Chapter 4
Why So Angry?
When he finally got to the giant willow, he was exhausted, but determined to slay Kuronue at any cost.
"What's the matter? Why are you so mad at me… partner?" Kuronue taunted. Valentine, who at this time had a rather large gash in her forehead from being knocked against the tree, turned to look at Kurama, but saw that his brilliant green eyes were no longer soft and friendly; they were narrow and as cold as ice.
"I am mad at you for murdering my mother and injuring this young woman and at myself for not being able to stop you." When Kurama said this, he threw his long, red hair back and brought his hand back to his side holding a beautiful, red rose.
'What's he gonna do with that?' Valentine thought. Before her eyes, though, the beautiful rose turned into a long, green thorn whip. Valentine watched as the two former friends battled, she was amazed at how gracefully Kurama moved. He was dancing a fatal, yet majestic dance. Kuronue, on the other hand, wielded a scythe on the end of thin wire with deathly precision and little subtly. Unfortunately, because of the poison, with every attack Kurama made, he became weaker and most of his attacks missed. On the flip side, Kuronue was making just about every attack connect with its target.
The battle continued for what seemed, to Valentine, to be an eternity, but finally after only about thirty minutes of fighting, Kurama stood shakily in a pool of his own blood, and Kuronue was practically untouched. In a final attempt to win, Kurama attacked, deliberately missing with his whip, and hitting Kuronue with a small pebble.
"You were going to kill me with a pebble!" Kuronue laughed.
"You misunderstand… the pebble was simply a diversion. You see, as the pebble hit you, you were busy paying attention to it, and once your guard was down, I planted the death seed within your body. Now at my will you shall die.
"Y-you wouldn't kill your old partner, would you?" Kuronue said nervously.
"Not so brave now, are you? You killed my mother, and have threatened Ms. Valentine's life on more than one occasion," Kurama said enraged, "…now you must pay. DIE!" When Kurama said this, red beams of light began to shoot from Kuronue's body, and in a matter of seconds, a beautiful bush of black and red roses was growing from Kuronue's corpse.
"It's amazing that something so beautiful can come from such evil." Kurama said as he cut the final rope holding Valentine. Suddenly, Kurama felt a sharp sting in his chest… it was Valentine's dagger.
"I'm sorry Kurama, but I couldn't just let Kuronue's plan fail." Valentine said pulling her knife from his chest.
"Why Valentine? Why? I thought you were an agent for spirit world." He said, spitting blood on the ground.
"The DDC never existed. I only ever received false transmissions."
"Then why didn't you just let me die when I was wounded by Kuronue the first time?"
"Because he knew that the poison wouldn't kill you and decided it would be nice to finish you off himself. Now Kurama, you will soon meet your mother. I'm really sorry we didn't meet under different circumstances." Valentine raised her dagger to finish off Kurama when, suddenly out of the nearby bushes came a fast flying arrow that went through Valentine's raised hand. She screamed in pain and quickly fled.
Kurama tried to get up to see who was in the bushes, but he stumbled and fell. His vision began to blur from the blood loss, but he was able to see a young girl with flowing brown hair come running towards him.
"Hold on Shuichi, I'm here to help." Kurama's clothes were blood soaked and blood ran from his mouth.
"Who are you?" he said weakly.
"My name's…" but he was unable to hear her name, he blacked out.