Tori the Hanyou: (cries) This is the LAST CHAPTER!!! (sob) Who would ever
have thought that I would finish a story??? I can't believe it! I'm in
tears! FUCKING TEARS, YA HEAR ME???? (gasps) Sorry, didn't mean for it to
go like that...I'm just so proud! (beams) Now, as y'all know, I had a poll
last chappie. My review answers are only for those who actually reviewed
the CONTENT of the chapter, and not just the polls! So, here they are!
Black Mage Tsucasa: Whoa, you really love battle scenes, don't you? Sadly, I don't think this chap will have a lot of fighting, except for verbal (but that's in every chapter, right?)
Hotarubi: Ok, well, if the lemon DOES get put in, just try to avoid it then, ok? I'm sorry you're too young for that, but I'm so glad to see an honest person who can actually admit they're too young for something! Good Job! :D (throws you a cookie) Also, I'm sad to say that the chances for the college setting are out the window. Please read the sequel anyway!
Kayzie Kaiba: You are so welcome! But, if they're gonna be in the Makai for the sequel, it means Kaiba won't be there, and neither will you. I'm very sorry. Thanks a lot for your support, though, and stay tuned for my sequel!
Pinkjingling: Thanks!
CrimsonAngel91: Thank you for actually reviewing the content! You're the first person to! :D Well, for starters, you gotta remember that the guys were MUCH younger when they did it! I couldn't help but burst out laughing as I wrote that! As for the shark, just between you and me...I was actually gonna make that a little heroic scene, where Hiei attacks the shark, but then I thought about how I wanted to make it a fun chappie, so I instead turned it into a practical joke that Kurama, Kagome and Hiei played on Tori. Great, huh? I loved it. Yes, seeing Hiei laugh full out...I have a pic of him and Yoko laughing their heads off (and it's a screenshot, too, meaning its actually gonna happen!) Lemme know if you wanna c it!
Psychopathic Maniac Girl: I am SO glad you brought that up! For starters, I had just finished reading a new chapter for the fic entitled Twitch Twitch, by Blkwidow77 on Mediaminer. It is LOADED with angst! I swear, I jumped at every emotional part! It's THAT great! Well, in that fic, Hiei is indeed a VERY violent person, so I decided I wanted him to start to get that way, you know, be a bit possessive of Tori, now that she's his mate and all. Ok, maybe not a bit...but whatever. Anywho, I also figured to include the fact that...he's a demon! DUH! If you haven't been informed on demonic behavior, it clearly states that a demon is not only possessive of his mate, but also VERY dominant. If his female tries to put a foot out of line, he gets mad. Very mad, especially in Hiei's case. I know Hiei sounds like the bad guy in that chapter, but he's only following his demon instincts. He wants his female to listen to him and obey him all the time, and that's why he wants to break her spirit. As for the teaching Yusuke thing, that was a joke.
Starangel4899: Good job on your idea! I liked it a lot! Sadly, it doesn't look like Kurama and Kagome will be in the lemon...strangely, a lot of people wanted Hiei and Tori...(thinks)
Ruby-Jaganshi-2040: Hiya! You must be Ruby, I gather. Yes, I talked to Sapphire on AIM. Thanks for your ideas, and yes, I'll look to you for ideas if I run out of any in the long run.
Black tigeress: Thanks! You know, you have a very interesting idea there. But sadly, I can't put the location in both college AND Makai, not with the story plot I've already figured out. Don't worry, Kagome WILL get to know Yoko better, you just wait. As for Tori, well....
Amber Amethyst Green: Thank you. Well, if you haven't read the note thingy, whatever. I can't do it for both pairs. As for your plot idea, it's very unique, and Inuyasha will definitely be back, but I'm not focusing the entire story on his return, so the idea for the title wouldn't work. But that is a VERY good idea. I'll definitely throw it in! Except, I won't exactly put in the killing Kagome for Kikyo part. Inuyasha will go berserk though, when he finds out Kurama's now Kagome's mate.
And as for the poll results, HERE THEY ARE!
Question 1: Well, I'm actually starting to rethink the lemon. It would ruin the story, wouldn't it? If there are any of you out there who REALLY want a lemon in the sequel, what I can do is (thanks for helping me with the idea, Ruby-Jaganshi-2040) split the lemon chapter into two chapters, one WITH lemon, and one without! But, that's ONLY IF there's ANYONE who really wants to see a lemon in the sequel, okies? Ok! So, next part! In case you decide to have the lemon, here are the poll results for:
Question 2: (Lemon Pairing)
Kurama/Kagome: 5
Hiei/Tori: 6 (I had outside votes on this as well. Sheesh, I was sure Kurama and Kagome would win...)
Question 3: (Setting)
College: 2
The Makai: 6 (Yep, the Demon Realm has won!)
Question 4: I've gotten a lot of reviews saying they liked my idea for Fighting Back 2: Challenges of the Makai, but some others had new suggestions!
Fighting Back 2: Makai Mayhem (I actually really like this one! Good pick starangel4899!)
Fighting Back 2: Case For Love (by Kayzie Kaiba)
Fighting Back 2: Changes for the Better (by Ruby-Jaganshi-2004)
Be sure to tell me which ones you want, okies? So, I guess it's one last poll:
Question 1: Should I put the split lemon chappie? (They're the same chapter, but one with, and one without the lemon).
Yes
No
Question 2: Which title do you like best? (Look above Question 1)
Well, I've taken up 2 pages of my rambling, so now for that chappie!!
DISCLAIMER: This is the last time, so for old time's sake, I don't own Yu- Gi-Oh, Inuyasha, or Yu Yu Hakusho, just Tori, the ligress, the parody of Sk8ter Boi in Chapter 8, and this plot.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Fighting Back
Chapter 21: Run Away...to the End of the Life You Knew...
After the group had left Yusuke's house to go to the park, they headed down the street, talking amongst themselves.
Tori walked along, speaking happily with Yukina, Kayko, Kagome, and Botan, while Hiei and Kurama were quietly conversing, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were racing to the park (can't guess who's gonna win that one... -.- ;;;)
"Yes, and then after that, he..."
Tori normally would've been interested in hearing about something Yusuke did that was actually nice, but she had other things on her mind, like what could Hiei and Kurama be discussing that would cause them to walk so far behind the others, heads down and whispering quietly?
She strained her ears backwards, only managing to catch snatches of the conversation:
"...Yes, we're gonna leave..." came Hiei's voice.
"Hiei...wise to...mean, Tori would be..."
"...care. She's my...doesn't have...about you?"
"...stay...."
Then their heads shot up, staring straight ahead, and Tori felt their eyes boring into the back of her skull. She immediately turned her attention away, but felt oddly curious. She'd heard Hiei say the word...leave. What could that mean? Was he gonna leave her? She thought. He'd said the word 'we', didn't he? Was he talking about all of them, or him and Kurama, or...the thought struck her...him and HER? She shook her head. Hiei wouldn't take her away from Kagome...would he?
She wanted to glance behind her, but it would risk too much. Besides, they'd reached the park.
Tori wandered away from the others to quietly sit underneath a tree, pondering the meaning of Hiei and Kurama's conversation.
