Abdiel
12th December 2004, 04:18 AM
During the Sengoku era, six hundred years ago...
"Taka-kun?"
Asuka Matsui. She dared deny herself her future, her own happiness
for him. He wished her to stay in the village where they were born,
although knowing it was selfish, he still wanted her to stay with him.
"Taka-kun, are you all right?"
He had murdered... murdered in order to live. What was once his
gift was now his curse. He was a living plague that destroyed all that
lived. Whole forests were turned into decaying marshes, grasslands into
veritable deserts. No living creature was spared from his hunger... all
except one, the only one who gave meaning to his existence.
"Taka-kun, no!"
He was tired--sick and tired of his so-called life. He was glad
that, even for a short while, Asuka would be with him... till the very
end.
"Taka-kun, you have to eat! You can't die now!"
How ironic for her to refer to his crimes as consumption. He
couldn't kill anymore; he didn't see any purpose in it. It had to all
end sooner or later. Retribution was now at hand for the one who had
played god for so long. What a fitting end.
"No. You can't...!"
Asuka. Dear, sweet Asuka. He had done nothing but make her suffer
ever since his powers began to degenerate. Even if he had saved her
life, it couldn't possibly make up for all the suffering he had put her
through. And now he was going to make her suffer even more. But it was
for the best.
"I won't let you die!"
There was nothing she could do for him. It was his time. It
saddened him that even in the end he would wind up hurting her so, yet
he was glad--glad that she would care so much for him.
There was a nearby village from where they were standing. Maybe she
could go there and forget all about him and live the normal, stable life
that she longed for... He knew... _felt_ how it nearly broke her heart
to have left her mother and brother like that back in their former
village. Now, this way he wouldn't be hurting her so much. Yes, this was
for the best.
"I won't... l-let... you... die! Even if..."
The darkness was so... welcoming. Maybe the emptiness which he
feared for so long wasn't so terrible after all. Actually, it felt
rather peaceful. For once in his life, he felt peace.
"Even if I have to sacrifice myself for you!"
No. She shouldn't... she should stop this foolishness. She
couldn't... She couldn't....
***
Death.
He could smell death. Breathe death. Sense death. Touch death.
Death was everywhere.
'He who brings life takes away life.'
That was the belief of the various religions... a belief which
tried to constitute a kind of purpose to life, of some great creator,
the ultimate puppet master. He also played the role of puppet master.
He brought back life... and now he had taken it away.
How long had he been unconscious? It didn't matter... His heart
palpitated to new life as he raced out of the darkness of his nearly
comatose state to a startling awakening of an appalling reality.
The surroundings were dull, lifeless... It was a grim foreboding of
what he feared the most.
He killed her. He killed Asuka Matsui.
His panic-stricken, maniacal wails filled the emptiness that
surrounded him. The silent yet haunting cries filled his consciousness
long after his tears had dried out.
He never knew that silence could be deafening... that numbness
could hurt. Even in a battlefield piled up with cadavers, at least
there were numerous mourners filling his sensitive consciousness with
various emotions and feelings that assured him of... life. Feeling
something... anything... was better than feeling nothing at all.
A horrifying realization struck him.
The burning sensation of liveliness inside him came from wisps of
Asuka's very life force. He was consuming her soul like a cigarette, in
slow puffs.
What was more appalling was that he couldn't help himself from
eating Asuka's delicious soul. Not one bit. Her vivacity was a delicacy
unlike any other he had ever tasted.
The precious life force was the only thing that separated him from
the encompassing silence. Damn the emptiness. He could not let go, not
until he savored Asuka's essence in its entirety.
He didn't want to stop.
He shouldn't, but he would.
He mustn't, but he did.
It was his cannibalistic ecstasy.
"Taka-kun, it's all right. At least from now on I can always be a
part of you, ne?" a small voice in the back of his mind reassured.
<Baka.>
'He who brings life takes away life.'
With fingernails as sharp as shards of glass, he tore open his
chest. His body convulsing uncontrollably, he used the remnants of his
powers to rip apart his insidious, parasitical soul.
Death. He could smell death... breathe death... sense death...
touch death. It was death everywhere.
His death.
Death was the last thing he ever smelled, breathed, sensed and
touched. Unfortunately, those were the only things death claimed from
him, leaving behind his empty shell of a shattered soul.
_________________________________________________
Shonen
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Castaņeda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=814171
http://rakhal.com/florestica/abdiel
http://www.geocities.com/ex_fuk/shonen
The Death card in tarot could either be interpreted as
finality or change. Or both.
A few more notes before proceeding:
< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech
_________________________________________________
Chapter 15: Death (Part 2)
_________________________________________________
Eight months ago...
"Hiei-san?"
The koorime hybrid was startled by the seemingly innocent query. He
winced in pain when he turned around towards the origin of the gentle
voice a bit too fast for comfort.
"Hiei-san, you're badly hurt! You better come back into the house.
It's... cold."
The fire demon would have huffed in reply at the silliness of the
koorime girl's request had he not thought it a rude reply to give to
her. "Yukina... I'm a fire demon. The cold means nothing to me if I can
help it."
"I'm sorry... Genkai-baasan keeps telling me that too, by mistake.
I've rather grown accustomed to it. It's sort of funny, really... b-but
still... you better come in anyway! You shouldn't be straining yourself
like that, while your injuries are still fresh! You may be a powerful
youkai, but even youkai have their limits," Yukina insisted, nearly
pleaded.
"Why do you care?" Hiei suddenly asked, surprising even himself by
the brashness of his question. His ruby eyes darted back and forth as he
half-expected, half-dreaded the reply. He was about to cut her off with
a rushed apology of sorts when he saw the gentle look she gave him, the
words dying in his lips.
There was the slightest of pauses before Yukina spoke. "Of course I
care... You cared enough when you rescued me from my forced captivity
with the human, Tarukane. So I, in turn, care for you as well." Her ruby
eyes reflected his own--identical in both appearance and the amount of
worry found in them--sister's eyes to brother's eyes.
Hiei cursed himself for being so insensitive. He looked back at
those large, red eyes and said, "You trusted me with your life while you
were in that filthy human's clutches, right? Unconditionally?"
Yukina nodded slowly. "Yes, I did."
Hiei nodded to her as well. "Then give me that same trust now... I
will be all right. I just have something to resolve."
"Y-you will be back, right?" Yukina asked as she worriedly looked
at Hiei's hobbling stance.
He again looked her straight in the eyes, his demeanor determined,
his gaze resolute. "Please... trust me."
He then disappeared... vanished without a trace, except for an
unsaid promise and the unyielding trust of a loved one.
***
Hiei opened his crimson eyes as the last statement echoed in his
mind. He pulled something from the side of his strap-on boots, gingerly
unwrapping the unknown object. His third eye shone a luminous green as
he narrowed his two other eyes. <It's all clear to me now, Yukina.>
He felt as if he was confined somehow; the cage that currently held
him was far stronger than steel, wrought with unfulfilled promises.
He stood alone looking out over the sprawling snow-filled park as
erratic gusts of wind clawed at him through his worn, frayed outfit. The
panoply of twinkling stars that could still be seen amidst the cloudy
skies spread out before him, uttering a silent testimony.
<A star's death indeed,> he thought to himself.
Nimbus clouds blanketed the bejeweled heavenly bodies as sleet and
freezing rain showered the landscape.
Hiei's eyes fixed themselves on the tall, armored being. The man...
if he could be called that... was an entity that shouldn't exist but did
anyway; contradiction incarnate. If anything, the diminutive youkai
really did stand there alone in the park.
The wind and rain battered him, threatening to send him wholesale
into the rivers of muck forming all around. Oblivious, he defiantly
stood just meters away from his emotionless opponent.
"Your actions make no sense to me," Chuuku said, his voice bleak
and grim. "You fight even though do not need to fight. You claim to
fight for the kitsune even though you are in fact fighting against him
and his wishes. You have long searched for your sister yet once you
found her you've distanced yourself from her. I don't understand you at
all, koorime."
"What I don't understand is why you keep on calling me 'koorime,'"
Hiei said, his eyes darting back and forth at the mention of his
unacknowledged sibling. "I'm a jaganshi. I'm a fire demon. I am not an
ice demon."
"I call you koorime because you are koorime. You were born koorime
and you have koorime blood. In the same way, Urameshi Yusuke is still
human and will always be human despite his mazoku lineage," Chuuku
explained equably.
"Yusuke wasn't betrayed by his own people," Hiei retorted.
"But of course. You hate koorime. Yet despite that, you spared all
of them when you finally found the Land of Koorime. You didn't even
bother finding the elders responsible for your banishment from your
homeland. Why?"
"Who cares?" was Hiei's reply, but oddly enough Kuwabara's
irritating voice found its way into his troubled mind, providing him
with a different answer.
"Not all humans are bad; among them are also good ones, so please
don't hate all humans," was what the irksome human said to Yukina after
her rescue.
Hiei pondered the human's words. In his mind, he could almost
imagine Yukina saying the same words to him, only somehow different.
"Please don't hate all koorime."
"So that's the truth. You cannot kill even one koorime because you
care too much for your koorime sister. You'll do anything for her. In
fact, I believe you made an important promise to her before you left the
old woman's dojo months ago... Isn't that right, koorime-san?" Chuuku
reckoned morosely, which made Hiei silently curse the undead one's
telepathic abilities.
"Humph," Hiei snorted. "Enough of this pointless chatter."
"Very well. Mugen-Gan," Chuuku stated, aiming his pointer finger at
the jaganshi and firing with point blank accuracy.
A shaft of darkness pierced through the forbidden child's chest
just as he began to move. His body afterwards faded away like a shadow
amidst the onset of daybreak.
Chuuku's deadened eyes narrowed. He missed his shot. "...Koorime."
Apparently, Hiei had already started his barely detectable charge.
The youkai traipsed through the crusted mud as icy bullets of rain
descended, creating a morass of sludge that was once pristine snow. In
seconds, he was drenched and chilled to the bones.
Hiei resisted the urge to shiver. He was a fire demon; fire demons
didn't shiver. He shouldn't be feeling cold... That was what he had told
Yukina, after all. He ignored the piercing numbness, even though it felt
strangely comforting to him.
Chuuku, on the other hand, didn't even seem all that fazed by the
arctic squall. Unperturbed, he slowly traced his index finger in the
air as it followed Hiei's flitting movements... like a gun aimed at a
moving target.
Hiei rushed towards the impassive puppet with little to no
hesitation just as the third Mugen-Gan shot was fired.
A fraction of a second later, Hiei's world exploded.
***
Yukina stared at the dancing flakes of snow, sighing nostalgically.
The gentle, enigmatic waltz reminded her so much of home. The sparkling
pinpoints of light in the cloudy night sky made the scene somewhat
surreal, but it was still quite the pleasant fantasy nonetheless.
The serene spectacle soon became tempestuous as a cruel gale clawed
at the soft-spoken girl's skin. She shivered in uncertain delight.
"Yukina, come back inside. You'll catch a cold," came Genkai's
mild admonition.
The aqua-haired snow woman giggled daintily. "It's all right,
Genkai-baasan. I believe koorime are immune to that particular Human
World disease."
Nimbus clouds blanketed the bejeweled heavenly bodies as sleet and
freezing rain replaced the floating snowflakes, soaking the ice maiden.
"Oh, sorry. I keep forgetting. Still, come inside, quick!" Genkai
insisted, ushering the young girl into her abode. "I can't imagine
anyone who could put up with this ice-cold rain. Come on in, child.
You're getting drenched."
"I'm fine, really. This is kind of like a refreshing shower,
actually," Yukina shyly pledged as she traipsed over the morass of
sludge and slush, diffidently evading Genkai's pursuit.
"All right, all right... Go ahead and play in the freezing rain, if
that's what you want," Genkai consented, a complacent smile quirking at
the corners of her lips. "Perhaps I'd be just as relaxed as you if this
rain was as warm as a hot spring. It never ceases to amaze me how you
treat the numbing cold like a refreshing breeze."
Yukina could only smile timidly in response as her mind wandered
elsewhere, eased by the soothing winter sleet.
