Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Eternity ❯ Suzuka's Gifts ( Chapter 18 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: rain00205 
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 166 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2012 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 166 | Status: Completed
She walks with the old woman, away from the stadium. She knows what is to come, but cannot bear to let it happen. The pink haired woman takes them to the forest, where they walk for miles it seems like. There isn't much time, the next fight begins shortly. She is not happy with these circumstances, but knows there is no way to stop them. The old woman stops near a cave, on that she feels tremendous power around. This is where it will happen, where another pupil not too long ago completed training. She is hesitant about this, knowing that if she accepts, the old woman dies. She has no choice, she must accept, for there is no other way. She stands in front of her saviour, her mentor, and waits.
"San, you were ready for this ages ago, but I had to wait until Yusuke could accept my spirit wave orb. He has it now, and will have a good chance of defeating Toguro," she finally speaks, "There is a member on their team, related to Bui, but that is hardly relevant. His name is Wakato. Toguro saw you were my replacement fighter and ask specifically for this demon. I'm sure you'll find out why when you fight him. Another thing, you won't be able to change into a wolf for this fight, you'll have to fight as you are now. As it stands now, you might have a chance, but since you still have to go and confront Kurama, I need to keep you alive. This is my gift to you," the old woman informs her. She wonders what relevance this is, but appreciates what the old woman does for her, "Create an orb, basing the power off of the spirit deflection blast," the woman instructs. She does as she is told, focusing energy into her hands, the last thing she learned, the spirit deflection blast. The old woman mimics her, and adds the power onto the orb already in her hands. It grows, and she can barely contain it, "Now, absorb the power. This is the last of my power, the rest is with Yusuke. You'll handle it better, it won't be a problem," and she does as she is told. The orb disappears into her body, and she feels the strength flowing thru her.
"You fell onto my doorstep fifteen years ago. I knew you were a demon, but you weren't a threat. I'm old San, you knew my fate before I did. I didn't think I'd be babysitting a demon for so long, I was going to release you into the wild, but I didn't. It took eight years to get you into your human form, but here you are. You're not powerful enough to return to your demon form, but once I knew who you were, I knew your story, and knew that as a wolf, you would respect me, being your pack leader. You have found your mate, and my authority won't matter anymore. Yusuke is your leader now, you must obey him, continuing as long as you survive with him. If he loses and Karasu is still alive, well, we already know the ending to that one. Wakato will do his best to injure you. All this aside, I suppose it's time to say good bye now. You won't see me after this. You have completed your training, that is my gift to you. What I neglected to tell you until now is that you have miraculously restored some of the faith I have in demons and humans. Kurama and Hiei, I wouldn't have thought much of the two of them if it wasn't for you. I saved your life, and I know that's why you are so loyal to me. I use the last of my authority to tell you to stay out of my affairs. You were close to a daughter to me San, and I would hate to see you in Rekai when your so close to your destiny."
She tears, "Genkai..."
"Don't blubber at me girl, I know you're better than that! I'm leaving now. Be weary of Wakato," and she begins to walk away, leaving the blond there. The old womans turns once more, "Take care of yourself, San."
...
He is curious, having a strange feeling that he should go this way. He knows he is to watch the next fight, but he needs to find her first. He sees someone walking towards him from the distance. He knows by this person that he is on the right track. He walks up to the old woman headed his way. They stop, standing in front of each other for a few moments. The pink haired woman looks up into his green eyes, observes for the truth she knows. He stares back curiously.
The old woman smiles, "Take care of here, Kurama. Your stuck with her, for life," and then she continues on her journey. He watches her go, and then follows his previous trail as well. It doesn't take him long, there is a cave, and his is surrounded by rock. The prize of his hunt sits against a rock, staring into the sky. He walks towards her, making noise so he does not startle her. She is more powerful, having completed her training he assumes. He stands in beside her for a moments, observing her. Her tawny eyes are unfocused, but he is sure she knows he's there. He places a hand on her shoulder, not really understanding what is going on, but knows he will find out soon.
"San?" he questions softly. She sighs, and then looks over at him.
"Kurama..." she trails, unsure of what to say to him. He smiles down at her.
"Let's go," he says. She stands, and walks with him sourly back to the stadium.
...
