Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny's Chains ❯ Not Even Trying ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9

Not Even Trying

 

He sat under the sakura tree. In some strange sense, he knew how the tree felt. Without its blossoms, it was simply another tree. Without the woman he longed for, he was just another man.

But she was so difficult to understand. He didn't know how to make her see him. Every time he tried, she was always with someone. And it was usually another guy. How was he supposed to compete with someone like…him?

“Damn girl,” he breathed, standing. Looking up at the bare tree, he sighed. “Maybe when you bloom she'll see.”

Unhooking his kusari gama, he thrust it towards a nearby dummy. The blade whistled right by its head. With a swift jerk, he brought it back up behind the dummy's head, cleanly slicing it off. He caught the sickle and then flung it back at the mannequin, the tip piercing its chest delicately.

“Too bad there're no moving targets to practice on. Not many demons stand still and let you decapitate them,” he laughed, talking to himself.

“No, not typically. But you're quick.”

The young man turned and stared at the figure that had appeared beneath the sakura tree.

“But, then again, there haven't been many demons causing trouble as of late.”

“I know, Yuusuke,” the man growled, yanking his weapon from the mannequin's chest.

“Angel, I'm not your enemy. Osa just got dizzy, that's all. Nothing was going on,” the older man, Yuusuke, explained, pushing off the tree.

“I don't care. Just stay away from her,” Angel snarled, throwing the kama at Yuusuke's head.

Yuusuke dodged and Angel yanked on the chain, the sickle flying towards the back of Yuusuke's head. Knowing it was coming, the raven-haired man ducked. As the sickle flew back towards its owner, he ran behind it. Angel caught the sickle and blocked as Yuusuke threw a punch. Trying to create a distance, Angel backed away, but Yuusuke kept on him. Without distance, Angel couldn't use his kusari gama.

“C'mon, Angel, you can do better than that!” Yuusuke taunted, keeping up his onslaught of attacks.

“Damn you to Hell, Yuusuke!!” Angel roared, slicing across Yuusuke's middle. The blade caught the man's flesh and ripped it away. Blood sprayed both of them.

Stumbling back, Yuusuke held his stomach. “Haha, I told you.”

“Shut up!” Angel charged forward, throwing the kusari gama. He flicked the chain back and forth, nicking Yuusuke with every swipe. Every time he caught it, he sent it back.

“C'mon, Angel, stop playing! Deliver the final blow!!” Yuusuke laughed, coming to a dead stop.

Angel slid to a stop as well. His cool blue eyes had become ice and formed to a sharp glare; his face was twisted with anger. Without saying a word, or even really thinking about it, he threw the blade strait for Yuusuke's heart.

“ANGEL!!”

The young man's eyes widened in recognition of the voice. He pulled back sharply on the chain, the sickle reversing just before it reached Yuusuke. Racing back to its wielder, it nicked Angel's right cheek when he failed an attempt to catch it. Turning, he stared at the woman, a mixture of emotions in his hard eyes.

“Angel, what's wrong with you?!” she begged, tears slipping from her eyes.

“Osa…” Yuusuke started, stepping forward slightly.

“Shut it, Yuusuke!” she snapped, glaring at the man. Then she turned her gaze back to Angel. “How could you?”

“I…I…I just had to win you over!” he yelled, holding back tears. Dropping his weapon, he dropped to the ground on hands and knees. “I just had to make you see that I was just as good as any of `em!” His head bowed and tears dripped to the dirt.

“I already knew that, you dumbass! But you don't have to go and kill my friends to prove it!”

“Osa, I knew what I was doin'. I egged `im on,” Yuusuke defended, getting up the nerve. “Easily, I could've snatched it from the air. It's my fault.”

“But, Angel, how…? How'd you fall for something like that?!? Why weren't you as strong as you say you are? How?!”

Angel looked up at her, his tears now flowing into his cut and mixing with his and Yuusuke's blood. “You make it so hard…” he gasped, grabbing his weapon, standing, and running off.

“Angel!” Osadyro called after him, running down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and watched him disappear. “Angel….”

~*~

“Got any fives?” Shizuru asked dully.

