Youkai Love
By: Princess Lalaith
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Yu Yu Hakusho, except Erena, Hotaru (and Kurama! He is mine, mine, mine!) and of course this fic is mine too.
Chapter 1. Childhood friend or something more?
A lone figure walked through the various halls and passages of the Labyrinth Castle in the Phantom City. The figure was tall, slim, and seemed to be perfectly trained to pass by undetected; it crossed a stone room where various rocks laid carelessly around, then some other rooms half destroyed, until reaching a final one where a cool breeze could faintly be felt.
"Genbu, Byako, and Seiryu, the three of them have already been defeated." The figure murmured to nobody in particular. "That means that they're just missing Susaku…great, I arrive for the best part."
.---.
Urameshi Yuske, a brown eyed, black haired Spirit Detective had just disappeared though a window in the main tower of the castle, leaving behind his three friends to battle the horrendous enemies that kept coming.
Kuwabara Kazuma, a brown eyed, auburn haired young man was battling with the help of a spiritual sword; accompanied by Kurama and Hiei, two high leveled youkai who just happened to help the Reikai instead of the Makai, the first with emerald eyes and red hair and using a vine-like whip covered with thorns, and the second with deep scarlet eyes and jet black hair using a katana as a weapon.
And even when the enemies didn't seem to have even half the level of the three friends they were too many indeed, and as they didn't suffer pain nor fear, they proved to be a difficult kind of opponent.
Unexpectedly one of the 'Cultivated Men' (because that was their name) threw Kuwabara to a side, a side where the floor ended abruptly and became a pit of at least twelve meters high.
And just as unexpectedly, Kuwabara suddenly found himself laying in mid-air, in fact he seemed to be held by some kind of strange semi-transparent thread.
"Hey!" he tried to call his friends attention.
And he had all reason for wanting help, as his life was hanging from a thread, literally.
But before either Kurama or Hiei could move an inch someone seemed to pull the thread keeping Kuwabara in mid-air and sent him sprawling back on the stone-floor.
"You are such a cry baby." A keen voice scolded him from a side. "I was going to pull you up right away."
They all turned to see the owner of the voice and found someone fighting the monsters alongside with them. This figure was of middle height (about Yuske's height), slim, with long black hair hanging in two braids, wearing purple capris with lilac hem, as well as a lilac halter blouse and battle sandals of the same color, a silver-gray gabardine finished the attire.
'I've seen that hair…' Kurama thought suddenly. 'But it can't be…'
Just then the figure turned around facing them, they could all see the lavender eyes, and that the figure was a…woman!
"It can't be…" Kurama gasped.
Hiei, who was the only one to hear his companion's gasp and comment seemed quite surprised by it, who could this strange woman be to provoke such a reaction in Kurama?
"Seems you are having some difficulties here." She commented animatedly. "Wish for a little bit of help?"
"Sure." Kuwabara said immediately. "Any help would be wonderful."
"Shut your stupid mouth Kuwabara, we don't even know who this ningen is, or what she is doing here." Hiei said suspiciously.
"Two things Hiei: number one, I am not a ningen, I am a miko, and half youkai, and my name is Hotaru; number two: I have no interest in hurting you whatsoever, I, as a matter of fact, came to help you with this mission." She said it all in one breath.
"Did Koenma send you?" Hiei asked.
"Nope." Hotaru shook her head as she approached another enemy and punched him. "In fact I believe he doesn't even know I'm here, yet."
They all went back to fighting, and the three men could see Hotaru was really skilled in martial arts, and some strange talent like psychokinesis, they didn't know exactly.
After a while they finally managed to clear the way and entered the long staircase.
"So Hotaru, you work for that Koenma, like Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked.
"No." Hotaru shook her head. "I'm not a Spirit Detective like Urameshi Yuske, I'm in fact more like a messenger."
"You have too much skill in fighting to be a mere messenger." Hiei said still not trusting in her completely.
"You may be right." Hotaru admitted. "But I just learned what a friend of mine taught me some time ago."
She directed a significant look to Kurama, who seemed to just be ignoring her.
"Aren't you going to at least say Hello to me?" she asked, suddenly stopping.
Kurama stopped right at the same level as her, still silent.
Hiei and Kuwabara halted their steps a bit behind them, so as not to interrupt whatever was about to happen between those two.
"Is it that hard?" Hotaru asked. "I mean, after all we haven't seen each other for a long time, but I think I at least expected some kind of welcome from you, not that you would be ignoring me completely."
