Ride like the Wind
Chapter 19

Chicago, Illinois January 13, 1839

BANG! went the door of the deserted inn when he kicked it open. "-ing people! The hell are these..." He knocked a chair over, "idiots now?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. "Should blow their damn brains out."

A rat clawed onto the chair and stared at him. He suddenly felt an impulse to shoot it. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the door swung open with a creak making fifteen year old Hiei jump.

"Whew! It's freezing out there!" John sighed as he wrung his sandy hair dry. "Hm? Oh. Hey, son. You're here early."

"That," the wind blew harder and calmed after a moment. "Told me to get my ass back here. Told me to keep a look out or some crap like that." Hiei flopped onto the stairs.

"Don't take it too hard, kid. They're just being hard on you because to them you're just a tag-along kid. They don't really think you're anything special. You just gotta prove you ain't your father's 'mess up'."

"Yeah, but can you blame 'em for calling me that? He doesn't remember which one of these women is my mom. I swear he's slept with every damn woman in the US. I wouldn't be surprised if he's done men."

"Come on Hiei. Let's be realistic here. He has some morals you know." John walked up the stairs. "Come on."

"But it's true," Hiei grumbled under his breath as he followed the thief.

John stopped at the door, his ocean eyes wide with fear. "What are you...?"

Hiei ran into the room and saw two guys with knives ready to attack. Hiei turned back to John and pointed his gun at him. "Die."

Just as John fell to the ground, Hiei turned back to the two men and killed them too. He stood over there bodies feeling pride well up in his heart. He turned round and saw that it wasn't John laying in a bloody mess on the floor... It was Kurama!

---

Hiei awoke in the middle of the night, finding he fell face flat on the floor. The hell was that just now! John... "What's wrong with me?"

---

"I was really scared there..." Ayame mumbled.

"Hey, at least I knew healing, right? You should be fully healed by the end of the week," Kurama said to her. "Might scar though..."

"I'll live."

"You know, you guys... I was gonna go out and slay some demons in a bit. You wanna come?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke stared at him, eyes wide as if trying to figure out whether the exorcist was serious or just trying to break the silence. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who said you could! You can't kill any demons in the condition you're in!"

"Yeah, well, who said I couldn't? Besides it was my left shoulder that got stabbed. It ain't gonna do me any real harm."

"So you're planning on going alone? You really need someone to hang out with you in case one of the seven shows up. You act tough but get whipped easily."

"Oh, lay off! Japan has a lot of demons, too! If I wanna be a good exorcist like my pa then I won't miss a good chance like this to slip! I'm not gonna screw up my life like I've always done, especially not my first screw up! I... I killed ma that way."

Long silence. Kurama whispered something to Eri.

Eri finally spoke. "I could come, Kuwabara! I know some spells too. I'm free today because Katsumi-senpai's with Sayaka-sama today!"

"She's volunteering to come with you," Kurama said.

"Well... I was gonna go like right now so..." Kurama translated this to Eri.

"Okay! Let's go then!" She followed him out.

"Well, there goes my dynamic part of the day. I'll hang around..." Yusuke walked out of the room.

"...Okay, Kurama. You're looking at me funny. What're you plotting?" Koenma asked the red head playfully.

"I have a few questions for you," he answered.

"Uh-oh. Saw this one coming." Sigh. "All right. Let's get this over with. Just do me a favor and don't get all bitchy like Yusuke and Kuwabara. Lord knows I have too many doses of that."

"You knew what was going on before it happened. You gave it away when you mentioned when the empress was having those strange dreams. Exactly how do you know Sensui?"

"Start with the hard questions. We met before." He saw Kurama knew there was a lot more to it than that. "You know Yusuke? When we met, he got into an accident. Well, he got up and walked away without a scratch. That was when I gave him the honor of working with me as a demon slayer. I know what you're thinking, 'What the hell does that have to do with anything?' Well, I kinda met Sensui in the same way. We were pretty much friends for a few years but then he left to California. Never saw him again until I heard a little birdie tell me what was going on in Demon World."

He opened up a book he brought with him on the trip. "My father was really interested in Demon World. He went there once and he got all these notes in this book. Supposedly he started having visions during his trip and wrote them in the last half of this book..." He flipped to the middle of the book. "These so-called wise men call it the Enma Omens. Take a look. You'll be surprised."

