The Mage War
This story is rated PG-13 for sexual situations
Chapter 1 - The First Scream
Her scream filled the Castle, a long piercing scream of pure despair.
Kurama came awake instantly, her emotions tearing into him like glass. He moaned and put his hands to his head, trying to stop the pain. Struggling out of bed, he walked unsteadily to the door, grabbing his robe on the way out. It took all his strength to open the door.
Hiei curled into a tight ball, his mind screaming with his Princess. Oh, gods! What was happening to her? He needed to get to her, but his legs were rubber. Finally, using every once of his willpower, he got out of bed, struggled to put on his trousers and picked up his katana. He went to his balcony, intending to leap to her balcony, but he had no idea if he could make the leap. He jumped into the air, praying that he would make it.
InuYasha, the male more in tune to her feelings than anyone, threw himself out of bed with a cry that turned into a long howl of agony and pressed himself into the corner of his room. Blood was trickling from his nose. He whimpered, unable to move out of the corner, unable to go to his Princess' aid. Suddenly Aara stopped screaming, breaking down into heart-rending sobs instead, as if her world had suddenly ended.
Kurama sighed with relief when his mind was released from the inner torture of her screams, and made his way to her room. InuYasha managed to get himself out of the corner and got to the door and threw it open. Kaiba and Rin were running by and Rin glanced at the Dog, who was still bleeding. She stopped to attend to him, but he pushed her away. She touched his arm and handed him a robe which she had taken from his room. He hadn't even noticed that he was naked.
The remaining three males were not in the Castle; Aniki had gone with Kamui to help Tsume and the Demon Wolves, Shilo had gone to visit his father in Demon World, and Bakura was in Suzaku, helping Suzuki with a complex spell.
Kurama could not sense them at all; his mind couldn't get past his Princess' pain. Had one of them died? Had all three?
Kurama walked into her room and saw Hiei standing there at the balcony door helpless, white as a sheet and trembling, the katana on the floor where it had slipped from his hands. InuYasha walked in behind him and immediately went to his Princess, taking her into his arms. Her pain was raw and being near her was torture, but he would endure anything for her.
Kaiba and Rin joined them and the rest of the Castle's inhabitants stood around the doorway, wondering what was happening. Aara was sobbing her heart out in InuYasha's arms, and the Dog looked like he was in agony, his eyes tightly closed, trying desperately to keep out her emotions.
Kaiba moved to check on the Princess, but there was nothing physically wrong with her. She was in pain -- but it was emotional. Some emotional connection had been severed. "You need to check on the other males," he said to Kurama. Kurama nodded but could not move. He was frozen by her anguish.
Tekki stepped forward and took command. "Kain, go to Suzaku and bring back Bakura. Hiya, please go to Shido and bring back Shilo. I will go to the Wolf Dens and see if I can find Aniki. Hurry!"
The three rushed downstairs to the portals, and were gone in seconds.
In Suzaku, Bakura suddenly cried out and fell to the floor, curling into a fetal position, his eyes tightly closed. Dark blood began to run from his nose. It felt like his mind was in a vise and the pain would not stop. Vara went to his side. What was wrong? A few minutes later, Kain appeared and told them about Aara. Kyo picked up the blue mage and carried him to the portal with Vara following. Whatever her mother was feeling, she could not sense it. Soon all three were in the Castle, going to the Princess' room.
Hiya found Shilo in his father's arms, sobbing as hard as the Princess was. She told Shido what had happened and he took his son in his arms and went through the portal after the girl.
For Tekki, it was not that easy. Aniki and Kamui were aloft somewhere over the mountains. If Aniki had been rendered incapacitated while flying, he would have crashed along with Kamui, since the bat had no wings. Tsume soon had his entire wolf clan searching the mountains in the direction that the pair had been flying.
Kyo put Bakura on the bed next to the Princess. At first, he cried out and cringed away from her, and then he moved to her. Hiei moved onto bed also, slipping into a small space at her feet. Shilo joined them soon after and curled as close to her as he could. Kurama stood there for a few minutes, trying to take control of himself but soon lost the battle. All he wanted to do was to be next to her, to touch her. Finally, he gave up fighting it and crawled onto the bed, pressing against his Princess. Now all the males were here except for Aniki. One male could not be the cause of this much pain, even he was hurt or dead. Bankotsu's death had not been this bad. Not even Vash's death had been like this. Kaiba stood there, completely helpless. He had asked Rin to bring Taiki to sense them, but he could not even get close. Taiki fled back to his room and curled into Tylee's arms, trying to shield himself against all the emotional pain that was coming from the Princess and her males. Tsume and Tekki were searching near each other for Aniki and Kamui and they both heard the howl. The wolves had found them.
