Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Watching You ❯ Stormy Thoughts ( Chapter 1 )

 

BlackRoseVixen05: Hello, and thank you for joining me in another fanfic! For those of you who have read my other fic, do not fear! I shall be updating it again soon. But enough talk, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho.

Chapter one

The members of the Reikai Tentei had just returned home from a case one evening. They had been called to investigate a series of thefts in Spirit World. Though they searched high and low, they found not sign of the thief. After an entire day of searching, they finally gave up, and returned to Living World.

 

“Well, that's another day of my summer wasted. Damn cases…” Yusuke Urameshi, leader of the Reikai Tentei, or Spirit Detective Team complained.

 

“Don't sweat it, Urameshi. It's only one day, after all,” Kazuma Kuwabara, Yusuke's best friend said.

 

“Heh, easy for you to say. All you do is sit around and play video games all day,” Yusuke said, folding his arms behind his head. “I have things to do.”

 

“Like what? All I've seen you do all summer is sleep, stuff your face, terrorize the arcade, and get bitch slapped by Keiko,” said Xandra, another of Yusuke's school friends and a new addition to the team.

 

Yusuke found out that she had powers during a case two months ago. Xandra showed the power of light and dark magic. She could also ward off evil spirits using sutras. Koenma thought that her powers would prove useful on cases, and he decided to make her a Spirit Detective.

 

“Oh, lay off, Xanny. I don't see why I deserve to be tag teamed,” Yusuke said, scowling.

 

“Only because if you didn't, the rest of us wouldn't have anyone to laugh at,” Kurama, the Spirit Fox and ex-thief chimed in.

 

“Hn, other than Kuwabara, you mean,” said Hiei, Fire apparition, and weilder of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

 

“Wait! What's that supposed to mean, Shorty?!” Kuwabara bellowed, grabbing Hiei by the collar of his shirt.

 

“Will y'all knock it off!” yelled Xandra, stepping between the two. “We've been back in Living World for a total of twenty minutes, and you two are already fighting over nothing!”

 

“Yeah, whatever, but he started it,” Kuwabara mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets, and marching ahead of the others. Hiei merely went “Hn” and disappeared from view.

 

“Ugh, men,” Xandra sighed, turning to face Yusuke and Kurama, who both sweatdropped.

 

Yusuke and the others continued walking until they reached Xandra's house. “Well, this is my stop, you guys. See you later,” she said, waving good-bye to the boys before entering her home.

 

They walked on, soon arriving at Kuwabara's house. “Later, guys. Call me tomorrow, Urameshi,” Kuwabara called to Yusuke as he and Kurama walked on.

 

As they walked in silence, Kurama couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was following them. But since Yusuke didn't seem to notice anything, Kurama just shrugged it off as his imagination.

 

Soon enough, they reached Yusuke's apartment, and the two parted ways. Kurama waved good-bye to Yusuke and continued home.

 

The street was dark, and no one was out. It could easily make someone very paranoid. These facts were not helping at all, owing to the fact Kurama still felt as though he was being followed.

 

Within fifteen minutes, Kurama reached his home. The house was dark and locked up tight. His stepbrother was away at camp. And his mother and stepfather had left today, going to visit family. He had the whole house to himself.

 

`Yippee,' Kurama thought sarcastically.

 

Actually, Kurama didn't really like being home alone. He wasn't scared, but he just didn't enjoy it. But tonight, he didn't really have a choice. Sighing, he stepped closer to the door and fiddled through his pockets, trying to locate his house keys.

 

Finding his keys, he froze to a stop when he heard a rustling in the tree next to the driveway. Gasping lightly, Kurama turned to look at the tree. He saw something black dash out of the tree, and seemingly onto the roof of the house, though he could hear no footsteps.

 

“Hiei?” Kurama called out.

 

There was no answer.

 

“Hiei, is that you?” he called again, backing away from the house to get a better view of the roof. Nothing was there.

 

“I know I saw something,” he said to no one in particular, making his way back to the front door. He unlocked the door and entered his human home, still feeling slightly unnerved by whatever that had been outside.

 

He hung his jacket on the coat rack and slipped off his shoes. Switching on the light in the hallway, he walked to the kitchen. Suddenly feeling thirsty, Kurama poured a glass of water and then made his way to the living room, which was still dark.

