Two hundred and sixty seven bodies made the total count for the koorime that Hiei, Mukuro, Yusuke, and Kurama dug through. Two hundred and sixty seven different faces, ranging from infantile ages to the years of late adulthood. Two hundred and sixty seven different lives, unique names, and stories that would remain forever unknown.
Two hundred and sixty seven more reasons to hate Shikei and to want the Hyouga to end.
"Damn." Yusuke huffed, striped bare to wash his molding clothes in the crisp river that flowed beside the now neatly sorted pile. Each koorime had been laid out side by side, creating a massive line that resulted in a huge pile up leading back into the trees. The flies had dissipated, warded off my Mukuro's energetic aura. Now only the noises of late evening filled the air. A few crickets far off... the flickering of demonic salmon in the river. Kurama washed his clothes alongside Yusuke, looking exhausted and rather remorseful for the burial pile he'd arranged.
Mukuro stood further ways up stream, watching Hiei go up and down the aisles of koorime dead. He was silent in his odd mourning. He had never liked them, and indeed had thought them all foolish. And yet... he'd never wanted this for them.
They were his relatives. There were his kind. They'd known his mother, and his grandmother. They'd harvested crops alongside Hiei's lineage, and had gazed upon the same village where Hiei had been born. His eyes had opened upon frigid and frightening world.
And yet it had been their world too.
None of them had been Rui, which had both elated and frightened Hiei. Hiei knew that Rui still lived on, though where he could not say. The Hyouga had been her cage for so many years... would she have remained there despite the suicide of the villages? Hiei could not see why, given all that she'd endured and suffered.
And yet she might just have... she just might have.
The sky was tinged soft pink in the setting sun, and a strange hollow wind blew through the trees. The red glow was reflected in the river, given the scene a beautiful edge had it not been for the bodies and the smell. Still, Mukuro had never been the one to find beauty where others did. Beauty to her consisted of other things... and frankly there was nothing lovely or delightful in the view she saw.
She did not see the sun or the sky. She was him... and the strange look of sorrow upon his face.
She moved up stream, pensive about approaching him during such a sad time. Yet it was by his side that she felt most calm. Perhaps he was the same way.
Hiei sniffed, the ugly smell lingering in his nose despite the destruction of the pile. He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, looking tired in the late hour.
"... What do you want to do?" Mukuro asked him. "Burn them? But we can't risk the smoke giving away our location."
"Let them rot." Hiei muttered. "They're dead. I don't give a shit."
"You do." Mukuro corrected him, "Maybe not enough to burn them. But you give a shit."
Hiei did not answer, and that was proof enough of her correction.
"... Did they jump... or were they pushed." Hiei stated, more to himself than to anyone else. It was not a question; it was a lament. It was a terrible fact, that lies surrounded the Hyouga in a thick fog so that truth was rarely known. "Some might ask if it would even matter... since they died no matter which way you look at it."
"Some are full of shit." Mukuro shrugged. "It makes all the difference in the world. If they jumped... they were free. If they jumped they did it because they would rather die than live in the Hyouga. If they were pushed... they still wanted to try."
"Oh for fucks sake." Hiei sighed, "You never saw them, Mukuro. You never-" Hiei paused, his brow crinkling.
Mukuro did not attempt to interrupt.
"... They couldn't feel." Hiei shivered, his voice barely above a whisper.
His face crumpled.
"... and I felt sorry for them." Hiei paused, shuddering and swallowing. The corners of his eyes stung and he rubbed them. "I felt so sorry for them."
Without saying a word, Mukuro reached out and gently tugged Hiei's pinkie into her own hand. Their fingers laced, covered in mold from the bodies... and it fit well to their mood.
"I used to think that... I was deprived, you know?" Hiei muttered, "That I was outcasted, and devoid of a good life. But... I realized when I saw them... that I was the one who got off easy. Because I got a chance to feel. To see the sky, and be amazed by it." Hiei paused, opening and closing his mouth a few times as if he longed to say more. "I... couldn't fathom why Rui stayed."
"Maybe she's waiting." Mukuro whispered.
"Maybe." Hiei did not fully believe Mukuro's words.
