Contrary as always even without his memories at his full disposal, Kuronue was almost impossible to track. Ruka had snatched into his mind and soul and torn away all his bonds, but the basic memory of how to survive remained. Unfortunately, the dominant memories that surfaced after some digging through the empty space, were from a much darker time. Long before he'd ever met one Yoko Kurama, long before he'd learned the value of friendship and trust, he'd been an altogether different sort of person.
The most brittle, hostile and avoidant sort of person.
It was nothing to slip free of 'Yoko's den earlier the morning before and drift off on the currents of whimsy, without giving it much thought. A quick check on the network had his hackles up and added a clip of speed to his steps. He remembered friendly hands outstretched in the past; those same hands had turned against him in an instant. He had no cause to listen to these people, no memories to whisper frantically in the back of his mind that Inari above, maybe, just maybe he should stop and go back, and crawl on his belly for forgiveness for running off in the first place.
Touya found him first, though Kuronue didn't know his name. The ice demon tried to introduce himself, but he blocked Kuronue's way which led to a scuffle. To get away, instinct took over and he dove off the nearest edge, disappearing down into a whirl of fog and vertigo. Just as baby birds and bats alike learned to fly 'on the fly', so did Kuronue, even if the crash-landing of his glide was less than graceful. He limped until his legs gave out and he found somewhere to hide for the night. Just some featureless cave where he could build a small fire and huddle in close, feeling curiously empty and unable to tell just why.