Disclaimer: I don't own Kurama, Kuronue, or Koenma from YYH. I also don't own "By Myself" by Linkin Park.
Author's Notes: This is NOTthe only part. There will be a second part in Arinori's POV, and it'll involve a bit more of Kurama. Happy? Good.
Full Summary
Kinna and Arinori are on their way to the top. They are placed next to Kurama and Kuronue in their skill at thievery, but those two fell, eventually. Is this new duo destined to follow?
Kinna's POV
What do I do to ignore them behind me?
Do I follow my instincts blindly?
Do I hide my pride/from these bad dreams
And give in to sad thoughts that are maddening
Kinna. . . They say that's my name. I don't really care what my name is, even though it's become widely-known, alongside Arinori's. Arinori is my best friend; we take care of each other. I've heard, though it's rare enough, that we are just like Kurama and Kuronue, the greatest thieving duo to ever live.
The thieves mourn the loss of those two, even if the rest of Makai doesn't. They are our role-models. We don't follow exactly in there steps, but we learn a lot from the stories of their heists. It isn't often we get to hear them, but I'm always thrilled when we do, and I'm sure Arinori feels it too, even if he won't admit it.
To be compared to those two. . . It's the highest compliment you can pay a thief, even if it's meant as an insult. So, we've been placed next to them, Arinori and me. Its great fun, but I know Arinori hates it. He just wants fun, but we can't seem to find it. He insists there must be something that can't be stolen. I don't agree. So we continue as we started it, even if we started it unwillingly.
Do I/sit here and try to stand it?
Or do I/try to catch them red-handed?
Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness,
Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?
We run down the alleyway, far from the hunters, determined to keep us from rising to the legendary status of those before us. Of course, they couldn't catch us. Though we only looked about twelve, we were hundreds of years old. Taking to the forest, our territory, the place where WE ruled, we skidded to halt, or more, Arinori did. I'd taken to the air on my bat wings. Didn't mentioned that did I? I'm a bat youkai, Arinori's a fox.
Arinori went into a creeping position, one hand on the ground for balance, fangs bared, tails bristling. I landed, wings folding silently, body snapping back so that I was in a slightly crouching position, but not far enough that you could tell. They had come into OUR forest, hunting US. The silent anger snapped itself alive, giving off a wide signal, more than enough for the hunters to follow. Ari sent me a glare, and I winced slightly.
Because I can't hold on/when I'm stretched so thin
I make the right moves but I'm lost within
I put on my daily facade but then
I just end up getting hurt again
When the hunters attacked us from behind, we weren't the least bit surprised. I mean, come on, where else would you attack from? Of course, they thought to catch us unprepared. Pssh. Youkai can be such idiots. We were thieves, as though we'd ever be caught unaware.
So the battle raged. I took the two on the left, Ari the two on the right. We'd killed off the fifth hunter earlier. I have to admit, they were strong. I got a broken bone from that fight. Still, we won, that was all that mattered.
By myself MYSELF
I ask why, but in my mind
I find I can't rely on myself
Disappearing into the trees, we headed home. The cool part? We live in a tree. It's a tree that Arinori planted and grew. It's the size of a house, and hollow. Yet, somehow, it's not dead. I don't get it, but it's still cool. I walked to my room, flopping down on the bed I'd fashioned, far above the ground. Even here the signs said I was a thief, living in hiding.
I'm losing consciousness, escaping the thoughts like I do every time after being hunted. Sure, Arinori is the one that wants to live this life, and I won't abandon my only friend, but I'm the one that it tears apart. I'm the one that it shreds, and he doesn't even know. He can't hear the silent screams that flood my nightmares. Nobody can see deep into my heart. Nothing can set me free. I know that. I've dug my own grave.
I can't hold on
To what I want when I'm stretched so thin
I can't hold on
To anything watching everything spin
With thought of failure sinking in
I just want to walk away from it all, but I'm bound to it tighter than ropes could ever bind me. It's my heart, all I know. I can't fight it, even though I've tried. It's so. . . pointless. Ari's come to accept his positions as "Youko Kurama's Replacement", but I couldn't bear sliding into Kuronue's slot. I try to run but it doesn't work.
