begin part b
It was a single morning glory blossom that
Kurama had made for his daughter. He had spent
the better part of a week during his spare time
creating it. The flower was one of a kind, the
only bloom that would never die as long as either
Kurama or Kitsuryuu possessed it. Kurama had
worked long and diligently to make the petal of
this flower match the color of Kitsuryuu's fiery
hair. Kurama placed each present in a separate
pocket and turned to the window.
The two of them boarded Botan's oar and
Kurama held on to the magical wood with all his
might. It turned out that he needed have
bothered. Either Botan's flying had settled down
over the years or she was trying to avoid
upsetting him again. What ever the reason, Kurama
was thankful. A short distance from Kurama's
apartment Botan opened a portal in the empty air
in front of them and they were instantly in the
Reikai.
Kurama could hardly believe the sight that
was before his eyes. The once very proper and
very stoic palace was transformed into a beautiful
garden wonderland. The outside was draped in long
vines of criss-crossing ivy and trailing flowers.
Banners of royal blue and purple trimmed in gold
hung from the massive open doorway.
They entered after a brief stop at the guard
station and Kurama saw that the splendor wasn't
just outside, but inside as well. The entry hall
was lined with guards dressed in their finest
uniforms. Above each of their heads hung a
crystal chandelier, but the light inside wasn't a
common bulb, but a small fire. Something about
the way the flames flickered inside the slightly
blue tinted chandelier caught Kurama's attention.
The fire was youkai and the chandelier wasn't
crystal, but ice.
"Who...?"
Botan giggled at Kurama's dumbfounded
expression, "Kitsuryuu is a very talented young
lady. She designed all the decorations and even
created a few of them."
A few?! There were at least a hundred
chandeliers in this hallway alone. It was obvious
that they were basic suspended spells, but it
would still take an enormous about of power to
initially generate so many of them. Exactly how
powerful was Kitsuryuu?
Kurama followed Botan blindly, far too
interested in looking at his daughter's handiwork.
As they walked, Kurama silently and unseeingly
tested the delicate works of art for durability
and found them to be more than adequate for their
purpose. He was so detracted by the chandeliers
that he didn't even realize he had arrived into
the Great Hall until he ran right into somebody's
back.
Kurama quickly made his apologies and pulled
his attention back to the present. The familiar,
deep throated laughter that was in response to his
apology caught Kurama off guard. He looked up to
see exactly who he had run into and found himself
face to face with Juu. Kurama had to blink
several times to make sure he was seeing what he
thought he was seeing.
Juu had completely transformed himself. He
was clean shaven and his purple mohawk and 'tails'
were still there but neatly combed and trimmed.
Juu's normal outfit of fur trimmed leather vest
and fur covered, black leather pants had been
replaced with a very nicely cut tux. But what
probably surprised Kurama the most was the
smell... there wasn't one. No sake, no sweat, no
hair gel, no blood, no gore... just the faint
aroma of shaving cream and aftershave.
"Juu... is that really you?!" Kurama almost
squeaked with amusement.
Juu gave a sour face and refused to respond,
but the group around him snickered under their
breath. Kurama looked around at the small group
that had formed at the entryway of the Great Hall.
Yuusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, Yukina, Rinko (had he
really grown that much!) and Jin where all
together a short distance away from dance floor
(and the buffet).
The music the band played was upbeat for the
moment and the band stand looked like it was set
for both a symphony orchestra and a rock band.
One of the first things that Kurama notice when he
looked around the room was how huge it was, he
could barely see the ceiling. The second thing he
noticed was that Enma himself was in attendance.
The God of the Dead sat at the far end of the room
in a throne that was fitting for his size and
stature. One of the Reikai's many messagers
floated on her oar next to his ear, talking to
him.
" Hey... Kurama, there someone hear that has
been looking for you all night," Rinko told
Kurama, with a big teasing smile on his handsome
young face.
"Yeah, Kurama. What did you do to get that
pretty little thing's attention?" Jin joked along
with Rinko.
Kurama was totally lost as to who they could
be talking about. There where lots of people that
would like to get their hands on him, one way or
another.
"Their talking about Kitsuryuu," Keiko told
him to clarify," She's asked us to wait here for
you. She wanted to know the moment that you
arrived."
Kurama almost felt himself blush. Which was
ridiculous. He was almost 500 years old, he'd
forgotten how to blush a long time ago. But none
the less he felt that nervous heat in his stomach
and the temperature in the room rise. Unknowingly
Kurama tugged at his sleeves, buttoned and
unbuttoned his jacket and all for the amusement of
his friends.
"Well, where can I find her?" Kurama asked
after he was sure he was ready.
"She's right over..." Yukina began, but her
husband's hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Koenma is right over there. He'll know
where she's at," Kuwabara interjected quickly with
a wink and nod to Yuusuke.