***
Hiei's whole world quickly whirled into frenzy as a sudden pain
tore through the very center of his soul. It erupted from every part of
his body... from every pore of his skin. Nothing mattered now except the
pain. What worried him at the back of his mind was the lack of sensation
from his surroundings that followed the brief lance of excruciating
torture. He fought against the weightless trance with all the inner
strength he could muster as he finally discerned the oncoming fist
headed straight for him.
Chuuku charged towards the spot Hiei had been only a moment
earlier, retracting his fist when he realized his intended target had
vanished, but unable to halt his forward momentum as he crashed into a
nearby tree.
<The Mugen-Gan made a direct hit with the koorime, but he still
lives,> Chuuku surmised apathetically as he dislodged himself from the
splintered tree trunk. <Not for long, though.>
After a while, the nimble jaganshi slowed down to a more visible
speed as the aftereffects of the Mugen-Gan came about... A few minutes
later, he slumped down on a mush of snow, totally spent.
Hiei had finally gone above and beyond his limits. Every muscle in
his body ached from the effort he exerted in his last ditch effort to
save the idiot kitsune's life and to keep his promise to... a very
important person.
In a little while, the tempest from before abated; the subzero
downpour was quickly replaced by a light drizzle and a speckle of
snowflakes. "You have nowhere to hide, koorime. The weather that you
favor the most has settled down. Your blanket of protection is gone."
A broken piece of his katana... the katana which Youko Kurama
shattered just a short time ago... clattered on the frozen ground.
Hiei's various other injuries now came into his attention as the
cold, anesthetic numbness of his body subsided. The gaping hole in his
chest... the claw marks which exposed his ribs... his torn-up gut...
countless cuts and bruises... They all sang a simultaneous cacophony of
agony.
***
What did the cold, unforgiving yet comforting weather remind Yukina
of?
The cold, unforgiving yet comforting Hiei, of course.
The young koorime stared at the growing puddles, looking intently
at the pools of slosh but not truly looking at them in the true sense of
the word.
Hiei... a fire demon that continued to be an enigma, a puzzle to be
solved. He remained a stranger to her, much to her dismay. It was as if
she was always kept at bay... It was as if she was constantly pushed
away... Whether near or far, with his mistress Mukuro or not, she had
yet to truly reach out to him.
He was there... somewhere... lost, but should be found again. He
was in a chasm deeper than the one he was thrown into as a baby... a
deeper, unreachable, bottomless chasm.
Yukina blinked. <Oh my, I have to stop thinking such weird
thoughts,> she ruminated sheepishly. <I'm mixing my brother up with
Hiei-san!>
Brother... such a relative term. He was also an enigma. He was also
a stranger to her. But she was sure that he was a great koorime, a brave
and honorable warrior... just like Hiei.
She deeply missed Hiei... almost as much as she missed her brother.
If only he could just... reach out... then he wouldn't seem so distant.
But still, even if he couldn't, it would be all right with her. All she
really needed to know was that he was safe, and that would be enough for
her.
***
"It is unfortunate, but my master's will must be done at all
costs," Chuuku morosely said. "At the very least, the kitsune
understands this."
Hiei looked languidly at the undead pawn... his small crimson eyes,
for a change, reflecting apathy worthy of the chain-mail armored
bishonen. His vision slowly failing, he made a strange declaration.
"I saw it."
"Are you going into shock? Panic? Hysteria?" Chuuku questioned
sullenly. "Your looming death has affected your brain. What did your
desperate eyes see?"
Hiei nearly fell again as he tried to stand up, much to his
frustration. He had to face facts; the lethal force of the Mugen-Gan
was gradually killing him while his bruises, cuts and fractures weren't
going to heal anytime soon.
The jaganshi was dying... just like in his fight with Shigure. But
still, undeterred, he chanted, "I saw it. I saw the wound that I gave
you a while back."
"What you say makes no sense at all, koorime. What wound? You
cannot hurt me. You cannot even touch me."
"I saw it with my third eye."
Then there came a ripping sound... a horrid squeal of tearing far
beyond that of life evanescent that soon erupted into a lethal fury no
one could even begin to comprehend.
"Even now, I can still see it."
Reminiscent to what happened to him during his fight with Yusuke
earlier, Chuuku's upper-left breast up to most of his left shoulder
shattered like fragile glass. His body subsequently convulsed, as if he
was being electrocuted. Strangely enough, his face remained eerily calm
throughout the whole quandary.
"What is this?" the nonentity evenly asked.
"That's the wound I gave you back in the old woman's dojo, while
you were still in the idiot human's body." Hiei smirked. "And I opened
it up again with my broken blade."
Chuuku struggled to regain control of his epileptic body. "I see.
You've cut through something that cannot be cut... twice. Such is the
power of free will. A puppet is helpless against such power. But is
your will strong enough to go against my master's will?"
Hiei struggled to speak as the blurry darkness neared the corners
of his eyes. "I-I don't care about Minamino Shuichi's will. It's... the
fox who I want. He is... m-mine. No one else can claim my life but he
and he alone!"
"The kitsune's will is also Minamino Shuichi's will. He was the one
who planned everything from the very beginning. Why do this, koorime?
Why save the kitsune when he himself _wants_ to bring Minamino Shuichi
back?" Chuuku asked, repeating his earlier questions.
"It's because he's an idiot," Hiei hissed as he tried desperately
to catch up with his breath. "He has no say in all of this. H-he... has
forfeited his right to decide his fate... by making such a moronic
decision. He doesn't know what he truly wants. If he did..." he paused,
coughing slightly, "then he wouldn't be doing any of this nonsense."
"Is that so? So which do you prefer, koorime? Dying in the hands of
the kitsune or keeping your promise to your koorime sister by staying
alive?" Chuuku inquired solemnly. "It's your actions that do not make
sense. You cannot serve two masters at the same time. Your will
contradicts your promise. So which shall it be?"
"Both," Hiei said in monosyllabic simplicity.
"In the end, words are just words," Chuuku said, adding, "In a few
minutes, you'll be dead, and you can do little else but be dead. By
dying, you won't be able to fulfill your will and your promise."
"T-then watch me do it. Heaven and hell, puppet," were the last
words Hiei rasped.
"So be it."
With fingernails as sharp as shards of glass, he tore open his
chest cavity. His body convulsing uncontrollably, he used the remnants
of his powers to widen the rift within his shattered soul.
<What the hell are you doing, shadow man?!> Hiei exclaimed in his
mind.
<Giving you your heaven and hell,> Chuuku mentally replied as his
body literally collapsed within itself. <Enjoy.>
His emptiness imploded in a vortex of chaos and desolation seconds
later.
***
<I wonder what else does my brother and Hiei-san have in common,>
Yukina mused, brushing her damp bangs up thoughtfully while adding, "I
wonder if he finds the cold comforting too, like I do."
"But of course. You two are brother and sister."
Despite the wintry iciness of the rain, Yukina's face looked rather
flushed. "Y-yes, I'm sure my brother would... but what about Hiei-san?
H-he is a fire demon, right? Fire demons react to the cold differently,
I suppose."
There was a pause. Genkai chuckled. "You're still waiting for him
to come back, aren't you?"
"He will! Of course he will. He promised..." Yukina almost
immediately exclaimed before trailing off, realizing that Genkai was
asking an altogether different question from the one she had in mind.
She nodded numbly.
There came the gentle, nearly imperceptible tinkling... like a
little bell.
Yukina subsequently trembled, as if the cold had finally affected
her. Wide-eyed, she looked behind her in evident concern.
Genkai stared inquisitively at the apparently stunned koorime.
"What's the matter, Yukina? Is something wrong?"
Yukina pointed dazedly at the shadows of the trees, her features a
mixture of joy and uncertainty. There was a lone, diminutive silhouette
just beyond the courtyard, near the lengthy concrete stairs.
Her voice nearly choked with emotion, Yukina inquired, "Hiei-san?"
***
<I already had, as the kitsune called it, a "star's death." I have
already experienced the beautiful supernova he so desired... and here's
the end result. This is all that's left of me... my black hole of
lament.>
As the intense gravitational field from within the core of the
shadow man's broken ghost collapsed inward, a highly compressed and
extremely massive maelstrom immediately formed. Its gravity was so
strong that what little light was there in the park could not escape
its grasp. The implosion subsequently consumed the entirety of the
pallid plaza, Hiei included.
Feeling the intense agony that added even more exhaustion to his
already fatigued self, Hiei bit his lip as his body was helplessly
vacuumed into the wild abyss. The womb of nature and perhaps her grave,
of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire, but all these in their
pregnant causes mixed confusedly, were swallowed by the unnatural
pandemonium of the shattered soul's void; his anomaly.
Dozens of rocks and hundreds of sharp small shards whirled around
in frenzy as whole blocks of land were smashed by the whirling inverse
vortex. Hiei watched in horror as the intense pressure of the barrage
threatened to break every bone in his body. It was the last thing his
ruby eyes saw before his sight was robbed from him altogether.
In a little while, the only things the koorime could see amidst his
sightlessness were multicolored blurs. These were abruptly replaced by a
flash of lightning that sent currents of mind-numbing pain all over his
body.
There was another flash of unforgiving pain. The fire demon's body
buckled under the enormous pressure of his foe's prodigious assault. He
was tossed around helplessly in the chasm like a soggy piece of cloth
inside a gigantic washing machine.
***
"Hiei-san? Is that you? Who's there?" Yukina called out timorously
as she approached the somewhat recognizable silhouette. The sleet and
rain had already subsided, so she should be able to catch sight of
whoever or whatever was behind the shadows of the leaf-barren trees.
She hoped and prayed that the familiar shadow belonged to whom she
thought it belonged, but her anticipation was all for naught. By the
time she had gotten closer, the figure had vanished.
Was it just wishful thinking? She could have sworn that there was
someone over that direction. She was about to return to Genkai's abode,
to reassure the old lady of her well being, when something she saw in
the corner of her eye caught her attention.
It was a lustrous, glossy something, tied to a dilapidated tree
branch. As the wind played with the shiny object, it swayed back and
forth, glinting... like a guillotine.
***
The koorime halfling doubted that he had enough power to come
forward with one last strike or enough strength to move amidst the dark
cyclone.
He didn't need to, though.
Hiei's glassy eyes could not see a thing... but his jagan's vision
remained crystal clear. Opening it up for one last time, he again saw
it... the wound that tore through the edges of Chuuku's hollowness.
His jagan aflame, he summoned the remnants of his brothers of
fire... each and every one of them... from the very depths of Chuuku's
cracked spirit.
A firestorm of black flames in the guise of demonic dragon spirits
violently escaped from the lesion of the black hole. The shadow man was
helpless against the creatures of pure flame as they blasted through his
shoulder, one after the other.
***
Yukina untied the bejeweled necklace off the tree branch, her
scarlet eyes twinkling in recognition. These two tear gems meant a lot
to her; they were special gemstones, her mother's legacy to her.
The ice maiden gently traced her finger on the pair of pearly
jewels. <These are the hiruiseki kaasan cried after I was born. After...
we were born.>
"Big brother..."
He was always so headstrong and stubborn. Botan had even described
him as reckless. One thing for sure, he always went about things in a
straightforward manner.
He promised that he would come back, and he did. He kept his
promise.
The expression of melancholy was practically etched on Yukina's
frail features, yet she did not cry; she did not sprinkle glittering
gems all over herself like pixie dust. Not even one whimper escaped her
lips.
"...Thank you. Thank you for keeping your promise."
She could not cry because she was happy, yet she could not smile
because she was sad.
"Sayonara, niisan."
***
No matter where or how Yusuke dodged, the Jigen Tou was sure to
slash him with the speed Kuwabara was swinging the ki-blade. Space and
dimension were of no consequence to the Dimension Sword, and neither
was distance.
Yusuke coarsely cursed under his breath. The Jigen Tou cut him
deeply and accurately. The distance of the strike was wholly up to
Kuwabara, and there was little the half-demon could do about it.
"You were asking me what technique I'm going to use now, right?"
Yusuke harrumphed as he gingerly rose to his feet. "I think I'll just go
nuts and use them all. Think fast." The sleek-haired boy became a blur
as he renewed his assault, firing several shots of the beam variety of
his Shot Gun ability.
One step. Two steps.
Predictably, Kuwabara sliced through the torrent of energy using
the combined powers of his Jigen Tou and Chuuku's Mugen Tou. Of course,
the whole thing was just a ruse for Yusuke to get near his quarry.
