Subject: [FFML] [fic] [yyh] Mirror of Light and Darkness, Prologue
From: "Abdiel" <gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph>
Date: 3/30/2004, 6:26 AM
To: "FFML" <ffml@anifics.com>
CC: "The Couch" <The-Couch@yahoogroups.com>, "RAFF" <romantic_anime_fanfics@yahoogroups.com>, "Quality Fanworks" <qualityfanworks@yahoogroups.com>, "Anime FFML" <anime-fanfic@yahoogroups.com>, "FFML2" <ffml2@coollist.com>


_________________________________________________


	
Mirror of Light and Darkness 
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
Original concept by Natsuki
mara@mochamail.com

I'm just continuing an old cooperative fic here. 
I hope you enjoy it.

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


_________________________________________________

Prologue: Spirit and Image
_________________________________________________




     Natsuki shivered as she watched the rain pound against the window.

     "Picked a bad day to move to a new house...." She yawned wearily as 
she made her way towards her new bedroom, shedding off her clothes on 
the way. "So tired...."

     Every night she meditated briefly, a helpful act that kept the
nightmares at bay.

     <But I'm too tired... I probably don't need it.>

     And tonight... tonight the velvet darkness just seemed so 
inviting....

     Fatigue overwhelmed her, and slowly her eyes drifted shut as she 
fell upon the silk sheets, while the wind howled like a terrified woman,
one that seemed to beat upon Natsuki's door, pleading for entrance.




***




     Kurama blinked, staring at the person before him. "Kurunue? What
are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled.

     Kurunue just smiled faintly and handed him a mirror. Kurama briefly
glanced down and was startled to find nothing but a black void instead 
of his own features staring back at him.

     The mirror broke as a streak of light played on the surface of the 
crack. From either side of the mirror formed two images, one of Kurama's
youko-kitsune form, and the other of his human form. Both wore a blank 
stare, seemingly lifeless. Further cracks began to surface, forming a 
web of shattered light across the mirror.

     Soon a beautiful aura of golden-green light shone upon the web-
cracked mirror, the pieces of the mirror shattering, turning into a 
wondrous shower of glitters that played with the golden-green light like
a flourish of colorful pollen in the pale moonlight.

     Slowly, surely, the glittering mass of light soon dissolved, like
silvery mercury, into the mirror's frame again... the liquid reformed 
and showed a merged image unlike any Kurama had ever seen before.

     He had green eyes in a golden light... the eyes were large and 
kind. The hair sported a silky red mane with silver highlights as the 
light touched the strands... the face was that of a man with a silent 
strength and comforting presence as he stared back with a content smile. 

     His eyes glinted as if to acknowledge Kurama's presence, even 
though he was just an image, and the aura surrounding him made him look 
more surreal than anything else.

     Kurama's vision blurred as the image changed again, this time
looking as if it was a whirlpool of water cascading around the mirror.

     The third apparition was even more disconcerting than the previous 
one. It was an image of a faceless girl, naked, with bruises around her 
wrists and neck. She was shivering... cold, afraid, alone. She let out a
silent scream as the bruises on her body began to bleed. Crimson tears 
of blood... and rubies! Deep red rubies that fell to the floor as she 
cried blood.

     Slowly Kurama's vision seemed to blur, with him losing sight of the
mirror in his hand. As his vision cleared, he saw the image of a girl 
with shadows thrown across her features. Soon, like a kaleidoscope, her 
face zoomed in, showing one half of her face covered in darkness, while 
the other half covered in light. The darkness and light seemed to 
perfectly conceal her features from the fox's confused gaze.

     "I don't understand, Kurunue... what does this mean?" He looked up 
to find Kurunue slowly fading into the shadows, violet eyes merging into
the unknown darkness. 

     "Kurunue?" he called out, then looked at the mirror in his hand 
once again. His eyes stilled as the hazy picture began to clear,
revealing the golden-green eyes of before, soon changing hue to a light 
blue color... colored like the swirling blue from a paintbrush plunged 
into a glass of clear water. 

