Alice Alive
By, KKYOKO
Chapter Thirteen: Gunslinger
I know it was stupid to not even try to run, but there really wasn't even any time to think. My hands just flew up over my head to stop the ceiling to protect myself. I was in awe when I found the ceiling still. I could feel the weight, the pressure, crushing down on me, straining my muscles, but ceiling must have been as thick as a door was tall. I looked around at the guys and found them in the same situation - hands above their heads, teeth gritted or faces screwed up with strain.
Kurama's eyes found mine. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern.
"I'm fine," I replied, feeling my arms tremble a bit.
"Heavy, isn't it?" I heard the floating eye-ball ask. He was somewhere above us outside of the tunnel. "The senses in the corridor are most intelligent. A complex assembly of gears adapts the ceiling's weight precisely to the strength of its victim. Of course, there is a catch. Just enough leeway remains for one person to escape, leaving their friends to be crushed by the weight."
"Damn it," Yusuke cursed.
The purple creature floated down in my line of sight. "The decisions must be made quickly. Not even the five of you combined can hold the ceiling for long - insist on teamwork and everyone will be crushed. Only by turning on your friends will one of you be able to escape. Only the traitor among you deserves to enter Maze Castle. That's why it's called the Gate of Betrayal, you see." With that, the creature cackled and flew up, out of my sight.
"Damn, I'd like to get my hands on that bat-thing!" Kuwabara snapped. I saw his knee give a bit under the weight felt the ceiling grow heavier.
Hiei growled. "Stay focused on the weight, or you'll kill us all!"
"Oh sure, blame me, I bet I'm holding up a lot more weight than you are!" he retorted angrily.
"Shut it, Kuwabara!" Yusuke said through gritted teeth, trying to stop a fight between Kuwabara and Hiei before it really began. I was beginning to think Yusuke was a lot more perceptive than I realized at first. Or maybe he just knew what pissed Hiei off.
"Well, I'm not about to die for the sake of you worthless humans," Hiei ground out.
"Don't you even consider it, Hiei," Kurama warned.
Hiei was in front of me, so all I could do was glare at the back of his head. "Gee, thanks, jerk-face. Nice to know you've got our back."
He managed to turn his head slightly to glare at me from his peripheral vision. His stoplight red eyes were angry. "Did I ever say that I had your back in the first place, you stupid girl? I don't recall ever trading friendship bracelets or baking cookies with any one of you."
"Well, you know we like you for your sense of humor, Hiei," I said dryly, flexing my elbows so they didn't lock up. My muscles burned. "It's why we keep you around."
He rolled his eyes.
"Man…I knew we should have played some trust games," Yusuke muttered, thinking of the situation.
"This has always been my favorite part of the trial," said the creature from somewhere outside of the tunnel, surprising me. I thought he was gone. "Watching the way you squirm as your muscles pop and tear under the ceiling's weight. But of course the best is your eyes. Seeing the gears of thought turn to desperation, thinking, questioning yourself. How long can I hold this? Will I die this way? Will one friend betray us and escape while we flatten? Or should I be the one?"
"Just…ignore…that thing," Kuwabara strained, sweating. "Stick together!"
The wall came down another few inches and I felt like my spine would break.
Kuwabara continued, looking at us all fiercely. "And if anybody tries to run, I swear I'll drag 'em back myself!"
Hiei scoffed. "And I suppose you think it'd be noble if we all died as a team?"
"That's right!"
Yusuke turned his head. "Here's a thought: let's shut up and find a way out!"
I frowned, looking at the back of Hiei's head. He would be most ideal to send out, simply because of his sheer speed. In addition, if there were any sort of traps or other issues, Hiei could avoid them. I really doubted that he would be so ready to betray us - particularly Kurama. I turned to Yusuke. "We're going to have to send someone out there, and I think it should be Hiei," I said to his back.
