A Fanfic by Yomi no Miko
Chapter 12: The Beginning of a New Season
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The winter's end couldn't have been worse. Somehow Najah knew about the party in all its details. Then he imprisoned Kurama in a small chamber near his room. He wouldn't let anyone come near him, except Koji who was in change of taking him food. Training and meditation, the master explained to the youngest of the kids once. However, Koji's eyes deny it every time he got back, after completing his task.
As for me, all that crap was already far too absurd to be ignored. On the third or fourth day I waited for Koji to leave the tunnels and held him by force.
"Let me go, Yomi!" the boy shouted as he fought my grip, letting the tray he was holding fall to the ground.
"You're not going anywhere before telling me what's going on down there!"
"I've told you. He's training and that's all. He'll leave that room when the master says so. Get off me now!!"
"Don't lie to me, Koji. Something else is going on there and you know it!"
"Leave me alone..."
I let him go. He ran away from me crying and I knew it wasn't only for my bad mood. Then I heard some noise, like a loud quarrel. I followed the sound through the corridors. Almost all the boys were near a dark entrance. They also seemed disturbed by the noise, which came from the darkness. The master and Kurama were having an argument, a violent one as a matter of fact. Maybe even worse than the one I had the misfortune to witness. For the first time Kaizo didn't seem any pleased at all with all that trouble. I guess he finally understood that the hypocrisy which ruled that place wouldn't last much longer.
I managed to help Kaizo to convince the boys to go away. Then I tried to force my way in. I didn't care about what could happen to me, I just wanted to do something about it. But Kaizo held me with energy, dragging me to another room.
"Are you insane? Wanna die? Don't even think about poking your nose in this mess, do you understand me?"
"I've got to do something. I can't stand this anymore!"
"So don't stand it! Go somewhere else when they're together or leave this place for good. The last one who tried to interfere ended up being killed by the one he was trying to protect."
"It doesn't matter!"
"It does matter. Are you blind? It may seem weird to you, but Kurama allows this to happen. He doesn't need this place, nor us and even less the master's support. Have you never noticed that all his actions are premeditated?"
"You're paranoid, Kaizo. You're so jealous of him that you can't see the reality as it is."
"Then live the reality that suits best for you, but keep in mind that if you enter those chambers you'll be as good as dead."
I didn't enter.
It was a pleasant evening. Spring had finally started after so many melancholic days. The winter had lasted much more than expected that year. I was seated near the lake, lost in my own thoughts. The party had taken place exactly sixty days ago. Since then I had not seen Kurama anymore. Koji always assured me that he was fine. He was a nice boy but a dreadful liar. In fact, there wasn't anything else to do but stare at the lake. If it was a mixture of pleasure and relief to see that darling scenery again after all those terrible winter days. On the other hand, it only reminded me that Kurama wasn't there. And Gods know how much he loved that place.
From a distance, I could see when someone entered the water, slowly, as if it were too hot or too cold. A stranger, I presumed. So I found myself a place to hide in order to observe him. The guy had lain on the floor and was quiet as a statue. I could barely identify his breathing.
I started a cautious approach. It'd be easy for me to attack him as the youkai could be only dead or sleeping. What kind of person would be so careless in a strange territory? - I thought, not knowing exactly what to do. I saw when his body slowly slipped into the water. Better that way - I told myself - I'd hate to kill someone who's got the same kind ears as Kurama.
So I felt as if time had stopped. Only then the obvious occurred to me. I ran towards the lake just in time to get Kurama out of the water.
My heart ached just to look at him. He had lost weight and his skin was not only as pale as that of a ghost, but full of bruises as well. His clothes were torn and covered with blood spots. Even so, it didn't take long for him to recover consciousness, coughing and expelling the water he had swallowed. But when he opened his eyes, he started to push me hard, as if he was not recognizing me.
"It's me, Yomi. I'm your friend, don't you remember me?"
He stopped. I don't know if he understood me or if he was just too ill to maintain his useless resistance. He passed out some instants later.
I took him to a drier place under the shadow of a tree near the lake margin. I sat down next to him, trying to figure out what to do. Although I knew that his youki would be more than enough to heal his body, I wished there was something I could do to help him... anything. I guess I never felt so useless and miserable in my whole life.
I noticed when he woke up. I just watched for a while. He got up slowly and walked with numb steps towards the margin and sat. Some moments later, I sat beside him. He didn't even dare to glance at me, nor did I dare to embarrass him with an inconvenient gaze. We just sat there, silent and still as a couple of statues. I wished to say something, but I couldn't. It was like the words were stuck in my throat.
"I was born on spring..." he said, still unable to face me. "I think I'm eighteen now... I've lived here since I was ten. I don't know how much more I can stand this..."
