Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Fornever Tantei ❯ In Which the Villain's Plan is Revealed ( Chapter 19 )

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.

 

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Chapter 19

 

In Which the Villain's Plan is Revealed

 

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The sun was setting as three figures pulled up on the shoreline. Two stood erect while the third dropped his hands to his knees as he panted slightly. They had, after all, been running for an entire day. That was twenty-four hours. That's a long time to be running, unless you weren't human… which Kuwabara's two companions didn't happen to be. He sucked in a life-giving breath and glared over at Yusuke and Hiei. Neither of them seemed to be winded in the slightest as they looked out to the sea. The orange-haired teen had the strong suspicion that they had been holding back so he could keep up with them; that irritated him to no end. One thing - among others, as Kuwabara lived by a code - he could not stand was a handicap. But, Kuwabara decided, he was in pretty good company so would let it slide; just this once, of course. There were more important things to deal with right now anyway.

 

Straightening, the lone human followed Yusuke and Hiei's gaze out to sea and immediately found the island they were looking for. It sure had an ominous look to it. It was a small wonder many of the locals called it haunted. There was a line of trees blocking the view of the laboratory that should be housed on the island, if they were correct. And why shouldn't they be if Hiei was the one guiding them with the Jagan? As much as the short demon tended to irk Kuwabara, the orange-haired teen would admit to his usefulness.

 

“So how do we get over there?” Kuwabara asked finally, eyeing the expanse of water that stretched several miles between them and the island.

 

“A boat,” Yusuke suggested.

 

“And where are we supposed to get one?” Kuwabara demanded, not seeing one anywhere on the shoreline and the nearest town was miles away.

 

“The island,” Hiei said, opening his eyes. The Jagan's glowing faded.

 

“You lost me,” Kuwabara deadpanned, not caring if he sounded like an idiot. He was tired from running and wasn't in the mood to put up with much.

 

“There's a rowboat on the shore of the island,” Hiei said, still looking over the water.

 

“And how does that help us?” Yusuke demanded; Kuwabara was relieved to see he wasn't the only one confused by the fire demon's logic.

 

“I'll bring it across for you two,” the fire demon explained shortly.

 

“And how are you supposed to get across?” Kuwabara asked.

 

Hiei turned and fixed the tall teen with a withering glare. Kuwabara met it evenly, having had years of practice with the fire demon's attitude. Mentally he congratulated himself on not looking away as he would have once done.

 

Finally Hiei grew tired of the game. “Hn,” he grunted, relenting, “I don't need a craft to cross.”

 

Figures, Kuwabara thought irritably to himself. Hiei was so fast he would be able to run across the water without sinking as his steps would be too quick for him to fall in. Stupid demons, the human thought. It's not fair. But at least Urameshi needs a boat to cross too - and he's part demon.

 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Yusuke demanded.

 

Hiei gave the raven-haired teen his own withering glance before vanishing in a black blur.

 

Kuwabara collapsed to the ground with a sigh. He heard Yusuke follow suit. Looking over the water, Kuwabara could just make out slight shadows and ripples in the water to indicate Hiei's progress. He had made it to the shore in less than a minute. He would, however, have to row the boat back, which would give the two teens a few extra moments to rest before finishing their task.

 

“Do you think we'll find anything?” Yusuke asked all of a sudden.

 

Kuwabara blinked and looked over at his friend. “What kind of question is that, Urameshi? Of course we will.”

 

Yusuke's face was somber as he stared at the not-so-distant island. “I'm afraid, Kuwabara.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“Of not finding anything to help Kurama. If that happens, we'll have wasted a day we could have spent doing something to…”

 

“To what?” Kuwabara demanded. “This is our best lead in helping him. And if we hadn't come, we would have just sat around the hideout anyway. Besides, even if we don't find something to help Kurama, we can trash the lab and send a message to Ichigaki; we're not lying down yet. And don't forget, Urameshi, Kurama's a hell of a lot older and smarter than us. I think he can handle himself for a little longer.” I hope.

 

“He looked like hell in the tape.” That was a fact Kuwabara couldn't argue with.

 

“Maybe, but he still looked defiant.”

 

Yusuke sighed as Hiei approached in the rowboat. “I guess you're right. I just hate being in such a helpless situation when he's in trouble.”

 

“I know.”

 

Steeling himself, Yusuke pushed himself to his feet. Kuwabara could feel his friend's aura hardening. Following suit, Kuwabara rose and the two headed down to the shore where Hiei was waiting.

