Disclaimers Note: I Do Not Own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry for the long wait but it hit me overnight for a last part to this chapter.
Blue Light
Chapter Ten
Kin walked up to the three boys, smiled and placed a hand on Kuwabara's shoulder. "Nice to see you great-grandson times a hundred."
"You're a girl!" Kuwabara shouted in disbelief.
Kin grinned, "Your powers of observation astounds me."
Kuwabara's cheeks tinted pink, "You don't only look like my sister-you are my sister." He mumbled.
Kin laughed at this, "Ah, my young niece. Quite a spirit, that girl. She's a bit rougher than I was but, yes, we do have certain similarities."
Kin looked at Jin and nodded, her smile reaching her eyes. Very unlike Shizuru, a difference between the two. "Jin, I presume. I've heard you're an impeccable fighter."
Jin grinned in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head furiously. "I do me best, me lady."
Kin then turned to Yusuke, her smile softer and her eyes bare for him to read her. Yusuke was taken a bit but seemed to understand.
She wanted him to trust her.
Seeing that he understood, Kin smiled and walked up to Yusuke and placed a hand to his cheek. "You have a lot ahead of you." She then paused and smiled, "Come now." She let her hand fall and turned to Lin, "Off to the house we go, Katara."
They didn't have any time to waste, not with Genkai running half-blindly into her own demise. However, Yusuke felt that in order to understand Kin, he would need to trust her as well.
For the worlds sake.
They walked along the grey path before them, nothing around them could be seen because of the immense thickness of the fog. They could see were they were going, though, with Lin leading the way.
Kuwabara, Jin, and Yusuke walked behind the two ladies and all the while, Yusuke watched Kuwabara seemingly lifting his eyes towards the young ferry girl, Lin or Katara or whatever her name was. Yusuke snorted a little, just to catch Kuwabara attention. Indeed he did, Kuwabara blinkingly looked at Yusuke. Yusuke gave him a look and mouthed one word…Yukina.
Kuwabara blushed heavily and casting his eyes downward to the floor, mumbling about how Urameshi was the biggest dumb-something-or-other in the world.
Jin, though, did nothing my whisper a song. "Botan, Botan. B is for beauty, O is for openness, T is for Tenderness, A is for Angel, and N is for Nobody's girl but Jin's!"
Yusuke grunted.
"This is part of the great sky Kingdom of Inara, the northern place to which those whom are Guardians or other such presides." Katara Lin exclaimed a little bubbly, reminding Yusuke of Botan a little.
"Sort of, um, like angels or something?" Jin asked.
"Yes, though maybe not like your dear Botan that you were referring to." Katara Lin grinned, turning her head to look over her shoulder to the blushing Irish-speaking boy. "Seeing as you sing her name with a tint of pink in your cheeks."
Jin hadn't thought anyone else had heard but Yusuke.
Yusuke grunted once more. If he had looked up, he would have seen Kin looked at him with a slight smile.
"Katara s right," Kin said, looking forward again. "However, we're all different in ways. Like Katara, there are prophets or rather, seers, physics. There are also fairy's, dragons, pixies, and wizards and," Kin waited a beat before she said the last word, "phoenixes."
Yusuke looked up, forgetting about how much he hated the stinking elf, and spoke up. "Like Kiyoshi."
Kin stopped walking.
"Yes, just like him." Kin didn't say anything, resuming her walk. "Though, here, most are dead-or a much nicer word," She turned and smiled at the three boys. "Spirits."
Kuwabara's face soured and automatically looked down, sighing and taking quick glances at Katara.
Kin walked on as she spoke, "Spirits can take other forms. Did you know that, young Spirit Detective?"
Yusuke didn't say anything; He kept his eyes straight ahead, looking at the back of Kin's head.
"They can stay back on earth." Kin said, "However, instead of a body, they roam in other things. As in books, houses or they walk around in lifeless form."
"Ghosts." Yusuke stated.
"Good." Kin smiled, "Well, you aren't the Spirit Detective for nothing."
Then, out of the fog, rose a large house. It was more of a hut, white straw and no door, no windows.
"So you two," Kuwabara said slowly, looking mostly at the smiling Katara Lin, "are dead?"
"No, silly!" Katara Lin giggled. She lifted a small finger and lightly tapped Kuwabara on the nose, "She said most."
"Most are spirits," Kin lifted a hand to indicate Katara Lin, "Except for Katara, here. She's a ferry girl, well, from a long while ago."
