Kurama Loses His Memory: Enter the Little Brown Youko Part 2
By Erikka Gallas and Gillian Passovoy
The palace loomed above Kurama, shimmering marble towers glinting in the sunlight. It was breathtaking to behold...if you were only there to sight-see.
Kurama hurried through the doors of the palace, expecting anything anytime. His whip was at the ready as he crossed the threshold. A smile tugged at his lips as he began to weave his way through the rooms and corridors. He couldn't help becoming a little smug. It was too easy! Traps that he had long since deemed child's play made their futile attempts to keep him from his prize. Nothing was going to stop him. He'd make sure of that.
Kurama continued to search the castle, destroying or avoiding any obstacles that tried to get in his way. Finally, while searching the last and tallest of the towers, he found one door that, unlike the others, was locked and warded.
Fools, he thought, one might as well write a sign in dayglow orange: The Diamond Is Here. How stupid can these people be? Ah, well. Their loss. Kurama smiled to himself as he easily broke the wards and picked the lock.
Inside the doors was a round room, beautifully decorated. The walls were draped in black velvet, the floor tiled with flawless onyx squares. All lighting was placed to draw the eyes to the centre of the room, where, on an exquisitely shaped silver stand, was the Dragon's Eye. Slightly larger than Kurama's head, it was blood red in colour, faceted so that any light was reflected as several fiery fragments darting in every direction.
Fragments of memory almost like a dream. Eyes the colour of blood, soft and warm with emotion...
Kurama shook his head, clearing it, then his eyes widened in appreciation and a little awe. A red diamond. Tristan hadn't mentioned that. He smiled. Red diamonds were incredibly rare, and only found in the Ningenkai, only five having been found before, and none this large. It would bring a nice profit.
Kurama reached for the gem...
Hiei glared at the raised drawbridge, as if just staring at it would make it lower. Koko stared at the Koorime for a while, wondering why he was trying to stare down an inanimate object.
"How do we get in?" growled Hiei.
Koko shook his head. "Not this way. Nobody goes by the front door! It's against the rules!"
"What rules?"
Koko gave him a look that declared him stupid. "The unspoken rules of all good guys and bad guys! Don't you know anything?"
Hiei snarled. It had been several years since he'd been on the receiving end of that look, and he found that he didn't like it. He was about to deliver a scathing retort when the little kitsune scampered off to the right side of the castle, following the moat. He stopped, turning his head to look at him.
"Well? You gonna come or are you just gonna stand there with your mouth open?"
Muttering under his breath, the youkai followed Koko. Koko led them around to a spot that seemed like any other, and then jumped into the water.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" snarled Hiei.
"Swimming to the ivy on the wall! It leads up to the top of the tower where there's a window! C'mon!" Koko swam up to the ivy and crawled up a few feet before noticing that Hiei wasn't following. "What's the matter?"
Hiei stayed silent, scowling at the water.
Koko's eyes widened in childish disbelief. "You can't swim, can you?"
If possible, Hiei's scowl got even darker.
Koko sighed and swam back across. "I'll help you. Just jump in!" he said, holding out a small, brown hand. Hiei growled even more at the word 'help' and stood where he was.
Koko looked at the stubborn youkai and came to a decision. Hiei would probably be angry later, but then, he was always angry. The kit sprang forward, startling the Koorime, grabbed him by the scarf, and dragged him into the water. Hiei thrashed and sputtered, screaming curses that blackened the stone of the castle and singed the ivy. Koko just dragged him patiently through the water, making sure that his head stayed above the surface. Finally, he pulled Hiei over to the ivy and waited. Hiei didn't notice, since he was still cursing.
Koko was getting tired of this. "Hey, we're here! Hello? Hiei, stop that! You'll burn the ivy, and then we won't have any way into the castle! Look, you're right up against the stuff! Stop acting like you just got spanked!"
Hiei glared, but grabbed onto the ropelike vines and began climbing. Koko scampered past him, climbing the plants like a squirrel, leaving Hiei for a few seconds, then coming back to check his progress. He repeated this pattern a few times before coming back and screwing his face up in a silly imitation of Hiei's scowl.
