The first day of winter... It heralded many things for many people,
but for some it was mainly the beginning of the end. It was the first
day of the last season of the last month of the year... In short, it was
the harbinger of the beginning of a fresh start, of a new season, of a
new year.
How very wholesome and inspiring.
Such flowery words they were, holding so many symbolic meanings and
interpretations with all their indistinct ambiguity... yet they were
also literal words that contained sharp facts and straightforward
clues... painfully obvious clues.
Winter wasn't the herald of a new life... it was, instead, the
immaculate symbol of death.
Kurama's glazed eyes cried salty tears that glistened in the blurry
onset of twilight. When was the last time he literally broke down and
cried like this? He never shed tears for Kurunue's death, though he
constantly felt regret over his partner's demise... nor did he cry for
his mother when she contracted some sort of human illness, preferring
action over mourning as he stole the Spirit World's enchanted mirror of
wishes so as to somehow cure his mother of her dreadful disease.
The youko turned human wept solely for one reason... It was neither
for an unavoidable regret nor for the suffering of a loved one. He wept
mainly for a meaningless loss and the senseless squandering of something
so very precious.
Kurama gently cradled Shigeru Amano's limp and lifeless body,
droplets of warmth falling on the younger man's icy cheeks.
"So you do not cry in mourning or regret. Instead you cry in pity?
How cruel indeed. Perhaps you really are more like your youko self
than your supposed human self despite what your recent epiphany had
shown."
Kurama easily recognized that voice... It was deader and more
cadaverous than the remains of his young friend. He shook his head as if
to clear it of such morbid thoughts, turning towards the cloaked and
armor-clad figure behind him.
"Chuuku... or is it Tetsuma Yoshitaka? It has been a long time
since we last met. So this is your corporeal form," the half-youko's
voice was neither conversational nor accusing... It was cool and
composed, though his evergreen eyes did contain the curious mixture of
commiseration and abhorrence. "Were you the one responsible for all of
this?"
The non-entity stared at the red-haired boy passively. "In response
to your query, allow me to repeat what I've said to your koorime friend
a while back... This is no puppet show of mine."
"Is this another one of your mind games, Chuuku? Well, I'm sick and
tired of it!" Kurama practically seethed in a rare display of anger. He
exhaled deeply as he willed himself to deflate his own rage. "Enough of
this. This has gone too far. Kill me. Absorb my soul. Strip me of my
sense of self and identity. You've won. End it now."
Chuuku neither maniacally grinned nor sarcastically sneered. He
reacted the way he was supposed to react... which meant that he didn't.
"You tell me such things as if I had a choice in the matter. I do not.
A choice can only be made by someone who has his own will and resolve.
I posses neither of those two characteristics."
Kurama slammed his fist on the frigid pavement. "Don't tell me such
things! Are you insinuating that everything you've been doing from the
start was completely purposeless and pointless? All those months of my
living in the dreams of others... fantasies that made me question my
sanity, my sexuality, even my very own identity as a person was for
nothing? Take responsibility for your actions! You should be accountable
for what you did to Shigeru-kun!" Kurama demanded, though his tone of
voice became near pleading at the end of his statement.
Chuuku expressionlessly stared back at the half-youko as he
humorlessly responded, "I'm not the one responsible for the boy's
suicide. It was his own decision to take his life... that is why it's
called a suicide."
"Don't mock me!" Kurama reflexively exclaimed. This was a newly
formed habit of his, partly due to his recent strenuous conversations
with his alter ego of sorts. "Give me a straight answer, dammit!"
"I also do not posses the ability to mock," Chuuku deadpanned. "I
wasn't the one who gave the boy the fatal concussion that ultimately
took away his life. I did not force him to jump from the roof of a
six-story building, nor did I subtly influence his decision in doing so.
The boy jumped to commit suicide... This was neither an accident nor
murder. That is the truth."
"No... NO! That's not true! You manipulated Shigeru-kun in the same
way that you've manipulated me and Kuwabara-kun! Enough of your lies!"
Kurama desperately reasoned.
"Denial is mostly a human reflex. But of course, you've chosen to
live as one, kitsune," Chuuku reckoned morosely.
Kurama closed his eyes as he shuddered. Chuuku's grim, bleak voice
seemed to turn reproachful near the end of his avowal.
"Or is it because you'd rather have someone else to blame, because
you were neither quick enough to understand the blatant clues from your
most-recent psychic dreams nor fast enough to come to this grim
realization? You had all the means to save him... perhaps you were his
only salvation... yet you failed him, just as you had failed Kurunoue."
Kurama slowly opened his eyes again as he heard the accusation...
if he truly heard it in the literal sense. He wasn't completely sure if
what he heard was Chuuku's words or perhaps his own guilt-ridden words
spurred by his conscience. Perhaps it was Youko Kurama manifesting
himself again, mocking his human counterpart through their shared
subconscious. He just wasn't sure.
"What now, kitsune?" That was Chuuku's usual byline to Kurama...
the half-youko was used to it by now.
The red-haired young man looked down at Shigeru's body pensively,
gradually adopting a subdued mood. He now knew the reason behind his
sadness... the cause for his present grief and tears over his young
friend's demise. He cried for the futility of it all.
Silence, not words, haunted the debased half-youko.
_________________________________________________
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
http://www.geocities.com/ex_fuk/shonen
This chapter can be alternately titled as
'Revelations.'
Oh, and Chuuku's back, if you hadn't noticed.
