Purple, Part 2

The standard disclaimer as seen in the Prologue applies here too. This ties in alot with the original Yomatsu, right around parts 5-7, if that helps any

PURPLE

by: Cricket

Part Two: From a Heart of Darkness ...

The young girl sat quietly on a brass chair, calmly running a brush through the soft, purple hair that hung down to the floor. Murasaki hummed a soft, nonsense tune to herself, watching her own large, yellow eyes through the mirror, smiling for her own reasons. Her tune fluttered and lifted into a new and beautiful riff, flowing around the room and out the hall, wrapping itself through the marble corridors.

She smiled sweetly, setting an innocent twinkle to her eyes as she lifted to her feet, neatly setting the brush down on the highly organized vanity. Just outside the window adorning the wall by the vanity, a soft breeze flowed gently in, bringing with it the sweet scent of flowers growing about the silver city. She smiled even wider and stretched, running her hand through the hair at the scruff of her neck ... her hair rippled ... moved, as if something was alive under it ...

A single set of perfect, silver wings unfolded themselves from under the cloak of her light purple hair ... a set of yosei wings.

Murasaki yawned loudly and took up a few flowers from the vase by the vanity. She smelled them lightly, twirling one over her nose, watching the petals twirl about her nose.

"Are you about done?"

Murasaki turned ... a slender yosei stood framed in the door perfectly, glimmering silver hair flowing down over her shoulders as she leaned heavily on the frame, arms laid neatly over her chest. She smiled slightly, more evilly than anything else, flipping her hair into the air.

"Kagayaku-chan," Murasaki smiled, twirling from the mirror, the purple hair fanning out behind her like a great purple cloak. "Ohayo!"

Kagayaku smiled slightly, pushing herself from the door frame, glancing an evil, dark eye about the room. "So ... where are they?" The eyes seemed to glimmer with a hidden motive, the corners of her mouth arching into a smile.

Murasaki shadowed the smile, the soft features of her face becoming quickly dark and evil ... the two mentally exchanging a thought.

***

Hiei huffed heavily, watching Yo-mawari rise from the floor, running a hand up the wall. The tall, young man felt the you-ki that only a few of them could sense, but only he and possibly Hiei could clearly identify ... Kurama's unmistakable aura, lying brutalized against the wall, slinking down to embed itself in the floorboard of his loft in the apartment.

Around the room, the rest had gathered, all 8 of them, including the four girls : all hunched curiously over each other as Yo-mawari took a deep breath, pocketing a shuriken lightly. "They're in big trouble ..." he declared easily. "There's yosei-ki all over this room ... and I'm willing to bet all over Koenma- san's office too."

"Ya mean those love-sick fairies back in Yomatsu?" Kuwabara squealed, standing back straight from the mound of heads that leaned over Yo-mawari. He looked up to the ceiling, not wanting to really see the answer ... he knew it already ... or at least sensed as much.

"But they should be okay, shouldn't they?" Yusuke asked calmly. "They were afraid of Kurama ..."

"They thought he was a woman," Yo-mawari answered easily, cutting the young man's thoughts off, destroying any hope. "But they have most likely found out the truth ... otherwise, Kurama would not have been taken." He stopped and took another breath, again running his hand along the wall again. "If we are going to have much luck on getting those two back before something terrible happens ... we'll need the help of the girls on this one."

A triumphant 'yes' came from Keiko, tucked neatly back in a corner with Shizuru and Yukina. The guys all looked back to see the three with sparkles in their eyes. They had been left out of so many missions in the past ...

***

Koenma opened his large brown eyes to stare at Kurama's brilliant green ones ... but there was something terribly wrong with the gaze. As the face smiled back, Koenma noticed the twinge of pain that came through and marred the surface ... Kurama's eyes were glazed, a dull skin of something he had never seen before hanging over the grassy-green eyes. Koenma propped himself up on his hands, feeling a tight, dull ache run through his rib cage.

"Take it easy now," Kurama soothed, his voice as perfect and seamless as ever. A pair of steadying hands helped him to sit up in his human form ... and Koenma noticed the large, dried red spot on the side of his light-blue shirt... dried blood. "You were stabbed ... just take it easy," the voice soothed again.

Koenma turned to Kurama and looked him over. The tall frame seemed to stare right through him to the wall beyond, refusing to focus as if Koenma's body was not there at all. A heavy glaze filmed them, creating a dulling mar to the once perfect green surface. "Kurama ... are YOU okay?"

