Title: Petals, burnt

Fandom: D. Gray Man, Yu Yu Hakusho

Character/Pairings: Kurama/Kanda, maybe some other small pairings at the side, or past pairings, idk

Summary: Rewritten. [YYH DGM crossover] When Kurama is sent to the Black Order to take care of the Earl once and for all, he meets one person he didn't expect to see again - Kanda Yuu. Maybe it's time Kanda found out why he was cursed and the consequences that came with it. KuraKan.

A/N: It's been years, but I'm picking this fic up again \o/ To be honest when I posted this fic years ago I only had a beginning and very vague plot on where it would go, thus there was never really a proper direction for me to write much. This time, as a more mature writer, hopefully, we'll get further than two chapters haha

Do note that the premise of this was written before a lot that has happened in canon, especially the Alma arc. Obviously there will be nothing relating to that in here.

the lotus' petal

Of all the mysteries of Kanda Yuu, the large oddly-shaped mark on his chest was probably on top of the list. Hell, even Kanda himself thought the thing was kind of creepy—because he had no idea how and why he had it. The black mark coloured itself like stained ink on his unblemished pale skin, much like a decorative tattoo.

Except, tattoos did not grow larger in size on its own.

He was also pretty sure tattoos did not throb, did not squirm, nor did they glow.

These things started occurring about a month ago. Well, the tattoo always grew slightly larger after he lost a petal from the lotus. Nothing too obvious to be noticed, just that when Kanda looked at the black symbol in the mirror he vaguely remembered that the tendrils of the outer mark did not cross his shoulder the last time, nor did it curl to touch his pectoral. But as for the other strange events surrounding his mark, nothing unusual seemed out of place with his plant in the hourglass, so he passed it as a…phase of sorts.

Grumbling mentally, Kanda turned over on his bed and tried to stop thinking about it. All he knew was that he was cursed—in a strange way. To be able to cheat death thirteen times, the number of petals of the lotus. He didn't know if there was anything more to it after the thirteen lives. He didn't know why he had it. He didn't know who cursed him.

He remembered nothing from before nine years of age, when General Tiedoll brought him to the Order and trained him as an exorcist.

Sometimes, though, he would see a flash of gold amongst the lotus petals, and the silhouette of someone amongst the scent of burning wood.

Someone he felt he had to find.

That person.

A soft rap on his door startled him out of his thoughts. "Kanda, brother wants to see all the exorcists in his office."

Kanda gazed at his ceiling in annoyance for a few seconds before he forced himself out of it. Sighing, he pulled his hair back into a low pony tail at his nape before grabbing Mugen. Out of habit he glanced at the hourglass containing the lotus. The tattoo on his chest gave a dull throb in response and he palmed a hand over it, frowning.

He opened his door and swiftly closed it behind him, using his sword to keep an excited redhead from glomping.

"Whatcha doin' all cooped up in your room, Yuu?" Lavi grinned, evading the sheathed sword to sling an arm over the swordsman's shoulder. "Are you lonely? Are you too shy to—"

"Don't touch me," Kanda muttered roughly, shoving the arm off. "And quit calling me by my first name, idiot."

Lavi blinked, not very perturbed by the harsh treatment. However, it had been a while since Kanda snapped at him for using the other's first name—there had been a lot of yelling and death threats and actual commencement of the death threats when he first did, but that was about a decade ago, when they first met each other.

Lenalee smiled and shook her head as Lavi continued to badger Kanda down the corridor, until the long haired man stopped at a sudden standstill outside Komui's office.

"Lavi," Kanda closed his eyes briefly, jaw clenched. "How long do you think you can live without your intestines?" he asked, flickering his gaze over.

"Um," the redhead took a step back, hands raised in defense. "Are you talking about the small intestine or the large intestine? Because contrary to popular belief, humans can actually—" he gulped when the glare Kanda shot him went down several degrees, and he heard the click of Mugen unsheathing. "Shouldn't we go in?"

Kanda scoffed and swung the door to let them in, and the trio turned their attention to Komui who was ungracefully face flat on his desk.

Lenalee sighed.

Lavi grinned and walked to the sleeping's supervisor's side. "Komui," he whispered. "Allen's taking advantage of Lenale—"

Even before he could finish his sentence, Komui was clutching a sharp drill aimed directly at the unsuspecting redhead, eyes narrowed like sharp daggers.

