Torn Apart

By: Cece Williams

((Disclaimer: If I owned Kurama, I wouldn't need to write anymore. I'd be married to him and having lots of kids with him. Sadly, I don't own YYH.))

Cece: Wow! Part ten.

Kurama: (brings in big bowl of popcorn) Hope everyone enjoys the fight.

Cece: (looks at him) Hey, you're in it.

Kurama: Think I can catch a break?

Everyone else: Nah!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Before Kurama knew it, the night had come. He had made sure that Andrea wasn't around; he didn't want her to know about what was going on. I have to make sure he's dead before Andrea can figure out anything, Kurama thought to himself. I have to do this for her sake. It's best if she doesn't know of this fight. Karasu had told him to meet him in a clearing of the bamboo forest, and finally Kurama arrived, which made Karasu smile wide underneath his mask.

"I'm glad we're having this rematch," Karasu said to him, almost as if he were talking to a friend.

Kurama stood his ground. "Like I had a choice in the matter," he answered him back.

"No, you really didn't have a choice, did you?" Karasu spread his arms wide and created small green bombs. Smiling underneath his mask, he sent them towards Kurama.

Kurama took a rose out of his hair and transformed it into his famous Rose Whip. "ROSE WHIP!" With it, he began blocking the bombs.

Karasu smiled evilly under his mask. He was glad Kurama didn't lose any of his skills. "So, your skills haven't gone away."

As Kurama kept blocking the bombs, he answered, "I said I was in practice."

"And in a lot of it, I see." Karasu created bigger bombs and sent them at him. And as Kurama used his Rose Whip again, he sent another bomb right behind the fox, who jumped and somersaulted around them.

However, when Karasu had created another bomb and sent it behind Kurama, it scored a direct hit on Kurama, who screamed out in pain. He heard another scream from inside the bamboo forest and looked around. It sounded familiar…

In the bamboo forest, a pair of eyes was watching the fight, more or less worriedly.

Kurama knew the voice was feminine, for one. Two: he had a sick feeling in his stomach that somehow Andrea was there. He looked at Karasu. "Where is she?"

Karasu smiled, knowing that Kurama would figure out that Andrea was there. "She's watching the fight... with a very good seat."

Kurama's green eyes narrowed; he was using Andrea to fight him! "That wasn't part of the deal!"

Karasu chuckled under his mask. "Poor Kurama… you should have known what you were getting into."

"You... How did you get past Hiei?"

Karasu imitated a voice he was sure Kurama would know. "I'm going to check on a few things," he said in Andrea's voice. Returning his voice back to normal, he added, "Amazing." /1/

Kurama growled at him. Karasu had the nerve to abduct Andrea and then use her to get to him. "You snake in the grass!"

Karasu tsked at him and shook his head. "And I thought your mother taught you never to talk back."

Kurama got back into his fighting stance. "Only when it concerns important guests. And you've lost your VIP ticket."

Karasu smiled under his mask. "Why not give up already?" Kurama glared at him in response.

In the bamboo forest, Andrea reached behind her back and drew her hand back, seeing a thick red substance on her fingers. Oh, my God, she thought, holding onto her back. I'm bleeding again. Slightly shaking, she kept her hand on her back.

As Kurama lashed out at Karasu with his Rose Whip, Karasu jumped away and sent a bomb aiming at the whip, which exploded and made him jump away from any more bombs. "I always thought you saw something in that human girl."

Kurama landed on his feet. "Hn, and what would that be?"

Karasu smiled wider. "You love her, don't you?" When he saw Kurama glare at him, his grin broke out wider as he sent more bombs on his way. "That's your weakness, isn't it? Your love for the human girl."

Kurama jumped and somersaulted over and around the bombs again. "You know nothing about weaknesses!"

"Oh, do I?" Karasu sent a bomb dangerously close to Kurama's shoulder.

Kurama created a bamboo spear and batted the bomb away like a flyswatter with a fly.

Karasu looked bored as he sent one to follow Kurama. "I'm growing tired of this game."

For the first time since the fight, Kurama agreed with him as he batted back the bomb. "You think you're the only one!" As Karasu back flipped away from the bombs, Kurama created a shield of rose petals. "Fuukii Ebujin!"

