Yu Yu Hakusho: New Dreams, Old Nightmares
Chapter 7. I've had to rewrite this a few times before I posted it. We finally get into some action in this chapter. I've been looking forward to it
Hopefully I didn't throw anyone too off with that plot twist in the last chapter?
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Hana Sakamoto, however, IS my own character.
New Dreams, Old Nightmares
Chapter Seven: Battle in the Graveyard
"Hey, thanks a lot for walking with me," Shizuru said coolly before she took another drag on her cigarette. The two of them had left the train a few minutes earlier, and they would reach the Kuwabara household in a few more.
"It's my pleasure," Kurama said, walking in step beside her. The two would have definitely looked strange together, with Shizuru a full head taller than him. If anyone would have seen them, they would have probably thought that they were simply enjoying a girl's night out.
"Nice to know I have a body guard with me."
"I doubt anyone would have tried to do anything to us anyway."
"And that's why I'm not worried. All you have to do is just pull that whip out and that would be the end of that argument!" she said with a chuckle.
"Not tonight, I'm afraid. I had a rose earlier, but I gave it to Yusuke."
Shizuru gave him a very strange look out of the corner of her eye.
"It wasn't for him," Kurama said, laughing. "It was so he could give it to Keiko."
"Aha, so that's where you went earlier."
"Yes, it is."
"You think he told her about it?"
"Hm?" Kurama said, raising his eyebrow. "Told her about what?"
"About the next tournament. I'm only assuming he decided to enter. My brother told me about it."
"So, Kuwabara told you what I told him then?" Kurama said, raising his head and closing his eyes as he sighed. "It seems I cannot tell him anything these days…"
"Well, you can't really blame him. I mean, all four of you were pretty tight and then whammo! It's gone almost overnight. You're the closest friend he has now, since Yusuke hasn't been back in two years," Shizuru said as she blew a thin stream of smoke from her lips. "So, is he?"
"I didn't know until earlier today, but yes, I believe he does intend to fight again."
"Ugh. Keiko's not going to take that well…"
"If she takes it at all," Kurama added in a low voice. "Yusuke was certainly not looking forward to it…"
"Kurama," Shizuru said. "He treats her like shit, and you know it. I hate to say it, but she deserves better than him."
He didn't answer, but she did have a point. Even when he was in Makai, Kurama had managed to take time to at least contact his family on the phone.
"I don't wish to take sides in an argument they may have between them. I simply gave Yusuke some advice, and suggestions, but I won't become a mediator."
"Well, looks like we have something else in common," she said with a laugh. "I'm sure those two will be fine. I mean, it's not every girl who would stick through all the wonderful things he put her through."
"That's certainly a…peculiar term to use," Kurama observed.
"Well, worse case scenario, they fight, they break up. Yusuke can live the life he's been living in Makai for the last two years and Keiko really doesn't need to do anything at all except find herself a new man."
"Shizuru, that's horrible."
"And when have you known me to be the eternal optimist?" she teased, letting her cigarette fall to the ground before crushing it beneath her foot.
"It appears we have arrived."
"Yep!" Shizuru said as she yawned. They had come to the cul-de-sac where the Kuwabara house was located. "You gonna be okay?"
"It's only about a mile from here," Kurama said to her. "It's also a very beautiful night and I'm going to enjoy it."
"Okay then," Shizuru said. "Tonight was fun, we'll have to do it again soon."
"I look forward to it, Shizuru-san."
She waved as she turned around, heading towards her house. Kuwabara stuck his hands in his pockets as he idly watched her leave, before continuing on his way.
Hana Sakamoto stood in the grass, bathed in the pale moonlight. Her windbreaker kept her from the cold, but it still attacked her legs. Her green skirt fluttered around her as the same wind made the only nearby tree rustle. The monoliths around her cast various shadows, invading the sense of tranquility that permeated the grounds on which she stood.
The wind took pause before changing direction, causing her hair to flow, both behind her, and in front of her face. She made no motion to fix it, or indeed, any indication it was obscuring her vision at all. A few leaves stirred at her feet, caressing them, as if to welcome her.
Her hand clutched the two roses the red-haired boy had given her earlier, from the shop. She had tied a single black ribbon around each of them, as tribute.
