Echoes XI



Return




Yo-mawari shoved a few loose strands of sweat-dampened hair from his face, 
looking around him. This was the same thick, dark forest that surrounded 
Kuraihana’s home, unchanged from the last time he had walked here. Yet, somehow, 
it seemed irrevocably different, as if something was profoundly different from 
his last visit. He couldn’t quite place his finger on it, but it continued to 
nag him, a soft, insidiously whispering voice that spoke too low for him to 
understand. Frustrated, he shook his head and turned his head, watching the 
twins at play.
It was noon, and they had stopped for lunch, and the kits were taking full 
advantage of this break, utilizing it as a playtime, romping in the thick 
undergrowth, throwing handfuls of damp leaves at each other and tussling. The 
sight brought a smile to his lips, amused as Bara let out a squeak of indignant 
surprise, pulling her tail free of her brother’s grasp and snarling at him, her 
small ears pressed back in a gesture of mock-anger. Toge only grinned at her, 
and pounced, and the two of them were off again, giggling as they tried to shove 
the other into the dirt.
Yo-mawari watched them carefully, like a hovering parent, concerned when Bara 
would break away from the game, for a few seconds, her hazel eyes wide and blank 
as she stared into the distance. He knew that, despite the seemingly uncaring 
air she had adopted after the Creature’s death, the screams it had emitted in 
its dying moments still haunted the child. He would wake up, in the middle of 
the night, to the sound of a girl’s soft crying, and open his eyes to see 
Yuusuke holding the small she-kit, rocking her and crooning, like any father 
would soothe his daughter’s nighttime fears.
There were shadows in Bara’s eyes, now, shadows that belied her youth and 
relative innocence. Something had changed about her, just like something was now 
different about the forest surrounding them, and, like with the other, Yo-mawari 
just could not place it. She seemed, for the most part, unaffected, except those 
odd times when she would freeze, unresponsive. He sincerely hoped these spells 
and nightmares would not haunt the girl later in life; yet, experience told him 
it would. His obasan’s face and death still troubled him, nearly four hundred 
years past.
Yuusuke stood up, stretching slightly, with a loud yawn that sent a single bird 
fleeing from its treetop perch above him. He eyed it sourly, then trained his 
face into a bright smile, squatting down so that he was almost on eye-level with 
the kits, and cleared his throat. The tussling game slid to a halt, as two pairs 
of wide hazel eyes turned in his direction, gracing him with that rare, absolute 
open attention of the very young.
“Okay, you two,” he said cheerfully, resting his elbows on his knees. “We gotta 
head up now. With any luck, we’ll reach Kuraihana’s home before dinnertime.”
Bara nodded, seriously, pulling away from the little tussling game and walking 
over to Yuusuke, tilting her face up to stare at him quietly. For a few moments, 
nothing happened, and then the child held out her little arms, silently asking. 
Yuusuke’s smile broadened, and he swept the little girl-kit up, tucking one arm 
under her for support and cuddling her against his chest. She yawned, widely, 
closing her eyes and settling deeper against him, sticking her thumb in her 
mouth and sighing.
Kuwabara picked Toge up, swinging the little boy like a play-airplane, the small 
kit gurgling happily as his small legs kicked, hooting for more, faster, higher. 
When the large man finally settled the kit on his right shoulder in a seated 
position, the smaller kit was giggling insanely, kicking his legs and smiling, 
his wide hazel eyes flashing from side to side, watching anything that moved 
around them.
The sun was bright and clear through the overhead canopy, sending dappled 
shadows over their forms as they walked, and Toge seemed fascinated by the dust 
mites that swirled in the golden light, sometimes leaning forward to try and 
catch one, coming dangerously close to unbalancing himself. Conversation swirled 
around, lighthearted and teasing, centering on plans that would be set into 
place upon their return to the Ningenkai. Kuwabara’s wedding, Keiko’s reaction 
to the kits, and their schooling, were all spoken of, though in no real depth or 
gravity.
