Kurama's Tale

Chapter Four: DANGER!

Blinded from the all too bright streak of light, Kurama's eyes closed in their pain, fighting to readjust as the light encircled the kitsune in a ring of white-gold rays. Grinding his teeth as he blinked, he was caught off-guard as another slight creak sounded in the chamber. His ears flicked toward the sound in question.

But before he could decipher the noise, he could feel his body tremble and shake from some outside force. He tensed his muscles against the force, and yet still it pulled at him, making his skin prickle and feel as though his bones and muscles were being shifted and molded into something that he had not willed as a shape. He gritted his teeth against the pull, struggling to banish the feeling from his body. But his energy seemed to slip away with every breath he took and soon he was powerless to fight it.

The light disappeared with the same suddenness it had appeared with and left him blinking in revelation as to what had occurred. But he soon remembered the creaking of the floor board as a voice sounded behind him.

"Name: Youko Kurama. Age: unknown. Breed of demon: Kitsune. Wanted for crimes of theft, murder, threat, decimation, attempted thievery, attempted murder..."

A snarl found itself bubbling to the throat of the youkai, turning swiftly to try to make out the owner of the voice, only to realize that he was still blinded from the vast amounts of light that had surrounded him. He found himself beside the treasure box, which now sat emptily to his left. He shifted to the side as he heard a footstep more to his right. His shoulder bumped against the box, making it shudder at the contact. He paused a moment and pressed himself against the wood. The box felt nearly as large as he was, as though he were on his hands and knees. He found himself struggling to clench his fists, only to find that they were no longer hands, but paws. With a confused hitch to his snarl, he picked up a paw and replaced it on the ground. Yes, it was a paw.

He was back into his original form.

"Surprised, Youko Kurama?" the mysterious masculine voice asked. He bared his fangs and gave a vicious snarl in reply. "I have stolen all of your Spirit Energy, just as you stole so many lives. It had rendered you into your original kitsune form, of which you will not be able to get out of unless I release my hold on your Energy."

Kurama started at this statement. Who was this person? A bounty hunter, he concluded, for every one of them would go to hell and back just to capture him.

"My name is Tenchi the Hunter. And I will be your prosecutor," the voice said, its tone grinning. By now Kurama's eyes had cleared enough for him to make out the looming figure before him. They were tall, tall enough to rival Kurama's spell-induced humanoid shape. Their shoulders were broad and powerful, over which tumbled dark locks of thick hair to frame a scarred face. His eyes glowed slightly in the darkness a bright white-gold with encased Spirit Energy.

Kurama blinked again. Why did this creature look so familiar? he pondered as his vision slowly returned. And then it struck him. Over the man's left eye was a violent scar that grinned in the shadows a darker black. The scar, where had he seen it before? Faces raced through his mind, slaughtered demons, old spies, other bounty hunters. And then the memory flooded his mind. He remembered looking over Kuronue's shoulder as he contemplated how to release his partner and save him, noticing the horde of demons that was approaching them. At the leader of the mass was this creature...

Light suddenly filled the room once again, although not with the ferocity as it had before. It lit the hunter's face and the smug grin that lay there. Kurama narrowed his eyes and another snarl rippled in his chest and across his muzzle.

"And now, Youko Kurama... You will die," Tenchi the Hunter said, raising his hands, palm out, toward the kitsune.

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Authoress' Note: alright! Another chapter completed!

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J