A Corruption of Springtime
As the dark closed around him, Kurama fought to get air to his lungs. He hated being in the dark more than anything. A thin, but deceptively strong arm was still wrapped tightly around his midsection, and Kurama despaired that he couldn't get enough air in him to fight.
He was panicking, and that wasn't good.
His mind, somewhat analytical when it needed to be, forced the rest of him to slow down and take stock of what was going on.
He was pretty sure that Karasu was the one who had him. The look that he had given him the other day, combined with the fact that they were now traveling deep under the earth made that the only answer that made sense.
His heart sank at that, Shiori's words from the night before echoing in his head. Anyone Karasu gets his hands on will be subjected to torture and pain. He no longer knows how to act like a civilized being
"Docile little thing, aren't you?" the cold voice whispered in his ear. "Don't be that way. Half the fun is breaking you of your fight, you know."
Kurama stretched his powers out, feeling for anything that could help him. All he needed was some sign of life that he could manipulate.
Karasu laughed when he realized what was happening. "Oh very good, my flower," he said. "But we are heading into the Underworld. Nothing is alive enough for you to get your grips on."
Suddenly light, dim and murky light, but light none the less, bloomed before them. Kurama looked around and saw that they were in a stone courtyard of some sort. To his left was the dark twisting river that had to be the Styx. He didn't recognize the young blue haired woman who was paddling the ferry downstream, but he figured that she had to be Botan.
He was in the Underworld.
If there was one thing he had learned about this place, it was that once a being descended into this abyss, they never returned.
Tears began to pool in his luminous green eyes, building up and then streaking their way down his face.
Karasu's violet eyes slid to him, and he smiled behind his mask. He so loved it when they cried. He caught one of the younger god's tears on his finger and held it up. "Lovely," he murmured. The Lord of the Underworld climbed out of the chariot. "Stay here, my flower, I need to go make sure that everything has been prepared for your arrival. And by all means, please try to escape. Defiance only makes breaking you that much more delicious."
Kurama only half heard what he said. All he knew was that his captor was walking away. He wasn't so stupid as to think that there was a way that he could return to the surface on his own, so he slid down to sit on the floor of the chariot. Red hair pooled around him as he buried his face against his knees and sobbed.
He missed his mother, he missed the sunlight, and he was scared. There had never been a time in his life that he had loathed his beauty so much as right now.
"Pssst!"
Kurama barely heard the sound over his own crying.
"Oh come on. Pssst!" The voice was definitely female and seemed to be coming from the direction of the river.
He lifted his head and looked into the dull pink eyes of the ferry girl. She smiled softly when she saw his tearstained face. "Oh don't cry. Please don't cry. That only gets him excited. You're Kurama, aren't you?"
The redhead nodded.
"I'm so sorry. Lord Karasu has got it in his head that you should be his queen."
"But…I'm a male," Kurama protested weakly.
Botan shrugged. "No one is going to argue that point with the Lord. When he wants something…well. Here you are."
"What is he going to do with me?"
Botan shook her head. "I stay out here for a reason. I don't know what happens inside. May I give you some advice?"
Kurama nodded quickly.
"Make friends with Yukina and Hiei if you can. They will take care of you once Karasu is done with you for the day."
"Are they nice?" Kurama asked in a small voice.
"Yukina is a sweetheart. Hiei is…well he's not very pleasant, but he hates Karasu with a passion, so he'll be on your side."
"Alright."
Footsteps rang out on the stone just then and Botan jumped. She mouthed 'good luck' to Kurama and paddled her ferry father down the river.
Karasu narrowed his eyes at her back as he emerged in the courtyard. He hoped that she was filling Kurama's head with words of hope. Then he could thank her for allowing him to be able to watch that hope die in the green depths of those innocent eyes of Kurama's.
He walked over to the chariot and peered down at the young divinity hunkered inside of it. His red hair was tousled, his eyes were puffy from his crying, and the silky while toga he was wearing was wrinkled and strained with dirt.
"Well this won't do," Karasu said reproachfully. He snapped his fingers. "Up."
Kurama was not accustomed to taking orders. No one on Olympus tried to tell him what to do. He stared blankly up at the Lord of the Underworld, not moving.
"Hmm. Getting some of your spirit back are we?" Karasu taunted. "I only appreciate that in the bedroom. You will follow my orders all other times. Do you understand?"
Kurama didn't respond, just continued to stare blankly.
Quick as a flash, Karasu had his hand tangled in all that red hair. He grabbed a fistful and pulled the god to his feet, ignoring the cry of pain. "I had wanted you to walk into your new home for the first time like the queen that you will be, but perhaps this sends a better message. Queen implies equal, and you are the farthest thing from that."
And so Kurama entered the palace of the Underworld for the first time, tripping over himself to keep up with Karasu to avoid being dragged.
He was crying again by the time they reached the inside. Servants looked torn between going to help him and running away. Karasu beckoned to one of them, a slender blue haired male. "Take Kurama to his bath," he said when the servant was near. "I want him cleaned and dressed by the time I am ready for bed."
