Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Chapter 7: Aftermath of Murder
Kurama
The firelight crackled, casting eerie shadows about our haggard group. We had bedded down for the night. I stared into the flames. They were…consuming.
"She's with a past me." I sighed, my head on my knees. "With the real Youko Kurama."
"This is not good," Yusuke muttered. "You're, what, a thousand years old! We should've asked for specifics before…"
His voice trailed off. Everyone knew what he was talking about, though. I had killed her, on Koko's request. Koko sat off to the side, far from anyone else. I'm sure Hiei was in the branches above us, already asleep. I envied him for his ability to sleep even now. I wasn't sure when we were, but I did know that I had been here once. We were in the Forest of Fools, where mainly low-level demons dwelt.
"She could be any when, anywhere," I said. "Koko…how long does it take for memories to reflect altered pasts?"
"A day," she mumbled. "Your memories should begin to reflect whether your past self has met her in the morning."
She turned away from the fire again, glaring off into the woods.
"I just hope that it was at a time when Kuronue was around," I said, mostly to myself.
If my good friend had been there, I would be less likely to kill her. He would prevent it with all of his strength. Kuronue had valued life more than most demons. I'd never quite figured out why, precisely. Just as I never found out who the woman was who gave him his red and silver pendant. The one that had cost him his life.
Once my girlfriend met my past self, would she want to stay with me? I wasn't so sure. I had done so many things before I was reborn. I remember that Kuronue and I had an enormous fight thirty years ago. He always enjoyed the tenderness of human lovers, despite my wishes then. I chuckled softly to myself.
What would my old friend Kuronue have to say if he knew I was to marry a girl like Bri? I recalled very well what I'd always looked for in a mate during my time in the Makai. I wanted a strong mate, someone who could take care of herself. Someone with a body to rival the goddess of Venus. A gold or silver kitsune, like myself. At the same time, I wanted her completely submitted to me. To accept the fact that I…I had slept with many women before her. To accept that I would continue to do so.
The thoughts sickened me now. What had I been before love? Just a heartless man, looking for the pleasures of one night stands and all the riches in the world. I was the epiphany of evil in my own eyes now. I had no morals, save for what Kuronue had slowly taught me.
Thirty years ago, I remember, Kuronue taught me what it meant to have a lover who actually loved you. I didn't see the actual repercussions of my actions until he showed me them point-black. Who had it been that had helped me learn that lesson?
Kuronue had found a woman, I remembered that much. Saved her from me, in fact. I had held my whip out, ready to slay her. And then, he'd come and saved her. Such an old memory, I'd almost forgotten it…
Wait a minute.
That was a new memory!
"I know where Bri is."
"Then what the hell are we waiting for!" Koko jumped to her feet and grabbed a bit of dirt. I assumed she was going to put out the fire. I stopped her.
"Wait. We must rest for a while. The location is still fuzzy."
She scowled. "I don't give a rat's ass, Minamino. Tell me where my sister is!"
I sighed. "Twelve years before I was shot by the hunter. It is a dangerous time. We must wait until our energy has returned fully."
Hiei's voice floated down from above. "Hn. You are weak, fool. You couldn't snap a twig, let along cut a rip in time."
"Thanks for Jagan-izing me, Snowball, I really appreciate it." Koko scowled up at the branches above. "Fine. Five hours. That should be long enough."
I nodded and curled up next to the fire on the cold, hard ground. If ever was a time I wanted Bri's power, it was now.
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Sorry this chapter is so short…I'm sick right now…I had planned to make this one a bit longer. . Gomen ne! ILLNESS HAS STRUCK UGLY KITTEN! ;; I know, I'm weird, tell me something I don't know.
Princess Kandra: I'm glad to hear that you're not as guilty as I am…I just hope I can finish that story…Or just bury it and move on to "Blood of my Dreams"…
Sillylittlenothing: Indeed, lots of things could happen… And some of them do…I just don't wanna say what. It'd ruin da story!
SilverDragon: Nope. Guess again! Well, they don't really kill her so much as…
Saori: For some reason, I really like the old Youko. I wanted to make a stark balance between him and Kuronue, hence Kuronue's strange behavior.
Kuramafan: Hee, I wasn't planning on pairing those two up at all…But Kuronue does have a little crushie on Bri. I thought it'd be cute…and add drama…
Sonya: I happened to be watching a Discovery channel special on bats that night. Go figure, a lot of my ideas come from Discovery channel specials…In fact, my very first story, Orbs of Emerald, came out of watching Shark Week. O.o Am I weird or what?
Sunny: Do you have me on Author Alert? That way, you get an email saying that I updated. Of course, I can always tell you…Then again, there is the little thing that I always update on Wednesdays and Saturdays, no matter what…;;
