Disclaimer: see previous chapters.
Aaah! I feel horrible! So many of you were so excited to see Kurounue show up in the last chapter but alas, this is not a KxK fic and so that will be the extent of his role. I'm so very sorry! But if you're looking for some excellent KxK stories, check out Red Kitsune Flames. You won't be disappointed. Now….on with the show!
Belonging
Chapter 16
It was quite possible that for only the fourth time in his life he was at a loss for how to feel. The first happened too long ago and was buried deeper than he cared to admit. The second was losing Kurounue. His grief at losing his best friend, partner, lover, mentor, had been too much to digest for him. The third was being caught by a hunter unawares and being forced to hide in the Ningenkai. The fact that he had the presence of mind to direct his soul to a ningen's body was a miracle he doubted he could ever repeat. And now, he was facing the fourth moment. He stared at the paper and read it several times, his mind trying to comprehend its contents.
"You said I would be free, Schuichi. You never mentioned anything about this."
The words were spoken quietly, more to himself, but Koenma heard them regardless. So Kurama never told Yoko he would be given a choice? Why would he keep that part of the arrangement a secret? A last parting gift, perhaps?
Kurama continued to stare at the piece of paper in wonder. Schuichi….all these years and you still remembered that story? The kitsune bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut tightly to prevent the tears from flowing. I will not give that brat of a god the satisfaction.
When Kurama looked up again he had regained control of his emotions and presented Koenma with a smug grin. He knew Koenma did not want him to go free. He was a criminal after all. Schuichi…..thank you. Thank you for your kindness.
"I want to go back. That's where my life lies."
Koenma began grinding his teeth on his pacifier at the smugness of the kitsune. But he took the contract being handed back by Kurama and searched his desk drawer for the proper stamp and took a deep breath before placing his official seal on the document. He held the ratified document out to the kitsune and nodded his head towards his door.
"Shall we?"
Kurama smiled and took the document from Koenma, heading out the door to get processed and back to freedom. He didn't care how much bureaucratic red tape he had to endure in the Rekai. He would be free and back where he belonged.
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Two days and endless paperwork later, Kurama was led to a doorway by one of the ferry girls. He was certain Koenma had stuck him with the dumbest of the bunch just so his processing would take that much longer. A little parting shot, Koenma? The petite blonde with long curly blonde hair and impossibly big blue eyes stopped in front of a large wooden door, her smile stretching from ear to ear. Her annoyingly perky voice filled the normally quiet area.
"Ok, so here we go! Sorry for all the trouble and I'm really sorry for spilling my tea on you! Are you sure I can't get you some new clothes?"
"No, I'm fine. I'd just like to go home please."
"Sure thing! Ok, remember, when you pass through the door you will have to pass through a weird, foggy kind of field before you reach your destination. So don't be scared and just keep walking! Oh! And don't worry about being dumped off some place dangerous or anything like that! You'll be arriving in a nice quiet forest where I'm sure you'll find yourself a nice quiet den and you can live peacefully. You look too pretty to be the fighting type so I figured a nice tame forest should suit you nicely."
"I just want to leave."
"I'm sorry! I know I have a tendency to just keep talking and talking and my friends tell me it's a defense mechanism for when I'm nervous. But I'm actually getting better, isn't that great?"
"Great."
"So, ok! I think you're all set! Enjoy your new home!"
Kurama couldn't get away from the girl fast enough. He opened the door and leapt into the white space running towards his freedom. The little ferry girl closed the door and leaned against it with a tired sigh as her eyelids fell back to their normal position of half mast, finally allowing moisture back into her burning eyes. When she spoke, her voice dropped about an octave and it no longer held the enthusiasm from moments ago.
"Ugh! I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept that up. The cute and stupid routine was killing me. Koenma owes me big for this."
She started back for the main hall of the Rekai to continue with her duties, grumbling the whole way as she twisted her hair up into a tight bun and secured it with a wooden stick she pulled from her waistband.
"I can't believe I had to act like that. Although I must admit, it was fun spilling the tea on him. And why did it take them two days to set up that portal? Koenma sure is putting a lot of effort into sealing this one away. He must really hate him or something." She let a sadistic chuckle escape and shoved her hands in her pockets. "Oh well, I guess it's really none of my business. Although, the kitsune kept saying he was going home. I wonder why? There's no way he lived back then. Only gods are that old."
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Kurama preferred this trip to the last one that had brought him to this time and place all those years ago. He looked around taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air. I'm back. I'm really back…..
As the silver kitsune raced through the landscape a small smile curved his lips. I forgot how fresh and clean the air is here. The pollution of industry hasn't tainted this world yet. He stretched out his senses which were one hundred times sharper than what they were the last time and his surroundings were suddenly teeming with life. Human, animal, plant and demonic energy mixed and swirled, creating a new sensation in the kitsune. What a wonderful world.
His thoughts turned from the world around him to the world he was leaving behind. He'd spent over eight hundred years in the Makai, living a life full of pleasure, danger and adventure. His time spent in the Ningenkai was a mere blink of the eye in comparison but it had been no less entertaining thanks to his human host and his friends.
