Summary: For Mika, life is a constant struggle for survival. After some very unfortunate situations, she has isolated herself and is dangerously close to losing her sanity. That is, until she meets Kurama who turns her life upside down. But things begin to get out of control when it is discovered that she could have some strange connection to a mysterious legendary force that could be plotting a major takeover of all three worlds! Could her misery be nothing more that a cruel twist of fate or is this all connected to something even bigger?

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu Yu Hakusho do you really think that I'd be here writing this fanfic? I do however own all OCs in this story and the plot!

Angel's Cry

Chapter 2

"Flames"

Bright sunlight streamed through the panes of the dirty windows, dimly lighting the tiny bedroom. The notes of a sweet morning birdsong danced throughout the air filling the otherwise silent forest with sound. All was peaceful, but inside the young woman's dreams---everything was all but that.

16

"She passed out at work? Had she shown any signs of the pregnancy before?"

"Yes, we didn't know what had happened. I had no idea she was pregnant. She didn't gain any weight. She rarely eats."

"Do you know who the father is?"

"I... I think I know who it is. You see... I suspect that... that she had been raped."

The young woman lied in a hospital bed, propped up by many fluffy pillows. Her silvery bangs stuck to her face and her breathing was ragged from exhaustion. She could hear her boss and the nurse discussing her situation outside the door.

A day ago, she had gone to work just like she did every other day. It was another boring day when suddenly she felt something warm and wet slide down her leg and soon she had been engulfed with pain that was so unbearable.

She remembered someone screaming---had it been a coworker? Or had it been her? She remembered being put on a stretcher and into an ambulance. And the warmth of her boss's hand on her face, and her soothing murmurs as tears ran down her cheeks. She remembered how shocked she had been when she a nurse told her that she had been pregnant and was about to have a baby. She remembered how frightened she had been. She remembered how she had screamed for an abortion.

She remembered how she believed that the child would grow to be just like its father---a cold and heartless monster. An evil thing sent from the deepest pits of Hell just to torment her.

She lied in the hospital bed, her eyes closed as she began to think things over. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to be with her? She wouldn't have to be alone anymore. She would finally have someone to love and someone to love her in return. She'd have someone to care for and someone to care for her.

She would heal her shattered soul and she'd be happy again. She'd have a family.

I want this child more than anything now, she thought as she began to drift in and out of consciousness.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

The young woman opened her tired eyes only to be met with the sight of a tall man staring down at her. Her jaw tightened and her lips became a straight line as she glared at him.

The doctor frowned at her coldness and cleared his throat as he nervously fumbled with his fingers. "I'm afraid that I have some very upsetting news for you. I regret to inform you that your child... your child did not make it. She was born with many severe complications and we were unable to save her. I am so sorry... if there is anything we can do please let us know." He bowed quickly and left the room.

The young woman sat in silence. The only sound heard was the 'click' of the closing door. The room suddenly began to swim before her as she was reduced to tears. She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in her lap, shaking uncontrollably with grief.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that her chance at happiness had been snatched away from her. It wasn't fair how her only and first-born child had been stolen from her. She hadn't even got to hold her nor did she even get to get a good look at the marvelous miracle that she could have been---that she had been.

The future that had shined so brightly before her evaporated. Her child was gone along with the last of her hope.

The young woman continued to pour her heart out for the next hour. Within that time her boss, several doctors, and many nurses came in to express their sympathy and concerns but she ignored them all and wallowed in her despair. It was when she couldn't cry any longer that she climbed out of bed and dragged herself towards the window. She looked outside and all she could see was the rain.

The rain that fell endlessly like the tears in her heart.

She let out a cry. A cry strangled with the pain, the grief, and the anger that filled her mere existence.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She screeched to the heavens. "Why? What did I do to deserve this? What do you want from me? You've taken everything I have and never given me what I wanted! What more do you want from me? I have nothing more to give!"

"Ma'am, I know you're upset... but you must calm down! You're tired, please, lie down..." Someone pleaded as they tugged on her arm, dragging her away from the window.

"NO!" She screeched as she turned around, her eyes burning with mixed emotions. "Let go of me! Leave me alone! Leave me to die! I hate everything! I hate everyone! I hate myself!"

"Mika, please, stop!" Her boss ran to help the nurse, grabbing the woman's other arm, and they both began to drag her away from the window.

There was a rush of people and screaming. She suddenly felt something sharp being pushed into her arm. And then...

Everything faded to black.

The young woman let out a gasp as she bolted upright. She squeezed her eyes shut as the horrible memory continued to play over and over through her head like a broken record. She shook her head as her eyes began to water and reminded herself that it was all in the past. She stood and crossed to the opposite side of the room and opened the grimy window. She rested her arms on the window sill and took a deep breath of the musky forest air in a desperate attempt to calm herself. It was then that she decided that a bath in the nearby river would do her some good.

