Category: Anime, Yaoi, Gundam Wing, Yu Yu Hakusho, AU
Warnings:
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, KuramaxHiei, will be 6x5
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com
Website: www . arigatomina . com
G-men
Part 30: Getting to Know You
Breakfast found the six mutants with varying moods as they met up at the table they'd come to use on a regular basis.
When Trowa and Quatre came downstairs Zechs was already seated, his manner quiet and overly sober, while his expression made him appear as if he'd been up all night. The two bright young teens were overly happy in comparison, and Quatre was prone to light blushing from Trowa's almost proprietary treatment. The green-eyed boy had pressed him into a seat and proceeded to serve him breakfast.
Grateful that Zechs didn't comment on Trowa's behavior, Quatre didn't ask why he looked so stressed.
Wufei was the next to make an appearance, nodding a quick greeting before getting a substantial meal since he'd skipped dinner the night before. He was still bothered by his talk with Trowa; the idea of telling Yusuke exactly what the six of them were up to was not one he liked. Knowing Heero would take the final say in it helped him clear it from his mind, so he wasn't nearly as preoccupied as Zechs. He just wasn't chipper like Trowa.
The normally sober boy's smirking expressions were enough to make Wufei stare at him.
What they expected to see next was Heero being his typical quietly active self, dragging or prodding a sleep-drugged Duo over to the food line. They were naturally surprised when Duo stormed in well ahead of Heero, his eyes sharp and aware and not the least bit sleepy - or happy, for that matter. He didn't say a word and never once looked back at the silent and glowering mutant who'd followed him down to the cafeteria.
Heero managed to shrug off most of his annoyance when he greeted the others, and he set himself to ignoring Duo just the way the boy was ignoring him.
Heero had warned him after all. He'd told him last night that he was going to round him this morning. It wasn't his fault if Duo had thought he'd exaggerated when he told him he was planning to yell at him. Besides, he hadn't actually yelled, so it could have been worse.
As far as Heero was concerned, Duo had gotten off lightly with his stern lecture and honest insults. Duo had to be more careful in the future and the best way to assure that was to make certain he knew how stupid he'd been.
The insulted and angry boy would calm down eventually. Until then, Heero would just let him simmer.
No one really hurried through breakfast, but Heero grimaced as he noted that Duo's appetite had not diminished a bit. If anything, he looked like he was taking his anger out on the food.
Heero firmly tore his eyes away from the sight, placing his full attention on Trowa, who was still sending oddly teasing looks at Quatre. Raising an eyebrow, Heero caught his attention.
"Can I get a progress report on Une?" Heero asked Trowa. "Or should I wait till you're finished?"
Quatre flushed, more out of discomfort than embarrassment. Whatever Trowa's idea of courting was, the boy had been teasing him and flirting since they'd gotten up. Quite frankly, Quatre didn't know how to react to that. Having Trowa behave so strangely in front of the others - especially when he knew Trowa was enjoying himself - was unsettling. He'd never seen this side of the boy.
"No need to wait," Trowa said smoothly.
He didn't look the least bit bothered by Heero's expression and he gave an almost pleasant, if small, smile.
"The progress hasn't been much, but we expect it to be smooth from here on. We've decided an innocent mutant would be the best way to draw her softer side to the surface. So far the Lady seems to be taking the bait, and Yukina likes her as well. We plan to ration her company, to force the Lady to communicate with us verbally if she wants to spend more time with her new friend. Once we have her on a more dominant setting, we can work on diminishing Une's influence over her. We're hoping that the Lady will be able to resume control of herself without outside help."
"So the soft side would be ruling," said Heero. "That would make her a willing helper rather than someone to keep constant control over."
He turned to look at Quatre.
"Do you really think this soft side would be able to gain enough strength for that? She's been buried for years."
"The Lady, that's what we call her softer personality,” said Quatre. “She's almost a watcher now."
Quatre shook his head as he gave a slight smile.
"She's not nearly strong enough to go against Une - not if the two were to differ over something like Treize - but she could be. She did show some power when Une first met Yukina and tried to drive her away. The Lady intervened and spoke for herself after that. Une was against it, but she didn't fight hard enough to take back control. It's a definite step forward."
"But it's slow progress," said Trowa. "Any idea of using Une right now could undermine what we've done so far. If we're going to let the Lady save herself, then we won't be able to use her until she's overcome the personality Treize created."
Heero frowned a little, but wasn't overly bothered by that news.
"I never expected to get much use from her,” Heero admitted, “not unless we absolutely had to use her. Any plans for the future can be made if, or when, this Lady takes control. There's no rush on that. If the rest of you are progressing on your own talents, we'll be here for a while. Any attacks we might stage on OZ have effectively been put on hold."