     There was hopelessness in those eyes... eyes that reflected the 
same blank marionette-like stare that Kurama's two images gave before.




***




     Kurama was roused from his strange dream when he felt someone
shaking him rather strongly.

     <Someone's in my room?>

     The gears of his head began to snap back into place as he assessed
the situation... Heresoundingly blinked as a familiar blue-haired deity 
of death greeted him enthusiastically.

     "Oi!"

     "Hn?" he mumbled incoherently.

     "Hello, Kurama-sama!" the person before him said cheerfully.

     "Hello," he automatically greeted politely, then swiftly sat up, 
his eyes sweeping past the open window which she obviously used to get 
in. He made a move to close the window against the raging storm, but was
stopped by Botan, who was regarding him with a thoughtful expression.

     Kurama grew uneasy underneath her probing gaze. "Botan? What are 
you doing here in the middle of the night?" he asked, his question being
simple, but his tone of voice was gently inquiring 'why here?' as well. 
He was curious as to why she first came to him, and not to Yusuke.

     "Koenma-sama wishes to see you and the others immediately," Botan 
replied simply, summoning her oak oar and quickly sitting upon it. "Get 
on," she urged.

     Kurama stood, the sheets slipping away, and started towards her,
but stopped at Botan's next words.

     "Kurama, I know you're pretty and all, but do you have to admire
yourself even at night?" she teased.

     He froze, and swiftly looked at his hand, which, unconsciously, was
clenching a broken mirror.

     "Ano... Kurama?"




***




    She could hear the footsteps that approached the door. The room was 
suddenly filled with brightness, blinding her. Darkness returned as the 
door was closed, and once more the sound of footsteps could be heard. A 
scream began to build at the back of her throat.

    "Where are you?" he whispered in Chinese.

   <No,> she whimpered, straining to break free of the bonds. <Please... 
Not him...>

    Suddenly heavy hands grabbed her, beating her cruelly. Her clothes 
were torn to shreds, her soul filled with despair. He grabbed her by the
waist harshly, and she bit her lip to still the cry of pain, the coppery
taste filling her mouth. She knew that he would enjoy it all the more if
she made even a whimper, or just a sound. 

    Desperately she tried to detach herself from the pain, for staying
was to lose her sanity. 

    She looked down, to the child curled into a fetal position, feeling
pity, crying for the pain she knew the child experienced, knowing that
this would not be the last time he would come. Every time he came, she 
would die a little more... anything to deaden the emotions that churned 
within her. Hatred suffused her being as she glared hatefully at him, 
feeling helpless and hating the fear that he brought with him.

    "Father... no...!" 
 
    "Too late... No one's here but us."

    She resisted the pull to return, knowing that the unbearable pain 
would once more be hers to experience. 

    Through the eyes of the child, she saw a flash of silver glinting in
the dark, and unable to stop, she emitted a piercing scream of terror.




***




     Natsuki's eyes snapped wide open with terror, beads of sweat 
rolling off her body.

     "No," she whimpered, clawing out of the sheets that just a moment
ago felt cool to the touch, now like silken bonds, trapping her. She
wrapped her arms around her body, seeming to try to ward off her fear. 
"Not again..."

     She stuffed her fist into her mouth, stifling the sobs, but still 
the twin diamonds spilled down her cheeks, unchecked.




***



 
So... whaddya think? C&C would be greatly appreciated. 
Please? ^^ We'd also like to request for beta readers... 
right now we only have one. Please just hit the reply button
to contact me ('Tsuki) or Ches. We would also like to thank 
Eric, our prereader. Very encouraging, that guy. 

'Tsuki


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 us please, we're very poor.


_______________________________________
EDSAMAIL. Internet the way YOU WANT IT.
www.edsamail.com.ph

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