A Fanfic by Yomi no Miko
Chapter 5: Amaruk
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When Loto left, a dreadful silence fell all around. For some instants I forgot about the youko and tried to come to my senses. I had just traded my wife. What would the villagers do to me when they found out? Luia had been the wife of a highly respected elder before marrying me. Besides, she was a native and I was only a lucky outsider. My thoughts became confused. What if the council decided to punish me? In the Makai I used to know, it was usual for male youkai to sell their own wifes and offspring. It happened all the time in the land I came from and probably it'd have happened to me, if I had a dad. Nijati was no exception, so, I had reasons to believe I did nothing wrong. Nevertheless, a naughty felling of guilty started to bother me... Would Loto treat her as he did to the youko? Last but not least, there was also that creepy girl. I couldn't take her frightening expression outta my mind. Definitely I needed to get away. So, I rambled aimlessly for the rest of the night, observing the wall which was being built.
After a while I remembered I had left the slave youko tied in the middle of the room. Thinking it over, it seemed clear to me I had done the most stupid deal ever heard in Makai history. How could that old, ragged kitsune know anything about a legendary sneaky thief?
It was dawn when I decided to go back. Unfortunately, I could not enter home without passing some fellows who chatted about the slaves which were traded.
"Did you buy any?" someone asked. I was caught by surprise.
"Well... No..." I replied, a little insecure, locking my door and not looking back.
I locked all the doors and windows. Then I stoked up the fireplace, letting a dagger's blade heat in the flames. When the weapon was red hot I approached the animal, which was awake, staring dumbly at me.
"Do you understand what I say?" I asked him. "See this dagger? I'm gonna hurt you with it, because I need to talk to you. But if you change your aspect by your own will, I'm gonna spare you from this pain and set you free. All you need to do is to answer some questions..."
I didn't know why I proposed such a thing to him. Maybe I knew it was impossible for me to keep him. Anyway, I had caused enough suffering for the week. Torturing that pitiful being would not help me feel better.
Then I sensed a weird type of energy. Instinctively I pulled myself away from the youko, who took the moment to change aspects, molding himself into an appearance which didn't recall that Youko Kurama I had met in the slightest. Instead of long, silvery hair, that youko's mane was brown and entangled. His face was old, wrinkled, and his green eyes bore no expression or life. We stared at each other for some time.
"Kurama threw you into a spin, didn't he?" I could not imagine him being so straightforward. "I'm very sorry for you. Even more than I am for your wife."
"Do you know him?" I insisted, ignoring his comments and the fact that he was pretty rational under that fox aspect.
"Of course. Kurama is my son."
I almost fell down with the shock. It had to be some kind of joke.
"Liar! Do you take me to be a kind of fool? How can it be if you don't seem to be a youko yourself?"
"Could you unchain me first? I can't stand these locks... And if you have some water and food... I'll answer any question..."
A very demanding liar, that stinking fox. But I ended up doing what he asked me to.
When he was loose, he stood up. I payed attention to him, imagining he might try to escape, but it was not the matter. I just noticed he even showed presence. He was my height, but half my weight. He ended up sitting by the fireplace. He looked very weary. His clothes were mere rags, and most of his scrawny body could be seen. He gazed very deeply at me.
"I understand you might not want to believe me, but it's all truth. Don't be misled by my looks. I was very different some years ago, before becoming sick and being captured by Loto. I am very aware that I'm dying, and nothing can help me. It's Fate. When did you meet Kurama?"
I let my thoughts wander trying to figure out what disease that youko might have, but my questions were about a rather different matter.
"I met him two years ago, in Raizen's domains. Do you know where he is now?"
"No. Kurama is a thief with a high prize on him. He hides most of the time. I haven't seen him since he was a child."
I started to give some credit to that youko's words. He seemed sincere. He was able to look at me eye to eye with no hesitation. A dying creature had no reasons to lie. Moreover, it was pretty obvious he wasn't an ordinary slave. There was some natural elegance in him, despite his dreadful appearance.
"Did you have a relationship with him?" he asked, in a very direct way.
"No, I didn't."
"Then, listen to my advice: stay away from him! He's my son, but is a cursed creature that will do you no good at all."
"It makes no sense..."
"Have you heard of a plant called Amaruk?"
"No. What is that?" And what the hell does a plant have to do with our talk? - I thought.
"It's a very rare, very beautiful flower. It blossoms only under the most difficult circumstances in the worst environments. It attracts all negative energy around in order to grow. Such characteristic makes it too poisonous..." The youko paused for breath then continued, "Kurama's mother named him such because it is Amaruk in reverse. She dreamed of this plant the day he was born. She realized he was different, with silvery fur, she knew it was an omen, but she did nothing about it. When I was told about the kid, there wasn't much more I could do either. I thought I had find a solution, but I hadn't. So I left home in order to look for him. As you can see, it didn't work as well."
I didn't grasp any of it. That gibberish talk about curses and plants was too much for me to stand. Maybe I let my confusion show, because the youko tried to clarify his explanations better.
"I mean, Kurama is just like the Amaruk. His strength comes from Evil; the evil he gets and that he gives back. Whatever he does, wherever he goes, it is no good. It is his fate. Everything in him just prolongs this wicked cycle. Such signals used to be respected among Youko, for centuries. I don't think Kurama himself is aware of his condition..." He stooped for an instant again. "I saw him but twice in my life. He doesn't know I'm his father, probably he doesn't remember me at all..." He showed an intense sorrow in his eyes as he said it "Be happy you didn't get involved with him yet. Think on all you left behind in exchange for a vain hope of trying to meet him again..."
The youko seemed exhausted. He lay on the floor, asking for some moments to rest. He promised me he would answer any other questions after some sleep.
"If you don't mind, I'll sleep in my fox aspect. I spare energy this way..."
Kurama's father never woke up again.
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Shrine to Yomi-Sama -