Disclaimer – Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I don't own YYH, so please don't sue.

AN: I've been looking around for a really good story on Youko Kurama's past, but I haven't been able to find one anywhere! I was really disappointed, since I was eager to read a really good story on his past. I decided to sit down and write my own story. So read and review!

Rated T for language and violence.

Chapter One.

Long silver hair cascaded down the back of a tall, stately, elegant figure. The figure remained completely still, except for her golden eyes, set beneath thick silver lashes, which flicked around, surveying the surrounding area.

Any demon who ventured near the area would've recognized the figure immediately as a silver kitsune, one of the most beautiful demons to exist in the Makai. Many silver kitsune were known to be able to seduce their weaker-minded opponents. They were cunning creatures, skilled in areas requiring stealth and silence. They made excellent assassins. Their abilities were legendary; it was rumored that there was no such thing as a weak silver kitsune.

Her name was Yoshe, a demon well known not only for being a fierce foe, but also for being blessed with almost unnatural beauty. Yoshe was considered one of the most beautiful silver kitsunes to walk the Youkai. She was cold-hearted and vicious. She believed that to leave an enemy alive was weak. She walked freely and cared for nothing.

Except for her kits. Four tiny little silver kits that Yoshe called her own.

As she stood rigidly, her senses alert for any danger, she closed her eyes, once again dwelling on her family. She had often wondered if having children was a weakness for her. She considered abandoning them, or leaving at least two to die. But, unlike many demons, Yoshe had a strong motherly instinct, and she knew - though somewhat regretfully - that she would never abandon her little kits.

Damn Juro! she thought, her sharp gaze narrowing as she stared coldly at the distance. Damn him into the deepest pits of Rekai.

Juro, her mate, had fled from a battle in either a moment of cowardice or simply for selfish reasons. He had been traveling with a group of demons who he had known for hundreds of years when they were suddenly attacked by a group of fearsome bandits. He had vanished from the scene of the battle and was never heard from again. Though only one demon was killed in the battle, most of the group ended up slain when his short-tempered mate discovered she would be having no help in raising her children. Since then she always kept her eyes open for Juro, swearing she would find him and take her revenge.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san!" Yoshe's eyes snapped away from the red sky, her ears pricking up as her instincts kicked in. She dashed through the thin foliage to where her four kits were playing.

"Kaa-chan!" exclaimed one of the kits enthusiastically. The tiny thing waddled over to it's mother and latched onto her leg. "Kaa-chan!" it repeated.

Yoshe closed her eyes and mentally sighed, letting her tension seep away. Nothing was wrong, no danger was near. She bent down and scooped up her youngest child, a small female called Tamako.

"Kaa-san," said another kit, also wandering over to her mother. "Kenji and Youko were fighting."

Yoshe glanced over to her two sons who were sitting on the ground in the middle of a staring contest. Flipping her hair around her shoulders, she gently set Tamako back on the ground. "Haya," she said, addressing her eldest child. "Take Tamako to the stream and try catching some fish. Make sure to not let her wander off."

"Of course, kaa-san," murmured the kit. She grabbed her sister's hand, tugging on it as she began moving towards the stream. Tamako tripped after her, trying to keep up.

Yoshe settled back against a tree, her gold eyes focusing intently on her two sons. It was obvious that they had been in a fight. Kenji's usually flawless face was dirtied and his hair was tangled. Youko had a long scratch on the side of his face and a twig stuck in his hair. His tail was wagging frantically, always a sure sign that he had just done something that was exciting and punishable.

Yoshe sighed, irritated. Her youngest son's tail-wagging had always been a constant annoyance to her. It reminded her of a dog demon she met long ago, an experience that she would rather forget than remember. "Youko! Kenji!" she called out, watching as her sons turned their heads towards her. "Come over here!"

Obediently, both boys rose. They immediately sent each other deep glares before padding softly over to their mother. "Yes, kaa-san?" asked Kenji as he arrived to stand before her.

Yoshe glanced discreetly over at Youko. Thank Inari his tail-wagging had stopped. "Haya tells me you two have been fighting again."

Youko and Kenji looked anything but ashamed as they looked at each other furiously. "Kenji started it!" piped up Youko insistently. "He tried to..."

"I did not!" responded Kenji instantly. "You were the one..."

"No I wasn't!"

"Stop it," ordered their mother sharply. The kits fell silent, sending each other scathing glares. "Youko, go to the stream and play with your sisters. I'm sure they could use your help."

Youko frowned, his tail moving to wrap around his leg. "But Haya's bossy."

Yoshe arched an eyebrow, slightly amused. "She's your older sister. She feels like it's her right to be bossy. Go play."

"But kaa-san..."

"Go."

Youko scowled, but ran off to find his sisters.

Kenji's gaze followed his brother as he ran off before returning to look expectantly at his mother.

Yoshe eyed her son. "Who won?"

Kenji grinned, his face brightening as he flashed a grin. "I did, kaa-san!"

Yoshe nodded, expecting the answer. "Kenji, next time I want you to try and help Youko with his skills rather then giving him a scratch that will take days to heal."

