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Coincidences

SereneShadow — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:50:04 CDT

R (For Sexual Content [Yaoi/Gay sex])

It was really just a series of coincidences and escalations that had caused them to be in this position, Kurama thought. Just a bunch of crazy things happening in the right time and order leading up to a very strange and surreal problem. As he rode the bus home from school, he contemplated the events over and over in his mind, thinking, theorizing, numbly weighing and making decisions about what had happened.

First, he supposed, was the fact that he had ever been wounded as Yoko in the first place. It was so many years ago, and he didn't like to dwell on the matter because it seemed pointless and it made him feel foolish and regretful at the same time. Perhaps if he had been a bit more humble, all of this could have been prevented. Everything. He would still be in the Demon World, still knowing exactly who he was and what to do in every situation given to him. Still knowing when and what to sacrifice. That confidence, which he had not had in so long, he yearned for. In this body, in this time, he was extremely weak, at least compared to before. Even when he met a very unmatched opponent, he was now too careful when fighting. So careful that he was beginning to put others in danger.
The second coincidence was that Hiei had come to lose his tear gem. If he had not, there would have been no reason for the demon to come to the Human World in the first place. There would have been no reason for him to obtain or use the Jagan, Kurama thought, though he supposed the demon might have gotten the operation anyway to find his sister. If neither of them had had these misfortunes, they wouldn't be facing one now.
Then again, was this really a misfortune? The word seemed to imply fate, uncontrollable and strict, and yet this situation, as he saw it, was not fate or uncontrollable. He could blame coincidences and the past all he wanted, but the truth was that his actions--and Hiei's, but mostly his, because he was more intelligent and older and wiser than the fire demon--had caused this, and he was to blame. That guilt, while heavy, was actually somehow comforting, enough to make him smile externally. Perhaps he had acquired a taste for being the one blamed. Not that others blamed him, not really, but he so often did that it didn't make a difference. He was somehow masochistic for blame. The idea was ironically satisfying. Partially because he thought that he deserved it.

Now memories began to flow to him, and his smile faded. He had committed so many betrayals and cruel punishments among his friends and strangers in his past life, far more than he cared to remember. He knew this, and that made it so much harder to accept what he had been. Yet he was not an emotional person, and so usually he could justify or understand his own actions well enough to forget about them and focus on the present, which was becoming difficult lately. Even when he couldn't justify his actions, he often could accept that he had done something atrocious, immoral, and could atone for it by...well, by sacrificing himself when necessary and by devoting his time to others and, most of all, by taking blame internally when it was rarely his blame to take. Often he grew angry with himself for being so martyr-like, and yet it had become a habit he was unable to control.

So now he turned his mind back to the coincidences that had led them here. There was the third one, that Hiei had found Kurama at all, back when Kurama was so young and still brooding over his momentary lapse in judgment. That they had worked together to save Maya was another one. And then, of course, that Hiei would remember him years later when the demon was bored with just killing and wanted to torture humans somewhat. From there, the coincidences got messier. That he had been able to talk Koenma into placing him and Hiei on the same charges and holding them as partners, so that if Hiei was punished, so would be Kurama. That he would have taken that bullet for Hiei in the first place, when he really didn't know the demon and was busy enough on his own. Perhaps that was the first telling sign of the situation; the downhill slope probably began there. It, of course, caused them both to help Yusuke at Maze Castle, where all four of them bonded even as they entered the front gates. Perhaps another facet of it was that they were the two demons of the team, the only two. Because they were two demons who had helped two humans, Spirit World lackeys, no less, they were singled out in the Demon World, pushing them closer together than they had been before.
When Yukina had been in danger, Hiei had not turned to Kurama for help, but the fox knew why and he understood. Perhaps nothing in that escapade was detrimental or positive for them, other than Kurama had witnessed Hiei sparing Tarukane's life. Perhaps that was a factor, though, because it had shown Kurama how very much Hiei cared for Yukina. And when Kurama had revealed himself to be there, Hiei hadn't grown angry with him, not really--a sort of passive way of telling him that Hiei didn't object to Kurama having that information.

Then, of course, the fact that Toguro had singled them out as well, forcing them to join the tournament on Yusuke's team. Once again, as the only demons, their bond grew stronger...slowly, of course, and not enough so that either realized what was occurring. So slow, reflected Kurama, that no one could have seen it. It could have been, actually, that it was so fast no one could see it. It felt that way now.

During the tournament their camaraderie strengthened overall, and each had his hand tipped slightly so the other could see his cards. Moments flashed in his mind when he had been concerned for Hiei or Hiei concerned for him. They were frequent, he saw, but during that time he wouldn't have noticed due to more pressing issues.
The moment, he thought, that things really began to get rolling had been ironically when he was rolled back, back through his years as a human and back into his old self just after one of his weakest moments during his entire life, when he had trusted an opponent who had had a bullshit story that he should have seen through. Even now, he couldn't say why he had trusted Ura, but supposed that it was so close to why he had allowed Roto to harm him in the first round. Because, as a human, his emotions were stronger than they had ever been, and if there was one person he cared for above all others, it was his mother. He had fallen for Ura's tricks, he thought, because he was too ready to accept that someone other than him was weak in that sense. He had been mistaken, but ironically this mistaken trust caused him to revert to his old form.

"You're as you should be," Hiei had said, and though Kurama had been busy with Ura, those words had reached his ears. At the time, he had been glad to hear them, glad to hear that Hiei had approved, but more so because he had believed them and had been ecstatic to have his old body back.
Now, he realized, what Hiei meant had been that Kurama was as Hiei thought he should be. Careful reflection of his fights in the tournament some weeks ago had made him sure that he did not want to utilize his ability to turn into Yoko unless absolutely necessary, because in that form he would have killed his mother and felt only some regret. That his chosen--and, now, true--form was human would not bode well with Hiei, but Kurama believed that Hiei didn't have anything to do with his choice.
Of course, that was not necessarily so. Perhaps even from when he had heard Hiei praise his form he had subconsciously realized what they were falling into and had begun to build defenses to stop it. Because he knew, even then, what he was sure of now--this wasn't good. Not for the team, not for their families or reputations or their own minds or hearts. This wasn't good.
He felt pangs of guilt and a touch of sadness when he thought it, but he couldn't deny that this made things more complicated and infinitely more painful were something to happen to either of them or to the relationship. In essence, he had known all along that becoming emotionally involved with anyone would not be beneficial to him, and yet, he had allowed this to happen.

And this was true, because those defenses he had built were made of paper, and he had probably done that on purpose. If only to give himself an excuse, or a justification. Hiei didn't need a sword or fire to tear through paper, and he, better than anyone, should have known this. In fact, he had known it, and it was that he had had the nerve to try and stop this without properly doing so that bothered him so much now. That he had had the gall to pretend to build defenses, to pretend to resist it all, when in truth he doubted that anything had made him feel so alive in sixteen years.

Sidetracking himself, he knew, was one of his worst habits when he had something unpleasant to think about, so he steered himself back to the coincidences. That Hiei had approved his form as Yoko. That they had continued to fight together for another round with that knowledge in the back of his head behind the paper defenses. That they had won and had been united in glory. That they had been united in dealing with--and helping Yusuke deal with--the death of Genkai. That they had not been on one mission since that time, over a month ago now. That they had had too much time to try and get back to normal life.

That, he thought, was the biggest coincidence of them all, and this one was actually a coincidence because he really had had no say in it. That from when he and Hiei had broken into the Spirit World vault those long months ago to the last days of the tournament, there had been not one moment of true respite. They had been busy, busy, busy, either getting through the Spirit World probation offices, fighting various demons, or training to do so. Until this very month, they had had no time to relax or to contemplate exactly what was going on. (Not that Hiei was ever really the type for contemplation.)

And oh, how it had all built up so steadily! So slowly (or quickly) on such a small (or large) incline that no one, not even the genius Yoko Kurama had been able to recognize it for what it was. But he had known, coming out of the tournament, even if he had never admitted, that this wouldn't go away. He had made those paper walls to be torn down, for deplorable and sick reasons, and now that they were in shreds, he was anxious and frightened to see what lay on the other side.

The bus finally came to a stop near his house and he walked, unsurprised to see that his usual company, the fire demon, was nowhere to be seen. Indeed, he had a lot to think about, just as Kurama did. Whether he would actually think was the question. 'Does it matter?' was another. Kurama supposed that Hiei had always been impulsive and had always acted more on his emotions than his mind, and so it didn't matter if Hiei theorized his way to hell and back, he would do what his gut would tell him. Kurama could not predict what that would be, mostly because he didn't want to talk to Hiei about it and he had never tried. He doubted that he could if he had wanted to.

Entering his house and heading up to his room, he was overcome with more memories, these ones recent and a mixture of interesting, guilt-ridden and exciting. He pushed them away soundlessly, trying to focus on his homework as he sat at his desk. But it was so easy that his mind wandered again. Those damn coincidences, most of which were not really coincidences at all, would not rest.

After the tournament, they had retreated to normal life. Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara resumed school. It was obviously hardest for Hiei, who had nowhere to stay but was confined to the Human World without anything to kill or anything to do. Kurama felt his energy move all about the city, and then realized that he was probably manipulating it to appear so and was most likely resting in one area for much of the day. When he discovered that a tree in his neighbor's yard, which had full visibility of his house, was Hiei's haunt, he was pleased and disappointed. Disappointed in himself, really, both because he had not noticed it (or pretended not to notice it) for at least a week, and because he would never tell Hiei to leave his neighbor's tree alone. He knew that he should have, to cut the situation off at the knees, but he never did it, and now it was too late. Too damn late.

And though he knew that he enjoyed being the martyr and the one to blame, he couldn't help but feel that he actually was in this situation. Because when he found that Hiei was spending most of his time watching Kurama, he had known what was probably still hidden from the fire demon himself. He had realized what had been happening all along, and he had known that it must be stopped as soon as humanly possible to avoid everyone's feelings from getting hurt. To avoid possible death for more than one of them. He knew all that, he knew it and admitted to himself that something must be done before it could escalate. The part that he was blamed for was that he knew it all, and he did absolutely nothing. He didn't even try. He thought that if he had given it a shot, he could have done it easily, and with only a bit of moodiness and distance on Hiei's part. He didn't think that, at that point, Hiei was really emotionally invested in the whole thing. He rather thought that the demon wasn't aware at all of the situation or of his own feelings, and so sparing Hiei had never been a factor. He was blamed because he knew what the problem was, he knew what to do about it, he knew the consequences if he let it go farther, and he still did nothing to remedy the situation.

Now, sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, he found himself regretting not saying anything to Hiei in the first place. He regretted it more deeply than he had almost anything else, because he was feeling like a creep. He had done some fucked up things before, but this was out of his league.
At least, he thought, Hiei won't tell anyone. He knew that the fire demon wouldn't tell. It wasn't because he was ashamed, not really, because love in the Makai was not at all like love in the Ningenkai. The two worlds were eons apart in those rituals and beliefs.

In the Makai, power trumped all. So, showing weakness was the worst a demon could do, in most circles. That came close to helping humans, because helping them appeared to be weakness. Compassion in general appeared to be weakness. Being in love was the king of all weaknesses, so though many demons fell in love, most kept it a secret. Sex, the ability to reproduce, not love, was prized in the Makai, which made relationships there difficult, one of the main reasons Kurama hadn't had many.
If love was a weakness, then it was considered the weakest weakness to be in love with a human woman. Slightly less weak was love with a human man. Slightly less weak was love with a female demon. And the least weak of them all was for a male demon to be in love with another male demon. Kurama knew that humans in general were heterosexual and therefore looked upon homosexuality in many different lights ranging from disgust to understanding. At any rate, in the Makai it was the exact opposite. Demons figured that while a single male demon was powerful, a team would be even more so. The love angle, of course, was downplayed because even that sort of relationship was considered weak. But if you told a friend that you were in love with a male demon, his reaction might be to chuckle or give you a wry high-five. If you told him you were in love with a female demon, he would laugh at you but still understand. If you said you were in love with a human male, he'd disapprove but still hang out with you if you were a good enough friend. If you said that you were in love with a human female, he'd probably punch you and laugh at you when he saw you. Kurama almost thought it was funny how different humans and demons could be.

Hiei's sense of power and weakness was this mentality, only stronger, so admitting that he was in love would be difficult if not impossible, even if it wasn't the worst thing he could have done in the Makai. Kurama knew that he would tell no one. And Kurama himself would never tell.

He should have told Hiei that there was no way the first time he saw him again, but he didn't. He hadn't said much of anything to the fire demon at all. Honestly. Hiei had approached him after school and began walking with him to his house, and once there would disappear again, probably going to Kurama's neighbor's tree. He did this every day for at least two weeks, and for those ten days Kurama could have said anything to make him give up and didn't. So now Kurama was reaping the seeds he had sown with his inactions.

Hiei had been nonchalant, not understanding why he felt as though he should be near the kitsune most of the time, but not really minding it too much, either. What else was there to do? Then, of course, the relationship went a small step forward. Hiei never really went into Kurama's house, but sometimes Kurama would come outside and read, mostly (in his own cruel way) to tease Hiei subconsciously. Another pang of guilt, this one the strongest yet, hit Kurama's stomach. Taking the blame for his inaction before the kiss was not easy, but taking the blame for his actions just before and after the kiss was difficult because he saw only now what he couldn't see then--he was only further antagonizing the situation. And what was more, he knew why, and it was a stupid, sick reason to do so.

Hiei sometimes sat with Kurama in his backyard, as the fox did work. They spoke little. There was little to be said. Then, three Saturdays after the tournament's end, as the sun was setting, they had been sitting in the back, Kurama doing work and Hiei sitting quietly. Kurama's mother was away on business, which explained Hiei coming in the first place. He knew Shiori, and she even seemed to like him, but he never visited when she was around.
They were at peace, and then Kurama licked his bottom lip, which was, coincidentally, chapped. In that instant, Hiei had snapped. Kurama knew immediately what he had done, and yet, that time he had actually not meant anything by it at all. His lip was dry, he got it wet. That one time when he wasn't manipulating the situation and wasn't knowingly egging Hiei on had caused a mountain of events, beginning with Hiei leaning forward and kissing the fox full on the mouth.
Kurama, shocked, waited for Hiei to finish numbly. Internally, he was groaning and chuckling at the same time. He was feeling guilty for having accidentally spurred Hiei, and yet he had known all along that this would happen, because he had helped bring it around. And some part of him got sadistic pleasure at knowing how well he could manipulate and predict Hiei's actions. His human side flinched. Hiei's lips were still on his. Hiei's kiss was clumsy, inexperienced, and filled with emotion, more so than Kurama had ever felt from the fire demon. It was a child's kiss.

When the fire demon did pull back, Kurama saw his age clearly. Kurama was over ten times as old as Hiei, no longer a virgin and nowhere near as impulsive or indecisive, though he lately hadn't been displaying this to the best of his ability. Hiei, he knew, was under one hundred years old. He figured this because koorime breed every one hundred years and Yukina was most definitely not a mother. If he needed any more proof, the look in Hiei's eyes was it. Kurama's books had slid to the grass off his lap, and he had leaned back somewhat, not trying to pull away from the kiss but attempting to make sure he didn't fall over backward with the force of it. Hiei's hands were on the ground on either side of his legs, and he was kneeling, his head inches from Kurama's own. Kurama could see his face in Hiei's eyes, a mingled expression of surprise, anger, worry and smug confidence, but more importantly, in Hiei's eyes he saw that Hiei, for all his muscle, power and talk, was really only a pubescent child, in human years. Somehow it fit the demon, whose expression was of petulant annoyance and fear. His eyes said why don't you kiss me back? His eyes said do you care for me? His eyes said have I made a fool of myself?

This, Kurama knew, was the drawing of the line. He had two options, here, really. One was to push Hiei gently away--both literally and figuratively--and tell the truth, and tell him that there was no way it was going to work, that they were better off as friends and that this could only end in tears, or blood, for someone. Kurama wanted to spare his friend those tears or that blood, he wanted to save Hiei from possible heartbreak, let alone the sting of betrayal, and yet, he could not do so. For reasons he knew even then, he couldn't save Hiei from that. Part of it was the passion in Hiei's kiss, the fact that Kurama hadn't felt so needed or loved in so long, possibly ever. Another part of it was that he had never had relations in his new body. And yet another was that he did care for Hiei, just not as much or as romantically as the fire demon did for him.

So Kurama chose to do the second option, which was to hold his weight with one hand on the ground, to lift the other to Hiei's cheek and to lean forward and kiss the fire demon with a confident, knowing and suave attitude. Hiei was shocked, thrown by the expertise of the fox. His mind clouded over and he felt utterly lost and yet very found indeed. The kiss was suspended time, moving through centuries with everything passing them by. Hiei kissed back, though not with any sort of grace or elegance as the fox did. The sun was setting on the horizon and still their lips touched and their tongues met and their breath slowly filled each other's lungs.

Kurama did indeed give Hiei two chances to change his mind, and while he thought that Hiei would never give up, he was actually genuinely surprised to see that Hiei was taking on the task so wholeheartedly. Hiei's first chance and Kurama's first warning was the kiss. It was supposed to communicate that Hiei was dreadfully outmatched in experience and lust itself. It was supposed to alarm him to the fact that Kurama was obviously dominant and superior to him. It was supposed to tell Hiei that he could not win this battle. It did so, however, Hiei found himself rising to the occasion and kissing back more forcefully, trying to match Kurama's skill.

Finally, after an amount of time that neither could properly pin, they broke apart, Kurama rising to his feet after a moment's hesitation. He looked down at the fire demon, who stood quickly. Kurama's face was one of amusement and a dash of guilt. Hiei's was still petulant and looked as though he was ready to kill someone. Kurama's second warning and Hiei's last chance was that Kurama turned and went into the house without a word and without looking back. Hiei stood in the backyard, dusk in full swing, and the light quickly fading. Kurama, for once, was mistaken because he truly believed that Hiei would leave and the incident would not be spoken of or repeated. To his complete and utter surprise, Hiei followed him inside, and after looking around to locate the fox followed him to his bedroom.
Kurama stood inside, very still, watching him with somewhat surprised and anxious eyes. Hiei stepped up to him, grabbed his shoulders roughly and kissed the fox again, this time trying to assert himself. Trying to say, I won't give up so easily. Trying to say, what, you thought that was all it would take? Trying to say, I need you to need me. And because Hiei had bested both of his weak trials and warnings, Kurama gave in, slowly, so that Hiei would understand that this wasn't easy. To a degree, Kurama's reluctance was false, and the apparent reason behind it was a complete lie. He was reluctant only enough to pause before removing his shirt and only enough to flinch once when Hiei went for his neck. He was only reluctant because he knew that this could only end in heartbreak and misery. He was only reluctant because he knew that Hiei did not deserve it.