"You're slow! How're we gonna save Cousin Kurama if you take all day getting in?! You can't bed him if he's dead, you know," he complained.
"If you're in such a hurry," Hiei growled at the little brown face, "then find a way to fly us up there!"
Koko's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea!" The kit grabbed Hiei, and before he could let out more than a surprised oath, Koko was flying up the wall, carrying Hiei with him. Hiei remembered belatedly that Koko was a nine-tail, and had a lot of power to spare. I think I'll watch what I say from now on, he thought, trying desperately not to look down.
Korishinzo smiled at the pair in her scrying mirror. Youko Kurama's cousin and lover were coming to save their dear fox. How absolutely pathetic. Amusing but pathetic.
The woman stood up, her black hair falling to her ankles. She turned eyes the cold gray of rotten ice to the second mirror, the one that kept check on the Dragon's Eye. She smiled evilly at the slumped body of the Makai's greatest thief. Inside the Eye, a silver soul shot with green struggled to escape.
When Korishinzo had originally spread the rumour of the Dragon's Eye, she had deliberately left out that it was the crystalised version of a Soul Vampire. To touch it was immediate entrapment. And while inside the crystal, she was able to use their power, body, and all memories for anything she pleased.
She looked once again at Kurama's body, which her servants were even now lifting from the floor to bring to her. He seemed to have a little memory damage. Well, that would need to be fixed. All experience would be needed, and reviving memories wasn't difficult. As for the body... No. While his body could be commanded to get in bed with her, he wasn't her type. The child, now...
Korishinzo turned to the first scrying mirror where the would-be rescuers had finally reached the top of the tower. She smiled. Cinnamon skin topped with hair the colour of dark chocolate, and two bright amethysts sparkling with mischief and a spirit just waiting to be broken. Yes, she definitely wanted the child. He'd make such a wonderful toy. But the other would have to die. And she knew a wonderfully amusing way to do it.
And the trap is sprung. Welcome to Hell, Kurama. You belong to me, now.
"When I finally get Kurama out of here, you are going to be a very dead little fox," snarled Hiei, clinging to the windowsill like it was a lifeline.
"What? You told me to fly us up here, so I did! Just because I did a couple of barrel rolls along the way shouldn't be a reason to get all mean and nasty," said Koko, looking slightly hurt.
"If I'd been meant to fly, I'd have wings instead of a Jagan," grumbled Hiei.
"Naaah. They'd just get in the way when Kurama wanted you to sit in his lap. I can't think of anything that would spoil a mood more than feathers up my nose. Unless you think my cousin would be turned on by that. One can never really tell with him."
Hiei, blushing once again, stared at the kitsune child. In an attempt to regain composure, he looked down at the courtyard that the main walls surrounded. Right below them was a small, walled-off rose garden, but there was a space right by the wall that wasn't covered in thorns. It was as good a way in as any, he supposed.
Koko looked at the are that the Koorime was preparing to jump into. "Uh, I don't think you should go there," he said. "It's got rosebushes in it. They're pretty dangerous."
Hiei snorted and jumped. Much to his surprise, the rosebushes started moving. They all crowded around the spot that Hiei had been planning to land on, and now that he got a better look, some of those thorns were actually teeth. But there was no ivy on this side of the tower, and the wall itself was too slick, even for his Koorime speed. Hiei let out a cry of alarm.
Suddenly, he was grabbed by the wrist by two small, brown hands. Looking up, he saw Koko holding onto him and slowly flying them back up to the place where they had just been. The kit put him down gently on the floor, then sat on his shoulders and went back to tying knots in his hair.
Hiei knocked him off and glared at him. "Why didn't you tell me that those things could move?!" he snarled.
"I tried! But you were in such a hurry to find your lover, that I never got a chance. Just don't leap into anymore rose gardens, 'kay? I really don't think they've been fed lately."
Hiei muttered something about a weedwhacker and turned to the window, looking for some other way in besides the roses, which were looking just as innocent and still as before.
