|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:24 pm
Kurama held in a smirk. "They may be changed forever, I must warn you. I was not present when it happened, so I assure you I could have done nothing to help."
He paused briefly, then continued, "Your sister and my mother turned up here in this world earlier today ...only, they were much younger. Children." The red-head finally decided to get to the point.
Hopefully, Hiei wouldn't be /too/ displeased, because then, his anger wouldn't only be taken out on the one who caused this. His sources told him that it was a psychic, and that the demon resided in a castle deep in Makai. It was no more specific than that, so he had to fill in the blanks.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:45 pm
Little falter was shown in Hiei's expression, though he did hold Kurama's gaze moments after the information sunk in.
"Children?" It almost wasn't a question. Hiei's eyes showed something relative to annoyance and he scoffed. If they had turned up, then that meant they had gone missing. And they hadn't told him? He let go of the fox's eyes for a moment to glare at the empty space next to him.
"Kurama," he said suddenly, not catching his harshness. "If there's more, then spit it out. Stop wasting time."
Hiei could not stand for things to be kept from him. The way Kurama kept calm made him almost jittery. As if he was being calm in order to keep Hiei calm. And that meant the fox knew whatever he had to say might throw Hiei into a cross and unforgiving mood.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:45 pm
The boy thought for a moment... was he missing anything? "Well, I must also tell you that there isn't a cure, as far as I know. So, if possible, refrain from killing this demon until they are returned to their normal state."
Kurama let the new information register, then began scanning the area. The kitsune had requested that Koenma prepare a portal for them, and with much persuading, the child-like ruler had agreed. This 'persuading', of course, involved threats of Hiei's dragon and him returning to his Youko form.
"Now, I suggest coming with me," the red-head said simply, having pinpointed the unique energy the portal gave off. It wasn't far away; if they walked briskly, they would be there in a matter of minutes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:12 pm
"Tch," Hiei turned his head to the side, brushing a hand over the hilt of his katana for a brief moment. It was somewhat soothing to do so; as if making sure his sword was there made things easier to deal with. Kurama wanted him to refrain from killing the demon. Hiei thought dryly that if things got bad, that would be a hard thing to do. Without a word, the youkai followed after Kurama. He had felt that particular energy and immediately knew where they were headed.
Something occured to him. "Where exactly is Yukina?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:35 pm
This question was to be expected. "I asked Botan to take care of her, since I'm sure you don't want Kuwabara to learn about this. I hope that is fine with you."
That wasn't quite the reason for him taking her to the ferry girl, but he didn't want to say 'Yukina will be less likely to be in any way harmed or killed in spirit world.' No, that would /not/ go over well.
Once they got to the portal, the kitsune attempted a childish dive into it, meant to lighten the mood. Needless to say, a millenia old fox could not pull it off well. Far too graceful, and too well planned.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:14 pm
"Hn," was the simple response. Yes, if the fool learned of this he would be shouting and flailing all over the place. And Hiei would probably kill him. He wasn't sure how the others were able to stay sane around Kuwabara. Hiei regarded the portal with a bored expression. He blinked, though, when Kurama dived into the portal. The leap had been controlled and quite balletic, though the look on the fox's face was quite boyish, as if he were trying to be cute.
The youkai pursued with a simple leap.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:41 pm
When they landed, they were greeted with a rather... lovely sight. To Kurama, anyway.
Beautiful plants and flowers, but almost all of which either deadly to come near, covered with thorns, or poisonous. The air was oddly clean, a thing uncommon to Makai. The area was well decorated, as well.
Within sight, there was a castle that radiated a sort of... well, he couldn't quite describe it. Darkness? Maybe. It was old-fashioned, made of black bricks, it was very large, and it had a historic beauty. It wasn't falling down, but seemed to be over a millenia old. He had heard of the place when he was younger, as well as various rumors about it.
There certainly was something he didn't like about the place... it seemed to be one of those places young demons would stay away from, thinking it to be haunted. But the energy it emitted was that of a demon. The psychic was here, he could sense it. But it seemed to actually possess some real power.
The fox didn't like this at all, but hid that fact. Being ridiculed by his partner wasn't something he was after.
"Impressive, don't you think?" Kurama said, merely commenting on the place. Plants were, after all, something he was quite fond of. Though, last time he heard, this whole area was in disrepair. Major changes had been made.
