Yu Yu Hakusho: The After Years

Episode 13: Kurama's Training

"A second soul," said Kurama, lighting one of the sconces in the room, "May feel like an unwelcome guest, but what you must understand is that you are actually two sides of the same person. You need to learn to become aware of this other aspect of yourself in order to find a balance."

Rieka took a seat in the middle of the room, as Kurama lit the sconces, the corners of the room were illuminated and Rieka began to recognize where she was, "Why did you bring me to the meditation room?"

Kurama pointed to the floor, "Beneath us are the kami's remains. According to Genkai, this is the place it is easiest to draw Kanya out."

"I thought that was kind of the opposite of what we wanted to do."

Kurama knelt down in front of her and met her eyes. He was so close that Rieka felt her heart begin to race and had difficulty meeting his gaze, "One of my biggest mistakes was trying to separate myself entirely from Yoko. There was a time I wanted to live entirely as Shuichi Minamino and forget all the cruel things I had done in the past. But there were some nights I felt my demonic self beginning to emerge, and I didn't feel as if I could control it. I needed to accept both of my identities to be at peace. Even now, I know I won't stay in the human realm forever. When my family no longer has need of me, I intend on going back to Makai."

Rieka raised her head in surprise, "You do?"

Kurama nodded, and put a hand over his heart, "My human body will one day be gone, but my Yoko self will live on. I won't be able to fit in in Nigenkai forever, but," he said, tapping his temple, "Shuichi Minamino will live on in me. I can't say that something similar won't happen to you."

Rieka lightly bit her bottom lip. She didn't like the idea of a world without Kurama, any more than she liked the idea of one day leaving her own family. "Was it scary?" she asked, "For Shuichi, I mean. I feel like if I make space for this other...thing...I'll be losing a part of myself."

It was Kurama's turn to look away, "It was different for me. I had all of my memories from my past life from the beginning. For you, I can see how this might be scary. But don't think of it as losing a part of yourself, as much as it is discovering a new part of yourself."

Rieka inhaled and let out a slow ragged breath. She would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid of losing consciousness again, losing control over her own body. She willed her heartbeat to slow. She trusted Kurama, and knew that nothing worth conquering in this world was without risk. She met his gaze, "Okay, so what do I have to do?"

"I am going to put you into a trance state. I will keep talking to you, and I want you to focus on my voice and all the little sounds that are happening in the room. The air moving, crickets chirping outside, anything that helps remind you that physically you are here. Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best," said Rieka.

Kurama lifted up her hand and placed a small vial into it, "This is a tincture I made. Drink it, and you will enter the trance state. I have an antidote to it as well. If I sense you are distressed, or if you say the word 'foxtail' I will give you the antidote to bring you out of it. However, you may still lose consciousness."

"Got it," Rieka said, downing the first vial.

The rush to her head was almost immediate. It was a feeling like falling backwards out of herself, and into a dream. The vision in her mind's eye became clouded and she returned to the sense of being underwater, and saw the blue eye open in front of her once again. I remember this, she thought, staring at the eye. Vaguely, she heard Kurama's voice, as if it were calling her over a great distance.

"Rieka....Rieka..." it said, "...do you hear me?"

Rieka called out, "Yes," but she felt her words were garbled and lost in the sea of mist around her. She focused on the sounds she could hear. Remember you're in the room, she thought. She heard the crickets chirping outside and focused on that, remember you're breathing the air. She felt a change in her lungs, like emerging from a pool, "Yes!" she called again, "I hear you!"