Yuu Yuu Hakusho Fanfiction BookstoreArmageddon: World's End chapter 3 by Kristin Huntsman Armageddon: Worlds' End part 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I watch my friend carefully for signs that he's going to crack, and am not reassured by what I see. What years of living on the run and the loss of his powers have failed to do, Hiei's death has accomplished. Kurama hasn't spoken or eaten for a day. And now, as we bury Hiei, he isn't even crying. I want to reassure him, but am afraid that if I touch him, he'll lose his control, and go insane. I lift the white bundle from the ground and carry it down the hill to the burial spot we have chosen, a natural depression in front of an ancient pine tree. We've deepened it a little, Urameshi and I, and will bury him there. I wish we had a coffin proper, but we don't. He will be interred in a white sheet. Actually I think he might have preferred it this way. He never had much respect for human customs As we reach the tree I set Hiei's body down on the ground and move the sheets away from his face, so that we may all say our final farewells. It's almost frightening. The wound caused very little bleeding, and he has color in his cheeks. I would think that he's sleeping, except for his utter STILLNESS. I blink back tears, and let Urameshi make his peace first. "Jerk," he mutters as he kneels down beside Hiei's body, showing that traces of the old Urameshi still exist, deep inside. "You had to die, didn't you?" He lets out a long, low, sorrowful sigh. "The first time I met you, you kidnapped Keiko and tried to kill me. You were a liar, a sneak, a killer, and a thief. You were also one of the best people I knew. I dunno how it happened, but we were friends. God, I'm gonna miss you!" He pauses, searching for the right words. "You taught me alotta things, Hiei, and I'll never forget 'em. I'm _not_ gonna give up!" Urameshi stands and walks over to the tree, leaning his head against the trunk. I look after him for a second, then kneel down next to Hiei's still form. I don't really know what to say. Then the weight of Yukina's necklace against my chest prompts me. "Take care of Yukina-san," I murmur, hoping he can hear me. "I don't know what else to say.... You were an okay guy, Hiei, and I wish you hadn't died." I get up, feeling awkward. I know what I feel, but putting it into words is another matter. I look at Kurama. He moves forward, folding to his knees beside Hiei, as he is expected to do, but his eyes.... He studies Hiei silently for several long minutes, nothing changing. Finally, I feel that I have to do SOMETHING to break the spell of the poisonous, destructive scene, and take a step forward. I stop as a tear rolls down his cheek. I'm relieved. If he cries it out, then it'll stop eating him alive. He shudders silently for several minutes, his breathing ragged as he cries and holds in his sobs. "I'll find you," he whispers. "I swear I'll find you!" It takes a few minutes, but eventually his emotions calm somewhat. He carefully removes the hiruseki pendant from around Hiei's neck and places it on his own. In return, he conjures two roses, one red, the other black, and places them in Hiei's arms, on either side of the sword Hiei holds. He carefully arranges Hiei's cloak as a pillow under his head, and ties his headband around the hilt of his sword. Then, satisfied, he closes the sheet over Hiei again and stands. I begin to reach for Hiei, but he waves me away, and the grass under Hiei's body grows, and begins to convey him to the hole in the ground. The three of us mutely follow. Hiei's body is gently nestled in the ground by the plants, and as they draw away, the three of us step closer. "Should we say something?" Urameshi sounds unsure. "No. We've already said what we want to say." Urameshi and I look first at each other, then curiously at Kurama, but he doesn't elaborate. "Ashes to ashes," Urameshi murmurs as he bends down to pick up a handful of earth. He scatters it on Hiei's body. "Dust to dust," I say, throwing my first handful of dirt on Hiei as well. "All things return to the Earth...." Kurama says. He hesitates, though, at throwing the dirt on top of Hiei, and finally sets it down. "I can't," he murmurs. "I'm sorry. Please excuse me." He turns and walks off quickly. We look after him for a minute, then finish filling in the grave, silently working together on the grim task. Later, we sit silently around a black fire. It casts little light, but gives off heat and cooks food well. One of the advantages