They had been in mid-air when Aniki suddenly stopped and screamed in agony, letting go of Kamui. Kamui twisted his body and grabbed hold of Aniki's legs as he fell, but soon Aniki was plummeting to the ground with him. Aniki could no longer concentrate to control the wheels and the fire within them died, rendering them useless. Kamui flexed his shoulders muscles instinctively, but then realized that he had no wings. They were going to die, dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks below them.
There was only one chance. Kamui pulled off the right fire wheel and managed to get it on his own foot. He wasn't sure how they worked and there wasn't time for the second one. He concentrated on it and suddenly fire flared out. But with only one wheel on, only one leg was aloft and he soon hanging upside down, holding onto Aniki for dear life. The one wheel did not have the power to hold them both aloft, but at least their fall was slowed. Kamui reached for the second wheel and got it off, but time was up and the ground rushed up to meet them.
Tsume and Tekki soon reached the pair. Kamui was unconscious, still holding tightly to the fire wheel. The other was attached to his right foot. His entire body was a mass of deep cuts and bruises, but the Bat was alive. Aniki was sprawled nearby, his left leg in an impossible angle, also unconscious. Tekki asked the wolves to find a couple of branches so that he could splint the leg and then they were carried back to the dens.
"Do you want to set the leg here? Or at least splint it better?" Tsume asked, very worried about the pair. Since the Wolves arrival, Aniki and Kamui had often helped out and Tsume had become good friends with them both.
"No, I must get Aniki home." He took the Thunder Demon into his arms. "Would you put Kamui across my shoulders?" Burdened under the two demons, Tekki thanked the wolves for their help, said goodbye to Tsume, and stepped through the portal.
Guard immediately took the unconscious Bat and bore him to his room. Kain was sent to heal him. Tekki carried Aniki to the Princess' room and laid him on the bed; Bakura moving over to make room. Kaiba removed the makeshift splint and put on a metal one, then healed the broken skin and torn muscles. In a couple of days, Aniki would be good as new -- at least physically.
A few minutes later, he woke up and moaned in anguish, moving closer to his Princess; like the others, needing to be near her. If only they could stop her pain!
Guards appeared at the door, not sure who to report to, until Tekki went toward them. "Someone just came into the hall."
"Through a portal?"
"No, he just appeared on the floor. He looks badly hurt; there's a lot of blood. I have never seen him before."
Tekki called for Kaiba and the pair followed the guard downstairs, with Rin following. Lying facedown the middle of the main hall was a man with brown hair about the same length as Tekki's. He was unconscious and a pool of blood was spreading around him.
Kaiba rushed to his side and turned him over. His chest had been torn open and he was bleeding profusely. Ribs showed in the cavity. An inch deeper and his heart would have been torn from his body. Kaiba wasted no time; he pressed his hand over the wound and pour out his healing power. The ghastly wound began to close.
Rin knelt down beside Kaiba, looking at the young man's bloody face. "Get me a wet cloth," she told the guards, and when she got it, began to wipe away the blood, trying to see if there was another wound. As she wiped the blood from his forehead, a mark appeared. Two letters: "Jr"
Tekki was watching her and when he saw the markings, exclaimed, "Kaiba! This is Koenma! Who could have done this to him?"
"What? Koenma?" Kaiba looked up from his task.
"Who is Koenma?" Rin asked.
"He is the only son of the ruler of the Spirit World." Kaiba answered. "I don't understand why he came here. Who did this to him? And why?"
Koenma began to come to, moaning in pain. His brown eyes fluttered open and he looked into the golden eyes of Tekki. "She's dead." He whispered. "They're all dead." And then he lapsed back into unconsciousness.
"Who is dead?"
"I don't know but I think both events are connected. The Princess is in pain and Koenma is badly hurt. When we find the answer to one, I believe we will find the answer to the other."
