Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ In Omnia Paratus ❯ Nope, Can't Do It, Not Today ( Chapter 6 )

Anonymous / Mediaminer Reviewer(s)

 

nil: Thanks for your review! And I'm glad it hasn't been confusing so far, but beware…this chapter seemed a little muddled to me, so it might confuse. Maybe. I am completely incapable of judging my own work anymore—I am losing my mind. But whatever, I'll just let you decide.

 

graywinter: I want you to know that I honestly want to thank you for critiquing me. I like to get criticism if it's constructive—flames make me laugh and all, but really, once you get past the hilarity they're pretty much a waste of time to write or to read—and this was. Constructive, that is, not a waste.

 

But believe it or not, the fact that Kurama was out of character in the last chapter was intentional—I meant to show that even Kurama gets shaken up by some things, and that he loves Hiei so much that he's one of the few things that does deserve the full-on panic attack. Of course, he only fell for Hiei recently—in my mind, anyway, and this is my fanfic, so what's true in my mind will be true in my fanfic—so any emotional display will be rather new for him.

 

Don't worry, though, mostly he'll stay the calm, cool, collected Kurama we all know and love…mostly.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

As she approached the still figure on the bed, Willow tried to clear her mind. There was no way she could do this with her thoughts elsewhere—things could take a disastrous turn if she tried. But it was nearly impossible not to dwell on her questions…

 

Get ahold of yourself! There will be plenty of time to find out later! Willow told herself firmly as she made her way to the closest door and ducked inside. Feeling along the shelf overhead, she drew down a large, round, hard ball of faintly glowing marble. “Ha! I knew I still had it…”

 

“Is that an Orb of Thessulah?” [1] Kurama asked with interest that Willow could tell would have been greater somewhere else, under better circumstances.

 

“Yes,” Willow replied, not permitting herself to wonder how he'd known. “I have to use it to channel the soul. It's not hard, as long as no one interferes. There's no telling what would happen then. Don't worry, though—this isn't the first time I've used one of these.” She smiled reassuringly at Kurama as she went and sat down cross-legged on the floor, setting the Orb down on the floor in front of her. “Plus, the last time I did this I was bleeding from the head, so this is comparatively simple…”

 

XXX

 

Kurama watched with mixed feelings as Willow began her spell. He was fascinated with the process of recovering Hiei's soul, but at the same time he could hardly believe that he had brought his love to a not-yet-twenty-one-year-old witch that he'd only met yesterday to be healed. He had no idea how powerful or skilled Willow was, or even if he could trust her.

 

And then there was Koenma's reaction when he—inevitably—found out about this. If Kurama had come with a banner and a marching band to announce himself he could not have blown his cover more effectively than he had in the last five minutes. Koenma was not going to be happy with him. And while Kurama would willingly make the same decision a thousand more times if it meant the difference of life or death for Hiei, that didn't make the situation or thought of Koenma's impending anger any better.

 

And if all these thoughts weren't enough, Koenma also had to deal with this blinding, building rage. Pictures from the last half-hour kept flashing through his mind. A large, ugly, high-class [2] youkai [3] heading for him and Hiei, holding a long, wooden staff with an oddly-shaped top. The demon chanting in some weird, highly annoying language that was not any human or demonic language that Kurama had ever heard. The staff glowing ominously. And Hiei…Hiei collapsing to the ground beside him, an empty, soulless shell.

 

Kurama saw himself kill the evil creature all over again, remembering that it should have been very difficult but was just then more akin to slaying a D-class [4] youkai that was bound hand and foot. He had turned his attention to Hiei then, and now…here he was.

 

Willow had finished her chanting during Kurama's short trip down memory lane, and now she picked up the Orb and studied it carefully. “He's in there,” she announced after a moment. Kurama barely had time to register the oddity of her referring to Hiei's soul as a “he” before she closed her eyes and began the next stage of her spell.

 

Something stirred in Kurama's mind then, a strange feeling of foreboding, but he was far too concerned with what was going on to pay attention. He brushed it aside instead and watched Willow intently.

 

He had just noticed that she hadn't made any visible preparations for this, aside from getting the Orb of Thessulah. He had always thought witches needed things—herbs, candles, gems—to work magic, and judging from the number of such odd things around the dorm room, most witches did. But Willow used nothing now.

 

Power…

 

Willow apparently had a lot of it.