But I'm done with all that now. I've seen all I want of the Makai and there's no way I could stand living in the Ningenkai under Koenma's rules. It's time to resume my life here. With him.
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Kurama frowned as he reached out and felt no resistance. I'm sure this is the place. Where's the barrier? He continued forward, his senses stretched several yards in front of him looking for the barrier that apparently was no longer in effect. Is it possible that this is no longer his territory? Could he be…?
He defiantly shook his head, banishing the thought. No. He's too strong. He wouldn't allow anyone to defeat him and take his territory. But what if he died naturally? Maybe demons don't live as long in this time as they do in the Makai. Without realizing, Kurama picked up speed and raced for the fortress. Oh gods. I have to find him.
Soon the large stone structure was looming before him and he was relieved to pick up traces of Sessho-maru's scent. With his heart now under control but his stomach still tied in knots, Kurama made his way into the fortress.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
He closed the large wooden and iron door behind him and started for the stairs.
"Sessho-maru?"
As he made his way upstairs to look for Sessho-maru he reached back into the darkest corners of his memory to recall where the inu lord's private quarters and study were. Kurama frowned and stood in the hallway looking right, then left and back again.
"Which way? His scent is too damn strong to get any sort of direction."
Kurama stood in the hallway and debated which direction while echoes of the past drifted into his conscious mind.
"Not only are you a thief, but a coward as well?"
"…..you are the reason I am weak! You want to keep me weak and caged for your own amusement!"
"This is my treasure…."
"I'll say your name all you want….."
"What an amazing and beautiful creature you are, Kurama."
Kurama was too lost in his memories to realize that he had started to move again nor was he aware of the presence approaching from the opposite hall, and as he turned the corner, he collided with the small creature. When Kurama looked down he found himself caught in the gaze of a pair of big brown eyes that were showing no fear or caution at having just bumped into a demon.
"Who are you, child? Why are you in this fortress?"
Rin blinked her eyes a few times and then smiled. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She bowed in greeting. "My name is Rin. I live here."
"Impossible."
Rin giggled and rocked back on her heels, hands clasped behind her back.
"Don't worry, I don't live here by myself. I live here with my lord and mas---"
"Your lord?"
"Yes. Lord Sessho-maru. And Master Jaken, of course. What's your name?"
"Kur---"
Kurama's words were cut off as Rin gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes were impossibly wide and Kurama bent down to make sure she was breathing.
"Rin?"
"Y-you're the one from the painting." She unabashedly reached out and let some of Kurama's hair fall through her fingers. "Silver, pure like the moonlight."
Kurama felt his cheeks get warm and he stood up, frowning at Rin.
"What are you speaking of, child? And where is your lord?"
Rin smiled up at Kurama and grabbed his hand, leading him down the hallway. He allowed himself to be led like a wayward child, noting that for all the talking Rin was doing, she wasn't addressing his question concerning Sessho-maru's whereabouts. Is she trying to hide something or just that unfocused?
"Follow me, I'll show you. Lord Sessho-maru doesn't know I know about the painting. He thought he hid it well but I outsmarted him! I'm small enough to fit anywhere and I was wandering the fortress one day and I came across this room. I think it used to be a bedroom but nobody has ever slept in it since I've been here. And as I was looking around I found this painting under the bed." She stopped and turned to look at Kurama. "The painting is of you, I'm sure of it."
Rin came to a door and opened it, walking over to the bed. Kurama stood in the doorway and just gazed at the empty and dusty room. Suddenly, memories that he had buried so many years ago came crashing back into his mind. Memories of being a displaced thief and prisoner of Sessho-maru. A golden necklace….many days and nights spent together…..a passionate night in the moonlight. He absently rubbed at the spot that carried Sessho-maru's mark a lifetime ago.
"Hey! Could you help me please?"
Kurama was brought out of his memories by Rin's voice and he re-entered his former room and helped the child drag out the painting. It was rather large and covered with a dusty cloth. Rin pulled the cloth off the painting and Kurama gazed down at a scene of a garden bathed in moonlight, and lying on the ground was a silver kitsune in a pale blue yukata. With the exception of the kitsune and the moon, the painting was rendered entirely in varying shades of blue, eliciting a calm, yet sad feeling from its viewer.
Trembling fingers lightly brushed over the painting, a painful lump forming in his throat as he choked back tears.
"Sessho-maru."
Rin saw Kurama's reaction and she lowered her voice to a whisper when she spoke.
"It is you, isn't it?" Kurama just nodded, finally looking up at the girl and offering a small smile. "What's your name?"
"Kurama."
"That's a very pretty name."
"Thank you, Rin." Kurama stood up and took a deep steadying breath. "Where is Sessho-maru?"
"He's not here right now. He said he would be back tomorrow."
"I see. Would you mind if I stayed the night here? In this room?"
Rin's face lit up with a smile and Kurama couldn't help but smile back at her. What an adorably infectious child.
