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Haunted
.:Gatochu:.
If you're interested in reading the original version, it will soon be made available at my fanfic journal at LJ. PLEASE VIEW MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi.
Pairings: KxK (Karasu x Kurama)
He took a light sip, testing the temperature. Finding it cool enough to drink without burning himself, he took a much longer drink, consuming half the contents. Kurama slowly began to feel the effects of the caffeine. His vision, slightly blurred from sleep, began to clear; new energy was coarsing his veins. He shook his head lightly, trying to rid himself of the tired feeling and the past night's oddities.
He'd had many dreams before, most all of them strange, in that twisted way dreams tend to be. But this one dream was an enigma to him. When broken down, there was nothing wholly strange about it; it was straightforward enough. And for that single reason it unnerved him.
Kurama drank the remaining half of his coffee, then went to pour another cup. He added cream and a teaspoon of sugar before sitting back down. He stirred the contents once more, eyes on his cup, but his mind replaying the dream as best it could remember.
He sighed, his lungs and nose were instantly filled with the overwhelming stench of death, blood and smoke and closed his eyes violet eyes snapped open, wide as he sipped his drink.
Damn those eyes. The only part of his dream he actually saw... The rest of it was in complete blackness. But those eyes... They seemed to illuminate the entire nothingness that was the dream.
Another sip.
His mind set out on autopilot, searching every face he'd seen in both lives for a matching pair of eyes. There were a few humans, but he pushed them aside, these were not human eyes. A great deal of demons had those violet eyes, but none seemed to match. He chuckled to himself, ending the search. The eyes had
Bang.
but one match. Kurama's eyes opened slowly.
Another sip.
A mental file was opened. Karasu, a demon of unknown species and origin. Powerful, cold, intelligent, obsessive and more than just a little crazy.
Another sip.
Also, Kurama added. Dead - killed in the Dark Tournament by himself. Of course, he could be wrong.
A much longer sip.
He'd never witnessed the disposal of the body.
He swallowed the rest of the coffee in one gulp. He brought his mug to the sink, washed it, and put it away.
A week ago, it had seemed that all of the birds near Kurama's home had migrated outwards, away from him. The occasional bird he did spot flying overhead was later found dead - scratched, mutilated and partially eaten - discarded in the driveway, or underneath a bush.
It was an upsetting thing, not knowing what the birds did. All of his instincts should have caused him to be more alert, on guard, but they told him there was no danger nearby.
Kurama walked outside, locking his door behind him. A small shadow passed overhead. He glanced up, seeing a small bird circling above. It slowly descended, landing on the lawn. Kurama noticed, with some unconcious delight, that it was a beautiful mix of reds and browns. The bird hopped across the grass, propping its head against the earth occasionally to listen for a nearby insect.
Within a few minutes of this, another, much larger shadow appeared overhead. He looked up and saw yet another bird, a large crow. Or was it a raven..? He wondered to himself, momentarily. His thoughts were interupted as he noticed that this new intruder was diving down at a fast pace.
The tiny bird hopped swiftly away, fluttering its wings. It had barely taken off from the ground when the blackbird's claws had tightened around it, drawing blood. The crow tore off some of the smaller bird's flesh, pecking at it while still alive. The smaller bird cried out, a seemingly endless song of pain. Such a song though, could never last forever, as the crow ripped out the bird's heart and ate it.
The blackbird took a few more bites, drank from the small pool of blood and gathered up the small bird in its talons. It began to flutter its wings, then paused. It turned, seeming to notice Kurama for the first time. It cocked its head, staring at him. The bird folded its wings once more, gazing at him intently. It then drew up its feathers and flapped its wings, puffing itself to look larger. It cawed menacingly, talons gripping its kill sharply.
Kurama nodded, and turned away. To the bird he was no more than another scavenger, out to take its food. As he walked down the sideway, he wondered just why he'd stared for so long. Mobid curiousity and pure shock had seemed to freeze him in place, forcing him to watch. It wasn't every day after all, that one got to witness another creature's hunt for food. He paused and looked back, curiousity once more egging him on to watch. The blackbird had gathered up its kill, and carried it to Kurama's doorstep, setting it down gently. It turned to look at him once more, eyes searching him.
Kurama stepped forward, confused and annoyed as to why the bird would go through all the trouble as to present the remains in such a way. Such strange, almost cat-like behavior.
