Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Migoroshi ❯ Migoroshi ( One-Shot )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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Migoroshi

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Letting Someone Die Without Helping

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She doesn't know his name, where he came from, or that he's a Reikai Tantei. All that she knows is that she's in love with him. YYH/IY Slight Crossover, Romance, Action/Adventure, Death (not really; you'll see what I mean) ?/OC, past S/R, and past slight IY/K. Rating: R.

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I awoke to find his arms wrapped around me. Too tired to pull away, I simply nuzzled into his chest. He was one of the few that didn't simply leave after having their way.

His eternal scowl had scared me out of my wits at first, and I don't scare that easily. Fear kills in the Makai.

He had started to come to me a few months ago. I suspected that another lover was upsetting him, though I could not be sure. My friends, whom I had spoken to of him, joked that he was probably infatuated with me. It seemed unlikely to me.

He also appeared to be sad. At first, I thought that he was sad for me.

When he had come to me the second time, I became angry with his sad eyes. Clearly, I remember my heated words now, "You can't feel sorry for me, I took the only path available. This is the best life that I can offer for myself. If you were in my position, wouldn't you try to catch a safe gust of wind?"

"I did," and then he made love to me. At least, it was as close to making love that I had ever felt. Others have come close, but this man was the first to make me feel as if I were important and sacred. I had never felt so close to anyone.

Attachment killed too, I remembered just as he stirred from his slumber. I laid there as I had done the other nights that he had come. I watched him. He was graceful, each step taken and chosen carefully. There was no hesitation about him. Hesitation killed just as swiftly as the others. He knew this well. He wrapped his well-toned body in his own dark garb and pulled a cloak over himself and the hood up and over his features.

He had always come to me with the cloak on. The youkai hid his features in the alleyways and the bars that he found me in, and took it off in private. This man, this youkai, seemed to strip away all of his fears and worries along with it. I liked the thought.

I snapped myself out of my reverie when I realized that he hadn't left yet, and was fingering a piece of paper in his hand. He set it on the table beside me, and simply disappeared. When I was sure that he was gone, I threw the covers off my naked body. and read the paper.

'Ikazuchi

'You intrigue me. How you ever found yourself in this retched position is beyond me. In the future, I hope that life may treat you better.'

How did he know my name? I had never given him my real name. I stared at the paper for a few minutes before slowly getting dressed. The rest of the note then caught up to me. He had been watching me. He was leaving and not expecting to be coming back anytime soon. Or maybe not at all.

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Makai - Demon World

Youkai - Demon

Ikazuchi - Thunder

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She has infiltrated my mind again. I can't get her out of my head now. I had thought that it was a mere infatuation. That I just wanted a warm body for the night. However, that proved to be my downfall. I can now only think of the way she makes those little noises as my mouth is traveling, and tasting her warm and moving body. The way she began to whimper as I felt inside her, and gauged how she reacted. She was a goddess, and I worshiped her.

The woman first caught my attention when some of my troops and I went to the city slums to celebrate a successful mission. They had definitely deserved this. They had been deserving it for years. I couldn't let them think that I would pamper them though. I would seem soft.

She was, at first, only another part of the scenery. Another whore that swung her behind to get attention, and to warm a poor sap's bed for a night. However, the way her eyes moved caught my attention. She noted the shifty glances of the youkai about her, and the way they acted around each other. She noticed what they wanted with a woman. She molded directly into what a certain group wanted, and became it. One moment, she was a calculating general on the battle field, then she was a simpering dolt sitting on the lap of a kaze youkai, and nibbling his ear. And that was what he wanted. A few minutes later, he paid her, and was carrying her to a room upstairs.

Curious, I naturally searched her out during the day and night for a week. As I was about to give up looking for her, I finally found her. It had been noon, and she had been shopping. She used the same tactics as that night. Except, now, she used that skill to avoid groping hands. She was magnificent.

I had followed her to her small apartment, and watched her activities for another week as best I could with Mukuro sending me off every second. Then I had my chance.

She was mine for those nights. I treasured her. I had watched her often enough to know that she was alone, like me. I had wondered if she were as cold as she let off. Yet I met with a pleasant surprise. This woman gave her customers what they wanted. I wanted her to be herself. That was what I had went out of my way to see because I had not yet seen *her.* When I had taken off my disguise, and looked into her eyes, she had gasped, and looked as if she wanted to sink into the bed on which she had fallen back.

The woman was a quivering mass of nerve ends, just barely holding together. I yearned for her. This was her. The woman that couldn't stand to sit still, and would walk around her apartment just to get the ache out of her legs. The woman that stood up, and danced alone in her apartment when a good song was on. A woman that I couldn't tear my eyes away from.

She was beautiful. Whenever I awaken, her sweet scent is there, her soft form against me.

Not anymore though. I have restricted myself from her. I traveled to the Ningenkai, where, I hoped, that I could forget her.

What I had needed to say was in those three sentences. I was leaving her, and not coming back, though I yearned to go to her. That was the gist of it, and I hoped that Ikazuchi would understand.

That I couldn't see her any longer, and shouldn't be thinking about her every second. That she was a distraction.

A pleasant distraction.

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Kaze - Wind

Ningenkai - Human World

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It had been three years since I had last seen them. I visited Yukina occasionally, but never long enough to see *them.* Kurama was well, though his mother was now urging him to find a girlfriend so that he could marry her, and produce grandchildren now that he is of suitable age. Shuuichi, ever the faithful ningen son, was now looking for her. Kuwabara, unfortunately, was going steady with Yukina. It was a ningen term, going steady, I think that I understood it though. She was happy, so I didn't think that I would beat him. Not in her sight or hearing range, at any rate. There was only so far I could go with him. Urameshi Yuusuke was married - and quite happily, I might add - to Keiko. They had a baby on the way. I heard them talking about its gender. It was a boy and Yuusuke was ecstatic.

Perching on a tree branch behind them, I waited for them to notice me. They would see me. They always did. Kurama espied that I was there first, "Hiei?"

They all turned to look up at me incredulously.

Yuusuke spoke next, "Hiei, I'm going to be a daddy! It's a boy!"

"I heard. Congratulations."

He beamed and, sitting next to him, Keiko giggled, "Thanks, Hiei."

