A Glint in the Snow
By: Abby Ebon
Disclaimer: YYH and Gundam Wing do not in any way shape of form belong to me. However anything unrecognized and/or original characters do.
Duo blinked wondering if he had truly seen what he had. A kitty-cat, a rather large and ordinary house-sized feline- had turned into a…demon? Probably- because where Duo was from things that small of a size don't just turn into people- or demons. That and Heero had said it was a Nekokikai though how he knew was anyone's guess.
"Yo Kurama, Hiei- mind telling me why, and how- would be nice to know too, you two came across a way to get to our cave?" Kori asked clearly not wasting time on any formalities- more curious as to the how-and-why of things then who.
"A Koorime …" Hiei said watching the cave- and its surroundings (now a cliff) wary of another Nekokikai appearing out of no where like Kori had. Kori tilted his head clearly not believing that- after all he knew the situation between the ice maidens and Hiei.
"She called herself Thawia." Duo answered helpfully, not wanting to feel he had to leave- or that he had something important to do. Kori muttered a soft curse, and motioned them foreword into the cave- which they did cautiously following the Nekokikai. The pilots noticed that they no longer felt that urge to leave the area.
"So who are your companions?" Kori asked Kurama, who walked closest to him, curiously his eyes trailing over the pilots and watching Yuusuke and Heero a bit more then the others. The others didn't give Kurama a chance to introduce them as they quickly butted in.
"Yuusuke Urameshi." The black haired teen stated wary. Both Kurama and Hiei seemed a little put off by Kori's appearance, and that ought to have made even Kuwabara a little careful.
"Quatre Raberba Winner, and this is Trowa Barton." The blond pilot put in gesturing to the tall uni-banged youth- Kori nodded to the two smiling politely.
"Duo Maxwell- I may run and hide, but I never lie!" The braided pilot chimed in, for some reason he had a feeling that they could trust this fellow- to an extent.
"Is that so?" Kori murmured amused by the braided pilot, he received an enthusiastic nod in reply.
"Chang Wufei." The pilot of the Shenlong Gundam- or Nataku, as he called his Gundam answered the unasked question when Kori had glanced at him. Kori paused and turned to stare at Heero as he continued to walk into the smooth walled cave backwards.
"Heero Yuy." Heero answered abruptly needing no prompting, as Kori turned again to walk foreword once more.
Wufei eyed the 'cave' though it was more like a hall, with sooth sides and floor and roof. The entrance hadn't even hinted that the cave could go on as it was. He wondered how the Nekokikai had made such smooth natural walls- apparently Duo was more curious as he seemed to read Wufei's mind with his next words.
"How'd you get a cave like this?" Kori chuckled, brushing back a few stray strands of hair he reached out and a hand and scraped his finger against the walls. To their surprise the finger left a bloody trail.
There was a clunk-click and then traps sprang from the very walls in front of them. Poison darts littered the ground two rows of sharp stalactites and stalagmites had sprouted from the ceiling and floor.
"Shit…" Whispered Yuusuke as a stalactite was less then a hand span away from his face.
"The cave has been built to be this way…" Kori murmured blue eyes glinting in pride at their surprise.
"You can't build a cave." Wufei stated in disbelieving tone, Kori gave him a smug grin.
"Not unless your earth elementals are mages…" Kori teased, chuckling when Wufei's mouth opened and shut with an audible clink of teeth.
"Why the use of blood?" Kurama asked waving to the cave wall. Poor Quatre looked a bit pale, after all most people didn't voluntarily hurt themselves to deactivate traps.
"It's keyed for someone with our blood- or someone we recognize as clan." Kori answered simply as he began to make his way over the traps and killing devices.
"Why do you have so many traps and illusions?" Hiei asked looking around, now that he knew what to look for his Jargon was able to pick up on most of the illusion and traps. Or what he hoped was most of them.
"Mostly to protect ourselves from those few persisted intruders and the like." Kori stated dryly, still suckling on the bloodied finger.
"What about that plant- the one that made the humans want to leave? What was the purpose of the changing landscape illusion?" Kurama asked as he followed Kori though the still traps, and ever so carefully making his way over the poison darts. Though inactive they were hardly harmless and they could not afford to be careless.
