Kurama to Hiei/ /Hiei to Kurama/ "Makai-nese" "Japanese" "English"
DISCLAIMER: i dont own YYH or HP...but i DO own my storyline...
CHAPTER 19: Youkos and their Tails...
"It's strange," Madame Pompfrey said softly, looking over her shoulder towards the curtained off section in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.
"Strange?" Dumbledore asked, puzzled. "Whatever do you mean, Poppy?"
Madame Pompfrey's brow furrowed. "He doesn't have a magical depletion...that is evident...but all his symptoms are very similar to magic exhaustion. I can't understand it. He was also reacting to every sound, no matter how small, so I dosed him with a mild sedative. I don't know what to do but to keep him here under surveillance until he wakes up." Pompfrey looked over at the glass globe resting on the table next to her. The slowly swirling mist inside was a pale blue color, lightly pulsing in time with Kurama's heartbeat. Dumbledore threw a glance at the globe curiously before turning back to the nurse.
"Very well then, I trust your judgment." A sudden noise caused the two adults to turn towards the curtain, but no other sound ensued. They traded glances before dismissing it. Dumbledore glanced at the globe again before doing a double take. "Poppy..."he said slowly, "That's not supposed to be happening, is it?" Madame Pompfrey turned, took one look at the still, dark red and shrieked softly. She turned and whipped back the curtain, ready to find any number of horrible situations. What she did not expect to find, however, is what she did find: a peaceful scene with no signs of danger.
Kurama stood alone at the window, framed by a slice of the moon. His hair shone ebony in the light, and he slowly turned around, his eyes sliding over the two who stood, gaping at him, before focusing themselves. He gave a small smile, and gave a small nod to each as he acknowledged them. "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pompfrey."
Kurama awakened suddenly, as he was used to doing. Going from unconsciousness to complete awareness was not an easy task, but was a habit drilled into from his years as a youko. Being a thief ensured that you had many enemies, and being groggy when you wake up is an easy way to get killed. So was showing that you're awake when you had been unconscious. First rule of survival: know your surroundings before you show that you're awake.
Kurama's not-so-sharp-at-the-moment ears categorized the sounds he heard: that rustling was Madame Pompfrey's stiff skirts, the soft voices were the nurse's and the headmaster's...not going to try to figure out what they're saying, hmm...that sound was the wind in the trees from outside the open window, and that, that was Hiei's annoyed voice speaking softly...to...him...Hiei?!? Kurama shot up in bed, eyes wide. "Hiei!" he hissed, "What are you doing here?" Kurama's face took on a confused look. "How long have you been here and why didn't I notice?" Hiei stood from the window sill he was perched on and scowled.
"Baka Kitsune. You still haven't noticed? Evaluate your youki levels." Kurama sneered playfully, but did as Hiei asked. His eyes opened slowly and he gave a languid smile.
"Ah. So that's why I didn't notice you...Though I must say," Kurama looked down at Harry's body disdainfully and poked it, "I'm not exactly surprised." Hiei's eyebrow rose and Kurama chuckled as he interpreted the look for the question it was. He slipped out of bed walked over to the window where Hiei was seated. Hiei slid off the sill and leaned against it, waiting for an explanation.
"You see, this body is what's preventing my youki from replenishing itself as fast as it should." Hiei 'blinked' and Kurama elaborated, unconsciously sliding into his native tongue as he recalled what any and every youko kit is born knowing.
"As you know, I am a youko. Like all youkai, I need to have at least a certain level of youki to stay conscious, but there is a slight difference. The stronger a youko is, in other words, the more tails a youko has, the stronger it is, and the longer it can stay conscious with a lower amount of youki. The youko grows a new tail, their second tail, after two hundred years, three hundred for the third, after that, the fourth tail would be six hundred, fifth would be nine hundred, the next four tails would grow every thousand years, so the last, the ninth tail, would be when a youko is six thousand." Hiei nodded, confused, looking so cute that Kurama laughed softly, though he quickly stifled it.
