Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Growing Up Again ❯ Coin Flip ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I do not own the Japanese language. I do not own Japan. I do not own most of the lyrics within this story; all original lyrics of my creation will be mentioned as such at the end of every chapter they are used. You get the idea right? You no sue me, I no do anything bad- end of story.

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Growing Up Again

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Chapter 1: Coin Flip

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Summary: What would you do, if you had a chance to improve everything you knew? What would you do? If anything could be made better by one of a million chances, would you take it? Would you try? Or, would you let it be someone else who alters everything?

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Warnings: language, violence, angst, sexual situations, crude humor, `references'

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It was a strange object; I couldn't help but think so. At first, the flat, round surface only confused me. Surely, magic of some sort had to have created it. No stone or chunk of ice had ever really looked like this. It was cold but changing, gently warming to my touch after a few more moments of holding it firmly in my palm.

At first the reflective surface had frightened me but after a few moments I had gotten up the courage to pick it up from the sand and hold it- stealing glances along the stream bank to make sure no sorcerer of any sort would take revenge on me for taking his magic… yet nothing had happened. “Strange… Surely this IS magic…” I looked up to the clear, red sky and sighed. “Isn't it?”

To me the sights and sounds of the dense forest, with as many dangers as leaves, was my home and though not a friendly one all the time, the very breeze blew simply for me. In it I could scent the water, the plants, traces of my people, and faintly… smoke from some one of their fires. I looked back at my white palm and gently lowered my hand until it was beside the brown pouch at my waist. Then with a jerk of my wrist I slipped the bright, magical item into my pouch.

I glanced down at the sand beneath and beside my feet, aware marks were still present from where I had copied down the strange curving symbols of magic on the coin. Most were strange to me, except one thing… A drawing… Or carving on the surface was an `8'. I didn't remember where I had seen it… but the memory was still present in my mind. I shook my head, forcing the heavy thoughts away.

Instead I kicked away the marks and crouched in the sand by the clear running water. My face looked back, pale, with short, red brown hair the came to my chin, and large, bright brown eyes. My skin was pale all over, nothing like the nearly black skin of my people. It was strange, but I remembered that I could hardly expect to look like a true person when I wasn't one at all. I was a Kursa, or `half-child'. I had been born as a true child, but shortly after, or perhaps during, the birth I had died and come back to life, with half my spirit missing. Thus I had pale skin and the strange hair that turned golden in the firelight and brown by day. True people, had black hair, black eyes, and dark, dark skin… Not I.

“ Sheiji! Sheiji!”

My nostrils flared and my head snapped toward the sound, scenting the breeze and the relaxing. It was one of my people, and Urna at that. She raced into view, skidding down the muddy bank and appearing before me with leaves sticking out at odd angles in her thick hair. She was a few times younger than me and had been my younger sister before I had lost half of myself. She embraced me, gibbering in a dialect of our language and speaking fast over many words… But I followed her easily.

“Sheiji! We are moving! We are going toward the sun, and from the moon. There, we will be near the large mountains! And Kesji has promised me a stone from the Dark! Remember, you said you would get one for Jura? Remember Sheiji? The stones?” She took a step back, glowing and smiling with much warmth toward me. I had few friends, and many detested me as half a person but Urna had always remained close, even when many of the boy- children, or even men, began to pay her attention.

I nodded, taking a small strand of the off-white fabric I kept around my upper-chest. My hips were draped with a kind of short skirt that failed to hinder my movement but covered what I considered necessary. Among my people clothing was rarely used, as Urna was proving, but I had a faint feeling of warmth in my face when I was completely bare. Yet I took the strand and tied the pouch at my waist securely and tightly, speaking with Urna at the same time.

“Yes, I remember. It was a long time ago, but I believe Kesji is a good man, and he will get one for you. I know he will,” I spoke calmly, with much smiling to show I truly agreed. Stones were brought as a proposal, usually to the first wife of a man and only his first wife. Kesji had only been recognized as a man for less than two hand's worth of time, yet he was one. Plus, I knew he would be good to Urna.

She smiled back, bright, black eyes glittering in the red light. “I must go tell Jura. She will be happy to get a stone from you…. But what should she give back Sheiji?”

I had nearly forgotten. Among my people, no gift was given without expecting something in return. I thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Arrows. I'm in need of more.”