Yusuke turned his head toward me. "Yeah, I was thinking that too, actually." He looked at Hiei, who's expression was thoughtful. "Hiei…you're a lot faster than any of us. We'll hold the ceiling up while you go and flip the switch."
"Are you crazy? We can't trust that guy! Just look - he doesn't care at all about us!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
Hiei looked amused. "Your ugly friend has a good point detective."
"Who's ugly?!" Kuwabara demanded.
"Are you sure you want to trust me? I've already vowed my revenge on you. Maybe I'll handle that now," Hiei suggested.
Yusuke looked at him from over his shoulder. "Yeah, but I don't think quick death's your style. Besides, she obviously trusts you," he said, glancing back at me. I gave a half-smile. "I'll let out all of the spirit power I have to give us all a little more time while you run to the switch. Just don't trip." His expression turned peaceful at Hiei's confusion. "I trust you," Yusuke said to him. He turned back to the front. "Now go!" he yelled.
Hiei's body tightened like a coiled spring for a moment in time, and then he suddenly disappeared from my vision as he shot forward. The ceiling became ten times heavier as his strength left us, and it sunk down several more inches. Poor Kuwabara was bent over like a kyphosis patient.
The purple creature's laughter was cut short as Hiei appeared in front of the lever. He made like he was going to pull it, but suddenly he froze and looked back at us with a strange expression of realization.
"What's the deal? Pull the stupid switch already!" Kuwabara yelled.
Hiei's expression turned into one of worry - a what's-gonna-happen-when-I-pull-this-switch look.
The creature floated down to Hiei's eye-level. "There's no need to be hasty, my friend. What have they ever done for you? Leave them, and you can come into the castle. With the invasion of Earth, the Four Saint Beasts will be able to control the future. Be smart, join us. Perhaps you can be the general of our demon army."
Hiei's face was thoughtful.
"Don't you dare, you creep - if it weren't for our help, you'd still be screaming with the rest of us!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Stop doubting him!" I hissed at Kuwabara. "Something's wrong and he's trying to figure out what it is."
I'm not sure if Hiei heard me, since I was attempting to be quiet, but he turned away from the switch and gave a dark chuckle.
"What are you laughing about?" Kuwabara demanded. Then he glanced back at me. "Are you sure, Alice?" he asked quietly. "You know I don't trust him."
I nodded. But Hiei spoke before I could reply.
"Take a guess, you fool."
Kuwabara turned as red as Kurama's hair. "Damn you! I told you, Alice! That guy's gonna leave us here to die!"
I shushed him. "He's acting," I muttered under my breath. Judging by Kuwabara's expression, he didn't believe me. I glanced at Kurama, but he looked doubtful too. I was behind Yusuke, so I couldn't tell if he agreed with me or not.
"Yes," said the purple creature, "you find amusement in their pain. Now imagine the satisfaction that will come from their final screams!" It giggled with delighted laughter.
The wall came down about six more inches, bringing us to our knees. I was beginning to get claustrophobic and sweaty. I do not like small, dark, spaces. Ever since I was small, I was always afraid of walls closing in on me, getting squished, people sitting on me - that sort of thing. My dad used to squish me in the couch when I was a kid, but I never found it the least bit funny.
"Hiei!" Kuwabara and I called in unison - me sounding more desperate.
"A wise choice," said the creature, "the boulder would have crushed you anyway."
Aha.
Hiei's face telegraphed my thoughts exactly, and then it fell into an angry scowl. I could sense Hiei's energy surge and with a flash of bright metal, the creature suddenly gained a grotesque vertical slash right down the middle of it's creepy body. Hiei appeared again in front of the switch and pushed the lever up.
The wall, thankfully, stopped pressing down on us and I nearly collapsed, ready to go worship Hiei as a god.
"He came through!" Yusuke exclaimed happily. I guessed he did have his doubts about Hiei after all.
