Ride like the Wind
Chapter 17
"Okay, so from what I understand, the empress has been predicting this whole thing from the start, am I right?" Kurama asked Koenma that morning to start conversation. The four had been walking in town for a while, and surprisingly, it had been completely silent.
"Well, not exactly. It depends on how you put 'from the start'. If you mean it as when Sensui took action, then the answer would be no. But if you mean his planning it out then…" Koenma sighed and poked the pacifier he had in his mouth.
"Well, don't leave us hanging on that. They said a few months ago. What's that gotta do with anything important?" Yusuke asked, making it sound more like a sarcastic statement than question.
"Yusuke, if you haven't already figured it out, then I fear for anyone who comes after you. The planning started… One week before the accusation of Kurama for the murder of Shinobu Sensui on March 12."
Kurama's eyes widened with shock. He already knew it, but hearing it from Koenma just made it sound ten times worse. "He faked his death so he could go to Japan…" And he felt the color fade from his face. "If Sensui's here in Kyoto… Then… Who's that buried in his grave…?"
Something flew by his face, grazing his cheek.
"The hell was that!" Yusuke growled and looked around.
Kuwabara pointed to a building. "The roof! There's a guy up there! I think he did somethin' weird!"
Everyone looked up to see that someone was standing on the roof, his hands still in a position like he just flicked something at someone. He looked to be Korean and about seventeen years old. He had raven hair that almost grew into his eyes. His eyes were narrow and violet that had a look like they were always aiming at something.
He stared at them, a smirk crossing his face. He seemed to be examining all their features down to the last hair.
"You're gonna regret that one, buddy…" Yusuke growled and got ready to fire his Spirit Gun when that guy disappeared. "Well, damn! I had the perfect aim, too!"
He turned to Kurama. "You all right, man?"
"No, Urameshi! He only appears to have his cheek bleeding but his heart exploded and his arms and legs were blown off, his face disappeared, and he's blind, deaf, and struck dumb!" Kuwabara shot back sarcastically.
"Shut up!"
"I can't help but feel that that was planned…" Kurama mumbled.
"What do you mean? Are you sure it's not paranoia?" Koenma asked.
"Well… It just seemed like it was planned. If it were already happening, people would be more tense and cautious. But look around us. It was like a normal day until he came."
"True. But that still can't be positive. This still could be a random attack."
"The only way it could be planned if they saw the future and I don't think they have those kinds of psychics on their side," Yusuke added.
Kuwabara looked back at the roof. Whoever this Sensui guy is, he's gotta be bad business. Man, this is getting weirder and weirder.
---
"I call a Constitution seven! Constitution seven!" Jin screamed at the bounty hunters and Zeru as he ran out of his house, waving his arms around like he was trying to fly or something.
"Jin! What the hell!" Hiei growled when Jin pounced on his, still screaming about the "Constitution seven". "It's not Constitution seven, it's amendment seven. And you're way off on that one. We're not talking civil suits here. We're talking searches and seizures."
"Wow, Hiei! You're smart!"
Hiei ignored the wind master. "What the hell are you idiots trying to do? If you're doing something stupid like gang raping him, them I'll have to kick your sorry asses."
"No, we're not doing anything insensible like that," Zeru spat at the smaller demon. "We asked him if he saw Shuichi Minamino and then he started yelling about how he wanted a Constitution seven. Just for the record, the Constitution is the law of the United States and not Mexico. How do you know them anyway?"
"One question at a time, asshole! I was adopted by John. He wanted to be a lawyer so he wanted me to learn stuff about law, too."
"Wow! JJ was a lawyer and a thief! That's weird! What kind of lawyer is a thief?" Jin broke into the conversation. (And the blonde bounty hunter grumbled under his breath, "All of them.")
"Okay, Jin. He gave up on that dream after he turned eighteen. And you for sheep of a false accusation, he ain't here so get your heads outta your asses and go the hell away so we can live in peace again! For all you know, he could be in Britain right now. So go on and terrorize the British!" And Hiei flipped them off to emphasize his point.
