Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Born Again on the Full Moon ❯ The First Night ( Chapter 1 )

Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshishiro Togashi, not me. I'm just a poor college student who's making absolutely no profit from this - other than my own self-satisfaction. ^_^ The original characters belong to me. If you wanna use them, go right ahead. Just send me a copy of your fic to read, kay? ::grin::

I dedicate this fic to all the YYH fanfic writers out there, especially the ones who keep their stuff up and still continue to write. You inspired me. Also, many thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, To-chan, and my good friends Elizabeth and Mirai-chan for their encouragement and support.

This fanfic contains both straight and shounen-ai themes, as well as mild lime. All are necessary for the story and I chose them carefully. It begins about eight or ten years after the end of the series and contains *many* spoilers.

Otherwise, hope you enjoy. ^_^

Born Again on the Full Moon

Chapter 1: The First Night

Perhaps even these things,

one day,

will be pleasing to remember.

-Virgil, Aenid

***

I can't believe I'm nervous. It's *only* the scoop of the century . . . My hands are clammy and I smooth my skirt. I'm alone - they wouldn't come otherwise - in a small white-washed room that they chose. On my lap rests a notepad and one blue pen; no recorders or cameras allowed. I don't blame them for being so careful. As I said, this interview will top any in history. My career as a reporter will skyrocket.

They enter the room while I'm wrapped up in my thoughts of glory. The redhead immediately smiles, moves forward, and shakes my hand, every bit as handsome as he seemed on television. His shorter companion stops by the door, fixing a quiet stare on me. For some reason his indifferent attitude relaxes me. They both seem much more comfortable than I anticipated. Red hair, green eyes; black hair, red eyes, I mentally note.

The taller speaks in English, for my benefit since I'm an American reporter. "My name is Kurama." I begin writing in my notepad. "And this is Hiei."

"I'm Shelta Waters," I introduce, though they already know. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Sit, please, and let's begin. I have so many questions."

-from the memoirs of Shelta Waters, ABN reporter

***

"Tonight is the first full moon of the new year."

"So it is."

Hesitation. "The first Jiyuu moon in a century . . ."

"Jiyuu?"

"The freedom moon, when spirits are allowed to roam free. Botan-san slipped up and told me about it once. She said it can cause a lot of problems in the Ningenkai." Pause. " . . . how long does a full moon usually last?"

"How should I know?"

"Five days sounds about right . . ."

Silence. "You can't be thinking . . . masaka. It is not likely to happen."

"I suppose not." Forced laughter. "You're right, Hiei. I'm being silly."

"Ch.' You usually are."

"Hey!" Aloofness. "The Jiyuu moon will decide . . ."

***

"Daini-chan!"

The girl strode down the pathway, scuffing her loafers on the rough concrete, her head bowed in deep thought. Violet eyes blankly staring down, she ignored the wintry breeze that tossed prickly strands of hair in the way. She stopped for a moment as a crowd of girls bustled out of the front door to the dorm she lived in, giggling over some new boy or something such as that. A smile took hold of her lips for a moment, then faded just as quickly into her sullen disposition. Even the cheerful atmosphere of college life could not lighten the girl's spirits.

"Daini-chan! Daini-chan!"

She looked up to see her roommate, Kazichi Nakame, running toward her. Nakame skidded to a halt, putting her hands on her knees and heaving great gasps. "Jeez, Daini," she said after awhile of catching her breath. "I've been yelling at you ever since you passed the Bell Tower!" She straightened and flipped wind-tousled blonde hair over a shoulder impatiently.

"Gomen," Daini said none too sheepishly, adjusting her pack more comfortably along slim shoulders. "I was daydreaming again." About a life away from here. Away from the same routine over and over. Away from *normality*.

Nakame excused the explanation with an impatient wave of her hand. "I just heard from Shiira two doors down that you're not coming back next year!"

Daini held back the urge to snort. "Where'd she hear that? Her good for nuthin'-but-screwing boyfriend?"

"Daini!" Nakame cried with a horrified blanche. "How can you say a thing like that? He's captain of the baseball team!"

"Exactly," Daini confirmed pointedly. "Look, Nakame, if you really wanna know, I've actually been thinking about it." It would be all too easy to start walking and never come back.

Nakame threw the girl another look, this time disgusted. "With Shiira's boyfriend?!"

