The team awoke at morning. Or so they assumed seeing how the black clouds still lingered over the sky. Karisuto looked Saremu over, "Hm...I haven't seen him in THIS form before....Late time he was in his full form." "Well, if I had a purpose to transform him, I would." Rika said irritably. Karisuto simply rolled her eyes. "Let's get a move on." Kurama said. "Wait, where are we going?" Kuwabara asked. "There is a large energy signature coming from the north side of the island." Kurama pointed out. Kuwabara sensed it for a minuet before saying, "Oh, right..."

They walked a few miles to the north beach, but the signature was gone. "Great......." Rika sighed. "What are you children doing here?" An old woman’s voice came from behind. They turned, and sure enough, and old woman was on her knees with a basket next to some herbs, looking at them. Karisuto jumped behind Kurama in an attempt to hid herself. "Oh don't worry fox. I've seen many like you before." The old, small woman said. Karisuto popped her head out, "You have, have you?" "Well, well, they haven't talked before." The woman said. "Umm...excuse me?" Kurama asked. "Yes, sonny?" "Would you happen to know anything on the clouds?" Kurama asked. "Well yes I do. What do you want to know?" The woman asked. "Do you know who caused it?" Kurama asked. "We do not know his name, but we saw a demon in the sky with a black glowing orb. He had light blue skin with many many deep red scars on him. His eyes were pure red with what the villagers made out to be blue slit pupils and long red hair. He wore black pants and black boots." The woman answered. Everyone became silent and turned white. Hiei brought Rika in close to him, she looked the most afraid to the point where she was shaking. "Is something wrong?" The woman asked. "Uhh...no, thank you for your help." Kurama said and they ran off, Hiei and Rika holding hands.

They stopped somewhere on the outskirts of the forest and beach lines. "DAMNIT!" Yusuke punched a nearby tree. "Calm down, Yusuke!" Kurama said. "That jerk's supposed to be dead, how the hell can he survive through that!?" Kuwabara yelled. Hiei looked rather angry, Rika had her fist loosely closed and up to at least her mouth with a worried look on. Kurama was pondering something. Everything was quiet, until Yusuke yelled, "AHHHH! That bastard just doesn't know when to die!" "CAN YOU SHUT YOUR BIG MOUTH FOR A MOMENT SO I CAN THIK!?!?!" Hiei yelled. "AND WHY SHOULD I!?" Yusuke argued back. "Because we need to think where we might find him and how we are going to kill the bastard!!!" Hiei shouted in his face. "I know that!!!" Yusuke yelled back in Hiei's face. "Then shut up and try think for once! That is if your small brain can handle it!!" Hiei argued right back. The two carried on and on for a bit, until Rika got really pissed, took a deep breath in and yelled as loud as she could,

"SHUTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Everyone looked at her with scared looks on and everything had become silent. "ENOUGH!!! We need to focus on finding him first!" She continued. "What do you propose we do?" Karisuto asked. "We need to lure him out." Rika answered. "How do we do that, Huh!? It's not like we can just call his name and he'll come out!" Kuwabara yelled. "Hey, Kuwabara actually made a point." Yusuke mumbled. "WHAT WAS THAT URAMESHI!?!?" "Will you two just shut the hell up!? We don't have time for your foolishness!" Hiei yelled. "Why don't you shut up, shorty!?" Kuwabara yelled. "Please, stop fighting!" Kurama said. "Will all you buffoons just pip down!?" Karisuto yelled. But, yet again, everything went into chaos and they all were bickering, except Rika. She was getting soooo angry. Her fists were tightly wrapped and her face was so angry. She just couldn't take in, turned, and walked away. The others didn't even notice.