"'On the Opening of Demon World'," Kurama blinked twice. "'There will be seven powers- each from seven men. Two from America. One from Germany. One from Russia. One from Austria. One from France. One from Korea. Powers of seven... A fallen angel without wings, the devil that embraces him, water that feeds on the blood of his master, one that beds reality, one of a unsatisfiable hunger, one of a gunman, and one of a healer who harms." Sensui was American. I know that. Doctor was German. Sniper must be Korean. Doctor was the healer who harms. Sniper was the gunman...

"His predictions came true... That was how I knew the stages of the tunnel to Demon World... What a man my father was..."

So he did know... But he's still leaving out some details...

"It's going to rain..." Koenma mumbled under his breath.

---

"Hey, man! I didn't know you were here!" someone cried to Kuwabara. His friends also waved to the exorcist.

Kuwabara turned to the two. Huh? Okubo? Kirishima? Hey!" He gave the two a playful punch in the ribs. "What're ya'll doing here?"

"I'm with Kirishima. I just wanted to travel a while," Okubo answered.

"Ma's visiting her cousin. Dull as hell! I gotta escape her droning voice!" Kirishima half yelled to the world. "And you? What're you doin' in Japan? We thought you were in Texas."

"Something came up."

"Hm... How bout that girl you got with ya'll? She's pretty hot."

"...! It's not what you guys think! I needed somebody to come with me because these guys wouldn't leave me alone about going alone! Try saying that ten times fast!"

"Say what ya want. Heh heh heh..."

"Lay off, Kirishima," Okubo smacked him on the back of the head.

"All right..." Kirishima turned to Eri. "Howdy. I'm Kirishima. This here's Okubo. We was friends with Kuwabara when was in Texas."

Eri bowed and introduced herself. So then the two went off in a scatterbrained conversation.

"Should we consider it a good thing that we don't understand them?" Kuwabara asked.

"Very much," Okubo replied listening to them roaring with laughter.

"Oh, look at that guy. He has really pretty hair and eyes. Blonde..." Eri pointed out as someone walked on by.

"Oh. Wouldja look at that?" Kirishima looked at the person who passed them. "A blonde in Japan..."

"Well, I'll be the first and last you'll see..." He stopped and turned around to face them. (Kuwabara blinked. "A French accent?") "Aren't you glad it rained it rained today? Summer weather can be so unpredictable."

His aura... It's creepy. Kuwabara thought and he asked, "Who are you?"

"Seaman. Or that's what the psychics call me. My real name is Kyushi Mitarai."

"Seaman...?" Eri whimpered, sensing the aura, too.

That's right! Kuwabara gasped when remembered. Doctor, Sniper, Seaman , Gourmet, Game master, Gatekeeper, Dark Angel. "One of the seven, huh? Doesn't it bother you? What you're doing? Everybody's gonna die if you let the Tunnel to Demon World open."

"So?" He cocked his head as if wondering Kuwabara's point.

He's not showing any remorse! "What's wrong with you?"

"I want to cleanse the world of its sins. Humans are pure evil. They take but never give back. They have no guilt. Humans are the real monsters here!" He pulled a knife out of his pocket and stabbed his arm.

"You're psycho! You take an evil person to 'save' the other evil people!"

Suddenly something weird began to form as the water mixed with Mitarai's blood.

"You know. I really wouldn't want to fight with my hands and get them dirty. My blood mixed with mater makes these monsters. They'll be the judge of your fate!"

"NO!" Eri cast a spell on the monster but it didn't work. The monster swallowed her with its water body.

"Holy hell! What's going on here?" Kirishima cried just as the monster went for him.

"Let her go, punk!" Kuwabara threw a punch at the monster before it got Kirishima, but it sank into the ground. "Fine! If you won't give her back, I'll make your master do it!"

"Well, that's not right... If you're so noble, then why don't you care about the rest of your friends?" Mitarai grinned triumphantly.

"Wha...?' Kuwabara turned around to see the monster towering above him, Okubo and Kirishima also stuck inside it. "Let 'em go you sick bastard!" Kuwabara tried to smack Seaman but the monster flung him away.

So you're gonna play dirty, huh? Kuwabara jumped to his feet. "Come on and fight me like a man! Just leave my friends out of this!"

"Get over yourself! You're just trying to be a hero! You think you don't need them! You think you're the only one who deserves to live! Like Thomas Hobbes said, you're evil and now that you have the choice which one of you lives, you'll choose yourself! Humans are naturally bad! Admit it! Who knows, maybe I might let you live if you do!" I have him wrapped around my finger...

"Sorry, I didn't support Hobbes. I'm more for Locke. This is where you're wrong, man. If it's just about you, then there's nothing to live for. You live for everyone you care for. I'm not... I'm not gonna let you rule how I'm gonna rule my life! Ma won't let me after she died for me!"

