Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Harry Potter
Chapter One:To Be Free
The great Youko Kurama, king of theives, renowned demon of the Makai, and former member of the Reikai Tantei, was in a very embarrassing situation.
He was stuck. In a cage. In an insane Ningen shop.
Actually, he wan't even sure if the shop was run by humans or not (everything smelled strange, and there were odd strings of reiki all over the place so that when he sniffed too hard he would begin to sneeze violently). There were all sorts of strange and rare creatures in the store besides him, and really, what kind of human pet shop owner would even think about putting a silver fox with four tails on display?.
Anyway, he had been stuck in the cage for almost a week. If the cage had not been covered in wards, and if it had been big enough for him to transform into his more powerful and dexterous youko(or even human) form, he was sure he would have been out by now.
Unfortunately, this was not the case, so instead, he found himself crouching in the back corner, avoiding the gazes of small, rather obnoxious looking children as they looked for 'familiars.'
He was sure he had heard the word used that way before . . .
Ah, yes, mages called their animal assistants that, didn't they.
How strange, perhaps this was some sort of magical shop? Kurama had heard that some humans could use their reiki in such ways, but of course, he had never seen it first hand. He had always preferred the islands of Japan when visiting Ningenkai. Inari was more powerful there.
"Wow, I've never seen anyone like you before."
The awed voice, as well as the words(anyone instead of anything), caused Kurama to look up sharply.
There was an older boy there, probably around thirteen. He had rather plain features, except for his hair, which was, at first glance, bright pink, although it was currently fading to a dark black.
Kurama did a double take at the boy's hair. What in the name of Inari was that about?
Then the boy frowned.
"The tag says you're a kitsune ... I've read about you in some of Aunt Hermione's books. They aren't supposed to be caged like this."
Kurama snorted sarcastically.
Of course we're not supposed to, idiot. No animal is.
The boy bit his lip and looked over to this left.
"Teddy, have you found a good pet?" Came a man's voice.
"Uhm, yeah, I think I have." The boy, Teddy, said.
Well. This will make escaping much easier. The kitsune thought to himself.
The two humans called the shop owner over, who unlocked the cage and let Kurama out after an exchange of coin had taken place. He was tempted to just bolt right there, but he knew from years of experience that patience was always best, and that making his escape later would be better than trying now, with so many humans present, especially since he was a bit weakened from his week long stay in the cage.
They boy and adult made their way out of the shop, the boy mentioning something about 'Madam Malkin's,' after which he separated from his elder.
The boy headed to a shop, but instead of going in, he stopped just outside the store, then walked over to the side alley.
Teddy set him down and gave him a serious look.
"Okay, so, I know you probably don't want to stick around. That book I was reading said that Youkai don't really like being around humans. So. Just, I don't know, you can go I guess." The rather awkward pronouncement ended in the boy looking rather sheepish, while his hair and cheeks flushed a matching red.
Kurama stared at him.
The boy was letting him go?
How . . . Strange.
Kurama perked up his ears, and looked over the boy, then stepped closer and sniffed.
He smelled normal enough. There was the faint scent of lilies and . . . was that wolf? There was also a strong reiki aftertaste to him.
Kurama sneezed at the strength of it.
This boy was very fascinating indeed. His hair changed according to his emotions, he had found a magical fox, and instead of trying to use him as a 'familiar,' the boy was letting him go away.
Not to mention the boys 'Aunt Hermione' had a book on Youkai.
Kurama had no reason to remain in the Ningenkai. After Shiori's death, he had left quickly, unwilling to linger in the realm that he would now forever associate with her. But now . . This human fascinated him. He had no pressing matters to attend to. As a reformed thief, he now lead a rather boring life that was only interrupted by the occasional tournament, as well as the almost-apocalypse missions that he and the former Reikai Tantei members were called on to stop as favors for Koenma.
Perhaps . . . Staying for a bit would be interesting.
Shaking out his fur in the attempt to rid himself of the last of the pet shop stench, he leaped upward, landing gracefully on the human's mood ring like hair, which promptly turned a surprised blue.
"You want to stay?" His human asked, sounding completely baffled.
Kurama purred out a yes, then settled into the position that was rather reminiscent of Puu's.
