Neko: I own nothing! /runs away to pout/

"She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky"

-Guns and Roses

"You're weak, you're tired, you're pathetic Kurama." The Yoko gone human shot up from his sleep. 'Another nightmare...damn you Karasu...even in your death you haunt me.' The fox sighed eyeing his bedside clock, he had to get up in five minutes anyway, might as well get ready now. The fox teen shivered as he stood a familiar presence was coming; it felt so near but far away at the same time.

"Shuuichi?" a familiar tapping came to his door. "Are you awake?"

"Yes mother, I'm up. Be down in a minute."

"Okay, Shuuichi, take your time, you got up early."

"I will mother."

The fox continued his walk on to campus ignoring the normal day antics from the other students. First he was bothered by fan clubs, woman swarming him for one date. The boys of the campus were no different. Science clubs wanted his brain representing their 'hard working' team. 'Love is something that cannot be. To compare myself with a human, I am almost immortal. It would be just like Genkai-san. She would wither and I would stay young.' Making his way to the locker room, he plastered his fake smile onto his lips. Greeting a few students with a nod. He made his way to the locker that kept his indoor shoes, putting his hand to the lock he froze. 'This energy, Karasu?' It couldn't be, he had died. He had killed him. 'Get a hold of yourself, you still haven't shaken off the dream.' What if his dream wasn't a nightmare, but a warning? What if by some horrible twist of fate Karasu had tracked him down. The locker could have a bomb in it. But why would Karasu do something so distant. It wasn't his style; he would fight Kurama face to face.

The sound of the school bell chiming shook him of his thoughts. He was late. He either opened his locker and put on his shoes or didn't attend school at all. 'I've been around Yusuke too long' He thought pondering his last option. Taking a deep breath Kurama opened the locker hesitantly finding a pair of white shoes. His shoes. However the black envelope was not his. It wasn't unusual for Kurama to not have letters in his locker. After the third day of school the majority of the schools female population knew his locker and would slip him love letters, poems, phone numbers. One girl even managed to fit chocolate into the small slits. Kurama sighed picking up the note preparing to do what he did with the others, throw them away. He looked at the front of the letter, 'Probably Mi-san again' one of the most persistent girls in school. The front was written in almost blood ink. Was it blood? That's not what intrigued the kitsune the most. What did grasp his attention was that the writing was in vampilian, one of the many languages only known in the demon world. Also the name to who it was addressed. 'Kurama' Not Shuuichi, or Shuuichi-kun, or Minamino-san, it was his demon name.

'Who could have done this?' The fox pondered fingers going to pull back the seal of the envelope.

"Minamino-san, are you ill?"

Kurama turned to see one of his teachers standing by him.

"Ano- no Higerashi-sensei"

"I just find it a little awkward that one of our best students is standing in the locker room, fiddling with a letter when the warning bell rang 15 minutes ago."

"OH! I'm terribly sorry. I'll go right now sensei." Kurama said bowing and heading off to his first class.

"Minamino-san, what about your shoes?!"

Kurama turned to his side to avoid hitting another student, as he tried to make his way out of the schoolyard. 'Fifteen feet to the gate, I can make it without being'

"Shuuichi-san!"

'Stopped.'

"Ah Mi-san, how are you today?"

"Great, and you." The girl asked. Twirling her long chestnut locks around her finger.

"Fine." Kurama smiled weakly, He still hadn't read the note and everyone in the entire school was determined to keep him from leaving and finding out its contents.

"That good, I was wondering if you would like to do something this weekend." She asked batting her blue eyes.

"This weekend." Kurama repeated trying to pretend to be actually considering it. He gave her the same reply he gave her last week, and the week before, and the week before, and the- what month is this? He wondered. "I'm afraid I'm busy this weekend. Midterms are coming up."

"Oh that's right." Her eyes dimmed before, brightening again. "We could study together at my house, if you want. My parents are out of town." She smiled. Faking innocence Kurama knew was not in her thoughts. "I'll have to take a rain check Mi-san, Please excuse me."

"Shuuichi!" She asked, grabbing his arm. "How about a movie, tonight then?"

Wont she ever give up?

/Nope, it seems my sex appeal was passed into your body/ His Youko voice echoed from within his body.

And where have you been all day?

/Waiting for you to ditch the humans and read the damn letter, did you consider the possibilities of it being a ransom note/

Of course I have, don't worry, I'll get us out of here soon

/I see the effort/

Shut up

"Shuuichi-kun, Daijobu?" Mi's voice broke his conversation with his inner self.

