The next morning Kurama walked around aimlessly. Almost without his mind's consent, his feet trailed around, rounding street corners and absentmindedly bringing him closer and closer to the park he'd seen her at two days ago. The events of yesterday were still in his mind, fogging his senses. He still couldn't believe Kuronue had other allies, ones that he'd never heard of.

Then he heard a familiar sound. It was a girl laughing. And not just any girl. It was her, the rose in the garden of weeds that was his. . .he stopped himself, thinking, What the hell am I doing? But that sound kept haunting him, and he couldn't keep away from it. Almost involuntarily he found himself following her. The gravel crunched beneath his feet on the crisp autumn day. Leaves swirled around his head, and the sun was concealed behind a shroud of gray fog. The day matched his mood perfectly. It was as though the sun had chosen to brood with him.

The mysterious maiden stopped at a park for lunch, and as she sat down on a picnic blanket she turned her gaze directly to Kurama.

"You can come down from there now!" she called to him.

What? Kurama thought frantically, almost falling out of the tree he was sitting in. He scrambled for a handhold, and found one without rustling the leaves too much. How did she see me? Maybe if I just stayed still . . .

 Kurama thought frantically, almost falling out of the tree he was sitting in. He scrambled for a handhold, and found one without rustling the leaves much.

"I know you're there! You've been following me for the past hour! Come and have lunch with me! I made it myself so I know it's good!" She called out again, gesturing at the bento she'd brought with her.

After a few moments of debate, Kurama reluctantly jumped down and introduced himself. "I'm Shuichi Minamino. Sorry I scared you."

Now that he could see her closely, it became clear just what had attracted him to her in the first place. She looked stunningly like Mirakuru, save that her eyes were a clearer blue, and had lost that stormy look. But, her smile was still cocked slightly, and her long onyx hair was still held back by a royal blue headband. Kurama wasn't sure what this resemblance meant, but it was enough to pull him back into a sea of memories, some of which were painful, but most were of a time he'd miss for the rest of his life.

"Oh, you didn't scare me. I was flattered, actually." The girl replied unworriedly.

"Really . . . ?" Kurama asked incredulously, taken aback by her casual and trusting manner. Just who is she that she's not afraid of stalkers?

She grinned widely. "Yep. My name is Mirakuru Tsukihana. I just moved here, and I go to Sarayashiki High. Do you go there? Sorry if I never noticed you before. But it's such a big school, and I'm so bad with both faces and names . . ." She grinned again, sheepishly this time.

Hearing her name caused his heart to sting with another pang of longing. What trick was fate trying to play on him? He smiled to cover his thoughts, hoping none of them had played across his face, and replied, "No, I don't go to Sarayashiki. But do you remember anything about a Youko Kurama?"

Mirakuru thought for a few moments. Something tugged at her mind, but the more she tried to reach for it, the more it faded away. It was like waking from a pleasant dream, and trying to recall just what it was you were dreaming of, only to find you don't remember. She was forced to say, "No, I can't say I do."

Kurama let out a mental sigh. It was just his luck to think he found Mirakuru's reincarnation, only to discover it was but an imitation. He should have known by the way she was so trusting. Mirakuru had always been cautious around people she didn't know. Or maybe she'd simply been raised that way? Was this her true self? No, impossible. He couldn't bear to have his hopes rise again, only to be crushed.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering because Mirakuru is obviously not a common name and used to have a friend with that same moniker. I was simply trying to see if you were my long lost acquaintance. Anyway, I don't go to Sarayashiki, but several of my friends do. Have you heard of Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Keiko Yukimura?"

Mirakuru still wanted to reflect on her earlier deja vu, but since Kurama's reaction made it all too clear that he'd rather not talk about it, she didn't pursue the subject. "Oh, you mean the two punks?" she asked with a half grimace, picturing Yusuke flipping Keiko's skirt, and Kuwabara challenging Yusuke to yet another street brawl. "They're your friends!"

"That's them. But underneath that tough exterior, they're very kindhearted idiots." Kurama weakly attempted a pun.

