Brides

Sorry for the delay in updates. B's been very busy. We're getting a new house, I'm getting promoted at work and a raise, and at the end of August I'm going to Belize. Life is Good.
As always reviews are welcomed, both good and bad. Just please explain your reasoning so I can get something from it.
Enjoy
b-chan AKA Saiyanb

"Kurama," said Baba cutting the almost comfortable atmosphere. Everyone turned to look at the old red oni. "It’s your turn."

"I understand," said Kurama moving towards the room.

"Oi, does she really have to go in that place?" asked Yusuke in disgust.

"Yes," said the old red oni.

"I hope she’ll be okay," said Kori to her side. "Kurama’s pretty old, you can create so many good and bad experiences in so long a time," said the silver fox biting her thumbnail.

"Don’t worry," said Hiei softly watching the red head walk straight into the room without hesitation. "Kurama’s not like us, too cold and collective to let the past interfere with present or future possibilities of happiness, I doubt there are many things Kurama truly regrets."

"Kurama," said Yusuke watching as the door closed behind the red head. "I hope you’re right Hiei."

Kurama stood tall in the dark room, no expression at all on her face as she waited for the trail to start. So this place is going to show her past and try to teach her a lesson? They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, we’ll see if that’s true or not.

The colors lazily appeared and were slow to come to focus, showing just how old and fussy those memories were.

Kurama’s face didn’t change at all a litter of fox pups crawled about roughly and clumsy playing with each other, there were two rusty common reds, four blacks, and one white almost silver pup all pulling on each other’s ears and tails. A litter of seven was considered to be a lucky number to youkos, and Kurama the white/silver had been the last making him the lucky one of the group. Curled up in the dark den with them was their vixen mother, a common red. She went about her task of cleaning and nursing them, separating the ones that got too rough. Life had been simple and unadventurous in the beginning, Kurama had been content at the time for she’d known nothing else, just the litter, her mother, and father; that was all there was in the world. The scene in the den progressed and the pups grew in size and strength, till they became old enough to go outside for a little while and play, learning new skills. Kurama had been one of the more lively and curious of the group, always exploring whatever he’d found, wanting to go off and look at things. Her father a black youko was always barking at him and forcefully dragging him back to the group.

The scene changed to the den again everyone was settle down to for the night, when Kurama’s father’s head snapped up, ears twitching. The female youko stirred and glanced up at him in a sleepy matter. He gave her a little nudge and silently rose to leave the den. The female youko was now much more alert, tense, and waiting for her mate’s return. She gentle nuzzled and licked the pups that whined at the loss of their papa’s body heat.

Watching the scene Kurama’s eyes narrowed, knowing what was going to happen next.

The black youko came racing back into the den with a loud yip to his mate and bent to scoop up one of the black pups in his mouth. Not wasting any time the female did like wise, picking up a red pup, both ran out the back entrance. The litter of kits was now up and about, whining and frightened at the loss of their parents, they could hear noises outside, barks and scuffs of feet.

The pups yipped and crowded around their parents as the two raced back into the den after a few minutes, they didn’t stop to comfort they each grabbed another pup and disappeared out the back entrance again. The fear of the pups rose and they began to cry, two blacks and Kurama the white left in the den.

Some kind of dog like creature found the front entrance to the den and began digging at it, barking and growling into the passages, maw snapping in an attempt to find and grab one of the pups that could be heard whining inside. The hound was grabbed and pulled away from the hole and a worst terror replaced it. Thick smoke began to fill the den as a youkai of some kind set a fire to try and smoke them out.

The kits coughed and sneezed as they wiggled around in the suffocating space, which was now full of thick smoke. Kurama’s wondering had made him lose the other two kits as he moved towards the second entrance where it was easier to breath. His once fluffy white-coat now an ashy gray. The red and black forms returned and the red youko disappeared down the hole to look for one of the other two pups while the black picked Kurama up in his jaws, waiting nervously for his mate. There was a loud roar of barks and six hounds races at them. The black youko gave a warning yip around his body and the red youko ran out kit less. The two youkos broke out into a run, Kurama held in his father’s jaws. The sounds of youkais and hounds followed as a foxhunt began.

