Kokoro No Kaitou : Once Lost, Now Found
Chapter 6
~*~
Kurama came running out of the kitchen, wondering what could have alarmed Amaya so. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what it was.
Shiori was laying on the floor, looking very pale.
"Kaasan!" He exclaimed, running over to her side. He lifted her up into a sitting position, and saw that she had a small red mark on her left wrist.
"Kurama-kun, is she alright?" Amaya asked worriedly.
He picked his mother up bridal style. "I'm not sure." He looked and sounded very worried.
"Hey, guys! Guess what? Kurama, you're immune to these bug things. I think-" Midori stopped in mid-sentence as she entered the room, packet open in her hand. "Oh…not the time, eh?"
"What are we going to do, Kurama-kun?" Amaya asked.
He sighed. "We'll have to get her to…to Reikai."
"I thought I heard Yusuke mention another girl…Keiko, I think it was." Midori said.
"If these bugs are here in Ningenkai, then Keiko is at risk. So are Shizuru, Genkai and Yukina." He replied. He looked down at his unconscious mother, who was breathing heavily.
"I'll take her there." Amaya said.
"What?" Kurama blinked, staring at her.
"I'll take her to Reikai. I want you to go help these people." Amaya said. She held out her arms. "I'll take her. She's light enough."
Kurama reluctantly handed Shiori to the tennyo, and pulled out his communicator. Botan's face appeared on the screen.
"Yes?"
"Botan-san, I need you to come here immediately and bring Amaya and Shiori to Reikai." He said.
"Right-o!"
He hung up, and shoved the communicator into his pocket. "You need to be careful though, alright, Amaya? The bugs may be able to penetrate the barrier between the worlds - they might get into Reikai."
She smiled. "I'll be fine, Kurama-kun."
The door opened, and Botan came in. "Shiori-san, Amaya, we really should be going immediately." She said. "The bugs are getting to be too much."
Amaya nodded, and she got Shiori onto the oar, and then got on herself.
"Hold on tight!" Botan exclaimed.
Amaya did as she was told, and they flew out into the yard, then off into the sky.
Kurama watched them go, before turning back to Midori.
"Okay. Now its our turn."
~*~
The two ran down the streets, surprised at the number of bugs in the streets. They covered everything - the buildings, billboards, and even the people.
Kurama blinked when he saw someone up ahead, fighting the swarm.
It was a girl, with long, blood red hair that fell to her slim waist like a waterfall. Her eyes were a deep, sapphire blue, and they held a certain fire in them. She wore a white, spaghetti strap tank top, and a pair of dark blue hip hugger jeans.
She was using fire, and was roasting any bug that came near her. Kurama was even more surprised when she saw that the girl was standing in front of Yukina and Shizuru. He also noted that Genkai was fighting as well. He couldn't see Keiko, however…
He ran forward and started to help them, but Midori beat him to the punch.
She unleashed a wave of flame, and it engulfed all of the bugs. She then ran to join them.
The red-haired girl smiled in thanks.
"Who are you?" Kurama asked. "Ningen, or youkai?"
She rolled her eyes. "Mt name is Dawn, and I'm human. But I'm also a firestarter."
Midori skipped over to them, grinning. Well, she was actually grinning at Yukina.
"How kawaii! I can see why he cares so much!" She giggled.
The petite koorime looked confused. "Nani? Who?"
She shook her head, and kept grinning. "I assume that you're Yukina?"
She nodded. "Hai. I am."
"We need to get all of you to Reikai right away." Kurama said.
"Daaaaawwwwn! I found her!"
They all turned towards the source of the voice, and they saw that it was a boy. He was standing near Keiko's family's ramen shop, and he had the girl beside him.
He was handsome looking, with jet-black hair that spiked out in every direction. He had his eyes hidden behind a pair of shades. He wore a white muscle shirt with a black leather jacket over it. He also wore baggy jeans.
He ran over to them, and grinned at Dawn. "Told ya I would!"
"And just who are you?" Midori asked, hands on her hips.