 

And that could be good…or it could be very, very bad.

 

The nervous feeling brushed his thoughts again, more persistent this time, as the magic began to come together and Willow delved into Hiei's body with her power.

 

This time, Kurama understood the warning.

 

“No!”

 

The cry tore from him as he leapt forward—too slowly. As his hand touched her, Willow cried out in pain and stiffened, and Kurama felt black, evil energy unleashing itself to surround her. Almost instantly, her life force began to drain. In less than a moment, it would be gone—Willow would be dead, and it would be his fault.

 

The draining halted even as he thought it, and Kurama stared in amazement at Willow. The girl was somehow fighting that which very few could fight—but it was obvious that she couldn't hold up for long. Already her face was contorted into a grimace of pain, her muscles knotted and rigid with concentration. She was exhausting her store of energy quickly, trying to complete the spell and fight the attacking force at the same time.

 

A peculiar feeling overcame Kurama then. He didn't notice the uproar around them—Tara asking over and over what was wrong, Xander trying to calm her, and Buffy demanding that Kurama do something—he only knew that he suddenly had a feeling that if Willow were lost, only bad things could happen. And before he really thought about it he was leaping forward and clamping his hand down on the unconscious, unmoving Hiei's shoulder, tapping into his own ki [5] as easily as he breathed.

 

He had never done this before—had never needed to because nothing like this had ever happened—not by mistake—but he thought he had a pretty good idea of how it worked. He let everything—the room, the shocked and terrified humans in it—anything that was not Willow, himself, Hiei, or this dark, malevolent force—fall away, and then he manipulated his ki until it brimmed with calm and peace, and let it well up and flow directly into Hiei.

 

The dark force never tried to appose him, never even made an attempt to resist him—as Kurama had known it would, it knew him for who he was and what he meant to Hiei, and it trusted him. From the moment Kurama's ki began to seep into Hiei, he knew he was going to win. In moments, the flow began to ebb, and Willow was soon free.

 

It seemed to be the easiest thing in the world.

 

Even after Willow was left alone, Kurama kept up what he was doing, determined to make sure that she remained safe. He kept it up right up until Willow drew in a breath, withdrew her hands from the Orb, and ended the spell.

 

“Well. That was…different,” she said, sounding tired and highly confused, but altogether calm. “And not in a nice, I-dyed-my-hair-a-weird-color kind of different, either.”

 

“What…the hell was that?” Xander asked, cautiously moving forward to put a hand on Willow's shoulder.

 

“Willow, are you hurt?” Tara added, crouching down next to her girlfriend.

 

“What did you do?” Buffy demanded.

 

But Kurama wasn't listening to any of it. His eyes were for Hiei only. Willow, too, was ignoring the others, though she did reach out and squeeze Tara's hand. She was watching Kurama, and after a moment she said quietly, “I think it worked, Kurama.”

 

Kurama didn't reply. Color began to return to Hiei's skin, and he began to breathe deeply and evenly, going from unconsciousness to natural sleep. But it wasn't until he made a tiny sound somewhere between a sigh and a tired groan and turned over on his side, curling into a small ball, that Kurama seemed willing to believe Willow.

 

And even then, he didn't say anything. All of his strength just seemed to go out of him, and he collapsed on the bed next to Hiei and leaned his head against the wall. In almost the same movement, he reached over and laid his hand on Hiei's shoulder, and kept it there.

 

The room was silent for a time. Kurama looked at Hiei, and Willow looked at Kurama, and Tara looked at Willow, and Buffy and Xander looked at each other, bewildered. Finally, though, Kurama spoke, softly. “Thank you, Willow. More than you could ever guess, thank you.” Even as he said it, he seemed to be pondering something that commanded a great deal of attention.

 

Willow shrugged. “You're just lucky you've got those pretty-boy looks or I may have kicked you out.”

 

Kurama smiled a little, but his voice remained serious. “I'm in your debt…for both of us,” he added, inclining his head in Hiei's direction.

“You'll pay me back someday.” And suddenly Willow was no longer making light of the matter, and Kurama knew what she meant.

 

“I have endangered you greatly tonight,” he said to her, his voice holding careful formality. “It was never my intention, I assure you, but…it was meant to happen, it seem. Even so, I owe you explanations for many things. And you will get them, but not now. No, not now.” He fell silent again, and once more seemed deep in thought.