"Uhm, well, okay. . . I have to get my robes adjusted in this shop then." The boy stood as his hair faded to a natural brown color that Kurama thought suited the boy quite well, and headed into the shop. The woman greeted the boy with a nod, eyeing Kurama only a minute, before turning her attention back to another human child who looked as if he was being assaulted by a floating tape measurer.
After the human cub had handed off some black garments, and the woman had measured his legs, and said his 'robes' would be ready in an hour, they headed out of the shop and off down the street.
As it turned out, they were going to an ice cream shop of some kind, and his boy immediately gravitated towards a large gathering made up of about red heads, and half brunettes.
Their red hair is brighter than my human form's. The youko thought with a bit of amusement.
There were four adults: two with red hair, the other two(one of which was the adult Kurama recognized from earlier) were both brunettes.
Along with the adults were four children.
Kurama noted with amusement that his boy's now black hair took on a faintly reddish tinge as they approached.
"Teddy!" Came a loud cry from one of the small girls. She rushed forward and gave him a very tight hug, then looked up at Kurama in sudden interest.
"Your new puppy is on your head!" She said in a very excited voice.
Kurama sniffed. It wouldn't do to be mistaken for a common dog- and jumped down to land beside the girl. He flicked his tails proudly and held up his head in a commanding manner- the girl gasped.
"He's got-" she frowned and started pulling at fingers.
"Daddy!" She began, turning to the red headed man. "He's got four tails!"
"Yes, Rosie, I can see that."
The brunette woman suddenly frowned and gave Teddy's adult a look.
"Harry! That's a kitsune! You let Teddy get a kitsune? You said he got a silver dog!"
The man shrugged sheepishly.
"Uh, it looked like a dog when I saw it, sorry 'Mione. But why is it such a big deal? If it was dangerous I doubt they would be selling them to students."
"Harry! Kitsune are a type of Youkai! I've told you this before! Remember? Every tail represents a thousand years, they can sometimes turn into human, and they like to trick people and play games! We can't-"
"Aunt Hermione!" Finally, his boy was speaking in his defense. "You're the one whose always protesting for magical creatures, and he's harmless! He hasn't done anything wrong so far, I don't see why you're so worried! It's probably all just myth."
Kurama gave the adults an amused look as they all eyed him suspiciously, before turning, flicking his tails, and easily jumping onto Teddy's shoulder. The position was a bit less comfortable than the head, but he decided this would do for now.
After the little disagreement, the conversation turned to school- somewhere called 'Hogwarts,' a rather strange name, but humans were strange creatures- and the humans all got ice cream, and sat at a table.
Teddy occasionally offered Kurama bites, which the fox licked hungrily. The food at the pet shop had been horrible, and the mint flavor that Teddy had gotten tasted natural and 'planty,' which he liked.
After the little meeting, the humans split up. 'Harry' and the red headed woman, along with the two non red headed children parted with the rest, leaving through the strange brick wall, and then entering some sort of pub.
The group centered around the fireplace, all grabbing handfuls of green powder.
Teddy stepped forward.
"Hold on tight." He said, then threw his powder into the fire. It promptly turned a brilliant shade of green.
Kurama yelped as the boy suddenly stepped into the fire and said something. There was a dizzying swirl of color, then the pair stumbled out of the fireplace.
Kurama immediately dropped to the ground, gasping for breath, and trying his best not to vomit the ice cream he had just eaten.
What in the four realms was that?! He thought.
When he had finally gotten his wind back, he managed to give his new owner a glare, only to notice that they were no longer in the pub.
Kurama immediately began to look around. Apparently, the fireplace had been some sort of portal, but instead of leading to another world, it lead to another place in the Ningenkai. How strange. He hadn't known humans could do that sort of thing.
After sniffing around, with Teddy following him curiously, Kurama realized that this must be where Teddy was getting the lily scent from. The open window in the kitchen showed a great number of them peaking out from a window box.
He immediately jumped onto the counter(ignoring a distant scolding from the woman to Teddy about 'no pets in the kitchen'), and climbed out the window and into the box.
The lilies perked up considerably, and he gently nudged them into a brighter bloom, while examining the street.
The sign to the left read 'Grimauld Place,' but he didn't recognize the name. Not that he had expected to. From the language and accents, he was obviously in England, and since he had only been in England, and that was a couple thousand years ago, he doubted he would recognize anything.
