Greetings! This is Angel, bringing another chapter of Forbidden Love to you. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, unfortunately. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome! Flamers will be ignored so don't bother. :D
Angel of Randomosity: I totally agree that would have been hilarious! I wanted to introduce her a bit later in the story though. You'll see. :)
To everyone else, thank you for the comments and for sticking with me on this long journey!
Enjoy!
Chapter 14: Entering Maze Castle
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei stopped at the entrance to the Saint Beasts' castle. The dark slate stone conveyed no warmth, and the skeletal face above the open doorway, no welcome.
"Ah, now this place is homey," Yusuke said, his hands stuffed in his green jumpsuit.
"So, I guess we're just gonna walk right in?" Kuwabara wondered, mirroring Yusuke's cool stance to hide his apprehension.
"Any prize worth having usually requires a risk," stated the wise Kurama.
"I say we make'em come out here and fight us up front, like they're not a bunch of sissies."
"Heh, your sense of strategy is amazing," Sarcasm laced Hiei's words, while his face remained stoic and emotionless.
"Hey! Are you talking to me runt boy!"
Yusuke clenched his jaw and glared ahead into the inky void that was their only way into the foreboding fortress. "Let's go," he said, frustrated with the bickering.
"Stupid dwarf," Kuwabara muttered under his breath as the four boys walked into the mouth of the unknown.
The monotonous corridor lent no comfort to the group. Silence enveloped them, making their footsteps sound startlingly louder than they should have been. A slight breeze was the only indicator that the tunnel ended. Finally, the natural light of the overcast day illuminated the end of the passageway. They had been led into another passageway perpendicular to their current one. Before they could completely exit, a small flying creature appeared from above. It was a purple skinned eyeball with bat-like wings attached to its sides. What seemed like short skinny tails dangled from beneath it. The two human boys made a shocked noise, as the two demons merely raised their eyebrows at the grotesque creature. All of them took a defensive stance, preparing for a fight.
"Welcome to Maze Castle." The bat-like cyclops had no lips, yet the annoying "I sucked too much helium" voice was clearly heard.
Kuwabara's jaw dropped. "Uh, it talked."
"Those who enter Maze castle must be tried by the Gate of Betrayal."
"What do you mean tried?" Yusuke asked. The creature flew to the wall that ended the tunnel. One of its tentacles wrapped around a switch and pulled it down. Rumbling instantly filled the air, and the corridor shook.
"Urameshi. Why did you have to ask?" whined Kuwabara. Anything else he might have said was cut off, for the part of the ceiling they stood under descended upon them. They had no choice but to raise their arms to catch it. Otherwise, bloody human and demon pancakes would have been made.
Grunting, the boys put all their strength into holding up the large rectangular stone column.
"Heavy, isn't it?" commented the purple flying cyclops. "Sensors in the corridor are most intelligent. A complex assembly of gears adapts the ceilings weight precisely to the strength of its victims. Of course there is a catch. There is just enough leeway for one person to escape, leaving his friends to be crushed by the weight."
A light sheen of sweat appeared on the faces of the four males. Muscles started to burn against the sudden strain. Yusuke knew they wouldn't be able to hold up the ceiling much longer.
"Damnit," muttered Yusuke. 'What the hell do we do now?'
"The decisions must be made quickly. Not even the four of you combined can hold the ceiling for more than ten minutes. Insist on teamwork and everyone will be crushed. Only by turning against your friends will one of you escape. Only the traitor among you deserves to enter the castle. That's why it's called The Gate of Betrayal, you see?" Purple Cyclops made a high-pitched, maniacal laugh and flew over to the switch. It felt glee at watching the boys struggle.
"I'd like to get my hands on that…thing!" yelled Kuwabara. His exclamation caused him to lose balance for a second. That slight movement caused the boys to drop the ceiling a couple inches.
"Stay focused on the weight, or you'll kill us all!" growled Hiei. He glared at the ugly human. 'That weak fool deserves to be crushed!'
"Oh sure, blame me. I bet I'm holding up a lot more weight than you are!" retorted Kuwabara, his deep raspy voice becoming more so due to the stress.
"Shut it Kuwabara!" Yusuke wondered for a moment why his arch nemesis was even there. 'Oh ya, Botan had to open her big mouth. I wish Selina were here. The midget would know what to do.'
"Well I'm not about to die for the sake of you worthless humans," Hiei scoffed.
"Don't you even consider it Hiei!" Kurama narrowed his gaze at the small fire demon. He knew if it came to it, Hiei would leave them there.
"Oh man, I knew we should have played some trust games." Yusuke wracked his brain for an answer. 'Think you idiot!'
