InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Ultimatum ❯ Chapter 17 ( Chapter 17 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: BoxingKing 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.18.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.18.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Work In Progress
Ultimatum
Chapter 17
Boxing King
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So who wants to talk about a long intermission? Anyone? Anyone at all? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe it took me that long to update! But, still, it’s an update. It’s not as long as the last three have been, but it’s not necessarily short. It’s the fourth longest chapter, in fact. So, hopefully everyone likes it. I really liked how it started to flow for me, so hopefully that translates well over to all the readers. Everyone let me know! I’m starting to get caught up in school, so maybe more time to write is in my future. I just thought of like three twists I can toss in while writing this chapter, so good stuff in the future. Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!
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Kagome opened her eyes with a lazy blink, letting the fuzzy settings come into focus. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for the detectives to finish discussing her mental obliteration. Not something anyone would particularly want to stay awake for. Smothering a yawn, she took a good look around - it was clear she had been removed from that damn office and untied. And placed into a nice comfy bed, with several giant feather pillows, and a wonderfully squishy mattress that allowed her to sink several inches.
Right, as if the Spirit World would have something so nice for a prisoner. She doubted this was their version of a last request – even guilt wouldn’t be able to procure a room so lavish, when the only one in residence would have to be the Prince’s…
Ick. Ick! Like she wanted to be stuck in a bed that he had used! If they had really put her in his bedroom…
Kagome threw back the covers viciously, taking out some of her frustration on the inert fabric. If only she had someone to punch.
So intent was Kagome on getting out of the cootie-infested bed, she almost stepped on Hiei.
Her foot grazed his shoulder just as she looked down. She leaped back with a muffled squeak.
What the hell was he doing in her bedroom? Of all the nerve! She looked at the little Koorime carefully. He looked asleep. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome decided that just wouldn’t do.
Taking careful aim, she planted her foot right in his gut and stepped out of bed. She stepped hard.
A grim smile etched its way upon her face at the whoosh of air he expelled. He sat up swiftly, a hand coming to his forehead. Kagome hoped the bastard had a rip roaring headache. He deserved no less. Maybe she should have stepped on him there.
It appeared as if he was having trouble waking up, as it were. She nudged him with her toe.
“What the hell are we doing here, demon?” His crimson eyes slowly focused on her.
“Why the hell would I know?”
“You gave off the air of a know-it-all ass, so I figured you might have a clue.”
Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. “Well, look what meek, little, cowardly kitten finally woke up.”
“Just in time to bite you,” she drawled sweetly. “Now why are we here?”
She saw his eyes dart around before shrugging. “No idea. Where is here? And why am I on the floor?”
Kagome looked around the austere bedroom, populated solely by the bed, before answering. “I kind of figured we were in Koenma’s room – I doubt anyone else would have a bed this nice. As to you sitting on the floor, you probably sat your ass down there once you saw that my gracious self was occupying the bed.”
“Ah, and here I thought you pushed me out of the bed,” Hiei said dryly. He leaned back against the bed with a strangely satisfied smirk on his face. “Tell me this, oh-great-one-who-has-this-all-figured-out, what are we doing here? You may be in the proverbial jail, but I’m not. Why would they stick me in here with you? Torture?”
Kagome seriously debated kicking the man. “There was a reason I woke you up. If I knew…”
“Ah…” Hiei trailed out. “You are obtuse.” Kagome’s spine stiffened. “We aren’t in Koenma’s room. I happen to know his at least has a door. Just think a minute, where have we been appearing together lately?”
Oh, hell. She was stuck in a dream again. With him.
Of all the nerve! “Get out.” She turned furious eyes on him. “You can just get the hell out of my dream, you damn demon! You have that third eye – use it and begone!”
Hiei rolled his eyes from his prone position. “Yes, because that has worked in the past, woman. We are stuck until one of us wakes up.”
Maybe she should kick him. Maybe the shock to his dream body would wake him up.
Hiei practically laughed. “I can tell what you are thinking, idiot. Do you honestly think in a fight that you would win?”
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “If you don’t have your third eye working, then how can you tell?”
“Your face gives it all away.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “In the meantime, I’m going to try and go back to sleep. Feel free and entertain yourself.”
Kagome practically threw herself back on the bed. Just what was she supposed to be doing until one of them woke up? It wasn’t like they were going to be throwing themselves at each other anytime soon. Which, a small part of her registered, was a pity.