Hiei looked up, seeking Mukuro's face with yearning eyes. As they gazed upon one another instead of the bodies, there was an odd tenderness and hope in their stare.
"Look at them." Yusuke muttered, bare assed and content to enjoy the view of Hiei and Mukuro "All lovey dovey and being cute. I wish I had a camera."
"Soak it up while you can, it won't last long." Kurama muttered, "They'll be back to screaming at each other in no time."
"Yeah man, but that's their thing. They scream at each other 'cause they like to. It's kind of fun to watch, you know?" Yusuke smiled, wringing out his pants and shirt, "I mean, it's not like me or Keiko... but hey, whose to say it's not love? You ever seen love like that? That... screaming 'burn in hell' love?"
Kurama gave Yusuke a dirty look, scrubbing his white tunic against a soft rock, "Of course."
"How'd it work out?" Yusuke asked. "They last long?"
"The female at the males head and laid her fertilized eggs in his decapitated neck. When the babies were born they feasted upon his rotting carcass." Kurama grumbled.
Yusuke gaped, swallowing around his dry thick tongue.
"... Right." Yusuke mumbled, wringing out his pants one more time and pulling them on while in the river. "Well, hopefully that won't happen this time."
"God willing, the creek will rise." Kurama muttered.
"What?" Yusuke asked, confused.
"A phrase of speech." Kurama pulled on his tunic and flipped his hair back, "And trust me when I say that it's well deserved. God forbid Mukuro start eating Hiei's face off."
They exited the river, shaking out water from the legs of their pants as they went. Once upon the bank, they were left with the option of interrupting HIei and Mukuro or leaving. Kurama nodded Yusuke towards the southern bend in the stream, and Yusuke took the hint. Let them have their time together. God only knows their love offered little relief and who the hell were they to deprive them of their few moments? No... Yusuke had bigger fish to fry, literally.
He was hungry.
And he hadn't used his spirit gun for a few days now.
Time to make use of that.
Even when downright miserable, Yukina was beautiful beyond compare. Kuwabara sat by her side, his backside soaking from the riverside moisture as he kept time by throwing small stones into the river. The sun was setting now, casting a soft pink light over the landscape. Every so often, explosions echoed from the distance as Urameshi attempted to blast a fish for dinner. Besides that, the air was calm and almost muggy with the thought of sleep. The low of twilight was upon them.
They'd planned to make great strides today and possibly get to the Hyouga.
Instead, they had remained put, distraught with the find of the pile.
"I am so sorry." Kuwabara whispered, his words genuine as he wrapped an arm around Yukina's petite shoulders. She held her white satchel in her lap, looking down on it gloomily. "... I didn't want you to see. That's the only reason why I lied."
"I've been lied to often by the men who claim to love me." Yukina admitted, sounding rather disappointed. Kuwabara's cheeks burned with shame, "I confess I am used to it."
"I thought it would upset you! I was certain of it." Kuwabara's face still burned. "I didn't want you to cry!"
"... No.." Yukina shook her head with idle care, "It doesn't upset me. Not the way you'd think it would."
Kuwabara waited, nervous to what she would say.
Yukina did not look up from her satchel, though she did lean a little more into his embrace.
"I hated them. I hate them still." Yukina admitted. "I hate them more than anything else in the world... For what they did to my mother. I don't really care if they died. I just want to know why. If Shikei's behind it, it could be another clue to her undoing."
"You don't..." Kuwabara paused, confused and a little afraid, "You don't care at all?'"
Yukina shook her head, "Why should I?" She scoffed. "They never cared about me or my mother in life. Why should I care about them in death?"
"Because they're your people!" Kuwabara exclaimed, "That's your heritage and culture- don't you feel upset to know it's gone?"
"Kazuma." Yukina addressed him, turning around on her bottom so that she could look up into his face. Her eyes were cold... but not unkind, "You have never been to the Hyouga. You have never seen the koorime culture. You do not know how terrible it is... how horrible it can be. I would gladly see the entire village burned to the ground. And its apathetic nature along with it."