"What are you doing here?" Kurama asked.
"What!" she exclaimed. "Is that all you can say?"
"You said Koenma didn't send you, so then, why are you here?"
"I came to help. I got notice of what was happening down here, that Koenma had sent you and Hiei to help Yuske fight the Four Sacred Beast and thought you could use a hand."
"Last time you tried to give 'a hand' you almost died."
"I still think it was worth it. And I'm alive and well, am I not?"
"Still…"
"Is it because of what happened three years ago, isn't it? Do you still think I'm that weak and frightened girl that hid behind his best friend at the sight of some strange beings?" she didn't even expect an answer. "Well, then let me establish something, I'm not that girl anymore, and I'm not defenseless!"
As she said that she extended her left hand to a side, right to the approaching enemies the others had just noticed. What looked like a wave of a blue hue was shot right from her hand to the coming enemies, and at the contact it disintegrated them immediately.
There were no more words, Hotaru just went back to walking.
"Exactly what did just happen?" Kuwabara asked.
But nor Hiei nor Kurama answered him, one because he didn't know and the other because he didn't seem to want to talk about it, they just went behind Hotaru.
.---.
Nothing was said as the four individuals continued climbing stairs, trying to reach the room at the top of the tower, were a battle between Susaku and Yuske was taking place.
"We have to make haste!" Kuwabara said apprehensively. "Yuske is fighting that monster alone, he could be in problems."
"He is alright Kuwabara, do not worry." Hotaru assured him.
"How can you know?" Kuwabara asked.
"As I already told you I'm a miko, I can feel and see things others can't." Hotaru explained as if it were anything. "Yuske is fine, Susaku is indeed strong, but his greatest mistake is to underestimate his opponent just because he is ningen."
Just then there was an explosion and the castle shook violently. Hotaru lost her balance for a couple of very valuable seconds and was about to fall from the staircase and into the black pit, but right in time Kurama extended his hand and got hold of hers.
"Thank you." She murmured in a low tone.
"Great." Kuwabara said just then. "Now what?"
It was just then that Hotaru noticed that parts of the staircase, both before and behind them had just collapsed.
"How are we supposed to get to the top now?" Kuwabara asked.
Kurama turned to Hotaru, as if he were expecting something from her, and it seemed he was because she immediately nodded and raised her hands.
Suddenly thin threads seemed to come out from the tips of Hotaru's fingers; she began moving her hands with great ability, as if she were knitting something in the air, and after a few seconds they all noticed she was indeed knitting something in the air!
"Done." She said almost a minute later.
Right before them they saw what looked like some kind of ladder made of the thin semi-transparent thread.
"Is that safe?" Hiei asked, doubting.
"Of course it is!" Hotaru said angrily. "You can either use it or stay here until I come back."
And with that she immediately set foot at the end of the ladder and began climbing. The others could see the ladder supported her weight and she was climbing fast enough.
Before either Hiei or Kuwabara could decide whether if they should climb or not they saw Kurama jumping to the ladder and climbing fast. That was enough, they immediately went after him.
In almost no time the four of them were standing at the top of the spiral staircase.
"Safe enough for you?" Hotaru asked sarcastically.
"How did you do that?" Hiei asked.
"I told you I was half youkai, the powers I get from that side are related to the insects." Hotaru explained. "This in particular is spider's thread, like the one the common spiders use to make their webs, except this has the properties according to my size and level of power."
Kuwabara still didn't understand much, but preferred to leave it like that, he didn't want to look like an ignorant when Kurama and Hiei seemed to be understanding perfectly well what the woman meant.
And just then they reached the door to the highest room in that tower. They had just entered when they saw something incredible: Yuske with his spiritual energy to the top-limit, impacting with what seemed like seven images of Susaku, who at the same time had his own attack, the collision was devastating, as were the consequences.
Hotaru immediately extended her arms before her, this time there weren't any threads, but a light-blue halo (spiritual energy), it formed some kind of dome around the four of them, and it was like some kind of shield. The power-wave resulted from the impact between Yuske and Susaku hit Hotaru's shield hard, she fell on her knees, but refused to let the shield down.
Finally the energy cleared out and she lowered her hands, her breathing was heavy and erratic, she was just too exhausted.
"Are you alright?" Kurama asked kneeling next to her.
Hiei noticed he suddenly seemed really worried for the strange woman, now he was completely sure the kitsune knew something about her the others didn't.
"I'm fine." She replied, but it was plain obvious she wasn't.
