Chapter 15 up! Hope you enjoy this one!
Again thanks so much to my reviewers, favers and followers. XOXO
Chapter 15
Daisuke led them back through the hidden passage in the walls deep into the bowels of the palace. They passed more pale, misshapen demons along the way. Each had some sort of deformity, or scars, or were short in stature, or just weren't as "pretty" as the rest of the demons in the open areas of the compound.
They passed a small girl-demon with a twisted foot. She struggled along with a basket of linens, fierce concentration on her face. Daisuke noticed Kuwabara's angry expression and sighed.
"She did not like to look at anything that did not meet her standards of beauty. The attractive ones are put to work in the light, while the others are hidden away like something shameful." He murmured to the human.
"Why did she take your people? I thought Gala had good relations with the mountain dwellers?" Kurama asked.
Daisuke shook his head. "We did at one point. She protected us from the monsters in the tunnels, and we provided her with the gems and silks from the Yula worms. That was enough, for a while. She began to get greedy, and expanded her compound and needed more servants. Some of our young were glad to go, to get out of the recesses of the mountain and be out in the open. But still She wanted more. There were no more volunteers, so she started threatening. Somehow or another she got the Gaija stone, and took the prettiest of our young with her. Yet still, she wanted more." Daisuke sighed. "We tried to rise up against her. She was too strong."
Kurama's gaze was sympathetic as he looked at the demon's back. "We will do everything we can to free your people."
Daisuke leveled a mournful look on the redhead. "It will take more than just destroying the Gaija Stone. When She took the young ones, their mothers and fathers wasted away, torn apart from the inside by anguish. The young ones here now have no idea their parents are gone. We will need a long time to heal."
Their mothers and fathers wasted away, torn apart from the inside by anguish.
That phrase repeated itself in Kurama's head. Their mothers and fathers wasted away, torn apart from the inside by anguish. For some reason, that stuck with him. He empathized from his dealings with Yusuke when he died and watched his mother grieve, and from his own attempt to take his life in exchange for his mothers.
"Wait!" Kurama said suddenly. "Mickey-Jo!"
Yusuke stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "We're going to rescue them Kurama. She's safe with Hiei, as long as he doesn't cut her head off himself."
"No Yusuke," the redhead shook his head. "Mickey-Jo said her son's soul was taken, after he had already died. She was already suffering because her child was gone, compounded by the fact it was her fault."
Kuwabara looked uneasy. "I wouldn't say it was her fault-"
"No, it was her fault," Kurama said sadly, "It was an accident, but one that could have easily been prevented. Anyway, her child was gone. Yusuke, remember how grieved your mother was when you died?"
Yusuke frowned. "Yea, I do. It wasn't pretty to watch."
"Exactly. Now think about this. Her son, his soul has been taken by a demon. Now, this boy does not have a chance for peace, and she knows it."
"Oh man, that's rough." Kuwabara's face was crestfallen.
"This demon knows Mickey-Jo is tracking him, following him. She hides it well, but I can feel her sadness. This machine converts the tortured and anguished souls into physical force. So…" He paused, seeing if the others would catch on.
Yusuke was first, confusion quickly replaced by shock. "He's going to kill her."
Kurama nodded solemnly. "That's what I fear. He's been toying with her all this time. It makes me wonder how many young mothers he has done this too. Since he knows we are on his trail now, I fear this demon may try and escalate his plan and finish his designs sooner. Mickey-Jo has to go back to Human World, or preferably to Spirit World until we catch our quarry. No doubt this machine would get a great power boost from her soul. We do not need that."
"Let's hurry up then!" Yusuke cried. "Daisuke, we need to get to that Gaija stone now!"
"Do ya sense anythin'" Mickey-Jo asked Hiei. They had been walking for hours now. After the demon centipede had been dealt with, they retraced their steps and had been following that same tunnel. Her chest was on fire. Her ribs felt like there was a hot poker right underneath her breast. One rib was definitely broken. That healing powder she had taken worked well for the first few hours, but now she was feeling it wear off.