The bird watched as he came closer. It motioned as though it would take flight, straightened up, and crouched down again. When Kurama finally came close enough, the bird took off in a slow flight, passing close by his face. Kurama turned to watch the bird fly, and saw instead a large, black-clad form jumping into a tree. The vision lasted just a second, but it was more than enough. The blackbird watched him with piercing eyes, before hopping into a more shadowed, leaf-covered section of the tree.
Since his encounter with the blackbird - or at least what had seemed to be a blackbird - Kurama had kept himself more alert, despite his senses disagreement.
During his free time, he went over the fight with Karasu in his head, examining every movement, every word uttered. Image training had failed him before the fight, but he knew his opponent much better now. He was strong, yes, but not invincible. Kurama merely had to rediscover his weaknesses and exploit them.
But this was something much more easily said than done, he mused as he poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. Karasu had speed and strength to his advantage, what he needed was to be faster, and to catch him off his guard. Kurama added cream and sugar to his cup, then began to stir it. His plants had been the most effective, and although he had only gotten in one actual hit, his combat skills had kept Karasu on the defense. He pondered this, wondering how to use this to his advantage.
He sipped from the mug, allowing his thoughts to roam freely, running through all the details at once, silently wishing for something new.
His thoughts were interrupted by the garbled wailings that could only belong to a bird in pain. Kurama looked out of the window, searching the yard for the source. Finding it, he walked to the door. He took a breath, opened it, and walked outside.
Towards the center of the yard, the large blackbird had claimed another victim. A gray and white dove, now tainted with the color of its own blood, was trapped beneath its sharpened talons. Kurama sat down on the small steps leading to his door and watched, waiting until the bird had finished its meal. Bird, indeed. Kurama thought ruefully. He could see now the pale, ghostly hands holding the bird tightly, crushing its bones, the once black clothes dirtied, torn and blood splattered, and the ebony hair cascading around his form. And most of all, the intense violet eyes staring at him as he drank from the bird, and ate what flesh and muscle he could. Finally he'd finished and stood up, wiping his mouth with one hand to remove unwanted mess, the carcass of the bird in the other.
"Tell me, Karasu." Kurama spoke finally, his manner calm. "How is it that you've managed to come here?"
The violet eyes searched him briefly. "Does the 'how' truly matter, Kurama? I am here - and that is all that really matters."
Kurama nodded. "You're alive, but not well. I can smell the blood from the injuries that you've covered."
Karasu tightened his lips, causing them to become a thin line. For a moment he seemed upset, until a pale shadow of a grin crossed his face. "Of course. You'd managed to injure me quite more than was expected."
Once again, Kurama nodded. "And why the form you've been hiding behind, Karasu? I believe you to be too direct for that."
"Do you?" Karasu asked, eyes hinting at annoyance. Upon recieving no response, he turned slightly away to look around the neighborhood. "It's so quaint, Kurama... Quiet, undisturbed. Quite different from home, I'd say."
He glanced at Kurama. "You understand why I've returned to you, do you not?"
"Yes."
Karasu once again gave his wraith-like grin. It stayed for a moment, then faded. Karasu walked towards the other, crouching in front and to the left of him. "I suppose you'll be discarding this one as well," he murmured, indicating the dove in his left hand. He grabbed Kurama's hand, noting the slightly enraged expression crossing his features briefly. He placed the bird into the other's hand, and tightened the fingers around it.
He turned and walked away, stopping only when he reached the end of the lawn. "Be ready for me, Kurama. I'm not going to give you any warning when I next return." With that, he leaped towards the nearest tree, disappearing into its shadows.
However, with the wind whipping across his face as he ran, the pure ectasy of the chase made him want to rethink his ideals. There was nothing else that mattered, just this, just... now.
There were no better words to describe it, and if there were, the hunt drove them away from him... And to be truthful, he really didn't care.
He'd waited until his wounds had healed better, and then until he was too anxious to wait any longer. Had he lacked the patience he had now, he would have gone much earlier, wounds be damned.
In the end it was to his advantage - even with the two hours lead, he'd had the upper hand. He was closing in fast upon his prey. There were of course, a few obstacles set in his way, a few traps here and there, meant not to kill, but to slow him down. They were discarded with ease - left a smouldering pile of ash.
