alrighty.. this has been in my head for some time.. so here we go! i own my characters and ideas. .*.*. break is a memory while a simple ... is a page break. ... can happen inside of a memory.

Part 1

.*.*.

The Makai sun shone brightly in the clear skies above a forest. There was a clearing, and in that clearing was a gathering of plants, and inside this small den laid two demons. One was male, a fox, and in his strong arms, a female, a wolf. They laid on their bed of leaves, staring into the sky. He pulls her closer, resting his head on hers. His fingers interlaced with hers, careful not to dig his claws into her. Their bare feet dangled, staying close to one another as they laid there. He nuzzles his face behind her ear and then looks down at his beloved. A hand comes down to where her abdomen begins to swell. He smiles, his young bringing pride to him.

The wolf lets out a small and content sigh, closing her eyes for a few moments as he brings his hand lower and nips at her ear playfully. They kiss and then they make love, happy their enclosure shields them away from any possible onlookers. Today was a quiet day, a day of resting. No bandits, no pack, no hunts, just the two of them and their time. The passion in their love hadn't died in centuries and it would continue to burn for the rest of their lives. She had refrained from their raids at his insistence, the young being more important. He too would stop and raise his family, continue on his legacy at a later year.

"Youko," she speaks, a sound he would never tire of, "the demon hunters are becoming more serious. I fear for our young, they are intent on capturing the both of us."

"Not to worry beloved, I will not let any harm come to you or our young," he responds in that soothing voice that never ceases to calm her. "Is the vision troubling you?"

"Yes. There was no other alternative to it, unlike the others, this one seemed absolute," she put a hand to her womb, where their creatures were growing.

He put his hand on top of hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I will not let such events take place."

She turns to face him, her tawny eyes meeting his golden ones. He is sincere, and even a bit fierce. Her cheek rubs against his, happy that life granted her such a wonderful gift. They kiss once more, letting their emotions run away with them. He rolls to be on top of her, minding her womb.

"Perhaps you should not spend so much time dwelling on it," he suggests to her.

She smiles, "What is time to a wolf?"

He smirks, "I meant, do not let such thoughts cloud your mind beloved. If this should come to pass, I will come for you. I just hope that you will do the same for me," he speaks to her, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Wolves mate for life, never forget that Youko."

"I love you my ookami."

"And I love you my precious kitsune."

She pulls him down for a kiss, and they make love in their den once more.

...

"Youko!" she cries as they run from his latest raid. He looks in her direction and sees her face full of fear. Red stains her clothes, close to where their young was growing.

"What is it koishii? What happened?" he asks, anger forming inside of him.

"They're coming Youko! We have to get out of here!" she looks behind her, voice full of panic. A growl escapes his throat as his eyes follow hers. The demon hunter was on their tails. Throwing his treasure away, he grabs her hand and they dash forward. This hunter, however, is prepared and fires another shot at them.

"Shit, he's fast!" the fox exclaims, picking up the pace.

They run for their lives, dodging shots that try to claim them. Their spirit forms take over, a silver fox and a white wolf. They continue to run, counting on the hunter to get tired while the two of them could go on for days. They are not so fortunate however, the hunter increases his pace.

"Our only chance is to escape into the world of the living," his beloved ookami tells him.

He knows this but does not wish for her vision to be complete. They continue to run, not growing weary or fatigued in the slightest. The hunter then fire's three shots in a row, the first missing, the other two connecting with the both of them. The wolf was already injured and now he saw that her womb was hurt.

"Come, we must hurry!" he urges her.

They run, narrowly escaping the hunter's next attack. They are weak and cannot sustain life the way they are.

"You know what must be done Youko. We must rest," she tells him, as they start to fall in opposite directions.

"Do not forget me beloved," he tells her, seeing his target clearly.

"Wolves mate for life. I love you, Youko Kurama."

"I love you Moriko Chie. I will come and find you, be sure of it," he calls to her body, the blood falling with her angering him.

