"I warned you, fox…"
Kurama struggled against the energy bonds that were fastening him onto the ground. He had to get free; he had to try…
"Leave him alone…"
Ariya finally managed to stand up. She faced the demon with blazing anger in her eyes. "You're not going to hurt him. I won't let you…"
The demon smirked, turned away from Kurama and walked slowly towards her.
"Ariya, run! Please… Leave! He's going to kill you!" Kurama shouted frantically.
"You know, he's right, my dear. I am going to end your life tonight. So, try and run… I'll catch you and find you where ever you hide though…"
He unsheathed his sword. "Now, I guess I've already done enough of toying with my prey… What a pity… Your poor mentor here will have to watch all those years of effort in raising you vanish in a flash…"
As he charged towards her, Kurama strained against his bonds even harder. His eyes found hers, as she smiled at him and secretly took out her hidden dagger.
Blood splattered the ground followed by a scream of rage. Kurama gave a cry of despair as he could only watch helplessly.
"Ariya!"
Chapter 9 – Fragmented Memories
Here we go again… Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't belong to me and never will. But people like Kurama deserve to be free anyway, so…
The school bell went off, signaling the end of recess. Soft rays of sunlight fell upon flowing locks of crimson hair amidst the hustle and bustle of students hurrying back to class.
A handsome young boy was fast asleep on his desk, being the only one to remain in the classroom during recess. The sunlight shining on his red hair only just made him look a lot more attractive, and his calm, sleeping form would have made his entire fan club faint on the spot.
Only, Minamino Shuichi didn't usually fall asleep in school, and what a shock it would be for the rest of his classmates to find him sleeping now.
"Minamino-kun? Sleeping?"
A fellow student pored over him. Behind him, a gaggle of fan girls swooned over the cute object of their affection.
"Aww… Doesn't he look cute when he's sleeping?"
"He must be tired… He never sleeps in school, not even during recess…"
"Poor Minamino-kun… He works so hard… Ahh…"
A couple more girls fainted as he opened his emerald green eyes and slowly took in the scene before him. A crowd of students around his table and a couple of fainted girls on the floor were enough to tell him what happened.
Kurama put on an embarrassed look and muttered: "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"
"It doesn't matter, Minamino! And here we thought that you'd never fall asleep in class! Looks like you're one of us after all, eh?"
"Don't push yourself too hard, Minamino-kun… You'll make us worried…"
"Yeah, Minamino-kun… It's not your fault for falling asleep! There's nothing wrong!"
"Everyone! Back to their seats! What's all that commotion over there?"
Some scrambled back to their seats as their teacher walked in while others stood defiantly, ready to defend their hero. Kurama groaned. This is going to take a while… And all because he slept for 10 minutes…
As the evening light poured into the school compound, the last of the students left Meiou High and headed home. As usual, Kurama shook off a couple more fan girls to walk leisurely back to his house.
'What a day… I can't believe the teacher fell for the I-was-up-late-studying ruse… Humans...'
Apparently, as he was a favourite of teachers and students alike, the teacher, instead of telling him off, actually offered to let him continue sleeping to ensure that Meiou High's top student was in top shape, an offer, which of course, was refused by an extremely embarrassed Kurama. The things these humans do for the things they adored… Sometimes it made him want to laugh when he saw how people would get themselves all worked up and flushed just to try and please him. Not that he was always displeased, it was just that it was kinda irritating sometimes… He didn't have that kind of attention as Youko…
Kurama sighed. Thinking of Youko brought him back to the subject of why he fell asleep in the first place. He had been having a really disturbing dream, and it wasn't the first time he had had it. Recently, Kurama was having many haunting dreams that left him with an empty feeling inside of him… But the weird thing was, he couldn't make a head or tail out of it. And then there was another matter.
Although he had already regained his Youko consciousness, he could barely remember much of his past life. Every time he tried to recall his past, most of it came back to him in blurred images. It was as if someone had badly damaged a favourite video that he had watched many times so that he was already familiar with it but now that he wanted to watch it again, he just couldn't.
