InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos ❯ Living Hell ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Violence, Strong Language

Living Hell

 

The group broke into the clearing to find the demonesses moving toward them. None of them failed to notice that they smelled like each other, or that their clothes were disheveled.

“Interesting night?” Yusuke asked, smirking as lecherously as Miroku used to. The thought brought a pang of pain to her, almost bringing tears from her, but she kept it in check, deciding to go for annoyed indignation.

“Don't be such a lech, you perv,” she growled.

His eyes widened while everyone else, even Hiei, barely stifled the laughs that came from the expression on his face.

“Well then, shall we go hunt down this lead?” Kurama asked, the first to recover.

“Yeah,” Kagome said, making a `lead-the-way' motion with her hands.

The group quickly took off, the girls flying quickly behind the others, just out of demonic earshot.

“So, regardless of Yusuke's perverted ideas, I am curious why you tell smell like… well… each other,” Botan said, flying next to Kagura's feather.

Both girls brushed brilliantly, and Botan gasped.

“You mean he was right?”

The demonesses looked at each other and determinedly decided to not answer the question. After a few moments of silence, Botan got even closer, leaning as though to whisper conspiratorially.

“Come on, you can tell me,” she said, smiling cattily.

“Well, first of all, Yusuke told me about how you blew his secret to Keiko and Kuwabara's sister in the Dark Tournament, so no, we couldn't,” Kagome said, smirking when Botan looked away innocently.

“Me? I would never do such a thing!”

Her look of innocence was destroyed by the smirk that unwillingly broke onto her face, and Kagome smiled.

“They forced me to!” she whined.

“Knowing Keiko, I've got no doubts about that,” Kagome said, shrugging. “Doesn't change the fact that you told her, does it?”

Botan pouted, and both the demonesses laughed.

“Oh come on! You can tell me! What happened? She left looking all frustrated and now you two are practically glowing!”

“We came to certain understandings,” Kagura said, staring straight ahead and speaking in a completely, irritatingly neutral tone that left Botan glaring.

“Sorry, Botan, but it'll be hard to get anything out of us,” Kagome said, gently patting the reaper's lowered head.

With a pout, Botan left them, flying next to the others.

“Why is she so much fun to upset?” Kagura asked, staring down at the reaper.

“Just another emotion,” Kagome said, shrugging. “But she was right about one thing. You're definitely in a better mood now.”

“I can't explain it,” Kagura said, staring at the sky. “I know enough about humans to name what I'm feeling, but it's strange. I feel both embarrassment and what I can only assume is… happiness… when I think about before I fell asleep…”

“I feel the same way,” Kagome said, smiling, though her face was still bright red.

After a few more minutes of silence, Kagome began to feel a very malignant youki several miles ahead.

“Looks like the tip was good,” Kagura said, glaring ahead.

“Yeah, I guess so… Hey Kagura?”

“Yeah?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Given the last few fights we've been in together, I think we should come up with an actual strategy so we don't kill ourselves.”

“Yeah, good point,” Kagura said, glaring at the direction of the energy.

“I can't smell anything from here…”

“Alright, I was thinking of something… We've got basically the same powers, and as long as I don't use Tetsusaiga or my miko qi, the rest of you are the heavy hitters, unless I can get in a claw or two with poison. So, I was thinking I'd scout ahead and distract it and the rest of you flank.”

“Sounds like an impressive strategy,” Kurama said, surprising her into jumping.

With a start, she suddenly realized Kagura had descended to the group's earshot.

They all looked at Kagome and, with a nod, she launched into the approaching tree line. They all watched in awe as she suddenly sprouted long, amazingly muscular midnight-black wings from the center of her spine. And then, she was gone, her presence completely shrouded in a flurry of dark black feathers.

 

Kagome slowed her missile-like speed, turning her wings to stop herself as a small town came into view, black smoke rising into the sky. Silently, she dropped to the ground and crept forward from the cover of the trees, using her snake-gained hunting skills to get closer with an almost invisible feeling.

“I can sense you,” a voice sneered.

Immediately, she dropped her stealth in surprise.

“Well, that's surprising. I thought I'd killed you,” she said, glaring at the looming form of a woman that appeared from the smoke-choked flames around them.

