Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Darkness Within The Spirit ❯ Morbid Clouds ( Chapter 2 )

'Now's the time to let you know,

If you only take my hand,

Never will there be another.

Hold you down again,

I won't let you breathe.'

-3rd Strike

Chapter Two: Morbid Clouds

Yusuke walked down the street to his school. His shoes tapping against the cement sidewalk as he rounded a street corner with his black hair slicked back and an annoyed look on his face with furrowed brows. He felt something in the air that made him stop for a moment. He sensed a strange presence that was everywhere, lingering around him. It felt like darkness. He continued walking, not dismissing it, but being on guard. He remembered the unfolding of recent events of his kidnappings, but brushed them aside at the moment, could there be a connection maybe? Unlikely, he told himself. As he neared his school he heard the familiar whoosh in the air and grumbled at it as he turned his head, "Botan." He glanced up at her.

Botan jumped off her oar and walked along side him, "Hello Yusuke." She chirped. She was wearing the girl's uniform for his school and had the oar resting on her shoulder with her hand gripping the handle.

"What does Koenma want?" Yusuke asked rolling his eyes in irritation. "You think a guy could get some R&R around here."

Botan giggled nervously while placing her left hand over her mouth, "Oh cheer up Yusuke. I don't know what's exactly up, but he wants to speak with you urgently. It's important."

He quirked an eyebrow, "How urgent?" Maybe I can get out of school today, Yusuke thought grinning to himself.

The ferry girl shrugged while getting on her oar again, "If I recall, he sounded exasperated when he called me in. So it must be very important, your next case most likely."

Yusuke stopped grinning and looked up at Botan who was hovering off the ground on her oar, "What about Kurama and Hiei?" he asked wondering if they possibly felt the same thing he did.

"Already told them." Botan replied wistfully, still smiling.

~**~ Botan's POV ~**~

Whatever it is though, most be important. I haven't seen Koenma flustered like that in a while so it must be something big. Although I warned him that telling Yusuke this right after what has happened that it might spark his temper, which is something that should be avoided. Even I know that.

I broadened my smile at him, "They are already informed, but I'm afraid Koenma didn't give me too many details about what's going on."

He sighed, "Do you at least know anything about it, whatever it is?"

I shook my head, "All I know is that it involves someone quite powerful, judging from how ticked off Koenma seemed to be when Jorge told him. But I can't say that we should be hoping for an easy case, if it's anything like the other, it will be difficult."

The school bell at Yusuke's school rang and he glanced over his shoulder at his middle school with an unhappy glint in his eyes.

I, being a poking and prodding person, knew something was up, "What's wrong Yusuke?"

He sighed and kept silent. Something was obviously troubling him, but what?

Then what seemed like an hour of silence, he spoke slowly as though carefully picking his words. Something I thought and knew, he didn't normally do. "It's just that…there's something in the air. I can sense it, something bad. It's been bothering me all morning."

I nodded in consideration, thinking about what he said. He was right though, something did feel a little off, but you could only notice it if you had a sixth sense. It was hard to put a finger on what the vibe was, dark of course and cold. Very cold, but maybe it had something to do with what Koenma was so worked up about. He acted as though the world was coming to a sudden end or another thing just as terrible. I didn't like it one bit, I didn't really notice it until Yusuke had finished. At first things felt a little different, that gloomy vibe hanging around everywhere, but now I could feel it all around me. Encasing everything.

"This can't bring any good can it?" he said mumbling under his breath to me, as I was absorbed in the dark feeling. "It's strong too."

"Oh?" I raised both my eyebrows in pretend surprise, "Well things sure are looking up now." I said sarcastically which was not usually like me I admit to that. I flipped my ponytail over my shoulder, "Any ideas Yusuke?" I asked promptly.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, maybe the events were taking a toll on him, but I couldn't be positive.

