Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Ghost Fighters ❯ Memories ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Memories

 

“It had happened so long ago but I remember it as though it was only yesterday,” Koenma's voice held a tinge of sadness as he told his memories.

 

“Shiryou and I were the best of friends. He was like the brother I never had. We did everything together; play, talk, hunt, practice our powers, learn new tricks and techniques, everything. We were supposed to take charge of Reikai together when we were old enough. His duty was to bring the souls to Reikai and put them in order. But since he was gone, Botan had to do the job. Shiryou understood that his powers were very sensitive and should he lose control or make a small mistake, it will cause trouble. The slightest mistake can transform a soul into a hungry, vicious ghost. He practiced everyday, trying to master it and he succeeded. But one day, he lost control.”

 

“While walking to the normal meeting-place for his daily practice, he met a majo, a Makai witch who had her heart set on controlling Shiryou for her own evil purposes. Now, in every single being, there's a spark of evil. Big or small, it's there though some doesn't notice it. The majo dug out that spark and fed it until nothing but anger, hatred and evil were in his heart and soul. Shiryou was vulnerable then and didn't realize her intentions until it was too late.”

 

“When her spell was completed, she expected Shiryou to obey her every command and that she'll be able to rule Makai and Reikai but instead, he almost killed her. Although she was a witch, she could not control a youkai who was stronger than her. He left after crippling her, whom we found later on, and came to meet me at our meeting-place, his eyes glazed with a crazed look. He wanted to go to Ningenkai to practice but I wouldn't let him for it was against Reikai's rule to cross the gate without permission. He then started to curse and spat at me.”

 

“At that moment, I knew there was something seriously wrong with him for Shiryou was very mild-mannered and couldn't even curse to save his life. He shoved me away and ran for the nearest gate to Ningenkai. Being the future leaders of Reikai, we knew all the locations of the gates. That particular gate led to this exact place, New York City. This happened hundreds of years ago and although there was no New York City, there were humans. I ran after him, fearing that he would do something he'll regret later.”

 

“But I was too late for when I reached Ningenkai, Shiryou had already unleashed his powers, sending out his ghosts to kill humans and making their souls into his slaves. Dead bodies lay everywhere and ghosts flew around the world, some haunting and some killing. Since I couldn't stop him, I ran to get my father. When we returned, Enma Daioh put wards all over Shiryou so he could do no more damages. This caused most of the spirits to disappear but some remained and became spooks. During those few minutes, thousands of humans have either died or had their souls turn into ghosts. The souls had to be brought back to Reikai for processing. Enma-sama was very angry as Shiryou's deed will take at least two centuries to undo. He had to put the souls in order, reprocess them and catch up with the endless paperwork.”

 

“We forced the majo to change Shiryou back but she couldn't for she did not know how. We tried to find other ways to cure him but the only way we knew was through the witch who cast the spell. However, there was another way, which we found out from an old wise woman. She said that the spell could be broken through Shiryou's own will and that only he can change himself. We tried and tried to coax him to his old self but it was no use. He was as wild as a lion and stubborn too. In the end, we had no other choice.”

 

Koenma looked up, his eyes pained and sorrow. “My father could have forgiven Shiryou if he just crossed the gate but since he killed humans recklessly and used their souls for evil deeds, he was therefore banished from Reikai. Father could have given him a worse punishment but as Shiryou was my friend, he took pity on him. So he stripped him of his godhood and ordered a lighter sentence.”

 

Koenma's mind replayed back the memory of that sad day.

 

 

“YOU BASTARD!!!” Shiryou screamed as five blue oni led him away. “I thought you were my friend. You were suppose to help me, but you _BETRAYED_ me.”

 

“I am helping you, Shiryou,” young Koenma answered in grief. “I'm trying to save you from yourself.”

 

“Hah. You call this helping??! Banishing me from my home?! Don't lie to me, Koenma. You betrayed me and for that, you'll PAY!! You hear me? YOU'LL PAY!!”

 

Koenma could only watch helplessly as the five oni led his best friend, his only friend, to a gate, which led to a dead plane where he could cause no harm. Shiryou tried to struggle out from their grip but as he was still warded, he couldn't do a thing. Before he was pushed into the gate, Shiryou glanced at Koenma with an insane look in his once-calmed light blue eyes.

 

“I swear, Koenma, when I get out of this, I'll get my revenge. I'll find you then I'll kill you. No matter how long it'll take me, I swear I'll _KILL_ you.” Shiryou uttered a low laugh which grew louder and louder every second, echoing around them. His maniacal laughter could still be heard after he was pushed through the gate, which was then sealed to never open again.

 

 

“Koenma.”

 

:Oh, Shiryou, I'm so sorry but I had no choice.:

 

“KOENMA!!”

 

“What??!!” he shouted in surprise, snapping out from his thoughts.

 

“We've been calling your name four times. What were you thinking about?” Yusuke asked.

 

Koenma smiled bitterly and replied, “Old times, Yusuke. Just old memories.”

 

“So what happened then?” Kurama faced him after giving Yusuke and Kuwabara a worried look. “How did he get out?”

 

“Slowly, Shiryou's powers grew stronger and stronger after each Halloween. You see, Halloween has an effect on Shiryou as it is the time when wandering souls, spirits and ghosts appear in immense amounts. Each of their feeble power adds and builds Shiryou's strength and powers. Father overlooked that certain detail. The gate has been found burst opened and I have no doubt that he's in Ningenkai, waiting to seek his revenge.”

