Jagan

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yuu Yuu Hakusho, or any of its characters. Those belong to Yoshihiro Togashi-sama, who made a lot more out of them than I ever could have. ^^;; I just do fanfiction for fun, and earn no monetary rewards for writing it. Reviews are, of course, worth as much as silver.

Set after "Two Shots"
Title: Jagan
Anime: Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Pairing: KuramaxHiei, HieixKurama
Warning: Violence, Language, Angst
Author: Kita Kitsune
Date: Thursday(tree-day!) February 14(love-day~!), 2008
Miscellaneous Notes: Yes! I got a part of it done for Valentine’s Day. ^^ I’ve been typing this for a couple months, off and on, and finally have enough to post. x.x~ Hurrah! Oh! This is my play on the very start of the series when we first meet the two demons, because Hiei acts a hell of a lot different at the beginning when you compare it to the rest of the episodes.

: : : : : : :

Do you know who you are?

What you think?

Can you read your desires?

Do you remember to follow your heart?

Or is your mind just another meaningless whisper in your head…

: : :

“…Kurama?” The dark figure remained silent, and the demon took a hefty draught from the mug at his side, wiping the suds away with a large arm covered in coarse brown hair. Beady eyes focused upon the short form in front of him, that wide, ugly mouth curling into an unpleasant smirk. “The information will cost you.” Across the bar a loud guffaw hit the air, and both demons cast their sight towards the sound, the shorter’s eyes holding an impassivity that bordered on eerie.

“You’re charging someone for information on Kurama the Youko, of all people?” The half-drunk youkai chuckled, some disgusting alcoholic liquid sloshing out of his dirty mug as he waved it about, that smirk widening on the reptilian face. “You… boy.” He pointed at the shorter youkai present there, who hadn’t moved, at all, but those red eyes had settled upon the lizard demon speaking. “Kurama’s—“

“Hn. I know.” At that, that pale, childishly-featured face curled into a smirk that wasn’t quite hidden by the white scarf wound loosely about his neck. The rest of his form was hidden by a long black cloak that stopped just short of his ankles, dark boots the only other attribute that could be seen of him. Turning smartly on those boots, the youkai strode out of the bar without another word, completely ignoring the infuriated sputtering of the ape-like youkai and the shocked face of the reptilian one that he left behind him.

: : :

Ch’. Those fools hadn’t even noticed he’d read their minds, rifling through the contents as one would a human world library.

So. ‘Kurama’… that demon he had met just a few months ago, in the Ningenkai… was a youko.

It explained his odd youki signature, at least.

Running through the information he had gathered from those unprotected minds, he found other spare bits of information worth noting.

So, the Youko had been known for his lack of mercy? That was curious, considering that the redhead had taken him in so readily, when he was injured… had the years masquerading as a human softened the demonic soul within? Well—Kurama could still fight, at least. But as to just how well… Hiei’d have to test him, when he returned to Ningenkai. The beginnings of a plan had started in his brain during the intense training he had undertaken to regain his strength. ‘Weak’ was not his preferred state, at any time.

Hn.

His fire-ki would take a good while longer to recover from its state of absolute zero after the operation, and so those months had been used to learn to manage the Jagan. He had tested out its powers and accustomed himself to the hunger for faster strength, and that domination of the Human World would make it so much easier to find his imprisoned sister within the realm… It was true.

For now it was best that he train heavily with the Jagan, and learn to manage its powers correctly. Quiet taps echoed over the ground as he continued onward, a soft purple glow emanating from under the white ward that blocked it from view. He found it annoying… and so, deft fingers trailed up to remove it, revealing the Eye. The pupil color changed from purple to red in a matter of moments, even as that eerie light faded out.

: : :

This youkai was the perfect tool… the half-fire, half-koorime boy was too focused on his goal to find his sister. It blocked out the demon’s common sense, making it so easy for the Jagan to slowly eat away at his mind, claiming more and more as its new host was persuaded to follow the implant’s own agenda. This small demon held to potential to become very powerful, too… but so long as the Jagan kept itself as the dominant force in its host’s mind, there should be no trouble.

