Using his thumb, Kurama gently prodded the wound on his forearm. It was uncomfortable, but he needed to make sure there were no leftover roots from the vines he planted in the gash. His arm jerked, and he hissed in frustration before a small contended smile ran across his mouth.
Today's fight had been unyielding, but no less satisfying. Before meeting Yusuke he wouldn't have bothered with such a tournament. What was it about his friend that affected him so?
Perhaps, Kurama thought as he continued to inspect the wound with Yoki, he proves that a good fight and being a human are not mutually exclusive.
Everything looked clear; no roots remaining. Using his right hand, Kurama fished in his hair to find one of his healing herb seeds, and using his Yoki, willed it into being. As the life burst from the seed, Kurama heard how the leaves uncrinkled, a sound only his attuned ears could hear. Once they were bright and full, Kurama made a fist around the plant, crushing the leaves between the pads of his fingers and his palm. As he squished them, the leaves secreted a cool sticky balm which he gingerly applied to the gaping crevasse of a cut. It was soothing, and Kurama allowed himself to gently sigh in relief.
As he inspected the rest of his body, Kurama felt a mild irritation creep up in his emotions. His old body wouldn't have been captured by such rudimentary tactics, much less been this wounded. He looked down at his fist, opening and closing it slowly around the remaining leaves.
This body, however much it holds me back at times, is a small price to pay for everything I've gained.
Kurama walked over to the dresser by the side of his bed and opened it, pulling out his white tai chi gi and respective pants. The loose fabric would serve to air out his wounds and provide less friction. He always preferred Chinese martial arts gi's to the Japanese style anyway. He stepped into the pants, pulled them up and tied the string so they sat low on his hips. Then as gently as he could, Kurama slid his injured arm through the soft fabric, and brought it to rest on his shoulder. Buttoning was going to be a bit of a challenge, so he only threaded three ties. Kurama gave himself a quick appraisal. His hair, which often got him mistaken for a girl, was an aesthetic choice he kept from his days as a full yokai, and where he liked to hide plant seeds.
Old habits die hard, he mused.
His appearance was pleasing, and that gave him satisfaction. While he may not particularly care what people, especially those his own age thought about him, foxes were vein and Kurama retained his personal grooming standard from days gone by. Far be it from him to appear disheveled in public.
Kurama had slept some after the matches were over, but he needed nourishment to speed the healing process. There was a restaurant in the hotel they were staying at. He lost a lot of blood and was craving iron. He wanted red meat. As he walked out of his room Kurama noticed the hotel suite common room was empty leaving him to assume Hiei was off by himself somewhere while Yusuke and Kuwabara were with the girls they liked. He put his hands into his pockets and allowed himself a small smile.
Romantic love was such an odd concept. In his days as a full yokai he had sexual partners, sure. But they all served specific needs and were used as he saw fit. He hadn't loved anyone until his mother, and that love was different. Romantic love, on the other hand, was not something he'd ever be interested in.
Too complicated. Too burdensome.
Yusuke's attachment to Keiko proved that.
Kurama reached the elevator, stepped on, and pressed the button for the main floor. Normally he would've taken the stairs, but he didn't want to jostle his injuries. When he got off, the lobby was packed with fighters from the tournament. Kurama scrunched his nose. Yokai smell was almost always unpleasant. He could feel bloodlust permeating the lobby as well, though nobody acted on it. Killing in the tournament was fine, but killing outside the ring was strictly forbidden. The tournament backers would lose money if fights occurred without people paying for seats.
Still, Kurama's senses were on high alert as he walked through the crowd. He kept his face impassive but remained ready to strike at a moment's notice. The restaurant was just off the far side of the main lobby, and the smell of food finally reached his nostrils. He breathed in deeply, and his mouth salivated. A Yokai with shortly cropped black hair and oversized black eyes greeted him.
"Welcome fighter!" she bowed. "Am I correct in assuming you're a party of one this evening?"
"You assume correctly," Kurama responded politely. "I am here for the Yakiniku."
"Wonderful! If you would follow me, I will seat you at one of our grill tables."
The restaurant was loud and it made Kurama frown. He knew it was natural for fighters to be rambunctious after matches, but all the same, Kurama longed for peace and quiet. He wished for a garden filled with fragrant roses somewhere high up away from the bustle of activity. There, he would eat a meal in peace, and rest.
"And here you are," the hostess motioned with her four-fingered hand. "The menu is on the side. Press the buzzer when you are ready to order."
Kurama tipped his head, scooted into the small booth, and reached for the menu. An order of pork belly, Kobe beef and ribs were at the top of his list. He was not old enough to drink, but perhaps a large glass of orange juice would pair well with the meat and give his body a boost of vitamin C. He closed the menu, placed it behind the container of napkins, and pressed the buzzer.
