Fragments
Warning: Only so graphic descriptions, and some sexual innuendos.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Author's notes: This story I'll straying from my normal style. I'm kind of experimenting with myself so humor my with advice and reviews!
Chapter 1 Midnight Serenade
Dreams had forsaken me this night. Replacing them where half cast thoughts, and uneasiness. It was unlike me to place worries on events yet to transpire, but Youko spirits- being just that- spirits in a corporeal form are always closer to the transparent world than others. This awkward doom to settle in my stomach was not one to be brushed off.
I closed my eyes, and inhaled a calming breath to clear myself of any such thoughts. To be on guard; yes, but to dwell; no. The cool air rushed through my lungs at a slow pace. On my tongue I could taste the moisture, thick because of the rolling storm outside.
Serenading droplets rang through the Makai treetops, wind chimes of the fragile sort. I liked to hear them falling wherever the gusts of air took them. They knew their destiny, and took it without complaint. To fall, be reborn, only to fall again. They took no shame in it.
My den was well guarded by my killer plants, and I relished the moment of peace I felt. Everything was so simple. Listening to the rain, warm in the heat created by my rasping lilies, and knowing my partner was sleeping soundly besides me.
My body shifted slowly as to not disturb said demon. Facing him my gaze could lingerer at its own tempo. Blue shadows caressed the ridge of his jaw, and gathered in the edges of his collarbone. He appears almost as if fine sapphire powder has been sprinkled over his skin.
His lashes flutter against dusted cheeks. I'm entranced. This habit of mine has no logic, and will not be quelled by reason. He looks as beautiful as the treasures I steal every day. And despite the fact that I have been caught many times, I still indulge myself, while planning to deny it later. My eyes glow a mellower gold while sweeping over his finely shaped face. Only when my eyes catch the slope of his neatly folded wings do I glance away.
Obsidian strands of rebellious hair hang free of his ponytail, draping over his bare shoulders like dark vines on a trellis. His bangs -which are usually hidden under that silly hat of his- are curled just over his brow. The longer I stare...the more details I seem to notice; the birth mark on his shoulder and the way his pendant glows bleeding and bright even in the late night.
Its resting-place is right above his heart, the silver freshly polished, and gleaming teasingly. It is his joy. Just another puzzle piece to his character.
Every detail feels so important. I find myself memorizing it with an indescribable fervor. An imprinted image to stay with me forever. The low hum of his ki, his skin pressed to mine, and that problem less expression he wears when he sleeps. Its rare for demons to wear such an expression.
His right eye crinkles when a wisp of hair tickles his nose. Before I can stop myself, slender fingers brush the offending strands away.
"I've caught you..." purple eyes open lazily, and he smirks at my soft glare. "You were watching me sleep again."
"A fox ensnared in a rabbit's trap? Never."
A chuckle erupts deep in his throat. More strands of his hair fall over his face. "Deny it all you want."
"Then I will."
For a second we look intently at each other. A boom of thunder echoes through the cavern walls. He winks. "Is is you need no sleep, or you can get no sleep?"
My head tilts so my cheek presses deeper into the pillow we share. My silvery bangs hang over my eyes, but I can still see the playful smile on his lips. "Sleep...seems to have eluded me tonight."
He doesn't mock me like usual, only moves closer, and rests his head on my muscled chest. Silence envelops us again, and I start to memorize the rhythm of his breathing. My attuned ears shut out even the music of the rain, until nothing is left but us. I don't want to think about tomorrow or yesterday.
"What if the rain continues into tomorrow. A rainstorm this size could last up to a month." I barely hold back a growl as he plunders my happy little moment.
"We've done heists in the rain before."
"So we have." I'm glad he agrees so quickly. Perhaps he can sense my lack of interest on the subject?
My eyes drift shut, but all I see is that picturesque copy of him burned into my retinas. There is a mysterious allure to the Chimera.
My fingers creep down into his hair, just barely making contact with his scalp. I can feel his head tilt up to look up at me, but I refused to open my eyes.
A finger traces the curve of my cheek slowly, before pulling my face down to nestle, in what I recognize as the nook of his neck. Strong arms encircle me, followed by two large leathery wings. They are smooth where they caress my skin. His scent is strong here, lulling me into a limbo between conscious ness and dreams. This is our own little cocoon of silken sensations.
Finally I relax in his hold, and my thoughts drift off into the hazy darkness of nothing.
The rain has stopped. An omen of good fortune? A trick that fate is trying to play? We pay no heed to the reason, only proceed with our plan. Our band of thieves is waiting for us in the deepest parts of my territory, and I am eager to return to them.