After that, a dam broke. The girls were immediately asking me what I had been up to, where I had come from, if I had anything for them and if I did, asking what it was. The boys were just trying to get me to join them on the ground. I could hear Yuusuke just barely, "The ground! You know! Where normal people usually are!"

"And I suppose you're normal, Urameshi," and they silenced, unsure if it was a joke or not, except Kuwabara and Yuusuke, who didn't care whether it was or not and laughed just because it was funny.

"I guess I'm not at that," he said.

I jumped down to the windowsill, and then to the floor. Kuwabara chuckled, "You haven't grown any taller."

As if that mattered, I could still beat him senseless. More senseless than usual. Besides, Ikazuchi was shorter than I, and she fit perfectly against me. My cheeks then reddened.

"Whoa!" Kuwabara said, backing away laughing. "I didn't mean to get you so mad!"

My face cleared up a bit more. I was relieved that they thought the only reason that my face would redden was that I was angry.

"Yeah," Yuusuke said, wrapping his arms around Keiko. "This is like one of those reunion type things, you know? Be happy!"

I lounged on an empty chair, and just sunk into it. I was exhausted. The others went back to fussing over Keiko. The married couple beamed in response. I wondered briefly what Ikazuchi would look like pregnant. She was so delicate that she would likely break in half. However, she had proved quite often that she was stronger than she appeared. I mentally kicked myself.

I shouldn't have been thinking of her. That was the reason that I had left. I needed to forget her. No more frivolous fantasies in the middle of a mission. I had to forget her. Yet, now that she was on my mind, I couldn't stop.

Ikazuchi was a raiden youkai, and like all raiden youkai, she was short. Her eyes were the sharp yellow-gold of her ancestors, like her hair was the black of most raiden youkai. She was perfect.

The others were more relaxed now. I watched Yuusuke and Keiko. Totally oblivious to everyone else, comfortably holding each other.

Could Ikazuchi and I have that sort of relationship? After the things that we have been through, would we be allowed to live peacefully together? Could we forget our past and heal with one another?

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Ningen - Human

Raiden - Thunder and Lightning

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The Ningenkai was easy to enter if one knew the way. I had always been good at sensing things such as breaches in energy walls. Now, I was standing in front of such a breach. I had felt traces of his energy near here. He must have crossed over.

I had been tracking him for two weeks. Only now did I find something for certain. He had gone to the Ningenkai. It seemed like he went often. I could feel very faint residues of his energy. He was here often.

And someone else's. I looked around, but saw nothing but the landscape of the Makai.

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"Hiei, Lord Koenma has summoned you," Kurama said, looking at me as if I should know what the little toddler wanted.

I nodded. Yuusuke asked, "What's going on, Hiei?"

I frowned. I hadn't the slightest clue. They were acting as if it were the end of the world. Still, it might just be. Koenma was always overreacting though. It might only be that someone stole something.

However, why would he ask specifically for me?

"I don't know."

Kuwabara asked, "Do you think that we should come, Urameshi?"

"I don't know. If Koenma only asked for Hiei . . ." he cocked his head to the side while looking at me. "Hiei, you came to the Ningenkai for a reason. What's going on?"

Immediately, an image of Ikazuchi came to me, but I pushed it roughly away, "I didn't come here for the reason you may be thinking."

"Hiei," Kurama began, "you've been distant ever since you got here. More so than usual. Something is wrong."

"Nothing like that," I said, and I ran.

I ran just to get away from them so that they would stop reminding me of Ikazuchi. I hadn't been thinking of her for an hour at most, and they had to come and resurrect her.

This morning, I had met again with an empty bed and an emptier feeling throughout my whole body. It was a big bed, and because I hadn't woken up beside her, it was much more empty and lonely. I had told Kurama that I would have been happy on his couch, but he had insisted on cleaning the old guest room out. He had wanted a reason to go in there, and clean it anyway. I could not refuse him this. I had been weak. I should sleep on the couch from now on.

'Koenma,' I thought to myself. 'Find Koenma, and deal with whatever he's crying about.'

I traveled quickly to the Reikai. At least, faster than I usually did. Koenma was sitting at his desk, staring straight ahead. When I entered, he continued doing so.

"What do you want?"

Koenma sighed, "We have a slight problem."

"Obviously. That's why you called for me."

He sighed again, "It's the Meikai."

"Have they come back?"

"No, and now I almost wish that they were back."

What greater evil was more so than the Meikai? What greater threat was there? "What's going on?"

"Now that the souls of dead youkai have no where to go to direct them to the afterlife, they've been wandering around. However, one of them has possessed another youkai and their strength added as one. This soul keeps sucking in other souls, and sometimes devours whole youkai and gaining their strength and powers. Each day he gains more power. I want you to get rid of him."

"You want to send only me against some incredibly strong youkai? Why not the others?"

"I want a quick clean kill, with no traces of what was killed. Very few," Koenma said, "know of what this soul is doing. I want it to stay that way."

I paused before saying, "You want me to use my Dragon Wave."

"Maybe even let it loose on him."

"That's insane! Do you know how hard it is to control this thing?!" I held up my bandaged right arm. "If I release it, I might not get control of it before it consumes me!"

"It's the most powerful weapon among you Reikai Tantei. It's one of the most powerful weapons that I have ever seen, Hiei. Please kill this . . . this abomination."

He looked tired. He was asking this of me likely because I had no one to go home to. I had no real home, and the ones I could go home to didn't know how important they were to me. If someone in the team had to die, I would be the best choice. "Is there anything else that I should know?"

Koenma looked down at the file on his desk as if afraid of it, "Maybe."

"There either is or there isn't."

Koenma opened the file, and leafed through it, then he motioned me to come over and see what he was looking at. It was a picture of an old Japanese style painting. It must have been six or five hundred years old. A young woman was looking into a pool of blood and strange cloudlike wisps were dotted about the painting in random places. She was beautiful, clothed in priestess garments, but her eyes weren't right. Something was very wrong about her.

Before I could ask who she was, Koenma took out another picture of an old painting. This painting was newer than the last by at least a generation, and it was from the Makai. It was a beautiful young woman clothed in priestess attire. The mists were now small screaming young women that were floating about the woman lounging in the branch of a tree and they could be seen through.

