Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ THE WOLVES OF MUSHIYORI CITY ❯ Shadow Boxing ( Chapter 2 )

CHAPTER 2: SHADOW BOXING

 

 

"Would you mind if I asked a question?" Hannah asked after riding for a silent ten minutes in Yana's van to the edge of the city.

"Fire away."

"What's up with this Asato Kido guy and Mitarai? He's a jerk but I get the feeling Kido hates him for more than that."

"Aw, Mitarai's not a bad guy. He just hates you because you're Kuwabara's girlfriend."

Hanah began to ask what that had to do with anything before an epiphany caused her to let out an elongated "Oooohhhhh...."

 

"Wait. How did you know about me and Kazuma?"
"I shook his hand last time I saw him and copied his memories. I have all of his memories up until last week. I could have filtered them out but I was curious. It's hard to mind your own business when your job is to find out other people's secrets."

 

"No wonder Kazuma said to avoid you. I like my privacy."

Yana tried to diffuse Hannah's obvious discomfort with a smile. "You don't have to worry about me. I won't copy you. I have enough spirit awareness to know you'd kick my ass. Besides," he said pointing to his head. "It sometimes gets too crowded in here. Sometimes I can't tell my memories from the ones I copy. I once showed up at this teenage guy's house because I copied his girlfriend's appearance and memories and thought we had a date. The last thing I want is the memory of you and Kuwabara bumping uglies in my head."

 

As much as she didn't want to, Hannah laughed. After enduring Mitarai's simmering hostility which she admitted was partly her fault, she found Yana to be surprisingly likable.

"What about Kido?"

"Oh, Asato? You'll see why he hates Mitarai once we see him. He can't help but to bring it up every time we talk. Be sure to mention that you and Mitarai hate eachother. You two will probably bond immediately."

 

Yana screeched the van to a halt as he passed the entrance to a smallcropping of trees soon to be under devolopment. He exited and looked up at the dimming sky.

"Well....shit. We better find him before the sun sets completely."

"Why's that?"
"Kido's power. He calls it shadow. Inside his psychic territory whenever he steps on a person's shadow they can't move. When it's dark everything's just one big shadow."

 

Yana and Hannah looked around the park trying to avoid any shadows which Kido was adept at hiding in. The nearly deserted woods began to darken which caused Yana to pause at the shadow of a large tree when the shadow of one of it's branches moved it poked him like a finger.

The shadows of the other trees melded into one another and engulfed Yana's shadow rendering him paralyzed.

 

Hannah had split off looking for a man with chin length blonde hair and a beard moving on crutches as Yana had specified. When she found Yana to report to him that she hadn't seen their target she sensed that Asato Kido had found them.

The sun set completely and there was nothing but shadow and the sound of someone struggling to move.

"Been a while, Yana."

 

Any fear that had risen in Hannah was extinguished when Yana nonchalantly blew off Kido's menacing tone.

"Yeah. Hours. Stop being a dick, Asato. Mitarai's not with me so there's not need to play the sinister shadow puppet master."

"Fine," Asato said as he formed the sinister looking tree's shadows into the image of a smiling bunny face.

 

Asato made his way to Hannah who was still paralyzed by having Asato standing on her shadow.

"Hi."

Hannah tried to move anything other than her mouth and failed. "Hi."

Asato gave her a quick look up and down before turning his attention to Yana. "Can I trust her?"
"Christ, man! Relax and let's talk somewhere less creepy."

"I guess that leaves out your bedroom," Asato said.

"Stick with improving your powers. Your sense of humor is a lost cause."

 

Asato relinquished his territory and bowed to Hannah as best he could with his crutches. "Sorry. I guess I have some trust issues."

The slightly crippled psychic lead them outside the thicket and to Yana's van.

"What's up?"

Yana described that the kekkai barrier would once again fall but only for a day before it could be upgraded leaving Mushiyori City once again ripe for demonic conquest.

"Let me guess, our ever faithful Spirit Detective is spear-heading the whole initiative. Why the hell would I do anything to benefit Kiyoshi Mitarai? I wouldn't spit on him if he were on fire."

Yana began to state one of the reasons he had rehearsed until Hannah broke in.

 

"Yeah, Mitarai's pretty obnoxious but this needs to be done. His heart's in the right place even if his head is up his ass."

Asato chuckled and smiled. But as the laugh died down a heavy sigh took it's place. "The last time I helped out on one of his missions all I got for my trouble was spinal damage. And that wasn't my first taste of paralysis."

"Kido here had his spine severed ten years ago the first time there was trouble with the kekkai barrier," Yana explained to Hannah who started to look mystified.

 

"It seems that every time I help a Spirit Detective I end up crippled. Tell Mitarai that he can go fuck himself in the most painful and gruesome way possible."

"So that's a no then?" Hannah asked dryly.

"An emphatic no," Asato answered.

 

Yanagisawa stepped beside his friend and placed his index finger on Asato's forehead.

Asato then saw his own face before him as Yana copied his looks and memories.

"Okay, Asato. I get it now. We'll leave you alone."

