Decisions


L.A.: Because I love you all and feel horrible about the long delay. I bring you the new chappie!

Amu: It's so shiny… and long…

L.A.: Yesh, it is amazing. I didn't write an extremely short chapter. Rejoice!

Spidey meets Wizard-Theif: Thanks for the review, you two. WT, are you hinting that you want Kurama to have a spirit beast? Ha, you will find out later who Akira is and if he is evil. And Spidey, you're right. The reaper is kind of like Creed. Great, my subconscious tricked me once again into using a character from another story.

Valinor's Twilight: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you are enjoying it.

Mēïkin: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying it. Yeah, I tend to like cliffies. They can be annoying but they keep you interested, right?

UpperClassK9: Thanks for the review! Akira, Akira. Who knows who Akira is? Oh, right I'm supposed to. (shifty eyes) Anyway, those are two logical possibilities or they could simply distrust them or a combination of both.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that although it was weird, it was still cool. I updated faster though. Aren't you proud?

Michelle: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (is too lazy to come up with anything witty)


Words could not describe how Sira was feeling right now. She was stunned to say the least. Here she was standing with a…dream reaper as it called itself and given the possibility to go home yet she found herself hesitant and unsure.

"This isn't real," Sira said as she took a step back. "You're just a dream. A figment of my imagination."

The reaper chuckled at this. "You want to talk about dreams." It motioned to the room. "Take a look around you."

Sira frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't honestly believe you were in the yu yu hakusho world, did you?" She saw a flash of razor sharp teeth as the creature continued. "You remember the mall, don't you? Well, you were in an accident. You are currently in the hospital and have been in a coma for two months."

She was dully aware of the heart monitor once more.

"This world, this yu yu hakusho world, is something your mind created" The reaper said. "None of it is real."

"But how are you here?" Sira asked.

"I'm not," the reaper said. "I'm just the part of you that wants to wake up already." It drifted closer to her. "So why don't you wake up?"


In the back of Tori's mind, she knew she was in danger. This mist that appeared out of nowhere seemed to be confusing her. Even so, she found herself seriously considering Etheria's offer. It would be nice to forget the pain. Forget that she actually fell in love with a character from an anime.

"Tori you must listen to me," a voice called out to her. "This creature isn't what she seems."

But I don't want to be here anymore, Tori thought. Maybe I should let it all go. The mist whipped up around her. It wrapped around her ankles and forced its way down her mouth. Maybe I should just let myself fade away.

A sharp pain in her ankle snapped her out of her stupor. Looking down, she saw Akira biting her.

"What are you doing?" Tori asked. Her eyes widened as she realized the predicament she was in. "What am I doing?"

"Well," Etheria said as she materialized through the midst. "Have you decided?"

"Yeah," Tori said as she scooped up Akira. "I'm getting the hell away from you."

Etheria's smile wavered. "What?"

"I don't know what this mist is but obviously you're using it to effect my judgment." Tori smirked. "But, it's not going to work on me."

Etheria let out an inhuman growl as her face contorted with anger. "You think you're so smart? You're by yourself. Just try and stop me."


"But how can this be?" Sira said. "With everything that has happened and Tori…"

"Is a figment of the real Tori," the Reaper said. "You wanted a friend, so you imagined her here."

Sira still couldn't believe that it was true. Everything had felt so real. Yet, what the dream reaper said did make sense. She was a writer after all and this all could be a product of her over active imagination. Still, a part of her wasn't sure.

"When one door closes," The reaper said as a door materialized on the wall beside it. "Another opens, they say. If you step through this door, you'll wake up at the hospital."

Sira hesitated. "B-but."

"Come on," the Reaper chided. "You don't expect to stay here forever?"

"Don't listen to it" a young child's voice said from behind her.

Glancing back, she saw Haku standing at the entrance to the room.

"Haku?" She said in disbelief. "You can talk?"

