Yuyu Hakusho is not mine as well as Tamamo-ne-mae and Sessho-seki, their a character in Japanese folktales...
The Red-headed Assassin
Pre-Finale: Don't Hold Back
Finally, the sun decided to rest… painting the most breath-taking masterpiece with the sky as its canvass, it lay upon the horizon.
One never tired of watching as the sun graced every creature with a last glimpse of its beauty and glory…a symbol of calm and peace, and finally rest – though such was not the case for a certain black-clad fire demon.
Perched above the branch of a large Makai tree, a grim expression was clearly etched upon the child-like face as the breeze caressed the owner's cheeks and neck evoking certain emotions he thought long-time gone, thus giving way to one of his fondest memories… back in the Ningenkai once upon a time…
**Flashback**
A flash of red and black
… blurring and twirling …
… colliding
… separating
… a frustrated growled and a playful giggle
A dance of lovers
… a swirl of blue and green …
… of purple
… and silver
… clang of metal against the snapping whip …
A tribute to death
"Oi! If you continue that then we'll never be able to finish training today!" shouted by the teasing leader of the Reikai Tentai.
"Uh… I don't think they heard you, Urameshi," Kuwabara supplied, eyes still glued to the competing youkai who were their comrades.
The gang had decided to meet in Genkai's forest that day to train and just to hang out together. Yusuke had asked the two older comrades to show him, as well as Kuwabara, some fighting techniques, and Kurama and Hiei had willingly obliged. Yet it seemed the detective had quickly lost his temper, craving action rather than show.
"Hn! I thought you said you wanted us to show you and the oaf what a real fight was?" Suddenly the little hiyoukai was in front of their leader, beads of sweat sparkling in the sunlight and accenting every contour of his sexy, upper body.
"I wonder why Hiei always tends to lose his shirt whenever he fights?" was the detective's thought before he answered. "Well yeah, but please consider Kuwabara here… heh heh." Grinning like the kid he sometimes resembled, the old punk scratched the back of his head for more effect.
"Were you fighting at all? I thought that was some sort of a dance or something."
"Hn!"
:::SMACK:::
"Ouch, Urameshi! What was that for?"
"You oaf! Don't go around proving to everyone you're just a full-muscled, empty-headed baka! Jeez, Kuwabara! Your head's attached to your shoulders for some use!" Obviously Yusuke's words were intended to piss Kuwabara off… his way of getting into the action… and it appeared to have the desired effect as Kuwabara sputtered, his face turning a bright red.
"Well, technically, Kuwa-kun, Yusuke-kun, our fight could, indeed, be considered a dance – a dance of death," the red-haired fox put in as he chuckled at the childish antics of his friends.
"Che! What an utter display of stupidity! How you are able to put up with these two is beyond my comprehension, Kurama!" Hiei rolled his eyes at the sight of the two overgrown child.
"Practice, my friend, just practice," was the answer from the witty fox as he glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eyes.
"Hn! I wonder if they even realize they look like two overgrown children fighting over a piece of candy!" Crossing his arms, the hiyoukai watch the scene with boredom and slight amusement.
The fox spirit, seeing this, quickly deduced that Hiei was in a good mood today and decided to play. After all, it wasn't every day that the fire demon was very talkative, let alone amused by the antics of their team mates.
"Ne Hiei, it's fun to act like a child occasionally, even if you're old enough to know better," the fox countered.
The hiyoukai suddenly looked at the fox as if he'd grown another head and with an eyebrow raised, yet concern in his voice, replied, "I told you, Kurama, being around too many fools is not good for your health. It appears as if your sanity has started to slip away, now."
Turning, Hiei's eyes met those of the kitsune hybrid and with deadly serious face and voice, added, "you should take better care of yourself, Fox. I'm worried…" he paused and looked down at his feet.
Kurama's eyes visibly widened with every word he'd just heard. His face flushed and his heart began to beat rapidly. "H-Hiei?"
Hearing his name, Hiei looked up, the intensity of his gaze making Kurama's breath catch before a smirk crossed the little demon's face, replacing the look of concern.
"that Youko's becoming too old - he's reverting back to childhood and being surrounded by these fools seems to have accelerated the process."
Even before Kurama could blink, Hiei was gone. Unfortunately the fox-spirit forgot that Hiei always managed to turn the tables whenever he teased the hiyoukai.
The bickering, overgrown fools suddenly stopped their argument as they felt the darkening aura abruptly rising from the aforementioned fox-spirit.
"Er. Kurama, is something the matter?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, what's with the killing aura all of a sudden?" Kuwabara chimed in.
Kurama looked at them with a smile, feigning innocence. "Eh?"
He smiled again, and with a shake of his head, gently replied, "Oh, it's nothing Yuu-kun, Kuwa-kun… just an upset stomach. Why don't we call it a day, then? Dinner will be very soon and, I'm sure Yukina-chan could use some help, ne Kuwa-kun?"
At the mention of the ice maiden's name, Kuwabara beamed.
"H-Hai! You're right!" he exclaimed before turning to the still suspicious ex-spirit detective. "Let's call it a day, Yusuke. We can train again some other time!"