He went to the next picture of an old painting. From the Makai, it must have been two hundred years old. Again, the young woman was peering through reeds, straight out of the painting. Through the reeds I could see the misty women, some were weeping, but others were screaming. Her eyes were still strange and wrong. Like the last two. One from the Ningenkai again. It was a contemporary. The painting couldn't have been more than thirty years old. She was still recognizable, even in her deformed Picasso-like state; her and the mists surrounding her.

"I thought that she had been a terrible rumor in the past." Koenma said, startling me. "A few days ago, I believed that she was a myth that youkai and ningen alike shared and feared. But now, I am convinced. Kikyou was real. She still is."

"How is this woman related to my case?"

Koenma took out another picture. An actual photograph of this Kikyou and a man, cloaked. "We have reason to believe that the man beside her *is* your case."

I frowned, "Who is she anyway?"

"She was born five hundred years ago. She died at the young age of fifteen for unknown reasons. Fifty years later, someone resurrected her, something went wrong though, and her soul left her body. Now, the only thing keeping her going is the hatred that she holds for a hanyou. He is suspected to be the one that she loved, and the one that murdered her." Koenma looked up at me, "I think that Kikyou knew the youkai soul that is possessing other youkai. This same soul, we think, is still in control of the body."

"How is she dangerous?"

"The only thing keeping her going is her hatred, and regularly eating the souls of young women; ningen or youkai. Youkai seem to be her favorite, right now. Since she and the youkai soul seem to be friends, she's helping him find good souls. She's had much practice over the last five hundred years."

"You want her gone too?"

"Please do. She's a nuisance already, and she needs to rest. Be it in Tengoku or Jigoku."

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Reikai - Spirit World

Meikai - Nether World

Reikai Tantei - Spirit World Detective

Hanyou - Half Demon

Tengoku - Heaven

Jigoku - Hell

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Love? Was it love that is keeping me going? That made me search for him? Love? This feeling that many youkai name a ningen - and thus weak - emotion? Do I feel this for him?

I read a ningen book once. The characters spoke often of love and that it was a fickle thing. That love did not come when you expected it or wanted it. It came and went at its own will, whether one liked it or not. Love was not the beauty of the body, but the beauty of the soul. Sex was not love because any two people could have sex.

So what was love?

I didn't know.

He had given off such a wonderful feeling. I had been comfortable with him. Happy. For those nights I was happy. He was the only man that had ever made me feel happy. He had always paid for the whole night.

Once all he had done was hold me. He had said, "I only want you. Nothing more and nothing less."

Was that love? Wanting just that person? Not just sex or beauty? Were they just bonuses to love, if one were such?

I wanted to know why he had done the things that he had. I wanted to know whether he was as confused as I was.

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My youkai form looked enough like a ningen that I had nothing to worry about, as disturbing as that was. However, the ningen had kept giving me strange looks. It took me a while to realize that I needed a change of clothes. My clothes, which I wore to attract customers during the day, were not suitable ningen clothes. So, I pickpocketed a ningen, and bought new clothes.

Two pairs of what ningen call jeans, a tanktop, and a couple of things called T-shirts. They would suffice for now. I then bought a pack to carry the money and clothes in. I got rid of the strange colorful cards that I found in the wallet. Probably some stupid ningen thing.

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I didn't know why I was doing this. I wanted to forget her, but I had convinced myself that I was only going to see her to find out if that strange lurch throughout my body had gone away. However, I could already feel the lurch coming on.

She wasn't at her apartment, so I went searching for her at the marketplace at which she usually shopped. Ikazuchi was not there or in any other marketplaces near by either. However, she might have been with her friends. I went to all of her regular haunts.

When I searched these places, I went to find her friends that I had seen earlier. They were in the same bar that I had found them in, drinking and laughing.

I approached one and tapped her shoulder. She turned and looked me up and down, "Sorry, guy, we aren't working right now."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm looking for Ikazuchi. Where is she?"

Ikazuchi's three friends all stopped what they were doing and stared at me. The one with fake green hair asked, "Are you that-?"

"Of course, he is Moya. How would he know her real name?" said the woman with blonde hair. She turned to me, "Sorry, kid, you missed her by two weeks. She went looking for you."

"What? But why?" She had no reason to come search for me that I knew. I was just another customer to her.

She looked at me as if I were stupid, "Couldn't you tell?"

"Tell what?"

Blondie rolled her eyes, "She's in love with you, you lug."

The other two's eyes widened and looked at Blondie, questioning her, "What? She's in love with him?"

"No way! This is too much."

"Ikazuchi? The lucky bastard!"

"I know!"

"She's pretty damn lucky too!"

"She deserves love."

"I thought that she would have found him by now. What with her tracking skills and all."

I ran.

'She's in love with you, you lug.'

Love?

My stomach was dropping at a faster and faster rate. My mind was running quicker than I.

My heart was hammering my chest.

I just now felt it. The hammer that is my heart. It's been like that since I first found an interest in her. Ikazuchi.

My heart pounded in my ribs harder.

Love?

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Moya - Haze

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"It's coming from over here!" yelled a voice.

I looked around. What was?

Then three ningen came into view, a cute, young man with black hair and a tall, ugly man with orange hair. The other ningen with long red hair was walking behind them.

"Her!" the one with orange hair said.

I looked around the small back alley, and saw no one else. Were they talking about me? "Um . . . hello . . ."

"Can't you feel it, Urameshi?" the ugly man asked the man with black hair.

"Now I can. Who are you?" Urameshi said.

There was no harm in giving out my name, "Ikazuchi."

"Well, whatever you're after here, Ikazuchi," began the one with red hair, "you'll have to come through us to get it."

Reikai Tantei! I felt huge power from these ningen. "Oh no! There's been a huge mistake!" I said. "I'm looking for someone. He came from the Makai."

"Another youkai, Kuwabara? Do you feel any others?"

"No others but her," said the ugly man. "Kurama?"

The redhead shook his head, "Nothing." He looked somewhere to the east then, "Someone just entered the Ningenkai from the Makai right now."

"Must be Hiei." Urameshi said, nodding his head, but keeping an eye on her.

"There really has been a mistake, sirs." I said.

"No, it's not him. Someone else." Kurama said, pointedly looking at her.

"Your friend coming to help you?" said Urameshi with a cocky voice.

