_________________________________________________


	
Shonen
A Yuyu Hakusho fic
By Chester Casta�eda
gab_ab@edsamail.com.ph
http://www.geocities.com/gabriel_abdiel/fanfiction.htm
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=814171
http://rakhal.com/florestica/abdiel

Destiny is after all just a combination of fate,
circumstance and will.

A few more notes before proceeding:

< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech


_________________________________________________

Chapter 12: Hisshi
_________________________________________________




     Yusuke Urameshi rubbed his eyes sleepily as he heard an insistent
tapping on the glass pane of his room's shut window. He grumbled 
incoherently, cussing like a sailor and then some as he checked out the
ruckus. 

     "Some people are trying to fuckin' sleep here... HEY MOM! Is that
you?" Yusuke groggily demanded as he began to lift open his window. "How
many times have I told'ya that the spare keys are under the doormat, you
lousy drunkard--" He then soundly blinked. 

     Pink kimono. Blue hair. Really big oar/paddle/wooden object. It 
could only be one person... unless Yusuke's mother got really _wasted_
in a nearby festival where people dye your hair blue for free and give 
you boat paddles as souvenirs. 

     "Botaaaahn?" the sleek-haired youth yawningly said. "What the hell
are you doing here?" His demeanor then immediately changed as his eyes 
snapped wide open in alertness. "Did you find out something about
Chuuku?!"

     "Erhm, not exactly. Yusuke..." Botan trailed-off, fidgeting 
slightly in trepidation. "Lord Koenma has called for you. You have a new
mission." 

     "Not at three in the morning I'm not!" Yusuke shouted 
incredulously. "Tell that pacifier-sucking brat to call me later! I'm a
growing boy... I need my sleep!"

     Yusuke would have shut the window in anger had he not seen the 
pensive look on the ferry-girl's face. "Oi, Botan... what's wrong?"

     Botan bit her lip as her eyes shimmered. "Yusuke... about the 
mission...."




***




     Kurama stared aghast at the deplorable scene before him. He 
addressed his alter ego in a soft yet disgusted voice. "H-how could you
you do this?" 

     The two personalities' shared face quickly changed its expression
from open-mouthed shock to sadistic delight. "You have excelled well in
pitiful human academics with your supposed keen intellect, but is your 
old youko common sense just as sharp or has it faded away like your
dignity as a demon?"

     <What do you mean?> Kurama addressed mentally, seeing that his 
other self has again regained control of his bodily functions. 

     "Figure it out by predicting what happens next in these series of
events... I mess with your mind, I mess with the girl's mind, I mess 
with your mother, I mess with your mind some more, I mess with 
the girl... what's next, Minamino?" 

     <You mess with me,> Kurama answered. 

     "Close, but you're not quite getting the big picture," Youko 
Kurama said condescendingly. "If that's all I wanted from the start,
then I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of executing steps
two to five."

     <I thought you hated dithering,> Kurama rejoined. 

     "This isn't dithering, Minamino," Youko Kurama corrected. 
"This is my favorite step... the 'messing with your head' step. I
may have grown addicted to it, seeing that you second-guess yourself
twice as many times as you breathe." 

     <I think you wouldn't have gone through the other 'steps' unless 
you actually wanted to attract attention,> Kurama supposed, going 
straight to the point. 

     "Bingo," Youko Kurama gleefully said, applauding. "Now you're 
thinking like a youko. That's exactly what I intended from the 
beginning. Now, whose attention could I possibly want by kidnapping a 
normal, albeit psychic, human girl?"

     <The... Spirit World's?> Kurama ponderously suggested.

     "Ah... thinking like a human again. I'm so ashamed," Youko Kurama
berated, wagging a finger disdainfully. "You should learn to jump at the
proper conclusions instead of going through each and every possibility
until you've strayed far beyond the original point."

     The silver-haired demon fox crossed his arms. "You do know the 
original point... don't you, Minamino?"

     If Kurama had control over his body right now, he would have 
gritted his teeth in annoyance and frustration. <A star's death?>

     "Not just any star's death," Youko Kurama said in his more 
characteristic deathly calm and coolness. "A death _fit_ for a star... 
to crash and burn in full glory."

     A large explosion suddenly rocked the entirety of the Meiou 
Science and Technology building as the only door leading to the rooftop
literally flew open. A figure emerged from the smoking debris. 

     "Kurama... we need to talk... man-to-man." 

     Youko Kurama laughed heartily. "Then I thought... what better
way to die than in the hands of a Class-S demon warrior?"

     <Yusuke...> Kurama thought in despair.




***




     "Kurama?"

     Yusuke stared at the... stranger before him. <I don't like the way 
Kurama's eyes are glinting... those eyes of his look more like Karasu's 
than his own... even in his youko form, his eyes still never looked like 
that.>

     "You shouldn't focus your one-track mind on such a tedious topic as
glinting eyes," Youko Kurama mischievously admonished, startling the 
raven-haired young man. "Surprised? Don't be. I have long had this 
ability... Minamino was just too 'polite' to actually use it on you." 

     "Minamino...?" Yusuke dubiously repeated before he altogether 
shouted, "Chuuku, you fag! First you possessed Kuwabara... now Kurama? 
You really are a gutless son of a bitch!"

     "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" the demon fox jeered. "I'm
not possessed by the undead one... but he did help me get to this point. 
Actually, this is the first time I've felt like myself in years."

     <Chuuku... helped him get to this point?> Kurama thought in wonder.

     "Well, if you're not Chuuku, then who are you?" Yusuke pointedly 
asked. "You're definitely not Kurama... the Kurama I know would never 
stoop so low as to use innocent bystanders as bait to start a fight," 
the young man stated, remembering everything Botan had told him about 
the mission. "He's above that shit." 