"Oh… sure." The Tentai leader shrugged quite unsatisfied with the turn of events. Suddenly, he noticed the absence of their fourth member. "Where's Hiei?" he asked Kurama.
"Oh, he probably took off. I'll go find him," the fox answered smoothly but the gleam in his eyes didn't go unnoticed.
"How about your stomach, Kurama? Shouldn't you let Yukina-chan check you out first?" Kuwabara shouted as he and Yusuke were already making their way back towards the temple.
"I'll be fine, Kuwa-kun. It's just an upset stomach and probably be gone soon. Ja!"
When he was positive the other two were out of sight, as well as earshot, Kurama turned around to scan the trees, mischief clearly written in his emerald orbs and a predatory smile on those red lips before saying to no one in particular…
"Let's see who's getting old now, Fire-brat…"
**End Flashback**
*Ssesho-seki Realm*
"After my escape from Yomi, I went straight back to Alaric to see Yukina, but I never made it. I died that very night, in the forest known now as Death Forest. My body was only capable of withstanding so much abuse. Still, I was happy that I was able to elude Yomi's grasp, and would not allow myself to die at his hands."
An eerie silence enveloped the group as each tried to digest the information about Kurama's sudden disappearance all those years ago.
"S-so you, you were really dead then?" It was Yusuke who decided to break the silence.
"Hai," was the answer from his fox hybrid friend.
"And we are as well?" asked the empress, Keiko.
"Iie, Keiko-chan. Your bodies are still alive. They are merely in a state of suspended animation, much as Yusuke's was at the time of his first death. They are under Koenma's care, so please don't worry over much."
"How about Father's?" It was Shura.
Kurama looked solemnly at the young goat youkai before answering.
"Gomen, Shura, but only those whose bodies were intact at the time of their deaths can be revived. Your father's body was devoured by the Death Plant. And even though the body is still somewhat intact, Tamamo-no-Mae has been consuming him for far too long. I am sorry, there's nothing more I can do."
He turned to address the ice maiden, Yukina. "With Mukuro there may be a way to revive her as well. However, I cannot promise that there will be no permanent damage." When he'd finished, the fox bowed his head and turn away from the people he once trusted and began to speak in a low voice, as if to himself.
"Tamamo-no-Mae was a powerful nine-tailed spirit kitsune who craved power and to obtain that power, needed to feed upon the souls of other power being. For this transgression, she was cursed and sealed into a stone called Ssesho-seki. Tamamo-no-Mae took possession of my body, right after I died. I do not know for how long, for when I awakened I found myself in this realm. I believe we are inside Ssesho-seki itself. It seems Tamamo-no-Mae requires a strong and willing prey to house her soul to enable her to escape this realm. "
"Strong and willing prey?" Yukina inquired softly.
"I was filled with so much pain, grief, regret and anger as I departed this life…" A bitter laugh was heard before Kurama turned to face the group, a sad smile gracing his handsome face. "That is not an advisable way to die."
He looked down, no longer willing to meet the eyes of those who were his friends. "It has taken me sometime but I'd managed to find a crack in this realm, and though I could not free myself, I was able to contact Koenma. This happened at the same time Tamamo-no-Mae was wreaking havoc. That's why Koenma did not contact you, at the time. Had he done so, it might have ruined the plan."
*Ssesho-seki Realm*
A sad smile graced the thin, slightly chapped lips of the hiyoukai as another vivid memory of another particular moment just as vibrant as the colors of the sunset overwhelmed him.
"The sunset was almost as beautiful as this one, too." he murmured.
**Flashback**
Hiei, much like Kurama enjoyed their teasing and battle of wits, though he kept forgetting that age was a sensitive issue for the vain fox demon.
Unfortunately, it was a bit late for him to remember as he suddenly found himself hanging upside down from the branch of a tree nearest to a cliff – a good 700 feet above the ground. It took no great amount of intelligence for one to realize that falling from that height would definitely hurt badly. As well, the strong winds whipping around him were not really helping the fire demon to relax. Squirming about in an effort to escape the wily fox's bonds was not an option either. Hiei had no choice but to stay still until Kurama decided to release him. Fortunately, he knew of Kurama's fondness for him (which he blamed upon the fox remaining in the Ningenkai for far too long).
None too soon, Hiei heard the sound of rustling bushed, following shortly thereafter by a soft, playful alto. "My, my, I believe I've caught a fire demon in my snare." Though the kitsune was not visibly laughing, the sound of his voice, and the mirth in those wide, emerald orbs, were evidence enough.
Hiei sent him a venomous glare that could have withered an entire army, yet only caused the redheaded fox to laugh aloud. Of course, hearing Kurama's laughter served only to frustrate the fire demon further.
Yet Kurama's laugh was music to the ears. The way his eyes closed and he covered his mouth with one hand; the other clutching his side as the wind blew his long, crimson mane, even more vibrant in the light of the setting sun, about his face, brought a smile the hiyoukai's face, his frustration evaporating as he took in the site before him.
A space of but a few seconds passed, and he had his usual, stoic mask back in place.
