Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Clenching Water ❯ The Truth Emerges ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Pretty in Pink 
Maybe Kurama's not the only one with secrets.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.21.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 848 | Status: Work In Progress
Maybe Kurama's not the only one with secrets.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.21.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.7K | Visits: 848 | Status: Work In Progress
To make up for the lull in the last chapter, this one is just filled to the brim with action!
Written to: “I Saw the Sign” by Ace of Base and Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right.”
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Clenching Water
The Truth Emerges
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It was Christmas Eve! Didn’t those stupid youkai know what that meant?
“No,” the young girl with blue-black hair and striking azure eyes sighed with exasperation. “No, I don’t suppose they do.”
Letting out a slight sound of frustration, Kagome set her lips in the customary pout, dark brows drawn downward in a resigned sort of annoyance, and continued through the white forest. Being so high up on the side of the mountain, the snow here was knee-deep and more than difficult to navigate on a slope.
The miko pulled her downy black coat closer and shivered as her wool tights, which had become wet when the snow exceeded the height of her snow boots, did nothing to protect her legs from the cold. She was wet. She was freezing. And she was absolutely miserable. But still, she kept going.
Being on the edge of the city of Tokyo, the shrine she called home included quite a bit of land. Behind her house, a mountain, small in comparison to the surrounding giants, made its home. They owned several acres of forest up here, ten in fact, and when they were younger Kagome and Souta had often rode toboggans down the slope. Now, though, the sledding path was rocky and overgrown.
The reason she was up here, though, was because of a group of low level demons she had been sensing now for three days. For three days they had not made a move and seemed to pose no threat to the experienced young miko.
However, being this experienced miko that she was, Kagome also knew that youkai were sneaky. And she got the suspicious feeling that these guys were up to something. So, that afternoon after lunch, she’d dressed for a hike and prepared to brave the snow-covered mountain.
She’d brought her bow and arrows with her, in case she got lucky and would be able to take them out from a distance. But, with the numerous trees blocking the path, she doubted her arrows would be very effective in this forest.
As Kagome drew closer to the source of the youki, she stopped and quietly slipped out of her overcoat and hung it over a naked tree branch. Now divested of any restricting clothing, she readied an arrow. She quickly closed the distance when she could make out the forms of three large ogres and a humanoid snake youkai through the trees.
“Hello, boys,” she greeted them with more cheer than she felt.
The four turned to look at her, studying her small form in mild confusion. Kagome continued with a smile, keeping the arrow pointed towards the ground in a non-threatening gesture. “You guys have been up here for a while now. And as long as you’re not here to cause any trouble, I don’t mind you staying on my mountain,” she said with a diplomatic smile.
“You’re her?” the snake asked, scaly green brows raised in disbelief.
Kagome sighed in exasperation. It seemed she was going to have to kill them. “So, I suppose you want the jewel, huh?”
Now the youkai smiled maliciously. “They didn’t tell us you were just a little girl. But I guess it’ll make ripping that jewel off your pretty neck all the easier.”
“Where have I heard that one before?” Kagome grumbled to herself, lifting the arrow to aim at the chest of the nearest youkai, the snake.
He just gave her a cocky grin. “It’ll take more than a little wooden stick to take me dow-” He was cut off as the glowing projectile struck his chest and he burst into ashes.
The others quickly realized what they were up against and began to panic. “She’s a fucking miko!”
The tallest of them, a red ogre with wild black hair, snarled at their cowardice. “She’s still just a human, you idiots! She can’t take three youkai at once!”
With that, the trio of ogres surrounded the young miko and adopted fighting stances. Realizing the futility of a long range weapon, Kagome dropped her bow and quiver of arrows in the snow a few feet to her left and began to draw her miko energy into her right hand. She was prepared when the first took a swipe at her.
Quickly, Kagome dodged to the left and used the momentum to slam the ball of glowing purity into his chest. He instantly dissolved into a pile of ashes. The other two used her distraction to move closer. The one to her right and slightly behind her lunged at her.
The miko gathered another energy ball into her left palm and released it at him in her turn. Anticipating the attack, the ogre ducked and kept coming. Caught unarmed in the momentum of her swing, Kagome was helpless to defend herself as the youkai slashed at her open shoulder. Blood splattered across the snow as the young miko tried to regain her balance after the hit.
She tried to lift her left arm to throw another projectile, but pain bloomed in her shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she channeled her miko energy into the tips of the fingers of her right hand to form a short whip. If it backfired (as it often did) it would simply pass through her harmlessly.
Kagome pivoted on the balls of her feet and, in one smooth twirl, passed the whip through the chests of both remaining youkai. They burst into a cloud of ash and silence settled through the forest as they fluttered to rest on the pristine white blanket of snow.
The problem taken care of, the girl turned her attention to her wounded shoulder. The monster’s claws had ripped right through her turtleneck sweater. Hissing in pain, she peeled back the soaked edges of the shredded material to see the gashes underneath. There were three long, rough cuts. The edges of the wounds had been ripped as if with a serrated knife. It was extremely painful and still bled quite profusely, but they’d avoided any major arteries so they weren’t life-threatening. She’d definitely need stitches, though. Kagome cringed. She’d never been fond of needles.
