InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Phoenix Rising ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, etc., of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.PHOENIX RISING

Summary: Not everyone is happy when Enki wins the Demon World Tournament. A new darkness rises out of the east, threatening the fragile new kingdom, and our heroes find themselves thick in the fray.

A/N: This is a rather short chapter, but I already have the next in production. =)

Chapter Three

“I think he’s in here,” Sango said, eying the chart hung outside the half-opened door.

“Hn.” Hiei adroitly slipped ahead of her so that he might enter the room first. Sango could only shake her head, still baffled by the fire demon’s over-protectiveness. It was highly unlikely any would-be attackers were lurking under Yusuke’s hospital bed, just waiting for the right opportunity.

But then again, this was Demon World, where anything was possible. The unthinkable was even more the norm here than the unusual, at least when compared to Living World or Spirit World.

Take Yusuke, for instance. In Human World, the former Spirit Detective’s coma would have been closely monitored by several doctors and nurses, and visitors kept to a strict minimum for a given set of hours. Here, at Makai’s renowned Gandara General, they simply parked your carcass in a free bed, letting your hibernating body heal on its own while sporadically checking on your progress. But since most youkai could heal most anything short of a death wound, that made some sense, in a twisted sort of way.

It was still rather strange to Sango just how casually demons took the very real injuries suffered in the Great Tournament. Inured to violence and abetted by easy self-healing, their casual attitude mystified her. Opponents who had just ripped each other’s limbs off were greeted as old friends once those limbs reattached. While old enmities often existed, resulting in hot fighting, there was a certain lack of concern when casual encounters resulted in untold bloodshed.

But then again, this was Makai. She could hardly apply human standards to a demon’s world, now could she?

Something which Sango found disconcerting at times, though she was also grateful for it. Without that same casual unconcern for social norms, would her own “love-triangle” with Hiei and Kurama be so readily accepted in another world? That thought led her down too many uncomfortable paths, so she let it go with an uneasy shrug.

There was someone in the room, proving Hiei’s caution was not unfounded, but as it was only Botan, that made a poor excuse. The pretty, blue-haired girl looked up as the door creaked, her pink eyes lighting with pleasure as she recognized Hiei and Kurama. Sango denied the tiny spurt of unreasonable jealousy as Kurama returned the ferry-girl’s enthusiastic greeting with a warm hug, and even Hiei unthawed enough to nod.

“Hiei, Kurama, it’s good to see you,” Botan said warmly, getting up from her  chair as they awkwardly gathered around the foot of Yusuke’s bed.

“How is he?” Kurama gestured toward the former Spirit Detective. He looked peaceful---unusual in itself for someone like Yusuke Urameshi. Even his “sleep” seemed off somehow---for he wasn’t sprawled across the bed, snoring (and drooling,) but lay on his back, his shaggy black head turned into the plumped-up pillows.  

“Still sleeping,” Botan said, lips pressing into a thin line. “The doctor---if you can call him that---says he’s progressing well, but as I can’t get anything more out him, that’s hardly reassuring!”

Kurama smiled. “That’s about standard, I’m afraid. But it looks as if he’s recovering nicely.”

“True,” Botan grudgingly agreed. “And the bruises have gone down, at least. Though he’s far too pale, to my mind.”

He did look rather pale, but that could be the washed-out effect of the lights overhead. To be honest, Sango was rather surprised to see Yusuke looking so well, considering the beat-down he’d gotten only yesterday. Only a little sallow color marked the livid bruises of the day before, and there was no signs of any of the various burns or lacerations he’d sustained during his epic fight with the former king, Yomi.

“I can take comfort in the thought that that stupid Yomi didn’t look much better, Kurama. But he’s already recovered enough to take part in the next round of the tournament,” Botan said, a little viciously. She clearly held little liking for the former king of Gandara.

Startled by the news, Kurama said, “Already?”

“Oh, yes.” Botan nodded. “While you’ve been sleeping the day away,” she winked meaningfully at Sango, who blushed, “the sixth round of the tournament started---”

“And ended, actually.”

They all turned at the sudden intrusion, relaxing slightly when Prince Koenma stepped inside the room. Coming alongside them, he looked down at the sleeping figure and frowned. “I’m glad to see Yusuke’s doing much better, but I wish he might hurry it up a bit.”

“Koenma, sir!” Botan protested, but the young prince held up a hand to forestall her.

“Now, Botan, don’t think that I haven’t been worried about Yusuke. I am glad he’s getting better. But  there’s a lot going on right now, and I sure wish Yusuke was here to help me deal with it.”

“But, sir---” Botan couldn’t help objecting, but abruptly paused as she caught the tired look in the prince’s brown eyes. As chief administrator of Spirit World, Prince Koenma always had a lot on his plate, but he looked more than just harassed right now. The ferry-girl’s indignation immediately turned to compassion. “Really, sir, you should take some time to rest. You‘re overworking yourself.”

“There’s no time for that,” Koenma replied testily, though he sank gratefully into the chair Botan pressed on him.