The kitsune kept walking in the direction of the castle, seeing no reason to stall. It wasn't like they couldn't multitask, if traveling and holding a conversation were even worthy of being called that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:59 pm
The psychic smiled. Apparently, at least one of them was impressed. Miss Antan had done some nice remodeling, making the grounds fit her taste.
When her grandparents died, she had inherited the castle, and it being a mess simply would not do. And a bit of added danger was /such/ a perfect touch, really.
The girl continued to peer into her 'crystal ball'. This wasn't working as it should, and they were catching on too quickly. Maybe, just maybe she underestimated them.
Tch, they could figure it all out, and she'd still be in control. Only she could cure the two women they cared for. Any why was this? It required /her/ power, and nothing else would do.
And it would be all too easy to convince them that she wasn't responsible, if all else failed. Her energy could easily be masked, making her seem her age. Perhaps they could even form a 'friendship'. Kasai scoffed. That wasn't her style, but it was fun to think about.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:35 pm
Hiei landed beside Kurama, his arm brushing against the fox's briefly. The scent of flowerage hit Hiei within and instant, and he looked at Kurama with masked curiosity. He nearly smacked himself when his mind played out Kurama suddenly prancing off. Allowing his gaze to travel, he came upon the castle. He never cared much for castles, but something about this one made him look at it for longer than he spared most others. Or maybe it was the intensity of spirit issuing from it. He was annoyed at the fact that this energy put him into a state of slight apprehension.
Hiei didn't answer Kurama, but acknowledged the comment with a nod before walking forward to keep up with his companion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:23 am
The brushing hadn't gone entirely unnoticed, but it wasn't something that stood out too much, to the fox. It hadn't had any real significance, like perhaps a hug might.
Once the two neared the castle, they could feel the energy softly pulsate through the area, and the life around the creature fed off of it. To a normal demon, this would be a waste. Though it did seem quite similar to his own ability, in a way.
"How do you suggest we go about this?" the kitsune asked, breaking the few moments of silence. What he wanted to know was simple. Did they intend to announce their presence, approach with stealth, or perhaps something else entirely?
Kurama didn't intend to run immediately into a fight, at least. They knew very little of this demon, much less than they should.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 1:30 am
Hiei was quiet for a moment longer. He prefered to do things quickly and quietly. "It's best to keep from being noticed," he stated simply, allowing red to meet green.
Something about Kurama made Hiei look at him a second longer. Much like with the castle. He tore away and looked at the said building once more. "And how do we know who did it?" he asked with a slight sarcastic twang to his voice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:57 am
"I'm sure I will recognize the energy signature. It lingered on Yukina and my mother, when they were found." What he didn't tell him? That all the energy in the area was that of this one demon, which didn't seem to understand the concept of masking it's spirit.
The weird thing was, the demon didn't seem threatening, though he wouldn't place why.
Windows were left open, so that would be their method of entering, though to reach them would be quite a jump.
As of yet, this whole thing had been too easy. They hadn't been attacked, which he honestly expected. Psychics had extremely heightened senses; they were known for that. So maybe this had been planned?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:33 am
Hiei had felt it too. Why wasn't this demon hiding their energy? Either they were completely clueless or it was acting as a lure. He wanted to ask where Kurama's mother was, but he guessed she might be with Botan. He wondered if the detective knew about it.
Looking up at the window, he did not wait for Kurama. Which was actually a little careless of him, but he wasn't afraid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:20 pm
Kurama's mother was actually with Yusuke and Keiko, as he had told them both that she was his cousin who needed to be babysat. The fox wasn't sure how things would turn out, so he would rather her be in human company. Unlike Yukina, she had no real use, such as crying tear gems, so the extra protection wasn't absolutely necessary.
The red-head followed the fire apparition, since he had decided to go ahead. It seemed to be safe enough, since he hadn't been killed as he entered. There wasn't a barrier around the castle, it seemed.
"Do you realize how dangerous that was, Hiei?" he asked, worry in his tone, as he leapt from the window sill. "You're lucky to have not been hurt." Once again, the boy was being careless, like when Kaito had forbidden them to say 'hot'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:53 pm
((Haha. I love that episode~))
Hiei looked at Kurama. He admitted to himself that it was a bit incautious of him to just jump in like that. But he hadn't been hurt, so what was the fox whining about?
"Exactly. I'm not dead, so why aren't we walking?" he said dully. It would've sounded harsh, but something made him careful with his tone. Sure, Kurama was always smart about things, but right now Hiei was not in the mood for the fox's silly worrying.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
