"Talking"
"Thinking"
-Telepathisis-
Flashback
-x-x-x-x-
Chapter Sixteen
Escape At Last
"Simple." Kurai calmly clicks a message bubble. "Read."
I peer at the screen...
"Hey, you guys look for suspicious activity, right? Well, I've got something freaky for ya! Every night at the ol' cemetery, there's voices and a big, shimmering, glowy thing. I was gonna sneak over to investigate, but some kids from my school did and they were never found. Think you could check it out for me?
~Freak'd in Raleigh, NC"
"...are you really gonna go check that out?"
"Yep." Kurai pulls out a tiny notepad-one I'd expect a detective or a waitress to have-and jots down the info. "This sounds like someone's been opening stray portals in a graveyard. The folk down south tend to be an overly superstitious lot."
"...do I get to go?" I ask.
"Once you manage to code your own website." She smirks and gestures at the computer. I stare at it like it's going to lunge for my face and rip it off.
0x0x0x0
When he wakes again, he finds Kimi sitting beside his bed, quietly reading a book. He starts slightly at the scuffling sounds overhead.
"They're still playing around up there...though they convinced Yusuke and Kuwabara to join them. Hiei found the training area; he's making use of it. Kat's looking after Touya and Jin; both have had significant improvement." She rattles off as she places a bookmark in said book and closes it. With a tiny stretch, she rises, slips into the kitchen and returns bearing a steaming bowl of soup. "I prepared it so the chemical is neutralized."
He consumes it quietly with a nod of thanks, then frowns.
"Does it taste off?"
"No." Kurama's near-scowl is one of frustration; he senses that there is something familiar about the situation, but he cannot place it.
"Are you feeling nauseous?" She is extremely puzzled.
"De ja vu." He murmurs at last. "But I've never..." The redhead trails off at the look on her face.
"You were here as Youko." The bluette mumbles after several moments. "I can't tell you anything else right now."
"You know what happened to me during those 1,000 years?"
"Kurama, I'm only 567." Comes her quiet mumble. The expression that jolts to his countenance earns him a glower. "If you so much as think the word 'child'..."
"Well, at least you're older than Hiei." He sighs.
"Do not compare me to someone who's...actually fairly close to my age. Dammit." She sighs as she takes his empty bowl back to the kitchen.
"He's stronger than you are." The redhead states with a hint of a growl in his voice.
"Tell me news, not history." She grumbles as she sits down and resumes reading her book.
"This place seems familiar..." He presses.
"Like I said...you were here before."
"Why are you so secretive about-"
"KIMI!"
She jumps slightly; Artemis comes skidding in supporting a visibly ill Sora. He is placed on a bed and the bluette attempts to use the meager amount of energy she still possesses. Despite a valiant effort on her part, she is unable to remove most of it.
"Move." Artemis shoves her aside and exposes her fangs before sinking them into Sora's wrist. Kurama's eyes widen.
"She's not a vampire." Kimi assures. "Well...not a normal one, anyway."
"What do you mean?" Green eyes narrow.
"Half vampires either swing towards the human side of their make up or the vampire side. She exhibits traits of both human and vampire...thus, she is part of a relatively new class of vampires. They're termed 'dimilamia'." She hesitantly explains as Artemis opens two deep gashes on her arm, then Sora's.
"What're you-" Kurama snarls, trying to rise.
"Blood transfusion." Artemis states as her blood transfers to his system via the gash.
As they watch, she becomes paler and paler; after what she deems to be an acceptable amount, the silver eyed girl makes both gashes scab over and sinks down on another nearby bed. Without a word, Kimi offers the girl her wrist; moments and about a cup of Kimi's blood later, Artemis's pallor is gone.
"Thanks." She rasps quietly.
"No problem." The other girl replies.
"Did you just-"
"No!" Silver eyes seem to glow as pupils slit. "No." Her eyes cease glowing as her pupils round again. "I would not, even if I could."
"Did I miss something?"
"I assumed he was inquiring if I Turned him."
"Oh, right..forgot about that...ya see, dimilamia can't anyone because-"
"Technically, I am not even a vampire. Blood is my main sustenance, yes, but my speed does not rival a true vampires...nor do my vampiric gifts."
"You still managed to behead two." The redhead points out drolly.
"A newborn can behead that amount without even exerting any effort." She mutters flatly.
"A fire demon can burn me to a crisp without exerting any effort too." Kimi adds in the same tone. "What're you all twitchy about?"
"I just noticed how different her scent is."
The smile that earns him is enough to make his skin crawl. "I smell like graveyards and death, right?"
That earns her a wallop with the pillow via Kimi. "No, he's not poking fun. He's a fox demon; his sense of smell is greater than both of ours."