"Shi…" Kurama began, it was obvious he wanted to say something important.
"I'll be fine, worry not." Hotaru interrupted him, she suddenly felt really dizzy. "I'm glad I saw you again…Shuichi…"
Those were her last words right before she fell limply on Kurama's arms.
"What happened?" Kuwabara asked worriedly.
"Nothing." Kurama answered getting back on his feet, with Hotaru in his arms. "She was just too tired and fainted."
.---.
Hotaru opened her eyes ever so slowly. She could feel a soft bed below her, so it was obvious she wasn't in the Labyrinth Castle any longer, she couldn't feel any presences in the same room as her so she took that as an indication she could open her eyes fully now.
"Where am I?" she wondered aloud.
It was just then that she noticed the neat room and discreet decoration, the book shelf full of novels of various authors, the desk with some notebooks of Calculus, Social Studies and Science, everything carefully accommodated, the whole room yelled one name: Shuichi.
"Damn…" She murmured between clenched teeth.
.---.
"What do you mean a girl helped you?" Yuske asked.
He had just recently woken up and was trying to understand completely what had happened to his friends while he battled Susaku.
"Just as you heard it Urameshi." Kuwabara said. "A girl appeared out-of-nowhere and helped us. She seemed to be really tired."
"Who was she? Where is she?" Yuske asked.
"I have no idea who she was, but Kurama here seems to know a lot about her." Kuwabara said as a matter of fact.
Kurama didn't answer, he just stood from his chair and went to the door.
"What was the girl's name?" Botan asked curiously.
"I believe she said her name was Hotaru." Kuwabara answered.
"What!" Botan cried out. "Hotaru? Oh for all the spirits! Koenma was so worried when she disappeared, we didn't know where to find her."
"You know who that girl Kuwabara talks about is?" Yuske asked Botan.
"Yes." Botan nodded. "She works for Koenma, she is a messenger of the Reikai."
They heard a door open, apparently Kurama was about to leave.
"Wait a moment Kurama, you know her, who is she?" Yuske asked from the bedroom's door.
"A childhood friend of mine." Was all the green-eyed said before he closed the door.
.---.
Flashback
A green-eyed, red-haired little boy was standing at a bedroom's door, trying to convince a lavender-eyed, black-haired small girl of coming out to play with him; they both seemed to be around five years old.
"Come, I don't want to hurt you." The boy assured her. "I just want to be your friend."
"Friend?" She asked, unsure.
"Yes." The boy nodded. "My name is Minamino Shuichi, what's yours?"
"Teien, Teien Shiruvya." The girl answered.
And ever so slowly she walked out of the room and to Shuichi.
"So, you want us to be friends?" Shuichi proposed.
"Yes." Shiruvya immediately nodded.
End of Flashback
"The first true friend I ever had." Shuichi (Kurama) murmured to himself. "I at first thought it was for the best, as she was so little and completely alone in the world. Mom said that's why she adopted her, and once I met her I saw she was a wonderful person. My dear sister, my best friend."
Flashback
"Shuichi-kun! Shi-chan! Dinner is ready!" Shiori called to both kids.
"Coming!" both answered in unison.
This time the kids seemed to be about seven years old. They were really close, the best friends anyone could find. It had been three years already since they had first met, and they were so close, as if they had been born together, it was almost magical.
End of Flashback
"We always did everything together." Shuichi continued. "Mom said it was almost as if we couldn't stay apart one from the other."
Flashback
A ten year old Shiruvya watched in awe as her friend turned a small seed into a beautiful red rose in full bloom.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "It's wonderful Shuichi!"
Shuichi smiled at her.
"How can you do that?" Shiruvya asked.
"It's…magic." Shuichi answered.
"Can you teach me how to do it?" Shiruvya asked.
"No." Shuichi shook his head. "This is a magic just I can do."
"Mmm…" She seemed disappointed. "I want to have magic too."
"Just wait, you'll see one day you'll have your own magic."
End of Flashback
"She was the only person I ever showed the abilities I acquired when I finally woke up as Youko Kurama." He sighed. "She was the only one I truly trusted. She believed it was magic. And I told her she would one day have her own magic, just so she wouldn't feel bad about it. It was meant to be a joke but…"
Flashback
Shiori was out for the afternoon, buying groceries. Shuichi had been helping Shiruvya with her homework and they were now getting something for dinner ready to surprise the mother. They were twelve years old already.
Suddenly Shiruvya trembled slightly.