 

Not bothering to turn on the lights, Kurama sat the glass of water down on the coffeetable as he picked up the remote. Sitting down on the couch, he swung his legs around, letting them rest comfortably on the couch as well. He sighed once again, and switched on the T.V. He flipped through the channels, briefly stopping to glance at a soap opera before continuing to rapidly change the channels.

 

As he continued to channel surf, his mind wandered back to what had happened outside. He thought maybe it really was his imagination, but it he knew it wasn't. He thought it might have been Hiei, judging by how fast it moved. But whatever it was too tall to be Hiei. Though it was moving fast, he managed to see that.

Kurama was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of thunder crashed outside, making him jump in surprise. Turning his attention to the glass patio door, Kurama saw flashes of lightning streaking the night sky. A few moments later, rain began to pour.

 

Kurama stood from his seat on the couch and returned his now empty glass to the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen, he noticed the note on the table for the first time. He picked it up and read it, seeing that it was from his mother.

”Dear, Suichi, your father and I will only be gone for three days. Please look after the house and make sure to answer the phone if it rings. If anything goes wrong, you know how to reach us. See you soon. Your loving mother, Shiori.”

With a soft smile of his lips, Kurama refolded the letter and placed it back on the table. He then returned to the living room, picked up the remote and switched the channel to the news. He was curious as to how long the storm would last.

 

As the forecast appeared on the T.V. screen, he got his answer. The storm was said to last until tomorrow morning, meaning it would probably be raining all night. With another sigh, Kurama switched the T.V. off.

 

Turning off the rest of the lights, Kurama headed upstairs toward his bedroom. He figured that he might as well turn in, though he wasn't very tired. He thought maybe since it was storming, perhaps Hiei would stop by. But he didn't get his hopes up.

 

Entering his bedroom, the kitsune switched on the small lamp next to his bed and slipped out of his day clothes. Putting on some loose sweat pants and a T-shirt with no sleeves, Kurama sat down on his bed and looked down at his hands.

 

After a few minutes, he turned off the lamp and leaned back onto his bed. He was lying on top of the covers with his arms folded comfortably behind his head. More lightning streaked the sky outside the glass balcony door of his room. It was followed by another crash of thunder, and more heavy rainfall.

 

Rolling onto his side, Kurama cringed a bit when another flash of lightning lit up the sky. Kurama stared out into the storm. His acid green eyes seemed to glow as they watched the lightning dance.

 

Truthfully, Kurama disliked nights like this. They always made him feel sad and alone. Even back in his Yoko days, he didn't really care for rainy weather. The reference of his past life, caused him to think of someone he hadn't thought of in years…

 

“Kuronue…” Kurama whispered out loud.

 

The thought of his deceased partner saddened him, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. Even though he too was nearly killed by that bounty hunter in the Makai, he hadn't fully gotten over the bat demon's death. Kurama was caught a week after Kuro's death. He hadn't had the time to bring it to terms.

 

Kurama remembered that day had started out normal, but then took a turn for the worst. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and allowed the memory of that day to flood his mind.

 

Flashback

 

 

“Yoko, wake up.” Nudge.

”Nhhn…”

 

“Oh, c'mon, wake up.” Nudge.

 

“Nhn!”

 

A sigh came from the bat demon who, despite his efforts, couldn't seem to awaken his partner, Yoko Kurama.

 

“Okay, you have forced me to take drastic measures.” Kuronue, the bat demon said to his partner, though he was ignored was once again.

 

This kind of thing happened just about everyday, and everyday, Kuronue would come up with a new way of getting his foxy companion out of bed.

 

Kuronue picked up a pillow from the fox's bed, placed it over his sleeping partners' face and held it there. He knew that the fox would have to breathe sooner or later. He was right. Soon, the bat demon found himself being flung clear across the den.

 

“What in the seven hells were you trying to do, you moron?!” bitched the angry kitsune, still gasping for air, “I could have died!” The kistune then proceeded to throw pillows at the bat demon.

 

“Well, if you got out of bed at a normal hour, I might not have had to do that!” yelled Kuronue, dodging the barrage of pillows being thrown at him.

 

Finally running out of pillows, the kitsune leaned back on his hands, and scowled. “Feh, whatever,” he mumbled, stepping out of bed.

 

As the fox got dressed, Kuronue pushed himself off the floor, and headed towards the entrance of the den. Kuronue didn't have to tell the fox where he was going, because he knew he was going to ask anyway. And, once again, he was right.

