Another day that may only be a dream, A KuramaXOC
By:~Pinkbun17~
Written: 11/29/24
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, if I did, let's just say the story would be expanded.
YusukexKeiko, KuwabaraxYukina pairings supported!
Keep this in mind, readers!
Story Format as always:
*READERS PLEASE READ MEH!*
Youko's Thoughts: I should have allowed the rage to overtake me.
Kurama speaking to Youko in his head/his own thoughts: *My, all because I refused to devour more cookies? Fox, you are being overdramatic.*
Inner thoughts of other characters: 'Those Costco cookies are sooo worth it.'
Hiei's Inner thoughts/speech when he is talking to someone in their head: ~I find them too sweet for my tastes.~
Anything said in Sinhalese:"I do miss their ice cream bars!''
A Few Inventions from the Spirit Lab! (Really my creations...-cue evil laugh-)
Articulation gum: The user gains the ability to speak any language temporally as long as it is carved into the gum itself and spelled properly. This gum requires a bit of spirit energy. Over time, it is possible to gain the ability semi-permanently. The downside is a horrible lingering bitter taste, and must be swallowed at exactly the right time, otherwise one will speak the language backward. (The same thing will happen if it is spelled incorrectly)
*TRIGGER WARNING: Child Abuse/ Domestic Violence
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Chapter 44: A Hell Hound and the Death Party Aftermath
-Flashback-
Day 5: 5:20 pm
Landhattan Beach, CA
Third-Person POV:
At first, the noiseless neighborhood near the coastline seems almost welcoming—pristine streets lined with towering palm trees sway gently in the sea breeze, and elegant, upscale houses stand tall, hugging the shore.
It's the kind of place you'd see on a postcard, a world of manicured lawns and perfect facades, where every home appears to have been plucked straight from a luxury magazine.
If Yusuke Urameshi wasn't so distracted by the creepy stillness gnawing at the air and the heavy disgusting aura, he has been trailing for the last 20 minutes, he'd be berating and mocking the boring cookie-cutter neighborhood that screams privileged and pretentious snobs.
Despite the manufactured beauty of the town, it's completely devoid of people. No kids playing in the streets, no joggers with their earbuds in, no cars parked in the driveways. It's like the entire neighborhood had been abandoned in a hurry, leaving behind nothing but the eerie quiet.
The former spirit detective narrows his eyes, his senses tingling with unease. He can practically smell the aura of something dark and twisted lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic suburb.
"Where the hell is everyone?" he mutters, his voice echoing in the unsettling silence. "Maybe they all got gnome-ified. That would explain the silence... and the hideous gnome infestation."
In some of the American shows he has watched, he's always noticed the appearance of ugly gnome statues in people's backyards, and oddly it isn't an exaggeration.
Each home seems to be littered with the ridiculous ceramic things…and Yusuke finds them creepy too.
The aura he's been following has only grown stronger– thick and foul, like a storm cloud hanging low over the area, suffocating everything in its path. It makes his skin crawl.
"Fuck, what the hell have I walked myself into, this feels just like the setting of a shitty B-rated horror movie.'" He comments to himself, glancing around.
Suddenly, without warning, a blur of movement catches his attention. A grotesque, malformed hellhound—if you could even call it that—lunges at him from the shadows between two houses, its teeth bared and drooling.
Yusuke barely has time to react, dodging to the side just in time to avoid the snapping jaws.
"Oh, great, just what I needed," he snarls, rolling his shoulders as he prepares for the fight. "A freakin' mutant dog in a god-damn ghost town."
Bathed in the sickly yellow glow of a single flickering streetlight, the young punk notes just how fucking ugly the creature is.
Its body is twisted and wrong, patches of its obsidian fur hangs off in clumps, its eyes glowing like malevolent embers and its limbs elongated and mangled, as though it has been ripped and distorted by some sickening force.
"Man, this thing looks like it just lost a fight with a lawnmower," Yusuke cackles, and wonders if it smells as horrid as it appears.
