Hi again...second chapter. Woo... Sorry if I don't seem so excited. Anyways, here you go. Oh, and let me explain something before we start. Last chapter was a dream, a memory. This chapter is in the present, okay? I know it's confusing, but you don't have to read it if you don't like it, ya know. ...Oh, and I'm actually pairing up Kurama and Hiei... ;
Disclaimer: OO How the hell did I forget the disclaimer last time? ...Anyways, I don't own YYH, yada yada yada.
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Kira woke up with a start and looked around. Where was she? Realization started to kick in as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light. She was home, or what she had named as her temporary home. She shook her head to clear her mind of the dream. She didn't want to remember back then, when she was thirteen.
Now a sixteen-year-old, Kira had matured so much in three years. She now had a tall, full figure, and it seemed that the only thing that hadn't changed was the color of her eyes. They still remained a stormy blue, though they held a more mature, distant look.
She wore a tanish orange tank top and jean shorts with a grey belt. Her long sleeves, made of a soft white fabric, slid down to expose her shoulders. Wrapped around her like a long skirt was another piece of the fabric, tucked into her side to allow her shorts to show. A short black chain was attached to the bottom.
Her brown hair, once short, had grown down to her feet, and she tied it halfway down with a deep crimson ribbon. Her bangs and one part of her hair that she allowed free were blonde.
Wiping the dirt off of her skirt, Kira stood up. A little too quickly, though, and a temporary spell of dizziness overcame her. She stood until it wore off, gazing at her self-proclaimed home.
Or lack thereof.
It was an empty place, except for the wildlife that thrived in those kinds of places. An open meadow with a waterfall that ended in a crystalline lake. There was, of course, a forest bordering the lake, so that the lake was hidden from view. It was the kind of place that words couldn't really describe–you had to see it for yourself.
Home to her, actually, was anywhere she could sleep without being kicked out. She prided herself for finding this place. All in all, she thought she did a damn good job.
Kira thought a while, then decided to take a short bath in the lake. In the Makai, she had yet to find soap. Maybe she wasn't looking hard enough, whatever. She removed her clothes and waded into the lake, her skin now used to the icy waters of the lake. She took a deep breath and dipped underneath the surface for a few seconds, letting the waters gently wash the dirt out of her hair. After running her fingers through her hair to get out the remaining dirt, she resurfaced and leaned against a shelf of rocks. A small sigh of contentment escaped her as she let her thoughts drift, absentmindedly running her fingers in circles on the water's surface.
"What is it, koi?" Tanin asked after everyone else had left. Kira winced at the nickname. It wasn't hers to be called. Kira looked into Tanin's eyes and was shocked at what she saw. Hollowness. Emptiness. It was like her soul wasn't completely there, and just the body was present. She was faintly reminded of Kikyo from Inuyasha.
"Tanin. This...won't work. I mean, I know you still love me, and as much as it hurts to say this, I used to. Time has made my love fade and...now...I don't love you. I still care for you, I do, but..." Kira looked at the ground. Now she knew why no one ever got what she was saying. Her delivery was terrible. She sort of had a feeling of de jau vu. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Tanin, who she saw showed no emotion.
"She doesn't love you anymore," Tanin spoke in her monotone. Kira stared in shock. "Yes, it is that obvious. She loathes you, and yet you persist to love her. You leave her alone when she asks, and yet you wish desperately to speak to her. Why?"
"Please don't remind me of how she loathes me so," Kira flinched. "Even though it's been said a thousand times, it still hurts to hear it. But anyway, I can't really explain it. I should hate her, she says, because everyone else does, but I don't. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I'm just strange like that."
"It is foolish of you," Tanin spoke, still in a monotone, "to play the hero, as your friend...Rita, I think her name is, says."
"I don't care. This is how I feel, and I'm not going to deny it," Kira stubbornly said.
"You know, I came back to life so that I could be with you, not hear of your love for some woman you have known for so short of a time. It was I who came first, not her," Tanin growled. And with that, she walked away.
The sound of footsteps woke Kira from her trance. She slid down deeper into the water, wishing she had brought her katana with her. She relaxed, however, when she recognized the scent.
"Kurama," she greeted, not caring about the fact that she was naked in a clear lake. Kurama had told her he wasn't attracted to girls, anyway. (A/N: I'm sorry to all who like Kurama straight, this is my story, so I can do whatever I want) "Quoi de nuff?"
