InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Ultimatum ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Ultimatum

Chapter 8

Boxing King

 

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Ok, so as not to make the mini blurbs at the beginning and/or end of the chapter seem longer, I'm just going to redirect questions to my blog - where I have already responded to them. :D Here is the link: boxingking-wordsofwisdomonwriting.blogspot.com. That way the story doesn't seem longer than it is due to this stuff. But I will definitely answer some recurring questions and points, like: pairing, grammar of “revolution”, magic, and an explanation of how I'm going to explain the past (>D). I blab on a lot, so the answers will probably be longer than what I deem ok at the top of a chapter. Currently, it is the third most recent post, so third down, titled Questions Answered. Onto the story!

 

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Hiei awoke slowly, his mind slow to move. He couldn't remember falling asleep, couldn't even remember when he went to rest, really. Generally, he didn't need that much sleep. Fighting to control the Jagan must have tired him more than he had originally thought if he was falling asleep that easily.

 

He slowly opened his eyes, groggy and heavy. The world was blurry at first, lazily sharpening into focus. He was in a tree, which wasn't unusual. Hiei tried to make a habit of falling asleep in trees as people generally couldn't bother him there. If nothing else, they made a comfortable perch.

 

He was stiffer than normal. Hiei grunted slightly. He must have been out longer than he thought. He lifted his arms above his head and stretched, cracking his back and several joints. With a sigh he relaxed back into the smooth bark, and began to look around.

 

He didn't know where he was. He had assumed he was in a nearby park, what with the giant tree and all. But he knew all of the parks in the city, and they bore no resemblance to where he was now. The trees were different, taller and healthier. Their green seemed brighter than a normal tree in summer.

 

He breathed deeply, trying to associate familiar smells. He hadn't noticed it before, but damn if the air wasn't clearer. It was lighter, easier to breathe. A small smile flitted across his mouth before he could stop it. One of the things he missed the most in the human realm was the clean air, the atmosphere in the demon realm being far superior. He sucked in another lungful, drawing it out to relish the clean atmosphere.

 

He let his gaze sweep the trees again. He looked down.

 

Hiei jerked. His eyes went wide, finally noticing the people sleeping below him next to a smoldering fire. He stilled his breathing automatically, making it as soundless as possible, narrowing his eyes. He fervently hoped that the telltale action he had given earlier wasn't enough to wake the people below him. He had no wish to deal with inquisitive, distrustful humans right now. They were an annoying nuisance that tended to ruin his solitude.

 

He relaxed slightly, seeing no action from the slumbering humans. With a cautious air, he gave a slight sniff, thinking to maybe discover the identity of those below him.

 

He breathed deep, exalting in the cleaner air that seemed to heighten his senses. He could smell so much more, now, without the smog blocking the most basic scents.

 

And damn if it didn't clarify a thing for him. He couldn't distinguish a single scent amongst them! Hiei took a good look below him. There seemed to be three humans and two demons, which meant that he was no longer in the human realms.

 

What would possess two demons to travel with humans? His circumstances were extenuating - he was forced to work with humans. From the cozy way everyone looked, the same could not be said for them.

 

He frowned. Maybe he should wake them up for the hell of it, just to ruin their night. Would serve them right for sleeping with humans.

 

Hiei flipped his hair over his shoulder, leaning forward to squat, preparing to sprint away from this odd group. His hands gripped the branch beneath him.

 

Wait - hair? He had hair that needed to be flipped over a shoulder? What the fuck? What had happened to his usual look? Hiei sat with a small thump on the branch, letting his balance take over. His hands frantically went to his head to discover what had happened.

 

He had long, black locks of hair.

 

What the hell was going on? His eyes jerked down to preview the rest of his body.

 

He was wearing fucking red! He never wore red! Hiei swore. It wasn't even pants and a cape, but freaking pantaloons and a vest. With holes! A growl began reverberating around his chest.

