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Chapter 3
Kurama awoke feeling dizzy. He was laying on a strange sort of examining table, staring up at the gray ceiling. He quickly remembered where he was. Everything here is gray! he thought.
I wonder... he thought, before bolting upright into a sitting position. Hiei! He was in a rather large room, filled with about six of the examining tables. The fire demon was lying on one nearby. "Hiei!" the kitsune whispered. The small youkai didn't move. Kurama pushed off the examination table and walked toward his friend.
He bumped into something that he could not see a few seconds later. Some sort of kekkai... the kitsune decided, after a brief examination of the invisible barrier. But it has no ki generating it... Kurama pressed against the barrier, looking at Hiei carefully. He couldn't tell if the sanjiyan was breathing or not. "Hiei?" the fox called, a bit louder than he had before. There was no response.
Kurama was getting nervous now. If he was hit like I was, he should have been awake long before me! What's wrong with him?! "Hiei!" If he's dead I'll-
A tall, balding man walked around the corner. He said something in a language that sounded familiar to Kurama, but the kitsune couldn't place it. Nor could he understand the man. The man taped the emblem on his shirt, and said something into it. Then he smiled at Kurama.
Kurama glared at him. "What did you do to Hiei?!"
The man blinked, looking slightly startled. Then he said slowly, in a strange dialect of Japanese. "Do you speak English?"
Kurama flinched. "Hai," he responded, then realized his mistake. "Yes. I speak...a little." Then he looked back at Hiei. "What did...you do to Hiei?" He was quickly remembering all of his high school English courses, but half of the sentance was in Japanese, and half was in English. He pointed at Hiei's still form to indicate what he meant.
The man smiled again. "Your friend is still unconscious. He's very interesting." The man went to a strange board and pushed buttons on it. "He has a third eye! It's obviously an implant..." Suddenly, Hiei's Jagan was floating above the board. "How did-"
"No!" Kurama cried out as he saw Hiei's Jagan. They removed the Jagan! They killed him! "You killed him! You bastard!" he screamed in Japanese, and threw himself against the barrier that separated him from his best friend's body. He can't be dead!
Captain Janeway hurried to Sickbay, hoping to get some answers from the conscious prisoner. We need to know how they got on Voyager! If there was a weakness in the shields, she needed to know. She had spoken to the doctor a few hours ago, after the intruders had been transported to Sickbay. One of the captives was human. The other was not; no one, not even Seven of Nine, had known what species the black-haired boy was from. The other boy, the human with long red hair, was no ordinary human either. The boy had high metabolism and strange, naturally-heightened senses.
Janeway entered Sickbay, and immediately saw that the redheaded boy was throwing himself against the force field that separated him from the other prisoner. Janeway jogged across the room to the doctor. "What happened?" she demanded.
"I don't know captain! I was asking him how his friend got that implant, and he became violent!"
Janeway looked at the hologram of the smaller boy's third eye. Damn, that looks real! "Computer: Remove force field separating Examining Tables One and Two." She turned for the doctor. "Get rid of that hologram! He probably thinks you killed his friend." The doctor looked shocked, and immediately pushed a button. The hologram faded away.
As soon as the force field disappeared, the red-haired boy ran to his friend. He picked up the smaller boy, cradling him in his arms. "Hiei!" the boy sobbed, over and over again, rocking his unconscious friend back and forth.
Janeway walked to the force field slowly, not sure of what was happening. "I'm Captain Katherine Jane-"
She stopped as the boy shifted his friend to one arm and pulled something out of his hair. He was suddenly holding a long thorned vine. He said something that Janeway did not understand, though it was obviously hostile. "Doctor, what did he say?"
The doctor walked forward until he stood beside her. "He said, 'If you come any closer, I'll kill you.'"
"What language?"
"Japanese, from Earth. But it's a very strange dialect."
"Earth..." Janeway whispered, then shook her head. "Where's the Universal Translator?"
The doctor pinned something to her uniform. He smiled as she cocked an eyebrow. "I had a hunch you'd need it."