Very few knew of the way to reverse this mind-takeover, once it had progressed into the latter stages. Perhaps this Eye had finally found a vessel worth holding onto. Perhaps it had finally come upon a demon strong enough to fulfill its desire for the conquest of all the Three Worlds—Ningenkai, Makai and Reikai. Once it had fully taken over its host’s mind, there would be no one to stop it! The implant laughed evilly to itself. Mind barriers were its forte, and with the boy’s lack of experience and power, he would never hear the Eye’s own thoughts. Faintly, it felt the brush of the inexperienced young demon against his mind and the Jagan offered a quiet pulse of a response, then.

Jagan.

Hmm, yes, Master~?

We need to train.

Hmmm, yes~ But for now, work on building up your ki~

Hn. Right.

It closed the link in another moment, watching through those red eyes as the youkai flitted about, seeking opponents to push his limits and stamina higher and higher. Already, the boy was becoming obedient to him… ahhh, it was all so easy! At this rate, the plan it had been concocting—planting the idea in Hiei’s mind, so it almost seemed the youkai’s own—would be realized all too easily…

And Kurama?

The legendary Youko thief would play a useful role in helping the Eye reach its objective.

Now, it would only need to find a third demon to fulfill the team… an idiot would be helpful. Some common, run-of-the-mill criminal, to direct Reikai’s attention to, since so little was actually known of himself, as he kept to the shadows—and the reincarnated fox likely had a clean record, too. Kurama had been living in Ningenkai for the past ten years or so as a human, after all, and his presence hadn’t been detected by the higher-ups of the bureaucracy of the Spirit World, run by the inept and self-centered Koenma.

Hmmm~

This was going to be fun…

: : :

The redhead moved quickly, fingers brushing through the shoulder-length strands and pulling out a small seed that germinated into a long, thornless whip in another instant. The weapon cut through the unfortunate demon as it shrieked in death, the chunks of flesh falling to the ground with dull, wet ‘thunks’. Cold green eyes took in the dead form as the boy straightened, the whip disappearing in a flicker of ki back into a seed, which he then tucked quietly back into his hair.

Those digits paused, momentarily brushing the longer mane—it almost seemed that the use of his ki was spurring it on to grow. In the past fourteen years it had never grown this fast… but then again, in the past fourteen years he hadn’t used his youki, at all. He didn’t mind it, really—if it became longer, it would remind him of the silvery mane he had been so proud of, as a youko.

The scarlet strands rustled softly as he shook his head, once, hands sliding to the dark blue pockets of his middle school uniform as the boy turned away, heading off to the bus station to catch a ride to the less-populated areas of Japan, where undisturbed forests could still be found. He had informed his mother that he would be staying at a friend’s house, going out to a movie that night until late, before then playing video games and studying for the rest of the weekend. She had been thrilled, going to hug him warmly and even offering to buy him the newest video game that he was interested in. To tell the truth, he did find Game Battler to be a bit more intriguing than some of the other bideogeimu out there… when it was released for home use, he would certainly be sure to mention it to her.

Shiori did so like to spoil him, when he allowed her to—but, perhaps it was also to better present this faux-teenage-boy impression he was living. It was normal for boys his age to be interested in video games, and so it would only help him to perpetuate that image--especially if Reikai did eventually realize who he was. True, he had not stolen from their vaults in over twenty years (as a youko he had grown bored with the lack of challenge they presented, in the last few years before his reincarnation to the human world), but a time period such as that was a mere drop in the bucket for the Underworld.

Lost to his thoughts, the boy nearly missed the train that would take him out to a temple at the edges of civilization. It was rumored than an old hermit occupied the place, but other than that the mountain was deserted. He had also heard that the dense forest upon the property held many demons and lesser-classes of youkai—it seemed to be the perfect training facility, at least. He quietly boarded the train, noting that (at this time of night) it was nearly deserted. Ever careful to be polite—and thus, not risk calling attention to himself—the human boy nodded respectfully to the elderly passenger seated near the front, continuing to the back and grasping a ring overhead, as the train began its forward motion, once again.

The ride continued in relative silence—there were a few high school students chattering quietly to each other, but people came and went, and the train slowly emptied until it was nearly deserted by the time they reached his stop. The doors opened before him, and the boy stepped out into the chill night air—senses immediately turned alight by the fresh scent of foliage and unadulterated greenery that met his sensitive nose. As the train flashed away, behind him, the kitsune was left in the near-darkness of the stop, a secret smile sneaking onto his face as the features changed—still remaining human, but now holding a more sinister gleam to them, almost… His façade was dropped, now that he was alone, and without waiting another moment the still-very-human fox disappeared into the nearest bit of forest he could find.