The silence lasted for about three minutes before Kagome cracked. There was too much going on in her life for her to just sit and wait for things to pass by. Especially since she seemed to suddenly be on an extremely limited amount of time.
“So, since we are connected mind to mind, do you think sucking out my brain would affect you?”
Kagome felt the bed rock as he abruptly straightened. She smiled happily. She could only hope that was the case. It would serve them all right. Maybe she should try and connect herself to more people. Maybe, just maybe, if she connected herself to enough people, they would hesitate before obliterating her mind. Too bad she had no idea how to do it on purpose.
“We aren’t connected mind to mind,” he flatly spoke, denying any possibility.
“Come now, Hiei. Use that magnificent brain of yours. We are sharing a dream right now. Our powers fluctuate based on touch. You’ve been in my past, if what I’ve overheard is correct. So, we must be connected some way.”
Kagome fell silent, letting the accusation irritate him.
“For that matter, doesn’t really seem like Naraku is controlling the dream, now does it? I mean, why he would want us to sit here and talk… Especially if that meant me finding a way out of this mess. Gotta admit that mistake, too, Hiei. You are attracted to me.” She stated that last bit with satisfaction. Him refusing had damaged her womanly pride.
He snorted in reply, and tried to make the atmosphere at oppressing as possible. If only he could shut her up. Like a TV with a controller.
“How is it that you fell asleep when everyone was holding their group meeting on the best possible way to screw me over?” Apparently it wasn’t oppressing enough. “I would have thought you would want to participate.”
Still he didn’t answer, refusing to even acknowledge her.
“You could have hardly just gone to sleep with everyone there. I doubt they would have let you
Kagome turned thoughtful eyes down to the man in question. “Did you not want to see it happen, Hiei? Does my termination bother you?”
She decided to take his silence as assent. “That’s strangely… sweet.”
At that, Hiei just had to protest. “Hardly. The process is just boring, woman. I left the room in boredom. I apparently fell asleep in the hallway.”
“Do you mean to say it’s going on now? That this, this pitiful room and dream with you stuck in it, is my ‘last request’?”
“Yup,” Hiei muttered with just a touch of pleasure. Would serve her right to have a shitty last request.
“You do realize that if they are doing it now, with you here, then they most likely don’t know you are asleep. They could very well suck out your mind right now, by accident.”
Hiei jerked. Fuck, she was right. They had no idea he was here, and there was a pretty good chance that mind-fucking her would have some consequence upon him.
He had to get out!
Hiei suddenly leaned forward, crossed his legs, and put himself in the meditating position. It was time to wake himself up. He cleared his mind, striving for a perfectly blank slate. He let no thoughts creep in and interrupt him. Not the sweet smell next to him, wafting off the bed. Or the very fact that there was a bed and beautiful women occupying it an inch behind him. When he finally achieved this, he let one word center in his head: wake. He imagined himself waking up, coming back to full consciousness, leaving the room and Kagome behind. He imagined his eyes waking up, the grogginess of wakening from a deep sleep. He tried to picture it as fully as he could in his mind.
He opened his eyes.
He woke staring at a plain, white wall.
“Didn’t work, just so you know,” spoke Kagome. “I figured I should say it just in case you thought you had succeeded. Wanted to give you that big letdown.”
Hiei snarled and turned into a crouch to face Kagome.
“What do you know, woman?” The question startled Kagome.
“About what?” she innocently asked.
“Don’t be coy. You act like you know something. You aren’t hysterical at the prospect of your mind being wiped. You aren’t begging for your life. You must know something we don’t.”
“Can’t I have just accepted my death? I did try to commit suicide. If nothing else, going to my death, the Jewel would still be safe.”
“No, I don’t believe that of you.”
“You know me that well, a woman you only kiss because you are being controlled? I think not.”
“You don’t have a look of resignation about you, which was distinctly present when you first came to Yusuke’s house. You look ready to leave at the first possibility.”
“Why would I not want to get away from any room that has you in it?”
“You think there is a way for this to be stopped, for your mind to be saved.”
“I don’t see how you can assume so much, Hiei. But it doesn’t really matter. I’ll get out of this without you knowing shit.”
She ignored the glare she could feel being sent in her direction.
“I really hope your mind gets sucked out with mine,” she expelled on a sigh. “That would just be perfect.”
