Disclaimer: I do not own IY or YYH
Lies By Omission
Chapter 8
Kurama looked down at the seemingly innocent looking book in his hand then back up to his colleague. Kuwabara watched him silently; his dark blue eyes oddly serious. Surly the man couldn't really believe what he was saying…?
"Man, Shizuru must've hit you pretty damn hard the other day," Yusuke scoffed, echoing Kurama's own thoughts; "'Cause obviously your brain is scrambled."
Kuwabara glared at his best friend; "So says the guy who died twice and came back as a demon," the taller man snapped. He looked back at Kurama; "Why is this such a hard thing for you to consider?" he asked, "It's not like we haven't all experienced stranger things. Hell, I'm currently standing in the presence of a legendary spirit fox inhabiting a human body. What's not weird about that?"
Kurama and Yusuke glanced at one another; "It's not that we think the concept is not possible…" Kurama hedged. "Rather, improbable."
"C'mon dude," Yusuke laughed, "We're talking about that pretty little bookworm that's been studying with Kurama? She doesn't look like she could survive a cold much less traveling back in time and battling demons."
"Yusuke has a point," Kurama agreed, "I'll admit, Kagome is an interesting woman, but I simply can't envision her fighting demons."
Kuwabara clenched his jaw and crossed his arms; "You don't think so? This is the same Kagome that totally flattened Yusuke and left a burn mark on his cheek that STILL hasn't gone away."
Kurama glanced at the Ex-Spirit Detective, who was absently rubbing the dark, discolored mark on his cheek.
"Alright," Kurama consented, "I agree, Yusuke's injury is a bit odd…"
Kuwabara growled, "Oh for the love of…" he snatched the book away from the red head, "Never mind," he snapped, "Just, forget I even said anything…"
Then to their surprise; Kuwabara stomped off. He hadn't expected much out of Yusuke; that idiot wouldn't believe anything until it came up and slugged him in the jaw... multiple times apparently.
But, Kurama was supposed to be the smart one; was it really so hard to even PRETEND for just a moment that his little girlfriend could possibly be MORE than what she appeared?
Jeez, he would think that a guy who was really a demon fox in disguise would be more inclined to look deeper into a person. Then again, for all that Kurama was a brilliant strategist; he was still a kitsune, and from what Kuwabara had read… They tended to be vane, cocky creatures. Heaven forbid that he, the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, figure something out before the brilliant Kurama.
He snorted; stupid demons… think they know everything…
Kagome took in a deep breath of polluted Tokyo air…. Ahhhh…Home…She thought, as she slid off of Kouga's back.
Shippo, Hiei and Kouga had all accompanied her back to the Human World. Now, she stood just outside of her family shrine; she could clearly see her Mother sweeping the house steps. It was early, dawn was barely cresting the horizon; she smiled as she felt the familiar aura of her home settle around her shoulders.
"Come on," she said, "I'll introduce you guys…. My brother has been dying to meet some of my old friends."
Hiei snorted, he had no desire to be part of some idiotic human welcome home celebration. Kagome turned to him,
"I know this isn't your type of thing," she told him, "So if you'd like to leave…."
He was gone before she finished the sentence.
"Rude little bastard," Shippo growled; Kouga's deep throaty growl rumbled in agreement. Kagome waved it off;
"Hiei just doesn't do warm and fuzzy guys," she said, "That's kinda like expecting Sesshomaru to attend a Christmas party or something. It just doesn't fit."
"True," Kouga agreed, as he effortlessly changed into his human appearance, "Ol' fluff-butt is about as warm and fuzzy as a glacier."
Kagome laughed, "Double dog dare you to actually say that to him…."
"You trying to get me killed, Kags?" Kouga demanded in mock panic.
Souta sighed as he came out to tell his mother that tea was ready; it had been over a week since his mother or Souta had seen or heard from Kagome and after Kuwabara's visit they all had begun to worry a little.
As he turned to follow his mother inside; something prickled his senses… He glanced up, past the Tree of Ages, past the Bone Eaters well; and towards the far edge of the shrine. There the shrine grounds backed up against the forest edge. He tensed as he saw movement within the shadows; was there someone skulking around the grounds again?
It wouldn't be the first time it had happened. The peaceful aura of their shrine drew all sorts; and some refused to leave willingly.