Yuusuke grinned back. Keiko and Yukina
exchanged looks and then grinned knowingly at each
other. The small group seemed to know what the
joke was, but Kurama was clueless. Feeling a
little annoyed that they were playing some kind of
joke at his expense, Kurama started out on his own
to find Kitsuryuu.
From across the room Kurama spotted Koenma
and headed in his direction. Koenma was with a
group of people that Kurama didn't recognize, but
knew instinctually were very important. Koenma
was also gallantly dressed for the occasion. He
was wearing a copy of his normal royal blue outfit
and sash, but this one was made out of silk and
gold thread. Where Koenma's usual suit was plain
and bare this one had designs embroidered in
silver and gold. He even had a ornamental sword
at his one hip and a pretty girl at the other.
Probably one of his messagers, Kurama guessed as
he neared the group.
Kurama straightened his tie and took in a
deep breath. His goal for the evening was just to
get through the night without incident. He was
hoping that after he made his rounds of the room,
let everyone know that he was here that he could
sneak out early and avoid the big ceremony at the
end of the party. Kurama heaved a great sigh and
felt the weight of the world and lies on his
shoulders as he tapped on Koenma's shoulder.
"Koenma, I was wondering if you could tell me
where I could find Kitsuryuu. I was told she was
looking for me," Kurama asked his friend as he
nodded a hello to the group of people he didn't
know.
"Kurama..." Koenma laughed under his breath,
"She's right here!"
For a moment Kurama thought that Koenma had
lost his mind. He looked at the group and could
not find his daughter. Kurama turned to Koenma to
inform him that he was not in the mood for jokes
when he caught a glimpse of Koenma's lady friend.
Kitsuryuu stood beside her adopted father
looking straight at Kurama and still the fox demon
could not believe that this woman before him was
his daughter. Kitsuryuu's fiery hair had been
painstakingly curled in to long elegant spirals
and pulled up and away from her face with ruby
encrusted, red gold combs. When she turn in the
light, glimpses of tiny gold chains at staggered
lengths with ruby attached to the ends could be
seen in the curls.
The gown that she wore was completely
backless, which Kurama had noticed as he had
approached from behind. The evening dress was
made of deep, blood red, crushed velvet that made
Kitsuryuu's hair look like polished ebony and her
red highlights glow with their own light. The
gown was cut in the front to be low, but not so
low that it was indecent by most normal ,
non-parental type people.
The low cut neckline was made up for in the
length of the dress. It was clearly designed to
brush the floor as Kitsuryuu walked and flow
around her as she moved. The finger wide straps
that where the only thing keeping the entire dress
up were placed far out on Kitsuryuu's shoulders so
that nothing distracted from her face, her hair or
the necklace she wore.
The necklace was deceivingly simple. It
appeared to be a circlet of solid red gold that
V-ed slightly at the bottom with a good sized red
jewel placed on the point of the V. It was the
slight twinkle of ruby, red light from within the
gem that gave it away as being something more than
it was.
Kitsuryuu wore no make-up or any other
jewelry besides the necklace and the combs... she
didn't need it. It was becoming increasingly
harder for Kurama to believe that this was the
same girl that he saw just a two weeks ago run
Mechiko through the mud rather harshly. All
Kurama could do was stare at her, he couldn't even
speak. He saw her give him a little, devilish,
half smile that she could have only gotten from
one person.
"Do I look that different, Kurama-san?"
Kurama felt like he had just been hit with a
100 kg weight right upside the head. Kitsuryuu
spoke! She didn't sign... she spoke. The words
had been low, so low that the music from the band
almost drowned them out, but defiantly uttered by
her lips. Her voice was deep and husky probably
from being unused for so long, but somehow Kurama
thought that even if Kitsuryuu had of been
speaking all her life she would have sounded the
same. Sultry was the only word to describe
Kitsuryuu. Between the dress, the devil gleam in
her eyes and the raw silk voice that would put a
weaker man into a trance, Kitsuryuu was quit an
alluring package.
"I do believe that this is the first time
that my dear Kurama has been completely and
totally speechless and captivated. You should be
ashamed of yourself! She's a hundredth your age
and your married no less"
Yomi's good natured teasing was like a slap
of ice water in Kurama's mind. 'She's my
daughter! How dare he suggest that I...' Kurama
fumed silently, forgetting for a moment that no
one knew that little bit of information besides
his close friends, himself and Hiei. Swallowing
the need to ram Yomi through the closest wall
Kurama smiled.
"I was just stunned that this young woman was
the same girl that dragged my niece through the
mud not too long ago," Kurama explained with half
the truth.
"Ahh... I see. Then you won't mind if I take
my dance I was promised earlier now," Yomi said as
he took Kitsuryuu's hand and kissed the back of
it.
"Yomi-san you flirt entirely too much for a
man in your position," Kitsuryuu said as she
smiled, clearly enjoying the attention that she
had just reprimanded.
