Disclaimer: I'm planning to buy Yu Yu Hakusho. So far, I have a quarter.
Hmm, maybe I should just stick to the fanfiction.
whitedragon: Okay, here's more.
asian princess 61: Thank you 61-sama, I hope I do not disappoint.
celestria: Thank you. I do try to keep the characters in character.
ShadowCat: Ah, your one of those rare people that understands cliffhangers. Thank you!
Kewla: I hope I didn't make you wait too long.
disgruntled Marine: Well, it's not as soon, but it's here!
The Great One: I know it's a fun concept. However, it must be hard sometimes. Then again, I would take up espionage and spying over my school work any day.
rita d.: Okay.
Slim-Shady's-Modeling-Baby: Thank you ^^! I reviewed your story, I thought it was okay. Um, sorry about the spelling mistakes in my review lecturing about spelling mistakes. I have an itchy trigger finger if you know what I mean.
Nightswift: I'll get to them when I can. However, next time just e-mail me about this stuff, okay?
SharkGuardian: All right, I have updated.
kiss from a rose: Don't cry! I don't know what to do with crying people! AHH! Okay, okay, here's the next chapter . . .
Goten 0040: Aw thanks. Actually, I like just about everything. Um, I read your story. You have some minimal spelling errors, (ex. 'peace' instead of 'piece') but otherwise it was good. I didn't read all of it because, um, I wasn't too wild with the beach set up and how Hiei didn't put up much of a fight about going. It's a great story though; you did a wonderful job about showing his softer side (from the part I read, anyways). So, it was a good story, just not my type.
J-sama: Your praise is too much, but thanks anyways! I hope you enjoy this story!
WHITE-HOT DEVIL, DARK DEMON
Rippling blue hair waved like a banner in the cool human world breeze. Refreshing, compared to the burning bowls of the underworld. On the disguised devil's face was a somber frown. An odd thing for the deity to display when this realm made her so happy. Absent mindedly, she used one hand to play with a strand of hair and guided the oar with the other. It was quite dangerous to fly an oar with only one hand, but Botan had flown far more dangerous things then an oar before. However, she usually liked to keep this talent hidden from others.
Botan worried about the devil Queen's plans. This rebellion of hers was not an idle threat. The Queen really was going to try and overthrow Koenma. Worst of all, she actually had a rather good chance of winning this upcoming war. Perhaps Botan should shed these feeling of compassion once and for all. Perhaps she should give into the darkness of her nature and join the Queen.
After all, the urge to become what she once was grew stronger everyday. It was a sign that dark forces were on the rise. Naturally, she could feel its pull, its tempting voice that whispered promises of power and fulfillment of the bloodlust that had been haunting her these past few days. The ferry girl shuddered. She remembered what happened the last time she had bloodlust. She remembered what quelled her desire to be a monster. She remembered the flaming wings . . .
"Botan!"
With a small shriek of surprise, Botan halted her oar and saw an image of the Spirit World prince in the sky.
"Yes, Koenma, sir?" Asked Botan when she regained her breath.
"There is some spectral activity on the edge of the park. It's nothing too serious, a low level demon spy at best, but better safe than sorry. You should be able to handle it. Over and out." Said Koenma before he faded out of the sky.
Botan's mouth twitched upward slightly at Koenma's use of the old proverb on safety. It was ironic, seeing as how he often times sent Yusuke, Botan's 'project' on dangerous missions with little or no information and impossible odds. The deity of death wasn't unhappy though, she needed something to distract her from the locked away secrets of her past.
Dropping like a hawk that has spotted its prey, Botan dived down through the clouds and headed toward the faint spectral signal. Nimbly, she avoided the trees and branches until she heard voices.
"Voices? There should only be one." Thought Botan.
From behind a large tree, Botan peered into a small clearing. Her eyes widened significantly. Three creatures stood in the clearing. One was a living shadow. His dark form smudged slightly on the edges, but you could still make out eyes, a crude mouth, tail and horns. The eyes were round scarlet coals, the only color on him besides ink black. A gaping hole of a mouth allowed him to speak words that dripped out his mouth like liquid flames. His tail was forked; it lay on the ground, like a snake that only pretends to be dead. The horns sprouted from either side of his head in a longhorn bull fashion.
