Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Torn Apart ❯ Their Reasons ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Torn Apart

FINALLY!! AN UPDATE!!

Oh, and though it might seem that way, there is NO shonen ai in this chapter, or even in this story. So, think nothing of the later scene between Kurama and Hiei.

- - -

It had almost been a week since the first time Yusuke and his team entered the castle. He'd waited patiently for Raizen to set the battle date, but it never came. Sometimes, he felt the need to ask his father himself, but those times he was always reminded by the others about what had happened to Hiei.

The fire demon had been seen in passings, but not once did either ever acknowledge it. They noticed that he always looked ragged and worn down too; they figured it was because of stress he might be feeling before having to fight with his friends.

"But he's no longer our friend," Yusuke would argue.

"That's not true," Kurama countered. "Hiei will always be our friend. Whether or not he knows it, is a different matter."

"Always the optimist," Seika said, smiling.

When Kurama threw her a look, the young kitsune turned away, masking her embarrassment with a surpressed giggle.

"Either way, we still have to beat Raizen's ass to get him out of Hiei's head. That's when he can decide whether or not he wants to be friends," Kuwabara said with gusto.

"And what about that allergy we heard those guards talking about?" Seika asked with a more serious tone. "I'm not sure how pale your friend normally is, but even still, he looks pretty bad."

No one said anything, not even the argumentive Yusuke, because they knew Seika was right. They weren't sure exactly what was wrong with Hiei, other than the allergy, but even then, they weren't positive what it meant for him: whether it was life-threatening or not. On numerous occasions, they sat around listening to Kurama as he tried explain the possible causes and effects for an allergy such as his, but the majority of the time, it ended with them arguing again.

"I wonder when we're gonna fight," Kuwabara said, breaking the ice after one such argument.

"Don't worry about. It'll happen sooner or later," Seika said.

There was a tensed silence in the room, before Yusuke spoke up, all the while keeping his eyes glued to the crack under the iron door that separated them from the rest of the castle. "More sooner than later."

The others followed his gaze, their breath catching when they saw the shadow of a figure, even with the dim lights. As the door opened revealing the person, Kurama watched as Kuwabara's shoulders tensed, Yusuke's fists clenched, and Seika took an eager step backwards.

Hiei stood there, looking at them, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of his face and bare chest, his breathing coming in small gasps. He was clearly in no shape to be walking around a castle of this size, and yet, here he was.

"Hiei...," Kurama started. He was determined to find out what the youkai wanted before any of the others had a chance to get their hands on him, namely Yusuke.

"Raizen says our fight will commence tomorrow at noon. You're to meet in the hall where you first entered, and from there you will be escorted to...the arena," Hiei finished with a smirk.

"Now you're delivering messages?" Yusuke said, bits of anger and curiousity mixed in his voice.

"Save your rage, Yusuke," Hiei said, noting the teen's bitter tone. "They say your skill's better when you're upset."

He said this mockingly, but you'd have to be a fool not to see the pain he was masking pitifully. During the time he'd been there, his breathing became more shallow and his weakness showed more. Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to keep up the tough-guy charade, he gave them one final glance, then turned to leave, pushing the door closed behind him.

- - -

"I'm pregnant."

That's what she told him. And he left, right after that...never to return. What they had done had been forbidden, a taboo amongst their people. But love has been said to overcome any obstacle, so he returned, and they decided to give it another try. After all, they were going to be parents soon, and they, along with their child, would need each other in order to grow strong.

Then, one day, when he snuck in to see her, the unexpected happened. She told him another secret; well, it was almost two new findings. They were to be parents to not one, but two demonlings. Twins. Two small half-Koorime, half-fire girls were growing inside of her, or so he thought.

"No," she said to him one month before the babies were due to be born. "One of them, it's aura is stronger than the other, almost...warmer. I think it's a boy."

He was in shock when he found out. When he was younger, he never dreamed of having a bastard child with a Koorime woman, let alone two children, but now knowing that he was going to have a son as well; well, he was now beginning to feel somewhat excited.

"Have you chosen a name for him?" he asked, eager to know what he should call his son once he was born.

She smiled at him. "Yukina for the girl, and for the boy..."

Before finding out that they were also having a son, each of them had been given the task of naming one of the two babes. Yukina had been the mother's choice. That she had decided before her knowledge of twins, since she had known her whole life that if she were to have a child, it would be a girl. The father had been the one to name the other one, and he had chosen Hinata, from the base of the mother's name, but with their child's sex change, the need to find another name was now upon them.

