Infection
By: SuzumiTenshi & MusiqMistress

Summary:Kurama/Kagome/Karasu - In the Heian era, the era of romance, a presence is found in the home of the Fujiwara court that attracts two souls. In an era of romance, there will also be jealousy, hate, love only two souls will be bound. Another will be broken.

Important notes concerning the story: This of course takes place in the Heian era. Everyone will be human, demons are a myth and are rarely seen, and arranged marriages were very common as well to keep wealth and power in the higher classed families. Some facts may be wrong due to lack of knowledge and how we want it to go. It's AU after all. :D

There was much jealousy between the court women because their husband couldn't get punished for sleeping with another woman, be it a court lady or a commoner, but the women, I believe were to stay loyal to him. When a woman marries into another family, the title of the husband, such as property, transfers into their name. It is so that in case he husband dies, the woman is entitled to everything she had before her husband's death.

Kurama will also be referred to Shuuichi throughout the whole story. Why? Because the fact that the names Kurama and Hiei's are names of mountains in Japan will make me laugh. I don't know why, but I find it a little amusing. :3

Also, if you still don't know what monogatari are, they are short stories that the court women write and share among each other. It is a hobby, along with calligraphy, poems, and etc.

Do not ask when certain characters will show up because all characters may not appear in this fiction due to lack of importance they will hold if we did add them.

Like other fanfiction, please read it thoroughly to get into the feeling and review! Give us your thoughts about it and how much you liked it. Why? Because reviews make us update faster! The fiction was also inspired by the song Infection by Chihiro Onitsuka. I suggest you listen to it! It's one of my favorites! (Suzumi)

Revised March 25, 2007

Love possesses seven hundred wings
And each one extends from
The highest heaven to the lowest earth.
 -Rumi

"Did you hear?" One of the court ladies whispered, her sleeve covering her mouth and half her face. It was impolite for a lady in court or high class to show her face to others of the opposite sex.

"Yes, I hear someone of the Higurashi clan has taken place in the court. I wonder who it was. There are many fine noblewomen from that clan. Did you also hear it was rumored that he will also be choosing a wife before long?" The women spoke amongst themselves until a presence entered the room that hushed them.

A hand pushed the bamboo screen and entered the court. Attendants waited outside while she stepped inside. Her long silken robes met both inside and out of the room as she walked in.

"Lady Shiori, what have we done to grant us the pleasure to have your presence amongst us?" They bowed, foreheads touching the ground, and stayed there in respect of the main lady of the Fujiwara home.

The woman just smiled and bobbed her head as a sign she was fine and that their behavior was acceptable. "You needn't act so distant. I merely wanted to ask a question."

"What would that be, My Lady?" Another asked. Their long flowing robes spread out beautifully on the floor. They slowly rose to face the head mistress.

"You haven't seen my son pass by here, have you? I have an important message to give to him."

"Lord Karasu, My Lady?" She questioned. "If so, he passed by earlier. At the time, Lord Shuuichi was in here with us along with Lady Maya."

"Mm… Thank you. If you may excuse me, I shall continue my search of him." She lowered her head in a small bow and her attendants pushed back the screen for her to step out of.

"Lady Shiori, may I ask a question before you leave?"

She stopped and turned her head back a little to see who it was that requested something of her. "You may."

"We heard that there is a new presence in the court, is it true?"

She continued out and when the screen was pulled down to its original place, she answered softly before walking away. "Yes… The youngest daughter of the Higurashi clan is in our care now."

That left the women to speak amongst them once more. They were intrigued by this fact because they had heard great things of that clan. They were powerful in spiritual strength and they were rich and powerful, like the Fujiwara clan. Of course the Fujiwara was the best of all the high class.

"Thank you for your service. You may take your leave now." The young maiden bowed as she thanked the escort that brought her to the room and entered. Many of the other court women stated intensely at her, but she didn't mind because she was used to being looked at due to the women back at home. She sat down gracefully, spreading her robes out in a neat and tidy manner. Her long hair spooled on to the floor. One of the women approached her and they made friendly conversation.