     Youko Kurama chuckled candidly and merrily. "Are you referring to
the 'Kurama' which constantly second-guesses his actions to the point
of becoming an overbearing martyr of sorts? Then you must be thinking
of Minamino Shuichi instead. Though you're right about one thing... 
I'm nothing like him." 

     Seeing the half-lidded expression of tedium and languor on the 
half-demon's face, the youko sighed, saying, "To put it terms that even
you could understand..." he gleefully chuckled, "I'm the Kurama that's 
willing to piss you off just to get the sort of fight I want."

     "Ain't gonna happen," Yusuke adamantly declared. "I won't risk
killing the real Kurama, even though you're starting to become a real 
prick." He cracked his knuckles. "Although I'm willing to compromise...
how does 'beating you within an inch of your life' sound?"

     The kitsune snorted derisively. "Nothing short of a full effort on
your part will satisfy me. What I want is a fight to the death... 
nothing less." 

     "Now don't start going all 'Sensui' on me!" Yusuke retorted. "It 
won't be up to me whether you live or die. Nobody dictates to Urameshi 
Yusuke what to or not to do." 
 
     The golden-eyed fox creature shook his head in a display of 
consternation. "You're always like this... so reactive, so impetuous...
so emotional. You always need someone to push you in the right 
direction... whether its your other human companion, the koorime, the 
old woman or even your ancestor, Raizen." He sighed in dismay. "Very 
well... it's time for your proverbial push, half-demon." 

     The fog that had surrounded the two combatants the entire time
soon began to dissipate, making their surroundings clear for the first
time.

     Yusuke fell on his knees, dumbfounded. "How... how could you do 
this? Botan never told me anything about... this."

     Before the two Spirit Detectives was a blissfully grinning Midori 
Ohya... the Tree of Thought Manipulation on her side, feeding greedily 
on her essence.




***




     "You've seen the Janen Ju before... haven't you, Urameshi Yusuke?"
Youko Kurama inquired grinningly. "It feeds on people's bodily nutrients 
without them knowing it by means of thought and dream manipulation... 
hence the name. I've already used this particular plant on Toguro Ani 
during that little scuffle with Sensui... remember?" 

     "You monster. How could you... she's just a girl...." Yusuke stared
back at his opponent with a look of pure hatred. "How could you be so
cruel?!"

     "Cruel? I did this girl a favor," the former Demon World thief 
reasoned, gesturing with a flourish. "Instead of living a life filled
with misery, pain and loneliness, she could now slowly and happily die 
in a world of make-believe." He then shrugged casually. "Don't you see 
the smile on her face? This isn't cruelty... this is mercy." 

     "Mercy?" Yusuke reiterated, grimacing as if the word left a bad 
taste in his mouth. "So you're doing her a favor by means of mercy 
killing?! You fucking bastard!"
     
     "I will do anything to get a death fit for a star," Youko Kurama
avowed enigmatically.

     "Fuck that... I really will kill you!" was Yusuke's seething 
threat.

     In the blink of an eye, the teenage delinquent was already upon 
the personality-split youko. 

     <He's fast! This could only be the power of a Class-S demon,> the
demon fox thought ecstatically, barely having enough time to react to
Yusuke's barrage of fists. <No... not yet... this is not enough. His is 
only the power of a half-demon... he is not yet deserving of my 
attention. This won't do at all.>

     Youko Kurama easily wafted through each and every one of Yusuke's
punches the way autumn leaves floated gently on the cruel winter gale.
"I can almost taste your anger, half-demon... and the burning force you
gain by feeding on that anger. Still... it's not enough, I'm afraid."

     There was a kick to the groin here... a muscle-tearing slash to the
bicep there... then a clawed stab to the gut in between the two attacks. 
Youko Kurama exploited all of Yusuke's openings. The reckless youth was 
caught completely off-guard, unable to defend himself from any of the 
demon fox's counterattacks.

     Yusuke unceremoniously fell, becoming a boneless heap on the 
concrete floor. He cursed silently as he realized his dire predicament. 
<I... I couldn't even touch him... dammit!> 

     "Yusuke! Don't give up!"

     Both Yusuke and Youko Kurama were completely caught off-guard
by the statement... because the one who said it was Youko Kurama
himself.

     Or rather... it was said by Kurama himself. 

     "Yusuke!" Kurama desperately shouted as he briefly won out against
his dual identity's mental hold on their shared body. "Remember that 
I... we witnessed all of your fights and know all of your techniques... 
and vice-versa! You can't be wishy-washy about this... don't hold back 
on my account."

     Yusuke lifted his head and stared back at his now 'conscious' 
friend, smiling.

     Kurama's pleading expression was quickly replaced by an annoyed
scowl from his alter ego.

     The teenaged half-demon then laughed out loud.

     "Have you finally gone mad?" Youko Kurama mocked, though his face 
was still wearing the infuriated frown.

     "Nah. You're just really funny," Yusuke said, wiping off the tears 
on his eyes. "You may think you have everything figured out and stuff,
but you couldn't even stop my good buddy Kurama from making that 
outburst."

     "Is that so?" the demon fox deadpanned, pokerfaced. 

     "Yep." The Spirit Detective leader then pointed dramatically at the 
youko. "I won't fall for your trap... not while my buddy is still in 
there. Kurama will regain control of that body of his soon... just you 
wait and see."

     <Yusuke...> Kurama thought smilingly.

     "Hm... it seems that hope really is wasted on the hopeless," the 
golden-eyed youkai contemptuously ridiculed. "It's fascinating how you 
hold on to your beliefs like that, staying in complete denial of 
reality."

