Limbo
L.A.: I'm back with a new shiny chapter.
Amu: So new. So shiny.
L.A.: I hope you enjoy!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I only own this shiny new chapter. (Puts on sunglasses) So shiny.
Sira groaned. She felt like she had been run over by a train… repeatedly. As she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, she tried to recall how she had ended up in this situation.
The music box… Tori and she had grabbed the music box. That was the last thing she could remember. Adrenaline rushed through her as she jumped to her feet.
She was alone on top of a building. At least, she thought it was a building. It was kind of hard to tell with how dim the lighting was. It was like she was seeing out of sunglasses. Even more unnerving was how quiet it was. Not one sound could be heard. She wasn't sure which freaked her out more. Where she was or that she was by herself with no recollection how she got there.
"I guess it could be worse," she murmured. "I could be stuck in pitch blackness."
"Hn."
Sira whirled around to see Hiei standing nearby peering down at the cityscape below them. "The hell?" Sira said. "When did you show up?"
Hiei glared at her. "I've been around. I've been forced to keep an eye on you two for a while."
Sira frowned. "But how did we get here?"
Hiei looked at her she were an idiot. "You touched the music box. And it seems to be powerful enough to drag anybody nearby into it."
"You tried to save me?" Sira said as she tried to ignore the warm feeling spreading through her.
"No. I tried to stop you from doing something stupid."
Sira frowned. She chose not to comment on that. "So, we're stuck inside of the music box? That's weird." She shifted awkwardly. "What do we do now?"
Hiei crossed his arms. "We leave. Try to find the others."
Sira raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to go out there. Who knows what freakish world we're in now."
Hiei glared. "We have to go."
Sira shook her head. "There are creepy small world figurines out there. I'm not becoming a victim of Chucky."
Hiei took a step forward. "You have no choice."
Sira crossed her arms. "You can't make me."
Hiei smirked before he flitted away.
Sira yelped as she was suddenly picked up bridle style. She glared at Hiei. "Hey!" She tried to ignore the pleasant jolt that had ran through her body from his contact.
Hiei stiffened.
Sira frowned at him. Had he felt it too? "You know that's cheating."
"Hn." If he had felt it, he didn't even act like it. Tightening his grip, he sprinted forward and jumped the next building.
Sira buried her face in his chest as she tried to ignore the sudden lurching drops in her stomach, every time he jumped to the next building.
I really hope Tori's okay, Sira thought.
"Tori? Tori!"
Tori's eyes snapped open.
She was in the middle of an alley lying flat on her back. A dull throb in her head made her feel slightly nauseous. What happened?
The music box… She needed to find the music box. She sat up quickly only to have the world tilt dangerously to the right as the pain intensified in her head. She moaned.
"Easy," a pair of hands braced her from falling.
Tori turned in the direction of the voice. Kurama stood beside her. A frown on his face as he eyed her worriedly. "Kurama?"
Kurama nodded. "It would seem we were sucked into the music box." His frown deepened as he tentatively brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "How are you feeling? It looked like you took a nasty bump to your head."
Tori tried not to shiver under his touch as she pulled back. Hesitantly, she touched her head and winced. There as a massive knot on her head. I bet I look so attractive right now.
"Tori?"
Tori blinked. She had forgotten he wanted her to respond to him. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just a deformed unicorn now."
Kurama raised his eyebrow but didn't comment.
"We should probably get going." Tori got to her feet and swayed.
Kurama caught her and leaned her against him. Tori was about to protest but Kurama shook his head. "Better to conserve energy. I don't know how we're going to get out."
Tori nodded and instantly regretted it. Spots flashed in her eyes as pain radiated from her forehead.
Kurama eyed her warily.
"I'm fine," Tori forced herself to stand on her own two feet. Luckily they held. "I'll take it slow until we get out of here." She glanced up at the sky. "Speaking of which, how do we get out?"
Kurama frowned. "I'm not quite sure. I think the music box has pulled us into a pocket dimension of sorts." His frown deepened. "How an object like that has gone under the radar for so long is concerning."
Tori shrugged. "Black market, maybe? Someone buying their time until they found the right buyer?"
"Someone how has had a long time to plan this." Kurama's gaze turned back to Tori. The intensity in it caused her to look away.
"Something on my face?"
Kurama snapped out of his thoughts. "No. Just surprised how you are taking all of this in stride."
Tori bit back a laugh. If Kurama could only remember. "Sira and I went through a lot of crazy shit the last time we came to your world. There's almost nothing that surprises me now." Tori gingerly rubbed her head. "That or this bump is getting to me. I'd prefer the former option."
Kurama's lip quirked. "Good to know." He glanced down the street. "Well, my best guess on how to escape would be to go to the center of town. That should be where its power source is located."
"Then lead the way."
Kurama looked as if he was going to offer assistance again but decided against it when Tori crossed her arms.
As Tori followed Kurama, her mind drifted to thoughts of her best friend. Had Sira been brought to this world? Was she alone and scared?
I hope she's okay.
This absolutely sucks.