"But that's hours from now, Lord Karasu," the servant replied.
"Then you had better do an especially good job, Shishi," Karasu snapped. He practically threw Kurama at the other male and strode away.
Shishiwakamaru, semi-divine servant to Karasu, sighed. He hated his job. He turned his dark pink eyes onto the newest captive of his master. "Hello," he greeted him, figuring he should at least be polite. "I am Shishi, and I will be taking care of you while you're here, apparently."
Kurama sniffed, wiping his eyes. "I'm Kurama," he whispered.
"Oh everyone knows who you are. Karasu has been almost giddy about you. Come with me, and we will see about getting you cleaned up."
The redhead followed Shishi through the corridors of the palace, looking around as he went. There was nothing cheerful about the place because it was all black fabrics and hangings over gray stone.
"Drab isn't it?" Shishi said. "Karasu only likes one color other than black, and that's blood red." He eyed Kurama's hair. "Which explains more about his obsession with you than it doesn't."
"Are you related to Botan?" Kurama asked suddenly.
Shishi laughed. "It's the hair isn't it?"
"And the eyes. I'm sorry if that was rude, I didn't-"
The servant waved the apology away. "Don't worry about it. Botan and I have the same father. Hiei and Yukina are also my siblings. Full."
"You don't really look anything like Hiei."
"No, I don't. But then, you know all about that. How many siblings do you have now?"
A very small smile lit Kurama's beautiful face. "Too many to count."
"It's the same down here. Most of us who serve Lord Karasu are related in some way or another. Ah, here we are." He led Kurama into a vast stone room with a large black tub in the center of it. "This will be your personal bathing chamber," Shishi said. "It's fully stocked, but if you require anything else, please let me know."
The blue haired servant walked over to the tub and pulled a string. Steaming hot water began to fill the tub from a spout in the side. "This water is hot," Shishi cautioned. "It's heated from the fires in Tartarus, so be careful." He blinked at Kurama. "Well, get it."
"With you here?" Kurama asked, scandalized.
"Of course. Would you rather be alone down here?"
The young god had to admit that his new servant had a point. "But…it's immodest," he insisted.
Dark pink eyes widened. "Immodest? Are you sure you're related to Koenma? I didn't think modesty was something he cared much about?"
"I am nothing like my father," Kurama snapped, mustering the energy to be affronted.
Shishi held his hands up in a placating gesture. "My apologies, Kurama. I did not mean to offend you. All the same, you should get used to people looking at you. Lord Karasu will care nothing for your modesty."
Kurama sighed, turning his back to Shishi and slowly taking off his clothing. He kicked off his golden sandals, and then shrugged out of his toga, letting the silk fall to the floor. His undergarments were next, and when he was completely bare, he shivered.
Shishi had the decency to avert his eyes as he helped the god into the black marble tub.
The water was hot, but Kurama was so numb from the ordeal that he didn't really feel it. He carefully sat down, the water so deep it came nearly to his neck. The servant placed a few oils and soaps on the rim of the tub. His eyes filled with sympathy as he looked at his lord's new prisoner, shivering despite the warmth of the water.
"I can wait outside if you'd rather," he offered softly.
Kurama shook his head, red hair trailing through the water. "Please don't leave me."
Shishi nodded. "Well don't just sit there. Lord Karasu wants you clean, so you should get clean. It won't do you any good to make him angry."
Seeing that there were no other options, Kurama obeyed. He picked up the soft cloth that was draped over the edge of the tub and one of the soaps. Perhaps if he were clean, he would feel better.
Shiori paced in the Grand Round. Kazuma had begun his descent back to his home, signaling that the end of the day was near, and there was still no word from her son. He had gone out earlier that day to pick flowers, and he had been known to lose track of time, so she wasn't too worried.
As the fiery chariot dipped lower in the sky, Shiori's anxiety climbed. Kurama hated the dark. He would never have stayed out this late, no matter how distracted he was. The goddess strode towards the doors with every intention of descending the mountain and going to find her son.
Before she reached the golden doors, they burst open, and Kuronue, messenger of the gods, flew in on his large, bat-like wings.
"Lady Shiori," he said, landing. "This is Risho." He gestured to an earth nymph who stood behind him. "He has something of great importance to tell you."
Shiori looked at the nymph, recognizing him as one of the ones that her son often spent time with. "Risho, what do you know of my son's whereabouts?" she asked, already dreading the answer.
"Then you already know, my lady?" Risho said.
"Know what?"
"Kurama was taken, Lady Shiori. We were in the fields, and something came up from the ground and took him. The other nymphs and I searched all day, but it is as if he is gone from this world."
Kuronue rushed forward to stand next to the goddess as she looked like she was close to fainting. Her eyes were wide but un seeing. Her boy…her precious Kurama. He was gone.
A/N: And here's another chapter! This story is getting easier to write, and I love that about it. I need to settle on an update schedule for this because I write better when I have one. Perhaps it can claim Wednesdays, or Fridays once Sparks Fly is done...Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!
