Chapter Two
Survivor
~
It was a bitterly cold and dreary day that morning in the Mortal Realm. The landscape lay barren and pale. It was a desolate wasteland with colors of white and gray as far as the eye could see. Sheets of ice and snow blanketed the empty land, devoid of vegetation.
There was a winter storm rolling through. And it assaulted everything wildly as ice pelted down high from the atmosphere. It's dark clouds were a black smudge against a dull canvas of the horizon.
A lone wolf blended seamlessly into the frozen backdrop. Her onyx nose, lips and eyelids stood out against the whitewash imagery around her. Sleet-flecked fur coated her slender frame.
Intelligent sapphire eyes gleamed intensely as the dark storm enveloped her. With unwavering resolve, her wolvine gaze remained hyper-focused on a distant point, guiding her steadfast pace across the frozen terrain. When sleet slashed at her face, she closed her eyes momentarily, then pressed on, unyielding to wind and ice.
The wind chill sliced through the thick white fur on her back and bit at her skin with icy daggers. Her paws ached for warmth. The canine had traveled for four days straight now. She hated the cold, but she must press on.
In the far distance she spotted a warm amber glow. Pointing her nose in that direction, she inhaled a mixture of scents with the wind. Human. Three maybe four. She sniffed again. Warmth. Food. Water.
Her stomach growled just then. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. You could see it in her thin frame, the way her ribs poked out with she breathed. Bony limbs stretched from her gaunt body. She needed to find food.
Beasts didn't live out here. Only the demon-kind. But no food like deer or cattle. What little lived here probably died and froze solid, succumbing to the harsh environment. The storm masked scents, limiting her powerful nose.
With soft pants she picked up her speed and loped over toward the warm glow. It grew bigger and objects started to stand out at her. A house, a shed, a little paddock with hay. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the sturdy wooly horse staring back at her with fearful eyes.
The wolf licked her lips.
You will be dinner if you alert the humans. She thought to the dumb animal, knowing it wouldn't hear her or answer back. The horse turned away, showing its hindquarters and the promise of a swift kick if she dared to approach with him. Snorting, she darted to the side and toward the back of the small building, sticking to the shadows away from the light.
As she reached a glass-paned little window, her ears perked up to hear what commotion was going on. She would assess what this place was and who was here. Ducking her head, she noticed the dancing shadows within. There was a torch or fire of some kind inside, illuminating the space.
"That dumb silly bastard!" She heard a man howl out into the night.
"What d'ya expect?" Answered a woman, an older human. "He wasn't around when the World ended! When the floods and the lava came in! When our cities and towns were demolished! When those beasts appeared!"
The sound of a clack made the little wolf flinch. She must have slammed something down on the table. The sound reverberated through the glass pane above her.
"Now we lost Rei. He was careless taking her way out there!" The man growled back. The wolf heard a pain in his voice that he hid well. This young man must've made a grave error no human in their right mind should do in this day and age. Leave the pack.
"If it weren't for that witch putting things into their heads!" The woman continued, slamming the object down again. The wolf heard the hollow sound and confirmed it was a mug of some kind.
A common object most humans drank liquid from. She has sniffed and licked the contents before and it always resulted in her sneezing and moving away from the pungent smell. She couldn't understand why they willingly poison themselves.
"Angie." A calmer voice spoke this time. The man sounded young, but an inflection in his voice told he was more intelligent than these two loud obnoxious humans. With her ears cocked, she listened to soft shuffling closer to the window and sank deeper into the ice.
"A safe community exists, I've seen it with my own eyes. I've also sensed a shift in the air, a spark of promise. I dare say we might be able to hope again. Can't you feel it?" The younger man said.
His voice was smooth like silk. She had to know what he looked like, the young man was probably handsome. With a start, she shook herself from her musings. Focus.
"Feel wha'?" She huffed in response. "Only thing I'm feeling is this cursed cold! Twenty years ago, this land was thriving. We grew crops out here, lived off the land. Now look at it! A damned wasteland now. This place was lush and green, green like your eyes, kid!"