 

It sounded pathetic. He could barely make a proper growl. It sounded like a damn dog.

 

With a guttural snarl, he jumped down from the high tree branches. Maybe the demons and those damn humans would know what was going on.

 

With his landing, the group began to stir.

 

They awoke quickly, hands going to weapons or defensive positions. And right they should, even if he looked different.

 

“What do you sense?” asked a male human, holding a staff. He was dressed in dark robes, his stature straight and proud.

 

Hiei frowned. He acted as if he knew him. Hiei had never met the human before in his life. It didn't matter, the question still needed to be asked. The words tumbled out before he could stop them.

 

“Something's coming.”

 

Well hell. That certainly wasn't what he had wanted to say. It wasn't even a freaking question.

 

Everyone began getting up. He could see who he was talking to now, as they began murmuring to themselves. Well damn if the demons could help him. One was a tiny cat demon, the other a child fox.

 

“Is it him?” spoke up one of the human women. She had long, brown hair, and she was dressed in the traditional slayer getup. Hiei hadn't seen that in a long time. It came as a shock to him, so see anyone dressed as such. He hadn't thought to see that outfit ever again. Which was a good thing, in his estimation.

 

He growled again, lower in his chest. Who the hell was `him'?

 

“Yes.” Apparently, someone he knew.

 

The final human spoke up. Her voice was melodious, but he didn't really comprehend what she was saying. It was her. The woman from his dream.

 

His gaze grew heated thinking about her. He watched her closely, seeing the blood rise to her face. She knew what that look meant, even though she seemed to meet it with innocence, not really comprehending just everything that he wanted to do to her. He knew that was an act. The women had been a vixen with him.

 

“A puppet.”

 

What? What puppet? What the hell was he talking about? Hiei had no idea why he was suddenly sprouting unidentifiable thoughts to these unknown people. He was just rambling! Apparently, the humans understood just fine, though. He could see the fear come about their countenance as they heard and understood his response to whatever the vixen had been asking.

 

Hiei opened his mouth to ask just what the hell was going on when the demon slayer spoke up.

 

“He can't see you, Inuyasha. He would know what was going on. What do we do?”

 

Inuyasha? What the fuck? Who was Inuyasha?

 

“We'll hold it off while you hide. Dawn is close, it won't be able to take us down before then.”

 

Hiei looked at the vixen. She was biting her lip, considering the situation.

 

“Inuyasha, maybe that would be for the best-”

 

“Like hell!” shouted Hiei, interrupting the vixen. Well, there, that was something more akin to what he wanted to say. Threats would most likely get a quick response out of them. Hiei opened his mouth to demand their attention with a nasty comment about torture when the air suddenly thickened.

 

“It's here,” Hiei groaned out. The air seemed to weigh down upon them all, pressing the air out of his lungs. He was struggling to breath, as were the three humans around him. The demons, for some odd reason, were still asleep, unaffected by the weighted atmosphere.

 

Hiei's eyes were turned in the direction of the vixen. He could see her struggle, hear her labored breathing. Behind her, two read eyes suddenly opened from the foliage.

 

A quiet chuckle filled the air. The humans all stiffened, recognizing the danger, unable to move. A nasal voice filled the small clearing they were sitting in.

 

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The red eyes focused on Hiei. “I see four humans and only two demons. Could it be that something has run amiss with your strong dog-demon compatriot?” The voice chuckled malevolently. “It seems, travelers, that we have found the great day of weakness for the half-demon.” Teeth glinted in a smirk beneath the eyes. “I just wonder how this will turn out.”

 

Hiei was frozen in fear. It wasn't his fear, per se, since he knew he could best this demon on a bad day, but his body was reacting to it all the same. His mind was seizing up, refusing to consider a plan of action, his breathing became even more difficult as harsh panting joined the struggles of the atmosphere, and his body was seemingly petrified.

 

His hand twitched, trying to find the sword normally at his side.

