Chapter 14 yay! Enjoy!
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Chapter 14
Another roar echoed towards Mickey-Jo and Hiei. In a flash the fire demon had his bandana ripped off his forehead and his Jagan Eye glowed brightly. He sent his awareness forward and grimaced at what he saw. He turned around quickly and headed back the way they came. Confused Mickey-Jo stumbled after him.
"Hey! Wait up!" She called.
"Hurry up, human!" Hiei yelled over his shoulder. They had to get to a more open space where they could make a stand. He looked back and saw her struggling, panting and wheezing and holding her side.
"Keep Mickey-Jo safe." Kurama's words echoed in his mind. Snarling to himself, Hiei dashed back to the girl and roughly tossed her on his back. He ignored the disgusted prickling of his skin at having to hand-hold a human. Thankfully though, after her small cry of surprise, Mickey-Jo didn't say a word, only held on.
Hiei moved fast, Mickey-Jo noted, and he was very strong. The tunnel passed in a blur. In self-preservation, she gripped him tighter. Her prejudiced sensibilities screamed at being thrown about like a sack of feed by a demon, but thankfully her mind knew when imminent death called for desperate measures. She ducked her head against the back of his neck, absently her brain noticed he smelled faintly of wood smoke, and tried to ignore the spreading fire in her lungs and around her chest. It was getting to hard to breathe.
At last they reached a large cavern they had passed through a while earlier. Hiei dumped his human burden to the ground and drew his sword. He gathered his energy about him and took a deep breath. Mickey-Jo got to her feet slowly and stared at Hiei nervously.
"What's comin'?" she asked.
"What attacks do you have?" he deflected her question.
"Uh.. my rope, crossbow, and knife," Mickey-Jo said slowly, "And I ain't got 'em on me."
The growl that came from Hiei's mouth made her hair stand on end. She must never forget she was dealing with a demon, a strong one at that, one her barely stood her. Well, she could barely stand him herself, but she was way outclassed and outmatched. Hiei could kill her between one breath and the next.
"You don't… have any… attacks?" Hiei hissed through clenched teeth. He glared at her over his shoulder. "What good are you?!"
Mickey-Jo's jaw gaped open, affronted. "I never knew my magic could be used fer nothin like'is! I only found out 'bout that when Kurama told me!"
Only his reserves of strength kept Hiei from cutting her head off right then. Of all the stupid, pathetic, completely human things to do. Not bothering to formulate any Spirit attacks? Relying on weapons that could be separated from you and destroyed? Ridiculous!
"You're no help to me. You'll only get in the way. Kurama charged me with keeping you alive, so hide behind something and stay there!" he yelled at her.
The renewed shaking of the ground beneath her feet cut off my smart-ass remark from the cowgirl. She limped over to a crevice in the wall and tucked herself in nice and tight. With wide eyes she watched Hiei prepare to face whatever was coming out of the tunnel. His third eye set into his forehead glowed evilly. A feral grin came over his mouth as he took his stance. Hiei was frightening in his confidence.
For some reason, she found herself praying to whatever god was listened to keep him safe from harm.
Rocks burst from the tunnel, barely missing the fire demon. A huge centipede looking creature burst from the hole, rising up toward the ceiling of the cavern like a giant snake. It had huge pincers, dozens of beady black eyes, and hundreds of legs ending in sharp points that looked deadly enough to stab right through flesh. It was milky white with a pearlescent sheen. Veins of blue and grey traveled down the creature's body. In a way, it was beautiful. Well, she thought it was beautiful until the demon centipede started striking at Hiei. Pincers opened up to reveal a circular mouth riddled with all different sizes of teeth, dripping glowing white saliva. It hissed and spittle flew, smoke rising from where it landed. A drop fell right in front of her crevice and she watched in fascinated horror as the spittle ate through the rock, bubbling and smoking.
Please God, or whoever. Don't let the demon-spit die! Mickey-Jo preyed silently.
She stuffed a fist in her mouth to keep from crying out when the centipede crashed down, what looked like, right on top of Hiei. Rocks and dust flew out in a wave from where the creature landed. It raised its upper body from the ground, whistling and screeching angrily. Its massive head tossed and its body flailed around. It kept jerking in what looked like random places, screaming and spraying its acidic spit all over the cave. Mickey-Jo still couldn't see Hiei.
