Standard disclaimers apply. Due to my constant worrying that a misunderstanding might occur, no, Koenma and Botan are not in a relationship, I'm afraid that I might've wrote a too much out of character Koenma that it might get misunderstood. Oi, do appreciate my cowering attempt to watch this stupid battle, I hate this so much I actually got physically sick because of this. Minna, I'm pathetic, I know ^-^ That's all, hope you enjoy reading! Chapter done in Kurama's point of view.
Chapter 7
I looked around to see if anybody was there. The dark hallways and the creeping silence convinced me that I was alone, the room void of any other presence but mine. I eyed the bottle warily, watching the purple liquid swirling in a cloudy mist. I sighed, pulling the top off to take the pointed cover, dipping it slightly on the surface of the purple pool. I held it up above my lips as I opened my mouth to let the drop in.
Suzuki.
I never saw him since then, I figured he must've gone on his way. Kuwabara and I never talked about him either, or maybe I guess Kuwabara was too busy practicing with his sword to even think about anything else. I wasn't able to find out why he had given these to us, whether it may be of ill intentions or not. But I suppose we'll be needing all the help we could get by now.
Karasu.
I don't know why, but something about him seems to draw me to him. Eversince that encounter near our team's room, he and Bui never bothered me again. But his strength and power will always be tainted in my mind. I glanced at my shoulder, eyeing the bandage, thinking about the wound that the bomb had caused. I knew it wasn't even half of what he could do, and the mere thought just added to my dread. I wasn't even able to sense it.
I frowned as I sat down the cold floor, my mind filled with too many questions and anxiety to even think about how I must've looked. I touched the bandage lightly before pulling on the loose end. I took it off, discarding the soiled cloth beside me and gazed down the wound. It had healed already, with only a light scar to cover it. I sighed and closed my eyes, willing my mind to just take a rest and disregard all further thoughts.
But there was another thought that kept me insanely bothered, the one thing that I thought I should've forgotten after all these years. I took a deep breath, feeling the ghostly presence of her memory spread in my head, willing my mind to accept the temporary presence of her eyes, accepting the electricity and heat of emotions as I remembered her touch. I let myself remember the softness of her hair, the sweetness of her smile.
But it was all too much.
I snapped my eyes open, feeling a bead of sweat run down my temples. I never allowed myself to think about her before this, keeping myself busy just to be able to forget about her. But she never left me. I saw myself on those sleepless nights. Cold, lonely nights when her face would just appear out of nowhere, her smile seemingly present just to mock me. But it wasn't until now have I realized why I kept dreading her presence.
I was in love with her.
I was in love the very first time I looked at her seriously, in love by the very first smile that she had given. Her eyes, formerly filled with fear and remorse just seemed to fade away when I walked to her, filling those gorgeous pools with a strange and intense gaze that had kept me bound to my feet. What I felt for her, it was very much unlike those that I had ever experienced. I admit, lust was not an alien feeling to me, it was a sinful world after all. But something about her, that thing that draw me to her…what I felt was not at all lust. I never even dared go far with her, wanting every moment to be cherished and felt.
And to be remembered.
Only now did I regret I ever carved her in my mind. It seems as though I had made a mistake of even trying to help her. From that very first time I heard her scream, it was like a personal call to me. I should've trusted myself to stop meeting her, to stop the torturous attempts to hide myself from her. To stop myself from ever touching her, from ever looking at her.
To stop myself from falling for her.
I shut my eyes closed, hitting the back of my head on the cold wall. It was cold, reminding me of those nights when I ached for her presence. But I guess I'd never have the chance to be with her again. I will always try to hide behind the mask of Shuuichi Minamino to cover myself from her. I wasn't even sure if she remembered me. That was why I wanted to talk to her, to ask an indirect question about her experience in Makai. That was all I ever want, to know that she still remembered. Much as I would avoid her presence now, all I really need is to know she still knew me, that she hasn't forgotten.
Selfish indeed.
I'm not sure if what I'm doing is for the best, I almost wished it wasn't. I wanted to be with her, to always be by her side, without the worries and painful possibilities to force me to hide from her. I wanted her to know me. But she was too pure, too innocent for me to stain, her skin too much like an angel's to be touched by the hands of a demon such as mine. I figured I'll just have to live in her memory now, never allowing myself to even get a chance to touch. For a mere touch may just send me falling for her again. A thief is not capable of loving, void of any emotions that may be a nuisance to his being a bandit. But she broke that oath, cutting through me like a hot knife.
And I was an idiot to let her in.
"Kurama, where are you?" Kuwabara's yells suddenly woke me from my thoughts, his voice muffled by the distance that was between us. I shook my head to wake myself up completely. I stood up, fixing myself up as I waited for him to come. "Kurama, the tournament's about to start!"
"Hai, in here, Kuwabara-kun," I responded, facing the curve in the hallway from which Kuwabara was supposed to appeared. He came after a few seconds, frowning at me before he led me down the halls.
The finals is about to start.
"You two, wait a second!" Kuwabara and I looked around to see Koenma walking behind us, his usual childish form replaced by a more mature feature. Except he still had the pacifier.
"Oi, look good in the pacifier there, heh heh," Kuwabara teased, causing a glare from the Reikai prince.
I eyed Koenma curiously, willing him to look at me. I had asked a favor from him, to keep Botan from coming to the tournament. I had come to Reikai directly to ask him the personal favor. He hesitantly refused, asking why I had asked such a bizarre request. I was forced to tell him a bit of the story, forced to tell him about Botan and a youkai kitsune she once knew. I wasn't sure if he gave me his word, but I had hoped that he had heeded my request. It was a matter of life and death to me now. Botan is better off thinking that her lover was dead.