After examining the street, he pawed at the fur behind his ear to release a seed, and quickly dropped it into the window box, letting a protective vine grow out and into the brick wall, making sure that it was barely visible. I would alert him to any yoki approaching the house, and would be able to stop the smaller threats, like makai insects and such.
Satisfied with the window's new defenses, he jumped back inside, and went to examine any other windows and doors that need protection. So maybe he was being a bit paranoid, but after a few thousand years, the Youko had learned his lesson well. Better to be paranoid and prepared, than lazy and dead- or seriously injured.
After his examination, he followed the slightly wolfish scent that was his boy's up to a room.
There was a large trunk lying on the floor, open, and his human was currently stuffing books into it, and only partly succeeding.
Kurama gave him a questioning look, and the boy grinned.
"I'm just packing up for school. Harry said he would take me to the station this year while my grandmum is at some sort of House Elf rights conference with Aunt Hermione."
He smirked.
"Harry only got out of it because he offered to take everyone to the platform."
The kitsune frowned and gave a confused huff. Grandmother? Harry? Where were the boy's parents?
Teddy, apparently, understood the questioning look, and sighed, his hair going from bright brown, to a sad mousy color.
"My mum and dad died during the second wizarding war. My grandmum takes care of me usually, but Harry's my godfather, and he has me over a lot- along with the Weaselys."
The boy had lost both his parents?
Kurama looked at the boy for a moment, unsure of what to do. Something comforting . . .
He walked forward, and stood on his hind legs, letting his front paws rest on the boys chest, and began to lick the boys face. It was a rather dog-like mannerism, but, well, kitsune were canines, and dogs always seemed to be rather good at comforting humans.
His licking brought about a rather unexpected reaction, however. Teddy hugged him. Kurama couldn't remember being hugged by anyone except Shiori, and even she had only done it on the rarest occasions. It was so strange . . . but it felt . . . nice. The slightly wolfish scent was familiar to the kitsune- wolves were canines too, after all- and Kurama let his head rest on the boys shoulder, wondering idly where he had gotten it from.
The boy soon broke the embrace, and went back to packing. Kurama sat to the side as the boy talked to him as if he was just a normal person, telling the fox about his school friends and classes.
Kurama thought Potions and Herbology sounded interesting, but he mostly ignored the rest.
After a while, there was the woman's voice, calling out that it was time to eat, and the boy hastily made his way downstairs.
Kurama eyed the 'Harry' that was Teddy's godfather as he ate from the plate the woman had set for him on the floor near the table.
The man seemed very kind, and rather affectionate to Teddy. That was good. In fact, the boy was treated the same as the children he assumed were the man's own.
"So, Teddy, have you decided on a name?" The woman asked pleasantly after a small break in the conversation.
Teddy paused, then glanced over at Kurama sheepishly.
"Uh, not really. I forgot earlier because he was exploring and didn't come in till I was in the middle of packing. I'll probably go through my books later and see of there are any names that he likes."
Well, that's better than I was hoping. I don't want some silly name like-
"How about Silver!" The smaller boy cried out suddenly, holding his fork full of mashed potatoes up excitedly.
"That's a very good name Albus," Kurama tried not to growl. How was that a good name? "But we should let Teddy decide on the name since its his pet."
Kurama uttered a silent thanks to Inari as he finished off his food and left the dining area. He made his way up to the room Teddy was currently using, and walked over to the open suitcase.
The books he had stuffed in didn't look like they would have anything yokai related . . .
Maybe if he found a map, or atlas?
He left the room, following the smell of old paper and glue.
He soon found a study, that was probably the man's, Harry's, and looked around. There was a vase of lilies- this man apparently had a thing for them. The flowers were wilting slightly, so Kurama sent a wave of sympathetic yoki their direction, before examining the small library that was lined up neatly in a bookshelf by the wall behind the desk.
He didn't find anything in the book case that even resembled an atlas, although there was a book with straps round it that smelled like a feral animal.
He then jumped to the desk and examined the books that were strewn across it.
Bingo, as Botan would say. He thought triumphantly as his eyes caught sight of a book with maps lying open on the desk. There were bits of paper with arrows and jumbled writing on them stuck to the map that it was currently open to. Making note of the page number, he flipped through till he found Japan on the left, and then a closer up image.