I sighed. This was getting me nowhere really fast.

"He's powerful," Kurama said.

Urameshi frowned, "Well, Ikazuchi, you're going to come with us."

I sighed again. Today had been going so well too.

*-*-*

The trip had been uneventful, except the strange looks that they had given me when I said that would go with them. They seemed to expect a fight from me.

I could hear Kuwabara whispering to Urameshi, "Hey, Yuusuke, I think she's telling the truth. She's looking for someone."

"Are you crazy, Kuwabara?" said Urameshi.

"Yuusuke, Kuwabara is usually right about this sort of thing," Kurama said, stopping to look at her.

They stopped too, and I had to stop because they were the ones walking in front of me.

"Kuwabara, is she really telling the truth?"

Kuwabara bent down to look me in the eyes, "Yup, whoever it is, she likes him a lot."

I smiled and blushed simultaneously, "Can I go look for him?"

Yuusuke looked her up and down, "Not now. We're going to deal with this youkai first. When we're sure the streets are safe, you can go."

I nodded. That would have to do for now.

*-*-*

Find the soul or Ikazuchi? I wasn't sure. She was looking for me. Her friends had said that she was a good tracker, and that they thought she would have found me by now. Unless, I had left for Koenma the day she had reached the Ningenkai.

I groaned. I missed her.

I yearned to search for her to discover if what her friends said was true.

I had a job to do though. A distraction. Why should I care if she loved me or not? She was only a distraction. Right now she was distracting me from doing my job.

I set myself to feel the air for the mix of youkai souls. He was getting around quite a bit. Either that or he was just exuding his stench in a fifteen-mile radius of wherever he happened to be. Next to his power she was almost nothing. I almost didn't feel her at first. However, she was powerful for a ningen.

I could feel that wrongness to her too. There was something even more so chilling with the youkai soul though. I didn't think that it was a youkai. Just mistaken for one because of the absolute evil coming from it, and soaking the very ground that it walked.

A ningen soul so disgusting and vile that it could control youkai? How could such a *thing* be created?

I felt another youkai then. I looked around the forest, and saw an old inu youkai kneeling to drink the water from a stream. Then he looked straight at me.

He had long silver hair, a piercing golden gaze, stripes on the side of his face, and a crescent moon on his forehead. The youkai was clothed in a regal kimono and body armor. He said with a low voice, "So. Others are searching for Naraku too. What did he do to you? If you hate him nearly as half as much as I, we should join forces."

"Naraku? That's his name?"

"A Reikai Tantei." He frowned. "Oh well, I might as well gain some kind of ally. I am Sesshoumaru. You are . . . ?"

"Hiei," I said. He was strong, though not in his prime any longer. The inu youkai was becoming old, in another hundred years or so he would die. Sesshoumaru must have been through a lot.

"Hiei. That sounds familiar."

"I am Mukuro's heir."

"That's where it's from," he looked me up and down. "I would have fought in that tournament, but I figured that I would let the young go and rule for me . . . Well, Hiei, shall we travel together? I would like a comrade in my quest, but if you would prefer not to . . ." he daintily looked at his sharp claws. "I would rather it be I that kill him and not another."

I rolled my eyes. I could tear him to shreds, but it never hurt to find out more of the case. Sometimes, it cost you. "Sure. So, what's this Naraku like?"

I kept jumping ahead, branch to branch as he walked. Sesshoumaru looked up at me, and smiled, "Would you like to run with me? In my younger days, I was known for my quickness."

I began at a slow brisk walk-like mode to see just how fast he was. He caught up quickly, and passed me. We kept testing one another's speed until he could no longer catch up with me, and then I had to slow to his comfortable pace. Which was a slow jogging pace for me. Perfect way to talk. He was looking at me with more respect in his eyes.

"What has Naraku done to you?"

"He killed my only love. She was a ningen, only twenty-five or so. That he has found himself a way to live again disgusts me. After all, Inu Yasha had worked so hard to kill him, and now he's back," he grimaced.

"Inu Yasha?"

"My little half brother."

"Is he by any chance a hanyou?"

"He was. How did you know?"

"Koenma said something about a priestess named Kikyou and a hanyou being in love."

"She's still haunting the Sekai?!" he said with pure shock.

"Yes, she's helping Naraku find souls to add to his strength." We stopped, "The trail ends here."

"Yes," he said, frowning, "and quite abruptly."

"This is a soft spot in the spirit barrier! He's gone to the Ningenkai!"

Where Ikazuchi likely was. There was no reason for them to look for me or to wreak havoc upon me or others near me, but the fear was still there. Besides, Kikyou preferred youkai souls, didn't she? Ikazuchi could be hurt.

Yet why should I care? Wasn't she a distraction?

She could be hurt, and my heart was hammering and aching with vigor. Ikazuchi. I cared for her, and she might be hurt.

As I was about to travel through Sesshoumaru grabbed my shoulder. "I know that look . . . Go on calmly. You don't even know whether she's hurt or not."

*-*-*

Inu - Dog

Sekai - the World, society, or the Universe

*-*-*

It was a pleasant little shrine. Yukina and Genkai were both very kind to me. Genkai seemed to know at a glance that I was a prostitute. Yukina hadn't yet figured it out. They let me take a bubble bath because I hadn't cleaned myself in a couple days. Though, it was not obvious. Soaking there for an hour was delightful.

After I had dressed, and I had tamed my hair, I went into the little living room. There were four other women, Shizuru, Shiori, Atsuko, Botan and Keiko. They were equally kind, but again Shizuru and Atsuko knew what I was in five steps, it seemed. Botan and Keiko seemed to know that I was in love. They all seemed to know that by now.

The worst thing was that they thought I was in love with Kurama. I think that Kurama knew what I was too, though I couldn't be sure. He was very old. I could feel now that he was a kitsune under that ningen disguise.

He actually made me uncomfortable because he kept saying that I had beautiful eyes, and asking me why I would hide them behind color contacts. When he kept glancing over at Shiori, I realized that he meant that Shiori didn't know anything about youkai and such. She didn't realize what Kurama was. She seemed to think the name Kurama was her son's nickname among his friends.

Suddenly, there was a strange feeling near. Like fire and ice beating upon each other. That was him!

