Pirates of the Makai

Pirates of the Makai
Part Nine
It was inevitable that in a place called Maze Castle they would have eventually found a maze. Yusuke and his comrades were forced to march down endless procession of halls. They climbed stairs and crossed over bridges, down stairs and into tunnels that seemed to branch off infinitely, to wide rooms filled with doors, all but one path lead to certain death from arrows, poised gases, flame throwers or bone crushing traps.

Not that their group have much to fear of running into these traps. See, the map that Seiryu took from Hiei showed exactly how to penetrate the maze of Maze Castle. And over the years, a lot of dust had gathered on the floors of Maze Castle. So all Yusuke’s group had to do was follow the previous group’s foot prints in the dust and hope they were smart enough to read the map correctly.

At last, they came to another big important looking door with a symbol over it. Hiei read from his piece of the map, “These are the Tombs of Ice; the domain of-- you guessed it-- the Third Saint. The warning is as follows: ‘Do not cross the ice and do not dally for you can not outrun the cold.’”

“Do not cross the ice? What do you think that means?” Kuwabara muttered, “Knowing our luck it means there’s a big ice monster or something on the other side of this door that will kill us if we piss it off.”

“I think they were a little more literal this time,” Kurama laughed, stepping aside to let the others look through the door he’d just opened.

“It’s a lake!” Yusuke exclaimed. The next room was so big that for a second he thought he was outside in a courtyard. But then he saw the walls circling the great round pool and the huge domed ceiling that closed over it. It was dramatically oblong, much wider than it was long. There was a narrow ring of flooring along the walls, but for the most part the room was entirely occupied by the pool, which on farther examination was frozen to ice.

“So it is,” Hiei said blandly. He tugged at Yusuke’s sleeve, “There’s some ground here we can walk around it on.”

“Man, it’s gonna take forever for us to walk around this, but I guess we don‘t have much of a choice,” Yusuke inched closer to the frozen water, “I wonder way we can’t cross--” He bit off his last words as he looked down into the ice. And gazing back up at him was a face, blue from the cold and contorted with horror and agony.

“Eh,” Kuwabara cringed, “Maybe the ice is actually real thin so you can fall through it real easily.”

Kurama responded warily, “Perhaps. But just in case, nobody touch the ice.”

There was no argument. The group made there way round the pond and eventually came to a door on the other side, flanked by bronze dragon statues. A thick chilled fog creep out from under the door and rolled down the short set of steps like spilled milk. Hiei placed his hand on the door and then hesitated as if sensing something.

“Come in, Hiei. I know you’re out there,” a deep crisp voice came from inside. It was Seiryu’s voice.

Hiei gnashed his teeth and pushed the door open to the moderately sized empty room. Seiryu was standing inside, slightly at ease with his hands folded behind his back. He was blue. The sight of him was almost surprising after having seen the monstrous transformations Genbu and Byakko had both gone through. Seiryu looked exactly the same as he did before, except his skin was blue.

“I would say I couldn’t believe you made it past Genbu and Byakko,” Seiryu said dryly, “But then I would be implying I had some misguided faith in them, when I don’t.”

“Seiryu,” Hiei hissed his name, “What in the name of Davy Jones is going on here? How did Byakko and Genbu… get like that?”

Seiryu shrugged. The gesture looked wrong on him. “It’s a little hard to put into words. Simply put, we died. You went through that room with those living statues that didn’t like the light? Well we didn’t figure it out until they’d caught Genbu and dragged him screaming into the shadows. Byakko fell into the lava pits after stepping in the wrong place. And me, I walked out onto that ice right out there. The stuff climbed up my legs like growing crystal and then sucked me down into the solid ice. I’m not sure which got me first, the cold or suffocation. Such deadly and ingenious traps, you would think the map would have carried some warning about them, wouldn’t you Hiei?”

Hiei glowered at the man and held up his torn piece of parchment.

“As I suspected,” Seiryu nodded, “this way if someone stole your map, it would ensure the thief’s death. It ensured ours.”

“Are you trying to tell us that you guys are ghosts or something?” Yusuke shot off.

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Seiryu sniffed. “We fell, but Master Suzaku succeeded. He reached the top of the Great Tower of Storms, where the holy treasure resides. It knew him for its master and its power shook the very roots of Maze Castle, raising us up from the dead to become gods with the power of the Four Saints!”

“So that’s it,” Kurama gasped.

Yusuke turned to him, “That made sense to you? Cuz to me it sounded like the mad ranting of a big blue idiot.”

