Forgotten Memories

Ch. 4 "The Truth"

A/N: I'm back from the dead after eight years! I doubt anyone's still waiting for updates with this fic, but the inspiration bug bit me. I thought I'd share this with you all for fun. I no longer will be inserting random Japanese into the story. XD; That embarrasses me now. I still love Japanese culture (lol my Japanese is actually better than ever since I've studied it properly), but I feel that it's awkward in a fic that's written in English. I also tried limiting this chapter strictly to Kurama's POV. If I write more, I likely will do the rest of the story in this way.

Forever and fornever, Yu Yu Hakusho fans!

It had been one whirlwind of a week. Kurama's head was spinning by Friday. He had to play a lot of catch up at school if he wanted any hope at getting into college. Was that something he truly wanted? His mother insisted it was. She told her son he used to be at the top of the class. Now some strange bespectacled boy was—Yu Kaito. The teen claimed to be Kurama's greatest rival; all Kurama could do was take his word for it. Kaito had no plans of stopping his rule of the school anytime soon.

Life felt hollow without a history. Kurama had no idea what he wanted despite the encouragement from his family. Of course, they told him things, but it felt removed from him. What he heard sounded like stories that happened to someone else. He couldn't connect what they said to himself. Kurama had no idea who his former self was. The only certainty was that luck seemed to be on his side. How else would he still be alive after a year in a coma? He survived a car accident after all.

But how? Why? All Kurama had were questions without answers. His family's explanations left him unsatisfied: You're very lucky! Blessed! The gods must watch over you! You're too young to die, Shuichi! None of that added up for Kurama. The young man favored logic. How had he survived the accident without any scars? He sensed something was off about the whole thing.

None of his former friends had succeeded in explaining much to him. Yusuke, the loud one with the dark hair, insisted he would figure out something during his last visit. All Kurama could do was wait and hope. His life embodied the wisdom from the Count of Monte Cristo. Books offered Kurama his only solace from the world of confusion.

Life had been quiet. There hadn't been anymore strange visits from the little rude guy either. What was his name? Hiei. That should have been a good thing, but Kurama felt empty somehow. Maybe he wanted excitement.

The telephone ringing downstairs caught Kurama's attention. Despite his weariness, he wanted a distraction from his own mind. He burst out of his room and raced past his stepbrother to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey! Kurama!" Yusuke greeted from the other end, sounding as bright as ever.

A smile found Kurama's lips. "Yusuke." He was starting to accept the stranger as a part of his life. Something about the notion felt natural somehow.

"You free this weekend?"

"I have a lot of studying I should do if I want a hope at passing the college entrance exam," Kurama admitted.

"What?" Yusuke laughed. "Screw that. You're fine. You're a brain."

Kurama frowned at Yusuke's slacker attitude. "I suppose you'd know better than me at this point."

"Not gonna steer you wrong. Promise!" Yusuke exclaimed from the other end. "You're coming to Grandma's this weekend."

"Grandma's?" Kurama echoed. "You're friends with my grandmother?"

Yusuke's laughter escalated. "What?! No!" He had to regain his composure before going on. "No, no, no!" he assured after his laughing fit was over. "I mean Genkai. Old hag's not really any of our grandmas, but she mine as well be. All our friends know her."

Kurama didn't find anything funny about his constant confusion, but he refrained himself from saying anything rude to Yusuke. Being polite came natural. "Oh. So where does this Genkai live?"

"Up in the mountains," Yusuke explained. "It's great. Well, not the hiking stuff. But just all the space she has. Her big ass temple's near the beach, too. You'll love it. Very tranquil."

Kurama thought about it. Being cooped up in suburbia did make him feel restless. Maybe a trip to the wilderness was just what he needed. "Who will be attending?"

"All the people that worried themselves stupid over you by your hospital bedside. Plus Grandma. And maybe even a surprise visit from a toddler."

The company sounded like too much. The last person Yusuke mentioned puzzled him. Did somebody have a baby? He kept himself from asking. While Kurama appreciated how all these people worried over him, it was rough remembering them all and acting like they had a genuine connection. All the friendships felt unrequited with the current state of his memory. They were names without faces. Yusuke and Hiei made the biggest impressions so far; their names were the only ones with faces so far.

"Hey! Will you go or not?" Yusuke snapped, getting impatient by the dead air. "You're still there, right, Kurama?" he asked, softening slightly.

"Yes, Yusuke… I'll join you."