The pregnant human is within his sights, resting his spirit inside the unborn child. He does not know the fate of his beloved, nor how long it will take to find her again but he will search to the ends of this world and the next until she is found.

.*.*.

Shuuichi Minamino awoke from his dream in a cold sweat. This wasn't the first time that this dream had come to him, starting when he was aware of the presence, Youko Kurama, inside his mind. Shuuichi wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for the merger of the demon fox. The Legendary Bandit lied dormant in his human containment and Shuuichi became aware of this presence early but knew enough to keep a secret. From the tender age of twelve, the human trained himself in a few branches martial arts, helping his counterpart on the way to strength and quickly becoming aware that the presence inside him would attract other apparitions. One, in particular, was a fire apparition called Hiei who was the first to find him after he had completed all of his training. Youko had shown his human merger how to use his powers in the manifestation of reiki, spirit energy, but they would never be to his full extent until he was able to emerge as his true self. Shuuichi was never alone thanks to the presence within himself and even harboured the memories of what was basically a previous life, which made him a deadly force.

It wasn't all positive, however. As he got older, there were times when he was not sure who he was. To his mother and his classmates, he was Shuuichi Minamino. To everyone else who challenged him, he was the fighter, Kurama. Underneath both of those personas lay the dormant Youko Kurama, who had not yet regained the power to come out yet. Or maybe he had, and the way do to so had not been heard of yet.

The merger also created a unique situation and as a result, Shuuichi felt all the feelings of his demon counterpart and vice versa. Eventually, it seemed that they would never separate, colliding into one mere entity wrapped into human form. He had this dream more often than not. Youko and his wolf mate, Moriko, were together for centuries, a bond so strong that he could never forget it. What more, she was carrying his young and their fates were not in favour of her vision. A sad smile tugged at his lips while he delved deeper into his memories. Whenever he had that dream about their ending, he always thought back to the beginning and tried to remember just the scent of her that he missed beyond comprehension.

Moriko Chie, the wolf demon was a telepath, who would have visions into the future. It helped her with what course to take when she and Youko would make their raids. Wolves loved to play, and the joy of the hunt was more rewarding than the treasures they came out with. There was a group of them, a pack, and Moriko was the only female worthy enough to keep up with the rest of them, the only one daring to live for the moment. Shuuichi knew this story, and how they had become lovers in the first place. She had left her clan nearly eight hundred years after her birth, making her own way in life. Maybe three hundred years later, that's when Youko came into her den to acquire the seal of the wolf clan.

Moriko was no fool, she knew of the bandit and laid traps for him, traps that he avoided. The wolf caught him as he came to its resting place, and she defeated him. Youko was impressed, even captivated, and kept trying again every few years or so. This went on for a few hundred years, the two of them would play together. Before long, he would just drop in and steal nothing, or make sure that she caught him. Sometimes he would just stop by and stay on the sidelines, keeping an eye out and observe with the pretense that he was learning her habits in order to close in on his prize. One night, she was taken from her den by two members of her former clan.

Youko did one of his random drop-ins, only to find her gone and evidence of a struggle. He also noticed that the seal was gone, and so, furious, he pursued them. It did not take him long, although the trail wasn't very fresh, he was lucky that it did not grow cold. Youko defeated the wolf demons and saved Moriko. He brought her safely back to her den and she willingly gave him the seal. It was then the fox has realized all along he had only been coming for a prize, but it was not this meaningless trinket, it was the wolf herself. Knocking it away in disgust, he instead claimed her lips in a fierce kiss, pulling her close and wrapping his tails around her in order to hold her in place. The warmth of her body was indented into his memory, now leaving him cold without it.

