Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Black Mirror ❯ The Black Mirror's Prison ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, its characters, names, ect. I only own this story, Hanei, and a yummy bag of Almond Pocky.^^ *sluurp*----

Pairing: Slight Kuronue/OC

Rating: PG-13 just to be safe…large amount of insanity (not like the sugar-high insanity, REAL mental conditions), will be R for limey-lemony stuff in later chapters.

~A.N.~ Wow….my first non-CYOA. O.o I hope you enjoy it!

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Day was leaving the skies for now, the blaring orb of light creeping like a tired hermit back below the mossy horizon. The wind had a bit of a bite to it, whispering over the calm waters of the River Styx, conspiring against the sky and the earth and all the beings between them. The sky was a bland and emotionless blue-gray, hardly a stray bird gracing its contours. Large gainly rain clouds blemished the horizon here and there, trudging lazily across the heavens as though they had all the time in the world, looking blearily down with no real interest.

Emerald eyes scanned uninterestedly across the room, a delicate, somewhat feminine hand brushing silky scarlet tresses from a well-framed face, left hand hooked on right upper arm in a rather anxious manner. Kurama bit his lip in slight indecision. Perhaps he shouldn't be here…Toying with the small minnow of doubt swimming around in his midsection, he dropped his hand and looked once more around the room. Why not? Slowly, he began to take a few uncharacteristically hesitant steps; going over in his mind the instructions the guard at the front door had given him. The kistune's shoes made small clicking noises upon the well polished marble as he walked by, unnoticed, through the bustles of the red, yellow, and blue workers, muttering a few `Excuse me's before coming upon an old, rusted steel door in the far back.

The brazen haired youth halted for a bit, rummaging in his uniform pocket, hand closing in on the smooth, old fashioned key it sought. Carefully bringing out the small item, so as not to break the miniscule thing, he carefully fixed it in the lock, turning his wrist until the faint, satisfying `click' of the barrier came open. Repocketing the small golden key, Kurama laid a hand on the ice cold handle of the door, exerting a small amount of force and bringing it open, jade eyes wincing for a fraction of a second as it gave a shrill screech of protest. Stepping in and closing the door with a bit larger amount of caution, Kurama was met by a sleepy blue-gray oni guard, who had most likely been sleeping as his low-pulled black uniform cap and lethargic grunt revealed. Sluggish brown slitted eyes trailed up to meet the fox's own emerald, blinking for a moment in confusion before their owner slowly stood up. "Oi, you the visitor for the loony bin?"

Succeeding in hiding his distaste at the almost vulgar word, Kurama gave a curt nod. The sentry shrugged and bent down to his chair, picking up his large jangly key ring and clipping it on his belt, adding to it the small golden key, which the kistune before him relinquished.

The two set down a large, dimly lit hallway that was extremely cold and reeking of mold and neglect. Kurama kept silent, thoughts floating in his head in a jumble, his nose just barely wrinkled at the putrid scent of the dark hallway. What am I even to say? He thought as he and the guard passed beneath the flickering light of a grimy, insect-infested light fixture. What am I to do? His fine brow furrowed a bit, the anxiety minnow returning. His and the guard's footsteps upon the unswept tile floor were the only sound for some time, rivaled perhaps by the occasional buzzing thing, droning lazily by with no real destination. The fox kept his eyes down upon the floor, deep in thought, hardly aware of his surroundings. Perhaps some fifteen minutes later, a seemingly originless cold breeze hit the kitsune hard in the face, bringing him back from his thoughts, delicate chin jerking up off well-toned chest. The nameless guard stood before him, slouchingly holding open a large, windowed door. Kurama nodded in confirmation, softly mumbling a "Thank you," before brushing by and heading in, through the door and into an almost-too brightly lit, blindingly white hallway.

The smell of various medications were enough to make a lesser being gag, but the fox simply blinked against the light while his eyes adjusted, and continued onwards. This was it…. Realizing that he did not know the room in which his destination lay, his emerald osculars scanned the room for some time, before latching onto the sight of a young nurse, young, quite pretty, fuzzy doggish ears poking out from beneath long locks of well-washed blue hair.

Taking a few steps, Kurama caught up with the woman, digits lightly tapping her white uniformed shoulder. She spun around, her grip on a paper-clad clipboard tightening, and was met by one of the Youko's charming smiles.

"Excuse me….Are visiting hours still open?"

The woman blinked her large lavender-gray orbs for a moment, no doubt taken by the attractive human before her, but then hastily drew them back to her clipboard.

"Why, yes. Hours are until 7:30 today. Are you here to see someone?"

Kurama nodded. "I was hoping you could direct me to the location of Inmate #7108[1]?"

The nurse's eyes widened considerably, something the fox did not particularly like. Hiding the frown threatening to surface, he only nodded. The nurse bowed her head, flustered, perhaps surprised to see someone like him coming to visit someone so infamous as the inmate he had named. "S-sure, follow me, please." She turned rather quickly, white high-heels clicking stiffly on the sickly white tile. Kurama followed, his crimson locks making small `triss' sounds upon his shoulders, mind set, it was now or never…

Coming upon a large white door labeled, "Phsych Ward," the two went through. Kurama gave a sharp intake of breath as his ears were met with loud screams and wails, babbling voices speaking no understandable language, sobbing, and delirious laughing. Frowning, thinking of how this was what his old partner had come to, he continued on, eyes practically boring holes in the nurse's back. He wasn't feeling particularly comfortable, the anxiety minnow was now joined by apprehension and guilt. Joy. Walking upon rows and rows of plastic cells, passing one woman leaning against the wall in a particularly provacative position, moaning to her nonexistent lover, Kurama could feel his fist tightening. Insanity…that deathly black thing had taken all of these women, and it had taken her as well. And it was all his fault….