Kuwabara shivered, moved by her words. Yukina's red eyes, so similar to Hiei's, were different in that they had none of Hiei's warmth. Hiei was rage full and spiteful, vicious and yet... empathetic. From the time that Kuwabara had watched HIei throw his discarded black cloak over Byakko's severed icy head, he'd known that Hiei could not look upon the evils of the world without feeling rage or sorrow. Yukina was different than her brother, able to cut off her emotion like the flip of a light switch with such ease that it became unnerving. Was it the post traumatic results of living in agony for so many years? Or was it the apathetic culture of the koorime that she already so despised?
"So I guess you're fine with them all being dead. Man I hope Rui isn't among them. Don't tell me you'd be okay with her being dead to?"
"No of course not." Yukina assured him, her voice taking a gentler tone. "Rui is different... and I doubt she would jump."
"But what if they were pushed? Rui could be pushed." Kuwabara mumbled, fearing his words even as he admitted them.
"No..." Yukina disagreed, "Rui is smarter than that. Rui was my mother's best friend, you know. They are practically the same in spirit. Rui could outrun any threat, mentally or physically. Though truth be told, she is getting a little old. Perhaps I can convince her to return with me to human world. We could buy a place out in the country... somewhere with a beautiful view of the sky." She smiled, and Kuwabara smiled with her. "Somewhere warm. Like the beaches. She would like that."
"I'd like that too." Kuwabara murmured. Yukina leaned her head upon his broad shoulder, looking out into the river.
BOOM!
"Got it! Got a big one! We're eatin' good tonight!" Came the far off scream as soft smoke drifted up through the air. A rush of water flooded the smooth stream current, creating tiny rapids momentarily as bits of fish and blood floated down the bend. Kuwabara let out a noise of disgruntlement, rolling his slanted eyes.
That night the group ate plenty of fish over a small camp fire. Yukina was perched on her legs, cradling her white satchel in her lap as she daintily munched her fish fillet. Yusuke and Kuwabara were messy eaters, typical men in their refusal to wipe their fingers or the corners of their mouths. Hiei and Mukuro practically engulfed their share, vacuuming in the meal like it was their last. Kurama declined the food, stroking his chin with deep thought. Every so often, his large fox ears would twitch as a lone fly hovered nearby, trying to land.
"Thank you for the fish, Yusuke." Yukina smiled. "You did a good jump."
"It tastes like ass. Next time use your hands like a real man instead of cheating out with your spirit gun." Hiei added in spite. Yusuke gave him a rude hand gesture, but Hiei just smirked.
"I'm glad we got a day to chill and all-"
"You call finding a corpse pile chilling?!" Kuwabara interjected, but Yusuke continued right on.
"-But when are we gonna get to the Hyouga?"
"Tomorrow we'll take the forest path to the mountain heights... we'll find the Fire Maiden's Tomb there... and the portal inside." Yukina offered. The others seemed content with such an answer, and Yusuke tossed Pu a whole fish to eat. The bird caught it mid air, clicking his beak happily as he swallowed the massive morsel whole.
"Sounds good, but what about Pu?" Yusuke asked, "His big ass ain't fitting through a portal."
"Maybe he could fly up?" Kuwabara offered, but Yukina shook her head.
"Way too high." Hiei muttered in agreement with his sister. "The shock of the temperature change would kill him."
"What? Don't be a pussy. I'm sure it's not that cold." Yusuke snorted. Hiei gave Yusuke a withering look.
"You are an arrogant fool. Yukina and I are the only two people here who know the Hyouga." Hiei sneered. "I can assure you, it's freezing cold on a level meant for physical torture."
"He's right, Yusuke." Yukina frowned. "It would be too cold for Pu. Very few animals can survive in the Hyouga, and they're mostly thick furred animals. Like rabbits and squirrels. We don't have big game- we don't have the vegetation to support it."
"... Well shit." Yusuke frowned. "So... Where do we... leave him?"
"Why not here." Kurama gestured around. "It's flat, it's cozy. The river has plenty of fish. There aren't too many demons around, and none of them could take on a phoenix."
"Yeah but..." Yusuke didn't look pleased, "I don't want him to get lonely."
"Oh for fucks sake!" Mukuro snapped, "He's a goddamn bird not a baby!"
"He's my bird!"
"You're an idiot." Mukuro snapped. "Use your company to your advantage, not to your weakness! The fucking bird will be fine. We leave at first light."