Since that Jaganshi’s arrival, he could tell that something would be changing in his life, in the near future. The most important mission for him, now, was to train and become at least decently stronger, and Kurama was quite thankful that he had passed the entrance exam for the prestigious Meiou High School without any trouble at all, thus allowing him time to focus on other aspects of his life.

It was also clear (in light of recent developments) that his boyish appearance would likely change, and due to the fragile nature of humans, the training would probably grant him a delicate appearance. It was not the same sturdy body of his demon self—and that fact, alone, was important to realize. For tonight, at least, he had to train until the sun rose once more in the sky, test his limits and see what he was capable of, after years of little to no acknowledgement of his demonic energy.

After the training for tonight and tomorrow morning was complete, he would visit his friend’s house and they would ‘play video games’, as he had told his mother. There was no sense in being caught in his lie, and it would help to have the skills that would back-up his story. She might want to sit in the living room as he played, at some later date, simply to have a reason to be involved in his life, so they could ‘bond’. She was an affectionate human, to tell the truth… Kurama had indeed been lucky to find such a kind person.

: : :

A splatter of blood sprayed over his face, forcing the han-koorime to close an eye lest it be drenched in the purple liquid. Hiei didn’t bother to smear away the resulting stain on a side of his forehead, merely flicking the worst of it off with a quick jerk of his head before running at the oncoming bull youkai, flitting around behind and landing atop his head, driving the katana straight through the space between its horns and jumping away as it fell. Striding back towards the dead demon, the youkai pulled the sword out by the hilt, wiping it clean on the trousers of his dead foe. With a quiet ‘hn’, he slid the weapon back into its sheath, before going to find another demon to kill.

Despite how the Eye had said it, it really was in his best interest to train his youki and lift his skills and power up to where they were, before. Before… he had mostly used his fire-ki, to fight. Shigure had shown him how flawed that state of attack was. Now he had best polish the fundamentals of swordsmanship that the surgeon had taught him, just in case another situation arose when he couldn’t use his own energy, and had to rely purely on physical skill.

Hn.

It almost made him nostalgic for the days when he had had his mother’s hiruiseki around his neck.

There was something quietly… satisfying, about a sharp blade slicing through flesh.

“O-OI!! You, there!” The koorime smirked, left hand sliding down slip the katana once more out of its sheath, his foe shouting again at the appearance of the unexpected weapon before charging foolishly forward, its bulky axe raised.

It seems Hiei had found another bandit to practice upon.

How… entertaining, at least.

It even made him the slightest bit nostalgic for childhood.

: : :

Kurama’s thoughts meandered aimlessly as he headed back toward his mother’s house, from school. That weekend of training (and video games) quite a few weeks ago had paid off, and ever since then he had made a point to practice refining his ki and abilities as often as he could. Although, he was still having a bit of trouble deciding upon just the right plant to use…

Venus Fly Traps were large and showy, and the vine he had been using was still too smooth to grant any real threat. Thorn bushes tended to make for better defense than offense, and poison ivy or poison oak were too detrimental to human skin for them to work as potential weapons. The whips he had tried to coax out of all of these plants had failed, miserably—the stems either too limp or too stiff to provide a proper weapon. There was one that worked well, as a spear… but bamboo brought back dark, bloody memories.

It felt as though he had tried every vine, bush, flower and leaf in existence. It almost seemed that there was nothing in the Ningenkai that could ‘fit’ his personal style in weaponry… yes, the Shimaneki-sou death-grass he had been experimenting with was working out nicely, but it was always easier to have a weapon that one could hold in one’s hand, as a simpler, easier way to attack in a tight situation. After all, there would likely be an instance that didn’t allow enough time for a Shimaneki-sou seed to take root and germinate.