~**~ Regular POV ~**~

The tension between the spirit detective and the ferry girl was so thick it couldn't even be sliced through with a steak knife or a sword. It was everywhere. A morbid, cold, desolate feeling of something dreary and destructive to come. Even those with a weak sixth sense could most likely feel it as well. It was so potent and deep that it was as though you could suffocate on it. They both felt apprehension stirring in their blood and minds.

~**~ Yusuke's POV ~**~

Whatever the vibe in the air was, it wasn't good. I could tell that much easily. It was morbid in an almost scary way and it was strong, very strong. That was the part that was bothering me and the fact that I had no idea what I was going to be up against. Hopefully it's what the toddler wanted to talk to me about, hopefully. I'd be really surprised if he didn't know where it was coming from or what it was at least remotely.

I saw Botan give me a look of anticipation, as though she expected me to know what it was. I hate to say it, but I was just as lost as she was here.

"Hmm," She whispered to herself as though she was observing something with interest, "What can it be?" She tilted her head at me then, "Better tell Kuwabara too Yusuke."

"He probably has already felt it." I replied hastily then remembered his 'condition' and chuckled light to myself. "He's gonna hate this, I can tell you that Botan."

"Yusuke." Botan said warningly, "Don't make him feel more worse then he already does."

I huffed, "Alright, alright." I watched as she took off, flying into partly cloudy hazy blue sky.

"Yusuke!" a voice shouted behind me suddenly.

I grimaced and sweat dropped as I whipped around. It was the voice that would make anybody fearful…Keiko. She marched dup to me with her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed at me.

"You're not going to skip today are you?" She questioned me furiously folding her arms across her chest and staring daggers at me.

"Uhh…actually…" I started stuttering, then regaining speech quickly. "It looks like I have another case staring so, no."

"Oh really?" She said falsely amused. "You've missed enough school as it is Yusuke! You could at least go for one day!" She screamed nearly blasting out my eardrum.

"Ugh." I complained clamping one hand over my ear that was throbbing. "Don't yell so loud."

~**~ Keiko's POV ~**~

I honestly can't believe him sometimes, he blows off school all the time. Doesn't he care about getting an education? I guess not, I should know that already, but that's beside the point. I grabbed his other ear and dragged him towards the school, ignoring his constant whining. Then, to my disgust, I felt his hand on my behind and I clenched my fist and punched him clean across the face. "Pervert!" Some boys never change.

~**~ Somewhere else, regular POV~**~

*Suiren, hello.*

-How many times, must I tell you to leave me alone?-

*Why don't you like me anymore?*

-Why? That's a stupid question.-

*It's not as though I was the cause of your suffering. It wasn't my fault everybody abandoned you.*

-You're wrong. Not everybody did.-

*Oh, yes. That's right, your friend Hagari. He stood faithfully by your side as did I. But did that really help take the pain away, knowing that you only had one person to love.*

-He is all I need. He protected me from the others when he could and you could do nothing, but talk to me. You aren't jealous, are you?-

*Perhaps I am, perhaps I'm not. You'll never know Suiren. You don't know who I am.*

-I don't know anything about you other than the fact that you like to manipulate me. Lie to me. Hagari never lied to me.-

*If you are light then Hagari is your shadow. You're yin, he's yang. Good and evil.*

-What's your point?-

*There are two distinctions between lies and deceiving. Lies are verbal while deceiving isn't, it's actions one take to mislead others. Hagari isn't as good as you think he is, there are two sides to every coin Suiren. Although you are a different case, but him. He's on the shadow side now. Can't you see that?*

-Don't lecture me on good and evil, light and shadow. It that's the case, then you're shadow as well aren't you. That means I can't trust you, although I never really did.-

*No. You are wrong. I'm not shadow, at first I was light, but I turned into something else. Not shadow. At first I sought to bring you inner peace, I still do, but with a more…different approach now. Like you said yourself, I am darkness. I can never go back to being your light or being shadow. I'm nether your opposite or your match.*