Yo-mawari kept his eyes focused ahead of them, responding when spoken to, but 
distant for the most part, his dark eyes troubled as he studied the woods around 
them. Sometimes, his eyes would rest upon Bara, contentedly sleeping, and a 
frown would appear on his face, quickly gone as he looked up again. Neither of 
the two humans seemed to notice, but Hiei’s red eyes followed the same path as 
his servant’s, as if the small youkai were trying to puzzle out what was 
bothering his lover’s twin so badly.
Ahead, one could see the break in the forest, where the thickly-placed trees 
parted, the path leading into the small field that surrounded Kuraihana’s home. 
Almost unconsciously, Yo-mawari began to walk faster, some of the worry 
vanishing from his face, smile widening into something genuine. Yuusuke watched 
his friend with an indulgent smile, though he didn’t speak as the youko vanished 
out of the forest and into the bright light of the field.
The tall, dark structure of Kuraihana’s house was as it had always been: rising 
sharply out of the ground, like a gigantic beast towering over everything. Yet, 
despite its dark exterior, the house did not appear threatening; merely an 
intimidating presence, like the master who was confident enough in his abilities 
to pass through without speaking. Hiei’s red eyes brightened a little, and he 
too began to move a little faster, pulling ahead of the humans to walk alongside 
his servant.
Bara opened one eye, peering sleepily at the large house. “Is it dinnertime 
yet?” she asked softly, reaching up to rub the back of one small ear and 
blinking sleepily. Yuusuke grinned, ruffling her hair with his free hand, not 
looking away from the dark building.
“Not yet, little one,” he said affectionately. “Guess we were closer than we 
thought, ne?”
“Um ...” the girl sighed and yawned, half her face hidden in his chest, staring 
blankly before her as they reached the long stairway and started up them.
Yuusuke raised his fist to knock, when the doors were flung open. Kuraihana 
peered at them, blinking at the sudden flood of light, then smiled warmly, her 
blue eyes widening and brightening at the sight of them, her brows curving 
together in slight confusion when she saw the kits. Almost unconsciously, she 
glanced at Yo-mawari, who mouthed “explanations later,” and nodded, as if to 
herself, then returned her attention to them, her narrow face open and welcoming 
as she outstretched her arms.
“I’m glad to see you. All of you,” she said, quietly, and it seemed to Yuusuke 
that he was the only one that noticed her intense blue gaze hovering on 
Yo-mawari’s dark form for a heartbeat longer than any of the others. He grinned 
mentally, congratulating himself on his accurate guess - the healer-girl was in 
love with the youko, and vice versa; he was almost positive. Whether or not they 
knew themselves was not the point; as long as the bond was there, he was 
confident that they would find each other, just like two other youkai he knew 
had.
And, hopefully, that would be before his human lifetime sprawled to its end.






Kurama was asleep when Hiei pushed the door open, the fire demon quiet as 
possible as he entered his lover’s room. The redhead was sprawled across the bed 
in a most undignified and amusing position, long arms and legs thrown across the 
sheets like the cloth limbs of a doll, his eyes closed and breathing soft and 
even. Hiei almost smiled at the sight, padding to Kurama’s bedside and leaning 
over his sleeping lover, watching as the serene face that lay scant inches from 
his own.
A soft sigh escaped barely parted lips as the slender human turned, shifting on 
the bed, snuggling closer to the impression of body heat, one slender hand 
sliding out, the fingertips lightly brushing the cloth of Hiei’s cloak. With a 
careful, quick movement, he took his lover’s hand in his own, sandwiching it 
between his palms and lifting it so that he could brush his lips over the limp 
fingers. Kurama smiled sleepily at the contact and stirred again, murmuring some 
small thing, then subsiding.
The door opened again, behind them, and Hiei turned his head slightly, watching 
with flat red eyes as Yo-mawari entered the room quietly, followed by Yuusuke, 
Kuwabara, and the two youko kits, who were unusually silent, their wide hazel 
eyes wide and curious as they took in their new surroundings. He lowered 
Kurama’s hand back to the bed, but kept their fingers firmly intertwined, 
waiting as they came to stand at the bedside with him.
