Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ BITE ME! (The Princess Bride, Yu Yu Style) ❯ The Mask Introduced ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Kurama: snaps I'm sick of being the damsel in distress! throws aside his script

Ava: Oh, stop it. You are hardly a damsel, Kura.

Adara: points at the script Yeah! See, it says here: “As a swarm of dark shadows began to circle Kurama, he looked completely unimpressed.' helpfully

Kurama: Yes, but that doesn't prove—

Li: yells WILL YOU SHUT UP? WE ARE TRYING TO REHEARSE A SCRIPT HERE!

Hiei: explodes suddenly, drawing all attention to himself Speaking of which, what the hell is with our lines? This is crap! Look at this! snatches a copy of the script from Ava, as he forgot to bring his own “Seek his fortune across the sea?” “Attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts?” I am not likely to “seek my fortune across the sea” because I hate water, and even if I did do that I wouldn't be likely to get myself attacked by pirates! And what is this garbage about me having a swordfight with Chu?”

Li: Oh, but he's gotten so much better with his sword now! He only misses the target two times out of five now! Hiei stares at her, and she sighs and gives him his sword Just don't kill him.

Hiei: Why not?

Ava: patiently Because we need him for the rest of the movie. waves her copy of the script, which she just snatched back from the offending thief In the later scenes he works with you and Kuwa to save Kurama from Karasu. Prince Karasu. I still get such a kick out of that.

Li: grins We all do…I myself have come up with four hundred and twenty-four ways to give him crap about it later. Okay, people, listen up! You have ten minutes to finish doing whatever it is you're doing! C'mon, let's move! No…Kuwa…not the sword…you throw the rocks, remember? Kuwa, are you listening? Are you drunk? KUWABARA, PUT IT DOWN! screams and runs off as Kuwabara almost slices someone in half with the sword

Ava: yelps I gotta finish the script for the next scene!

Adara: squeaks And I gotta edit what we have! runs off

Suddenly Hiei and Kurama find themselves quite alone

Hiei: smirks and turns to Kurama So…what's your problem with the script? I kinda like you as a damsel… puts his arms around Kurama's waist

Kurama: smiles Do you, now? puts an arm around Hiei's shoulders

Hiei: Mm-hmm. It's nice to be the one to save you from the bad guys once in a while.

Kurama: Well, which do you like better? The movie me or the real me?

Hiei: Hmm…I don't know… teasingly I'm leaning toward the movie you, so you've got one kiss to convince me not to drop you for the first available damsel.

Kurama grins, and leans in to kiss him. There are catcalls, wolf whistles, and a few “Awwws” from anyone with in sight, but even so, they don't pull away from each other until each is out of breath. Kurama's smile has gotten even bigger, and he keeps his arm wrapped around Hiei as they stroll toward their trailer

Kurama: So…verdict?

Hiei: Sorry, were we talking? I don't recall… shows obviously fake confusion and kisses Kurama again, causing the two of them to walk straight into the side of one of the trailers

Li: HIEI! KURAMA! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? WE'RE SHOOTING IN TWENTY-SEVEN SECONDS! GET ON SET! NOW!

Hiei: swears as he turns away from Kurama If I ever get back to the favor stage with Mukuro, I am going to have her come back here and cut that chick into thousands of pieces! So she starves us by refusing to give us good food, then she orders us around like dogs and makes us work in a blizzard?

Kurama: Like a damned Dickens novel. shakes head

XXX

Sakyou was in a very good mood. His plan was going along just as it was supposed to—except that Kurama and Kuwabara were “bonding” and Chu was so slobbering drunk that he'd forgotten his own name, and also some freak was following them through eel-infested waters for no apparent reason. Other than these small infractions, everything was terrific.

Kurama sat with his back against the side of the boat, examining the splint on his leg with interest and talking to Kuwabara, who was braiding the kitsune's (ahem “captives”) hair.

“Where did you learn to braid, Kuwabara?” Kurama asked. “It doesn't seem like something a hired killer should know how to do.”

“My sister taught me when we were little.”

“You have a sister? What's her name? Why aren't you with her?”

Kuwabara nodded toward Chu, who was sitting on the deck, an empty liquor bottle in his hand, singing a Scottish drinking song at the top of his voice.