She slung her quiver over her uninjured shoulder, grabbed her bow and coat, and began to pick her way back down the steep mountainside. She was nearing the halfway mark when the cold chill of youki swept down her spine. The girl groaned and nearly cried out in frustration. She just wanted to rest on Christmas Eve!
Kurama’s thoughts were in a jumble as the group ran through the crowded, snow-slick streets of Tokyo. Disgruntled passerby looked after them curiously as they dodged through the foot traffic in a hurry. Hiei, having the luxury to do so, had taken to the rooftops. At the moment, Kurama was the slightest bit jealous of the fire apparition. But that was the least of his worries at the moment.
A mere half hour ago, Koenma had contacted the members of the Reikai Tantei to alert them to the presence of four low-level youkai camped on a mountain on the outskirts of the city. They weren’t much threat, but the prince had insisted they be taken care of immediately before they caused any trouble with the humans of the area.
It wasn’t an unusual case. But what had caught Kurama’s attention was the location of these youkai. They were on the grounds of an old shrine, one he had once been very familiar with. And Youko’s sudden silence really had him worried.
As the group neared the large red torii of the shrine, Yusuke turned to them and explained the plan. “Alright, there’s a family living here, so we have to be discreet about this.” Kuwabara almost said something along the lines of Yusuke Urameshi being incapable of discretion, but thought better of it at the last minute. It was late and he really wanted to get this over with so he could get back to spend Christmas Eve with his darling Yukina.
“Stay out of sight until we can get to the woods,” their leader finished sternly. He was in a foul mood, being pulled from yet another date with Keiko. She hadn’t been too happy about it either.
They all nodded and started up the steps. They weren’t surprised when Hiei disappeared when they reached to top, having taken to the trees and roofs of the buildings faster than they could see.
Keeping behind the many buildings that littered the shrine grounds, the group made their way to the mountain. Kurama recognized Kagome’s family in the courtyard. Her mother and younger brother, who had grown quite a bit taller since he’d last seen him, were gathering snow for a misshapen snowman. Her grandfather was seated on a bench reading a newspaper, bundled tightly in layers of thick blankets. Kagome, however, was nowhere to be seen. And he couldn’t feel her aura around the shrine. Perhaps she’d moved out after high school?
For some reason, this caused Kurama’s heart to constrict painfully. She was going on with her life, as he’d wanted her to. He was, too. Somehow, he wasn’t as comfortable with the idea as he’d thought. They reached the woods without any problem and began up the steep mountain.
Hiei was ahead of them; he could feel the apparition’s aura moving swiftly up the mountain. When he’d reached a certain point, his energy trace disappeared altogether. Kurama supposed he was using the Jagan to mask his aura for his approach to the youkai. He would wait until the others got there to do anything. Hiei usually preferred to observe his opponents before rushing in.
As they neared the youkai, Kurama began to feel a strange energy accompanied by a familiar aura. It had been so long since he’d felt it, but he was positive it was Kagome’s. What the hell was she doing up on this mountain alone? And she was heading straight for those youkai!
‘Fox,’ he heard Hiei’s voice echo through his mind, ‘there is something unusual happening.’
Without prompting, the hybrid flooded his mind’s eye with scenes of a battle between a tiny human girl clad in a pleated gray skirt and a plum colored turtleneck and four large youkai. She took out the first one with a glowing arrow, and the next three with energy projectiles and what looked like an energy whip. And they’d all simply burst into ashes on contact with her strange energy.
When he finally saw her face, brilliant blue eyes accented by high cheeks and pouting lips, he stopped in his tracks, mouth agape in astonishment. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could feel Youko’s surprise. That was Kagome! Their innocent, little Kagome had just taken out four adult youkai single-handedly!
And then he saw the blood soaking through the fabric of her sweater. He pitched forward and had to catch himself when Youko made a sudden rush for freedom. He strained against the force of the old fox’s efforts.
‘Damnit, boy, this isn’t the time to be standing here!’ he heard the kitsune snarl viciously, straining against the confines of his spirit.
Kurama mentally shook away the initial shock and charged up the hill, quickly overtaking Yusuke and Kuwabara. It was a few minutes before they began to come up on Kagome’s aura as it sluggishly descended the mountain. They could see her form silhouetted against the bright backdrop of white snow. She leaned heavily against an ashen tree, right hand covering a wound on her shoulder to staunch the flow of blood. A longbow, arrows, and a coat lay in the snow behind her.
When they finally reached her, her dark head was lowered and her eyes were closed. In an irritated grumble, she asked, “Isn’t there any other poor priestess you youkai can bother today?”
Yusuke was about to shout something at her disheveled and bloodied appearance, but Kurama beat him to it. “What in the world are you doing up here, Kagome?”
At the sound of his familiar voice, her eyes snapped open to the size of saucers. “Sh-Shuichi?!” She stumbled backward into another tree, letting out a little yelp of pain when her shoulder was jarred. She gaped, mouth struggling to form a coherent sentence. The flustered girl made an almost comical picture as she frantically tossed about for some kind of explanation. “I-It’s not what it looks like!”