"If I promise that my son will behave himself
for the rest of the evening would you allow me my
dance."
"If you promise that little, rat bastard will
fall into a lake with a stone collar, you can have
every dance," Kitsuryuu growled out though her
clenched fangs.
"Kitsuryuu!" Koenma exclaimed.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Father, but I
have to say what is on my mind. It's the only way
the necklace works," Kitsuryuu said, only looking
slightly apologetic.
"Do not worry yourself over it Koenma," Yomi
said as he took Kitsuryuu's arm and started to led
her to the dance floor. Before he got too far
away he turned and looked straight at Kurama with
his sightless eyes. "Being completely honest with
the people closest to you is the only way anyone
can be truly happy."
As Yomi walked away with Kitsuryuu in tow,
Kurama knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his
old partner in crime knew his little secret.
Kurama began to worry how Yomi had found it out.
Was he told... did he figure it out on his own...
Kurama quickly excused himself from Koenma
and backed up into the shadows of the room.
Kurama needed a moment to compose himself.
Kitsuryuu was speaking, alluring more attention
than he was comfortable with and Yomi was
obviously trying to tell him that his secret
wasn't as well kept as he had once thought.
Kurama's plans to get though this evening without
incident was starting to look like an impossible
dream.
"Maryoku! Will you please stop mopping there
and come and enjoy the party!" Kurama heard
Mechiko say from the other side of the potted
plant that he had chosen to hide beside.
"What is there to enjoy? This whole party is
a farce! A lie to fool Kitsuryuu until the
ceremony is over," Maryoku replied angrily.
"I know... I know..." Mechiko said, loosing
much of her wind, "But can't we just be happy for
her now? Maybe no one will notice. Maybe
Kitsuryuu will never find out."
"Are you crazy?! Of course she'll find out!
She's already suspicious that we're keeping a
secret from her. How can I possibly be happy for
her? Everything that they do is putting her into
more danger!"
"What are you talking about, Maryoku?"
Mechiko asked, sounding more worried and deflated
than before.
"Think about it for a minute. Both of her
fathers are heirs to 1/3 of the Makai, plus she's
being adopted by Koenma which makes her heir to
the Reikai. They couldn't have made her a better
target if they painted a bull's eye on her back!"
Kurama felt his blood freeze when he heard
Maryoku's words. The boy was right. Kitsuryuu
would be a perfect target. Kurama's evening was
looking blacker and darker by the moment. Then it
got worse.
"OK... let's forget the fact that someone
could use Kitsuryuu as leverage against Koenma,
Hiei, Kurama or even our Father. Think of all the
youkai out there that have a death wish for either
Hiei or Kurama. And I'm not talking D or C-class.
I mean the A, S and Quest-class demons."
"But, if nobody knows that she's their
daughter then it's all right," Mechiko tried to
defend.
"Don't be ridiculous! You've seen the way
she fights, the way she moves and the way she
speaks. She couldn't be more like Hiei if she
tried. In the dark or in the middle of a crowded
fight it would be easy to mistake her for Hiei,
despite the height difference. And even if
someone was short sighted enough to not see that,
when she changes into her youko form she's looks
exactly like Kurama."
"Well, what are they suppose to do Maryoku,
if your so smart and their idiots?" Mechiko said,
voicing Kurama's own question.
"They should have talked to Kitsuryuu and
told her the situation from the very beginning.
If they had have gone about it in the right way
Koenma could have adopted Kitsuryuu to protect her
from Reikai law and she still would have known who
her true parents were. That way she at least
would have a clue to what was going on when
somebody attacked her calling her by one of her
father's names. It's too late for them to help
her now, but not me."
"What do you mean?" Mechiko asked her
brother.
"I've joined the Royal Guard's Special Unit
the one that Kitsuryuu is in. That way I can at
least watch her back." Maryoku said with an air of
finality.
"Besides the fact the Dad's gonna kill ya,
how are you going to pass the basic training? You
hate to fight!"
"I may hate to fight, but that does mean that
I can't or won't."
"Well, if your serious about doing this then
we better start getting you beefed up before you
go. And I'm coming with you... to watch *your*
back."
Kurama heard the twins leave and was left to
think about the truth in Maryoku's words. The
young man had brought up points that Kurama
himself had not thought of. Of course any youkai
that he or Hiei had crossed or double-crossed
would love the chance to take a pot-shot at their
children. Kurama felt a moments panic realizing
that Shiori was at home alone with Kyuukai with no
one to watch over them. The need to return home
as quickly as possible was irresistible him.
Kurama was halfway to the door when a light
warm hand on his arm almost made him jump right
out of his skin. A sharp reprimand was on the tip
of his tongue, but when he saw Kitsuryuu looking
back at him as startled as he was he held it back.
"Are you leaving so soon, Kurama-san?"
