Wednesday, April 14, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 9
Wow! I've had over sixty visits to my site. Thanks, minna-san! With no further delay, here's chapter nine.

Chapter 9: Return Home

Kurama swooped down through the tall pines and landed on the forest floor just a few yards away from his old den. He was cursing himself repeatedly for getting himself and his mother into such a royal mess. The cloud thingy was fast, but it also took a whole lot of energy to use. By the time he got back to the fortress, he would be almost useless in a fight.

Snow was beginning to fall in little flurries, but Kurama wasn't bothered by it. He had lived with this cold for hundreds of years. He walked forward slowly, hand outstretched, sending some of his energy out through it.

The death tree he had planted there nearly a century ago leaned toward him, then, apparently recognizing him, returned to its original position. Kurama breathed a sigh of relief as he jumped into the hole at the base of the death tree's trunk. He had been slightly afraid that the tree wouldn't recognize him in his human form. He had planted it on top of the entrance to his den so that no one would have the opportunity to steal from the thief. That was assuming that anyone found out where he lived, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The inside of Kurama's den was pitch black except for the light filtering through the entrance hole. Kurama sent energy out again, activating the bioluminescent plants that grew along the walls. The large underground room brightened slowly, providing Kurama with his first view of his old home in over fifteen years.

/Dang, this place has almost fallen apart./ The light plants had seriously overgrown, nearly completely covering the earthen walls. The roots of the death tree above had poked through the ceiling and continued growing down into the floor. Rain had obviously begun to leak in, for as Kurama pushed away the light plants, he could see that most of the priceless decorations he had hung on the walls (weapons, tapestries, even a painting) were rusted, water-stained, and ruined. The intricately woven silk rug that he had stolen almost a hundred years ago was also water- stained, and it had several holes where roots had grown through it.

Kurama shook his head. There was nothing he could do about these items, and he didn't care about them anymore, anyway. He threaded his way through the roots to the opposite wall and punched it. The earth fell away, revealing a tunnel that led deeper into the earth. Kurama took one of the light plants off the wall beside it and started down. He had never allowed any plants to grow down here. This was where he kept the most precious of the items he had stolen. He had taken many measures to make sure these items didn't get ruined.

Kurama reached the end of the tunnel and lifted the light plant high. The room that was revealed in its soft light was three times as big as the first room and filled with valuable objects. Kurama noted with satisfaction that nothing seemed to be ruined. He walked through the room until he found what he was looking for. Slowly, he lifted the bow and quiver of arrows from its pedestal.

/If only I had known what would come of taking these,/ he thought. Well, it was far too late now. No one could predict the future. If someone had told him on the day he stole these that he would one day become human and that the owner of these weapons would seek revenge on him by kidnapping his mother, he would have laughed in that person's face.

Kurama stood for a minute, wondering whether he should stay here for a while and regain some of his energy. He decided against it. Puso and Kage might begin to believe that he wasn't coming back. Then they would kill his mother. Kurama turned ran up the tunnel. He kept running, pushing the roots of the death tree out of his way, not stopping until he was outside. The snow was coming down heavy now, but the cloud thingy was still waiting patiently where he had left it. Kurama jumped on and flew upward, praying that he hadn't taken too long.

* * *

Kurama arrived at the fortress over an hour later, wanting nothing more than to take a nap and wake up to find that the recent events had been a dream. "Well, well," Kage said as Kurama walked back into the entrance hall. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming back. You've been gone three hours, you know."

Kurama ignored him, marched over to Puso, and threw the weapons at his feet. He didn't dare look at his mother.

"Thank you," Puso said with a smile. He picked up the bow. "Still looks good as new," he commented, looking at it with admiration.

"Let her go," Kurama said.

"Oh, no problem, Kurama," Puso said. "However-"

"I want your life, first," Kage finished.

Kurama finally dared to look at Shiori. She was looking back at him, and the fear and disgust on her bruised face was more than Kurama could bear. "Bullcrap," he said, turning his attention back to his opponents. "You'll let her go first. I don't trust you any farther than I can throw you." He knew he couldn't live without his mother's love, so he might as well let these two kill him now. Especially if it meant Shiori's freedom.

The demons laughed. "Whatever you say, Kurama." Kage seemed to take pleasure from saying Kurama's name in front of his mother. "However, you'll relieve yourself of your weapon first."

Kurama obligingly pulled his rose out of his hair and threw it at Kage's feet. Kage kicked it into a corner and walked over to Shiori. Pulling her roughly to her feet, he drew his katana and cut the ropes binding her wrists. She brought her arms around slowly and began to rub her wrists. Kage pushed her roughly toward the doors. "Get lost," he said.

Shiori stumbled, then walked slowly to the doors. Pausing there, she turned around and looked back at Kurama.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" Kurama yelled at her.

Shiori jumped, pushed the doors opened, and hurried out, leaving the doors partially open behind her.

Kurama turned back toward the demons and dropped to his knees. "You've had your sick fun," he growled as tears formed in his eyes. "Now just get this over with."

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Sunday, April 11, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Trouble

Kurama stared up at the entrance to the fortress. He knew several stealthier ways to get in, having once broken in to steal the weapons, but he knew that the front doors would be the most direct way to get to his mother. After standing at the bottom of the stairs for a few minutes, he started up.

The double doors opened before he could reach them. Kurama stopped and studied what little of the inside he could see from his position. No one was near the doors, which meant that they had been rigged to open on their own, yet he could both sense and smell two demons within the fortress's entrance hall. One was the demon who had kidnapped his mother the first time, and the other.

A chill ran down Kurama's spine as he recognized the other demon. /Oh, crap,/ he thought. Then several, more colorful curses formed in his head as he forced himself to continue up the steps and through the door. /I thought I could bluff my way through this, but he'll recognize me for sure. Oh, hell, I'm in trouble./

"Welcome to my humble home, Kurama," Puso said as the doors swung shut. "Of course, you've been here before, but I doubt you took the time to come through the entrance hall."

Kurama ignored him completely, instead looking around for his mother. He spotted her against the wall to the left, and the sight of her face horrified him. "Oh, Mom," he breathed, starting toward her. She flinched. "Mom?" he repeated uncertainly, stopping.

Someone chuckled behind him, and he turned around to see the one demon he had hoped to never see again, the one who had nearly killed him over fifteen years ago. "You can't blame her for acting this way," Kage said. "After all, it's only natural to fear the great thief Youko Kurama. I've been entertaining her with some of your exploits while we were waiting on you."

Kurama clenched his fists at his sides. "I'm sorry, but you've made a mistake," he gritted out. "My name is Shuichi Minamino, and I've merely come to take an innocent woman home."

