Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fires of Sekhmet ❯ Payback is a Bitch ( Chapter 8 )

Fires of Sekhmet

By Jaguar Ki

A/N: Hello again, I just wanted to take the time to thank the great and wonderful Nada for here work as my Beta Reader, and those few who are kind enough to review.(thanks so much Silver Moon Rebel) As for the rest of you, you know you can spare 2 minutes to give a review to this poor author. Even if you don't like something a word here or there is much welcomed. Anyho- the next chapter is half way finished so I better get to work. Later

Oh one more thing, if you liked this fic and you like Original fiction check out Nada on Fanfiction.press. Her work kicks @ss!

Chapter 8

Payback is a bitch

Hiei stood in Koenma's office leaning against the wall as they all waited in silence. His eyes were closed, the line of his face set in deep contemplation as he went over everything that had happened. His face twitched as the wall behind him made a loud thud and the sound of muffled cackling and harsh curses drifted from the other side. It had been going on for the last two hours sense they had returned, and it was becoming harder and harder to ignore.

The spirit world had been consumed by chaos. If it hadn't been so damn annoying, it probably would have been funny. The population of the small exploding creatures, (which the staff had decided to call poppers) had diminished significantly over the last twenty-four hours. However, even in small doses, their presence was still utterly intolerable. Their stench seemed to coat everything it touched and linger for days on end.

Shortly after they had left for Tokyo, the flower like beings had appeared in ungodly amounts. These creatures seem to delight in causing mayhem wherever they went. Though loud and unbelievably obnoxious, if you did manage to kill one (which was harder then you might think) they at least didn't combust in a stinking cloud that made you long for death. Not to mention, (and Hiei thanked whatever luck was with him that he had yet to run into them) the strange black frogs that belched fumes that caused hysterical laughter in anyone who breathed them in.

The appearance of all these alien beasts wasn't the only cause for alarm. The shore of the River Styx had turned into some kind of harsh prickly green sand and there were reports coming in of poisonous goo falling from the sky in certain areas. Needless to say it was far from boring. Another bang from the wall behind him and a shrill scream sent Hiei snarling to the other end of the room. His body was tense with aggravation and impatience as he paced back and forth.

Koenma had disappeared with Botan and the girl Kida an hour ago. The sphere was lying on his desk, still pulsing with that eerie light. Hossam had stayed behind with them, his feline gaze never seeming to leave the sphere. He had been quite clear that only Kida possessed the power and knowledge to end all this madness. So, it would seem that they could do nothing else but wait for her to regain consciousness.

The others seemed to take that bit of news rather well. Yusuke and Jin were laughing about who-knows-what in the opposite corner, Touya and Kurama were engaged in a quiet conversation of their own, and oddly enough, Kuwabara had begun a heated debate on feline breeds with Hossam.

Hossam. Hiei thought to himself. Something about that cat rubbed him the wrong way. True, Hossam had been more then forthright with information on their trip back to the Spirit world, but Hiei still had the feeling he was keeping something from them.

According to what he had said, Sekhmet and the others like her, had settled in-between the areas of dimensional space, what he called the Gray Rift. It was not only the barrier that separated two dimensions, but it was where order is created from chaos. It kept the very laws that governed each universe in place and functioning. The Sphere was forged along those same basic principles, in that if used properly, it could bring order to an otherwise chaotic situation. Hossam believed that the human Harald's misuse of the Sphere somehow disturbed the balance within the Gray Rift. Thus, Spirit world was now slowly breaking down and if the balance was not restored, the destruction would spread until everything returned to chaos.

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"Really sir, I don't see the reason for you take this form, it's a bit unnerving if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you, Botan, besides as the future ruler of the spirit world I must always embody the image of strength, command, and wisdom when meeting others for the first time."

"Yes, but she's not even awake yet."

"So, it's only a matter of time before she does, and I want her to feel at ease and safe knowing that she is under the care of an experienced ruler. I think this form projects that statement quite clearly."

"I see, then it has nothing to do with the fact that you started drooling the moment you saw her?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I haven't drooled in years. Besides, it's not my fault there's a shortage of attractive women around here."

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, ARE YOU SAYING I'M NOT ATTRACTIVE?"

"What? . . . .Oh crap did I say that out loud? . . .No, No you're very attractive, I just meant that- "

"OH, I GET IT. INSTEAD OF LOYAL, HARD-WORKING EMPLOYEES, YOU WOULD RATHER BE SURROUNDED BY STUPID, BIG-CHESTED BIMBOS, IS THAT IT?"

