Sorry to those who are tired of the all flashbacks. Back stories are really hard to explain so I figure, hey, why not live them ^_^ There are only gonna be a few more chapters with flashbacks soo...HUZZAH!...
A big thank you to AlyssaRose369 for jump starting my brain ^_^ THANK YOU! Now on with the story...
Tay was forced to stop her attempt at putting space between herself and her visitor by the back wall of her living room. Unbelieving storm blue eye were glued to the pink form that called itself Kurama. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. Every part of her body conveyed doubt about the words that Kurama had just spoken. As she replayed the crash in her head, though, she realized that the green eyes staring her down in her living room were the same green eyes that stared her down in her memory.
"Look Tay, I realize that this is a difficult time for you but there are things that you need to hear. It would probably be a lot more comfortable for you if you sat down," said Kurama with a look on his face something akin to pity. That woke Tay up from her frozen state.
"Look Kurama, I don't need your pity. If you've come here to say something then say it already," she said as she made her way back around the couch. Tay sat down and curled her knees up in an effort to keep something between her and the strange heaviness that surrounded Kurama. She also noticed the rose in his hands, strange for a high school boy not visiting a loved one. He looked at her with a quizzical eye before continuing.
"Tay, your sister walked away from the acci-"
"It wasn't an accident; she tried to run me over with her car. And thank you for overstating the obvious," interrupted Tay. "Just get on with it already."
"What I'm trying to say is that she walked away with my help. I'm not human, well not entirely." At this point, Kurama stopped fiddling with the rose. Once he had finished his thought, the rose extended into a weapon before Tay could even blink. She had been slightly distracted by the flower so when it went from six inches to six feet, she quickly took notice. After a quick hop, skip and a jump she was back on the other side of the couch, eyes widening to the point of looking like an owl.
"Back to the couch Tay, I'm still not done," ordered Kurama.
"After that display, I'm staying here," stated Tay. The strange aura that surrounded Kurama had increased immensely. "As far as I'm concerned, the farther I am from you, the better."
"Fine, I will continue. I am a demon. In this reality there exist three different worlds: the Spirit World, the Human World and the Demon World. Not to state the obvious but I am originally from the Demon World. You live in the Human World and your sister has gone to the Spirit World," stated Kurama with a clinical tone. It took a while for his words to sink in for Tay.
"Wait, my sister's actually dead?" asked Tay.
"Yes, she is. I saw it myself after the crash. Botan, the blue-haired woman who you have undoubtedly already met, guided her spirit on. Botan is a spirit guide for the deceased."
Tay slowly leaned back against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. With tears streaming down her face, Tay looked at Kurama, willing his words to be false. All those week she has spent wondering what had happened to her sister, hoping that Cara was still out there somewhere. But now all those hopes turned to heartbreak as reality came crashing down around her. She glared at the floor trying not to let Kurama see her cry.
"If you could calm yourself, there is still more to say."
"Seriously? You just told me demons exist, that my sister is dead, and that she is now in this so-called Spirit World. What else could you say? The world's gonna end tomorrow?" replied a severely distraught Tay. "At this point, I could care less. I want you out of my house Kurama. Right. Now."
Tay's mom suddenly appeared at the door. "I heard yelling. Is everything all right in here?"
"Fine mom, everything is just fine," replied Tay with a forced smile. "In fact, our guest was just leaving"
"Yes, I really must be going. Thank you for allowing me time with your daughter," Kurama replied politely.
Her mother's eyes lit up. "Tay, why don't you walk your friend to the door?" A strange, plotting look came over her mother's face as she followed Kurama to the door.
Before walking out the door, Kurama turned to Tay. "Just follow your sister's trail," Kurama said with a sigh. "She'll have left an obvious one if my suspicions are correct." With that, Kurama stood up and walked out the door.
Tay slammed to door shut after Kurama made his exit. She stormed up the stairs as her mother watched on with supposedly knowing eyes. She immediately turned to her left and was greeted by the door to her sister's room. She hadn't opened the door since her sister's disappearance and now, after a few words from a stranger, she was about to comb through her sister's personal space looking for answers.