"Ignore him," The Reaper said. "That's just your fear talking." It held out a bony hand. "Come with me and everything will be alright."

"It's lying," Haku said. "All that has happened is real. You're not in a hospital. If you go through that door, you will die."

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing to her side, her eyes widened. "Hiei?"

"We need to go," Hiei said as he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the door. "Now."

"If you run," the Reaper said, its voice sounded eerie and cold. "I will make this painful."

"We're leaving," Hiei said with a hint of finality in his voice.

"Please," Haku whimpered. "Trust us."

The Reaper pulled out its scythe. "You are going back!"

With a tug from Hiei, Sira ran after Haku and him. They could hear the Reaper's howls as it chased after them.

Looking ahead, the hallway seemed to extend for forever.

"In here," Hiei said as he grabbed her and pulled her into a gap between the walls with Haku right behind them.

Due to the lack of space, Sira was inches from Hiei's face. She could already feel a blush rising.

"Stay quiet," Hiei said in her mind.

The Reaper had stopped where they were hiding. It glanced around before continuing onward.

Haku waited a couple of seconds before cautiously peeking out.

"Coast is clear," He said as Sira and Hiei followed him.

"How did you guys get here?" Sira asked. "Better yet, when did Haku learn to speak?"

Haku glanced up at her. "The real Haku can't speak. I can speak because your subconscious wants me too."

Sira frowned. "Wait that means…"

"We're figments of your imagination, idiot," Hiei said as he leaned against a wall.

"So, I subconsciously brought you here?" Sira said.

They nodded.

"I understand why Haku's here," She glanced at Hiei. "But why the hell would I want you here?"

"Perhaps you believe that I am more adept at fighting than the others or," He grinned. "You're a pervert."

She glared at him. "If you are my subconscious' doing then I command you to be nicer to me."

"Hn," He said.

"We're only acting the way your subconscious wants us to," Haku said. "But that's beside the point. We need to find a way out of here."

"How did we get here in the first place?" Sira asked.

"We only know what you know," Hiei said.

"Well, you two are a bunch of help," Sira sighed. "So, how do we get out of here?"


Tori really hated how she kept falling into the situations. Seriously, she had never been this danger prone before but it seemed that ever since Sira and she came to this world, they went from one dangerous situation to another.

Although the mist was annoying, it was giving Tori and Akira perfect coverage and a little extra time to escape. Not much though because she could already hear Etheria hot on their trail.

"We need some place to hide," Tori whispered.

Akira made a yipping sound as he pointed ahead. Squinting, Tori could barely make out a small hole in the ground that had recently been covered by grass. If Akira hadn't shown her, she would have missed it.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped into the hole. After rearranging the grass to cover the hole she scooted as far back as she could. Clutching Akira to her chest, they both quietly waited.

Faintly she could hear someone whistling a tune. It took her a moment to recognize it. Someone was whistling the tune to a hunting we will go.

"We'll catch a little fox," Etheria sang eerily. Her voice was louder which meant she was coming closer. "We'll put him in a box. We'll shake the box until his heart comes to a stop."

Tori shivered. She really didn't like Etheria's rendition of the childhood song.

"I know you're around here," Etheria said. "And I will find you." She began once more to whistle the tune.

Tori pulled Akira a little closer as she tried to ignore the sudden dread that filled her body.


Sira felt as if she had been walking for hours. The temple's corridors seemed to stretch endlessly with twists and curves. She stopped suddenly when her world lurched forward. A slight gasp escaped her throat as she pitched forward.

Haku and Hiei turned around at the noise. Hiei's face was expressionless while Haku looked worried.

"Are you okay?" Haku asked.

Sira felt panic rise within her as she realized her legs were numb. "I can't move my legs," Sira said as she felt herself begin to hyperventilate. "I'm paralyzed."

"You're not paralyzed," Hiei said as he glanced up at the ceiling. "But this isn't a good sign."

