Hello again! My goodness, I can't believe I've been gone over a year...time sure does fly! Well, it's FINALLY time for Chapter 20! Hope you're as excited as I am!

~Snowy

Chapter 20: Memories

"...ra...ke...up..."

Sunlight filtered in through the barred window into Kira's closed eyes as a voice roused her from her dreams.

"Kira, wake up!"

Kira slowly opened her eyes, a pair of worried, emerald eyes staring down at her. She was laying on the floor of her cell, her chains tangled around her legs as if she had tripped over them. Slowly, she sat up and looked around the room before turning her eyes back to Kurama.

"How did...How did I end up on the floor...?" she asked him, her voice thick with sleep.

"I was about to ask you the same," Kurama replied, still giving her a worried look. "I came to bring you breakfast only to find you unconscious on the floor! I thought perhaps you had tripped and hit your head, but I could find no injury to your head..."

For a split second, Kira heard the sound of children laughing once more and remembered the night before...

"You cheated, Youko!" Kira whined as the vines released her. "That's not how you play Hide 'N Seek!"

The young fox demon smirked at Kira as the vines holding her retreated back into the ground. His golden eyes glittered with excitement as he tagged her. "Now you're it!"

"No, I'm not!" Kira cried as she folded her arms in front of her, pouting like the young child she was. "You can't use your plants to find where I'm hiding! It's not fair!"

"All is fair in love and war!" Youko laughed as he ran off. "Start counting and I'll go hide!"

Kira sighed and turned toward the tree, beginning her counting as Youko left to hide. "...nine...ten! Ready or not here I come!"

A gentle breeze tussled the leaves of the trees of the forest that surrounded the young Kira. The air was thick with the scent of wildflowers and evening dew as she searched the area for Youko. A rustling caught her attention in a nearby shrub, making Kira smile. She pounced on the bush, only to find herself face to face with a monstrous spider demon.

A sharp scream pierced the quite forest, startling Youko enough for him to fall out of his hiding spot in a tree. He landed on his feet and ran in the direction of the scream, a blade of grass in his hand. Moments later, he found Kira pinned to the ground, the spiders fangs dripping deadly venom just inches from Kira's neck, burning holes into her flowery summer dress. Youko was on the demon in a flash, his grass blade cutting into the monster with ease, causing Kira to scream in shock as the monster fell to pieces around her.

"Are you okay, Kira?!" Youko asked as he came over to her.

"Uh...uh-huh..." Kira mumbled as she sat up, tears welling up in her eyes before beginning to sob loudly.

"Hey, don't cry," Youko said with a smile as he held her shoulders. "I'll protect you no matter what! Always..."

"...ira...Kira!" Kurama said as he shook Kira's shoulders slightly. "Earth to Kira!"

Kira blinked a bit as the motion snapped her out of her daydream. She looked at Kurama as if she had just remembered that he was even there. "Huh?"

"Are you all right?" He asked, looking half worried and half amused. "Your gaze became distant all of a sudden. Is something the matter?"

"No, I'm all right," she said, shaking her head a little to clear it. "Just lost myself in thought."

A knock at the door startled the pair, abruptly ending their conversation. The door swung open a moment later and blue-skinned guard with slit eyes stepped in, carrying a set of cotton clothes.

"Change into these," he said as he handed Kira the clothes. "I'll return in a moment."

"But...I haven't eaten breakfast..." Kira said with confused expression, before glancing down at the clothes. "What are these for?"

At that, Kurama laughed, confusing Kira even further. "You won't have to worry about any testing today."

"Huh?"

"Yomi wants me to train you to fight."

"Somehow...that sounds worse," Kira replied with a slight scowl. Kurama's smile, however, only brighten.

"I'll go easy on you," Kurama said, grinning. "Now hurry up and change! I'll wait for you outside the cell."

Still wearing a grin, Kurama left Kira alone in the cell to change, the lock clicking behind him. Kira stared at the door, stunned by Kurama's sudden enthusiasm. What in the Three Worlds had gotten into him? She shook her head and changed into the cotton shirt and tights with a sigh. She knew she should be grateful for that she wasn't being poked and prodded today, but the thought of embarrassing herself in front of Kurama and Lord Yomi, she felt, was worse than anything. With a heavy sigh, she tapped on the door to let the guard and Kurama know she was ready.

Moments later, the trio was outside in a portion of the courtyard that had been closed off by a razor sharp net. A weapons rack was set up against the far side of the small field, filled with a wide variety of weapons ranging from daggers to greatswords. Kira stared at the weapons, surprised to see that they were real weapons and not their wooden counterparts.

"Choose one," said Lord Yomi, startling Kira as he came up behind her.

"Seriously? Are you stupid?" Kira blurted out, covering her mouth upon realizing what she'd just said. "I-I mean...how could I possibly choose?"

"Kurama can help you," said Yomi, chuckling at Kira's outburst, much to her surprise. "Besides, you're no threat to me."

But I could be... Kira thought as she turned back to the weapons rack. You ARE having me trained, after all.

"Why don't we start with my weapon of choice?" Kurama suggested as he reached around her, picking up the leather whip from the rack.