They physically showed each other the depth of their newfound love that night, Moriko making Youko very aware that wolves only mate for life. He told her that he wouldn't have it any other way. The lovers hibernated for a week, him teaching her to improve her fighting skills and agility - all in the ways of stealth. And then Youko decided it would be time to rejoin the bandits of his pack. Moriko agreed, knowing that now he was the pack leader. It didn't take long for her to prove her worthiness, and for a few centuries, they hunted down what they needed. Demon hunters started to enter their world, and that's the story thus far. Youko did not know the fate of his mate or his young, but he was starting to urge Shuuichi to start the hunt for her.

The teenager agreed, almost understanding the depths of his love for the wolf. Shuuichi could not, however, start his search yet, seeing as his human mother, Shiori, had fallen ill. Hiei had recruited Kurama and another demon named Gouki, to steal the three objects of Reikai. The item he was after was known as the Dark Mirror. Luckily, this wouldn't be too hard since he was a Legendary Bandit, and with Hiei's agility and Gouki's strength, it might as well be his. He planned on using it to grant his wish, that his human mother survive seeing as she raised and had done everything she should have for him. It was the least he could do for her.

It unnerved him a bit that this dream would be showing up so vividly now. Youko's patience must have been running out, or maybe he was being haunted by his thoughts. It had been fifteen years since he last saw his beloved, stained with blood and free falling from the sky.

-Have you ever gotten the feeling that we would cross paths?-

Kurama sent his own thought in his head, knowing that the demon awareness would hear him. He was never truly alone.

-Yes. And I think that the memory coming to us in a dream is a sign of sorts. I think you have a visitor-

"Kurama," said Hiei in his emotionless tone not two seconds later.

"What brings you here Hiei?" Kurama asks, catching his scent before he spoke.

"Hn. Still thinking about the mate of your past life?"

"I believe I have asked you once before to restrain yourself from reading my thoughts."

"Hn. She's probably dead you know."

"Perhaps. Is there a reason you've decided to seek me out?"

"In three days time, that's when we'll be ready. Don't be late."

"Understood," Kurama replied.

The fire apparition jumped out of sight, making it look as if he vanished to the untrained eye. His thoughts went back to Moriko and his dream. Kurama had to admit that the human part yearned to find her but it would have to wait until Shiori was well again, until he could get his wish.

...

"I love you Moriko Chie. I will come and find you, be sure of it."

San Chiya woke up in her bed, shooting up and looking around for the voice she just heard. The teen was out of breath, heart heavy as tears threatened to sting the bottom of her eyes. It was such a long time since she had heard that sound, and so vivid lately. Often her nights were spent in a different world with another she cherished dearly. These dreams had been plaguing her for years and lately they had been coming in more often than not. Of course, she understood why, she was a wolf demon, the one known as Moriko Chie. The spirit of this demon was locked inside of her, but San was not human at first. When Moriko had separated from her lover, Youko Kurama, she could not find a body, instead remaining as a spirit wolf and hit the ground, hard. Moriko could faintly hear a voice and her vision was blurred before she succumbed to the darkness, accepting death but hoping her young would find a way to survive.

When Moriko awoke, she found a strange and small old woman with faded pink hair above her. It was clear that Moriko was still a wolf but her wounds were healing, that much she could tell. She smelled her surroundings, moving slowly at the insistence of the human she learned to be called Genkai. Realization dawned on her though, she could no longer feel the presence of her young. A loud, sorrowful howl in mourning escaped her. The wolf knew the fate of them, however, that still could not prepare her for the pain of such a powerful loss. That demon hunter had taken everything from her and now she was powerless to sink her fangs into his flesh.

Genkai was an exceptional psychic with a history in Makai and knew that the beast found in her woods was no ordinary wolf. Moriko telepathically explained everything to the old woman and thanked her for saving her life, but insisted on starting her hunt for Youko. The old woman refused, reminding her that he was still not even born yet and that the timing was not right. Over the period of fifteen years, Genkai worked with the wolf to try and take a human form. It succeeded after eight years of concentration, as it took nearly two years to recover fully, body and mind. Moriko took on the form of a human girl, with sun-touched hair but kept her tawny coloured eyes.