 

“Where are you going?” the kitsune asked, running a comb through his silver hair.

 

“Lake,” was Kuronue's simple reply as he exited the den. As he stepped out into the forest, he sighed and looked around. The forest was quiet, and it was a nice day. It made him feel calm, even after his words with the fox.

 

It didn't take him long to reach the lake. He ran there and then dropped to his knees when he reached the edge of the riverbank.

 

He cupped his hand and lifted water to his mouth to drink. He then removed his hat and began to splash his face with water. Suddenly feeling pressure being applied on his back, he yelped as he was pushed fully into the water.

 

Returning to the surface, Kuronue saw Yoko, standing where he had just been. Yoko smirked.

 

“You really shouldn't let you're guard down, Kuro.” Yoko chuckled.

 

Kuronue stuck his tongue out at his friend, and dived back under the water. After his chuckling ceased, Yoko stared down at the water, waiting for Kuro to surface again.

 

At least seven minutes had passed and the bat demon had yet to resurface. Dropping to his knees, Yoko scanned the water for his friend, and found no trace of him.

 

“Kuro?” Yoko asked, beginning to worry.

 

Kuronue watched Yoko from beneath the water, smirking as he successfully lured the kitsune into his trap. As the fox leaned closer to the water, Kuro resurfaced at just the right moment, grabbed the kitsune by his shoulders and pulled him into the water as well.

 

Gasping, Yoko quickly clawed his way back out of the water, glaring daggers at the laughing bat.

 

“Kuro! You winged idiot! That's not funny!” the fox whined, still glaring.

 

“No reason to get mad, Fox. You started it,” Kuronue said, splashing water at Yoko and getting him wet again.

 

Yoko growled at his partner as he dove into the water again, tackling the bat underwater again. Once the two resurfaced, they began a splashing war.

 

To escape Kuronue's splashing, Yoko dove under water, coming up behind Kuro. The fox then, grabbed Kuronue's shoulders, pushing his head under water. As Kuronue recovered from his sudden submerge, he noticed that Yoko was now on the bank again.

 

The bat demon's face suddenly changed from carefree laughter to pure panic at what he saw. The kitsune was holding his hat and was grinning widely.

 

“Yoko, put that down.” Kuronue said, watching the kitsune closely.

 

“Nah, I think I'll hold onto it for a while. After all, finders keepers.” The fox taunted, twirling Kuro's hat on his index finger.

 

“Fox, I'm not playing. Give me my hat. Now!” the bat demon said through clenched teeth. But the fox demon ignored him.

 

“Why do you were this thing anyway? It looks like it's about to fall apart,” the fox said, eyeing the hat closer.

 

“Yoko, I'm not kidding. I demand that you return my hat—NOW!!” the bat demon screeched while getting out of the water.

 

“No, Kuro. Get yourself a new hat. I'm going to burn this one.” Said the fox, turning on his heel and beginning to run, knowing that Kuro would chase him.

 

“Stupid fox.” The bat said, taking off after Yoko.

 

It wasn't long before Kuro caught up with Yoko and tackled him to the ground. The two demons then began to wrestle, though Kuro was mainly trying to retrieve his hat.

 

The wrestling match lasted a good twenty minutes before both demons were laid out on the ground, trying to catch their breaths. Yoko sat up and smiled at his partner, who was still laying on the ground, glaring at him.

 

“Here,” the fox said, handing the hat over.

 

Smiling lightly, Kuro sat up, and took back his hat. He placed it back on his head, pulling his still damp ponytail through the hole in the top, and tilting it sideways so it would hide his right eye.

 

“Thanks.” He said quietly, leaning back on the grass again.

 

“Hey, Kuro?” came Yoko's voice.

 

Kuronue noticed that his friends' voice held a serious, yet depressed tone. He turned to look at the fox, and saw the he was looking down at the ground.

 

“Yes?” the bat answered after a moment.

 

“You're my best friend, right?”

 

Kuro stared at him for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

 

“I should hope,” Kuro said, blinking.

 

“And…you don't really mind me sleeping late, do you?” Yoko asked, looking at him.

 

Kuro did an anime fall.

 

“I'm serious, Kuro,” he said, frowning slightly. “'Cause if it bothers you I'll stop.”

