Chapter Six
"So her name is Yuzuki."
Kurama was on the phone with Koenma, sitting at his work desk. It was almost lunch, and then he had a meeting to attend. "Yes, that's correct. She told me last night."
"Did she say anything else?"
"No. I'm going to try after extraction this evening."
"Good. Find out where she's been for the past four hundred years."
The fox leaned forward in his chair. "Koenma, why is she so important?"
"I'll tell you when you get here. Now that we have a name, I can pull the correct files on her from the trash."
"Alright. Well, I'm going to lunch." Ignoring the Reikai King's protests, he sat the phone back in his cradle. He was actually hungry. And perhaps food would take his mind off of Yuzuki.
I can't believe you don't remember her.
Of course not. You might, but I do not.
Both of us. We are one and the same, Shuichi. We have the same memories.
You have all of mine. Why don't you tell me who Yuzuki really is?
A beautiful, powerful, dangerous youkai. Yoko's voice was changing. She has a strange ability that is unknown to many in the Demon World.
And what is that?
She puts her youki into her vocal chords, and can attack and kill with a single note.
Outwardly, Kurama was thanking his secretary for bringing him his food. So she can sing? That is nothing to anyone.
He could hear Yoko's laugh. She doesn't use it anymore, he said. She has not sung a note since the humans captured her.
Why didn't she kill them?
Who is to say that she didn't? But she will tell you in time. She recognized me when she saw your true face. But she trusts the mask.
Yes, as you do have many enemies.
There is no fun in friends.
She'd lost the battle. She'd revealed her name to Yoko Kurama. But he'd taken it well. Even though now she would have to tell him who she was.
The sooner the better, really. Then she could leave this cell. A month and two weeks had been enough. After five hundred years of roaming the Demon and Living Worlds freely, captivity was driving her mad.
Yuzuki wondered if the redhead had Yoko's memories. She wondered if he remembered, now that her name was revealed. Not that it had been her name that mattered. The bastard fox probably didn't remember her name anyway.
Both Koenma and Kurama came to her that evening. Kurama carried two trays, per usual. But it seemed someone would be joining them for dinner.
"Good evening, Yuzuki," the dark haired man said. "I hope you don't mind me joining you and Kurama this evening."
"It is good for warden to visit with their prisoners," she replied. "Especially with a mute that can suddenly speak."
He tried to conceal his amazement, but it was still very clear. She tried not to smirk, walking to the table to sit with the redhead whose presence she'd come to enjoy.
"I have some questions for you," he said. "They're only to help, I promise."
She ignored him and began munching on her sauteed vegetables. Kurama cleared his throat. "He wants to know where you're from, Yuzuki. Your file is gone."
"I came from a place rarely seen by anyone in the Demon World," she replied. She was tired of their justifications for asking these questions. "I was a member of a clan of yokos who didn't eat humans or meat in general. We communed with nature and made music."
She mentally scolded herself. She should have practice with her voice over the years. She sounded weak.
"I'm familiar with that clan," Kurama said, keeping his eyes on his plate. "But where have you been all these years? Have you only recently left that place?"
"I was banished from my homeland."
Koenma sighed, almost like he had expected that answer. Kurama looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Looking sternly at her, the King of the Reikai said, "You fell in love with a human."
It was the first time Kurama saw the small woman smirk. She moved to fold her hands in her lap. "I did take a human to bed with me. And my father looked down upon it, as I was the heir to the throne of our clan."
Damn, talk about family conflict. But Kurama had no idea that he'd been dealing with royalty this entire time. "Where is your lover now?" the redhead asked.
She brought her golden eyes to meet his. He could see the hate. "He is dead. As most humans are after four hundred years, ten months, two weeks and five days."
Yuzuki hadn't meant to say all of that, but she'd never been able to control herself when it came to the discussion of her late lover.
"He died protecting you, didn't he?" Koenma asked.
"He was killed after torturing me with several others."
"And what did he do to you?"
She almost laughed. "I do not speak of that day. It haunts me enough every time the darkness comes."
"Maybe you could try," interrupted Kurama. "Yuzuki, you have to move on from this."
"You people are the ones in my way."
"Hardly. You know you could have escaped by now. Why haven't you?"
She sighed, a sound that made the men's ears tingle. "What the hell do you think all my plants were for?"
Silence grew quickly. Yuzuki began to eat again, mind going back to her food. They shouldn't have asked.
"You're her, aren't you?" Koenma asked after minutes of silence. "The Princess Yuzuki of the Mari clan."
"That would be correct, Koenma of the Reikai." She closed her eyes. Would they let her go now? Would she finally be free to make the pain end?
"Who rescued you from the humans?" asked Koenma.
"He was not my savior. He kidnapped me with dark intentions, but did not succeed."
"Why don't you ask him why did so, then?"
"Petty thieves are of no interest to me." Her eyes opened and she stared at Kurama. "The fox demon Yoko is also of no interest."
Kurama's eyes widened. There was no way… he didn't remember her! It wasn't possible that Yoko could have kidnapped or rescued her… Kurama would know it. Yoko would have told him.
"Then you will be placed on probation and protective custody under Kurama in the Living World."
"Excuse me?"
"It's true. If you're the Mari princess that went missing four hundred years ago, then your life is in constant danger. But being in this prison isn't ideal. Kurama, I know that you have extra space at home."
The fox blinked. "What? Why me?"
"We'll talk about it later. Finish eating and then meet me in my office."
And then he walked away. Kurama sighed and then looked to Yuzuki. "Demanding, isn't he?" he asked.
Yuzuki shrugged absently. "Most royalty is like that. I acted like your Koenma for many years."
"Koenma is responsible. He doesn't break the law."
"I did not break the law, either." She stood and walked over to her cot. "There was no law against my actions. My father was just old-fashioned and did not want me to be like the few others who had human lovers."
"Did you see him again?" Kurama watched as she began to lie down. "Your father?"
"No." She faced away from him, pulling the blanket almost to her fox ears. "He still rules, though. Nothing in that place has changed."
"Do you want to go back?"
She visibly tensed. Kurama stood. He supposed he would have to prepare Yuzuki a room, seeing as she would be moving in.
"Perhaps one day, I shall return. But for now, I only wish to move on."
"How?"
"I was going to make myself into a Demon Garden. Many elders and other Mari people do it when they are ready. It is traditional."
Wait a second… he was ripping away her traditions? "You're trying to kill yourself?"
"Suicide is honorable. Giving your body and energy to the plants that house your body." Unknown to him, she was looking at her palm fondly. "A tradition we all honor when we are ready to die."
"There is no honor in suicide."
"It is obvious that you and I are two different people. It is going to make my probation interesting."
He turned to walk away. "All I ask is that you don't try to run off."
"You are the one thinking I won't have to run to drive you as mad as I am."
He stopped mid-track. How on earth could she know what he was thinking? Surely her psychic abilities weren't so advanced that she could peek into his mind without him knowing about it.
Don't underestimate her for one second, Shuichi. She's dangerous.
He continued to walk away then. No, he wasn't going to underestimate the woman. Not for one second.