The young fox watched as steam rose from his tea cup and condense
at the tips of the red hair hanging over his forehead. Kurama, Yuusuke,
Kuwabara, and Botan, were sitting on cushions, sipping tea in one of the
rooms of Genkai's house. Outside it was nearly pitch dark.
"Genkai-sama, is there another problem?" the one named Yuusuke
asked the old woman sitting from across them.
"No," the woman's voice was hoarse and cracked with age. She
took a sip of her green tea.
The boy pounded his right fist into the palm of his left hand,
"Just tell us, and we'll get to work immediately."
"Work?! I never should have left Chiba..." Kuwabara complained.
Genkai looked at Yuusuke straight in the eye, "For the second
time..NO!" She sighed. "If you're going to be looking for fights Yuusuke,
then I suggest that you go stay in Makai."
"So...why did you send for us?" it was Botan's turn to inquire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hn."
A blurred silhouette of a child-like figure can be seen leaping
from tree to tree not further off the northern region of the demon world.
He paused ontop of the highest in range and scanned the terrain. Satisfied,
he jumped down; landing on the soft snow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A WHAT!?" Yuusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara cried in unison.
Genkai hid a smile. "You heard me."
"But--but..a p-party?! You want us to have a Christmas party?"
Urameshii Yuusuke, appointed detective of the spirit world, can hardly
believe his hears. Had they been playing tricks on him? Of all the people
to ... of course Hiei had to be insane to do what his mentor just did ...
but surely, a sage like her asking him to throw a party? In her place,
even!
"Cool!" Botan cheered, her blue ponytail bobbing up and down
dancing to the sound of her clapping hands.
Kuwabara scratched his head, and Yuusuke.. he seemed as if he
was about to faint.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He looked at the snow sizzling around his booted feet. "Hn." A few kilometers more and he'll be venturing into Koorime territory. A place where he and his sister, Yukina, were born. A place where he isn't wanted; where fellow Koorimes will not hesitate to freeze him to death. Nevertheless, he continued towards the direction of the fabled city, leaving behind a trail of melted ice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A hysterical laugh echoed through the walls of the old-fashioned
Japanese house. It was Kuwabara, the freckled-faced rival-turned-ally of
Urameshii Yuusuke. He just told a joke and he was the only one laughing
about it.
Yukina watched the scene hidden from behind the sliding doors.
She was actually amused at the ridiculous young man pounding his over-sized
fists on the floorboards. She smiled. She haven't really understood the
emotions that crazy human showed, but still she has grown fond of him.
A consolation for not being able to find her brother; a long lost beloved
whom she haven't even met, let alone seen in her life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Over there!" cried a female voice as she pointed to the Koorime
boy leaning over a tree trunk.
"Hn."
They chased after him, running like hell just to catch up and
try to throw their crystal spears. Hiei chuckled to himself, "Fools. Maybe
I'll have a little fun with them first..." He dodged an attack. "..then
end their misery." He stopped running and faced the snowmaidens who dared
challenge him, the Forbidden Child.
"You never should have come here!" of what appeared like the
leader of the group said in a loud voice. Hiei was surrounded, now, of
four armed Koorime women.
"Hn."
"You know your head's the prize." The blue-eyed Koorime lounged
forward, to her disgust that her blade only went through thin air. From
out of the corner of her eye she saw his shadow disappear, and one of the
women she's with.. falling, blood richly oozing from her chest. She cursed.
"Maya, send for reinforcements!" she ordered the pink-headed warrior that,
to her shock, fell lifeless to the soft ground like her comrade. The one
left tried to grab Hiei from behind, only to end up getting burned by the
black fire engulfing his body. "Damn," she thought. "And we only got out
of training a couple of days ago.."
Hiei started for the last of his assailants. His katana in hand,
he suddenly vanished in mid-air, and then re-appeared behind her, ready
to thrust. She whirled around, blocked, and jumped a couple of meters away.
