The moonlight shown over the trees gracing them with a silver glow that brought out the many strange nocturnal Makai plants. It wasn't a full moon, but it was close, only sacrificing a sliver to the shadow's darkness. The nocturnal plants responded by crawling out of their hiding holes and stretching toward the sky with the same eagerness that the daylight plants aimed for the sun. Animals weren't many to be seen, due to the brightness of the moon. Bright enough for the prey to stay hidden and the predators to go hungry.
Soft feet padded on the ground not too far from the trees, walking a deliberately picked path amongst the newly revealed plant life. Skillfully no plant was stepped on, nor disturbed, as the light feet ascended on their destination. Silence filled the night as if the forest itself was holding it's breath in anticipation of the show to come.
Kurama stepped out into the clearing and into the moonlight, feeling it's strange warmth flow over him. For the moment he just closed his eyes and let the change come. It wasn't a change brought on by the moon, but rather because of it. The night was always empty when the moon was this bright, allowing him the privacy to be his true self.
Hair the color of fire grew in length becoming cleaner and more silky in it's texture. He felt it spill across his bare back as his ears became more sensitive, changing position and shape. The night suddenly came alive with sound and his ears twitched as they adjusted to the change. Hair spilled down the back of his legs as well, forming the tail he kept hidden from everyone and completed the transformation.
What stood now in the clearing bore little resemblance to the Kurama most people knew. Instead nearly all of the travelers, and probably most of the Makai, would have recognized him for what he really was, a silver youko.
One of the rarest breeds of creatures in the Makai, silver youkos were prized for their pelts which shined and shone more then any coin that could be fashioned or any other stone that could be unearthed. It was even whispered that far back in the past their silvery hair had been used as a form of currency when the world was young and they didn't know how to fight and hide in more normal looking forms.
Silver youkos were also known as a delicacy to the more cannibalistic varieties of youkai, a true treasure to eat if one could manage to catch them. Both of these factors sadly worked together to nearly make Kurama's kind extinct, leaving himself as the only silver youko he'd ever met in his life aside from his own mother. Not even his father had been like him. Instead it was his father's ability to change shape that he'd inherited which now allowed him to hide his true nature from curious and prying eyes.
Perhaps that's why he'd lived so long.
But now the illusion was gone and Kurama stood out in the moonlight, showing off his true form to those nocturnal plants around him. His ears stood peeked, listening carefully for the sounds of any predators which might try and come after him, meanwhile the rest of his body moved for a completely different reason.
He remembered very little about his true parents. A fleeting image, a few powers of his own, and perhaps their own images hidden in his two forms were his only reminders of them. That and the one trait they'd given him before the night when they were killed, a love of the night and the moon lit in the sky. And now he reveled in that light. Both a danger of being seen and a homage to the parents he never really got to know, the night sent a thrill through his body as he moved in deliberate steps around the clearing. And then, he began to dance.
Feet ceased with their normal steps and they became mere movements, landing in a different direction each time, his body twisting to the rhythm in his mind. He danced to no music, only to the thoughts in his mind, which let go and let his feet and body move as they wished. His eyes closed and his lips parted in a breath of a smile as he moved in the clearing. His body swayed much like the nocturnal plants around him, movements seeming to be created by the soft and cool night breeze or spurned by the glow of the moon.
No step was preconceived, no plan made for the dance. It was pure movement, swirling in light patterns around the small area. Moonlight shone and glinted off the silver hair, reflecting all around him and covering him with an unearthly glow that seemed almost ethereal in it's origin. As he moved the moon seemed to glow brighter overhead, as if it were responding to the private show which no one else saw.
Well, almost no one else.
As Kurama danced, his movements began to slow, the dance coming to a soft pause as his ears twitched. He's noticed the movement beyond him long before he changed his movements to reflect his reaction. Something stood just beyond the trees, watching. Slowly he brought himself to a stop, his eyes opening and focusing on the tree from which the sound originated. Taking a careful step forward he stopped the dance and advanced on the tree. Almost immediately there was the sound of someone crouching with a desire to hide and not be seen.