 

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Ever since he had felt that flare of Kurama's energy earlier in the trip, Hiei had found himself unable to pull his mind away from it. He knew that was a clue to the fox's whereabouts, but he had been unable to trace it back to the source. It had been too quick for even him to grasp onto with the Jagan; and that bothered the fire demon. The Organization had blocked not only Kurama from his Evil Eye, but their headquarters as well. He had been unable to track anything related to them with the Jagan. To be able to do so would have taken a large amount of funds. That obviously meant their enemies had friends in high places that could supply them with such funding. Hiei didn't like the prospect of facing an enemy with possibly unlimited funds and friends in places that could make things very difficult and nasty indeed.

 

Sure there was the whole thought of - once they found the hideout - just charging in and killing everyone involved, but due to the stiff penalty for killing humans (which the Organization employed) Hiei didn't feel like pushing his limits. He had been on probation with Spirit World for long enough before Botan had gotten his sentence cut during the whole Sensui fiasco. Not that there was much Spirit World could do to harm him, especially not while under Mukuro's protection; but he didn't feel like starting what might become a war between the two worlds.

 

So, with that option out, stealth was required. And while Hiei - and Kurama when he was around - was plenty stealthy, his two cohorts couldn't really say the same. Yusuke was a bit better than Kuwabara - due mostly to his inherent demon blood - but it wasn't saying much.

 

Hiei only hoped that they would find some sort of clue to the fox's whereabouts on the island, as it was their only lead. And while the fire demon would never admit it, he missed the fox and even feared for him. He was a friend to the reticent fire demon and Hiei was loyal to those who had earned such an honor. The sly and cunning fox deserved a better fate - and he knew that Kurama would do the same for him if their positions had been reversed.

 

Hiei watched as Yusuke and Kuwabara made their way down the slope to the beach where he had stopped the boat. While the other two may have been slowing him down, they did offer extra fire power in case it was needed and they would never let someone else be out when they might be able to do something to help a friend - a trait that Hiei secretly admired in the two boys. He suddenly wondered (and not for the first time) what kind of influence the other three Tantei had had on him during their time together. How much had he changed since meeting Kurama all those years ago? After meeting Yusuke? After meeting Kuwabara?

 

Hiei mentally shook himself and tried to focus on their mission: reach the island, search it for any clues to the fox's or Ichigaki's whereabouts, burn it to the ground, and move on. He waited while Yusuke and Kuwabara climbed into the boat and settled themselves in. They each picked up an oar Hiei had left in the bottom for them and looked up at the fire demon curiously. Hiei had only found two oars, so he didn't have one.

 

“Aren't you going to help row?” Kuwabara demanded.

 

“Hn, I brought the boat over, you oaf,” Hiei replied civilly.

 

Yusuke shrugged. “Fair enough.” He turned back to Kuwabara. “He can reach the other side on his own. He only brought the boat over because we needed it. He shouldn't have to row.”

 

Kuwabara nodded silently and Yusuke nodded to Hiei. Hiei returned the gesture curtly.

 

“I'll meet you there,” the fire demon said and sped off in a blur of black, leaving the two teens alone in their boat.

 

Hiei barely felt the water beneath his feet as he ran. He was over it so quickly that it barely rippled from his touch. He had spanned the distance in a very quick manner, so when he set down on the beach, Yusuke and Kuwabara were just pulling away from the shore.

 

Hiei shook his head and decided to scout out the area ahead of them. The more quickly they could reach the lab, the more quickly they could leave the island and get on with taking down their enemies.

 

The fire demon wandered silently through the thick copse of trees that the island housed. The laboratory would most likely be at the center of the island or thereabouts, so Hiei jumped up to a sturdy branch of a nearby tree and made his way towards the middle of the island, all three eyes searching for signs of life.

 

While Hiei couldn't sense any auras and his Jagan picked up no signs of life, the fire demon had a lingering suspicion that he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck were prickling the further he penetrated the woods. The conflict of his senses was infuriating.

 

In the back of his mind, he felt Yusuke and Kuwabara arrive on the island, so he gave one final look over the area before heading back the way he had come. When he reached the beach, he found Yusuke and Kuwabara waiting on the beach. He dropped from the tree in front of them. Yusuke started while Kuwabara merely nodded; the orange-haired teen's senses were still better than Yusuke's, even though the latter had demonically-enhanced powers.

 

“Well?” Yusuke asked, recovering himself with as much grace as he could muster - which wasn't very much.

 

“I went ahead,” Hiei said, indicating the direction he had come from.