 

“Explanations, but not today,” Buffy said, effectively breaking Kurama's concentration. “Are you serious?”

 

Kurama came slowly out of his contemplation and fixed deep green eyes on Buffy, who met his gaze with slight discomfort. “Is there a reason for you to think I'm not?”

 

Buffy looked slightly disbelieving, but she answered readily enough. “Yes!”

 

“What is it?”

 

“You come in here. I have no idea who you are, but you seem to know my best friend well enough to come to her for help. She gives it to you—and she gets attacked by…by something. None of us have any idea what it is but you seem to know. And you know who I am. Who we all are. You're dangerous, and now you're refusing to tell us what's going in.”

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

“I'm sorry, are you serious?”

 

“Look, I promise that I will tell you everything. I was always going to—this whole night just sort of moved up my plan. But I can't do that tonight. There are too many…things…I have to think, and I can't do that here.” Kurama turned suddenly to Willow and Tara. “But I do want to tell you two that I was not faking friendship. I want you to know that, whatever you may hear from me in the future. Both of you are good people, and I think I would have ended up your friend even if our meeting had been just a coincidence.”

 

Tara was the one who answered him this time. “You're not an exchange student, are you?”

 

“No, I'm not.”

 

“Are you…human?” She hesitated before the last word, as if fearing to offend or, worse, that he would say he wasn't.

 

Kurama laughed humorlessly. “That is…a matter for debate, and quite a story.” He stood up as he spoke and, turning, lifted Hiei gently into his arms. “Thank you again, Willow. I'll come back tomorrow if you'd like, and we can…figure things out. It was nice to meet you all. I hope to see you soon…”

 

“Excuse me, but a conversation did not just end!” Buffy blurted.

 

“Didn't it?” Kurama asked, reining in his impatience with long practice.

 

“No! You can't just drop a bomb like this and then leave! Especially after practically telling us you're a demon. Do you honestly think I'm going to let you go?”

 

Kurama very nearly lost his temper then, and as it was his voice became notably colder. “There will be no `let' about it. You have become rather too cocky if you think there could be. I don't doubt that you are skilled but I have been around far longer and if I want to leave now then nothing you can do will stop me. Nor could anyone else. Now, I meant it when I said I would come back tomorrow, because Willow, at least, deserves and explanation, and Tara, too. I wouldn't object to you being here, and Xander. But for tonight, I have much to consider and I want to go now and…consider it.”

 

With that, he nodded a cool farewell to Buffy, a warmer one to Willow and Tara, and smiled a bit at Xander, who hadn't stopped watching him once since he'd walked through the door, although he didn't exactly look unfriendly—just wondering. Xander smiled back, Willow and Tara waved, and Buffy just looked at the door as if to say, Well, go, then.

 

And Kurama went.

 

XXX

 

Sunnydale Motel, Room 16

 

Sam came back to the motel a little after eight, take-out bag in hand. He didn't say anything as he went over and dropped the bag on the table next to Dean's bed, then turned and went to get his laptop.

 

Dean sighed and went over to dig around in the bag. He hadn't expected Sam to act any other way, and in truth, he was sort of glad of it. If Sam had actually tried to talk to him about their argument, he wasn't sure he would be able to handle it. He just didn't know how to do the talking thing! As the older brother, he really should have, but the Winchester men had only one skill: action. Words had never really had any place in their lives.

 

So in a way, it was a good thing that Sam was so repressed.

 

Still, sometimes Dean wished…

 

No, Dean told himself firmly. Wishing doesn't solve anything. It just makes you look weak. If you want something, don't waste time asking empty air for it—go out and get it yourself. So said John Winchester the whole time his sons were growing up, and so said Dean.

 

Sam had gotten his laptop by then, and now he was lying on the bed, propped up against the headboard, with the thing open in his lap, his face washed in the cold blue light of the screen. He was typing away, and Dean knew instinctively that he was researching possible connections to his…condition.

 

Somehow, the sight had always comforted Dean in a way that nothing else could. It was…Sam.

 

Sam looked up then and noticed his brother watching him. “What?”

 

Dean half-smiled and turned his attention to his burger. “…Nothing.”

 

XXX

 

Kurama's Apartment

 

Half an hour after Kurama left Willow's dorm room, he was back at his rental apartment. Hiei was still out on the bed, though he seemed to be sleeping more lightly now, and Kurama was perched on the edge of the mattress, chin propped up in one hand, deep in thought.

