Teardrops of a Crimson Rose

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is the property of Yoshihiro Togashi. I don't own it or any of it's characters. If any of the OCs clash with anyone living or dead, I'm dreadfully sorry, but it's just coincidental. (Oh, and I own the OCs!)

P.S. This is my first fanfic so it could be kinda messy…Please forgive me for that…I welcome reviews, good or bad, because I want to learn from mistakes. Hope you'll enjoy it. Thanks!

Youko Kurama stood on a limb of a tree. He looked down on the chaos that was taking place in the village below him. Screams of terror filled the air, bodies were scattered everywhere, blood stained the ground red, fire raged fiercely, consuming those in it's path. He could smell the fear and anguish around him.

Crying. He could hear someone crying. He leaped from the tree and turned towards the sound. It was coming from a burning house.

He entered cautiously. After a quick look around, he found the source. A young girl was kneeling beside a body, crying helplessly. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she held the woman's hand in her grasp tightly.

"Mother! Mother! Please…Don't leave me, mother!"

Normally, he would have just walked away. The pain of death, the sorrow of losing someone important, the harsh reality of life, he'd seen it too many times to bother about it. This was the way it was, he couldn't do anything about it.

But this time, something was different. He felt that somehow, he had to help. It was as if the girl was calling out to him.

Kurama walked over to her and knelt down beside her. Gently, he touched her shoulder.

The girl started. She turned around in fright and stared at him with frightened eyes.

"It's alright. We have to leave this place or you'll get hurt." He spoke in the cool, calm, unnerving voice he was famous for.

Chapter 1 – The Unexpected Protege

Kurama opened his eyes. The familiar view of trees and the wind greeted him. He took a deep breath.

'Another day. A new day.'

He stood up and cast a quick glance around. The rest of his band was still asleep. 'The lazy fools, no wonder they never improved.'

Only one person was missing. He smiled when he realized who it was. 'She always beat me to it. The only person who always woke up earlier than me.'

He turned and started looking.

'Now where could that girl be today?'

As he strolled through the forest, he thought about that day. The day it all started.

'How strange. I still get the feeling that I never found her by coincidence.'

…………

The girl looked at him with frightened eyes. She shrank back at his touch.

"It's alright. I'm here to help. I'm not going to hurt you."

Somehow, he could feel that the girl didn't believe him. 'She's been through too much to trust anyone now.'

The sudden sound of wood breaking startled him. The roof wasn't going to hold much longer. They had to get out of there now.

He scooped the girl up in his arms and with a swift leap, he sprang out of the collapsing house just before it came down on them.

Outside, the chaos was more terrible than before. No one paid any attention to the sprinting kitsune and his charge. Before anyone noticed, they disappeared into the forest.

…………

Kurama looked at the sleeping girl in his arms. She had fallen asleep due to exhaustion. Her eyes were swollen from the crying and tears were still clinging to her eyelashes. Her arms were covered in bruises and burns. There was also a cut on her cheek.

For once, Kurama felt pity for someone.

He laid her down by a tree and put a blanket on her small body. 'What now?' He wondered. The girl obviously had nowhere else to go. The village had been burnt to the ground and everyone was dead, it seems.

'What now?' He wondered aloud.

…………

Kurama stirred. His head felt groggy and he could barely open his eyes. He felt like he just ran a thousand miles without stopping. He tried to sit up, but his dizziness overwhelmed him; he collapsed and tried to remember.

Immediately all that happened last night rushed into his head. The raid, the fire, the girl…

The girl! He had brought her back from the village. Kurama snapped open his eyes. 'What happened after that?'

He remembered. She woke up and started crying. He had comforted her, calming her down till she fell asleep again, into his arms…

Kurama sat up sharply and saw the girl kneeling beside him. She gazed at him for a moment before lowering her eyes.

"I want to thank you, sir." she said in a small voice.

"Why?"

"For saving me. I'm really grateful. I wish I could repay you, but I don't have anything left. I…I don't want to be a bother to you too, as I'm a complete stranger. So… I'll be leaving. Thank you." She bowed her head.

Kurama listened, stunned. There was no way this young child could survive on her own out there. The Makai was a very dangerous place and she was so young…

Kurama sighed. "Stay here."

The child looked up in surprise. "You want me to stay?"

"Yes."

"But, I…"

"It's not safe for you to go out alone. You won't last two seconds out there. And, I expect you'd want to get your revenge…"

The last sentence he said carefully. A child may be quite sensitive to such issues, but still, they can bear a strong grudge too.

The girl bowed her head again. "Thank you! I'm so grateful to you…"

"Alright then, tell me, what's your name?"

…………

A sudden sound startled him. But instinct told him it wasn't a threat so it could only mean…

He ran towards the sound. In a clearing ahead, someone was clearly moving around with great speed.

Kurama hid behind a tree and watched the girl's every move. She was practicing her techniques and training.

