Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ The Evil In Us All ❯ Meeting a Mysterious Swordsman ( Chapter 7 )

A/n- Just to let people know why it took me a while to update, ive been kinda busy with school and stuff. Oh, and I thought for about three days that I lost my notebook with my chapters written in it, and just now realized that it was sitting next to my computer the whole time. ^_^; well, on to the next chapter!

Meeting the Mysterious Swordsman

 The group stepped out of the time-travel vortex thing more confidently than last time. Unable to resist, Kuwabara leapt through the portal again, and again, and again…

 "Wee! It's so much fun!!--Itai!! (meaning ouch in English) What'd you do that for you short evil bastard!"

 "You are an embarrassment. Quit acting like a fool!"

 As the two men in her life stood arguing, Yukina didn't miss her friend Botan's weary stumble as she closed the portal.

"Are you all right, Botan?" she asked, concerned. Botan attempted her usual ditzy cheerfulness, but was really too tired to make it convincing.

 "Who, Me? Of course I'm okay, silly! Well, maybe a bit tired, but only because I've never had to use so many portals before." She gave her brightest smile under the circumstances.

 Yukina worriedly let her friend's lame excuses go for now. She seemed fine.

 Yusuke, having grown bored with the conversation, looked around.

 "Where the Hell are we?" The streets they now stood on were made up of dirt and pebbles and the quaint little homes they saw were ancient-looking, and yet more modern than the huts in Kaede's village. All was dead silent. The smell of the sakura trees was heady and the crickets chirped peacefully.

 Sesshomaru decided the future wasn't so much changed. There were simply more houses.

 Suddenly a piercing shriek filled the air cut off by a choked sob. It echoed in the empty village around them.

 "Someone's in trouble!!" Was the completely unnecessary statement made by none other than Kuwabara. He, Yusuke, Kurama, Genkai, and Shizuru went to investigate.

 Hiei, Sesshomaru, Botan, Rin, and Yukina stayed behind. Yukina and Botan would slow the others down, and Rin wanted to stay near Sesshomaru. He and Hiei could care less for the fate of some ningen female.

 Yukina became slightly sad at her brother's indifference. However, she did understand it was hard for him to around so many people right now.

 Back with the other group, they came upon a disturbing sight in an alleyway. (to all Kuwabara bashers, no, I did not put him in tight red spandex)

 A young woman was shrunken against the wall; she looked terrified. The only other person standing was a man who appeared to be even younger than the girl. He was holding up a second man who was undoubtedly older and was severely bleeding from a gaping wound in his stomach. He had lost consciousness.

 Strewn all around them were the bleeding lifeless bodies of about twenty men. The boy, who was holding up his injured friend, limped toward the scared woman gingerly. His leg was hurt and yet he was still able to carry his friend.

 The tantei made their way to the couple. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the girl looked very strange; demonic. She, at first shied away from another large group, but the young man was able to soothe her.

 When Yusuke and Kuwabara approached, the boy said nothing to them and simply handed his friend over to them, smiling.

 "Please, hold him a second." Yusuke complied out of surprise. The girl fled, but not before stammering "Thank you," and accepting the boy's torn haori to cover herself with.

 Her face was tear-streaked and dirty, but her clothes were in far worse condition. They had been viciously torn from her body and lay in a heap next to the alley wall. Her only modesty left were the bindings around her chest and a small strip of cloth left around her waist that had not been ripped away, making her look like some modern-day stripper.

 The girl's rescuer had a very striking appearance now that the tantei members could see him more closely. His hair was about the same length as Kurama's only his was tied up and back in a high ponytail. It was a brilliant, fiery red with jagged edges and bangs that almost shadowed his bright sapphire-blue eyes. The youth then spoke to them directly.

 He was straightforward and polite, but there was something about his set face that made him seem very serious.

 "My name is Himura Kenji. I apologize for being so rude, but as you can see, I must hurry my Uncle Yahiko home as soon as possible. But I do invite you to spend the night with us if you have no where else to go! I live in the Kamiya Dojo not far from here, you can't miss it." (A/n-yea, I know this is kinda abrupt, but come on, I wouldn't be making pleasantries either if someone I knew were about to die from blood loss)

 Kurama was shocked at his open hospitality, but was in no position to give it up. "Do you mind if we have friends?"

 "No! Of course not! Your friends are welcome as well, I will see you there." Kenji smiled at them, but it melted into a worried glance as he looked over his uncle who grew paler by the second.