Besides, it was important to establish a new style of fighting, with his new identity. As Youko, he had relied purely on brute strength and the massive amount of youki he had accumulated over the centuries. Here, in this willowy human form that had not even seen fifteen years of existence, his tactics must be more refined. It wasn’t a question of whether Kurama was capable… oh, no. It was simply a matter of adjusting to this newer, more delicate (and thus, weaker) body than the hard muscular one he had had a thousand years to sculpt to his liking. No. Kurama—as Minamino Suuichi—must be a deadly, elegant sort of fighter whose battles would be more like dances, entrancing his enemies with the fleeting beauty of a young human in its prime, tantalizing the foes until they forgot their place in the fight for a moment, and then, only then… would he go in for the kill.

Ahh, he would end up creating a new legend, at that!

So caught up in these thoughts, the redhead didn’t even notice as a girl quickly turned the corner, ramming into him and falling with a soft squeak to the ground below. Those green depths blinked, and with a kind smile the boy leaned down to help her up, even as the young lady was stammering apologies and quite red in the face—from an apparent blush, as well as embarrassment. She quickly ran off, but only after bowing deeply to him in thankfulness.

As Kurama watched her go, he realized how common these reactions were becoming, as (ever since his hair had started growing longer) his female classmates seemed to become more flustered around him, now, whispering behind his back about how ‘lovely’ he was becoming, how ‘willowy’ and ‘handsome’ he looked with that ‘pretty red hair’ cascading down to his shoulder-blades in lazy waves. Kurama nearly shook his head, at the thought. The vain little human children, placing so much value on appearance… he had to be amused what they would think, if they knew he was a reincarnated fox spirit. It was likely that he would be then isolated out of their fear of beings like him, and for being ‘too different’. Ah, well. There was human society, for you.

Something red on the ground caught his eye, though, and he bent to pick it up. It was a single, small plastic rose hairclip—and he suddenly found his mind clicking upon the idea. Of course. He nearly chuckled, to himself. He had been agonizing over this decision, for weeks… why not a rose, indeed? They were one of the sturdier flowers, and the delicately aesthetic appearance would do well to throw an enemy off-guard.

Just like the image he was intending to portray, for his 'new identity’ in battle…

: : :

Hiei spent the next few months training. Quietly, insidiously, the Jagan expanded its tentacles through the young demon’s mind, expanding its influence and power. Less and less, the han-koorime’s thoughts turned to his sister, missing somewhere in the Ningenkai for the past four-odd years. It looked as though she would remain lost, at this rate, for her secret brother’s plans settled more on domination, now—with only an afterthought of locating her. The Jagan assured Hiei that it wasn’t able to detect her presence and ki signature(which was true enough), so it was quite possible that she was masking her energy in order to remain hidden(a bit less likely for an inexperienced maiden of the ice isle). It made sense, really… perhaps she was smart enough to realize the value of her own tears, and if someone discovered a Koorime in the Ningenkai, she might be caught and tortured to produce those tears for a tidy profit.

Kurama continued in his own brand of training, as well, and the months dragged on and on. He was admitted to Meiou Academy in March, as it came upon them, switching from the old navy middle school uniform to the pinkish-red one of the high school. His hair, by this point, had fallen to nearly the middle of his back—not to mention that the training had refined his reflexes and muscles. The redhead’s naturally willowy frame was accentuated by this, so in short Kurama was fit, lean, and quietly gorgeous by the time his first year of high school was half-over. The only anxiety that slipped into his life was his mother’s illness—sometime during the summer she had overworked herself, been diagnosed with heatstroke, and hospitalized. As the months were growing colder she seemed to grow only worse, though—and it was often that Kurama came home to an empty house, only to leave again to visit his mother at her place of residence in the byoin.

Ever the devout son, he was worried for her, as it was quite clear she was no longer under the effect of the heatstroke from those months ago. Some other disease had taken hold of her in that moment of weakness, and that woman—the mother he loved so—was slowly fading away before his eyes.

: : :

It was late autumn, but still warm enough to leave the window open, letting the cool air wrap around the room and ruffle the long red strands, quietly, as the human boy sitting as his desk scribbled answers neatly down on a sheet of notebook paper. With entrance exams out of the way, that only left schoolwork, and with his diligent schedule he would certainly get it done in time.

A dark gust of wind echoed from the sill, then, and jade depths slowly slid to the side, narrowing slightly as he caught sight of a dark figure on the tree branch outside his room. Tipping his head to face the tree, the hand he had been writing with paused, and he could now discern a purplish glow emanating from the shadows. Kurama allowed the silence to linger for another few moments, before shattering it at last, intending to greet the demon outside—and it had to be a demon. The notably evil, yet powerful (for a D-class) youki was unfamiliar to him, but something tugged at the back of his mind, nonetheless.