The wolf pinned her ears back, she didn't know what this place looked like twenty years ago. She didn't even know how old she even was, or have a concept of time besides how many moons ago an event was. Staring down at her paws in thought, the wolf mused again.
All she ever knew was struggle and hardships. The wolf was a drifter, moving from place to place, never staying long enough to call any place home. She had no idea what it meant to be apart of a family. Her hunts were solitary, long, and difficult. But prey was scarce lately.
That's what brought her to human establishments, how rare they were lately. The monsters were killing them off every place she went to. The wolf knew lambs thought of her as a monster. But at least she would eat the lamb, satisfy her hunger. These demons kill for pure sport, leaving corpses and destruction in their path.
Every so often she would see a human fight back. The strong ones had these powers, this glow around their body. And they would shoot pure energy at each other or use it in their weapons or fists. Sometimes they won and killed the intruding demons – sometimes… not so much.
She hated those evil creatures. But maybe it's because she relied so much on the humans lately for food. Or maybe it's something deep inside her that has always hated them, ever since she's learned of their existence.
Humans are not so bad. Some throw rocks at her, but they would smell of fear. Some even feed her willingly, thinking her a stray dog. It didn't matter if it hurt her pride though. She was fed either way.
Her attention was brought back to the humans when the large man laughed and clapped his hands. Someone must've said something funny. The wolf thought for a moment. Wasn't there a time when she felt such joy? A memory pulled at her slightly but she waved it off. These visions were becoming a nuisance lately coming to her randomly. They weren't important.
The large man laughed again and he exclaimed, "Shuichi! You make me laugh, friend!" A loud clap almost as if he slapped his back. "Come on back over anytime! You're welcome here whenever ya want!" The man gave another loud booming laugh but it quieted as the humans made their way to the front of the house.
They will see their friend off soon. I'll have to act quickly!
The front door opened just then and the humans talked some more. Just as she heard the squelch of boots on ice and snow the little wolf made her daring move. In no time at all she acted out the plan.
On both back paws she stood as she swiftly nudged the window open above her. Warm air graced her nostrils and the welcome of meat. She breathed in a sigh and quickly clambered up and over the windowsill.
It took a second for her night vision to adjust to the sudden lighting. For a second she assessed her surroundings and sniffed. Here she was in a modest kitchen, the air was warm and inviting. Strewn on threads of wool string were herbs plucked from a greener place. They brushed the tips of her ears and top of her head when she jumped through the open window. These humans must travel or commerce to get such things, she thought to herself.
Her nails clicked as she walked around, following her nose. It led her straight to a table. With not much exertion she hopped up again, her large front paws rested on the table. Either she was pretty big or the humans who lived here were tiny. And judging by the big shadow in the window, she would assume she's just big compared to their sitting arrangements.
This isn't the first time she broke into a human establishment. Nor will it be the last. She spied a large piece of cooked meat and drug it towards her with one paw. Once it was close enough to snatch with her fangs, a quiet voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Well, hello there little wolf."
Her head shot up and blue eyes met green. This is the young man.
Quickly, she snatched the meat and bolted toward the window. To her surprise she bounced off a rather large belly. In a panic she dropped her meat.
The wolf wildly launched herself back to glimpse humans staring down at her. In a quick motion, driven by instincts and fear alone, she twisted her body around to follow the smell of fresh cold air. She knew she was caught, she was just hoping in a wild frenzy to be able to escape this place. Abruptly, she halted in her tracks when she noticed the front door was shut.
Bodies surrounded her. She heard a soft whistle from one of the humans and she turned, back now in the corner of the living room. With panicked breathing she took in the scene before her.
All three humans were staring at her with curiosity. Nobody dared move closer though, but just in case she let out a small growl. The young man with short red hair and green eyes chuckled. The other two looked on amazed.
Another growl, low and deep this time yielded results that she wanted. The two burly humans closest to her moved back in bewilderment. It annoyed her how little they reacted to her obvious cues.
"The Hell is that creature. That's no dog that I've 'ver seen!" Wide honey brown eyes blinked and he pointed at the wolf. He turned toward the younger man almost asking him in particular. The wolf stood still.