“How do you think we are connected? Since you came up with this theory, you must have some idea of how it works.”
What a good question. Kagome closed her eyes, trying to give herself all possible preparation to think. Of course, if she figured that out, maybe Hiei would use it to break free. Ok, not even a maybe there – obviously he would do everything possible to screw her over. She should probably make something up, but if truth be told, she was curious as well. How could Naraku control her power? Be immune to it? It wasn’t like she could beat him without her powers.
“You knew Naraku. Maybe you know him now. Work with him. Are you connected to him?”
His snort was her only answer.
“Well, how else do you propose he sneaks about your mind, using you like a dancing marionette?”
“Through you, how else? The Jagan is singular to me, to my mind. Not just anyone can sneak in and use the damn thing. It has to be your fault. Just like this whole mess is.”
“Just like a sexist man, blaming a woman for everything. I am not, unfortunately for you, your Pandora. It’s not like I wanted to peek inside your box. Your box is screwed up. You have issues.”
Hiei snorted. “Who doesn’t? You, oh great woman who tried to commit suicide? And if you want to try and suddenly use metaphors, consider the fact that it wasn’t until you came here that we had any troubles, that I had any troubles. So, yeah, you opened my “box”.”
“Pandora opened the box out of curiosity and apparent stupidity – she had intent. I don’t. Try again.”
“Accordingly, Pandora couldn’t help herself. Just like you couldn’t help it when you came here.”
“Well, I wasn’t given to you, so the whole damn concept doesn’t work.”
“Damn straight, it doesn’t. I would never be stupid enough to accept you.”
“No, just stupid enough to get stuck in my mind.”
Hiei dramatically looked to the ceiling. “I give up arguing with someone so dense.” They both fell silent for a moment.
“You know,” Kagome spoke up, “if I were Pandora, I would withhold hope just to spite you.”
“You just had to get the last word in, didn’t you?”
Kagome shrugged. “Gotta win something.”
“How do you know I had hope in the first place?”
“Well, that’s just depressing. Certainly suits your personality.”
“I didn’t have some nice family atmosphere to grow up in. What do you expect?”
“A deranged lunatic.”
“Tadah!” Hiei shook his hands in the air. “Do I get to kill you now?”
“Now or later, that seems to be everyone’s intent,” Kagome said, killing the somewhat jovial mood.
After a pause, “Just what would you have us do? Is there an easy solution that we just aren’t seeing?”
Kagome didn’t have an answer, and succumbed again to the awkward silence that was common between them.
This time it was Hiei who broke the tension. “How is he doing it? How is he controlling us?”
“Again, no idea. But consider this, maybe he’s keeping us here, you here, because wiping our minds is to his benefit. If your mind is gone, you can’t fight, and the opposing forces suddenly just lost a valuable asset. That may have been why you couldn’t wake yourself up.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Your mind has to be there for him to go back and look through it. He has no other way to locate the Jewel. That’s why we are going through with this.”
“Are you sure there’s no other way? Absolutely sure?”
He looked at her in disgust. “Yes.”
“Then maybe you’re here as an exchange of whose mind gets sucked out.”
Hiei warily looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“They perform the ‘sucking’, as it were, and a mind is removed. It just doesn’t happen to be my mind. All Naraku has to do to keep the charade going is to keep me here, where I can’t act in my own body. It will look like I’m unconscious, in which I am given over to Naraku, mind intact, fully able to recount the location of the Jewel.” Which wasn’t exactly what she had had in mind when hoping for Naraku to save the situation.
“No,” he forcefully denied, “no. They’ll realize something is wrong when they can’t wake me up. They wouldn’t go through with it.”
“Assuming they find you. You have no idea how you actually fell asleep, do you? Let alone if it’s in a hallway.” She leaned forward on her elbows to look at him.
“No,” he whispered.
“He controlled you…”
“But how?” he burst out, looking at her, face contorted in rage. “The Jagan is supposed to be impregnable against invasion. It was one of the reasons I got the damn thing. Naraku has no talent that would enable him to do anything with the psyche! So, how?”
Kagome flopped back down.
“Let’s consider the options,” Hiei finally ground out, staving off his growing panic with logic.
“Fine. Option one?”
“Option one… Option one, he got the Jagan himself. Either had it implanted or swallowed someone who did.”
“Not bad, not bad at all. I can’t see him getting the Jagan. And I didn’t notice one on his forehead when I saw him. Do you know who else has gotten the Jagan? Anyone missing lately?”