“Who are you.” The statement was cool, matching the cold glance of those chips of emerald ice in the redhead’s gaze. The purplish glow pulsed for a moment, before then it was gone as the youkai stepped into the light spilling out from Kurama’s window to the night beyond. Those jade hues widened marginally, the frozen set of his gaze warming suddenly in recollection—and recognition. “Hiei?” A smirk was all that met that, the youkai’s small beady pupils in his too-large eyes not shifting at all from the kitsune before him.

“Kurama, wasn’t it.” That tone was arrogant and full of pride and confidence—not unlike the one he remembered. But, there was something different, that he couldn’t quite place… Still thinking on the situation, the fox offered a smile to the unexpected visitor as he turned in his chair—

“Yes…”---setting the pencil down and resting his fingers over the top of the writing implement. The memories from those many months ago were flooding back and leaving him with the recalled impression that he had found a friend, in this one. That curve over his lips turned a bit more genuine. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I’m surprised you remembered where I live.” Or detected my ki signature, he continued in his head, silently running his eyes over the dark form. Something was different, besides Hiei’s large jump in ki…

“Hn.” A disdainful snort, nothing more, the Jaganshi’s nose rising haughtily as he grinned, and a finger rose to tap at a side of his forehead. A pulse of purple light followed the light touch, as the youkai continued. “The Jagan has a photographic memory, spirit fox. It was a simple task to re-evaluate my memories of that time.” Spirit fox. If Kurama held any recognition to the designation, it didn’t show. His face remained in that innocent state of polite greeting, the smile gracing his mouth not faltering, a bit. After a moment, he even chuckled, one leg folding over its counterpart as his hands folded diplomatically atop the uppermost knee.

“It seems you’ve done some research, since we last met. I’ll assume this isn’t merely a leisure visit, then~?” Those green eyes held a bit of good-natured mirth to them, but only a whisper beneath that cover the older part of his mind had surfaced, carefully running the situation through his mind and analyzing it from every perspective in an instant. Hiei knew who he was, now. Kurama had mentioned nothing about his past as a Youko in that brief encounter with Yatsude. There was something Hiei wanted from him; it was too obvious. As to what that something was…

“I require use of your skills.” Kurama blinked, at that. He hadn’t expected the request to come so bluntly. A single, slender red eyebrow lofted itself over one emerald orb. His look clearly defined the fact that the other demon would need to elaborate. Those already-small pupils beneath the uncovered Jagan narrowed. “Your reputation as the Greatest Thief of Makai tells that the Youko, Kurama, once stole items from Enma’s most prized vaults in the Underworld.”

Ahh, so that was what it was… A cool smirk flitted onto Kurama’s face, at that, and suddenly he looked every bit the conniving kitsune he once had been--even in that human teenager’s innocent guise. He was flattered for the request, and mildly tempted by the idea… but for the moment, he was living a human’s life. If he stepped on any toes, there was no telling what the Spirit World would do to his mother. He was content as he was, peacefully living under the radar of the Reikai and looking after the woman who had saved him, shown him kindness, raised him as her own…

“I am flattered that you would come to me with this request, but I am afraid I left that profession behind me fifteen years ago.” Those cool green eyes were back, locking on the dark, smallish ones across from him in a serious glance. Hiei didn’t show any reaction to this; he merely smirked, softly.

“How is that human you visit everyday, Kurama.” The words were like a sudden bucket of ice over the entire room—again, the redhead didn’t react too visibly, but his eyes narrowed and the gentle swirl of the fox’s youki turned darker with anger, as well as the undercurrent of sadness.

“My affairs are nothing to concern yourself with.” A firm rejection, the lilting melodic alto cold and brisk. Hiei smirked only once more, eyeing the fox.

“My associate and I are going to steal the Three Treasures.” Kurama’s eyes narrowed only more, at that. The insolence of this demon! Did Hiei plan to just walk into Enma’s fortress, flick off the security and stride out uninhibited with such dangerous, sacred items? The Rapacious Orb, the Spirit-Slaying Sword, the Mirror of Darkness… what, by Inari, had possessed him?

