(A/N:Well,everyone. I'm about to attempt what seems like the impossible to me. Writing an original YYH fic. I will warn you….I'm not completely knowledgeable about the whole anime, but since I'm doing something a little different, I think I can wing it. I hope you will not criticize too badly, and leave reviews with ideas to help.)

Chapter One-The Promise of a Friend

Kurama was a leader. He never liked following. He'd led his friends and family to the solitary island the village of the Kitsune lived on now. His breed were solitary creatures to begin with, but Kurama was more so a loner than most. He had one person that kept him company, and that was the girl-child Marcella, whom was his goddaughter. She was the daughter of his late childhood friend, Kuri, who'd died in the last war against looters. Kurama remembered his dying words. "Promise me,Kurama..Promise you will take care of my little Cella. She won't understand."

"I promise. No harm will come to her in my care." He'd vowed, as his friend took his last breath. Kurama had then moved the two-year-old Marcella to his own den. He kept constant watch on her. He knew things about that child that no one else knew, and he knew because Kuri'd told him. The girl was half-human. Her mother, Arla had been mortal, and human. She'd died in childbirth, leaving Kuri to care for his baby daughter alone. Soon after that, Kuri moved her back to the kitsune village, against Kurama's advice.

No one knew about her half blood, yet, and Kurama hoped it wouldn't be discovered. More so, hoped that Marcella would take after her father, and produce a tail, or ears. . Something to confirm that she could pass for a full-blooded Kitsune.

At the age of four, Marcella had the same soulful brown eyes as her father. Her hair was a sea blue, and it was soft. Kurama guessed her mother's hair had been that color. This morning, she was curled up against the thoughtful Kurama, sucking her thumb, as she slept. The night before, she'd had a stomach ailment that Kuri's sister, Sita came to fix. She didn't like her aunt Sita at all, and Marcella got the impression the feelings were mutual.

Kurama shifted himself, so that he could get up without waking the child. It was time for him to get up and do his rounds. I won't be long, he thought to himself, as he moved out of their den. He went around to check on everyone. Nearly every family had new cubs this spring, and their food supply was going down again. He would have to send some of their hunters to get more. "Hey, Sita. How's the bunch this morning?"

"Fair, Kurama. How's my little niece?"

"She's doing good. Sleeping still. She had a rough night last night, you know." Kurama watched as twin cubs, one with a tail, the other with ears, tussled with each other. "Careful, Sita. Those twins are going to be a handful." He chuckled, and moved on to the other dens.

Most of them were just waking up. He moved stealthily, so as not to disturb them. He was only patrolling to make sure nothing fishy was going on. In the last few days, they'd been a few mild threats, but nothing serious. Still, it was Kurama's job to make sure nothing would happen to anyone. When he was certain that things were in order, he walked out of the gates towards the long river, where mail would be delivered to him.

He was waiting patiently for a letter to arrive from the Spirit Detectives. As much as he enjoyed the island, Kurama missed out on adventures, and the SD had been pretty quiet lately.

Sure enough when he got to the jetty, there was a package. Yusuke had signed it. "Yes!" Kurama opened the package, and four letters fell out. "Damn…must really miss me." Kurama grinned to himself, as he picked up the first letter, and began to read.

It wasn't just that they missed him. They were asking for him to come back to work for them for a while. They were stuck on an assignment. By the time he got finished with the final letter, from Hiei, he was convinced. He had to go to work.

However, his plans to just leave a note and go were deterred, once he remembered Marcella. "Damn…I can't go. Who's going to watch Marcella?" He sighed deeply, as he headed back towards the village. When he got back to their den, Marcella was already awake, and playing with her counting sticks. "Morning, Baby." He said, as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Wook,Wama…I maked ten!" Marcella had never called him Daddy, because Kurama had never told her to. Instead, he'd taught her to call him Kurama, or Rama, as she mostly did.

"Wow! Hey, that's really good,Cella!" He grinned broadly, sincerely impressed. He'd been trying to teach her how to count for months. It hadn't seemed to sink in, but now,he understood that she worked things out in her own time. Must be how humans work, he thought to himself in wonderment. "Listen, Cella…I have to go see some friends."

"Who dey?" She asked him, her brown eyes looking up at him.

"People I work with sometimes. They need my help." Kurama watched her lower lip curve into a pout, and he hastened to add," I won't be gone long,Baby. I promise." He reached down, and picked her up. He realized how comfortable this was, and smiled to himself. Heh…the SDs will certainly be surprised to learn I'm playing the role of Daddy, Kurama thought, as he stroked her soft blue hair.

"Can I goes too?" Marcella asked softly.

"I…no, Cella. I don't think that's a good idea. I'm going to see if Zura will keep you for me." Kurama had truthfully been thinking about asking Sita, since she was the girl's only living relative on the kitsune side, but he knew Sita despised her, and Marcella hated Sita too, so the wise woman, Zuri was the next best choice. "Let's go talk to her, okay?" He carried Marcella on his back, which she loved, to Zura's den. "Zura, a word."

The wise woman stepped out,and looked up at her leader. "What is it, Kurama?"

"I've an important job for you, Zura. I want you to take care of my goddaughter for a little while."

"I would love to take care of her,sir, but I've no room in my den for her. Why not ask Sita?" Zura was staring at the little girl, sympathetically.

"I will not leave my child in her care, Zura. They've a mutual hate for each other."

"Perhaps you can take her with you?" Zura asked, nervously.

"I cannot." Kurama returned evenly. "Zura, I will now command you. Watch over my baby." He handed her over to the woman, and turned to go.

"Kurama…." Zura let it drop, and carried the child into her den, with sigh.

Kurama looked back at the woman's den. I promise, Cella. I'll be back before you know it. He grabbed his pre-packed bags, and left. He never guessed this would be the month of the Rouge Spirits.