I looked at Hiei and frowned at him. He was looking up expectantly, sword still unsheathed, as calm as a summer's breeze.
That's when the boulder crushed him.
It made such a loud sound when it hit the ground that I thought I had gone deaf for a moment. It sounded like an explosion, and dust billowed out around it, filling the air. It made the castle move so much I was afraid that the ceiling would crush us again.
"Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.
We crawled out from under the space and tried to make something out, but the dust in the air was too thick to see through. And then we looked up to see Hiei on top of the boulder, looking as poised as a ballerina, ordering the flopping, bleeding purple creatures to tell its masters to beg for mercy. The creature flew away, making incoherent noises of pain.
Yusuke froze with surprise for a moment, and then sighed with relief.
"Hey, are you all right?" Kuwabara asked.
"Oh yeah," he replied patting his shoulder. "I just can't feel my arms right now." He straightened up as Hiei landed in front of us, giving the fire demon a thumbs up. "I knew you'd save us, you jerk." He went over to Hiei, giving him a friendly pat on the back. "But you did have me worried. Hell of an actor, but you know not everybody can pretend to laugh at their dying friends."
"Heh, friends are just a crutch for the weak," Hiei retorted. "And I wasn't acting."
"Say what?" Kuwabara demanded. He turned to me. "See, he even fooled you! Don't trust him!"
I rolled my eyes. "Don't take everything at face-value, Kuwabara. When it comes to reading other people, I miss nothing."
Hiei turned to point a finger at Yusuke. "Don't get confused. The only reason I saved you was because I might need your help." With that, he walked away.
Kurama stepped behind Yusuke. "It's his way of saying you're welcome. You'll learn."
"Riiight."
"Well, he still ticks me off!" Kuwabara said, clenching his hands into fists and looking aggravated.
Kurama and I exchanged a brief, knowing look. We both had known Hiei longer and knew him better, so we could tolerate his standoffish attitude better than Kuwabara could. I gave Kuwabara a slight smile. "They can't all be sweet and cuddly teddy bears like you, Kuwabara. We've got to throw a gruff guy in the mix now and then to keep things interesting."
"Yes," Kurama added quickly, with a teasing smile. "Like putting chili powder in chocolate."
Kuwabara's face screwed up in disgust. "That's a horrible analogy, and I am not a teddy bear."
Yusuke laughed and patted him on the back. "Sure you aren't, buddy."
"I'm not!"
Kurama looked at Hiei's retreating back. "Perhaps we should get moving. Hiei will leave us behind."
"Good riddance," Kuwabara muttered, kicking the ground.
I looked up at Kuwabara as we started walking after Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. His face was tight with annoyance but he brightened up when he saw me looking at him. I gave him a smile. "I know you don't like him, but just for right now, could you try to be a little civil? He's really good friends with Kurama and he's sorta nice to me for the most part. I would be really happy," I wheedled. "I don't really like fighting."
His expression was sulky. "But he's just such a jerk, Alice. Every time he looks at me, I just want to punch him."
I sighed, giving up. Looking around I noticed the stone hallway we were walking in was a horror-movie-dark. Lit torches flickered against the wall, casting eerie shadows around us. The stone pillars that lined the walls were tall and had monster faces. Usually, I preferred stone over brick or wood, but these demons' medieval tastes in décor really made me consider my preferences.
An annoying trill came from Yusuke, and Kuwabara jumped nine feet in the air. "What is that thing?" he asked as Yusuke pulled out the communicator Botan gave him.
"It's just the communication mirror that I got from Botan," Yusuke explained mildly, flipping it open.
"Hey, Yusuke," I heard from the device. "It's Botan from the living world, do you copy?" I stood next to Yusuke, craning my neck to look at the mirror. Botan was smiling and holding a victory sign with her fingers.
"Yeah," Yusuke replied, glancing at me. I stepped back so I wouldn't be in his way. I had just wanted to see the quality of the mirror, and it was pretty good. Kuwabara pushed Yusuke's head out of the way and pulled the mirror to face him.
