Fox Games:
Chapter 13- Goodbye
The sun rose bright and early the next morning over a dewy Makai forest. It tickled the insides of the eyelids of the sleeping kitsune and painted them with bright splashes of color. He moaned and muttered, rolling over and landing face-first in a pile of dead leaves. Startled awake, he sat up with a jolt, wondering where his love and her lap had gone. He looked around the clearing and, not seeing her, an immediate bolt of panic shot through his mind. He reached out to sense her ki and felt…nothing.
Leaping to his feet, he dashed wildly back to their fire, scattering dead leaves and flowers with every step. The others were still sleeping, but awoke quickly enough when they heard his frantic calling. "Haven! Haven! HAVEN!"
Mumbling sleepily and rubbing his eyes, Yusuke sat up slowly. "What now, Kurama? Can't a guy get any sleep around here?"
Kurama knelt down in front of him and grabbed him with both hands by his shirtfront. "Haven is gone!" he hissed through his teeth. "She's gone and I CAN'T SENSE HER KI!!!" His outburst silenced any further complaints from the other boys for many long moments.
After finally gathering his scatted thoughts once more, Yusuke answered back, incredulously, "She left?! But why?! We said we'd find another way to rescue Rosensa!" He reached out and searched for Haven's ki also and found nothing.
Kurama moaned and let go of the shorter boy's shirt. He got to his feet once again and stared, frustrated, up at the sky. He clenched his fists so hard that sharp claws cut into his skin and caused droplets of blood to well up and trickle down to the ground. The wispy white clouds drifted aimlessly overhead and the bright blue of the sky burned his golden eyes.
All four heads whipped around when they heard the sound of twigs and leaves snapping and crackling underfoot. Hope kindled for a mere moment in Kurama's eyes, doused when a short, dark figure stepped into the clearing, instead of a tall, golden one. His shoulders sagged.
"Um…are you guys the Urameshi Team?" Her voice was soft and melodious, but with a hard undercurrent, like iron covered in velvet. She was strong-willed, that they could tell right off the bat.
Hiei stood up. "We are," he replied, in his usual emotionless tone.
She nodded. "I thought as much." But she looked around, seeming slightly confused.
"Something wrong?" Yusuke asked.
"I just…don't understand. I know you were sent here to rescue me but, I was just…let go all of a sudden. I just can't see the reasoning behind it all…" Here she trailed off.
Four pairs of eyes widened and four mouths breathed in unison. "Haven…"
Rosensa looked at them curiously. "Where did you come from?! Can you show us where Butari is?!" Kurama exclaimed suddenly, a note of desperation in his voice. "Please! You must take us there!"
Startled at his sudden outburst, Rosensa just stared at him for a moment before answering, "Why?"
"I'll explain to you on the way, but we must hurry! We have to go now!"
She gave him one final, measuring look before turning around and motioning. "This way." The boys spared each other one quick glance before following close behind the short demon.
She led them through what had to be one of the densest parts of the Makai forest, then along a shallow riverbed. They crossed over and the trees suddenly disappeared and formed a rather large clearing. Sunlight shone unhindered on the gleaming, pearly walls of the small citadel that stood in that clearing. The windows were high and narrow and the walls were smooth as glass, with no footholds, or ledges. Kuwabara let out a low whistle.
"There," Rosensa stated, with a sweeping motion of her hand. "I will go no further. I hope you find this girl…"
Kurama nodded his thanks to her and ran off at full speed towards the small castle. His tails streamed out like banners behind him and his hair whipped furiously about his face. "I'm coming Haven!" he thought. "Hold on just a little longer!" Distressed beyond all reason, he quickened his already maddening pace and slammed his shoulder as hard as he could into the solid front doors. They opened easily, obviously unlocked, and he stumbled slightly as his momentum carried him farther then he had expected.
As soon as he entered the slightly musty front hall, his sensitive nose picked out the fresh scent of blood. His breath came quick and harsh and his blood pounded in his ears as he followed it to the back of the castle and out the open back door into the gardens. The smell was getting stronger and stronger as he went, clogging his nostrils and choking the breath he tried to take in. Biting back the instinct to gag, he ran on, determined to find Haven.
And find her he did. Just as he rounded a corner of hedges, he tripped over something soft and fell to the ground. Looking back he recoiled in disgust at the dead, bloody body of Butari. His crystal blue eyes stared wide open at the sky above and a look of half-anger and half-fear twisted his face. Worriedly, Kurama looked ahead of him and saw what he had been hoping not to. The limp form of Haven lay not twenty feet from Butari's corpse.
"No!" he murmured. "No!" He crawled over on hands and knees as fast as he could, pulling her lifeless body into his arms and hugging it tightly to him. "No Haven, no!" Tears poured down his face, hot and salty, but he didn't seem to notice. Burying his face in her neck he sobbed openly, his entire body shaking.
Long minutes dragged by and eventually his tears stopped. Pulling back, he brushed her shining hair out of her face and stared into her eyes, which were now covered with the shroud of death. With two clawed fingers, he gently closed them and lay her back on the ground, sighing as he did so. The tearstains on his cheeks shone in the sun as it bathed Haven in a golden glow, making it looks as if she had been cast out of the purest gold. He run his fingers through her hair once more and gave her chill lips one last kiss.
Standing up, he stared down at his love for long moments, watching the play of shadows over her body and noting that even in death, she was still the most gorgeous being he had ever laid eyes on. Memories and thoughts spun around in his head and many times their shared kisses flashed through his head. Their time together had been short, but Kurama was glad that she had been a part of his life, even if it was only for the short span of a year or so.
***
I shall not forget you,
by whom this closed heart has been opened.
Today's goodbye is the beginning of tomorrow.
Even if we take separate paths now,
we shall arrive at the same place...
For we can be proud of all the days,
we ran together.
Today's goodbye is the beginning of tomorrow.
If in my mind, I shall be beside you!
That is so. A goodbye is the beginning of everything,
because anyone, everyone is in the middle of a journey.
Surely a goodbye is not a period.
If I go on and climb the everlasting hill,
I shall meet you again…
***
He puzzled over the song, for it tickled his mind like the fragment of a long-forgotten dream. He knew he had heard it somewhere before but he just couldn't remember where…
It came to him in a flash: this was what Haven had been singing to him last night as he lay sleeping in her lap!
One last, lone tear rolled down his cheek and he flicked it away with one finger. Looking at his fallen love one last time, he swept his eyes heavenward and gazed up at the sapphire blue expanse above. "Goodbye my fox…" he whispered and without looking back, walked out of the garden.
~*END*~
Disclaimer: The YYH cast and everything related to it are not mine and were not created by me.
Author's Note: ^.^ Well, the second one in the trilogy is done!! Look for the last installment, "Fox Song" soon. And your comments would really be appreciated! Thanks so much!!!