No one spoke, and Hiei was grateful for that. No words meant no sounds that 
could disturb and awaken his sleeping one, slowing the gradual healing process 
Kurama going through. And, as much as he wanted to hear his lover’s voice again, 
wanted to see those soft green eyes looking at him, he kept that thought firmly 
in mind as he looked back at the sleeping human’s visage.
Beautiful. There was no other word for him.
Bara and Toge crowded at the bedside, pushing themselves onto their toes and 
peering curiously at Kurama’s still form. Bara had two fingers in her mouth, 
sucking them absently, her wide eyes first studying the older youko, then 
looking up at Yo-mawari. It was her small voice that broke the silence, though 
barely, as if her empath’s senses had realized the need for silence. “Yuu-chan, 
who’s that?” she asked softly, pulling her sticky fingers from her mouth and 
pointing at Kurama.
Yuusuke smiled slightly, bending down so that he was kneeling at Kurama’s 
bedside, one hand coming to rest on Bara’s small shoulder. “That’s your 
Kurama-oniisan, little one,” he said quietly, his voice louder and rougher than 
hers, yet still respectfully soft. “He’s Yo-mawari’s twin brother. Just like 
Toge is your twin.”
She looked at him, then at her brother, then up at the black-haired youko that 
towered above her. “Okay,” she decided, finally, looking back at Kurama again. 
“He’s pretty,” she decided. “Even prettier than Okaachan was.” Tilting her head 
to one side, she frowned a little, then nodded, as if satisfied with her train 
of thought. “Lots prettier.”
At that moment, one wide emerald eye slid open, fogged with sleep, gently 
intense as it took in the entire room, and the faces hovering above. Kurama’s 
slender chest heaved in a soft, almost unheard sigh, and that eye closed for a 
few seconds, before he opened them both, gracing the room with his bright gaze. 
A small, welcoming smile appeared, and he nodded, which looked somewhat odd, 
since his head was still pillowed against the sheets.
His eyes swept the scene, lingering on the twins for a few moments, before 
finally resting on Hiei. Silence reigned as two lovers spoke without words, a 
bond renewed and strengthened. Yuusuke pulled Bara and Toge in close when it 
seemed like they would say something, do something that would break the spell 
that held Kurama’s gaze to his lover’s. Kuwabara ducked his head, looking away 
from the scene, and Yo-mawari had a small, approving grin on his face, nodding, 
as if to himself.
Finally, after a few minutes, Kurama’s gaze traveled past his lover, to his 
brother. “It’s dead,” he said calmly, already knowing the answer to his 
softly-voiced question; and, except for the sudden, swift dark flicker in his 
eyes, he seemed utterly unaffected by the statement. Yet only two noticed, and 
neither said anything - Bara was too young to understand why the pretty young 
man had suddenly become so withdrawn, and Yo-mawari had filed that small note in 
the back of his mind, to mull upon later. There were more important matters to 
focus on, at the moment.
Yuusuke rose to his feet, grinning, slamming a fist into his palm and winking. 
“Yup. We kicked its ass, bad!” The human did an odd sort of dance, waving his 
arms, and Kurama laughed softly at the show he put up. “It was Hiei who actually 
killed it, though,” Yuusuke added, almost as an afterthought. “He blasted it 
with the Kokuryuuha, and boom! No more big ugly thing to come along and kill 
innocents.” There was a note of surprisingly vehement anger in his voice as he 
spoke; and his usually accepting, carefree brown eyes were hard with a deeply 
ingrained anger. At his feet, Bara yawned widely, then wrapped one small arm 
around his leg, hugging it as she continued to watch the youko stranger. Yuusuke 
looked down at her, then smiled widely, kneeling and pushing her forward 
slightly, ruffling fine white hair and smiling when she squeaked, swatting at 
his hands.
