White Blindness
by Mina Lightstar

PART TWO
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

BRIIIIING!

Ikari grunted and pulled the pillow over his head. Who the hell would be calling at this hour? Why couldn't they call at a decent time of day? Like noon?

BRIIIIING!

He groaned. Go away.

BRIIIIING!

BRIIIIING!

"All right, all right!" he snapped, throwing the pillow aside and reaching for the receiver. "Hello?" he asked gruffly, making sure to put a note of annoyance in his voice.

"Doctor, we need you at the hospital right away."

It was one of the receptionists. Ikari growled under his breath. "Why? Why not just wait until morning?" If it was another case of the flu, he was going to--

"Trust me, doctor, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"You remember the man who said he saw white...?"

Ikari blinked. "Yes...?"

The woman's voice was both fearful and insistent. "I think you'd better come here right away and see this..."

Ikari sucked in a breath of air. "I'll be right there."

She was so beautiful Kuwabara thought, gazing fondly down at Yukina's face. He had planned on escorting her home, but after they had talked and watched some movies, she had drifted off. Her features were relaxed in sleep; little sighs coming from her slightly parted lips. Fleetingly, he wondered if maybe he could get away with giving her a kiss. Nothing serious. Just a gentle, soft touch to those soft, pretty pink lips....

He stopped with a sigh. It would do not good to try. Hiei would probably sense it all the way from Kurama's house and he'd have a sword down his throat before he knew what had happened.

Sometimes he wished he wasn't so old-fashioned. He wanted to court Yukina--he really did. He wanted to take things beyond the walks through the park, or the occasional cup of tea and movie. He wanted to be able to hold her hand instead of holding her arm, to kiss her instead of merely bowing to her when they parted....

But Yukina was a virginal young woman. Pure and innocent. Courtesy and honor required that he seek permission from the head of her family to court her. She had no mother or father anymore, she had said, and that left Hiei with the duty of protecting her honor. And Hell if he was going to get down on his knees and beg for the little gremlin's permission.

...At least, that's what he tried to tell himself. Really, he wasn't sure if he wanted to try asking Hiei's permission. If the midget said "no" for any reason...Kuwabara would be devastated. It didn't help that Hiei had plenty of reason to deny Kuwabara the privilege, either. And he loved Yukina. He wanted to be with the kind, beautiful ice maiden--wanted to be with her so very much...

He gazed longingly at her lovely face, unconsciously leaning over and reaching out to touch her cheek--

"AIEEEEEEEEEEARRRGHHHHHH!!!!!"

The shriek was so sudden that Kuwabara started and nearly lost his balance. He fell forward, thrusting his arms out to keep from falling onto Yukina. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped, pale cheeks suddenly flushing slightly crimson. Kuwabara abruptly realized that he was leaning over her body, his hands on either side of her head.

For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. She looked a little nervous as she stared back, blinking up at him with her beautiful red eyes. They remained frozen in that exact position for several moments, until Yukina started nibbling her lower lip. "K-Kazuma..."

That was all it took for Kuwabara to remember where he was...and what it looked like was happening. "F-forgive me!" he cried, backing away as quickly as he could, cheeks afire. "I-I didn't mean to look as though I--"

Another scream of anguish drowned out Kuwabara's nervous apology, and both of them blinked in confusion. Was someone in danger...? Or was it just a group of kids playing stupid jokes...?

"What was that?" Yukina whispered frightfully.

The he sensed it. A flicker of ki--very well hidden, but not enough to escape him. An unfamiliar presence.... There was someone else around. Someone who didn't belong there.

"It came from outside," Yukina uttered fearfully, sitting up slowly as she began dry-washing her hands.

Whatever it was, he was going to find out. "I'm going to check it out," he declared, rising and starting for the door. I can barely sense the ki at all... Must be hiding it well...

"I'm coming with you," Yukina announced, rushing to trot behind him.