"You can come out," Kurama spoke softly, the red already melting back into his hair, but only slightly. The small change was brought on more out of instinct for survival then any real desire. No other change happened as he stepped toward the tree and circled around it. To his surprise he found Hiei sitting there with his knees pulled to his chest and avoiding his eyes. The shorter fire demon stood to his feet but didn't meet Kurama's eyes and the youko couldn't help the small smile which crossed his features.
"I'm intruding," Hiei muttered, something clearly meant to resemble a type of apology. He stepped away from Kurama and made to return to the camp, never chancing to meet his eyes.
"No. You aren't. If you were intruding I would have bolted when I first heard you." Hiei stopped walking and Kurama continued to speak in a soft voice. "I'm not used to performing for an audience."
Hiei turned on one foot to face Kurama, this time glancing up to meet his golden eyes with a skeptical look. "You preformed for the group around the fire pit."
Kurama nodded. "But not like this." As if the change weren't clear enough Kurama spread his arms just a bit to denote his now silver covered body. Hiei only nodded his own agreement.
"What are you?" He asked in a softer voice, one that sounded more like a child to Kurama, then his usual bad tempered tone.
"I am a secret," Kurama replied softly, the small smile tugging a bit more at his lips.
Hiei blinked at that and completely met Kurama's eyes, watching him quietly for a moment. Then he gave a very slow nod.
"A secret I will keep," he responded in the same soft tone. "On one condition."
It was Kurama's turn to blink in question. And this time a very small shadow of a smirk crossed Hiei's lips, nearly invisible.
"May I watch you dance again?"
Kurama couldn't keep the full smile from his face as it crossed his lips and spilled into his eyes. Without a word he retreated back into the clearing and Hiei followed him, stopping only to lean against the tree he'd previously thought to hide behind. And there he stood as Kurama slid his eyes closed and melted back into the movements.
There they stayed until the moon dipped below the horizon, neither speaking another word. Kurama simply danced in the moonlight and Hiei merely watched. Each content with just that.
**
Kuronue woke up the next morning as sunlight snuck into the room, crawling over the bed and spreading over the entire room, making sleep nearly impossible. Kuronue groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head, exposing his feet since the patchwork cloth wasn't quite long enough to cover his entire body, his wings and his feet, so something was left exposed. He lay there for a long moment, slowly starting to drift back off to sleep now that the offending sun was gone, but he was interrupted once again, this time by the sound of a bag of coins begin dropped on the bed next to him. Kuronue blinked and sat up, squinting against the sun as his eyes began to adjust.
He found the wagon looking the same as it did every morning, thanks to the thick curtains which were now drawn back to allow in the offending sun. Kuronue glared and grabbed the curtain tie, letting the sun go covered once more, emitting a small growl at the light. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced down next to him on the bed, finding a small leather pouch of coins sitting next to him.
"You left that outside," Yomi's voice said softly.
Kuronue glanced up at the taller blind youkai and winced, for once very happy that his expressions couldn't be seen, as he remembered the events of the night before with Yuusuke. "It's not mine," he answered in a sleepy voice.
"Yuusuke left it for you last night." Yomi moved around the wagon with familiar movements, long since memorizing the layout of the small compartment. Methodically he began turning the bottles of mead which he was so good in crafting, then he moved to sit down and polish a few bottles which were not filled yet. "He doesn't usually leave in such a huff to drop the coins outside. One wonders what could have caused such a reaction."
Kuronue frowned and sat up, retrieving his pants and pulling them back on, before attempting to attack the tangles in his hair with a brush. "One shouldn't be nosey." He retorted back.
A small smirk crossed Yomi's lips in amusement. "What did you say to him, Kuronue?"
Kuronue sighed, his eyes drifting away from Yomi's calm face to the floor. Yomi couldn't meet his eyes, but he still avoided the youkai's face as if he could. "It wasn't what I said... it was more what he said and my reaction," he admitted softly.