She quickly hurried towards the old wardrobe that stood in the corner and rummaged through the almost empty drawers for something to wear. She pulled out a pair of old ripped pants and an old faded shirt that her boss had given her out of pity. She grabbed an old rag that hung on a hook near the door and started down the corridor and descended down the stairs.

When she came into the main room, she froze. She had forgotten about the four mysterious visitors that had appeared out of nowhere just the night before. One lied sprawled across the floor. Another sat on the windowsill, his head resting against the window as he slept soundly. And another slept, what seemed rather uncomfortably, in the ragged armchair.

The young woman's heart began to beat wildly. She couldn't help it----horrible memories flooded back. She felt fear grip her heart as she relived those nightmares over and over again in her head.

"Miss?"

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She let out a surprised scream that woke up the men that were asleep. Her eyes widened as she watched as each of them slowly opened their eyes and turned to look at her. Their eyes were clouded with heavy sleep and shone with dull vacancy as if they were in a trance. It reminded her of the way Taro used to stare at her with his cold lust-filled eyes.

It was just too much---she dropped her things and bolted for the front door.

"Miss? Wait!"

She threw the door open and ran blindly across the clearing. She didn't care where she went, just as long as it was far far away. She could hear an extra pair of footsteps pounding against the ground and realized that someone was chasing after her. She suddenly took a sharp left turn and dashed down an overgrown path, attempting to shake off her pursuer. She closed her eyes and used her arms to shield her face from the tree branches that hung low over her path. She felt something sharp slash her cheek but she didn't stop.

"Wait!"

Her feet were pounding in symphony with her racing heart. She had a stitch in her side that burned. But she couldn't stop running. She just couldn't.

"Please wait!"

She let out a yelp as she tripped over an exposed tree root which sent her tumbling to ground. She could hear the rustle of leaves and knew that her pursuer was getting closer. She scrambled to her knees and attempted to stand, but she let out a yell when she put weight on her leg. She looked down and realized that she had skinned her leg rather badly on a sharp rock that stuck out of the ground. The cut was taut and was bound to leave a scar.

"Are you alright?" A soft voice questioned.

She looked up only to see the redhead from the night before looming over her. It was the same way that her father used to stand over her when he was angry.

The redhead watched as she backed away from him and into a tree. She lowered her head and covered it with her arms as if she were preparing herself to receive a strike to the head. His eyebrows collided with confusion and then he realized that he must have frightened her somehow. He kneeled beside her. "Don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you."

She slowly lowered her arms and looked up only to find herself staring into a pair of emerald green eyes. She could feel her heart speed even more, if that were even possibly, as she realized how dangerously close he was to her. There was no escape, not with her pinned against the tree and her bad knee.

She lowered her head and kept her gaze on the ground, willing her eyes to empty themselves of all emotion and facial features to lock into place. He could do what he wanted with her. But she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear on her face or the tears in her eyes.

"You hurt yourself. Here, let me take a look at that." She let out a gasp when she felt him grab onto her leg. He was not rough but it still frightened her a bit. The redhead ran his finger along the cut causing her to wince. "Oh, did that hurt? I'm sorry."

She watched him carefully, one eyebrow slightly puckered in confusion. He was...sorry?

"I guess I gave you a fright didn't I? I apologize," he murmured as examined the cut again. "The cut is deep. It's going to leave a scar."

She yelled at herself not to, but her guard slowly fell. She sighed, closed her eyes and leaned her head against the tree trunk. She could feel her pounding heart slow and she could feel herself relaxing as the same feeling of security overcame her. It was strange...how just one simple gesture could make her feel so at ease.

Certainly if he was going to harm her or do something to her, he would have done it by now? He wouldn't be sitting there, apologizing and making sure she was okay. Would he...?

"Here," the redhead withdrew a rag from his pocket. He began to speak to her as he tied it around her leg, "You dropped this when you ran. I picked it up. I guess that this will have to do for now. When we get back I'll clean it and wrap it up for you with some medical tape."

She opened her eyes and stared at him. She couldn't remember the last time that someone had treated her with so much kindness.

"Forgive me for being rude, I never properly introduced myself. My name is Kurama. What is your name?"

She closed her eyes as she tried to figure out what the strange feeling in her heart was. It was something that she had only felt a couple times in her life. She opened her eyes and stared deep into his as if searching for some sign that would alert her that he was deceiving her. After searching for what seemed an eternity she finally concluded that he was no threat to her. She felt like could actually trust him, something that was rare for her.

"Mika," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Mika? That's a nice name." He stood up and held out his hand for her. She stared at his hand and hesitated for a moment before she reached up and grabbed it. He pulled her to her feet and let her lean against him as they began to walk back towards the direction that they had come. "Let's get you back home."

