Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Dancer ❯ Enter the Demon Realm! ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

DISCLAIMER: Nope, no YYH stuff here!!

A/N: well since I'm so excited about this next chapter, I'm gonna start it right now!! LoL, even though since I'm so excited about it, I'll probably skip through a lot of stuff...o well...

Thoughts

Fire Dancer

::Into the Demon Realm!::

The trio froze with horror as the scream rose above the buildings...The scream that was the same they had heard several nights ago.

But Yusuke did not stand for long, and immediately made a mad dash towards the cry. He was soon followed by Botan and Kuwabara as they trailed after him as quickly as they could.

Dammit...He thought angrily as he leapt over a fallen garbage can, Can't she stay out of trouble for once?!

-:11:-

Kurama too was racing towards the girl's terrified cry. They had obviously not been at the bookshop...at least not anymore. The shattered remnants of the windows told him that. But some way or another, Mai had been deeply wounded and a trail of blood helped in leading him to the demon and Guardian.

It appeared that Ryu had either chased or dragged the girl into the small forest that ran along the edge of the road. And trees raced passed him as he dashed swiftly after the trail of blood. Several trees had been slashed down by one of the demon's tentacles and the same foliage had been pushed aside as he charged into the wood.

And up ahead, Mai's scream of terror resounded off the trees and Kurama raced more fervently towards her...

-:11:-

Mai desperately tried to crawl away from Ryu's fury as his tentacles lashed out around her. A deep gash trailed along her back and blood poured from the open wound, blending into the girl's crimson tank-top. Scratches and cuts lined her face and arms and her stomach was now drenched with the red liquid after her wound reopened.

She attempted fruitlessly to scramble to her feet, but Ryu's limbs attached themselves to her and entwined around her abdomen. The tentacles began to crush her as his grip tightened mercilessly. The Guardian screamed in pain and writhed as she felt her rib cage groaning, trying to stay together...Tears of pain filled her azure eyes and she gritted her teeth furiously.

Ryu only smirked with delight at her suffering and constricted her further. Black dots clouded her vision and she felt bile within her throat.

Oh, gods not again...she thought, there's no one here to help me now...I'm going to die for sure this time...

The demon suddenly whipped her against the trunk of a tree, lusting to hear her scream once more. The wood splintered and Mai whimpered painfully as tears welled up in her eyes and she held on to the urge not to scream and fill his desire.

She gritted back the agony within her, "Damn you..." she muttered through clenched teeth, "Damn you, Ryu!!" she cried.

He smirked and casually stepped closer to her, gripping her chin in his fist, "There's nothing you can do, though, Guardian...There's no one here this time; you're all alone now..." he chuckled darkly, "So why don't you scream for me? I'll make sure your death is swift and painful, hm?"

But Mai almost immediately spit in his eye furiously. The demon quickly wiped the saliva from his eye and snarled dangerously. He backed up swiftly and roughly threw her to the ground.

The Guardian cried out painfully when her body made contact with the earth. But with his fury mounting, Ryu strode towards the girl with an angry fire in his eye as he raised a razor sharp limb into the air.

The point glinted in the moonlight as he lifted it up above the girl's body.

Mai rolled weakly onto her back and could only watch as the jagged tentacle danced above her, ready to plunge into her flesh.

But she narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Go ahead," she dared in a hoarse whisper that was almost sad, “Kill me…there really is no one here to help me…”

He smirked with delight, "It would be my deepest pleasure!" he hissed.

And he let the tentacle plunge towards her.

She watched emotionlessly as the razor sharp point raced to meet her flesh. And finally, as if she was already giving up hope, she closed her eyes and waited for death to take hold of her...

But once more...it never came...

Strong arms wrapped around her body as she was lifted up off the ground. She heard Ryu's limb dive harmlessly into the soft earth and his cry of rage.

Daring to look, she opened her eyes carefully and stared up entranced at Kurama's deep green eyes.

Hope filled her as she felt his arms tighten around her protectively. He turned swiftly to face the demon as he set the girl on the ground gently. Mai staggered precariously behind him as the boy created a shield with his body.

In one of his hands, he wielded the same vine thing she had seen him with a few nights ago. He clenched it in his hand dangerously and held it out before him as a warning.

Ryu glared at the young man with the utmost loathing, as his limbs whipped it the air around him.

"You can't take him alone," Mai whispered fearfully.

Suichi smiled reassuringly, "That's why the others are coming to help..."

And no sooner had he said this, than the distant sound of crashing brush entered their ears as the others thundered towards them. But Ryu must have heard them as well and he turned his head swiftly towards the sound furiously.

Mai cowered slightly behind Kurama and cautiously placed her hands on his shoulder, as if it would protect her from the demon's anger. The other three companions, however, were too far away at the moment to be any help against Ryu...