The sun was gone, and night came with stars, and the demons disrobed each other and kisses were dealt and lines were crossed. Hiei was a virgin, and Kurama had only been with others in his fox form, and only four times. Three female demons, one male. Yet they both knew that in the end, one would come out on top, and the one on bottom would be the receiver. That was almost taken for granted, really, because it was so obvious. At one point when both were fully undressed and even Hiei's headband had been removed, revealing the third eye, Kurama pushed Hiei onto the bed and then the true struggle began. It was a fight without words, swords, plants or barriers. It was a physical fight, but not a nasty one. No punches were thrown. There was no biting or hair-pulling. Hiei rolled out of Kurama's path as the fox fell on top of him, then grabbed the fox's shoulder and flipped him over. Hiei fell on him, but Kurama pushed him off quickly and onto the floor, rolling off the bed and pinning him. Hiei pushed him off, leapt on him, and around and around it went, mostly on the floor, and it never happened that they rolled out the door. In the end, partially because Kurama was weaker than Hiei in his human form and mostly because, as a gift, as a gesture of guilt and sorrow, Kurama allowed him, Hiei won. Kurama was certain that, at least in that moment, Hiei had no idea that Kurama was letting him win. He was triumphant, the winner, the superior of the two for once, and he took great pride in this. Kurama would at least allow him that.

This, he knew, was his martyrdom yet again, wanting to take the blame for others and take the pain for others, and yet he believed that he had owed that to Hiei for all he had done, and more so what he would do later. Kurama accepted the pain that came with the pleasure, and he did it for Hiei, and when it was done and they were both panting and Hiei's head fell on his chest he whispered, "Next time I'm on top." That broke Hiei from his reverie, from his trance-like state, and the fire demon's head snapped up. He looked into the eyes of the kitsune, across his face came a darkened expression, all three of his eyes examined his friend's face, and then he was up and dressing. Kurama leaned up, supporting his weight with his elbows, watching the demon scamper around, dressing and gathering the few things he had had on him. And then he was gone, out the door and out the house, and out of Kurama's life for the next week while they both thought over the entire ordeal and while Kurama went back to normal life and Hiei went back to his, spending more time in Kurama's neighbor's tree than ever.

Now, Kurama was at a loss. He knew that once Hiei had time to contemplate it (or avoid contemplating it) he would want something more serious, or at least another shot at the fox. And Kurama, for all his actions and his thoughts, did not want what Hiei wanted. He did not love the demon, at least not yet, and he did not want a serious relationship. For now he was even sexually satisfied. Not having held someone in so many years had made him lose his judgment; had made him desperate for a lover, which probably caused much of his actions with Hiei. At this point, he was fine except for this heavy guilt, this misery knowing that sooner or later Hiei would show up and demand his feelings, demand his devotion, and Kurama could give him nothing. He could try to fake it, of course, and hope that eventually either Hiei would find someone else or eventually Kurama would fall in love with the koorime. But this seemed even crueler than what he had already done, which was, really, to manipulate Hiei's emotions and actions and use him to satisfy a craving for sex, knowing that Hiei would need more, knowing that Hiei would interpret it as more, and knowing that he would have nothing to say to that.

Kurama felt another wave of guilt wash over him and he felt disgusted with himself. Throwing down his pencil, he went to his window, guessing that Hiei would be watching from his tree. Watching and waiting. Kurama could not even lie to himself that he had no way of talking with Hiei even if he had wanted to; he knew that the demon spent at least some time in that tree every day, could sense him even as he masked his energy, and yet he didn't want to talk to Hiei, so he didn't try. It was a tangled, tangled web of false messages and lies, and he was in the middle. Weaving and weaving.

* * *

Unfortunately for everyone, there was a mission the weekend after Hiei and Kurama's escapade. It was the first time Kurama would see Hiei since then, and he was not sure how to act or how Hiei would. They were sent to retrieve a very ferocious and angry demon from a nearby forest who was eating humans that strayed in his path. He would probably be relocated to the Makai, being dumber than dirt and unable to even speak, but it could be a messy job all the same. The four friends met outside the forest that Saturday, Kurama being the last one to walk up just after Hiei. He looked the fire demon in the eye, but Hiei turned away expressionless. At least he could still keep a straight face.
They met the demon not far in the woods; he practically smelled them out. It was a very large demon, not very special, and yet as Yusuke pummeled it, the demon grew extra arms and used them to busy the other fighters. Kuwabara and Hiei chopped the arms off quickly, but more and more grew, while Yusuke fought the head and Kurama tried to get into the body beneath all those arms.

As Kurama ran forward, he saw that Hiei was dueling several arms which were beating the air around him, trying to destroy him, trying to squash him under the fingers. One hand managed to pin the demon by chance; Hiei would have been far too quick under normal circumstances. But at this point, his mind was clouded, he was unfocused, and so he found himself struggling under the fist of the demon, which was pressing him into the ground and trying to kill him. Yusuke and Kuwabara ran to the demon, trying to lift the giant ogre's fist off of Hiei, and Kurama stood where he was, frozen. It was only for a few seconds, not long enough to cause him to be harmed by the giant demon's arms, and yet when Yusuke looked around for him, for help in removing the fist from Hiei's spine, Kurama did not move. "KURAMA!" Yusuke yelled, straining to move the giant arm, and for about five seconds Kurama stood still. When Kuwabara began to yell because the demon's other hands were attacking them, then Kurama ran, helping the others lift the arm from Hiei who jumped up and began to sprint around the demon. The others dissipated, and eventually Kuwabara beheaded the beast and they had to inform Koenma that retrieval would not have been an option without a 1,000 CCs of sedative.

Hiei went off when they exited the forest, and Yusuke theorized that he was going to Genkai's for a healing from Yukina. Kuwabara went to some sort of convention, and Yusuke and Kurama were left going to Koenma alone. They did so, giving him the news, and then Kurama said that he had to go home. He turned to go, but Yusuke laid a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Can I walk you there?"

The two friends began walking to Kurama's house, which was about three blocks. Far enough for Yusuke to immediately start into what was on his mind. "So what's up with you and Hiei?" Kurama blushed slightly, looking at Yusuke. He wasn't sure if or how much Yusuke knew or understood, but he respected the Detective and felt that if he had to admit his actions to anyone, Yusuke would be the only one. "What do you mean?" Kurama avoided first. It was possible that Yusuke knew nothing. And he didn't, at least not then.

"Hiei's nearly crushed to death and you just stood there, plus neither of you were at top form. Normally you could have killed that thing alone with one arm tied behind your back. What's wrong?" Kurama looked at Yusuke seriously, then at the floor. "It is complicated."

Yusuke waited for Kurama to elaborate, and then jumped back in. He felt an obligation as team leader to make sure his teammates were in tip-top form. Whatever was going on between them would be fixed, and soon.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad. I swear I won't tell anyone. I'm just trying to keep you from getting killed on our next mission." Yusuke grinned, though he could tell that the situation was dire. Possibly life-threatening. Kurama contemplated, and then sighed. He supposed that hiding it all from Yusuke would not work, because sooner or later something would have to be done. Unfortunately, they couldn't continue this way if they wanted to be successful at any more missions.

Kurama tried to put it delicately. "Hiei and I...we...something happened." He failed. Luckily, Yusuke wasn't stupid, or at least not as stupid as he pretended. And he knew his friends well. This was a bit surprising for him, but he really should have seen it coming. "You guys had sex?!" Yusuke said loudly, and Kurama looked around to make sure no one else was listening. They were on a residential street, but no one was out now. The weather was too cloudy. Kurama nodded, putting a finger to his lips. Yusuke grinned. "I didn't know either of you swung that way." Kurama couldn't answer. He felt often that his previous times in bed with others had been much less about who it was and much more about satisfying an urge. That was a demon's nature, after all, and yet by Hiei's attitude he felt that it was not the same for Hiei. At least not now.

"So what's the problem, if you can tell me?" Yusuke asked. He was aware that he might be getting into dangerous territory, and he might hear more than he wanted to know, but at the same time the idea of romantic issues getting in the way of this job, where he finally felt at peace, was ridiculous.
"Hiei wants it to be serious, and I can't do that now." Kurama stated simply. It wasn't easier to talk about it than it had been before Yusuke understood, and he didn't want to lie, but if he omitted certain details, maybe Yusuke wouldn't think he was a sex-crazed, manipulative creep. Unfortunately, Yusuke knew him too well.

"You can't expect me to believe that you didn't know that was going to happen? You're the smartest person I know, and I could have told you that. Hiei's needy. It's crazy to think that he would ever...well, do it with someone, but I mean, come on! You knew, right? Tell me you're not so in love you didn't know that Hiei would want something like that." They turned the corner and found themselves only a block away from Kurama's house. Yusuke was determined to finish the conversation, even if it meant he had to go into Kurama's house uninvited.

"I'm not in love. I did know what Hiei would want..." His tone was cold, colder than he liked, and yet he could only tell the truth at this point. A lie to Yusuke would be a lie to himself.

"So let me get this straight, Kurama. You realize that Hiei's in love with you and know that you don't feel the same way, but you give him all the green lights and sleep with him, and then you say that you don't want a committed relationship that you knew he would want?"

Kurama nodded slightly. "That's the gist of it." Yusuke was silent for some time. Kurama could sense that it was an angry silence. "I don't get you. How could you do that?"

They had reached Kurama's house. They walked up to the door, Yusuke behind his friend. If Kurama had done the same to a girl, or some other guy, he might not have felt so angered or betrayed. But he was as loyal to Hiei as he was to Kurama, and was compassionate toward Hiei's situation. Kurama turned back to his friend after opening his door. "I really don't know, and I don't have any excuse. What do you think I should do?" To fix it, he meant, but there was no saying that. Not with the look on Yusuke's face. He didn't like to pass judgment on others, and really didn't want to scold Kurama, but at the same time he felt an obligation to both try and help Hiei and to tell the truth. "If and when Hiei comes to you and tells you he wants something more, give it to him. At least try. You're best friends, so there's got to be something there. Sooner or later you will be able to break it off with him. And hey, maybe you'll find that you don't want to. Just respect him, and I think it will be okay." Yusuke said a stiff goodbye and left.

Kurama closed the front door, then turned and slumped against it, his knees bending, his back sliding against the door until he was sitting on the floor. I do respect him, Kurama thought. More than you'll ever know.

* * *
Hiei did eventually show up at Kurama's, a few days before Shiori was due home. He simply walked in the front door, as he was used to, and found Kurama drinking coffee at his kitchen table. Hiei walked into the kitchen, his hands hanging at his sides, his eyes strong. He stood at the table, staring, saying nothing. He could not put into words his feelings now.

Kurama took a sip of coffee and smiled. "Sit," he said softly, and gestured to a chair. Hiei remained standing. "I don't need your pity." Hiei spat. It was laced, though, with a saddening sense of urgency, as though he really did need Kurama's pity. Kurama tilted his head down, as if bowing to Hiei's statement. "I know."

Hiei strode to the table, slamming his hands on it. "Don't toy with me, fox. I'll not have your compassion and mercy. I don't want it." Kurama stood, leaning over the table as well so that their faces were only inches apart. "What do you want, then?"
Hiei was taken aback, but his head only recoiled half an inch. He stood staring at the fox, anger high on his mind and something else just as high. Kurama himself felt both guilty and pleased. Perhaps if he entered in a relationship with the fire demon, he could atone for his previous actions. Maybe, if they ended up in love, he could tell Hiei what he had done. He wanted to, but he also wanted to refrain from causing the fire demon any more pain. He was dealing with an internal battle now, at any rate, and didn't need an external one as well.

"I want you to treat me as an equal, not a foolish child." Hiei spat. Ouch. Kurama felt a pang at that. He knew he had belittled Hiei somewhat, even if some of it was to try and warn the demon that he was in deep waters. He also knew that Hiei would not appreciate any belittling for any reason. He smiled, closing his eyes. "I apologize. Is that everything?" Knowing fully well it was not.

"Don't think you can read me like a book. I'm not as innocent as I look." Kurama straightened and smirked, unable to stop himself. "Believe me, I know." Hiei actually audibly growled, also standing. His position was one of anger, but his fists were not raised. He recognized Kurama's cool stance as a calculating one. "I already told you not to toy with me, and I don't like to repeat myself." Hiei was influencing his energy, sending it out in waves that Kurama found both annoyingly hot and overwhelmingly reminiscent of the last time he'd been in this house with Hiei. He smiled at the fire demon, smiled knowingly but not in a superior way--because he had been cruel to Hiei, he felt that at the very least, he could respect the demon's wishes to be treated as an equal. Kurama thought that if they entered a relationship he would be paying through the nose, mostly by his own volition, but it was better to start now. He sat down again.

"I suppose you shall have to teach me a lesson." Kurama folded his arms as Hiei narrowed his eyes at his friend, probably trying to see whether Kurama had been joking. He had, but it was a loaded joke. Hiei suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of the fox. "I don't need what you humans call a relationship. I don't need anything." He was glaring down at Kurama, and Kurama was pleased to hear the strength in his voice. "Indeed. But what you need is not the question, Hiei. The question is what you want." Hiei exhaled slowly, looking at Kurama as though he were going to play a dirty trick. Kurama disliked seeing the mistrust in the demon's eyes. He decided then that he would do whatever it took to remove that look from his friend's eyes. From now on, that was his life's goal. Whatever it took.

Hiei grabbed the fox's chin in his hand. "I want you..." Hiei muttered, examining Kurama's eyes. Kurama smiled. "What a coincidence. I feel the same for you."
Liar.

COMMENTARY:
I wrote this because I really wanted to write a story where Hiei and Kurama remained as in-character as humanly possible while starting a relationship of sorts. I tried very hard to keep them in-character, but of course it's not perfect. ^____________^

Fanfictions

SereneShadow — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:45:27 CDT

Crazy Couples

How Do You Get That Lonely

"50 Things Not to Do Around Hiei"

"Broadway"

"Camisado"

"Chasing Cars"

"Dance Inside"

"Getting Away With Murder"

"House of Wolves"

"I Don't Love You"

"It Ends Tonight"

"Kuwabara as Everyman"

"Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today"

"Misery Business"

"Mr. Brightside"

"Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner"

"A Thanksgiving Story"

"The Pros and Cons of Breathing"

"The Real Meaning of Christmas"

"The Truth"

Third Love Story (Third Eye Blind, Love Me, Story of a Girl)

Steady Pulse

"What Do You Do?"

The Labyrinth: A Parody

Coincidences

1. Goodbye

SereneShadow — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:44:27 CDT

They fell back into the grass, laughing, except for Kili, whose face was twisted in uncertainty. “What’s wrong?” Hiei asked quietly. “I have to tell you something.” She admitted. “What, are you actually looking forward to school next week?” Laughed Yusuke. She sat up. “That’s just it,” she said.
“I’m not going back to school.”
She stood up and walked to the edge of the creek, her back to them. “After everything that’s happened, I need some closure.” Hiei’s eyes narrowed. “Togo’s dead.” He said shortly. She nodded, her eyes closing. “I know that. But even knowing…there are some things I still don’t know about him, my family, and myself. And I don’t think I can find my answers here.” She spat out the kicker. The boys were silent. “I’ve thought about it and talked to Koenma. I’ve made preparations. I think it will be good for me. And hey,” she went on, her voice becoming hearty, “it’ll give you some time away from me.”
“Kili, what are you saying?” Yusuke asked, standing up. “I’m going to go on a trip.” She began. “Where? For how long?” Interrupted Kuwabara. “I’m going to Demon World. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. It may be a month, it may be a year. But I have to go…for me. Please don’t’ be angry.” She turned and was crying silently.
They fell silent for a second, but then Kurama looked up. “We’re not angry.” “Good.” Kili smiled, tears still running down her face. Everyone but Hiei hugged her in turn. He sat on the ground, dumbstruck. She knelt in front of him as the others averted their eyes. “I know this is hard. But…I have to. Please try to understand.” She said quietly. He hesitated, and then nodded. They hugged, and he smelled her hair in a deep breath. “Can we go with you?” Yusuke asked, sounding lie an abandoned child. “No…I have to go alone.” She said, trying not to bawl. “When do you leave?” Asked Kurama. “Three days.” She said, around her tears. Kurama nodded understandingly. The others also began smiling, except Hiei. He, however, gave an encouraging half-nod, as if to say, "I don't want this, but I don't have a choice."
Kili's eyes continued to well with tears as she looked at those who had been her best friends, those who had stood by her until the very end, when it had gotten down to the nitty-gritty. When she'd needed them most, they'd been there. She could only hope they'd still be there when she returned.