"Stay behind me," he cautioned her as they made their way to the front door. They stepped into the humid outdoors, and Kuwabara winced slightly at the heat. It was dark out, and the bright moon was shining brightly overheard, illuminating the neighborhood.

The screaming was heard once more. Kuwabara turned toward the house two buildings down, and gasped. The tiny flickers of energy he was sensing were coming from there. That house belonged to...

"It came from Seung's house!" he cried, breaking into a run. Don't tell me the kid's in trouble...

Yukina rushed to keep up with him, the kimono she was wearing made running awkward for her. "Seung? Isn't he Keiko's chef?" she asked. Her voice held a touch of panic.

"Yeah." He glanced fleetingly around them, and was thankful that most of their neighborhood was out of town to escape the heat or away on vacation--judging from the alien presence he was sensing, it was better that they weren't around to get hurt.

He knocked on the door once out of courtesy, and then promptly broke it down with one powerful kick. He called forth his Spirit Sword, brandishing the glowing weapon and charging into the house with a roar.

He barged into the foyer, Sword held at the ready. "Seung!" he called. "Seung! Where are you?"

"Mr. Seung!" Yukina cried worriedly. "Mr. Seung! Please, answer us!"

The screams started again, coming from the direction of the kitchen. Kuwabara snarled and rushed forward, ready to attack any enemy he might encounter upon his entry. But when he entered the kitchen, there was no sign of any threat. Seung was rolling around on the floor, hands covering his eyes. He was still screaming and wailing.

Kuwabara blinked, unsure of what to make of the entire thing. He come prepared to face demons, ghosts, even thugs...but there was nothing here. What was wrong with Seung?

Yukina appeared behind him. "Are you okay?" she asked timidly. But Seung didn't answer. Kuwabara doubted he could hear the Ice Maiden over his hysterical shrieking.

Then he spotted the shards of glass littering the green tiles. "Careful, Yukina," he cautioned, holding an arm out to stop her from making her way toward the young chef. "Did you get cut, Seung?" he asked in-between the man's screams. No answer.

Kuwabara released his Sword, allowing it to vanish, and walked toward the other young man. He knelt down next to Seung's writhing body. "Let me see," he urged, pulling at Seung's hands. "I think he cut his face," he said over his shoulder to Yukina.

The Ice Maiden was already moving forward, picking her way carefully across the kitchen. She knelt down next to Kuwabara and leaned over. "Please, Mr. Seung, let us help you."

The man's shrieks gradually lessened to ragged sobbing. Kuwabara finally managed to pull his hands away from his face. "There, see? That wasn't so--?!"

He gasped in shock.

Yukina screamed in horror.

Seung had no eyes.

Ikari pushed through the doors to the hospital's entrance and was immediately greeted by the head nurse. He glanced sideways at the waiting room and felt his eyes widen of their own accord. It was full--too full for a hot summer night.

"What's happened?" he demanded.

"There's fourteen more of them," the nurse explained.

"Fourteen?" Ikari echoed.

"Fourteen," she confirmed. "They all came in within minutes of each other, claiming they saw only white. They were panicked, and screaming like you wouldn't believe..." She trailed off in disbelief.

Ikari shook his head. Gods, what the hell is going on...? "Take them to separate rooms," he ordered, his heart aching for the frightened people in the waiting room. "We may have a goddamn epidemic on out hands..."

"Yusuke..."

He chuckled as Keiko moaned his name, half in pleasure and half in agony. He flicked his tongue over her nipple once more before moving upwards to claim her mouth in a deep kiss, lowering her body to rest on hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed herself closer. Their tongues fought for dominance, and they moved their hips against one another...

BRIIIIING!

They paused and exchanged confused glances. The phone rang again. And again. And again.

"Are you doing to answer that?" Keiko asked.

Yusuke snorted. "They can wait," he replied, diving down to devour Keiko's mouth again, letting the answering machine take care of whoever it was. What kind of moron called at this hour anyway? Didn't they know that some people were busy?