"Are you alright?" Shuichi asked.
"Something's wrong…" she whispered.
It was all the warning they got. Suddenly the glass-door to the back-garden broke into a thousand pieces and four individuals with strange looks entered the house.
"Shuichi!" Shiruvya yelled in panic.
Shuichi immediately stood before Shiruvya, hands extended to the sides.
"So the brat wants to feel all grown up to protect his ningen friend?" one of the strange beings mocked. "I expected better from the reincarnation of the great Youko Kurama."
This alerted both kids that they were in problems, great problems.
"Shiruvya. Stay behind me." Shuichi ordered.
And as Shiruvya stepped back, trying to remain as far away as possible from the monsters, Shuichi tried to fight off his opponents using the abilities he had just recently begun showing. But he wasn't used to them, and sooner than expected one of the demons got him from the side and inflicted a deep cut in him.
"Shuichi!" Shiruvya cried out.
Something strange happened just then and a moment later Suichi saw how one of the demons collapsed to the floor, he looked like a needle case, all covered in something that looked like some kind of needles or… stings?
"Another demon!" one of the attackers cried out.
"What?" Shuichi was confused at everything.
"Kill her!" Another of the demons yelled.
"No!" Shuichi cried out.
He tried to defend Shiruvya, but he himself was having trouble.
It all happened so fast…One of the demons attacked Shuichi from behind, there was nothing he could do to protect himself, but just in the last moment Shiruvya dashed to him, receiving the attack that was meant for him.
"No!" Shuichi cried out.
End of Flashback
The memories of the green-eyed young man were abruptly interrupted when he sensed something was happening inside the apartment where he was heading. He ran as fast as he could the remaining meters to the door, entered, and not caring to lock he hurried to his bedroom.
"Shiruvya!" he called right as he opened the door to the bedroom.
There, the young lavender eyed black-haired woman was standing in the balcony, she seemed to be about to jump off.
"Damn…" she cursed under her breath.
"Why were you gonna leave so suddenly?" Kurama asked. "You aren't even fully healed, it could be dangerous for you."
For a moment she didn't answer, apparently too occupied with getting a lock of her dark hair (which she now had loose) behind her ear; or maybe it was the fact she didn't know what to say to him.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She assured him. "Like I was when you left me in the Reikai all alone three years ago…"
Ouch…Those words hurt, really deep, and they brought more memories to the reincarnation of Youko Kurama.
Flashback
"No!" he cried out in panic. "Shiruvya!"
He held his beloved friend in his arms as she could stand no more; a deep wound in her stomach bleeding profusely.
"Shuichi…" she gasped. "You're alright…I'm glad." She managed to smile through the pain.
"Why did you do that?" Shuichi asked.
"I couldn't let them hurt you." She explained. "I just…couldn't…you're…my…friend…"
"Oh Shiruvya…"
"Shuichi…don't cry…I l…"
She said no more, she had just fell unconscious from loss of blood.
This seemed to awake a part of Shuichi he didn't know he had, the part of his soul that belonged once to the demon Youko Kurama. He used his powers and in no time at all killed the three demons that still stood there. Then, using the knowledge he had from his past life he took Shiruvya in his arms and traveled with her to the Reikai.
He knew they would never accept to help her if they knew the one who brought her was a feared youkai, so he just left her there, with a note pleading for help, he knocked on the door, and left, all the way crying.
End of Flashback
"Do you know how much it pained me to know you didn't even wait for someone to come out and see me?" She asked, grudge dripping in her voice. "Do you have even the slightest idea of how much I cried night after night for you? Wondering where you were, and if you were alright, fearing what those demons might have done to you, trying to guess why you weren't there by my side. Because my naïve mind didn't believe it possible that you could have left your so called 'best friend' lying on the floor alone when she was bleeding to death."
Slowly, each of her words were like knives hurting deep into Kurama's heart, but he deserved it, and he knew it, he had left her alone, when she needed him the most. Even if he believed back then he was doing it for her best, even then she didn't see it that way.
"Can you give me just a small chance to try and explain to you?" he asked.
After a couple of seconds she finally complied.
Kurama pulled her from the balcony and into the bedroom, they sat at his bed.
"Maybe you won't believe me, but I thought I was doing it for your own good." Kurama explained. "We were barely eleven, and still I already possessed the power of a full-grown youkai. I had just discovered all the power I really possessed when I killed the demons who attacked us." He sighed. "Back then I didn't even understand what those strange needles you threw to that other monster meant."