of fighting is that the army that chases us has lots of supplies. Tonight, though, none of us feel much like eating them. I glance at Kurama. He sits on the ground, his chin resting on his arms, which in turn rest on his knees. He stares absently into the fire. At first I hesitate, but then I speak. "Kurama... I'm sorry." "I know," he mumbles. I turn to Urameshi and look imploringly at him. I can't get Kurama out of this by myself. He nods, and clears his throat. "What was it between you and Hiei, anyway?" he asks. Kurama looks up, obviously not having anticipated the question. Then he looks away again. He draws in a breath, and begins his explanation. "A long time ago, in the beginning of time, souls were forged from the raw energy of the universe. Some were too large to be just one soul, so they got split into two by their own internal pressures. But it was very rare that there was enough material for two whole, complete souls, so they went through existance missing something. The wound of being split had never healed, you see. They spent eternity searching for their missing part, their other half, never even knowing it. That's what Hiei and I were to one another. Each other's missing halves. Together, we were whole. We were all things to one another." I blink. That's heavy stuff. It also explains why they were the way they were about each other. Best friends and more.... We finish the night in silence. Urameshi takes the first night watch, I take the second. When he finally falls asleep, Kurama curls up into a ball, as if trying to make himself so small that his heartache will just pass him by, unable to find him, and he can wake up to find that it was just a nightmare. My heart sorrows for him, for it isn't a dream, and a part of him has died and moved on once more. In his hand he fiercely clutches Hiei's necklace, a tear frozen in time. In his sleep, he cries. We spend the morning going through the things in the army's packs. Some of the things are useful; others not. Our food is replenished, certainly, and we find blankets, clothing, and weapons. Kurama wanders about absently, and we keep a loose eye on him. He's still in shock, but is at least managing to interact when required to. He spends several hours on a slight rise, looking at the scar that Hiei's grave makes on the ground. "Hey, look at this!" I direct my attention from where Kurama's lonely figure sits to the piece of paper Urameshi holds. "What is it?" "A map of their holdings." He traces a finger over it. "We're here, and...." He looks up at me, then back down at the paper. "And a concentration camp is here," he says quietly. I look at the map. "Holy shit! That's just over the valley rim! No wonder they were getting so nervous!" "... We could go there," Kurama quietly suggests. I look up, and am surprised to see him standing next to us. His face is serious and at more-or-less peace with itself. "Maybe someone we know is there." "You gonna be okay?" Urameshi asks quietly. Kurama pauses, then answers. "I'll never get over it, but I'll survive. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'll be fine." I want to believe him, but there is a shadow of sorrow in the back of his eyes that I sense will never leave him. He'll always be in silent mourning for Hiei. Urameshi senses the same thing, but we both remain silent about it. "You can leave, then?" he asks, his eyes involuntarily flickering to Hiei's grave. "As soon as I do one thing," Kurama replies. He turns and walks to the tree that guards the grave. He lays a hand on it and closes his eyes. The earth starts trembling near him, then ceases after a few seconds. He opens his eyes and grass covers the grave, followed by tiny violets. In less than a minute, the slight mound appears to be a natural feature of the valley, one that has been there forever. "Protect him," he says to the tree, and I figure out what the trembling of the ground meant. The roots of the tree were growing at his will, protectively twining around Hiei. He turns from the tree and walks past us, never looking at Hiei's grave. But as he passes, his eyes are bright with tears, and I hear him whisper, "Good-bye." Of the sixty horses milling about, Kurama chooses the three that are best suited to our needs. We mount up, with saddlebags and packs filled with what we'll need to survive. We ride the better part of the day, and are out of the valley by nightfall. In silent agreement, we leave the horses, and go the rest of the way on foot. The concentration camp, I realize as we get