Three shadows seemed to detach themselves from the trees and move into the dim light; Souta felt his jaw drop and the breath leave his lungs.
Kagome strode forward, looking regal in the dark red fur cloak that was draped around her shoulders. His sister was flanked by two men; who, even to Souta, seemed too perfectly flawless to be real. Souta was secure enough in himself to admit that both Kagome's escorts were probably the prettiest men he had ever seen.
"KAGOME!" He yelled, running toward her. Her face split in a huge smile and she ran a few steps toward him. He wrapped his arms around his sister, lifting her off the ground and spinning them in a circle.
"Thank Kami you're alright!" He said, as he set her back in the ground. He held her at arms-length and looked her over; "You are alright…right?"
Kagome laughed, "Of course I am," she said, "Shippo and Kouga wouldn't let anything happen to me."
Souta looked at the two men…demons….behind her. Kouga was instantly recognizable; the wolf demon hadn't changed much from Kagome's description of him during her travels. He seemed taller than what Kagome had described; his black hair was still pulled back in a high tail, and he still wore his furs. The other, Shippo, had obviously aged. His sister's description of Shippo and her sketches of the young kit had been the most detailed; he knew that his loss had hurt Kagome more than anyone's.
"I guess the big guy was right," Souta said softly, "they did come for you…dang….I never thought I'd actually get to meet you guys one day."
Shippo and Kouga grinned, "Well we couldn't very well just let Kags hike back by herself…" Kouga replied.
"What do you mean 'the big guy'?" Kagome asked, her dark eyes becoming sharp.
"Kuwa…something or another…" Souta said. "Real tall guy, red hair, goofy as all hell."
"Kuwabara?"
"Yea that's him!"
"Kazuma was here?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "Why?"
Souta shrugged, "Said he happened upon the shrine while walking,' he said off hand, "C'mon, Mom has been worried. I'll tell you about his visit after breakfast."
Kagome silently followed her brother, Shippo and Kouga falling into step behind her. As expected, her mother reacted much like she did back when Kagome had been traveling in the feudal era. The older Higurashi gathered her daughter up into a big hug and just held her for several long moments.
"Mom…" Kagome said softly, rubbing her mother's back in small soothing circles, "I'm alright. I was safer where I was then I have ever been at the apartment. It wasn't like before. I was safe…."
"We'd never let anything hurt Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi," Shippo said, trying to sooth the worry he saw in her mother's face. Kagome had spoken of her mother often and very fondly; Shippo had long ago started to view this woman has his surrogate grandmother just as Kagome was his surrogate mother.
As warm dark eyes focused on him; Shippo's stomach did a nervous flip-flop; would she like him? Or would she hate him because he was a demon? He so wanted her to like him. The Thunder Brothers had murdered all of his clan; the only family he had were Sesshomaru, Kouga…and Kagome.
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Higurashi said, releasing her daughter, "I didn't realize we had guests…"
"Mom…Let me introduce Kouga; leader of the Wolf tribe," Kagome paused as the dark haired, blue eyed youth gave her mother a brilliant smile, a small bow and placed a caste kiss on her hand.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet Kagome's mother," he said, "She speaks so fondly of her family."
"Oh my…" Mrs. Higurashi blushed slightly. Beside her Kagome laughed and shook her head.
"And this momma," Kagome said, indicating the second youth with bright coppery hair and luminous green eyes, "This is Shippo…"
It took Mrs. Higurashi a moment to place the name of her daughter's friend; when she did, her eyes grew wide.
"My goodness," she said, looking at her daughter in shock, "The little fox kit you adopted? That Shippo?"
Kagome grinned, "The very same."
"It's good to finally get to meet you…" the youth said with a hesitant smile; nervousness practically poured off the boy. Mrs. Higurashi smiled;
"It is good to meet you too... Grandson," she said, pulling the startled young man into a hug, "You are welcome in this house. Consider this home…"
Shippo was shocked as the elder woman pulled him into a hug; after a moment though, he relaxed and returned the woman's hug. He closed his eyes as he felt them begin to burn.
Kagome smiled, her eyes tearing up as she watched her mother and adoptive son. To her left, Kouga moved to stand next to her. He too watched the heart-warming scene without his usual rancid humor. He knew how much this moment meant to his friend and brother. The fox would never admit it openly; but he had been agonizing over the Higurashi family's acceptance of him since Sesshomaru had told him he would be allowed to accompany Kagome home.