"Allen's on a mission," Lavi laughed nervously, edging away.

"Sis-con, what the hell did you want?" Kanda snapped impatiently, gripping Mugen tight.

He was very tempted to press against his mark because the thing felt like it was moving. He couldn't be too sure because it was under his shirt, but it certainly felt like his skin was rippling, and with every minute, the sensation got bolder. It was getting hard to disguise his discomfort, so he focused his annoyance on the person in front of him.

Just then, the door to Komui's office swung open again, this time revealing Miranda who stepped in looking nervous. "I'm sorry I'm late! I'm so sorry—"

"It's fine, Miranda," Komui beckoned her in gently as the drill he was holding magically disappeared. He sat up straighter and adjusted his glasses. "As you all know," he began once Miranda joined their trio, "Allen, Krory, Marie, Bookman and the Generals are away on missions, but I want you all to team up with them after all this has finished and report to them everything you've listened today. Do you understand me?"

Lenalee glanced at her brother with worry. "What's going on?"

"We've recently received information that will help to change the tide of this war…but this has also caused everything we've believed in for years to be void," Komui said cautiously. "Our guest will explain it in detail. Miranda, if you would please."

Lavi, Lenalee and Kanda shared looks as Miranda stepped forward, apparently having already been briefed on her role.

"Innocence, activate," she whispered. "Time transfer…begin!"

Only the glow of her innocence stood still for a few seconds, and then, a wrinkle in the air in front of her appeared. It grew like a crack on a wall on air, until a slit large enough to fit a human was drawn. Slowly, the tear opened apart, revealing a swirl of colours. The rest of the exorcists watched, speechless.

Kanda discreetly rubbed the left side of his chest, hoping to quell the strange sensation that started to intensify. He gripped the area tightly when a hand appeared out of the portal, grabbing the two sides of it.

The figure that stepped through was either a flat chested gorgeous female or a really androgynous pretty boy. This person was dressed in an oriental style uniform, white and yellow with a sash around the waist. Lavi couldn't help the inappropriate whistle—and he also noticed that whoever it was had a similar hair colour to his, but the shade spoke volumes. Those tresses spilled over his shoulders like blood, dark and enchanting, complimenting the emerald eyes that stared right back at him.

"Hajimemashite," the person bowed, voice as smooth as silk. "Kurama to moshi masu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."

Kanda inwardly flinched at the use of his mother tongue. It had been years since he had met anyone who spoke it like a native, especially since Japan had been infiltrated by the Earl, but this redhead certainly did. What made him more uneasy, however, was how this stranger was staring at him. He felt like he was being watched through his uniform, right at his mark that was burning at the moment, but he ignored it the best he could.

He knew this stare from long ago. He knew he did.

"Hello, welcome to the Black Order," Komui greeted coolly. "I'm glad you made it safely."

"Ah, thank you," the person bowed again, this time speaking in English. "You're Komui-san, am I right?" he smiled. "Koenma showed me profiles before he sent me. I'm Kurama, at your service."

The room was quiet, only for Miranda's innocence weapon that whirled. Kurama turned upon her gently. "Lotto-san, I thank you for the passageway. You may close the portal now."

Miranda protested hastily. "B-but if I close it you won't be able to make it back…"

"I assure you that it's fine," Kurama answered smoothly, eyes unblinking.

Miranda hesitated until Komui nodded his head in agreement. "Innocence…deactivate."

Almost immediately, the portal closed off and the rip in the air vanished. Miranda staggered unexpectedly, but Kurama steadied her shoulders and guided her to the nearest couch.

"I-I'm sorry—I—I feel a little...—" she mumbled, clutching her forehead.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Kurama replied firmly. "It takes an incredible amount of energy to create a dimension portal, especially for a human…"

"W-well, yes, b-but—"

"Just rest, Lotto-san."

"…Human?" Lavi repeated, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

Kurama stood up at met the green gaze equally. "I mean exactly that."

When Lavi's stare switched over to Komui, the supervisor sighed. "Kurama, will you explain the situation to them, please?"

"With pleasure," Kurama replied. "Any questions, please ask them after I'm done, all right?"

Without giving them any time to respond, he continued. "I am from the future," he first stated, noting their stares of disbeliefs. "Lotto-san grasped time from this era, and so did we in my era. This allowed the two times to meet to make a passageway for my entrance.