Kitsuryuu asked, her disappointment showing
clearly in her words.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I have to..." Kurama
stopped for a moment to think of an a appropriate
reason, "...check in on my mother. She wasn't
feeling too well when I last saw her this
morning."
Kurama saw the worry in Kitsuryuu's face and
wished that he had have come up with a better lie
than that... or maybe tell Kitsuryuu the truth for
once.
"Is Grandmother ill? Maybe I should call a
healer to go with you."
The quickly beating heart in Kurama's chest
suddenly stopped beating with a painful squeeze.
Kurama replayed Kitsuryuu's words inside his head
and could only get to the second word before his
mind froze to a halt.
"Grandmother?" Kurama asked without even
realizing that he had spoke.
"What? Oh that..." Kitsuryuu grinned and
even blushed a little, "Shiori-san asked me to
call her Grandmother. She said that it would be
rude for me to call her by her informal name since
a grandmother is what she is now. Is it all right
that I call her that?" she asked obviously upset
that she had offended him.
"No, it's perfectly all right that you call
her that. I was surprised, that's all."
"Do you want me to call a healer for you?"
Kitsuryuu asked again.
"No, that won't be necessary. I was only
worried that Kyuukai was taking more of a toll on
her than she is admitting to. I just wanted to go
home early so that she wouldn't have to watch him
all evening," Kurama lied again, knowing that if
his mother ever found out he was a dead man.
"Well if you need to go you better leave now
while Yomi-san is distracted. He said he wanted
to talk to you about 'heirs', and he can talk a
LOT so you better hurry before he spots you,"
Kitsuryuu advised him as Kurama turned to leave.
"Wait, I forgot to give you your presents,"
Kurama said, feeling somewhat guilty that he
hadn't thought about them earlier.
Kurama reached into his suit pocket and
pulled out his mother's scarf wrapped gift.
Kitsuryuu held the box itself for a moment and
just ran her fingers over the silky material
before she pulled on the ribbon that held it in
place. The edges of the scarf folded away to
reveal an exquisitely carved box. Kitsuryuu
unfolded the little gold card attached to the
ribbon and read it aloud.
"To my dearest little girl. This is for when
you can hear again. Love, Your Grandmother."
Kitsuryuu face had a puzzled frown as she
opened the top of the box. Kurama heard the
whining of gears moments before the melody of the
music box started. As the small, simple notes
played out a song that Shiori had sung to Kurama
since his was a newborn, understanding dawned in
Kitsuryuu's eyes. For a moment Kurama thought his
daughter was going to cry, but she smiled through
the mist of tears in her eyes. Slowly Kitsuryuu
closed the box and whispered 'Someday'.
"Do you remember your parents, Kurama-san? I
don't mean Grandmother... I mean your youko
parents," Kitsuryuu asked as she put the music box
into a pocket hidden in the folds of her dress.
Kurama's skin broke out in a cold sweat and a
queasy, rolling feeling settled in the pit of his
stomach making him light headed. He swallowed
several times around the rock in his throat before
he answered.
"I remember my mother some," Kurama told her
not elaborating on the kind of bitch his mother
had been.
"I know that youkai don't usually raise their
children, and I know that I ought to be thankful
that Koenma wants to adopt me, but sometimes...
sometimes I want to believe that my mother and
father are out there searching for me. Do you
wonder sometimes what it would have been like to
have been raised by your real parents?"
"No... not really. I never thought about my
parents until Shiori, and after I met her I never
wanted anybody else," Kurama said, speaking the
truth for the first time all evening.
Kurama shifted under his daughter's gaze
wishing he was anywhere but here, knowing that the
truth of Kitsuryuu's birth was written in black
across his forehead. The need to flee Kitsuryuu's
innocent scrutiny was strong but Kurama held his
ground. After several moments of silence
Kitsuryuu smiled and laughed under her breath.
"Maybe I'll feel the same way about Koenma
someday, and maybe I'll never think about my birth
parents again. You better get going before
Yomi-san sees you, and tell Hiei-san that I'm
sorry that he couldn't come, but I understand how
he doesn't like crowds...", Kitsuryuu leaned into
Kurama so that her face was only inches from his
ear," ...crowds give me the creeps too."
Kurama mumbled a good-bye, an apology, and a
thank in what he hoped was the right order and
quickly made his way to the door. The tears
started flowing before he could even get to the
Great Hall's massive entryway. Kurama skillfully
avoided his friends and found a corner in the dark
and let himself slide down the wall. The crystal
box in his jacket dug into the soft flesh of his
side. Kurama pulled out Kitsuyruu's present and
opened the silver hinged top.
He pulled out the small flower and stroked
the silken petal that so reminded him of
Kitsuryuu's hair. Soon Kurama's vision was so
blurred that he couldn't even see the magical
morning glory in his palm. As he sat there
utterly alone in the dark, Kurama vowed that even
if Kitsuryuu learned to forget about her birth
parents that he would never forget her.