     "So what?" Yusuke gruffly rejoined. "I won't give up just because 
you tell me to. As a matter of fact, I simply won't give up, period." He
then went into the basic Rei-Kou-Hadou-Ken ready stance Genkai taught
him. "I'll never give up."

     <Looks like he got you there, Youko Kurama,> Kurama amusedly 
quipped. 

     "Reasoning with you is ultimately an implementation of 
pointlessness," Youko Kurama said to Yusuke as he manifested his 
favorite weapon, the Rose Whip. "So I ask you... how long can you remain
in denial? Until the girl dies? Or until I kill you? Do you really think
that Minamino could save her at this point? Once the Janen Ju is firmly 
attached to a host body, it can never be extracted without killing its 
host. Don't you understand? Her life is already forfeit."

     Kurama metaphorically flinched at the glare of Yusuke's unrelenting
reiki. <Oh no....>

     <Looks like this time I've pushed the right buttons on your 
impulsive friend, Minamino,> the former youkai thief derided.




***




     "The Ice Queen... her pawns... the White Emperor... the girl of 
dreams... the mass of lemmings... the boy of reflection... it's as if
they came from another age, another time... another world."

     "Bury them in the inconsequence of the forgotten."

     "That's right." She smiled carelessly. "You're the only one I need,
my Silver Fox."

     They kissed.




***




     Midori gasped in ecstasy as she softly kissed the humanoid head of
the Janen Ju.

     Yusuke looked at the girl with a mixture of bewilderment, pity and
revulsion. "W-what's with her?"

     "She's dreaming about me," Youko Kurama said as if in reply to his
adversary's query. "Do you know why?"

     Taking the Reikai tantei's wince as a 'yes,' the youko continued, 
"It's because she has no other dreams. I became her only dream." He
inhaled deeply. "Ah, yes... the smell of rage. You really do hate me 
now... don't you, Urameshi Yusuke? You hate the fact that I've used 
this girl's desire for acceptance as a means to a petty end."

     "Petty... end?" Yusuke repeated through gritted teeth. 

     "Why yes. You heard right... a petty end," the sadistic demon 
corroborated. "It was all done for a petty, trivial, negligible 
reason... to anger you. It was my only motivation for doing it."

     Yusuke shook his head vehemently in denial, fuming in anger. 
"That's messed up! You mean to say that you used this girl to piss me 
off?!" The concrete under the hanyou's feet began buckling under the 
enormity of his growing aura of reiki. "That's not a fucking reason!"

     "I don't see the problem." Youko Kurama shrugged nonchalantly.
"After all... it seems to have worked."

     As if to confirm the fact, a veritable storm composed of hundreds 
of volatile bullets of ki suddenly rained down upon the manipulative 
demon fox.

     <That's more like it.> 




***




     Youko Kurama ferociously and continuously whirled his Rose Whip 
on all sides, creating a dome-like shape that served as his shield 
against his fiery nemesis' near-overwhelming attacks. <Feh. This is just
reiki... incredible, powerful reiki, but reiki nonetheless. I want more. 
I want youki... I want to feel the incredible youki of the progeny of a 
demon warlord!>

     "Shot gun... shot gun... SHOT GUN!" Yusuke passionately roared as
every pump of his fist produced a new choleric wave of piercing
spiritual energy. He bombarded his enemy everywhere, but not one of his
concentrated shots even grazed the youko. <Damn... it's not working. It's 
like I'm fighting Yomi and his spiritual barrier all over again... I can't 
get through his damn Rose Whip shield!>

     <Foolish as always... he's going to squander all his energy on 
ineffective attacks, just like he did with his fights with Chu, Sensui
and Chuuku,> the calculating silver-haired fox evaluated as the shower
of reiki harmlessly dissipated around him, snorting in disdain. 

     He was then completely taken by surprise as he saw a fist suddenly 
poke through his spiraling barbed shield. <What is the fool trying to
do? Have his arm sliced into bits? He really is a....>

     The youko's eyes widened. "By Inari...!"

     Soon, the vine-like weapon wrapped itself around the entirety of 
Yusuke's arm... much like thread to a spool. Then, with one simple flex 
of his bicep, the teenage Spirit Detective ripped apart the sharp and 
pointed Rose Whip, though it nearly tore his limb in the process. 

     <Unbelievable. The fool sacrificed his arm to get through my 
defense... but he's acting as if nothing happened. How reckless.> 

     Yusuke turned to the wide-open demon fox, his eyes burning with 
livid, uncontrolled fury. "Well... happy now? You got your fuckin' wish. 
You've royally pissed me off," he seethed. "What now?"

     Hearing no reply, Raizen's demonic descendant merely stated, 
"Time's up... you lose," as he smashed a bloodied, ki-imbued fist on the
youko's dumbfounded face.




***




     "That creature... that Dark Phoenix... he is dangerous. Why is he 
hurting you? You shouldn't let him do that do you, Silver Fox!"
 
     "It's all for my glorious star's death. Let things be."

     "No... no! I promised I would do anything for you, but I can never
allow that to happen! You're the only dream I have, Silver Fox... I will
not lose you!"




***




     The silver-haired demon fox recoiled several feet away from the
strength of his opponent's punch. He spitted out a loosened, bloodied 
fang from his mouth as he wiped the trickle of blood from his chin. 
His vision blurred several times as he tried to focus on Yusuke's
image. He then heard the young man's muscles tense.

     Youko Kurama narrowed his eyes amidst his hazy eyesight. One
thing was clear to him... the boy was going to strike again. 

     The blurs the youko saw was replaced by a flash of lightning that 
sent currents of mind-numbing pain all over his body.  

