family."
"Wait, wait, wait! I still don't understand, are you saying something is inside her?" asked Kuwabara.
I noticed out the corner of my eye when Keiko stood up from the floor to take a spot on the couch. She lifted Kasumi's head and placed it into her lap so she could untie her braid and thread her fingers through the girl's hair. She looked scared – worried for her friend. I could also tell that even in her unconscious state, Keiko was using Kasumi for emotional support. Like the girl didn't have enough to deal with.
"Yes…in a sense. Kasumi holds a weapon that can only be used when the door to purgatory has been revealed."
"Okay, so how would we reveal the door?" asked Yusuke.
"We don't want to do that, bonehead!" snapped Genkai.
Before the old woman and the foolish detective could break out into an argument, Kurama interrupted, "What kind of weapon?"
This stumped Koenma for a moment, who must have still been trying to hide information from us. This angered me because I disliked heading into a deadly situation without the full knowledge I would need to handle it. Every bit of information on this girl could be vital.
"Well…" the prince of the Reikai grasped his chin in thought, "I'm not really sure."
"You've got to be kidding, how can't you know?!" shouted Yusuke.
"My father refused to tell me. He only told me how it could be summoned and what it would mean if it was."
"And what would need to be done?" asked Kurama.
The demi-god conveniently ignored the fox's question and this did not go unnoticed amongst the group. Kurama's look turned calculating, because the avoidance of the question had brought on suspicion, not just for him but me as well. What would need to be done to reveal the door to purgatory…and why was it so terrible that the foolish baby ruler would refuse to speak of it?
"The key to Purgatory and the guardian had to be kept separate, thus why it has been handed down through siblings. Always siblings and this time it happened to be twins."
Koenma looked to Kasumi, "Her sister houses the key and unlike Kasumi it brought her spiritual powers."
"How is that possible if Kasumi has the weapon?" asked the detective.
"That's where I came in," interjected Genkai.
"Ah yes, please explain your involvement Genkai-sama." Koenma handed the floor over to the old woman, happy to have a break from the questions no doubt.
"This girl was born into a family of powerful psychics…I believe her parents were demon hunters – "she turned to Koenma for clarification and the godling nodded in agreement," – as well as her Grandfather, though the two children had no knowledge of this."
"That doesn't surprise me…Kasumi has told me enough about her Grandfather that I kind of jumped to that conclusion already," said Kuwabara.
"Then why didn't she know about demons?" asked Yusuke.
"She did, her Grandfather never denied their existence. She was just too stubborn to see."
"That certainly can't be the only reason, Master Genkai," said Kurama as he stared at the girl resting in Keiko's lap dubiously.
I had a hard time believing that as well – she was most definitely stubborn, but that couldn't have prevented her from seeing apparitions, demons, or ghouls alike. Only someone without spiritual powers at all wouldn't be able to see our kind. Kasumi had next to none, from what I have been able to pick up from the Jagan, but there was enough there to at least give her a bit of a sixth sense.
"No, I suppose the seal I placed on her twelve years ago was what truly caused her blindness."
"Why was it necessary to place a seal on her?" asked Kurama.
"Let me start by saying that Kasumi's Grandfather was a well-respected man, I often went to him to have weapons forged and he came to me on more than one occasion for healing.
"Not to mention he was an adept martial artist, a master of his own art. I would say he was a dear friend of mine."
And then Genkai told us of the day she had met Kasumi. Kasumi's Grandfather had called the old woman up in a panic late one evening twelve years ago. He had been training with his seven year old granddaughter when something strange had happened. He had left the girl alone in the dojo to go and fetch them both some water and when he had returned it was only to find Kasumi face down in a pool of her own blood. Little razor thin cuts had appeared all over her skin and had been profusely bleeding without a sign of stopping. He had called Genkai immediately afterwards and had planned to bring Kasumi to see her that very night…but something changed drastically between the time he had spoken to Genkai on the phone and had once again returned to his dojo.
Genkai continued to speak, without pause, about how Kasumi's Grandfather had called her a second and final time, to inform her that he would be at the Temple the very next morning, that Kasumi was out of immediate danger, but he could not tell her more over the telephone. The next day a perfectly unharmed child had appeared at the temple with her elderly caretaker. Genkai had spoken with her Grandfather while she watched the girl play in her gardens and during that time he had explained what he had witnessed the night before.