The other creature was more tropical. A loose, almost lazy, maniacal grin claimed her face. Her skin was a reddish copper. She wore the hides of several hyenas. Around her neck were small, human looking, green skulls. Orange snake anklets on her feet wound around and sometimes even through her lower legs. Under her eyes were bright blue triangles. Her eyes themselves were terrible. They constantly morphed into snake eyes, cat eyes, lizard eyes and even hallow skull eyes. This creature leaned over a spear that she used like a cane; the bladed end was caked with blood. Her speech was neither deep nor high; it changed to often for one to be sure what it was. All that was constant was the cold, shrill laughter that punctured her words every so often
The third and final member of the group seemed to be human. It was too hard in Botan's current state to tell though. His hair was blood red, streaked in such a way with silvers and grays that it signified a warped, unnatural aging. The eyes of this man were simply dark, with no way of defining the pupil from the iris. He wore a red tunic with a smoky, glossy material over it. His pants were a simple black and his hunter style boots were also black, but with silver ties. Interestingly, the grass around this man was brown and dying, if it was not already dead. Upon closer inspection of his tunic Botan realized that glossy material was actually the shadow souls of trapped spirits. This man was a necromancer. A sorcerer of the dead.
Two devils and one necromancer. A deadly combination.
Cast around the three was a shield that kept the majority of their power in. Only a trickle of their power leaked out. They were not too strong, but they out-numbered the deity. Even so, Botan eavesdropped.
"You said the portal would be here Kref." Whispered the shadowy devil.
Kref. Silently mouthing the name, Botan felt a memory of some kind being triggered. A convict, a Spirit World case of years long past . . . or perhaps it was an old devil memory. One that had been wiped away . . .
"So I miscalculated the exact location." Snarled, hissed, crowed, and growled the jungle/savannah devil. "You of all devils should know how trick- some and ever-changing the living planes are."
"We do not have time for your foolishness. This sunlight burns my skin and drains my energy. Find the Spirit World entrance and be done with it." Commanded the still unnamed devil, the fluid flames flowing from his mouth.
One of the oily flames lashed out and struck Kref. She howled and placed a hand on the burn. She made the transaction from whimpering about the tender flesh to preparing to impale her companion with her spear in less then a few seconds. Two gray, near transparent, phantom beings grabbed them and threw them away from on another before slowly slinking back to the tunic of the necromancer.
"Stop it." Said the necromancer, a bead of sweat slid down his brow as he did so. "I am wasting too much my own power. Decease your squabbling and find the damn portal!"
Kref stuck out her lower lip, but got down on all four, her joints bending in an odd way that made it easy for her to walk, and appeared to sniffing the portal out. The necromancer and dark, shadow-like devil followed her. The shield followed them as well.
"Not portal . . . No, not a portal." Murmured Kref.
"What are you muttering about?" Asked the shadow devil in a snide tone of voice.
"Something is here, something we want, but it is not a portal." Hissed Kref with sudden understanding.
Botan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end. It would not be unusual for a devil to take a human 'toy'. However, first they would have to get Botan to say the devil's true name, but they had many ways to make her do that. Many painful ways. The ferry girl soon felt the shield come toward her and then, she too was surrounded by it. Kref, the shadow devil and the necromancer found her shortly. Botan quickly put on a frightened expression so as not too make the three suspicious.
"It seems you actually did something right Kref." Said the Shadow devil.
Botan wasn't really listening though. She was considering her options. There were only two things she could do. One of them would lead to her death. So there actually was only one thing she could do. Botan just hoped Koenma didn't send anyone if he noticed any power increase in the 'weak- spy' he had sent her after.
"Can you make this shield any stronger?" Asked Botan, dropping the scared façade and putting on a bored, uncaring expression.
"A talented human I see. Well girl I could, but I see no need too." Spoke the necromancer.
"On the contrary, there is a need for a strong shield. I would hate for . . . certain individuals to find us when the power level rises." Replied Botan coolly.
"Bluffing will get you nowhere girl." Said the shadow devil, coal red eyes blazing.
"It is not wise to speak to your superior in that tone." Reprimanded Botan.