At the moment, Kurama wasn’t really sure what it looked like. There was his ex-girlfriend, the one who he’d broken up with to protect her from youkai, kicking ass and taking names and then stumbling down the mountain in a bloody mess. His pretty, innocent, naïve little Kagome. Had the entire world gone mad?!
Yusuke, getting over his shock at finding a young girl on the mountain instead of youkai, decided to tackle the main issue here. “Uh, shouldn’t we get her to a hospital?”
At this, Kagome’s temper flared and she glared at the toushin. “I don’t need any hospital!” she denied adamantly, trying in vain to turn her body to hide the still-bleeding wound.
Taking note of the steady stream of blood staining the snow at her side, Kurama shook his head and took a step towards her. Explanations could wait for later; right now, she definitely needed medical attention. His face registered mild surprise when she pressed herself closer to the tree at her back and she raised her bloodied hand in a defensive gesture. Her blue eyes held his in fierce determination. He found the rare picture of solemnity from the usually cheerful girl disturbing.
Her quick eyes darted over the three boys, sizing up her opponents. The tall, orange-haired man gazing at her with concerned eyes seemed harmless enough. The other dark-headed figure and the boy she knew as Shuichi had the faintest hint of youki swirling through their auras. But, strangely, in Shuichi’s case the demon energy didn’t really seem to be a part of him and didn’t match the feeling of his own energy.
“Look, Shuichi, I don’t know what you’re doing with a youkai and a… weird human,“ she eyed Kuwabara suspiciously- “but I don’t have time to talk right now. If you’re going to attack me, then go ahead and do it. If you’re not, then let me get back down the mountain and get this taken care of,” she told him, gesturing towards her shoulder. “It’s actually pretty painful.”
‘Attack her! What the hell is she talking about?’ Youko’s shock radiated throughout their shared body.
Kurama had to agree. He knew he’d broken up with her, but attack her?! He’d never done anything to suggest- Unless…
He took a quick, sidelong glance at Yusuke, who’s youki was flaring around him in agitation. He noticed Kagome’s gaze focused on the toushin, the one she considered to be the largest threat. He took in her defensive stance, feet set apart at shoulders width, as if she was braced for attack at any moment.
Kagome was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. The young miko wavered on her feet and had to throw out the hand of her good arm to balance herself, leaving a bright red handprint on the bark of the tree behind her. The adrenaline from before was gone and she felt like a top-heavy sapling whose slender trunk was too weak to support itself. The edge of her vision became fuzzy and the figures before her swam in and out of focus.
She felt a strange pressure in her head, like something was pressing on the sides of her skull. Her senses dimmed until all she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears. A fourth figure had joined the group in front of her, a mere splash of black against the snow. A dark, demonic aura swelled against her senses. Why hadn’t she felt it before?
The pressure in her head was building, and she tried to shake away the discomfort. Outwardly, she lifted a hand to lay against her forehead, smearing crimson liquid across her brow. She thought she might have heard Shuichi’s voice.
It was in her very mind now. Her thoughts felt ghostly and unfamiliar to her, exposed, as if something was looking in on her. In confusion, she lifted her head. Her vision was consumed with a single, glowing purple eye. It’s aura was one of pure evil. It was oppressing against her senses, like nothing she’d ever felt. And she realized with a start it was glaring at her.
The thing was in her mind!
The others watched on in surprise as Hiei suddenly jumped onto a high tree branch, a smoking crater in the frozen ground left in his wake. It had happened so fast, they’d barely seen the girl lift her hand to her side, fingers curled as if holding a ball, and release the sphere of swirling blue and pink energy she’d gathered there.
The apparition had a mildly surprised expression as he replaced the white strip of cloth around his forehead. What he’d seen in her mind was both revealing and confusing. He’d have to sort through the conflicting images later. Right now, he had a human girl to obliterate.
The world suddenly rushed back into focus, and Kagome had the impression of forcefully breaking the surface of the water after being held under for too long. That figure! He had tried to break into her mind!
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she shouted up at him on the tree branch. He glared back down at her in contempt.
“Kurama, do you know this human?” he asked of the red-head in a low voice, ignoring her for the moment.
‘Kurama?’ Kagome thought in confusion. The name sounded so familiar.
The boy she knew as Shuichi nodded in assent, said “Yes, we attended high school together.”
Pain briefly blossomed in her chest for a moment, but Kagome quickly buried the sensation. To hear their relationship, all her feelings of love and blossoming passion, all their days spent lounging in the sun and evenings kissing and cuddling under the Goshinboku wadded up and condensed into “We attended high school together.” Coming from Shuichi, it made it seem like what they’d had was unimportant, insignificant, not worth remembering. As if it hadn’t mattered at all.
Kagome wanted to get away. She wanted to run.
So she did.
The boys gave chase as the strange girl suddenly bolted. Once again masking his aura, Hiei kept easy pace with her in the treetops. The mostly human members of the group, however, were having trouble keeping up.
“Damn, she’s fast,” Yusuke grumbled as they tore down the mountain after her. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew that girl needed medical attention quick. And, if Koenma had any say in the matter (which he would), she’d probably have to have her memory erased afterward.
Kurama silently agreed.