Kurama spluttered and choked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head and rolling over the wooden deck to stop at Chu's feet as he stared. “WHAT? You mean…he's…you…him…sister?”

It took close to five minutes for Kuwabara's roaring laughter to subside. “It gets them every time! I had you for a minute, didn't I?”

Kurama pouted. “Mean. But seriously, where is your sister?”

“She left, about the time I met Sakyou. Whereabouts, unknown.

“Oh…I'm sorry.”

“I told her to go.”

“…Oh…”

“Yeah. Shizuru…she needed to see the world. Do something fun. Spontaneous, ya know. She couldn't do that with her loser little brother around. So I told her to go, that I could take care of myself, and she jumped at the chance to leave. That's when I took the job with Sakyou, to pay the bills. We agreed to meet again in five years and swap stories.”

“Is she a good sister?”

Kuwabara smiled fondly at nothing in particular. “The best. She took care of me after our parents die. I mean, she kicked my butt around a lot, but…she made me strong.”

Kurama sighed. “It sounds so…nice. What is she like?”

So Kuwabara proceeded to give Kurama a glowing description of Shizuru. How she looked, how she dressed, and what her personality was like were all topics of discussion.

“But Kuwabara…”

“My friends—well, Chu, the only friend I have—he calls me Kuwa. You can, too, if you want.”

Kurama smiled. “Kuwa, from what you've told me, your sister is pretty much all boy. When did she learn to braid? Was she ever a girly sort of girl?”

“She was…until she was twelve. Then she took a martial arts class, kicked the crap out of a fourth-degree black belt, and was never quite the same after that.”

The two chucked over that for a moment, and in that moment they managed to forget that Kurama was a captive and Kuwabara was one of his captors.

“So what about you?” Kuwabara asked when their laughter subsided.

“What about me?” Kurama asked, still grinning.

“No siblings? No family?”

“Nope.”

“So…you've got no one?”

A shadow passed over Kurama's face then. He was about to tell Kuwabara all about Hiei, and the fate of the “farmboy” but he stopped himself, not wanting to burden Kuwabara with his problems. “Yeah. I've…got no one.”

Kuwabara suddenly looked almost as sad as Kurama felt. “I'm sorry. I'm prying. I shouldn't.”

“No…that's okay. I did have someone, but…so tell me about yourself. How did you get involved with Sakyou?”

“Well, he found me in Greenland. No job, no life, no parents…and he hired me to help him start a war. I never asked why, I didn't really want to work with him, and if he ever finds out that I'm telling you his plan he will make me a human shish kebab.”

“So why did you work with him?” Kurama asked curiously.

“For my sister. She'd been chomping at the bit to get out of our town, like I said, and I figured if she knew I was taken care of she wouldn't feel so bad about leaving. So I went with Sakyou and we picked up Chu in a single's bar in Australia and came here. That's when Sakyou told me we were going to start a war, and then we captured you and he told me we were going to kill you. I didn't want to…I still don't. I…I don't think I can.” He tried to catch Kurama's eye but the kitsune is “Hey, Kurama, I'm not going to let you die, all right? I've got it all worked out with Chu…we've just got to figure out how to get you away without killing Sakyou because I won't kill anyone.”

Kurama smiled. “That's is very good of you. And…thank you.”

“No problem.”

Some time later, Sakyou jumped up from his seat. “HA!”

“What?” Chu asked. Having sobered up an hour ago and taken some medicine for his headache, he was now keeping an eye on the ship behind them. “He's right on top of us, incidentally…” he remarked calmly.

“Well, he's too late!” Sakyou said, grinning. “We're at the Cliffs of Insanity! Get the captive and bring him to me!”

Chu saluted mockingly and went to wake Kurama, who had fallen asleep, muttering audibly as he did, so that his words could be distinguished if one listened carefully. “You should feel right at home here…” Kuwabara was sitting next to Kurama, reading a book titled Criminal: To Be or Not to Be? (A Study of Famous Crime Lords, Drug Dealers, Murderers, and War-Starters, Volume 1, First Edition 1593.)

“That's fitting,” Kurama remarked, noticing the book's long title.

Kuwabara grinned. “Sakyou thought so, too. He found it in a library back in Florin and he told me to read it because I'm the stupid one.” He said this last part in a perfectly even tone that betrayed nothing of what he thought of his label.

