Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Grief ❯ Recollections ( Chapter 8 )

Eight

Recollections

 

Sho's eyes fluttered open, the images of her dream still fresh in her newly regained memory. She tried to stretch her taut muscles, only to realize that she was practically immobile. Her back stiffened against something solid, and slowly Sho turned her body around—coming face to face with a slumbering Jin. His arms were still wrapped protectively around her—thus the obvious source of her “paralysis”. And though she felt comfortable in the Wind Master's arms, the she-demon felt her stomach growling angrily at her; how long had it been since she'd last eaten?

Sho reached up with her hand, and gently stroked the redhead's alabaster-colored cheek with her forefinger—his skin smooth as satin beneath her finger. Jin shifted, and Sho stopped her caressing digit as his grip around her lessened, and he turned onto his back. Sho took the opening, and slowly sat up.

“Good morning.”

The softly-spoken words took Sho off-guard. The surprised demoness attempted to jump up into any defensive position she could think of…only to get her foot caught on the futon that was serving as Jin's sickbed, and fall back into a gently laughing silver-haired kitsune.

Sho situated herself quickly, and moved off of the still chuckling Kurama.

“I trust that you slept well?” he asked, a wide smile painted on his lips.

She gave him a meek grin of her own as she looked back and forth between the still-sleeping Wind Master and a very bemused Kurama—her face glowing a light pink.

The fox pretended not to notice this as he fished a hand in his silken pockets for something. A few moments later, he pulled out a round-shaped package wrapped in a blue napkin. A sweet smell drifted by Sho, and she found her stomach roaring at her with a vengeance.

Kurama chuckled again, and handed the small snack to the young woman. He then sat back as he watched her devour the bread in two large bites.

His smile faded suddenly as he continued to study her worriedly. His sudden change in mood caught Sho's attention. She stopped licking her fingers for any missed morsels of precious food and rested a hand on his knee.

“Youko-sensei? Is something wrong?”

“Sho…I…how…you…” His words were tied on his tongue, making the fox look, for only a moment, look like a stammering idiot. Finally, Kurama found the way that felt most comfortable to ask his question, and looked up at her in all seriousness.

“How did you…survive?”

Her features went instantly sullen. Kurama regretted asking. Sho looked down at her hands—a crumb sitting comfortably on her thumb. She ignored it, sighed, and looked back up at him with a strange sadness in her eyes.

“I didn't,” she replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Her answer was followed by an uncomfortable silence.

Sho smiled sadly and then looked up—as if into the heavens.

“Kojiatsu actually did kill me…but…his reasons for wanting to kill me are probably not what you, or anyone else thought,”—a pause—“Kojiatsu…consumes souls. He…he came to me…all those years ago…with some crack-pot story t-that my mother didn't love me…that she had wanted to die every time she looked at me… I was a special child…and my father realized that. Because every child that that…monster sires, is given his features—brown hair and crimson eyes. But I was born with emerald eyes, Youko. I was…different… And that, I believe is what made him act so early.

“He would come to visit my mother and I every year, around the middle of summer. But one year…he was early… He…killed her…for no reason but to give me, a child of only seven years, nowhere else to go. He told me that he would never judge me, that no one would ever judge me again if I got stronger; if I did everything he said. He sent me to different mentors to help me gain this strength, and that is where you come into the picture. After you, I was sent to Jin…and then he took me back…and I was supposed to train with him for four years…” she gave Kurama a weak smile. “But I was too strong for his designs. In the middle of the second year, he was forced to strike.

“I died that day dreaming of happy things. Dreaming of you, Jin, my mother…a future that I wanted to believe in…I wanted to be in… But I guess dreams are for weaklings. If it weren't for those damned dreams, I would've sensed him. He would be dead.”

Sho sighed again, and looked at Kurama—her eyes flickering with some hidden, solemn peace.

“But to this day, I never regret having the last moments of my mortal life in happiness.”