Urna look abashed, as if I had done something she thought wrong. Yet, I ignored the look. Among our kind, the men had weapons; the women had children and pretty things- as well as the food. For me to ask for weapons was strange, but Jura was old and would welcome the use of her arrows, poor though they were. My own that I had crafted were much stronger and not as prone to whisper as they flew- they were silent.

However, I had promised the old elder nearly a hand's worth of seasons ago I would get a Stone from the Dark. Jursa had never married, and had remained pure as my people's healer. It was common practice for such people to never marry, lay with anyone, or bear young. Even the spirits that created a child wouldn't enter her body, especially now that she was well over 10 hand's worth of time.

I remembered how I had gotten into a fight with a boy-child larger than myself and had nearly been beaten when Jursa had appeared, cursing the boy with many strange words and frightening him away from me. I had thanked her, and wished to give her a gift, a Stone from the Dark.

The Stones were the deepest of blues, with touches of white, silver, and black often tracing strange designs and symbols along their surfaces.

“I'll tell her, but you need to come soon. Dark is coming, and with no man here you will be in dang-” She halted and looked to the ground beside me where a fire sharpened spear was thrust up right into the sand. A boomerang, the wood black with age and use, hung from my left hand and a bow with arrows rested beside the spear. None of the weapons were as large or as powerful as the men's, but I was skilled, had a sharp eye, and had sharper senses then some of them. Telling me I would be in danger would be utterly pointless.

“I'll be coming soon. I have things I have to finish.” I nodded and smiled; showing heart-warmth and convincing her I would be fine, which I would. Yet Urna was one to worry much, and think reason even less. It was one of her few faults.

“All right.” She nodded and turned and left. It felt strange, her not embracing me before she left. But, I would have to keep in mind, that with her getting married and bearing and raising children, the space was only destined to grow. My feeling of heart warmth lessened somewhat into sadness at the thought. I was forbidden to participate in the rituals of my people, such as witnessing a boy-child become a man, a girl-child become a woman, or a marriage. Also, I would never be able to become a woman or marry… I was destined for solitude as Jursa was… Except without the honored position.

My brown eyes lowered again to the water as I sighed, mimicking the wind's musical voice. Except, mine served no purpose at all.

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Days passed all too quickly, and Urna was married and taken to Kesji's home. The family that had raised me, and dealt with my presence on behalf of Urna, grew colder toward me. I was unable to move to another's home, and I could certainly not move with Urna, so after four hands of days, I left one morning from the temporary village. I headed east toward the caves where the stones were found, and after two days, had several in my pouch with my magic item from a sorcerer.

Each was as small as the magic item, and made much noise on my way back to the village. However, I had no interest in hunting, and even less in hiding my presence. I was unhappy and depressed, feeling as if I had little point in even returning to the village, promise of Stone or no promise of Stone. I sighed.

“That was far too easy Kallage.”

“I realize that, you would think an entire group would offer some… amusement at least.”

My senses snapped to attention as the voices drifted from over a hill of sorts. There were many trees and bushes around so I dropped to the ground, pressing an ear to the smooth dirt and listening closely, afraid of what they may have been speaking about, though I could understand no words for the language was different. For some unknown reason, my lips pulled back in something resembling a snarl and I found breathing difficult.

Footfalls… two pair… muffled… they were walking over grass and loose sand or dirt… The voices were still muffled but I could tell they were male, and after a few moments I confirmed by scent they were not people, not even half of my people, as was I. In fact, the scent reeked of blood, and death… and… a musk odor that had sometimes clung to young men… Fear again rose in my heart.

“Well, we know we did get rid of all of the vermin, not like they would matter but the savages were persistent.”

I heard a grunt of recognition from the other. I continued my silent snarl, my eyes sparking and glittering. I knew what they had said… one word at least… `Savages'… The word stung and I realized I knew that one word, and knew it well. I was no savage… My people were no savages… and I grew angrier.

Footfalls continued as I lifted my head up, tightening my hold on my boomerang. I trusted the weapon, and drew my spear close to me with my other hand. I trusted myself, and my aim… despite my anger and furry and fear.

My eyes narrowed slightly, my muscles tightening like thick ropes and stone around my frame… I saw the bushes part several spear throws away and knew my boomerang was the better choice. So slowly, placing a shrub between me and the approaching targets, I stood slightly and like so many times before, flung the black wooded weapon with my right arm with as much strength as I could create, focusing on the magic I knew to be with me in my pouch.