There! A blur of black, the glint of shiny steel. Small holes appeared in the centipede's body and glowing blue ichor pumped sluggishly from the wounds. The monster screamed in rage, making Mickey-Jo cover her ears against the piercing sound. It almost sounded like the T-Rex from the Jurassic Park movie, except much more hair-splitting, and a lot louder than the Bose surround-sound system she used to have at home. She watched the monster flail around, trying to catch the fire-demon, but being just a second behind him.
Obviously Hiei was much stronger and faster than the creature but its body was so massive his sword was nothing more than a toothpick, a painful annoyance. Seemingly wising up to Hiei's strategy, the monster dove towards the wall in a flash. Dust and rocks rained down when it hit. Mickey-Jo saw Hiei pinned to the wall of the cavern. His feet were splayed out, pushing against the insides of the pincers, effectively keeping the other demon from eating him. She heard the echoes of his voice and suddenly saw a spiral of flame erupt from his fist. The flames surrounded the centipede's head and it flung itself back, screeching and writhing. Hiei landed elegantly on his feet, sword at the ready, not taking any chances.
The flames spread down the creature's body, effectively engulfing it. Mickey-Jo drew her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, wrapping her arms over her head. The death shrieks of the centipede demon were horrible. At last it stopped moving and fell silent. Hiei flicked his sword to remove the blood of the demon. He would have to clean it later. With a metallic ring, he sheathed it again and walked to where Mickey-Jo was.
"We need to move," he said tonelessly. "There's no telling how many more demons you drew to us."
Kurama stood in the rubble of the cream colored gate staring into the compound in slight confusion. The demons here went on about their business, attending to the gardens, sweeping, carrying on like nothing happened. A female came up to them, clothed in what resembled a belly-dancer's outfit. Her pale white skin almost gave off a glow in the waning sunlight. She smiled warmly as she reached them.
"Hello. My mistress is out for the moment," She gestured to the palace behind her. "Can I see you to a sitting room? She will be back shortly."
The three boys exchanged wary glances. Did they not know their mistress was just killed? Surely they saw and felt the fight that happened not a mile away from the compound.
The demon's smile never faltered, her serene gaze never left Kurama's eyes. As he searched those tranquil blue eyes, he noticed a vague blankness behind it. Something was not right.
"Yes, please," Kurama answered. He ignored the startled looks from Yusuke and Kuwabara. Getting into the compound was the next step on the agenda. Maybe they could find someone who wasn't under this heavy delusion.
Not surprisingly, they were led into a different receiving room than the one they used before. Gala had destroyed the other room when Kurama had tried to calm her down. This room was decorated in blue and silver. The demon girl pointed out the low silk couches and bade them sit.
"A servant will be along shortly with refreshments. Please, ease your feet for a moment. I am sure my mistress will return within a moment." She glided from the room.
Yusuke sat back against the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. "Ok, anyone else think something definitely creepy is going on here?"
Kuwabara nodded. "It's like they're all in a bubble. The crazy cat lady blew up her own gate, but it's like they didn't even notice."
Kurama looked around the opulent room. Gala was always one for flair. She also had quite a skill for manipulation. Apparently, her skill had grown quite a bit since their last encounter. "Gala has always been a skilled manipulator," he told them. "I didn't think she had developed this much skill though."
Yusuke shook his head. "This seems more than just strict manipulation though, Kurama. These servants of hers are completely oblivious. That yells of mind-control."
The redhead stared at the wall in thought. "She never had good mind-control powers. Her skill was in turning her ideas to make the other party think it was their idea. The basic form of manipulation. With her…assets… she found much success."
The door opened again, admitting another demon girl with snow white skin. Her horns curled attractively around her pointed ears and were adorned with strings of gems and roses. In her arms was a tray laden with drinks and finger foods. The same fare they had been fed the previous time. This demon also had the vague blankness in her eyes, unaware that Gala had been killed, and a large destructive fight had occurred right outside of the compound. She smiled warmly at the boys, Kurama in particular. After bending over in just the right way to place the tray of the table, she pointedly asked if they required any other services. The girl left visibly disappointed when they all pointedly declined.
A few minutes had passed, no one had spoken, each left to their own thoughts. It was actually nice for them to be able to sit and relax for a spell after the nerve-wracking fight with Gala. Lightning was never a fun thing to encounter.
Muddled thumping behind the wall drew the three to their feet. Yusuke moved closer to the wall, finger at the ready. A panel swung open swiftly.
