MEMORIES
A Fanfic by Yomi no Miko

Chapter 9: Najah
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In the first few months that I spent as a member in that weird society Kurama belonged to, I started to get acquainted with some quite interesting facts. There wasn't any gang lead by Kurama, and absolutely no bunch of followers with the goal to make him King. The youkai I met there were just a small group of lost, young youkai who were allowed to live in Najah's domain. In exchange, they should be obedient and faithful to their master, but no other payment was demanded. That was the reason why those kids called him master although Najah never taught them anything. There were fourteen youkais in that condition. The youngest was Koji who was only twelve or thirteen years old and, unlike Kurama, did look like a child. The "oldest" was Kaizo, the guy with black wings, who was more or less a hundred years old. Therefore, he had proclaimed himself to be the "leader" of the group. As I could see, nobody denied that, even Kurama.

However, Kurama was not like the others. He was the master's favorite, considered to be like his son, and the target of special attention - if there indeed was any attention paid to the rest of the boys. The differences in the way Najah treated Kurama and the other kids were undeniable. So, to compensate their misfortune, the kids rejected Kurama's presence. It was usual for them to express their feelings towards the youko in many unpleasant ways, as long as Najah wasn't around. They knew they would be punished for mistreating Kurama if the master got to know it. On the other hand, Kurama was the only one to try to prevent theses kind of conflicts as he knew they only made things worse.

The leader of the anti-Kurama faction was Kaizo. I believe that if it were not for his influence nothing would have happened. I also had a feeling that he knew what truly happened between Kurama and Najah, as he was always so concerned about keeping an eye on his foe. He took great satisfaction in relating all Kurama's actions, specially those that could cause him trouble. It was not rare to see him exaggerating things or even lying in order to instigate Najah's anger. Kaizo always blamed Kurama for everything, even for the facts in which he didn't participate. I can't deny he was an excellent politician, as he was very successful in convincing the rest of the boys of his theories.

Although Kurama never complained about it, I knew this was a very depressing situation for him and how much he suffered for being so openly rejected by all.

The truth is he was very lonely. Besides his stepfather there was no one he could talk to. Inside those tunnels, he used to isolate himself in the most inaccessible rooms, where he stayed for hours, entertained his with favorite hobbies. Kurama was addicted to learning. He was always studying something, even totally useless stuff. He was very proud to know many things about the Ningenkai, even though he didn't have a clue about its use. He loved to think about solutions for imaginary problems and he was always creating easier ways to get what he wanted. If that hole in which we lived in was an almost comfortable place, it was due to his efforts in order to improve illumination and ventilation. One of his best creations was a map of the tunnels that even Kaizo had copied for himself. Till then, it was usual for the boys to get lost every once in a while. When he wasn't at home, Kurama enjoyed wandering the woods, lost in his own thoughts.

My presence changed the community's habits a bit and Kurama's life a great deal. I thought he was happy to have a friend although many times he looked lost and downcast. We were always together and had lots of fun. We chatted for hours about pleasant subjects, usually gossip and other trivial stuff. It was a surprise to me to notice how childlike Kurama's manners could be when he was on his own. Well, that was not so strange considering his age and the way everyone under Najah's wing lived. In the place where I came from youkai were so... blunt. Before I met Kurama, I never thought there could be more for someone like me to do but to become a hunter, a soldier or a thief. I never thought I'd appreciate to have a friend. I didn't believe that "just friends" even existed. Anyway, it was strange to compare the Kurama I knew to the thief everybody talked about. As for me, I guess I'd fallen in love with both.

Another surprise was that the rest of the guys were nice to me. Kaizo respected me, maybe due to our similar ages and to the fact that I seemed more experienced than him. He even flattered me sometimes...

One day, I was invited to a celebration. I knew that Kurama was not included in the invitation, so I decided to refuse it. However, Kurama didn't rest till I agreed to go.

"Why not? It's going to be cool."

"No way! I'm not leaving you alone for some stupid party."

"Don't be silly. Besides, they've got wine there. You could steal a bottle for me..."

"Are you sure it's okay for you if I go?"

"Sure."

I felt kinda guilty for going, but I did it. I'd be lying if I said it was a bore. In fact, it was much better than I thought. Well, at least till Kaizo came to talk to me.

"So... Missing the fox too much to drink?"

"Sure. He's better than you all together," I said in a very cynical mood.

"Ahnnn... I see... You're fond of him...Don't deny it. It's written on your face... But don't plot too much, Yomi. He's got an owner already."

"The master?"

"Who else?"

"Why do you treat him like that?"

"He's cocky... He thinks he's better than us." That was all he answered.

I considered knocking him down but I didn't do it. He was too drunk anyway. Besides, Kurama had begged me not to fight for him. They're just going to be even madder at me - he justified before I left him for the party.




In spite of everything, I was very pleased to live with Kurama. We didn't have the kind of relationship I had expected, but it was okay for me to be his partner. My only concern was to feel embarrassed whenever he decided to strip off in front of me or to play those kinds of games which involved physical contact. I always managed to control myself. I couldn't stand the idea of scaring him or losing the mutual trust we shared. Kurama had become my first and only friend and, damn, it was so good to have one. Moreover, we had so much to do... We were living like thieves after all. Danger was a constant part of our lives. Outside Najah's territory, nothing was easy for us. Sometimes we had to face hunters, sometimes we were chased after a robbery, sometimes we had to fight hard, sometimes we had to kill mercilessly. And I can assure the world that in those moments Kurama proved to be even more skilled than local gossips could tell.

In fact, only one thing really bothered me at that time: Najah. It was always the same; Najah called Kurama, Kaizo told him where he was and Koji was sent after him. Then Kurama disappeared for two or three days. I was anxious to death in those periods and had to make a great effort in order to prevent myself from interfering whenever the delay was too long. I never told Kurama anything that could make him know that I knew what happened in the days he had to spend with his stepfather. I wished he would tell me one day if he wanted to. Even though he never seemed to be injured, I started to notice, as time passed, that he couldn't hide some minor aftereffects such as losing his appetite or being somnolent. I concluded that those situations were getting worse. Each day I grew more apprehensive.


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Shrine to Yomi-Sama -