Author's Note: Hey everybody! Sorry it's taken so long to update. I just saw the last Yu Yu Hakusho episode. It was awesome! The commentary was hilarious, too. Well, to appease my less-romantic fans, this chapter sets up for some action. Hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.
Kurama stared vacantly out the window, which was misted with slashing rain. He pressed his cheek against the cool glass, exhausted. He hadn't slept in three days. His hair was now completely silver, though there was still some green in his eyes. He sighed as he sat back, resting his head against the hard wood.
The fox grimaced subconsciously as he heard the wooden door slide open. He recognized Hiei's ki, but refused to turn around. Hiei's boots clicked across the floor as he came to stand beside his friend.
"Well?" Kurama asked. "What is it?" He winced; his tone had been sharper than he had intended.
"Nothing," Hiei retorted. He kicked off his boots, sitting down. Silence reigned for a long time.
"…Hiei," Kurama asked, finally turning to look at his friend. "Do you think I'm mad?" Hiei locked gazes with Kurama.
"No," he replied. "But I don't think you're thinking too clearly right now."
Good old Hiei. Always saying his opinion. "You must believe me, Hiei," Kurama said quietly. "I just have this feeling that my dreams are real. K'Ray's out there. She needs me."
"K'Ray," Hiei repeated. Genkai had told him the story of that violet-eyed Ryokun. Baka girl, he thought. Nothing good ever comes from love. Too much trouble. He studied Kurama. "Kurama, you have to put that girl behind you. It's tearing you apart. Look at how much you've changed!"
Kurama ran a hand through his silver hair, eyes flashing dangerously. "I know," he replied quietly. "I don't want to change, but I don't want to leave K'Ray to die, either." He looked out the window again, eyes vacant once more. "I know that everyone thinks I'm going mad. Even you do, though you say otherwise."
Hiei looked down, unable to deny it. In truth, he did think that Kurama was putting too much faith in these dreams. He had seen people lose themselves when they confused reality with fantasy. He couldn't watch Kurama do that.
"Kurama, please," he said, as close to caring as he had ever gotten, "get some sleep. If you do rest, the changes might be reversed."
"No," Kurama replied. "If I sleep, I'll see her again. I can't bear watching her suffer."
Hiei stood up, shaking his head. Kurama could be the most stubborn being in the world sometimes. Without another word the fire demon turned on his heel and left the room, a determined glint in his crimson eyes.
Kurama sighed again. Because of these dreams, he was losing the trust of those he cared the most for. Once again, his past was coming back to plague him.
"Why," he asked the room, "must I continually pay for my past mistakes? What more must I do to be redeemed?"
Of course, there was no answer to the question. There never was. Silent minutes past, each one a lifetime. The rain continued unabated, blurring the outside into a hazy, half-real world.
Suddenly, the door slid open again. This time it was Yukina. The ice maiden brought with her a tray of tea, which she set on Kurama's table.
"Thank you, Yukina," Kurama said. When he looked over, he noticed that the girl wouldn't meet his gaze. With a silent nod, she left the room. Kurama sighed, numb. He knelt by the table, pouring himself a cup of tea.
It tasted slightly different than normal, but the fox ignored it. He downed one cup in a few swallows before sipping his second. Cup in hand, he moved to stand up, but hesitated when the room spun. His vision began to blur, and his knees weakened. The cup fell from his suddenly limp hand.
Just as it was about to hit the floor, it was caught by Hiei.
The fire demon grabbed his friend around the waist, easing Kurama to the floor. (A/N: They're just friends, you people!) The fox demon fixed his friend with an utterly betrayed look before blacking out completely.
Hiei slipped a pillow under Kurama's head, turned, and picked up the pot of drugged tea. "Sorry," he said, "but you needed the rest." Turning, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Kurama knew this was a dream, but it was different from the others. He couldn't see anything; the world around him was smothered in mist. He tried moving forward, but it was like running in water.
A dark silhouette appeared before him. It was the man from his previous dream. He was a tall, lean person with long black hair and cold gray eyes. The man smiled evilly as he stepped forward.
"Hello, Kurama," the man said. Kurama started violently. Hoe did he know his name?
"Oh, I know all about you," the man continued. "Is this not the girl you love?" With a quick motion the man dragged forward K'Ray. She stared at Kurama as though she was afraid to hope that he was alive. Kurama tried to call out to her, but his voice would not work.
"You are in my world now," the man sneered. "Aren't you glad? Those so-called friends of yours wouldn't believe you, would they? They think you're mad. But you know it's real. It's as plain as your silver hair." The man chuckled. Kurama shook with fury. "You want to go back, don't you? Go back to being Shuichi Minamino. But because of these dreams, you can't, can you?"
