Here's chapter 20!!
Oh, and I hate to ruin the surprise, but congratulations to Anime Crazy Girl, Rurouni Saiyan, and Ginevra for correctly guessing who the "master" is!! ^__^ A plushie to all three of you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
(thoughts/dreams) ::Mind-to-mind:: *talking in dreams* "talking"
(*'Kassan! 'Kassan!!* running away, gotta get away. *Shuichi, is there something you need to tell me?* stop this madness. What have I done to deserve this? *Get away!* I paid for all my sins, please. . . . *She raised you without a complaint . . . this is how you repay her?* No, this was not supposed to happen *Get away from me.* not supposed to happen at all *Get away from me!!* not . . . supposed . . . *Shuichi!!*)
"'Kassan!!" Kurama looked about him. He was in the Makai with Jeroun and Kuronue, and both of them were fast asleep, Kuronue in a tree (too much like Hiei,) Kurama thought, and Jeroun was spread out on the ground. Kurama himself had brought along several blankets, out of which he had made some sort of a nest for himself. Kuronue and Jeroun had refused the blankets earlier. Getting a hold of himself, Kurama realized that he had been dreaming. He put his hand to his forehead and fell back down on the mound of blankets.
"K'rama?" Kurama jumped up and looked around. There was Kuronue, having fell out of the tree, awake and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked about and spotted Kurama sitting up in his nest of blankets. "Morning already?" Kuronue asked sleepily. Kurama shook his head.
"No . . . go back to sleep Kuro," Kurama said.
"All right, whatever you say K'rama," Kuronue said, having never fully awoken. A few moments later, Kurama heard Kuronue's snores signaling the other youkai was asleep. Kurama stuffed a blanket into a ball, making a new pillow for himself. His old one had unballed while he had been tossing and turning in the dream. Kurama laid down and willed himself to sleep. He had a lot to do tomorrow.
But the sleep never came. A few moments later, there were several loud bangs, followed by sounds of yelling . . . well, yelling somethings. Kurama felt something touch his back, heard Kuronue and Jeroun yell, and remembered who smelled like gunpowder and would want revenge on him all at the same time. He came up out of the blankets snarling, sending one youkai who was hovering over him flying into a nearby tree, leaving the other to face Kurama's wrath. He grabbed the remaining youkai by the collar and lifted him into the air.
"Where are they?" he snarled. "Tell me where they are!!" The youkai looked startled.
"Who are you talking about?"
"You know very well who I'm talking about!"
"Huh?"
"Don't play dumb with me!!"
"Okay, Kurama's pissed," Jeroun said, looking over once he and Kuronue had finished off the other attackers.
"Really?" Kuronue said sarcastically. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Well, I just thought that. . . . " Jeroun began.
"I was joking, Jeroun, joking," Kuronue said, returning his attention back to the pissed-off kitsune, who had just slammed his captive into a tree repeatedly.
"Tell me!!"
"I have no idea who you're talking about!"
"He took her!" Kurama yelled, tears flying out of his eyes. "He took her! Now tell me where he is!" Kurama's captive looked from Kurama to Jeroun to Kuronue.
"Who is he talking about?"
"I'm assuming he's talking about whoever took his mother," Kuronue said. Jeroun stepped forward, his hands in front of him, to break up the fight.
"Kurama, maybe this guy really doesn't know who we're after," Jeroun said. "I mean, I don't even know who we're after, come to think of it."
"Stay out of this, Jeroun!!" Kurama snapped. Jeroun 'eeped' and ran to hide behind Kuronue. "And I know who took her!" Kuronue looked behind him to meet Jeroun's eyes.
"Well?" he asked.
"Sometimes he scares me, Kuronue, he really does," Jeroun said.
"I'm sure that you're not the first," Kuronue said, half-heartedly patting Jeroun on the head. Kurama, meanwhile, had taken to shaking his captive by the throat until he was ready to talk. "Kurama . . . be nice." Kuronue offered, earning himself a glare from the kitsune.
"Hee hee, and I take it you're not the second?" Jeroun asked. Kuronue hit him in the head. "I was joking, Kuronue."
"Not funny," the chimera pouted.
"Well, have you had enough?" Kurama asked his captive. The youkai shook his head and once again tried to explain this to Kurama.
"I have no connections to whoever you're after," he said. "And I have no idea who you're talking about."
"Are you sure about this?" Kurama asked him.
"Positive," the youkai said. "Your friends just killed the only other living beings I ever knew." Kuronue stepped forward.
"Then you should join them!" he said, killing the youkai with a cut across the throat from his scythe. Kurama stepped back, his clothes now covered in blood, and scowled at Kuronue.