"I apologize then." With a slight bow, she turns and heads back towards the ventilation system.
"She may not be a vampire, but that doesn't mean she's harmless." Kurama comments offhandedly, then stares when Kimi rises, checks Sora, then leaves the room without a word.
"Oh, sure, he's the 3000+ year old fox demon who nearly sliced her in half the first time they met but now that she's spooked him, she's a threat." Grumbling mentally, she re-enters and places a detoxified glass of water on the nightstand beside Sora's bed.
"Where are you-"
The irritated demoness shuts the door, effectively cutting off his voice. "Oh, fuck you, you damn fox. She just saved the life of your best friend's reincarnation, drank from me, drank from Sora, gave back a lot of blood, then had you poke at an extremely sore aspect with her-and she's supposed to be all happy, fluffy, pink bunnies? Hell no, jerkoff." Her internal diatribe continues as she flops down on her claimed bunk and sulks.
0x0x0x0
Hiei glances in the infirmary to find an agitated fox demon and a slumbering bat demon. He quickly scans Kurama's thoughts with the jagan and frowns. The Jaganshi locates Artemis and decides to conduct his own investigation.
Artemis was fighting and surrounded; despite this, she appeared to be doing well until she received a deep slash from torso to upper thigh. She froze before everything went red. Once the vibrant color vanished, she was on a field strewn with corpses. Here and there were random limbs; if the blood was ignored, it almost looked like she was surrounded by a warehouse full of broken dolls.
The girl herself sat in the middle, blood strewn hands over her eyes.
"Don't look." The panicked thought pulsed, filled with desperation even as her hands moved from in front of her eyes; a blood curdling cry ripped itself from her throat.
The bodies closest to her were Kimi, Sora, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei's.
Hiei exits her mind and finds himself standing in front of her; he leaves, trying to ignore the tear stains on her cheeks.
0x0x0x0
Yusuke yawns as Kurama glares; Kuwabara plops down on the floor while Hiei claims his spot in the window sill.
"She's more a threat to herself than us." Hiei states before Kurama can start.
"Who?" Sora mumbles as he sits up.
"Artemis."
"Oh...she's just really quiet is all." He yawns. "She stopped me from venturing into a rusted part of the ventilation. It probably would've collapsed on me..."
"She bit you!" Kurama snaps; sure enough, two tiny fang marks are found on Sora's wrist.
"Why would she help us kill her own kind?" Kuwabara interjects.
"...sick..." Is the only coherent word from Yusuke's mumbled storm of words.
The human redhead tries again. "Well, why would Kimi expose us to her if she was dangerous?"
"Kimi lets her drink from her." Kurama growls.
"You." Kimi snaps from the doorway. "Are an insufferable, pathetic and petty excuse for a human, let alone a demon." She turns to Sora. "For starters, I have no energy and you probably would have died had she not intervened. She put herself through her own personal version of hell times three to save you...and, fyi, she can't turn someone when she bites them."
"...what is she?"
The demoness calmly takes a book off the shelf by the door, flips through it and hands it to him.
"A dimilamia?" Sora nearly drops the book in shock.
"Yep." She murmurs.
"...what do you mean by personal hell?"
Artemis pauses in the doorway; Sora gives her a slight, if encouraging, smile.
"When I lose too much blood, my survival instinct kicks in and I basically become a berserker. When I drink someone's blood, however, I'm subjected to their emotions."
"She drained the majority of the contaminated blood from you and replaced it with her own." The bluette explains.
"That explains this." He murmurs as he looks at his well-bandaged arm.
"This means you'll be able to touch Kimi's blood without being burned as well." The girl adds before leaving as quickly as she came.
Yusuke frowns. "What, she shy or something?"
"She views herself as a monster." Hiei comments.
"Why were you trying to get us all pissed at her?" Kuwabara interrupts the silence.
"You all seem to think she's harmless." The fox mutters stiffly.
Kimi directs her gaze to him; it is then that all notice her eyes are bandaged. "Why I bothered to save you, I'll never know."
"That wasn't called for." Sora murmurs.
"If he can't be civil, then he'll get the same treatment." Is the icy reply.
"Before you storm off in a huff, what's with the bandanna? Hiei's look doesn't suit you."
She ignores the feeble joke. "Nothing you nor Lord Jackass over there need to know about." With that, she walks out. Yusuke and Kuwabara snicker; Hiei throws them a contemptuous look; Kurama glares; Sora frowns, unsure of who to side with.
0x0x0x0
"Are they better?" Yusuke questions. Kuwabara stands beside him in the doorway. Everyone is stir crazy, as it has been two weeks.
"Yep." Sora grins cheerfully as he gets up and walks around.