"Excuse me, but it you two need to be alone I could just leave."

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Kida cracked one eyelid open and stared up at the blurring images above her. Oh great, where am I now? There was a distant ringing in her ears and her mouth felt like it was stuffed with used toilet paper, but other than that she felt surprisingly well. She opened her other eye and her vision began to focus on a small but elaborate chandelier right above her head.

She wasn't alone, she heard voices nearby. They started out as faint whispers that she had to struggle to hear, but soon the volume increased and Kida realized she was catching the tail end of an argument. Kida slowly raised herself from the bed, groaning when her muscles protested.

She looked over to see a young woman (yelling at the top of her lungs) with long light blue hair pulled into a ponytail and dressed in a pink kimono. Beside her, looking somewhat afraid, was a man about the same age, his short deep brown hair framing an average, but still handsome face. The word Jr. Seemed to be tattooed on his forehead and. . . .

`Wait a minute, dose that guy have a pacifier in his mouth?' She rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing clearly. `Yep, that's a pacifier.' At this point the argument was reaching a somewhat critical stage and though she would have liked to watch how it ended, the girl's yelling was starting to give her a headache.

"Excuse me, but if you two need to be alone, I can just leave."

They both turned to her with wide eyes as if just now remembering she was there. Their faces flushed with embarrassment and they spent a good thirty seconds clearing their throats and reorganizing themselves. The girl recovered first and came over to sit at the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her face a mask of bright good cheer.

"Uh . . . pretty good, I guess. I hope you won't find this rude but . . . Who are you? And where am I?"

"Oh of course, how silly of me. My name is Botan, Pilot of the River Styx and guide to departed souls. Welcome to Spirit World." Botan said in the most official way possible.

"Spirit world? . . .So, does that mean I'm dead?" Kida said, shock vibrating through her voice.

"Oh no, no. It seems you ran into several of our agents and they brought you here after you were hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that's a long story. So, before we get into that, I would like to introduce you to-"

Botan was shoved aside as Koenma rushed to the bed and grabbed Kida's hand and gave her a gracious bow. "Lord Koenma at your service. It is a great honor to meet you Kida of the Gelf Quan."

"Oh thank you . . . the honor is mine as well, but how did you know who I was?"

"Your friend Hossam was good enough to inform me of your identity as well and your situation." Koenma said still keeping hold of Kida's hand.

"And might I say you have the lovl-"

Whatever Koenma said after that was unheard by Kida. She had just happened to look behind his shoulder and saw the strangest thing. It was unimaginably thin, almost like a sick finger. It waddled on two paper thin appendages that looked exactly the same as its arm. A large flat head was surrounded by small yellow petals. It stopped just inches of Koenma's back and in a screeching and loud voice yelled . . .

"BOGGIDIE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Koenma and Botan screamed in unison, there was a loud *POP* and Kida was engulfed in smoke. She coughed as her lungs kicked out the offensive air and she could hear Botan shouting.

"Lord Koenma are you all right?"

"THAT'S IT!!!!!! Ogre, I want all these . . . these . . . things rounded up and thrown into the furnace, you hear me!"

As the smoke finally cleared, Kida got a quick glace of the flower thing running out of the room cackling like a mad man and being chased by a toddler.

"What . . . What just happened?" Kida asked Botan who was on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Uh . . . well, it seems that Lord Koenma has decided that I should fill you in on the situation." Botan said when she finally regained her ability to breathe.

"Oh . . . Um . . . Ok. By the way, where is Hossam?" Kida said slowly as she stared at the strange girl.

"He's waiting with the others, anyway let's get this over with."

Kida listened carefully to Botan as she went over the events of the last several days. Most of what she heard was nothing new to her, Harald, the murders, and the disturbance within Spirit world. In fact she knew a bit more on the subject than they did, but she decided there was no point in informing them of that. However, what Botan told her of the strange disappearance of the victim's souls and the information Hossam had given them, left her with a very bad taste in her mouth. The situation was worse than she could have ever imagined.

"Well, that's the sum of things, and your clothes have been cleaned." She pointed at the jeans and a shirt folded neatly on a dresser. "So, why don't you take some time to freshen up, and then I will take you to meet the others."

Kida nodded silently as her mind tried to digest everything. She went about her tasks half-heartedly as her mind was on other things. Thanks to that cowardly cat she was going to have to tell them that their world was in far more trouble then they thought. `Just like Hossam to make me be the bearer of bad news. The moment things get tough he just passes the buck.'