"Of course not! C'mon! I'll show you around. Are you hungry? Or would you prefer to bathe before you eat? Oh! We should tell Master Jaken you're here! We'll do that first. You'll like Master Jaken. He's grumpy and a little crazy, but he's a faithful servant to my lord and he makes me laugh."
"I remember Jaken."
"Oh good! I'm sure he'll be happy to see you again!"
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"YOU!"
"It seems Master Jaken remembers you too."
Rin smiled up proudly at Kurama but the kitsune's attention was focused on Jaken as he tried, almost successfully, to squelch his laughter.
"It's nice to see you ag---"
"Get out! Get out this instant!"
Jaken stomped over to Kurama waving his staff and making a shooing motion with his other hand in his attempt to remove Kurama from the fortress. Kurama just sidestepped his attempts and after covering the whole room in their awkward dance as Rin giggled delightedly, he finally grabbed the staff and yanked it from the angry toad youkai, holding it up out of reach.
"Give that back, you thief! And get out of here before Lord Sessho-maru comes back!"
"Why are you trying to keep me from him?"
"Because you're a thief and a scoundrel and he has no need to associate with such a common and cowardly creature! Now get out!"
"But, Master Jaken, he's the one in the painting. I don't think Lord Sessho-maru would have a painting of----"
"You keep out of this, child! You're too young for such matters! And you weren't there when he left."
"Jaken, I had to leave and he understood that. But I've returned because----"
"I don't care! I won't let you hurt him again!"
Rin turned wide brown eyes to Kurama whose face was not that of the beautiful kitsune she'd recently met, but a growling demon with bared fangs and glinting golden eyes. Kurama and Jaken were in a standoff and despite the size difference you couldn't help but fear for both.
"Is that true, Kurama? Did you….hurt Lord Sessho-maru?"
For a few tense moments no sound could be heard, but then Kurama let out a frustrated growl and threw the staff at Jaken, knocking him backwards onto his backside. He began to pace the room, trying to regain control of his emotions. He hadn't considered the pain he'd caused Sessho-maru and suddenly his confidence at reuniting with his former love faltered. What if he feels the same way? He wasn't the only one that was hurt, but what if he can't forgive me for leaving?
"Kurama?"
The small uncertain voice broke through and Kurama stopped to see Rin standing there, her little fingers playing with the seam of her sleeve in a nervous habit. He wasn't sure why, but the thought of disappointing this little girl bothered him. I don't even know her. Why do I care? Kurama sighed and walked over to kneel down in front of Rin, bowing his head.
"I left him behind to be with my family. Even though we both knew it was the right thing to do, we both got hurt. That's how life works sometimes."
Kurama looked up to see a sad smile and kind eyes. Rin reached out and placed her small hand on his cheek and Kurama offered a grateful smile.
"You came back to apologize, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"I think he'd like that."
"Are you nuts! He can't stay here! Lord Sessho-maru will be furious!"
Rin giggled and offered a brilliant smile to the approaching toad. "Don't worry, Master Jaken. If you're right, then Lord Sessho-maru will just kill him because he's the most powerful demon around, right?"
Kurama's gut tightened at Rin's casual comment about his demise and Jaken seemed to have tossed his anger aside for curiosity. He looked up at the ceiling, a green digit tapping his chin in thought.
"You're right, Rin. Lord Sessho-maru would rip him to pieces."
"So it's settled then." Kurama stood up and crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Rin and Jaken with a raised silver eyebrow. "I get to stay to see if Sessho-maru will accept my apology or kill me?"
Rin nodded her head enthusiastically while Jaken just walked past them and out of the room, mumbling to himself about eviscerations and cleaning blood stains out of clothes. Kurama just shook his head and followed, hoping he'd live long enough to look back on this day and laugh.
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His visit with Rin proved very enlightening. He learned how the young girl came to be in Sessho-maru's care and that Sessho-maru had no current lover. It was obvious that the little girl adored her "Lord Sessho-maru" and the pair had an unorthodox guardian/ward relationship. There were many other little tidbits of information but the ever-present Jaken prevented Rin from telling him some things. One of which he had a feeling was very important. The apoplectic toad had started jumping up and down and waving his damnable staff as Rin started to tell a story about another inu youkai that Sessho-maru had been clashing with for several years. But he didn't bother to press the subject. Things had been going nicely for the threesome at the time and he hadn't wanted to burst that bubble.
But the peace was eventually shattered when Kurama asked a favor of the toad youkai. And after several shouting matches and a glass of drugged wine, Kurama managed to convince Jaken that it was ok if he were left alone in the fortress to await Sessho-maru's return. Then the threesome enjoyed dinner before Rin and Jaken took Aun and headed to a local village that had become familiar with the inu lord whose territory they resided in and his two companions.
Once alone in the fortress, Kurama went back to the room he had called his own while under Sessho-maru's "supervision". The room had a thick layer of dust so he didn't linger long. He took the painting and headed for Sessho-maru's quarters.
To be continued…..