He turned and looked at her, and promptly froze.
"Mi…Midori?" He breathed.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I know you?"
He walked over to her, and pulled of his shades. Midori was taken aback by the violet orbs that were staring at her.
"It's me…Kuronue." He said. "Do you…remember me?"
"K…Kuronue?" She repeated, her eyes wider than before. "Really Kuronue?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back. It looked a little awkward though, because he was a good two heads taller than her.
"Kuronue?" Kurama said.
He set Midori down, and looked over at the kitsune. "Kurama?"
Kurama grinned, and nodded. It was uncharacteristic for him, but that was how he felt. His best friend…he hadn't seen him in so long!
He started snickering, and Kurama's grin turned into a frown.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"Kurama, you look like a WOMAN!!" He laughed.
The kitsune's eye twitched. "I do not."
"You're sure as hell girly than you were before!!" He exclaimed, laughing even harder. "Kurama's a girl! Kurama's a girl! Kurama's a-"
He was cut off when Dawn turned and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.
Dawn smiled sweetly. "Oops. Sorry, Kano-kun. Didn't expect you to be such a wimp. But at least you're a quiet wimp now."
"Kano?" Midori repeated.
"My twin brother." Dawn said. She glared down at him. "Get your ass up."
He stumbled to his feet, and glared at her. "Some sister you are. You're abusive."
"All part of my charm, Kano-kun." She said.
Ayame flew over to them, landing on the ground. Hinageshi, Botan, and Botan's friend Kiku landed right after her.
"We need to get to Reikai quickly." Ayame said.
They all got on with the different ferry girls, and they flew to Reikai.
~*~
Kurama sat on the edge of Shiori's bed, holding onto her hand. He reached out and brushed some hair out of her pale face.
Amaya was sitting beside him, seeming quite interested in her left palm. She was gently running her other hand's index finger down the center of it.
He was very worried about his mother, he had to admit. On the way, Botan had told him that since she was a regular human with no other special abilities, she would most likely be dead within twenty hours.
And there was no way to save her.
He felt his heart twisting, and he wanted to cry, in a way. But the tears never came.
He just kept stroking her face, and wishing that it had been him instead.
But then again, kitsunes were immune to the effects of the bug, as were any person with fire-related powers, because the bugs hated heat.
Amaya just kept touching her palm.
"Are you worried about her, Kurama-kun?" She asked quietly.
He nodded. "Very. She's got a very low chance at surviving."
"Don't be sad." She said. "Everything will be alright."
"How can everything be alright, when my mother is on her deathbed?"
Amaya let out a dry laugh. "You want to hear something funny, Kurama-kun?"
"What's that?"
She smiled slightly. "It doesn't look any different from a normal bug bite. But it feels different. You can actually feel the bug squirming in your stomach."
She touched her stomach, and Kurama slowly looked over at her.
She smiled. "You don't need to worry about Shiori-san. I helped her."
"Helped…her?" He repeated. "Amaya…what did you do?"
"Just a little red mark…but it'll make sure that she survives." Amaya said quietly. Her smile faded, and se laid her hand in her lap.
Kurama's eyes widened at the sight of the small red mark on her palm.
"I saved her, Kurama-kun. I wanted you to be happy. I forced the bug out of her body with my powers." She said, looking at the ceiling.
He grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. "Amaya, what happened to the bug?"
She held up her palm. "I made sure that it couldn't hurt anyone else, Kurama-kun."
He gently touched the mark on her palm, staring at her in disbelief.
"You…took the bug into your own body…?" He asked quietly. His heart was doing more than twisting. It ached and hurt, and he knew that he shouldn't be worrying about his mother anymore - he should be worrying about Amaya.
She nodded and smiled. "Yes. I did."
"Baka!" He exclaimed.
She seemed surprised. "Aren't you glad that your mother is going to be alright?" She smiled, and placed her right hand on his cheek. "You looked so sad…I didn't want you to be sad, Kurama-kun."
