Part 25: Reminisce

 

The preparation week flew by as if it were mere hours. Relentlessly you had trained, using the full resources of the apartment grounds and the castle training rooms to your advantage. Hiei's strict training regimen had worked so well that you had gained not only a B class status, but were ranked at the top of that class, and were bordering A.

Not even the doctors or Koenma could understand the dramatic increase - you put it down to sheer determination to have a fighting chance. It was amazing what a little motivation could do, and killing Akki to avenge your family seemed perfect for that job.

 

The rest of the Spirit team had spent the time going endlessly over the set route to the lair, and to gain access once there. Koenma's top spies had been dispatched the moment the counter strike had been accepted, and had collected information on the layout, and approximate habitation of the Ookmai tribe. (Ookmai = Wolf.)

In accordance with that information, it was anticipated that there would be a three-day walk from the portal location into the Makai forest "Akumu" (Nightmare). The tribe was located twelve miles, north-east from the portal and fortunately that was the least dangerous section of the woods; Kurama had pointed out that that was due to the wolves' territory.

 

* 

 

"I think we should stop and rest, it's getting pretty dark. I think it's nearly night time." Kurama suggested, his words were the first to break the silence between the seven young adults. It had been a long days trek, but thanks to Kurama's knowledge of the forest, you had managed to cover the estimated mileage for the first day. Though you still had a long way ahead.

Grateful, you abandoned your bag and stretched out trying to relax your exhausted muscles - you were never good on camping trips back home and often you slowed your parents and brother up, much to your brother's annoyance. But none of that will happen anymore... They're gone. The thought was too painful to believe, cold ice washed at your heart and you clutched your jacket together quickly, somehow hoping it would keep the hole in your chest from tearing open any further. Don't think on it, I can break later. I have to do this first. You closed your eyes, focusing on that thought.

 

You had been trying to not focus on anything that would cause you to fall back into your depression, never wanting to repeat your trip to any sheer falls for along time, though it was hard. The hardest thing though, you had yet to achieve. You knew Hiei had noticed, but he had never mentioned it - you put this down to his understanding that it was a sore subject and that he didn't want to make you feel any worse. Or possibly it was because he didn't want to concern himself with others problems, he did like his distance, after all.

 

"I'll get some fire wood, so we won't all freeze." Kazuma volunteered. You turned, noticing the others were already pitching up the tents that Kurama had been able to bring from his house. You still didn't understand how his parents could allow him to have them, but you didn't bother to pry. Kurama's business was his business, and that was how you operated. Shadow was by him unpacking rations, and trying, you think, to work out what to make for dinner.

"Anything I can do?" You enquired, hoping there was. Keeping busy took your mind off thinking too much and the last thing you wanted to be doing was over-thinking and working yourself into a panic over where and what you were about to do.

"I could do with some help pitching the tents accordingly." Kurama turned, smiling gently. Nodding you went and assisted him in erecting the four tents, then assisted Yusuke in finding large stones to surround the fire. Hiei had disappeared again; you thought to secure the perimeter.

 

*

 

"Are you sure it's safe for us all to be here? I mean... I heard Demon World was dangerous." You looked at Yusuke, who was holding two boulders in either hand. He smiled reassuringly.

"Demon World's safer now. The tournament we had two years ago made sure. It's safe for us for another year, until we have to redo the tournament, that is." He grinned, obviously liking the idea of competing. You however, gave him a confused face. Realisation dawned on him. "We... never told you anything about that, did we?" He saw you shake your head and smiled, he trudged to a fallen tree. He dropped the boulders with a thud, to the floor and patted the space next to him.

 

"In Demon World there were three rulers Raizen - who was my ancestor, where I get my demon blood from. Then there was the others, Yomi and Mukuro. They each had an equal share of land and they ruled over different varieties of demons. Raizen was the strongest of the three, and Yomi was the newest to obtain power. The whole conflict began over the argument of eating humans. Raizen said that they should stop eating them, while the other two disagreed. So because of that, there was lots of pissing about and people fighting for power. With me so far? Okay. So...

"Kurama was asked by Yomi to fight for him. I was asked by Raizen, naturally, to fight for him being his ancestor and all... Hiei joined with the demon Queen Mukuro." He chuckled at you as you frowned.

"You were all fighting on different sides?" He nodded, you shook your head. But they're best friends... how could they?  "Where was Kazuma?"