Kurama shook his head, “I don’t know how, but somehow our foes have been possessed by the power of the Four Saints, and have been turned into the Four Saints themselves.”

“Two saints now,” Seiryu interjected, “You lot killed Byakko and Genbu-- or maybe I spoke too soon. Look at what the cat drug in.”

They turned to their surprise to find Byakko stumbling in through the doors. He was beaten up, a massive chip taken out one feline ear, one of his tusks missing, and all of his fur nearly singed down to the skin. “Seiryu… help me,” he reached out for his comrade, “These scoundrels… they tricked me--”

Seiryu wrinkled his nose like he smelled something sour. He grasped Byakko by the arm and barked, “I have had just about enough of your bumbling!” In an instant the temperature of the room dropped. Byakko opened his mouth to voice a pained scream, but it was frozen in his mouth as ice encased his body. Then quick as lighting, Seiryu struck the frozen tiger, shattering him instantly.

“You killed your own guy!” Kuwabara mouthed in disbelief.

“I’m not surprised,” Kurama told him gravely, “They didn’t have any trouble betraying us when we were their captains, why would they show any loyalty to each other?”

“Don’t lump me in with that worthless imbecile,“ Seiryu said coldly, “Suzaku and I only brought them into our plan in the first place because we needed them to get you lot out of the way so I could get the map and Makai Whistle and the Black Dragon. After that, they were just extra baggage.

“Oh and now that they’re gone, I’ll inherit their portions of the caste, not to mention their ships and crews. Admiral Seiryu, I like the sound of that. I almost feel as though I should reward you for bringing this fortune to me. Mind you, I‘m not going to let you live. So what should I do? Ah, I know. You all seem fond of that little whore Captain Jaganshi here keeps. So I’ll make sure she’s well taken care of. And believe me with all the men I’ll have under my command, she will be TAKEN CARE OF! Hahaha!”

“I’ve heard enough of your flapping lips,” Hiei said abruptly after having remained silent for so long. He whipped off his coat and drew his sword in a single flourish.

“Ha, I knew that would get your goat. Though I never understood why that little whore means so much to you,” Seiryu said as he sunk into a fighter’s crouch, unmindful that Hiei had a sword.

“You wouldn’t,” Hiei eyed him suspiciously, “Move.”

All at once the room grew cold again. The air around Seiryu clouded with ice crystals. And then he struck out with his fist. A gust of super chilled air hurled toward Hiei. It narrowly missed his left ear as he sprung out of the way. Seiryu growled in frustration and threw out the other fist and then the other, pumping out blows in quick succession. Every one missed their mark as Hiei closed in on him.

“Damn you!” He screamed as he made a wide sweeping gesture, sending a wave of deadly chilled air rushing across the room. It spanned almost the entire width of the room, there was no way Hiei could dodge it. It would strike at his knees and cripple him. But just as Seiryu was about to count his victory, Hiei leaped over the wave! That last leap carried him the rest of the way to Seiryu. He pulled back his sword and slashed across the man’s chest. He landed on the ground behind him, rolled and slashed again, before Seiryu could react.

“H-how? I’m a god,” Seiryu coughed up some blue substance that they assumed served as his blood. “Gyyyhhhh!!!” He screamed as his body bulged. Yusuke and the others retreated a pace, right before Seiryu exploded in a bright flash of light.

Soft snow fell in the room. Yusuke reached out to catch a piece in his hand. He breathed, “No way”

“Hn, I thought revenge against him would have been sweeter,” Hiei said coolly. “He was sloppy, short sighted, and much too slow. Being a Saint, god or whatever wasn‘t going to help him. He was pathetic.”

“Lovely epitaph,” Kurama muttered.

“Yeah, remind me to never insult Yukina in front of ya,” Yusuke grinned wanly, “She really does mean a lot to ya, doesn’t she?” The sentiment felt awkward in his mouth. He vaguely felt like he was the mistress talking about the wife. Such dynamics were common in his ranking, so why did that bugger at him so?

Hiei grunted and started walking, but then he stumbled. Yusuke jumped to his side, “Hiei are you alright?”

He growled, gesturing to his left shoe, “I didn’t quite clear that last attack-- It was just the toe. I’ll be fine.”

“Let me see,” Yusuke all but pushed Hiei down on his rear. He pried his boot off. “My god, look at your toes they’re almost blue. Hiei, you could get frost bite if we don’t warm these up.”