The grotesque parody of a dog lets out a guttural growl, its bloodshot eyes burning with a malevolent hunger, locking onto Yusuke.
Preparing to jump the punk, its mangled claws scrape against the asphalt, leaving behind trails of black gunk that smell of burnt flesh.
"Let's go fugly! You're like a hairball that came to life and decided to become a monster. And a shitty one at that."
Not one to back down from a brawl, he grins to himself. "Spirit Gun!" he roars, his famous battle cry. Unleashing a torrent of power, a white-hot blast of pure spirit energy rips through the air and tears a gaping hole in its balding side.
The matted monster dog howls in agony, its form convulsing as the spirit energy tears through its disgusting, twisted carcass.
A shower of black fur and rotting flesh rains down as the hellhound finally crumples, its body breaking apart into chunks of putrid mush.
It's a gruesome demise, but somehow, even in its death, the creature looks more ridiculous than terrifying.
Yusuke gawks at the mutilated aftermath, his face warping into a grimace.
"Ugh, that thing is rank. Did any of that demon-crap get on me? I need a spiritual detox or something after all this." He utters, as he yanks at his clothes, examining them.
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Day 5: 6:10 pm
Grassdale, CA
Yusuke dashes out of the empty beach town, the silence of the deserted streets pressing down on him like a shroud.
He quickly switches gears back to the park he'd landed at earlier, each step carrying him further, but his mind races.
When Hiei called him a few minutes ago, the former detective senses something off about the fire demon. Hiei's usually calm and collected voice was tight, laced with a tension that Yusuke can't ignore.
'As tough a bastard Hiei is, he seems shaken up by something. And if someone as stubborn as him is rattled, that means things are bad. Really fucking bad.'
The fire demon sits silently on a rock near the edge of a tiny fishpond, his figure illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. A quiet, almost mournful energy emanates from him, a stark contrast to his usual brash confidence.
He's staring into the water, where the reflection of the moon shimmers in ripples. His usual sharp and stoic expression is etched with a deep remorseful kind of frown, an emotion Yusuke rarely ever sees on Hiei's face.
"Yooo, Hiei?" Yusuke questions, but his voice is softer than usual. It's a tone he typically doesn't use, but something about the atmosphere forces him to tread lightly.
"Everything okay, buddy?"
Hiei doesn't immediately answer, his eyes still locked on the moonlit water, the flicker of his Jagan barely visible beneath his headband. For a moment, Yusuke wonders if Hiei even heard him at all.
"Hiei?" Yusuke steps closer, concern creeping into his voice now.
Finally, Hiei speaks, his tone is low, almost distant, and it's laced with a cold edge. His crimson eyes narrow as if recalling a disturbing memory.
"I have come across many wretched sights in demon world—horrors that would drive most humans mad. But I didn't expect to stumble upon the same filth here. Not in this world."
Yusuke stares at him, feeling a chill creep down his spine. He searches Hiei's face, but for once, the fire demon is an open book, his eyes betraying a haunting truth. Whatever Hiei has witnessed, it's shaken him to his core.
Without thinking, Yusuke sits down beside him, the quiet of the night suddenly feels heavier, more oppressive.
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6:15 pm
Kuwabara finally arrives at the park in Greendale, a bright grin splitting his face. He made sure to hype himself up his entire bus ride over, practically bouncing in his seat.
After all, he'd managed to save that little girl and her pets from that giant, mutated beast of a Lima bean. The thrill of the rescue still courses through him, and carrot top can't wait to tell Yusuke and Hiei all about it. The sun had rapidly set itself, and before he knows it, he finds himself shrouded in darkness.
The only light source is coming from a few distant park lamps and the almost ethereal glow of the moon. The shadows are long and deep, stretching like grasping claws across the ground, painting the scene in hues of black and deep purple. Even the sounds of the night – the chirping of crickets, the rustling of leaves – creeps him out.
"It's a little too quiet here." He says to himself in a mutter.