"So Lin-" Kuwabara asked but was interrupted when Katara Lin grabbed his hands. The umbrella that she held in her hands, suspended in midair.
Katara Lin laughed, "Call me Katara!"
Kuwabara's face turned red and then purple and then blue from the contact between him and the young girl.
Yusuke finally caught on that Katara Lin had taken Kuwabara's breath away.
Literally.
Yusuke blinked as he slapped a hand on Kuwabara's back, making his friend cough but did not stop the blushes. And Kuwabara was still fixated on the milky-skinned, pink colored ferry girl.
Katara let go of Kuwabara's hands and smiled at the other two boys, "I think it would be quite funny if someone shouted the names, JIN! KIN! LIN!" Katara's smile grew even broader, "Don't you think?"
The three boys blinked and then Jin started roaring with laughter. "Jin, Kin, Lin! I get it," Jin laughed out loud. He held his side with an arm and pointed to Kin with his free hand. "They rhyme! Oh, funny, funny lass!"
Katara giggled at Jin, "Thank you."
Kuwabara started to laugh uncontrollably as well (though, with much obvious confusion). "Oh," Kuwabara smiled unsteadily at Katara. "I thought it was funny, too!"
Katara smiled, her bright-blue eyes twinkled, "Thank you, too!"
Yusuke raised a brow and was about to say how stupid these people were when he felt an arm link with his. He looked to the side to see Kin smiling down at him with her green eyes.
"Come," Kin said. "Let us go in."
Yusuke nodded and they all walked into the hut.
Hiei jumped up into the sky to see nothing but a large patch of the forest destroyed or up in flames. His eyes scanned the grounds and horizon-nothing.
"Damn it." He grunted, "She got away."
Hiei slowly fell back to the ground to meet Kurama and Touya.
"What happened to Marie?" Kurama asked the black-haired demon once his feet landed.
"Damn witch threw something into my eyes," Hiei growled, feeling his third eye burning. "And then she just disappeared."
Touya looked closely at Hiei's third eye and blinked. "Bane Crystals." He said, stepping back a little from Hiei.
Kurama's face turned to surprise, "What?" He stepped forward as the crescent moon's light shined down on them. Across half of Hiei's face was a streak of sparkling black sand-like crystals.
"What?" Hiei said, "Bane Crystals?"
Kurama looked a bit lost as he gazed at Hiei's blackened right eye. "Bane Crystal is from the womb of a cursed Woman-Oak."
"Woman-Oak?" Hiei raised a brow, "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"You have four hours to live." Touya growled, his bloodied hand sliding down his face in anguish.
"What?" Hiei shouted incredulously.
Kurama stepped forward, "Woman-Oak is said to be part woman and part oak. Only one who is pure evil can be attached to the Bane Oak. The Bane Oak is a deadly poisonous sap that feeds of corpses that are left in its presence. Many wars have started because of the negative energy that it gives off. If I am closer to you than I am now, I will be exposed to its particles."
"The Bane Crystal is much like coal that turns into diamonds over centuries. Its takes the crystals to form a long time before they can be used." Kurama gave Hiei a grim look. "And even demons are weak to its power."
Hiei huffed, "A little dust wont hurt."
"Dust, you may think it may be." Touya said firmly. "But even dust can penetrate an eye and blind it for seconds." He paused and then added, "Bane crystal will have you in the dark forever."
Kurama leaned a bit closer to Hiei and he sighed with relief. "Oh, good. Its not ripe."
Hiei blinked, "What?"
Touya walked closer to Hiei to examine his eyes and nodded with relief as well. "Your right, Kurama. It is still blue." Touya explained to the confused Hiei, "Bane Crystal only works if the crystals are clear black because that is when they are ripe. If they are blue, they haven't grown to their full potential. If they are black and turning gray, they are overripe. Much like fruit."
Hiei just shook his head and started to wipe the black powder out of his face. "Stupid wench. She took one look up at the sky and then threw that shit into my eyes."
It was Kurama's turn to blink. "She looked into the sky?" Kurama looked up into the sky to see nothing but the regular twinkling stars and the bright glow of the moon.
However, there was something different.
The color of the night.
It wasn't the same color.
Instead of the midnight-blue color, the sky was turning purple as clouds could be seen. It moved across the sky quickly and covered both stars and moon.
"That's why the Bane Crystals on your face wasn't yet mature." Kurama looked at Touya and Hiei. "Whom ever this woman is, she's just now fully attaching herself with the oak tree."
