Makai sure has changed, especially this part of the Makai. It has been a long time since
he came here. Not long enough. He never came back to the Gathering of Youkai after his
mother, Mishian left him hundreds of years ago. He didn't want to come anyway but
Yusuke and Kuwabara had never seen or attended such a gathering and so they begged
him to come as they were not familiar with the place. In other words, Kurama was there
to play guide. Hiei, as always, just went wherever he suited him and for the time being, it
suited him to stay close to Kurama—not that Kurama minded in the least. In fact he
welcomed Hiei's company.
"Hey, Kurama!" Kuwabara shouted at the top of his lungs. "Look at all this food!"
"Food!" Yusuke's reaction was immediate. "where?"
Hiei just looked straight ahead and uttered a soft 'ch'. Kurama heard him and bent down
until his lips were right beside the little fire demon's ear.
"Don't worry. We can feed those two a lot of sake and soon they'll be sleeping like
babies. Then we can have some real fun together."
Hiei's lips curled in a little smile as he stared up at his beautiful red-haired mate.
"I think they have already found the sake stall…" he nodded ahead of them.
Kurama turned to see the two rowdy Reikai Tantei slurping down sake like it was their
last meal. He shook his head. At this rate, the two of them will only last for another
fifteen minutes at the most and then he and Hiei will have to drag the both of them back
to Reikai.
"Hey, fox." Hiei was staring at a man on his right. "look at that youku."
Kurama tore his eyes away from Yusuke and Kuwabara. What he saw stopped him in
his tracks. Ahead of him was a tall silver youku in a greyish tunic with long silver hair.
When the youku turned around he saw that the youku's eyes were a matted light brown.
He didn't need the eyes to tell him who was that youku.
"He looks just like you, ne Kurama?" Hiei was oblivious to his friends shock. "if his
eyes were gold and his hair longer and thicker, he'd be you."
Hiei was surprised at his friend's silence. "Well, of course, you'd be more beautiful
seeing that your youku form is much taller and more elegant…" he hastily assured
Kurama, thinking Kurama hurt by his comment.
Kurama was still silently staring at the youku. The youku, feeling Kurama's gaze on
him, turned and stared back at Kurama. Then he walked over to the duo and stood
defiantly in front of Kurama. Kurama tilted his crimson head and continued staring
stupidly at the youku.
"What are you staring at?" the youku snarled.
Hiei didn't like the way that youku was treating his Kurama. Beautiful or not beautiful,
that youku was going to experience the time of his life if he did anything other than talk
to Kurama.
"What business is it of yours?" Hiei snarled back.
"Shut up, shrimp!" the youku barked.
That word jolted Kurama out of his reverie and he was about to insult the man before
Hiei fried him when a loud shout split his ears.
"No one calls him shrimp but me!" Kuwabara was standing a few paces behind the
youku and was obviously not as drunk as he pretended to be earlier.
"Ch!" the youku spat "Ningens!"
The word was uttered in the same tone one used to refer to something nauseous.
The youku summoned a crawling vine from the ground and the vines shot towards
Kuwabara. The vines were immediately slashed into pieces with Kuwabara's Rei Ken.
"Ch!" Kuwabara snorted. "Child's play!"
The Rei Ken disappeared as he gave a hiccup.
The youku was shocked. The ningen can actually materialize the spiritual sword and
deflect his vines. On top of that the ningen was already partially drunk.
"Baka." Hiei muttered as he stared at the constantly hiccuping Kuwabara.
"Oi! Carrot head!" Yusuke shouted holding two jars of sake. "do you still want some
more?"
Kuwabara immediately lunged for the jar. He obviously thought that his threat was
enough and that he and the youku was now even.
The youku narrowed his eyes, unused at being ignored so easily and by a human at that.
He had just gathered his ki when Kurama and Hiei brushed past him.
"I wouldn't attack Kuwabara from behind if I were you." Kurama stopped beside him.