‘Are we sure she’s human? How’d she get so damn fast?’ Youko echoed Yusuke’s sentiment.
A chill traveled along his spine when their was a sudden burst of the same holy energy the girl had used before. She was so far ahead they could barely make out her form through the trees. What they could see, though, was a pinkish glow about her feet.
Kurama caught himself as he nearly tripped over her furry black boots lying in the snow.
Make that her bare feet. What the hell was she thinking?
At that moment, in fact, Kagome was thinking how there should be a law against so many trees on a steep slope. They were a real hindrance when escaping from youkai… or uncomfortable situations.
The human boyfriend she was just now convincing herself she was over and who she hadn’t even talked to in over a year had just shown up out of the blue (in all his gorgeous, crimson-haired glory) asking her what she was doing on her mountain. It was bizarre! And completely preposterous! What the hell was he doing running around with a bunch of youkai? What was he doing with youki in his aura?
And why had the kami seen fit to put so many damn trees on this accursed mountain?
Kagome grunted in pain and cursed colorfully under her breath as she again lost her balance over a hidden root and her shoulder was slammed into a tree. She was sure they’d be able to find her. Just follow the trail of red trees!
She’d shed her cumbersome boots earlier, both because they weighed down her feet and because it was easier to catch her balance on a root if she could mold her foot to the shape of it. Her toes were beginning to go numb, but it didn’t matter. She was almost there!
As she was nearing the base of the mountain, she began to plan. Admittedly, she hadn’t really thought it through when she started running. But now that she was far enough away from the source of the problem, she could worry about her next move.
First, she needed to get her shoulder looked at. The rush of adrenaline she’d experienced when that thing had invaded her mind had dulled her pain and brought her senses into focus. But that wouldn’t last long.
She couldn’t go to the hospital, of course. Too many questions. And she couldn’t ask her mother to stitch her up. She always tried to keep the worst of her injuries from her. Kagome knew she was aware of the dangers of the life she led, but to know and to actually witness it were two totally different things.
So, she’d go to Kaede. She just had to make it to the well first.
But, upon reflection, she wasn’t sure she could leave her family with four strangers on the property whose motives she still wasn’t sure of. None of them had even spoken of the jewel. And they’d actually seemed surprised to find her up there. As if they were looking for something else. The youkai she’d killed, perhaps?
Kagome shook her head. It didn’t matter. Despite whatever else he might be (a jerk, namely), Shuichi wasn’t a bad guy. He was sweet and compassionate and had once been her dear friend. And he still had that same kind look in his green eyes. So, she would trust him not to harm her family.
She could trust him, she was sure.
When Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara finally reached the now empty courtyard, they were surprised to find the girl they’d been chasing vanished without a trace and Hiei inspecting an old wooden well house. The apparition ran his hands over the wood of the sliding door with a look of concentration on his usually stoic features.
They stopped behind him, panting. Yusuke, of course, was the first to speak. “Where’d she go?”
Hiei looked into the open well house. “She disappeared,” he explained simply.
“Disappeared?” Kurama prompted, sidling up to the hybrid and looking into the darkness of the old wooden structure.
‘She jumped into that well. There was a swell of a strange energy. And then she disappeared,’ Hiei’s voice echoed through his mind.
A portal to one of the other worlds?
The apparition gave a mental shrug. ‘I tried to go in after her. It would not allow me passage.’ There was a somewhat bitter tone to his words.
‘You were keeping up with her alright. Why didn’t you detain her?’ Youko asked of him accusingly.
Hiei turned a cold glare to the fox. ‘I have an aversion to purification,’ he bit out sarcastically.
No other words were exchanged as the apparition disappeared onto the roof and settled himself into a comfortable position to wait. Though he wasn’t usually inclined to put so much effort into a case, his curiosity had been piqued.
“So,” Yusuke crossed his arms and eyed Kurama in slight annoyance.
Kurama tilted his head toward the well house. “Hiei says she jumped into that well and disappeared,” he explained shortly.
Yusuke gave a snort of irritation. “No doubt the toddler will want to know about this.” He stared at the old building for a moment, appearing to be thinking. “So, what now? Any ideas, foxboy?”
Said fox gave a slight grin at the nickname and cleared off a seat on a nearby bench, one of many that littered the shrine grounds. “We wait,” he said simply.
The toushin yawned theatrically and turned towards the steps, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Yeah, well, you let me know when she comes back. Keiko wants to exchange presents and I guess I gotta go buy her something.”
Kurama dipped his head in understanding. “And you Kuwabara?”
The man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Eh, I was hoping to spend the evening with my darling Yukina.”
On the roof, Hiei’s aura darkened considerably. He briefly entertained the notion of using the Jagan to plant some devious suggestion in the annoying human’s mind.
“Of course,” Kurama nodded.
Kuwabara grinned widely and slapped the older boy’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kurama! We’ll have our communicators!” he yelled back over his shoulder as he ran off after Yusuke.
The evening was still young and the sky was just starting to darken with the oncoming nightfall. They had a few more hours of daylight. Snow was beginning to fall, adding to the already deep layer on the shrine grounds.
He had a lot to think about. Namely, how in the world his ex-girlfriend had come to be involved with demons. And where she could have disappeared to through that portal.