I was forced to drop to the ground as the wooden blade spun forward. I heard a tree's branches whispering sharply from being torn past, and then two distinct shouts, one yelp, and a heavy thud.

I leapt up, grasping my spear and dropping my arrows. I ran forward as fast as the winds' voice itself, the air stinging my eyes, the branches tearing at my skin, and my anger mounting. The single standing form turned toward me, and as my black pointed spear sank into his red chest, he screamed.

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I was covered in blood. I smelled of blood. I tasted blood. I even thought I was weeping blood.

Shortly after slaying the two I had heard, and returned to the village with their blood on my hands… all I found was more.

Fires were smoldering. Huts and shelters were strewn apart. Small dogs we kept with us were dead, most in pieces. The men were killed and in piles near the paths leading away from the village. The women were strewn about, none alive, many taken by force, and Ursa… Ursa was killed with a blow to her head and had been defiled… probably with child. As for the other children… I only looked at their bloodless faces and bodies once. I did not look again.

Jursa had been killed with a rock or some missile, probably before the fighting. She was sitting still in front of her hut, a mixture of plants and earth still damp in a wooden bowl in her lap.

It took moments, as many as on five hands, for me to really take in what I saw, smelt, and felt… They were all dead. Every last one of them was gone. By tracks, I saw that two attackers had appeared near Jursa's hut, had thrown many rocks and confuse my people, then had begun to slaughter on them. Men went first, then women, then children.

I spent the rest of the next day two days bringing wood and brush into the village. Once the entire area was covered, I renewed the flames, added a special type of liquid the men made and watched as the entire area was engulfed after many long times.

As the smoke rose above me, ash choking me, and memories flooding my mind, I untied my pouch of soft brown and emptied it into my hands. I took all of the blue stones, and threw them into the fire. The item of icy clouds, I cupped in my hands and looked at it, tears rising and pouring from my eyes. Then with one deep breath I turned and ran toward the river, jumping into the deep, clear water, and staying under. After a time… the item slipped from my fingers and I knew only painful darkness.

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“I was told you wished to speak to me, sir.” A small-framed girl strode into the office, black hair pulled into a high ponytail that came to her shoulders. Her pale complexion, short black kimono, and white obi were little help to liven up her appearance. Deep purple eyes with an aristocratic face that spoke her age around 25 or 30 completed her face.

Ko-Enma scarcely looked up from his paperwork before nodding. “Yes, Ari. I need you to do something for me.” There was a long moment of silence as his large brown eyes scanned over several papers and folders, apparently searching for one particular thing.

The woman, or girl, Ari, simply took a step forward and glanced over his desk for a few moments, reading only the occasional word. Nothing was of any significant interest to her. Simple forms and documents regarding demons, humans, etc…

“Here.” Ko-Enma picked up a small piece of brown colored paper and held it out to her. It was only half the size of the other pieces of paper, with thick, black marks not really like those made from ink… In fact, they resembled a dark chalk…

“Sir…” She arched a black, thin eyebrow and looked at him questioningly but taking the paper in her right hand. “What do you wish for me to do… exactly?”

“Simple really. I need for you to decide on what language that is. You know the records department far better than anyone else around here, and I need to know precisely what that… letter says.” Ko-Enma nodded, as if agreeing with himself.

Ari nodded slightly, her hair moving smoothly against the back of her neck. She then remembered and bowed, turning and leaving with the paper clutched in her hand near her chest.

It seemed strange for Ko-Enma not to… well… translate things himself. He knew practically every language used in the Makai, and the majority of the ones in the Human World. For him to not know a language and ask for assistance… was strange.

Ari shook her head as she walked along the long halls ways. Tiles passed below her feet in a smooth motion, unlike her mind as it wandered over the marks on the paper. Her smooth hand moved a few inches away from her chest and she looked once again at the paper…the cool waters of her mind rippling in question.

The first character was a simple circle… with marks going in and out of the first line at odd and end times…with no real pattern to it at all… `How can I hope to read this?'

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Cold… Pain… They were the first, and for a while, the only things her mind was registering. She slowly began to place the two in areas… Her skin was cold. Her chest was hurting...She had to find out why… why she was hurting… She had to breathe…

Brown eyes opened slightly, then closed urgently as ice cold water rushed into them. In shock and out of instinct alone, she bolted upward… Water suddenly parted over her head and splattered around her, raining on her wet shoulders and sending more shivers down her spine…

She opened her eyes again, her nose taking in the scents of water, wind, earth, plants, and something else… Something different. In answer to that she opened her eyes again, taking in large amounts of air to abate the pain.