"That is when the crystals are usable. I'm guessing that Marie is going to use the crystals on the world," Touya said.
"Or maybe something else." Hiei grunted, wiping his hands on his shirt.
"Genkai must be around here still." Kurama said, looking around the scorched land around them. "Marie wouldn't just fight us here. It would endanger the tree unless she was trying to keep us occupied…" Kurama's voice faded.
The three guys exchanged knowing looks.
"Lets go." Hiei said, nodding to the other two, and they were off.
Genkai opened her eyes, hazy and dim. There was a light glowing from corner, blinding her from the right.
A slight breeze caressed her face and her body-which made her realize that there was barely any clothing clinging to her body. Ripped up from her shoulders leaving her skin exposed to the cold air against her skin.
"So that's how you've been able to go on without detection." A small voice spoke softly.
Genkai adjusted her vision towards the sound of the voice. Her sight became clearer and she could see the young girl standing in front of her…
Lavita.
"Living in an aged, old body." Lavita smiled at Genkai.
Genkai looked around herself and almost gasped.
She was attached to roots and weeds against a large oak tree with black tar oozing out of the ground. Her body was slanted with her back against the trunk of the tree; her arms spread eagle style; and her legs curved a little to the side. Her clothes were nothing but rags and did not hide much. Her shoes were also gone, leaving her bare and cold.
Lavita nodded, "I always told you that you were smart." Lavita smiled, her eyes stayed clouded, though.
Genkai smiled back, although it seemed a bit forced. "No, I am clever. You were smart."
Lavita stood with a light behind her and nothing else but a stool to her left..
Genkai couldn't tell if they were outside or in a room.
There was nothing but nothingness and the one single light from overhead.
"Genkai. You know there is no use in fighting." Lavita said, turning to the side. Her gaze fixated on something that Genkai could not see. "You won't find the next Blue Light in time. Just feed your power into my Core." Lavita turned to Genkai with a strange expression on her face. "I can save you, you know."
Genkai smirked, "Yes. But I want to save the world."
"The world, huh?" Lavita's child-like face raged, turning her back to the pink-haired woman. "You think awfully optimistic when your clinging to the destruction of your world. Your mind must still be clouded with the Bane Crystals."
Genkai's eyes narrowed. "The Bane Crystals?"
Lavita didn't move but she did explain. "You know, the crystals that soak up all that good, bubbly energy to feed into negative energy. The
"What do you plan on doing with a world that dies?" Genkai said, not thinking about what she was saying.
"Ah…" Lavita turned to Genkai and gave her a small smile. "You remember my mother, don't you dear? Horrible creature, that woman."
Genkai's eyes widened a bit. "S-she… died."
Lavita shook her head with a scowl across her seemingly innocent face. "You remember the day, don't you, Genkai?"
Genkai didn't say anything but her face softened as she stared at Lavita.
"She's in love, or so she says. I'd rather throw myself in the pits of hell then succumb to that spiteful hag of a mother." Lavita turned her face to the side, adding, "She's in love with nothing but the thought of destroying what he loved so much."
Genkai opened her mouth but no words escaped but her name. "Lavita…"
Lavita looked back up at Genkai and with one single tear, sliding down her cheek, smiled. "We three were such a pair. Before we grew up."
Lavita turned and walked away from Genkai whom had her own tear falling down her cheek.
"I have kept an eye on my lovely student since the day she was born." Kin said softly to Yusuke as they walked arm-in-arm. Kin then let go of his arm to open the door and then stepped aside to let Yusuke in first.
The three guys stepped in and Kin and Katara followed, closing the door behind her.
Yusuke looked around to see a sitting mats on the floor and sat down with Kin's permission. Kin sat across for him with a soft smile.
"You are more handsome than I thought." Kin said, peering into Yusuke's eyes.
Yusuke blinked.
Was she flirting with him?
Kuwabara snorted as he took a seat behind to the left of Yusuke and Jin laughed while seating on Yusuke's right.
Kin leaned forward a bit so that she was close enough that they could almost touch their noses. Yusuke inevitability leaned back with a confused look on his face.
"Look, lady! I don't know what your trying to do," Yusuke shouted, "But your starting to freak me out!"
Kin bent back just a little, blinked, and then smiled. "I'm trying to see your soul, little one."
"Hey! Don't call me-" The last word didn't come out because of the fact that Kin had jumped on him so that he laid on the flat of his back and she was sitting on top of him.
Kin took Yusuke by the face with her hands and stared into his eyes.