Kurama seemed to ponder the question a bit, then smiled. "No ... but I'll be just fine. I just need to rest." The hazed eyes tried to focus on the blurred figure of Koenma before him, failing miserably, returning quickly to stare through him at the wall.

Koenma reached out and took him by the shoulders, silently beckoning him to lay back. "Then rest ..."

"But Koenma ..."

"No ... you rest. You're obviously injured ... and if we're going to get out of here, we're going to need to be as well rested and healed as possible." He forced him back to the bed. "Don't argue with me."

Kurama tried to retaliate again, resting in a pile of red hair on the pillow, but Koenma gave him little to no choice ... rest and get well, or retaliate and face the consequences ... he chose the former, quieting himself quickly. He closed his eyes and began to release the ki throughout his body, a slow process, but effective in healing whatever damage had been done to his body in the ordeal. His head still throbbed violently ... but it was slowly calming, releasing the overwhelming nauseating feeling that was encasing his body.

"Koenma-san ... do you know where we are?" Kurama asked groggily.

Kurama heard a labored sigh and felt the bed shift as Koenma rearranged himself. "Not really ... but it seems vaguely familiar ... we've been here before... I just know it"

Koenma turned and hoisted himself off the bed, lightly standing to his feet. Across the spacious room, a window sat propped open, spilling a soft breeze into the room, bringing with it the unmistakable smell of flowers in bloom.. Chewing intently on the blue pacifier, he crossed the room, wincing slightly as the pain in his chest once again made itself known, forcefully taking precedence over his body..

The curtain fluttered at him, drawing him closer, reeling him in as he approached the window slowly, a cautious eye peering out as he advanced. The breeze seemed to revive his soul, a calm, clear blue day like those he had seen in the Ningenkai ....

He leaned on the window sill comfortably, looking out the window as the breeze played with his brown hair and gently whispered past hi ears ... there were funny ki vibrations coming around him, but his mind was too weak to pick them out ... or concern itself with them.

Something shimmered from the corner of his vision; a flurry of little reflected lights like the sun on a rippled pond. He leaned out the window ... a female figure glided down a brick pathway, something silver and glittering following behind her ... perfect silver wings ...

"Oh gods ..." he breathed.

Kurama stirred on the bed, propping open a careful, green eye. "Doko shita no?" he said softly, not risking to move from the painless position he laid in. He watched Koenma quickly pull himself in from the window, closing it suddenly, barring it tightly. "Koenma-san?"

Koenma twirled into face the room, pushing his back up against the window. He nervously looked around the room, catching Kurama's eye. "Just stay there," Koenma ordered roughly, pushing himself from the window to carry himself easily across the room. With a panicked quickness, he locked the door to the bedroom, throwing the lock and fastening the dead-bolt.

"Will you just tell me what's going on," Kurama asked, relaxed as his aura glowed faintly red around him.

"Yosei," Koenma answered simply, turning back to the room, rubbing his hands together in thought.

"We're in Yomatsu?"

"Looks like it." Koenma tested his ribs, gently expanding his lungs. He was a bit sore, but that was it ... hopefully nothing that would prevent him making a fighting escape if the need would ever arise. Quickly, he reverted forms, shrinking back into his chubby, toddler form, hovering gently in the air. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"Oh, don't worry," Kurama chuckled, lifting a hand slowly to his blaze of red hair, orbiting his head like a bloody halo. "They're afraid of women ... and since they think I'm quite feminine ... "he smiled sleepily at the idea. Being mistaken for a woman normally only made him smile at the human's obvious blindness ... but never before had he looked at his feminine air as a possible strategic advantage. He chuckled softly to himself, feeling the pressure in his head slowly releasing, leaving a clear, open feeling back in his mind ... it made him smile and chuckle a little louder.

"Personally, I don't see what's so funny," Koenma's small, harsh voice bit back. It only made Kurama chuckle louder ... and Koenma scowl more.

The door knob turned roughly, interrupting both their thoughts, quieting the room suddenly. It fluttered again, met with the lock ... ringing a dull clang throughout the suit.

Koenma flew quickly across the room to sit on the bed beside Kurama as he slowly rose from his position. His head felt alot clearer now ... things were back to being sharply outlined, being able to pick out certain features about the room, most importantly of which was the large, marble door ... the handle being wiggled up and down against the lock violently.