The brunet bounty hunter turned to the blonde one. "That was a pretty sharp kid, man. He might be right."
"Fine. Let's go. This guy's scary as hell!"
Zeru followed them, leaving Hiei a cold glare.
"Man, Hiei. You kinda gave it away that you knew Kurama…" Jin said as he started to float upside-down.
"Well, screw them. They're not bright so they probably are taking my word seriously. I know that exorcist and he knows me pretty well too. You know we go back. He knows I'm lying but his job is to exorcise Kurama if he doesn't give in. He can't say that I'm lying to them or not. Thank the government or whoever sent them for letting idiots take this job." Hiei turned his back to him as he said this. "If only there was some way to prove him innocent so we won't have to keep dealing with crap like this."
"Well… When you quit angsting, I got something for you that would make you feel a little better," Touya replied. He held a note to Hiei's face.
Hiei stared in disbelief. (Mostly because he was still trying to figure out how Touya could pop out of nowhere like that...) He snatched the note and read it through a few times.
"Can't doubt it. So what say you?"
"Hm. It's decided I think I'm going to America."
Touya smacked his forehead. Prepare for a looong argument, Touya.
---
"What're the odds? We come back and we go wandering around some more and we have to watch the princess. And someone tell me why it always has to be a freakin' princess! Why can't it ever be something cool like a knight or a samurai or a ninja?" Yusuke asked, more of a statement than a question.
"Frankly, Yusuke, I don't think a knight or a samurai or a ninja would look good as a damsel in distress," Kurama replied.
"Right. And then that guy'll come and start shooting at us and then she dies and we'll be screwed. IS THAT OUR FATE!"
"Stop! You're gonna jinx it!" Kuwabara yelled.
That's what we need to look for… Kurama looked through the crowd in search of that guy from before. But somehow, it felt like his mind was being probed…
A man that was nearby laughed in amusement. "That's what got you all so scared. The tunnel to Demon World?"
Did he just?
"Yeah, I did!" The guy smirked at them. "Name's Murota. A mind reader."
Yusuke eyed Murota's head. "Was it mind reading that made you have a weird shaped head or were you just dropped when you were a kid?"
He ignored Yusuke. He stood up and faced the five. "Y'see, I've always wanted to be a boxer and get all this fame."
"Please tell me that doesn't require a weird shaped head."
"Y'know what, kid? Just shut up! I'm making a nice speech here! Anyways, so I'll score all these wins 'cause I'd read my opponent's moves before they make 'em."
"Y'mean you'll cheat? That ain't very admirable…" Kuwabara replied, shaking his head
"It's not cheating! It's an advantage! I think you should be praising me for my cleverness!" Murota shook his fist.
"Hold on!" The idea just came to Koenma… "You can read minds, right? So you can hear the thoughts of everyone around us, right?"
"Your point?"
"You didn't happen to hear anything else about Demon World, did you?"
"Not... Wait…It sounds like... Someone's gonna shoot someone… That girl? Someone gonna get the girl…?" He turned to Sayaka, who cocked her head questioningly.
The other four looked all over the roofs. But then something whacked Murota on the side of the head, knocking him out.
"That guy again? Where the hell…?" Yusuke shook it off. "The hell was that just now?"
"A rock. That guy was here, but he left before we could catch him. Damn." Koenma clutched the rock.
"Whoa, man! This is all going way too fast for me! What's going on?" Kuwabara asked. "And how the heck do we know that guy has a real power! He could just be saying that to sound cool."
"He's not lying." He threw the rock on the ground. "Damn… I knew it when we came here a few minutes ago. You all have a sixth sense so you sensed it, too. It was this feeling that we were walking into something. You know that weird chill? And after this performance, there's no doubt he can't be lying. It's a sign."
"A sign…? You mean…?" Kurama stopped when Koenma nodded.