This was probably a small after effect of merging into the human body of Minamino Shuichi. The process of tearing your soul from its previous shell and merging it with another, yet-to-develop existence was very hard. If it weren't for his high amount of Spirit Energy previously he would never have survived pulling off such a stunt.
"Oi, Kurama!"
Kurama looked up towards the source of the voice. It came from a tree and Kurama could see a small figure standing on a limb.
"Good evening, Hiei."
The fire demon leapt down. "The amazing Toguro brothers have managed to survive and pull off yet another circus stunt. And I just saw that idiot of a Spirit Detective wander away to have a cozy little chat with the big one…"
"I'm not surprised. Honestly speaking, when Koenma told me that they had killed the Toguro brothers, I've had my doubts. But Hiei, how could you let him go alone? At least follow him to make sure Yusuke's safe, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, so that's the thanks I get for passing on information, huh? Well, I'm not his mother, why should I bother about him?"
"Point taken. Now let's go and check things out. Something tells me that Toguro is here for more than just a chat over tea and crumpets."
Hiei scoffed and walked away. "Fine. But if that bastard needs saving again I swear I'm going to make sure his head's ripped clean off his shoulders…"
"The Dark Tournament?? What kind of dumb tournament is that?"
They were gathered at Yusuke's apartment to discuss their options regarding the invitation to the Dark
Tournament. And as usual, Kuwabara failed to comprehend a thing.
"It's a tournament organized by rich human crime lords just for the sake of amusement. Apparently, there's something enjoyable about watching and betting over who will spill more blood and internal organs… The things rich fools do for amusement…"
"So why are we in this again?"
Yusuke sighed. "Kurama, please do me a favor and explain it simply to this idiot here so that he understands…"
"Basically, Kuwabara, since we've been invited, we can't refuse lest we pay the price of death. But considering the mortality rate, I don't think we have much of a choice anyway…"
"Huh?"
Yusuke snapped and punched Kuwabara in the face. "Basically, you idiot, we have to go or we'll die! And besides, I really want to defeat this Toguro guy!"
Hiei sneered. "What use will Kuwabara be to us? All he will be able to be is our human shield… He can't possibly do anything else…"
As Kuwabara launched into a loud yet idiotic lecture on Hiei, Kurama could only smile. What a bunch of amusing people he was mixing with these days… A feeling of uneasiness settled in. For some reason, he dreaded going to this tournament. And yet, he felt that if he didn't go, he would miss a chance to get answers to a lot of questions on his mind right now.
Kurama walked slowly back to his house, still bothered about the nightmares he'd been having these few weeks. They were always the same: a cold, chilly night, the wind sending shivers down his spine… He would be Youko, always Youko… And there was this girl… Who seemed so strangely familiar… Blood… Lots of blood… Splattered all over the dark floor of the forest…
Kurama shook his head roughly. 'Was that a long forgotten memory? Or was it a premonition of the future? Or maybe guilt for a past crime… What is the meaning of it?'
He pushed open the small gate and unlocked the front door.
"Evening, Mother…"
"Oh, hello, Shuichi, you're back! Dinner's ready for you, but I'm afraid I can't join you for dinner tonight. Mr. Hatanaka will be picking me up for dinner later."
"It's ok, mother… I can manage."
Kurama smiled as his mother went back into the kitchen. He could sense where this relationship was going. But it was for the best. His mother needed someone other than her so-called "son" to stay by her side.
After his mother had left, and he had finished clearing up after himself, Kurama went upstairs to finish some algebra homework. As he pored over the countless numbers and equations, the stillness somehow got to him.
'It's quiet… Too quiet…'
A sudden rustling sound startled him. He spun around, searching for the source of the sound, but now it seemed to be coming from everywhere above him. Kurama looked up, and was shocked to find that the ceiling had somehow disappeared. In its place were towering trees, from which the sound of leaves rustling could be heard.
Someone was sneaking up on him from behind, he could tell. Without wasting a moment, he cracked his whip at the offender, who leapt aside quite agile.