     <So... I'm going to be beaten by a mere human,> the once proud and
mighty Demon World thief of ill-repute thought amidst his anguish and 
suffering. <This is not the star's death that I wanted.> 

     There was another flash of unforgiving pain. The demon fox's body 
buckled under the enormous pressure of his foe's prodigious assault.
<Perhaps I will not get my star's death after all... what a shame.>

     He then suddenly heard the determined shout of a familiar feminine 
voice.

     "Don't you dare hurt my Silver Fox! I will not allow it!" 

     Then, as quickly as it started, the pain ended.

     Youko Kurama's eyes refocused back to awareness. He then smiled.
He liked what he saw.

     Yusuke's fist shook and trembled, just inches away from the demon 
fox's smug face. In fact, the sleek-haired adolescent's whole body 
seemed to have stopped moving altogether... frozen, as if it was somehow 
paralyzed. 

     The golden-eyed demon chuckled. "Is there something the matter, 
Urameshi Yusuke?"

     <I... I can't move my arm! How did....> The half-demon's eyes then
darted towards the bespectacled girl's direction. <Could it be...?>

     Midori simply glared back at Yusuke with glowing, crimson eyes. 

     "Were you the one who made her do this?" the impulsive young man
spat, his hazel eyes narrowing ominously at the impishly grinning 
kitsune.

     "Hardly. I didn't even expect her to do this at all," Youko Kurama 
offhandedly yet earnestly replied. "The girl had innate psychic powers 
from the very beginning. She only recently manifested a portion of them. 
Apparently, even with the Janen Ju's mental manipulations, she can still 
use her powers to great effect. Lucky me." 

     Yusuke had enough of that. He let out his ki once again in an 
attempt to counteract Midori's imperceptible telekinetic influence on 
his petrified body.

     Midori screamed in pain. The Janen Ju's subtle parasitic leeching, 
as well as the Spirit Detective's compelling resistance to her mental 
exertions, had finally taken their toll on her body. 

     The impassive fox spirit harrumphed. "How reckless. If you insist 
on heedlessly forcing yourself out of the girl's telekinetic hold, she 
will die." He then smirked again... a continuous mannerism that was 
beginning to annoy the raven-haired young man. "Looks like you're in a 
definite predicament, half-demon." 
    
     There was a glint of sadistic glee in the demon fox's golden eyes.
"She's doing all that she can to protect her sole dream. She's willing
to sacrifice everything for her Silver Fox... even her life. I must say 
that I'm deeply touched."

     Seeing that he was currently indisposed at the moment, Yusuke 
contented himself to spit at Youko Kurama's self-satisfied face.

     "You'll pay for that."

     The legendary youko thief then proceeded to rip the hapless tantei 
apart with his bare hands and sharp claws. 




***




     Kurama watched grimly as his alter ego brutally butchered his 
friend's immobile body. <This is who I really am? A cold-blooded,
heartless murderer that's willing to harm a helpless opponent? Or am I, 
as my youko self keeps on insisting, the gentle boy Minamino?>

     Two images flashed before the disembodied half-youko's eyes... a
smiling visage of his mother, and the very same woman sprawled on the 
floor, bloodied and terrified.

     <My youko self is right... I do second-guess myself too much... 
I'm not even sure of who I am or what I really want.>

     Kurama willed himself to look at the macabre scene once again.
<It's this constant second-guessing that has enabled my youko...> he 
trailed-off before correcting, <no, Youko Kurama to take over my body.> 
He then felt grim determination brim inside of himself. <There's only 
one way for me to defeat my other persona's dominance. I have to 
finally understand who I really am.> 




***




     "I guess that's enough." Youko Kurama breathed a sigh of 
discontent. "I honestly believed that I could have my star's death in 
the hands of a Class-S youkai... I guess I was wrong." 

     Yusuke glared straightforwardly at the kitsune, glancing 
occasionally at his deep wounds as if they were mere scratches. "You're
full of shit. If you really did want to have a fight to the death, then 
you wouldn't be using that girl as bait and shield for your sorry ass." 

     "There are things left to fate, after all," Youko Kurama
thoughtfully said to himself, totally ignoring his immobilized nemesis 
as he picked a small, black seed from his hair. "Though there are times 
when you have to prod events to your favor... fate only takes you so 
far."

     The fox demon then proceeded to stab the paralyzed young man 
on the soft spot of flesh just between the gut and the chest, planting
his demonic seed inside the boy's heart.

     "Ever since your fight with Sensui, your human heart has stopped
beating. Even though the nuclei of your cells keep your now half-demon
self alive, I see that non-beating heart as an unnecessary waste... much
like the human appendix."

     The adolescent troublemaker's eyes widened in shock. He felt that 
there was something... different about himself. He couldn't explain it.

     <What the fuck...?>

     "Since it's such a waste, I thought... why not give the boy back
his heart?"

     Heartbeats. What Yusuke felt were continuous heartbeats in his 
chest.
     
     His once long-dead heart had finally come back to new life. 

     "So I did... I used a reviving seed to resurrect your previously
lifeless heart."  

     Yusuke then felt a stabbing pain in his chest.

     Youko Kurama chuckled gaily. "But here's the punch line... since
your heart is now like a mostly useless appendix, its recent 
revivification is causing havoc to your mostly demonic anatomy. It
will beat faster and faster until it bursts. Once it bursts, it will 
poison your bloodstream until you die of infection. Call it a heart 
attack and appendicitis combined, if you will."

     Yusuke reflexively clutched his chest in pain despite of Midori's 
paralysis spell, his heart rate palpitating to dangerous levels.




***




     <Youko... Kurama,> Kurama addressed his other self tentatively. <I
have a question to ask.>

     <Hm? A question? You hardly have the time for that. Your friend's
previously dead heart is now beating hazardously. You should set your
priorities straight,> Kurama's demonic self berated.   

