Chapter One: Flashes of the Past
Kurama was running through the trees, flying at a steady pace. The trees scrambled to get out of his way. A leaf cracked in front of his eyes and whirled away, broken, in the wind behind him. He leapt over a branch, skipping into the air, and landed on his feet. Idly, he was aware of his hair breaking free of the tie, fanning out behind him and wrapping around his throat like a tail. He jumped a stream. The scent of roses and moss filled his senses. Still, he ran on, not tiring. He startled a robin. It darted right into his path. Blinking, Kurama spun into a cartwheel, springing above the scared animal. He landed on all fours. The bird vanished and the ground steadied. Kurama chuckled and took off again. Thunder echoed in the distance.
Smirking, Kurama continued to run through the woods, even as rain began to pelt his back, plastering his hair to his head. Thunder cracked above. Eyes slightly narrowed as his surroundings dimmed, Kurama grabbed a vine in his path. Without slowing, he swung into the lower branches of a pine tree. Lightning split above him. Kurama laughed and shook the hair out of his eyes. He jumped to the next tree, barely touched a sapling in its shadow and balanced on a log. Chuckling to himself, the demon spread his arms and spun into the air backwards, the scent of his power pervading him again. The forest lit up.
Once more, Kurama landed on his feet, finally halting his jog in a small clearing. He stared into the gloomy darkness, rain dripping from his bangs.
The thunder grew distant as the mist curled around the demon's legs. A chill breeze wrapped around his throat. Kurama turned.
In the shadows of giant spruce, Youko met his eyes.
Kurama didn't blink. As the molten gaze ripped into his gentle green eyes, his eyes started to burn until they changed into the same golden color. "You should know you can't intimidate me." Youko remained silent. "After all, we are the same, even if I wear a different form now." He lowered his head.
A ripple seized the clearing. Kurama, changed into Youko, flexed his clawed fingers. "Tell me, what message does my former self feel the need to impart in this dream?"
The other fox demon moved from the tree and stepped into the clearing, morphing into his animal form. His transparent tail merged with the twisting mist, which blended with Youko Kurama's shimmering sliver hair. A rose appeared clasped in his jaw. Kurama knelt, holding his hand out for the rose. The fox dropped it into his hand and dispersed in a warm wind.
Kurama stood, twirling the crimson flower in his hand. A single petal fell. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kurama pricked his finger, dropping blood onto the rose. It pulsed. The mist began to dissolve and Kurama changed back into his present form. Another pulse echoed. Chuckling, Kurama leapt and tossed the rose. A portal opened in front of him, but Youko barred his way.
Kurama landed, still smiling. "Now, now, must you always test me?" he purred. Kurama flicked his rose whip at his feet. "Do we truly have such a merciless part of us?" He paused then dashed forward, spinning the whip.
In the instant before Kurama's whip hit him, a long whip materialized in Youko's hands, barely missing Kurama's face. Kurama skipped to the side and flicked his wrist, causing the whip to swing back at Youko. His former self closed his eyes and wound his whip over Kurama's and underneath. Kurama took a step forward and yanked hard. His whip roped around the red one in Youko's hands. Both of their hands were bleeding.
"You already know the answer to that," Youko called out. He turned and disappeared into the colors of the portal like a reflection, Kurama pulled along by their joined whips.
Kurama landed on the banks of a river near a wood. He stood, blinked, and whirled as a white petal glided past him. Gleaming in a stream of light, a small cherry sapling bloomed. The gentle perfume was hinted in a light fiery scent, his mark. Just as he realized his former self had grown this tree, wind rippled across the banks. The image spun up into the currents.
Something silver flashed amongst the trees. Kurama leapt the river and followed Youko's form. For a while, both demons ran underneath the trees, startling deer from their shaded retreats and stirring small birds to run above them. As one, they both tired of the smooth grass and climbed up into the canopy. A salamander slithered from underneath Kurama's foot. He spun into the free air between the trees, grabbing a vine and hanging there as a bluejay squawked at him. He chuckled and swung into the next branches, jumping once more to the damp earth. There, he halted.
At the foot of a stone wall, Youko waited, looking up. The sun caught his hair, and for a moment, Kurama heard something demonic hum in the air. Before he could register it though, Youko dispersed and his mist wrapped around Kurama. His eyes closed.
* * * * *
Kurama awoke under a tree in another forest. Beside him, an open notebook with a drawing of the scenery had been laid out. A book bag with the textbook Life's Webs: a Biology Handbook for College Students and an english dictionary leaned against a root.
Kurama let his eyelids close for another moment. Where had Youko taken him this time? He brushed his crimson bangs out of his face. Also, it seemed that Youko wouldn't be showing this memory in one dream. This dream had been only a flash. Opening his verdant eyes to watch the leaves flutter above him, Kurama narrowed his eyes. Not only that, there had been only one very distant clue, as if...
"How long do you plan on laying there soaking in this disgusting afternoon light?" a blunt voice called from above in the branches.
Kurama chuckled as he filed the thought away for another time and place. "And how long do you plan on hiding, Hiei?"
"As long as I feel like it," Hiei grumbled back. There was a moment's silence before the leaves rustled and Hiei landed in the sunlight with a grimace. "That was a long nap. Did the fox in you talk that long?"
"Maybe, maybe not," Kurama replied. He turned to add another cloud and more shadows to the picture. Hiei watched, quiet.
Hiei had picked up the growing amount of inner conversations with Kurama's former self quite quickly after he had discovered him sleeping underneath the trees in Genkai’s estate repeatedly. Most of the time, his temporary comrade kept the conversations to himself, but at times, the fox thief imparted some new battle technique. At these times, the two would retreat deeper into Genkai’s property and spar, relieving the Jagan user's boredom. There were too few demons wanted by the Spirit Realm or even his collegue, the strict Mukuro.
Finally satisfied with his drawing, Kurama closed his notebook and returned his pencil to its bag, standing up, book bag over his shoulder. He called over to Hiei, "I have a test to study for, so I doubt I will be back here soon."
"Hmmph. See that you aren't. I prefer being alone."
Kurama chuckled under his breath with a slight smile on his face as he hiked back up to the house. That part of Hiei never changed.
