Subject: [FFML] [FFML][fic][YYH]Shonen Ch. 1: Seeds
From: "Eric James" <azhrael@crosswinds.net>
Date: 9/17/2000, 3:38 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com
Reply-to:
azhrael@crosswinds.net

Chester seems to be having some trouble sending this, so I'm doing so for him.
Replies go to him, not me. ^_^


_________________________________________________


	
Shonen
A Yuu Yuu Hakusho fic
By Chester Castaņeda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel

Well, I'm a newbie here... but all c&c are 
acceptable ^_^

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech
( ) indicates speech in writing


_________________________________________________


Chapter 1: Seeds
_________________________________________________
	



	Darkness. This was what greeted him as he came to... it 
made no difference to when he was still unconscious. 
Nevertheless, it brought a certain extent of relief to be in the dark.
It was... comforting to him.

	Darkness. To some it was a symbol of fear... of 
coldness... of death. But to him it was a welcome sight. Was he
not a former resident of the Demon World, which was always filled
with veritable darkness? And, as accompaniment to this darkness, 
were there not also the fear, the coldness and the death?

	Yes, he was familiar with fear, whether it was from the 
eyes of an opponent faced with imminent death or his own fear of 
some great power finally destroying him in the end. He had always
had a certain degree of respect for power... he himself was a firm
believer of the rule 'survival of the fittest.' Outside of that, he had 
nothing else to fear.

	Coldness... a relative term to him. He was used to it. 
Perhaps it was because of his koorime lineage, but at times he 
draws a certain degree of comfort from the cold... the way humans
draw comfort from warmth. Whatever. He felt as he felt, it held no
importance to him.

	Death. A loaded word to many, to him it simply meant the
end. He was never afraid of the finality death brings; he actually 
had looked forward for it. He was glad with the fact that he was
given a reason for being since the time of his birth... images of a
koorime woman that had been last thing he saw before being 
thrown into a chasm, as well as images of his... of Yukina. 

	These are his reasons for being. Death had been 
constant threat to him since the time of his banishment in the land
of koorimes, yet he had always done with it like a game with his 
opponents... he can never die, not him. Not even death can stop
him from what he has to do. But if there comes the time when all 
has been accomplished, he shall welcome death like an old 
friend... in a warrior's death, no less. But until then....

	"Hiei! Hiei! What has happened to you!?" It was the 
kitsune. That damned fox demon came through for him, as usual.

	Darkness... the goddamned darkness... it came quicker
to him than he thought... what an embarrassment, in front of
Kurama no less. Yet he felt a strange bit of comfort as a thought 
surfaced his mind before his further slipping to unconsciousness. 

<Until next time, old friend.> 




***



	Kurama breathed a sigh of relief as he found where his
koorime friend lay. Then a wave of concern came forth in him as
he saw the state said koorime was in. His analytical eye caught the 
amount of damage his friend attained. He assessed the reason he
was unconscious was due to the fact that he had already used the
Kokuryuha. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt in Kurama's mind.
Hiei was beaten in a fight.

	The koorime moaned. He had been in worse shape... his
burnt right hand had given him a whole world of pain. Still, he was 
going to be really pissed once he wakes up. Kurama suppressed a 
giggle at the thought. That's who Hiei is... he with the legendary
pride.

	Kurama quickly sobered up with his mirth and turned his
attention on the situation at hand. He scanned the surrounding 
area... true enough, the ruble and debris gave weight to the fact of 
a battle. But he had expected a lot more damage from the 
surrounding area because of the Kokuryuha. 

	<It must have been stopped somehow, or else there 
should have been a _lot_ more wreckage here,> Kurama thought
as he further surveyed the area. It was a narrow alley, and even 
though one could expect a bit of filthiness in this sort of place, it
was still pretty obvious that there had been a struggle. But no 
matter how many times Kurama inspected the area, he could find 
no sign of Hiei's supposed rival. If he didn't find the idea absurd, 
he could have almost sworn Hiei hurt himself with the Kokuryuha. 
Which was simply beyond the case, because Hiei would have 
simply absorbed the attack, if ever.    

	<I'm too late... he's already gone,> Kurama thought as he
furthered his investigation. <Whoever _he_ is....> 

	Kurama checked the immediate surroundings beyond the
alley. True enough, because it was already way beyond midnight, 
there was not a soul in sight. The streets were empty, being only 
slightly illuminated by what few lights were still open in this side of  
the city, which was a whole block of urban poverty. He went back to
the fallen koorime, his stare lingering at the rooftops of the nearby
apartments. 

	He gently picked up his friend, gingerly looking at his 
face. The koorime was gently snoring now, probably due to
exhaustion than anything else. Kurama gently wafted over the 
surrounding building's rooftops, cradling Hiei's body all throughout.
Wordlessly, the kitsune leaped from one building to another, his
mind filled with questions which left him troubled and anxious. 

	"Who? Who was it? Why?!" Kurama accidentally said
aloud, the question echoing in the entire block, as if it was mocking
him.  




***




	"What the HELL?!" was the calm assessment Yusuke 
Urameshi gave to the situation as Kurama related it to him.
Kurama, on his part, stayed the same in the same calm tone he 
had been in the past few minutes of the conversation. There was no
indication of Yusuke even budging from the doorway of his 
apartment. Kurama sighed as he continued on with his informing of 
past events. 

