Sooo so so so so so... here I am with a new story. Hopefully this will make amends for all those of you lovely readers who are waiting for an update on Haunting past, which I have a MAJOR writer's block for -_-
Hope you'll all love this new story which features your favorite fox-youkai, as much as you loved the other one. For the moment I won't try to continue the other story, because my head is brimming with ideas for this one and I don't want to lose them along the way.
One more thing before I let y'all get to reading. Since I've had some of my friends ask me to try my hand at inserting my OC into the actual series, you can consider this story as a sort of prelude to the whole thing. Basically there WILL be a sequel which will consist of the series itself with my OC. I'm not telling you how I'll insert my OC, why spoil the surprise? ;)
Anyway, read on my lovelies and let me know how much you love/hate/drool over it (you know you do, fangirls xD)
P.S. All YuYu Hakusho characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi~ :)
1. Easy mission
Along with the thunder rolling in the sky, two slim figures in white stepped through the cavernous tunnel connecting the small enclosed circle to the rest of the Makai. Down in the little valley protected by high walls of stone, several camp fires burned amidst dark gray tents. Upon setting foot out of the tunnel, the two who were dragging a third youkai along, were greeted by another young man wearing identical clothes.
"I see you brought Kurama a new toy, Nari." he smirked, revealing his pearly white fangs.
Silently, the dark haired youkai motioned his equally wordless, blue haired companion toward the path leading down into the valley, ignoring their captive's begging session. Once down, they both dragged the prisoner to the middle of the camp, shoving him onto his knees before Kurama's tent. It was then that Nari finally spoke, while his companion held a dagger to their prisoner's throat.
"Kurama, we found this little trash snooping around here. I thought you might want to have some fun."
Kurama had been silently seated near one of the fires, apparently in meditation, only opening his golden eyes when they had stepped before him. Setting his oculars on the other without a word, he lifted a rose, which gained length and shape to take on the appearance of a thorny whip. Taking to his feet, he did finally call to Nari.
"Turn him around and restrain him... I would hate for him to squirm and make me hit something vital, before I've had my fill."
His tones carried a feigned concern for the other, whilst he waited. Of course, he was going to kill him no matter what, but he had certain destructive urges that this one would serve. While Nari and Kirin now forcefully turned the youkai with his back to Kurama, their victim once again found his voice.
"P-please... I beg of you! Spare me!"
"No one's gonna help you, boy..." Kirin grinned darkly. "You can't go snooping around a den of thieves and expect to go home alive."
Ripping off the shirt that covered the youkai's scaly body both he and Nari now fell silent, so as to allow Kurama to thoroughly enjoy his new toy. Looking over his shoulder to Kurama, the prisoner again began speaking
"N-no, please... you're that famous thief, aren't you? Yōko Kurama! Please, spare me! I'll do anything..."
Kurama contemplated the words that reached him, his right ear ever so slightly twitching, though he kept his weapon wielding arm prepared.
"...Tell me who sent you, give me something to equal the value of your life, and I can spare you."
Yes, he hadn't said he would. It was a trap he often used to lure victims into giving him information, before doing away with them anyway. Turning him to face Kurama again, Nari and Kirin shoved the youkai's face into the dirt. He'd had his fill of looking upon their leader, without being permitted to do so. Remaining in that bowing position, the trembling youkai gulped.
"No one sent me; I was on my way back to Yoichi-sama's castle."
Falling silent he now racked his mind to find some way out of that. What would Kurama find valuable enough to spare him? His reputation as a thief was well known, as was his interest for rare and powerful artifacts.
"My master... he keeps a rare item in his castle. I'm a mere servant there, so I don't know what it is. But rumor's been going around that it's very powerful."
Kurama's brow twitched up at that nonspecific clue, though he went quiet until it seemed as if he would never answer at all.
"...Nari. Take him to Masuna's camp. Tell him to consider it a friendly offering from me. He'll know exactly what I mean by it."
