All Because of a Kitsune
Midnight Visitors
Disclaimer: Are you out of your mind?!?! I don't own this stuff! I only own Alexeron Jiyoukai!
Kitsune watched his mistress drift into slumber after one last cry. He was happy she would get over the hanyou-no-baka, but now he would have to hound the next suitor that came to call. The fox sighed before suddenly tensing at the unexpected arrival of another youkai.
He growled low in his throat as the window was opened from the outside. A figure dressed in black climbed onto the windowsill, but didn't come in all the way. Through the dark Kitsune made out blood crimson eyes, black hair, a black cloak, and a sheathed sword in it.
The figure gave a barely noticeable sigh of relief at the sleeping, unharmed, girl. Then he seemed to become of aware of the fox standing protectively by her side and narrowed his eyes slightly.
/Let me guess, Alexeron?/ The voice ran through Kitsune's mind and his ice-colored eyes widened fractionally. /Koenma is sending me and the three other spirit detectives to find you tomorrow./ The youkai settled himself to sit on the windowsill and gazed out at the moon.
So, are you going to arrest me, Jaganshi? Alexeron asked cockily. I may to in a weaker form, but you're still going to have a hard time catching me. He heard Hiei snort.
/Don't count on it. I put Kagome's happiness before Koenma's orders./ Hiei turned back to gaze at the sleeping miko. /She accepted me without even knowing me; I tried to discourage her, I even told her that I was a forbidden child, but she never stopped smiling./ A smile unknowingly crept across his face, while Alexeron just nodded knowingly.
She saved me, though part of me thinks that Sesshomaru set it up. She and her kit were running from him, and they 'just happened' to come across my injured body, and Sesshomaru 'mysteriously' stopped following them. A chuckle crossed over to Hiei's mind. She healed me, careful not to purify me, and you could say that I grew attached to her after that. Alexeron joined the forbidden child in gazing fondly at the girl, before growling slightly.
Hiei tensed and spread the senses of his jagan out across the shrine. Sensing nothing, he looked at Alex questioningly. Normally he would have glared, but this was a taiyoukai, in kitsunemata form or not, and one that had Kagome's respect, friendship, and protection, whether or not she knew of his real power or not, so he would respect him as well.
Alexeron noticed Hiei's gaze and stopped growling, but had what appeared to be a scowl on his fox face. Sighing slightly, he projected images of earlier that night… well, five hundred years ago, but to them that night. Hiei's crimson eyes narrowed at the sight of Kagome's crying. If that wasn't a sign of his anger, then the clenching of his fists and the tightening of his jaw were.
/If he shows up tomorrow, I don't care if I get thrown in Reikai Prison, I'll kill him./ Hiei's anger was rolling off him in waves, and was very contagious since Kagome wasn't awake.
I would join you, but Kagome would be upset, not only that he died, but that you got thrown into prison. Alexeron watched as Hiei's expression of fury faded into one of resignation then indifference. That does not mean, however, that we have to be nice to the baka. Hiei smirked slightly at the remark, evil plans already forming in both their minds at the torture they could bestow on the baka.
/It's odd. I don't show this much emotion to my teammates, and I've been working with them for two years./ The forbidden child smirked slightly at the irony of the situation. /And here I've just met you./
Alexeron nodded at him then looked at Kagome again. Maybe it's her; she always has a calming aura around her that could probably get even Sesshomaru to relax. If Hiei had been any other demon, he would have laughed out loud. It was common knowledge that the Lord of Makai hadn't relaxed completely for five hundred years.
Their chuckling died down as the object of their discussion mumbled something in her sleep. /It's hard to believe that she's seen so much evil and bloodshed, yet she remains as innocent as Yukina./ The forbidden child thought to himself, but Alexeron caught the faint comment.
Yukina? His head cocked to the side in curiosity. Hiei flinched at his lax guard before he answered.
/Yukina is my younger sister, but she is nothing like me, and she doesn't know I'm her brother./ Hiei looked back out at the night. /I don't want her to know, because she deserves a better brother than me./
Alexeron watched him before shaking his head. Baka. If she had thought that you would be perfect, she wouldn't have come looking for you. The cursed taiyoukai ignored his companion's warning growl and continued. If she has any sense, she'll know that a perfect brother is probably dead by now. Besides, you've been protecting her, so you are a good brother.
Hiei paused and gave his traditional "Hn," before tensing at the burst of energy from the direction of the well house.
Hiei leapt to the cover of the shadows and covered his scent and aura with his jagan, while Alexeron moved to stand between his mistress and the still open window, growling dangerously with his fur bristled.
A figure clad in red with silver hair appeared at the window, sniffing the air (AN: Guess who.) "I could've sworn that I smelled another demon here." His silver puppy ears twitched as he heard someone growling. Gold eyes caught ice blue as he saw the kitsune standing in front of Kagome.