Kurama took himself out of the memory, trying to focus again on how to defeat Karasu. No matter which scenario played thru his head, there was no way possible he could beat the apparition. He was fast, powerful, and even managed to play mind games well. He called San queen, and was after her. It seemed that Kurama was going to find out many things about this girl, after she overcame the grief of losing Genkai. He would never forget the look on her face when Karasu was around, nor the one when she finished howling for her mentor. Stop, he had to focus on the up coming fight. The only way to win was to find a way to transform back into Youko, and there seemed to be no way to do that. Damn Shishiwakamaru, holding the secret and unable to help him. There was no way he could train with two days to become powerful enough to change, it just wasn't possible. There had to be another way, and he had to figure it out, fast.
"Hey Kurama!" Kuwabara called to him, interrupting his thoughts and running up to him, "About time I found one of you guys. Come on, please tell me you saw Urameshi run by?"
"No," he replied.
"This is like one of those wild goose thingys! I was following some huge mega energy and then it all vanished. Genkai said some weird things and then Yusuke wouldn't say anything when he got up and followed her. He was angry. You'd tell me if he was hiding from me right?" but there was someone in the bushes.
"Who's there?"
"The exact two guys I wanted to see. Lucky me," said the new comer, stepping out of the shadows. He was bandaged up, but neither knew who he was.
"You better answer his question!" said Kuwabara. The strange man stood in front of the two fighters.
"But don't you recognize the beautiful Suzuka?" he answered.
"Suzuka?"
"You remember Kuwabara, beautiful Suzuka?"
"Oh hey, that's right. I see the resemblance now. Your the guy that got his face turned into pudding Suzuka. Ha, yeah I remember you, nice clown suit."
"Better watch yourself simple human boy. It's against Rekai law to say my name without putting beautiful in front. I've learned from my last fight that my body isn't meant for fighting the way you do. And all my gifted techniques can't compete with your brute strength. No wonder you think of me as a clown. Hm?"
"Our patience grows short my friend. You must tell us why you're here," said Kurama.
"Your type is so incapable of polite conversation. Let me just skip to the point," said Suzuka. He held up the hilt of a sword and a jar with a mysterious fruit in it. Strange...
"So what?" questioned Kuwabara.
"These two items are my gifts to you," and he handed them to the fighters. Kurama took the jar, and Kuwabara the hilt. They observed them, wondering what they could be.
"Could you elaborate?" asked Kurama.
"Yeah, who cares about a fancy ruler," said Kuwabara. Kurama was sure she'd mutter idiot under her breath had she been here.
"It's a hilt amateur. These were these were the starting points for two items I gave to my own team. The bottle Kurama contains the fruit of the previous life hand picked from the upper realms of Rekai. It was from just a fruit that Ura derived the smoke for his reverse magic box, and drinking that will produce the same dreamy effect of turning you back into your demon form. And that one is called the trial sword, made from a Japanese seeder that grew to great heights by sucking up the surrounding life," Suzuka explained.
"Ew. That sounds creepy, I don't want to hold that!" and he threw the sword back at Suzuka.
"For Shishiwakamaru it became the Banshee shriek. But for you it should be quite different and probably without the demons," said Suzuka, throwing it back to Kuwabara, "Allow me the pleasure of a few more words and I'll give you a warning. This fight was the first time those items were ever used in battle. I still can't tell you exactly how they work or what side effects they have on their user."
"So we're guinea pigs now?"
"It's all up to you if want to use the help or not. Now good luck," and he started to walk away.
"Why on earth do you want to help us?" asked Kurama, not really surprised Kuwabara hadn't thought of it.
"Because I dislike you, but I hate Toguro. It only took three percent of his repulsive power to make a fool out of me. I was young, hadn't realized my greatness couldn't grant me everything like it should. I went to pieces at his feet, pleading for my life. The insult to my pride was death enough. I spent decades refining my techniques and collecting every enchanted item that I could. I changed my appearance and even helped assemble a tournament team. But you easily beat me before I could reach him. I can see it wasn't meant to be. But if my own body can't beat him, then at least my items can! I want you to show him that ingenuity and sophistication can win over strength, change his mind, show him that underdogs can win," and with that, he walked away. Kuwabara left, wordlessly, as well.