Night had fallen, and Rika sat alone on a cliff with Saremu behind her. Rain fell during that time. She sat hugging her knees and looked down at the ground, then sighed. Saremu nudged her and she put her hand on his, seemingly big, head. She sighed again, "No one will help me....How am I ever to defeat Atamis?....." She asked herself. "That's right, you couldn't do it before on your own..." Karisuto came up behind her. "Why are you here?" Rika asked, broadly. "I came to check on you. You shouldn't be here in the rain, especially by yourself with Atamis around." Karisuto answered, sitting next to Rika. "I know you don't need to lecture me. But no one will listen now......" Rika said looking up in the rain. "Right, and they're still fighting...." Karisuto sighed. "WHAT!? THEY ARE!?" Rika freaked in an angry voice. "Well Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama. Hiei left them not to long ago. Saremu, and you are here and so am I." Karisuto explained, trying to calm her. Rika sighed and looked a the ground, "At least Hiei smarter then those idiots......" Then she felt something warm on her back and shoulders. When she looked she saw Hiei, and he had put his coat on her. "Hiei?" "You shouldn't be out here." He said, then sat next to her. "I know! Will everyone just-" Before she finished, Hiei brought her in close to him. "I'm....sorry.....for earlier........." He apologized. Rika blushed for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his waist and said, "It's ok....." Karisuto giggled, "I'll leave you two alone..." and she turned, "Maybe I can stop the goon squad from fighting........" and she walked off. Rika and Hiei looked for a moment, but then continued hugging one another. Saremu then lifted his tail from the bottom of the cliff and over their heads. They looked at him and he had a big smile on his face. With his fire keeping them warm and his tail covering their heads, the two slept there, away from the chaos of the others.

Morning rose and Rika stirred. She looked at the rising sun, glistening off the crystal clear water. She enjoyed it for a moment, but then looked up, seeing the clouds above her, though they no longer blocked he sun rise. She sighed in despair as Hiei stirred. He looked down at her and kissed her on the cheek, and Rika smiled. "Good morning." She said and stretched, and Hiei did as well. They stood and brushed themselves off. "Good morning you two." A voice said from behind, and when they looked, it was Kurama and Karisuto stood next to him. "Kurama." Rika nodded. "I apologize for our behavior last night, Rika." He said. Rika nodded, "Sure, but as you know, I do not wish for your sympathy." Rika said. "Yes....I know......." Kurama said, "Shall we go meet with the others then?" "Are they still fighting?" Rika asked. "No, I managed to calm them down last night, thank you." Karisuto answered. "Then let's go." Hiei said, and they went to go meet up with Yusuke and Kuwabara.

After some discussion, they headed toward the mountains. "Why do you think he's in the mountains? I mean after all, last time he was underground." Kuwabara pointed out. "He'd need a high spot to control the clouds." Rika answered, not looking back at him. "Why?" Kuwabara stupidly asked again. "If he isn't in a height area, then the orb wouldn't work." Rika said. "Well then why is a high area needed?" Yusuke asked. "The contents of the inside of the orb are unstable and have high air pressure due to the high energy waves. It needs an area with high air pressure to create equal balances between the two pressures so the energy can be released into the form of the black clouds." Rika explained. "But if the orb was originally in a low air pressure area wouldn't it have imploded due to the differences in high and low pressures?" Kurama asked. "The orbs outer shell holds a shield that stops the imploation process, but dies out when the air pressure outside of the orb is similar to the pressure inside the orb. But as the pressures once again become irregular, the shield is once again needed. Though since this causes such a problem using the orb is highly dangerous. If one thing goes wrong, it could mean disaster to the user and death." Rika explained. "So then why do you want it so badly?" Karisuto asked. Rika stopped and turned to her, "I do not wish to use it! I simply want to study it beyond what my books say. I tend to find that I gather more information while studying the actual object." Rika answered, "Now, no more dawdling, let's go.......and don't amble along the way!" Rika finished. "Ya know, sometimes I don't understand half the stuff she says......" Yusuke said, and they continued on their way.

---

>> Place of Darkness

<<< Back to Dark is Rising
<<< Back to Rika's Fanfics