Disclaimer: -dutifully reciting- I don't own Yuu Yuu Hakusho.
Author's note: This is a one – shot, but I don't thing I'll be getting any requests for sequels anyway. Character death, but of a minor character you might not even know about. OC, but the poor girl never even gets a name, though she plays a fairly major role. Shonen-ai (boy love, a.k.a. a homosexual relationship), but it's so minor you can ignore it if you want since it's only in descriptive words. Some OOCness, because I find the characters hard to keep in character. Some philosophical musings, but not really major or incredibly clear cut ones. In short, a not much of anything fic that came to me while I was reading tarot cards. Enjoy. And please, review. Enjoy.
Warning: once again, there is SHONEN-AI. That is a HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP. It is between Hiei and Kurama (because that's the only shonen-ai relationship I see happening in Yuu Yuu Hakusho, but if you disagree, that's fine. (I might even read your fic anyway). Once again, if you disagree you can really ignore it because it's only in the descriptive words (like lover, love, etc.).
Lunarmercury presents:
-Tarot-
The wind blew along the sweet scent of the sakura blossoms, as well as some of the more fragile petals. Serene spring was definitely here, the flowers in bloom, the weather fair – the season, it was said, of romance.
Romance was not quite what was on this rather unusual couple's mind. One of them sought his sister – she still unaware of their relation – and the other tagged along for the ride. The flora was always especially wonderful around the temple, and the other half of this couple loved plant life.
The many steps were no deterrent – the shorter springing into the trees and jumping from branch to branch until he reached the top, apparently unworried about whether his black cloak would become snagged on a branch. The other one, unfortunately left behind for a faster route up the steps that he could not take, took his sweet time walking up the stairs. He paused more than once to enjoy the breeze that playfully lifted the crimson mass known as his hair. The emerald eyes of the redhead twinkled and the vermillion eyes of his spiky-haired lover flashed in annoyance – a patient smile given to soothe the irate fire demon.
"Really, Hiei, you must learn patience."
"Hn."
They turned to go inside when Kurama spoke.
"Don't you find it unusual that Yukina-chan hasn't come to greet us?"
"Hnnn…" This time the word was more uncertain.
The pair removed their shoes before sliding their feet into the house slippers the aqua-haired resident of the temple always had ready for them. They walked further in, noting how the temple was unusually quiet, whereas normally it would be ringing with the cheerful, chipper greetings and chatter of their hostess.
"Oh! Hiei-san! Kurama-san! Gomen nasai! I didn't realize you were there!" came the earnest, flustered apology from their friend.
"It's all right, Yukina-chan," Hiei assured her with the uncharacteristic gentleness he reserved for his sister. He then turned to the apparent reason she hadn't noticed them – a visitor. Her eyes were odd – an icy blue that blended to a deep, royal blue at the bottom with a multitude of shades in between. Her hair sparkled in the sunlight that streamed through the window – greenish sunlight filtered by trees on honey–blonde hair. Her clothing was simple enough – a dark purple T-shirt, blue-jeans, and black strappy sandals with toenails that were an opaque white – but painted, or naturally? This girl was not human, that was for certain.
"Who is this?" Hiei beat Kurama to the question.
Yukina smiled. "This is a fortune teller. She says she travels all over! Apparently she inherited a good deal of money from her late father, and so can afford to do so."
The fortune teller smiled at them too, but it was frosty, lacking the warmth Yukina's smile had had and giving them a chill that briefly made it feel like winter had not yet left.
"Would you like your fortune told?" Her voice sounded like slick, smooth ice. Briefly, Kurama wondered what type of demon she was and if she posed a threat, but then he realized she was speaking to him.
"It is with tarot cards – but you probably realized that." She was referring to the multitude of cards spread out on the table. They were all turned face up.
"Oh yes!" Yukina beamed. "we were just discussing my results – but I believe we're finished, correct?"
The fortune teller nodded.
"Please do not touch the cards. It will disrupt their energy and ruin them." She warned them early so as to avoid a disaster.
"Do you want your fortune told?" she inquired again.
"Yes, please," he replied politely, but with the same degree of friendliness in his voice as hers.
"Have a seat across from me," she instructed. "Would you like a general or specific reading?"
"A general one, please."
All that could be heard for several minutes was the shuffling and flipping of cards. When they were all laid out, she began to speak. The part of his cards that told his past was uncannily accurate. Then the card – reader reached his immediate future – and paused.
"Death." Her voice rang clear in the utter silence.
"Rarely does the card death actually mean death – yet in this case, I believe it does."
A breeze seemed to spring out of nowhere, ruffling slightly the hair of all in the room. No one moved to close the open window. Three gazes – two ruby, one emerald – were locked on her figure, which was seemingly unconcerned, despite the fact that she had just given a person one of the worst pieces of news they could hear. A distant noise could be heard from outside.
"Sirens," the fortune teller stated.
A cold dread settled over Kurama, though he did not know why – could be heard every day, why should he be concerned?
"Do you believe in fate?" the card-reader spoke again.
Kurama blinked. That seemed rather… random.
"I believe everything happens for a reason," he offered.
"That is not what I asked."
"Kitsune…" came the low warning voice of his koi.
Kurama met Hiei's eyes. The garnets held a hint of warning.
"Why do you wish to know?" He was wary – his thousand-plus years of living had taught him that.