"Alright!" Yusuke cheered, sounding pleased with himself. Kurama could hear Yusuke's smile. "Me and you are gonna head up together. Kuwabara already left late this afternoon with his sister and Keiko." He snickered. "You know how that dumbass is. Can't stay away from Yukina."

Truly, Kurama didn't know, but he felt too tired to admit such. Why spoil Yusuke's good mood? "Uh, yes… So how will we be traveling?"

"Train. And then get ready for an hour's walk in the woods," Yusuke answered. "I'll meet you at the station in Kaidan. Okay?"

Kurama felt he could handle as much. Kaidan was the next town over from his own. His mother could give him directions. "Yes. How long shall we stay?" Kurama asked, trying to gauge how much to pack."

"'til Monday. Long weekend came just in time, right?" Yusuke responded. "Least we'll have all day on Sunday to chill." He laughed. "Get this: Grandma updated to the Superfamicom. I'm gonna kick your ass on it!"

Kurama offered a humorless chuckle. "I don't remember if I'm any good at video games."

"You're gonna remember a lot. Trust me."

Yusuke's words weighed heavy on Kurama's mind all night and into the morning. Just what was the other teen thinking? If his family couldn't instill any memories, then how did Yusuke plan to? Yusuke came off so carefree. He didn't strike Kurama as a deep thinker, yet ironically Kurama struggled at reading him.

"Oh, good. You made it," Yusuke greeted at the station with a smile and a yawn. His usually greasy hair was freshly washed and pushed forward. He was dressed casually, wearing an unzipped jacket and jeans. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder. "Was afraid you'd get lost," he teased.

Kurama forced a smile. "I am not an invalid, Yusuke."

"Never said you were. C'mon." They sauntered over to the ticket booth, buying for the 10 AM train. That was early enough for Yusuke, but Kurama was fully awake. He almost had wanted to leave sooner. Sleep had not been so easy last night.

They boarded the bullet train and settled in their seats beside each other. Kurama got the window seat. The ride would take a little over two hours.

Kurama looked out the window. He had many burning questions for Yusuke. Once they were moving, he turned from the scenery to Yusuke, who was nodding off. Cleary, he wasn't a morning person.

"Yusuke…" The name wasn't enough to rouse him. Kurama put a gentle hand on Yusuke's shoulder.

"Whaaat?" Yusuke grumbled, sitting up straight. He tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I wasn't sleeping."

"I never said you were," Kurama said with a coy smile, echoing Yusuke's words from earlier.

That made Yusuke look mildly amused. "So. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd care to elaborate more on my nickname," Kurama mentioned. "Nobody at school seems to use it, nor does my family. Is there a reason for that?" If it was only reserved for friends, it struck Kurama as strange that nobody at school knew about it.

"You didn't ask them. Did you?" Yusuke asked, brow knitting with a bit of concern.

"No," Kurama answered. "Please answer my question."

Yusuke didn't know where to start. "Can't you just wait until we get there, fox boy?"

"Fox boy?" Kurama echoed, his eyebrows shooting up into his bangs. He wasn't sure what to think. That was even stranger than Kurama. "Is that a flirtation? What does that mean?"

Yusuke's slouched posture suddenly improved. He held his hands up defensively. "Whoa! No, no, no!" People riding the train turned to stare from the elevated volume, which led to further embarrassment for both Yusuke and Kurama.

"No. Just no," Yusuke clarified at a normal volume. He tried to laugh it off. "You moron. Why would I flirt with you? I'm not like that. Keiko's my girlfriend."

Kurama looked away and out the window. "You do not have to insult my intelligence. I merely asked a question," he pointed out. The most insecure were often the ones who had something to hide.

Yusuke frowned. "Hey, don't get pissy with me. I'm sorry, okay?" He sighed. "Let's just say you lead a double life. Kurama and fox boy are a part of life number one's package."

"Life number one? What?" Kurama was interested again. He turned to face Yusuke.

"Uh huh. Like I said, long, long story… I don't even know it all," Yusuke confessed. "Shuichi and Minamino are a part of life two's package."

"So Kurama came first? Then why doesn't my family know?"

Yusuke sighed. "Now's really not the time or place. Can you just drop it?" he urged.

All of Kurama's instincts told him to say no. He hungered for the truth, for answers. But his politeness also was instinctive, and it kept him in check. "When is the proper time and place?"

