Disclaimer: Blood is crimson, spirit gun is azure, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, that's for sure! ^^; I was bored....but I do own Kori, Akumo, Urami and anyone else you haven't heard of.
*This is Part I of a two part chapter. It was originally all one chappy but altogether it was too long. (It gave me a headache when I reread it -_-) So I split it in two! ^^; Thank you so much, reviewers! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
*******Chapter 11 - Spiritual Awakening: Part I*******
Kurama turned upon hearing footsteps pounding across the rooftop.
"We finally got rid of them...." Yusuke grinned triumphantly. His smile quickly vanished though when he saw Hiei holding lifeless Yukina in his arms. Kori clasped a hand to her mouth and turned away. Her eyes welled up with tears but she didn't know why. Kuwabara's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Yu-Yukina! Hey, what's shrimpface doing with MY girl?!" Kuwabara was about to run forward and attempt to deck Hiei in the face for stealing "his" Yukina but someone threw an arm out and stopped him. Kurama. Of all the people.
"K-Kurama?! What are you...?"
"Let them be." Kurama answered, a pained expression on his face. "Yukina was very dear to Hiei....they're siblings." The kitsune added quietly. Kuwabara's face was a mix of shock, surprise and utter disbelief. For once, he was actually speechless.
Without warning, Kori ran ahead and dropped to her knees beside the fire demon. "What do you want?" came his harsh reply.
"Give me Yukina's hand. I may be able to revive her...." Hiei looked up doubtfully. "It's worth a try." The snow princess seized the apparition's cold hand and concentrated. "I'm trying to contain her spirit inside her body." She explained. "As long as the soul remains intact within the body, she should still have a chance." Kori became silent, focusing all her own spirit energy to revive Yukina. After a while, sweat appeared on her forehead. It was not an easy job to maintain control over Spiritual Revival.
"Ah!" Kori felt a sudden pain shooting through her head and nearly collapsed. But Hiei held her up.
"You okay? Don't kill yourself over this...." He muttered.
"No, almost finished....it's just a side effect." Kori gasped. At last, she fell back, drained completely of her energy. At first, only Hiei could feel the apparition's soul dwindling but then there was a slight increase in her spirit energy. However, Yukina's eyes still did not open. The other 3 guys came over to inspect Kori's work.
"She's not waking up!" Kuwabara shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at his love.
"Yukina is not completely revived yet. I merely stopped the transport of her spirit to Reikai. Once a soul is separated from the body, the person will have no choice but to go to the heavens." Kori whispered weakly.
"So how do we get her to wake up for real?" asked Yusuke.
"W-With a potion...the Saigen potion...only the most intellectable know of its ingredients." Kori smiled then passed out. Cries of "Kori! Princess!" were heard.
"I guess the strain of the job wore her out." Kurama said, gathering the fainted snow apparition up in his arms. Kuwabara and Hiei argued over who would carry Yukina.
"She's my girlfriend!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Says you, oaf!" Hiei pointed out.
"Yeah, well, you can't even pick her up. You're too short!" Kuwabara sneered. Hiei's scowl disappeared and was replaced by a smirk.
"Funny...I may be shorter than you but your skill and power comes nowhere close to mine."
"Shut up! I could beat you up anyday, anytime, you name it!"
"Anytime, huh? How about now?" Hiei smiled meanly, raising his spirit energy to prepare for battle.
"Hiei...." Kurama's voice held a warning edge to it. Kuwabara ended up carrying Yukina much to Hiei's dismay.
"If you so much as stare at her, I will not hesitate to rip off your head and stick it on a tree as a warning sign for all other idiots." Hiei threatened. Kuwabara did not bother exerting a reply; Hiei seemed to mean the words he said and to prove his point, he was monitoring the human boy carefully.
The guys decided to bring the apparitions to Genkai's temple as it was the safest haven and the chances of humans intruding were slim. Kori lay in a futon next to a separate one with Yukina in it, who was still deathly pale. When the snow apparition princess awoke, she saw concerned emerald eyes hovering above her face.
"Eeeeeek!" She screamed, causing startled Kurama to fall back in surprise. "Oh, it was just you, Kurama. Sorry." Kori sat up. "Scary. Don't do that! I thought you were a demon."
