Part Four
Chapter Thirty-Seven
In Dilated Time, one day outside Demon's Door Cave is equal to about one week inside. I blacked out for two days inside that cave. That means, outside the cave, I was completely out of commission for seven hours.
The attack on the compound took twenty-seven minutes, and only forty-eight minutes later…
Nightmare
"Easy, Kid," Yusuke said, his shoulder propped under Kusuo's arm as they climbed the stairs that led from Demon's Door Cave to the anti-chamber cave beneath the Compound. Kusuo's body felt heavy as lead, and it was all he could do to set one foot in front of the other. He felt as wrung out as a bone-dry sponge and would give anything just to fall into bed and sleep for a week.
"Hey, buddy!" Nendou's exuberant shout echoed through the high-ceilinged cave, making Kusuo wince. "You're a wreck!"
"No joke, Kusuo." Hairo's nose appeared less than a millimeter from Kusuo's as Hairo stared at him as if he could see right through him. "Your spirit energy seems pretty level, but it's way low, man. Any lower and you'd probably die."
"No way," Kuboyasu scoffed. "Kusuo ain't no pussy; he'll bounce back soon enough."
"He will," Yusuke agreed. "The integration takes a lot of energy, but it builds back just as fast."
Kusuo said nothing as he looked from one friend to the next, taking in the changes in their auras and bodies as he made sure they were all healthy and whole. Shun was quiet and withdrawn, which was a bit concerning, but he managed a tired smile and a thumbs-up for Kusuo when their eyes met.
"Hey, there, Kusuo," Shun said, his voice wrung out and raspy. "You look as dead on your feet as I feel."
"Aa." Kusuo's eyes fell to the ofuda-laced bandage wrapping Shun's right arm from shoulder to fingertips. "You okay?"
"What, this?" Shun held up his bandaged arm with a wry chuckle. "It's just a seal keeping the power in my right arm from escaping in an explosion so catastrophic that it would destroy the surface of the earth." He shrugged and rubbed his nose with one finger. "No big deal."
Kusuo snorted.
"Looks like we all got powered up," Kuboyasu said, slapping his right fist into his left palm with an excited grin. "I can't wait to get up there and see what you've got!"
"For real," Hairo agreed. "I have no doubt you will all be rivals worthy of the name." He spared Shun a vaguely condescending thumbs-up. "Even you, Kaidoh."
An annoyed tick pulsed above Shun's eye. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Enough," Kusuo said, shaking his head. "Let's just get out of here."
"Sure thing, buddy!" Nendou bounded over and chucked Yusuke aside to support Kusuo instead. "Thanks, old man, but I got my buddy from here on out."
"Knock yourself out, kid." Yusuke relinquished his hold on Kusuo and stepped to the side where Koenma, Kurama, and Kuwabara were standing in a narrow ring in the middle of a low conversation. Hiei, whom Kusuo had never seen in person until now, was a foot or so away from the group with his back against the wall, arms crossed, and eyes closed. Like Shun, his right arm was bandaged from shoulder to fingertips, but his bindings lacked the ofuda papers that peeked out between the folds in Shun's.
"Hey." Kuboyasu leaned over Kusuo's shoulder, jerking his chin in the direction of the older men. "What'cha think they're saying over there?"
"I have no idea," Kusuo said. "And I don't care."
Or, more accurately, he was too tired to care. Besides, if it was important, Kusuo and his friends would hear it eventually.
"Hey, Aren, can you help Shun?" Hairo motioned toward the enormous plank gate settled into the mouth of the atrium cave. "I'll grab the door."
"I don't need help," Shun protested, but he didn't put up a resistance when Kuboyasu put a steadying arm around his shoulders. He also couldn't hide the slight wobble in his steps as he walked. It seemed that, between the four of them, Shun was the one most wrung out by his training. Hopefully, that meant he'd improved.
When it comes down to a fight, we'll need all the help we can get.
"All right, kiddies!" Kuwabara broke away from the demon-god-human huddle with a grin and strode across the room to help Hairo with the door. "Sounds like you all leveled up pretty nicely this last week."
