Disclaimer: None of these people are mine, except
Kamen, Yuurei (AKA Koishii), and the mystery man.
Broken Mask
Chapter 8
By Kat Aubuchon
Kurama sat on the end of his bed watching
Yuusuke pace in circles. Yuusuke was the only one
that believed him when he said he didn't stab
Kamen. Kurama couldn't really blame the others
for not completely trusting him, they had found
him with his hand on the dagger in her chest. It
still hurt to think they didn't trust him after
all they had been through, it hurt even more when
Hiei had turned his back on him.
"Ok Kurama tell me one more time what
happened." Yuusuke said as he pulled up the only
chair in the room to sit in front of Kurama.
Kurama gave a long sigh. he thought as the events of three days
ago played in his mind.
[Kurama's flashback]
Kurama heard Yuusuke curse as he was tackled.
He had just enough time to realize that the blast
that was meant for the crush of youkai coming at
them had been redirected to the ceiling.
Reactions born of instinct made him jump to the
side to avoid the falling stone, and the fear of
being over run with youkai made him jump to the
level above him.
Once there he wasn't left alone. One of the
A-class youkai that had been in the group below
had followed him up.
Kurama need to get back down that opening to
see what was happening with his friends, but the
youkai blocked his way. He had no time for a long
involved fight so he led the youkai on a chase.
Kurama ran through the rooms of the upper level
looking for his opportunity. Then it came. In
the room ahead he could see a opening to the
outside. He passed through the opening and press
his body to the side so that when the youkai came
running through Kurama would be behind him. With
Kurama now being in the woods he had a variety of
weapons to use, but he went for something simple
and quick.
As the youkai came through the opening half a
dozen razor sharp thorns, each three feet long,
pierced his body. Most of them went through his
torso, but the killing blow came from the one that
went through his skull. He was dead long before
his body hit the ground. Kurama leaned down to
make sure that the youkai was dead when he felt
the ground start to tremble. He didn't know how
he could have missed someone building up the
volume of power he felt now, but he knew that if
he didn't move that power was going to rip through
the ground beneath him and kill him.
He ran to some boulders that were over to the
side and hoped they would give adequate
protection. He watched in morbid fascination as
the black flames of Hiei's dragon stretched into
the sky. He could even see the unlucky youkai
that had been caught in the attack, though he
didn't know how it could survive. With a heart
stopped by fear he realized who that youkai was.
"Kamen?" he whispered to himself. Kurama thought as he watched
the most beautiful youkai that had ever wanted him
dead, was tumbled in the air like a ragdoll. He
gathered up his strength around him to try and get
her out, when he saw someone was beating him to
it. In the blackness of the flames he saw
something grab her and pull her from the flames.
The dragon dissipated into the sky, with only a
trace of heat in the air.
Kurama quickly followed the figure and Kamen
as they descended. He was running toward them
when he noticed that he couldn't see the figure at
all. It was like there was a hole in space and a
black nothingness had tried to fill the hole.
Regardless of the look and the earlier actions of
the figure, Kurama knew that he was not to be
trusted. His first big clue was that the figure
had just taken Kamen's dagger from it's sheath and
raised it to plunge it into her chest.
Kurama grabbed the figure's hand that held
the dagger, but it was already too late. The arm
had already made it's downward motion, and Kurama
could not stop it. He felt the tip of the dagger
hit bone and then slide to the side so that it
could continue downward. The hand that was
beneath his seemed to melt away and only his
fingers were around the handle. He tried to look
around for the figure, but got no farther than
Kamen's eyes.
The liquid pools of green where wide, full of
confusion and terror. He could feel her blood
warm the dagger to almost burning intensity. Her
eyes slid shut as she tried to make a sound the
dagger in her lung wouldn't allow. Kurama tried
to call out to her but his voice was never heard
over Kuwabara scream of rage. Kurama had just
enough time to wrap Kuwabara tightly in vines
before Kuwabara's Reiken had the opportunity to
cleave his skull open.
Both him and Yuusuke tried to talk sense to
Kuwabara, but it was no use. He wouldn't listen,
so Kurama allowed the vines to constrict tight
enough to cause him to pass out. While they had
been trying to defuse Kuwabara, Hiei had regained
consciousness. Kurama watched as Hiei held his
head close to Kamen's face to hear her whispered
words.
