| Author Notes: |
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I generally write stories to explain to
myself things about the characters or plotlines that are never made clear
or left vague in the series. Some of the ideas I have about these things
may not agree with other people’s ideas. That’s okay. J
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Where I get my information from: I have
seen the fan-subtitled episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho #s 1-32, 55-58, and 73-76
(the fansubbing groups have divided up the series and are working on different
parts concurently). In addition, I have all the Japanese mangas (#s 1-19)
and can look at the pictures and sequences, though I don’t yet read any
Japanese.
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| Chapter One: |
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Yes, I know all the teleportation stuff
is StarTrekky… I couldn’t help it. ;-)
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| Chapter Two: |
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That was, after all, the power of Ghost Slayer.
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This came about because I was thinking
about Hiei’s motivation and the rather odd fight he had with Yusuke, and
Kurama’s part in it… and the fact that Hiei never actually did anything
with Ghost Slayer in all the time he had it, until Yusuke was ready to
confront him. So… ??? And I’ve always been curious as to why the heck Hiei
was so upset by Kurama coming between him and Yusuke – I mean, Hiei didn’t
just look astonished, he looked worried! Worried??? And then Kurama gave
that grin… And then I started thinking about the nature of the sword… One
of the three great treasures of the spirit world… and it’s designed to
turn humans into slaves??? Okay… The name didn’t fit. Ghost Slayer. Not
‘Human Slave’. But Ghost Slayer. Slayer of Ghosts. And Hiei had
used it on that one pine tree in the very beginning (of the anime) and
killed a little imp or something inside, turning it to stone. So… This
idea came out.
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Orientate is a word in the Dictionary,
and I am using it correctly. I like it better than orient, though that’s
more common and also correct.
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Kurama could vaguely remember the love between Yoko’s pack
members. The males and females sharing and caring and loving each other.
Supporting and nurturing, as they guided the young foxes on their first
steps of life.
Okay. This one is going to need some
explanation as I got a lot of reaction about 'foxes aren't pack animals.'
They are and they aren't. Most carnivora other than the cat family will
associate in family groups most of their lives, and when food is scare,
they band together. Wolves have a reputation of being pack animals… but
realistically, when food is plentiful, they scatter out. It's only in winter,
when they need to bring down the large prey they wolves get together in
the really large packs. Fox groups differ between species groups as to
how large their community family groups will be and how long they stay
together. Almost all foxes 'mate for life' – stay with a single mate while
the pair lives.
However – common red foxes are different.
Common red foxes are the only true solitary fox, each member of the family
splitting off on their own when they come of age and the mating being only
convenient for the season. (And 'silver foxes' are a subset of the common
red fox.) The foxes in Japan are common red foxes (like those in
North America). And I could very well have made 'Spirit Foxes' the same
way, taking most of their characteristics off the kitsune common to Japan.
But… Well, mostly I liked the idea of Kurama being a pack animal – it was
something that Hiei wouldn't expect; and in the anime and manga he's rather
a friendly sort of person (when he's not killing his enemies). Also, I
thought it made for a nice differentiation between the 'human world' foxes,
and the 'spirit world' foxes. Take the basic idea of a fox, as the overall
species, put in intelligence, have long lives and a different world… and
see what you get.
In other words, it gave me another
area in which I could play with ideas. I won't even tell you how
many days I spent researching foxes while writing this story. J
Though most of the research won't come out unless it's important for this
storyline.
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| Chapter Eight: |
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Hiei’s breath was staggered and shallow.
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I’ve had a few comments about the
wording – ‘staggered’ is a medical emergency term that helps in describing
not regular breaths.
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| Chapter Ten: |
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Yes, Hiei normally doesn’t bother with
the sleeves on his cloak – his concentration was a bit off at the moment
this time. ;-)
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Jagan were rare, not inherited; they showed up randomly,
usually among mixed breeds.
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In the later manga stories, there
is a story about Hiei having his jagan implanted – which the anime integrated
into an earlier story about Yukina. The later story is that Hiei had the
jagan implanted deliberately to find Yukina.
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I personally think that idea was
a add-on and not intended originally.
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In the very first episode Hiei shows
up in, the jagan is a main focus of Hiei’s demon powers. It was stated
that the jagan amplifies rei power – and it was implied that a jagan demon
was another type of demon – not something any demon could get on their
own.
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The bit about Hiei being a fire demon
never even came into the story until much later… (if it did at all, I’m
unclear on that part, not being able to read Japanese) (it might just be
a ‘fanfic convention’ – but I like that idea J
.)
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You can disagree with me all you
want, but it’s my story. ;-)
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| Chapter Eleven: |
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the energy sparking from it like the refreshment of a misty
spray on a hot day
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There was a question about Hiei liking
it ‘hot’… My take on it is that Hiei’s a fire demon, so how can anything
really be hot to him? Kurama most definitely likes it hot! But if
Hiei is feeling hot himself, then most everything he touches will feel
rather cool to him, and he’ll associate the contrast with the sexual response.
Actually, I doubt very much if he’d like anything much hotter than himself!
J
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| Chapter Twelve: |
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friends in China… "I've seen parts of China I never knew
existed…"
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I got multiple comments back on that
one: Cologne, Mousse, Shampoo… Jusenkyo…
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Okay, okay, already… J
;-) I hadn’t actually intended that… ;-)
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Holding it tightly, he raised his head and looked into Hiei’s
eyes as he backed away from the demon, pulling the scarf with him.