============
end chapter 21
It was a single morning glory blossom that
Kurama had made for his daughter. He had spent
the better part of a week during his spare time
creating it. The flower was one of a kind, the
only bloom that would never die as long as either
Kurama or Kitsuryuu possessed it. Kurama had
worked long and diligently to make the petal of
this flower match the color of Kitsuryuu's fiery
hair. Kurama placed each present in a separate
pocket and turned to the window.
The two of them boarded Botan's oar and
Kurama held on to the magical wood with all his
might. It turned out that he needed have
bothered. Either Botan's flying had settled down
over the years or she was trying to avoid
upsetting him again. What ever the reason, Kurama
was thankful. A short distance from Kurama's
apartment Botan opened a portal in the empty air
in front of them and they were instantly in the
Reikai.
Kurama could hardly believe the sight that
was before his eyes. The once very proper and
very stoic palace was transformed into a beautiful
garden wonderland. The outside was draped in long
vines of criss-crossing ivy and trailing flowers.
Banners of royal blue and purple trimmed in gold
hung from the massive open doorway.
They entered after a brief stop at the guard
station and Kurama saw that the splendor wasn't
just outside, but inside as well. The entry hall
was lined with guards dressed in their finest
uniforms. Above each of their heads hung a
crystal chandelier, but the light inside wasn't a
common bulb, but a small fire. Something about
the way the flames flickered inside the slightly
blue tinted chandelier caught Kurama's attention.
The fire was youkai and the chandelier wasn't
crystal, but ice.
"Who...?"
Botan giggled at Kurama's dumbfounded
expression, "Kitsuryuu is a very talented young
lady. She designed all the decorations and even
created a few of them."
A few?! There were at least a hundred
chandeliers in this hallway alone. It was obvious
that they were basic suspended spells, but it
would still take an enormous about of power to
initially generate so many of them. Exactly how
powerful was Kitsuryuu?
Kurama followed Botan blindly, far too
interested in looking at his daughter's handiwork.
As they walked, Kurama silently and unseeingly
tested the delicate works of art for durability
and found them to be more than adequate for their
purpose. He was so detracted by the chandeliers
that he didn't even realize he had arrived into
the Great Hall until he ran right into somebody's
back.
Kurama quickly made his apologies and pulled
his attention back to the present. The familiar,
deep throated laughter that was in response to his
apology caught Kurama off guard. He looked up to
see exactly who he had run into and found himself
face to face with Juu. Kurama had to blink
several times to make sure he was seeing what he
thought he was seeing.
Juu had completely transformed himself. He
was clean shaven and his purple mohawk and 'tails'
were still there but neatly combed and trimmed.
Juu's normal outfit of fur trimmed leather vest
and fur covered, black leather pants had been
replaced with a very nicely cut tux. But what
probably surprised Kurama the most was the
smell... there wasn't one. No sake, no sweat, no
hair gel, no blood, no gore... just the faint
aroma of shaving cream and aftershave.
"Juu... is that really you?!" Kurama almost
squeaked with amusement.
Juu gave a sour face and refused to respond,
but the group around him snickered under their
breath. Kurama looked around at the small group
that had formed at the entryway of the Great Hall.
Yuusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, Yukina, Rinko (had he
really grown that much!) and Jin where all
together a short distance away from dance floor
(and the buffet).
The music the band played was upbeat for the
moment and the band stand looked like it was set
for both a symphony orchestra and a rock band.
One of the first things that Kurama notice when he
looked around the room was how huge it was, he
could barely see the ceiling. The second thing he
noticed was that Enma himself was in attendance.
The God of the Dead sat at the far end of the room
in a throne that was fitting for his size and
stature. One of the Reikai's many messagers
floated on her oar next to his ear, talking to
him.
" Hey... Kurama, there someone hear that has
been looking for you all night," Rinko told
Kurama, with a big teasing smile on his handsome
young face.
"Yeah, Kurama. What did you do to get that
pretty little thing's attention?" Jin joked along
with Rinko.
Kurama was totally lost as to who they could
be talking about. There where lots of people that
would like to get their hands on him, one way or
another.
"Their talking about Kitsuryuu," Keiko told
him to clarify," She's asked us to wait here for
you. She wanted to know the moment that you
arrived."
Kurama almost felt himself blush. Which was
ridiculous. He was almost 500 years old, he'd
forgotten how to blush a long time ago. But none
the less he felt that nervous heat in his stomach
and the temperature in the room rise. Unknowingly
Kurama tugged at his sleeves, buttoned and
unbuttoned his jacket and all for the amusement of
his friends.
"Well, where can I find her?" Kurama asked
after he was sure he was ready.
"She's right over..." Yukina began, but her
husband's hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Koenma is right over there. He'll know
where she's at," Kuwabara interjected quickly with
a wink and nod to Yuusuke.
