Sayomi ran as fast as she could. She leapt over logs and shoved her way through thick foliage. Gotta get away! I can't let him catch me!
A haunting laughter echoed through the trees. "Ku ku ku ku ku... Sayomi..."
She rushed through a bush and pressed her back against a tree. As she tried to catch her breath, she listened for any signs of approach. If I use my aura, he'll find me. But if I don't...
Her thoughts were cut short when she felt something cold slithering around her ankles. She glanced down and saw tendrils of shadow creeping over her. She cut through them with her sickle and took off running again. Damn! It's getting dark!
She turned to check over her shoulder. She didn't see anyone behind her. Just because I can't see him, that doesn't mean he's not there.
As she made a sharp turn, she slipped on the fallen leaves and scrambled back to her feet. Her cloak was tattered from stray branches and twigs. Sweat trickled over the scratches on her arms and face. She gasped for breath as she forced herself to keep running.
Her blood ran cold when she spotted the corpses of Shizuru, Yukina, Keiko, and Atsuko. Their bodies were mangled and bloody, as if they were eaten alive by wild animals or low-level demons. Yukina's bloodstained tear gems littered the floor around them.
Sayomi choked back a sob and forced her legs to move. It's too late! I can't save them!
She couldn't get away fast enough. The image stared back at her every time she blinked. Time seemed to slow down as her feet felt heavier with every step. Desperate to escape, she pressed on.
When she needed to catch her breath, she jumped up into the branches of the nearest tree. She braced herself against the trunk as she focused on the ground below. When she heard a slow creak, she snapped her gaze up and regretted it.
Koenma and Botan hung side-by-side with nooses around their necks. Their bodies were pale as blood dripped down to their toes. They were covered in several long gashes and their clothes were ripped to shreds.
Before she could look at their faces, Sayomi jumped down from the tree and sprinted. This is bad! If he got them, then what about—
She slid to a sudden halt. Her vision tunneled as she stared at Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. Their chests had gaping holes where their hearts should've been. They bled from their empty eye sockets, as if crying tears of blood.
"No!" Sayomi couldn't stop her own tears from spilling. She forced herself to keep moving. There was nothing she could do for them. Why is this happening?!
"...Sayomi..."
He's close! She ran faster, ignoring the pain tearing into her sides and the air burning in her lungs. She wanted to collapse, but she couldn't stop. She had to keep running as fast as she could for as long as possible.
She missed her step. Then she tumbled down to the bottom of a ditch where she rolled to a stop. "Oww..." She rubbed her head as she got back to her feet. "Why the hell... is... there..."
Sitting up against the wall of dirt was a familiar figure with a hole in his chest. The bandages on his right arm were bloody and torn, exposing the black dragon tattoo. She knew who it was, despite his missing head.
Her senses shut down at the sight of her mate's mutilated body. Her body felt cold as her mind blanked out. She felt numb to every emotion she should've been feeling.
When she felt a warm drop on her foot, she looked down. Her black sickle glistened with a thick, dark liquid. Unable to stop herself, she slid her gaze to her other hand. Clenched in her fist was a bloody heart.
She dropped the organ and her weapon by her feet and stared down at her bloodstained hands. She shook as she noticed Hiei's head on the ground. It stared up at her with three bleeding eye sockets.
Unable to look anywhere else, she stepped back into a pair of strong arms. A hand covered her eyes and a cold breath of air brushed against her ear in a whisper. "I've got you, Sayomi. Now you'll be safe in my arms for all eternity."
"No!" Sayomi sat up straight as she jolted awake. She squinted as the sudden daylight temporarily blinded her. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Yasuhiro staring at her.
"Ahhh!" She quickly shoved him away and got to her feet. "What are you doing here? Where's Hiei?!"
There was a brief moment of confusion as she watched her brother morph into the fire demon. She blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing clearly. "Hiei?"
He watched her with his Evil Eye open and glowing. After banishing the illusion from her mind, he said, "You had another nightmare."
Sayomi started to calm down when she realized he was alive. "Yeah… Just a nightmare..."