"Week my ass," Kuboyasu grumbled. "It's been months."
"Yeah, yeah, keep bitching, Punk." Though the words were harsh, Kuwabara's tone was fond as he ruffled Kuboyasu's hair on his way to the door.
"Hey!" Kuboyasu swatted at Kuwabara's hand, but he couldn't hide his equally fond grin.
"Kuwabara is correct," Kurama said as he came up behind the boys to clap a hand on Aren's shoulder. "You all should be very proud of the progress you have made."
"Ah, well…" Kuboyasu looked away with a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Sensei."
"That's pretty respectful coming from you, Aren." Shun sent him as evil looking a grin as he could manage while being so obviously wiped out. "He beat your ass into the ground until you learned some manners?"
"You want me to beat some manners into you?" Aren threatened, his arm shifting around Shun's neck to deliver a punishing noogie.
"Ack!" Shun squawked. "Uncle, uncle!"
The enormous gate swung open, and the younger boys all flinched at the sudden rush of blinding sunlight. After days (weeks) locked up in dimly lit caves, it was a wonder any of them could stand the piercing glare.
Kusuo used long blinks to try and adjust his eyes more quickly, but before his vision had fully returned, his heart was startled into a gallop by Kuwabara's violent curse.
"What the fuck?"
A streak of black raced by Kusuo and out the door—Hiei?—followed quickly by Kurama and Yusuke, who sprinted through the gates without a word.
"Shit." Koenma ground his teeth before closing his eyes and raising both hands to press his fingers hard against his forehead. The diamond embedded in the ring on his left hand glowed with a dim amber light that mirrored the light in his eyes when they snapped open.
"Shit," Koenma said again, but Kusuo grabbed his elbow before the Spirit King to sprint after his friends.
"What?" Kusuo demanded, still unable to see properly. "What happened?"
"The compound was attacked," Koenma said, his words rushed as he peeled Kusuo's fingers from his arm. "Nadeshiko left a mental recording that hit as soon as the doors opened. I tapped it, but her memories are too jumbled for me to make sense of everything."
"Attacked?" Kuboyasu demanded. "By who?"
Koenma sighed deeply, his brow furrowing with frustration and fear. "Akemi Homura."
Kusuo stopped breathing.
The world warped around him, and Kusuo lost his footing. He vaguely heard Nendou's surprised shout followed by a promise of support, but nothing really registered.
Akemi Homura had attacked the compound.
She attacked the people in the compound.
She attacked his family.
And Kusuo hadn't been there.
Again!
Nendou had Kusuo by the shoulders to shake him, but Kusuo was so detached from his body that he couldn't feel a thing.
This is a nightmare.
Just a nightmare.
So, wake the fuck up!
A heavy slap snapped Kusuo's head to the side. He jerked back with a snarl, only to stare in shock at Shun's stern face.
"Snap out of it, Kusuo!" Shun demanded. "Akemi is already gone, so freaking out won't change anything. What we have to do now is figure out what happened and make sure everyone is okay!"
"…right." Kusuo yanked free of Nendou's grip. Numbness faded as adrenaline and anger took its place, filling him to the brim and sparking his depleted spirit energy until it hummed through him.
"Right," he said more firmly, his fists clenched and his head high. "Let's go."
They stepped out of the cave and into a warzone. The ground was torn up in jagged chunks, buildings were splintered, and pavers and statues lay uprooted and shattered amidst bodies of various sizes and shapes. Some bodies were small enough to belong to human children while the largest was a demon that had been almost as tall as the main house's peaked roof.
A low murmur hung over the battlefield as the humans and apparitions with medical training did their best to identify and assist the survivors.
Kusuo barely spared a glance for the majority of the combatants. Grateful as he was for their efforts, his fear and attention was focused solely on two people. He spotted Kokomi's familiar back first; her indigo ponytail fell down the back of her dirtied training yukata in near mats, and there were streaks of red across her bare arms and what looked like a red slash across her throat. Kusuo's heart lurched; he swallowed the swelling acid and pumped his legs with spirit energy so he had strength enough to run.