"Aww… I couldn't surprise you again, Sensei…"
A young girl with flowing black hair came out from behind the trees. Kurama's heart gave a leap as she came into full view. He tried to say something, but yet words wouldn't come out.
The girl started to walk away. "I'm leaving, Sensei! Remember to come back early, or I'll have to come looking for you in the middle of the night…"
'No… Don't go! Don't! I… I need to talk to you!'
Kurama tried running after her, but his legs seemed rooted to the spot. As she walked further and further away, he tried to call out to her, but she never seemed to be able to listen. He could sense something was wrong… He shouldn't let her leave… Something was going to happen to her… Something terrible…
'Come back! Please… Don't leave!'
The girl stopped abruptly. Kurama felt relieved. Had she finally heard his voice? Yet as she stood there, Kurama knew that something was seriously wrong.
It had become dark, like midnight. A chilling wind was blowing past his shoulder, and fear gripped his heart tightly. An evil presence was here… And the girl was definitely in trouble…
He made to move, but he still couldn't. All he could see was the poor girl trembling as the darkness swallowed her.
"Sensei! Please leave! Go… He's going to kill you too!"
Malicious laughter reached his ears just as her voice barely faded away. Kurama stretched his hand out towards the darkness, to try and reach her, and pull her out just in time…
A scream pierced the night, as blood showered on Kurama. He looked at his hands shakily, as the crimson blood on them seemed to have been shed by him…
"No… No, please… Please… Why did you have to leave me? Why?"
He collapsed on the ground, still shaking, his eyes full of tears. He was still in his room, but apparently, he had fallen asleep while doing his homework. The unknown girl had come back to haunt him… He had failed to save her again…
"Why do you always try to solve problems all by yourself, you idiot…"
Kurama looked up and saw Hiei perched on his windowsill. He blinked a few tears out of his eyes and tried to smile at Hiei. But the fire demon didn't buy it, instead he continued glaring at Kurama until the red head lowered his gaze towards the floor.
"I'm fine, Hiei… I'm fine… You too have ghosts of your pasts haunting you occasionally, don't you?"
"If it's causing me to break down and cry like that, I'd say it was a really violent ghost of the past…"
"Why did you come to see me, Hiei?"
Hiei ignored him. "Don't change the subject. You'd better tell me about those hallucinations of yours, and why you're always weeping in fear… To think that the great Youko Kurama has resorted to a poor, lowly weakling…"
"I'm not weak, Hiei. I just… I want to know why she is appearing in my dreams so much…"
Hiei looked up sharply. "She? Who's she?"
"A girl. Just a girl. A really beautiful one too…"
"Ariya?"
Kurama started. The name seemed to bring back memories, and it stirred up something that had been dormant in his mind since a long time ago.
"How… How did you…"
"Well, if you keep screaming her name when you're in one of your trances, hard to miss…"
"I keep saying her name?"
"No, you keep screaming it. But for our discussion purposes, yes, you've been mentioning her name constantly."
Kurama pondered all this. If he had been saying her name out loud, he must have known this person, or rather, this person is calling for help.
Kurama smiled. "Are you joining Yusuke for the Dark Tournament?"
Hiei snorted. "If you are, I am."
"Aww, Hiei, that's sweet of you…"
"Go to hell… I'm not going because of you, I just don't think I can stand those two idiots without you around to calm things down… If you're not going, they better watch out… I might let my sword slip anytime…"
"Go on… You're still going because of me…"
"No, I'm NOT!"
"A boat? Why couldn't they have given us plane tickets, huh?"
"Well, I guess they figured adorable little things like Hiei wouldn't be able to survive the flight over, would they?"
Hiei glared at Kurama. "Don't EVER call me adorable… And who says I can't survive a plane trip?"
"Well, the fact that you don't like boats is proof enough already…"
"What? Hiei gets seasick? Cool! I think I'll go dunk his head into seawater right now!"
Hiei unsheathed his sword. "Baka… You come here… I'll give you dunking…"
As Kuwabara squealed in pain and Hiei cursed at the top of his voice, the mysterious little masked fighter gave Kurama a curious glance.
