Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Caged Birds ❯ Caged Birds ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: The dialogue from the show is completely from memory so forgive me if it's off.

 

Caged Birds

The young finch asked the old one why he wept:

“There's comfort in this cage where we are kept.”

“You who were born here, may well think that's so

But I knew freedom once, and weep to know.”

 

-Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801)

 

oooooooooooo

It was rather warm under that large yellow ball of light. The sphere was painful to look at, but the small child wondered at its purpose and set tearing cerulean eyes on the streaks around its rim. Is that why it's so warm? She questioned herself. Indeed, the heat radiating from the sky was much more than she was used to. Her snowy homeland was far more shaded, almost no light shone at all.

 

Finally giving in to the bright stinging, her attention turned to the floor beneath her. She waited impatiently for the black spots covering her vision to dissipate before bending down to examine the green `snow.' A hand pushed down against the small blades, lifting away a few seconds later. Instead of an imprint, as she had expected, the `snow' slowly lifted back to stand upright again. The young girl tried the experiment several more times, still receiving the same result. How does it do that?

 

A new wonder caught her interest and she left yet another question unanswered to investigate more of the new world. The vast array of colors stretched far into the horizon. Much of that green `snow' peaked through the spaces between the flowers.

 

She had never before seen so many flowers at once, and in such a variety! Different shades of the same color swirled around each other, creating a naturally perfect bouquet. The girl smiled widely, setting about the task of finding one of every color.

 

Her flower picking lead her to the edge of a dank forest of high trees. She hummed a small melody as stems were separated, eyes wandering up every so often to take in the full sight of the field. She looked up again to find a bright red flower on a vine wrapped to a tree peaking through the shady undergrowth.

 

Eyes widened in childish mirth and she skipped happily into the woods, intent on bringing the flower back to show to her mother. There was no set path, so she had to climb carefully over fallen logs and around large shrubs to reach the object of her attention.

 

The red flower was even more beautiful up close. Drops of water littered the furled petals, and the stem stretched out right in front of her nose, as if inviting her to take in its fragrance. She set down the other plants that she had gathered and leaned up to breath in the sweet scent.

 

Small hands grasped the stalk, bending it gently down, and then up, to keep from damaging it. She resumed this procedure for many minutes, completely engrossed in her task.

 

She squealed gleefully as the flower came loose from the vine and she grasped it tightly in her hand. The girl winced as something sharp bit into her palm. Opening her hand again she found sharp thorns dotted around the stem, drenched in blood. She shrugged in the way that a child would and wiped her bloodied hand on her silvery-blue kimono, slipping the thorny red flower under her obi belt to keep it safe. It was more special than the other flowers.

 

The girl bent over, picked up the rest of the flowers, and walked happily from the forest. Upon arriving at the field, she found that the colors of the flowers had changed. They were now tinted orange as the ball of light moved towards the horizon. Instead of being yellow, though, it was now orange as well, with hints of red.

 

“Shikai! Shikai!” The young girl's head turned as her name was called and she rushed back the way she came, knowing already who was looking for her. Shikai came upon a small group of women, all dressed in blue kimonos just like her. She ran to the one in front and hugged her tightly around her waist.

 

The child pulled back excited and held up the flowers she had gathered, “Look mommy! I picked out the different colors for you! Why don't we have flowers like these on the island? We should get some.”

 

The woman gulped nervously and took the offered flowers, discreetly tossing them aside, “Shikai, why don't we go home?”

 

“But mama, I like it here. Can we stay a little longer?” the child's smile fell at the discomfort on her mother's face, “Mommy? Did I do something bad?” The other women urged them forward, and the group walked briskly away from the field of flowers, Shikai holding tightly to her mother's hand.

 

“No child, but we should not be here. There are bad things out under our island.” The girl's curiosity was peaked.

 

“Bad things? Like what?”

 

“In time you will know; for now we must return home. It is even more dangerous at night,” Shikai's mouth formed an `O' and she fell silent. Fingers ran over her belt on the hidden flower. I don't think mommy will want the flower, but I'll keep it just in case.

 

ooooooooooo

“Did you hear? Hina gave birth to twins, and one of them was a boy!”

 

“A boy? Abominable child! . . . .”

 

Shikai blinked in confusion, turning to face the woman beside her, “Mother, what's a `boy'? Is Hina-san's baby sick?” Her mother looked away solemnly, fingers clenching around the tan basket in her arms. One of the wards wrapped around it slid at the contact.

 

“. . . Mother?”

 

“Hina had two babies, Shikai, and one of them is going away,” she explained.

 

“Where?”

 

“Do you remember a few months ago, when you fell off of the island?”

 

Shikai smiled and nodded, “Yeah, it was really nice.”