	"That's right, Yusuke. Someone beat up Hiei, I don't know
who. He's been beat up real bad, so that's why he's still 
unconscious. I can't worry about kaasan discovering Hiei since 
she has never seen him before, so that's why he's got to stay here
at your apartment for the time being, while your mother is away." 
Kurama carefully repeated, putting his words into terms that the 
younger boy could easily understand. That wasbecause he was 
quite the... excitable type, and he couldn't risk a misunderstanding 
at this point in time.

	Yusuke simply just stared at Kurama as if he has just 
told him that he was to be tied up in bed and he was to be given the
whipping of his life... or something similarly disturbing. It took the 
boy sometime to evaluate the situation before saying, "Oh, I get it!"

	If Kurama were a lesser man, he could have facefaulted. 
The fact was that he was a kitsune in an avatar, so the best he 
could do was sweatdrop. All vestiges of gravity in his face were
replaced by wide-eyed confusion as he non-characteristically 
said....

	"Huh?"

	"I get it... this is some practical joke made by that
bastard, Kuwabara. Well, just let me at him, Kurama... I'll rearrange
his ugly face seven ways to HELL!"

	Kurama just simply fell silent there. He had no idea as to 
how to reply to that. Yusuke always had that effect on him. So he 
simply motioned toward the nearby coach in the hallway and teen 
was off. He counted the seconds before hearing an expected dead 
silence. <...Two... Three...>

	Kurama slowly approached the now dumbstruck teenager 
as he gaped at a peacefully sleeping Hiei... which though was a 
sight in itself with his loud snoring yet the sheer amount of bruises
the koorime had was really the clincher to the shock. He looked 
worse of than after battling Bui in the finals of the Ankoku 
Bujutsukai. The teenage Spirit Detective couldn't simply believe 
that Hiei could even be beaten up like that after mastering the 
Kokuryuha. Kurama merely patted the younger boy's back.

	"Oi, Kurama... you weren't kidding. Hiei's been beaten up
badly." Yusuke said, looking warily at the little sleeping koorime. 
"Who... did this to him?"

	Kurama smirked at the statement. Yusuke was never the
one to ask why... he does before he acts. Still, his seriousness 
gave in and said in his voice "As I said before, I have no idea, 
Yusuke. I simply saw him like this in an alley... I have no idea as
to who or what could have done such a thing."

	Yusuke hefted the Hiei's body over his shoulders. The
fire demon hybrid shifted his weight, groaning in pain.

	"Careful, Yusuke... Hiei's ribs are broken. I've given him 
some herbs to dull the pain, but there's nothing else I could do. 
The fractures are closed, but any more shifting and they could 
become dislocated."

	"Sorry, I'll be careful. But we don't have a stretcher 
around here. How are we going to lift Hiei back to the apartment?" 
Yusuke asked.

	"The same way I put him here on the hallway." Kurama 
said nonchalantly.

	Faster than Yusuke could decipher with his eyes, 
Kurama lifted Hiei up, his body straight and seemingly floating on
the kitsune's arms. And, in the same way he wafted through the
alley a while ago, Kurama gently gone forth toward Yusuke's 
room, seemingly gliding with each step. Yusuke has seen how fast
Kurama has moved before... only he hasn't seen him use that 
under these circumstances. He followed the two to his room. He 
caught up as Kurama was already gently placing Hiei in his living
room bed.

	"That was sure cool, Kurama." Yusuke said 
appreciatively. Then he turned his attentions back to the koorime. 
Then made a face. "You're really going to make me baby-sit this
little bastard?"

	Kurama giggled daintily. It was hard to keep a serious 
disposition with the company of the young lad. "Your call... though
I could always come over and look after him myself."

	Yusuke looked at Kurama and smiled. "You don't have to
bother with that... I'd have a fun day with shorty here. He's in good
hands." He couldn't help but grin evilly at that last statement.

	Kurama just looked at Yusuke before chuckling at that.
 "I'm sure you'd both have fun together."

	Yusuke merely grinned. Then he added thoughtfully, 
"Does Koenma know? You do know that we've never been attacked
 _outside_ of a mission before."

	"Yes, but you have to admit, there were those missions
where we simply stumble upon the enemy. We simply have to
re-assess our bearings if ever we were attacked first." Kurama 
said. "But I agree... we have to admit, this was the first time we
were directly attacked _before_ we go against whatever agenda 
our enemy has."

	Yusuke nodded to that. "Hey, have you seen Botan 
lately? She's usually the one supplying the facts for this."

	Kurama shrugged. "Then you should have been the 
first one she contacted.  _Then_ the rest of us will be contacted 
for further assistance."

	"Or we'll just simply happen to stumble with each other in
the course of a mission."  Yusuke supposed, a smile once again 
sneaking in the corners of his mouth. 

	"Our modus operandi." Kurama smiled back.  "Just 
remember... as much as possible, don't let Hiei out of the house.
He's in no shape for cavorting around swearing vengeance on
whoever did that to him." 

	Yusuke idly nodded at that... though he knew that was as
likely as _him_  not coming after the supposed new enemy.