Kurama resumed his position before the interruption. He stared at the item in his hands. This was the secret, the answer he had been waiting for. This would change him back to his demon form, but he had to test it first, make sure it worked, figure it out before he used it in battle. There were many possibilities and variables with this strange liquid. He wasn't properly equipped to test it on other things, there was only one test he could commence. He took the lid off the bottle and was about to drink it. There was a tremendous force that stopped him. It was Yusuke, and he saw a thunderous spirit shot fly into the air, towards the heavens would be the best way to describe it. He then heard another howl, one of acceptance and pain. It was San, she was still out there, maybe she was with Yusuke, maybe not, but at least he knew she was safe. He took a drink from the bottle, preparing himself for the effects of it. He wasn't sure how much time it would take for the contents to take effect. He waited as the minutes passed, the moon rising, the night becoming later. He felt it then, his spirit and body growing weaker. The transformation took effect, he was back to his demon form.
"So, it really is you... Youko..." he heard San's voice. She was standing behind him and he turned to her.
"Your the human that has been taunting Shuuichi's head. You're mated, you should stop tormenting him," said the fox. It was hard to look into this girl's eyes.
"If you spend all your time with him, you'd know I was a demon. And you're right, I am mated. To you."
"What?"
"It's me Youko. Moriko. I'm here, I've been searching for you... all this time..."
"Do not lie to me! Moriko is dead!"
"Foolish kitsune! Lend me some of your power and I will show you!"
That tone, he knew it well. There was no harm in it, so he grabbed her hand, and sent his demon energy into her. He watched as she began to glow, growing taller than she was. Ears began to stick out of her head and a tail grew. Her hair changed from sun touched to tawny and there she stood, looking up into his eyes, "Beloved..." she was there, really there, standing right in front of him.
"Youko..." they stared. His golden eyes, how she missed them. He brought a hand to her cheek, making sure she was solid and not an illusion. He turned her to the side, pulling the clothing out of the way and saw his mark there. Her scent was the same, and his mark was glowing with him so near. He turned her to face him, seeing tears in her eyes. He brought his hands to either side of her face, wiping the tears away.
"My koishii ookami," he finally said, pulling her into his strong arms, wrapping his nine tails around her. She pulled him close as well. It was fifteen years ago that she had last seen him, and it hurt to be away from him for so long. He was here now, but she knew that he couldn't stay on the surface for long, especially giving her some of his power. After what seemed like eternity, they pulled back, but not by much. He didn't want to let her go just yet. He pulled her to kiss him, and they kissed passionately, like the two lovers they were that had been separated. It was long, it was meaningful, and it made her knees go weak. They broke apart and he ran a hand over her ear and thru her hair as he hugged her again. The feeling of her, the smell, how he missed her, "Moriko... I thought you were dead. I was informed of your death."
"I did not think you would go to Koenma to find me. I did not want demons like Karasu to find me," she explained.
"That reminds me beloved, we must speak," and he picked her up just because he could and carried her to the nearest tree using his demon speed. He placed her on the ground and he sat against the tree. She sat with her back leaning on his chest, his arms coming around her once more. His silver hair mingled with her tawny hair as it blew in the wind. He kissed the top of her head, and then spoke in his soothing voice, "When did you meet Karasu?"
She sighed, knowing she was going to get shit for this, "When we were hunting the Jewel of the Forest. We all separated, and I found it. Karasu was there, he found me. I narrowly escaped and he promised to be back one day to claim me."
He remembered that day, the way she acted after she gave him the treasure, "Why did you not tell me?"
"I knew your rage Youko, I knew that he would kill you to get to me. I did not want that, I decided it would be better to get as far away from there as possible. He's powerful Youko, immensely powerful, it strikes fear to the very core of my being. He has every intention of killing you."
"I told you as Shuuichi, and I will tell you again. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe beloved. I refuse to lose you again, not after I just found you."
She smiled, "I believe it was me that found you."
He smirked at her comment, "You were always fond of hunts. Why did you not tell me who you were earlier?"
"I was not sure Youko, I did not wish to be let down so easily. How come you did not recognize me?"
"Instantly I thought of you, but being told you had perished made that belief die. You are excellent at hiding your scent koishii, you did not make it easy for me to notice you. Tell me, what happened that day?"
She sighed, looking up at the moon, "I fell, as you know. I landed hard onto the hard ground of this earth. I was saved by Genkai, she healed me."
"And the young?"