"We need to keep moving," Haku said.

"How?" Sira asked. "I can't walk." Her legs now felt like strange weights attached to her body. The disconnection she felt towards them was creeping her out.

Hiei let out a sigh. He grabbed her and slung her over his shoulders. "Don't fidget," Hiei said. "If you do I'll drop you."

Sira stuck out her tongue as she held on.

They continued onward in silence. Haku seemed to know what was going on so she let her mind drift…which led her to realize how close she was to Hiei.

Granted, Hiei had carried her before but that had been during life threatening situations where she was too focused on not dying to actually notice.

He was very warm. Of course, that was to be expected from a fire demon. She was surprised though to find that the warmth was comforting. She thought that his skin would be boiling hot to the touch. Plus, he had a nice smell. He smelled almost like burning cedar fire wood. If the real Hiei was anything like this one then she wouldn't mind being held more often.

Hiei smirked. "Feeling a little horny are you?"

Sira glared as her face turned a deep red. "I hate you with the intensity of a thousand burning suns! Now I will imagine you in a pink dress."

Nothing happened.

"Kiss my ass, subconscious. Kiss…my…ass…"


It had been ten minutes since Tori had heard anything outside of her hiding place. Deciding to check to see if it was safe, she shimmied out of her hole, Akira right at her heels.

The mist had cleared leaving behind a shimmery haze on the grass. She didn't see Etheria anywhere.

Something grabbed her hair and yanked hard. Glancing back, she was able to catch a glimpse of Etheria's sinister smile before she fell backwards.

"Lookie what I got," Etheria said as she grabbed Tori by the hair and began to drag her.

Tori yelled as she tried to claw at Etheria's hand. Akira nipped at her heels until Etheria got annoyed and kicked him aside.

A portal appeared before them. As Etheria dragged her towards it, she said. "It's time to go meet the master."

A fire ball shot past Etheria as a pod plant creature sprouted before her.

Hiei and Kurama had arrived. And they were pissed.


Sira was starting to feel sleepy. The fact that she was comfortable in Hiei's arms and the room was swirling and fading weren't helping her stay awake.

"Don't fall asleep," Hiei said.

"Mmm, what?" Sira asked sleepily.

"We're almost there," Haku said. "Just hold on."

Sira glared at him suspiciously. "How do you know how to get out of here?"

They stopped in front of a door. While everything around it was a dull gray color, the door was a glowing white.

"Okay," Sira said as Hiei sat her down. "I retract my question."

She crawled closer to examine the door. "We've got a problem though." She frowned. "There's no knob." She paused when she realized Hiei and Haku hadn't responded.

"Haku? Hiei?" Sira called as she glanced back. She froze. Hiei and Haku were gone and she was alone.


By the time Yusuke and Kuwabara arrived, Kurama and Hiei were in the processing of fighting Etheria. Tori was off to the side clutching Akira as she stared wide-eyed at the fight.

As Yusuke went to join the fight, Kuwabara ran over to Tori to see if she was alright.

"Tori?' Kuwabara asked hesitantly.

Tori's eye twitched. "That bitch grabbed my hair. I hope she dies."

Kuwabara sweatdropped. "Er, okay. You just sit there." He summoned his sword and charged into the fight.

Tori stood up on shaky legs as she watched the fight. Akira stood beside her making sure she wouldn't go into shock. Although everyone seemed to be trying to inflict damage on Etheria, it also seemed they were more trying to capture her. Tori frowned. Something was up. She just didn't know what it was.

Kurama summoned a vine while Etheria was distracted. It wrapped around her and dragged her to the ground.

"You will tell us what you did to Sira," Yusuke asked angrily as his spirit gun began to glow. "Or I blow your brains out."

Etheria grinned. "What's the matter? Is Sira out of sorts?" She yelped as Hiei burnt the ends of her hair.

"I'm not in the mood for your games," Hiei said as a fire ball flared menacingly in his hand.