Kurama didn't need to hear the words to know
what they were. The look of shock on Hiei's face
was information enough. Kurama tried to go to
Hiei and explain, but he never got to take a step.
Hiei gathered Kamen into his arms and turned his
back to them.
"I think it's best if all of you go home now.
I'll take care of this." was all Hiei said before
he leaped out of sight. Hiei's emotionless words
had cut Kurama deep.
[end Kurama's flashback]
"I told you before Yuusuke-kun. I don't know
who that was that stabbed Kamen. Even when his
hand was in mine, I couldn't even sense his
presence. It was like he wasn't even there."
Kurama told him for at least the hundredth time
that evening.
Yuusuke stood up quickly, knocking the chair
he was sitting it over. As Yuusuke started to
pace again Kurama righted the chair and put it
back in it's place under his desk.
"It just doesn't make any sense! Why would
someone want you to be blamed for stabbing Kamen?
The wound was sever but it was well placed not to
cause permanent damage. Why would someone go
through the trouble of saving Kamen, just to put a
knife in her chest?" Yuusuke asked. They were the
same questions they had been going over for the
last three days, trying to make sense of this
madness.
"At least I was able to convince Kuwabara
that you didn't stab Kamen. The idiot was going
to try and hunt you down." Yuusuke said as he
plopped down on Kurama's bed and leaned back on
the pillows.
Kurama remembered the three hours of arguing
that was needed to make Kuwabara listen to reason.
After Yuusuke not so calmly told him that Kurama
wouldn't need Kamen's own dagger to kill her, and
that Kurama wouldn't do something as stupid as be
caught with the dagger in his hand, AND that
Kurama could kill Kamen at anytime before or after
the trip, had finally sunk into his brain and he
had apologized. Kurama hoped it would be that
easy with Hiei.
"Well, I better get going. I told Keiko that
I'd met her at her place. I don't want to be...
Ahh Kurama? When did you get that fox in your
mirror?" Yuusuke asked.
Kurama had no idea what Yuusuke was talking
about, but looked at his mirror anyway. Staring
at them from the glassy surface was a youkai he
knew very well, in kitsune form.
"What the fuck..." was Kurama dumbfounded
reply.
=====================
The kitsune watched Kurama and Yuusuke from
his place in the mirror. He gave a great sigh of
frustration. he thought as he willed them to see
him.
As it was the kitsune had been impatiently
waiting for them to notice him for more than an
hour. His ears perked up when he heard them speak
of Kamen. One of his many tails twitched as he
listened to Kurama's account of past events. They
all started to thump the imaginary ground under
him as his anger at the events described grew.
Soon thumping his tails wasn't enough. He got up
and started to pace in front of the window of
reality that was Shuuichi's mirror.
the kitsune fumed as he paced.
He remembered when the one Kurama had called
'Kasan' had come in the room to asked how the boys
were doing. He had found himself hanging on every
word the human spoke. Her voice reminded him of
Kamen and the way she would talk to him when they
were alone.
he sighed and sat back down. I will
wait as long as I need to, for Kamen's sake. His
wait was no longer a long one. The one called
Yuusuke had noticed him. The kitsune looked him
in the eye and would not let him look away.
"What the fuck..." could be heard though the
glassy plane that separated him from them. If a
kitsune could smile this one did. The
kitsune showed none of his excitement at finally
being able to do something to help Kamen.
"Let me in Kurama. I can't come into the
Ningemkai if you don't let me in." he whispered
with his mind. He was surprised when Yuusuke
answered.
"Why should we? We don't know who you are?"
The kitsune laughed.
"Kurama knows who I am... intimately." he
responded. He kept his eyes on Kurama as the
shock started to wear off.
"It's all right Yuusuke. I know him." Kurama
said as he placed his palm on the smooth surface
of the mirror. The glass misted then faded away.
The kitsune walked into the room and sat in front
of Kurama.
"Who is he, Kurama?" Yuusuke asked. Kurama's
eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
"He... is me."
===================
Well, there is chapter 8. This thing is taking
longer than I thought.
Anyway comments and replies are welcomed and
looked for.
