And we are back on a roll! Thanks to Just 2 Dream of You for the review on the latest chapter! No it doesn't seem like 2 years have gone by. I've missed MJ and the gang. :D Enjoy!
Chapter 19
Hiei was still. His eyes darted around trying to see something in the blackness. This sort of loose cannon emotional behavior is why he hated dealing with humans on principle with few exceptions. There was no telling when they might go crazy and pull something like this.
The Jagan glowed slightly and Hiei calmed his inner thoughts. Standing still and waiting was going to do no good. Yes, the human girl had found her center and was able to master some control over her mind, but she was still a rank beginner. Closing his eyes and let the Jagan spread its awareness. The darkness took on a negative relief, small eddies of power and thought from both Mickey-Jo and himself swayed like neon blue currents. A spot in the floor rippled like a stone dropped in a pond. That was where she decended, residual essense starting to fade. Keeping his eyes closed he moved over to the spot.
'I've got to find the girl and slap her out of this stupid display of emotion,' he thought, the jumped into the rippling spot.
Down, down, down. The sensation was almost like falling through thick liquid, slight pressure and reduced gravity. A slow descent rather than a full on drop. Black and neon blue flowed past his second sight, with the neon ropes getting thicker and thicker. His descent paused as his feet registered a change in the pressure and a breeze. Wringling a little, Hiei worked his body out of the mind-matter and dropped into what appeared like another memory. He looked up. A small hole slightly above his head puckered and disappeared.
The house from earlier memories sat like a old man resigned to his depreciation. The same sagging porch, peeling paint, shingles missing like a gap-toothed smile. One rusted truck sat covered in dust off to the side. Long grasses swayed in the breeze the color of hay. Behind it, a field and the start of a pine forest. Hiei made sure he was still in his own body before continuing up to the house. Mickey-Jo's essense surrounded the house.
Up the lopsided stairs and through the broken screen door. No sounds came from the living room Hiei entered, or the kitchen. He closed his eyes again and the negative relief from his Jagan took over. Mickey-Jo had gone up the stairs. A creak in the ceiling above his head confirmed that. The stairs squeaked and groaned as he ascended. Two doors down the hallway to the left, one on the right. The one on the right was his destination.
Mickey-Jo looked up from her seat on the bed as the door opened. She stared dispassionately at the fire demon as he stepped past the threshold. The picture in her hands crumbled as her fist tightened around it.
"Come to rip into me s'more, Hiei?" she near whispered.
Hiei leaned against the doorframe. "Not unless you've decided to actually put in the work to be able to succeed in your goals."
The beginnings of tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. "What's the use?" Her voice was toneless, bleak. "This whole rodeo has jus' been a huge came of cat and mouse. With me as the mouse."
"Your point, girl?"
Mickey-Jo swallowed thickly, willing herself to keep from leaking in front of the intimidating fire demon. "I ain't gonna be able to accomplish anything. I wasn't that strong in the beginning. This whole world has turned topsy-turvy and ever'thing I thought was real an' true was wrong."
Hiei's eyes narrowed and he took a few steps toward Mickey-Jo. "So you're just going to give up? Waste away inside your mind under some mountain in Demon World?"
"A girl knows when she's beaten."
She gasped and dove backward as Hiei appeared directly in front of her. Hiei's fist bunched in her shirt and jerked her back up. All three eyes of his flashed dangerously as his glare bored into her surprised eyes.
"You think you can just give up? Something gets hard and you find out the truth is a bitter pill so you just throw in the towel and decide not to even try? You're more pathetic than I thought."
She grabbed his wrist and upper arm and attempted to dislodge his hold. He held fast. "Nothing in this life is easy you stupid woman," Hiei continued, "Nothing worth having will fall into your lap. This is time that you decide who you really are."
Her lost expression made him loosen his grip slightly. He lowered his voice. "You picked up tricks and fancy presents from psychics all over the world. They apprently held some measure of faith in you. Are you going to let them down too?"
The tunnel angled sharply down in front of them. Daisuke studied the walls and ran gnarled fingers over the markings in the stone wall. He smiled and turned back to the group. "We are very close. These markings say the tunnel ahead is clear and gave updates to the nature of the traps ahead."
"Uh, traps?" Kuwabara asked. "Like what kind of traps?"
The old demon urged the group onward as he explained. "Oh the normal, manufactured cave ins, acid traps, the usual thing to deter the Ekrichii."
Kuwabara blanched. "Eh.. oh.. well.. You know how to get around those things right?"
"Of course. It's nothing. I helped design most of these traps."
"Ok. Cool."
