The Lock and Key : Who Am I?
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate it. I saw Dark Knight (BEST DAMNED PERFORMANCE FROM HEATH LEDGER) and I've decided to take some inspiration from that. Just keep it in mind grins. Read and Review!
I
The first time Botan had ever been on a roller coaster was when she was thirteen. Her mother and father had saved up for a trip to Florida to Disney World, and at MGM studios, Botan had tasted the Rockin' Roller Coaster.
Botan could recall how she had gripped her mother's had as the lights counted down to takeoff. She held her breath as she was launched forward, her blue hair whipping around. A few moments later, Botan stumbled out of the building with Aerosmith still blasting in her head as she floated down from her adrenalin induced high.
Her memory of Rockin' Roller Coaster, however, was nothing compared to what her body was going through at the moment.
She was... flying. Her mouth stretched wide into a scream as trees and debris zipped past her. She clung to the large branch for dear life as it raced through the air.
"Help me!"
"Hey, stranger." Pink eyes flashed over to see... a woman flying next to her. Her blue hair was tied up in a ponytail... and she was wearing a pink kimono. "At least try to fly." The woman had both her legs on either side of an... oar... like a witch. "Like this."
The mysterious girl sped off. Botan scrambled, imitating her.
"Wait! Don't leave me!"
Gritting her teeth, Botan squeezed her legs around the stick. Her skin burned as she flew faster, above the trees and into the sky.
The wind sang in her ears, and the caretaker stopped screaming. Biting her lip, Botan dared to slow down to an easy crawl. As her eyes were able to take in her surroundings, she stopped flying all together.
Red sand spread out beneath her. The hot ground was dotted with black, dead trees. There were two suns, and large buildings rose up in the distance. As Botan flew closer, she saw that the houses and other masses were made out of bones.
"Demon World." The words left Botan's mouth without her knowledge or permission. "This is Demon World."
II
Fear and astonishment had died in Hiei's life when Botan had perished. Adventure was a joke. Hiei isolated himself for a reason. He didn't want to face the confusion and repressed hatred of the Rekai Tentei. His comrades. His friends.
He had been afraid five years ago. He had been fucking terrified as he stared into enchanting pink eyes, his palms resting on her temples. His heart, if it had a beat, would not only have stopped, but burst into ash. That day, Hiei had been covered in a cold sweat and slightly nauseous.
Astonishment came soon after. At the transformation. The carnage. All because of him and his Jagan Eye unlocking a few doors. Well, all the doors.
Hiei was also a bit surprised when he found Botan's video guide. He remembered turning the pages, not caring that he had no idea what the films were, let alone what a film was. He had read the entire book without stopping, tears rolling down his cheeks by the end.
That had been the past.
At the present, fear and astonishment reared their forgotten faces.
Fear when the human closed her eyes, spirit energy burning the oxygen around her as her mouth moved in a silent prayer.
Astonishment followed when she flew backward.
This mysterious woman was flying. Years ago, he might have had the low level of optimism left to hope that it was the ferry girl.
But it was not and it never will be. The Botan that everyone knew and loved was dead. Dead as fucking doornail. He knew that. Everyone knew that.
End of story.
Hiei grimaced as he ripped off his headband, opening his Jagan Eye.
Grab and bag. Hiei gave chase, jumping from tree to tree. This day will just be like all the others.
III
It wasn't everyday that one wakes up naked. He had been naked before. Next to women... in the shower... perhaps even before a kill.
However, he had never woken up naked on a beach with no memory of his name. When he sat up, his skin cracked because the salt had drained it out. Groaning, the pale fellow tried to remember how he got there.
"It will be good pay." An old woman spoke to him in a bar. A hood covered her face. "Her. Kill her."
Yes... he had to kill a young woman. She was beautiful. He would remember her blue hair and hazel eyes any day.
"Ten million now, ten million after."
Money. Oh, he wouldn't have to work again. But what good was ten million dollars if he couldn't remember his name?
He stood, his legs still weak. Looking down, he winced. Shrinkage. How humiliating.
He had found her. The woman. She was... married to some chump. It didn't matter. For twenty million dollars, she could have been married to a rock for all he cared.
He didn't count on her having a friend, though. A dark haired, red eyed menace.
