Chapter 6
Wahoo, thank you everyone for reviewing and I would once again like to thank my regulars
KyoHana, and kit-kit.
Well let us move on shall we?
"You escaped a life where all you loved was torn from you. But we-" Yuusuke gestured to the other two in the room, "we were left behind."
"He's right Fox, you were lucky you found something that could help you shut out our world, we never got that fortunate," it was the first time Hiei had spoken since Kurama had begun his little tale. A curtain of fiery bangs shielded the silver kitsune's eyes from view as he lowered his head, but the others misinterpreted the act as shame. No, that wasn't true, Botan had noticed a slight flash of bright gold, and knew immediately that the kitsune was now far from ashamed.
"Do you really believe all you have said?" Kurama asked harshly. "You think I escaped that world we all so hate? You think I was able to avoid having love torn from me? Then you are wrong old friends, very wrong indeed." He felt as Yuusuke's body bristled and the tension in the air around them thickened, but the Youko didn't care, not anymore. Yes he felt horrible for how badly he had hurt Yuusuke, Hiei even Botan, but being accused of cowardice was not something he was going to stand for. He lifted his head to reveal sharp, narrowed, golden eyes- only a slight hint of the original emerald remained- filled with anger only matched by the hanyou's chocolate brown ones which had locked with his the second they were visible. It was obvious that both were on the verge of an extremely violent argument, so Botan saw it fit to intervene.
"Um, guys, sorry to interrupt and all, but there's someone outside the door." Hiei nodded having heard the light knock, muffled whispers himself. Botan sighed in relief as the two on the bed broke eye contact to acknowledge her, but the anger and contempt, now unconsciously directed at her, quickly evaporated any of that relief.
"What do you want?" Yuusuke asked in a harsh, deep voice.
"We require an audience with Lord (note1) Kageboushi, only." the reply was muffled, but the command behind it was quite evident.
"And why is it that you require only my presence?" Yuusuke asked suspiciously.
"It is only what my Lord desires." Yuusuke looked at Hiei to see what he though, and he only shrugged. Yuusuke took that as a do what you want shrug, and did just that. Quickly he opened the door and slipped out closing it softly behind him.
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Ayumi looked up from her favorite counter top when she felt an ominous aura move through the crowd and over to the stairs that led to the area she and Shuuichi-kun were staying. She growled, and quickly stood up from her seat, an action she quickly regretted as the world around her spun in a quick blur vertigo, causing her to fall back onto her stool. Okay then, maybe I should get up slower next time she thought to herself irritably as she stood up again this time slowly.
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"Now, tell me what you're master wants," Yuusuke demanded of the two cloaked form in front of him. There was no way he would trust the two forms in front of him, he never trusted his employers, and these two beings were no exception.
"Be patient Lord Kageboushi, we will reveal or meeting, but first we need to go someplace where we will not be over heard, perhaps outside?" The taller of the two asked indicating the hallway.
"Why not? I've got little else to do," Yuusuke replied turning on his heel and walking down the hallway and eventually down the staircase leading to the bar, and show area. The two figures nodded to each other before following the Kyoushu outside.
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It was raining, not that that was odd, it had been raining a lot lately. Yuusuke, however, didn't really notice the soft splashes of liquid as they gently pelted against his skin and dripped down his face. Slowly he turned around and waited impatiently for the two messengers to exit the inn, which they did shortly after he started to tap his foot.
"Now will you please tell me what is going on?" The hanyou demanded irritably, he wanted to get back to figuring out Kurama's desertion, little did he know this confrontation was going to be all about the Kitsune, and the height deprived fire youkai.
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Ayumi swayed dangerously on her feet as she headed back up the stairs leading to the rooms, and the direction the ominous aura has been headed in. For some reason she felt she needed to get to Shuuichi-kun, but she couldn't place her finger on why, she was bewildered, though, when the source of the aura came into view, and was not outside her room.
Why did my instincts tell me to come here? She asked herself curiously, but she quickly let the subject drop as she sauntered off towards her own room, she was far to gone, however, to notice that Kurama, and that Kokushibyou, were no longer in the room and promptly tumbled to the floor sound asleep.
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Kurama glared at the door for a few seconds after Yuusuke had left, his eyes still in Youko mode, but his temper had melted away when he felt the aura of the beings on the other side.
"I think Yuu- erm- Kage may be in trouble," he muttered standing up.
"He can take care of himself, but you on the other hand-," Hiei said turning his ruby gaze towards the kitsune. "-Your control over your temper has diminished greatly and the control of both your halves seems to be the cause."
"And what right do you have to make that accusation?" Kurama demanded irritably indicating towards Hiei's infamous cold rage. The tiny Koorime actually laughed at the Youko's words.
"I'm not the same anymore, and I know you've noticed it as well, we've all changed, but I say with much confidence that our friend has been altered the most. I still have trouble, though, figuring out if his changes are for better or for worse," he replied calmly. He was stating the truth about both of their changes; his being that he didn't lose his calm as easily as he had in Ningenkai, an alteration to his personality that made him all the more deadly to his opponents.
Kurama looked at his former best friend, his former lover (note2), sadly taking in everything he had said. Hiei was right- his patience had gone terribly thin ever since he gained the ability to switch from his weak human form to his magnificent Youko body.
No, his human body wasn't weak; it was strong in a different sense- it had the capacity to feel emotions lost to oni (note3) and youkai ("3") alike, and for that he didn't want to completely give it up to the King of Thieves.
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"Okay, what the hell do you two want?" Yuusuke asked irritably as they exited the smoky inn, only to walk into an onslaught of thick raindrops in masse that successfully drenched the odd trio in a matter of seconds. We just had to go outside, we just had to go OUTside! Yuusuke thought to himself wrathfully as he made a point to glare at the ominous duo with as much venom as he could muster from behind his long, black-chocolate bangs, as many times as he could.
"What, don't you trust us?" The taller of the two said feigning hurt.
"No, so just state your business and leave," Yuusuke snapped tucking a stray tuft of near black hair behind his ear; his hair had grown long and unruly during his stay in Makai.
"So impatient, tsk, tsk," the shorter cloaked figure admonished cheerfully wagging a finger in front of the hanyou's face who growled in reply. What is up with these freaks? First they're the ever polite messengers inside, but once we step outside they're act like complete and utter morons.
"Now brother, we need to get down to business, you can play later," the taller one scolded playfully. 'Play later' my ass! As soon as I know why they're here, I'm going to split.
"No need to beat around the bush I guess. We just recently caught wind that the legendary Silver Kitsune himself has arisen from the dead and returned to Makai with power nearly tripled from his last reign over this land and that poses a problem for us." Idiots, Kurama has been back for years! And if they are going where I think they are, they can shove it up their—
"So we need you to eliminate the King of Thieves himself, Youko Kurama."
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Author's notes
Note one- I say Lord here instead of Sama because, even though there is proof against this observation, I think of the Makai as a multi origin plain instead of just Japanese roots.
Note two- Oh yes, even though this isn't a Kurama Hiei fic, they were together at an earlier time.
Note three- Well I say oni and Youkai alike because oni are low class demons and Youkai are high class, so I'm just saying that they are the same in a sense here.
Apologies kind reviewers and readers! This update is both short and a day late! I feel bad, bad, bad, bad! (Starts hitting head against computer desk) But I still like this update!
Anyways I hope you enjoyed this little update and I hope you will bless me with your reviews (I feel like being an idiot for the moment so bare with me) for I am unworthy!
Well 'til next time
Catie-brie