Apparently, Kurama had been trying to persuade Hiei AGAINST doing whatever he was planning, and that spurred Tori's idea from before. Hiei of course had brought up the undeniable response, 'She's my...' whatever. Probably talking about her...again. Then he'd muttered a question to Kurama. 'About you', it sounded like he was asking Kurama what he was going to do.
Kurama responded with 'stay'. She grumbled in her frustration as she turned these facts over and over in her mind, not getting a clear picture. What was Hiei planning to do with her?? Kurama had seemed to think it was a bad idea, so it obviously was...
Why her?
She sighed, giving up, resting her head against the trunk of the tree. Hiei obviously wouldn't tell her, so she'd have to either worm it out of Kurama, or...she didn't like the other option, and dropped it completely. It was hopeless.
Soon, she smelt a familiar scent, and heard a slight rustle of leaves above her. She tilted her head up, spying Hiei in his favorite position: in the tree branches way up high. She watched him for a while, wondering what on Earth was going through the dark maze he called his mind...
"Kagome? Kagome, may I speak with you for a minute?" called Kurama's voice across the green, where the other girls were playing tag with Yusuke and Kuwabara. After dodging a blundering Kuwabara, Kagome leapt lightly over his fallen form and raced eagerly up to her mate. Kurama smiled as he saw her delight...too bad he'd be the one to wipe it away...
"Yeah, Kurama?" She was panting slightly from the thrill of the game, but she immediately calmed when she saw the urgency in his eyes. "Oh no. What's happened now?"
"It's Hiei. He's planning to take her from us..."
"Hiei's what? Take who?" asked Kagome. Kurama gently led her from the view and hearing range of the others, settling her down in a small grove of oak trees.
"Kagome...I was speaking with Hiei earlier..."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"From what I was saying before, he wants to take Tori with him to the Makai when she 'comes of age'..."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"W-what? Take Tori where???"
Kurama sighed.
"The Makai is the Demon World. It's where Hiei was born and grew up, and where he enjoys going in his extended free time. It's his home."
"Uh, huh, go on."
"Hiei wants to take Tori there with him when she comes of age, which is about when we graduate high school..."
"WHAT???"
"Ssh!" Kurama urgently covered her mouth, listening. He could still hear the others laughing and yelling, so he calmed, removing his hand.
"Kurama, I don't understand..."
"Hiei's natural instinct is to take his mate with him back to the Makai, where he grew up. It's another demon nature quality. That's where he wants them to live, forever."
"But...won't Tori be..."
"That's my point. She won't be happy at all. But, she hasn't been happy with much of anything Hiei's done so far, why should this time be different? The thing is, we need to try to persuade Hiei to rethink it. Tori's a normal human, she'd never survive in a world full of demons. Hiei would be taking her to her death if we allowed him to bring her there."
"So, what do we do?"
"First off, we explain this to Tori..."
"Uh, Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"Usually, explaining things like this to Tori results in her doing something drastic. I say we keep it on the low profile for now."
"I'm afraid not, Kagome. Actually, I think we'll NEED her drastic measures to sort out this problem. Tori's become quite like a younger sister to me, and I would hate to see her dragged off to her death, as would you, Botan, and the others, Yusuke especially. He loves to have those sparring and wrestling matches with her."
As if on cue, they heard Tori's voice carry over the trees,
"YOU'RE GONNA GET IT FOR THAT, YUSUKE!!"
Then more laughter was heard, and Kagome's heart sank.
"You're right, Kurama. We have to do something," she said finally. Kurama smiled, glad she agreed.
"Good, then let's get to it, shall we?"
(Meanwhile...)
Tori furiously raced after the laughing Spirit Detective as he wove his way throughout the others, who dodged out of Tori's way, since she'd been dubbed 'It'. Yusuke looked behind him to see that he wasn't losing her, and decided to try a different tactic. He raced out of the field they were in into the trees, knowing she'd follow.
Naturally, she did. Yusuke wove in and out of the trees, trying to lose her, as they ran farther and farther away from the original play site. Tori wouldn't be shaken so easily, though. Using some of her best hunting techniques, she took shortcuts around the trees, slowly getting closer to Yusuke's back.
She reached out with her hand, ready to tag him and run for it.
Closer...
Closer...
Yusuke's eyes widened as he heard Tori's shrill scream behind him. He immediately skidded to a stop, turning around, his eyes widening.
Tori was on the ground, gripping her neck tightly, where huge bolts of electricity were being emitted from, electrocuting her. Yusuke stared. He thought Koenma had taken her collar off...
Almost in an instant, Hiei appeared next to her, and the zapping ceased.
Tori lay on the ground, unconscious from the shocking she'd received.
Hiei stared at her for a while as he knelt next to her, and Yusuke thought he caught traces of a smirk on Hiei's face.
"So it worked," Hiei muttered aloud. Yusuke approached him.
"Hiei? What worked?" Hiei reached down and removed Tori's hands from her neck, showing Yusuke the collar that had been there before.
Yusuke's eyes widened.
"You put it back on?? Why??" he asked. Then another question struck him. "Hey, I thought Koenma said that she couldn't go out of a mile radius of at least one of us! She was right behind me the whole time!"
Hiei glanced up at him.
"It's nothing to worry about. I simply had Koenma adjust the collar's setting so she couldn't go out of a mile radius of just me."
"Nothing to worry about???" yelled Yusuke, "She could've gotten hurt!! What were you thinking, putting that back on???"
Hiei didn't answer. His demon blood seethed with delight at seeing the test to keep Tori from running away had been successful. She couldn't run now. He smirked, picking her up.
"For your information, detective, no, it wouldn't have hurt her. Because I had Koenma tone down the bolts of electricity that she'd be shocked with. It wouldn't cause pain, just knock her out until I could come and retrieve her. You'd understand if your demon instincts were working properly," Hiei sneered at Yusuke.
Yusuke slightly growled at the comment, but looked worriedly at Tori. Was it that good of an idea to let Hiei be her mate?
Hiei turned away from him, disappearing, taking Tori's limp form with him.
Yusuke hurried back to the field to report it to the others.
Kurama and Kagome happened to overhear the conversation as he relayed it to them. Botan and Kayko gasped, Yukina whispered 'How could he?', and Kuwabara was just plain mad.
Kagome stared at Kurama with wide eyes as he shook his head.
"It's begun," he said.
"Kurama, we have to do something NOW!" said Kagome worriedly. He sighed.
"There's not much we can do right now. Hiei has her. When she gets away from him, we'll tell her about Hiei's plans, and then see what she does."
Kagome nodded sadly. What had she gotten Tori into? Sure, Tori had been the one to fall in love with Hiei, but only because they'd pushed her into it. She wasn't even sure if it had been Tori's decision to let Hiei mark her. She sighed. What would happen now?
Tori gently stirred, opening her eyes to see sunlight shining through the treetops. She turned her vision a little to the side, noticing Hiei watching her, and she snapped awake.
"Hiei?" she asked, "What happened?"
Hiei smirked slightly, and took her hand, moving it up to her neck, pressing it there. Tori looked at him curiously, when she felt the familiar material on her skin. Her eyes widened. Hadn't Koenma taken this off???
