Song for Chapter:
Breaking Skin - Nonpoint, The Return
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Desperation
Avaron awoke screaming, thrashing in the arms of the man that held her. Kuronue struggled to hold tight to the demoness, but it was in vain. He dropped quickly to the ground and set her on her knees, panting and crying.
"You alright?" he asked her when she seemed to calm down. "I'm Kuronue, one of your mother's friends."
"Yuji," she gasped. "I had a horrible dream that he... that he..." Her red eyes widened. "We have to go back! Now!"
"You're too badly injured to go back," Kuronue stressed. "You'll be in the way."
"No," she refused. "Kurama placed a healing plant in me. We have to go back, now!" She grabbed him by his vest, her eyes burning with the determination he saw frequently in another.
"Damn, you're just as stubborn as your mother," Kuronue grumbled. "It'll be quicker if you hop on." He turned, showing his back to the girl, and kneeled down to allow the battered demoness to crawl onto his back.
"Hurry, Kuronue. Something terrible has happened. I feel it in my bones."
~:.:{I Need More Than Just Blood and Air To Survive}:.:~
Kotone's heart had never ached so terribly; she had been dead, for Makai's sake, and yet a pain like this had never been felt. She had lost loved ones, killed loved ones even, but now, she knew she would never be able to repair the damage that had been done. Yuji Kaze Tsukai, her firstborn, lay dead at the feet of the King of Gandara. He held a bleeding, crushed heart in his fingers, letting the red dribble between them and to the ground, and a hole remained in her child that could never be mended.
"Does it hurt, Kotone?" Yomi asked her. "Does it ache, knowing your child is dead before you? You killed my Shura, and now I have repaid the debt owed. Know this, wind dai youkai, and know this well. He is not the first, nor will he be the last of your loved ones that I slay in this war. Now, it will be done personally."
It did hurt; she barely contained the vomit in her throat as she crawled to her lifeless son. She cradled him, unable to speak or hardly breathe, and the tears that rarely fell from her eyes now came like rivers. She loved him, more than any save Avaron, and what had come of it? She was unable to protect one of her precious ones… What was she worth in this world?
"YOU BASTARD!"
Kotone numbly lifted her head in time to see Yomi fly from the spot he had been, just in time to dodge a catastrophic punch that left a hole in the ground. She vaguely recognized the wild demoness that stood there, panting erratically and covered in black markings. Her brown hair was sticking up in all angles and her posture reminded her of another, though far less of a demon than this girl.
"Kei…ko?" Kotone choked, but that couldn't be right. Keiko never had the markings of the Mazoku.
"YOU KILLED HIM!" the girl cried. Her power danced so brilliantly around her, the wind demoness clutched tighter to the corpse of her son. "I LOVED HIM! I FUCKING LOVED HIM!"
Long ago, Kotone had realized the power behind Yusuke's emotions. When he became upset, he grew more powerful. It was the reason he was the greatest King of Makai she had ever seen. Never in her wildest dreams had she believed Izume, the daughter of Yusuke and Keiko, could carry that same power within her.
But, she knew how Izume had felt for Yuji. It was plain to all that she loved him dearly, tenderly, and he cared for her the same. Keiko and Kotone had even gone so far as to prepare themselves for the moment the two came forth and announced their engagement, or mating.
'Is this… how Hiei felt… when he lost me?' Kotone sobbed, staring upon the pale face of her once-lively son. She brushed her fingers against his face. 'This emptiness… this want of something more… I can't… I can't take it. I want to die, to avoid this pain, but I can't. Ava, Hiei…'
"Get him out of here."
At some point, Izume had staved off Yomi enough to crouch next to the mother and son. She was still weeping and blood dotted her cheeks. Somehow, Kotone did not believe it to be her blood either. Something had awoken in Izume then, powerful and dangerous. She was glowing with the power that now lived within her, golden almost, and Kotone shied away from it.
"Aunt Ko, please get him out of here," she whispered one more time, nudging Kotone. "Please. Yomi… is mine."
And so, Izume left them. Kotone did as she asked, collecting her son in her arms and fleeing through the battlefields. She passed Karasu, whose bombs detonated and killed hundreds at a time, and Kurama, whose plants devoured any that tried to stop her. Neither could fathom what passed them, but they took heed and followed the moment they could, protecting a broken mother and a cold son.
~:.:{There's A Hole So Deep and Cold It Will Never See The Light of Day}:.:~
Koenma had lived for millennia, watching over the three worlds and choosing various Reikai Tantei. He knew when Ningenkai was supposed to end and when it was to begin anew. He had seen that before, as well, but this particular cycle was one he cherished. He never wanted to see it end, especially not after meeting Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and all of the characters he had grown to love. Yes, he loved them.
No one had ever been his family, save his deceased mother, like Yusuke.
That is why he had finally taken a stance. He would betray his father to save those that truly cared for him. It was not time for the Human World to end; they had a few thousand years to go since Yusuke and his brood intervened. King Enma would not be the early cause of the destruction of an entire world.
And so, Koenma was prepared to die.
"Father!" he hollered when he entered the War Room. The ring was clutched in his fingers.