"If we gain in strength,” said Wufei, “that won't be a problem. We might lose time, but the battles themselves will be quicker, more decisive. It's better to gain strength for a confrontation than to drag one out by fighting at less than maximum potential."
Heero nodded in agreement and turned his focus on Wufei.
"Did the training with Kurama benefit you, then?" asked Heero.
Wufei smirked. "Definitely. I know how to curve lightening, though it will take some practice. Now that I've actually done it, I can see how it works. It's just a matter of getting it down to a natural speed, so I can do it without concentrating entirely on that one thing. Kurama advised me not to push the talent too hard, but I expect I can start on moving targets soon. After that, I'll be working on wind."
Remembering something else Kurama had advised him of, Wufei glanced over at Zechs.
"You'll be working with him on your healing talent," he said. "He says Hiei can get you used to watching how you heal, but that he doesn't have the control to teach you how to moderate the energy."
Zechs blinked, broken from his thoughts, and frowned over at Wufei. "I was planning to practice that myself. I don't need Hiei to help me with it."
Wufei shrugged, his expression just a little doubtful.
"Well,” said Wufei, “If you do end up getting help from Kurama, don't mention your sessions with Hiei - the mindreading, I mean. And don't say anything to him about anything you've seen in Hiei's mind. It would make it...a difficult situation working with him if you did."
"Right," Zechs nodded. He glanced over and caught Heero's gaze. "You said you didn't need me to read Hiei any longer. I should tell you that we've made plans to continue it regardless. There's some aspect of Hiei's mind that seems to attack those who try to read him. We're going to investigate that, with Quatre doing a distanced reading while I'm working with him. That will give him a chance to build a tolerance to Hiei's jagan, so he can build his own talent as well."
"And you plan to work on your healing abilities alongside that?" Heero prompted.
His eyes tried to dart over for a glance at Duo, but he kept them away. Zechs wasn't going to make the same mistake Duo had. Besides that, he didn't want to say anything about people overextending themselves - not right now.
"I'll be careful," said Zechs.
He was pretty sure he knew what Heero was thinking. Zechs had noticed how miffed Duo looked, and the boy's unusual silence spoke volumes of what sort of argument the two had had that morning. He wasn't going to say any more than Heero had about the subject.
His coffee had gotten cold, so Zechs left to refill it. When he returned to the table, he nodded at Heero.
"Why don't you tell us what you found out about Kurama,” said Zechs. “We're curious that you'd drop your suspicions about him so quickly."
"He gave me a tip," Heero admitted.
His face closed up some, just a hint of a pinched expression to show that he didn't like being wrong.
"Minamino Shuuichi. That's the name he was born with. He gave us his age, so I did a search for anyone with that name born 17 years ago and he turned up almost immediately. Even if I didn't believe that he'd given me the right name, there were more than enough pictures to identify him."
Heero sighed, glowering a bit. "He's a genius."
Wufei's lips twitched but he managed not to grin at Heero's disgruntled look.
"Why do you say that?" asked Wufei.
"Because it's documented," Heero sniffed. "From the age of eight he's been on records in Japan, tested and proven. Most of the headlines dubbed him some sort of future chemist or engineer, but the fact is that he excelled in every test they gave him. Not surprising, botany was his preferred field of study. I suspect his mutant abilities were the reason for that, if they developed early.
"I was right about one thing, though. He did have a connection to OZ."
This garnered a few confused looks, and Heero nodded.
"His mother married a general, complete with his own six year old son of the same name. Both boys were named Shuuichi, but Minamino Shuuichi was ten at the time, and still headlining for his work in a local university. He supposedly died a year later during a trip to the United States with his stepfather. OZ records pick it up from there."
Duo gave up any pretense of ignoring Heero, his expression wary but very curious. He joined the others in staring at the silent boy. After a moment, Heero sighed and seemed to deflate where he sat. If they hadn't argued that morning, Duo would have put an arm around the boy. He just looked miserable.
"His own family turned him in to OZ," Heero admitted.
That was the crux, the reason Heero had dismissed any suspicion of the teen. When he'd been seeing the cunning and sly redhead getting close and friendly with their group, he'd instantly gone on guard against him. Now he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. Berating himself for jumping to conclusions didn't help his mood any, either.
"According to OZ's records,” Heero continued, “the general handed him over the day they arrived in the US. I don't think his mother ever realized what had happened, but it was an obvious set up and a faked death. I wouldn't be surprised if OZ had one of their officers marry the mother just to get to the son. The headlines in Japan were too favorable toward their new child genius. OZ couldn't just make him disappear, even if they did publicize him as a mutant. They might have even hurt their own cause. If everyone knew their beloved genius was also a mutant, favor for mutants in general would have increased. They couldn't risk that. Official record states Minamino Shuuichi died in a car crash soon after reaching the US. OZ record states he disappeared two weeks after being taken into custody."