"What happened?" he asked.
She shook her head and stared at the floor. "I just want to forget it." Though she tried, she couldn't banish the images of her dead friends.
Hiei scowled when he noticed her pale face and the haunted look in her eyes. He guided her chin up so she'd look at him. When she closed her eyes, he growled. "Why won't you look at me?"
Sayomi flinched. She remembered his bleeding heart in her hand. Did I kill the others too?
"Sayomi." He tightened his grip on her chin, making her wince. "Whatever it was, it was just a nightmare. Everything's fine."
Sayomi opened her eyes. Her vision blurred when she saw his crimson eyes staring back at her. Unable to stop the tears, she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. Not knowing what else to do, he petted her head and let her cry.
After a few minutes, Sayomi pulled away and wiped her face. She felt a bit better, so she reluctantly told him about her dream. "When I found you..." She took in a deep breath. "It looked as though I killed you."
"Feh," Hiei scoffed. "As if you could kill me."
Sayomi didn't bother arguing. Instead, she did her best to forget the sight of her dead friends. It's all Hiei can do to just ward off the hallucinations. I can't expect him to constantly deal with my nightmares too. The sooner we find Yasuhiro, the better. I just wish we could find him faster.
She looked at the surrounding forest and felt a cold shiver run through her body. He could be anywhere...
"We should get moving." Hiei tied his sword to his waist and looked up at the sky. "It'll be dark soon and we don't want to be vulnerable."
As she fell into step beside him, Sayomi asked, "Did anything happen while I slept?"
"No," he answered. "He's keeping his distance so the curse will get worse."
Sayomi scowled. "I don't know how much more of this I can handle."
Hiei nodded.
She glanced up at him. "Do you think we'll find him in time?"
"It's hard to say," he admitted. "We've been out here for nearly three weeks and I haven't been able to get a single trace of him."
"Maybe that's the problem."
"What do you mean?"
Sayomi chewed her lip as she tried to organize her thoughts. "Maybe the reason we haven't found Yasuhiro is because he knows we're looking for him. Or rather, he knows that you're here looking for him."
"You're saying I'm the reason we can't find him?"
"It's a possibility. You said yourself that you would wait until I was alone."
Hiei scowled. "So, I should leave you to fight him alone?"
Sayomi shrugged. "We haven't tried it yet. Maybe it could work."
"If I leave, I won't be able to ward off his curse," he reminded her. "You'd face him alone like that rather than with your sanity intact?"
"It was my original intention to fight him myself anyways. Besides, if we waste any more time, I'll only get worse."
Hiei scowled at the idea. Then he stopped walking and turned to pin Sayomi to a tree. "You woke up in a panic and started crying just a little while ago. You really think you can handle him alone like this?"
"It's the only thing I can think of. I know it's risky, but it might work. You can watch me from a distance and track us with your Evil Eye. If he refuses to remove his curse, then we can strike."
"And what should I do if I can't find you?"
Sayomi shrugged. "Then I'll finish it myself and come find you."
"You're willingly walking into his trap. Do you really think it will be that easy?"
"Would you rather trust me to handle it or watch me get worse?"
Hiei stared into her defiant eyes. "You'll at least have a better chance if I'm here to keep you sane."
"What's the point if he never shows up? This is why I went to train with Master Genkai."
Refusing to back down, he leaned in closer. "That was before you started hallucinating."
"There doesn't seem to be any other choice." She reached up to comb through his hair with her fingers. "I'll be okay. I know he doesn't want to hurt me."
"You think messing with your mind isn't hurting you?" He kept his voice low, barely containing the growl in his throat.
"It's his way of forcing me to go with him. Besides, there's something I need to know and only I can do anything about it."
Hiei's eyes smoldered at the thought of losing her for good. His nails dug into the bark of the tree behind her in a restrained fury. "You're making foolish excuses."
"It still needs to be done." She slid her hand from his hair to his cheek and leaned in to give him a light kiss. "I won't let him keep me from you."
Hiei pressed his body against hers, pinning her to the tree. He leaned down to bite her ear until she whimpered. "What makes you think I'll let him take you?"
