The Consequences of Power

Are we having fun yet, children? I was asked to update, so I guess I shall! ^_^
No updates until I have more reviews!


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Evil glanced at Hiei as he started to strap on his arsenal. He knew better than to go unarmed by taking a look at the grim expression on her face. Knives were tucked away into every possibly convenient space; swords, axes, and a mace were all hooked to belts and slings. Chain mail hid under his clothing. Hiei was notably impressed.

He stomped his boots on and cracked his knuckles, making sure he was only wearing the sturdiest and least polished of his rings before addressing Hiei.

"So... where are we going?"

Hiei looked at him solemnly for a moment, then nodded when she finally decided it was time to tell him.

"We are headed for the Makai, and from there Reikai. There is a portal in an abandoned building on the other side of town. I know the secret ways in, but I cannot make it through the Makai alone." She looked at him as he stared at her in confusion, then headed for the door, speaking over her shoulder so as to avoid seeing the look in his eyes when she revealed what she was about to.

"Kurama is on a mission in the Makai. He has been sent to dispose of, or bring to justice, a legendary demon. This demon just happens to be the one who slew him in his Youko form 22 years ago, and he has gone alone. He's been gone for over a week, and I can only assume the worst. We have to go to Reikai so that I can be lifted of my sentence as a... human female... and take on my true form as a male demon. The demons we will meet on this path will be dangerous and deadly. They possesss no... firearms... yet their natural armor is far worse. I have only asked of your help because I know that I will fail without you, and because I know you consider Kurama a friend. If you are not as determined as I believe you to be in this, then now is the time to say, before we get to the portal."

She continued to walk at a brisk pace, following her diminished ki senses to the portal. She did not bother with a car, for she had no idea how long they would be gone, nor did she know if the portal would remain in tact once Koenma realized someone else knew about it. Evil followed steadily, but his eyes were about to bug out of his head. Hiei sighed inwardly at the reaction and continued on, uncertain of how to make the impact softer.

"So you're... a demon? And... Kurama too? I wondered why you called him a different name, but really... Aren't demons supposed to be evil and stuff?"

Hiei stopped and turned to look Evil in the eye before answering him.

"We're the demons who make sure your ass sleeps at night. We're the demons who gaurd the boarders between our worlds, who keep your souls inside your chests, who keep your world from plunging into a black abyss of agony and despair. We are the demons who keep you alive."

She turned on her heel and marched on. Evil stared at her, wondering how that question had ruffled her feathers quite that much. He followed her again, watching the subburbs give way slowly to the downtown area.

"What makes a demon decide to be one of the good guys?" he asked finally, bracing for another lecture. Hiei did not pause this time, however.

"Sometimes it's a free choice. Sometimes it's the choice between death and imprissonment or service to good."

He considered this for a moment, then asked another question that bothered him.

"What made you and Kurama decide?"

Hiei's shoulders tensed a bit as she stopped in front of a warehouse, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. She kicked the flimsy half rotted door in.

"You'd rather not know, I'm sure."

Evil raised an eyebrow. So Hiei was a bad guy originally? He couldn't believe it. Not the delicate, polite beauty he knew.

Hiei frowned in concentration and led him in the back to a gigantic mixer. She looked at it skeptically, then pushed a ladder towards it, climbing up and looking down into it. It didn't -look- like a portal. There were these wicked blades at the bottom of the mixer underneath where she thought the portal would be. She frowned to herself, then looked down at Evil.

"We're going to have to jump. If for any reason I don't dissapear and wind up on the blades.... you know better than to follow, I'm sure."

She took a deep breath for courage and jumped over the edge in one show of will.

Evil quickly clammored up the ladder to peer over the edge.

"Holy shit. Jump... into that?"

He examined the blades at the bottom carefully, assuring himself that there was no peice of Hiei at the bottom. He looked to the ceiling for a moment to gather his own courage, then leapt over the edge, falling...

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Hiei stood and brushed herself off, surveying her surroundings grimly. It was already night. She stood stiffly, waiting impatiently for Evil to decide he believed her and jump. The forest was silent, but that was not suprising considering the grace with which she'd come through the portal...

A great bellow of suprise broke the silence suddenly as Evil appeared out of nowhere, 5 feet above the ground. He collided face first with the earth with enough force to shake Hiei. She winced as she remembered all of the armor and weaponry he was wearing. That couldn't have been a pleasant feeling. She waited for him to pick himself up before speaking.

"The whole forest undoubtedly knows we're here now, so we have to proceed alertly."

Evil looked around warily, then back at Hiei.

"And you're sure my weapons are good against demons?"

Hiei chose her path and headed off.

"If we're lucky, yes. If not..."

Evil grumbled and followed her, fingering his axe nervously.

"Stop making so much noise! We'll be detected in no time if you keep it up," Hiei hissed at him quietly once they were under the cover of the trees. She looked up to find him being held captive by a vine in a tree and groaned, climbing up slowly to cut him down with her katana. He hit the ground with a clatter of weaponry and she sighed.

"Cityboy."

"What? I am not!"