Kage gave a sharp caw that was his version of a loud laugh. "Give it up, Kurama. She knows the truth now, and there's no denying it. You're a demon. After all, if you weren't, how could you get to Makai, the world of demons?"

Kurama glowered at him. "Maybe I had help."

"And maybe you didn't. You know that if you didn't come alone, this ningen would be dead by now. Or didn't you read the note I left for you?"

/I did, you filthy bastard./ Kurama felt the demon inside him emerging and tried to hold it back. Transforming now was not what he needed to do. He just needed to find a way to get his mother out of there, and his own life be damned!

So he stood there with his poker face on while Kage walked toward his mother. "You know what a youko's favorite meal is, don't you?" he whispered, walking just past Kurama and stopping. Kurama resisted the urge to turn around and slash him to bits with his rose whip.

"Shut up," Shiori growled. She had long ago gotten fed up with these two and their horrible stories. She couldn't believe most of it anyway. Not where her son was concerned.

"Human flesh." Kage was wearing a demented grin.

"That can't be true," Kurama said, turning around and drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Foxes are carnivores, but they limit their diet to small animals, such as chickens. Why would a spirit fox be any different?"

Kage frowned, but continued, undaunted. "He's a thief," he told Shiori. "Is that natural to a fox?"

"Yes," Kurama answered. "A fox must be cunning and sly in order to get food. After all, there so many stories about a fox stealing chickens from the farmer's chicken coop. Do you think he stole using his good looks?"

Kage's frowned deepened. /Dammit, this won't work if he keeps refuting what I say using simple logic, he thought. I guess I'll have to resort to something a little more dirty./

"He was merely using you, ningen," he said.

Kurama poker face broke as sudden surprise and fear coursed through him.

"He wanted to get his strength back, that was all," Kage continued. "He was going to leave you soon. Maybe he would have killed you, too. That would have been just like him," he concluded, looking over his shoulder and grinning in satisfaction at Kurama's murderous expression.

"If that were true, then why am I here?" Kurama said through clenched teeth. Gold spots burst in his irises. /Don't change don't change please by all that is holy and all that isn't don't change,/ Kurama recited to himself. It was all he could do not to launch himself at Kage. He knew that if he attacked now, the doppelganger, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, would have a clear shot at killing Shiori. He didn't care now that she knew his secret; he just wanted her back in Ningenkai, where it was safe.

Meanwhile, Shiori had been watching her son with interest through the whole exchange, wondering if she could even call him her son anymore. At first she hadn't believed Headhunter's story, but as time had worn on, she had begun to make little connections in her mind. The way he had acted when he was just a small child. So arrogant. Disobedient. Like she was the child. That had changed after the accident from which she got the scars on her arms. But there were still times when he seemed so much more mature. And he was so smart. Smarter than anyone she knew. As if he had been born with the knowledge. His strange absences lately. He'd be gone for days at a time and wouldn't tell her where. And finally, the demon who had helped her the last time. He'd reminded her so strongly of Shuichi. He'd been bothered when she said he seemed familiar. She could tell, although he didn't say it. He knew the way to her home, although she never told him. And Shuichi had been gone the entire time the demon was with her. All these had added up in Shiori's mind and told her a truth that she didn't want to know.

/He's not my son at all. He's a monster./

In the mean time, Kage and Kurama were locked in a staredown. Kurama was ready and willing to attack, but he knew that to do so meant his mother's death. Kage knew this, too, and stood easily, relaxed, smirking.

"What do you want from me?" Kurama finally ground out.

Kage's face took on a very serious expression. "Your life."

"But not before you get something for me," Puso interrupted. "I want my bow and arrows back."

Kurama looked at him disbelievingly. /All this for a silly weapon?/

"Since I can't have back the brother you killed," Puso concluded with a snarl.

Kurama tensed, looking at Shiori, but she wasn't looking back. She was studying the floor with intense curiosity. "Fine," he growled. "But mark this well--" Here he switched to demon language. "--if she's dead when I get back, your lives are forfeit." Then he turned and stormed to the doors. Kicking them open, he started outside, then stopped, looking curiously at the steps below him. Something that looked like a cloud was sitting there as if inviting him to hop on.

"I brought that along just for you," Kage said from behind him. "Your old home is a very long way from here, isn't it? You'll get there faster by using that."

Kurama thought it through for a minute, then jumped on. Puso and Kage seemed to have some kind of arrangement, and he knew they wouldn't try to kill him by using a cheap trick like this. They wanted kill him with their own hands, no tricks, no chances of survival.

The cloud thingy didn't move at first, but after a couple of minutes Kurama figured out how to make it move using his energy, and soon he was high in the air and speeding toward the north.

* * *

Hiei and company watched as Kurama flew off into the wild blue yonder. /He's going to his old den,/ Hiei thought. The Jagan, which he had uncovered, glowed as he mentally walked through the events that happened inside the fortress.

"Hey-why-aren't-we-going-inside-now," Jin demanded. He was itching for a fight.

"Baka," Hiei answered. "The demons who are holding Shiori hostage have told Kurama to come alone. If we go barging in now, they'll kill the woman."

"How do you know all this?" Touya asked suspiciously.

"Hn," was Hiei's reply to that. "We have to wait for now," he continued, jumping onto a rather large branch of the nearest tree. "When it becomes clear that Kurama can no longer handle the situation on his own, then we'll move in. For now, make yourselves comfortable."

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Wednesday, April 7, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 7
Chapter 7: New Allies

Puso was having fun. He never thought that hitting humans could be so enjoyable. But then, no human had hurt him the way this one had. His face had healed, but he remembered the pain of the burns quite well. "How does it feel now, bitch?" he sneered. "Wish you hadn't burned me now, huh?" He slapped her hard across the face.

Shiori bore it all in determined silence. She refused to satisfy him by crying out. She focused her attention on the entrance hall instead. It was *huge*, made of stone, and lavishly decorated. Sunlight filtered through the windows set high in the walls, casting shadows into the corners.

Shiori had been brought here the previous day. The winged demon had tied her hands behind her back (very tightly this time), deposited her in a corner, and left. He returned a while later with another demon. Shiori recognized him as the demon who had kidnapped her the first time. He introduced himself and promptly started beating her with Wings looking on. They left after an hour, and Shiori had remained in the entrance hall all night. The next morning the demons had come in and taken up where they had left off.

Now Shiori was quite sure she looked pretty bad. Also, she hadn't had food since the previous day, and her stomach was beginning to complain. However, Puso didn't seem like he was going to offer her breakfast.

She gasped suddenly as she felt a rib crack under a particularly nasty punch. She hunched over and gritted her teeth to keep from screaming.