-Go away.-

*Don't like what you're hearing do you? Nobody ever likes the truth at first, but gradually you will accept it. Everybody must face the truth, no matter how painful it is, at some point in their life.*

-I mean it.-

Silence answered her finally. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief. This whole thing was getting frustrating, that voice that spoke to her and what it told her. How she hated it. How she cursed it into oblivion and beyond. "It has to end sooner or later." she told herself closing her eyes. She was leaning against a tree in the park. She had been there all morning, that Sensui still on her mind. Her wrists still dripping blood. Small puddles of crimson beneath her. She felt at her wrists carefully, where the fingernails had dug into her white flesh, she could feel that they had left crescent shaped marks on each that had dried blood around them. "Sensui," she repeated out loud, "Why does it feel like I already know you?" There was something about him that she couldn't quite place. There was something just familiar about him. Had she seen before?- she couldn't be certain.

Her eyes flickered open when she heard the crunching of leaves, someone was walking towards her. She cast her eyes in that direction and a smile crept across her face. "Hagari." She needed to speak with him.

A tall boy in his late teens stood next to her. His black hair was in a semi bowl like cut and his brown eyes were locked on her, a frown on his lips which was common for him. She'd rarely seen him smile or laugh. He had a red-orange jacket on with a white shirt underneath and pants. He was right beside her, his hands in his jacket pockets, but he didn't reply. He just gazed at her.

"Eh?" She gave him a blank look, "What's wrong with you? I said hello." She pouted at him. "Hagari Kaname. Hello, anybody home in there?" She waved her hand in his face which he caught with his own quickly.

~**~ Suiren's POV ~**~

I stared at him. His fingers gripped around my wrist and some of blood stained his hand. I gave him a meek look. He held my wrist not tightly, quite gently to be honest. I suddenly felt like an idiot, both of us being so still and just staring into each other's eyes. His didn't glisten in the light like mine did. They looked lifeless at times, but occasionally you could see something inside of them. But that hardly ever happened.

I saw his eyes direct towards to his hand that was holding my wrist and he let go slowly, removing one finger at a time. Then he saw the blood on his hand, "I guess Sensui has already introduced himself to you."

"Yes." I nodded shakily, he gave the blood a disconcerting look before shifting his eyes to my wrists. "It's fine." I said hiding my hands behind my back and grinning stupidly, "Really."

"So?"

I blinked twice, "So what?"

"Izumi." His voice filled with impatience for my childish impracticalities, although I was really clueless this time. "What did he say to you?" He demanded seriousness written across his face as clear as day.

"Oh." I put my hands behind my head feeling dumber then most likely necessary. "He said…that he needed my help." I said shyly looking away from him, feeling extremely awkward.

"Needed help with what?" His tone commanding again.

I gulped, "Making a tunnel between Makai and Ningenkai." My voice was so soft, I don't think I even heard myself, but I knew he had heard me.

He leaned towards me and rested one of his arms above my head against the tree and cast his eyes down at me, "And what did you say Izumi?"

I was afraid to answer, but I did, "I s-said…yes."

I could tell that wasn't the response he wanted, I could see the rage build up in his eyes, "You said what?" His voice raising just above the comfort level for me.

"He told me…that you were helping him so I…" I didn't want him to be mad at me. He was the only person I really cared about, I didn't want to upset him. I didn't want him to be angry with me. I cared for him too much, he was the only person I loved.

~**~ Regular POV ~**~

He saw the tears form up in the corners of her eyes, she knew he was mad.

"Suiren…," he said knowing how deeply she took things, but sometimes she really did stupid things.

She heard him whisper her name and felt his fingers brush her checks lightly in an apologetic manner. He wiped away a tear that was about to roll down her check gently.

"Well," he said soothingly, "At least now we are in this together, you and I."

A roll of loud thunder was heard overhead, but neither made any movement to leave. The dark clouds were visible above them and rain began to gently fall as the two friends kept their silence. Only the sound of rain hitting the leaves around them could be heard and it could have been taken as a sign of the things to come.