“Excuse me, but we don’t have time to stop and have a leisurely warm foot bath,” Hiei snapped, “Or have you forgotten about your prince who’s waiting for you to rescue him?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Yusuke sighed, “But I can’t let you go around like this. I have to do… something….”

Without farther thought he leaned down and touched his tongue on Hiei’s toe. Hiei hissed as the heat from Yusuke’s tongue penetrated his chilled flesh. Yusuke sucked his big toe into his mouth and laved it with his tongue. The warmth and the pressure forced circulation back into his small appendages. At first, it was painful like a thousand tiny needles stabbing into his small limbs, but then relief set in as the blood flowed freely through his limbs and his skin took on a healthy pink hue once more.

What tiny feet he had. You’d hardly guess they belonged to one of the Makai Sea’s most feared pirates, Yusuke thought as moved from toe to toe, licking, sucking, and caressing. Hiei’s tense muscles started to melt under his attentions and sweet sigh escaped his lips. Yusuke returned with his own sweet whimpers and satisfied hums, which he was sure sent lovely little vibrations tingling through Hiei’s foot. All Yusuke could think was that if not for the circumstances, he could be doing this to other, more sensitive parts of Hiei’s body.

At that moment Kuwabara cleared his throat, snapping both the men out of the little world they’d created. They both looked up. Kurama was watching them, covering his lips with two fingers as if he believed the gesture would disguise the impish smirk on his face. Kuwabara on the other hand was blatantly trying to look anything but them.

“Right, I think your foot should be alright now,” Yusuke said, smoothing down his shirt, trying to act like he hadn’t gotten totally into it. “We should get going. What’s next?”

“More of the same; twisting hallways, secret passages, a few traps,” Hiei drawled, replacing his boot and trying in vain to hide his erection, “It all leads out to this big courtyard. That’s where the entrance to the next stage is, the Great Tower of Storms. You‘ll find that Suzaku guy and your prince at the top.”

“And your treasure,” Yusuke said.
* * *
With some time passed and immeasurable distance covered, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara emerged into another one of those impossible outdoor spaces. The door they came from was set in an endless seeming wall that stretched out beyond sight on either side. Before them, the narrow stem of a tower that grew wider and bulged out at the top in what seemed to Yusuke to be a very poor design. Between them and the tower as the courtyard Hiei had mentioned earlier. But perhaps garden would have been a better word to describe it. The land was plowed into neat furrows in which bushy little cabbage-like plants grew in tidy little rows.

“So this Suzaku guy is at the top of this thing?” Kuwabara said, “Urameshi, you know him, what’s he like?”

“From what I recall he’s a shameless, brown-nosing, social-climber,” Yusuke drawled.

“That ain’t much help. I meant is he a good fighter? How’s he with a sword and stuff?”

“I don’t know. There’s usually not much fighting happening at cocktail parties and spring galas. But I do know he went to some fancy-ass school and they usually teach fencing and stuff there-- that don’t mean he’s good at it.”

“No it doesn’t,” Hiei chimed in, “As the son of a respected lord, you must have attended one of those fancy-ass schools too, and I’ve seen you with a sword. Pathetic.”

Yusuke bristled, “Hey, that’s just because I skipped class all the time. I bet if I practiced, I would have been great at it. And you should see me with this,” he touched the handle of his pistol. “I could shoot a fly out from between his wings with this.”

“Good, I’ll call you when I need protecting from flies,” Hiei sneered good naturedly.

“Hiei what are the warnings for the Great Tower of Storms?” Kurama interjected as they were nearing the foot of the tower.

Hiei consulted his piece of the map, “Those below, look out from below. Those above, look out from above.”

“Useful as usual,” Kuwabara crossed his arms.

“We’re still alive aren’t we, so it’s got to be worth something,” Hiei snapped back.

“Look at this stuff,” Yusuke pointed to the rows of cabbage, “There’s so much of it. It must be all they ate.”

Kurama looked at the cabbage as if seeing it for the first time, “That’s a little disturbing.”

“Yeah, I’d say if that stuff did to them what it does to me,” Kuwabara laughed, “Better hope their living spaces were well ventilated!”

“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Kurama rubbed his thumb between his brows. “I meant to point out that the garden is still so well maintained. My mother’s garden back home would be half dead from lack of watering and overgrown with weeds, if it were left alone for more than a week. But here there has been no one to tend these rows for centuries, yet, here they are.”

“Hey you’re right” Yusuke agreed a little alarmed, “Who do think’s been tending these plants.”

“Um, maybe the plants have been tending themselves,” Kuwabara shaky voice came to them.

