Riz:

I'm not sure where to put this. It isn't part of the fanfic. I was having this way bad migrain when it suddenly popped up. So I suppose this is a side-story, almost.

Act Two: Moonlight Symphony

"Kurama?"

He looked over at her figure sitting beside him under the heaven's light, legs outstretched. It is rare, her calling them by their names, even in near-death situations.

"Hm?"

She didn't turn, and continued gazing at the infinite darkness above.

"You've changed."

Laying on the apartment's rooftop, Kurama closed his eye.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem... older, colder, more distant..."

Below them the forest of plants swayed in the gentle breeze, leaves shivering against the wind.

"If you haven't noticed, it has been five years. Even for a youkai that is plenty if time to grow more mature."

Her lips twitched.

"And you've become more sarcastic."

"What do you expect from someone who is forced to live with you for over three years?"

Now that one hurt. She grinned at this, letting the cynical humor of it all sink in. But the smile soon faded.

"What happened, Kurama? What made you change?"

She heard him shift, felt his body sit up from the tiles. The moon was strangely bright tonight, its graceful light chasing away almost all shadows...

"I don't know. Perhaps it's living here and remembering what it all used to be. Perhaps it's leaving Yusuke back there, knowing that he was going to die and still leaving him. Perhaps it's seeing everyone's pain and sorrow but can't do a single thing to help."

...Almost...

Sitting up, Kurama spread his hands before him, a near unnoticeable gesture that escaped Roviel's eyes. Looking down at his outstretched hands, emerald orbs tracing the once deft fingers, lingering over where the bones had been snapped and healed slightly askew, the faint lines where jagged edges of the bones had ripped through the muscle. Finally his gaze stopped, resting upon the band of silver ivy encircling one finger. Seeing this he grinned.

"Or maybe it's the fact that I feel guilty, having ruined the rest of your life being cursed to me."

She snorted at this as amber orbs continued their journey across the night sky.

"If it was anyone else, I would have told them full-on that it's lie. But no, it has to be the great Kurama who said that. I do not think you know how much power you have. Your ability to make others think how innocent you are..."

He smirked at this and allowed it to pass. For what she said was the truth, he knew it. So he stayed silent, as did she. It wasn't a heavy silence, one of those where the passing of an insect was loud. This was much softer, a protective mantel cloaking them from the rest of the world and blowing all sense of awkwardness discomfort away.

"You've changed too, you know?"

"Really?"

He nodded even though she didn't look at him, her attention still focused on the starlit heavens.

"You've mellowed. Become... compassionate, even."

He felt her stiffen, all sense of ease gone. But when he raised his head, orbs of autumn looked at him, the hooded gaze crinkled in silent amusement.

"What do you expect from someone who had to live with you for over three years?"

He saw the corners of her lips rising, saw how behind the glee she waited, a kind patience that invited him to join in the laughter. And he did, the barrier around his emotions lifting at he smiled back, the grin quickly turning into soft chuckles. Somewhere inside he felt something loosen, as if a hole in the recess of his soul had just been filled. It felt good to laugh again, to be able to let his feelings run their course without worry. It was then did he realize just what she had been doing all this time, why she didn't protest when he also came up onto the roof and laid beside her.

"You have a rare gift. I didn't realize that what I was saying before until just then. Your ability to allow others to let out their innermost thoughts without even knowing is something that is very valuable... and very dangerous."

"So you realized what I was doing? Not many people do, so I must congratulate you."

He smiled at this, a smile that almost reached his eyes. She beamed back with her familiar crooked grin.

"You know why I was doing that, right?"

He didn't answer, laying back down beside her and gazed up at the moon. She followed his suit, returning her attention back to the sky.

"I couldn't stand it anymore, see all of this around me. It's so horrid. I feel crazy for saying this, but I actually wish for all the people and cars and noises and stink to return so that it's all normal again. I wish that you return to normal again. This whole night I've been watching you, and every time you spoke or moved or did anything it's like you were dead or your soul was gone. You don't know how scary that is, seeing today's you and remembering who you were before..."

A chill breeze came through. Autumn had just started and already it felt as if the place was going to freeze over. Roviel sighed at this. Well, at least it's better than getting hotter. Cold she could handle, heat no.

The air was nice, it's cool fingers lacking the scent of burning stuff and mass of bodies packed together. A tiny hint of blood laced it, but it was only a small whisper, not enough to leave any metallic taste on her tongue.

"Would you go back?"

My, that was rather sudden and somewhat random. He looked over at her.

"Pardon?"