You live for others..? The fool. I thought so too... "No... You're wrong! THAT'S NOT HOW IT WAS FOR ME! STOP SCREWING WITH ME!" The monster swallowed Kuwabara.

...I started school in London a couple of years ago. Everybody there shunned me out. When they let in, it was only to beat me up.

"Ha! Did you hear his accent! Man..."

"Whatta wuss."

"Why didn't he stay in Paris where he belongs?"

"He just isn't right in the head."

They thought it was funny. One huge, sick joke.

"They hated you because you were different. They saw you would rise above them. They wanted superiority..." Only Mr. Sensui understood...

"I just want it all to stop..." Mitarai mumbled. "AND NOW YOU'LL GO TO HELL WITH THE REST OF THOSE BASTARDS!"

No, kid. You're wrong. You're going the wrong way. You're gonna let him talk you into this? Kuwabara thought. I'm starting to feel... Drowning... No... I don't want to die. I don't want them to die. I don't want everybody to die... I DON'T WANT... Kuwabara felt a new power surging through him.

"Try all you want to get out. It'll never work! You're in my Territory and you won't get out! Ha!" Mitarai began to laugh at him mockingly.

No... You don't want to do this... You don't... Kuwabara formed a Spirit Sword... No wait, it wasn't a Spirit Sword. It was too strong to be one and this one could cut through the Territory...

"What the...?" Mitarai was slashed from his left shoulder to his right hip. Then it hit him. He remembered Sensui saying something about... "No... You're the one we were looking for. The one to open up Demon World..."

Kuwabara struggled to get to his feet and wobbled to Mitarai. He grabbed the psychic by the collar and glared at him. Then the exorcist looked at him, really looked at him.

Mitarai looked like a puppy that got kicked to many times. His wavy blonde hair was dripping with rain. His ocean blue eyes always carried this look of fear. He must be more scared than anything else...

Mitarai mumbled something under his breath.

"What?"

"Kill me."

Kuwabara dropped him. "No. You don't wanna die. I should but it's against my code. You were just being stupid." He grabbed the other three. "Ho, boy. Here's a long ride."

"You're helping me?"

"Being a man is doing what's right."

Yeah... Sure... Mitarai passed out.

---

"HOLY CRAP! DID YOU SENSE THAT JUST NOW?!" Yusuke screamed when he ran inside.

"Yeah..." Kurama replied coolly.

"What if it was Kuwabara? What if it was a demon attacking him? What if it was...?"

"Only one way to find out." The two ran out.

---

"Damn! Where is his dumb ass?" Yusuke growled.

"Huh? What's that? Is that... Kuwabara?" Kurama pointed at what looked like a huge lump of people.

"What the..." Yusuke ran to the mound. At the bottom of the pile, he saw Kuwabara. "The hell's wrong with you! Are you a bump on a log or something?"

"Hey Urameshi...? I'm hungry..." Kuwabara passed out.

"The hell?"

---

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Jin chanted as Chu chugged down some beer. "Yay! My turn!" Jin chugged it down in one minute without a breath.

"You're not drunk yet?" Koto asked.

"Don't kid yourself. He's always drunk and never realizes it," Hiei grunted.

"Shouldn't you be in the fields?" Botan asked.

"It's one of those days." He raised an eyebrow when he saw Chu was sniffing him.

"You smell goooooood..." Chu took a big whiff of Hiei's shirt.

"And you smell like alcohol and tuna."

"Awesome..." Faint.

"Sure." Hiei turned back to Botan.

"What's wrong with you? Withdrawal?" Botan giggled at her question.

"...You know a quick way to Japan?"

End chapter 19

Notes:

1. "Like Thomas Hobbes said..."- Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher during the Enlightenment. He believed people were naturally bad and if left without a government, we would oppress each other. He wanted absolute monarchy. Yeah, that makes so much sense.
2. "I'm more for Locke."- John Locke. Another Enlightenment philosopher. He believed people were naturally moral. He supported democracy and believed we had natural rights- life, liberty, and property.

Feels kinda rushed. Sorry. I thought I didn't have a lot of time so... I'll give you an extra to make up for it.

Extra... Crap. What number is this?
Hiei walked up to Kurama. "Okay. I've taken the liberty to put an x on everyday I'll be grouchy and you need to stay away from me."
Kurama looked at the calendar. "All of them have x's..."
"It's one of those years."

Genres of the fic because I got bored: historical, romance, action, comedy, drama, angst, supernatural...

Uh... Review please!