     <Don't mock me,> Kurama mentally hissed the fast-becoming habitual
statement. <You know that at this point, I cannot help Yusuke. You're 
the one in control of this body, so my chances of helping are nil. I'll 
simply have to trust in him.>

     <I just wanted to hear it from you,> Youko Kurama cheerfully 
explained. <What's on your mind?>

     <What you said about Chuuku helping you get to this point... what 
did you mean by that?> the half-youko asked in all seriousness.

     <These past nineteen years of living as a human has dulled your 
logic and common sense, Minamino.> The kitsune sighed. <Through Chuuku's 
influence in your dreams, I have finally understood who and what you 
truly are.> 

     <Chuuku's the one responsible for all of those strange dreams I've 
been having? How could you be so sure?>

     The youko snorted derisively. <That's your problem... you're always 
second-guessing! Of course he was responsible... when he failed to take
our essence of being and self-awareness, he instead used his powers to
make us somehow clairvoyant to other people's dreams.>

     <How could that be? The best clairvoyant ability we have is mental
telepathy! How did he do it... why did he do it?> Kurama deliberated.

     <Have you really become that much of a fool? You've already 
answered your own question. He increased our innate psychic capabilities
to include scrying through dreams.> 

     <I knew it... those dreams I've been having! They weren't 
completely mine!> Kurama thought enthusiastically. <The dream about 
Keiko-san was probably influenced by Ayame-san's own romantic dreams. 
The dream about... Hiei... was influenced by... well, I can't be 
completely sure, but the only other person I know to have such an 
interest in alternative lifestyles is... Chiho-san! It all makes sense 
now! But why would Chuuku make me dream of such things?>

     <Congratulations on your realization of the very, very obvious,>
Youko Kurama said in a decisively non-congratulatory tone. <I couldn't
care less about the undead one's intentions behind all of the recent
events, but in the end it has convinced me of one thing.>

     <What is that?> Kurama inquired.

     <That you've become a watered-down, bastardized version of myself.
You're becoming more and more like these pathetic humans you constantly
interact with as time passed by... and I will not stand for it anymore.
I will not allow you to jeopardize my existence.>

     The demon fox turned his attentions back at his half-demon 
opponent. <I will not fade away... I will have my star's death!>




***




     "Damn you," Yusuke cursed as he dug his fingers deep into his
chest, his veins soon becoming visible under his clammy skin. 

     "I suppose you could remove that heart of yours out of your chest,"
Youko Kurama reckoned as he tapped his finger on his chin. "That is if
you can get through the girl's paralysis spell first. Oh well."

    "So this is how you're going to go about your supposed 'star's 
death'? Kick 'em while they're down? You have no idea what a real fight
is, do you?" Yusuke ranted as his veins and arteries continued to
hypertrophy inside him. "If you really wanted to die, then what are you
doing _this_ for? It doesn't make any sense at all."

     "Don't be absurd. A suicide I can easily accomplish by myself," 
the youko offhandedly chided. "I don't want a meaningless death. What 
I'm doing right now is giving you a second chance to give me the 
memorable fight I deserve." 

     The demon fox curled his lips to a slight frown. "However, if for 
some reason you fail to live up to my expectations and die right here
and now, I'll just have to start over and find myself another warrior 
worthy enough to give me my star's death."

     "The hell!? After all the trouble you've caused just so you could
fight _me_, you're willing to start all over again?" Yusuke cried
incredulously, despite the rising strain in his chest. "What happens to
the girl? What happens to Kurama? Are you going to find even more 
victims to use until you get satisfied? When will you get satisfied? 
When is this going to end!?"

     Youko Kurama grinned maniacally. "Until I die."

     Yusuke's pulsating heart promptly exploded then and there.




***




     "Silver Fox, I'm... afraid."

     "There's no need to fear. The phoenix is dead."

     "That's what I'm afraid of! Be wary... be wary of the dead 
phoenix!" 

     The girl then cried.




***




     "That scent... I know that scent," Youko Kurama whispered 
ecstatically. "This isn't the scent of a half-demon." 

     Yusuke unceremoniously ripped the ruptured heart out of his chest,
his now bloodshot eyes blank and expressionless. 

     "Be wary of the dead phoenix!" Midori whimpered in panic as she 
concentrated hard to paralyze the bloodied demon descendant.

     One simple burst of crimson youki was all it took to silence the
girl.

     "So you killed the girl after all?" Youko Kurama idly noted, though
his whole body readily tensed as his opponent began walking calmly
toward his direction.

     "She simply fainted... though I can't say the same for you once 
I'm through with you," Yusuke evenly said as inky-black markings began
to appear on his skin.

     "Hm... your previous hesitation has ceased... and I can feel the
incredible youki brimming inside of you." The youko eyed the reawakened 
demon child excitedly. "You seem to have changed a lot." 

     "I figured I could never kill you as myself... not while knowing
that the real Kurama is still in there," Toushin Yusuke said, gesturing 
towards his adversary's direction. He then smiled maliciously. "Like
this, however, I have no such qualms."

     "Good... very good," Youko Kurama eagerly said. "A youkai deserves
to be killed by a youkai. You have passed the test... you are worthy
enough to give me my star's death."

     The legendary demon fox took a handful of seeds from his silver
hair and then threw them on the pavement of the concrete rooftop. Soon,
a whole menagerie of plant life sprouted all around the youko, making
the roof look more like the inside of a greenhouse. 

     "Usually one plant seed is all it takes for me to ensure my 
victory. Multiple plant seeds from many different species of flora found
all over the Demon World used simultaneously will counter all 
possibilities of attack... and defeat."

