Hiei stared down at the struggling fox cub that he now held, making sure he couldn't escape or bite. His red eyes gleaming in rage, hurt and disbelief, the fire-demon shuddered against his will—he'd overheard everything, even the thought-speech of the fox cub confessing that he was Karasu. The demon hadn't directly confessed, but it was pretty much certain that it was Karasu.
Even without hearing that indirect confession, Hiei could still tell that the fox-cub housed Karasu's spirit—he'd gotten back his Jagan along with his demonic body; something he noticed after the figure in shadow left. His Jagan now seemed able to sense the difference in souls instead of just auras, and he knew right away that it was Karasu's soul in Ku-chan.
How could he have been so blind? Those dreams he had, had tried to warn him of this, but he never paid much attention to them. Now he wished he had—at least he wouldn't be so shocked and disappointed by the discovery. Overwhelming hatred, anger and bitterness rushed through his demonic veins, making him quaver with fury. He didn't want to believe it—he couldn't believe it, Ku-chan had been his closest companion for the past weeks, it couldn't be true.
"But it is true." Shuuichi whispered just loud enough for the fire-demon to hear. "That's why I wanted you to leave—I didn't want you to be hurt."
"You're the one who spoke to me in the hall?"
"Yes, I didn't use my voice because it's Karasu's and I didn't want to upset you. I'm sorry."
"Why should you be sorry? I'm the idiot who was tricked by Karasu, twice."
"Hiei, don't be so hard on yourself."
"Why shouldn't I? I'm the one who was tricked into thinking this bastard was a friend—I bet he just saved my life to trick me easier."
"Karasu wasn't the one who saved you." Shuuichi stepped up to Hiei and knelt down, not surprised when Hiei refused to look at him.
"Hn."
"I'm the one who saved you. Karasu wasn't possessing the fox cub that day, I was. At least I'm the one who reincarnated myself into the cub's body—Karasu didn't enter this body until that first week at Genkai's."
"You let him?"
"Hiei…."
"You let him possess Ku-chan's body even though you knew how much I…how much I cared for that cub?"
"I was weak, I couldn't stop him—I haven't really inherited any demonic powers from the separation, actually, my soul is the part of Kurama that liked being human, and so my soul is human. I apologize, Hiei, but the only thing I had in my favor was my intelligence. I couldn't control any part of the cub's body after Karasu took over—otherwise I would've killed myself rather than watch you get hurt." Shuuichi paused, tears in his eyes shivering with sadness. "If you didn't show up, I'd have been able to make it as though the cub died accidentally, I would've kept up the illusion that he was your friend."
"You're not going to kill him."
"Hiei, he's Karasu."
"I don't care! He's still Ku-chan to me." Hiei replied through clenched teeth, holding back the sob in his throat as his eyes filled up with unshed tears of bitterness.
"…." Shuuichi nodded and backed away, turning his gaze to Karai, taking in the demon's full appearance with one glance: the demon's long hair reached his thighs, and was all black except for a row of short spikes behind his bangs. Those spikes were white and they separated Karai's bangs from the rest of his hair, moving in a semi-starburst pattern from one ear to the other. And though the bangs fell half the length down Karai's face, the demon's fiery red eyes gleamed intensely from behind them. "Karai, do you have the mirror?"
"Wha…oh yes, here." Karai answered taking out and handing Shuuichi an item—the Mirror of Darkness (Forlorn Hope in the Anime).
"The full moon's bright tonight. Hm." Shuuichi stared wistfully out the window before taking the mirror and stepping into the light. "You know what to do; destroy the body afterwards."
"Yes."
"What?" Hiei jerked his head to look at Shuuichi and Karai anxious to know what they meant. "You better not mean Ku-chan…."
Shuuichi only glanced at Hiei at those words, his expression difficult to read, but he shook his head after a moment. Turning away again Shuuichi placed the Mirror of Darkness on the part of the floor covered by the moonlight, and then gazed out the window directly at the full moon.
"Mirror of Darkness, awaken in the moonlight." Shuuichi spoke after kneeling down beside the mirror his face expressionless as the mirror glowed brightly at his words. "Let your face show my desire that I may invoke your power."
The mirror glowed brightly at those words and showed Shuuichi an image that Hiei couldn't see from where he knelt with Ku-chan.
The restoration of this boy is that what you ask me to grant? The mirror asked at which Shuuichi said yes and then whispered another thing that neither Hiei nor Karai could hear. Um…that's a difficult wish to grant, two wishes in one.
"That's what I wish you to grant, nothing more, and nothing less." Shuuichi sighed and closed his eyes, opening them again at the mirror's next words.
One life isn't enough to suffice two wishes.
"Then take my soul in payment as well."
You'll offer your life and your soul for the fulfillment of these wishes?
"Yes."
Then your wish is my command.
Short Chapter, I know, and it looks like there might be sixteen chapters to this story. (I used some of Kurama's dialogue from the manga when he used the mirror to save his mother--I couldn't figure out what exactly to write so I used the manga for reference).