Karasu concentrated his energy, making the petals explode around him, and as he did, bamboo spears came and skewered his shoulder. He pulled them out, not squinting. "You've gotten better." With that, he brought two claws out of the ground and attached themselves to Kurama's legs. "But leaving you helpless to save your girlfriend is a lot better." He sent two Mad Bombs at him.

Kurama brought up a wall of bamboo stalks to block the bombs. Two bombs had snuck in, and Kurama batted them away. Unfortunately, the bamboo wall went up in flames and a bomb hit his right shoulder. As he screamed again in pain, he heard a scream from within the bamboo and a thud, which made Kurama start growling.

In the bamboo forest, Andrea looked at him, tears filling her eyes. She mouthed, "Shikari, Kurama-kun /2/" and hit the ground, closing her eyes.

Kurama lowered his head for a second, hearing the thud and his eyes almost glowed gold. "Karasu…" Kurama growled. "I'll kill you!" With that, bamboo stalks shot up through the ground and stabbed through Karasu like a pincushion in all the major organs. /3/

This time, Karasu was dead.

After he was absolutely certain Karasu was dead, Kurama sank to his knees, breathing heavily. Trying not to hyperventilate, he said to himself, "It's finally over." He felt something paw at his leg and heard a meow. Looking down, he saw a small white cat with blue eyes, which looked up at him and mewed. "What is it you want?" he asked the kitten.

The kitten meowed, sniffed, and started walking into the forest.

Kurama was a little confused. Plus, he felt like hitting himself for talking to a cat. "You...you want me to follow you?" As the kitten meowed in response, he looked at it. "I'm sorry, little kitten, but I can't. I have to find a friend of mine."

Obviously not listening to Kurama, the cat sniffed again and started walking again, meowing for Kurama to follow it.

Shrugging, Kurama stood to his feet, wincing slightly from the pain, and followed the kitten, which had jumped into the bushes and pawed at a sleeve. Hearing a meow, Kurama pushed the bushes back and saw the sleeve… of the same cardigan Andrea was wearing that day. His emerald green eyes, although tired from the fight, now looked worried. "Andrea?"

The kitten mewed in her ear, trying to get her to wake up.

Kurama stepped into the tiny clearing surrounded by bushes and bamboo stalks. Andrea was lying on the ground; facedown, her hair covering part of her face. He started shaking her lightly on her shoulder for her to wake up. However, he heard a frightened meow from the kitten and looked at his hand, which he saw a red substance, one he knew all too well. He looked at her facedown form, which he could see bloodstains from her back up to her shoulder.

Fear struck him. Please don't let this happen like my nightmare last night, Kurama thought as he turned Andrea onto her back, supported by his arm. "No…An-Andrea!" he shouted, shaking her harder. This can't be happening! he thought to himself, lowering her onto the leaves that had littered the ground.

Even with Kurama's almost desperate shaking and pleading and the kitten pawing at her hair, Andrea didn't wake up. The kitten's paw landed on her neck and meowed again, this time scared.

Kurama knew he didn't have any other choice on how to wake her up. He abhorred the fact of what he was going to do, but he didn't have a choice. "I'm sorry for this," he said, raising his hand and smacking her in the face.

The force from the slap caused her head to move to the other side, facing a bamboo stalk in Kurama's direction. A very soft "Ow" came out of her mouth.

Silently apologizing to her, Kurama patted her face, not as harsh as his slap, but not a child's pat, either. "Wake up. Come on."

Andrea started struggling to open her eyes, which made the kitten jump off of her and stand not that far away.

Seeing her trying to open her eyes made Kurama relieved. Still, he couldn't be fully relieved until she woke up. "Andrea? It's me, Kurama. Wake up."

Andrea heard a voice saying her name and opened her eyes, only to find a cat. Slightly confused about a talking cat, she blinked. "Kurama? You're a cat?"

Kurama leaned over into her vision. "No, I'm right here."

Andrea blinked from the ground. Now it made sense. "Oh... for a minute there, I thought you were a cat."

Kurama merely chuckled, although the pain was rough. "No, I am not."

Andrea blinked her eyes again. "Anyone get the number of that 4x4?"

Kurama was starting to sweat, literally. "Uh... well..."

Andrea looked at him from the ground. "It wasn't a 4x4?"