A flash of silver caught his eye, and he turned in time to see a silver tail disappear from view.
"Hey!" he called, but there was no response. Hiei snarled a curse and turned to Koko. "Fly me to that window! I just saw Kurama go past!" he said, indicating the place he'd seen the tail.
Koko blinked. "You sure? That part of the castle's not really - ACK!" Hiei had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and glared at him, his eyes promising pain and a slow death. Koko sighed and nodded. "Okay, just remember that this was your idea. I'm not responsible for any mishaps."
And with that, he flew them both over.
A tall woman sat on a silver throne set with onyx gems. A gold circlet adorned her silver-streaked black tresses, and eyes like two chips of ice looked appraisingly at the figure lying on the floor before her. This was Queen Kuroishinzo, ruler of the Magikai.
"Hm. So this is the infamous Kurama? The stories don't do him justice," she said, a slight smile coming to her lips. "Don't you think, sister?"
Korishinzo shrugged. "He's not to my tastes, Majesty. Too old, too experienced. But yes, he is attractive."
"And intelligent," said the queen. "He will be the perfect one to head my armies. And I will have fun with such an attractive body. What of you, Kori? His lover perhaps?"
Kori snorted. "You know better than that! But I would like his little cousin."
"I really don't see why you prefer children. Don't they eventually lose the innocence that draws you?"
"Of course. Then I just find another. Most youkai breed like rabbits. Just a few children missing isn't going to hurt anything. Besides, they're not important to anyone. I make sure of that. And by the time anyone's noticed, I've disposed of all evidence. What's one more body along the road?"
"Bleekh!"
Hiei stared at the little kitsune, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks and had a disgusted look on his face. "What now?" he snarled.
"All of a sudden, I got the weirdest feeling that someone was talking about me. Then suddenly I felt like something really slimy and disgusting had slithered up my back! It's icky! Like a worm down my shirt!"
"Hn."
"Hey! Don't give me that! Anybody sane would hate that! Oh, wait. You're not sane, are you?" Koko grinned at the youkai and goosed him. "But Cousin Kurama gets you laid anyway. He must really love you!"
"Why you..." Hiei growled, coming very close to burning the grinning fox to a crisp.
Koko looked up at him with wide eyes. "You aren't gonna hurt me, are you?" he asked. Hiei was very tempted to do so, but got no more than a few feet before he was blown into a wall by a large surge of golden ki. "I told you it was a bad idea to hurt me," Koko simply said.
Hiei muttered something uncomplimentary, but didn't try to cut the fox's head off. Instead, he turned his attention to the hall that they were in. It seemed to be a gallery of some sort. There were paintings on the walls of various youkai. He looked at a few and recognised a picture of Mukuro. And one of Yomi. What were those doing here?
"Look! It's a picture of Mommy!" cried Koko happily. Hiei turned to see a painting of a beautiful, dark brown youko with eyes the colour of dark rubies. The picture portrayed her sitting on a chair with a sword laid across her lap and an evil grin on her face. The name engraved to the frame read, "Kimiyo."
"Isn't she pretty, Hiei? I wanna be as pretty as her when I grow up! Then I can hit annoying youkai who talk funny!"
Hiei stared at the kit. "What?"
"Well, a lot of youkai come up to Mommy. Especially in taverns. They say weird stuff to her that makes no sense and smile at her all funny. Then she hits them. She says that when I'm grown up, I'll get to hit them too. It looks like a lot of fun. I can't wait til I'm older."
The Koorime shrugged and turned away. This kid had no idea what he was talking about. Hiei was about to go on, when a certain painting caught his attention. Youko Kurama gazed at them with speculative golden eyes. His mouth was turned up into a self-confident smile that had always made Hiei want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. He was standing in the middle of a field of wildflowers, and holding a bag of loot over one shoulder. A rose was in his other hand.
"What'cha lookin' at?" asked Koko, hopping around to one side of him. "Wow. Good picture. I'll bet Cousin Kurama hits annoying youkai all the time."
Hiei let out a snort. "No, I hit them."