"I have to admit, you're pretty tough," she heard Puso say. She looked up as Wings suddenly stood up from his chair near the wall and walked toward her.

"Let's see how tough she is when she hears the truth," he said. He squatted down in front of her and grabber her hair, pulling her head up so that she looked him straight in the face. "Hello, Shiori," he said. "I'm called Kage, and I'm going to tell you a true story about your son."

* * *


Kurama ran swiftly through the forest, still in human form. He had decided not to transform for now. Hopefully, by playing it safe, he would be able to get his mother out without her witnessing a fight or discovering the truth about his demon nature. He jumped effortlessly over logs and boulders and wove through the trees.

Not far now.

* * *


Somewhere behind Kurama, Hiei was running through the same forest, although slowly (for him), due to the burden on his back. He had been at Genkai's temple visiting Yukina when Botan came to him with the news. Yukina had guessed that a fight may happen and asked to come along, volunteering her healing skills. Botan and Genkai had both thought that that was a good idea, so Hiei had brought her along, against his better judgment.

Now he was carrying her because she wasn't nearly as fast as he was, and though her weight slowed him down a bit, they were making better time than they would have been. Hiei, meanwhile, was mentally cursing at Kurama for running off on his own.

Suddenly, the wind picked up drastically. Hiei, sensing something amiss, quickly jumped to a tree and dropped his sister. "Stay here," he whispered to her, then he jumped away, katana out.

"No-need-to-get-so-defensive," called a familiar voice from above him. "I'm-not-gonna-hurt-you!"

Hiei paused for a minute to sort out the super fast words. Finally, he looked up, no less defensive than he had been a minute ago. "*Jin*?" he said in surprise.

The Wind Master grinned as he dropped to the ground. "Yep-that-would-be- me!" he said.

Hiei digested the words, then scowled. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded. Yukina walked over to join them.

Jin smirked. "Now-that's-not-your-business-is-it? However-I-could-ask-you- the-same-thing. Not-often-you-see-a-fire-demon-and-a-koorime-wandering- through-the-woods."

Hiei's scowl deepened, and he opened his mouth, prepared to tell Jin to shove off, but Yukina beat him.

"We're looking for Kurama," she said. "You remember him, right? His mother was kidnapped and brought to Makai, and he went to save her. We want to help him."

"Now-why-didn't-you-say-so-in-the-first-place?" Jin said, bouncing happily in the air. "Maybe-we-can-help-too. I-kinda-liked-Kurama-I-did. Hey!" he called over his shoulder. "You-hear-all-this?"

While Hiei was still trying to mentally slow the words down, another familiar figure jumped out of a nearby tree. "I did," Touya said. "I agree that we should help. After all, I owe Kurama. He spared my life."

Yukina beamed at them happily, but Hiei kept his scowl. /Ah, well, I suppose a little help won't hurt,/ he thought. "Fine, under one condition," he said. "You have to keep up with me." With that, he scooped Yukina up and resumed his run through the forest.

"Ohhh-a-race!" Jin cried.

"Jin, I'm not that fast. Give me a lift," Touya said.

"Sure-thing!" Touya jumped on Jin's back, and the two of them flew after Hiei and Yukina.

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Sunday, April 4, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 6 Part 2
Kurama and Shuichi were headed home four hours later. Kurama had done as his mother requested and took Shuichi to a nearby park for an hour so everyone could gather at their house for the party. This meant that Kurama had to spend an hour listening to Shuichi ramble about the new demon stories he had gotten from Takeshi. Kurama really didn't mind this, even though he already knew most of the stories. He was actually quite interested in how much information humans had about demons. /And Shuichi has developed quite an interest in demons since 'Kaasan was kidnapped,/ he thought as they turned onto the street where they lived.

Immediately, his heart dropped into his stomach. Several police cars were parked outside his house. /Uh-oh,/ he thought. /Something tells me the surprise party is cancelled./

"Hey, what's going on?" Shuichi asked. Kurama ignored him and began to run. "Hey, oniisan*, wait up," Shuichi called after him.

They reached the house in record time. Kurama threw open the door and ran into the living room, not bothering with taking off his shoes. Shuichi stopped in the hall and sat down, out of breath.

A dozen police officers and detectives were in the house. Kurama could smell them all. Two were there in the living, interrogating Hatanaka. "Hatanaka-san," Kurama began. "Where's Mom? What happened?"

One of the officers moved toward him. "Sir, this is a crime scene. I'm afraid you're going to--"

"No, wait," Hatanaka said. "He's her son. He should hear what happened."

The officer nodded and moved away, and Kurama sat in a chair after finally taking off his shoes.

Hatanaka took a deep breath. "Shuichi, your mother's been kidnapped."

Kurama's eyes narrowed.

Hatanaka continued. "We have no idea where she is or how to find her, but there is a clue, albeit a baffling one." He paused again, knowing that the red-haired boy would read between the lines.

Kurama did. Taking a chance that the officers didn't know English, he spoke. "You didn't tell them about last week?"

"No. They don't need to think we're crazy on top of everything else."

Fortunately, the officers looked puzzled. One started to speak. "If you were saying anything we may need to know-"

"It was nothing important," Kurama interrupted. "Merely a personal issue between Hatanaka-san and myself. If you don't mind, I would like to know what this clue is."

The officer looked at him suspiciously, then nodded and said, "Follow me."

Kurama did. The officer led him into the kitchen, where three more officers stood, one of them taking pictures. Kurama stopped, his face growing pale. He didn't need to be shown where the clue was. He could see and read it with crystal clarity. The officer looked at him again. "Can you understand it?" he asked.

Kurama swallowed. "No," he lied. He wasn't about to tell the officers that the message on the mirror was written in demon language. Hatanaka was right. The police would just think they were crazy.

The officer was looking suspicious again. "Are you sure?"

"I have never seen any language like that before. What was it written with?"

The officer paused. "We're not sure.but.we think.maybe.blood."

Kurama, who had asked simply for appearance's sake, nodded. /That's exactly what it smells like. It smells like blood. It smells like my mother's blood./ He looked around and saw the feather on the counter. Picking it up, he looked at the edge. /He cut her with this./ His features tightened with anger, and he stalked back into the living room after tossing the feather out the still open window. The detective in there immediately began to quiz him about anything he may have thought was suspicious.

An hour later, the officers seemed to think they had gathered all the information they could and left. Shuichi just now noticed the birthday decorations and began to blame himself for Shiori being home alone, vulnerable to attack. While Hatanaka tried to talk his son out of this mindset, Kurama slipped his shoes on and started out the door.

"Wait a second, Shuichi," Hatanaka called after him. "Where are you going?"

