Chapter Four – Escape Tactics
The light of day streamed into the cave, forcing the darkness within to recede and reveal the secrets it hid. It glinted dangerously in the black eyes of the girl leaning against one wall, while she watched the demon sleep peacefully nearby. And as the light increased, touching the demon's face, the girl released a low keening sound and rose from her sitting position.
The young woman, her eyes darkening in glee, knew without a doubt that the demon would awaken soon. The toxins within his blood stream were finally beginning to thin out, though it had taken his mixed blood the dawn of two days in order to do so. It did not surprise her, really, considering his breed. His blood, despite the strength it held from trying to find balance, had no chance against the toxins in her breath.
A wicked grin crossed her face. She may have doused him a little too much, as well.
After what seemed like forever, though she certainly would have waited that long, the demon moved. Only a little, but he shifted nonetheless. His sword, still nestled neatly at his side, scrapped against the cold stone, and he shifted a bit more in discomfort after a moment. His entire body no doubt ached, frozen in place for so long, and the pain alone should be enough to rouse him from his slumber.
"Wake," she hissed in delight. "Wake, little forbidden one."
Slowly, while his face twitched, she could feel the intense rage within her building. It bubbled to the surface quickly, urging her to take the demon's life the moment his eyes snapped open, but, again, she suppressed the feeling. She would never harm him. No, no, not him, and she was positive he would come to accept that fact eventually.
Stepping further from the male, she allowed herself a moment to take in the scent of him wafting throughout the cave. The smell of ash in a frozen world delighted her, pushed her rage down further, and she was absolutely positive that she had made the right decision. This one was her own. This one was the one she needed; despite the fact that something deep inside of her snarled that she needed no one.
Finally, the demon awoke in an instant. His crimson eyes flashed open immediately, his entire body jerking as he found himself in unfamiliar territory. He instantly had one hand on his sword, an instinctive reaction no doubt, while his senses came back to him. "Where—?" he began.
She shifted her stance, alerting his sensitive hearing to her presence. In such close quarters, she would have expected him to sense her earlier, but now she knew that she had exhaled a bit too much of her toxic compound. He clearly could not handle so much at one time.
Forcing his arm to move, though the action was much too slow for his taste, Hiei pulled his sword from his side and pointed it in the direction of the sound. His mind was in a haze. He could not seem to get his brain to function properly, and he did not like it. So, he was only a bit surprised, though it refused to show on his face, when he encountered the black eyes of a girl shrouded in some type of mist.
Only one thing seemed to assault him in that moment: was she human or demon?
Noticing the clouded look in the male's eyes, a low chuckle escaped her throat. It did not surprise her, really. But, it was rather amusing to think that he would not even remember who she was if she chose to strike him down. However, she said, "You seem tired, forbidden one."
Her voice triggered a reaction somewhere in his head, and Hiei felt the Jagan flood him with information. And despite the haze within his mind, he growled when he remembered that the girl before him was the same blasted bitch that Koenma sent the spirit detectives and him after. "You," he hissed.
"You should rest," she continued, ignoring his aggression.
The smell of dog drifting into his nose, Hiei quickly scanned as much of the area as he could. The Jagan, slightly open, seemed more interested in the woman standing nearby, but he managed to detect the barrier blocking the entrance. The cave did not appear to have a second one, so it was clear to him that he would have to get through her little obstacle if he wanted to escape. If he had any luck, she would not have taken him far from the others and he could not detect them because of the barrier.
Her eyes narrowed a bit, noticing the way his eyes flickered around the area. Rage quickly bubbled up beneath her skin. How dare he wish to leave! He belonged to her! And with that silent declaration, the girl snapped, "I would not try."
Hiei heard the warning in her voice, but scoffed.
The girl moved before he did, appearing outside the barrier almost a moment before he stopped on the inside. Her black eyes watched him carefully, daring him, while he allowed the eye resting on his forehead to completely open. The male was clearly testing her barrier, searching for holes, and she knew he would not find one. No, no, for she had made sure that he would not get out and no one else would get in.
The Jagan pulling from him, trying desperately to connect with the possessed girl, Hiei finally willed it closed. He did not need to risk the eye actually making a connection while he focused his efforts on forcing the girl's barrier to open. There was no telling what he might find in the girl's mind, or, better yet, what she might be able to do to him once he managed to get inside.
"You really should get some rest, forbidden one."
Hiei merely lifted his sword. She had the audacity to actually sound concerned for his health, but he would not be fooled by her false concern. Besides, he did not need to rest. He needed to leave. So, quickly, he swiped his sword against her barrier and watched the sparks fly as the metal made contact. The barrier repelled the sword, refusing to give, and with amazing reflexes, Hiei took another dozen swings at the blasted thing.
He stopped, suddenly, when the girl's stance shifted closer to the barrier. Her eyes bore directly into his own, making him stiffen instinctively, before she made a small sound using her tongue. The noise did not concern him, really, until he noticed the thick substance streaming from the corners of her mouth and through the barrier. He recognized it as the substance she used to knock him unconscious the time before, and lifted his sleeve to cover his nose. However, even leaping away from the barrier did not help, as the material followed him, easily slipping between the cracks in order to find his mouth and nose.
