Alright, here's chapter 2! Special thanks to dragonwingedangel and crazykk2 for reviewing. If anyone else wants up on the hall of fame, you know what to do!
P.S.: Prepare for a very dark and sick ending to this chapter.
CHAPTER 2
"How much longer are they gonna be, Commander?" Toshiro whined, rubbing his temples from where he sat on the ground, his legs sprawled out comfortably. It was already sunup in the Makai, and the meeting time had been set for over an hour ago. Just like Rekai, always keeping the "mundane" demons waiting.
"I can't say, but they're imprudence is beginning to work my last nerve." Mukuro answered from where she stood, standing upon a ledge that overlooked a large expanse of the Demon Realm. Behind the small party stood a large shrine, one of the remains from her old kingdom. What it was of, she hadn't the faintest idea. She would ponder it over sometimes, eventually deciding that it must be some forgotten Makai Warlord that had perished long ago without anyone even remembering his name. Such was the fate of all soldiers, eventually. Wasn't it?
"Tell me, Hiei: Is it like the Spirit Detective to keep his comrades waiting?" She asked aloud, looking to the fire demon who was leaned against the large monument, his katana rested upon his shoulder as one of his bandaged hands loosely held the hilt. His black cloak and his scarf had been discarded, replaced instead with a pair of black combat pants, padded boots for stealth and a black sleeveless shirt. His white bandana was replaced by a darker one, tied in the back with the ends hanging down the back of his neck.
"Hn." He snorted, his eyes remaining shut as his face wore a bored expression, " You obviously don't know Yusuke."
"You fought alongside the Detective, didn't you, Captain?" Ghash spoke up from where he sat near Toshiro, his arms and legs both crossed as his masked face turned towards Hiei, who offered a nod in response.
"Is he as strong as they say? Or is it just rumor?" He continued, waiting for an answer. Hiei continued to look as though he were asleep, and had he not answered maybe Ghash would have fallen for it.
"He's the right man for the job."
"Ah, speak of the devil." Mukuro interrupted, turning to face the rift that appeared in midair before the small task force. The portal swirled a wide array of colors, from black to wide and from red to blue, meshing them all together in the center to form a color that made Toshiro want to puke. Through the gateway stepped Yusuke Urameshi, ex-Demon Lord and ex-Spirit Detective, followed by the large frame of Kazuma Kuwabara and then Botan, who sat upon her oar, hovering so that she would be at eye level with everyone. Mukuro raised an eyebrow upon spotting the portal close with the other two still standing beside the Mazoku.
"Yusuke, I believe Enki wanted you to come alone." She stated, her tone flat as she ignored the protesting looks on Kuwabara and Botan's faces. The carrot top bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything that would get his head cut off.
"Ah, come on. They're my backup." Yusuke grinned, tossing an arm around each of their shoulders in a relaxed fashion.
"Backup?" Hiei suddenly grunted, giving Yusuke a questioning look, "You've brought a human dimwit and a useless ferry woman on a mission that could very well mean the end of each of our lives. Your lack of judgment never ceases to amaze me."
"Shut it, Shrimp!" Kuwabara shouted, stepping out of Yusuke's reach, who laughed nervously, "Or I'll shove my fist so far down your throat that I'll be able to play rock, paper, scissors with your stomach!"
"The oaf has a death wish, now? Detective, I had thought that by now you would have at least purchased this mutt a leash." The swordsman stated dryly, causing Kuwabara's face to turn red and his temples to pulsate. Growling, he pulled back to strike the shorter demon but Yusuke caught a hold of his wrist.
"Calm the hell down. Can't you two at least pretend to like each other? Christ, you haven't seen eachother in how long?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing between the pair. Kuwabara mumbled curses to himself as he pulled out of Yusuke's grip, rubbing his wrist as he cast a glare in Hiei's direction.
"Ask Shorty, Urameshi…"
"Hn. So long as the buffoon remains out of my way then I suppose I can spare his life."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"We're wasting time." Mukuro frowned, her arms crossed over her chest. Kuwabara felt a chill run down his spine as she talked, her spirit energy drawing a cold sweat from him. Giggling nervously, he stepped back behind Yusuke.
"Their lives are your burden, Yusuke. Not mine." She stated, watching the detective. Yusuke offered a grin back, followed by a thumbs up.
"Kuwabara can handle himself. And Botan'll just be watchin'."
"Watching?" Toshiro spoke up, confused, "Watching for what?"
