Chapter Four- Rescue?
Yusuke awoke to find herself alone and naked. I guess he went to work, though I don't know what he does for a living. She stared at the chair where she had draped her clothes; they were still there and she wondered if she would be allowed to keep them on if she went and got dressed. Only one way to find out, she thought as she got out of bed, went over to the chair, and started to pull her clothes on. She had just finished tying back her hair when Colaban walked in and smiled at her.
"Ah, good, you're awake and dressed too. I have breakfast waiting." He offered an arm to her and she took it, looping her arm through his as he guided her through his home. He pointed out some points of interest and she listened to every word. He noticed her attentiveness and deduced that their sex last night was no trick on Yusuke's part. She did love him and was willing to have his child. He opened the dining hall doors to reveal a lavishly decorated room complete with a long table with many chairs. There were two place settings at the far end and it was here where Colaban and Yusuke sat with him at the head and her on his right. The servants brought out the food and poured juice into the shiny silver goblets.
"This looks wonderful," Yusuke complimented as she began to eat. She noticed that she was eating in a ladylike fashion, but it didn't bother her; she had decided to stay a girl, so she needed to act like one.
"Thank you, dear. My chefs use only the best ingredients and they are also the best in their profession."
Yusuke nodded at this. "It shows. By the way, I was wondering. What kind of business do you have, anyway?"
"I'm glad you asked. I can't believe I didn't tell you earlier. I specialize in making jewelry and clothes for high-profile demons. My clients pay well and I make sure that my merchandise is worth the price. Of course, your Hiruseki stones fetched high prices and the ones from last night were the highest-priced ones."
"I'm happy that they brought in a lot of money."
"Would you be willing to make more?"
"Whenever you want. You know, I've never been happier in my life than I am right now."
"I feel the same way." A servant put a small covered dish in front of Yusuke. "That makes what I'm going to say even better." He put a hand on the cover and removed it to reveal a small black box. He picked it up and opened it to reveal a gold ring with a spiral design etched on the band. It was topped with a large diamond encircling one of Yusuke's Hiruseki stones. "Will you marry me?"
Yusuke's eyes widened at the exquisite detail of the ring as well as the size of the jewels. She beamed a huge smile at Colaban. "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
Colaban lifted Yusuke's left hand and slid the ring onto her third finger; it was a perfect fit. He continued to hold her hand as both examined the ring as well as its placement. Finally, Colaban said, "Yusuke, I promise to make you the happiest demon alive."
"And I promise to be worthy of that honor."
"I have another surprise for you. In the center of this house, I have new clothes for you, including a choice of wedding dresses. Would you like to see them?"
"Yes, I would."
"Then, come along and choose what you like."
Hiei, Kuwabara, and Yoko crouched on a cliff edge that overlooked the sprawling mansion and saw heavily-armed guards marching around the perimeter or manning the weapons mounted on the roof. A high fence with sharp points on the top encircled the building and a heavy steel door doubtlessly protected another door behind it. The steel door itself had a barred door in front of it.
"Man, Koenma wasn't joking about the security," Kuwabara commented.
"Yes and I have no doubt that there are more guards inside as well as security cameras," Yoko pointed out.
"Hn. The security doesn't bother me. I was hoping for a big fight." Hiei still blamed himself for Yusuke's abduction even during the three-day hike to the mansion. Hiei unsheathed his sword and charged down the cliff's sloped side and into the midst of guards before either of his teammates could make a move. By the time, they did and joined the fire demon, he had annihilated half the perimeter guards and the roof weapons had started firing.
Hiei must feel real bad about failing Urameshi, Kuwabara thought as he slashed through some guards. Not that he failed, technically. He just thought Urameshi could handle it. Kuwabara noticed that he was avoiding using a pronoun when he thought of Yusuke. He knew that Yusuke was in disguise and yet couldn't bring himself to think of Yusuke as a she. Maybe it'll hit me once I see my friend.
Yusuke was admiring the various wedding dresses when an alarm began to shriek. She jumped in surprise and looked at the flashing red light on the wall with concern. Colaban, however, looked at it with amusement. "It seems we have uninvited guests. I suspect our guards and the roof weapons will take care of them or persuade them to turn back. Now," he turned back to his fiancée. "I suggest this long veil. It will make a good show when I lift it to give you our wedding kiss."
Yusuke ran her fingers over it; it was silky smooth and slid over her fingers easily. "Yes, it is perfect and I think I see the dress I would like to wear." She picked up a hanger that had a dress with short puffy sleeves, a plunging v-neckline, and a narrow waist that finished with a tight skirt and a lacy cover over it. The front of the skirt had a slit up it that would reveal Yusuke's legs as she walked. A medium-length train extended behind it.