Suddenly, a stream of green liquid shot at her and Kagome rolled, barely avoiding the liquid, which melted right through the building that had been next to her in a smoking heap.

“I thought you fools might flock to me if you caught rumors. Glad I was right!”

Kagome drew the Tetsusaiga, pointing at Kagehime's chest.

“I've got my sword this time. I'll kill you this time,” she said, youki building up.

“You think so?”

Without warning, she launched, her claws glowing dark green. Because of her speed, Kagome was incapable of doing anything more than blocking with her massive blade, which put her at a disadvantage when she suddenly changed directions and swung her other fist at the side of her head.

Pain exploded in a torrent through her body as Kagome was knocked several dozen feet into the air. As she began to fall, Kagehime drew a katana from thin air, swinging the unsheathed blade at Kagome's throat.

A massive burst of air suddenly formed under the demoness, and she used it to flip onto her feet next to Kagehime. Before she could react, Kagome swung her blade in one quick, nearly invisible, whipping motion. She avoided the blow, but her left arm now had a large, crescent-moon-like gash.

As soon as she gained her footing again, Kagome snarled and the humor left Kagehime's face when the Tetsusaiga pulsed and began glowing with youki.

“Wind Scar!”

Kagome brought her blade down and the massive attack sped toward a shocked Kagehime. But when the attack should have reached her, it arched upward and rounded, and vanished into the sky. A shimmering bubble of purple energy became apparent, and Kagehime smiled mischievously.

“Now, now, Kagome, father wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. You already hit me with energy once, remember?”

“So, he gave you some new powers. So what?” Kagome snarled. “I can still kill you.”

“Oh?”

Kagehime smirked as youki began building up again. It lessened only slightly when the blade turned the color of blood, but she didn't seem worried at all. And then, a massive group of powers appeared and she suddenly faced all the others, a pissed-looking Kagura drawing her fans.

“How the hell did I not guess it'd be you?” she growled.

Kagehime began to answer when suddenly, her barrier was bombarded with power. Massive scythes of youki slashed at all sides of her, and the Wind Scar was released onto the cracks the youki had caused. She watched in shock as her barrier first became visibly cracked in its entirety, and then it exploded with the sound of a gunshot.

“Oh, now that's no fun,” she said, pouting. “I believe I'll be on my way.”

Kagehime began to glow, and Kagome snarled. She and Kagura exchanged a meaningful look and nodded at the same time. And then, Kagome moved into action, bringing her sword down once more.

“Wind Scar!”

As the attack was unleashed, a massive wave of wind hit it and suddenly, the Wind Scar was a massive, swirling vortex trapping Kagehime low to the ground lest she be killed.

“What!?” she screamed as the youki pushed her down even more, pinning her to the ground.

“Is she the one that was at Genkai's?” Yusuke asked as they surrounded the demoness, who was struggling against the agonizing hold on her.

“Yeah. Kagura, would you like the honors, or should I?” Kagome asked as she lifted the Tetsusaiga once more.

Kurama's eyes widened along with everyone else's, except Kagura.

“You aren't going to ask where to find Naraku?”

“Of course not,” Kagura huffed. “It'd be a waste of time and the little energy we've recovered. I'm the only incarnation that's ever truly betrayed the bastard, and I'll tell you from experience that torture doesn't work. You take it, Kagome. She damaged you more than me.”

Kagome began to bring her blade down when suddenly, everything stopped. The blade froze an inch from Kagehime's skull, and the swirling Wind Scar vanished. It was obvious by the look on Kagome's face that she wasn't hesitating, and red energy was leaking from Kagehime's head.

Slowly, she rose up, getting into a crouch. Everyone but Kagome gasped when they saw the Jagan wide open in Kagehime's forehead, glowing a chilling, bloody red. And it was focused on Kagome as she rose to her feet.

“You've pissed me off,” she growled, stalking toward the frozen demoness.

The others tried to move, but only Hiei was able, and he suddenly disappeared. Kagehime's blade came up just as Hiei's would have decapitated her, and she smirked.

“Oh, so you're the hybrid… Naraku told me I might have trouble affecting you.”

