Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Quoth The Rayvin ❯ Nevermore ( Chapter 10 )

The raven has flown and will never return. However, the imprint she left in one man's life will allow her memory to survive.

When Rayvin died, she gave her gift of necromancy to Kurama with her last breath in order to bring Urameshi Yusuke and Kuwabara Kazuma to the world of the living once more, but she herself did not want to return. So Fate, in a rare change of heart, granted her final, greatest wish, and her lifeless body was resurrected as her son, Kage.

Kurama raised Kage and his own daughter Kurohane as best he could with help from his friends and mother, especially Hiei, who in the end decided to babysit the two. He never kept them a secret from his fellow students and teachers, but when they were discovered they were met with great horror. Kage stepped in and claimed to be Kurama's orphaned cousin (since his age would have made students assume that if Kage was Kurama's, Kurama would have had to be eleven to have fathered him), but Kurohane's existance caused the Minamino Shuuichi Fan Club to disband, but the organization reformed when the girl turned five and started school. Until then, Kurama continued to attend Meiou Gakuen and then the University of Tokyo, during which the children moved away from Shiori's home to live in an apartment owned by a friend of their father's. He eventually got a job as a biology teacher at Meiou, and the family lived there happily for a while.

Kurama was twenty-four when Rayvin possessed Botan (with the Ferry Girl's consent of course) in order to give him a verbal beating. The kitsune had never dated after her death, which 'pissed her off royally' (in Yusuke's words when Kurama told him about it). At twenty-six, Kurama married Takahashi Megumi, a psychic who knew of the Youko and was never a member of his fan club. They had twins, one boy and one girl, whom they named Itosugi and Akaime. Both grew up knowing that they were hanyou, their half-sister was a zasshu and her half-brother was a youkai, and Akaime eventually became a necromancer because of her father's DNA, but neither of them ever knew the full story of what went on between Rayvin and Kurama. Not even Megumi ever found out.

Kage grew up and married a human woman, but that union ended horribly when their son was born with demonic attributes. Hiei was able to hypnotize her with his Jagan, making it seem to her that she had never even met Kage, and she was eventually remarried to another human. Kage brought up his son alone until he met another raven demon who had been raised in Ningenkai like himself. Along with his first son, the two of them proceeded to have eight more children. "Preserving the species?" was a constant tease from Yusuke, in reference to the endangerment of the karasu youkai. In the long run, they did indeed preserve the species as Kage's descendants multiplied.

Kurohane, unlike her half-sister Akaime, who utilized her power as many believe necromancers do by raising and binding the dead, became a true necromancer, and communicated with the dead as means of divination. For this reason she was kidnapped at the age of sixteen, and for ten years her magic was abused by a human who dealt in a shady business, much as Yukina had been for her tears. Hiei had developed a close bond with the young girl, and went after her on his own against Koenma's orders. By the time the god found her, Kurohane was near dead inside, her spirit broken. She had been starved, beaten, raped, and many other horrific obscenities that had killed the Kurohane they once knew. Eventually, after months of dream visitations from her mother (who tried as best she could to council her daughter, considering her own numerous emotional scars), she returned to her former self, if only partially. She still had a severe phobia of being left alone that lasted her whole life, the reason for which she clung to Hiei. Eventually he took her as his mate, and they had two children of their own.

Rayvin became the Angel of Death, a somber creature with black wings who heralded the end of a mortal life. Though she was offered redemption through Purgatory, she turned that sentence down in favor of service to Reikai, because in this way she was able to keep contact with her children. When they died, she watched over their descendants, and then their descendants' descendants, through generations until they became so numerous that there was no point in continuing. She requested an appeal on her sentence, which Koenma readily gave. After going through Purgatory, she went to heaven to join those she loved. Despite her sorrow-filled life, Rayvin finally found the happiness she deserved. And once in Heaven, Rayvin smiled…

However, even with these questions answered, there is still much more to know. Perhaps a look into the day before Rayvin's entrance to Purgatory will clear the fog, dear reader...

/"Rayvin-san?," the young ferry girl said as she approached the intimidating figure. "Rayvin-san, I came to say goodbye." She held out the flowers she had taken from her own room. "I wanted to give these to you as well..." Rayvin took them from her gently, her normally cold amethyst eyes softening.

"Lotuses," she said softly, identifying the flowers the girl had given her. "Arigato, Hasu-chan, demo...There is something else isn't there?"

"Hai," Hasu admitted. "I wanted to ask you some quetions, but I'm not sure how bold you would allow me to be..."

"Ask whatever you'd like. Maybe...it will do me good to get some things off my chest before I go."

"Why did you kill yourself?"

"My, you are bold...Because I knew it came down to whose life I cared for the most, and in the end I valued Kurama's more than my own."

"Why?"

"...I don't know. But I can tell you I already knew I was going to die."

"How?"

"Necromancers...do you know what they do?"

"Raise the dead using the deceased's soul and remains, right?"

"Iya. Listen...

Necromancy, in a sense, is black magic; sorcery. The word itself comes the Greek word nekromanteia, `nekros' meaning corpse, and `manteia' meaning divination, so the word implies that necromancers only communicated with ghosts as a means of foretelling the future. That's what I used to do, before Karasu died. But ghosts only tell you certain things. All I knew is that I was going to have to make a decision, one that could result in the death of someone I cared about. I had myself so convinced that I didn't love Kurama that I was confused as to who it meant. I know better now..." She took a deep breath and continued. "I don't know what I was thinking, but when D'Vertola kidnapped me and my week-old daughter, I simply gave up on living. I knew my child was in good hands with her father, and though I didn't know I was going to resurrect my son, I also knew he would be taken care of."

"Did you mind at all when Kurama-san married that psychic?"

"Megumi? No, not at all. You see...I only wanted for Kurama to be happy, and Megumi was able to do that."

"Why did you want to serve Reikai as the Angel? Why not as a ferry girl or tentai?"

"I do look the part, don't I?" Rayvin joked sadly. "I don't really know. Perhaps Ayame-san can help you."

"Rayvin-san?" another voiced called out.

Rayvin looked up, seeming almost lethargic, and answered, "Aa, Joruju-kun?"

"Koenma-sama is ready for you."

"Arigato, Joruju-kun. Tell him I will be there shortly." The oni hurried off as Rayvin stood up and turned to Hasu. "Thank you again, Hasu-chan." She leaned and gave the girl a quick kiss on the forehead. "Have I ever told you...you look so much like Kurohane? I do wonder..." she said, and then left./

Quoth the Rayvin, "Nevermore."