Hello again everyone! Welcome back to another installment of "The Hunt of the White Phoenix"! I'd like to give a special thank you to The Happy Fox for helping me write this chapter as well as chapter 20. Without him, I'd be seriously stuck. Anyway, onto Chapter 21! As always, don't forget to leave a review!

~Snowy

Chapter 21: Youko Kurama

Kurama gave a slightly surprised look at Kira at hearing her speak his real name. Yet, he knew it would be unwise to tell her everything all at once and risk overwhelming her. Behind him he heard his mother calling for him and Kira.

"Perhaps we should discuss this later," Kurama suggested calmly. "Dinner is ready, and I don't want to keep Mother waiting."

"Yeah..." Kira sighed before standing up. "I don't know why I even brought it up to you."

At this, Kurama cracked a smile, stifling the quietest of laughs. "Perhaps it is because you're beginning to trust me?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Kira said as she stalked past him. Briefly, she stopped just beyond the door and turn to look at him, her eyes sad but curious. "I don't know...I guess I don't really get you, Kur...Shuichi. And yet...the strange thing is, is that there's just something so...so familiar about you."

If only you knew just how familiar we are to each other... Kurama thought as he watched her walk away.

Dinner was a quiet affair, as Kurama's stepfather was away on business again, and Suichi had taken dinner in his room so he could study. Eventually, Kira, feeling uncomfortable with the silence, excused herself from the table. After soaking in the tube for a while, she retreated to her room for the evening, pulling out her easel and paint set. Slowly, the rose she had begun to paint two days ago came to life, looking more like a photo than a painting. She painted the shadows of the delicate petals in rich shades of dark red while reflecting the light of the full moon with pale pinks and whites.

"You really do have a knack for painting," came a familiar voice. "It's beautiful."

"Jesus!" Kira yelped, knocking over her palette and cup of water as she jumped. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"My apologies," said Kurama, kneeling down down to help Kira clean up the mess. "You were so focused, I didn't wish to disturb you."

"Is it safe to talk now?" Kira said as she scooped up her paintbrushes and put them back in her case. "I mean, I assume that's why you decided to scare the hell out of me."

"Actually, I was going to my room, but I saw you painting. You're very skilled; where did you learn to paint like that?"

"Lots of practice, I guess. I've been painting for as long as I can remember, which...I guess isn't very far back."

"I'm sorry, I didn't meant to open an old wound. Uh, no pun intended."

"Good, because I don't think you're punny."

"Did you just...?"

At that, Kira simply smiled and put away her art supplies. "Did you think I had no sense of humor?"

"I admit, I was beginning to wonder," Kurama replied with a similar smile. He turned his attention to the painting sitting on Kira's easel. "Do you want to go somewhere on Wednesday? We don't have class that day, and I know a place where we can talk safely. And...I think it's a place you might like to paint."

Kira turned and gave him a surprised look before eyeing him suspiciously. Yet, she could find no trace malice in his emerald eyes. She studied his cool expression for a moment and then sighed.

"Won't we need Yomi's permission?" Kira said, a slight sarcasm tainting her tone.

"Not at all," said Kurama. "Have you forgotten he can track us?"

"You have a point," Kira sighed. "Part of me wants to say no, but...I have questions that maybe you can answer. Granted, I can't be sure you'll answer truthfully, but at this point, it's a chance I have to take."

Yusuke burst into Koenma's office, Botan following closely behind and scolding him for barging in. He shrugged her off and slammed his hands into Koenma's desk, knocking the stacks of paper over and burying Koenma.

"I hope you have a good reason for this, Yusuke!" Koemna shouted as he freed himself from the hefty pile of paper. "I'm going to have to start all over..."

"This is more important than some stupid paperwork!" Yusuke shouted back, looking more urgent than rebellious. "It's Kira!"

"What about Kira?" Koemna asked, stopping in the middle of restacking his papers. "Have you found her?"

"Yes, he has, but..." Botan interjected, looking anxious.

"But what? What's happened to her?!" Koenma demanded.

"I'm getting to that! Yomi recaptured her at the ruins," Yusuke said, folding his arms with a frown.

"Why haven't you rescued her then?!" Koenma screamed.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Lord Koenma," said Botan, her tone growing more anxious.

"Both she and Kurama are wearing some kind of stupid bracelet," Yusuke said. "I ran into her while on a date with Keiko at an ice cream parlor. Kira was with Kurama's mother, and I had a brief chance to speak with her. She showed me this odd bracelet on her wrist and said she can't remove it. Can't remember why though..."

"That does make things more difficult..." Koenma mused. "Wait, you said Yomi recaptured her at the ruins, but you ran into her in Living World? Why...?"

"Beats the hell out of me, but I bet that bracelet has some kind of tracker on it," Yusuke said.

"If there's a tracker..." Botan said thoughtfully, "maybe we can trace it!"

"Excellent idea, Botan!" Koenma, exclaimed, putting the stacks of paper on his desk again. "Yusuke, Botan and I will trace Kira's tracker, and once we find her I want you, Hiei, and Kuwabara to follow her, but do not engage them. I want to know what Yomi is up to."