Koko thought about this. "So, if you're really pretty, you can get other people to hit youkai for you? Neat, but not nearly as much fun. If that's what happens, I don't want to be as pretty as Cousin Kurama. I wanna hit my own youkai!
"I'm sure you will," Hiei muttered.
"What?"
"Hn."
Koko shrugged. If Hiei wanted to make funny noises, that was his business. He wondered if he knew just how funny he sounded. Especially when yelling at people. He tended to sound like an angry cat with all that growling and hissing. He wondered if Hiei knew how to purr.
Hiei, meanwhile, was looking around for any trace of which way Kurama had gone. He did not want to spend the night in this building if he didn't have to. The place practically reeked of sadistic evil, and it was making him decidedly nervous. Now, where had that stupid fox gotten to?
::Hiei...::
"Wha... Kurama?" gasped Hiei.
"Huh?" said Koko, staring at the Koorime.
::Hiei, help me...::
"Kurama! I'm coming!" Hiei quickly traced the direction the mental call was coming from and ran towards it.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" yelled Koko, running to catch up with him.
"Kurama sent me a mind call."
"I didn't hear anything."
"It was meant for me, stupid kit!"
"I'd still hear it! He's my family by blood, after all! And I heard nobody! It can't be Cousin Kurama!"
Hiei just snarled and kept running. He knew Kurama's ki anywhere, and Koko hadn't even seen Kurama before today.
He vaguely heard Koko call out ot him, but ignored it, intent on the faint trail of his lover's youki. So it wasn't until the last moment that he saw the metal shards flying straight at him. They were too close. He had no time to defend himself or dodge.
Suddenly, a bunch of small stones slammed into the blades, knocking them off course. One lightly grazed Hiei's shoulder, but that was it. He turned to see Koko running towards him, an annoyed expression on his face. In his hand was a strange object Hiei had never seen before.
"That was stupid, Uncle Hiei,' chastised Koko. "You of all people should know better than to run into a place without looking."
"I'm not your uncle!" snarled Hiei, annoyed at being scolded like a child, by a child. He spied the object in Koko's hand. "What the hell is that anyway?"
"Multi-shot slingshot. Mommy told me once that I shouldn't always use my ki for everything, so she got me this. I still can't aim very well, though. The stones were supposed to hit you to knock you out of the way."
Korishinzo ground her teeth in annoyance. That child was much more intelligent than he appeared to be. He'd just pulled the Koorime out of a trap that had never been survived by anyone else. This youkai, this "Hiei," was apparently very lucky or just plain too stubborn to die. She'd have to rectify that...
"Kori."
Korishinzo turned to see her sister walk over, clad in only a robe. Her hair was tousled, and she looked very satisfied with herself.
"Greetings, Kuroi. I take it you've come from enjoying Kurama's physical...attributes?"
"It's amazing what one can get a soulless body to do."
"How many positions did you get him into before he collapsed?"
"Twenty-six. I'm very pleased. My last toy couldn't do half that many."
Korishinzo smiled coldly. "Your last toy was only a weak little pixie, sister. You drive your playthings too hard."
"Nonsense. It is the duty of the subjects to satisfy their queen. If they can't manage, they're better off dead. Speaking of which, have you killed the fire demon yet?"
The gray-eyed woman snarled. "No. The little one managed to save him. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he was anticipating my every move!"
Kuroishinzo looked at her sister calmly. "You know as well as I that that's not possible. It was probably just luck. A twist of fate, as the Ningen so quaintly put it."
"You're probably right, Kuroi," sighed Korishinzo. "But that doesn't make it any less annoying. "
"Well then, why don't we play a little game? With the two would-be rescuers as our pawns."
"What do you suggest?"
Kuroishinzo only smiled wickedly.
"Wow! Look at the pretty candles, Uncle Hiei! I've just gotta snatch one for Mommy!" Koko quickly bounded up and grabbed one of the golden candles. Upon inspection, he whistled appreciatively. "Hey, these things are solid gold! Beats me how they keep 'em lit, but it'll bring a good price on the market! Either that, or I can keep it to hit the annoying youkai when I'm older!" He blew out the flame and stuck the candle in his pocket, then turned back to Hiei, who was already heading for another door.