"Baka!" Daini hissed, glancing at the weird stares they were getting. She grabbed Nakame's arm and tugged her away from the front door. "What do you take me for?"

Nakame shrugged apologetically. "I just thought you'd finally decided to give up being one of the only virgins on the third floor."

"Like you did last week?" Daini tossed back at her.

"That's different," Nakame argued, sniffing delicately. "He's my fiancÉ. Besides, I'm a junior in college, for goodness sake! I can't stay cooped up like you forever."

"Oh, harsh, Nakame," Daini said dryly.

"Well, it's true! All you do all day is sit around and read or -" The sounding of the Tower's bells cut through her next words. They listened till the clanging stopped as they usually did. Nakame checked her watch and puffed out her cheeks in a sigh. "History starts in fifteen minutes. I expect you'll be asleep by the time I get back?"

Daini nodded curtly. Do you even know that I fake it every night?

"We'll talk in the morning then."

"Fine," Daini said emotionlessly. She adjusted her backpack again and was about to go inside when Nakame clutched her hand.

"At least try to act happy, for me, onegai?"

The black-haired girl put on a smile, actually managing to keep it non-feral. Nakame seemed to accept the false gesture, at least, and smiled brightly herself before running off to her class. Why she ever agreed to take a nighttime class was beyond Daini's comprehension.

The smile slipped easily from her thinned lips. Daini walked up the laboring three flights of stairs to the tiny dorm room she shared with the yellow-haired junior. The lights were out and she kept them that way. Tossing her bag over a chair, she changed into a plain t-shirt and pajama pants, and felt her way blindly to the top bunk.

The dead branches of the tree outside scraped against the foggy glass. Daini wished winter would cut itself short a few months. So cold and dead and lifeless. A winter without snow was like a summer without the sun: purposeless and artificial.

Why am I always so harsh to Nakame? Is it because she manages to appear much more chipper than me? Or is it because she has a real family?

Daini scolded herself angrily. What Nakame did not know was that Daini's foster parents had moved out west over the holidays . . . without telling Daini.

Being abandoned sucked.

Shoving the covers away, Daini laid an arm across her eyes and sighed heavily. All these thoughts brewing in her head were preventing sleep from sweeping her blissfully away. Feeling too hot, she leaned over and flipped the latch on the over-sized window, swinging one panel open, and letting in a chilly breeze. She settled on her back and tugged the heavy covers up to her chest. Gazing out the window, she spied the moon through the bare tree branches, full and bright.

After awhile she heard Nakame come in and slide into bed. She complained about the window being open and Daini feigned being asleep, hoping she would not shut it again. Nakame cursed in the darkness but let the window alone, and presently her steady breathing drifted upward.

I'm rubbing off on her too much.

Smiling a little wanly, Daini gazed back at the moon hanging so peacefully in the night sky. How could something so beautiful be trapped up there all alone, like it was waiting for someone to reach over and pluck it from black velvet . . . She pulled her arm from underneath the covers and stretched out her hand. From her point of view, it seemed like her fingers curled around the orb. Looks like a sugar cookie, she thought musingly.

The tree branches creaked and attracted her attention. Distending her arm a few more inches, Daini made a movement to catch the edge of the window and pull it shut.

A pale hand shot out from the black haziness of the night and grasped her wrist.

Daini kicked backwards, tugging against that hand. She opened her mouth to yell and another other hand clamped down and covered her face. The palm, however slender, was large enough to cover both her nose and mouth, and snuffed her breathe away. She began to struggle, lashing out with her free hand, but was suddenly pinned to the bed by an irrationally strong body. She found herself staring up into two yellow eyes glowing in the darkness.

Those inhuman eyes were all her brain could register. Daini felt faint from lack of air, unable to struggle anymore. The . . . being . . . bent over her and whispered, "Not a sound."

She nodded as best she could - anything for air! The palm spread across her face lowered enough to free her nose and she sucked in the sweet life-giver until the dizziness faded. Feeling the male intruder sit back again, she lunged her body upward, trying to free herself of the hold on her wrist and the confining sheets. Immediately, the palm choked off her nose again and forced her to stop thrashing about.

