Chapter 10
"I Wanna Get to Know You"
Kurama makes preparations for another evening meeting with Kiyoni, brushing his hair until he's satisfied, I wonder what will be discussed, this time.
Meanwhile, Kiyoni sets herself up for her arrangement. Sitting on a small table in front of the illuminated fireplace are two wooden boxes to be used for entertainment. Once everything is in place, she relaxes on her bed, "I hope this goes by smoothly."
Calm and collected, Kurama arrives outside of Kiyoni's bedroom door accompanied by two guards, their size intimidates the teen just enough to break a small sweat. "Let's get one thing clear," states one of the guards, "We'll be keeping an eye on you, so no funny business with the princess."
"Of course, you have my word," Kurama assures. The second guard knocks.
Simultaneously, Kiyoni's fathers gather in a meeting room to observe their daughter's meeting via hidden camera. Feeling a bit guilty, Kenichi asks, "Are you sure we should be going this far? What if she catches on?"
"She won't. She'll be too into Shuuichi," Akio goes on, "Which is precisely why we're watching her. There have been a few times when infatuation has taken over common sense in her case."
Kiyoni takes a couple of deep breaths as she approaches her door, "Who is it?"
"Your guest, princess," replies the first guard. Kiyoni's necklace glows again, this is the first time they've ever been in this situation since their reunion. With another deep breath, Kiyoni opens her door.
Upon first glance, the pair are relieved and happy to see each other. "Good evening, Suu'chi," she coos.
"Good evening, princess," he replies as he observes his girlfriend in her periwinkle blue nightgown.
A bit flushed, she leans against her door, "Won't you come in?"
"Are you sure it's alright?"
She nods her head, "Yeah. It's fine."
"As you wish," he enters the room giving Kiyoni an interested glance along the way. The way he carries himself as he crosses the threshold gets her nibbling on her bottom lip and her heart racing which her pendant reacts to.
As she attempts to close the door, a guard stops her. "What do you think you're doing," she wonders.
"I'm sorry, your highness but, we were asked to keep an eye on you as soon as he entered your room," he answers.
"Nothing's going to happen, I swear. We're just gonna talk!"
"A thousand pardons but, we have orders."
"Ugh," Kiyoni backs down as both of her bedroom doors are opened allowing both guards to do their duty. Approaching her guest from behind, "Sorry, about that, Suu'chi. I guess it's something we'll have to get used to."
He looks around the room, "Not to worry, I don't mind."
Kiyoni's bedroom has a bit of a mystical feel inspired by her practice. Sitting along the wall, near her door, is a lit fireplace. Perched above it, another sculpture of the goddess, Bastet, with a burning incense stick in front and lit candles on each side. In a corner, near the hearth is her vanity area and dressing space with old fashioned imprints of feminine figures decorated on the curtain. Her bed sits down deep within the floor, about as deep as a shallow pool. Pillows and sheets are lined with the finest of silk in colors of purple, orange, blue, and gold as her blankets are made of equally fine cotton with lavender draping surrounding her place of rest. Her Cherrywood lined and glass balcony doors open to reveal a different view of the country's shoreline and tail end of the forested lands near the river/ocean meeting point. What catches Kurama's attention is a glass imprint of a female sitting on top of the balcony doors. "Her name is Nut. Spelled N-U-T and pronounced like the amphibian," she states.
"Nut?"
"The goddess of the skies. See that circle above her head? That's for the moon. When it's full and at the right time, it actually peeks through the window, adorning Nut's crown."
"Interesting. I'm sure the view is amazing."
"It is."
"So, how many goddesses do you have in here?"
"Three. Bastet over the fireplace, Nut at the balcony door, and Mother Isis on the ceiling." She points to the area above her bed where the classic hieroglyphic pose of the queen of the Egyptian gods lies. "All three of these goddesses are my protectors in here," she informs, "I pray to them the most anyway."
"Hm," he heads to the two reading chairs in front of the fireplace, "What's in here?"
"Somewhat the reason why I invited you here. There's an issue I'd like to discuss with you."
Kurama takes a seat, "I'm listening. I have some questions for you as well."
Kiyoni follows suit and opens one of the boxes which happens to be a game board filled with multicolored stones, "Care to talk over a game of mancala?"