Three steps. Four steps.
Then came the curved waves of the Rei-Kou-Dan from Yusuke's other
fist. The energy spheres coalesced with the previous shafts of light,
their combined glare slightly blinding the tall, chain-mail armored boy.
Five steps. Six steps.
Yusuke hid behind the edge of the choleric arc, away from
Kuwabara's field of vision. Pacing himself up, he followed the trail of
the last Rei-Kou-Dan shot, edging closer and closer to his most
persistent rival.
Seven steps. Eight steps.
Yusuke did a zigzag of steps, escaping several key strikes from the
Jigen Tou. Feinting to the right and then charging to the left in a
split-second, the half-demon was able to make Kuwabara hesitate at the
last possible moment.
Nine steps. Final step.
Taking an extra step to ensure that he was within Kuwabara's blind
spot, Yusuke attacked in an awkward angle, the ground under his feet
buckling under the weight of his impassioned strike.
An explosion of volatile rei and debris rocked the whole cemetery.
A shower of pure spiritual energy hit Kuwabara's face in full force.
Giving him no chance to recover, Yusuke followed through his previous
offensive with an equally devastating, reiki-filled punch.
Still, Kuwabara had already seen the attack before. Piercing
Yusuke's heartless chest with the Mugen Tou, he stopped the half-demon's
expected follow-up attack cold.
Yusuke winced as he plunged into the sword of emptiness.
Consequently, his previous lung problems were aggravated; each and every
breath he took felt like excruciating torture, as if his lungs were on
fire.
Strange thing was, Yusuke was grinning like a demented lovechild of
a shark and a hyena despite being stabbed by the soul-rendering blade of
death. The message was clear... He expected Kuwabara's counterattack.
"JYU REI JYOU ANTE!!!" the spirit detective managed to shout in
spite of his respiratory problems, wheezing as he fought against
oblivion.
The Spirit Detective's Luminescent Spirit Ante shone so brightly
that it seemed like daylight from the sun itself. The burst of energy
began to form into the image of a flaming blue phoenix as it cancelled
out the life-absorbing powers of the Infinity Sword.
It didn't end there, obviously.
Just as Yusuke aimed his fully-charged Rei-Gan at Kuwabara's face,
Kuwabara swung his barrier-cutting Jigen Tou at Yusuke's neck. It was
the perfect stalemate.
"...." the two Spirit Detectives chorused as an uncomfortable hush
passed them in an unhurried pace.
After a short while, Kuwabara mirrored Yusuke's maniacal grin.
"Well, well, well..."
"...Looks like we're in a bit of a fix here," Yusuke finished for
Kuwabara, guffawing a bit as he eyed the glowing energy blade just
inches away from his neck.
"I'd say. If I move any further to clop your head off, you'll blast
mine to smithereens. It's officially a deadlock," Kuwabara said with a
self-satisfied smirk, as if he was bragging of some great victory.
"Cool. Deadlock." Yusuke paused as a thought occurred to him. "So,
uh, what do we now?"
Kuwabara blinked soundly. "Eh?"
The duo again fell silent for perpetuity contained within an
awkward moment as they pondered their current situation.
"Hey, I have an idea! What do you say we let go of each other's
throats on the count of three?" Yusuke suggested grinningly, scratching
the back of his head with his free hand. "Y'know, so we can enjoy our
li'l tussle a bit longer."
"Wait a second... How can I be sure that you're not going to pull a
fast one on me?" Kuwabara demanded, frowning. "For all I know, you could
be bluffing, and I'll be getting the short end of the stick... and for
all you know, I'd be clopping your head off anyway."
Yusuke thought for all of three seconds. "You know what? Whatever.
Let's risk it. One."
Kuwabara snorted, chortling. "Two."
"Three!"
With no further contention or hesitation, the two combatants
relinquished their hold over each other. Once they were apart, Yusuke
laughed. He laughed long and hard. He laughed like a lunatic, a raving
madman.
"STOP LAUGHING! Why do you keep on laughing, anyway? Did you want
me to clop your head off, Urameshi?" Kuwabara challenged, taking up the
demeanor of an angry yakuza henchman.
"So you really _were_ holding back, huh?" Yusuke surmised as he
chuckled heartily. "And now you're using your full power. That's good."
Kuwabara half-snorted and half-sneered. "So I suppose you're going
to tell me that you were also holding back and you're now going to use
your full power... Ain't that right, Urameshi?"
"You're a dumb ass," Yusuke said in all bluntness. "Didn't you know
that I've never held back on you in any of our fights? That's the reason
you lost."
Kuwabara didn't quite know what to say to that.
Yusuke grinned with reckless abandon. "One hundred percent of my
power all the way, Kuwabara. It's all or nothing."
"Fine then. All or nothing."
"Then we finally understand each other."
Summoning up all his remaining strength from the very depths of his
soul, Yusuke began charging not one, but two of his pointer fingers with
concentrated spiritual power. "Eat this, Kuwabara... RENSHYAA!"
***
Kurama opened his eyes. They were greeted by obscurity. It was
disorienting, as if he was standing on a rocking ship traveling over the
rolling sea.
"You are both nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Welcome to
the realm that lies in between the Spirit World and the Human World."
Apparently somebody had bothered to answer some of Kurama's
questions before he had a chance to air them. Quaint.
The voice was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. <Strange,>
Kurama thought as he concentrated on sensing the ki of the disembodied
speaker and feeling the rest of his surroundings... a centuries-old
habit of his. <I wonder who could it...?>
"...."
His eyebrows furrowed, Kurama focused a bit more. He struggled to
find his center of calm. He found none. He soon gasped in alarm.
He couldn't feel anything at all.
Perturbed, the kitsune struggled to get up, pawing at what he
thought was the ground. He again felt nothing. Either there was no
ground underneath him in the first place and he was floating in midair,
or his hands and limbs went completely numb during the time he was
unconscious.
He again gasped, noticing that something else was amiss. His
gasp. Something was wrong with his gasp.
He clinically examined each breath he took, each and every
inhalation and exhalation. He then held his breath.
Other than feeling a bit strange, he seemed perfectly fine holding
his breath for approximately ten minutes straight without any sign of
suffocating.
Curious, Kurama continued his breathing. It was quite easy...
instinctual, even. Or was it just out of habit?
He took note of the air... or lack thereof... that actually entered
his nostrils. Out of instinct and habit, he was gasping for air he that
couldn't breathe. His lungs, if he still had any, were being filled with
a whole lot of nothing.
What was going on?
<I'm dead,> Kurama resolutely concluded, without a hint of regret
or sadness on his determined face. <Chuuku killed me... or rather, he
helped me kill myself, for Asuka's sake. I'm a ghost now.>
"Half-right, kitsune. You are only half-dead. The link between
spirit and body has not been completely severed."
Kurama finally recognized the voice. It was deader and more
cadaverous than he probably was at the moment. He shook his head as if
to clear it of such morbid thoughts, turning towards the cloaked and
armor-clad figure behind him.
"...Chuuku?"
His eyes widened in shock at the current state of his eternally
damned captor. The undead one's cloak, which billowed against an unseen
wind, was frayed, shorn and threadbare. The remnants of his armor had
countless fractures on it, not unlike an ancient ruin. Bizarrely enough,
the nonentity's face was also covered in a web of cracks.
"Again, you are only half-right." Chuuku gently cradled his left
shoulder... what was left of it. His spectral void was slowly but surely
tearing his whole body apart. "That is not my true name. You're
referring to Enma Daio's puppet, the shinigami that murders souls."
"A god of death..." Kurama reiterated thoughtfully. The red-haired
boy was obliged to make a great mental effort in understanding the
meaning of his companion's words, without any assistance.
"I see. You haven't murdered any souls for quite a number of years,
have you?" Kurama said, not asked.
"Yes. For nearly twenty years."
His eyes narrowed, Kurama interrogated, "You stopped doing Enma's
bidding twenty years ago? You mean around the time Minamino Shuichi was
conceived?" Another thought occurred to him. "Have we met before? Did we
meet when I was about to inhabit Asuka-san's reincarnated body?"
Bowing courteously, the former shinigami said, "It's nice to meet
you again after all these years, Kurama. I am Tetsuma Yoshitaka... the
Reikai Hunter."
***
The Renshyaa was neither a move Yusuke developed through rigorous
training nor a technique he learned from Genkai. He wasn't even the one
who named it. It was something he improvised in the spur of the moment,
during his heated battle with Yomi in the finals of the Demon World
Tournament. It was a skill whose origins reflected his own rambunctious,
impulsive and spontaneous personality.
He first heard the made-up name from his demon friends back in the
Makai competition who had heard it from the feline announcer Koto. The
moniker was supposed to refer to the continuous and inexhaustible youki-
powered Spirit Gun technique that he used against Yomi's Reppa-Hanshyou-
Heki.
Using youki, the rapid-fire maneuver was completely ineffective
against his opponent's force field. With reiki, however, Yomi didn't
even stand a chance.
Today, he was about to use both reiki and youki versions of his
Renshyaa together, with both hands. <You've gotten me kind of excited,
Kuwabara. Let's see how far we can take this duel of ours.>
Thunderous blasts of spiritual light and energy streaked across the
whole expanse of the graveyard, hitting and breaking through tombstones
and columns like they were made out of gingerbread.
Kuwabara sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest, bracing
himself for the oncoming bursts of pure power. Seconds before impact, he
did intricate movements with his two swords, forming a continuous,
horizontal figure eight that shielded him from the explosive onslaught.
Yusuke didn't even flinch as Kuwabara hacked through his offensive,
none the worse for wear. This didn't bother the Spirit Detective leader
in the least as he followed up his assault with choleric waves of
piercing demonic power, one after another. Blazes of incredible vigor
burned through the trail of the previous blasts, this time filled with
sweltering, blood-red youki.
The glare of blast after awesome blast burned through the two
combatants' consciousnesses. Enjoying himself immensely, Yusuke
passionately continued his feverish attack.
However, as soon as the explosions started, they ceased.
Kuwabara peered through the clouds of debris in curiosity, his eyes
wide in confusion. He scowled. "Here we go again... the fucking
unpredictable Urameshi. What's the big idea, stopping like that?"
Soon, the dust finally cleared, revealing the steadfast form of
Kuwabara's greatest rival. Yusuke kept his pointer fingers steadily
aimed at his intended prey... Soon, a familiar warmth and energy rush
seized his person as he collected all his remaining reiki and youki into
two separate balls of concentrated energy.
A second passed, followed by a minute. Aside from the fact that
Yusuke's fingers were currently emitting sounds reminiscent of an analog
synthesizer being tuned, there was nothing but dead silence.
"Hello? Human World to Urameshi?" Kuwabara taunted. "What are you
waiting for? The Second Coming? Self-Enlightenment? Nirvana? Get a hint.
I thought you hated beating around the bush."
Yusuke Urameshi smiled impishly as he maintained his stance. "Yeah?
Well, you're lame. Literally. You aren't exactly light on your feet now,
are you? I can take my sweet time charging these two babies up."
The armored teenager chortled. "Oh, I get it. It's like what
happened during our li'l deadlock earlier. _You_ expect _me_ to sit
around with my thumb up my ass because of some bullshit sense of honor
while you try and power up your shit for a good seven months or so." He
laughed in the same manner Yusuke did only moments ago.
"So... you won't?" Yusuke wondered.
"FUCK YOU! Of course I won't! I ain't no samurai. I'm a punk."
Yusuke snidely huffed as he flipped his sharp bangs with one hand.
"Hey, if you really want to stop me from firing my shit at you, then cut
my fingers off... if you're man enough. Or would you rather whine some
more, pansy?"
"I ain't no pansy, either. Come and get some." Taking full
advantage of his weapon's peerless power, Kuwabara rapidly swung his
Jigen Tou in a myriad of circular patterns that superimposed and
juxtaposed each other.
Wreckage, rubble and debris were flung around like so many
breadcrumbs, the dirt and rocks of the necropolis easily giving way to
the Dimension Sword's incursions. The ground was quickly grinded to
dust, crushed like a block of ice inside a blender set on puree as the
whirling dervish of Kuwabara's undetectable attack headed straight for
the impulsive Urameshi.
***
Twenty years ago...
