He ran as fast as he could, tripping over his own legs in a frantic attempt to run away
He ran as fast as he could, tripping over his own legs in a frantic attempt to run away. Cold sweat was dripping off his forehead, as he dodged into the shadows in a panic. Crouching down in a hidden corner of the alleyway, he prayed that his pursuer would not find him.
"Hiding again, are we? Don't bother, I can smell you out from a mile away."
Itsutoki gave a strangled yelp and tried to leap away as a shadow loomed out from behind him. But before he could get any further, a whip cracked and destroyed the wall beside him, causing bricks to fall on top of the poor demon.
"Oww…"
As he scrambled to his feet, his breath was knocked clean out of him as he was pinned against the wall by a strong arm. A pair of cold, golden eyes fixed themselves upon his scared face. He grinned sheepishly.
"Uh… Hello… How… how are you doing, Kurama?"
The kitsune did not reply. Instead, he tightened his grip on Itsutoki's throat.
"Gasp…Hey! I… What do you want?"
"Answers."
"Wh-what?"
"I said, I want answers…"
Itsutoki blinked. "Answers? To what?"
The icy glare he received in return sent a chill down his spine. "Just tell me everything you know… About a certain group of bandits… That could potentially be a threat to one of my members…"
"Oh… You mean that girl… Ack!" Itsutoki choked as Kurama tightened his grip. "Sorry… sorry! I… I don't really know a lot…"
Kurama raised his eyebrows. Then he smiled coldly. "Well then. You won't be much of use to me anymore… I'll just have to dispose of you…"
"Fine! I'll talk! Just don't… Don't go telling people that I spilt the beans, ok? These demons are deadly… They practically kill for fun!"
"Go on. I'm listening…"
"These bandits… They're notorious for murder and theft. They destroy everything, leaving nothing but charred remains in their wake. I wouldn't wanna be the one they're after right now…"
"That person happens to be a part of my team… And I intend to make sure that they do not get anyone of my gang…"
Chapter 8 – Bloodshed under the Silver Moon
Disclaimer: I seriously am tired of typing this… Nevermind, I'm in a good mood, so, Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me, and neither does its characters. They all belong to Yoshihiro Togashi who is by far (to me) the best mangaka ever. Go Yoshihiro Togashi!
"There you are, Kurama!"
The rest of the gang looked up as their leader entered the clearing. Ariya leaped to her feet and walked over to the kitsune.
"Sensei, where did you go to?"
"I went to settle some things with an old friend, that's all…"
"Who? Kuronue?" A scatter-brained idiot asked. Yomi hit him on the head.
As a series of scuffling and punching ensued, Kurama strolled away with Ariya at his heels.
"Sensei, you're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?"
"Heh… I really can't hide anything from you, can I? And don't I always do dangerous stuff?"
"No, I mean… Something… Far more dangerous than you've ever faced… I'm not an idiot, you know…"
"Well, I've always thought you were…"
"Hey, what kind of mentor are you?"
"A really hot and handsome one?"
"Yeah right…" Ariya laughed cheerfully, though turning slightly red at the thought. Kurama smiled, but his heart was breaking somehow…And he didn't know why… He just felt as if this was all too good to last…
"Sensei? May I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
Ariya hesitated before continuing. "Take me with you."
"What?!"
"I said, take me with you…"
Kurama looked into her eyes, dumbfounded. 'She looks really determined to follow me… She'll never change her mind… I know it…'
"Sensei? I really want to fight alongside you… I… I don't want you to leave… And never return… Just like Kuronue-san…"
She quickly wiped her eyes, not wanting Kurama to see her tears. He pretended not to, anyway.
"If I tell you where I'm going to…"
"I won't care. I'm still going to follow."
Kurama sighed. "Do you know why I took you in? Do you remember what I said to you?"
"Yes… And the only reason I trained so hard was to take revenge… But now, I'm happy enough with this life… Revenge doesn't matter…"
"It doesn't?"
Ariya shook her head. "No, it really doesn't matter anymore."
Kurama was silent. 'Well then… If she doesn't want revenge, there's no point for me to do it for her… But I still have to ensure her safety…'
A sleeping forest under the moonlight is a beautiful sight. It is seemingly unblemished, silent and still… But tonight, a shadow crosses this image gracefully…
Ariya ran through the trees silently, her dagger by her side. Not that she used it much, but she always carried it around just in case. It had been given to her by Kuronue, and she treasured it all the more now that he was gone.
She kept her whip the same way Kurama did with his, in her hair. But she used it as an ornament most of the time, a lovely rose adorning her raven black hair… The effect was stunning.
But tonight, she wasn't running off to train. She knew that something was up with Kurama, and she intended to either aid or stop the fox in whatever he was about to do.