With a sudden movement, Kurama leaped out with his rose whip. Immediately, the girl dodged swiftly. She leaped from one tree to another with great agility. Kurama kept pace with her, dodging her attacks.

They kept this up for quite a while. Even though his level of skill was way higher than her, Kurama was actually enjoying it.

With a few more lashes from his whip and a sweep of his arm, he had pinned the girl to the ground.

"You've definitely improved from before, Ariya. Although you didn't need to fight back so viciously."

The young girl blushed red seeing her mentor so close to her.

"But, Sensei, you startled me…"

Kurama smiled. He pulled her to her feet and walked back to where the others were.

"Early morning exercise, I see."

"That's what you've always taught me to do."

Although she was shorter than Kurama (who else isn't?), Ariya was quite tall for a girl. Her jet-black hair fell over her shoulders, covering most of her back. She had black eyes and (according to Kurama) there was something in those eyes. One could tell that she had been through a lot.

"Kurama! There you are!" One of his followers came running up.

"What is it?"

"Yomi says it's time to storm Tsukishima Castle. The others are waiting for your orders."

Kurama sighed. Yomi again. That guy was always giving him trouble. "Alright, I'm coming."

…………

"But, Kurama…"Yomi protested. The demon was eager to storm the castle but Kurama was not going to let him.

"I've told you a hundred times, maybe more, that now is not the right time to act. After your blunder the other day, I can't afford another rescue attempt." Kurama winced slightly as he remembered the mess that Yomi had made. One of them nearly died and they stole nothing. Kurama had to move the gang to another place as soon as he could for the guards were hot on their tracks.

"You always want to wait and wait and wait. Why can't we act? We'll never get anything done if we continue to wait all day." Yomi raised his voice, showing his frustration.

"But at least it keeps us alive."

Everyone fell silent at the tone of Kurama's voice. There was something about it that told them he was dead serious about this matter.

"Fine then. But I'm not gonna sit here and wait much longer I tell you." Yomi turned and stormed away. Some of them followed him hesitantly while the others stayed. Kurama glared at their retreating backs.

Kuronue looked at his friend. Kurama was really mad this time. Kuronue mused. It took a lot to tick the kitsune off.

Kurama walked out of the clearing. Someday, Yomi's gonna get in serious trouble. He smirked. If he wasn't in so much trouble already…

He went to the river that wound its way through the trees. He loved listening to the voices of nature. It calmed his nerves. Its rushing waters spoke to him, telling him things, laughing, joking…

"Wow. You were really mad back there."

"Kuronue. You surprised me."

Kuronue sat down on the grass beside him. "So, what are you planning to do with him?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

"You're not fooling me. You've already planned something, haven't you?"

"No…"

"Kurama…"

"No, seriously…"

"Fine, I won't bother you then. But tell me about Ariya's progress."

"Why don't you go ask her yourself? You know she treats you with respect too."

"Ya, but it sounds a lot better coming from you."

"What do you mean?"

Kuronue chuckled. "You always paint such a good image of her. If anyone didn't know, they'd think she was your girlfriend or something."

"Now you just teasing me. She is my student after all, I have to make her sound good, or it'll be bad for my reputation."

Kuronue smiled. He himself had grown rather attached to the girl. Ever since she came, Ariya had actually made most of them happy. Most of them.

After a long pause, Kurama said: "You know, they think I've gone soft or something."

"Yes I know. They've been complaining. I've heard them."

Kurama got up. "But personally, I don't care about them at all. Why should I be bothered about what they say? I know perfectly well that I could eliminate them anytime I want."

With that he cut a tree cleanly into two with his rose whip.

"Okay, now you're just showing off…"

"Kuronue…"

"Sensei!"

Both spun around. Ariya had a worried expression on her face and she looked as if she had been running.

"Sensei…"

"What is it?"

"It's Yomi-san, Sensei. He…"

Kurama's heart sank. Yomi…

That night was a disaster. Kurama had rescued Yomi and the rest of the band but lost three of them. Some of the survivors were severely injured. Kurama held back his anger at being disobeyed. He himself had sustained a nasty cut on his arm, thanks to Yomi.

"Never. Do. That. Again." he said, breathing heavily, his eyes glinting with that killer glare of his.

…………

"Yomi really did it this time."

Kuronue was bandaging his leg while Ariya helped Kurama with his arm.

"I have a feeling this won't be the last time he'll do such a thing. You saw his face when I warned him just now. That guy just never learns…Ow!" Kurama winced slightly. The pain was a little unbearable. It was a good thing Ariya could nurse people superbly. Girls seemed to be more talented in this kind of stuff.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. Did I hurt you?"

Kuronue laughed. "Ariya-chan, don't mind him. He's a lot tougher than you think."

"Hey, you watch what you're saying. I don't want you messing around with her head."

Ariya laughed. "Well, Kuronue-san, I guess you're right."

'Her laughter. Such sweet laughter.' thought Kurama. He closed his eyes as he was lost in his memories again.

