Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

Summary: After meeting a young demon boy at age eight, Coco became curious about the demon world and all of its dark mysteries. But what happens when she becomes too involved? KuramaXOC.

Note: The little demon boy is not Yoko Kurama. Just thought you should know.

Please read! Thank you!


I refuse to be ignorant. I refuse to be some pawn in a game carried out behind the curtains that separate us from them. Curtains that I once peeked through, when I was a young and blind.

There are no curtains now, between me and them.

Sometimes I wish there was.


Coco met him when she was young, and had only a few entries in her diary to keep the memory of him alive.

August 13th

I saw a boy today. He was gray and he smelled like fish. All the kids ran away from him at the park, but I didn't. I stayed. We had lots of fun together. Then I went home. I told mommy and daddy about him, but they didn't listen. They were too busy yelling at each other.

August 15th

The boy was at the park again. I asked him what was his name? I told him mine was Coco. He said his was Roka. That's a weird name. He looked tired. He said he was going to take a nap. I played with his hair. He had little horns on his head. I tugged at them until he woke up and told me to stop. I asked him why he had horns? He said because he's a demon. I think that means monster. But I said he didn't look like a monster, he looked like a ordinary little boy. He said he wasn't. He doesn't look like a monster though.

August 20th

I went to the park everyday, but I didn't see him. Where'd he go? I miss him. He's my only friend. Everyone else is mean to me. They say I look funny.

August 22th

I went to the lake. Roka was there! He was swimming in the water. He looked like a fish. We swam together, but then mommy called me and I had to go. I made him promise that he'd be there tomorrow.

The last entry was written nearly two years later:

August 23th

Roka said he was going away. He was going to an island called Japan. I didn't want him to go. He said that I should go with him. But I knew mommy wouldn't let me, so I said no. He said to come anyway, when I grew up. I promised him I would.

I'm going to miss Roka. One day I'm going to see him Japan, and then we'll play Marco Polo again.


When Coco turned eighteen, she knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to leave her home in the States and live in Japan for a year to study art. A scholarship would cover most of the costs; the rest of the money she had earned herself by working hard for the last two years. For once, money wouldn't be a problem for her. The only thing she had left to face was her mother.

Coco's mother was overprotective and stubborn. She wanted her daughter to attend the local college and earn enough money to support the family. She viewed her daughter's passion for drawing as transient and useless. Being her mother, she knew that Coco often jumped from one thing to another, rarely sticking with one passion for very long. So when Coco approached her mother with her plan to attend a college in Japan for a year, her mother barely paid attention, choosing instead to concentrate on cooking dinner.

"Mother, are you listening? I'm going to Japan." Coco repeated.

"Yes, yes, I'm listening." her mother said distractedly, bending over to grab a large pot. "Would you skin the potatoes for me?"

Coco sighed and did as she was asked in silence. Her mother thought that would be the end.

But Coco was persistent, and with each passing day she talked more and more about her plan. It made her mother nervous, and soon she started to snap in response to any mention of Japan. She tried to distract her daughter from this silly dream by talking of the local college, or even better, suggesting that she apply to Harvard or some other prodigious school. Whenever she did however, Coco would vehemently shake her head.

"I'm going to Japan." she always said.

And then suddenly Coco had bought her ticket, and her room was empty save for boxes of her things. On the night before Coco left, her mother stood in the doorway. She remembered doing the same thing years before, when her daughter was only a little girl in a crib. Just like before, she stroked her daughter's face. In her sleep, Coco turned her face away from her mother, who had to bite back tears at the gesture. It seemed as if Coco was determined to run from the safety of her home, even if it broke her mother's heart.

"But you'll be back," her mother whispered into the darkness. She bent her head and pressed her palm against Coco's cheek. "You'll be back."


Of course, Coco wanted to leave for Japan for another reason, a far more important one than for the study of art. Even after ten years, she could not forgot Roka. She thought of him constantly, and she had long ago reached the conclusion that he wasn't human. The idea didn't scare as much as it should have. Truth was, she was intrigued. Curious. He had told her that he was a demon. How could such a thing really exist? Were there other demons? She needed to find answers.

Her plan could have been seen as impulsive and reckless, but the way Coco viewed it, it seemed like a reasonable thing to do. She believed in her childhood memory of Roka even though she could barely remember his face. The answers to all her questions were in Japan, she could feel it, just like she could feel a pimple on her back but could never see it.

So Coco kissed her tearful mother good-bye and she hugged her younger brother. She gazed into their faces, memorizing their smiles, their big eyes, and the feel of their hands grabbing her arms. She then pulled her arms away and left, and didn't dare to look back.

"We'll be here when you come back!" her mother cried.

Thing was, Coco wasn't sure if she was ever going to return.


Author's Note: I know there's no Kurama yet, but don't worry, he'll show up. Constructive criticism welcome! Thanks for reading.