Then he spots them—Yusuke and Hiei by the fishpond—and Kuwabara picks up his pace, but as he approaches closer, his cheerful smile crumbles away.
Their grim expressions and tense postures speak of a shared apprehension, a palpable tension that fills the space between them. Something clearly is terribly, terribly wrong.
. .
"Hiei, what exactly did you see?" Yusuke questions, his tone brimming with concern. Noticing Kuwabara, he waves him over.
The red eyed male's expression darkens further, and for the first time, Yusuke notices the tension in his shoulders, and even Kuwabara spots the way the shorter demon's fists are clenching at his sides.
Hiei silently retrieves his sleek black cell phone from his cloak, the faint glow of the screen casting an eerie light across his sharp features. The time states, 6: 20 pm. Without a word, the pair follow him, and soon enough they find themselves in the city of Englehood.
꙳•*‧ ‧*
Before any of them step inside, Hiei warns them. "This is your only warning to brace yourselves."
Following the fire/ice demon into the abandoned building is like stepping into a war zone. The air hangs heavy, thick with the cloying sweetness of decay and the sharp, metallic tang of blood.
It's the kind of stench that clings to the back of the throat, a nauseating blend of rot and iron that makes Yusuke's stomach churn. Kuwabara gags, his face paling as he struggles to breathe through the oppressive miasma.
The building itself seems to groan under the weight of death. Every shadowed corner whispers of violence. They move through the wreckage, a gruesome tableau of shattered furniture, broken glass, and discarded objects.
The horror of the scene hits them—piles of mangled demon and human bodies, strewn like refuse, a testament to brutal savagery.
Thousands of faces, demon and human alike all twisted in silent screeches, a severed hand still clutching a broken weapon, a child's shoe lies near a pool of congealed blood.
Both young men features' pale rapidly, frozen to the sight.
Yusuke mirrors Hiei's grim expression, his lips pressed into a tight line, but his wide, haunted eyes betray the turmoil swirling within him. His usually steady demeanor is nowhere to be found, and when he speaks, his voice trembles, barely able to mask the shock and unease clawing at his composure.
While Kuwabara clutches his stomach, his face flipping to a nasty shade of green. He visibly fights back a wave of nausea, swallowing hard several times. He mumbles a quick apology and dashes away, emptying the contents of his stomach.
Hiei, his face a mask of grim determination, shifts through the scene with an unnerving calm, his eyes scanning the devastation with a chilling efficiency.
Even after witnessing countless horrid scenes, a shadow of revulsion lingers on his features, The young man made his way down a hallway, and the stunned males follow him quietly, still trying to process the sight they have stumbled upon.
The fire demon's frown deepens, the poor crazed man he had encountered earlier, perished. Thankfully, it seems he did so in the arms of sleep. Though he'd sensed it already, the stark reality of the man's death, as he saw the body, strikes Hiei with a chilling certainty.
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Grassdale, CA
Several minutes pass as they dash back to the peaceful park, attempting to compose themselves. The silence stretches, broken only by Kuwabara's quiet gagging. Even Hiei, despite his demon world upbringing, feels a shudder of revulsion run down his spine.
Hiei interrupts the unconformable quiet by stating, "Just another reminder of how pathetically fragile human life can be."
Kuwabara throws daggers at the red eyed demon, but decides to voice nothing, although meanly worded, he is right.
"You both need to get a hold of your emotions," Hiei grumbles, his voice low and taut, though a faint edge betrays his own unease.
"We all do." He states in a tiny voice, so faint, Kuwabara barely catches it. "This is just child's play of what the enemy is capable of."
"Regardless, I'm gonna need a fuck-ton of therapy... and a side of sake to wash it all down,"
Yusuke quips, trying to cut through the tension as he leans against a dark tree, rubbing the back of his neck.
He glances around with a wry grin. "Ya think they sell either around here?"
Kuwabara steps forward, arms crossed, his tone ringing of half concern, half scolding.
"You should just focus on the therapy part, Urameshi, we all should. I know you kicked the smoking habit, but damn, do you have a drinking problem now too?"