 

“And?”

 

Hiei shrugged. “There were no signs of life…”

 

“But?” Yusuke asked, catching the trailing off at the end of his sentence.

 

“I felt as if I were being watched,” Hiei replied. “But I felt nothing, and the Jagan didn't pick up anything either.”

 

Kuwabara frowned. “Do we still go forward?”

 

“Stupid question,” Hiei growled.

 

“Of course,” Yusuke agreed. “What else can we do?”

 

“But if we don't know what's in there…”

 

“If anything at all,” Yusuke retorted. “If the Jagan didn't pick up any signs of life, then there is no one there. No one alive, anyway.”

 

Unless they are being blocked from me as well, Hiei thought suddenly, though didn't bring up the point to the two teens. There was enough to worry about already.

 

“Let's go,” the fire demon said instead.

 

Yusuke nodded and Kuwabara shrugged uncomfortably.

 

Hiei appraised his company once before heading back to his haven of the trees. Yusuke and Kuwabara headed by foot into the dense woods. Hiei made his way ahead of the two on the ground, making sure there was nothing in their path. The Jagan still picked up no signs of life, though the nagging feeling of being watching was persisting.

 

Hiei shook his head. No, this is too important to stop. Kurama needs us. As much as I hate to admit it, those low-lives hold his life in their hands.

 

The fire demon pushed on for several more minutes before he spotted a clearing ahead. That must be the lab, he realized as he approached.

 

He stopped on the closest branch to the clearing and took in the surroundings. Indeed, the laboratory stood in the center of the open section. It was a fairly large building, though not overly imposing. Hiei frowned. He could feel the residue of an aura; someone had been here recently.

 

Below him, Yusuke and Kuwabara walked into the clearing, stopping dead at the sight of the lab. A grin slowly spread of Yusuke's face.

 

“We found it,” he sighed in relief.

 

“Yeah,” Kuwabara agreed.

 

“Someone has been here.”

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara started and looked up at him. “What?”

 

“I can feel traces of an aura,” Hiei replied.

 

“What does that mean?” Yusuke asked densely.

 

“It means whoever was here was powerful enough to leave traces of their aura,” Kuwabara replied with a frown. “It's like leaving footprints, only these are with energy.”

 

“How come no one's ever mentioned them before?” Yusuke demanded.

 

“Because someone has to have a very strong aura to leave a residue, and only if they are unaware of their power,” Hiei replied. “If someone has any grasp of control of their power, they won't leave a residue.”

 

“Unless they were doing it on purpose,” Kuwabara mused.

 

“Yes,” Hiei agreed gruffly. He never did like agreeing with the human.

 

“Why would anyone do that?”

 

“To either brag about their power or try to lead us into a trap,” Hiei said. “They might be hoping we would follow the trail and end up in some trap they laid.”

 

“But you said you didn't sense any signs of life anywhere,” Yusuke pointed out.

 

Hiei nodded. “Which is why this is strange.”

 

“Um, speaking of strange…” Kuwabara said stiffly, pointing west.

 

Hiei and Yusuke followed the other's gaze and started. Hiei cursed under his breath. There at the edge of the clearing stood a giant robot.

 

“What is it?” Yusuke asked.

 

“A thirty-foot killing machine,” Hiei replied, narrowing his eyes.

 

Yusuke's eyes widened in recognition. “This is that robot…”

 

“What robot?” Kuwabara asked confusedly, still watching the behemoth.

 

“The one that ambushed Kurama and me in the woods during the Tournament,” Hiei clarified.

 

“Gattasval.”

 

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Kurama's mind was fuzzy as he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly only to be blinded by the light in his cell. He blinked a few times, emerald eyes adjusting slowly to the light. As his surroundings came back into focus, he saw Risho and Ichigaki standing in front of him. Alarm bells went off in the back of the fox's mind, but his sluggish mind wasn't moving fast enough to register much other than the other two beings' presence.

 

“Kurama,” Ichigaki greeted, almost pleasantly.

 

Those bells rang even louder in the fox's head.

 

“Fox,” Risho said with a slight inclination of his head.

 

The bells were at a fever pitch at this point, but Kurama was still sluggishly trying to register everything.

 

“I see the drugs are keeping you well sedated,” Ichigaki said, obviously pleased. “We tried something new this time.”

 

Suddenly something clicked in the fox's mind. Drugs… That's why I can't focus… Must fight it… Can't give anything away… Must…

 

But whatever he had to do slipped from his grasp as Ichigaki began to speak.

