Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Keeper of the Worlds ❯ Ch. 4 ( Chapter 5 )

K, first things first, I need to thank ColdFire669 for OC and SF ideas. I love your ideas, but I might need to change a few things for the SF's. And I know I promised you a while ago, but I got loaded with homework…evil IB.

Also, this one's going to have lots of fights and be really long, so enjoy. But if you enjoy without telling me, in, oh, say, A REVIEW, then I'll be forced to actually do my homework instead of updating…which I don't want to do, so for my sanity (or what's left of it), REVIEW!!

In case you evil lawyers don't remember, check the prologue, now on with the fic!

~~~~~~~~

Last time, on "Keeper of the Worlds": Hang on, let me check…oh yeah! Jiyami explained her job as she and the Tantei made their way down a very long stone corridor, the bad guys were introduced, and now the Tantei plus one must make a choice as to which direction to take…

~~Ch. 4~~

Kurama continued to stare between the two staircases for a few more seconds, then ran a hand through his hair. The other four looked on as he sent his energy into the seed, prodding it into bloom, then extending long, winding vines in each direction, eyes closed in concentration.

~~~~~~~~

Huo: "How come Tu gets to kill the intruders? It isn't as if any one of us couldn't easily destroy them… or is there another reason you sent him?" the fire Elemental asked, sounding more than a little pouty.

Jin: "Yes, why, why, why?!?" adds on her little brother.

Mu: "Shut up, both of you! This is the reason why I sent Tu! He knows how to respect authority, and without complaint! A lesson the two of you have yet to learn!" responds their leader, more than just annoyed now.

Both Huo and Jin shut up and stared pointedly at their feet, apparently afraid to look into their leader's eyes. Mu then turned to Shui.

Mu: "Shui, set up your ambush, I'm afraid Tu will fail this time."

Shui: (bows) "Yes, master." (stands up straight) "But, if I may inquire, are these intruders really strong enough to defeat Tu, or rather, are they strong enough that they will defeat him in such a short expanse of time that I need to be ready now?"

Mu: "Yes, but do not fret. You are much stronger than Tu, and will have the advantage of your opponents having been weakened. You have nothing to fear."

Shui: (bows again) "Yes, master, that's all I wanted to know." (stands up straight again and flickers away)

~~~~~~~~

Kurama relaxed and began pulling his vines back. "It appears as though it doesn't matter which way we go," he said, turning to his companions as he spoke.

"So, which way should we go?" Yusuke asked, apparently confused that there wasn't one correct way with all of the others being dead ends, which would also happened to usually leave you dead.

"How about we split up? It'd be easier to find the Scrolls of Heaven and Hell that way," suggested Jiyami, obviously becoming tired of the stupidity that had continuously surrounded her since she arrived.

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked stunned, and Hiei suspicious, that she knew about their mission.

"How the hell did you know that when we haven't told you anything about our chores that the Reikai assigned to us?" Hiei demanded, visibly pissed that she kept saying things that indicated that she knew much more than she was letting on.

"What? Oh, right, I've been reading y'all's minds!" she replied, smiling cheerfully, looking as if she was having the time of her life messing with their heads.

"It appears as though you've been working on being more discreet in your telepathy. I didn't even notice you," Kurama said. "And I must say, you've made vast improvement," he continued, giving a small smile that emphasized that he was pleasantly surprised at the progress she had made.

"Thanks, Kurama," Jiyami replied, grinning widely.

However, Hiei scowled, dislike showing in every feature. He hated it when someone could read his mind and neither he nor his Jagan noticed. Considering that it hadn't ever happened before also didn't help his mood.

"So, any objections to splitting up?" she asked, ready to get the task done so she could (hopefully) go home and go to bed.

"Hn. The sooner I get away from all you idiots, the better," Hiei responded.

"Hiei! Ya shouldn' talk to your girlfriend that way!" Kuwabara exclaimed, flashing a stupid grin and giving Yusuke a quick sideglance.

"Yeah, Hiei, don't be so rude. By the way, when's your first date?" Yusuke added, also grinning.

Hiei's eyes narrowed. "What in the hell ever gave you that idea?" he growled. He definitely wasn't in a good mood.

"Just saying, first you listened to her, then she had to defend you (see "short" comment in Ch. 2), now she read your mind without your saying she could or noticing, and you haven't killed her. You have to like her or something," Yusuke said, his grin widening.

"Wow, you two are even stupider than on the show," Jiyami cut in, probably just in time to keep Yusuke and Kuwabara from getting cut up. "First of all, he listened to me because he knew he'd die if he didn't. I wasn't (finger quotes) `defending' him, either, I was trying to get Kuwabara to either shut up, or use something more original than `shrimp', (in undertone) of course, the whole `had to have a girl defend you thing is even older (normal tone) but that isn't the point. And as for the reading the mind thing, um, well, I have no clue. But, y'all are dumbasses, so, it doesn't matter. Now can we please get going? I'm just a little bored out of my skull here," she said, all in one breath since "First of all…".

The Tantei stared at her like she had just sprouted an extra head.

"What?" she asked, evidently confused at their expressions.

"Nothing at all, heh heh, y'know, splitting up sounds like a good idea. Me and Kuwabara'll go this way," Yusuke answered, sweatdropping and yanking Kuwabara's arm so that he'd follow him up the set of stairs behind them, which were the ones on the right.

"Yes, splitting up is a good idea. We can cover more ground in less time this way. I'll go this way," Kurama said, heading down the staircase on the right.

"Cool, meet up with you later," Jiyami replied, heading for the staircase on the left as Kurama disappeared from view.

"Hold it," Hiei said, flashing in front of her once again.

"Wait, lemme guess…um, you want to know how in the hell I was able to read your mind without you noticing, right?" she responded with her decidedly annoying know-all smile.

Hiei simply glared as means of an answer.

"I'll take that as a `yes'," she said. "Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea!"

"You mean that you got past the barriers of both myself and my Jagan, and you have no clue of how you did it?" Hiei pressed on incredulously.

"I guess so. Y'know, it could just be that most of my recent training has been in the presence of others who are very adept at mind-reading, so my telepathic abilities have increased to enforce my mental barriers, therefore also increasing my aptitude for prying into others' minds," she replied, suspicion hardening into certainty. "But we really should get going, we have other tasks to accomplish besides just discovering the limits of my mental abilities," she said, redirecting his attention to their chore.

"Fine, but this isn't the end of this," he said, flashing ahead up the stairs on the left.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, psycho, paranoid little pyro…" she muttered, half in response to the already gone koorime, half to herself as she headed down the same staircase.