The machine beeped loudly, and then, to their surprise, the kind of moron that called at this hour proved to be Kuwabara Kazuma.

"Hey! I know exactly what you two are doing--and knock it off! Pick up the phone NOW!"

In a flash, Yusuke reached over, seized the receiver, and shut the machine off. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Man, oh, man... Urameshi, you're never gonna believe this... I mean, I have seen some weird stuff in my lifetime, but this has got to be the most disgus--"

"Just tell me!"

"It's Seung!"

"Seung?" Yusuke repeated. He stared at Keiko, who looked alarmed and worried. "What about him?"

As his friend went on to explain, Yusuke felt a wave of nausea sweep over him, and he nearly dropped the receiver. He reached for Keiko's hand and squeezed it tight.

"We'll be right there," was all he said.

Hiei shot to a sitting position as the high-pitched ring shattered the silence of their bedroom. He glared. Stupid human Talking Machine. It always wanted attention when everyone was the least interested in it. But no matter how much you didn't want to listen to it, the thing would just keep making noise until you gave it what it wanted. He glared harder, as though he could make it shut up by will alone.

"Firefly, you wanna get that?" Kurama mumbled.

"Why me?" he demanded.

"It's probably--" Kurama yawned loudly, "--work. Tell them I'm sleeping... Please, baby?"

Hiei growled and crawled over Kurama's body, reaching for the annoying machine's mouth-and-ear thing. He'd tell them, all right. He'd tell them where they could stick their stupid Talking Machine!

"Hello?" he bit out.

"Shrimp!" came the panicked reply.

Hiei snorted. "I have a name, human. When you learn how to say it, then you can bother me--at a decent hour," he added contemptuously.

"Wait! Hiei, wait! This is important! Don't hang up!"

He didn't. Instead, he asked, "What is it?"

"We need you and Kurama to come to my place right away!"

He raised an eyebrow. From the moonlight seeping in through the window, he could see Kurama's confused green eyes blinking up at him. "On whose orders?" he demanded. They didn't work for Reikai anymore--they didn't owe Koenma anything.

"No one's," Kuwabara confessed. "It's a request. There's something here I think you should see. Yusuke and Keiko are already on their way." There was a pause, and then Kuwabara added a "Please?"

Hiei let out a long, suffering sigh. "We're coming."

"Thanks, Shorty. Yukina will appreciate this." There was a click, and then that droning sound came on, signifying that the human had "hung up", as Kurama called it.

Yukina? he wondered, setting the phone down. What was Yukina doing out with Kuwabara at this hour...?

With a shake of his head, he untangled himself from Kurama and patted the youko's thigh. "Get dressed, Greeneyes."

"Why?" Kurama blinked. "What's going on?"

"Hell if I know," Hiei admitted, "but Kuwabara's got us all heading to his place. He says it's important." He glanced at the crimson letters on the alarm clock. "It had better be."

Kurama shoved the sheets aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Possibly for the same reason I do."

"Which is?"

"Kuwabara said 'please' to me."

"So, what happened?" Yusuke asked, taking a sip from the coffee Kuwabara had offered him. He glanced at Keiko, who was sitting with Yukina as the Ice Maiden laid a moist cloth over Seung's forehead. The man had passed out long ago, but they refrained from taking him to the hospital just yet. There was nothing anyone could do to help him. His eyes were gone. Not ripped out--burned out.

"Your guess is as good as mine," his friend replied. "Yukina was asleep and I was getting ready to clean up when we heard the screaming. When we saw him...he was like this."

"A type of youkai?"

"Who knows...?"

"I don't believe this," Keiko moaned. "Why did something like this have to happen to him? Hasn't he had enough?"

"But who did it?" Yukina wondered, chewing her lower lip. "Who would do such a thing?"

Yusuke took another sip of coffee. "That's what I'd like to know. Who--or what could be that sick?"

Kuwabara swallowed and looked at Seung's unconscious form. "Hopefully Kurama and Hiei can figure something out."

