-------- Standard disclaimers as seen in part one of this fic, apply here also. As do the warnings. ------- Um .... tissue, anyone?? Perhaps two????YOMATSU HARA-SAKAI: THE BOUNDS OF NIGHT:
PART 8
Japanese vocabulary: akuma - an evil spirit, devil Hoseki no Yami - the Jewel of Life kappa - demons resembling scally monkeys ningen - humans yokai - demon Yo-mawari - night watchman, guardian Yomatsu Hara-Sakai - in Japanese legends, it's the boundaries of the Lands of Night ------ The forest seemed to stretch on forever in every direction around them as Yo-mawari placed Yusuke carefully down to stand in the forest floor in a section he seemed to pick out from memory. Yusuke glared up at the man, feeling embarrassed at having to have been carried. He gathered his ego and took a step forward, much to confidently. Without warning, his legs gave way beneath him, sending him tumbling down on Hiei. The little youkai easily caught him before he was flatened, helping him down to the ground with a grumble, glaring him down. "Well ... now that THAT'S all over with, would you mind explaining who you are and why you're helping us?" Kurama asked, turning accusing eyes to the man. He looked the man over carefully ... long black hair, mysterious black eyes ... if it wasn't for the obvious demon characteristics, the two could pose as brothers. They stood equally as tall and held each on with the same, equal glare. "I am Yo-mawari, the guardian of Yomatsu Bounds." He smiled, bowing his head from Kurama's glaring eyes ... a sort of crooked smile escaping his mouth as he did. "Now, I helped you, so it's only right that you help me." He snapped his fingers as he rose . "I am the keeper of the Hoseki no Yami..." He glanced over to Yusuke. "...that gem you have that was stolen from me by the tengu." Yusuke reached into his pocket and pulled out the glowing jewel, looking it over. "Defender? There's only one of you?" Kuwabara asked. "Yomatsu only NEEDS one. As you saw from the yosei, Yomatsu people can very much fend for themselves. Unlike the ningens." Yusuke turned the jewel over in his hand, feeling the radiant ki it put out. He looked up and tossed it over to the man. "Then take it ... and stay the hell out of Ningenkai, okay!" Something growled off behind them and the group turned to see two figures .. a kappa and an akuma, each blocking escapes into the forest. The akuma was ghastly in form, occassionaly blinking transparent ... and the kappa stood hunched on scally legs, looking like a large fur-less monkey. ... And Kurama recognized the forest plot ... the same circular field where he was attacked and poisoned by the tengu earlier in the journey. Yo-mawari pocketed the gem carefully with a smile, looking around at his demon followers. "I suppose you want to go back to your own realms now, ne?" "Would be nice," Koenma put in. "We gave you what you wanted .. now, give us what we want." "But why? ... when I can have so much more!" The group all stopped in their various possitions, turning to stare the man down. He smiled, leaning up against a tree. " Here, I have the son of the great King Enma ... I'm sure to be paid handsomely for you!" Koenma met him with a glare and tightened. "And your female friends back in Ningenkai," he motioned to Yusuke and Kuwabara " ... I'm sure they would .... " "COWARD!!" Kuwabara hissed, stepping forward, menacingly. "I'm just doing my job." He motioned to the two demons in back of the group. "Finish them off." "Great, not again," Kuwabara groaned, calling up the spirit sword, joining ranks with the others. Behind them, Yusuke shuffled to his feet, only to go stumbling backwards back to the ground. And a new battle commenced... "This is so damn ridiculous!" Yusuke cursed to himself as he once again struggled to gain painful balance, steadying himself on his knees. His body felt like flimsy rubber as he made attempts to stand, bending at odd places. He settled to regain his composure, watching Kuwabara and Kurama team up against the kappa, neither one producing more than a few scrapes. He cursed as his chest ached, watching the battle go on equally matched between the two sides. How could this be? They had NEVER come up against beings that possessed so much power and energy. Not since Joto. Hiei flew past his vision, engaged in full combat with the akuma. The little body shot around like a black lightning bolt, Yusuke's eye's refusing to follow his flights. Yusuke's eyes caught Yo-mawari, leaned up casually on a tree, watching the battle with a grin. Slowly and painfully, Yusuke picked himself to his feet, forcing his body to obey, and stumbled across the battlefield, watching the man in black watching him. Yo-mawari smiled slightly as Yusuke staggered over and cornered him on the tree. "What the hell are you doing this for? It was YOU who invaded Ningenkai and opened the demon- world doors." He shrugged. "So? What, do you want an apology? HA!! Ningen hybrid that you are ... I know your histories ... I've followed your conquests throughout the realms. But it's not YOU I came