 

The night's events, which had seemed to simple only a few hours earlier—nothing more than a freak attack—had suddenly become anything but. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, something had shifted in his mind, opening the gate to a flood of new ideas.

 

Kurama didn't believe in coincidence. He had been around for way too long and seen way too many things to believe in anything less than intentional manipulation of events or the workings of fate.

 

So what had been happening today—Dean and Sam Winchester, two demon hunters, showing up with a demon, with an unbelievable story of extremely odd happenings to the younger Winchester, looking for help from a man neither of them had ever heard of or met, and then, not three hours after that, a random demon just happening to show up and attack Hiei—it wasn't all just coincidence. It had all happened for a reason.

 

Kurama just wished he could figure out what that reason was.

 

But something was happening. He was sure of it. Something big had been set in motion the night Sam Winchester met Hiei in battle, something that might very well change lives. Kurama wasn't sure what it was or how he knew it, and he had a feeling that things weren't going to become clear until several more pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

 

But would they do that on their own, or would they need to be nudged?

 

I just don't know! Kurama thought, rubbing his forehead with a soft groan. And the Winchesters…there's something they aren't telling… Kurama had had that feeling ever since he and Hiei's walk around Sunnydale, when Hiei had given all the details of the Winchesters' stay at the temple, including Sam's decidedly odd “freak-out”—as Americans would deem it—about which the whys and wherefores and explanations remained between Dean and Sam and no one else.

 

Kurama badly wanted to know about that, but after spending half an hour with them, he knew that getting anything other than basic facts from Winchesters would take a lot of work.

 

And then there was Buffy Summers and her friends. Willow and Tara had already proven to be quite friendly and willing to accept whatever came their way, but the others would take a lot of charm and, also, a lot of work.

 

Kurama groaned again and lay down on the bed next to Hiei.

 

I hate Koenma…

 

XXX

 

Dean woke to the annoying buzz of his cell phone on the nightstand. He say up and fumbled for the thing without really waking up. “H'lo?”

 

“Dean?”

 

Dean ran his free hand through his hair and cracked open his eyes to look at the clock. Seven-thirty AM. Okay, I'm killing this person…

 

“Dean?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean said, his voice croaky from sleep.

 

“Oh, good. It's Kurama. Listen, I'm sorry to call so early, but there's been a change of plans. Very last minute. I still want to meet with you two but under…different circumstances.”

 

“Okay, whatever. When, where, who?”

 

“Nine this morning, Willow's dorm, Willow, Tara, and three others, all of whom are sort of…involved…in this.”

 

“In what?” Dean asked.

 

“In…my helping you.”

 

“So that means…what, exactly?”

 

“Well…I think this job and your…problem…may be connected somehow.”

 

“Kurama, what the hell are you talking about?”

 

“I really can't explain right now. Stuff. I'll tell you later.”

 

“But…”

 

“The dorm's at Stevenson Hall, room nine. We'll meet you there at nine.”

 

“Kurama…”

 

“I'm sorry, I have to go, Hiei's waking up. But we'll talk more later, okay?”

 

Then there was a click and a dial tone and Dean was left staring at his cell phone in confusion and wondering what on earth had made Kurama sound so scattered. Sighing, he closed it and set it back on the nightstand, then turned to Sam's bed. It was empty, and when Dean looked he saw that the bathroom door was closed and noticed that the shower was going. So, once again, Sam had beaten him getting up.

 

Dean rolled his eyes and fell back on the bed, vowing again to kill Kurama.

 

XXX

 

Stevenson Hall was a small building, set far back from most of the other places on campus. Sam and Dean found it easily, Winchester sense of direction prevailing as usual, and by five to nine they stood at the door to Willow's dorm, Dean holding a massive cup of coffee and complaining, as was his way, Sam ignoring him, as was his way.

 

Willow answered the door quickly, and despite what Dean now knew about her, he had to fight the urge to flirt, especially when she smiled and told them to come in. But the impulse left him as soon as they got through the door, because the room was crowded with people.

 

Kurama and Hiei were standing over by the wall across from the door, Kurama's hands resting on Hiei's shoulders, somehow betraying a need for contact. Both of them looked tired, though Kurama looked the worst by far, as if he hadn't slept at all. Hiei just looked a little wobbly on his feet—which was, in its way, more startling than Kurama's appearance.

