Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One for the Ages ❯ Chapter Two: Aggressive Negotiations ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Still don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho, and still not as talented as either of their respective creators. Also still irritated about having to put this here…

 

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One for the Ages

By Gan Xingba

Chapter Two: Aggressive Negotiations

 

It had taken two days, but the Spirit Detectives had finally managed to catch up with their targets. From their hidden location a small ridge, the four looked down upon the small camp Kagome and her companions had constructed.

 

`Six of them? That wasn't what we were told to expect…” mused Kurama as he watched the monk try and grope the girl with the massive boomerang for the seventh time since he'd started observing them.

 

“Kurama, are you sure it's not easier for that guy to smell us when we've got this gunk on us?” complained Yusuke wrinkling his nose from the stench. “This smells less like a smashed plant and more like dog crap.”

 

“No, I'm quite sure of its effect,” answered Kurama calmly. “Dog demons like Inuyasha have a keen sense of smell. He would have smelled us already had I not found something to mask our scent.”

 

“So what? Aren't we just gonna' beat their faces in anyway?” asked Yusuke impatiently.

 

“I dunno, Urameshi. I can sense them down there…and something's just not right…” added Kuwabara, his brow furrowed in concentration.

 

“What do you sense, Kuwabara?” Kurama asked, eager to confirm his suspicions.

 

“Well, first three of those guys are human…and that one demon's just a kid an-”

 

“We can all see that, fool,” interrupted Hiei. “Have you forgotten? The scum behind the Dark Tournament were human also. As for the demon child, weren't you beaten by one in that same tournament?”

 

“He got lucky, shrimp, and you know it,” replied Kuwabara through clenched teeth, struggling to control his anger. “But you didn't let me finish. When I was kicking the crap out of those demons in the Dark Tournament…I could feel how evil most of `em were, and I don't feel that now.”

 

“Idiot, that's irrelevant. I think they made it painfully obvious that they aren't simply going to give up those shards when you let them escape earlier,” commented Hiei as he walked towards the edge of the ridge. “I say we attack them now, take the shards, and leave them to rot.”

 

“Yeah, let's kick their asses and move on,” agreed Yusuke began to stretch in preparation.

 

“I disagree,” said Kurama, causing his more violent teammates to turn around in annoyance. “While a confrontation is inevitable, we should do our best to try and end it through peaceful means if Kuwabara's senses are correct. Besides, we have been traveling for nearly seven hours straight. If we confront them while fatigued, we will be at a disadvantage.”

 

“Hn.”

 

Of all the people that Kurama had ever met, Hiei was the only one who made that sound. It could mean absolutely anything from “Fine, but I don't like it”, which is what he meant right now, to “You're a dumbass”, which was usually what it meant when directed at Kuwabara. Kurama had always wondered where Hiei had picked it up.

 

“I'll take first watch,” volunteered Yusuke as the others took their various resting positions along the ridge. “I'll let you know if they move. If we're attacked though, I get to take care of it. I need to beat something up.”

 

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“Wake up, lug-head.”

 

“I don't think he can hear you, Yusuke.”

 

“Hiei…what are you doing with that rock?”

 

“Waking him up.”

 

“Hiei, that rock looks like it weighs about fifty pounds...”

 

“It does.”

 

“Is that the only one you could find?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Fortunately for Kuwabara, he woke up at that precise point in the conversation looking up at a relieved Kurama, an amused Yusuke, and a very disappointed Hiei. He yawned and blinked a little to adjust his eyes to the early morning light, and as he finally became aware of his surroundings, settled his gaze on Hiei…and his rock.

 

“What's that for?” he asked, pointing up at the rock with his thumb.

 

“Hn,” was all Hiei said before letting the rock drop to the ground with Kuwabara just barely managing to roll out of the way.

 

“Damn it! You little creep! I'll get you for that!” began Kuwabara, lunging towards Hiei before he was restrained by Yusuke.

 

“Not so loud, moron. We're trying to be careful, remember?” Yusuke said as Kuwabara finally began to calm down.