The female yipped and the two separated, running in opposite directed to try and confuse them. Half of the hounds followed after the red youko braying loudly, the other half followed after the black along with the hounds’ youkai masters who were more interested in the two-tailed black youko then his red one-tailed mate.

The sound of his father’s panting breath had been defending to the young Kurama as he was carried in his mouth. The black youko gave a quick burst of speed and ran beyond eye-sight of them, but not sound, pursuit could be heard behind them. The black fox stopped and put Kurama down pushing him into some low brush and covering him up with leaves, he then turned and bolted again as the hounds caught up and raced at him.

The black youko stopped and a gray mist enveloped his body, from that mist a tall handsome youko appeared. This face was narrow, eyes slanted and liquid gold, hair down his back in long locks of pitch black. He had a cold beauty to him, beautiful and deadly. Around the black youko’s arm was a long vine of ivy, a swing of his arm and the vine uncoiled itself to form a whip with razor sharp leaves along its length.

One swing and one of the three dogs lay dead, body still twitching. The other two bared teeth and ran at him. The youko danced away from them and swung his whip again.

One, two, another dog lay cut to pieces, the last dog had circled back and managed to sink its teeth into the black youko’s calf. The youko ground his teeth and raised the ivy vine, which shifted to a long sword, many leaves created a jagged edge blade. The black youko struck the dog several times, till it finally let go of his leg and fell dead to the ground.

A loud boom sounded through the forest and the black youko staggered back, one hand moving up to cover his right breast were blood was starting to stain his black robes. Several more loud booms and the black youko’s body jerked with each, more crimson strained his clothes as he sank to his knees, blood staining the forest floor. The youkai hunters gather around the fallen youko, guns held ready and laughing cruel as the youko struggled to remain alive.

Boom!

The black kitsune slid forward to fall on his stomach, long gleaming hair trailing behind in silky waved that settled like a black curtain over his back. Those liquid gold eyes slid close and his pale face relaxed in eternal surrender. The hunters laughed and kicked at the dead youko, grumbling a bit about the lose of three dogs. Then quickly forgot both the dead dogs and youko as they went off to look for the rest of their pack and any signs of the vixen.

Once they were gone, the young silver pup crawled out of the brushes and over to the bloody body of his father. He licked the red liquid staining his father’s cheek in a comforting gesture and pulled back wincing and shaking his little head as the salty copper taste of blood greeted him. His little triangle ears flattened on his head as he looked around for any signs of his kin, but saw only the gory remains of his father. He was all alone….

The silver pup’s tail drooped and he bowed his head. He snapped it back up in fright as another loud boom filled the air, but it was not a gunshot this time. It began to rain, at first softly then with growing volume, soaking the kit within seconds. The silver pup sat down on his hind legs before the blood body and lifted his head to howl a small mournful note that cut even the loud patter of rain.

Throughout all this Kurama’s face had never changed, still that calm emotionless look on her too young face. A face that beyond to a young ningen girl, but in truth Kurama was anything but that. She was many years older then people believed her to be, she’d lived a long life, which had long ago dulled her to such traumatic scenes. Instead of the grief or loss that most would feel after view such a scene Kurama felt interest and curiosity. Her thoughts drifted to the four kits and red youko, his mother, wondering if they’d survived. Surely the two in the den had suffocated to death, but there was a good chance that the vixen had returned to the four they’d managed to save. Of course the likeliness that any of them could possible be alive today was slim to none, even if they’d grown up few demons lived to be as old as she. In a world were it was the survival of the fittest the young and old alike were not given good changes, though Kurama hardly considered herself old, to be old you need wrinkle and gray hair. While Kurama’s hair was white in her youko form it was that color naturally and not from any warring of time. The youko would be beautiful for many hundreds of years to come if she lived that long.

"Lucky number," muttered Kurama softly to herself. She was lucky, lucky to have survived, but also very unlucky. After that day she’d been a lone fox, taking only short partnerships with others and growing up alone in a dog-eat-dog world. Most foxes desired companionship, specially the company of other youkos, but she had been a lone for many years.