It was the woman's turn to speak her opinions on the matter, "Is that thing a demon? Should we kill it?" The wolf layed her ears back and showed her teeth. "Look at it! It looks mean!"
The young man chuckled with a knowing look in his eyes. "Don't worry. That is no demon." He walked forward with a hand raised out.
The wolf backed up all the way until her tail squished against the wall. Slowly, he crouched down to eye level as he said, "Have you never seen a wolf before?"
The wolf stiffened not by his words but by his actions. Why was this man so confident to get in her space like this. Didn't he know how fearless she was?
With pinned ears she gave out a low deep growl, baring white fangs at the impervious man in front of her promising pain. Why aren't these humans scared of her?
"Relax. I won't hurt you." He soothed softly. The wolf turned her whole body away, trying – and failing, to shrink into the wall beside her.
"I know what you are." He whispered softly, only low enough for her to hear. She perked her ears up at that.
"Well, I ain't never seen no wolf before! Not even before the Beasts out there tore the World apart!" The loud man suddenly exclaimed. The wolf pinned her ears again. Why must humans be so loud?
"Wolves were gone from Japan!" It was the woman's turn to yell. "They done went extinct! They got killed off about a century ago!" She slapped a wooden ladle against her open palm. The wolf shrank away with a snarl.
"Quiet. You're scaring the poor creature." The red head softly said as he smiled and stood up to turn toward the two humans. It was then that the wolf finally registered his scent. But it confused her even more.
Why does he smell like Fox?
"Do you know why dogs bite, Yusuke?" A young man with light brown hair and honey colored eyes caressed a beautiful rose as he spoke. They were in an immaculate garden full of all kinds of flaura, scents of many flowers pungent in the air.
The man next to him crossed his arms and scowled, glaring at the flower admirer heatedly. He growled as he spoke, "I don't know, Koenma! Why don't you spell it out for me? Why do dogs bite?" He glared at the man's back as he continued, "Well maybe to fuck you up so you'd leave them alone."
Koenma blinked and turned to him to sigh out, "Dogs bite when they are cornered. It's a fear based reaction."
He looked the man over, noting the dark circles under his eyes. The dark facial hair around his lips and chin. Yusuke's normally slicked black hair framed his face in shaggy tresses. The younger man looked a mess lately.
"If I punched you in the jaw, would that be a fear-based reaction?", he snapped, venom in his voice. Yusuke's mood had been foul lately, his temper simmering just below the surface.
He and a team of six attempted to take out one of the main demons causing havoc in the area. Only he survived, limping home with his tail between his legs, defeated. These demons were much stronger than previous foes he's vanquished in the past.
Every loss affected him greatly, ever since the Fall twenty or so years ago. When high level demons were allowed to slip through the Kekkai barrier that divided the Mortal Realm from Demon Realm. He blamed himself greatly and lost a lot in the process.
"Has Keiko talked to you yet about Himiko?", Yusuke murmured out softly.
The Prince absentmindedly twisted a flower petal in his hand as he answered, "I haven't been keeping up with a lot as of late."
"Yeah well, she's dead." Yusuke said point blank. He moved to pick up a solid gray rock to inspect it with furrowed eyes. It looked interesting to him all of the sudden.
Koenma stared down blankly at the crimson petal in his hand, taking the words in slowly. The thumb that caressed it pushed down, tearing it in two.
"She's what?" He whispered.
"We have to find someone skilled enough to fill her place." Yusuke added, tension in his jaw as he looked away. He rolled the rock around in his hand like a stress ball. The Prince knitted his brows together as he slowly took in the information.
"Was this on a mission?" He asked after awhile. Stiffly, he looked over at the younger man. Yusuke simply shook his head as a negative, looking down with his fists clenched. In his hand, the rock crumbled into dust as he squeezed.
"How?" Koenma asked weakly. But she was so strong. How could she have been defeated?
In his mind's eye, he saw a carefree girl with delicate freckles scattered across her face. Her golden hair cascaded down her back in loose, sun-kissed braids. She turned to him, her bright gaze meeting his. As their eyes met, a warm smile spread across her lips, and she waved with infectious enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling with joy.