"Hey, what's up, Botan?" he asked, dorky smile on his face. "This is the brave Kuwabara reporting, at your service. I'm taking very good care of Urameshi."
Botan gave a nervous chuckle. "I'm so glad to hear that. I've got things under control here as well, more or less. The Makai insects only like to nest in depressed people's minds. That narrows down my search a bit. I've also found a spy for the Saint Beasts. I just can't figure out how they're getting past the barrier. See, I think there are demons from outside the city, taking orders along the wall."
Yusuke's and Kuwabara's eyes suddenly got huge. "Watch out!" they yelled at the mirror together. I heard the sound of Botan's bat hitting someone in the head.
"Don't worry," she said, "those guys are worthless. The real challenge is finding those Makai insects. I've only caught fifteen of those buggers and I've been searching nearly an entire day," she complained.
Kuwabara got a salacious grin on his face as he brought the mirror closer to him. "Don't worry baby! You'll - Ow! Ow!"
Yusuke snatched the mirror from Kuwabara, punching him as he went. "Fifteen!" he demanded, "that's not much help!" he yelled into the mirror.
Her tone was calm. "Yusuke, finding people controlled by the insects -" here there was the clang of her bat connecting to someone's skull again "-takes time. That's why you need to get that whistle!"
"We're trying," Yusuke replied, "but this castle is kinda rough."
"Well of course it is," she responded matter-of-factly. "No one's survived before."
And then she hung up.
Yusuke cursed and bitched for a minute, but fell silent as we started walking again. I turned inwardly too, wondering how reckless I was just being here. It's not as if I've never done risky stuff before - just not necessarily anything that could have gotten me killed. Well, except for driving. I hate to admit it, but I've got some bad road rage problems. I used to always get back at people that cut me off or followed me too closely. I hate people that can't drive.
"Kurama," Yusuke said, interrupting my inner rant about some asshole that almost crashed into me the day before I died. "What do you know about these four Saint people? Botan pushed us like a trio of cows down that hole and I didn't get a chance to ask her."
"She wouldn't have told you much, I'm afraid. Ever since the barrier wall was raised around the city, Reikai intelligence virtually forgot this place existed," Kurama explained with an amused smile.
"What do you know?" Kuwabara demanded.
"Let's just say that when you see their bodies, you may be very surprised," he added.
"Terrified," a loud gravely voice cut in. "Isn't that more like it?"
Kuwabara jumped. "H-Hey! Who said that?"
The disembodied voice laughed roughly. "There's a door behind you - take it."
We turned and saw a pair of large metal double doors, curved like a bow around the top. Yusuke and Kuwabara flung them open. "Ladies first," Yusuke said, glancing at me, suppressing a grin.
"Oh, haha," I mumbled rolling my eyes, moving in front of him. "You're such a card, Yusuke." He ignored me, taking in the room. It was expansive with torches lit around it, except for the very back. I couldn't see through the darkness of the back of the room anymore than I could see through a black wall.
Yusuke moved back around me and picked a torch from a pillar. Winding his arm back, he threw the torch across the room. If I remembered correctly there was supposed to be some sort of rocky monster here, and I found myself taking a step back.
The light from the torch cast an eerie yellow on Genbu, like a kid holding a flashlight under his face while telling scary stories. Except Genbu wasn't a kid; he was a creepy enchanted talking rock. And a demon.
He gave a gravely laugh. "Welcome trespassers," he said, eyes glowing yellow.
Kuwabara jumped as he looked Genbu over. "Okay, I'm surprised."
Genbu decided to introduce himself. "I am Genbu of the Four Saint Beasts. Do you have a request before you die?"
"Gee, that's lovely," I muttered.
Yusuke can always be counted on for a smartass remark. "Yeah, tell me how a beast is a saint. I'm lost."