Heero smirked suddenly, shaking off that dark self-depreciating glower.
"It's ironic, the timing. He came to the US on the exact day that Hiei and Yukina's foster father died. And his disappearance was mere hours after Hiei disappeared from the hospital, which was located less than eight miles from the base Kurama was kept at. If I didn't have absolute proof that the two had never been in the same country prior to that, I'd say they planned it."
"Like it was fate..." Duo breathed.
The others turned to look at Duo, who blushed a bit and scowled. Wufei in particular was smirking at him. Trowa seemed to find it amusing as well, raising an eyebrow with a light smile.
"Then you also believe in fate," Trowa commented. "That makes three of us."
Beside him, Quatre flushed irritably.
"Anyway," Duo grumbled. "What happened? How did Kurama just disappear from the base?"
"Some sort of vine," Heero shrugged. "He must have snuck it inside because they'd taken him to a base without any plants nearby, and even the closest city was devoid. A desert town in Nevada. He was on foot, so OZ sent a squad after him. They found what was left of their men in an alley. That's where the record ends."
Zechs was nodding thoughtfully.
"Then that really was how they met,” said Zechs, “just like both of their memories recalled it. Eight miles, though. If Hiei was hospitalized up until his own escape and made it eight miles in a matter of hours at the age of nine...and still managed to kill the team sent after Kurama..."
"His mutant abilities must have manifested in full force," Heero finished. "He'd have needed his speed to get that far so quickly. And he obviously had his strength because those men weren't killed by any plant, even a mutant-enhanced one. One of the swords was missing, the sort some of the officers wear for show. The record noted that as the murder weapon. It fits."
"The only question," Wufei said slowly, "is how Hiei knew where to go. They were complete strangers."
"The same way he knew I was reading Kurama," said Zechs. He shook his head with a forced smile. "They've had some sort of connection all along."
"But we don't need to pry into that," Quatre said quickly. "Do we?"
"No," said Heero. He folded his arms and shifted more comfortably in his seat. "I don't suspect either of them."
He shot a sharp look over to Quatre.
"But Yukina is another matter. Ice."
Zechs straightened, his eyes wide.
"You realized, then,” said Zechs. “We didn't make the connection till yesterday, something Yusuke told us. She's an A class mutant as well. Twins but opposites, fire and ice."
"Right," Heero nodded. "I don't suspect her of anything. But her very existence marks all three of them as potential targets. They're gathered in the most obvious place, and now we're here as well. So many coincidences are difficult to pass off as chance."
There wasn't much to say to that and they sat for a few minutes in silence. Heero abruptly scowled. "Who is Yusuke?"
Wufei winced and gave a weak smile. "One of those bumblers I told you about. He's also the friend of Kuwabara. I forgot you hadn't met him. He's very friendly, and a little reckless, but he seems quick to pick up on things. Trowa thinks we should tell him what we're doing here."
That got Heero's attention. He turned to stare at Trowa. "Why?"
"We haven't actually seen his potential,” Trowa shrugged, “as far as his mutant abilities go. But he's been helpful so far. Having a connection here who can blend in with the student body may prove useful. Kurama and Hiei are both too public here. I don't think anyone really pays attention to Yusuke or Kuwabara, while Yusuke notices everything that happens. It's up to you, of course. I just suggested we keep an eye on him as a potential ally, especially since he's decided we're to be trusted with information he doesn't mention to anyone else."
"It's not up to me," Heero said sharply. "You don't need my permission."
He sighed, scowling again.
"I'm too quick to get suspicious. You, Zechs and Quatre have abilities to read minds, so you can tell if he's trustworthy or not."
"Now that we know to be on guard," Trowa added. He wasn't sure what to make of Heero's manner, but he didn't want to press. "We're just watching him. Nothing's final."
"Right," said Heero.
Zechs sighed, glancing around the table. "I'm going to have a talk with Hiei before they come up here. I won't be working with him today, so it's better to get this out of the way."
He nodded to Quatre and stood.
"I'll mention the idea of having you read from a distance - no need to do anything they aren't expecting."
"You might want to make sure Kurama isn't there when you talk to Hiei about it," Wufei said quickly.
His eyes were wary, and he was thinking about how dangerous Kurama had looked when he'd expressed his desire to strangle Zechs for probing Hiei's mind.
"I'll leave that up to him," Zechs nodded.
He turned away, leaving them at the table as he made his way across the room. No sooner had he reached the doorway than someone caught him, actually grabbing his arms and nearly knocking him over. Bright brown eyes gleamed up at him, and Zechs stared.