“Go fish,” Botan muttered, yawning. “Darkfire, got any threes?”

Darkfire nodded and reached for the three of diamonds she held. As she pulled it out she gasped and fell forward onto the table. She crumpled the cards as she held her hands tightly to her chest.

“Darkfire!” Keiko gasped, touching the shaking girl's back.

“Darkfire, what's wrong?” Botan questioned, gently gripping Darkfire's arm.

“Something's breaking her,” Shizuru mused in a worried tone. “Something I can't explain.”

“Kurama!! Hiei!!” Botan cried, tears beginning to form.

Hiei was there in a moment, Kurama following shortly.

“What is it?” the fox inquired. And then his emerald eyes found Darkfire. “Dear God, what happened?”

“We don't know! She just hurt suddenly. Shizuru said something is breaking her,” Botan cried, throwing her arms around Kurama's neck.

Hiei winced and shook his head slightly. He closed his eyes tightly and his whole body tensed.

“Hiei, what is it?” Kurama asked, trying to calm the woman in his arms.

“She keeps screaming their names,” the demon growled. “'Something's wrong, something's wrong! Osa, Angel! Osa! Angel! I can't help them, but I need to! Something's wrong!'” Hiei recited, Darkfire's pain evident in his voice.

Carefully, he sat beside the shaking girl. Hesitantly, he placed a hand gently on her back and stroked it softly. He didn't really know what he was doing, but it seemed to work. Her breath steadied and the shaking subsided to small quivers every now and then. When she was finally calm, Darkfire looked up into Hiei's blood red eyes.

“I can't help them,” she whispered, tears bubbling over her deep chocolate eyes.

Hiei didn't look away from her, but he didn't say anything either. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for a long while. Suddenly, Darkfire flung her arms around Hiei's neck and cried into his shoulder.

“What do I do, Hiei? I'm shattered without them; and they're broken without me! We can't survive a month apart! I'll die, Hiei!”

Hiei glared and shoved her back, gripping her shoulders firmly. “You aren't going to die, fool! Knock it off and start acting like your eighteen! I thought I taught you better than that!”

Darkfire stared at him in disbelieving horror. Wiping her tears away on the back of her hoodie sleeve, she let her heart fall back into shadow in chained pieces. When she looked at him again, her eyes were dull and glazed.

“Ahem,” Shizuru coughed.

Hiei's eyes widened slightly, remembering that there was an audience. Standing abruptly, he disappeared from the room. Darkfire stood and left too. She couldn't hear the voices that called her to stay. Even if she could, she wouldn't have listened.

~*~

Closing the door to her room, she walked to the open window and out onto the balcony. She stared at the view with unseeing eyes. The breeze kissed her cheek, but she didn't feel it.

“You jump and you make me right.”

Darkfire didn't even hear this voice.

“Darkfire, do you really want to make me right?”

She turned her head slightly and spoke, “Right about what?”

“About all humans being weak and inferior. About how worthless and pathetic you are.”

“I already know you're right. There's no need to make you right.” She turned and stared straight through the figure in her room. “You've always been right…Hiei.”

“Open your eyes, fool!” he spat, storming up to her. Gripping her neck, he pushed her over the rail backwards. Her toes brushed the ground, trying to grasp the cement. Hiei leaned close to her, their bodies pressing together.

“How badly do you want to survive?” he whispered in her ear, a sadistic grin playing on his lips.

Darkfire pushed up the sleeve of the arm that was choking her to attack it. But she stopped. The arm was bandaged. She remembered that it was her fault. So her arms fell limp to her side.

“Are you really willing to put your life in my hands…just to save me pain? Fool!” Hiei gripped her neck harder, cutting off all chances of air. Darkfire tensed and shut her eyes tightly.

“I…trust…” she gasped, using her last breaths.

“You're going to die,” Hiei growled, moving his mouth right beside her ear. “I guess I won't get to see why you're so special after all.”

“I trust…Hiei…” she sighed, becoming completely limp.

“What?” the demon gasped, releasing her throat and watching her fall to the cement. “How? How can you trust me?! Damn you, Darkfire!” he yelled, shaking the girl's limp body. He pulled her close and held her tightly. “You're so stupid.”