A few more notes before proceeding:
< > indicates character thoughts
" " indicates character speech
_________________________________________________
Chapter 14: Maturity
_________________________________________________
Darkness. This was what greeted him as he came to... It made no
difference whether or not he was still unconscious. Nevertheless, it
brought him a certain sense 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 fear,
coldness and death?
Yes, he was familiar with fear, whether it was in the eyes of an
opponent faced with imminent death by his hand or his own fear of some
great power finally destroying him in the end. He 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... It was a relative term to him. He was used to it.
Perhaps it was because of his koorime lineage, but at times he drew
comfort from the cold... the way humans drew comfort from warmth.
Whatever. He felt as he felt, it held no importance to him.
Death. A loaded word to many, but to him it simply meant the end.
He was never afraid of the finality death brought; he actually looked
forward to it. He was glad by the fact that he was given a reason for
being since the time of his birth. An image of a koorime woman that was
the last thing he saw before he was inexplicably thrown into a chasm in
his infancy, as well as images of his... of Yukina... filled his groggy
mind.
These were his reasons for being. Death had been a constant threat
to him since the time of his banishment from the Land of the Koorime,
yet he had always done with it like a game with his opponents... He
could never die, not him. Not even death could stop him from what he had
to do. But if there came a time when all ends were tied, he would
welcome death like an old friend... in a warrior's death, no less. But
until then....
The last vestiges of sleep altogether left Hiei as he felt the
nearby presence... or rather, the lack thereof... of Chuuku, the
Harbinger of Death. He then did something that was a rarity for him to
do.
He smiled.
<Hello, old friend. It has been a while.>
***
"What now, kitsune?"
Kurama looked up at Chuuku with determined glints in his eyes.
"What is your answer? After everything you've been through, after
the endless questions you've posed yourself... did you finally find your
answer?" Chuuku asked.
Kurama nodded. "I have. I now understand who Minamino Shuichi is...
and he isn't just 'me.' He is beyond me as he is a part of me... He is
far more than just another persona. He is everybody's Minamino Shuichi.
He is Meiou High's Shuichi. He is my mother's Minamino Shuichi. He is
the Legion's Shuichi. He is Chiho-san and Ayame-san's Shuichi. He is
Midori-san's Shuichi." The red-haired boy took a deep breath. "He is
Shigeru-kun's Shuichi."
Kurama's grass-green eyes stared straight into Chuuku's glassy
ones. "He is also your Shuichi." The youko sighed once again as he
recalled the speech he had told... himself.
"I... or rather, Minamino Shuichi... cannot die... His life isn't
his own anymore. His numerous reflections have shown me that his life is
now owned by friends and family... people that he cares... that _I_ care
about. If he goes, then all these people will be affected and hurt as
well. I cannot afford that. I'm not just fighting for his survival. I'm
fighting for everybody's happiness."
"So is that your true answer, kitsune?" Chuuku asked. "Or are you
just dithering again?"
"I previously thought that Minamino Shuichi didn't really exist,
that he was just a mask I wore; I only 'pretended' to be him. But that
wasn't the case at all. He does exist." Kurama stood up, easily lifting
his young friend's body as he turned and walked away from the undead
one. "I was even willing to sacrifice my youko identity just to preserve
this 'Shuichi' persona of mine because that was the life I chose to
lead... a normal, human one. You'd go through heaven and hell just to
get his soul? Well, I'll go through heaven and hell just to protect him.
That is my answer."
"So that is your wish? That is your... will?"
Kurama didn't even turn as he answered, "Yes. I care not for your
little tricks and schemes, or for the identity of your true puppet
master." He stopped in mid-step as he gazed sullenly at Shigeru.
"What I want... what I really want... is to find a way for people
to stop suffering on my account. If only I got here in time. If only...
if only..." he whispered silently.
Kurama felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Chuuku... what...?" he
queried, puzzled as he looked over his shoulder.
"I will grant you your wish."
***
Hiei, though disturbed by the thought, replayed the events of the
fateful night. He entered the fox's room through the window, like he had
always before. Then he saw a disheveled and confused Kurama enter the
room. The fox was entitled to do so... it was _his_ room, after all...
but the koorime should have taken the kitsune's tousled and 'unbalanced'
state as an indication of something amiss, in retrospect.
But noooo... he just had to hang around in Kurama's room just to
get....
<....>
Hiei reflexively wiped his mouth before he even realized it. He
afterwards shook his head as if to clear it.
The koorime grimaced in irritation. This wasn't the time to brood
over such... insignificant details.
Details... Hiei wasn't very particular with details. The fire demon
was one who saw the bigger picture of things. He left all the dithering
to Kurama. Yet somehow, it seemed that nowadays his youko companion was
dithering even more than usual.
He should have known that the undead one... Chuuku... was behind
all this.
<So... Chuuku has been playing with Kurama's mind all this time.
The infamous puppet master was now at the mercy of a puppet... How
ironic,> Hiei contemplated. It made a bit of sense, really... how the
being seemed to keep on second-guessing everything and still have his
gamble pay off... It was all due to the 'bond' he established with the
fox during their previous confrontation in the old woman's dojo.
Before, there was something about Chuuku that kept making the fire
demon feel... disconcerted. The bleakness of his demeanor, the dismal
stare, the monotone of his voice were all irrelevant... It was the utter
lack of sense about him that irked the koorime to no end. Yet in spite
of that, or rather because of it, Hiei wanted all the more to fight him.