Sayomi sighed as he trailed kisses down the nape of her neck. Is he worried? I can't blame him, but Yasuhiro won't stop until I go with him.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of his body heat warming her own. She breathed in his scent to commit it to memory and felt hesitant to leave him. "Hiei, I need to do this. He's still my brother. I promise I'll be okay."
Hiei ignored her words and continued to kiss her until he reached the mark he left on her. He gave it special attention, earning him pleasurable sounds from her mouth and a tug of his hair.
Before he could go further, a hand clasped onto his shoulder and yanked him away. "If she wants to come with me, then let her."
Sayomi and Hiei stared at Yasuhiro in shock and anger.
Sayomi glanced between Hiei and Yasuhiro. This isn't a hallucination, is it?
No. He's real. Hiei glared murderously at the shadow demon as he shook him off. He refrained from drawing his sword. If you're going to talk to him, do it now.
"Sayomi. Come here." Yasuhiro kept his eyes trained on Hiei. "I tried to be patient, but I won't stand by and watch him force himself on you."
"He's not forcing anything, Yasuhiro." Sayomi stepped up to stand beside the swordsman. "I can handle myself just fine. I just need you to remove your curse."
Yasuhiro's eyes focused on her neck and she forced herself not to flinch under his gaze. They flickered to Hiei's neck and back to hers. His pupils dilated before he disappeared.
"Wh—" Sayomi's eyes widened. She felt a shove and rolled to her feet. When she heard the sound of steel sliding out of a scabbard, she turned and saw Hiei block Yasuhiro's black scythe with his sword. "No!" Though their weapons clashed repeatedly, there was no sound. It's as if he isn't hitting anything at all...
She gasped when she realized why. "Hiei! His scythe is made of shadows!"
Yasuhiro used the moment to phase his weapon through the thief's defense. "Too late."
His scythe sliced through Hiei's sword, breaking it in two before cutting through his afterimage. He growled and disappeared again.
Sayomi reached for her sickle and stood back-to-back with Hiei. "Told you it would make things worse."
"And I said if you can't finish him, then I will." Hiei ignited his fists with flames, scattering the shadows around them. "So you better get to it."
"Yeah, yeah..." Sayomi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She let it out slowly as she shifted her vision to the infrared spectrum and searched for her brother. Where is he hiding?
She searched the shadows of the trees, but the sunlight was practically gone, giving him the edge. I can take advantage of it too, but what about Hiei?
Worry about yourself. Hiei quickly blocked Yasuhiro's attack. You should attack him while his attention is on me.
Sayomi didn't hesitate to meld with the shadows. She appeared again to block Yasuhiro's next strike with her sickle.
His eyes widened. "Sayomi?" Then they narrowed. "You don't know what you're doing. Stand down."
"Like hell!" Sayomi tangled her chain around the blade of his scythe. "I'm not letting you hurt him."
"Are you even aware of what you're doing? You should be experiencing vivid hallucinations by now." Yasuhiro glared at his sister and tried to free his weapon.
"I'm well aware, brother, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd make it stop now." She kept her dark eyes locked on his.
Yasuhiro shifted his eyes to the fire demon standing behind her and growled. "No. It's the only way I can keep you with me."
She tightened the chain, holding him in place. "I want to be with Hiei. If you lift the curse, I can help you. Then maybe we won't need to say goodbye."
"You want him?" He seethed as his eyes snapped to the thief. "He's a murderer, Sayomi. A low-Class bandit who kills for fun."
"That may have been true before, but he's changed. I've changed." Sayomi's aura started to shift around her body. "I'm not some weak child who needs constant protection."
Yasuhiro glared before he disappeared with his weapon. Sayomi staggered from the sudden slack in her chain and turned to see Hiei facing off against her brother.
Hiei blocked and dodged each attack until he found an opening. He landed a flaming fist against the shadow demon's face. "Overlord Purgatory Scorch!"
"Aaaaugh!" Yasuhiro yelled in agony as the red flames scattered the shadows away and burned his skin. He retreated, covering his left eye in pain. "You'll pay for that!"