"I am a demon." Kurama replied, kneeling back on his knees again, lost grace found. Hiei, beside Yukina, smirked at the fox's inelegance.
"Yeah, well. Hey, where am I?" The princess looked around the unfamiliar room. "And where is everyone else? How'd I get here?" She then noticed Yukina. "And oh my gosh! Has she taken the potion?"
"You're at Genkai's temple, she is a friend of ours and Yusuke's instructor. I suppose everyone else is in the next room over, I carried you here...."
"And as for Yukina, we have no idea what potion she is to take. You forgot to fill us in on that." Hiei interrupted in, a grim look on his face again. His red eyes were brimmed with worry.
"Princess Haritsuta, do you know the ingredients? For the potion?" Kurama questioned.
"I do. But I learned this from...from a friend a long time ago. I don't remember any of the needed materials." Kori answered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Hiei replied, now checking to see if Yukina's soul was still in her body. "Kurama, can you still perform Tensou Kinen?"
"Memory Transfer? Yes, but I don't want to probe around in Haritsuta Hime's memory...." Kurama said doubtfully.
"My memory?" Kori was confused.
"Tensou Kinen is a form of memory channeling. It transfers the memories of one to another, making it seem like the viewer is almost experiencing the thought himself."
"I see." The princess answered, usually quiet. "If it will save your sister...." Kori nodded at Hiei. "I'm willing to go through with it." She turned back to Kurama. "What do I have to do?"
"Just sit still. Try not to move that much otherwise the connection will break."
Kori smiled understandingly. In a way, her smile appeared sad. "Try not to be too horrified at what you see." Kurama wondered the hidden meaning of this statement. He placed his hands near Kori's temples, touching two fingers to each side of her head. His eyes reflexively squeezed shut. The snow apparition's crystal blue eyes were fluttering.
As the kitsune slowly absorbed the princess's past, he caught a glimpse of her past life. Now he understood Kori's implication. In the first memory, Kori was crying out in pain....
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I didn't do it! It was Masaki, I saw him!" Kori cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Shut up, you noisy brat! Masaki is my most trusted servant; he would not betray me like that!" A woman slapped the princess hard across the face to the floor. She was regally dressed in elegant clothing but never the less, her face was marred with a look of pure delight at seeing Kori in pain.
"I would not betray you like that either!" Kori yelled back, a gash forming on her face. Blood trickled out of the wound and plopped onto the floor. Her eyes widened upon seeing the red liquid and she felt her face. Her fingers came away red as Kori stared in disbelief at her mother. Her once loving mother who had raised her....
"You're a good for nothing idiot, you're not fit to be my daughter!" The queen continued, beginning to walk away down the hall.
"Wait! Mother, where is Ryuki?! Tell me where Ryuki is, please!" Kori begged, simultaneously dropping to her knees. She bowed her head until she felt the cold stone floor, cool against her hot forehead. "Please!"
The woman paused, a maliced smile forming on her face. "That is not your concern, you worthless bitch." Kori flinched but still didn't move from her position. Without a backward glance, the woman flicked her fingers. "Masaki, take care of the little wretch." The brainless servant grinned evilly, cracking his massive knuckles. He began pummeling the princess who yelped out in agony.
'No. I will not cry.' Kori grimaced but held back her tears as best as she could, despite the servant kicking and punching her delicate body. 'I will not give them the satisfaction of my tears.'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama was appalled; he had seen demons betray each other before but not like this. Not between mother and child. Having no choice after agreeing to do so, he continued traveling back in Kori's memories. The next memory showed the princess 2 years before.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ryu-chan! Come out and keep me company, please? Hello...!" The young princess walked through a beautiful, ice-glazed hall. "Ryuki?" She was dressed in a lavender kimono adorned with Hiseken's trademark snowflakes.
At the sound of her voice, a spiky black haired boy jumped out from behind the nearest column screaming,"Wahhhh!". Kori shrieked, leaping 3 feet into the air. Ryuki roared with laughter upon seeing his timid sister startled.
"RYUKI!!!" Kori yelled, tackling her brother and tickling him. He donned baggy black pants and a dark blue blazer. His usual pendant chain he never took off hung around his neck and a crystal stud acquired from the Ningenkai glinted in his ear.