"No." Hiei said. He had been very tight-lipped with her. Even though there had been no more surprise attacks, no more strange demons charging them, he was still as aloof and curt as ever.
The tunnel widened suddenly into another cavern. It wasn't as big as where they faced the centipede, but it was still very large. Hiei's flame light was eaten by the darkness.
Mickey-Jo's chest seized suddenly and she staggered against the wall of the cavern. "W-wait…. Hiei…. Stop…. Please…"
He turned around and glared at her. The light from his flame lit his face from the bottom like a child with a flashlight telling ghost stories. Mickey-Jo's eyes flicked here and there, trying to create demons from the shadows dancing from the scant light. She gripped her chest with one hand and wheezed, which quickly turned into a racking cough.
Hiei gritted his teeth. "We don't have time for your human weakness, girl. We have to get to the compound. Get up."
The cowgirls eyes widened at breath came even harder. She choked, her throat closing up. She slid down the wall in panic, clutching at her throat. She couldn't die this way! Jack still needed to be avenged. The demon needed to die. Her blood roared in her ears, cutting out Hiei's rageful yell. Through her darkening eyes she saw Hiei whirl around, sword drawn. A vague glowing figure appeared in her line of vision. Her eyes narrowed in an attempt to bring the figure in focus.
Spots danced as she grabbed a glimpse of the figure. Child-like in stature, glowing pale gray skin, like the moon. Budding horns grew from its forehead. Right before the blackness took over her, she saw Hiei lower his sword and turn to her.
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Waking up in a strange place, while it wasn't a new experience, was still irritating to Mickey-Jo. She slowly climbed up from the floating blackness into grounded clarity. The fire in her chest was lessened considerably, but there was a pressure over her nose and mouth. Breathing came easy though, so the pressure wasn't anything to be worried about. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to move her arms, getting nothing but slight shakes of her muscles in the process.
"Hush, little human," A silky smooth voice told her. "Hush now. You are not healed yet. Go back to sleep."
She was still very tired. A soft hand stroked her brow and petted her hair.
Jus' like momma used ta do…. She thought. She was so very tired still. Running with the spitfire demon through the tunnels with broken ribs sure took a lot out of her. The hand didn't stop its motherly caress, and she drifted back off into painless sleep.
The Gaija Stone was a beautiful, unflawed sapphire the size of Kurama's head. He stood in front of the stone, Rose Whip prepared. The thorns on his Demon World rose could cut through any material, gems included.
Yusuke lamented the loss of such a gem. "Do you know how much this would go for back home? It's bigger than the Millemium Sapphire!"
Kurama waved a hand at him. "Gems like this are found all the time in Demon World. Their only value is how much energy they can hold."
"Are you serious?! I could become rich! Where are these huge gems? I'm taking some home with me!"
"They are very far away from here, " Kurama chuckled. "Plus, they are impeccably guarded."
Yusuke stuffed his hands in his pockets, his mouth pulled down in a frown. "Why are they guarded so much if they're found all the time."
"Because, Yusuke," Kurama drew back his whip, ready to slice the stone in two, "They are valuable because they hold energy, like the Gaija Stone. Gems like these are very sought after."
He brought his arm down violently. There was a lound booming sound and a huge wave of energy. The four were flung up against the walls. As the white-hot flare of energy settled down, they saw the Gaija Stone was untouched, flawless.
Kurama narrowed his eyes. That should have split the stone in two. Nothing was a match for his Rose Whip thorns. They could slice through anything!
Daisuke rubbed his horns. "Eh…heh-heh… I may have forgotten to mention She had the best protections on the Stone."
"Don't you think you should have mentioned that before?" Yusuke growled. He picked himself off the ground.
"That would have been helpful, Daisuke…" Kurama murmured to the demon who looked at the ground in shame. "What kind of protections does she have?"
"I'm not sure," Daisuke didn't raise his eyes from the ground. "I was never allowed here."