Kouga glanced at the young woman beside him; she was watching the scene with tears in her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side; instantly her arm came up to wrap around his waist. It was as natural as breathing. For too long their little family had been fractured; now, after five centuries it was whole again, and he would be damned if he allowed anything to ruin the little happiness his family had carved out for themselves.
Breakfast took considerably longer than usual to finish as Mrs. Higurashi and Souta, in particular, demanded to know everything that had happened up into the present. Shippo and Kouga delighted in telling them; heavily editing some of the events, since they were not appropriate to be discussing over the breakfast table.
Much like Kagome had predicted before their arrival; her Grandfather plastered sutras across their faces. Neither of the demons reacted to the assault other than to get the older human droll stares. Only a slight eye twitch from Kouga gave away his irritation.
"And on that wonderful note," Kouga growled, pulling the offending paper off his face, "I think it's time I return. Sesshomaru has ordered a special mirror to be placed on the shine to assist in traveling between here and the Makai. It will act like a portal; allowing us to pass back and forth with ease, and it won't draw unwanted attention like crossing the Barrier would. Sesshomaru has been using this method for centuries in order to effectively govern the Western Lands and run his corporation in the human world."
"Wonderful," Kagome said, "That means I can visit the castle and village more often?"
"Exactly. I'll be back in a few days to install it and show you how to operate the mirror once it's finished." He said, "So until then, be careful. Stick with Shippo. Now that the jewel has been 'found' again; who knows what sort of nastiness will come bubbling out of the wood work."
"We'll be careful," Kagome said, giving him a hug. Then, with a nod at Shippo; Kouga leapt off the porch, his forms flowing from one to another. When his feet hit the ground; the massive black wolf looked back at them with Kouga's electric blue eyes, then bound off into the shadows of the trees.
"Wow…" Souta breathed from behind them, "That was wicked."
Kagome laughed, "I'll make sure to tell him that you think so." She replied. They walked back inside and flopped onto the couch; "So," she said, "Tell me what Kazuma wanted…."
It was well after noon before Kagome and Shippo left the shrine to head to her apartment. Once there, Kagome had to move all of her work papers off the coffee table and into her bedroom. The box of her journals from her travels and all the photos she took while in the feudal era also went into her room.
She had never intended on having a roommate and she rarely had company; so between college assignments and the notes for her books, her apartment was in a constant state of organized chaos.
"I guess, we're going to have to look for a bigger apartment," Kagome said with a laugh, "this one simply isn't big enough for two people."
Shippo smiled sadly, "I didn't mean to disrupt your life…" he said, "If it would be easier for you, I can always get my own apartment."
Kagome smiled at him, "Don't be ridiculous," she replied, waving away his words, "It would do me some good to have someone else around. I have a bad habit of getting wrapped up in my work and I forget to do basic things like…you know…eating."
"So how 'bout we go into town, I need some groceries," Kagome said, "plus need to let my Sensei's know I'm alive and well. Now that my phone is working again; I've got a bazillion voicemails, most of them from those two."
"Sounds good to me," Shippo replied.
Kuwabara starred at the sidewalk as he walked, sighing in irritation. Of all the times he wished his friends would take him seriously; now was it. Boton had yet to show any improvement; in fact, Yukina believed that the 'dark oily spot' she sensed within their friend had actually gotten larger. Yet, neither Kurama nor Yusuke wanted to even consider the idea that Kagome might be able to help them.
Despite the fact that she freaking RODE off on the back of a giant demon wolf, obviously knew exactly what the stupid black pearl was, AND was greeted by the red kitsune like an old friend…. For some reason his team mates were refusing to even consider the idea.
Perhaps he shouldn't have told them about the book; even he was still having problems believing everything within the novel. Maybe if he had just mentioned that Kagome might be able to help?
Kuwabara glanced up as a drop of water hit his nose; he glanced skyward. The clouds hung low and gray. He sighed again;it just figured he'd get caught in the rain too.
Today was just going to hell in a hand basket.
"Really Shippo," a voice off to his right laughed, "A little water won't kill you. It's not like you're going to melt!"
"You never know!" another voice, male, replied; "Besides, rain makes me smell like a wet dog."