"Hi, mom…hello dad."
Her voice was barely a whisper as she knelt down in front of the single marker before her. No raised cross, no large stone, no holy effigy to look over them. Just a single, small granite plaque flush with the ground.
Kazuo and Mitsuko Sakamoto
May you fly on the wings of angels.
She reached out to touch the stone, to feel the texture of the raised words on her fingertips. This was the first time she had been back in a long time...but nothing at a cemetary ever gave indication that time had gone by...the markers didn't change, the grass was always the same, the same flowers were scattered around in memory...
Hana closed her eyes, remembering that day vividly, as she always did when she came here. The sudden light that cut into her vision. The squeal of metal and the piercing screams that followed. Then, the unrelenting embrace of darkness.
The darkness had enveloped her, welcomed her as if she had belonged there all along. But it just as soon rejected her, shoving her back into the realm of the waking and of the light.
There was pain, indescribable pain as she felt her body on fire. She screamed. She tried to fight, but she was strapped down. Her eyes desperately searched for something to latch onto, and only found an ocean of unfamiliar faces, saying words she didn't understand, looking at her in ways she couldn't comprehend. More pain. More confusion. More screaming. Finally, the blackness returned, ensnaring her, dragging her back down.
Her thoughts returned to the present, and when she opened her eyes, the darkness didn't completely dissolve.
It's nighttime, duh.
"I just wanted to stop by…and tell you how I was doing…" she said. Some part of her felt foolish for speaking like this, but she didn't care.
"I think I'll be able to go to the school I want to go to…the exams are soon and I've been studying really hard for them…"
There was no response.
"I miss you…" she said, her voice cracking, and tears blurring her vision. "Every day…"
It had been almost three years, just before her fourteenth birthday. She had tried to accomplish so much with her second chance at life, she had gone through the necessary therapy, the necessary pain and guilt, but nothing could change the fact that they weren't there to see it.
"Mommy…daddy…" she choked out as she started to openly cry. She knew that they would never hold her again, that they would never talk to her again. She had accepted that, but…it didn't ease the pain at all. She carried on as best as she could, speaking to them as she did when they were still a family.
"My new job is especially hard but the people there are nice and supportive…I just wish it would be easier…aunt Yukie is so hard on me…I want to leave as soon as I save up but it's just so expensive to live on my own," she finished, wiping her tears on the back of her sleeve. She managed to get a hold of herself again, as she placed the two roses down on the cold stone.
"I brought these for you…I hope you like them…"
The wind gusted and a shiver went up her spine, stopping her train of thought and causing her body to tense up. Just as soon as it had come, it was gone, leaving her in the dead silence that followed. "What was that?" she said, to herself this time.
A few more moments passed, and her heart calmed down. Concluding that it was nothing to be concerned about, she stood up, and brushed the grass and earth from her bare knees. She pulled her jacket closer around herself to shield herself from the cold. There was just…nothing more to say.
"I'll come back soon…it was nice talking to you again…"
As she turned to leave, a low, dark laugh reached her ears, causing her blood to freeze instantly.
What is that I sense?
Kurama's eyes went wide.
Yoki?
He stopped in his tracks and looked around, using his senses to scan the city. He had felt a strong surge of yoki that hadn't quite dissipated yet…
"Where is it coming from?" he said to himself in tense frustration. One direction felt stronger than the others. It was away from the city, towards the suburbs…
There was no telling how far it was, because he didn't know how strong the source was…
Yusuke and the others are back at the compound, and Hiei is in Makai…I'm the only one here.
Without another thought, Kurama took off down the street as fast as he could run, his shirt and hair flowing behind him.
"Who's there?" Hana said, taking a step back and scanning the shadows in front of her with fearful eyes. She knew she heard someone laugh…
Quicker than a flash, something rushed by her, the wind of its passing causing her to shield herself. Before she could turn around, she heard a voice in front of her that grabbed her attention.
"Not very wise, being in a graveyard at this time of night, dear…"
Its owner stepped out from the shadow of the tree, and his appearance sent chills down her spine.
