Chapter Five- Between Moons

The first week of the month kept Kurama busy with the caring of the Wolfsbane, schoolwork, maintenance of his cage, and keeping it secret. The flower couldn't be kept secret as Shiori could smell it, but Kurama kept her from destroying it by claiming it was calming to him. She let that slide and gave his room a wide berth. He felt grateful for its unpleasant scent as he knew Shiori would not approve of the cage.

"She wouldn't understand that I am protecting others from myself. I will not kill anymore and not be a dangerous beast," he told Hiei.

Hiei nodded. He was impressed with Kurama's determination and measures he was taking to keep others safe from him. He hadn't encountered Shiori much but Kurama's description was enough to convince him that he'd rather not have Kurama act the same way.

The second week proved to be trying as his demon side began to urge him to give in to his werewolf personality and moods. Kurama was surprised at Yoko's encouragement.

"Why would you want me to give in?" he asked him. "We should be resisting it, not surrendering to it."

"No," Yoko said. "Resisting it is the wrong way to go. It is better to give in to the inevitable. Your mother knew that and surrendered to her aggressive and hostile tendencies."

Kurama probed Yoko for a moment before saying, "Oh, no. My werewolf side has infected you. You are back to your cold-hearted self before we merged."

"That is correct. I am back to my old self and I will work with the wolf side to encourage you to give in, Shuichi."

"No. I will not."

"You will not be able to fight it forever." Yoko faded into the back of Kurama's mind and the redhead worried about how his two halves would try to break his resistance.

Of course, they weren't the only ones pressuring him to give in. His mother would talk to him every night at dinner. She was true to her word of serving raw meat alongside vegetable and some type of potato side dish. She admitted that their human bodies needed more than meat for a food source. She also didn't just serve raw hamburger; she sometimes served steak, chicken, roast, or pork and of course all were raw. He felt a little sick of the raw meat, but as his stomach was handling it, he ate it while tuning out his mother's words. She would speak of her past moon nights and how she did not resist her mood changes and personality shift. She stated that resisting to be a vicious killer was futile. "You'll eventually be like me, so why not let it happen now?"

"No," he replied calmly.

She scowled at him. "Shuichi, be sensible," she snapped harshly. "Werewolves and wifewolves are aggressive, vicious, angry creatures day and night. It is our nature to act this way whether in human form or wolf form, especially when in wolf form. So, it makes sense-,"

"No, it does not make sense!" Kurama snapped back angrily. His eyes went wide as a hand went to his mouth.

Shiori's eyes glittered in triumph. "That's it, Shuichi. Let your anger out. Let it control you. You are a werewolf and need to act like one."

Kurama swallowed back the angry reply he wanted to say. He would not rise to his mother's bait again. Control it. You can control it. If you can get through this coming cycle, Mother, Yoko, and your wolf side will stop pestering you. Won't they?

"You can do this, Kurama," Hiei encouraged.

"I know I can, but it is not easy," Kurama admitted. "My fox half has been infected by my wolf side. He is back to how he was before merging together. He plans to work with the wolf to break my resistance. Mother is doing her part, too. I lost my temper once at dinner tonight." He took a deep inhale and the stench of the Wolfsbane filled him with peace and contentment. Yes. Hiei is right: I can do this. I will not break.

Kurama snuggled in bed, his usual weak feeling from the Wolfsbane sent him into a deep sleep. Inside him, Yoko was lending his strength to the weakened wolf side. It looked exactly like Kurama during the full moon. He panted exhaustingly as the flower made him dizzy and weak.

"That damn human," he growled. "He is actively fighting me."

"He is ignoring my words," Yoko told him. "He knows that you have influenced me to return to my cold-hearted self and that I love being this way. We must break his resistance."

"My best chance would be while I am away from that flower, but I swear he carries a sprig of it in his school bag."

"I will help you. I can give you my strength like I am now and you can merge with him while he is at school. If he is carrying a spring in his bag, it should not be as potent as the entire plant, particularly if I am helping you."

"Yes, Yoko. That's what I'll do. But not now. We both need to reserve our strength. Let the human think he is winning his fight and when his guard is down, we will strike."

"We cannot wait long. The full moon is less than two weeks away."

Kurama checked the cage again. Still sturdy. Good. Mother has not discovered it and sabotage it to fail. He checked that his Wolfsbane sprig was still in the bag and still potent. All system's go. He gathered up his bag and headed off to school. His breakfast had consisted mostly of raw sausages with some eggs and juice. He had tuned out his mother as usual, focusing inwardly on his demon and wolf halves. He found both of them asleep and was glad. It was easier to have a calm day when they were sleeping. He turned away from his inner focus and Yoko cracked open an eye and smirked. Yoko sat up, stretching, and saw the wolf do the same. "It is almost time," the fox said.

"Good," the wolf growled. "The moon is now a week away. I feel stronger than before, but still weak. However, your strength will make the merging a little easier."

"Shuichi's guard is down as well, thanks to us being quiet."

Both fox and wolf watched as Kurama went about his day, the former lending strength to the latter. When Kurama headed into the bathroom, Yoko said, "This is it. Go and merge with him."

The wolf stalked toward the boy's spirit and soul before leaping forward and flowing into Kurama.

Kurama gasped in shock as he felt angry, mean, and hostile. His green eyes glinted evilly. Mother was right: It would be better to give in. I should not fight it. I am a werewolf and I need to act like one. Kurama exited the bathroom and went through the rest of school like his usual self while heeding his newly awakened hostile side. As he left school, he tossed the Wolfsbane sprig in the trash can. He no longer needed his precautions. He had given in to his vicious nature and was ready to embrace it.

He entered his room and disassembled the cage, intending to return it. He then gathered the plants, took them outside, and destroyed them. He opened his window and burned some candles to clean the air of that distasteful smell in his room. His lip curled into a sneer at how pathetic he had been acting since being bitten. I shouldn't have tried to resist. Resistance is futile when one is a werewolf. I will be vicious, angry, and aggressive. I will run loose and attack as I desire. I too will develop a taste for human flesh.

Shiori grinned at the cruel smile on Kurama's face that night. "You finally gave in."

"That's correct. You were right, Mother. Resisting it was pointless, I see that now. I am like you now and I will follow your lead."

"Excellent. We will hunt together next week and we will not let anyone stop us from being the killer wolves we are."