Pu let out an indignant trill, and Yusuke immediately tossed him another fish.
Yusuke mumbled something that sounded dangerously close to 'old bitch'.
It the deep of night, with silence as thick as fog, nothing stirred.
The steady, rhythmic breathing of the six companions took up much of the noise so that with each pause true night took hold like the black clutches of a demonic vice.
Yukina was weary and pale, curled up beside Kuwabara like a small bird.
Kuwabara in turn was strong and proud, his back firm like a mighty oak as he wrapped his muscled arms about Yukina's petite frame.
Yusuke was slumped against Pu's feathery stomach, snoring softly with his mouth wide open. His brow was crinkled as if deep in thought.
Kurama was awake, staring up at the sky with empty eyes. From time to time, he would roll onto one side or the other, desperately trying to gain some sleep. Yet to no avail, and so he simply remained quiet and aloud his mind to go blank.
Mukuro was curled, a force of habit after living many years as a slave. With her wrists and ankles oddly together, her only touch of movement came every so often by her bed partner. Hiei's head had fallen against her swollen singular breast, and there he lay quite content with the world. His sword was in between them, a strangely shared weapon should the need arise.
In the deep of night, with silence as thick as fog, nothing stirred.
The next morning, there was a sense of purpose about the air. Feet moved quicker, and eyes darted back and forth. Did they have all their tools? Had they collected enough food? Kick out the fire, cover their tracks, make sure Pu was comfortable for the days to come. Yusuke said a bitter goodbye, pressing his face to Pu's throat with a soft sigh.
"I'll be right back." Yusuke assured Pu, "I promise. Don't make too much of a mess while I'm gone, yeah?"
Pu let out a tiny trill, thoroughly put out. Still, parting was inevitable, and it was with a heavy heart that Yusuke finally turned away to trek through the forest with the rest of the group.
The ground underfoot was dry and soft from the high elevation and low moisture. Small animals scurried about, mindless and skittish at the intruders who paced past their homes. Yukina and Hiei lead the way, the only two among the six who knew the exact temples location. As sunlight began to pierce through the thin canopy of forest greens, Yusuke gave a great stretch and rotated his arm cuff with slight annoyance.
"Man this place smells like ass. Again!" Yusuke added spitefully, "Do all forests smell bad?"
"Only when trash like you walk through them." Mukuro jibed. Yusuke scowled.
"So why are we taking the forest route anyway? The stream looked like a good place to start."
"Dude, we can't just walk all over dead people!" Kuwabara proclaimed, "How can you be so insensitive!?"
"What should they care, they're dead aren't they!"
"That doesn't mean they don't deserve respect."
"Man, you're such a putz."
"You keep talkin' like that and I'm gonna beat your face so hard even Keiko won't look at you!"
"Shuttup!" Hiei snarled at the head of the group, and the two bickering teenagers fell silent once more. For a while they walked in the quiet, letting the chirps of birds fill the silence along with the crunch of dead leaves underfoot. The ground was gaining height, and Yusuke could tell they were heading towards a summit of some kind. Every now and then, he thought he saw marble steps so well worn into the ground that they looked like massive flat rocks.
"Say where is this temple anyway?" Yusuke asked, curious.
"Just up ahead." Yukina replied, huffing and puffing as she mounted each stone, "The river runs through it like a canal. You'll hear the water soon enough."
Indeed, Yukina was right. The pounding of fast running currents over sharp granite soon emitted over the air with a hiss. Kuwabara squinted through the trees to see a large mass of stone up ahead that looked like a small hill. Could it be the temple?
As they broke through the line of trees to emerge onto dry grass, the group slowed to a halt.
"Holy crap!" Kuwabara cried out, "Who made that?!"
It was a skull, so massive and rotund that a two story house could have sat neatly inside of it. Weathered white and dripping with lichen from age, the bone was an impressive sight to see. Surrounded on all sides by large flat gray stones, a neat path was curved through the cliff side to allow passage to the nose holes which served as doors of a macabre sort. From the left nostril, the stream gushed out to flow down the mountain face and eventually off the cliff of insanity. A whole host of demonic birds sat perched atop the skull, keeping fine lookout as they preened their feathers and tended to their young. The groups presence didn't seem to perturb them, and they entered the skull through the nostril hole without conflict.
