Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ A Flicker of Hope ( Chapter 18 )

Author's Note: This is the sequel to Between Death and Reality. While it isn't required that you read that first, some things referenced here may not make a whole lot of sense.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I am not making any money from writing this. I do, however, own my plotline.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Chapter 18

 

A Flicker of Hope

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

“Hey guys,” Maya called from the corner of the room. She was holding her hand over the mouthpiece of her cell phone. “I've got someone on the line who claims he can help. Says his name is Mitamura.”

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other, eyes going wide. This was just getting weirder and weirder. Mitamura was the name of the master of the three humans that Ichigaki had tricked into becoming his fighters. Ichigaki had caused his illness then used the grief of the students to get them to willingly submit to his experiment by saying it was the price of curing their master. When Kurama and Hiei had been ambushed in the woods, they had defeated the doctor's minions easily and had persuaded him to tell them Mitamura's location. Kurama had then cured the martial arts master with relative ease and the two demons had helped to reunite him with his students after Genkai had released them from their bondage.

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara jumped from their seats and rushed over to a startled Maya. Yusuke grabbed the cell phone from her hands with an apologetic glance and put it to his ear.

 

“Master Mitamura?” he asked excitedly.

 

“Yusuke Urameshi?” the deep voice on the other end asked a bit hesitantly. This was the same voice of the man at the Tournament, though it was much stronger now that he was healthy.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I'm so glad I was able to reach you,” Mitamura said with a sigh of relief.

 

“Wait, how did you get this number?” Yusuke asked suddenly. He didn't even know Maya's cell phone number.

 

“My students and I are hiding underground in another part of the country. Maya established contact with us a few months ago and left her number in case we needed to get in touch,” the sensei replied.

 

“Oh,” was all Yusuke could think to say.

 

“Anyway, I just saw the news about Kurama and after he healed me those years ago, I couldn't very well just sit idly by and let this happen to him. And after all that your team did to help my boys, well, I felt if there was anything I could offer, I couldn't stay silent.”

 

Yusuke felt that small flame of hope inside him grow slightly. “What are you saying?”

 

“If it helps any, I know the location of the lab Ichigaki used when he was experimenting on my students,” Mitamura said.

 

Yusuke's eyes widened. “Are you serious?” If they could find that lab, there could be information that could lead them to the doctor's new hiding place. Or he could even still be there. And if nothing else, destroying it would show Ichigaki that the ex-Tantei weren't just lying down and taking defeat so easily. It would be a blow for sure.

 

“I'm serious.”

 

Yusuke felt a wide grin spread on his face. The others, not having heard the conversation, were looking at him strangely.

 

“Urameshi, what are you smiling at?” Kuwabara demanded.

 

Yusuke was about to answer when he felt the phone being pulled from his grasp. He blinked and looked over at Genkai, who had taken it and was putting it to her ear.

 

“Grandma?”

 

She gave him a look that said to stay silent and Yusuke shrugged.

 

“Master Mitamura? It's Genkai…”

 

“What's the deal, Urameshi?” Chuu demanded.

 

“Who's this Mitamura guy?” Mitari asked.

 

Yusuke related a quick background of what happened in that round of the Dark Tournament, thus catching everyone up to the same page.

 

“So what did he want?” Rinku this time.

 

“He has the location of Ichigaki's old lab,” Genkai replied for Yusuke. She had hung up the phone and was handing it back to Maya.

 

“Are you serious?!” Kuwabara exclaimed. “That's major!”

 

“Where is it?” Hiei asked from his perch against the back wall.

 

“Out in the countryside. There's an abandoned island about half a mile out to sea halfway up the coast of the country that it said to be haunted so no one visits. Ichigaki set up his lab there,” Genkai answered.

 

“So we're gonna go, right?” Yusuke demanded.

 

“This is such a good opportunity,” Kuwabara added excitedly.

 

“Do you realize how far away this lab is from here?” Maya said. She was looking at a map on the table. Mitari was looking over her shoulder.

 

Yusuke blinked.

 

“It would be a two day car ride just to get there from here,” Mitari explained, “plus getting out to the island. And all of this without being seen?”

 

“It won't be two days for some of us,” Hiei said.

 

“How quickly could you make it, Hiei?” Genkai asked immediately.

 

Hiei pushed himself up from the wall and walked over to the table that Maya and Mitari surrounded and studied the map for a moment.

 

“I could make it in about half a day,” he said. “If some others were to come, probably a day at most.” He was obviously accentuating the `some,' meaning just a few select of the gathered group could come and still make good time.

 

“Well I'm not going to sit on my ass and let Shorty go on his own when this could help us find Kurama,” Kuwabara said.