"Damn you!" He exclaimed, hugging her. "Kami-sama, you idiot…"
She smiled again. "I know I am. But I want you to do something for me, okay?"
"What?" He asked quietly, holding her tighter.
"I want you to take care of Naomi for me." She replied.
"Why me?"
She wrapped her arms around him, and sighed. "Because she's your daughter too."
Kurama was a bit surprised, to say the least. He had honestly thought that Shishiwakamaru was Naomi's father…
"My daughter?" He asked. He was still a little doubtful about that.
"Yes." She buried her face into his shoulder. "Our daughter. And I want you to take her to Ningenkai when this is all over. Keep her there, with the only real family that she'll have left."
"I'm not going to lose you…" He said. "Not again…"
"Kami!" She pulled away from him, and started coughing up blood.
"Amaya!" He exclaimed.
She smiled weakly. "This hurts more…than Jin made it seem like."
Kurama stared at her, and looked like he was about to cry. She was practically dead already…and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kami-sama…why is it that you want to torture me? I lost her for seventeen years…and now, when we meet again, are you going to take her away from me permanently?
~*~
Author's Notes: Amaya's got it too! But I brought back Kuronue! Aren't you all happy about that?
I got all of the profiles up yesterday, and I'm going to post Dawn's picture (by me) tonight.
crimson7319 : You called me evil, but now I'm REALLY evil!
Story Weaver1 : Koenma's face would be priceless, wouldn't it?
FieryKitsune : Yeah, petting his tail would've been better, but the situation called for yanking. LOL.
fuzzythehampster : Well, she DID, but Amaya used her powers to force it out of her, so…
LuckyKoorime : Was Dawn in character?
miyako14 : Here's your update! Thanks for checking out my site! But the only picture that I have for Amaya is the one on her profile - that's why there's no link for art yet. I'll do some pictures this weekend, and try to get them posted.
Aya Komodo : Okay! I brought him back!
DarkVixenNisha : Thanks for the review, Nisha-chan!
Nyoko Fujiwara : Sorry, but I don't give refunds. LOL.
Chapter 6
~*~
Kurama came running out of the kitchen, wondering what could have alarmed Amaya so. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what it was.
Shiori was laying on the floor, looking very pale.
"Kaasan!" He exclaimed, running over to her side. He lifted her up into a sitting position, and saw that she had a small red mark on her left wrist.
"Kurama-kun, is she alright?" Amaya asked worriedly.
He picked his mother up bridal style. "I'm not sure." He looked and sounded very worried.
"Hey, guys! Guess what? Kurama, you're immune to these bug things. I think-" Midori stopped in mid-sentence as she entered the room, packet open in her hand. "Oh…not the time, eh?"
"What are we going to do, Kurama-kun?" Amaya asked.
He sighed. "We'll have to get her to…to Reikai."
"I thought I heard Yusuke mention another girl…Keiko, I think it was." Midori said.
"If these bugs are here in Ningenkai, then Keiko is at risk. So are Shizuru, Genkai and Yukina." He replied. He looked down at his unconscious mother, who was breathing heavily.
"I'll take her there." Amaya said.
"What?" Kurama blinked, staring at her.
"I'll take her to Reikai. I want you to go help these people." Amaya said. She held out her arms. "I'll take her. She's light enough."
Kurama reluctantly handed Shiori to the tennyo, and pulled out his communicator. Botan's face appeared on the screen.
"Yes?"
"Botan-san, I need you to come here immediately and bring Amaya and Shiori to Reikai." He said.
"Right-o!"
He hung up, and shoved the communicator into his pocket. "You need to be careful though, alright, Amaya? The bugs may be able to penetrate the barrier between the worlds - they might get into Reikai."
She smiled. "I'll be fine, Kurama-kun."
The door opened, and Botan came in. "Shiori-san, Amaya, we really should be going immediately." She said. "The bugs are getting to be too much."
Amaya nodded, and she got Shiori onto the oar, and then got on herself.
"Hold on tight!" Botan exclaimed.
