Rating: PG or PG13
Theme: Feeling Sick
Disclaimer: Didn't think of the themes, don't own the animanga. No touchie, no suie.
Summary: Yomi learns that all things are living.

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"Take this… And go fifty meters ahead. Don't look back or at me, and stay low to the ground. Move… slowly…"

Kurama's voice was eerily low and his breath was practically non-existent. He was still harsh and menacing while he spoke, but he held no tremor lest they be discovered by their enemies.

Not that they would have a problem getting away alive.

Yomi took the bejeweled clutch case and another trinket from Kurama and nodded twice, making sure that his breathing was low and even, and he pressed his shoulders to the dirty ground.

Yomi tried making no noise at all, but his arms trembled as he slid on the ground like a serpent and he breathed hard through his nose. He couldn't move without sound, and it was obvious that Kurama had been doing this a lot longer than he has. Yomi twitched his ears to be aware of his surroundings, and felt the dirt beneath his hands suddenly grow cold. He was able to see the guards in the distance through the brush, and he cocked his head so he could look for Kurama. Yomi took another crawl and his knees crushed a dry stick.

ck – CRACK!

Yomi covered his mouth to keep himself from cursing.

He heard mumblings from the guards in the distance, behind him, and he started to panic just a little bit. Afraid he was to get caught and scolded (or worse) either by the guards or Kurama, Yomi scurried as quietly as he could manage through his path. His movements sent waves in the brush.

ka-PING!

One of Yomi's horns poked up from the brush and Yomi saw Youko Kurama run in haste across his path. A guard held up a pebble that hit him in the face.

"Aië! God dammit!" one of the guards squealed in pain, and suddenly, tiny leaves and flowers of an assortment of colours and textures burst through his skin and he collapsed. Yomi ran.

Yomi kept running through the forest until he spotted a dugout and buried himself into the entrance. Kurama appeared next to him.

"An apology for this mishap," Kurama greeted a group of young men holding their hands out, and their jewels were exchanged for two sacks of heavy metal coins. Kurama tossed the sacks to make sure they were of equal weight and nodded appropriately.

"Much obliged, sir!" Yomi chirped, panting, and Kurama pushed him to turn around. They headed off.

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They were ways off from where they had bolted and Kurama was now strolling with a coin sac in his hand, opening it and counting the amount of money they had earned. Yomi, trying not to pant too loudly, walked behind Kurama.

"I don't understand how you can be so cool, Kurama," Yomi chirped, mildly pleased. Kurama kept walking ahead of him, his upper lip twitching in agitation unbeknownst to the younger youkai. "Even in the hairiest situations you manage to get yourself out of some deep shit."

"It wouldn't have been so bad if you knew how to follow directions," Kurama said, not looking back at him. "You're lucky I took care of it before they managed to find you and gut you."

Yomi didn't take his chief's suggestions about committing himself to Kurama completely too seriously. The horned youkai was of his own free will, now that he was growing out of adolescence and could take care for himself. Kurama wasn't right all the time.

Kurama kept walking and arranging the drawstring pouch to hang off of his sash, ignoring Yomi's humming. They past a few large trees along the cleared path and Yomi looked down at the ground to see tiny green and multi-coloured sprouting buds spring from the fox's feet as he walked. Careful not to step on the new seedlings his friend was planting, Yomi moved to the side and stopped at an unusually large tree and unsheathed a dagger from his breaches. He held the tip of the blade to the front of the tree and began to make deep incisions in the tree, flaking off large pieces of bark.

At the first sound of cutting, Kurama was instantly in his face.

"What are you doing?" Kurama growled, snatching the knife away from Yomi.

"Hmm? I'm carving your name in the tree," Yomi answered, confused at his comrades reaction.

For a moment, Yomi was afraid that Kurama was about the strike him, with such a menacing look on his face. The youko tossed the dagger away behind him and grabbed Yomi's wrist. He immediately tensed. Kurama pushed Yomi's palm against the humungous tree, the youko's long fingernails dug into his skin.

"This tree is dying," His eyes almost looked horrified. "Can't you feel that it's in pain?" Kurama asked.

Yomi didn't know how to respond to his comrade. Of course he couldn't feel the trees "pain". He didn't have any extraordinary elemental powers, nor did he have a sixth sense for soulless beings. With his hand pressed firmly to the tree, Yomi felt absolutely no spectral power, and suddenly felt embarrassed and overwhelmed with his friend's sudden emotion.

Kurama, however, felt everything. His brows furrowed in concentration, pushing Yomi's hand farther into the tree, it seemed. Kurama looked at Yomi with hard, callous eyes, filled with contempt and anger. The youko's energy rose and Yomi's entire body tensed up.

He was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea, and his head seemed to swell, making his eyes flutter and his temples throb. A twinge of pain went directly down his spine and down right into the soles of his feet. He felt a hot heat on his face and perspiration began to exude from nearly every pore in his body. His jaw went slack, and his limbs gave out, it made his knees buckle. The only thing that held him up was Youko Kurama's arms and his hand firmly jammed into the tree trunk.

Yomi felt how deathly ill this tree was.

"Don't ever harm another tree in such pain again." Kurama said lowly.

Yomi could only stare at his comrade with half-lidded eyes, and nodded slowly. Kurama glared at him once over and hauled his friend up to stand straight.

"Come on, now."

Once Yomi was up righted and Kurama's energy dissipated, Yomi felt extreme relief. He sighed when he was released from the tree. Kurama moved on forward, but Yomi stood and stared at the dying tree for another long moment.

Yomi looked back at Kurama, and followed the path of newly birthed seedlings that sprung from his feet.

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Reviews please? bows graciously