 

“The boy is going there too.”

 

“But mother,” Shikai furrowed her brow, “you told me that there were bad things there. Wouldn't the boy get hurt? Does Hina-san want the boy to go away?”

 

Tears welled in the woman's eyes, “Please Shikai, no more questions.” The girl fell silent at seeing her mother's unhappiness and rubbed her foot against the ground guiltily.

 

“Rui, come,” the three other women departed and Shikai grasped the side of her mother's dress to keep in step with her. The little girl bit on her tongue to keep from asking anything; she didn't want to upset her mother anymore.

 

The wind blew harshly, sending wet clumps of snow through the air. Shikai couldn't feel the cold though, and she knew none of the other women could either; they were ice apparitions, after all. They stopped at a small cliff jutting out past the other edges, Shikai's mother stepping up to the rim.

 

“RUI!” a voice called as another woman ran to them through the haze of snow, “Please Rui, don't do this to me, to my child!” Shikai gasped as the figure came close enough for her to see. It was Hina-san! She tried to run past the others to Rui on the cliff, but was held back by two of the women.

 

“Please, give me back my son!” tears fell from her eyes, crystallizing into perfect gems in the air. Shikai turned to her mother.

 

“Why is Hina-san crying? Is she sad that the boy has to go away?”

 

“. . .Yes,” Rui reached into her kimono, pulling forth another round gem that was colored differently than the others Hina had shed. A hiruseki stone. She pushed it through the small opening in the basket she held and Shikai could see two large glaring eyes inside. A smile lit up the little girl's face as a thought came to her mind.

 

“Mother? May I give the boy a gift too?” Rui blinked and bent down to her daughter's level.

 

“What do you have to give to him?” Shikai reached a hand into her belt and fished out the red flower with thorns that she had kept. It was now dried and some of the loose petals blew away in the wind

 

“I wanted to give it to you `cause it was special, but you said that place was bad so I thought you wouldn't like it. Can I give it to the boy instead?”

 

“Why do you want to give it to him?” Rui knew her daughter was young and didn't understand many of the koorime laws, but she was still curious to know what her daughter thought of the `forbidden child.'

 

“A special gift for a special baby,” she explained simply, peering into the basket. Then she did something completely unexpected.

 

She leaned her face in and kissed him! Right on the nose! Rui gasped and glanced at the elder who was, thankfully, explaining to Hina why they had to get rid of her son, “And when the boy comes back,” Shikai continued, “we can play together and I'll know it's the boy when she[|] gives me the red flower back.”

 

“I-I see,” she was still shocked at her daughter's actions. The small girl gently pushed the stem into the hole of the basket, trying to keep the thorns from hurting the baby inside and stuffed the petals in over its head.

 

“Rui!” The woman stood as the elder sent her a meaning glance and turned back to the cliff's edge. She paused with the child held away from her body.

 

“Do not pity the beast,” the basket slipped, tumbling beneath the mist.

 

“NO!” Tears fell again for Hina.

 

ooooooooooooo

Shikai grew over the years. She learned of what a boy really was and why Hina's baby would never return. She also found that her people were cowards; hiding from the rest of the world as if it was a disease.

 

She became thoroughly disgusted with the older women. To her, it seemed like a childish fear. There was nothing wrong with living out among men. They acted as if that other gender was a taboo, or the source of all evil.

 

True, nothing bad ever happened, but nothing good ever happened either. The koorime were just . . . there. They existed, and that was their extent. And now, after countless years of sitting in wait with nothing really expected of her, she would break away from her impassive people. Just like Hina's other child, Yukina. The gentle girl had long since left to find her twin brother, and Shikai regretted not going with her.

 

But now she stood, dressed in a fighting outfit she made for herself, waiting for the elder to leave her mother so she could say goodbye. Rui finally bowed and the bent old woman hobbled away with her cane. Shikai resisted scoffing in contempt and approached her mother.

 

“Mother,” Rui turned to face her, a small smile on her lips, “I've decided that I can't live here anymore.”

 

The smile fell, “Why? What do you mean?”

 

“Ever since that day I fell off of the island, I've felt like something was missing, like the life I had wasn't really life at all, just an imitation of it. I remained quiet for all those years because I knew that if I left, it would tear you apart. But, I just can't take it anymore.”

 

“Shikai, you can't leave! It's not permitted!” Shikai growled in irritation.

 

“Do you even hear yourself? Binding yourself down with eccentric rules just because you don't want anything bad to happen to you! Yes it's dangerous, and yes I might get killed, but there are good things there too. When you and the others went out looking for me you probably didn't even stop to look at the array of colors and plants there because you were so afraid of getting hurt! There is nothing here that I am willing to stay for. I'm leaving, mother, and you can't stop me. It may be made of ice, but this island is hell.”