They introduced each other and when it was her turn, she simply said that she was Higurashi no Kagome, the only daughter of the Higurashi's. They noblewoman was quite shocked to hear that she engaged conversation with the prominent Higurashi daughter, but recovered soon after realizing she was as kind as she was said to be.

Kagome befriended the other women as well in the room as they grew excited and wanted to be closer to her in hopes they could gain something whether it was her friendship or an attachment to her family name, but, they had spoken mostly about what life was like everyday and how handsome the young lords of the castle were. Kagome listened, not wanting to miss a thing because she had nothing better to do, but was fascinated by the sons. A girl's life in court would either be wonderful or hell. She preferred wonderful.

It was time when the women did their leisure activities. In one corner, some women played their music, another did flower arrangement, and Kagome joined the women who practiced their calligraphy and wrote monogatri, short stories.

Kagome gracefully held her sleeve with one hand as she stroked the brush gracefully onto the paper. The other women did not distance themselves from her which made her feel at ease because she felt she didn't intimidate the women as much as she thought she did. She heard them giggle and whisper amongst themselves, but she did not care for trivial gossip. Her mother taught he better than that, mainly because her mother wanted her daughter to be the best in the Higurashi family.

Kagome felt a shadow overlap hers, but did not look up because she was engrossed in her writing, a hobby that she was really fond of, but she preferred to keep her stories to herself because they were a bit childish as they dealt with romance and drama.

"I do not believe I have seen you here before." A dark voice began as he realized she had not greeted his presence like the other women. Aware that she had been addressed, she carefully placed the brush down and kept her head down. It was not proper for a lady to show her face on the first meeting with someone of the opposite sex after all.

It was one of the young lords that the women had spoken of, Lord Karasu. She figured it out by how they described him. Dark hair tied back and tucked under his cap and cool dark eyes slit, his presence was just as mysterious as they said. Right now he was speaking to her, and all she wanted to do was hide due to her shyness, but she didn't because of her pride.

"No, I believe you haven't." She lifted her hand to cover her face nose down. Her long sleeve covered it successfully. Her eyes wandered off to an open corner. She wanted to catch a glimpse of his face. She noticed he was kneeling, and she believed it was to get a better look at her face.

"What is your name then? I would love to know the name of the beautiful girl's face of which I have not seen." They were right. He was charming, and also very sexy.

"Higurashi no Kagome." She replied in a quiet voice, her sleeve still covering her pretty face.

"Kagome… It is a pleasure to have you in my home." He said coolly. Her face heated up, but she still sat there.

"I thank you, My Lord. It has been a pleasure to be here, though it hasn't been a full day yet."

"Your writing is quite beautiful. Where did you learn?" Karasu asked, with a small smile on his face as he admired her work. It was so beautiful. The strokes were even. It all came out like a beautiful painting. She replied, telling him she learned everything from her mother whom she loved very much.

He couldn't help but smile at the young girl before him. She was like a mouse as she tried to avert her gaze. Hearing her voice made him feel at ease. In his chest, his heart beat faster. It was odd though. He couldn't figure out what it was about her that made him want to wonder about her. She was indeed interesting.

Originally he entered the room to ease his mind from the troubles that lied ahead. He knew his brother was up to something that involved him. Karasu was one to love a woman's company, so he often spent his time with the court women. He enjoyed their presence as much as they enjoyed his, but there was never one that he was interested in marrying. Actually, he was never interested in marrying at all.

The chattering ceased and Karasu rose from his kneeling. That relieved Kagome a bit as she couldn't keep her face from growing rosy any longer. "Mother, it's not like you to come here, is there something you need?"

"I was looking for you, dear son. Come, I have an important issue I wish to speak to you of." She said, her kind face never falling.

"Yes, I'm coming Mother… It was a pleasure to meet you, Kagome-san." Karasu whispered to where only she heard. He made his way out the room with Lady Shiori by his side. He followerd, knowing what it was she wanted to say, but wanted to hear it from her than to make it official.