Everything finally made sense. The story of Yoshitaka Tetsuma...
The... _thing_ that happened to Kurama and him... and the reemergence of
Chuuku at this point in time... all fit in the fire demon's mind with a
resounding click.
Soon, it would be time for the end game.
Hiei felt something cold hit the nape of his neck. Another one...
repetitiously... <Humph... sleet. How typical.>
The koorime whisked through the treetops towards his destination,
his search for something that was not supposed to exist nearly at its
end.
***
Before Kurama could protest, Chuuku had already telekinetically
lifted Shigeru's body away from the kitsune.
"Chuuku...? What do you think you're doing?!"
Chuuku unceremoniously ripped apart his breastplate, revealing his
deadly black hole of nothingness.
A familiar feeling of warmth enveloped Chuuku. The undead being
felt a kind of peace that was indescribable to him... comparable to
nothing. It was just beyond him... the high he got was almost so
comforting... so delicious.
But the being wasn't doing it for sake of enjoyment.
Kurama stifled a gasp as he witnessed the unbelievable.
The white blanket on the pavement seemed to turn into a deathly
shade of gray as the leafless trees that surrounded them began to rot.
Kurama himself felt a little tired as Chuuku continued his
ministrations, but he seemed more shocked than weary as soon he realized
what the soulless one was doing.
<Could it be...?> the kitsune asked to no one in particular. <But
why would he do that? It doesn't make sense!> "Why are you doing this?
Why are you... reviving Shigeru-kun?!"
Chuuku merely shushed the youko with a wave of his hand as he
replied, "Thy will be done."
He spread the life force all over the young boy's body. He noticed
that the bloodstained cadaver's freshest source of blood came from his
head. The cause of the boy's death had been a fatal concussion, as he
had earlier noted. He concentrated the precious life source he had
gathered towards the aforementioned area and felt it surge from his
fingertips to the boy's body.
Slowly, steadily, Chuuku felt a warm sensation on his neck. It was
Shigeru's revitalized breath.
The little boy's breathing soon became fast and rapid, almost
panicky, as the color returned in his face. But after a while the panic
faded into nothingness.
Chuuku cradled Shigeru's floating body gently, smoothly stroking
the young lad's auburn hair, just like the way a mother would a
newborn... which was kind of how this situation was, in a sense.
Kurama soon found himself asking questions that he had been asking
since this whole dilemma with the non-entity had started. "Why? Why,
Chuuku, why?"
"We should return the boy to his parents," Chuuku said as he
started to walk away, ignoring Kurama's demand for answers. It baffled
the kitsune all the more.
***
A familiar feeling of warmth enveloped him and the corpse. He felt
a kind of peace that was indescribable to him... comparable to nothing.
It was just beyond him... The high he got was almost so comforting... so
delicious.
He metaphorically slapped himself for losing concentration. This
was for the girl's sake, of course.
He spread the life force all over the young lady's body... He
noticed that the bloodstained kimono's freshest source of blood came
from her upper body. The cause of the girl's death had been repeated
stabs on the chest. He concentrated the precious life source he had
gathered towards the aforementioned area and felt it surge from his
fingertips to the girl's body.
Slowly, steadily, a warm sensation began to tickle his neck. Was
it... breathing? It became fast and rapid, almost panicky, as the color
returned in the young girl's face, the aforementioned soon regaining
full consciousness. As soon as her soft green eyes stared into his pale
violet ones, she became calm... The panic was no more. He cradled her
gently, smoothly stroking her now inexplicably fiery red hair just like
the way a mother would cradle a newborn... which was kind of how this
situation was, in a sense.
Rebirth. Rejoice. A whole plethora of various emotions tickled into
his own body, seemingly seeping into him, as if he was sensitive enough
to feel what other people felt, whether pain or pleasure. Still, it was
merely an outside sensation, a third-person awareness he merely took
note of... It cannot possibly compare to holding a life force in his own
hands, a spirit with its own consciousness, its own being. He dismissed
the rest of his chain of thought as he returned the revived young girl
to her ecstatic family.
He was exhausted yet happy... though he was also filled with a
cluster of other emotions he knew was not his own. He merely shook his
head in pity as he sympathized with the rest of the unfortunate ones.
Oh how he wished that he could resurrect all those who had died in the
battle... but Lord Enma was a cruel god. Not evil, yes... yet very,
very cruel. He turned his back at the jubilant folk... His job here
was done.
He subsequently felt an intense sense of gratitude, which was a
natural thing, since he had just done one of his 'Great Miracles.' Yet
the intensity it held beckoned him to turn around, even before hearing
the words spoken with equal intensity of the feeling that enveloped him.
"Wait!"
He saw the young girl's eyes staring back at him... with such
vibrant life that made him cringe at the thought of its fire ever being
snuffed out. He didn't quite understand what made him go forward, what
made him tilt his head in such a way as to gesture the girl to speak.
"Thank you very much," the girl said, courteously bowing down. As
she straightened herself, she gave him a timid smile. The blush on her
cheeks was apparent, but he set aside the thought as his own
imagination... After all, his judgment was now tainted by the range of
emotions boiling all around him. He didn't know if it was from the
general panic of the families of the slain or his own anxiety. "May I
please know your name, sir?"