Three days passed quickly, with nostalgic flashbacks every few hours, and most of all, preparations being made.
And then, it was time. The portal would take her to the remains of the Water Demon’s old territory. “Are you sure? It’s a dangerous place and you’re not as strong as you could be.” Koenma reminded. She nodded, a faint smile on her face. “I’m going to start with the very beginning.” She smiled. It made sense, considering there was no point in starting halfway through the legacy.
Kili, who had spent a lot of time preparing, but was only able to carry a little, looked several years older as she stood at the border of the Spirit World. Her friends crowded around her, preparing to say "So long."
One by one, she said goodbye to everyone. First was Koenma, whom she hugged. He hugged back and then handed her a small silver ring. “I doubt it will help much, but if you need to, you can use this ring to become invisible temporarily.” He said, and she smiled. “Thank you.” As she looked at him, she remembered the first time she'd met him, when Hiei and the others had told her she was a demon. She was eternally grateful to the little prince for restoring Hiei's life and generally helping her along the way. They had come so far together, and he was her boss now. Or, he would be once she returned. IF she returned.
Next was Keiko. She too, hugged Kili and then gave her a cape similar to Hiei’s. “I made it myself; it should keep you warm.” Kili smiled at the girl that was the only one for Yusuke; the only girl Kili would trust with Yusuke. They belonged together, that was obvious to Kili from the start. And she liked Keiko; she was a kind, caring, intelligent person. She remembered playing card games with the schoolgirl, and the way Yusuke and she would always fight, even though they loved each other.
Third was Botan. She also gave Kili a hug and a gift. Hers was a spare oar. “It will fly you wherever you need to go. Good luck, Kili.” As Kili hugged the girl, she had misgivings. She'd been more than rude to Botan on a few occasions, and now felt bad about it, considering that the Reaper had been there for her as often as needed. She gave a slight nod, a tear in one eye as she looked at Botan. "I'm sorry that I've been rude to you in the past." She said quietly. Botan smiled. "Oh, think nothing of it! I'm sure I deserved some of it anyway." That was Botan, showing maturity beyond her years.
Then, Shizuru stepped up. They exchanged hi-fives and chuckles before Shizuru handed her a large package of stationary. “I expect letters now.” She joked. Kili was immensely grateful, considering she and Shizuru hadn't had a lot of time together. Plus, she had come to see the woman as an older-sister-type. Shizuru ruffled Kili's hair, and Kili felt two years old standing next to her, knowing that Shizuru was always going to protect her like she protected everyone else, even Kuwabara, though she pretended to dislike him.
Next, it was Yukina, who hugged her and gave her a bracelet of ice-tears. “I cried them myself…you can sell them if you need to.” She said. Kili slipped it on and smiled as it glinted in the light. “Not a chance. It’s beautiful.” She looked over the ice apparition, reminded instantly of how much she looked like Hiei. Kili felt a bond with Yukina, even though Yukina may not return the feeling, considering she didn't know Hiei was her sibling. Kili vowed to convince Hiei to tell her on her return. Both demons were lonely; that much could be seen in their eyes.
Sixth was Genkai, who bowed with a smile and extended a bottle. “It’s my waterfall magic juice.” She smiled. “Use it wisely.” Kili felt tears welling--Genkai reminded her of her grandmother, albeit, a grandmother who would beat you up and wear you out as soon as look at you. "You've been a great mentor, Genkai." She said quietly, looking at the floor to restrain her tears.
Next was Kuwabara. He gave her a bone-crushing hug and his best hi-five. Then, he gave her a picnic basket. “It’s from the Demon World. It will refill each time it’s emptied. You’ll never go hungry!” He laughed. She gave him a genuine smile. Of them all, she might miss Kuwabara the most, except for Hiei. He was a goof, true, but he was funny and sweet and honorable. She would miss his companionship and loyalty.
Eight was Yusuke who gave her a long hug and a smile. He gave her some sort of black belt. “To carry all this junk in.” He blushed. She hooked it to her waist and clipped on the picnic basket. It was much lighter than it had been in her hand, and stuck tight. “Neat.” She smiled. Yusuke had been like a brother to her, and at the same time, one of her best friends. They were two peas in the same pod, both trouble-makers and both sarcastically cynical to the end. She felt a bond with Yusuke that no one else even came close to sharing.
Now it was Kurama’s turn. He gave her a small hug and smile, then a vial of purple liquid. “It’s a special potion made from the leaves a special tree. If you wish it’s soda, that’s what it will turn into. It too will always refill itself.” Kili nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Kurama was her intellectual friend; when she wanted to talk about politics or debate, she could always turn to him. He was the smartest person she knew, and she wished deeply that she could have his warm and generally calm demeanor with her as she traveled.
Finally it was Hiei’s turn. He gave her a final hug and kiss (the others averted their eyes) and then gave her two more things. One was a brand new sword and sheath, which she about flipped a lid over, claiming that she had no right to a sword of any kind without the proper training. And lastly, he handed her a tear gem necklace with his own gem on it. It was black and on a silver chain. Tears rolled freely down her face now as he slipped it over her neck. “So you won’t forget me.” He said quietly. She smiled and hugged him.
“I will never forget you.”
Hiei may not have been the kindest one, or the one she could level with, or the one she could talk to on that intellectual level, but damn it, he UNDERSTOOD her in the most important way possible. He understood her soul; her very being. She was going to miss him more than anyone. She would miss them all, yes, but she knew that when the nights were cold and lonely, she would think of Hiei and his resistant love. She smiled a bit as she thought of Hiei in a metaphor--he was like a chick that was too superior to fly, until he grows wings. At that point, all he wants to do is fly, but with Kili gone, it would be like having his wings clipped. She laughed openly thinking about a chicken with Hiei's head flopping around and trying to fly.
Slowly, she attached everything that she couldn’t wear to the belt and nodded, determined. “It’s time.” Koenma said. They walked her to the portal, where Koenma gave her one more item. It was a little wristwatch. “It will let you talk to Spirit World via radio transmission. You have to be in range for it to work, but at least you can talk to us for a little while, and when you start coming home.”
They all gave her last hugs and goodbyes. Then, she stood halfway in the portal and saluted. "Is this really goodbye?" Asked Yusuke, sounding for all the world like a lonely 2 year-old. Keiko grasped his hand, and Kili nodded. "Yes, it is," she paused. "But at the same time, it's not. This isn't goodbye, it's 'see you later'. I’ll be back.” She smiled.
And then she was gone.

B. Love, Me

SereneShadow — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:43:30 CDT

PG13

1. Goodbye
2. August-October
3. November-January
4. The Library
5. February-April
6. May-July
7. Drops of Jupiter

Third Love Story

SereneShadow — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:41:50 CDT

This is a series made of three individual stories which all revolve around one character. Third Eye Blind is the first of the series, then Love, Me, and then Story of a Girl. Story of a Girl is, as of now, incomplete. Chapters will be posted when completed.

A. Third Eye Blind

B. Love, Me

C. Story of a Girl

Disney Princesses

SereneShadow — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:59:54 CDT

For young girls ages 2-10, the Disney Princesses are role models. They're beautiful, happy, and their lives are filled with magic. However, is it possible that some or all of the Disney princesses are actually detrimental to our children? Should we not take a closer look at the princesses, evaluate their characters and make certain that they are whom we want our children to look up to? I do so now.

In 1937, Walt Disney Studios released Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in theatures as their first full-length movie. It was based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Now, I tend to dislike movies made from previously written stories or novels (though most are) however this one seems to mirror the fairy tale in most ways. There are a few minor differences, one being that in the story Snow White asked that the hunter not kill her, rather than he being unable to do so. The only reason I bring this up is because the story gives Snow White a bit more credit--at least there, she understands that she is about to be harmed, however this is also a testament to her character in the movie, who is so good that she cannot understand evil.

Disney, of course, took liberties with the amount of love forest creatures had for Snow White, but this is not uncommon in Disney films. What is also not uncommon, and what is continually frowned upon by fans and critics on this side of the century is the "home-maker" role played by Snow White. Women nowadays object to the fact that Snow White--even in the original story--must keep house for the dwarves while they go work, because this forces all the characters into stereotypical roles. To this, I simply say that things change; the 30's was another time, and just as we will not be judged for our actions now in eighty years, they can hardly be judged for what they thought was right at the time. It is relatively frustrating, but I am not a feminist because that somehow always seems to translate to "female power" and I believe in equality, not the dominance of either men or women. But I digress.

Many of us know that the Queen does not immediately give Snow White the apple, but first tries a piece of lace tied so tightly that it suffocated Snow White, and then a poisoned comb. I am actually glad that Disney left out the first two attempts because they speak to the idiocy of Snow White, who was fool not once, not twice, but three times by the same trick. However, it makes one wonder, if the dwarves know to suspect the Queen, why doesn't one of them stay behind with her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble? It's not as if they need all seven of each other, because after she dies and is placed in the coffin, one dwarf is always by her side. This simply goes to show that it is not always the women who are dense.

I rather like the way that Snow White is revived in the story--in it, the piece of poisoned apple is stuck in her throat and gets dislodged when the prince carrying her trips. Of course, in the movie they had to make it more romantic. The same with the way the Queen dies--in the movie, she falls off a cliff by her own fault. In the story, however, Snow White forces her to put on red-hot iron shoes and dance until she dies. This, I think, is a deeper facet to Snow White's character--finally she is able to understand and even commit evil, instead of being a naive child. I can respect that Disney kept this out of a children's movie, though.

What I find most interesting about Snow White is her character in the movie, which reminds me irresistably of Marilyn Monroe. Ironically, Marilyn was just becoming famous around this time, and Snow White has a demeanor and hair cut very similar to her. Despite the annoyance I usually feel at characters who further the "idiot woman" stereotype, I have always found Snow White to be adorably moronic in her own way.

Cinderella, on the other hand, I do not appreciate as much. Cinderella was released by Disney in 1950, and it too was based upon a story by the Brothers Grimm. Once again Disney changed many things about the story, including a piece of Cinderella which enhances her character--in the original story, Cinderella's mother dies at the very beginning and Cinderella spends a lot of time mourning her. I feel this to be a likeable face of her.

The main problem I have with Cinderella is her notable lack of action throughout the story. In the movie, she spends most of her life dreaming for something to happen; hoping, wishing, waiting. In the meantime she takes every hit that is thrown at her. I think this is not only very annoying, but that it gives out a bad message for people, especially those living today. There are no fairy godmothers--if you want something, you must earn it, and technically all Cinderella did was sit around and mope about how she had it bad. In the story, though, her grief brings her her desires--Cinderella plants a tree on her mother's grave, growing it with her tears, and a small white bird, supposedly her mother's spirit, comes to grant her wishes. Also in the story, her father merely sits by while Cinderella's sisters are cruel to her, whereas in the movie he has died. I think that the story's version is more acceptable because it gives a reason for Cinderella not to just run away, which is what I would have done--she loves her father and wants to stay by his side.

There are some other irrelevant differences between movie and story, and one major one--the Fairy Godmother is not at all in the story. This, I find, is the greatest strength of the story, and as I said above, Cinderella actually does accomplish things instead of sitting around dreaming. Through her own grief for her mother's death she is able to become a beautiful princess and marry the prince. AND, she doesn't simply lose her shoe running--the prince devises a trick to take it from her and succeeds.

The best part, though, of Cinderella's story is the end, when the prince comes to find his bride. The first sister must cut off a toe to fit her foot into the shoe, and the second must cut off the back of her heel to fit in. Both are caught and eventually, birds come and peck out their eyes after Cinderella has been named the true bride. This is another of the Grimm's just desserts, and it is too bad that Disney was unable to include these details in the movie. At the same time, I find it irritating that the prince cannot recognize Cinderella until she puts on the shoe, and that this story furthers the stereotype that women with small feet are more beautiful.

Alice in Wonderland was released next, and though she is not a princess, I was ultimately pleased with the movie. Alice is pleasantly childish and has a quick mind and a good head on her shoulders, and yet the entire movie is her creation. Having read the book, I am a bit disappointed that some characters, such as the Mock Turtle, Gryphon and Dutchess were downplayed or removed, however, overall I enjoy this movie. I also think that it sends out good messages for young girls because Alice is very enlightened through the experience--in her song, she sings that she ought to follow her own advice and to be more patient and less curious. Alice learns easily and is able to navigate her way through a world full of insane people, a good metaphor for life today.

When most people think of Sleeping Beauty, they cannot even remember her real name, which, in the Disney movie, was Aurora. This is because they only remember Sleeping Beauty because of her most recognizable attribute--the fact that she sleeps in the original story for 100 years, and in the movie for at least a few hours. Many argue that Sleeping Beauty is simply a porcelain doll, made up by the men of the world who simply wish for a beautiful woman to place on their arms who will do nothing but look pretty. But I particularly like Aurora because I feel that she embodies an element that is not only present in myself, but is very lacking in tthe women of mideval times, and this element is laziness. If you want to get technical, yes, Sleeping Beauty does have a personality like Cinderella's--devoid of intelligence and depth, she is simply a "bimbo."
BUT, the reason I like Aurora so much more than I do Cinderella is because unlike Cinderella, who does chores all day, Aurora chooses to sleep for many years (or hours, depending on which version of the story you know) and does absolutely nothing. I am a very lazy person (not proud of it, but it's true), and I especially enjoy sleeping. I would like any princess who simply sleeps for long periods of time and does nothing while the prince must go through hell or high water to save her. A woman who can make a man risk his life while all she does is sleep is worthy of my respect, especially if she is compared with other princesses who are very weak and defenseless in the eyes of their true loves.

Of all of the princesses, however, I have two favorites, one of which will be the last I speak about. The other is Belle, and the reason that I truly adore her is because unlike so many of her princess friends, Belle is intelligent. She actually enjoys--nay, thrives--on reading. Her father is eccentric but kind, and Belle, though she is so beautiful, is able to fall in love with Beast, a "monster." She does not fall in love with the handsome man, but treats him like the pig he is. She is wise, kind, and gorgeous, all at the same time, and this is the kind of women that myself and other girls today should be looking up to. We should note, however, that Belle is not actually a princess, but a commoner who marries a prince. I can't help but wonder if she is so intelligent or has such good character because she isn't a princess--if the Disney team treated her different because of her lineage.

Jasmine, likewise, is another princess who isn't typical, but who is actually a princess, though I don't know the actual term for a sultan's daughter. I would like to mention that Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies, alongside The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. It is, however, a slight failure of a movie, simply because it was Disney's first attempt, as far as I know, to make a movie about a princess who was not British or French of some sort. Jasmine is Iranian, or Iraqui, or Arabian of some sort (I am not particularly educated in Eastern European races or countries) and as a result seems to display a "non-white sass," as if Disney was afraid to portray a Caucasian woman with attitude.

Many criticize Disney's lack of tact with this movie, but it's still one of my favorites, and so is Jasmine, possibly because she is so over the princess scene. She doesn't want it anymore, and that's refreshing, because fans of Disney (and possibly Disney workers themselves) were over it too. Jasmine also voices the views of many women who are annoyed with the stereotype of a princess who falls into the princes' arms easily when she says, "I am not a prize to be won!" She is unfortunately fooled by Aladdin's change of clothes for a while, but outsmarts him in the end.
In fact, Jasmine seems to be the most mature Disney princess, and she acts like a fully grown woman (alongside Mulan) as compared to a young girl who is very naive, despite the respective ages of the princesses. Jasmine actually ends up seducing Jafar in one scene, which implies that she, unlike many other princesses, has come to terms with her sexuality. This maturity is, once again, refreshing, because it gets annoying watching little girls throw themselves into terrible situations because of their naivety.

Disney's other attempt to be racially diverse came with Mulan (aside from The Lion King), which is based on a Chinese main character (though critics argue that though Mulan is Chinese, she still looks white, just as Jasmine looked white with darker skin.) who is a strong woman. Mulan is not a princess, and never becomes one, but I like her particuarly because she is strong. She willingly sacrifices herself for her father, and ends up being a good warrior. She is intelligent, funny, and best of all, she's offbeat. Mulan doesn't know herself at the beginning of the film, and by the end, she has come to terms with who she is. She is one of the only princesses who does this. She is the prime example of character development, and ironically, she isn't a princess. I idolize Mulan, even if she is also a stereotypically Asian character.

Above I mentioned Belle as one of my favorite princesses, and the other is Ariel, the heroine of The Little Mermaid. First off, I like the original story itself, possibly because it is rather melancholy and the little mermaid dies in the end (I am not one for happy endings.) But Ariel herself is a memorable and interesting character. First off, she's the youngest of many sisters, so unlike many princesses, she's not the center of attention in her family.
Then again, she is a troublemaker, so she isn't the cliched, good-girl princess. But of course the best thing about Ariel is that, like Cinderella, she's a dreamer. She dreams of walking on land. But unlike Cinderella, she actually does what she has to do in order to get what she wants. Granted, it's not exactly the best way of going about it, but can you blame her for being naive? She's been sheltered her entire life. I like Ariel, though, because in the end she made it all happen, and she didn't just sit around and wait for some guy to come and save her. That's worth respecting.

Dark Knight

SereneShadow — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:42:54 CDT

August 11, 2008

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman
Release Date: July 18, 2008

In recent years, Hollywood's trend has been superhero movies, sometimes originals, sometimes re-makes. Only a handful of these have been worth seeing. I am glad to say that Dark Knight is one of them.
The movie, to begin with, explores deep crevasses of morality, from personal sacrifice to heroism to whether humans need a hero in this time. It's good brain food for those who like their movies to be an eloquent dish.
Then, of course, there are the amazing action sequences that make nearly any other action movie you can think of pale in comparison. Car chases, shoot-outs, and explosions galore. The main goal of an action flick is to have the audience think, "That's bad ass," and Dark Knight certainly accomplishes this.
The musical score (and lack of one at perfectly calculated moments) is energetic, makes the blood rush and the mind scatter. It fits the movie's tones and attitudes perfectly and is one of the most original scores I've heard in a while.
A minor downside to the movie is that there are what I would call "false endings," something seen commonly in action movies. Basically, when you begin to think that the movie is over, and yet it still has an hour, that's a false ending. This movie is full of them, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it tends to play with the viewer's sense of time. One can exit the theature after having watched this movie thinking that four hours have passed when in fact only two and half have. That is not to say that Dark Knight doesn't take advantage of every one of its 150 minutes--there is not one point in the movie that the audience sits and thinks, "Okay, let's get on with it." The plot is almost always in full-swing, but never seems too pushed or edited to fit a time slot.
The acting, aside from Gyllenhaal's, is some of the best acting this year. Bale's angsty, anti-hero lines are delivered with ease and the supporting actors, namely Freeman, Caine, and Oldman, leave little to be desired. Then of course there's Ledger's role as the Joker. Disregard the fact that this was Ledger's last role ever and one is still floored by the performance level. Ledger is amazing as the demented mind of the Joker, who is intelligent but psychopathic and, to a degree, a pathological liar. It's no wonder Ledger was taking medication after having played this role, because every inch of his body is completely in tune with the Joker's personality and mannerisms. It's eerie to watch him laugh onscreen because Ledger is so astounding in this role.
On the more technical side, the CGI, action scenes and camera angles are a sublte and wonderful element to this movie; unique and interesting techniques capture the eye and focus the scenes without giving the audience tunnel vision.
All in all, the Dark Knight is one of the best movies this year, and it's not hard to see why. It even supplies a few chuckles in between heart-pounding scenes and romantic tension, and that coupled with the solid cast, beautiful score and excellent plot with an interesting twist three-fourths of the way in, makes for easily the best superhero movie of the past decade.

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox

SereneShadow — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:40:14 CDT

August 11, 2008

Written by: Eoin Colfer
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: July 15, 2008

As an avid fan of the first few Artemis Fowl books, reading the description of this novel was somewhat daunting. Most anyone would agree that the plot, going simply on the information given on the inside jacket of the book, is somewhat contrived.
That having been said, remind me to never doubt Colfer again. Those of a scientific mind who have enjoyed the previous books in this series will fall head-over-heels for the newest addition, which dabbles extensively in time travel. I've contemplated the corridors of time travel as much as the next critic, and yet this book was somewhat confusing. To Colfer's credit, he explains (without long blocks of explanation, of course) every inch of the novel's plot, even if he does so after the fact.
Once again, morals come into question in this novel. Sacrifices are made. And, to our pleasure, new elements are introduced, including a relatively subtle "green" attitude evidenced by the evil Extinctionists and a plane built by Artemis that runs solely on battery and solar power.
The novel also includes some romantic tension between Holly and Artemis, which is sweet but cut off at the knees by the characters themselves due to multiple causes.
The novel is slightly absent of the gung-ho and comraderie of the past novels, due in part to desperate circumstances that cause everyone to be a bit less cordial. All the same, though, Colfer introduces three-dimensional characters and looks deep into the facets of the past characters.
The novel's set-up, unfortuantely, causes at least three characters to be completely absent from the novel. In fact, the names of Minerva and Juliet are not even written in the book. Considering the text takes place over the course of two or three days (and eight years, to be technical) it makes fundamental sense that both girls would be absent, but couple that with the changing relationship between Artemis and Holly, and a person could get very suspicious.
In short, though, the novel is a success and while maybe not as fun as its predecessors, shares the same humor, charming characters, complex plans and scienctific dabblings that make the Artemis Fowl series what it is: unique in almost every way.