 Yusuke handed over Yahiko's prone form. `Hang in there uncle. Please don't leave me like okaasan and otousan…' For one with a limp, Kenji was out of sight in an incredibly fast pace.

 The others regrouped and headed straight for the dojo Kenji had described. Botan was pressing buttons on her compact communicator. (You know the one she uses in the first season of episodes?)

 "Yes! The place we are here looking for; It is that boy's home. He and his mentor must be the next ones we were sent to find!"

 "I'm impressed onna. It only took you 15 minutes to figure that out, but then again, you had to use that ridiculous ningen instrument…" Sesshomaru drawled, making Shizuru chuckle silently. She had to agree that Botan could act a bit slow, but she also knew that Botan was a lot smarter than she let others think.

 The said ferry girl made a pouting face at the youkai lord, having no effect whatsoever. It wasn't long after that that they reached the dojo. It was incredibly old (It had been passed down for generations on Kaoru's father's side remember?) but still stable.

 The strange thing about it though was the aura of complete loneliness and abandonment hanging over the whole place. Genkai gently knocked at the shoji door. It was shortly opened by Kenji himself.

 He smiled warmly, but the gesture did not quite reach his eyes which were in much distress. He did not notice the females in the group, minus Genkai and Shizuru, blush at him since he still wore no shirt.

 His complexion was tanned slightly and although he was very slender for a man, he was also trim and nicely toned, muscle-wise. His hakamas were off-white and, at the moment, bloodstained.

 They soon saw why he was distraught. After he let them all in, they could see plainly that his uncle lay in a blood-soaked futon in the next room.

 "I would offer you some tea, but instead, I must ask you to excuse me." Yukina put her hand on his shoulder gently.

 "My name is Yukina. I am -- "what did ningen call those things? "-- a doctor of sorts. Let me take care of your friend." She gave him a kind smile, and for a moment, the tantei could see clearly how young he really was. He was actually only about 16. He seemed to collect himself after a minute and gave Yukina a nod.

 She swept into the room and closed the door behind her. Kenji then excused himself for a moment and returned, dressed in a navy blue haori and fresh off-white hakamas. He made some tea for his guests and invited them to sit at his table.

 Hiei had long since left. He found a quiet sakura tree outside, letting the smell comfort him in a way that the second wave of the mating cycle affecting his body, could not.

 Inside, Sesshomaru was a topic of interest to Kenji, who, serious as he was, could not help showing some child-like curiosity for. It was surprisingly easy to explain that most of them were youkai.

 Unlike present-day Japan, people in this era were more open-minded to supernatural things. Yusuke decided to introduce them all.

 "I'm Yusuke, the baka with carrot-top hair is Kuwabara, and that guy with the red hair is Kurama. The silent, stony-faced guy with silver hair is Sesshomaru, who is some kind of youkai lord. Over there we have Genkai, Botan, Shizuru, and Rin. Oh yea, and the spiky-haired guy who left earlier is Hiei, and don't worry, that's just his way with people." Kenji was still trying to process their names as he showed them the spare rooms and night clothes he had.

 He lent the guys some extra hakamas to sleep in, and the girls received some of his mother's yukatas, that if they brought with them back to their time, would be worth hundreds. They were made of real silk.

 The tea was finished, and before going to bed, they all sat down for a cup.

 "So, what happened back in the alley before we got there?" Yusuke asked logically (wow! Yusuke being logical! Will wonders never cease?)

 Kenji took a sip and began…

A/n- yes. I am evil aren't I? muahaha… oh well.

 Things to clear up:

 I realize it's a little late to be doing this but oh well. The whole reason I make a big deal about the Hiei/mating thing is because well, I feel as though other fics don't make ENOUGH of a big deal about it. Hiei is a forbidden child right? And the way I thought the story went was this. As a punishment for being the forbidden child, Hiei was never supposed to, or ALLOWED to take a mate. Wasn't it like a law or something? Correct me if I'm wrong because I only watch the anime.

 I do not think of myself as a basher, and yes, I know you are annoyed right now because I said that before. *readers: YES! MANY TIMES!! JUST SHUT UP AND MAKE YOUR POINT!* I only write what I think really would happen in the story and what fits in with the mood. Some people have accused me of being a Kikyou basher, others have claimed I am a Kuwabara basher. I love them both! I write what I believe makes sense.

 No. 3 and most important. REVIEW PLEASE!!

 ~~aliya~~