Chapter 5: Finally, Some Explanations.
They walked in silence, the injured red headed teenage boy, and the disgruntled Chinese girl, side by side. A perfect couple, supposedly.
"Can we stop for a few minutes?" Torashi asked quietly. She was beginning to get tired.
"I don't mind." Kurama answered just as quietly.
They walked silently into a deserted park and sat on the closest bench they could find. Both leaned against the other, one for support, the other for comfort.
"He called you Yoko. Why?" Torashi asked, still quiet. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Yoko was my yokai name."
"Then where did Shuichi come from? And do all yokai have a ningen okasan?"
"Slow down, Torashi-san. I was once a (1) kitsune yokai. I spent my time cracking codes and breaking locks in a band of thieves. One mission failed and I was greatly injured by a strong yokai hunter. My only hope of survival was to have my spirit possess a ningen. My okasan," Kurama said. It didn't sound as if he enjoyed what had happened.
"The thing mentioned something about a 'Dark Tournament', what is it?"
"Some yokai form teams of five to compete against one another in official combat."
"And you were in something like that?!" Torashi was amazed that Kurama would be in such a brutal thing.
"Yes, and it's not as bad as you might think. Some teams..." Kurama smiled as he recalled Toya.
"Why?"
"I rediscovered how being a full yokai was again. In the semifinals we were oddly matched against team Uriatogi. An Illusion Beast named Uri Urishima decided he didn't like me. I was taller and better looking than him, so would use his Idunn Box to send me back to before I was a baby." Kurama smiled. The memory was pleasant for him. "Of course, no one except Hiei and Yusuke knew I was the legendary bandit before that. It was such a shame it lasted only a short while. But, I knew it was possible. I left the fight knowing I could win the finals if I had that option. A man from the yokai's favorite team, Team Tuguro, decided he took a distinct liking time. Karasu threatened me right after I saw his fight, saw what he could do." Kurama was frightened of that. "The team leader from team Uriatogi, the 'Beautiful Yokai Battler' Suzuki, decided to aid Kuwabara and myself. He gave Kuwabara a trial sword, it magnified his rei- ken, and he gave myself a potion, containing the same substance as the Box. 'He may not be able to fight Tuguro, but at least his items would.' I used the potion in the finals. It got me far enough to be able to kill Karasu. Unfortunately, the committee called the fight a win for Tuguro, I was unable to stand."
Shallow bastards, Torashi thought, couldn't bear to have the underdogs win. She would have loved to beat them. "I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault. Don't apologize."
"I made you talk about it."
"I think I needed to."
"Yusuke knew you were a yokai? How?" Torashi didn't feel like arguing.
"I told him after we had met. A couple years ago, Hiei had asked me if we could team up and steal the 'Artifacts of Darkness': the Kama no Ken, the Ankokukyo, and the Gakidama. My okasan had fallen ill with an incurable disease. So, I agreed, taking the Ankokukyo and retreated. I promised Yusuke I'd return it to him; I didn't tell him I'd use it first. The Ankokukyo grants the desire of the wielder at a horrible price. Can you guess what that was, Torashi-san?"
"Nothing I know of would attract a Mirror."
"Life. It was strongest at the full moon. I wanted my okasan well again more than anything. Yusuke was there when I use did, and he demanded the Ankokukyo take his life instead. It decided not to take any life at all, and my desire was fulfilled. (Of course, I, The Author, have decided the Ankokukyo was so confused it decided not to take either, but, I'll stick to the story...) That's what happened with me. I was the most fortunate, for the other two were punished. Goki took the Gakidama, a ball that eats children souls. Yusuke killed him." Kurama obviously didn't care. "Hiei on the other hand made a mistake. He took Yusuke's girl friend, Kayko. Yusuke's rei rises with his strong emotions. He beat Hiei on accident. Hiei is a master at speed and Yusuke was too new to beat him. So he bounced his Rei-Gun of the Ankokukyu and hit Hiei. Now, the two of us help Yusuke, which is the only way to keep us from going to the lava pits." That sounded like a joke.
"What about Hiei? What's up with him?"
"I don't think he would enjoy me telling you his life story. He respects Yusuke; not very many ningen get that, as you know. Or yokai, for that matter."