 

Kuro sat up and smiled at his friend. “Nah, it's okay,” he said.

 

“You sure?” Yoko asked.

 

“Yeah. And actually, the only reason I make you get up is because it gets boring being awake all alone,” Kuro said almost sadly, looking down at the grass.

 

Yoko felt his ears droop at this. He didn't know that his sleeping in was causing the bat demon to feel lonely.

 

“Sorry,” he whispered. “I'll make it a habit of getting up with you more often, okay?”

 

Kuro smiled at him. “Thanks,” he said, reaching up to play with one of Yoko's fuzzy fox ears.

 

Yoko chuckled, twitching the ear Kuro was currently playing with. The fox then stood up and offered his bat-like partner a hand. The komouri took his friend's hand and stood up next to him.

 

“Come on, we have a job tonight. Better get ready,” said Yoko, dusting himself off. The komouri merely nodded in agreement.

 

“You really are my best friend, ya know,” Yoko said and gave a slight smile before walked back to the den. Kuro smiled.

 

“I know,” Kuro whispered as he watched the kitsune walk away. With a short laugh, the bat demon followed after his friend, not knowing that this would be the last heist they would ever go on together.

 

Later that evening

 

Successful in their heist, the two demon thieves could be seen escaping into the bamboo forest outside the palace they had just robbed.

 

They were both smirking, proud of themselves for such a flawless heist. They could hear the palace guard behind them, yelling and cursing at them to `halt'.

 

The two thieves glanced at each other, each giving the other a cocky smile. They were far ahead of the guards and were almost in the clear. But then, something terrible happened.

 

Suddenly, the chain of Kuronue's pendant snapped, falling to the ground behind them. Gasping, Kuronue jumped against a bamboo pole, using it to propel himself back in the other direction.

 

Upon seeing this, Yoko's eyes widened, and he skidded to a stop. He watched in utter shock as his friend ran back for his beloved pendant. Yoko had seen the pendant chain break, but he hadn't said anything, hoping Kuro would just let it go. No such luck.

 

“Kuronue, what are you doing?! Just leave it!” Yoko called to his friend.

 

“No! I need it!” Kuro yelled back.

 

Finally, Kuro reached the spot where his necklace had fallen. But just as he was about to pick it up, he yelled in pain as he felt something sharp impale his left shin.

 

“Kuronue!!” Yoko yelled, going back to help his friend.

 

“No! Stay there! Don't come any closer! There might be other traps!” Kuro yelled to Yoko, who stopped in his tracks.

 

Kuro, now on the ground, began to try and push himself up again, but froze when he felt several more sharp objects pierce his body.

 

Watching the whole thing from where he had stopped, Yoko's eyes widened in horror.

 

“Kuro! No!” he yelled, once again going to help.

 

In no time, he was by his friend's side. He gasped when he got a clear view of his friend's injuries from the trap. There was a spear in his left shin, his right thigh, his right shoulder, and at least two in each wing.

 

Yoko dropped to his knees, and yanked the spear from Kuro's shoulder, making the bat demon wince and groan loudly.

 

“Kuro, hold on, I'm going get you out of here,” he said, preparing to remove one of the spears from Kuro's left wing. Suddenly, just as he was about to pull the spear out, Kuro's hand caught his wrist, stopping him.

 

“Kuro…?” Yoko asked, looking down at his partners' pale and pain-ridden face.

 

“Leave it. I'm done. But you can still get away. You have to go.” Kuro said in a low voice.

 

“Shut up! Don't you even say that. I'm not going to leave you here,” Yoko said, trying to help his friend back to his feet. Yoko knew that the guards would be upon them soon. He had to hurry.

 

“Damn it, Yoko, just forget about me! Now, get out of here!” Kuro yelled, pushing Yoko away as he tried to help him up.

 

“But, Kuro…,” Yoko pleaded, the feeling of tears stinging at his eyes.

 

Kuro just smiled, reaching up to play with one of Yoko's fox ears. He could hear the footsteps as the guards drew nearer.

 

“Go, fox, run away. And be careful, okay?” Kuro said softly.

 

“Okay…” Yoko whispered as a tear ran down his face.

 

Standing up, Yoko glanced once more at his dying friend, another tear making its way down his face. Kuro returned the glance, giving his partner another soft smile, as if saying `It's okay'. Yoko smiled back at his friend, then left with a soft whisper of, `good-bye'.