“That is the stupidest--” Yusuke turned to look at Kuwabara and then he saw what Kuwabara saw. The cabbage heads were pushing themselves up out of the ground. There were faces below those tufts of leaves, heads… necks… shoulders… entire bodies!

The four gathered close as row apron row of these vegetable men rose out of the ground. Without hesitation, a pair of the things threw themselves at Kuwabara. He shrieked as their thorn-like nails dug into his flesh. In pain, he swung his sword and cut down the one clasping at his chest and then tried to dislodge the one on his back. Yusuke and others would have moved to help him, but already the vegetable men were charging at them as well.

“Well now we know what look out from below means,” Yusuke said wanly. He drew his pistol and fired into an oncoming foe. It had no effect. Of course it didn’t, the thing was solid vegetable matter. Vegetables don’t care if they get shot. “Shit.”


“Just as well, Yusuke. Save your ammunition for whatever it is that’s waiting for us at the top of the tower. Until then, use your fists,” Kurama said, cracking his whip and taking down a whole line of them like they were tall grass. “Luckily these things aren’t too tough.”

“Yeah, but there are so many of them,” Kuwabara yelled as he fended off another wave.

“We’ll kill over from exhaustion if we try to fight them all,” Hiei said, cutting a path, “We need to make a run for the tower.”

“The path’s blocked,” Yusuke said.

“Move aside,” Kuwabara pushed his way to the front of the group, “My sis, says I’m part bull.”

Hiei smirked, “You sure she didn’t say you were full of--”

“Shut up shorty and stay close behind. Here we go!” Kuwabara charged into the mob of plant creatures, sending them flying as he knocked into them. Unfortunately his momentum couldn’t hold up forever. He hit the next wave like a wall of mud. He fell and the other three were obliged to jump over him or trip. Before they could slow he called, “Keep going. I’ll catch up.”

Kurama used his whip again as a weed-whacker to clear a path for them, before he turned, “He’s going to need my help. You two go on.”

“Good luck Kurama,” Hiei said before taking Yusuke’s hand and running for the tower.
They were only a stones throw from it, when all of the sudden a line of vegetable men shot out from the ground beneath the path. And then just as suddenly, Hiei pulled Yusuke down into a lip crushing kiss.

“Whoa,” Yusuke gasped headily, “What was that for?”

Hiei kissed him again, “You’re going to have to go on without me-- and don’t argue.”

Yusuke did want to argue. He didn’t want to leave his new comrades behind. But then he remembered that Koenma was at the top of the tower and he was with Suzaku. He saw Genbu, Byakko, and Seiryu. Who knows what kind of monster Suzaku had become. He was already a monster as far as Yusuke was concerned. He was supposed to be loyal to the royal court, more loyal then anyone. But he spied on his prince, sold him out to some sleazy pirates. Just the thought of it made Yusuke boil over with rage.

Yusuke kissed Hiei again, hard and viscously. Then, “I’m coming back for ya guys, just as soon as I’m finished knocking all the teeth out of that bastards Suzaku’s head.”

“Sexy,” Hiei muttered, “I’ll clear you a path. HAAA!!” He rammed his sword into a walking vegetable, through it and into the one behind it. He took his sword hilt with both hands and slammed the two impaled ones into the horde. “Go!”

Yusuke leapt over the fallen ranks and charged for the door. One or two vegetable men got in his way, but he punched his way through. In no time he was at the door marked with the sigh of the Great Tower of Storms. He didn’t even look back before charging through the door. He couldn’t, else he loose his resolve about leaving them behind.

He looked up. The tower was hollow, nothing but stairs spiraling up to the top. “No more mazes, huh? Good.”
* * *
“He’s coming for you,” Suzaku told the prince. Though telling him wasn’t necessary, Koenma had been watching Yusuke’s progress the same as Suzaku was. They watched them on some sort of magical mirror, a mode of severance that Koenma found more than a little disturbing. The entire castle was disturbing, the deadly mazes, the imposable courtyards that could not be there because Maze Castle was underwater, and the creatures…. Suzaku was one of them now. Yusuke was on his way to save him. But could he?

Yusuke was at a door. Koenma watched him push it open at the same time the loud creaking sounded in the room. The doors opened and there he was.

“Yuumsfuke!” Koenma tried to shout to him around the gag in his mouth.

“Koenma. Thank god you’re alright,” Yusuke started to trot over to him.

“Gmitt zamck nits ma trmap!” Koenma struggled.

Yusuke pulled his gag off, “What?”