"There have been strange happenings in my time. The human world is starting to flood with demons—especially those of higher classes, and it doesn't seem to stop. Our sources point it to a rip time: here. From our records we deduced that something is or is not occurring in your timeline. This problem is getting too large for spirit world to ignore, therefore I am sent by the King's son, Lord Koenma to deal with this.

"In any case, my main objective is to reach the end goal—to dispose of whom you call the Millennium Earl. I have heard that the Order does not know of the true being of this Earl so I am telling you now," Kurama eyed each of them carefully. "He is a demon.

"He is an S class demon capable of creating minions from human souls. What we know of the Earl's objective is to rid human world of humans, using it as a piece of property to own, and most possibly to rule as the second demon world. The Noah, too, whatever you call them, are demons. Parasitic demons that feed off their human hosts.

"Lastly, this crystal you call 'innocence' is crystallized spirit energy," he explained. "Only those with higher spiritual awareness can make use of this energy. The higher your spiritual awareness, the more likely you can materialise it as a weapon, as in the case of parasitic innocence. Any questions?"

Silence reigned after the long monologue.

Sure, as exorcists they had seen many things that couldn't be explained but this was hard to take in, especially since it broke all foundation of what they knew. For centuries that the holy war had been fought no one had been able to classify the Earl, nor had anyone even known what the Noah were. Innocence was seen as a blessing from God for the 'chosen ones', and yet, now, such a simple answer to the whole mystery? Or rather, a simple answer in the form of one stranger from the future when they had been trying all their life to—

"What the fuck are you?" Kanda hissed, knuckles white from gripping the hilt of his Mugen.

Kurama's stare hadn't left him since the other decided to drop by, and Kanda was, not that he'll admit, getting more freaked out by the second. Moreover his mark now felt like a constant sear of fire on his skin, and he wasn't sure if he could remain impassive for so long.

"Kanda!" Lenalee gasped in horror at the rudeness, although she also wanted the question answered.

Kurama took a step forward in his direction, gaze never flinching. Kanda glared back, unwilling to back down but he unconsciously took a step back when Kurama was close enough to invade his personal space.

The other tilted his head. "You don't remember me?"

The rest of the occupants in the room could only watch in confusion. Kanda furrowed his eyebrows, fingers and thumb unsheathing Mugen with a threatening click. He definitely did not know whoever this person was and even worse—this fucking idiot was still moving closer.

"Does it hurt?"

Kanda snapped his gaze up when he realised he was staring at Kurama's mouth. "What?"

"Your mark," Kurama elaborated, hand reaching up to touch the area where it was. "Does it hurt?"

It took several seconds before Kanda blinked out of his shock, but by then, Kurama had a palm over his chest. A flash over silver and gold danced in his vision and suddenly a spike of pain cut deep into his tattoo.

"I'll come collect you when you're ready, okay?"

Kanda breathed heavily as he scrambled to clutch his chest, dropping Mugen to the floor in the process. It hurt more than anything he'd ever felt—like he was being stabbed over, and over and over, and over—

He could vaguely sense the hand that Kurama still had on him that wouldn't move away, and also how everyone else was crowding around him in concern but he couldn't hear them. He couldn't hear anything, but one voice.

"My pretty little thing…"

"Just remember..."

"Kanda Yuu, was it?" the same soothing voice washed over him, and a warm hand cupped to turn his cheek to meet emerald green. "You wanted to know what I am, yes?" Kurama breathed softly.

"Just remember, little human. You belong to Youko Kurama."

Golden flecks started to seep into those green eyes, colouring the outer rim with a shade so cold, but so filled with passion. Kanda stared blankly, because he had seen that gold before—somewhere—many years ago…

"Youko…Kurama…" he murmured unconsciously.

Kurama's lips twitched into a semblance of a smirk, gold festering darker in his eyes. His other hand cradled Kanda's face, and with no further warning, met their mouths together.

When Kanda crumpled into Kurama's arms, Lavi was quick to shove the other redhead away.

"What the hell did you do to him?" he demanded, lowering the unconscious swordsman to the floor carefully.

Lenalee crouched down next to Kanda worriedly, gently checking his pulse rate. She shot Kurama a wary look, and another one to her brother.

Kurama sighed and looked at the ceiling. After a long pregnant pause, he shook his head slightly, muttering underneath his breath. "Youko, you went overboard again."

"…Kurama?" Komui prompted, tone less than pleased.