Janeway smiled, then turned to the boy. "I'm Captain Katherine Janeway. You're on the Starship Voyager."
The boy looked stunned for a second, then his face hardened, turning cold and emotionless. "What did you do to Hiei?! He," the boy nodded in the doctor's direction, "had his Jagan!"
The computer failed to translate the last word, but Janeway assumed he meant his friend's implant. "We scanned your friend. That was a holographic representation of the implant."
The boy looked confused. "Holographic?" He had a strange accent.
"It was a 3D image. It wasn't real." The boy relaxed slightly, but kept his face expressionless. "What's your name?" Janeway asked.
The boy was silent for a moment, weighing whether or not he should give it to her. Finally he shrugged, evidently deciding that it couldn't put him in any worse of a situation. "It's Kurama. You are Janeway? Or Katherine?"
Janeway smiled. "You can call me Kate, if you'd like. Your friend's name is Hiei?" Kurama nodded curtly. "It's nice to meet both of you. Now, how did you get on my ship?"
Kurama blinked. "This is a ship?" It doesn't feel like a ship. It's not bobbing...
Janeway nodded. "It's a starship."
The boy looked shocked. "The portal must have malfunctioned." He seemed to be speaking to himself. He looked at Janeway. "We came here accidentally. I apologize for the intrusion. You are human?"
"Yes, and according to the doctor's scans, you are too. Your friend isn't, though."
Kurama looked at Hiei. "No, he's not." Janeway noticed that he was being vague on purpose. "How are humans in a starship? You...We don't have that kind of technology."
Janeway frowned. What does he mean 'you'? He's a human... "Yes, we do." Realization hit her, and she asked gently. "What year is it?"
Kurama's eyes widened as he got her drift. "2000," he whispered. Please don't say it... he thought.
Janeway closed her eyes briefly. "You've somehow traveled four centuries into the future...And, if you were on Earth, you've traveled 40 light years away."
Kurama backed up a step. "You can't be serious..." he whispered. Mother... he realized. She'll be so worried! Then he closed his eyes. Until she died four centuries ago... He swallowed hard.
Janeway saw the pain in his face. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.
Kurama calmed himself with a few deep breaths and a forlorn thought. At least Hiei's here with me...
Hiei stirred in his arms. Kurama looked at Janeway. "Could you please turn off your translation device?"
Janeway nodded and disconnected the translator. "Doctor, let's give them some privacy. Computer: Remove force field in Sickbay." Janeway and the doctor went into the doctor's office.
Kurama sighed, relieved that they'd left. "Hiei...wake up!"
Hiei moaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. Kurama put him down. The fire demon grabbed the side of the examining table to steady himself. "Wha-? Where are we, Fox?" The fire demon felt for his katana. "And where's my katana?!" he growled.
Kurama sighed and sat on the examination table. "We have a problem."
Hiei shot him a disgusted look. "Really? I hadn't noticed."
Kurama ignored the remark. "The portal malfunctioned. We're a long way from Earth."
The fire demon shot Kurama a look. "Earth?"
The kitsune sighed again. "Ningens call the planet that the Ningenkai, Reikai, and Makai exist on 'Earth'. Our home planet. We're in space, Hiei." He paused to let that sink in. "We also somehow traveled four hundred years into the future."
Hiei stared at his friend like he had three heads. "Don't fuck around with me, Fox! What's really going on?!"
"I'm telling the truth Hiei," Kurama whispered, and looked away. "Everybody we know is probably long-dead. My family included."
Hiei was silent for a long moment. "The Netherworld," he said suddenly. Kurama stared at him. "We're in space, where Koenma said that the Netherworld had been sent. And before, when we were in the portal, I felt some weird ki. It must have been the Netherworld." The fire demon winced, realizing who he sounded like. (Hinigeshi, minna...)
Kurama paled. "Shimatta...The Netherworld must really hold a grudge, ne?" Hiei nodded curtly. "This ship has humans on it; a lot of them. This is the only place we can stay. Their technology is very advanced. They might be able to help us get back to our time..." It was a weak prospect, but they could hope. "Or at least back to Earth."