Hiei glared and Kurama dutifully looked away, amused, and continued. "Because of this, it is extremely rare for any youko to gain more than three tails. Every so often, there is one or two who are able to gain their fourth. On the other hand, if a youko's power suddenly jumps, it may gain a tail, like I did during the time when I was training for the Tournament. The color of the youko kitsune is also a determining factor of its power. The reds and browns are weaker, and most of them do not live to gain their third tail. They are usually killed not long after they receive their second or a while before they receive their third, if they even get that old. These kitsune are also less likely to have a youko form, and if they do, they cannot hold it very long. These are usually the seductive kitsune that reveal themselves to ningen. They are the most common and are what forms most of a clan.They serve the whites, and are happy doing so."
Kurama's gaze unfocused as he remembered the society he had grown up with. "The whites are strong. They are born with a youko form, but can hold it depending on their youki reserves. If they are in danger of loosing too much youki, they will revert back to kitsune form. They head the kitsune clans. Each white is 'given' a red or brown companion when they are born, and they're brought up together as servant and master- to a certain extent. Many of these pairs become the best of friends, and many become lovers in later years. The red/ brown is usually the submissive one, although there are cases when the power switches in the den. Then, there are the silvers. Very rare and very powerful. They can hold youko form indefinitely, and some choose to die in youko form rather than to consciously revert back to kitsune form. They are usually mostly solitary creatures, or lead an extremely large and/or powerful clan. They are born once every couple hundred years. Before I was born though, there had not been another silver for over a thousand years. There was only one other when I was a kit, and he recently passed away." Kurama sighed, ignoring the amazed look from Hiei.
"I grew up with a white for a companion instead of a red or brown. They regarded me as a god, a saint, because it had been so long. I had shown enormous potential as a kit, and they pampered me, cared for me, and watched each and every thing I did, everyone I spoke with. I hated it. Before I had received my second tail, I had run from the clan. My white companion followed me, and she was the first kill I ever made on my own." Kurama's face twisted into an ugly grimace, before changing into a perverse smile.
"She was such a burden. Every raid I made was blundered because of her. She was constantly trying to jump me" Kurama put on a falsetto and imitated the white with hatred evident in his voice. "'Kura-sama...I love youu!' 'Kurama-sama, let me please you!'" He shook his head in disgust.
She constantly popped up everywhere, not unlike those fans that I managed to gain for Shuuichi. Why can't I look good without such annoyances? I finally got so irritated that one day, that I lost control of my youki. She was skewered by the surrounding plants. MY next raids were always undetected, and I found that I enjoyed the feel of thieving. The smugness as a lock clicks open. The feelings as beautiful and, yet, powerful things were collected in my dens. The feel of blood running across my claws as I made a kill." A sardonic smiled graced the youko's face. "Thus, the origin of Youko Kurama, thief extraordinaire." He shook his head, hair moving across his back, and continued with the explanation he had lost track of. Hiei had listened, entranced. Kurama rarely spoke about his past.
"Gomen. As I was saying, as a youko grows older, instead of becoming weaker, it gets stronger and stronger, and youkos are lively creatures. We cannot peacefully sit there and watch the centuries pass, and as we get stronger, it becomes harder and harder for us to stay still. Our youki calls for the zeal of life, and in this way, many youko are killed because they are careless and went too far in looking for adventure. Because I was born as one of the legendary silvers, my youki is even more active than most whites, reds, or browns. As a thief, I have thrived on the adrenaline pumping through my blood, the thrill of the chase, and my power ever grows." With a twist on his power, Kurama shifted from Harry's body to Shuuichi's, and released the lock on his youki. He felt the comforting wave wash over him, and though his eyes were flickering between gold and green, he kept a tight rein to prevent from changing completely.
Hiei felt the power before he saw it: Kurama's youki was steadily rising as he stayed in Shuuichi's body at an amazing rate. His eyes widened. "Kurama...your youki...how strong are you?!?"
Kurama turned away from Hiei and looked out the window. The moon shone softly from behind a couple of clouds. "I'm one of the eldest." Suddenly, in a move so fast Hiei barely saw, it, the red receded and Kurama's body almost seemed to collapse upon itself, back to Harry's body. The youki growth, accordingly, dropped drastically till it barely grew at all anymore. Hiei then also noticed what Kurama had: movement outside the curtain. He leapt out the window in a move noticed, but not acknowledged by his kitsune lover.
A split second later, the curtain was ripped aside and Kurama felt the distinct reikis of Madame Pompfrey and Headmaster Dumbledore. As Hiei ran off, Kurama felt a soft mental carress and a short, succinct message from him. /Touya wants to speak to you. / /Hai hai. I'll go find you later./ Kurama sighed softly, then turned his head from the window in a languid move and let it slide over the two, before he focused his eyes. "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore, Madame Pompfrey."