"I'm such an idiot!" Yusuke crowed. He was still leaning on Zechs a little. He'd run right into the man, but he'd planned to, so he wasn't worried about how white Zechs' face was. "There's nothing worse than having a baka notice something before you do, believe me. I might as well be as dumb as the rest of the kids here, not to see it."
"Are you all right?" Zechs asked warily. He took a step back, extricating himself from Yusuke's grip. Despite the difference in their height, the boy was rather strong. "What is it?"
"You!" Yusuke laughed, running a hand over his head and smoothing his dark hair back.
"I thought you looked familiar,” said Yusuke, “but it just didn't click. No one has white hair at nineteen - no one. That's like a dead give-away. And the only males around here who've ever been born with hair like that are Peacecrafts. But I just didn't make the connection. Kuwabara did. Of course, he's seen your picture a lot more than I have, so I don't feel too stupid. He didn't figure it out till Yukina told him. It's just not nice having your idiot friend tell you something so obvious, you know?"
"I'm not-"
"It was the name that threw me off," Yusuke continued. "I didn't even think that you might have changed your name, not too bright of me, really. But still, the age and hair were just so obvious. Eh...hate missing the obvious."
"Yes," Zechs said slowly. "Well, I really should be going. I have to talk to-"
"Right.” Yusuke smirked, stepping out of the way. "Didn't mean to knock you over, I just wanted to congratulate you, that's all. Aside from Yukina, none of the students know you're even back. Great how stupid they all are. As long as it doesn't affect them directly, they don't pay any attention. Keeps the pressure off you, I guess. I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes when everyone realizes the crown prince has returned."
Zechs didn't even attempt to correct that, his eyebrow twitching a bit at Yusuke's broad grin. He had an idea the boy was trying to provoke him because he was being so abrupt himself. Stepping to the side, Zechs managed a wistful smile.
"Just don't call me Milliardo,” said Zechs. “I hate that name."
With a light laugh, Yusuke waved a hand at him.
"Don't blame you for that,” said Yusuke, “too close to mallard. No one wants to be named after a duck. Zechs is much better; six or sex. Either way, with those five friends of yours it can't be all bad."
Heat rushed over Zechs' face and he clamped his mouth shut to keep from responding to that. He gave a sober look, ignoring Yusuke's smirk, and turned away. After the mental images the boy had produced the day before, he should have expected him to have that sort of humor. And he wasn't really that bothered by it. He had an idea Yusuke only teased people he liked.
Besides, the 'six' connection was a good one. He had been the sixth mutant to join the group after all. Ironic how that had worked out.
It wasn't until he reached the door to the lower area that Zechs wondered about his visit. There wasn't any sort of intercom system, and knocking wouldn't do any good. But the two mutants lived down there. Somehow it didn't feel right to just show up unexpected this way.
He thought about waiting, catching Hiei as they two came out. Only he didn't want to put this off any longer than he had to. That 'attack' last night had been unpleasant to say the least, and he wanted to warn the boy that he was broadcasting to him. Otherwise chances were the moment Hiei came out of the shielded area he'd be getting more thoughts from him, inadvertently spying on him.
It was a common ethics that Quatre and Trowa shared; telepaths didn't read their friends unless they had a very good reason for the intrusion. Now that Heero had dropped his suspicions, Kurama and Hiei counted as friends. Hiei could hate him all he wanted, but it didn't change anything. Reading him when he wasn't expecting it was wrong.
After a brief moment, he pushed his hesitation aside and went down.
The tunnel was as dim as ever but the wide gymnasium was brightly lit, a familiar dark head visible through the glass of the resting area. Zechs let out a quiet sigh of relief to see that Hiei was awake and, even better, alone at the moment.
The boy glanced over when he crossed the room, not seeming surprised at this early visit. Hiei didn't get up and Zechs paused in the doorway, nodding to him.
"I wanted to talk to you," Zechs said quickly. "You won't like what I have to say, so I'll make it fast."
Hiei raised an eyebrow, not bothering to straighten from where he was leaning on his elbows. "It couldn't wait?"
"No."
Sniffing at him, Hiei jerked his head toward the chair across the table from him. "Sit and talk, then."
It was unnerving to have those red eyes focused on him at such a close range, and Zechs found himself staring, a mental image supplanting another face over Hiei's. Maybe it was just the bored, almost tired expression the boy had, but his resemblance to Yukina seemed much more obvious this morning.
Zechs shook the thought aside, focusing on what he had to discuss.
"After I left yesterday, I started getting random thoughts from you. I wasn't reading you," Zechs said quickly. "It was more like you were broadcasting your thoughts. Only no one else heard them. Whatever connection I made when I passed your jagan's block, it seems to have held so I can't break it. And a few hours after I first noticed, that presence contacted me."
Dark red eyes narrowed, one pale fang-like tooth visible from Hiei's sneer, and Zechs shook his head furiously.