closer, was once a human prison. Hatred for the Makai and its denizens floods through me once again. Around midnight, we are at its gates. The few guards seem mostly interested in keeping the prisoners in, not in keeping others out. It's easy for us to sneak in, and find the captives. Find one in particular. Even covered with filth, her beautiful hair in tangles, and her clothing shredded, Botan is easy to find. She sits quietly on her pallet, while others around her sleep. She doesn't even seem to be aware of us until I touch her on the shoulder. She yelps and jumps back. I hastily place my hand over her mouth, not wanting the guards to hear. I get bitten for my trouble. I snatch my hand back, examining the perfect semi-circle of toothmarks. "If you try anything, I'll scream!" she warns quietly, trying not to wake those around her. "I'm not going to hurt you, Botan," I reply. She blinks, puzzled. Then-- "Kuwa-chan?" she whispers disbelievingly. I nod. "Kuwa-chan!" she cries, latching onto me. Tears stream down her face, getting my shirt wet. "You're alive! Thank goodness! They don't tell us anything here, I thought you'd died, or-- or--" "Botan," Urameshi interrupts, "is my mother here? Is... Keiko here?" She loosens her grip on me, and stares at him and Kurama for a second. Apparently she hadn't expected to see any of us alive again. "Come on," she says. "Follow me. There's a place where we can talk." We follow her to a room that was probably once a cafeteria. The four of us sit down at a table, and we wait patiently. "I'm sorry, Yuusuke...." she says hesitantly. "Keiko's...." Urameshi's face betrays his sudden pain. He had known how unlikely it was that Keiko would have survived, but he wouldn't have been able to help hoping. Kurama places a supporting hand on his shoulder, and Urameshi regains control of himself. "How?" he whispers. Botan hesitates. "You don't want to--" "HOW?!" he demands, getting up out of his seat and slamming his hands down on the table. It cracks, but holds. Botan squeals, and her eyes get large in fright. "... She was raped," she whispers. "Over and over, until she died from it." Trembling, Urameshi sits down, trying to fight back tears. He buries his head in his hands. I know that there's nothing I can do for him, so I turn back to Botan. "And everyone else?" I ask quietly. "Koenma-sama they tortured to death," she softly answers. Her eyes don't hold tears, and I know how bad it must have been for her if she isn't even crying over Koenma. "It was in front of all of us, to make sure we didn't try to fight. Your parents were killed in the journey here." "Shizuru?" I ask. "Atsuko-san?" "Survived," she replies. "They're not here, but they pass screened messages between the camps, and they were alive a few days ago, at least." She looks around at us. "Hiei?" she asks quietly. "He died," Kurama murmurs. "In battle." Botan mutely nods, her eyes flickering over the necklace Kurama wears, but says nothing about it. "You should go," she says quietly. "If they find you here, they'll kill you." "What about you?" Kurama asks. "They won't hurt me," Botan replies. "They need a healer. Now go, and quickly. You have to keep fighting," she says. "You're what gives us all hope." Knowing she's right, we stand and head for the door. I pause, and look back at her. She sits alone at the table, her form silvered by moonlight. As the last two years have changed us, so have they changed her. She is older now, wiser, harder. She, too, is a survivor. The cute girl I once knew is buried, perhaps forever gone, but at least Botan survives. I raise a hand in farewell, in a silent promise to keep fighting, to one day return. Behind me, she returns the salute, watching as we leave. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Ramblings: I'm not mean to the female YuuYuus... really, I'm not.... For some reason, I've grown to like Keiko less and less. Her main purpose is as Yuusuke's love interest. Love interests have no place in massive-depressive stories. And if anyone dislikes the fact that this entire thing is from Kuwabara's point of view... well... there's a history to how this story developed to that. But in any case, he is an underestimated character, and someone who (despite his plain looks and occasional testosterone highs) should most definitely be considered marriage material. Please send comments to my account at 71411.1046@compuserve.com. << chapter 2 chapter 4 >> back to Conflicts >> undefined undefined More... undefined [Close] undefined [Close] undefined