"Kokomi!"
She spun around on the instant, her blue eyes searching frantically until they fell on him and the determined strength on her face faltered. Her militant posture relaxed enough that he could see her trembling and tears welled then overfilled her eyes to spill down her grimy cheeks. She opened her arms to him moments before he crashed into her, cradling her head and clutching her waist as if he could absorb her into himself.
"Thank God," he murmured against her neck, doing his best to pretend he wasn't trembling along with her. Pulling back, he tilted her chin up with one hand to see the gash on her neck. Bloody finger tracks wrapped around the back of her neck and trailed down her clavicle, but there was no wound. Kusuo let out an explosive breath and dropped his forehead against hers.
"Are you all right?" he demanded, his fingers threading into the base of her messy ponytail.
Kokomi took several hiccupping breaths before she could manage speech. "I-I'm not hurt. But…" She broke off with a sob. "Kusuo, she took him." Clutching his arms, she looked up at him with an expression of utter heartbreak. "She took Y-Yuu-chan."
Oh, fuck…
Kusuo's knee-jerk response was anger. He wanted to shove Kokomi away and demand to know what the hell she'd been thinking by letting that maniac steal Yuuta away, but he sucker-punched the impulse in the jaw and instead clutched Kokomi back to his chest as he fought to reign in his emotions.
"It's not your fault," he said more out of obligation than belief. Deep down, he knew that Kokomi would have given everything she had and then some to protect Yuuta, and honest to God, it was a miracle she hadn't killed herself in the process. But his logical mind had very little control over his emotional heart at the moment, and the only thing saving her from his wrath was the overwhelming relief he felt at having her alive and well in his arms.
"It all happened so f-fast," Kokomi muttered against his chest. "She came at us from n-nowhere, and I couldn't—" She gasped and jerked away. "Chiyo!"
"What about her?" Kaidoh asked as he and Aren made their way over. Nendou had fallen behind after spotting Kuwabara Natsuko and Hairo was offering his services to the wounded.
"Offu, Teruhashi-san," Kaidoh said, looking her over. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, but Chiyo is hurt!" Kokomi extricated herself from Kusuo's possessive hold and grabbed his hand to drag him toward the main house where Kusuo could see a cluster of multi-colored hair: blue, red, mint, and brown.
Botan-san, Kurama-sensei, Yukina-san, and Yamato. Kusuo's stomach tied itself in knots as he let Kokomi drag him toward the group. Why were their four medical powerhouses all gathered in one place?
"—I can't get them to close!" Botan shouted at her husband. "You think I haven't been trying?"
"I will administer yarrow," Kurama said, unbothered by his wife's teary frustration. "As long as the bleeding stops, we can close the wounds later."
"Who's hurt?" Shun asked, his exhaustion slurring his speech. He looked ready to fall asleep on his feet.
Kuboyasu, who was tall enough to see over Kurama's hunched form, went pale as a ghost and jerked Shun to a stop. Pulled off balance, Shun stumbled a step or two backward before regaining his footing with a glare.
"What the hell, Aren?"
"Let's get you to your room, man," Aren said, trying to lead Shun away. "You look dead on your feet."
"What are you talking about?" Shun dug in his heels, his lips tugging down into a scowl. "People are hurt. If I can help, then I will."
Kusuo stepped closer to the cluster of healers and final saw what Kuboyasu had. He sucked in a sharp breath and instinctively reached up to turn Kokomi's face away from Chiyo's shrapnel-laden body, though she had obviously already seen. Blood covered her from head to foot, leaving shiny, oil-like patches on her black shirt and skirt where the fabric had been torn along with her skin. Her chest jerked sharp and shallow with her ragged breathing before she gave a slight, convulsing shudder.
"Oh no!" Botan reached out to roll Chiyo onto her sight as the girl hacked and gagged. A glob of coagulated black blood heaved between her lips to land in a gelatinous puddle on the engawa porch. Her breathing evened slightly as Botan rubbed her still shuddering back.
"That's right, sweetheart," Botan crooned. "Just let it all out."
"I don't think she's alive," Yamato said, shock and horror audible in her tone.
