Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A New Dawn ❯ Son of Man: Chapter 1 ( Chapter 2 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the plot.

 

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AN: Sorry this chapter took so long to post, guys. It took forever to write, because with me being a freshman and all, the only time I have to write anything at all is in my science class because my teacher never pays me any attention. And then, when I finally got the chapter written, I had to wait until Thanksgiving break to type anything. And then there are the intense rewrites I always do as I type because I panic and start thinking everything sucks when it comes time for me to post…I'm very self-critical, people tell me…

 

But enough with my excuses, here's the chapter! And by the way, if you find this boring, please, please tell me. I'd like to know so I can try to change that. I've never written anything like this fic before, you see…

 

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Oh, the power to be strong,

And the wisdom to be wise,

All these things will come to you in time.

On this journey that you're making,

There'll be answers that you'll seek.

And it's you who'll climb the mountain.

It's you who'll reach the peak.

 

* * *

 

It was night in Makai. Everything slept, or should have been sleeping, and at least slightly safe in their beds. That was the illusion. In reality, very few actually slept in Makai, and of those, only the strongest were safe in sleep.

 

A young demon moved silently through the shadows, black against black, a part of the night. He was one of the many who wasn't completely safe in sleep—yet—and so he remained awake, always. This demon did not know his true name, the one given him by his mother. He had no parents, or real family. He didn't even know how old he was.

 

But none of that really mattered, anyway. Not at all to his enemies, less to the people who weren't friends but didn't want to kill him, and little to the demon himself. What mattered was that he frightened them…

 

True, he didn't look dangerous. In point of fact, he looked like nothing more than a child, in frame. He wasn't tall, reaching no higher than five feet, and never to be taller. His black-and-white spiked hair was the only thing that made him even that tall. He was so thin that it was almost unhealthy, and looked as if he could be easily broken in half. He seemed to be only about twelve years old.

 

But one tended to forget all this the moment one looked into those large, red eyes. They had none of a child's curiosity, none of a small boy's joy at life. In fact, to the eyes of most, they held nothing at all…

 

* * *

 

Son of Man, look to the sky.

Lift your spirit, set it free.

One day you'll walk tall with pride.

Son of Man, a man in time you'll be.

 

* * *

 

Tokyo was just as busy at night as it was in the day, and twice as dangerous. The traffic along the highway was never-ending, and the foot traffic was even worse. Under the cover of darkness, the gangs of violence-craving boys and men could roam freely through the city without much fear of patrolmen. This made even walking down a crowded street dangerous for most.

 

A young man—or rather, an old boy—walked slowly down one of the more deserted roads, and turned into a deserted alleyway. He seemed undisturbed by the darkness and silence, and didn't even twitch when an empty metal trashcan was knocked over by a couple of tomcats.

 

He certainly looked as if he should have been afraid. He didn't look older than ten or eleven, and, in fact, he wasn't. He was small and frail looking, with pale skin, red hair that he seemed to be letting grow out, and large, intelligent green eyes. His skin seemed even paler than it should have been, and his expression was hooded, but the green eyes showed a deep kind of sadness. It wasn't the kind of sadness you felt sorry for, though; it was the kind that spelled death for all who crossed him…

 

* * *

 

Oh, there's no one there to guide you,

No one to take your hand,

But with faith and understanding,

You will journey from boy to man.

 

* * *

 

The little black-haired demon honestly didn't know what to do now. All his life, he had had some purpose. As a child, he had earned his keep as a thief, stealing to make his way up through the ranks of his old “family.” When that part of his life ended, his purpose, the reason for his continued existence, was to find his real family. The people he had never known. Hell, the only reason he knew about his mother and sister was through the Makai grapevine…

 

He didn't even remember why he had become so obsessed. There was no logic behind his behavior. No reason. That stupid necklace was no reason to act the way he had. So what if it was the only tie to his mother? What did it matter? He had never even met her, by the gods!

 

But the reason didn't matter anymore. He had forsaken the only family he had ever known to find her, and it was all for naught. That was what mattered. He had to find a new purpose. He had always had a reason to go on, and now…he just had to find another one.