"I'm sorry Youko, they did not make it..." after hearing that he tightened his hold on her. He kissed her cheek, shedding a tear for them. It was painful, but he wondered the pain she endured having to go thru her life this way. He was not strong enough to protect her at the time, he wasn't even sure about now. He would be damned if anything else were to happen to her now. She turned to look into his golden eyes. They were gentle, as they always were when she saw them. The love he held for her shone in them and she kissed him with longing. As they did in the past, they created a temporary den, to enclose the two of them. Their kisses got hungrier and they mated. It was equal to the passion they had from their first union. When they finished, they were humans once again. Kurama looked at the naked form of San, knowing that she was his now. She stared back into his green eyes, and kissed him once more. This was probably the greatest thing that happened to him, he found his mate, she was here the whole time. They laid down, he was holding her to him tightly.
"Please, explain the rest of that day to me."
"Like I said, I nearly fell to my death. Genkai saved me, she healed me. I was lucky she had a heart towards me, and ever since that, I deemed her my pack leader until I found you. Yusuke has taken that position though, given he survives Toguro. Anyway, I stayed a wolf, unable to merge with a human. Genkai doesn't exactly live with civilization as you know, so for eight years I talked to her with my telapathy, and finally, I became San. As a human, my powers draw from the sun, in the daylight is when I'm the strongest. I tried to make my appearance as close to my demon one as possible, so it would be easier for you to find me, but clearly that didn't work."
"You should not have told Koenma you were dead."
"I did that for my own protection, like I said, I didn't think you would go there to look for me. Genkai trained me for the next seven years, I just completed my training yesterday. I will be fighting in this next match, the random team member that they acquired. Genkai told me that after Toguro saw me, they sent for this man, he has something to do with my past, I'm sure of it," she turned to look at Kurama, "I'm sure you know Karasu is relentless. Just thinking about him scares me, and you do know that I don't get scared all that easily. Please be careful, I don't want to lose you again either."
"I told you San," and he kissed her forehead, "I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm. As your friend, and your mate. I promise you this," she kissed him once more, "I must warn you love, being around me won't keep your identity a secret, especially with the public displays of affection. I know you weren't much for it before, but who knows how you feel now as a human."
She smiled, "Say that again."
"Which part?"
"Guess."
He took a moment to think about it, recounting every word that he spoke, "Love?"
"Yeah. I like that, it's been such a long time."
"I love you," he told her, moving to look into her tawny eyes. He meant it as a human and a demon.
"I love you," she said, kissing him. A glow caught his eye. It was the mark on her shoulder blade.
"It stayed on the surface?"
"Yeah, since the first time you came out to play!" she smiled at him. He kissed her again and then stood. They both began to dress, smiling contently to themselves.
"We should get back to the others now, it's getting late and the first match is tomorrow," he offered his hand to her, and she took it, helping him take away their temporary den. They walked towards the hotel, knowing that was where the team would be, "So I can remain in my demon form for fifteen minutes. I'm hoping that is enough to defeat Karasu."
"Wouldn't it be longer if you didn't have to give me some of your power?"
"Yes, it took three minutes away. You changed into Moriko the first time I emerged, am I right?"
"Yeah, but that's cause you were all like, I AM YOUKO! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! I HAVE AWESOME POWER! And yeah, sent so much power everywhere, plus, me being pissed off, BAM, you get Moriko."
Kurama chuckled at her antics, kissing her hand. He then took off at his demon speed, knowing she would rather enjoy a race to the rest of the team. He heard her laugh and then she took off as well, staying in her human form. She was still faster than he was, but just barely. He knew as a wolf she would have left him behind ages ago, and liked that she had chosen to stay as she was. They reached the cliff where Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were. They sneakily stepped down, standing behind Kuwabara. Their hands had found their way back to each others miraculously.
"Do you think its possible that you could shut up?" asked Hiei, startling the boy in front of them.
"Hey Hiei," said Yusuke casually.
"You really shouldn't sneak up on someone who's holding the world's most powerful sword!" declared Kuwabara, and then he screamed after seeing Hiei's arm, "Ew! What happened to your arm?"
"It wouldn't obey when I gave it a specific command so I decided it needed to be punished," he replied, holding it up to look at it. San observed it, and saw that it was burnt badly, he was trying again to control the dragon.
Kuwabara laughed nervously, "Okay he's weird, way too much information for me. Let's think about something safe like where's Kurama and San?"
"Kuwabara, we've been here the whole time dumbass," San announced to them. He looked startled, just noticing them.
"A bit nervous are we?" asked Kurama. The two of them stood proudly.
"Hn. I see you two have finally decided to stop playing games," said Hiei, eying the way they held each others hand.
"Alright then, now we just need to find the old lady," at those words, San looked down sadly. Kurama squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Has anyone seen her?"