 

“Actually, now would be a great time to make a move,” corrected Kurama as he looked down on the camp below.

 

His teammates soon joined him and realized what he was talking about. Out of the six that were there last night, there were only four present. The girl with the boomerang and the demon cat were nowhere to be seen.

 

“Now remember,” reminded Kurama, stopping Yusuke before he began to descend down the ridge. “We're going to try and end this with as little bloodshed as possible.”

 

“Right, right,” assured Yusuke, and without further word began to walk down the slope towards the encampment.

 

The others followed suit, and soon they were sauntering through the woods at an even pace. They almost looked like they were going out for a stroll as they made their way through the undergrowth, each one as calm and relaxed as the next. When they finally arrived at the clearing they stopped. Taking in the stunned expression on Inuyasha's face, Yusuke stepped forward.

 

“All right, let's try this again,” started Yusuke with a smug smile appearing on his face. “Hand over the jewel shards or I might start to get angry.”

 

“Not a chance!” declared the half-demon as he drew his sword and stepped in front of Kagome protectively. “Right, Miroku?”

 

“Agreed,” concurred the monk as he rose to his feet and faced the threat. “You'll have to get through us first.”

 

Before Yusuke could even say another one-liner, Inuyasha was already in the air flying towards the group. Yusuke and Kuwabara dodged to their left and the other two dodged to their right as the earth around where they had just been crumbled from the force of Inuyasha's strike. Apparently intent on revenge, he ignored Hiei and Kurama and charged the pair to his right as Miroku stepped forward to confront the two demons.

 

“I'll assume you can handle this,” said Hiei in a hushed tone to Kurama, though he still faced the monk.

 

Kurama nodded, and Hiei seemingly disappeared as he leapt past Miroku with blinding speed, and was suddenly in hot pursuit of Kagome and the fox demon cub, who had started to run away to safety. Realizing that yelling out a warning would be both futile and leave him open, Miroku began to engage Kurama; his staff whistling through the air as the fox demon artfully avoided his attacked.

 

Inuyasha however, was not so wise. Yelling her name in warning, he tried to make an about face towards Kagome's path of retreat and intercept Hiei. This momentary lapse in attention was just what Yusuke needed, and he landed a powerful right hook into Inuyasha's cheek that sent the half-demon crashing through several small trees.

 

In only one more leap, Hiei was hanging in the air above his targets. All seemed lost for the pair as gravity carried Hiei down towards them until...

 

“Hiraikotsu!”

 

Hiei turned in the direction of the new voice just in time to see the massive boomerang slam into his gut. Twisting and turning through the air, he managed to regain control and land on one knee, albeit with a throbbing pain in his abdomen. He looked up to see that Kagome and the cub had stopped running. Whether it was because they had seen the futility in it, or out of fear, Hiei cared not. The only thing that concerned him was the newcomer.

 

When he'd seen her the other night, she had appeared like a normal girl in her traveling clothes, boomerang aside of course. Now, though, she was clearly a warrior. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and she was clad in black and red light-armor. The massive boomerang no longer seemed out of place as she caught it on its return path and slung it over her shoulder. But warrior or not, no one had ever gotten in Hiei's way without receiving a substantial amount of pain for their efforts.

 

“You'll pay for that, cretin!” threatened Hiei with venom dripping of his words as he rose and put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

 

He made to draw the weapon, but then paused at the last second and pulled his hand away, as if suddenly thinking better of it.

 

“Why should I bother? It would take more effort to clean the blood off my blade than to kill you,” he said, his voice no longer fiery like that of a warrior, but ice cold like that of a killer.

 

“Be careful, Sango,” advised Kagome. “This guy doesn't seem like the two I was talking about earlier.”

 

“You're right,” agreed Sango as she shifted her boomerang into combat position. “And not just in the way you mean. This guy's definitely a demon.”

 

Sango adjusted her stance and waited for Hiei to make a move.