It was dark and gloomy inside, so black that the group could barely see. Hiei held his fist high, and from his palm a bright flame spread to illuminate the bone structure. A passageway up was revealed, and the group took it with wary care.
"You guys got a bad feeling about this?" Yusuke murmured, his tone dark.
"Yeah, my stomachs in knots." Kuwabara admitted in a whisper.
"There is nothing to fear here." Kurama advised them both, balancing with his hands spread wide to prevent him from falling on the slippery slope. "No demons will bother us."
"Who ever said anything about demons? This place just gives me the damn creeps." Yusuke corrected his wise friend, shivering to boot. "I mean... what kind of creature was big enough to leave a skull like this?"
"This is the decapatated head of the Fire Maiden." Yukina explained.
"Folk lore." Kurama corrected, "No doubt actually the skull of a creature long since extinct."
"Believe what you will, Kurama." Yukina huffed, climbing up with both hands, "But this is the place holds deep spiritual power."
"I agree with her!" Kuwabara added, helping his lover up as he mounted each slippery boney step, "My whole body is tingling like a cell phone on vibrate!"
"A what?" Mukuro demanded, looking around confused.
"Keep going." Hiei grumbled, pulling Mukuro away and forcing her to keep going up the summit, "Don't listen to the shit that comes out of his mouth, it'll rot your brain."
Hiei and Mukuro shared a snicker, and Kuwabara flushed with irritation.
Their little passageway emerged as a hole in the floor of a broad domed cavity that was clearly the top of the skull. Hiei's fire was sucked out as if by mystical force, and they were plunged into blackness again without warning-!
"Aw hell, Hiei!" Yusuke cursed, running right into the wall of the skull, "What are you doing?! Bring the flame back!"
"What's going on?" Kuwabara demanded, floundering in the dark.
"Get off of me!" Mukuro snarled, squashed by accident as Kuwabara backed into her.
"But where-?!"
"Quiet!" Kurama snarled, and silence fell at once.
With no shouting to echo about the cavern, a soft whisper like the voice of a ghost was picked up on the air. It swarmed about them, a faceless creature pulsating with energy, and Kuwabara's senses were practically ringing with alarm.
"My jagan may not be natural." Hiei murmured, his voice oddly loud compared to the silence, "But it will gives us... exactly what we need."
A soft hum suddenly danced upon the air, and a bright purple light filled the void. Everyone snapped to attention as Hiei's jagan opened wide, roving about with mad delight as it scanned the energy for a crack. With new light by which to be seen, Hiei stepped forward towards the center of the skull cavity, reaching out with his bandaged hand.
"... Right..." Hiei whispered, searching, "...There." He touched something distorted on the air, and a ripping sound was emitted! A bright white light, as cold as ice, suddenly transformed from the spot Hiei touched, and as it grew wider still Kuwabara let out a yelp of fright.
"We've made it!" Yukina cried, "That's the portal. It'll transport us right to the koorime mountains!"
It was a monstrous thing, pulling at all of them like a vacuum in space. Kurama's hair was flying in the wind, and everyone held their hands up in front of their faces to protect their eyes from the fierce light!
"Ladies first!" Yusuke howled over the roaring wind, gesturing for Yukina to go. She looked to her brother, whose hair whipped in the wind! Hiei was by her side in an instant, clasping her hand firmly against the wild breeze so that she would not be drug away.
This was the moment they'd waited for- they'd worked for- and now the time had come to do the deed. Yet a great hesitancy hung in the air that prevented them from stepping forward. This portal boded ill in so many ways- and the divide that had separated foreign from familiar was about to drop. The Hyouga lay ahead, the land of ice and shame. Was it truly worth fighting for? Was it truly worth the terror?
No. But their mother was.
"Ready?!" Hiei snarled, and Yukina nodded as she clutched her white satchel tight to her chest. "As soon as we're through, follow behind!" He ordered to Mukuro. She, unlike Yukina, did not need his help to stand against the fierce gale. Mukuro nodded, bracing herself as Hiei and Yukina inched forward towards the portal.
