Man, I'm really on a row here.  Well, here's chapter 5 of "Hunter & Prey:
Ryuma."  Constructive C & C are welcome.  Now, I MUST get back to my
studying.  Enjoy!

--Shuuichi Minamino
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HUNTER AND PREY
Ch 5 Ryuma

	The youkai loomed before Hiei, his arm raised, ready to strike.  Hiei
rolled away as the sword came down, but not fast enough.  The sword went
through Hiei's shoulder and embedded itself through Hiei's body into the earth.
	
	Hiei choked back a cry and attempted futilely to pull out the sword.

	"No use, little youkai," The larger youkai laughed. "how dare you try to
steal my things?  I will teach you a lesson today."

	He pulled the sword out of Hiei's shoulder and brought it down again, this
time into Hiei's leg.  Hiei cried out in pain.  He was losing a lot of blood
and youki.  He wasn't sure if he would make it out of this one alive.

	"This is getting boring," said the youkai.  "maybe I should just chop your
arms off, then your legs, and then your pretty little head.  That would be a
nice souvenir..."

	Hiei glared up at him.

	*Shit! If only I can get out of this one...*

	Hiei closed his eyes as the sword was brought down.  But the sword never
made its mark.  Hiei reopened his eyes and saw another sword that was
impaled through the youkai's body.  The youkai then slumped forward and fell
to the ground next to Hiei.

	"Nani?!"  Hiei squinted his eyes under the sunlight.  Then he felt someone
pulling him up.  He winced as he felt his wounded shoulder being pulled.

	"Hey, you all right?" The voice asked.

	Hiei took a look at his recuer and was a bit shocked.  This youkai had a
third eye on his forehead.  He has dark hair and dark blue eyes.  Even by a
youkai's standard, this youth was stunningly beautiful.  Hiei shook his head
as he felt a wave of dizziness hitting him.
 
	*What the hell's wrong with me?  What was I thinking?!* Hiei thought in
frustration and confusion.

	"I asked you if you are all right?" The voice said again.

	"Hn! Let go of me!" Hiei snapped.

	"Fine!" The youth released him and Hiei immediately fell back on to the ground.

	"What the fuck did you do that for?!" Hiei yelled.

	"You said let go, remember?" the youth replied. "Some attitude you have,
after I saved your ass."

	"......" Hiei knew that he was stuck.

	"Say, what's your name?"

	Hiei just glared at him.  The youth looked at him, amusement dancing in his
eyes.  "Fine, be that way.  If you have no name, maybe I'll name you something."

	"Why you ... "

	"Watch your temper there!" The youth warned and somehow Hiei decided that
it would be a good idea to shut up. "Hm...maybe I'll call you Koya-chan,
that fit you pretty well, being so small and everything..."

	"Look you asshole!" Hiei started. "I do have a name and it's Hiei.  You
hear me dammit?!"

	"Hiei. I see."

	Hiei scowled, after realizing that he had fallen into the youth's trap.

	"Ryuma. I'm Ryuma." Ryuma replied.  He sat down next to Hiei and started to
take off Hiei's shirt.

	"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!"

	"Examining your wounds, baka!" Ryuma snapped back. "You don't want it to
get infected and chopped off do you?  If that's the case then I don't see
the point of saving you in the first place."

	"I didn't ask for help!" Hiei gritted his teeth.

	"You have no choice," Ryuma said nonchalantly. "now sit still or I might
just kill you."

	Hiei decided that it would be a better idea to listen after all. He sat
silently as he watched Ryuma cleaned his wounds and bandaged them.  He took
a closer look at this young youkai.  Hiei was positive that Ryuma couldn't
be older than fifteen.  But his youki was obviously very powerful.  
	
	"There!  It's all taken cared of," Ryuma breathed a sigh of relief. "You
know, botchan..."

	"DON'T call me that!" Hiei snapped.

	"Fine.  Listen kid, you shouldn't try going into other's camp to steal,"
Ryuma lectured. "especially when you have no knowledge of who you are going
up against."

	Hiei snorted. Why did this Ryuma give a damn anyway?!  It was none of his
business afterall.

	"Yes?" Ryuma asked.

	"Yes what?"

	"I think you are going to ask me something," Ryuma looked at Hiei. "you
want to know about my third eye, right?"

	Hiei stared at Ryuma wide-eyed.  How the hell did he know?

	"Heh, I can see through other's mind when they are unguarded," Ryuma
explained. "You want to know how to attain this right?" He pointed at his
third-eye.

	Hiei nodded, still suffering from shock.

	"Well...Koorime," said Ryuma. "I was born with it.  Only one person from my
tribe will be born with it every two hundred years.  Whoever's with it will
be the lord of the clan.  I'm not one yet, still in training."

	Hiei stared in shock.  How did he know that he was a Koorime?  Oh wait, he
could read minds.  Hiei was getting a bit annoyed by this fact.  He should
be more alert, but then for some reasons he trusted this 'Ryuma.'

	"Of course," Ryuma continued. "you can get one implanted.  I am definitely
NOT recommending it.  It's painful and it decreases your youki.  The
implanted ones are called Jagans.  Those ... are of a different property and
their power depend on the youkai who was implanted with it."

	"Where can I get one implanted?"

	"What?! Hey, you nuts?" Ryuma demanded. "I'm not going to tell you."

	"Tell me," Hiei insisted. "I NEED to know."

	"No."

	"Look you..." Hiei started, his anger rising.

	"No YOU listen shrimp!" Ryuma shot back. "I have NO intention of letting
you getting a damn third-eye implanted.  You HAVE NO idea what kind of
burden it is.  Be it implanted or borned, it is still living hell!"

	Hiei looked away and started to get up.

	"Where do you think you are going?" Ryuma asked.

	"If you won't tell me," Hiei said coldly. "I'm sure that there are others
who will.  And I'm sure that there are others who knows how to implant them.
I don't NEED your lecture!"

	"Hiei..."  Ryuma shook his head. "Look, stick around.  You don't need a
third eye to be strong.  I'll show you some tricks."

	Several years after, when he met Kurama, Hiei had always thought that
Kurama reminded him of someone.  Now he knew who it was-- Ryuma.  Even after
many years, Hiei had never quite figured out why he had decided to take up
Ryuma's offer; but after that afternoon, he had been meeting Ryuma once a
week to train.  That was, until one afternoon, when Ryuma didn't show up.

****************

	Hiei opened his eyes and stared into Sonoma's.  Sonoma looked away and sighed.

	"He..." Sonoma began. "he is dead."
	
	"What?!" Hiei demanded.

	"He died because of me," Sonoma began, ignoring Hiei's shocked expression.
"I'm not a youkai.  I'm 100% human."

--------------Chapter 5 Ryuma End (TO BE CONTINUED)----------

   --Shuuichi Minamino
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  * "J'aurais                        "I would have wanted                 *
  *           voulu ne pas mourir.                not to die.             *
  *  J'aurais voulu                   I would have wanted                 *
  *           ne jamais grandir.                  never to grow up.       *
  *  J'aurais                         I would have                        *
  *           voulu me casser l'ame."           wanted to rend my soul."  *
  *                                                                       *
  *                ~Cirque Du Soleil                 ~Circus Of The Sun   *
   ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~