His build was muscular on his frame and it looked like he was only wearing a loincloth. His skin wasn't a normal color, but under the light, it could have been anywhere from a pale blue to a bright green. Pointed ears framed his narrow face, and the raised veins lacing across his bald head were clearly visible with the miniscule shadows they left. A long naked tail flowed behind him, ending in a shape not unlike a spade.
What scared her the most though, were the fangs of the creature when it smiled. She felt her legs trembling in fear as he opened his arms and his grin grew wider.
"All alone, all by yourself…wouldn't want anything to…happen, would we?"
The monster obviously wasn't human. And that realization was enough to make her legs shake.
Run, you idiot!
Hana turned, without taking her eyes off of the creature in front of her. She had barely gone two yards before she slammed into something else.
She spun her gaze frontward and upward, into two sets of eyes. Another creature, larger than the first, was blocking her escape route. His skin was very dark, and Hana saw a set of wings filling her peripheral vision. The two sets of eyes took the place of where a normal pair would be located, and this one had two horns that arched towards the sky.
The eyes glowed as this creature grinned, a low laugh emanating from deep within his chest. Hana stepped backwards in pure terror, not knowing what to do.
Kurama had covered a mile in only five minutes, using his own yoki to increase his speed. The energy felt stronger now as he passed the last set of multi-storied buildings that marked the outskirts of town, and he was sure he was heading in the right direction.
I sense three of them…
The closer he got, the more he was able to discern. One was definitely stronger than the other two…
Kurama wasn't sure what caused his sense of alarm. After all, the Kakai barrier had been dissolved, and yokai and humans were free to traverse between worlds – if they could find the portals that connected them. But three yokai, with that much power…
If he was close, the weaker two were D-class apparitions and the strongest belonged to the C-class. If he still had to cover some distance, then it was possible all the yokai ranked one class higher…
Kurama swerved as he crossed the main four-lane road that officially marked where the city ended, clearing the center divider in a perfectly timed leap. A car had to change direction and slam on its brakes to avoid hitting him, laying on the horn as it did so. Kurama didn't even glance in the direction of the car as he hit the ground running. He reached the other side without further incident, and continued his pace along the sidewalk, the streetlamps providing alternating glows on his tense face.
Hana continued to inch her way backwards, her mind racing with the horror she was feeling. A third beast had joined the other two, very similar to the second. They had formed a semicircle around her, and she was backing up in the only way she could.
"Who are you?" she asked in a panicked voice.
"Our names don't matter," the one with the tail said. "All that matters is, we haven't had a taste of human flesh in years and we're hungry…"
Her eyes teared up as her heart felt it was about to burst from her chest. She took another terrified step backwards, and her foot came in contact with one of the low tombstones that were scattered around the grounds. She yelped, and toppled over, her bag flying from her grasp as she fell flat on her back. The dampness of the ground instantly soaked through her fuku, sending tendrils of ice from the skin into her body, threatening to add to the ones already wrapping around her heart.
Her head had fallen to the side, and through her wide eyes, she could see her parents' grave and the two roses that were there. An absurd thought went through her mind at that moment, cutting through everything else…
Who will leave flowers here now?
The second monster covered the distance between them in a flash, and she got up to her feet, intending to run. The beast flew in front of her, all its eyes narrowed. In reflex, she screamed and tried to strike him with a slap across the face, but he caught her wrist in his own hand, smiling as he did so, squeezing hard enough to indicate he could break her arm with just a twitch of his own.
He cruelly lifted her clear into the air with that arm, causing the muscles and sinews in her shoulder to scream with pain as she was brought to face level with the creature. Its eyes stared at her struggling form with an amused satisfaction.
"Meat tastes better when it's scared," he said in a low guttural voice, his rotten breath tickling her face. He squeezed her arm tighter, causing Hana to scream in pain again.
A scream.
Kurama heard it clearly. It was the scream of a young woman. He saw the hill a few hundred yards in front of him, with its ancient stone walls surrounding its base. Even in this light, he could make out the spires and monuments that stretched towards the heavens…
A cemetery, of all places.
Closing in fast, he could definitely discern the yoki of the three figures now. Two belonged to the upper D-class, possibly lower C, and the third one held almost as much power as a B-class…
Another shriek reached his ears, and this one was laced with pain, a sound he knew all too well…
Damn…I hope I'm not too late!