Hiei was silent for a moment, then he swallowed hard. "My link to Yukina is gone..." he whispered.
Kurama stared at him in horror. "Oh, gods, Hiei. I'm sorry."
He put a comforting hand on the fire demon's shoulder. The sanjiyan looked away. "I wonder how she died..." he whispered.
Kurama couldn't contain himself. He knelt down and hugged Hiei tightly. The fire demon allowed the hug, shocking Kurama. In fact, he actually leaned into it. He must be so depressed... "Hiei, maybe the time-travel affected your link with her...She might still be alive, and think you...her brother is dead too."
Hiei didn't respond, and Kurama pulled back a bit. The fire demon was sound asleep. He hasn't had a chance to sleep off the effects of the Kokoryuha... Kurama lifted up his friend and layed him on the examination table, frowning as his friend's brow creased in his sleep. He usually looks peaceful when he's sleeping. Almost angelic...
The kitsune stepped on something hard as he stepped back, and looked down to see what it was. It was a single perfect black tear gem.
Yuusuke and Kuwabara shoved open the door to Koenma's office. Yuusuke shoved the piles of papers off of Koenma's desk and glared at the infant. "What happened to Hiei and Kurama?!" he demanded.
Koenma looked a him coolly. "I don't know," he said clearly.
Yuusuke facevaulted. Kuwabara spoke up. "Whadda ya mean, you don't know?! Aren't you s'posed to be a god?!"
Koenma glared at the ningen. "The Netherworld transported them into outer space."
Yuusuke and Kuwabara stared at the demi-god. "NANI?! they yelled simultaneously.
Koenma regarded the two calmly. "You heard me. They were also transported through time, but I'm not sure how far and which way..."
Yuusuke looked horrified. "So we can't help them?!"
Koenma shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Yuusuke hung his head and sighed. Then he looked up, a fierce expression on his face. "They're strong, especially when you put them together. They'll make it." Yuusuke said softly.
Kuwabara smiled weakly. "Yeah, nobody could kill the Shrimp that easily!"
Koenma smiled weakly. Two of my best Reikai Tantei... "If they're in the future, they may run into Ningen space travellers. They may make it back here."
To be left in the hands of the Netherworld... Yuusuke shuddered. "Gods...I hope they do..."
Koenma nodded shortly. "Now we just have to figure out what to do about Kurama's ningen family..."
Yuusuke nearly swore. "And Yukina!"
Kuwabara looked at him. "Nani? What has to be done about my love?!"
Koenma and Yuusuke exchanged looks. Finally Koenma spoke. "It has to do with Hiei..."
Kuwabara nearly choked. "N-nani?! What does that Shrimp have to do with my perfect Yukina?!"
Yuusuke sighed. "He's her brother, Kuwabara." The big ugly ningen stared at them for a moment, then fell over in a dead faint. Yuusuke glanced at Koenma, grinning. "I think he took it pretty well, considering."
"Oro..." Koenma sweatdropped. "You'd better get to Yukina before he wakes up, Yuusuke."
The black-haired boy grinned and mock-saluted the demi-god. "Yes, sir!" He raced out the double doors.
Koenma shook his head and glanced at the floor where Kuwabara lay, his eyes still spiraled out. The godling grinned. "BOTAN!!"
The blue-haired girl raced into the room. "Hai, Koenma-sama?!"
Koenma kept a straight face. "Watch Kuwabara," he ordered.
Botan looked to the floor and gasped. "Oh! What happened to Kuwa-chan?!"
Koenma shrugged. "If he wakes up, bop him a good one on the head. That's an order!"
Botan facevaulted.
Ne? Ne? Whatcha think, minna? You like it? *blinks* Well...I'll just keep writing. Man is this gonna be a looong fic. Anyhoo...I might decide not to re-write the episoded...or at least, not all of them. I'll re-write the ones I want...And standard disclaimers apply! Gomen for the silliness, minna...
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