AN: This is something super old I found and it made me feel nostalgic. Yu Yu Hakusho was the first Anime or Manga I ever watched and read. I have four completed chapters, so if you like it review and I'll continue.
1. Meeting
The street was quiet as an elderly woman swept the front of her shop. A bell rang and she noted a familiar figure exited the Tarot Shop. The woman smiled and stopped in her work.
"Hello there Azimah-chan!" an old woman called leaning against her broom. The red haired girl looked up and, with a smile, waved.
The slender girl kept walking down the calm street replying to the numerous greetings with an always bright smile and friendly wave. She paused at the end of the street checking the road both ways before crossing to the other street. She stopped on this side and checked the stone sign. Meiou Junior High. Sighing with relief the small girl made her way to the school building. When she entered she didn't bother stopping at the office, simply waving at the women in it. She returned the girl's wave with a smile. Two flights of stairs later she was at room 305. With a moment of reluctance she pushed it open.
The red haired man in the room looked up and smiled at her softly. "Can I help you little one?"
The girl swallowed and took a nervous step foreword. The man's smiled softened and his eyes were incredibly gentle, yet the girl looked ready to run.
"You are Minamino Shuichi?" she asked ducking her head and fiddling with red skirt despite her determination not to show her unease.
"Yes," he told her and took a step foreword. "I'm sorry have we met? You can't be out of Elementary School yet. Perhaps a sibling of yours goes here?"
The girl cringed away from the man shaking and he took a step back eyes surprised. The girl grabbed her sides and began muttering in another language. After a few moments she stopped and looked at him. For a split second her eyes were the same red as her hair before they faded to brown.
"I'm sorry." The girl said teary eyed. "I just had a vision." She looked sheepish.
The man looked at her skeptically and a little amused. "I'm sorry a vision? You can't honestly expect me to believe you are psychic."
"Of course not, I forget that even your kind sometimes doesn't believe in us." The girl said softly, with a quiet understanding though the fear still remained. The man froze and the air grew cold though his face remained gentle. His eyes though no longer glimmered emerald, but had streaks of gold.
"I'm sorry, my kind?" he asked gently, though his voice was laced with ice.
"Y-Yes," she admitted stuttering and taking a nervous step back. "Y-You are Y-Youko Kur-Kurama. The f-f-famous th-thief and kit-kitsune."
The man went cold and no longer looked like the gentle honor student.
"What do you want girl?" he hissed softly eyes entirely molten gold now. The girl was backed up to the door now.
"I-I ha-have to t-t-tell you a pr-prophecy." The girl told him legs going weak and sliding down the door under the intense youki that filled the room.
"Speak."
She looked at him eyes wide and lips trembling, yet her voice was oddly even despite her fear. "I've come to tell you, that you and I will die unless we're together."
..0..
Two Years Later
..0..
"Kurama-sama," a soft voice called. Kurama, known to his human family and classmates as Shuichi Minamino, scowled. The little red head waiting patiently for him at the school's gate was looking at him fearful even after two long years of acquaintance. But Kurama doubted it was the timid thing's normal fear, no this one was more palpable and guilty.
"Hello Azimah. It's time we had a little talk." The fox demon said repressing his rage as he grabbed the girl by her arm and dragged her off. He felt the girl stumbling behind him but didn't slow his gait or release the bruising grip and fingers that dug into her skin.
The girl didn't protest though, to his disgust. She was too much a timid mouse in constant terror of the big bad fox. It honestly sickened him. The girl didn't appear to have any desire to want to be near him and in fact seemed repulsed by him. Anytime he tried to separate himself from her she had a panic attack. Kurama couldn't stand her. She was a constant little remainder of what he truly was. A very unwelcomed remainder at that.
Yet despite his dislike of her and annoyance of her actions he'd never doubted she was loyal to him for some incomprehensible reason. He wouldn't even consider that she would harm him or his. But now betrayal. He shouldn't be surprised. In Makai it was a fact of life. Kurama hadn't bothered confiding into anyone enough to feel any true betrayal or he'd betrayed them first. But he'd gotten used to being able to trust completely in Shiori. And perhaps, to a certain extent, Azimah.
Kurama shoved her roughly onto the stone bench. She yelped a little, but quickly quieted looking away with the unmistakable air of guilt. Kurama felt cold fury bury itself even further into his heart. She was admitting it already. Kurama roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. Both so he could watch her reactions to tell a lie and because he knew it unnerved her. One of the few things he knew about her.
"You knew." He stated cooly looking into her somber brown eyes. She nodded, her eyes no longer looking afraid so much as deeply remorseful. Kurama barely repressed the urge to slap that remorse off her.
He released her in disgust and took a step back before he killed her right there, in the middle of the abandoned park. He was surprised he was so shocked. Perhaps it was because this betrayal hadn't injured him, but someone he cared for. He focused on the cold hard facts. The girl had known about Shiori's cancer. Known about it when it had been in a stage it was operable. He felt a growl pulling itself out of his throat, but stopped it. He wouldn't break his mask for this girl.
He looked up and slapped her.
She hit the bench and laid there a moment before looking up at him calmly. The remorse that still lingered made his hand twitch, but he didn't allow his churning emotions to show on his face. Her lip was busted and bleeding.
"If she dies you will die." He told her with a cold that had sent lesser demons suicidal rather than deal with Youko Kurama's revenge. The girl didn't even flinch. Kurama turned on his heel to leave before he went ahead with his threat prematurely.
"You know how to save her." The girl whispered softly. Kurama gave her a cold look. So she knew of Hiei's proposition and wanted him to take it up. Perhaps she even knew of the mirror and this was some creative way of killing him. Kurama left unable to stand her presence and needing to prepare if he was going to raid Reikai tonight.