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I freely admit I got that idea off
the doujinshi ‘Rain’ as seen on the YYH Djs in English site. A friend of
mine really liked that image, so I decided to do a bit more with
it… ;-)
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| Chapter Thirteen: |
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Question: "If Hiei’s release is deadly,
how come the forest didn’t burn down earlier?"
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He hadn’t lost control before. Not
like what it takes for him to lose it like that. He’s had a thousand years
to work on having his pleasure without killing. And… it’s not exactly a
literal fire – he is a demon after all. It can be literal if he wants it,
but… It’s not exactly the release either – it’s just his internal flames
manifesting (which can be in the release, but…). Kurama wasn’t burned from
the release but from earlier when he’d suggested Hiei taking him. Kurama
took Hiei by surprise with the suggestion, and Hiei’s desire for the intense
physical reaction overwhelmed his reason for a moment there. And, for a
guy (even a demon)… it’s the thrusting more than the release that creates
the main problem of losing psychic control. Though the release is a manifestation
if it gets that far. But with Kurama, the few times before (and will be
in the future) Hiei’s desire is mixed in with the trust he feels for Kurama
and his love as well, so the physical, while intense, is tempered. And
what gets burned, while it did show as a physical burn on Kurama’s skin,
was actually the internal soul – the insubstantial fire, burning the insubstantial
fuel.
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Etc… ((I wasn’t about to get into
it in detail in the story…))
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Comment/Question: "Kitsune mate
for life" but if Hiei died Kurama would be bummed but
get over it? Something’s wrong here…
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Well, it’s life. There is no
such thing in the animal kingdom about pairs mating for beyond life,
though there are many animals that mate for life. Animals that form
pair-bondings, foxes included, will stay monogamous to their mate while
they live, but afterwards, they will take new mates. And quite honestly,
I’ve about had it up to here with all the weepy stories out there about
people who can never go on with their lives after a tragedy. The real heroes
are those who will pick up the scattered pieces of their life, live that
much of it, and then learn to love what’s left. The world will always hold
delight for those who go on. And for those who truly care about another,
they would not want to see them miserable for the rest of their
life. Kurama said what he did for Hiei’s reassurance – he knew exactly
what Hiei was thinking. Hiei would not want to see Kurama die because
of him. He would rather that Kurama live and go on. Mourn, yes, for the
love they shared and the loss of a friend by his side… but not the despair
that drags one down and extinguishes all light. On the other hand, Kurama
says nothing to Hiei about the knowledge that Hiei would die for
him, because he knows that’s Hiei’s nature. Hiei’s love is that of the
fire, burning and wild and when the fuel is gone, so will the fire follow.
Kurama’s love is that of nature, growing, sharing, living, the tree that
passes it’s seeds on for the new generation to follow (which get their
nourishment from the ashes of the fire that remains…). ((Sorry about the
last one – got caught up in my analogies!!!))
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| Chapter Fourteen: |
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Regarding Genajo, Catkin, etc. Hiei has
a past, and that past is going to show up now and again. These characters
were just a way of indicating that. Though I do have a sequel planned for
something a couple hundred years from this point… J
I have thought more about what is behind the characters and the ‘stuff’
(the items Catkin had, the Dragon Amber, and Wanathal) but none of it needed
to be explained in this story and would have just dragged things out further.
Readers can use their imagination. J
One note – Wanathal is a piece of very valuable mobile real estate. J
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| Epilog |
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No, I’m not going to explain any more
about the sword – explanation isn’t necessary for this story. It might
show up again in a later one… Though I do have to say that it is not a
magical sword. It does have properties like non-rusting (it’s not made
of human metals) and is very sharp, but it doesn’t do anything on
its own. Hiei was using it as the focus for his wards, but mostly because
it was convenient. Yes, Koenma does know what it is, and Hiei knows Koenma
knows.
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| General comments: |
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| I’ll quote this question
since it’s more of a statement: |
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"Just thinking about the interesting differences in the two.
Hiei’s greater age and experience in some things, but here he is, totally
caught and sent spinning by his love. Kurama younger in some ways, but
more mature about others…has a better handle on general relationship stuff,
having fun with his new body… I like how they confuse each other, even
though it’s frustrating too…"
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My response: Well, once they’re both
over the age of 30 or 50, the age difference is negligible. They’re both
adults… The only difference now is in experience and specialization. Hiei’s
experienced in warfare, Kurama in love… Though in a way, Kurama’s not,
since he’s never taken a true love before. But he does have the relationship
part more-or-less down… though some of that is ONLY in reference to Hiei.
((i.e. Kurama still hasn’t quite figured it out about his mother yet.))
And he’s a bit over-smug in regards to Hiei. He is throwing Hiei
for a loop, true – but part of that is because of how very much Hiei wants
to trust him. If it was a ‘normal’ relationship by any definition, Hiei
would have just as good a grip as Kurama. But this certainly ain’t normal…
J They are such
different personalities, and they are both so good at what they
do (judging the opponent) (normally), and they both have their self-esteems
firmly in place (when not being thrown by the other) that the confusion
they cause each other is completely natural. And, yes, fun to work with
J . I find it interesting
how they actually work out their problems with each other – indicating
their maturity and mutual awareness. ((I get driven up the wall by books
where characters run around hiding everything from each other until they
all fall down.))
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