"She went alone to visit her favorite spot. No one knew she left." Yusuke finally told him, knowing the former Prince had locked himself away in his residence for weeks, finally coming out to enjoy the flowers and daytime air.
He continued, emotions dancing in his dark brown eyes, "It happened early this morning. A patrol team found her body…"
And that's when the pressure finally hit the former Prince and he collapsed to his knees, fingers digging into the dark earth as he tried to hold himself together. He felt so useless.
He liked Himiko. Everyone liked Himiko. She was like a ray of sunlight in this cold world. Another blunder that was his fault, he couldn't handle it anymore.
He was used to death. He was. But not this. When will the tragedies stop?
Yusuke's hardened face softened as he knelt and grabbed the broken man by his shoulders. "We will beat them Koenma."
"That's not it, Yusuke." He angrily pushed against his chest, wiping the few tears that escaped with a tattered sleeve.
He shoved a finger in his face and groaned out, "It's her soul! You know as well as I that my Father is going to just throw her into the abyss!" He waved his arm around as a point as he said, "Like he did with all the others."
"But she was human." His chocolate brown eyes widened then narrowed. The abyss was cold, dark and lonely. No material realm to touch, feel or sense. It was by all counts worse than Hell itself.
"Doesn't matter. I'm not there to judge them," he grounded out through his teeth.
"Why can't he just let you judge the souls from Mortal Realm?" Yusuke proclaimed, temper brewing. This topic had been discussed already and it always struck a nerve.
Koenma told him what he already knew, "Because souls aren't supposed to sit here. It'll disturb the balance with their spiritual energy."
"Well News Flash! The balance is already pretty fucked!" Yusuke yelled and continued, "So why can't that stubborn ass just bring you in temporarily to sort through all the souls that've piled up?"
Koenma thought for a moment and sighed out, "Because he doesn't trust me anymore."
Yusuke brushed back his hair in irritation, resting his palm on his forehead. In a gravely voice he finally spoke, "It's because of me isn't it? Because I convinced you to leave that barrier open way back when?"
"No, Yusuke." Koenma sighed with closed eyes and continued, "Leaving the barrier up was still a good plan. It's Demon Realm politics that created this mess. If he hadn't won, we wouldn't be in any of this mess. But ultimately it is our fault for not keeping a closer eye on things."
Koenma slapped the ground beside him, tore a handful of grass and flicked the blades into the air. His irritation grew as they gently floated back down to litter his face. With his hand, he swiped the grass away.
He continued, "It's my fault for trusting his plan at the very beginning."
"It's my stupid ass fault too for trusting all Demons to abide by the laws! We didn't know what they had planning." Yusuke said and snatched the remaining blades of grass from the air with one hand.
With a deep breath, he exhaled. A gust of wind burst forth, transforming the harmless strands into lethal projectiles. One by one, they embedded themselves into the wooden wall beside him, each landing with a resounding thud.
Koenma's gaze fell, his dull brown eyes veiled by his long brunette bangs. He reclined in the grass, observing the serene sky with melancholy. White clouds drifted lazily, oblivious to the turmoil ravaging the Mortal Realm. How could the heavens appear so tranquil amidst such widespread devastation and death?
"How am I supposed to live with myself through all these errors and mishaps?" He softly said to the clouds. "How am I supposed to look anyone in the eye and tell them that we will succeed? That we'll fix this? My Father banished me to this realm. I can't even do my duties as Prince of Spirit Realm."
He mumbled something inaudible for a second and continued, "When the collapse happened, I should've put the area on full lock down. But so many demons spilled out. We thought we could contain them all but we couldn't –"
Yusuke interrupted with an annoyed expression, "That's partly our fault as well Koenma. You don't think I have my burdens to bare. Hell I practically gave them a one way ticket myself!"
He was angry. Angry at Koenma. Angry at himself. Angry at the demons that defiled his home. Meanwhile he was unaware, in another country! Traveling the world with his ex-wife. The system they created together to let humans and demons coexist failed them all.
