The Battle Within

Sao: Well! Guess what I was finally reminded I have been forgetting?

Kurama: What?

Karuri: COME ON! the fact that she doesn't own YOU?

Kurama: But doesn't everybody already know that?

Sao: You would be surprised. And I have to say it or else Neko will become grasping and start thinking she does own you.

Neko: HEY!

Sao: You know it's true.

Karuri: (sighs) well, on to the chapter then.

Sao: NO! I have one more thing to say! Science Olympiad Regionals competition is coming up this Saturday! And oh Kami I am so unprepared! it's not even funny!

Neko: Lets continue the chapter while Sao hyperventilates.

Sao: I am NOT hyperventilating!

Karuri/Kurama: Yes you are.

Karuri had thought there would be hell to pay for letting one element take control that much. Well, she had been wrong.

There was more than hell.

All the other elements rebelled, even the water element, the close cousin to ice. There was a war raging on in her body and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it. Damn that little youkai to hell and back and then back to hell permanently. Or worse, hand him over to some underworld-lings.

It was actually a miracle she had managed to get through the time with the other people and then get back to her place. Kurama had suspected something was wrong, probably. He kept on throwing her funny looks. She found out why upon glancing in the mirror.

The vivid green-blue of the eyes she had given her illusion had faded to the pale, icy blue that matched that element, though the rest of the illusion remained perfect. She shivered. This was not a place to be when all the elements of fire, electricity, earth, water, air, plants, darkness, light, and even the power of telekinesis, which wasn't technically an element, were at war with the iron control of ice, which she had so foolishly allowed to take over to the point where she could fool a youkai who was obviously better at this than she.

Unknown to the pitiful figure now curled shivering on the thin mattress, her eyes began to switch colors madly as tears welled from their depths. She clutched herself desperately in pain, trying to now merely survive as the immense powers swirled within their containment, her body, each fighting madly now to be let out.

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There had definitely been something wrong with Karuri. The girl was paler than usual, and with her fair skin, that was saying a lot. And she had been acting oddly, detached and cold.

And the final clincher- her eyes were not their normal vibrant color, but a pale icy blue that no human had ever achieved as a color without contacts. Not to mention the fact that her eyes switched colors at all...

Sigh. What was he to do? He really didn't know her all that well. Sure, she was fun, and didn't chase madly after him (thank Kami) and yes, he was attracted to her, and true, even Youko was intrigued, but...

–: You are going to go check and that is final. :–

I can't do that! What if she doesn't want to be "checked" on?-

–: You are going to do it or I will take over and do it for you. :–

What's with you?- Normally the fox would never be this touchy or demanding about anything, especially not someone human they had only just met.

–: Go. :–

Kurama rolled his eyes. There was no arguing with an unfathomable kitsune. Their minds worked in strange, unfathomable ways.

–: Are you denying that you want to check up on her as well:–

Yowch. Youko had him there.

Okay, okay, okay. I'm going, see?-

He started off in the direction of the apartments where Karuri lived.

((ten minutes later))

Why did renegade kitsune thieves sharing a body with you have to be so annoying? Oh yeah. Because they were renegade kitsune thieves sharing a body with you.

When he was in front of her door about to ring the bell Youko stopped him, yelling

–: NO! We're breaking in and then she can't pretend, baka:–

The problem with Youko was that he had to be right all the time. He easily picked the lock on the door (there were some advantages to sharing with a thief) and quietly closed it behind him. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. And cold.

Suddenly the temperature flashed up about fifty degrees briefly, before settling and then being broken by a wave of static that lifted the hairs on his arms. Minute fluctuations continued as he made his way towards the room the tension seemed to come from.

He hurried his step at the tiny whimpering sound that made its way to his ears, pulling open the door to the room where he had deposited all of the boxes full of junk.

It was dim already, but that kept changing. It would grow more shadowy and then less, then settle briefly before being broken once by a single flash that blinded him momentarily.

When his eyes had recovered he saw Karuri curled on the bed in a small pitiful-looking ball. Her thin, fragile looking body shook with the strain of repressing something from breaking free. Suddenly she was released from the tense ball to arch her back and scream heart-piercingly.

Instinctively he sat down on the bed and gathered her into his arms. She immediately molded herself frantically to his body, grabbing onto his neck and twining her delicate hands in his hair for support.

"Shhh, it's gonna be okay." he whispered soothingly in her ear.

"Th, they're, they're all tr, trying to get out. I can't hold on, it keeps on ripping at me." she sobbed brokenly.

Boy, when he found out who did this, they were going to be in deep trouble. His eyes flashed to the golden orbs of Youko, and stayed there.

–: There. She is a kitsune, see:–

You thought so the entire time and you didn't tell me?-

–: You were so intent on deluding yourself I didn't even try. :–

Of course. Of course she would be the one they were supposed to be bringing in, the one Koenma wanted to thrust into Makai and a seething stew of dangers. He hugged her shaking form to him protectively.

A minute passed as they sat like that, the light in the room continuing to flicker, Karuri with her face buried in his shoulder, which was damp from the involuntary tears, her form shaking convulsively, and he cradling her limp body and softly breathing sounds of reassurance into her hair. All this was so sudden, he didn't have any time to think. It didn't matter right now that he had only met her less than a week ago. It only mattered that she was in pain, and that he was there to comfort her as best he could. He could feel the fever heat radiating from her.

Her breathing began to speed up, coming in short sharp bursts, and she tightened her grip in his hair, as the room went suddenly very dark and cold. Very, very cold.

What the hell is going on here?-

–: Ah, I believe that would be ice. :–

They were distracted by the scream that tore from her throat as what was suddenly claws dug into his shoulders. Her hair had changed in an instant from dark dusky brown to colors fading from black at the ends to white-blond at the top, shimmering as an illusion was broken, or lost control of.

Then her eyes were open again, staring into his surprisedly, seeming not to know what had happened in the last five minutes or so. Maybe more. Her eyes were a clear, searing dark orange-red color.

"Who... Kurama?" she asked, voice gravelly from screams, before she went limp again, this time asleep. Carefully he settled her onto the thin mattress, lying beside her still too-warm body protectively. He could think in the morning.

How did this one person they had barely gotten to know make the line between Youko and Shuichi blur so?

Sao: AAAGH! short, sucky chappie! NEKO! where are you?

Karuri: Okay, Sao, calm down. You're scaring me.

Sao: NEKO!

Kurama: Is she okay?

Sao: NO! I'm not okay! My muse has abandoned me! She has run off and hid in a corner and I can't find her and that is why this chapter is short and sucky! NEKO! Where are you!

Karuri: Umph. Sao, you can look for Neko later. She'll show up when she wants to.

Sao: (deep breath) Okay. I guess you're right. Anyhow, on a better note, WE WON Regionals! First place! We got thirteen firsts out of twenty-three events and only didn't medal in two events!

Kurama: Weren't you just saying Regionals were coming up this weekend and you were unprepared up there?

Sao: Yes. It takes me this long to write a chapter, isn't it sad? I can be talking about things coming up in the beginning and giving the results by the end of the chapter. Anyhow, thanks to all those wonderful people who reviewed! And we're still focusing on creating glacial sediment deposits in hell!

Karuri: Hai, she's been in Science Olympiad too much lately.

Kurama: Definitely.