"I know what you said about that,” said Zechs. “I'm telling you that either you're wrong, or some part of your subconscious is trying to communicate with me. I wasn't the only person to feel it. Trowa and Quatre also felt it - as if you were using your jagan, only they felt that coming from inside my mind, not from you. Somehow that connection I made when I read you is letting that essence cross over at random. And if it really is a subconscious but autonomous part of your mind, then it used the connection to aim a direct attack on me - an attack, or a projected memory. Either way, it was aimed at me, not the other way around."
Hiei blinked, his face blank.
"Autonomous?" asked Hiei. Zechs gave him a startled look, and he growled at the man. "Explain the meaning."
"You..."
"English isn't Hiei's first language, you know."
The white-haired man blinked in surprise, and Kurama smiled as he eased inside the room to lean in the doorway.
"A little early for a visit, isn't it?" asked Kurama.
The first thought that flashed through Zechs' mind was that the redhead was much more masculine than he'd realized. The second was that he was far too naked to be looking at. He dropped his eyes, grimacing as he felt his face flush with heat.
"I wanted a - talk with Hiei,” said Zechs. “It's important, but I can wait-"
"You said you couldn't wait," Hiei reminded him.
He was still angry, half convinced the man thought he was some sort of idiot for not understanding that word he'd used. But seeing him blush over the fox as if Kurama wasn't wearing a perfectly respectable pair of pants was amusing.
Hiei's glare faded away to be replaced with a slow smirk. "Did you change your mind?"
"Well..."
"Don't mind me," Kurama said lightly.
Zechs glanced up at him, and Kurama smirked when the man abruptly looked away, focusing on Hiei instead.
Prudish, maybe? Kurama was fairly certain this was the sort of reaction Wufei had complained about, but he found it almost cute. Now if Hiei would just show a similar reaction to him, he'd be a happy teen.
Running a hand over his damp hair, Kurama crossed over to the chair next to Hiei. He pulled it to the side and sat, presenting his back to the dark-haired boy. With another look at Zechs, he smiled.
"Go ahead and talk,” said Kurama. “It's not like you're intruding on us."
"A-ah."
Zechs winced at his own heated face and turned his attention to Hiei, pausing a bit when the boy nodded at him. Hiei was combing Kurama's wet hair with his fingers, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it looked like a private ritual. But he didn't look the least bit uncomfortable. In fact, he almost looked like he was amused. Zechs frowned.
"Autonomous - something that can act on its own but is still a part of the whole," Zechs explained. "You said that presence I felt was your subconscious mind. If that's true, then it's also autonomous - capable of communicating without you being aware of it. I doubt you were intentionally sending me your thoughts, and I know I wasn't seeking them out. I even placed a block in my own mind to keep from hearing them. That's when I felt that presence focus on me - as if it were directing something at me. I don't know what it was, but it had an intelligence behind it. I told you before that it had focused on me when I was reading you - this was similar. It sought me out and I had a difficult time not hearing whatever it wanted to tell me."
"You were reading me, anyway." Hiei sniffed and his eyes narrowed in a bit of annoyance. He was still focused on drying Kurama's hair, but he'd been doing that for years so he didn't have to worry about getting a little distracted.
"So instead of having to look for my thoughts, they're going to you?” asked Hiei. “That would just make it easier."
"It..." Zechs sighed, rubbing his temple.
"It feels hostile,” said Zechs. “I knew you were unaware of the thoughts being directed to me, but this is more like a retaliation - instinctive, maybe. I'm worried that this subconscious mind of yours - that presence I felt - it may target anyone who passes your jagan. I blocked it before I could find out what it was trying to send me, but it may have been a memory or a mental attack. If it's the second one, then you need to control it.
"An instinctive defense mechanism like that is useful if someone tries to read you without your permission, but you could easily find it targeting comrades, anyone at all, without even realizing it. And even ignoring that presence, you'll want to find a way to stop yourself from broadcasting - if you aren't doing that, then it's that presence doing it.
“Either way, you need to find a way to control that force, a conscious control. If I can focus on it, and it can focus on me, then it isn't subconscious at all. You should be able to focus on it and control it the same way you would any other part of yourself. The way you told me you control your thoughts."
Bright green eyes flicked back over a shoulder, and Hiei glowered at Kurama's concerned expression. With a pointed look, he turned the redhead's face back around so he could finish drying that damp hair.
His voice was strained when he replied to Zechs.
"If you're the one getting thoughts you don't want to get,” said Hiei, “you should be the one working on a block to keep them out. What I send or don't send is up to me - if you don't want them, don't let them in."
Zechs glared suddenly, his hands curling in his lap. "Are you voiding yourself of any responsibility here? Do you actually want to be sending your private thoughts out to anyone who can hear them? I have worked on a block, but that doesn't change the fact that you're sending thoughts out without meaning to - you can't just ignore that."