As I didn't know what to say, I thought that maybe a hug would be a better consolation but he avoided it.
"Kurama, please tell me what's going on... I will do anything to help you. Just tell me and I will..."
"Nobody can..." he whispered.
"Aren't you the one who's always telling me that there's a way for everything?"
"Not this time..." His voice sounded so tired.
"Kurama, I wish I could understand all this better but I think I'm too stony for that. I'm not good with words too. All I know is that you're so dear to me and that I hate to see you unhappy more than being unhappy myself. Maybe if you at least told me what is going on..."
"Hasn't Kaizo ever told you yet?"
I swallowed hard. I didn't want to lie about it. It didn't sound to me like a good start.
"He has told me a couple of things but I don't trust him. I want to hear it from you."
Kurama still kept himself quiet, his head down.
"How are the horns?" he asked.
"Nothing yet... Look... You don't have to change the subject like that. It won't help..."
"Yomi, do you really like me?"
I didn't expect that kind of question.
"Of course I do! Haven't I told about the crazy things I did to find you?"
"Would you kiss me if I asked you to?"
I confess that his unexpected wish made me a little nervous for a moment. I came closer and kissed him on his brow.
Then he kissed me. Just a brief touch of lips, but enough to make me feel as if my blood had started to flow backwards.
"Kurama, are you sure that..."
I couldn't finish the sentence. He kissed me again, this time, in a stronger move. I felt his trembling fingers on my nape as he let his body lean to the ground, but there wasn't anything I could do or think on my own. I just followed his move, unable to stop kissing him.
For some instants I believed that the moment I had for so long craved for had finally come. I was holding the youkai I loved in my arms, knowing that I could do with him whatever I wanted to. But I didn't. I couldn't go on with that despite the fact that I wanted him so bad. It may seem the most stupid thing one can ever think but I just didn't want it to happen like that... Although he had started it all, I couldn't avoid realizing that he was completely out of his mind. His skin was warmer than usual and the few words he uttered didn't make any sense. So I stopped and took a careful look at him.
"Aren't you coming?" he asked in a faint whisper.
"I... I guess we should wait a little. You're sick and I don't want to hurt you..."
"It doesn't matter... I heal fast," he said.
I hesitated as I caressed his hair.
"I can't... I love you but I can't. You don't know what you're saying. How can I be sure that this is for real?"
He didn't answer me. He just took a deep breath and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost at once. In spite of everything I could feel his youki as bright as ever, although not as intense. He'd be fine after some rest. So I decided that I wouldn't take him home until then.
Kurama slept for almost three days. Even though I knew there wasn't much I could do but watch him sleep, I used that time to think about what to do. However, I didn't have to think for hours to come to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to run away from that place as soon as possible. I'd challenge Najah if I had to.
I was still seated beside him, trying to ignore that damned headache that insisted on annoying me from time to time when I felt something liquid slip on my brow. Blood. I went to the lake to check out what was going on. Then I realized that two small and white bone tips were pointing out from the sides of my brow. Tiny drops of blood were flowing from the opened skin. The horns I still didn't believe I'd have were finally coming to view, still so insignificant but enough to make me feel extremely powerful and self-confident.
Nobody would intimidate me anymore. Not even Najah.
It took some time for Kurama to move after he woke up. He remained lying on that improvised futon I had provided him for a long time before he sat. Once again, I watched him recover from a distance before I came near him.
"Ohayo! How do you feel?"
He didn't answer me. I noticed that most of the marks that he carried on his body had disappeared, but he was still much paler than usual.
"Say something, Kurama... don't let me here like that. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine... kinda giddy, that's all. Where are we?"
"Near the lake, don't you remember this place?"
"Ahn... How did I come here? I can't remember anything."
"You came on your own. You were pretty bad..."
"I was... Did I say anything?"
"Nothing that made sense."
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"A couple of days."
"That all?"
"Hai."
We were silent for some time.
"You know, don't you?"
"I do." He looked so ashamed and downcast that I almost regretted my sincerity.
"Let's get outta here," I proposed.
"It wouldn't help.."
"You don't need to be afraid. I'll be with you."
"It's not fear... You wouldn't understand..."
"So explain it to me."
Silence.
"Let's run away... We're thieves. Nobody will be able to track us down. Not even Na..."
"No."
"I'll challenge him. If I win, I'll spare his life if he lets you go."
He almost smiled this time.
"Yomi... you don't know what you're saying."
"Maybe I don't. But do you have any other ideas?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
"So tell me."
"No. I won't get you involved. I'll do something,
but I'll do it my way."
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Shrine to Yomi-Sama -