Hiei was highly annoyed. He'd found no traces of Kurama after the incident that had nearly gotten him sliced to ribbons, the castle they were in was much larger than it appeared on the outside, and he was stuck with a very young, very hyper youko. One that seemed bent on distracting him. And he'd gotten the crazy idea into his head somewhere that he was his uncle.
His thoughts were interrupted by said youko suddenly leaping onto his back and tying yet more braided knots into his hair. "I'm hungry!" he said.
"Live with it," said Hiei, not breaking his stride.
"Hey! I have no intention of turning into a rail-thin grump like you! Let's go raid the kitchens! The cooks here make the best pastries!"
"The last thing you need is sugar!"
"I do to need it! 'Cause if I don't have any, I get all cranky and sleepy! Then I start to blow things up! A lot like you, only without the ugly black lizard. I'm huuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnngggggggggrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!"
Hiei growled to himself and swore that no matter how hard Kurama begged they were never having children. Especially little brown ones with fur.
Koko continued to wail about the emptiness of his stomach and refused to be pulled from Hiei's hair. The Koorime was beginning to seriously consider murder when the most wonderful scents wafted past his nose. Koko howled for joy as the doorway to a large and well-stocked kitchen came into view.
Before Hiei could stop him, the little youko had bounded off his shoulders and sped into the kitchen like a fuzzy comet. Once there, he promptly started to charm the socks off the attendants. They, in turn, made the appropriate little sounds of endearment and loaded Koko down with good things to eat. He gave them one last sweet smile that Hiei swore he'd gotten a cavity from, and left the kitchen, walking back to the fuming Koorime.
"Here," said Koko, "I got them to give me enough for both of us."
Hiei stared suspiciously at the food. "How do you know it's not poisoned?"
Koko sighed in exasperation. "Don't you know anything? First of all, it's a general rule that, the rest of the castle being the death trap it is, the food is left untouched. Last meal and all that. Second, even if that wasn't true, the people of the Magikai believe children to be sacred, guarded at all costs. Only someone with brains made of avocados would hurt a child here. That includes poison."
Hiei still stared dubiously at the child.
"It's okay! Rei and Juliana are good cooks! Honest!" And with that, Koko tore into his share. Hiei finally started eating when he saw that no ill effects came to the little kitsune.
Unfortunately, he thought. Kurama would probably have killed him for thinking like that, but at the moment, he didn't care all that much.
After lunch, the two youkai started once again on their search for Kurama. Hiei was growing more frustrated by the moment. Every now and again, he would feel the slightest brush of Kurama's ki against his own, but then it would disappear without a trace. It had led them in circles, it felt like. It wouldn't have been nearly so bad, however, if not for the small kitsune child who insisted on stopping to look for things to steal.
Annoying little brat! Maybe I should just kill him after all. Kurama never needs to know...
"Watch out!" Koko yanked Hiei back by his shirt as a small dart, probably poisoned, whizzed by the place where his head had been.
Hiei spun, snarling, to look at his attacker. He cam face-to-face with a tall woman with night black hair and cold gray eyes. She looked down at him, one corner of her mouth turned up in a mocking smile.
"Who are you?!" Hiei demanded.
"Korishinzo, captain of the guard. And I've come to deliver a message from Queen Kuroishinzo to the lover and cousin of Youko Kurama."
Koko glared up at the woman. "What have you and your nasty sister done to my cousin?! If you've hurt him, I'll make you really sorry!"
"No, child, we haven't hurt your darling Kurama. Not yet, anyway." She looked back at Hiei, still smiling slightly. "The message is this: We have your lover. If you want him back, you'll have to play a little game. If you win, you can take him home."
"And if we don't?" Hiei snarled.
Korishinzo merely laughed and started to disappear. Koko tried to hit her with his slingshot, but he missed and hit the wall. In a moment, she was gone. Them second she was, the floor suddenly moved out from under Koko's and Hiei's feet, and the two fell into inky blackness.