Kurama watched as Dumbledore sent a searching gaze sweeping throughout the area, then turned a confused and troubled eye upon him. Madame Pompfrey fussed over the wrinkled bed sheets- a wave of her wand straightened them out- and then turned a critical eye onto Kurama's form. "Mr. Potter! Sit, sit!" she said, pushing him onto the freshly made bed. Kurama complied obediently, and sat. "What are you doing out of bed? Why didn't you alert me as soon as you had woken up? How long have you been awake? How are you feeling?" The barrage of questions was ended with a concerned look and a hand on his forehead. Kurama laughed softly and gently moved the hand away.
"I'm fine Madame Pompfrey. The moon was so beautiful; I had to go take a look. I'm sorry," this was said with a sheepish look, and Madame Pompfrey's stern exterior melted away. She sighed, exasperated and ran her wand along his body, assessing for herself just how 'fine' he was. She then retrieved the glass ball, once again pale blue, and prodded at it with her wand. It turned bright orange and Madame Pompfrey sighed.
"Very well, but I want you here resting another day- I'll allow visitors tomorrow, but none tonight. I want you resting." Kurama nodded, and thanked the nurse. Madame Pompfrey nodded back, "Then I shall leave you two gentlemen. Don't tire him out too much, Headmaster."
"Of course, Poppy." Dumbledore agreed amiably. Madame Pompfrey leveled a stern look on the both of them before she turned and moved off, skirts swishing around her ankles. Dumbledore waited until she was out of earshot before turning to who he thought was Harry Potter. He leveled a look at him, and Kurama looked away, playing the role of Harry. They sat in silence for a while.
"Harry, look at me." Dumbledore's soft voice broke into Kurama's thoughts. He looked up. "Can you tell me what had happened? First your friends show up, which apparently, you had no idea was going to happen. You get blown into a wall, accused of theft, and can see through my invisibility spell, and that's just in one night. The next day, you return covered in blood, and cause a commotion in Potions, after which, according to Professor Snape, even more of your friends show up. Said friends then jump out a window with a Hogwarts student. Harry, I need to know what's going on."
Silence fell as Kurama looked down again. Dumbledore opened his mouth again, when Kurama spoke. "I'm sorry Professor, but I cannot tell you. This goes beyond me and it is not just my secret to tell. What I can tell you, however, is that Blaise is safe. He is in the best company he could have right now- the only people who know how to deal with him as he is. Touya, Yukina, and Jin were unexpected, but very welcome as they are more suited to helping Blaise than I am. As for the Potions incident, I must apologize for that. I had not realized completely what would happen, and as a result, I needed to employ another factor to protect both myself and my classmates." Kurama fell silent again and Dumbledore turned over Kurama's words in his mind. The old headmaster finally heaved a sigh.
"I can see that I won't get anymore information out of you tonight." Dumbledore stood and rested a hand on Kurama's shoulder, looking down with kind eyes. "But please, Harry, if you ever need or wish to speak to me, my door is always open. I'm sure Fawks would not mind seeing you again, hmm?" Dumbledore winked, before he drew the curtains together. A few steps rang out in the quiet of the infirmary, then the click of the door signaled that Kurama was finally alone.
Kurama waited a few minutes, then a couple more until he was sure that Madame Pompfrey would not be coming back to check on him. He cast a glance around him, the surreptitiously slid out of bed and to the window. There, he let himself move to Shuuichi's body. Kurama stood there, and savored the feeling of his youki levels jumping again, replenishing what he lost. When he felt that he had a relatively good amount, enough that he wasn't in danger any longer, he leapt out the window.
As he fell, he relaxed his body, letting the air rush past him. Halfway to the ground, he 'pushed' with his power, and in a small flare of green-laced, silver youki, his shape compressed into a sleek, silver fox. His three tails whipped out behind him, as he plummeted towards the ground. As the earth neared, he turned in midair, and released a burst of youki, causing him to land on a tall, soft cushion of extra long grass to absorb the shock of impact. Kurama wriggled around on his back, the soft fur on his stomach reflecting the rays of the moon, and he yipped joyfully.