As Kurama settled in for a long wait, the voice of his fox counterpart echoed imperiously across his mind. ‘Told you so.’
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Written to: “I Saw the Sign” by Ace of Base and Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right.”
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Clenching Water
The Truth Emerges
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It was Christmas Eve! Didn’t those stupid youkai know what that meant?
“No,” the young girl with blue-black hair and striking azure eyes sighed with exasperation. “No, I don’t suppose they do.”
Letting out a slight sound of frustration, Kagome set her lips in the customary pout, dark brows drawn downward in a resigned sort of annoyance, and continued through the white forest. Being so high up on the side of the mountain, the snow here was knee-deep and more than difficult to navigate on a slope.
The miko pulled her downy black coat closer and shivered as her wool tights, which had become wet when the snow exceeded the height of her snow boots, did nothing to protect her legs from the cold. She was wet. She was freezing. And she was absolutely miserable. But still, she kept going.
Being on the edge of the city of Tokyo, the shrine she called home included quite a bit of land. Behind her house, a mountain, small in comparison to the surrounding giants, made its home. They owned several acres of forest up here, ten in fact, and when they were younger Kagome and Souta had often rode toboggans down the slope. Now, though, the sledding path was rocky and overgrown.
The reason she was up here, though, was because of a group of low level demons she had been sensing now for three days. For three days they had not made a move and seemed to pose no threat to the experienced young miko.
However, being this experienced miko that she was, Kagome also knew that youkai were sneaky. And she got the suspicious feeling that these guys were up to something. So, that afternoon after lunch, she’d dressed for a hike and prepared to brave the snow-covered mountain.
She’d brought her bow and arrows with her, in case she got lucky and would be able to take them out from a distance. But, with the numerous trees blocking the path, she doubted her arrows would be very effective in this forest.
As Kagome drew closer to the source of the youki, she stopped and quietly slipped out of her overcoat and hung it over a naked tree branch. Now divested of any restricting clothing, she readied an arrow. She quickly closed the distance when she could make out the forms of three large ogres and a humanoid snake youkai through the trees.
“Hello, boys,” she greeted them with more cheer than she felt.
The four turned to look at her, studying her small form in mild confusion. Kagome continued with a smile, keeping the arrow pointed towards the ground in a non-threatening gesture. “You guys have been up here for a while now. And as long as you’re not here to cause any trouble, I don’t mind you staying on my mountain,” she said with a diplomatic smile.
“You’re her?” the snake asked, scaly green brows raised in disbelief.
Kagome sighed in exasperation. It seemed she was going to have to kill them. “So, I suppose you want the jewel, huh?”
Now the youkai smiled maliciously. “They didn’t tell us you were just a little girl. But I guess it’ll make ripping that jewel off your pretty neck all the easier.”
“Where have I heard that one before?” Kagome grumbled to herself, lifting the arrow to aim at the chest of the nearest youkai, the snake.
He just gave her a cocky grin. “It’ll take more than a little wooden stick to take me dow-” He was cut off as the glowing projectile struck his chest and he burst into ashes.
The others quickly realized what they were up against and began to panic. “She’s a fucking miko!”
The tallest of them, a red ogre with wild black hair, snarled at their cowardice. “She’s still just a human, you idiots! She can’t take three youkai at once!”
With that, the trio of ogres surrounded the young miko and adopted fighting stances. Realizing the futility of a long range weapon, Kagome dropped her bow and quiver of arrows in the snow a few feet to her left and began to draw her miko energy into her right hand. She was prepared when the first took a swipe at her.
Quickly, Kagome dodged to the left and used the momentum to slam the ball of glowing purity into his chest. He instantly dissolved into a pile of ashes. The other two used her distraction to move closer. The one to her right and slightly behind her lunged at her.
The miko gathered another energy ball into her left palm and released it at him in her turn. Anticipating the attack, the ogre ducked and kept coming. Caught unarmed in the momentum of her swing, Kagome was helpless to defend herself as the youkai slashed at her open shoulder. Blood splattered across the snow as the young miko tried to regain her balance after the hit.
She tried to lift her left arm to throw another projectile, but pain bloomed in her shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she channeled her miko energy into the tips of the fingers of her right hand to form a short whip. If it backfired (as it often did) it would simply pass through her harmlessly.
Kagome pivoted on the balls of her feet and, in one smooth twirl, passed the whip through the chests of both remaining youkai. They burst into a cloud of ash and silence settled through the forest as they fluttered to rest on the pristine white blanket of snow.
The problem taken care of, the girl turned her attention to her wounded shoulder. The monster’s claws had ripped right through her turtleneck sweater. Hissing in pain, she peeled back the soaked edges of the shredded material to see the gashes underneath. There were three long, rough cuts. The edges of the wounds had been ripped as if with a serrated knife. It was extremely painful and still bled quite profusely, but they’d avoided any major arteries so they weren’t life-threatening. She’d definitely need stitches, though. Kagome cringed. She’d never been fond of needles.
She slung her quiver over her uninjured shoulder, grabbed her bow and coat, and began to pick her way back down the steep mountainside. She was nearing the halfway mark when the cold chill of youki swept down her spine. The girl groaned and nearly cried out in frustration. She just wanted to rest on Christmas Eve!