Seated on a gigantic chair within what appeared to be a very
spacious, monumental version of the main office of a person with a high-
ranking position was the imposing figure of Enma Daio, the Lord of the
Dead.
"I've rarely been able to visit the Spirit World ever since Koenma
took over, but it's just as well. As long as everything goes according
to my original plans, he can play 'Administrative Assistant' as long as
he wants." The gargantuan, bearded and bespectacled deity chuckled
humorlessly. "I'm practically retired now, but I'm still a very busy
god."
He was the most powerful being in the Spirit World, author of the
Book of Fate and Supreme Judge over all souls. He had carefully outlined
and laid-out the final fate of every living being within the said tome.
Reincarnation. Rebirth. Perpetual Peace. Eternal Damnation. All of these
ultimate destinies were in the palm of his colossal hand. He was
everyone's Divine Providence in a way.
In short, he was the one who decided the fate of all souls... even
broken ones.
"Puppet," Enma Daio stated as his booming voice reverberated inside
the gigantic room. Hearing no response, he insistently called out,
"Shinigami Tetsuma."
"What is your will, master?" the cloaked and armor-clad creature
monotonously said, appearing out of nowhere.
"I know it has been a long time, but I have a very important
mission for you today," Enma Daio explained evenly. He eyed his pawn in
fascination.
"It has been hundreds of years since you first started serving
your... sentence," Enma Daio thoughtfully started, adding, "Imagine,
going through permanent, self-induced exile for the crimes you did
against the Spirit World. I wouldn't have thought of a more fitting
punishment myself." The elder god's features were unreadable, masked by
the glare of his enormous glasses.
"A shattered soul... There's no other punishment more fitting for
the likes of you."
His head bowed down while genuflecting, Enma Daio's peon remained
acquiescent. "If you would please relay your command to your humble
servant..."
"Patience, patience," Enma Daio waved off, unwilling to discontinue
his extensive soliloquy. "I must say I was impressed by your last
'performance' as a miracle boy. Matsui Asuka was just another peasant
girl among hundreds of peasant girls, and she had the same fate as many
of those girls... until you came. You were able to help her elude her
simple destiny. Without you she would have led a happier, rustic life.
Without you, she would have peacefully passed on, to be reborn as..."
Tetsuma's head shot up in uncharacteristic determination. "As who?
Who will she be reborn as?"
Enma Daio scowled as he raised his mighty hand. Balling it up into
a fist, it brimmed with celestial energy. "AND YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO
KNOW?!" he bellowed. In seconds, the remnants of Tetsuma's shattered
soul gradually dispersed into nothingness. "You, the cheater of death?
You, the enemy of nature? You, who played the role of both life-giver
and executioner? You have destroyed the Book of Fate's grand scheme and
design. Don't think that you do not deserve the punishment you've
brought upon yourself."
Tetsuma held his gaze steadily at Enma Daio, his sentences clipped
and purposeful. "Though I will... continue to serve y-you as long as I
could, I don't do... this for the Book of Fate's sake."
"Blasphemy. I am the Lord of the Dead, and as long as there are
remnants of your ghost trapped in that lifeless shell, I will do as I
please with you. Learn your place."
"I c-couldn't care less about... the fate of this broken ghost
either. You a-are my master not because of your hold on my soul, b-but
because of your hold on... Asuka's ultimate fate."
Enma Daio snorted in disdain as he loosened his aforementioned grip
on the remnants of Tetsuma's spirit. "Of course. This really is a 'self-
induced exile,' isn't it, puppet? You've faithfully served me these
countless years, all for the girl's sake. Even though you know that
she'll be stillborn, you still want to see her inevitably tragic
reincarnation?"
Tetsuma nodded.
Exhaling vociferously, the God of the Spirit World declared,
"Understood. After you complete this latest mission, I will tell you all
you need to know about Matsui Asuka's reincarnated self... just as your
contract says."
"Words cannot express my gratitude, master."
Enma Daio was considered many things, but he wasn't one who would
back out on a contract. In the end, he was all about policies, rules and
laws. Sighing, he summoned another one of his trusted angels of death.
"Shinigami Ayame. How long have you been in here?"
"For quite a while, Lord Enma... I'm truly sorry," apologized the
indistinct, ghostly woman dressed in a gothic kimono as she emerged from
the shadows. "I didn't want to intrude on your conversation."
Enma Daio shook his head in exasperation. "In any case, it's good
that we're all here. We have a lot to discuss. But first thing's first.
Our initial order of business is Koenma Daio's current status as the
Acting Administrator of the Spirit World. Ayame, report."
"The experimental filing system which Koenma-sama adopted from the
Human World Stock Exchange as our current mode of operation has finally
been fully implemented, replacing our centuries-old use of the River
Styx's ferry system. It has somewhat made things a bit more complicated
than simpler in terms of moving the souls to their final destination,
but Koenma-sama insists that once the system gets streamlined, there
would be fewer problems concerning soul dispatch. And he is trying his
very best to--"
Enma Daio raised an eyebrow. "'Trying his very best,' you say?
You're not letting your personal feelings affect your work now, are
you?" The deity of death shifted his substantial mass and leaned towards
Ayame, his humongous eyes glaring holes at the cool-headed ferry-girl.
"No, of course not," Ayame hastily denied, her features a stony
mask of tranquility and assuredness.
"You best make sure of that. Because of Koenma's little stunts, the
Spirit World nowadays has become too soft and protective of the
humans... like a lazy parent who indulges his child's capricious whims
instead of disciplining him. People need structure and direction from
the Spirit World, not coddling and indulgence."
"I understand. I will keep a closer eye on the effectiveness of
Koenma-sama's filing system."
"No, let him keep it," Enma Daio offhandedly said as he rubbed his
bearded chin. "His administrative position is like a shiny bauble to an
impatient child. It's something to distract him with while I do the
_real_ work. Just make sure that his 'system' won't cause things to
become far too... chaotic."
"Understood, Lord Enma."
Enma Daio contemplated the situation a bit further. "What of the
mazoku dilemma?"
"At present, there is a one in a million chance that the current
human descendants of the mazoku will manifest their latent demonic
powers. It is generally believed that the mazoku blood has actually
become less and less potent with each succeeding descendant."
"Ah... Mathematics. One of the few things the humans did right."
Enma Daio nodded sagely. "Watered down demon blood? If only it were that
simple. A one in a million chance is still too high a risk to take. If
it were possible, I would wipe out that damned demonic lineage before
they became a real nuisance... but that'd cause serious repercussions to
the Natural Order." He stared at Tetsuma meaningfully. "And as we all
know, the consequences of messing with the Natural Order is far from
just catastrophic."
"Of course, master."
The Lord of Death smirked as he shifted his attention back to
Ayame. "And the current state of the Makai?"
"Information pertaining to the Demon World is out of my
jurisdiction, Lord Enma," Ayame calmly stated. Ever since the Meikai
Incident, the Reikai lost nearly all authority over most of Makai
activities. Because of this, the Makai had consistently become the root
of all the Reikai's problems for many centuries. "Though I've heard
that, to keep the Makai in line, Koenma-sama has proposed to make use
of the Reikai Tantei to..."
"Feh. His little Spirit Detectives? What could they possibly do?
The shinigami and the Reikai Defense Team should be enough to keep watch
over Demon World activity." Enma Daio pushed his glasses up to the
bridge of his nose.
"Well, we have recently located a potential Spirit Detective with
extraordinary powers. He's a child prodigy... a Class-A at the age of
nine."
A strange layer of emotion seemed to stir inside Enma Daio, lying
somewhere below his features but not affecting the muscles of his skin.
"Oh, yes. Him. Has Koenma been keeping track of the boy's progress?"
"Yes, Lord Enma."
"Good. Keep me updated on him." Coughing slightly, Enma Daio
returned to the original subject. "Actually, the current state of the
Makai is partly the reason why we're having this meeting and mission
briefing in the first place."
Enma Daio's features became grimmer and dourer, if that were
possible. "This is an unofficial, confidential mission. You both know
what that means. You both know what you're supposed to do."
"Understood, Lord Enma."
"Yes, master."
"Shinigami Tetsuma... do you know why demons exist? Why humans
exist? Why shinigami such as yourself exist?"
"I do not."
"It's really simple. Demons exist to glorify the gods by acting out
the role of villain and antagonist. Shinigami are the deliverers of the
spirits and the hunters of the demons. Humans are the sheep and cattle
of both god and demon. This is how things are, and the world will keep
on spinning so long as people perform their designated roles."
Since time immemorial, Enma Daio kept the balance between life and
death in check. He went about his work in a systematic and methodical
fashion, in line with how things were supposed to be... the Natural
Order.
The Natural Order was one of the primary reasons for the existence
of the Book of Fate, the ultimate compilation of ghost files where each
and every soul of consequence and inconsequence were tallied, measured,
and preemptively judged before they even breathed their first breath.
Basically, this meant that all human and demonic volitions were
invariably determined by pre-existing circumstances. It might take
diverse forms, some cruder, some more refined, but basically all acts of
choice were determined by a person's god-given role plus the motives
acting on him at the time.
It wasn't about "causeless volition", or "motiveless choice". It
was about the Natural Order, and what would happen if the Natural Order
wasn't followed.
According to the Book of Fate, humans were fated to become sheep,
demons were fated to become wolves. The shepherd was Enma Daio and his
sheep dogs were the shinigami. This was the Natural Order.
Of course, this wasn't always the case. "If man continued to act
like man and demons continued to act like demons, then there wouldn't
be a problem at all," Enma Daio explicated. "Unfortunately, folly and
disobedience was in the way of paradise and perfect harmony."
Man was not content to merely be sheep and cattle. They also wanted
to become shepherds and sheep dogs... even wolves. They were not given
wings, yet they desired to fly. Such was the folly of mankind, the curse
of Icarus.
Then there were the wolves that were willing to deny their true
nature for the sake of becoming one with the lambs of god. These wolves
in sheep's clothing eventually became confused of their natural longing
as they developed a repulsive lust for their inferiors. Acting on their
unnatural desire, they fornicated with livestock, producing godless
offspring that were neither human nor demon.
Enma Daio snorted in disgust, remembering the mazoku dilemma. "The
Sengoku period was a dark and violent era. Ambition, greed and hatred
filled the hearts of man, which attracted the demons to the Human World
like flies to a decaying carcass."
In the end, the shepherd was forced to take extreme measures,
sacrificing a good number of his livestock as he hunted down, killed and
drove the wolves out of his territory. He then built a huge corral that
kept his cattle away of the beasts' claws.
"Desperate times called for desperate measures. That's basically
what the dimensional barrier is... a desperate measure. Without it, the
humans would have become extinct." Not unlike the wildlife reserves for endangered species found in the Human World, the Human World itself was
an expansive wildlife reserve for humans under the Spirit World's
watchful protection.
Unfortunately, this desperate measure was also against the Natural
Order. Because there were no more demons in the Human World, there was
no one left to glorify the gods. At the dawn of this new era, the
revered truths of the past became mere superstition to the humans,
replaced by the new truths of science that only served to explain
phenomena that occurred within their small plane of existence. The gods
were eventually forgotten.
"Humans began to foolishly believe that they and they alone are the
superior race among all races. Their era of modern 'enlightenment',
undoubtedly, was the result of their sheer, shortsighted arrogance."
In the absence of demons, humans filled their need for conflict by
becoming demons themselves. Man became man's greatest enemy. War became
a means for humans to kill each other in the name of peace. By
separating the humans from the demons, the human race became corrupt.
"It's time to purify the human race. It's time to reintroduce the
predators to their natural prey, to restore the balance of the Natural
Order. I now call upon you, Reikai Hunter."
Yoshitaka Tetsuma rose up from his kneeling position, pounding his
closed fist on his breastplate as a sign of allegiance. "Just tell me
his name, master... and I will hunt him down to the ends of the three
worlds."
Enma Daio smirked. "He is known as the Legendary Youko Kurama."
***
To be Concluded...
Next: Kurama and Shuichi.
Note that I put in the title _Shonen_ not _Shonen-Ai_. Shonen-Ai
(male-male relationship) and yaoi are just not my cup of tea. This
is dedicated to Chimamire Kitsune for giving me the inspiration to
write this fic... Wherever you are, this is for you.
Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others)
are the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV
and St. Pierrot. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
Ja ne!
