Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Reviews are welcome, flames are not.
Chapter 10: Secrets Revealed
Shuichi arrived at the dojo after class feeling a bit apprehensive. His thoughts were on Kaiya and what happened last night and this morning.
/Let's face it Red. She was exactly what we've mean needing for awhile. /
Stepping up onto the porch, he felt a cold shiver running up his spine. Turning he found the rurouni by his side. "It is time to tell her, that you should. Tell her about the kitsune soul that you carry and about your mother. She needs to know and needs to be trained. Time is running out. This one has done all he can for now, that I have."
Kurama narrowed his eyes, "How much does she actually know, Kenshin Himura?"
o0o0o0o0o
Kaiya stood in the middle of her dojo. Her eyes were bleeding to a golden hue as she trained her thoughts and her body for a bout with Kenshin. The dojo doors slide open as she slowly turned to face her ancestor and instructor.
Standing by the small man with red hair and cross shaped scar was Shuichi. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as the pair entered the dojo.
"It is time, Kaiya-dono. You must face off with this man. This one will watch," Kenshin said, stepping aside. "He has much to teach you, that he does."
She watched as Shuichi, no Kurama, moved closer. He held up a rose. "I will not go easy on you Kaiya. A sword isn't my weapon of choice."
"I didn't expect you to, Shuichi, or should I say Kurama?" she replied, moving into the battojutsu stance.
His eyes widen at the use of his demon name but recovered as he flicked his wrist and said, "Rose Whip." It was her turn to have her eyes widen as the rose turned into a long thorny vine in his hands. "This is what spirit energy can do. How do you know my other name?"
She gave him a feral like smile, "Kazuma, mostly. Don't worry, he hasn't told me much but I've figured a few things out. He's not very bright at times, but he is a loyal friend."
Kurama flicked his wrist sending the whip out behind him as he moved to attack. Kaiya read his fighting energy with ease of one trained. She knew in an instant she couldn't defeat him. He was too highly honed, and as her eyes narrowed in thought, he has faced death too many times and survived. He has the edge on her and he knew it.
"Begin!" came Kenshin's voice.
o0o0o0o0o
/She's amazing Red. / As Kurama flick his whip to snag her feet only to have her dodge out of it at the last second. /She's read us and she knows she can't defeat us. /
'Agreed. But she's willing to give us a work out.'
They dueled for a few more minutes and if anyone was watching, to their eyes it would've been mostly a blur. Kurama knew Kaiya was trying her best to place a hit on him as she dodged his attacks. He also knew she was mostly on the defense.
Finally, he was able to snag Kaiya with his whip causing her to land with him on top of her. Smiling down at her, his own eyes bleeding to golden hue matching hers. "Seems I've come out on top," he said in a voice she didn't recognized as his lips claimed hers.
Her arms hugged his neck forcing him closer as they laid on the dojo floor.
/To winners goes the spoils, Red. Maybe you should let me out/
'Not yet Yoko. Let's sur. . . .'
"HEY KAIYA! HAVE YOU SEEN. . . .Hey! What are you two doing down there?" Kuwabara asked as he strolled into the dojo.
Kaiya sighed as she came up for air. Her eyes turning back to their lavender shade. "I'm going to kill him," she muttered
"I'll help," Kurama said softly, as his eyes too returned to their normal emerald coloring, moving off of Kaiya. Yoko was growling as well.
/I know he's a friend but can I feed him to my death tree/
Kurama, after helping Kaiya to her feet, "Kuwabara, your timing is as impeccable as always."
"Uh sorry Kur . .Shuichi. I was looking for you. Did I interrupt something?"
Dusting herself off, Kaiya shook her head as she grabbed up her dropped sakabato. "I'll go make some tea."
Kurama moved to stop her, "Wait. This won't take long," he said, giving his friend a glare that said this had better be important.
"Uhh. It's sort of private, if you know what I mean?" Kuwabara looking a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable.
"If it's from Koenma, I'm not interested," Kurama interrupted again.
o0o0o0o0o
Kaiya was sitting on her bed, cleaning the sakabato as Shuichi was seeing Kuzama out. Sano wasn't home from school yet.
The look on Kuzama's face at Shuichi's questions was priceless. She chuckled softly. Actually, the news was good for a change. Hiei had sent Koenma a message saying that there was to be a party and had tried to contact Kurama several times but failed.
The door of her room slide open and Shuichi stepped in. "I didn't mean for you to find out like that. How much do you really know?"
She shrugged, "Well, I know that Kuzama calls you Kurama from time to time or Fox. I don't know why. I just let it slide for the most part as it's none of my business. I know that he works for Koenma, prince of Spirit World as some sort of detective and I've seen his spirit sword. I've been training him for years in sword technique to help hone his fighting skills. As for spirit awareness, all I'm able to do is use fighting energy to gauge my opponent and his strengths. That's about it."
Shuichi came over and sat on the bed and sighed, "You know about demons? About kitsunes?"
She shrugged, "Some. Mostly myths and legends that they teach in school. As for kitsune, I know that Kenshin had some kitsune blood in him and somehow I inherited his traits. With each stressful incident, more of those traits will come out. Kenshin said I needed training in spirit energy and that you were the one best suited for the job." She looked down at the sakabato for a moment before sheathing it and setting it aside. "Shuichi? What are you? Why am I suddenly aware there is more to you then just being my friend?"
She heard him take a deep breathe, for a moment, he didn't say anything. She kept her eyes fixed on her lap giving him time to collect his thoughts.
"What I'm about to tell you, you mustn't tell my mother. I don't want her hurt," he said softly as he placed a hand under her chin forcing her to look up at him.
"Shuichi, you know I would never do anything that would hurt you or your mother," she said softly.
Closing his eyes for a moment, when they reopened, she knew she wasn't looking into the eyes of Shuichi, her friend, and former classmate. She was looking into the eyes of someone she hardly knew and yet, she did.
"Before Shuichi was born, I was a spirit fox but my luck ran out. I was hunted by a bounty hunter and was fatally wounded. I used the last of my spirit energy to leave my wounded body. I came to Human World looking for a place to hide and rejuvenate. I found it, inside my mother's womb. I merged with her soulless fetus, thinking that after 10 human years I would be well enough to leave and be on my way. However, that didn't happen."
Kaiya listened as he told how he had learnt what unconditional love was all about and how he couldn't leave his mother. Then he told her how he got involved with Kuzama, Yusuke and lastly Hiei.
"Hiei. He's the one with the black spiked hair and very short, wasn't he?" Kaiya asked. "The one that hurt you so badly?'
"How did you know that?" He looked stunned as she placed her hand on his.
She took a deep breathe, "It was around graduation. I knew you were seeing someone. I'm not blind. I saw you and him together a few times but I never said anything. That's how I got the impression you were bi."
"Kaiya, bi and gay are ugly human terms. What I am is very picky about my lovers. Kitsunes are very sensual demons especially silvers, like me. Demons take lovers for their strength and what they can bring into a relationship. It doesn't matter if that lover is male or female. I will admit though," he informed her, "all those school girls and their clubs did turn me off of females for awhile""Oh? And last night?"
"Last night?" he smiled at her. "I hadn't had a lover since Hiei. It was something that just happened and like you, I don't regret it. This morning did blow me away, though."
She blushed at his pun. "I see."
"Kaiya, there is more you should know. About Yoko."
o0o0o0o0o
Thanks for reading. Reviews are a nice things to get. Please keep on reading.
Rae: Thanks for the review. Yes, her uncle is a completely jerk. Please stay tune. --GF