Beyond Understanding

The four walked on past the gate room, taking many twists and turns. How long they walked became irrelevant as the number of turns increased. After a while, Yusuke commented, “I see why this place is called Labyrinth Castle. Find some stairs that’ll take us up. Big bosses like to hang out on top floors.” How he knew this, no one had time to question since his communicator chose that moment to go off.

“Yusuke, this is Botan! All’s quiet here in the human world so far.”

“Check!”

“At this point I’ve managed to nail fifteen roundworm monsters.”

”Fifteen out of thousands…a drop in the bucket. We gotta hurry and snatch that whistle.”

“Listen, these parasites only seek out and subsume sinister souls…and there don’t appear to be many like that around. Maybe there’s more hope for humanity than I thought. Ah! Got another one. But this may just be the calm before the storm. So I agree – hurry!”

“Right” Yusuke snapped the communicator closed and stuck it back in his pocket. “Okay…the city’s safe for now. Let’s move.” They began walking again and Yusuke turned to the redhead, “What do you know about these four beasts, Kurama? I mean, we have no idea what we’re about to face.”

Hiei wanted to frown that Yusuke had turned to the fox, but reminded himself that he wasn’t exactly the most talkative. It was normal that the boy would turn to the kitsune. That didn’t mean anything. Why, then, did he feel bothered by it?

Before he could contemplate any farther, Kurama answered the boy’s question. “Well, as you may have gathered from the special measures the underworld took to restrict them, they’re very dangerous. And they don’t look at all human, so brace yourself for that.”

By this time, they had reached a door and it spoke to them, “Such high praise. I blush.”

Brashly, Yusuke pushed the door open, “This is one of them?!”

A large stone scorpion-gargoyle met their eyes and Yusuke winced. “Heh…Indeed it is. Welcome. I, Genbu, will take good care of you.”

The humans still looked startled. Kuwabara managed to stutter out, “Shee! Big sucker…!!”

Genbu continued his spiel as if he’d not been interrupted, “Behind me is the one starcase in the castle that leads up. Defeat me, and gain the stairs…or die.” Wanting to make an impact on his audience, he brought his tail down harshly on the ground, leaving a sizeable dent. “Come at me all at once. It’ll save time…for me, anyway”

Kuwabara continued to talk. It seemed the tall teen just couldn’t shut up. “Y-you’ve gotta be yankin’ me!! How d’ya fight a real live monster?!”

Kurama stepped forward calmly. “I’ll give it a whirl. Let’s see how he handles one of us before we commit to a joint attack.”

Yusuke looked ready to grab the red head and pull him back, “Kurama!” Why did it hurt that the boy called out for the fox? Hiei turned away.

Kurama smiled, “Anyway, I can’t let Hiei have all the fun and take all the bows!” He hadn’t missed the koorime’s attitude and just couldn’t resist playing with him.

“Feh! Who cares?” Why did the fox have to act so superior? There was nothing to be superior about!

Genbu was becoming impatient with the conversation. “So, it’s one at a time, eh? Come on, then.”

Yusuke was still panicky, “Look, maybe we could sneak around him…”

Hiei spoke up, wanting to draw the tantei’s attention to him, though he would not admit it, “Relax. Kurama may surprise you.” When the brown eyes met his, he could see the boy was hanging on his words, believing him, trusting him. “Fact is,” he went on, almost uncharacteristically, wanting to maintain that contact, “I teamed up with him because that’s a lot smarter than going up against him.” ‘Not that I couldn’t take him, okay?’ his pride spoke up, though the words didn’t reach his lips. “Threaten him, and he gets vicious in ways even I don’t like to think about.” Something inside him burned when he saw Yusuke accept his words and relax slightly. Why was this happening? He hated the boy…he did…he knew he did. He turned to watch Kurama, thinking that maybe that was safer than looking at the detective.

“Whenever you’re ready,” the redhead offered, standing in the middle of the chamber facing the gargoyle. Genbu just continued to watch, wait. After a moment, Kurama continued, “Alright, I’ll make the first move.”

What the kitsune failed to notice, and what the detective did see was “His tail’s melting into the floor!” How the sharp eared fox missed the cry, Hiei couldn’t guess, but he did hear the next cry, barely. “And it’s coming up behind Kurama!”

Almost too late, Kurama realized his mistake and moved. Genbu laughed, “Ha ha ha! Rock is my element! I move freely in it! It allows me to do things like…THIS!!” His tail struck at Kurama, slicing through his uniform shirt and gouging his abdomen as he tried to move out of the way.