"Who's not alive?" Shun sounded more alert now, and almost on the edge of panic. Kusuo met Kuboyasu's eyes and jerked his chin toward the undamaged wing of the compound's main house.
A vain twitched in Kuboyasu's brow and he mouthed, 'You think I'm not trying?'
"Of course, she's alive," Botan scolded. "She's breathing, isn't she?"
"Sure," Yamato said as if breathing was optional, "but her heart isn't beating."
"She's right," Yukina said, her fingers pressed against the soft inside of Chiyo's blood-spattered wrist. "I haven't felt a pulse since we began treating her."
Kusuo was sure that if his heart pounded any harder, it would pound right out of his chest.
"The fuck do you mean she doesn't have a pulse?" he demanded, spinning away from Kuboyasu and Shun to narrow his eyes at the group. He didn't care who felt the brunt of his wrath, just so long as someone did.
"Who doesn't have a pulse?" Shun demanded. And then, before anyone could answer or drag him away, Shun wrenched himself from Aren's iron grasp and flash-stepped to the edge of the group.
Kusuo started as Shun literally appeared at his side—Kokomi even yelped. His surprise lasted only a moment, but that moment was long enough for Shun to get a full picture of the carnage before them.
"Yumehara!" He started for her, but Kurama was up and had his arm in a vice-like grip before Kusuo could blink.
"Calm down, Kaidoh-san," Kurama ordered. "Getting emotional will not help your friend."
"Don't tell me to calm down, old man." Shun hissed at the older man, and his right arm began to leak ice-blue smoke between the folds of his ofuda-sealed bandage. "That's my friend lying there!"
Thread-thin lines of electricity crackled over Shun's arm, singing whip marks into Kurama's skin wherever they touched. Kurama didn't flinch.
"Oh, fuck me." Yamato groaned, and everyone looked over. She stared down at something in her hand, and Kusuo was alarmed to see she was shaking.
"Nadeshiko?" Botan asked, reaching over Chiyo's prone form to rest a hand on Yamato's elbow. "Sweetie, are you okay?"
"She is dead," Yamato said, looking up from her palm with an expression of horror mixed with malice. "Or might as well be."
Before anyone could ask, Yamato held up what looked like a red silk flower—a broach?—with a glowing yellow gem at the center.
"It's a soul gem," Yamato said, slumping to the porch and covering her face with the hand not holding the flower. "Yumehara turned herself into a magical girl."
"What?" Kokomi squawked. "How?" She jabbed an accusing finger at Yamato. "You said magical girls don't exist in this world. You said we were safe!"
"I said no such thing!" Yamato fired back, though her obvious exhaustion had leaked into her voice, making her sound less forceful than she had likely intended. "I said some unknown god sent the Reborn here to save them from becoming magical girls a second time, but that's not because they're here, it's because they're all born men. Though it may come as a surprise to you, princess, men can't become magical girls."
"Then why make a separate Earth to begin with?" Kusuo demanded. "If being Reborn is enough to protect us, why not use our original world?"
"How the hell should I know? Do you think I'm some sort of god or something?" Yamato snarled, then threw up a hand. "Don't answer that, I know it was a stupid ass question. I'm tired okay?"
"K-Kyubei…"
Everyone froze. Well, everyone except Shun, who took advantage of Kurama's surprise to slip out of his grip and drop to his knees at Chiyo's side.
"Yumehara?" He grasped her hand with both of his and pressed it to his chest. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Chiyo blinked her eyes slowly open, but it took a moment or two before her blown pupils could focus on anything. She settled on Shun's face, and a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Kaidoh-kun…You're all right."
Tears filled Shun's eyes as he clutched her hand tighter. "You dummy. What are you worrying about me for?"
"D-don't cry, K-Kaidoh-kun." Chiyo reached for his face with a bloody hand. She pressed her palm to his cheek, caressing him with her thumb and leaving behind a bloody streak. Kusuo's eyes darted to Kokomi's blood-smeared throat, suddenly realizing how it had happened.