"You'll have to show me how to play."
"Fine by me." The two spend a considerable amount of time playing in order for Kurama to get the hang of it. By the time he catches on, the real discussion begins.
"So, what is it you wanted ask me about?"
"I'm asking for another favor from you. It involves Hiei." By now, both Akio and Kenichi are at attention.
"What about him?"
"He's been arrested…for stealing."
"That's no surprise. It's somewhat his thing. I would've attempted to do so, myself, if I was still in my ways. Where is he now?"
"Let's hope you're not," Kenichi mumbles.
"He's in his room under heavy guard. My mom is letting me decide his punishment since he's my guest. That's where you come in," Kiyoni implies.
"How so?"
"Tomorrow, I have plans for all of us to lend a helping hand. Since my birthday bash will be a big deal around here, everyone practically drops their daily routine and prepares for the fun. I would like to send you and Hiei to the country's mine fields."
"Why and what's over there?"
"Why? If someone like Hiei can steal things with ease, including from that area, then that means our security system needs some work. Since, the both of you are experts in the art of thieving, it's only fitting for you to be over there. What's over there is the financial backbone of this country: gems and metals, one of which was the basis of Tai's, Utsue's, and Yoshiaki's weapons."
"Experts in the art of thieving. Didn't Mister Yomi mention someone who was a master thief," Akio questions.
"Yes, but his name was 'Kurama', not 'Shuuichi', sir," Kenichi answers.
"Yes but, Yomi also did say that this 'Kurama' fellow left the demon world to live his life as a human…"
"Are you implying that 'Kurama' and 'Shuuichi' are the same?"
"…Could be. Has she ever mentioned the name 'Kurama' around you?"
"N-no, not that I remember, my lord."
Akio observes the monitor again.
"So you're sending me and Hiei over to the mine fields for security," Kurama reiterates as he makes his game move.
"Yep, that's basically it," Kiyoni answers, "I'm sure you'll get some serious brownie points by doing this for me."
"What about everyone else?"
"I have plans for them, don't worry," she gets up to open the balcony door for extra air, "So, will you do it? Provided you can keep your hands to yourself?"
She's surprised when Kurama wraps his arms around her, "I already have this kingdom's most precious treasure in my arms. Why would I want more?" The guards take a stance as Kenichi and Akio keep watching.
"Think of it this way: if you don't do this, Hiei's hands will be chopped off." She breaks away from his embrace, the guards return to the "at ease" position.
"Well, if you put it that way, I have no choice but to comply."
"Good," she takes her seat, "Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?"
"Well, since we're talking about valuable items, I wanted to talk to you about your necklace," he sits back down as well.
"Let me start with a question of my own. If you were 'still in your old ways' as you say, would my necklace be on your hit list?"
"…From what I understand of it, yes."
"Clarify."
"A necklace, which holds the power and weapon of its owner's emotions, held by royalty of an unfamiliar territory of demon world? That's something that'll be right up my alley."
"…Would you kill me to get it?"
"…No. Kidnapping and holding you for ransom would be a much more beneficial option. Provided whether or not I can remove it without you or anyone noticing."
"That can't happen."
"Why?"
"The one who can remove this thing is its owner. Anyone else would be subjected to its defense mechanism. Not even my own mother is immune since she gave it away. You saw how this thing reacted to Tai when he had it, right? After he 'killed' me?"
Akio thinks about Kurama's last statements, "Are 'Kurama' and 'Shuuichi' the same person?"
"Permit me to interrogate you," Kurama adjusts his position, "What specific emotions does your pendant react to?"
"Mostly positive ones. Happiness, excitement, anticipation," she blushes a little as she looks at Kurama, "…infatuation." Her pendant glows again, causing her to cover it up. It doesn't favor her whatsoever.
He smiles at that last part, "Infatuation, huh? I'll keep that in mind."
Kiyoni focuses her attention on the other wooden box on the table, "Next subject. Wanna take a guess as to what's in here?"
"More mancala beads," he jokes.
"Funny, smartass," she opens the box, "Ta-da!"
"What are those?"
Inside the box are two sets of dome-shaped, rainbow arranged stones with a rounded-flat, multifaceted diamond in the middle, "This, my friend, is a chakra stone set for two. My parents used to tell me stories about these."