"I can't change it," Hiei hissed.
He pulled his hands away from Kurama's hair, not wanting to singe the silky strands if his anger got too high. His eyes glinted when he turned to glare at Zechs.
"I told you before. I told you that voice was me. I told you. If you refuse to believe it, that's your choice. But don't tell me to control some outside force - it isn't an outside force and it has more control over me than I do over it - it is me. If you can't get that through your head, that's your problem. If you don't want to communicate with it, then ask it to stop. Don't cry to me because I won't take the responsibility of sheltering you. You wanted to know, sought it out in my mind, and it responded accordingly. Now you complain?"
"It controls you...?"
Zechs' first instinct had been to compare the presence with what he might feel if he met Quatre controlling someone's mind. But Hiei had dismissed that notion completely.
"How can it be you if it controls you?” asked Zechs. “Why would I need to ask it if you are it? That doesn't make sense!"
There was honest bewilderment in Zechs' tone, and Kurama sighed. Turning in his chair, he moved a restraining arm around Hiei's shoulders and frowned at the white-haired man across from them.
"Have you studied psychiatry?" asked Kurama. "Do you understand the meaning of subconscious thought? You use the word as if you do, but you don't seem to grasp the real meaning of subconscious. Sub, Zechs, subconscious - not conscious. Put your hand in the middle of a fire. You can tell your hand to stay there, but you can't tell your instincts to stop wanting to pull away - your instincts know you are ignoring them, but you can't make them obey you - they're subconscious instincts. Aware, but uncontrollable by the conscious mind. They know you, but you don't know them.
"Think of dreams. Most are subconscious, the all-seeing mind telling your limited conscious mind what it needs to notice but isn't seeing on its own. You can't tell it to stop. You can drug yourself so its voice is quiet enough that you can consciously ignore it, but you can't control it on your own. A mindreader is little more than a psychiatrist who hypnotizes a patient in order to communicate with and read the subconscious memories, that latent part hidden away from even the person himself. Could you tell a xenophobic person to stop being afraid? Of course not. But you can convince his subconscious that there's no need to be afraid - dealing with the fear at the source. What you're asking is for Hiei to control something that no one is capable of controlling on his own.
"A telepath communicates with the conscious mind, sharing thoughts, present emotions, feelings, connections between what's happening around him and things he remembers. A mindreader goes deeper and in order to go deeper than what the person recalls on his own, you have to deal with the subconscious. Hiei is different only in that he remembers everything on his own, consciously. That doesn't mean he lacks a subconscious mind, just that his conscious memories are more extensive than most people. If you read his mind, you'll still have to deal with his subconscious, just like you would with anyone."
Zechs was staring at him with wide eyes, taking in what he'd said. Kurama sighed again and ran a hand through his mostly dry hair.
"I never thought I'd be helping you read Hiei's mind. How distasteful."
The disgruntled voice made Hiei smirk, and he shot a look over at Kurama.
"Just can't help but be helpful, can you,” Hiei taunted. “Perfectly respectable, helpful and polite. I'll break you of it one of these days."
"Preferably soon," Kurama glowered. "I hate that instinct."
"Keeps you well-liked," Hiei reminded him. "Though it's a bad habit now. I wanted him to scramble through it on his own till he went mad with frustration."
Kurama couldn't help but laugh at Hiei's evil smile, and he shook his head at him.
"Now, now,” Kurama admonished, “we don't want them thinking you're dangerous to them."
He shot a look over at Zechs, frowning at the man's narrow eyes.
"If Hiei had an instinctive defense mechanism, do you really think it would send you thoughts and memories instead of tearing your mind apart the moment it had access to you? I admit, I don't see why his subconscious would want to communicate with you, but if it does, then some part of Hiei wants it. I can't argue with that. You shouldn't complain, either."
"He can complain," Hiei sniffed. He shrugged his shoulders, glowering over at Zechs. "You think communicating with me is bad? Talking to that part of me is like talking to Kurama when he's angry. Unpleasant."
"Oh, really," Kurama frowned. "I'd hardly compare our tempers, and you've never seen me unpleasant. Teasing and irritating maybe, but not unpleasant."
Hiei rolled his eyes.
"It's that superior taunting of yours,” said Hiei, “unpleasant when you can't hit the one irritating you. No one likes communicating with someone who thinks he knows everything."
"Ah," Kurama smirked. "But if your subconscious is the same way, then you're no better than I am."
"I don't have to talk to it," Hiei grumbled. "You're harder to ignore."
Standing suddenly, Kurama tossed his hair over a shoulder and sniffed. "What a way to start the morning. A lecture to the enemy and an underhanded compliment from my partner. I'll leave you two to your talk. If anyone decides I'm pleasant to talk with, I'll be in the forest."
