Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or show of YuYu Hakusho and Inu Yasha.
Chapter 8
Further downstream the orange kitsune came out of the water dragging a black kitsune. Once he reached shore he dropped the limp form and curled his body around hers, licking her wounds shut trying to clean up any leaking blood. After a few minutes of resting he could feel the other powerful auras again. He draped her body over his back and walked off into the woods using it to try and cover there scent as best as he could in this form.
Once they all decided to keep heading downstream they realized the scent of the six tail kitsune had ended. They kept going further till they reached a spot where a small body had been dragged out of the water. The rain continued to pound down on them and washed the blood away, along with the trail. Youko stared off into the woods hoping to feel any aura of the kitsune. Sesshoumaru passed him, walking off as he seemed to have a trail he is following. The kitsunes paw prints were heavier and the forest was slightly muddy so they kept a brisk walk following the paw prints of the kitsune. The kitsune however, was thinking back to luck that one kit brought him by wandering off. He smelled many scents on him and two of them being kitsune. Being a six tail, his senses are more superior to those of less tales and picked up the scents of a male silver and female ebony but none of the same as the kit and himself.
He found the kit familiar but wasn't very sure why. When the kit bounced off into the forest chasing a butterfly and still no other came to get him, he began to worry that he might be an orphan or he was simply wandering too far out of range for the others. He was thinking of checking on the kit when he could smell the female ebony coming. The wind blew in his favor and could detect she was not mated and even untouched. She too had the smell of the silver male and it was one he had seen often and met before. It is Youko Kurama's scent that she carried but yet it did not seem she is any of those wenches he would rut with. Youko Kurama is well known for being a thief and the leader of the greatest band of thieves.
He could sense a pure untainted aura around the female which confused him. Only mikos had an aura like that, but yet she also had the demonic aura of ebony kitsunes. When she came into view off in the distance, still calling for the kit, he noticed the Chinese kimono. Ebonies are well known for stalking and seducing their prey so seeing such a tight kimono on her petite body is not uncommon for a female. He knew the female is getting worried so he decided that maybe he could lead her to the kit, see if she follows him. Sure enough, the female had spotted him and called out the kits name. He knew that name, or more like he knew another kitsune a few years back with a son by the name of 'Shippo.' It would explain why he didn't smell his parents on him since his father was hunted down and lost all his tails till only the average one was left. The Thunder Brothers he heard had killed him and then news spread fast that the Thunder Brothers were defeated by a miko and a hanyou. He wasn't sure but he thought maybe they had decided to care of the orphan since he then began hearing the stories of a shard hunting group, often hunting down Naraku with a miko who can sense the jewel shards.
The group was odd since it consisted of enemies by nature. The monk with a void in his right hand, a taijiya with her companion two tail neko, a inu hanyou, an odd miko, and a kit. 'Odd group indeed,' he thought. He could remember her movements being careful yet quick, she had been quieter than most would be at her speed. 'This is definitely the miko that Naraku has cursed,' he thought, reflecting back to the rumor that is going around about it. Now he has her lying across his back as he moves away from the other auras. When he had gotten close enough to the kit earlier while leading her to him, he decided to stop and get a good look at the female. The scent of dried blood shocked him a bit until he could make out the lines and grooves of the bandages that seemed to cover her torso and shoulder. He was just going to leave after taking her within range of the kit but from the looks of her tired and wounded body he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea for her to be by herself.
He felt angry that Youko had not gone to search for the kit himself instead of letting this exhausted female go deep into the forest where it could lead into trouble. When she heard a cry for help from the kit, she had completely forgotten his presence so she could track down the kit. It was obvious the kit is either scared because he is lost or he had gotten in trouble. When he arrived to see the kit caught in the trap of a hungry demon he became worried but once she had released the kitsune in a fit of blood lust, he knew it would not be wise to get near the kit now. He remembered hearing her tell him to get back to the 'village and stay with Youko and the others,' so it confirmed she must be the unfortunate miko that had been turned kitsune just less than six days ago. It made him even madder that there are even more people capable to find the kit other than Youko Kurama.
The demon she fought was strong but he wasn't sure if he interfered if he would survive the female in demon rage. It was obvious the female would have eventually killed him but the purifying power and the burning of skin reached his sensitive nose making him wonder if she would come out okay. The miko ki was trying to purify the rise of youki and soon her eyes were flickering and she was out of the rage she willingly put herself in. He watched her trap the demon, and even though she did not know all of her powers, she was smart to combine her instincts with knowledge. She was quite smart in her plan until the demon brought out that black flame. She was doing good to go by her nature and stick to the shadows and she blended in well too.
He thought of the fight but the one thing that bothered him most was that twitching shoulder. No it wasn't twitching, it was pulsing, something in that wound was spreading and the reaction she had to it was changing her into animal form. The form was already cut up enough but she didn't seem to react to any of it. He couldn't catch all of the fight because of the black fire and not wanting to alert them of his presence. He had control of himself in animal form but she seemed to be ruled by instincts in the beginning and then come to her senses as the fight went on. He could tell she was probably being talked to by her demon if going for the jugular was any proof of instinct. He had followed the fight to the river where it quickly ended with the demon decapitated because he was too angry to see her slip the whip around his neck. She fought well but her tired body could not keep up with the strong current of the rapids. He watched as she tried to dodge boulders and make her way to shore but the attempts were futile the second she descended down the most powerful part of the rapids.
He knew Youko and three others were in the area searching for her but he wasn't sure if he would do them the favor of returning the female when they obviously were not doing a good enough job of taking care of her. 'No,' he decided, 'I will look after her until she can make it back to human form.' Making Youko Kurama angry is not wise and his scent is the most dominant on her so he is obviously going to claim her as his possession. Youko Kurama is the greatest thief known and he steals rare and valuable artifacts and a miko-kitsune is definitely rare and very valuable. It's rarely been done, a cross between the border of holy and demonic a miko or houshi to a demon. He is sure that because of her rarity and power, he must be deciding to stake his claim on her in case he decides he wants her as a mate or to just breed with a powerful female of similar breed. He knows what he is getting into and that's why he decided that he should turn into his human form now and get away with her, rather than being killed by the males behind the auras before he could even get to actually meet her.
So now here he is, turning into his human form. His rusty orange hair appeared, being held back in a band at the top of his head, his hair growing to reach the middle of his back. His forest green eyes opening from closed lids showing the wisdom he holds and finely shaped eyebrows giving him a more elegant charm. His tall form sported maroon and dark green robes, the haori and hakamas gave him more of an authoritative air but adding to the charm they dominate in there breed. To hold it together he wore a golden-yellow sash with a maroon and purple design at the ends like a pile of leaves. He kept twin swords on his left hip and a small pouch on the right. His feet clad with maroon slippers making it easier for him to navigate around his surroundings with stealth. With his transformation complete he picked her up and took to the trees, certain that the rain would hide his scent and will continue to pour down long enough for him to get away with her. He ran at top speed a blur to even some of the stronger demons if not invisible making sure to hide his aura to his best ability.
Youko continued to follow the tracks with the rest of them until they felt the rise of an aura. They all took off in the direction of that aura but as soon as they got there they noticed the tracks ended. He cursed in his mind, another kitsune has her, he is certain of it. His hand pressed against the tree and he used his power over plants to help him find the two as the others watched on.
