Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Tale of a Theif ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The pale moonlight shone down upon two quickly moving figures, one cloaked in black the other in silver. The first spotted the thick foliage and grinned, momentarily forgetting he was leading himself into his enemy’s element. Karasu, as the black figure was called, leapt from tree to tree with practiced ease. He mentally cursed as a tree branch came to life and tried to grab his leg, an unseen bomb blasted the branch away.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” he grinned as he continued making his way deeper into the dense forest. Golden eyes narrowed as the second, known as Kurama, growled. He coaxed a few more tree branches from their slumber to attempt and trap Karasu, he was not about to let him get away. Each attempt was blasted by a bomb of Karasu’s making, after each failed attempt he would taunt the young kitsune and laugh. “Come now kit, do you really think you’re strong enough to deal with me?”
“I am no kit!” Kurama snapped. A long spear-like branch imbedded itself into Karasu’s leg sending him plummeting to the ground. He landed with a loud grunt and pulled the branch out of his leg, ignoring the pain that shot up and down the injured appendage. Kurama towered over the injured youkai, golden eyes boring down upon him. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, deciding whether or not to spare the council the torment of listening to Karasu’s lies. However, the decision had already been made for him. He had been ordered to bring said youkai in alive, battered if necessary, but alive none the less. “You are lucky to be spared my wrath,” he said in a haughty tone as he manipulated a few branches to bind Karasu’s hands behind his back.
Karasu glared at the proud kitsune as he was led back through the forest, knowing just where they were going. This kit would have to be knocked down a few bars; he had become far too cocky since being instated as one of the royal guard. Kurama was trusted by many in the Makai, but one day his true colors would shine through. He was, after all, a kitsune. They were proud, conniving creatures, not to be trusted by anyone…not even their own kind.
His uniform was silver; the top clung to his upper body, but also served as armor despite its frail look. The pants fit much looser than the top, however provided much less armor than the top. For a young kitsune he was very skilled, no one had expected any less from him. He always showed great promise for his future, constantly a few steps ahead for his age. He was a brilliant strategist, always seeming to plan two steps ahead of his opponent. One day he could become a war general or something that would play off of his unique strategy techniques.
Many youkai glared at Karasu as Kurama led him through the town to the castle, where he would undoubtedly be put in a cell to await his trial. If you asked Kurama, he thought the criminal didn’t deserve a trial and should be sent straight to his death. Things did not work that way, however, and the criminal would get a trial.
“One of these days Kurama,” Karasu swore under his breath. “One of these days you will be on the other side of the law, you will be the one hunted, the one hated.” Kurama simply laughed in amusement at Karasu’s words.
“The day that happens is the day I side with a thief,” he glowered. They passed the guards and entered the castle; it was luxurious as was expected for a lord and lady. Being part of the royal guard, his room was just as grand. He led Karasu away from the brightly lit foyer to the gloomier part of the castle, the walls made of stone, and the hallway was lit only by the torches strategically placed on the walls. He opened one of the wooden doors and thrust Karasu through the opening before closing it, allowing the barrier to surround the door once more.
The plants around Karasu’s wrists fell to the ground becoming innocent branches. Kurama chuckled as Karasu attempted to blast the door open, as he had last time. The door remained unaffected by the blast, causing the crow youkai to scowl.
“It’s useless; these wards were made just for you. Wouldn’t want you to skip your trial again, the council has been so eager to see you.” With that he walked off, the curses rolling off of Karasu’s tongue became a distant noise as he left the gloomy area behind.
‘Don’t underestimate me Kurama,’ he thought sourly.

T.T.O.A.T.

Kurama stifled a yawn as Korowai, the current lord of the lands, went on and on about how grateful he was that Karasu was once again no threat to his people. Like a good guard he stood in place, refusing to let Korowai see his exhaustion.
“Yes, you are showing much promise for one your age,” Korowai smiled. He was a great leader, in Kurama’s opinion, if not a bit on the too gentle side. He was too lenient with quite a few things, that being his only downfall if not his largest. He wasn’t a young lord like Lord Makuro or Lord Raizen; both were newly instated in power. But his wisdom rivaled theirs beyond their years.
His skin tone was far darker than most in the castle save for his young daughter, his pointed ears jutted out past the back of his head a few inches. His black hair was kept back in a tie most of the time and African-looking markings adorned his body. His long black tail swept along the ground and he wore formal robes. “Go now, sleep, you deserve your rest.” That said, Kurama bowed mentally thanking him, and left.
Once out of the throne room his shoulders slumped as he leaned against the wall for a moment. He closed his eyes re-playing the whole chase out in his mind, what could he have done to capture Karasu quicker? His first mistake was letting the crow be able to see the branch come for him. Kurama then shook his head and opened his eyes, why worry about it? He’d not need to capture Karasu again; there was no way that youkai would get around the wards placed around his cell.
He thought for a moment that he should go to the kitchens and see what he could get to eat, but decided against it in favor of sleep. He could barely keep his eyes open, yes; sleep would do him a whole lot of good.
He opened a door to his left and walked into a long hallway decorated in gold’s and reds, many doors lined both walls. He walked past the first six before going into the seventh door on his right and going in. The room was spacious, the large empty part of it he preferred to use for meditation. Much like the hallway, gold’s and reds adorned the room. On a lone chair rested his armor and sword, ready for an emergency at any time day or night.
It was made from mail crafted so fine that it almost looked like heavy cloth, both shirt and pants. The head piece was a fine piece of work just as the body armor, however was crafted from the same youkai that forged his sword. There were two holes in the top, just large enough for his fox ears to poke through comfortably. The sword was strong, however had not seen too many battles at his hand. Though it was damn near indestructible and would slice a head off cleanly, Kurama still preferred using his own weapons. However, he would still bring it along with him just in case he ran out of energy and needed it in a tight spot.
He peeled off his top, yawning widely as he placed it on the arm of the chair. His muscles protested as he continued to move about, first it was training, then sparing, finally the chase; all his body wanted to do was drop. Normally he would meditate before sleeping, but he decided to forego it, he was too exhausted.
Without another thought Kurama climbed into bed and slipped under the covers, curling up he finally allowed sleep to claim him.