The redhead stalked from the room without glancing back, and Hiei smirked as he watched him disappear around the corner. A minute later he was crossing the space, a light coat fluttering a bit at his quick walk.
Kurama was funny when miffed - not when he was angry, just when he was in a huff. Hiei waited until the fox was gone before letting go of his smile and turning back to look at Zechs.
"So," said Hiei. "What are you going to do?"
"I didn't understand," Zechs admitted. "I still don't, not completely, but I'm getting the idea. If you're willing to continue this, I'd like to find out more about this subconscious mind of yours. But I also wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to let Quatre take part in this. He doesn't have any experience with making mental blocks. Ignoring the problem I have now, getting past the jagan itself was a challenge. Having him face that sort of negative energy would serve as motivation so he can find a way to protect himself."
"How would he be doing that?" asked Hiei.
He raised an eyebrow as he imagined it. The blonde boy was too soft; he'd seen it in his stricken eyes. He didn't like the idea of intentionally hurting someone like that, someone who obviously shared Yukina's sensitivity. But if the boy were completely defenseless against mental attacks, then he would need to fix that.
"What's your plan?"
.-.
After a quick and interesting introduction of Heero and Duo to Yusuke, curiosity had the six of them outside.
A bit of bragging and a promise of one heck of a light show were Yusuke's way of getting Heero to go along with the idea. He didn't realize that Heero would have gone without the wheedling. Aside from Wufei, none had seen any of this purported 'power' Yusuke claimed to have. And if Trowa were seriously considering the boy as a worthwhile ally, Heero for one wanted to know exactly how strong Yusuke was.
Luckily Kuwabara was rounded up before they set out, both Yusuke and Wufei assuring the others that a target was needed, preferably one who could fight back. Yusuke shrugged as he admitted that Kuwabara wasn't very good at the 'fighting back' area, but that his endurance was a little better. The insult worked nicely to provoke the ensuing fight.
Wufei kept a close eye on Heero as the two teens sparred, eager to see if Heero made the same connection to Trowa that he had. Some part of him was also hoping that Heero would be impressed enough to want Yusuke as part of their group. As surprised as he'd been to find out how deviously smart Yusuke was, he rather liked the boy. He didn't want to get too close to a friend he'd have to continually lie to.
Unless Heero gave his support to the idea, Wufei knew Trowa wouldn't choose Yusuke as a member of their group. Whatever Heero had said about it not being up to him, the rest of them followed his lead. It was Heero's team and had been from the very beginning.
As Wufei had expected, Heero did make an immediate connection when he saw Yusuke's visible energy. The boy had glowed with an almost thick white light, very similar to that sheath of green Trowa had displayed in the OZ base not long ago. Only unlike Trowa, Yusuke had clear control of the energy, drawing it in until it fairly sparkled around his fist - his chosen weapons. Kuwabara, on the other hand, was a blatant surprise to everyone watching.
Yusuke had made a mention to Wufei that Kuwabara used a visible weapon, but they hadn't expected him to mimic that energy flow. Just as he'd glowed when giving energy to Duo, Kuwabara had displayed it again moments before manifesting a weapon. The coloring and visible inconsistency of the golden sword told plainly that it was made of that energy, but he gripped it in his right hand as if it were a solid sword, just a flaming one.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem at all useful to him. A sword against fists just didn't make for an even fight - Yusuke was clearly the faster of the two.
Heero noted that while Yusuke didn't have anything approaching his own inhuman speed, the boy was quite agile. He was quick to dodge and twist, fairly pummeling his friend with blows that left a shimmer of energy where they landed. The sweeps of Kuwabara's sword seemed overly clumsy in comparison, but Heero knew it wasn't as bad as it seemed. The taller teenager just couldn't match that fluid motion his attacker used, and the loud taunts incensed him to the point where whatever inherent grace he might have had was abandoned in place of sheer annoyed and frustrated swipes.
Mere minutes after the onset of the match, Kuwabara was on the ground grumbling curses while his smaller friend stood over him, laughing with a mocking yet clearly affectionate smile.
"Laugh now," Kuwabara growled. He shoved to his feet again, swaying a bit but hefting his fists. That energy sword lay abandoned where he'd fallen. "You'll be crying when I'm done with you, Urameshi!"
The orange-haired boy barreled toward him and Yusuke winced, still grinning as he held his ground. It really wasn't nice of him to humiliate his friend in front of others like this. But he could always count on Kuwabara to never admit when he'd been defeated.
Yusuke held his place till his friend was nearly on top of him. Then he ducked, letting Kuwabara's fist sail over his head. He twisted to the side and knocked the boy down, a light blow to the back being enough to send him face first into the grass.