When I ran to the front door, Yuusuke looked out the window, "It's Hiei. He's with someone."

Yuusuke could have been talking about either of them. The inu youkai or my love walking up the shrine steps. It didn't matter though. His name was not important, it had never been and it never will be.

It was him. His ruby eyes, his pale skin, his cute little nose, his seemingly black flame hair. But I had looked closer, it was truly dark blue. A very dark blue. Sometimes, as he was above me, I could see the blue in the light.

I dropped to my knees, and cried into my hands, "It's you. It's you. I can't believe it. You . . ."

The others were standing behind me. I could hear them talking. Atsuko was saying, "Oh my, he's beautiful. Yuusuke, who is that? You must introduce me."

He began walking toward me, his steps short and slow at first, but then he was bounding up the stairs. His body collided with mine. Someone shouted, "When did Hiei get a girlfriend?"

It sounded like Kuwabara.

None of it mattered. Hiei. My love's name was Hiei. I was in love with Hiei. I smiled into his neck, and lightly kissed it. In reaction, he pulled me closer against him. I took my head off his shoulder, and looked into Hiei's eyes, my nose rubbing against his, "I love you."

Hiei brushed his lips against mine. "I . . . and I you."

He stood, and did so holding me against his chest. He had said enough. I knew. I knew that he might say something like that.

I heard them talking to the tall stranger. Shiori was saying, "What is a man your age doing wearing tattoos and colored contacts? And what *are* you wearing? Is that hair-dye?"

"Mother, please don't," Kurama said.

A voice chuckled, "It's no problem. Good afternoon. I am Ginpatsusenshi Sesshoumaru, and you are?

"Minamino Shiori. This is my son-"

The voices were gone, and I was somewhere else. However, I was still in Hiei's arms. It occurred to me that we were alone when his hot mouth claimed my neck, and sucked and lightly nipped at it. "Foolish, silly girl. Why did you follow me?"

"My love, Hiei," he moaned into my chest - his kisses had trailed lower - "I love you. I cannot be seperated from you. I couldn't bear it."

He kissed my lips, and wrapped his arms around me, pressing my back against something. However, I realized that I was on my back. Hiei hovered over me, a smile upon his beautiful face. "You love me?"

I could only nod. He had smiled before, but never so brilliantly.

Hiei said, stroking my cheek, "I had not realized my feelings toward you until a half hour ago. They were there, but I didn't know what they were. Now, I know."

"What kept you? You're very fast. It shouldn't have taken so long to get to me."

Hiei snorted, and then kissed my neck again, "When I had found out that you were here and in danger, I was going to go find you. However, Sesshoumaru made me stay in the Makai to cool off. Then when we got to the Ningenkai, he made us walk here."

"Danger? How am I in danger?"

"There is a ningen soul here that is so evil that it can control youkai souls, and it has possessed many other youkai souls and youkai bodies. He is very powerful. He is traveling with a ningen female that eats female souls." He kissed my forehead, "She prefers youkai souls. I thought that you might be . . . Ikazuchi, I don't want to lose you."

His hand took mine, and he helped me stand. Hiei looked up at the sky, and I followed. It was getting dark, the horizon was just laying the sun to rest, and the sky had hues of purples, reds, oranges and yellows.

"Ikazuchi," he began, "I don't want to lose you. Ever. Be my mate."

Mate? Hiei's mate? "Yes . . . Yes, yes, yes. I will."

He smirked, "That was a command, not a question. If you had said 'no' I would have made you mine anyway." He wrapped his arms around me, and with a husky voice that made me shiver, said, "Too bad that I can't claim you as mine now. I'd like to make it legal."

*-*-*

Kitsune - Fox

Ginpatsusenshi - Silver Haired Warrior

*-*-*

I lifted her into my arms, and took her to Kurama's house. I laid her on that large bed that was no longer so big, and I said, "Wait for me. I'm going to deal with that ningen soul and woman. I'll be right back, and make you mine."

She wrapped her arms about my neck, and whispered in my ear, "Do you have to go?"

I looked down at my bandaged arm. I had someone to come back to. Which made it hard for me to leave. This was the distraction that I didn't want. However, it felt good. The quicker that I was done the quicker I could come back. "Yes," I chuckled. The feeling was so strange and new. It felt wonderful, "I'll be back, Ikazuchi."

I ran to the shrine to find Sesshoumaru. I knew that he would like to watch this Naraku die. They were all lounging in the living room, Yuusuke stood when I entered, "Why didn't you tell us about this Naraku?"

I looked about the room. Kurama and Shiori weren't in the shrine. They must have left when Ikazuchi and I had gone.

"It's *my* case, Yuusuke. Koenma didn't want you to come because he only wanted me to use my Black Dragon Wave to completely obliterate it."

Yuusuke's eyes narrowed, "He wants you to let it loose."

"What?!" cried out Kuwabara. "You aren't going to, are you?"

"I might."

Yuusuke shrugged, obviously uncomfortable, "Whatever, just be careful . . . So, how'd you meet her?"

"Let's just say it's not a story to tell one's children."

Atsuko laughed, "That's an understatement!"

I winced, what did she know? Shizuru laughed too and Genkai grimaced. She glanced at me with a strange look on her face. Atsuko and Shizuru were tough women and knew the streets. Genkai was just old and had accumulated much wisdom over the years.

"Sesshoumaru, we better get moving."

At first, we had gone on in silence, walking. I wanted to think of Ikazuchi and Sesshoumaru looked mostly caught up in the past. She was waiting at Kurama's house for me to come back. I was most likely coming back very dirty. My problem at the moment was deciding whether to claim her still sweaty and dirty or to take her in the shower. The first was much more appealing to me.

"Tell me about this Black Dragon Wave," the old inu youkai said.

"I guess that you want to know what to prepare yourself against." I then remembered that I was likely going to be too exhausted to have any sort of fun. "It comes from a tattoo on my arm." I showed him my bandaged arm. "This special bandage helps to keep it in check."

"Keep what in check?"

"A Black Dragon from the Makai."

"Impossible!" he gasped, "None have been able to order a Black Dragon to do anything."

"I'll show you when we find Naraku."

"Oh?" said a voice surrounding them. Coming from the trees that surrounded the stairs to the shrine. A deep, dark male voice, "Show him what? What will you show our dear friend?"

