Ode to the Scorned


Chapter 2: Trapped in Nightmares of the Past

"Death is not the greatest of evils; it is worse to want to die, and not be able to"

-Sophocles


A cool breeze rushed through the tall grassy field, parting every blade of grass in a deafening roar and allowing a moment of relief to the clammy air. Botan lifted an arm up to shield her eyes from the setting rays of the sun and forced herself up on her elbow. 'Where's Kurama?' She thought, her violent eyes searching the range before her.

"It's alive." A young voice whispered from behind her.

"She's probably a spy for -him-." Another responded brashly.

"Who-" Botan clenched her teeth in pain, and tried to sit up before the pang ran up her spine and stung every nerve in her body, sending her back against the ground.

"What sort of trouble are you children causing now?" An older woman asked as she made her way through the field.

"There's a lady by the bushes." The first child answered.

"A lady? My goodness, you two..." When she ventured further into the yard, she gave a startled gasp and broke into a run towards the injured deity. "Bring your father, hurry!" She returned her attention to Botan. "Are you badly injured?"

"I..." She forced herself up, each rib in her chest had begun to throb more with a low annoyance than with the sharp pain just minutes before. "Silly me." She laughed tautly. "I must have tripped."

"You gave me quite a start. Our village has been heavily guarded for many months now, yet I have never seen you before."

"Village?" Botan finally noticed the old fashioned kimono, the kind she had only seen worn in illustrations of the past. The houses behind her were built up with logs and roofed with a thick stack of yellow straw.

"It isn't safe to be out after dark. Come, you can stay with us until you are well enough to return home."

"But I was looking for Kurama." The woman froze in her tracks, her face growing pale.

"Then you are a bounty hunter?"

"Me? No, he's..."

"There is no amount of money that can compensate for the lives that will be lost if you chose to lure him here."

"I'm not a bounty hunter." Botan insisted, a slight fear combining with her confusion.

The woman eyed Botan for several more minutes before inviting her back to her home. It was a tiny cottage just out of reach of the forest.

'I was just with Kurama...' Botan thought as she knelt on the floor beside a small table. 'What happened?' The two children from earlier stared wearily at the blue-haired maiden they had discovered. 'I must have been taken to Makai... but these people... they're human.' Her gaze returned to the kitchen where the mother of the two kids stirred a pot of rice. 'What was I suppose to be doing? Koenma sent me to...'

"We don't have much to offer you but a place to sleep and little food." Tsuya, the woman who had offered Botan her home, brought out a tray of food containing nothing more than rice and a bit of sake. "I warmed it with some herbs to help you sleep tonight."

"You're very generous."

With the children watched form a distance as Tsuya began to roll out a futon. Weariness quickly settled on Botan. 'Was I kidnapped? I have to find Kurama or...'

"If you don't mind my asking, where are you from?"

As simple as the question was, Botan was at a loss for words. Where was she from? She was looking for Kuwabara and had just spoken to Kurama. What was she meeting them for again?

"I can't remember." She admitted.

"That's alright. You just need some rest is all."

Each minute dragged on, every thought and question became harder and harder to answer. The family filtered out of the room, burning out the candles that had been lighting the small hut. She stared blankly at the ceiling above her in a haze that left her too exhausted to sleep. She knew there was something that she needed to do, but it was almost as though her memory was fading.

A sudden blast from outside kicked dust through the unshielded windows. A brilliant blaze of orange light followed the explosion, illuminating the dozens of people racing across the field and to the safety of the forest, their expression of fear clear to Botan even as she sat on the floor. Rustling came from the hallway as the father held a sword in one hand and threw the door open. Tsuya, still dressed in her nightgown, pulled both of her children through the living room where Botan lay.

"We have to get to the bunker, follow us." She said in a panic. "Do not linger!"

Botan complied silently, pushing herself up despite the ache in her chest. Before they reached the door, Tsuya's husband slumped over, and then fell to the floor.

"Akio!" She cried, covering her children's eyes and blood poured from his chest where a scythe had been crudely thrown at him. "Oh, my husband!" She ran to her stricken spouse and cradled his lifeless body in her arms, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I tire of these screams." A voice grumbled outside. "How many men are still at the castle?"

"I gave them instructions to go back." A more familiar voice responded. Then there was a silence that instinctively caused Botan to push the children back through the hallway. A vine snaked its way through the room, extending its reach through the house and searching for the nearest warmth. "Silence, wench. You have cried enough for that corpse."

"You should feel honored, Tsuya, at least we acknowledged your life before you were killed." The first man added. "Think of us as your deliverers."

"Curse you! Curse you both to the depths of hell." The woman shouted.

"Hn." The vine encircled itself around her neck, quickly snatching her off the floor and hanging her in midair. Tsuya clawed at the noose, her cries of agony slowly being cut off as the vine constricted her throat. Her legs kicked frantically, and then went limp, her silhouette still swaying in front of the door.