No-name glanced at his arms and legs. He had a single tattoo on his arm. It read Shyam. Shyam. That's a cool name.
Shyam began to walk, listening to the waves lap at the shore.
The short guy... he was strong. Really strong. But Shyam was stronger. He would always be stronger.
"Holy shit! Hey, fella, are you alright?" Dark eyes peeled off of pale skin to see a gaping middle-aged man. The man had his hands on his knees, and he was bending over to get a good look at the naked Shyam. "Gee-whiz, say somethin'!"
Shyam coughed, not bothering to cover himself up.
"Something."
The man approached and introduced himself as Bill. By talking to Bill, Shyam learned that he was on a Texas private beach that Bill owned. Bill was married to a "sweet gal" named Sheila and had a little boy named Thomas.
Bill was a big fan of fishing and showed Shyam his tackle-box as he rooted around the back of his red pickup truck for a change of clothes.
Bill was going to retire from working at a mill soon. Bill was going to help Thomas learn how to read better, it was his weakest subject.
Yes, Bill was going to do all those things until Shyam slit his throat with a knife he found in the backseat.
As Shyam wiped the blood off on Bill's soiled trousers, he began to remember the kind of man he was.
Shyam grinned as he began to think of a way to get back to Japan.
IV
"It's quite a sight, isn't it?"
Botan jumped at the voice. The blue-haired woman was right next to her, staring out over the mystical land.
"Yes..." The caretaker sighed. "Who are you, really?"
"I'm just your guide."
Now that the woman was so close, Botan could see her pink eyes.
"Where are you going to take me?"
The woman snorted.
"I'm not taking you anywhere. You'll have to figure out where you're going yourself." She looked behind her. "You should hurry before your decision is made for you."
"Who would make it for me?"
Before her guide could answer, a shout erupted from beneath her.
"Get down here!"
The short man with three eyes was under her. He looked pissed.
Botan didn't have to think twice before speeding off towards the new horizon. A part of her was curious as to who he was, but her instinct overrode her wondering as she sliced through the sky.
After circling a few castles in the new World, her guide appeared.
"Follow me."
She was so graceful, her robes billowing in the air as she directed Botan away form the city to a river. She stopped on a rock that was hanging just above a waterfall. Botan pulled back on her stick, dismounting it.
"Thanks." Botan smiled at the woman graciously. "I would have been lost without you."
"You have been lost." Her smile was eerily sad. "That man, the one with the red eyes, he's not so bad."
Botan frowned as words left her lips suddenly.
"But he killed me!"
The caretaker's hands few to her mouth, flushing at the serious accusation she had just made.
"Ah, but you're alive, aren't you?" Botan could only nod. "He thought he killed us. Trust me, it was not an easy decision for him to make."
Botan frowned.
"Killed us?" The guide nodded, her long, blue hair flowing around her ethereally. "Wait... you're—"
"You."
V
Hiei raced below the human.
No... she can't be human. A human could, hypothetically of course, summon enough spirit energy to knock Hiei off his feet. But a human can not fly. A power like that is reserved exclusively for...
Spirits.
The icy dagger that was lodged in Hiei's chest gave a cruel twist. Suddenly, the woman did a complete turn, soaring off towards the forest.
His boots dug into the sand as he followed her, standing on the edge of a coursing river. She was in the center... on a rock.
"Woman!" She turned, her face ashen. "Stop running!"
Crimson eyes narrowed, commanding her stick to burn. It did, and she shrieked, throwing it into the water.
Her jerky movements threw off her balance. Hiei had time to take in a quick breath before she fell out of sight.
Grunting, Hiei sped over the waterfall. He wasn't going to let this one get away.
VI
It's over.
Botan was calm as she fell towards oblivion. She had always yearned for adventure and fantasy worlds. Now she had it, and she was going to die.
At least I saw it once.
Her back hit the water, sending up infinite droplets. The cool silk enveloped her, her body sinking deeper and deeper. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the surface fo the water once more.
The man... he was still chasing her. If it had been a different situation, it might have been romantic. However, he was now... one of the most beautiful sights that Botan had ever seen. For a moment, a mere slice in time, the white water became wings. For just a split second, the dark man looked like an angel that was reaching for her.