Trying to choke, his body froze up on him a second time. The thick substance immediately entered his bloodstream, coating the inside of his body, and it struck within seconds. The most he could do was twitch, as his eyes rolled back and his body collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving ground.
A growl echoing against the cave walls, Hiei once more became aware of his surroundings. His breathing harsh, he realized that his body was not as limp as it had been the first time he awoke and he sat up to scan the area.
Sniffing, he realized that the bitch had coated the cave with her scent while he slept. No doubt to keep him from knowing when she came or went, or when she could be hiding somewhere deep in the shadow's waiting to pounce. But, Hiei would not be so easily fooled. Despite her trick, and the Jagan's lack of control recently, he would be able to detect her whether she wanted him to or not.
Shaking his head deliberately, Hiei rose from his position on the cold cave floor. He had to leave, and he had to do it before that bitch decided to knock him unconsciousness with her dishonorable trick, again.
Sword in hand, he placed one foot in front of the other, momentarily surprised with how unaffected he had been by the strange substance the bitch produced from her mouth. He had no doubt that it was some type of poison, quickly and effectively coating his very bloodstream, but the lack of side effects was a little odd.
Had she purposely given him a thin dose? Or was it that, over time, his body would become used to the paralyzing agent and fight against it?
Either way, he supposed, it was a leg up for him. With his brain less affected by the damn substance, he would be able to find a better way to escape his newfound prison. And once he did escape, he would make damn sure that Koenma was not sending him into another trap.
The Jagan slipped open a crack when he approached the thick barrier blocking the entrance. He doubted that even the demon possessed girl would have chosen one with two if she really intended on keeping him hostage, and, even if she did, she no doubt would have blocked both. Which meant that he needed to find the weakness in her pretty little barrier and then smash it to pieces.
Yet, with the Jagan searching the barrier's energy back and forth, back and forth, searching, it appeared that there was none. Or, if she was clever enough, she had disguised it somehow so even the Jagan could not detect it.
Hiei scoffed at the very idea, though, since there was no way the bitch could have—
The sound of light footfalls reached his delicate hearing almost a moment before the Jagan excitedly forced itself away from the barrier and focused on the approaching girl. Hiei swung on his foot, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword, and watched as she stepped away from the darkness of an inner chamber.
She said nothing, and while he was aware she could speak, Hiei was rather glad for that. There was no reason for some pretty little lie to slip from her lips—"You really should get some rest, forbidden one," he recalled in the back of his mind—when he was fully aware of her attempt to appease him.
The Jagan sent a jolt through his mind when he finally made his decision, watching the girl's black eyes stare unemotionally at him. She was waiting, he knew, and he was not about to disappoint her.
In a flash, Hiei swiped his sword through the air near her head. They were meant to bring the bitch in alive, he knew that, but Koenma would understand if he accidentally slipped in his escape attempt. After all, the little Reikai ruler was the reason he had gotten into this mess in the first place.
The bitch proved to be agile, though, as she slipped away from the strike. She growled deeply, warning him, but he paid it no heed as he took another couple, calculated swings her in direction.
Smirking, Hiei thrust his sword forward, and was delighted when the metal connected with the flesh of her arm. Blood immediately welled from within the wound, dripping downward, and Hiei only realized his mistake when a thick snarl resonated from the girl.
Sure, strong fingers wrapped around his throat with ease, and his back slammed roughly with the cave wall. "Die," she hissed, her other hand beginning to glow an eerie black, poison dripping from her claws as she cracked each knuckle.
Unwilling to simply give up, Hiei managed to overcome the lack of oxygen to his brain and thrust his sword into her stomach. It was an awkward move, and he doubted he hit anything of importance, but he was pleased as the tip pushed through the skin of her back and found air once more. B-but, at least he had—!
The girl's hand hesitated in front of his face, black flowing back into her bright crimson gaze, evidence of her rage, but Hiei was more concerned with the fact that she was still suffocating him. He released his sword, leaving it sheathed within her stomach, and tore his claws into the hand holding him up.
Her poison filled claws dropping, she appeared confused for a moment. But, then, she spat, "You must be punished."
The black substance leaked from her mouth, flowing into his body, and Hiei was unable to fight it. The lack of oxygen entering his body only helped increase the process, and he could literally feel his body shutting down as she released him, allowing his body to fall limp to the floor.
His eyes dropping closed, the last thing he saw was the bitch pull his sword from her stomach with a sneer. And then, the world beginning to drop away from him, he vaguely heard her call out to him.
"This now," she hissed, "is mine."
KibaSin: Ugh, I really have no excuse for why this chapter is so late. But, I am trying to catch up back to where I should be: which is done. So, hopefully, I'll be able to focus myself on finishing the few stories that I really need to finish AND find time to update my other stories at the same time.
Kiba