"Bitch." Hissed the shadow demon before charging at her.
Keeping both eyes on devil, Botan felt the dark energy she summoned manipulate her body. Her spine elongated and grew into the dragon-like tail. New bones formed on her skull and transformed into her shapely white horns. Teeth became pointed and her demeanor far more lethal.
Using the element of surprise to its utmost advantage, the white devil snaked her tail around the devil's waist and threw him against a tree. Botan didn't even flinch when she realized she had used to much power. The tale-tell mark of black blood told her she had hurt the devil more than she had meant too.
"Wh-White-hot." Squeaked Kref.
The necromancer's eye widened at the realization of who he had insulted. The shadow devil managed a strangled gasp before blacking out.
"Would you please strengthen the shield? Someone with enough spiritual awareness could pick up our location." The white devil named Botan asked of the necromancer.
The red haired man, who had rebounded from his fear fairly quick, nodded and increased the effectiveness of the shield.
"Much better." Commented Botan, as though she was had not smashed their companion into a tree.
"We ask forgiveness." Said Kref, he head down.
Botan waved her apology off.
"I don't care about your inability to recognize the second in command of the Hell armies. What are you doing here in the Human Realm?" Asked Botan.
It was odd, but in that instant, time seemed to stop. For that one second, Botan felt a pry. Almost as though a clawed hand, a dagger or a sword was trying to tear through her mind's defenses and find out what she was thinking. Or perhaps even her darkest secrets. Having feared that Koenma or any other spirit world being might do this to her and figure out what she truly was, Botan made sure she was well prepared for mental attacks.
Spirit world officials had never done it, but Botan still kept her mind's defenses sharp. She forced the intruder out of her mind with only a momentary struggle. Whoever or whatever it was that had tried to entered her mind was not among these Hell beings. The white devil put up a strong barrier against psychic assaults that would protect the minds of the devils and necromancer. Botan decided she would look into the attempt to read her mind later.
"Orders of the Queen, White-Hot. She wants us to scout out Spirit World portals. There was one here, long time ago." Stated Kref, sounding relived that she would not suffer a fate similar to the shadow devil's.
"That's forbidden. Hell creatures are not allowed to enter the living planes, unless they are here to deal with matters approved by Spirit World." Responded Botan, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Bu-But the Queen's orders!" Insisted Kref.
"The Queen is not here. I am. You are in MY world, in MY territory, in MY home!" Thundered Botan, watching the devil cower before her rage. Then, in a calm, softer voice, she added, "And you're trying to destroy it all."
"We have to do this. The Queen commands us . . . her strength is immense. She is more powerful then you are pure devil." Said the necromancer in a rather calm voice. "So, we fear her more then yourself."
Kref stepped back; glad to no longer be the center of attention. Botan still watched her, but was now more concentrated on the individual that dare contradict her. Physically, he was very much a human, but the way in which he communicated, non-verbally and verbally, was more demon then anything else. This man was an interesting individual.
"Tell me about yourself, death mage." Commanded Botan, quickly becoming more placid.
"I am called Azmaveth. I hail from a civilization that crumbled in the face of modernization. Black sorcery was a gift among my people." Replied Azmaveth.
"A shady background. Many powerful people these days seem to have mysterious pasts that they wish not to share. But your past is of little concern to me, at the moment anyways, so I will not pry." Observed Botan.
"Thank you, White-Hot." Smiled the necromancer.
"Don't get comfortable Azmaveth. You and your friends are leaving. Now." Ordered the white devil.
"One more hour," Cajoled Azmaveth.
"Five minutes." Hissed White-Hot. "And you better be gone by then, or I will once again know the taste of a mage's blood."
"Very well." Agreed Azmaveth with a nod of his head.
Botan nodded back to the necromancer and glared in Kref's direction. She then summoned her oar and let her body change back into its human costume. The now ferry girl jumped on and took off into the sky.
After about three minutes, she felt the spiritual energy inside the shield drop. Good, they were leaving. Perhaps now the-
Wait.
Something just died.
A spirit had been released.
This spirit belonged to neither human nor demon.
A devil had just been slain.
This meant that someone, a powerful warrior, probably knew what the Queen's plans were.