"Put your finger away, boy. " A gravelly voice said. "Nothing here is going to harm you anymore."
Yusuke leveled his glowing finger at the dark recess in the wall is defiance. "How about you come out of there and we'll see about it?"
"As you wish." The voice answered. A hunched, pale-skinned, weathered looking demon stepped from the shadows. His skin was a pale grey like the moon, his horns grew from the front of his forehead and curved back over the crown of his head, flipping up at the end. Long scars marked his chest and arms. They had been very deep wounds, giving the puckering and stretching of the skin. He eyes them with one wide, silvery eye. The other stared blankly forward, a thick film of milky white obscuring the pupil.
"I knew you'd be back," the demon said, thumping over to the table. Half of one leg was a stump of wood. His back was littered with more scars. "When I saw the mistress leave in a rage after your group, I knew you'd be back soon."
The three boys met gazes. Someone who wasn't under the strange influence!
"So you know what's going on?" Yusuke asked the strange demon.
"Eh?" the demon asked around a mouthful of cake. "Speak up, I can't hear as well as I used to."
Kurama studied the demon closely. He caught a knowing gaze from the one good eye and surprise widened his own green ones.
"Daisuke," the fox whispered softly.
Daisuke's mouth lifted in a slight grin. "Hello Kurama. It's been a while."
"What happened to you?"
"The mistress is a temperamental one, much like the cats of Human World. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time more than once." Daisuke stuffed more cakes in his mouth. "I hardly ever get these." He mumbled. "She never liked me out in the open since…" he gestured to his body. "Even though it was her fault.."
"So you know his Kurama?" Kuwabara asked.
"Yes," Kurama nodded. "When I was associated with Gala as Youko, Daisuke was her favorite…uh… servant."
The scarred demon grimaced. "It was when you left She started in on me."
"Then you understand why I had to leave."
Daisuke shook his head ruefully. "I don't blame you for leaving Her, Master Fox, she was steadily becoming unstable even before you showed up."
Kurama walked back to his couch and sat down. Yusuke and Kuwabara followed his example. "Daisuke," the redhead asked. "Can you explain to us what's going on?"
The pale demon took a mug of whatever steaming liquid the other had brought, a handful more of the small cakes, and sat down. "Yes. I know what's going on. And I know how to stop it. She has a Gaija Stone."
"What is a Gaija Stone?" Kuwabara asked. He stared rudely at the scars littering Daisuke's form. Yusuke elbowed him hard to make him stop.
"A Gaija Stone," Kurama said slowly with a touch of disbelief, "That explains a lot, actually. It is essentially a mind-controlling stone. Those introduced to the stone by its user basically become shells with no real thought. They are extremely rare, and very hard to destroy. It fits what we've seen in the demons here so far." He turned to Daisuke. "How did you escape the influence?"
"When She scarred me it woke me up. She was not the kind, loving mistress I had thought. She was unstable, immature, greedy and grasping. And don't forget delusional. I don't know why it woke me up, but she never caught on, and I was never re-introduced to the Stone."
"Wait," Yusuke said, "Should we really destroy the stone? I mean, these demons look happy living in their false world. It just seems sorta wrong to take that away from them."
Daisuke fixed the Spirit Detective with a look that almost qualified as a glare. "The demons here are captives, taken from our home deep in the mountain and forced to work with a smile and a laugh. They have no choice."
Kurama straightened from his thought at "deep in the mountain." "Deep in the mountain?" he asked. "This mountain?"
"Of course."
Amazingly, Kuwabara caught on before Yusuke did. "Is there a way into the caves from this place? Two of our group fell during the …er.. fight."
Daisuke licked his clawed fingers, making sure every last crumb of cake was eaten. "Yes there is a cave entrance, human!" he sounded exasperated. "But first you have to destroy the Gaija Stone so my people will wake up from this sickening dream world and we can all return home." His one good eye fixated on Kurama. The redhead's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do not refuse this."
"You will lead us down through the caves to find our friends?" Kurama asked.
"Yes. I promise. Just set my people free."
"Yusuke?" Kurama looked to the boy, who shrugged.
"I don't think we'll be able to find the caves ourselves," Yusuke shrugged, "Let's help these guys go home. We'll find Hiei and MJ on the way."
End Chapter 14! I totally just pulled a Gaija Stone from NothingLand. Ssshhhh, don't tell anyone. It fits, so it gets put in. And I DID say slightly AU in the beginning. :)
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