     The kitsune laughed blissfully. "A star's death is only possible 
to achieve once an opponent wins against these sort of odds. Are you 
up to it, descendant of Raizen?"

     Toushin Yusuke licked his lips. "You did all this for me? How 
sweet." He then fully manifested his youki. "But I only require one 
thing from you... to bleed for me."

     The two demons charged.




***




     "Silver Fox... he's now going to have his star's death, and I 
cannot stop it. But this is what he really wanted from the start. Should
I be happy for him? Or should I be sad for myself? I have lost my only
dream... must I once again fade away like the invisible girl that I am?"

It's only when I lose myself to 
someone else that I find myself... 
I find myself.

     "These thoughts are weird... incomprehensible. They do not belong
in my dreams. Silver Fox... he should be my only dream."

Silver Fox, the Ice Queen, the boy 
of reflection and the girl of 
dreams... how come I do not have a 
name?

     "Why must you have a name? You do not fit in this world... you do
not fit in my dreams!"

We are both dreamers... you and me.
It's from nothingness that we flee
to the realm of endless fantasy.

     "I don't understand at all... your thoughts make no sense. Leave 
me. Let me fade in misery."

Fade into me... I can only see you 
when you fade... find yourself in
me just as I found myself in you...
what is your name?

     "I have no name. I am nothing. I am invisible."

What is my name?

     "You are nameless. You are nothing to me."

We are nothing. Let us peer into 
each other's nothingness.

     "Why?"

To find yourself.

     "Why?"

To find myself.

     "Why?"

So that I could have a name.




***




     "Ayame-sempai is called the girl of dreams, then Chiho-sempai is
called the Ice Queen... even Minamino-sempai is called the boy of 
reflection... can't I have a name, invisible girl-san?"

     She ruffled the young boy's hair fondly. "To me, you'll always
be..."




***




     "SHINKO-CHAN!"

     Both Toushin Yusuke and Youko Kurama halted in the middle of their 
mutual charge as they glanced at the source of the impassioned address.

     The humanoid head of the Janen Ju let out a silent scream as it
hastily extricated itself from Midori Ohya's person.

     <The girl was able to free herself from the Janen Ju...> the 
transformed half-demon started.

     <... All by herself?> the stunned youko concluded.

     Midori breathed heavily as she weakly grinned. "Shinko-chan... your
name is Shinko-chan," she whispered to herself before she promptly 
fainted.

     The aura of youki that had surrounded Toushin Yusuke faded into
non-existence along with the tattoo-like marks on his skin. The 
half-demon sighed in relief.

     "Urameshi Yusuke," the demon fox numbly began, "do you dare deny me
of my star's death?"

     "You bet I do," Yusuke grinningly replied as he stared at Midori's
sleeping form. "I don't see any reason to kill you now."

     "If all you need is a reason," Youko Kurama started as he 
manifested another Rose Whip, "Then I'll happily provide you with one."
He then cracked the whip at the unconscious bespectacled girl's face, 
missing by mere inches. 

     "Don't you ever..." Yusuke angrily said before he sputtered, 
"give up?" He then blinked at the strange sight before him. 




***




     Kurama held his own hand at bay... or rather, held the hand his
alter ego was controlling at bay. "It's over, Youko Kurama... your 
star's death won't happen here."

     Youko Kurama's reply was a punch to his own face.

     Kurama spat the rusty-tasting blood out of his mouth. "I hardly 
think beating ourselves up is warranted in this situation. We look like
fools. Doesn't your 'star's pride' feel ashamed of what you're doing?"

     The demon fox persona scoffed, "Nonsense. You always beat yourself
up for the most trivial of reasons." He then attempted to whip Midori
again. "My star's pride feels shame for only one thing... my continued
existence as Minamino Shuichi. I will end this life as Youko Kurama! I 
will become myself for one final time!"

     "Give it up, Youko Kurama!" Kurama shouted as he compelled his
body to follow his commands. 

     The youko's paralyzed hand shook as it gripped the rose whip
tightly. "How long can you keep this up? Do you think I'll give up just 
because of one failed attempt? Every time you put your guard down, every 
time your mind is unconscious, I will take over. I'll do this until I 
get what I want."

     "No... this ends now."

     Using every last bit of his willpower, Kurama suddenly took out a
gray seed from his silvery hair. A fog soon enveloped him as he 
swallowed the seed.

     Yusuke's eyes soon widened in horror and disbelief as he saw the
silhouette of a humanoid head form at the back of his friend's body.
"Kurama... NO!"




***




     "So we're again face to face... Minamino Shuichi," Youko Kurama
said to his other personality's now-visible self. He idly tensed a 
clawed hand. "Are you prepared to fight?"

     "I am," Kurama calmly stated as he calmly sauntered towards the 
rapidly charging youko.




***




     "Kurama... is bleeding?" Yusuke said in disbelief as he looked as 
his friend in incredulity. "Where did all this blood come from?"

     The Janen Ju was now gleefully feeding on the now transformed,
red-haired Kurama. Curiously enough, there were dark stains of crimson 
coming from strange crisscrossing marks that perforated all over the 
unconscious half-youko's body.

     Kurama then suddenly screamed.

 


***



              
     "Seems that your weak human form can barely hold its own in a real
fight," Youko Kurama observed as he shredded his human self's calf. 
"You don't stand a chance... you never stood a chance."

     Kurama cried in pain and agony, tears streaming down his cheeks. He
tried to manifest a rose whip, but to no avail. <I can't think... 
clearly... this human body... too weak... I'm at his mercy.>

     The demon fox frowned as he ripped a wad of Kurama's hair from its
roots. "Yes, you are. You are weak, pathetic and insignificant. I'm
better than you in so many levels... mentally, physically and 
emotionally, I am your superior. Do you finally understand why I hate 
you? Do you finally understand why I have to do this? You were the one 
that forced me to get to this point, Minamino Shuichi." 