"Oh! Well, Lord Koenma wants me to monitor the situation and relay any interesting or important information back to him as to keep Rekai in the loop, so to speak." The ferry girl answered cheerfully, lowering her oar to Toshiro's level.
"A talking, flying camera." Ghash muttered to himself, though deep enough so that the woman could not hear.
"What she's saying is that she's useless and nothing but a hindrance." Hiei snorted, looking from Toshiro to Botan, "Your role hasn't changed one bit. Pitiful."
"Hey! I'll have you know my work is VERY important!"
"Don't flatter yourself, woman. Even the oaf could perform the task of simply watching others fight adeptly."
"STOP MAKING FUN OF ME!" Kuwabara shouted, getting ready to kick the demon square in the mouth.
"I've had enough of your games. We're leaving. Now." Mukuro growled, turning on her heel and beginning the walk down from the cliff. Hiei snorted, nodding to Toshiro and Ghash to follow after their master as well.
"Hey." Yusuke said, grabbing Hiei's shoulder as he passed and earning a glance, "It's good to see ya again, Hiei."
"Hn." The swordsman smirked, continuing to walk, "It's been slightly refreshing."
--
"Still nothing." The tall man stated, watching the scene before him through the large one way window that spanned the entire wall. The smoker shook his head, blowing a puff from the side of his mouth as his arms remained crossed over his chest.
"Suggestions?" He asked casually, raising an eyebrow and looking sideways to his comrade with his one good eye. He sighed and gave a weak smile before looking back ahead.
"She's stronger than her mother." He murmured, his gray brows furrowing before the sound of an opening door caused the pair to turn and see who stood behind them.
"Father, Jinei." The newcomer spoke in greeting, nodding to the two men. As he moved forward, the room's light hit his form more clearly, making his appearance easier to see.
There stood Hiei, save that his hair was a petrified white and the left side of his face just around the mouth looked as though it had been several burned, the flesh looking as though it had melted long ago. The muscles and bone beneath his flesh could be seen working as his mouth moved, a strangely pleasant and enthusiastic voice coming from between his scarred lips as he extended his hands, one of them holding a file.
"Kurogane. What is it?" The bearded man questioned, looking his "son" over as he waited for a response. Jinei remained silently at his side.
"Can I have a turn with the girl?" Kurogane asked, sounding almost like a child begging for a dessert, "I'll only need a few minutes, I promise!"
--
Yukina breathed heavily, her gaze cast downwards at the floor as the large, broad man before her continued to strike her across the face with the back of his hand, frowning as again and again she seemed as though she was numb. A deep growl emitted from his throat before he spat on her, turning to look into what looked like a mirror on the wall, knowing that his boss was watching on the other side.
Shaking his head, he shrugged his shoulders in defeat as he stepped back, looking the koorime maiden over again. Was there a weak point that he could exploit? How the hell could he make this bitch cry?
His question was answered as Kurogane entered the room behind him, goose bumps starting to rise on his skin.
It was well known that Kurogane was something of a sadist. The interrogator raised an eyebrow as his superior seemed to stifle a giggle.
"Even with your big, strong muscles you couldn't make her squeal just a little?" He taunted, looking like a madman as he covered his mouth with a gloved fist as he burst out into laughter. The merchant of pain bit the inside of his cheek, shaking his head and stepping back as he noticed the large box that Kurogane had placed on the ground.
"You're here for a try?"
"Exactly! You're a bright one, you could have done better than this gig." Kurogane complimented the demon, patting him quickly on the shoulder with a twisted smile before turning to the ice apparition strapped down to a chair before him.
"Ah, and here she is! Hello hello hello!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together and bending at the waist to look her dead in the eye, a hand roughly grabbing her face and forcing her to look up. Her crimson gaze widened in shock as her lower lip quivered slightly.
"M-Mr. Hiei?" She murmured in disbelief, earning a giggle in response as the doppelganger shook his head several times more than necessary, still giving a cheeky grin.
"Oh, no no no no no no no no no…" He answered, cocking his head suddenly to the side as he continued to meet her gaze with his, which was the exact same color and hue, "I-I'm not Hiei, but I promise that I can be just as fun!"
"Then… who are you?" She asked weakly, flinching from the bruises on her face as she talked. The madman raised an eyebrow as he seemed to enter a state of deep thought, one hand on his chin while the other seemed to twitch at his side.
"Me?" He asked, his brows knitting together as he bit his bottom lip, eventually drawing blood before he snapped his fingers, his psychotic grin back in place, "I'm Kurogane! But wait wait wait wait wait wait wait, I already know your name!"