Sayomi rushed in to strike. I need to get him while he's distracted!
She extended her aura to cover her weapon before she threw the chain. It wrapped around Yasuhiro's arm, holding him still so he couldn't fade and escape. She followed through with her shadow chains, tangling them around the rest of his body.
As she was about to attack, Yasuhiro released a wave of dark aura that surrounded the area with thick darkness. Despite Hiei's flaming fists, it was still too dark to see anything. Sayomi switched to the infrared spectrum while Hiei's Evil Eye glowed. They immediately locked onto Yasuhiro in time to see him slip free.
Sayomi followed his body heat and chased after him. If I don't catch him, I won't be able to perform that technique!
She was about to attack before Hiei dashed in from behind her. He rushed Yasuhiro with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Yasuhiro dodged each one.
While they fought, Sayomi absorbed the shadows around them into her weapon. Without warning, she swung her sickle and released a black crescent of aura.
Hiei dodged, leaving Yasuhiro open. The shadow demon staggered from the sudden loss of the flame. As he tried to adjust his vision, Sayomi's attack cut through his side.
"Rrrrrgh!" Yasuhiro clung to his gushing wound, trying to stop the bleeding. He glared at his sister. His eyes were pitch black and his aura started to flare around his body.
"What's he doing?" Hiei asked.
Sayomi's eyes widened as she noticed his body temperature drop. "It looks like he's switched with his Shade."
Yasuhiro's markings started to spread like a mask over his eyes. He glared at Sayomi, then focused his attention on Hiei. "Thief. You're known all over the Demon Plane for being a ruthless killer who always takes what he wants." He summoned his scythe from the shadows. "But I won't let you take her."
He vanished with the darkness and reappeared in front of the fire demon. Then Yasuhiro swung his hand, splashing his blood into Hiei's Evil Eye.
"Org!" Hiei reeled in pain, the flames extinguished from his hands, and covered his eye. "Damn it!"
"Hiei!" Sayomi was about to run to him, but she faltered when her vision started to blur. She reached up to clasp her head in pain. "Augh! Why now?!"
Yasuhiro smirked. "So that was your trick, was it?" He chuckled. "Ku ku... Thanks for the clue." He raised his scythe and slashed across Hiei's Evil Eye.
"Aaaaaaaugghhhh!" Hiei yelled in agony as he dropped to his knees with his hands pressing desperately against the pain. Blood seeped through his fingers and dripped down his arms and face.
"Hiei!" Sayomi started running towards her mate. As she ran, the wounded swordsman seemed to only get further away. She tried to follow his screams, but even that faded into a distant echo. "No! Come back!"
She tried to sense him, but she couldn't find anyone, neither him nor Yasuhiro. She fell to her knees, out of breath and covered in sweat. What happened? Where did they go? Is this a nightmare or...?
Her breath caught in her throat. She forced her legs to walk. I need to find him! I need to get out of here! He's seriously injured and I need to help him!
She shut her eyes and focused on her other senses. She sniffed the night air around her and felt a cold breeze brush her skin and clothes. Though she couldn't hear anything, she felt vibrations in the earth that signaled movement. It must be them!
She made her way towards the source of the vibrations and caught a variety of smells. She smelled the blood from their wounds and she almost lost her focus. I need to stay calm. I need to get to him.
As she found her way out of the darkness, she found Yasuhiro standing over Hiei's body. Her eyes dilated as everything else ceased to matter.
"Sayomi, I can—Oof!"
Sayomi kicked him in the stomach, stealing the air from his lungs. While he clutched his stomach in pain trying to breathe, she stared down at him with cold, empty eyes as black as the Void itself. Without sparing a word, she used her sickle to cut off his head.
She watched as it fell to floor and rolled to her feet. When she looked down, her blood ran cold and her breath hitched in her throat. Hiei's shocked face stared up at her in disbelief.
"No…" Sayomi took a step back. Then two more. "No… This isn't…"
She stared down at the severed head and tried to comprehend what happened. But I thought he was… Didn't he say he would keep the hallucinations under control?
