Title: Legally Sane
Pairings: HieixOC
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho, I own not.
Chapter Fourteen: A One Way Ticket To Hell
Sanity had once again deserted me; leaving me high and dry to deal with Fear and Panic. I hate it when she does that. 'She', you ask? Well in my little world, I had turned those three into little 'Shoulder-Angels' as it were- Sanity of course ruled the roost, keeping the other two in check by always finding a suitable explanation for everything, thus not giving Fear and Panic a chance to kick up a fuss. Unfortunately for me, Sanity has started taking vacations recently without so much as a by your leave when she came across something she couldn't explain; namely the demons that have wanted to eat me.
So here I am, my wrists bound with a thick uncomfortable chain that hung from the rafters above, my feet only barely touching the raised dais beneath me, though I had to keep myself on tiptoe for fear of dislocating my arms.
Just behind me, sat four wizened men, who had been introduced to me by Baldric as Turk went about the business of tethering me to the girders above me. If I remembered correctly, they were known as 'The Elders' and were the actual masterminds behind this entire plot to overthrow the Human Realm and use the humans to sate their appetites. I had merely nodded politely at each of them as they were named, Sanity having still been with me at that time.
I glanced around me nervously, taking in the veritable sea of lower class demons clawing frantically at the platform I stood on; the cacophony of growls and hisses of approval raising to an unbearable crescendo. They were out for blood, and it terrified me.
"Wouldja look at those legs!" one howled in pure excitement.
I flushed a ruddy hue, cursing the way I was bound. With my arms stretched upwards to their fullest, the 'skirt' of my dress had risen considerably, and if it were not for the panties, everyone would've had a clear view of my butt.
"Way for the Master to tease us, with such a succulent morsel…" another added, and I yelped as I felt his hand clasp around my bare ankle.
I tried to shake it off, but the claws dug into the tender flesh there, and I winced. Thankfully for me, Baldric was feeling slightly sympathetic to my plight and had decided to take a commanding step forward, stamping his booted foot on the unwanted appendage. The demon hissed, and leapt back, cradling his injured wrist, sending scathing glares at the one-eared demon at my side.
"The Onna's blood will not be shed before the ceremony;" he reminded the gibbering crowd. I shot him a grateful smile, though it slid right off of my face with his next addition; "Afterwards, I don't see any reason to stop you from devouring what's left. Just remember to share."
Shaking his head slowly, the blue sloth made his way to his original spot beside me. Turk flanked my other side, his beefy arms folded tightly across his barrel-like chest, those piggy eyes of his staring each and every demon down with an ominous warning.
"Oi, ye rowdy bunch'a lowly maggots! Take one step closer an I'll have yer heads!" he bellowed into the crowd, and they all took an involuntary step backwards. They seemed to know not to mess with the burly Boar Demon.
The entire ordeal was tiring to say the least. My nerves were stretched taut, and I tipped my head back, finding solace in the cloudless sky peppered with stars and the last sliver of the Red Moon above me.
Where was Hiei now? Did he even know I was gone? The thought caused my heart to sink. What if he did know? I wondered if he would lower himself to save me for the umpteenth time since he met me. Having to deal with all the trouble that followed me like a dark cloud must be a complete pain in the ass for a demon who preferred his own company to everyone else's.
'Baka…He wouldn't leave you to rot here. Stop doubting him.' Rationality, a close friend of Sanity's piped up chidingly in the back of my mind. 'He's probably frantic with worry, y'know.'
I snorted mentally at that, a rueful grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. 'Frantic with worry' my Aunt Fanny- He was probably muttering a surly 'good riddance' at this very moment as the situation was explained to him by the Spirit Detective and his friend.
Shaking my head, I lowered my gaze once more to the throng before me, a frown causing my brows to knit together. A sudden hush had come over the disorderly mob, and I found myself in a staring contest with the Master again. His expression was one of expectation, and I found myself at a loss.
"Did you…Uh…Say something?" I queried uneasily, not wanting to enrage the man. I was in enough trouble as it was.
The Master released an impatient sigh, looking rather put out. "I said that the time for your untimely demise is upon you; and I explained to the entire assembly that you and the podium will be bathed red in the viscous liquid that flows through your veins." At my bland look, he bristled. "You're supposed to shriek hysterically and beg for your life, foolish ningen!"
I blinked, mentally acknowledging that he was actually right. It wasn't as if I felt no fear…I wasn't brave, and I felt the pang of my own mortality keenly. It was just…That I felt rather detached from it all, as if I were watching the scene being played out from the sidelines.