Koenma sighed. "Well, boys, keep an eye on Sayaka because this is gonna be a long speech. Okay…" Another long sigh. "A tunnel to Demon World takes a toll on the Human World before it is fully opened. The reason why this kind of thing isn't happening now is because the tunnel doesn't have enough power to let stronger demons in. Those demons may try to come in but their energy would be too much for the tunnel to handle so an explosion may result, harming both the Human and Demon worlds. To prevent that from happening, I put up a barrier to block those demons from coming near the tunnel. But what's going on here would pretty much let the demons that come pass through my barrier in but the thousands and that's twice as bad as the explosion.
"There are four signs that the tunnel to Demon World is being screwed around with according to my father's research on Demon World. Stage one: A strange aura spreads around the area the tunnel is located and if it gets bad enough, this could spread around the world. This isn't as serious here because Japan is isolated, but if it were Europe or somewhere crowded like that then we'd have more tension. For now it's only around the island. Stage Two. Humans gain supernatural powers. This guy here is a good example of that one. I'm pretty sure by now that there's a lot of people in the area that found out about this one. Stage three. Low level demons spread around. So you're probably wondering why this one's in here if there's demons coming in here everyday. Well, it's a sure sign the tunnel's just about opened. There's more in Human World at that point. Now the last one is stage four. Demons that pass through my barrier are free to come. Basically all hell has broken loose. Those demons would take Japan all out in a few months' or a year's time. Not a nice place to be.
"Why we're making such a big deal about this one is because one tunnel affects the rest. You see, there are quite a few tunnels around the world. About one in each country. Hell, Hiei probably knows all the tunnels in the US. He came through one in Chicago and pretty much went through all the ones there are. He knows 'em up and down. But let's not get into that." He sighed again. "Our job is to stop it before stage four, but I'd really prefer it before stage three. It may be pushing it there… From now on, I want you guys to remember the goal. We are to protect the innocent from the hell the demons would bring to them. Once we're through with this mission, we're done with stuff this serious stuff. But even while we're facing Sensui, I want you to remember that if we screw up too bad we screw the whole world. You with me?"
There was a long silence as if the three took the words in.
"I'm an exorcist. This is my job, man. You expect any less?" Kuwabara finally replied to break the silence.
"Isn't that why we came from the start, man?" Yusuke added.
"Ready to take it all," Kurama said.
"Thanks… We all owe you one…" Koenma turned his back to them.
"Hey, I think there's something wrong with this man!" Sayaka waved her arms around as she watched Murota stir.
He mumbled as he regained consciousness. "What…? Seven…? Doctor, Sniper, Seaman, Gourmet, Game Master, gatekeeper, Dark Angel…?"
Yusuke gasped. "What was all that!"
---
"Jin wants to come," Jin said, only to be ignored. Touya and Hiei were too busy arguing to listen.
"You're planning on going alone?" Touya said almost sarcastically. ("Jin wants to go.") "You already have a bad reputation over there as it is and you go alone at the risk of getting your ass kicked." ("Jin wants to go.")
"Oh get over yourself. I'm not a goddamn kid anymore. I went alone when I was eighteen. Nothing happened. I got into one fight but it was the idiot who got his ass kicked. If someone asks who I am then I'll say Hiro or something," Hiei growled back, crossing his arms with a frown. ("Jin wants to go.")
"You're anti-social." ("Jin wants to go.")
"So? What about you?" ("Jin wants to go.")
"I'm a ninja. What do you expect?" ("Jin wants to go.")
"Uh… ("Jin wants to go.") Shut up, Jin! I know you wanna go but I ain't taking you!"
"But… Jin wants to go…" Jin whimpered, his eyes tearing. Long silence. "JINWANTSTOGOJINWANTSTOGOJINWANTSTOGOJINWANTSTOJINWANTSTOGO!" He started banging his fists on Hiei's head. ("Hey, it sounds hollow in there…" Touya smirked at his comment.)
"QUIT IT YOU LEPRECHAUN MONKEY!" Hiei screamed and tried to smack the wind master who flew away.