Wednesday came around faster than Kira thought was possible, especially with all the classwork she attempting to catch up on for the upcoming midterms. Mimi had asked her if she wanted to come over and have a movie night to which Kira declined. When Mimi asked what her plans were for their day off, Kira told her that she needed to study because she was so far behind in her work. In truth, however, she knew she couldn't tell Mimi that she had plans to go hiking in the mountains with Kurama because she had a habit of running her mouth. School was already bad enough with the other girls seeing how much time she and Kurama spent together in class. Not that she really had a choice, but those girls wouldn't care either way. The one good thing about having Kurama around all the time was that the girls didn't often have an opportunity to bully her. But that didn't stop them from trying. On Monday, someone taken Kira's History books from her school bag during lunch, and on Tuesday someone else had swapped her beakers in Chemistry, which resulted in a reaction that wound up covering Kira in purple dust. It was getting to the point that Kurama himself had begun to believe that Kira was having some seriously bad luck. That wasn't true, of course, as Kira knew what was going on, but she didn't have the heart to throw anyone under the bus.

With a long sigh, Kira finished packing her hiking pack, feeling guilty about lying to Mimi. Silently, she promised herself to make it up to Mimi later as she descended the stairs. The moment she reached the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner, she stifled a gasp. There, standing by the door, was Kurama, dressed in blue jeans and pale grey button-up shirt covered by an open beige jacket. Kira couldn't help but think that he reminded her of a red-headed Indiana Jones, minus the hat. He turned and looked at her with an easy smile that made Kira's heart race as he finished tying his boots. She shook her head to clear her senses; she had never seen Kurama look so laid back before. To her, it was like looking at a stranger, a completely different person. Sure, she lived with him, but she'd never really seen him in something other than his school uniform or his commander's uniform.

"Are you ready to go?" Kurama asked, still smiling easily.

"Er...um..." Kira stammered, catching herself staring at him.

"Kira? Are you all right?" Kurama asked, his smile fading slightly.

"Yes!" Kira blurted suddenly. "Um, I mean yes, I'm fine, and, yes, I'm ready to leave."

"All right, then," He said, chuckling as he opened the door. "Let's go."

"Where are we going again?" she asked as they stepped out into the crisp spring air.

"There is a recreational area not too far from here," he said as he lead her down the sidewalk. "We're taking one of the hiking trails there."

Kira simply nodded and followed Kurama to the edge of town, eventually arriving at the edge of a looming pine forest. Nearby sat scattered picnic tables and cooking pits. There was a smooth concrete path that looped the park, several dirt paths branching off that were marked with wooden trail markers. Kurama headed toward the trail the farthest away from them and motioned for Kira to follow him. The path was lined with massive pines, whose needles coated the dirt trail, while lush green plants with newly formed buds lined the edges.

A gentle breeze carried with it the faintest scent flowers and distant rain. Kira shivered a little and pulled her pale blue jacket around her tighter, tucking her hands in her sleeves for warmth. Kurama walked slowly so Kira could keep up with him, and on more than one occasion she caught him looking back at her. Finally, after the fifth time, she spoke up.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Kira asked, soundly partly annoyed and partly curious. "I'm not going to run away, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't thinking that," Kurama said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I was just checking to make sure you hadn't fallen behind."

"By staring at me?" Kira mumbled as she picked up her pace.

"This way," Kurama said, stepping off the path and very clearly changing the subject.

Kira grumbled irritably as she followed him off the path, which quickly became steep. Kurama reached out his hand once they reached the edge of a clearing, smiling a little as she took his hand. A soft gasp escaped her lips as he pulled her through the thick pine trees. Beyond the pine trees was a grove of massive cherry trees in full bloom, pink petals swirling on the gentle breeze.

"Do you like it?" Kurama asked, nearly laughing at Kira's awestruck expression.

"Do I like it?" Kira repeated, blinking several times to make sure what she was seeing was real. "It's stunning! When did you find this place?"

"Not long after I met Hiei," Kurama shrugged and walked over to a group of boulders beneath one of the cherry trees. "It's far away from the trail and anyone else. It's a good place talk...and I figured you might like to paint it."

Kurama laughed when he looked up; Kira was already digging in her pack for her paint set before settling onto one of the boulders and beginning to paint the trees. He watched her silently for a few moments before she caught him staring at her again.

"So," Kira said, turning back to her work, "what do you know about Youko?"

Kurama shifted slightly, looking up at the sky. "There's not a demon alive who doesn't know about Youko."

"Really? So tell me what you know, please."

"He was a legendary thief; some even called him the King of Thieves. If I recall correctly, he used to lead a band of thieves...with Yomi."

"With Yomi...?" Kira nearly dropped her paintbrush in surprise. "But why...?"

"I'm not sure there is really an answer for why, beyond their love of treasure." Kurama said coolly. "But they eventually had a falling out...Youko sent an assassin after him-that's how he lost his sight."

Kira sat silent for a while, staring at her canvas as if it held all the answers to her questions. "You said he was a thief. What do you mean by that?"

"He vanished after being hunted down by a Demon Hunter from the Spirit World," Kurama said, catching Kira's palette as it slipped from her hand.