“Kurama,” he said, as grandly as he could, reaching behind him to pull Toge 
forward, to stand next to Bara, “I’d like to introduce you to some new friends 
of mine.” He gestured widely, bringing his hands down to rest on the thin 
shoulders of the kits before him. “Toge’s the older one. Bara the little angel 
here.” He pulled them close, an arm around each small waist, grinning at the 
redhead like a proud father. Kurama smiled, tugging his hand from Hiei’s loose 
grasp and propping himself up with his elbow, looking down at the two kits who 
regarded him with wide, shy gold-green eyes.
“Konnichi wa,” he said softly, sitting up fully, swinging his legs over the edge 
of the bed slowly, wincing slightly as a ghost of remembered pain twinged his 
nerves, then leaned down to smile at the twins. “Watashi no Kurama desu ...” he 
told them, placing a hand over his head. “Yorishiku.”
Toge first eyed the pretty stranger doubtfully, reaching out to take Bara’s tiny 
hand in his own before he spoke. “Toge desu,” he chirped. “But you already knew 
that. Never ever touch my sister.” He glared defiantly at Kurama, puffing out 
his tiny chest, trying to make himself larger, to make himself look more 
dangerous. Kurama raised a slender red eyebrow, then smiled tolerantly, 
amusement sparkling in his eyes as he looked past the kit at the human that 
hovered behind them.
“They’re yours, all right,” he said, somewhat dryly, swaying in place. Almost 
unconsciously, he leaned against his lover, who merely stood there, watching the 
others with expressionless red eyes, though his fingers hand found Kurama’s 
again. The youko chuckled, his head lolling to rest on Hiei’s shoulder, studying 
them quietly. “You make a good family,” he told Yuusuke with that same gently 
amused smile. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Toge turns out just like you when 
he’s your age.”
Kuwabara let out a groan at the comment, slapping himself across the forehead. 
“Just what the world needs,” he griped, as all eyes swung in his direction. “An 
Urameshi clone to take his place when the original’s gone.”
“Nani?!” Yuusuke demanded, rising to his feet, clenching his hands into fists. A 
scowl twisted his mouth as he demanded, “Would you care to repeat that little 
statement?”
Kuwabara opened his mouth, about to comply, but was cut off by Yo-mawari’s elbow 
in his ribs. The human let out a squeaky gasp of pain, rubbing the offended 
area, glaring at the youko with a pout that looked utterly ridiculous on his 
large face. Kurama chuckled, almost to himself, glancing up and sideways at his 
lover’s impassive face. Red eyes slid downwards to meet his glance, and, 
briefly, the corner of the stoic mouth twitched; a smile that was surpressed 
before it could fledge upon Hiei’s face.
The door opened again, once more cutting off the face-off between the two 
humans, and Kuraihana blinked at the scene that confronted her. With a gentle 
hand, she pushed her way directly between the glaring young men and to Kurama’s 
bedside. She set down the tray she carried and knelt at her uncle’s feet, 
smiling brightly up at him. “How are you feeling, Ojisan?” she inquired, even as 
she began to unwrap the bandage that wove tightly around his injured leg.
Kurama shrugged, tugging the fabric of his loose pants out of her way as she 
probed the wound with light, quick fingertips, her touch sure and gentle as she 
assessed how much of the damage had healed. “Just fine, Chibi-Hana,” he replied, 
wincing slightly when her fingers brushed a still-throbbing wound. She frowned 
at his reaction, then her brow furrowed in concentration, a soft blue-white glow 
emitting from her fingers and spreading across a small patch of the healing 
slashes. After a few seconds, the light faded, and only pale, unmarred flesh 
remained. She smiled, nodding in satisfaction, then looked up at him again.
“It seems the poison has been fully purged from your system,” she told him, even 
as she unrolled a fresh set of bandages and set to tying them around his leg. 
“Now you just have to wait for the physical wounds to heal, and you’ll be just 
fine.” Her smile turned wistful. “I don’t suppose I could get you to stay put 
until that happens?”
Kurama smiled sadly at her, and shook his head, looking at a patch of the floor 
by her feet. “Gomen ne, Chibi-Hana,” he apologized quietly. “But my problems 
have kept poor Kuwabara-kun from his Yukina-chan for too long. And the same goes 
for Yuusuke and his Keiko.” His grin turned distinctly impish, grinning at his 
friends’ embarrassment.