And maybe even what lay beneath Botan's disguise.
whitedragon: Okay, here's more.
asian princess 61: Thank you 61-sama, I hope I do not disappoint.
celestria: Thank you. I do try to keep the characters in character.
ShadowCat: Ah, your one of those rare people that understands cliffhangers. Thank you!
Kewla: I hope I didn't make you wait too long.
disgruntled Marine: Well, it's not as soon, but it's here!
The Great One: I know it's a fun concept. However, it must be hard sometimes. Then again, I would take up espionage and spying over my school work any day.
rita d.: Okay.
Slim-Shady's-Modeling-Baby: Thank you ^^! I reviewed your story, I thought it was okay. Um, sorry about the spelling mistakes in my review lecturing about spelling mistakes. I have an itchy trigger finger if you know what I mean.
Nightswift: I'll get to them when I can. However, next time just e-mail me about this stuff, okay?
SharkGuardian: All right, I have updated.
kiss from a rose: Don't cry! I don't know what to do with crying people! AHH! Okay, okay, here's the next chapter . . .
Goten 0040: Aw thanks. Actually, I like just about everything. Um, I read your story. You have some minimal spelling errors, (ex. 'peace' instead of 'piece') but otherwise it was good. I didn't read all of it because, um, I wasn't too wild with the beach set up and how Hiei didn't put up much of a fight about going. It's a great story though; you did a wonderful job about showing his softer side (from the part I read, anyways). So, it was a good story, just not my type.
J-sama: Your praise is too much, but thanks anyways! I hope you enjoy this story!
WHITE-HOT DEVIL, DARK DEMON
Rippling blue hair waved like a banner in the cool human world breeze. Refreshing, compared to the burning bowls of the underworld. On the disguised devil's face was a somber frown. An odd thing for the deity to display when this realm made her so happy. Absent mindedly, she used one hand to play with a strand of hair and guided the oar with the other. It was quite dangerous to fly an oar with only one hand, but Botan had flown far more dangerous things then an oar before. However, she usually liked to keep this talent hidden from others.
Botan worried about the devil Queen's plans. This rebellion of hers was not an idle threat. The Queen really was going to try and overthrow Koenma. Worst of all, she actually had a rather good chance of winning this upcoming war. Perhaps Botan should shed these feeling of compassion once and for all. Perhaps she should give into the darkness of her nature and join the Queen.
After all, the urge to become what she once was grew stronger everyday. It was a sign that dark forces were on the rise. Naturally, she could feel its pull, its tempting voice that whispered promises of power and fulfillment of the bloodlust that had been haunting her these past few days. The ferry girl shuddered. She remembered what happened the last time she had bloodlust. She remembered what quelled her desire to be a monster. She remembered the flaming wings . . .
"Botan!"
With a small shriek of surprise, Botan halted her oar and saw an image of the Spirit World prince in the sky.
"Yes, Koenma, sir?" Asked Botan when she regained her breath.
"There is some spectral activity on the edge of the park. It's nothing too serious, a low level demon spy at best, but better safe than sorry. You should be able to handle it. Over and out." Said Koenma before he faded out of the sky.
Botan's mouth twitched upward slightly at Koenma's use of the old proverb on safety. It was ironic, seeing as how he often times sent Yusuke, Botan's 'project' on dangerous missions with little or no information and impossible odds. The deity of death wasn't unhappy though, she needed something to distract her from the locked away secrets of her past.
Dropping like a hawk that has spotted its prey, Botan dived down through the clouds and headed toward the faint spectral signal. Nimbly, she avoided the trees and branches until she heard voices.
"Voices? There should only be one." Thought Botan.
From behind a large tree, Botan peered into a small clearing. Her eyes widened significantly. Three creatures stood in the clearing. One was a living shadow. His dark form smudged slightly on the edges, but you could still make out eyes, a crude mouth, tail and horns. The eyes were round scarlet coals, the only color on him besides ink black. A gaping hole of a mouth allowed him to speak words that dripped out his mouth like liquid flames. His tail was forked; it lay on the ground, like a snake that only pretends to be dead. The horns sprouted from either side of his head in a longhorn bull fashion.