Kurama understood what the glance meant. He himself had also noticed the murderous stares of the other passengers on board the vessel. So when they were attacked by every single one of them, he wasn't really surprised. And it goes without saying that Team Urameshi made quick work of the dumb demons…
As they landed on Hanging Neck Island, Kuwabara and Hiei were still at it. And Yusuke? Still fast asleep, of course…
Kurama took a quick look around him. He definitely had not been here before, but why was it that he felt so connected to this place?
It came to him in a sudden jolt. He didn't know how he knew, but he just realized, or maybe hoped so desperately, that he was going to get the answers to all of his questions here.
"Kurama! Get this midget of me please!"
"Midget?? Oh, you are SO dead…"
"Aaarrrggghhh!"
Kurama smiled and went over to stop the brawl. They had quite enough for one day… Save some for tomorrow…
"Ariya!"
He broke free of the bonds with the last of his energy. As he sprang forward, blood splattered all over him, and he stopped, stunned at the scene before him.
The effort was too much for him to bear. He collapsed on the ground, but still tried to force himself to stand.
The demon staggered backwards, clutching his right shoulder. All that remained of his right arm was a bloody stump. He let out a cry of rage, muttering a string of words as he tried to heal the bleeding wound.
But Kurama wasn't interested in him. His eyes caught the limp form of the wounded young girl he had grown to love. She had swayed for a few moments, covered in blood, before hitting the ground like a lifeless dummy.
"No… No… Please…"
He tried to reach out to her, but he was weak… So weak he could barely move… How could he call himself one of the greatest bandits? He was so pathetic…
"Please… Please don't be dead… Don't leave me…"
But he had seen the demon's sword run right through her, and at the very last moment, she had used the opportunity to slash his right arm off. And then, as the demon gave a cry of rage, she fell lifeless… into a pool of blood…
"You bitch… This is unbelievable… How could I have fallen for that… No matter… I'll make sure your soul never finds rest…"
The demon stumbled over to Ariya's body.
"Think you had the last laugh eh?" he whispered. "Well… I'll teach you what happens to people who try and outsmart me..."
With that, he used his remaining arm and tore open a gaping black hole, from which an eerie, cold force was issuing. Kurama's eyes widened in shock.
"A dimensional portal! But you have to have an extremely high level of energy to do that… This guy is really powerful…"
He struggled to his feet, forcing himself to summon one last Blood Sucking Flower… But even as he did, the demon picked Ariya's body up roughly by the collar and flung her into the black, icy space.
"No!"
He lunged and reached out to try and grab her before the portal closed, as his plant charged towards the laughing demon.
"Farewell, my dear! You're never going to find solace… No one, not even souls, can find their way out of that endless dimension! You'll never see your mother or your Sensei forever…"
He knew he wasn't going to make it. The hole shrunk and disappeared into thin air just as he sprang towards it, and he fell to the ground, shaking with grief and fury.
A cry of pain told him that his plant did the job, but the effort and the emotional blow was too much for the poor fox to take…
"Let this be a nightmare… Please… Let me sleep… Let me rest…"
He woke up with a start. Cold sweat formed on his forehead and he was trembling from head to toe. He had just woken up from a nightmare, but he couldn't remember the details. All he knew was he had just lost someone dear to him, and it was all his fault…
As the moonlight beamed down through the window, he cried silently.
Forgive me if this chapter is a little blur. I expect you guys are wondering why is Kurama suddenly Minamino instead of Youko… Well… You're about to find out… In the next chapter… I guess… XD… And for those who are unfamiliar with the Toguro brothers and what they have to do with the Dark Tournament, Toguro the Younger was the one who invited Yusuke to join the tournament, after having amazingly survived Yusuke and Kuwabara's combo attack before.
In the meantime, please review, tell me what you think, but please, if you want to flame me, come talk to me personally. My poor friend received some rather nasty remarks and I'd please everyone NOT to upset fellow fanfic writers like that, OK? Thanks… Merci…