Hiei went silent in thought. “Maybe five people have ever gotten the Jagan and survived, including me. I’ve killed three others and the fourth, as far as I know, is still sitting on her mountain.”
“So, cross out one.”
“Yeah,” Hiei intoned monotonously, “cross out one.”
“So… number two?”
“Number two is you. What are your connections to Naraku, Kagome?”
She jerked her head up heatedly. “You just can’t believe me, can you? I hate the bastard! Is that enough of a connection for you?”
“Calm down. I didn’t mean in that manner. But you were his enemy for how many years? There must be things that connect the two of you together. Does he have a piece of the Jewel?”
“No,” she said in disgust, “he doesn’t. And it’s not like I left a piece of myself lying around for him to just pick up. I’m not that du-” She suddenly snapped her mouth closed.
Hiei jerked around to look at her. “What, what is it? What did you just think of?”
“Kikyou,” she whispered.
“What? The priestess that guarded the Jewel? She died. What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“She’s not dead. Well, I mean, she wasn’t. She might be now…”
“Woman, I warn you, start making some sense…”
“Kikyou was resurrected with my soul, probably in a similar way as to what you guys will be doing with my mind. When we got my soul back, she managed to keep part of it, keeping herself alive.” Kagome turned horrified eyes to Hiei. “She has a part of me, inside her. A part that Naraku had access to.”
“You jackass! You mean you left a part of your soul lying around out there, and never bothered to get it back? Just how stupid are you?”
“Well, of course I tried to get it back! I just happened to not be successful, is all…” she trailed off lamely.
Hiei felt like smacking his forehead. “Is all? Is all! Do you realize that you can’t die if you don’t have all your soul? When you committed suicide, you probably would have actually died if you had all your soul.”
Kagome’s eyes opened wider. “Really? That’s why I didn’t die? Jesus, so I can’t ever die? I’ll just heal? And you wanted to put me in his clutches? Are you insane? Does torture have any meaning to you people?” Kagome stood up on the bed. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t any of you have any empathy?”
“Oh, sit down. It’s not like it’s happening right now.”
“Right now? Right now! You immoral jackass! You, you-”
“Enough already. Let’s get back to Kikyou.” Kagome flopped down on the bed and put her head in hands. “We have an undead priestess wandering the land. I think, at this point, it’s safe to assume that Naraku ate her. Which means he ate a part of you. And there’s the connection.” Hiei got up and began to pace. “Which means, to get rid of the connection, to stop this, we have to kill Naraku.” Which would hopefully terminate the connection between the two of them.
“Wait a minute. You said we couldn’t get anything back from Naraku. You all said that, that we couldn’t save Inuyasha.”
“We can’t.”
“Then we can’t get my soul back?” she whispered her plea.
Hiei avoided looking her in the eyes. “No.”
“I can never die,” she brokenly muttered. “I’m never going to be able to join my family. I’ll never… never see Inuyasha again.” Slowly, tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
Hiei swore softly to himself. He didn’t know what to do when women cried. But damn if he could just sit there and let her do it. Her future was awful, even he could admit that. Even he would not want to live forever. Immortality was a bitch.
“Uh, so, don’t worry. I won’t lock you in a room… like that one Greek goddess did to her lover when he grew too feeble to live…”
“You’re not even my lover!” she wailed, burying her face in the pillows.
At this point Hiei gave up. He would relish waking up right now. If Naraku was keeping him here, he was probably laughing at the torture.
“Just, just stop crying, ok!”
“Why? I’m doomed to forever walk the world alone with assholes like you! You’ll outlast all the humans and we’ll be stuck together forever! And even then, you’d be able to die!”
A lie, he needed a lie!
“Maybe, maybe when we kill Naraku, whatever he absorbed will move on.” Even to his own ears he sounded desperate. “Your soul will just float out and find you. Ok?”
Kagome ceased crying momentarily to look up at him. “You think so? You really think that could work?”
Hiei looked down at her tear-streaked face. “Y-yeah. Of course. Naraku’s soul (or lack of) has to go somewhere, so it goes to follow that everything else will too”
She swiped her palms under eyes. “Th-thank you, Hiei.”
He nodded once quickly, walking to the other side of the room. “Uhuh.” He cleared his throat. “Sooo, when do you think we’ll wake up?”
And finally in front of him appeared a door.
