Memories of a Life Long Passed

Chapter 10

Gone Fishing

“... Kurama,” Hiei turned the kitsune’s head back toward his own, “do you remember the false jagan?” Pain lit Kurama’s eyes as he nodded, keeping his gaze on the bed. The fire demon blinked, not used to seeing Kurama act this way. He decided to ask what was bothering him as soon as the kitsune answered the questions he had currently in mind. “Do you know where it is?”

“I...” The red head shook his head, regaining some of his usual composure. “Yes. I tossed it into a lake nearest to one of my dens... Why didn’t I think of that? The false jagan would find that bracelet easily.” Of course it was one of many items that he had stolen sixteen years ago... but it was one that he despised the most.

“Let’s go.” Hiei growled, “Koenma better let me at least go home long enough to retrieve that stupid false jagan, then take back the bracelet.” He had a few ideas as to what he’d like to do to the annoying little god, given the chance.

“Hiei, wait.” Kurama grabbed the jaganshi’s arm as he began to rise. “It’s-”

“We’re home! I hope everyone is decent!” Yusuke shouted as he swung open the door. Kurama rolled his eyes, shaking his head while Hiei glared daggers at the door.

“Damn him... Trust the human to keep it quiet, huh?” The fire demon shot Kurama a dirty look then stood, moving to the other side of the room just as Kuwabara’s bedroom door opened.

“Hey guys, brought you some food back...” The brown eyed spirit detective laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Didn’t have much money left so I just bought some nori-bento.”

“That’s fine, I love anything from Hoka-Hoka Bento.” Kurama said as he was handed a bag.

“Hmph.” Hiei crossed his arms over his chest, foot tapping impatiently against the wall he leaned against.

Yusuke glanced at Hiei and then tossed a bag at the jaganshi. “There’s some here for you too Hiei, if you want it.”

Shouting was heard from further down the hall. Guessing from the tones of the voices, it was Kuwabara and Shizuru. Kurama raised an eyebrow, “what are they fighting about this time?”

“Believe me, you don’t want to know. I’ve had to put up with their fighting ever since we started walking back from Hoka-Hoka.” The spirit detective let out a low whistle. “I learned things about Kuwabara that I rather not know in the first place, but I guess that’s Shizuru’s way of pissing him off. Bleh, good thing I ate before we left.”

All this banter was starting to wear on Hiei’s nerves. “Why can’t we go yet? Hurry up and eat, if that is all that’s holding you back.” Hiei pushed himself away from the wall then started walking towards the door. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

“You’re leaving?” Yusuke glanced between the two with a look of confusion. “What’s going on?”

“We found something that would be able to find the bracelet.” Kurama said as he swallowed another quick bite.

The spirit detective rubbed his hands, smiling. “Nice. So where are we going?”

Hiei snorted, “we? No. Me and Kurama will be leaving for the Makai as soon as he’s finished. You'll stay here, I don’t feel like baby-sitting you and the ape.” With that being said, he left the room to wait for Kurama outside.

“Jeeeeeze... You think he’d be a little nicer now that he’s getting some. Heh,” Yusuke chuckled as Kurama nearly choked on his bento. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

~oOo~

The wind blowing across the Makai smelled oddly pleasant. Of course, the usual odor of blood still floated by, but it was otherwise filled with the aroma of fresh blossoms. Hiei’s curiosity was nearly peaked as he passed by a bush that had the strongest concentration of the scent.

Kurama held out his arm, blocking Hiei’s path. “Don’t, they smell that good for a reason.” He picked up a small stick and tossed it toward the bush. A vine thick with sticky spikes sprang out, snatching the stick out of the air and brought it back to a previously unseen mouth. “They’re a very rare plant now. As far as I knew sixteen years ago, this area was the only one that held them.” The kitsune held out his hand, the plant reacting much like a dog would. The bulb twitched and jumped until it was able to rub against Kurama’s outstretched hand.

“Come on, let’s hurry on to the lake.” Hiei turned, took a few steps, then paused. “Are there any other surprises that you’ve left around here?”

“Yes. It’d be wise to stay close... Hmm, how good are you at hiding small things?” The red head smiled as he walked towards the lake with Hiei. His den wasn’t too far away, nestled under a large and very ancient tree’s roots. The area wasn’t densely populated with trees, like the edge of a thinning forest. Sun glinted off of the water of the large lake, almost blinding the two demons.

“Why?”

Kurama jerked his head back in the general area of his den. “I have a good stash of priceless items in this den. If you’d help me smuggle some back, I’d be willing to share a few with you.”