 

Yusuke nodded his agreement. “No way Hiei gets to have all the fun.”

 

Genkai sighed and nodded. “All right. You three go and find out what you can. The rest of us will stay here and hold down the fort.”

 

Yusuke felt excitement growing inside of him at the prospect of what they were going to do. This is going to be so damn satisfying.

 

“Go as soon as possible so you can return as soon as possible,” Maya added.

 

Genkai nodded her agreement. “And stay in contact.” That was obviously meant for Hiei, as he was the only one who could at this point.

 

The fire demon gave the map a final once over and turned to his teammates. “Well, let's go then.”

 

Yusuke looked over at Kuwabara and saw the determination burning in his eyes and hoped his own echoed his friend's sentiments. Kuwabara nodded and Yusuke returned the gesture. The former head Detective turned back to Genkai and saluted.

 

“We'll be back.”

 

“You better be, dimwit.”

 

Yusuke allowed himself a small smile at the nickname before turning and following Kuwabara out the door. Hiei had already left, though he would make sure his teammates would be able to follow.

 

“Be careful!” he heard Botan call.

 

Yusuke raised an arm and waved to acknowledge this. For you Botan. For you and Kurama.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

He ran as fast as he could, fear racing through his pounding heart. He sped onward as fast as his legs would carry him, but it still did not seem fast enough. Despite the turmoil in his heart, he was not even sure of what he was running from; but he somehow knew whatever it was would kill him if it caught him. This primitive fear kept him running.

 

The scenery suddenly changed and he found himself running in a dense forest. The branches whipped across his face as he ran past, leaving bloodied scratches. Blind fear kept him running, leaping over tree trunks and other obstacles in his path. As he jumped over a felled trunk, his landing foot came in contact with the underside of another felled log; he was sent sprawling onto his face. Only, the ground beneath him seemed to melt.

 

He felt himself falling through an oppressive blackness. He felt his body make contact with a hard ground, face first once again. Blinking against the sudden intense aching all over his body, he realized he was in a cement ring. The roars of a blood-lusting crowd forced the harsh reality to sink in as he felt the warm stickiness of blood, his blood, on his skin. The stench of his own blood was overpowering to his senses and he had to force himself not to gag.

 

Before he could push himself to his feet, he felt a hand grasp his hair and violently pull him upward. He hissed in pain as his vision blurred. He closed his eyes against the pain-induced dizziness. When he was finally able to open them again, his eyes met a pair of red-tinted violet ones that sent a shiver down his spine. This is what he had been running from. Death.

 

“Bang,” a soft, but malicious voice whispered into his ear, and his world erupted in a white hot pain, then darkness descended.

 

Kurama's eyes jerked open, his breathing coming in gasps. He swallowed hard, eyes darting around his cell. It was dark and he seemed be alone. He blinked a few times and slowly his breathing returned to normal. He slumped against his bondage. Why was he dreaming of that again? And now? This was the last thing he needed right now.

 

The fox shook his head slightly, trying to shake the effects of the dream off. No. He had defeated Karasu. Twice. He had more important things to be concerned with right now. But somehow, the fear that was so real in the dream seemed to linger.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Ichigaki nodded in approval at the red-head's obvious discomfort. He had succeeded in shaking the normally self-possessed fox, a feat that not many could say they had accomplished. It seemed Kurama truly was afraid of Karasu, even if it was just a memory. The fear in those emerald eyes when he had first awoken spoke volumes; this would be a good start in breaking the fox.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Hiei stopped suddenly on a sturdy tree branch as he felt a sudden flicker of Kurama's mental energy. It vanished just as quickly as it appeared, but it had definitely been there. He tried to trace it back as far as he could, but was unable to grasp onto it before it faded.

 

Fox, Hiei though irritably, where are you? What is going on?

 

Below him, Yusuke and Kuwabara had stopped as well.

 

“What's up, Hiei?” Yusuke called.

 

“Kurama.”

 

“What?” This startled the two teens.

 

“I felt his aura for a split second before it vanished,” Hiei replied curtly.

 

“What does it mean?” Yusuke asked with a frown.

 

Hiei shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

 

Something happened, though. Whether he did it or his captors did remains to be seen.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Botan tossed and turned on her pallet, unable to find any true rest. Her dreams were full of the image of the bloodied and captive Kurama. Finally she opened her eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. His smiling face popped unbidden in front of her eyes and she groaned helplessly.

 

She had been reckless in the middle of a battle and Kurama had been forced to act to save her… and it had gotten him captured by the enemy. It was her fault that he was in the condition that he was. And that thought burned down to her very soul. She only wished she could be of more use in trying to find the fox.