"I wonder if he was even aware she was a demon." A man stepped over the bodies. "Besides, I don't see why they have to be so defiant when they're going to die. It only makes it more difficult for me to enjoy their suffering."

"Their lord hardly had any valuables. This village wasn't worth my time." The other voice paused, the continued with a more sarcastic tone. "Were you jealous that your advancements had been rejected by her?"

"Shut up before I kill you too, Kurama."

Botan held her palms over the two kids mouths, pressing her back against the wall trying to hide them from the attackers. Her heart immediately froze as the dialogue continued between the two men, one of which was most certainly Kurama. Her thoughts were clouded by fear, but she was sure...

"Take your brother and run." Botan instructed. The older sibling grabbed the boy's hand and ran through the hallway and out the back door. She had to be sure. She pressed once more against the wall and peeked over to the living room.

The fire was very close to the house by then, lighting the house like it was the middle of the day. The first man was covered in dirt and blood, his long black hair tied up neatly and covered with a tattered old hat. Pair of black wings was tucked neatly behind his shoulders as he strode foreword.

But the man who caught her attention was the demon behind the first one. His clothes were still perfectly white, untainted like his partner's. His exposed skin showed no sign of ever being scarred. His silver hair flowed freely behind him with two fox-like ears protruding from his head. But it was his amber eyes, which held no remorse for the amount of lives that had just been lost at the expense of his partner's revenge and his demonic responsibility that frightened Botan the most.

This was not Kurama, the red-head, brilliant, kind-hearted young man she knew. This was him as his purest form, the fox-spirit, Youko Kurama. And although she had seen Kurama transform into his demon form on more than one occasion, he was a completely different man. He had absolutely no qualms about murdering innocent people.

"Human blood is so hard to remove from this blade." The bat-youkai reached for the hilt of his scythe, pressing one foot against the back of the dead man and pulling it from his body.

"Kurama, what's going on?" Botan felt herself grow numb and slip to the floor.


"You think so simply these days, Kurama." A man said, standing over the unconscious body of Botan. "She's the most important, yet you followed the less obvious path. The only reason you have for fearing Shiori's demise is that you would have done it yourself eighteen years ago. Though I am impressed. You've created quite the facade to protect your friends from who you really are. But who better to indoctrinate with your past than the angle of death?"


"That stupid girl, she's always getting herself in some sort of trouble." Koenma murmured as he examined the scarf stained with blood.

"Do you have any idea who might have wanted to harm her?" Kurama inquired.

"No. In fact, she wasn't even part of this mission. I only sent her to deal with you guys." He sat the cloth down and tapped his finger thoughtfully on the table.

"She wasn't carrying any substantial information?"

"Look, Kurama, I don't know where she is. If I had any idea, I would have told you already." He answered sternly and Kurama nodded calmly. "I know how you feel. They should have taken one of us instead of her, but they didn't. We can't sit here searching for clues that don't exist. All I know was that this case had nothing to do with any hot-shot demons from Makai that would be capable of taking her."

"Then let me search Makai while you investigate..."

"I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"The barrier is shut down while Botan is gone. We can't risk human-demon interaction because spirit world is already backing up with the dead. Until I can find a replacement, we have to stay here and try to narrow down our suspects."

Kurama clenched his teeth. It was infuriating to not have the power to find the innocent ferry of the underworld that had been caught in the center of a brawl she hadn't even known about. There was more than one way to get into Makai, and he of all people would be capable of finding at least one of them. With that thought, he departed from the over-sized office of Spirit World.

"Hey Kurama, what's up?" Yusuke said with a rice ball stuffed halfway in his mouth. When he didn't receive a response, he slowed down. "Is something wrong?"

"I have business to take care of."

"You're not thinking of going yourself, are you?" Hiei glared at the fox from across the hallway. "If they catch you breaking their precious rules, you'll never see your mother again."

"Going where?" Yusuke forced his way back into the conversation.

"And what, do you propose, do they have that can possibly keep me from going?"

This caught Hiei slightly off-guard. It had been awhile since he had seen Kurama, but he was positive that Botan's wellbeing meant a lot to him. "It's not like Koenma can fix this himself. Why is she so important to you?"

"Who's her?" Yusuke interrupted once more.

"You incompetent. Maybe if you showed up on time you wouldn't be so clueless about everything."

"I'll have you know I was in the middle of very important games..."

"Botan's been kidnapped." Kurama said under his breath.

"Botan?"

"Does everything have to be repeated for you?" Hiei ridiculed with a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. After a short, rather one-sided argument favoring Hiei, the fire-youkai turned back to Kurama. "I can get you there without them finding out."