"Koenma ... turn back to your human form."

"Are you NUTS??"

"Just do it .. I think I know a way to get out of here!"

Koenma huffed roughly, removing the tall, purple hat adorning his head and grew quickly and fully clothed back to this human form. Kurama took him by the shoulders and laid him back on the bed, plucking a perfect rose from his hair as he did. He wrapped his hand tightly around the soft petals, bringing them down to Koenma's wound, and squeezed them tightly ... a thick liquid the color of blood dripped out onto Koenma's shirt, sinking down to the tear in his shirt to stain his skin red around the scar.

The handle jiggled one more time and the door flew open in a huge whiff of displaced air, opening calmly to the room.

Koenma chanced a look ... and froze solid. A face that he wished he would never see again .. a face he cursed every night before he dozed off to sleep. The tall yosei with purple hair looked past Kurama to him, flashing a devilish smile. "I see you're up," she smiled, entering in the room with a flourish, the other following. "So, you remember me, son of Enma?"

The words stuck in his throat like a giant ball of honey as she continued in. Sudden memories floated back to him, arousing that abnormal feeling down in his gut again ... the purple-haired yosei leaning over him, slashing at him ... raping him. He shuddered violently and closed his eyes tight, locking his teeth around the pacifier. He hoped Kurama knew what he was doing.

Kurama stood quickly to his feet, the pain in his head still knocking at the back of his brain, threatening to pull him under if he tried anything foolish. He held a hand out and the woman stopped ... he looked past her to her companion ... and noticed the silver haired regal companion. "You?"

Kagayaku nodded slightly with a smile. "Long time no-see, Mr. Kurama," she emphasized roughly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I see you're looking as HANDSOME as ever."

Koenma gasped ... rolling over off the bed to the floor, returning quickly to his more comfortable toddler form. This was not going to work .... the yosei knew Kurama was a man, and that left the both of them in a very dangerous position.

Kagayaku's companion stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Watashi no Murasaki desu," she smiled.

Kurama watched her for a moment, running the name through his still throbbing head. " ... Purple?"

She smiled deep and evilly ...

***

" ... what do you mean purple?" Hiei quizzed the tall kitsune, setting a glare straight. He poked at a shuriken as it dug into his shoulder, furiously trying to rid himself of the three perched weapons, chattering away in his ear.

"Purple ... Murasaki ... is one of the matriarchs of the yosei colony, along with Kagayaku ... the one you met in Yomatsu a few weeks back." Yo-mawari watched as Hiei quietly seethed, sharpening his mental daggers before continuing, giving everyone a chance to refresh their memories. "The two are stepsisters with the worst taste for evil you can imagine. And so there's no doubt that Kurama and Koenma-san are in grave danger."

"Then why are we standing around here gabbin' like a bunch of morons! We should be gettin' our asses to that stupid castle of theirs ..."

"But remember what happened last time, Yusuke-kun ... if we're not careful, we'll be stepping right into the middle of all this."

Kuwabara grunted firmly, watching as his school buddy and biggest rival ran a nervous hand through his slicked, black hair. "And for all we know, this could just be a trap to lure us back to their castle."

Yusuke took a deep breath, circling a gaze around the group. Eight in all, including himself ... just enough to possibly make things go smoothly. "The way I see it, we either go now or don't go at all. The way things went last time... you can bet Kurama and Koenma are in for more than just captivity."

Kuwabara shuddered, remembering every detail of the yosei encounter as if it was yesterday. Even HE didn't like the idea of being groped and grasped by a hord of blood-thirsty, sex-crazed lunatics. "Let's go before anything ends up happening that we can't undo."

***

The ward slapped down hard on his wrist, causing the pain Kurama felt in his head to suddenly intensify, nearly knocking him off his feet. He gasped suddenly and wobbled in place, caught by Kagayaku's commanding arm as the sudden suppressed pains and aches in his body were all released.

Koenma had been rounded up too, having single handedly blown half the room up in the process, forced back into his human form and a ward wrapped keenly on his wrist. Murasaki moved with simple pleasure about the room, dragging Koenma by the arm, enjoying herself as she struggled with him fighting for all he was worth. Kurama himself would have joined in the fight if his head hadn't suddenly fuzzed back over ... he made it a point to either sleep in youko form or place a blood-sucking plant near his window the next time ...

