"You drive like a maniac!" I shouted into the man's shoulder. Like usual he ignored me, swerving through crowds of people without any regard for the safety of us or them. I gripped tightly to his waist and closed my eyes against the angry shouts and terrified screams and focused on staying on the bike.
The constant weaving in and out and the bike leaving the ground made me feel sick. I'd always wanted to ride a motorcycle and this made me regret every moment of that desire.
We crashed to the concrete again, breaking so hard I almost flew. This guy barely noticed, just facing someone and lifting his arms.
"You can't do that with these innocents standing around, Sniper." Kurama's voice made my stomach drop. I separated my stiff body from the man who now had a name, 'Sniper', and felt the stress ease a little at the sight of Kurama's rose whip and his serious expression. His pupils dilated seeing me but he focused back on his target without a word.
"Fine, not that I ever miss my target. But if it's a change in venue you want, I'm game."
Kurama's jaw tensed. If I could hit him while he was distracted then maybe Kurama would be able to incapacitate him...
"Do it and you'll never see him again." Sniper murmured before I could move, keeping his aim on Kurama.
"What?" I frowned, looking back at his side profile. He didn't answer me and that tactic was getting old. It couldn't be Hiei, no way could any part of that group find him let alone trap him. Kurama was standing in front of me and if it wasn't for the bystanders he would have already won. Yusuke... maybe. He might be stupid enough in the heat of the moment to get captured; it happened 3 days ago, it could happen now. But they would have just grabbed him when they started separating if that was the case. Genkai was neither a 'he' nor a possibility of getting abducted without her consent, and Koenma didn't seem worth the effort to his old Protégé. But that meant...
"Kurama, it's Kuwabara!" Keiko's voice broke through the toxic little circle we'd been encased in and drew everyone's attention. "We have to find Yusuke and warn-"
"Stay back!" Kurama yelled.
"Keiko, get down!" I shouted at the same time.
Sniper shifted his aim to her and I slapped his arm as he flicked a marble at her. Puu took the hit, the little creature collapsing but alive. Sniper smirked at me, amusement and condescension permeating the air. He revved his bike, the screech of his tires deafening. I barely had time to grab onto his waist to avoid falling off, flinching at how close Kurama's whip came to connecting with my back. I'd seen his weapon of choice cut fully grown, powerful demons in half; I'd be ripped apart like tissue paper if it connected.
We were headed out of the city fast, his bike swerving in and out of traffic and my eyes stinging in the wind. I couldn't do much more than hold on and hope he didn't crash or lose control.
Cars were on fire, turned over, and people were screaming as we passed accident after accident, and I squinted over his shoulder to see a green truck careening through the street like they were in a video game. I couldn't make out the faces in the truck bed before I had to press my cheek into Sniper's back again, tears streaming from the strain and the force of the wind. How was he able to focus so easily?
The grass was a blur while we rose and fell on the hills. The fall wouldn't kill us if we could land in the grass, and it would postpone Sniper getting to wherever he was headed...
The bike snapped left and right, focusing me back, and I tightened my grip against the rocks flying against my legs. How did he know what I was thinking when I hadn't even done anything yet?
I clenched my jaw to stop a scream when he pulled off onto a dirt road, the tires groaning in protest at his mistreatment of them, and he stopped at the opening of the trees.
"Walk ahead of me." He commanded, dismounting and staring at me. My legs and back hurt from how stressed I had kept my body but I did as he said and moved ahead of him, glancing around. I considered making some sort of trail for the rest to follow but I didn't want to risk it. He'd already shown he would follow through on his threats and I didn't need to be knocked out alone in the middle of the woods with a psychopath.
We walked in silence through the underbrush, the sounds of civilization disappearing with every step. These were places Hiei liked to hide, away from everyone and everything, hiding in the trees. I looked up, knowing he wasn't here, and prayed he would get to Yusuke in time to help him save my cousin.
"Stop." Sniper cut through my thoughts. "Wait here."
I turned to see his back retreating the way we had come. "You're leaving?"
"I have more pressing matters than babysitting you."