He continued, "That Karyuu won the Demon tournament and put in what we thought was fail-safe policies that woulda let our jobs be easier. But he betrayed us!" He slammed his fist into the earth, creating a huge crater around them both.
Koenma sobered up at his words and made to sit up. He assessed the damage with faded honey eyes and chuckled, telling him lightly, "Kurama's gonna be pissed you smashed his flower bed."
The younger man slowly relaxed his fist and pulled his arm out of the ground. With a flex, crumbles of earth dropped from his hand and arm. He stared down at the dark clumps for a second, watching worms and beetles scurry back into the safety of the earth. He flattened the hole with his foot.
Yusuke looked around the garden for a second before replying, "If he even shows back up here." Chocolate eyes met honey and looked away. "You can put that on me too. I've been pushin' everyone away lately."
He moved to stand up but an arm reached out and stopped him. Koenma stared up at him with determination set in his eyes, "He will come back. He has a plan. And you know that Fox as well as I, he will come back." At that he let the arm go and he moved to stand up himself, brushing dirt off his tattered clothes.
Time wasn't kind to either of them it seemed. It worked creases around their eyes. Even though both were long lived, the harsh world they lived in now had its affect on them. Koenma was not a favored royal anymore and Yusuke had to wash his own laundry.
The split up was inevitable – Yusuke and Keiko just never really saw eye to eye. At least they waited until after their kid was a full grown adult before they split for good. It gave Yusuke more time to fight the battles that he needed to.
Keiko would still occasionally nag him when he came home to the encampment. It was becoming less and less nowadays though. He usually came home with empty eyes and lacerations, punctures and bruises all over his body.
She didn't have the heart to berate an already defeated man. She would loudly exclaim that she doesn't need anymore gray hairs and leave him be.
Meanwhile, he would seclude himself into a far corner of the compound to train. Training mainly consisted of beating large boulders into pebbles.
There was another issue between the two, and not an issue that really bothered him in the slightest – their age. Or at least, what he appeared to look like.
Keiko was in her late forties. And she looked her age. She had wrinkles around her mouth and eyes and streaks of gray in her rich brown hair.
Yusuke however, still looked like a fresh 20-something year old. It would garner looks from unsuspecting strangers when he'd introduce her as his ex-wife. But it never bothered him. She would blush considerably and walk away, telling him to stop calling her that. Sometimes with a smack across the head. They were still friends after all.
"I think I need to pay her a visit actually," he proclaimed thoughtfully into the air. Koenma shrugged and walked away, leaving the half-demon to his musings. He had patrol work to do, being his shift.
The compound consisted of older and newer buildings and houses. It was rebuilt after the Fall. The man silently took in the scene around him. It was actually impressive what they managed to build.
Debris cleared to show old streets and roads. Throughout the years people walled off the area and kept a few sturdy structures. They've been remade into hospitals and schools. The newer buildings set off a ways, crudely built by hard working laborers. Those were the watch towers.
And clustered around the inner buildings were the homes, built in a more western style. All they had was a foreign architect at the time. Log cabins were easy to make and simple to upkeep.
They had basic electricity and a plumbing system. Farmers tilled the land to the East closest to the wall. So they had plenty of crops to feed the slowly growing numbers of people, mainly refugees.
Their camp consisted of humans, demons and half-demons. Each had a role to play. Most importantly were the shield workers.
He looked up at the sky as he considered them, a clear blue dome flickering with power over the whole compound. That's what kept the blood thirsty demons at bay. Until recently, the system had been perfect. But a member of the shield force had passed away.
"She did love the beach." He whispered quietly.
They always left in pairs. It was safer that way. Himiko was a free spirit though and a loner at heart. She preferred to travel alone. And sadly, she was caught off guard all on her own.
She never stood a chance. He thought to himself sadly.
He liked Himiko. She was one of a few who joined the group on her own volition. She didn't even know any of them, she just heard rumors of the half-demon that rocked Demon World many many years ago.
She had an unquestionable loyalty to the group from the start, fighting off roving bandits with the rest of the men. Her strength will be sorely missed. And so will her beautiful smile. He added sadly.