“KURAMA!!” Yusuke yelled. Hiei was shocked that the kitsune had been injured by such an obvious trick, but, some part of his brain knew, he was hurt by Yusuke’s cry. He wanted the boy to call out to him, for him…This was stupid. He didn’t want that, he argued with himself as he continued to watch. Still trying to grasp what had gone on, Yusuke continued talking, “He slid his tail right through the rock! And nailed Kurama!!”

Gembu gloated over the kneeling fox. “As you now realize, this entire room is an extension of myself! You have no hope of escape!!”

Yusuke yelled out, “Kurama, say something! ANYTHING!!”

Hiei wondered if the boy would call out so desperately for him? And then mentally berated himself for even considering such a thought.

Kurama struggled to become more upright. “It’s okay. I’ve had worse…as you know.” Hiei struggled not to flinch under that reminder. “Genbu just caught me off guard, is all.”

“Put on the tough act if you like, but I’m just getting started.” Laughing, he sunk into the ground.

“Gack!! Now his whole body’s sinking into the floor!” the taller teen spoke out.

“He’s totally gone!” Yusuke spluttered.

“And no telling where he’ll come out!” Kuwabara added.

Kurama was on the alert, watching for any sign of motion. He barely evaded when Genbu came up from behind him, barely dodging the tail aimed for his already wounded abdomen, the fists aimed for his head.

Kuwabara was aghast, “He’s getting it from both sides!!” Hiei wondered briefly what the boy had expected.

Kurama managed to move from between Genbu’s body and tail, landing on the opposite side of the room. Genbu melted back into the floor.

“There he goes again!” Yusuke yelled.

“No fair, creepoid!” Kuwabara added.

Since when were fights fair? Kurama was still toying with Genbu, a dangerous habit he had. Hiei wondered when the fox would get serious.

Another attack from behind and Genbu baited the kitsune, “You won’t win just by dodging, demon thief!!”

“You have a point,” Kurama conceded. As he landed, his hand went to his hair and he pulled out a red rose. Holding it before him, he continued, “It’s time I gave as well as I got.”

Yusuke was shocked, “A rose?! Kurama, are you crazy?!”

Calmly, the redhead answered, “This isn’t just any rose…” with a snap of his wrist, the bloom transformed, “…it’s my rose whip!!”

The scent of roses filled the room, puzzling the two boys, “The room smells…nice. What’s going on?” Yusuke murmured. Hiei wanted to laugh at the boy’s dumbfounded expression.

“Dare I say it…flower power?” Kuwabara added.

Kurama stood calmly in the center of the room, relaxed, waiting, his eyes closed. The walls began to speak, “Heh heh…fool. How will you wield that whip against someone who can strike at you from anywhere?”

“Guess we’ll find out. Ready when you are.”

There was a pause and the walls answered, “Interesting…!! I’ll cut you to ribbons with one slash!”

The human boys were tense. Hiei wondered, wanted to know, if Yusuke would care so much when he fought? He then wondered why he cared.

The fox tensed, having sensed something, though what, his observers were unsure of. “Ah, up there!!” And he brought his whip into motion as Genbu appeared out of the ceiling.

“What? How did you know?”

“Heh! I smelled your aura. Now that the air has been purified by the scent of roses, it’s easy to pinpoint your putrid stench”

This was what Hiei knew Kurama to be capable of, “He’s got him!! The thorns on that whip cut through steel like a hot knife through butter!” Now the kitsune’s fight would keep his mind off the detective.

With a vicious “Thorn whip lash!” pieces of Genbu went flying around the room.

“Stellar! He dismembered Genbu with one whipcrack!!” Yusuke was excited.

“That guy wasn’t so tough after all!” Kuwabara added.

Hiei knew he shouldn’t, but he’d resisted so much already, “You dolt. Kurama made it look easy. But you’d have been dead at Genbu’s first strike.”

As predicted, the teen fell for the bait, “Why d’you keep torquin’ me off ever time you open your yap?! Listen, I placed third in the competition to choose master Genkai’s successor!”

Dryly, “I should care?”

Yusuke growled out, “Knock it off, you two.” Hiei glanced at the boy, somehow wanting to oblige him, though why?

“Yeah,” Kurama added, “we still have to…” He stopped, a look of concentration crossing his face. “We’re not done here.”

“Huh?!” was Yusuke’s intelligent come back. He then looked over his shoulder at the fallen remains of Genbu. They were beginning to move, to reassemble themselves into a whole.

As Genbu reassembled himself, he spoke, “As you see, I find being sliced to pieces no more than a moment’s inconvenience!!”

“Granite-butt put himself back together!! He’s…unkillable!!” Kuwabara shot out.

“Oh, that’s nothing. Watch this!” Genbu challenged. His body then flew to pieces, all aimed at the redhead. “Exploding rock!! Take that, thief!!”