"Well... technically..."

The look turned into confusion as she felt her shoulder, which now stung. "Well, what was it..."

Kurama now had nowhere to hide. "Someone..."

Ignoring the pain in her body, Andrea sat up and looked at him. "Someone?" She watched Kurama look down at the soot covering his body. "Looks like someone tried to go down a fireplace."

"Or tried to blow me up," Kurama said under his breath.

Andrea looked around them. "So, where's this someone anyway?" she asked, standing to her feet by holding onto a bamboo stalk. "I'll pop them two different color eyes."

"Dead." It wasn't a total lie, more like a half one.

Andrea pursed her lips in a pout. "Aww... I missed all the fun."

Kurama chuckled at her pout. "Next time, I'll wait for you to play the game."

Andrea looked down at the ground, seeing a big black shadow. As Kurama looked at that same shadow, Andrea looked up to see a figure in black and her eyes widened. "Oh, my God..."

Kurama looked behind him, pretending to look how tall one stalk was.

Andrea held onto the stalk, hands slightly shaking. "I can't believe it."

Kurama blinked; he knew Andrea was close to finding everything out.

"I thought he was... at the Tournament..."

Kurama looked down as Andrea looked at him, her face in an almost horror-filled look. "Gomen nasai."

Andrea blinked. "For what?"

It was time for Kurama to fess up and tell her the truth. "Lying to you."

Andrea looked stunned at his answer. "Why?" she asked in a whisper.

"To protect you. I didn't want you to find out the truth."

Andrea looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. "And do you think you could've told me sooner?"

Kurama's head remained lowered. He felt ashamed for leaving her out of the loop. "I am sorry."

Andrea looked back in the direction she was facing, away from Kurama. "Do you know what fear is?" After Kurama nodded, she continued. "Not like this. Like you're trapped, and part of you wants to help out, but another part says to look behind you. And when you do, there's dozens of these green bombs aimed at you, ready to strike you down on your first step."

Kurama thought of his nightmare. "Perhaps something like this. A world where everything is dark and around every corner you find a person you love dead and disembodied? Is that fear or a nightmare?"

"How about a gun to your head? And you want to move, but then he'll kill you."

Kurama chuckled, trying to clear the depressing air around them. "I would gladly die, if it meant the safety of my friends."

Andrea knew what he meant. Still, the betrayal she felt and saw couldn't go away. "I know. That's why I can't turn back around."

Kurama blinked, confused by what she said. "What do you mean?"

"I'm scared of what I'll find," Andrea answered, starting to walk out of the forest.

Kurama followed after her, concerned about her more than ever. "Andrea, chotto matte yo /4/." He saw her stop in mid-step, looking at the ground. "I...I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Andrea kept her head lowered; whether or not she heard his apology, she wasn't really sure. "I'm sorry..." she said in a low voice before she suddenly whirled around and slapped him in the face.

Kurama felt the smaller hand slap him in the face, which made him stumble back, stunned. She was never like this.

Her hand shaking, Andrea looked up at him, tears now falling from her eyes. "Please don't follow me. Or I'll do something I'll regret."

Kurama looked at her, still stunned by what she had done, but the thought of what she meant stunned him more. Before he could ask Andrea what she meant, she ran off, trying to ignore the pain in her back. Kurama looked down at the ground, his red bangs covering his eyes. What have I done? he thought. Picking up the kitten that had followed him, he walked silently back home.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

((Will Andrea ever forgive him? Will they finally see the light? Will everything go back to the way it was? Find out in the next chapter.))

Author's Notes:

/1/ You're wondering how Karasu kidnapped her. Simple: he snuck into her apartment and abducted her. Then when Hiei asked about her, he imitated Andrea's voice. Sick, yeah, but also cool.

/2/ "Shikari, Kurama-kun" means "Kurama, be strong."

/3/ In "Poltergeist Report…" Well, if you didn't see it, can't tell you more.

/4/ "Chotto matte yo" basically means to "wait a minute" or American-ize it. "Wait up."

Yusuke: Oh, man! Kurama got popped!

Kurama: (holds bowl of popcorn) That didn't hurt.

(All face-fault)

Kurama: I've been through worse than that.

Cece: Well, review here.