 

The demon attacked, sending a spiking appendage soaring towards Hiei. He couldn't force his body to move in time, and the tentacle pierced his stomach, ripping through to his back.

 

Hiei grunted and fell to his knees, hands limp at his sides, as the tentacle recoiled back into the bushes. He was oblivious to the shouts of the humans, oblivious to everything but the reality of a mortal strike to a mortal body.

 

Hiei revolted on the concept of such a grisly wound from such pathetic conditions and blacked out. Or maybe it was simply from pain. Either way the scene faded out, and Hiei was no more.

 

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Kuwabara was walking briskly down the street towards Yusuke's apartment. So far, everyone was in the dark about how the whole thing with his cousin had ended. Did she know, or was she still blissfully unaware of the evil in the world? Kuwabara hoped it was the latter. He wouldn't wish the knowledge of demons being real on anyone. Who wanted to know that their worst fears were most likely real, and that the monster in their closet could readily eat them?

 

He grunted, almost to Yusuke's place. One of the first things he planned to do was pulverize the jerk for not telling anyone what was going on. They were a team after all, and this girl happened to be a bit of a major concern for everyone right now.

 

He began walking up the steps to the complex, looking around for thugs. Yusuke didn't exactly live in the best neighborhood, and while he wouldn't mind being jumped for the fun of it, he was on a mission. Granted, it was a minor mission, but a mission none the less.

 

Kuwabara raised his fist to pound on the door, fingers clenched hard in frustration, when it opened to Yusuke's extremely pissed off face.

 

Kuwabara blinked, hand still in the air.

 

“What?” demanded Yusuke.

 

“Uhm, well, we just kind of wanted to know how it was going with your cousin. Has she…, uhm, she… woken up yet?” stuttered out Kuwabara. He had seen Yusuke mad on plenty of occasions, but it was always safer to find out who, or what, he was mad at first. Kuwabara tended to avoid bruises that way. And damn if he hadn't seen him this pissed off in a long, long time.

 

Yusuke let the door swing wide, stepping into the dark recesses of the unlighted apartment. Kuwabara repressed a shudder at the creepiness that this gesture created. He walked in anyways. Never let it be known that he walked away from a challenge or scary place. He had a reputation, after all. And Yusuke looked as if he needed help with some things.

 

The door thudded shut with a forbidding creak. The hallway that Kuwabara had walked into was almost completely dark, illuminated only by the small bits of light coming from the windows in nearby rooms.

 

Kuwabara followed the random clanks he was hearing and ended up in the kitchen. He pulled out an old chair littered in duct tape to hold the stuffing in. He settled in uncomfortably, easily aware of the tension rolling in waves off of Yusuke.

 

“So, Urameshi, just what's going on here,” began Kuwabara quietly. “Any word on your cousin? Is our cover blown?”

 

Yusuke slammed a pot viciously onto the stove, letting the solid thunk reverberate though the kitchen for a moment.

 

“She knows,” he ground out. “She has to fucking know.”

 

With a snarl upon his face Yusuke whirled to face Kuwabara. “She has fucking spiritual powers and she never told me! She fucking knows of Spirit World and demons and the Demon World and everything. She has to! DAMNIT!” Yusuke turned around and swept his fist across the stove, toppling pots and dishes everywhere.

 

The noise was a mute cacophony to Kuwabara's ears compared to the fury in Yusuke's eyes. He pulled himself up straight in his chair, his back to the chair's back. His emotions were guarded, and he made sure to remain calm. Yusuke was not a person for secrets, especially not from those he cared about. Yeah, sure, he knew everyone had their skeletons and certain things that you just didn't share. But for his cousin to know of the realms and demons must mean that she also knew of the Spirit Detectives; they weren't exactly low key. And that meant that she had purposely kept this form somebody that cared about her and would understand everything she was going through perfectly, also giving him the same in return. Yusuke had precious few people to talk about his work with. Well damn.