Amaya did as she was told, and they flew out into the yard, then off into the sky.
Kurama watched them go, before turning back to Midori.
"Okay. Now its our turn."
~*~
The two ran down the streets, surprised at the number of bugs in the streets. They covered everything - the buildings, billboards, and even the people.
Kurama blinked when he saw someone up ahead, fighting the swarm.
It was a girl, with long, blood red hair that fell to her slim waist like a waterfall. Her eyes were a deep, sapphire blue, and they held a certain fire in them. She wore a white, spaghetti strap tank top, and a pair of dark blue hip hugger jeans.
She was using fire, and was roasting any bug that came near her. Kurama was even more surprised when she saw that the girl was standing in front of Yukina and Shizuru. He also noted that Genkai was fighting as well. He couldn't see Keiko, however…
He ran forward and started to help them, but Midori beat him to the punch.
She unleashed a wave of flame, and it engulfed all of the bugs. She then ran to join them.
The red-haired girl smiled in thanks.
"Who are you?" Kurama asked. "Ningen, or youkai?"
She rolled her eyes. "Mt name is Dawn, and I'm human. But I'm also a firestarter."
Midori skipped over to them, grinning. Well, she was actually grinning at Yukina.
"How kawaii! I can see why he cares so much!" She giggled.
The petite koorime looked confused. "Nani? Who?"
She shook her head, and kept grinning. "I assume that you're Yukina?"
She nodded. "Hai. I am."
"We need to get all of you to Reikai right away." Kurama said.
"Daaaaawwwwn! I found her!"
They all turned towards the source of the voice, and they saw that it was a boy. He was standing near Keiko's family's ramen shop, and he had the girl beside him.
He was handsome looking, with jet-black hair that spiked out in every direction. He had his eyes hidden behind a pair of shades. He wore a white muscle shirt with a black leather jacket over it. He also wore baggy jeans.
He ran over to them, and grinned at Dawn. "Told ya I would!"
"And just who are you?" Midori asked, hands on her hips.
He turned and looked at her, and promptly froze.
"Mi…Midori?" He breathed.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I know you?"
He walked over to her, and pulled of his shades. Midori was taken aback by the violet orbs that were staring at her.
"It's me…Kuronue." He said. "Do you…remember me?"
"K…Kuronue?" She repeated, her eyes wider than before. "Really Kuronue?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back. It looked a little awkward though, because he was a good two heads taller than her.
"Kuronue?" Kurama said.
He set Midori down, and looked over at the kitsune. "Kurama?"
Kurama grinned, and nodded. It was uncharacteristic for him, but that was how he felt. His best friend…he hadn't seen him in so long!
He started snickering, and Kurama's grin turned into a frown.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"Kurama, you look like a WOMAN!!" He laughed.
The kitsune's eye twitched. "I do not."
"You're sure as hell girly than you were before!!" He exclaimed, laughing even harder. "Kurama's a girl! Kurama's a girl! Kurama's a-"
He was cut off when Dawn turned and punched him in the stomach. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.
Dawn smiled sweetly. "Oops. Sorry, Kano-kun. Didn't expect you to be such a wimp. But at least you're a quiet wimp now."
"Kano?" Midori repeated.
"My twin brother." Dawn said. She glared down at him. "Get your ass up."
He stumbled to his feet, and glared at her. "Some sister you are. You're abusive."
"All part of my charm, Kano-kun." She said.
Ayame flew over to them, landing on the ground. Hinageshi, Botan, and Botan's friend Kiku landed right after her.
"We need to get to Reikai quickly." Ayame said.
They all got on with the different ferry girls, and they flew to Reikai.
~*~
Kurama sat on the edge of Shiori's bed, holding onto her hand. He reached out and brushed some hair out of her pale face.
Amaya was sitting beside him, seeming quite interested in her left palm. She was gently running her other hand's index finger down the center of it.
He was very worried about his mother, he had to admit. On the way, Botan had told him that since she was a regular human with no other special abilities, she would most likely be dead within twenty hours.