"Oh! Can you believe it? Lord Karasu actually talked to you! You are so lucky!" The women exclaimed. They had spoken highly of him, but the majority of them had said they were much more in love with the other son. Actually, they all preferred him. They all had preferred Fujiwara no Shuuichi due to his serene personality and soft eyes, but because he was married and they were not highly fond of his wife, he hardly ever stopped by, so they turned all their attention to the available son.

Kagome said nothing as they kept on asking her various questions. She liked him… Even though it was for a little time they had spoken, she liked him. There was something alluring about him that she couldn't figure out. Her first day at the Fujiwara court wasn't so bad after all.

"Are you sure, you already have him. Why not give it all to him?" Karasu replied with disgust in his voice. His mother spoke to him of how he needed to find a wife. He was the youngest, and his position was different in his family compared to his older brother. It was Shuuichi everyone loved. There was no denying it, and Karasu was very much aware of it, but on the other hand he never really cared for attention from sycophants and other nobles.

His sleeves were drawn together as he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the blooming cherry tree. He didn't want to listen, but he always respected his mother and listened. After all, he did love her because he knew she did love him and not as her other son but as one of her sons.

People always believed it was the youngest everyone loved, but no. It was not true in his case.

He was a twin, but as twins they looked nothing alike, but they were born on the same day, in the same year, on the same month. He was second born, making him the younger of the two. He hated how everything was. He hated his brother and wanted nothing to do with him.

He heard that he would be talking over the house of Fujiwara to his surprise. He had heard his brother declined the offer. Hah! What now? Did he pity him because he already had a wife and everyone's attention?

"It is nothing like how you think it is, Karasu. Please do not be angry at your brother or anyone else involved. Be happy. Besides, I do wish for you to find somebody before I will be gone. What I want is to see my younger son smile, that beautiful smile he has been keeping from me, from everyone."

True, his mother was one of the people he cared for. She took care of him. She never lied to him, and she never struck him. She was kind from the bottom of her heart. Their father, Kazuya, was also very kind, but on some occasions, he would be the typical nobleman and be very controlling, especially when it dealt with family matters.

He had to be. He had to be the strict and demanding leader of the Fujiwara clan in order to protect his family, his title, and his riches.

"For you, Mother, I will accept what may befall me… Does that satisfy you?" Karasu replied calmly as he averted his gaze and fixed them on a small blossom. It hadn't fully bloomed just yet, and it appeared to be one of the last that hadn't bloomed. Just like that blossom, he was about to be the last to gain anything in his family, he thought as he compared himself to the pitiful flower.

It's not like he had anything to lose if he accepted. He didn't believe in love, so he was fine with marrying anyone. He held no one special in heart his heart, so giving up his freedom had no meaning to him at all, but to give something his brother wanted, he whole-heartedly opposed.

"Thank you…" She pulled him down and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. She knew her son needed more attention. She hoped he would select a wife that would love him unconditionally. She let him go and watched him walk off to see her husband. "I will though, request of Shuuichi to reconsider. Knowing how you are, my son, I will do my best to try and help you."

Karasu then looked back at the retreating figure. How could his mother know him so well? He smiled just a small smile and left the tree and wandered aimlessly with arbitrary thoughts running in and out of his head. He somehow stumbled across the thought of the new girl he had met that day. Perhaps she was wife material…

He wondered a bit more of the new girl. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to pay another visit to the ladies of the court. After all, they seemed to enjoy themselves more when he was there.

As Shiori went to see her husband, she thought about her conversation with her son. There were many suitable women in court that he could choose from which peaked her curiousity as to whom he would choose. Of course that wasn't how it worked for her eldest son. How unhappy he became after he heard the news. Of course being the eldest son he never complained. He could never go against his father.

Both his father and the Kitajima clan set up his marriage nonetheless. Shiori had no say. They had to set the marriage up to assure the Fujiwara had the alliance of other rising high-class clans if they were to ever encounter situations such as war.