"To Yusuke's," he lied. "I can't stand sitting around here with nothing to do." With that, he walked out and shut the door behind him. It was dark now, but still early enough that several people were out and about, so Kurama kept his anger and his demon side in check. The last thing he needed to do was transform right where the whole world could see him. He headed toward the park, which closed at sundown. He knew he could open a portal to Makai there unobserved. Of course, the local gang might be there, but Kurama could run them out without a problem. He'd done so before, and he knew that half the gang thought the park was haunted because of it.

The words of the message reverberated through Kurama's mind. ~Kurama: If you want her back, come to the fortress from which you took the enchanted bow and arrows. Come alone.~

Kurama had a very good memory, and he knew exactly which fortress the message had meant. He cursed himself with every step for getting his innocent mother into this mess. Silently, he walked through the park, making sure it was empty. Once satisfied, he stepped into a particularly dense clump of trees and used his energy to make it denser. He didn't want any trespassers to stumble upon this portal.

* * *

The only sounds that could be heard were a constant stamping and the shuffle of papers. Koenma had gone past the point of caring what the papers said. He only wanted to get finished, so he slapped a stamp on every paper, then shoved it into his outbox. He was almost at the bottom of the pile now. "Yes," he said softly, grabbing the last sheet of paper. Just then, George came in, carrying another three-foot-high stack.

"Here you go, Koenma, sir," he said brightly. Koenma fell out of his chair.

"George! Didn't I say that I've had enough for today?!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but your father requested that these be brought to you immediately."

Koenma sighed and resigned himself to another two hours of stamping.

Just then, Botan burst through the doors. "Lord Koenma, we've got a problem!" she cried, running into George and knocking over his stack of papers. George started complaining, but she ignored him and marched straight to Koenma's desk.

"This better be good, Botan," the toddler said. "I've got work to do."

"Kurama's mother has been kidnapped again," Botan said

Koenma almost fell over again. "Are you sure?!"

"Hai. Remember the agent we put to watch on the fortress where we think Shiori was being taken the first time? Well, she reported a few minutes ago. A strange bird demon just arrived there, and it was carrying a human woman!"

"And you're sure this is Kurama's mother?"

"Who else would it be?" Botan slammed her hands on the desk. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Well, first we need to contact Kurama."

"Too late. I've already tried. There were police officers all over his house until a few minutes ago, and I went there when they left. Kurama was gone, too, and I couldn't find him anywhere!"

Koenma put his elbows on his desk and held his head in his hands. /I'm getting a headache,/ he thought. "Great. He's probably going to take the law into his own hands." He looked up. "Find Hiei and tell him to find Kurama and assist him."

Botan looked surprised. "You mean you're going to let him take the law into his own hands?"

"Well, he is a detective, and I trust him to make the right decisions. Once you find Hiei, report back to me. In the meantime, I've got work to do."

*big brother

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Friday, April 2, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 6 Part 1
Chapter 6: Happening Again

A week passed uneventfully. There were no more attacks and no news from Koenma. Kurama didn't mind the former, but the latter bothered him more than a little. Granted, he didn't think much of Koenma's information archives, but surely they would have found something by now.

Shuichi's friend Takeshi had managed to identify Shiori's kidnapper as a doppelganger, which also bothered Kurama. Doppelgangers could shift their shape to anything they wanted, and they were also adept at hiding their energy. All of which meant that Kurama would have to rely solely on his nose if the doppelganger attacked again, and he didn't like that prospect. He also didn't like going to school since it meant that he had to spend the whole day away from Shiori, but he didn't really have a choice. It usually wasn't so bad, since Shiori was usually at work while he was in school, and thus surrounded by people who would undoubtedly notice if the demon attacked again, but today she would be home early. However, he had to take the risk. So he resigned himself to another day of nervous waiting and turned his attention back to his science test.

* * *

Shiori wasn't thinking much about the attack today. In truth, she believed all danger had passed. After all, if the doppelganger had wanted her that badly, wouldn't he have tried to kidnap her again before now, even if there were witnesses? Instead of worrying about it, she turned her attention Shuichi's surprise birthday party, which was to be held later today. She had come home from work early in order to prepare for it. Her son was going to take the younger Shuichi directly to the park after school to give his friends time to get to the house. When they came home.

Shiori grinned happily as she pinned up crepe paper in the living room. Hatanaka was still at work, but he had promised to come home early as well.

She walked into the kitchen and opened up a window. It was simply too nice outside not to enjoy it. She then walked to the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of cold water.

The same bird that had witnessed the conversation last week was sitting in the tree again today. It had been watching the house all day and knew that Shiori was home alone. It also knew that no one else would be home for several hours. When it saw Shiori open the kitchen window, it knew it's time had come.

It flew silently down and landed on the floor. Seeing that Shiori was turned toward the refrigerator with her back to it, it began to transform. The bird grew rapidly, gaining a human-like form, except for the jet-black wings. His eyes retained their cruel red color.

Shiori turned around just as he finished. She gasped and dropped the glass, which shattered instantly, spilling water all over the floor. Kage jumped to her in the blink of an eye and covered her mouth. "I wouldn't scream if I were you," he warned. Shiori nodded, her terror showing clearly in her eyes. "Good." Kage pulled her close to him, then plucked a feather out of his wing. Walking over to a mirror, he drew the feather across Shiori's cheek. Shiori cried out and nearly bit her captor's hand as the razor sharp edge of the feather sliced through her skin. Kage merely chuckled and began to write on the mirror, using Shiori's blood as ink. When finished, he laid the feather on the counter, picked Shiori up, and flew out the window. He sped above the treetops quicker than the eye could see, heading for a forest on the edge of the city where he had left a portal to Makai open. He grinned as he went, feeling the woman's terrified trembling. /She knows I'm too strong for her, unlike Puso, he thought. And even if she did struggle, well, it's a long way down./ He swooped down, going through the portal, then flew high again, heading for Puso's castle.

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Monday, March 29, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 5
Chapter 5: News

Kurama and Shuichi were still in the living room when Hatanaka finally made it home at 12:30 in the morning. They both jumped up and rushed to the hall when they heard the door open.

"Boys, you have school tomorrow. Shouldn't you be in bed?" Hatanaka said as he closed the door and took off his shoes.

"Where's Mom?" Kurama said.

"The doctors decided to keep her in the hospital for observation. She's fine though. Her worst injury was that hand. It's a second degree burn. She should be home tomorrow."

"Did she tell you what happened?" Shuichi asked eagerly.

"Well, yes." Hatanaka hung up his raincoat and walked into the living room, plopping down on the couch. Shuichi sat beside him, and Kurama took a nearby chair. "The story isn't all that believable, however."