Colaban grinned at the dress, particularly the skirt's front and the neckline. "Yes, I like it. We'll put that, the veil, and the rest of your clothes in our bedroom. I've got a walk-in closet they can go in."
Yoko had taken a roundabout path to the mansion by sticking it the woods. He reached the edge of that faced the eastern side and swiftly used his whip to scale the fence, avoiding the sharp tips. He entered through a window and used his whip again to destroy the cameras that lined the hall. I need to find the control room so that I can disable all of the security measures simultaneously. He took off down the hall, eliminating more guards and cameras as he went. He found the control room quickly and with one long crack of his whip, took out the demon there and tore through the computer consoles.
Hiei and Kuwabara saw the fence retract into the ground and the barred and steel door rise up into the door frame while their opponents lay dead or severely injured. "Looks like Yoko destroyed the controls," Hiei noted with a smirk. "Good." He headed for the door with Kuwabara right behind him. I only hope Yusuke's still alive.
Yoko prowled through the house, searching for Colaban. They were required to bring him in alive, but Yoko knew Hiei would be more likely to kill Colaban, so it was imperative that the silver fox found him first.
He found him in a room located in the center of the house and he wasn't alone; Yusuke was with him. She stood beside the demon, holding his hand, and looking at Yoko with something like alarm on her face. Colaban looked at the fox with annoyance. "Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to barge into someone's home, uninvited?"
Yoko didn't deign to answer. Instead, he flicked his wrist and Colaban was ensnared far faster than he thought possible. Yusuke screamed as he strained against the whip, wincing slightly as the thorns digging into his flesh. He continued to struggle, however, until he saw the tip of a razor-sharp sword at his throat. He looked past the weapon to see a demon who could pass for a male version of Yusuke.
"Let her go!" he growled. He pressed the tip of his sword meaningfully against his throat and a few drops of blood seeped out. "I said, let her go."
"Hiei! Stop it! He's not holding me!" Yusuke exclaimed, pushing the sword away and freezing the whip into shards before turning to Colaban and using her power to heal the marks.
"Urameshi! What are you doing?" Kuwabara said. "He's the enemy. We here to arrest him and rescue you."
"I don't need to be rescued," she replied coldly, turning around to face them.
"Huh?" Kuwabara said. He glared at Colaban. "What did you do to her?"
"He did nothing, except be charming," Yusuke said. "He expressed a desire that I be his mate and stay female and I found that it's not such a bad idea. Earlier, he proposed and I accepted." She held up her hand to show off the engagement ring.
Her teammates stared at her and then at the ring. This couldn't be right. Yusuke fell in love with her captor, decided to stay female, and accepted Colaban's proposal? There was no way Yusuke would do that willingly. She had to be under the influence of some kind of drug.
Hiei sheathed his sword and pulled out the syringe filled with Yusuke's blood. "Hn. Time to wake up, detective," he said as he zipped forward and jabbed the needle into her arm, injecting the blood into her. He removed the syringe once it was empty and stepped back. Yusuke's change into a female demon had been immediate and he suspected that her change back to a human male would be immediate, too.
Yusuke was horrified when Hiei stabbed the syringe of her human blood into her arm and emptied its contents into her bloodstream. They were trying to take her away from her beloved! I won't love him if I'm a guy! Or will I? I suppose I still will because I'm still attracted to him. I won't let them break us apart. I'll fight them if they try. She waited to feel her blood burn as well as feel dizzy. It didn't come. She looked down to see that she was still female. Why didn't I change back? Not that I mind. I prefer to stay as I am as well as where I am.
"What the hell?" Hiei said when Yusuke failed to change back. His Jagan flared to look Yusuke over and his eyes widened at what he saw: Yusuke was pregnant! Damn, no wonder it didn't work. Pregnant ice apparitions' bodies destroy any attempt to harm the unborn child. I used the only sample of Yusuke's blood and her body destroyed it, leaving her as a female demon forever.
"Why didn't it work?" Kuwabara asked. "Shouldn't Urameshi be a guy already?"
"It didn't work because she's pregnant," Hiei stated flatly. "An ice apparition's body will destroy any attempt to harm the child. That syringe contained all the blood I took from her before the mission started and now it's gone. Yusuke will never be able to change back."
"Well, good," she shot back. "I love him and we are getting married. You can tell Koenma that I quit as spirit detective and I'll be living here from now on."
"Urameshi..." Kuwabara said, stunned.
"You heard my fiancée," Colaban said. "She loves me and we're getting married. Go and don't you dare come back. If you do, I will personally kill you."
The team exchanged looks before leaving the room and the house. Kuwabara glanced back at it as they left. "I can't believe that Urameshi would willingly marry that demon or that she's having his kid."
"Clearly she is," Yoko said. "Somehow, she became attracted to him and eventually fell for him. It seems there is nothing we can do. We have no way to change her back and she has made it clear that she wants to stay."