Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fox Song ❯ Life-Fire ( Chapter 8 )

Fox Song:

Chapter 8- Life-Fire

"Kurama…Kurama…"

Faintly the voice reached his ears, as if from far away, and stirred a sluggish sense of recognition in his muddled mind. He struggled against the slowly brightening light, fighting to sink back down into the sweet, soundless dark where he could sleep forever.

"KURAMA!"

With a jolt, he sat up and immediately regretted it. Searing pain shot through his entire body and his head felt like it was going to burst. Moaning, he lay back down, blood pounding in his head and pooling behind his eyes; it felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets. He tried to raise a hand to his eyes to shield them from the searing light, but his muscles felt as limp as rags and he seemed sapped of all energy.

A shadow fell across his face and he managed to open his eyes in the dimmed glare and squinted up at Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. All three breathed simultaneous sighs of relief. "Holy shit! He's alive!" Yusuke shouted, his surprise obvious in his voice.

Hiei just snorted and turned away for a moment, but Kurama heard him mutter under his breath. "Dammit Kurama!"

Closing his eyes, Kurama chose to stay silent and soon sleep swept over him again, carrying him away to a realm where only the impossible was true.

***************

He awoke to a velvet sky and sparkling stars, the dark shapes of tree limbs framing his view like a picture frame. Sighing, he named them in his mind and thought of Haven. What was the sign she had spoken of and when would he find it? What had she meant by "he would be happy"? Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he continued to stare up at the stars as if he could find the answers he sought among their shimmering ranks.

He heard the soft whoosh of another breath nearby and turned to find Yusuke awake and sitting up, the glowing end of a cigarette visible in the darkness. A ring of smoke curled around his head and reflected the star shine from above, reminding Kurama vividly of his vision of Haven. It appeared as though their other two companions were asleep.

Glancing towards the kitsune, Yusuke brought the cigarette to his mouth and inhaled sharply. Tossing a small something at Kurama, who caught it with lightening reflexes, he turned back to staring off into the depths of the forest. "That's from her." His voice was carefully neutral; too carefully neutral Kurama thought. "I just remembered I had it the other day," the dark-haired boy went on, breathing out another cloud of smoke before tossing his spent cig into the glowing embers of the fire. "Haven gave it to me at Christmas, said that if anything ever happened to her that I was to give it to you."

Kurama looked at the object in his hand and discovered a small white box. Sitting fully up, he stared at it in bewilderment. What was it? With trembling hands, he pried the tiny latch open with long delicate claws. He gasped and Yusuke looked over sharply, his handsome face outlined by the sharp light from the rising moon.

Without realizing it, Kurama let a tear or two slip down his cheeks. Inside the box lay a lock of golden hair and a blood red gemstone. The stone was about the size of a grape and it glowed with an inner light that flickered and shone like fire. Kurama held it up to the sky and marveled at the beauty of it, turning it over and around in his grasp.

"What the hell is that?" Yusuke asked.

"It's a Chishio-houshu!" he whispered vehemently. "A blood-gem! It's the most pure drop of blood in a kitsune's body, that comes straight from their heart when and if their chest is pierced. It is a gift of unfathomable value! Something like this is only given to another when their feelings are so strong that they wish to dedicate themselves completely." Here he paused. "Only if they love them…"

Yusuke peered intently at the stone. "It looks like there's something in it," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that's the life-fire," Kurama said absently, still marveling over the gem and what it meant. Then he did a double take. "Life-fire?!" he shouted incredulously.

"Shhh!" the Spirit Detective hissed, gesturing towards the sleeping lumps of Hiei and Kuwabara.

"But Yusuke!" Kurama hissed, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. "The life-fire only glows within the stone if the body it came from is alive! The life-fire goes out once it's creator dies!"

Yusuke's eyes widened into twin pools of silver and he ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly. "But, Kurama," he said delicately, knowing he must proceed carefully if he valued his life. "We know for a fact that Haven is dead. She's been dead for awhile. There must be something wrong with the gem. It must be from another kitsune's body." Cringing, he waited for the explosive anger of Youko Kurama that he knew would be coming.

But it never came. Astonished, he stole a fleeting look at his friend and found him staring at the stone even more intently now. "The sign…" he breathed, barely audible.

"Huh?" was the only response he got from the other boy.

Grinning, he lept to his feet and let out a deafening whoop of delight, turning around in circles with his arms flung wide. A strangled cry escaped Yusuke's throat as Hiei and Kuwabara sat awoke with loud cries of their own. One look took in the ecstatic kitsune and his spinning. Both glanced towards Yusuke as if to say, "He's finally gone off the deep end right?". But the teen Spirit Detective just shrugged.

Kurama whooped again and Hiei screamed, "What in the blazes do you think you're doing fox?!"

"It's the sign!" the silver demon shouted back. "It's Haven's sign!" He stopped his joyous spinning and showed the stone to his small friend. "It's her Chishio-houshu and the life-fire's still burning inside!"

"Impossible!" Hiei exclaimed. "There were no doubts as to her death!"

"But she came to me this morning and told me there would be a sign and I would know it when I saw it and that it would make me happier then anything else could!" He let out a final whoop of delight and sat down between the fire demon and Kuwabara. "Don't you see?! This is her sign! Something's going to happen. I can feel it."

And just as he said this a cool breeze swept through their campsite and made his tails and hair flutter out behind him. The leaves whispered amongst themselves and branches crackled and snapped. Kurama leaned his head back and breathed deeply, his nose catching the a familiar, but faint scent. His fangs showed as he grinned widely upon hearing the faint strains of a long dead song. Something was going to happen…and soon.

I want to change the world!

Piercing through the gales, unafraid of anything,

Now I hold my courage and pieces of my smile.

Change my mind!

If we reach out to the soaring future,

without losing our passion, we'll be able to shine,

It's wonderland!

(Author's Note: Chishio-houshu literally means "Blood-Gem" or "Blood Jewel" in Japanese.)