He angled off the sidewalk, running across the grass and through the trees to reach the wall as quickly as possible.
A third shout rang out, but this one was much deeper than the first two, belonging to someone else entirely…it wasn't a human shout, and this one had pained undertones as well…
Kurama saw the wall about fifty yards ahead of him, reaching fifteen feet into the air. There was a tree next to wall, and he saw his chance to get over the obstruction.
He leapt into the air at top speed, grabbing an overhanging branch. Focusing a short, intent burst of his own yoki, the branch flipped skyward at the exact instant he was twisting his body in the air. He let go, and smoothly sailed over the wall, his hair and shirt wildly flying in all directions.
There! Over by the gate, he saw them. Three yokai surrounding a girl that appeared to be dressed in a fuku...but from this distance, he couldn't tell...
He completed the flip in midair, landed in a crouch, and kept running towards them as quickly as he could.
"That bitch!" the beast yelled. There was a small knife stuck one of his right eyes, where Hana had thrust it a few seconds earlier.
Hana had used the hidden weapon against her captor with her free hand, and in his pain and confusion, he dropped her. She had run the only place she had seen an opening, plucking the two roses off her parents' grave as she did so.
"I'll kill her!" he howled in rage.
The other two were trying not to laugh at the third's predicament. "It's your own fault, you know…"
"Where is she?"
Hana was terrified, running for everything she was worth. Maybe if she made it to the gate, and towards the road, someone would be there…
I don't want to die, not like this!
"Run all you want!" the wounded one shouted. "You'll only die tired!"
The other two yokai moved at blinding speed to cut off her escape route. They now had her boxed in a triangle as she came to a stop, breathing frantically.
"Stop!" she heard a voice yell out nearby. All of them turned to see a fifth figure in the shadows, running towards them.
Kurama saw the young girl that was the obvious target of the three yokai. He ran straight to her, skidding to a stop in front of her, leaving only a few inches between them. He faced the two uninjured yokai.
"Are you hurt?" he whispered to her over his shoulder. He was panting slightly and his words were rushed.
"Y…yes," Hana said. Her arm was in a lot of pain where it had been twisted, and although it wasn't broken, it was practically useless at this point.
"Where?"
"My arm…"
Kurama's face set in a mask of grim determination as he gave a quick glance around his surroundings. The three yokai kept their distance of several yards. With a tight ironic smile, he realized that he no longer had the rose he normally kept in his hair…
No good deed goes unpunished…
Hana looked at the youth, suddenly realizing that she knew him…
"Shuuichi?" she asked with an astonished voice, still quavering with the terror running through her.
This is all just a bad dream. It has to be. Monsters are attacking me and the flower boy from the mall shows up. The pain in her shoulder was telling her otherwise, however.
Kurama turned his head to get a good look at her, and also to keep an eye on the yokai behind them. With a shock, he remembered seeing her earlier that day…this was the girl whom he gave the roses to, at the mall. It only took a fraction of a second to remember her name.
"Hana. Stay close."
She crouched behind him, placing her trembling hands on his shoulders. What was he doing here? You idiot, she thought, now you're going to die too…
"What is the meaning of this?" Kurama demanded in a loud, clear voice. "What business do you have here?"
This only made Hana confused. Great, now he's not normal either?
"We hunger for flesh," the unwounded horned beast said. "And now, we have two meals instead of one…"
"You are in direct violation of Enki-sama and Makai law. Leave here and return to Makai at once."
"Who do you think you are?" the yokai demanded.
"I am Kurama, one of Enki-sama's advisors and former second-in-command to Yomi," Kurama said in a harsh voice.
Hana wondered as she saw the interaction between them all. Kurama? Wasn't his name Shuuichi? Oh god, I must be losing it…
"You can't order us around. You have no authority in this world."
"Leave now, or I will be forced to act," Kurama said, standing up straight, bringing some of his own yoki to the surface so their adversaries could sense that he was no ordinary human.
This elected a laugh from all three of the yokai. The wounded one yelled in a furious tone. "Stupid ningen! I'll tear you apart myself!"