 

"Would you mind telling me what that was about, Yana? He didn't decline because of some petty bullshit with Mitarai did he?"

"No," he answered softly. "He's just afraid, that's all. That's why he hates Mitarai so much. Yeah, he kinda blames him for being crippled again but mostly it's because getting hurt again really put some fear into him. He hates being afraid so he hates Mitarai. Simple as that."

"How big of a help would Asato be, Yana?"

"Don't know. Mitarai's the one to ask. He has this weird knack for making seemingly useless powers useful."

Hannah grunted. "Pull over. Maybe I can kick some sense into him. If I'm not back in twenty minutes..."

"Leave?"
"Hell no! If I'm not back in twenty keep waiting."

 

Probing a surrounding area for a psychic's distinctive spiritual energy was not Hannah's strong suit so she settled for listening for the sound of crutches and grunting she noticed when she met Asato earlier in the night.

She caught up with him a block away from the woods they encountered eachother in.

 

"Kazuma Kuwabara told me that despite having pretty lame powers that you were someone good to have on our side."

Asato stopped underneath a street light but didn't open up his psychic territory.

"I suppose." He and Hannah stared at eachother for a long second before he spoke again. "Let me guess: You're going to try to shame me into joining by beating me up, right?"

"Partially, but mostly because I'm itching for a fight. You seemed a little stressed so I assumed you'd want the chance to blow off some steam."

 

Asato opened up his territory to just beyond the area Hannah stood. His shadow moved independantly while he stood still and stuck it's noncoporeal arm into the darkness and rendered Hannah palalyzed.

"I thought you had to step on someone's shadow to do that."

He walked up to Hannah keeping his hands in the pockets of the gray windbreaker he wore. "Nope."

"So, your shadow moves independantly. It's still a little lame."

"Yeah. But there's something else."

 

For some reason Hannah couldn't fathom she could actually feel the darkness around her. She assumed it was just her recurring fear of being trapped playing with her mind until she felt as if hands were grabbing her left arm and twisting it in different directions.

Before she could delve into a full panic she realized that even though her arm stung she wasn't seriously hurt. It was a familiar pain that when she placed it she laughed as she remembered it from when she still lived with her big brother.

Asato had given her an Indian burn from ten feet away.

 

She made a mental note to stop underestimating Mitarai's friends' abilities right off.

Asato walked up to her using his own shadow as a form of crutch as he reached with his right hand and grasped her nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Got your nose."

Hannah chuckled then released herself from Asato's paralysis by turning the ambient spirit energy

of his territory into the less constricting matter of confetti.

Before the colorful bits of paper that was once Asato's psychic energy in shadow form hit the street she landed a light punch on Asato's cheekbone which knocked him off his crutches and onto the ground.

 

She had just enough spirit energy left inside her to form a wooden rod which she swung at Asato who blocked with his solidified shadow which Hannah then turned to an inconsequential matter she could easily swing a stick through.

She swung, Asato backed up and blocked, she dispersed his spirit energy and swung again leading him to back up and block once again. This went on until Hannah lead him into the light of the nearest street lamp and once more dispersing his shadow leaving him shadowless and therefore defenseless.

Hannah then adopted a serious look and reached down to Asato and opened her hand.

"I'd like my nose back now, please."

 

After a fit of laughter the two psychics sat under the streetlight.

"Why are you helping Mitarai even though you consider him a jerk?" Asato asked after catching his breath.

"Because I can always kick his ass after we repel the demons." Hannah reclined and stretched her sore back. "I guess we got off on the wrong foot, me and Mitarai. He's a prick and all but I'm told I'm not always a ball to be around."

"Mitarai doesn't really hold grudges unless it's something big. Go to a place that sells used cd's and buy him a 3rd Bass album. They only cost a couple of bucks since I think he's the only guy that listens to them. After that he usually forgets he's angry."

"I'll give that a shot. If we don't smooth things over it's going to be a really crappy month working together." Hannah stood up and inquired if Asato needed a ride back home.

"Nah. I need to work my legs out. Don't worry, as long as it's dark I'm safe...unless your or Kuwabara are thinking of jumping me. So far you are the only two I know who can break my territory."

"Not tonight, we'll be busy. Nice to meet you, Asato. You're not half as unpleasant as I thought you'd be."

Asato lacked the energy and will to think of something clever as a response and settled for smiling and picking his crutches and leaving.

 

"You were right," Hannah told Yana as she entered his van. "Kido's a wash. What now?"

"Play some video games and maybe rent a porno. Want to go in on half?"

"I'll pass."

 

The weight of the day made itself apparent when Hannah left Yana's van to find Kuwabara at the laundrymat they agreed to meet at.

"The future doesn't look bright for Mushiyori City, Kazuma."

Instead of reassuring his girlfriend which was tantamount to lying as far as he was concerned, Kuwabara merely shook his head in agreement.

"No, but what the hell do we know? My brain tells me he's going to fail but my gut says otherwise."

Hannah flashed a bitter smile. "Yeah, but remember something: Your gut is full of shit."