“So he gave you homework?”

“Exactly.”

“Kuwabara! Stop talking and bring him here! And take that ridiculous braid out of his hair!”

Kurama blush. “That I actually have to agree with…”

Chu laughed loudly as Kuwabara undid his handiwork and Kurama shook out his long mane of red hair.

Sakyou was shouting orders and running around frantically, trying to steer the boat toward a gap in the rocks and, from the words he was using, not succeeding too well. Kuwabara leaned against the side of the boat, helping Kurama stand. Kurama, for his part, was trying to avoid putting too much weight on his leg, because while the splint lessened the pain considerably, the limb was still weak. Chu, seemingly oblivious to Sakyou's shouts and curses, was hanging with one hand from the rope tied to the crow's nest.

Finally, after about ten minutes, Kuwabara and Chu took pity on Sakyou and helped him steer the boat through the gap. The four left the ship one by one, Kurama refusing help when he noticed Sakyou watching him. They found a rope hanging conveniently over the edge of the cliff, apparently left there by the last person to climb the cliffs.

“All right,” Sakyou said, once they were all gathered at the rope. “I'll go first, then Chu, and then Kuwabara can carry him up.”

At this, Kurama, who was leaning on Kuwabara, shoved himself away from the tall orange-haired “oaf” and glared. “I can do it.” Then, realizing that he might have offended his new friend, he turned to Kuwabara and gave him a look that pleaded for understanding. Kuwabara grinned and gave him a look back that said plainly, “No offense taken.” Seeing this, Kurama turned back to Sakyou and said in a voice cold enough to freeze the warm ocean water lapping on the shore less than ten feet away, “And my name is Kurama. Learn it, love it, use it, eat it.”

Chu laughed in appreciation, Kuwabara grinned, and Sakyou's scowl deepened. “Fine. Do it yourself.” And he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and began to climb.

Sakyou's was a slow ascent, but he reached the top in due time. Chu climbed up next, stopping every once in a while to drink from a huge bottle of beer that he carried tucked under his arm. By the time he reached the top, the bottle was completely empty.

“Are you sure you don't need help?” Kuwabara asked, surveying the unbelievably tall, sheer rock face in front of him, then fixing Kurama, who was struggling to stay up, with a concerned look. “Your leg…”

“When did I say anything about using my leg?” Kurama asked, eyes twinkling, grabbing the rope and beginning to pull himself up using only his arms. “See you at the top.” And he did manage to make it there, though every one of his muscles was screaming. His arms felt as though they had been pulled from their sockets, and his poor, battered leg felt as though it were on fire after being bashed on rocks, but he hid his pain and exhaustion from Sakyou as he lowered himself carefully onto a flat boulder.

Kuwabara clambered into view, with the clash of rock and labored breathing. Kurama bit back a laugh as he watched the big man flop flat onto his back, panting. “You all right, Kuwa?”

Kuwabara waved an arm dismissively, then let it flop down to the ground. “Fine. Just…gimme a minute…I'm…fine.”

Sakyou growled and kicked Kuwabara in the ribs, bring forth a grunt of pain. “Get up. We haven't got time to waste.”

Kurama was made to stand up, but fell back with a yelp as a white hot pain shot from his foot to his hip. Sakyou smirked. “Get moving, you useless lump of flesh. And you, too, Sheila.” These last remarks were made to Kuwabara and Chu. “Kuwabara, take…Kurama…and get moving. Chu and I will follow you as soon as—”

“As soon as what?”

As one, the four turned to look in the direction of the new voice. A man, fairly small at only about five feet five inches tall, was leaning against a huge boulder, arms crossed, completely at his ease. His hair resembled hair that Kurama had seen on only one head, but this man's hair was shorter and there was no white in it. Stormy gray eyes glittered maliciously from beneath a black mask. He was clothed from head to toe in black, and a long, slightly curved sword glittered in his right hand. “Waiting for me? I'm touched, but you really didn't have to.” The newcomer's teeth flashed in a grin that was anything but reassuring as he dropped his cloak do the ground. “I do like a good chase.”

Sakyou gulped. “Um…Kuwabara…get the girly-man. Take him out, Chu! Good luck!” And then he was gone.