"Kuwabara may be human but if he was a youkai, he would be ranked as an A class and
almost S class youkai. He let you off easy, leave it at that. If you attack him he will be
forced to retaliate and I, the 'shrimp' and that drunken boy beside Kuwabara will make
you wish that when Kuwabara beat you up, he had finished you."
The words were delivered in a slightly amused tone, causing the youku's blood to go
cold. Suddenly, a small boy rushed headlong into the youku.
"Gomen nasai…" the boy blurted out. Unable to lash out at the ningen, the youku
lashed out at the boy in anger. Out of the ground, thorny vines shot upwards.
Suddenly, in a black flash, the boy disappeared and the vines swung around in the air,
momentarily confused at their lack of victim. The youku was surprised at the speed in
which the boy was snatched away. Looking around, he saw the red-eyed shrimp handing
the boy over to a worried youkai mother. His eyes narrowed at the thought. The shrimp
was faster than anyone he had ever seen. Then suddenly, the blood-red eyes were turned
onto him.
Hiei drew out his katana and snarled. That youku was going to hurt an innocent child.
He would have burnt the man into a pile of ashes if it weren't for Kurama who was beside
him. Kurama always hated violence even though he was a great fighter and a fight would
only upset his friend. But now, the youku had gone too far. He was just about to attack
when Kurama stepped in front of him.
"Let me handle this." He said in his lovely, soft voice.
The youku laughed out loud. He was worried when he had to face the smaller demon
but this red-haired ningen would be a piece of cake. He watched as the ningen reached
into his hair and pulled out a single red rose.
"Are you going to beg me to spare you?" he sneered.
Kurama ignored him.
"Rose Whip!" Kurama shouted and slashed through the air. What was then a rose was
now a whip with deadly thorns. The sweet smell of roses invaded the youku's nostrils.
The youkai was struck dumb. This ningen possessed the power beyond anything he
could ever possess.
"Maraku!" Kurama shouted. His previously soft voice was now hard. "Know that you
are spared today for a deed that you have done hundreds of years ago. If not for that deed,
know that you would not be standing to listen to me now."
The youku took a few steps backwards. The ningen knew his name without him telling
it. Who was this ningen?
"Who are you?" the youku asked in a loud but clearly frightened voice.
Kurama closed his eyes and slowly he changed from a small, gentle, red-haired human
into a tall, fiercely elegant silver youku with gold eyes and a killer's gaze.
The youku's eyes widened in fear and surprise. "You!"
"Yes, me. My name is…Kurama. Youku Kurama." He stated before turning back into a
human and shrunk his whip. Without looking back, he walked towards the two drunk
Reikai Tantei with Hiei following closely behind.
"Ch!" was all that was heard from Hiei as he helped Kurama to support Yusuke and
Kuwabara. "Why did you let him live? It's not like you. He tried to kill the boy."
"I let him off because of a favour he did for me a long time ago." Kurama said, his
voice barely above a whisper.
"What is it?" Hiei asked as he struggled to support the loud-mouthed, swearing carrot
head.
"He sired me." Kurama shifted Yusuke on his left shoulder and Kuwabara on his right
with Hiei giving extra support. "He is my father."
Hiei's eyes widened in surprise. Before stepping into Reikai, he turned and stared back
at the youku who stood there staring at them with fear in his eyes. Hiei knew that Kurama
was abandoned by his mother, Mishian, after his father refused to recognise him when he
was only six years old. Looking back at the youku hunched in fear, he saw no beauty in
him now, just a cowering person with little to admire. Looking up at the flaming beauty
on his left, he knew that he would have loved Kurama even if Kurama was ugly. Kurama
had all the gentleness and kindness in him. These traits balanced the cynical side of his
youku and produced a person who was both soft yet strong, gentle yet brave. He had a
greater understanding of many things compared to the other Reikai Tantei including
himself.
Kurama was special. He was youkai. He was human. He was youku. He was
everybody. He was nobody. He was everything that made him what he was. He was
Kurama.