It took a bit of time to get used to walking on hind legs again after being on four paws for eight years. Once she got the hang of it, Genkai did the only thing she knew to do, train her in martial arts. The psychic also helped her focus her spirit energy and manipulate plants like most animal spirits could. Since the sun seemed to affect Moriko the most, the old psychic decided to name her San. That was her human identity and she would live at the temple with the old woman, so long as she pulled her weight. San's powers were returning quickly, however, it was not enough to be able to turn back into her demon form.

At night, San would turn into her white wolf form and hunt for the one she was looking for. There seemed to be no trace of him and that was to be expected, he needed rest as well. Although Genkai was serious, San was still a wolf on the inside and felt she had a new chance at life, therefore, liked to play. She kept the peace with many of the creatures in the forest, climbing every tree possible to get more of a visual map of her terrain. Apparitions were naturally attracted to the temple, solely for the reason of Genkai's reputation. None of them were strong enough to be aware of Moriko's presence there and to cover up, she was a relative from out of town that was orphaned and then sent to her care.

San had refrained from continuing her hunt for the past week, both her and the old woman sensing something off in the air and beginning to intensify their training. The wolf was recently fifteen in human years, meaning that her search was going to have more progress - or so she saw in a vision. It was clouded, all she could see was red hair, and the familiar scent that she could never forget. The time was nearing, but would he know of it?

"Wake up slacker. It's time for some breakfast and then some training," Genkai slid her door open, commanding her and then leaving.

The wolf snapped out of her thoughts, releasing a large breath before tossing the covers aside and rising from her bed. San moved quickly, knowing the patience of the old woman was very small. She sat at the table but found she had no appetite, the dream on her mind still.

"I take it you had that dream again," it was not a question, but a statement.

"Yes master Genkai," San replied, still poking at her food.

"Start working on your seer powers and maybe you would have finished your hunt faster," the woman rasped indifferently, "I think it's time you went into civilization, you're starting to get dull and lifeless."

"Yes ma'am," she said with mock enthusiasm, saluting her.

Genkai remained unresponsive, her cigarette resting between her lips and burning with the same aloofness she showed for all her activities aside from training. San got herself ready for the day before leaving the temple.

The train ride into the city was a long one. The wolf noticed that there were a lot of students on the train as well, meaning that it was a day off school. San never attended school, having no need for it being a demon. Genkai wasn't foolish enough to think that she should go uneducated, giving her the basic knowledge she would need to get by while among the mortals of Ningenkai. Besides, it was a big hassle to go to a school where she lived, hours by vehicle to get into the nearest city. Her stop finally came and she got off the train, heading to the main shopping district. Genkai wasn't picky with her meals and supported a lot of San's favourites. The wolf would prefer hunting for the food but there were some things she just couldn't kill or grow.

San was walking along the street, passing stores and becoming distracted. While she loved the city, she still liked the peace of nature at the temple. Thanks to the isolation of her home, her only friend was Genkai and that suited her well enough. The wolf continued on her journey, following her keen sense of smell to a flower shop nearby. Just as she was approaching the stand, however, another scent caught her, one so familiar it made her stop in her tracks. San looked around, spotting nothing but humans thus far. Then, in front of her was a boy, a teen, with long red hair that looked oddly familiar to her. He must have sensed her because as soon her her tawny eyes landed on him, he turned to look directly at her. His green orbs were studying and San instantly knew that he was not an ordinary human.

Kurama looked over at the demon he sensed watching him and was surprised to see painfully familiar tawny eyes on him.

-Those eyes...- Youko drifted in the depths of his mind.