In most stories, when the damsel needs to be rescued, a charming handsome hero shows up caters to her every need before sweeping her off her feet.
Instead she got Hiei.
At least he had gotten the sweeping off her feet part correct. Though after a few minutes, he must of grown tired of carrying her bridle style because she was now thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He hadn't even asked her before doing it. It was really uncomfortable and she was beginning to think that kicking him in the balls would be a great way to remedy the problem.
A sharp pain shot through her head.
"Stop reading my mind, Hiei," Sira said through gritted teeth.
"Hn." He paused on a rooftop. Before Sira could ask, he dropped her on the ground.
"Ow," Sira said as she rubbed her sore rear. "What was that for?"
"Be quiet," Hiei hissed, the annoyance in his voice obvious.
Sira stood up and followed his gaze.
Down on the street below was a Dalmatian. Its markings made the dog look like Pongo from 101 Dalmatians. It sniffed and pawed the ground as it nervously whimpered.
Sira raised her eyebrow at Hiei. "That's what caught your attention? A dog?"
Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Quiet."
Sira smirked. "Don't tell me the great Hiei is afraid of a little doggy."
"Shut up." Hiei said through gritted teeth.
The dog barked. Sira frowned. It looked as if it were barking at something in the dark alleyway across from it.
Hiei's hand hovered over his sword.
Suddenly, without any warning, the dog took off running down the street. Hiei and Sira waited a couple more moments, but nothing happened.
Hiei relaxed. "Let's go."
Sira eyed the street below them warily. "Should I be concerned about what spooked that dog?"
Hiei shook his head. "It's gone…for now."
Sira frowned. "What was it?"
A dark look crossed Hiei's face. "Something that should have stayed dead." He motioned her to follow him. "Now hurry up or I'll carry you."
"I can move on my own." Sira said as she hurried after him. Once she was sure he wasn't paying attention to her, she glanced back.
She really hoped that whatever had been back there didn't return. Despite Hiei's demeanor, she could sense that he had been nervous.
What kind of monster can cause him to be nervous? Sira shuddered at the thought.
They had been walking in silence for a while. For how long, Tori wasn't sure. There was no indication of the passage of time. The shadows didn't move, and despite the grayish light there was no sun in the sky. It was like they were stuck in limbo.
If I were stuck by myself, I would go crazy. Luckily, the pain in Tori's head had eased off to a dull ache. As long as she didn't move her head too quickly, she wouldn't see stars.
Kurama paused at and glanced at the road going off in different directions. This was about the dozenth time he had done it. Tori had thought that the city they were currently in was the same as the real world. Judging by Kurama's cautious behavior, it looked as if it wasn't the case.
Tori bit her lip. "Are we lost?"
Kurama blinked slowly as if he were coming out of deep thought. "Not lost per say just turned around."
"What do you mean?"
Kurama glanced up at the street signs. "This is a mirror of our world but not quite." He pointed to the signs. "Take these signs for instance. They should be on the other side of the town."
Tori glanced up at them. They were in Kanji. Tori shrugged. "I'll take your word for it since I can't read it."
Kurama frowned. "You seemed fine in the real world. They're still the same."
Tori focused on the Kanji. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't understand it. "Guess it's not the same here." She rubbed her head gingerly. Concentrating made her head hurt.
Kurama eyed her warily. "Perhaps we should rest."
Tori brushed it off. "I'm fine. Just tired."
"Still, the bump could have done more damage than we are aware off."
A chill went down Tori's spine as she glanced back up at the signs. She really hoped this was the effect of the limbo world and not her own head.
"All the more reason to keep moving," Tori said.
Kurama looked like he was about to protest.
"Which way?"
Kurama frowned and pointed to the right. "This way, I think."
Tori nodded as she followed him.
The next ten minutes or so were spent in awkwardness she felt was like a thick fog that surrounded them. It felt like a weight and weightless at the same time making one step forward feel like a giant boulder sat on her back. The next step would feel as if it were gone. The feeling was disorienting and the fact that she could only see a few feet in front of her didn't help.
Kurama had remained quiet. Whether it was because he was angry with her stubbornness or if he was concentrating, she wasn't sure. She was about to break the silence when they rounded the corner.
They had finally made it to the center of the city. To Tori's disappointment, there was no sign of the music box. No sign that this area was any different than the others.
"What now?" Tori said, her frustration evident in her voice.
"I don't know, I-" Kurama stiffened before he quickly pulled out his rose whip. "This can't be good."
Before Tori could ask why, a loud boom echoed through the city as a darkness crept over them. It took Tori a moment to realize that it wasn't turning to night. It was actually a giant shadow that was cast down on them.
Glancing up, Tori felt her blood run cold.
The Toymaker, now a giant, loomed before them. He grinned down at them. "You broke my toys. Now you get to become them."
L.A.: That's it for this chapter!
Amu: You and your darn cliffhangers.
L.A.: So, for the next chapter, I was hoping I could get at least 3 reviews.
Amu: The two who have been reviewing are amazing. You deserve pies.
L.A.: I'm still going to update but, it would be nice to hear from more of you. Anywho you know what to do, read and REVIEW!