 

“Sleeping well?”

 

Kurama blinked. What?

 

“Having any sweet dreams?” Risho added.

 

Kurama felt his face lose a shade of color. No, he had been dreaming of his past. He had been dreaming of Karasu; of Yomi; of Kuronue; of Yakumo and Meikai; of the Saint Beasts; of Sensui; of Game Master; of the Artifacts of Darkness; of everything painful.

 

“Nightmares, perhaps?” Ichigaki asked, almost innocently.

 

Even drugged, Kurama could discern that something was up. His mind worked furiously against the effects of the foreign substances in his body in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

 

How would they know… Unless they have something to do with it, the fox realized amongst the haze in his mind.

 

“What are you doing to me?” Kurama demanded finally.

 

“Ah, very good,” Ichigaki said with an approving nod. “You do not disappoint, fox. Even drugged as you are, you can make the connections.”

 

“What are you doing?” Kurama repeated.

 

“Experimenting,” Ichigaki replied.

 

Kurama's eyes narrowed in what he hoped was a threatening manner. In his current position it was hard to tell. Ichigaki chuckled appreciatively.

 

“That's not very nice,” he admonished. “Though in your position I don't blame you.”

 

“What kind of experiments?” Kurama pressed.

 

“Mental,” Ichigaki replied. Behind him, Risho crossed his arms across his chest in what appeared to be a very satisfied, smug manner. The alarm bells were sounding once more.

 

“You're causing my dreams,” the fox guessed.

 

Ichigaki nodded. “Indeed.”

 

“Why?”

 

“To break down your mental barriers.”

 

Kurama blinked. His foggy mind took a moment to process this. “What?”

 

“I want to break down your mental barriers,” the demon doctor replied.

 

“Why?”

 

“To get inside your head.”

 

“What do you want in my head?”

 

“You.”

 

The fox blinked again. “What does that mean?”

 

“I want your power; your intelligence; your strength; your essence. I want what you have in there for myself,” Ichigaki replied greedily.

 

Kurama could feel the wheels slowly starting to turn in his mind. He willed them to move faster. He needed to know what he had gotten himself into.

 

“Why?”

 

“Why? Power, of course. It takes power to rule the worlds.”

 

“The worlds…”

 

“Oh yes, I won't be satisfied with one.”

 

It was as if a light bulb clicked on suddenly in the fox's mind and the fog cleared away. “You're creating an army.”

 

Ichigaki nodded. “I am indeed. And I want the spiritual power of this world to be my weapon in conquest.”

 

“So that's why you were hunting demons; and us. You want our power,” Kurama said slowly.

 

“Correct.”

 

“Have you found a way to harness it?”

 

Ichigaki smiled and Kurama felt something cold settle in his stomach. If the evil doctor had found a way to use the powers of other demons - or humans - then the world was in trouble.

 

“What kind of resources do you have?” Kurama asked, aghast.

 

“Endless,” Ichigaki replied, spreading his arms out to the side. “I have friends in high places that have helped to get me where I am. They scratched my back and I will scratch theirs.”

 

“And how will you do that?”

 

“By rewarding them with the spoils of my conquests,” Ichigaki replied. “Risho here,” he said, tilting his head toward the earth master, “is being rewarded as a general in my army, plus having the Tantei and their friends as his personal playthings. He enjoys his work, I believe.”

 

Risho nodded. “Oh yes. It is satisfying.”

 

Kurama suppressed a growl in the back of his throat. “Why are you telling me this?”

 

Ichigaki smiled. “Why indeed? I suppose I have to make sure you don't leave here to tell your friends what I'm up to, don't I?”

 

The fox frowned, his newly almost cleared mind spinning over the information. “You think getting into my head will grant you my power?” he asked finally.

 

“With your guidance,” Ichigaki replied.

 

“Like hell,” Kurama spat, very Yusuke-like.

 

“I thought you might say that,” Ichigaki said. “But there are many ways I can go about getting your power for myself. This is just the first try. As long as you are in my captivity, I'll be working on getting your power.”

 

“Then I better get out, huh?” Kurama replied.

 

“Yes, though it might be hard to come up with an escape plan when we up the dosage of the tranquilizers.”

 

Suddenly Kurama felt a sharp pain across his face and tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. His head had snapped to the side before he realized he had been slapped across the face. The fox spit out the blood instinctively.

 

“But we still get to have our fun, too,” Risho said.

 

Kurama tensed helplessly as Risho's fist approached his mid-section.

 

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