She’d survived and grown, learning as she went to steal, fight, and control her powers as they emerged. Life had not been comfortable, but it was pleasant enough. She hadn’t grown up angry or bitter, just a deep feeling of loneliness, and a need to live life fuller. And to that extent, she’d started putting her life into more risky situations, tempting death looking for a kind of high. Of course she hadn’t always been alone, there had been a few that she’d really cared about and let wrap themselves around her heart, of course they were all gone now…

"Kurama-kun!" called out a cheerful voice.

Kurama turned and looked at an image of a young version of her youko self, she had only one tail back then, young indeed. A white youko girl ran up to him, her fur wasn’t the same silvery color as Kurama’s but truly a pure white.

"Meikan," smiled Kurama catching the girl as she all but jumped into his arms.

"Kurama-kun, you’re back so soon from your heist," she smiled from ear to ear. "How did it go? Did you get a big payload this time?"

The silver youko laughed. "You bet, they were loaded."

The female youko squealed and wrapped her arms around his. "Then you’ll take me out some where fun?" she asked tail waving behind her like a puppy dog.

Kurama laughed and leaned down to take her chin in hand and kiss her. "Sure, I’ll get you what ever you want," he said voice full of affection and devotion to the white youko.

"Yah!" cheered the female pulling free, taking a few steps forward, then spinning around to look at him. "Come on! Let’s go! Let’s go!" she cheered in a rather girlish fashion.

"Meikan…" said the red head to the side watching as the energetic white youko pulled him around the market place, making him buy lots of presents for her. No look of affection graced Kurama’s face as it had her younger self. No, if anything his eyes narrowed at the girl. Meikan had been the first person she’d truly loved, back then she’d have done anything, anything for her. She’d thought of her as her girl, possible her life partner. God she’d been so foolish.

Their laughing voice slowly faded out as the scene changed to a growling Kurama standing before a tall handsome black youko with shoulder length hair. Behind that black stood Meikan.

Kurama lunged at the black attempting to sock him a good one under the jaw, but the black danced away from him with no trouble at all, even laughed at Kurama’s attempts.

Kurama’s eyes zoomed in to look at the black’s three tails, it was truly no match she’d been much weaker back then. The black slammed his elbow between Kurama’s shoulder blades as the silver youko swung at him and missed exposing his backside.

With a huff the silver kissed the ground, body complaining loudly as he tried to breath and push himself up to glare at his opponent.

"You should learn not to pick fights outside your class," smirked the youko. "See these," said the black turning around and gesturing at his tail(s), which could be sensed by other youkos though not really seen. They were only visible in their fox forms. "I have three tails while you, little pup, only have one." He bent down and fisted his hand into Kurama long hair. "I’m stronger then you so I get what I want, that’s the way it works," he said shoving Kurama’s face back into the dirt and mud. "Come on Meikan, let’s go," he said beckoning the white youko, not even making sure she followed him.

The white hesitated only a second before turning to follow after him.

"Me-Meikan!" shouted Kurama pushing himself up on his forearms. "Meikan, don’t go!"

The white vixen did stop, but she didn’t turn to look at him. "I’m going Kurama," she stated.

"NO!" protested Kurama. "You don’t have to do what he say! Stay please!" he said moving into a kneeling position.

"Why should I?" barked the vixen turning to look at him over her shoulder.

"Because I love you!" shouted Kurama.

The female paused then laughed. "Love? My dear Kurama I never loved you."

The silver’s face fell with the words. "But… you- we…"

"Don’t look so shocked sweetie pie," she said turning to face him. "It was fun while it lasted, but I prefer stronger bedmates. This new one will do till I find someone better, a girl needs to keep her eyes open. I’ve been eyeing three-tails," she said gesturing over her shoulder in the direction the black youko had gone, "for a long time now. I like what I see. In fact, I’ve already had him and he’s superior to you in more then one way," she grinned.

The silver’s hands clenched into fists and a look of mixed pain anger flashed in his golden eyes.

"Maybe when you get some more tails we can have another go," she laughed turning and running after the black youko.