"I like Hiei," she said aloud. "It's a good, strong name."

"And he'll live up to it, I'm sure," the father answered.

But not until recently had he known whether or not his son had lived up to the name given to him. For you see, when he returned to the ice village a month later, he was viciously thrown out by the Koorime women and told that his lover was dead, while one child was safe, and the other had been released as an outcast and been left somewhere to die.

And he'd meant to look for his son, because he knew that if he was anything like his late mother thought he would be, then there was absolutely no way he could have died. At least, not like that. But, he had gotten side-tracked somewhere down the road; he had become somewhat for a fire demon king, and he didn't wish to smear his reputation by admitting that he'd had a son with a women out of his own element.

But somehow, his parental instincts may have gotten the better of him, because he did go out to look for his son. It took him about a hundred years, but in the end he was able to find his son; he was currently being raised by a gang of thieves, so when he was sure he had found him (he was able to guess his appearence by the rumors he'd heard), he killed the ones that had raised him until now.

At first, his son was somewhat shy towards him, and he was able to understand that. His son was young, and before now, he'd not known anyone other than the ones that had raised him. So, he tried communication. For him, it felt almost alien; when he knew he was going to be a father, he had prepared for this sort of thing, but then when he thought his son was dead, he had forgotten all about being a parent.

It had taken away, but eventually, the two were able to get along. He taught his son how to fight, and how to defend himself, and to do a number of other things that would one day benefit him. But a few hundred years later, his son went astray and he joined a gang with two other reletively young demons; together they worked on stealing some of King Enma's artifacts, but first they needed to hone their skills. During the time his son was gone, he'd heard more rumors about him going off to live with thieves, and this time he wasn't going after him.

The father met another demon too; his name was Raizen, and he promised to make his royal title an official one if he helped Raizen exteminate his own son. It wasn't until late that he found out the son he'd sworn to find--his son--was an accomplice with Raizen's. And when he and Hiei had met again, he was disappointed to find him in a pitiful state; he was barely able to stand on his own. Only when Raizen assured him that it was because of a telepathic reaction that caused Hiei to ail this way did he feel something other than shame.

Raizen told them both that the allergy would last about two weeks, and with each passing day, he began to feel uneasy in the presence of his son. While in The Land of Fire, he'd heard rumors of a young demon with ruby-red eyes, that could easily obliterate a number of things that stood in his way. He'd learned that this vertically challenged demon had the mystical and evil Jagan Eye implanted in order to aid him in a search to find his sister. He still hadn't gotten the connection.

And now, with his son's growing power, Kuyo began to think that he was afraid of him. He knew he could be ruthless and cunning, but could he possibly be as cold and blood-thirsty as the rumors pictured him?

So, what could he do about it? There was practically no place in the castle that Hiei didn't know about, and even if he managed to escape, he could easily be found with the Jagan. Just the thought of him being captured and tortured by his own son made him shudder. Sometimes he wondered how Hiei would have turned out if he had been raised by his father....

- - -

Kuyo yawned and scratched his head. The dream he'd just had had been more of a trip down memory lane rather than any other typical dream. It was somewhat unusual for him, but he dismissed it, as he began walking the corridors.

Raizen had told both him and Hiei that their fight would ensue shortly, and that Hiei would need to be the one to tell their enemies. So as he walked back towards the infirmary, where Raizen had them keeping a sharp eye on Hiei, he began wondering what his son had said exactly to his former friends.

"It isn't good to think like that."

He turned back, looking down the dark stretch of hallway, searching for the unexpected voice. At first he saw nothing, but a moment later, he saw a small, concentrated area with a dull green glow. It took him another moment to register that it was Hiei and the glow was from his Jagan Eye.

"I told them what I was supposed to, and what I think about is none of your concern."

"And you think reading my mind is fair?" Kuyo asked.

"You didn't say anything about fairness. I won't betray Raizen," Hiei said after a while.

"You don't sound too convincing."

"Hn."

That ended the discussion.

Kuyo watched his son as they continued to walk. He knew where he was going, but before, Hiei had seemed to have no interest with this side of the castle. "Where are you going?"

"To sleep."

"Aren't your quarters that way?" Kuyo asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Hiei didn't answer, but that was okay. Kuyo could tell his son felt ill again, and the infirmary was probably a more suitable place for him to rest. When they neared the room, he watched as Hiei turned and entered. They said nothing as they parted and Kuyo continued on his way.

