Cheza opened up her apartment door only to be greeted by a blast of cold air. Snow had been falling the past couple weeks, Alice loved it. Cheza had no desire to go out, but she needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Zipping up her winter coat and slipping her gloves on she walked outside alongside Alice to see Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kuronue having a snowball fight. Snowballs were raining down on them after Kuronue took flight. Yusuke threw one with all his might towards the sky, he managed to hit Kuronue square in the face. "HAHAHA Take that bat-man!". Alice barked excitedly and ran down the steps leading to the apartments. Yusuke looked over just in time to see Alice tackle him to the ground, "Hey Cheza!" Kuwabara greeted. Kuronue landed on the frosty ground next to her as Yusuke got back to his feet." where are you going? To see your sweetheart Kurama!" he teased. Kuronue was staring at her intently, she couldn't explain why…but she was getting a bad vibe from him. "actually Im going to the store! "
"well stop by my place when you get back, we got a new videogame and need an extra player" Yusuke stated. Cheza nodded, "okay..see ya guys later!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Cheza and Alice came upon a frozen lake, a little girl no older than 7 was sitting in the center of it crying. It became clear to Cheza that the girl had been ice skating and had fallen and hurt herself. "Wait here" Cheza ordered. Alice waited patiently as Cheza walked across the lake and to the little girls side. "Are you okay?" she asked. The little girl wiped a few tears from her eyes, "I hurt my ankle". "..get on my back I'll give you a piggy-back ride..you know how to get to your house, right?" The little girl nodded and pointed towards an apartment complex off in the distance. After the little girl climbed onto Cheza's back, Cheza began to walk back towards Alice. The two were merely a foot away from solid ground when the sound of ice cracking flooded their ears. Cheza froze and stared down at the ground, it was splitting between her legs all the way up to where Alice stood waiting. Cheza knelt down, "Im going to slide you across the ice okay? " The little girl nodded and climbed off of Cheza's back. Cheza pushed the little girl with all her might and she slid across the frozen lake and stopped right at Alice's feet. Alice took hold of the little girls hood and dragged her off of the frozen water, aware that the ice was fixing to break underneath her. Cheza didn't want to risk the little girl falling through, she figured she would make it across if she pushed her since she was so light. Cheza decided to make a run for it as the ice began to crack more and more. She had almost made it to Alice when the ice below her split apart, she instantly felt the breath being taken out of her as she fell into the frigid depths of the water. The little girl screamed and Alice began to bark.
Kurama was making his way to the store to pick up some supplies for his mother when he heard the commotion, he followed the sound of Alice's barking and the little girls screaming until he came upon them. Kurama stared at the little girl then to his surprise he noticed Alice..
His eyes wandered to the frozen lake, it was evident someone had fallen through.
His eyes widened as he realized what had happened. He took his coat off then without hesitation he dived into the icy water, he instantly spotted Cheza. He put his arms around her waist then proceeded to swim to the surface. They both gasped for air once they made it. Kurama managed to get Cheza onto solid ground before clambering out of the water himself.
"are you two okay! " the little girl asked while tugging on the hood to Cheza's coat. Alice began to wine as she nudged her frozen master's cheek. Kurama paid no attention to the fact he himself was nearly frozen. He quickly ran to Cheza's side, she was shivering and her teeth were clattering together. "Here mister.." the little girl handed Kurama his coat then stared at Cheza with worried eyes. "Cheza you need to remove your clothes…they are sucking the warmth out of you…"
Cheza was still in panic mode, and her limbs were not cooperating with her…her whole body was numb.
Kurama stripped down to just a pair of boxers, before helping Cheza remove her coat. "are you able to remove the rest of your clothing?" Cheza clinched her fist and slowly tried to move her arm, "yeah..I think so…but…umm..I really rather not walk home naked"
Kurama handed her his coat, "This should cover most of you up..it is not wise to keep your wet clothes on". Cheza began to remove her clothes as Kurama inspected the little girls ankle. The coat did end up covering most of her body..just her knees and below were exposed to the cold. The familiar scent of roses lingered on the coat, she couldn't explain why but she felt safe inside it.
" My house is only a few blocks away.. we should hurry there" Kurama stated. Cheza nodded ,"what about the little girl.."
"I'll come with you! You can take me home after you've warmed up!" she said while getting onto Alice's back…Alice didn't seem to mind playing the role of a horse.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After explaining to his mother what had happened she quickly prepared a warm bath for Cheza, while Kurama prepared his own. Cheza had never met Kurama's mother before, but she seemed to know just about everything about her. "Cheza, follow me" she said while walking towards her bedroom. She hurriedly lead her to the bathroom, "I'll take your wet clothes and put them in the dryer… I'll be sure to set something out for you to wear on my bed for the time being". She smiled then shut the door to the bathroom so Cheza could have her privacy.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Cheza peaked her head out from the bathroom to make sure no one was around. Just as Shiori had said, a pair of clothes was laying out on the bed. A much needed sweater and a pair of sweats. After getting dressed she walked out of the bedroom, Kurama must've been waiting for her because he popped out of nowhere the instant she walked out "feeling warmer?" he asked with a smile. "yes…Thank you..for saving me" Kurama stared into her eyes, "I will always protect you". Cheza felt butterflies in her stomach as his hand caressed her cheek. The two had been dating over 2 weeks now, they had began to develop a strong bond with each other.