"She's not coming," answered Yusuke, "She's not well, she just needs some time to rest."
San was happy with that answer, knowing that neither of them could say it, "I think its time we got some sleep," she said. Her and Kurama jumped away, leaving the rest of the team there. The next morning was the moment of truth.
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"San, you were ready for this ages ago, but I had to wait until Yusuke could accept my spirit wave orb. He has it now, and will have a good chance of defeating Toguro," she finally speaks, "There is a member on their team, related to Bui, but that is hardly relevant. His name is Wakato. Toguro saw you were my replacement fighter and ask specifically for this demon. I'm sure you'll find out why when you fight him. Another thing, you won't be able to change into a wolf for this fight, you'll have to fight as you are now. As it stands now, you might have a chance, but since you still have to go and confront Kurama, I need to keep you alive. This is my gift to you," the old woman informs her. She wonders what relevance this is, but appreciates what the old woman does for her, "Create an orb, basing the power off of the spirit deflection blast," the woman instructs. She does as she is told, focusing energy into her hands, the last thing she learned, the spirit deflection blast. The old woman mimics her, and adds the power onto the orb already in her hands. It grows, and she can barely contain it, "Now, absorb the power. This is the last of my power, the rest is with Yusuke. You'll handle it better, it won't be a problem," and she does as she is told. The orb disappears into her body, and she feels the strength flowing thru her.
"You fell onto my doorstep fifteen years ago. I knew you were a demon, but you weren't a threat. I'm old San, you knew my fate before I did. I didn't think I'd be babysitting a demon for so long, I was going to release you into the wild, but I didn't. It took eight years to get you into your human form, but here you are. You're not powerful enough to return to your demon form, but once I knew who you were, I knew your story, and knew that as a wolf, you would respect me, being your pack leader. You have found your mate, and my authority won't matter anymore. Yusuke is your leader now, you must obey him, continuing as long as you survive with him. If he loses and Karasu is still alive, well, we already know the ending to that one. Wakato will do his best to injure you. All this aside, I suppose it's time to say good bye now. You won't see me after this. You have completed your training, that is my gift to you. What I neglected to tell you until now is that you have miraculously restored some of the faith I have in demons and humans. Kurama and Hiei, I wouldn't have thought much of the two of them if it wasn't for you. I saved your life, and I know that's why you are so loyal to me. I use the last of my authority to tell you to stay out of my affairs. You were close to a daughter to me San, and I would hate to see you in Rekai when your so close to your destiny."
She tears, "Genkai..."
"Don't blubber at me girl, I know you're better than that! I'm leaving now. Be weary of Wakato," and she begins to walk away, leaving the blond there. The old womans turns once more, "Take care of yourself, San."
...
He is curious, having a strange feeling that he should go this way. He knows he is to watch the next fight, but he needs to find her first. He sees someone walking towards him from the distance. He knows by this person that he is on the right track. He walks up to the old woman headed his way. They stop, standing in front of each other for a few moments. The pink haired woman looks up into his green eyes, observes for the truth she knows. He stares back curiously.
The old woman smiles, "Take care of here, Kurama. Your stuck with her, for life," and then she continues on her journey. He watches her go, and then follows his previous trail as well. It doesn't take him long, there is a cave, and his is surrounded by rock. The prize of his hunt sits against a rock, staring into the sky. He walks towards her, making noise so he does not startle her. She is more powerful, having completed her training he assumes. He stands in beside her for a moments, observing her. Her tawny eyes are unfocused, but he is sure she knows he's there. He places a hand on her shoulder, not really understanding what is going on, but knows he will find out soon.
"San?" he questions softly. She sighs, and then looks over at him.
"Kurama..." she trails, unsure of what to say to him. He smiles down at her.
"Let's go," he says. She stands, and walks with him sourly back to the stadium.
...
Kurama took himself out of the memory, trying to focus again on how to defeat Karasu. No matter which scenario played thru his head, there was no way possible he could beat the apparition. He was fast, powerful, and even managed to play mind games well. He called San queen, and was after her. It seemed that Kurama was going to find out many things about this girl, after she overcame the grief of losing Genkai. He would never forget the look on her face when Karasu was around, nor the one when she finished howling for her mentor. Stop, he had to focus on the up coming fight. The only way to win was to find a way to transform back into Youko, and there seemed to be no way to do that. Damn Shishiwakamaru, holding the secret and unable to help him. There was no way he could train with two days to become powerful enough to change, it just wasn't possible. There had to be another way, and he had to figure it out, fast.