- - -

That night, Kurama couldn't sleep. He'd been up with the others as they prepared for the battle in their own ways, but eventually they all drifted off to sleep, first with Seika, Yusuke, and then finally Kuwabara. Now alone, he laid his head on a pillow, and looked up at the ceiling.

He'd fought Hiei on more than three occasions, and each time had been more challenging than the last, and now with Raizen's help...well, he just didn't want to think about the outcome. Already he'd stocked up on different kinds if seeds and plants that had been able to thwart Hiei in the past, along with new ones that he thought might be of further use.

After a half hour of position changes, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight unless he was able to clear his head. So, as quietly as he could, he climbed down from his bunk, stalked out of their room, and continued his trek down the stretch of hallway. It was dark save for the few torches sitting in metal sconces nailed to the wall, and he had no idea where he was headed.

At last, he reached a large wooden door. He didn't know where it led to, but he was willing to try anything. Silently, he reached for the knob, only to realize it wasn't a typical round-shape; it was almost lumpy. And it began to move.

"Git yer hands offa me!"

Kurama looked down at the knob in his hand. To his surprise, it stared back at him with big, yellow eyes. The thing seemed irritated, so the kitsune removed his hand.

"You're a door knob?" Kurama asked, trying to remember if there was such a demon.

"Of course not!" spat the demon. "I was a demon just like you until Raizen put a curse on me. Now I serve him by guarding this door."

"So then you are a door knob," Kurama said, surpressing a smile. "At least you are now.... Do you think it would be all right if I passed?"

"I don't care," answered the demon. "But don't come cryin' to me when Raizen turns you into a door knob too."

"I think I can manage," Kurama said, scowling. The demon gave him one last look-over before turning itself counter-clockwise, opening the door that led down a foul-smelling hallway. "Thank you."

The new hallway smelt of insulin or alcohol or ningen cleaning bases; either way, it made his stomach sick. He continued down the pitch dark way until he was able to see a light in the distance. He didn't know what it was or where it led, but still not feeling the least bit tired, he kept going.

When he reached the light, he saw that it was coming from what he assumed was some sort of sickbay or infirmary. The room was small and kind of pathetic, but through large glass windows that allowed you to see in, Kurama could tell that Raizen must have done everything in his power to get such good ningen and demon medical equipment into a place such as this. There didn't seem to be anything there, but as he swept his eyes through the room one last time, he was able to descry a small body lying down inside. The body frame and style of hair made Kurama realize that it was Hiei. The small sanjiyan was lying on a metal gurney and was hooked up to machines on both sides of him.

Now feeling curious, Kurama quietly slipped in through the open door. He walked over to where Hiei slept and just stood there watching the rise and fall of his chest. Stretching out his arm, Kurama brushed the side of Hiei's face with the backside of his hand. When Hiei flinched, Kurama recoiled, feeling he had done something wrong. But Hiei continued to sleep. Kurama saw a chair in the corner of the room, so he retrieved it, seating himself beside the bed.

For hours it seemed he sat like this, occasionly checking the wall clock for the time. It was already early into the next day and he began to wonder if he had made a mistake into not going back to sleep. Now beginning to feel drowsy, he turned his back to the room, and began to walk away.

"Kurama."

He paused, turning towards the voice. Hiei was now awake, and had his head in a position to see the leaving fox. Kurama smiled weakly at his ex-partner in crime and greeted him with a "Good morning."

"You were here all night, weren't you?" Hiei asked, sitting up and dangling his legs off the side of the gurney.

"How do you know?"

"I can tell."

"Isn't there another demon here?"

"There are a lot of other demons," Hiei said bluntly.

"You know what I mean. Any others I should possibly be worried about?"

"My father...."

"Well, there's absolutely nothing I can say to that," Kurama said, covering his mouth as he yawned. "But I can wish you good luck today."

Hiei jumped off the side of the bed, a scowl on his face. He stared at his boots, unable to say anything back to him. Finally, he said, "Don't say that to someone who plans to kill you." His Jagan was glowing red.

- - -

That morning, Yusuke woke up in an extremely foul mood. When two of Raizen's guards had come by to deliver breakfast, he had all but kindly taken the food from them, tipping them with an array of colorful names. He was also none too pleased to find out that Kurama, who was usually the first to be awake, was now sleeping soundly and showed no signs of waking up within the next three hours. He didn't want to wake his friend, because he knew they would need all their energy for the fight later that day, but he just felt angry with everything right now. So, instead of doing what he knew was right, he picked up the pillow from his own bunk, and whacked the kitsune across the head with it.

