Liebestraum
Chapter 6: No. 1 Hohe Liebe
Standing in the middle of the forest alone, Kurama stared down at the bottle he'd been given. Only hours earlier had he believed there was no way back to his Yoko form. Now, the answer was sitting in the palm of his hand.
Supposedly.
It may well be a tap, but what other choice did he have? If he were to fight Karasu tomorrow, which he was set on, this was his only option. He had to try it and hope he didn't die.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Kurama pulled a seed out of his hair and whispered to it. A green vine snaked out of its shell and wrapped around his body, blooming dark blue flowers with teeth in their centers. Kurama opened the bottle and put it near one of the flower's mouths. It had no reaction which ruled out most, but not all types of poisons. A favorable sign, at least. There was nothing left to do but swallow a mouthful. Kurama focused inward to gauge his body's reaction. Unlike the mist, he felt nothing.
Perhaps this version of the drug takes time to showcase the effect.
He kept a vigilant count of the time that was passing. Around the seven-minute mark Kurama felt the Yoki at the very center of his being start to vibrate. The drug was calling forth his true form out of its encased shell, much the same way he whispered to the seeds of plants. Crackling energy began to swirl around him as that which was hidden became seen. It was if his human body melted away and up from his nine-tailed form came Yoko. The nails on his fingers got longer and soon after the mist cleared.
He inhaled deeply and exhaled, a laugh escaping his lips. His voice was deeper, his muscles sculpted and more refined, and he was taller. He growled as he stretched, feeling fiendish. Earlier, he didn't have time to revel in the glory of his power. But here, he could delight in being Yoko once again.
Kurama stared down at his pale hand and the crackling ki he was emitting. Yes, this form was vastly superior, and the fear which he'd held in Shuichi's body was swiftly replaced with confidence bordering on arrogance. Karasu had no chance so long as he was Yoko. He would kill Karasu for the insult to his person. And for intimidating Asuka.
Asuka.
Her name rolled around in his mind begging for consideration, but he ignored it, unwilling to turn his mind toward serious matters. Just being in this form again made him want to steal something. His tail swished. Such a glorious feeling! Such power! He grinned, and realized he was feeling…sexual.
To be expected. He'd been in the body of a young teenager after all. But right now, he was a man. Even in the few moments his Yoko form was exposed to the crowd, he'd seen the female Yokai gawking at him. Of course they did. After all, he was very beautiful. Another laugh escaped his throat.
Kurama took off running, both his speed and his grace greatly amplified from what they were. His human body was clunky and unrefined compared to this. As he ran, the forest responded to him, shivering from the Yoki he was allowing to permeate. Yes, he was a king of the forest and the infamous demon thief.
He heard the sound of someone practicing for the tournament just up ahead. It was Kuwabara. Kurama grinned, and decided to sneak up on him, wondering how close he could get without being detected. He easily suppressed his ki and jumped up into the trees, watching Kuwabara in the clearing. He was trying to get the sword handle he'd been given under control and it was most amusing to watch.
When Kuwabara turned his back, Kurama leapt out of the trees and rolled, keeping the sounds he made to a noise level so soft, it was like that of a gentle breeze. As Kuwabara swung the sword, Kurama jumped up and stood right behind him. His friend didn't even notice.
Of course not.
Kurama blew on the back of his neck. By the time Kuwabara turned around, Kurama had already retreated to the tree line and watched his friend look around confused. Kuwabara shrugged then went back to practicing.
It's as if I was never there, he thought glibly.
He darted away, beginning to make his way back to his testing spot in the middle of the forest. It had been ten minutes or so since the drug had taken effect. He needed to be somewhere secluded and safe after the time limit was up, whenever that would be. There was a chance the drug would leave him incapacitated after he changed back.
The setting sun peaked through the trees, illuminating a violet on the forest floor. He knelt and whispered to it, telling it to grow big and strong. The violet shivered, and its stalk flowed upwards, the pedals elongating until the flower was as large as his face. He smiled tenderly at it, thinking how easy and how little effort growing required in this body.
His Yoki was beginning to dwindle, being pulled back into the seed deposited deep within himself. He closed his eyes as time sprung back to its original place and he was in the body of Minamino Shuichi once again. He dropped to all fours on the forest floor, breathing deeply from the rush.
Eventually, he was able to sit cross-legged on the ground and he looked at the violet he'd manipulated. It was amazing how that amount of his own Yoki could cause him to feel so different. He'd been drunk on it. So mischievous and brimming over with love-of-self. He laughed and shook his head, his voice a higher pitch then what it was three minutes ago. But aside from the sensation of coming down from a high, Kurama felt no other affects from the drug. He sat patiently and waited fifteen minutes before taking another swallow.
Again, it took about seven minutes for the drug to take effect, and to Kurama's utter delight, he found himself as Yoko once again. For this round, Kurama decided to practice some martial arts forms so he could adjust to his former speed. He started with the basics but quickly amped up the complexity of his movements.
An adjustment period is not necessary, Kurama realized with a leering grin. I am my true form again. I do not need to remember how to move this way.
He felt as though his movements were a dance. He flipped, turned, ducked, and spun with a keen awareness of his surroundings. The pulse of the forest and the air thrummed through his hypersensitive ears. Each sense was sharpened to extremes not enjoyed in his human body. Oh, how he longed for tomorrow! To fight like this, to be able to show off his beauty and grace to the crowd, to crush Karasu under the weight of his superiority.
Kurama ran his sharpened nails through the silver of his hair. What would Karasu think of his hair now? Would he be disappointed Kurama was going to fight him in the body of a man, and not a young boy? Kurama snarled. Just thinking about that pretentious Yokai made him long to sink his claws into that man's flesh.
