6: The First Appearance, Eyes Wide with Astonishment

The process of traversing through time and space turned out to be far simpler and safer than Kurama had imagined. Especially with Mokona’s protection on the outside, Kurama didn’t even feel the slightest tremor, which gave him ample time and relative space to quietly recollect and ponder what Yuuko had told him earlier—about the limitations of Mokona’s ability to cross spatial barriers.

To this day, Kurama still wasn’t sure if Yuuko truly understood his origins, but during that final stretch before Watanuki and Doumeki returned to the tatami room, when Kurama had Yuuko all to himself, the witch’s words—so laden with meaning—“Mokona can only travel between parallel worlds of the same dimension as its own,” sent an uncontrollable chill down Kurama’s spine.

Was Yuuko hinting at something?

Honestly, Kurama had no idea.

Whatever she meant by those words, at least Kurama knew he was disappointed yet again.

When he first learned that Yuuko intended to give him the White Mokona, Kurama had wondered whether, with Mokona’s power, he could return to the world of his origin. He’d reluctantly abandoned that effort back in the Yu Yu Hakusho world, having conducted numerous experiments and investigations, only to find them all futile.

Even after the story ended and he was free of burdens, Kurama discussed the matter with Koenma, King Enma, and even Yomi and Shigure, but none—whether from the Spirit World or Demon World, the most powerful beings in Yu Yu Hakusho—could give him a definite answer.

And so, Kurama gradually gave up hope and stopped agonizing over it.

Yet now...

He finally glimpsed new hope through Mokona, but just as it flickered to life, another authority extinguished it completely. Kurama’s feelings at this moment were nothing if not complex and tumultuous.

Greeting a new journey with such a mindset was clearly unwise.

Precisely because he recognized this, Kurama now forced himself to calmly sort through his emotions, striving to return to his usual state before Mokona “landed.”

Besides...

Besides, didn’t Yuuko also say, with even more significance, “There is nothing truly absolute in this world”? Kurama felt that, given the witch’s character, she wouldn’t offer empty words at their parting.

“But...what was she really trying to tell me?” Kurama closed his eyes silently, his thoughts more chaotic than ever.

He didn’t know how much time passed—perhaps only a moment externally—before he sensed Mokona’s speed gradually slowing.

“Is this...the arrival?” No sooner had Kurama thought this, than a violent explosion sounded, and he was abruptly ejected from Mokona’s body without warning.

***

Kurama knew instantly upon exiting the time-space tunnel that things were about to go awry.

The severe sensation of weightlessness at high altitude allowed him just enough time to grab Mokona beside him, and in haste, he conjured a Magic World Black Vine famed for its toughness and flexibility. He barely had time to adjust his posture before plummeting from nearly a hundred meters above!

The massive impact from being “spat out” of the time tunnel, combined with the gravitational acceleration from his own weight, sent him crashing straight into the ground—without any buffer. If not for the Black Vine he’d summoned in advance, even Kurama’s formidable physique would have suffered significant injury.

Even so, the vine absorbed only part of the force; the residual impact slammed him through the roof of a building, nearly taking the top floor with him!

Amidst the flying bricks and swirling dust, Kurama sat up coughing violently, immediately checking on Mokona, whom he cradled protectively, while silently mourning the loss of his once-possessed Youko powers.

Had those powers remained, even a hastily summoned Black Vine wouldn’t have been so weak. Breaking through the roof wouldn’t have made a sound—he’d have resolved the crisis safely, smoothly, and without attracting any attention.

Thinking this, Kurama shook his head hard, quickly banishing such dispirited thoughts from his mind.

If he wanted to regain his strength, wallowing in nostalgia would do him no good. Better to spend the time searching for something Yuuko might find interesting—after all, that was the real key to reclaiming his Youko powers.

Moreover...

Standing up briskly, Kurama knew he needed to leave here as soon as possible. The manner of his arrival in this world was far too extraordinary; he didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble.

But before leaving, there was one thing he had to do—confirm whether anyone nearby had seen him.

If there were witnesses...

He reached into his hair and pulled out two Forget-Me-Not flower seeds, holding them in his palm ready to activate if necessary, then looked around.

By now, the dust had mostly dissipated. Illuminated by the light pouring through the hole he’d made in the ceiling, Kurama finally saw the room in full—

Tattered curtains, a floor and wallpaper corroded to ruin, rust-stained magnesium lamps with broken bulbs and missing shades...

—It looked like a long-abandoned theater.

Yet, strangely, in such a place where no one should be present, besides Kurama, there were a number of others gathered, all staring at him with shock and suspicion!

The corner of Kurama’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Even with his steely nerves, such intense collective scrutiny was hard to bear—especially while clutching Forget-Me-Not seeds, ready to act at any sign of danger.