~~~~~~~~

Mu: "Huo, Jin."

Both: "Yes, Master?" in slightly quavering voices, still remembering how he lost his temper earlier.

Mu: "It appears that these intruders are much stupider than we thought. They have all split up. Go block the other two routes," he commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Huo: "Um, M-master, if I may ask, what if they aren't so stupid?" she asked, flinching in fear of her master's anger.

Mu: "What do you mean `if they aren't so stupid'?" he asked, a low note of annoyance in his voice.

Jin: "I think she means that they're trying to split us up, so they can defeat us in many one-on-one bouts, the way they did in most of their fights in the Dark Tournament," he cut in, apparently trying to shield his sister from their master's wrath.

Huo: "Exactly! It appears that one-on-one fights are what they're best at, considering that they won at the Tournament, despite the great odds and less-than-supportive dispositions of those who sponsored the fights and the crowds who watched," she added quickly, working well with the argument that her brother had provided her with.

Mu: "Yes, it would appear that way. However, you serve me, and will obey whatever order I should happen to give you. And I'm ordering that you go block off the other paths. Now."

Both: "Yes, Master!" and they flicker out of sight, both with the same thought in their heads. /He's sending us off to be killed!/

~~~~~~~~

"Geez, what's with all these super-freaking-long tunnels?!?" Yusuke yelled, as they had reached the top of the stairs to find another really long tunnel, with no doors or windows and no end in sight.

"Whassamatter, Urameshi, can't handle a little walking? What, do ya need someone to push ya along in a little baby stroller, or somethin'?" Kuwabara joked, smirking.

"Hell no! I can walk just fine! It's just we already went down one damnably long hallway, then had to climb a damnably huge number of stairs, and now here's another damnably long hallway!!" Yusuke replied, managing to answer Kuwabara, complain, and use the same curse word three times in the same sentence, all at the same time (yup, that's our Yusuke! Mr. Superbrain has such a vast vocabulary…^___^).

"Well then shut yer trap and come on! The sooner we find those scrolls, the sooner we can get away from all these damned hallways and stairs," Kuwabara yelled, grabbing Yusuke's arm and dragging him down the hall.

~~~~~~~~

Kurama came to the bottom of the stairs and stopped to observe his surroundings. Another long hallway with no end. /This is becoming too monotonous,/ the kitsune thought, starting down the hall. /It's meant to disorient, so anyone inside will quickly lose his or her mind, constantly expecting traps, and finding none./ His eyes narrowed as he noticed that the brick pattern was different, starting at a point a few feet in front of him. /Or meant to make one think that there aren't any traps, only to be caught by one scant seconds later…/ He knelt down by the line that divided the two brick patterns, examining their differences, reaching out with his senses at the same time.

~~~~~~~~

Hiei raced down the hall, eyes in front of him, alert for any side hallways, windows, or movement in front of him. Unlike the others, this tunnel did have one doorway on the right-hand side. He stopped in front of it, glancing between it and where the tunnel he was in would have to eventually come to an end. /What the hell, I'm bored, and I've got time to spare,/ He figured, imagining the baka and Yusuke still making their way up the stairs. The door was iron-wrought, and blank, except for the handle. He depressed the tab, and cautiously (gasp! Hiei?!? Being CAUTIOUS?!? NO WAY!!) pushed the door open, right hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Welcome, Hiei. So nice to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you, I hope that I won't be disappointed," said a deep monotone voice from somewhere in the shadows.