Kuraihana turned her head, noted the red flush that appeared on the cheeks of 
both humans, then laughed herself, quietly. “I do believe you’re right, Ojisan,” 
she said lightly, getting to her feet. “And anyway, your human mother is 
probably worried about you, too,” she added, pausing in the doorway to look back 
at him.
Kurama’s eyes widened, and he bit his lip. “Oops ...” he whispered, lowering his 
gaze. “I forgot about ’Kaasan.” A rueful, self-mocking smile touched his mouth 
as he lifted his head again. “She’s going to be furious with me, ne?”
Yuusuke shrugged, then grinned. “Once she’s done fussing over you, she’ll be the 
closest you’ll ever see her to getting pissed off,” he predicted, tucking his 
hands into his pockets. “Shiori-san is such a nice lady. I doubt she’ll be 
anything more than really unhappy that you’ve disappeared for so many weeks.”
“Not only that, Yo-mawari added, with a conspiratorial wink in Yuusuke’s 
direction, “what about Ryoko-san? And your business?”
Kurama groaned, covering his face with his hands and falling back upon the bed. 
“Don’t remind me,” he complained, voice muffled from behind his hands. “I have 
enough problems waiting for me when we get back to the Ningenkai, and I don’t 
need you reminding me of them, thank you very much.” He straightened a little, 
pulling his hands away from his eyes and making a face. “Times like this, I 
regret the image I tailored for Minamino Shuuichi,” he admitted, with a sigh. “I 
have so many people with so many different expectations of me, and since 
Shuuichi is supposed to be ‘perfect,’ I have to try and make everyone happy.” He 
sighed again, more dramatically and heavily, then closed his eyes, leaning 
forward so that his long red hair hid his face. Then, he glanced up, only one 
emerald eye visible, and winked. “Story of my life, ne?”
Kuraihana closed the door to sound of their laughter, smiling to herself. “I was 
right,” she said aloud, shaking her head with amusement. “You haven’t changed a 
bit, my ojisan. Not a bit.”






Yukimura Keiko was bored.
Completely, totally, and utterly bored.
She slapped down another card from her deck, staring at the neat rows before 
her, boredom making her mind wander as she tried to pay attention to the game. 
That was one of the problems with solitaire, she thought idly - there was no 
other player to keep you on task, and you could continue flipping over cards for 
the rest of your life without noticing what was going on.
Her wide brown eyes gazed blankly around the room, resting calendar, and the red 
X-ed off days that filled over half of it. Was it Sunday, today? Saturday? Who 
knew? Who cared? She shoved away her card game and folded her arms on the table, 
resting her chin in the crook of her arms and sighing heavily. Yuusuke and the 
others had been gone for so long now - what if something had happened to them? 
The guys were always supposed to win, but ... Yuusuke hadn’t won against Yomi, 
during the Makai Tournament; neither had he been able to prevent Sensui from 
killing him a second time. Maybe something had happened. Something terrible. 
Maybe whatever Koenma had sent them against this time had been too strong, and 
now all five of them were dead.
She sighed heavily, annoyed at the steadily depressing tone her thoughts were 
descending into. She had to do something to snap herself out of this deep blue 
funk. After all, she had been the one cheering poor Yukina-chan up, as the 
seemingly young Koorime woman worried incessantly over her twin and her lover, 
sitting by the window and watching for them with almost desperate eyes. If she 
lost it, who would keep them both from getting drunk and winding up like 
Atsuko-san?
Turning her head so that her cheek rested on her hands, she pondered her 
situation, then pushed her chair away from the table, got to her feet. She would 
take a small walk, out along the pathways that she had sometimes frequented with 
Yuusuke at her side. Maybe that would remind her of good things, rejuvenate her 
dying hope of seeing her Yuusuke again.
Padding to the door, she slipped on a light jacket and opened the door, stepping 
outside. A chill wind struck up, ruffling her short, soft brown hair, and she 
pulled the coat a little tighter around her shoulders in an unconscious gesture. 