"Grandma's. When we're all together again," Yusuke explained. "I shouldn't have to be the only one dropping bombs."

Kurama resigned himself to wait for the truth he yearned for. Maybe something would finally connect. He hoped for as much. Distant stories tired him. He wanted the face in the mirror to be somebody he recognized.

The two hours on the bullet train agonized Kurama. Enduring them had been a challenge. Yusuke slept most of the time. The teen's head had drooped onto Kurama's shoulder, which left it feeling stiff now while they walked through the dense forest, the temple their end destination. His long strides left Yusuke in the dust, which really made Kurama acknowledge their differences in height for the first time. Not that it mattered.

"Hey! Slow down!" Yusuke called after him. "Haven't you heard of a leisurely stroll?"

"Now is not the time, Yusuke," Kurama replied, pressing forward.

"Well, these damn hikes always wipe me out!" Yusuke complained. "I thought we could take it like normal people! Not marathon runners!"

Kurama ignored him and kept up his brisk pace. Yusuke was exaggerating.

"I know how to run, too, you know! I'm just holding back to keep you from freaking out!"

"Please, Yusuke…" This whining was growing tiresome.

"Maybe you wanna get back into it!" Yusuke laughed.

Kurama furrowed his brow and suddenly stopped. "Get back into what?"

"You'll see," Yusuke answered with an enigmatic smirk.

All of a sudden, a strange surge of blue energy emitted from Yusuke's body. Kurama was floored. His mouth fell agape. He could hardly believe his eyes. How could energy be visible? It wasn't scientifically possible! Then, without warning, Yusuke took off at breakneck speed, trumping any so-called marathon runners.

"See ya at Grandma's, Kurama!" Yusuke called before disappearing over the horizon.

For a solid minute, Kurama stared into the space that had been so recently occupied by Yusuke. It wasn't possible. He was seeing things. There was no way the human body could move at such incredible speeds. Gathering himself, Kurama broke out into a run of his own, though it was considerably limited.

Up in the trees, he was being watched—followed—but remained unaware. Hiei watched over the struggling fox with cold eyes. After a few minutes, Kurama had already pushed himself too hard. His lung burned. The world started to spin. His fatigue caught up with him. Despite the brisk air, he grew hot.

An upturned root sent Kurama crashing to the ground with a cry. He used his hands to catch himself, which saved him from falling directly on his face but not from lying on the forest ground.

Hiei jumped down in the blink of an eye. To Kurama, it looked as if the little man had magically appeared as he panted for breath.

"Hn. The year of hibernation's wasted your body," Hiei observed, staring down at Kurama with a poker face. "You shouldn't have pushed yourself."

"Hiei…?" The world of consciousness faded away as darkness ebbed and flowed over him.

Kurama awoke in a daze on tatami mats. His body was resting on the top of a futon outside of the covers. Sweat made his shirt cling to his skin. Someone had taken the liberty of removing his leather jacket.

A barrage of voices penetrated Kurama's ears.

"You're such a dumbass, Urameshi!" one screeched. It belonged to Kuwabara, the large, loud teen who visited him earlier in the week with Yusuke. "You don't push a person who's in recovery! Where's your honor?!"

"Oh, shut up!" Yusuke snarled. "Last time I checked, there was nothing wrong with some friendly competition!"

"Kurama's in no form to compete with you!" a girl with long blue hair tied back in a ponytail chided. "He doesn't even know who he is!"

"Oh, so now you're on Kuwabra's side?! That's just great, Botan!"

"They both have points, Yusuke…" pointed out an unamused girl with long brown hair.

"Keiko! Not you, too!"

"Just shut up, dimwit." The voice was low, ancient, and foreign to Kurama. Her tone was biting. "Don't tell me you still don't know how to admit you're wrong after all this time. Have you learned anything from me?"

Hiei wordlessly stared at Kurama. He was the first set of eyes Kurama came into contact with. Kurama realized belatedly how Hiei loomed over him. Hiei's eyes were fixated on him, almost like he looked on in fear of Kurama never waking up. A kind green-haired girl also knelt beside him. Her eyes were the same crimson color as Hiei's.

"Kurama! Thank goodness you're awake!" the small girl sighed in relief, a genuine and angelic smile etching her lips.

That shut everyone up. For a moment. All eyes turned to Kurama, who rose to a sitting position and took in the room of unfamiliar faces with far-off names.

"So sorry… For worrying you all," Kurama apologized. His head was still swimming.