The Labyrinth: Yu Yu Hakusho Style!

SereneShadow — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 20:32:05 CDT

PG13

"Give me the woman. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the woman that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. ...Damn. I can never rememeber that line. What is it, Kurama?"
"'You have no power over me.'"
"You have no power ove--this is stupid," Yusuke yelled, grabbing the playbook from Kurama's hand and throwing it over his shoulder. It landed in the grass near some ducks which took flight. Kuwabara grinned. "If it's so stupid, why'd you sign up for it, Urameshi?"
Yusuke glowered. "Old man Takanaka said if I didn't participate in the school play this semester I'd be thrown out of school. I got the lead part, thanks to Keiko."

The four fighters were hanging out in a park near Yusuke's house. It was a cloudy day, but the first one they'd had off in weeks. Kuwabara and Kurama were sitting on the grass, feeding Yusuke his lines for the play, while he paced on the grass. Hiei was standing at the edge of the pond a few feet away. Just as Yusuke bent to pick up the book with the play's script in it, nearby a clock chimed seven times. "Damn it...I forgot, I have to go on a date with Keiko now." He moaned, and Kurama and Kuwabara stood up while Hiei turned back to them.
"Wait, wasn't your date at 6:30pm?" Asked Kuwabara. Yusuke thought about it, then cursed again. "You're right! She's gonna kill me! Here, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Yusuke thrust the playbook into Kurama's baffled hands and ran out of the park. The others stared after him, confused. "She sure has got him on a tight leash."

Yusuke bolted back to Keiko's house where he was supposed to meet her. While he ran, it started to rain, getting him soaked. Muttering angry words under his breath, he knocked on Keiko's door. She opened it, look out, then slammed it in his face. Growling, Yusuke knocked again, this time speaking as soon as she opened the door. "Keiko, I'm sorry I'm late, I was--"
The door slammed again. Furious, Yusuke pounded on the wood of the door. "KEIKO! DO YOU WANT TO GO OUT OR NOT!?" He yelled, and shoved past her into the house. She folded her arms. "I guess since you're here we might as well go. I still can't believe you're half an hour late, Yusuke Urameshi." He glared at her. "I said I was sorry, okay? I was practicing for this stupid play." Keiko, getting an umbrella from the front closet, glared at him again. "You show up late and wet, break into my house and then insult one of the most important things in my life right now?! How dare you!" She glared at him, and he said nothing, so she handed him the umbrella.
"The least you could do is hold this for us," she muttered, and he did so, not opening it until they were outside. No sense in giving himself even more bad luck.

Keiko was frigid most of the evening, through the movie and dinner, so when he dropped her off at her house that night, Yusuke was happy to be going home. Of course first she wanted him to come inside so they could talk.
Keiko sat down on the couch and Yusuke lounged in an armchair, faintly wondering whether her parents were home. "Look, Yusuke, I know you're busy but I don't know if I can keep seeing you if you're going to be a jerk about it. There are lots of other guys I could waste my time on." She continued to ramble on while Yusuke continued to ignore her. Outside, thunder and lightning continued ferociously.
"I know you didn't want the lead in the play, but I think it will be good for you. At least you don't have to play the person the Goblin King takes away, I mean poor Misa-chan..."
"I wish the Goblin King would come and take you away right now," Yusuke muttered.
Suddenly, the room went dark and Keiko stopped speaking. Yusuke jumped and stood, assuming the storm knocked out the power.

"Keiko? You okay? It's just the storm I bet." He walked slowly over to the couch to see if Keiko was freaking out or not. His hand reached toward where she had been sitting, but he felt nothing. Squinting at the couch, he realized that Keiko was not there.
Then the living room window opened, the panes sliding back, and a very tall, pale man floated into the room through the window. He had strange facial makeup, a crazy blonde hair-do and black clothes wrapped in a complicated manner around his thin frame. His arms were folded, his mouth twisted in a smirk. Yusuke was clueless until he remembered what he had said right before the lights went out.

"What, you're supposed to be the Goblin King? That's bullshit, he's not real." The Goblin King grinned. "Aren't I?" He asked, and Yusuke narrowed his eyes at the man before realizing that he didn't have a demonic aura. It seemed unbelievable, but...

"I didn't mean it. Bring Keiko back," Yusuke growled. The Goblin King looked amused. "Oh, you didn't mean it? It's too late now." Yusuke took a fighting stance. "Bring her back! Where is she?!"

"You know very well where she is," the Goblin King's smile was beginning to wane. He looked impatient, but then again, so was Yusuke. "Yusuke. Go home. Play video games and sparr with your friends. Forget about the girl." "You know I can't do that," Yusuke glared at the man. Why was he so impossible?

The Goblin King, continuing to float, smiled warmly at Yusuke. "I've got a gift for you." From the depths of his clothes he brought a shining, clear, silver orb that was perfectly round. He spun it quickly and deftly around his fingers, making it look effortless. Curious, Yusuke said, "What is it?"

"It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it the right way, it'll show you your dreams. However, this isn't a gift for an ordinary boy who takes orders from a controlling girlfriend. If you want it, you'll forget the girl." Yusuke's stance became defensive again. "I can't do that. I just want her back. If you don't bring her back, I'll kill you." Yusuke meant it, too. Keiko was a pain in his ass most of the time, but he did care for her. The Goblin King glared at him, his eyes turning to slits. He brought a snake from his sleeve. It was large, and from the look of it, dangerous.

"Yusuke. Don't defy me," the Goblin King said coldly, and threw the snake at Yusuke. He dodged, and as the snake hit the ground it turned into a rope of knotted handkerchiefs. "You're no match for me," said the Goblin King. Yusuke doubted that this was so. "I need Keiko back." He maintained. Perhaps he could annoy the Goblin King into surrender.

The King turned and behind him through the window, Yusuke saw a sun-coated land usurped mostly by a large and complicated maze. At the center was a large castle.
"She's there, in my castle. Still want to look for her? Turn back. Turn back before it's too late." Yusuke grimaced, clenching his jaw. "I can't. Besides, it doesn't look that far." "It's further than you think," the Goblin King pressed. Yusuke looked around and saw that he was now completely in this other world where the sun was just beginning to rise. Everything was coated in a gold-orange sheen.

The King stepped back from him and conjured a clock whose hands were both pointed at 12. "You have thirteen hours to solve this labyrinth. If you don't, the girl becomes a goblin forever." The Goblin King smiled at Yusuke, making him want to punch out the cocky son of a gun, and began to vanish. Before Yusuke could step forward, the man was gone. Yusuke sighed, then began walking.

He walked down an expanse of grass before making it to the beginning, which really didn't look like a beginning at all. It was just a stone wall, no entrance of any sort. As he looked, he saw tiny fairies flying around him. They didn't have a demonic aura either. But then, he looked a little past the fairies and saw Hiei catching the fairies and smashing them between his hands or stomping on them. Yusuke ran up to the smaller demon, outraged. "Hiei! What are you doing? They're just fairies." A small blue-skinned fairy landed on his finger, and Hiei smirked at him as the fairy sank razor-sharp teeth into Yusuke's palm. He shook his hand, cursing, and the fairy took off.

"They're nasty creatures who enjoy the taste of blood. I suggest you do the same and destroy them." As he spoke, Hiei smashed another fairy into the stone of the labyrinth's wall. The poor fairy slid to the ground and withered up.
"How can I get into the labyrinth?" Asked Yusuke. Hiei gave him a curious look, but didn't answer. "Well, do you know?" Yusuke asked, impatient. Keiko was on her way to becoming a goblin now. Hiei shrugged. "Maybe." He squashed another fairy under his foot and started walking up to another group of them.
"Well, where is it?" Yusuke demanded. Hiei didn't look back at him as he asked, "Where is what?" "The door!" "What door?"
"You're hopeless," Yusuke spat, and Hiei killed another three fairies by sweeping them into a pile and kicking them against the wall. "Not if you ask the right questions," he said in a nonchalant manner. Yusuke sighed. "How do I get into the labyrinth?" He asked. Hiei pointed to an expanse of wall behind Yusuke.

"You get in there." Yusuke walked over to the wall, which he realized had a gap in it large enough for him to fit through. Surprised he hadn't seen it before, he poked his head through to get a look of the maze. The path stretched left and right, but the way ahead was blocked by another stone wall. He reached his hand forward and felt that this one was solid. Hiei came up behind him, peering into the labyrinth. "You're going in?" He asked swiftly. Yusuke nodded, stepping into the narrow passage. Hiei smirked.
"Left or right?" Asked the fire demon. Yusuke looked both ways. They seemed to stretch on for miles.
"They both look the same," he answered, unsure. Hiei smirked again. "You won't get far that way."

"Well, what do you suggest?!" Raged Yusuke. Perhaps half an hour had gone by already. Hiei shrugged. "I wouldn't go either way." Yusuke growled.
"You take too much for granted. Even if you do make it to the center, you won't get out alive," Hiei folded his arms. Yusuke sighed. "Thanks for nothing, Hiei." He turned and walked to his left a few feet. When he glanced back, the gap in the wall where he had entered was solid wall again. Rolling his eyes, Yusuke began to walk on. He walked for at least a mile to the left, before he began to get frustrated. "What kind of labyrinth doesn't have any turns or corners?!" He asked, kicking the stone wall behind him. Then, he looked a little closer at the space of wall next to his foot. "Maybe I'm taking it for granted," he said, and poked the wall. His finger went through.
"All right! Now I'm getting somewhere!" He yelled, and went through the false wall to another passage.

Keiko was sitting in a dirty stone room with a bunch of monsters. They're goblins, she thought distantly. Just like in the play. The goblins were stinky, disgusting creatures who, for the most part, just sat around fighting with each other and staring at her. She was wearing the same dress she had wore on her date with Yusuke, but it was getting dirty from all the filth in the castle. There was a rusty, old chain around her right wrist that was attached to the wall so she couldn't run away.
A man entered the room. He was tall, in dark clothing with pale skin and crazy hair. She grimaced at him, thinking he wasn't looking at her, but his head whipped around and caught the expression. He grinned at her, his teeth white and perfect, his eyes sparkling. She thought he might be somewhat handsome if he wasn't holding her hostage. The man--Goblin King, she thought--chuckled. "In eleven hours, you'll be mine!" His chuckle turned to a laugh and all the goblins chimed in. Keiko clenched her fists. Not if I have something to say about it, you pig.

Yusuke had been glad to see that after coming through the false wall, many more turns and paths were open to him. That glee had lasted about a minute. Now he was running around, trying to avoid making the same turns and probably getting nowhere. Suddenly sure he was just retracing his steps, he stopped running and sighed loudly, once again kicking the wall.

"That won't get you where you want to go," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother's, and he whirled to see a door behind him that either hadn't been there before or he'd never noticed before. In front of it were two people...sort of. Yukina was in front of the left door and Yusuke's mom, Atsuko, was in front of the door on the right. Only their heads were upside-down. In front of where their bodies would be were shields, blue on the left door and red on the right, and their feet, at the top of the shields, weren't visible. They were smiling at him. "What do I do?" Yusuke asked warily. Seeing his mom upside-down was weird.

"Try one of these doors," Yukina suggested. "One of them leads to the castle," said Atsuko, "and the other leads to certain death!" finished Yukina. Both women laughed. "Well, which one is which?" Asked Yusuke. Atsuko opened her mouth to answer, then paused. "We can't tell you," she mumbled. "Why not?"
"Because we don't know. You'll have to ask them," said Yukina, and her and Atsuko's heads disappeared while Botan's and Shizuru's heads appeared on the top of the shields. Yusuke jumped. "You're two two-headed freaks!" He yelled. Botan grinned at him. "Okay, which door leads to death?" He asked. Botan giggled and Shizuru smirked. "You can only ask one of us." Botan nodded. "It's in the rules. One of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies." Yusuke rubbed his chin in thought, wishing Kurama was there to help him.

"Okay." He turned to Botan. "Would she tell me that this door leads to the castle?" He asked, pointing first at Shizuru and then at the door behind Botan. Botan pondered for a minute. "Yes," she answered. Yusuke squinted, thinking, as the women watched carefully.
"Then, this door leads to death and the one behind Shizuru leads to the castle," Yusuke grinned. "But how do you know I'm not the liar?" Botan asked, still grinning. "Well, if you were the liar, Shizuru would be telling the truth. So if that door really did lead to the castle, Shizuru would have said yes, and your answer would have to be no, because you're the liar. It's the same thing if you were telling the truth." Confident, Yusuke stepped toward the door with Shizuru on it. As he walked, a trap door opened under him and he began falling down a black chute. Suddenly, hands grabbed onto him, around his wrists, ankles, legs and arms. They held him in place, stopping his fall.

"Sick, let go of me! Help!" He yelled up the chute, but only heard the women laughing. "What do you mean, help?" Asked a voice, coming from inside the chute itself. Hands that weren't holding onto him made faces out of themselves to give a mouth to the voice. Yusuke found it eerie. "Yes, we're helping hands!" Cried another voice. "You're scaring hands," Yusuke grimaced. Some of the hands were holding him rather tightly. "Do you want us to let you go?" Asked another voice, and he shouted, "No!"
"Well, then, which way?" Asked yet another voice. He thought about it. "I guess I'll have to go down since I know I chose the right door," he said, and the hands began handing him downward, passing him off while the numerous voices laughed. Yusuke squirmed, wondering whether he'd made the right choice. At length, the hands deposited him on cold, hard, dirty ground, and he sat around wondering what he'd landed himself in.

The Goblin King was contemplating Yusuke's progress, watching him with the crystal he'd offered the Detective earlier. Goblins crowded around to see the human failing. "He's in the oubliette," said the Goblin King, and the other goblins cheered. "He'll never escape!" They laughed. The Goblin King glared at them. "He should have given up by now!" Another goblin pitched in. "He'll never give up. He wubs the wittle girly," the goblin grinned, staring at Keiko, who was trying to ignore everyone in the room.
"The fire demon will lead him back to the beginning. He'll give up when he realizes he has to start all over again!" Roared the Goblin King, and began laughing loudly. The goblins joined him, shrieking and glaring at Keiko, who looked at the ceiling, hoping they were wrong.

It was pitch-black in the place that Yusuke was in, and by the smell he guessed that it was underground. As he was standing up, he heard footsteps coming toward him and paused, holding his breath. "Who's there?" He asked, wary. He half expected some gigantic man-eating monster. "It's me," Hiei answered, coming into the small room. He held a torch, so Yusuke could see that it was, in fact, him, but not where he had come from.
"I knew you'd fail, so I came to help," Hiei scoffed. "I suppose you've realized there aren't any doors or windows. This is an oubliette. Without help you'd starve to death here." Yusuke, who was used to Hiei's bravado, raised an eyebrow at the demon. "You know what an oubliette is?" Hiei nodded slowly. "A place you put others when you want to forget them. I know a way to exit the labyrinth." Yusuke sighed. "Hiei, I can't just leave Keiko to become a goblin. I have to find my way to the castle. I'm close, I know it!" He answered hotly. The smell of the oubliette was beginning to annoy him. He realized that Hiei would never help him through the labyrinth, or even out of the oubliette...unless he had something to offer.

"You remember the smell of Demon World, don't you?" Yusuke said suddenly. Warily, Hiei raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"If you help me get through this labyrinth, I'll get Koenma to clear you completely and give you a ticket back to Demon World." Hiei was tempted, but didn't answer right away. "Or take me as far as you can through it, not all the way if you don't know how. You'll be a free man once again," Yusuke grinned. Hiei paused for what seemed like a long time, then nodded, the gesture only slightly visible in the torch's glow.
"Fine. As far as I can for a free ride to Demon World. This way." He turned, pulling a door handle out of his pocket. He stuck it into the wall and pulled back on it, creating a stone door. Hiei crouched slightly and went through, holding the torch over his head. Yusuke had to practically crawl through, but finally made it. They were standing in a much larger hall, filled with stone pillars that had faces carved into them. Hiei walked forward, and Yusuke paused to look at the face in one of the pillars.

"DON'T GO ON!" The rock pillar yelled. Its stone mouth formed the words as Yusuke watched. Another one chimed in down the hall. "THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY!" As he caught up to Hiei, even another yelled. "SOON IT WILL BE TOO LATE!"
Hiei growled. "Ignore them, they're just false alarms. They are abundant in the labyrinth, especially when you are getting close." "OH NO, YOU'RE NOT!" Yelled the nearest pillar, and Hiei glared at it. "Shut up." The rock's face pouted. "I'm just doing my job," it moaned. They walked forward and another spoke. "BEWARE, FOR THE--!"
"Forget it," Hiei hissed at it. "Please, I haven't got to say it in such a long time," the rock's face whined. Hiei rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"FOR THE PATH YOU TAKE WILL LEAD TO CERTAIN DESTRUCTION!" Yusuke grinned at the pillar as they passed. The path got narrower from here and there were no more pillars. They walked into a hall made of stone that turned a corner to the left. At the corner was a strange creature that was hunched over with an ugly beak. They went to move past it, but the figure stood up and threw off its skin. It was the Goblin King, who had been in disguise. Hiei jumped.

"What have we here?" The King asked, glaring at Hiei, who, for the first time since Yusuke had known him, looked intimidated. He wasn't frightened, just humbled. "Nothing," the demon spat, glaring back at the King. “Are you helping this girl?” the Goblin King demanded. Hiei shrugged. “If I thought for one second that you would betray me, Hiei, I’d be forced to throw your sister into the Pit of Despair. Hiei held his tongue, glaring angrily at the Goblin King.

“And you, Yusuke. How are you enjoying my labyrinth?” He asked, sauntering up to the Detective, who gave him a fixed glare. “It’s a piece of cake,” Yusuke spat. “Is that so? Then you won’t mind me upping the stakes a bit,” grinned the King, and conjured the clock again. His hand spun in a circle, and so did the hands of the clock, taking away around four hours of Yusuke’s remaining time, leaving him with just over four hours before Keiko was a monster. “That’s not fair!” Yusuke yelled, getting ready to attack the King. The clock disappeared and the Goblin King glanced at Yusuke, unamused. “So the labyrinth’s a piece of cake, is it?” The Goblin King pulled the crystal ball out of his sleeve again, and Yusuke didn’t like the look of it this time.

“Then I wonder how you’ll like this little slice,” hissed the Goblin King, and he turned and flung the crystal at the wall opposite Yusuke and Hiei. It smashed, and in its place grew a giant machine with a rotating wheel of spikes which began to barrel down the hall toward Yusuke and Hiei. The Goblin King disappeared. “What the hell is that thing?” Yusuke asked Hiei as they began to run down the hall that led left. Hiei threw the flaming torch on the ground so he could run faster. “Cleaners,” Hiei answered, his legs flying swiftly beneat him. Looking back, Yusuke saw that the cleaners took up the entire hall, destroying anything in their path with the spiked wheel. Yusuke followed Hiei, unable to really see ahead without the torch.