Kurama's senses were at their peak. He looked around, scanning the nearby graves. There were several roses scattered around them, but they were all beyond the range of their captivity. He knew he would be able to reach one, but he couldn't leave Hana's side if they were rushed.
His nose picked up on it. It was close…he looked to his left shoulder, where Hana had balled her fist in fear.
There they were, clenched in her good hand. The exact same ones he had given her earlier.
"Hana, listen to me," Kurama said, placing his hands behind his back down by his waist.
She nodded, hard enough to cause Kurama's frame to shake slightly. "What should we do?" she asked in a small, scared voice.
"The roses…put one in each of my hands."
She truly had lost it. She was about to be killed, and she had just heard this boy she had met for the first time earlier today ask her asked her for roses. Part of her felt like laughing, but her terror still overpowered that emotion. She couldn't believe this!
"What are you going to do, use them as a peace offering?" she whispered to him.
"Something like that," he smiled grimly. "Just do it, and when they charge us, get down and stay down. Just trust me, Hana…"
Something in his calm demeanor caused her to believe him, for some strange reason. She placed the roses in his hands, and he quickly moved to pinch them between his fingers and thumbs.
"Kill them!" the blue yokai with the tail said. The two larger horned yokai leapt at them, one from the front, and one from the rear.
Hana shrieked and fell to the ground, covering her head with her hands.
This is it, I'm going to die out here!
Kurama leapt straight up into the air, surging the yoki within him to the ends of his hands and into the two roses. Their petals exploded from their buds as each stem grew instantly in length and girth, to a full twelve feet long as he spun his arms.
"Dual Rose Whiplash!" he shouted, turning in midair and snapping both whips much faster than the eye could see. In a blur, Kurama caused the razor sharp ends of them to dance wildly, first around, then through the two yokai before they had covered half the distance between them. Kurama swung his arms around a few more times, alternating which whip hit which yokai, neatly slicing them into about a dozen pieces each that rained around the two of them, crashing into the ground with heavy, wet thuds.
He landed nimbly on the ground, one whip in each hand, curling on either side of him near his feet. Hana looked up from her crouch, and was amazed at the chunks of flesh around her. From her skewed perspective, she looked up at Shuuichi, seeing his emotionless face as he somehow held two green thorned whips in his hands…
Did he just do that with the roses?
"I will offer you one last chance. Leave."
The blue yokai took a step back, and then started to laugh. "So, you can control plants, I see…"
"Will you do as I say?" Kurama said, then smoke started to reach his nostrils. He looked down at the two whips, which were covered in Yokai blood. They were dissolving.
He looked around towards the other blood stained patches on the earth. Indeed, they were all smoking, the blood acting like the strongest acid as it burned away all it had came in contact with. The grass beneath the yokai remnants melted away, leaving smoldering blackened earth. A few holes appeared in his shirt.
Kurama's eyes narrowed as the whips practically disintegrated in his hands, throwing the yard long remnants of them away from himself before they dissolved completely. He then removed the ruined shirt, throwing it to the side, leaving him in just his undershirt as his pale arms glowed under the moonlight.
"Now what?" The last remaining yokai laughed. Kurama relaxed his stance, and smirked.
"You believe I can no longer attack you, now that I have no weapons? I could just as easily grab another rose from one of the other graves here."
"Move away from the girl, and I'll kill her."
Hana was seated on the ground now, crab-walking her way a few feet away from Kurama. She was still terrified…maybe this boy was a monster, and he wanted to kill her himself! Normal people couldn't do what he just did!
"Hana. Relax. Stay near me. I won't hurt you," the redhead spoke softly again, giving a reassuring glance towards her form. She stopped retreating and looked up at him. He then smirked at the yokai as he raised his voice. "Tell me what you're standing on…"
With realization, the blue yokai looked down at his feet.
Grass.
Kurama shouted, striking the ground with his palm as his body flashed red. The yokai yelled and turned to run, but it was too late. All the grass within a three-foot radius of where he was standing tore itself out of the ground, transforming into razor sharp daggers. They ripped through his body and out the other side in every direction, turning the majority of his being into a fine, bloody mist. What survived this assault fell over into the ground in a heap, and then dissolved into a black smoke, similar to the other two.