"What?"
"You could have waited until I was out of the way," Kurama said, plucking at his bloodstained clothes with disgust.
"Sorry," Kuronue said.
"Hey," Jeroun said. "You said you knew who mom-napped your mother. You figured it out, then?" Kurama looked over at the fire youkai.
"Yeah," he said, slightly sadly.
"Who?" Kuronue and Jeroun said together. Kurama's face darkened, his eyes went cold, and the two other youkai could feel his energy sparking dangerously.
"Karasu," he whispered.
"I wonder how long it will take that fox to figure out that it's me," the youkai said, sipping at a cup of what looked like wine. Shiori looked up from her place in the corner. The man, (youkai,) she corrected herself silently, had kept her by his side ever since the accident in the hall. "Wouldn't want the fox to be upset with me for letting harm come to you," he had said, chaining her to the wall and sitting her in a chair. She assumed that the youkai had meant Kurama, and she had not moved since she had bowed her head a few seconds after he chained her there. Now, though, she watched him with caution. He was tall, with long dark hair, with piercing violet eyes. The strangest thing about him was the silver mask that covered his nose and mouth. He glanced up, saw her, and grinned at her.
"Fox," Shiori said. "You mean . . . "
"Your son," the youkai said.
"I have no son," Shiori said, bowing her head once more. He (A/N: I know that we all know who this guy is, but I'm kinda keeping it from Shiori's POV, okay?) walked over to her and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"I know you don't," he said. "You have a fox youkai living with you, a traitorous, lying, thieving, fox-"
"SHUT UP!!" Shiori yelled jumping to her feet in an unusual fit of rage. The chains pulled on her arms, but she ignored them and refused to sit back down in the chair. "He's a kind, well-behaved, intelligent boy! Just who do you think you are, talking about him like that?"
"My name . . . is Karasu," he said. "But that is not the point. You obviously still have some attachment to Kurama. Otherwise, you would not want to hear the truth about him." Shiori finally gave into the chain's pull and sat down hard on the chair. She glared at Karasu, who merely laughed.
"Why?" she asked. "Why do you need me to get to him?"
"He cares for you more than anything else in this world," Karasu said. "He even would give his life to see you live happily." Shiori stared. He was playing mind-games now, he had to be. (Would Kurama really give up his life for me?) Shiori wondered.
"So you took me to get to him," Shiori said. "You knew all along that he would come for me."
"Yes," Karasu said with a sickening smile.
"Monster!!" Shiori said, getting up once more. Karasu, who had not backed away from the chair, received the full-effect of her tackle.
"Insolent ningen!" Karasu growled, trying to stop his mad skid across the floor. "I saved you from the ones who wanted to hurt you, and this is how you pay me back?" He advanced on her, hand outstretched. Shiori, fearing nothing more than a slap, challenged him.
"Come and get a piece of me!" Karasu paused.
"You have no idea what I can do to you," he said. "Let me demonstrate." He walked over to a vase on a table near Shiori. He gently put his hand to it, kept it there for no more than a second, and then pulled away from it.
"Is that all?" Shiori said. "The touch attack? You're-" Shiori would have gone on, but at that moment the vase exploded with a loud BANG. Shiori gulped and reconsidered her words. "Very very scary." Karasu smiled, even though she could not see it through his mask, she saw it in his eyes.
"That's better," he said. "Now where did I leave off? Ah, yes, I was about to show you that you should treat your hosts better." He advanced on her once more, and Shiori pulled away as best she could. The chains clanked, and she mentally cursed herself for forgetting about them.
"Some host," she scoffed, pulling on the chains in a last attempt to get away from Karasu. She felt the air grow cold as he get nearer, and she closed her eyes, hoping for death. She could picture him at this point, reaching his hand out to her. Shiori swallowed hard and began to pray. . . .
"LAY A FINGER ON HER AND YOU DIE, KARASU!!!!!!!" Ooooooh!! Cliffie! Major cliffie!! Short chappy, I know, but I couldn't help it. (Plus I only have about a minute more on the computer, and I really wanted to get it done.) Anyway . . . please review . . . I'm still not at 300. T.T
Oh, and I dunno . . . maybe kidnapping Shiori was a little out of Karasu's character . . . and maybe Shiori would put up more of a fight, but then again . . . Shiori's still in shock, right? (Okay, I need help. Asking questions about my own fics. Kuro: She's finally cracked! *gets hit on head* Owie) And we all know Karasu's a freakin' madman. *Runs away from Karasu and Karasu fans ducking numerous pointy objects* PLEASE REVIEW!!