“I said; Get back, it’s a trap!”

Yusuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle and stand up like they did right before a powerful electric storm. He grabbed Koenma with one arm, with the other he drew his pistol and fired into the darkness as he rolled out of the way. A harsh crackling ripped through the air. And then just as quickly the section of floor Yusuke was just occupying, exploded.

“Damn!” Yusuke spouted. A melodious chuckle answered him from the shadow veiled corners of the room. Yusuke growled and spat, “Cut the melodramatic crap and get your ass out here, Suzaku, so I can see what kind of freak you’ve turned into.”

“Charming and eloquent as usual” Suzaku chuckled as he stepped out, “But I wasn’t being dramatic which is all well and good. It would have been a tragic let down because as you can see I am hardly changed. Well, on the outside at least.”

It was true. Suzaku still looked perfectly human with soft pink skin and fair blond hair. The only difference that Yusuke could see in him now, opposed to the last time he’d seen him in the Reikei court was that the forelock hairs that typically dangled over his brow had been dipped in some sort of thick red enamel.

“So what, you didn’t get possessed by the Four Saints or something too?” Yusuke narrowed his eyes.

Suzaku chuckled again. Yusuke was really getting sick of that sound, “Possessed? How simple minded. Though I suppose I can’t blame you. It’s not like you’ve gotten very clear information on what has happened here. I’m sure that my three former fellows didn’t even comprehend what happened; what and who they really were. I didn’t even know until I touched the holy treasure of Maze Castle.”

“You better start making sense--”

“I am saying that my neither my comrades nor I have been possessed. We are in fact, and have always been the Four Saints. This castle, Maze Castle was ours in another life. And destiny has brought us back here to the realm what was ours. Ah, but unfortunately for my three friends, they were weak willed in this incarnation. As a result they’ve been overpowered by their familiar elementals and transformed into monsters. They haven’t the wit to remember their past lives, or even how to properly use their powers. Ah well, like I really need them now that I have my power back.”

Just then his green parrot swooped out of nowhere to land on his shoulder and it spoke. But not in the shrill bird voice that Yusuke was familiar with, but with a girl‘s voice, “Goodness Suzaku, why are you bothering to talk to this mortal. Why don’t you just kill him already?”

“What fun is killing someone, if you don’t get to gloat first? Be patient Murugu,” he said to the bird.

Yusuke blinked, “Murugu? As in, the girl who helped that guy steal the Makai whistle, Murugu?”

“That was a viscous lie!” The bird squawked, “That vandal stole it all by himself and framed me. I loved my master more than anything. I still do!”

“Yes, so much you reincarnated as a bird just to be near me,” Suzaku kissed her on the beak. Yusuke thought he was going to hurl. “I almost feel sorry for sentencing you to death. To make it up to you, we’ll find a nice pretty girl and I’ll use my power to transfer your soul into her body. Hm, or better yet… How‘s about a nice sexy young man. Maybe Yusuke here?”

“The hell you will!” Yusuke spat.

At the same time Koenma shouted, “Don’t you dare!”

“Oh isn’t that cute, Murugu? They think they have a choice,” Suzaku chuckled.

“Or here’s a better idea, master, you could put me in Koenma’s body.” The bird flapped around them landed on Koenma’s shoulder briefly just to take off again to avoid Yusuke’s slapping hand. “You planned to brainwash him anyway, so that he’d take over the kingdom of Reikei from his father and then hand it over to you. It would be like taking out two birds with one stone.”

“It’s is a good idea, my dear,” Suzaku agreed, “However I did have designs on making Koenma my plaything. Torturing him will be a great pass time between running his kingdom and pushing for world domination.”

Suzaku was so caught up in his speech that he forgot to keep an eye on Yusuke. Before he knew what hit him-- for the record it was Yusuke-- he was sent flying through the air. He bounced a few times on the ground before he collided with an unfortunately place partition.

Calm as the sky before a thunder storm, Yusuke bent down next to Koenma, used a pocket knife to cut his ropes. Then he looked over at Suzaku, “I don’t know if the shit you’re spouting off is true or if you’re just nuts. Frankly, I don’t care. But if you think you are laying one hand on his head, you got another thing coming.”
* * *
TBC…
A/N: Maybe I should end this with a wedding. Dig it I’ve got something old: Pirate fantasy genre, something new: my plot, something barrowed: Togashi’s plot and characters, and something blue: Seiryu! Ha! That joke was tragic wasn’t it? Anyway, another chapter coming up soon. Some reviews would rock. See ya next time!