Kurama’s thoughts were in a jumble as the group ran through the crowded, snow-slick streets of Tokyo. Disgruntled passerby looked after them curiously as they dodged through the foot traffic in a hurry. Hiei, having the luxury to do so, had taken to the rooftops. At the moment, Kurama was the slightest bit jealous of the fire apparition. But that was the least of his worries at the moment.
A mere half hour ago, Koenma had contacted the members of the Reikai Tantei to alert them to the presence of four low-level youkai camped on a mountain on the outskirts of the city. They weren’t much threat, but the prince had insisted they be taken care of immediately before they caused any trouble with the humans of the area.
It wasn’t an unusual case. But what had caught Kurama’s attention was the location of these youkai. They were on the grounds of an old shrine, one he had once been very familiar with. And Youko’s sudden silence really had him worried.
As the group neared the large red torii of the shrine, Yusuke turned to them and explained the plan. “Alright, there’s a family living here, so we have to be discreet about this.” Kuwabara almost said something along the lines of Yusuke Urameshi being incapable of discretion, but thought better of it at the last minute. It was late and he really wanted to get this over with so he could get back to spend Christmas Eve with his darling Yukina.
“Stay out of sight until we can get to the woods,” their leader finished sternly. He was in a foul mood, being pulled from yet another date with Keiko. She hadn’t been too happy about it either.
They all nodded and started up the steps. They weren’t surprised when Hiei disappeared when they reached to top, having taken to the trees and roofs of the buildings faster than they could see.
Keeping behind the many buildings that littered the shrine grounds, the group made their way to the mountain. Kurama recognized Kagome’s family in the courtyard. Her mother and younger brother, who had grown quite a bit taller since he’d last seen him, were gathering snow for a misshapen snowman. Her grandfather was seated on a bench reading a newspaper, bundled tightly in layers of thick blankets. Kagome, however, was nowhere to be seen. And he couldn’t feel her aura around the shrine. Perhaps she’d moved out after high school?
For some reason, this caused Kurama’s heart to constrict painfully. She was going on with her life, as he’d wanted her to. He was, too. Somehow, he wasn’t as comfortable with the idea as he’d thought. They reached the woods without any problem and began up the steep mountain.
Hiei was ahead of them; he could feel the apparition’s aura moving swiftly up the mountain. When he’d reached a certain point, his energy trace disappeared altogether. Kurama supposed he was using the Jagan to mask his aura for his approach to the youkai. He would wait until the others got there to do anything. Hiei usually preferred to observe his opponents before rushing in.
As they neared the youkai, Kurama began to feel a strange energy accompanied by a familiar aura. It had been so long since he’d felt it, but he was positive it was Kagome’s. What the hell was she doing up on this mountain alone? And she was heading straight for those youkai!
‘Fox,’ he heard Hiei’s voice echo through his mind, ‘there is something unusual happening.’
Without prompting, the hybrid flooded his mind’s eye with scenes of a battle between a tiny human girl clad in a pleated gray skirt and a plum colored turtleneck and four large youkai. She took out the first one with a glowing arrow, and the next three with energy projectiles and what looked like an energy whip. And they’d all simply burst into ashes on contact with her strange energy.
When he finally saw her face, brilliant blue eyes accented by high cheeks and pouting lips, he stopped in his tracks, mouth agape in astonishment. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could feel Youko’s surprise. That was Kagome! Their innocent, little Kagome had just taken out four adult youkai single-handedly!
And then he saw the blood soaking through the fabric of her sweater. He pitched forward and had to catch himself when Youko made a sudden rush for freedom. He strained against the force of the old fox’s efforts.
‘Damnit, boy, this isn’t the time to be standing here!’ he heard the kitsune snarl viciously, straining against the confines of his spirit.
Kurama mentally shook away the initial shock and charged up the hill, quickly overtaking Yusuke and Kuwabara. It was a few minutes before they began to come up on Kagome’s aura as it sluggishly descended the mountain. They could see her form silhouetted against the bright backdrop of white snow. She leaned heavily against an ashen tree, right hand covering a wound on her shoulder to staunch the flow of blood. A longbow, arrows, and a coat lay in the snow behind her.
When they finally reached her, her dark head was lowered and her eyes were closed. In an irritated grumble, she asked, “Isn’t there any other poor priestess you youkai can bother today?”
Yusuke was about to shout something at her disheveled and bloodied appearance, but Kurama beat him to it. “What in the world are you doing up here, Kagome?”
At the sound of his familiar voice, her eyes snapped open to the size of saucers. “Sh-Shuichi?!” She stumbled backward into another tree, letting out a little yelp of pain when her shoulder was jarred. She gaped, mouth struggling to form a coherent sentence. The flustered girl made an almost comical picture as she frantically tossed about for some kind of explanation. “I-It’s not what it looks like!”
At the moment, Kurama wasn’t really sure what it looked like. There was his ex-girlfriend, the one who he’d broken up with to protect her from youkai, kicking ass and taking names and then stumbling down the mountain in a bloody mess. His pretty, innocent, naïve little Kagome. Had the entire world gone mad?!