Abdiel
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"Taka-kun?"
Asuka Matsui. She dared deny herself her future, her own happiness
for him. He wished her to stay in the village where they were born,
although knowing it was selfish, he still wanted her to stay with him.
"Taka-kun, are you all right?"
He had murdered... murdered in order to live. What was once his
gift was now his curse. He was a living plague that destroyed all that
lived. Whole forests were turned into decaying marshes, grasslands into
veritable deserts. No living creature was spared from his hunger... all
except one, the only one who gave meaning to his existence.
"Taka-kun, no!"
He was tired--sick and tired of his so-called life. He was glad
that, even for a short while, Asuka would be with him... till the very
end.
"Taka-kun, you have to eat! You can't die now!"
How ironic for her to refer to his crimes as consumption. He
couldn't kill anymore; he didn't see any purpose in it. It had to all
end sooner or later. Retribution was now at hand for the one who had
played god for so long. What a fitting end.
"No. You can't...!"
Asuka. Dear, sweet Asuka. He had done nothing but make her suffer
ever since his powers began to degenerate. Even if he had saved her
life, it couldn't possibly make up for all the suffering he had put her
through. And now he was going to make her suffer even more. But it was
for the best.
"I won't let you die!"
There was nothing she could do for him. It was his time. It
saddened him that even in the end he would wind up hurting her so, yet
he was glad--glad that she would care so much for him.
There was a nearby village from where they were standing. Maybe she
could go there and forget all about him and live the normal, stable life
that she longed for... He knew... _felt_ how it nearly broke her heart
to have left her mother and brother like that back in their former
village. Now, this way he wouldn't be hurting her so much. Yes, this was
for the best.
"I won't... l-let... you... die! Even if..."
The darkness was so... welcoming. Maybe the emptiness which he
feared for so long wasn't so terrible after all. Actually, it felt
rather peaceful. For once in his life, he felt peace.
"Even if I have to sacrifice myself for you!"
No. She shouldn't... she should stop this foolishness. She
couldn't... She couldn't....
***
Death.
He could smell death. Breathe death. Sense death. Touch death.
Death was everywhere.
'He who brings life takes away life.'
That was the belief of the various religions... a belief which
tried to constitute a kind of purpose to life, of some great creator,
the ultimate puppet master. He also played the role of puppet master.
He brought back life... and now he had taken it away.
How long had he been unconscious? It didn't matter... His heart
palpitated to new life as he raced out of the darkness of his nearly
comatose state to a startling awakening of an appalling reality.
The surroundings were dull, lifeless... It was a grim foreboding of
what he feared the most.
He killed her. He killed Asuka Matsui.
His panic-stricken, maniacal wails filled the emptiness that
surrounded him. The silent yet haunting cries filled his consciousness
long after his tears had dried out.
He never knew that silence could be deafening... that numbness
could hurt. Even in a battlefield piled up with cadavers, at least
there were numerous mourners filling his sensitive consciousness with
various emotions and feelings that assured him of... life. Feeling
something... anything... was better than feeling nothing at all.
A horrifying realization struck him.
The burning sensation of liveliness inside him came from wisps of
Asuka's very life force. He was consuming her soul like a cigarette, in
slow puffs.
What was more appalling was that he couldn't help himself from
eating Asuka's delicious soul. Not one bit. Her vivacity was a delicacy
unlike any other he had ever tasted.
The precious life force was the only thing that separated him from
the encompassing silence. Damn the emptiness. He could not let go, not
until he savored Asuka's essence in its entirety.
He didn't want to stop.
He shouldn't, but he would.
He mustn't, but he did.
It was his cannibalistic ecstasy.
"Taka-kun, it's all right. At least from now on I can always be a
part of you, ne?" a small voice in the back of his mind reassured.
<Baka.>
'He who brings life takes away life.'
With fingernails as sharp as shards of glass, he tore open his
chest. His body convulsing uncontrollably, he used the remnants of his
powers to rip apart his insidious, parasitical soul.
Death. He could smell death... breathe death... sense death...
touch death. It was death everywhere.
His death.
Death was the last thing he ever smelled, breathed, sensed and
touched. Unfortunately, those were the only things death claimed from
him, leaving behind his empty shell of a shattered soul.
_________________________________________________
Shonen
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Castaņeda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=814171
http://rakhal.com/florestica/abdiel
http://www.geocities.com/ex_fuk/shonen
The Death card in tarot could either be interpreted as
finality or change. Or both.
A few more notes before proceeding:
< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech
_________________________________________________
Chapter 15: Death (Part 2)
_________________________________________________
Eight months ago...
"Hiei-san?"
The koorime hybrid was startled by the seemingly innocent query. He
winced in pain when he turned around towards the origin of the gentle
voice a bit too fast for comfort.
"Hiei-san, you're badly hurt! You better come back into the house.
It's... cold."
The fire demon would have huffed in reply at the silliness of the
koorime girl's request had he not thought it a rude reply to give to
her. "Yukina... I'm a fire demon. The cold means nothing to me if I can
help it."
"I'm sorry... Genkai-baasan keeps telling me that too, by mistake.
I've rather grown accustomed to it. It's sort of funny, really... b-but
still... you better come in anyway! You shouldn't be straining yourself
like that, while your injuries are still fresh! You may be a powerful
youkai, but even youkai have their limits," Yukina insisted, nearly
pleaded.
"Why do you care?" Hiei suddenly asked, surprising even himself by
the brashness of his question. His ruby eyes darted back and forth as he
half-expected, half-dreaded the reply. He was about to cut her off with
a rushed apology of sorts when he saw the gentle look she gave him, the
words dying in his lips.
There was the slightest of pauses before Yukina spoke. "Of course I
care... You cared enough when you rescued me from my forced captivity
with the human, Tarukane. So I, in turn, care for you as well." Her ruby
eyes reflected his own--identical in both appearance and the amount of
worry found in them--sister's eyes to brother's eyes.
Hiei cursed himself for being so insensitive. He looked back at
those large, red eyes and said, "You trusted me with your life while you
were in that filthy human's clutches, right? Unconditionally?"
Yukina nodded slowly. "Yes, I did."
Hiei nodded to her as well. "Then give me that same trust now... I
will be all right. I just have something to resolve."
"Y-you will be back, right?" Yukina asked as she worriedly looked
at Hiei's hobbling stance.
He again looked her straight in the eyes, his demeanor determined,
his gaze resolute. "Please... trust me."
He then disappeared... vanished without a trace, except for an
unsaid promise and the unyielding trust of a loved one.
***
Hiei opened his crimson eyes as the last statement echoed in his
mind. He pulled something from the side of his strap-on boots, gingerly
unwrapping the unknown object. His third eye shone a luminous green as
he narrowed his two other eyes. <It's all clear to me now, Yukina.>
He felt as if he was confined somehow; the cage that currently held
him was far stronger than steel, wrought with unfulfilled promises.
He stood alone looking out over the sprawling snow-filled park as
erratic gusts of wind clawed at him through his worn, frayed outfit. The
panoply of twinkling stars that could still be seen amidst the cloudy
skies spread out before him, uttering a silent testimony.
<A star's death indeed,> he thought to himself.
Nimbus clouds blanketed the bejeweled heavenly bodies as sleet and
freezing rain showered the landscape.
Hiei's eyes fixed themselves on the tall, armored being. The man...
if he could be called that... was an entity that shouldn't exist but did
anyway; contradiction incarnate. If anything, the diminutive youkai
really did stand there alone in the park.
The wind and rain battered him, threatening to send him wholesale
into the rivers of muck forming all around. Oblivious, he defiantly
stood just meters away from his emotionless opponent.
"Your actions make no sense to me," Chuuku said, his voice bleak
and grim. "You fight even though do not need to fight. You claim to
fight for the kitsune even though you are in fact fighting against him
and his wishes. You have long searched for your sister yet once you
found her you've distanced yourself from her. I don't understand you at
all, koorime."
"What I don't understand is why you keep on calling me 'koorime,'"
Hiei said, his eyes darting back and forth at the mention of his
unacknowledged sibling. "I'm a jaganshi. I'm a fire demon. I am not an
ice demon."
"I call you koorime because you are koorime. You were born koorime
and you have koorime blood. In the same way, Urameshi Yusuke is still
human and will always be human despite his mazoku lineage," Chuuku
explained equably.
"Yusuke wasn't betrayed by his own people," Hiei retorted.
"But of course. You hate koorime. Yet despite that, you spared all
of them when you finally found the Land of Koorime. You didn't even
bother finding the elders responsible for your banishment from your
homeland. Why?"
"Who cares?" was Hiei's reply, but oddly enough Kuwabara's
irritating voice found its way into his troubled mind, providing him
with a different answer.
"Not all humans are bad; among them are also good ones, so please
don't hate all humans," was what the irksome human said to Yukina after
her rescue.
Hiei pondered the human's words. In his mind, he could almost
imagine Yukina saying the same words to him, only somehow different.
"Please don't hate all koorime."
"So that's the truth. You cannot kill even one koorime because you
care too much for your koorime sister. You'll do anything for her. In
fact, I believe you made an important promise to her before you left the
old woman's dojo months ago... Isn't that right, koorime-san?" Chuuku
reckoned morosely, which made Hiei silently curse the undead one's
telepathic abilities.
"Humph," Hiei snorted. "Enough of this pointless chatter."
"Very well. Mugen-Gan," Chuuku stated, aiming his pointer finger at
the jaganshi and firing with point blank accuracy.
A shaft of darkness pierced through the forbidden child's chest
just as he began to move. His body afterwards faded away like a shadow
amidst the onset of daybreak.
Chuuku's deadened eyes narrowed. He missed his shot. "...Koorime."
Apparently, Hiei had already started his barely detectable charge.
The youkai traipsed through the crusted mud as icy bullets of rain
descended, creating a morass of sludge that was once pristine snow. In
seconds, he was drenched and chilled to the bones.
Hiei resisted the urge to shiver. He was a fire demon; fire demons
didn't shiver. He shouldn't be feeling cold... That was what he had told
Yukina, after all. He ignored the piercing numbness, even though it felt
strangely comforting to him.
Chuuku, on the other hand, didn't even seem all that fazed by the
arctic squall. Unperturbed, he slowly traced his index finger in the
air as it followed Hiei's flitting movements... like a gun aimed at a
moving target.
Hiei rushed towards the impassive puppet with little to no
hesitation just as the third Mugen-Gan shot was fired.
A fraction of a second later, Hiei's world exploded.
***
Yukina stared at the dancing flakes of snow, sighing nostalgically.
The gentle, enigmatic waltz reminded her so much of home. The sparkling
pinpoints of light in the cloudy night sky made the scene somewhat
surreal, but it was still quite the pleasant fantasy nonetheless.
The serene spectacle soon became tempestuous as a cruel gale clawed
at the soft-spoken girl's skin. She shivered in uncertain delight.
"Yukina, come back inside. You'll catch a cold," came Genkai's
mild admonition.
The aqua-haired snow woman giggled daintily. "It's all right,
Genkai-baasan. I believe koorime are immune to that particular Human
World disease."
Nimbus clouds blanketed the bejeweled heavenly bodies as sleet and
freezing rain replaced the floating snowflakes, soaking the ice maiden.
"Oh, sorry. I keep forgetting. Still, come inside, quick!" Genkai
insisted, ushering the young girl into her abode. "I can't imagine
anyone who could put up with this ice-cold rain. Come on in, child.
You're getting drenched."
"I'm fine, really. This is kind of like a refreshing shower,
actually," Yukina shyly pledged as she traipsed over the morass of
sludge and slush, diffidently evading Genkai's pursuit.
"All right, all right... Go ahead and play in the freezing rain, if
that's what you want," Genkai consented, a complacent smile quirking at
the corners of her lips. "Perhaps I'd be just as relaxed as you if this
rain was as warm as a hot spring. It never ceases to amaze me how you
treat the numbing cold like a refreshing breeze."
Yukina could only smile timidly in response as her mind wandered
elsewhere, eased by the soothing winter sleet.
***
Hiei's whole world quickly whirled into frenzy as a sudden pain
tore through the very center of his soul. It erupted from every part of
his body... from every pore of his skin. Nothing mattered now except the
pain. What worried him at the back of his mind was the lack of sensation
from his surroundings that followed the brief lance of excruciating
torture. He fought against the weightless trance with all the inner
strength he could muster as he finally discerned the oncoming fist
headed straight for him.
