Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, looking out at the open highway. It wasn't a comfortable silence, but neither was it uncomfortable. There was almost a tense air hanging about them, like a rain cloud hovers over a city. Koranu, Kurama knew, wanted nothing more then acceptance. But for Kurama it wasn't that simple.

'I know more then she does. She's the ignorant one here, which means that more off this situation is in my power. But with that power comes a price. She's given me her trust and told me of her past. What now? Do I tell her of mine? What fallows after 'the ending?' Is it happily ever after? No, not with a story like that. No matter how the story ends, the rest is too sad to change the rest of the story. Her life was not a happy one. IS not a happy one. But what of my story? How does my story end?'

"I have a question," Kurama finally asked. There was more to this simple question then just that. It was an invisible sign of acceptance. Even with the familiarity between the two of them, they still played this diplomatically game of tongues. How sad.

Koranu let out a quick sigh before asking, "What's that?" Her voice stayed composed and impassive, but there was obviously relief behind her own question.

"I was told by … the … uh … person who informed me about you, that you had become a demon by "accident," and I'm fairly sure he wouldn't have gotten mixed up information," Kurama asked, struggling the part with Ferret, not wanting to reveal any information to his unsuspecting teacher.

"That answer's easy enough," Koranu told him. "After some time passed and Spirit World found out about my transformation (because I didn't die), I was commanded by them to keep my change a secret. Because, they said, if it got out to the rest of the world, all of the rich humans who knew of the other worlds, would want to become a half breed like me. As far as we've been able to tell, it has no real bad effects, and expands life spans considerably, perhaps making the person immortal if they aren't killed by things other then natural effects.

"Basically, they didn't want it getting out that it was possible to make a human a demon PURPOSELY. It would have created too much trouble, and it's not too hard for me to say otherwise. I never had any real problem with lying about it, and the few people who once knew about it are long dead."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Is this the place?" Kurama asked, as Koranu swung the truck onto the side of a dirt road they had been traveling on for some time.

"It's a little bit of a walk," she told him, swinging back a leaver to break, "but it's not far."

Hopping out of the truck and slamming the door closed with a bang, Kurama trotted over to the back and pulled out his duffle bag.

"I hate to say this, but you can't bring all of that with you," Koranu told him, as he unzipped the top and undid various buttons and the like. "It's a bit of a walk, and we'll be walking quite a bit when we get there."

"I know that," Kurama told her. "THIS is for me to wear."

He pulled out a long green Chinese style suit, with baggy pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a thick sleeved tank top to go over, with lightly embroidered leaves on it. Koranu gasped slightly as he showed her it. (a/n kind of picture the outfit that he's wearing in the dark tournament, the white and yellow one. Good, now imagine that in a dark, forest green)

"It looks a bit fancy, I know," he told her sheepishly. "But it's the best thing for fighting I own, plus it has lots of pockets for odds and ends."

Then he took out an odd array of various weapons, gloves, potions, a first aid kit of his own making, and enough food to last a week, but small enough to carry in just a small bag that he brought. Then, to Koranu's own embarrassment, he proceeded to strip down and put on his own outfit. He may have been young, but he was still a VERY good looking kid, and going shirtless was not exactly a typical thing in the human world.

"Alright, I'm ready," he told her, patting one of his side pockets comfortingly.

Koranu raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that really all your bringing?" she eyed him suspiciously, looking at his small bag and outfit.

Kurama uncharacteristically rolled his eyes at her. "A moment ago you were worried that I had too much! Make up your mind already, or worry about yourself!"

"Okay, okay," she raised her arms in defeat. Then, after a second of silence, asked, "But you do have a blanket, right? I'm not sharing my sleeping bag with you, you know."

"Koranu!" he yelled.

"Sorry!" she apologized, grinning at him. "Come on, the portal's this way."

It only took a moment of walking to reach the globe of swirling blue that lead to the Demon Lands. It was suspended in mid air, about a foot and a half off the dirt ground beneath it. It looked random and obscure out in the middle of the forest with nothing around it.

"Kind of a random thing," Kurama commented, voicing my own narration.

Koranu chuckled darkly. "Be happy there aren't guards like usually. It took some tricks to make sure that they wouldn't be here for the hour that we're leaving."

"We'd better get going then," Kurama told her, walking up to the portal, watching it carefully.

"Hold on, Shuichi," she stopped him, as he turned around to face her. Out of one of her side pockets, she revealed a simple white envelope. "This is for you. Should anything happen to me, I want you to open it. Otherwise, I want it back, with the seal UNBROKEN, do you understand." She was very forceful, and Kurama knew it'd be best to listen to her, as he took the envelope and tucked it inside one of his shirt pockets.

"NOW do we go?" he asked.

"Yes," she told him, grabbing his hand as she flung them in. "NOW we go!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hey, hey, hey!

New chapter up again! I liked doing this chapter a lot, particularly the beginning. It's so much fun to write deep thoughts! Well, if you can call those deep thoughts. Maybe, it's just a bit philosophical. Whatever.

I'm writing this on Wednesday, but I can't put it up to tomorrow, so I'm sorry! There was a bit of a schedule change, so I didn't know when I'd get access to a computer with internet.

Summer here is boring, so there's nothing much to talk about. It's starting to cool off a bit, which is nice, but it's still really hot. I've been doing a lot of painting lately, and I've recently gotten into the RPG Diablo II. I'm doing pretty good, considering that I've really not played very many games aside from a bit of Zelda. Heck, the only gaming system I've got is a Nintendo 64! Yipe, that's ancient! I'd really like a Play Station II though. Maybe for Christmas….. gah! I'm already thinking about Christmas! Maybe the heat really is melting my brains!

I'm going to go soak my head in a bucket of water…… talk soon!

Dream Fox