That just made Shuichi want to hear it even more, so Hatanaka repeated it to the boys. Kurama sat through it silently, showing no reaction. After all, he already knew what had happened. Shuichi was also silent, but his eyes grew ever larger as the story went on.

"Wow!" he breathed when Hatanaka had finished. "You mean demons really do exist? I have a friend who all into demons. He's always talking about some new legend or story he's found. I bet he would know what kind of demon it was that saved Mom!"

"I'm more worried about why Mom was kidnapped in the first place," Kurama said quietly, instantly sobering Shuichi's mood. "Did she have any idea?"

Hatanaka shook his head. "Iie. I'm worried about it, too. What if the demon tries to kidnap her again? I can handle many things, but demons?" He helplessly shook his head again.

"Well, she got help this time," Shuichi said. "Maybe she will next time, too. I mean, if there is a next time," he added, looking downcast.

"I doubt it," Kurama said. "That demon can't be around all the time." /Though I'll certainly try,/ he added to himself. And once Koenma got some information for him, he would be able to protect Shiori even better.

The family went silent for a few minutes, pondering the ominous turn of events. Kurama wasn't really worried about Shuichi finding out what kind of demon he was. In fact, this friend's knowledge might be helpful.

"Shuichi," he said, breaking the silence. "When you tell your friend about this, ask him what kind of demon it was who kidnapped Mom in the first place."

Shuichi gave him a strange look. "Why?"

"I think it might be helpful if we know what we're dealing with," Kurama replied. He stood up and stretched. "In the mean time, Hatanaka- san is right. We have school tomorrow, and it is quite late. Let's go to bed."

* * *


The next day dawned bright and clear, the rain having left during the night. Kurama loved days like this. The air had a fresh smell, and the sun seemed brighter and warmer. /Yes, rain is a good thing,/ he thought. It also meant that he didn't have to water his gardens today.

He was sitting in school, listening to the teacher drone about history. He rarely listened to the teacher in this particular class, since he had lived through most of the subjects of the lectures. However, he never fell asleep.

Which was exactly what he did that time.

"Minamino-san!"

Kurama jerked awake to find the teacher standing over him.

"I wasn't aware you had a problem with narcolepsy, Minamino-san," the teacher said wryly. A few classmates snickered.

"Sumi masen*," Kurama said, his face turning red. "My mother had to be taken to the hospital last night, and I stayed up late to wait on news. I'm a little sleepy today."

The teacher's face softened. "Perhaps you should go home, then."

"Iie. She's fine. She'll be home later today."

"Whatever you say." The teacher walked back to the front of the classroom. "In the meantime, please try to stay awake. That goes for you, too, Kimura-san," he said, rapping a desk sharply. The girl jumped. "Sumi masen, Ochiai-sensei," she mumbled.

* * *

Kurama finally made it home that afternoon to find Shiori in the living room, her wrapped ankle propped on the coffee table. Kurama nearly forgot to take his shoes off in his haste to see her. "No, Mom, don't get up," he called as he hastily kicked them off. Shiori settled back down as he came into the living room and bent down to hug her.

"Hi, son, have a good day at school?" she said.

"More or less," he replied. "Hatanaka-san told us what happened. How are you feeling?" He sat down beside her on the couch.

Shiori gave a short laugh. "Shell-shocked, I guess. I never would have imagined this happening to me." She studied her son's face and was reminded of the demon who had rescued her. /Why do they seem so similar?/ she wondered again.

At that moment, Shuichi came in. "Tadaima!" he called. Then he spotted Kurama and Shiori and ran into the living room. "Mom! You're back!" he cried happily, about to jump on her. Kurama grabbed him before he could.

"Careful, she's hurt," he admonished.

Shuichi sheepishly bent down to hug her carefully, then sat down on her left side. "I talked to Takeshi today," he said. "He said he'd have to do a little reading to find out what kind of demon it was who kidnapped you. But he did know what kind of demon the other one was!"

"Wait a second." Shiori frowned. "You've been telling your friends about this?"

"Just one, Takeshi. He's always believed in demons, and he studies everything he can about them."

"Well, Shuichi," Kurama prodded. "What did he have to say?"

"This is what he said!" Shuichi was obviously excited. "The demon, the one who saved you, Mom, he was a youko!"

Kurama silently congratulated Takeshi for being smart while Shiori gave her step-son a confused look. "What's a youko?"

"A kitsune. A really powerful one."

"Shuichi, you may have picked up some knowledge of demons from your friend, but I don't know anything about them. What makes a youko fox so special?"

Shuichi sighed impatiently. "A youko is a spirit fox that can shapeshift. They're said to be really good at illusions. The one who saved you was an arctic fox. They're really rare and *really* strong. They also live a really long time."

"How long?" asked Kurama, amused.

"Well, let's put it this way. Takeshi hasn't heard of any that have died of natural causes, but he has heard of some that are hundreds of years old."

Kurama was beginning to wonder if this Takeshi had any connections to Makai.

"Well, that's all well and good, but I just hope I never have need of this youko's help again," Shiori said.

"Me, too," Kurama added. He stood up and started for the hallway.

"Hey, wait!" Shuichi called. "I want to tell you some stories that Takeshi told me."

"What kind?" Kurama said, turning around.

"Well, there was one I especially liked about a youko named Kila." Shuichi started. Kurama turned back to the hall and picked up his book bag. ".and the one about the thief Kurama and his partner Kuronue."

*That* caught Kurama's attention.

"Thief, you say?" he asked, turning around again. "That doesn't sound like anyone to idolize to me."

"He's still cool," Shuichi said, shrugging.

"Well, you tell 'Kaasan about it. I've got homework to do." With that Kurama started toward the stairs. The last thing he needed right now was to hear anything about Kuronue or his past life. /I had no idea we became known in Ningenkai./

He could hear Shuichi starting his stories downstairs before he closed his bedroom door.

* * *

A bird sat in a tree outside the living room window, watching the entire exchange. It was about as big as a crow and black, for the most part. Its chest was a deep indigo blue, and its legs were mottled orange and black. The beak was colored like a piece of candy corn and the eyes were red. It stared hatefully at the red-haired boy, if a bird could be said to stare hatefully. When the boy left the living room, it flew off, deciding it had gathered enough information. It would make its move soon.

*Sumi masen: I'm sorry (formal).

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Saturday, March 27, 2004

Past Collides with Present: Chapter 4 Part 2
And here's the next part of Chapter 4!

Back in Makai, the forest was as silent as always. The inside of the castle was another story. Puso stormed around, breaking everything he could find and cussing at the top of his lungs. "Stupid ningen!" he yelled, rubbing his still smarting face. "How dare she hurt me! I hope her death in the forest is the most painful there can be!" He didn't know about Shiori's rescuer.