"Hey Kurama!" Kuwabara called to him, interrupting his thoughts and running up to him, "About time I found one of you guys. Come on, please tell me you saw Urameshi run by?"
"No," he replied.
"This is like one of those wild goose thingys! I was following some huge mega energy and then it all vanished. Genkai said some weird things and then Yusuke wouldn't say anything when he got up and followed her. He was angry. You'd tell me if he was hiding from me right?" but there was someone in the bushes.
"Who's there?"
"The exact two guys I wanted to see. Lucky me," said the new comer, stepping out of the shadows. He was bandaged up, but neither knew who he was.
"You better answer his question!" said Kuwabara. The strange man stood in front of the two fighters.
"But don't you recognize the beautiful Suzuka?" he answered.
"Suzuka?"
"You remember Kuwabara, beautiful Suzuka?"
"Oh hey, that's right. I see the resemblance now. Your the guy that got his face turned into pudding Suzuka. Ha, yeah I remember you, nice clown suit."
"Better watch yourself simple human boy. It's against Rekai law to say my name without putting beautiful in front. I've learned from my last fight that my body isn't meant for fighting the way you do. And all my gifted techniques can't compete with your brute strength. No wonder you think of me as a clown. Hm?"
"Our patience grows short my friend. You must tell us why you're here," said Kurama.
"Your type is so incapable of polite conversation. Let me just skip to the point," said Suzuka. He held up the hilt of a sword and a jar with a mysterious fruit in it. Strange...
"So what?" questioned Kuwabara.
"These two items are my gifts to you," and he handed them to the fighters. Kurama took the jar, and Kuwabara the hilt. They observed them, wondering what they could be.
"Could you elaborate?" asked Kurama.
"Yeah, who cares about a fancy ruler," said Kuwabara. Kurama was sure she'd mutter idiot under her breath had she been here.
"It's a hilt amateur. These were these were the starting points for two items I gave to my own team. The bottle Kurama contains the fruit of the previous life hand picked from the upper realms of Rekai. It was from just a fruit that Ura derived the smoke for his reverse magic box, and drinking that will produce the same dreamy effect of turning you back into your demon form. And that one is called the trial sword, made from a Japanese seeder that grew to great heights by sucking up the surrounding life," Suzuka explained.
"Ew. That sounds creepy, I don't want to hold that!" and he threw the sword back at Suzuka.
"For Shishiwakamaru it became the Banshee shriek. But for you it should be quite different and probably without the demons," said Suzuka, throwing it back to Kuwabara, "Allow me the pleasure of a few more words and I'll give you a warning. This fight was the first time those items were ever used in battle. I still can't tell you exactly how they work or what side effects they have on their user."
"So we're guinea pigs now?"
"It's all up to you if want to use the help or not. Now good luck," and he started to walk away.
"Why on earth do you want to help us?" asked Kurama, not really surprised Kuwabara hadn't thought of it.
"Because I dislike you, but I hate Toguro. It only took three percent of his repulsive power to make a fool out of me. I was young, hadn't realized my greatness couldn't grant me everything like it should. I went to pieces at his feet, pleading for my life. The insult to my pride was death enough. I spent decades refining my techniques and collecting every enchanted item that I could. I changed my appearance and even helped assemble a tournament team. But you easily beat me before I could reach him. I can see it wasn't meant to be. But if my own body can't beat him, then at least my items can! I want you to show him that ingenuity and sophistication can win over strength, change his mind, show him that underdogs can win," and with that, he walked away. Kuwabara left, wordlessly, as well.
Kurama resumed his position before the interruption. He stared at the item in his hands. This was the secret, the answer he had been waiting for. This would change him back to his demon form, but he had to test it first, make sure it worked, figure it out before he used it in battle. There were many possibilities and variables with this strange liquid. He wasn't properly equipped to test it on other things, there was only one test he could commence. He took the lid off the bottle and was about to drink it. There was a tremendous force that stopped him. It was Yusuke, and he saw a thunderous spirit shot fly into the air, towards the heavens would be the best way to describe it. He then heard another howl, one of acceptance and pain. It was San, she was still out there, maybe she was with Yusuke, maybe not, but at least he knew she was safe. He took a drink from the bottle, preparing himself for the effects of it. He wasn't sure how much time it would take for the contents to take effect. He waited as the minutes passed, the moon rising, the night becoming later. He felt it then, his spirit and body growing weaker. The transformation took effect, he was back to his demon form.