We run faster, weaving in and out of the tall bamboos stocks. My steps are almost playful like when I used to frolic as a kit. I can no longer see Kuronue, and I know he can not see me, but we can feel each other. Stealth is of utmost importance, and we mask our Ki as soon as we approach our destination.
Suddenly he is right by my side, like he never left, and we stop crouching by the north entrance. Lord Hibushki's castle is a fortress. At the slightest sign of a security breach hundreds of minion youki will be on us in seconds. We both already know this. Our plan has been gone over more than enough times.
We turn to look at each other. Our eyes meet, and signals instantly fly between us. It is a silent language, only spoken by us, and untouchable by others.
There is a window two floors up that has only a week ward protecting it. That is where we enter. A few other protection spells safeguard Lord Hibushki's prized possessions, but thieves of our stature can easily deal with them. Really he should feel honored that we regarded his things as worthy of attention.
First we enter the main chamber full of jewels, and kimonos of the richest value. Gold trinkets, and magical text lay about, and we smoothly glide around them like phantoms.
Just like planned we ignore these things. After all we have plenty of that in stock. What we want is in a side chamber, that's entrance is indistinguishable from the wall that surrounds it.
Word of mouth, through reliable sources, has told us as much of a valuable artifact inside. Kuronue has always been quite enamored with magical artifacts. I myself am more pleased with items with aesthetic beauty.
My palms slide over the smooth marble bricks searching for the minor indicator I need. Stone after stone passes beneath my skin before I find what I'm looking for. Warm prickling. Its like static shocking your very cells. I blink slowly at the intoxicating feeling. Most demons would feel pain...but instead my adrenaline sky rockets. My favorite part about stealing is the art of breaking carefully paced wards. There is no other feeling like you energy strangling the small bit off magic within. To feel it wriggle in you grasps, suffocating to dwindling embers, and then finally breaking.
Kuronue's hand brushes my shoulder blade, and I know he can feel my excitement. I smirk, at how easily I am able to overcome the small bit of magic that is supposed to protect these prized treasures.
A section of the wall swings open, and we walk in cautiously. There could still be extra booby traps set, but I can detect none, and a movement to my right signals that Kuronue can't either.
This chamber is as dark as the other, but the air is dustier. It is apparent that no one has entered this room in many years. Then no one should miss what is inside right?
My hand snaps quickly to my hair, and I withdraw a seed which grows into a small lantern flower to light a small path for us. We need to be quick now. The usual fun that accompanied a heist was waning quickly for me, and a pressure was nagging at the back of my skull. Something was off. We had to move fast.
My eyes traced Kuronue's smooth amethyst one's and I made sure he understood my uneasiness. Moving ahead of me he started to search the piles of random objects looking for this thing that had piqued his interest for months.
He ducks behind one shelf, and comes back up holding what appears to be a golden tray. I would have said that it looked just like any other ordinary thing, except that the golden surfaces shined like it was freshly polished, even though everything else around us was collecting dust. I could almost feel the power hidden in the seemingly average platter.
"Time to go," I breathed.
Just as we came. Shadows sneaking amongst shadows. Up out of the protected chambers, and then, this time out of the northern entrance. The ward would not prevent exiting as it did entering, so we did not need to leave out of the window we came.
We were readily approaching freedom, but the foreboding in my stomach tightened, and only then did I realize our slip up. Our power was masked, but the platter itself...was giving off signals. As soon as we left the warded treasure chamber they were alerted that something was afoul.
Quickly I grabbed the tray from Kuronue's grasps, and tried to mask the energy with my own, but the signature was odd, and I failed miserably. It was time to leave.
I started running, and Kuronue followed my lead. Just as we cleared the exit hundreds of guards started their pursuit. Luckily if we went fast enough we could definitely out run them, and we could hide out at my den for a day or so before we headed back to my territory.
The chase was exhilarating in its own nerve-wracking way. The wind whipping through your hair, you blood pumping faster to get more oxygen, and the hate you can feel radiating from those you have fooled.
Side by side our strides lengthened, and I was starting to feel safe when a snap reached my ears. It wasn't the usual crack of bamboo splintering, or the pressure of our feet on the under brush but metal separating.
Fine chain links forced to break apart. Kuronue's pendant cascaded off his neck with one last shine of ruby before falling behind on the forest floor. I wish he would leave it, but I knew better.
His step springs backwards, and he blindly runs to retrieve it. "Don't Kuronue!" I shout at his already retreating back.