Long hair tickled her neck as the words hissed in her ear, "Foolish ningen. Stay still and I will allow you to breathe." The palm slid away enough for air as he straightened, allowing the girl to take a good look at him.

He was kneeling over her, his knees trapping her legs. Long, silver hair framed his face and her violet eyes widened at the sight of animalistic ears protruding from atop his head. He wore strange white clothes that left the middle and sides of his toned chest bare. Those weirdly slanted, yellow eyes were studying her and he seemed annoyed by the fact that she had struggled. She thought about trying to bite his hand but did not want to risk being suffocated another time.

"This must be quick," he murmured to himself, face gentling. Daini squeezed her eyes shut when he leaned forward, and she drew in a sharp breath when he pressed warm lips to the side of her neck. A tremble raced across her small form as those lips traveled to her collar bone and then back up to her cheek. He settled there, saying almost in a kind tone, "Not a sound, not a movement, or I snap your neck."

Daini cried out a muffled noise of disbelief, but cut it off shortly when the palm moved away from her mouth. Strength hid among every movement this being made and stuck a cord of paralyzing fear. Her wrist was brought above her head, the other joining it as one of his large hands secured both there. His free hand drifted down to touch her hip gently and moved across to the drawstring of her pants.

No, no, no! Her eyes flew open and wildly met yellow slits. She felt panic well up and tried to shift away from those fingers but to no avail against the strong intruder. "Onegai," Daini whispered almost inaudibly. "Please, no!"

He must have heard her because he frowned slightly. His hand went up to her neck and tightened long-nailed fingers around it. Her vision blurred and hot wetness spilled down her cheeks and over his fingers. Golden eyes narrowed and his hand left her neck to raise in front of his face. He stared at the damp traces of tears on his pale skin, then down at the girl shivering out of fear and cold from the open window.

She recoiled when that hand cupped her chin and tilted her head back, exposing the vulnerable curve of her neck. The tender movement of mouth on mouth took her by surprise. She gasped, unwittingly parting her lips and inviting the creature to delve in his tongue. The moistness tickled the roof of her mouth and traced the contours of her teeth, pausing once to skim across her own retreating tongue. Breaking away, he smiled, a tiny flush on his face.

"Tomorrow then, ningen."

And then he was gone, just like that, blowing through the window in a flit of silver and white. Daini's shaky hand touched bruised lips and darted to the window to slam it shut.

"Daini-chan," groaned Nakame on the bunk beneath her. "Gods, you have to shut it so hard?"

"Go back to sleep," Daini told her in a strained voice. "I was just having a- a nightmare."

"Baka," she mumbled before falling silent.

Forcing herself to calm down, Daini burrowed herself in the covers and shut her eyes tightly. Just a dream. That's all. Just a dream . . .

But her lips still burned as a haunting reminder.

***

The figure moved faster than a human eye could see. His feet lightly touched one tree branch before silently leaping to the next, barely rustling the brown leaves. The shimmer of a nearby lake in the bright moonlight changed his direction. Sensing the area to be abandoned, he dropped down at the water's edge.

"I smell like roses," he muttered to himself, lifting a corner of white fabric and wrinkling his fine nose. "Not unpleasant, though also not me."

He sniffed the air momentarily and caught a minty whiff. Striding over, he ripped a few leaves off the plant and carried them back to the lake. Shedding only his shoes, he splashed into the freezing water, wincing slightly at the biting cold. He crushed the leaves easily in his palm and made a gritty paste. Quickly and effectively he washed his body and clothing, dipping once over his head to rinse.

Wading back to shore, he shook himself from head to toe, like a dog might, until his tail bushed out dry. Appraising the new minty twinge, he sighed. The rose scent would return come tomorrow night but the change was nice.

He chose a comfortable tree from which he could watch the full moon reflecting in the lake, and nestled against the trunk, tucking one knee up to lean his arms and chin upon. This sort of freedom he could get used to. And with the help of that ningen girl he would have the opportunity.

Though why he had decided to bed her the following day he was unsure of. Perhaps those frightened violet eyes had triggered the humanistic qualities of himself . . .

Even so, the challenge presented itself to his liking and he had accepted it. If not tomorrow, then the day after that or the day after that . . . as long as he accomplished the act before the allotted time ended.

The youko closed his eyes and listened to the quiet sounds of the wood, waiting for sunrise to sweep him away.