"So, it really is you... Youko..." he heard San's voice. She was standing behind him and he turned to her.
"Your the human that has been taunting Shuuichi's head. You're mated, you should stop tormenting him," said the fox. It was hard to look into this girl's eyes.
"If you spend all your time with him, you'd know I was a demon. And you're right, I am mated. To you."
"What?"
"It's me Youko. Moriko. I'm here, I've been searching for you... all this time..."
"Do not lie to me! Moriko is dead!"
"Foolish kitsune! Lend me some of your power and I will show you!"
That tone, he knew it well. There was no harm in it, so he grabbed her hand, and sent his demon energy into her. He watched as she began to glow, growing taller than she was. Ears began to stick out of her head and a tail grew. Her hair changed from sun touched to tawny and there she stood, looking up into his eyes, "Beloved..." she was there, really there, standing right in front of him.
"Youko..." they stared. His golden eyes, how she missed them. He brought a hand to her cheek, making sure she was solid and not an illusion. He turned her to the side, pulling the clothing out of the way and saw his mark there. Her scent was the same, and his mark was glowing with him so near. He turned her to face him, seeing tears in her eyes. He brought his hands to either side of her face, wiping the tears away.
"My koishii ookami," he finally said, pulling her into his strong arms, wrapping his nine tails around her. She pulled him close as well. It was fifteen years ago that she had last seen him, and it hurt to be away from him for so long. He was here now, but she knew that he couldn't stay on the surface for long, especially giving her some of his power. After what seemed like eternity, they pulled back, but not by much. He didn't want to let her go just yet. He pulled her to kiss him, and they kissed passionately, like the two lovers they were that had been separated. It was long, it was meaningful, and it made her knees go weak. They broke apart and he ran a hand over her ear and thru her hair as he hugged her again. The feeling of her, the smell, how he missed her, "Moriko... I thought you were dead. I was informed of your death."
"I did not think you would go to Koenma to find me. I did not want demons like Karasu to find me," she explained.
"That reminds me beloved, we must speak," and he picked her up just because he could and carried her to the nearest tree using his demon speed. He placed her on the ground and he sat against the tree. She sat with her back leaning on his chest, his arms coming around her once more. His silver hair mingled with her tawny hair as it blew in the wind. He kissed the top of her head, and then spoke in his soothing voice, "When did you meet Karasu?"
She sighed, knowing she was going to get shit for this, "When we were hunting the Jewel of the Forest. We all separated, and I found it. Karasu was there, he found me. I narrowly escaped and he promised to be back one day to claim me."
He remembered that day, the way she acted after she gave him the treasure, "Why did you not tell me?"
"I knew your rage Youko, I knew that he would kill you to get to me. I did not want that, I decided it would be better to get as far away from there as possible. He's powerful Youko, immensely powerful, it strikes fear to the very core of my being. He has every intention of killing you."
"I told you as Shuuichi, and I will tell you again. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe beloved. I refuse to lose you again, not after I just found you."
She smiled, "I believe it was me that found you."
He smirked at her comment, "You were always fond of hunts. Why did you not tell me who you were earlier?"
"I was not sure Youko, I did not wish to be let down so easily. How come you did not recognize me?"
"Instantly I thought of you, but being told you had perished made that belief die. You are excellent at hiding your scent koishii, you did not make it easy for me to notice you. Tell me, what happened that day?"
She sighed, looking up at the moon, "I fell, as you know. I landed hard onto the hard ground of this earth. I was saved by Genkai, she healed me."
"And the young?"
"I'm sorry Youko, they did not make it..." after hearing that he tightened his hold on her. He kissed her cheek, shedding a tear for them. It was painful, but he wondered the pain she endured having to go thru her life this way. He was not strong enough to protect her at the time, he wasn't even sure about now. He would be damned if anything else were to happen to her now. She turned to look into his golden eyes. They were gentle, as they always were when she saw them. The love he held for her shone in them and she kissed him with longing. As they did in the past, they created a temporary den, to enclose the two of them. Their kisses got hungrier and they mated. It was equal to the passion they had from their first union. When they finished, they were humans once again. Kurama looked at the naked form of San, knowing that she was his now. She stared back into his green eyes, and kissed him once more. This was probably the greatest thing that happened to him, he found his mate, she was here the whole time. They laid down, he was holding her to him tightly.