"Sayomi…"
She looked up and saw Yasuhiro stagger to his feet. He looked down at Hiei's corpse and smiled. "Good job, Sayomi. Now come with me. Let's get out of here."
Sayomi shook her head. "No…" She looked down at Hiei again. "This isn't right…"
"Sayomi…"
A hand rested on her shoulder, startling her. When she looked up again, she saw Hiei looking down at her. She looked back down at the body and she trembled. There was nothing there. "What…?"
Hiei stared off in another direction. "He got away."
"But what about your eye?" Sayomi recalled the horrible screams from the fire demon and looked at his third eye. There were smears of blood around it, but it was otherwise undamaged. "Are you really okay?"
"He got blood on it, but that's all. Now come on. We need to leave." He helped her to her feet and started walking.
Sayomi trailed behind him, her eyes darting through the trees. He escaped? Why would he leave? Did Hiei manage to overwhelm him?
She looked up at Hiei and said, "Sorry I couldn't finish him. Next time, I'll be sure to handle it quickly."
"The blood in my eye threw off my concentration. That's why his curse started to affect you again." He stopped walking, causing Sayomi to almost bump into him.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
He sighed and turned to face her. "He knows how we're handling the curse now. That was an advantage we just lost."
"It's that bad?" Sayomi shivered. She didn't like the idea of losing her only safety net. "You think he'll actually get us next time?"
"It's a strong possibility. Do you still intend to seek him out?"
"I have to. I need to stop him or he'll end up hurting others or himself."
Hiei stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes and shook his head. "Then I think you should go after him yourself."
"What? Why?" Sayomi felt confused. "Did I do something wrong?"
"He knows how to make you vulnerable now. It'd be pointless if I stayed with you."
"But… what about…?"
Hiei's eyes flashed angrily. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it? Go."
Sayomi stared at him with her eyes wide and her mouth open. "But…"
"If you want your brother, then go to him. I don't need you. Mukuro will do just fine."
"Mukuro…?" Sayomi's eyes started to blur with unshed tears. "But… I thought…"
"Your brother isn't going to give up. If you're insistent on going with him, then do it. I don't care."
Sayomi stared at him in shock. I don't… She reached up to touch the mating mark on her neck. "What about this?"
Hiei glanced at it and said, "A mistake."
She couldn't hold it anymore. Her tears slid down her cheeks and her eyes drifted down to the floor. "Oh… I see…"
"If you understand, then don't bother following me back." Then he was gone.
Sayomi stared blankly at nothing as she cried. She crouched down to hug her knees and hide her face. Her sobs rocked her body and she didn't care if other demons found her. What do I do? Why would he...? She hugged herself tighter. I know I said... But why?
Time passed. She couldn't tell if it was minutes or hours. It was still dark and she couldn't sense anything familiar. She stood up and wrapped her cloak around her body. She raised the hood to cover her face and started walking.
"Can I even trust my senses? Something could be killing me and I wouldn't even realize until it was too late. I don't think I'd really care if I died or not. At least then I wouldn't have to feel like this."
As she wandered, it started to thunder. She looked up at the sky and noticed storm clouds rolling in. She sighed heavily. "Great. I don't know why I was expecting it to be clear."
Raizen's cocky smirk passed through her mind. "Right..."
Before long, it was raining and Sayomi was soaked. She didn't see the point in looking for shelter. There was hardly any. "Even if I waited under a tree, it could get worse and I would get wet regardless."
Her feet dragged through the mud and she remembered the last time she was caught in the rain. "It was during the Dark Tournament with Hiei. He carried me back to the hotel because I couldn't walk."
In the end, she felt grateful for the growing storm. At least if she ran into any trouble, they wouldn't notice her tears. Even though I wanted to search for Yasuhiro alone, I didn't expect...
She dropped down to her knees and clutched at her chest. A mental image of Hiei with Mukuro flashed through her mind. She choked on her sobs as she tried to banish it. Please...
Please wake up from this nightmare...