Kuwabara glanced around; what an odd conversation.
The first voice laughed, "Well, you are a fox, hun," it said, "It would only be worse if you were Kouga. Could you imagine how he would smell with all that fur?"
"Ugh….don't remind me…"
Kuwabara felt his eyes widen; there was no freaking way. He searched the crowded streets; now filled with umbrellas of ever shape and size. Dammit, he couldn't see a thing…
"Kazuma?" the soft familiar voice, made him whirl around. There, alive, unharmed, and looking happier than he had ever seen her; stood Kagome.
Kagome had been surprised to see her tall friend standing on the street corner, desperately looking around at the people passing by. His very aura snapped with sudden anxiety.
"KAGOME!" he cried, wrapping her in a bear hug, "Thank goodness you're alright. I was worried sick about you!"
There was an annoyed snort behind her, "Honestly," the man behind her said, "As if I would let anything happen to my mother. Sheesh…."
Kuwabara carefully placed Kagome back on her feet and starred at the ginger-haired man behind her. Forest green eyes regarded him with mild amusement tinged with annoyance. It was the same red kitsune from the clearing; only now instead of armor, he wore normal human clothes. In fact, he looked completely human; even his copper hair had been toned down to a darker, more natural shade.
"Holy shit…." Kuwabara muttered glanced down at Kagome, "he really is your adopted son…"
Kagome quirked an eyebrow at him; "Of course," she replied, "You think I go wondering off with random stray men?"
Kuwabara smirked, "No, I guess not," he muttered, then looking back at her, "then is the rest of your book really too?"
Kagome pursed her lips and debated the merit of admitting the truth to the man. On one hand, technically Kazuma and his sister had gone out of their way to try and befriend her; on the other… they knew the blue-haired woman that had attempted to steal the jewel.
"What book?" Shippo asked, jarring Kagome out of her thought. She cringed; when her brother had told them about Kazuma's visit, Souta only mentioned that he gave the older man 'your book'. They never explained to the kitsune what that book was…
However, it seemed that not only had Souta given Kazuma a copy of her book, the ginger had read it and put two and two together.
Kuwabara pulled the novel out of the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to the kitsune. The demon's green eyes widened as he flipped through it.
"You wrote about us?" he asked, surprised. Kagome blushed. He hadn't asked what she had been moving around when she cleaned off the coffee table; and, not knowing how her old friend would take the news of her work, she hadn't mentioned it yet.
"Yea…" she muttered, "My mom thought it would help me in the grieving process if I wrote about all of you. So I did. I started at the very beginning when I was pulled down the well and I wrote down everything I could remember. At some point I let my brother read some of the journals; since I had normally glossed over the dangerous parts of our travels. Souta had liked them so much; he shared a few with his friends…. When they liked them, the little brat sent them to a couple publishing housing; apparently the concept of a teenage girl falling through an ancient well into Feudal Japan, shattering a relic, befriending and fighting demons, all while trying to repair said jewel…were all really good selling points."
Shippo laughed softly as he flipped through the book pausing at the sketches of people he hadn't seen in over five centuries.
"That's why there were pictures scattered around the apartment?" he said, lightly touching a picture of the Priestess Kaede.
"Yea," she said, "I took a lot while I was there, now they're my visual references for the sketches."
He smiled at her, "Bet you never thought you'd be able to profit from our travels, huh?"
Kagome grinned, "Hell nah," she replied, "I figured if anyone ever found out outside of my family, I'd be thrown in an institute so fast it would make my head spine."
"Good things it's fiction then," he replied, giving her a wink and handed the small paperback back to Kuwabara. "And just so you know, I wanna read them all."
Kagome grinned, "If you insist..."
At some point during their conversation, the trio had started walking; Shippo held a large umbrella over both he and Kagome, while Kuwabara flicked the collar of his jacket up and got drenched.
"Souta mentioned that your blue haired friend was hurt," Kagome said, when the conversation seemed to lapse for a moment. Kuwabara nodded, the rain had long since washed the gel from his hair; now the orange mass hung in wet tendrils around his face.