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Chapter 17
Boxing King
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So who wants to talk about a long intermission? Anyone? Anyone at all? I’m so sorry! I can’t believe it took me that long to update! But, still, it’s an update. It’s not as long as the last three have been, but it’s not necessarily short. It’s the fourth longest chapter, in fact. So, hopefully everyone likes it. I really liked how it started to flow for me, so hopefully that translates well over to all the readers. Everyone let me know! I’m starting to get caught up in school, so maybe more time to write is in my future. I just thought of like three twists I can toss in while writing this chapter, so good stuff in the future. Thanks for sticking with me, everyone!
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Kagome opened her eyes with a lazy blink, letting the fuzzy settings come into focus. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for the detectives to finish discussing her mental obliteration. Not something anyone would particularly want to stay awake for. Smothering a yawn, she took a good look around - it was clear she had been removed from that damn office and untied. And placed into a nice comfy bed, with several giant feather pillows, and a wonderfully squishy mattress that allowed her to sink several inches.
Right, as if the Spirit World would have something so nice for a prisoner. She doubted this was their version of a last request – even guilt wouldn’t be able to procure a room so lavish, when the only one in residence would have to be the Prince’s…
Ick. Ick! Like she wanted to be stuck in a bed that he had used! If they had really put her in his bedroom…
Kagome threw back the covers viciously, taking out some of her frustration on the inert fabric. If only she had someone to punch.
So intent was Kagome on getting out of the cootie-infested bed, she almost stepped on Hiei.
Her foot grazed his shoulder just as she looked down. She leaped back with a muffled squeak.
What the hell was he doing in her bedroom? Of all the nerve! She looked at the little Koorime carefully. He looked asleep. Narrowing her eyes, Kagome decided that just wouldn’t do.
Taking careful aim, she planted her foot right in his gut and stepped out of bed. She stepped hard.
A grim smile etched its way upon her face at the whoosh of air he expelled. He sat up swiftly, a hand coming to his forehead. Kagome hoped the bastard had a rip roaring headache. He deserved no less. Maybe she should have stepped on him there.
It appeared as if he was having trouble waking up, as it were. She nudged him with her toe.
“What the hell are we doing here, demon?” His crimson eyes slowly focused on her.
“Why the hell would I know?”
“You gave off the air of a know-it-all ass, so I figured you might have a clue.”
Hiei narrowed his eyes at her. “Well, look what meek, little, cowardly kitten finally woke up.”
“Just in time to bite you,” she drawled sweetly. “Now why are we here?”
She saw his eyes dart around before shrugging. “No idea. Where is here? And why am I on the floor?”
Kagome looked around the austere bedroom, populated solely by the bed, before answering. “I kind of figured we were in Koenma’s room – I doubt anyone else would have a bed this nice. As to you sitting on the floor, you probably sat your ass down there once you saw that my gracious self was occupying the bed.”
“Ah, and here I thought you pushed me out of the bed,” Hiei said dryly. He leaned back against the bed with a strangely satisfied smirk on his face. “Tell me this, oh-great-one-who-has-this-all-figured-out, what are we doing here? You may be in the proverbial jail, but I’m not. Why would they stick me in here with you? Torture?”
Kagome seriously debated kicking the man. “There was a reason I woke you up. If I knew…”
“Ah…” Hiei trailed out. “You are obtuse.” Kagome’s spine stiffened. “We aren’t in Koenma’s room. I happen to know his at least has a door. Just think a minute, where have we been appearing together lately?”
Oh, hell. She was stuck in a dream again. With him.
Of all the nerve! “Get out.” She turned furious eyes on him. “You can just get the hell out of my dream, you damn demon! You have that third eye – use it and begone!”
Hiei rolled his eyes from his prone position. “Yes, because that has worked in the past, woman. We are stuck until one of us wakes up.”
Maybe she should kick him. Maybe the shock to his dream body would wake him up.
Hiei practically laughed. “I can tell what you are thinking, idiot. Do you honestly think in a fight that you would win?”
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “If you don’t have your third eye working, then how can you tell?”
“Your face gives it all away.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “In the meantime, I’m going to try and go back to sleep. Feel free and entertain yourself.”
Kagome practically threw herself back on the bed. Just what was she supposed to be doing until one of them woke up? It wasn’t like they were going to be throwing themselves at each other anytime soon. Which, a small part of her registered, was a pity.