Suddenly he leaned forward, his index finger pressing against her forehead before beginning to tap on it lightly.
"You're Yukina, right?!" He laughed, kicking back from her and spinning about on his heel as he grabbed her previous torturer by the shoulder, using him to support himself as he burst into hysterics.
"Y-Yes…" She answered, afraid and unsure of what to do in the presence of this obvious lunatic.
"Good good good good good…." Kurogane finished, stepping away from the masked demon he had been leaning on and swaggering over to the box that he had set down upon entering, opening it up and seeming to focus before reaching within, grinning again as he grabbed something that seemed to be moving.
"Now, Yukina, the r-reason that I got such good grades in school was because I always did my homework." He spoke, flinching for some reason as his arm shook slightly, "So when I heard that we were having so much trouble making you so much as cough, I took it on m-myself to figure out just how I could get you to wanna keel over and die!" He exclaimed, ripping his arm from the box and holding a small rabbit in his hand, dangling it in front of her by its ears.
"No!" She exclaimed, trying to fight against her bonds.
"Aha! EXACTLY!" Kurogane exclaimed giddily, beginning to roughly pet the hare with his other hand along the head as it fought against his grip, "I-I just so happened to find some useful i-info about you during my research! Hard to believe that a HUMAN like Tarukane could f-figure this out so e-e-e-easy!" He stuttered, licking the side of his mouth as he broke the rabbit's neck suddenly, dropping it to the floor and spitting on its dead body.
"NO! Please stop!" Yukina begged, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Kurogane's face lit up as he noticed this, reaching into the box and grabbing a hold of another rabbit, carrying it in one hand as he came beside Yukina and knelt down, running his free hand just under her eye and pouting his lips.
"See, this is w-where you and me get to make a deal." He said, his voice quieting down a tad as he spoke, his grip tightening on the twitching bunny, "See, my old man n-needs your tear gems so that he can blow stuff up. So I'm gonna need you to make lots and lots of them, okay?"
"N-No." Yukina refused, fighting back her tears and trying to look away from him. However, his free hand tightly clutched her jaw and ripped it back over so that he could look her in the eyes. Seething with rage for a moment, he exhaled and shook his head violently before plastering a smile back on.
"Uh, ok, hi, it's me again." He said, his eyes darting about for a minute before locking on Yukina's and somehow locking her gaze in place, "W-Well, if you can't do it f-for dad… could you maybe do it as a f-favor for me?" He asked, standing up and pacing about, returning to petting the rabbit in his hands.
"You s-see, I have sort of a problem." He paused, glaring at the demon who had been torturing the ice maiden earlier before looking back to her and speaking in a hushed whisper, "S-See, for some reason when I listen to music, I don't feel anything. P-Play me anything, and I don't feel a thing. Beethoven, Bach, W-Wagner….it REALLY makes me s-sad. But y'see, when I hear a little girl's screams…." His voice became deeper as he ran a hand down her face, biting his lip as his eyes went half lidded, "I-I just get
the chills all over…." He finished, walking back over to the box of animals and standing next to it, turning about and giving her a pleading look.
"So…. Scream for me?" He asked, giving a hopeful look. Yukina swallowed hard and summoned what courage she had left within her beaten form.
"No."
Kurogane shook with anger, his body convulsing violently before he snapped the second rabbit's neck.
"SCREAM!" He shrieked, saliva spewing from his mouth as he dropped the rabbit to the ground, crushing it under his foot.
"NO!"
"SCREAM!" He repeated louder, reaching into the box and pulling out another, cutting its throat with a knife hidden within his sleeve. The red fluid splattered all over him as he continued to seethe, his eyes wide and his temples pulsing.
"NO! Please stop!" Yukina begged, feeling the tears come again.
"SCREAM!"
"SCREAM!"
"SCREAM!"
"SCREAM!" He repeated over and over, continuing to cut the throats of the woodland critters before eventually resorting to biting into and killing them with his own fangs. He twirled about, killing and killing and killing, lost within his blood lust as the sound of tear gems hitting the floor echoed on the air, one after another as he continued to slaughter the rabbits.
"Y-Yes! That's it!" He roared, smearing rabbit blood along his face as he laughed maniacally, his entire form trembling in delight as he threw his head back, "SCREAM FOR ME!"
--
A/N: Yes, Kurogane is very fucked up. Yes, I took a lot of inspiration for his character from the Joker. Yes, I'm going to go take a shower. And buy a bunny. God, I feel awful.
-Zizou