Hiei suddenly stopped running and examined a piece of wall that Yusuke realized was wood, not stone. The cleaners were around five feet away. The two of them stepped back, then kicked down the wooden wall, falling into a small haven just as the cleaners passed them. Panting, they stood again and Hiei looked up to see a ladder. He grabbed the bottom rung and began to climb up, Yusuke following close after. As they climbed, Yusuke couldn’t help but ask, “So what’s this Pit of Despair?” Hiei grimaced. “It’s a torture chamber where the King sends his enemies. He’s the lead master of it but there are others, ruthless and hungry for pain. I myself have experienced it twice. I would brave it again if necessary, but I won’t allow...” He drifted off, and Yusuke understood. Hiei would brave the Pit of Despair if it meant that Yukina would be safe from it. The idea made Yusuke sick.

They finally got to the top of the ladder and found themselves outside, in the bright light. They were back in the maze, though Yusuke could tell that they were closer to the castle than before he had fallen in the oubliette. He looked around and began walking with Hiei close behind. They walked through a zig-zag piece of the maze and came upon an enclosed area where a boy was hanging upside-down from a tree. There was a rope tied to his ankle, suspending him, and around him were goblins with spears, poking the poor boy. Looking closer, Yusuke realized that it was Kuwabara. He was shrieking and the goblins were jabbing him with the spears. “Hey!” Yusuke yelled, running into the fray. He kicked the nearest goblin far away, the thing’s head hitting a stone wall.

“Thanks!” Yelled Kuwabara, as Hiei cut him down from the tree with his sword. The three men began to fight, punching and mostly kicking the goblins into the walls, stunning them. When they were all knocked out, Yusuke turned to Kuwabara. “Want to help us get through the labyrinth?” Before Kuwabara could answer, Hiei jumped in. “Not us, you. This is where I take my leave. I cannot help you further.” With that, he ran down one of the pathways and disappeared. Yusuke glared after him, then turned back to Kuwabara, who grinned. “Sounds great! Let’s go this way.” They took a path leading to the right and after following it some way, came to another double-door. Each one had a knocker on it made with two strange faces; one of Koenma’s face, whose knocker hung from his ears, and one from George the ogre’s face, whose knocker hung from his mouth.

“Which door should we take?” Yusuke asked. Kuwabara shrugged and they stared at the doors. “It’s very rude to stare, you know!” Koenma’s face yelled. Yusuke’s eyes widened. “Sorry, we’re just trying to decide which way to go,” said Kuwabara. “WHAT?! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” Yelled Koenma’s face. The boys looked at each other in confusion. “Mff phff dmmr.” Said George’s knocker. He was having trouble speak around the ring in his mouth, so Yusuke reached over and removed it. George stretched his mouth, then grinned. “Thank you! It feels so good to get that out,” he said loudly. “WHAT?!” Yelled Koenma. “What were you trying to say?” Asked Kuwabara. Koenma glared at them for ignoring him. “It’s no good talking to Koenma sir, he’s deaf as a post with that ring in his ears.”

“Okay, where do these doors ring?” Asked Yusuke, getting tired of the fact that everyone here was so slow to catch up. “WHAT?!” Yelled Koenma. “I don’t know, we’re just the knockers.” George answered. “How do we get through?” Asked Kuwabara, after trying to push on the doors to no avail. “Huh?” Koenma shouted. “Just knock on the knocker and it’ll open,” said George. Yusuke grinned. “Thanks. Now open your mouth,” he said, trying to put the ring back into George’s mouth. “No! I don’t want--” but Yusuke forced the ring in. George had to hold onto it. “Sorry,” said Kuwabara as they knocked on the door. It swung open and the two friends went inside.

The Goblin King and his minions were feasting around Keiko. They’d offered her some food, but moldy bread and rotten meat didn’t quite whet her appetite. She refused, looking defiantly at the blank wall. The King, who was sitting near her, grinned. “Pretty eyes, you’ve got. Maybe I’ll keep you from turning into a goblin so you can be my wife.” Keiko stuck her tongue out at the man, and he laughed along with his goblins.

Kuwabara and Yusuke came into a forest, and were surrounded by crazy salmon-colored birds who were flapping their wings and singing. Only Jim Henson could think of this, Yusuke thought, and began punching out the birds one by one. Kuwabara helped, but the more they punched, the more birds appeared. “HELP ME KUWABARA!” Yusuke yelled.

Some distance away, Hiei heard Yusuke calling and sighed, turning to help the Detective. As he did so, the Goblin King appeared next to him, grinning down at him. “And where are you going?” He asked. Hiei glared at him. “It’s none of your concern.”
“You’re not going to help Yusuke, are you? You haven’t forgotten what I’ve said will happen to your sister if you betray me?” Hiei’s eyes moved from the King’s face to the horizon, where Yusuke was still calling. “I’ve got to go.”

“Wait!” Said the Goblin King, producing a plump and golden peach from a pocket. “Give this to the Detective.” “What is it?” Asked Hiei, eyeing the peach.
“It’s just a present,” grinned the King. “Will it kill him? I won’t kill him,” answered Hiei, not taking the peach yet. He didn’t care if he went into the Pit for this. “You’ll give him that, Hiei, or I’ll make your sister suffer for one hundred years on your behalf,” the King hissed. Hiei hesitated once more, then took the peach in his hand.

The crazy birds kept coming, so Yusuke and Kuwabara abandoned fighting and began to run. As they reached a clearing in the forest, Hiei appeared suddenly, stabbing three of the birds with his sword at one time. The other birds stared, then ran away, their feathers flying out from behind them. Hiei looked at Yusuke and Kuwabara, who grinned, and the three of them walked on. They walked to the edge of the forest, Yusuke beginning to feel desperate. As the forest ended, they saw that they had come to a giant crevasse, the bottom of which wasn’t visible. The gap was too far to jump, and extended for miles in both directions. The only way to cross, they saw, was a small wooden bridge. In front of the bridge stood Kurama, his arms folded and a small smile on his face.

“I’m glad you’ve made it this far,” greeted the fox. Yusuke stepped up next to him, attempting to cross the bridge. Kurama stepped in his path. “Unfortunately, I guard this bridge and you may only pass once you’ve answered my question. You can only give one answer and it must be right, otherwise you may not cross this bridge.”

Yusuke stepped back and glanced at Kuwabara and Hiei, then turned back and nodded. “What’s your question?”

“I come in darkness, but fill the mind with light. I bring enlightenment to some, while gripping others in the hand of fear. With me it can be a journey of inexplicable joy and sorrow. What I will show you will often be unreachable. Journey with me and what you will see may haunt you. Journey with me and you may never want to return home. Journey with me and you will never know when it will end. What am I?”

Kuwabara shrugged. Hiei remained silent, though he had an idea of what the answer could be. Kurama smiled gently, waiting to see what Yusuke would say. The Detective rubbed his chin, thinking and repeating parts of the riddle out loud, though only in a low mutter. After some time, he looked up at Kurama and smiled. “You’re a dream,” he said, and Kurama smiled wider and stepped aside. Yusuke shook his hand.

“Thanks. Want to come with us?” Kurama nodded, so the four of them crossed the bridge. On the other side of the crevasse was more forest. They began walking, tromping through the undergrowth. Kuwabara’s stomach groaned loudly. “I’m starving,” moaned Yusuke. Hiei, who had been walking behind, tapped him on the shoulder. Yusuke turned, and Hiei offered him the peach. “Hey, thanks Hiei! We’ll pass it around.” Yusuke took the first bite, the peach tasting strange in his mouth. The others watched as he stumbled backward, head swimming. “Hiei...what’d you do?” He asked weakly, falling backward. He landed against a tree, slumped over, and passed out. Hiei ran off into the forest, disappearing, and Kurama and Kuwabara knelt beside Yusuke, trying to shake him awake.

Yusuke found himself in a strange place. The walls, ceiling and floor were all white, and around him people danced wearing masks. He looked down at himself and saw that he was wearing a fancy tux. He didn’t have a mask, but he felt strange. Looking around, he saw a woman moving through the crowd also without a mask. From behind, he could tell that it was Keiko. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress and singing to the music that was playing in the room. She looked over her shoulder, eyelids fluttering, and smiled at him, disappearing behind a crowd of gossiping dancers. Yusuke followed her through the crowd, desperately trying to reach her, to know that she was okay and not a goblin. Finally, he found her hiding meekly, and she walked up to him, he found himself unable to move. She pulled his arms into a dance and they went round and around the floor. Suddenly, he realized that he was being jostled by the crowd. Looking around, he found all of the masked people laughing at him, their mouths stretched wide. They were bumping into him, pushing him, irritating him. He looked down at Keiko and saw that her face was that of the Goblin King’s, and she was growing in size. Her dress fell off and revealed his dark clothing underneath, and she grew taller, taller than even Kuwabara, until she was the Goblin King. Yusuke gasped, shocked, terrified, and felt the floor sink beneath him. He realized that he was falling, falling through the air and everyone that had been dancing with him was remaining in the white room, laughing down at him.

He landed in Keiko’s living room, in the armchair he’d been in when the Goblin King had first appeared. But the image of the Goblin King was fast fading from his mind. He looked around, confused, unsure of what had gone on in the last few hours. He stood, and realized that there was a person in the room with him. It was a small, shriveled old woman with garbage piled all over her as if she was homeless. She glanced at him and grinned a toothless grin. “What are you looking for, Yusuke?” Asked the lady. Though he might have been able to answer the question moments ago, Yusuke found he couldn’t remember, so he told the truth. “I don’t know...I was searching for something, but I don’t remember what...it was...” He looked around, as if the thing might be there with him. “Is this it?” She asked, pointing to a game station on the floor. It was a new one that Yusuke hadn’t even bought yet. “Hey! I want to play that,” he said, then stopped. Was that what he was looking for? He thought so.

“I guess it was just a dream...” He said, then went for the door. “I had better go home.”
“No, you should stay here, dear. There’s nothing good out there, trust me.” Said the old woman, and she continued to bustle about the room. Yusuke went and sat by the game station. “And here, look at all these games!” She handed Yusuke at least a dozen games for the new platform. He frowned at them. “And a wireless controller! And a battlepack! Ooh, look at all this neat stuff!” She pressed more and more stuff into Yusuke’s hands. He looked down at it, his brow wrinkled. “There was something I was looking for...” Yusuke said, now certain that it wasn’t in his hands or anywhere near him. “Nonsense, nonsense, everything in the world you’ve ever cared about is right here.” She said, and kept pressing stuff to him.
“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city to take back the woman that you have stolen...” Yusuke said quietly, unsure of what the words meant.
“What’s the matter, sonny? You don’t like all these new toys?” Yusuke stood up, dropping everything to the floor as he remembered the face of a young girl that he cared for very much.
“It’s all junk! It means nothing without Keiko!” Yusuke yelled, and the illusion disappeared. Keiko’s living room melted around him, along with the lady, who was screaming. He looked around and was in a pile of junk. He stood and walked off of it, to the dirt, where Kurama and Kuwabara stood. “You’re awake!” Yelled Kuwabara, and Yusuke grinned. “We’re almost there,” said Kurama, and the three of them turned. Behind them was a large gate, and just beyond that stood the castle, enormous. “Those are the gates to Goblin City,” Kurama informed them. They walked toward the door, then all three pushed on it, throwing it open. They walked into the Goblin City and the door slammed behind them. Yusuke glanced back at it, and then turned to face the front as a giant monster stood. It was easily fifteen feet tall and looked menacing. Looking closer, Yusuke thought it was a robot.

“WHO GOES?” Yelled the robot. No one spoke. “WHO GOES?” It yelled again, and Yusuke thought they maybe could sneak past it. He tried to push Kuwabara to his left, to get the guy moving, when the robot called again, “WHO GOES?” and struck. One of its arms swung toward the ground, creating a hole mere feet from where Kurama stood. They split up, moving around the robot whose arms swung around crazily. Just as they were beginning to think that they couldn’t dodge the robot much longer, Hiei appeared from nowhere, slashing up the robot’s head. The robot fell on its front, slamming into the ground and causing minor tremors. Inside the head were two goblins operating the giant robot. They were swiftly killed by Hiei. The three boys stood near Hiei, looking at him expectantly.

“I’m not asking to be forgiven. I’m not ashamed of myself and I don’t care what you think. The Goblin King made me give that peach to you.” Hiei looked Yusuke in the eye warily, and Yusuke surveyed him back, then nodded, grinning. “I know why you did it. I would have done the same thing. It’s okay,” he chuckled, patting Hiei on the back. The fire demon’s jaw clenched. “We forgive you, Hiei,” smiled Kurama, and Kuwabara nodded. “I want the Goblin King’s head on a platter,” spat Hiei, and the others cheered.

The Goblin King was humorously attempting (and failing) to seduce Keiko when a goblin burst into the room. The King turned away from Keiko, who rolled her eyes, as the goblin screeched, “Your majesty! The boy who ate the peach and forgot everything!”
“What about him?” Asked the King, annoyed at having been interrupted and even more annoyed at Keiko’s ignoring him. “He, the bridge’s guard, the orange-haired hostage and the fire demon are going through the Goblin City now!” The Goblin King stood, furious. “Stop him! Send out the guards and hide the girl!” The King exited swiftly, and the goblin stared, frightened, at Keiko, who looked ready to kill him if he came in reach.

The boys swiftly swept through the Goblin City, walking down sidestreets and avoiding the goblin residents, who were plentiful but foolish. Suddenly, a soldier goblin came upon them and began yelling for the other guards. Then, all hell broke loose. Goblins began to attack them, throwing rocks at them, attacking them with spears. Cannons on the castle’s outer walls were fired, shooting goblins and cannon balls alike. The boys spread out, killing the goblins that got in their way but not making much progress. Soon after, they decided to abandon the fight and just ran past all the goblins, who were putting up a good fight. The four boys reached the walls of the castle and ran through, slamming the wooden doors behind them. Multiple goblins ran into the doors and began pounding on them. The boys were at the foot of the castle, which had no door at the bottom but a staircase leading up. They ran to the staircase, and Yusuke took a few steps up it before realizing that the others weren’t following. He turned back and saw their faces and understood.
“I have to face him alone,” he said aloud. They nodded. “But, should you need us...” Kuwabara began. “Yes, should you need us...” Kurama continued. “I’ll call,” Yusuke grinned, and nodded to them all. They nodded back, and Yusuke ran up the stairs, yelling “THANK YOU!” as he ran.

Yusuke reached the top of the staircase and suddenly felt like he was going to be sick. The stairs, from there, broke off and were stuck in parts all along the walls all the way up to the top. They were sometimes upside-down or backward, and he couldn’t see how he was going to get to the top. Plus, he could hear Keiko singing somewhere. He looked over to a staircase near him and saw Keiko walking up them, her eyes glazed over, her mouth moving as she sung some obscure song. “Keiko!” He yelled, and ran up the staircase nearest him, hoping to get to her. But then, as he ran, the stairs changed, turning Keiko upside-down. He ran down some more stairs and up another set, trying to reach her. The Goblin King appeared, standing sideways on a set of stairs and smirking at him. Yusuke run back up another flight of stairs toward Keiko who was walking off the edge of another staircase. Yusuke ran up yet another, following her, and found himself finally standing on the top of the castle. The roof was flat, rectangluar, but too small for his liking. The Goblin King moved forward to stand in front of him.

“Give me the girl.” Yusuke spat. The Goblin King lifted a finger. “Be careful, Yusuke. I have been generous up until now. I can be cruel.”
“Generous! What have you done that’s generous!” Yusuke yelled. “Everything. Everything you have asked, I have done. You asked that I take the girl, and I took her. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside-down, and I have done it all for you. I’m exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn’t that generous?”

Yusuke ignored him and did only what he thought might work to let him beat this stupid King. “Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, for my will is as strong as yours, and my--”
“Wait! Look, Yusuke, look what I’m offering you. Your dreams.”
“And my kingdom is as great.”
“I ask for so little. Just let me rule you, and you can have everything that you want.”
“My kingdom is as great...Damn! Why can’t I ever remember that line?!”
“Just fear me, let the girl love me, let her obey me, and I will be your slave.”
“My kingdom is as great. My kingdom is as great...You have no power over me!”
Yusuke heard his words echo once, twice, again, and the clock chimed, and the Goblin King threw the crystal ball into the air with a resigned and pained look on his face. Yusuke found himself, once again, in Keiko’s living room. Looking over, he saw that she too was there, rubbing her head and looking confused. “Keiko!” He yelled, scrambling up to meet her. She hugged him, still looking dizzy. Yusuke held her for a few minutes, making sure she was okay. Then he went to the mirror. “Was it real?” He wondered aloud, rubbing his face. He thought so, but wasn’t sure. Suddenly, Kuwabara’s face appeared in the mirror. “Goodbye, Yusuke,” he grinned. “And remember, should you need us...” Hiei’s face spoke. “Yes, should you need us for any reason at all...” Kurama continued, smiling.

“I need you guys. I need all of you...” Yusuke said into the mirror, feeling desperate and a fool at the same time. He couldn’t have saved Keiko without them; his friends were his reason for fighting.
“Well, you should have said so!” Said Kuwabara, but the voice didn’t come from the mirror. It came from Keiko’s front door, which was opened by Kuwabara, and he and Kurama and Hiei burst in, followed by Koenma and Botan, Yukina, and Shizuru. “Party time!” Yelled Kuwabara, and Yusuke grinned.