"Please, explain the rest of that day to me."
"Like I said, I nearly fell to my death. Genkai saved me, she healed me. I was lucky she had a heart towards me, and ever since that, I deemed her my pack leader until I found you. Yusuke has taken that position though, given he survives Toguro. Anyway, I stayed a wolf, unable to merge with a human. Genkai doesn't exactly live with civilization as you know, so for eight years I talked to her with my telapathy, and finally, I became San. As a human, my powers draw from the sun, in the daylight is when I'm the strongest. I tried to make my appearance as close to my demon one as possible, so it would be easier for you to find me, but clearly that didn't work."
"You should not have told Koenma you were dead."
"I did that for my own protection, like I said, I didn't think you would go there to look for me. Genkai trained me for the next seven years, I just completed my training yesterday. I will be fighting in this next match, the random team member that they acquired. Genkai told me that after Toguro saw me, they sent for this man, he has something to do with my past, I'm sure of it," she turned to look at Kurama, "I'm sure you know Karasu is relentless. Just thinking about him scares me, and you do know that I don't get scared all that easily. Please be careful, I don't want to lose you again either."
"I told you San," and he kissed her forehead, "I will do everything in my power to keep you from harm. As your friend, and your mate. I promise you this," she kissed him once more, "I must warn you love, being around me won't keep your identity a secret, especially with the public displays of affection. I know you weren't much for it before, but who knows how you feel now as a human."
She smiled, "Say that again."
"Which part?"
"Guess."
He took a moment to think about it, recounting every word that he spoke, "Love?"
"Yeah. I like that, it's been such a long time."
"I love you," he told her, moving to look into her tawny eyes. He meant it as a human and a demon.
"I love you," she said, kissing him. A glow caught his eye. It was the mark on her shoulder blade.
"It stayed on the surface?"
"Yeah, since the first time you came out to play!" she smiled at him. He kissed her again and then stood. They both began to dress, smiling contently to themselves.
"We should get back to the others now, it's getting late and the first match is tomorrow," he offered his hand to her, and she took it, helping him take away their temporary den. They walked towards the hotel, knowing that was where the team would be, "So I can remain in my demon form for fifteen minutes. I'm hoping that is enough to defeat Karasu."
"Wouldn't it be longer if you didn't have to give me some of your power?"
"Yes, it took three minutes away. You changed into Moriko the first time I emerged, am I right?"
"Yeah, but that's cause you were all like, I AM YOUKO! BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! I HAVE AWESOME POWER! And yeah, sent so much power everywhere, plus, me being pissed off, BAM, you get Moriko."
Kurama chuckled at her antics, kissing her hand. He then took off at his demon speed, knowing she would rather enjoy a race to the rest of the team. He heard her laugh and then she took off as well, staying in her human form. She was still faster than he was, but just barely. He knew as a wolf she would have left him behind ages ago, and liked that she had chosen to stay as she was. They reached the cliff where Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei were. They sneakily stepped down, standing behind Kuwabara. Their hands had found their way back to each others miraculously.
"Do you think its possible that you could shut up?" asked Hiei, startling the boy in front of them.
"Hey Hiei," said Yusuke casually.
"You really shouldn't sneak up on someone who's holding the world's most powerful sword!" declared Kuwabara, and then he screamed after seeing Hiei's arm, "Ew! What happened to your arm?"
"It wouldn't obey when I gave it a specific command so I decided it needed to be punished," he replied, holding it up to look at it. San observed it, and saw that it was burnt badly, he was trying again to control the dragon.
Kuwabara laughed nervously, "Okay he's weird, way too much information for me. Let's think about something safe like where's Kurama and San?"
"Kuwabara, we've been here the whole time dumbass," San announced to them. He looked startled, just noticing them.
"A bit nervous are we?" asked Kurama. The two of them stood proudly.
"Hn. I see you two have finally decided to stop playing games," said Hiei, eying the way they held each others hand.
"Alright then, now we just need to find the old lady," at those words, San looked down sadly. Kurama squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Has anyone seen her?"
"She's not coming," answered Yusuke, "She's not well, she just needs some time to rest."
San was happy with that answer, knowing that neither of them could say it, "I think its time we got some sleep," she said. Her and Kurama jumped away, leaving the rest of the team there. The next morning was the moment of truth.
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