"WE GOT A DOG! OH COOL!...hey whose the little girl?" Kurama's little bro could be heard from the other room along with Alice's tail thumping against the wall. "Well…now that you're here I can formally introduce you to my family.." Kurama took Cheza's hand, guiding her to the living where his mother and brother were. His brother was the first to notice the two, "So this is your girlfriend? I gotta hand it to ya bro you picked a hottie!" Kurama began to turn red as Shiori scolded Kokoda, telling him to be respectful. "I have to pick your father up from his business trip tonight..so Im going to go ahead and make dinner…Kokoda why don't you walk Hikari home in the meantime" Cheza figured the little girl is who she was referring to. "But…" "No buts!" Shiori exclaimed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Goodbye mother" Kurama and Kokoda said in unison. Shiori had informed them she would be back a little after midnight. "Can I go hang out with my friends for awhile?" Kokoda asked his step-brother with pleading eyes. " I don't see why not…just be careful.." he replied. Kurama turned to face Cheza,
"your clothes should be dry by now…but if you don't mind I'd like it if you stayed for a while longer…" Cheza nodded, "I'd love too". Kurama took hold of Cheza's hand and lead her to the living room.
"would you like to watch a movie?" "sure" Cheza sat down on the couch as Kurama proceeded to flip through the channels looking for a good movie to watch. "Ahah I think you will like this one" he said with a smile. Half way through the movie the couple found themselves cuddling under a blanket for warmth. Cheza loved how strong his arms felt wrapped around her..and how everything seemed to melt away when he kissed her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kurama had walked Cheza home after the movie, now she was heading off for the grocery store. This time, she was defiantly avoiding walking over any frozen lakes. She decided to let Alice roam around outside her apartment while she walked to the store, it was only 10 minutes away. She replayed the night's events in her head over and over. Kurama had walked her to her door, she could tell he hadn't wanted to leave her. They had embraced in a long kiss before parting ways, every moment spent with him was magical.
After going to the grocery store Cheza had put up all the grocerys and walked back outside to go find Alice. "Alice!"
Silence… all that could be heard was Yusuke's tv blaring off in the distance. She had an eerie feeling someone was watching her, she quickly spun around. Confirming her suspicions she spotted Kuronue "you scared me!..have you seen Alice?" Kuronue said not a word, he grabbed ahold of Cheza's wrist.
"Kuronue..what…what are you doing!" she asked. That uneasy feeling she was getting from him earlier had returned. She could smell alchohol on his breath, as well as the familiar stench she had smelled in demon world. The grip on her wrist tightened, "Let go..your hurting me!" she said a bit of panic in her voice. Her heart began to race as she stared into his eyes, they were cold..dark…empty.A sharp pain emitted from her head..she soon found herself on the brink of unconsciousness. Darkness flooded her site… when she awoke again, only minutes later, she found herself laying on her bed.
She groaned and placed her hand atop her head, meeting with a warm liquid…she soon realized it was blood. Cheza quickly stumbled out of the bed and looked around the room, Kuronue was glaring at her from the doorway. She glanced towards the bathroom..if she could make it there in time she could escape through the window and yell for Yusuke. She sprinted towards the bathroom, but she didn't make it. Kuronue slammed her into the floor, " going somewhere?"
What the hell was going on! Was Kuronue possessed or something! He had never acted like a typical demon before…he was actually a nice guy..demon..or at least she thought so. "Kuronue! What..are you doing!". He didnt respond..
He began to rip her clothes off, It soon became apparent what he was planning to do. As he struggled to take her pants off she kicked him as hard as she could. It was enough to knock him over…she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut..making sure to lock it. She turned on the light and examined herself in the mirror, half her face was covered in blood and her shirt was torn, exposing part of her bra. She soon bolted for the window as she heard him slamming against the door. She managed to get it open and climb out. She was now in front of the apartment stairs, struggling to keep her breathing under control. Her heart sunk as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her but as she looked up she found herself staring into emerald orbs. A look of shock was plastered on the foxes face..it was soon replaced with anger.
He ran to her side to assess the damage that had been done, "who did this" he asked anger rising in his voice. "You left me to die Kurama..now its time to return the favor". He quickly averted his gaze to see Kuronue, scythes in hand. A hurt look filled Kurama's eyes, "Kuronue..you did this?"
"he must be possessed or something!" Cheza exclaimed. Kurama stood up staring straight into Kuronue's eyes, "no..". He knew what was causing him to act this way..he was not possessed..
Bringing back someone from the dead always had consequences.. the person doesnt always come back the same.. The stench of a rotting corpse, very much similar to the smell in demon world, had caught the foxes attention a couple days ago. He had smelled the foul odor all over Kuronue, he wasn't sure what to make of it until now.
Kuronue was beginning to change. Long ago Kurama had witnessed a resurrection..an old dog demon was trying to bring back his wife…it worked..but over time her demeanor began to change. She went from being herself…to a horrific creature..in the end she killed her husband and then herself.
Kurama suspected this was happening to Kuronue. But what caused such a dramatic personality change? Well..it's similar to a spirit beast egg. A spirit beast feeds off its owners energy and takes its form based on the nature of the energy. If the owner is good, the creature inside it would reflect the owner. If the owner is bad, the bad energy would turn the creature inside the egg evil. It would hatch and the beast would eat the owner. Kuronue does not have a spirit beast egg..but he does have a soul ,an unstable one at that. It takes about a year for a soul to fully stabilize, and depending on his emotions he can either remain how he was before he died or he can turn evil. The bitterness he felt towards Kurama was turning him towards the latter. Deep down Kuronue felt betrayed…betrayed because he felt Kurama had stabbed him in the back and taken away Cheza from him..betrayed because Kurama had left him to die…he knew there was nothing Kurama could have done for him..but still the feeling of betrayl lingered. He had told him to run..but deep down he hadn't wanted him to.
Kurama pulled a rose from his hair, "Kuronue…are you sure you want to do this?"
Kuronue began to flood his spirit energy into his scythe, " am I sure? You tell me" One of Kuronue's scythes whizzed past his old partner in crime..missing him by mere inches. "Does that answer you question?"