The other creature was more tropical. A loose, almost lazy, maniacal grin claimed her face. Her skin was a reddish copper. She wore the hides of several hyenas. Around her neck were small, human looking, green skulls. Orange snake anklets on her feet wound around and sometimes even through her lower legs. Under her eyes were bright blue triangles. Her eyes themselves were terrible. They constantly morphed into snake eyes, cat eyes, lizard eyes and even hallow skull eyes. This creature leaned over a spear that she used like a cane; the bladed end was caked with blood. Her speech was neither deep nor high; it changed to often for one to be sure what it was. All that was constant was the cold, shrill laughter that punctured her words every so often
The third and final member of the group seemed to be human. It was too hard in Botan's current state to tell though. His hair was blood red, streaked in such a way with silvers and grays that it signified a warped, unnatural aging. The eyes of this man were simply dark, with no way of defining the pupil from the iris. He wore a red tunic with a smoky, glossy material over it. His pants were a simple black and his hunter style boots were also black, but with silver ties. Interestingly, the grass around this man was brown and dying, if it was not already dead. Upon closer inspection of his tunic Botan realized that glossy material was actually the shadow souls of trapped spirits. This man was a necromancer. A sorcerer of the dead.
Two devils and one necromancer. A deadly combination.
Cast around the three was a shield that kept the majority of their power in. Only a trickle of their power leaked out. They were not too strong, but they out-numbered the deity. Even so, Botan eavesdropped.
"You said the portal would be here Kref." Whispered the shadowy devil.
Kref. Silently mouthing the name, Botan felt a memory of some kind being triggered. A convict, a Spirit World case of years long past . . . or perhaps it was an old devil memory. One that had been wiped away . . .
"So I miscalculated the exact location." Snarled, hissed, crowed, and growled the jungle/savannah devil. "You of all devils should know how trick- some and ever-changing the living planes are."
"We do not have time for your foolishness. This sunlight burns my skin and drains my energy. Find the Spirit World entrance and be done with it." Commanded the still unnamed devil, the fluid flames flowing from his mouth.
One of the oily flames lashed out and struck Kref. She howled and placed a hand on the burn. She made the transaction from whimpering about the tender flesh to preparing to impale her companion with her spear in less then a few seconds. Two gray, near transparent, phantom beings grabbed them and threw them away from on another before slowly slinking back to the tunic of the necromancer.
"Stop it." Said the necromancer, a bead of sweat slid down his brow as he did so. "I am wasting too much my own power. Decease your squabbling and find the damn portal!"
Kref stuck out her lower lip, but got down on all four, her joints bending in an odd way that made it easy for her to walk, and appeared to sniffing the portal out. The necromancer and dark, shadow-like devil followed her. The shield followed them as well.
"Not portal . . . No, not a portal." Murmured Kref.
"What are you muttering about?" Asked the shadow devil in a snide tone of voice.
"Something is here, something we want, but it is not a portal." Hissed Kref with sudden understanding.
Botan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end. It would not be unusual for a devil to take a human 'toy'. However, first they would have to get Botan to say the devil's true name, but they had many ways to make her do that. Many painful ways. The ferry girl soon felt the shield come toward her and then, she too was surrounded by it. Kref, the shadow devil and the necromancer found her shortly. Botan quickly put on a frightened expression so as not too make the three suspicious.
"It seems you actually did something right Kref." Said the Shadow devil.
Botan wasn't really listening though. She was considering her options. There were only two things she could do. One of them would lead to her death. So there actually was only one thing she could do. Botan just hoped Koenma didn't send anyone if he noticed any power increase in the 'weak- spy' he had sent her after.
"Can you make this shield any stronger?" Asked Botan, dropping the scared façade and putting on a bored, uncaring expression.
"A talented human I see. Well girl I could, but I see no need too." Spoke the necromancer.
"On the contrary, there is a need for a strong shield. I would hate for . . . certain individuals to find us when the power level rises." Replied Botan coolly.
"Bluffing will get you nowhere girl." Said the shadow devil, coal red eyes blazing.
"It is not wise to speak to your superior in that tone." Reprimanded Botan.
"Bitch." Hissed the shadow demon before charging at her.