~~~~~~~~

Jiyami strolled down her hall nonchalantly, with her arms crossed behind her head, humming along to "Friends in Low Places". She stopped suddenly and knelt down on one knee. She put her hand on one of the stone blocks that made up the floor and gently applied pressure, gradually increasing the amount she used, until-

CRACK!!

The brick cracked, and it, along with much of the floor around it, crumbled down into the inky blackness below. "Oh, goody, just like in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," Jiyami muttered to herself. "Except there's no specific bricks that you can use to hop across," eying the ten-foot expanse that separated her from the other side of the tunnel.

~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Urameshi, you hear somethin'?" Kuwabara asked, as both boys stopped in their tracks to listen.

"Yeah, but I can't tell what it is…" Yusuke replied, trying to make out what he was hearing.

A few moments later, they both whipped around to look down the hall that they had just come down. A giant wave of water was roaring towards them, gathering speed as it came.

"Oh, shit!" they both yelled, as the wheeled around again and ran as fast as they could the other way. They couldn't outrun the wave and it crashed down on them.

The water slowly receded and the boys were revealed to be fine as they came spluttering up out of the deluge, about two hundred feet away from where they had gone down.

"So, you survived," said a figure that was walking on the surface of the water toward them. "I guess I'll have to dispose of you myself," she continued.

"All right, lady! What the hell's your problem?!" Yusuke yelled, wiping water out of his eyes and re-slicking his hair back.

"I am Shui, and your opponent," she responded. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Heh, Urameshi Yusuke, and hell yeah, let's go," Yusuke replied, taking a fighting stance and raising his energy levels so that a light blue aura lined his entire body. At the same time, he was analyzing his opponent, /K, controls water, that'll be a major pain in the ass to deal with later, about six freakin' feet tall/-

Suddenly, a pair of hands broke his concentration as he was whipped around to come face to face with "URAMESHI!! You CAN'T fight HER, she's a GIRL!!!" Kuwabara exclaimed, pointing to where Shui still stood on top of what was about a foot of water, waiting for Yusuke to make the first move.

"Kuwabara, first thing, breath mint. Second thing, don't care, she's a fighter. Third thing, it isn't like you're the one fighting her, I am. So, let go, before I kick your ass," Yusuke told him, raising his aura even higher to emphasize his point.

"Gggggrrrrrr, you couldn't beat me in a million years, Urameshi!!"

"Wanna bet, kitten-lover?!"

"Bring it on!!" *add reckless waving of a rei ken.

*begin charging of a rei gun. "Let's-"

"Will the two of you shut up?" interrupted Shui. "My feet are going to prune if I keep standing this way for much longer."

"Oh, right!" Yusuke replied, totally forgetting his argument with Kuwabara as quickly as he had forgotten about his fight with Shui only moments before. He broke the headlock he had on Kuwabara, simply dropping him into the water that had lessened to just above their ankles and taking up his stance again. /K, the lady likes blue, since all of her clothes are different shades of it, and so is her skin, and her hair, and her eyes…I wonder if her teeth are too? Let's see, definitely around six feet, I bet her measurements are 34-25-36/ He smirked as the thought gave him an idea (Wow, Yusuke being a pervert might help him out!).

"Before we start, I was just wondering, what are your measurements?" Yusuke asked, hoping his plan would work.

"WHAT?!?" Shui yelled, dropping her mask, and her defense at the same time.

"Gotcha!" Yusuke cried triumphantly, charging with a reiki-charged punch aimed right at Shui's head. He was a mere inch away from her face when-

WHOOSH!!

Another wave crashed into the side of his head. He was sent into the wall and was pinned there, holding his breath, waiting for the wave to subside. Something was wrong, though. The water wasn't stopping the way it should have by now.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!! Do you get it now, detective?! I control water! I can do more than just make some little waves, I can do whirlpools, waterspouts, and even hold it in one place!! You're dead!! Ha-ha-ha!" Shui gloated.

~~~~~~~~

"I don't have time for such simple tricks as a few little needles flying out of the walls at me!" Kurama said to himself as he ran through the seemingly endless tunnel, blocking poisoned needles that shot out of the walls whenever he stepped on a booby-trapped block with his rose whip.

/Whoops, missed one!/ He thought as he looked to see a needle that had gotten through head directly for his ankle. Thinking quickly, he twisted in mid-leap, managing to avoid the needle, but landing farther back, and forcing himself to block more of the damnable things.

/The others are surely farther ahead than I am, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!/ He thought, charging ahead again, hoping that this stretch of hall would end soon so he could make faster progress, or that the potion would kick in soon.