The miracle child didn't quite notice the mother pulling the girl
away from him and scolding the young woman for her brashness while the
elder herself apologized profusely to him, nor did he notice the words
that spewed forth from his mouth as he himself spoke to respond to the
girl's question. But he forever etched into his consciousness the next
few words the gentle, shy girl told him afterwards...
"I'm Asuka... Matsui Asuka. I hope to see you again soon."
***
Chuuku stared at Kurama listlessly while the kitsune climbed down
the two-story Amano residence with the stealth of a ghost. The red-
haired boy warily eyed the broken soul, the prodigy, his enemy... and
Shigeru Amano's savior before he flipped over the padlocked gates.
"Shigeru-kun should be fine. This isn't the first time he went home
late from school, since his parents aren't home most of the time
anyway." Kurama's features turned contemplative as his gaze lingered at
the glass pane window of Shigeru's room. "He really was lonely. All he
wanted was friends. I... don't know how he'll be able to deal with what
happened to him today."
"It was the boy's choice to make," Chuuku simply said as he began
trudging away from the residence towards an unknown destination. Kurama
followed him shortly after.
"But we may have only delayed the inevitable! What if he decides to
commit suicide again?" Kurama reasoned.
"It is still the boy's choice to make," Chuuku reiterated.
"Of course," Kurama acquiesced. Afterwards, he softly whispered,
"Thank you for bringing Shigeru-kun back, though."
There was silence as the pair marched onward.
A sporadic diatribe soon ensued in the course of the short trip.
"Was saving him your choice to make?"
"No. I cannot make choices for myself."
"Then why'd you do it? Who made that choice for you, Chuuku?"
"My master."
"And who is your master?"
"Asuka is my master."
"Asuka? You mean Matsui Asuka?"
"We're here."
Chuuku suddenly stopped. They have reached their destination. It
was a park full of leaf-bare trees which were blanketed by white mantles
of snow. Kurama recognized it as the same park where, underneath, the
gates to the Demon World were once opened by Shinobu Sensui and his
cohorts.
"What happened to Matsui Asuka all those years ago, Chuuku? What
did you do to her that drove you to destroy your own soul? What do I
have to do with all of this?" Kurama insistently queried, unwilling to
let the matter drop.
"You already know the answer to that, kitsune," Chuuku sullenly
avowed. "You have already made your decision nineteen years ago. What
you want is what I want. Thy will be done."
Kurama looked thunderstruck as he silently mouthed, "Nineteen years
ago...?"
Amidst Kurama's astonishment, the shadow man abruptly unfastened
and removed his breastplate, revealing his dark vortex of oblivion.
The half-youko could only gaze, dumbstruck, as the black hole of
nothingness threatened to engulf his very soul. Subsequently, he heard a
maniacal shout from behind the trees.
"Puppet! FACE ME!" a quickly charging Hiei determinedly hollered as
he brandished his deadly katana.
Within a split second, everything became clear to Kurama.
***
"Lord Koenma! LORD KOENMA! Our sources have told me that Chuuku has
finally revealed himself!" Jorge excitedly said as he pointed wildly at
the blank screen on the wall facing the Spirit World Prince. "Turn on
the Spirit World Monitor and see for yourself! Chuuku is fighting Hiei
right this very minute!" Hearing no response from his beloved leader,
Jorge inquired, "Is there something wrong, Lord Koenma?"
Koenma, Lord Prince of the Dead, second most powerful being in the
Spirit World, clutched an oversized, leather-bound book in helpless
frustration. <Impossible. Does it mean that all this time...?> To Jorge,
he commanded, "Summon Botan right away. I have some important matters to
discuss with her."
"Y-yes sir! Of course, sir! Right away, sir!"
Koenma narrowed his eyes as the blue-skinned ogre left. <The day
Tetsuma Yoshitaka accidentally destroyed Matsui Asuka's soul, he
violated a strict ordinance of the Spirit World.> The toddler-like deity
rubbed his temples contemplatively. <It eventually led to the present
events we're experiencing now. But I never thought that Kurama would
actually be....>
The tot gingerly opened and leafed through the pages of the Book of
Fate. His eyes alighted upon one particular name written there. <I
understand everything now. We have found the true culprit.>
***
Hiei whisked through the trees faster than the speed of thought,
intending to decapitate Chuuku with one powerful and deadly strike.
"It all makes sense now," the koorime heard someone whisper, but he
paid it no heed. The only thing that mattered to him now was his prey.
Subsequently, all three of his eyes widened in shock as he saw the
unexpected...
"Tsukeyaki Blade!"
...Kurama protecting Chuuku.
Hiei was barely able to evade the demonic sword made of a single
blade of mutated grass. He stared at Kurama in open disbelief as the
kitsune continued his assault with an unhesitant thrust. The jaganshi's
sword clanged hard on the surprisingly tough Tsukeyaki Blade.
"What the hell are you trying to do? Have you completely lost your
mind?!" Hiei demanded. "Get out of the way, fox. I have a score to
settle with the shadow man." He harrumphed.
Kurama surprised Hiei further with his passionate shout of, "No! I
won't let you ruin my plans! I've already reached this point and there's
no turning back!"
"You're spewing out nonsense. Move," Hiei gravely said as he batted
the half-youko's grass sword away and rapidly hurtled himself towards
his true nemesis, the undead Chuuku.
Or he would have hurtled himself towards his true nemesis had
Kurama not stabbed his side using his own momentum against him. Hiei
went down on his knees in anguish as he firmly clutched his side.
"Kurama... why? Why are you protecting him!?"
