Hey guys, I'm sorry for this LONG ASS delay. There was SO much to do. And since I got my laptop I've been using it for school purposes. But I'm not allowed Internet because I would be distracted and do other things. Gomen ne.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character except Ryuichi, Kera Zaro, Koichi, and Ayame.
PS Oh, I may need some help so if anyone wants to help collaborate with me with any of my fics (except for the new one) so feel free.
Hiei's Love
Chapter 16: Mother
"Koichi," Ryuichi spat. She stared darkly at her brother's eyes. Koichi was very muscular with a different type of red in his eyes.
"Well, well, isn't Ryuichi?" he smirked, "And she's playing with other children now." he circled around the group." how quaint."
"Oh shut up," she snarled as Koichi stopped to face Ryuichi. He was much taller, taller than Yusuke. "We have no business with you so just let us through." Koichi grinned, running a hand through his shiny raven hair.
"I don't think so." he shook his head.
"Look, I don't wanna know what the hell is going on, okay? But whatever it is just let us pass. We have to kick some fuckin' demon's ass!" Yusuke negotiated with his colorful language.
"What demon?" Koichi's eyebrows furrowed. "Ningen?"
"No, he is not." Kurama stepped up to try and reason. "We are looking for the demon Zaro. Yusuke, here, is a descendant of the Mazuko." Koichi's pupils became smaller, eyes widening.
"Zaro.." Koichi's face hardened. "We will fight, Ryuichi."
"Are you serious, man?" Kuwabara yelled. "No happy reunion or anything?"
"Don't bother." Ryuichi explained. "He abused me when I was a kid." All eyes were on her. "That's how come I ran away. "she stopped forward. Although she was exhausted, she accepted the fight. If Ryuichi won, they could pass through.
They both moved around slightly pacing and swiftly attacked in the center, backing away. Ryuichi carried her katana while Koichi held nothing, only having his bare hands. He dodged Ryuichi's attacks and gathered some demon energy into his fist as he delivered an uppercut. She groaned as she landed on the other side. Wiping off the crimson liquid that trickled down the side of her mouth, she stood back up.
"Damn, I don't get it." Kuwabara yelled. 'Why didn't she just dodge it?"
"Mind you, Kuwabara it's his speed," Kurama explained. "Although Koichi's attacks are quite simple, it's his speed that caught her off guard."
"She won't make that mistake again." Hiei replied as he kept his eyes on the match.
Koichi and Ryuichi landed blows on each other. Koichi stood in front of her, his black hair framing his pale face. His face remained unchanged as he formed a stance.
"Time to take this to another level," he monotonously said as he focused dark energy around his hands. The energy formed a long black chain. He lifted an arm, aiming for Ryuichi but she dodged him and his chain. As he missed, the chain's weight created deep fissures in the mountain.
"Damn…" Yusuke gritted his teeth.
"It's ok Urameshi, she'll be fine." Kuwabara said.
"..I wish I had his arms." Yusuke finished his sentence, surprising Kuwabara.
Ryuichi used the nanosecond of vulnerability to attack Koichi but was caught by the chain on his arm. The crackling chain wrapped tighter around Ryuichi, crushing her small frame.
"It's over," he replied.
"he he," Ryuichi smiled, "no it's not." Koichi was surprised to see that her sword was centimeters from his abdomen. If he hadn't noticed, he'd been gone long ago.
"KOICHI!" a woman yelled, stopping everyone in their tracks. They turned towards the voice, finding a small aged demon with long hair in a kimono. A stern look grazed her lonely and aging face as she slowly approached the group. They were in awe as she slowly walked; her long hair swayed and smooth skin glowed with eyes that had once shone like diamonds but had lost its shimmer through the years.
Ryuichi dropped her katana she froze at the sight of the lady. Her eyes became wide, and her mouth slightly opened, revealing tiny fangs. All emotions flushed out of her as fast as lightning.
"Okaa-san." she gasped. Even if the chains were wrapped around her body, she didn't care; she dropped her eyelids and her head drooped down.
The Reika Tantei stayed silent, feeling the sense of something powerful and honorable. Even Kuwabara stayed silent as they watched the little family reunion.
"Ryuichi? Is that you? Koichi, let go of your sister.' her voice was soft but sharp. Stubbornly, Koichi let go his chains disappearing. "I've missed you so much." she cried as she kneeled, taking in Ryuichi's head. Ryuichi started to cry and sob. Tears dropped from eyes onto the cold, hard surface.