“What’s happened?” Kurama quietly demanded after exchanging significant looks with Hiei that left Sango feeling somewhat superfluous.

“It’s more what might happen than what has,” Koenma said, grimacing.

“Stop beating around the bush,” Hiei growled, folding his arms across his chest, “and just spit it out.”

“Hiei!” Botan protested out of long habit.

Koenma spared the fire demon a glare that abruptly turned rueful as he shook his head. “You always did have a way about you, Hiei. Very well; I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Hn.”

“As you know, Yusuke proposed this whole tournament to prevent civil war from breaking out across the known territories of Demon World once King Raizen died. It was rather brilliant, actually, if a little crude. Ideally, I’d hoped that Yusuke might grow strong enough to defeat both Yomi and Mukuro, neither of whom we’d like to see with that much power.”

“You mean neither of which Spirit World would like to see with that much power,” Hiei coldly interrupted. Sango wondered at his hard expression, though it might be for the Lady Mukuro, who Hiei had served for nearly a year. It was not so long ago that she’d thought the fire apparition in love with the former queen---or king, rather, since no one had known Mukuro’s true gender until just recently.

That particular reminder didn’t sit too well with her.

Koenma frowned. “Hiei---”

“Spirit World’s interests aren’t always in Demon World’s best interests.”

“Not necessarily,” Koenma replied solemnly. “Do you want to see a three-fold war between Spirit, Living and Demon World, Hiei? Trust me, it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“Hn.” Sneering, the short apparition shrugged off the placating hand Kurama tried to place on his shoulder. “I find that hard to believe. Tell me, Koenma, just how much territory has Spirit World annexed in Makai over the last three hundred years?”

Knowing full well the truth of that, having served in the SDF since the Meiji period, Sango could only turn to the prince, who met the fierce glitter in Hiei’s eyes with unwavering calm. “Maybe that’s true, Hiei, but we were only doing it to protect Living World from being overrun by demons who merely see the humans as cattle. A policy which, I must remind you, both Mukuro and Yomi had no particular problem with.”

“You and I know, Koenma, that was hardly the only dividing factors between the three territories Raizen, Mukuro and Yomi claimed,” Kurama suddenly said, his look remote.

“True.” Koenma sighed, rubbing a tired hand across the “Jr.” tattooed between his brows. “To be honest, I don’t envy the new king his job in trying to unite the various factions in the three kings’ former territories. It will be a monumental task.”

“Perhaps.” Kurama shrugged, clearly not as worried. Sango was surprised at how casually Kurama was treating all this. Prince Koenma had made some very good arguments. True, the prince was somewhat biased, but she certainly didn’t want to see the mortal world overrun by demons. She had already lived through that dark period once, thank you. The savagery that could be unleashed between the three worlds if they went to war in earnest---that didn’t even bear thinking about. While both Reikai and Makai might claim their “magic” of spiritual and astral energy, human world had its own devastating “magic” in its science and technology, which far outstripped either of the others.  

“Well, one thing in our favor is that Yomi is now out of the running,” Koenma offered tiredly.

Kurama stiffened. “Yomi?”

Koenma nodded. “He lost the fight to Enki, who’ll be facing off with Mukuro in the final round---which is supposed to take place sometime around nine o’clock tonight. The tournament committee has decided to give both fighters a chance to rest and grab a bite to eat, for they’ve both been fighting non-stop for the last twenty hours.”

“Quite a long time,” Kurama murmured.

“That’s scary,” Botan frankly said, her pink eyes wide.

“Damn scary,” Koenma replied. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve been so worried, and wish Yusuke were up and about. I know he’d be on our side, at least.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Hiei demanded.

“I’m not stupid, Hiei. I’m trying to take every precaution I can, in case we suddenly have to defend human world against an imminent demonic incursion. I already have my new Spirit Detective and her team working on a plan in case that happens.”

“You mean Kagome and Inuyasha.” Sango suddenly spoke up for the first time. Koenma looked surprised, as if he had forgotten she was even there.

“Yes,” he said steadily. “Along with Kuwabara.”

Sango pressed her lips into a thin line, not bothering to say what that might mean for her in torn loyalties. Hiei looked at her sharply, his red eyes narrowing as Kurama frowned. Clearly, neither demon had given much thought to what that might mean for her.

“Well, we all hope it won’t really come to that,” Koenma subtly tried to reassure her. “How much do we really know about either demon? It’s now down to two---Mukuro and Enki. Mukuro, we know, somewhat. But this Enki---does anyone know anything about him?”

Sango shrugged. “I do, a little.”

Surprised again, Koenma stared hard at her. “You’re certainly full of surprises, Anei.”

The not-so-subtle reminder that she had once borne that name---however reluctantly---as a Spirit World assassin, did nothing to win her over. Sango’s expression hardened.

“More than you could know, Your Majesty,” she said coldly.

Koenma rubbed both hands across his face, his shoulders sagging. “This is not going as I had planned.” He looked back up, his brown eyes earnest. “My apologies, Sango. That was inconsiderate of me.”

