Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Born Again on the Full Moon ❯ The Second Night ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: The Second Night

I know what dreams are made of

but what is the stuff of nightmares?

-a poem by To-chan

***

Kurama answers my questions easily and smoothly. Where did he come from? What is his human name? How long has he lived in the Ningenkai? He's polite and thoughtful - not at all the fierce fighter I saw on the tapes.

Kurama's companion, on the other hand, has remained silent throughout the interview, stoically watching me beneath lowered brows. I decide to address him personally. "Hiei, how did you feel?"

He stares. Then, in a surprisingly deep voice, says, "You struggle not to believe us."

How does he . . . I shrug. "I don't have much of a choice."

"No, you do not."

"Can you blame me? It's all pretty unbelievable."

He snorts. "You haven't a choice but to believe." And he was right.

-from the memoirs of Shelta Waters, ABN reporter

***

Someone was shaking her roughly, shoulders thumping against the mattress.

"Daini! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

Daini shot to her knees in one fluid motion and solidly clunked her forehead on the ceiling. She bit out a furious curse and glared one-eyed down at Nakame, who looked like she could not decided whether to yell at her or laugh.

She settled for yelling and did so quite loudly. "It's seven-thirty! Why are you doing this to me? Youpromised you'd come to the social breakfast with me on Wednesday! Today's Wednesday! You've got ten minutes to get dressed, Daini, or I swear-"

"Oh, shut up," Daini retorted grumpily and grabbed back the pillow she just threw at the other girl. "I don't know how the hell I slept past my alarm."

Nakame shook her head angrily and stalked over to turn stereo from softly musing to extremely ear-pounding. Daini wouldn't have been surprised if their "residential assistant" banged on the door for them to turn it down. Rubbing her throbbing head, Daini climbed down and rummaged in her tiny closet for her blue uniform and heavy white sweater. It's always so cold in the mornings.

"I want spring," she muttered, the music soaking up her words. She gathered black hair in a dangling ponytail and checked her reflection for passing approval. The drab outfit needed something. She touched her throat.

"Itai." Her nail scratched over a rough place on her neck. Stepping closer to the mirror, Daini scrutinized the coin-sized red mark. Her hand shook as she touched the scab. How- how did that get there? She stood even closer until her bangs brushed up against the smooth surface, unable to tear her eyes away from the reflection.

The music faded. "Trying to will the door to open?" asked Nakame wistfully.

"No," Daini answered, her voice oddly soft. "No, I'm fine." She pulled the rubber-band from her hair and the thickly wild strands hid the red place. She finally look away and hefted her bookbag onto a shoulder. "Let's go."

The day passed without preamble and void of any inhuman sightings. By the time the two girls finished their joint Psychology class and went into the crowded cafeteria, night was already swiftly nestling over the campus. Daini gazed outside up at the darkening sky and pale afterglow left from the surrounding city. The moon could just barely be seen peeping over the rooftops in the distance.

"Ne, Daini-chan?" Nakame rapped her utensil on the side of her roommate's tray, startling Daini's attention back to her. "Daydreaming again?"

"Iie," Daini sighed, lowering the hand that had obliviously risen to cover the fading mark on her neck. "I was only-"

"Thinking about Shiira's boyfriend," Nakame finished for her, grinning slyly. "You don't give up, do you?"

Daini's face flushed. I couldn't care less for that baseball jerk and she knows it.

Nakame rolled her large eyes. "I'm kidding with you. Gods." She rubbed at her temple, pretending to be annoyed. "You've been acting weirder than usual all day long, Daini, and I don't get it. Does it have to do with the fosters?"

Daini blinked. Her foster parents' atrocity had not even entered her mind since last night.

Last night.

Her insides clenched and she shifted in her seat uncomfortably. I won't believe it really happened. I *can't* believe it unless I want to admit that I finally went insane.

"Are you done?"

"Aa," Nakame answered, letting Daini's evasiveness slide for once.

They both cleaned off their plates, dumped the plastic things on the conveyor belt, and shuffled back outside. Walking around the back of their dorm, the night seemed quieter, colder, in the shadows.

Nakame suddenly jerked her hand to her side. "Hey, I forgot my purse! I'll be right back!" She sprinted toward the cafeteria, leaving Daini standing alone beside the looming shape of the dorm.

Daini sighed, her breath coming out in a little foggy wisp. Against the chilly wind she wrapped her arms half-heartedly round herself and waited for her roommate to hurry back. A few tiny stars winked down at her, but the bright moon cast aside all other night lights. She smiled a little at the flickering glow coming from her room's window. They must have left the television on earlier. Her gaze drifted further down from the window to the thick branches that partially hid the pane, meeting the sharp yellow eyes peering out of the tainted darkness.