And there was no way to save her.
He felt his heart twisting, and he wanted to cry, in a way. But the tears never came.
He just kept stroking her face, and wishing that it had been him instead.
But then again, kitsunes were immune to the effects of the bug, as were any person with fire-related powers, because the bugs hated heat.
Amaya just kept touching her palm.
"Are you worried about her, Kurama-kun?" She asked quietly.
He nodded. "Very. She's got a very low chance at surviving."
"Don't be sad." She said. "Everything will be alright."
"How can everything be alright, when my mother is on her deathbed?"
Amaya let out a dry laugh. "You want to hear something funny, Kurama-kun?"
"What's that?"
She smiled slightly. "It doesn't look any different from a normal bug bite. But it feels different. You can actually feel the bug squirming in your stomach."
She touched her stomach, and Kurama slowly looked over at her.
She smiled. "You don't need to worry about Shiori-san. I helped her."
"Helped…her?" He repeated. "Amaya…what did you do?"
"Just a little red mark…but it'll make sure that she survives." Amaya said quietly. Her smile faded, and se laid her hand in her lap.
Kurama's eyes widened at the sight of the small red mark on her palm.
"I saved her, Kurama-kun. I wanted you to be happy. I forced the bug out of her body with my powers." She said, looking at the ceiling.
He grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. "Amaya, what happened to the bug?"
She held up her palm. "I made sure that it couldn't hurt anyone else, Kurama-kun."
He gently touched the mark on her palm, staring at her in disbelief.
"You…took the bug into your own body…?" He asked quietly. His heart was doing more than twisting. It ached and hurt, and he knew that he shouldn't be worrying about his mother anymore - he should be worrying about Amaya.
She nodded and smiled. "Yes. I did."
"Baka!" He exclaimed.
She seemed surprised. "Aren't you glad that your mother is going to be alright?" She smiled, and placed her right hand on his cheek. "You looked so sad…I didn't want you to be sad, Kurama-kun."
"Damn you!" He exclaimed, hugging her. "Kami-sama, you idiot…"
She smiled again. "I know I am. But I want you to do something for me, okay?"
"What?" He asked quietly, holding her tighter.
"I want you to take care of Naomi for me." She replied.
"Why me?"
She wrapped her arms around him, and sighed. "Because she's your daughter too."
Kurama was a bit surprised, to say the least. He had honestly thought that Shishiwakamaru was Naomi's father…
"My daughter?" He asked. He was still a little doubtful about that.
"Yes." She buried her face into his shoulder. "Our daughter. And I want you to take her to Ningenkai when this is all over. Keep her there, with the only real family that she'll have left."
"I'm not going to lose you…" He said. "Not again…"
"Kami!" She pulled away from him, and started coughing up blood.
"Amaya!" He exclaimed.
She smiled weakly. "This hurts more…than Jin made it seem like."
Kurama stared at her, and looked like he was about to cry. She was practically dead already…and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kami-sama…why is it that you want to torture me? I lost her for seventeen years…and now, when we meet again, are you going to take her away from me permanently?
~*~
Author's Notes: Amaya's got it too! But I brought back Kuronue! Aren't you all happy about that?
I got all of the profiles up yesterday, and I'm going to post Dawn's picture (by me) tonight.
crimson7319 : You called me evil, but now I'm REALLY evil!
Story Weaver1 : Koenma's face would be priceless, wouldn't it?
FieryKitsune : Yeah, petting his tail would've been better, but the situation called for yanking. LOL.
fuzzythehampster : Well, she DID, but Amaya used her powers to force it out of her, so…
LuckyKoorime : Was Dawn in character?
miyako14 : Here's your update! Thanks for checking out my site! But the only picture that I have for Amaya is the one on her profile - that's why there's no link for art yet. I'll do some pictures this weekend, and try to get them posted.
Aya Komodo : Okay! I brought him back!
DarkVixenNisha : Thanks for the review, Nisha-chan!
Nyoko Fujiwara : Sorry, but I don't give refunds. LOL.