Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Memories ❯ History and Revelations ( Chapter 2 )

Kurama walked over and examined the girl on his bed. Her face was pale with deep purple bruises on one cheek. Her eyes were sunken deep enough into her face that she looked like her eyes had been blacked as well. There were ligature marks around her neck, from rope and what looked like hands. Her clothing, a tunic style shirt and woven leggings, were torn and dirty. Whatever had happened to her, it left her pretty beat up.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked out loud. "What will I tell my mother? What is it I can do for you?" She didn't respond to his voice, not a flicker of life passed over her face. Only the ragged sound of breathing and the slow rise and fall of her chest indicated she was alive. The slightest whisper of sound let him know that Hiei had arrived at his window. He looked up, smiling at his friend.

"Koenma sent me. He said you'd need help. The others will be here soon." Hiei looked at the girl, "Hn, is that why I was told to come here. I thought we were finished with her and her stupid games. What happened to her anyway?" He sat down on the window ledge.

"I don't know exactly, I wasn't given a lot of details. The others will be here soon, let's wait for them and I'll explain everything I know at once."

"Who brought her here?"

"Loki."

"Hn."

From downstairs, he could hear his mother answering the door bell and the sounds of several pairs of feet coming up the stairs. He opened the door to his room as they reached the landing. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan came in, stopping just inside the door, gaping at the girl on his bed. Before any of them could stutter out the questions written on their faces, Kurama asked, "Will you all come in so we can close the door?"

The three came in, arranging themselves around the room. Yusuke broke through, "When did she get back? Is this why Koenma sent us here?"

Kurama sat at his desk, turning the chair to face the others in the room, "She just arrived, in this condition, a little bit a go. Loki brought her here because she left me her book of shadows and he thought there might be something in there to help her. He said he couldn't reach her mind and therefore couldn't help her. He more or less ordered me to help her, at great cost if I refused."

Botan spoke up from the edge of the bed where she had perched, "Oberon was very angry with Loki for allowing her to be hurt."

"And you know this how?" Yusuke challenged, not liking the idea that Loki or any other gods were involved.

"He is the one who told Koenma that she'd be here."

"You were just as surprised to see her as we were!"

"I was surprised at how low her life energy is, Yusuke, not that she's here."

"When did you know she would be here?" Kurama asked, not liking having this responsibility dumped on him without warning.

"About five minutes before it happened it was a possibility. There wasn't time to warn you. I'm sorry," Botan looked at Kurama, her face distressed.

"What are we going to do with her?" Hiei asked.

Botan looked at Kurama, who returned her gaze, and at Bekka, who had not moved, and finally at Hiei, "We have to find some way to return her mind to her."

"How are we gonna do that, Botan?" Kuwabara finally spoke up from the corner he was leaning in.

Botan looked over her shoulder at him, shrugging, "I don't know." She turned toward Kurama, "You said she left her book of shadows, right?" He nodded and she continued, "It's possible that she has the answer written in there, somewhere. It would be easier if we knew what did this to her…." Her voice trailed off, making the statement a question.

"Loki didn't know what happened, or he claimed he didn't know what happened. He said he knew she had enemies where she was, but they hid their strength from him."

"Good to know you listen well, Fox," came Loki's voice from behind him.

The entire group was on its feet. Botan found her voice first, "Haven't you caused enough trouble already, Loki?"

He sneered at her, "What do you care if I'm here, oar-girl? Oberon said I have to make myself useful and help."

"I'll just bet that's what he said," Botan threw back.

"Don't push it, oar-girl!"

"Why? What are you gonna do to me? You have no power over me, remember, Loki!"

Behind her, a voice spoke up, "He has no power over anyone right now."

Botan screamed, turning around facing Koenma, "Did you have to sneak up on me like that?"

"Sorry, Botan. I came to tell you why he is still here, since I seriously doubt he would get around to it. Oberon has decreed that he is to be punished for allowing Bekka to be harmed so badly. He has to help find out what is wrong and how to fix it. We are looking through the archives, but until she wakes up, we don't know enough to find out what happened to her."

"Won't her mind return when she wakes?" Kurama asked.

"It is possible, but not likely given that Loki cannot reach her now. He would be able to reach her mind if it were as simple as her waking up. There is something else at work here. Even if she is able to function when she wakes up, it could be that her mind is so fractured that …." His voice trailed off.

"So fractured that what?" Kurama pressed.

"So fractured that it would be better if she died and her soul was destroyed forever."

This shocked the group into silence. Even Loki looked shocked at this proclamation. "I will not let you do that to her!" he vowed.

Koenma glared at the other god, "You will permit what must be done if it comes to that. You know the consequences if it is not done, Loki." His gaze narrowed, "Don't tell me you let your feelings for the girl blind you to what was going on around her! Can you really despise how you feel that much?"

Yusuke broke in, "What will happen if her mind is so fractured her soul needs to be destroyed? You're talking in code here and leaving the rest of us out."

Koenma smiled coldly, "Yes, Loki, tell them what might happen because of your foolishness."

Loki looked extremely uncomfortable, "You remember that she was a witch, right?" They nodded, looking at him expectantly, "She still is, always was, but I bound her powers so she couldn't use them, just as I unleashed them originally. When a witch of her strength dies without control of their innate powers…the powers of their soul…they can wreak terrible havoc not only on the human world, but also on the spirit world. A vengeful witch can use their native elemental against the world. Her elemental is the void…all four elements combined…so what she could do is unlimited. If her mind is not returned, this is the possibility." Loki folded in on himself, almost as if he wished to vanish from the room but couldn't.

Kurama spoke up quietly, "How is it that you feel for her?"

Loki turned his face away, refusing to look at anyone, refusing to answer. "Answer him. They have the right to know," Koenma ordered

Loki glared at Koenma before turning away again. Barely loud enough to be heard, "I wanted her, but she refused me."

The silence in the room was only broken by the ragged sounds of breathing from the bed. Everyone else seemed to be held in stasis. The atmosphere was oppressive and begged for interruption, but no one could bring themselves to say anything. A god desiring a human was known to only bring trouble, for the god and the object of their desire. Many attempts had been made by various gods to have humans they desired, all resulting in, at the best, death of the object of desire, or, at the worst, all out war. A whimper escaped Bekka's ravaged throat, surprising everyone out of their stupor.

Koenma spoke briskly, "We are disturbing her. Go through her book of shadows, see what you can find, Kurama. Yusuke, you help him. Hiei, I need you to keep an eye on her mind. Even if Loki can't reach it, it's possible you'll be able to find her. Kuwabara, keep guard. Botan, you will work in the archives finding what you can. Loki will be within shouting distance of any of you and will respond when called," he fixed the other god with a glare and left.