DISCLAIMER: I don't own it.
A/N: Yay, chapter two! Sorry it took sooo long to get out. I've had AP tests to study for, and then I took a well-deserved break. The next chapter should be out relatively soon, probably around the beginning of June.
-
To Look Upon a Rose: Chapter 2
- Kurama's pov -
I closed my eyes, slowing my pace to a lazy walk and letting the cool breeze blow through my hair. The smell of grass and rain filled the air; no others were around to ruin the lazy tranquility of the afternoon. It was days like this, so full of life and spring, that made it difficult to defy the allure of my former life. It was days like this that Youko Kurama loved.
It was all I could do to resist the urge to transform and simply run. Images of my former life flashed behind my closed eyes: the rustle of leaves as I dashed through the brush, the feel of the forest floor beneath my bare skin, the taste of a fresh rain in the lush Makai. It was days like this that made me wonder why I'd chosen this crowded, polluted world over the freedom of my homeland, and even the image of my mother's face wasn't enough to fully subdue those thoughts.
Glancing back at my school and then toward our house somewhat guiltily, I turned and began making my way toward the park. Though I had promised to be home in time for my stepfather's birthday dinner, I didn't need to return right away; Tousan wouldn't be home for several hours yet. I could spend a few minutes in the park without being missed.
My spirit seemed to lighten even as I entered the park, my youki instinctively dispersing into every plant within its confines. Sensing neither unfamiliar ki nor even any human reiki, I relaxed and closed my eyes again. The tensions of the day slowly drained away as I drew energy from the plants, and the urge to transform abated slightly. I managed a small smile.
I walked slowly down the path, enjoying the feel of the wind and sun and wishing Hiei were here beside me. Mukuro had been attending a series of political conferences, and as her heir, Hiei had been required to accompany her. I hadn't seen him in almost a month, and I was looking forward to seeing him tonight. I wanted to hear him laugh at my foolish fear of my nightmares if only to reassure myself that that's what they were – mere nightmares.
The breeze that had danced lazily around me suddenly grew cold, as if touched by some icy presence. I shivered a little, sensing another's youki rise languidly out of the wind, but it was too faint for me to identify it. The tenuous peace I'd found evaporated instantly as a frigid touch trailed lightly up my spine. I spun around before the insubstantial fingers could reach my neck and gathered my youki in preparation for an attack.
The pathway behind me was deserted.
I continued walking cautiously, dismissing it as phantoms born of too little sleep and too many nightmares. Besides, it was daylight; the nightmares couldn't harry me until the sun went down.
The icy wind swirled around me, its haunting laughter both taunting and seductive. I felt its frigid fingers reach for me again and froze, unable to run or even cry out. Not again! I thought despairingly, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.I struggled wildly against the presence encircling me, ensnaring me, but all I earned for my effort was another breathy laugh.
Fear coursed through me as the ghost-like force pressed in on my mind, slowly – deliberately – trapping me in my own body. I could neither fight nor flee; my youki was bound as well. I was helpless… and afraid.
A dark figure dropped out of a nearby tree, and instantly the pressure vanished. I gasped in a breath and stepped backwards, shivering uncontrollably. The icy wind was gone.
"Kurama."
I blinked, realizing the voice was not the breathy whisper of the eerie wind but Hiei's. The fire demon frowned as he gazed up at me, ruby eyes narrowed, and crossed his arms.
"What are you doing?"
I scrambled for an answer, a flush of embarrassment replacing my fear. How stupid I must have looked, the notorious Youko Kurama, battling the wind. "Nothing," I managed finally. "You just startled me. I felt someone following me, and I was unable to sense your youki."
"That's because I was concealing it," he replied calmly, suspicion lingering in his eyes.
I closed the distance between us and leaned down to kiss him before he could question me further, still shaking slightly. I didn't want Hiei to see my fear; he ridiculed my ningen behavior enough without knowing that I was jumping at shadows.
Hiei leaned up into the kiss and I sighed, feeling his heart beat under my hand. With Hiei's presence so solid and reassuring beside me, my fears began to look childish. I silently chided myself for allowing my nightmares to take such a great hold over me. Maybe Hiei was right, and I was becoming too human…
"I've missed you," I breathed when we finally parted, panting slightly. Hiei's only response was a small, feral smile as he turned toward my house.
Perhaps it was Hiei I had sensed, his youki indistinguishable beneath his concealments, and the entire episode was nothing more than a product of my imagination. I hadn't been sleeping well lately, and combined with my restlessness, I had been too distracted to pay full attention to my surroundings. My nightmares had done the rest. Yes, that was it.
As we began the walk home, I slipped my hand in Hiei's smaller, callused one and held it tight against the chill that still lingered inside of me.
-
- Koenma's pov -
"Koenma-sama, I have an update on the escaped prisoners!"
I opened one eye as George entered the office, waving a pack of papers in his hand. The oni deposited them on my desk, beside the stack that had lain there untouched since this morning, and pointed to a list at the bottom of the first page. Rubbing my temples, I opened the other eye and sat up. "Go ahead."
"The explosion damaged a significant part of the cell block, allowing nearly all of the prisoners there – those who weren't injured – to escape," George said, flipping through the stack of papers. "Of the thirty-seven that did," he paused to tug another sheet of paper from the pile, "these twenty-nine have been recaptured." He pointed to a list of serial numbers and frowned. "These eight remain missing."
Sighing, I glanced over the numbers, though they meant nothing to me. The explosion had occurred two days ago, and even my most skilled trackers had not been able to find the missing escapees. With the gateways out of the Reikai already sealed and guarded, there was little more I could do; calling in the reikai tantei was pointless, for the prisoners were spirits, unaffected by any corporeal weapons.
"…Unfortunately," George was saying, "the explosion occurred in the high-security block of the prison, which means that the prisoners were high-class youkai…"
"I know that," I snapped. "They won't be able to do much damage here in the Reikai, though, with no living beings to terrorize. Any reports on the cause of the explosion?"
George fidgeted under my gaze, staring pointedly at the floor. "The, ah, the investigation points to a bomb – a youki bomb. Planted by one of the prisoners."
"Impossible," I said, flicking my fingers dismissively. "There are wards on all the cells; no youkai could acquire that much energy within the prison. It must have been smuggled in somehow."
George sputtered, holding up a hand in protest. "But Koenma-sama, all the evidence points toward-"
"Are you implying that my security system is not adequate?"
"Of course not," George replied quickly. "It's just that-"
I closed my eyes and pointed toward the door, effectively cutting off his objection. Today hadn't been going well, and I was in no mood to hear the oni's constant prattle. "Never mind. Continue with the investigation and inform me of any progress."
"But Koenma-sama!"
"And give me a list of the names of those who haven't been recaptured. Now, ogre." The oni grumbled something unintelligible before plodding out of the office, the papers held loosely in his hands. The door slammed closed behind him, and I slumped back in my seat, groaning again. My father was not going to be pleased with this month's report.
-
A/N: Thanks to all of you who have patiently waited for this chapter. And thanks for reviewing! I promise the next chapter won't take as long!