`Where… Where am I?' Her mind was scattered but was slowly waking and she felt her heart beat pulsing...she was still in the Great Wake… She wasn't Sleeping… `How… How am I…' She had thought the river would kill her…it had taken the lives of others… Why not her?

She gently eased her body closer to the bank, the sand soon meeting her feet in the clear depths. Then after a few more moments she was able to crouch in the shallow water… Her chest still ached with pain and her limbs were close to being numb from the clear water… But her nose still scented the strange smell, absorbing it and trying to place what it was…

Sheiji spat and crawled closer to the steep bank, watching the stones that might cut her and being careful to be as silent as possible. Her limbs screamed at the punishment and sudden physical strain but she wasn't listening. Instead she shut off that part of her mind, only allowing certain things to even reach her thought. The scent was the main thing… What was it? She didn't recognize it or the area she was in… the trees were redder, the water colder, the soil darker… Yet the same red sky peaked down at her through many leaves and branches.

Sharp, clear, and demanding… The smell was unlike anything she'd scented before… Like a hand beckoning her she eased up the bank and slipped into a number of bushes, the smell growing stronger. `It's close… less than a spear throw…'

A few leaves raked along her skin, the thin fabric around her chest and hips catching but holding. She cursed her pale skin in the shadows, but forced her eyes to search every area in her sight. The bushes gave way to a field of sorts… a path crossing in front of her and into it. The scent came from the field… over one of the small and many hills in her sight.

Sheiji raised her head slightly, taking in the air and twitching her ears. She heard nothing, except the voice of the breeze and the far off sounds of the river. As strange as this was she ignored it, preferring to find out what the scent was… Perhaps that was what had prevented her from falling asleep forever…

She inhaled once more, worried that she was heading into open ground… and not ground she could recall seeing or hearing tale of. Yet the scent was calling her…

The girl nodded and tensed, repeating to herself she would rest forever when she had finished here… Her muscles twitched, every fiber of her being drawn tight. Then with a single burst of speed she rushed out of the bushes and changed until she was running on two feet, in a half crouch.

Pain… Sharp, deadly, and demanding pain…

Sheiji tensed again, her eyes closing and her lips opening in a sharp scream.

She twitched violently, shaking and falling several feet backward toward the open part of the field, away from the protection of the forest. Safe protection… where this pain wasn't… The pain that throbbed from her left side and chest… A deep burning pain…

She forced her eyes open, raising herself off the ground enough to focus on what the pain was from… Above her… A large bird soared several spear lengths above her… The dark feathers telling her it was as large as she was… with talons and a beak… Talons and a beak that dripped lazily with her blood as the large bird pondered on diving to strike again…

Sheiji felt her senses center on the bird alone, the rest of the world falling away. “Leave me alone!”

The large, red bird against the lighter red sky dropped its wings, pelting downward… And Sheiji was ready despite the red pooling around her, staining the fabric and causing her grip on the earth to slip slightly.

Talons flashed and in the same instance Sheiji curled her body up, blocking her head and chest with her forearms…and struggling with a scream as the beak and talons buried themselves in her arms and bare shoulders... But just as the large wings pulsed to propel the bird upward, Sheiji cursed violently and kicked upward, breaking the hold on her arms and letting her feet connect with the bird's neck… Ignoring the thrashing and cutting along her calves, arms and shoulders…

She wanted to die. She should die, as had her people. But a stronger instinct took over that caused her to cling to the large bird and fight back. The instinct that told her she had to survive. She had little choice.

The bird, after a few more painful moments went still… the head lolling at an odd angle. The neck bled and the feathers stuck out in the air unnaturally… She had broken its neck neatly… And with a groan she pushed the large animal off of her and simply fell backwards onto the ground…

Sheiji felt the breeze wash over her gently, and she allowed her mind to recede out of the tight, constricting concentration she had held over it. In answer, the pain rushed to her mind, screaming and complaining because of the torn arms, the bruised and bloodied calves… and gashed shoulders…

`Now… I…' Somewhere in her mind, Urna smiled and told her again about her Stone of Dark… And laughed at Sheiji's first attempt at throwing a spear which missed the target and instead toppled into a river…. ` I get to say…' Sheiji's chest rose, and then caught before falling… `I am sorry… sorry I missed your… wedding… because…' Brown eyes blinked and struggled to stay open, starring at the sky above her. The sky the bird would no longer soar in. The sky that was filled with the smoke of her burning home somewhere… The sky that Urna had always believed would one day carry her away… but not as soon as it really had…`Because I was… a Kursa… but not anymore.'