He had told Genkai that he had walked back into his dojo to find Kasumi without a single scratch on her, sitting with her legs folded…and hovering several feet off the floor. Her eyes, which had normally been a bland slate grey, had turned a horrifying deep, fathomless black. Runes had also appeared on certain areas of her body, one pronounced one in the center of her forehead and two on the back of each of her hands. He had explained that they looked as if someone had carved them out of her skin with a very small, sharp knife. When he had approached his granddaughter, to do what the old man hadn't been sure, the girl had turned to pierce him with a stare that held so much power he had ended up rooted to the floor. When he tried to speak she silenced him with a finger to her lips and then created a vision out of thin air for him to view.
In this vision the girl conveyed that she wished to be taken to Genkai's in order to have a certain ritual performed so her human body would not be harmed again. This particular ritual was meant to seal what was inside of Kasumi. The old man hadn't understood what that something was until he had come to see the psychic in question and explained this tale to her.
"So what did you tell him?" asked Botan, who had leaned forward to pay rapt attention to the old woman's story.
Genkai's eyes flicked up to Koenma, who had settled her with a flat stare – a warning for to keep her mouth shut. I had sensed he was lying earlier and I believed it was safe to assume I had been correct. A long moment of silence fell over the group as the psychic and the demi-god glared at each other, but as was the old woman's way she did not listen to authority: not unless it was her own.
"I told him the truth and I suppose that's what got him killed," several of the group gasped and began to murmur at this statement, but I was quickly growing impatient with how long it was taking to spit this damn story out.
"Get on with it," I finally snapped.
Genkai rolled her eyes, snubbed out the cigarette she had neglected to smoke, and then continued with her explanation. Or would have, if Koenma hadn't opened his fat mouth, "Don't say a word," he said.
Yusuke slapped a hand down on top of the kotatsu, which caused Koenma to jump and he turned to stare at the other man in shock. Yusuke was angry, that was clear enough to see just from the way his eyes had narrowed dangerously and his mouth had turned up into a snarl. He was baring his teeth, the sharpened eye-points the only clue towards his demonic heritage and I could only smirk, because it wasn't often you got to see Yusuke show the more animalistic side of himself – at least, not out of battle anyway. It was about time he acted more like a demon and less like a pathetic human.
"Stop lying to us! You aren't telling us the whole story, so let baa-san tell it instead!"
"Yusuke!" Keiko hissed from the couch.
"No Keiko, I know she's your friend but we can't be kept in the dark like this!"
Genkai scoffed and took a sip of the tea Yukina had brought in on a tray some time ago, "And what about the girl, huh? You think you deserve the truth so badly, but she has no clue."
"Yeah well that isn't my fault, is it?" said Yusuke.
"No, it's this idiot's over here," Genkai jerked a thumb at Koenma who looked appalled at being called out on his misgivings.
"I'm sorry, I was just forbidden to speak of it…" the demi-god said, attempting to save himself from the wrath of Yusuke and Genkai.
"You don't have to…I will," said Genkai.
"I guess you could consider it a type of loophole, Koenma-dono." Kurama gave the man a tiny mischievous smile which forced Koenma to put his head in his hands and groan.
"Fine, do whatever you want!" he said.
"I planned to…" said Genkai as she took another sip of her tea, completely indifferent about the whole situation.
"Can we continue the story now? I really want to know what's wrong with Kas…" Kuwabara was eyeing his friend worriedly and had scooted closer to the couch to be near her.
I liked this about as much as I liked him near Yukina and I made this known with a low growl that resonated from the back of my throat and up through my mouth. The oaf turned to look at me but all he did was glare, the insolent fool. I glared right back and he gave up after a while and turned back to Genkai so he could better listen to her. She continued her story shortly thereafter. And I was left wondering why I'd had such a reaction in the first place.
"As I was saying…" she said.
She had told Kasumi's Grandfather nothing but the straight truth: that Kasumi, though born with spiritual awareness, would have to have it taken from her. When the old man asked why Genkai had told him it was for her own good because the thing inside her was unable to be controlled while inside a human body. Unlike what Koenma had told us, Genkai explained that what was housed inside of Kasumi, though it could be considered a weapon, was much more than that.