 

Kuwabara spoke up hesitantly, “Are you sure she knows? Did she specifically say that she knew, Yusuke? This isn't something we can just assume.”

 

Yusuke was leaning spread eagle on the counter top, breathing heavily, trying to control his temper.

 

“No,” he said shortly. “She didn't. But she projected herself outside of her body while I was there. That means she knows of magic, which means she has to know of us. Koenma would have found her long ago. She used to freaking live on a shrine, damnit!”

 

All of a sudden the gusto went of Yusuke. He put his hands up to cover his face and staggered to a chair, slumping down.

 

Kuwabara watched him closely, looking for a sign. Yusuke started up mumbling again, speaking in short, succinct sentences.

 

“She was doing something with her powers when I left. At least I think she was. I couldn't sense anything. She came out of the trance she was in looking pretty bad. I just left her there. I was so furious at this Kuwabara.” He let his hands slide down and looked his friend in the eye. “I felt betrayed. I suppose I kind of did it out of revenge, leaving her there.” Yusuke had a slightly lost look in his eyes. “What do I do?”

 

Kuwabara leaned forward and placed his hand on Yusuke's shoulder. “We are going to go check on her. And then we are going to ask her some questions and get a straight answer out of your cousin.”

 

Yusuke nodded at the affirmation of their friendship. “Yeah… thanks.”

 

They stood up together. They moved purposefully towards Yusuke's bedroom. Kuwabara watched his friend pull himself back together. The layers came back on as his back straightened, his brow firmed and his eyes became just a little bit colder. He was preparing to face his cousin.

 

Yusuke moved ahead of Kuwabara in the hallway, making sure he would be the first one Kagome would see and confront. It was his duty. Hell, it was his cousin.

 

He twisted the doorknob slowly, his hand perspiring in nervousness. He was stalling, trying to give his cousin as much advance notice as he could, trying to let her pull herself together.

 

He shoved into the room.

 

At first he didn't understand what he was looking at. He frowned, creases coming between his eyes in consternation.

 

The damn bed was empty.

 

Kuwabara sidled past Yusuke, sick of waiting in the hall without knowing what was going on. He looked around the room - there wasn't exactly a place for a full-sized body to hide.

 

“Where the hell is she, Urameshi?”

 

Yusuke began to grow worried. While he and Kuwabara didn't have demon hearing, and he had been shouting, they hadn't heard Kagome stirring. He turned around quickly and ran to the bathroom.

 

She wasn't there.

 

Yusuke slammed the door to the bathroom closed with a muttered curse. He moved throughout the rest of the house, small as it was, at a jog. Kuwabara silently moved behind him.

 

Kagome was not in the apartment.

 

They ended up back in the kitchen with Yusuke pacing its small confines.

 

“What the hell happened, Kuwabara? Where is she?” He whirled to face his friend. “I didn't hear her leave. Did you?”

 

Kuwabara noted the anxious look in his friend's eyes. “No.”

 

Yusuke's face fell, struck hard by the reality. “She must have been kidnapped, then. The demons have gotten to her, anyways. I failed in my job, Kuwabara! My cousin is out there all alone defenseless with demons! FUCK!”

 

“Now Yusuke, calm down. We don't know that she was kidnapped. Let's check the surrounding area. Maybe she heard us and wandered off for a walk to clear her head.”

 

Yusuke was already in the hall while Kuwabara was speaking, preparing to leave and search for his missing cousin. Kuwabara could do nothing but follow along helplessly and aid Yusuke in his search. He fervently hoped that Kagome had just gone for a walk.

 

The alternative was just too scary to admit.

 

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There! Finally got the next chapter out! It took forever, and three sessions of writing, but I got it down. I think I had some flow going on there, especially at the end. Let me know what you all think. Check out my blog as well! Thank you madmiko for your support!

 

BoxingKing