 

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Elsewhere on the battlefield, Miroku took advantage of a break in the duel to catch his breath. So far, it had been kept strictly to melee combat. Although neither one had scored a crushing blow, it was obvious Miroku was in much worse condition. His lip was bleeding, and he guessed he was host to more than a few bruises judging from the pain spread out across his body.

 

`He appears to be a master of at least a dozen martial arts styles,' Miroku noted as he regarded the perfect fighting stance of his crimson haired assailant. `Not many demons would even bother to learn any. Most of them just rely on brute force and their…wait a moment…'

 

“How come you haven't used your powers, demon?” he blurted out as his thoughts turned into words. “Why are you holding back?”

 

“It's not necessary to use them,” replied the demon showing no hint of emotion on his face.

 

“Then I'll make it necessary!” proclaimed Miroku as he flung several sutras towards his enemy.

 

The sutras, however did not reach their intended target. The demon had pulled a rose out of his hair, and with a flick of his wrist the flower had transformed into a thorn covered whip that was immediately used to cut down the oncoming sutras.

 

“I see. You can transform plants into a weapon…quite a unique power,” observed Miroku as he slowly began to undue the prayer beads wrapped around his right hand. “I also have a unique talent. Wind Tunnel!”

 

As that accursed name escaped from his lips, he threw up his right palm in the direction of the demon, the beads that were wrapped around it now clutched in his left hand, which itself was steadying the right. The sudden vacuum ripped the whip right out of the demon's hand and it was sucked into the black hole that now showed itself on the young monk's palm. As the whip vanished, Miroku reapplied the beads and smiled confidently.

 

“Now then, I have some questions, and unless you want to end up like that whip of yours then you'll give me some answers.”

 

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Almost a minute had passed, and neither Hiei nor Sango had moved from their position. Sango hadn't moved because she was trying to figure out how to counter Hiei's speed, but Hiei's reason wasn't nearly that tactical. He was simply amused.

“You got the jump on me with your strongest attack, and still you stand there thinking that by simply stalling the battle you can defeat me?” he taunted almost laughing as he spoke. “I've humored you for long enough.”

 

“Humor this!” retorted Sango and she threw her boomerang at him with incredible force.

 

All her strength and rage was wasted, though. Hiei leapt directly above the boomerang, and used it like a stepping stone to give him even more momentum as he flew threw the air at Sango. His speed was so great that Sango had no chance to react before his foot slammed her stomach in a flying kick, and she was sent skidding across the ground.

 

“Like I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” said Hiei as he turned to face Kagome and the cub. “Give me the shards and you may yet escape with your lives.”

 

“Hold it. You're not finished with me yet.”

 

Hiei was shocked when he turned to see Sango rising to her feet and unsheathing her sword, though he managed to avoid showing it outwardly. She wasn't supposed to be standing after that blow. Granted, she was battered, bruised, and unable to even hold her sword straight, but she was standing nonetheless.

 

“Drawing that sword,” began Hiei, still speaking in that cold and deadly voice. “Will be the last mistake you ever made.”

 

Slowly, Hiei drew his katana, allowing the light of the sun to dance on the razor sharp edge of the blade as it came out of its sheath. He pointed the tip of the blade towards Sango, and let his spirit energy flare up around him, creating a sudden burst of wind in all directions. Staring at Hiei at this moment was as if staring into the very face of death itself, and Hiei had always relished the look upon his enemy's face when a battle reached this point.

 

Yet, Sango did not have that same look of terror he had seen so many times. She was showing extreme nervousness, yes, but not terror. That was not what Hiei had planned.

 

`Doesn't she realize how easily I could kill her?' he thought, adding just a little more power to his aura. `She's supposed to give up. Why won't she give up? Now that I have said she will die…if she doesn't surrender…'

 

It wasn't that Hiei minded killing. He'd killed a lot of people. Hell, he'd enjoyed killing a lot of those people.

 

`So why do I hesitate now? Have I really changed that much?'

 

“Hiei, stand down,” came Kurama's voice from the direction of the camp, interrupting his introspection.

 

Hiei turned his head just enough to see Kurama walking down the path next to the monk the dog demon had referred to as Miroku. He did not lower his sword, however.

