Winds of Thyme
By Sakura Takanouchi
~*~ Winds of Thyme Chapter Eighteen: The Long Way Home (Again) ~*~
Disclaimer: I own nothing, yes I do, I own nothing, how bout you! Get in the spirit, everyone!
The dance went very well. Sakura and Kurama danced, of course, but even Hiei offered to dance with Kirameki again. Kurama thought that this was a big step in improving his friend's social life.
At ten-thirty, the dance ended, and everyone started to go home. Hiei was no where to be seen, and Kurama didn't appear too concerned.
Outside, the snow had built up to several inches, and both Kurama and Sakura put on their mittens. Sakura shivered because of the cold, and Kurama put an arm around her, and they walked that way until they got to her apartment.
"I had a lot of fun at the dance," Sakura said, giving Kurama a goodnight hug. Kurama gently kissed her cheek, and then he walked back towards his apartment and Sakura went inside hers.
Kurama walked back to his apartment through the park, and as he was looking at the trees so beautifully covered in snow, he let his guard down for a second. Big mistake. Immediately seven people dressed in black ninja clothing surrounded him.
Kurama assumed a fighting stance and took out his rose, which he immediately transformed into a whip. He slashed through the first ninja, except it did absolutely nothing. It was as if the ninja wasn't even there.
"They're… they're holograms!" Kurama thought aloud.
"Exactly," a female voice said.
Kurama turned towards the direction that the voice is coming from.
A beautiful woman with waist-length black hair was standing on the hillside that was several feet away from the edge of the forest.
"Who are you?" Kurama asked.
"My name is Myoji Yoshiko, an expert at creating holograms and illusions," Yoshiko said. She waved her hand, and the ninja's became transparent so Kurama could see the paper spell that kept them alive, in a sense.
"What do you want from me?" Kurama asked.
"Well, I want you--- Not necessarily you, but the one who hides within you. Feared thief—Youko Kurama!" Yoshiko said.
"How do you know who I am?" Kurama said, tightening his grip on his rose whip.
"How do I know? You see, Youko Kurama, I knew you before you were Minamino Shuiichi. Hundreds of Years before. Don't you remember? Way back then, we were lovers. Now, I'm back, to take what's rightfully mine.
Kurama glared at her. "Sorry, but you're a little late. I have a girlfriend."
"I know. I have been monitoring you for some time now," Yoshiko said. She snapped her fingers, and something came from out of the forest. It hovered in the air beside Yoshiko. Kurama's eye's widened. It was Sakura, and she looked to be unconscious.
"What did you do to her?" Kurama asked in an angry tone.
"She's only unconscious, you see," Yoshiko said. "We will fight, and if you win, then you get her back. If you lose, then you have to forget all about her and come with me, back to the Makai."
Kurama stared at Sakura. "She's an illusion," he said.
"How can you tell?" Yoshiko said with a grin. "You can't. So you are risking an awful lot on that one idea. Fight me. Then you'll see."
Kurama concentrated on his rose whip. He went back into a fighting stance. "I'm ready," he said.
~*~ At Sakura's House ~*~
Sakura was heating up a cup of ocha. All of that dancing really made her thirsty!" She was about to drink when the doorbell rang. It rang again five seconds later.
"I'm coming!" Sakura said, setting her tea down on the kitchen counter.
Hiei was at her doorstep. He looked impatient.
"What do you want?" Sakura asked.
"You need to come with me," Hiei said. "There's something you need to see."
Sakura nodded, downed her cup of green tea in lightning speed, and she took off, following Hiei through the forest that stretched behind her apartment complex.
They went through the forest, coming to a stop in a clearing that was a construction site for an addition onto the park. There was heavy machinery everywhere and big piles of dirt.
Sakura turned to Hiei. "What's so special about this place?" She asked with a touch of annoyance in her voice.
Suddenly Hiei disappeared. It wasn't like how he normally disappeared, it was like he was… gone. Sakura bent down to retrieve her daggers and shuriken if she needed to.
She then heard a voice, coming from the top of the largest crane. "Trust me, you won't be needing those."
She recognized that voice. "Don't you ever die?" She asked. The figure jumped down. It was Rando.
"My dear Sakura, you never killed me in the first place," Rando sneered. "It was only a hologram. I keep in touch with an old friend of Kurama's and we agreed it was only best you two split up."
Sakura threw several shuriken at Rando. He held up his arm, and they stopped and flew back to Sakura. She caught them.
"Now now," he said, "I wasn't done. Now, I assure you, you are fighting the real me. And now I shall show you something that may change your mind about being so fiesty."
He waved his hand and two street lamps twisted so that a beam of light focused on something that was hanging from the hook attached to the crane.
It was Kurama.
"You see your friend there?" Rando asked. "You do the wrong thing, and I could drop that hook from here."
"Define the wrong thing," Sakura said.
"Hm… If you try to kill me, I'll kill him. And if you don't agree to come with me, I'll kill him. And if you utter his name in my presence, I'll kill him. Understand?" Rando asked.
Sakura's face became angrier as did her tone of voice.
"Go to hell," she said.
"So you disagree?" Rando said. "I am intrigued to hear the logic behind this."
"He's a hologram. I know it," Sakura said confidently.
"My dear, you are risking a lot on one idea," Rando laughed.
"Well, It's a very good one," Sakura retorted.
"Have it your way." Rando waved his hand again and the hook holding Kurama suddenly vanished. Kurama started to fall.
"Kurama!!!" Sakura yelled as she ran towards the falling Kurama.
~*~ On the other side of the Forest ~*~
Yoshiko threw dozens of paper spells at Kurama, which instantly transformed into ravens, which flew towards him. Kurama readied his rose whip and tried to slash through them. There were too many. They cut through his shirt and he fell to the ground. He slashed at them again, until he destroyed all of them.
"Come now, Kurama," Yoshiko said, "You're either holding back or incredibly weak. Let's see if a little persuasion will work on you." She threw three paper spells, not at Kurama, but at Sakura.
"Sakura!" Kurama yelled as he dashed to save the one he loved.
~A/N~
I'm so wicked, I made a cliffhanger! I think I'm going to have to up the rating, though. PG no longer! *Cackles maniacally* Well, these fights will stretch on to the next chapter, and then… wait, I lost my train of thought. ^.^ Sorry!
Sakura Takanouchi