"You weren't listening. I told you... I won't let you ruin my
plans."
The koorime growled as he shot Kurama a dirty look. "Explain."
"Matsui Asuka... I'll do anything for her!" Kurama declared
defiantly. "I'd go through heaven and hell for her! I'd die if I have
to!"
Why was the kitsune talking like the half-man? "What are you
saying, fox?"
"What Chuuku wants is what I want as well."
No. This must be some sort of trick. "You! Shadow man! You've
brainwashed the kitsune the same way you've brainwashed the stupid
human!" It made sense. Chuuku was manipulating Kurama's mind, making the
fox delusional. What the entity wanted was Kurama's soul. The kitsune
wouldn't seriously give away his soul now, would he? Not after what he
had been through.
"No, Hiei. Do not blame the puppet for what it has done. Chuuku is
merely dancing to the tune I'm playing. He says that he wants Minamino
Shuichi... and so do I. He says that he's in love with Minamino
Shuichi... and so am I."
"More nonsense," the fire demon assessed.
"I planned everything from the start," Kurama persisted, ignoring
Hiei's statement. "Chuuku is incapable of orchestrating this elaborate a
scheme. The battle at Genkai's dojo... my clairvoyant dreams...
Kuwabara's possession... my confrontation with Youko Kurama himself...
those all went according to plan. 'Chuuku' himself was used for the sole
purpose of preventing any of you Reikai Tantei from foiling my plans."
"Nothing you say makes sense!" Hiei yelled.
"Well, it all makes sense to me now. I finally understand who
Minamino Shuichi is. Minamino Shuichi is actually--"
***
"You're not serious!" Yusuke exclaimed as he struggled not to fall
off Botan's wooden, flying oar while trying to keep up with the ferry-
girl's excited pace. "And why the hell are we on a hurry? To think, I
was about to enjoy the first day of winter break, and here you are with
another one of the Spirit World's dumb ass missions."
"First off... I'm completely serious!" Botan replied as she flew
against the cold, unforgiving wind. A feeling of consternation began to
engulf her, but she ignored it. "Secondly, we _have_ to get to the park
as soon as we can. Chuuku's back, and he's with Hiei and Kurama right
this very minute."
"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? Let's get going!
It's been forever since I last fought the ghost faerie!" Yusuke
enthused.
"Hai, hai... Reikai Tantei-san," Botan deferentially said as she
weaved past a couple of buildings in haste and unsaid panic. "Actually,
the thing with Minamino Shuichi came as a shock to all of us. After
searching for any information regarding Tetsuma Yoshitaka in hundreds of
tomes, scrolls and files, Lord Koenma discovered that the answer had
been right under our noses all this time."
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Typical. So how'd you _finally_ find out?"
"Hey! It was classified information and we didn't know the exact
kanji for her name! We only found out that she existed through Genkai-
baasan's little 'word of mouth' legend! Heck, we didn't even know she
existed until now!" Botan defensively cried. She sighed as she added,
"Who would have known that out of all the reference materials in the
Great Ancient Library, we'd find her name in the Book of Fate?"
"The Book of Fate?" Yusuke repeated, slightly peeved. "You mean the
same book which told us that the kid I saved from way back was _fated_
to survive from the car accident, even without my help?"
"Yup! The very same! Every Spirit World Guide has a copy of it!
It's standard issue!" Botan cheerfully confirmed, a smile plastered on
her face. <Mou, why do I feel so panicky?>
The sleek-haired young man still felt annoyed with the fact that
the young boy he saved from being hit by a car--with the cost of his
life--didn't really need saving because, according to the oh-so-great
Book of Fate, the toddler would still survive the car crash with minor
injuries because the ball he was playing with absorbed all the impact.
So basically Yusuke had died for nothing... or perhaps not,
considering that because of the incident, he eventually became a Spirit
World Detective et al.
But of course he was still bitter. "So what did the stupid ass Book
of Fate say?"
"That the girl Tetsuma Yoshitaka saved hundreds of years ago was
supposed to be reincarnated as the daughter of Minamino Shiori nineteen
years ago. In so saying..."
***
"Minamino Shuichi is actually Matsui Asuka?" Hiei repeated numbly,
not realizing the gravity of the words he spoke. He tried to remember
where he heard the vaguely familiar name of Asuka Matsui.
"She was _supposed_ to be Minamino Shuichi, actually," Kurama
melancholically corrected, gazing at Chuuku sadly. "An accident occurred
during Asuka-san's last day on earth... an accident which not only took
her life, but her soul as well. In Tetsuma... Yoshitaka-kun's despair,
he did unto himself what he accidentally did to Asuka-san."
Yoshitaka Tetsuma had shattered his own soul. It was mostly unsaid,
but everyone knew that was what Kurama meant.
"It's unfortunate, really... If I hadn't possessed Minamino
Shuichi's body from the moment of her conception, she would have been
stillborn... soulless," Kurama continued, adding, "But I still wasn't
supposed to. I stole her identity, like a thief in the night. But of
course, that is what I essentially am."
"So what do you have to do with an undead girl and her lover?" Hiei
derisively and irreverently questioned. "Leave her be and stop this
foolishness."
"I cannot, Hiei. I have fallen in love with her the same way
Yoshitaka-kun had hundreds of years ago. I have loved her ever since I
first possessed her soulless body."
"W-what?" was all Hiei could reply, disgust and confusion etched on
his face. Was the former youko into necrophilia all this time?