"What is trapped inside Kasumi is neither human nor demon; it is neither living nor dead. When I placed the seal on Kasumi I was able to speak to it but once…"
"And what the fuck is it?" Yusuke demanded.
"An entity that is as old as time, created for the soul purpose of protecting the gate into Purgatory…it called itself Chronos…"
"Chronos?" said Kurama and a look of consternation crossed his features as he tried to remember where he must have heard the name before.
"I'm positive you will never have heard of the name, Kurama." Genkai said.
"I can't readily recall it if I have…" the fox said, "But I feel as if I have read it somewhere before."
"More than likely while you were snooping about the Reikai's libraries," said Koenma with a disapproving look towards Kurama, but the fox only grinned, not ashamed of his actions in the least.
"There is a prophecy pertaining to the guardian of the gate, but it was stolen some time ago. Long before you ever became a Reikai Tantei Yusuke."
"Seriously, who stole it?" Yusuke asked the demi-god.
Koenma shook his head and ran his hands through his hair in frustration, "We have no idea! Never have!"
I chuckled darkly at this, because I knew who it was. I had figured it out some time ago thanks to that little show Kasumi had put on the night she had knocked out a demon and brought it home to torture (I was quite surprised by this, may I add). Once she had shown me the first dream she had of Hideki I had put two and two together. I felt the need to gloat on this one, so I said, "I know who it was."
Koenma scoffed at me, "How could you possibly know when even the agents of the Reikai couldn't find them?"
"I think we all know how incompetent those fools are…" I said.
The demi-god just stared at me in disbelief and I felt a smirk cross over my lips again, "It was that…smoke demon that attacked us earlier."
"Hideki?!" shouted Kuwabara.
How stupid could one person be, honestly? "Yes who else would I be talking about, baka."
"May I correct you on one point Hiei?" said Kurama.
I eyed him with a sidelong glance, irritated that he was about to ruin what I had just told them. I frowned at him and raised an eyebrow, he took it as permission.
"Hideki is not a smoke demon…after today I'm certain of it. He utilizes magnetic particles, so small that they appear as smoke when he transforms."
"Is that how he blasted us back today, with magnets?" asked Yusuke.
"Magnetic force yes, not necessarily magnets," Kurama corrected him.
"Then what about the burn on Kasumi's arm?" asked Kuwabara and then he held the arm up in question, so everyone in the room could look at the charred handprint embedded into her skin.
"It isn't a burn, it's literally pieces of Hideki stuck inside her," explained Kurama.
Kuwabara dropped her arm like it was a venomous snake about to strike, a look of complete disgust crossed over his features and his eyes had widened to the point I thought they may fall straight out of his head if he wasn't careful.
"Hn, which does make sense…that's how he was able to track her so easily," I said.
"Exactly, Hiei," said Kurama with a nod towards me.
"It doesn't matter what type of demon he is, if you are certain that he has the prophecy than we need it back, at all costs!" said Koenma.
"You gunna tell us what's in this prophecy?" Yusuke stared hard at the demi-god, an eyebrow raised severely and a defiant gleam in his eyes.
"No, I wish I could, but it is strictly forbidden to release information about the future." I would give Koenma credit where it was due; he did look contrite as if he wished he could say something, as short lived as it was.
"Well, I'll just read the fucking thing when we kill Hideki and steal it back!" said Yusuke, as he sat back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest in triumph.
Koenma smiled at him sweetly, "Good luck, it's written in a very ancient text, better brush up on it quick if you want to read it so badly."
Yusuke's face looked crestfallen at this news and his arms fell to his sides and a frown graced his features. He began to pout and that was certainly not a look befitting a future king of the Makai. So I would no longer have to see such disgrace, I said, "Kurama will no doubt be able to translate it."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Hiei…" the fox said uncertainly.
But it had made Yusuke change his demeanor and that's all I cared about, even if we came to find out the kitsune could not translate it. The detective would just have to suck it up.
"What does this all mean for Kasumi?"
With the oaf's single question it had made the room fall into silence once more. Koenma looked uncomfortable, whereas Genkai only eyed the girl sadly while sipping her now cold tea. When she had emptied the cup, she pulled another cigarette out of the pack she had set on the wooden surface of the kotatsu, and lit it. The end glowed a fiery cherry red as she drew the noxious smoke into her lungs and then exhaled it back into the stale air within the den.