"I merely wanted to know whether you will believe what I will read in your cards. I wish to know whether you think that if I had read your cards yesterday, they would have been the same. If I had told you what death stood for… would you have done something different? Would you have tried to change the reading of the cards? Would you have tried to save the person this card predicts death for?"
"What?" The youko was bewildered now – a quick glance around the room revealed that his two friends were as well.
"Doesn't the air smell like smoke to you? Only faintly, thought. The fire must be far away."
Kurama sniffed cautiously. The air did indeed smell very faintly of smoke.
"Why is that relevant to your reading?"
"I believe your reading will be cut short. But then again, I don't know if you believe in fate, so it really doesn't matter."
"I do not believe in fate."
"Kurama…" came a growl from his friend in the corner.
Kurama shot a glance at Hiei. He was glaring, ruby eyes looking as though the owner would like to set something on fire. A cool jade gaze met his glare – assuring him he knew what he was doing.
"If the Tarot cards, or lines on one's palm, or whatever materials one uses truly tells one's future, why are they not consistent?"
"Ah," was the beginning of her reply. She finally seemed slightly amused. "Perhaps they do not tell your future. Or perhaps the people who attempt to read the future are simply unskilled and cannot. Perhaps if someone, such as I, were to read your cards multiple times, they would be the same. So, if I had read your cards yesterday, would you have done anything differently today?"
"What?" He didn't understand – couldn't understand. He heard footsteps, turned. A policeman stood there.
"No…" he whispered. His voice was just a breath, so soft only he could hear it. His eyes were wide and steadily growing wider.
"Minamino Shuiichi?" The policeman inquired of the redhead.
"That's me," he responded. He barely managed to keep his voice from shaking.
"I'm sorry to say that there has been a fire. Your parents' house is no longer there."
"Would you have done something different?" The fortune-teller's voice started up again, soft enough so that the policeman couldn't hear it, loud enough so that the three demons, with their superior hearing, could.
"Would you have gone somewhere with them?"
"We tried to put it out, but I'm afraid it was too late."
"Would things still be the same then? Or would they still be as they are? Is fate always the same, or could you have changed the future simply by having your fortune told yesterday?"
"We're not yet sure what started it. Your mother and step-father are fine, but…"
"Would he still be alive, or would his life have been claimed anyway?"
"That's enough!" Hiei took a menacing step towards her. The policeman looked confused, but continued anyway.
"I'm afraid you stepbrother didn't make it. He died of smoke inhalation. The doctors did everything they could but he didn't make it. I'm sorry."
Kurama was trembling – leaf-green eyes shining with the salty liquid that was trailing down his cheeks.
"No…" he whispered. "NO!""
"Could you have changed it? Would things still be the same? Could you have known, or does fate not exist? Is there even a constant fate? Is everything preordained, or only partially – what will happen… is it based on one decision?"
By now Hiei and Yukina were trying to comfort Kurama. He was kneeling on the floor, and the twins had followed suit to better console the grieving youko. They were only partially listening to the fortune teller, but the words seemed to imbed themselves in their brains anyway. The current occupants of the room heard fast footsteps coming up the temple's stairs. The policeman stepped out of the room and went to see who it was. Hiei gave the tarot – reader a death glare and snapped "I said that's enough! Stop speaking!"
"Kurama-san, I'm so sorry… But you didn't know, it's not your fault…" Yukina's soft voice floated up to Kurama's ears, but it didn't have the desired effect of comforting him. He was still crying heavily, taking in gasps of air.
The owner of the footsteps walked in the room – Yuusuke.
"I saw the news. What happened?" Surprisingly enough, Hiei answered.
"His stepbrother died of smoke inhalation. There was nothing that could be done."
It might have been his imagination, but Yuusuke could have sworn Hiei was telling that last part to Kurama.
A noise drew Yuusuke's attention away from the trio on the floor. A young girl, no more than nineteen, was gathering many scattered, brightly colored cards from off of the table – some face up, some not. She tied them with a length of iridescent ribbon, her white nails glinting in the sunlight and carefully placed them in a black velvet bag. Yuusuke figured it was what they had been doing before they got the news.
She walked out, by the policeman.
"Say, shouldn't you be staying?" He called out.
She looked back and cocked her head to the side, some wavy bangs falling into her eyes, and replied with an inquiry of her own.
"Why?"
"Well – that friend of yours need comfort," he replied, a bit taken-aback by her apparent lack of concern for the young man in the temple, still crying rivers.
"Friend?" She smiled a bit, a smile that gave the policeman goose bumps. "He's not my friend. I don't know any of them."
"Then – why were you there? Who are you?!" He demanded indignantly.
"Me? Why, I'm just the fortune teller."
With that, she pulled out a flute, seemingly from nowhere, and began to play a melancholy tune as she walked away.
-Owari-
Sakura – you probably know this, but they're cherry blossoms
Gomen Nasai – (I'm) sorry, (I'm) very sorry. The "I'm" is implied.
-san, -chan – suffixes used after a name for politeness. To leave one out can be very insulting.
Kitsune – fox. I'm not sure if it's just the type of fox Kurama is, or foxes in general.
Youko – the type of demon Kurama is.
Koi – love
Owari – the end
If I missed any, just review and tell me!
This chapter has been revised as of 1/9/04. It has had translations added. Part of the authors note at the beginning has been deleted.