Now I just have to find Mt Kurama. It didn't take him long, and he was just about to pick up the book via his canine teeth, when he heard the door squeak open.
Kurama turned cautiously as Harry entered the room, then stopped, apparently surprised that Kurama was there.
"Oh, what are you doing in here?" Kurama lowered his tails, and tried not to roll his eyes. It was like they expected an answer. Well, he could answer, of course, but that would probably get him kicked out as a potential threat, and he hadn't even been a pet for a day.
"Well, I don't really mind if you stay. Teddy's getting ready for bed. It's a bit early, but tomorrow's a big day." The man smiled softly, and walked over to sit himself at the desk Kurama was currently inhabiting. Kurama turned to face the man, pushing the atlas a bit farther behind him so that the man wouldn't be able to see it from behind his tails.
"I'm glad he enjoys school, but I really worry about him." Kurama cocked an eyebrow, and Harry adjusted his glasses.
"Great, now I'm confiding in a fox." He muttered, as said fox snorted in amusement. Humans could be so silly sometimes.
Harry looked down at him, his piercing green eyes searching the fox.
"Look, He's . . . because of me, he's a target, and I know all the teachers at Hogwarts will keep an eye on him . . . but if you understand me- well, just keep an eye on him. Please. I don't want something to happen to him because of me."
Kurama looked the man over, curious. Teddy was a target because of him? He didn't seem like the kind of person people would go after. He was confident, yes, and carried himself as if he had seen many battles, but otherwise, he was friendly, gentle, determined. Not someone who usually had people after him. Perhaps he had done something? Not something intentionally provoking, the man didn't seem like the kind of person who like a lot of attention.
Well, if he's really that well known, I'll find out eventually. And the fact that Teddy is a target . . . it's disgusting that people would involve innocents . . . I shall enjoy taking care of any threats to the boy.
With that thought, Kurama nodded in understanding at Harry, then bent back, grabbed the book gently, making sure not to pierce the parchment with his sharp canines, before bolting for the door.
"Wha- hey! That's Hermione's! She'll kill me if that gets ripped! Come back, I need it for work!"
But Harry's protests were ignored, as Kurama easily slipped out of the study, down the hall, and into his cub's room.
Teddy was zipping up his trunk, and at the sound of the door being pushed open, he glanced up.
"Oh, your back. I wasn't sure where you went . . Where did you get that?" Kurama smirked as he set down the book, then leaned down and indicated a point on the map with his snout.
"Oh! I see, you picked out a name for yourself."
Teddy grinned, then bent down and squinted at the fine print.
"Mount Kurama? You want to be named after a mountain in Japan?"
Kurama nodded, and let his tails bounce up and down in agreement.
The boy chuckled in amusement at his actions, then shrugged.
"Well, I suppose it makes sense. That book said that kitsune are usually found in Japan. Is that where you from?"
Kurama nodded again.
"Wow, you're pretty far from home . . ." The boy looked at his tails.
"Are you really thousands of years old, like Aunt Hermione said? Or is that just a myth?"
Kurama gave the boy a grin and jumped onto the bed. It wouldn't do to give away all his secrets the first day now, would it?
Teddy sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, time for bed." Then he climbed up and pulled himself under the covers, and reached over, switching off the light on the bedside table.
"G'night," He muttered, before closing his eyes.
Kurama eyed the boy, then eyed the end of the bed.
He didn't particularly fancy the idea of sleeping at the foot of the bed. He was aware that some humans had tendencies to kick in their sleep, and besides, it was already a bit chilly in the room. He didn't want to wake to stiff and could limbs.
Well, the boy seemed not to mind physical contact . . . perhaps he could slip under the covers. Just for tonight.
Deciding that that was the best plan, he padded over to the head of the bed, then burrowed under the covers, his wet black nose first. When his cold snout hit the boys arm, he gave a small 'eep' and shivered in response, but Kurama kept moving forward, snaking up so that he was curled on top of the cub's chest. He curled into a tight ball, wrapping his tails around him, and wiggling slightly to adjust the boys shirt in a nest like manner.
They sat there a moment, then there was the soft sound of blankets moving, and Teddy's hand reached up and began stroking Kurama's soft silver fur.
The fox purred softly in response, and the two soon drifted off into a deep sleep.
A/N
This is the first story I have posted, so I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think in the comments!