Genbu ignored him, and instead indicated to the stairwell behind him with his tail. "This staircase is the only way up to the castle tower. You can either defeat me or go up on your own, or -" and then I missed the rest of his threat because his voice was to monotonous and he crashed his tail loudly into the ground. It probably wasn't that important anyway. Bad guys were always full of hot air. "Why don't you all attack me at once? Then the last one left won't feel lonely."
Kuwabara was taken aback. "He's a rock, Urameshi! How are we supposed to fight against a talking rock?"
"Anyone have a sledgehammer?" I asked dryly.
Kuwabara gave me a strange look. "Aren't you scared, Alice?"
I felt my jaw clench. The reason I was turning to sarcasm and dry humor was more or less to diffuse my own tension as well as Kuwabara's, and to ignore what little fear I did have. I assessed Genbu with my energy, feeling out for his energy level. My first impression of him was that he wasn't really all that strong, and I found myself correct. "He's on the lower levels of C class. I'm not all that concerned about him. I could take him."
Hiei gave a noise of amusement. "Your self-confidence is truly amazing."
"Took you on, didn't I?" I retorted.
Kurama stepped forward, moving past Yusuke. "I will fight him." His expression was calm, but I could see something underneath it, a desire to twist and stretch his powers. The thrill of competition, and how a little piece of him wanted to destroy something. It bubbled underneath his skin like magma.
"Are you sure?" Yusuke asked.
"It would be ill-advised for all of us to attack him without first knowing his powers. Besides I could hardly let Hiei get all of the credit for this mission, now can I?" he teased, glancing back at said demon. Hiei looked away in annoyance. Kurama turned back around and faced Genbu.
"You want to die, one by one? I can do that too," the rock demon said.
Yusuke looked worried. "Hey, wouldn't we be better off trying to lure him to that drop down ceiling or something?"
"Obviously you are underestimating Kurama. Do you know why I chose him to be my comrade?" Hiei said, rather than asked. His face took on a stony expression. "To avoid fighting him myself." He pointed at Kurama's back turning Yusuke's attention back to him. "Watch. He's more cutthroat than I am in battle, and unbelievably precise."
Kuwabara was doubtful. "I don't know guys. He's still a talking rock."
While Kurama and Genbu were having a stare-down, Yusuke squinted his eyes at something, taking a step forward. "Hey! Stone-man's doing something freaky with his tail!"
Behind Kurama, I saw the pointed end of Genbu's tail emerge from the ground. Reflexively, I found myself pulling up my energy, ready to lash out at Genbu to protect Kurama's back. But a hot hand went around my elbow and Hiei jerked me around to look at him, breaking my concentration.
"Don't," he said, glancing at Kurama and back at me. "He knows it's there, and he will not appreciate you interfering." His mouth was hard, but didn't match the curiosity in his eyes. "You've never seen him fight before." It was meant to be more of a question, but it came out like a statement.
I blinked at him. "No." Then I frowned because that was sort of a lie, because I did read some of the manga, but I really only remembered bits and pieces of it. The only thing I could remember about Kurama's fighting style was that it was borderline passive-aggressive. And that made me nervous.
Hiei didn't seem to read much into my frown, and his chin jutted forward at Kurama. "Well, then you're in for a treat."
I looked back at Kurama as Hiei said that, and saw him leap about nine feet in the air like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. He was trying to avoid Genbu's sharp tail, but the tail was too agile for a straight up leap, and it sliced Kurama across the stomach. I flinched as blood spewed from his abdomen, but he landed well enough so he couldn't have been hurt too badly.
"Kurama!" Yusuke yelled, hands tightening into fists.
Genbu laughed. "Thanks to my body structure I can become one with any type of rock."
I missed the rest of what he said though, because I was wondering if he managed to get laid with that body structure. Perhaps he managed to find a lady rock? And then I wondered if he had a pet rock named Fred by any chance. Maybe him and his lady rock took Fred for a walk around the city every evening after dinner. I wondered if Fred ate shoes. I was getting distracted too easily.