"Yusuke!" cried Seika, who was also awake. "What are you doing?"

Yusuke ignored him, but watched as Kurama slowly opened his eyes. "Is there a problem?" he asked sleepily.

"Like hell there is. It's about time you get your lazy ass out of bed!"

"Calm down, Urameshi," Kuwabara scolded. "What's wrong with you this morning?"

"I'm sorry," Kurama said to the other teen. "I...took a long walk last night."

Yusuke sighed. "No, I'm sorry.... Damn it, I guess I'm just screwed up because of this thing."

"We all are," Kurama corrected him, sitting up. There were circles under his eyes that showed his lack of sleep. "What time is it?"

"About half past eleven."

"You're kidding?"

But Kurama's question was never answered, because right after the words were out of his mouth, there came a knock at the door. Kuwabara, who was closest to the door, stepped over to open it. Four heavy-set demon guards walked into the room. Each one stood in front of Yusuke and the other three.

"Hands," commanded the one in front of Seika.

Unexepecting and unaware of any of Raizen's trickery, they all held out their hands to the guards. In one swift movement, each guard reached behind them for a set of binding ropes, and proceeded with tying together the pair of hands in front of them.

"What's this about?" Kuwabara asked, struggling against his captor.

"For your and our safety alike," said the head guard.

Together, the guards led Yusuke and his friends out of the room, down the hall, and throughout the castle. When they reached the main entry, Yusuke began to wonder whether Hiei had known about this all along when he told them to meet here. He scowled, as he watched the guards lead him through another set of doors, and on into a dark chamber.

The place was dark and smelly, and Yusuke could have sworn he saw a skull where they had just passed. He watched as his guard reached over, grabbing a torch from a sconce above him. He continued to lead them through doors and around corners, until finally, he stopped in a clearing.

This room was huge; if he had to guess, Yusuke estimated that it took up about a fourth of the castle. It was lined with thick gray stones, and the ground was covered with dirt soft enough to be sand. Yusuke felt as his captor released his grip on the binds, and his eyes followed him as he began to walk away, torch in hand. He had a feeling he was lighting the other torches with his own, because with each passing minute, the room began to grow substantially brigher. Before the guard finished his torch-lighting, Yusuke was able to make out, and then clearly see the forms of his father, Hiei, and some other demon. The third demon he didn't recognize, but there was something about him that was familiar.

"Thank you, Ban'nin," Raizen said to Kuwabara's guard. "You may go now."

The four guards bowed to Raizen, untied the binds on their captees, bowed again, and left.

"Now," Raizen began again. "I don't really care for the typical threats exchange before a fight, so we'll just get this thing started. All right with you, son?"

Yusuke, still with a temper from this morning, said nothing, but could tell that his father knew that his silence meant that he agreed.

"Good; I'll use my trump card. Hiei?"

"No."

Everyone, not just Raizen, turned their attention to the small fire demon. He said nothing more and refused to look at Raizen. The Warlord, on the other hand, looked stricken with the words spoken from his slave's mouth.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"No." Hiei turned his head upward, towards Raizen. "I'm refusing to be your pawn anymore."

What Hiei was doing was incridible, if not completely moronic, but Yusuke continued to watch the two in awe. And what Raizen did next engraved itself into Yusuke's memory, and he thought it was probably the worst thing he ever witnessed.

"I don't think so, little one," Raizen said, beginning to laugh manically. "I don't think so...."

Next, Hiei's Jagan began to glow a brilliant red and in a second he was on his knees, screaming with pain. Hiei grabbed at the soft dirt, trying desperately to make himself think of anything but the feeling he felt inside of him.

Yusuke and the others could only watch in horror, and as Hiei writhed in agony, only then did Yusuke began to feel like this was his fault. Images of a giant squid kept popping up in his head, along with pictures of Raizen. The thoughts were too much for him, and for the first time in years...he actually felt like crying.

- - -

Guys and gals, can you believe it? I've actually done it; I've finally made it to the last chapter (next). You can't believe how happy this make me feel!

I made this chapter extra long to make up for all the months you've had to wait for an update. And now that I've finally finished this chapter, I almost feel like writing in the last chapter. But uhh...don't get your hopes up.