Oh, and I hate to ruin the surprise, but congratulations to Anime Crazy Girl, Rurouni Saiyan, and Ginevra for correctly guessing who the "master" is!! ^__^ A plushie to all three of you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.
(thoughts/dreams) ::Mind-to-mind:: *talking in dreams* "talking"
(*'Kassan! 'Kassan!!* running away, gotta get away. *Shuichi, is there something you need to tell me?* stop this madness. What have I done to deserve this? *Get away!* I paid for all my sins, please. . . . *She raised you without a complaint . . . this is how you repay her?* No, this was not supposed to happen *Get away from me.* not supposed to happen at all *Get away from me!!* not . . . supposed . . . *Shuichi!!*)
"'Kassan!!" Kurama looked about him. He was in the Makai with Jeroun and Kuronue, and both of them were fast asleep, Kuronue in a tree (too much like Hiei,) Kurama thought, and Jeroun was spread out on the ground. Kurama himself had brought along several blankets, out of which he had made some sort of a nest for himself. Kuronue and Jeroun had refused the blankets earlier. Getting a hold of himself, Kurama realized that he had been dreaming. He put his hand to his forehead and fell back down on the mound of blankets.
"K'rama?" Kurama jumped up and looked around. There was Kuronue, having fell out of the tree, awake and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked about and spotted Kurama sitting up in his nest of blankets. "Morning already?" Kuronue asked sleepily. Kurama shook his head.
"No . . . go back to sleep Kuro," Kurama said.
"All right, whatever you say K'rama," Kuronue said, having never fully awoken. A few moments later, Kurama heard Kuronue's snores signaling the other youkai was asleep. Kurama stuffed a blanket into a ball, making a new pillow for himself. His old one had unballed while he had been tossing and turning in the dream. Kurama laid down and willed himself to sleep. He had a lot to do tomorrow.
But the sleep never came. A few moments later, there were several loud bangs, followed by sounds of yelling . . . well, yelling somethings. Kurama felt something touch his back, heard Kuronue and Jeroun yell, and remembered who smelled like gunpowder and would want revenge on him all at the same time. He came up out of the blankets snarling, sending one youkai who was hovering over him flying into a nearby tree, leaving the other to face Kurama's wrath. He grabbed the remaining youkai by the collar and lifted him into the air.
"Where are they?" he snarled. "Tell me where they are!!" The youkai looked startled.
"Who are you talking about?"
"You know very well who I'm talking about!"
"Huh?"
"Don't play dumb with me!!"
"Okay, Kurama's pissed," Jeroun said, looking over once he and Kuronue had finished off the other attackers.
"Really?" Kuronue said sarcastically. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Well, I just thought that. . . . " Jeroun began.
"I was joking, Jeroun, joking," Kuronue said, returning his attention back to the pissed-off kitsune, who had just slammed his captive into a tree repeatedly.
"Tell me!!"
"I have no idea who you're talking about!"
"He took her!" Kurama yelled, tears flying out of his eyes. "He took her! Now tell me where he is!" Kurama's captive looked from Kurama to Jeroun to Kuronue.
"Who is he talking about?"
"I'm assuming he's talking about whoever took his mother," Kuronue said. Jeroun stepped forward, his hands in front of him, to break up the fight.
"Kurama, maybe this guy really doesn't know who we're after," Jeroun said. "I mean, I don't even know who we're after, come to think of it."
"Stay out of this, Jeroun!!" Kurama snapped. Jeroun 'eeped' and ran to hide behind Kuronue. "And I know who took her!" Kuronue looked behind him to meet Jeroun's eyes.
"Well?" he asked.
"Sometimes he scares me, Kuronue, he really does," Jeroun said.
"I'm sure that you're not the first," Kuronue said, half-heartedly patting Jeroun on the head. Kurama, meanwhile, had taken to shaking his captive by the throat until he was ready to talk. "Kurama . . . be nice." Kuronue offered, earning himself a glare from the kitsune.
"Hee hee, and I take it you're not the second?" Jeroun asked. Kuronue hit him in the head. "I was joking, Kuronue."
"Not funny," the chimera pouted.
"Well, have you had enough?" Kurama asked his captive. The youkai shook his head and once again tried to explain this to Kurama.
"I have no connections to whoever you're after," he said. "And I have no idea who you're talking about."
"Are you sure about this?" Kurama asked him.
"Positive," the youkai said. "Your friends just killed the only other living beings I ever knew." Kuronue stepped forward.
"Then you should join them!" he said, killing the youkai with a cut across the throat from his scythe. Kurama stepped back, his clothes now covered in blood, and scowled at Kuronue.