Kikyou stepped out of the trees, and a man in a black cloak that covered all of his features stepped out behind her.

"Bastard!" shouted Sesshoumaru. "Wretched scum! How dare you show your face!"

"Technically, I'm not showing my face. I had come across an unfriendly hi youkai that didn't want to join with me, and almost burned me to death when I merged with him. Thankfully, my sweet Kikyou here has healed the serious burns." He stroked her cheek as if petting a favorite pet, dangerous, but a favorite.

Kikyou sneered, "There's a reason I didn't heal all of them, Naraku. Don't touch me." Naraku chuckled, but he stopped stroking her.

"So, Sesshoumaru, shall we fight elsewhere?" he asked. "I would not want to mar this holy ground."

"If that's what you wish." He turned to me and whispered, "Hiei, don't you feel his power? You are no match for him. Your boast of the Black Dragon will not help you."

"Boast?" I said. "It is no boast. I-"

"Hiei, don't make this any harder. You may follow and watch, but do not interfere."

Sesshoumaru then nodded to Naraku. They ran and I followed. He thought that my Black Dragon Wave was a boast?! Seething, I jogged behind them. It was *he* that had no chance.

The shrine, being near the mountains, was quite isolated, and they found a field that was suitable for the fight. I noted that it was far enough away from civilization so that ningen could not see anything that they shouldn't.

Though there were two swords at his hip, Sesshoumaru drew neither.

Kikyou and I stood to the side. We were on opposite ends of the field from one another. However, that meant that I could keep an eye on her.

He didn't have a chance. Was he hoping to weaken Naraku enough to aid my fight? What a foolish, old youkai. Probably going senile. Why would he not believe that I could control the Black Dragon?

"I shall finally have my revenge upon you. My dear Rin. My only joy in this world! You killed her!"

"I did not kill her if you remember correctly. I merely," Naraku pulled back the hood of his cloak, "added her to my collection."

His face was a multitude of scars and burns, there was a hole in one of his cheeks where skin was flaking off. One could see into his black, charred mouth. Thick flakes of skin were peeling off on one side of his face. His hair had fallen out except a few patches here and there.

I asked, "Sesshoumaru, what is he talking about?"

"I absorbed her. Very lovely addition. I still have her memories. Sesshoumaru had been very kind to her."

"Monster!" he snarled. "I must put her to rest!"

It was a strange dance, Sesshoumaru moved like water, striking at Naraku with his claws. I kept expecting him to pull out one or both of his swords. Naraku nimbly avoided each attack, only watching him.

Then he struck out, and hit Sesshoumaru's left arm. The old youkai pulled back for a moment, but it was already too late. The time that it took to pull back cost him. Naraku shot tentacles out from underneath his cloak and enclosed him in a vicelike grip. Sesshoumaru cried out in pain as Naraku squeezed.

"Hiei!" He cried out to me. "Get out of here! Hurry!"

"You stupid dog! I'm not leaving!" I ran to them, "Ja Ou En Satsu Ken!" My sword of black flames came to life, and I sliced easily through the tentacles; Sesshoumaru fell to the ground.

Naraku hissed and pulled away, "Stupid boy. I've killed *rats* bigger than you!"

A tentacle swiped at me, but dodging that was child's play. I cut that one off too.

Naraku snarled, "Kikyou! Deal with him!"

I turned my attention to her when I felt her spirit energy increase. I could not face two powerful opponents with Sesshoumaru wounded. Besides, Naraku was far more powerful than I, and trying to fight him head on would be fruitless and would just waste energy. There was only one way to deal with this.

I realized then that she was armed with a bow and with plenty of arrows. She began shooting at me, however, I dodged them all.

"Sesshoumaru! Get away from here!"

He struggled to his feet, and said defiantly, "I will not leave you, Hiei!"

I raced to the edge of the field, "Get away now or you will be killed! I will not wait for you!"

I unwrapped my left arm, and cried out as Sesshoumaru ran to the surrounding woods, "En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha!"

Flames engulfed my body, and I felt as if someone was peeling my skin off in strips. With a shaking hand, I took off my bandana to uncover my Jagan for I had forgotten to do so. I saw Naraku's eyes widen in surprise. They had obviously not expected to fight against a Jaganshi. The Black Dragon emerged finally, however, the pain did not lessen. It increased tenfold. Now, someone was trying to tear out my muscles with a piece of splintered wood.

*-*-*

Hi - Fire

Ja Ou En Satsu Ken - Fire Killing Blade of the Wicked King

En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha - Fire Killing Black Dragon Wave

Jagan - Evil Eye

Jaganshi - Master of the Evil Eye

*-*-*

I awoke when I felt something land on my lap. Ikazuchi was laying there. We were in Genkai's shrine, one of the spare rooms I recognized it as. Yuusuke was looking down on us with surprise in his eyes.

"Ikazuchi?" I turned a baleful glare at Yuusuke, "What did you do?"

Yuusuke said, slowly backing away, "I just told her that you were a S-class. Then she fainted."

I paled, "Damn it, Urameshi!"

"What did I do?" He backed up into the wall, and stayed there.

"You might have ruined things for me, but from the way she was acting before, I don't think that you did."

Yuusuke relaxed somewhat. "From the way you two were acting before, it seemed like you had fucked already."

I rolled my eyes at how crude he made the act sound, "While I *have* claimed her, I have not claimed her as my mate."

I often talked as such when it was only Yuusuke and I. I was much more relaxed talking and joking with Yuusuke about sex than any of the others. While, I was more comfortable talking in general with Kurama, I felt like I was talking to a woman when I spoke of sex with him. With Kuwabara being present in the same room when the word or a reference to sex was mentioned, all I could think about was him touching Yukina, which was never a good thing.

"You sure aren't shy about that kind of stuff," He laughed. "What's all this 'claiming a mate' crap?"

I shrugged, "I think that it would be the same as ningen marriages."

"So what's the problem with telling her that you're a S-class?"

"Hi youkai use much of their strength when claiming a mate."

"Gee, thanks for sharing."

"Yet, you see the problem?"

He nodded, looking at Ikazuchi. I was trying to put her in a more comfortable position with only one hand, seeing as my right arm was injured again.