 

“Which is the coming Halloween, right?” Yusuke guessed

 

“Exactly. That is the time he'll strike, when his powers are at its greatest point.”

 

“But then why are you here? Won't you be safer in Reikai?”

 

“It's me he seeks and it will be me who must face him. I'll never forgive myself if innocent people are killed while I'm tucked safely away in Reikai.”

 

“Does Enma-sama know about this?” Kurama asked.

 

“He's away right now. That's how I got out of Reikai. You don't think I could get away if he was there, do you? George is taking over me and I made him swear to secrecy not to tell my father.”

 

“But why do we need to apply as Ghostbusters? That doesn't make much sense. Couldn't we just come here on Halloween and kick his butt?” Kuwabara asked, frowning slightly.

 

Koenma sighed. “In order to beat Shiryou, we'll need special weapons. Yours have no affect on his ghosts and would just go through them. I can't take out Reikai's weaponry because I don't have the key to the armory. Father has the only copy. The closest to Reikai's Ghost Gun is the Proton Guns and traps. We need the Ghostbusters' technology and the only way for us to use them is to become Ghostbusters.” Koenma got up from his chair and winced as his head throbbed, promising a gigantic headache.

 

“Koenma-sama, I think you should go to bed now. It's been a rough day for you and you need some rest,” Kurama said as he led him towards his mattress and tucked him in like a little baby. “Shhh… Sleep now.” Facing the others, he said, "I suggest we all do the same too. We have a big day tomorrow and we'll need our strength.”

 

The rest of the gang went to their respective beds, yawning and stretching. Soon, they were in slumberland, gently snoring away and dreaming, all but one. Koenma was unable to sleep, tossing and turning in his bed. The memory of his long friend, Shiryou, which he had buried deep in his mind for so long, engulfed him.

 

:Oh, Shiryou. I'm so sorry but I had to do it. I had to do it for your sake.:

 

Koenma soon fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of the old times when they were young and carefree, while a lone tear trailed down his cheek.

 

 

Kurama stirred from his deep slumber and looked around, wondering what had woken him up. He tensed, suddenly remembering Shiryou, thinking that he had come to attack Koenma in the middle of the night. He felt around with his mind and relaxed when he recognized the four familiar ki that greeted him.

 

:Wait a minute. Four?:

 

A chilly breeze blew around him and he searched for the source. Kurama smiled slowly as he noticed the opened window and a lone figure sitting on the sill. As he got up from his make-shift bed, the figure faced him and jerked his head slightly towards the window. As he nodded silently, the figure climbed onto the fire-escape outside and in a blink of an eye, was gone. Kurama followed and made his way onto the roof-top, walking towards the edge where the small figure sat.

 

“Hiei,” Kurama greeted as he sat down beside his little lover.

 

“Hn.”

 

Silence reigned for a while as the two youkai looked down at the silent street with an occasional car passing by every now and then. The half-full moon shone on them, outlining their faces with an eerie silver glow.

 

“You've heard about Koenma?” Kurama finally asked, breaking the silence.

 

Hiei nodded. “Found out everything from Botan.”

 

“I'm worried about him,” Kurama said, dangling his legs over the roof.

 

Hiei remained stone silent, waiting for him to continue.

 

“I mean, he still hasn't gotten over it. He was so pale and shaken up when he came into Yusuke's apartment. It must hurt him a lot to know that his old friend is seeking out to kill him.”

 

“He'll get over it.”

 

“That's all you have to say?” Kurama asked in disbelief. “He'll get over it?”

 

“What's there to say? I'm more worried about the upcoming battle with Shiryou. From what I've heard, his creations are almost invincible. You can't even touch them. If he makes enough of them, he could even beat Mukuro and Yomi with one hand tied behind his back. That's much more important than worrying about someone crying over spilt milk.”

 

“You know, Hiei, you can be such an insensitive jerk sometimes.”

 

The little youkai shrugged nonchalantly.

 

“Lucky for you, I happen to like this insensitive jerk,” Kurama said as he laid his head down on Hiei's lap, curling into a little ball.

 

Hiei stiffened at that movement but relaxed after a while. He ran his hand absent-mindedly through Kurama's silky red hair, causing the latter to purr like a content kitten, as Hiei thought over the information about Shiryou. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Kurama got up, feeling cold.

 

“I'm going back to bed. Are you coming?”

 

“Hn. Give me a tree over a bed anytime.”

 

“But it's cold out here.”

 

Hiei lifted a slender eyebrow at that comment.

 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're a fire-demon. Well, okay then, I'll see you tomorrow.” Kurama turned to move but stopped halfway and looked back at Hiei. “How about one kiss for the climb back to bed?” he asked mischievously.

 

“Just go back to sleep, will you?”

 

“Spoilsport. You never let me have any fun,” Kurama pouted, his bottom lip sticking out slightly.

 

“Alright, alright. But just one.”

 

Kurama smiled and kissed him quickly, making his way back to the room, his body screaming for warmth. As soon as Kurama was gone, Hiei stood up on the roof, his brows creasing in a frown as he pulled off his headband. The Jagan, freed from the ward, flew open as he felt a distant unfamiliar ki hovering dangerously around the city.