"He stopped in Human World, we told him to be the one to get to go to college. I mean I couldn't... Not with my grades." He laughed, you nodded. "Anyway, I kept training everyday, I wanted to kill Raizen so bad because of him taking me over when I was trying to beat Sensuei. Oh... Wait do you-"

"I read a case file on Chapter Black." You explained. "Shad worked in the filing, I helped her organise stuff. How come they reappointed you Spirit Detective?" You looked at him incredulously. He snickered slighlty.

"Bastards needed someone there just in case the Demon rules got changed. Enma threw a fit apparently, he was all 'If he steps outta line I'll feed that Mazoku to a ragnarok.' Or something like that. I didn't care either way. I re-took the job so that I had something to do besides my job at the restaurant - Beats waiting tables all day. Kurama and Hiei came back after a year or so, still not sure why Hiei came back. His excuse was 'I got bored of babysitting the pathetic human fools who wander into Demon World like stray puppies.' I think he jut missed us is all." He grinned. You laughed, at the impression, it wasn't very far off the mark for Hiei.

"I could see him saying that." You admitted. Yusuke beamed, before growing serious again.

"Raizen passes on after a year or so... and I becomes his successor. After the funeral, I went and met with Mukuro and Yomi. To solve the fighting, I thought a single ruler for Demon World should be found in a tournament. Like politics through fists." He grinned at you again when you rolled your eyes. Always count on Yusuke to get fighting into a serious matter.

 

"There were no objections, and Yomi and Mukuro dismantle their armies. And that's how the Demon World Tournament was made. The tournament, had over 6,000 participants, begins with 128 separate battle royals of 49 fighters per battle. Touya, Jin, Shishi, Suzuka, Rinku, Yomi, Mukuro, and Kirin, Mukuro's second in command, were in the fights including Kurama, me and Hiei, no brainer there, huh? Everyone who was paired in Mukuro's battle dropped out and the same for Yomi's except his son, Shura, who Yomi went on to beat rather easily. Chu, the idiot lost due to his 'falling in love' with one of Raizen's friends who he surrendered to after becoming uncontrollably attracted to her." He rolled his eyes. "He's a sucker for a hot babe."

"One on one fights began and people were being knocked out left a right. Jin, Touya, Shishi, and Rinku all fell out, too. Kurama, in his last fight ended up being faced against Shigure, big guy, had some weird piercings going on, looked freaky. Kurama won that but dropped out not wanting to fight anymore. He didn't want to have to leave his parents, and I got it... Kurama's very attached to his mom.

"Hiei's final fight was against Mukuro. That was intense, I thought they were going to win or die trying. Mukuro started slicing through dimensions, leaving lines that would dice Hiei apart. In retaliation, Hiei did a two handed Dragon of the Darkness Flame, which was pretty fucking awesome! Mukuro ripped down the middle of it though, knocking Hiei to the ground. Hiei then accepted defeat, allowing Mukuro to advance.

"My last fight was against Yomi, and god damn was that fun! There was never a moment where we weren't hitting each other! It was like back in my first ever street fight..." You turned, watching his chocolate brown eyes overflowing with the memory, you smiled. It seemed to make him happy to be able to tell someone. You urged him on.

"Yomi used a technique to pummel me in the chest with hundreds of energy beams, finishing off with a bigger beam, which sent me crashing through the arena floor. He came over saying all this crap like 'You're so weak to have been knocked down by such a small amount of my energy'... Tosser. He did have a point though... There was a few moments in there when I lost my reason to fight. I had no idea, why I was fighting. He got pretty pissed at me." He frowned thoughtfully, to himself before snapping out of it.

 

"It didn't take me long to snap out of it though, I mean... I wasn't going to let him win, was I? So, I started fighting using my demon power, and it got more equal. Yomi was blocking point blank Spirit Gun's using his spirit energy. He made it so it went into like a blocker that took your power away, pretty fucking cool move. I started blending Spirit energy with my Demon energy and it worked, and his barrier was down. Ha! I charged up a giant Spirit Gun, breaking through the defence wall. Then it was back to punching each other repeatedly, until it came down to one final punch." He left it handing for a minute, drinking in the suspence.

 

"Well... who won?" You urged, on edge.

"Well... He did. I got knocked out." He admitted sheepishly, his eye turned to alarmed when you fell over.