"Are you going to try to go easy on her?" he asked, now leaning against the wall.

I got her to lie down beside me, "I'm not sure. She isn't so weak that I would render her useless, but she's not so strong that she wouldn't get hurt either."

Yuusuke nodded wisely, which looked ridiculous. 'Wise' and 'Yuusuke' in the same sentence? "You should at least try to go easy on her." He cocked his head to the side, "So, you're going to marry her?"

"That's basically what mating is, so, yes I will."

"You love her?"

"Yes. I am sure of that now."

A wide smile came over his face, "So, I was right. You aren't just marrying her for the sex."

"Who said otherwise?" Genkai, Atsuko and Shizuru likely.

"No one said anything, but they were probably thinking it." If possible, his smile became wider.

As he left the room, a thought occurred to me before I laid back beside Ikazuchi. 'I wonder how much money Yuusuke won in their bet.'

*-*-*

"What?! Naraku is still alive?!" Koenma shouted.

"Hey, we were just as shocked as you. So don't go yelling at us." Said Yuusuke.

"But . . . but how? How could he have survived that?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, "I didn't think that it was possible for anything to survive such a creature."

Kuwabara shook his head, "You guys are crazy. Why can't you see how great this is? Now, we can find him and finish him off for good! He's weak now!"

"Yes, but at this very moment, he's gathering energy. Sucking up everything that he comes across. He'll be just as unstoppable by nightfall," said Sesshoumaru with a sigh.

Kurama said, "Would Naraku truly be able to regain his strength so quickly?"

"Yes, I've seen it before."

I asked, "Where would he be right now?"

Koenma said with a scornful voice, "Hiei, with your arm injured, you can't summon the Black Dragon. You would die if you tried to use it again anytime soon."

"I can still fight!"

"Hiei," Yuusuke said, "you need to heal."

"Yes, listen to Yuusuke. He knows what's best." Kurama said.

"In the past," Sesshoumaru began shooting glares at us; we blushed, "the world had been full of youkai, thus making it easier, but now he has to go to the Makai to regain his strength. He might be too weak to travel though. He could be terrorizing a town or city local to a soft spot in the barrier to get stronger."

"And with his lower energy he'll be harder to track," said Kuwabara. He cracked his knuckles, "But I'll try to find him."

'I thought that she would have found him by now. What with her tracking skills and all.'

My new mate. Her friends had said that she possessed great tracking skills. I had to risk our lives, now.

"That might not be necessary," I said with a sinking stomach. "You can search for him in the Makai. Ikazuchi and I will search for Naraku in the Ningenkai."

*-*-*

The moment I got back to the Ningenkai, Ikazuchi and I went searching in Tokyo. She had detected Naraku fifteen minutes ago. However, it was hard to find him because of all the ningen. The two of us were separated, walking down a sidewalk. She was up ahead of me, tracking Naraku. I was looking everywhere so that I wouldn't be caught surprised. I would have taken off my bandana to help search, but unfortunately someone would have noticed a third eye.

I basked in the beat of her heart in my mind. Our bond, which we had made last night, was lovely and sweet. I could feel, beside the beating of her heart, the emotions within her. It was incredibly faint, but we were a new couple so that was to be expected. What she was feeling now was love and anxiety.

She turned into an alley and I followed her. She was staring at an open portal. It must have been blocked from ningen sight because otherwise, ningen would have been screaming or staring too. Ikazuchi looked at me, "What should we do?"

"We follow." I held her hand. I had been wanting to do so ever since I had come back from the Reikai. We stepped into the portal at the same time.

Immediately, something pounced upon me, and Ikazuchi's hand was knocked out of mine.

Naraku was hanging me upside down in one of his tentacles. His face had healed from the ningen and youkai that he had likely engorged himself on. Blonde hair flowed down his shoulders in tiny ringlets, and piercing blue eyes stared up at me. Ikazuchi was trying to struggle in another of his tentacles. I couldn't move.

"Well, well, well. Hiei. You've come at last." He looked at Ikazuchi, "And you've brought a friend."

"Damn you! Let me down so that I can face you in battle!"

"What? Why would you think that I would give you a chance to call your little dragon?" He directed his attention to Ikazuchi. "This reminds me of something, but I just can't seem to remember what." He pretended to ponder for a moment, "Ah, yes. I remember now. I had led Inu Yasha and Kagome into a similar trap." He chuckled, "I squeezed Kagome to death you know. Broke all of her bones. She felt so nice and soft in my tentacles. Like pudding."

Ikazuchi stopped trying to struggle. 'Wait a minute . . .' He was slowly squeezing her! "Stop it! Stop it now! I'll fucking kill you, Naraku! Stop it!"

I wrestled with the tentacle about me, but before I was free Naraku wrapped me in another. When I was almost out of that one, he enveloped me again.

Ikazuchi had been trying not to scream, but just then she cried out in a weak murmur, "Hiei . . ."

"Damn you! You cowardly monster! Fight me! Forget about her! Fight me! Kill me!"

I was losing her. I had finally discovered my feelings, and confessed them yesterday. The bond that we had made, last night, that was so fresh and new, was dying. She was dying. The beating of her heart was fading rapidly. Our bond was not strong enough yet that I could feel her pain, but the slowing of her heartbeat was enough for me.

That was pain.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not like this. Not the ragged, hoarse sound of my cries. Not the snapping, cracking, and grinding sound of her bones. Not the harsh and ridiculing sound of his laughter.

"Ikazuchi! Hang on!" I turned to him, "Fucking bastard! I'll kill you! Let her go!"

"It's no use. Inu Yasha said the same things. I didn't stop for him. What makes you think that I'll stop for you?" He sneered, "You caused me great pain. I did not like that, Hiei. You must suffer as I did!"

"Damn you, Naraku! Kill me! Leave her alone! Leave Ikazuchi alone!"

Naraku's laughter rose in volume. Ikazuchi was then thrown to the ground, and after a dull crunch, what echoed around in my skull was her last heartbeat.

I never wanted anything like this. Not for her. My love. My life. I just watched her die, and I could do nothing to help her. Absolutely nothing. I watched her die, and I couldn't help. I was supposed to help her. She was my mate! And I couldn't help her! I watched her die! My mate! Ikazuchi! I let her die . . .