The kit hesitated, before dropping his head. "But he never listens to me," he complained. "I've tried to help him before, but all he does is go off exploring."

"I'll talk to him, but you must remember that you're older, Kenji, and stronger then him." Yoshe looked up at the sky. "Remember that we're silver kitsunes, Kenji. One day you will grow strong enough to gain another tail. Kitsunes have been looked upon with fear for millenniums, and we must not change that. When one kitsune is weak, another kitsune will help him grow strong. We may not be connected to each other through feelings except pride, but our goal is to survive and keep each other from falling. We are strong and we remain that way."

"But..." Kenji reddened slightly and looked down, the rest of his sentence incoherent.

"Kenji," his mother said, a slight warning visible in her voice.

"He moves too fast," mumbled Kenji.

"Then you must move faster," was Yoshe's unsympathetic reply. "You have to overcome obstacles if you want to survive in this world, Kenji. If you are fighting an opponent who moves too fast for you, are you going to ask them to slow down so you may kill them?"

Kenji's reply was inaudible.

"You are not weak, Kenji," said Yoshe disapprovingly. "Will you overcome a difficulty to obtain what you want?"

"Yes, kaa-san," said Kenji.

There was silence between mother and son. Kenji was looking determinedly away from her, embarrassed by his show of weakness in front of his mother.

Yoshe examined her son a moment before her thoughts turned to her younger kit. It was true that Youko was much faster then Kenji, but in reality that was the only strength he had that his brother did not. Kenji was much stronger and showed more potential for becoming a Nine-Tails then any of his siblings. Youko, on the other hand, preferred to wander through the forest. He appeared particularly fascinated with the plants in the forest, always returning to his mother with a new seed or attempting to drag her off so he could show off a certain pretty flower.

The use of plants in battle was not unheard of in the Youkai. There was even a special type of demon that specialized in the use of plants, though they had all but died out. There were a few kitsune who had used plants as their fighting style. One had even gained four tails during his lifetime. But the use of plants was often considered weak by many demons. Yoshe herself disapproved of their use. Many times she had tried to dissuade her younger son from traversing off into the forest to explore the area for new plants, but these attempts proved futile. Still, Yoshe hoped that perhaps with the right training, Youko would lose interest and he could learn the same style his brother had adopted, a more common form for kitsunes.

Yoshe was startled out of her thoughts as a searing cry came tearing through the forest. "KAA-SAN!" Snapping back into reality, she ordered Kenji to stay put as she leapt through the foliage towards the stream.

As the silver kitsune broke through the last thick bush, she immediately zoned in on what had caused her daughter's fear. A hawk demon was standing over the three kits, his talons sharp and dangerously close to Tamako's head.

With a deep. furious growl, Yoshe attacked the demon, snapping off his head with her bare claws before he even realized she was there. Almost immediately, three more hawk demons appeared. Yoshe dived forwards, ripping and clawing, until the three lay dead beside their companion. Yoshe sensed movement from behind and moved in front of her children protectively. She crouched down, her figure tense as she scanned the area, taking in the swarm of hawk demons that were quickly gathering.

There had to be at least two hundred that arrived in the time Yoshe had appeared. She could tell immediately that she wouldn't be able to fight them while keeping her children safe. As a hawk demon charged, Yoshe was already formulating a plan to escape.

She couldn't take all her kits. It wasn't possible to take all three while moving as quickly as possible. But she couldn't stay as there was no doubt that they would be killed in the battle.

Striking down the hawk demon, Yoshe made her painful decision.

As the rest of the flock began closing in on her, she whirled around and snatched up her two daughters. "Youko, run!" she cried, flitting past the hawk demons. As she raced through the forest, she sensed Kenji beginning to follow. She cried out inwardly, knowing the chances of Youko escaping were little to none. She had had no choice. Youko's quick movements gave him more of a chance then either Haya or Tamako had.

She ran, her senses desperately searching for any clue that Youko was fleeing, for any sign that her son was safe. Yoshe's sharp eyes found a small cave hidden by a veil of moss. She collapsed in the cave, dropping her two kits down as she did so. Only after several minutes of regaining her normal feeling of calmness, she opened her eyes and sat up, surveying her broken family.

Little Tamako looked at her mother with wide eyes. "Kaa-san," whimpered the small kit, her lips quivering. "Youko's not here."

Yoshe made no reply as she leaned back against the hard, cold, unforgiving stone wall of her hideout. She had grabbed her daughters but left Youko behind to die.

She closed her eyes. For the first time in years, guilt was tearing at her heart. Her mind whirled desperately. There was nothing she could do. Her son, tough little Youko, was surely dead by now.

As Tamako crawled into her mother's embrace, seeking comfort after the trying experience, Yoshe clung to her daughter, one thought crossing her mind.

Youko, my son.

Yoshe means "a beauty, lovely"
Haya means "quick" or "light"
Kenji means "tin"
Tamako means "jewel child"

Fact: I found three different meanings for the name Yoko, "positive" "determined" and "good."

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