"Pas grande chose," Kurama answered, grinning a little at Kira's strange ways. "I just came tocheck up on you, see how you were doing."
"So, in other words, you're bored?" Kira grinned. Kurama usually visited her either for something important or when he was bored, and school was out. "Well, let me just get changed and then we can talk, okay?"
Kurama nodded, politely turning away as Kira put on her clothes. She got her katana and staff from her pack of stuff, and then hid the pack in a tree.
Her katana's handle was black and had a silver dragon wrapped around it. The blade showed some wear, but it was barely noticeable because she kept such great care of it. The sheath wasn't really all that special, it was a plain black.
Her staff had a pink base with a sideways crescent moon at the top. Two petals jutted out from beneath the moon. At the bottom, there was a large red orb surrounded by minuscule diamonds where it met the staff.
"So, any ideas on where to go?" Kira asked casually, preferring to keep her excitement inside, else scare poor old Kurama. Kurama always picked the best places.
"Well, there's a festival going on in the Ningenkai. It's said to be one of the best in Japan," Kurama proposed.
"What kind of festival?" Kira asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Ano...what was it..." Kurama put a finger to his chin in a thoughtful pose. "Ah! I remember now! It's the Winter Festival."
"As they have oh so originally named it," Kira added. She grinned. "Lead the way, Mon capitan! (I think that's how you spell it...)"
The festival was large and decorated with beautiful colors. Crowds of impatient people lined up to play games while the vendors in the food court called out the names of what they were selling, like "Sushi! Fresh sushi!" or "Cotton Candy! Only a dollar!" On a stage in the center was some group playing festive songs. Kira and Kurama looked around, pointing out things to each other.
Kira soon felt a snowflake land on her hand. Soon, another joined it. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was snowing. She faintly heard one kid yell, "Mommy! It's snowing!" before she was caught up in a memory.
It was snowing that day, too. She stood in front of a gravestone, head bent in an apologetic way. Goose bumps covered her skin and she faintly wished she had brought a coat instead of wearing just jeans and a t-shirt. Her cheeks and nose were red, and her hands felt numb and stiff as she held her staff. She hoped she remembered what to do–it had been such a long time since she had done it.
Tanin had to go back, but she wouldn't go willingly. Kira knew that. Tanin was already disrupting and changing the flow of time, and that couldn't be. So it was either let Tanin live and destroy destiny, or send her where she would find peace. Kira cared too much about Tanin to have her sentenced to life without a complete soul.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, completely ignoring everything around her. She planted her feet right next to each other and slowly lifted up her staff. She slowly spread her arms out, the staff in one hand.
She started chanting. She was aware that she might look strange to any passerby, but she let that thought drift away and focused on the task at hand. When she had finally finished with her spell, she opened her eyes and looked at the gravestone. It was done. Her second exorcism.
Kira shook her head to rid herself of the memory. They were playing back far too often for her liking, and they left a bad taste in her mouth. She looked at Kurama, who had a worried look on his face.
"Sorry, Kurama, just spaced out for a second," Kira grinned.
"I should say. I've been trying to reach you for ten minutes," Kurama said. "Anyway, the festival is holding some special event in about an hour or two. If you want to go, we'll need to get you a kimono, since I already have my outfit."
"I'll only agree to it if it's not pink. Last time Yukina and Keiko put me in a kimono, it was pink," Kira said, shuddering at the image. Kurama laughed and led her away to Genkai's temple.
The kimono wasn't half bad, Kira thought. After much debating, they had all agreed on a black kimono with a light color, since, in Keiko's words, "All black is too dark." Well. We have a genius in the group.
The kimono ended up being a black one with a golden dragon on the back. The obi itself was gold, and it had black flowers dotted all over it. Kira's hair was completely down, which took some persuasion–mainly a box of pocky–for her to let them touch. Her crimson ribbon was tied around her wrist, because she wouldn't part from it.
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...Yeah...I was running out of ideas, so I'll just end it here, okay? Okay. And no flames, please.
Kira- You made me look like a idiot! Making me space out like that!
Fox- ; Sorry. I had to keep the plot going, you know?
Kira- But you could have made it part of the dream, you know. And what's with this changing plot, hm?
Fox- You know what, just be quiet. (Mutters about ungrateful OCs)