The sound reverberated throughout the night air, startling a few birds into flight. Kurama lifted his head and snapped playfully at the retreating birds, before slowly retracting his youki from the grass to provide a comfy, slow, and smooth decent back to the ground. Once he was lying on his back on the ground, Kurama flipped over, landing on his feet, and shook himself, fur rippling in a silver wave from nose to tail. He relished the feel of his vulpine form again, times to spend in it were to far too few. He looked around, scented the air for any possible danger, and then took off at breakneck speed towards the Forest. His delight in being a fox again, however, caused him to be slightly reckless: he didn't notice the redheaded figure watching from a tower window.
Ron drew back from the window, eyes wide in shock. Harry had jumped out the window, changed into a fox, and landed without injury, before disappearing completely. Normally, Ron would have chalked it up to an overactive imagination, or dreaming, but lately, Harry had been acting veeery strange, and Ron wanted to know what was going on. He knew Harry hadn't learned to be an animagus yet. With that mindset, Ron's mouth tightened in determination and he moved across the room to Harry's truck. Ever mindful of the thorny mess on the wall, Ron carefully opened the truck and reached in. When his fingers brushed a soft material, a soft 'ha!' sounded in the otherwise quiet room. In a spill of silvery cloth, Ron pulled free Harry's invisibility cloak. Ron swished the cloak around his shoulders and pulled up the hood. He checked in the mirror to make sure that he was all covered, before stealthily going down and the portrait hole. He carefully moved down and out one of the secret passages the twins had shown him before and ran quickly across the lawn in the direction Harry had headed.
Kurama dashed through the forest, trees and brush parting to grant him an easy passage through. As he neared the clearing, he slowed. In a sedate pace, he strolled towards the kekkai that Touya had apparently set up. The air cooled drastically as he got closer and Kurama felt his fur bristle slightly to keep him warm. He walked to the edge of the barrier, and nosed it slightly, smirking as it gave way under his superior power. He may not be at the level of power he had been before he was 'reborn' but his power had considerably grown since the time when he had fought Touya.
Even then, he had a harder time because his youki had been sealed- too hard to manipulate. A hole opened, and he walked through, then turned his head to watch as it closed behind him again. It was near freezing in the kekkai, and with a snort of exasperation, Kurama stood still, letting a small cloud of youki form around, him, creating a kind of coat that kept him comfortable. He gave a small shake, tails whipping out, and then trotted forward, reaching the edge of the clearing.
Hiei stood at the opposite end leaning against a tree, eyes fixed on Yukina who was kneeling next to a comatose Blaise singing softly. Touya was sitting next to Hiei, talking to Jin who floated around his head. Jin was constantly hovering near Hiei, whose natural body heat protected him from the chilling temperature of the air, gleaning heat from the fire demon like a ningen would from fire. Touya was speaking softly to Jin and Hiei, "Someone or Something had managed to open a hole in my barrier. Be on your guard." Hiei snorted and said,
"Kurama."
"No, Touya shook his head. "I know he is strong, but he should not be strong enough to only create a small hole in which to walk through. I resealed the kekkai, but most demons would just slam youki into it. If they were strong enough, it would shatter, but to only open what is necessary requires a large amount of concentration and power. The only type of youkai who can do this are the ones born to be youki manipulators or an extremely strong youkai. Yusuke, perhaps would be able to shatter it easily, but I don't think he has the ability to open a hole." Hiei snickered, agreeing and Touya gave a small smile before continuing. "Kurama may have the power, but even he, I do not believe capable."
"You underestimate me, ice demon." The light baritone voice reached Touya's ears and his head snapped up. The tall youko sauntered into the clearing, looking completely comfortable in his gauzy outfit. His ears flicked towards a small sound in the trees before turning forward again, and his tail twitched in annoyance. "Do you really think me that weak?" Jin floated over, and reached out to touch an ear, intrigued. In a split-second, Kurama had caught Jin's wrist in clawed hands, he growled out, "Do not touch the ears." Jin meeped and agreed hastily,
"Gomen, gomen Ehehe...;" Jin chuckled nervously as Kurama released him and he floated back near Hiei. "But really, Kurama, how come you're not cold? Your shirt can't be doing much- I bet its just letting wind through...why do you wear that thing anyways? It's so impractical..." Jin dropped down to the ground and gave Kurama a strange look, still not going too far from Hiei.