"The Rose Whip you use. It's a regular rose, until you use it." It was a question, although it didn't sound like one.
"I use yoki to transform it. But you used something similar, rei, in the clearing. The idea is the same as Kuwabara's Rei-ken. But it seems a bit more...cat-like."
"Like cat claws." Torashi was feeling a bit embarrassed. Kurama had told her somethings and she hadn't told him anything. "I'm not exactly from around here. In China there is a place called the Jusankyo Springs. Animals have drowned it the springs and if a person falls in, they turn into that animal. Animal with cold water, human when splashed with hot water. I turn into a neko."
"Well, that explains a lot. Neko are in tune to the Spirit Realm. And you have proven yourself by tracking yokai."
He didn't ask any more questions from her than that. She might not have told him anyway. She was good at changing subjects.
"Hey, Kurama-kun. Can we go now?"
"Sure."
Torashi stood up first, and then helped Kurama. They resumed the positions and walked home in silence, each running through what they learned about the other.
Torashi woke up, the sun playing across her face, blinding her as she opened her blue eyes. Cursing under her breath, she thought of her dream. Or did it really happen?
Kurama walked down the hall and into the back (2) Shoji. He stepped back, startled. Then realizing he ran into it, he opened it and walked outside.
Ok. Suspicion confirmed. Kurama looked tired, he never did before. I'll try helping him, she thought.
She messed around in the kitchen for a while, and then she went out to see him. "Ohayoo, Shuichi-kun. Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, Torashi-san. I didn't know you were out here."
"Here. I made this tea for you. My foster mother made it for me after I did a couple things." In her work she had tested poisons, allowing herself to use them without fear. She'd also got herself beaten up sometimes... She handed Kurama the cup. "It's supposed to wake you up and give you back strength." Kurama needed strength; the plants were acting...like plants.
"(3) Arigatou."
"No problem. Does your 'kasan know about Kurama?" Torashi asked curiously.
"What?"
Torashi smiled. Sleepiness and Kurama didn't go well together. "Your other self."
Kurama took a sip of the tea she had given him. It was a little bitter, but decent all the same. "I don't think she needs to know."
That wasn't the truth, Torashi realized. "What if you die, or get beaten up. She'd wonder. You might want to tell her. She will eventually wonder. That's how she is. I know. She treats me like I was her own, as well." Just like her foster mother had.
"You don't tell people things like that. It isn't a curse, not something I can fix. It's me. And she might not accept me any more for who I am."
"Then let me tell you the full truth. It is true I'm from China, in a way. My dad willingly gave me away to a woman from China for some food. That is why I am a neko. But what's more is...how did Koenma say it... I'm from a different dimension. Will you shun me for that? Or the fact I died at my place and came back to life here? That would be a damn good reason to ignore me. But will you?" She wasn't happy telling Kurama, but she said it bravely, fiercely.
Kurama didn't answer right away. He drank the tea. "Yoko would."
"I'm not asking if he would. I don't know Yoko. I know Minamino Shuichi. That is who I am asking."
He turned, looking her in the eyes. "I would not shun you. I don't think I would have the heart to. But do you tell that to everyone? I do not think so."
Torashi broke the connection, uncomfortable, looking instead at the ground.
"I have found out about the rei. Can you help me learn more? To call my Rei-tsume up freely?"
"It isn't something I think I can do."
"I'll prove it to you. Fight me. That is the way I learn. Danger is the best way to cure a curious neko."
"I think Yusuke would be more..."
"No!" Torashi interrupted. "Yusuke and Kuwabara pose me no threats. I trust you to help, Kurama-sensei. (4)"
"I'll help you, just stop calling me sensei."
"Arigatou. When do you think we should start? Where?" Torashi asked, excited.
"Calm down. We'll start later this afternoon in a clearing. Not many people go into that forest, so we should be fine."
Torashi smiled. "I'll see you then."
Definitions:
(1) Fox.
(2) Those paper doors that slide open. Just recently picked that one up.
(3) I don't know if I already had that one, it means thank you. (4) Sensei means teacher. Torashi's joking because of what was going on in the previous chapter.