     Kurama wheezed as he tried to get up. His shaky, bleeding limb 
buckled as he fell down again. Bullets of sweat appeared on his face 
as excruciating pain shot through his leg.

     Youko Kurama snorted in disdain. "Stand up... stand up and face
your fate with dignity, you doppelganger!"
 
     <Am I the doppelganger? Am I the counterfeita Kurama? Should I be 
the one to die?> Kurama desperately thought as his youko self held him 
by his neck at arm's length.

     "This mortal body will die," the youko started as he began to 
crush the red-haired boy's windpipe, "but my youko form will survive.
I shall now become my true self."




***     




     Kurama's unconscious form began to cough and hack horrendously,
a fact which unnerved Yusuke to no end. He wanted to rip the grinning 
demonoid plant entity out of his fellow Spirit Detective's body in
panic, but stopped himself at the last minute, remembering Youko
Kurama's stern warning.

     "Kurama, ol' buddy... hang on!" the raven-haired young man said, 
his eyes determined and indomitable. "Don't you dare die on me!"

     "The Silver Fox and the boy of reflection are fighting now."

     "Huh?"

     Yusuke looked at the sleeping Midori Ohya inquisitively, not 
completely sure if he was merely hearing things or not.




***




     Youko Kurama looked at Kurama piteously. "It's inevitable, really.
You've become the human mongrel we've taken residence in. You said to 
Chuuku that there is no Minamino Shuichi, yet in fact you are starting 
to become the Minamino Shuichi he's referring to. You are now an 
unnatural perverseness. Things have come full circle. This perverseness
must now vanish."

     The demon fox raised an eyebrow at his human counterpart's 
expression. "What's with that pensive look? Is it a look of acquiescence
or a look of uncertainty? Don't look so contemplative now. It's you
who've decided to fade away, not I." He raised a clawed hand. "So
do that for me... fade away."




***




     The boy of reflection's body went limp.

     The Dark Phoenix screamed maniacally in sadness and grief... he
cried for the futility of it all.

     The boy of reflection was now going to show the Silver Fox his true
self.



***




     Youko Kurama lifted his counterpart's severed head grimly. "So... 
it finally ends here."

     "What ends here?"

     "Who's there?" the demon fox demanded ominously.

     "I am," a redheaded four-year-old boy innocently confirmed. 

     "A boy?" The silver-haired demon eyed the young tot warily. "You're 
not afraid of me?"

     The little boy idly shrugged. "Kaasan told me to not talk to 
strangers. You don't feel like a stranger to me... and kaasan told me to
be nice to people who aren't strangers."

     The golden-eyed fox demon narrowed his eyes. "So who are you 
exactly, child?"

     "I am Minamino Shuichi," the boy answered politely. "It's nice to 
meet you."

     "You are part of the abomination... vanish," Youko Kurama snarled 
as he summoned his rope whip and whirled it towards the young toddler.

     A shorter-haired version of Kurama blocked the strike with his arm,
ultimately sacrificing the limb as it got lopped off. 

     "You're the abomination... doing such things to a mere child is 
truly unforgivable!" the teenage Kurama ardently avowed as he gritted 
his teeth amidst the burning pain he experienced. "You're the monster 
that should vanish!"

     Youko Kurama peered through the juvenile doppelganger's 
thoughts... it was filled with memories of a bun-haired young lady 
friend playing with several children. The demon fox sneered. "Let me 
guess... this is all for 'Maya-san's sake'... isn't it?"

     The teenaged Kurama merely glared at the youko as he fearlessly 
shielded the four-year-old child he just rescued with his own body.

     "Always the self-righteous martyr... ne, Minamino?" the cruel 
youkai jeered as he sliced the teenager in half with one strike of his 
deadly weapon. 

     The blood-covered toddler looked at the demon fox impassively. "You
said it ends here... why isn't it ending? Why are you still doing this?" 

     Youko Kurama answered by means of crushing the child's head like a 
walnut. "You're trying my patience, Minamino."

     "I am also part of the abomination. Kill me as well." 

     The youko whirled his head toward the origin of the new voice and
its echoes. <Echoes?> 

     It was then that they started coming. They came in all shapes,
ages and sizes... in various states of health, with an assorted set of 
beliefs, with differing mind sets... but they were all undeniably... 
<Minamino.>

     "I am the human mongrel of perverseness," a redheaded ten-year-old
boy said equably. "Make me vanish as well."

     "Then let me fade away too... I am also an abomination, aren't I?"
a bloodied version of Kurama after his fateful battle with Shigure said,
deep cuts and gashes all over his body. "After all, I was the one who 
denied your existence during my fight. I also deserve your retribution."

     "I will die for kaasan... I'll do anything for her," another
Kurama said, this time holding an enchanted glowing mirror of some sort.

     "I fought as myself then... I will now fight as myself now. No 
matter how you see it, that's the truth!" 

     "There are no stars in the Demon World... these are heavenly jewels
found only in the Human World. I like the way they twinkle at night... 
it's as if they're twinkling for me. It's a silly thing, but it brings
me so much happiness. Aren't these little things of happiness worth 
fighting for, even though they seem so insignificant?"

     "She has done so much for me... too much. My life is hers. I am 
willing to vanish on her account."

     "Enough! ENOUGH!" came Youko Kurama's enraged shout. Tendrils of 
the kitsune's haunting youki began permeating into demonoid plants of 
all shapes and sizes, engulfing a large number of Kurama duplicates.
"I don't care if there are ten or a thousand Minaminos... I will not
allow you to destroy my identity and sense of self! I will not resign
myself to a fate worse than death!"

