The Sequel of “If Life Followed To Death”

laustic · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 660 Location: Florida

I what you mean about real life getting in the way Sad

I still come here often but no one seems to be posting anymore.

Jani_chan · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 2685 Location: Enma's bed

(haven't typed in ages, sorry if it's awkward)

When Hisoka awoke, he found himself moving. Was this a camel? He stared around himself, the wide desert surrounding in a vast sea of sand. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud, "where are we going...?"

"We are headed for Kurikara's temple," said a voice, the camel's head turning to look at him.

"HISOKA!!" cried an overly enthusiastic voice, "YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" Hisoka blinked. A talking cactus. He tried to push away, surprise overcoming him.

"A-a talking cactus!?" he exclaimed, "and camel!? What's going---" then he remembered where he was. "Oh... Riko." His heart swelled. He'd finally found him. Of course... he would never tell this to the plant shiki. He'd never hear the end of it. Somehow the thought reminded him of Tsuzuki and he inwardly shook himself, scolding his own mind for such thoughts. He was supposed to be angry with Tsuzuki! "Did you say that we were going to Kurikara's temple?" he asked. The camel nodded slowly.

"You did say that you wanted to go there, right?" it asked. Hisoka thought about this.

"That's what you came here to do, right?" asked Riko. The empath nodded.