"Recently we've had an increase of the creatures; they come to the cave entrance to get away from dangerous demons or to stay out of weather. They'd wonder in and get themselves comfortable then unexpectedly find themselves dead." Kori answered softly oddly they felt as if the Nekokikai was almost regretful of human deaths. This would have confused other demons- but Hiei and Kurama felt they understood Kori's reasons.
"So how much longer do we have to walk?" Duo asked bored with walking and trap avoiding. Kori only smiled ruefully and gestured them though a right opening which only one of them could squeeze through at a time.
As Duo made his way through the passage he winched in sympathy for Trowa who would likely suffer for being so tall. But oh did the view on the other side make up for it. Crystals and perhaps other gems glittered down a rainbow of color- along floor, walls and roof.
Duo raised his hand and found red mixing with amethyst and a dull brown. The effect was dazzling. Duo giggled as Quatre was covered with a bright blue mixed with orange. This room was indeed impressive and he could see why the Nekokikai would guard it so.
However he knew they had come for the Nekokikai's help in getting rid of that rouge Rius- and while the room was pretty so far the only Nekokikai he had met was Kori and he had sense enough to know that Kori as powerful as he could be wouldn't intimated Rius in the least.
When Kori followed them through he was amused to note that they were mostly mesmerized by the crystals and hadn't noticed him enter. He glanced up and smiled he knew this rooms secretes for though the rainbow of color from crystals which caught light coming through the small opening on the top the chamber.
The cavern was nearly perfectly curricular; bellow the small opening of the roof was a large ring of stones set in a circle and the sand under was warm and welcoming after the hard and unforgiving rock of the cave.
"Please step into the circle of stones." Kori's voice echoed in the large chamber startling them. As if to make up for the lapse they quickly obeyed Kori's request. Kori stepped over the stones and wind instantly started up tugging at their clothes and hair.
The wind, now speeding around them like a hurricane, formed into a sphere around them though not going any farther then the circle of stones. When the wind calmed and died away Kori smiled as their destination looked no different to the beings then their departure.
They glanced at each other confused to why they hadn't seemed to move finally they calmed and turned to Kori for answers. Kori only smirked and gestured for them to follow him through the seemingly same squeeze through opening.
couldn't prevent a few chuckles at their slack jawed expressions for this was not the cave hall they had made there way though earlier.
Duo stared, and who would blame him?
The city was huge, the building made out of some sort of adobe-cement mix yet the earth brown colors mixed well with the city which seemed over whelmed by nature.
The trees grew along side building supports and crawling vines were everywhere. The roads were made of not dirt or brick but the same soft sand as the cave had held. Stalls littered the sides of the streets some selling common things such as house hold items and food to maps and travel packs.
Though the people were what really made him stare.
They were dressed similar to Kori though their robes were shorter most going only to their knees instead of trailing on the floor as Kori's did. But what puzzled him was that the clothes seemed to be form of a rank though no one referred to anyone else with anything but what appeared to be friendly acceptance.
The clothes ranged form amethyst to near silver. Then Duo noticed that although they appeared not to notice the oddly dressed strangers they did- and some watched more openly from the outright gawking by teens and young adults.
To the more subtle glances- ranging from the elder who watched them with a wary acceptance, and the little red head girl peeking from behind her parents legs.
Strangely no one seemed to want to out right demand to know what Kori was doing. Another odd thing was that the buildings were all around the same size though none of them were built at all the same- or decorated with the same style, or lack there of.
It was then Duo noticed that largely the population looked human but every so often his eyes would stray to a child with slit pupils, and elders with pointed- or cat-like ears. A couple walked by hand in hand and Duo's eyes grew wide- they had tails.
Duo shook his head and it was still the same. They for sure weren't on Earth anymore. Nor did this place have the sinister feeling of Ma-Kai, it felt like what it looked like. So long as they didn't try to do something stupid or kill someone they would be warily accepted.
However there didn't appear to be any form of police or law enforcement. Did these Nekokikai truly govern them selves? About to ask that question Duo turned and paused. Kori smiled at him a proud of the people and town before them. Duo noticed the others after studying their surroundings had also turned to their only link to these demons.
"Welcome to Youjakai, the Neither Realm." Kori stated as if that should have answered everything they had to ask- and perhaps it did- or soon would.