Kurama frowned from where he stood in the kitchen's doorway. He didn't recognize the ki signature at all. He picked his way across the room, mindful not to step on any shards of glass. In all his years, he'd never sensed this type of energy--neither the demon itself, or even the type.

"Either way," he commented, "it was a very powerful demon." He could feel the energy around him. It was almost like walking through a heavy fog.

"No signs of a real struggle," Hiei added, his red eyes sweeping across the room, quickly assessing the details. "Broken glass and an overturned chair," he observed. "The human probably tried to defend himself."

"Can you feel the energy, Hiei?" Kurama asked. "It's...immense..."

"Perhaps...perhaps not."

Kurama blinked, turning around. His Jaganshi had removed his bandana, and his third eye was shining. "What do you mean?"

The shorter demon frowned in thought. "There are...two sorts of energy here."

"Two?" Kurama closed his eyes and Looked for the other source of ki. "I don't sense it."

"I know. It's so similar that it's hard to distinguish from the other, but there's another energy source here."

"Another ki signature?"

"No. Not ki." Hiei frowned again. "It's...hard to explain. "I've never sensed anything like it before."

"We should tell the others then?" Kurama suggested.

Hiei nodded. "Might as well. We can't do anything here."

With a final glance around the room, the demons left Seung's house to return to Kuwabara's.

"So now what do we do?" Kuwabara asked, picking another cookie from the plate in the middle of the table.

"What do you mean?" Hiei wondered, staring into his teacup.

"What do you think?" Kuwabara demanded. "A guy we know just got his eyes incinerated, and there's some kind of maniac, psychotic demon wandering around--maybe just waiting to pop out somewhere and burn someone else's eyes out!"

"What can we do, really?" Kurama answered. "This really isn't out business anymore, my friend."

"What?" Yusuke cried. "You mean you want us to just ignore this?"

"I didn't say that," the youko lamented, glancing down at his hands. "But face it, Yusuke, we don't work for Reikai anymore. It's not our duty nor our place to interfere."

"Kurama's right," Hiei added. "Let Koenma and his lackeys handle it. We don't have to trouble ourselves with it."

"You know, shrimp," Kuwabara commented from across the table, "you're still pretty cruel. I don't know about you, but I can't just forget what I saw."

"Can't you at least ask Koenma if he's aware of the situation?" Keiko ventured, looking worriedly at Seung's sleeping form. "Maybe...maybe if they know, they can do something about it."

Hiei jerked his head in Seung's direction. "Shouldn't someone take him to your human healers?"

"I will," Kuwabara offered, rising from his seat.

"I'll go with you," Yukina spoke up, starting to clear the table.

"I'm going to Reikai," Yusuke announced. He stood and squared his shoulders. "I'll talk to Koenma and make sure he knows what's going on."

"Can I go with you?" Keiko asked.

Her boyfriend shook his head. "It's probably better if you stay here."

Kuwabara nodded in agreement. It had been nearly five years since the Spirit World had severed all ties with the Reikai Tantei. Koenma might be indifferent with Yusuke dropping in for a visit, let alone the entire gang.

"I'll walk you home, Keiko," Kurama declared.

The brunette offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

After a moment's hesitation, Hiei pushed his chair back and stood. "I'll clean up the human's home. It's not like he'll be able to clean up the glass himself anytime soon."

It was decided. Kuwabara saw his guests out before carrying Seung out to the car. Yukina opened the doors and faced him with a worried frown.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" she asked.

Kuwabara answered her as he laid Seung across the backseat. "I don't know, but I don't like this either."

It was still there. Hiei frowned and reached out farther with his senses, trying to see if he could catch even a glimpse of a signature for the strange energy he'd detected before. Nothing. He didn't understand. How could an energy source containing such vitality be devoid of a signature? By all logic, it was impossible. Even if one couldn't recognize the signature, you could at least tell it was there. There was not one organic creature possessing ki that did not have one.

