Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fire or Ice? ❯ The Old Kingdom ( Chapter 20 )

READ!OK, I had a few people that were confused, dammit, so I will try to answer your questions. OK, someone thought that Ruri was dead, but she isn't. Well, in the chapter where Arc met Rika, they were all in a world that Ruri had made. So, those were just Arc and Rika's souls, and Ruri was kinda.... just visiting I guess you could say. She wasn't actually there physically and neither was Arc and Rika, that's why they killed themselves, so their souls would be returned to their bodies, or at least Arc anyway. So, do you understand now? Cause I don't know how to explain it any better, sry. And uh, after this story, there will be a sequel, another OC pairing. Wonder who it will be with? Guess you'll just have to stick around to find out.

 

Love ya all,

Robin

 

Chapter twenty

The Old Kingdom

 

“We're almost there”, Kuwabara shouted.

 

“We can see that you big oaf”, Hiei scolded.

 

“Would you two cool it”, Yusuke said as they stopped outside of the broken gates.

 

Two large, stone statues of a King and Queen were outside. They were crumbling, and they had ears and tails.

 

They were dog demons.

 

They walked in through the gates, and noticed the broken weapons and bones of demons that littered the yard and front steps.

 

It was small, but they noticed the old houses and shops that had been burned down. It use to be a small kingdom.

 

“This use to be the kingdom of the Great Dog King. There weren't many dog demons left when he ruled, and Ruri made sure that no one survived when she ambushed them and took his kingdom. But, that was many years ago. Why would she abandon it, and than come back after so many years”, Kurama asked.

 

“Because, she's that bored, and heartless”, Arc answered.

 

They walked up the front steps and the large oak doors opened before them.

 

More bones, and dried blood lay on the floor along with discarded, and broken weapons.

 

Lights burned from the torches on the walls, and from a large candle chandelier in the middle of the room. Large, once decorative stairs lay before them, but before they could get there, the doors slammed shut behind them, and countless demons appeared before them on either side of them, and from the stairs.

 

“Well, time for some fun”, Yusuke said as he began to punch his way through the demons that came at him from the right.

 

Kuwabara helped Yusuke, as Hiei and Kurama took the ones on the left.

 

Arc had no time to waste. She would not let anyone else die, no one. She made two large swords of ice from each hand this time, and raced at the foolish demons that charged down the stairs at her.

 

After a few slices of her swords, and a large bite mark on her arm, she was half way through them.

 

'They're weak creatures', she thought as she cut through them easily.

 

More were coming from the rooms and dungeons down stairs, as they made their way to Yusuke and the others.

 

Arc had now made it upstairs, with only a bite mark, and a deep cut on her stomach. Her senses were blocked with the smell of blood that she was covered from head to toe in. Her jeans and red tank top were now black and stained.

 

She made her way into a large room upstairs, that was half the size of a foot ball field. It was the old ball room.

 

A figure at the end of the room, with black armor on held a sword that had flames surrounding it.

 

“Who are you”, Arc called out to them.

 

They only raised their sword in response, and flew at her. Arc prepared herself as the creature struck her swords hard, almost knocking her back.

 

Arc pushed them back, and hit the helmet hard, so that it cracked and bent inward.

 

Arc raised her sword up and was about to bring it down, when the person rammed her in the stomach, knocking her into the wall behind her.

 

She hit her head and fell to the floor. Blood seeped out from the small gash that formed, but she paid no heed to it as Kurama and the others made it upstairs and looked down at her.

 

“Arc, are you all right”, Kuwabara asked.

 

“Stand back”, she said as she stood up and stepped forward.

 

Hiei kept his eyes on her at all times. He saw the blood that oozed from her head and stomach, and the dried blood that covered a bite mark on her arm.

 

'Arc', he thought with concern as she took another hit in the stomach.

 

“Arc, stop it before you get yourself killed”, Yusuke yelled at her.

 

She only grinned as she dropped her swords and flew at the demon. Her eyes blazed red, and her hands grew flames that turned blue.

 

“I've never seen her do that before”, Kuwabara stated.

 

“None of us have”, Kurama said calmly.

 

Her hand punched the blade of the demon's sword, and it broke in half. The demon was dumbfounded and unguarded as Arc punched them firmly in the head.

 

The helmet was cut through, and her fist landed in their face, burning it.

 

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”, they screamed as the helmet broke around them and fell to the floor.

 

“Damn you”, they yelled as they looked up at Arc, one hand covering their right eye.

 

Blood ran down their face from their nose, which was broken and burned along with their right eye.

 

“You will pay for that”, they stated harshly.