"The first time I used my powers as Hotaru." Shiruvya cut in.
"Yes." He nodded. "But when I saw you bleeding in my arms, I knew you needed more help than a mere ambulance. I thought you could receive that kind of help in the Reikai."
"I understand why you got me there. But why didn't you stay?"
"Because I feared they wouldn't help you if they saw me. I feared they wouldn't help you for being friend with a youkai like me."
"And still, I am a youkai myself."
"Yes you are."
"And they helped me. They healed my injuries and helped me recover. They taught me to use the powers I posses as the youkai Hotaru, and my spiritual powers too. After two years I finally had the emotional strength to ask them about you. And I got to see you in an apartment, with your mother, leaving happily as if nothing had happened."
"You're wrong Shiruvya. I wasn't happy. I haven't been happy ever since you left."
"I don't know if I can believe in you any longer Shuichi…"
He was about to say something else when suddenly the doorbell ran. He went to answer it and found someone unexpected at the door.
"Yuske?" Kurama asked.
"Kurama, great to see you're home." Yuske said. "Botan asked me to deliver a message to your friend. Koenma wants to see her and…"
Yuske interrupted himself when he noticed Kurama had left him talking alone and had gone back inside his apartment. He followed his red-haired friend to his room, where he was holding the arm of the black-haired woman, apparently the one Kuwabara had told him about.
"You can't leave Shiruvya." Kurama said seriously.
"I can, and I will." Shiruvya replied. "And you will do nothing about it. You will just stand there and see me leave, like you did before!"
"No, not this time." He replied firmly. "If you go back to the Reikai, then I'll just have to follow you there."
"You can't do that."
"I can and I will, if that's what I need to do to make you understand I want you by my side then so be it."
Yuske was utterly confused by everything that was being said, not understanding anything of what was happening.
"You didn't care about my feelings when you left me years ago." Shiruvya spat at him. "Why should I care about yours now?"
"Don't say that Shiruvya." Shuichi murmured. "I cared about your feelings back then, and I care now, it would be impossible for me not to care, you're too important to me."
"If I am why did you had to wait for me to come to see me?" she retorted. "I know you were recently on the Reikai. Why didn't you look for me then?"
"I was too ashamed of what I had done with the Ankokukyo."
"I know why you did it. And if you had come to me for help I could have helped you. Healing is one of my abilities as a miko; I could have healed your mother, you know I care about her. Shiori was a mother for me for seven years, she took me in her care when nobody else cared if I lived or I died."
"Shiruvya…"
"Stop calling me that way! We're no longer who we used to be. You're no longer Minamino Shuichi, you're now Youko Kurama; just as I'm no longer Teien Shiruvya, but Hotaru."
"No, that's not true. Even with demonic powers I'm still Shuichi, just as much as you're still Shiruvya. We're still friends."
"When are you gonna understand we can't be friends!"
"Why? We were back when we were kids."
"Nothing can be like when we were kids. Even before we got apart, when we were twelve, I already felt we couldn't continue being friends."
"Why not?"
"Because I love you! I love you, damn it!"
She almost immediately regretted having said that aloud. But still the reaction she got from him wasn't the expected.
"Then all the more reason for you to stay with me." Shuichi declared confidently.
And before she could say something or even move Shuichi pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss.
Now, for those who know me and might be wondering, no I wasn't dead. I in fact was very deeply inspired and working in several fics at once. This is one of them.
I am a great fan of YYH ever since my soul-sister, Mihara, introduced me to this ánime less than two years ago. Ever since I saw Kurama I thought he was the most incredible bishonen I had ever seen, and that brought me to write this fic, "Youkai Love". You may have noticed already a part of it will be the same ánime most of us may have seen already but wit the obvious variations the presence of extra characters may imply. This means of course slight changes in the rescue of Yukina, and of course the Dark Tournament; I will also include the Sensui Saga, in which part another new character will make its appearance (you'll see it when the moment comes).
In this first part of my fic you my be able to find a lot of KuramaOC romance, though of course without leaving out the usual battles against he evil guys and the stories of the rest of Reikai Tantei. I have big lans for this story, including a possible series once this is over, but it will all depend on you, readers, if you like this.
At last I will tell you that this isn't the only chapter that has been written, in fact more han half of this story is aleady on computer and waiting to be posted. Though, the frequency of the updates will depend on how many reviews I recieve and in how interested you people are in the story.
I think I've said it all, Arigato. See you in the next chapter (hopefully soon).