-Yes, I feel it too-

-It can't be-

-Perhaps it is a sign that we are drawing closer-

Youko was quiet and the human went back to inspecting flowers. San approached the stand, startled for only a mere moment. The wolf observed the wares while keeping an eye on the boy that smelled of demon. She grabbed three tiger lilies, not going unnoticed by Kurama, who knew that it was the favourite Ningenkai flower of Moriko. Making her purchase, she quickly left the shop while appearing indifferent to the boy she purposely brushed up against on her way out. San made sure the teen was not looking before she darted into an alleyway and jumped to the roof. Changing into the white wolf, she rose her muzzle to the air and was swiftly able to pick up the scent she was searching for. He was picking roses, paid for them and was about to walk when in a swift movement, stashed one into his hair.

San followed him, hopping from rooftop to rooftop while keeping out of sight and knowing that it would be unwise to walk the streets of the city as a wolf. The boy led her to the hospital where she could not follow. Scrutinizing the rooms until she caught his red hair, she observed as he gave the roses to a sick woman laying on one of the hospital beds. The wolf was unable to hear what they were talking about and since she was unable to see the patient, could only catch half the conversation by reading the boy's lips.

It was a couple hours or so later that he departed from the hospital and San resumed her tracking. She caught another scent behind her but ignored it for now. This was more important. She watched as the boy turned into an alleyway, and then stop completely as if he knew he was being hunted.

"I know you're there. Please, show yourself, I would like to know who takes such and interest in me," he announced, facing the entrance.

San gasped, well, as best as a wolf could gasp, and froze. She was relieved when a being stepped out of the shadows in front of the boy.

"Demon traitor," the wolf's eyes widened, and then sensing an attack, growled, "I can't believe you'd take residence with these filthy humans."

"And I suppose you'd just prefer to eat them. Why else would you have crossed the barrier?" Kurama replies.

San knew that this apparition wanted to attack him and was prepared for the kill. It had been some time since she last fought for real. She was ready, trying to sense anything else around the two of them.

The demon came running at him but Kurama was too quick for him, pulling out his rose whip. He went to attack but the apparition seemed to be expecting that and grabbed the whip. Using the advantage, he threw Kurama into the wall, hard, making it crack. The fox looked up at his assailant, getting ready to plant a seed of some sort to help him out. The demon grew closer and just when Kurama was getting ready to attack, a growling white wolf was suddenly upon his enemy.

Kurama stood, startled at what he was seeing. The wolf bit at the demon's neck and it severed instantly. It then turned to him, still snarling with fangs bared. The fox was once again was getting ready when the wolf lunged, swiftly. He prepared himself for the pain but only felt the wind of the creature passing him, turning to see Hiei wrestling with it. The apparition was trying to keep its jaws from sinking into his flesh after witnessing what happened to the other demon just mere seconds ago.

"Get off you stupid beast, I don't plan on hurting the fox!" Hiei yelled at it.

He managed to throw the wolf, counting on it to hit the wall but it was fast and landed on its feet.

"It's alright, he's an ally," Kurama said calmly to the creature.

The wolf ceased it's growling and walked over to Kurama, sitting in front of it. For the second time today, he looked into tawny eyes, the same ones that belonged to his Moriko.

"I didn't know you were into pets, Kurama," said Hiei, still eyeing the creature.

"This is the first I've seen of it. I am in debt to it, however," Kurama replied, looking away from its eyes before it caused him internal pain.

"A fox and a wolf, now why does that sound familiar?"

"Don't," said Kurama in a dangerous tone, narrowing his eyes.

"Hn. It's female in case your wondering. The bitch is also telepathic, so I'm sure the two of you will get along well," at the word bitch, San bared her teeth at the fire apparition called Hiei.

"Is that why you've been following me then?"

"Partly. Your friend here has been following you for nearly an hour and the demon for longer. I didn't know which to kill first but since she won't harm you, then I guess it's your problem."

"And the other thing?"

"Meeting's been moved to tomorrow instead. Don't be late."

And with that, Hiei jumped out of sight, leaving Kurama was left with the strange wolf.

...

and that's what I got. thanks for reading!