"A shadow of her soul continues to exist in the same way Chuuku's
does... and it lives in this body the same way my youko soul does. I
cannot explain how, but her shattered sense of self has slowly permeated
into mine. Her selflessness... her kindness... her compassion...
everything about her personality I've slowly emulated, creating this
persona known as Minamino Shuichi."
Hearing, or rather not hearing his koorime friend's lack of a
response, Kurama stated, "I now have an opportunity to right my wrong.
Asuka-san was fated to become Minamino Shuichi, and now Minamino Shuichi
she will become. With Yoshitaka-kun's help, a miracle will happen
tonight."
"Don't mock me! You say that you've been planning this from the
start yet you've realized all of this just now? Wake up, Kurama! Don't
let Chuuku take over your mind!"
"Youko Kurama was to blame for that. He didn't want my sort of
resolution. He didn't want to fade away... He didn't want change. He
blocked all memory of my plans to resurrect the true Minamino Shuichi.
And it would have worked... if Chuuku hadn't come. The shadow man moved
according to the will of my subconscious and helped me remember what I
really wanted from the very beginning."
"And what the hell do you really want?" Hiei managed to hiss.
"I want to sacrifice my life for Asuka-san the same way she
sacrificed her life for Yoshitaka-kun. I will offer my youko soul and
have it transformed into her soul. From merely emulating her, I will now
become her," Kurama avowed with a determined glint in his eye. "This is
the best scenario for me. I will sacrifice my life for the ultimate
death scene, one that's even better than a star's death."
***
Yusuke felt it... or rather, he didn't. "Let's stop here, Botan."
"Hmmm? But we still have a long way to go before we reach the
park," Botan noted as she quelled the feeling of dread in the pits of
her stomach.
"We won't be able to reach the park from here," Yusuke said simply
as he pointed at their bleak surroundings. "Not at this point."
"But we're in a cemetery, Yusuke!" Botan protested as she felt her
skin crawl.
"I know. And he's also here."
Botan felt her heart get caught in her throat after hearing what
her companion said. "W-who's...?"
"Get away from here, Botan... Far away," Yusuke managed to whisper
before he abruptly jumped from the flying oar towards one of the
concrete tombstones twenty feet below.
"Yusuke, what in the world are you...?" Botan trailed off as she
saw the unanticipated.
All of a sudden, the silhouette of a man appeared from the dark
shadows behind the many rows of graves.
<I-impossible! How can he be here if he's with Kurama and Hiei?! He
can't be in two places at the same time!> Botan deliberated
disbelievingly, her panic rising to new heights. She was unwilling to
leave Yusuke yet she knew that she would be more of a hindrance than
actual help to the spirit detective if she stayed.
"Yusuke, don't you dare die on me! If you do, I'll ferry your soul
straight to hell!" Botan shouted as she departed from the graveyard.
Yusuke chuckled at Botan's unique 'farewell' before stepping down
from the sepulcher. He was later greeted with a monotonous, "It has been
forever, Urameshi Yusuke."
Yusuke grinned as he addressed the man's presence. "I figured you
of all people would hang out here... Chuuku."
***
Hiei merely looked at Kurama for all of three seconds before
replying, "If what you say is true, then you're a bigger fool than I
thought." Harrumphing, he added, "I have an even better scenario for
you... an even better death scene. Let's have death match. Your life is
mine and my life is yours."
"A death match?" Kurama disdainfully reiterated with half-lidded
eyes. "Then you're no better than Youko Kurama and his star's death."
"A star's death? I know of no such thing," Hiei stated grimly.
"What I do know is that I'm giving you the honor of dying by my hand."
"'Honor', is it?"
"It's certainly a better death than that nonsense you were planning
earlier. But would you do the same for me?"
"Pardon?" Kurama requested, confused.
"Would you give me the honor of dying by your hand?"
Everything had come full circle for the koorime. Despite Mukuro's
insistence of his continued existence, Hiei instinctively knew that he
had no more reason to live. He had already uncovered his mysterious
past. He had already found the whereabouts of his long lost sister. He
knew that she was alive and well, and that was all he needed to know.
And now he knew of a perfect way to end his life, a life that had
already run its course. It was a fitting death for a forbidden child
such as he.
"Shigure never gave me the satisfaction of dying by his hand, and
neither did Mukuro. Will you give me the satisfaction, old friend?" Hiei
queried.
Kurama went silent for a while before answering, "By fading away, a
new star is born. I will neither have a star's death nor a death by your
hand... I will have a star's rebirth."
But Hiei would not have any of that. <We finally meet, old friend.
I'm ready.> To Kurama, he avowed, "Enough talk. Let's fight!"
***
This was the first time Yusuke laid eyes on Chuuku's corporeal
form, yet he instinctively knew who the armor-clad man was.
So I suppose you're here to stop me from getting to Hiei and
Kurama... Ain't that right, Chuuku?" Yusuke said, not asked.
"But of course."
"What I don't understand is how'd you manage to be here and be with
Kurama and Hiei at the same time... Is it some sort of magic trick of
yours?" Yusuke inquired inquisitively.
"I am nothing, yet I exist. I am everywhere and nowhere at the same
time," Chuuku solemnly explicated.
"Whatever. Your move, faerie," the Spirit Detective challenged.
"As you wish." With that said, Chuuku immediately removed his
breastplate, revealing his powerful spirit void. Seeing that they were
in a graveyard, the dark abyss concentrated all its power on siphoning
just one particular life force, which was Yusuke's.