~~~~~~~~

"Who the hell are you?" Hiei demanded, unsheathing his katana. From the placement of the voice, and the echoes it made in the room, he could tell that he was in a long rectangular room, with pillars on the left and right hand sides that were more for decoration than support of the roof. He took a few steps into the room when there was no answer to feel that there was a plush carpet under his feet, and as he came away from the door-

WHOOSH! CLANK! Click!

The heavy iron door swung closed and locked, leaving the room entirely dark.

"Now, now, we can't have introductions in the dark," stated the voice, as a pair of hands clapped together twice. The entire room lit up immediately by unseen lights. "Much better, don't you think, Jaganshi Hiei?" asked the figure that Hiei could now see sprawled across his throne at the other end of the long room. It turned out that the carpet started a few feet from the door and led up to a few feet in front of the head. Matching suits of samurai armor lined the edges of the carpet, stood up in front of each one of the pillars. Assortments of weapons lined the walls, many of which Hiei had seen before, but there were actually some that he'd never seen, although he could guess how they were used.

"You said something about introductions, and yet you don't tell me your name. Have you no manners?" Hiei sneered, with a mock air of hurt at his host's impoliteness.

"And people say you have no sense of humor! I am Tu, and manners are not for those about to engage in combat," Tu replied, rising from his chair. "I also like to make my fights a bit more interesting, but if you don't want a bit more of a challenge…" he trailed off, giving Hiei's hot-headedness a chance to build.

"Are you saying that I couldn't beat you under normal circumstances, and definitely not by your rules?" he growled, his katana still gripped in his right hand, but with the point lowered toward the ground as his fist clenched at his side.

"Basically," Tu replied.

"What are your rules?" Hiei asked ready to slit this dumbass's throat.

"Quite simply, you cannot use your own weapon. You're allowed use of anything on these walls, if you try to use your own, you are immediately disqualified and can either run yourself through, or we'll torture you to death. Of course if you're scared, you don't have to accept…" Tu trailed off again, but this time as he noticed Hiei's smirk.

The koorime sheathed his katana and lightly tossed it to Tu, who promptly caught it, smiling at his decision to play by the rules. "I just wonder, how humiliated do you think you'll be when you lose to me when I'm using something that I'm really rusty with?" he asked, smirking as he strode over to the left wall and began examining his options.

"What the hell are you talking about? You're a swordsman, you use swords, and in case you haven't noticed, there's none of those around here!!" Tu said, looking slightly panicky.

"Wrong! I'm practiced in many forms of weaponry, I'm just well-known for using a sword," Hiei told him, glaring around at him, as he pulled a set of kunai, a set of shuriken, and a long spear off the wall.

~~~~~~~~

"Hm, yup, have to be glad that I'm a Batman fan, instead of Superman," Jiyami muttered to herself as she pulled the anchored line out of its place on her belt. "Mom would have been totally screwed in this kind of situation, I mean, come on, Batman is so much cooler."

She whirled the weighted end in her right hand then let go, so that the miniature grappling hook would automatically register the change in velocity and release the claws. It anchored into the roof a mere few inches away from where she was aiming. "Cool, my aim's getting better!" she exclaimed as she tested the hook's hold. /It should stick…/ she thought as she swung out over the gaping hole.

"Holy crap!" she yelled as she looked down beneath her. /K, I definitely DON'T like heights…/ she thought as she held on to the wire even tighter.

She landed on her back, simply glad to be back on solid ground. Quickly regaining her composure, she retracted the hook back into her belt and turned to continue down the hall, then noticed that a certain part of the floor was depressed. /Please don't be…/ she thought as she repeated the pressure test. It was. She sighed as she said to herself, "Note to self: get Vegeta to teach me how to fly. Damn, that helps prove Mom's point…I have to think of a comeback…" as she once again pulled out a length of the 300-test wire.

~~~~~~~~

All right! Finally! Another update! Thanks to all my fans for supporting me, um, which limits me to Ester and Rachel, so far…damn…stupid, ungrateful little, 9 pages on Word, @!$%&$^*&@!…Y'all didn't just hear that, heh heh…

Anyway, titles:

The Mission's Finally Moving Along!

Floods, Rules, Indiana Jones, and Batman vs. Superman

Should Kuwabara and Yusuke Really Have Been Left Alone Together?

Yeah, so, um, review, vote, and thanks for reading! Oh, and hope you had/are having/will have a good holiday!! Ja ne!