 

That was all there was to it.

 

* * *

 

Son of Man, look to the sky.

Lift your spirit, set it free.

One day you'll walk tall with pride.

Son of Man, a man in time you'll be.

 

* * *

 

The redheaded human, Suuichi, was…confused.

 

This was a rare thing in itself. Even as a small human child, he had understood an unusual number of things. He was hardly ever wrong, and usually knew what was going on without having to ask. Hardly anything about the world surprised him.

 

But that was only true for things he could see and touch. Things like science, and math, and foreign languages, and books, nothing like that could stump him. But all of those things were just…things he had picked up.

 

He still wasn't used to human emotions. He couldn't see them, couldn't touch him, and so he didn't understand them. And he didn't really like them, either.

 

He didn't think…

 

It was that last part that was making him crazy. There should be no question that he hated humans and their feelings. For his entire life, he had just done things. Whatever occurred to him to do, he did it. No consequences, no guilt, nothing. And he had loved it. He had loved the freedom, loved not being attached to anything, or anyone.

 

But that had been in his old home. He was in Tokyo now.

 

He didn't have to be, but he was.

 

He could have gone home by now, but he hadn't.

 

Why not?

 

* * *

 

In learning you will teach,

And in teaching you will learn.

You'll find your place beside the ones you love.

Oh, and all the things you dreamed of,

The visions that you saw,

Well, the time is drawing near now.

It's yours to claim it all.

 

 

* * *

 

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, brightening Makai with its rays.

 

The demon cursed. He hated daylight. It felt…unsafe, as if everything that wanted to kill him was watching him. At night, darkness cloaked him, made him safe. It protected him from prying eyes, and gave him a distinct advantage over those who needed light to see.

 

He was in no mood for the sun today, either. It always seemed to be mocking him, and he had no patience for that right now.

 

He found a nice, big tree, and began to climb it, still muttering darkly and casting distrustful looks over his shoulder. No one was there—there probably wasn't anyone within five miles in any direction—but that didn't stop him from being paranoid. He didn't stop watching until he was at the very top of the tree, where the wind that could not be felt on the ground caused him to sway gently from side to side. He was far too used to trees to be nervous, and he made his way nimbly to the thickest branch he could fine. There, he settled with his back against the tree trunk, took the black sheath off his belt, slid his sword inside it, and held it against his chest. Casting one more look down and around to make sure that he was completely hidden, he allowed himself to drift into an uneasy sleep.

 

* * *

 

Son of Man, look to the sky.

Lift your spirit, set it free.

One day you'll walk tall with pride.

Son of Man, a man in time you'll be.

 

* * *

 

Why did she have to love me?

 

That was all Suuichi could think as he left the alleyway and turned onto the road to his house. Why did that fool human have to love him? This would be so much easier, and far less confusing, if she had hated him for the last ten years. He had certainly given the woman enough reason to, as far as he was concerned. He must have made her feel so inferior…he had certainly treated her as if she was. But she still loved him.

 

Why?

 

And more importantly, why did he feel as if he loved her just as much?

 

Because he did.

 

The answer came suddenly, and though part of his mind denied it harshly, the other part told him clearly that it was true. He loved his mother—for that was what she was, and he knew it now—and loved her in the deepest, most profound way possible. It was a connection of blood and life and soul, and he had never understood it until now. He had seen it before, many times, but he had never truly known what it meant.

 

But now it was clear. He loved that human woman as he had never loved anything in his life, and he wanted to love her. It felt incredible to care so much about another living creature.

 

And he had felt it before, many times. But he had always denied it, pushed it away. It was too new, too different, and he hadn't ever dreamed that he'd like it.

 

He never would have done that if he'd known how good it felt.

 

But what if it was too late? What if the disease the doctor had said was eating away at Shiori actually took her? Would this new feeling die with her? Why did that thought make his stomach lurch like that?

 

Suuichi heaved a sigh as he turned onto his street. He would just have to find a way to help her, that was all. He couldn't fathom how, but he would do it. He was determined to do it.

 

He was nearly to his house now, but he didn't make it there.