"No. I need it!" His voice is desperate, mirroring the quick calculations running through my head. If he can grab it now we might still be able to escape in time...
"AHHHHH!" His hand is within a hair's breath of his precious heirloom when a punji trap springs up around him.
"Kuronue!" I shout. My breath is coming in short gasps. My eyes widen, transfixed on the bloody horror before me. Crimson red spilling out onto his pale skin, seeping into his shirt, blood everywhere. His life force...it is plummeting. I can feel the army of youki drawing ever closer, but I can't move. My legs are bound to the earthy ground. I have to help him!
My demon instinct hold me back. It is too late for him, and soon it will be for me too if I don't leave... My chest tightens at the very thought of what I need to do.
"Forget about me Kurama! Go! Run!" A demon sacrificing his own well being for my benefit...its beyond our nature, but in this moment the truth in his worry for me feels almost natural.
So I turn and run. Run. Run far away. Soon I'm speeding out of control. I don't know where I am, or where I'm headed too, only that the trees are passing faster and faster. My heart might beat out of my chest, and I wouldn't stop. No this grief to stab into my heart must be dealt with. I refuse to wear it on my sleeve. This weakness to fester in my heart will remain within where I can find my own way to cope with it.
minutes pass by, then Hours, and I'm still running. The rain begins again. It pelts relentlessly on my skin, drenching my clothes, and chilling me to the very marrow in my bones.
I cherish how it drowns out all my chaotic thoughts. The scenery becomes a blur to me. Blues, greens, and browns swirling into darkened grays and blacks. Oh the water is so cold! "Forget about me Kurama! Go! Run!" I must keep running. Never stop. Never stop running.
My eyes open at their own lingering pace. The first thing I see is the ceiling looming overhead. I'm afraid to close them again...no more sleep will be sought tonight.
My blankets are twisted around my shivering form, damp with perspiration. My hand moves up to brush away some of the strands of my scarlet hair that are sticking to my forehead.
Another boom crashes outside along with a torrent of rain that berates my window pain like liquid bullets. They smear down in blurry lines. I watch their decent for a moment while my body calms itself.
My eye-lids sag, and I can see that picture of Kuronue sleeping peacefully there just like always at my beck and call. This is how I want to remember him. Although...I've never run faster...
I ran.
I never stopped running.
Now look I even out ran death.
I wonder if Kuronue would be proud of me? Or would he think of me a coward? I live with humans, but here at least I no longer need to run. For years I felt lost after his death. Now I can finally rest at ease, only now I must run from the memories...don't I? Only with so many years of life to haunt me...that is a feat I'll never surpass.
I shouldn't have ran.
He was always a baka anyway. Why did I listen? Now I can't stop. I should have never began. There might have been hope for him, but I abandoned him didn't I? "Forget about me Kurama! Go! Run!" No! I won't run. I can't run anymore. The past has chased me long enough. No more running...I'll never run again.
This is just another night...filled with more dreams of him.
I straighten my sheets, and lay my head back down into the soft fabric of my pillow. No...I cannot inflict myself with pain over something that already is. My past...I may not be proud of it, but that was who I was then. And this is how I am now. I have no regrets.
Maybe some events are integral to form the person we are today. What if he never died? Would I have made so many of the mistakes I made after that? Would I ever gotten myself entangled with that hunter? I might not have even come to Ningenkai...
My mother, Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, and the others... I don't know if I would trade it for him. No, that is not an option, and there is no point in putting myself through that choice. It was meant to happen this way...or it wouldn't have occurred.
My fingers run up my side lock, and weave into just behind my bangs. From there I pull out a small oval seed. With a little bit of energy a small crack forms in its shell. Green wriggles our in one long little sprout. The sprout grows, branching, forming one singular stem with two leaves. A bud forms, then opens, revealing bright orange petals. Red tangoing with neon, and crackling bolts of alabaster.
A fire rose...An invention on Kuronue's part. He did so poorly with plants, but he tried to get himself acclimated to please me. This one was a by product of his attempt gone aerie. The cross-breed was not stronger-in fact it was weaker- but I kept it anyway. Such beautiful colors could only be created by mistake after all. It was impossible to recreate, and impossible to cast aside, although I must admit there have been many moments filled with anger that I almost did so. Besides I like having something that is one of a kind.
I palm the flower to my cheek, the velvety petals tickling my skin. The rain drums to the beat of a new serenade. This is my new life, still clinging to the old. And me? I have no regrets.