for," he pointed a long slender finger down to Yusuke's nose. Yusuke stood puzzled, trying to gather what little ki he had. "I don't understand." Yo-mawari pointed from Yusuke's scratched nose to Kurama, and then to the akuma in fierce competition with Hiei and Koenma. "The little youkai ... he's quite an interesting character, and quite adorable to boot. Someone with speed and power such as him can be very useful to me ... so I intend to have him." Yusuke glared the man down. "Not only will you have to get past me, you'll have to get by Kurama, too." "Kurama?" he tossed his head back to the tree trunk and laughed. "I think... no, I KNOW he'll pose no threat." "What do you mean, you KNOW he's no threat. He's completely not who you think he is... he's not ningen." "You mean the kitsune?" Yo-mawari snorted, watching Yusuke's expression. "I know his powers ... because I too possess those same exact powers." He smiled widely and stared down Yusuke. And it was then that Yusuke made the connection. "Gods... you look just like Kurama..." he whispered. "I AM Kurama." Yo-mawari pushed himself away from the tree, motioning Yusuke back. He snapped his fingers and the kappa and akuma disappeared in a flurry of dark energy, leaving the team stumbling at the sudden loss of opponents. "Nani ... OI! Where'd he go?" Kuwabara yelled, scanning nervously around the make-shift arena. All eyes turned instantly to Yo-mawari and the gang all rushed over. "You ... " Yo-mawari pointed to Hiei as they all converged. "I challenge you .. and only you to a duel. Win, and you and your friends leave and I never step foot out of Yomatsu Hara-Sakai for all eternity. Lose ... and the consequences are unimaginable by your standards. "WHAT??" Kurama paniced, reaching out to grap Hiei by the shoulder. The little shoulder wiggled from his grasp quickly, facing Yo-mawari. "Bastard!" Kuwabara yelled. "That's why you sent your goons on us .. to wear us down for an easy victory!" Hiei stood stone still, not a hint of expression on his face. He stared back at Yo-mawari flatly. "If you think we're going to agree to this ridiculous deal ... " "It doesn't matter if YOU agree ... it matters if the youkai agree's." he glanced over to Hiei, smiling. "Well, little one?" Hiei growled deeply, still no expression on his face. His brow twitched slightly as he rolled the words through his head, checking his own power levels. He knew, as well as all the others, that he couldn't hope to win a battle with his energy nearly gone. But it was more pride and honor he concerned himself with now. "Your answer?" "Hiei," Yusuke said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I don't think you should do this just to satisfy your pride. This guy claims he's Kurama." Yusuke paused long enough to watch the inevitable glare from Hiei. "What," Kurama whispered back. Yusuke continued, ignoring Kurama for the time being. "We can find our own way out. Botan's gathering back-up as we speak." "He's right," Kurama added. "You don't need to do this ..." "I except," the youkai said boldly. Botan flew right threw Koenma's office and right into George, plowing the monster into the wall. "GAH! Botan-san! Dou shita no?" he cursed, removing his rear end from a trash can. "It's the guys!!!!" she yelled in his face. Hiei moved quickly ... but Yo-mawari blocked every attempt easily, smiling and exiting a playful yawn, easily sidestepping every blow like child's play. He made his first attack, throwing out one of the shuriken at the youkai. Hiei dodged easily, blinking to a nearby tree ... then quickly whipping around the circle of trees, the shuriken following him at every juncture. Hiei's body somehow refused to obey the simple laws of physics and gravity as he whipped around, appearing crouched upside, hanging under branches, possitioned horizontally in the trunks of the trees ... Slowly the shuriken began to tire as the chase continued, finally clammering helplessly to the hard ground below, exhausted. Hiei needed more time ... more time to gather his energy for a full assault. He would need at least an hour ... an hour he had no chance of getting. Yo-mawari laughed loudly, tossing off a smile. "Don't wear yourself down too much, little one. Than I can't have my fun with you." "SHUT UP!!" Hiei boomed, his deep bass rattling the forest. With spead of the wind, he zig-zagged from tree to tree, disorienting Yo-mawari. The man turned in circles, trying to keep frantic eyes on Hiei. And the youkai found his opening... Hiei lept from a nearby tree and planted the katana firmly in the man's upper leg, leaping back to safety before Yo-mawari could react. The tall man cursed loudly, stumbling back, immediately planting a healing spell on his leg. "Damn you, demon! I'm loosing patience here!" he yelled to the tree-tops, holding his leg. The rest of the shurikens exploded from his pockets, Hiei once again easily leading them on a wild goose-chase around the circle of trees. Kurama clenched the colar of his tattered shirt, a red light spilling out between his fingers. "He