Kuwabara looked uneasy. “Chu…”

Chu grinned brightly. “Do what he says. I'll catch up. But before I do my thing…” The Australian lowered his voice to a whisper. “Does he have six ears?”

“Not that I can tell…” Kuwabara said.

“Good. Then I don't have to kill him. All right, get going and I'll see you in a bit.”

So Kuwabara and Kurama went on their way. The masked man's eyes followed them out of sight, then moved back to Chu. “Six ears? Care to elaborate?”

Chu glared, annoyed. “Long story short?”

“Efficient is best, yes.”

“My father was slaughtered by a six-eared man, and I'm out for revenge.”

Mask, as Chu thought of him, not having a name to use, blinked, interested in spite of himself. “You'll have to tell me that story sometime.”

Chu chuckled, the tension suddenly gone from the air. “I will, I promise.” There was silence for a moment, and the Chu said, “So…do we fight or what?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, of course, but could I get a drink first?”

“Wha…oh, yeah, here.” Chu tossed a small bottle of sake in Mask's direction. Mask, for his part, took a quick drink, broke the bottle against the ground in a shower of glass, and moved his sword slightly so that the blade flashed in full sunlight.

The masked man was grinning, the love of a good fight stirring the blood in his veins. “Let's go.”

Chu curled his hand into a fist. “Bring it on, shorty.”

XXX

Li: Cut! shouts Where's Chu's sword?

Ava: Oh…last-minute edit. We decided we wanted this fight to be totally natural, so I told Chu to forget the sword and…“fight like an Aussie,” I believe his exact words were.

Adara: I told her I thought it was a good idea, but we didn't have time to run it by you before the scene stared.

L: shrugs Okay, we'll try it this way. But if it doesn't work out we go back to swords, okay? Start from Chu's line! Action!

XXX

Mask snorted. “I'm not short. I was four foot ten five years ago, for God's sake…” And then there was no more time for conversation, as Mask took a tighter hold on his sword and moved forward.

It had been a long time since the masked man had met his equal in fighting, but Chu was obviously very practiced. He had entered the fight considerably more than half drunk, which should have made him clumsy and half-witted, but instead he deemed to derive power instead of stupidity from the alcohol.

“You have a strange style,” Mask said, after they had been fighting for close to ten minutes.

Chu dodged the blow he aimed, wondering how it was possible for the masked man to move to quickly. “Do I? I wasn't aware.”

“Yes, you do. After drinking all that alcohol I know you've been drinking, you should be too drunk to see my sword, let alone block it. Actually, I usually move too quickly for my opponent to see me anyway.” Mask dodged the punch that Chu threw at him, obviously delighted by the prospect of a good fight. “But you not only keep track of my every move, but you manage to dodge me as well. It is quite extraordinary.”

Chu grinned. “Thanks.”

Mask sighed. “You're fast. But…I'm faster.” And the masked man gained speed, moving so quickly now that even Chu couldn't track his movements.

“Huh? What the hell?” Chu muttered, searching frantically for his opponent.

“Back here, Aussie.” And the next thing Chu knew, he was caught from behind in a chokehold, with a sword at his throat. Chu yelped, but he was grinning. It had been a good fight. “That was quite a show,” Mask said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. “It really was. And I really do hate to kill you, but I can't have you following me and running my plans, can I?”

Chu closed his eyes, expecting to feel the cold steel blade cutting into him at any moment. However, instead, he felt a sharp blow against the side of his head, and he knew no more.

Meanwhile, Sakyou, Kuwabara and Kurama had moved on to a clearing littered with rocks and boulders. Great patches of bare ground were scattered along the stretch of land. The shortage of vegetation and plant life stirred the sadness in Kurama's heart.

“Will you put me down here?” Kurama requested, as they reached the exact center of the clearing. Kuwabara looked confused, but he set Kurama on the ground and dropped down next to him. Kurama leaned back against a boulder, and Kuwabara did the same, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

The two sat in silence for a while, watching Sakyou pace around the clearing. Kurama broke the silence after several minutes. “Kuwa?”

“Hmm?”

“If I show you something, will you promise not to think I'm…well…odd?”

Kuwabara sat up straight, opening his eyes and dropping his arms to his sides. “Um…sure, I guess.”