I murmured a quick, "Oh…Right," after a few moments of silence before I threw back my head and shrieked, albeit feebly.
This seemed to assuage him somewhat as he backed off with a small nod of approval once the wail had trailed off into nothingness. Tsking idly beneath his breath, he turned to a female just as scantily clad as I was- If not more, though the crimson curtain of silky hair cascaded to her waist, hiding whatever parts of her were teasingly revealed. When she had appeared, I didn't know.
"Yami-san…" he cooed affectionately, slipping an arm around the girl's waist. My eyebrow rose a notch at the name. Didn't Yami mean 'dark'?
"Yes Master?" Her voice was void of emotion, her eyes cast down, and unwilling to meet his own.
The Master slid something into her hand, murmuring something in her ear, followed by a lusty nip to the lobe. Yami remained unfazed, her head cocking to the side a moment before she'd give a silent nod of understanding. He took a few steps back, and spun on his heel to face me, a malicious look twisting his otherwise handsome features, making him look almost grotesque and sinister.
"As you wish, Master. I am, as always, at your service."
The girl strode towards me in small, measured steps her fiery mane swishing in a hypnotizing arc with each sensual sway of her hips. My eyes widened fractionally, my gaze dropping to her arms which she had conveniently placed behind her back, the churning in my stomach raising a notch.
She stopped right in front of me, and everyone behind looked on with scarcely hidden interest and excitement. The air felt heavy, and I squeaked when her hand came out from behind her back in a blur. The next thing I knew, I felt the cold sting of a knife at my throat, and I flinched reflexively.
"H-hey now!" I stuttered nervously. "D-don't you think it's a bit early in the relationship for the kinky stuff?!"
I amaze myself sometimes- I can't believe when faced with a life or death situation, I respond with a cheap joke. God help me.
When the blade's pressure increased, I gulped, my eyes frantically trying to catch hers. Yami seemed to feel my need to see her face and she tilted her chin, her countenance expressionless.
My gaze clashed with dead eyes. They were a fathomless black, an unending inky void- Glassy and lifeless. My shocked visage was reflected back at me, and I knew she couldn't see me at all. Not really. There was no soul, nothing that stated that she was her own person and I doubted she knew what she was about to do.
"Do you like my doll?" I glanced up sharply at the voice; "Humans are such malleable creatures…All you need to do is break the soul, and they become a most willing slave. Isn't that right, Yami-san?"
I resisted the urge to gag at the admission.
"So, she's not really alive, is she?" I asked quietly, my attention returning to the girl who held my life in her fragile hands.
Yami looked so delicate; her skin held an unhealthy pallor, almost luminescent in its paleness and her lips were a striking red, a stark contrast, though it did not detract from that frail beauty of hers. Yes, despite her being the 'walking-dead', I could not deny her loveliness. Though she had enough to turn any man's head, I couldn't help the pity that rose in me. She could not feel as I could, she had no thoughts of her own save for the ones the Master placed in her mind…Her body was not her own either.
"Enough of the small talk. Yami-san, if you please…?"
The knife slowly retracted from my throat, and I allowed myself the luxury of relaxing for a brief instant. The blade soon returned, though this time it was forced against the vulnerable pulse beating in both of my wrists. I knew now what they planned to do- To slowly drain me of my lifeblood, to satisfy the lust of the demons that had assembled here.
The girl hesitated for a second, and as if she had been ordered harshly, she ripped the metallic dagger across my wrists, the pain fleeting. There and gone again in an instant, replaced with a lethargic throb as my heart pumped harder, forcing the crimson liquid out in short bursts.
'Heh…I see I was right. He did not come for me,' I thought dryly, my head lolling to the side and onto my shoulder.
'No! He can still appear!' Hope yelled, and I laughed.
'Even if he did, it'd be too late. He'd need to get through the wall of demons surrounding me, and by then I would have faded into nothingness.'
The crowd began baying, though the noise was nothing more than an irritating buzzing sound in my ears. I was losing focus, that much I could tell, from the way my vision distorted and the way my knees crumpled beneath me. The strain on my shoulders was rather comforting, the ache there proof that I was still alive, for how much longer I did not know.
'I was hoping to get at least a kiss from that hot fire demon before I kicked the bucket…' came my lucid thought, 'Sorry Hiei, you've failed your mission it seems. I hope Koenma doesn't rip into you too much over it.'
As if he had somehow heard me, the doors that led to the Tower room where we currently were, abruptly splintered before being thrust open with an almighty force, jerking everyone's notice, including my own. My eyes snapped open from their lazy half-mast, and my grey eyes clashed and held a pair of crimson hues.