"She's been in a coma since the incident," Kuwabara said, "Even our healer can't figure out what's wrong; and my Yukina is really good at healing. Between her and Kurama, they can normal handle just about any injury or illness…. But nothing seems to work." He sighed, "Yukina said that she could feel some 'dark and oily spot' in Boton that hadn't been there. She said that nothing she tried did anything; her energy just slide off of it. And now…now she thinks it's actually gotten bigger."
Kagome paused as she glanced sharply at Kuwabara; "You say it's growing?"
Kuwabara nodded, "She thinks so." He said, "Souta said you might be able to help. I was actually planning on heading toward your shrine this evening to see if you had come home yet. Do you think you could come and take a look?"
"You would trust us around your friend?" Kagome asked; Kuwabara shrugged.
"I like to think I've become a decent judge of character over the years," he replied, "And as far as I can tell you are a good person; even my sister thinks so. Despite what Yusuke says, in all reality the injuries Boton sustained weren't life threatening. She could have gotten most of them flying through the forest. Not to mention the fact remains that for whatever reason; Boton stole from you….or rather him. I don't approve of hurting girls…but I don't approve of stealing either."
Shippo snorted, "Kouga and I hadn't even gotten to her yet," he said, "she did all that damage when she crashed in the forest; though, had we caught her..."
He left the threat hanging in the air; Kuwabara glared at him.
"And now?" he demanded. The fox shrugged,
"We retrieved the jewel and as a bonus, found Kagome," he said, "So I'll overlook the fact that your friend stole from us. I don't make it a habit to hunt things that are weak. There's no sport in it."
Kuwabara snorted, "You sound like Hiei," he muttered absently, as he turned down the next street, heading back towards Genkai's temple. He didn't notice that his companions had stopped, or the look of disgust that suddenly crossed the fox's face.
The trio walked in silence for a while; all lost in their own thoughts. Finally Kuwabara paused at a set of stairs; Kagome and Shippo shared a look. The stairs seemed to go on forever; even longer than the steps to her family shrine.
Kuwabara glanced back at them and absently chewed on his lip.
"Is everything ok, Kazuma?" Kagome asked. The taller man glanced at her;
"It just occurred to me that while I think you can help Boton," he said, "Yusuke and Kurama are likely to take one look at you and your… son….and flip their shit." He sighed, "I don't suppose you can disguise your appearance at all could you?"
"I kinda left my bag of tricks at home," Kagome replied dryly. Shippo shook his head,
"I can mask our presence," Shippo said, "but your kitsune friend knows our scents. I may be able to fool his eyes... but not his nose. Fortunately the rain will probably help us in that area."
Suddenly his two companions disappeared from his senses. He could see them in front of him; yet, as far as his sixth sense went… he didn't get so much as a tingle. In fact, even though he KNEW they were there; his eyes wanted to pass over them...
"Remind me never to fuck with you," he muttered, rubbing his head, "Bastard could sneak up on me and kill me without anyone sensing him…. And I thought that blasted Dragon was creepy."
The trip up the stairs was uneventful; by the end Kagome was wishing that she had taken Sensei Chang up on those make up sparring sessions he had offered. It would have been the lesser of two evils. Who the hell needed this many steps?
Finally they made it to the top, Kagome paused a moment as she tried to breath the stitch out of her side. Neither Kazuma nor Shippo appeared winded in the slightest…. Stupid men.
"C'mon," Kuwabara said softly, careful to keep his voice low, less the sound carry to sensitive demon ears. "It looks like both Kurama and Yusuke are in the kitchen with Genkai."
He led them quickly through the house, the scent of Odin teasing their nose as they quickly made their way to Boton's room. Yukina knelt next to the reapers side; her head hung in defeat. She glanced up at Kuwabara's entrance.
"I'm glad you're back," she said softly, "She's getting worse Kazuma…and I can't do anything about it."
"Perhaps I can," Kagome said, moving into the room, Shippo close on her heels. The teal haired girl starred at them with wide ruby eyes. Familiar ruby eyes.
Where had she seen those eyes before?
Kagome shook the thought from her head; later, she told herself, she's figure it out later. Right now… Kazuma's friend needed help. Kagome could easily sense the darkness trying to take hold of the girl; she was resisting though, and resisting hard.
Still, she was weakening and losing ground.
Kuwabara couldn't help but tense, as Kagome knelt next to Boton's prone form. He could sense the guys moving around the kitchen; he knew it wouldn't be too much longer before they headed back to check on Boton.
