Fanfic Idea 1

The Orphanage

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A frantic Botan appeared at Genkai's temple, popping out right over the guy's heads. "It's an emergency! An emergency! Do not leave Genkai's today, and call everyone you know and tell them to head for high ground! It's about to start pouring buckets! And whatever you do, don't go to the Reikai no matter what!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Botan-chan. What's the emergency?" Kuwabara asked, squinting at the frantic shinigami.

She swallowed, turning very pale. "There's been another tournament declared... but this one has Enma-ou furious and absolutely heartbroken. The offices are flooded with his tears."

"Oi, Botan! What kind of tournament is this then?" Yusuke rubbed his nose, trying to figure out the connection.

"The second lady of the Western inuyoukai pack has finished her mourning period and Sesshoumaru-sama is hosting a tournament for the right to court her. Enma-ou has wanted her for hundreds of years, but Sesshoumaru-sama always seems to marry her off before he can get his courage up to ask."

Yusuke's face made a variety of contortions, until he burst out in laughter. "This Sesshoumaru guy sounds all right." A hard cuff to the head sobered him, and he looked back at Hiei. "What was that for?"

"I do not want to die because of an idiot. Sesshoumaru-sama is twice the age your father was, and no one has ever come up with a class for him. He kills easier than he smiles. Mentioning his name without an honorific is a death sentence in his territory, and he's generous to himself when it comes to claiming land."

"Eieh." Yusuke was amazed that Hiei would be so cautious.

"How terrible, giving a girl's hand away to the strongest fighter. What if she wants someone else? Botan-chan, is there any way we can help her?" the big orange-haired fighter was ready to go save the girl.

Botan giggled. "Actually, the tournament was Kagome-sama's idea. She's so busy, she doesn't have time to date. And with the power she has, a weak mate is laughable."

"Youkai females sure are strange. Makes me glad I've got Keiko."

Botan looked at him funny. "But she's not. Youkai, that is. She's human."

"WHAT?!" came the surround sound of Yusuke and Kuwabara, blowing her hair back. Botan tried to straighten her hair, then continued.

"Kagome-sama was the last guardian of a cursed jewel. She was able to destroy it, but not before she was locked away in the void for three days. It put her permanently outside of time. So when the barriers went up and she found her friends wouldn't be able to visit anymore, she gave up her human citizenship and went to live in the Maikai."

"Why would a human prefer the Maikai over the Reikai?" Kurama asked, curious now.

"Oh, she and her first husband, the hanyou half-brother of Sesshoumaru-sama, had taken in an orphan kitsune kit and she refused to abandon either of them. Her first husband died a little over two hundred years ago, and her second, another human that chose the Makai, died sixty years ago. Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like her constantly working, so he keeps trying to marry her off to someone who will make her stay at home. But she's so devoted to the children, no one can bear taking the orphanage from her."

"How can a human woman raise youkai orphans? They could kill her with a tantrum." Kurama felt the youko in him wake and listen intently.

Botan just waved him off. "Everyone loves her dearly, and she does an excellent job." She tapped her finger against her lips in contemplation for a moment. "I know! Visitors are always welcome, as long as they help any child who needs or asks for it. Why don't you all come with me? We can avoid the torrential rain that's about to soak the human world, and you can ask her any questions you have."

~oOo~

Botan brought them out in a large meadow covered in the most harmless flowers Kurama had ever seen in the Maikai. There wasn't a carnivorous or poisonous one in the whole place. When he mentioned it, Botan nodded.

"This is the meadow the youngest children are allowed to play in. As the children get older and better trained, volunteers begin taking them out into gradually more dangerous areas. More of Kagome's kids reach their potential than anywhere else in the west, and they get there faster."

They followed the sounds of happy children to a traditional estate, where they heard several whoops of encouragement, followed by the sound of splashing water and shrieks of merriment.

"It's time to mop the floors!" Botan said excitedly, "Kagome-sama! Wait, I want to help too!" The grim reaper dashed off down the hall, leaving the boys behind.

"Maa. I didn't come here to do chores." Yusuke complained as Hiei shrugged one shoulder.

The diminutive fighter straightened his cloak. "Everyone in there is having the time of their life. I want to see why." He disappeared in a flash.

Kurama nodded. "I'm with him." and toed off his shoes before stepping up onto the walkway and heading to the sounds of childrens' merriment.

Yusuke turned to Kuwabara only to see him halfway down the hall already. "There's too much happiness in here for them just to be working, Yusuke!" he called back.

~oOo~

And happiness and fun it was, as youki attacks were used in a game of wash-polo. Children who could manipulate water had to keep enough water in the room to glide on while continually getting rid of the dirty water. Others batted around a brick of soap to make goals, while defensive players sent their opposing team members spinning about in circles to keep the soap in their play. Everybody had tied rags on their feet, knees, and hands, though the fact that the floor was getting cleaned seemed completely secondary to the fun of the game.

A woman with blue-black hair down to her knees laughed uproariously with the children, especially when one little otter youkai had his lessons finally click, and a transformed otter suddenly went whizzing down the room and into the net on a super-powered soap bar. When she'd finally caught her breath, she rang a bell. "Room ten complete, and Keito takes the final goal! Yellow team wins! Time for the final rinse and dry clothes, then on to the movie hall. Blue team is in charge of popcorn and snacks for everybody during the movie!"

As a trio of giggling children squeegeed the floor dry with various wind attacks, Kagome went to see her visitors. "Welcome, Botan and friends. I hope you all enjoyed watching our game of wash-polo."

"Kagome-sama! It's always fun to come here." Botan made the introductions.

Kurama handed her a rose. "I have never seen a cleverer way to train children, clean the house, and wear them out past the severe troublemaker stage.

She smiled shyly. "Why clean the boringly proper way? And Keito would have never picked up that super speedy soap maneuver on his own." Her face lit up. "I hope he can get it perfected soon. I always get first dibs on new rides. Would you all care to join us for the movie? The kids picked Casshern this time. We'll have plenty of popcorn and ice cream, since Blue team has some advanced fire and ice users."

Hiei twitched, but kept his face straight. "You have them using their youki to make human food?" he asked, though it was obvious to his teammates that the notion that the two elementals could work together was what really pulled him in.

"Sure, why not? I encourage the kids to dream of all new ways to use their youki. They still get plenty of training in weaponry and traditional forms of manipulation, but if you can make your life better by using your ki in an unusual way, why not?" She leaned closer to the group, putting her hand beside her mouth and stage whispering, "And by general consensus, food prepared by youkai for youkai is not human food, even if humans can eat it without worry."

The secret ice cream lover just hnned, and followed along for the rest of the tour.

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Okay, you might have guessed that this one came about because I could see Kagome taking in a bunch of orphans and having fun with them. I transformed a game of pillow-polo (played with pillows for armor and a foam ball on a slick floor) that I played as a kid into wash-polo, and it came out rather cute. But I could never figure out what happened next, or who she wound up with. This one is actually quite old... 5-7 years old, I think. I cleaned it up, and finished it with that last little tagline. I don't know if he's interested in her or in the ice cream, though!

I don't own anything from Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.