Another moment of silence passed, before Kurama decided that Kuwabara could be trusted not to freak out. Smiling slightly, he touched the ground with one hand. And right before Kuwabara's eyes. Grass started to grow. It grew over the bare ground in lush green bunches, and the dead and wilted wildflowers that were place in clumps throughout the clearing seemed to come alive in an abundance of color.

Kurama's eyes were closed as he gently coaxed the plants back into existence. He hadn't realized how turbulent his thoughts had been until they were calmed by the serenity of the plants around him.

The turbulence in his soul had begun with the mind-numbing news of Hiei's death, and had only grown with each passing day, ending in a clash of confusion and frustration when he had fought Karasu and lost. The loss had meant that Kurama belonged to Karasu, body, spirit and soul. Now he was free, and though his future was uncertain, he couldn't help being grateful to these strangers—well, two of them, anyway—who had taken him away from the worst life he had ever known.

In these plants, Kurama read a lift that was as difficult as his own. These plants had spent their entire existence battling the forces of nature—animals, wind, rain, lightning, and fire, in addition to people who trampled through with horses and dogs and cattle and pigs. They sensed that they were in the presence of a friend, and they reached out to him, their gentle energy touching his mind and calming his heart.

Kuwabara was watching Kurama with wide eyes. “Wow.”

Kurama laughed. “Thank you for that assessment.”

“So…can you do anything with plants?”

“Well…not anything. But the ability comes in handy. With plants I can make weapons and medicines, but they also help me keep calm when I would otherwise be a very unhappy man.”

Kuwabara looked confused again. “But if you can make weapons, why haven't you killed all of us by now? You seem more than capable of it.”

“All of my energy is pouring itself into healing my leg. The bone will be mended in a day or two and I'll be able to escape. You and Chu are welcome to come with me if you wish.”

Kuwabara grinned. “That'll be great. We'll leave Sakyou all alone, curled in a ball on the ground, crying like a little teeny girl and wondering where his beloved and faithful lapdogs have gone.”

Both chuckled a little at the image Kuwabara had presented. When another, comfortable silence fell, Kuwabara studied Kurama seriously. “You're much calmer now,” he said suddenly.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Well…it's just…when we first got you, you were angry. Sorta…bitter, you know? But once we'd gotten you away from that castle and that bastard of a prince, you calmed down, and now you seem almost…happy. Is it because of the plants?”

Kurama blinked. “You are very insightful. How did you know how I was feeling? You don't know me very well yet…not well enough to know all of that, anyway.”

Kuwabara shrugged. “Powers of perception. My sister and I both have it. We don't know where we get it from, since our parents died when we were little and we have no other family. But there is something else I can do, too.”

“Really? What is it?” Kurama asked, genuinely interested.

“It's not as interesting as yours—or as pretty—but it gets me through my fights alive.”

“Ah, a weapon! Can I see it?”

So Kuwabara held his hand out in front of him, fingers curled tightly into a fist, and a long, glowing, golden-orange sword sprang to life. It seemed to be made entirely out of some kind of half-solid substance. “I call it my Spirit Sword,” Kuwabara said, grinning. “I make it out of Spirit Energy. It's been my only friend for a lotta years.” He laughed bitterly. “A weapon is my only friend. Pathetic, huh?”

“No, Kuwa. It's not pathetic at all. I often have the same feeling about my plants But why would people not want to be friends with you? I haven't known you for long, but you're obviously a good person.”

“Maybe so, but I was always something like the village idiot. That, combined with the spirit powers I had and my size, made me a local one-man freak show, and mothers didn't want their kids around me.”

There was another minute of silence, and then Kurama said, “Well, I'd like to be your first real friend, then.”

Kuwabara grinned. “And I'll be yours.”

“It's a deal.”

XXX

Li: Cut! That was perfect! I'm gonna cry! Lunch break, guys! You have one hour to eat and then we should have time to shoot the scene with Kuwa and Hiei!

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DONE! LONG CHAPTER! AND THE NEXT ONE'S LONGER, SO BE PATIENT, FOLKS!

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Reviewer's comment:

T.K. Yurikoto: Thanks for the review! And yes, you made a rhyme! I'm so proud of you! pats head And all credit for the casting goes to the actual writers, Ava and Li, for future reference!