A chuckle sounded from the shadows behind him. Puso jumped and screeched a particularly nasty curse in demon language. Then he turned and glowered at the intruder. "Who gave you permission to come here?" he said in a threatening voice.

The intruder chuckled as he stepped out of the corner into the partial light thrown by the torches on the walls. He was tall, about six and a half feet, with black feathers that hung sleekly to his shoulders in place of hair and evil red eyes. His black feathered wings stretched almost eight feet from tip to tip, even though they weren't fully spread. "You called for me; here I am. I understand you have a rather interesting job for me."

"Of course." Puso was instantly polite and formal. "You'll be Kage, ne?"

The devil bird* bowed. "At your service.as long as the price is high."

"Of course," Puso repeated. He got straight to the point. "I need you to capture a ningen woman for me, if she's still alive. Then I'll tell you the rest of my plan."

"You mean the same woman you tried to kidnap?" Kage grinned evilly. "My, but isn't that a nice sunburn! Funny that it showed up in the middle of the night."

Puso growled, then remembered who he was dealing with and abruptly became polite again.

Kage laughed. "No need to worry about her death--"

"I'm not," Puso interjected.

"-she was rescued by another youkai. I tracked them all the way back to a portal to Ningenkai before I returned here. I must say, I'm quite interested in any ningen who has ties to demons. Who is she, and why is she important to you?"

"Her name is Shiori Minamino, and as far as she knows, she has no connections to any demons."

Kage frowned. "Elaborate."

Puso sat down near the fireplace and invited Kage to do the same. Kage remained standing. Puso shrugged and started the story.

"A long time ago, a certain thief stole something from me. Something very valuable."

"Knowing what this item was would be very helpful to me."

Puso sighed, running a hand through his spiky, dark orange hair. "A bow and a quiver of arrows. Both very powerfully enchanted. Any arrow shot from the bow would blast through anything until it found the flesh of the wielder's enemy. Pretty nice, don't you think? The quiver held special arrows. They always came back to the quiver after they had been used. That way the ammunition never runs out. I didn't use them much, and I kept them hidden in the maze dungeon of this fortress. I thought no one would ever get them, but a certain very crafty thief managed to." He stopped, and his pale orange eyes began to burn with hatred. "The bastard killed my brother that day."

"I see." Kage was amused. "And now you want revenge. But one thing arouses my curiosity."

"And that would be?"

"Why now? How come you waited so long?"

"Well, at first it was because he was far more powerful than I, and I knew it. If I had tried for revenge then, he would have sliced me into ribbons. Then he was killed, or so everyone believed. Lately, however, I began hearing rumors that spoke of him as alive. I did a little investigating of my own, and I found that these rumors were true. I also found that he now has one fatal weakness."

"That woman."

Puso nodded. "He loves that filthy ningen. He'd do anything to protect her."

Kage grinned again. Somehow the expression made him look scarier. "I like the way you think. But I want to know one more thing. Exactly who is this thief you want to kill?"

Puso grinned, too. "Why, I thought you would have guessed by now. Especially since you tracked him earlier, for it had to have been him who rescued that woman. You didn't recognize his yoki?"

"It felt familiar, but I couldn't place it."

Puso grinned wider. "That, my friend, was Youko Kurama."

"Impossible." Kage's face went flat. "I killed him. I never miss a kill."

"You missed this one. I called you in because honestly, he's still more powerful than me, and I figured that you had a reputation to uphold. If it got out that you missed a kill, you'd be ruined."

Kage stayed silent, and Puso began to wonder if he had said too much. Finally, Kage asked, "Exactly how did he survive? I felt him die."

"What you felt was his spirit fleeing to Ningenkai. Once there, he merged with an unborn child and grew up as that woman's human son. He should have returned to Makai by now, but he hasn't. He doesn't want to leave his mother." Puso laughed. "Doesn't that just give you the warm fuzzies?"

Kage didn't respond. Instead he walked to the door leading to the castle's entrance hall. Then he turned and looked at Puso. "I don't care about the money," he said. "The only payment you need give me is the privilege of killing Youko Kurama with my own hands. Find your revenge some other way."

"I intend to," Puso said. "I intend to break his heart. I want him to ask for death first."

Kage studied him. "Is that why you want his human mother? You need her in order to get to him?"

Puso smiled. "That woman is his weakness."

Kage opened the door to the entrance hall. "I like the way you think," he said again. "Don't worry about the woman. I'll get her, and I won't botch it the way you did." Then he walked out.

Puso stare after him. "Kage the devil bird," he murmured. "The most skilled bounty hunter in the three worlds. No one knows his real name. He's never missed a target, and he prefers to kill." He shook his head. "What am I getting myself into?"

*The devil bird is an actual species of bird. I saw it when I was in Australia, and since I don't know the name of the species, I call it the devil bird. It's actually an interesting story how I came to call it that, but it's a little long, so I'm not telling unless a bunch of people want me to. Anyway, I thought it would be a cool idea to base Kage on the devil bird. By the way, his name is pronounced "Kah-geh." It's Japanese for "shadow."

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Friday, March 26, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 4 Part 1
I'm posting this chapter in two parts because it's so long.

Chapter 4: Meetings

"Shiori!" She was nearly bowled over by her husband and step-son. She stepped back onto her bum ankle and cried out, nearly blinded by the pain. She sank down to her knees, Hatanaka apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mean to hurt you. What happened? Where have you been? We were getting so worried."

"I'm sorry," Shiori said. "It's a long story. Where's Shuichi?"

Hatanaka and the younger Shuichi exchanged glances. "He isn't with you? He went out looking for you."

Shiori shook her head. "I haven't seen him. Of course, he wouldn't be looking for me where I was at."

Just then, the door behind her opened, and in walked Kurama, back in human form.

"Shuichi!" Shiori jumped up and threw her arms around her son, careful to keep her weight off the twisted ankle.

"Mom! Where have you been? I've been searching everywhere!" Kurama returned the hug carefully. Pushing her away, he looked her over, then proclaimed, "You're hurt."

Shiori shrugged. "I'm fine. Just a few scratches and a twisted ankle."

"And a burned hand." Kurama held it up gently. "You need a visit to the hospital. How did this happen?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and it's not that bad."

"I agree with Shuichi," Hatanaka said. "We're going to the hospital."

Kurama picked Shiori up and carried her out to the car despite her constant complaints. He deposited her in the front passenger seat, then leaned down to hug her. "I hope you don't mind if I stay behind, 'Kaasan. I have to take care of a few things here."

Shiori shook her head. "No, I don't mind. I don't even think this is necessary-"

Kurama shut the door as Hatanaka started the car. They drove away, and Kurama turned to his younger brother. "I'm calling a few friends over, Shuichi. I would appreciate it if you didn't bother us."