"Ah! Run away!" Ryuki cried, darting away from his indignant sister. Kori growled and began chasing him. The mischievious prince turned around and made a face, all while running. He wasn't looking at where he was going and slammed head on into his father who looked haughtily at his offspring.
"Children, stop that nonsense immediately." He boomed in a deep voice, adjusting his elegant cape. "Ryuki, get dressed. You've got another ceremony."
The prince made another disgusted face. "Aw. One, we're not children; Kori and I are older than most of your warrior knight dudes anyhow. Two, what's wrong with my outfit?! Damn, I hate those stupid electric blue jumpsuits all you elders wear. And three, another ceremony?!" Ryuki leapt gracefully onto the top of a low column, where he sat Indian-style. "Why the hell do we need yet another ritual thing?! Every damn person knows who I am and how I look like already! Ugh!" The boy laid down on his back, knees up, arms behind his head.
"Ryuki, get down here now!" The king demanded. He was aghasted at his son's behavior and lack of enthusiasm, plus he was getting more and more irritated by the minute. "You know you're expected to wear the royal gown on the Hiseken ruling family and another thing. You're going to this ceremony whether you like it or NOT!" The king shouted angrily walking off, his cape trailing behind him. Ryuki let out a heavy sigh once his father was gone.
"Yo, Kori? You still there, Nee-chan?" Ryuki called down. To his alarm, the princess was nowhere to be seen. "Kori! Nee-chan, I'm gonna fall off...! You better save meeeeeee!" He taunted.
"No, you're not. I've been sitting next to you for quite some time already; you just didn't notice." Kori sat on top of the next column, her arms wrapped around her knees pulled up to her chest. She had a solemn expression on her face which Ryuki could not read.
"Hey, sis, you look troubled. Watcha thinking about?" The prince asked with real concern. Kori smiled sadly.
"Nothing much really. Thanks for asking though." The boy studied Kori's face and, finding no hint as to her thoughts, gave up trying to get her to spill and settled on trying to cheer her up instead.
"Whatever. I supposed Pop is right and that I gotta change into my hideous bright blue jumpsuit soon." Ryuki imitated his father pulling on the suit, accompanied by a disgruntled look. Kori chuckled. Ryuki continued making fun of the suit and the face he had to wear it until Kori let loose a burst of laughter. "I gotta go put on the ugly thing and join Father for another boring ceremony. I'll see ya, sis." He jumped off the column, landed neatly and went on his way. Kori stayed where she was and thought to herself.
'Aw, poor Ryu-chan. Getting so much attention and being the favorite in Father's eyes.' She closed her own eyes. 'In a way, I kinda envy him. Mother adores him and Father...well Father just ignores me. If it weren't for Ryuki, I'd be all alone....'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Back in the present, Kurama winced despite his calm nature. He truly felt sorry for the princess....
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pale hands reached out and held kori. The princess felt comfortable in the warm embrace. "Kori-san, I'm going to tell you a secret. This is an ancient recipe, handed down from my family generations to generations." A female voice whispered in the princess's ear.
"What kind of secret?" Young Kori asked quietly.
"When those near to you have passed on unexpectedly, you have the power to bring them back."
"How?"
"With 5 simple ingredients. Remember this, Kori, do not tell anyone what you will hear. This entire secret is sacred and if it fell into the wrong hands, well, there'd be chaos." The voice whispered. Kori tried to look at the speaker but she couldn't. She trust this individual though.
"I promise...." She laid a hand on the spot where her heart was. "On my honor of being a princess."
"Ok, if you promise. The 5 components needed are Jade, Crimson, Saffron, Amethyst and Azure." She answered. "They make up the crystal."
"Huh? But those are colors." Kori gazed at the woman with big sapphire eyes.
"Yes, but they also hold another meaning. Those 5 special colors represent items. Jade is the name of a rare plant in Makai found on the outskirts of Midori City. Crimson is a blood colored jewel in Aka Cave, for Saffron you need the Golden Sphere in Chairoi Forest and amethyst, you need a vial of water from the Indigo River. Listen, Kori-chan, this is most important. The Azure ingredient is your tear, without your Tear of Sorrow, the entire potion is useless." The woman paused to take a breath.
"But why my tear?" questioned the snow apparition.