He stopped and looked around. The scent ended here. Clever, clever little fox... He'd run this far into the forest, then retraced his path, probably putting in the traps as he went. Karasu turned around, and began to retrace his path, walking this time. He smelled the air carefully as he went along, and discovered his quarry had done this multiple times, each false path lined with careful traps.
He stopped once more, his patience slipping faintly. Perhaps a two hour lead was just a smite too long - his prey was able to do a lot in such a short amount of time, and in the forest... Even more could have been used to his advantage. However...
Karasu walked once more, though much more slowly this time. He gazed carefully at the ground, searching. Finally, he spotted what he'd been hoping to find - a small patch of ground covered in twigs and fallen bark. He inspected it closely, and found that it was dry and dead - perfect. He searched the forest, no longer for his prey, but for more patches such as the one he'd found, leaving a small trace of his youki at each one he'd found.
The redhead looked at the glowing ring that slowly devoured more and more of his territory from a tall tree's branch. Damn him. And himself, as well, for playing into his hands. He jumped down from the branch, more determined now to suceed. ...But suceed in just what..? Winning the final battle? Or escaping the forest..? Surely by now that was impossible - at least without getting seen doing so. He shook his head, and ran out towards the flames. He'd need to get them contained, or at least away from himself. Anything to put an end to Karasu's plot.
He saw a line of old oak trees, and instructed them to grow, focusing especially on the roots. Their size enhanced, and as they grew, they tore the earth beneath them, causing small chasms that separated Kurama from the swiftly moving flames.
He worked swiftly, following the same process with nearly every tree he could, until he'd created something of an island, on which he stood in the center. With the fire now contained, he now only needed to wait; the rest would be decided by fate.
His eyes searched rapidly, until finally - he spotted it. The shadowy figure of the one creature who'd nearly bested him. Karasu's form seemed to appear and disappear at will through the illusions of the dancing flames. He paused briefly, taking note of the surroundings. In seconds, a small tree had fallen with a loud crack, creating a makeshift bridge across the chasm.
He took a step forward, then another, watching his prey's features for something; anything that would give away his plans. Nothing.
As he drew closer, he saw Kurama tense, then slightly shift his weight. Karasu paused, then changed his stance as well. Beautiful, so beautiful... And just how much more beautiful would he be, blood dripping from carefully placed wounds, breathing his last breath..? A small smile slowly appeared upon his face.
He could wait no more.
Before it hit, however, Karasu shot up his left arm to block it. He grimaced as the whip tightened on Kurama's command, drawing blood where the thorns met skin. For an instant, the two combatants' eyes locked before Karasu pulled away, removing his arm from the vine. With a glance he'd set the whip on fire, which Kurama threw to the ground.
"That," Karasu said, indicating the smoldering whip. "Will not happen again, I assure you." With that, he lunged at Kurama, and the two once again engaged in a furious melee.
Around them, flames cracked and flickered, and smoke created a thick veil surrounding them. A perfect background as they engaged in a dance of death.
The smell of gunpowder filled Kurama's nose just seconds before a searing pain shot through his right arm, another through his left leg. Despite himself, he sank to the ground, putting his weight on his good leg. As he tried to bring himself back up, he felt strong arms wrapping around him - one on his chest, the other around his waist, holding him in place.
"I can end this all now, Kurama. You don't have to suffer needlessly..." Karasu whispered, lips brushing against his ear. Kurama shuddered involuntarily. "I promise you, it won't hurt too much if you just give in to the inevitable..."
For a moment, Kurama was blank to the world, lost in his thoughts. Was it truly inevitable? Was there really no escape for him..? He felt Karasu's grip around him tighten; his warm breath on his neck caused him to shudder. This was the end..?
"No," he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "No." Louder now. "I will not allow this... You will not control my fate, Karasu." With new energy, he forced himself out of Karasu's grip, and thrust his elbow backwards, hitting him in his stomach. He moved a safe distance away, and prepared to call one of his plants.
Karasu was still on the ground, eying him intently. "If this is the way you want it," he called, getting up now. "Then so be it."
He pulled Kurama into his lap, then placed his hand on his chest, feeling the erratic heartbeat. "This will not hurt..." He focused his youki, and seconds later the tender muscle burst. He began to stroke his hair once more, paused, and brought Kurama against himself, hugging his body. "You are... free now."
And a BIG SPECIAL UBER-SHINEY thanks to Sapphire Angel who pointed out all of my little dumb mistakes. :)
Once again, please view my profile for the link to the original version, if you wish to read it.