"And since this chamber's made completely of stone - I have you surrounded."
Hiei glanced at me for some reason.
"What?" I asked.
He turned back to the fight, mouth hard again. "Nothing that concerns you, stupid girl."
I felt myself give him a wry smile. "Ah, guess I'm so gorgeous that it's hard to resist looking at me now and then."
"Your vanity is astounding," he retorted, unaffected. His eyes remained fixed on Kurama's back.
"You don't know the half of it."
Kurama got to his feet, holding his stomach. Yusuke cringed. "Oh man, now he's wounded."
"We should help," Kuwabara said, eyes huge and expression nervous.
Kurama heard them, even though they weren't speaking very loudly. I realized that for a long time, I had been underestimating his physical abilities. I mean, super-hearing? Super-leaping? Just how strong was he? Kurama turned his face to look back at Yusuke and Kuwabara, green eyes firm. "There's no need. I've been hurt, but he will not take me by surprise again."
Genbu laughed again. "Wait until you see the full extent of my power. Then you won't be so confident."
Kurama's back was tense as Genbu started sinking into the floor.
"Do something, Kurama!" Kuwabara yelled.
Genbu disappeared underground, and I stretched out my senses, searching for the demon.
Yusuke growled. "Now he could be anywhere."
"I can't even sense Genbu's energy," Kuwabara said.
I frowned. "I can sense him." Why couldn't Kuwabara? The wheels in my head turned as I developed a theory.
"Where is he, Alice?" Kurama asked, without looking back at me.
"Behind you, of course," I replied as Genbu burst from the ground. "Mind his tail."
"Same old trick," Kurama muttered as Genbu roared. He clearly didn't pay attention to my warning, as he turned his back to the pointed appendage.
Yusuke reiterated helpfully. "WATCH FOR HIS TAIL!"
"He's getting attacked from both sides!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
Kurama dodged Genbu's fist and flipped over his tail, landing just in time to see Genbu missing again. He crouched for a moment, waiting for my direction.
"Underneath you," I offered.
He leapt away as Genbu's hand shot out of the ground, making a grab for his body. He twisted in the air and flipped again to avoid the tail. He landed, and Genbu sunk back into the ground.
Genbu's laughter echoed throughout the room. "You can never defeat me by just running away."
Kurama looked amused and mildly annoyed. "Yes, Genbu, I believe you're right." He reached back and pulled a rose from his hair.
Yusuke seemed surprised. "A flower?"
"That's weird. If he's trying to win the beast over - I don't think it's a good idea," Kuwabara said.
Hiei did not look amused, but he gave a short mocking laugh anyway.
"It's no ordinary flower," Kurama explained, turning it over in his fingers. The rose petals escaped and floated in the air, multiplying and surrounding him. With a flick of his wrist Kurama's rose transformed into a long vine-y whip, complete with pointed thorns and everything.
Genbu laughed. "You still don't understand your problem. What good will that weapon do if you can't even tell where I am?"
Apparently, Genbu hadn't noticed me giving Kurama directions. I figured he was as dumb as a box of rocks. Pun intended. Kurama played along though, looking amused, saying, "Yes, not being able to find you is a problem."
"You're not scared are you? Well, we'll soon change that."
For a moment in time, Kurama was all I could see. He stood still, body tense, senses open, but then his wrist twitched and he suddenly leapt into the air the same time Genbu came out of the ceiling. "Found you!" he exclaimed, slashing at the rock demon. He hadn't needed me to tell him where Genbu was. I wondered why.
"It's over," Hiei said. "The thorns on Kurama's whip can slice through any substance - including solid stone."
Genbu fell into several large chunks behind Kurama as he landed. "How did you find me?" Genbu's head asked.