He glanced around the kitchen out of habit for signs of an enemy. Whatever had attacked that human was very powerful--the remnants of youki were still hovering strong in the air. It was almost a shame he wasn't in Koenma's service any longer. He would have liked to meet the demon that possessed such power, and maybe even compared with him.

He resigned himself to the fact that there was no way for him to determine the nature of the seemingly inanimate energy, and bent to collect the shards of glass--------

--------and the crystal shone brightly before him, encompassing his vision. Luminous as a star, it seemed to radiate warm waves of heat, until darkness poured over it like ink. The white crystal was swallowed by blackness--------

--------and Hiei cursed, his hand snapping back reflexively as he cut it on a piece of glass. He brought the wounded finger to his mouth and sucked on it in irritation. It was like getting a paper cut: annoying pain, he mused, tasting the coppery flavor of his blood.

What the hell happened? he wondered, reaching up to touch his brow. The band over his Jagan was still there. How did I...? The vision had been shockingly similar to the dream he'd had earlier that night.

He paused. The dream... Did this have anything to do with what he'd dreamt? The attack on the human, the strange energy in the air, the white crystal....

He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. Even if there was a connection, he had nothing to do with any of this nonsense any longer. He'd been freed from Reikai ties several years before. Random attacks and wayward demons didn't concern him anymore.

With a little grunt, he left the human's house.

The doors to the palace of Reikai seemed different. They no longer emanated the feelings of familiarity and security they once did. In fact, Yusuke noted, they seemed to loom before him, almost foreboding, definitely not friendly.

He rolled his shoulders and raised a hand, fingers curling into a fist. His knock echoed across the place, loud and insisting.

He waited for a long time, the winds of the Spirit World his only companion. Finally, he knocked again--harder this time. Don't ignore me, he growled in his mind.

When five minutes had gone by, Yusuke raised his fist again, this time intending to attempt breaking the doors down. Fortunately, he didn't have to go that far. The left door opened a crack, and a solemn purple eye peeked out at him.

"May I help you?" the voice belonged to a woman, and she didn't sound friendly.

"You may," Yusuke replied, making sure to add a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "I need to speak to Koenma."

The woman was silent for a few moments. Then she exhaled sharply in disgust. "Who are you, to believe you can just walk in and demand to see Lord Koenma?"

Yusuke blinked. Sure she hadn't asked what he thought he'd heard... "I'm Urameshi Yusuke," he declared. "A Reikai Tantei. Now let me speak to Koenma."

The woman hesitated before answering. "There are no Reikai Tantei," she said finally. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's not very amusing."

Yusuke was dumbfounded. "W-what?!" he sputtered. "What the hell are you talking about?" He took a step forward and glared at the woman behind the door. "I was in Koenma's service five years ago! Don't tell me you've never heard of me!"

The woman blinked and sighed. "I'm sorry. You're obviously very confused." She sniffed at him. "I suggest you leave now, before I alert Lord Koenma that there is a trespasser in Reikai."

Yusuke could only stare in utter shock, unable to retort, as the door closed with a resounding slam. He clenched his fists at his side, trembling in both anger and incomprehension. No Reikai Tantei? He'd never had any connection to the Spirit World? Just what was that woman talking about? Even if she were new, that was no excuse for not knowing who the Urameshi Team was. So then why...

He tightened his fists until they quivered with strain, releasing his anger and frustration in one loud, powerful yell.

"KOENMA!!!!"

"Yusuke was here."

Koenma didn't answer right away. He stared at the paperwork piled on his desk. So much to be done... Would he ever get done? Work, work, work... He needed a vacation.

"Lord Koenma--" George began again.

"I heard you," he interrupted. "I heard you," he repeated, quieter this time. I'm sorry, Yusuke.

"...He was angry, Lord Koenma."

"I'm sure he was."

"...Did we do the right thing?" George asked doubtfully.

Koenma kept his gaze fixed on the papers littering his desk. "We did what we were required to do. It's out of our hands now."