The silence lasted for about three minutes before Kagome cracked. There was too much going on in her life for her to just sit and wait for things to pass by. Especially since she seemed to suddenly be on an extremely limited amount of time.
“So, since we are connected mind to mind, do you think sucking out my brain would affect you?”
Kagome felt the bed rock as he abruptly straightened. She smiled happily. She could only hope that was the case. It would serve them all right. Maybe she should try and connect herself to more people. Maybe, just maybe, if she connected herself to enough people, they would hesitate before obliterating her mind. Too bad she had no idea how to do it on purpose.
“We aren’t connected mind to mind,” he flatly spoke, denying any possibility.
“Come now, Hiei. Use that magnificent brain of yours. We are sharing a dream right now. Our powers fluctuate based on touch. You’ve been in my past, if what I’ve overheard is correct. So, we must be connected some way.”
Kagome fell silent, letting the accusation irritate him.
“For that matter, doesn’t really seem like Naraku is controlling the dream, now does it? I mean, why he would want us to sit here and talk… Especially if that meant me finding a way out of this mess. Gotta admit that mistake, too, Hiei. You are attracted to me.” She stated that last bit with satisfaction. Him refusing had damaged her womanly pride.
He snorted in reply, and tried to make the atmosphere at oppressing as possible. If only he could shut her up. Like a TV with a controller.
“How is it that you fell asleep when everyone was holding their group meeting on the best possible way to screw me over?” Apparently it wasn’t oppressing enough. “I would have thought you would want to participate.”
Still he didn’t answer, refusing to even acknowledge her.
“You could have hardly just gone to sleep with everyone there. I doubt they would have let you
Kagome turned thoughtful eyes down to the man in question. “Did you not want to see it happen, Hiei? Does my termination bother you?”
She decided to take his silence as assent. “That’s strangely… sweet.”
At that, Hiei just had to protest. “Hardly. The process is just boring, woman. I left the room in boredom. I apparently fell asleep in the hallway.”
“Do you mean to say it’s going on now? That this, this pitiful room and dream with you stuck in it, is my ‘last request’?”
“Yup,” Hiei muttered with just a touch of pleasure. Would serve her right to have a shitty last request.
“You do realize that if they are doing it now, with you here, then they most likely don’t know you are asleep. They could very well suck out your mind right now, by accident.”
Hiei jerked. Fuck, she was right. They had no idea he was here, and there was a pretty good chance that mind-fucking her would have some consequence upon him.
He had to get out!
Hiei suddenly leaned forward, crossed his legs, and put himself in the meditating position. It was time to wake himself up. He cleared his mind, striving for a perfectly blank slate. He let no thoughts creep in and interrupt him. Not the sweet smell next to him, wafting off the bed. Or the very fact that there was a bed and beautiful women occupying it an inch behind him. When he finally achieved this, he let one word center in his head: wake. He imagined himself waking up, coming back to full consciousness, leaving the room and Kagome behind. He imagined his eyes waking up, the grogginess of wakening from a deep sleep. He tried to picture it as fully as he could in his mind.
He opened his eyes.
He woke staring at a plain, white wall.
“Didn’t work, just so you know,” spoke Kagome. “I figured I should say it just in case you thought you had succeeded. Wanted to give you that big letdown.”
Hiei snarled and turned into a crouch to face Kagome.
“What do you know, woman?” The question startled Kagome.
“About what?” she innocently asked.
“Don’t be coy. You act like you know something. You aren’t hysterical at the prospect of your mind being wiped. You aren’t begging for your life. You must know something we don’t.”
“Can’t I have just accepted my death? I did try to commit suicide. If nothing else, going to my death, the Jewel would still be safe.”
“No, I don’t believe that of you.”
“You know me that well, a woman you only kiss because you are being controlled? I think not.”
“You don’t have a look of resignation about you, which was distinctly present when you first came to Yusuke’s house. You look ready to leave at the first possibility.”
“Why would I not want to get away from any room that has you in it?”
“You think there is a way for this to be stopped, for your mind to be saved.”
“I don’t see how you can assume so much, Hiei. But it doesn’t really matter. I’ll get out of this without you knowing shit.”
She ignored the glare she could feel being sent in her direction.
“I really hope your mind gets sucked out with mine,” she expelled on a sigh. “That would just be perfect.”
“How do you think we are connected? Since you came up with this theory, you must have some idea of how it works.”
