OKies, first off--to the A/N!
Hm...let me think here...-gets out sheet of paper and looks at reviews- this is o so confusing me. And I lurve all my reviewers! -hands out cookies- And I adore cookies. And coffee. Thank you so much everybody for reviewing...I feel appriciated. -sniff sniff-
To specific people:
Magus Black: OK please continue with your greatlessyness of detailing things, but please keep leaving your characters on the review thing (I will just have to delete them.) And also...I cannot have the two characters you already sent me on the same team, so is it okey dokey if they are on different teams? This may mean that they are enemies, or tell me if you want them to be friends. Allies. Whatever.
Ana39: Sorry Kay but I have to change your name to Rei. There's another Kay on here...and also you have to be on the TC team. Dork. JK. -frying pans...hee hee Kayla Dawn...hit L for me with it-
Pices Aquarius: Thank you for Alianore.
DargonHeart 7: Thank you for Shira Trusea.
And to anyone I missed:
Thank you for reviewing! -grin, hands cookies out-
ACCEPT THE COOKIES!
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Hotaru looked up at her King. "I can't do it," she said hoarsly, as if using her voice caused her pain. "I'm sorry. I just...can't. Not now."
The King grasped Hotaru's shoulder, shaking her violently. "And why the hell not!"
Hotaru shoved her King off. "You need those memories!" she cried, her face clearly showing that she was upset. "You'd die without them! What would you be without the Reikai Tantai?"
"I'd still be King!" he shrieked, advancing towards her menacingly. "And I still am! Do as I say!"
"No!" she shouted. "You never gave a damn about the Spirit Detectives until now, why should now be any diffrent!" She took a step back, fear tracing her steps.
The King snarled, grabbing Hotaru by her shirt collar, raising her up off the ground. She choked and gagged, thrashing against her King. "Do as I say," he growled maliciously. "Or suffer the concequences."
"I'd rather die than listen to you," she spat in his face, "I take orders from no man."
Enraged, the King hurled her across the room and crashing into the stone walls. Bricks smashed with the force of the King's blow, sending Hotaru crumbling to the floor. The King eyed his mess for a moment, then turned to walk away. He would have to find someone else to do his bidding.
A scraping of stone made the King pause. He turned in time to see Hotaru stir and stand, unfazed. She licked a trickle of blood off her wrist and sized up her King.
"Where do you think you're going?" she snipped. "I'm not finished."
With a raise of his eyebrows the King muttered, "Apparently not." He faced Hotaru, waiting for her to dare strike him, the King, her King.
With a force so strong it shocked even the King, Hotaru struck out at him with the pointed heel of her black boot, smashing his jaw to bits. He reeled back, mostly out of surprise. Blood splashed out of his mouth and onto the carpet.
Hotaru stood defiant, her violet eyes blazing. "Don't think I would stand under your name docile for long," she snapped, "I'm a demon; I don't have loyalties."
The King stood, rubbing his sore jaw, the bone already stitching back together. Hotaru's kick to the mouth had surprised him greatly: Hotaru had never before shown any hostility since the days of her Reikai Tantai's end. Nor did she ever remind anyone of her demon heritage; she always had seemed as if she had wanted to be human.
"What's the matter?" Hotaru interuppted her leige's thoughts. "Are you too high and mighty to strike back?" She smirked, knowing she'd pushed a red button.
The King frowned, suddenly irked by Hotaru's sudden sense of induviduality and independence. "You irritate me, Hotaru." he said, a smile spreading across his face. "That's why I've kept you around for so long."
Hotaru shifted slightly, caught off guard. The King took the advantage and eased up over to her side. He combed his fingers through her silky red hair; so like Kurama's hair. She stiffened, but did not move. She let her King play with her hair, let him stand behind her, completely open to attack.
Hotaru's back straightened, and she turned to face her King, looking up to meet his beautiful brown eyes. She stared hard into the merciless eyes that betrayed no hint of human life, and spit, "Stop toying with me."
Her King looked taken aback. "Why would I do such a thing?"
"You don't love me," she snarled, pushing him away, "You never did. You still love Ukimura."
With a saddened expression he corrected, "Yusuke loved Ukimura. I harbor no such feelings. No. Not against or for."
Hotaru loked hurt. "Be realistic. You do. I know it. You know it. The entire Reikai knows it."
"And so what if I do?" he challenged. "Is it wrong to love two people?"
"That's just it!" she cried softly. "You can't! It's not right, and it's not fair! You must pick one. One and one only!"
"Can I pick later?" the King asked, sidling up to Hotaru. She frowned, but let herself be led back to her chambers. This might be the last night she spent with the King. She intended on leaving the next morning. Find the Koenma-supporters.
The King frowned slightly as Hotaru's beautiful features troubled themselves. He didn't know how to choose one. How could he pick, when he loved both? One was nearer; Hotaru, but the other was far away, but dearer; Keiko Ukimura.
He shook his head. Now was not the time for idle fantasies. Especially not something that even the Great Yusuke Urameshi could not attain.
The King sighed. He held no hope for either love.
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Two pairs of Kitsune ears pricked up. Kurama strolled into the room, and the two kitsune demons relaxed.
One kitsune, Alianore, was Kurama's decoy fighter in this new "tournament invatation" the King of the Underworld had sent out. Her black tail with the white swirl swished impatiently, her black fox ears pinned back. Her grey eyes waited for Kurama to say something, say something, say anything.
But he kept silent as he busied himself in a stack of papers, stacking and reading and more stacking.
The other kitsune, Saiko, sat braiding the impatient Alinore's long brown hair. Saiko's own short black hair stuck out in various places as she rolled on the couch lazily. Her red eyes watched Alianore watch Kurama-kun, which she soon became bored with and went back to braiding her fellow demon's hair.
"Well?" Alianore prompted. Kurama looked up, but didn't comment. She tried again. "Well?"
"Well?" Saiko echoed for the sake of wanting to be included. Her black fox ears pinned back to match Alianore's, and her black tail swished slowly back and forth with boredom.
Kurama looked at them without lifting his head. "Do you need something?" he asked tartly.
Alianore looked offended. "That's no way to speak to a lady, Suichii-kun."
Kurama turned back to his papers and said nothing. The two kitsunes sat uncomfortably in the eerie silence that followed. The only sound was Kurama shuffling his papers until Alianore got up and declared, "I'm going out."
Saiko stood. "I'm coming," she grinned, yawning. Kurama still commented nothing when they closed the door. He jumped slightly with the slam of the door, but then stood and went to the window.
Upon opening it, Hiei climbed through. "I assume the vixen's are gone?" he said. Kurama nodded. Hiei shouldered his way past Kurama and opened a closet in the hallway. Yukina looked up from inside the closet, her crimson eyes wet with tears.
"Yusuke..." she cried, "he's dying."