Kuronue listened and heard Yomi place the bottle back in the basket with the others that needed to be polished. Silently the blind youkai made his way to the bed and sat down behind Kuronue. Then, in practiced movements, Yomi took the brush from Kuronue's hand and began carefully pulling it through Kuronue's hair to untangle the knots. The simple movement, unaccompanied by words, calmed Kuronue and soothed his troubled thoughts. When he was younger he'd always loved it when Yomi did this. The simple movements always calmed him and he'd always been amazed at how the blind youkai never failed to rid his long black hair of every tangle, even though he couldn't see them.
"He wanted to travel with us," Kuronue admitted softly, his eyes sliding shut at the treatment.
"And you said no."
Kuronue nodded.
"Why?"
Kuronue emitted a sigh. "Because he can't. It wouldn't work out. I mean, think about it, we have enough people as it is, and then he comes in and we have another mouth to feed here. Not to mention that he won't approve of my work, and I know that will become a problem. We also have Kurama to consider. And it just... it just... wouldn't work."
There was a soft chuckle behind Kuronue from Yomi as he continued to brush. "You are making excuses, little one. Now, why don't you tell me why you really told him no."
Kuronue opened his eyes and glared ahead at the mention of 'little one'. He hated that nick name, and yet Yomi continued to use it whenever he decided it was the right time to give 'parental' advice to Kuronue. Yomi wasn't his parent, and Kuronue hadn't even been a child when they'd met and still Yomi insisted on using the same nickname. So Kuronue responded by not responding, letting Yomi know that he still hated being called 'little one'.
After a few moments of silence, Yomi actually answered his own question. "You told him no, because you are afraid."
"Am not," Kuronue retorted in a childish voice.
"You are afraid of him staying. You offered me only excuses, Kuronue, as to why you told him no. In reality, you are afraid of becoming attached to him, seeing as how your entire life is built around relationships where you are not attached to people. To a point you are not even attached to the people who you travel with in this wagon. The idea of someone becoming attached to you as more then a sibling or a fatherly figure scares you, and you won't let him in."
Kuronue's eyes narrowed at that and he pulled away from Yomi, standing to his feet. He whirled around to face Yomi, glaring more. "You're saying I'm in love with him?!"
Yomi remained seated, still holding the brush in his hands. "I said nothing of the sort. The word simply left your lips first."
Kuronue opened his mouth to shout back, but nothing came out. Instead his glare faded away and his legs wavered. He slid to sit on the small amount of floor space around him, his wings even drooping. "I... don't love him," he said softly.
"There is nothing wrong with love." Yomi answered back in a calm and neutral voice.
"Yes there is! It gets you killed."
Yomi remained silent at that answer, not feeling the need to mention anything else. Instead he stood up and slowly made his way out of the wagon. He stopped at the door as if he were about to say something, but apparently decided against it, for the next moment the door was closed and there was silence in the wagon again. Kuronue simply stayed where he was and leaned back against the wall, hugging his knees.
He wasn't in love with Yuusuke, he couldn't be. He'd promised himself he wouldn't fall in love again.
Kuronue could easily admit that he was attracted to Yuusuke. Who wouldn't be attracted to his thin but muscled and strong body, tattooed with the tribal markings from head to toe. His long black hair that always fell wildly down his back, refusing order and confinement as much as the body and personality it was attached to. Yuusuke never liked to travel with groups, because he always tired of them. But he always came back to Mukuro's camp. He always managed to meet up with Kuronue for their occasional rolls beneath the covers. And he always slept next to Kuronue the night after the act, allowing him to wake up nestled in those strong arms. Yuusuke was the only one he allowed himself to fall asleep next to. But that wasn't love.
It wasn't.
Kuronue blinked, surprised to find his vision blurred. Reaching up to rub his eyes, he found them wet, a few tears slipping down his cheeks, in spite of his own astonishment. He didn't cry. Frowning lightly at himself he quickly wiped away the tears and stood up. Tying off his long hair in a ponytail he opted to add a vest to his outfit, rather then not wearing a shirt. He quickly banished the tears and his own thoughts, not giving them anymore time.
He wasn't in love with Yuusuke.
Besides, no one could really fall in love with a demon who prostituted himself across the Makai to raise money. No one could fall in love with a creature who would stoop so low as that. Yuusuke was just fooling himself, attempting to change his style for something new. Even if he'd allowed Yuusuke to stay it wouldn't have lasted. Of course not.
