Fox Games:
Chapter 6- Kitsune
Kurama glanced over as he walked under the tall, leafy trees and started when he saw the gold kitsune girl walking near him. Now that they were in the Makai, Haven had ceased the spell that gave her her human appearance and walked once more as a kitsune. Kurama still wasn't used to seeing this goddess-like beauty and stared at it every chance he got.
Haven could feel Kurama's eyes on her, but she did not acknowledge him. Ever since he had begged her forgiveness, she had ignored him, not even speaking the most common courtesies. If Kurama noticed, she did not care, for she would never let herself become open to him in any way ever again. Her face had the cold stolid look of stone, and her eyes were shielded and flat. The sunlight glinted off her golden hair and tails, making her seem to glow with an ethereal aura, while the sword swinging from her hips threw dazzling rainbows upon the ground whenever it caught the late morning sun.
Kurama sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, backpack hanging from his stooped shoulders. He had had such high hopes this morning, such positive wishes, and now that he was finally with Haven, they had all been dashed. She was ignoring him as only she knew how, not even bothering to say hello or good-morning. Kurama knew he was in big trouble. Nothing got her attention, nothing pulled her eyes even slightly over to his. It was as if he did not exist to her, was merely another tree or rock in passing. He frowned to himself and a crease appeared over his emerald eyes. Five minutes later the crease disappeared as an idea took shape in his head. The crafty intelligence for which he was well known shone out of his eyes like beacons and a sly smile curved his shapely lips.
Reaching into his backpack, he fell slightly behind the others and rummaged furiously for the object of his desire. Thirty seconds later, his hand closed around a small bottle and a wicked grin of triumph painted his face. Yanking it out, he took the stopper out and drank a small sip of the fluid inside. Replacing the bottle back into his pack, he stopped and stood there for a moment, waiting for the fluid to take its effect. He was rewarded when the first tingles of the change rippled down his spine. The triumphant grin on his face widened as the ripples spread throughout his entire body and his entire being was transformed. His hair grew longer, and turned a shimmering silver to match the ears which had sprouted on top of his head. Multiple tails poked out from behind him and long, sharp claws graced the ends of his long slender fingers.
Glancing back, Haven caught the last of her former love's change as his eyes shifted from green to gold, the colors swirling together momentarily and creating an impossible combination of human and fox. Then they settled into the same fiery gold of her own eyes and the uncanny look was gone. Quickly she reverted her gaze forwards, not wanting him to catch her looking back.
But little did she know that Kurama had already seen and was now smiling to himself. Little got by Youko Kurama, as she would soon find out. The others however, noticing that he had fallen behind were as of now, stopping and looking back. Seeing him in his Youko form, Kuwabara jumped and shouted and Yusuke whistled appreciatively. Hiei however just smirked as Kurama came forward and fell into step beside him as the group continued on. Haven walked on the other side of Hiei, separated slightly from the others. Her gaze was emotionless as it stared ahead at nothing but the ground and the trees and one graceful clawed hand rested lightly on the hilt of her sword.
Kurama slowly edged over, craftily closing the distance between them until he was only about a foot and a half from his former love. Up until this point, she had seemed not to notice but when he closed that last foot and a half and blatantly walked by her side, she snorted and quickened her pace, walking determinedly ahead of him and not looking back. Kurama smiled to himself once more and caught up with her as he sped up his own pace. But she pointedly ignored him and once again went forward, creating a gap between them. Still smiling Kurama remained behind this time. "I'll play your games," his now youko mind chuckled. "But you will see, no one outwits Youko Kurama, cunning master of tricks and stealth. For two can play a this game…" And little did Haven know, but she was in for the game of her life.
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The now afternoon sun filtered through the trees and painted the people below with a mix of cool shadows and warm sunlight. Yusuke was sprawled on his back, arms under his head and loud snores issuing from his wide open mouth. Hiei was directly above him, cradled in the branches of a tree staring out at the Makai forest, seemingly lost in thought. Kuwabara was going through his pack and muttering to himself, doing only God knows what and Kurama was agitatedly coiling and uncoiling the Rose Whip he had been practicing with only moments before. He now stood in the middle of the small clearing, fiddling with the whip and watching all the openings into the area. Haven had disappeared about fifteen minutes earlier and he had yet to see her come back. His silver hair hung over his shoulders and in his face and his brushed at it impatiently, sending rivulets of liquid shimmerings flying. Little did he know that Haven was at that moment returning, but in the branches overhead.
She was much like Hiei in that respect; climbing and leaping through the trees came naturally to her and one could often find her sitting as Hiei was, nestled on the leafy branches.
She now approached the said demon and sat down quietly on a branch near his. Following his gaze and staring out at nothing she cleared her throat slightly. "Um…so…this demon we're looking for…what's his name again?" She seemed to be trying to make conversation and Hiei indulged her. "Butari," he replied and glanced over at the gold kitsune girl. At the sound of the demon's name an almost imperceptible flicker of emotion had crossed her face, but it was gone in a moment. Hiei frowned as he tried to place what he had seen, but the thought slipped in and out of his mind like a dream. Her face was once again cold and detached. "Alright," she replied and then seemed at a loss for words. Hiei, still watching her saw her eyes flick once and then once again to the silver kitsune beneath them, and then purposely look up at the leafy canopy overhead.
A small grin playing about his lips Hiei said, nonchalantly, "Why don't you just go down and talk to him?"
Haven's head whipped around to let her eyes bore directly into his amused ruby ones. Her mouth opened, but then she shut it with a snap, her face painted in disgust. The next moment, she was gone again and Hiei was left sitting there, a huge smirk splitting his face almost in half. Yep, she still loved him, though it would kill her to admit it. There was still some love left in the remaining pieces of her heart, but he knew Kurama was going to have one heck of a time recovering it. Sighing the little fire demon dropped from his branch and landed in a crouch next to his best friend. Looking up at the tall fox above him he said, "I think she really likes you."
Snorting, Kurama ignored him and yanked out his whip once more. Making it sing through the air with a resounding crack, he blanked his mind and wiped all emotions from his conscious being. For right now, he would focus on his whip and nothing else. There would be time to worry about Haven later. Cracking his whip as hard as he could, he poured all of his pent-up anger and frustration into that one strike and the air seemed to split in two with the force of his blow. Smiling to himself he whirled around and struck at an imaginary foe, yes, time for Haven later.
Chapter 7- Confusion