Blinking subtly, the red-haired fox quickly put on his trademark gentle smile.

“Hi, everyone.”

He greeted them naturally, “Sorry to interrupt your...gathering? But may I ask, what exactly is this place?”

At his words, the theater fell into an uncanny silence.

Everyone watched Kurama as if he were an alien, but no one stepped forward to answer.

Kurama sighed deeply.

“Well, looks like no one’s going to tell me,” he said, sounding rather regretful, as he turned to leave.

But just as he turned, Kurama suddenly acted!

The Rose Thorn Blade seemed to spring from his palm out of nowhere, and before anyone could react, it was tightly wrapped around the person nearest him!

“Don’t move! Otherwise...I can’t promise I’ll be gentle.”

The smile on the fox’s face remained as amiable and refined as ever, but this expression, seen by the others, only made their necks feel cold.

Kurama, of course, didn’t care about their opinions. Once the Forget-Me-Not was used, none would remember anything about him.

Smiling as he held his “hostage” in front of him, Kurama swept his gaze across everyone present.

“Please don’t be so nervous. I just need a small favor from you. Once it’s done, this...eh?!”

When he got to “this,” Kurama paused deliberately to observe his hostage and find a suitable term.

But upon closer inspection, Kurama was startled—the hostage was a slender boy with soft brown hair.

Fresh abrasions marked the boy’s pale cheeks, and his big brown eyes, blinking innocently, somehow brought to mind a cute, helpless little rabbit. The wounds, the innocent and aggrieved look—anyone would feel the urge to reach out and ruffle him...

—But that wasn’t the point.

The point was that, observing the boy’s face up close, Kurama felt an eerily familiar sensation, prompting him to furrow his brow and rapidly search his mind for any information related to the boy. Kurama didn’t think he could feel “familiar” with a stranger for no reason; if he felt he’d seen this boy before, there had to be a reason...

While Kurama was busy searching his memory, the boy’s companions weren’t about to wait obediently.

“Kufufufu...Vongola, what kind of play are you putting on now?”

Breaking the strange silence was a boy with blue hair, standing slightly apart from the others.

He had an outstanding face, and his mismatched eyes—one red, one blue—made his already striking looks even more mysterious.

Of course, it would be better if this handsome youth weren’t pressing a gun to his own temple as he spoke...

...Wait—hold on!

Kurama’s gaze shot up from the brown-haired boy to the blue-haired one—

Pineapple head, heterochromatic eyes, gun to temple, in an abandoned theater, calling someone “Vongola”...

Wasn’t this Mukuro Rokudo?!

Kurama’s hand trembled, nearly losing his grip on the hostage.

But the fox lord’s nerves were solid; after a brief daze, he began rapidly sifting through relevant information in his mind.

A few seconds later, Kurama’s lips curled into a silent smile.

“Hey, you over there, the boy with two-colored eyes,” he called gently.

Once he had the other’s attention, Kurama’s smile grew softer and more enchanting.

“If—just saying, if—you insist on dying in front of this little boy in my arms, I can walk a few steps closer to you, you know?”

“...=口=!!!”

—In an instant, the entire theater plunged into a bizarre silence.

Author’s Note: And so, the first world of the journey turns out to be Katekyo Hitman Reborn~(≧▽≦)/~

Considering Kurama’s current strength is probably equivalent to late-stage human-form Shuichi Minamino from Yu Yu Hakusho (though even then, Shuichi in human form was already quite strong~), we’ll start the journey in a relatively gentle world. This way, as we transition to tougher worlds, Kurama will have time to adapt and improve! [facepalms]

As for some odd(?) personality traits Kurama shows in this chapter...well, although he’s still the deadly charming fox Kurama, since he isn’t purely the original version, there will inevitably be some small(?) changes in character—more to discover in future developments, so I won’t ramble on here... [quietly covers face and runs]

Next, the illustration for this chapter: the pineapple prince Mukuro Rokudo, half-dead from Kurama’s teasing—

It took a long time to find this image. Most online are of Mukuro from the gorgeous future arc, but finding a decent one from the Kokuyo period wasn’t easy. This version of Mukuro still feels so fresh, lacking the sultry charm of his ten-years-later self~~ [facepalms]

Finally, as always, a preview for the next chapter: “The Melancholy of the Pineapple Alien.” With Kurama accidentally entering the Kokuyo arc of Reborn, what impact will he have? How will the story twist with this unexpected factor? Stay tuned for the next episode of “Fox Kurama,” The Melancholy of the Pineapple Alien!

↑I just feel...Mukuro is probably going to get teased a lot (!!), but hopefully I’m just overthinking it... [quietly turns away]