Kagehime closed her normal eyes and the power coming from her Jagan tripled. Hiei was thrown backward, his arm smoking from blocking her attack as he landed.

And then, a devilish Cheshire smile formed on her lips, and the Jagan pulsed.

“I think I'll send something to kill you all later… Well, I'm off. Pleasant dreams.”

The Jagan flashed with youki, and the entire area became bathed in a red light. Hiei watched in shock as everyone suddenly fell unconscious before he was overcome with a dizzying fatigue. The last thing he saw was Kagehime disappear…

 

Kagome groaned, her head pounding. She moved to rub her throbbing skull only to find that her arms were spread away from her, chained to a stone wall behind her. And, seeing as she had no clothes on, she was freezing.

A muffled yelp brought her eyes forward, and suddenly, the darkness surrounding her was gone. In its place was a similarly bound Kagura, her mouth sealed with what appeared to be webbing. Red cuts showed all over her ivory skin, and standing to her side, holding a long, jagged, rusty knife was Naraku.

“Oh good, you're awake,” he said, smiling cruelly.

She tried to talk, but it was effectively muffled by something in her mouth. She let out a snarl behind her gag, her eyes bleeding crimson.

Suddenly, something hard hit her, and she became acutely aware of a great pain covering her entire body. Looking down, she found cuts exactly like Kagura's marring her own body.

Turning her head, she found another Naraku standing next to her, and both women cried out in outrage as the two took another cut.

“Ah, isn't this nice? Kagehime requested I give you two my special treatment, since you've become so… close.”

Suddenly, the image of the two kissing formed, and the demonesses' eyes widened.

“So precious. The human heart's such a weak thing. Look at you two now. Kagura, once a great assassin, is now useless against even such a weak opponent as a snake demon! And you, Kagome, are too much!” he yelled, evil laughs echoing in the darkness surrounding them. “The first thing you do when Inuyasha isn't around to save you is latch onto the strongest person nearby! I had been under the impression you'd been in love, but perhaps it really was just a hanyo guarding you out of pity and loathing.”

She glared at both Naraku's, wishing she could reach out and claw his face off.

“Ah, now don't be like that, Kagome. I let you escape once, it won't happen again,” he said, smirking.

Suddenly, a cold, slimy hand pressed into her stomach and bile rose as it slid upward, cupping her breast. She squealed when the hand grabbed onto her nipple and pulled, nails cutting into her skin. From across the room, an outraged growl came, and the hand vanished, laughs echoing once more.

“Ah, Kagura, you've grown so attached. I've already failed to end your miserable existence once. Perhaps killing Sesshomaru wasn't enough to break you. Perhaps I should give it another try?”

Her eyes widened as both Naraku walked over to Kagome and brought up their knives, the edges digging into her shoulders. Despite the effective gag shoved between her teeth, Kagome screamed as the blades came out on the other side of her body, her shoulders effectively shredded. Weak sobs escaped her despite her control as the Naraku's pulled the blades slowly, inch by agonizing inch, out of her.

When the knives were completely out, Kagome dropped as close to the ground as the chains allowed, her arms made completely useless as she sobbed on the cold floor…

 

“Hiei?” Yukina asked, seeing him sitting above her on a tree.

“Hn?”

“Where are we? Were we not in Makai seconds ago?”

“You should get your head checked,” he sneered.

“What?” she asked, surprised by the sudden chilliness in his voice as he landed before her.

“We haven't been in the Makai in a long time, Yukina,” he said, putting his hand to her forehead. “Are you feeling unwell?”

The chill in his voice was gone, making Yukina wonder if she'd been hearing things.

“No, I'm fine. I think,” she said, frowning. “Are you sure?”

“A dream, perhaps? You were sleeping for quite some time,” he said, looking at her with concern.

“Maybe,” she said, putting her own hand to her forehead. “I think I should head back to Lady Genkai's, perhaps I am in need of some rest,” she said, standing up.

Hiei's face suddenly contorted, as if he'd scented something fowl, but nothing came to Yukina's senses.

“Something wrong?”

“Hn… Yukina, have you ever wondered why I've never told you of our relation, despite you obviously knowing?”

Yukina's eyes widened at that.