The red-head cracked his whip warningly in front of the demon.

"Stay back..." he cautioned as he took a step forward. And before the dancer could stop him, he raced after the demon while brandishing his whip.

But Ryu saw no threat in the boy and dodged his attack with ease, jumping above his head and landing with a crash behind him. Kurama pivoted and turned to face him once again. The demon, however, was not willing to waste his time on the young red-head.

Before either of them could comprehend what was happening, Ryu switched his attention to Mai swiftly and one of his arms snapped out and latched onto the girl as quick as lightning.

The dancer cried out as the demon lifted her into the air precariously and whipped back the tentacle towards him. He gripped her by the throat and covered her mouth with his scaly hand. Kurama could only watch as the demon held her in a fatal position; one false move and Ryu could snap her neck.

Mai kicked at the beast holding her and screamed, even though the sound was muffled by the demon's hand.

Suichi stood frozen helplessly as the girl continued to struggle. And as the demon continued to grip the girl, the sound of the other three could be heard crashing through the forest brush. Soon, however, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan appeared from out of the trees...but stopped abruptly when they had fully understood what was happening before them.

Ryu—suddenly realizing that he was outnumbered—slowly started to back away from the group with Mai still within his grasp.

Yusuke was the first to react as he immediately placed his hands before him, his index finger pointing out towards the demon and his thumb erect.

But the beast laughed darkly, "Go ahead..." he snarled, "If you attack me, you attack the girl!!" he cried and held the dancer further out in front of him.

The Detective paused fearfully as he continued to back away from the group.

Ryu bellowed with victory, however, when the Spirit Detective did not attack, "Fool!" he roared.

And taking one of his tentacles, he sliced the air and the sound of the fabrics of time ripping could be heard as a dark portal appeared in the empty void before him. Electricity crackled along the edges of the gateway as a devious smirk curled at the demon's lips and he took a step towards the entryway.

"Say farewell to your friends, Kira," Ryu snarled to the girl in his clutches, "I doubt you'll see them alive again..."

Then he was gone.

Yusuke clenched his fists angrily as his fury built within him. The portal hissed as it slowly began to close after the pair.

Suddenly, the Detective let out a cry of both rage and anguish as he made a mad dash towards the closing gateway. He saw it beginning to seal quicker as he drew closer, but he was not willing to give up so easily.

"Yusuke, wait!!" Botan cried after him, "You don't even know where it goes!!"

But Urameshi didn't reply...even though it was probably because he couldn't reply.

With a final dive, he leapt towards the portal and into its black emptiness as it sealed immediately after him, while leaving the others staring at merely the air around him.

"Well that's not good..." Kazuma muttered.

-:11:-

Yusuke landed with a thud after he had finally stopped falling. The Detective groaned as he pushed himself off the ground and looked around the wasteland he appeared to be in. The sky burned a crimson red and lightning flashed.

It took a moment before he suddenly recognized the landscape with a sense of dread.

"Shit..." he muttered.

His surroundings were all-too familiar at the moment. Not even a month had passed since he had last visited the Demon Realm to fight the Saint Beasts.

He rose to his feet cautiously. The last time he had been there he and Kuwabara had almost immediately been attacked by those Fugaki things...Urameshi shivered, crazy bastards he thought distastefully.

The Detective searched the area carefully. Where the hell could Ryu have gotten to?!

But no sooner had this thought crossed his mind; a malevolent laugh could be heard behind him. He whirled and froze when he caught sight of Ryu standing not twenty yards away. How he had snuck past his sight, the Detective didn't know, but he suddenly felt an odd wave of guilt when he became aware of the crumpled figure lying on the dusty earth in front of the demon.

Mai's creamy orange hair blew across her scratched face as her wounds bled freely causing a crimson pool to form around her. Her azure eyes stared at the empty void before here and were glazed over with a lifeless trance; staring at Yusuke helplessly.

Whether she was unconscious or already dead, the Detective did not know...only that the weight of his guilt sent his Reiki level flaring. Yusuke clenched his fists at his side as his eyes glared at the demon furiously.

"Dammit..." Yusuke growled, "Damn you dirty bastard!!"

Ryu merely sneered at the boy's anger and chuckled darkly, "That's exactly what the Guardian said...right before I was ready to kill her too...”

"Shut up!" He roared, "SHUT UP!!"

And without exactly knowing what he was doing, the Detective charged full-force towards the demon, his fist clenched and ready to smash Ryu's face in. But the demon laughed at his fruitless attempts and dodged his blow with ease.

But the Spirit Detective whirled quickly and struck another punch at the demon, only to have Ryu jump away with each attack.

Urameshi glared at Ryu with rage, "Dammit! Stop running and fight me!!" he bellowed.