Mirakuru giggled appreciatively, and replied, "Keiko's the perfect one, isn't she? How can someone be so pretty, talented and smart, and not be a total bitch because of it? She's so nice, it's because of her I was on time for my classes."

"That's Keiko for you. I'm not surprised that Yusuke fell in love with her. The surprising thing is that she loves him back!" They both laughed, and the awkward feeling that accompanied their first few words to each other quickly faded away.

It was to be an afternoon to remember. The fog cleared up, and the sun shone furiously. The surrounding trees cloaked them in vibrant hues of sunfire orange, their leaves drifting down nonchalantly, dancing to a silent rhythm. The birds chirped their charmingly uncoordinated melodies with renewed vigor, and the serene gurgling of a nearby fountain mingled with their voices.

Mirakuru wondered at the strange feeling that had taken root in her mind. It was like a rapidly growing flower, blossoming with every moment she spent with Kurama. Her heart had started pounding wildly, and a strange heat was rising in her cheeks. And somehow, even though they'd just met, she felt as if she knew him. She felt as though she could tell him anything. It just felt so right, somehow, being with him. What was her heart trying to tell her?

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Without realizing it, she'd stopped talking and left him waiting for a reply.

"Oh, no." She stuffed a piece of sushi in her mouth and chewed it furiously, her heart racing. Should I ask him to the Autumn Ball? Why not? I hardly know anyone else, and with the way we met, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel as though I know him from somewhere. Could this be the fairytale ending I've been hoping for?

She swallowed her sushi in one big gulp, and blurted, "Umm . . . Uwancomdancewime?

Kurama settled for looking politely puzzled. "What?"

Blushing furiously, looking as though she'd love to melt into the ground, Mirakuru took a gulp of air and began again. "There's a dance at school on Friday. You wanna come with me?"

Kurama choked on his sushi and had a small coughing fit. "Yaa wha!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should've known you had a date to the dance. Or a girlfriend." Mirakuru's smile wilted like a dying rose.

"I don't-"

"Then it's me you don't like? I just thought because you were following me-oh never mind. I'm being stupid." Mirakuru's happy mood evaporated like the earlier mist, and she seemed to shrink before his eyes.

"I-" Kurama began again, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"I'm sorry. I have to go now." she started to pack up the remains of lunch, looking so downcast that Kurama let his guard down for one crucial second.

"I do like you, I don't have a date, and WHY THE HECK DOES EVERYONE THINK I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Kurama exploded.

Mirakuru smiled again and replied gleefully: "Well, you do now, don't you?"

Before Kurama realized fully what he'd gotten himself involved in, she walked off, her steps light and bouncing. And she was singing a silly little song about love.

Then she stopped abruptly, turned back and gave Kurama a hug. Before he could say another word, she was on her way, waving until she was out of sight.

"Don't have a girlfriend, my ass." Hiei had appeared out of nowhere standing at Kurama's side.

"Well, y'see, she. . .uhh. . .we're not really. . .I don't like her that much. . ." Kurama stammered, searching his mind for a plausible explanation.

"Don't lie to someone with a Jagan. You made her really happy. Her whole aura was glowing an especially revolting shade of pink. She reeked joy and all those other sweet," Hiei spat out the word as though it was poison, "emotions. And not that I really care, but weren't you supposed to stay away from people close to you?" Then Hiei, satisfied that Kurama now felt like a total, godforsaken, brainless idiot, teleported to who knows where, leaving Kurama to wage a mental war.

The thing that annoyed him most was that deep down, he really wanted her to ask him to that dance. And now, he was kicking himself mentally for saying yes. What abominably stupid part of his conscious mind had led him to this? How was it that years of restraining his emotions had all been wasted, dispelled by one whom he hadn't even known for more than a few hours? Did he want to get her killed? There was no way he was going through with this. But she'd be crushed.

He could barely drag himself through the week's classes. Just when he thought he'd found an escape from his problems, it led to an even bigger one. Why was fate so cruel? Was this to be his atonement for his sins in the past life?

"What am I gonna do?"