Ride like the Wind
Chapter 7
And the morning came with birds chirping innocently. Today was the day El Diablo would come and something in Shuichi's head wouldn't let him forget it. ...Or that disturbing dream he had.
He found himself in the library that morning looking to see what was wrong with him. He had a feeling that...
It says I wanna get closer to Hiei. Shuichi thought. Well, how close do I want to get to him? Isn't it good enough now? Man, I'm confused...
"Hey, bookworm," Hiei's voice made him jump and Shuichi slammed the book shut as he thought It's bad enough that this dream's haunting me! I don't want him to know, too!
Hiei cocked an eyebrow. "What're you doing in the library this early in the morning? What're you reading anyway? H... Ho... How To..." He strained to read it. "Damn it. How to Introduce Your Drag... What the hell...?"
"Yeah..." He laughed, nervous. How was he not able to read that?
"I'll go wake Urameshi's lazy ass up. Be right back..." Hiei ran out, despite the glares of the librarian.
Well, that was a weird save...
---
Kuwabara just had to ask this after seeing Shuichi and Hiei stand next to each other after a few minutes. "Hey, why're you guys always together? Are ya'll gay with each other or something?"
"Hell and no," Hiei growled. "Aren't you exorcists supposed to be against that stuff anyway?"
"Yeah! I am!" Kuwabara shook a fist at him.
"I'm just used to waking up early..." Shuichi said.
"Unlike Yusuke's lazy ass," Hiei added.
"Whatever! I don't wake up at sunrise," Yusuke growled back.
"What do you expect? I'm a farmer."
Kuwabara froze. "Yee-haw... He's here..." And with more excitement, "HE'S HERE!"
The earth shook and the wind blew wildly. The dust cleared like a storm would calm. The horrible El Diablo...
"You mean to tell me... That El Diablo is... This little pink fuzz-ball!" YUsuke growled pointing to the little cat demon that was now rolling around in the dirt.
"It's cute... Too cute..." Hiei said with disgust.
"Whadya mean cute!" Kuwabara cried. "That's a horrible, terrible beast!"
"If you say so!" Yusuke yelled at him. "I can eat things like this for breakfast!"
"Well, isn't Gatos Feos living up to its name?" Hiei said against sarcastically and disgusted.
Just after that, El Diablo growled, a deep growled. The wind blew harder, harder! His eyes began to glow an ominous crimson. He began to look as if his skin was stretching... Then the skin tore off and then the real El Diablo appeared before them!
The real El Diablo stood at about Kuwabara's height on all fours. His blood red eyes were the size of baseballs. The razor sharp teeth poked out of his drooling mouth like swords, and those deadly looking claws were ready for another kill. It once golden fur was the color of old blood from so many kills.
"Holy crap!" Yusuke gasped. "This thing is the real El Diablo! A coyote demon!"
"See? What'd I tell you!" Kuwabara replied, starting to get irritated fast. "Spirit Sword!" Yellow Spirit Energy formed into a sword in Kuwabara stared.
Hiei reached for something and pointed an invisible gun at the demon. "Aw, crap!" He dodged the coyote's claws. "I forgot my gun at the casa!"
"Well, you should've stayed at the casa!" Yusuke argued, dodging another hit.
"Why didn't you stay at yours!"
"...Oh. You got me there."
"Rose Whip!" Shuichi was about to attack when El Diablo breathed fire and burned it. The red head stared at his charred whip. "That was... Unexpected."
Hiei pulled out his sword and looked around. " We need to kill it before it does a shape shift."
"Uh... Shape shift? I thought fox demons were the ones that did that..." Kuwabara sounded like he was whining.
"They're cousins by species," Shuichi explained. "Therefore, they would have similar traits by power. It makes sense, doesn't it?"
"Shuichi!" Hiei pointed behind the Californian.
"Uh...!" Shuichi turned slightly, but then Hiei pushed him out of the way only to get slashed across the chest and burned by the coyote's breath of fire.
"...Bastard!" Yusuke fired a Spirit Gun. "Damn it. He just died just like that..."
Hiei sat up. "It's nice that you feel bad about it, but... I'm still alive!"
"How were you...?" Yusuke rose his eyebrows in shock.
