Prologue of the fic! :)

Seems a little unrelated, but trust me. It's all connected.

Prologue

The thrill of the hunt. Adrenaline, coursing through my veins, hot and so sweet I can almost taste it. The cold winter wind nips at my bare arms and ruffles the fur on my tail, but I barely notice. My focus is on what's behind me, what's tucked under my arm…who's beside me.

This is the night I will never forget.

We had just finished the heist of the century- more like heist of the week for us, though- and were taking our leave of the place. Our prize, a beautiful mirror known as the Shinjitsu no Kagami, said to reveal the true nature of any illusion, was safely in my arms. Kuronue was beside me, as he always was, laughing fit to burst.

We slipped with nary a sound into the bamboo grove surrounding the mansion, exchanging an amused glance as we caught the first tell-tale noises of the guards spilling into the night.

I should have known this was too good to be true.

We leapt through the night, cold wind rustling the stalks and sending the thin leaves floating in the air. Suddenly- I never could figure out how; perhaps it was just my luck- the thin silver chain of Kuronue's beloved pendant caught on a twig and snapped, sending it soaring behind him into a moonlit clearing, where it lay quietly, the lighting making the crimson stone look like blood.

Before I could react, Kuronue had rebounded off of a bamboo stalk and torn off towards the clearing.

"Kuronue, don't!" I called out. "We can come back for it!"

He ignored me. "I need it, Youko!"

I sighed heavily. He came to a halt in the clearing and stooped to pick it up. As he stood, a sound caught my notice- a faint noise of something falling.

A trap!

"Kuronue!"

He turned to face me just as the first sharpened stalk of bamboo sliced into his leg. He cried out in pain, but it was too late for both of us. There was nothing either of us could do as the spears rained into the clearing, impaling him just as the moon returned from behind a cloud, flooding the clearing and painting the bloody scene in stark relief.

My voice caught in my throat, unwilling to cooperate. "K…Kuronue…!"

I started towards him, but he shook his head weakly. "Get…out of here, Youko! Forget about me, run…!"

"But…"

"Go!"

He looked me in the eyes, and I couldn't meet them. I knew what I'd see. Resignation. Determination. Courage.

Which is more than what I could ever have.

I turned, and for the first and only time in my long, long life…I left something behind.