"What?"
"You could have waited until I was out of the way," Kurama said, plucking at his bloodstained clothes with disgust.
"Sorry," Kuronue said.
"Hey," Jeroun said. "You said you knew who mom-napped your mother. You figured it out, then?" Kurama looked over at the fire youkai.
"Yeah," he said, slightly sadly.
"Who?" Kuronue and Jeroun said together. Kurama's face darkened, his eyes went cold, and the two other youkai could feel his energy sparking dangerously.
"Karasu," he whispered.
"I wonder how long it will take that fox to figure out that it's me," the youkai said, sipping at a cup of what looked like wine. Shiori looked up from her place in the corner. The man, (youkai,) she corrected herself silently, had kept her by his side ever since the accident in the hall. "Wouldn't want the fox to be upset with me for letting harm come to you," he had said, chaining her to the wall and sitting her in a chair. She assumed that the youkai had meant Kurama, and she had not moved since she had bowed her head a few seconds after he chained her there. Now, though, she watched him with caution. He was tall, with long dark hair, with piercing violet eyes. The strangest thing about him was the silver mask that covered his nose and mouth. He glanced up, saw her, and grinned at her.
"Fox," Shiori said. "You mean . . . "
"Your son," the youkai said.
"I have no son," Shiori said, bowing her head once more. He (A/N: I know that we all know who this guy is, but I'm kinda keeping it from Shiori's POV, okay?) walked over to her and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"I know you don't," he said. "You have a fox youkai living with you, a traitorous, lying, thieving, fox-"
"SHUT UP!!" Shiori yelled jumping to her feet in an unusual fit of rage. The chains pulled on her arms, but she ignored them and refused to sit back down in the chair. "He's a kind, well-behaved, intelligent boy! Just who do you think you are, talking about him like that?"
"My name . . . is Karasu," he said. "But that is not the point. You obviously still have some attachment to Kurama. Otherwise, you would not want to hear the truth about him." Shiori finally gave into the chain's pull and sat down hard on the chair. She glared at Karasu, who merely laughed.
"Why?" she asked. "Why do you need me to get to him?"
"He cares for you more than anything else in this world," Karasu said. "He even would give his life to see you live happily." Shiori stared. He was playing mind-games now, he had to be. (Would Kurama really give up his life for me?) Shiori wondered.
"So you took me to get to him," Shiori said. "You knew all along that he would come for me."
"Yes," Karasu said with a sickening smile.
"Monster!!" Shiori said, getting up once more. Karasu, who had not backed away from the chair, received the full-effect of her tackle.
"Insolent ningen!" Karasu growled, trying to stop his mad skid across the floor. "I saved you from the ones who wanted to hurt you, and this is how you pay me back?" He advanced on her, hand outstretched. Shiori, fearing nothing more than a slap, challenged him.
"Come and get a piece of me!" Karasu paused.
"You have no idea what I can do to you," he said. "Let me demonstrate." He walked over to a vase on a table near Shiori. He gently put his hand to it, kept it there for no more than a second, and then pulled away from it.
"Is that all?" Shiori said. "The touch attack? You're-" Shiori would have gone on, but at that moment the vase exploded with a loud BANG. Shiori gulped and reconsidered her words. "Very very scary." Karasu smiled, even though she could not see it through his mask, she saw it in his eyes.
"That's better," he said. "Now where did I leave off? Ah, yes, I was about to show you that you should treat your hosts better." He advanced on her once more, and Shiori pulled away as best she could. The chains clanked, and she mentally cursed herself for forgetting about them.
"Some host," she scoffed, pulling on the chains in a last attempt to get away from Karasu. She felt the air grow cold as he get nearer, and she closed her eyes, hoping for death. She could picture him at this point, reaching his hand out to her. Shiori swallowed hard and began to pray. . . .
"LAY A FINGER ON HER AND YOU DIE, KARASU!!!!!!!" Ooooooh!! Cliffie! Major cliffie!! Short chappy, I know, but I couldn't help it. (Plus I only have about a minute more on the computer, and I really wanted to get it done.) Anyway . . . please review . . . I'm still not at 300. T.T
Oh, and I dunno . . . maybe kidnapping Shiori was a little out of Karasu's character . . . and maybe Shiori would put up more of a fight, but then again . . . Shiori's still in shock, right? (Okay, I need help. Asking questions about my own fics. Kuro: She's finally cracked! *gets hit on head* Owie) And we all know Karasu's a freakin' madman. *Runs away from Karasu and Karasu fans ducking numerous pointy objects* PLEASE REVIEW!!