"Both are fine." Kimi remarks, her voice monotone.
"Will you knock it off?" Kurama snaps.
"Knock what off?" She inquires in the same tone. Green eyes glare as she walks out.
"You did try to start something..." Sora reminds him before following her. Yusuke shrugs as well before joining everyone else in the main room; Kurama reluctantly joins as well to find Touya supported by Kimi, while Kat assists a stubborn Jin.
"How long have we been here for?" Kuwabara mumbles as he checks his tally.
"Depends. The spell on this place could've malfunctioned and done a number of things." Kat explains before threatening Jin with disembowelment if he doesn't cooperate. "The most likely is that it doubled the time we were down there."
Sora groans as he thinks of all the schoolwork. "I hope not."
"Alright, let's go." Kimi's voice is now it's normal tone...but, then again, she's not addressing Kurama specifically.
"No time passed." Kat murmurs as they step out; Yusuke and Kuwabara grumble, but Kurama and Sora are relieved.
"Can we just sneak out?" Kuwabara questions.
"Depends." Kimi replies shortly, her tone echoing Kat's.
"On...?"
Kimi, Artemis, and Kat pull up short as the air seems to thicken.
"What's-"
The ground begins to shake violently as skeleton arms burst forth, followed by the rest of the body.
"Oh my f-"
"Run." Kimi forcibly picks Touya up piggy-back style and takes off; everyone follows.
"Yuo slahl eb teean ot ysifats rou rguhne rfo hlefs." (You shall be eaten to satisfy our hunger for flesh.)
"What're they saying?" Yusuke hisses as they run.
"Damn...going further in...we're being herded..." Sora growls mentally.
"You don't want to know." Is the short reply.
0x0x0x0
"Any...idea...where...we are?" Kuwabara gasps out.
"Damn."
"What's that?" Sora asks; he does so despite already knowing.
"The Citadel." Kat replies.
"Great. Let's hope Youko left us something to work with..."
"What?" Kurama stares at Kimi.
"It's not 'the Citadel'. It's Youko's Citadel." The bluette replies. "And it's lookes like that's where we're..."
"Being herded."
"Pretty much."
"Yhe! Ew wree lnoy ginokj!" (Hey! We were only joking!)
"Yhea igrth!" Kimi yells over her shoulder. (Yeah right.)
"Ienn! Sti hte snrepaticp!" (Nien! Its the apprentices!)
"Hwo hte lehl rea uyo ginktal, uyo ginkfuc ketolens?" (How the hell are you talking, you fucking skeletons?)
"Mi gimca, uyo ginkfuc dotii!" (I'm magic, you fucking idiot!)
Kat turns exasperatedly and casts a spell; the skeletons now look as they did when they were alive.
Kimi stops, places Touya down and hurtles herself into the group; she sends most flying.
"Wo." They all grumble afterwards. (Ow.)
"No nerves, idiots." Kat mutters. "Why were you looney toons chasing us, anyway?"
"We wanted to hear about your trip." Kimi translates for the group. "Y'all do know you've been dead for over 300 years, right?"
"Shouldn't we be running from the dead skeletons?" Kuwabara shouts.
Angry mutters come from said skeletons.
The bluette shoots him an acidic look as the apprentices bombard her with questions. Growling at them to shut up, she finds the string on her binding and tugs. The apprentices are convinced, but smirk-and the pummeling resumes.
"Are you done cavorting with the skeletons?" Kat comments offhandedly as Kimi retightens her bindings. They all smirk; one of them shouts something that causes Kimi to twitch.
"I will kill them later." She announces flatly. "Anyway, let's get the h-" The ice demoness breaks off, swearing in the foreign tongue.
"There are other skeletons." Kat translates; the skeletons all try to speak at the same time.
"Citadel's your best bet?" Sora questions when they finish; he is unsure if he translated correctly.
"Not the-" Kimi breaks off again at the chorus of nods. They bow to her and Kat before charging at the other skeletons marching into view.
"Now I've seen everything." Artemis mutters as everyone else gapes after them.
0x0x0x0
"What're we looking for, exactly?" Kurama questions as they cautiously poke their way through the numerous floors of the citadel. He feels rather...odd. The place screams familiarity, but he does not recall ever having been here, let alone living here. Every so often, there's a clear flash of recognition, but when he tries to focus on it, it disappears. The fox demon is very edgy and uncomfortable.
Sora is too wrapped up in enjoying being in a very familiar place. "Something to help..." He replies before he prods a couch that appears to be breathing. The boy yanks his hand away as an audible "click" is heard; a pair of teeth are clenched where his fingers were.
"This is a waste of time..." Yusuke mutters; Kuwabara sullenly agrees.