"Because you, Kori-san, are special. You are the only one who can-"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama was jolted back to the present; his Tensou Kinen had a time limit and it just ran out. Kori, kneeling in front of him, stared at him expectedly. Kurama lowered his hands from Kori's head.
"Did you find the ingredients?" She asked softly at last. Kurama nodded shakily.
"Well?" Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Come on, out with it, kitsune. What do we need?"
Kurama steadied his voice and explained all the components. Suddenly the door to the room was wrenched open and the entire rest of the gang, which consisted of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan and Genkai, poured in.
"Are you all okay?" Botan asked immediately.
"Whoa, are we having a party or something?" The baffled Kuwabara glanced at the two demons gathered around Kori and Yukina.
"Whooooooo! Party!" Yusuke shouted out. Only to have Genkai scold,"Shut it, dimwit."
Kurama smiled sheepishly. "Actually I was thinking of getting started on Yukina's revival potion."
"Kurama, please do. And the rest of you, SHUT UP! You're giving me a damn headache!" Hiei complained. In an instant, all became silent. They'd seen Hiei before in a violently pissed off mood and didn't wish to get on his bad side.
"Yes, about the potion...." Kurama cleared his throat. "We need to get to Makai in order to obtain the materials. I was planning on going and bring Kori with me just to see if she remembers the areas where the items are located." He glanced at the group to see if they were fine with his idea. Kurama knew of Hiei's wish to stay by his sister's side to watch over her, the same with Kuwabara and his love for the apparition. That left Yusuke to accompany him. "Hm...and Yusuke should come too if it's not too much trouble."
"Not too much trouble?! That's a hell of a lot! Why do I have to go?!" Yusuke fumed.
"We might run into some trouble and if by chance something happens to me...." Kurama nodded towards Kori. Yusuke understood the fox's gesture and automatically calmed down. The reluctant spirit detective stood up and stretched.
"Like I say on my other missions, let's do this and get it over with."
Kurama got up and helped Kori up off the floor. "Botan, could you make us a portal to the Makai?"
"Gladly." replied the bubbly ferry girl. Soon enough, a shimmering portal was opened and the demon, the detective and the princess went through.
*Part II is up next...take a break, watch some TV or grab some snacks! This is not finished yet! Please proceed to next page.^^
*This is Part I of a two part chapter. It was originally all one chappy but altogether it was too long. (It gave me a headache when I reread it -_-) So I split it in two! ^^; Thank you so much, reviewers! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
*******Chapter 11 - Spiritual Awakening: Part I*******
Kurama turned upon hearing footsteps pounding across the rooftop.
"We finally got rid of them...." Yusuke grinned triumphantly. His smile quickly vanished though when he saw Hiei holding lifeless Yukina in his arms. Kori clasped a hand to her mouth and turned away. Her eyes welled up with tears but she didn't know why. Kuwabara's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Yu-Yukina! Hey, what's shrimpface doing with MY girl?!" Kuwabara was about to run forward and attempt to deck Hiei in the face for stealing "his" Yukina but someone threw an arm out and stopped him. Kurama. Of all the people.
"K-Kurama?! What are you...?"
"Let them be." Kurama answered, a pained expression on his face. "Yukina was very dear to Hiei....they're siblings." The kitsune added quietly. Kuwabara's face was a mix of shock, surprise and utter disbelief. For once, he was actually speechless.
Without warning, Kori ran ahead and dropped to her knees beside the fire demon. "What do you want?" came his harsh reply.
"Give me Yukina's hand. I may be able to revive her...." Hiei looked up doubtfully. "It's worth a try." The snow princess seized the apparition's cold hand and concentrated. "I'm trying to contain her spirit inside her body." She explained. "As long as the soul remains intact within the body, she should still have a chance." Kori became silent, focusing all her own spirit energy to revive Yukina. After a while, sweat appeared on her forehead. It was not an easy job to maintain control over Spiritual Revival.
"Ah!" Kori felt a sudden pain shooting through her head and nearly collapsed. But Hiei held her up.
"You okay? Don't kill yourself over this...." He muttered.
"No, almost finished....it's just a side effect." Kori gasped. At last, she fell back, drained completely of her energy. At first, only Hiei could feel the apparition's soul dwindling but then there was a slight increase in her spirit energy. However, Yukina's eyes still did not open. The other 3 guys came over to inspect Kori's work.