The creepy flying eye giggled, watching the emotions play across the boy's faces. "This has always been my favorite part of the trial! Watching you squirm as your muscles begin to pop under the ceilings weight. But of course, the best is your eyes. Seeing the gears turn in desperation. Thinking. Questioning yourselves. How long can I hold it? Will I die this way?"
"Will you shut the hell up already!" The guys gasped, except for Hiei, as a voice yelled out from behind them. A black blur dove between Kurama and Yusuke and rolled, landing in the next corridor. It came out of its roll into a crouch, and then stood with fists clenched. The stranger was small, and cloaked in black. Because of the hood, the boys weren't able to identify them.
"Who are you?" screeched the flying ball of helium.
A feminine growl came from the stranger. "I'm someone who hates the sound of nails on a chalkboard. So shut the fuck up before I tie you up and use you as a tetherball!" The person turned to face the guys and pulled off their hood. Selina would have doubled over laughing at the priceless looks of shock on their faces, but settled for a smirk given the current situation. "I can't even leave you alone for six months Yusuke, without having to save your ass."
Yusuke grinned like a madman. "Ya well ya know how it is. You get sent to fight demons and get attacked by a ceiling instead." Selina laughed and avoided looking at a certain demon to Yusuke's left.
"So, how do I get you guys out of this?"
"There's a switch behind you, on the wall," Kurama said. His lips curled just a bit, as his eyes darted to the side, watching Hiei's reaction. Said demon was completely focused on the black haired woman.
"Gotcha," said Selina, and turned around to locate the switch.
"You can't do this! That's cheating!" The flying tetherball screamed.
"Well, I never was one for following the rules," Selina said with a grin and ran to the switch. The cylindrical demon dove at the small female in rage. Leaning down, Selina grabbed a knife from her right boot and threw it. A screech was heard as the purple demon took the hit dead center in his pupil. Selina watched it attempt to fly away, but her knife had flown true, and the demon fell to the stone floor, dead. Ignoring it, she turned to the switch and finally pushed it up. The rumbling of the ceiling immediately stopped, and the guys fell to their knees gasping.
Selina heard the sound of air particles being separated the same time everyone yelled. Glancing up, she saw a huge boulder aiming straight for her. 'Shit.' Selina started to run, but was hit by a warm wall at high speed. Gravity forced the boulder to collide with the ground, sending dust and rock particles flying everywhere.
As the dust cleared the boys ran over to the boulder, afraid of what they'd find. Instead, their jaws descended towards the floor and their eyes widened at a peculiar sight.
The adrenaline high wore off and Selina came back to her senses. Many things were off, the first being that she was horizontal. The second was the hot bands of muscle wrapped under her thighs and torso. Lastly, the smell of smoke with a touch of spice invaded her nose. A shiver ran up her spine as the urge to rub herself all over the scent hit her. Biting her lip to bring her back to reality, Selina pulled herself away from the delectable aroma and the warm neck it belonged to.
Pools of crimson glowered at her. "Hiei," Selina gasped in shock.
Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama ran up to the fire demon, who held the female in his arms. Yusuke opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a torrent of rage.
"You baka onna! What the hell did you think you were doing? Did you really expect them to just leave the switch unprotected? Only a complete and utter fool would have pulled that switch without preparing for a trap!" Hiei snarled at the speechless, wide-eyed woman in his arms, and then dropped her.
Selina found her voice when her ass met stone. "Ow! You bastard!" She glared up at the male standing next to her. "Oh you're welcome for saving your worthless life Hiei! I'm drowning in all the gratitude!"
"I didn't ask for your help." Hiei stuck his hands in the pockets of his cloak.
"You heartless monster!" Both vertically challenged persons watched as Kuwabara ran forward and dropped to his knees in front of Selina. He grabbed both her hands and stared deeply into her eyes. "Beautiful maiden, ignore the shrimp. You have saved me from a painful death. Fate has brought us together, and I would be honored to repay my debt to you by being your devoted husband! I'll serve you until death do us part!"
One of Selina's eyebrows raised. Hiei growled. Kurama chuckled. Hiei glared at Kurama, and Yusuke punched Kuwabara in the head. Kuwabara kissed the floor for the third time that day. "That's my partner you're proposing to!"
Selina accepted the hand Yusuke offered, and was pulled to a vertical position.
Kuwabara jumped to his feet and pointed at him. "Urameshi, you jerk! Why I outta…wait partner!" At this he mirrored Yusuke's stance and admonished him. "Keiko isn't going to be very happy about your girlfriend."