"Are you through laughing, Kitsune?" The deep baritone inquired its tone void of any emotion whatsoever.
Another chuckle escaped before the demon in ningen guise relaxed and looked at him, eyes full of mirth. The sight was just too beautiful: it almost hurt to look at the fox, and Hiei immediately averted his gaze to the horizon thankful that the sunlight had tinged the sky pink, effectively concealing his flushed cheeks. Slowly he felt the branch move and the vines carefully lower him to the ground.
"Hiei? " There was an underlying nervousness to the previously playful tone now. This made the fire demon frown as he looked quizzically at his companion.
"Hn?" "Hmm, it makes me wonder – how is it that only *he* has ever been able to understand the meaning of my monosyllabic replies?"
"You're not angry with me are you?" Even those shimmering pools of green showed that underlying nervousness in them.
"How those eyes speak volumes?" "Hn… baka no kitsune! I am not, so shut up already…"
Only a select few had ever heard the gentle voice with which Hiei spoke now. That deep baritone, an octave lower and spoken softly now, was almost a caress – one which held a thousand promises of pleasure, enough to arouse even the most heterosexual of men.
Understandably, a shiver that had nothing to do with the cool evening air ran through Kurama's body. That shiver did not go unnoticed by his companion who, of course, raised his body temperature to warm the chilled fox. Kurama merely smiled in gratitude.
The pair sat in comfortable silence as they watch the Ningen night sky unfold.
"Hiei?" After a moment, the fox broke the silence, though he did not tear his gaze from the starry night.
"Hn?" came the usual reply.
"Would you do me a favor?" This time, Kurama shifted to face fully the hiyoukai at his left. Taking Hiei's silence as his answer, the fox continued.
"If ever we face each other in battle, don't hold back, please."
"And who said that I would?" asked the fire demon, one eyebrow raised.
"I am just making sure… that's all." The redhead shrugged, never breaking eye contact with the fire demon.
"I should be asking that of you," the fire demon countered.
"I would dishonor you were I to hold back, and that is something I will not do," the redhead answered with a sincere smile.
"Good" said the hiyoukai as he went back to watching the seascape before him and whispering to the wind so that only one other pair of ears could hear, "because I shall never hold back as well."
**End Flashback**
As the last ray of light bid goodbye to the day and gave way to the enveloping darkness and cold of the night, Hiei replayed that scene again and again in his head, and as if reliving that final scene, he whispered, "I will never hold back, Kurama. And I hope that you won't as well."
*Ssesho-seki Realm*
"Would you mind explaining how we are going to be able to get back to our bodies, Fox-boy? You see, I kinda' needed Keiko's sweet, tender kiss before I was brought back to life the first time, and seeing as she's here with me now – and I'd kill the pacifier brat if he ever attempted molesting mine or my wife's bodies…"
"Er, General Kuwabara, you're turning green."
"Urgh! It's nothing, Shura-kun. It's just, when Yusuke mentioned that, I can't stop remembering the dream he made me dream! It still creeps me out! " Kuwabara said weakly.
"Oh get over it, Kuwa! I know my kiss is unforgettable, but I have a wife now, see? And I'm loyal to Keiko." The tentai leader never failed to get a reaction from his carrot-topped comrade.
"EWW! That's super gross, Urameshi… you bastard, hentai!" The reaction was as expected from said carrot-topped companion.
And so the old habit of banter followed by the inevitable head-lock ensued as Yusuke's and Kuwabara's respective mates tried to pull them apart while the young lord, Shura, stayed in the background, not really sure how to react to such a commotion.
Kurama watch in amusement before finally letting out a small chuckle that made them all look at him. The fox hybrid smiled – that smile from long ago – and nonchalantly commented, "old habits die hard, ne?
*Ssesho-seki Realm*
"Hiei?" That intoxicating voice never failed to hold him, captured and frozen like a deer caught in headlights. But tonight he could not afford to be distracted by that voice. Tonight, he has questions, and he wants answers before giving the fox just punishment.
"Kurama!" was the icy reply of the hiyoukai, his partner, his comrade, his best friend, his lover… his mate - almost
"How could you still have so much faith in someone who wants your head, gingitsune?[1]"
"Kitsune, you have five minutes to explain yourself before I cut your head!"
"Why the rush, Itoshii, we've only just met again after nearly, what? six hundred years? Do you not wish to, as the ningen are fond of saying, 'catch up'?"
"Four! You know I hate waiting so you'd better use your time wisely."
TBC
I plan to finish it in this chapter but I realized that it would be too long to read so I decided to cut it here… see you in the next chapter! Ja!
I'm a major cliff hanger ne? gomen its unintentional... Tamamo-ne-mae and Sessho-seki is not my original character, they really exist in the Japanese folk tales as mentioned.
Sessho-seki - or Killing Stone, which kills anyone that comes in contact with it. Tamamo-no-Mae's spirit became Hoji and haunted the stone.
Gingitsune - silver fox
Please do review...it gives us writers confidence and inspirations... it really feels good to know that you are being appreciated... and oh! this is a joint efforts with my very generous beta-er KyoHana! thanks again ma cherié!