Kurama himself saw that lifestyle with neutral eyes, since he wasn't one to judge what others did with their own bodies. Besides, from what he had seen, two men could fall in love just fine and stay together in a lifelong relationship. When Nari grasped his arm and dragged him away, the youkai finally realized the trap he'd fallen into. With his screams fading into nothingness once Nari had vanished from the spot, Kirin was left to stand before their leader.
"Kurama-sama... it might be a trap."
There were many headhunters after them, he knew that much. Perhaps he had spoken the obvious to Kurama, as he seemed to do more often than not, but seeing Kurama captured or killed was the very last thing he wished to witness.
"As can be said of everything we are told, Kirin... the life of a thief is one of constant risks. Send a scout to follow the scent trail of that alleged servant back to his master."
That, however, meant that they would not be going as of that evening. They would go tomorrow, which only meant one thing...
"Tonight, we will feast. After that, we shall descend on the women of the nearby village. Tomorrow... we strike."
Nodding, the boy now rushed off to inform one of their many scouts of Kurama's order. The following morning, however, found the thieves asleep inside their tents, most of them along with one or more women. They would release them later on, as Kurama never kept women in their camp. And given how easy they were to seduce and how they always slept with them willingly, he saw no need to kill them afterwards. Of course, the rule was that women, unlike the loot they plundered, were not common property. Any thief who wanted a woman could get her for himself, without having to share her. There was, however, a rumor that Kurama had seduced more than a thousand women by then. No one knew if it was true since he had never given an answer when questioned about that, but it was one of the many reasons for his men to look up to and respect him.
It didn't take long for a woman to leave Kurama's tent, followed by another then a few more. Many of the thieves' jaws dropped when they counted the six women who had headed from their leader's tent, toward the exit of the camp. As always, he had released them for immediate return to their homes, as he knew they had daily lives and tasks of their own to fulfill. They would simply be much clearer as far as their minds went, and they would have good memories of a certain handsome outlaw.
"What are you all gawking at, you punks?"
Nari's stern voice almost immediately dispersed the gathered men, aside from Kirin who was always to be found near Kurama. His veneration for their leader had some of the thieves wondering if perhaps the boy was in love with the fox-youkai, whereas in reality Kirin only offered his sincere adoration. Not many could boast that Kurama had saved their lives and taken them in as children, but Kirin was one of those few. It wasn't long before the male left his tent, and exhaled a sigh. Indeed, he felt so much better.
"Nari... do you have the scout's report?"
After this, if the item were indeed so valuable, they would be able to stop stealing for a while and simply enjoy a relatively calm existence. Crossing his arms, the man offered him a sly smile.
"I have it. And you should learn to have some restraint on that lust of yours. It's gonna be the end of you one day, mark my words."
Being older than Kurama himself and having been in the gang from the very start, he was among the extremely few there who were allowed to criticize the silver haired youkai. Turning serious afterwards, he ran a hand through his raven strands, in between the two horns protruding on the sides of his head.
"The scout said it doesn't look like they're expecting us. There were no bounty hunters around and no traps. He counted fifty servants, the ruler and his wife, and thirty guards. He couldn't see the item that youkai spoke of, but he picked up an unusual youki in the northern tower. I assume that's where they keep said item. It'll be an easy mission, for a thing of such apparent importance."
Obviously pleased with the detailed report, Nari now pondered on what he had just said.
"Kurama... I doubt this item is as important or as powerful as that scum made it out to be. Do you really want us to go and take it?"
While Kurama did not offer a smile, there was a glint in his golden ocular that spoke of his appreciation of Nari's humor.
"Just because it may not be important to us, does not mean that it lacks value in the eyes of its current owner, or others. If it does not serve us, we can hold it for ransom, or sell it to the highest bidder. Either way, the chance that we will gain from this is great, so it is an opportunity we cannot ignore."
"Very well... I'll have the men ready by nightfall."