Yusuke, getting over his shock at finding a young girl on the mountain instead of youkai, decided to tackle the main issue here. “Uh, shouldn’t we get her to a hospital?”
At this, Kagome’s temper flared and she glared at the toushin. “I don’t need any hospital!” she denied adamantly, trying in vain to turn her body to hide the still-bleeding wound.
Taking note of the steady stream of blood staining the snow at her side, Kurama shook his head and took a step towards her. Explanations could wait for later; right now, she definitely needed medical attention. His face registered mild surprise when she pressed herself closer to the tree at her back and she raised her bloodied hand in a defensive gesture. Her blue eyes held his in fierce determination. He found the rare picture of solemnity from the usually cheerful girl disturbing.
Her quick eyes darted over the three boys, sizing up her opponents. The tall, orange-haired man gazing at her with concerned eyes seemed harmless enough. The other dark-headed figure and the boy she knew as Shuichi had the faintest hint of youki swirling through their auras. But, strangely, in Shuichi’s case the demon energy didn’t really seem to be a part of him and didn’t match the feeling of his own energy.
“Look, Shuichi, I don’t know what you’re doing with a youkai and a… weird human,“ she eyed Kuwabara suspiciously- “but I don’t have time to talk right now. If you’re going to attack me, then go ahead and do it. If you’re not, then let me get back down the mountain and get this taken care of,” she told him, gesturing towards her shoulder. “It’s actually pretty painful.”
‘Attack her! What the hell is she talking about?’ Youko’s shock radiated throughout their shared body.
Kurama had to agree. He knew he’d broken up with her, but attack her?! He’d never done anything to suggest- Unless…
He took a quick, sidelong glance at Yusuke, who’s youki was flaring around him in agitation. He noticed Kagome’s gaze focused on the toushin, the one she considered to be the largest threat. He took in her defensive stance, feet set apart at shoulders width, as if she was braced for attack at any moment.
Kagome was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. The young miko wavered on her feet and had to throw out the hand of her good arm to balance herself, leaving a bright red handprint on the bark of the tree behind her. The adrenaline from before was gone and she felt like a top-heavy sapling whose slender trunk was too weak to support itself. The edge of her vision became fuzzy and the figures before her swam in and out of focus.
She felt a strange pressure in her head, like something was pressing on the sides of her skull. Her senses dimmed until all she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears. A fourth figure had joined the group in front of her, a mere splash of black against the snow. A dark, demonic aura swelled against her senses. Why hadn’t she felt it before?
The pressure in her head was building, and she tried to shake away the discomfort. Outwardly, she lifted a hand to lay against her forehead, smearing crimson liquid across her brow. She thought she might have heard Shuichi’s voice.
It was in her very mind now. Her thoughts felt ghostly and unfamiliar to her, exposed, as if something was looking in on her. In confusion, she lifted her head. Her vision was consumed with a single, glowing purple eye. It’s aura was one of pure evil. It was oppressing against her senses, like nothing she’d ever felt. And she realized with a start it was glaring at her.
The thing was in her mind!
The others watched on in surprise as Hiei suddenly jumped onto a high tree branch, a smoking crater in the frozen ground left in his wake. It had happened so fast, they’d barely seen the girl lift her hand to her side, fingers curled as if holding a ball, and release the sphere of swirling blue and pink energy she’d gathered there.
The apparition had a mildly surprised expression as he replaced the white strip of cloth around his forehead. What he’d seen in her mind was both revealing and confusing. He’d have to sort through the conflicting images later. Right now, he had a human girl to obliterate.
The world suddenly rushed back into focus, and Kagome had the impression of forcefully breaking the surface of the water after being held under for too long. That figure! He had tried to break into her mind!
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she shouted up at him on the tree branch. He glared back down at her in contempt.
“Kurama, do you know this human?” he asked of the red-head in a low voice, ignoring her for the moment.
‘Kurama?’ Kagome thought in confusion. The name sounded so familiar.
The boy she knew as Shuichi nodded in assent, said “Yes, we attended high school together.”
Pain briefly blossomed in her chest for a moment, but Kagome quickly buried the sensation. To hear their relationship, all her feelings of love and blossoming passion, all their days spent lounging in the sun and evenings kissing and cuddling under the Goshinboku wadded up and condensed into “We attended high school together.” Coming from Shuichi, it made it seem like what they’d had was unimportant, insignificant, not worth remembering. As if it hadn’t mattered at all.
Kagome wanted to get away. She wanted to run.
So she did.
The boys gave chase as the strange girl suddenly bolted. Once again masking his aura, Hiei kept easy pace with her in the treetops. The mostly human members of the group, however, were having trouble keeping up.
“Damn, she’s fast,” Yusuke grumbled as they tore down the mountain after her. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew that girl needed medical attention quick. And, if Koenma had any say in the matter (which he would), she’d probably have to have her memory erased afterward.
Kurama silently agreed.
‘Are we sure she’s human? How’d she get so damn fast?’ Youko echoed Yusuke’s sentiment.