CAST
SARAH: Yusuke
TOBY: Keiko
HOGGLE: Hiei
JIM: Yukina
TIM: Atsuko
ALPH: Botan
RALPH: Shizuru
LUDO: Kuwabara
KNOCKER 1: Koenma
KNOCKER 2: George the ogre
DIDYMUS: Kurama
GOBLINS AS THEMSELVES
JARETH/THE GOBLIN KING AS HIMSELF

COMMENTARY:
I wrote this only recently, but I've had the idea in my head for a while. It spawned because I really love the movie The Labyrinth, and I really love Yu Yu Hakusho. I thought I could merge the two universes to make a believable parody. I'd like to thank Astrolog.com for hosting the script of The Labyrinth which I used to write this instead of the actual movie. I took a few liberties with the original, cutting out some characters and changing some things, but I think that's what a good parody is about. At first I struggled keeping everyone in character, because everyone had two characters to satisfy--their own and the character they were portraying. Kurama as Didymus was possibly the hardest, because Didymus is such a crazy, impulsive person. I couldn't come up with a good enough YYH villain to fill the shoes of Jareth, so I left him alone. As for the Pit of Despair, you might recognize that name from The Princess Bride. I didn't base this one on that one, this Pit is really just a torture chamber, but it was the first name that came to mind. I had to change it from the Bog of Stench because Hiei's and Hoggle's motives were different, plus the Bog of Stench seemed just a little immature for this parody. Some people may think I was insulting Kuwabara by casting him as Ludo, but I like both characters, and I wasn't insulting either. He seemed to fit the part the best, my reason for casting everyone. Kurama's riddle is one I found on the internet and solved with relative ease, so I knew that Yusuke could do it, though I think I stretched his mental ability just a bit to accomodate the story. Anyway, I had fun.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague

SereneShadow — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:04:23 CDT

August 11, 2008

Written by: Brandon Mull
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: April 8, 2008

The third book in Mull's successful fantasy series, Fablehaven, begins only a few weeks where the second left off. This time around, a symbolic plague has come upon the residents of Fablehaven which turns them into dark creatures. This book, like its predecessors, is a study in the dark natures of creatures. Also like the books before it, it travels in philosophical themes about sacrifice, trust and time travel.
The adventure this time is well-introduced and well-developed, tying up some loose ends and introducing several new characters as well as a new, if somewhat temporary, setting for Kendra. The addition of the Knights of the Dawn makes the book and the universe in which it rests more palpable and three-dimensional.
While Mull still has some stylistic issues pertaining to those pesky exclamation marks, this novel shows that Kendra and Seth are growing, and with them, the world is. People are becoming false, those who were once trusted can no longer be, and vice versa. New characters become friends (and some more than friends) and enemies, and in general, the books, like its protagonists, have come some way in a short time.
Due to the steadily-improving talent of Mull, I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street

SereneShadow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:32:46 CDT

July 20, 2008

Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Jamie Campbell Bower
Release Date: December 21, 2007

When it came out just before Christmas last year, I was anxious to see this movie. I have been a Depp fan since Secret Window, I was enamored by Carter's performance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Tim Burton had caught my attention years previously, most specifically with The Nightmare Before Christmas. I didn't get the chance to see the film until it came out on DVD, but at the same time, this was a blessing. To have seen this in theatures might have ruined the effect somewhat.
The movie has received many good reviews (and two Golden Globes), and a few bad reviews. This isn't one of those.
The overall style is very Burton-esque, with fresh camera angles and a unique feeling to it. The filters on the cameras gave England a black-and-white, dull, gray feeling, perfect for the movie. The additional effects pertaining to the blood in the film (which is ample) and scenes not placed in dreary London give even more significance to this. The movie, in style, is similar to Burton's Sleepy Hollow, in both camera filters and angles and a setting in the Victorian era.
The movie's plot is a good one. It's focused, astonishingly suspenseful and though slightly predictable, is exciting all the same. I have never seen the original play, or read it, so I cannot make testaments to the truth of the original, something I find important in any sort of remake. However, this version, if it takes any liberties with the text, is amazing.
The acting from all major characters in the film (and honestly, there's a grand total of eight major characters and a bunch of extras) is strong, and I can't say that I once realized that I was watching a movie. That, I think, is one of the signs of good acting. From a cast this loaded, however, I was not surprised. I knew that good acting was a sure thing when I read the cast list.
Good music, though, did surprise me. I was anxious to hear Depp sing anything other than a pirate tune, and I wasn't let down. Though his vocals aren't life-changing, they are good. All eight of the main characters sing, and they all sing well. Carter graces the film with high octaves and the other actors, Rickman included, make for a strong soundtrack. This is a musical, and while the movie has been critiqued for the scores, I found that they were memorable, melodious, heart-wrenching and, at times, funny.
That all having been said, this isn't a movie that you would go see with your grandmother. The movie, at least the unedited version (though I don't know if it's possible to edit the film without taking out at least thirty minutes of it) is gory. It takes no prisoners, showing Depp slice through his co-actor's throats without any of the convenient gaps in time or objects placed just so in front of the camera. The blood flows here, ladies and gentlemen, and Burton refuses to tone down the violence. Not only are the scenes bloody, but there's another disturbing element to the plot that I choose to leave out of this review to avoid spoiling the movie.
At the same time, I have difficulties calling this one a horror movie, because it just doesn't seem to fit the mold. The movie doesn't have creepy aliens who jump out at you, or a masked murderer whose identity happens to be the long lost cousin of the main character's deceased stepmother. The suspense is high, the gore is unsurpassed by most of today's horror films, and yet, I doubt that anyone who saw it would call it a horror movie. It is a classic musical, after all.

All in all, I find that Sweeney Todd boasts an impressive cast, hardcore directing, in-your-face gore, and a beautiful musical score to boot. There's romance, very morbid humor, and though the film is off the beaten track, it delivers a punch even with the very last scene. While it's not a family film, Sweeney Todd is a film that you'll find yourself watching and enjoying again and again.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star

SereneShadow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:30:22 CDT

July 23, 2008

Written by: Brandon Mull
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Release Date: May 1, 2007

Beginning less than a year from where the first book took off, Rise of the Evening Star begins with the same flavor as the first Fablehaven. However, whether through advances in the plot or improvements in Mull's skill, this book isn't the same as its predecessor. To begin with, reading the first is a must, because this book, like the first, does little to explain any new creatures that are involved in it, most notably a kobold and a revenant. That's little to complain about, though, with the second book in the series.
This time around, the childish atmosphere of Fablehaven is toned down to a degree--some of the sentences with exclamation points still remain, but the overall content of the story, from people turning into albinos because of a terrifying creature to a cat with three heads and bat wings, has become much more young adult.
This time around, the plot remains somewhat unpredictable, and yet sucks the reader in, creating a paradox which makes the book harder to critique. I feel that if a book does its job, the reader can only focus on what is happening in the present, and won't be able to make judgements on the style or feel of the book. This novel accomplishes that, at least more so than the first did.
What was, of course, my favorite part of the first book is also my favorite of the second; the subtle but meaningful discussions on different philosophical theories. This time, they focus on betrayal, doing right from wrong, understanding that not everyone is a friend--or at least that friends can be enemies and enemies friends--and facing one's fears.
And finally, the overall feel of the book has gotten much deeper. There are several new characters introduced, some nice, some not, some friends and some enemies. The rise of the Evening Star, an evil organization, creates more twists for the plot and and overall more entertaining story. Kendra and Seth don't know who to trust, and even with the final pages, Mull keeps the reader guessing. Anyone who reads this is no longer protected by predictable plot or the absolute trust one can feel with allies. While the first was a good book, the second is a better one, and this critic hopes that the third will improve even more.

A. Third Eye Blind

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:18:19 CDT

R (For Language, Sexual Content and Violence)

1. Yusuke Hunting

2. Finding Hiei

3. Yusuke, the Snoring Spirit Detective!

4. The Secret Mission

5. Mission Start!

6. Good Morning

7. A Wave of Heartbreak

8. Relive the Past

9. Training Begins

10. These Walls

11. Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

12. Mysteries Unfold

13. Bloody Valentine

14. Breathing

15. Killer Karaoke

16. Anthem of Our Dying Day

17. Fighting Our Captor!

18. Cruising

19. Welcome Home

20. Solitary Confinement

21. All That I've Got

22. Face Off!

23. A Budding Romance

24. Secrets

25. Fine Again

26. Endeavor

27. The Easiest Mission of All

28. Those Eyes

29. One Simple Word

30. Scream for Me

31. Deja Vu

32. World of Chaos

33. Black Balloon

34. Whisper Me a Secret

35. Sleeping Beauty

36. Departure

37. Slings and Arrows

38. July

39. Tears of Anger

40. You Will Be Mine Forever...

41. Don't Speak

42. It's All in the Mind Games

43. Open Your Eyes!

44. Return the Favor!

45. Ghost of You

46. Gathering the Pieces

47. Only Angel

48. The Infinite Struggle

49. Straitjacket Feeling

50. Six Feet Under

51. The Betrayal

52. Lie to Me

53. Spider's Web

54. The (After) Life of the Party

55. Opal's Secrets

56. Wilted Rose

57. Broken Sword

58. Snuffed Flame

59. Beaten Spirit

60. The End

58. Snuffed Flame

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:52:29 CDT

Togo's portal led them to a part of the Demon World that was basically deserted. It took them to a section of the forest directly outside a demon city, however, the city was abandoned. Togo ran several feet ahead, and Hiei flitted forward in order to catch up to him. However, Hiei also stayed behind a bit, allowing Togo to take them where he would. Hiei was not familiar with this area of the Demon Plane, and so he wasn't sure if Togo was leading them into a trap, or into the best area for fighting, however, he watched carefully, while keeping an eye on the others.

Yusuke was closest behind Togo, focusing on catching up to the demon. Kuwabara was directly behind Yusuke, his head injury not hindering him too much, but just enough to show. Kurama and Kili pulled up the rear; Kurama because his injury had finally opened again, and it restricted his breathing, and Kili because she was attempting to put all of her energy into her hands in order to blast the necklace, which would supposedly unleash the power, allowing Kili to take hold of it and use it against Togo. What she'd been able to find out was that the power which her ancestors hid inside the opal would nullify his spell, mainly because the spell he was using was a Water Demon one. The Water Demons developed a trick to nullify any of their spells and contained the power in the opal, handing it down in case it was ever needed. When Mimi's daughter killed herself, Mimi took back the opal and promised herself she'd give it to Kili.

When Mimi had to be put into care, she kept the opal with the fear that Kili's foster families might try to sell it for money. Mimi had no idea at the time Kili would need it, but just in case, she told herself. Quickly, Togo's presence became clear to her, and she wrote in her will that the opal necklace be given to Kili upon Mimi's death. When she died of old age, Kili was given the necklace, though she didn't know what it meant.

Artemis had discovered the prophecy (Kili still did not know where he'd heard it, but was glad he'd told her) and told it to Kili, assuming it would help her with Togo. And now, Kili was trying to use the power to destroy him. Actually, the power itself wouldn't destroy him, it would nullify his spell. But if they couldn't kill him before he cast it again, they were done for.

All this sped through Kili's head as she ran toward Togo, along with Kurama. They would have to kill Togo and use the opal, nearly at the same time...

Kili's energy fluctuated, coming in and going out, but she couldn't seem to get enough handle on it. The power was there, yes, but it was becoming more difficult to control, especially with so much going on around her. She concentrated, and the energy flowed the way she wanted, but one distraction and she lost it. However, she wasn't entirely sure she should be gathering it all...not yet.

They ran through the village and came into a forest, at which point things began to get a bit more difficult. The foliage was thick, and difficult to get through. Kurama's wound slowed him down, and Kili's concentration on the opal did so to her as well. Even Togo was slowed, though not enough to allow Yusuke to gain on him, as Yusuke and Kuwabara were also trudging their way quickly through the brush.

Hiei, however, decided to get atop the trees and watch Togo from above. He flitted overhead, looking down for a sign of the demon. He found it when a large yellow blast of energy soared into the air, feet from him. He managed to get away quickly enough, however, not enough to avoid the second blast three feet to his right. He flew, momentarily stunned, into the blast, and felt like he'd been hit with a mallet. He lost his kinetic motion and fell toward the ground. He landed in a tree, feet from Kili and Kurama, who were both panting and attempting to harness either their pain or their energy. Kili gasped, and lost control of her energy. She felt it seep back into her body, and the work of the past hour was lost. But she didn't care.

Kili ran to the tree, where Hiei sat, dazed. That was the second time in his life his opponent had guessed the exact way that he would have dodged. Angered, he stood on the tree limb. "I'm fine." He said shortly, and went to continue, but fell to one knee, weakened from the blast. It had had a deeper impact on him than he'd realized. He grunted, and stood a bit slower this time. He looked down at Kili and Kurama, whose eyes sparkled up at him, filled with worry. "Do not worry about me." He said calmly, and prepared to move back into the front, following Togo. "I will be fine." But of course he was not fine. The blast had effected him down to the bone, and it hurt to move, but he would not show weakness in front of Kili, or Kurama.

He flitted away, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Will he?" Kili asked Kurama, who continued walking, and didn't answer.

NEXT CHAPTER

56. Wilted Rose

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:44:37 CDT

The battle began a few days after the group's discovery of the opal's secrets. By that time, Kili had spoken to Genkai, read up on numerous techniques, and prepared mentally, spiritually, and physically, regardless of the fact that no amount of training would be able to prepare her for this.

Togo stepped on the steps of the Spirit World offices, black boots shining. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't scared, he wasn't confident. He just was. Emotionless and with only one goal in mind: kill. Any facades of wanting to exploit Kili's power (which, he believed, wasn't all that great anyhow) had long-since passed. His motivation now was the same one he'd originally planned to have, without all the distractions.

To get attention and prove his point quickly, he began by charging a small but bright blast of yellow energy and sending it into the west wing, hoping that, with any luck, Kili would be there and that one blast would have been enough to finish her.

No such luck.

As if they had expected it (and of course they had), the team stepped out of the castle, looking grim, but determined. Kili stood with a pair of boys on each side, Hiei nearest to her and looking most loathing. The sight gave Togo a definite feeling of smugness. He'd taken what Hiei had not, and even though it hadn't been Kili smiling up at him, it was only a pleasant distraction anyway. He hadn't truthfully expected that tactic to work. While she might very well kill him today, especially if she had figured out the riddle Artemis had inevitably given her, he would still be with her. That little piece of him would always be there, and she'd never be able to escape from that, no matter how hard she ran.

This gave him no small satisfaction as he ran stats through his cunning mind. It was five on one, and even though the team had so far proven noble, he had no doubt that they would attack at once, especially if Kurama was their strategist, which he undoubtedly was. Kurama was proud, but he wasn't stupid, and he would rather everyone live and lose their pride than the other way around, which made perfect sense if you weren't Hiei. If this was his luck, then he had only one choice of maneuvers: dodge and strike, dodge and strike, and always watch your back. Because the second he took to hit Kuwabara was the second he was hit by Hiei. This type of fight was not going to be easy, and he made a mental note to watch his surroundings, because that was another factor, and a dangerous one if his mind was on the five threats in the vicinity. But he didn't plan on allowing all five to fight at the same time. Wounding even one would put at least another out of commission for a short time.

There was a stare down, though neither party enjoyed or abused the privilege. Togo stood with a small smirk on his face, not because he was happy, but because he knew it would aggravate them. He didn't want to be defeated, but there was a terrible heartache tearing him inside. Being reborn could do that to a person.

And the worst part of his immortality, the very reason he had chosen this life in the first place, was the fact that he couldn't turn it off. If he didn't want to be reborn, too bad, you don't have a choice. You're going to anyway. He half regretted making that choice now. He'd had no idea that being reborn would be so utterly painful. But there was a price to pay for immortality, and freedom was it.

The battle officially began when Yusuke fired a surprise blast out of his finger. Togo dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The edge of his trench coat was smoldering, and he mentally cursed, reminding himself not to underestimate them. While he was dodging Yusuke's blow, Togo made use of the kinetic energy and flung himself at Kuwabara, drawing his sword. It was not a quick, precise sword like Hiei's, but a large, heavy bat-like weapon which he swung at Kuwabara's neck. The boy dropped (with little grace) to the Spirit World floor, and Togo dove over him, planting his sword in the ground. As he was throwing himself over Kuwabara, Kili made an attempt to kick him in the side, and missed by inches.

Meanwhile, Kurama had pressed a yellow seed into the ground and was pushing bright red energy into the soil around it. Hiei watched, careful, flitting around the group in semi-jerky circles. Yusuke turned to watch the acrobatic leap of Togo's and rushed in, alongside Kili, to attack while Togo was landing in the dirt. However, this was not his plan. In mid-flip, Togo stuck his heavy sword into the ground and held onto it, flipping over and landing harshly on two feet. He felt Kili and Yusuke coming from two different directions and saved himself by throwing blasts from his hands, hitting both of them. It wasn't a hard hit, however, and they quickly recovered.

Togo, meanwhile, turned to face Hiei, who was flying at him after Kili and Yusuke. Togo and Hiei began sparring with their fists, energies pressing outward and mingling in the air. Each blocked the other's punches effortlessly and they were at a stalemate, until Kuwabara stood from his fetal position after Togo tried to remove his head, and put a large foot into the brawl. His attempt to trip Togo worked, however, it brought Hiei down on top of Togo, straddling his hips. Hiei went to punch Togo in the face, but before he was able, Togo punched him, throwing him off. Hiei recovered and decided to allow Kuwabara to get a few throws in.

The orange-haired-wonder dove at Togo, quite literally. His head collided with the demon's stomach, throwing him several feet backwards and also knocking the air from his lungs. Togo gasped, but stood, kicking Kuwabara in the face as he did so. Yusuke then followed Kuwabara, throwing Togo a punch in the gut. Togo easily dodged by merely side-stepping, and Yusuke, who lived to follow through, fell on top of Kuwabara. Togo ran toward Kili, steering clear of the incapacitated boys. He quickly made a head-count; Kili in front of him, Hiei circling, Kurama planting several feet to his right, and the two idiots behind him, laying down.

He ran to Kili and stopped just short, beginning with a swift blast to her chest. She dodged it by turning to her right, but Togo was not to be tricked, and grabbed a tuft of blonde hair. Kili swung her hair, expecting a sharp pain at the root of her hair, and she wasn't disappointed. However, her toss of the hair did not dislodge Togo's grip, as she expected, and he rather stood, then kicked her feet from under her. She was being held by her hair, and her face was screwed up in pain as Togo turned her to face him. Of course, in the midst of his gloating, he underestimated her, and she spat in his face. He was momentarily stunned, and didn't drop her, but she was able to hit him in the jaw. He then dropped her and she turned quickly. "I'm not a child." She gasped, fists clenched. He rubbed his jaw with one hand, eyes wide. "Believe me, Kili," he said quietly, still massaging his face, "I know." He turned to face her, one eyebrow raised. She took a second to survey him, then narrowed her eyes as he undressed her with his.

Kili then would have given Togo another bruise, possible below his navel, except that he was picked up and out of her way by several very thick, dark green vines. The villain was eclipsed in the foliage, lifted high into the air and nearly smothered by the plant. Kurama knelt nearby Kili, pushing energy into the ground. Togo struggled, twenty feet in the air. Then, he stopped, and the plant engulfed his head. Yusuke, Hiei and Kuwabara stepped over to Kili and Kurama, who was sweating, pouring his all into the dirt.

"Is it...over?" Kili asked, breathless, hardly daring to believe the words she spoke.

"Hardly." Came the reply, to their far right, and before Kili, Kuwabara, Hiei or Yusuke could turn, Togo's sword came flying and struck Kurama directly in the back.

"KURAMA!" Kili screamed, falling to her knees next to the kneeling fox, who had ceased putting energy into the dirt, and instead fell forward, sliding on the sword. Yusuke also went next to Kurama, seeing what he could do. Hiei surveyed Yusuke and Kili, then went for Togo. The giant plant fell to the ground, causing the earth to shake, and Kuwabara realized Togo must have simply slashed his way out once the plants carried him out of view.

Kuwabara gritted his teeth and followed Hiei, conjuring his spirit sword and swinging at Togo's head. Togo ducked, and was promptly kneed in the gut by Hiei.