"Yes, yes you are. You just got beaten by a plant. Stay alert, and stay silent. I know you're better than this."

Evil sighed and followed her on. This was more serious than he had originally given credit. That was really just an ordinary vine that had just tried to choke him?

Hiei grinned to herself quietly as she led the way. She wondered how amusing the look on his face would be when she eventually mentioned that that vine would have raped him until it had stolen all of his sexual energy, and then dropped him for the bottom feeders to finish off. Oh, it would be good.

They continued without incident through the forest through the night, which Hiei found to be highly suspicious. They set up a small camp, starting a sputtering little fire to keep them warm when they tired. Hiei opted to keep watch, letting Evil stretch out for sleep. He kept his weapons on. At least he had some sense. She scowled at herself. Why was she being so hard on him? He was risking his life escorting her out here. He'd risked his life for her before, too. She sighed, looking up at the stars. She was hungry. Her stomache was complaining and complaining, but there was nothing out here to eat. She examined the nearby foliage and spotted some berries. Mmmm, berries. She got up and picked as many as her cloak could hold, then sat contentedly munching on them. She soon found that she was incredibly sleepy... A short nap wouldn't hurt, would it?

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Evil sat up with a yawn, wondering what woke him up. He looked for Hiei and frowned. Hiei was not there, only a pile of berries. Mmmm, berries. He frowned at that thought. He wasn't a big fan of berries. He looked around for her, noticing that she'd left her katana. Picking it up, he closed his eyes and listened for any sounds.

There.

He snapped his attention to the south as he heard some kind of shuffling going on. He quietly moved foreward to investigate, and was met by a small funky bluegreen creature. It growled and hissed at him, baring large fanged teeth. His eyes widened. There was a group of them further on, crowding around something on the ground.... Hiei!

Evil growled and stepped foreward, only to have his path blocked. He noticed that they all had tiny wings on their backs. He also noticed that they were all taking their turns biting and sucking at Hiei's wrists and neck.

"Hiei? What the fuck are these?"

Hiei moaned and opened her eyes, staring at the sky.

"Kill them. They're trying to suck me dry so that they can make a fucking house out of me."
Evil's eyes widened and he stared at the little demons.

"A HOUSE?"

Hiei's eyes slid shut again.

"Kill them."

Evil kicked expirimentally at one, only to be rewarded with a shrill shriek of rage as they all turned threateningly on him.

"Hiei, are you sure that I can...?"

Hiei only moaned. He stared at her pale pale skin and growled at the trickles of blood escaping the small demons' mouths. That settled it. He started stomping them like large roaches, listening to their bones crack. They shrieked at him, but were apparently quite helpless unless their prey was already downed for them. He was grumbling in disgust with himself for having been scared enough to actually consider not helping Hiei for a minute there, his disgust in himself angering him further, causing him to start nailing some with knives as he stomped others. Soon they were all carcasses or had fled with shrieks of fear. He lifted Hiei and sighed, pulling her up so that she was riding on his back. He tucked her katana away on his belt and headed back to the camp.

"How did they get you?

She lay her head against his neck, weary from the loss of blood.

"The berries... they're enchanted to draw your attention, and then to make you sleep. That's the only way they can get fresh kills."

Evil nodded, then looked around.

"Which way, Hiei?"

She pointed to the west before closing her eyes.

Evil moved foreward slowly after stomping out the fire, keeping an eye out for other predators. This trip had just gotten a little more interesting.

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Their progress was slow after that. Evil carried Hiei all through the day, stopping only once to drink from a stream and to make her do the same. He started a small fire and roasted the carcass of one of the small winged demons. Hiei tore into it with such enthusiasm that he let her have it. When she asked what had happened to his, he said he'd eaten it while she slept. She nodded and finished, smiling contentedly. She was still too weak after that to walk on her own. Evil knew they were being followed by several small predators all through the day because of the smell of blood on them. Luckily their lack of spirit energy was keeping them below the interest of larger predators. He just kept moving, hoping they would stay back warily. Hiei had long since stopped responding to him. He didn't know where he was going anymore. He finally stopped, too tired to go on, and lay Hiei on the ground. After he'd started the fire he shook her gently.

"Hiei.... Hiei! Wake up, lil sis. It's time for you to tell me where we are."

Hiei cracked an eye at him groggily and raised an arm for him to help her up. She took a look around, frowned, then lay back down.

"I don't know."

Evil stared at her.

"What?"

"I said, I don't know. I'm tired, I'm hurt, I'm hungry, and I'm cold. I'll look again in the morning. It's your turn to keep watch," she snapped grumpily. Evil sighed. sur sure did seem alot grumpier and more vocal recently. Maybe it had something to do with learning English. He let her sleep for a while, looking around curiously. This spot really did feel somehow different from the rest of the forest, but maybe it was just him. He started to nod off after a few hours, his eyes sliding shut in spite of himself.

Two sets of glowing yellow eyes watched them from either side of the camp, waiting. When Evil finally fell asleep sitting up, they made contact with eachother and nodded.


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Ah, yes, another horribly short chapter!