Youkai demon/type of spirit
Ningen human
Reikai spirit world
Youku fox demon/spirit
Reikai Tantei detectives of the spirit world
Sake alcoholic drink
1
1
he came here. Not long enough. He never came back to the Gathering of Youkai after his
mother, Mishian left him hundreds of years ago. He didn't want to come anyway but
Yusuke and Kuwabara had never seen or attended such a gathering and so they begged
him to come as they were not familiar with the place. In other words, Kurama was there
to play guide. Hiei, as always, just went wherever he suited him and for the time being, it
suited him to stay close to Kurama—not that Kurama minded in the least. In fact he
welcomed Hiei's company.
"Hey, Kurama!" Kuwabara shouted at the top of his lungs. "Look at all this food!"
"Food!" Yusuke's reaction was immediate. "where?"
Hiei just looked straight ahead and uttered a soft 'ch'. Kurama heard him and bent down
until his lips were right beside the little fire demon's ear.
"Don't worry. We can feed those two a lot of sake and soon they'll be sleeping like
babies. Then we can have some real fun together."
Hiei's lips curled in a little smile as he stared up at his beautiful red-haired mate.
"I think they have already found the sake stall…" he nodded ahead of them.
Kurama turned to see the two rowdy Reikai Tantei slurping down sake like it was their
last meal. He shook his head. At this rate, the two of them will only last for another
fifteen minutes at the most and then he and Hiei will have to drag the both of them back
to Reikai.
"Hey, fox." Hiei was staring at a man on his right. "look at that youku."
Kurama tore his eyes away from Yusuke and Kuwabara. What he saw stopped him in
his tracks. Ahead of him was a tall silver youku in a greyish tunic with long silver hair.
When the youku turned around he saw that the youku's eyes were a matted light brown.
He didn't need the eyes to tell him who was that youku.
"He looks just like you, ne Kurama?" Hiei was oblivious to his friends shock. "if his
eyes were gold and his hair longer and thicker, he'd be you."
Hiei was surprised at his friend's silence. "Well, of course, you'd be more beautiful
seeing that your youku form is much taller and more elegant…" he hastily assured
Kurama, thinking Kurama hurt by his comment.
Kurama was still silently staring at the youku. The youku, feeling Kurama's gaze on
him, turned and stared back at Kurama. Then he walked over to the duo and stood
defiantly in front of Kurama. Kurama tilted his crimson head and continued staring
stupidly at the youku.
"What are you staring at?" the youku snarled.
Hiei didn't like the way that youku was treating his Kurama. Beautiful or not beautiful,
that youku was going to experience the time of his life if he did anything other than talk
to Kurama.
"What business is it of yours?" Hiei snarled back.
"Shut up, shrimp!" the youku barked.
That word jolted Kurama out of his reverie and he was about to insult the man before
Hiei fried him when a loud shout split his ears.
"No one calls him shrimp but me!" Kuwabara was standing a few paces behind the
youku and was obviously not as drunk as he pretended to be earlier.
"Ch!" the youku spat "Ningens!"
The word was uttered in the same tone one used to refer to something nauseous.
The youku summoned a crawling vine from the ground and the vines shot towards
Kuwabara. The vines were immediately slashed into pieces with Kuwabara's Rei Ken.
"Ch!" Kuwabara snorted. "Child's play!"
The Rei Ken disappeared as he gave a hiccup.
The youku was shocked. The ningen can actually materialize the spiritual sword and
deflect his vines. On top of that the ningen was already partially drunk.
"Baka." Hiei muttered as he stared at the constantly hiccuping Kuwabara.
"Oi! Carrot head!" Yusuke shouted holding two jars of sake. "do you still want some
more?"
Kuwabara immediately lunged for the jar. He obviously thought that his threat was
enough and that he and the youku was now even.
The youku narrowed his eyes, unused at being ignored so easily and by a human at that.
He had just gathered his ki when Kurama and Hiei brushed past him.
"I wouldn't attack Kuwabara from behind if I were you." Kurama stopped beside him.