Yusuke shrugs nonchalantly, kicking a loose tiny pebble with his foot. "With all the crap we've been through, I'm surprised I didn't start one sooner." He lets out a short, humorless laugh, more of a nervous release than genuine amusement.
Kuwabara's eyes harden, his agitation a tangible thing in the air. He grounds out a low, angry whisper, "I think we need to hear what the hell Kurama thinks of all this, 'cause so far, it's just been doom, gloom, and Urameshi's bad coping mechanisms."
"Hey, man, I'm supposed to be retired, remember?" Yusuke snaps back, his tone sharp as he jabs a thumb at his chest.
"Saved the world multiple times, kicked some major ass, and got a happily-ever-after deal out of it—or so I thought. And now? Back in the trenches with all this crap? Forgive me if I'm not thrilled."
"Yeah, bro, I know," Kuwabara replies, his voice softer but laced with concern. He scratches the back of his head, his usual bravado dims.
"I'm just worried, okay? Not just about you, but this whole damn shitstorm. We've fought plenty of monsters, but this? This feels... different. Like we're just waiting for the next blow to land, and I don't think any of us are ready for it."
Yusuke exhales sharply, his frustration simmering beneath the surface as he averts his gaze.
"Yeah, well, join the club, man. The 'not ready for this bullshit' club has free membership." He grumbles the last part, kicking another chunk of debris at his feet.
Hiei, who's been watching the exchange, speaks up, his tone now cold and cutting.
"Are you two finished with your pathetic display of emotional bonding? Or do you need a few more minutes to hold hands and cry about it?"
He steps forward, his crimson eyes narrowing as they flick between Yusuke and Kuwabara.
"Look, I get it, the likes of you both haven't seen carnage like that, but the enemy doesn't care about your retirement plans or your feelings. They're counting on you being distracted, weak, and unprepared. If you want to survive this—and actually be useful—stop wallowing in self-pity and focus on what needs to be done."
Both young men fix their gazes on the red-eyed demon, their faces a mask of stunned horror. Yusuke's brow furrows in concentration, his jaw tight with unspoken thought, while Kuwabara's eyes burn with barely contained fury.
The carrot top stomps forward, his fists clenching, so tightly his knuckles turn white. His voice rises, trembling with a mix of anger and grief.
"Do you think we're just a bunch of robots who can just turn everything off, Ice-douche? Those weren't just demons there—there were people too! Innocent lives, goddammit! Little kids, Hiei! Kids!"
He points a shaking finger in Hiei's direction, his breathing ragged. "So many bodies... too many… Even if you've seen a gore fest like that before, you can't deny you're just as messed up as the rest of us!"
Yusuke nods slowly, his usual carefree demeanor replaced by a somber seriousness. "You're right, Hiei. We need to focus. This is bad. Really bad."
He glances away, his eyes distant and troubled. "But ignoring the horror of what we've seen and how we feel… isn't gonna make us stronger, or make it go away."
"Besides," he adds, a hint of his usual wry humor returning, "a little emotional decompression is good for the soul, you know? Keeps you from going completely batshit crazy."
Hiei's rigid posture momentarily softens, a barely perceptible slump betraying his inner struggle. He then crosses his arms, settling deeper into the massive pond rock, his icy composure returning.
His voice drops to a quieter, almost bitter tone. "Weakness is a luxury we can't afford, but they will pay for this. Now, we need to find the fox and figure out what the hell is our next move."
Hiei's vow for vengeance earns small, grim smiles of agreement from Yusuke and Kuwabara; their shared grief fueling their determination to act.
To be continued…
My Notes:
Yikes, I don't think I meant to have our favorite boys go through mental torment so soon, but oops! I think they all struggle with allowing themselves to let their emotions in sometimes, and I wanted to show different ways they can feel about something awful. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday with the holidays coming up! Anywho, this chapter is 11 pages long.
Rock Out and Peace On!
~Pinkbun17