Kurama’s whip danced around his body, slicing the flying rocks even smaller, protecting him from them.

“That pulverized ‘im!” Yusuke cheered.

“Nuthin’ but gravel now…” Kuwabara added.

Genbu laughed as his body flew back together. Something caught the kitsune’s attention “Heh heh, as I said, a mere inconvenience.”

Yusuke gasped, “Even that didn’t do it!! Kurama can’t win!”

Before Hiei had a chance to think, Genbu spoke up, “You bore me, twerp – DIE!! EXPLODING ROCK!!”

“Again?!” Kurama shot out.

Again, pieces of the gargoyle flew at the kitsune. This time, however, Kurama went through the thick of the storm, taking many hits, unable to use his whip effectively. He fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain.

Genbu gloated, “Still breathing, but clearly no fight left.”

Kurama then began laughing.

Thinking the kitsune had snapped, Genbu began to laugh, “Ha ha! Has fear snapped your mind?! Well, then, I’ll put you out of your misery!”

But something was wrong. The room froze a moment. Why was the kitsune upside down? “Guh…?! He…he’s upside down?! What’s going on?!”

That broke the tension in the room. The humans began laughing almost hysterically.

Then Genbu felt something wrong. “Hyi! It’s gone!! Where is it?! Where’s my-“

“Looking for this?” came the kitsune’s calm voice.

Genbu looked over at him and, “Gaah!”

“I figure this is your control core, the part that keeps all the pieces of you body organized. You made it look like any other piece of you but I saw the glint as it emitted energy. Part of my success as a thief, you see, is that I’m good at finding what hidden.”

Genbu trembled now, “W-wait!! Don’t hurt it!!”

“Well, now…” The redhead threw the stone up into the air and snapped his whip, slicing the core in two, causing it to shatter.

There was a loud explosion as Genbu’s body fell to pieces.

“You did it!! And just what he deserved!!” Yusuke cheered. The redhead fell to the ground with a grunt. “Kurama!!”

Before the boy could reach him, Hiei spoke up, “Genbu was a formidable opponent. Kurama won’t be able to go on…” Why did he care if Yusuke went to help Kurama? Why did he care that the boy had cheered on the fox? Why did he care, at all?

“No problem!” Yusuke answered, confidently looking at the koorime, “Leave the rest to us!!”

Kuwabara added, “Yeah, I’ll work the next creepoid over!!” His expression was one of fear and forced confidence.


~*~*~*~
A/N There are some really dippy remarks made when you follow the manga...I do not like the "narrative dialogue" but, since I'm following the manga, I need to keep it....I do know where I'm going to divert from writing strictly canon...I so want to just skip to that point, but, I loose some of the story if I do...y'all gotta go along as we explore Hiei's thinking...It's fun, but also forces me to be patient, as well...I'm not patient, no matter what you believe ;) Anyways...I'm very happy with the reviews....yays :D
Suryallee: I'm glad you're enjoying it :D
Devious Lil Devil: Yes, Yusuke/Hiei...as per the request :D
Ryukotsusei: I like emotions...they're interesting to write...and explore. I really like figuring out how people work.
Metranome: *bows* Thank you...and here, I thought it was a cop out to follow the story line closely :D I'm glad you like it.
kit-kit: I'm still thinking titles over...When I was in high school, I wrote for the school paper and usually someone else had to title my articles.
vampslyr: I actually am going to follow Hiei through...it works well, since if I need another perspective, he does have the jagan and I can get it ;) Cheating, no?
Koga's Hentai Luver: I'm glad you like it...and I know you love your Yusuke :D
Alter_of_Wishes: Yep, slowly...I have probably three or four chapters before I really get into a relationship...

And, just because I feel like it....I also write poetry (run, hide....lol) I want to share a poem with you all...feel free to skip it, but, I think you may like it...It's called "Seeking"

Night is that which bind them together
Day is that which keeps them forever separate
Eternally longing for the return of twilight
The time when they can once again rejoin
The singing of the stars, the moving of the planets,
The dynamic dance of the universe,
Its stately steps entice them
Moving them in the heady rhythm
Binding their souls together,
Uniting them on their eternal quest
Hands touch, painting unseen masterpieces,
Conducting masterful orchestrations
Drawing forth unseen beauty.
Lips touch, taste, trace,
Tempt the fates with their cries
Eyes become limpid pools, shining
In the faint light of the crescent moon
Revealing the deepest secrets of the soul.
Two become one through the night,
Joining and rejoining, seeking fulfillment
Longing for what the other has,
What they lack in themselves
Forever seeking the night.
~~~