"What were they about?"
She replies in a sweet, whispered tone, "How and why they got so close."
Kurama looks back at the box, "What's the diamond in the middle for?"
"That represents the spirit chakra, the one that transcends you into the universe. And…that's what I would like for us to do."
"Explore the universe? Sounds like an out-of-body experience."
"Honestly, what I'm hoping to do with this is…make up for lost time." She nibbles on her lower lip.
"How so?"
By now, Kiyoni is leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and her fingers interlaced, "By connecting our bodies, minds, and spirits, we can, at least, see each other's memories…from the last seven years," tears start to fall from her eyes, "Starting with…the day I left home…the day I left you."
Kurama thinks for a moment, "Are you sure you wanna do that? I can see you struggling to keep it together now. I mean, think about how happy you are at this very mom-,"
"-I don't care about right now! After speaking with Yomi, and witnessing your interactions with everyone else, I feel so out of place. Like there's one big puzzle piece about you that I have yet to find and put together. I missed out on so many big things; meeting your friends, your mom's wedding…and then there's all the stuff you weren't there for me like my coronation, the time I was selected to be my mom's successor, the very first time I transformed," a thought pops up, "Now that I think about it, you probably transformed, didn't you?" Akio and Kenichi are really taking notice.
A few cackles from the fireplace become background noise as Kurama stares at his beloved with a serious yet neutral face, "…Yes…a few times."
Kiyoni immediately heads for her balcony again with her hands fully covering her face. "See?! That's exactly my point. It's not fair! I was the first person you shared your secret with and yet, it was them who witnessed it. A few times?! And I missed every single one!"
Kurama chases after her, "Kiyoni, relax. It's not that big of a deal. You should stop feeling sorry for yourself." Unfortunately, neither Kenichi nor Akio thought to place a camera on the balcony, so they miss out on this part of the conversation.
"Oh, yeah? Then what are you waiting for? I wanna see your fox form, right now."
He crosses his arms, "…I cannot do that."
"Why?"
"Two years ago, I made a promise to myself. One that said-,"
"-That you refuse to transform or rely on Youko? Yeah, Yomi said the same thing. He was disappointed when you did that. As am I. And I'm not sorry, I'm pissed. Fuck you very much."
That struck a nerve, "This coming from someone who probably had no intensions on fully sharing her own secrets," Kurama takes a sarcastic bow, "A pleasure to meet you, Princess Pot. I'm, Sir Kettle." That silenced her.
Wiping tears from her eyes and speaking in a low tone, "Maybe I'm acting out of jealousy. It's just…even though we're in a relationship, I feel like I don't know you…and, in a way, you don't know me."
He attempts to embrace her again, "How could you say something like that? Of course, we know each other."
She breaks away, "No, we don't. Our best memories can be summed up in four years and two months. I can easily ask someone like Yusuke or Botan about you and they can give me stories on how long they've known you."
"Hm, only two years' worth though."
"So?! At least they're recent! What I can do is tell stories only from our days as kids. That can only go so far. What I'm saying is that we only know ourselves…from then…not now."
"And you really believe those stones would do the trick?"
She nods her head, "I don't believe, I know. Shuuichi, please. Share this with me." Despite being outside at night, Kurama can clearly see the desperation in Kiyoni's eyes.
Against his stance on dwelling in the past, Kurama gives in; wiping Kiyoni's remaining tears, "Alright. Your inquiry about our pasts will be answered. I'm in."
With a cheerful smile, Kiyoni runs back into her room to set things up with Kurama close behind. Akio and Kenichi finally have their subjects back in view. "What's going on now," Kenichi wonders.
"Looks like they're going to perform the chakra link routine," Akio answers.
"What do you think we should do?"
"At this point, nothing. The experience is a tiring one so it's best to assume that they'll retire for the night afterwards. We'll let those two guards keep an eye on them until Shuuichi leaves," Akio gets up to head for bed himself, "Could you send that request to them?"
With a short bow from Kenichi, "Yes, my king." Although, he'd rather continue observing his daughter and her boyfriend's actions, Kenichi trusts his king's word and therefore, leaves the two alone. In the meantime, Kiyoni and Kurama prepare for one of the most mystical experiences they will ever have. An experience that will, hopefully, bring them closer together.