“I don't understand…”

“You wouldn't,” he sneered. “Would you like to know the reason why I didn't tell you, despite how much you obviously wanted to find your long-lost sibling?”

“Yes, very much so,” she said, growing excited.

“It is because you are weak.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him, thinking that she had perhaps misheard.

“What?”

“You are a pathetic excuse for a youkai. Neither a koorime that can heal well, nor a human who would have an excuse for your weakness. You are a bothersome creature, and I never told you of our relation because I do not wish to have a bond with such a loathsome thing.”

Tears fell from Yukina's eyes, dozens of pearls forming on the forest floor.

“Why are you saying these horrible things?” she sobbed.

“Why? Because I grow tired of playing these irritating games with you. I intend to kill you.”

At that, she backpedaled, barely avoiding the swing of her brother's sword…

 

Kurama awoke feeling as though he'd been hit by a truck. The sound of screaming brought him to awareness quickly, and he stared in horror at the scene before him.

They were in a large clearing in a very dense, very dark forest. The sky was that of the Ningenkai, and Kurama wondered in the back of his mind how they'd gotten there. The bigger part of him was infuriated by what he saw on the tree before him, however.

Botan was chained to the tree, her limbs rendered useless to protect her as several large, lower-class demons ravaged her.

“Botan!”

Her eyes focused on him, tears falling.

“Save me,” she whimpered as the demon inside her suddenly shuddered and she was filled with its seed.

The demon moved and another began to take its place inside the grim reaper, and Kurama rose quickly.

“Rose Whip!”

He swung his hand outward, but nothing came to him. To his horror, he felt no power coming into the rose in his hand, and worse, his yell had drawn the attention of the dozen or so demons around them.

They all turned toward him and he searched for his youki. When he found nothing, he became too distracted to dodge the slow-moving oni's punch. It smashed his face and he was flung into a tree, his suddenly human-frail body cracked and broke in several places, and he fell to the earthen floor bonelessly.

The oni laughed, moving to kick him. Several ribs gave way when he was thrown into the air like a soccer ball and hurdled into the tree, just below Botan.

He looked up, staring helplessly at her as she was ravaged by the beast inside her, her body covered in large cuts and demonic seed. The sight enraged him, but he could do nothing, his somehow human body nearly destroyed from just two hits, which infuriated him further.

He watched the oni approach, and desperately tried to call upon Youko…

 

“Get up, fool.”

Kuwabara's eyes shot open and he found the elder Toguro standing before him. He was on a hard steel floor, and he quickly shot up.

His eyes widened when he took in his surroundings, the destroyed stage of the Dark Tournament.

“Wow. What the heck happened? I coulda sworn we were just in the Makai,” he said, scratching his head.

Suddenly, a sharp pain brought his attention to Toguro, and his eyes widened in horror as his younger brother joined him.

“What the heck's going on here? You two are dead!”

Frowning in concentration, Kurama stared at them as they approached, and suddenly, a huge grin broke out.

“Oh, I get it! That psychic lady musta' knocked me out, and this is all a really bad dream! Hehe, well, guess it's time to wake up,” he said, pinching himself.

Suddenly, his abdomen was pierced by the Toguro's extending fingers, and he fell to his knees.

“Did you hear that brother? He thinks we're a dream. Yes, we're a dream of sort. We're your worst nightmares come to life! Prepare to die, you oaf!” he yelled before his fingers all moved to stab Kuwabara in various places…

 

“I don't know how the heck you're all back from the dead, but I sure as hell ain't complainin!” Yusuke shouted, smirking.

Before him, all his enemies stood, looking ready to kill him. Rando stood with his finger poised to launch his spirit gun. Suzuka stood, his six clones building electricity in the air. The younger Toguro stood tall, his body a mass of green muscle. And, worst of all, there stood Sensui, his Reiko Resshuu Shien Dan attack charging at his feet.

“I believe it is time for you to disappear, detective,” Rando sneered, the power in his hand overwhelming.

“Yeah? You want to see whose spirit gun's stronger?” he challenged, bringing his own finger up.

Rando yelled and released his attack at the same time Yusuke did. Yusuke's went straight through the demon's, and Rando died screaming in agony. As the dust cleared, Suzuka charged.