The door creaked and dust swirled as Tay quietly peeked into the dark room. It was just as it had been left after the crash. The bed was against the far wall, still messy as though someone had just slept in it. The night stand stood beside it with a darkened lamp sitting on top. Two book shelves stood on either side of the desk that was against the adjacent wall. On the desk stood the center of information for Cara's life…her journal.
Tay walked over and gingerly sat in the desk chair and looked at the book. She reached down and gently touched the decorated cover. The journal just sat there, covered with a light layer of dust from lack of use. Tay took a deep, calming breath and reached down into the topmost drawer to retrieve the key that unlocked the journal. She was treading on private areas of her sister's life and after her conversation with Kurama, she was scared of what she would find.
She opened up Cara's most recent entry titled "IMPORTANT BOOKS". At the top of the list was a message specifically meant for Tay. She had to read it three times before finally understanding what it said.
Tay, if you're using the key then obviously you have met Kurama. He'll have explained all about the recessive gene and why I had to go. I've left you the list of books he gave me. Hopefully it'll be able to get you through this. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend enough time together throughout the summer, but I had to know why I was being chased; why I was being forced to leave home. Please don't hate me for this. You know I would have never left if I had a choice but I didn't. I wish you the best out of life and know that you are the best sister a girl could ask for. ^_^
Tay looked at the page astonished. The first thing that crossed her mind was, "Oh crap." At least Cara had left the books. It gave her a starting point to figure out what Kurama was apparently supposed to tell her.
"So," Tay thought to herself as she copied down the list, "It's off to the library." With that, she ran downstairs, threw on her shoes and headed towards the door. She walked outside and was greeted by the late afternoon sun. Tay barely registered her mother's reminder to be home by dinner before she was off on her bike, heading straight for the town's library. If these books were anywhere, they'd be there.
As small as her town was, it prided itself with being able to provided future generations with the knowledge to succeed. So the library was one of the biggest buildings in town. With a pull of the front door, Tay found herself in a spacious, well lit room that could hardly pass as a library. Couches were scattered in different areas of the library. Rows upon rows of shelves were filled with books of varying ages. As tense as the past hour had made her, the comforting sight of the books had a calming effect on her.
Tay made her way over to a computer and began her search for the many books on the list her sister had left her. She wrote down all the call numbers and discovered that all the books were near each other, all of them clustered in the back corner. Tay made her way to the back and found the first couple of books on the list on a shelf beside the back wall. She took them off the shelf, sat down and, leaning against the bookshelf along the wall, began reading.
As she started into the books, the things she found out made her head spin. Obviously these books weren't regular reading material as evidenced by the large cloud of dust that had been displaced when she had pulled them off the shelf. The books described different demon classes and power types, different power levels and intelligence capabilities. There was even a whole chapter on the exploits of a Yoko Kurama.
'Hmm,' Tay thought, "I wonder if Kurama is any relation to him…"
Tay had become so immersed in her reading that she didn't notice the shadow silently making its way down the aisle on the other side of the bookshelf. She heard a creak and looked up to see the bookshelf in front of her blocking the light on the ceiling. Once the books started slipping from their shelves, Tay finally realized she had to move. She dove along the shelf she had been using for a backrest as the books tumbled down around her. Hoping to save herself from some injury, Tay curled up, covered her head with her hands and hoped for the best as the books crashed down around and on her.
When there was once again quiet, Tay looked up slowly. What she saw amazed and frightened her. The bookshelf that had supposedly fallen was standing in its proper place. The only thing that was out of place was the guy that was now standing in front her. He towered over her huddled form and the look he gave her was the definition of "if looks could kill". The dark, broad form in front of her looked down at her for a few moments more before finally speaking.
"Leave now and keep away from demons," the deep voice rung out surrounding her.
Tay just sat there stunned for a few moments longer before comprehending what he had said. "You don't scare me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper to keep it from shaking. While she was scared, she didn't want this strange man to know that. Trusting her voice more, she spoke a little louder. "I've seen worse than you."
"Maybe, but what I can make you see is worse than you could possibly imagine."
As visions of her sister dying in gruesome ways flashed behind her eyes, the tall, dark and creepy stranger walked away without a second thought.