Kurama's claws flexed in irritation, wanting to tear the wind demon apart, but realizing that Jin was an ally and a friend and that turning friends into tiny bits of flesh n bone n blood was a big no-no. It had only been a day since the sickle moon and the moon was calling to his youki. He sighed, and and answered, "My clothes do not protect me against the cold, that's true, but they are much stronger than they look and do provide me protection against attacks. My youki is protecting me against the cold."
Jin's jaw dropped. "Your youki can do THAT? Why can't mine?" he complained, realizing that he had gotten too far from Hiei and was cold again. He went back to hovering over the irritated fire demon and stayed there, looking at Kurama curiously. Kurama took another deep breath and answered with all the patience of a two-thousand year old youko: not very much.
"I'm much older than you are and have more experience in manipulating my youki."
Hiei opened his eyes and titled his head slightly. /Just how old are you?/ Kurama's eyes slid from Jin down to Hiei. /Old. I am probably now the eldest./ Hiei's eyes widened slightly and rasped out, "Show me." Kurama shook his head. Hiei raised his voice, and said again, more insistently, "Show me!" Jin looked between the two, confused, as did Touya. For once, Hiei chose to explain what Kurama would not: "I wish to know how many tails he has. He claims many." Jin stayed looking confused, while comprehension dawned upon Touya. The ice demon quickly explained the deal with youkos and their tails to his lover and as Jin listened, his ears grew more and more pointed, showing how interested and excited he was. By the end, he was nodding enthusiastically, agreeing with Hiei.
With three sets of eyes on him, wanting him to show them how old he was, Kurama sighed in resignation. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into fox form. Gasps of surprise and awe filled the air as the two youkai shinobi watched what was rarely ever seen by any being: the shifting from youko to kitsune. Kurama shook himself, silver fur rippling in a wave across his body. He glared up at them with amber eyes, daring them to say anything about the three tails moving slowly back and forth behind him. Hiei stared at the tails in confusion, then realization. Touya and Jin, though, looked at him confused, Jin finally asking, "How can you be really old with three tails? I thought a lot of the youko kitsune had that many and some even had four tails?"
Kurama lay down, resting his head on his front paws, wrapping his tails around himself, and closed his eyes. /Hiei, tell them what you think happened. I don't want to shift back yet. They don't know about our mental link and I'd like to keep it that way. Also, most youkai are not privy to the rareness of silvers...they think it's a fluke and that we're only as powerful as the whites. Do not inform them of that fact./ / Agreed./ "The kitsune apparently doesn't want to shift back. I'm going to explain what I think happened." Jin nodded. "From what I know, bringing yourself back from death to incarnate into an unborn child takes a lot of power. Because Kurama was severely wounded when he was in Makai, he had to also use a large amount of his power to tear a portal to Ningenkai. So he had given up some of his tails, but he still retains the knowledge, and to a certain extent, the power and abilities he had, ne?"
/But you still haven't told me how old you are, koi./ Kurama gave the comment the response he felt it deserved: a mental image of a five year old ningen child blowing a raspberry. /XP/ It may not have been the proper response from a dignified youko, but he was in a form he wasn't able to properly enjoy for too long, and he was feeling playful. Hiei's eyes widened in surprise and shock, not expecting the response he got.
Outwardly, Kurama flicked an ear in agreement to the question, satisfying Jin and Touya's curiosity, and slowly released his hold on his youki. The power spread out across the kekkaiΒΈ causing the frozen plants to break free from the ice and to flourish. Touya's eyes widened in amazement: his ice was very cold strong, to break through it without changing the temperature was extremely difficult. Vibrant colors created a carpet of soft grass and Yukina looked up in surprise, voice faltering a bit before regaining control. The air was just as crisp and cold as before, but was now filled with the sweet smell of flora. By Yukina's side, Blaise shifted a bit and cried out softly, "K'rma!" Kurama's eyes snapped open and in a flash, he was across the clearing kneeling next to Blaise in youko form.
owari....for now...
AN: obviously, this chapter has been adjusted and lengthened. it was going to be twice as long, but cause it was getting too long, i chopped off the second half for chapter 20, which should be up in a couple of days (fast update hohoho) cuz its more than half done. (almost all of) The rest of the explanations i promised will be there, k? R&R!