No one fell in love with a prostitute.
That was the exact reason why Kuronue had taken the job. No one was ever supposed to fall in love with him again.
**
Soft feet padded on the ground not too far from the trees, walking a deliberately picked path amongst the newly revealed plant life. Skillfully no plant was stepped on, nor disturbed, as the light feet ascended on their destination. Silence filled the night as if the forest itself was holding it's breath in anticipation of the show to come.
Kurama stepped out into the clearing and into the moonlight, feeling it's strange warmth flow over him. For the moment he just closed his eyes and let the change come. It wasn't a change brought on by the moon, but rather because of it. The night was always empty when the moon was this bright, allowing him the privacy to be his true self.
Hair the color of fire grew in length becoming cleaner and more silky in it's texture. He felt it spill across his bare back as his ears became more sensitive, changing position and shape. The night suddenly came alive with sound and his ears twitched as they adjusted to the change. Hair spilled down the back of his legs as well, forming the tail he kept hidden from everyone and completed the transformation.
What stood now in the clearing bore little resemblance to the Kurama most people knew. Instead nearly all of the travelers, and probably most of the Makai, would have recognized him for what he really was, a silver youko.
One of the rarest breeds of creatures in the Makai, silver youkos were prized for their pelts which shined and shone more then any coin that could be fashioned or any other stone that could be unearthed. It was even whispered that far back in the past their silvery hair had been used as a form of currency when the world was young and they didn't know how to fight and hide in more normal looking forms.
Silver youkos were also known as a delicacy to the more cannibalistic varieties of youkai, a true treasure to eat if one could manage to catch them. Both of these factors sadly worked together to nearly make Kurama's kind extinct, leaving himself as the only silver youko he'd ever met in his life aside from his own mother. Not even his father had been like him. Instead it was his father's ability to change shape that he'd inherited which now allowed him to hide his true nature from curious and prying eyes.
Perhaps that's why he'd lived so long.
But now the illusion was gone and Kurama stood out in the moonlight, showing off his true form to those nocturnal plants around him. His ears stood peeked, listening carefully for the sounds of any predators which might try and come after him, meanwhile the rest of his body moved for a completely different reason.
He remembered very little about his true parents. A fleeting image, a few powers of his own, and perhaps their own images hidden in his two forms were his only reminders of them. That and the one trait they'd given him before the night when they were killed, a love of the night and the moon lit in the sky. And now he reveled in that light. Both a danger of being seen and a homage to the parents he never really got to know, the night sent a thrill through his body as he moved in deliberate steps around the clearing. And then, he began to dance.
Feet ceased with their normal steps and they became mere movements, landing in a different direction each time, his body twisting to the rhythm in his mind. He danced to no music, only to the thoughts in his mind, which let go and let his feet and body move as they wished. His eyes closed and his lips parted in a breath of a smile as he moved in the clearing. His body swayed much like the nocturnal plants around him, movements seeming to be created by the soft and cool night breeze or spurned by the glow of the moon.
No step was preconceived, no plan made for the dance. It was pure movement, swirling in light patterns around the small area. Moonlight shone and glinted off the silver hair, reflecting all around him and covering him with an unearthly glow that seemed almost ethereal in it's origin. As he moved the moon seemed to glow brighter overhead, as if it were responding to the private show which no one else saw.
Well, almost no one else.
As Kurama danced, his movements began to slow, the dance coming to a soft pause as his ears twitched. He's noticed the movement beyond him long before he changed his movements to reflect his reaction. Something stood just beyond the trees, watching. Slowly he brought himself to a stop, his eyes opening and focusing on the tree from which the sound originated. Taking a careful step forward he stopped the dance and advanced on the tree. Almost immediately there was the sound of someone crouching with a desire to hide and not be seen.
"You can come out," Kurama spoke softly, the red already melting back into his hair, but only slightly. The small change was brought on more out of instinct for survival then any real desire. No other change happened as he stepped toward the tree and circled around it. To his surprise he found Hiei sitting there with his knees pulled to his chest and avoiding his eyes. The shorter fire demon stood to his feet but didn't meet Kurama's eyes and the youko couldn't help the small smile which crossed his features.