`Ba-dum…. Ba-dum…. Ba-dum….'

“Her heart…?” Hiei thought, feeling Darkfire's pulse.

`Ba-dum…. Ba-dum….'

“My God, she's alive,” the demon whispered, laying her out on the small balcony. “Hn, maybe you aren't as weak as I thought. But know that any other demon would make sure you died. Feel privileged.” He stood and left the room, leaving Darkfire to sleep in the warm sun.

~*~

“Oh, I think she's waking up!” a voice whispered excitedly.

Darkfire's eyes fluttered open, blinking several times. Moaning, she attempted to sit up, but settled on flopping back to the comfort of the fluffy pillow.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Darkfire's eyes shifted to stare at Keiko, a wet cloth in her hand. “Yes, I'm ok. How long have I been out?”

“Nearly two days,” another female answered. It was Yukina.

“Yes, and the bruises have come in nicely.” Eyes shifting once more, Darkfire spotted Shizuru standing out on the balcony, smoking again.

“Nicely? They're repulsive!” a blue-haired woman argued, touching her neck.

“Bruises…? Oh, now I remember,” Darkfire chuckled, touching her own neck. “Hiei saved my life.”

“Really? Kurama said Hiei told him he did it,” Keiko said, putting the cloth in a bowl on the night table.

“Hiei did do it…but he also saved my life.”

Shouting suddenly took up outside the closed door.

“Oh, boy! Looks like they're at it again!” Shizuru sighed, flicking her cigarette butt into the wind.

“Who?” Darkfire asked, sitting up.

“Kazuma and Hiei,” Yukina answered.

“What's your problem, Shorty?!” Kuwabara yelled.

“Don't make me repeat myself, moron,” Hiei scoffed.

“Shut up and answer me!”

“Why shouldn't I do it?”

“One: she's a girl!”

“So?”

“Two: she's on your team, damn it!”

“So are you.”

“And three: she ain't done nothin' to deserve it! So, tell me, Hiei, what's your problem?”

“I don't have a problem, you fool! She's stronger than you. And she ain't afraid of dyin'. If she doesn't care, why do you?”

“You know, you're always actin' like some big shot, bad ass, but I bet you're just a scared little brat inside. So used to always gettin' your way, you can't stand it when someone questions you. I don't understand why they're here either, but you don't see me tryin' to kill `em!”

A loud thud sounded and the wall shook.

“Don't you dare pretend to know me!” Hiei snarled. “I do what I like, don't get in my way.”

There was a moment of silence, and then the door slid open slowly. Kuwabara stepped in, his blue T-shirt rumpled. When he saw Darkfire, his eyes widened for a moment.

“I'm sorry you had to hear that,” he mumbled, hanging his head.

“I'm not. Thank you for standing up for me, but…. Please, Hiei did mean well. And I sorta deserved it. Please, Kuwabara, don't be angry with Hiei,” Darkfire smiled, slipping out of bed. As she passed, she touched his shoulder softly. His eyes widened and he gasped slightly.

“Kazuma, what's wrong?” Yukina inquired, seeing his change of expression.

“She said…she said she let him. She said she trusted him with her very life and she proved it to him,” Kuwabara said, stumbling forward a bit. “I just don't believe it.”

~*~

“Hiei, please wait!” Darkfire shouted, trying to catch up to the speedy demon. She was used to Osadyro's fast pace, but Hiei put her to shame. “Please, Hiei, listen!”

Hiei stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at the panting girl. When she caught up to him, she paused a moment to catch her breath. The whole time, he stared at the bruises on her neck.

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry,” Darkfire said finally, bowing.

“What for?! What need do you have to be sorry?!”

“For forgetting myself for a moment. And I also want to thank you for reminding me.” She bowed again.

“Stop! Stop it!! I nearly killed you! I thought I had killed you!!” Hiei snarled, disappearing.

“Hiei doesn't usually lose his cool. But, then again, he's never been faced with someone quite like you.”

Darkfire turned to see Kurama leaning against the wall.

“What is it about me that makes him like this?” Darkfire questioned, her eyes begging.