"Your smell," Kurama said matter-of-factly. "After filling the room with the rose's sweet aroma, your putrid stench was easy for me to find."
Genbu groaned - secretly I thought he might have been embarrassed.
But now really, Kurama had super smelling senses too? Where did the vast amount of physical abilities end? I felt mildly irritated, mostly because I never knew of the extent of his prowess. We had never been in a situation together where I had seen him display his abilities before. I had never gone to see him train, and of course, I couldn't remember anything from the manga. It had been so long since I read it, even before I died.
Kurama turned back to us, and the four of us approached him. Yusuke chuckled cheerfully. "That's not fair. Why is it my fights never end that quickly?"
Kuwabara grinned, making a crummy joke, as was his typical behavior. "You beat him in one blow. Now that's what I call a whip."
"You idiots," Hiei said. "It only looked easy because Kurama was the one fighting. If you had fought, you would have died in under a minute."
Kuwabara was on him like a duck on a June bug. His irritated face was inches from Hiei's. "Why does everything you say make me wanna bash your face in?" he demanded.
Hiei scoffed, and I wondered what was going through his unreadable mind.
"Listen, I just happened to place third in Genkai's fighting tournament. The only people that beat me were Urameshi and an evil monster," Kuwabara bragged, taking Hiei's scoff as a doubt of his abilities. I suddenly realized that Kuwabara had a desire to prove himself to the fire demon. I didn't really understand why, and maybe I wouldn't have if I had known the reasons. Maybe it was because Hiei just had a tendency to bring that out in people. To make them want to impress him. To make them push themselves harder. Maybe Hiei should be a teacher.
"What's your point?" Hiei asked off-handedly, expression haughty.
Kuwabara snatched Hiei by his pearly white scarf and yanked him up to his angry face. "You little -"
"Children!" Yusuke admonished, looking irritated. Kurama and I looked on in amusement as Kuwabara and Hiei glared daggers at each other. "Would you mind saving it for the bad guys?"
Kuwabara released an annoyed Hiei, turning back to Yusuke. "Okay, but he started it," Kuwabara grumbled.
Yusuke turned to Kurama. "I guess now we go up the stairs."
Kurama nodded and then froze, looking a bit surprised. "It seems my fight is not over." I realized what he meant when I felt Genbu's energy flicker like the torches on the walls.
The pieces of Genbu shuddered and started putting themselves back together like puzzle pieces. An invisible hand playing games. He laughed again and was suddenly upright putting his head back on his neck. "Who's dead?" he asked. "Not me."
"Uh, guys, I think he's putting himself, uh, together," Kuwabara observed lamely.
"Disassemble me all you like. I'll come back together every time. Actually, it makes for a very nice attack!" he shouted, shooting his rocky hands at Kurama. His forearms and head soon followed, and Kurama retaliated by swinging his whip around, breaking the parts that were shot at him into smaller pieces.
"Right in the head! Let's see him come back from that now," Yusuke exclaimed.
And so Genbu did. All the tiny pieces Kurama created were put back together and Genbu stood up straight like a building. "Like to try again?" he mocked.
Kurama turned around in surprise and newfound determination.
"Let's end this," the rock demon said. "How'd you like to be stoned to death?" With that he shoots off more body parts at Kurama, forcing him to dodge and leap out of the assaulting stream. The stream stopped at the ceiling and gathered into a loose, rocky ball. They trembled for a moment in the air before they started moving Kurama's way again.
"They're coming back!" Kuwabara yelled.
Kurama did something odd when the rocks came back for him. Instead of moving out of the way and suggesting I take a swing at the demon (like he should have done), he stood right in front of the onslaught, like a suicidal person stands in the middle of a busy highway at night.
"What the hell is he doing? He's gonna get killed," Yusuke demanded.
Hiei seemed to sense my unease and his hand went around my elbow again. "Don't interfere," he reminded me harshly.
