Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Past Encounters ❯ The Circle of the Black Rose ( Chapter 6 )

Past Encounters

Written By: Sakura Harusame

Beta-ed by: Dani Yuy

Disclaimer: Check the other chapters… It still hasn't changed.

The way things are written: "…"- talking, italics- thinking, /…/- telepathy, bold italics- Yoko/ Shuichi (whoever is trapped inside)

Chapter 6: The Circle of the Black Rose

Sakura made to go after Hiei again. She stood up only to be pulled back down by Kurama. She fell into his lap with an audible `eeep!' In the process her shirt, now torn from the earlier fight with Yoko, fell off her left shoulder to reveal a tattoo.

"Sakura, what is that?" Kurama asked, his arm securely around her waist telling her she wasn't going anywhere.

"What does it look like? It's a tattoo, you baka." Sakura seemed a little reluctant about revealing anything more.

"Sakura, is that-" A knock at the door cut Hiei off. Sakura jumped at the distraction, running for the door.

"Konichiwa, Minamino residence." She said as she opened the door.

"Sakura?!" Two stunned young men, one with jet-black hair the other with bright orange, stood infront of her.

"Yusuke, Kuwabara! What are you two doing here?"

"Us! We should be asking you that!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Oh, Yusuke nice to see you've finally come for a visit. You too, Kuwabara." Kurama seemed a little too cheerful.

"Stop acting like that." Sakura said before bounding off to the now empty couch. There was a small dagger in the coffee table pinning down a note.

Sakura, I think I'll let you and the fox take care of explaining things to the baka and Yusuke. I'll be back soon. I need to see Mukuro.

Sakura toyed with the dagger as she read the note. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara walked into the room to see her playing with the dagger as if she did so everyday.

Suddenly they heard her give a soft chuckle. "Our favorite chibi hono'o has taken off to see Mukuro, Kurama." She had completely forgotten about Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Wait… How do you know Hiei, Sakura? And Mukuro for that matter." Yusuke seemed rather calm about the whole thing.

"Urameshi, you didn't know she was a psychic?" Kuwabara asked as if it should have been so incredibly obvious.

"Ne!" Then everything hit Yusuke like a ton of yen. The apparition they were after, Sakura knowing Hiei, her uncanny ability to seem to be able to read his mind. Everything.

"S-sakura? Y-you're my, my next mission! You're no psychic; you're an apparition! I'm suppose to capture you and take you to Koenma!"

Then, about five seconds later, Kuwabara caught on. "Oh kuso! There's no way I'm putting her in the Reiki prison Urameshi!"

"It's either that… or Enma will be after you next." Sakura's voice was sad, almost regretful. "I am truly sorry you had to find out about me like this Yusuke. And I'm sorry for what I have to do next. Please, take care of Keiko for me. She won't understand."

"What do you mean Sakura?" Kurama asked, taking a step towards her.

"Stay away!" Her voice was changing and her eyes were welling up with tears. "I-I'm sorry Kurama… When Hiei returns, ask him what he found out from Mukuro. That will tell you why Koenma is after me."

"Wait, Sakura!" It was too late. In a fog she created, she had escaped out the window Hiei had been previously occupying. When the smoke cleared all that could be seen were a few icy blue stones on the floor. Yusuke fell to his knees, shaking violently.

"No… She can't be gone. Just like that, one of my best friends… No, one of my family, is gone."

The three of them just stood there in shock for what seemed to be hours. Sakura had effected them all in some way. Kurama had fallen for her, his Yoko side hoping to take her as his mate. She had become like family to Yusuke, and had been the one to show him just how deeply he cared for Keiko, even if it was through taunting that she did so. Sakura was family to Kuwabara as well. With no parents, he needed people to look up to. Between Shizuru and Sakura, he had learned honor and a sense of what was right.

"Sakura! Mukuro told me about the Circle of the Black Rose. I know the two of you are apart of it." Hiei practically shouted, unable to sense her ki. He jumped through the window to find the other three-fourths of the Reikai Tentai but no sign of Sakura.

"Hiei, she's gone." Kurama said in a distant voice quite unlike his own. "She told me to ask you about the information you gathered from Mukuro."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Hiei was going into hysterics, though he would never show it.

"Gone, as in not here anymore, Shrimp!" Kuwabara shouted.

Hiei took a deep breath to stop himself from killing the boy. "Mukuro told me about the tattoo on Sakura's shoulder. It's the symbol of the Circle of the Black Rose."

"Which is?" Yusuke asked, losing his patience.

"The Circle of the Black Rose is a society of high class apparitions. Each member is selected based upon his or her strength, amongst other things. Their true object was to overtake the Ningenkai. Sakura was accepted over thirty years ago. She was in the Triad, the three most powerful apparitions in the group. The Triad consisted of Sakura, Mukuro and one other member. Unfortunately, Mukuro can not remember who the third member was. Each was intitled to a third of the Makai. Mukuro was the only one to take her's.

"There are two new members of the Triad. Well, there were. One of the other's has died while the other is blind. Mukuro gave me no names." With that said, Hiei grew silent.

"She has to be going to the Makai. She would be protected by Mukuro, right?" Yusuke asked.

"She would be protected by any of the Black Rose. They are all under her order. The third member was the strongest of the Triad, so now that he or she is dead, Sakura and Mukuro must either fight to find who's stronger or have joint control of the Black Rose. And the third member's part of the Makai." Kurama answered, getting the information from Yoko.

"How do you know that Kurama?" Kuwabara finally spoke up.

"As Yoko, I was asked to join the Circle of the Black Rose." Kurama said, his tone almost proud. "I would have been the head of the Triad at the time."

"Why didn't you?" Kuwabara voiced the question on everyone's minds.

"I was quite taken with an apparition at the time. Her name was Ryoko. I couldn't leave her behind." Hiei visibly flinched at the name, but Kurama was the only one to notice. He would have to ask Hiei about that later, but now was not the time.

"So, Koenma is after Sakura because she's apart of this society?" Yusuke questioned.

"Hai I do believe so Yusuke." Kurama muttered.

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"Mukuro!" Sakura busted through the doors to Mukuro's throne room.

"Mukuro-sama, we could not stop her!" A dozen or so of her guards ran into the room close behind Sakura.

"There is no phoenix from these ashes, there is no peace for me." Sakura recited as though it were a password.

Mukuro rose to her feet. "Leave us at once!" Her servants bowed before scurrying out of the room.

"You look as if the Grim Reaper herself paid you a visit."

"Ne… I haven't seen Botan in ages." Sakura replied, causing both herself and Mukuro to laugh.

"What brings you here, and in a ningen form none the less. You know you will be killed on the spot by any apparition that sees you."

"I'm a ningen, not a baka. I'm here for your protection Mukuro, not lecturing."

"Has Koenma finally found you?" Sakura nodded. "Damn… Well, you are always welcome here. I'll have you shone to you're room."

"Arigato Mukuro." Sakura walked off as a servant walked into the room. Confused, she ran off after Sakura saying something about the room being on the third floor.