"Do you really think that the result of this fight will be
different from the last time?" Chuuku questioned, though it seemed more
of a statement with the utter deadness of his tone of voice.
"I don't. I'm not expecting anything. I don't fight expecting to
win... I fight because I'll never forgive myself if I let you do as you
will," Yusuke countered as he felt his spiritual power get slowly
drained off his body.
"'Will'? Such an interesting word," Chuuku whispered in
uncharacteristic mirth. Before long, the vacuum in his chest started to
get bigger as it sucked into it more of Yusuke Urameshi's rei.
<You've faced a lot of things, but have you ever faced a determined
Urameshi Yusuke?> a voice in Chuuku's subconscious mocked smugly.
"JYU REI JYOU ANTE!!!"
***
With no further hesitation or contestation, Hiei attacked.
Chuuku started to protectively move in front of Kurama, but the
half-youko waved the non-entity off. "Let him come. This is my fight. I
won't be long." The undead one merely nodded.
Faster than the eye could see, Hiei quickly began his furious
onslaught.
With smooth and graceful reflexes, Kurama before long reminded the
koorime what he was good at doing... evasion and defensive maneuvers.
The half-youko's seamless defense against Hiei's unrelenting offense; it
was the perfect deadlock, pure and simple.
The redhead instinctively weaved, parried and somersaulted away
from Hiei's deadly incursions, waiting ever so patiently for the right
time to attack. Whoever he was at the moment... whether Kurama, Youko
Kurama or Shuichi Minamino... his fighting technique remained the same,
so it made no difference to Hiei what Kurama currently called himself.
Hiei couldn't even begin to fathom the nonsense the half-youko was
trying to accomplish this time, but he did know this... Kurama could
only be Kurama.
<Being a self-righteous martyr is no way to live your life. Regret
doesn't make up for lost moments. You've got to savor each precious
second... until the very end.>
The fight... and how the fight was fought... was all that mattered
to the koorime. The struggle of life, for him, was life's very essence.
Hiei cut the distance between him and the kitsune as he started his
attack anew. His frustrated strikes from then on became more determined
as he focused them on Kurama's weapon.
In a little while, the fire demon hybrid's superior sword skills
overwhelmed the red-haired boy as the latter began to concentrate less
on avoiding and more on blocking.
It was just as Hiei wanted. He swiftly shifted his speed as, in the
span of a second, he executed thirty-four barely-detectable sword
strikes.
Moments later, a crimson spray erupted from Kurama's stolen body,
painting the landscape red as each and every one of those thirty-four
slashes struck home.
Unfortunately, the demon fox saw a key flaw in Hiei's offensive; it
left the fire demon wide open for counterattack by means of a sword
thrust.
Hiei grunted in pain and agony as he rolled away from Kurama's
position, the half-youko's Tsukeyaki Blade dripped in the koorime's
blood. Yet there was still a smirk on the jaganshi's face.
<I'm going to savor each precious second of this fight... until
the very end.>
Kurama knew it was ultimately a useless gesture, but he did it
anyway. He waved and pointed his grass sword at Hiei, enunciating, "Do
what you will. No mater what you do or say, I've already made up my
mind."
Hiei, wielding his sword steadfastly, contended, "Haven't you
listened to a word I've said? When I say that I'm going to kill you--"
The spiky-haired demon turned into a blur in mid-sentence, seemingly
surrounding Kurama before the redhead had a chance to dodge.
The hanyou readied his Tsukeyaki Blade as he positioned himself to
block.
The following events demonstrated the meaning behind the diminutive
youkai's unspoken words.
'I really will kill you.'
"Jaou-En-Satsu--Ken!"
***
The Spirit Detective's Luminescent Spirit Ante shone so brightly
that it seemed like daylight from the sun itself. The burst of energy
began to form into the image of a flaming blue phoenix as row upon row
of headstones started to chip and crack amidst the strong, scorching
winds produced by the manifestation of Yusuke's Spiritual Power.
In just a span of a few seconds, Chuuku's vacuum of darkness was
already brimming with Yusuke's nearly limitless spirit energy. The
expression on the undead one's face, though still flat and mostly
unreadable, now had a hint of concern and trepidation. His hollowness
dilated further to accommodate the surplus of rei.
The ground beneath Yusuke's feet began to buckle as he unwittingly
summoned even the slumbering ghosts of the dead. The half-demon's rei
went up a few notches as he absorbed the deceased spirits' ghostly
power.
The shadow man's usually expressionless mouth curved into an
outright frown. "This is...."
Mortuaries crumbled as graves were upturned. Everything went to
complete bedlam as Yusuke turned a place of eternal rest into a world
of chaos.
<How is it, Chuuku? How do you like your fight with Urameshi so
far? He's different from the last time you fought him, isn't he? You'll
see that every time you fight him he gets better and better.>
Instead of responding, Chuuku merely grit his teeth as he felt
something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Pain.
His cloak was now billowing against the blast of rei Yusuke exuded,
looking more and more frayed as time passed. The remnants of his armor
also began to crack under pressure, just like brittle ceramic.
<This Urameshi Yusuke's rei is... incredible. The amount of rei he
has now is equivalent to that of an army of a hundred thousand--no,
hundreds of thousands of warriors. It's like staring into the blinding
sun itself.>
<But of course. He is Urameshi Yusuke.>
Chuuku attempted to absorb more of Yusuke's spiritual power, but
that only resulted in further destruction of his corporeal form.