 

“Bye…” Kuro whispered, watching as his friend disappeared into the forest. Kuro closed his eyes as the guards reached him.

 

He opened his eyes slightly. His vision was blurred, but he could see the palace guards standing above him, all of them holding weapons. His eyes fell on one guard standing next to him, holding an axe. The demon raised the axe above its head, looking down at Kuro with wicked eyes.

 

Kuro closed his eyes again. He knew that he would surely die now. But the only thought that ran through his mind as the demon aimed the ax at his throat was, `Yoko, be safe.'

 

With Yoko

 

As he continued to flee from the bamboo forest, the strong scent of Kuro's blood flooded the air around him. He knew that his friend had been killed. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that refused to go away. It took all he had to keep from turning around, but he did as Kuro wished, and kept running.

 

By the time he made it back to the den, the clouds had grown darker and thunder crashed in the sky. He made it inside the den just as rain began to fall.

 

Yoko walked inside the dark and empty den. He leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. He looked down at the golden mirror in his hands. At this point, he didn't even want it anymore. If he had known that the price of obtaining this mirror would be the life of his best friend, he never would have stolen it.

 

Standing, he placed the mirror on the small table next to his bed. He then walked to the entrance of the den, and looked out at the storm. He sat down, pulled his knees up to his chest, and wrapped his tail around his legs. Sighing, he buried his face in his arms, and openly wept.

 

“Kuronue…I'm sorry,” he whispered.

 

That night was the first time in all of his threehundred years of living, that he ever cried himself to sleep.

 

End flashback

 

By the time Kurama opened his eyes again, hot tears were streaming down his face. He rose into a sitting position, and wiped away some of his tears, though they continued to fall. The fact that Kuronue died on a stormy night was one reason Kurama didn't like nights like this.

 

That memory, though sometimes he would try and block it, would always manage to make its way into his mind. He missed Kuronue everyday since then, and he still did. He blamed himself for what happened. He thought that maybe if he hadn't been so greedy back then, Kuronue would still be alive.

 

Getting out of bed, Kurama made his way over to his dresser. He pulled open one of the drawers and took something out. He then walked back to his bed and sat down again.

 

Though his tears of regret were still falling, he smiled down at the object in his hands, Kuro's hat. The same hat that he used to tease Kuro about, the same hat that Kuro chased him for that day, the same hat that made Kuro who he was. He never went anywhere without it. And now, it was all Kurama had left of him.

 

Kurama had gone back to the spot where Kuro was caught the next day. He thought that he would at least give his friend a proper burial, since he wasn't able to save him. But when he got there, all he found was his partner's hat.

 

After that, he began to search the Makai, in hopes that maybe Kuro was still alive, but his search was cut short when he was cornered by that bounty hunter.

 

Hugging the hat closer to his body, Kurama's sobs became more pronounced. His shut his eyes tightly as another flash of lightning streaked the sky. Opening his eyes again, he looked down at the hat once more.

 

But suddenly, as another streak of lightning lit up his room, Kurama gasped when he saw a shadow on the wall. Turning towards his window, he saw the same cloaked figure as earlier. It was standing on the balcony, watching him.

 

But when the figure knew that Kurama had seen it, it leaped away, just like before. Kurama got up from his bed and ran out onto the balcony. The fact that it was still raining didn't stop him. He looked around frantically, trying to see the figure anywhere.

 

Alas, there was no sign of it. Sighing quietly, Kurama quickly re-entered his bedroom, closing and locking the balcony door behind him. Since he was still a little shaken by the sight of the stranger, Kurama decided to pull the blinds as well.

 

Returning to his bed, Kurama placed Kuro's hat next to his pillow, and snuggled under his covers. He gripped his friend's hat tightly with his hand, trying to shake his renewed feeling of uneasiness. Thankfully, he soon calmed down, and drifted into the peaceful world of sleep.

 

Outside

 

Across the street from Kurama's home, a pair of deep blue eyes were steadily watching the kitsune's bedroom window. It stood out of its crouched position, its long black cloak covering its being.

 

As the strange figure disappeared into the night, one question rang in its mind, `Fox, is that really you?'

 

End of chapter one

 

BlackRoseVixen05: Well, there's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter shall follow soon. So, I'll see you next time. Until then, R&R!!!!!