Kurama’s enraged roar filled the air. "You bitch!" he screamed bowing his head and letting his long silky mane trail down in the mud. "I really did love you…." He whispered, voice raw with heart broken emotions, tears of loss and unrequited love slid down his cheeks.

She remember going around in a depressed mood for a full month after that, thinking she’d never find another girl like Meikan, but she did. She found hundreds like her, they didn’t love, they used and cheated and played games, never returned any true emotions or feels. After a while of getting her heart broken repeatedly she to began to not care. She stopped looking for someone to love and started looking for short one-night stands. Sex and pleasure became far more appealing. She could chase after a pretty face and never have to worry about finding out what that face’s personality was like. Those years sex had been good, she’d enjoyed many partners and they’d enjoyed her. The good times ended when she achieved her third tail, and build a famous name for herself. She became sot after, a silver dream that everyone wanted to experience. She’d willingly allowed many that dream, but they became abscessed with it and wanted to hold on to it after she’d lost interest. After the conquest was over and the prey no longer entertaining; loaded down with emotional baggage she wanted nothing to do with. So every where she’d gone she left behind a trail of lovers, pathetic broken creatures, who’d lost their sparks and became submissive emotionally depended things. Very few managed to capture her fascination and keep it.

A deep sexy laugh greeted her ears and she watched in awe and pain as a familiar dark figure formed before her. The figure was dressed in black, with many black straps wrapped around his arms, long glossy black hair pulled up in a high ponytail, tattered beaten hat, gracefully arched bat like wings, and a blood red gem stone strung on a silver chain resting on his pale chest.

"Kuronue?" said Kurama mask momentarily breaking as she took a step towards the chimera she so long to see again, reaching out to touching him with trembling hands.

Her fingers stopped just shy of touching him and the mask fell back into place with a bit of regret. "You’re not real…" she said softly dropping her hand. Kuronue had been one of those rare few that had Kurama fascinated and longing for more even to this day. The chimera had never lost his spark only twinkled more brightly and alluring to Kurama the more she’d gotten to know him. She’d loved him, truly loved him as a friend, lover, and partner. She believed that if things had been different she could have lived out the rest of eternity with him and not have regretted a day of it.

The scene was that of a heist she’d made long ago a highly guarded forte of some rich youkai merchant. That was where they’d first met, it was truly an unforgettable meeting indeed.

Kurama watched as her silver self silently moved through a booby-trapped room towards a large blue gem that shown like a night star in the dim light. The youko licked his lips as he came within half a dozen feet of the stone, eyes judging its stand and what kind of traps had been set up to protect it. As he’d started moving to attempt to remove the stone a soft sound greeted his triangular ears and he looked up to watch as a tall winging youkai slid down a rope upside down till his head was level with the stand containing the very gem Kurama was hovering over. The dark youkai didn’t even notice him till he’d turned around on the rope to face the gem and came face to face with a silver youko. A long silent pause filled the air between them as they started dumb founded at each other, Kurama with arms posed to take the stone and the dark chimera hanging upside down right in front of it. At the same time they broke eye contact and glanced at the stone, then back at each other, and then the once again the stone. They both frowned then make a grab for it. Kurama got to it first, but once he’d lifted it up he had to apply pressure to the same spot it’d been on to make sure the alarm didn’t go off. The chimera wasn’t going to be polite and let him have the gem. He’d slapped one long black wing at the silver fox giving him a good whack that nearly made Kurama fall and set off the alarms. With a wink the Chimera had snatched the gem from his hand and then started back up the rope.

"Wait!" barked Kurama placing a seed down on the stand and growing it in a hurry to keep pressure on the spot. "That’s mine, you damn dirty thief!"

"Mine now," grinned the chimera, he tossed down a hand full of round stones that exploded on the floor and set off half a dozen alarms. "I’ll let you deal with the welcoming party, bye!" waved the chimera disappearing into the ceiling panels.

"You-!" growled Kurama jumping up and scrambling up the rope after the bat creature. "Come back here!" he snarled crawling after the chimera as troops started filling the room. The two scrambled around into the air ducts making quit a ruckus as the chimera kicked back at him and he pulled on his legs and wings.