She stared at Hiei. "Why is my collar back on?" she asked suspiciously. Hiei's smirk grew slightly, and he leaned down next to her ear.
"Because it'll keep an eye on you when I can't."
Tori looked perplexed, and Hiei quietly explained all the modifications he'd had Koenma make. Trembling, Tori waited until he was done. Why hadn't she noticed it before???
"Hiei..." she said dangerously, "How long has this thing been on me?"
"Two days, now that I recall," said Hiei lightly, as though he wasn't worried at all that Tori was giving him her deadliest glare. The truth was, he wasn't.
Tori snarled, lunging for him. He easily stopped her, but Tori quickly leapt out of his lap onto the branch, standing precariously away from Hiei. Right now, she was grateful for her ligress's catlike balance.
Hiei watched her calmly as he too stood up, leaning back against the trunk to see what she'd do.
Tori drew out her claws, angrily jumping for him, reaching to dice his shoulder again, when he wasn't there anymore, and her claws instead embedded themselves in the trunk behind him. She pulled to get them out, unsuccessfully, but she suddenly felt two hands strongly grip both of her stuck wrists, and a warm body pressed intimately against the back of her own.
She felt goose bumps as hot breath tickled her neck underneath her ear, followed by lips pressing against the skin. Tori once more was overwhelmed by Hiei's wild scent, and she felt her body going limp again.
Hiei could tell she was growing weaker, and he smirked as he gently nipped her with his fangs. While she was in her stupor, he gently removed her claws from the trunk, lacing his fingers in between hers, whispering into her ear between kisses and nips. He knew she'd melted. She'd given in to him.
And that's why he released her.
Tori quickly came back to her senses, whirling around and staring at Hiei angrily, when she'd realized what he'd done. Her face fell, instead covered by a self-hating expression. He was able to make her soften up. He could make her quiet down without a second thought.
How could she let him? Why did her body enjoy relaxing at his whim? Why did she enjoy being seduced? She glared at the ground far below, and quickly leapt down to it, leaving Hiei in the branches.
Hiei's smirk grew. He'd won, and she knew it.
Tori reached the ground, running from the tree where her captor rested, heading back to the clearing.
Everyone looked up when they saw her, and hurried over.
"You ok, Tori?" asked Yusuke, and Tori smiled at the worry in his voice.
"Tch. Never better, you?"
"Tori, we overheard what happened..." started Botan.
"It's nothing. Forget about it. Let's just play. Oh, and Yusuke..." she started, turning to him, "I never did catch you from before."
Before the shocked detective could react, she'd jumped forward and tagged him on the shoulder, running off.
But when she didn't hear his pursuit, she turned to see all of them staring painfully at her. Somehow, she'd known her bluff wouldn't work. She sighed. So much for changing the subject...
She didn't bother walking back to them, or they'd surely see the hurt in her eyes, and that was the last thing she wanted.
Instead, she told them to keep playing without her, and went to find Kagome.
As she was walking throughout the trees, she felt a hand grip her wrist and pull her behind one of them.
She quickly looked up to see Kurama. "Oh, there you are! You know where Kagome is?"
Kagome came up behind him, giving her the same look the others had. Now Tori was just about pissed. "Ok, will everyone stop giving me those pitiful looks????"
"Tori, there's something you need to know," said Kagome quietly.
"I'm not going to my grave, for Christ's sake! Would you quit being so solemn???" snapped Tori.
"What Kagome's trying to say is..." Kurama explained Hiei's plan to the angry girl, who grew more frightened by the second as he talked.
As he finished, Tori's color had faded out of her cheeks. She stared at both of them, and would have backed away, had the tree trunk not been behind her. She clutched a hand to her heart. Hiei...was he really...going to...?
So, her suspicions had been right. Hiei DID want to take her away from everything she knew.
Kurama went on to say why it was a bad idea, and Tori fully agreed, though she didn't say a word.
As he finished, Tori pushed herself away from the trunk, walking around Kagome and Kurama, staring at nothing as frantic thoughts came into her mind, possessing her, making them all seem like absolutely wonderful suggestions. She could kill herself...yes...or she could kill him...even better...maybe she'd hide...or even...
The last one struck her as marvelous, though she was actually quite out of it.
She could run away.
Yes! It was perfect! Hiei would never find her! She'd run away! He couldn't take her to this Makai place if she wasn't there when he left, right? If she could avoid him long enough, maybe he'd give up! It was brilliant, or so she thought.
Apparently, her little mind spurt had temporarily covered up Hiei's abilities. He was not only lightning fast, but he also had his Jagan Eye to locate her with. And there was her collar, too...but no, this running away was positively genius! In fact, it was so genius she'd run now! Just run! He'd never catch her if she started now!
She gave an insane giggle, turning to the worried couple behind her, giving them a grin.
"He'll never catch me," was all she said before taking off into the forest, using every ounce of ligress speed she could muster.
Kurama and Kagome stared after her.
"Was that the reaction you expected?"
"Not exactly. I really intended for her to go up to Hiei and yell at him, but this seems at bit more drastic than I could've pictured her doing," said Kurama.
"God, I hope she hasn't lost it," said Kagome.
Tori hurried through the forest, laughing to herself. Yes, this idea rocked! It was perfect! He'd never find her where she was going! Wait...where WAS she going? Oh well, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was run. She gave another crazy fit of laughter as she sped deeper into the park, farther and farther away...
She didn't even notice the fact that the collar's electricity had started up again. It zapped her, coursing the bolts throughout her body.
She didn't notice. All she felt was a ticklish sensation, and it made her laugh harder.
But soon, her insanity fit started to wear off, and she was able to feel the bolts more and more by the second. How far away was she now? Five miles? Oh well, she'd keep running. And she did. But her mental veil started to break, and the pain started to break through to her mind, screaming at it to stop.
She wouldn't. She would run, and keep running to the ends of the Earth...the end of Time. No amount of stupid electricity would stop her from being the free spirit she was born to be. None whatsoever.
It wasn't long before Hiei appeared next to the shocked couple in the trees, asking them if they'd seen Tori.
They gave him innocent smiles, and naturally answered No.
The rest of the group came over, with most of them glaring at Hiei, asking the same question. But Kurama and Kagome wouldn't tell.
Kurama protected Kagome's mind with a mental barrier similar to his own so that Hiei couldn't penetrate it for the answers. He saw the frustration working through Hiei's eyes as he tried to force the barrier down while Yusuke and the others talked amongst themselves, wondering what could've caused her to disappear, before throwing Hiei angry looks.
He ignored them, glaring at Kurama with an expression that could kill. Kurama was unfazed. He was quite used to Hiei's threats, and this time wouldn't be any different.
Finally, Hiei stormed forward, grabbing Kurama by the shirt collar.
"I know you know where she is, fox!!" he snarled, "Now give her back!!"
"I don't Hiei, I honestly have no idea where she is," said Kurama calmly, and somehow, Hiei knew it was the truth. Kurama DIDN'T know where Tori was, but he did know what she'd done.
"Then what happened?? What did she do? I know you saw her before she left!" Hiei's eyes blazed with fury. Kurama still was undaunted.
"I'm sorry, Hiei, but I cannot tell you that," he said. Hiei was about to the breaking point. He drew out his sword, pressing it firmly against the kitsune's neck, and Kagome gasped.