She couldn't escape from those blood-red eyes. She never could. His hands jerked, his claws digging painfully into her skin as his Jagan Eye glowed brighter.
Nothing in her life had prepared her for the agony that followed. Her skull felt like it split apart, her screams the only thing that she could hear. The skin covering her shoulder blades shifted dangerously. Red fell from her eyes and mouth as his hands fell away in horror at what he had done. At what he hand unleashed.
It was all over.
Pink eyes clamped themselves shut.
NO!
Botan didn't care if her "guide" thought he was a good person. Her memories seemed to think different. At that moment, floating under water with the man rapidly approaching, she willed ever inch of her body. She willed herself by only thinking one word: Safety.
VII
Kurama yawned as he shut off the lights to the shop. He shuffled to the cash register, emptying it of the day's profits. He put on the kettle, trying not the think too much.
"Damn..."
He hadn't seen Hiei in over five years. Staring at the phone, he was tempted to call his old friend after all these years. To tell him that... that Botan was still alive.
The fox spirit had known it was her before she had fallen off the bike. Youko smelled her blood, and sure enough, it was Botan, back from the dead. Then again, Death can't die, can she?
"Arghhh!"
Kurama jumped at a scream back at the shop. Bolting down the stairs and through the storage room, Kurama stopped to see Botan coughing on the tile floor. She was soaking wet, her entire body trembling.
"Botan?" She sputtered, choking and spitting up lake water. "Christ, what happened to you?"
Her pink eyes were bloodshot. Her hands were shaking as Kurama helped her up onto her feet, not caring that she was getting his work clothes wet.
"H-He's... He's going to k-k-kill me, I know it!"
Goose-bumps sprouted up on Kurama's fair skin.
"Who's trying to kill you?"
They stumbled like they were drunk up the stairs to Kurama's flat.
"The man... the man with three eyes." She sniffed as Kurama sat her down at the kitchen. She tried to smile. "God, you think I'm crazy, don't you?"
Kurama pulled off the warmest smile he could as he placed his hand on the side of her face.
"No...no. Look, you just have some tea, the water should be just about done, and I promise, I'll sort this whole thing out."
She actually grinned, a few tears rolling down her wet cheeks.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
VIII
The day was not going as Hiei had planned. It was already night, and he was currently pulling his soggy self out of the river. He felt and probably looked like a drowned rat, sputtering with his clothes hanging off of him.
His day had not warned him of this. He had started out with some films and training. Patrol was normal. He had even brought a book to read during his lunch break.
Now Hiei Jaganshi stomped down a human road to a tea shop. The woman was inside. He felt her. Growling, he stared at the glass door. He didn't think twice before punching through the glass and letting himself in.
Blood dripped from his fingertips as his boots crunched on the shards of glass.
"You know, the polite thing to do is knock."
Whirling around, Hiei unsheathed his katana. However, the sword quickly clattered to the ground when he saw who the calm voice belonged to.
"Kurama?"
His fox friend nodded, his smile warm and sad.
"It's been a long time." Hiei felt his heartbeat slowing. His clothes suddenly seemed heavy, a large puddle gathering at his squashy boots. "I've missed you."
Hiei felt a smirk blossoming on his face. It felt good.
"Me too."
Kurama walked closer to his friend, shaking his bloody hand.
"I'll fix you up." With a guiding hand on his shoulder, the fox steered Hiei up the stairs. "I assume you're here for Botan."
The muscles in Hiei's entire body jumped.
"I am."
"Then you must know that it is her."
Hiei shook his head.
"That's impossible, Kurama, and you know it. You were there. You saw her die."
"I did... but this is her. Her blood is the same, her energy, the only thing different about her is her memories."
Hiei frowned.
"What about her memories?"
Kurama stopped at the door to the kitchen.
"She doesn't seem to have any of us."
"Us?"
"The Rekai Tentei." Kurama sighed. "Well, come on. I've got some towels in the kitchen."
He swung open the door, and pink met red as Hiei strolled into Botan's hideaway.
IX
A/N: You like? Well, I hope you did. I'm going to see Dark Knight AGAIN. It's just that fierce. Alright, well, did you like Shyam? The name means "Dark One" in... Indian? I forget. But yeah, did you like him? Crazy enough? Well, Read and Review!
-mia