Before Yusuke was about to push her off of him, the colors of the room around him began to fade to black and white. The room, once dark and old, became younger, newer. The room started to morph back into color yet it was different and sun seemed to shine from some opened window.
Yusuke felt himself relax and his gaze become hazy. He felt as if his soul had risen from his body-an out-of-body experience. He could feel Kin's green eyes probing his mind and looking places into his heart that he hid his deepest secrets.
"It seems to me that you've been taught well."
Yusuke could hear Kin telling him that but all he could see were the depths of her green eyes.
"Your mind isn't letting me in," Kin's voice sound so far away… "Your heart is very well protected."
Yusuke then felt a light breeze flow down his body indicating that Kin had separated herself from him.
Yusuke opened his eyes to see Kin smiling at him from across the room.
"What the hell was that for?" Yusuke shouted, rubbing his head as he sat up.
"That," Kin smiled, closing her eyes. "Was to learn if you were the right one. I can tell by searching one's soul."
"I hope you search my soul next!" Jin laughed.
"That was so wrong on so many levels…" Kuwabara said with a shiver. He gazed at Katara and grinned as he thought to himself. I would like it if she searched my soul…
Kin then grinned after she opened her eyes. "Reef hated it when I did that. Always made him blush for some unknown reason…"
Yusuke felt his own cheeks turn a light pink. He coughed, "Yeah, well…" Yusuke head then flew up, "Wait, right one?"
"Yes. Are you not the Spirit Detective?"
"Yeah…" Yusuke asked, still a bit confused.
Kin kept on smiling, her eyes never leaving Yusuke's. Those his were darker, Kin's green's dominated and baffled Yusuke's own brown's.
"Genkai has always been stubborn. Since the day she was born, I've never known her to be anything but that. She's strong, courageous and feisty." Kin laughed, "I loved the girl as if she were my own."
"She was born centuries ago," Kin continued without pause. "Long ago when demons were practically nonexistent since Reef and Isis. However, the earth was still dark and lifeless. She was born of a blue flower with the help of a young woman whom had died giving birth. I was merely there my fate and heard this woman call to me. For I had been searching for a sign for Reef and Isis. I found myself at this young woman's side and she told me that she had just given the earth some hope. The nurse came into the room carrying this infant in her arms. I gazed at the beautiful baby girl and saw eyes that I recognized immediately."
"Reef and Isis had sent me a sign." Kin nodded. "I turned to the young mother but found that she had passes away. So I took this baby as my own and named her after the young woman, Genkai."
Yusuke blinked. "But, Genkai doesn't look that old. If she were born centuries, she should looked uglier than she dose now."
Kin smiled, "That is what's so funny about living in the Spirit World. Genkai and I aged slower than the Earth, which is how things work in the world of the living dead."
"Okay. So I know how she got here and everything but I need to know how to find this Guardian and the next Blue Light."
Kin turned to Katara, "Katara. If you will, please."
Kin nodded and held her head up and started to speak softly into the sky.
Katara nodded her head. "The earth is gray and dry with the clouds black and the sun and moon do not exist. A day of hope began once the her heart was born, encircled in the blue light of all its glory. Her name is what the wind whispers across the planes and oceans and mountains. I've seen Blue Light and she's beautiful. The Champion of Blue Light will help her. The Champion of Blue Light will love her. The Champion of Blue Light, "Katara smiled softly at Yusuke. "Is you…"
Yusuke, Jin, and Kuwabara's jaw's dropped.
Botan slept in her bed, listening to the even breathing of her friends around her. Shizuru had taken up the couch, Yukina had insisted on sleeping on the floor, and Keiko had the small one-seat next to the window.
They had all persisted in staying with Botan until she was better.
"Botan…"
Botan blinked and turned to see Keiko looking out the window.
"I thought you were asleep." Botan said, sitting up, smiling.
Keiko didn't turn but kept her eyes towards the window.
"I saw Yusuke here before he left."
Botan blinked. "Yes. He just wanted to say goodbye."
"I thought so." Keiko said.
"Sorry," Botan leaned forward a bit, "I didn't catch that."
"Oh," Keiko turned to Botan with a soft smile. "I said goodnight, Botan."
Botan smiled back, "Goodnight, Keiko."
Botan slid back down under her covers.
Keiko turned her head back towards the window.
If Botan looked up at the moment, she would have seen Keiko's reflection with tears in her eyes.
Thank You for Reading.
Please Review!
Island Sweetheart