Yuusuke grinned back. Keiko and Yukina
exchanged looks and then grinned knowingly at each
other. The small group seemed to know what the
joke was, but Kurama was clueless. Feeling a
little annoyed that they were playing some kind of
joke at his expense, Kurama started out on his own
to find Kitsuryuu.
From across the room Kurama spotted Koenma
and headed in his direction. Koenma was with a
group of people that Kurama didn't recognize, but
knew instinctually were very important. Koenma
was also gallantly dressed for the occasion. He
was wearing a copy of his normal royal blue outfit
and sash, but this one was made out of silk and
gold thread. Where Koenma's usual suit was plain
and bare this one had designs embroidered in
silver and gold. He even had a ornamental sword
at his one hip and a pretty girl at the other.
Probably one of his messagers, Kurama guessed as
he neared the group.
Kurama straightened his tie and took in a
deep breath. His goal for the evening was just to
get through the night without incident. He was
hoping that after he made his rounds of the room,
let everyone know that he was here that he could
sneak out early and avoid the big ceremony at the
end of the party. Kurama heaved a great sigh and
felt the weight of the world and lies on his
shoulders as he tapped on Koenma's shoulder.
"Koenma, I was wondering if you could tell me
where I could find Kitsuryuu. I was told she was
looking for me," Kurama asked his friend as he
nodded a hello to the group of people he didn't
know.
"Kurama..." Koenma laughed under his breath,
"She's right here!"
For a moment Kurama thought that Koenma had
lost his mind. He looked at the group and could
not find his daughter. Kurama turned to Koenma to
inform him that he was not in the mood for jokes
when he caught a glimpse of Koenma's lady friend.
Kitsuryuu stood beside her adopted father
looking straight at Kurama and still the fox demon
could not believe that this woman before him was
his daughter. Kitsuryuu's fiery hair had been
painstakingly curled in to long elegant spirals
and pulled up and away from her face with ruby
encrusted, red gold combs. When she turn in the
light, glimpses of tiny gold chains at staggered
lengths with ruby attached to the ends could be
seen in the curls.
The gown that she wore was completely
backless, which Kurama had noticed as he had
approached from behind. The evening dress was
made of deep, blood red, crushed velvet that made
Kitsuryuu's hair look like polished ebony and her
red highlights glow with their own light. The
gown was cut in the front to be low, but not so
low that it was indecent by most normal ,
non-parental type people.
The low cut neckline was made up for in the
length of the dress. It was clearly designed to
brush the floor as Kitsuryuu walked and flow
around her as she moved. The finger wide straps
that where the only thing keeping the entire dress
up were placed far out on Kitsuryuu's shoulders so
that nothing distracted from her face, her hair or
the necklace she wore.
The necklace was deceivingly simple. It
appeared to be a circlet of solid red gold that
V-ed slightly at the bottom with a good sized red
jewel placed on the point of the V. It was the
slight twinkle of ruby, red light from within the
gem that gave it away as being something more than
it was.
Kitsuryuu wore no make-up or any other
jewelry besides the necklace and the combs... she
didn't need it. It was becoming increasingly
harder for Kurama to believe that this was the
same girl that he saw just a two weeks ago run
Mechiko through the mud rather harshly. All
Kurama could do was stare at her, he couldn't even
speak. He saw her give him a little, devilish,
half smile that she could have only gotten from
one person.
"Do I look that different, Kurama-san?"
Kurama felt like he had just been hit with a
100 kg weight right upside the head. Kitsuryuu
spoke! She didn't sign... she spoke. The words
had been low, so low that the music from the band
almost drowned them out, but defiantly uttered by
her lips. Her voice was deep and husky probably
from being unused for so long, but somehow Kurama
thought that even if Kitsuryuu had of been
speaking all her life she would have sounded the
same. Sultry was the only word to describe
Kitsuryuu. Between the dress, the devil gleam in
her eyes and the raw silk voice that would put a
weaker man into a trance, Kitsuryuu was quit an
alluring package.
"I do believe that this is the first time
that my dear Kurama has been completely and
totally speechless and captivated. You should be
ashamed of yourself! She's a hundredth your age
and your married no less"
Yomi's good natured teasing was like a slap
of ice water in Kurama's mind. 'She's my
daughter! How dare he suggest that I...' Kurama
fumed silently, forgetting for a moment that no
one knew that little bit of information besides
his close friends, himself and Hiei. Swallowing
the need to ram Yomi through the closest wall
Kurama smiled.
"I was just stunned that this young woman was
the same girl that dragged my niece through the
mud not too long ago," Kurama explained with half
the truth.
"Ahh... I see. Then you won't mind if I take
my dance I was promised earlier now," Yomi said as
he took Kitsuryuu's hand and kissed the back of
it.
"Yomi-san you flirt entirely too much for a
man in your position," Kitsuryuu said as she
smiled, clearly enjoying the attention that she
had just reprimanded.