"Leave, boy!" Enma boomed, his glare rested solely on the images of his troops being slaughtered. Koenma recognized that group as well, for the most part.
So, Kotone has taken Yuji Takanari's soul? He had not realized, but seeing him fight for the right cause made Koenma know he was right in what he was doing. Kotone had persecuted herself to assure that her loved ones lived. It was Koenma's turn to contribute. He may be unable to fight on the frontlines like Yusuke, but he could do something.
"No," he whispered, praying that his friends would know he did this for them. "It's time you step down, father."
Enma turned his gaze to his son at last, though his laughter shook the castle. "What foolishness do you speak of, child? You, Prince Koenma, hold no power over me!"
"But mother did!"
Koenma was ready to lay down his life as he held that ring out. An incantation was unnecessary; his reiki began to flow into it, suckling from the stores in his pacifier and his very bones. He could feel the life begin to slip from his body, but he would not quit until Enma was no more.
"Where did you get that?" Enma reached for him, but the light of his life energy had begun to glow around him. He could not move any more than Koenma could. "Stop this at once, Koenma!"
"No!"
It was not Koenma that shouted, but instead a friend he had always overlooked. Jorge the Ogre ran forth, plucking the ring from his fingers just as Enma's soul was stolen from his massive body. Before Koenma could do anything, his faithful servant was consumed in time with his father and both souls fell into the ring.
It all happened in seconds and when the light diminished from the room, Koenma fell to his knees and stared at the prone ring upon the ground. The massive body of his father and that of the ogre Jorge had disappeared with their souls, though it felt as if it were not the end. How could his servant have done that? Why…?
"J-Jorge?" he stammered desperately, crawling towards the ring. "W-Why…?"
"Because he said Spirit World needed a real king," Botan told him painfully. She was weeping, so openly Koenma could not stop the tears that leaked down his cheeks. "He sacrificed himself for you, Koenma, sir. Now, stand up and end this war. You are… you are the King of Spirit World now."
Through a sacrifice, so many more could be saved… Koenma would not disappoint the ogre that had always believed in him.
~:.:{We're Weaker Than We Care To Admit}:.:~
Yuji Takanari was exhausted, but he was not the only one. Daiki and Hajime were breathing heavily at this point, and though Shoichi and Tadao were still going strong, the older demons could feel the strain of endless Reikai troops bearing upon them. The fox demoness was still holding, though it was obvious the poor thing was close to passing out with how exhausted her youki was.
"Hey, what's going on?" Daiki snarled when the troops began to filter back through the barrier, towards Reikai instead of trying to infiltrate Makai. "Come the fuck back so I can slaughter your bitch asses!"
"Daiki," Yuji whispered, his eyes analyzing the odd expressions on the faces of the retreating soldiers. "Something has happened. Regroup on the ground."
The demons- and teenagers- fell to the ground, watching as the broken barrier resealed itself with great strain to the demoness. Hajime and Daiki rushed to her, trying to support the poor female.
"Hatsu, are you alright?" Hajime asked. "What is happening?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, though sweat stained her brow. "I can no longer feel resistance. They've left the barrier alone."
"How much longer can you hold?" Yuji hurried to ask.
"Not long. I'm not sure what is going on, b-but I'll go as long as I can," she promised. "Just don't let me die, alright?"
"You got it, princess," Daiki mumbled. "Yuj, any idea?"
"I think Reikai is pulling from the war. That, or they could be regrouping for a stronger attack. We need to be ready-"
"There's no need."
The voice was vaguely familiar to Yuji, but the other four men recognized it. The girl had blue hair and magenta eyes, but it was the oar she held that solidified her position in the three worlds. She was a Grim Reaper, and not just any. She was the one that had been promoted years ago to the head of the division. How had she gotten inside the barrier?
Botan.
"There is a new Spirit King," Botan told the group solemnly. "King Koenma is pulling his troops back and readying them to wage against Yomi. Please, remove your barrier. Part of his forces will protect Ningenkai as well, so there is no need for it."
"No tricks?" Shoichi asked quickly. "You aren't being forced to tell us lies, are you Botan?"
"No," she murmured. "Jorge, the ogre you've met, died so that Enma would fall with him. Koenma is protecting his loved ones and in turn, he is protecting the three worlds from falling. Enma was ready to destroy Makai and that could not be allowed."
"Hatsu," Hajime said to the demoness, "please lower your barrier. The only thing we need worry about now is Ningenkai getting involved again."
As the barrier lowered and Hatsukichi fell to the ground, unconscious and exhausted of youki, Tadao stiffened. He felt a change in the winds that prickled his reiki to the point he wanted to vomit. Something was about to happen and they needed to get to the location, fast.
"Grab Hatsukichi. We need to get to Kotone. Now."
No one questioned him; they knew his awareness was as prominent as his father's, if not more so.
Next in 'Revelation, Defamation':
The end would finally meet the beginning; what was left for her? Yuji Kaze Tsukai was dead, Mukuro was trying to steal her mate, and Avaron was injured so badly she should not be anywhere near the battle. Had they lost? Was it time to give up? No... because there is always a way, and Kotone's heart knew what must be done.