Kat
Kamen, Yuurei (AKA Koishii), and the mystery man.
Broken Mask
Chapter 8
By Kat Aubuchon
Kurama sat on the end of his bed watching
Yuusuke pace in circles. Yuusuke was the only one
that believed him when he said he didn't stab
Kamen. Kurama couldn't really blame the others
for not completely trusting him, they had found
him with his hand on the dagger in her chest. It
still hurt to think they didn't trust him after
all they had been through, it hurt even more when
Hiei had turned his back on him.
"Ok Kurama tell me one more time what
happened." Yuusuke said as he pulled up the only
chair in the room to sit in front of Kurama.
Kurama gave a long sigh. he thought as the events of three days
ago played in his mind.
[Kurama's flashback]
Kurama heard Yuusuke curse as he was tackled.
He had just enough time to realize that the blast
that was meant for the crush of youkai coming at
them had been redirected to the ceiling.
Reactions born of instinct made him jump to the
side to avoid the falling stone, and the fear of
being over run with youkai made him jump to the
level above him.
Once there he wasn't left alone. One of the
A-class youkai that had been in the group below
had followed him up.
Kurama need to get back down that opening to
see what was happening with his friends, but the
youkai blocked his way. He had no time for a long
involved fight so he led the youkai on a chase.
Kurama ran through the rooms of the upper level
looking for his opportunity. Then it came. In
the room ahead he could see a opening to the
outside. He passed through the opening and press
his body to the side so that when the youkai came
running through Kurama would be behind him. With
Kurama now being in the woods he had a variety of
weapons to use, but he went for something simple
and quick.
As the youkai came through the opening half a
dozen razor sharp thorns, each three feet long,
pierced his body. Most of them went through his
torso, but the killing blow came from the one that
went through his skull. He was dead long before
his body hit the ground. Kurama leaned down to
make sure that the youkai was dead when he felt
the ground start to tremble. He didn't know how
he could have missed someone building up the
volume of power he felt now, but he knew that if
he didn't move that power was going to rip through
the ground beneath him and kill him.
He ran to some boulders that were over to the
side and hoped they would give adequate
protection. He watched in morbid fascination as
the black flames of Hiei's dragon stretched into
the sky. He could even see the unlucky youkai
that had been caught in the attack, though he
didn't know how it could survive. With a heart
stopped by fear he realized who that youkai was.
"Kamen?" he whispered to himself. Kurama thought as he watched
the most beautiful youkai that had ever wanted him
dead, was tumbled in the air like a ragdoll. He
gathered up his strength around him to try and get
her out, when he saw someone was beating him to
it. In the blackness of the flames he saw
something grab her and pull her from the flames.
The dragon dissipated into the sky, with only a
trace of heat in the air.
Kurama quickly followed the figure and Kamen
as they descended. He was running toward them
when he noticed that he couldn't see the figure at
all. It was like there was a hole in space and a
black nothingness had tried to fill the hole.
Regardless of the look and the earlier actions of
the figure, Kurama knew that he was not to be
trusted. His first big clue was that the figure
had just taken Kamen's dagger from it's sheath and
raised it to plunge it into her chest.
Kurama grabbed the figure's hand that held
the dagger, but it was already too late. The arm
had already made it's downward motion, and Kurama
could not stop it. He felt the tip of the dagger
hit bone and then slide to the side so that it
could continue downward. The hand that was
beneath his seemed to melt away and only his
fingers were around the handle. He tried to look
around for the figure, but got no farther than
Kamen's eyes.
The liquid pools of green where wide, full of
confusion and terror. He could feel her blood
warm the dagger to almost burning intensity. Her
eyes slid shut as she tried to make a sound the
dagger in her lung wouldn't allow. Kurama tried
to call out to her but his voice was never heard
over Kuwabara scream of rage. Kurama had just
enough time to wrap Kuwabara tightly in vines
before Kuwabara's Reiken had the opportunity to
cleave his skull open.
Both him and Yuusuke tried to talk sense to
Kuwabara, but it was no use. He wouldn't listen,
so Kurama allowed the vines to constrict tight
enough to cause him to pass out. While they had
been trying to defuse Kuwabara, Hiei had regained
consciousness. Kurama watched as Hiei held his
head close to Kamen's face to hear her whispered
words.