What a good question. Kagome closed her eyes, trying to give herself all possible preparation to think. Of course, if she figured that out, maybe Hiei would use it to break free. Ok, not even a maybe there – obviously he would do everything possible to screw her over. She should probably make something up, but if truth be told, she was curious as well. How could Naraku control her power? Be immune to it? It wasn’t like she could beat him without her powers.
“You knew Naraku. Maybe you know him now. Work with him. Are you connected to him?”
His snort was her only answer.
“Well, how else do you propose he sneaks about your mind, using you like a dancing marionette?”
“Through you, how else? The Jagan is singular to me, to my mind. Not just anyone can sneak in and use the damn thing. It has to be your fault. Just like this whole mess is.”
“Just like a sexist man, blaming a woman for everything. I am not, unfortunately for you, your Pandora. It’s not like I wanted to peek inside your box. Your box is screwed up. You have issues.”
Hiei snorted. “Who doesn’t? You, oh great woman who tried to commit suicide? And if you want to try and suddenly use metaphors, consider the fact that it wasn’t until you came here that we had any troubles, that I had any troubles. So, yeah, you opened my “box”.”
“Pandora opened the box out of curiosity and apparent stupidity – she had intent. I don’t. Try again.”
“Accordingly, Pandora couldn’t help herself. Just like you couldn’t help it when you came here.”
“Well, I wasn’t given to you, so the whole damn concept doesn’t work.”
“Damn straight, it doesn’t. I would never be stupid enough to accept you.”
“No, just stupid enough to get stuck in my mind.”
Hiei dramatically looked to the ceiling. “I give up arguing with someone so dense.” They both fell silent for a moment.
“You know,” Kagome spoke up, “if I were Pandora, I would withhold hope just to spite you.”
“You just had to get the last word in, didn’t you?”
Kagome shrugged. “Gotta win something.”
“How do you know I had hope in the first place?”
“Well, that’s just depressing. Certainly suits your personality.”
“I didn’t have some nice family atmosphere to grow up in. What do you expect?”
“A deranged lunatic.”
“Tadah!” Hiei shook his hands in the air. “Do I get to kill you now?”
“Now or later, that seems to be everyone’s intent,” Kagome said, killing the somewhat jovial mood.
After a pause, “Just what would you have us do? Is there an easy solution that we just aren’t seeing?”
Kagome didn’t have an answer, and succumbed again to the awkward silence that was common between them.
This time it was Hiei who broke the tension. “How is he doing it? How is he controlling us?”
“Again, no idea. But consider this, maybe he’s keeping us here, you here, because wiping our minds is to his benefit. If your mind is gone, you can’t fight, and the opposing forces suddenly just lost a valuable asset. That may have been why you couldn’t wake yourself up.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Your mind has to be there for him to go back and look through it. He has no other way to locate the Jewel. That’s why we are going through with this.”
“Are you sure there’s no other way? Absolutely sure?”
He looked at her in disgust. “Yes.”
“Then maybe you’re here as an exchange of whose mind gets sucked out.”
Hiei warily looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“They perform the ‘sucking’, as it were, and a mind is removed. It just doesn’t happen to be my mind. All Naraku has to do to keep the charade going is to keep me here, where I can’t act in my own body. It will look like I’m unconscious, in which I am given over to Naraku, mind intact, fully able to recount the location of the Jewel.” Which wasn’t exactly what she had had in mind when hoping for Naraku to save the situation.
“No,” he forcefully denied, “no. They’ll realize something is wrong when they can’t wake me up. They wouldn’t go through with it.”
“Assuming they find you. You have no idea how you actually fell asleep, do you? Let alone if it’s in a hallway.” She leaned forward on her elbows to look at him.
“No,” he whispered.
“He controlled you…”
“But how?” he burst out, looking at her, face contorted in rage. “The Jagan is supposed to be impregnable against invasion. It was one of the reasons I got the damn thing. Naraku has no talent that would enable him to do anything with the psyche! So, how?”
Kagome flopped back down.
“Let’s consider the options,” Hiei finally ground out, staving off his growing panic with logic.
“Fine. Option one?”
“Option one… Option one, he got the Jagan himself. Either had it implanted or swallowed someone who did.”
“Not bad, not bad at all. I can’t see him getting the Jagan. And I didn’t notice one on his forehead when I saw him. Do you know who else has gotten the Jagan? Anyone missing lately?”
