Tarnished Gold
chapter 1
by M.E.
If you've read any of my other fic, "Name: Onna no
Hana", then you may notice that some of the characteristics of my original character are shared by Youko Eros from that
fic. I started on this fic, but decided that I wouldn't finish it (I may now). However,
since I liked the design colors for the youko so much, I decided to transfer them to Eros.
So, in her own way, Youko Eros is based on this character. However, I might be changing said shared characteristics,
so that might not apply for much longer. And I'm not even going to say what this started out as, because nobody needs
to know that...nope nope nope... -_-;; I can't really explain this fanfic. I
guess it's a combo of all the fics about youko I've been reading, mainly "A YYH
Christmas" and "What Lies Beyond?/Beyond Yuu". To say nothing of "Kurama 1/2". Yes, I must say this is a rather
strange fic... But hopefully it will be a good one. What I've written so far can be summarized in one word: deep. Or
maybe angst? Corny? Overly-dramatic? No idea, you decide.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Most of the characters in this story are the property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump Weekly,
Studio Pierrot, and Fuji Television. No infringements of their rights are intended. Miku and any other original
characters belong to me and cannot be used without my permission. So there, nya! >P
Tarnished Gold
By: M.E. (Magnificent Entity)
(manda_hunter@yahoo.com)
Part One: Namida Miku
As they walked quietly through the park, neither saying anything to the other, the two boys stopped, almost as one,
when a girl came into view. Recognizing the uniform that the girl wore, the younger
boy nudged his companion, "Whoa, check her out! She goes to your school, doesn't she?"
Lifting an elegant eyebrow, Kurama studied the girl, "I guess. I don't recognize her though, we must not be in the same grade."
Grinning foolishly, Yusuke continued, "Sure is cute, it's times like this that I wish I wasn't goin' steady with Keiko-" He stopped, a look of horror on his face, "Shit! I forgot- I'm supposed go to that new romantic comedy with Keiko this afternoon. I gotta run- you leaving?"
"Mmmm, I think I'll stay awhile longer."
"Suit yourself."
For a time the older boy just stood there, cautiously
watching the girl, racking his mind for something. Something was wrong with her.
She didn't seem quite right, didn't seem all the way there.
The girl looked over her shoulder, noticing the two boys who had been watching her. How could she practice if people
watched her wherever she went? What was it about her that screamed out to people: Look over here!
Finally sighing, she leaned against a tree, then slid down to a sitting position, letting her grip on her book bag
loosen. She was becoming weaker, her age starting to show through her youthful exterior as the curse that dominated
her life once again took its toll, reminding her of what she was. Outcast. Betrayer. Exile. Yes, an exile in an
alien land. For more than a thousand years she had been forbidden from the world of her birth,
hiding like a frightened mouse in the Ningenkai.
Her mind sang, lived together, and there were others like me...> But that would never happen. Because of what she was, the best gone bad.
Among her people, everyone was divided into their own groups, which group you belonged in was decided by the color of your pelt. At the bottom was black, dark and unwanted. Black kits were often killed before they reached maturity, as were silver. After black and silver came several other colours, all on the same level, green, pink, blue... Then, second to the top were the whites, with fur as pure as freshly fallen snow. And then, finally, came gold. Gold, the protected and cherished, rare and wonderful. A golden youko was never unwanted... except for her.
A bitter laugh escaped her mouth, and, struggling
slightly, she continued on her way. Yes, gold. All golds were the special gifts of
Inari. They were kind and powerful, all of them- except for her. As she stood up, grasping at her bag in her hand, a wave
of dizziness again passed over her, pushing out all thoughts. Her vision went black and she struggled to stay
conscience and upright. she wondered faintly before she blacked out completely.