 

Tara was sitting cross-legged on Willow's bed, looking much more awake than the two of them, next to a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and a rather annoyed expression. From the way her eyes kept darting to Hiei and Kurama, it was relatively simple to guess the object of her irritation.

 

The two others in the room stood together and were clear opposites. One was a young man who looked to be about twenty, with a strange assortment of brightly-colored, mismatched clothing. He looked less serious than his friends, but still more so than he should have, like everyone else the Winchesters had met so far on this crazy venture.

 

The other man was unmistakably older than everyone else there, about forty. He wore a suit, for some unfathomable reason, and he had wire-rimmed glasses. He looked very much the geek, all in all, and it was a mystery why he was even there.

 

Looking around at them all, a random thought jumped into Dean's mind. Most of them are younger than Sam…

 

He didn't know why that surprised him as much as it did.

 

Tara broke the awkward silence that had fallen. “Um…hey, g-guys…” She trailed off, embarrassed. “Sorry, I stutter a little when I'm n-nervous.”

 

“What's there to be nervous about?” Sam asked, before realizing that to this group, he and his brother were just two normal guys who really had no business being there and Tara, too, was wondering. Almost immediately after asking the question, Sam continued. “Don't worry about it, I know how you feel.”

 

Willow took over then, for which Tara looked profoundly grateful. “Okay, intro time. Well, you already know most of us, but anyway, the people you haven't met are Buffy Summers—” The blonde girl smiled at them, some of the annoyance fading from her features, and Dean found himself wondering if she was gay, too, and hoping, praying, that she wasn't. “—Xander Harris—” The young guy waved awkwardly. “—And Rupert Giles, who you should just call Giles because I'm not sure he'll answer to any other name.”

 

She paused and waited for someone to say something. When no one did, she put her smile back in place and said, “Okay, so I was thinking that this room is way too small for all of us, and since it's way before noon, maybe we could go out for breakfast?”

 

She looked hopeful and nervous at the same time, and Dean couldn't help but grin as he voiced his agreement, though he actually wanted answers more than anything else.

 

Buffy, for one, apparently agreed with this sentiment, because she said, “Sounds good, as long as it's a place where we can…talk.”

 

XXX

 

They decided on a café near the campus, and within fifteen minutes all nine of them were seated at two pushed-together tables, had ordered their food, and were waiting for it to arrive. They may have fallen into another one of those uncomfortable silences if Buffy hadn't suddenly spoken up.

 

“Well, Kurama, you got what you wanted. We're all here, including two civilians I've never met, so can you explain to me why?”

 

“Certainly,” Kurama said in that pleasant voice that tended to throw people. “But I can't begin at the end, of course, and at the end are the answers to all of the questions you have.”

 

“Well, then start at the beginning,” Buffy snapped, her patience coming quickly to an end.

 

Kurama appeared quite oblivious to her tone. “Very well, but the beginning—my beginning—goes back very far. And after my beginning are many more, some things you can't hear…not from me and not today. But I'll tell you what I can.”

 

“Jeez, we get it! Just talk already!” Xander said, speaking for the first time.

 

“I quite agree,” Giles added in a lilting European accent.

 

Kurama nodded, and sat back in hair chair, pulling Hiei with him, and Dean noticed that he looked disgruntled over something.

 

“Very well. Tara, last night you asked me if I am human. Well, here is your answer…”

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

AN: Okay, so this chapter may have been a little…awkward. It was awkward to write, I know that. I ended up rewriting a lot of it, actually. Plus things are going slightly off track as far as my plans for this story are concerned. But that's all right, because my muses are usually right.

 

Oh, and also, I have a question for anyone who may take pity: Does anyone know where AdultFanFiction.net went??? They keep sending me to this page that says the site is unknown, and there's this author on there who only publishes her fics on that site. She's one of my favorites and I want to know if there's any hope of me reading her fics ever again. So please, if anyone knows where the site went to, tell me!!!

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

[1] Used to store and channel souls

 

[2] Used to measure a demon's level of strength. A demon's class can change if the demon works to gain power.

 

[3] Roughly: apparation or monster. In this case, it refers to demons.

 

[4] The lowest class of demon.

 

[5] Energy that every creature has, including humans, but which only demons and a very, very few skilled humans can invoke and manipulate.

 

AN: Keep in mind that I do not speak Japanese, so most of those things are actually things I picked up from other people.