	"I'll be having a word with Genkai by tomorrow... she'd 
know what to do. Still..." Kurama pensively added, "I'm almost 
sure that the Spirit World would have something to do with this." 

	"I'll be having a word with that pacifier-sucking brat once
we finally talk." Yusuke assured with the cracking of his knuckles.
"Once we get this cleared out, we'll kick some demon ass and get
this over with, pure and simple."

	<Pure and simple... unfortunately this is anything but 
that.> Kurama considered. <Hiei _used_ the Kokuryuha... an attack
almost as powerful as the Rei-Gan. If ever Yusuke or any of us
come across... _him_, it's doubtful that we'd have a chance 
against him. And what of the mission Koenma informed us on? 
Why did Koenma inform us first? Was it like before, when he told
Hiei first about the mission concerning the kidnapping of Yukina?>
More questions pervaded into Kurama's consciousness... yet still
no sure explanation presented itself.

	As Kurama said his farewell to Yusuke, the question he
said a while back resurfaced in his mind and echoed back and 
forth in his psyche. Who? Who did this? Why?
 
	Why?




***





	Kurama stared at the ceiling of his room. As a kitsune, he
has his own sort of third eye in sensing trouble. But that was
usually reserved for sneak attacks or for recognizing the ki of his
enemies during battle. His sense of premonition in this situation is
completely different. A sense that humans are more familiar with...
that feeling of dread when something bad is about to happen. To 
this feeling comes a jargon of semi-coherent thought.

	<What if that thing suddenly goes after Yusuke, or
Kuwabara? The odds are certainly against, him having beaten up
Hiei-san so badly...how is Hiei-san doing anyway? I hope he 
survives... What if this _thing_ goes after me? I think I could
handle it...bit what about kaasan...?>

	Kurama froze at the last thought. There was a noise 
coming from his mother's room...somewhat akin to metal clanking
in the floor. He instinctively ran towards his mother's room. He 
heaved out a sigh of relief to see her by the window...she was 
doing some needlework and her toolkit just fell. She's a bit startled
though, and was now looking at Kurama with worry in her eyes.

	"Shuichi...is there something the matter?" his mother 
asked.

	Kurama let out a little laugh. "No... nothing's the matter,
kaasan...I was just a little bit startled by the noise. What are you 
doing?"

	To this statement 'Shuichi's' kaasan brightened up. "I've
decided to take up needlework as a hobby, son...I'm a little rough 
though. I haven't been doing this since I was a child." She let out a
delicate laugh, to which Kurama could not help but laugh with as
well. It had always reminded him of tinkling bells eversince he first
heard it as a child.

	To this an animated discussion on needlework followed.
Actually, it was more like Kurama listening and Shiori making
detailed accounts about the wonderful world of the needle and 
thread. This kind of situation may bore to death any other boy his 
age, but Kurama has a high regard and respect for his kaasan and 
what she does. 

	When the discussion finished, Kurama left Shiori with 
her hobby. He mouthed the words "Sayonara, kaasan. Ai, shiteiru."
in the doorway of his mother's room, to which he got the silent 
reply "Sayonara, Shuichi. I love you too."

	In the outer hallway of the Minamino residence, Kurama 
swore to himself, <I won't let any monster touch my kaasan. Not 
even one hair.>




***




	So in a cliff overlooking the dance of sea waves stood 
he. It was he who was able to stand up to a fire demon-koorime 
hybrid without even breaking a sweat. Breaking a sweat... he'd 
laugh at it, if he could. He hasn't broken a sweat or laughed at 
anything in years. He felt dead because of it. He continued on 
gazing on the horizon. The moon was still shining as brightly as
it could. The waves continued on pounding on the rocks. The 
leaves on the trees on the surrounding area of the cliff all rustled
by the breeze. He couldn't care less with such peace. If anything,
all of it irritated his senses... irritation and senses being relative
terms probably because he had none as well.

	He breathed heavily, probably more out of habit then out
of anything else. He hefted his entire breastplate off, revealing the 
cavity. It was a dark chasm, as dark as his skin was pale white. 
The breeze picked up in ante and began stroking his long straight 
hair, strands flying all around his face. His violet eyes became 
slits as his concentration intensified. The koorime fed him quite 
nicely, but it was not enough. No. He hungered for more.

	The wind blew out more fiercely as the waves began to
pound furiously on the rocks below. The moon shone even more
brightly before. Everything intensified, as if all was bristling to life.
The grass became greener, more alive, as if they were breathing. 
The rustling leaves became animated as well. In color, in sound, 
in sharpness, in smell and touch... everything became 
exaggerated. It was as if he could smell again, breath again, touch
again, and see again, all at the same time with more exuberance 
and feeling. Then, it was released into nothingness as he 
whispered the words.

	"Ja-ou-en-satsu-ken-koku-ryuu-ha!"

	The black dragon spirit emerged, slowly dissipating into 
embers as it crashed into the sea below. What happened after was
strange indeed.  It was as if an explosion happened in reverse. 
Everything died down... the waves calmed down, the water
becoming stagnant. The grass died then and there. The trees 
slowly shed it's leaves as if it were fall, the bark of their trunks 
suddenly decaying. Everything in the surrounding had a deathly
appearance. No color. No life.

