An Empty Shell

Chapter 12: Closer

Disclaimer: Original art photo not mine

Shuichi and Hayami went home safe after what they came across that night. They separated ways at the train station where his stop was. There's something not right about Hayami after that incident, she just stayed silent. She only responded to Shuichi if she's being asked too. He hated to let her go, away from his sight especially like this. Deep inside Shuichi has sensed that something was troubling her. She just couldn't tell him, he couldn't seem to know why.

Shuichi was in his study room doing his schoolwork but he just couldn't get himself to focus. He couldn't shake of his worries about her. He was battling wether to reach her out or let her rest. He slumped down on his table and turned his head on the side with his crimson locks covering his face.
Hayami...I wanna know if you're really alright..
He held his hand in front of his face and recalled how he put her close to him from earlier.
I..held her so close to me.. it's like I still can feel her. Her scent still lingers.. What is wrong with me? This spirit guide thing is overpowering...she's overpowering me.
Shuichi propped his back on the chair and closed his eyes. He started to convey his energy to Hayami's life force to connect to her. Suddenly, his eyes widened and caught his breath in terror.
"Hayami!" Shuichi quickly stood up and rush through the door in a split of a second.
Hayami hang in there..I'm coming for you!
Shuichi felt Hayami's life energy was fading abruptly. He's got no time to waste he used his lightning fast dashes to get to her place, and while he was on his way to her, he alerted Yusuke and the others too.
"Alright! Botan is on her way so she can make a portal to get there!" Yusuke responded in heed.
Shuichi finally got to Hayami's apartment. He used his vines to unlock her door and got it opened. He slowly went inside, it was all dark and quiet. He decided to check her in her room. He went ahead and slowly opened the door, his eyes grew in horror to have found out Hayami levitating, facing at the window.
"Hayami?.." He softly called for her but she didn't move a needle.
"Hayami are you in there? It's Shuichi." He pursued as he slowly walked towards her. Then she started to laugh..a baleful laugh.
"Your precious little priestess is no longer here.." She suddenly spoke with a sinister voice. Then she turned to face him, floating, face and clothings filled with blood. She looked at him with an ominous glare and vicious wide grin. Her eyes turned bloodshot red. These appearance of hers made Shuichi's blood run cold.
This is not Hayami anymore..
"Who are you? And where is Hayami?" He confronted with a clenched fist, his face contorted with rage. The sinister Hayami just cackled. Shuichi had to think of a precise plan on casting away that evil spirit in her without harming her any further. He noticed that she had incurred severe wounds and he needed to act quickly and save her before it's too late.
"Kurama!!!" Yusuke, Kuwabara , Hiei and Botan have finally arrived. They found Kurama facing the sinister Hayami. Everyone was unbelievably disturbed to see her in that state.
"I can still feel her life energy but it's fainting!" Botan the grim reaper cried.
"Dammit! How are we going to cast that thing out of her?!" Yusuke's so pissed that even him couldn't figure out what to do in this kind of situation.
"All we have to do right now is wait for Kurama's signal." Hiei pointed out to them while looking at Kurama.
"He would never allow us to take charge on her. That is still the body of Hayami." Kuwabara with a strained face, realized that their position was undoubtedly difficult.
"Yusuke, Kuwabara , Hiei... I have to get closer to her. I need you to restrain her for me without further injuring her as much as possible..Botan, create a portal where we can drive her away from here." Kurama channeled himself to his friends to be able to tell them his plan. And they all nodded.
"On my signal...ready...steady...now!" As Kurama gave them the signal, the sinister Hayami leaped off the window and dashed through the buildings at an incredible speed.
"What the—!" Yelled Yusuke to his surprise.
"We have to get her back quick!" Kurama lead them and everyone followed suit. As they were chasing her down, she went through the woods to hide herself. Kurama planted seeds around the vicinity as the others were after her.
Hiei used his jagan eye to find her. Yusuke tried to blast a rei gun to scare her off and divert her back to where Kurama was. Kuwabara cut some trees with his spirit sword to clear the path. Kurama controlled the seeds to sprout to clusters of vines that swirled around acted like strings or ropes to capture her. When she leaped on a tree branch, one foot was caught by the vines Kurama planted. It coiled and wrapped her around so she won't get away until she was completely tied up, not being able to move. She snarled and growled like a vicious animal as she tried to escape.