A chill traveled along his spine when their was a sudden burst of the same holy energy the girl had used before. She was so far ahead they could barely make out her form through the trees. What they could see, though, was a pinkish glow about her feet.
Kurama caught himself as he nearly tripped over her furry black boots lying in the snow.
Make that her bare feet. What the hell was she thinking?
At that moment, in fact, Kagome was thinking how there should be a law against so many trees on a steep slope. They were a real hindrance when escaping from youkai… or uncomfortable situations.
The human boyfriend she was just now convincing herself she was over and who she hadn’t even talked to in over a year had just shown up out of the blue (in all his gorgeous, crimson-haired glory) asking her what she was doing on her mountain. It was bizarre! And completely preposterous! What the hell was he doing running around with a bunch of youkai? What was he doing with youki in his aura?
And why had the kami seen fit to put so many damn trees on this accursed mountain?
Kagome grunted in pain and cursed colorfully under her breath as she again lost her balance over a hidden root and her shoulder was slammed into a tree. She was sure they’d be able to find her. Just follow the trail of red trees!
She’d shed her cumbersome boots earlier, both because they weighed down her feet and because it was easier to catch her balance on a root if she could mold her foot to the shape of it. Her toes were beginning to go numb, but it didn’t matter. She was almost there!
As she was nearing the base of the mountain, she began to plan. Admittedly, she hadn’t really thought it through when she started running. But now that she was far enough away from the source of the problem, she could worry about her next move.
First, she needed to get her shoulder looked at. The rush of adrenaline she’d experienced when that thing had invaded her mind had dulled her pain and brought her senses into focus. But that wouldn’t last long.
She couldn’t go to the hospital, of course. Too many questions. And she couldn’t ask her mother to stitch her up. She always tried to keep the worst of her injuries from her. Kagome knew she was aware of the dangers of the life she led, but to know and to actually witness it were two totally different things.
So, she’d go to Kaede. She just had to make it to the well first.
But, upon reflection, she wasn’t sure she could leave her family with four strangers on the property whose motives she still wasn’t sure of. None of them had even spoken of the jewel. And they’d actually seemed surprised to find her up there. As if they were looking for something else. The youkai she’d killed, perhaps?
Kagome shook her head. It didn’t matter. Despite whatever else he might be (a jerk, namely), Shuichi wasn’t a bad guy. He was sweet and compassionate and had once been her dear friend. And he still had that same kind look in his green eyes. So, she would trust him not to harm her family.
She could trust him, she was sure.
When Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara finally reached the now empty courtyard, they were surprised to find the girl they’d been chasing vanished without a trace and Hiei inspecting an old wooden well house. The apparition ran his hands over the wood of the sliding door with a look of concentration on his usually stoic features.
They stopped behind him, panting. Yusuke, of course, was the first to speak. “Where’d she go?”
Hiei looked into the open well house. “She disappeared,” he explained simply.
“Disappeared?” Kurama prompted, sidling up to the hybrid and looking into the darkness of the old wooden structure.
‘She jumped into that well. There was a swell of a strange energy. And then she disappeared,’ Hiei’s voice echoed through his mind.
A portal to one of the other worlds?
The apparition gave a mental shrug. ‘I tried to go in after her. It would not allow me passage.’ There was a somewhat bitter tone to his words.
‘You were keeping up with her alright. Why didn’t you detain her?’ Youko asked of him accusingly.
Hiei turned a cold glare to the fox. ‘I have an aversion to purification,’ he bit out sarcastically.
No other words were exchanged as the apparition disappeared onto the roof and settled himself into a comfortable position to wait. Though he wasn’t usually inclined to put so much effort into a case, his curiosity had been piqued.
“So,” Yusuke crossed his arms and eyed Kurama in slight annoyance.
Kurama tilted his head toward the well house. “Hiei says she jumped into that well and disappeared,” he explained shortly.
Yusuke gave a snort of irritation. “No doubt the toddler will want to know about this.” He stared at the old building for a moment, appearing to be thinking. “So, what now? Any ideas, foxboy?”
Said fox gave a slight grin at the nickname and cleared off a seat on a nearby bench, one of many that littered the shrine grounds. “We wait,” he said simply.
The toushin yawned theatrically and turned towards the steps, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Yeah, well, you let me know when she comes back. Keiko wants to exchange presents and I guess I gotta go buy her something.”
Kurama dipped his head in understanding. “And you Kuwabara?”
The man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Eh, I was hoping to spend the evening with my darling Yukina.”
On the roof, Hiei’s aura darkened considerably. He briefly entertained the notion of using the Jagan to plant some devious suggestion in the annoying human’s mind.
“Of course,” Kurama nodded.
Kuwabara grinned widely and slapped the older boy’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kurama! We’ll have our communicators!” he yelled back over his shoulder as he ran off after Yusuke.
The evening was still young and the sky was just starting to darken with the oncoming nightfall. They had a few more hours of daylight. Snow was beginning to fall, adding to the already deep layer on the shrine grounds.
He had a lot to think about. Namely, how in the world his ex-girlfriend had come to be involved with demons. And where she could have disappeared to through that portal.
As Kurama settled in for a long wait, the voice of his fox counterpart echoed imperiously across his mind. ‘Told you so.’
.