Chuuku charged towards the spot Hiei had been only a moment
earlier, retracting his fist when he realized his intended target had
vanished, but unable to halt his forward momentum as he crashed into a
nearby tree.
<The Mugen-Gan made a direct hit with the koorime, but he still
lives,> Chuuku surmised apathetically as he dislodged himself from the
splintered tree trunk. <Not for long, though.>
After a while, the nimble jaganshi slowed down to a more visible
speed as the aftereffects of the Mugen-Gan came about... A few minutes
later, he slumped down on a mush of snow, totally spent.
Hiei had finally gone above and beyond his limits. Every muscle in
his body ached from the effort he exerted in his last ditch effort to
save the idiot kitsune's life and to keep his promise to... a very
important person.
In a little while, the tempest from before abated; the subzero
downpour was quickly replaced by a light drizzle and a speckle of
snowflakes. "You have nowhere to hide, koorime. The weather that you
favor the most has settled down. Your blanket of protection is gone."
A broken piece of his katana... the katana which Youko Kurama
shattered just a short time ago... clattered on the frozen ground.
Hiei's various other injuries now came into his attention as the
cold, anesthetic numbness of his body subsided. The gaping hole in his
chest... the claw marks which exposed his ribs... his torn-up gut...
countless cuts and bruises... They all sang a simultaneous cacophony of
agony.
***
What did the cold, unforgiving yet comforting weather remind Yukina
of?
The cold, unforgiving yet comforting Hiei, of course.
The young koorime stared at the growing puddles, looking intently
at the pools of slosh but not truly looking at them in the true sense of
the word.
Hiei... a fire demon that continued to be an enigma, a puzzle to be
solved. He remained a stranger to her, much to her dismay. It was as if
she was always kept at bay... It was as if she was constantly pushed
away... Whether near or far, with his mistress Mukuro or not, she had
yet to truly reach out to him.
He was there... somewhere... lost, but should be found again. He
was in a chasm deeper than the one he was thrown into as a baby... a
deeper, unreachable, bottomless chasm.
Yukina blinked. <Oh my, I have to stop thinking such weird
thoughts,> she ruminated sheepishly. <I'm mixing my brother up with
Hiei-san!>
Brother... such a relative term. He was also an enigma. He was also
a stranger to her. But she was sure that he was a great koorime, a brave
and honorable warrior... just like Hiei.
She deeply missed Hiei... almost as much as she missed her brother.
If only he could just... reach out... then he wouldn't seem so distant.
But still, even if he couldn't, it would be all right with her. All she
really needed to know was that he was safe, and that would be enough for
her.
***
"It is unfortunate, but my master's will must be done at all
costs," Chuuku morosely said. "At the very least, the kitsune
understands this."
Hiei looked languidly at the undead pawn... his small crimson eyes,
for a change, reflecting apathy worthy of the chain-mail armored
bishonen. His vision slowly failing, he made a strange declaration.
"I saw it."
"Are you going into shock? Panic? Hysteria?" Chuuku questioned
sullenly. "Your looming death has affected your brain. What did your
desperate eyes see?"
Hiei nearly fell again as he tried to stand up, much to his
frustration. He had to face facts; the lethal force of the Mugen-Gan
was gradually killing him while his bruises, cuts and fractures weren't
going to heal anytime soon.
The jaganshi was dying... just like in his fight with Shigure. But
still, undeterred, he chanted, "I saw it. I saw the wound that I gave
you a while back."
"What you say makes no sense at all, koorime. What wound? You
cannot hurt me. You cannot even touch me."
"I saw it with my third eye."
Then there came a ripping sound... a horrid squeal of tearing far
beyond that of life evanescent that soon erupted into a lethal fury no
one could even begin to comprehend.
"Even now, I can still see it."
Reminiscent to what happened to him during his fight with Yusuke
earlier, Chuuku's upper-left breast up to most of his left shoulder
shattered like fragile glass. His body subsequently convulsed, as if he
was being electrocuted. Strangely enough, his face remained eerily calm
throughout the whole quandary.
"What is this?" the nonentity evenly asked.
"That's the wound I gave you back in the old woman's dojo, while
you were still in the idiot human's body." Hiei smirked. "And I opened
it up again with my broken blade."
Chuuku struggled to regain control of his epileptic body. "I see.
You've cut through something that cannot be cut... twice. Such is the
power of free will. A puppet is helpless against such power. But is
your will strong enough to go against my master's will?"
Hiei struggled to speak as the blurry darkness neared the corners
of his eyes. "I-I don't care about Minamino Shuichi's will. It's... the
fox who I want. He is... m-mine. No one else can claim my life but he
and he alone!"
"The kitsune's will is also Minamino Shuichi's will. He was the one
who planned everything from the very beginning. Why do this, koorime?
Why save the kitsune when he himself _wants_ to bring Minamino Shuichi
back?" Chuuku asked, repeating his earlier questions.
"It's because he's an idiot," Hiei hissed as he tried desperately
to catch up with his breath. "He has no say in all of this. H-he... has
forfeited his right to decide his fate... by making such a moronic
decision. He doesn't know what he truly wants. If he did..." he paused,
coughing slightly, "then he wouldn't be doing any of this nonsense."
"Is that so? So which do you prefer, koorime? Dying in the hands of
the kitsune or keeping your promise to your koorime sister by staying
alive?" Chuuku inquired solemnly. "It's your actions that do not make
sense. You cannot serve two masters at the same time. Your will
contradicts your promise. So which shall it be?"
"Both," Hiei said in monosyllabic simplicity.
"In the end, words are just words," Chuuku said, adding, "In a few
minutes, you'll be dead, and you can do little else but be dead. By
dying, you won't be able to fulfill your will and your promise."
"T-then watch me do it. Heaven and hell, puppet," were the last
words Hiei rasped.
"So be it."
With fingernails as sharp as shards of glass, he tore open his
chest cavity. His body convulsing uncontrollably, he used the remnants
of his powers to widen the rift within his shattered soul.
<What the hell are you doing, shadow man?!> Hiei exclaimed in his
mind.
<Giving you your heaven and hell,> Chuuku mentally replied as his
body literally collapsed within itself. <Enjoy.>
His emptiness imploded in a vortex of chaos and desolation seconds
later.
***
<I wonder what else does my brother and Hiei-san have in common,>
Yukina mused, brushing her damp bangs up thoughtfully while adding, "I
wonder if he finds the cold comforting too, like I do."
"But of course. You two are brother and sister."
Despite the wintry iciness of the rain, Yukina's face looked rather
flushed. "Y-yes, I'm sure my brother would... but what about Hiei-san?
H-he is a fire demon, right? Fire demons react to the cold differently,
I suppose."
There was a pause. Genkai chuckled. "You're still waiting for him
to come back, aren't you?"
"He will! Of course he will. He promised..." Yukina almost
immediately exclaimed before trailing off, realizing that Genkai was
asking an altogether different question from the one she had in mind.
She nodded numbly.
There came the gentle, nearly imperceptible tinkling... like a
little bell.
Yukina subsequently trembled, as if the cold had finally affected
her. Wide-eyed, she looked behind her in evident concern.
Genkai stared inquisitively at the apparently stunned koorime.
"What's the matter, Yukina? Is something wrong?"
Yukina pointed dazedly at the shadows of the trees, her features a
mixture of joy and uncertainty. There was a lone, diminutive silhouette
just beyond the courtyard, near the lengthy concrete stairs.
Her voice nearly choked with emotion, Yukina inquired, "Hiei-san?"
***
<I already had, as the kitsune called it, a "star's death." I have
already experienced the beautiful supernova he so desired... and here's
the end result. This is all that's left of me... my black hole of
lament.>
As the intense gravitational field from within the core of the
shadow man's broken ghost collapsed inward, a highly compressed and
extremely massive maelstrom immediately formed. Its gravity was so
strong that what little light was there in the park could not escape
its grasp. The implosion subsequently consumed the entirety of the
pallid plaza, Hiei included.
Feeling the intense agony that added even more exhaustion to his
already fatigued self, Hiei bit his lip as his body was helplessly
vacuumed into the wild abyss. The womb of nature and perhaps her grave,
of neither sea, nor shore, nor air, nor fire, but all these in their
pregnant causes mixed confusedly, were swallowed by the unnatural
pandemonium of the shattered soul's void; his anomaly.
Dozens of rocks and hundreds of sharp small shards whirled around
in frenzy as whole blocks of land were smashed by the whirling inverse
vortex. Hiei watched in horror as the intense pressure of the barrage
threatened to break every bone in his body. It was the last thing his
ruby eyes saw before his sight was robbed from him altogether.
In a little while, the only things the koorime could see amidst his
sightlessness were multicolored blurs. These were abruptly replaced by a
flash of lightning that sent currents of mind-numbing pain all over his
body.
There was another flash of unforgiving pain. The fire demon's body
buckled under the enormous pressure of his foe's prodigious assault. He
was tossed around helplessly in the chasm like a soggy piece of cloth
inside a gigantic washing machine.
***
"Hiei-san? Is that you? Who's there?" Yukina called out timorously
as she approached the somewhat recognizable silhouette. The sleet and
rain had already subsided, so she should be able to catch sight of
whoever or whatever was behind the shadows of the leaf-barren trees.
She hoped and prayed that the familiar shadow belonged to whom she
thought it belonged, but her anticipation was all for naught. By the
time she had gotten closer, the figure had vanished.
Was it just wishful thinking? She could have sworn that there was
someone over that direction. She was about to return to Genkai's abode,
to reassure the old lady of her well being, when something she saw in
the corner of her eye caught her attention.
It was a lustrous, glossy something, tied to a dilapidated tree
branch. As the wind played with the shiny object, it swayed back and
forth, glinting... like a guillotine.
***
The koorime halfling doubted that he had enough power to come
forward with one last strike or enough strength to move amidst the dark
cyclone.
He didn't need to, though.
Hiei's glassy eyes could not see a thing... but his jagan's vision
remained crystal clear. Opening it up for one last time, he again saw
it... the wound that tore through the edges of Chuuku's hollowness.
His jagan aflame, he summoned the remnants of his brothers of
fire... each and every one of them... from the very depths of Chuuku's
cracked spirit.
A firestorm of black flames in the guise of demonic dragon spirits
violently escaped from the lesion of the black hole. The shadow man was
helpless against the creatures of pure flame as they blasted through his
shoulder, one after the other.
***
Yukina untied the bejeweled necklace off the tree branch, her
scarlet eyes twinkling in recognition. These two tear gems meant a lot
to her; they were special gemstones, her mother's legacy to her.
The ice maiden gently traced her finger on the pair of pearly
jewels. <These are the hiruiseki kaasan cried after I was born. After...
we were born.>
"Big brother..."
He was always so headstrong and stubborn. Botan had even described
him as reckless. One thing for sure, he always went about things in a
straightforward manner.
He promised that he would come back, and he did. He kept his
promise.
The expression of melancholy was practically etched on Yukina's
frail features, yet she did not cry; she did not sprinkle glittering
gems all over herself like pixie dust. Not even one whimper escaped her
lips.
"...Thank you. Thank you for keeping your promise."
She could not cry because she was happy, yet she could not smile
because she was sad.
"Sayonara, niisan."
***
No matter where or how Yusuke dodged, the Jigen Tou was sure to
slash him with the speed Kuwabara was swinging the ki-blade. Space and
dimension were of no consequence to the Dimension Sword, and neither
was distance.
Yusuke coarsely cursed under his breath. The Jigen Tou cut him
deeply and accurately. The distance of the strike was wholly up to
Kuwabara, and there was little the half-demon could do about it.
"You were asking me what technique I'm going to use now, right?"
Yusuke harrumphed as he gingerly rose to his feet. "I think I'll just go
nuts and use them all. Think fast." The sleek-haired boy became a blur
as he renewed his assault, firing several shots of the beam variety of
his Shot Gun ability.
One step. Two steps.
Predictably, Kuwabara sliced through the torrent of energy using
the combined powers of his Jigen Tou and Chuuku's Mugen Tou. Of course,
the whole thing was just a ruse for Yusuke to get near his quarry.
Three steps. Four steps.