"Mr. Koenma." A quiet sweet voice broke him from his thoughts. He turned with sad eyes to the mint haired maiden and sighed. Will this day constantly remind him of his failures?
"Mr. Koenma Sir. I was wondering if you heard news about my brother?" The girl asked shyly, red irises glittering with hope. He sighed again.
"No, we haven't heard word from him in months." He hated to keep breaking the news to her. Every time she asks it's the same answer, just a longer duration of time.
"Oh," she clutched the jewel at her chest absentmindedly.
"To be honest with you Yukina, we aren't even sure if he's still-"
"I know he's alive!" She interrupted. A light blush blossomed on her cheeks as she continues, "Hiei is alive. I can feel it through our mother's tear gem. I was just wondering if he'll ever come back!" Tears threatened to fall from her face – or rather tear gems.
"I'm sure he will Yukina. You know how he is though. He leaves for weeks and comes back with a few demon's heads." The Prince shuddered at the memory.
The Fall brought out the dark side in the fire demon. Or rather, the primitive side. Instead of simply killing their foes, the dark haired apparition would bring home "souvenirs".
It took weeks for the men to clear away all of the mounted heads. He never understood why some demons took it upon themselves to declare victory in such a barbaric way. Much like early humans before they came to their senses.
Did it serve as a warning sign? Maybe, but you don't need severed heads when all they mostly need to do is flare their aura a little to scare most attackers off. That usually did the trick.
"Mr. Koenma, I worry about his mind more than anything." The girl brought him back from his thoughts with careful words. She looked down at her small hands as she clasped them together.
"He never had an easy life to begin with. I just worry about him being all alone in that waistland." She pulled at a thread on her sleeve as she continued, "My brother never had a mate. He left his only companion back in Demon Realm to rule. I worry he won't ever have someone to love the way I do Kazuma." She drifted off shyly and hid her face in her hands.
The Prince just blinked. He stared for a few moments before laughing and loudly exclaiming, "Oh! I think his mind is saaane. I'm sure he'll do well finding a uh," he snickered and added with quotation marks "mate".
He grabbed his sides as he laughed, imagining Hiei bedded up with a feral boar. His imagination got out of hand as he envisioned the demon smooching the creature on it's pretty pink lips. The boar would have gaudy bright blue eyeshadow and mascara on.
The Prince wiped tears away as he tried to get himself together, the ice maiden glowered at him with eyes much like her brothers. "There!" He hollered, "There's the resemblance!"
Yukina sighed and watched the man laughing with glee at her brother's expense. Maybe I should let him have his fun. She thought to herself silently. Him and Yusuke have been in an immense amount of pressure lately. I worry for them both.
The girl softly smiled as she walked away, leaving the man to his wild delusions. She didn't mind his words at all. She knew he was only poking fun. But she also knew there was truth to it as well.
Her brother may never know love at all in this lifetime. That saddened her greatly to think about. He didn't really have anyone now to share his pain with. She knew he could open up to Kurama. But Hiei left six months ago and hasn't come back yet.
She wondered to herself what he was up to. Where he was and what he was doing with his time. Was he mindlessly killing again, like the start of the Fall?
He had went on a full blown rampage killing many of the low-class and mid-tier demons. At first it was the four of them, Yusuke, Kurama, Kazuma, and Hiei. But when the three wanted to settle and build – Hiei continued his warpath.
Her tiny shoulders sagged as she made her way to the center of the village. She had to put these thoughts to rest, at least for right now. Her job was to heal the sick and injured. And the camp welcomed new recruits almost everyday. Sadly, they lost numbers as soon as they gained.
Her ruby eyes trailed until she found the group that had just come in from the waists. The three humans looked like they would need immediate healing promptly.
With a new determination set on her face, she walked forward into their midst. To introduce herself and to lead them into the makeshift hospital grounds where they would undoubtedly spend most of their early days.
And hopefully they will survive come next winter. She added sadly.
AN: Yeaah, I totally made two chapters before I published this story. Sheepish grin. I'm actually working on the third. I just couldn't wait any longer to post the next one!
Same thing as before ~ Reviews are free! And very much appreciated!