Fugen: Heh. Believe it or not, I'm actually gonna give a shot at drama. (grins sheepishly) And I'm also gonna try to mix in a bit of poetry.
Hiei: Figures. You're always melodramatic.
Fugen: ...I'll ignore that. For now.
Prologue: All Of A Sudden
Lying in his bed, or rather, constantly tossing and turning in it, Kurama felt even more restless than usual, and he had been for the last few weeks. Ever since there began to be signs of the coming spring, he had been stricken with a sudden urge to, well, be free.
Once a year it dies
Once a year it is reborn again
Between those moments my soul does cry
To see hope immortal yet
All of a sudden this human life of his had become unbearable. It was a prison now, a prison of human laws and ethics, a prison of a never-ending cycle of the same events over and over again. All of a sudden it was suffocating. Nowadays Kurama felt like something was putting a pressure on his heart on all sides, especially if he was inside a classroom, yearning for the bell of freedom to ring, or his room with homework silently and annoyingly commanding him to finish it.
A time of contentment it used to be
Happiness consumed us all
My own trivial heart included
Until I began to be thwarted at every turn
His mother was wrapped up in her upcoming wedding, but even if she had been available to talk to, Kurama did not think that even she would've been able to ease the pain. Sitting up in bed, Kurama bent his knees, pulling them against his chest, then moving his hands to his temples. He rested his forehead on his blanket-covered knees, teeth clenched and eyes closed tightly shut. He didn't, he couldn't understand it. Why? Why did he suddenly feel like a trapped animal?
It is so dark, I cannot see
It is so stifling, I cannot breathe
It is so silent, I cannot hear
It is so hopeless, I cannot live
A mental image of Hiei began forming in Kurama's mind, something that wasn't uncommon at all. Kurama bit back a groan. He wanted to see Hiei so much, but the youkai was far off in the Makai, off with Mukuro, off in a life that would never again include Kurama unless Koenma suddenly summoned them for a world-threatening mission again. But that was not likely to happen. Sensui was over. The Makai tournament was over. It was all over. Peace was here to stay, it seemed.
Memories past are meant to support
To encourage, to cheer toward the future
But what happens if they're just that
Just plain memories?
Kurama wiped away tears that hung on the verge of spilling over. He missed his life as a Youko. At least, then, he was free! Free to do as he wished, free of ethics and laws and the beliefs of others. Free to love whomever he wanted. Free to go after whomever he wanted. But here, as a human, Kurama was not free. He was forced to stay in a world that chained him down, keeping him from going anywhere near Hiei.
Your face I want to see and touch
Your voice I want to hear
Your soul I want here with me
But you're not here at all
Without warning Kurama sensed a strange presence. He jerked up his head to see a stranger standing in the middle of his room. It was a Youko, a black one. No more than five-foot-six, the Youko had pale, pristine skin covering slender limbs that promised the most graceful of movements. He had hair blacker than a moonless night flowing down to the hips, blending in with his sleeveless black tunic and pants. His feet were bare except for two obsidian anklets on the right ankle, and a black silk band was wrapped around one arm, just below the shoulder. What a beautiful face the strange Youko had, but also, how disturbingly blank. With seemingly unseeing eyes of gold the Youko stared at Kurama, his gaze unwavering.
There it stands before me
A mysterious omnipotent force
It answers no question of mine
And only one of its own
The black Youko cocked his head slightly to one side, as if questioning Kurama. When Kurama could only stare in shock and wariness, the Youko moved slowly toward the window. The closer he moved toward it, the more transparent and ghostly his body became, until he vanished together completely. When Kurama recovered enough to look out the window, he saw the black Youko on the ground, looking back up at him. The blank gold eyes then glanced up toward the sky, then back toward Kurama. It was as if the Youko was beckoning to Kurama.
Tempt me, then
Of freedom that was once mine
Of something that will cut the chains
That keep me here alone
"I can't," Kurama whispered. He started when he realized that it sounded more like a whimper. "Mother...Yusuke and the others...my life here..."
What's more important to you?
Kurama blinked. That voice...was inside his head.... Was it that stranger?
Him or them? That or this?
Almost smiling in his comprehension, Kurama realized what the black Youko meant. Hiei or his mother and friends? A life of freedom or this prison-like life? Tears sprang to Kurama's eyes. Oh, he didn't know, he didn't know. He loved Hiei more than anything else, and yet, everything of his human life kept him from going after Hiei, from confessing and being with him. Why? Why was he like that? Was he trying to hurt himself on purpose? Was he psychotic then?
They say that wanting to be happy
Is the most selfish desire of all
And yet I want to scream at them
It isn't that way at all
Was it all a dream? Kurama couldn't tell. The next thing he knew, his mother was knocking on his door, telling him to get up for school.
There's no use living
If you're just passing time
No use loving
If you're never going to do anything about it
From a rooftop a pair of eyes followed Kurama as he trudged on his way to school. A blink, a slight shake of the head, a flick of a tail, and then nothing.
No use being
If you're just passing through the crowds
Like a shadow forever lost
And forever fading away
By one's own hand
Owari (for this prologue)
Fugen: Ok, so maybe it wasn't just a BIT of poetry, and maybe it was more angsty than dramatic, but...rrrrrr...I'm a humor/kawaiiness person! Drama is NOT my forte! So, um, with that in mind, please, no flames!