 

Arc could only grin at the look on her face.

 

“Try me”, she said to the injured demon.

 

A low growl emitted from the demons' mouth as they transformed into a large, gray wolf that took up half of the room. The armor breaking and falling to the floor at their large, pawed feet.

 

Archer turned into her fire demon form as she blazed around the room, circling the wolf in a large ring of fire.

 

“Now, we won't be disturbed”, Arc said.

 

“Arc”, Yusuke tried to call out to her, but she couldn't hear him.

 

“She can take care of herself, Yusuke”, Kurama said, trying to calm him down.

 

XXXXX

 

The wolf pounced on Arc, and was rewarded with a scorched belly, that burned off the hair. Small strings of fire danced out of Arc's fingers and raced up the wolf's legs, burning hair and skin off.

 

The beast roared in pain as she jumped at Arc and bite her shoulder, and half of her chest. Arc froze, and than snapped out of it as she felt the blood begin to pour out of her.

 

She sank to her knees as the wolf started to walk around her, insulting her with words of weakness and foolishness.

 

Arc just sat there, holding her hand to the large puncture wound on her shoulder.

 

'I can't give up now. I can't. What about Kurama, Yusuke, my dad, Hiei.... everybody? I can't let them down, even if in the end.... I don't make it. I have to at least make it that far.'

 

She stood up, still holding onto her shoulder as she placed her other hand on her chest.

 

“I won't let you win”, she yelled, as large flames roared from her hands, burning and closing up her wounds on her.

 

The wolf attacked her than, and missed as Arc jumped up in the air and landed on her back.

 

Her hands burned fiercely with blue flames as she shoved her hands into the demon's neck, tearing it in half before the demon could throw her off.

 

Arc fell to the floor in a cat like stance as blood poured out of the wolf's neck, staining it's fur.

 

Black blood was coughed up from her mouth as she faltered on her right leg. She picked herself up slowly as she went back to her normal form.

 

She staggered slightly, as her long gray hair swayed with her body.

 

“I... must p-protect, Lady Ruri”, she said with determination as sweat clung to her forehead and arms.

 

She wore a simple white tunic and a pair of pants similar to Hiei's, that were now covered in her own blood and Arc's.

 

The half dead demon charged at Arc, who grabbed her and threw outside of the ring of fire, and hit a wall close to Hiei and the others.

 

The flames died down, and Arc fell to one knee.

 

The others rushed over to her, and helped her to her feet.

 

“Arc, are you OK”, Yusuke asked.

 

She looked up at him and pulled herself from his grasp, and dropped her fire demon form as she went back to normal.

 

“I'm fine. Come on, we're almost there”, she said as she walked forward, out the door they had come through.

 

“Take it easy”, Kurama instructed her.

 

She didn't listen. She was becoming as hard headed as Hiei, who still wouldn't say anything to her. He just couldn't think of anything to say that would make her stop acting the way she was, or stop feeling the way she felt. He just didn't know what to do.

 

They came across a large hall that had rooms on each side of them.

 

“I don't think she'll be in any of these”, Kurama said.

 

“I hope you're right”, came Arc's voice from the front of the group.

 

The torches at the end of the hall, where they had come from, were beginning to extinguish all the way up to where they were.

 

“Are the rest of you sick of playing games”, Arc asked.

 

“”Yes”, they answered.

 

“Than lets not waste any time”, she said before running down the hallway.

 

They followed her, as the lights burned out behind them. A large set of iron doors were at the end and Kurama called on his rose whip, which snapped them in half. The doors broke, and fell to the floor as they entered the room.

 

There, on the wall of the room across from the entrance sat Ruri on a large bed in a small, red robe.

 

The color on her made them all think of blood, which is why she was wearing it. She had just got done from taking another blood bath.

 

“So nice to see you again, Archer”, she said cooly.

 

Arc snarled at her, as Yusuke and Kuwabara looked like they wanted to beat the crap out of her. Hiei and Kurama were the only ones that looked at her calmly.

 

“Well, don't just stand there. Don't you want to have some fun, even though the maids just made up my bed”, she said with a snicker.

 

Arc looked at her with pure hatred, a hatred that burned in her heart, and came out in her eyes. Eyes like her mother.

 

“Don't worry, Ruri. We're her to have fun as well. Aren't we guys?”

 

Yusuke smirked at Arc's words, and Kuwabra agreed, while Kurama and Hiei grinned slightly.

 

“Than come and get me”, she offered, as she scooted back further onto the bed.

 

Arc ran towards the bed and jumped on it, her hands going around her neck as she straddled her body.