 

She loved him; there was no doubt about it. And any hard feelings she might have had earlier over the kiss she had seen had faded with her worry of his capture. Getting him back was too important to be worried over petty matters. However, she couldn't quite get over the fact that it had been Maya to kiss him and she was basically at the mercy of the human girl at this point. Botan knew she was going to have to work with her if she ever wanted to see the fox again, but she didn't have to like it.

 

The ferry girl hugged her arms around herself. She missed sharing his warmth. She missed him. She sighed as her thoughts began to wander.

 

It hadn't been until Kurama had almost died when Karasu had returned that Botan had finally realized how much she cared about the fox. But looking back, the signs were there in neon lights.

 

When they had first met, Kurama had been one of the targets in Yusuke's first ever case as Spirit Detective. When he had approached Yusuke on the street that night all those years ago, Yusuke had been scared to death at first, as had the ferry girl. But when she had looked at those emerald eyes of his, she had begun to relax almost subconsciously. She had been more than a little surprised to hear that he did not want to fight the wounded Spirit Detective, when he could have easily beaten him.

 

Botan rolled onto her side. Though, after the first time she had seen the red-head fight, she had wondered whether even a healthy Yusuke would have been able to defeat the fox that night… and had seriously doubted it, making her all the more glad that he had not challenged Yusuke.

 

She had been the one to escort Kurama to the Spirit World after he had surrendered the Forlorn Hope and, amazingly, she had felt no fear being around him. After he had assisted Yusuke in defeating Hiei, he had spent more time in the Spirit World and Botan had found herself more than once watching the red-head. She had been nervous to speak with him, but after he had initiated conversation a few times, she had become easier in his presence. There was no doubt that he was very good-looking and that had often kept her breath in her throat when she was around him. But he had exuded such a calming presence that she had soon found herself speaking with him at length. And she had enjoyed the conversations.

 

When he had returned to Human World to tend to his mother, Botan had been disappointed, but had accepted the fact that he had a place to be and had not expected to see him again. Much to her surprise, he had been in Spirit World several times later and had been assigned to help Yusuke on his missions.

 

And when the Dark Tournament had come up, she had not been surprised to find that he and Hiei had been invited on Yusuke's team as well. So when she had gone to watch, she had felt herself becoming emotionally attached the outcomes of the fox's matches, more so as the Tournament went on. In the Finals, when she had thought Karasu had killed him, she had been in hysterics; she had just escorted Genkai to Spirit World and the thought of losing another that she found herself caring so much about was almost too much to bare. But when he had risen, she had been overjoyed; perhaps more so than she should have been for an acquaintance, as the others seemed to think he was to her. After all, she was the detective's assistant and he was part of the detective's team.

 

But after that, she had felt something within her begin to move and it had culminated when the fox had gone into the coma in which he had almost died.

 

She rolled over onto her other side.

 

What was he to her, exactly? He was her warmth in the cold. He was her light in the dark. He was her knight in shining armor. He was everything to her. And without him, she was feeling weak and lost.

 

When she had learned of his true identity - Youko Kurama, the legendary bandit - she had been surprised. Youko was one of the most wanted demons in Spirit and Demon World alike. He had been bloodthirsty and without equal. His arrogance and fearlessness was widely known throughout the worlds. His audacity was something very few could ever duplicate. Known as the King of Thieves in two worlds, he had cut a handsome figure with his flowing silver hair, fair skin, and ears and tail that swayed with his emotion. He was the things legends were born of.

 

And yet, Botan liked his red-haired form better. She thought Kurama was more beautiful than Youko any day. The red-haired, green-eyed version was caring, thoughtful, intelligent, ruthless, and merciful all at the same time. He was a viscous warrior and a loving son. He was a calculating foe and a thinking student. He was a demon and a human. He was the best of both worlds and Botan loved every bit of him.

 

Kurama was a calming presence - making him the backbone of the Urameshi team. He exuded confidence - to the point of arrogance sometimes - and that added to his allure. Whenever she was around him, the deity felt safe.

 

And yet, all these thoughts didn't seem to do what she felt about him justice. Her love for him ran deeper than words could describe. He was her everything and if she were to lose him, she didn't think she could go on. She knew he would die one day - though his day would be long in coming due to his demonically long lifespan - but she didn't like to think about it. She didn't know what would happen then, so preferred to focus on the time they had together.

 

So losing him like this was a major blow to her. She needed him in her life. They all needed him in their lives. And their enemies knew that.

 

And so, at that moment, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei were out risking their lives in order to find a clue to where their friend was being held; because they needed him. They would do whatever it took to bring him back because they knew he would do the same for them. Their team wasn't complete without the fox, and none of them could bear the thought of their team not being whole - even if some of them wouldn't admit to it.