Shuichi nodded as they walked inside. Kurama called Yusuke, who agreed to call Kuwabara and get over there as soon as he could. Kurama trusted that Hiei would already know his presence was needed. That Jagan really was amazing.

Fifteen minutes later, the entire Reikai Tantei had gathered in Kurama's room and were sipping sodas (except for Hiei, who would rather be thirsty than drink a ningen drink). Kurama quickly outlined the night's events. When he was finished, the group stayed silent for a few minutes.

Finally, Yusuke gave a low whistle. "That was a close one, Kurama. You should have called me first. Or Hiei, at least."

"She even said that you reminded her of you?" Kuwabara asked.

Hiei snorted. "You are such a baka!"

"Hey, shrimp! That wasn't needed!" Kuwabara almost knocked over a side table as he stood up and started toward the window where Hiei was sitting. Kurama caught the table while Yusuke rushed to get between Kuwabara and Hiei.

"Children! We've got more important things to worry about." Yusuke pushed Kuwabara away from Hiei, who was still sitting serenely on the windowsill. "So how about it, Kurama?" he asked when he finally had Kuwabara sitting down again. "Why didn't you contact us first?"

"To be honest, I didn't think it was anything worth worrying about. You know how women are. If they meet a friend in the store, they'll talk until Christmas. I didn't think much of the demon I smelled at first. The smell was so faint that I was sure it was long gone, even if it had been there in the first place." Kurama paused to take a sip from the coke*. "As you can tell, we're both fine, except for a few minor injuries on her part. I just wish I had had the time to confront that demon and find out exactly what he wanted from me. I'm sure he kidnapped my mother because of me. Why else would he want in her particular?"

Yusuke frowned. "It could be a coincidence."

Kurama shook his head. "I don't believe in coincidences, especially when the lives of my f
family are at stake."

"Couldn't you just go back to Makai and find him?" Kuwabara asked.

"No," Kurama answered. "I'm not going to risk opening another portal tonight, and anyway, the demon is most likely long gone from that area."

"Oh," Kuwabara looked a bit crestfallen. "Then why don't we ask Koenma about it?"

"First smart thing he's said all year," Hiei said, still staring out the window.

"That's right," Kuwabara said. His face grew redder as Hiei's insult finally sank in. "Hey! I don't see you adding much to the conversation, short stack!"

Yusuke was up and between them before Kuwabara even had a chance to try knocking the table over again. "Knock it off, you two. Hiei--"

"No," Hiei said.

"--could you go to Reikai and inform Koenma..." Yusuke's voice trailed off at the end. "Oh come on!" he yelled. "Kurama has to stay here and wait for news on his mom! I promised my mom I'd be home in an hour, which won't happen if I have to make that side trip! And do you really want Kuwabara to go?! By himself?!"

"Same my name a little louder, Yusuke," Kurama said sharply. "I don't think my brother heard you yet."

Yusuke clapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Hey, why can't I go?" Kuwabara demanded, but everyone ignored him and stared at Hiei instead. Finally, Hiei growled.

"I get your point, detective. But you owe me, understand?" With that, he opened the window, jumped out, and disappeared into the rainy night.

"Well, now that that's settled." Yusuke looked at Kurama. "Would you like some company while you wait on news?"

Kurama smiled. "I thought you promised your own mother that you'd be home soon."

"Oh, that," Yusuke looked off to the side. "I kinda said that because I didn't want to go see Pacifier Face. Mom's on one of her binges. She's too trashed to worry about me."

Kurama snickered behind his hand. "I thought so. But anyway, you don't need to stay. I'm a big boy now, you know."

"Whatever you say." Yusuke headed out of the room and started down the stairs. "Come on, Kuwabara, your kitten's waiting," he called over his shoulder.

"Shut up about my kitten!" Kuwabara snapped back. Kurama saw them both to the front door.

"Be careful out there," he warned, then walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh.

"What was the yelling about?" asked Shuichi, who watching television.

"Nothing," Kurama replied. "Yusuke just tends to get excited sometimes."

* * *


While Kurama had been discussing the night's events with his friends, Shiori had been relating them to her husband, who had to pull off the road and stop at one point to keep from swerving the car into oncoming traffic in surprise. He sat in stunned silence as Shiori finished.

"Shiori, are you sure about all this?" he finally asked. "It sounds more like a hallucination to me."

"Believe me, I kept wishing it was," she said. "Especially when I first saw that fox-eared demon. I was so shocked I fainted."

"But, Shiori, what would a demon want with you?"

"Beats me. But I'm glad I was able to find help."

"Sounds more like help found you."

"I suppose." Shiori looked at the rain beating on the windshield. "So strange," she whispered. "He reminded me so much of my son."

"Any particular reason why?" Hatanaka said as he restarted the car and pulled onto the road.

"No. He just.did."

"Well, maybe you'll feel better once your wounds get treated. Then we can put this behind us."

Shiori wasn't listening. She was still lost in her own little world. "I didn't even have to point the way home. Somehow, he already knew."

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Thursday, March 25, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 3
Chapter 3: On the Way Home

There was no way that Kurama could somehow not hear the screaming. After almost an hour of traveling through a near silent forest, the screams sounded so suddenly and loudly that he actually jumped. The noise was coming from maybe a couple hundred yards away, proof that Kurama was gaining on his mother and her captor, if that was indeed where the screams were coming from. Kurama laid his ears flat against his skull and bared his teeth as he hurried forward with a little less caution. If that was his mother-

But before he traveled much farther, something else caught his attention. Someone was running in his general direction, and whoever it was wasn't bothering with being quiet. Then there was a thud and a sharp cry of pain, and Kurama realized it was Shiori. /She must have somehow hurt her captor while escaping,/ he thought as he jumped over a log and ran to his mother. He could see her now; she was trying to crawl through the forest. Her leg must have been injured. As he moved toward her, she looked up. Kurama saw the shock and fear on her face as clearly as if it had been daylight, and then she fainted.

Kurama picked her up gently, cursing himself for forgetting that he was in demon form. His nose caught the odor of cooked flesh, and he turned over her hand, examining the burns and guessing exactly how she had hurt her kidnapper. He growled and turned back toward the source of the screams (which by now had died down to moans and curses), then looked down at his mother's face and decided that getting her back home was his first priority. After one last glare over his shoulder, he turned and started to run back toward the portal, hoping to get home before Shiori woke up.

That wish proved to be in vain after a few minutes. Shiori stirred, the pain in her ankle being increased by Kurama's running. Her soft moan caught his attention, and he slowed to a walk as he worriedly looked down at her.