"Hai, Mi-san. Thank you for asking, demo I must go."

"Well do you want to see the movie tonight?"

"Mi-san!" Kurama said harsher then he intended watching her eyes widen slightly. "Goman, I must go." Kurama said turning and bolting for the gate of the school, ignoring the other people calls for question. He turned left at the gate and headed for the park he usually found Hiei at. 'If it is a ransom, it's from a demon, I can tell by the scent. Has Yusuke been abducted again? What if it's Shiori?' Wondering about his mother's safety, He paused by one of the Sakura trees in the park, digging into his pocket to produce the envelope. Kurama turned it around to see the seal the kept it closed. 'A crow. Is it-' Kurama tore open the letter ignoring the effort of it's neatness. Scanning over the handwriting of a language he was once fluent in his eyes squinted at the handwriting. It was so...malice, unwelcoming.

Kurama,

If you are reading this, then it means your days are numbered. I have tracked you down finally and I wish to settle thing once and for all. Now kitsune, let it be known that you are not to speak of this to anyone, or I will kill them. Meet me in the forest clearing by the portal to the demon world. You must come alone. Bring anyone else, I will kill them. Tell anyone about our meeting, I will kill them. Come when the moon is at its highest. Enjoy time while you can kitsune.

So the bastard is alive/ His Youko being echoed from inside his soul

So it appears

/Do as it says if you value your friends/

No need to worry about that

/I'm not worried/

...I am

Silence lingered in the night sky, except for the occasional bush rustle or twig snap. Kurama cautiously walked toward his destination. Green tunic flowing behind him, matching his eyes that now were rimmed with gold. 'If you're alive, then why now after almost two years have you come back?' His silent footsteps came to a halt arriving at the portal that connected the two worlds. 'Am I early?' Flapping distracted his question as a black silhouette came over his head. A crow. The said bird landed gracefully on the should of a figure Kurama had completely missed in the darkness.

He shielded his energy from detection

/Obviously he was expecting you to arrive after him/

"Beautiful isn't she?" A faint whisper echoed from the figure. However, the voice was not Karasu's. The voice was soft, even if it hadn't been a whisper. Female.

"Who are you?" Kurama asked the blackened figure.

An arm extended allowing the bird to move down to the owner's hand, then with a faint jerk the raven flew off. "I would have thought a youko to be more welcoming in the presence of a woman." The figure said turning around to face the red head.

Kurama studied her. Although her body was wrapped in a black cloak he could guess her figure was small. Not from daintiness but from fighting. Then wind blew right causing her long midnight locks to flow in the breeze, bits of her bangs brushing past her violet eyes. Cold violet eyes, familiar eyes. 'It can't be'

Do we know her? He asked Youko

/We have not fought her/

Sure it's not an old lover, coming for revenge.

/Your human eyes are blind. If she was would we have forgotten this beauty/

He had a point. However Kurama had standards, never fall for someone after your life, no matter their beauty or bust size. "Who are you?" He repeated.

"Hm, strange you don't know? I thought someone as clever as you would have figured it out by now. I've been told we look just alike. However, I met you, you just never met me."

"Enlighten me." The fox commanded, holding his stance. She was his enemy he could sense it. She wanted him dead.

"Gladly." The figure replied giving a cold grin. A slit of whiteness in her dark aura, excluding her pale skin. She reached into her cloak pulling out a silver object, and holding it up before Kurama.

'No!' He told himself. 'It can't be!'

The woman pulled the object, a silver mask, up to her face, Karasu's mask. "Do you recognize it Kurama." Her voice echoed from behind the binding. "My father was fond of it. In fact you were the only opponent successful to remove it."

"You can't be!" Kurama shook. It wasn't possible. When he killed Karasu he assumed all of him died. Karasu killed those he loved right? So how could she be?

"Tell me who you are?!" He demanded. All aspects of his Youko calmness vanishing in that moment.

"My name? Is Kara, the daughter of Karasu."

To all my readers, thank you for reviewing. And as a reminder reviews do help, I also take constructive criticism, not flames there is a difference. I'm already apologizing for spelling. It's not my best thing. Please review and the updates will come faster, and more frequent. Thank you.

What2callmyself, Hey my preludes are always kind of short, I hope this length is up to your standards. I'll try to update ASAP.

Tan, Hello yes you reviewed my G-wing holiday story, ne? Thank you very much. Please keep reading. Hope you enjoy