 

“Why should I?” inquired Hiei tonelessly as he turned his gaze back upon Sango. “I'll have the shards in moments anyway. We do not need to make a deal with the likes of them.”

 

“It only benefits you,” pleaded Miroku, eager to see Hiei's sword put away. “Our goals are compatible. We could help you.”

 

“Please, Hiei, just lower your sword.”

 

“Hn,” grunted Hiei and he lowered the katana at Kurama's request and to everyone's relief.

 

Sango's friends were quick to rush to her side, and Hiei walked over to Kurama, anger written all over his face.

 

“What's the meaning of this, fox? I had the situation well in hand.”

 

“Like Miroku said, our goals are compatible. There's no reason we should fight when we could be working together.”

 

“How am I supposed to work with all these fools when I can't even stand K-”

 

“There you guys are,” said Kuwabara as he emerged the forest cradling the unconscious form of the diminutive cat demon that they'd seen last night. “What's going on? You guys make friends or somethin'?”

 

“Something like that,” answered Kurama. “Where are Yusuke and Inuyasha?”

 

“Hey, what'd you do to Kirara?!” yelled the little fox cub as he dashed over to Kuwabara, pointing a finger at him accusingly.

 

“Oh, here's your kitty, little guy,” he said bending over to hand Kirara to the cub. “Sorry I knocked it out. It turned all big and fiery and stuff and tried to bite me.”

 

“Did…did he just call Kirara a kitty?” asked Kagome rhetorically. “What a weird guy…”

 

“Answer Kurama's question, imbecile,” demanded Hiei, trying to get the conversation back on track. “Where's Yusuke?”

 

“Dunno. I got attacked by that cat and by the time I'd knocked it out those guys had moved the fight someplace else,” reported Kuwabara. “They shouldn't be hard to find though…”

 

“Why not?” asked Sango, as she, Miroku and Kagome walked over to the others.

 

An explosion from the ridge that the Spirit Detectives had used as a camp provided the answer.

 

“Oh.”

 

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Inuyasha cursed as the smoke cleared. That was the only Wind Scar he'd been able to get off against Yusuke, and the punk had dodged it. On top of that, the kid had managed to vanish from Inuyasha's sight.

 

“Come out and fight you coward!” he yelled, his eyes darting every which way trying to find his enemy.

 

“No problem!”

 

Inuyasha barely had time to avoid the punch, and the ground on which he had been standing was decimated by the blow.

 

“Dodge this! Shotgun!” yelled Yusuke, and at his command a barrage of blue energy balls burst from his fist towards the still airborne Inuyasha.

 

Inuyasha was unable to avoid the attack, and the energy bolts cascaded into him. When they finally stopped, Inuyasha plummeted to the earth, too winded to stabilize himself. He managed to pick himself up of the ground just in time to hear Yusuke's cry of “Spirit Gun!” and raised the Tetsusaiga to block the oncoming blast.

 

The attack slammed hard into the flat of his sword for several moments as Inuyasha struggled to maintain his footing. When the attack finally dissipated, Inuyasha threw Tetsusaiga over his shoulder and grinned confidently.

 

“That the best you got, punk? I'm not even scratched.”

 

“Funny, I'd think your sword would say something different.”

 

Inuyasha quickly examined the massive weapon and his jaw dropped in dismay. On the side of the blade that had absorbed the attack, there was a shallow, but long crack.

 

“You bastard! I'll kill you!” roared Inuyasha and he charged Yusuke like a berserker.

 

Inuyasha moved with such speed that all Yusuke could do was avoid the assault. He was about to go for broke and try the Spirit Gun again when fortune smiled upon him.

 

“Inuyasha, sit!”

 

Yusuke was completely perplexed as Inuyasha was pulled face first into the ground by his beaded necklace, and he turned towards the sound of the voice to see Kagome and the others standing at the crest of the ridge.

 

“What in the hell is going on?” he asked, not really caring who answered.

 

“The situation's changed,” answered Kurama. “Come. We'll explain at the camp.”