	The bishonen sighed. Even the moon's sheen seemed 
dimmer. But he nonchalantly picked up his breastplate and 
replaced it on his cavity and went on his way. It was all routine for
him. He was way beyond feeling any emotion. He did what he had
to do and that's that. Yet he craved for that short moment of 
exuberance. He craved it since the day he became... like this.

	He simply could not describe the feeling he felt every
time he used up a spirit like that. The sheer thrill he feels from 
absorbing a piece of ki... a piece of a soul that goes in that 
damned cavity that was once his chest. It felt like... an orgasm, or
maybe as high as you could ever get on drugs. No, higher than 
that... it couldn't be expressed. Such comparison pales 
amidst the sheer ecstasy he felt from feeding a soul into himself. A
life into himself. Every fiber of his being exudes... aliveness. 
There's no other word for it. Aliveness.
 
	It was a slow, painful step he took to finally murder a 
person so as to feel that sensation. He wasn't a ki vampire... he 
didn't _need_ to feed on another soul to live. He was already dead,
for Enma's sake. It was all for the sake of gratification, to feel 
something amidst the numbness he had in himself. That was one 
of the reasons why he swore never to take another life. He shall 
never stoop to killing people for the pleasure of it. He will never 
become a monster like that.

	Was he wrong about that. Dead wrong.  

	He has killed countless in his wake, and soon his 
countenance became absolute apathy. He was now truly dead, 
with no will nor regret. He was like a person in a nightmare never
to wake up. He lost all significance in life as he consumed it like a
cigarette, in slow puffs of smoke. He was as dead as he truly 
thought he is... in mind and body.

	Yet he had not killed the koorime. It could have given him
a few days of exuberant life, yet he could not bring himself to it. 
No. He had not killed anyone eversince he discovered about it.

	There was a way. There was a way to be taken off from 
this damned existence. It was there. She could find the way to stop
this. He knew that she'd always be there for him, no matter what 
the cost. That was what she promised to him. He knew that he 
could count on her. 

	She was there up until the time that he finally became a 
monster. She was there up until the time that she offered to give 
out the cure. Yes, the cure... the cure for this eternal damnation. 
She gave it her all. She died trying.

	But now she was back. He would be given a second 
chance. He would have a new lease into life. Nothing can stop him 
now. He shall not spend eternity as a monster. He would not be  
damned. This was his last chance. He would do everything in his 
power to get her back into his life. She was his salvation. She was 
his last thread into life. He shall not fail.

	"Asuka...you've come back to me," He whispered silently
into the dead waters of the sea down below.




***




	"Kurama!" Hiei yelled in his sleep, which awoke a very 
irritable Yusuke from his. 

	"Hey, what's the big... oh, you're finally awake." Yusuke 
muttered in yawning breathes, still rubbing his eyes off from the 
remnants of sleepiness. "Kurama wasn't kidding when he called 
you a noctu... noctu... a night person."

	Hiei simply deadpanned at the baka... or some other 
Demon World expletive he wants to call  the teenaged boy that 
escaped him at the moment. "Where is he?"

	"Who?" Yusuke shot back casually as he cleaned his 
ears with his pinky.

	"Kurama." Hiei elucidated.

	"Back at his kaasan's. What is it to you."

	Hiei was getting pissed. He knew that  the... human, for 
lack of a better word, was playing with him. He could have clopped
off his arm right then and there, only that his katana was missing. 
<Damn.> The Kokuryuha was out of the question, so that leaves....

	From a passerby's point of view, one could almost 
swear that there was a mini-earthquake happening at one side of 
the apartment building where a certain Yusuke Urameshi happened
to be taking residence.

	"YOWCH! You couldn't take a joke, could'ya?" Yusuke 
said gleefully. He was now in a stranglehold by a certain koorime.
The teen glanced back at Hiei with an evil eye. Then, with a simple
movement of his head, he butted the koorime on the forehead. 

	Hiei recoiled. Yusuke took the opportunity to direct some 
punches on the fire demon hybrid's face. After three quick jabs, the 
teen quickly backed up to ready an uppercut. Hiei knew this was a 
ruse and simply blocked both the uppercut and the planned hook 
after it. With his third eye opened, the fire demon was able to 
counter every blow, which he followed up each with heavy blows 
of his own.

	Yusuke was surprised with Hiei being able to still put up 
a fight. He abruptly adjusted his speed and began a dance of 
blow-parry-blow with Hiei. Each met up with equal speed and 
strength, up until Yusuke accidentally ribbed Hiei. The koorime 
crumpled to the ground. 

	Yusuke wiped the trickle of blood off his lips. He 
surveyed his surroundings. <Wow... we were really going with the 
fight...> he thought, amazed at the whirlwind that leveled this side 
of the Urameshi apartment. Another thing Yusuke noticed was that 
he was looking through just one eye now, with his left one he can 
just barely open. The teenager readied himself as the koorime 
slowly stood up.

	"I never knew that you'd resort to a cheap shot, 
Urameshi," Hiei spat at Yusuke, yet with a smirk in his face.

	"You don't look like no slacker, Hiei." Yusuke said, 
pointing at the koorime suspiciously. "I don't believe that you could
have been beat up so easily. What's with you?"