 

Later, the only thing he could figure was that his mind was such a tangle of confusion, and that was why the demon was able to attack him. But luckily, his instincts were still more or less intact, and he leapt to the side without really noticing he had, so that the first swing of steel left him with nothing more than a tear in his shirt. He jumped to the side and landed, catlike, a few feet away. Still crouched, he looked up to see his attacker.

 

It was definitely a demon. A male demon, very short, about as tall as Suuichi. Red eyes glared at him from under a white headband, partially covered by spiky black and white bangs. His right arm, which poked out from under his long black cloak, was bandaged from hand to elbow. A long sword glittered in that hand in the light of a nearby street lamp.

 

An alarm went off in Kurama's head as he surveyed the demon. His intuition told him that those bandages and that headband were not there for injury or decoration. The demon's ki was very strong, except for in those spots.

 

Wards.

 

The alarm grew louder. He had heard of a demon with wards in exactly the same places. The stories all said that he would look completely unremarkable, but the moment you turned away…he would kill you.

 

Neither Suuichi nor his attacker had moved so much as an inch as Suuichi's mind worked all this out. The demon seemed to be waiting for something.

 

Suuichi stood slowly, bringing himself to his full height of five feet one inch. Whoever this guy was, he had attacked with the intent to kill, and Suuichi had no time for that tonight. He felt a jolt of anger.

 

He started to reach up to his hair with the intent of disposing of this stranger, but something stayed his hand.

 

The demon had not even twitched, though he must have felt Suuichi's sudden burst of rage. He didn't seem to care that the redhead wanted to kill him. In fact, he didn't seem to care about anything. Suuichi took a moment to look closer at his face, and he noticed things he hadn't before.

 

The demon looked worn, and tired. Not physically, but inside. He looked tired of life. Like one of those people who has seen too much and doesn't want to see anymore. Somehow, Suuichi knew that he was just forcing himself to keep going, out of some sense of duty, or maybe just out of anger.

 

Suuichi dropped his hand, and before he thought about it, took a step forward.

 

The demon started and jumped back as though Suuichi had struck him. The sword came up, and Suuichi stopped cold. They stared at each other for another moment, and then Suuichi spoke, softly.

 

“It's all right, I don't want to hurt you. You just…startled me, is all.”

 

The demon didn't say anything, and the tip of his sword didn't waver. He might not have heard the words, for all the attention he paid. Suuichi felt a stab of annoyance.

 

“Come on, put the sword down. I'm not in the mood for a fight. I'm tired, I'm unhappy, and I'm hungry. So either tell me who you are or leave me alone.”

 

Anger seemed to get through to the demon more than anything. He let his blade drop slightly, but he still didn't say anything.

 

Suuichi rolled his eyes. “Okay, so you won't give your name. I get that. But why are you in the Ningenkai? And why are you attacking me?”

 

Still not a word.

 

Sighing, Suuichi said, “Whatever. Sit here and stare at nothing, I don't care, but don't attack me again.” He turned away and began walking, listening carefully in case the demon decided to attack after all.

 

“Hiei Jaganshi.”

 

Suuichi stopped and turned slowly on the spot. The demon had lowered his sword all the way, and now he was just watching Suuichi, looking vaguely surprised with himself.

 

“My name is…”

 

Here he paused, and then started to give his human name. But the words changed on the way to his mouth, and came out rather differently:

 

“Yoko Kurama.”

 

Hiei's eyes went wide with shock he'd forgotten to disguise. The hand curled around the sword hilt he held slackened its grip, and he nearly dropped the thing. His deep voice, when he spoke again, was faint.

 

“…Oh…”

 

* * *

 

Son of Man,

A man for all to see.

 

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PLEASE make me a happy authoress and review! I need more feedback!!!

 

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Reviewers' comments:

 

Nikkler: Thanks for the review! I'm glad it wasn't too boring for you…I was afraid if would be, you see…

 

DragonRose888: Thanks for the review! I updated as fast as I could, but I'm sorry it wasn't faster…

 

KyoHana: Ah, one of my best reviewers returns! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you find this chapter as interesting as you did the first one! If you didn't find it interesting…well, see the author's note at the top of the page.