The demon smirked malevolently as his eyes darted towards the Guardian lying lifelessly along the earth, "It wouldn't be any fun for the girl if I were to kill you without her..." he grinned.

The Detective growled dangerously, "What are you talking about?" he muttered darkly, "She's not dead?!"

Ryu chuckled, "Of course not...I've waited a long time for this moment; the moment where I could destroy both a Spirit Detective and their Guardian!! I've waited too long to give up such an opportunity as this!!"

Urameshi gritted his teeth as his rage mounted. He glanced quickly towards the girl lying in the pool of blood. Her tangled hair was dyed a deep red as her clouded eyes seemed to stare into the empty void in front of her.

But after a moment, the boy smirked and placed his fists before him in a ready stance, "Too bad you picked the wrong guy to mess around with," he growled.

With a mighty slash of his tentacle, the demon suddenly lashed out at the boy, sending him flying into the air. The Detective landed with a thud on the rocky terrain. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but Ryu continued to drill him into the earth with another one of his limbs.

"Neither Kira nor Shunichi could destroy me...You two will be no different!!" the demon roared.

His limb constricted tightly around Yusuke's abdomen and whipped him into the air.

"Dammit, Mai!!" Urameshi yelled as he struggled to break free, "Since you're not dead, get up off your sorry ass and help me!!"

But the girl didn't move...

Even though she heard every word.

-:11:-

Mai's PoV

I heard his voice somewhere out there, but I couldn't move; something kept me down. Darkness swelled around me once again and mist curled around my knees. I clutched my sides frightfully as I stared into the black void around me.

"Dammit Mai!!" Yusuke's voice rang around me. I winced at the intensity of his tone...but where was he?

"—Since you're not dead, get up off your sorry ass and help me!!"

I wasn't dead? But I had to be dead; there was so much pain and blood...there wasn't any way I could be alive...

"I'm dead, though, Urameshi..." I whispered desolately. Slowly, I fell to my knees and stared down at my hands. I had to be dead; Ryu had killed me...hadn't he?

Wait.

Why was Yusuke here anyway; he didn't care about me. Hell, if he could have, he would have killed me himself by now…I guess he hated me that much. But be didn't give a rat's ass about me...he hadn't even wanted me to stay there at Genkai's and train...so why was he here now?

I shivered. It didn't matter now, though; it wasn't like he was doing himself any good, Ryu was probably going to kill him too...Urameshi should have just let me stay there and die...then he wouldn't have had to worry about me getting in his way...

Far off, the sound of the clashing battle echoed towards me and I could hear Yusuke's cries as Ryu attacked him little by little; as if he was stalling the Detective's death...

I clamped my hands over my ears; desperate to drive out the sound, but it only rang with more intensity.

"I can't do it, Urameshi..." I whimpered, "I can't help you!!"

The sound of his body crashing into the earth caused me to wince as tears filled my eyes at his struggle. If I was alive, I probably wouldn't be much use to him anyway...The only reason I had 'destroyed' Ryu before was because Kira had helped me—

Kira...

"Gods...oh gods, Kira, where are you?" I whispered tearfully, "I need your help!"

-:11:-

Yusuke wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth irritably as he picked himself up. The demon stood before him with a mad gleam in his eyes; lusting for the blood of both him and Mai...

His eyes darted swiftly back towards the Guardian. She needed help and fast...but Ryu had hardly a scratch on him; there was no way either of them could get away before he caught up with them. But if he kept fighting like this, both of them would eventually perish.

At least if worst came to worst; he could use his Spirit Gun...

He clenched his teeth in frustration as he clenched his fist, drawing it back like a trigger. And punching the air, he cried, "SHOT GUN!!"

Then, tiny spirit gun bullets shot through the air towards the demon, all of them hitting their mark.

Without taking another look back, however, the Detective turned on his heel and rapidly dashed towards the girl behind him. Swiftly, he placed her arm over his shoulder and lifted her off the ground. Blood spilled from her wounds as he raced across the battle field.

He could hear his attack dying down and Ryu regaining his senses.

"Come on, Mai," he panted as the demon suddenly noticed them racing across the terrain, "Hurry up and wake up, dammit!!" he bit his lip, thinking over his words...technically it wasn't like she heard him, right? "Come on...I...I need your help!!" he burst almost shamefully.

Ryu was now racing after them, his tentacles cracking like dozens of whips. The ground rumbled with each step the demon took and Yusuke felt a sudden wave of dread sweep over him.

Desperately, he shook the girl, "Dammit. I need your help, Mai!! Please, wake up!!"

-:11:-

Mai's PoV

I froze suddenly when I heard Yusuke's voice.

Had I heard him right?

Did he truly need my help?

...Did...did he truly need me?

I could hear his panting breath nearby, as if he was here in the wretched place with me...and...and I could hear Ryu racing closer and closer towards him. I suddenly felt the fear and dread he was witnessing in me...and then, as if it were a distant memory, I heard his voice ring softly through the darkness...