Although—some small part of his mind countered—the Mirror could save Shiori…

Kurama quietly tucked that part of his mind away.

“You are a fool. Steal them yourself, then.” The half-human stated coldly. He didn’t need this complication with Reikai, now. He had managed to remain hidden for fifteen years, and hell if he wasn’t going to be pulled out into the Spirit World’s spotlight as a dangerous criminal, once more. The Underworld knew nothing of Minamino Suuichi’s connection with Youko Kurama, and he fully intended to keep it that way.

With some small amount of satisfaction he noticed Hiei’s anger rise at the insult—but, strangely enough, it was calmed in another moment. Curiosity overwhelmed the irritation that had begun to build within him… Hiei didn’t seem the type to take an insult lying down, like that. It was almost as if he were a different person than the fiery youkai he had thought of as a friend, those months ago…

“I have said before; I require your skills.” No, Hiei wasn’t angry, but his speech was clipped, this time. “My associate and I are willing to divide up the Treasures, provided you work with us to complete the heist.” Kurama’s brow knit, lightly. Here was Hiei, still trying to convince him… what did the youkai want with the Treasures, anyway?

“Why are you so insistent on my cooperation, Hiei?” A loud pulse of bright purple extended from the uncovered Eye on the demon’s forehead—and Kurama did not miss the strange light it brought into the demon’s beady red eyes.

“We are going to overthrow the Human World, and the Three Treasures will lead us in glorious triumph over the stupid humans." Hiei's voice filled with disgust at the last word. "I will convert their entire population into demons with the Spirit-Slayer Sword--" An insane glint in his eyes, here--"--and my associate will use the Rapacious Orb to feed the humans’ souls to our demon army." A sharp bark of a laugh, then. "The Mirror of Darkness grants its user any wish on the night of the full moon for a single price--you must know this, Kurama--and we will use it to bring all of Reikai, Makai and Ningenkai under our combined might!” The Jaganshi laughed, again, a strident, ill-sounding noise that clashed against Kurama’s sensitive hearing. Throughout the entire speech, his gaze had only grown despondent—the feeling tucked away into the very depths of his soul, so that only a person with true insight could catch the barest glimpse of that sadness.

It was as he had feared, when he had watched Hiei sleeping on his bed, those many months ago. It seemed the young demon had fallen victim to the Jagan’s whispers of world domination, just as so many others before him… It sobered him, for a reason he couldn’t quite understand—perhaps the gift of compassion Shiori had bestowed upon him was weakening him, in a way—but, what could he do? Perhaps, though… there would be a way, if Kurama got close enough to Hiei… his voice was soft, then, as it gave Hiei a final inquiry.

“Do you know what price the Mirror extracts from its user?” Those strangely-lit eyes focused on the redhead, then, and a pulse of purple light showed that the Jagan was in use. Kurama felt a brush against his mind and instantly his gaze turned stern, cold chips of jade ice meeting the red beady eyes of his companion as he firmly resisted the attempt to read his thoughts with a mental barrier. He hadn’t lived for centuries without learning a few tricky defense strategies.

Hiei was surprised by the fact he couldn’t break into Kurama’s thoughts as easily as he had those drunkards in the tavern—but, perhaps he should have seen it coming. The Youko shifted, then, slightly leaning forward over his folded hands as those expressive jade depths once more became unreadable. The kitsune’s question was posed, again, in a voice holding only a hint of irritation—the only sign of a reaction to what Hiei had tried to do.

“Do you?” The Jaganshi’s red eyes narrowed, sharply annoyed at the answer he was forced to give, and it echoed out in a profoundly hostile tone.

“No.” Kurama seemed to watch him, for a moment… and it only furthered his own glare. Hiei couldn’t read this damn fox, and it annoyed him to no end. The silence stretched on, and it was only after a long moment that the redhead’s quiet voice again brushed the air. If the shorter demon had paid it any mind, he might have noticed the defeated, almost resigned way the utterance left the former thief’s lips.

“…I will help you.”

Yes, Hiei. The redhead sadly spoke to his own mind as he watched the other revel in his victory with a self-satisfied smirk—-but Kurama was safe behind the mental barriers that shielded him from the demon’s Third Eye, keeping his thoughts his own.

I will help you... and save Shiori.


~*~To Be Continued~*~