"BUT... JIN… WANTS… TO… GO!" He flew into the door only to get stuck. "ACK! HELP ME! I GOT STUCK TO THE DOOR! I KNEW I WAS GONNA GET STUCK AT HOME ONE DAY BUT NOT LIKE THIS! AND I'LL GET MARRIED AND EVERYONE WOULD SAY THERE GOES THE BOY WHO GOT STUCK TO THE DOOR AND… AND… GETMEOFFGETMEOFFGETMEOFF! I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN!"
"I always told you you should cut that thing off but did you listen? Or maybe I could get it over with and slice it off now…" Hiei pulled out his sword and grinned evilly at it.
"NOOO! IT'S A SYMBOL OF MY MANHOOD!" Jin waved his arms around. "If you chop my horn off, I'll become a… A… A… A woman!"
"Hiei, you're not really going to chop his horn off, are you? If you do, he won't be able to live it down or let you forget it… Besides that, I don't think Jin would look that good in a dress," Touya whispered to the smaller demon, his eye going into spasms.
"You have no sense of humor."
"Neither do you."
"Whatever. This happens all the time, remember? I dunno how you can forget. Anyway think about that while I get him out." He turned to the wind master. "Stay still. This would only hurt for a second…" Hiei kicked him in the stomach, knocking the air out of the wind master. "The deed is done!"
"Jin's free!" he cheered once he got his air back. "So… Can he go?"
"You know what? Fine! Just shut up! Touya, you'll come too since you're here bitching about how I can't go alone." Hiei sighed. "Okay we'll go to San Francisco…"
"We'll show the accusers Kurama's innocent! You're smart, Hiei!"
"Jin, use that lump in your head we call a brain. We can't go to the accusers 'cause we don't know who the asshole is. We could find Kurama's mom, give her the evidence and then she'll show them that note and then he's innocent. Kurama can go home. Problem solved. He'll live happily ever after. Then end or some shit like that."
"Why you wanna get rid of your boyfriend? Are you cheating on him?" Gasp! "Don't tell me you're not a virgin anymore!"
"You know I'm not."
"Oh yeah…" Jin jumped into the air with a loud giggle. "To America! Let's go, Touya! Let's go!" And he dragged the ninja by the arm and ran away.
Oh boy… Hiei thought sarcastically.
End chapter 17
Notes:
1. "…his arms and legs were blown off, his face disappeared, and he's blind, deaf, and struck dumb!" Kuwabara shot back sarcastically. - Reference to Johnny Got His Gun. The main character from what I've heard has his arms and legs blown off; he goes blind, deaf and is struck dumb. And he somehow lost his eyes mouth, nose, etc… I haven't read it but my sister has so I'll read it in my junior year. I'll tell you it's an anti-war novel, but we'll not get into that.
2. Boxing- Not sure if it existed in this time period, but I'm sure it is.
The part with Murota felt mildly rushed but it's because I did hyper editing on these chapters because these originally turned out weird. Yeah. I think I'll stop in the later chapters…
You know. I ran into some fanfic that was really great and everything but there was a part with Kuwabara and Mukuro and… (Okay, don't make me explain how that happened. We'll be cool if you don't.) I was reading this part and my stomach turned… It never happened to me before so I sat there and I was freaking out over my stomach turning over that. Honestly I don't mind pairings like that it's just… What're there kids gonna look like? Ignoring this….
And one last note, I hope one of you guys answers me. Okay it has nothing to do with this fanfic. You might be disappointed but, there's really nothing I have to ask from you that has to do with this fanfic except corrections on my Spanish and some places I can go to look for references. (I mean a website, people! Don't be smart and say the library.) I don't do the voting thing here but we'll not go into that. Okay, well I've been reading a whole bunch of fanfics and I came across some confusing stuff. Not Mukuro's hair color. That's resolved. I hear over here that Mukuro has no parents. All right. Now here comes the hard part. People B say she had parents and… Well, let's just say weird stuff went on between her and her father. Tell me, WHICH ONE IS IT! I must know… Well, on that note… (Answer me…)
Review please!