"I'm intruding," Hiei muttered, something clearly meant to resemble a type of apology. He stepped away from Kurama and made to return to the camp, never chancing to meet his eyes.
"No. You aren't. If you were intruding I would have bolted when I first heard you." Hiei stopped walking and Kurama continued to speak in a soft voice. "I'm not used to performing for an audience."
Hiei turned on one foot to face Kurama, this time glancing up to meet his golden eyes with a skeptical look. "You preformed for the group around the fire pit."
Kurama nodded. "But not like this." As if the change weren't clear enough Kurama spread his arms just a bit to denote his now silver covered body. Hiei only nodded his own agreement.
"What are you?" He asked in a softer voice, one that sounded more like a child to Kurama, then his usual bad tempered tone.
"I am a secret," Kurama replied softly, the small smile tugging a bit more at his lips.
Hiei blinked at that and completely met Kurama's eyes, watching him quietly for a moment. Then he gave a very slow nod.
"A secret I will keep," he responded in the same soft tone. "On one condition."
It was Kurama's turn to blink in question. And this time a very small shadow of a smirk crossed Hiei's lips, nearly invisible.
"May I watch you dance again?"
Kurama couldn't keep the full smile from his face as it crossed his lips and spilled into his eyes. Without a word he retreated back into the clearing and Hiei followed him, stopping only to lean against the tree he'd previously thought to hide behind. And there he stood as Kurama slid his eyes closed and melted back into the movements.
There they stayed until the moon dipped below the horizon, neither speaking another word. Kurama simply danced in the moonlight and Hiei merely watched. Each content with just that.
**
Kuronue woke up the next morning as sunlight snuck into the room, crawling over the bed and spreading over the entire room, making sleep nearly impossible. Kuronue groaned and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head, exposing his feet since the patchwork cloth wasn't quite long enough to cover his entire body, his wings and his feet, so something was left exposed. He lay there for a long moment, slowly starting to drift back off to sleep now that the offending sun was gone, but he was interrupted once again, this time by the sound of a bag of coins begin dropped on the bed next to him. Kuronue blinked and sat up, squinting against the sun as his eyes began to adjust.
He found the wagon looking the same as it did every morning, thanks to the thick curtains which were now drawn back to allow in the offending sun. Kuronue glared and grabbed the curtain tie, letting the sun go covered once more, emitting a small growl at the light. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced down next to him on the bed, finding a small leather pouch of coins sitting next to him.
"You left that outside," Yomi's voice said softly.
Kuronue glanced up at the taller blind youkai and winced, for once very happy that his expressions couldn't be seen, as he remembered the events of the night before with Yuusuke. "It's not mine," he answered in a sleepy voice.
"Yuusuke left it for you last night." Yomi moved around the wagon with familiar movements, long since memorizing the layout of the small compartment. Methodically he began turning the bottles of mead which he was so good in crafting, then he moved to sit down and polish a few bottles which were not filled yet. "He doesn't usually leave in such a huff to drop the coins outside. One wonders what could have caused such a reaction."
Kuronue frowned and sat up, retrieving his pants and pulling them back on, before attempting to attack the tangles in his hair with a brush. "One shouldn't be nosey." He retorted back.
A small smirk crossed Yomi's lips in amusement. "What did you say to him, Kuronue?"
Kuronue sighed, his eyes drifting away from Yomi's calm face to the floor. Yomi couldn't meet his eyes, but he still avoided the youkai's face as if he could. "It wasn't what I said... it was more what he said and my reaction," he admitted softly.
Kuronue listened and heard Yomi place the bottle back in the basket with the others that needed to be polished. Silently the blind youkai made his way to the bed and sat down behind Kuronue. Then, in practiced movements, Yomi took the brush from Kuronue's hand and began carefully pulling it through Kuronue's hair to untangle the knots. The simple movement, unaccompanied by words, calmed Kuronue and soothed his troubled thoughts. When he was younger he'd always loved it when Yomi did this. The simple movements always calmed him and he'd always been amazed at how the blind youkai never failed to rid his long black hair of every tangle, even though he couldn't see them.