Selina rolled her eyes and glanced at the fox, who was covering his mouth and faking a cough to hide his laughter. Yusuke's eye twitched and he punched Kuwabara again. "She's not my girlfriend you idiot! Remember Botan talking about all the Spirit Detective stuff? Well Selina is one too, my partner. Anyways, you've met her before."
The giant teenager jumped up at that and scrutinized Selina. She was a couple inches shorter than Hiei and pale, with waist length black hair pulled back into a braid. Her blue eyes were staring back at him in amusement. Kuwabara rested his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into using his brain.
"I would remember meeting a pretty girl like her Urameshi." Yusuke smacked his own forehead in frustration, and Selina chuckled.
"I'm not surprised you don't remember me Kuwabara. My hair was blonde and shorter, and I had freckles." She sighed at his blank expression. "I was the girl with Yusuke who helped you save your cat from that four-eyed prick."
"Oh! You're that girl who was with Urameshi!" He exclaimed excitedly.
Hiei rolled his eyes at the boy's stupidity. "She just said that you oaf."
"Shut up shrimp!" Kuwabara raised his fists and took a fighting stance. "C'mon, you dwarf!"
Hiei glared and started toward him, but was stopped by Yusuke stepping between them. "Knock it off you guys. We're here to fight monsters, not each other."
"What caused your change Selina?" Kurama gazed at Selina.
"That's a good question. It's been six months. I never got any letters, no postcards, or even a phone call. I thought you were dead," Yusuke crossed his arms over his chest. Selina saw the hurt he tried to hide in his eyes. Her heart clenched and guilt choked her. Even Kuwabara was silent now, waiting for her answer.
"I'm sorry Yusuke. I wanted to contact you, but I wasn't able to. Like you, I was training. As for my change, I'm not supposed to talk about it." Selina glanced at Yusuke, saw his jaw clench and fists curl in anger. Kurama waited patiently, not prodding her. Hiei's face was set in an emotionless mask, as was usual when he wasn't glaring or scowling. Kuwabara was the only one who looked confused about the whole thing.
Selina sighed and cursed under her breath. She couldn't stand seeing the pain in Yusuke's eyes, or the piercing gaze of the fox. "Fine I'll tell you, but let's walk and I'll talk." The guys nodded and the five companions started down the corridor.
"I don't know why Koenma thought I'd be able to keep it a secret from you. You'll see what I am when we fight the Saint Beasts." Selina laughed humorlessly. She glanced at Yusuke who was walking to her left, his hands in his jumpsuit pockets. "I did die Yusuke, sort of."
"Like Urameshi did?" Kuwabara asked.
Selina shook her head. "Not quite."
"What? Are you undead now or something?"
Selina chuckled at Yusuke's sarcasm. "Hardly. However I'm sure some religious fanatics would say otherwise."
"Hn, you're a leech," Hiei said, smirking at the woman.
Selina glared at the fire demon, and Kuwabara yelped. "You're a vampire!" He pointed accusingly.
One of Yusuke's eyebrows raised. "Damn really?"
Selina pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed with all the interruptions. "My father was a Dhampir."
"A what?" Kuwabara stared warily at their new member.
"A Dhampir is a hybrid, half human and half vampire," stated Kurama, "They are very rare due to the fact that vampires can only produce children with their Chosen."
"Chosen?"
"Ya Yusuke. They're like the human version of soul mates. Most non-humans are able to detect theirs, vampires and demons included." Selina glanced sideways at the black haired demon, instantly blushing when ruby eyes met her own. She cleared her throat and looked forward. They had come to a narrow set of stairs, and were ascending them two by two. Except for Kuwabara who got stuck walking at the back with himself.
"So, you're a Dam-thingy?"
"No Kuwabara, my father was a Dhampir. So technically I'm only a quarter vampire, and a quarter human."
"That still doesn't explain why you keeled over screaming like a banshee," Yusuke said poking Selina's shoulder. She batted his hand away.
"Well you see, when my father met my mother, the law of nature dictated he should have loathed her on sight."
"Why?" asked Yusuke.
"Because light and dark are opposites. They're in a constant battle against one another. It's a miracle they even conceived me. A few days after I was born I fell ill. They couldn't diagnose the problem because there was nothing wrong with me physically, but somehow I was dying. It was the mix of my father and mother's powers attacking one another that was the cause. My own spirit was trying to tear itself apart. I was just a baby, too weak to fight it. So, both my parents put a Soul Seal on me, to separate the two powers until I was old enough and strong enough. In the warehouse my father's Seal broke, and the change caused my body's vitals to drop to a point near death. It's similar to the change a human undergoes when they're turned into a vampire."
Selina tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, turning towards her companions. They had stopped in a corridor, still surrounded by stone.