"She's not waking up!" Kuwabara shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at his love.
"Yukina is not completely revived yet. I merely stopped the transport of her spirit to Reikai. Once a soul is separated from the body, the person will have no choice but to go to the heavens." Kori whispered weakly.
"So how do we get her to wake up for real?" asked Yusuke.
"W-With a potion...the Saigen potion...only the most intellectable know of its ingredients." Kori smiled then passed out. Cries of "Kori! Princess!" were heard.
"I guess the strain of the job wore her out." Kurama said, gathering the fainted snow apparition up in his arms. Kuwabara and Hiei argued over who would carry Yukina.
"She's my girlfriend!" Kuwabara yelled.
"Says you, oaf!" Hiei pointed out.
"Yeah, well, you can't even pick her up. You're too short!" Kuwabara sneered. Hiei's scowl disappeared and was replaced by a smirk.
"Funny...I may be shorter than you but your skill and power comes nowhere close to mine."
"Shut up! I could beat you up anyday, anytime, you name it!"
"Anytime, huh? How about now?" Hiei smiled meanly, raising his spirit energy to prepare for battle.
"Hiei...." Kurama's voice held a warning edge to it. Kuwabara ended up carrying Yukina much to Hiei's dismay.
"If you so much as stare at her, I will not hesitate to rip off your head and stick it on a tree as a warning sign for all other idiots." Hiei threatened. Kuwabara did not bother exerting a reply; Hiei seemed to mean the words he said and to prove his point, he was monitoring the human boy carefully.
The guys decided to bring the apparitions to Genkai's temple as it was the safest haven and the chances of humans intruding were slim. Kori lay in a futon next to a separate one with Yukina in it, who was still deathly pale. When the snow apparition princess awoke, she saw concerned emerald eyes hovering above her face.
"Eeeeeek!" She screamed, causing startled Kurama to fall back in surprise. "Oh, it was just you, Kurama. Sorry." Kori sat up. "Scary. Don't do that! I thought you were a demon."
"I am a demon." Kurama replied, kneeling back on his knees again, lost grace found. Hiei, beside Yukina, smirked at the fox's inelegance.
"Yeah, well. Hey, where am I?" The princess looked around the unfamiliar room. "And where is everyone else? How'd I get here?" She then noticed Yukina. "And oh my gosh! Has she taken the potion?"
"You're at Genkai's temple, she is a friend of ours and Yusuke's instructor. I suppose everyone else is in the next room over, I carried you here...."
"And as for Yukina, we have no idea what potion she is to take. You forgot to fill us in on that." Hiei interrupted in, a grim look on his face again. His red eyes were brimmed with worry.
"Princess Haritsuta, do you know the ingredients? For the potion?" Kurama questioned.
"I do. But I learned this from...from a friend a long time ago. I don't remember any of the needed materials." Kori answered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Hiei replied, now checking to see if Yukina's soul was still in her body. "Kurama, can you still perform Tensou Kinen?"
"Memory Transfer? Yes, but I don't want to probe around in Haritsuta Hime's memory...." Kurama said doubtfully.
"My memory?" Kori was confused.
"Tensou Kinen is a form of memory channeling. It transfers the memories of one to another, making it seem like the viewer is almost experiencing the thought himself."
"I see." The princess answered, usually quiet. "If it will save your sister...." Kori nodded at Hiei. "I'm willing to go through with it." She turned back to Kurama. "What do I have to do?"
"Just sit still. Try not to move that much otherwise the connection will break."
Kori smiled understandingly. In a way, her smile appeared sad. "Try not to be too horrified at what you see." Kurama wondered the hidden meaning of this statement. He placed his hands near Kori's temples, touching two fingers to each side of her head. His eyes reflexively squeezed shut. The snow apparition's crystal blue eyes were fluttering.
As the kitsune slowly absorbed the princess's past, he caught a glimpse of her past life. Now he understood Kori's implication. In the first memory, Kori was crying out in pain....
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I didn't do it! It was Masaki, I saw him!" Kori cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Shut up, you noisy brat! Masaki is my most trusted servant; he would not betray me like that!" A woman slapped the princess hard across the face to the floor. She was regally dressed in elegant clothing but never the less, her face was marred with a look of pure delight at seeing Kori in pain.