Meanwhile, Yusuke put a foot on Kurama's back and yanked out the sword as delicately as possible. The boy groaned, then dropped his head onto the ground. The blood was pooling quickly around him, staining his clothes. Kili ripped the bottom of her shirt off, glad for the loose thread that hung there. She tore her shirt in a circle, revealing her belly button, but not caring. She folded the cloth and pressed it hard to Kurama's wound. "He needs bandages." She panted to Yusuke. He nodded, quickly turning and running into the offices, trying to get Botan and find bandages at the same time.

"Kurama..." Kili whispered. He didn't answer. "You're going to be fine." She whispered again, putting pressure on the wound and praying she wasn't breaking any ribs. He didn't need any more complications.

Yusuke and Botan returned just as Togo, Hiei and Kuwabara basically fell out of the sky. They leapt from Spirit World, determined to continue the spar despite the fact that their ground was quickly running out.

Botan and Yusuke rolled Kurama over, while Botan felt his chest. "As far as I can see, it hasn't punctured any organs. You'll have to leave him here." Botan said as Kurama winced and shook his head. "I'm going to continue..." Botan sighed, and smiled. "I can see you're not going to be argued with. Very well. I'm going to do a healing right now, and it's going to seal the wound temporarily. I'll then put these bandages on and you'll be alright for a few hours. But then, you'll need proper treatment." Botan chattered on while Kili fidgeted. "Uh, Botan, could you hurry it up? Exactly how long is this going to take?" Kili asked. Botan looked Kurama over again. "Ten minutes at the most."

Kili looked at Yusuke. "Go." He answered, eyes brimming with fear. "I'll bring him, you go." She nodded, then hugged him over Kurama's body. "Thank you." She whispered to the three of them, and then, took a running jump and dove off the ground, into the abyss.

NEXT CHAPTER

59. Beaten Spirit

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:36:28 CDT

Togo stopped at the clearing, which was about as large as half a football field, in a roughly circular shape. He stood and waited for the others to catch up, facing the direction he'd come. Sure enough, Hiei quickly came via treetops. He had obviously been hit with one of the blasts Togo had thrown up, because of his slightly pained posture, and the fact that his clothing had several rips on it. His eyes glared down at Togo, who made no attempt to hit him, waiting for the others to arrive. Hiei made no moves either, except to continuously glare at the villain who smiled up at him, emotionless.

Yusuke and Kuwabara stumbled in first, both panting, but feeling victorious. Kuwabara had a slight headache, but that was all. Yusuke and Kuwabara stood on either side of Togo, poised for action, but not attacking yet. Kurama and Kili brought up the rear, walking into the clearing. Kili's hands were blue, but not engulfed in light. Kurama was holding his side, but otherwise seemed okay.

Togo cleared his throat for attention, and was instantly treated to looks of utter disdain. "You're going down!" Yelled Yusuke, powering up for a shot and aiming at Togo's head. Togo smiled. "Now, now, is that really intelligent? You know you need to use the opal to stop me from coming back." Yusuke looked as if he was going to talk, but instead closed his mouth quietly.

"Before we end this fight, I have a few words. You can choose to listen or to attack, but I'm going to keep talking regardless. In fact, I won't stop until I'm finished or dead." Yusuke glared at him, and began to walk forward, unwilling to stand around and let Togo mess with their minds. However, Kurama raised a hand to him and Yusuke stopped. "I want to hear this." Kili added to Kurama's movement.

"Speak, Togo, but know that if we do not like what we hear, we will kill you." Kili hissed.

"Do not kid yourself, girl; everything that has happened so far has been all in my planning. You actually believe you still have the upper hand, when you cannot harness your power, Kurama has been injured severely, and Kuwabara and Hiei have minor injuries? I kidnapped you and the detectives knowing that together, you would bond and break free. My 'mistake' then was trusting an incompetent corpse to do my bidding. But I commanded him to carry the sword on his hip, and was certain that you would escape. I remember the first time I saw you in person. You had broken out of my prison, as I knew you would."

Kili watched him pause, and realized that he began directly from when they had met. Why didn't he start from the very beginning? What was he trying to hide? Before she could ask this, he continued, and the thought was to be lost for a long time.

"Until then, I had never been reborn. There had been no need to. But of course, when Kili attacked, the pain was immense, and temporary. I gained a new form, and searched for the only remaining members of Kili's family. So then, I succeeded in killing your immediate family, and kidnapping Artemis without your knowledge. Artemis, her half brother, and Mimi, her grandmother. Meanwhile, her parents from America found her. I disposed of them. Weren't you thankful for that, Kili?"

Kili growled. "You nearly got me imprisoned for that too." She spat. He grinned.

"Of course. I couldn't miss the opportunity; plus that demon was stupider than dirt. He was expendable. Then, when Artemis would not help me in destroying Kili, I controlled him. He died at your hands, and was released from my employ. Did you say a hearty goodbye, Kili? He was most regretful of your pasts; he wouldn't hate you, no matter what I threw at him. Does that make you happy? Or does it make the pain all the more hard to bear?" Kili grit her teeth while the boys moved, agitated.

"I fooled you with that facade of a castle, kidnapped Kili alone this time, and lured the detectives to my castle. Here, I had advantages. I pinned you down, Kili. You won't ever forget the time you spent there, I guarantee it. At the end, however, I knew the result. I knew that the detectives would reach us in time, and I knew that Koenma would have left some method to destroy me with." He chuckled. "A wishing orb, how quaint." Kurama clenched his fist in pain and frustration; the wishing orb had been his idea.

"And I was killed again, and once again reborn. This time, I would try my best, however, I would know beforehand if my best wasn't enough. I was determined. And so you came after me, perused me, and I still managed to capture you. This time, I got the better of you. I controlled you, for a while. And yet again, you got away. It was your will, Kili; your strong mind and heart that saved you. But I would not go down alone. I was determined to take someone with me. However, you valiantly gave your life to have me defeated.

"And Hiei, being the lovesick fool he was, revived you and killed himself in the process. I believe the saying is 'An eye for an eye'? The two of you think so very much alike, though I'm not sure if either of you planned to die. And while Kili killed me with a cheap shot and anger to fuel her actions, she was in pain again. I thrived on her mourning of Hiei's death. I knew this would only benefit me, even if Koenma did bring him back, which, of course, he did.

I returned to you in the dead of night, and I frightened you. I was ready to kill you now; my new form was dying to spill blood. I revealed my acts against Cain, as I knew you had met him and stayed with him whilst he died. I gave away more than I was willing, of course, but it came with a reward. I watched you struggle in fear and pain once more. Hiei attacked me, but it was not sufficient to kill me. I kidnapped the human tourist, Todd, and watched as you killed him. For it was you, Kili who killed him--I merely did your bidding. I have always been a servant to you--doing what you wish and killing those you want dead. And what have I asked in return?" Kili glanced to the others, who had disgusted looks on their faces. She was glad that they were still on her side in this battle of the mind.

"Then, I changed your destiny. With a simple spell, I changed your entire life. I now gave you a new personality--someone you could change into if you wanted to 'get out of your own skin'. All this, I have done...and still you defy me. Your newfound self and I hit it off...as I knew we would. I always knew, Kili, that we two were destined together. The exact definition of this relationship is not fully known, but if we had been created on the same side--such as, both of us Earth Demons, for example--we would have made a great team. And you proved that to me, Kili, when your alter-ego offered your body to me. I politely took it." At this point, Kili had to spit on the dirt, even though it was a habit she found disgusting.

Togo looked surprised, but amused. "I said that correctly, you know. She offered you to me. I did not rape you, Kili...I wouldn't dream of it." She glared at him, but did not speak. She had no retort to that offense.

"And now, we find ourselves here. It's been a long road, lady and gentlemen. You've grown so much." Yusuke growled roughly, and began shouting. "You actually think you're getting away?! You honestly believe you're going to escape, or live?" He asked. Togo's eyes moved from Kili's face to Yusuke's.

"No. I will not run; I will not leave this place until all of you are dead, or I am dead. And I do not necessarily expect to live. However, I don't expect to die alone." This angered the boys, but Togo held up a hand to command silence. He got it reluctantly.

"And even if I do die, I will live on. I will live on in your memories. You will never forget me, Kili and her friends. You will never forget the pain I've caused you. I've made permanent marks in your minds, and you will forever be in pain from them. I will be a constant reminder that you just weren't good enough. And that's enough to satisfy me; living forever in the minds of those I captured will be sufficient to keep me alive and kicking."

At that point, Yusuke had had enough. However, Togo was not about to let Yusuke ruin his end moment. Yusuke rushed toward Togo, and Togo surprised him by kicking him directly in the groin. Yusuke fell promptly to the ground, clutching his family jewels. Kili wanted to run to him, but Kuwabara did instead, and Kili decided to stay far from Togo for the moment. Togo moved aside anyway, so he was directly in front of Kili.

"Now, at the risk of sounding clichéd--prepare yourself, Kili. Prepare to die."

NEXT CHAPTER

60. The End

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:35:50 CDT

Kili looked at the ground. She couldn't do it. Her enemy was standing here, waiting to be attacked, and she couldn't do it. The others were staring at her, waiting, and still...

Her eyes drifted to Yusuke on the ground, and she wondered numbly whether he'd ever have children. 'Focus, girl...'

She called forth every ounce of power, every trickle of the water from every bit of her body...and it wasn't enough. She felt tears gather behind her eyes, but forced herself not to cry, in order to retain some little dignity. The others watched, helpless, and waiting.

The energy was in her hands, it was all there, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to jumpstart the opal...she was going to die here. They were ALL going to die here.

Yusuke stood, shaky, recovering from his ball-busting adventure, if you'll pardon the pun. "You bastard, you're going down. That was a fucking low blow and you know it." Togo smiled. "I care? Attack me, if you will. But as long as Kili is unable to harness the opal's power, you'll never defeat me."

The others finally took their eyes from Kili, and began to attack. Kurama pulled out the rosewhip, flying it around the clearing, chopping down trees as he went. Hiei flitted around and began attacking Togo, then flying back into the trees. Yusuke and Kuwabara took a more frontal approach, and began striking Togo wherever they could.

Meanwhile, Kili stood on the edge of the clearing, her eyes shut. She had limited time to do this, but she had to, or else she would die. Everyone would die, and that was something she would do anything to prevent. She tried calling up her life energy, but she wasn't able to. She had done it before, to save Hiei...but things had been different then.

Togo hit Kurama in his old wound, and he flew, legs swinging. He landed in the dirt and did not get up.

Still, Kili pulled her energy to her fingertips, shaking, the blue light flickering.

Kuwabara was hit and flew into a tree, landing at the stump on his butt and moaning. The tree cracked in half and fell the other way, while Kuwabara's eyes pulled closed.

Kili felt a tear drip from her eyes, and yet she still couldn't unleash the power.

Togo kicked Yusuke and he flew into the forest, hitting tree after tree. His arm snapped and he lay back in the grass, defeated.

Kili dropped to her knees in frustration. Their team was nearly defeated; only Hiei was still able to move. And then, he was hit in the face by Togo, and his neck whipped around. He too, landed face down in the dirt. Kili's tears came now.

Togo walked to her, and didn't wait for her to stand up. He slapped her across the face and kicked her in the rib, causing her to fly toward Hiei. She landed, feet from him, and he turned to see her. She crawled toward Hiei, her stomach dragging in the dirt while Togo watched a few feet away.

"I can't do it." She panted frankly, once she had reached Hiei's side. "I can't do it. I did it once, but that was when our lives were in immediate danger...I can't...Hiei, I've failed everyone!" She ripped the opal from her neck. "No, you haven't. Only if you give up." Were Hiei's words. She looked up at him, and he was looking at her, almost surprised. "I'm not strong enough..." She said slowly. Hiei softly pulled her to her feet, the opal between all four of their hands. He looked her in the eye. "But WE are." He said quietly, and began to pour energy to her. Her hands felt warm, and suddenly, the warmth was flowing all through her body, lifting her spirits and reaching every corner of her body.

Togo, Kurama, Kuwabara and Yusuke looked up at the couple. They stood, inches apart, Hiei's head titled down toward Kili's. Her head was tilted toward the opal, which was embracing them both in a white light. Kili's blue energy surrounded her, and Hiei's red energy surrounded him, but both of their energies mixed with the opal's white power. Kili held it in her hands, and Hiei held her hands in his.

Togo watched, wide-eyed, while the others stared on as well. Kili began to float, the wind flying around her with the opal's power lifting her from the ground. She and Hiei kept their hands together until she was too high, and then he let go, but watched her progress. She was engulfed in the white light, the wind whipping around her, blowing her hair and clothes.

The light was unleashed, flying around the clearing in white swirls. It was unclear whether Kili was controlling it or not, but it soared directly into Togo's chest, knocking him back. As he flew, his eyes were open in shock, and the color dulled the tiniest bit. All the energy flowed into Togo, and so when he hit the ground, a small crater was created, pummeling him into the dirt.

Kili began to descend, the white energy slowly depleting. The wind died, and she landed gracefully on two feet. Nothing changed about her appearance, other than her eyes were now glowing blue. The opal necklace in her hand had disappeared, chain and all, and the white energy finally stopped hitting Togo. He lay in the dirt for a moment, and then sat up, feeling a bit lightheaded. He grit his teeth, but otherwise did not speak.

Kili smirked, though her eyes still glowed blue.

Inside her mind, voices whispered quickly. She was not in control of her own body, and she felt occupied by so many others; too many others.

We will linger only a moment, Kili...

You must finish him...

Avenge us, and we will not have died in vain...

We will linger only a moment....

Two blasts erupted from her hands, and began to circle the clearing, looking menacing. Togo's eyes followed one of the orbs until Kili spoke.

"You still do not cower, even now, Togo?" Kili laughed, though her voice was not her own. Her voice sounded like several people all speaking the same words at the same time; a chorus of voices. "You knew that your wickedness would bring this upon you, Togo. Do not deny it, and fear karma, for she will be your undoing." Kili went on. "You have been running for years, Togo. Today is the day things catch up to you. You knew this day would come--you have told us so yourself."

Togo still clenched his fists in anger, but did not speak. He stood, while the others stared at Kili, awed, and yet frightened, by the sight of her like this.

"It would please us, Togo, to kill you now. But we forfeited that power when we died. We'll see you in the afterlife..."

Kili's eyes ceased to glow, and she fell to her knees. The orbs, however, continued to circle them. Hiei knelt next to her, and touched her shoulder, but her head snapped up, staring at Togo with a menacing look. "I'm alright..."

Kili was back in control. "Togo, I have to admit, I’m a compassionate person. Even knowing everything you put me through, I don’t want to do what you know I will. The only reason I'm doing what I have to now, is because I'm fucking scared of you. And I don't have problems saying it anymore--because it's true. I'm fucking scared of you and what you could and have done to me. I'm sure it's not exactly smart to tell the outright truth right before you battle someone like this, but that's how I am.

What motivates me now isn't really hatred or revenge, even though that's what my ancestors want. What is making me do this is the fact that I can't live knowing you could still be around to haunt me. So after you die, no, I won't forget you. But I'll be able to have a little peace once in a while.

So do your worst."

Kili once again called her energy, though she really didn't have enough to spare. She winked to Hiei and nodded to the others, and they all stood, staring at Togo, who retained his composure. Hiei called forth his still ample energy, luring the Dragon of the Darkness Flame into their midst. Yusuke pulled his energy into one finger, and pointed it dead at Togo. Kurama pushed a seed into the ground and began pouring his heart into it; the plant sprouted and grew to mammoth proportions. Kuwabara conjured the largest Spirit Flyswatter he was able to bring forth.

Kili smiled at Togo, who realized he had nowhere to run. Even if he did take off, they would follow until he was dead, and he wouldn't have time to do another immortality spell.

They would chase him to the ends of the earth.

When Togo realized this, he didn't cower in fear, or scream, or even cry. All he did was lift both arms, close his eyes, lifted his eyes to the sky, and smile.

Kili wasn't absolutely sure, but she thought she heard the last thing Togo said, directly after he had accepted his fate. Kuwabara could no longer contain the Spirit Flyswatter and chucked it at Togo, and basically at the same time, the others released their attacks. Yusuke shot his blast, Kurama's Death Plant flew at Togo and was ready to eat him, and Hiei's Dragon of the Darkness Flame came forth and flew at Togo.

But before he was engulfed by the attacks, and right before she sent her own blast of water at him, Kili heard Togo's last words.

"I've failed you, brother."

And then all five attacks leapt toward him, and he was gone.

The five energies were enough to create a blast so large that it threw all five fighters back, while completely incinerating Togo's body. Kurama's plant ate him, and then was chopped into pieces by the Spirit Flyswatter, which was doused in water, which was boiled and torn apart by a Spirit Gun blast, which was eaten by the Dragon, all simultaneously. This merely exploded into bright white light and threw them all in the same direction several feet. They landed roughly in the dirt, and the blast ended. They looked up as the blinding light disappeared, to see nothing but ash floating in the sky.

It was over. They had won.

Kili was the first to stand, quickly followed by the others. They didn't approach the place where their blasts had met, but simply stood in their tracks, watching the ash float down around them. Kili looked toward the sky and caught a piece of it in her hand. She closed her hand, looking down at it, with a smile on her face, and tears coming from her eyes.

"He's gone." She said, and that was all anyone could say, and it was enough.

She turned toward Hiei and flew at him, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. She cried into his chest, as they lay in the dirt. They hugged each other, and shared a kiss. The others cheered, and suddenly Kuwabara threw himself on top of Kili and Hiei, creating a dog pile. Yusuke followed, and Kurama finished it, hugging the rest of them.

There was a brief moment, while Kili was embraced in all those hugs and smiling friends, that she saw Togo's face before he'd died, and remembered his promise--"You will never forget me, Kili and her friends."

But then Hiei grabbed her hand, his eyes filled with a smile, and it was just another memory.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kili sat, cross-legged on a sandy beach. The sun was off in the distance, setting quietly over the edge of the water. The ocean soothed her, and she smiled as a salty wind went through her hair. She was alone now, but that was okay, because there would be a big party in the Spirit World for the defeat of Togo, and she would be with Hiei and her friends. Now, she just needed time to think. Her heart was heavy, no denying. It wasn't that she missed him, but that this was a part of her life was now over. And her freedom was almost too good to think about.

She heard footsteps and turned to see Hiei behind her, and she smiled, motioning for him to sit down. He did, and handed her a piece of paper. She looked down to see that it was typed out, and the title was--

"It was something Togo said right when you died. He said that you must have really loved me to save me, but then he said it was a foolish tactical maneuver. At that time, I didn’t think about anything but the fact that he said it was a tactical maneuver. Because he didn’t understand what I did…he was a fool, and I knew more about it than he did."

"More about what?"

"More about love. I understood that you gave your life for me, and I did the same for you."