'It wasn't supposed to be like this!! She was never supposed to get hurt!!'

My body sat rigid for a moment as I let his words sink in...

What the hell...?

It hadn't sounded like the words he had spoken aloud; they were quiet and distant, as if...

As if he had been thinking them instead...

Tears formed in my eyes as I clenched my hands in my lap, confused. The teardrops rolled down my cheeks and fell into the inky darkness around me.

"...Mai..."

I gasped suddenly and turned—coming face to face with Kira.

The young maiden looked at me sadly with her deep eyes. It was definitely not the same cheerful girl I had seen only a few days ago; this Kira was aged in wisdom and yet had ever last drop of youth about her.

"Mai," she murmured, "...He needs you..."

I stood slowly before her and looked her in the eyes, but said nothing. The apparition silently clasped one of my hands in hers and held it tightly.

"Do not make the same mistake I did," she said sternly, "Do not let Yusuke fight alone; he needs your help now more than ever..."

"I'm dead, though—" I whispered.

But Kira frowned severely, "You know it isn't so...he believes you are able to come back, why can't you? Mai, despite the fact that he appears to not like you...despite the fact that he shields himself with an invisible barrier…he knows deep down that he does need help...And he needs your help most of all; you're his Guardian and you need to look out for him."

My tears cascaded down my face, "I'm scared, though..." I murmured.

After a moment, she smiled softly and carefully embraced me in her arms, "Don't be...Like I have said before, I will not abandon you..." a grin that appeared as though she had waited a long time for this moment spread sadly across her face.

"Now...Go beat that bastard down..."

-:11:-

Yusuke stumbled as the demon's tentacles whipped at his heels. Mai still lay slumped around his shoulder as he continued to run away from Ryu's attacks.

He couldn't keep running, though...eventually Ryu would catch up and destroy them both; he had to make a stand and finish it!! Whether it would finish the demon off or not was uncertain, but either way it would be his final attack...

The Detective swerved so he faced the demon approaching. He quickly shifted Mai's position so that she slumped over his back. He slowly raised his hand so that his fingers were shaped in the form of a gun.

Ryu stopped steadily when he noticed that the boy had decided to fight. The demon leered with delight as he awaited his final attempt to finish him off.

Urameshi gritted his teeth nervously, well here it goes...

"Yus...uke..."

He froze with surprise as he turned he head. The Guardian looked at him through partially closed eyes, but nonetheless with enough ferocity to scare anyone.

"Put...put me down..." she ordered sternly.

It took a moment before he realized that he was talking to him...she had been in a trance so long that he had forgotten that she was even still alive.

But he shook his head, "Hell no, you won't be able to stand!! In any case, I have this under control!"

She glared at him angrily, "Don't be such a jackass; Ryu won't go down with just one Spirit Gun attack..." she whispered hoarsely, "We've already realized that it doesn't work!"

The Detective glowered despite the seriousness of the situation and carefully set her down on her feet. The girl winced as she tried to take a step forward; obviously in serious pain. But she only gritted her teeth and continued a few steps onward.

"On three...fire your Spirit Gun attack..." she muttered.

Yusuke watched her carefully, "You think this will work?"

"Just do it, Urameshi..." she whispered.

Across the field, Ryu laughed malignantly at Mai's attempts to succeed, "Don't worry, Guardian! I will make sure both of you die as painfully as I can!!"

"One..." she whispered.

Urameshi raised his hand in the position of his Spirit Gun and the girl weakly did the same. Both stood rigid for a moment as the demon continued to mock their efforts.

"As I said before; neither Kira nor Shunichi could defeat me!! It will only be a matter of time before you witness their fates!!" Ryu roared with a dark chuckle.

"Two..."

Sweat perspired off of Mai's brow as she struggled to keep standing and her knuckles turned white with the same effort.

"Hey Urameshi..." she whispered.

"What?" he asked, never taking his eyes off of the demon.

"If this doesn't work...I...I just wanted to let you know that it would have been an honor to train with you and the others..."

The Detective went slightly rigid and eyed the girl curiously. She turned her head weakly and sent him a small grin before returning her attention to Ryu; the demon that for so long plagued Kira and now herself...

The demon that was the reason for Shunichi and Kira's deaths...

The demon that was responsible for even bringing Yusuke and herself together as Detective and Guardian...

The demon that needed to die once and for all...

"Three..."

-:11:-

A/N: ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Sorry about the new cliffie!!!!!!!!

But I did say that this chapter would be better, didn't I?

::silence::

::Nervous laugh:: okay then!! Sorry about all the jumpiness, I guess when I get excited about a chapter I tend to rush through things...

o well!!

PLEASE R&R!!!!!