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Dreams and Nightmares Part 2
by Korogi
Kurama wound a nervous finger through a lock of his hair,
flipping constantly through the TV channels. No matter what, if Karasu
was indeed in the Ningenkai, he would have to face him before the humans
began to pay the price. He gripped the TV controller, settling further
into the large pillow that he sat on next to his black-haired brother,
and continued flipping.
Hiei huffed, lounged lazily in a chair in the corner of
the room, polishing his katana and watching the rythmically flipping images
on the television. 'Crazy fox,' he thought silently to himself.
'What's he so worried about?' He glanced over to the dark figure
seated on the large pillow beside his lover.
Yo-mawari squirmed, trying to make heads or tails of the
flashing picture strobing before him, blinking images of everything from
fast food joints to car sales. He huffed and reached a hand out quickly,
snatching the controller, ending the constant picture shuffle. "Kurama
... is there something I need to know abuot this Karasu that you HAVEN'T
told me yet?"
Kurama took a deep breath and repossitioned himself
on the pillow, reaching over in an attempt to retrieve the remote. "Not
really ... just that..." he swung fingers through the air, just missing
the remote that Yo-mawari kept it just out of reach.
" 'Just that' ... WHAT?"
"Nothing," Kurama answered quickly, crawling over his
brother and snatching back the remote. "Just ... nothing."
Hiei snorted in the chair, adjusting to nearly sit upside
down as he watched the two, his little feet dangling over the back of the
chair. He sheethed the katana and crossed his arms over his chest,
dangling his head over the seat of the couch, defying all gravity in sitting
completely upside-down. "He knows damn well," Hiei grumbled.
"He just won't tell you." He wiggled down so his hair just touched
the wooden floor and held his possition, watching the two upside-down kitsunes.
"Then you tell me, Meijin." Yo-mawari bobbed.
Kurama seemed to sink lower into the cusion beside his
brother, beginning to flip through the channels again.
Hiei blinked from the chair to whisk to a crouched possition
between Kurama and the television. The two looked back and forth
between each other, Hiei settling into his usual statuesque pose.
"Karasu's in love with Kurama."
Yo-mawari choked slightly, remembering the deep, thin
purple eyes and the low, seductive voice that had met him at the door earlier...
"In love? Okay ... so what's the big deal?"
Kurama leaned around the Hiei-remote-block an continued
flipping. "You don't understand, kyodai ... Karasu's the worst kind of
sadist ... things which earn his love die quickly by his hand. That's
how he ensures that the things he loves stay with him forever."
Yo-mawari sat puzzled a moment, glancing to Kurama out
of the corner of his large, black feline eyes. He hardly noticed
that the channel flipping suddenly stop, but he saw Kurama once again pale
greatly, eyes widening.
Kurama reached forward and skooted Hiei to the side, crawling
up to sit beside him, eyes never leaving the TV. A news reporter
was babbling through the mute, poised infront of an ambulance. Kurama
fumbled quickly as the other two joined by his side, upping the volume.
"... and the husband claims to have been attacked by a
tall man in black while his family was picnicing in Shinjuku Park earlier
today. As a result, half of the man's left arm was completely severed,
the victum claiming it to be the work of some sort of bomb detination."
The picture shifted to a young gril in pigtails, fitfully
screaming as paramedics wrapped her hand and nose in white gauze.
"... and the family's daughter was also attacked, burning
50% of her hand and her nose. Authorities have released this reconstruction
of the terrorist. We remind our viewers that this man is considered
armed and extreamly dangerous ..." the picture flashed to an artist's pad.
Karasu's face glared through the television back at them
all, captured perfectly in the penciled reconstruction. The thin
eyes seemed to have a life of their own, wriling through the grey penciling
that held them back.
"Hey, " Yo-mawari pointed, waving a finger at the TV.
"That's that man that came here earlier ... is that this Karasu?"
Kurama dropped the controler and stood quickly to his
feet, forcing Yo-mawari and Hiei to rise beside him. "That's Karasu
alright ... and he's loose in the Ningenkai."
Behind them, something clunked onto the table, diverting
all their attention in a quick, collective jerk of heads. A little
black box sparkled crazily into view, skortching a ring in the table as
it appeared. Hiei groaned." Not now, you idiot." In a flash
of black wind, Hiei had the box in hand and was back at Kurama's side,
furiously tugging at the lid of the box.
The two brothers leaned in, both with an equal, puzzled
glance, watching Hiei growl and hiss, tugging at the stuborn, box lid.
A deep, femanine laugh rolled from the box, filling the air lightly,
pinging hints of familiarity to Kurama. "Always the direct
approach, eh Hiei?" it laughed again.
Kurama cursed lightly under his breath as the box top
flipped open under its own will. A projection of a woman with short
orange hair and a blue eye piece fluttered into possition, lounged with
a nauseating confort in an office chair. "Oh Hiei ... guess what?"