But it seems as though he was avoiding my gaze. I frowned, all the while keeping my steps intact. We reached the ring soon after, the announcer declaring that Koenma and Sakyo would be fifth players on both teams.
The first battle began, and sure enough, I was faced to face with Karasu. I eyed him warily, both of us still on the first seconds of the battle. The whole stadium's noisy cries were left ignored, with only eyes as sharp as the sharpest blade piercing through the other's. I clenched my fists.
He grinned. "So you came after all, eh Kurama?"
I ignored him, taking a step back as I did the first move. I materialized a rose from my hair, its petals flying around me in random patterns. It was supposed to be a diversion in the battle as I wait for my youkai form to appear again. It was a risk I'm going to take, to keep myself alive and to give my team a chance of winning. I had promised Yusuke that I would do my all, and I have no intention of breaking my word. I just hoped she wasn't here.
"Do you actually think these things would keep me from you?" Karasu asked, his steps taunting me as he came closer. My eyes narrowed as he raised his hands, abruptly followed by the rose petals exploding in mid air. I stifled a cursed breath, stepping away from him as far as possible. Only to meet up with his first attack.
My cry wasn't ignored as I heard Yusuke's worried yell. "Kurama, watch out!" he shouted, his wide eyes filled with worry as I sneaked up a glance at him. I turned my head to glare at my opponent, all the while dodging his attacks. He had nails as sharp as pointed needles, it was as if his hands were made as claws. I hid a curse behind my throat, trusting my reflexes to just avoid the attacks.
I should've changed by now!
But that thought was left swiftly after I felt another explosion on my leg. If I hadn't known better, Yusuke was practically gritting his teeth. It was obvious that my human form was no opponent to Karasu, I was as a pathetic as a mouse against a tiger. But I tried to stand up, ignoring the sharp pain that started to run up my leg as I tried to stand on both feet. But it wasn't over yet. Just as I had stood up straight, another bomb exploded on my shoulder, causing me to gasp out in pain.
And then there was another. And another.
The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, crouching weakly as I attempted to stay up lest I wanted to lose. Karasu's mocking never ceased as he appointed new bombs, showing them to me as he added more intensity. Explosions seem to cloud upon me as he kept on talking, and I felt even weaker as I felt my strength start to drain.
Behind all the smoke that the bombs emitted, another kind of mist started to circle me. It was the potion, it was working. I felt the familiar coldness that started to run through me, feeling my body change behind the distraction of the clouds.
I heard the announcer's anxious voice as she started to say things about my former battle with Uraurashima, her voice questioning the possibility of another change. The clouds started to part, and the expected gasp came from the crowd as I stepped out.
Let her not be here.
I stole a glance towards Koenma, my eyes delving through his in an attempt to find an answer. His eyes widened. He wasn't dumb, he must've realized the connection of the story and my request. But it was until a few seconds later did he looked at me indifferently until he shifted his gaze to Yusuke who was already asking questions. I frowned. Somehow, I wasn't sure if Koenma even bothered to give me his word.
The battle was fair now, I produced plants as Karasu did his bombs. It was uncertain who would win, but it was for sure that I stood a chance. But still, I couldn't help feeling the dread that started to flow through me, the sudden insecurity as I fought through this battle. It was as if I had made a mistake.
It was as if she was here.
The battle was almost coming to an end as I watched my plants appear to devour Karasu. But I wouldn't want to enjoy the victory until I was sure she wasn't here. I stood still for a moment, then quickly turned my back to walk away from the ring. I needed to change, I didn't feel well being in my youkai form. I felt like I wanted to hide.
But the referee's voice stopped me in my tracks, as I watched in mild surprise as my plants started to explode. Karasu limply fell on his feet, glaring at me through his eyes. His mask had fallen off when he was grasped by my plant, and his grin was now obvious without it. He started to take deep breaths, and I watched as his hair color changed into the dark black ones to a light blonde. He had looked even twice as demonic as he had been.
We started the battle again, my head throbbing from the distant thoughts that had started to form. I felt weak, and I felt devastated from everything. All I ever wanted was to get out of there and let everything out.
It wasn't until another attack that he had made caused me to slam into the fence that separated the ring from the audience. Sharp pains started to course through my body, feeling the heavy pieces of rubble cover me too hardly that I found it hard to breathe. I felt my strength draining, as if sharp needles started to prick through my skin.
I took a deep breath at that revelation. I was changing back. I shut my eyes as I willed the pain to go away, the old, familiar sensations coursing through me and filling my whole body. I didn't know if I could still stand up, and I was running out of time. They're going to declare Karasu the victor if I stayed in here.
But right now, I wasn't sure if I even cared.
"Kurama! What the hell do you think you're doing? I know you're alive, stand up!"
My eyes snapped open at that call. That voice…that very voice that had haunted me in my sleep. I muttered a muffled curse and willed my body to take all the strength I might have to push the heavy pieces of debris away from me. I tried standing up, clutching the wound in my arm that had started to throb all over again.
But it wasn't that pain that had my attention now. As I stood up, I gazed up to see her beautiful eyes down on me, those mystical orbs filled with tears as she smiled at me. There wasn't any sign of anger or sorrow. Just happiness.
She was happy that I was alive. And I couldn't help but feel a similar kind of happiness with that.
Her smile widened, blinking back the tears that had started to flow down her cheeks. "Ganbatte yo, Kurama-kun!"
End of chapter 7