	Hiei was taken aback. How dare the bastard think that his 
skills have been slacking! Still, he was ashamed to admit, with his 
last fight he had been hurled around like a piece of wet cloth. His 
bruises and fractures flared in pain as a reminder of that. His reply
was broken up and hesitant.

	"He... he was no o-ordinary demon." He finished with his
eyes darting back and forth across the room.

	Yusuke savored the moment of uncharacteristic 
confusion in the demon's face. Still, he was more than a bit 
flummoxed himself with the fact that Hiei could be beaten up like 
that. "What was it that attacked you? Did it have a face?" 
He cracked his knuckles. "If he has a face I can certainly 
rearrange it."

	To this the koorime sneered. "Humph. You'd be in worse
 shape than I if you ever faced that monster."

	"We'll see." Yusuke then stared oddly at Hiei at the 
koorime suddenly froze. He quite possibly haven't seen the demon
so troubled save the times when he teased him about telling 
Yukina his true identity. "Nani?" 

	Hiei suddenly prepared to take his leave. Yusuke almost
missed Hiei as he made a grab for the fire demon's arm. "Hiei, 
what the hell's the matter with you?!"

	Hiei gave Yusuke a livid look. "Let go, baka! The monster 
is after Kurama! We've got to warn him! He's going to kill the 
damned kitsune!"




***




	On a treetop overlooking a house stood an armor-clad 
figure. He looked heavy in his heavy garb, yet he remained to 
seemingly float on the branches and leaves. He maintained his 
stance as he observed the surrounding area of the house. Sure 
enough he saw what he was looking for. 

	"Such loveliness." He whispered. He let the words float 
in the air, certain smoothness in it coming forth as it echoed across
the landscape. He swooped down, now truly suspended on midair,
toward the second-story window of the residence.

	There. Like a fresh rose bud... <You always have 
reminded me of that.> ...walking slowly in the room. Fresh and 
clean, like a newborn... slipping into the bed sheets as elegantly 
as only she could.

	She gave promise of tomorrow.

 	She died too soon, like the flower that she was.

	She comes back for him... to keep a promise.

	She was there, finally... he waited eternity.
	
	Damned was he. Salvation was she.
	
	She would save him. From the screaming... from the 
agony and pain...

	From the agony and pain of the absence of agony and 
pain.

	There are times when one would rather have pain than 
emptiness.

	She was there to give him freedom.

	Peace.

	Salvation.

	Meaning.

	Life.

	Yet, here she was, reborn. She came back. Devotion 
remains only to her... let me take her or else be damned forever 
more.  
	
	Yet what he had to do was also his damnation.

	Murder for life. A sacrifice he couldn't bare to do before. 

	Yet there was also the killings.

	Yet there was also the emptiness.

	It was a risk he would take. Damnation was not an option.

	He was damned for so long.
	
	He knew of their faces. It was forever etched in his 
memory.

	They were a part of him... every fiber of their beings.

	They belonged to him now.

	They scream in horror... silent screams. The silence was
deafening to him. 

	The screams remain. The silence remain.

	The emptiness eating his whole being... if he was still 
considered a being, not some mass of destruction.

	He gingerly fingered the glass pane of the window, he 
breathed a breathless sigh into it.  An apology.

	He was truly sorry... for his salvation and the salvation 
of many would come from the cost of an angel's tears.

	His precious one's life was the price.

	He said his last sorry, and disappeared.

	He simply disappeared.




***




	Kurama stirred in his sleep. Tears dampened his pillow. 
He was beyond the frivolities of emotion. Since his days as a 
kitsune thief, he has never had an opportunity to express 
emotions. Perhaps his colleagues have considered him rather 
effeminate with his emotionality, but this trait was one of the things
he treasures as a human. He let the tears flow and his fear 
surface. Yes, he was afraid. He was afraid for his kaasan... his dear, 
sweet kaasan whose life has been threatened constantly because of 
him. Hiei. Hiei was injured and beaten badly, and he blamed himself 
for not being there for him when it counted. Just like with Kurubue....

	Kurama cried in his sleep. He didn't expect himself to 
drift into slumber so soon. Soon, there was stillness.

	Soon, the nightmares began.

	There was darkness... a flat, dull darkness. Then came a
flicker. A glinting jewel swaying along the darkness. The darkness 
began to give from. Strands, long stands of shining hair. It soon 
became clear. Features gained depth. There was that long thin 
mouth coming into view, forming into a smile. Then came the 
narrow yet mischievous eyes. Long strands of hair played with his
features as it effortlessly merged with the darkness. A play of 
contrast in light and darkness as his pale skin and playful 
eyes shone like the jewel gently swaying at his neck. Back and 
forth it swayed, like a glinting blade of a guillotine.

	Kurubue.

	The scene replayed itself painfully. The loss was silly, 
stupid... the irony of it all lies in its stupidity and silliness. 

	There came the gentle tinkling... like a little bell.

	 His smiling face casually glanced back at the jewel. He 
cannot be stopped. That jewel meant a lot for him. He promised 
that he would come back. All that for a simple jewel which he 
always wore a certain way in his neck. He was always so 
headstrong and goes for things upfront.

	To this... for him to be himself... led to his own death.