Hiei growled and tried to crush the box in his hand, glaring
back at the projection ... instead the woman shook her head, smiling, shaking
a reprimanding finger at him. "Hiei Hiei."
"What do you want, Mukuro?"
The image fluttered as Mukuro leaned back and swiveled
on the chair, smiling her usual, arrogant smile. "I have a little
job for you, kiddo."
"Now's NOT the time ..."
"Hiei," she scolded quickly, raising her voice.
"Are you forgetting that we have a little deal going on here? Come
back to the Makai right now Hiei. That's an order." And the image
flickered into nothingness.
Hiei growled heavily, a quick fire rising up to insinerate
the box, filling the air around him with a thin, black smoke. He
glared red eyes up to Kurama and snarled. "I have to go ..." and
he was gone in a wink, rustling the curtains of the window in his wake.
Kurama, in his own way, seethed, watching the curtain
flutter back to it's still position, rolling slightly as the morning breeze
rolled in. Yo-mawari rose a hand and gripped his brother's
shoulder. He waited patiently for the green gaze to search him out
before he spoke. "We can do this together."
Karasu sat easily cradled in a tree in the Shinjuku park
in an out-of-the-way grove where he felt Kurama's residual aura wound tightly
through the plantlife. He sensed Kurama's you-ki moments before he
saw the tall redhead enter into the grove, accompanied by the handsome
man in black he had met earlier that day. Karasu smiled heavily,
dangling his long legs over the tree branch and hopping easily to the ground,
the black and red tattered cape flowing like raven wings behind him.
"You're late, darling," he called through the trees, walking calmly through
the shrubbery, watching as his targets hesitated. "So, you've both
come ... brothers?" He watched them carfully. "I can see the family
resemblance."
Kurama and Yo-mawari held their possition, drawing Karasu
back into the grove and away from the main field of the park. "Why
are you here, Karasu?" Kurama asked lowly, watching with careful eyes as
Karasu paused directly before them. Mentally, he began to run through
is coaching, preparing for just about anything Karasu could throw at him.
"What do you want?"
"Need you ask?" Karasu smiled a predatory smile and brushed
a strand of black hair from his face. "Originally I came for you
...for my revenge, and now I find you have a brother... twice the fun and
twice the challenge. More fun for me." He raised a hand and
flicked an invisible object off to the side.
Kurama tensed, remebering that Karasu's you-kai couldn't
be seen through Shuuichi's human eyes. He tensed his body, expecting
to catch an explosion in the shoulder, or a bomb in the leg.
A tree off out of harms way exploded in a spray of splintered
limbs and leaves , drawing the twins attention momentarily ... just enough.
A set of hands quickly caight them from behing, quickly
wound through both their hair, pulling them roughly back into Karasu's
chest, yanking on them as the youkai ran his hands leisurly through the
silky red and black hair.
Yo-mawari was the first to react, grasping the hand that
gently stroked his hair and sending off a barage of the shurikens.
Karasu instantly blinked from behind them appearing back in his origonal
position, the shurikens, reeling in a giant, arching 'U' to follow.
"Call them off," Kurama ordered quickly, blocking an arm
before his brother. "He'll kill them ..." Something sparked
in those green eyes and Yo-mawari straightened, recalling the shuriken
quickly, fixing his brother with a look.
Kurama gripped the front of his brother's shirt and pulled
him back, whirling to stand protectively before him. "We can't fight
him in these forms," he said simply, throwing his twin for a loop.
Quick green eyes flashed gold as Kurama's hair began to bleech out in long
strands of brilliant silver. "It didn't work before ... fighting
him in human form ... why should it work now?"
Yo-mawari watched his brother out of the corner of his
eye, trying to watch the thin youkai before them and to put sense to the
words that came to his mind at the same time. Kurama had told him
the story of the Ankoku Bujuutsukai battle with Karasu ... how the human
body of Minamino Shuuichi was not strong enough to beat the youkai.
The only hope of any type of success would be in youko form ...
Karasu smiled coyly, turning a finger through the air.
"Ah ha, I figured as much from you, Kurama... giving up on your human body
so easily. I would have figured you learned your lesson after our
last battle. I may not be that much more stronger, but I am definately
that the more wiser. I know your tricks, darling Kurama."
Youko Kurama burst into existence in a vortex of energy,
the plants in the grove fluttering under the raging power, aknowledging
the sudden presence with an unheard cry. He stood taller and thinner
than Yo-mawari did, still in his ningen form, wielding a perfect, red steel
rose gently between his first two fingers.
He stared with absolute hatred, the golden eyes catching
brilliant shades off the dancing sunlight through the trees, casting him
into even more bold and challenging hues. The youko blinked the golden
eyes, turning the evil glare from Karasu slowly, holding the violet gaze
as long as he could before glancing over to his brother.