Ducking her head, she walked onwards, keeping her gaze fixated on the ground, 
ignoring those she passed on her way. When she came to a street intersection, 
she stopped, looking up, keeping her gaze fixed on the lights, waiting for red 
to change to green.
As she waited, she could feel another’s presence sliding up behind her, and 
tensed, slightly. Though she was not entirely vain, she knew she was an 
attractive young woman, and since she was so seemingly unattached, she could be 
approached by a complete stranger who desired to proposition her. She steeled 
herself, intending to slap the stranger if he tried anything out-of-line.
What she didn’t expect were strong arms sliding around her slender waist, bodily 
lifting her into the air, and a low, familiar voice hissing “Guess who?” in her 
ear. She squeaked in indignant surprise, kicking her legs as she was pulled back 
a lean male body.
“Yuusuke, you jerk!!” she cried, wriggling in his grasp. “You put me down this 
instant!”
He laughed, that same arrogant laugh that had always annoyed her so, when they 
had been students in high school. “Whatever you say, my lady,” he said grandly, 
before his strong arms set her feet back onto the ground and released her waist. 
She turned, intending to chew him out thoroughly, first for being gone so long, 
and second for giving her such a scare, then stopped dead, mouth hanging open at 
the sight of her longtime friend and childhood sweetheart.
He was unchanged. Same gelled black hair, cocky grin, and self-assured pose. 
Same green suit he always favored, though slightly tattered at several places. 
But, hovering between and through his legs, two more pairs of eyes stared up at 
her, one bright green - like Kurama’s leafy gaze - and one deep brown, much like 
Yuusuke’s eyes, or her own. The girl seemed like a tiny, entirely feminine copy 
of Kurama’s human body, with long red hair tied in a childish braid, green eyes 
wide and curious and shy; and the boy - well, the boy looked like Yuusuke, 
except for his hair was not slicked back, and was a dark brown in color, not 
black. He had the same hard sort of arrogant defiance she knew from her lover, 
and he was clutching the girl’s hand with an almost fierce protectiveness.
Stunned, she met Yuusuke’s gaze, unable to summon her voice, at first. All she 
could do was point, gesturing towards the two little children. And when she 
finally could talk, it came out as a little squeak of utter surprise. “Who ... 
how ...” she whispered. Yuusuke’s face melted into concern, and he stepped 
forward, catching her arm as he swayed.
“Daijoubu ka, Keiko?” he asked softly, eyeing her face.
“NO,” she snapped, stressing the word. “I am not okay. Who are those two?!” she 
pointed at the little kids, who shrank behind Yuusuke’s legs.
Yuusuke sighed, took her shoulders in his hands, meeting her gaze with his. 
“It’s a long story, Keiko,” he told her earnestly. “I’ll explain once we get 
back to the apartment - okay?”
She nodded, doubtfully, but he smiled thankfully at her, then bent down, 
sweeping a little child into each arm, settling them in the crook of his elbows, 
then bowing as much as he could, with his tiny burdens. “Lead the way, my lady 
fair,” he intoned with a cheeky grin, and she considered slapping him, then 
decided against it - strangers or not, those were children, and if she hit 
Yuusuke and made him drop them ... well, she didn’t want that. So she just 
walked, keeping her eyes focused before her, her movements stiff and jerky, 
almost mechanical from shock.
Once inside the relative safety of their apartment, Yuusuke set the twins down 
and turned to Keiko. She had her arms folded across her chest, and was glaring 
at him. “Okay,” she said firmly. “We’re inside. Now talk. And this had better be 
good, too,” she added, an almost-threat as she grabbed his arm and dragged him 
to the couch.
The girl tugged at Yuusuke’s leg. “Yuu-chan, is this our new home?” she asked, 
her small voice quiet enough to escape Keiko’s hearing.
Yuusuke smiled down at the little girl; a real smile that replaced his usual 
cocky mask. “Hai, Bara-chan,” he told her gently, looking around him with a 
small, contented sigh. “We’re home.”