Kagome closed her eyes, focusing…. She gently places her palm on Boton's chest, between her breasts, and directly over the dark smudge on the girl's aura. Her power rose around her in a small cyclone; clashing with the demonic auras.
Vaguely she could hear a shout, and the pounding of footsteps; then nothing mattered but the darkness wrapped around the girls soul. She knew what it was the moment she saw it; the dark, seething mass of evil… she would never forget the feel of that disgusting creatures aura...
Naraku was still trying to take hold of the girl. That vile hanyo was like a plague, a virus; spreading to anyone who had the misfortune of touching it. Like any viruses, the only way to be rid of it… was to burn it.
Vaguely Kagome heard someone screaming; and there was a hand clutching her wrist. Yet she didn't release her hold on the tiny bit of black miasma. She poured her power into the girl's body; flooding her with pale pure light. Distantly, she heard furious shouts and she could sense other demonic aura's...but she couldn't focus on them. This task required her complete focus.
The girl thrashed under her hand; trying to throw Kagome off. The priestess hung on; she felt a little guilty for causing the woman pain... but the cleansing process was a painful one... and the more difficult the cleansing... the more painful.
Once she was sure, that every single part of the girl had been washed in her power; and that there was no trace of the vile darkness anywhere, no corner it could be lurking in, she withdrew.
Kagome came fully aware a moment later and glanced around; Shippo was crouched in front of her, putting his body between her and the door. Kazuma too, stood between her and the door; both Kurama and Yusuke stood just inside said door, fury darkening their normally attractive features.
"What the hell?!" Yusuke snarled, "What the fuck are they doin' here, Kuwabara?!"
Pale eyes narrowed into annoyed slits; "She's helping," he replied, "So back off Urameshi."
"Helping?!" he snapped, "She's fucking killing her!"
"Kagome is a healer," Shippo snarled, "And a priestess. How dare you accuse her of such a thing!"
"Enough," Kagome's tired, quiet voice said, as she slowly came to her feet, swaying slightly as exhaustion gripped her; she gently touched Shippo's arm, "It's not worth it,"
Shippo looked down at the young woman beside him, the one person who meant the world to him; her eyes were dark with exhaustion and sadness. She didn't need to help the pretty thief; the fool deserved what she got… but Kagome, in her infinite goodness and understanding, had exhausted herself purifying the darkness that this fool had unwittingly invited into her body…
A low growl echoed through the room; Shippo glared at the two offending males… Kagome had been happy until they interrupted and started flinging accusations, mistrust and hostility… THEY had made his momma upset...
"No," Shippo growled, looking back at Kagome, "I will not stand by while they hurt you, Kagome. That foolish girl would be dead if it wasn't for you and yet here they stand acting like somehow YOU wronged THEM. That is NOT acceptable and they will apologize…"
"Or what," Yusuke snapped, stepping forward, "What's your punk ass gonna do?"
Shippo snarled, his eyes beginning to glow red with rage even as his face began to shift and lengthen. Yusuke grinned at the prospect of battle;
"Bring it," he snarled, his hair started to lengthen as he shifted to his true form.
A blur of black intercepted Yusuke before the young demon lord could touch the fox. Garnet eyes regarded Yusuke with mild distain; he refrained from smirking at the irritated snarl behind him, knowing that the fox had understood his subtle insult. For a demon to give someone their back, was a grave insult; it meant the individual didn't consider the other to be a threat…
Hiei could feel the fox seething under his now cool façade; the blade of his katana rested gently against the base of Yusuke's throat.
"What the hell," Yusuke growled, baring his teeth at the smaller demon and smacking away the blade. "You on their side now?"
"Use that brain in your skull for something OTHER than holding your ears apart, detective;" Hiei sneered, sheething his weapon. Garnet eyes flashed; "look with something other then your eyes. Despite her foolishness; the girl is alive...and healed."
Yusuke glanced sharply at Boton's prone form, then over to Yukina who knelt next to her. The korime's hands glowed for a moment as she checked over their friend. Kagome leaned tiredly against Shippo; watching the demoness intently. Had she missed anything?
"She did it," Yukina sad, coming out of her healing trance; her pale ruby eyes glowing with happiness. "Boton's going to live. The darkness is gone..."