..0..
"That monster should be strung up by his own entrails." Reiko said as she healed Azimah's lip.
"Onee-chan," Azimah told her brown eyes blank with exhaustion. "Not now, please. I don't think I can deal with it now."
Reiko made a cluck of disapproval and moved Azimah's red bob cut hair around until she found what she was looking for. Azimah relaxed as the gentle reiki healed her. Judging by the tutting noises her sister was making the injury was a little worse than just a bump. It did help assuage a very small bit of the innate guilt buried in Azimah though.
She knew what would happen, she'd seen it countless times even, but things could still go wrong. Kurama's anger could make him too bitter to connect with the detective. They could get caught. A thousand tiny things that could change the course of their fate and even if Azimah was the most powerful psychic born in the family for generations, not even she could predict everything. There was always that extra variable you could never control. Free will.
"You're still worrying over him, aren't you?" Reiko questioned interrupting her younger sister's thoughts. Azimah didn't bother denying it and her sister hissed horrified.
"You are sitting here with a concussion that he gave you and all you care about is him. He isn't worthy of you. He's a youkai, a thief, a monster in human form leeching onto a human woman-" Reiko began trembling with obvious rage.
"He is a thief and a youkai, but he is a good man and would never hurt Shiori-san!" Azimah hissed, surprising her sister. The usually demure girl didn't bother apologizing. Reiko had made the mistake of flickering Azimah into a rare anger.
"As far as he's concerned I've sentenced his mother to certain death unless he dies in her stead." Azimah continued bitterly. Reiko listened but she was stiff and Azimah knew nothing she was saying would change her sister's mind. Reiko it seemed would always hate youkai or Kurama at least.
"It's just not right." Reiko told her eyes angry, but undeniably sad. "You call him 'sama' and you're scared of him, yet you defend him like he's Kami himself."
"I am not scared of Kurama-sama," Azimah told her sister, knowing the older girl wasn't listening anymore. Azimah watched blandly as her sister continued to mutter about 'unworthy fox youkai' and 'his numerous sins'. She knew Reiko would never believe Azimah didn't fear Kurama, she never had. What she feared was losing control around him. She knew it showed, but she was using it to her advantage to keep him distant.
"I know you won't change your mind." Reiko began sounding like she believed with enough prodding it could be changed.
"No, I won't." Azimah replied stubbornly. Reiko's blue eyes looked at her furiously.
"As I was saying, at least be careful." Reiko finished losing her angry energy with those words. Azimah almost felt guilty. She loved her sister and knew she worried about her. Azimah squeezed Reiko's hand comfortingly and nodded. The girl sighed still looking uncharacteristically somber, but shook her self and perked up. Well didn't look sad at least.
"You need to be going. Okaa-san wishes to see you in the Entrance Hall, you'll be welcoming some guests from the Takeko Clan." Reiko said making shooing gestures at her sister and turning back to her work.
"You'll not be coming?" Azimah asked insides going cold.
"No, Okaa-san doesn't wish them to-" the girl broke off and her hand drifted to the scars maiming the left side of her beautiful face. "Well you know."Azimah felt her annoyance return, though this time it wasn't directed at her sister. Azimah gently touched Reiko's scared check and pushed some ebony hair behind her sister's ear.
"You are beautiful Reiko, no matter what she thinks." Azimah assured her. Reiko nodded and turned away. Feeling frustrated and emotionally exhausted Azimah slide the door of her sister's little alcove open and headed towards the front of the compound. Passing the dark remains of the burnt half of the compound did not assuage Azimah's anger.
Why her mother insisted on doing this to Reiko she didn't understand. Hadn't the girl been punished enough for an accident eleven years ago? She'd been ten for Kami's sake. Azimah shook her head to clear her thoughts. It would do no good to wonder over that woman's actions. With the clan children she was as kind and understanding as a Saint, but with her own children anything below perfection was to be cruelly hid away from sight. Hence her sister's quarters being moved to the empty side of the compound.
When she entered the Entrance Hall her mother was seated on her throne-like chair at the end of the room where she could look down at everyone. Some of the traditionalists in the Clan found the chair distasteful, but others were willing to give the woman they considered a goddess in her own right anything that pleased her. Her mother's cool blue eyes examined her daughter coldly, disapprovingly.
"It seems Sakura-san truly was unable to find you if you are still dressed in those unseemly clothes." Iwamura Ohara, Head of the Iwamura Clan, and Azimah and Reiko's mother said. A slender brunette near her mother flinched and looked deeply ashamed.
Azimah ignored the slight against her school uniform and took her spot, at the right hand of her mother. The woman watched her closely and tutted in a remarkably similar way as Reiko.
"You've been visiting her I see."
"Yes, your daughter. And my sister." Azimah said calmly keeping a polite tone, but refusing to show the same respect the others showed her. She was just woman to Azimah. And not a woman she particularly enjoyed.
"It's very honorable that you are incensed on your sister's behalf dear one, but she knows she deserves to be punished. It is only fair. I can't show favoritism just because she is my daughter. Some say I've been too lenient already." Ohara chided gently.
"She's been nothing but punished for the past ten years." Azimah said blandly, looking directly ahead of her. Ohara tutted again, showing the resemblance with her daughter that always seemed only skin deep.
Reiko had the same snapping blue eyes, razor sharp nose, slightly swarthy skin, and thick ebony hair. Reiko had been considered the most beautiful girl in the compound and sure to surpass her mother before the accident. Azimah, though took after her father. Pale skin, small build, bight red hair, and brown eyes. Plus she was incredibly short, especially in comparison to her tall family.
Nothing else was said as footsteps announced the arrival of the group.