There, framed in the doorway, was my diminutive crush, his gravity defying hair and impossibly rigid stature decked out in his customary black attire causing him to stand out among the motley crew that surrounded the dais.
"Hiei…?" I murmured wearily, my voice barely audible at this point from the exhaustion dragging on my consciousness.
Time seemed to stand still. His eyes were wide and the depth of fear I saw mirrored in their depths was startling to say the least. I'm pretty sure that no-one had seen that before, and the realization caused my lips to quirk up in an involuntary smile. Hiei's gaze travelled to the source of the scarlet liquid that was beginning to stain the virgin silk that encased my body and he seemed to stiffen.
"Onna!"
His fury filled scream seemed to snap everyone out of their surprised daze, and they turned as one to cast enquiring looks at the Master. The smirk that had once resided on the Master's face had long since disappeared, and in its place was a look of utter confusion and doubt. It was obvious he hadn't counted on this happening, and he turned to peer over his shoulder at the Elders seated behind me.
They had no such problem in taking charge. One of them leapt to his feet, pointing a commanding finger at the bunch of them, his voice high; "Kill him!" he then shot a look at the Master. "And you! Finish the ritual before she shrivels up!"
The demons surged forward as one, and I saw Hiei unsheathe his sword in one fluid movement. I tried to call out to him once I'd lost sight of him, but my fears were put to rest when I heard the familiar attack calls of his comrades.
"Rei-gun!"
Ah, Yusuke. A bright beam of blue light sliced through the middle of the crowd, disintegrating those in its destructive path, illuminating the Spirit Detective. Rushing into the fray behind him, was Kuwabara, his spirit sword held high- The oaf swinging at anything that moved…Almost hitting his partner every once in awhile due to his uncontained zeal.
I searched the writhing mass of bodies frantically for any sign of Hiei, and I finally caught sight of him far off to my left slicing easily through the sea of demons. After every few swings, he'd summon flames to his free hand, using that to knock as many of them out of the way as possible.
At one point, he was almost overwhelmed, and before I could draw a breath to scream, a thick green 'rope' coiled around several demons.
"Rose whip!"
The redheaded kitsune appeared at the end of it, and the whip tightened with a sharp flick of the his wrist, effectively slicing and dicing them into sizeable chunks of flesh. He glanced up, catching sight of my condition, and those ivy eyes of his narrowed with concern.
"Lydia! Hold on, we're almost there!"
I rolled my eyes at his chivalrous words, and managed a weak nod. Not soon after, I closed my eyes as I felt my energy drain further.
"Zim eratus lodium; hirato jys o'loctum…" the unfamiliar words jerked me back to consciousness, and I shot the speaker a venomous glare.
Couldn't a girl get a little shut eye, without someone interrupting it?
The voice belonged to non other than the Master, and with each utterance, the floor beneath me began to glow all the more brighter, casting an eerie green shadow across me and the entire dais.
"Beratum oratae fyze eratus…"
The chanting continued, and so did the growing radiance. By this time, I was way past fear- I had fallen into weak acceptance, knowing that even though my friends were hear and fighting to get to me, they'd more than likely be too late. The knowledge did not depress me as much as it should have; I expected myself to whine and cower from my end, but instead I had found an inner calm.
"Horitain plathora aberainus tsen…"
A pair of black gates appeared a few feet in front of me, the height and breadth rather intimidating. With each new utterance of the incantation, they began to slide open a fraction at a time, releasing a foul decaying odour, black flames licking at the edges. Were these the gates of Hell?
No, they were the doors that led to the Makai; a home of demons that wished to annihilate my world and everything in it.
My strength was failing, and I found it an uphill struggle to keep my eyes open. I looked away from the gates to focus on something else less…Disturbing. My eyes alighted on a familiar fire demon, and I noted how extremely hot he looked right now, his muscles flexing beneath that tight tank of his. Yup, this was how I wanted to die; with him imprinted in my mind's eye.
He had almost reached me, as had the other three. I must say, I found the energy to be mildly impressed at this, as there had been well over two hundred demons crammed into this tiny chamber. Their numbers were now dwindling; most dead, whilst quite a few had fled in terror.
"…Imperius roto esque en lievien est!"
The spell came to an end, the Master's voice high and quavering on the last word. I closed my eyes, fully prepared to fall head first into a pit of hungry demons and the like- But the doors remained only half-open, and nothing more was happening.
But why?