They walked in silence, the injured red headed teenage boy, and the disgruntled Chinese girl, side by side. A perfect couple, supposedly.
"Can we stop for a few minutes?" Torashi asked quietly. She was beginning to get tired.
"I don't mind." Kurama answered just as quietly.
They walked silently into a deserted park and sat on the closest bench they could find. Both leaned against the other, one for support, the other for comfort.
"He called you Yoko. Why?" Torashi asked, still quiet. She wasn't really sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Yoko was my yokai name."
"Then where did Shuichi come from? And do all yokai have a ningen okasan?"
"Slow down, Torashi-san. I was once a (1) kitsune yokai. I spent my time cracking codes and breaking locks in a band of thieves. One mission failed and I was greatly injured by a strong yokai hunter. My only hope of survival was to have my spirit possess a ningen. My okasan," Kurama said. It didn't sound as if he enjoyed what had happened.
"The thing mentioned something about a 'Dark Tournament', what is it?"
"Some yokai form teams of five to compete against one another in official combat."
"And you were in something like that?!" Torashi was amazed that Kurama would be in such a brutal thing.
"Yes, and it's not as bad as you might think. Some teams..." Kurama smiled as he recalled Toya.
"Why?"
"I rediscovered how being a full yokai was again. In the semifinals we were oddly matched against team Uriatogi. An Illusion Beast named Uri Urishima decided he didn't like me. I was taller and better looking than him, so would use his Idunn Box to send me back to before I was a baby." Kurama smiled. The memory was pleasant for him. "Of course, no one except Hiei and Yusuke knew I was the legendary bandit before that. It was such a shame it lasted only a short while. But, I knew it was possible. I left the fight knowing I could win the finals if I had that option. A man from the yokai's favorite team, Team Tuguro, decided he took a distinct liking time. Karasu threatened me right after I saw his fight, saw what he could do." Kurama was frightened of that. "The team leader from team Uriatogi, the 'Beautiful Yokai Battler' Suzuki, decided to aid Kuwabara and myself. He gave Kuwabara a trial sword, it magnified his rei- ken, and he gave myself a potion, containing the same substance as the Box. 'He may not be able to fight Tuguro, but at least his items would.' I used the potion in the finals. It got me far enough to be able to kill Karasu. Unfortunately, the committee called the fight a win for Tuguro, I was unable to stand."
Shallow bastards, Torashi thought, couldn't bear to have the underdogs win. She would have loved to beat them. "I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault. Don't apologize."
"I made you talk about it."
"I think I needed to."
"Yusuke knew you were a yokai? How?" Torashi didn't feel like arguing.
"I told him after we had met. A couple years ago, Hiei had asked me if we could team up and steal the 'Artifacts of Darkness': the Kama no Ken, the Ankokukyo, and the Gakidama. My okasan had fallen ill with an incurable disease. So, I agreed, taking the Ankokukyo and retreated. I promised Yusuke I'd return it to him; I didn't tell him I'd use it first. The Ankokukyo grants the desire of the wielder at a horrible price. Can you guess what that was, Torashi-san?"
"Nothing I know of would attract a Mirror."
"Life. It was strongest at the full moon. I wanted my okasan well again more than anything. Yusuke was there when I use did, and he demanded the Ankokukyo take his life instead. It decided not to take any life at all, and my desire was fulfilled. (Of course, I, The Author, have decided the Ankokukyo was so confused it decided not to take either, but, I'll stick to the story...) That's what happened with me. I was the most fortunate, for the other two were punished. Goki took the Gakidama, a ball that eats children souls. Yusuke killed him." Kurama obviously didn't care. "Hiei on the other hand made a mistake. He took Yusuke's girl friend, Kayko. Yusuke's rei rises with his strong emotions. He beat Hiei on accident. Hiei is a master at speed and Yusuke was too new to beat him. So he bounced his Rei-Gun of the Ankokukyu and hit Hiei. Now, the two of us help Yusuke, which is the only way to keep us from going to the lava pits." That sounded like a joke.
"What about Hiei? What's up with him?"
"I don't think he would enjoy me telling you his life story. He respects Yusuke; not very many ningen get that, as you know. Or yokai, for that matter."