She stopped walking when she felt him tense beside her. She turned and looked at him questioningly. He was silent for a moment, his bright emerald eyes scanning the area around them.

"Listen..."

She stood still and closed her eyes. Although it was very faint, she could hear the sound of yelling and what seemed to be explosions from the area from whence they came.

"I need to get back as quick as I can. Since you're hurt, I will carry you. Is that all right?"

She said nothing but instead watched as Kurama crouched down. She hesitated before she climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stood and as soon as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he took off.

The sounds of yelling were getting louder as they made their way through the forest. It was a couple minutes later that she could see exactly what was going on. And the sight of it shocked her.

Thick clouds of smoke curled through the air and the area surrounding it was as hot as a furnace. And that's when she saw it. Her house...on fire.

Standing before the burning cottage was what looked to be a very deformed man. His skin was a sickening acid green color. He had two tiny horns sticking out of the front of his head and he had two arms each equipped with long claws that were a sickening yellow color.

"Give it up, monster!" The man with slicked-back hair yelled. His other friends stood behind him staring at the demon hatefully. "I don't know how you managed to escape last night, but you're not gonna do it again!"

Her eyes widened in fear as she stared at the creature's face. His eyes were cold, and his ugly face twisted into a disgusting toothy smile.

"Mika, find a place to hide. Don't come back. I will come and find you." Kurama whispered as he kneeled down to let her get off of his back. He reached in his thick mane of fiery hair and withdrew a blood red rose.

Mika watched in amazement as the rose began to glow and transformed into what looked to be a thick green whip with thousands of thorns.

"Quickly!" He whispered so that he didn't draw attention to the two of them. "If he sees you he will attack."

She nodded before she turned on her heel and began to run as fast as she could with her injured leg. She didn't get very far when she suddenly felt something sharp dig into her wrist and yank her backwards.

"Where do you think you're going, girly?"

Mika looked up only to be met with the sight of another monster. His skin was a deep blue color and he had two horns protruding from his skull just like his ally. He smirked at her as he stared down at her with his cruel eyes. He continued to dig his claws into her skin causing her to wince in pain. He smirked and lifted her into the air by her arm, letting her dangle pathetically beside him.

"Look what I've found!" He shouted to his friend.

His friend snickered as he stared at the struggling woman. "She doesn't have much meat on her, does she? Oh, well."

"Let her go!" Kurama shouted.

"Not a chance. She's the appetizer and you and your friends will be---"

The monster suddenly let out a roar of pain and dropped Mika as he reached to grab his eye. She jumped to her feet and in her shaking hands she held a tree branch that she had pulled from a nearby tree. She had stabbed the monster in the eye.

"You insolent little human girl!" The demon roared as he staggered backwards in pain. "You'll pay for that!"

Her eyes widened in fear and she slowly took stumbling steps backwards as the monster approached her. He was so tall that he cast a long shadow over her.

"Move!" Kurama called out but it was too late.

She fell to the ground with a scream, her arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen. The monster stood above her fallen body. He held his left arm in the air; the claws on his hand were extended to their full length and covered with sticky blood. He had stabbed her in the stomach.

She curled up into a ball and let out a cry of pain. The monster had started forward to strike her again but he let out a scream of pain. He began to sway on the spot, a shining katana sticking out of the back of his neck.

The boy with spiked black hair ran quickly to the spot and retrieved the fallen girl just as the monster fell forward and landed on the place where she had been mere seconds ago. He fled to the safety of the trees and propped her up against a tree trunk.

"Stupid girl." He hissed as he dashed back towards the corpse of the fallen monster. He pulled his weapon from its neck and joined his friends in the battle as the other monster became enraged at the murder of his friend.

Mika struggled to keep her eyes open. Her head felt fuzzy and she wasn't surprised at all when she found herself staring at the lush canopy above. She was losing blood quickly. It seemed like an eternity when the loud sounds of the battle finally died down. She was barely conscious now.

"Is she okay?" The carrot-topped teenager questioned as he watched Kurama kneel beside her and grab her wrist.

"She still has a pulse; it's weak though. She has already lost a lot of blood. We need to get her out of here right now." Kurama reported to his teammates.

"I'm on it." The one with slicked back hair announced as he pulled out a communicator. He flipped it open and began to argue with the person on the other side. "Damn it, Koenma! That's not important right now! We need a portal---now!"

"Don't worry," Kurama said as saw Mika open her eyes slightly. He forced a smile so that she wouldn't panic. "You'll be alright."

His voice sounded so far away to her. She closed her eyes and then opened them again slightly, struggling to keep them open. His face and the forest around them kept fading in and out. And soon everything went completely black.