Koenma scratched the back of his head and frowned, "I had hoped somewhere within the descendants of her bloodline that they would have mated with a demon…"
"Why?" asked Keiko, confused by what Koenma was trying to say.
"If the girls had been bestowed with even the power of half-breeds Kasumi would have been able to handle Chronos."
"I still don't get this whole 'Chronos' thing…" mumbled Kuwabara.
"You will understand soon enough," said Genkai.
"Huh?"
The old hag sighed in annoyance, "In order to fix her seal I must remove it completely and then place a new one on her…I also believe Chronos is the only one who can remove that mark…"
"What?! But I thought it hurt her?!" exclaimed Kuwabara.
"Not intentionally and if you weren't paying attention, it can spontaneously heal itself."
"Chronos is nothing without a vessel," said Koenma, "If the vessel were to be destroyed Chronos would only live on if another in her bloodline were there to take Kasumi's place."
"And Hideki has made that impossible," added Genkai.
This I knew to be truth as well from viewing memories of Kasumi's past and the dreams she has had involving Hideki. That man…the Magnetite demon, killed off Kasumi's family…even distant relatives in order to prevent whatever was inside her from transferring to a new body. I doubted her sister would be a likely candidate, considering she already housed the object that would open the gate, which meant there was a good chance Kasumi's twin was still alive.
When I had learned of Hitomi I realized Kasumi and I had something in common. She wanted so badly to find her sister and she was horribly frustrated and angry when she came up with nothing. I knew this feeling well…had felt it every single day I had searched for Yukina after Tarukane had stolen her from the land of ice. But unlike me, who had gone through excruciating pain in order to find Yukina, Kasumi had become a member of law enforcement. She would have been better off going her own way, forging her own path to her sister, instead of relying on others to help her do the work. You could only rely on yourself in this world – no one else. Kasumi was nothing but a fool.
I was drawn from my thoughts when the old woman turned to the detective and said, "Yusuke, I am no longer powerful enough to perform the ritual to replace Kasumi's seal…it is time you learned other ways your Reihado can be used."
"You're fucking kidding me right? I can't do that kind of stuff!"
"You can and you will!" shouted Genkai.
Yusuke looked as if he was going to argue with her some more, but Genkai held up a hand to silence him and said, "I will help you through it, I don't expect you to do it on your own for the first time."
It didn't make him look any happier about it, but he pursed his lips and turned to stare at the comatose Kasumi. A sense of foreboding had fallen over us all – what would we see when Genkai removed the seal? Would Chronos show its face? I wished to see it with my own eyes, to know that it was true, that another entity lived inside that frail human body that even the power of the Jagan could not detect. The seal that had been placed on her must have been powerful indeed to have remained hidden in the crevices of her mind.
All of us lost in thought, I watched as Yukina rose from her seat to go and prepare dinner. Her eyes landed on me only briefly after she had stood and smoothed out her kimono. I was quick to look away and when I finally did turn back to see if she had left I found her standing over Kasumi speaking softly to Keiko. She was asking questions about the girl, which Yusuke's woman was all too happy to answer. I didn't understand my sister's sudden interest in Kasumi and with shrewd eyes and ears I listened in on their conversation.
"When did you meet Morimoto-san?" asked Yukina.
"I met her during my second year of high school – she saved my life."
This gained the attention of the detective, "What?"
"Oh, I guess I never told you the story about how we met…" Keiko looked shame-faced but a small smile had spread across her lips anyway.
Keiko ran her hands through Kasumi's long waves and smiled wistfully, Kuwabara must have heard the story before and they had both neglected to tell it to Yusuke.
"Yeah, I met Kasumi in Kendo class, she was the club leader. But Keiko's story is way cooler."
"I wouldn't say its 'cooler'," she said.
"Are you going to explain what you mean by 'she saved your life'?" demanded Yusuke.
"I had stayed late at the library one night and the campus was deserted. I hadn't known, but Kasumi didn't live too far from me at the time…"
And so she went on, telling Yusuke that as she had walked home in the dark she had been attacked by a random man on the street. He had tried to steal her schoolbag and when he discovered there was nothing but books inside instead of money he had become angry. She had been unable to get away when he had grabbed her, torn her clothing, and shaken her. She had hit him with all her might but the man had been much larger than her and it did little good.