	Bamboo shoots shot up as he was helplessly caught in 
the trap. Blood dripped mercilessly to the ground, an unwanted 
blood offering. He still clasped on the jewel with his right hand. It
gently swayed in the wind, glinting. 

	Swaying back and forth, glinting... like a guillotine. 

	Darkness.	

	There was darkness... a flat, dull darkness. Then came a
flicker. A glinting jewel swaying along the darkness. The darkness 
began to give from. Strands, long stands of shining hair. It soon 
became clear. Features gained depth. There was that long thin 
mouth coming into view, forming into a smile. Then came the 
narrow yet mischievous eyes. Long strands of hair played with his
features as it effortlessly merged with the darkness. A play of 
contrast in light and darkness as his pale skin and playful 
eyes shone like the jewel gently swaying at his neck. Back and 
forth it swayed, like a glinting blade of a guillotine.

	Kurubue.

	The scene replayed itself painfully. The loss was silly, 
stupid... the irony of it all lies in its stupidity and silliness. 

	There came the gentle tinkling... like a little bell.

	 His smiling face casually glanced back at the jewel. He 
cannot be stopped. That jewel meant a lot for him. He promised 
that he would come back. All that for a simple jewel which he 
always wore a certain way in his neck. He was always so 
headstrong and goes for things upfront.

	To this... for him to be himself... led to his own death.

	Bamboo shoots shot up as he was helplessly caught in 
the trap. Blood dripped mercilessly to the ground, an unwanted 
blood offering. He still clasped on the jewel with his right hand. It
gently swayed in the wind, glinting. 

	Swaying back and forth, glinting... like a guillotine. 

	Darkness.
	
	There was darkness... a flat, dull darkness. Then came a
flicker. A glinting jewel swaying along the darkness. The darkness 
began to give from. Strands, long stands of shining hair. It soon 
became clear. Features gained depth. There was that long thin 
mouth coming into view, forming into a smile. Then came the 
narrow yet mischievous eyes. Long strands of hair played with his
features as it effortlessly merged with the darkness. A play of 
contrast in light and darkness as his pale skin and playful 
eyes shone like the jewel gently swaying at his neck. Back and 
forth it swayed, like a glinting blade of a guillotine.

	Kurubue.

	The scene replayed itself painfully. The loss was silly, 
stupid... the irony of it all lies in its stupidity and silliness. 

	There came the gentle tinkling... like a little bell.

	 His smiling face casually glanced back at the jewel. He 
cannot be stopped. That jewel meant a lot for him. He promised 
that he would come back. All that for a simple jewel which he 
always wore a certain way in his neck. He was always so 
headstrong and goes for things upfront.

	To this... for him to be himself... led to his own death.

	Bamboo shoots shot up as he was helplessly caught in 
the trap. Blood dripped mercilessly to the ground, an unwanted 
blood offering. He still clasped on the jewel with his right hand. It
gently swayed in the wind, glinting. 

	Swaying back and forth, glinting... like a guillotine. 

	Darkness.




***




	Yusuke Urameshi was having a hard time.

	For one thing, it was quite hard for one such as him to 
stop a crazed fire demon-koorime hybrid from accomplishing
whatever stupid, reckless, and totally irresponsible thing... mainly 
because he wants in on whatever stupid, reckless, and totally 
irresponsible thing the said demon wants to accomplish.

	Life was good for Yusuke Urameshi.

	"He was _that_ powerful?!" Yusuke gasped, literally 
salivating in ecstasy. Boy, it has been a while since he has gotten
in on a real mission. Eversince that incident with the rogue demons 
from a separate Demon World, a sort of Nether World, almost 
conquered the whole Human World, there hasn't been another 
challenge which quite matched up to that. "He just simply ate the 
Kokuryuha!? That's great! Where did you find him?"

	"We just met. He was in the alley. He was looking for 
someone. He seemed tired. I was there." Hiei said cryptically. He 
wouldn't waste any more time with the stupid bastard, only that he 
has no other alternative. If it would take him to join forces with... 
him to defeat the monster, then he'd do it. So be it.  

	"What do you mean, 'he was tired?' Could it be that he 
could be some sort of ki vampire?" Yusuke asked. Hiei merely 
shrugged to that.

	"It doesn't matter."

	"Well, if he were a ki vampire, why didn't you just 
simply slash him to death like you'd usually do?"

	"He was like a spirit. It didn't work on him. The blade
simply passed through him"

	Yusuke further pondered on that. Not a ki vampire... 
maybe a gaki of some sort. A gaki? Heck, even he hasn't seen any
one of those. And if it was a gaki, why was it looking for someone
in particular. Why didn't it simply suck up Hiei's soul as it did with
the Kokuryuha?

	He was getting a headache with all this thinking... but he 
couldn't really do much of anything really. In one of those rare 
instances of insight, he knew he couldn't simply 'blast that thing 
with a Rei-gan straight to hell.' He already fought one of those 
demons. His precious attack was rendered nearly useless with this
demon that simply deflected the goddamned Spirit Ball back to 
him. With a resigned smile, he continued his 'interrogation' with 
the vague and reluctant demon.

	"So, what's this about Kurama being in trouble?" Yusuke
pressed. He knew Hiei was deliberately vague with the details, but
he would wrench it out of the koorime one way or another. That's
just the Urameshi way.

