Sunrise Over Life

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Cradling his newborn son in his arms, Kurama was assaulted with memories.

Distant memories of his past as a youko; his past before humanity.

He'd had family and friends then. He'd lived with all the others at Fushimi Inari, protecting, feeding, living, feeling. They lived to serve Inari-sama, and Inari-sama in turn was benevolent toward them, occasionally teaching them new tricks and games. Two foxes were chosen to be her messengers every couple hundred years, and for the first part of his life he was one of them. It was a happiness and fulfilled duty that was unrivalled for centuries…until he had kits of his own.

His mate was a fiery vixen full of sultry power and beauty, and had been his partner as a messenger. They'd know each other for long years and got along incredibly well, going off on pranking journeys that turned into thievery that turned into professional heists. Their kits were raised on the way; two vivacious litters of three and five that emulated their parents and were the source of great pride. They took their time growing up, Youko and his mate both parents and friends to the lively young.

After two centuries, though, they were all out of the den and had families and lives of their own, tolerant of their parents only to invite them over for reunions and to see them during the festivals at the main shrine. And after four hundred years, two of his grandkits were selected as messengers in the same way he and his mate were – and they were so very proud. They watched their family become extensive and fruitful, a long line branching out like so many trees Youko himself had grown, until the only tales the descendants heard of the ancestors were legends of legends of the king and queen of thieves. Appearances were rare, recognition even less.

And then Youko was killed, and Kurama took his place.

The past was coming full circle, now, and the sun had set on the old life to rise on the new. Time immemorial was conspiring to repeat itself, but it was all he could do not to let the tears of happiness fall down his cheeks to land on his son.

The cycle would only repeat itself, he knew, for he had learned that what he took for benevolent from Inari-sama was actually a harsh favoritism that pushed him into immortality for her own sake – because she could not bear to exist alone. She went through the same cycle he did, and for that, he did not begrudge her a thing.

And for now, he had his own children, once again, to love and raise, until Father Tempus decided to move once again.

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Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, and please don't be mad because I half-introduced a nameless OC.

Note: I just realized that this story can be abbrieviated as TSAR. :D I'm not sure why that makes me happy.