"Be careful!" Kuwabara screamed out, "Don't get hurt!"
"I'll be fine!" Yukina flashed him a quick smile, "I'm with my brother!"
Hiei flushed, though not with embarrassment. He held on tight to his sister against the blinding light, and stepped-
Sucking, pulling, the feeling of being forced through a tunnel wholly unnatural to the rhythm of the world! Hiei and Yukina were one, for however briefly, clinging to one another as they had done in the womb of their fallen mother. The portal was darkening, the wind was lessening-!
They were spit out on the other side like spoiled food from the mouth of a child, slamming into the icy walls of an anonymous cavern. Yukina let out a cry of pain, falling on her wrist. Hiei scowled, his ribs cracking from the force as he took the brunt of the fall and protected her from the rock wall. As they hit the ground, they shivered against the frozen stone.
Cold... frigid cold.
Darkness... blinding their eyes.
The smell of emptiness upon the air.
Yukina looked up, her eyes filled with sights of home for the first time in ten years. She did not know whether to be in awe or disgust.
"... We're here." Yukina whispered, as if afraid of shattering the fragile moment. "We're... home, Hiei."
Hiei sat up, wincing, and looked about the cavern. His entire body steamed upon the air, his blistering heat at odds with the frigid atmosphere, and he helped Yukina to stand as he felt the icy rock walls. They were in a small cavern with only one way out, twisting up so that only a shaft of light promised as strangely tinted blue.
The twins trembled from the ordeal of the portal and from fear of what lay beyond that opening.
With a sudden ripping, sucking noise, another body was flung through the portal! Hiei caught the brunt of the second blow, and yelped with shock as Mukuro flung into him like a giant had thrown her! They crumpled together in a heap of limbs, cursing and snarling as they attempted to untangle from one another.
"Get off of me!" Hiei spat out, crawling out from underneath Mukuro only to be crushed by the emergence of Kuwabara and Yusuke from the portal. Yukina flattened herself against the cave wall, suddenly realizing that while one koorime could easily go through the portal six people could barely fit in the cave without treading on toes!
It was with great trepidation that they finally got untangled and rose up from the cave floor. Kuwabara was shivering uncontrollably, suddenly extremely cold in only a t-shirt. He rubbed his fore arms, desperate to warm up, and suddenly attempted to stand close to Hiei in order to gain from his warmth. Hiei was non too pleased, and glared with murderous intent.
"Move!" Mukuro shouted as the portal glowed hot white for the final time. Hiei and Mukuro dove to the left while Yusuke and Kuwabara immediately shuffled to the right to squeeze next to Yukina. Kurama, unheeded by bodies, slid seamlessly through and landed neatly on his feet. Unaware of the chaos that had proceeded him, he flashed a small smile and smoothed back his silver hair. His ears twitched from the cold.
"Frigid, bare... dreary. Just as I imagined." Kurama murmured, looking about at the small cave. "Is this the place you discovered in your youth, Yukina?"
"Yes." Yukina nodded, but she was cut off by Kuwabara's teeth beginning to chatter loudly.
"Oh m-m-m-my g-g-god." Kuwabara spluttered, shaking as he attempted to gain some warmth from Hiei's energy. "S-s-s-so c-c-cold." His lips were turning blue.
Slightly irritated, Hiei flushed his energy field, and a wave of heat steamed out that automatically engulfed Kuwabara who stood practically on Hiei's toes. Kuwabara sighed, and the steam hissed as ice from the cavern slowly began to drip about Hiei's energy waves.
"That aint good." Yusuke murmured, touching the slickening walls, "Lets get the hell out of this cave, guys. Where are we going anyway?"
"Up and out." Yukina led the way, attempting to hoist herself through the narrow entrance. It was a good four feet off the ground, an odd hole in the wall through which a cold wind blew. Yet even as she tried to get up, she slipped and fell into Mukuro's waiting arms. Undeterred, Yukina tried again, but fell once more with a slight 'oomph!'.
"It's too wet from your heat." Yukina looked to Hiei, and Hiei retracted his energy at once. Kuwabara began to freeze once more, looking close to hypothermia, and Hiei scowled.
"You ought to have stayed behind." Hiei growled, "You're useless here."