"I would not betray you like that either!" Kori yelled back, a gash forming on her face. Blood trickled out of the wound and plopped onto the floor. Her eyes widened upon seeing the red liquid and she felt her face. Her fingers came away red as Kori stared in disbelief at her mother. Her once loving mother who had raised her....
"You're a good for nothing idiot, you're not fit to be my daughter!" The queen continued, beginning to walk away down the hall.
"Wait! Mother, where is Ryuki?! Tell me where Ryuki is, please!" Kori begged, simultaneously dropping to her knees. She bowed her head until she felt the cold stone floor, cool against her hot forehead. "Please!"
The woman paused, a maliced smile forming on her face. "That is not your concern, you worthless bitch." Kori flinched but still didn't move from her position. Without a backward glance, the woman flicked her fingers. "Masaki, take care of the little wretch." The brainless servant grinned evilly, cracking his massive knuckles. He began pummeling the princess who yelped out in agony.
'No. I will not cry.' Kori grimaced but held back her tears as best as she could, despite the servant kicking and punching her delicate body. 'I will not give them the satisfaction of my tears.'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama was appalled; he had seen demons betray each other before but not like this. Not between mother and child. Having no choice after agreeing to do so, he continued traveling back in Kori's memories. The next memory showed the princess 2 years before.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ryu-chan! Come out and keep me company, please? Hello...!" The young princess walked through a beautiful, ice-glazed hall. "Ryuki?" She was dressed in a lavender kimono adorned with Hiseken's trademark snowflakes.
At the sound of her voice, a spiky black haired boy jumped out from behind the nearest column screaming,"Wahhhh!". Kori shrieked, leaping 3 feet into the air. Ryuki roared with laughter upon seeing his timid sister startled.
"RYUKI!!!" Kori yelled, tackling her brother and tickling him. He donned baggy black pants and a dark blue blazer. His usual pendant chain he never took off hung around his neck and a crystal stud acquired from the Ningenkai glinted in his ear.
"Ah! Run away!" Ryuki cried, darting away from his indignant sister. Kori growled and began chasing him. The mischievious prince turned around and made a face, all while running. He wasn't looking at where he was going and slammed head on into his father who looked haughtily at his offspring.
"Children, stop that nonsense immediately." He boomed in a deep voice, adjusting his elegant cape. "Ryuki, get dressed. You've got another ceremony."
The prince made another disgusted face. "Aw. One, we're not children; Kori and I are older than most of your warrior knight dudes anyhow. Two, what's wrong with my outfit?! Damn, I hate those stupid electric blue jumpsuits all you elders wear. And three, another ceremony?!" Ryuki leapt gracefully onto the top of a low column, where he sat Indian-style. "Why the hell do we need yet another ritual thing?! Every damn person knows who I am and how I look like already! Ugh!" The boy laid down on his back, knees up, arms behind his head.
"Ryuki, get down here now!" The king demanded. He was aghasted at his son's behavior and lack of enthusiasm, plus he was getting more and more irritated by the minute. "You know you're expected to wear the royal gown on the Hiseken ruling family and another thing. You're going to this ceremony whether you like it or NOT!" The king shouted angrily walking off, his cape trailing behind him. Ryuki let out a heavy sigh once his father was gone.
"Yo, Kori? You still there, Nee-chan?" Ryuki called down. To his alarm, the princess was nowhere to be seen. "Kori! Nee-chan, I'm gonna fall off...! You better save meeeeeee!" He taunted.
"No, you're not. I've been sitting next to you for quite some time already; you just didn't notice." Kori sat on top of the next column, her arms wrapped around her knees pulled up to her chest. She had a solemn expression on her face which Ryuki could not read.
"Hey, sis, you look troubled. Watcha thinking about?" The prince asked with real concern. Kori smiled sadly.
"Nothing much really. Thanks for asking though." The boy studied Kori's face and, finding no hint as to her thoughts, gave up trying to get her to spill and settled on trying to cheer her up instead.
"Whatever. I supposed Pop is right and that I gotta change into my hideous bright blue jumpsuit soon." Ryuki imitated his father pulling on the suit, accompanied by a disgruntled look. Kori chuckled. Ryuki continued making fun of the suit and the face he had to wear it until Kori let loose a burst of laughter. "I gotta go put on the ugly thing and join Father for another boring ceremony. I'll see ya, sis." He jumped off the column, landed neatly and went on his way. Kori stayed where she was and thought to herself.