"Let's just cut this thing!" Kuwabara unleashed his Spirit Sword.
"Wait, Kuwbara!" Kurama told the boy, "If my Rose Whip created that reaction from the Stone, think of what a Spirit Energy attack would do. We could all be killed."
"Oh, uh… I guess you're right." He lowered his arm. "So what do we do?"
Kurama studied the walls of the small room. They were carved with intricate rune-like drawings. He could feel the power from them. His graze traveled back to the stone and the pedestal it was on. Still more runes on the cream-colored marble the Gaija Stone sat on. His eyes narrowed. "Could it realy be that simple? Gala, you could have done better than this." He shook his head.
"What is it, Kurama? You figure it out?" Yusuke asked.
"I believe I have Yusuke." Kurama gestured to the walls. "These runes are to stop violence and to protect the contents inside this room. Same with the pedestal. There are none to prevent the taking of what they are there to protect."
Yusuke grinned wolfishly. "No problem for a thief right?"
"None at all." The redhead walked forward and placed his hands on the Gaija Stone. It pulsed slightly under his palms but otherwise remained still. Clearing his mind of all thoughts of violence, he gently lifted the sapphire from pearly pillow. His steps were careful as he turned and walked from the room. At the doorway, the walls flared, but died down as soon as stepped over the threshold.
Yusuke, Kuwabara and Daisuke followed him out. "Well that seems a little anti-climactic." Yusuke said.
"Mm-hmm." Kurama nodded. He paced swiftly down the hall to get outside where they could destroy this stone once and for all. "I am very surprised Gala did not put any better protections on it. Since it controlled her servants and through them, her livelihood, one would think it would be protected against thieves."
"She was always very overconfident. Believed she could take on any who came." Daisuke fixed a serious eye on Yusuke. "I'm very glad you put an end to her."
Outside in the waning sunlight, Kurama held the stone in one arm raised high above his head. The glittering starbust inside the crystal structure captured the light like a disco ball, painting blue reflections on the white stone of the courtyard.
"I still say we should keep it and sell it back home. I wouldn't have to work again!" Yusuke tried to convince the others.
"Whoever bought it would fall under the spell. Once a Gaija Stone is set with a certain spell, it cannot be taken away. The only way to rid the spell is to destroy the stone." Kurama took a huge leap into the air and hung for a split second before hurling the stone at the ground. The ground shook with the impact and the stone shattered into hundreds of pieces. A wave of bright light exploded from the crater and a force much like the one in the room swept back the party of four like a hurricane wind.
The light faded and the boys and demon picked themselves off the ground and dusted off. Daisuke quickly went over to one of the male demons who was rubbing his head with a confused look on his face.
"Raiku, are you alright?" Daisuke asked him softly.
"Daisuke? Where am I?" The younger demon asked. "How did I get here?"
"You've been under the control of Gala, my son." Daisuke answered with tears glimmering in his eyes. "She is no more."
As they hugged, more of the demons came out of the palace like it was their first time outside in years. The happiness evident on their faces made Kurama smile. They had done it.
Daisuke's face was wide with a smile when he turned back to the boys. "Now, let's get under the mountain and find your friends."
"She is breathing easy now. It shouldn't be long before she wakes. She will be disoriented and confused." A tall, pale-skinned woman with dark horns rose from Mickey-Jo's beside and leveled a hard look on the black-haired fire demon sitting in the corner. "Humans cannot breathe the air of the Makai without consequence. Why would you bring a human to our world, Hiei?"
"We are on a mission for Koenma." Hiei replied.
"That is no excuse." The woman said contempt. "Koenma should have known the human could not have survived here for long, even with protection from you. Simple being here put her at great risk."
Hiei didn't reply and the woman sighed. "When she does wake, make sure she keeps the breathing apparatus on. She cannot remove it now, or she will die."
The woman left with a swish of long, silken skirts. Hiei looked at the form of the sleeping cowgirl and sighed inwardly. Another setback. This was unfortunate.
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