“Koenma, sir,” Botan said, her eyes softening as she placed a compassionate hand on his bowed shoulder.

“No, no---” Koenma waved her concern aside. “I was wrong, although I certainly hate to admit it.” He grimaced, quickly changing the topic. “Let‘s all just hope that it doesn‘t come down to war.”

“Hn.” Hiei turned away to stare out the window at the gathering purple clouds. Lightning flickered greenly through the shaded glass.


“You certainly seem distracted, Kagome,” Ayumi said.

“Eh?” Startled, Kagome looked up and then back down at the open book on her lap in disgruntlement. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

“Is something the matter?” Ayumi asked, using one hand to mark her place as she half-closed her own text.

“Ah…no, not really.” Kagome tried for a reassuring smile, though her thoughts were dark. *Just the end of the world…*

“I know it isn’t the end of the world---”

Kagome nearly choked on Ayumi’s eerie echo of her own worries.

“---but this exam is worth a third of your overall grade,” Ayumi finished, flipping to the syllabus to emphasize her point. She gazed earnestly into Kagome’s wide brown eyes. “Kagome-chan, I know it’s hard concentrating on this stuff---English is such a weird language--- but it really is important.

“You don’t want to fail, do you---”

Kagome stiffened, feeling suddenly ashamed and angry for her own doubts. Of course she wouldn’t fail! She was a Spirit Detective, for the kami’s sakes!

“---to get into a good high school…”

Ayumi paused, finally catching Kagome’s expression. She quietly closed her book, and put it carefully on the table between them. “Kagome-chan, will you please tell me what’s really going on?”

“I…what?” Startled, Kagome blurted before she thought, “No---I can’t.”

“Why not?” Ayumi asked, surprisingly frank for once. “Kagome, I’m really worried about you. You’ve been missing class a lot, and finals are coming up. You can’t really afford to miss any more if you want to get into a good high school.”

High school was the least of her concerns, but she could hardly tell Ayumi that! Kagome tried to demur, but thankfully, Ayumi jumped to her own conclusions.

“You’re not suffering from a relapse, are you?”

Kagome’s eyes softened. Ayumi really was a sweetheart for being so concerned about her, and she felt like a heel for all the lies and excuses she had told to her bestest friends since the well had first opened on her fifteenth birthday. Sometimes she wondered if she would ever be able to unbury herself from the giant hill of them, but it wasn’t like she could tell Yuka, Eri or Ayumi the truth. Why, she could just imagine Ayumi’s reaction if she were to admit that she was skipping so much school in order to train for the very real possibility of a Demon World invasion. While sweet Ayumi might not be the first to cart her off to the loony bin, she’d certainly be there to pat her hand as others came to take her away…

“Ah…”

“What is it?” Ayumi asked, anxiously taking her limp hand. “Is it the measles? The tuberculosis? Or the rheumatoid arthritis?”

“Rheumatoid arthritis! I never suffered from rheumatoid arthritis!” Kagome protested hotly, if foolishly. “That’s an old people’s disease!”

“I know,” Ayumi said. “Which was why we were all taken aback when Gramps said you had it---”

“Stupid Gramps, I could just kill him! As if making up all those stupid diseases wasn’t bad enough, but giving me an old people’s d---” Kagome’s tirade faltered as she saw Ayumi’s stunned expression.

Oops.


In an earlier echo of his own stance that afternoon, Hiei entered their suite to find Sango staring out the window, one hand holding back the thick curtain so she could watch the fitful lightning playing out across the deepening purple twilight. Green splashes bathed her features in uncanny light, turning the dark eyes opaque. Hiei silently studied her set expression, knowing that closed look from afore. The slayer only donned that mask when she didn’t want others to see how troubled she was.

He could have used his Jagan Eye to pierce her mind, slipping inside as easily as a knife through skin. He might, in other circumstances. But he already knew. Sango was deeply troubled by the thought of Prince Koenma’s most dire predictions coming true, and what it might mean for the three of them in torn allegiance. How such a war might affect her friends, both demon and human, and the world she’d adopted as her own. It was the same disquiet that had driven both he and Kurama to seek out what rumors might lie among the thousands who had congregated to watch the tournament, after taking their leave of Koenma and Botan.

“Hanyou,” he said.

She started, one hand automatically going to her hip for a sword that wasn’t there. She frowned, the gesture turning into a shrug as she let the heavy curtain sweep back into place. The darkness was thick around them, but neither bothered turning on the lights. Although her night vision wasn’t as keen as his, Hiei knew the taijiya could still make him out in the deeper shadows. His own eyes glowed slightly in reaction to that darkness, the bloody orbs casting a ghostly aura.

“Hiei,” was all she said, but her gesture was telling, as she wrapped her arms around herself.

He moved swiftly, refusing to let her turn inside herself, as he was so good at doing. Taking her stiff body into his arms, he held her to him, hard, and finally felt her relax, her head bowing into his shoulder as she sighed.

Sometimes, no words needed to be said.
  



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