 

Rui bent her head solemnly, “I understand. I suppose I knew this would happen, it only took time. Please, be careful and maybe you can visit me after awhile to tell me about your adventures.” The woman drew her daughter into her arms.

 

“I will mother,” Shikai returned the hug before pulling away, “I love you.” Snow crunched beneath her feet as she left. It amazed her that after all that time she never noticed how soothing the snow felt below her. Like a soft cushion, or blanket. Maybe . . . I'll visit the village; one last time.

 

The streets were barren, as usual, with small fires burning in most of the cottages. A passing woman smiled and nodded, but Shikai only stared. She suddenly realized how little she really knew about her homeland. Everything now seemed almost like a vague memory and she relished the chance to just stand and take all of the once familiar things to memory.

 

Now that she was ready to leave, Shikai found that a part of her really didn't want to. The habitual routine of daily life called to her, but she knew there was more for her out in the world. She couldn't pass up the opportunity.

 

And here she was, standing on the edge of her freedom, hesitation burning at her heart. I can do this! It's what I've wanted for such a long time. . . .Isn't it? The fear of the unknown held her back.

 

Tears built in her eyes as she realized, “I can't do it.”

 

“Hn, and I was beginning to think you were different from the others.” Deep and rumbling, that voice was not one of a koorime. Shikai turned slowly, not wanting to anger the person with sudden movements.

 

His black outfit stood out sharply against the blue-white snow; a pale face and narrowed eyes the color of blood were set beneath spiked hair that waved in the wind. The words he had spoken finally registered to her.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Che, the koorime are a shallow and idiotic race. Even with all of the blood lust other demons possess, the Makai is far better in comparison to this dead piece of land.” She turned her head, nodding agreement.

 

“I had a chance to leave once before. My best friend wanted to go search for her brother and asked me to accompany her. I declined. She knew how much I hated it here, and I still do, but I'm still so attached it's hard to leave. I don't know what's out there, but here, everything is familiar, the same day after day. If I were to go out there, I probably wouldn't be able to come back.”

 

“Don't waste your entire life contemplating what you should or shouldn't do. Make a choice and don't regret it if it was wrong; you always have another chance at something.”

 

“But you don't understand-“

 

“Hn, I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with you,” he turned away from her and began walking, “You said your life was an imitation; the real thing is going to give you scars, no matter how much you avoid it. Decide now; you might not get another chance.”

 

Shikai stood for a second, and in an instant made up her mind, “Wait!” She could still see his black figure in the haze. It stopped as she ran to him.

 

“May I,” she stopped next to him, “May I accompany you, if only for a short time. You seem to know a lot about the world.”

 

He glared, “I'm not going to baby-sit you if that's what you're after.”

 

“By all means, no. I only wanted a companion. I will look after myself, and do my share of work. Interaction with another would be nice while I'm starting off.” His eyes searched hers.

 

“Hn, after a week, you're on your own.” She smiled and bowed respectfully, following as he began to leave.

 

“Do you have a name?” He glanced at her once, before setting his eyes forward.

 

“Hiei.”

 

“I like that name. I'm Shikai.”

 

“Hn,” I guess he doesn't like to talk much.

 

ooooooooooooo

Shikai awoke to the shaded sun glaring into her face. One eye peaked open to look between the tree leaves at the lighted sky. She yawned and jumped from the branch she laid on, landing gracefully between two large roots.

 

Seven days passed rather quickly after the first few hours. Hiei had found her fascination with everything to be rather annoying and promptly threatened her life. She had found him to be very interesting, even though he animatedly refused to speak with her.

 

He did show some kindness, however, when he bluntly told her that she needed to use a weapon as her ice powers would be useless on certain opponents. He even trained her on how to use a pair of daggers, if only for an hour.

 

Shikai found breakfast already made and sitting over a dwindling fire. He had already left. But, she found something unusual as she sat down next to the burning wood. She had thought it to be dried blood at first, and on closer examination, found that it was a dried rose.

 

Eyes widened as she scrambled to kneel in front of it, lifting it gently from the dirt. It can't be . . . . Almost half of the petals were missing, a sign that it had been held before and not simply fallen from its vine. That would mean Hiei is . . . . Realization shot at her heart and joyful tears slid to the ground.

 

“Thank you Hiei, for everything.”

 

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooo

A/N: Not my best, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. CURSE YOU PLOT BUNNIES!!! I'm continually harassed. Don't know why I wrote it, but maybe someone out there will appreciate my talent . . . .

 

Yeah, right.

 

Btw [|] = Shikai didn't know that Hiei was a `he' not a `she'