"He wanted to travel with us," Kuronue admitted softly, his eyes sliding shut at the treatment.
"And you said no."
Kuronue nodded.
"Why?"
Kuronue emitted a sigh. "Because he can't. It wouldn't work out. I mean, think about it, we have enough people as it is, and then he comes in and we have another mouth to feed here. Not to mention that he won't approve of my work, and I know that will become a problem. We also have Kurama to consider. And it just... it just... wouldn't work."
There was a soft chuckle behind Kuronue from Yomi as he continued to brush. "You are making excuses, little one. Now, why don't you tell me why you really told him no."
Kuronue opened his eyes and glared ahead at the mention of 'little one'. He hated that nick name, and yet Yomi continued to use it whenever he decided it was the right time to give 'parental' advice to Kuronue. Yomi wasn't his parent, and Kuronue hadn't even been a child when they'd met and still Yomi insisted on using the same nickname. So Kuronue responded by not responding, letting Yomi know that he still hated being called 'little one'.
After a few moments of silence, Yomi actually answered his own question. "You told him no, because you are afraid."
"Am not," Kuronue retorted in a childish voice.
"You are afraid of him staying. You offered me only excuses, Kuronue, as to why you told him no. In reality, you are afraid of becoming attached to him, seeing as how your entire life is built around relationships where you are not attached to people. To a point you are not even attached to the people who you travel with in this wagon. The idea of someone becoming attached to you as more then a sibling or a fatherly figure scares you, and you won't let him in."
Kuronue's eyes narrowed at that and he pulled away from Yomi, standing to his feet. He whirled around to face Yomi, glaring more. "You're saying I'm in love with him?!"
Yomi remained seated, still holding the brush in his hands. "I said nothing of the sort. The word simply left your lips first."
Kuronue opened his mouth to shout back, but nothing came out. Instead his glare faded away and his legs wavered. He slid to sit on the small amount of floor space around him, his wings even drooping. "I... don't love him," he said softly.
"There is nothing wrong with love." Yomi answered back in a calm and neutral voice.
"Yes there is! It gets you killed."
Yomi remained silent at that answer, not feeling the need to mention anything else. Instead he stood up and slowly made his way out of the wagon. He stopped at the door as if he were about to say something, but apparently decided against it, for the next moment the door was closed and there was silence in the wagon again. Kuronue simply stayed where he was and leaned back against the wall, hugging his knees.
He wasn't in love with Yuusuke, he couldn't be. He'd promised himself he wouldn't fall in love again.
Kuronue could easily admit that he was attracted to Yuusuke. Who wouldn't be attracted to his thin but muscled and strong body, tattooed with the tribal markings from head to toe. His long black hair that always fell wildly down his back, refusing order and confinement as much as the body and personality it was attached to. Yuusuke never liked to travel with groups, because he always tired of them. But he always came back to Mukuro's camp. He always managed to meet up with Kuronue for their occasional rolls beneath the covers. And he always slept next to Kuronue the night after the act, allowing him to wake up nestled in those strong arms. Yuusuke was the only one he allowed himself to fall asleep next to. But that wasn't love.
It wasn't.
Kuronue blinked, surprised to find his vision blurred. Reaching up to rub his eyes, he found them wet, a few tears slipping down his cheeks, in spite of his own astonishment. He didn't cry. Frowning lightly at himself he quickly wiped away the tears and stood up. Tying off his long hair in a ponytail he opted to add a vest to his outfit, rather then not wearing a shirt. He quickly banished the tears and his own thoughts, not giving them anymore time.
He wasn't in love with Yuusuke.
Besides, no one could really fall in love with a demon who prostituted himself across the Makai to raise money. No one could fall in love with a creature who would stoop so low as that. Yuusuke was just fooling himself, attempting to change his style for something new. Even if he'd allowed Yuusuke to stay it wouldn't have lasted. Of course not.
No one fell in love with a prostitute.
That was the exact reason why Kuronue had taken the job. No one was ever supposed to fall in love with him again.
**