"You mean...he's dead...?" Kira asked slowly, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned to look at him.

"I doubt that," Kurama said, backtracking quickly. "It's more than likely he's in hiding. Is...he special to you?"

"Yes...I think so," Kira said taking her palette back and setting it beside her. "I...We were really close I think. I get these pieces of memories surfacing...a vine pulling me from a frozen lake, a swing made from ropes of vibrant flowers...but what I remember most vividly are his intense, golden eyes."

Kurama had to fight back a grin, remembering the swing he'd made her from the flowers growing in the castle garden. "What else do you remember?"

"Little things, I guess," she said resuming her painting. "Like his silver hair, and-"

Kira's sentence was cut short as Kurama suddenly shoved her down, a quill embedding itself in Kira's canvas, turning it black as it began to melt. Kurama was on his feet in a flash, his whip curled at his feet as he batted away more poisonous quills. The high voices of demons surrounding them filled Kira's ears as she sat up in a daze. Kurama was yelling something, but she couldn't quite understand what he was saying; his voice seemed distant and far away. Suddenly, the heat of the moment caught up with her and she realized what he was trying to say.

"Run, Kira!" Kurama shouted at her, slicing a demon in half with his rose whip.

Dropping her bag, Kira turned on her heel and ran, her white wings unfurling as she bolted across the grove. She didn't know if she could even fly, but she knew she had to try. With a powerful flap of her wings, she kicked into the air and in moments she was above the trees. From this high up, she could see that ten or eleven demons were circling Kurama. For a moment, she thought about running like he told her to do, but then she turned around with a tilt of her wings.

I don't know how to fight, but I can't just leave him to fight alone. Kira thought, a fireball forming in her hand. She threw the fireball, incinerating the demon in front of Kurama.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted as he blocked a blow from a demon on his left, severing his arm with an upward swipe of his whip. "I told you to run!"

"I'm not going to let you fight alone!" Kira said, surprised as she grabbed a demons arm as it charged her. "I know I've still got a lot to learn, but I want to help!"

Kira threw the demon backward as more quills were fired from somewhere in the tree line. Whatever demon lurked in the woods would be the toughest yet, and she knew they were in serious trouble. The demons attacking them outright were small fry; but there were just so many it was difficult to find the monster lurking beyond them Kurama kept Kira behind them, taking out the weaker demons with deadly precision. Kira did what she could to keep up, but Kurama was quicker and stronger than she was. She managed to take out one or two more demons before she began to feel tired.

Once the last demon was felled, a tall demon with purplish skin stalked forward, a line of deadly quills lining the outside of his arms. Razor sharp talons curved from his slender fingers, dripping green acid as he walked closer. His olive colored eyes matched his short, spiked hair, glinting dangerously in the dull sunlight.

"Hand over the phoenix, Kurama," the demon said in a high, raspy voice, "and I might let you live."

"You won't lay a hand on her," Kurama said, cherry petals gathering and dancing around him as he glared back at the monster.

Kurama pushed Kira backwards, knocking her onto the ground as the demon charged. They exchanged blows with blinding speed, leaving Kira stunned and dazed in the grass. Though she couldn't see exactly what was happening, she could tell Kurama was slowing down, his reflexs gradually becoming duller as more and more cuts appeared in his jacket. Blood dripped from a gash that had appeared in his arm as the demons jumped away from each other, Kurama breathing heavily but not backing down.

Damn...my vision is getting blurry...Kurama thought as held his arm.

"How do you like my poison?" The demon hissed as he stepped closer. "I'll admit, you're good for a human. But your body won't hold up much longer with my venom coursing through your veins."

Kurama swung his whip as the demon charged, but the demon was too fast; his fist connected with Kurama's stomach and sent skidding backwards onto the ground. Kira screamed his name and tried to rush forward, but the demon turned toward her, stopping her in her tracks. She stood frozen in fear as the demon approached, cupping her face with a rough hand.

"Hehe," the demon laughed as Kira trembled. "You're mine now..."

Suddenly, the demon howled in pain, blood spurting from his arm as it fell to the ground. A flash of silver hair brought Kira to her senses, a deadly vine extending from a pale arm. Kira stared up in awe at the silver haired fox demon that stood before her, his tail swaying gracefully in the breeze.

"Nobody touches this girl," he said in a steely voice as he severed the demon's head. "She mine..."

"Y...Youko..." Kira gasped, before looking around and realizing Kurama was no where to be found. "Where's Kurama? Is he okay?!"

Youko smiled at her as his eyes turned green, and his hair turned red. Where Youko once stood now stood Kurama, holding his stomach with a pained smile.

"I'm sorry," Kurama said quietly, "This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Kurama..." Kira whispered in shock. "You're Youko...?"

Wow, this is a long chapter! So Kurama has finally revealed that he is, in fact, Kira's long lost childhood friend, Youko! But how will she react to this sudden revalation? And what will she do once she realized Kurama's life is now in jeopardy while stranded on the mountain? Find out in Chapter 22, coming soon! As always, I want to give a special thanks to Youko-Fairy and The Happy Fox for leaving a review! I hope you'll leave one too!