"That’s mine you thief!" snapped Kurama pulling on a long wing.

"Finders keepers!" growled back the chimera kicking and nailing Kurama right in the face with his foot.

"Owww!" growled Kurama rubbing his face as the Chimera increased his pace trying to get away while the fox was distracted.

"That’s it!" barked Kurama in a puff of smoke he transformed into his three-tailed kitsune form and ran after him darting between the chimera’s knees. The fox turned, gave him a lick on the nose, grabbed the stone in his maws, and took off down the duct.

"Why you-!" shouted the chimera scrambling after the swift fox.

Kurama was too busy looking over his shoulder at the crawling chimera to see the sudden dropped in the duct till he started rolling ass over tea-kettle down it.

Thinking he’d lost the fox the chimera had dove after him and ended up sliding down the steep duct as well.

"Ahhhhh!" both rammed into a vent and busted through it to land in a heap.

"Gotcha!" growled the chimera picking up Kurama, hand going up to grab the gem stone trying to pull it out of the fox’s mouth.

Kurama growled around the gem and held on tightly. Both suddenly stopped, eyes moving to the side. Sitting around doing various things was a whole mess load of youkais, apparently they’d landed in the armory where all the troops had gathered to get weapons. Sweat drops ran down the sides of the chimera and fox’s heads.

"Get them!" roared one guard and the others jumped into action.

Kurama jumped up and transformed back into his youko form as the chimera pulled out a curved blade on a thin wire and slashed it at one guard. Kurama jumped up and kicked a youkai in the head causing him to go crashing into several others, blocking the path to them for a moment.

The fox and chimera turned and ran out the room, youkai’s were soon to follow.

"This is all your fault!" shouted the chimera.

"My fault! It’s yours for stealing my gem and tripping the alarms!"

"You mean my gem!" shouted the chimera jumping on Kurama’s back and grabbing at the gem.

"Ahhh! I don’t need this right now!" shouted Kurama holding the gem out of the chimera reach, tugging at the arm wrapped around his neck, while running away from a hoard of demons. The chimera kicked out with his feet and knocked Kurama off his. The stone fell from his grip and went skipping along the floor. The chimera wasted no time and jumped off the flattened fox’s back to grab the stone and ran.

"You bastard!" shouted Kurama getting up in a hurry and tossing a handful of seeds behind him. They exploded into vines and grabbed at the youkai’s slowing them down.

Kurama was right behind the chimera now grabbing at his backside, fingernails scraping along his back and wings.

"You’re such a sore loser!" complained the chimera.

"I haven’t lost yet!" shouted Kurama jumping and catching the chimera’s legs, who landed hard on his chin, biting his tongue. Kurama grabbed the gem stepping on the chimera back and head and ran off, waving at the chimera over his shoulder.

The chimera roared with rage and ran after him. The two ran down the hall kicking and punching at each other, the gem changed hands more then once as they went.

They came skidding into a room and stopped dead as they were greeted by dozens of youkai guards blocking their way, more filled into the room that had been chasing them down the hall.

The chimera cursed softly. "Look, why don’t we settle this gem business later and work on getting out of here alive."

"Agreed," said Kurama reaching into his hair. "Rose whip!" he called snapping the flower into a long whip with wicket thorns.

"Nice," said the chimera brandishing his curved blades. "You’re not one of those kinky dominatrix are you?" asked the chimera slashing at one youkai that charged forward.

"I’m a youko!" said Kurama snapping his whip about, taking youkai heads and limbs off left and right.

"Oops, my mistake," grinned the Chimera. "I’m Kuronue, what do they call you?"

"Kurama, kind of an odd place to introduce yourself, don’t you think," said the youko taking off another youkai’s head and slice one in half with the same swing.

"What better time is there?" said the chimera. "You want to take a coffee break and get better acquainted?" he said sarcasm dipping from his voice.

"Actually I prefer tea, but that does sound rather nice right now," said the smart-ass youko.