Kida was extremely upset with him, but not all that surprised. She had known Hossam throughout most of her life and in fact if one were to be technical he was family. This was not the first time he had done something like this and she doubted it would be the last.

Born of the bloodline of Beset it was in his very nature to be cunning and into mischief. However, it seemed that she was always the one that had to pay for it. She shook her head to pull her thoughts in a different direction. It was starting to call up feeling she didn't need right now.

Finally dressed, she was kind of amazed that her cloths had survived the previous night, she followed Botan out the door and down the hall. It was a relatively short walk, but for Kida it seemed like hours. She knew she would need to vent some of her tension or she would never get through this and like a bolt of lightning she suddenly knew how. She gathered every negative emotion she could inside herself, wrapping them around each other in a tight ball.

`Oh HOSSAM!!!!!!!!!'

* * * * * * * *

Hossam was busy grooming his fur as the others talked amongst themselves. His strange yet somewhat enlightening conversation with the one called Kuwabara had ended with the return of Koenma. Though he was reluctant to discuss it, something had happened that put him in a foul mood. Kuwabara had tried to push the issue and . . . well lets just say it had ended with the boy brooding on the other end of the room.

Satisfied with his tongue bath he stretched and made himself comfortable on top of Koemna's desk and watched these . . . individuals (for lack of a better word). His eyes first rested on Kurama. `This one may be a bit of a problem.' He thought, not that there was anything wrong with him, in fact Hossam was quite fond of him ( in more ways than one). It was just keeping him away from Kida that would cause a few complications.

Hiei, he was a demon, and that was about all he knew. There was a taste of mistrust around him and Hossam reminded himself to be wary of him in the future. Though compared to the others he was short in stature, his body was erupting with demonic power, and something else he couldn't quite identify.

Then there was Yusuke. He was a total enigma and the apparent leader of this strange band of brothers. His power was unlike anything Hossam had encountered in his long life, and he was clueless as to whether he was human, demon, or both. This was definitely a mystery worth solving, and he loved a good mystery.

Touya, who was talking to Kurama was also someone he had only basic knowledge of. He was a demon, he was shinobi and he could call upon the power of ice. His companion Jin definitely held his interest, he had fought Kida and from what he gathered from his conversation with Yusuke, had found it very . . . invigorating.

He could feel his lips curling up over his tiny fang. `Oh yes, this trip could be loads of fun.' He lifted up on all fours and began to make his way towards Jin, his plan already halfway forming in his mind. If there was one thing that was Kida's biggest problem, it was never stopping to enjoy life. She was way too involved with her work. In fact, the last lover he could truly remember her having was . . . . `Was it that long ago? I don't know how she can stand it. I would rather die than go that long without sex.'

`Oh HOSSAM!!!!!'

All activity stopped as Hossam jumped into the air growling and spitting. He landed with a thump on the floor and rolled around howling loudly. As quickly as it had started it stopped and Hossam lay on the floor panting, his little cat eyes wide and glazed over. Botan and Kida chose that moment to come in.

"What's going on in here? What was that dreadful noise?" Botan said as she stared at the others gathered around in a circle.

"Hey, lady, I think something's wrong with your cat." Said Yusuke.

They separated, giving her room to take a look at Hossam. She came over and gave him a hard look for about five seconds and then turned away with a disinterested sigh.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He will be fine."

It was taking every shred of will power to keep from laughing, yet she could not keep her mouth form twitching at the corners. `Perhaps that was a bit too cruel?' Said a tiny voice inside her head. True, it was a tad bit cruel and maybe a little petty. `Oh well, he'll get over it.' Besides, she was feeling a hundred percent better now that she got rid of all that pent up emotion.

She walked over to Koenma and stared down at the sphere resting in the center of his desk. One by one the other left Hossam where he lay and turn their attention to her. Koenma gave a brief introduction and went straight to business.

"Well, this has been a most interesting couple of days and, as usual, Yusuke, you were able to bungle your way through it."

"Good old Koenma, always looking on the bright side." Yusuke said sarcastically which Koenma ignored.

"Anyway, If Kida here will be so kind as to-"

"Lord Koenma!" Kida interrupted. "I'm afraid there's something you need to know."

"Such as?"

`Well, here we go.'

"I must make apologies, but it would seem that Hossam . . . sugar-coated the situation. I'm afraid things are going to get a bit more interesting."

(Long pause)

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(even longer pause)

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"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"