He wore a mask whenever he was with her. He hated his marriage. He missed the life he had. He missed just lounging around, paying no mind to someone else. He would attend to his father's needs and lived everyday as a regular passing day. Now, he had to live everyday with her by his side.

He had to make sure she was with him everywhere he went, but it was more like he would have to go everywhere she went. He preferred an easy life. He liked to do things his own way, in his own pace. Now that he had a wife, everything was different. Nothing he did would be just for him. Never would it again be just him.

In a way he was envious of his brother to be free of that. To be free of the chain called marriage.

"Shuuichi! Come along now! Quit dragging your feet. Your mother and father require us to be there this instance. We will be late if you don't come any faster!"

"Yes, yes…" He replied. He didn't quicken his pace though. He had turned his head and saw through a window his brother kneeling and speaking to one of the court ladies. She was sitting next to the rounded window and kept her gaze away from his brother. All he could see was her hair. It was long, silken black. It went well with her healthy skin color.

Odd as it was, his brother was smiling. He rarely smiled and wondered who the girl that produced that smile was. She didn't seem familiar to him, but then he hadn't entered the court in a long time. To be precise, he hadn't entered since his marriage ceremony.

He missed going in there. He missed going behind the stables and being with the other noblemen who played games, relaxed and spoke among themselves there. There were so many things he lost when he married.

He turned away, growing jealous once more of his brother. He hurried into the room where his father was and slid the shoji door closed and sat on his knees beside her.

"You have declined the offer to take over the name of the Fujiwara, is that correct, Shuuichi?" His father asked. Kazuya was growing old and wanted to assure which of his sons would take care of their family name if anything were to happen.

Maya looked appalled. Why was she not informed of this? She could say nothing because it wasn't her place to say a thing. She had to deal with him afterwards. As she turned to look at her husband, Shuuichi only nodded and waited for his father to continue.

"Then you should know that when your brother decides, we will hand it all to him?"

"Yes, I do." He bowed, lowering his forehead to the ground. He respected his father very much and loved his mother dearly. His mother had just entered the room and sat on the cushion by his father. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded.

"It appears to be that your brother has taken up the offer. Everything is settled. I wanted to be sure if you were serious about your choice. After all, you are the eldest son of the Fujiwara."

"Yes. I am quite serious. I believe Karasu will do just fine. He is my brother after all."

"Very well then, you may go. I shall give the thought more time." He ushered them out with a hand movement and turned his head to his wife with his eyelids lowered.

Maya got up and left first. When Shuuichi got to the door, he asked one last thing. "Father, when you had said 'decide' what did you mean?"

"Oh? We haven't told you? Your brother will marry one of the girls in our court of course." He simply replied. "What else did you think we meant?"

"No… Nothing at all father." With that he left the room, following her from behind. He was in a daze, tuning her complaining voice out. He got to choose who was going to marry. He wasn't set up…

It wasn't fair. Not fair at all. How was it that his brother got what he wanted? He didn't get smothered with unwanted attention. He wasn't arranged in a marriage.

How Shuuichi pinned for the life his brother had. He loved to have the easy and free life. He wanted to have someone by his side he could talk to about anything. He wanted to be able to smile naturally. His wife didn't make him smile…

He always dreamed of the perfect girl, the perfect girl that he would marry. The girl he would promise with all his heart to make happy. There was a time he wished that he wasn't of high class at all. He wanted to someone that had a beautiful smile and always smiled, even over nothing. He wanted her to share his love in flowers and nature itself. He wanted her to not care he was of high class or that she married into his family.

Her looks did not matter either. He did hope for a girl who was not vain about her appearance, but there were times he had hope for a natural beauty. In his eyes he felt that any girl he would fall in love with would be beautiful.

Was it so much to ask to be with someone he would love? No. At least he didn't think so. Even though he was a male, that didn't mean he couldn't wish for love or dream of his ideal girl. Couldn't a man wish for something and hope for it to happen?

Of course he could. Everyone wishes. Everyone hopes. Everyone craves for something.

He was only one of many that did so.