Yusuke and Kurama glanced at each other; even as Kuwabara gave them a smug look. He knew Kagome could do it.
Yusuke glowered at the two strangers standing next to Kuwabara; so the idiot had been right, still didn't mean they were trust worthy...
"I didn't help her to earn your trust, Yusuke," Kagome said; a light blush stained Yusuke's cheeks as he belatedly realized he had spoken aloud.
"As much as the fox deserves a good beating," Hiei said, earning a growl from the fox behind him, "Even you have to admit that this entire incident is ...neglectful... even for Koenma."
Yusuke glanced at Kurama; silently asking the older demon his opinion. Kurama regarded the red fox in front of him. The demon stared back at him; emerald clashed with forest in a silent contest of wills... each searching for...something within the other. Though younger then himself; this Shippo was not young by demon standards. At five centuries he was well into his adulthood; his already formitable powers would only grow stronger with each year. He was not someone to under-estimate.
Then there was Kagome to consider; though he knew her to be human... she stood casually with the strange kitsune and apparently had somehow won over Hiei. A feat in and of itself. How was one human able to do that? Demons in general cared little for human; Hiei in particular could care less for the species. Then there was the energy that had called Yusuke and him from the kitchen; it had filled the room and rushed through the temple in pulsing waves. It had been, almost painful in it's purity. Not even Yusuke's or Kuwabara's energies, both abnormally strong for humans, had felt like hers.
Kurama sighed, his gaze sliding back to meet deep, dark chocolate. Kagome watched him silently; her eyes far older than any humans should be at her age. They were filled with a quiet wisdom he hadn't noticed before; how was it possible for one so young to seem so old?
As if sensing his inner turmoil; she offered him a small, sad smile as understanding filled her eyes. In a suddenly spark of understanding... he understood the sadness that filled her gaze; she expected him to side with Yusuke, to not believe them, despite Hiei's interference. She had come to heal Boton, fully expecting to be attacked at some point.
Kurama turned back to look at his old friend and partner. Hiei wasn't one to suffer fools; if they had somehow managed to convince the temperamental fire apparition...
As if sensing his thoughts; Hiei gave a small nod, his crimson gaze never wavering.
"Yusuke..." he said finally, glancing at the younger man, "let's hear them out. We haven't heard from Koenma in over a week. Hiei has a point; this is neglectful even for him. Obviously things are...not quite as they appear..."
Yusuke scowled and folded his arms across his chest; "fine," he growled, "what the hell, I've got time. but if I don't like what you have to say...I'm kicking your ass fuzzball."
Shippo bared his teeth in a feral smile; "You can try monkey-boy," he replied, "Better then you have tried and failed."
Again the two demons faced off; the air bristling with their hostility.
"That's enough, dimwit," An older woman said, smacking Yusuke upside the head, "There is food that needs to be finished. Go... we'll talk over dinner. Or can you not see that the young priestess is exhausted?"
"Priestess?" Yusuke mumbled, rubbing his head.
The old woman heaved an aggrevated sigh, "You really are a dimwit," she snapped, "Go! You go with him Kuwabara."
Reluctantly the two men left the room; Kagome and Shippo shared a puzzled look. Who was this woman?
Though her form was old and haggard; the woman's stance was steady and her pale eyes glowed with a strong spirit. She gave Kagome a small bow of respect;
"I am Genkai," she said, her voice raspy, "this is my temple. It is a pleasure to meet you priestess; and despite what the dimwit says, we are grateful for you saving Boton's life."
Kagome returned the show of respect; "I am honored to be welcomed in your house," she replied, "I am Kagome, and this is my son, Shippo."
Genkai smiled as the fox bowed, "Greetings Grandmother," he said.
From somewhere in the house, something crashed loudly to the floor. Genkai winced, her pale eyes flashing with ire as loud voices carried through the temple.
"Those dimwits can't do anything without supervision," she growled, then she looked back at Kagome, "Come, we'll check on tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum; then we will talk over dinner..."
A/N: Sorry it took me so long. Summer has started and with it the Summer Reading Program with my library. So it'll take me longer to get chapters out. Plus I have a couple more ideas for other projects banging around in my head. I have chronic creative A.D.D. what can I say. LOL. In any case; I hope ya'll enjoy! And as always...please remember to REVIEW!