"Hey, Kitsune, what're you doin' here?" Inuyasha failed to realize that the object of the fox's anger was himself, as well as the heated glare directed at him from the shadows. "Anyway, I've gotta give that wench a piece of my mind; leavin' like that. And I-" Inuyasha stopped ranting, which was good or else Hiei would have gutted him then. "Why was she crying?" His voice was softer, but that did little to lessen either youkai's anger.
Alexeron reluctantly backed down as the hanyou came forward, but he was ready to bite the hanyou's hand off if he hurt Kagome. Inuyasha had smelled the trace of salt in that air, and it could only be the miko's tears. He gently stroked her face, conscious of the faint tearstains trailing down her cheeks. He lost all will to lecture her at the sight of her peaceful form.
He walked back to the window and got ready to leave. "Tell her that I'll be back tomorrow, we've got to go back; Sesshomaru's expecting her." Not really expecting anyone to really tell her, he jumped out the window. His disappearance was soon followed by the burst of energy from the well.
"Hn." Hiei allowed his shield to fall and stepped out from the shadows. /Should we tell her?/ He turned to Alexeron while keeping up his mask of indifference.
The fox nodded. If only to show up the hanyou a little. Besides, I'm curious to see if she knows what Sesshomaru-sensei wants to see us for. Hiei nodded in agreement and made to shake the miko to wake her up. Don't tell her who I am. I don't want her to know yet. Alexeron turned his head away in embarrassment; Hiei just nodded and shook Kagome's shoulder.
Mumbling something akin to, "What do you want now?" Kagome slowly opened her eyes. "Hiei!" She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes a little. "What's up?" She was smiling, but the forbidden child could see that it didn't reach her eyes. Just like the detective said: she'll do anything to keep from dropping her problems on anyone else.
Hiei sighed unnoticeably and looked her over again. She had a few cuts and bruises and only one new scar this time. Once she had come through the well half-dead and he had carried her into the house for her mother to clean her up; afterwards she had thanked him and apologized for getting his clothes bloody. Since then, he had come to see her off, and made sure he came the moment he felt the well's energy to make sure she was alright when she came back.
"I was starting to get worried when you didn't show up to meet me." Kagome's smile widened when he smirked slightly.
"Did you really want me to come here to see you in tears?" Kagome stiffened at his words, but his face softened slightly. "The fox showed me." The miko's face fell a little and she nodded. "The fox is actually part of the reason I came."
"Three others and I were sent to fetch him to see why he suddenly reappeared after five hundred years." Kagome smiled sheepishly before letting him continue. "I'll warn you now, one of these three claimed to be your cousin, Yusuke."
Kagome's head jerked in his direction, eyes wide and mouth open. "Yu-Yusuke knows about demons?" She couldn't believe that her punk of a cousin would actually believe this kind of thing, though apparently he had changed just as much as she had in the past year.
Hiei nodded before changing the subject. "The hanyou came while you slept." The forbidden child paused, studying her reaction; it wasn't quite what he expected.
A faint smile, he could deal with; tears were harder, but he had expected that over this.
An expression completely devoid of all emotion crept on her face. The smile he had come to associate with the young miko looked as if it would never return, and, for some strange reason, if pained him to see her that way. Taking a glance at Alexeron, Hiei could see that this was distressing to him, too.
"He was ranting then he must have smelled the salt from your tears, because he stopped and turned to leave, saying that he'll be back tomorrow because Sesshomaru wanted to see you." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Any idea what that's about?"
Kagome shook her head. She still wasn't over Inuyasha quite yet, and to get over him, she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Then there was her issue with Yusuke; how was she going to hide the jewel and kitsune from him?
"What am I going to do about Yusuke?" She allowed fear into her voice and face, because she could see that acting like Sesshomaru was making her guests uncomfortable. "I can deal with Inuyasha, it is Yusuke and the other two I'm worried about."
Hiei nodded and frowned slightly in concentration. If she and Yusuke had been really close, no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him; but if they hadn't been too close, he might be able to cast an illusion to hide her scars and she would be able to pull off the rest.
"We'll probably be able to trick Yusuke, Kuwabara won't be hard to trick, but his spirit awareness is high, so we'll have to hide both your and the fox's aura. Kurama will be harder; he's the kitsune avatar and can piece things together quickly, so be careful what you say to him." Hiei explained. He didn't want the fox to find out about Kagome; she was like his secret, one that Koenma didn't even know about, that was why he had been irritated when the detective knew about her. "Also, you'll need to act as if you know me, and probably you'll be able to act as if you're just suffered a heartbreak if needed."
Kagome smiled a little up at him then nodded. "I don't know if I can fool Yusuke, but hopefully Inuyasha will come before of after you and the others come." Her smile faded and turned into a scowl. "I hate to see what Yusuke would do if he found even a hanyou here; he's very protective."
Hiei snorted. "If the hanyou does show up and the detective is here, I'm not going to stop the fight." Kagome smiled and pulled the kitsune into her lap.
Hiei heard the taiyoukai purring as she pet him both in and out of his mind. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he could have sworn he saw the fox smirk.