I hazarded a look over my shoulder, only to find that the Master seemed perfectly fine; that is if you didn't count the sharp point of a sword that was protruding from his chest. He voiced a startled protest, his hands lifting to cup the blood that now leaked from the mortal wound. In the space of time it took to blink, the sword was wrenched upward, neatly slicing through the bone and gristle of his shoulder. Almost as soon as it had left his body, it swung back round, instantly decapitating him- Creating a clear view of my rescuer.
"Ne Hiei…D'ya have to be so…gruesome?" I rasped, humour lacing my words as my entire body sagged all the more from lack of blood and energy.
The blade dropped to the ground with a rusty clatter and quicker'n you can say 'Bite Me', I was cut loose somehow, and cradled in the fire demon's lap. This was all well and good, but shouldn't he be paying attention to the gates? I tried to voice my thoughts, but only managed a strangled squeak.
"Silence Onna…You need to conserve your strength," he snapped gruffly, shifting me into a comfortable position in his arms so that he could tend to the slashes on my wrists.
I did as I was told, watching on in silence as he slipped his tank off and began to swiftly tear them into strips thick enough to cover the wounds. Wrapping my wrists firmly, he pulled me even closer to his body when he felt my form begin to tremble.
Kurama appeared at our side, and he placed a gentle hand at my throat to check how strong my pulse was, and his brows knitted in worry.
"Her body is going into shock," he stated grimly, taking note of the slight chattering of my teeth and the deathly pallor of my skin. "She's lost a lot of blood, it's a wonder she's still alive…The best thing you can do, is to keep her as warm as possible. If her body decides to shut down, then she'll…"
Hiei cut him off with a warning growl, though his hands began to rub up and down my arms briskly, trying to work the remaining blood around my body, drawing it to the surface to help cease my shivering.
"Yes, well. We'll need to get her to Reikai as soon as possible. Koenma will be able to help her. But until the Spirit Defence Force gets here and opens a direct portal, we'll just have to sit tight."
The redhead ran a comforting hand through my matted hair, and gave me a gentle smile before striding off to help the other two in subduing the last of the demons, as well as the Elders who had mysteriously disappeared during the uproar.
"N-ne, H-Hiei…" I stuttered, trying to avoid biting down on my own tongue; "I-I h-have s-s-something t-to say…"
He rolled his eyes. "Now is not the time for talk, Onna. Don't you ningen females know when to shut up?" His question was rhetorical, but I stuck my tongue out at him and answered anyway.
"A-apparently n-not," I assured him in as bright a tone as I could manage.
"Hn."
"A-anyway," I began, determined to finish off what I was about to say before, despite the fact that my body screamed for sleep. "I w-wanted to s-say that I l-like you."
Hiei's hands stilled their comforting movements, one hand cupping my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
"What did you just say…?" he murmured, disbelief evident in his voice.
I scowled slightly. It was hard enough saying it the first time, and now he was trying to get me to say it again? The bloody cheek! I'm dying here, and he decides to develop hearing problems…
"I s-said that I l-like you, b-baka!" I mumbled, my gaze not wavering from his own. Well I've said it now…No need to be bashful. "W-what a t-time to acquire h-hearing p-problems!"
He smirked at my resurfacing personality, though his face, which had always seemed so angular and harsh, softened considerably. I stared at him in wonder as that smirk melted away into a heartbreaking smile that I had never seen before, a soft laugh escaping from his lips. A bandaged hand cupped my cheek, and he leant towards me until our noses touched.
His eyes closed briefly, and when they reopened, he spoke.
"I…Find you…Tolerable, Onna."
A grin of my own curved my lips, and I settled back in his arms, fully relaxing. My body felt like lead, and my mind was floating- I wasn't all there, I knew that much. Exhaustion tugged insistently at the fringes of my mind, and I fought it off for as long as I could.
I reached out to tug a lock of unruly black hair affectionately, my lids lowering slowly with each passing second.
"Y-you b-better."
The moment the words were vocalized, my eyes finally closed, and I gave into the soothing inky void of unconsciousness.
Hiei shook me once, twice…Three times.
"Onna?…Onna, answer me! Onna! If you die on me, I swear I will drag your soul out of the pits of Hell and incinerate it with my Kokuryuha! Are you listening to me?!"
Hiei's panicked threats faded, and the last thing I heard was the soft plink of something hitting the stone by my head.
I knew no more.
Spirit: Wow, this chapter is kinda angsty x.x; Well, I guess it has it's humorous moments, right?! Okay, the next chapter is the last chapter. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible...And hopefully it'll be the longest chapter out of the fourteen of them x.x I make no promises though...It depends on my creativity. Everyone knows the drill; constructive criticism is appreciated and complimentary reviews even more so!
Thanks to all those who have reviewed!