"What was the point of all this?" I moved to follow him, flexing my hands in preparation for a fight.
He turned to face me, raising his hand. His territory spread out in a furious orange, quicker than I anticipated, and he murmured, "death print, bullseyes". I looked down, frowning at something on my hand and inspecting the bullseye that had appeared like a tattoo. I looked at the other one and saw an identical mark.
"If you move, you lose those hands." He stated, turning his back to me again.
"We're not in a collapsing building anymore." I called after him, crossing my arms and pacing out of spite. "Fucking asshole. I'll move if I want to move."
I paced back and forth until paranoia worked its way into my agitation and dropped with my legs crossed, inspecting my hands. The targets felt like they were part of my skin. They didn't rub away, didn't wash away with my water... they just existed, as though they had always been there.
The wind was ominous, blowing leaves around in little torrents through the small clearing. I compelled my water to dance with them, practicing. Getting the right angles without disturbing the current they were circling on was an amusing challenge for a few minutes but the anxiety of the situation was quick to creep back in.
I looked around at the trees, wondering what I was waiting for. Everyone was in danger and reacting to a high stress situation and I was dumped in the middle of the woods. I felt Sniper getting further and further away and debated if I could escape before he could do whatever it was his psychic gift allowed him to do. Probably not, and even if I could I couldn't afford to be waiting for him to keep his promise. I couldn't be 'on' at all times.
I raised my hand to play with the leaves again when pressure set in on my arms, burning hot and disappearing almost at the same time. I inspected my hands and frowned at my bare skin, flipping them in search of those targets. Was he too far away for his territory to work? Why would he make threats if I was going to be able to escape without consequences as soon as he got out of distance?
A burst of wind blew my braid over my shoulder, whipping me in the face. I jumped to my feet, ready for a fight, and my stomach dropped.
"Hello Ella." The teal haired man smiled, crossing his arms over his robes. My mouth was dry, my arms heavy at my sides, a persistent itch working up my scalp. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Pleasure." I choked, forcing my legs to move backwards, creating space.
"You're still afraid." He noted, amusement dancing in his cold eyes. He raised a hand and touched his chest, observing me. "I suppose it is to be expected, though I must admit I find it a shame you have yet to embrace your gifts."
Despite the heaviness in my limbs and the crushing weight of anxiety and trepidation I could feel the Kuwabara temper prickling at his insinuations.
"There is still use for you in the coming world, of course." He continued, inspecting the skyline over the trees. "I admit I have grown fond of places like these in your world. Away from civilization. Perhaps this place will survive the coming carnage and we may return to it when the time comes."
"When the kekkai barrier is destroyed." I probed, wetting my lips against the nerves.
"I could mistake you for clever if I didn't know any better." He mused, curling his long fingers in thought.
"I would mistake you for intelligent if you weren't just a pawn for your master." I prickled, my heartbeat in my throat. The corners of his mouth twitched but his gaze remained on the horizon like I was nothing more than a child who was mildly amusing but otherwise not worth acknowledging.
My survival instinct battled with the childish urge to run my mouth, start a fight I had no chance in winning.
"We're late." He announced, turning to the tree at his back. His energy flowed around us, feeling invasive and clammy on my skin. I don't know what I was expecting but hands appearing over his shoulders and biceps wasn't it. A circle of water flowed around my chest and solidified in my hands in reactive protection, my legs careening back before I could tell them otherwise.
"What the hell is that?" I blurted, every hair in my body standing straight up.
"Your chariot." He mocked, holding out his hand.
I groaned, gripping the ice protecting my palms and shaking them, willing the water to fall from my skin. This was so creepy. I bounced on the balls of my feet, anxiety flooding my system, and glanced around me for some way out of this.
'You have to get to Kazuma. You have to protect him.' I reminded myself, closing my eyes and thrusting my hand out to his. My breath was pulled from my body, replaced by emptiness and shards of frosted crystal piercing my lungs. Too many hands gripped my clothes, my hair, nails embedding into my skin, and I wondered through the panic if this was how I died.