Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or McCaffrey

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter One: The Unknown Child

Hiei flew through the barrier slightly in front of Kurama. He was watching Yusuke and Kuwabara fight when he heard Kurama yell. He looked back to see the wall of the tunnel cave in on the kitsune. A few seconds later Hiei landed by the two spirit detectives. Yusuke looked around, "Hey where's Kurama?"

"The tunnel swallowed and sent him somewhere else." Hiei said.

"Where else could he go?" Yusuke asked. Hiei only shrugged.

'I just hope he's alright.'


Late at night a young girl stood restlessly outside of Igen Caverns. Aramina watched her father struggle to harness Nudge and Shove to their wagon. Her mother, Barla, joined Aramina and seeing her husband's plight handed the girl her little sister Nexa.

"Watch her for me." Once the beasts were moving Nexa had woken up and squirmed to get down. Pell, her brother, walked alongside the wagon barely awake. The dray beasts plodded on hauling the wagon that held all their belongings. They reached the banks of the Igen River. Suddenly Barla stopped and squinting in the darkness walked a ways before crouching down.

"Dowell! Dowell come here." She called to her husband. Dowell joined his wife and stared at what had captured her attention.

"A child? Where did it come from? Do you suppose he wandered from the caverns?" Dowell asked.

"No he's not holdless. Look at his clothes. Their strange and no families missing a child."

"Red hair. A rarity around these parts. Any noble family missing such a child would send out to find him if he belonged to them. So he must be an orphan." Dowell mused.

"What are we to do? We can't leave him. Threadfall is coming! He'll die if we leave him. Unless Lady Holdless Thella herself doesn't find him and exploit the red hair."

"Then we take him with us." Dowell said.

Barla nodded and scooped up the small child. She went over to where Aramina and Pell were standing.

"'Mina carry him please. I have to help your father with the dray beasts." She said handing the child to her. Aramina settled the child on her back.

"He's so light. How old do you think he is?" Aramina asked.

"No more than three turns I believe."

After crossing the border between Igen and Lemos they traveled slightly slower pace. They traveled deep into the woods of Lemos, Aramina carrying the child who continued to sleep. As night fall drew near Dowell and Barla franticly searched for shelter. Entering a cave that Dowell deemed adequate Barla and Nexa set about fixing some dinner.

"What I wouldn't give for a cup of klah." Barla said brewing some watered down tea. "'Mina. Bring him here." Aramina went and knelt by the fire. Its orange light cast on the boy turning his hair a blood red color.

"Mama he hasn't wakened all day." She said laying him down. Worried Barla placed a hand on his head.

"He has a temperature." Barla said taking a blanket and wrapping it around the unconscious child. After giving her children a light supper she sent them off to bed. As they settled into the sleeping furs Dowell came to sit beside her and the child. Once he thought the children were asleep he turned to his wife.

"He's a small child. Is it possible he won't survive?" he asked.

"It doesn't seem too sever. So I don't see any reason why not. Hmm what should we call him? If we're going to keep him as our own he needs a name."

"Don't think about naming him until he survives. If he dies and you've named him, losing him will only be harder on you and the children."

"I like Raenel. It suits him." Barla said ignoring her husband's premonitions.

"You wish to name him after the dragonrider? Although you're right, like R'nel the Bronze he too has flame red hair. A rare occurrence then as it is now. Do as you please but wait on telling the children." Dowell said laying down Barla joining him after a moment.


The next morning the deadly Threadfall kept them inside the cave. Nexa and Pell sat at the entrance watching the guardians of Pern flame the deadly Thread.

"Dragonmen must fly, when Thread is in the sky." Dowell recited the age old idiom seeing the bursts of flame that charred the menace that threatened their existence. He turned back to his wife who kneeling over the child.

"How is Raenel?" he asked.

"He's gotten a fever sometime in the night." Barla said worriedly. Dowell walked over and sat down by Raenel.

"This isn't good. Thella following us and no money for a healer. Do you know what ails him?"

"No. I've not seen anything like this." Barla sobbed losing hope.

"Then I suppose al we can do is wait and see."


SMK: that is the intro. Any questions just ask. Review and tell me if this is worth doing.