Keeping both eyes on devil, Botan felt the dark energy she summoned manipulate her body. Her spine elongated and grew into the dragon-like tail. New bones formed on her skull and transformed into her shapely white horns. Teeth became pointed and her demeanor far more lethal.
Using the element of surprise to its utmost advantage, the white devil snaked her tail around the devil's waist and threw him against a tree. Botan didn't even flinch when she realized she had used to much power. The tale-tell mark of black blood told her she had hurt the devil more than she had meant too.
"Wh-White-hot." Squeaked Kref.
The necromancer's eye widened at the realization of who he had insulted. The shadow devil managed a strangled gasp before blacking out.
"Would you please strengthen the shield? Someone with enough spiritual awareness could pick up our location." The white devil named Botan asked of the necromancer.
The red haired man, who had rebounded from his fear fairly quick, nodded and increased the effectiveness of the shield.
"Much better." Commented Botan, as though she was had not smashed their companion into a tree.
"We ask forgiveness." Said Kref, he head down.
Botan waved her apology off.
"I don't care about your inability to recognize the second in command of the Hell armies. What are you doing here in the Human Realm?" Asked Botan.
It was odd, but in that instant, time seemed to stop. For that one second, Botan felt a pry. Almost as though a clawed hand, a dagger or a sword was trying to tear through her mind's defenses and find out what she was thinking. Or perhaps even her darkest secrets. Having feared that Koenma or any other spirit world being might do this to her and figure out what she truly was, Botan made sure she was well prepared for mental attacks.
Spirit world officials had never done it, but Botan still kept her mind's defenses sharp. She forced the intruder out of her mind with only a momentary struggle. Whoever or whatever it was that had tried to entered her mind was not among these Hell beings. The white devil put up a strong barrier against psychic assaults that would protect the minds of the devils and necromancer. Botan decided she would look into the attempt to read her mind later.
"Orders of the Queen, White-Hot. She wants us to scout out Spirit World portals. There was one here, long time ago." Stated Kref, sounding relived that she would not suffer a fate similar to the shadow devil's.
"That's forbidden. Hell creatures are not allowed to enter the living planes, unless they are here to deal with matters approved by Spirit World." Responded Botan, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"Bu-But the Queen's orders!" Insisted Kref.
"The Queen is not here. I am. You are in MY world, in MY territory, in MY home!" Thundered Botan, watching the devil cower before her rage. Then, in a calm, softer voice, she added, "And you're trying to destroy it all."
"We have to do this. The Queen commands us . . . her strength is immense. She is more powerful then you are pure devil." Said the necromancer in a rather calm voice. "So, we fear her more then yourself."
Kref stepped back; glad to no longer be the center of attention. Botan still watched her, but was now more concentrated on the individual that dare contradict her. Physically, he was very much a human, but the way in which he communicated, non-verbally and verbally, was more demon then anything else. This man was an interesting individual.
"Tell me about yourself, death mage." Commanded Botan, quickly becoming more placid.
"I am called Azmaveth. I hail from a civilization that crumbled in the face of modernization. Black sorcery was a gift among my people." Replied Azmaveth.
"A shady background. Many powerful people these days seem to have mysterious pasts that they wish not to share. But your past is of little concern to me, at the moment anyways, so I will not pry." Observed Botan.
"Thank you, White-Hot." Smiled the necromancer.
"Don't get comfortable Azmaveth. You and your friends are leaving. Now." Ordered the white devil.
"One more hour," Cajoled Azmaveth.
"Five minutes." Hissed White-Hot. "And you better be gone by then, or I will once again know the taste of a mage's blood."
"Very well." Agreed Azmaveth with a nod of his head.
Botan nodded back to the necromancer and glared in Kref's direction. She then summoned her oar and let her body change back into its human costume. The now ferry girl jumped on and took off into the sky.
After about three minutes, she felt the spiritual energy inside the shield drop. Good, they were leaving. Perhaps now the-
Wait.
Something just died.
A spirit had been released.
This spirit belonged to neither human nor demon.
A devil had just been slain.
This meant that someone, a powerful warrior, probably knew what the Queen's plans were.
And maybe even what lay beneath Botan's disguise.