Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Life Through a Dragon's Eyes ❯ Chapter Eight: I Love You, Now Die ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight: I Love You, Now Die

 

 

 

My body screams in pain. I want to die, but find that my body refuses to let me. I can only whimper softly and pray that death comes soon. I hear the door creak open and I shut my eyes tightly, thinking another visit from Kushin will only being me more agony.

 

“How are you?” I hear a familiar voice say.

 

My eyes move upwards and my body begins to shake at what I see. It can't be…it just can't. My eyes are playing cruel, horrible tricks on my mind.

 

“Tage?” he whispers again.

 

His hand reaches out to me, caressing my cheek lightly with his fingers. It's real, I feel it. Tears roll down my face silently as I fight with myself not to sob. He helps me off of the floor and holds me close to him. I break down and sob into his shoulder for an interminable amount of time.

 

“Shh…it's alright. I'm here now. You're going to be fine,” he continues to whisper to me over and over again, rocking me back and forth like a child.

 

“Sasuke,” I mumble softly when my sobbing nearly stops completely.

 

“Tage…do you want me to stay with you…or leave you alone again?” Sasuke asks softly, his tone serious.

 

My grip on him tightens at such a question. I can't believe he even needs to ask that question to know the answer to it.

 

“Stay…I don't want…to be alone anymore…,” I reply softly.

 

“Then I need your help. Can you do that?”

 

I look into his eyes. Mine are reflected in his. I can see my own sorrow in the reflection, how desperate I am not to be left by myself again.

 

“Yes,” I whisper quietly, “anything.”

 

::Sasuke's POV::

 

“We're almost there! Move it already!” I yell as I fly as fast as I can to the castle.

 

By the time I get to the gate, passing through every trap and demon set in front of it to keep people away, the detectives are…still back there.

 

“It's not as easy when you're body's solid and you actually have to fight the demons you know!” Yusuke yells angrily as he finally catches up with me.

 

“I've been here the whole time. What took you so long Detective? You're not slipping are you?” Hiei asks right beside me.

 

I jerk back in surprise, having not known that Hiei was there in the first place. Man, he's pretty fast for such a little guy.

 

The rest of the team, Kuwabara and Kurama follow shortly after. Though I get the feeling Kurama may have been here much faster if not for Kuwabara's…lack of coordination, to put it nicely.

 

Yusuke immediately breaks down the door with strength that a normal human should never be capable of. But then again, he isn't exactly normal, nor are the rest of them either.

 

Once the door is out of the way, the detectives run, and I float (though you should know this by now.; I shouldn't have to keep saying it), into the central hall of the castle.

 

She's here. Armatage is standing in the middle of the room, covered in blood, but still very much alive. But…somehow, standing next to her is…me. Getting a better look at her now, Tage's eyes look…hollow, almost defeated in a way.

 

The one that looks like brings his face close to her ear, though he is only whispering, I can hear him perfectly for some strange reason.

 

“Tage, they've come to kill me, to take me away so you'll have to be alone again. You don't want that do you?” the imposter whispers into her ear.

 

“Armatage, that's not me! I'm right here! Can't you see me now!” I yell, frantically waving my hands in the air, hoping that she'll come to her senses quickly.

 

The imposter smirks arrogantly and continues to speak to Tage like he's me. He's not me. That's Kushin, there's no other explanation. Seeing him so close to her, speaking like he's her best friend…it'd make my blood boil if I had a body.

 

“He's lying Tage. That's not me at all. I've come back to be with you, and the detectives don't want that. They don't want you to be happy. Make them pay Tage. Make them wish that they'd never met you,” he whispers to her.

 

Armatage nods her head silently as she grips the hilt of the sword at her hip. She suddenly disappears and reappears in front of the detectives, unsheathing the sword and slashing at them with all her might.

 

Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara do their best, but can only block her at this point. It's easy to see, one good hit will kill her now. Kushin's made her so weak that they can't bring themselves to attack her.

 

“Enough of these games,” Hiei yells, “now you die!”

 

At first I was afraid he meant to just kill Tage, but to my surprise, he speeds past her and heads straight for me, or rather Kushin.

 

Armatage stops fighting immediately and flies back to the imposter. As Hiei unsheathes his blade and is about to cut off his head, Armatage stops him, grabbing the sword in mid-swing.

 

Tage falls to her knees as blood drips down the edge of the Hiei's sword and onto the floor. Armatage is actually…holding the blade, seemingly uncaring about her own pain.

 

“Please…don't hurt him. Sasuke…,” she whispers over and over again, never letting go of the sword, no matter how much Hiei tries to pry it from her hands.

 

Kushin laughs softly and throws Hiei back, pulling Armatage up off of the floor. I hate him. He doesn't care that she's hurt. Kushin only wants to use her for his own selfish goals.

 

“I need something from you Tage. Please, I need your fire to protect me from them. You don't want me to die do you?” he asks softly, his eyes glinting with malicious glee.

 

Tears ran down her face as she nodded, silently telling him that she didn't want him to die…or rather, she didn't want me to die, if I weren't already dead.

 

Kushin smiled. I hate that it looks like me. Armatage must be hurting so badly. How can someone be that cruel?

 

“Thank you, my love,” he whispers softly as he kisses her.

 

Tage's body tenses, and then suddenly goes limp as he sucks her fire out of her body. No one moves, neither the detectives, nor I.

 

Her skin grows pale, even more so than it usually is. Even from this distance, I can see the little light that remains in her eyes leave. Kushin drops her to the ground. The last bit of flame can be seen leaving her mouth and entering his.

 

“Thanks again, fool,” he says cruelly as his body begins to glow with a strange, ominous light.

 

I can only stare at her body in a mix of horror and shock. Armatage…Tage…my best friend, the girl that I…love. She freely gave up her fire…the only thing that was keeping her alive…to save who she thought was…me.

 

This thought jolts me out of my shocked silence and I find my voice again. Other emotions come to me immediately. I felt anger…hatred…an extreme loathing for Kushin that I never thought I would have for anyone.

 

“Tage…” I whisper softly.

 

“Armatage!” I scream as I fly over to her as fast as I can.