"Wh..." The human redhead's voice dies in his throat as he stares at the door that seems to have appeared from nowhere.
"That leads down; we want up." Kat remarks absently.
Yusuke kicks the biting couch. "Like we're ever going..." He trails off as it slides aside to reveal a ladder.
0x0x0x0
"Now we are...?" Kuwabara groans.
"In the lair of the beast." Kimi mutters, drawing a pair of rolled eyes from Touya (who she has resumed assisting) and a smirk from Artemis.
"There." Kat tugs on a blue book; the book case is whisked aside to reveal a door. "Shall we?"
"I think I liked downstairs better..." Yusuke grumbles as he eyes the trophies that litter the walls.
"The area where the artifacts are is beyond this passage..." The brunette states.
"Then let's keep moving." Sora suggests. All do, including the extremely silent Kurama and the normally reserved Hiei.
"Whoa!"
Most gape at the piles upon piles of artifacts.
"Hello, thief king's lair. You were expecting...?" Kat and Kimi grumble in unison as they continue to search.
"So what're we-"
A loud crunching noise is heard from downstairs.
Kurama ignores everyone's reactions and picks up an artifact that draws his attention. It begins to glow as the door breaks open.
0x0x0x0
"Welcome back to the land of the living." A droll voice comments.
Kurama opens his eyes to find that he is back at the dojo. The sense of disconnected recollection and of partially belonging is gone.
"I could tell you it was all a dream." Kimi sighs. "But then I'd be lying..."
"So..."
"So you nearly killed yourself activating that. Your mom thinks you've been at a special camp for the academically gifted. Koenma managed to falsify the papers so well that Meiou's given you the rest of the year off. Ditto for Sora and myself...well, at least no one's expected to show up. We still have to do class work..."
"Why are you here?"
"I'm on probation. Apparently everyone believes that it's my fault you picked up the damned artifact. Sure, it got us outta there; prolly saved our lives...but 'cuz it nearly killed you, I'm getting crucified for it. Fucking Spirit World for ya..." She mutters. "Anyway, deal was, I kept you from slippin' into a coma, I'd get a month to do whatever I damn well please, no questions asked."
"So you're going to leave Artemis to my tender mercies?" He knows he's needling her and, in his present state, it will be rather easy for her to kill him if she is so inclined.
"She's temporarily taking my place." The girl snaps, finally turning to face him. "You fuck with her, you're back on probation."
"What? Koenma-"
"He knows all about her. Don't believe me? Guess what...I don't care. You go on being a prick. I've got better things to do that get into pissing matches with you."
He ignores that and frowns. "What's with the bandages?"
"They're called 'bindings', moron." The bluette retorts, crossing her arms over her chest self consciously.
It is then he notices the bandages peeking out from the v-neck of her shirt. "I meant the ones around your eyes."
"I melted my contacts to my eyes. 'Til they're healed again, the bandages stay." She mutters, turning away again.
"Where are you going?" A sick feeling is settling on Kurama's stomach. Despite his irritation with her, he has the sudden feeling that things will be even worse if the temperamental demoness leaves.
"Anywhere but here."
0x0x0x0
"Good to see ya up'n moving." Sora grins as he enters with lunch on a tray. "I know this doesn't look good but it's the doctor's-not Kimi's-orders."
The fox demon dispiritedly pokes the lumps on his plate. "What was this?"
That earns him a laugh. "I'm not entirely sure."
He straightens. "She already left?"
"Yep." There is silence for a few moments. "Didja hear Artemis is joining the team?"
Frost enters his tone. "Yes."
"Oh..." The bat demon fidgets slightly. "Yusuke and Kuwabara have to go to school, still."
"How is it that we got out?" Kurama questions, not trusting Kimi's explanation.
"Koenma falsified a buncha paper work...said we were at some academically gifted camp..." He sighs. "Not that I'll miss school, what with the work being sent here..."
The redhead is suspicious; the wording of their explanations is similar. "Did she tell you to say this?"
"The only thing Kimi said to any of us, save Artemis, was 'bye'."
0x0x0x0
It takes me weeks, but I finally learn how to code a web page. Mine is simple, with a black background, blue text and a curser that is an animated blue flame. Kurai mocks me for it, but I do not care.
I click my inbox and find a comment.
I open it...and find out that it's Kurai, who's decided that ribbing me in person has lost it's entertainment. I click the 'delete' button and close my web page. I'll check it tomorrow for real messages.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Sorry about the uberlate update. I got a little too wrapped up in writing the story. (A.k.a. - I write this story in my notebook, then type it up. Woo.) I tried to make it twice as long to make up for it.
Enjoy.
I will try to post early next weekend.
Emma