Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Captured by a Rose ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

The sun sank lower on the western horizon towards China. In another hour it would set completely. The patch of sky around the sinking orb was white. Further out, it faded into a light shade of purple, then to a darker tint closer to blue. The blue was grayish, almost gloomy in its appearance. Its dull tones could be compared to the Sea of Japan, during a long, cold winter.

A chilly wind blew over Ms. Minamono, Kurama and I. It caused me to shiver, creeping in under my school uniform. "The weather was so nice before. I can't believe it's gotten so cold," I remarked.

"I know. It gets cold at night. It's almost autumn," Kurama replied, reminded by the slight change in the colors of the leaves. "Soon, the entire forest by this road, will be ablaze in colors like red, orange and yellow."

"It'll be splendid," I said, looking forward to it.

"Shuichi-kun, this forest is familiar to me," Ms. Minamono interjected. Her gaze fell over the forest, evoking an old memory in her. "Now I remember. Twenty years ago, I used to visit a shrine in this forest. If it's possible I'd like to go there, Shuichi-kun. Then I can thank Kami-sama for my recovery."

The redhead glanced up at the sky. "The weather doesn't look good, Mother. Those storm clouds might roll in."

"They're pretty far away, so we should be okay, Shuichi-kun. The shrine is only ten minutes from here," insisted Ms. Minamono. She desperately wanted to go.

Kurama saw how she felt. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, so he gave him. "Alright, Mother, but we must hurry. It'll grow dark soon and I don't want to take any chances with the weather."

We walked to the edge of the forest.

"The path that leads to this shrine should be somewhere around here," said Ms. Minamono, shuffling around in some underbrush.

A slight parting between some shrubberies caught my eye. "Over here, Ms. Minamono! I found it," I called out.

Kurama, Ms. Minamono and I stepped in through the opening. We discovered an old pathway that led to the shrine. It was a dirt path. Stepping-stones of various sizes and shapes covered it. Bright green mosses coated them. Lush vegetation sprang up in cracks between the rocks. A cool, foggy mist gradually settled in, clouding the trail ahead.

"It's very peaceful here," said Kurama softly. "The scenery reminds me of one of those old Chinese paintings."

"Indeed," agreed Ms. Minamono.

The tranquility settled our thought filled minds. We forgot completely about the setting sun and possible impending weather.

After we hiked in ten minutes on the trail, I spotted something in the mist. It was made of two vertical poles, holding up two horizontal poles on top of them, much like a doorway. "What is that, Kurama-kun?" I asked, looking above.

We stopped in front of it. "It's a torii, Yusuke-kun," explained Kurama. "A torii is a wooden archway, or gateway that marks an entrance to a Shinto shrine. A torii symbolizes the boarder between the human and kami world."

"The paint on it is peeling and flaked. It looks like no one has fixed it for a long time, maybe fifteen years," noted Ms. Minamono. "It must sadden the kami who live here."

"Kami?" I asked. "What are those?"

Kurama told me, "Kami are the spirits of nature that reside in the plants, mountains, trees, and rivers, all of nature itself. Kami are worshipped in Shinto, an indigenous Japanese religion that focuses on a peoples oneness with nature."

We passed under the torii entering the shrine grounds. The energy here felt powerful and sacred, in contrast to the energy of the outside world.

"Let's purify ourselves before approaching the shrine," said Ms. Minamono. She led Kurama and I to a large, stone washbasin near the torii.

"The basin is cracked, Mother," said Kurama. "There's no water in it. It looks like this place has been abandoned for a long time. Let's see the what condition the shrine is in."

The mist here made it difficult to see. Kurama felt his way through it until he reached a secluded grove of trees within the shrine grounds. Ms. Minamono and I followed behind him. In the grove we climbed up a few worn down, mossy steps to an elevated, stone platform. Gray, green and brown lichens coated where repeated rainfalls eroded its once smooth surface.

In front of us, a porch projected out from the shrine's wooden structure. An overhang sheltered it. Two vertical beams supported the overhang. In between them was an altar where the visitors prayed. Ms. Minamono came forward. She worshipped in manner people did so when approaching Shinto shrines. She bowed twice, clapped her hands and bowed once more.

She closed her eyes and joined her palms in prayer uttering, "Dear Kami-sama, thank you for giving me another chance to live my life."

When Kurama saw her pray, he thought about his own prayers. "I'm going to pray, Yusuke-kun, " the kitsune whispered to me. He took off down a walkway on the platform that enclosed the shrine. The mist obscured him.

I walked after him around the corner where he vanished, by the side of the shrine. I got close enough to make out his form in the cloudy air.

His countenance was solemn. He stood there in silence, like a lone statue watching over an abandoned garden. Not even the wind stirred or dared to disturb his silence. In a somber voice, barely audible in the quietness spoke. "Kami-sama, if you are here listening there's a lot on my mind. My life has changed in such a short period of time. "My life has changed so much in a short period of time. Last week I suffered in silence. The pain became unbearable that I thought about death. I wondered what's it like to die? Won't it be a release from the suffering of life, as well as a way to save Mother's life?"

A mourning dove perched itself in a tree next to the shrine. It called out sadly, "Hoo, hoo, hoo…" It ruffled its feathers to warm itself in the cool air.

"How fitting that a bird sings sadly when I talk like this," Kurama ruminated, raising his voice slightly.

"Maybe he's telling you you're not alone, Kurama-kun," I spoke up, a few steps closer to him. I could now see him clearly.

He turned to me. His expression was wistful like the time when we first met.

"Death isn't the answer," I pointed out.

"Then what is?" His emerald eyes, desperate for an answer, locked onto mine like they did back in the garden.

"Life, I guess," I replied.

"What was it about life that made you want to return?" Kurama probed deeper.

"Umm…my mom, Keiko-chan, Kuwabara-kun," I pondered. "They were lonely without me. They missed me. I mattered to them."

"So it was human relationships then," realized Kurama. "And the love you felt, Yusuke-kun."

"Yeah, something like that. You know I used to be just like you, Kurama-kun, feeling all depressed and stuff. During the time when I died, I learned one important thing," I answered.

The kitsune perked up. "What's that, Yusuke-kun?"

I answered, "Even if you think people don't care, they do. They just don't show it. That's why we feel alone. When I died, I saw how my mother cried. I saw Keiko sink into depression. Hell, even Kuwabara-kun was down. But while I was alive, they never revealed their true feelings to me."

He gazed at me, questioning me. "You knew how I felt when we first met, Yusuke-kun. Is that why you reached out and befriended me?"

"That, and other reasons," I said.

"I want to know." His emerald eyes, desperate for an answer, locked onto mine like they did back at the garden.

"Alright, close your eyes, Kurama-kun," I said.

The redhead did so. I slid my arms around him, one around his neck, and the other behind his waist. I whispered into his ear, "There is another reason I befriended you, Kurama-kun. My feelings for you."

Back in the garden, Kurama knew I let something divide us, our gender. He wanted to know if I truly loved him. That's why he was so demanding, so insistent. I only held back my feelings him out of fear, of what others might think.

"I don't care if you're a guy, Kurama-kun. I won't let some stupid, anti-gay prejudice divide us because…I love you." I kissed him. A kiss of acceptance because he meant everything to me

To be continued…