In due course.
The drug began to ware off, and Kurama experienced the same sensation turning back into the body of Minamino Shuichi; coming down from a high. Thinking about how much power he had at his disposal made him dizzy, and part of him longed for his old form to be permanent. Only….
I'd never be able to see Mother again.
Unacceptable. It was the reason he hadn't done away with his human side to begin with. No matter how much power he gained, no matter how much he loved running around as Yoko, he would never abandon her. He would never betray her. He would never cause her grief. Kurama shook his head and placed his hand on his temples, breathing deeply.
Instead of waiting fifteen minutes, Kurama waited thirty, just to be safe. His Yoko form could obviously be a danger to his psyche and he didn't want to overdo it. Still, the drug had only been tried out twice. The results were similar, but he needed to test it a few more times to feel confident of its predictability. That could be the life or death of him in battle.
It was evening by the time he transformed into Yoko, and his yellow eyes gave him better vision in the dark. He was feeling mischievous again. Kurama decided to leave his spot in the woods and find someone else to toy with. Yusuke was probably practicing somewhere. Kurama laughed and took off running toward the hotel. Though it was a considerable distance, he was able to cross the forest quickly and soon picked up Yusuke's scent. The boy hardly showered.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Kurama found his prey fixed at the edge of the beach going through martial arts exercises in tandem with flexing his Raeki. Kurama was just about to step out of the shadows when his ears picked up a soft and gentle sound. It cleared his mind of impish feelings and he automatically turned toward the melody of a piano.
Asuka?
What was she doing playing after everything she'd endured this afternoon? Wasn't she supposed to be resting? He morphed into his Kitsune form and easily scampered through the tall grass, unseen and unheard as the melody got louder. He could now see a large crowd gathered around the outside of the hotel. Someone had opened the hotel's windows, so the music could drift out.
There was a stillness over the Yokai gathered to hear her play, and they were so focused, no one noticed a small white fox with nine tails prance up to a tree, transform into a man with fuzzy ears and leap into the covering of its leaves. From this vantage point he could see her perfectly.
The melody was one he recognized. It was the same melody she played the afternoon before Sakyo asked for her. The melody which felt like it bore her soul. The melody which said something no words could express. The one which forced him to consider she might not be harboring any secret ill will.
Kurama could detect lies easily even in his normal body, and he knew for certain she wasn't lying about her amnesia. The only way, then, for her to be a danger was for her to have unknown motives. If he were honest though, the likelihood of that was shrinking. For what reason would anybody send a girl with amnesia towards the end of the Dark Tournament? Toguro believed himself invincible and they had defeated most of the other teams by the time she showed up. He knew for certain she'd been on the run. Even if she didn't remember, the most likely explanation for her presence was that she came tseeking refuge with the Spirit Detective. There were plenty of Yokai and humans who would…enjoy having someone like her at their disposal.
Asuka played the last notes of the piece softly, allowing it to fade into the night before she set her hands down. No one in the crowd clapped. It was as if clapping would wake everyone from the dream she had draped over them.
He knew part of his original wariness was simply due to her gifting. Similar to Hiei, he didn't like anyone getting too close and knowing his secrets. The balance of knowledge was tipped in her favor. She knew plenty about him, and he knew little of her.
Who was this girl who had the gift of Foresight? Who could tame unruly Yokai by playing the piano and gain the favor of his enemies? Who had no idea who she was, yet protected someone she barely knew at the determinant of her own life?
He wanted to know. He was…curious.
The melody she began next was gentle, and Asuka swayed with the music as she played with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly parted.
Clearly, it was deeply affecting her and because of that, it was affecting him. The melody struck something deep he didn't understand but was there all the same.
In this form he could hear how her breathing timed with her fingers, the pressure she exerted on each individual key to make it sound exactly how she wanted, and the fluttering of her eyes. He could even feel her suppressed ki—that unique ki which felt like a refreshing spring rain, move with the music. Kurama once again found himself transfixed.
Her hands began to move quickly, trilling the piano on two of the high notes while continuing to move her other hand. The piece Asuka was playing went from simple to complicated quickly as she did a series of descending and ascending notes, but she never lost that gentle touch.
Over the course of the week, she had been honest with him and sought advice. However, her seeking his advice was not because she lacked reason. Asuka herself was intelligent, and as much as he appreciated Kuwabara and Yusuke, speaking with someone able to have rational discourse was a welcome change.
I would enjoy being friends with her.
A small laugh bubbled up out of his throat. How many people did he feel that way about?
If she could learn to control her abilities, she would be an asset to whatever assignment Koenma had them do next. And in the event she did have unknown motives (since the possibility remained, however far less likely) Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, and himself were the best people to help her be free of them. Obviously Asuka would not be a willing participant.
He could feel his Yoko form fading again. He needed to leave and go back to practicing. Reluctantly, Kurama quietly fell from the tree. Returning to his Kitsune form, he ran across the field, hearing the sounds of the lingering piano become quieter and quieter until all he heard was the songs of night.
Author's Note:
I had so much fun writing Kurama as Yoko. He's rather challenging because there's essentially three different versions of him. The english dub version, the sub version, and Togashi's version which also sort-of morphs as the manga progresses. It's a shame because when we were going to get the full explanation of how Yoko and Shuichi work, Togashi was in his "I'm burnt out and IDGAF anymore" stage. But it's definitely an interesting concept to explore and one I'll come back to. I like trying to navigate his character and make what I like from the different versions cohesive. :-)