"Botan now!" Directed Kurama on Botan.
She nodded and created a portal. They all went through it and got to Genkai's territory. They laid the body of Hayami on the ground still wrapped up with vines from Kurama. She was still fighting, struggling to slip off.
"I'll get Master Genkai right away!" Botan exclaimed to get more help.
"What are we going to do? Kurama what's your plan?" Yusuke asked his friend with a worried face.
Kurama went closer to her. He knelt beside her and held her face. He closed his eyes and started to concentrate to locate the spirit of Hayami.
Hayami... please come back...come back to me..
Kurama started to glow as he shared his reiki to Hayami.
I know you can do it... I'm just right here for you.. please wake up and reach out to me.
As Kurama increased his concentration, his reiki intensified and his glow illuminated  his surroundings. Then suddenly, a hallow ghoul-like image emerged of Hayami's body. It tried to resist from being pulled away anchoring itself from its host like a stretched out glue. "You will never be able to save her! She's mine!" Let out an evil screech. Kurama held on tight and gave it all but never gave in. Until that thing finally loosened its grip and casted out of Hayami. Yusuke and the others were prepared to see this and they acted quickly to eliminate it.
"Now prepare to face our wrath you ugly, lowlife, dirty schmuck!" Yusuke enraged and aimed his point finger that was already  radiating with a huge amount of energy.
"We'll make sure not even your cinders will be left of you." Hiei unwrapped his arm bandage and released a dark flame.
"This will be your everlasting grave!"Kuwabara cut a dimensional trap for the evil spirit. As soon as that thing flinched to run away, Yusuke blasted it with his signature power Rei Gun, and Hiei summoned his black flame Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuuha to drive the evil spirit into the dimension that Kazuma created where it would be trapped there forever or it might have already been exterminated for good receiving such powerful combination from the two. And when they were finished, they went back to check up on Kurama who was still glowing. He loosened the vines and he started to see Hayami's pure and kind face. She was unconscious. He checked up her vitals and they were quiet fainting.
Please don't let go...Kurama held her hand and placed it on his cheek. Her skin was becoming cold and her breathing was seemingly shallow. He felt a deep squeezing ache in his chest that made him hard to breathe. His eyes started to swell with tears and he trembled in grief. He held her face with his other hand, then he slowly leaned down, closing his eyes with tears streaming on his face. Then he placed a warm and soft gentle kiss on her lips. His glow slowly dissipated as if being shared to her. He slowly pulled away and opened his eyes to look at her unresponsive face while he was still caressing her.
Moments later, Hayami's features started to show that her life energy was growing back. Kurama sensed that her heart was starting to beat in rhythm, her skin felt warmer, her cheeks started to blush. He smiled at the still unconscious Hayami.
You will be alright now. He claimed as he gazed upon her.
Finally, master Genkai arrived together with Yukina and Botan. Yukina hurriedly went to Hayami as soon as she saw her wounded condition. She casted her healing energy to close up her wounds. While Botan covered her with a blanket to keep her warm.
"She should be okay. She've lost a lot of blood that's why she's still unconscious. She needs plenty of rest to fully recover." Yukina gave her assessment to everyone to ease their worries. Everyone sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Yukina." Said Kurama as he carried Hayami in his arms swaddling her with the blanket Botan provided.
"You're welcome." She replied.
"That's my ever so amazing Yukina!" Praised Kuwabara to her not noticing Hiei was giving him a glare while Yusuke gave him a mocking grin.
"You can have her stay here to rest. We will take care of her Kurama." Offered master Genkai. "In fact, you all can also stay here, if you want to look after her. We never know when the next attack would be. And you need to be there before that happens. Unfortunately, it wasn't that dark kitsune who claimed her today. But I could see that it was a stronger evil spirit that already has a potential to harm both it's host and others." Genkai gave them a fair analyzation of the recent situation.