 

Botan jerked upright, a new determination setting in her stomach. She would do whatever it took to bring her lover back. No more feeling sorry for herself. Pity wouldn't do anything about their current situation. It was time to be strong, like the fox had been on so many occasions. If it meant she had to work with Maya, she would deal with it, as long as it brought Kurama back.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Risho stood behind Ichigaki as they watched the unconscious kitsune. Ichigaki slid a glove onto his hand and touched the Kurama's head. The red-head jerked slightly and for an instant, Risho felt his energy signature, though it faded just as soon as it appeared. Ichigaki stood back a moment and when the fox groaned slightly in his sleep, he smiled. The demon doctor pulled the glove from his hand and with a nod to Risho, left the room. Risho followed, closing the door behind him.

 

Both demons remained silent until they reached Ichigaki's laboratory where they could observe the handiwork. Ichigaki went to the controls and the fox appeared on the main monitor. Risho looked around. On all the other monitors scattered around the room, different demons stood captive, many looking the worse for wear. Most of them lay on the floor or leaned against the wall. None of them had been powerful enough to need any more restraint than a cell and a collar.

 

Kurama had been the first one to require greater security restrictions. They had made preparations for the capture of any or all of the Tantei. For Kurama they had made sure the remove all his seeds upon his capture. Even with his energy captive, he had proved to be a formidable foe. Keeping the quick-witted fox drugged was also key in keeping him from trying to formulate an escape plan, or at least a way to get around the block on his energy to contact Hiei. They had made sure to block their entire premises from the fire demon's Jagan (and it had not been easy… or cheap), but the fox was smart.

 

Risho studied the weaker demons a few more moments with disgust before coming up behind Ichigaki to watch the fox. It was obvious he was being riddled with a nightmare once more.

 

“How exactly did you do that?” Risho asked finally. He hadn't been around the first time the doctor had manipulated the fox's dreams, though when he saw the results, he had been most curious.

 

Ichigaki held up the glove and Risho looked at it.

 

“I don't get it.”

 

Ichigaki laughed. “Of course not, but I'll explain. One of the demons we captured had the power of manipulating dreams. He used it very effectively in Black Market scams. He was… less than willing to share his talents with me, but in the end he gave in.”

 

Risho nodded, knowing very well that the doctor had broken the demon, probably both physically and mentally to the point that either the demon would have willingly shared the secret to his power to stop the pain or the doctor had used one of his inventions to probe the weakened mind and steal the secrets. Probably the latter, as Ichigaki seemed to enjoy inflicting as much damage as he could.

 

“I used what I learned and modified this glove to mimic the effect. It's not perfect, as of yet, however,” the demon doctor explained.

 

“Which is why I was able to feel Kurama's aura for that instant.”

 

Ichigaki nodded. “Yes. His teammates may have been able to feel it as well, which is a distinct disadvantage. But I haven't had the time to perfect it without enough experiments. His energy signature should have vanished quickly enough so they wouldn't be able to track him anyway.”

 

“I see. And what exactly is the point of manipulating his dreams?”

 

“In order to learn his powers, I have to probe his mind and energy. However, most demon minds are guarded well enough that it takes some breaking down of barriers before I can successfully penetrate into their subconscious. Kurama's mind is extremely well protected. He has more barriers than I have ever encountered before.”

 

Risho blinked. “You mean you've already tried to probe his mind?”

 

Ichigaki crossed his arms. “Of course. I have to see how much work has to be done. I need to see what kind of barriers are present to break down. The fox's mind is more complex than I could have imagined. I'm not sure how long it will take to break all the barriers down. And even when those are broken down, I may get lost in his mind.”

 

“You'll need his guidance,” Risho said slowly.

 

“Most likely,” Ichigaki agreed.

 

“But he won't willingly let you into his mind.”

 

“Which is why it is necessary to break him down enough.”

 

“Do you plan to brainwash him to help you?” Risho asked in surprise.

 

“Something like that,” Ichigaki said, a small smirk playing on his lips as he turned back to the prone form of the chained fox.

 

“What are you planning?” the earth master asked slowly.

 

“That's the beauty of this, Risho: there are so many different moves I can make. It all depends on what our enemies do,” the demon doctor said with a laugh. “No matter what they do, there is a path I can take. There is no way they will be able to stand in my way. And I have the luxury of time on my side. I can take years to break them if I need to.”

 

It suddenly hit Risho how little he truly knew of Ichigaki's plans and how curious he was to find out what was going on.

 

“Do tell.”

 

Ichigaki smiled, as if he had been expecting that.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*