"Well then it’s a date!" said the chimera throwing his blade and yanking on the wire to make it curve into the path of two youkais, cutting deep into them.

Kurama only smirked over his shoulder at the Chimera. He reached into his hair and pulled out some seeds scattering them across the floor. "Get ready to run for it," he told the chimera.

"Why? Yip!" shouted Kuronue as the floor exploded in a forest of youkai eating planets.

"That’s why," said Kurama grabbing his arm and pulling him along. They smacked the few youkais standing it the hall out of the way and ran down it.

"Yatta! We’re home free for sure now!" shouted Kurama turning the door in front of them and almost falling into a pit, only his death grip on the knob had prevented him from swimming with the fishes, who looked rather hungry below them in their moot.

"They raised the drawbridge," said Kuronue grabbing Kurama and yanking him back up.

"Crap, I might be able to rig up a pulley system, but-" he glanced back the way they’d came where the youkais could be heard coming their way.

"Don’t bother," said Kuronue scooping up the shocked fox and spreading his wings.

"Wait a minute!" squealed Kurama at the bat youkai jumped. Kurama breathed in awe as they glided gracefully across the moot and out of harms way to land lightly on the other side.

"Oh you’re useful," smiled Kurama letting go of the chimera and standing on his own feet.

"Thanks, now I believe you were going to give me the stone," said Kuronue holding out his hand.

"What, no way!" shouted Kurama holding on to the blue gem. Kurama stuck out his tongue at the chimera and ran off.

"Why you-!"

The chimera followed in pursuit, leaping and grabbing Kurama’s ankles. With a cry Kurama landed hard on his stomach, the air knocked out of him, the stone rolled out of his hands and lay before him.

"No you don’t!" said Kurama grabbing a hold of the chimera as he tried to get up and get the stone. The two rolled around on the ground pulling on each other’s hair, punching, and having one nasty cat-fight, till a large Makai bird landed right in front of the stone and looked down at it curiously. The two froze.

"No, no, no, no!" they said to the bird shaking their heads wildly.

The bird looked at them curiously then bent and picked up the gem in its bill, it swallowing the gem in one gulp.

Kurama and Kuronue’s mouths dropped as the bird spread its wings and took off leaving them both gems less. They turned to each other mouths still open.

"This is all your fault!" they said as one and started wrestling again.

Kurama couldn’t help it, she started to laugh, a good soul shaking laugh that lit up her whole face. That had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Still giggling she watched as she and Kuronue choked each other, ending up in a panting tangled heap.

"You know we make better partners then enemies," said the chimera straightening his hat.

"I’ll say," said the youko, still lying on top of the chimera and didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked down right cozy being on the bat chimera.

The chimera didn’t seem to mind much either he reached up a hand and tugged on a few strains of silver mane. "We’ll then, since neither of us has much to show for his little episode, why don’t we go have a drink together?"

"Huh, just because I lost a little gem doesn’t mean I’ve got to go drown my sorrows in booze."

"Oh come on," grinned the chimera reaching around and pulling on Kurama’s tail making the youko glare at him. "You promised you’d go on a date with me."

"I’m not going on a date with you!" snapped Kurama.

"Find then," smiled the chimera putting his hands behind his head. "Then I won’t take you on a date you can take me."

Kurama snorted again and looked down at the grinning chimera who raised an eyebrow at him. Kurama couldn’t help himself he smiled at the charming bat youkai. "Very well," he said sketching on top of the youkai then getting up. "A drink it is," he said giving the chimera a hand up.

Yes, thought Kurama the start of a beautiful friendship, more then a friendship, as the two had consumed more then a couple drinks and ended up in the sack together.

They’d decided they fit perfectly together in more then one way and had agreed to do some jobs together, which had quickly grown into a partnership. They did everything together from then on. Being with Kuronue had been the happiest times of her life: good sex, good friend, good partner, what more was there? The two were an unstoppable team.

The room showed many images of the two together, good times that she could only look on with a smile. Yes very good times, the smile fell as a familiar scene began to play one that had haunted her every day after.