Not long after, the clashing of metal to hard ice was heard from the foot
of the mountains which enclosed the floating city of the Koorimes. Animals
taking refuge in nearby caves stampeded into the snow, afraid of what might
become them if ever the huge land mass tended to corrode from the heat
of the fight.
"Ah," the Koorime said. She snickered. Her body was badly bruised
and cuts were very apparent. Even the uniform that she had worn with pride
was in tatters.. She staggered a little, wincing at the pain eating at
her sides. A smile crept into her flushed face, "My turn." And she attacked
demon-boy in a manner unlike before. This time she was more careful. She
easily read his moves, and despite of all the gashes she bore, she moved
in a faster pace.
Hiei glanced at his bleeding shoulder. "Hn."
"Surprised?" his opponent grinned wickedly. "I forgot to tell
you. Besides being an ice-weilder, I also have the ability to easily learn
the attacks of my enemy and counter them."
"Easily? It's all your body can do to keep you in one peice."
Hiei growled.
The girl shifted to a combat stance, "Die, forbidden one!!"
He eyed her from his position. A mad Koorime betting her life
in a game she'd never win. "Hn." But something about her made him somewhat
unsteady. Now that he had thought of it, his pursuer kind of looked like
Yukina. The sister he had sworn to protect..
Her blade came at him, once more locking with his. Her blue-green
hair flying all around her in wild disarray, rage in her eyes. "Do you
have any idea who that pink-haired girl you killed is?"
"Which one?" Hiei taunted her.
"She's Maya, you bastard! She was my sister. I'm gonna make you
pay for what you did!" her cold breath mixed with his warm one. "I swear
I'll make you pay." The Koorime's crystal sword rebounded from his katana,
allowing her to jump further away. She concentrated and slowly, light-blue
ki enveloped her weapon. "DIE!!" she cried, striking at the blood-stained
ground.
Hiei moved fast, missing the attack. The ground had cracked and
opened up where he had stood. "Hn. Ja ou ensatsu KEN!!" Black fire licked
menacingly at his sword, eventually swallowing it.
Once again the two elements clashed with each other, creating
havoc in the peaceful snow-wonderland.
"Do you know that you cannot win over me?" he coldly asked the
girl.
"So what?" she snorted. "But I'm gonna make sure I do enough
damage to last you a lifetime."
He narrowed her eyes at her. "Let's just see you try."
The Koorime girl continuously threw energies of her element combined
with exhaustion and fury at the elusive boy who managed to avoid them..
except for one which tore his cape and sent red liquid to outline his small
face. "Hn," he spat out, then charged at her with such speed that she wasn't
able to tell if it was the wind or the abhored child.
Time stopped for the Koorime warrior when the hot metal sliced
deep into her young flesh. She looked into Hiei's eyes. Nothing.. It made
her dimming mind wonder how could one who weilds fire have such a cold
heart...
He saw her fall, the icy wind caressing her long hair. He turned
away, trying to block the thoughts out. But they came.
The long strands adorning the dying Koorime's face were so like
his sister's when she..
Hiei wasn't able to finish the thought. He suddenly felt the
cruel blow of the Koorime's weapon being hauled at him. He didn't have
the time to evade it, just to sheild himself with the sword of black fire
from being damaged entirely.. at least.. He concentrated, attempting to
channel the energy somehow, but to no avail. Hiei knew it will soon die
out, and he's determined to hold his position until then.
"Shimatta!" he swore under his breath. He was using too much
energy, plus that he's getting worn out like the flames on his katana.
The ground beneath him quivered then consequently cracked open, like before.
This time revealing an abyss of glinting elements.
Crystal? Or were they just snow?
In a moment, Hiei was falling down. Down of what appeared like
a deep, dark well. He struck his sword at what felt like a wall, hoping
that it'll break his fall. But the blade failed to cut. He tried again,
striking harder this time; only to hear his sword break and shatter into
pieces. He grimaced. "Bitch."