"So uh, you're not gonna eat us or anything, right?" Kuwabara leaned against the right wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He was still cautious of their new teammate.
Hiei rolled his eyes and snorted. "Hn, I'm sure your weak blood would provide no sustenance for her."
"What! Why you little jerk!" Kuwabara went to swing at the fire demon, and everyone watched as he face planted the floor yet again.
Selina smirked and crossed her arms, leaning on her right hip. "Nah, I won't bite you Kuwabara. Personally, I'm partial to short arrogant demons." Yusuke and Kurama chuckled as Hiei scowled at her.
"Try it onna, and I'll kill you."
Selina grinned and snapped her teeth at him. Yusuke put his arm around the smaller Spirit Detective. "Well, I don't care if you drink blood or sprout a tail out your ass. It's good to have you back." Selina rolled her eyes.
A sudden ringing sound came from Yusuke's pants. He reached into his back pocket and took out a purple compact mirror.
Kuwabara jumped and made an odd squawk. "What is that thing? Is it safe?"
"It's just a communication mirror I got from Botan." Yusuke flipped open the comm and Botan's bright cheery face appeared on the screen.
"Hello Yusuke! It's Botan here from the Living World. Do you copy?"
Before Yusuke could open his mouth his head was shoved aside by a grinning Kuwabara. He took Yusuke's hand and pointed the comm towards his face. "Hey what's up Botan? This is the brave Kuwabara reporting at your service. I'm taking very good care of Urameshi."
"I'm so glad to hear that. I've got things under control over here as well, more or less. The Makai insects only like to nest in the minds of depressed people. That narrows down the search a bit. Oh! Is Selina there with you?"
"Right here Botan," Selina said taking the comm from Kuwabara. Yusuke shoved him back then looked over Selina's right shoulder.
Botan smiled, relieved. "Good I'm glad you caught up to them! I have more news. I've found another spy for the Saint Beasts. I can't figure out how they're getting through the barrier. I'm guessing they're taking orders from someone along the wall."
"Watch out!" yelled Selina and Yusuke as a demon came sneaking up behind her. Botan simply turned around and swung her metal bat at the demon's head, knocking him out. She smiled.
"Don't worry, those guys are weaklings. The real challenge is finding those Makai insects. I've only caught fifteen of those buggers and I've been searching for nearly an entire day."
Kuwabara popped up and took the comm.. "Don't worry baby, we'll ugh!" Yusuke's fist made contact with Kuwa's face before his sweet-talking could go on. Selina took the comm again, shaking her head at the lovesick teenager.
"Fifteen! That's not much help," Yusuke complained while giving Kuwa a black eye.
"Fighting people controlled by the insects takes time Yusuke. That's why you need to get that whistle."
"Okay, we're trying, but this castle is kind of rough."
"Well of course it is. No one's survived before."
Selina grimaced. "That's comforting."
"Selina! Before I go, I wanted to give you a heads up."
"Ya?"
"Takeo found out about you accompanying the boys on this mission. He's not very pleased to say the least. In fact I've never seen him so angry!"
Selina winced. "Well if I don't die here, he'll probably do it. Yay me."
Botan gave a sympathetic look. "Good luck." Selina gave the comm back to Yusuke, and the group started off again.
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "What did she mean? Koenma didn't send you?" All the boys looked to the small female, waiting for her answer.
"I was at my Sensei's temple training when Botan called me and told me about the mission Pampers was sending you on. I couldn't let you fight without me. So, I snuck out." Selina smiled innocently.
"Hn, so you're not even supposed to be here?" Hiei narrowed his eyes at the onna.
Selina glared at him. "I think the fate of the Living World is more important than my training."
"Hey we need all the help we can get fighting these monsters," Yusuke butted in, yanking lightly on her braid. Selina swatted his hand away and brought her hair over her shoulder. "Since we're on the topic, do you know anything about these Saint Beasts?"
The black haired woman shook her head. "I've heard of them, but I don't know anything about them."
"Well that's great. Botan pushed us down the hole like a couple of cows and I didn't have the chance to ask her." Yusuke frowned.
"She wouldn't have told you much, I'm afraid. Ever since the barrier wall was raised around the city, Spirit World intelligence virtually forgot this place existed."
"What do you know?" Kuwabara glanced speculatively at Kurama.
Selina grinned. "A lot more than you Kuwabara."
That earned a smile from the fox. "Let's just say that when you see their bodies, you'll be very surprised."
"Terrified. Isn't that more like it?"
Mwah ha ha ha! I love cliff hangers! Even though I know you all know who's coming up next. ;)
Until next time!