"Mother?" she asked through sobs. Ayame hugged her daughter hugging as if there was no tomorrow.
Ayame stroked Ryuichi's hair calming her down. Once she was better, she stood up along with Ryuichi, walking towards the group. Ayame's soft eyes met Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei's eyes. Ayame approached Hiei giving Ryuichi to him.
"I'm sure she's yours." Hiei took Ryuichi in his arms as he still stared puzzlingly at the demon. "You all must be Ryuichi's friends. I'm glad…" she smiled slightly. "Come and follow me. I'll show you a place for you all to rest from your journey." she waved as she started walking. They followed unaware what was going to happen.
"You should not have come back." Koichi growled at Ryuichi. Hiei meant to comment, but he had already disappeared into the shadows.
Ayame led the Reikai Tantei into the heart of the mountains, with delicate twists and turns that could lead any careless person astray.
'Geez,' Yusuke thought to himself as they followed Ayame, ' how do these people know where to go? There aren't even little pieces of bread on the path.'
After a few minutes of walking past boulders and cobblestones, the group was led to a large area with a fire. There were 2 beds made out of hay, leaves, and other spare things they could find. A pile of meat was placed by the fire, still fresh and dripping of blood.
"Come and sit by the fire." Ayame offered as she, too, sat down. "Koichi! Koichi!" she called. Koichi appeared in no less than a second. "We'll need more meat. Go and fetch some more while I cook the meat already here." she instructed as she separated the meat with her bare hands.
"Whoa." Yusuke watched Ayame's delicate fingers tear the dark red fibers. "I wish my mom could do that. The only thing she can do is watch TV and drink."
"But I bet she loves you," Ayame replied as she glanced at Ryuichi, who was huddled in Hiei's arms, and then back at the meat.
"She's not my real mom," Yusuke grimly explained. He didn't know why he had just told her something that personal.
"You don't say…" she mumbled as. Ryuichi stood up and sat next to her.
"Here, I'll help," she offered, taking some of the meat and ripping it apart.
"Thank you, but I'm fine here. Get some water for your friends. I'm sure you still remember how to get there, ne?" Ayame told her; Ryuichi nodded as she left the site in search of the waterfall.
The waterfall was in a secret location in the mountains. Ryuichi's father had found it when Ayame and he left their tribes. When he passed on, Ayame showed the both of them, Koichi and Ryuichi. It was pure water that flowed out, making a small waterfall. The other water sources were obviously polluted or poisoned or far away from the mountains, taking days to find.
"You make a left here…then a slight right.." Ryuichi told herself. She ended up in a medium sized space just like the one with Ayame. A large stone wall was before her, dull and unmoving. Unraveling the leg bandage, 2 small stones fell out. One was red, the size of a penny and the other was a pearl white with flecks of gold the size of a quarter. "Where are the holes? Where are the..FOUND EM." she smiled as she placed the red one first and then the white. The wall broke down the middle as it split, bearing another room. Ryuichi took the stones, keeping them safe as she entered the room. The waterfall was there, still flowing ever so gently. She felt pure tranquility and relaxation. She felt like she could release everything she had done in the past. She took the container and filled it with the water, leaving the room and putting the rocks back into the holes. The wall closed shut, sealing the hidden waterfall until the next time. Using her reiki, Ryuichi touched the wall, rearranging the holes, placing them in a different position than when she found them.
"Here." Ryuichi gave drinks to all seven of them. She sharply turned around, scoffing. "It's…you. I thought I smelled something bad," she looked at Koichi who was a cadaver of a demon bird.
"You must have been smelling yourself then." he replied coldly as he dropped the dead bird, which created a large thud as feathers floated everywhere.
"We've got more meat on the way guys," Ryuichi brushed off Koichi's comment as she took a bite out of her cooked meat on a stick.
"Hey, this is good." Kuwabara said. Kurama and Hiei silently chuckled as they ate the meat. "Yum, what is it?" he asked,
"Well.." Ryuichi stuttered, knowing full well what the meat was.
"It's HUMAN." Koichi replied sternly. "so you just ate one of your own kind. Good job" he ripped off the feathers of the demon bird.
"Koichi!" Ayame hissed. Looking at Kuwabara's pale face, she apologized for Koichi.
"I…I can't…believe this." he stammered.
"We're sorry, but you need to eat to survive, Kuwabara," Kurama consoled him. "Think of this: at least the next meat ISNT human."