can't keep this up much longer," he whispered, more to himself. Aside from him, Yusuke leaned heavily on Koenma's shoulders. "You're right ... but there's nothing we can do! Hiei won't defeat him even if he needed to." Kurama frowned and turned curious green eyes to Yusuke. "I don't understand. You mean.. Hiei wouldn't WANT to defeat him." "No," Yusuke whispered. "You don't get it yet, do you." "No I don't!" Kurama suddenly paniced, turning to face Yusuke. "What's going on here! Who is this Yo-mawari!" Yusuke's brown eyes raised slowly. "He's you." Hiei's ki-blast echoed through the forest as the field before them erupted into sporadic rasps of fire, cutting through the conversation like a knife. The impact shockwave left an intricate pattern on the dead grass, spilling a burnt smell into the atmosphere. Kurama felt it before Yusuke ... the sudden drop in you-ki that radiated from the battle. "Oh no .. Hiei's out of energy." Hiei reeled back, drained completely. Above him, Yo-mawari smiled, wiping a single drop of sweat from his forehead. "Give up, little one?" Hiei growled his response, being inaudible to the man. But the just of it was an obvious 'no', and he leapt, fangs barred and temper raging. ... the rest knew plain well to keep their distance as they watched helplessly as the battle began again. "He's going to kill himself," Kurama whined, chewing on a fingernail. "Why is he doing this?" "Need you ask?" Yusuke put in , leaning over. "He's doing this for you," he whispered. "He couldn't give a rats ass about the rest of us." Kurama shot him a look. "I .. I know ... but ... but ... " The heavy clang of swords and Hiei's fearsome yells floated back up to them as Hiei leapt back and planted his feet firmly in the earth. He stood stone-still, fists clenched and eyes closed, seeking out the ki around him. "He's not ... " Kurama whispered, stumbling forward to watch the small figure. Nothing changed ... no rises in ki level could be detected ... such an attack without proper reserves could level the boy, and possibly the entire team as well. "He can't .. he'll kill himself." Kurama whispered. He felt his heart race as he looked on, bringing his hands up to his face. "HIEI!! DON'T!!!" Yo-mawari walked calmly forward. "It looks like you and your friends are now mine to do with as I see fit." He smiled playfully down to the yokai as the red eyes opened on him ... it was the same playful smile Kurama had always given him on those cold nights he would sneak into Kurama's bedroom ... the same smile he saw when Hiei would royally screw up and make a random fool out of himself... that same, beautifull smile that made his non-existent heart beat like ... Hiei's rage grew, watching the man before him. His very skin began to burn with an unseen fire ... a new level of anger emerging. He felt the heat draw power back into his body ... it was an odd sort of power he had never felt before, but he didn't care if his body could cope with it or not. "Hit a nerve, did I?" Yo-mawari mused, twirling his long black hair about his finger, childishly. Hiei's mind flashed ... seeing himself standing over a large fountain in a park he had just destroyed in one of his fits of rage. Kurama stood tall aside from him, twirling a lock of red hair around his finger and smiling to keep from laughing. "Struck a nerve, did I?" Kurama's voice floated in ... the gentle green of Kurama's eyes died to a flat,lifeless black, the daydream melting to replace Kurama with Yo-mawari. Hiei's rage grew again and the aura surrounding him roared as Yo-mawari stopped to stand over him, reaching out to stroke the soft skin of the yokai's face. "You... I know who you are now," Hiei whispered lowly. "Took you long enough. I'll play along, who am I?" "Kurama..." "Close," Yo-mawari snarled. "Think much deeper. Think blood." Hiei snarled, his nose wrinkling under the strain. "Twins. You two are twins." Yo-mawari smiled widely and raised his katana... ... Hiei countered, the aura of the black flames ignighting his body. Kurama stumbled forward, almost reading Hiei's thoughts. "Idiot .. you'll kill yourself!" he screamed. "Hiei! Don't do it! Hiei! I swear to the gods if you ..." "JAOH-ENSATSU-RENGOKU SHOU!" Hiei drew back his arms and punched the man full-force in the stomach before him, a raging fire sparking immediately to engulf half the field in and instant, hiding all view of the attack given by the yokai. The team was blown back from the sudden dump of non- existent energy, landing in a huge pile just at its rim. "What the hell was that!!!" Yusuke yelled, shielding his face from the raging column of fire that rose skyward in the center of the field. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurama recover and turn to the field ... "HIEI!!!! NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" he bellowed, trying to climb franctically to his feet. Yusuke reached over and wrestled the tall man back to the ground, pining him down to the green grass below. "You can't go out there ... you'll be fried in an instant!" "I don't care .. let me go!!" A second blast leveled the trees behind them, flattening them to the ground as they all ducked. The wave burnt the very air above them and anything else it came in contact with ... but never so much as singed the group. Instead it pushed down on top of them, like a giant load of sand. And all fell silent in a sudden burst of nothingness, leaving a slowly dying column of fire in the center of the field. And then there was silence. The forest made no noise. Just the silence... Kurama staggered to his feet breaking from Yusuke's hold and began toward the dying column, feeling the tears begin to well up in his eyes. The heat made his skin ache and crawl as he raised his hands to shield his face, the last column dying off in wisps of fire and smoke. Before him, a perfectly circular patch of charred earth and grass cut the field ... and laying in the middle was a small, burnt body, lying completely motionless. Kurama was to the circle and on his knees in an instant, staring down at the burnt, char-streaked face of Hiei, a single tear escaping Kurama's face to ping on the boy's noise. The red eyes opened on him, blood shot and almost lifeless, staring back up at Kurama in a blank stare, totally without emotion. Kurama gently took the boy up in his arms, drawing Hiei's body to him. "What happened?" Kurama whispered, wiping back tears. "... don't know ..." Hiei choked, still unmoving. "Don't leave me," he sobbed quietly, burying his face down into the charred, black hair. "Please, don't leave me." Hiei groaned, but said nothing, going limp in the mans arms. He felt himself slipping from this existence, though it was taking alot longer than he thought it would. "I'm .. sorry ..." he added feebly, his heated breath running down Kurama's neck to chill him to the bone. "Hiei, no ... no ..." Kurama squeezed the frail shoulders tightly. "Hiei, you're stronger than this. Don't give up. Don't go." "I have to." "NO YOU DON'T!!" Kurama screamed, bursting and convulsing as he began to cry, gathering Hiei up further in his arms, trying to steal him away from the inevitable. Like a tattered rag doll, Hiei hung in the arms, searching through his mind to put order to the chaos that these new emotions started bringing him. He tried to raise his arms ... to fling them around Kurama's shoulders ... but this body rebelled painfully, shooting waves of suffering through the broken body. Yusuke was the first of the group to get to Kurama, reaching forward and wrapping his arms around Kurama's shoulders. Between the four of them, they couldn't hope to gather enough energy to keep Hiei alive. Instead he tried to comfort Kurama, looking past the red hair to the tiny body he coveted close to his heart. He stared up at the tree tops, looking completly dead. The only sign that there would still be life in the tiny body was an occasional gasp for air, or the fluttering of the blood-shot eyes. Kuwabara bend down, he too wrapping his arms around Kurama, as did Koenma, forming a network of arms wrapped around the two. Kurama choked and sobbed under the cradling arms, tears streaming in great rivers down to mingle and clear out flesh- toned paths on Hiei's lifeless face. "Why ... " he whispered. "Why him?" his voice cracked into another sob. Hiei's eyes fluttered shut for a moment, blinking the burning from them. With his body crushed, his life burned and his soul escaping into the abyss, he could do nothing but lie there, paralyzed, despite every effort he put into it. He forced his eyes back open only to stare back at Kuwabara's face, his eyes pressed shut, crying over Hiei's broken body. "Kurama ... " Hiei managed, feeling his body being shifted as Kurama turned to look down to his red, wild eyes ... though now, they seemed like lonly rubies shinning vacant and cold through a red-streaked background. "Yo-mawari... I have to follow him." Kurama forced back another sob, looking down on Hiei with what ever smile he could manage. Hiei stared back up at the brilliant green eyes, searching confused at the man's expression. "Why ... why are your faces wet?" Kurama broke down, collapsing down on Hiei, digging his fingers into the tiny, torn shirt. The body began to go transparent as Hiei began to die off from existence, clothing and all ... He heard Hiei whisper through his mind ... a whisper only he could hear. " ... I love you ... " it echoed softly and sweetly despite the deep, bass-tone ... and Hiei's body disappeared. Kurama's arms folded in on himself as he reached to grasp anything to hold onto. Instead, he found Yusuke's shoulders and collapsed ... passing out of consciousness, heart crushed, mind screaming into the blackness for any hope that Hiei could still be alive. He found none. In a flash, the group disappeared from the Yomatsu forest .... .... and landed who knows where. "OH MY GOD!!!!" Karyn, Yukina and Keiko sat over them in the middle of a bed back in New York, dusk streaking the sky to a fiery red outside the bedroom windows.. ---To be continued --- (c) 1997 by Jiminy Cricket Presses