Scattered Pages and Blood-Ink

       - Marion G. Romney

 

 

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“Do you believe in reincarnation youko?”

 

His eyes flew open, and yet they stayed closed. His body was sleeping, and yet inside, in his dreamscape, he was alive. Standing in a field of grass. There was nothing else but the grass and the sky. On and on. No hills, no trees, no clouds. Only the winds that mussed his hair and the grass at his feet as he stood, stock still, staring forward at the endless expanse before him.

 

“Do you believe in reincarnation? Life after death?” The soft and yet brutally accented voice spoke, very male in its silky baritone.

 

He knew who was speaking, he knew immediately. He’d heard that voice only once. It’d only said one word to him that he understood. It was a warm voice, so full of love and care. And yet possession also.

 

“Mother?” He asked, turning around, only to face exactly the same landscape as was before him no matter which way he turned.

 

“You’re dead Youko Kurama. You didn’t ascend as all youko are meant too. You didn’t become a star like all the others. You can’t watch over Makai, or Nigenkai, as your ancestors do. I stole you from Koenma.”

 

Youko gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “I know that. I never wanted to ascend.”

 

“You mean you never wanted to die.”

 

“It’s the same thing isn’t it?” He ground out. He hated bearing everything, even if it was to Mother. He’d never told anyone, not even Kuronue, about the curse he’d placed on himself.

 

“Would you rather go to Reikai? Or would you rather ascend?”

 

“I want to stay in Makai, as I was before my death.” He spoke from his heart, and didn’t care if he sounded like a child. This was what he truly wanted, and so he spoke the honest truth.

 

A chuckle behind him.

 

He spun around, and sitting there, right behind him, was Mother. Youko had never seen him wearing clothes before, and he had to admit that though his features were that of a male, the ten layered woman’s kimono Mother wore suited him. He looked almost like a doll, displayed preciously on a shelf for all to see.

 

He knelt formally before Youko - or at least Youko thought he was, there were so many layers he’d never know - hands in his lap staring up at him with a faint smile. Long hair poured on and on, shifting in the soft breeze.

 

“You know what you want.” He congratulated, smiling without showing his teeth.

 

Youko took a breath. “Mother…” He didn’t want to be making demands to him, after all that Mother had done for him, he didn’t want to abuse whatever powers had brought him here, or even offend Mother.

 

If it had of been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared, but this was different.

 

“You want to live on, youko?” He said extending a hand up for Youko to take.

 

Long, long black nails scraped the inside of his wrist and back of his palm as he accepted the hand, and was drawn close to the creature at his feet.

 

“Yes,” he whispered, kneeling before Mother, “yes, I do.”

 

Mother reached up and cupped Youko’s face, and smiled warmly, his eye’s lowering and head tilting to the side. “We are outside the laws of gods and men for the moment, Kurama.”

 

Youko said nothing, only stared into Mothers' feminine green eyes. Usually he would have had had thoughts of bedding such an interesting and beautiful creature, but Mother was different, he was very different. For one it was always Mother who had approached Youko, not the other way around. And Youko wouldn’t dare disrespect Mother so.

 

“Perhaps I can make you a body, and you can live on.” Mother whispered, his lips lush and red, almost the same colour as his brilliant blood-red hair.

 

Youko frowned. “Why can’t I keep this one?”

 

As if tolerating silliness from a child, Mother smiled, his eyes suddenly looking very tired. “My power does not extend to that of demons, I am very powerful Kurama, make no mistake. But I cannot interfere with the creation of demons, though I can destroy them for you without a thought. What I can do, however, is create a body for you in Nigenkai.”

 

“A human?” Youko spat, and pulled away from Mothers hand slightly in disgust.

 

Mother clicked his tongue and sighed. “It’s the best I can do. This I will do only once, and only for you. One human foetus, in which you can inhabit, regain strength and return to the life of a demon as you once knew. Supposing you become strong enough, you should be able to shed that human body when you desire.”

 

There was a bitter taste in his mouth. Though he was thankful, extremely thankful for Mothers help. How many people got this chance?

 

Youko was willing to bet, that he would be the only exception.

 

There would be no death for Youko Kurama.

 

There would be no prison once he had perished, there would be no prison when he was alive.

 

Only the prison of a human body for a few years, until his wounds had healed, and he was strong again.

 

The legendary bandit would live on. His reign of terror would never end. His mercy would never be felt.

 

Youko lent forward and tilted his head slightly, closing his lips over Mothers. He entangled his fingers in strangely soft airless hair and ran his tongue along ethereal lips and moaned gently as Mother retaliated by meeting Youko’s own tongue with his.

 

 

The words, spoken inside him, right inside him where it made him tingle and gasp into Mothers mouth, singed across his senses. The fingers he held in Mothers hair clenched. Telepathy had a strange effect on him here.

 

“Y-…yes.” He confirmed.

 

 

He groaned and trembled, pulling away from Mother to simply linger, their lips almost touching as he shivered under the after shock.

 

Mothers tongue snuck out and licked at his bottom lip. Then he closed his eyes, and Youko was persuaded to do the same by the thumbs that covered them.

 

“You may die now, Kurama, seek out the body which calls most to you.” Mother whispered. “Seek my work out. You will know which one it is.”

 

Youko closed his eyes, and died.