"Hey, no sweat!" Yusuke chimed with a grin. He dropped down to his knees on the other side of the futon and gave Kurama a thumbs up and a hardy slap on the back. "Just as long as you keep waking up! You don't have to apologize, sleeping beauty."

"You're the one who should be apologizing, Urameshi! This is all your fault!" Kuwabara pointed out with his arms folded. He looked down at Kurama and grinned as big as Yusuke, the anger leaving him. "Welcome back, man. It really is good to see you vertical."

Kurama offered Kuwabara a weary smile.

"The important thing is that he's fine, Kuwabara. So stop playing the blame game. That's what children do," Yusuke scoffed. An apology from him seemed out of the question right now.

A new form perched herself at the foot of the futon. She wasn't much bigger than Kurama while he was sitting, and she was standing. The woman looked withered, her pink-gray hair falling just past her shoulders. Despite her hardened face, she offered him a smile. "Ignore the dimwit. I'm happy you've been released from the hospital," she shared. "I heard about your case of amnesia, so allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Genkai, the master of this temple and several martial arts techniques."

"An honor to meet you again, Master Genkai," Kurama said with a nod.

"You need to take it easy for now. Explanations can come later," Genkai told him with authority that Kurama did not dare to question. "Let's give him space. Yukina, get him some green tea."

"Right away, Master Genkai," the girl beside Kurama answered compliantly. Yukina rose to her feet and set to work. Everyone started to spread out.

"Guess I'll have to kick your ass at Super Mario with Kurama out of commission," Yusuke told Kuwabara with a gleam in his eyes, rising to his feet and stretching.

"Oh, you're SO dead, Urameshi!"

"Quit screaming, Kazuma," an even voice chided. Kurama noticed it came from a tall woman with long brown hair smoking a cigarette. She had been at the hospital.

"I'm just lettin' him know, Shizuru," Kuwabara pouted before rushing off into the other room with Yusuke.

"Fools," Hiei muttered under his breath. He gave Kurama a final look before stepping outside, the sliding door shutting behind him. Kurama gathered he had no interest in video games. Hiei never appeared amused.

"Talking can come at sunset if you're up to it," Genkai informed Kurama. "That's when Koenma will get here."

"Koenma?" Kurama echoed. It was yet another meaningless name.

"You'll see for yourself soon," Genkai told him. "You used to work together."

Kurama rested on the futon for the rest of the day. His limbs felt like jelly. The run in the woods with Yusuke had been the first time he ever exerted himself. Being idle helped, but he still felt tremendously weak. He sipped on green tea with Yukina for an hour. They exchanged pleasantries. She told him how she was learning the art of flower arranging, which seemed befitting of a sweet-faced girl in a kimono.

"Flower arranging? I think I can help you," Kurama shared amiably.

"That would be wonderful, Kurama!" Yukina piped.

"For some reason, I feel like I might have a green thumb," Kurama admitted, chuckling softly. "I've always been most partial to roses. Red roses."

"That's right. It's true," Yukina confirmed, beaming.

Just like that, a memory had come back to him. It wasn't much, but it was a fact Kurama could be proud of. It gave him the slightest sense of identity.

When Yukina left to refresh their tea, he laid down. Sleep came over him. When he awoke, the sun was setting. Yukina knelt in the center of the room, working on a beautiful flower arrangement in a large pot. Hiei had returned as well. He sat by the sliding door, which was open. From what Kurama could tell, Hiei seemed to like the fresh air. His face was not as soured as usual. Instead, he almost appeared peaceful.

As Kurama rose, the flowers in the pot somehow came into full bloom, flourishing and becoming brighter than usual.

Yukina giggled and turned away from them, giving Kurama an expectant look. She seemed pleased by the inexplicable oddity. "They're so beautiful."

Just then, a door from the far right side of the room slid open. In came a young man with brown hair parted down the middle. He had the posture of a prince and a haughty air about him. Strangely, he armed his lips with a pacifier and had "Jr" tattooed to his forehead. Kurama attempted to reserve his judgment for this person, who must have been his former colleague.

"Oh, good. You're up," the young man announced. "Come into the tearoom. We have a lot to discuss." With those orders, he disappeared through the open doorway.

Hiei tched and skulked to the next room.

"That's Koenma," Yukina offered, coming over to Kurama's side. She offered him a hand and helped him into the tearoom.

The pair joined the others knelt around the low table. Koenma was at one head, Genkai at the other. Hiei stood in the corner.