A few minutes later, a shorter Yokai, presumably male, with four arms sauntered up to his table. "Welcome," he said setting down a water carafe, miso soup, a small plate with greens, and a bowl of rice. "These are complimentary to your meal. What would you like?"
Kurama moved the food to sit in front of him. "I would like an order of the pork belly, kobe beef, and ribs to start."
The server nodded, and turned on the grill in front of him. "Yes sir. I will be back with that shortly. Anything to drink?"
"The orange juice, if you would be so kind."
"Yes sir," the server bowed and walked off quickly.
Kurama inspected the soup in front of him, giving it a good smell before ladling some with his spoon. He doubted anyone would try to poison him at this juncture, but one could never be too careful. The flavor was delicate and Kurama slurped, allowing it to swish around his mouth to get the full flavor. Human food was so good.
Not that I could stomach yokai food in this form.
Once the soup was finished, Kurama reached for the chop sticks to eat the greens which had a light dressing on them. The server returned with the plates of meat and his drink, and bowed before leaving again. When Kurama placed the meat pieces on the grill, they sizzled on contact.
He put the bowl of rice in his left hand and ate a few mouthfuls before taking his first piece of meat off the grill. The beef was tender and juicy, with just enough soy sauce and ginger to bring out the natural flavor instead of hiding it. He breathed with satisfaction, tuning out the boisterous yokai to his left who were more than drunk.
Tomorrow, Kurama would go to the last quarterfinal match to see his next opponents in action. By then he would be more than able to walk over to the stadium. He was excited to fight again, to keep bringing out the strength that was hidden. The semifinals would prove most invigorating, he had no doubt.
He took another piece of meat off the grill with his chopsticks and ate thoughtfully. There was no way to know who he would fight from tomorrow's winning team, so he would do well to bring a variety of different types of plants to the semifinal match. Though his resources were somewhat limited by the type of plants he could obtain, he had a couple from the Makai that could serve him well, depending.
Kurama placed another piece of pork belly on the open fire when he suddenly stiffened. Even when relaxing, Kurama was always aware of his surroundings, and his unconscious monitoring of the world put him on high alert. He shifted his eyes around the restaurant for any sign of unusual activity, but so far, everything looked normal. He ate the piece of pork belly he'd been cooking, continuing to observe. This vibe he was getting; it wasn't coming from anyone in the restaurant. In fact, it was coming from somewhere far away. It felt like a lightning strike. Almost as if Fate crashed to earth. It was a ripple; there only a split second before dissipating. Whatever type of ki that was, it was unlike anything else he'd sensed before.
No one else seemed to notice the phenomenon in the restaurant. He needed leave immediately. Kurama buzzed his server, and quickly ate the last few pieces that were cooking on the grill. When the server arrived, Kurama gave his name and room number asking the server to charge his meal there. He nodded, and Kurama walked out of the restaurant as quickly as he could without drawing attention.
No one in the hotel lobby seemed to notice the disturbance either. When he walked out toward the forest, he immediately sensed that Yusuke, Botan, and Keiko were standing near the shoreline. Time was of the essence. As much as he appreciated Yusuke's enthusiasm, Kurama needed to investigate this alone.
My body isn't going to like this.
It was regrettable, but he had no choice.
As soon as Kurama stepped into the trees, he leapt off the balls of his feet and began to run. The largest wound in his side tore slightly, but he paid it no mind. The disturbance he felt was more important.
I must ascertain the level of threat this represents.
He easily glided through the forest, feeling more at home among the grove of trees than he ever did in large crowds. He kept his footing silent and masked his Yoki. It was dusk, and the shadows created by the forest's density made the light dimer.
The closer he came to the area where he felt the unusual ki, the more he picked up on another ki: Reiki.
Genkai.
Kurama stopped just short of a clearing to see the woman in her normal state standing with her arms folded, unmasked, and looking at something on the ground. Her eyes darted towards him as he casually stepped out of the shadows and walked up next to her with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm assuming you already knew who I was?" she asked, not bothering to turn her body towards him.
He smirked. "Indeed, and it is not my place to say anything to the others."
"Good."
Kurama narrowed his eyes at what was laying on the ground, surprised and confused at what he saw.
That ki came from a girl?
She had chestnut hair which was bunched up awkwardly in a bun, but a few long strands were draped across her face. Her left cheek was face down against the ground, and her plain khaki colored pants and dark blue shirt were torn. Clearly, she'd been running from something.
Genkai stepped gingerly toward the unconscious girl and Kurama followed suit. Genkai knelt beside her and turned her. Blood seeped from a large wound on her forehead which was caked over with mud.
"Hey, wake up!" Genkai said patting the side of her cheek.
