((Flashback in Kurama POV))
((Flashback in Felix POV))
AN: This chapter is a tad more dramatic...okay A LOT more dramatic...but STILL good...please enjoy!"I've come to finish what we started. So to do this I shall show you my true form," he said as he threw another smoke bomb to the floor, blinding everyone, and bringing back an old memory…
((Flashback))
The fog settled in around the village, eerie and unnatural. It was so thick one could barely make out the large traditional Japanese style house in the center of it all, no one, except, a lone figure hiding in the nearby trees. He was smiling to himself; the rare locket of the Tsuki wolf clan was housed here, The Lunar Locket. The heirloom of the leader of the Tsuki pack and that night it was to be give to the next clan leader as a birthday gift. Though if this figure succeeded it wouldn't make it that far. The fog began to clear.
((End Flashback))
The smoke cleared and where the mysterious boy had stood, now stood a taller man, but not a human man. His extremely sharp fang like canine teeth and yellow cat-like eyes made that obvious. His hair was now longer and fell to his shoulders like a wild mane. A pair of ragged wolfish ears sat a top his head; nearly lost in his brown mane. He wore a form fitting green shirt with no sleeves and that buttoned up the front. A red cloak was wrapped around his neck and fell to about his knees and tattered at the ends. Around his wrists he wore green pieces of cloth and his pants were khaki colored and were tucked into green cloth as well, looking rather like boots. His real shoes however were brown. The entire outfit together looked like something a medieval person would hunt in. The holsters around his waist where he stored his guns emphasized this. Lastly, from his back, sprouted a medium length brown tail.
Kurama took all this in and then noticed the most important piece of all, the amulet worn around his neck, "Felix."
((Flashback))
He watched from the back of the room as the ceremony took place. The whole Tsuki demon pack was gathered for their princess's birthday. The princess wore a very elegant kimono that flowed around her and had silver moons and stars stitched into it. Her silver hair fell around her and usually fell to her back but for that night it was in an elaborate and elegant bun. Her white wolf ears were erect with pride as she knelt before her father, the pack leader.
The pack leader smiled at his daughter and pulled out a lovely necklace from behind his back. It too was silver and in its center was an orb of moonstone that sparkled in the light of the room, "For you…"
Suddenly a tall figure dropped from the ceiling and snatched the Lunar Locket. The figure disappeared in a flash before anyone realized what had happened. A few seconds later the cry came, "Yoko Kurama! Yoko has stolen the Lunar Locket!"
((End Flashback))
"So you remember me now Yoko? Good I won't feel as bad killing you," Felix growled.
Kurama frowned, it was true, and he remembered Felix. How could he forget the person who had made him what he was now?
Kurama pulled out a single rose from his hair, "Rose Whip!" The rose elongated in his hand, twisting into the form of the familiar whip. He lengthened his stance, readying an attack.
Felix made the first move, lunging at Kurama with his fists clenched. Throwing a quick punch Kurama dodged to the side and countered with a spinning kick, trying to distance himself from Felix so that the whip would be of some use.
Felix was smarter than that though and stayed in close, using hand techniques and keeping Kurama on the defensive. Kurama blocked and dodged as many as he could and finally saw and opening and leapt up and over Felix. Felix spun around, anticipating Kurama's jump and round kicked him in the mid-section as he landed.
Kurama clutched his side; a lot of Felix's demonic strength had been in that kick…enough to crack a rib. Kurama winced as he stepped back lightly, he had to be REALLY careful now or he may puncture a lung. Felix paused, soaking in the look of pain on Kurama's face, "Pathetic…THIS is what has become of the demon thief known as Yoko Kurama? THIS is what I spent half my life hunting to kill?"
((Flashback))
He crouched low in the grass, nearly hugging the earth. Yoko Kurama was still at large; though Felix had retrieved The Lunar Locket before Kurama fled the village Kurama had stolen something far more important from him. Something he would have to spill blood for taking. Felix sniffed the air, his heightened wolf senses picking up the vast array of scents that drenched the wooded area. It was at least a day's journey away from the Tsuki clan and two years had passed since the incident.
Felix clenched his fist, just thinking about THAT incident. His wolfish tail prickled in anger, he had lost THAT fight, and he admitted that now. However in the end he would be the victor. After the incident he had trained for a year to become a TOP bounty hunter.
The wind shifted above Felix and his ears prickled. He sniffed the air again, there it was. The scent he had been hunting for, the scent of roses amidst a storm. For some reason he suddenly remembered HER scent. His love…she had the smell of a storm too. The smell of an approaching storm mixed with lavender. God, how he missed that scent.
Yoko would pay for taking that scent out of this world.
((End Flashback))
Felix growled suddenly and lunged at Kurama again. Tackling him to the floor. Kurama cried out in pain, the cracked rib was NOT helping.
"KURAMA," Sam shouted, pulling at the ropes that bound her.
Felix sat atop Kurama, grinning he pushed harder on Kurama's side, causing Kurama to cry out again.
"YOU SICK BASTARD!" Yusuke shouted, pounding on the invisible force that held them back.
Felix glanced at them from the corner of his eye, "They call ME a sick bastard? I'm not the one that killed Aoichou! I'm not the one that spilled her innocent blood! My FIANCE'S BLOOD! You're the bastard Kurama! Even if you are human now! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT MURDERED HER!"