"Worthless trash," he said as he stood up, regaining his composure. He turned to where Hana was still shaking on the ground.
He reached out to her to help her up, but she scooted backwards from him, shaking her head.
"Who are you?" she asked in fear. "Are you the Shuuichi I met earlier? Today, at the mall?"
"Yes," he said soothingly, kneeling and lowering his hand. "We talked, and I gave you the two roses. You said you were going to pay me back by buying me a coffee…"
Hana started to calm down, but still had her guard up.
"Hana, it's okay. They're dead. They won't hurt you. I won't hurt you."
Hana nodded weakly as she sat up straighter, pushing her skirt back down, which had ridden up rather high on her thighs on her effort to get away.
"Let me see your arm."
She held out her wounded arm, causing the pain in her shoulder to flare up again. Kurama didn't have any herbs or seeds on him, so he settled for flexing it experimentally. She gave a slight gasp of pain.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"N…no…"
"Can you stand?"
Hana shakily got to her feet, using her good arm to try and move her disheveled hair out of her eyes. "What just happened?"
He had no idea how to answer her. How did one inform another that they had just been targeted randomly by a yokai?
"Shuuichi?" she said in a small voice.
He couldn't leave her out here like this. He would deal with the repercussions later, but at this point, the first issue was to get her safe.
"You were attacked by yokai…I stepped in to stop them. I wish I got here sooner, so you weren't injured…" he said, feeling a pang of regret as her arm was slightly crooked from the pain running through it.
Hana's adrenaline slowly started to be purged from her body, but the exhaustion from the entire ordeal was getting ready to hit her. "I don't…I don't feel safe, going home tonight…"
"It's okay…I'll find a safe place for you. Just please trust me…"
She nodded. Kurama reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing quickly. It rang several times, and Hana heard a woman answer on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Shizuru," Kurama's voice came through. "I need assistance."
Shizuru gripped the phone with both hands, focusing intently so as not to miss what he was trying to say. There was some static on the line.
"What happened? I sensed something earlier…was that you?"
"Partly," he said. "There was a yokai attack in the cemetery outside of town and someone I know was injured."
"How badly is he hurt?"Shizuru said, with concern. What were yokai doing here?
"Not badly, but she needs a safe place to sleep tonight. Can you take the car and meet us here? Since Kuwabara is still at Master Genkai's, I was hoping you could look after her tonight, until tomorrow…"
She nodded, then remembered he wasn't able to see the gesture. "Yeah, I can do that…what else do I need to bring?"
"Some pain medication and a sling, if you have one," Kurama said, barely discernable through the static.
"Okay, I can be there by the front gate in less than ten minutes," she affirmed, trying to remember where they kept the sling.
"Thank you, Shizuru," Kurama said, breaking the connection.
Shizuru hung up the phone, and ran upstairs to the bathroom where the medicine cabinet was. She opened it, glancing quickly at the bottles there before grabbing one, shoving it in her pocket.
She then moved down to open the cabinets underneath the sink, searching for the second item. Within a minute, she found it, nestled in the back between bottles of various sizes. It was still in its box. Shizuru grabbed the sling and cradled it with her arm, as it was too large to fit in a pocket. Turns out her brother never ended up needing it…
Shizuru nimbly descended the stairs, and grabbed her keys off the kitchen table while passing through. She opened the front door with a sense of urgency, barely taking the time to turn the lock on the doorknob before she closed it on her way out.
Whew, that was a long one. I have to say, that Juno Reactor is great music to write a fight/tense scene to. I was listening to Mona Lisa Overdrive while writing this, and it took longer than I thought, but hopefully it was worth the wait!
I might not be able to update as often as I would like to, since I just got a new job in sales that I start training for soon. I'm getting a firmer idea of where I want this story to go, and might change the summary accordingly…
I would like to thank my reviewers once again, and also ThePastIsThePast for adding this story to his/her C2. I feel honored that my first fic is being regarded in such a way.
Until the next update, which hopefully should be soon! I have three little chapters I want to write that all take place at the same time, so it will come down to what order I decide to write them in.
Ta ta for now!
Kusanagi