The Problem
Disclaimer: ::is sick of writing the disclaimer...hands it over to a random character to do::
Hawks-eye: ::clears throat:: Mizuki ::gets glared at:: I mean...Mizuki-sama (make me call you Beautiful Mizuki-sama and I'm going on strike) does not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Nor does she own Sailor Moon or InuYasha, both of which she mentions...somewhere. Now someone...SAVE ME FROM THIS MADWOMAN!!!
Heheh, don't mind him. He's just upset over a run in his pantyhose.
Warnings: Nudity, tee hee.
See the crappy Kura-clone pic through the link on my info page..it won't let me put the link here, dernit!!!
Chapter 4 – The Chase Begins
Blue light was still pulsating around the thing on the floor as Yuusuke and Koenma joined the orange haired ningen near the desk. "That is so disgusting..." Its antennae twitching, the lump was wriggling about with its eyes blinking madly. Yuusuke lifted a foot, intent on grinding the icky thing into the ground with his heel. The instant his shoe came into contact with it he was blown across the room. Yukina gasped. Hiei already had his sword in hand, quite ready and willing to hack and slash. He didn't get a chance. The light expanded around where the thing had landed, forcing Kuwabara and Koenma back several feet. It died suddenly, leaving in place of the bug-like thing a rather familiar silhouette. With the exception of feathery antennae and diaphanous dragonfly wings it was an exact duplicate of Kurama's human form. It was every inch Kurama, all the way down to...Botan blushed and quickly turned to face the wall, pulling Yukina with her.
"Oi! Kurama's hung like a..." an 'oof' cut off the rest of the sentence. Yuusuke glared as he retracted his fist from Kuwa's ribcage. "For crying out loud, Yukina's right behind you!" The baka had the decency to look embarrassed. Hiei allowed himself a small, self-satisfied smirk. Yes, it was an exact copy when you took away the buggy extras. His gaze returned to the original, who was beginning to stir on the floor. The now unblemished Kurama staggered to his feet with a slightly disoriented expression. A look that multiplied a hundred fold when he caught sight of the nude figure on the other side of the room.
The doppelganger was busily examining itself with an almost childlike wonder. It twitched its wings, a gleeful smile lighting its face. "That was the thing on my head?" Kura-clone's head snapped up at the sound of the kitsune's voice and a slight snarl curled its lips. It stared a moment longer, its features twisting from the rather cute, childlike expression into something almost hateful. Botan looked cautiously over her shoulder, her curiosity at what was going on getting the better of her. Kura-clone smirked at the blue haired reaper before he leapt to the side.
It easily knocked Kuwabara reeling into Yuusuke, while Koenma had already taken up refuge behind his desk. Red hair flaring about its head, the doppelganger charged Hiei. But instead of knocking him out of its way, it leapt on him and wrapped its arms around the stunned demon. "Hiei-koi..." Kura-clone purred. "Hiei?" Yuusuke blinked at the furious demon. "K-k- koi??" Kuwabaka choked out. Katana waving around uselessly, Hiei tried to disengage the death grip the creature had on him. Even Yukina dared a glance from behind her hands in the direction of the struggle. Nothing could be funnier. With the exception of, perhaps, Hiei in a clown costume and prancing about like Suzuka. But since that wasn't about to happen any time in the near future, this was the next best thing.
Eye flashing angrily, Kurama stepped forward from the gawking by standers with the intent of forcibly removing the thing from Hiei's personage. No one was allowed to cling naked to the fire demon but him! It froze when the redhead's hands touched its shoulders. Hiei was still growling 'Let go!' as the creature turned to look at the fox. "Mine!" Kura-clone snapped, tightening its grip to the point where everyone swore they could hear some of Hiei's ribs cracking under the pressure. Yuusuke came forward to help try and loosen the creature's arms before the short youkai was crushed. After a few moments of struggling, Kuwa joined in the effort. "No! Mine, mine, mine!" The doppelganger was shrieking. "My koi!!" The dark haired Tantei belted it across the side of the head hard enough to make it finally let go.
"That thing keeps calling Hiei 'koi'. Why?" Botan had finally gotten over her embarrassment, though she still didn't look directly at the clone. The real Kurama shifted uncomfortably. He and Hiei had an agreement that they wouldn't tell anyone about their relationship. They both knew how enemies liked to turn such things to their advantage. It had been demonstrated more than once with Yuusuke and Keiko. "Hn, never mind." Hiei was straightening his cloak, "The thing is obviously insane." Binky breath finally decided to poke his head out from behind the desk.
Looking dazed, the Kura-clone was sitting on the floor rubbing the spot that had just received the not so soothing touch of Yuusuke. Tears welled up in its eyes and it sobbed incoherent things into its hands. "What are we going to do with it?" Kurama eyed his crying double. He wondered if it knew where it had come from. It obviously had feelings, even if they mostly seemed to consist of anger and lust over Hiei. It was almost as if they were much more simplified versions of his own emotions. Something that could become awkward if anyone thought too deeply on it. That would most likely result in him having to answer some uncomfortable personal questions.
"I wonder if it knows anything..." Yuusuke got nearer to the doppelganger, keeping just out of its reach. Kura-clone turned its tear-streaked face up to meet the detective's gaze. "What are you? Where did you come from?" A dark glare was all the boy got for his questions. Shaking his head, he said, "You try talking to it, Kurama. Maybe it'll answer you." That idea was scrapped when it began snarling again after the fox had taken only a few steps forward. "Perhaps Botan?" Kurama looked hopefully at the ferry girl. "M-me?" The girl looked at the ceiling as she got closer, not wanting to be caught staring at the next best thing to the real Kurama being naked. Antennae twitching, the clone gave that same smirk it'd directed at her earlier and gave her the finger. Laughter erupted from both Kuwabara and Yuusuke, since, in a sense, it was Kurama making the gesture. Something they never would expect to see.
"Ah, okay. That didn't work." As the laughter died down, Hiei found the thing clinging to his leg like a child on the first day of school. "Dammit!" He pulled his sword and pointed it a Kura-clone. "Don't kill me...Hiei-koi..." A hand reached out and covered the half-koorime's where it gripped the sword. Kurama eased the point towards the floor. "Don't, Hiei. I'm sure we can figure out something that doesn't involve killing it." He smiled, a slight tinge of sadness to it, as he whispered in his koi's ear, "Could you really kill it, when it looks so much like me." Looking away, Hiei sheathed the katana for the second time that day with a sour expression on his face.
Several minutes of discussion passed in which Kura-clone happily rubbed his face against Hiei's leg. "I suppose I could have it put in a cell. Something like that can't be left running around." The object of the discussion gave a sharp twitch, going rigid against the short demon. Antennae fluttering, the clone let go and stood. It looked around as if in search of something, turning its head this way and that. Without any warning, it pushed past those nearest to the door and took off down the hallway.
A/N: The Kurama doppelganger was slightly based off of Menomaru from the first InuYasha movie. Mostly just because of the pretty moth-like antennae (I just love typing that word...antennae. I like it almost as much as Leather Lad!) This just kept going and going. Took me a while to get things back on track. I'm so easily distracted. And I love all my reviewers! Kurama loves you too! ::camera pans over to a Kurama action figure::
Kurama Figure; ::stands there::
Wave to your fans!
Kurama Figure; ::still just standing there::
He's just shy...
Next chapter: The Chase Continues! Where is Kura-clone going? Why did it bolt? Will this story amount to anything? Wait and find out!