"It is," he said, "I... didn't actually expect I'd get this far... especially not so soon... but it's what I said I'd do... and I'll do it." And they rode on.
~~~~
After a time, they came to a temple, broken down and worn with much age, it looked like something from a book, as though it shouldn't be seen by his own eyes. He climbed off of the camel.

"From here there is no turning back," the camel said, looking Hisoka in the eye, "are you sure about this?" The blond nodded.

"I am," he said. Riko grinned.

"You're so stubborn, Hisoka," he said, "but... I'm with you!" Hisoka almost grinned at this, but held it in, turning toward the temple. He could feel the power radiating from the building itself, revealing that the being within was a great one indeed. He began to make his way toward the door.

"Halt!" cried a voice. To the side there was a large broadsword, floating several feet in the air. "Master Kurikara is busy smithing! He is not to be disturbed!" Hisoka stared for a moment.

"A smithy?" he murmured to himself. Apparently the sword heard.

"Of course!" it cried, its voice annoyingly loud, "my master has created the greatest swords in all of history! Likewise, he created myself to get rid of rodents like you who mean to bother him!" Hisoka realized right then what the sword had planned.

"Wait!" he said, "I'm not here for trouble! If you want me to wait I will!" but the sword wasn't listening. It flew at him, its rather blunt point looking particularly deadly in the glinting desert sun. He stepped back, not ready for this at all. He cried out in surprise, but then, in a swirl of dust, the sword was stopped. There before Hisoka knelt the being the power was emanating from and he knew without question that this was Kurikara. But at the same time, he couldn't believe it.

"I don't remember asking you to do this," said the shiki in a commanding tone. the sword's voice stammered.

"I-I'm sorry!" he stuttered, "I was just-"

"Go away," Kurikara ordered, and almost immediately, the sword disappeared into the temple.

"What the heck!?" he cried as the miniature shiki stood straight, not even reaching the height of Hisoka's own shoulders. "A kid!?" The small face immediately changed from contemplating to displeased.

"If you automatically judge by appearances you are really a child," he said to Hisoka, "now what do you want?" Hisoka frowned at what he said, but brought himself up to his full height, which may have been shorter than Tsuzuki, but he was still taller than Kurikara, despite the fact that meant nil on power level.

"I'm here to challenge you," he said, "to be my shiki." There was no response at first, then Kurikara sighed.

"And here I thought that there wouldn't be any more of you people," he said, "you'd better head back the way you came then." Hisoka's jaw dropped in displeasure.

"You're not even going to give me a chance!?" he cried. Kurikara barely even paused.

"I don't like humans," he said, "if you want to live, just go back." Hisoka rushed after him, reaching for his shoulder.

"I've come here to challenge you!" he said, "be a man and answer my challenge you bastard!" Before he even knew it, the diminutive form had turned and his body was overcome with a horrendous pain that made it impossible to even cry out.

laustic · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 660 Location: Florida

That was fantastic! I really do love how you're blending canon material into your fic. I think it always adds an interesting twist.

Jani_chan · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 2685 Location: Enma's bed

(lol! It's mostly because I remember little bits and pieces, but not all of it. Thank you though. Glad it's going well so far.)

Miles away, two crow tengu, the very ones who had let Hisoka, Tsuzuki, and Michiru into the imaginary world. They both turned as they felt the crushing power of Kurikara through the air. They stare in the direction it had come from.

"I wish I could say I'd imagined that," said the on with the white hair, Kotaro. Kojiro shook his head and ruffled his wings.

"I have a bad feeling," was all he said. In a silent agreement, they both headed toward Kurikara's desert prison, worry heavy on their hearts. "Miko asked us to make sure that he stayed safe..."
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laustic · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 660 Location: Florida

I don't have much to say, but as always this was very good and I enjoyed reading it alot.

Jani_chan · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 2685 Location: Enma's bed

Kurikara stared down at the immobile human child curled on the ground at his feet. "You lived," he said, sounding mildly surprised and slightly impressed, "your defenses are much more advanced than I thought. But look what I've done to you. Your wounds will rot and decay on your bones and you will go insane from the pain. When it all goes to its very worst, then you will die. Or that's how it could happen. I might as well kill you now and keep you from your own insanity." He waved a hand and his sword reappeared. "Kill him," he said. With barely a reply, the sword sung through the air toward Hisoka, but without warning, there was Riko.

"NOOO!" the cactus screamed, but was then cut off. Hisoka's head lifted just in time to see the cactus's form flattening to the ground, water splashing him in the eyes and face, getting him soaked. His hat fell near Hisoka as the screaming ended. The empath was in shock. He stared at the hat for a moment, deaf to Kurikara's words.

"That idiot," the shiki was saying, "thinking that he could protect you from me. Such a low level shiki couldn't have a hope against me. What was he thinking?" He lifted his hand to order another attack.

"Stay away from him!!" came a commanding voice from the air. Kurikara looked up to see two crows.

"Crows?" the small shiki said, "are you here to bother me as well?"

"We are here for the child!" The one with the white hair called at him.

Hisoka had taken up Riko's hat, his insides boiling. His mind was leaving him. The pain was making his wounds numb. His burning green eyes looked up at Kurikar, deaf, blind, senseless to everything but him. Someone was screaming. Was that him? Was it him screaming in that anguished voice? He was moving, charging the shiki, his only thoughts on causing him pain. But then it all stopped, the white haired crow having caught him, hitting him hard.

"I am sorry, Hisoka," said the winged tengu, "this is for your own good." Hisoka's anger, pain, anguish, everything faded away into blackness.
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laustic · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 660 Location: Florida

Oooh, this is very good!

Jani_chan · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 2685 Location: Enma's bed

Michiru woke, back at Tenku, sweating and crying. Nobody was there. But she felt detached. She'd felt like this before, but in her tiredness she couldn't figure out why she felt like the world had fallen out from beneath her feet. She stood weakly and wandered from the room. Why did everything seem so quiet? Was she really awake? There was practically no sound anywhere. Tenku's palace had never been a loud place, not unless there were multiple shiki in one area. But there had always been bird song, and the occasional servant to Soryuu walking around and doing their duties. But there was nothing at all today.

She walked for what seemed like ages before she came to a room with the door open. Looking in, she found herself looking at the blue haired guardian of the north, just setting down some papers he'd been looking at and rubbing the bridge of his nose. This time, because he wasn't looking her directly in the eye perhaps... or maybe because he wasn't looking at her at all... she wasn't afraid of him. She watched him for a moment before her vision darkened and blurred. Her eyes were suddenly seeing a deck that overlooked a forest. Soryuu, wearing something completely different from before, was looking out over the land with a sad face. Without warning, a knife appeared in his back and he fell to the floor, pain and shock on his face. Without being able to control herself, she cried out, even as she came out of the vision to see the startled shiki before her with his papers. She rushed forward, crying again.

"MASTER!!" she shrieked, tossing herself forward to hug his waist, "please don't die!!" She was sobbing enough to hinder her breathing, while the dragon shiki was too surprised to do anything but stare at her.
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laustic · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 660 Location: Florida

OMG, I can't believe you left us hanging like this! Please update soon.

Jani_chan · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 2685 Location: Enma's bed

When Hisoka awoke, he was in an unfamiliar place. For whatever reason, he felt as though he was high above the ground. The thought was swept away however as pain suddenly blotted out his mind, body burning and stinging. He shrieked in pain, unable to even feel fear. He twisted and writhed, trying to get away from whatever it was hurting him. He fell out of the bed he lay in, but whatever was hurting him followed, beneath his very skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get his mind to think of something other than pain. Anything. His cries became words, though he had no idea what they were. His conscious mind was buried by the unconscious, nightmares revealing themselves in his wakeful state. Hands reached for him and he jerked away, only making the intensity of his torture become racking agony. There were too many voices around him for him to concentrate on anything, his mind was going to explode, his body ready to melt into any surface it was touching, the pain too much to bear. Soon, he was gone again, mind sending him back into that blessed blackness and numbness that made his cries fade away to nothing.

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(rather short... gotta hit the hay -_-)