|| A Bouquet of Red and White Roses || [Yu Yu Hakusho Fan-fic] {Edits}

Reappearing Crossroads

"If all else fails, go straight to plan B. Don't even turn around to think about it. Understand ? Just keep going and don't say anything. It'll be much easier that way."

When I arrived at the Old Ruins, I was greeted by a strong feeling of nostalgia. I reluctantly approached the ruins and gingerly felt the intricate designs of the destroyed pillars that surrounded it. As I was doing this, Kana's memory of watching it collapse came into mind. Although it's been more than 5,000 years since that time, it felt as if it had just been recent. Almost like a fresh wound. In fact, it's only been a few weeks since we said goodbye to the others yet.. it felt as if that was a long time ago. I assumed that the ruins made you feel like this. Such a dark and desolate feeling. It was still raining in Makai, but at the moment, it wasn't. For now, it seems like the storm has settled down a bit. I looked up at the darkened sky and frowned. But exactly how long will it stay like this before the storm begins again ?

The sound of an eerie rustling behind me caused me to look over my shoulder. A gust of wind blew by me as I focused on a spot that wasn't that far away from where I stood. In that area, a presence, strategically hidden among the shadows of the large trees that surrounded the ruins. However... that presence wasn't concealed. I slightly narrowed my gaze and frowned. Clearly, it had to be her. But she wasn't alone. Somewhere to my right was another presence. Whoever it was, also did not conceal their presence. I couldn't tell if it was on purpose or if they doubted my ability to acknowledge things. Either way, I still had to be cautious. I was about to turn around and face the ruins again when I heard a voice. This time, to my left. I didn't move.

"Have we kept you waiting long ?", this stoic and collected voice asked me. I continued to stare forward. A knife has been placed the side of my neck. Along with that, they were right behind me. My eyes never moved away from the spot that I was focusing on. I could tell that she was watching, probably with an amused grin on her face. "My", I mumbled softly, "Is this how guests are treated ?" He chuckled at my words and slightly shifted around. "If you can consider yourself as a guest in this situation", he replied, "Then I guess so." I smiled. "I'm surprised with how quickly you've decided to come for me", I said slowly, "Am I that dangerous to you ?" "Absolutely." There was another gust of wind. "You're not going to fight back ?", another voice asked for a distance. I assumed that it belonged to her. "And be killed right here ?", I asked, my voice full of doubt, "No thank you. I would have to kindly decline that offer." She huffed. From the corner of my eye, I could see her cross her arms. 

"Well Luurè ?", she asked him, "Should we head back now ? I told you it wouldn't be hard to catch her." He didn't respond for a moment. I waited. "Human", he said a few minutes later, "Did you notice how many of us there were ?" I thought about it. First of all my name is Shiori...  "Three", I replied bluntly. "But I realize that I made a mistake." "How so ?", Luurè nonchalantly asked. I imagined him tilting his head to the side. I knew he was trying to determine something. "The person who was to my right", I explained slowly, "An illusion created by using the shadows as a type of decoy. An after image." Xiela chuckled beside me and moved so that I could see her face. "What an observant human", she said in a sharp tone. "You remind me of someone I used to know. How troublesome." I didn't respond. I looked over my shoulder to see a faint smile on Luurè's face. He removed the knife from my neck which slightly caused me to relax. Xeila watched me carefully, an unreadable expression on her face. That was when I saw something else. A swift movement.

However after that, I seemed to have lost conscious.

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By the time I woke up, I was in another place. Well rather, a room. A really large and spacious one too. So for about 3 minutes after waking up, I sat there, trying to remember what had happened. I frowned and looked down at my hands. After Luurè removed the knife, Xeila, who was standing beside me, was watching me carefully. There must've been another thing that Xeila did, because there was a faint movement that I caught in the corner of my eye before everything turned black. She must've hit me in the back of the neck or something. I sighed and fell back into the large, king sized bed. It looks like I really can't back down now. Moreover, I should've been more cautious. Then again, setting up a weak profile for myself seemed to be something important if I wanted to hang around for a while. If I had decided to fight back, then maybe they would have been more.. I don't know, more observant ? For a fact, they wouldn't have gone easy if I had decided to cause trouble. I closed my eyes. Surely not.

There was a faint knocking on the door which caused me to open my eyes. I slowly turned towards the door and waited to hear a voice. Instead, it just opened up to reveal two people. A girl and a... boy ? No, this boy was probably around the age of 15 in human years. Human years, to be exact. I was aware that he wasn't a human though. I watched as they entered the room, having a conversation that I really couldn't understand. When they finished speaking, they both turned to me. An uneasy feeling came over me. For some reason, the aura around them was.. completely different from the one that Luurè and Xeila had. In fact, their aura was more serene. I felt exposed for just sitting there on the bed. 

I recognized the "boy" to be Eion, the left hand of Luurè. And the girl...? No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing about her in Kana's memory. Perhaps she was new to the council ? Maybe a spy ?

"Decoy ?", Eion asked kindly with a deceiving smile, "You've woken." I slightly nodded my head, weary about the situation. "If I may ask", I replied reluctantly, "..Where is this place ?" Eion turned to the girl beside him. "Oh this place ?", she asked in a bored nonchalant tone, "Why this place will be your new home. At least, until they finally decide to dispose of you." Afterwords, she smiled at me. I glanced around the room again, this time, more carefully. My eyes spotted three cameras. One pointed towards the door, one pointed towards the window, and another that was strategically placed to see the area of the entire room. There also seemed to be a bathroom connected to the room, because of this door that stood out, but I was still unsure of what to expect from them. As a result, I smiled back. "I see", I replied softly. "Is that so ?" Silence. I could hear Kana laughing. When she stopped, she said:

"Let this game begin."