“Prism Storm of Torment!” the seven echoed together.

When the attack hit Yusuke, he smirked.

“Doesn't work any more. Man, were you guys always this weak?”

“What!?”

Dropping into a crouch, Yusuke smirked, drawing his hand back.

“Shotgun!”

The blasts smashed the Saint Beast and he too once again joined the world of the dead.

“How about you, Toguro?”

“I'm not foolish enough to think you haven't improved since the last time we met, detective,” he said, smirking.

“Reiko Resshuu Shien Dan!” Sensui yelled.

Yusuke rolled for cover before the massive attack hit, and when he came up from the attack, he pointed.

“Spirit Gun!”

Instead of moving, Sensui smirked.

“You jumped the gun, detective.”

Yusuke's eyes widened in terror as he reached behind him and suddenly in his attack's path was Keiko, her eyes wide with fear.

“What!?”

“Say goodbye to the wife, detective,” Sensui sneered.

Yusuke swung his arm at an arc and released another attack.

“Spirit Gun!”

The second attack barreled into the side of the first, but it was too late. Just as the attacks began to veer, Sensui threw Keiko, right into the energy. She let out a scream of agony so horrible that Yusuke knew it was too late. He watched as his fiancé fell to the ground, her body twitching and smoke rising from her.

“Oh, too bad. That's what you get for getting overzealous,” Sensui said, smirking.

“You… I'll kill you!”

Before Sensui could move, Yusuke disappeared, and suddenly, his hand was around his throat.

“Spirit Wave!”

Sensui's eyes bulged as his life disappeared, and an enraged Yusuke turned to Toguro. Powered by his fury and Sensui's energy, he didn't even put effort into smashing his head, his hand going through his forehead.

As Toguro fell, Yusuke stumbled toward his fiancé, his energy spent…

 

Hiei stared blankly as his sister was run through with a sword. His sword. She stared in horror up at him, and he sneered.

“What does she take me for? I will not be fooled by such simple tricks.”

His Jagan flared and suddenly, the icy tundra around him disappeared, giving way to the forest. He looked around to find all the others on the ground, writhing in any combination of despair, fury, terror and pain.

“Fools,” he sighed.

Seeing Yukina sobbing and begging for her life, he got to work, releasing her first…

 

“How does it feel, you bitches? To see the only people close that you have left being cut apart before your eyes?”

The demonesses looked in each other's eyes, both of them shaking from pain and crying despite themselves at the other's pain.

“Ah, there it is! That beautiful look of despair! I love it so much,” Naraku sneered, twisting Kagome's nipple until she cried out.

Through her overbearing pain came a singular moment of clarity, and Kagome suddenly calmed. Naraku's eyes widened when she stood up, her wounds vanishing, along with the bindings holding her to the wall, as well as Kagura's injuries.

“What!?”

Kagome removed her gag, and blasted one of the Naraku's to ash as she moved to Kagura.

“I just realized something. The Makai seems to have the same time as the Ningenkai, and we were knocked out around midday. So there's no way that we'd be away from where we were with the sun still in the same exact spot, unless you've mastered teleportation. Kagehime's psychic and has a Jagan eye. We're not really here, this is an illusion.”

“Perhaps my knives have given you brain damage, Kagome,” Naraku sneered.

“One way to find out.”

She put her hand out and suddenly, a swirling nebula of mist appeared around her hand. And then, she was holding the Tetsusaiga, and smirking.

“Wind Scar!”

The blade came down and Naraku was torn to pieces by it. Suddenly, the dank castle around them vanished, and Kagura and Kagome rose from the forest floor, taking in their surroundings.

Hiei was moving around the clearing, his Jagan flashing as he moved from Yukina to a furiously screaming Yusuke.

“Well, I must say I'm impressed. You got out by yourselves,” he said, smirking.

“Yeah, well, I'm not stupid,” she said, shrugging.

“Hn.”

Hiei got back to work as the demonesses took a place against a tree, not caring if Hiei saw them as they took much needed comfort in each other's arms…

 

Kurama winced as the oni lifted him, forcing his head up to watch the lizard demon sliding in and out of a sobbing Botan.