"He should wake up within the hour. He is perfectly fine, I promise," Kurama replied, expression slightly regretful. "It was…inescapable."

The supervisor did not let up the stern look, although his next words were to the rest. "You all will need to start packing up—you leave as soon as Kanda wakes up. There will be folders to explain everything in more detail about your final mission."

"But—"

"Lenalee, do as I say, please," Komui interrupted gently. "Miranda, you too."

Lenalee and Miranda left, leaving Lavi to bring Kanda over to the couch. Once done, the one eyed redhead leaned himself against the wall.

"Do explain," Komui said. "I was told a spirit detective would be sent over. You're not him, are you?"

"Quite right," Kurama replied with a quirk of his lips. "But I assure you I am a member of the team."

"And you're not human."

"I am," the redhead chuckled. "But I am also a fox demon."

"What do you mean?" Lavi frowned.

"The same as you," Kurama smiled wryly. "You are Lavi as much as you are Bookman Junior, are you not?"

The words only made Lavi tense further.

"I am Youko Kurama as much as I am Shuuichi Minamino. Together, I am Kurama."

"….You're Youko Kurama?" the Bookman in training blurted, eye widened slightly in shock. "How?"

If anything, Kurama's smile widened.

Komui coughed, catching both their attentions. "Someone, please elaborate."

The two redheads locked gazes for a short while, and the fox demon acceded eventually. "Youko Kurama is a fox demon from the demon world. Years ago in my time, a bounty hunter shot him, so he escaped to the human world and bonded with the body of an unborn baby that is to be Shuuichi Minamino. That is who I am today."

"And how do you know Kanda?"

"In this human form I do not have all the memories of Youko. He holds many secrets to my past. All I know is that he belonged to me."

"Belonged?" Lavi echoed.

"Yes, belonged," Kurama repeated.

Lavi rubbed his chin, eye intense. "Can we speak to your demon counterpart then?"

"I warn you; Youko is very dangerous," Kurama's voice lowered a notch. "His loyalties lie within himself. He does not have any restraint. Are you sure you want this, Komui-san?"

Komui who had been watching quietly nodded after a brief hesitation. Perhaps the curse of the lotus could finally be revealed after all this time...

Kurama took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Slowly, a mist enveloped around him and engulfed his entire figure. The other two watched in silence as the fog cleared to reveal Youko Kurama in his true form.

Long silver hair adorned his porcelain white face, lips stretched into a deep smirk. Two fluffy ears sat upon his head, twitching at the slightest noise. Dressed in a simple white robe, his tail hung freely behind him. But what was most striking was his glittering gold eyes that were so cold, they burned.

"Greetings, humans," a low baritone spoke from those lips. "Ah, so this is where it begins."

Lavi and Komui tensed, for it was obvious that this fox demon was dangerous.

"You want to know about my doll there, don't you?" Youko purred, making his way towards Kanda. He knelt, brushing the wayward strands of hair out of the unconsciousness swordsman's face. "I'll tell you this for now: he owes me his life, so he belongs to me."

Long fingers traced Kanda's lips as Youko looked upon the other with a fond smirk. "I've missed you so, koiishi," he murmured.

He lifted Kanda up into his arms and bared his fangs when Lavi took a step forwards towards him. Then, mist covered them again and cleared to leave Kurama in his human form with Kanda in his arms. Kurama coughed slightly and sighed when he saw what his demon form had left him with.

"I'll bring him to his room. It's better not to…provoke."

Lavi nodded when he noticed that Kurama's eyes were still speckled with gold.

"One more question!" he called when the demon was halfway out of the office. "In your human form—are you a guy or a girl?"

There was only the sound of Kurama's chuckles that was his answer.

"He doesn't know where Yuu's room is, does he?" Lavi muttered to a perplexed Komui in his seat.

"How much of this do you already know?" Komui asked, sending the other a look once he was sure they were alone.

The grin on Lavi's face faded a little. "You know I can't answer that," he answered quietly. "But not enough, if that's what you're asking."

The elder nodded. "Go and get ready. Report to me—weekly, if you can, about anything that Youko Kurama slips about Kanda," Komui stated. "You can tell me that much, can't you? I have a feeling things will get much more complicated from now on."

When Kanda woke, his head throbbed too much for a coherent thought to pass through his mind. It was bright, too bright. His tattoo now tingled quietly on his skin. He grimaced at the light and tried to sit up, but he felt himself being pushed back down again.