Kurama was almost too late, catching the girl as she crumpled, stumbling towards the ground. Her eyes were open,
but she looked asleep, or like she was in a trance. After a moment, her eyelids slid shut, covering her dark brown
eyes. Hesitating, he let his mind reach out, testing her ki. He blinked in surprise when he at last sensed it. Her
energy was incredibly weak, and almost seemed to be dulled with age. And, right at the edge, there was the smallest
hint of you-ki, barely palatable, but there none the less. Right when he began to worry about what he was going to do
with her, she shifted, and her eyes opened.
A small smile spread across the thin lips, and she looked up at him gratefully, then struggled to her feet. "Arigato for catching me. I thought that I might end up hitting my head on that tree- something that I wasn't looking forward to." Brushing back loose strands of her raven-coloured hair, she stooped over to pick up the school bag she had dropped earlier.
Unbending from his crouched position and standing up, Kurama eyed her with guarded suspicion. "Are you okay?" "Mmm-hm. I just blacked-out for a moment, that's all. I have low blood pressure, and sometimes do that as a result- it's nothing to worry about." She eyed his school uniform, noting its distinguishing shade of pink. "You go to my school, don't you? Namida Miku, desu."
"Ah, Minamino Shuuichi, desu," replied Kurama, still unsure about the young woman in front of him. "Yorishiku, Minamino-kun. See you at school tomorrow."
Shifting so that he no longer blocked her way, Miku walked
away, school bag slung over her shoulder and bouncing in time to her steps, leaving Kurama standing alone, wondering
about what had just happened.
Sitting at my desk, I find that I'm having a hard time doing my homework. Whenever I try to concentrate, my
thoughts turn to Namida Miku, and her strange ki. It's likely that the only reason she has any you-ki is that she
had a youkai as a distant ancestor, but that's not what's bugging me so much, strangely enough. She had so little
personal ki it was amazing that she could even stand- but then, she hadn't even done that too well, had she?
Somehow, deep inside I know there is something wrong with that girl. Something
unusual, out of the ordinary, strange. So now there's only one question left to be answered- what?
Of course, how will I ever find the answer?
It's starting. The beginning of the end, that is. Today was a sign, a indicator of what is to come.
Inari-sama, what did they do to me? What will they do to me? When I was first cast out from the village I was born in I
was only ten years old, no more then a kit. However, I grew up quickly in the harsh world that surrounded me daily,
that was my enemy at first, and later became my home. Time passed, and I grew stronger, my tails multiplying, going
from one, to two, and, by the time I was forty seven (still relatively young) I had four luxurious tails of gold-black
fur.
It was then that I decided to attempt to integrate myself back into youko society. I was no longer a weakling that could be cast aside, they would have to accept me this time. For once in my life I had believed that I would no longer be alone. The naivete of youth never fails to astound me, even now. Oh yes, they couldn't ignore me then- they were forced to look at me, to see me for what I was. The inhabitants of the village that I entered were at first outraged that such a creature had been allowed to survive, but soo they saw the sensibility of those who had originally abandoned me- How could they kill a gold, even if the gold in my fur mingled freely with the obsidian darkness that symbolized pure evil to them? Instead they did the next best thing- they ensured that I would never become powerful enough that my darker side would be able to cause great suffering. They cut off my tails. All of them.
Even now I can't help but wonder how I was able to survive such an episode. There are some who say that every tail of a youko is a separate mind. If that is indeed true, then how was I able to think after they stole my last shreds of pride and dignity? I will most likely never know. They didn't even bother stopping there, oh no. Had to make sure the little kitsune, the little animal, wouldn't try to regain what it had lost. And that was when the curse came into my life. It was a simple affair at first- bad luck followed me, and those who showed me kindness soonregretted it. As the years progressed I soon found what it really was, a method of slowly sapping away my ki, weakening me a little more every day.
When I realized this, I decided to leave the Makai. It was no longer even a remotely safe place for me, I couldn't waste precious energy on attacks, no, I had to conserve it, to cherish it. And what better place to do this then the Ningenkai, home of the weak and pitiful?
So I became an exile in a land that was unfamiliar to me,
fleeing from the terror of those who are called my kindred. How I hate them.