Etheria sighed. "Oh, alright, if you must know, I put a dream reaper inside her." She giggled. "Hopefully she can escape it."

Hiei muttered a few choice words under his breath before flitting away.

Etheria let out a shriek as the vines suddenly squeezed her and pulled her underground. The plants were going to get another good meal.

Tori shivered at the thought. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing back, she saw Kurama looking at her with concern.

"Is Sira okay?" Tori asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"She'll be fine. She is strong," Kurama said. "Are you…"

He was cut off as she threw herself at him. Wrapping her arms around him, she said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Kurama smiled slightly as he hesitantly put his arms around her. "It's okay."

Tori shook her head. "No, it's not. I was angsting like a Mary Sue. How could I be so stupid?"

Kurama frowned. "I don't know who Mary Sue is but you're not stupid." He patted her head. "I think you're smart."

Tori pulled back. "You're only saying that to be nice." She glared playfully. "And I am not a dog."

"Never said you were," Kurama said. He frowned again as he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tori glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I am now." She could have sworn she saw him blush.


Sira was beginning to get agitated with the silence, loneliness, and the inability to walk. She tried several times to call out to Hiei and Haku but they never reappeared.

"Stupid Hiei. Stupid Haku." She glared at the door. "Stupid door with no knob." Glancing up at the ceiling, she yelled. "Stupid subconscious that is useless!"

"You are very loud," a voice said.

Sira froze as she saw the reaper materialize in front of her. "I'm not going with you." Sira asked as she backed up against the door.

"Oh really?" The reaper looked around. "By the way, where did the other two go?"

"None of your business," Sira muttered.

"Seems your subconscious failed," The reaper said.

"Shut up!"

"No matter," It continued as it brandished its scythe. "You're coming with me now."

"Tori? Haku?" Sira called out as she pushed herself as close as she could to the door. She hoped desperately somebody would come to her aid. "Kuwabara? Yusuke?"

The reaper raised its scythe over her head.

"Kurama?" She closed her eyes and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Hiei!" She felt the door give way behind her as she fell backwards. She could feel the swoosh of the scythe as it just barely missed her.

She woke seconds later as she sat up right. To her relief, she had feeling in her legs again. Looking around she found herself in her bed in the temple. "Am I dreaming?" She muttered.

She felt someone lightly hit her upside the head.

"No you're not, idiot," Hiei said as he glared her.

"Hiei?" Sira rubbed the back of her head and glared. "Ow, why did you do that?"

"For being stupid enough to let a dream reaper inside you," Hiei said as he walked out the door.

Sira stuck her tongue out. "Jerk."

Yukina came in moments later looking relieved. "Thank goodness you're awake. We weren't sure you were going to make it."

"What happened to me?" Sira asked.

"You had a dream reaper inside you," Yukina said as she pointed to a jar. Inside it was a black swirling blob. "We had to pull it out of you."

"That thing was inside me?" Sira asked as she shivered.

Yukina nodded. "Dream reapers attack you in your dreams. Once there, they slowly eat your soul away." Yukina sighed. "It was a good thing you were so strong. We were worried, Mr. Hiei especially. When he brought you in, he looked really angry."

Hiei worried about me? Sira thought as a slight blush crept up on her cheeks. That was ridiculous, she knew that. But still, why does that make me feel happy that he might have cared?


Akira slowly crept up to a rock near the temple. He looked around to make sure no one was around before turning his attention to the sky. "All the pieces are falling into place," he smiled. "Soon, they'll meet you face to face."


L.A.: And that is the end of this weird long chapter.

Amu: Congratulations for coming this far!

L.A.: Good news, from now on you will start to get answers! Yeah!

Amu: Since this story is 3/4 over.

L.A.: Gah! Don't remind me. (becomes depressed and huddles in corner)

Amu: Anywho, you know what to do. READ and REVIEW!