Then came the curved waves of the Rei-Kou-Dan from Yusuke's other
fist. The energy spheres coalesced with the previous shafts of light,
their combined glare slightly blinding the tall, chain-mail armored boy.
Five steps. Six steps.
Yusuke hid behind the edge of the choleric arc, away from
Kuwabara's field of vision. Pacing himself up, he followed the trail of
the last Rei-Kou-Dan shot, edging closer and closer to his most
persistent rival.
Seven steps. Eight steps.
Yusuke did a zigzag of steps, escaping several key strikes from the
Jigen Tou. Feinting to the right and then charging to the left in a
split-second, the half-demon was able to make Kuwabara hesitate at the
last possible moment.
Nine steps. Final step.
Taking an extra step to ensure that he was within Kuwabara's blind
spot, Yusuke attacked in an awkward angle, the ground under his feet
buckling under the weight of his impassioned strike.
An explosion of volatile rei and debris rocked the whole cemetery.
A shower of pure spiritual energy hit Kuwabara's face in full force.
Giving him no chance to recover, Yusuke followed through his previous
offensive with an equally devastating, reiki-filled punch.
Still, Kuwabara had already seen the attack before. Piercing
Yusuke's heartless chest with the Mugen Tou, he stopped the half-demon's
expected follow-up attack cold.
Yusuke winced as he plunged into the sword of emptiness.
Consequently, his previous lung problems were aggravated; each and every
breath he took felt like excruciating torture, as if his lungs were on
fire.
Strange thing was, Yusuke was grinning like a demented lovechild of
a shark and a hyena despite being stabbed by the soul-rendering blade of
death. The message was clear... He expected Kuwabara's counterattack.
"JYU REI JYOU ANTE!!!" the spirit detective managed to shout in
spite of his respiratory problems, wheezing as he fought against
oblivion.
The Spirit Detective's Luminescent Spirit Ante shone so brightly
that it seemed like daylight from the sun itself. The burst of energy
began to form into the image of a flaming blue phoenix as it cancelled
out the life-absorbing powers of the Infinity Sword.
It didn't end there, obviously.
Just as Yusuke aimed his fully-charged Rei-Gan at Kuwabara's face,
Kuwabara swung his barrier-cutting Jigen Tou at Yusuke's neck. It was
the perfect stalemate.
"...." the two Spirit Detectives chorused as an uncomfortable hush
passed them in an unhurried pace.
After a short while, Kuwabara mirrored Yusuke's maniacal grin.
"Well, well, well..."
"...Looks like we're in a bit of a fix here," Yusuke finished for
Kuwabara, guffawing a bit as he eyed the glowing energy blade just
inches away from his neck.
"I'd say. If I move any further to clop your head off, you'll blast
mine to smithereens. It's officially a deadlock," Kuwabara said with a
self-satisfied smirk, as if he was bragging of some great victory.
"Cool. Deadlock." Yusuke paused as a thought occurred to him. "So,
uh, what do we now?"
Kuwabara blinked soundly. "Eh?"
The duo again fell silent for perpetuity contained within an
awkward moment as they pondered their current situation.
"Hey, I have an idea! What do you say we let go of each other's
throats on the count of three?" Yusuke suggested grinningly, scratching
the back of his head with his free hand. "Y'know, so we can enjoy our
li'l tussle a bit longer."
"Wait a second... How can I be sure that you're not going to pull a
fast one on me?" Kuwabara demanded, frowning. "For all I know, you could
be bluffing, and I'll be getting the short end of the stick... and for
all you know, I'd be clopping your head off anyway."
Yusuke thought for all of three seconds. "You know what? Whatever.
Let's risk it. One."
Kuwabara snorted, chortling. "Two."
"Three!"
With no further contention or hesitation, the two combatants
relinquished their hold over each other. Once they were apart, Yusuke
laughed. He laughed long and hard. He laughed like a lunatic, a raving
madman.
"STOP LAUGHING! Why do you keep on laughing, anyway? Did you want
me to clop your head off, Urameshi?" Kuwabara challenged, taking up the
demeanor of an angry yakuza henchman.
"So you really _were_ holding back, huh?" Yusuke surmised as he
chuckled heartily. "And now you're using your full power. That's good."
Kuwabara half-snorted and half-sneered. "So I suppose you're going
to tell me that you were also holding back and you're now going to use
your full power... Ain't that right, Urameshi?"
"You're a dumb ass," Yusuke said in all bluntness. "Didn't you know
that I've never held back on you in any of our fights? That's the reason
you lost."
Kuwabara didn't quite know what to say to that.
Yusuke grinned with reckless abandon. "One hundred percent of my
power all the way, Kuwabara. It's all or nothing."
"Fine then. All or nothing."
"Then we finally understand each other."
Summoning up all his remaining strength from the very depths of his
soul, Yusuke began charging not one, but two of his pointer fingers with
concentrated spiritual power. "Eat this, Kuwabara... RENSHYAA!"
***
Kurama opened his eyes. They were greeted by obscurity. It was
disorienting, as if he was standing on a rocking ship traveling over the
rolling sea.
"You are both nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Welcome to
the realm that lies in between the Spirit World and the Human World."
Apparently somebody had bothered to answer some of Kurama's
questions before he had a chance to air them. Quaint.
The voice was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. <Strange,>
Kurama thought as he concentrated on sensing the ki of the disembodied
speaker and feeling the rest of his surroundings... a centuries-old
habit of his. <I wonder who could it...?>
"...."
His eyebrows furrowed, Kurama focused a bit more. He struggled to
find his center of calm. He found none. He soon gasped in alarm.
He couldn't feel anything at all.
Perturbed, the kitsune struggled to get up, pawing at what he
thought was the ground. He again felt nothing. Either there was no
ground underneath him in the first place and he was floating in midair,
or his hands and limbs went completely numb during the time he was
unconscious.
He again gasped, noticing that something else was amiss. His
gasp. Something was wrong with his gasp.
He clinically examined each breath he took, each and every
inhalation and exhalation. He then held his breath.
Other than feeling a bit strange, he seemed perfectly fine holding
his breath for approximately ten minutes straight without any sign of
suffocating.
Curious, Kurama continued his breathing. It was quite easy...
instinctual, even. Or was it just out of habit?
He took note of the air... or lack thereof... that actually entered
his nostrils. Out of instinct and habit, he was gasping for air he that
couldn't breathe. His lungs, if he still had any, were being filled with
a whole lot of nothing.
What was going on?
<I'm dead,> Kurama resolutely concluded, without a hint of regret
or sadness on his determined face. <Chuuku killed me... or rather, he
helped me kill myself, for Asuka's sake. I'm a ghost now.>
"Half-right, kitsune. You are only half-dead. The link between
spirit and body has not been completely severed."
Kurama finally recognized the voice. It was deader and more
cadaverous than he probably was at the moment. He shook his head as if
to clear it of such morbid thoughts, turning towards the cloaked and
armor-clad figure behind him.
"...Chuuku?"
His eyes widened in shock at the current state of his eternally
damned captor. The undead one's cloak, which billowed against an unseen
wind, was frayed, shorn and threadbare. The remnants of his armor had
countless fractures on it, not unlike an ancient ruin. Bizarrely enough,
the nonentity's face was also covered in a web of cracks.
"Again, you are only half-right." Chuuku gently cradled his left
shoulder... what was left of it. His spectral void was slowly but surely
tearing his whole body apart. "That is not my true name. You're
referring to Enma Daio's puppet, the shinigami that murders souls."
"A god of death..." Kurama reiterated thoughtfully. The red-haired
boy was obliged to make a great mental effort in understanding the
meaning of his companion's words, without any assistance.
"I see. You haven't murdered any souls for quite a number of years,
have you?" Kurama said, not asked.
"Yes. For nearly twenty years."
His eyes narrowed, Kurama interrogated, "You stopped doing Enma's
bidding twenty years ago? You mean around the time Minamino Shuichi was
conceived?" Another thought occurred to him. "Have we met before? Did we
meet when I was about to inhabit Asuka-san's reincarnated body?"
Bowing courteously, the former shinigami said, "It's nice to meet
you again after all these years, Kurama. I am Tetsuma Yoshitaka... the
Reikai Hunter."
***
The Renshyaa was neither a move Yusuke developed through rigorous
training nor a technique he learned from Genkai. He wasn't even the one
who named it. It was something he improvised in the spur of the moment,
during his heated battle with Yomi in the finals of the Demon World
Tournament. It was a skill whose origins reflected his own rambunctious,
impulsive and spontaneous personality.
He first heard the made-up name from his demon friends back in the
Makai competition who had heard it from the feline announcer Koto. The
moniker was supposed to refer to the continuous and inexhaustible youki-
powered Spirit Gun technique that he used against Yomi's Reppa-Hanshyou-
Heki.
Using youki, the rapid-fire maneuver was completely ineffective
against his opponent's force field. With reiki, however, Yomi didn't
even stand a chance.
Today, he was about to use both reiki and youki versions of his
Renshyaa together, with both hands. <You've gotten me kind of excited,
Kuwabara. Let's see how far we can take this duel of ours.>
Thunderous blasts of spiritual light and energy streaked across the
whole expanse of the graveyard, hitting and breaking through tombstones
and columns like they were made out of gingerbread.
Kuwabara sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest, bracing
himself for the oncoming bursts of pure power. Seconds before impact, he
did intricate movements with his two swords, forming a continuous,
horizontal figure eight that shielded him from the explosive onslaught.
Yusuke didn't even flinch as Kuwabara hacked through his offensive,
none the worse for wear. This didn't bother the Spirit Detective leader
in the least as he followed up his assault with choleric waves of
piercing demonic power, one after another. Blazes of incredible vigor
burned through the trail of the previous blasts, this time filled with
sweltering, blood-red youki.
The glare of blast after awesome blast burned through the two
combatants' consciousnesses. Enjoying himself immensely, Yusuke
passionately continued his feverish attack.
However, as soon as the explosions started, they ceased.
Kuwabara peered through the clouds of debris in curiosity, his eyes
wide in confusion. He scowled. "Here we go again... the fucking
unpredictable Urameshi. What's the big idea, stopping like that?"
Soon, the dust finally cleared, revealing the steadfast form of
Kuwabara's greatest rival. Yusuke kept his pointer fingers steadily
aimed at his intended prey... Soon, a familiar warmth and energy rush
seized his person as he collected all his remaining reiki and youki into
two separate balls of concentrated energy.
A second passed, followed by a minute. Aside from the fact that
Yusuke's fingers were currently emitting sounds reminiscent of an analog
synthesizer being tuned, there was nothing but dead silence.
"Hello? Human World to Urameshi?" Kuwabara taunted. "What are you
waiting for? The Second Coming? Self-Enlightenment? Nirvana? Get a hint.
I thought you hated beating around the bush."
Yusuke Urameshi smiled impishly as he maintained his stance. "Yeah?
Well, you're lame. Literally. You aren't exactly light on your feet now,
are you? I can take my sweet time charging these two babies up."
The armored teenager chortled. "Oh, I get it. It's like what
happened during our li'l deadlock earlier. _You_ expect _me_ to sit
around with my thumb up my ass because of some bullshit sense of honor
while you try and power up your shit for a good seven months or so." He
laughed in the same manner Yusuke did only moments ago.
"So... you won't?" Yusuke wondered.
"FUCK YOU! Of course I won't! I ain't no samurai. I'm a punk."
Yusuke snidely huffed as he flipped his sharp bangs with one hand.
"Hey, if you really want to stop me from firing my shit at you, then cut
my fingers off... if you're man enough. Or would you rather whine some
more, pansy?"
"I ain't no pansy, either. Come and get some." Taking full
advantage of his weapon's peerless power, Kuwabara rapidly swung his
Jigen Tou in a myriad of circular patterns that superimposed and
juxtaposed each other.
Wreckage, rubble and debris were flung around like so many
breadcrumbs, the dirt and rocks of the necropolis easily giving way to
the Dimension Sword's incursions. The ground was quickly grinded to
dust, crushed like a block of ice inside a blender set on puree as the
whirling dervish of Kuwabara's undetectable attack headed straight for
the impulsive Urameshi.
***
Twenty years ago...
Seated on a gigantic chair within what appeared to be a very
spacious, monumental version of the main office of a person with a high-
ranking position was the imposing figure of Enma Daio, the Lord of the
Dead.
