Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fox Song ❯ Specter ( Chapter 6 )

Fox Song:

Chapter 6- Specter

Perched high in his tree, Hiei watched idly as the sun rose above the eastern horizon. The strengthening light stained the tops of the trees a gleaming gold and painted the sky with a myriad of different reds, purples, and blues. The light caught his ruby eyes and made them seem to smolder and burn almost as a real fire would. Staring intently at the colors, but not really seeing them, the little demon let his mind turn to thoughts of Haven.

"She would have loved this sunrise," he thought wistfully to himself. And he was right; this was just the kind of thing Haven loved. The cool air, the indescribable colors, and the knowledge that this was the birth of a glorious new day; a day that held uncountable new surprises in store for her.

And as the rays of the rising sun hit the undersides of the wispy clouds overhead and splashed their undersides purple and gold, Hiei almost felt as if she were there beside him, emerald eyes glittering with awe and long loose hair rippling in the wind. Sighing with sorrow, his eyes briefly flicked to the branch beside him, then did a double take.

On the next branch over, dangling her legs in the air, sat Haven. She was just as Hiei had known she would be, eyes wide open and staring at the rising sun with wonder. Stirring, she glanced over at the small demon and smiled, her entire face lighting up, and not just from the new day's light.

Breath coming suddenly harder, Hiei found himself falling into the deep, dark pit of disbelief. This-this could not be happening! She was dead! Dead! "Dead!" he told himself vehemently. "Gone!"

But the vision next to him just giggled and cocked her head to the side, hair falling and spilling over the rough branch like golden rain. It was in that instant that Hiei knew she was real, that this was no apparition sitting before his eyes.

The underbrush below their tree of choice rustled and crackled loudly, signifying the approach of one or more of the others. Glancing away from Haven for a split second, Hiei caught a glimpse of shining silver below. He looked back at the kitsune in the tree with him and pointed down towards the ground. But shaking her head, she laid one slender finger against her lips and with a final grin she faded away into nothing.

Hiei almost fell off his branch in surprise. Blinking and rubbing his eyes until he saw spots, he shook his head to clear it from he thought to be a hallucination. A silver head popped up next to his branch and Kurama's voice said, "We're all ready to be going Hiei … Hiei?" Hoisting himself fully onto the branch, the plant-wielding kitsune gave his friend a concerned look. "Hiei?" he asked again.

With a dazed look, Hiei stared at Kurama. "Haven…" His tone was far-off and soft, a tone that Kurama had never heard the little Koorime ever use before.

His eyes glittering coldly, Kurama replied, "She's dead Hiei." His tone was icy, only emphasizing the chill in his eyes.

Startled for the second time this morning, Hiei looked up at his kitsune friend, and saw nothing in his eyes but a devious glimmer. "What's the matter with you Kurama?" he asked warily, afraid of the taller demon's rapid mood swings. He also heard a manner in his friend's voice that hadn't been heard in a while. Youko Kurama had not sounded like this in long years.

"Nothing's the matter," the ice voice continued. "We're ready to move on, that's all." The deep voice resonated in Hiei's ears and he was surprised to find that despite the coldness it had an almost musical quality to it, reminding him of dark winter nights and swirling snow.

"Fine," he said in response and hopped down off his branch to the forest floor below. Kurama, slightly slower, followed him and when he stepped down, he closed his eyes and raised his head as if sniffing something, or smelling the wind. Taking in one more deep breath, he opened his crafty eyes. "Our prey's nearby," he said with a ferocious grin, and fangs bared.

And as he headed back towards the camp, Hiei stared at his back with a mixture of suspicion and concern. Prey? He had never heard Kurama call anything prey…not since his thief days that is….Not since Haven appeared. Something had changed in the silver kitsune, something that wasn't for the better. He even seemed to be in a different mindset now, seeming more alert and enthusiastic then he had in weeks.

But instead of being happy that his friend seemed to have gotten over his grief, Hiei was suspicious. What had brought about this change? And what had brought it about so fast? Something was definitely wrong here; Kurama didn't even seem to care about Haven anymore. The fact alone that he had accepted her death, and with such an icy tone, had clued Hiei in that something was abnormal. That and the look in Youko's eyes when he said it.

Shivering, and burying his qualms deep inside for now, Hiei stood and stared at the lake as they arrived. The rock that Kuwabara and Yusuke were sitting on coupled with the crystal waters had reminded him of the day they spent swimming with Haven. It seemed so long ago, now that he looked back upon it. One lone teargem shimmered for an instant at the corner of his eye before he quickly flicked a finger across it. The gem glittered and spun as it soared through the air to land with a minuscule splash in the water.

Giving Hiei the barest of glances Kurama made a small noise, halfway between a cough and a snort before calling out to the other two. "We're leaving now!"

With nods and playful shoves, the two humans raced over and gathered up their things, slinging almost identical packs over their shoulders. "We should reach the demon's lair sometime later today," Yusuke said matter-of-factly as he fell in step beside Kurama and Hiei.

"Mmm…" Kurama murmured in reply, his mind obviously somewhere else. Yusuke watched the kitsune concernedly, noticing the gleam in his eyes and the ridged way he carried his tall frame. Something had changed.

Catching Hiei's eye, he jerked his head towards Kurama and got nothing but a blank look in return. Sighing, Yusuke reverted his eyes to the path in front of them before receiving a nudge from Kuwabara. The orange-haired boy also nodded towards Kurama. Shrugging, Yusuke shook his head and once again returned to watching their path.

Sniffing, Kurama snorted and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "This demon is obviously filth." His normally deep voice went slightly deeper with disgust.

"We must be closer then I thought," Yusuke mused.

Kurama's hand soon held the Rose Whip and Hiei's held his sword. The air around the other two crackled with Spirit Energy as they entered the clearing ahead where they found their quarry waiting.