"You tell me...now," he muttered dangerously. Kagome trembled. She didn't want Hiei to hurt Kurama, though she didn't know what Kurama was planning.
She quickly threw herself at Hiei, shoving his sword away, yelling,
"SHE RAN AWAY, OK???"
Everyone froze. The anger left Hiei's eyes as quickly as it had come, and was instead replaced with...surprise.
"She...what?" asked Botan. Hiei's eyes fell to the ground, and he glared at it, turning back up towards Kagome, then Kurama, then the others.
Before he could vanish, though, he felt something grab him and drag him to the ground. Furiously, he looked up to see what had dared get in his way, and Kurama's Rose Whip was bound tightly around his arms.
"Kitsune...don't make me hurt you..." snarled Hiei, when he felt something else, a blade.
He looked the other way to see Kuwabara holding his Spirit Sword to Hiei's neck. Everyone's eyes widened.
"If you're gonna hurt any of my friends, you're gonna have to get through me, even if you are one," he said. Yusuke was behind him, pointing his Spirit Gun at the deadly, unpredictable pyre.
"And me," he said. Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously. They had all turned on him! The traitors! They were trying to keep his own mate away from him! He felt a snarl build up in his throat, when he realized something else, a different option.
"Obviously, you're forgetting one little fact," he said. The others watched him curiously. "The farther she gets from me, the more that collar will hurt her. We don't want that now, do we?"
They hesitated.
"How do we know YOU won't hurt her once you find her?" asked Yusuke.
"She's my mate, I have no reason to injure her," said Hiei simply. He glared at Kuwabara as the sword tip pressed slightly harder against his skin.
"Hmm, I dunno," said Kuwabara.
Kurama sighed in defeat, releasing Hiei from his whip. Inwardly, Hiei smirked. If brawn couldn't win you a fight, then you could always use your smarts, which he had plenty of, now that he thought about it.
Yusuke and Kuwabara glared as they lowered their weapons.
"Fine, go get her," said Yusuke, a hint of anger still in his voice. Hiei didn't need to be told twice. Though he wasn't showing it, he was quite worried about her. However far she'd gotten by now, the collar would NOW be hurting her, wouldn't it? If his stupid so-called 'friends' hadn't held him up, he could have reached her without causing her any pain.
He vanished, following Tori's scent, as well as his Jagan's trail.
Tori found it hard to even take a step. She continued her run through the forest, her body now numb. She couldn't feel a thing, which was kind of a plus; she didn't feel the electricity anymore.
But, how could he? How could he?? Hiei said he'd loved her! Why would he take her away from everything she knew? Why??? It didn't make sense! Her insanity had vanished completely, and she found an enormous tree, almost the size of a redwood, and hid herself in the roots, crying.
She didn't want to leave! She didn't want to! But no, Hiei would make her, wouldn't he? He always did. She didn't want to go to this demon place, it sounded horrible.
Especially if Kagome wouldn't be there with her...
Her tears attracted exactly the attention she'd been trying to lose. She hadn't noticed that the electricity had stopped. All she felt was something warm lie next to her, and a familiar material being draped over her.
Her eyes snapped open, red and swollen from crying, and she slowly turned to greet Hiei's crimson orbs.
She jumped, trying to back away from him, but the roots prevented her escape. She looked behind her, and then back to him.
"Go away," she muttered, turning away from him. Hiei's eyes softened, and he inched an arm about her waist, but she snarled and snapped at him, "Did you hear me?? I'm NOT going to the Makai!! You can't make me!!" She gripped one of the tree roots tightly, hoping Hiei wouldn't be able to pry her loose from it.
Hiei calmly watched her, before once more lacing his arms about hers; gently massaging her hands so they'd let go, and he placed them at her sides, covering her with his cloak. The sun was setting, so the forest was growing dark. Thank God for summer. He turned her around to face him, and he wiped away her tears, pulling her into his body.
Tori broke down crying. Though it was into Hiei's shoulder, the one she'd been trying to avoid, she couldn't help it. Instinct took over, and Hiei allowed her to cry herself dry as he wrapped his arms about her.
When she was done, she rested limply in Hiei's embrace, totally silent. He figured it was his turn to talk.
"Tori...I know you don't want to go...but I can't fight it. If my demon side wants to go back, it will bring you with it. Tori...the Makai is my home. It will call me back, and I will answer the call. I can't escape it, and if you're my mate, you won't escape it, either," he whispered, "I'm sorry if you regret being my mate now, but it can't be helped," he finished in a hushed voice, and Tori quickly realized the meaning of his words.
"Hiei...I don't regret it at all. It's the best thing to have happened to me, but I should've known it'd come with a price. I just don't think I can handle it. I mean, I know this isn't your home and all, but don't you think there's a chance your demon side could reconsider this? I really don't want to go there without another girl to talk to," she said sadly. Hiei felt her loss of cheer, and sighed.
"No, Tori. I can't make it change its mind. This is instinct to me, ok? I can't stop it, I have to follow it."
"I know," Tori whispered painfully, "but don't think that my not wanting to go has anything to do with our relationship, ok? I love you, and always will, even though you DO tend to do the most possessive things to make sure I stay near you," said Tori, snuggling herself closer into her mate's warmth. Hiei slightly smiled at her.
"Well, I'd say we get back to the others," he started, but realized Tori's breathing had slowed down to an even pattern. She was asleep. He sighed, picking her up, giving her cheek a quick nuzzle with his face, and he raced off.
When Hiei arrived back at the clearing, Yusuke nearly jumped on him, thinking Tori was dead. When Hiei finally showed him she was merely sleeping, Yusuke backed off, still grumbling.
He told them Tori hadn't been hurt, she was fine when he found her, bringing much relief to the girls. Hiei looked down at her. There was no need to press her obedience anymore that night. He was already pissed off with his demon side enough as it is.
The group headed back to Yusuke's house, and they all watched the Dream Street tape again, even Tori once she woke up, and they all laughed their heads off when it was over.
There were things surely to come ahead in the race of Time, many things. There was that haze over them though, the haze of the unknown future, the one only Seers could penetrate. Obstacles lurked in the shadows, waiting for the moment to pounce on unsuspecting travelers as they continued the journey of life. No one could know what kind of obstacles, but hopefully, travelers could be prepared to handle them, for if they were not, their lives would turn in a whole new direction...
THE END
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Tori the Hanyou: Stay tuned for the sequel!
In honor of my finally ending a fanfic, I'm going to give you guys a treat! YAY! This is a poem I wrote, hope y'all love it!
My Hunter, My Panther
Stalking through the night's turned back, A figure clad in the deepest black, Hunts me, stalks me, makes me fear, I cannot see, I cannot hear. He chases me through even my dreams,
I cannot escape him, or so it seems.
Why does he hunt me, with the greatest of care?
Whenever he's near, I feel pricks in my hair.
I cannot take a step without feeling his gaze;
I cannot escape this great mental maze.
His mind tricks, his prowling, just where does it end?
I always look to see what's around the next bend.
For I don't know if he'll be there, waiting to see,
If I am afraid, if he truly frightens me.