Hiei went silent in thought. “Maybe five people have ever gotten the Jagan and survived, including me. I’ve killed three others and the fourth, as far as I know, is still sitting on her mountain.”
“So, cross out one.”
“Yeah,” Hiei intoned monotonously, “cross out one.”
“So… number two?”
“Number two is you. What are your connections to Naraku, Kagome?”
She jerked her head up heatedly. “You just can’t believe me, can you? I hate the bastard! Is that enough of a connection for you?”
“Calm down. I didn’t mean in that manner. But you were his enemy for how many years? There must be things that connect the two of you together. Does he have a piece of the Jewel?”
“No,” she said in disgust, “he doesn’t. And it’s not like I left a piece of myself lying around for him to just pick up. I’m not that du-” She suddenly snapped her mouth closed.
Hiei jerked around to look at her. “What, what is it? What did you just think of?”
“Kikyou,” she whispered.
“What? The priestess that guarded the Jewel? She died. What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“She’s not dead. Well, I mean, she wasn’t. She might be now…”
“Woman, I warn you, start making some sense…”
“Kikyou was resurrected with my soul, probably in a similar way as to what you guys will be doing with my mind. When we got my soul back, she managed to keep part of it, keeping herself alive.” Kagome turned horrified eyes to Hiei. “She has a part of me, inside her. A part that Naraku had access to.”
“You jackass! You mean you left a part of your soul lying around out there, and never bothered to get it back? Just how stupid are you?”
“Well, of course I tried to get it back! I just happened to not be successful, is all…” she trailed off lamely.
Hiei felt like smacking his forehead. “Is all? Is all! Do you realize that you can’t die if you don’t have all your soul? When you committed suicide, you probably would have actually died if you had all your soul.”
Kagome’s eyes opened wider. “Really? That’s why I didn’t die? Jesus, so I can’t ever die? I’ll just heal? And you wanted to put me in his clutches? Are you insane? Does torture have any meaning to you people?” Kagome stood up on the bed. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t any of you have any empathy?”
“Oh, sit down. It’s not like it’s happening right now.”
“Right now? Right now! You immoral jackass! You, you-”
“Enough already. Let’s get back to Kikyou.” Kagome flopped down on the bed and put her head in hands. “We have an undead priestess wandering the land. I think, at this point, it’s safe to assume that Naraku ate her. Which means he ate a part of you. And there’s the connection.” Hiei got up and began to pace. “Which means, to get rid of the connection, to stop this, we have to kill Naraku.” Which would hopefully terminate the connection between the two of them.
“Wait a minute. You said we couldn’t get anything back from Naraku. You all said that, that we couldn’t save Inuyasha.”
“We can’t.”
“Then we can’t get my soul back?” she whispered her plea.
Hiei avoided looking her in the eyes. “No.”
“I can never die,” she brokenly muttered. “I’m never going to be able to join my family. I’ll never… never see Inuyasha again.” Slowly, tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
Hiei swore softly to himself. He didn’t know what to do when women cried. But damn if he could just sit there and let her do it. Her future was awful, even he could admit that. Even he would not want to live forever. Immortality was a bitch.
“Uh, so, don’t worry. I won’t lock you in a room… like that one Greek goddess did to her lover when he grew too feeble to live…”
“You’re not even my lover!” she wailed, burying her face in the pillows.
At this point Hiei gave up. He would relish waking up right now. If Naraku was keeping him here, he was probably laughing at the torture.
“Just, just stop crying, ok!”
“Why? I’m doomed to forever walk the world alone with assholes like you! You’ll outlast all the humans and we’ll be stuck together forever! And even then, you’d be able to die!”
A lie, he needed a lie!
“Maybe, maybe when we kill Naraku, whatever he absorbed will move on.” Even to his own ears he sounded desperate. “Your soul will just float out and find you. Ok?”
Kagome ceased crying momentarily to look up at him. “You think so? You really think that could work?”
Hiei looked down at her tear-streaked face. “Y-yeah. Of course. Naraku’s soul (or lack of) has to go somewhere, so it goes to follow that everything else will too”
She swiped her palms under eyes. “Th-thank you, Hiei.”
He nodded once quickly, walking to the other side of the room. “Uhuh.” He cleared his throat. “Sooo, when do you think we’ll wake up?”
And finally in front of him appeared a door.
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