…………

So the young girl's name was Ariya. According to her, she had been living with her mother, her father having died during a war years ago. The two of them relied on each other to survive and her mother loved her a lot.

That day, everything seemed to be normal. News of a ruthless gang of bandits who burnt villages to the ground during raids had reached their village. Defense preparations had been made for according to rumor, they spared no one…

Unfortunately, they were too good for the villagers. The bandits attacked ruthlessly, killing all in their path. Women and children were not spared. They even set fire to the houses, laughing as their victims screamed in terror.

Ariya had been at the back of the house when she heard the chaos. Her mother, hearing the commotion, had locked her in her room later, warning her not to come out. She remembered crouching in fright, listening to the cold voices outside her room.

Suddenly, she heard her mother scream and evil laughter sent chills down her spine. She could see figures moving through the keyhole. Vaguely, she could hear a loud crackling noise. Then she was hit with a sudden realization – her house was on fire.

What happened next happened so quickly but to Ariya, it seemed like an eternity. The swish of the blade, the blood splattering the wall, a scream she'd never forget, laughter, evil laughter from people who didn't care, who killed for pleasure, who took her dear mother's life.

Then, their pleasure satiated, the bandits left her house, but not without taking any valuables they could find. The fire having spread to her door, the bandits didn't notice an extra door behind which concealed Ariya.

She remembered trying to break the door down to get to her mother. Having been weakened by the fire, the door fell down easily though she sustained injuries on her arms. She ran through the flames to her mother, knowing in her heart that she was too late, but she just didn't want to believe it. How long she had been crying there, Kurama didn't know. All he knew was she was the only survivor. Ariya's mother was not the only one to suffer that fate.

Being a thief himself, Kurama killed to survive too, sometimes. But this was different. These people killed for fun. He killed to survive. Somehow he felt a strong hatred and anger against these people…No, they didn't deserve to be called people or demons, they were worse than that.

…………

"Firstly, you have to learn how to defend yourself. You have to learn how to survive."

Ariya was exhausted. Kurama had set her on breaking a boulder by channeling her energy through her hands. He wasn't going to let her rest, though.

"Focus. We're not going to get anywhere if you can't concentrate."

"Harder. You have to focus!"

"Focus!"

Ariya collapsed in exhaustion. Her hands ached, her head spun, her small body quivered and she felt faint.

"Sensei," she gasped. " I can't do it."

"No. You're wrong. You can, you're just not trying hard enough."

Kurama turned and walked away, leaving her behind. "You still have a long way to go." He sighed. " Let's continue tomorrow. You're not going to get anywhere today, I can see."

After walking a distance, he paused by a tree. "Kuronue. You've been watching, haven't you?"

Kuronue emerged from behind a large oak. "You don't have to work her that hard, you know…"

"I have to. It's for her own good. Living with us, it's a dangerous business. And those bandits…"

He paused before saying: "Those bandits, if they learned that they left a survivor, I'm sure they'd want to finish the job."

"Yes, but still, asking her to break that boulder using her spirit energy with barely a day of training, how do you expect her to do it?"

Kurama looked straight into Kuronue's eyes.

"She'll have to learn, then."

…………

Later in the day, Kurama reentered the clearing. He was stunned when he did.

The clearing had been utterly destroyed. What remained of the boulder was just a pile of dust. He could sense traces of spirit energy. Strong, but untamed energy.

Ariya stood in the middle of the clearing. She was sweating and her hands were bleeding. All the energy in her had been drained. As he took one more step nearer, she collapsed.

Kurama caught her before she hit the ground. He smiled.

"Poor thing. Sleep well tonight. You've earned it."

…………

Ariya worked hard. As the years passed, she grew stronger, and although she still could not match Kurama's level of strength, she was considerably stronger than some of the others. Kurama was always very proud of his student, although he never showed it.

Now, the young demon became quite attached to Kurama. She obeyed his every command (not that he was always telling her to do stuff) and had a great amount of respect for the kitsune. Kuronue enjoyed the little girl's company too, for she was quite mature for a kid her age. And although no one else noticed, Kuronue knew Kurama was quite attached to the girl himself too.

One of the things he liked about Ariya was that she never let him down. She always did her best not to disappoint him and usually never did. Another thing was she never whined or threw tantrums like most kids. She never slowed him down too. She was unusually agile and possessed a lot of stamina. Even if she was tired, she would force herself to stay awake and Kurama knew it was all for him. She respected him and he knew that in her heart, he was her savior, the one who rescued her. And she was like something he had been missing in his life but had never noticed its absence.

And that was also why Kurama cared a lot for her.

"I'll never let anyone hurt her, not anymore."

End of Chapter 1 – Please submit your reviews, pretty please. I'll be hiding under the table in case you pelt rotten eggs at me:P

Chapter 2 – The Flower in Bloom will be coming up. That is unless I'm ambushed by an angry reader…