"Kuwabara may be human but if he was a youkai, he would be ranked as an A class and
almost S class youkai. He let you off easy, leave it at that. If you attack him he will be
forced to retaliate and I, the 'shrimp' and that drunken boy beside Kuwabara will make
you wish that when Kuwabara beat you up, he had finished you."
The words were delivered in a slightly amused tone, causing the youku's blood to go
cold. Suddenly, a small boy rushed headlong into the youku.
"Gomen nasai…" the boy blurted out. Unable to lash out at the ningen, the youku
lashed out at the boy in anger. Out of the ground, thorny vines shot upwards.
Suddenly, in a black flash, the boy disappeared and the vines swung around in the air,
momentarily confused at their lack of victim. The youku was surprised at the speed in
which the boy was snatched away. Looking around, he saw the red-eyed shrimp handing
the boy over to a worried youkai mother. His eyes narrowed at the thought. The shrimp
was faster than anyone he had ever seen. Then suddenly, the blood-red eyes were turned
onto him.
Hiei drew out his katana and snarled. That youku was going to hurt an innocent child.
He would have burnt the man into a pile of ashes if it weren't for Kurama who was beside
him. Kurama always hated violence even though he was a great fighter and a fight would
only upset his friend. But now, the youku had gone too far. He was just about to attack
when Kurama stepped in front of him.
"Let me handle this." He said in his lovely, soft voice.
The youku laughed out loud. He was worried when he had to face the smaller demon
but this red-haired ningen would be a piece of cake. He watched as the ningen reached
into his hair and pulled out a single red rose.
"Are you going to beg me to spare you?" he sneered.
Kurama ignored him.
"Rose Whip!" Kurama shouted and slashed through the air. What was then a rose was
now a whip with deadly thorns. The sweet smell of roses invaded the youku's nostrils.
The youkai was struck dumb. This ningen possessed the power beyond anything he
could ever possess.
"Maraku!" Kurama shouted. His previously soft voice was now hard. "Know that you
are spared today for a deed that you have done hundreds of years ago. If not for that deed,
know that you would not be standing to listen to me now."
The youku took a few steps backwards. The ningen knew his name without him telling
it. Who was this ningen?
"Who are you?" the youku asked in a loud but clearly frightened voice.
Kurama closed his eyes and slowly he changed from a small, gentle, red-haired human
into a tall, fiercely elegant silver youku with gold eyes and a killer's gaze.
The youku's eyes widened in fear and surprise. "You!"
"Yes, me. My name is…Kurama. Youku Kurama." He stated before turning back into a
human and shrunk his whip. Without looking back, he walked towards the two drunk
Reikai Tantei with Hiei following closely behind.
"Ch!" was all that was heard from Hiei as he helped Kurama to support Yusuke and
Kuwabara. "Why did you let him live? It's not like you. He tried to kill the boy."
"I let him off because of a favour he did for me a long time ago." Kurama said, his
voice barely above a whisper.
"What is it?" Hiei asked as he struggled to support the loud-mouthed, swearing carrot
head.
"He sired me." Kurama shifted Yusuke on his left shoulder and Kuwabara on his right
with Hiei giving extra support. "He is my father."
Hiei's eyes widened in surprise. Before stepping into Reikai, he turned and stared back
at the youku who stood there staring at them with fear in his eyes. Hiei knew that Kurama
was abandoned by his mother, Mishian, after his father refused to recognise him when he
was only six years old. Looking back at the youku hunched in fear, he saw no beauty in
him now, just a cowering person with little to admire. Looking up at the flaming beauty
on his left, he knew that he would have loved Kurama even if Kurama was ugly. Kurama
had all the gentleness and kindness in him. These traits balanced the cynical side of his
youku and produced a person who was both soft yet strong, gentle yet brave. He had a
greater understanding of many things compared to the other Reikai Tantei including
himself.
Kurama was special. He was youkai. He was human. He was youku. He was
everybody. He was nobody. He was everything that made him what he was. He was
Kurama.
Youkai demon/type of spirit
Ningen human
Reikai spirit world
Youku fox demon/spirit
Reikai Tantei detectives of the spirit world
Sake alcoholic drink
1
1