"The Rose Whip you use. It's a regular rose, until you use it." It was a question, although it didn't sound like one.
"I use yoki to transform it. But you used something similar, rei, in the clearing. The idea is the same as Kuwabara's Rei-ken. But it seems a bit more...cat-like."
"Like cat claws." Torashi was feeling a bit embarrassed. Kurama had told her somethings and she hadn't told him anything. "I'm not exactly from around here. In China there is a place called the Jusankyo Springs. Animals have drowned it the springs and if a person falls in, they turn into that animal. Animal with cold water, human when splashed with hot water. I turn into a neko."
"Well, that explains a lot. Neko are in tune to the Spirit Realm. And you have proven yourself by tracking yokai."
He didn't ask any more questions from her than that. She might not have told him anyway. She was good at changing subjects.
"Hey, Kurama-kun. Can we go now?"
"Sure."
Torashi stood up first, and then helped Kurama. They resumed the positions and walked home in silence, each running through what they learned about the other.
Torashi woke up, the sun playing across her face, blinding her as she opened her blue eyes. Cursing under her breath, she thought of her dream. Or did it really happen?
Kurama walked down the hall and into the back (2) Shoji. He stepped back, startled. Then realizing he ran into it, he opened it and walked outside.
Ok. Suspicion confirmed. Kurama looked tired, he never did before. I'll try helping him, she thought.
She messed around in the kitchen for a while, and then she went out to see him. "Ohayoo, Shuichi-kun. Did you sleep well?"
"Oh, Torashi-san. I didn't know you were out here."
"Here. I made this tea for you. My foster mother made it for me after I did a couple things." In her work she had tested poisons, allowing herself to use them without fear. She'd also got herself beaten up sometimes... She handed Kurama the cup. "It's supposed to wake you up and give you back strength." Kurama needed strength; the plants were acting...like plants.
"(3) Arigatou."
"No problem. Does your 'kasan know about Kurama?" Torashi asked curiously.
"What?"
Torashi smiled. Sleepiness and Kurama didn't go well together. "Your other self."
Kurama took a sip of the tea she had given him. It was a little bitter, but decent all the same. "I don't think she needs to know."
That wasn't the truth, Torashi realized. "What if you die, or get beaten up. She'd wonder. You might want to tell her. She will eventually wonder. That's how she is. I know. She treats me like I was her own, as well." Just like her foster mother had.
"You don't tell people things like that. It isn't a curse, not something I can fix. It's me. And she might not accept me any more for who I am."
"Then let me tell you the full truth. It is true I'm from China, in a way. My dad willingly gave me away to a woman from China for some food. That is why I am a neko. But what's more is...how did Koenma say it... I'm from a different dimension. Will you shun me for that? Or the fact I died at my place and came back to life here? That would be a damn good reason to ignore me. But will you?" She wasn't happy telling Kurama, but she said it bravely, fiercely.
Kurama didn't answer right away. He drank the tea. "Yoko would."
"I'm not asking if he would. I don't know Yoko. I know Minamino Shuichi. That is who I am asking."
He turned, looking her in the eyes. "I would not shun you. I don't think I would have the heart to. But do you tell that to everyone? I do not think so."
Torashi broke the connection, uncomfortable, looking instead at the ground.
"I have found out about the rei. Can you help me learn more? To call my Rei-tsume up freely?"
"It isn't something I think I can do."
"I'll prove it to you. Fight me. That is the way I learn. Danger is the best way to cure a curious neko."
"I think Yusuke would be more..."
"No!" Torashi interrupted. "Yusuke and Kuwabara pose me no threats. I trust you to help, Kurama-sensei. (4)"
"I'll help you, just stop calling me sensei."
"Arigatou. When do you think we should start? Where?" Torashi asked, excited.
"Calm down. We'll start later this afternoon in a clearing. Not many people go into that forest, so we should be fine."
Torashi smiled. "I'll see you then."
Definitions:
(1) Fox.
(2) Those paper doors that slide open. Just recently picked that one up.
(3) I don't know if I already had that one, it means thank you. (4) Sensei means teacher. Torashi's joking because of what was going on in the previous chapter.