"Then it seems that you're not totally cold-hearted after all."

"Please." He closed his eyes with an annoyed expression growing more visible on his face. "I'd rather fight off demons than listen to Yusuke for another minute."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm going too."

"You'd be more useful entertaining Koenma and keeping him off our trail than you would be with us, blabbering until you blow our cover. Besides, he trained you to be his lap-dog, and I'm sure he has some pointless task already lined up for you to complete."

"I'm really gettin' tired of hearing your voice, Hiei. You disappear in Demon World for over a year and act like we still need you."

"I'm not helping you or any of your pathetic indolent lackeys."

"Stop wasting time." Kurama strode past the two and down the hall.

"Man, he sure seems worried about her. I think Botan can hold her own while we figure out who has her." His statement earned a scowl from the shorter demon.

"Of course he's worried, you idiot. Whoever took her left a cloth covered in her blood."


"It looks like you missed one, Kurama." Kuronue grinned.

"You're too easily amused, Kuronue. I'm going back to the camp before someone makes off with ours goods."

"Wait, Kurama!" Botan stumbled out form her hiding spot, her words catching in her throat as both demons stared at her watched her.

"Well, this is the first." Kuronue chuckled. "Maybe it wasn't such a waste of time to come here after all."

He reached out with his calloused hands, grasping Botan by the neck and dragged her across the room. She struggled against his firm clutch and beat one fist against his arm.

"I don't think she appreciates your concern."

"Kurama..." Botan rasped as Kuronue's hold grew tighter. "I... please..."

'He doesn't even recognize me.' Botan thought frantically. 'I must be in the past... How? But everything feels so real. They're going to kill me.' She dug her nails into the bat-youkai's arm, dragging them across his skin and drawing blood with each scrape.

"Humans. Every time I see them, they become less respectful. They shouldn't start begging for their lives in front of me." He turned his back to Botan and started out of the door. Kuronue dropped Botan to the floor and followed Youko.

"You'll be killed, Kurama!" She coughed. Her words made Kurama stop at the doorway.

"You delusional wench. There isn't a person alive capable of scratching me, let alone killing me."

"By a bounty hunter..." She continued desperately.

"I've heard enough of your babble." He narrowed his eyes and reached behind his silver hair for a seed. Within a second, the seed had sprouted into several branches with salivating tips, the drool eating through the floorboards of the damaged home.

'This has to be a dream!' Botan reasoned with herself as she struggled to gain her balance. 'This Youko Kurama doesn't exist any more. Kuronue died years ago!' She tripped over Tsuya's body, her hand landing in a puddle of whatever was leaking from the plant's mouth. The pain was more real than anything she had ever felt in her life. It ate through every nerve in her hand, sending painful shocks through her body.


'Take your time, Kurama.' He dripped water over Botan's palm. 'She's experiencing history as I once did when you stole my family that night. I wouldn't want her to miss a second of it.' He laughed, 'It's truly amazing how the mind can be manipulated while at rest. Even if you do find her, any pressure applied to her body will feel like she's being stabbed a thousand times over.'


In Case you didn't know:

Everything happening in Botan's dream is italicized.

I'm really sorry for not updating like I said I would. Finals are this week and I was busy studying so I could fail them, then I had such a hard time thinking of how I could start the next chapter. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't that good, and I have to admit I'm slightly disappointed by the outcome of it. I re-wrote it at least three times, and made little improvements each time, but I hope you can forgive a spastic person like me.

Magus Black: Thanks for being my very first reviewer of my very first attempt at a Yu Yu Hakusho story!

pili-chan: I appreciate your review and I'm happy to hear that you actually liked my story. I've had such bad luck at writing lately, but maybe I've broken that streak.

MarialeBenitez13: Thanks for dropping a review. I wanted to use Shuichi as the message carrier because I know that Kurama wouldn't hurt him even if someone possessed him.

AyukaRyou: That's really nice of you to say. Though I'm sure after this chapter, you probably don't feel the same way. Heh. Thanks for your support and I'll try to make the next chapter better.

KaraKurama: I hope this chapter answered your first question, and thanks for supporting my decision to revise my first chapter.

Lady of Roses: I'm trying to bring a little bit of the unforeseen into this story because I haven't read too many stories that stick with the original characters and can stay away from clichés or yaoi tendencies. Thanks for reviewing!

Licensed to Kill: I'm so flattered that you think so! I only recently read your story, Beautiful is Death and I loved it! I was surprised that you said such positive things about my story when you are one of the most creative and talented Yu Yu Hakusho authors out there. My story can't even compare. Gives a little promotional to any people reading this chapter to check out her story (Isn't that shameless? lol) But, seriously, thanks for reviewing.

crescentmoon-cat: I'm glad that you liked the first chapter. Sorry I couldn't post this one sooner, but it's done now.