"Now now, brown-eyes," Murasaki soothed, running a hand lightly through Koenma's perfect, deep brown hair. She grabbed a handful of it and sent him sprawling before Kurama. "Behave, child! If you don't, you'll be even more sorry you've seen my face again!" she reeled him back in, leaning up to whisper harshly in his ear, pressing her body up against his. "And this time, you're blue-haired savior won't be here to rescue you."

He forced his teeth down around the pacifier as the skin at the newly healed stab wound pulled and ripped, feeling the shirt over the wound began to grow wet and warm with blood. Murasaki ran a hand down to the wound and clasped it, quickly healing back over the open stab-wound with a thick layer of scar tissue.

Kurama blinked the cloudiness from his eyes only to stare back into the searing yellow eyes under Kagayaku's brow. She looked him over calmly, raising a hand to his chest, looking him over quickly. She popped open the buttons on his magenta shirt slowly, opening the shirt wide, exposing his chest... perfect and well sculpted, portraying every sexy curve that the human body could ever possess on one chest. She smiled widely hand ran her hand lightly over the bare skin.

"So ... you ARE a man," she marveled, caressing the soft skin lightly. Her wandering hand was soon met by Kurama's hand, pulling it off his chest and closing the shirt with a gruff glare. "Touchy touchy, dear ningen-youko." She reached out and took his shoulder ... then looked over his shoulder to the destroyed room. "I do believe your friend has forced us to move camp."

Murasaki giggled and released her grip from Koenma's hair. Instead, she pulled his arms behind his back, fastening them together with the ward. "We can move to one of the suits," she suggested, putting subtle order back to Koenma's ruffled hair. She raised a finger and traced out the shimmering purple letters on his forehead before reaching forward to kiss them.

Koenma tossed his head to the side, announcing his displeasure with a disgusted grunt. She caught his chin and forced his head back around. His eyes met hers ... the once gentle yellow eyes deeply simmering in evil as she stared him down. "Do you WANT me to hurt you?"

He tried to pull his chin from her grip, but found all his strength drain with every attempt. Things were looking more and more hopeless as the minutes went by. He calmed and settled, trying to mentally block her out. "No," he whispered slightly, trying to close his eyes ... even the will to do that leaving his body.

She smiled widely, patting his cheek with a rough smack. "Good. I'm glad we can reach a negotiation." She took his arms and lead him to the door, glancing over her shoulder. "Well be in the blue suit ..."she called back in a girlish, giddy laughter.

Kagayaku watched with a large, malicious smile, turning her attention back to prize-capture, Kurama. "Fold your hands behind your back," she ordered quietly, fixing him with a glare that quietly told him to obey or face the consequences.

He reluctantly tucked his hands behind his back, feeling the ward bind his arms tightly, rendering them powerless and useless. "Good boy," she smiled lightly, patting him on the back. "Shall we head to a more private and ..."she circled a glance around the room ..."less cluttered suit?"

***

Koenma felt the lock around his wrist tie itself to a bed pilaster ... the lock on his other wrist pulling his arm up over to tie itself to the other pilaster. His mind raced, his body tensed, the throbbing pain in his side bursting into a sudden blazing existence. He muffled back a pained moan.

Murasaki smiled, tucking her flowing dress up as she crawled up on the bed and sat down beside him, quickly working on the light blue shirt, nearly the color of the morning sky just outside the window over her shoulder. Under her soft hands he squirmed violently, trying to shy away from her hand.

"Now now ... if you don't calm yourself, darling ... I will get very upset." she tickled a line down his bare chest, ending to swirl a sharp nail around his naval, watching his stomach muscles tighten and construct under her touch. "You really should try to relax .." she leaned in, hovering over him, her long, purple hair cascading into piles around his head. "I promise I'll be gentle." She kissed his nose lightly and sat back, moving quick hands down to the buckle of his pants.

***

Kagayaku more or less threw Kurama onto the bed, securing him instantly through the wards that bound his hands, anchoring his arms to the bed posts as she moved to straddle him. "You know, you gave us all quite a stir when we thought you were a woman ... you lied to us, you lied to me," the eyes narrowed in deep concentration, reflecting the darkness that most likely inhabited her heart. She bared almost fang-like teeth at him and pulled his shirt open, ripping it at the seams. "I HATE being lied to ... so I feel it's only right that you thoroughly reimburse me."

Kurama smirked. "No thank you ... I have another in my life." He looked away from her, the pain in his head over taking his normally rational brain.