As Felix continued his eyes grew narrower and narrower. His hands went for the holsters where he kept his guns and he pulled them out. "Do you recognize them Kurama? These are these are the same guns with which I injured you with? Do you remember the special bullet I used? That silver bullet RIPPING through you? Do you feel it now?" Felix backhanded Kurama with the butt of his gun; Kurama bit his tongue, the coppery taste of blood strong in his mouth.
"Do you remember these guns? These Broken Butterflies? Your life for hers…that's what I vowed. You stole my Aoichou…my butterfly…now I'm repaying that with your life FOX," he spat the last word out like it was a disease and backhanded Kurama again.
"STOP IT," Sam cried, straining and pulling against the ropes.
((Flashback))
"STOP HIM!" Yoko heard as he raced down a hallway. The main house didn't look that big from the outside but now Yoko found himself in a near maze. 'Where's the damn exit,' he thought.
Suddenly he found himself back in the main section of the house, where he had begun. He found that he was not alone, a wolf demon and the princess of the Tsuki clan stood in the center of the room.
The wolf demon saw Yoko before he could flee and lunged at him. Yoko was too fast and jumped past him and landed near the Tsuki wolf princess. She, like most wolf females, wasn't helpless. She lashed out as well and even in her kimono knew how to fight. She tried to sweep Yoko off his feet but he jumped over her foot and flipped mid-air.
Yoko pulled out two roses and threw them like daggers at the wolf demon male, he being closest. The sharpened roses were thrown with deadly accuracy and should have hit…if the princess hadn't interfered.
((End Flashback))
Felix panted, a crazed look in his eye. He remembered everything this bastard had done. He remember the cold heartless look in his eyes as he had seen Aoichou pitch forward, the roses embedded so deep in her chest that only the petals were left. Then he was gone. Leaving Felix to hold on to his little butterfly.
((Flashback))
Felix watched in horror as she dropped. Falling forward. It was moving too slowly. She was falling too slowly for this to be real. Felix looked up to see Yoko smirking…SMIRKING. His golden eyes cold and uncaring. Suddenly the fox was gone and Felix was left alone. Felix suddenly reached out and caught Aoichou before she fell to the ground completely. He lowered himself with her. Crimson splotches already spreading across the silver fabric of her kimono. She had sacrificed herself for him.
"Aoichou…"
His voice was so soft in the large hall and tears were forming in his eyes.
"Felix…I got it."
Aoichou, slowly, opened her hand to reveal The Lunar Locket. Felix bit on his lip, "Why?"
"It's the heirloom…I…I couldn't let him take it."
Felix gripped her hand, that's not what he had meant. Aoichou's eyes were glazed over, her vision fading. "Don't leave me Aoichou."
Aoichou gave him a small smile; Felix choked. "Why would I do that?"
Aoichou took a staggering breath and closed her eyes, wincing in pain, "Take care of father for me. Take care of the locket…tell father that I gave it to you…as a wedding gift."
Felix put a finger to her mouth, "Don't speak…please…you're wasting your breath." Her sweet, precious breath.
It was too late. Aoichou smiled at Felix one last time, and then her spirit fluttered away. The butterfly was gone. And Felix…Felix was broken.
((End Flashback))
Felix stood up and kicked Kurama's body away. Kurama barely had the voice to cry out he was so banged up. "You sicken me fox."
Yusuke and the others were still trying to break the barrier.
Kurama groaned and tried to stand, he had to fight him. He had to get out of here.
Felix laughed, "Go ahead and try Fox! Let's see how far you get with an enchanted bullet in your leg…or your head."
Felix cocked the Broken Butterfly, his gun.
Yusuke pounded against the wall harder.
Suddenly, in a blur, someone shot out and stood in front of Kurama. Kurama looked up and found Sam had gotten free from her ropes. She stood in front of Kurama, her wrists bloody from the friction of the ropes but she didn't seem to notice, "Stop!"
Felix's eyes widened at the human girl in front of him. For a moment he thought he saw Aoichou but the vision faded as he shook his head. He would kill the girl…that was all. Kill her as well as the Fox. However his hands were shaking.
"You can't do this!"
Felix shook harder, "Don't tell me what I can and can't do little human," he growled.
Sam stood firm, "I doubt you're fiancé would want you to do this."
She had struck a nerve. Felix trembled harder, anger, grief, despair, thousands of emotions whirled inside him. Finally he lowered his head then, without a word, turned and walked away a bit. He then looked over his shoulder, a strange look in his eyes, "Your human girlfriend won't be around forever Fox…I'll come for you again…I WILL have my revenge."
He left.
As soon as he was gone the invisible force disappeared and as soon as it was gone the others rushed forward. Sam, out of exhaustion, nearly collapsed to her knees but Danny was there to catch her, "SAM!"
Sam leaned on Danny for support and looked over her shoulder at Kurama, sitting up with the help of Hiei and Yusuke, "Thank you…Sam." He managed to mutter before his eyes fluttered and he passed out.
((To Be Continued))
AN: So was THAT intense or what? Man…lots of Kurama focus here…hope you guys liked the Flashbacks, Fight Scenes, and Death scenes. Don't hate me cause Kurama got beat up…you know some of you were probably all "turned on" by the thought of our favorite fox demon covered in blood wink. It was fun to write though. I know this was probably the first serious chapter of the fic…but hey…they're good to have sometimes, right?
Anyways…please REVIEW! It's great fun and REALLY easy…just click that special button…I even accept anonymous ones as well!