     Blood was spilled endlessly as one Kurama clone after the other 
was murdered brutally and efficiently. Body parts were strewn 
everywhere... as assorted and varied as the menagerie of persons from
which they came from. The demon fox slaughtered all of his alter ego's
replicas pitilessly and mercilessly. 

     There was not a pool, but a river of blood. It was not a slaughter
anymore, but a veritable massacre. The youko howled in fury as he bathed
in the dirty human blood of his other self.

     "I finally understand."

     Youko Kurama let out a feral growl at the last remaining 
'Minamino.' "You understand nothing. The only thing you and your endless 
reflections blabber about is nonsense. You've spread like a malignancy
inside of me... a virus. But I will not let your perverseness overwhelm
me."

     The bloodied and torn Kurama looked at his youko self broodingly.
"I finally understand the true meaning of your star's death and why you
want it so badly."

     "The only thing you need to need to understand about a star's 
death," the silver-haired fox being said as he prepared his clawed hand 
for yet another strike, "is just that... death!"

     Kurama closed his eyes as he mouthed the words, "I seems that you 
really want to die yet the truth is, you're really afraid of death."

     Youko Kurama heedlessly tore through most of his human 
counterpart's left breast, his face an expressionless mask. 

     "That's the reason why you hastily imbued your dying spirit to the 
body of a human child... you didn't want to die... your will to live 
was... is strong... incredibly strong. You're a survivor."

     The demon fox's sharp claws easily punctured through one of 
Kurama's lungs, making it difficult for the redhead to breathe.

     "But even though you've survived, a lot of changes began to take 
place. You slowly became Minamino Shuichi... no, I slowly became 
Minamino Shuichi... in the sense that I was the one who decided to live
as a human. You're the part of me that still remains as Youko Kurama. 
You were afraid of change because death isn't just a grim finality... 
death is also the herald of change. I represented that change. I 
represented the sort of death that you'll never want to have... a death 
by 'fading away'... a death by means of change."

     Upon hearing the words, the youko wrathfully ripped Kurama's 
punctured lung out, causing the youth to choke and cough in his own 
blood. But the redheaded boy determinedly held fast onto Youko Kurama's 
wrist, his eyes burning with resolve.

     "I cannot die... my life isn't my own anymore. My numerous 
reflections have shown me that my life is now owned by my friends and 
family... people that I care about. If I go, then all these people will 
be affected and hurt as well. I cannot afford that. I'm not just 
fighting for my survival... I'm fighting for everybody's happiness."

     "You yourself know that my will to live is strong," Youko Kurama
said through wispy breaths. "You know that it's either you or me."

     "I know," Kurama said pensively as his eyes shimmered. 
"Unfortunately..."

     Youko Kurama's visage soon became transparent.

     A tear fell from Kurama's eye. "... It's not your choice to make."




***




     "Kurama... what happened back there?" Yusuke quietly asked as they
made their way back home. 

     "An... epiphany of sorts," Kurama said, wanly smiling. 

     "So should I begin calling you Minamino now or are you still 
Kurama?" 

     The red-haired boy chuckled. "I'm both, actually."




***




     Midori opened her eyes. She saw a ceiling... a familiar ceiling.
The memories in her head were a blur.

     But it was a blur that she easily focused into crystal clarity.

     "I understand now. The Dark Phoenix and the Silver Fox must have 
brought me home after... the events last night were resolved." 

     She narrowed her eyes. "Minamino-san and the Silver Fox are one. 
He used his special mind-controlling pollens on me and my family so that 
we'd forget about my recent disappearance."

     She picked up her glasses on the coffee table near her bed and put
them on. "He wanted me to forget, but those are events that I cannot 
forget... I can never forget." She sighed as the early morning sunrise 
glinted on her spectacles. "Today is just another day... but it's not."




***




     "I will not fade away!" Youko Kurama passionately said as his body
continued to become more and more incorporeal. "I will live... I will
continue to live as Youko Kurama... the will to live is the strongest!"

     Kurama embraced his youko self unhesitatingly. 

     "You're right... you must continue to live. You make up a large 
part of who I am... I will never let you die. Your will is also mine."

     The youko snorted derisively, though there was a slight trace of 
humor in his voice as he spoke. "So you're doing this as well for the 
sake of everybody's happiness... myself included? You're always the 
overbearing martyr."

     The red-haired young man chuckled. "That's half of the reason. I 
don't want you to have a star's death... but I still want you to keep 
your star's pride. Never allow yourself to fade away... don't ever let 
me forget who you really are... who I still am and more... the great 
Youko Kurama. Always burn in my heart."

     Youko Kurama's fading visage then burst into a blue flame that 
enveloped his human counterpart's body.



***




     "Shuichi... Shuichi?"

     Who was he really?

     "Shuichi! I'm so sorry that I upset you. I don't know exactly what 
I've said to offend you, but I hope you'll forgive your silly mother 
despite of that."

     Was he willing to live a lie again? Was he willing to live under 
the shaky foundations of pretense and deceit?

     "Shuichi... please...."

     He found his answer in his mother's pleading eyes.

     "Kaasan! I'm so sorry, kaa--"

     He embraced his mother as she profusely cried and apologized to 
him... he had found his truth in her 
     
     He was Shuichi Minamino.

     Or rather, he was his mother's Shuichi Minamino... as long as she
saw him as that, then that would be his truth.

     He then smiled, his heart ablaze with passion and his body aflame 
in his mother's warmth. <Today is just another day... but it's not.>




***




To be Continued...


Next: Shigeru's bereavement.

Note that 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!
Abdiel



_______________________________________
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 -----'