Kurama drew his own Rose Whip and led Kira over to the training dummies set up on the other side of the field. He instructed her on how the whip works, demonstrating his skills on one of the dummies before having Kira repeat the motions. He instantly regretted the decision. Kira swung the whip, but instead of hitting the dummy, the tail of the whip wrapped around Yomi's feet and pulled them out from under him as Kira pulled the whip forward. Hearing the thump, both Kira and Kurama turned around and saw Yomi laying on his back.

"Uhm..." Kira mumbled, looking a bit shell-shocked. How much trouble was she going to get into for this?

"This isn't a good weapon for you," Kurama said, quickly taking the whip from Kira as Yomi untangled his feet.

"Yes," said Yomi as he got up, two maid-servants coming over to dust him off. "Choose something else."

For the next few hours, Kira tried out various weapons but none seemed to suit her. Daggers were too light and easily flew out of Kira's small hands, greatswords were so heavy that Kira couldn't lift them, and bows didn't work well with Kira's lack of aim. She began to become just as frustrated as Yomi, whose scowl had deepened with every failed weapon. The only weapon they hadn't tried at that point was the naginata that lay at the very end of the rack.

"It's the only one left," Kurama said as he held an ice pack to the side of his head where a club had collided with him when it flew out of Kira's hand. "It can't be any worse than the others."

He put the naginata in Kira's hands, forming his own out of vines. Instantly, Kira knew something was different. The blade felt light and balanced, as if it were an extension of her own arm. She raised it and twirled it effortlessly in her hands, mimicking Kurama's movements as he showed her how to wield it. Her movements weren't quite as graceful as his were, but at least the weapon wasn't flying out of her hands and nearly decapitating somebody. And even though she wasn't the epitomy of grace, Kurama couldn't help but be captivated by her. Kira no longer seemed frustrated or bored; instead, she seemed excited and genuinely thrilled that she was able to wield a weapon at all. Her eyes gleamed with joy as she brought the blade down on the dummy, hitting it lightly as she practiced while barely noticing Kurama's gaze. When she paused to rest, she caught him smiling ever so faintly at her, his eyes fixed intensely on her.

"Wh-what?" Kira said, suddenly flustered. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Kurama replied, snapping himself out of his thoughts. "You're doing well. Are we done for the day, Lord Yomi? It's getting late, and we have class tomorrow."

"Yes," said Yomi, looking bored. "You may go."

The sun was just sinking below the horizon, casting the fluffy clouds in an array of reds, oranges, and golds as the chilly spring breeze blew falling cherry petals all around. Kira sucked in a deep breath, glad for the crisp fresh air after a suffocating weekend in Gandara. At least with the promise of returning home every week, the time she spent locked in a cell seemed to pass rather quickly. She hefted her sack of clothes over her shoulder as she crested the hill above Kurama's home with a small smile. They had agreed that Kira should arrive after Kurama, to make their story seem legitimate. But, honestly, Kira didn't care what their story was, she was just glad to be home in the Living World.

"Welcome back," said Shiori with a warm smile. "How was your visit? Shuichi says you volunteer at a medical center a few towns over every weekend!"

"Oh, um..." Kira said slowly, glancing at Kurama briefly as he nodded faintly, "Well, it's a medical center for children, and I just adore little kids. A lot of them are really sick and often quite lonely. So, I like to stay and keep them company during the weekend."

"That's so wonderful of you!" Shiori gushed before hugging her. "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you go put away your things while I set the table?"

Kira nodded and walked upstairs to her room, setting her bag on the bed before unpacking her things. All of the clothing and goods were unused, having been packed before she left and hidden away during the weekend in a hollow tree. Once she was done, she sat on her bed and sighed, pondering the morning's events. Once again, she could hear the familiar laughter of children and remembered the face of the young fox demon that was playing with her as a child. It was the intense gaze in his eyes as he looked the young Kira with worry after saving her from the spider that struck her. She had seen the same look in Kurama's eyes when he had stepped in front of Avalin to protect Kira from more poison testing.

I wonder if Kurama knows Youko... Kira thought as stared up at the ceiling.

A soft knock on the door roused her from her thoughts, and she sat up to see Kurama standing at the door with a gentle smile.

"Daydreaming?" Kurama asked, suppressing an amused look.

"Can it really be called 'daydreaming' when it's night?" Kira replied with a faint smirk.

"Hmm, good point," Kurama said, his grin not fading. "Dinner's ready. Mother made yakitori."

"That sounds really good," Kira said, blushing as her stomach growled loudly. "Especially since I didn't have breakfast."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to find you on the floor this morning, either," Kurama replied turning serious. "You gave me a scare when went off into your own little world. What was on your mind?"

Kira bristled a little at the question, wondering if she should tell him what she saw in her mind. With a heavy sigh, she looked up at him, he sapphire eyes bright with anxiety.

"Last night...I was staring out the window, and I saw someone down in the training field with silver hair and dressed all in white," Kira said slowly. "When I looked at him, I...I think I remembered a small piece of my childhood. I think he was a dear friend when I was young...I called him Youko."

Wooohoo Chapter 20 is done! Kira has just revealed a piece of her childhood to Kurama, but how will he respond when asked about Youko? Stay tuned to Chapter 21 to find out!