'Aw, poor Ryu-chan. Getting so much attention and being the favorite in Father's eyes.' She closed her own eyes. 'In a way, I kinda envy him. Mother adores him and Father...well Father just ignores me. If it weren't for Ryuki, I'd be all alone....'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Back in the present, Kurama winced despite his calm nature. He truly felt sorry for the princess....
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pale hands reached out and held kori. The princess felt comfortable in the warm embrace. "Kori-san, I'm going to tell you a secret. This is an ancient recipe, handed down from my family generations to generations." A female voice whispered in the princess's ear.
"What kind of secret?" Young Kori asked quietly.
"When those near to you have passed on unexpectedly, you have the power to bring them back."
"How?"
"With 5 simple ingredients. Remember this, Kori, do not tell anyone what you will hear. This entire secret is sacred and if it fell into the wrong hands, well, there'd be chaos." The voice whispered. Kori tried to look at the speaker but she couldn't. She trust this individual though.
"I promise...." She laid a hand on the spot where her heart was. "On my honor of being a princess."
"Ok, if you promise. The 5 components needed are Jade, Crimson, Saffron, Amethyst and Azure." She answered. "They make up the crystal."
"Huh? But those are colors." Kori gazed at the woman with big sapphire eyes.
"Yes, but they also hold another meaning. Those 5 special colors represent items. Jade is the name of a rare plant in Makai found on the outskirts of Midori City. Crimson is a blood colored jewel in Aka Cave, for Saffron you need the Golden Sphere in Chairoi Forest and amethyst, you need a vial of water from the Indigo River. Listen, Kori-chan, this is most important. The Azure ingredient is your tear, without your Tear of Sorrow, the entire potion is useless." The woman paused to take a breath.
"But why my tear?" questioned the snow apparition.
"Because you, Kori-san, are special. You are the only one who can-"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kurama was jolted back to the present; his Tensou Kinen had a time limit and it just ran out. Kori, kneeling in front of him, stared at him expectedly. Kurama lowered his hands from Kori's head.
"Did you find the ingredients?" She asked softly at last. Kurama nodded shakily.
"Well?" Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Come on, out with it, kitsune. What do we need?"
Kurama steadied his voice and explained all the components. Suddenly the door to the room was wrenched open and the entire rest of the gang, which consisted of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan and Genkai, poured in.
"Are you all okay?" Botan asked immediately.
"Whoa, are we having a party or something?" The baffled Kuwabara glanced at the two demons gathered around Kori and Yukina.
"Whooooooo! Party!" Yusuke shouted out. Only to have Genkai scold,"Shut it, dimwit."
Kurama smiled sheepishly. "Actually I was thinking of getting started on Yukina's revival potion."
"Kurama, please do. And the rest of you, SHUT UP! You're giving me a damn headache!" Hiei complained. In an instant, all became silent. They'd seen Hiei before in a violently pissed off mood and didn't wish to get on his bad side.
"Yes, about the potion...." Kurama cleared his throat. "We need to get to Makai in order to obtain the materials. I was planning on going and bring Kori with me just to see if she remembers the areas where the items are located." He glanced at the group to see if they were fine with his idea. Kurama knew of Hiei's wish to stay by his sister's side to watch over her, the same with Kuwabara and his love for the apparition. That left Yusuke to accompany him. "Hm...and Yusuke should come too if it's not too much trouble."
"Not too much trouble?! That's a hell of a lot! Why do I have to go?!" Yusuke fumed.
"We might run into some trouble and if by chance something happens to me...." Kurama nodded towards Kori. Yusuke understood the fox's gesture and automatically calmed down. The reluctant spirit detective stood up and stretched.
"Like I say on my other missions, let's do this and get it over with."
Kurama got up and helped Kori up off the floor. "Botan, could you make us a portal to the Makai?"
"Gladly." replied the bubbly ferry girl. Soon enough, a shimmering portal was opened and the demon, the detective and the princess went through.
*Part II is up next...take a break, watch some TV or grab some snacks! This is not finished yet! Please proceed to next page.^^