 

Kuwabara and Yusuke looked at each other, and than Kuwabara asked, “Are we supposed to be turned on by this?”

 

“I don't know”, he answered him honestly.

 

Ruri laughed as she was being choked, and than grabbed the large gold cord rope that was above her head. The bed suddenly fell through the floor and part of the floor covered up the opening it made.

 

“Arc”, Yusuke and Kuwabara screamed.

 

She couldn't hear them.

 

XXXXXX

 

Arc opened her eyes and tried to lift her hand to her head, but couldn't. She looked through the dark room and saw a small light coming from under the door.

 

A flame suddenly came to life a few feet in front of her, in the hand of Ruri.

 

“I have one question for you, Archer.”

 

She walked closer to her, so that she was a few inches away from her face.

 

“Will you join me, or fight against me?”

 

Arc looked at her blankly, like the answer to that was obvious.

 

“I will never join you”, she said slowly, and coldly.

 

Ruri smirked, as she backed away from her face slightly.

 

“Well than, I guess I'll just have to torture you and your friends. Starting with killing them in front of you”, she said as she chuckled and than extinguished the fire.

 

“Don't you touch them!”

 

Arc suddenly smelled a rose like odor that made her eyes droop and her body feel drained. Her eyes closed as she cursed under her breath and fell asleep.

 

XXXXX

 

Yusuke and the others were now running through the castle, looking for her. They had already killed three other demons, and they just kept on coming. They were running down a small twisted flight of stairs when they reached a dungeon like room at the bottom.

 

There lay cells across from them with bones, and decaying bodies in them. They walked away from it as they came to another room with a large door to it.

 

Before they could open it, it creaked open and a light suddenly blazed from the room. They all stepped in side and saw Arc on the wall, covered in a spider like web.

 

“Arc”, Yusuke yelled as he ran over to her.

 

She didn't answer him. Her head was tilted down, and her hair covered her face and part of her bare shoulders.

 

Hiei reached her first, and tried to cut through the substance that held her, but he couldn't.

 

“What is it”, Yusuke asked.

 

Kurama ran his hand over it and said, “It's hair.”

 

“Hair”, Kuwabara said.

 

“Yes, it is. I've been collecting it for years”, Ruri said as she passed through the wall.

 

They all took a step back, except for Hiei who stayed by Arc's side.

 

“What did you do to her”, Yusuke asked as her eyes fell on Kurama and she smirked.

 

“So nice to see you again, Youko Kurama”, she said seductively, as she ignored Yusuke's words.

 

Kurama stood still as she circled him and touched his shoulder.

 

“I remember a time when you were a thief. A famous one at that. Do you remember stealing from me, Kurama”, she asked playfully.

 

He didn't answer her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

 

He wanted to move, get her off of him, but he couldn't move. He was paralyzed.

 

“You stole one of my favorite mirrors. Did you know that?”

 

Sweat lingered on his forehead as he watched her out of the corner of his eyes.

 

“Don't touch him”, came Yusuke's voice as he pointed his finger at her.

 

She laughed, and than pulled out a small knife from out of thin air and stabbed him in the back.

 

“Kurama”, they yelled as he fell to the floor.

 

Kuwabara ran over to him as Yusuke yelled, “Spirit Gun!”

 

It went right through her as she disappeared again.

 

“Come and find me”, her voice rang through the room.

 

Kurama was sitting up as he held onto his stomach where the blade had pierced him from the other side.

 

He grunted in pain as Kuwabara helped him up.

 

“I'll be fine”, he said in a quiet voice.

 

“Hiei, get Arc out of there”, Yusuke demanded.

 

Hiei cut through the hair again, but it just grew back. He did it again and again with his demon speed, and it finally broke enough for him to grab her.

 

But, what he saw made his eyes grow wide in shock and discomfort.

 

“Hiei, let's go”, Yusuke yelled at him again as he walked over to him.

 

“Don't come any closer, Detective”, he said in a embarrassed voice.

 

“Hiei, what is it”, Kuwabara asked.

 

“All of you turn around”, he said.

 

“What, why?”

 

“BECAUSE SHE'S NAKED”, he yelled at them.

 

They all blushed and did as they were told as Hiei took off his cloak. (i don't know what it's called. But, it's the long black, dress like thingy that he wears.) He put it on Arc and than tried to fight away the blush that was in his cheeks.

 

He picked her up and they left the dungeons.

 

Ruri watched them with amusement on her face.

 

“I do love to play with them. It is so much fun”, she said with a wicked smile.

 

 

XXXXXX