"Yeah…survive…right…" Kuwabara gulped down the water. 'Uh! I can't believe I ate my own kind! Maybe I should be a vegetarian!!' he thought. Kuwabara laughed it off with the other, saying it was okay. It was still sort of gross, but he could handle it.
"Hey on the bright side, you can tell Yukina that you were man enough to eat human meat!" Yusuke slapped his back.
"YEAHH!" Kuwabara roared in laughter.
"We appreciate your hospitality towards us," Hiei spoke up as Kuwabara's laughter diminished, "but we need to leave."
"Really? Why so soon?" Ayame asked with a slight surprised tone in her voice. Hiei looked at Ryuichi.
"Mom, the demon Zaro is after me. He has already possessed me before. We're going to stop him." Koichi ripped off the head of the demon, throwing it down the mountain.
"Zaro. Heh." he smirked ripping off the wings and the feet. He then sliced open the demon taking the insides, also disposing of them, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
"Ohh…demons are sick…" Kuwabara whined as he couldn't watch anymore.
"How could YOU possibly know Zaro?" Ryuichi argued, a frown on her face. After Koichi disposed the entrails, he returned with a wider smirk on his face than before.
"I know things." he simply stated as he gave the meat to Ayame.
"Bullshit. Absolutely BULLSHIT!!" Ryuichi yelled at him.
"Don't you dare." Koichi spoke sternly. "You have NO idea what I do."
"Look," Yusuke spoke to Ayame," you daughter's in big trouble. You don't understand, Zaro--"
"I know very well who Zaro is." Ayame cut in coldly, leaving the pieces of meat on the ground. The arguing between Koichi and Ryuichi stopped as they stared at their mother. "I knew him very well…" she looked down," many years before. Before, when he wasn't so evil."
"Mother?" Ryuichi looked at him. "How do you know him?"
"Yes, please elaborate." Kurama insisted gently. He was very much interested in what she was to say since he picked up the pattern already. 'First it was Ryuichi. Then Koichi claims to know who he is. Not actually hear his name but formally know him. Then Ayame knows as well.' Kurama furrowed his brow as he thought hard. 'Zaro is targeting the whole family!'
"Before I met your father, Zaro was friends with him. I met Zaro through Ichiro. Well, it seemed that it wasn't only your father that wanted my heart," she looked at Koichi and Ryuichi simultaneously.
"Whoa oh!" Yusuke answered. "A little love triangle eh?" he nudged Kuwabara's side. Kuwabara's swatted his arm as he was about to speak.
"So Zaro probably liked you so much he held onto the feeling for a while." Kuwabara commented.
"Exactly." Ayame slightly nodded. "I had no idea; he never told me anything. I assumed since he didn't come to the wedding and never talked to us again."
"Zaro has been targeting both Koichi and Ryuichi because of his feelings for you." Kurama responded. "That's not it though."
"What are you talking about fox?" Hiei asked.
"Those are not his intentions." Kurama firmly stated.. Ayame looked confused and so did her children as she looked up at the red head.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Tell us." Koichi demanded. "Youko Kurama." His eyes were on Kurama's emerald ones as he demanded.
"I will." Kurama nodded, "but first, answer this question. If you says what I think you are going to say, then my assumption is most likely correct."
"Wait. What?" Kuwabara asked, looking confused at Kurama. 'Assumption on what?'
"Just shut up and let him talk!" Ryuichi spat. "I want to know what he's getting at."
"You surely know, right Hiei?" Kurama turned to his friend. Hiei's hands were folded as his chin rested upon them. He nodded.
"TELL!" Koichi roared.
'Then answer this: what is your relationship with Zaro?" Kurama asked him. "The way you made your voice sound before implied that you had something great with him, but you lie. What has he done to you, Koichi?" Kurama stared him in the eyes with great conviction. Koichi was taken aback; a look of horror came across his. He knew the Kurama had seen the truth.
"Zaro has been assaulting you, hasn't he?" Hiei stared at him as well. He took off the bandanna, revealing the Jagan.
"No." Koichi replied. "He hasn't been assaulting me." he was stubborn as a donkey.
"You're done, Koichi." Yusuke said. "You can't lie."
"Koichi. What is he talking about?" Ayame asked him. "tell me."
"Brother?" Ayame just stared, with an expression of perplexity. "What happened?"