I'm trapped here, in my own body. The tears flow every time they can, but. . . There's no point in fighting. I've handed myself over to the darkness. I've stopped struggling, if only it could come as naturally to me as it did to Arinori.
If I/Turn my back I'm defenseless
And to go on blindly seems senseless
If I hide my pride and let it all go on/then they'll
Take from me till everything is gone
If I let them go I'll be outdone
But if I try to catch them I'll be outrun
If I'm killed by the questions like a cancer
Then I'll be buried in the silence of the answer
BY MYSELF
I'm so lost. Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing is the same. Tonight we pull a heist. . . It's at the same place that Kuronue died. The very same palace. I have a bad feeling, but I'm not sure. Everything is so. . . Blurry now. How can I fight against what I can't see? How can Ari do this? How does he survive? I don't know. I just can't tell anymore.
How do you think /I've lost so much
I'm so afraid/I'm out of touch
How do you expect/I will know what to do
When all I know/ is what you tell me to
I look at the palace, the one we're robbing tonight, and sigh. Nothing fits, it never will. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. But this is the last one, never again shall I go steal. I'll never make it out of this castle alive. I know that. I know it'll snap, just like it did on my predecessor. I can't stand leaving Arinori alone; I'm not sure how he'll take it. He's too hard to read now.
I guess. . . This is it. Should I say good-bye now? No. . . I've got to continue, never show a clue. Kuronue never did. So I can't. It hurts so much, running through these halls. I don't understand it; I guess I'm just not in the circle. I wish I was.
Don't you know
I can't tell you how to make it go
No Matter what I do, How hard I try
I can't seem to convince myself why
I'm stuck on the outside.
Koenma watched as the two entered the castle. They were so much like Kurama and Kuronue, even the same species. The only difference was that the bat was a girl. Kinna, she would die tonight, and she knew it. Arinori wouldn't last long, hunters would drive him to the human world while he was still in grief. Just as they had Kurama before him. The Shi Kami watched as the bat thief died, leaving a stunned fox behind. A ferry girl would soon bring him her soul. The two had started there career as young children. Since then, they'd grown into adults, with there reputation getting larger every day.
So much like Kurama and Kuronue. Was it wise to do the same to them? Probably not, but he would anyway. Soon . . . Yes, soon it would end for one of them. He smiled softly. Those two, Arinori and Kinna, had no idea how much like their predecsers they were. It would work out the same. Already had in Kinna's case. Yes, she'd grown older, slowly sinking into question induced insanity. . . But Arinori would never know that, just as Kurama had never realized his friend's problems.
Kit: WHEEE! THAT WAS FUN!
Itsun: You're kidding. THAT WAS DEPRESSING!
Kit: How so? glares at her muse/character
Suna: chuckles at her A.P.'s oblivesness
Itsun: Everytime I try to write something depressing, you get all happy! I doubt you know the diffrence between the two!
Kit: blank stare There isn't one.
Suna: Uhh. . . Yes,Kit,there is. I
Itsun: Grrrr. . . I'm gonna go talk to George.
Kit: George? Isn't he the hole in the wall from where you bang your head into it? Why do you do that, anyways?
Itsun: looks at Kit Leave me alone or I'll sic Suna on ya.
Suna: No need. I annoy her at all times of the day anyway.
Kit: sucks thumb
Itsun: Kit, I thought you'd broken that habit.
Suna: thwaks Kit You know better. I'm an assasin, just because you're my alternate personality doesn't mean you can act like that.
Kit: sniffles and glares Right. You know. . . Maybe I should write a fic with you in it. Torture and blackmail abounding?
Itsun: backs away Hey, I'm just the muse. Don't kill me. It's not my fault she has these ideas.
Suna: raises eyebrow Yes it is.
Itsun: Oh. Then I'll start running. runs until he notices Kit sucking her thumb, then it all starts over again