-In another part of the land-

A blur of silver runs through the forest, going past trees and leaping up and over different branches while ducking past low ones with gnarled carvings and pointy elbows. Youko Kurama stopped in his tracks and sniffed the area, silver ears twitching slightly, as if looking for any sounds that would lead to any signs of tracker demons. After sensing and believing that there were no one following him, the silver kitsune started moving once more, continueing to dash past dead trees and annoying shrubs.

However, this kitsune was a bit...untrusty...even about his own gut. He ran around in circles and moved in different directions before changing abruptly to go in the opposite direction. Finally, Youko Kurama reached his 'santuary', a cave covered and hidden by a variety of different plants, ranging from man-eating tulips to normal human, blood-red roses. The kitsune moved silently to the entrace of the cave, using a bit of his youki to move the plants away so that he may enter his home unscratched before moving back to where they were before, all evidence of entering gone like a wisp of smoke.

The kitsune sighed before putting away the small bag of jewels in which he stolen from a noble demoness. Youko then leaned against the smooth, cold wall, before depressingly slumping down to the ground, one leg stretched out before him and the other pulled to his chest, an arm ontop of it and his back to the wall. Sighing once more, Youko tilted his head slightly up to the ceiling before mumbling softly, " Why can't you leave me in peace and make me forget?"

Pulling the other leg to his chest, he wrapped his arms around his now propped up knees, resting his head on them and silver tail wrapping around himself to conserve heat. Whimpering softly, Youko's last thoughts to himself was, " Look at you...Mentally disorded because of a friend's death! Many would laugh at you right now..."

As if he had another voice in his head, it replied in a soft, comforting tone, " you loved him, isn't that a good enough reason to mourn for his death? Why else? After all, your instincts are never wrong..." And with those thoughts and that one voice, Youko's topaz eyes slowly closed bfore entering into a peaceful slumber...Or so it was...

Screams and images of blood flashed across gold eyes as their owner experience the battles of life and death once again. Suddenly an extremely shrill scream reaches his ears, causing Youko to cringe, his sensitive youko ears now flat against his head. Suddenly, soft sobbing reached the ringing ears of his, causing him to strain them to hear where it was. Youko, as if in a trance, walked toward the sound, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I remember that sound...But from where?" he whispered to himself.

Suddenly he was pulled into a memory, or he thought it was a memory. Topaz eyes, widening in shock and pain, watched as he relived the death of his best friend...love...all over again... Suddenly, Shuichi Minamino, his former human self, tilted his head to look at him and to Youko's horro, Shuichi morphed into what it seemed a monster...a monster with a silver tail and cruel, yellow eyes! Then everything blurred and the silver kitsune blinked and looked around, noticing that only darkness surround him. And in a silent scream, Youko Kurama felt himself fall down the abyss of darkness in which is in his heart which had appeared when Hiei Jaganshi...his love...his friend...his comrade...had died and left him...


Ying: o.o;; 7 reviews if you want the 4th chapter! And since I only got 2 reviews, I made it short! It's your fault so don't complain. Hmph! If you want me to update AND make future chaps longer, review... >.>; -evil and knows it, cacklessnortcoughchokes- x.o;