Hiei laughed, “I’d be willing, even if was for nothing more than thumbing my nose at that stifling little god.” He smirked up at Kurama; it was the first time in ages that the two had talked about such things. “Good... For a while there, I was worried the legendary bandit had been tamed.”

The kitsune smirked down at Hiei. “If you thought that, then you don’t know me very well. Ah, finally...” He said as they reached the lake’s shoreline. “Wait,” Kurama said when Hiei started to walk closer to the lake.

“Don’t tell me you have traps in there as well.”

“I wouldn’t call them traps.” Kurama tossed a stone into the water. A large fish erupted from the surface, snapping at it’s would be victim. It’s teeth were long, pointed, and jagged. They were almost the size of Hiei’s head, minus the hair. An uncountable number of eyes were stacked in rows along the front and side of it’s head. “When I last came here, I had only introduced a few to the lake... I wonder how many are in there now?”

“Go check, and while you’re down there get the false jagan.” Hiei leaned against a boulder half his size, the small stones under his shifting feet loudly banging into one another.

“I wish it were that simple. They don’t listen to me like my plants do.” Kurama stared out at the water, lost in thought. “Eight years ago, I threw the false jagan into this lake...”

“Why? Doesn’t sound like something a bandit would want to give up. Although, from what I’ve seen, Kuronue didn’t care for it.” Kurama winced at Hiei’s words, reminding the little demon of a question he put off earlier. “Kurama-”

“Hold on.” The red head sighed, rolling a seed between his fingers. “This plant isn’t easy to come by,” he mumbled absently to himself. Reluctantly Kurama tossed the seed into the water, watching it grow very quickly. What looked like a blue bag with white speckles formed, growing larger than either demons’ height combined. Within seconds the bulb had slowed from it’s speedy growth, just as one of the fish closed in on it. The plant jerked a few times as Kurama and Hiei watched intently. Soon after the movements died down the outline of the fish was squeezed through to the top of the bag, then started to dissolve. “The bulb is filled with an acid that breaks down it’s prey to a decent size, what’s left is the nutrients the plant needs to live on. Usually plants like this don’t feed but once a week.” Kurama fell silent as the plant was tugged on again. “The vines that hang down are filled with billions of hairs, each sharp enough to pierce most armor. Inside the hairs are a poison that will paralyze it’s victim long enough to be broken down in it’s stomach... It’s remarkably like the blue ringed octopus of the human world. Well, poison wise it is.”

“The what?”

“Heh, never mind... The lake will be empty in a half hour, at the least.” Kurama turned a devious smirk to the jaganshi. “What do you think we should do? Go back to my stash, or have some fun on the beach?”

“Neither, for right now at least...” There was little chance for interruption here, the perfect chance to talk about what was bugging his lover. “Kurama, what’s been bothering you?”

The kitsune shook his head, looking beyond Hiei at the path they had just been on. “Kuronue... He meant a lot more to me than I was willing to admit at the time. He was a great partner...” Kurama cleared his throat. “We had used the false jagan a year before, everything had went so well and we hadn’t stolen anything noteworthy for a while, so we used it once again. This time it located a mirror in a palace not too far away. The heist itself was easy but when we were escaping from the guards, the chain of Kuronue’s necklace broke. He refused to leave it behind, so he went back for it. That’s when the bamboo trap came down... Almost every part of his body was pierced... I wanted to go back and free him, but he told me to save myself. I know he fought to the last, try to distract them so could I escape. I couldn’t bear leaving him behind.” Kurama paused, memories of the time after losing his partner passing through his memory. Nothing he had ever been through in his very long life had been as painful as that. “For a while I felt like it was my fault, using the false jagan was my idea. Kuronue didn’t like using it, he called it cheating. I was the one that convinced him the last time to use it...” The red head closed his eyes then turned his head to the side. “No one trusted me as much as he did. I think... he felt more for me than he let on.”

Hiei turned Kurama’s face towards his own, ignoring the surprised look in Kurama’s eyes as he did so. He didn’t try to rationalize his sudden need to comfort the kitsune, he just went off each impulse that came to him. “It wasn’t your fault. If he was dumb enough to head back into danger for a stupid necklace, then his death was his own fault. Even a child knows better than that.” To silence the protest that was on Kurama’s lips, he kissed the red head until his resolve melted away and his hands roamed Hiei’s body. “We only have a half an hour?” Hiei grumbled, panting slightly.

“Mmm...” Kurama leaned back for another quick kiss then looked back at the lake. “The scent of blood might attract unwanted attention... let’s go back to my den for a bit.” The kitsune leaned his head down, lips touching Hiei’s ear. “I have several beds and a bath to play in, while we wait. For all I know, it could take it hours to clean out the lake so it’s safe for us to enter.”

“Heh, sounds good to me.”