The two ran from a demon forte, Kurama with a mirror underarm. They looked so confident and smug as they ran through the bamboo forest, till the soft chime as the chain around Koronue’s neck broke and the blood red gem slipped off his throat.

"No Kuronue!"

"I need it!"

He sprang off a pole and ran after the treasure, once he retrieved it, he turned to look at Kurama and that was when the trap was sprung. Long shoots of bamboo shout down to skewer the dark chimera, blood followed like fountains from the shoots.

Kurama couldn’t help it as she sank to her knees before the bloody sight as if it were some symbol to be worshiped.

"Don’t worry about me Kurama, run!"

And she had, she’d run as he’d asked, though her eyes had stung with unshed tears as she did. Even to this day she’d never forgiven herself for leaving him. She should have stayed with him till his last breath, had died by his side as a true partner and friend. Why had she left him?!

She watched as the scenes changed, that was the birth of the Kurama of leagues, the cold-hearted youko that sent chills down everyone’s spine with his icy beauty. She’d slowly turned into an uncaring cold statue of ice that nothing could melt. As the scenes passed Kurama watched as her face grew darker and darker, she just didn’t cared any more. She didn’t care about anything, she took hard jobs, killed without mercy, used others like toys and discarded them without a thought. She simply didn’t care about anyone any more, not even herself.

"Kuronue," said Kurama crawling forward on her knees to kneel before the bloody chimera, whose image hadn’t faded. "I’ll never forgive myself Kuronue," she said. "Never…" she whispered.

"Kurama," called that familiar voice.

"Kuronue?" said Kurama lifting her head and looking around. Was she hearing things?

"Kurama."

"Kuronue? Where are you Kuronue?!"

"I’m here Kurama. I’m with you right now. You can’t see me but I’m here, I’ve always been here watching you." Kurama could feel the ghost of an embrace wrap her shoulders and leaned back into the air, as if someone were holding her. She closed her eyes and there he was, tall, dark, and handsome, just as she remembered him.

"Kuronue," she smiled reaching out too embrace him, but he stepped back from her. "Kuronue?" she called.

"Kurama, you have to let me go."

"No," said Kurama shaking her head. "I’ve just found you again stay with me please," said Kurama.

"I have been with you Kurama, I never left your side. When you ran away that day, I was right at your side as I always have, because I couldn’t let you go any more then you could me. But, I’m tired Kurama, you’ve grown strong, you have a family and you protect them with an undying devotion. I’ve watched you slowly return to the kitsune I fell in love with, but you have to let me go. You can’t be truly happy till you forgive yourself and let me die in peace. I can’t leave till I know you’ve forgiven yourself, it wasn’t your fault."

"It was!" shouted Kurama. "I left you! I should have stayed and protected you! I should have been there for you till the every end! I should have been there for you…" said Kurama weakly.

"I didn’t want that," said Kuronue. "I’m grateful you survived Kurama, I did not want you to die. I wanted you to live. Live, live for me Kurama, live a life rich enough for the both of us. Marry your lovers, raise your children, grown old, and die with grace. That is what I want from you. I want to know that the fox I told to run that day would cherish every day after and think of me fondly. If I know this, then I can finally leave you with a free spirit knowing that my death didn’t destroy the kitsune I so love."

"Kuronue," whispered Kurama. "I will cherish everything…"

"Thank you kitsune," spoke that haunting voice a touch of fondness to its tone, a ghost of a kiss graces her lips. "Sayonara."

"Sayonara, Kuronue," whispered Kurama. "Sayonara…"

She slowly opened her eyes as she felt the warmth of the sun shining down on her skin, the doors had opened, the trial was over. For some reason Kurama’s spirit felt more at ease than it had for decades, as if a giant weight had been lifted from it. "Thank you Kuronue," she said getting to her feet. "Thank you for letting me say good bye." A small smile touched her lips as she gazed upon Yusuke and Hiei who were looking in on her, Hiei with a supportive look, Yusuke with worry.

"Kurama? Are you okay?" asked Yusuke.

"Hai, I feel great Yusuke," said the red head stepping out the room the door closed behind her. "I’m ready now to live the rest of my life."

TBC