"Fine." Koichi finally said. "He didn't assault, but he had several followers after me 2 yrs. ago. I dealt with them easily." he told them. "but then he continued to send masses and masses. From 200 to 100,000 in just a year. They attacked me at first, but he spared me. He said he had bigger plans for me." he told them.
"Koichi, you didn't tell me," Ayame responded surprisingly. "I didn't know anything."
"I didn't want you to worry. You always worry." Koichi replied.
"So my assumption is true." Kurama nodded as he though hard. "Ryuichi, stay by your mother and brother. Stay next to their sides for comfort." Ryuichi obeyed as she went on one side of Ayame and Koichi was on the other side. 'This is what I thought in the first place.' Kurama told himself.
"So what were you going to say?" Yusuke asked Kurama. "It was something before interrogating Koichi."
"Ahh, yes. About that." Kurama smiled. "Notice." he pointed at Ryuichi and Ayame. Kuwabara and Yusuke looked since they weren't onto the plan like Hiei was.
"Oh my god." Kuwabara's eyes widened.
"Holy shit." Yusuke's mouth dropped.
"You did it again, fox." Hiei smirked. Kurama merely chuckled.
"What??" Ryuichi asked, puzzled. What were they staring at? She pondered. They looked like they had just seen a zit or something. 'Jesus! Do I have a zit?' she put a finger on her face. Nothing. 'Phew!'
"Here, take a look." Yusuke said as he pulled out a purple compact mirror Botan gave him during the Suzaku mission. "Botan gave this to me to keep in contact with her and Koenma." Ayame and Ryuichi curiously looked into the mirror. They were astonished.
"Oh…" Ayame gasped.
"..my god…" Ryuichi said. "I look exactly like you, Mom."
"It's true." Ayame smiled.
"You see," Kurama explained. " Zaro has been targeting you, Ryuichi, because you look exactly like your mother from years back. He must have thought you were still her. After all, he was depressed and everything. Now this." he took the compact mirror and gave it to Koichi. Koichi stared, horrified.
"I look nothing like her." he stated.
"You always looked like your father." Ayame smiled.
"Wait!" Ryuichi said instantaneously. "That's it! Zaro must think you're dad, Brother!"
"Exactly." Hiei nodded at his girl. "that's why he has been assaulting you, Koichi."
"Zaro is furious that Ichiro took you away from him." Kurama told Ayame. "that's why he's been doing this."
"I can't believe Zaro did this." Ayame shook her head. "he was like my brother."
"Love makes you do crazy things." Hiei added smiling. Ryuichi laughed as she clung to his arm.
"We'll stop him." Yusuke was determined.
"Yeah! We will!" Kuwabara agreed with him. "It's not right. He needs to let go."
"If I can help, then I'll come." Ayame volunteered.
"No, mother." Koichi said. "you need to stay and rest. We'll handle this." he sternly said.
"That's right, Mom." Ryuichi agreed.
"But--"
"I'm sorry, but no buts." Yusuke smiled. "Don't worry." he put his hands on Ayame's shoulders. "Ryuichi and Koichi will be back safely." Ayame had a worried look on her face because for some reason, she was not so sure about that.
"I guess I can't stop both of you." she gave in restlessly. Ryuichi and Koichi smiled at her, gently giving her a hug as they departed.
"We'll be careful, Mom." Ryuichi assured her.
"Take care of your sister." Ayame reminded Koichi.
"Fine." Koichi muttered.
"Koichi." Ayame said, "your sister is family. Take care of her. She's the one that will be there the most."
She looked at the Reikai Tantei as they were ready to go. "Take them carefully down the mountain. Good luck to you all." she smiled as she waved them off.
"We'll be careful," Zaro mocked as he watched this beautiful reunion from a large orb of reiki which made him sick. He snarled as his eyes filled with a murderous rage. He was in his lair, darkness enclosing every being that entered. He was walking around as he watched them.
"You were quite on the dot, Youko Kurama." he smiled sinister-like. "but I'm afraid you won't be taking home the money."
"And as for you, darling." he stared into the orb, looking at Ryuichi. "I possessed you once, and I can do it again. As Ichiro's kid, I guess you've got nothing on me."
"Ayame." he looked at her, talking in the silence. "you changed my life. I loved you so much that I would walk the earth one thousand times to be with you. But you chose him! Why?! Now you, Ichiro, and your precious children….will pay with their lives, along with Spirit World's detectives. How lovely." he smirked, baring his pointy teeth, "how DELICIOUS."
Yep, so here it is. Sorry about the wait. R&R please.