Kili's eyes welled with tears, and she sniffed. The paper was a page of song lyrics.

"Have you heard it?" She nodded.

"You sang the song that you said reminded you of me...and I found one that reminded me of you."

Her smiled was tinted with tears, but they were good tears. Hiei glanced at her, and then looked out at the ocean. "This means...YOU mean..." He looked back at Kili, who was trying to articulate exactly how she felt, and smiled. "I know. You don't have to say it." She wiped an eye with one hand while nodding.

"Hiei of the Jagan, I think I'm in love with you." Hiei looked at her, not surprised, but at the same time, receiving the shock of his life. It was something he would never had expected from anyone in his life.

"Kili...I think I'm in love with you." He said, staring at the ocean, his eyes wide, and a smile trying to form on his face. His voice was heavy, and Kili liked that.

"When I was in pain, and when Togo had me by the throat, I always thought of you. Even though we weren’t ‘together’, I still thought of your face, and it made me feel better." She said slowly. "That's how I knew that you were the one for me."

Hiei smiled at her, and took her hand in his. "I'll never leave you."

She took his other in hers. "And I'll never leave you."

They leaned in and kissed one another, a deep, full kiss that wasn't about passion or sex, but about love. About understanding one another so much that it felt as if their souls were touching. Were becoming one.

They fell back on the sand, holding each other's hand. "Will you...would you sing it?" Hiei asked quietly. She smiled, and one more tear fell down her cheek. "Yes."

Hiei closed his eyes, and her voice wafted to him, soft at first, but getting stronger, and hearty with the sound of love.

"'I'm not a perfect person.
There's many things I wish I didn't do...
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you.
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know.'"

Kili found herself crying during the song, but they were tears of joy, because she was home. For once in her life, she felt at peace; she felt as though she belonged here, and that was worth more than anything Hiei could give her.

"'I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be.
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you.'"

His reason was her. Hiei had changed so much over the past few months...he was opening, he was coming out of his shell, and he was regretting. He regretted any times he had hurt her, and any times he might hurt her in the future. But she had changed him; she had made him better. She was his reason.

"'I'm sorry that I hurt you.
It's something I must live with every day.
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears.
That's why I need you to hear.'"

Kili rolled over during the pause in the song, and flopped onto Hiei's chest. She laid an ear to his heartbeat, and felt it there, pounding beneath his skin. His arms slid around her, encasing her in his body, holding her tight as though she'd never leave. And their bodies felt like they were meant to be together; as if every piece he lacked, she had.

"'I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be.
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you.
And the reason is you.
And the reason is you.
And the reason is you.'"

Hiei held the only girl for him in his arms; he wanted her there always. For all his searching, and all his lies...they weren't worth losing her.

Kili was held by the first person to understand her; the first person to love her for who she was, and not what she could give. Everything she'd ever wanted was right there, in his arms.

"'I'm not a perfect person.
I never meant to do those things to you.
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know.

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be.
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you.
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know.
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you.'"

THE END.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Epilogue

The rejoice was one of the finest in Spirit World. All the detectives and all their friends came, and everyone had a grand time. The destruction of Togo was finished, and life could slowly go back to normal.

A few days after the celebration, Koenma called Kili and the boys into his office.

"In light of the current situation, I've decided that the protection of Kili is no longer necessary, which means you boys no longer need to follow her around." Kili felt a slight sinking in her stomach. She would still see them at school, of course...well, Yusuke and Kuwabara, anyway.

"However, despite the fact that this is not exactly orthodox, and considering the idea that Hiei is actually making progress personality-wise, for the good of the team, I've decided we need a new member." The boys gasped alongside Kili.

"Welcome to the team." Koenma smiled. Kili shrieked and jumped up and down with Botan, while Koenma and the boys smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" Yelled Kili, shaking Koenma's hand as she giggled. She turned to Hiei and winked. "We'll be working together now." She said slyly. He smirked. "Great." She playfully punched his arm as Yusuke beamed. "You'll have to hone up your skills if you want to run with us big boys!" He shouted. She nodded, but didn't answer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A week or so after Kili's addition to the team, the group was still in Spirit World, recuperating from their wounds. Kurama had the worst of them, but luckily, there had been no infection. Now, they sat at one of their favorite spots; a small area next to a sparkling creek where they spent a lot of time together. Kuwabara, Yusuke and Kili were playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors", and when Kuwabara won again, they fell back into the grass, laughing, except for Kili, whose face was twisted in uncertainty. "What’s wrong?" Hiei asked quietly.

"I have to tell you something..."

57. Broken Sword

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:28:48 CDT

The fall to the Human World seemed to last an eternity. Since she was so far behind Hiei, Kuwabara, and Togo, she couldn't see them through the cloud cover, but assumed that nothing had changed. She tumbled through the air, unable to move or get a grip on her body as it plummeted toward the ground. She managed to look up and see Yusuke and Kurama following, Kurama with his school uniform on, but the top un-buttoned, and bandages wrapped around his torso. She felt utterly grateful toward him for taking a hit like that, and was surprised he could move at all. Yusuke and Kurama dove gracefully, speeding toward the ground face first, with Yusuke holding Kurama with one arm.

Eventually, the fall ended, and she landed surprisingly smoothly on the ground. She still fell on her face, but the surprise came when she didn't die. Kili stood, shaky from the fall, and looked around for the others. She saw a small trail of wreckage which she quickly followed down the street, around a park, and into a smaller part of town. She could hear Kuwabara and Hiei fighting Togo; swords clanging ruthlessly, and Kuwabara's grunts as he attempted to behead Togo. She also spared numerous glances to Kurama and Yusuke behind her, who were making good progress despite Kurama's injury, which had not yet re-opened.

Kili stumbled upon Kuwabara as she was looking back at Yusuke, and fell once again, face first. She stood quickly, a trickle of blood and dirt running down one cheek. "Dammit!" She spat, as Kuwabara attempted to sit up. She could see Togo and Hiei a few feet up, sparring on the rooftop of a house. Kuwabara had a head injury, from the look of things. Kili wasn't a doctor and so couldn't be sure, but he was holding his head and a bit of blood was seeping through his hair. She knelt beside him, feeling their rag-tag team falling apart quickly.

"Kuwabara! It's your head, isn't it? What happened?" She asked, as he continued to moan on the ground. "Hit with debris." He said through clenched teeth, his hands curling into fists in pain. Kili looked quickly to her right and saw a trashcan with a large dent and some blood in it. She cursed mentally and then decided to locate the wound.

At this point, Yusuke and Kurama joined her, and Kili nodded to Yusuke, who immediately went to fight Togo alongside Hiei, who had been doing well alone so far.

Kili looked at Kurama, who had one hand on his wound, but was otherwise alert. His wound wasn't bleeding again, she hoped, but decided that there was nothing she could do if it was. "His head's bleeding." She said to Kurama, who nodded and began parting Kuwabara's hair, looking for the source. Kili watched him carefully, while keeping tabs on Yusuke and Hiei, who were still fighting brilliantly against the outmatched Togo. But of course, Togo was holding his own against them. For now.

"What can I do?" Kili asked, Kurama's hands still massaging Kuwabara's skull. "Give me a piece of your skirt, quickly." He said calmly, pressing down on the wound to stop the small blood flow. Kuwabara flinched, but didn't speak. "Fuck..." Kili ripped the bottom half of her skirt in a horizontal manner, handing the dark cloth to Kurama, who quickly wrapped it around Kuwabara's wound. The wound was on the side of his head, so it looked a bit like a headband. The shirtless and bandaged Kurama looked at Kili. "He needs to sit for a few moments, but then he can get up." Kili nodded.

But of course, Kuwabara being Kuwabara, he stood immediately. "Not a chance, you guys! He thinks he can throw a trashcan at me and keep ME down?! No way!" Kuwabara roared and ran quickly toward the group of fighters. Hiei and Togo were fighting with their swords, while Yusuke stood a ways back and attempted to fire shots at Togo. He had to be careful, however, because there was a chance he'd hit Hiei.

Kili and Kurama followed Kuwabara to the fight, but none of them jumped in, because of the sharp blades that were flying around the two fighters. Kuwabara finally joined, swinging his Spirit Sword at Togo at the same time as Hiei. The two swings were both good, however, Togo blocked Hiei's and was hit with Kuwabara's. He went flying, and at the same time, Kuwabara fell to one knee, his Spirit Sword evaporating into so much smoke.

"His head injury must have damaged his ability to use the Spirit Sword!" Kurama explained, as Hiei followed Togo's flight into a back alley. Togo and Hiei went at it once more, both enveloping their swords in their energies. Surprisingly, both blocked the other's attack, and both swords promptly snapped with a cracking sound. Hiei watched, stunned, as his sword's remains fell to the ground. He considered using Sword of the Darkness Flame, but didn't get the chance, as Togo came at him again, this time with a fist full of yellow energy. Hiei dodged, and landed near Kili, who asked Kurama why Hiei didn't use the Darkness Flame.

"If he used the conventional dragon, there's a good chance that one of us could be consumed in the process, even though he's mastered the technique. He doesn't want to risk that. He could use the Sword of the Darkness Flame, but I'm certain Togo is not going to allow him the opportunity." Kili watched, biting a lip. Hiei turned toward Togo and called forth the flame of the human world. "Fists of the Mortal Flame..." breathed Kurama. Kili watched as Hiei and Togo began sparring again, their fists flying and full of energy.

Yusuke now believed it was time to help, and jumped in, his fists now glowing blue. Kuwabara couldn't form the Spirit Sword, but could still use his energy, and also went in to fight. Kurama watched carefully, and Kili, who had never been good at fighting with energy fists, began summoning her energy for a water blast. Kurama noted this, and stopped her.

"Kili, you're supposed to be conserving your energy for the opal." She nodded, and changed focus. Instead of imagining her energy as water flowing from her palms, she began calling up every speck of energy she could. She began with her toes and moved upward, calling all energy to her hands, which were clasped around the necklace.

Togo noticed this, but did not stop her. The reason for this was firstly, because he had enough to deal with Hiei, Kuwabara and Yusuke, but also because he wanted to see how far this was going to go. He knew it was forever, whatever the consequences, and yet, he was curious to see whether Kili was all she'd been meant to be. If she was everything that the Water Demons needed, or not.

And so, while he was sparring with Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei, he pushed them all back and created a portal, eager to leave the Human World for the advantages of the Demon one.

“Follow him!” Screamed Kili, and Hiei jumped into the portal right after Togo, followed by the others.

A young boy looked out the window of his apartment to see six beings, five male and one female. The first was making a whole in the ground, though it looked more like a whole in space. He jumped in, and three men followed, shouting. The last two, a man and woman, followed slowly, and with caution.

The floor ate all six of them, and then its mouth disappeared.

NEXT CHAPTER

55. Opal's Secrets

SereneShadow — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:21:03 CDT

A few more days passed. Kili and Hiei put temporary bandages on their emotional wounds. They knew, even as they were consumed with grief, that you were supposed to allow wounds to heal; give them time to breathe. However, the situation did not allow such luxuries. So, at risk for future damage, they “moved on.” Though, “moved away” is a much more accurate description. They “moved away” from the horrible things they couldn’t deny.

Kili had seen a doctor and an expert in demon powers. Lithe, it seems, was not a new soul added to Kili’s body. She was a part of Kili herself; a part of her unconscious which was now conscious. She was Kili, but at the same time, she was someone else.

Kili hadn’t the time to consider the consequences of having another personality. She would burn that bridge when she came to it. Now, however, was a time for puzzling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Artemis had given her the riddle of the opal, she’d been too preoccupied with his death and Togo to care much, let alone show or tell anyone. But now, she took the prophecy, which was a riddle, and her opal necklace, to Kurama’s room, where Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei were already waiting. They’d all treated her delicately and had done what they could. Kili had no qualms with any of them, least of all Hiei, who had been in as much pain as she had.

So now, she took a breath and entered the room. Kuwabara and Yusuke were playing Super Mario Brothers on a borrowed Gamecube. Hiei was at the window, looking out. It was well past 9pm, and he undoubtedly couldn’t see much. Kurama sat at the table, playing Solitaire.

“What’s the matter, Kili?” He asked, glancing at her troubled face. She handed him a scrap of paper. “When I said goodbye to Artemis, he recited a riddle about how to defeat Togo, but I can’t figure it out. Would you look at it?” She asked. He nodded, taking the piece of paper.

‘Truth is
His to
End.

Others only hold
Pain.
Angels only make him face his
Lies. Death

Is the only way to become
Safe from his wrath.

Time
Holds meaning,
Except to him.

Kili is the
Everything
You’ll need.’

Kurama frowned, and continued to stare down at it for some time. Eventually, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei sauntered over and the five of them all sat at the Solitaire table, leaning over to look at the riddle. “What I keep coming back to,” Kurama began, an hour after Kili had first brought him the riddle, “is the way the lines are written. There is no rhythm, no reason to the way the lines are…” He drifted off. Kili understood what he meant, but couldn’t see what it had to do with anything.

“I feel like the answer is staring me in the face, and yet, I can’t grasp it.” He said, squinting. “Sometimes the most obvious puzzles are the hardest.” Kili commented wisely.

Kurama looked closely, then gasped. “I’ve got it.” He said at once. The others clamoured to hear his explanation, and all eyes followed Kurama’s finger as he pointed to the first letter of each line in turn.

“T-h-e-o-p-a-l-i-s-t-h-e-k-e-y?” Kuwabara asked. The others’ eyes widened. “The opal is the key.” Kili whispered. One hand flew to her necklace, which, incidentally, was the opal her grandmother had given her. “Holy shit.” Whispered Yusuke, and it was silent. Kili abruptly stood up. “We have to tell Koenma, I’m sure he can figure out what I’m supposed to do with the opal.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Koenma couldn’t think of any use for an opal right off the bat, but he and several ogres, including George, went abruptly to the library to find the answer. Kili and the four boys also went with them, and they began searching and combing through every volume for anything to do with opals and keys.

Hours later, they still had no luck. However, they had only been through a section of the library. Hiei had long since abandoned the search and gone up to the roof of the building, bidding away his time. Kili, now with bloodshot eyes and a weakened demeanor, went up to join him, leaving Koenma, the ogres, and Kurama to continue searching while Yusuke and Kuwabara slept on the floor, their heads cushioned by books.

Kili chose the stairs, hoping to wake up a bit before she got to Hiei. She trudged her way up, eyes on the stairs so she didn’t fall. When she got to the top, Hiei was sitting at the edge of the roof, staring out at the dark horizon. It would be a few more hours before sunup, and Kili hoped to either be in bed or have the answer before then. Just now, the moon was out of sight behind clouds, which also covered the stars. It wasn’t a beautiful night, but then, night had not been beautiful for her recently. She walked and sat next to Hiei, who seemed to know she had been there the entire time.

“Whatcha doing out here?” She asked nonchalantly. Hiei shrugged, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. Kili sighed, then offhandedly allowed herself to go off balance and fall onto Hiei’s shoulder. He turned his head to look at her and held back a smile. “Nice night.” Kili remarked. Hiei raised an eyebrow as her eyes slid up to meet his. “Oh, alright, it’s awful.” She giggled. They sat for a while, until Kili began humming. At first, Hiei ignored it, but after a bit, he couldn’t.

“What is that?” He nearly snapped. She smiled. “A song that reminds me of you.” She answered mushily. He made gagging noises. “It’s ‘I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain.” She answered shortly. She didn’t want to annoy him. “You don’t annoy me.” He said, not reading her mind, but her mannerisms. Her personality. She was glad, but silent.

“Sing it.” He commanded, but gently. “I will,” she said craftily, but then countered quickly, “if you’ll dance with me.” He groaned uncharacteristically. “Come on, it’s a ballad, we have to dance! Here, let me show you.” She said, smiling. They stood, backing away from the edge of the roof, and facing each other. Kili moved Hiei’s hands to her waist and then wrapped her own around his neck. “You lead, and we just take steps, and rock back and forth like a cradle.” She said comfortingly, and Hiei took an unsure step to his left. She followed, and closed her eyes. “Don’t let us go over the edge.” She said, slightly wary. He smiled. “I wouldn’t.”

She began to hum the introductory tunes, creating an atmosphere.

“The strands in your eyes
That color them wonderful
Stop me, and steal my breath.
Emeralds from mountains
Thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth.”

It was a slow, soulful tune, that hit Hiei’s heart like a searing arrow. Of course, this sound would be about love. But he didn’t think it would be a clichéd, stupid song like so many. This was…true.

“Tell me
That we belong together.
Dress it up
With the trappings of love
I’ll be captivated
I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache
That hang from above.”

They danced slowly in a circle, arms around one another. Hiei felt himself growing dizzy, and carefully steered them away from the edge of the building. ‘They should put guardrails up.’ He thought abstractly.

“And I’ll be
Your crying shoulder.
I’ll be
True love suicide.
I’ll be
Better when I’m older.
I’ll be
The greatest fan of your life.”

His head bent and laid on her shoulder as hers fell onto his chest. She was lightheaded; feeling as though she might faint or even cry. And when she thought about it, she started. It muffled her singing, but at first Hiei didn’t hear it.

“Rain falls
Angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed.
You’re my survival
You’re my living proof
My love is alive and not dead.”

By then Hiei could not pretend not to hear it; as she continued the song, he lifted her face with a finger under her chin. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her eyes were red. This made her less pretty, but then again, Hiei felt his knees weak. She could have been the ugliest person in the world, and his feelings would not have changed.

“Tell me
That we belong together.
Dress it up
With the trappings of love.
I’ll be captivated
I’ll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache
That hang from above.”

She continued, and smiled as she did so, but the tears also continued, falling one after another. Hiei still felt dizzy, because she was crying, and he could relate to those feelings. He wasn’t sure about all the bubbly, happy times she had, but this misery, that he could understand. He kissed her tears, and they didn’t stop, but that was okay, because he understood why they were coming.

“And I’ll be
Your crying shoulder.
I’ll be
True love suicide.
I’ll be
Better when I’m older.
I’ll be
The greatest fan of your life.”

As she paused to take a breath, he pulled her closer to him, her head falling back down onto his chest. His arms moved up, around her completely, and his head laid itself on hers, taking in the sweet smell of her hair.

“I’ve dropped out
Burned up
Fought my way back from the dead.
Turned in
Turned on
Remembering the things you
Said.”

“I’m sorry.” She paused the song, looking up at him. “For what?” He asked quietly, the corners of his mouth turned up. “Crying like this—I’m a mess.” She wiped a tear away haphazardly. He smiled fully, disregarding his inhibitions.

“And I’ll be
Your crying shoulder.
I’ll be
True love suicide.
I’ll be
Better when I’m older.
I’ll be
The greatest fan of your life.

And I’ll be
Your crying shoulder.
I’ll be
True love suicide.
I’ll be
Better when I’m older.
I’ll be
The greatest fan of your life.
The greatest fan of your life.”

NEXT CHAPTER