It's the terror, the horror that pleases him so;
He won't listen to me when I tell him to go.
It brings him great joy to see me this way,
But I cannot help it, all his actions won't say,
Why he hunts me and stalks me, and frightens me too.
The truth is he loves me, a love that is true.
Black Mage Tsucasa: Whoa, you really love battle scenes, don't you? Sadly, I don't think this chap will have a lot of fighting, except for verbal (but that's in every chapter, right?)
Hotarubi: Ok, well, if the lemon DOES get put in, just try to avoid it then, ok? I'm sorry you're too young for that, but I'm so glad to see an honest person who can actually admit they're too young for something! Good Job! :D (throws you a cookie) Also, I'm sad to say that the chances for the college setting are out the window. Please read the sequel anyway!
Kayzie Kaiba: You are so welcome! But, if they're gonna be in the Makai for the sequel, it means Kaiba won't be there, and neither will you. I'm very sorry. Thanks a lot for your support, though, and stay tuned for my sequel!
Pinkjingling: Thanks!
CrimsonAngel91: Thank you for actually reviewing the content! You're the first person to! :D Well, for starters, you gotta remember that the guys were MUCH younger when they did it! I couldn't help but burst out laughing as I wrote that! As for the shark, just between you and me...I was actually gonna make that a little heroic scene, where Hiei attacks the shark, but then I thought about how I wanted to make it a fun chappie, so I instead turned it into a practical joke that Kurama, Kagome and Hiei played on Tori. Great, huh? I loved it. Yes, seeing Hiei laugh full out...I have a pic of him and Yoko laughing their heads off (and it's a screenshot, too, meaning its actually gonna happen!) Lemme know if you wanna c it!
Psychopathic Maniac Girl: I am SO glad you brought that up! For starters, I had just finished reading a new chapter for the fic entitled Twitch Twitch, by Blkwidow77 on Mediaminer. It is LOADED with angst! I swear, I jumped at every emotional part! It's THAT great! Well, in that fic, Hiei is indeed a VERY violent person, so I decided I wanted him to start to get that way, you know, be a bit possessive of Tori, now that she's his mate and all. Ok, maybe not a bit...but whatever. Anywho, I also figured to include the fact that...he's a demon! DUH! If you haven't been informed on demonic behavior, it clearly states that a demon is not only possessive of his mate, but also VERY dominant. If his female tries to put a foot out of line, he gets mad. Very mad, especially in Hiei's case. I know Hiei sounds like the bad guy in that chapter, but he's only following his demon instincts. He wants his female to listen to him and obey him all the time, and that's why he wants to break her spirit. As for the teaching Yusuke thing, that was a joke.
Starangel4899: Good job on your idea! I liked it a lot! Sadly, it doesn't look like Kurama and Kagome will be in the lemon...strangely, a lot of people wanted Hiei and Tori...(thinks)
Ruby-Jaganshi-2040: Hiya! You must be Ruby, I gather. Yes, I talked to Sapphire on AIM. Thanks for your ideas, and yes, I'll look to you for ideas if I run out of any in the long run.
Black tigeress: Thanks! You know, you have a very interesting idea there. But sadly, I can't put the location in both college AND Makai, not with the story plot I've already figured out. Don't worry, Kagome WILL get to know Yoko better, you just wait. As for Tori, well....
Amber Amethyst Green: Thank you. Well, if you haven't read the note thingy, whatever. I can't do it for both pairs. As for your plot idea, it's very unique, and Inuyasha will definitely be back, but I'm not focusing the entire story on his return, so the idea for the title wouldn't work. But that is a VERY good idea. I'll definitely throw it in! Except, I won't exactly put in the killing Kagome for Kikyo part. Inuyasha will go berserk though, when he finds out Kurama's now Kagome's mate.
And as for the poll results, HERE THEY ARE!
Question 1: Well, I'm actually starting to rethink the lemon. It would ruin the story, wouldn't it? If there are any of you out there who REALLY want a lemon in the sequel, what I can do is (thanks for helping me with the idea, Ruby-Jaganshi-2040) split the lemon chapter into two chapters, one WITH lemon, and one without! But, that's ONLY IF there's ANYONE who really wants to see a lemon in the sequel, okies? Ok! So, next part! In case you decide to have the lemon, here are the poll results for:
Question 2: (Lemon Pairing)
Kurama/Kagome: 5
Hiei/Tori: 6 (I had outside votes on this as well. Sheesh, I was sure Kurama and Kagome would win...)
Question 3: (Setting)
College: 2
The Makai: 6 (Yep, the Demon Realm has won!)
Question 4: I've gotten a lot of reviews saying they liked my idea for Fighting Back 2: Challenges of the Makai, but some others had new suggestions!
Fighting Back 2: Makai Mayhem (I actually really like this one! Good pick starangel4899!)
Fighting Back 2: Case For Love (by Kayzie Kaiba)
Fighting Back 2: Changes for the Better (by Ruby-Jaganshi-2004)
Be sure to tell me which ones you want, okies? So, I guess it's one last poll:
Question 1: Should I put the split lemon chappie? (They're the same chapter, but one with, and one without the lemon).
Yes
No
Question 2: Which title do you like best? (Look above Question 1)
Well, I've taken up 2 pages of my rambling, so now for that chappie!!
DISCLAIMER: This is the last time, so for old time's sake, I don't own Yu- Gi-Oh, Inuyasha, or Yu Yu Hakusho, just Tori, the ligress, the parody of Sk8ter Boi in Chapter 8, and this plot.
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Fighting Back
Chapter 21: Run Away...to the End of the Life You Knew...
After the group had left Yusuke's house to go to the park, they headed down the street, talking amongst themselves.
Tori walked along, speaking happily with Yukina, Kayko, Kagome, and Botan, while Hiei and Kurama were quietly conversing, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were racing to the park (can't guess who's gonna win that one... -.- ;;;)
"Yes, and then after that, he..."
Tori normally would've been interested in hearing about something Yusuke did that was actually nice, but she had other things on her mind, like what could Hiei and Kurama be discussing that would cause them to walk so far behind the others, heads down and whispering quietly?
She strained her ears backwards, only managing to catch snatches of the conversation:
"...Yes, we're gonna leave..." came Hiei's voice.
"Hiei...wise to...mean, Tori would be..."
"...care. She's my...doesn't have...about you?"
"...stay...."
Then their heads shot up, staring straight ahead, and Tori felt their eyes boring into the back of her skull. She immediately turned her attention away, but felt oddly curious. She'd heard Hiei say the word...leave. What could that mean? Was he gonna leave her? She thought. He'd said the word 'we', didn't he? Was he talking about all of them, or him and Kurama, or...the thought struck her...him and HER? She shook her head. Hiei wouldn't take her away from Kagome...would he?
She wanted to glance behind her, but it would risk too much. Besides, they'd reached the park.
Tori wandered away from the others to quietly sit underneath a tree, pondering the meaning of Hiei and Kurama's conversation.
Apparently, Kurama had been trying to persuade Hiei AGAINST doing whatever he was planning, and that spurred Tori's idea from before. Hiei of course had brought up the undeniable response, 'She's my...' whatever. Probably talking about her...again. Then he'd muttered a question to Kurama. 'About you', it sounded like he was asking Kurama what he was going to do.