Kurama crouched down low behind the old shack. Faint light and loud voices could be heard from within. No doubt another illegal gambling hide-out. Kurama made a soft, angry sound of disgust. Only dirt like those demons would spend their entire time in such a crummy place. Even if they wanted to do illegal gambling, there was no need to hide out here like some smuggler. It would be much more fun if you were being hunted all the time, it was thrilling… Besides, why would anyone want to spend all their money on a useless past time like this? Kurama shook his head. But there were information that one could not obtain from places other than these so he had to consent for this once. Just this once.
He pushed open the door.
"Evening, gentlemen…"
The few demons looked up at him. Some of them had a suspicious gleam in their eyes. But once they saw the faint glint of gold in the small bad at his waist, they shuffled to one side of the table, allowing Kurama to gain access to the gambling table.
An ugly hag-like demon seemed to be calling the shots. He spat on the ground before grunting at Kurama.
"We don't do penniless bishies like you here…"
Kurama threw a couple of gold coins onto the table. "Would that be enough?"
Everyone gaped at him. A small green demon picked up one coin and studied it in the faint light. He then turned around and whispered excitedly: "It's real!"
The old hag narrowed his eyes. Then he grunted and started shuffling some cards. Kurama smirked as his sharp eyes followed the movement of each card. It was obvious that the guy was cheating, hiding a few cards away as he shuffled them. But Kurama had a few tricks up his sleeves too… Not that he had any sleeves…
The game had given him much more than extra gold that night. Kurama had a way of obtaining information from unsuspecting people whenever he wanted to. Sometimes, he could even read the minds of weaker demons. He stole quietly away from the shack and into the forest once more. He was just so close to finding out what he wanted and needed to know.
As he walked silently through the forest, he wondered what would Ariya's reaction be if she ever found out what he was doing for her.
'But it's the only way… I have to make sure I get them before they get her… They've already come so far as to attack my gang… What they would do next, I wonder?'
He stopped short in his tracks and his heart skipped a beat. Ariya was standing right in front of him.
"Ariya! What are you doing out here so late in the night?"
Ariya's eyes were blazing. For a minute or so, Kurama thought he saw anger in them, but the next moment it was gone. She took a tentative step forward.
"Sensei, what was that about?"
"What was what?"
"I followed you, Sensei. I know I shouldn't have, but I had to know where you were going and what you were doing. Why? Sensei, why?"
Kurama didn't know what to say. It seemed as though he was now the pupil and she was now the master. She glared at him with a questioning look that seemed to bore right into the core of his very soul.
"I just felt like having some fun, that's all… Don't worry about me…"
"Please don't try to hide anything from me, Sensei. I heard everything that went on during that game. And there were other times too. Why are you trying to find out about…him?"
"I wasn't… It's just that it's good to know the latest happenings in Makai…"
"He's dangerous, Sensei, very dangerous. He killed my mother… my only family. I don't want to lose another to him again! Please, don't go fighting him… please…"
"I'm only trying to protect you!"
Silence fell between them. Kurama, embarrassed at his sudden outburst, looked away from Ariya. She, however, continued to look at him with pleading eyes.
"Fine then. If you're going to challenge him, then at least take me with you. After all, he did kill my mother…"
"No, it's too dangerous. And besides, I thought you said that you didn't want to take revenge any more?"
"Do you expect me to sit here and watch you kill him when it's supposed to be me who does it? If possible, I wouldn't have you involved. You need not gain an extra enemy, Sensei…"
"But you really can't defeat this demon alone, Ariya. It's not that you're weak or what, but… It's just that… I'll be worried…"
"And do you think I won't be?"
Kurama walked towards her till he was no more than a few centimeters close to her. "Since when have you started to defy your mentor, huh?"
"Since I've decided that I'm not going to let anyone get hurt because of me."
The dark eyes locked the hazel-gold ones with furious determination. Kurama felt furious at being defied by his student, but as he glared at her determined gaze, his look softened. He was speechless, in fact, and all he could utter was just one word.
"Why?"
Ariya looked confused. "Why what, Sensei?"
"Why do all this? If you'd just let me kill that demon for you… You can stay safe, forever… The chances of me losing my life would not be as high as the risk you are prepared to take now. Please… please think about it…"
"You don't understand, Sensei… I was supposed to die anyway… If you hadn't taken me in, I probably wouldn't have lived till now. I cannot allow anyone else to die for me… My mother died for me… And if I do lose my life taking revenge for her… Well then, I'll just get to meet her soon…"
"And you're just going to leave me here? Alone?"
Kurama was devastated. He could not believe that she was prepared to risk everything, just to try and protect the last person that she held dear to her. If only she knew how he felt… But would anything change even if she did?
Ariya turned and smiled at him.
"You won't be alone, Sensei. You're getting a little too worked up over this. I said that I wouldn't let you take revenge for me, but that doesn't mean that I was going to go look for that murderer and take revenge right now. All I said was that there was no need for you to go this far."
She approached his side and touched his hand. "Come on, let's go. It's quite late, you know…"
Kurama didn't quite hear the last sentence. Something was bugging him to say something, to try and ask her to stay by his side forever… But the words just wouldn't come out. 'Maybe… maybe we should just leave things as they are…' he thought.