"Take your time. We won't leave until you're feeling completely well."

Immediately Kanda sat up violently, forcing his eyes open. He did not realise he had scooted so far back that his back was pushed up against the bed frame. His body slumped in exhaustion despite the adrenaline of shock.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he demanded, edging as much as he could away from the demon redhead sitting at the side of his bed.

"I carried you here, Yuu."

"Don't call me that!"

Kurama's smile twisted into a minute smirk, and his gaze darkened.

Gold. Gold. Gold.

Kanda's hand instinctively went to his side for Mugen, but it was empty. Kurama cocked his head towards the wall where his sword was propped. The exorcist made to take his weapon despite his slow and sluggish movements, but Kurama held him back down.

"You're still drained—"

"Don't touch me," Kanda snarled, pulling his arms away from the other's grasp but failing miserably. "What the fuck did you do to me?"

Kurama sighed, settling his hold down gently. "You don't remember now, but you will. I have met you, many years ago, in my other form, Youko. You are bonded to me. You belong to me," he murmured, tone descending with each sentence. "You're mine."

Gold.

"You're fucking crazy—"

"To want you?"

"W-want?" Kanda spluttered.

"Youko wants you. A lot," Kurama stated, staring unnervingly. "To the point where it even overrides my sense of thought…"

Kanda held the other a distance away with a hold on the shoulder. "What the hell are you?"

"A fox demon," Kurama answered simply. "This is my human form."

Kanda groaned as the memories from before came rushing back. The Millennium Earl, the Noah, akuma…all of them were demons. Fuck, they were supposed to be on the way for the final mission. He shoved his way out of the bed and staggered forward when his legs gave way, still too weak to support his weight.

Kurama caught him again and sat him down, much to the exorcist's disgruntlement.

"We can go if you let me transfer some energy to you," Kurama offered.

It took Kanda a moment to consider, and he nodded when he decided that the faster he could move, the faster he could get away from the other.

Kurama reached out with a delicate hand and traced Kanda's jawline, pulling him closer. Kanda blinked in surprise and parted his lips, vaguely aware of how close they were. The fox demon smiled, thumbing the other's cheek as he leaned forward so that their lips bumped together softly at first, and then he pressed their mouths together more firmly.

It was warm, very warm, and Kanda felt a tingle erupting in his fingertips, and then it felt like small jets of electricity all over his body. He didn't realise he had his eyes closed nor a tongue delving into his mouth until a low groan escaped his throat. Kurama kissed him deeper at the noise, but that was when Kanda shoved the other away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand harshly.

"W-what the fuck was that?" he bit out, feeling much too flushed.

Kurama gave him a smile as he licked his lips discreetly. "I transferred some energy to you, as I promised. That should have been enough, I suppose. We can leave now. Pack up, Yuu."

The fox demon made his way easily out of the room, footsteps so light that there was no sound of his retreatment. Once Kanda was alone, he slumped back down to the bed, hand over his face.

Just what the hell was going on?

"You okay, Yuu?" Lavi bounced towards Kanda when he saw the swordsman heading towards their group.

Kanda nodded non-committedly, brushing off the question. Lavi trailed after the other, squinting at the pink flush running down the other's neck underneath his uniform. He flickered his gaze towards Kurama, already inside the boat, who looked back with a serene smile.

Lavi frowned and grabbed Kanda before they stepped in. "Hey, did something happen with Kurama?"

"N-no."

"Are you sure? Because you—"

"Shut up, usagi," Kanda scoffed, yanking his arm back to enter the boat. "Where are we heading to?" he asked once they were off, with Lavi pouting behind him.

"Japan," Lenalee answered. "I hope you're feeling alright," she lowered her voice. "I don't trust Kurama, but we need him for the mission."

"I'll be fine," Kanda stated in response. "So, Japan?"

"It's the nearest meeting point for all of us," Lenalee brightened, catching his hint. "You haven't been back in a long time right?"

"Yeah."

"Besides, I think Allen is there already! We'll meet up with him first, if General Cross doesn't wander off…" Lenalee continued.

Kanda knew she was trying to keep the atmosphere light, and he was grateful for it. He let his eyes wander and he locked gazes with Kurama, who was looking out in the distance quietly.

Kanda immediately looked away, but out of the corner of his eye, he knew Kurama smirked.