Kurama smiled back at her, and placed a comforting—a fatherly—hand on her shoulder. His features changed to a confused-like sternness though, as he spoke aloud his questioning thoughts:

“But that still doesn't answer how you were able to regain a mortal body. What happened Sho? I can see your scars…and I don't mean the outer ones. To me, they shine out so painfully in your eyes. Please…you can talk to me, Sho…”

The poison she-demon studied him for long moments. He was right…

“Like I said before, Kojiatsu is a Soul Devourer. That is the only way that he can gain power, because he is too lazy to train himself. This is why he had me—and probably countless other children before me—train. When he killed me, I truly believed that I was being given mercy. Death seemed like a reprieve to me at the time,” her eyes grew cold; so cold that Kurama felt a shiver run down his spine. “But he ruined that. That…bastard ruined my one chance for freedom. Sure, I could just as easily kill myself,”—she brought a clawed hand before her eye; Kurama shifted uncomfortably—“But that would be pointless…a waste…and that is why I `survived.' Kojiatsu managed to consume a small part of my soul, and it has made him many times stronger. But I pulled away before he could devour it all, and I was condemned to drift as a ghost…because I would let no one judge me in death…”

She stopped, this time finished, and Kurama did not press further even though she had still not answered his question—many more forming in his mind. She would reveal more as time wore on, or not. He would not pester her for more of her already painful story.

Almost unconsciously, Kurama tightened his grip on her shoulder, and pulled her into a warm embrace. The conflicting emotions in Sho's eyes flickered dangerously as the fox hugged her. But they soon settled as one feeling overruled all:

Grief.

A few tears escaped her crimson eyes as she returned the much-needed embrace.

“I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to protect you, Sho. All those years ago…I believed you to be consumed by the same evil that lingered about Kojiatsu. Now it haunts me that I ever placed the two of you in the same group… I learned how wrong I was during our training. You really are special…”

From above!

The small voice inside her head made Sho jump. And just as she was knocked out of her emotional-reverie, Sho felt a strong demonic energy surround her. She cried out, and tried to push Kurama out of the way, but he had felt it an instant before her, and was already pushing the shocked she-demon beneath him so that she was flat on the ground. He winced as an overwhelming pain exploded in his abdomen suddenly, knocking the wind out of the kitsune.

“You…ko…”

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The ceiling gave way to a giant black form, breaking through the roof of the little room with ease. A monstrous hand reached down and pierced straight through Kurama's gut; the claws of the fleshy hand were at least two-feet in length. They sank all the way through the fox's flesh to slightly puncture Sho's abdomen as well.

But she felt no physical pain.

“I was…finally able…to…make the nightmares…go…away…”

Blood poured from his grievous wound, and dribbled down his bottom lip. He slumped lifelessly, sliding off the huge claws to land with a sickening squish on top Sho.

“Kurama!!”

She looked shakily back to where Jin—now wide awake, his features filled with horror—and Yusuke—vomiting silently in the corner—stood looking out to their lifeless friend. A black flash passed by each of their gazes quickly, as did a silver glint, followed by the beast's groan of pain. Hiei appeared standing before Sho and Kurama then, his blade thick with the beast's hot and sticky blood. The Jaganshi scowled though as the monster's acidic blood began to eat away at his katana. He threw it away, and looked back at where Sho had rolled the fox onto his back and was desperately trying to stem Kurama's blood flow—tears streaming out of her eyes.

Jin and Yusuke staggered over to Sho, and looked on as she continued to try and save her mentor's life. Jin laid a firm hand on her shoulder, which she shook off angrily.

“He needs a healer. I know there is one here…” her eyes flashed wildly up at the redhead, startling him. “I know there is a damned healer here! Get Youko to them quickly!! He doesn't have much time!”

“How do you know…?” Yusuke asked in a weak voice.

“I do! Does it really matter?! Do you really hate me that much that you would let your friend die, boy?! Youko has been poisoned damn it! Get him to your healer now or I swear that I will destroy this damned temple!! I will let everyone's blood flow in rivers at my feet, human!”

The detective glowered at her, but did not press the argument further as he motioned for Jin to help him lift the exceptionally heavy kitsune.

The Wind Master put up no dispute, too shaken up by Sho's display of anger—or was it compassion? —over Kurama's badly wounded state.

They left, and the redhead's last view of Sho was the she-demon standing defiantly before the beast…her eyes completely engulfed by a dark crimson color…

He felt his heart being ripped out.