Sheiji smiled slightly and drifted off into the darkness. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````

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Ari bolted into a standing position, shock flooding into her veins. In confusion her dark eyes drifted over the words again. Yes, she was right. “By Kami's name… I…” She grabbed the book and paper, running as fast as her feet could carry her to Ko-Enma's office, and nearly tearing the door down as it took longer than usual to open. “Ko-Enma! Sir…”

Ko-Enma looked toward her, breaking eye contact with Botan and looking at Ari. “Yes?”

“Sir… I found the language the note was written in!” Ari bolted to the demi-god's desk, uncharacteristically allowing a few strands of hair fall about her face. Her hands trembled and she bit her bottom lip, throwing a glance at Botan and nodding shakily.

Ko-Enma took the book and note, glancing back and forth for a few moments… “Ashiran nescru calu anarican… What language is that…”

Ari inhaled. “An old one. We only have two books in the whole department that even mention it. Calalea is what the people were once called, by outsiders.” Ari steadied her voice and continued, noting that Ko-Enma's face grew slightly paler and Botan's eyes widened. “They were an entire society of magical demons of sorts, able to change anything at will of their element. That note, says, in Calalea's language, `Arise to take our revenge, on our Brothers.”

Ko-Enma altered his binki to the other side of his mouth and looked at Botan. “Do you know what that means exactly?”

Botan shook her head, shrugging and feeling foolishly clueless. “Not a clue… I've only heard of the Calalea… But who were their brother's?”

Ari took her turn and swallowed. “The Calalea were brought down from a road of complete control of all three worlds by their own relatives of sorts. The Calalea had a counter part species, called the Gantra, who decided no one kind of people should rule, and just when the Calalea seemed to be in control, the Gantra destroyed a large amount of their numbers, killing off the rest over time once the race was knocked out of power. It's a legend of sorts that says that the last Calalea cursed the Gantra, sending them back to the primal way of life, and using his element, earth, to bind them to the Makai world forever, locked in a sort of barbaric loop where they couldn't make their civilizations advance… And over time the Gantra split into many tribes, wandering the Makai in secrecy to avoid slavery and slaughter.”

Ko-Enma nodded, “That's exactly what happened. It was many years ago… I doubt my Dad even remembers it happening. But if this note is right… then there are still Calalea about and they'll try to exterminate what's left of the Gantras.” Ko-Enma sighed, “Which is pointless, the whole species is so secretive I doubt we could even find them and give them warning… and that's if we could get them to understand something that complicated.”

Botan blinked, a thought occurring. “Kurama knows more than we know about legends and kinds of demons, surely he could help… And Hiei too.” She looked at Ko-Enma hopefully, and was rewarded with a nod and an agreeing sigh.

“We'll need them… And Yusuke and Kuwabara eventually. But not just yet, we need to locate at least one of the remaining Gantra first…”

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The girl hadn't moved. He had watched her fight with the large bird and thought she would die surely. Yet, he could still sense her energy pulsing strangely. That, and her chest rose and fell beneath the thin cloth. She should have been dead. Should be, but she wasn't. Red eyes narrowed.

It was a thought that confused him, and after watching her for this long, he had decided to help her. He didn't question his own actions, they were based on instinct and that was something he didn't question.

He looked down on her once he had covered the short distance to her side, and was amazed to note she seemed human… Surely she wasn't… What scent he could smell that wasn't blood, told him she wasn't a frail creature, but a strong one.

Of course, her actions earlier proved it. The bird was simply proof. With out a weapon, on the ground, and apparently injured before hand she had killed the crimson bird that now lay on her legs, the head touching the ground.

His attention focused on the girl again, noting how her breathing was shallow and how she had lost a lot of blood. She wasn't human, but she was weak then. He understood.

He crouched at her side, placing a hand on her small, torn, and somehow pale shoulder. He moved his hand to her neck, checking her pulse and noting that it was strong and steady, despite her wounds and breathing. It was puzzling but he should get her bandaged and cleaned up.

With one easy movement he tossed the large bird out of the way.

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End of Chapter 1