Walking in the Shadow of a Rainbow
This is my very first Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic, so I hope you all like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone that you have seen in the manga, anime, or movies. I do, however, own Natsuki Akiba-sama and some other minor characters. Please do not use them without asking.
Rated for: Action violence, gore, and non-descriptive references to procreative abuse.
A/N about the title: When a miracle, something unbelievable, occurs between friends, Native Americans say, "We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow." Hopefully this reference will make sense as the story progresses.
Chapter One: A Reason to Live
Kurama sat silently under the tree. He could feel the silky pink petals brush against his face as they fell on the soft wind.
He hadn't felt this presence for so long, but now he could feel it coming closer and closer. When it was so close that he could smell it, Kurama opened his eyes and spoke softly. "I know…that you're there, Reito."
Surely enough, the demon stepped out from behind a cluster of smaller trees. He was a bit younger than Kurama, but his face was lined with age. He'd seen a lot of things in his few years.
"Yoko Kurama. They told me I could find you here."
Kurama winced at the mention of his full-demon name. Ever since the Demon-World Tournament, he had left Yoko behind like a bad memory and had tried not to remember the demon thief ever since. "It's just 'Kurama', Reito-kun."
Reito's face hadn't changed during the whole encounter. He simply stood and stared at Kurama, a bit reproachfully. Finally, he moved across the grass and squatted on the ground right in front of Kurama. There were no words, just silence. It was an uncomfortable silence, and Kurama was growing nervous, until Reito finally spoke. "So, what have you been doing all these years, Kurama-sama?"
A chill ran up Kurama's spine at the cold tone with which Reito addressed him as "sama". "Oh, you know…this and that."
Reito's cold eyes pierced Kurama's very heart. The demon reached out and grabbed his arm tightly. He squeezed the appendage….hard. Kurama started furtively gasping as Reito spoke again. "All of Demon World has been buzzing since the Tournament. I've heard that you put on quite a display."
Kurama didn't know where this was going to, but he didn't like it. "Yes, I was at the Tournament. I lost in the semi-finals."
"I heard that it was because you willingly refused to take your true form."
Kurama's blood ran cold. That day had haunted him for weeks, and he was very reluctant to speak of it. However, Reito's tone was one that would take no refusal. "That is true."
He thought he saw a nerve twitch near Reito's eyebrow. For the first time, Reito turned his eyes toward the ground, and spoke in a tone of seething distrust and anger. "What will you do now that the Tournament is over and your friend is no longer Spirit Detective? Where will you go?"
This question was the very one Kurama had been pondering under the tree that afternoon. Where would he go? He was done fighting evil, and he had sworn an oath to never awaken Yoko again unless it was absolutely necessary. What would he do now? "I'm not sure." He answered, cautiously. "I…I fear that I have run out of reasons to find any worth in my actions…any reason to live."
He never saw the fist coming. It wasn't until he was laid flat on the ground with a stinging cheek that he realized Reito had struck him. Kurama looked up at the demon with astonishment. "What was that for?"
Reito's eyes turned dark and his glare hardened. He had clenched fists and gritted teeth. He struggled to get the words out. "If you kne…you'd never be say…Don't you ever say that again!"
Reito stood up and towered over Kurama menacingly, shooting him one last glare before walking into the shadows of the forest.
Kurama struggled to pull himself into an upright sitting position. He reached up and gingerly rubbed his cheek. The punch itself hadn't been very hard, but the emotion behind it had been very powerful indeed. Kurama was puzzled. Reito was usually a very quiet, withdrawn person. Kurama had never seen him angry and resolved that he didn't like the younger demon in this state.
What could he have possibly done to make the usually calm Reito so angry? Kurama thought back to what he'd said before the punch…
"I fear that I have run out of reasons to find any worth in my actions…any reason to live."
The phrase hadn't seemed very treasonous at the time, but he could now sense how Reito could have found it offensive. The undercurrent of was unpleasant, but had it truly warranted a punch? Kurama resolved that there must have been something much deeper behind the action, but what? Reito certainly wouldn't tell him. Who could he ask?
The insulting words he had spoken rang through his head like a resonant gong, and he suddenly flashed back to a similar conversation, one that had taken place many, many years ago.
"So, Yoko Kurama…what exactly is your focus?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"What is your reason…for doing all of this? To what end are you acting?"
The demon thief had snickered and tossed his long silver hair over his shoulder like he hadn't a care in the world, because he didn't. "I don't think my life is destined to have any goal or purpose, and why should I argue with that? It makes life much less difficult."
He remembered that there had been a long and uncomfortable pause, lingering in the air for what seemed like hours, before hearing, "A life without an intention is a shallow, meaningless life. If you choose that path, you will die, miserable and alone, unwept and unremembered."
He had been taken aback by his companion's words, and sought to somehow cover them up. "Akiba-san…"
That's right! He instantly broke from his reverie. Akiba-san would know what was wrong with Reito. She always had. The only problem was…how would he find her after more than twenty years had passed? They hadn't parted on very good terms then, and Kurama doubted whether she'd even let him live to come within a mile's radius of her. The very thought of facing her sent chills up his spine.