Watching him, the forbidden child allowed his crimson eyes to widen. As the moonlight fell through the window, and onto the miko and fox, he saw a translucent image hovering over Alexeron. With his head on the girl's lap, was the image of the taiyoukai in his full glory and humanoid form. He laid on the bed with his eyes closed, still purring.
Hiei blinked in shock and looked again, but the image was gone.
"Hiei?" Kagome's worried voice broke him from his trance. "I've been trying to talk to you, but you didn't seem to hear me." The kitsune smirked again.
You saw it, didn't you? Hiei ignored him and turned back to Kagome, who was talking a little cheerfully again.
"You know, this is the most you and I have talked to each other." The forbidden child gave a short 'hn' then turned back to the night.
"You should get some sleep; we'll both have a troublesome day tomorrow." Hiei gazed at the shrine, watching the fireflies dance around the yard. The shrine emitted a peaceful aura, calming even him. Besides making sure that Kagome was alright, the forbidden child often came here to relax in the boughs of the Goshimboku.
"Alright; good night, Hiei." Alexeron crawled off her lap and watched her lie down. "Good night, Kitsune." He licked her face then listened for her breathing to even out, signaling that she had fallen asleep.
She really if more special than she believes; she deserves better than that hanyou can give her. Hiei nodded absently, not really paying attention. His thoughts were back to his dilemma with the other Spirit Detectives.
If they did figure out about Kagome, the well, and Alexeron, then what would happen? If the two stayed, Koenma would find out about them and probably blackmail them into becoming Spirit Detectives, but if they left, who knew when they would come back.
We would come back; Kagome wouldn't be able to stay away from her family for too long. The taiyoukai watched Hiei, looking into his mind once in a while to make sure he wasn't thinking too hard. He had tried that once, if hurt his head.
Hiei nodded again, turning to watch the miko sleep. In a way, she was a closer friend to him than Kurama and, other than his sister, she was the only one he would truly admit to being afraid to lose. She knew that he hadn't told Yukina about their relationship, but, unlike the others, she didn't push him to tell her. Sure, she would drop hints that he should do it sooner rather than later, but that was all. Hiei respected her for being able to survive in the Feudal Era, for being one of the few real mikos left, and for having the stamina to go back after all the times the hanyou had broken her heart.
Alexeron watched the forbidden child, also thinking. They both agreed that Inuyasha wasn't worthy of Kagome, and they both liked the girl on some level. They were also worried about what would happen tomorrow.
The taiyoukai had worked too hard to escape Enma's clutches as a kit, he wasn't about to get caught by his son. He had escaped to the past through the Bone Eater's Well three hundred years ago. He spent that same amount of time in the past, becoming stronger and gaining the status of a taiyoukai under the tutelage of Sesshomaru himself, and now he was a kitsunemata and back home, three hundred years after he left.
While he had been waiting for Kagome to finish crying, he had been speaking with the spirits residing around the shrine, learning how Spirit World dealt with things nowadays. Apparently Koenma was more lenient on runaway demons, but demons were still forced back into Makai, even if they didn't wish any harm to humans. Alex didn't want to go back to Makai, not when he had to take care of Kagome.
Hiei sighed inwardly and turned to the kitsune. /Before I leave, answer me on question./ After seeing his affirmative nod, he continued. /What was that image when you were on Kagome's lap?/
Alexeron snickered across their minds. That was simply my original form. It comes through sometimes, mostly when I'm either angry or extremely content. Once when I was completely enraged, I was able to completely transform, but was so exhausted afterwards that I returned to this form. After that, Kagome found me, and the image has been coming through more often since then. The witched taiyoukai smiled at the miko. I think Kagome is the key for me to return to my true form, though if I have to leave her side afterwards, I'll gladly stay in this form.
Hiei nodded. /I'll be back tomorrow with the others. Kagome will be able to pull this off; she's smarter than people give her credit for./ Alexeron nodded at him and watched him disappear from the windowsill.
This will be an interesting day. He looked to Kagome and curled up beside her, resting his head against her. I hope you're ready for this, Kagome. He fell asleep shortly after, and anyone watching would have seen a nearly solid image of a beautiful kitsune taiyoukai with seven tails lying beside the miko with his arms wrapped around her, and her head tucked under his chin. Still asleep, the miko tried to wrap on of her arms around him, only to whimper when all she met was air.
AN: I'M SORRY!!! I didn't mean to not update for so long, honest! I really sorry, and the next chapter will be up sooner, hopefully.
Anyway, the poles so far: Kag/Alex: 11, Kag/Kur: 4, Kag/Hiei: 2, Alex/Kag/Kur: 3, Alex/Kag/Hiei:2, Alex/Kur/Kag/Hiei: 1. Come ON, people! Alex is beating everyone mercilessly! (I didn't know that he would be so popular….) Thanks for voting, continue please, and review please!
Oh, and there is going to be a surprise about Alex coming in like Chapter 8 or 9, I don't think any of you will be able to guess, but you're welcome to try. ;P
Starry T. Nickolian