Luckily for Kuwabara, the rest of the journey passed without incident, and only a little careful manuevering around the aforementioned booby traps. Thankfully, although some of the giant centipedes came marginally close, none followed or attacked. Light at the end of the tunnel grew from a pinpoint to a giant opening. Kuwabara and Yusuke were outwardly excited about getting out the confining tunnels. The air changed as they entered into a massive underground dome. The walls glittered with crystals of all colors set in the dark grey stone. At the top of the dome, impossibly high, was a source of light. It wasn't very bright, and put off no warmth. The crystals reflected the light all over the dome, making the underground city bright as if it was underneath an actual sun.
The boys gazed around the dome with open appreciation. In addition to the twinkling cavern walls, paths were carved into the ground, intricate patterns that led residents through buildings that looks like they grew from the stone itself. Laterns were evenly spaced at knee height along these paths, lighting the way. Soft angles, sloping roofs, fanciful carvings flooded their eyes. More of the crystals were set into the buildings as well, helping the pale light from above reach even the lowest cracks.
Daisuke looked like he was tearing up. "It's so.. it's so good to be home. Just a beautiful as I remembered. The jewel under the mountain."
A gong sounded three times from further inside the town. He waved his hand at the three boys and stepped on the carved pathway. "Come on, younglings, we've arrived just in time for the noon meal."
Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged looks. "Food? Hell yea! I'm starved!" the detective laughed. "Just lead the way, old man!"
Walking through the city was even more beautiful than just looking at it. Buildings got larger and more decorative as they moved towards the center of the city. They noticed a few of Daisuke's people. Paler than Daisuke from being perpeturally underground, they almost seemed to glow themselves. The clothing here was only marginally less fancy than those who worked at the palace, but thankfully more body areas were covered. They still favored the vibrant colors, gems, chains, and other adornments, it was just done more tastefully, in Kurama's opinion. Seeing the shocks of color against the dark grey of the natural stone was very pleasing to the eye.
Some of the villagers who spotted them raced ahead, most likely to inform whoever was in charge of their arrival. After a few minutes of walking they came out of the buildings and stood before a large town square. It resembled those of Earth. A large fountain made to resemble a waterfall was in the center. Steps were cut into the four-foot tall formation and a flat dias was on top, presumably for speakers an announcements. Tables were arranged around the fountain in broken circle. What looked like almost a hundred of Daisuke's people were already sitting down. Food covered the tables, and delicious smells wafted over to the group.
An older demon with a striking resemblance to Daisuke broke away from the group and approached them at a swift pace. "Brother! Praise be! You have returned!"
The two demons met in a large embrace with much laughter. "I am so relieved to see you and to be back home," Daisuke said softly.
"And I you!" his brother replied. "Come, come. We have much to discuss, I'm sure like last time you can't stay long."
"She has been slain, brother."
The other demon froze, slack-jawed. "You mean-?"
"Yes!" He gestured to Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. "Kurama and his friends have taken down our captor!"
Daisuke's brother let out an excited shout and threw his hands up in the air. The look he gave the boys was naked with gratitude and relief. "This is the most wonderous knews I've heard in an age. I don't know how we can repay you for what you've done. We are forever in your debt, warriors!"
Yusuke laugh was slightly uncomfortable. "Hey, it's no problem. She attacked us so things just kind of turned out that way."
"Either way, you've helped save our people. And I think you'll be happy to hear that two other travelers who I believe are part of your group are here as well."
That got their attention. "What, Hiei and MJ are here?" Kuwabara asked. "Well, where are they?"
The demon grimaced. "As of know they are in with our healer. The human woman was severely injured and had inhaled the Ekrichii spores. The other, Hiei, is with her. There have been.. certain complications.."
Kurama stepped forward. "What kind of complications? Please, take us to them."
"Yes, I'm sure you want to be certain of their condition. Hiei had suffered some minor injuries from battled one of the Ekrichii but nothing substantial. However, as of now..."
"What? Tell me what's happening." The fox demon's face was strained. He had a bad feeling creep down his spine.
"Well, it appears they are locked away, unconsious. Kama can tell you more. I'm not sure what's going on." The demon led them away from the square and the curious looks of the others gathered. What was a loud buzz of conversation had become a slight whisper as they watched the reunion.
'This does not bode well.' Kurama thought, 'Hopefully we can gather what exactly happened after they fell."
AN: The people under the mountain are definitely fancy people.
Can Hiei convince Mickey-Jo to keep fighting when she's feeling like everything is lost? Her whole world has been turned upside down and inside out since meeting our boys. Such a hard thing for our spitfire cowgirl to accept!
Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!
TTFN!
~Mezvers