Kurama responded with 'stay'. She grumbled in her frustration as she turned these facts over and over in her mind, not getting a clear picture. What was Hiei planning to do with her?? Kurama had seemed to think it was a bad idea, so it obviously was...
Why her?
She sighed, giving up, resting her head against the trunk of the tree. Hiei obviously wouldn't tell her, so she'd have to either worm it out of Kurama, or...she didn't like the other option, and dropped it completely. It was hopeless.
Soon, she smelt a familiar scent, and heard a slight rustle of leaves above her. She tilted her head up, spying Hiei in his favorite position: in the tree branches way up high. She watched him for a while, wondering what on Earth was going through the dark maze he called his mind...
"Kagome? Kagome, may I speak with you for a minute?" called Kurama's voice across the green, where the other girls were playing tag with Yusuke and Kuwabara. After dodging a blundering Kuwabara, Kagome leapt lightly over his fallen form and raced eagerly up to her mate. Kurama smiled as he saw her delight...too bad he'd be the one to wipe it away...
"Yeah, Kurama?" She was panting slightly from the thrill of the game, but she immediately calmed when she saw the urgency in his eyes. "Oh no. What's happened now?"
"It's Hiei. He's planning to take her from us..."
"Hiei's what? Take who?" asked Kagome. Kurama gently led her from the view and hearing range of the others, settling her down in a small grove of oak trees.
"Kagome...I was speaking with Hiei earlier..."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"From what I was saying before, he wants to take Tori with him to the Makai when she 'comes of age'..."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"W-what? Take Tori where???"
Kurama sighed.
"The Makai is the Demon World. It's where Hiei was born and grew up, and where he enjoys going in his extended free time. It's his home."
"Uh, huh, go on."
"Hiei wants to take Tori there with him when she comes of age, which is about when we graduate high school..."
"WHAT???"
"Ssh!" Kurama urgently covered her mouth, listening. He could still hear the others laughing and yelling, so he calmed, removing his hand.
"Kurama, I don't understand..."
"Hiei's natural instinct is to take his mate with him back to the Makai, where he grew up. It's another demon nature quality. That's where he wants them to live, forever."
"But...won't Tori be..."
"That's my point. She won't be happy at all. But, she hasn't been happy with much of anything Hiei's done so far, why should this time be different? The thing is, we need to try to persuade Hiei to rethink it. Tori's a normal human, she'd never survive in a world full of demons. Hiei would be taking her to her death if we allowed him to bring her there."
"So, what do we do?"
"First off, we explain this to Tori..."
"Uh, Kurama?"
"Yes?"
"Usually, explaining things like this to Tori results in her doing something drastic. I say we keep it on the low profile for now."
"I'm afraid not, Kagome. Actually, I think we'll NEED her drastic measures to sort out this problem. Tori's become quite like a younger sister to me, and I would hate to see her dragged off to her death, as would you, Botan, and the others, Yusuke especially. He loves to have those sparring and wrestling matches with her."
As if on cue, they heard Tori's voice carry over the trees,
"YOU'RE GONNA GET IT FOR THAT, YUSUKE!!"
Then more laughter was heard, and Kagome's heart sank.
"You're right, Kurama. We have to do something," she said finally. Kurama smiled, glad she agreed.
"Good, then let's get to it, shall we?"
(Meanwhile...)
Tori furiously raced after the laughing Spirit Detective as he wove his way throughout the others, who dodged out of Tori's way, since she'd been dubbed 'It'. Yusuke looked behind him to see that he wasn't losing her, and decided to try a different tactic. He raced out of the field they were in into the trees, knowing she'd follow.
Naturally, she did. Yusuke wove in and out of the trees, trying to lose her, as they ran farther and farther away from the original play site. Tori wouldn't be shaken so easily, though. Using some of her best hunting techniques, she took shortcuts around the trees, slowly getting closer to Yusuke's back.
She reached out with her hand, ready to tag him and run for it.
Closer...
Closer...
Yusuke's eyes widened as he heard Tori's shrill scream behind him. He immediately skidded to a stop, turning around, his eyes widening.
Tori was on the ground, gripping her neck tightly, where huge bolts of electricity were being emitted from, electrocuting her. Yusuke stared. He thought Koenma had taken her collar off...
Almost in an instant, Hiei appeared next to her, and the zapping ceased.
Tori lay on the ground, unconscious from the shocking she'd received.
Hiei stared at her for a while as he knelt next to her, and Yusuke thought he caught traces of a smirk on Hiei's face.
"So it worked," Hiei muttered aloud. Yusuke approached him.
"Hiei? What worked?" Hiei reached down and removed Tori's hands from her neck, showing Yusuke the collar that had been there before.
Yusuke's eyes widened.
"You put it back on?? Why??" he asked. Then another question struck him. "Hey, I thought Koenma said that she couldn't go out of a mile radius of at least one of us! She was right behind me the whole time!"
Hiei glanced up at him.
"It's nothing to worry about. I simply had Koenma adjust the collar's setting so she couldn't go out of a mile radius of just me."
"Nothing to worry about???" yelled Yusuke, "She could've gotten hurt!! What were you thinking, putting that back on???"
Hiei didn't answer. His demon blood seethed with delight at seeing the test to keep Tori from running away had been successful. She couldn't run now. He smirked, picking her up.
"For your information, detective, no, it wouldn't have hurt her. Because I had Koenma tone down the bolts of electricity that she'd be shocked with. It wouldn't cause pain, just knock her out until I could come and retrieve her. You'd understand if your demon instincts were working properly," Hiei sneered at Yusuke.
Yusuke slightly growled at the comment, but looked worriedly at Tori. Was it that good of an idea to let Hiei be her mate?
Hiei turned away from him, disappearing, taking Tori's limp form with him.
Yusuke hurried back to the field to report it to the others.
Kurama and Kagome happened to overhear the conversation as he relayed it to them. Botan and Kayko gasped, Yukina whispered 'How could he?', and Kuwabara was just plain mad.
Kagome stared at Kurama with wide eyes as he shook his head.
"It's begun," he said.
"Kurama, we have to do something NOW!" said Kagome worriedly. He sighed.
"There's not much we can do right now. Hiei has her. When she gets away from him, we'll tell her about Hiei's plans, and then see what she does."
Kagome nodded sadly. What had she gotten Tori into? Sure, Tori had been the one to fall in love with Hiei, but only because they'd pushed her into it. She wasn't even sure if it had been Tori's decision to let Hiei mark her. She sighed. What would happen now?
Tori gently stirred, opening her eyes to see sunlight shining through the treetops. She turned her vision a little to the side, noticing Hiei watching her, and she snapped awake.
"Hiei?" she asked, "What happened?"
Hiei smirked slightly, and took her hand, moving it up to her neck, pressing it there. Tori looked at him curiously, when she felt the familiar material on her skin. Her eyes widened. Hadn't Koenma taken this off???
She stared at Hiei. "Why is my collar back on?" she asked suspiciously. Hiei's smirk grew slightly, and he leaned down next to her ear.
"Because it'll keep an eye on you when I can't."