Which meant that he would start preparations for the mission right after breakfast. Motioning Kirin to follow, he left Kurama to his own business. He knew the boy's eagerness to be useful to the fox-youkai, but Kurama still considered him to be a child. He would probably not choose to rely on Kirin for at least another couple of centuries. Of course, they did have warm up exercises for both their minds and bodies, which they undertook before work; something quite different from what most did, which would merely be called sparring. Kurama forced his men to play games to stimulate their minds before receiving the report and their personal assignments, devoting more of their numbers than usual to creating diversions to scatter the enemy force. While that was going on, Kurama himself would infiltrate the tower with Nari and a few others to grab their prize and disappear into the poorly lit night. Later that day, he was leading them along, everyone gathered together with their senses alert. This was best, since it prevented an ambush.
By then Nozomi was seated at the window of her small room in the tower, watching two sparrows pecking at the breadcrumbs she'd set on the windowsill. Startled by the thunder rolling in the cloudy sky, she averted her gaze over the barren wastelands stretching beyond the castle walls, just in time to see the beautiful silvery glow that lightning cast upon the realm for but a second. With the birds flying away in fright she was left to her loneliness, as usual, now watching the sky and enjoying the winds that picked up in preparation for the storm that seemed to be near. She could see no one from that window and no one could see her. She still didn't know why her father had decided to keep her locked up in that room, but he and her mother were the only people she'd ever seen. Even as she now gazed onward with a calm expression, a lone tear trickled down her cheek. She so longed to be free like the breeze that caressed her face. She so envied birds for their wings that granted them the freedom she'd always been denied.
Within minutes, the castle was in an uproar, the men running about, but unable to cope with the smoke bombs that had been tossed into their windows. Where in the Makai had they all come from? Before one could really have even finished verbally asking that question, Kurama had arrived before the girl in a blur, his form solidifying as light could once again bounce off of it and into the eyes of the girl. The fox-youkai's eyelids slit as he detected that youki coming from... the girl? No matter.
"Do not resist me, girl." he spoke in warning, before reaching out and picking her up, taking her over one shoulder.
Before she could blink an eye, he had already lunged back through the open window, landed on the ground below and taken off with his comrades, another wave of smoke bombs having been thrown for precautionary measures. Needless to say, those very same implements contained traces of a plant that would disturb the sense of smell of those in range to breathe it in. Fortunately, most of the group was intelligent enough to be able to avoid contact. By the time Nozomi's mind had registered the events and his words, she was already watching the castle shrinking into the distance. Having grasped his yukata out of reflex, she turned her gaze to the side when she registered the sound of his silky hair brushing past the fabric covering her arm as wind lashed through the strands, in his speed. Unable to see his face, she instead gazed to the men running around him, now that they'd caught up with them.
"Kurama... I thought we were here for something else."
Nari's voice did hold a slight shade of amusement as he stated that. To think Kurama would give up on an artifact just to take a woman... and a child, to top it.
"A strange youki in the northern tower is all that was told to us, Nari, as you remember... she was the only such possessor of such a unique signature. And the only thing I found in that tower room. We will question her... if she proves useful we will make use of her."
His voice, however, carried no implications of untoward purposes. The girl's scent told of her youth, which made her undesirable to him for a tool of... exercise. Then there was the fact that he had enough morals that he disapproved of a man subjugating a woman for the purpose of making use of her body. If a woman were to ever refuse him, he would not force himself upon her.
"The girl?"
Blinking at that, Nari then fell silent until they'd returned to camp. Once there all the men entered their tents to dry off, since the storm had caught them on the way back and now they were all soaked.
"Rest well. We'll speak in the morning."
With those words Nari left Kurama in front of his tent, making way toward his own. Still silent, Nozomi was now shivering onto the fox-youkai's shoulder, both from the cold air and a form of fear mixed with excitement. It was, after all, the first time she was out of that tower and she glanced at everything around her with insatiable curiosity.