"If I promise that my son will behave himself
for the rest of the evening would you allow me my
dance."
"If you promise that little, rat bastard will
fall into a lake with a stone collar, you can have
every dance," Kitsuryuu growled out though her
clenched fangs.
"Kitsuryuu!" Koenma exclaimed.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you Father, but I
have to say what is on my mind. It's the only way
the necklace works," Kitsuryuu said, only looking
slightly apologetic.
"Do not worry yourself over it Koenma," Yomi
said as he took Kitsuryuu's arm and started to led
her to the dance floor. Before he got too far
away he turned and looked straight at Kurama with
his sightless eyes. "Being completely honest with
the people closest to you is the only way anyone
can be truly happy."
As Yomi walked away with Kitsuryuu in tow,
Kurama knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that his
old partner in crime knew his little secret.
Kurama began to worry how Yomi had found it out.
Was he told... did he figure it out on his own...
Kurama quickly excused himself from Koenma
and backed up into the shadows of the room.
Kurama needed a moment to compose himself.
Kitsuryuu was speaking, alluring more attention
than he was comfortable with and Yomi was
obviously trying to tell him that his secret
wasn't as well kept as he had once thought.
Kurama's plans to get though this evening without
incident was starting to look like an impossible
dream.
"Maryoku! Will you please stop mopping there
and come and enjoy the party!" Kurama heard
Mechiko say from the other side of the potted
plant that he had chosen to hide beside.
"What is there to enjoy? This whole party is
a farce! A lie to fool Kitsuryuu until the
ceremony is over," Maryoku replied angrily.
"I know... I know..." Mechiko said, loosing
much of her wind, "But can't we just be happy for
her now? Maybe no one will notice. Maybe
Kitsuryuu will never find out."
"Are you crazy?! Of course she'll find out!
She's already suspicious that we're keeping a
secret from her. How can I possibly be happy for
her? Everything that they do is putting her into
more danger!"
"What are you talking about, Maryoku?"
Mechiko asked, sounding more worried and deflated
than before.
"Think about it for a minute. Both of her
fathers are heirs to 1/3 of the Makai, plus she's
being adopted by Koenma which makes her heir to
the Reikai. They couldn't have made her a better
target if they painted a bull's eye on her back!"
Kurama felt his blood freeze when he heard
Maryoku's words. The boy was right. Kitsuryuu
would be a perfect target. Kurama's evening was
looking blacker and darker by the moment. Then it
got worse.
"OK... let's forget the fact that someone
could use Kitsuryuu as leverage against Koenma,
Hiei, Kurama or even our Father. Think of all the
youkai out there that have a death wish for either
Hiei or Kurama. And I'm not talking D or C-class.
I mean the A, S and Quest-class demons."
"But, if nobody knows that she's their
daughter then it's all right," Mechiko tried to
defend.
"Don't be ridiculous! You've seen the way
she fights, the way she moves and the way she
speaks. She couldn't be more like Hiei if she
tried. In the dark or in the middle of a crowded
fight it would be easy to mistake her for Hiei,
despite the height difference. And even if
someone was short sighted enough to not see that,
when she changes into her youko form she's looks
exactly like Kurama."
"Well, what are they suppose to do Maryoku,
if your so smart and their idiots?" Mechiko said,
voicing Kurama's own question.
"They should have talked to Kitsuryuu and
told her the situation from the very beginning.
If they had have gone about it in the right way
Koenma could have adopted Kitsuryuu to protect her
from Reikai law and she still would have known who
her true parents were. That way she at least
would have a clue to what was going on when
somebody attacked her calling her by one of her
father's names. It's too late for them to help
her now, but not me."
"What do you mean?" Mechiko asked her
brother.
"I've joined the Royal Guard's Special Unit
the one that Kitsuryuu is in. That way I can at
least watch her back." Maryoku said with an air of
finality.
"Besides the fact the Dad's gonna kill ya,
how are you going to pass the basic training? You
hate to fight!"
"I may hate to fight, but that does mean that
I can't or won't."
"Well, if your serious about doing this then
we better start getting you beefed up before you
go. And I'm coming with you... to watch *your*
back."
Kurama heard the twins leave and was left to
think about the truth in Maryoku's words. The
young man had brought up points that Kurama
himself had not thought of. Of course any youkai
that he or Hiei had crossed or double-crossed
would love the chance to take a pot-shot at their
children. Kurama felt a moments panic realizing
that Shiori was at home alone with Kyuukai with no
one to watch over them. The need to return home
as quickly as possible was irresistible him.
Kurama was halfway to the door when a light
warm hand on his arm almost made him jump right
out of his skin. A sharp reprimand was on the tip
of his tongue, but when he saw Kitsuryuu looking
back at him as startled as he was he held it back.
"Are you leaving so soon, Kurama-san?"