"That's when Kasumi-chan came along…she beat the guy to a pulp and we were friends ever since," grinned Keiko.
"And where the hell were you!?" Yusuke shouted at Kuwabara.
"He couldn't be with me all the time, now could he?!" Keiko yelled at him.
"I don't wanna hear jack from you Urameshi! It wasn't my fault you went off to demon world!"
This started a fist fight between the two men, which was all too common and not very entertaining after you have seen it a thousand times over. Keiko and Botan both attempted to stop them, Koenma stood from his seat to get out of the way, and Kurama just sat with his head in one of his hands in exasperation. It was the old psychic that finally put a stop to the stupidity. She punched them both in the back of the head, making the two men crash face first into the tatami mats spread across Genkai's floor. They got up groaning, each of them rubbing the large lumps they were sporting on the backs of their heads.
"It is time we tended to the girl, "Genkai rasped, "Come Yusuke."
The detective's usual cocky attitude fled out the window in the face of this new challenge. If I didn't know better, I would even say he looked afraid…worried. It came as no surprise; Yusuke was a brawler through and through. He hadn't used his Reiki for anything else since learning of its existence and he didn't really have the brains in order to use it in any other way – I'm sure Genkai's wish to teach him this ritual had put serious doubts in his mind. He rose from the floor and made a show of brushing off his clothing and clearing his throat repeatedly. He shuffled his feet and began to just generally waste precious seconds. I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the sight.
"Yusuke, you're not getting out of this…" warned Genkai, her tone as serious as her eyes.
"When have I ever gotten out of training with you, ya damn hag."
He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, straitened his back, and glared defiantly at the old woman. Genkai just smirked, stubbed out her mostly smoked cigarette and rose from her seat.
"I would ask you all to join us…but I think the ones with…softer sensibilities should go help Yukina in the kitchen."
It was obvious she was speaking of Keiko and Botan…possibly even Kuwabara considering how much of a weakling he could be. They protested of course, in which I tuned them out because I cared very little if they came to watch or not. As Genkai and Koenma argued with the women, I watched Yusuke take it upon himself to pick Kasumi up from the couch. He cradled her in his arms carefully, as if her were afraid to break her, and looked everywhere other than at her face – the wall, the floor, the blank screen of the picture viewer (I believe I have overheard Kurama call it a 'television).
I assumed Genkai had won the battle of wills with the women, as they had marched off towards the kitchen. Without further preamble the old psychic led us through her Temple – we passed many rooms, some filled to the brim with junk, others housing priceless antiques, and still more that had beds, showers, and weapons. The temple was vast and if you didn't know your way around it could be easy to get lost in. As we passed her game room (where all the machines made a most irritating racket) and finally her indoor dojo she led us into another room across from there – one I had not been in as of yet.
It wasn't a large room, though it wasn't small either. The floor was made of stone and I as we passed the threshold of the doorway I could feel more than see, the warding along its stone walls. I could smell blood on the air – old and demonic. The wards written in an ancient language were painted with the mixed blood of multiple breeds, so many it was too hard to distinguish them from the different smells. There was darkness here…it made a sense of foreboding settle into the pit of my stomach and I could see now why Genkai and Koenma did not wish for the women to witness this. It certainly wouldn't be for someone with a soft heart.
There wasn't much of any kind of furnishing, a few zabuton (floor pillows) for seating which were arranged in a circle within the center of the room. Other than that the room was bare, it housed two rice paper doors on each end, one leading into the hallway and the other into a separate room. Genkai instructed Yusuke to place Kasumi in the center of the zabutons, he laid her down gently, and then the old woman left to retrieve something from the other room. During this time I picked a corner to sit in, I sunk down the wall and folded my legs beneath me. I pulled my katana from my belts, placed it across my lap, and then crossed my arms over my chest. Here I would wait…and watch.
As for everyone else, Koenma stood like a sentinel closest to the door, his eyes critical and cold. His back was ridged and much like me he had crossed his arms over his chest. It wasn't often the more serious side of Koenma was shown, but so far that is all he has been since learning of Kasumi. Enma must not be pleased with the current scheme of events because I had no doubt in my mind that whatever had been placed inside Kasumi had been created by Enma. While Koenma had access to Purgatory (to place the nastiest of beings within it) he had probably never seen it himself. I did believe he had more knowledge on the subject than he was letting on though. The rest of the group had chosen seats around Kasumi, with Yusuke in the middle, seated right above the girl's head.