"Here we are."

He was jolted from his thoughts, green eyes holding a small light of being startled. "O-oh..Thank you very much."

The nurse nodded with a small smile. Stub of a tongue poking out over her highly lipsticked mouth, she fished in her pocket for a moment, bringing out a set of keys much like the previous guard's, a sharp silver key glaring with caught overhead light. Fixing it to the plastic transparent door that Kurama dare not look through just yet, she gave another maternal smile and swung open the door. "We've received news of your visitation, so she's already been restrained." Again, agitated, the kitsune only gave a polite half-smile, the corners of his mouth twitching with exasperation. The nurse smiled back, oblivious to his irritation, and left.[2]

Hesitantly stepping in, Kurama looked up and saw her, hissing softly in shock.

"H-hanei…."

Dull gray osculars, ones that sparkled with wit and flirtatious intelligence, now turned slowly, clouded and not seeing. Her raven-black hair, one well-washed and sheeny, now lay in frayed knots and tangles, long since abandoning the low pony-tail that she had once sported. Her once fine complexion was mottled and blotchey, a sickly, pastey color dappled with red discoloration. Her formerly full and luscious lips were a bluish shade and very chapped. Her slender neck was probably the only thing that seemed, as it had been, flawless. Still adorned by a black choker, dangling a small charm in the shape of the sign of the devil. But after that, a tight straight jacket and the uniform hospital gown covered the rest of her figure. A small, idle, almost infantile smile was the only sign of emotion gracing her visage. Her eyes were practically that of a dead thing's.

Kurohanei[3], known only as Hanei to her friends and old partners, had fallen far.

Seeing no response to his earlier speech, as her eyes were fixed on the endlessly black mirror[4] fixed on the wall to her right, the kistune took another step closer, waiting a moment before sitting down upon the plastic bench opposite to the own the inmate was. "Hanei?" She still gave no acknowledgement of his prescence, her only movement being a slow blink, then resuming her motionless stance. Brow furrowing ever so slightly, Kurama gave it one more try, this time leaning forward slightly and placing one hand gently on Hanei's now bony, straight-jacketed shoulder. Just barely more forceful this time. "Hanei?"

He couldn't be sure if his voice did anything to stir the woman, but his touch must have triggered something, for those misty gray orbs slowly came to rest on his hand, on her shoulder. Blinking once more, Hanei's gaze slowly traced Kurama's hand, leading from his fingertips, up his arm, past his neck, to rest on his face. For a moment the two did nothing. The fox held his breath, intently gazing straight back at those gray eyes. (They had once swirled in endless depths, practically liquid, shining with the sun's light, but now he detected solidity, the mist that hazed her irises seemed to cover sludge-hued pieces of steel rather than a demon's eyes.) After a minute or two of utter silence, the woman slowly moved, tilting her head to side faintly in a questioning manner, her infantile smile growing a fraction.

"Hello? Is it time for me to sleep again? Do I have to have the icky pills?"

Relieved at hearing her voice, no matter how raspy and soft it may be Kurama gave a small smile and shook his head.

"No, Hanei, it's… It's me, Youko."

Another sluggish blink. Another childish grin. "….No, silly. You're not Youko-kun. He looks…different, and besides he's, off with Kuronue. He should be back soon."

Ouch. Kurama winced at her words. Of course, he supposed he should have expected this. The file that Koenma had given him had said that Kurohanei, the once famous Makai thief, had given countless comments about "Youko-kun and Kuronue at the Makai Palace." She truly had lost herself, stuck in her fantasy, believing she was still over fifteen years in the past. Sighing, he shook his head, raising his gaze back to her enough to reveal newly amber osculars, twinkling no longer with roguish mischief, but with heavy regret. "No, Hanei, it is truly I." His voice was deepening.

The inmate's eyes, staring for a moment into his own, slowly widened. "Y-youko-kun?" Her face widened into another smile, far larger than any of the ones she had previously worn. "You're back! I knew you would! No believed me, but you're really back! I knew it! Have you got the statue?[5] Where's Kuronue? I've missed him!"

Again, the kitsune' heart gave an uncomfortable throb. Slowly opening his mouth, he looked away from her eyes. "…No, Hanei. Kuronue, he's….he's dead."

***

[1] Heh. I needed to think of a number, and 7108 was my old lunch account from fourth grade. Don't ask me how I remember, about seven years later, I just do. XD

[2] We can only assume that before entering the large door in the beginning, Kurama had already been searched, ect. ^^;

[3] For those who don't know, kurohanei means, "black reflection." (This has to do with the below note). She preferred to go simply by Hanei (simply "reflection"), as to avoid the similarity between her name and Kuronue's.

[4] This black mirror has rather large importance, as the next chapter will reveal.

[5] In the Yu Yu Hakusho movie, Kuronue and Youko had broken into the Makai Palace and had stolen a large golden statue, but of course, most of you probably already know that. ^_^;;

~A.N.~ So? Did you all like it? ^^ The second part will be out shortly, though I can't give a specific date, as the power's been going off and on in my apartment. ^^;; I hope you'll stick around for the next two chapters if you enjoyed this one. We shall all discover Hanei's past, and what drove her to insanity. A review is VERY much appreciated: constructive criticism, praise, hell, even flames (though just know that I find them insanely funny and will probably make fun of them in later Author's Notes XD) I will gladly welcome into my grimy little hands! ^_^ Until the next chapter! ^.~ *blows kiss*

~Metallic~