"You just kept me on edge for that?! Yusuke!" You scolded shaking your head. All of that account and he lost? Idiot!

"Woah, slow down tiger, it wasn't my fault. Anyway Enki, an old 'sparring buddy' of Raizen's won the tournament. Mukuro didn't seem to have the hatred to use her full power, due to Hiei's actions, and Yomi was too drained of power to win the next fight. Luckily, Enki made a new law stating that demons were forbidden to cause trouble in the Human World. After that Hiei stopped in Demon World, and Kurama went home. I had to stop to finish some businesses off, but I went home too, just after I turned eighteen." He nodded. "Spent a year or so running from the Spirit Defence Force, before I was called in by Botan saying Koenma requested an audience with me. Apparently Binky Boy wasn't killed by his dad for treason or whatever. Later I found Enma apparently owed me for giving Demon World a Political system! How crazy was that? So I got my job back!" He grinned proudly. You chuckled, still slightly annoyed for him keeping you on edge.

 

"What are you doing out here?" A harsh voice cut the silence quickly, causing you to jump and for Yusuke to whip around, his finger pointed at the direction the intruder was coming from defensively.

"Hiei! Don't scare us like that." You threw your hands up in the air your heart racing. You had been thinking it might have been a not so welcomed stranger. He smirked slightly shrugging, folded his arms and tapped his foot, awaiting an answer.

"We were getting stones for the fire? Yusuke was filling me in on the Demon Tournament, too." You explained and picked up the stone you had found before sitting down. Hiei picked up one Yusuke had been carrying.

"Really. This is not the place to be chatting over pointless memories, detective, or did you forget that she's on the wanted list of an insane murderer?" His comment earned him a yell of protest from Yusuke and a chuckle from you. Though your stomach made yet another nervous and uncomfortable churn. You knew exactly how much danger you were in, but you were trying to keep your spirits up. His face sobered. "It's getting late, come." Turning on his heel, he led you back to the camp.

 

*

 

"Ah, we were about to come looking for you, where did you go?" Kurama greeted you warily as you sat, throwing the rock down and pushing it into the ring. Kazuma placed his collected bracken into the enclosed space and Hiei lit the fire with a flick of one finger. Your memory flickered back to the fire with Akki, having had to wait for at least twenty minutes for a spark to be made. The thought gave you an uncomfortable shiver: you had been centimetres away from death.

 

"So how come it took so long?" Shadow prompted gently, as she mixed cold noodles and spices from the packets in a bowl, then hung it on the makeshift fireproof vine plant Kurama has enchanted. You shrugged explaining.

"Yusuke was telling me about Demon World Law, and just little stories." You smiled slightly, seeing her nod and smile herself, obviously approving to the bonding. After a moment you turned to helping her prepare some vegetables for the noodles. They had to be eaten straight away as they wouldn't last three days in the open air.

 

*

 

The rest of the night was spent around the camp fire. The boys told you tales of their fights and their missions, and their first meetings of one another. Shadow and yourself, only having read the written reports were enthralled, and some of Yusuke's and Kazuma's squabbling over the last fight of the Dark Tournament had you both laughing with the others. Though Hiei only chastised them for their incompetence, you did noticed a small upturn of his lips at the corners, however.

You soaked in the sense of belonging, and of knowing the group more and more. Though it was hard to admit, the aching in your heart, where you parents had once filled was slightly being soothed by the new closeness you hard with the boys, and Shadow. You had never been this involved with anyone before, and it felt strange, yet wonderfully reassuring. For the first time, in a long time you felt contented, and you felt sad when Kazuma fell asleep where he lay, and the others decided it best to call it a night.

Nevertheless you gathered your sleeping bag and curled into it with Shadows body lying close next to your own in the small two-man tent.

 

*

 

The forest of Akumu was still, deathly still; save for the nocturnal inhabitants that scurried and hunted deep into the night. The thick demonic trees created a dense layer, blocking out all signs of the clear, night sky. The camp site Brianey, and the Spirit Team occupied was untouched, the last of the vibrant embers in the dying fire crackled in hopeless effort to keep aflame.  However all was not well. A stammer of hurried foot falls and a breaking of bracken. The heavy breathing and the desperate howl from the young wolf pup. With nimble reflex she volted the cave entrance, tearing past the startled tribe members until she came upon her destination.

 

"Lord Akki! The Spirit Detectives are here!"