"...But..."

"I don't like it either, but it is no longer our affair."

George didn't offer any reply, and for that, Koenma was grateful. It bothered him enough to know what he was allowing to happen. The last thing he needed was a visit from Yusuke. Though at least it was only Yusuke who came. He didn't think he could have handled a confrontation from all four former Tantei. Knowing he'd betrayed Yusuke in some fashion was bad enough.

"Will Yusuke forgive me for this?" he asked in a low voice.

There was no answer. Whether George simply chose not to reply, or if he'd left the room, Koenma didn't look.

Kurama tugged at his collar, feeling very uncomfortable in the night heat. He and Hiei hadn't taken the car when they'd come to Kuwabara's. They were faster than any car. Or rather, Hiei was faster than any car, and Yusuke and Keiko didn't live too far from Kuwabara to begin with, so they hadn't driven either. Keiko was silent, walking with her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"Keiko?" Kurama ventured. "Are you all right?"

She blinked. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "It's Seung. I shouldn't have let them leave him alone." She shook her head. "I should have made sure that someone stayed with him. I didn't know they had left him in the house alone."

Kurama touched her arm in a comforting gesture. "It's not your fault, Keiko. There was no way you could have known this would have happened." A typical response, he admitted to himself, but certainly the best he could offer her. "Besides," he added meaningfully, "do you think anyone else would have been able to save him? There were demons involved, remember? Any other human probably would have been hurt or killed, too."

"...I know," Keiko agreed. "But it's not fair." She looked up at him with a worried expression. "Seung's eyes are gone forever, aren't they?"

Kurama offered her an apologetic look. "I believe so."

Keiko nodded. "I thought so." She closed her eyes. "I thought so..."

They walked on in silence until they reached Keiko and Yusuke's house. Keiko worked the key into the lock and opened the door, and then looked over her shoulder at Kurama. "Would you like a glass of water?" she asked.

It was hot, he reasoned. He checked his watch. 3:45. Thank Inari tomorrow is Saturday, he thought tiredly. Or is tomorrow today already? He blinked. I need sleep.

"Kurama?"

He started, realizing Keiko was still expecting an answer. What could one more hour without sleep do? "Sure," he replied. "Water sounds wonderful. Thank you."

They entered the two-story home, closing the door behind them. Keiko showed him to the kitchen and served the water.

"Thank you," Kurama said, gratefully accepting the tall glass of iced liquid.

"I still can't believe this," Keiko commented, seating herself across from him. "Why Seung? What has he done to deserve this? First the blindness, and then his eyes." She glared for a moment. "Trust me, I sound a lot calmer than I really feel."

Kurama closed his eyes briefly. "I wish I had an explanation for you, Keiko, but I don't. It's not fair, you're right. Maybe Yusuke will bring back news from Reikai for us, and then we'll have a better understanding of what's going on." Keiko was silent. "If there's some dangerous, runaway demon on the loose, maybe Koenma will let Yusuke help and we'll get to the bottom of this." Keiko still didn't answer. "Don't worry, Keiko," Kurama went on. "I'm sure Koenma will to the arrest and punishment of the demon responsible for this. Seung will be avenged. Don't worry."

He looked up at Keiko and blinked. She was rubbing at her eyes and her shoulders were shaking. She was hunched over. "Keiko? Are you crying?" He sprang from his chair and knelt next to hers, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Keiko, come on--it's going to be okay. Yusuke won't let this go unpunished. We all know how much Seung means to you. Don't cry. Please don't cry."

She whispered something, but it was too faint to catch.

Kurama leaned closer, looking up at her hidden face anxiously. "Keiko? I can't hear you."

She whispered it again. "...I can't see..."

His heart stopped. "What?"

"I can't see," she repeated, a little louder this time. She moved her hand and clutched his arm, her fingernails digging into his flesh. "Kurama--I can't see."

PART THREE - FLAMING WINDS
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