Hiei gazed adamantly at the young spirit detective. He wouldn't 
give an inch on that part of the story. He simply didn't need to 
know about that. All he needed for the simple-minded fool to do 
was to go out head-on with that monster and get beat up while he,
the _true_ Demon World warrior, would simply find some kind of 
weakness that thing possessed while the stupid bastard gets beat
to a pulp. They always had some kind ofweakness.

	Yusuke frowned at the fire demon. The koorime. 
Whatever. All he knew was that the... enti.. enti... that thing that 
attacked Hiei must had some sort of agenda by not simply killing 
the bastard. Then shorty mentioned about Kurama...

	"What did he say about Kurama?" Yusuke 
casually said. Hiei was dumbstruck. The koorime fell for the ruse. 
"DAMNIT, WHAT THE HELL DID HE WANT WITH KURAMA?"

	"I don't know." Hiei countered. <Humph... he figured it 
out.> "He simply said he wanted Minamino Shuichi."

	"Wha-- isn't that Kurama's human name?" Yusuke was 
taken aback at that. "What would he want with... with... does it 
mean he doesn't know about Kurama the kitsune? Minamino 
Shuichi, the human avatar?" 

	"I don't know." Hiei said. He was quickly losing interest 
with the discussion. It was quite obvious that the human wouldn't 
be going monster-hunting as he expected. <He's smarter than I 
give him credit for.> 

	Yusuke gave up contemplating on the situation. That 
was quite enough of that. He was a man of action. This type of idle
discussion was not for him. But he knew he couldn't do anything...
the so-called enemy he was facing wouldn't even attack directly. It
had no desire on conquering the Human World. It wasn't readying
itself for some massive invasion or getting some incredible power
for it to become a feared force in the Demon World. It just simply...
waited. Waited until it found a chance to strike, like a cobra. Hell
knows what its true motive in capturing Kurama... if capturing was
what it had in mind.

	Yusuke glanced back to where the koorime once stood. 
Sure enough, the bastard was already gone. The teenager sighed.
It was just as well. He's sure Kurama wouldn't even be half 
surprised by this. Still, he knew the fire demon would be able to 
take care of itself. Besides that, his mother would be back in the 
apartment by morning.

	He rubbed his forehead. His living room was a mess, 
but it was nothing compared to the mess his mind was in. He 
swore not to think this hard ever again.  Yet he still was paralyzed 
from doing anything. <Damnit, Koenma... you better have a good 
explanation for this...> 

	He set in for the night. He had classes tomorrow, but he 
couldn't care less. He could afford to skip a day or two. All he was 
concentrated on right now was sleep. He needed it. 




***




	The sun shone on the backdrop of a blue sky. Birds
chirped. Leaves on the trees rustled. People went about their 
usual business.  It's just another ordinary day.
	
	"Minamino-san! Minamino-san! Wait up!"

	But there are just so many connotations to ordinary.

	<Oh no, not again.>	

	"What is it, Shigeru-kun?" Kurama said through strained
smiles. He was not in the best of moods that day, but he did his 
best to put up a face.

	Mornings at Meiou high weren't exactly the happiest 
Kurama would remember for the rest of eternity. For one thing, 
the 'Legion of Minamino-sama' composing of quite a number of...
people has been putting pressure on the redheaded boy... 
especially due to the fact that some of the members have already
begun to become more 'forward' with their advances. Kurama 
hasn't been at all happy with the current developments, but he 
never took any serious action against it. He _does_ have far more
important things to take care off.

	"I wrote you a poem, Minamino-san!" Shigeru Amano 
cheered, his face beaming like the moon. He wasn't exactly one of
the love brigades that's been beginning to spread in popularity in 
the school... he was more of like a 'Minamino's little admirer,' 
since he's about four years Kurama's junior. Sure he's been 
known to irritate Kurama with incessant questions about his love 
life, his favorite color, his type of shampoo, and other similar 
substantial-type of questions... he was even prone to stalking to a
point much worse than the 'Legion'... yet Kurama has always had
a soft spot for the younger boy. Especially when he did sweet 
things like this.

	"What's it about, Shigeru-kun?" Kurama asked, intrigued 
and touched at the gesture. "It's certainly not my birthday, and 
there seems to be no particular special occasion today that comes
to mind. What is this for?"

	"Oh nothing. It ain't particularly about you.. I just wanted
to share... between friends..." the young boy said shyly. "It's 
about... just read it..."

	"Ok."

	Kurama carefully unfolded the piece of paper and made 
note of the carefully written characters. It was obviously a labor of 
love, a poem which was taken great consideration of writing. 
Every stroke was finely arranged... it certainly didn't look anything
like Shigeru's sloppy old handwriting. But Kurama was rather 
shocked as he read its content...

	
It was numbing... as if from a dream
You're suppose to feel something
Yet deep inside you feel nothing 
It's all unsettling and confusing

It's as if you're from a distance
As if you're protecting yourself
>From a world of pain and suffering
Making the calm all the more unsettling

Through the daze, unbidden it comes
Silly questions come in... ironic ones
Silly because it's all so ridiculous
Ironic because its silliness hurts

We cover up, one way or another
A mask of courage over a vulnerable face
A facade daunting over the grievance
Tears run below this constructed mask

Or instead, you let yourself feel the pain...
Of course it will come, sooner or later
It's a wound, bleeding. Continuously.
No word of comfort can appease it, once it's 
there.