A sudden stillness brought him back to his senses. He could feel Ariya's grip tighten on his arm. He didn't need to ask, something was definitely wrong. Everything seemed a little too quiet.
'What happened to the sounds from that gambling shack? They were still a little audible just a few minutes ago…'
A cold wind rushed past them. Kurama could sense another presence with them. Instinctively, he pushed Ariya behind him and turned around to face the newcomer. Cold laughter rang in the distance as a figure emerged from the depths of the shadows like a ghost. Ariya herself felt so cold all of a sudden. Somehow, that person looked so familiar…
The figure was tall and dark, somehow like a vampire. His long hair had a look of a banshee, and bloody fangs sprung from his grinning mouth. Long claws protruded from his hands, one of which was clutching a serrated sword with blood still dripping from it.
"It's been such a long time, little girl…"
Everything came back in a flash. Raging fire, blood everywhere, women and children crying for help, their pleas falling on deaf ears… And her mother… Her screams… So clearly etched in her mind…
Ariya gave a cry. "You! You murderer!"
The demon gave a malicious laugh. "Murderer? That's not very nice to hear… Of course, the fact that I'm here today will probably allow me to live up to that name…"
Kurama smirked. "So it was you who attacked my bandits and silenced those gamblers, am I correct? Well, I'll have you know, I won't take such an offence lying down…"
"Of course you won't. Because I'll make you lie down at my feet. Dead."
"My, my… Getting cocky, are we?"
Even though he was speaking confidently, Kurama had some doubts. 'He seems rather strong. Either he's an idiot, or he really is as strong as he says he is…'
"You, fox… I'm feeling rather merciful today, so I'll let you escape with your life. Just hand over the girl and we'll call it even, ok?"
"Over my dead body!"
Kurama lunged at the demon with his whip. His swift movement caught the demon by surprise, but Ariya read her mentor's mind even before he attacked. She leapt towards the right to prevent the demon from escaping as both teacher and student brought down a devastating slash that would slice anyone into two immediately.
Both whips seemed to hit their intended target. But before his whip touched the ground, Kurama could sense that something was amiss.
He wasn't wrong.
"What the…?"
Kurama never got to finish his sentence. A sudden blow from behind sent him crashing into some trees. On the other side, Ariya was thrown to the ground too but recovered faster and counter-attacked almost immediately after she had picked herself up.
"Trying to take revenge, I see… Well, you can go tell your mother that you tried your best, I'm sure she'll be very proud…"
This statement earned him a cut across his cheek. Licking the blood that trickled down his face away, he grinned.
"Mmm… Feisty…"
Ariya was shaking with anger. How can someone just kill for fun and without feeling any remorse either? Such people didn't deserve to live…
Kurama whipped out an Ojigi plant and sent it after his opponent. Within seconds, the plant was nothing but shreds on the ground as the demon made quick work of it with his sword.
"Stupid animal… I guess I have to dispose of you first before I kill your student…"
"Not if I can help it… I won't let you hurt her, not ever…"
Kurama aimed a fatal blow at him. "Now, die!"
Blood dripped down from her wrists as she struggled to get back on her feet. A few feet away, a silver fox lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding heavily from a wound at his side.
As soon as she managed to stand up, a kick delivered to her side caused her to crumple to the ground again.
"You've given me more trouble than all those bloody villagers put together… Oh how I'd love to hear you beg for mercy at my feet just like how many of them did…"
Ariya staggered sideways. She tried to edge towards Kurama, but the demon gave her another blow.
"What are you trying to do now, huh? Crawl back to your mentor? Forget it, he's better off dead…"
"Leave him alone…"
"What's that? Did I hear wrong? You're begging for his life?"
"I'm not begging… Just… Leave him alone!"
The demon smirked. "But I don't like that arrogant look on his face. I want him to die for that…"
Kurama stirred a little. He had overheard the conversation that had been going on since the past few minutes. Opening his eyes a little, he was just in time to see Ariya collapse on the ground again. Then he heard the demon whisper.
"I promise… I'll make his death swift and painless… Seeing as you begged for his life so earnestly… But you shall have to die in pain, my dear…"
Kurama reached for his rose. He had enough energy left for a final blow, but that was it. Better make it worth while. He had to save her no matter what it took.
"Get your hands off her!"
The whip exploded in mid air. The demon stood up and glared at Kurama.
"Now you made me mad… Why can't you just stay dead? Now you shall have to watch me kill her before your eyes… And that's such a pity, isn't it?"
The energy blast directed at him hit Kurama squarely in the chest. As his vision became foggy, his last thoughts were hopes that someone would come and help…
Ok, I know that I took rather long to finish this chapter, and I apologize for it. But I'm going through some tough times now, and I have some problems to settle, so I'm really sorry for taking so long.
Meanwhile, please R&R, I live off those reviews! Haha! So, bye for now! Au revoir! Wait for the next chapter, my dears!