When the girl did not respond, Genkai lowered her mouth to the girl's ear and shouted. "Hey! Wake up!"
Her eyes fluttered and she jolted.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Genkai asked impatiently.
Her eyes widened as she looked around, briefly passing over Kurama's before taking in her surroundings. She had deep smoky purple eyes.
"Who are you?" Genkai asked again.
Fear crept over her face.
"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you," Kurama said. "But it is quite strange for someone to be on this island uninvited, so that's why we are asking." He used his gentlest tone, but if he didn't like her answer, he would strike.
The girl's face scrunched up and she weakly moved her arm to brush the dirt off her face. "...I don't remember. I," she choked as tears began to fall. "I don't remember anything."
Genkai lifted an eyebrow. "You mean that you have no memories?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, but...you—" her words were cut off by a cry of pain that escaped her lips. Her hand flew to her forehead and she dug her palm into it, fresh tears beginning to fall.
Is she remembering something?
She closed her eyes and opened them again, her gaze locked on Genkai. "...You're going to die in two days."
Kurama immediately changed positions and grabbed her wrist. A vine quickly snaked down his arm from his hair and wrapped around her neck. But instead of screaming in terror the girl ignored his attack completely. Her eyes remained focused on Genkai, as if Genkai had answers. There was no malice in her face, only confusion.
"Why do I know that?" she asked desperately. "How can I know that but not know who I am?"
There was a tense, silent moment as Genkai regarded the girl staring up at her. As if Genkai thought the girl's words were not a threat, but a fact.
"Let her go," Genkai said finally. "She has the gift of Foresight."
Foresight? Is that even possible? He retracted the vine back into its seed form and moved further away from the girl's side.
"Why do I know that?" she asked again fearfully before her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out.
The sun was fading and plunging the thick forest into varying shades of gray. Genkai looked down at the girl and shook her head. "No idea, but we can't leave her here. If someone like her falls into the wrong hands, then the balance of the tournament could be completely thrown off. Kurama, we need to protect her until we can find out where she came from."
"Do you think she has hostile intentions?" Kurama asked looking down at the girl.
"I don't think so, but obviously we must take precautions. I know you're injured, but can you carry her back to the hotel? I need to investigate the forest some and see if her pursuers are still on the island."
He nodded. "I can manage."
"Good. Bring her back to your room. We'll discuss this with the group once I return."
Kurama bent down and scooped up the girl in his arms. Her body was slender and light. He adjusted her to sit in the crook where his shoulder met his chest so her head would be less craned.
"Kruama," Genkai said, causing him to look over his shoulder, "Don't breathe a word of what her Foresight said."
"I was not planning on sharing anything," he said impassively, "But I will give you my word in any case."
She scowled, then disappeared into the trees, leaving Kurama alone with the mysterious girl. He furrowed his brows and then took off running towards the hotel.
She looked human, but the ki she emitted wasn't. Then again, humans could emit ki that was different than Raeki. It was rare, but not completely unheard of.
He leapt over a dead tree with less grace than he would've liked, no thanks to his injuries. The cut in his side opened further; he'd have to take care of it after tending to the girl. Looking down at her, Kurama began feeling apprehensive. Who was she exactly? What secrets did she know? Was she a threat?
He frowned.
The girl stirred in his arms, and Kurama adjusted his grip to accommodate. Her eyes fluttered, and she groaned.
"I'm taking you to the hotel our group is staying at," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
She increased her grip on his white gi. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled. "I don't think it was supposed to turn out like this."
Kurama ducked under a low hanging branch as he continued to move through the forest. "What do you mean by that?"
"I...I'm not sure. It's just a feeling I can't explain."
"Think you can remember your name?" he tried, changing the subject. The wounds from the fight with Touya were throbbing from the pressure of carrying her. Kurama wasn't going to mention it, but the girl adjusted herself by snaking her arms around his neck and pulling herself up, therefore supporting some of her weight.
Did she do that because she knew I was uncomfortable? Or was it a coincidence?
If the former, unsettling.
"The only name that comes to mind is Asuka," she said finally.
He shifted his neck to look down at her. "Comes to mind?"
She nodded, her head rubbing against his chest. "Yes. But...I don't know if that's actually my name."
Kurama felt her arms slip, and her body slid as a result.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I can't...stay awake...."
Her body slumped in his arms, returning the pressure to where he was injured. His abdomen was sticky with blood, and he was positive his arm was bleeding again as well. He was exhausted from running and lightheaded.
By the time Kurama got to the edge of the forest, night had settled over the island. It would help to hide his and Asuka's injuries while walking up to the hotel, but he was still hesitant. Kurama no longer killed needlessly, but he wondered if saving Asuka was wise. She had the potential to be dangerous; he could feel it.