	"Minamino-san? Was it that _bad_?" Shigeru said 
disjointedly, a look of hurt apparent in his childlike face. He 
certainly looked quite younger than he actually was, yet this fact 
was more apparent as he showed a face akin to that of an infant  
who was about to cry.

	Kurama took sometime to assess the situation. He 
didn't realize that a deep frown had begun to form on his lips as 
he read the piece, or the fact that was out of it for quite a while. He
gave a look of reassurance to the 
young boy.

	"It was... beautiful. I don't know what else to say about it. 
You're a gifted poet. Thank you for sharing that." Kurama said, 
giving the boy his gentlest of smiles. Unlike the cruel smiles he 
usually gave his old Demon World enemies, it was a smile which
he learned from his kaasan...  a smile of genuine appreciation. 
	
	If looks could kill, this one just woke up the dead. 
Shigeru practically radiated at the praise. 

	"WA-I! MINAMINO-SAMA!!!"

	Kurama accepted the subsequent hug. Shigeru, irritating
as he was with his participations with the Legion as well as his 
continuous harassment of the redhead, was a very likeable person. 
Albeit obsessed and a bit spontaneous, he was still likeable.

	"Then I hope you could forgive me of my telling the 
entire Legion your locker combination."

	"...."

	Shigeru, wisely, took this time of contemplation in part of
Kurama to take his leave. But not before saying these last words:

	"The poem... it was for my grampa. He just died a-and I 
didn't know what to do. I wrote it during my spare time. I know I could
trust you with it, Minamino-san."

	These were words which Kurama wasn't able to forget 
for the rest of the day. And more came forth from the words... his 
own...
 
	I know. I also lost someone.




***




	Waking up from his reverie, Kurama sighed. That 
episode with Shigeru Amano, a day before Hiei was attacked, had 
suddenly come to the surface of his mind. He hasn't been able to 
talk to Shigeru about it, with each having a sort of awkwardness 
toward each other since it happened. 

	Kurama stared up at the bus terminal. This was his stop.
<Botan... Koenma... wherever you two are in the Spirit World, you 
have a lot of questions to answer. But for now...>

	Kurama took leave of the bus and from the bus stop he 
began his trek toward a house atop a mountain path from the 
nearby forest... toward Master Genkai's house. 




***




	"YUSUKE, GET UP!!!" An oh-so familiar voice 'cheerfully'
greeted Yusuke out of bed. Amidst throbbing eardrums, the said 
teen still managed to wobbly get up on his feet. <Ouch... for 
someone who was injured, that bastard koorime sure packed a punch.>

	"What is it, ma?" Yusuke asked, oblivious of the fact that
he already knows the answer and that he's just instigating his 
mother's anger more.

	"It's time for SCHOOL, you no good LOUT!!! I'd have you
know that no son of mine..." was his mother's exuberant response.
Or at least what Yusuke heard before blocking out the rest of his 
mother's sermon in his mind. That was his survival technique.

	But he still had some insight into overhearing...

	"... and then your friend Shuichi dropped by and gave 
this letter to be forwarded to you early in the morning WHEN YOU 
SHOULD HAVE BEEN AWAKE! I admire how much more 
responsible that Minamino boy is than you..."

	"Huh? What letter?" Yusuke said suddenly, his interest 
aroused. Usually he just waited for her mother to either throw 
some kind of hard object at his head from utter frustration or simply
tire out from her sermon and just leave it at that.

	"Get it yourself, I put it right over the counter, under the 
coffee mug." Yusuke's mom said idly, taking in quite an opposite 
personality from the screaming banshee that she was a while 
ago. She then proceeded to the living room sofa to sleep. 
She would rather go to the living room bed, but she was just too 
damn tired from all that talking.

	Yusuke scooped up the message from under the mug, 
nearly toppling the ceramic. With the prospect of getting into 
something far more interesting than school, and him actually 
having to skip school... his favorite part with having missions,
aside from a good fight... Yusuke eagerly read the script.


(Gone to Master Genkai's. We'll be having a 
meeting, since no sign of either Botan or Koenma 
filling us in on the details on what happened 
yesterday. Bring Kuwabara there, and if you 
could, Hiei. Perhaps Master Genkai can provide 
us some insight on the happenings.)


	No more goading was needed for Yusuke. Before the
flying slip of paper that was Kurama's letter fell on the wooden 
floorboards, the teen was already up and running toward the 
nearest bus station.




***




To be Continued...


Next: A meeting in Genkai's house, as well as the coming of an 
unwelcome guest.

Note I put in the title _Shonen_ not  _Shonen-Ai_. Shonen-Ai 
(male-male relationship) and yaoi are just not my cup of tea. This 
is dedicated to Chimamire Kitsune for giving me the inspiration to 
write this fic...wherever you are, this is for you.

Disclaimer: All characters used in this fanfic (save some others) 
are the rightful property of Yoshishiro Togashi, Shueisha, Fuji TV 
and St. Pierrot. Don't sue me please, I'm very poor.

Ja ne!
C. Castaņeda


-- .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---. | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com | | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com | | Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject | `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'