"Oh really?" She sat back on her hands, moving to tuck her knees in neatly under her as she moved and knelt beside me. "Describe this person."

Kurama sighed slightly, a twinkle passing into his eye as Hiei's face popped readily into view ... a face he had taken to memorizing from the first day the two had met. "Eyes like the summer sun, blazing over the horizon on a hot morning, burning everything in it's path ... skin so perfect and smooth that even the winter snows envy the beauty it contains, so jealous that it melt under the very touch of that skin ... and touch so gentle that it rivals the soft petals of the most perfect roses that ever bloomed throughout all the Ningenkai ... and the way he looks at me when ..."

"He? HE!! Your lover is a MAN!!" she screamed, rising up on her feet, causing the bed to shift and squirm under her weight. "How dare you ... you mock me!"

"There is more kindness and unconditional love held within those blood- red eyes than you will ever have the pleasure of owning in your entire, miserable existence!!" Kurama spat back, tugging furiously at the invisibly bonds, glaring up at the yosei with a vengeful hatred the way Hiei had glared at Kuwabara so many times, the heated passion in his words setting his entire body to fire.

Kagayaku gasped and choked, backing off the bed. "You .. how DARE you!! " she sputtered like a dry tap as she jumped off the bed to the floor.

"Jealous? Jealous that you will NEVER be more than a heartless coward who has to steal men in their sleep in order to get company and satisfaction!"

She screamed aloud in a furious rage, flying across the room to knock over a vase of flowers. The careful glass shattered into a million pieces on the cold, stone floor, spilling the flowers out in rush of uncontained water.... she bent down and snatched up a reed of thin bamboo that had been included in the arrangement. "You look act and present yourself to us as a woman, kill my people, destroy our gardens ... then you DARE compare MY beauty with that of a male lover!!"

Kurama tossed his red hair about him in wild strands of fire, laughing loudly.

"I will teach you discipline you arrogant bastard!!" She flew across the room, bringing the bamboo thrash high above her head, swinging with all the might she could ...

A heavy snap filled Kurama ears moments before the searing pain flowed to his chest, spreading quickly throughout his entire body, igniting the pain in the back of his head, setting his entire body in pain. He bit back a yell, his body heaving on great convulsion off the bed as the bamboo thrash laid a perfect, blood-red line across his chest.

Kagayaku jumped up on the bed and raised the thrash, snapping it again on the exposed chest, making a perfect red X across his chest.

Kurama convulsed again, arching his back off the bed, feeling a hot pain cross his chest again ... a small whimper escaping his mouth as he clenched his teeth together firmly. A single tear escaped his eye rolling off his cheek to splash onto the pillow below. He gasped for air furiously, finding only that is lings refused to take in more than light gasps, warding against the bloodied X that now marred his entire exposed chest and abdomen.

She reached down and took his chin in her hand, shaking him to open his eyes. "Renounce your love for this man ... or you will not live to see him ever again. DO YOU HEAR ME!!!"

Kurama turned the green eyes to her, narrowing them like a lion about to pounce on it's prey. He gasped and panted, trying to find his voice hidden in all the painful crys forcing to make themself known, another tear spilling out of his eye to run down his cheek. "I would rather die," he managed to get out straightly and unwavering, cursing the very words as he spit them out at her.

Kagayaku grew read in the face, loosing all semblance to her name, reeling back fro Kurama. "If that's the way you want .... THEN DIE!!" she screamed .. reeling back, snapping the thrash through to his chest again ... and again .. and again ... with each pass, extracting a cry of pain from the young man under her furry, growing louder and louder, forming into a single, bellowing word, so much pain and suffering coming through behind that yell...

Hiei stopped cold as the team continued to press through the woods of Yomatsu Hara-Sakai at a phenomenal rate. Something had tugged on his mind... he could have sworn someone was yelling his name ...

"Do sai, Meijin!" Yo-mawari yelled, quickly putting a halt to the advancement, running back to drop to his knees before the fire youkai. "Meijin! What?" he reached up and shook the little shoulders.

Hiei sputtered silently, his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly as he brought a hand up to rub his temple. "I thought ... I ... I ..." he looked off into the distance where the yosei castle protruded like a great, silver blemish in the perfect greenery of the woods. Something was definitely calling his name in one long-winded scream, rolling through the air to his ears only. "Kurama," he whispered, staring wide eyes off into the distance.

To be continued ....