"Hey, the party's just getting started! What's the matter, Chuuku?
You're looking a bit down the weather," the half-demon denigrated.
<You're just a puppet with no willpower, and you're fighting
someone who _is_ willpower. Do you really think that you stand a
chance?>
<I will fight, but not by my own will.>
<I see. Then leave everything to me.>
Chuuku's black hole of nothingness abruptly dissipated and
disappeared.
Yusuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Giving up already?"
For the first time in a long, long time, Chuuku smiled. "Of course
not... Mugen Tou."
***
Hiei's flaming sword of darkness disintegrated Kurama's Tsukeyaki
Blade with no trouble at all, slashing and burning deep into the half-
youko's chest and producing third-degree burns.
Kurama frantically tried to escape from the koorime's Jaou-En-
Satsu--Ken, but the damage had been done. He could not even breathe
right, much less flee.
Hiei poised himself for one final strike as he pointed his fiery
blade at Kurama's throat, forcing the kitsune to backpedal to a corner.
"I have already made up my mind. If you will not be my death, then I
will be yours."
The burning sword of hell would have cleaved Kurama in half... one
half burning to oblivion while the other half swimming in a crimson
river of death... if not for the white, fibrous and ribbon-like object
that quickly wrapped itself around the jaganshi's blade, smothering the
flames and buffering the sword's sharp edge. Instead, the weapon
harmlessly batted the kitsune's forehead with a pathetic thump.
"What the hell is this?!" Hiei demanded, puzzled and alarmed.
The half-youko deftly grabbed the wrapped-up blade, much to the
fire demon's annoyance, as an uncharacteristic murderous gleam replaced
the compassionate green hue of his eyes.
Kurama gestured towards Hiei's bound blade, clarifying, "'This' is
a new crossbreed of a Demon World and Human World plant, cultivated
specifically to feed on plasma, such as Demon World flames. A perfect
countermeasure against your Jaou-En-Satsu techniques."
"...." was all Hiei could reply. In his mind, he rhetorically
asked, <Who the hell are you this time, Kurama?>
The red-haired boy smiled enigmatically. There was now an almost
mischievous glint in the kitsune's cruel eyes. "I will give you the
'satisfaction' you so desire, Jaganshi Hiei."
Even though Kurama was still in his human guise, Hiei effortlessly
recognized his sadistic, singsong intonation and the merciless yet
impish eyes. "Is that so... Youko Kurama?"
***
<M-Mugen Tou?> Yusuke hesitantly repeated in his head. "What in
the...?!"
The Demon Warlord descendant's half-stated question would soon have
an answer.
A sword made entirely out of Chuuku's void of nonexistence was now
in the non-entity's hands. Immediately afterwards, he disappeared.
Before Yusuke could even react, his rei-powered firebird had
already been split in half care of an incredible, imperceptible force.
Quickly, the Spirit World Detective felt as if the whole world fell
on his shoulders, threatening to crush him as he was sapped of his
spirit energy.
<Chuuku can use that black hole of his in a lot of ways... That
means...!> The sleek-haired young man's eyes widened. "Chuuku, you
fucker! You've imitated Kuwabara's Rei-Ken using that void of yours!"
"True. Instead of a sword made out of rei, it is a sword that can
cut through rei." Chuuku reappeared beside the detective moments later.
"This is the Mugen Tou. Prepare yourself, Urameshi Yusuke."
"Always." Yusuke snorted. "Bring it."
A myriad of Chuuku's afterimages filled the cemetery.
Instead of bothering to find out which of the phantasms was the
real Chuuku, Yusuke decided to 'fuck it' as he aimed his pointer finger
at all of the doppelgangers.
"REI GAN!"
The multitude of apparitions coalesced into one as Chuuku slashed
through the gigantic Spirit Ball, its rei dissipating into harmless heat
and light.
"You don't seem to understand the gravity--"
A thunderous right hook was Yusuke's response to Chuuku's deadpan
taunting.
***
The scarlet-haired young man identified as Youko Kurama gingerly
wiped the blood on his chest, absently licking it off his fingers. "I
have anticipated your use of the Jaou-En-Satsu--Ken, which was why I've
been sowing this hybrid plant's seeds everywhere. In so saying, you
can't use your Jaou-En-Satsu techniques on me so easily."
Hiei clutched his sword's hilt tightly as Youko Kurama maintained
his grip on the sword's tightly-bound blade. "So you have everything
figured out, eh? You're far too arrogant and self-assured, but this is
preferable to the endlessly meandering Kurama."
"But of course. A star's death is only possible to achieve once my
opponent wins against these sorts of odds. Are you still up to the
challenge, forbidden child of the koorime?"
"Whether you're Kurama or the youko, you still don't know when to
shut up." Hiei twisted his fiber-wrapped sword away from the demon fox
and attacked with the weapon's blunted tip.
Youko Kurama chuckled harshly as something began to envelop his
right hand. <Minamino Shuichi didn't even have the decency of letting me
transform into my true form, but this will do. Perhaps I will have my
star's death after all.>
***
To be Continued...
Next: Kurama's death, Shuichi's birth
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.
An impromptu apology to my prereader, Patti... Sorry for
sending this without getting your reply for the latter half first,
but it has been two weeks. ^^; Hope you understand, and good luck
on your finals! ^-^
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
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