"Y'know, maybe this would go smoother for Kurama if we all made name tags," Yuskue wise cracked. He sat across from Kurama.

"There's no time for jokes, Yusuke. This is very serious business," Koenma chided.

"This is the toddler I told you about."

Kurama looked at Yusuke like he was nuts. "That's a full-grown man…"

"Can it, Yusuke. He doesn't need to remember THAT," Koenma insisted.

"But you look so cute when you're not handsome!" Botan joined in, hands out in front of her in a posture that resembled a cat.

"That's quite enough, Botan." Koenma narrowed his eyes, and Botan quieted down. He turned his attention to Kurama. "Now, Kurama. What have they told you?"

"Yusuke said strange things that indicated I have a double life. Evidently, I am Shuichi Minamino to my family and Kurama to the rest of you," Kurama answered, doing his best to be calm and patient. On the inside, his heart raced. "He also called me fox boy and…"

"And?" Koenma coaxed him to continue.

"Well, he…" Kurama frowned. He hadn't saw what he thought he saw in the forest or with the flowers just a little while ago in the room. Those strange developments defied science and logic. "Never mind."

"Ran at superhuman speed and released a strange energy?" Koenma asked.

"That's just what he did," Genkai confirmed. "Why don't you just invite wayward apparitions into my house, dimwit?"

"C'mon! I can kick anything's ass!" Yusuke yelled, offended that they circled back to blaming him.

"Did you release demonic energy or spirit energy?" Koenma pressed.

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Like that matters." They waited. Yusuke sighed. "Spirit, okay?"

"Demonic?" Kurama couldn't help but repeat, his emerald eyes growing wide at the word. "There's no such thing as demons… Those kind of creatures belong in myth."

Everyone fell silent from the irony of it all. It seemed as if no one knew how to continue.

"Oh, Kurama… I found it hard to believe myself," Keiko finally said sympathetically. "I fainted the first time Botan told me…"

"This is nonsense!" Hiei suddenly snapped. All eyes shifted to him. He advanced on Kurama, now only a foot away. "You may hide yourself in human flesh, Kurama, but YOU'RE a demon!" he yelled. His patience ran out, and he refused to beat around the bush. "You're a demon just like me, the oldest demon in the room in fact! A kitsune! The only one older than you is Koenma, and that idiot's from Spirit World—the son of King Enma!"

Kurama's eyes were as wide as saucers. Questions rapid fired through his brain. Were all these people insane? Whom would willingly name themselves a demon? What was wrong with Hiei? Hiei couldn't possibly know what he was talking about. Mythology was not real. It belonged in books. So did demons. Involuntarily, Kurama's body had started trembling. "N-No… I'm human."

"Give it up, Youko Kurama!" Hiei demanded. "To deny your identity is to be a fool!"

Suddenly, a vision sprang forth in Kurama's head. He saw a man. He saw man with moonlight fox ears and a tail. Long hair cascaded over the man's shoulders, extending down his back, the same silver color as the moon. He wore a white sleeveless yukata. His eyes may have been gold, but they were as colder than the most frigid ice in subzero temperature. He was as sharp as a tack, cunning. He was a master thief. He took advantage of weak women. He killed people, even the people who trusted him. And when backed into a corner, his teeth truly showed, like a crazed fox, and he was more terrifying than ever. The worst part of the vision was that Kurama somehow connected with it. Youko Kurama was him.

"K-Kurama?" Yukina attempted to ground him. The look in Kurama's eyes was so far gone. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, trying to rouse him.

"N-No…" Kurama mumbled repeatedly. His usual calm was long dead. Hiei broke him. "No, no, no… NO!" The last cry of denial came out as a shout, a punch that pierced everyone's ears. "I am NOT a monster! I don't kill my friends!" he snapped, rising to his feet and towering over Hiei. "You're wrong! You're wrong!"

Kurama shoved past Hiei. He fled. The sun had disappeared and been replaced with the moon and night sky. Kurama fled from the temple grounds without looking back, heading towards the shore. He wanted to escape back to the worries of a schoolboy—to be Shuichi Minamino. He didn't want to know Youko Kurama.

"Hiei! What have you done?!" Botan cried, her fearful eyes watching Kurama's disappearing backside before turning on the demon.

Koenma was devoid of all humor. "We were trying to ease him into it."

"So what if I brought his psychosis out?" Hiei scoffed. "He needed to know the truth."