Tori looked perplexed, and Hiei quietly explained all the modifications he'd had Koenma make. Trembling, Tori waited until he was done. Why hadn't she noticed it before???
"Hiei..." she said dangerously, "How long has this thing been on me?"
"Two days, now that I recall," said Hiei lightly, as though he wasn't worried at all that Tori was giving him her deadliest glare. The truth was, he wasn't.
Tori snarled, lunging for him. He easily stopped her, but Tori quickly leapt out of his lap onto the branch, standing precariously away from Hiei. Right now, she was grateful for her ligress's catlike balance.
Hiei watched her calmly as he too stood up, leaning back against the trunk to see what she'd do.
Tori drew out her claws, angrily jumping for him, reaching to dice his shoulder again, when he wasn't there anymore, and her claws instead embedded themselves in the trunk behind him. She pulled to get them out, unsuccessfully, but she suddenly felt two hands strongly grip both of her stuck wrists, and a warm body pressed intimately against the back of her own.
She felt goose bumps as hot breath tickled her neck underneath her ear, followed by lips pressing against the skin. Tori once more was overwhelmed by Hiei's wild scent, and she felt her body going limp again.
Hiei could tell she was growing weaker, and he smirked as he gently nipped her with his fangs. While she was in her stupor, he gently removed her claws from the trunk, lacing his fingers in between hers, whispering into her ear between kisses and nips. He knew she'd melted. She'd given in to him.
And that's why he released her.
Tori quickly came back to her senses, whirling around and staring at Hiei angrily, when she'd realized what he'd done. Her face fell, instead covered by a self-hating expression. He was able to make her soften up. He could make her quiet down without a second thought.
How could she let him? Why did her body enjoy relaxing at his whim? Why did she enjoy being seduced? She glared at the ground far below, and quickly leapt down to it, leaving Hiei in the branches.
Hiei's smirk grew. He'd won, and she knew it.
Tori reached the ground, running from the tree where her captor rested, heading back to the clearing.
Everyone looked up when they saw her, and hurried over.
"You ok, Tori?" asked Yusuke, and Tori smiled at the worry in his voice.
"Tch. Never better, you?"
"Tori, we overheard what happened..." started Botan.
"It's nothing. Forget about it. Let's just play. Oh, and Yusuke..." she started, turning to him, "I never did catch you from before."
Before the shocked detective could react, she'd jumped forward and tagged him on the shoulder, running off.
But when she didn't hear his pursuit, she turned to see all of them staring painfully at her. Somehow, she'd known her bluff wouldn't work. She sighed. So much for changing the subject...
She didn't bother walking back to them, or they'd surely see the hurt in her eyes, and that was the last thing she wanted.
Instead, she told them to keep playing without her, and went to find Kagome.
As she was walking throughout the trees, she felt a hand grip her wrist and pull her behind one of them.
She quickly looked up to see Kurama. "Oh, there you are! You know where Kagome is?"
Kagome came up behind him, giving her the same look the others had. Now Tori was just about pissed. "Ok, will everyone stop giving me those pitiful looks????"
"Tori, there's something you need to know," said Kagome quietly.
"I'm not going to my grave, for Christ's sake! Would you quit being so solemn???" snapped Tori.
"What Kagome's trying to say is..." Kurama explained Hiei's plan to the angry girl, who grew more frightened by the second as he talked.
As he finished, Tori's color had faded out of her cheeks. She stared at both of them, and would have backed away, had the tree trunk not been behind her. She clutched a hand to her heart. Hiei...was he really...going to...?
So, her suspicions had been right. Hiei DID want to take her away from everything she knew.
Kurama went on to say why it was a bad idea, and Tori fully agreed, though she didn't say a word.
As he finished, Tori pushed herself away from the trunk, walking around Kagome and Kurama, staring at nothing as frantic thoughts came into her mind, possessing her, making them all seem like absolutely wonderful suggestions. She could kill herself...yes...or she could kill him...even better...maybe she'd hide...or even...
The last one struck her as marvelous, though she was actually quite out of it.
She could run away.
Yes! It was perfect! Hiei would never find her! She'd run away! He couldn't take her to this Makai place if she wasn't there when he left, right? If she could avoid him long enough, maybe he'd give up! It was brilliant, or so she thought.
Apparently, her little mind spurt had temporarily covered up Hiei's abilities. He was not only lightning fast, but he also had his Jagan Eye to locate her with. And there was her collar, too...but no, this running away was positively genius! In fact, it was so genius she'd run now! Just run! He'd never catch her if she started now!
She gave an insane giggle, turning to the worried couple behind her, giving them a grin.
"He'll never catch me," was all she said before taking off into the forest, using every ounce of ligress speed she could muster.
Kurama and Kagome stared after her.
"Was that the reaction you expected?"
"Not exactly. I really intended for her to go up to Hiei and yell at him, but this seems at bit more drastic than I could've pictured her doing," said Kurama.
"God, I hope she hasn't lost it," said Kagome.
Tori hurried through the forest, laughing to herself. Yes, this idea rocked! It was perfect! He'd never find her where she was going! Wait...where WAS she going? Oh well, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was run. She gave another crazy fit of laughter as she sped deeper into the park, farther and farther away...
She didn't even notice the fact that the collar's electricity had started up again. It zapped her, coursing the bolts throughout her body.
She didn't notice. All she felt was a ticklish sensation, and it made her laugh harder.
But soon, her insanity fit started to wear off, and she was able to feel the bolts more and more by the second. How far away was she now? Five miles? Oh well, she'd keep running. And she did. But her mental veil started to break, and the pain started to break through to her mind, screaming at it to stop.
She wouldn't. She would run, and keep running to the ends of the Earth...the end of Time. No amount of stupid electricity would stop her from being the free spirit she was born to be. None whatsoever.
It wasn't long before Hiei appeared next to the shocked couple in the trees, asking them if they'd seen Tori.
They gave him innocent smiles, and naturally answered No.
The rest of the group came over, with most of them glaring at Hiei, asking the same question. But Kurama and Kagome wouldn't tell.
Kurama protected Kagome's mind with a mental barrier similar to his own so that Hiei couldn't penetrate it for the answers. He saw the frustration working through Hiei's eyes as he tried to force the barrier down while Yusuke and the others talked amongst themselves, wondering what could've caused her to disappear, before throwing Hiei angry looks.
He ignored them, glaring at Kurama with an expression that could kill. Kurama was unfazed. He was quite used to Hiei's threats, and this time wouldn't be any different.
Finally, Hiei stormed forward, grabbing Kurama by the shirt collar.
"I know you know where she is, fox!!" he snarled, "Now give her back!!"
"I don't Hiei, I honestly have no idea where she is," said Kurama calmly, and somehow, Hiei knew it was the truth. Kurama DIDN'T know where Tori was, but he did know what she'd done.
"Then what happened?? What did she do? I know you saw her before she left!" Hiei's eyes blazed with fury. Kurama still was undaunted.
"I'm sorry, Hiei, but I cannot tell you that," he said. Hiei was about to the breaking point. He drew out his sword, pressing it firmly against the kitsune's neck, and Kagome gasped.
"You tell me...now," he muttered dangerously. Kagome trembled. She didn't want Hiei to hurt Kurama, though she didn't know what Kurama was planning.