"You really are a demon, aren't you?" Kuwabara asked, his mouth agape.
"I'm a fire demon, Yusuke. Fire being the keyword," Hiei growled at the brunet, ignoring Kuwabara. Suddenly it hit him. "Where'd El Diablo go?"
"And for that matter," Kuwabara added. "Where'd Shuichi or whatever his was go?"
"Maybe he left when El Diablo decided to leave?" Yusuke suggested optimistically.
"Now'll be a good time to use this..." Hiei removed the bandana he wore on his forehead. IT was revealed that he had a third eye!
"One nasty zit..." Yusuke half-laughed.
"It's an eye. It's called a Jagan Eye..."
"O... Okay... That's a little more than creepy..." Yusuke's voice trailed on but Hiei didn't listen.
Okay, Shuichi. Let's see where you went and if you reveal what you are... Hiei thought.
---
Shuichi was grabbed onto El Diablo's back. He screamed when the coyote tried to throw him off. He clutched the coat that smelled deeply of old blood tighter. This is why I'll never become a horse tamer...
El Diablo rammed into some stones and stabbed himself on several cacti.
"I'd really hate to do this to a cousin but still Rose whip!" Shuichi managed to slash the coyote's side, but then Shuichi fell off.
El Diablo turned around, the drool running out of his grinning mouth like waterfalls. He charged for the kill. Oh, but...
"Stay back!" Shuichi's voice sounded... deeper. He cracked the whip and threw a rock which hit the coyote in the right eye. "If you dare show your ugly face in the Human Realm again... If you somehow live..."
"Youko Kurama...?" El Diablo's eyes widened in shock. He backed away. "No.. He's dead. You can't be...?"
"Or can I?"
"No..."
"Who tells you these lies? Did they kill me? I suppose not since I still live? Then the only one to tell is a liar, is it not?"
"No! I can't... I won't let myself get killed by a dead man!"
Shuichi rose an eyebrow in amusement. That was when the coyote saw his eyes weren't emerald anymore, but gold! "Die..."
A plant sprung out of the coyote's body.
"How sad. He should've noticed me put it in his wound before you were flung off. I wanted to toy with him before his fate was sealed by the death plant.
He stood over the demon and whispered ominously. "There is room for one demon thief in this world. Remember your killer's and the King of Thieves' name- Youko Kurama. Long live the king..."
"'Ey Minamino!" Hiei's rough voice called from the distance.
Shuichi turned around, his eyes turning emerald again. "Hiei? How'd you find me?"
"Hiei's freaky third eye," Yusuke answered bluntly.
"It's like witch craft!" Kuwabara cried. "Are you all witches or something? And where's El Diablo?"
"Easy, big guy."
Shuichi's mouth curved into a wry smile. "Oh a fox spirit came to my aid. He was skilled with plants." He jerked his head toward the corpse.
"And cacti," Hiei added, pointing to the needles stabbing into the Californian's sides. "The hell were you doing while he was helping you? A cactus dance?"
"Eeh..."
---
The night came again. Finally it was time to relax with the crickets chirping in the distance and the stars dancing to the music.
Shuichi was barely able to take the pain to write. Then Hiei came in the room.
"Can take your limbs but they won't stop you from writing. That's devotion," Hiei commented.
"You say I bother you. So be happy I'm not bugging you," Shuichi replied silently, more lost in thought than anything. I guess I do want to get closer to him, don't I...?
"Meh. I got used to your stupid questions."
"Where's Yusuke?"
"I think he's hiding from Kuwabara so he won't hear anything about witchcraft or demons. The guy's insane if you ask me. Some exorcist..." Hiei sighed. "They just get dumber and dumber."
"You said they were a town of cowards..." Just as Shuichi's pen touched the paper, a thought came to mind: Now that I'm stuck in a world with demons and exorcists... It's a great learning experience. That or it's a sign I have to go to church...
A voice echoed in the back of his mind Shuichi.
Hiei grunted, "Stupid exorcists."
End chapter 7
Notes:
1. Libraries- I'm not sure how libraries were set up back then but...
2.No, Shuichi does NOT have multiple personalties. Damned if he did.
Whew! My wrist hurts. Well, that's done. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you next week or whenever!
Review!