The golden eyes caught jet black momentarily ... the flicked
past Yo-mawari and narrowed. With a simple, arrogant flick of his
wrist, Youko Kurama launched the rose whizzing just by his brother's nose
... ending in a large explosion just out of the corner of his eye.
Yo-mawari dove to the ground, rolling past the feet of
the youko that stood above him before landing in a crouched possition,
fending off debris with a swish of the laong, slender katana.
"You can see Karasu's you-ki with human eyes ..." Youko
Kurama growled, the once tender and loving voice of Minamino Shuuichi replaced
by the cold, arrogant deep voice of the demonic fox. The youko took
easily to the air, floating like a leaf on the breeze, closing the distance
between his enemy.
Youko Kurama kept careful eyes on Karasu, mentaly feeling
a few of the demon seeds tucked neatly in a pocket of the soft, white robes.
Behind him, he felt the jump in ki as Youko Yo-mawari made it to his feet
in a brilliance of blue light, dressed in the same perfect white that Youko
Kurama stood in. He stepped forward calmly, flanking his twin like
a living mirror image, the two practically indestinguishable.
Karasu smiled, hands deep in his pockets in a nonchaulant
pose. Surounding him, several green glowing patches of you-ki began to
form themselves into the bombs and explosives that he was best known to
use. He looked them over quickly, the smile fading slightly.
"I think I preffer the ningen forms ..." and he set the bombs in motion.
Hiei flashed into view in Mukuro's office, clearly
pissed-off more than usual, growling silently as he kicked a trash can
out of his way. He firmly walked, radiating a sickening heat, slowly approaching
the chair, the IJyuTaiHou ward keeping his fierce power under steady control..
Mukuro paid him no attention at the moment, running a
thin, bandaged finger over another small, black box like the one she had
sent earlier. She felt the heat hit her and smiled, knowing she had
caught her little worker at a bad time. She lifted the box
into her hand and stood to her feet.
"What the hell do you want, Mukuro?"
She smiled a sideways grin and tossed the box at him.
"Happy Anniversary."
Hiei caught it easily, fixing a glare on his boss.
"Anniversary? NOW what crazy idea are you plannin'?"
Mukuro furled to sit on the desk top, turning in profile
so her good eye was in total sight. "It's no 'crazy idea'.
We've been working together for ... how long is it now," she laughed, reaching
out and pinching Hiei's cheek. He slapped the hand away violently,
growled a powered threat and stepped back, pocketing the box. "Still
as bitchy as ever. Isn't that Kurama taking care of you since he
stole you from me?"
Hiei narrowed the almond-shaped eyes, the heat around
him threatening to spark the entire office into flames. "I was never
yours ..." he growled lowly, deadly force striking up in the glowing, red
eyes. Hiei stepped out of arms reach. " ... and if you don't have a hell
of a good reason why you called me here ... I'll be happy to be off."
He ran a hand up the IJyuTaiHou ward wraped about the bandages on his right
arm and fixed another glare, gently tugging at the bandages keeping the
Kokuryuha at bay, voicing silent threats.
Mukuro laced her fingers over her knees and leaned back,
staring past him at the wall. "Oh fine, be that way. I was
trying to create a caring moment here ... thanks for raining on my parade,
love."
Hiei huffed and turned ...
"Wait! I didn't say you could leave yet. Aren't
you going to open the box ... see what I got for you?"
Hiei groaned and shoved a hand into his pocket roughly,
retrieving the box. He stared it down and quickly went for the lid
... tugging on it violently. It slid off easily... more of less ripped
off... to be tossed in a corner of the office. He watched Mukuro
smile one of her twisted evil smiles as he dug through the black tissue
paper in the box.
Some thing smooth and cool caught his fingers and he grasped
the object, pulling it out.
A single, clear, blue sphere winked at him from a thin
chain, dangling in his vision. It reflected the heat of his eyes
with a calm, caring reflection turning his malice to sheer kindness.
He frowned at the gift and glared back at Mukuro. "What am
I supposed to do with this?"
She shrugged and hopped off the desk, circling to sit
back in her large chair. "You'll find out ... you can go now.
I'll call you back later."
Hiei tossed the reminents of the box, watching it clank
across the desk and bounce off the arm of the chair. "This is what
you dragged me here for," he raised the chain, shaking the sphere at her,
"a stupid present."
Mukuro tried to hide a smile, biting her bottom lip.
"It may be stupid to you, dear ... but you'll see in time what it's meant
for. Will you wear it for me?"
"I don't trust you."
"I didn't ask you if you TRUSTED me ..." she swiveled
around in the chair. "Whill you WEAR it for ..."
"NO!" and he blinked from the office, taking the aching
heat with him.
Mukuro laced her fingers together and leaned up on the
desk, rester her chin. She smiled widely, evily, waiting for the
heat to completely disipate, leaving beads of condensation on the pictures
on the wall. She threw her head back and laughed loudly, swinging
around in the chair. "My dear Hiei ... if only you knew. You WILL
come back to me. Just wait and see."