Fury welled in him, and he closed his eyes. Searching for his youki, he found nothing. Then he noticed his senses were off, as though Youko were too asleep to aid his senses. That thought brought his eyes wide open.

“Youko?”

There was silence and he smirked despite his pain and Botan's suffering.

“Youko, wake up!”

Huh? What is it?

“I do believe you were put to sleep. Mind helping?”

Immediately, he felt Youko's anger and youki once again flowed to him.

I will kill that witch!

“Agreed,” Kurama said as the rose still gripped in his hand pulsed.

The oni was very surprised when the broken-appearing human suddenly flicked his wrist and his hand was no longer attached.

Kurama slashed the demon violating Botan apart viciously before he broke the chains. As Botan landed in his arms, he crushed the rose and let his youki free.

“Petals and Thorns!”

Suddenly, all demons present were sliced apart, slowly, Kurama and Youko both full of a burning rage. After minutes of the slow, meticulous cuts, the demons finally died, and the rose petals fell to the ground.

“Kurama,” Botan sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing heavily into her shoulder.

“It's not real,” Kurama whispered, running his hand through her hair.

Her eyes widened when suddenly, her wounds were gone and she was fully clothed, not a mark on her.

“What!?”

“That Kagehime used the Jagan to put us in a living nightmare, I think. None of it was real,” he soothed, stroking her back in slow, comforting motions as she continued to sob.

“It felt so real! And you… you were going to die!”

“Shh… we were never in any real danger. I'm not sure about the others, but I believe this was merely meant for long-lasting psychological torture, not actual death.”

She sniffed, looking at him with big, puffy eyes.

“So it really wasn't real?”

“None of it,” he confirmed. “Close your eyes now, love, and when they open again, you'll be awake.”

She obediently slid her eyes closed and just before she opened them again, she felt the ghost of his lips on hers. And then, they opened, and she was startled to find herself back in the Makai, and Kurama was gently stroking her hair.

“There, see? I told you it was fake,” he said, smiling softly when she pitched forward and wrapped herself around him.

“Good to see you up, fox,” a voice said nearby.

Kurama couldn't help but smirk as Botan squeaked in surprise and jumped off of him, turning to face Hiei.

“Yes, quite. The others?”

“The witch and Kagome are comforting each other, and I broke the fool and Yukina out. I'm tempted to let the oaf stay in the cocoon for a while, though.”

Kuwabara was squirming in the ground, expressing legitimate pain.

“Perhaps that would be unwise. We must be going if we're to behead that Kagehime witch.”

“Taking the initiative, are we?” Hiei asked, eyebrow quirked.

Kurama looked at Botan, not failing to notice the small tremors in her body, and his expression hardened.

“I don't like having my mind played with.”

“Hn.”

The Jagan flashed and Kuwabara visibly relaxed. A few moments later, they all rose, looking around dazedly.

Yukina saw Hiei and backpedaled, her eyes wide in terror and her entire body pale.

Yusuke moved his hand up and discovered tears covering his face. Anger crossed his expression at the knowledge that whatever he'd seen had definitely not really happened. And that made it simultaneously better and worse. Better, because Keiko was safe, and not dead by his hands. Worse because he suddenly had a very bad urge to kill Kagehime, slowly, making sure to draw it out.

“What the hell happened?” Yusuke snarled.

Suddenly, Kagome rose up, and nobody present missed the raw hatred in her eyes.

“Everyone in tact?”

They all nodded, and Kagura pulled her feather out.

“Let's go,” was all Kagome said before she vanished into the treetops, the Tetsusaiga drawn and a bloodthirsty expression on her face.

Kurama quickly explained that it was a Jagan-created illusion and that they should put no stock in whatever they saw. Suddenly, everyone present could share in Kagome's feeling, and they took off.

Even Kagura was surprised by the look in Kagome's eyes, her body smelling of what could only be called vengeance. She was hurt, she had seen her be hurt, and she was pissed…

 

A/N:

Well, here's the new chapter! Sorry that it's been so long, but I've been caught up in the novel I've been writing. Once I get an idea, I run with it until I hit a dead end, and while I'm thinking of how to continue, I finished this. I'll be on break for a while, so I can hopefully get the rest of this story out.

Hope you enjoyed. Be sure to review!