Kurama didn't need to hear the words to know
what they were. The look of shock on Hiei's face
was information enough. Kurama tried to go to
Hiei and explain, but he never got to take a step.
Hiei gathered Kamen into his arms and turned his
back to them.
"I think it's best if all of you go home now.
I'll take care of this." was all Hiei said before
he leaped out of sight. Hiei's emotionless words
had cut Kurama deep.
[end Kurama's flashback]
"I told you before Yuusuke-kun. I don't know
who that was that stabbed Kamen. Even when his
hand was in mine, I couldn't even sense his
presence. It was like he wasn't even there."
Kurama told him for at least the hundredth time
that evening.
Yuusuke stood up quickly, knocking the chair
he was sitting it over. As Yuusuke started to
pace again Kurama righted the chair and put it
back in it's place under his desk.
"It just doesn't make any sense! Why would
someone want you to be blamed for stabbing Kamen?
The wound was sever but it was well placed not to
cause permanent damage. Why would someone go
through the trouble of saving Kamen, just to put a
knife in her chest?" Yuusuke asked. They were the
same questions they had been going over for the
last three days, trying to make sense of this
madness.
"At least I was able to convince Kuwabara
that you didn't stab Kamen. The idiot was going
to try and hunt you down." Yuusuke said as he
plopped down on Kurama's bed and leaned back on
the pillows.
Kurama remembered the three hours of arguing
that was needed to make Kuwabara listen to reason.
After Yuusuke not so calmly told him that Kurama
wouldn't need Kamen's own dagger to kill her, and
that Kurama wouldn't do something as stupid as be
caught with the dagger in his hand, AND that
Kurama could kill Kamen at anytime before or after
the trip, had finally sunk into his brain and he
had apologized. Kurama hoped it would be that
easy with Hiei.
"Well, I better get going. I told Keiko that
I'd met her at her place. I don't want to be...
Ahh Kurama? When did you get that fox in your
mirror?" Yuusuke asked.
Kurama had no idea what Yuusuke was talking
about, but looked at his mirror anyway. Staring
at them from the glassy surface was a youkai he
knew very well, in kitsune form.
"What the fuck..." was Kurama dumbfounded
reply.
=====================
The kitsune watched Kurama and Yuusuke from
his place in the mirror. He gave a great sigh of
frustration. he thought as he willed them to see
him.
As it was the kitsune had been impatiently
waiting for them to notice him for more than an
hour. His ears perked up when he heard them speak
of Kamen. One of his many tails twitched as he
listened to Kurama's account of past events. They
all started to thump the imaginary ground under
him as his anger at the events described grew.
Soon thumping his tails wasn't enough. He got up
and started to pace in front of the window of
reality that was Shuuichi's mirror.
the kitsune fumed as he paced.
He remembered when the one Kurama had called
'Kasan' had come in the room to asked how the boys
were doing. He had found himself hanging on every
word the human spoke. Her voice reminded him of
Kamen and the way she would talk to him when they
were alone.
he sighed and sat back down. I will
wait as long as I need to, for Kamen's sake. His
wait was no longer a long one. The one called
Yuusuke had noticed him. The kitsune looked him
in the eye and would not let him look away.
"What the fuck..." could be heard though the
glassy plane that separated him from them. If a
kitsune could smile this one did. The
kitsune showed none of his excitement at finally
being able to do something to help Kamen.
"Let me in Kurama. I can't come into the
Ningemkai if you don't let me in." he whispered
with his mind. He was surprised when Yuusuke
answered.
"Why should we? We don't know who you are?"
The kitsune laughed.
"Kurama knows who I am... intimately." he
responded. He kept his eyes on Kurama as the
shock started to wear off.
"It's all right Yuusuke. I know him." Kurama
said as he placed his palm on the smooth surface
of the mirror. The glass misted then faded away.
The kitsune walked into the room and sat in front
of Kurama.
"Who is he, Kurama?" Yuusuke asked. Kurama's
eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
"He... is me."
===================
Well, there is chapter 8. This thing is taking
longer than I thought.
Anyway comments and replies are welcomed and
looked for.
Kat