She quickly threw herself at Hiei, shoving his sword away, yelling,
"SHE RAN AWAY, OK???"
Everyone froze. The anger left Hiei's eyes as quickly as it had come, and was instead replaced with...surprise.
"She...what?" asked Botan. Hiei's eyes fell to the ground, and he glared at it, turning back up towards Kagome, then Kurama, then the others.
Before he could vanish, though, he felt something grab him and drag him to the ground. Furiously, he looked up to see what had dared get in his way, and Kurama's Rose Whip was bound tightly around his arms.
"Kitsune...don't make me hurt you..." snarled Hiei, when he felt something else, a blade.
He looked the other way to see Kuwabara holding his Spirit Sword to Hiei's neck. Everyone's eyes widened.
"If you're gonna hurt any of my friends, you're gonna have to get through me, even if you are one," he said. Yusuke was behind him, pointing his Spirit Gun at the deadly, unpredictable pyre.
"And me," he said. Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously. They had all turned on him! The traitors! They were trying to keep his own mate away from him! He felt a snarl build up in his throat, when he realized something else, a different option.
"Obviously, you're forgetting one little fact," he said. The others watched him curiously. "The farther she gets from me, the more that collar will hurt her. We don't want that now, do we?"
They hesitated.
"How do we know YOU won't hurt her once you find her?" asked Yusuke.
"She's my mate, I have no reason to injure her," said Hiei simply. He glared at Kuwabara as the sword tip pressed slightly harder against his skin.
"Hmm, I dunno," said Kuwabara.
Kurama sighed in defeat, releasing Hiei from his whip. Inwardly, Hiei smirked. If brawn couldn't win you a fight, then you could always use your smarts, which he had plenty of, now that he thought about it.
Yusuke and Kuwabara glared as they lowered their weapons.
"Fine, go get her," said Yusuke, a hint of anger still in his voice. Hiei didn't need to be told twice. Though he wasn't showing it, he was quite worried about her. However far she'd gotten by now, the collar would NOW be hurting her, wouldn't it? If his stupid so-called 'friends' hadn't held him up, he could have reached her without causing her any pain.
He vanished, following Tori's scent, as well as his Jagan's trail.
Tori found it hard to even take a step. She continued her run through the forest, her body now numb. She couldn't feel a thing, which was kind of a plus; she didn't feel the electricity anymore.
But, how could he? How could he?? Hiei said he'd loved her! Why would he take her away from everything she knew? Why??? It didn't make sense! Her insanity had vanished completely, and she found an enormous tree, almost the size of a redwood, and hid herself in the roots, crying.
She didn't want to leave! She didn't want to! But no, Hiei would make her, wouldn't he? He always did. She didn't want to go to this demon place, it sounded horrible.
Especially if Kagome wouldn't be there with her...
Her tears attracted exactly the attention she'd been trying to lose. She hadn't noticed that the electricity had stopped. All she felt was something warm lie next to her, and a familiar material being draped over her.
Her eyes snapped open, red and swollen from crying, and she slowly turned to greet Hiei's crimson orbs.
She jumped, trying to back away from him, but the roots prevented her escape. She looked behind her, and then back to him.
"Go away," she muttered, turning away from him. Hiei's eyes softened, and he inched an arm about her waist, but she snarled and snapped at him, "Did you hear me?? I'm NOT going to the Makai!! You can't make me!!" She gripped one of the tree roots tightly, hoping Hiei wouldn't be able to pry her loose from it.
Hiei calmly watched her, before once more lacing his arms about hers; gently massaging her hands so they'd let go, and he placed them at her sides, covering her with his cloak. The sun was setting, so the forest was growing dark. Thank God for summer. He turned her around to face him, and he wiped away her tears, pulling her into his body.
Tori broke down crying. Though it was into Hiei's shoulder, the one she'd been trying to avoid, she couldn't help it. Instinct took over, and Hiei allowed her to cry herself dry as he wrapped his arms about her.
When she was done, she rested limply in Hiei's embrace, totally silent. He figured it was his turn to talk.
"Tori...I know you don't want to go...but I can't fight it. If my demon side wants to go back, it will bring you with it. Tori...the Makai is my home. It will call me back, and I will answer the call. I can't escape it, and if you're my mate, you won't escape it, either," he whispered, "I'm sorry if you regret being my mate now, but it can't be helped," he finished in a hushed voice, and Tori quickly realized the meaning of his words.
"Hiei...I don't regret it at all. It's the best thing to have happened to me, but I should've known it'd come with a price. I just don't think I can handle it. I mean, I know this isn't your home and all, but don't you think there's a chance your demon side could reconsider this? I really don't want to go there without another girl to talk to," she said sadly. Hiei felt her loss of cheer, and sighed.
"No, Tori. I can't make it change its mind. This is instinct to me, ok? I can't stop it, I have to follow it."
"I know," Tori whispered painfully, "but don't think that my not wanting to go has anything to do with our relationship, ok? I love you, and always will, even though you DO tend to do the most possessive things to make sure I stay near you," said Tori, snuggling herself closer into her mate's warmth. Hiei slightly smiled at her.
"Well, I'd say we get back to the others," he started, but realized Tori's breathing had slowed down to an even pattern. She was asleep. He sighed, picking her up, giving her cheek a quick nuzzle with his face, and he raced off.
When Hiei arrived back at the clearing, Yusuke nearly jumped on him, thinking Tori was dead. When Hiei finally showed him she was merely sleeping, Yusuke backed off, still grumbling.
He told them Tori hadn't been hurt, she was fine when he found her, bringing much relief to the girls. Hiei looked down at her. There was no need to press her obedience anymore that night. He was already pissed off with his demon side enough as it is.
The group headed back to Yusuke's house, and they all watched the Dream Street tape again, even Tori once she woke up, and they all laughed their heads off when it was over.
There were things surely to come ahead in the race of Time, many things. There was that haze over them though, the haze of the unknown future, the one only Seers could penetrate. Obstacles lurked in the shadows, waiting for the moment to pounce on unsuspecting travelers as they continued the journey of life. No one could know what kind of obstacles, but hopefully, travelers could be prepared to handle them, for if they were not, their lives would turn in a whole new direction...
THE END
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Tori the Hanyou: Stay tuned for the sequel!
In honor of my finally ending a fanfic, I'm going to give you guys a treat! YAY! This is a poem I wrote, hope y'all love it!
My Hunter, My Panther
Stalking through the night's turned back, A figure clad in the deepest black, Hunts me, stalks me, makes me fear, I cannot see, I cannot hear. He chases me through even my dreams,
I cannot escape him, or so it seems.
Why does he hunt me, with the greatest of care?
Whenever he's near, I feel pricks in my hair.
I cannot take a step without feeling his gaze;
I cannot escape this great mental maze.
His mind tricks, his prowling, just where does it end?
I always look to see what's around the next bend.
For I don't know if he'll be there, waiting to see,
If I am afraid, if he truly frightens me.
It's the terror, the horror that pleases him so;
He won't listen to me when I tell him to go.
It brings him great joy to see me this way,
But I cannot help it, all his actions won't say,
Why he hunts me and stalks me, and frightens me too.
The truth is he loves me, a love that is true.