"Don't get all excited," Yusuke drawled. He sent a knowing smile down at the boy, Kuwabara twisting to glower up at him. "It's not a real fight, after all. We're putting on a show here - at least I am."
Yusuke caught Wufei's eye and lifted his right hand, his arm held straight with elbow locked.
"I call this my rei-gan," said Yusuke. "It's pretty good for distance fights, and I can multiply it if I have a lot of targets. Only, it's stronger if I keep the energy condensed for a single shot. Naturally, I guess. After all, what's more powerful - a bazooka or an automatic machine gun? Just depends on the target."
Focusing on the tip of his finger, Yusuke closed his left hand over his wrist and aimed at a point in the sky. He drew that energy of his so it concentrated in the spot where he'd curled his hand to resemble a gun. When he was sure the others were watching him, he grinned and let it free. Two gasps were more than reward enough to stroke his ego.
The energy had formed a glowing white ball around Yusuke's finger, but what followed was more like a beam. The light shot straight upward in a narrow streak, cutting through a cloud above and disappearing from sight. Quatre and Trowa had been standing closest to the boy, so they felt the heat of that released energy. The looks they turned on each other brought back Yusuke's claim of being A class despite his single talent.
Heero's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Though he hadn't been there to hear of Yusuke's abilities, it was clear he had multiple uses for that energy of his. He nodded to the boy.
"How do you use that force on multiple targets?" asked Heero.
"I use my fists," Yusuke explained with a happy grin. "I think of it like shadow-boxing or something. I figure when I hit something and the energy is collected in my fist, it makes the blow much stronger than a normal attack. So if the target is away from me, I direct the energy itself to go out and strike. I haven't used it much since I don't exactly have targets I can just destroy at random. But I'm pretty sure it would be almost as strong as my rei-gan - just not so concentrated since I'd be using shorter bursts of energy."
"Show off," Kuwabara muttered.
Yusuke blinked and turned to frown at Kuwabara. His friend had risen and was walking over to where he'd left his sword, the boy's shoulders stating clearly that he was still bristling over the mock fight.
"Don't be like that," Yusuke called. "It's not my fault you don't have a distance attack. Besides, I can't use a sword like you can - we just have different talents, that's all."
Glancing back to the others, Yusuke shrugged at Wufei.
"Kuwa here can make his sword stretch longer, but it doesn't help much with a fast opponent. If you ask me, it's the size difference that really hurts him. He's too tall to really fight someone fast who uses close tactics. Doesn't make us a good match to spar. He's pretty strong without using his energy, but so am I, and I'm faster. That rankles him."
"I can see why," Wufei winced.
He was at a better vantage point, so he had a clear view of Kuwabara's mottled scowl. The boy was glaring at his sword as if he wanted nothing more than to charge at his friend for another fight.
Those blows had left visible bruises but didn't seem to bother him too much. Wufei was fairly certain it was because Kuwabara could handle the attacks, not because the blows hadn't been powerful. It made him wonder if this energy the two used didn't serve as a defense as well as an offensive talent.
"But my talent is really versatile," Yusuke was saying. "That's why I think it should count as A class. As far as I can shoot my rei-gan, I bet I could take out a meteor if it were visible from the ground. Something that powerful, it has to be good enough to be A class."
"If you can take out a meteor," a soft voice called, "I'd call you A class."
The boys turned, Kuwabara jumping a bit to find the voice so close to where he was standing.
A few bushes parted so Kurama could slip through them and he smiled at Yusuke's surprised look.
"Really," said Kurama. "If you can single-handedly destroy something capable of wiping out all life on this planet, then I'll call you anything you like."
Yusuke's face twisted into a derogatory sneer. "Mock all you want."
"Whoever said I was mocking you?" Kurama smiled and nodded to the others, his eyes pausing on Duo. He crossed over to where the boy was and tilted his head as he looked at him.
Duo was giving him a strange look that Kurama couldn't quite interpret. Something about the boy's expression made him wonder if Duo didn't feel sympathy toward him. He couldn't see why he would, though.
"I'm glad to see you out and about," Kurama said softly. "I hear you managed to do excellent with your talent. Now that you know how powerful you are, take care of that skill. No need to push something that will come naturally in time."
The compliment was nice, but Duo didn't appreciate the reminder. He was pretty sure Heero's insults would stay with him for weeks. He didn't need Kurama to add to it.
Suddenly he thought he knew why Wufei was so embarrassed and angry about getting tired after using his talent. Having others know that you'd overextended yourself was bad enough without being lectured for it. And the worst part wasn't even having Heero tell him flat out that he'd been stupid to keep stubbornly pushing himself. The worst part was being certain that if he were in the same situation, he'd do the exact same thing.
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