The man suddenly threw K'Ray down, the girl grimacing in pain. Kurama tried to go to her, but he was frozen. The man laughed horribly.
"What if I was to give you an offer?" he asked. Kurama looked at him suspiciously. "What if I was to say that I could give you back your human form and this girl? Would you accept my terms?" Kurama just stared at the man. He refused to agree to anything just yet.
"Here's my deal," the man said. "When you wake up, you will be back in your human form. You will also have a bag of jewels in your hand. They are soul gems, and very valuable to me. Each one will extract the strongest quality from the person it's attuned to. I need you to get me these qualities. If you do, K'Ray will be yours again." The man paused. "But if you don't, you will revert back to Yoko forever and K'Ray will die. Sound good to you?"
Finally, Kurama found his voice. "Who are the people you need the qualities from?" he asked. The man smiled wickedly.
"Ah, but there's the crux," he said. "I need the souls of your friends." Kurama stared in shock.
"Never," he whispered. "Never." The man shook his head sadly.
"That's too bad," he sighed. "I would have thought your love for this girl was stronger than any loyalty to traitors like your friends." Looking down, he kicked K'Ray viciously in the side.
The girl, who had struggled to her knees, fell sideways, blood dripping from her lips. She locked gazes with Kurama, her violet eyes shining with a mixture of pain, hope, and defiance. Kurama's heart broke all over again when he looked into those eyes. He felt the same way he had when he had heard her scream on that fateful night, so many years ago; his soul was empty and yet crying out in torment.
"Leave her alone," he said. "Please, don't hurt her!"
The man cocked his head, intrigued. "Will you agree to my terms? Your friends for your love?"
Kurama didn't want to do this. No, how could he betray his friends? The people who cared for him, trusted him, worried about him?
But then again, they wouldn't believe him about the dreams. Maybe, just maybe, they would be convinced when they saw him in human form. With the jewels. Yes, that was the solution. Show them the jewels. Then they could help him find a way to save K'Ray.
"All right," he agreed, "I'll do it."
"Marvelous!" the man said. "Well then, it's time to wake up, isn't it?"
Kurama felt himself falling. K'Ray's face grew farther away, so far…
Kurama jolted upright on his futon. It was night, the full moon spilling through his window. The fox shook his head slightly, wincing at the throbbing pain in his head. He shifted his hand back, freezing when he felt a cloth bag beneath his fingers.
Taking the bag, Kurama upturned it, dumping its contents into his lap. There were six gems in all; a diamond, a sapphire, an amethyst, a ruby, a topaz, and an onyx. Kurama shook his head. He could easily tell which gem was whose. Determined, he put each one back in the bag.
Suddenly, the wooden door slid open. Yukina hesitantly peered in, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw Kurama.
"Kurama, you're-you're better!" she exclaimed. Confused, Kurama looked at his reflection in his window. Sure enough, his hair was back to its normal fiery red, and his eyes were once again a shining emerald green. Yukina, excited, came running into the room.
Abruptly she stopped, her hands flying to her chest. She stood there, swaying. Kurama stared at her, bewildered, before gazing down at his hand. The bag was glowing. The fox pulled out the gems, a horrifying suspicion taking root in his chest.
The diamond was glowing, pulsing with a fierce light. One word rang in Kurama's head, as if the gem itself was speaking.
Innocence.
A glowing orb formed in front of Yukina, hovering inches from her heart. She fixed Kurama with one last, shocked look before collapsing silently.
Innocence.
The orb floated over to Kurama, where it was absorbed into the diamond. The gem immediately grew warm, and a smoky, iridescent mist swirled inside the jewel.
Innocence.
Kurama, horrified, dropped the diamond, barely hearing the clatter as it fell to the floor. He ran over to Yukina, desperately trying to wake her. It was no use; her eyes, clouded and unseeing, stared vacantly up at the ceiling, mirroring an empty body. Her soul had been taken, sucked into the diamond that needed her strongest quality.
Innocence.
Kurama stared in shock at Yukina's body. What had he done? What was he to do? Hiei would never forgive him; none of them would. The only thing that mattered was this; he had betrayed his friends.
Blindly, hardly realizing that it wasn't truly his fault, the fox collected the jewels, including the diamond, knowing that he couldn't leave them near his friends. Making his way to the stairs that led away from Genkai's home, the fox did the only thing he could.
He ran.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Well, how'd ya like it? What a dilemma I have put the friends in! I feel so evil. Hehehe…ok, well, please, please review. Tell me what you think! I can't wait to hear from you! Until next time, see ya!