Shiori was very slowly coming back to reality. She was aware of a constant jerking that amplified her ankle's throbbing, but it had now become gentle enough to ease the pain. /I'm being carried,/ her tired brain finally comprehended. She carefully opened her eyes. It was still dark, but she could see clearly enough to make the passing trees and bushes. /I must have been out for only a few minutes,/ she thought. /But wait, that means-/

She looked up and saw that she was being carried by the same strange animal-eared being that she had seen before she passed out. She was frightened, but she dimly realized that this time she had no way of escaping. Even if she did, where would she go? She was beginning to realize exactly how big this forest was. At least this guy wasn't tying her up. And were his ears actually real?

Finally, she was able to find her voice. "Who-what are you?" she whispered. "What do you want with me?"

Kurama paused and looked down at her, his throat closing at the look of fear on his face. He was never more tempted to spill the beans to her about his past and his deception, but caution ruled over emotion, and since when did he let emotion get in his way, anyway? "I am a demon," he finally answered, beginning his trek through the forest again. "My only objective to take you back where you belong."

"Why?"

"My reasons are my own."

"Where am I?"

"Makai. The world of demons."

"How did I get here?"

"I imagine your kidnapper brought you here. Do you know why?"

Shiori paused and tried to think about anything she may have to attract the attention of a demon. Heck, she didn't know. She hadn't even known that demons even existed before tonight. "I don't know," she finally said. "He never told me. He never said anything to me."

Kurama nodded and picked his way carefully around a boulder. He didn't want to jump over it and risk hurting Shiori even more. Meanwhile, Shiori, watching his face, was being forcefully reminded of her son. She couldn't explain why; this strange demon looked nothing like Shuichi. Maybe it was the little mannerisms, things people notice without realizing it. Or the inflections in his speech.

"Who are you?" she demanded again. "You seem so familiar."

Kurama, bothered by this and tired of the game of Twenty Questions anyway, answered with a quiet growl. "Don't talk anymore. Our noise has attracted enough predators as it is." Which was true enough. Kurama could see several pairs of eyes peering at them from the deeper shadows. Of course, he wasn't worried. No creature in its right mind would attack him, even if he did have an armful of human. However, Shiori didn't need to know that.

They spent the rest of the journey in silence, and Kurama breathed a little easier as he stepped through the portal to the Ningenkai, glad that the portal was still open. He hoped no other humans had accidentally stumbled into the Makai, though he seriously doubted it. Almost no one came to the park at night except a local gang, and even they didn't come in this far.

It had started raining in their absence. The soft pattering sounded good to them after the endless silence of the Makai forest. Kurama closed the portal, then started toward home, staying under the trees until they reached the edge of the park. Then he flitted through the shadows at the edges of the circles of light cast by the streetlamps, hoping no one was outside at that time. Being noticed now was the last thing he wanted.

Finally, he reached their home and set Shiori down carefully on the front porch. She leaned against the door and looked up at him. /Good grief, he's tall,/ she thought. "Arigatou gozaimasu*," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Kurama gave her a small nod of acknowledgement, then turns and runs back toward the park, where he knew he could change back to his human form without being seen.

Shiori watched him go, wondering about him. He seemed so cold, yet he had helped her willingly. Shiori was quite sure that not every demon would have helped a human. She opened the door and hobbled inside, still puzzling over it.

*Arigatou gozaimasu: Thank you.

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Tuesday, March 23, 2004

   Past Collides with Present: Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Escape

The forest in Makai was silent as death. It was dark, and the creatures that roamed at night were fearsome, indeed. No creature made a sound if at all possible. Stealth was the best means of protection, and stealth was also the best means of finding one's prey. No one understood this better than Youko Kurama, who had once ruled the cold forests in the north of Makai. He stole silently through this forest with all the skill and all the patience he had learned with four centuries of hard living and dangerous thievery, following the familiar scents that grew stronger every second.
He was gaining on them.

* * *

Far ahead of him in the same forest, the demon who had kidnapped his mother had foolishly decided to stop for the night. He was tired, and his castle was still quite several kilometers away. Besides, the human woman he had captured wouldn't dare try to escape, even if she thought she could. This particular demon had quite a low opinion of humans, even though he had had very little contact with them. As such, he was very likely to underestimate them.
Shiori had realized this and was thinking hard about how to use it to her advantage. She had no idea what the strange man with dark orange hair and pale orange eyes wanted with her, but she didn't plan to find out. She had no idea where she was, for there was no forest anywhere near her house, but she was willing to escape from the creepy man and take her chances in the wilderness.
The captor's first mistake was building the fire. He wanted the heat and believed he was safe in the forest (which was true enough), but Shiori already had many ideas as to how to use it to her advantage. His second mistake was to tie her hands behind her so loosely. Shiori, masking the movements by leaning her upper back against a tree, had managed to loosen them even more. She watched the demon very closely as she kept picking at the knots. He was making his third mistake as he nodded off on the other side of the fire. /Keep sleeping/, Shiori pleaded silently as the last knot began to loosen considerably. Her kidnapper obeyed the silent command. He even began to snore lightly.
/Yes!/ The knot came undone, and Shiori slipped the ropes off her hands, bringing them around and rubbing her wrists. She got up slowly and started toward the fire. Her kidnapper had cooked food earlier and didn't share any with her. She was hungry and intended to have the leftovers. The guy owed her that much. He hadn't spoken a word to her since she had woken up despite her many demanding questions.
However, just as she reached the fire, she stepped on a twig. It snapped with a loud CRACK. The strange man jerked awake, saw her, and got up, lunging around the fire. Shiori instantly dropped to her knees and scooped up a handful of glowing embers. She flung them at her captor's face, and scrambled away, mentally cursing at the pain in her hand as the man screamed and clawed at his eyes.
She got back to her feet and ran through the trees, pushing branches away from her and trying to put as much distance between herself and the man as she could. She couldn't tell how fast she was running, and time seemed to slow down. Suddenly, she tripped over something and hit the ground hard. Pain shot through her leg. Shiori reached down to make sure her ankle wasn't broken, and after satisfying herself that it was just twisted, although badly, she began to crawl until she reached a tree, then pulled herself up by the lowest branches and continued on, hobbling badly. She had no idea where to go, but the silence of the forest, broken only by her captor's continued screams, was unnerving, and she felt like she had to keep moving. She stumbled again and gritted her teeth in agony as she put too much weight on her bad ankle. She started to crawl forward again, looking for a tree to help her back up. She froze after two seconds, scared to death by the slight noise she had just heard. Slowly, carefully, she looked up.
The face she saw looked human enough, but it was framed in what looked silver, and the ears on top of the being's head looked like they should belong to a fox instead.
Overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all, Shiori did the only thing she could do in a situation like this.
She fainted.

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