Naraku had made a fatal mistake this evening. His mistake was thinking that I would roll over and die.

I fought to pull my right arm free, and when it was out I pulled off my bandana, and with my teeth I took off the bandages around my arm.

"En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha!"

If I was going to die, I was taking him with me.

The pain that encompassed me then was nothing like the misery and anguish within. I could feel my own soul ripping away. As the Black Dragon was released, one thought clung to me.

'Am I accompanying my angel to Heaven?'

*-*-*

Sesshoumaru turned to look at from where they had come. Kuwabara did the same, and shivered.

Yuusuke asked, "What's wrong?"

"Naraku's behind us," Kuwabara said. "Hiei and Ikazuchi are there too. A couple kilometers."

"Let's go, and help them." said Yuusuke.

They all began running. Sesshoumaru wanted to rush ahead, but he didn't want to leave them behind. Besides, it wasn't as if he alone could make a difference. They needed to work together to kill this beast that called itself Naraku. He didn't want a repeat of history.

'All of that blood . . .'

He mentally shook away those thoughts.

Nothing seemed to go wrong for these young men. However, they knew that if they made a mistake everything would go. Inu Yasha didn't act like that. He seemed to think that everything would always be all right in the end. That assumption cost him his new mate and his life.

Kuwabara stopped running, and then started again, racing faster, "Someone's hurt!"

They ran faster to match his pace.

"Who is it?" asked Yuusuke.

"I think it's Ikazuchi!"

"What?! Are they fighting him together?"

Kuwabara growled, "Something's very wrong! Naraku's doing something cruel! Can't you feel his foul soul?"

They ran on longer, and a couple minutes later, they could see a tiny speck in the distance.

Kuwabara stopped again, this time with a look of utter horror on his face, "He's crushing her to death!"

"Come on, Kuwabara! We have to hurry!" Yuusuke yelled back at him, for they had not stopped.

Sesshoumaru heard Kuwabara start running again, rigor in his step.

The spot became bigger, and soon they could see what looked like tentacles. Something was thrown to the ground.

"She's . . ." Kuwabara halted, and fell to the ground. "She's dead! Ikazuchi's dead!"

"What?! Keep running then! We have to save Hiei!"

Sesshoumaru watched Yuusuke's face. They all knew that if Ikazuchi was dead then it didn't matter if they saved Hiei or not. He would be barren and lifeless inside. Once again, Kuwabara stood and ran, slightly behind them.

"En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha!"

"Hiei! No! Damn it, you stupid-!" Yuusuke collapsed to the ground, and began shaking.

Kurama stopped to watch, unable to tear his eyes from the spectacle that was the En Satsu Koku Ryuu Ha. The spectacle that was killing his best friend.

Kuwabara sat down with a thump, and punched the ground repeatedly, not desisting in his abuse of the ground. After a moment though, he stopped to watch his rival's death.

Sesshoumaru stopped and forced himself to wait for the Black Dragon to disappear. There still might be time. Maybe.

When the Black Dragon dissipated, Sesshoumaru took up running again. Yuusuke called out to him, "It's no damn use, Sesshoumaru! He's dead! They're both-! Damn it! Listen to me, you fucker!"

Sesshoumaru went as fast as he could so that he could reach them. First, he came to Ikazuchi's deformed and bruised body. Drawing out the Tenseiga, he sliced at her, and the wounds disappeared. He heard her moan, her chest rising and falling slowly. Hiei's charred frame was a bit further off. Sesshoumaru cut him as well, and watched Hiei breathe.

*-*-*

Tenseiga - Fang of Reincarnation

*-*-*

My eyes snapped open, and I dragged in a fresh breath of air. This wasn't right. I had just died. I mentally assessed myself. Had it all been a dream? The link between Ikazuchi and myself was stronger than before. Her heartbeat was strong, and hammering in my skull.

"Ikazuchi!" I sat up, and when I saw her I crawled to where she laid. Her bruises were gone, and her bones healed. Yet, I carefully brought her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. It had to be some cruel dream. I had gone insane, and the heartbeat in my skull was an illusion of my insanity. "Ikazuchi, wake up. Please, wake up."

She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. "Hiei? Oh, Hiei, what happened? I thought that . . ."

"Shhhh. I know. Hush now." I kissed her forehead, "I love you."

"Love you too, Hiei." She kissed my cheek. "What happened? We were dead, weren't we?"

I liked being insane.

I only nodded, and kissed her lips. I had thought that I would never taste her again. This was the sweetest feeling that I had ever felt. It was more so than claiming her as my mate, last night.

Whatever had happened was strange. At the moment though, I could have cared less. Ikazuchi was alive, and thus I was alive.

"Hiei?! Hiei!" I heard someone call. It sounded like Yuusuke. "Hiei, you bastard! Don't you ever do that type of shit to us again! Are you listening to me? Stop sucking her tongue off, damn it! And listen to me when I am talking! You stupid ass freak! Don't you fucking ever die on us again or I will fucking kill you! Get off of her face, Hiei! I'm not done talking to you!"

*-*-*

Owari

*-*-*

I just reread this entire thing. I think that this might be one of my more emotional fics. Other than 'A Losing Battle,' but that's still in the making, so that's yet to be forseen.

You know what? A chick had asked me some stuff about Japanese words. She asked me the correct usage of them, sort of, for her fic. After answering her, I went to check her fics out. I read one, and was pleasantly pleased to find that she and Natalie both find my 'Jaganshi ga Boku no Nagaisu ni Iru!' enjoyable to read. Another fic was actually just the summary for a fic that she had in mind.

And she used Japanese words from this fic.

Wow.

This is my very first Yuu Yuu Hakusho fic. Hell, it's also my first crossover. Very nice, if I do say so myself. I'm going to put it up in MediaMiner.Org and AdultFanFiction.Net.

I know that I said that I might put up the LEMON for this fic - between Hiei and Ikazuchi when he claimed her - but I lost interest in that. I know, I'm disappointed in myself too. I like this fic. There will always be a soft spot in my twisted, little heart for this monster. Maybe, I'll write the LEMON, but, now, I don't think that it's going to happen.

Whatever, I guess.

I'm going to try to finish the rest of my 'A Losing Battle' chapter now.

Ja mata!

Alastair

*-*-*