Genkai returned with a bowl full of a dark, thick liquid and several horsehair paint brushes. A scroll was also clutched in one of her gnarled hands. She tossed this to Yusuke who caught it but only looked at her stupidly afterwards. She sighed, "Read it bonehead and memorize the words within."
The detective opened the scroll, took one look at it, and burst out with, "This isn't in Japanese, how the hell do you expect me to read it let alone memorize it?!"
"Allow me Yusuke," and then Kurama leaned over to help him. He sounded out the words, written in a language I did not know or understand, and after several tries Yusuke was able to grasp the concept.
He began to mumble them out loud, over and over and as he did this Genkai took up the bowl and brushes. She painted thick black lettering all around Kasumi in what I assumed was the same strange language that was written on the walls and the scroll in Yusuke's hands. When she had finished there she painted a symbol on the palm of her hand and then grabbed at Yusuke's to do the same. He didn't fight her though she ended up having to wipe it off and do it over when he had poked at it and smudged it. Once finished, Genkai took a seat opposite of Yusuke, at Kasumi's feet.
"This will be much easier with her already knocked out…" she mumbled.
"She wasn't last time?" asked Kuwabara.
"No and I suppose that is all she remembers of me," she said with a bit of humor in her tone.
"Oh yeah, she told us about visiting you. She said you hit her in the chest."
"Yes, the first part of the ritual can be completed without this mess, but it is best to do it properly this time…" she trailed off and then told Yusuke to shut up.
"Do you have it memorized?" she asked him.
"…I think so," the detective said uncertainly.
"Good," and then her palm with the symbol painted upon it began to glow and she reached over Kasumi for Yusuke's hand.
Palm pressed to palm, she instructed Yusuke on what to do next, "You're going to hit her in the chest as hard as you can with your palm open."
"What!?"
"NOW!"
And without further argument or thought, Yusuke did just that. He slammed his palm into her chest, just above her breasts but below her collarbone. I heard her bones crack and break, Kuwabara began to yell about Yusuke injuring her as his energy burned a great hole in her shirt. A noise, like electricity shot through the air and when Yusuke removed his palm a great red, bloody looking circle of runes had appeared on her skin. They were delicate and intricate, swirled patterns with Japanese markings throughout. I was far more interested now than I had been before and so I would not miss anything I removed the band from around my Jagan and opened it so I could view the outcome of the ritual. In fascination I watched as the seal began to erase itself, it slowly disappeared starting from the bottom and circling around and around until the entire pattern was gone.
Genkai held up a hand for silence, even though Kuwabara was still panic stricken over his friend's newest injuries it shut him up. Not for long though, because shortly after the seal had disappeared little nicks, slices, and cuts appeared all over Kasumi's bared skin. They bled through her clothing and onto the floor until she was lying in a pool of blood. It seeped into the zabutons and into the cracks and crevices in the stone floor. Genkai turned grim, a darkness passed over her features that was not there before and it seemed as if everyone in the room besides me had gone breathless.
"It's as I feared…her body still cannot withstand it…" the old woman mumbled to herself.
"Hey, she's waking up!" yelled Kuwabara.
But when the girl's eyes opened…instead of grey there was nothing but black. The sclera, iris, and pupil having been completely swallowed up by a black that wasn't truly black because swimming within it were little bits of white making her eyes look like galaxies…and if I were to be honest with myself…it was one of the most beautifully terrible things I had ever set my eyes on.
Softly, the old woman greeted it like it was an old friend, "Hello Chronos…"
. . .
A/N: Sorry to leave it there (laughs evilly)! The next chapter will be out as soon as possible. This is the first time I've ever written an entire chapter in Hiei's POV so I hope I wrote him alright. I feel like he is an intelligent man, though perhaps not as book smart as Kurama is, he sure as hell isn't stupid. I also hate when I see him written like he's a child…cause sorry, but even if we don't know his age, he's about as far from a child as they come (not including his height, of course!). Next chapter you all will get to meet the mysterious entity known as Chronos…till next time! Thanks for reading!