"I'm not c-crying." Shun rubbed his eyes with his sleeve before once again clutching Chiyo's hand. "I just…I don't like seeing you hurt, Yumehara. We're friends, right?"
"Friends…" Chiyo's eyes drifted closed, her hand slipping tiredly from Shun's cheek, and Kusuo felt a pang pierce his heart on her behalf.
"I need to find my dad," Yamato said, struggling to her feet. "Or Yuu-ji. They're the only ones who can put Yumehara's soul back in her body."
"Her soul?" Kusuo demanded, his head snapping in Yamato's direction. "What are you talking about?"
Yamato held up the silk flower once again, an irritated scowl on her pale lips. "Did you not listen to anything Natsu said when she explained about Magical Girls? When you make your wish, your soul is pulled out and put into a gem." She nodded in Chiyo's direction. "It's why spirit energy can't heal her wounds; her body is technically dead."
Kusuo drew in a sharp breath as his attention narrowed in on the cheery yellow gem being held in the palm of Yamato's hand. It didn't look anything like the souls Kusuo and his friends had seen Kaito's territory extract during the battle at the Rokurokubi Estate in Yusuke's Ghost Files. But now that he focused on it, he could feel something radiating from it. Something warm and cheery and so very, very precious.
"Oh my god," Kusuo breathed. "You're holding Chiyo-san's soul."
Yamato huffed and rolled her eyes. "I literally just said that, dumbass."
A wave of malice rolled over the immediate area, stiffening Kusuo's spine and making Kokomi catch her breath. He whipped around, trying to pinpoint the enemy—had Akemi Homura come back?—and was shocked to see Shun glaring at Yamato with literal sparks flying from his eyes. Smoke and lighting arched over his bandaged right arm as he reached out with his left.
"Give me that," he said, his voice low and dark. "Right now."
"Easy, sport," Yamato said, inching slowly backward. "With the amount of power you're giving off, you could crack it if you touch it."
"Then give it to me," Kusuo demanded for two primary reasons. One, because he was beginning to think that Shun had somehow undergone an immensely terrifying power up. Two, because as Yusuke's apprentice, he had inherited not only his offensive skills, but his defensive skills as well.
"Yusuke taught me the spirit wave," Kusuo said, holding out his hand to Yamato. "I can put it back."
"Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?" Yamato dropped the ribbon into Kusuo's palm and backpaddled to what she likely hoped was a safe distance. Likewise, Kurama had removed Yukina and Botan from the reach of Shun's lightning, and that, more than anything else, told Kusuo that Shun really had become powerful.
And dangerous.
"Wait here," Kusuo told Kokomi, who gave an uncertain nod before stepping back and letting go of Kusuo's arm. He hadn't even realized she'd been holding onto him. How had such an intimate violation of his personal space come to feel so natural so quickly?
Easing off his shoes, Kusuo knelt on the engawa at Chiyo's side and looked down at the precious gem he held in his hand.
"Kusuo," Shun said, and Kusuo looked up. He'd stopped sparking, but there was still an aura of danger surrounding the previously chihuahua-like boy. "You do know what you're doing."
It wasn't a question, but Kusuo nodded anyway.
"Aa," he said. "I promise, I'll protect her."
Shun held Kusuo's gaze for a long moment before he nodded slowly. "Okay."
Taking a deep breath, Kusuo turned his attention to Chiyo. He had only practiced the spirit wave using his own store of spirit energy, but now, with Yusuke's orb, he practically overflowed with power. He needed to reign it in before beginning the spirit wave because if he put too much power into it, he could crack Chiyo's gem, and who knew what would happen to her soul then?
"Bear with me, Chiyo-san," Kusuo said, reaching out to place the flower ribbon and its precious cargo between her breasts. "This might hurt."
Kaliea: So a bit of a lower energy chapter, but some important info was dropped here. We also get to see Kusuo (almost) using his new powers for the first (official) time. Will he succeed in saving Chiyo? And what will happen when he does? Tune in next time! Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!
Actually, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up; I ran out of buffer, and I'm frantically trying to build it back up in between classes and work. Sorry in advance! ^-^;