"Shuttup, shrimp!" Kuwabara hissed through chattering teeth, "Y-you have n-no id-dea what it's l-like to f-freeze!"
"Because I am strong." Hiei retorted with a smirk, "And am not quelled by a little snow."
"Here, Kazuma." Kurama offered, plucking another seed from his hair and cupping it in his hands. With a burst of energy, a strange bright crimson plant grew to open flower petals of beautiful gold and orange. A heat from within pulsated, and Kurama draped the plant around Kuwabara's neck like a bizarre feather boa. "This will help keep you warm."
"Thanks man." Kuwabara sighed, and color immediately began to return to his cheeks, "That does help."
Yukina hoisted herself up again, this time looking more determined than ever, and she finally managed to crawl through the hole. Mukuro followed straight behind, and Hiei waisted no time in bringing up the rear. Being a fire demon in a land of ice had its drawbacks, and Hiei's palms became wet with condensation as ice melted underneath his fingers. He would have to be careful not to doom them all with his own heat. He could feel people getting in the hole behind him, and he crawled upward to keep the traffic flowing. But Yukina gasped from the front, sliding accidentally and crashing into Mukuro. Mukuro buckled, and without warning her backside rammed into Hiei's face. Hiei grunted, his voice muffled in the folds of her flesh and clothes, angry as he grabbed out to keep himself from slipping down onto the others. Yukina crawled up again, and Mukuro was freed from her confinement. Following Yukina, Mukuro was able to pull off of Hiei and Hiei gasped fresh air, angry.
From behind him, he heard Yusuke snicker.
"Hey Hiei, don't pretend you didn't like-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Hiei snarled, "Do you take me for an imbecilic cretin in heat?! I'm here for a reason, not to indulge your sick fantasies!"
"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much!" Yusuke cackled loudly, his voice echoing in the tunnel. Hiei had utterly no idea what that meant. Likewise, he had no time to dwell on the matter. Whatever the fool had in mind, Hiei would not be goaded, and so he climbed up following after Mukuro's retreated feet. The tunnel was curving, getting more slanted, and Hiei had to pant to keep from slipping. Suddenly, light appeared, and he could see Yukina crawling out onto flat ground quickly followed by Mukuro. Hiei grabbed onto fresh snow, feeling it crunch beneath his hot fingers, and hoisted himself out to see that he'd emerged in a massive mountain range.
Snow.
Nothing but snow.
Each mighty peak, each valley and low, every tree and every stone... all of it was covered in snow. A constant flutter of fresh flurries drifted down, falling into their hair and onto their shoulders. They were up to their ankles in the snow, and Mukuro shuddered from the freeze as her breath came out in a fine white mist. Hiei and Mukuro shared a glance, both acknowledging the power that the Hyouga held... the secret land of the sky. The place no demon could return from.
Yusuke popped out of the hole which had almost been covered entirely by snow, followed right behind by Kuwabara and Kurama who brought up the rear. Shaking snow out of his silvery mane, Kurama growled irritably as he straightened up to look about at the mountain range.
They had arrived.
"... Nice home you got here." Yusuke muttered. "What do you call this... place..." Yusuke's voice drifted away as he squinted his eyes. Far into the distance, up in the mountain path, a strange figure emerged through the flurry of snow.
"... Guys..." Yusuke whispered, pointing at the lurking shadow, "Someone's coming."
Yukina looked around, worried for what she might even as the group peered hard through the gray gloom the figure vanished again like a mirage in the desert.
"... Just a ghost." Yukina shook her head, "Nothing more. This land is full of ghosts, Yusuke. You will learn that soon."
In the silence that followed her words, a hollow moan echoed through the carved mountain range. The wind faded away like a dying breath and all that remained was the deep deep quiet.
Mukuro reached up to her neck, touching Hiei's scarf which was still wrapped protectively around her neck.
"... I don't like this place." Mukuro whispered.
"No one does." Hiei muttered.
Like a shepherd leading his flock, Hiei took to the front of the group. With each crunch of his boot through the snow, he filled up the void silence. Like the chiasmus of the frozen white land, the black smoldering figure lead the group on through the white gloom... darker than any night they'd known before.
Hiei knew the way. He'd be born here, after all.