Kitsuryuu asked, her disappointment showing
clearly in her words.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I have to..." Kurama
stopped for a moment to think of an a appropriate
reason, "...check in on my mother. She wasn't
feeling too well when I last saw her this
morning."
Kurama saw the worry in Kitsuryuu's face and
wished that he had have come up with a better lie
than that... or maybe tell Kitsuryuu the truth for
once.
"Is Grandmother ill? Maybe I should call a
healer to go with you."
The quickly beating heart in Kurama's chest
suddenly stopped beating with a painful squeeze.
Kurama replayed Kitsuryuu's words inside his head
and could only get to the second word before his
mind froze to a halt.
"Grandmother?" Kurama asked without even
realizing that he had spoke.
"What? Oh that..." Kitsuryuu grinned and
even blushed a little, "Shiori-san asked me to
call her Grandmother. She said that it would be
rude for me to call her by her informal name since
a grandmother is what she is now. Is it all right
that I call her that?" she asked obviously upset
that she had offended him.
"No, it's perfectly all right that you call
her that. I was surprised, that's all."
"Do you want me to call a healer for you?"
Kitsuryuu asked again.
"No, that won't be necessary. I was only
worried that Kyuukai was taking more of a toll on
her than she is admitting to. I just wanted to go
home early so that she wouldn't have to watch him
all evening," Kurama lied again, knowing that if
his mother ever found out he was a dead man.
"Well if you need to go you better leave now
while Yomi-san is distracted. He said he wanted
to talk to you about 'heirs', and he can talk a
LOT so you better hurry before he spots you,"
Kitsuryuu advised him as Kurama turned to leave.
"Wait, I forgot to give you your presents,"
Kurama said, feeling somewhat guilty that he
hadn't thought about them earlier.
Kurama reached into his suit pocket and
pulled out his mother's scarf wrapped gift.
Kitsuryuu held the box itself for a moment and
just ran her fingers over the silky material
before she pulled on the ribbon that held it in
place. The edges of the scarf folded away to
reveal an exquisitely carved box. Kitsuryuu
unfolded the little gold card attached to the
ribbon and read it aloud.
"To my dearest little girl. This is for when
you can hear again. Love, Your Grandmother."
Kitsuryuu face had a puzzled frown as she
opened the top of the box. Kurama heard the
whining of gears moments before the melody of the
music box started. As the small, simple notes
played out a song that Shiori had sung to Kurama
since his was a newborn, understanding dawned in
Kitsuryuu's eyes. For a moment Kurama thought his
daughter was going to cry, but she smiled through
the mist of tears in her eyes. Slowly Kitsuryuu
closed the box and whispered 'Someday'.
"Do you remember your parents, Kurama-san? I
don't mean Grandmother... I mean your youko
parents," Kitsuryuu asked as she put the music box
into a pocket hidden in the folds of her dress.
Kurama's skin broke out in a cold sweat and a
queasy, rolling feeling settled in the pit of his
stomach making him light headed. He swallowed
several times around the rock in his throat before
he answered.
"I remember my mother some," Kurama told her
not elaborating on the kind of bitch his mother
had been.
"I know that youkai don't usually raise their
children, and I know that I ought to be thankful
that Koenma wants to adopt me, but sometimes...
sometimes I want to believe that my mother and
father are out there searching for me. Do you
wonder sometimes what it would have been like to
have been raised by your real parents?"
"No... not really. I never thought about my
parents until Shiori, and after I met her I never
wanted anybody else," Kurama said, speaking the
truth for the first time all evening.
Kurama shifted under his daughter's gaze
wishing he was anywhere but here, knowing that the
truth of Kitsuryuu's birth was written in black
across his forehead. The need to flee Kitsuryuu's
innocent scrutiny was strong but Kurama held his
ground. After several moments of silence
Kitsuryuu smiled and laughed under her breath.
"Maybe I'll feel the same way about Koenma
someday, and maybe I'll never think about my birth
parents again. You better get going before
Yomi-san sees you, and tell Hiei-san that I'm
sorry that he couldn't come, but I understand how
he doesn't like crowds...", Kitsuryuu leaned into
Kurama so that her face was only inches from his
ear," ...crowds give me the creeps too."
Kurama mumbled a good-bye, an apology, and a
thank in what he hoped was the right order and
quickly made his way to the door. The tears
started flowing before he could even get to the
Great Hall's massive entryway. Kurama skillfully
avoided his friends and found a corner in the dark
and let himself slide down the wall. The crystal
box in his jacket dug into the soft flesh of his
side. Kurama pulled out Kitsuyruu's present and
opened the silver hinged top.
He pulled out the small flower and stroked
the silken petal that so reminded him of
Kitsuryuu's hair. Soon Kurama's vision was so
blurred that he couldn't even see the magical
morning glory in his palm. As he sat there
utterly alone in the dark, Kurama vowed that even
if Kitsuryuu learned to forget about her birth
parents that he would never forget her.
============
end chapter 21