She halted for a moment, no doubt rephrasing her question.

"If you are given the chance to go back and change all of this, would you?"

He opened his mouth, the answer on the tip of his tongue in an instant when she raised one brow at him.

"Since when have you become so hasty? I would never have expected you to be a rash one."

He frowned at this, retort harsh in his throat when he stopped suddenly, and looked down.

He never realized it until then, in all his three and half years with it on his finger. Words were carved onto the outer surface of the ring, tiny inscriptions that he never seen before. But by some strange coincidence they shone under the light of the moon, shadows from the metallic leaves accenting the script's brightness. Frowning, he peered at the words as he tried to read them. Amazement grew on his features, followed by a strange calmness. He knew now that if he was to take the ring off he would still live, for the words spoke to him of the secret of the curse. But he didn't say anything to Roviel, for the writing said not to. Instead he stayed silent, his mind musing over the startling discovery and how that affected his answer to her question.

He looked over to Roviel now, noting out of habit that her jeans needed to be washed and that her left cuff was losing threads. Her hair was shorter, recently cut just below the ears. He didn't know if it suited her though, but had enough sense not to say that when she asked for his opinion on the matter. A shimmer of soft gold adorned her neck, the ice crystal absorbing the moonlight and glowed with some inner light. He was glad that when she lost her memory of her past that she didn't forget how to use the weapon. Although they've been training her, she was still a low A class youkai when it came to Youki. Roviel relied on more physical attacks, and since it had kept her alive for this long already, the rest of them didn't complain too much.

She belonged to the night, he just realized. It suited her nature, her tendency to speak between the lines and hinting more questions with every answer she give. The darkened heavens with their own lingering mysteries understood and accepted her ways, taking her in as one of their own and shedding their grace upon her. Under the silvery light the colbat blue in her hair was more prominent as ripples of sapphire fire ran down the black locks.

She turned suddenly, evidently having felt a pair of eyes watching her. Eyeing him in a suspicious way, she raised one brow at him.

"What now kitsune? Unless I have suddenly grown horns and am lacking all of my clothing while being spontaneously hyperactive, I don't see why you have to disrupt my peaceful session by continuously looking at me. Ever had someone stare at your back? It's not a good feeling."

He grinned as her former sarcastic self returned. Their strange session before was over now, or so it would appear.

"I was just pondering, that's all."

She yawned, one eye peering at him with idle laziness.

"Pondering over what?"

"What you said before, if I would fix everything if given the opportunity."

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. So, have you decided?"

She winced slightly, right arm slowly easing onto her lap. He knew it was because of the numerous scars down her right shoulder and back, living reminders of when the skin had been frayed and torn off. Although she didn't show it, her injury pained her as much as Hiei's when the winter wind blew. He suddenly felt lucky, and selfish. Out all of them he gotten off the easiest, and he felt that he didn't deserve the special treatment.

"Hello? Some form of life would be good. Foxes, they are all the same I tell you. Strange lot."

He chuckled at this. It would have been weird, her waiting for an answer and him just wandering off again.

"Apologies, I was trying to decide."

"And have you decided yet?"

"Indeed. And I think..."

She stared at him, waiting for his answer. He smiled.

"I won't have chosen. It is not for me to decide, but everyone who lives in this time, Reikai, Nigenkai and Makai alike. For it is in times such as these does one find something priceless."

Her eye twitched. She glared at his smiling form for several moments more, no doubt trying to find a reason not to kill the damned red-head. Finally she snorted, standing up and patting down her jeans.

"I'm going to sleep. And from your plain weird answer just then, I think your brain needs some rest too before it fries completely."

Walking over to the attic ladder, his sharp ears picked up the distinct words of "kitsune" and "brainless", among other descriptions. Her dark mutterings faded as she climbed down the ladder and into the apartment block, cursing loudly as something crashed down below him.

He's going to miss her, this one who would die when the flashback is over. Then the old her would return, cold and distant and hurt like the rest of them. But what saddened him most was that Roviel would not remember this night, how for a moment, he let his guard down and allowed himself to truly smile again.

The ring glinted again, as if reminding him the important part it played this night. Twisting it on his finger, a smile tugged at his mouth. Now if only he could help her so that she finds the secret of the curse herself... His grin widened. It's a good thing that they were both youkais, because he knew it was going to take a long time...

I thought of adding this to Chapter Fourteen, but I just couldn't bear the thought of that. I love this chapter, even if is an unoffical one. It's so haunting and soft and almost melancholy(sp?), exactly what I love. Review, please? I would love to see how you see this chapter as.