"But -"
"Don't." His stoplight red eyes caught mine, and I could see that Hiei knew something I didn't. His eyes slid back to Kurama. "He's seen something."
Kurama disappeared in the stream of rocks and the sound of them thunking and glancing off of his body made me wince. Why was he doing this to himself? Was I invisible? Couldn't I prevent his pain if he would let me? Was he just stupid?
"You're not even fighting back now. Those blows must have made you insane," Genbu said, pulling the pieces of himself back together.
Kurama gave a little laugh of amusement.
"Yes, I'm sure of it. Now you're laughing at nothing. Wait - how are you on the ceiling?" he asked. I bit back harsh laughter at the fact that Genbu's head was now settled in his pelvic area and upside down. In fact, all of his limbs were in the wrong places, including his tail.
Kuwabara and Yusuke of course immediately burst into raucous laughter.
"I've heard of brass balls before, but come on!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see him go to the toilet!"
Genbu gave an embarrassed moan. "What did you do to me?" he demanded of Kurama.
Kurama held up a pulsing red rock, looking almost coy. "I took this."
"What's that?" Genbu asked.
"I believe this is the equivalent of the hypothalamus portion of your brain. It regulates all the functions of your body, including the process of putting yourself back together," Kurama said.
"Uhh, what?"
"It seems to emit an energy signal whenever you separate, making it very easy to find," he added.
"You can't do this! Give that to me!"
Kurama gave a calm smile and tossed the red rock into the air.
"Give it back!" Genbu yelled.
"Farewell," Kurama said shortly, lifting his hand and flicking his whip at the rock, slicing it in half. And then Genbu was gone, crumbled, nothing more than dust.
"I don't think he liked that," Kuwabara said, laughing.
"Good work, Kurama!" Yusuke praised.
Kurama suddenly grabbed his middle and grunted, falling to his knee. I was by his side in a second, before the rest of them, examining him and trying to pull his arm away from his stomach. He wouldn't let me of course, the jerk. His body was probably covered in bruises from all of the rocks hitting him, and I didn't even know how bad the wound on his stomach was.
"Are you okay?" Yusuke asked, voice concerned, leaning over me.
Hiei's eyes were wide. "If Kurama is injured, we're going to have some problems," he said matter-of-factly.
Kurama looked up at the group. "I'm sorry, Yusuke."
"Eh, you've earned yourself a break anyway," he replied easily.
"Yeah," agreed Kuwabara, "I'll take the next guy."
I turned to Kurama feeling annoyed and a little hurt. He met my gaze almost stoically, waiting for me to speak. "I wanted to help," I finally said. "But Hiei was against it because you would have been. I could have done something you know."
He blinked, not expecting that. His expression turned thoughtful. "Well, Hiei was right, of course." He didn't say anything else, wincing instead.
Kuwabara did, however. Leaning down so that his face was next to mine, he murmured, "A man has his pride, Alice."
I sighed, taking Kurama's arm and helping him to his feet. He seemed subdued and a little thoughtful, but he said nothing. I turned to Kuwabara, who immediately took Kurama's other side. He smiled slightly at me in an attempt to smooth my ruffled feathers.
"Uh, so Alice, I wonder why you could sense Genbu when I couldn't," Kuwabara said, trying to lighten my mood.
I smiled at his attempt, because that was just how Kuwabara was, so perceptive and bright. "I think it's because I've dealt with demons longer than you. You're just coming into your power, so if there's a big energy like Genbu's that your senses aren't ready to perceive without eradicating, your mind will protect itself. However, you can sense smaller energies than I can - like that guy in the trench coat that Botan knocked out, remember? I barely noticed him."
Kuwabara frowned. "Was it like that for you in the beginning?"
I tried to remember. "I don't know. Probably. It's been years."
He chuckled. "What - like since you were a little kid? That must've sucked."
I didn't say anything, because I wasn't really sure I wanted to tell him how old I really was.
A lady has her vanity, you know.
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