"I've rarely been able to visit the Spirit World ever since Koenma
took over, but it's just as well. As long as everything goes according
to my original plans, he can play 'Administrative Assistant' as long as
he wants." The gargantuan, bearded and bespectacled deity chuckled
humorlessly. "I'm practically retired now, but I'm still a very busy
god."
He was the most powerful being in the Spirit World, author of the
Book of Fate and Supreme Judge over all souls. He had carefully outlined
and laid-out the final fate of every living being within the said tome.
Reincarnation. Rebirth. Perpetual Peace. Eternal Damnation. All of these
ultimate destinies were in the palm of his colossal hand. He was
everyone's Divine Providence in a way.
In short, he was the one who decided the fate of all souls... even
broken ones.
"Puppet," Enma Daio stated as his booming voice reverberated inside
the gigantic room. Hearing no response, he insistently called out,
"Shinigami Tetsuma."
"What is your will, master?" the cloaked and armor-clad creature
monotonously said, appearing out of nowhere.
"I know it has been a long time, but I have a very important
mission for you today," Enma Daio explained evenly. He eyed his pawn in
fascination.
"It has been hundreds of years since you first started serving
your... sentence," Enma Daio thoughtfully started, adding, "Imagine,
going through permanent, self-induced exile for the crimes you did
against the Spirit World. I wouldn't have thought of a more fitting
punishment myself." The elder god's features were unreadable, masked by
the glare of his enormous glasses.
"A shattered soul... There's no other punishment more fitting for
the likes of you."
His head bowed down while genuflecting, Enma Daio's peon remained
acquiescent. "If you would please relay your command to your humble
servant..."
"Patience, patience," Enma Daio waved off, unwilling to discontinue
his extensive soliloquy. "I must say I was impressed by your last
'performance' as a miracle boy. Matsui Asuka was just another peasant
girl among hundreds of peasant girls, and she had the same fate as many
of those girls... until you came. You were able to help her elude her
simple destiny. Without you she would have led a happier, rustic life.
Without you, she would have peacefully passed on, to be reborn as..."
Tetsuma's head shot up in uncharacteristic determination. "As who?
Who will she be reborn as?"
Enma Daio scowled as he raised his mighty hand. Balling it up into
a fist, it brimmed with celestial energy. "AND YOU THINK YOU DESERVE TO
KNOW?!" he bellowed. In seconds, the remnants of Tetsuma's shattered
soul gradually dispersed into nothingness. "You, the cheater of death?
You, the enemy of nature? You, who played the role of both life-giver
and executioner? You have destroyed the Book of Fate's grand scheme and
design. Don't think that you do not deserve the punishment you've
brought upon yourself."
Tetsuma held his gaze steadily at Enma Daio, his sentences clipped
and purposeful. "Though I will... continue to serve y-you as long as I
could, I don't do... this for the Book of Fate's sake."
"Blasphemy. I am the Lord of the Dead, and as long as there are
remnants of your ghost trapped in that lifeless shell, I will do as I
please with you. Learn your place."
"I c-couldn't care less about... the fate of this broken ghost
either. You a-are my master not because of your hold on my soul, b-but
because of your hold on... Asuka's ultimate fate."
Enma Daio snorted in disdain as he loosened his aforementioned grip
on the remnants of Tetsuma's spirit. "Of course. This really is a 'self-
induced exile,' isn't it, puppet? You've faithfully served me these
countless years, all for the girl's sake. Even though you know that
she'll be stillborn, you still want to see her inevitably tragic
reincarnation?"
Tetsuma nodded.
Exhaling vociferously, the God of the Spirit World declared,
"Understood. After you complete this latest mission, I will tell you all
you need to know about Matsui Asuka's reincarnated self... just as your
contract says."
"Words cannot express my gratitude, master."
Enma Daio was considered many things, but he wasn't one who would
back out on a contract. In the end, he was all about policies, rules and
laws. Sighing, he summoned another one of his trusted angels of death.
"Shinigami Ayame. How long have you been in here?"
"For quite a while, Lord Enma... I'm truly sorry," apologized the
indistinct, ghostly woman dressed in a gothic kimono as she emerged from
the shadows. "I didn't want to intrude on your conversation."
Enma Daio shook his head in exasperation. "In any case, it's good
that we're all here. We have a lot to discuss. But first thing's first.
Our initial order of business is Koenma Daio's current status as the
Acting Administrator of the Spirit World. Ayame, report."
"The experimental filing system which Koenma-sama adopted from the
Human World Stock Exchange as our current mode of operation has finally
been fully implemented, replacing our centuries-old use of the River
Styx's ferry system. It has somewhat made things a bit more complicated
than simpler in terms of moving the souls to their final destination,
but Koenma-sama insists that once the system gets streamlined, there
would be fewer problems concerning soul dispatch. And he is trying his
very best to--"
Enma Daio raised an eyebrow. "'Trying his very best,' you say?
You're not letting your personal feelings affect your work now, are
you?" The deity of death shifted his substantial mass and leaned towards
Ayame, his humongous eyes glaring holes at the cool-headed ferry-girl.
"No, of course not," Ayame hastily denied, her features a stony
mask of tranquility and assuredness.
"You best make sure of that. Because of Koenma's little stunts, the
Spirit World nowadays has become too soft and protective of the
humans... like a lazy parent who indulges his child's capricious whims
instead of disciplining him. People need structure and direction from
the Spirit World, not coddling and indulgence."
"I understand. I will keep a closer eye on the effectiveness of
Koenma-sama's filing system."
"No, let him keep it," Enma Daio offhandedly said as he rubbed his
bearded chin. "His administrative position is like a shiny bauble to an
impatient child. It's something to distract him with while I do the
_real_ work. Just make sure that his 'system' won't cause things to
become far too... chaotic."
"Understood, Lord Enma."
Enma Daio contemplated the situation a bit further. "What of the
mazoku dilemma?"
"At present, there is a one in a million chance that the current
human descendants of the mazoku will manifest their latent demonic
powers. It is generally believed that the mazoku blood has actually
become less and less potent with each succeeding descendant."
"Ah... Mathematics. One of the few things the humans did right."
Enma Daio nodded sagely. "Watered down demon blood? If only it were that
simple. A one in a million chance is still too high a risk to take. If
it were possible, I would wipe out that damned demonic lineage before
they became a real nuisance... but that'd cause serious repercussions to
the Natural Order." He stared at Tetsuma meaningfully. "And as we all
know, the consequences of messing with the Natural Order is far from
just catastrophic."
"Of course, master."
The Lord of Death smirked as he shifted his attention back to
Ayame. "And the current state of the Makai?"
"Information pertaining to the Demon World is out of my
jurisdiction, Lord Enma," Ayame calmly stated. Ever since the Meikai
Incident, the Reikai lost nearly all authority over most of Makai
activities. Because of this, the Makai had consistently become the root
of all the Reikai's problems for many centuries. "Though I've heard
that, to keep the Makai in line, Koenma-sama has proposed to make use
of the Reikai Tantei to..."
"Feh. His little Spirit Detectives? What could they possibly do?
The shinigami and the Reikai Defense Team should be enough to keep watch
over Demon World activity." Enma Daio pushed his glasses up to the
bridge of his nose.
"Well, we have recently located a potential Spirit Detective with
extraordinary powers. He's a child prodigy... a Class-A at the age of
nine."
A strange layer of emotion seemed to stir inside Enma Daio, lying
somewhere below his features but not affecting the muscles of his skin.
"Oh, yes. Him. Has Koenma been keeping track of the boy's progress?"
"Yes, Lord Enma."
"Good. Keep me updated on him." Coughing slightly, Enma Daio
returned to the original subject. "Actually, the current state of the
Makai is partly the reason why we're having this meeting and mission
briefing in the first place."
Enma Daio's features became grimmer and dourer, if that were
possible. "This is an unofficial, confidential mission. You both know
what that means. You both know what you're supposed to do."
"Understood, Lord Enma."
"Yes, master."
"Shinigami Tetsuma... do you know why demons exist? Why humans
exist? Why shinigami such as yourself exist?"
"I do not."
"It's really simple. Demons exist to glorify the gods by acting out
the role of villain and antagonist. Shinigami are the deliverers of the
spirits and the hunters of the demons. Humans are the sheep and cattle
of both god and demon. This is how things are, and the world will keep
on spinning so long as people perform their designated roles."
Since time immemorial, Enma Daio kept the balance between life and
death in check. He went about his work in a systematic and methodical
fashion, in line with how things were supposed to be... the Natural
Order.
The Natural Order was one of the primary reasons for the existence
of the Book of Fate, the ultimate compilation of ghost files where each
and every soul of consequence and inconsequence were tallied, measured,
and preemptively judged before they even breathed their first breath.
Basically, this meant that all human and demonic volitions were
invariably determined by pre-existing circumstances. It might take
diverse forms, some cruder, some more refined, but basically all acts of
choice were determined by a person's god-given role plus the motives
acting on him at the time.
It wasn't about "causeless volition", or "motiveless choice". It
was about the Natural Order, and what would happen if the Natural Order
wasn't followed.
According to the Book of Fate, humans were fated to become sheep,
demons were fated to become wolves. The shepherd was Enma Daio and his
sheep dogs were the shinigami. This was the Natural Order.
Of course, this wasn't always the case. "If man continued to act
like man and demons continued to act like demons, then there wouldn't
be a problem at all," Enma Daio explicated. "Unfortunately, folly and
disobedience was in the way of paradise and perfect harmony."
Man was not content to merely be sheep and cattle. They also wanted
to become shepherds and sheep dogs... even wolves. They were not given
wings, yet they desired to fly. Such was the folly of mankind, the curse
of Icarus.
Then there were the wolves that were willing to deny their true
nature for the sake of becoming one with the lambs of god. These wolves
in sheep's clothing eventually became confused of their natural longing
as they developed a repulsive lust for their inferiors. Acting on their
unnatural desire, they fornicated with livestock, producing godless
offspring that were neither human nor demon.
Enma Daio snorted in disgust, remembering the mazoku dilemma. "The
Sengoku period was a dark and violent era. Ambition, greed and hatred
filled the hearts of man, which attracted the demons to the Human World
like flies to a decaying carcass."
In the end, the shepherd was forced to take extreme measures,
sacrificing a good number of his livestock as he hunted down, killed and
drove the wolves out of his territory. He then built a huge corral that
kept his cattle away of the beasts' claws.
"Desperate times called for desperate measures. That's basically
what the dimensional barrier is... a desperate measure. Without it, the
humans would have become extinct." Not unlike the wildlife reserves for endangered species found in the Human World, the Human World itself was
an expansive wildlife reserve for humans under the Spirit World's
watchful protection.
Unfortunately, this desperate measure was also against the Natural
Order. Because there were no more demons in the Human World, there was
no one left to glorify the gods. At the dawn of this new era, the
revered truths of the past became mere superstition to the humans,
replaced by the new truths of science that only served to explain
phenomena that occurred within their small plane of existence. The gods
were eventually forgotten.
"Humans began to foolishly believe that they and they alone are the
superior race among all races. Their era of modern 'enlightenment',
undoubtedly, was the result of their sheer, shortsighted arrogance."
In the absence of demons, humans filled their need for conflict by
becoming demons themselves. Man became man's greatest enemy. War became
a means for humans to kill each other in the name of peace. By
separating the humans from the demons, the human race became corrupt.
"It's time to purify the human race. It's time to reintroduce the
predators to their natural prey, to restore the balance of the Natural
Order. I now call upon you, Reikai Hunter."
Yoshitaka Tetsuma rose up from his kneeling position, pounding his
closed fist on his breastplate as a sign of allegiance. "Just tell me
his name, master... and I will hunt him down to the ends of the three
worlds."
Enma Daio smirked. "He is known as the Legendary Youko Kurama."
***
To be Concluded...
Next: Kurama and Shuichi.
Note that I put in the title _Shonen_ not _Shonen-Ai_. Shonen-Ai
(male-male relationship) and yaoi are just not my cup of tea. This
is dedicated to Chimamire Kitsune for giving me the inspiration to
write this fic... Wherever you are, this is for you.
Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others)
are the rightful property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV
and St. Pierrot. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.
Ja ne!
Abdiel
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