Her legs refused the command to bolt as the same silver-haired creature from yesterday emerged out of the shadows. A grin alighted on his fair features and he crouched low on the branch, placing a slender finger to his lips in a quieting gesture.

Then, to her panic, he leaned over in a blur of great speed and easily lifted her into the tree. He set her gently against the trunk and relaxed back on his haunches. All she could do was stare at him. Not again! No! It was a dream. All a dream!

"You-" She wet her lips, struggling with a closing throat, and tried again once he made no movement to cut off her air supply. "You're not a dream!"

One refined eyebrow arched and he looked amused. "Why do ningens always call a dream that which they do not understand?" he asked smoothly in that deep, rumbling voice that suggested he already knew the answer.

"Let me go," she blurted.

"I am not retaining you, silly ningen," he said, leaning his cheek on one hand. His eyes never left hers and she sucked in a gulp of air, realizing she had forgotten to breathe. Was he toying with her? Would he snap her neck like he threatened last night?

She rubbed her throat nervously. "You keep calling me that."

"Ningen?" She nodded. "You are a human, aren't you?" he asked, slightly mocking. His tail swished behind him lazily.

Tail?!

He followed her stare to the bushy strands curving from his lower back and emitted a chuckle. "You may be a human, but I most certainly am not."

"What are you then?" she dared to ask in a low whisper.

"A youko. A fox spirit," he said with a rise and fall of muscular shoulders. "Not your concern." He fluidly dropped to his hands, a mischievous glint in his eye, and crawled along the branch toward her like a panther might its prey. Or a fox . . . Daini pressed herself against the tree trunk, unable to move away, unable to take her eyes off the approaching spirit. All she could do was throw her arms up in defense and pray he didn't try what he had last night.

A sigh of warm breath fanned her face. She peeked through her arms to see him lean back and sit on his knees, fixing her with a look she couldn't decipher. "There is no reason to be so frightened," he huffed. Was he annoyed or confused? Was that frown a scowl or a pout? At that moment he looked both like the older, man-like being he resembled and a boy no more her own age at the same time.

She lowered her arms a few inches. "You're . . . forcing me to- to-" Unable to spell it out for him, she just stared.

For the first time, he took his piercing eyes away. "You cannot possibly understand," he said, now most definitely pouting.

Try me, she was about to venture but Nakame's voice broke through the tree boughs, calling Daini's name loudly. No! Go away, idiot, before--

The youko shifted to look down at her roommate beneath the tree. Without a coherent thought, Daini lurched forward and grabbed his arm. Muscles bunched and rippled under her hand that stood out so small against his larger build. The youko whipped his head around, silver fraying, to glare at her.

"Please," she whispered. "Please, don't hurt her."

A pained expression raced across his fair face and then his eyes softened. "I would never," he stated in a low voice so the girl beneath them didn't overhear. His fingers easily detached her hand from his arm and brought it to his lips to kiss. "I will return the next moon," he mouthed on her skin and added with a humourous twinkle in his eyes, "Daini . . ."

With a kind of grace, he straightened and disappeared through the tree boughs above. Daini's heart throbbed madly in her ears and she shook herself out of shock. My life has taken the wrong turn on the sanity road. She climbed down to Nakame, dodged any questioning, and followed her to the library to study.

***

Nakame punched her pillow and huffed loudly, probably trying to shoot daggers in Daini's back through the mattress the black-haired girl lay on. The window slammed open, then slammed shut, and Nakame made a point of slamming the latch a few times as well.

"There!" she practically yelled. "It's closed. It's locked. Damn it, Daini! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Daini winced as her roommate poured out another colorful stream of angry curses and flopped back into her bed. "Then go to sleep!" Nakame turned over once, signaling the end of their argument.

Daini barely heard her though, and continued to stare at the empty tree branches outside the window. What if the youko came again? What if he couldn't wait until tomorrow night?

Tomorrow . . .

She bit her lip to hold back a whimper. She should have told Nakame the truth earlier before the chance blew away on the wind.

And so she stared outside, expecting to see the youko's yellow eyes ready to swallow her whole. "Nakame?" she whispered but her sleeping roommate made no answer. What an idiot I am.

Snuggling deep into the comfort of her blanket, Daini swept once last sleepy gaze outside.

And bolted upright.

Two ruby-red eyes appeared in the hazy darkness. Their stares locked for a brief second and then the other melted back into the night. Grabbing fists of covers, she ducked underneath them, shivering even though she was too hot. She stayed awake long after that, never quite giving herself over to sleep.

Arishia-chan's Note: The name Nakame is a spin-off of the word for "a circle of friends" in Japanese - nakama.