deliciae
Finding You Again : Chapter 10.
Muse: ::Sitting on throne, dressed in full firefighter turn-out gear, reading script for the story:: deliciae, why are half of the pages blank? ::glares::
deliciae: ::looks nervous:: Well, that's because I haven't figured out where this story is going. The story seems to have a mind of its own.
Muse: Un-huh, sure. Well, on with the ficcy.
Disclaimer: Muse and I do not own YYH. Maybe this year Santa will be nice enough…
Warnings: OOC-ness. OCs: Haru, Koki. Yaoi—meaning boy x boy. Don't like, please leave.
Pairings: Hiei x Kurama ; Yusuke x Koenma
The nights following Haru's nightmare were relatively calm, yet it did little to ease the growing fears within both parents. What new enemy awaited them? Was it truly Karasu, and if it was, how did he revive? Several questions came to mind easily at the thought of the black crow, but no answers were forthcoming. The only thing they could do was to wait, and that alone was nerve-racking.
After roughly a month had passed, the fear lessened, and finally Kurama was brought out of his continuous worry. Since the day was lovely, Haru begged to go to the nearby park; Kurama instantly agreed. After all, it was too lovely out to not go, and even the elder kitsune was itching to be outdoors.
Once inside the park, Haru took off like a bullet. He had memorized the pathways, especially after what had happened upon his first arrival into the park, and quickly made his way into the thicker woods. His eyes had glinted with mischievous intent, and Hiei instantly went on guard, as more often than not, he was the kit's target.
Minutes passed after Haru had left his parents behind before Kurama smiled at Hiei and urged him to go "find your son."
The petite fire-demon glared at his mate, and muttered, "Sure, you're both plotting against me."
A laugh spilled from Kurama's lips, his green eyes bright with mirth. Yet, he didn't reply to the common. He had promised to never lie to his mate, so how exactly could he say anything contrary? Hiei shook his head at the continued silence, knowing better, but still he walked away slowly, listening to his mate's request.
Kurama laughed quietly as the fire-demon followed his son's trail, thinking about what would happen once Hiei got there. "I'd better hurry if I don't want to miss this…" With that, the humanized demon took off into the woods, intent on seeing the results of his—err, Haru's carefully laid plans.
---
A loud snap, the slither of rope, and a loud, indignant growl came from the middle of the clearing.
Hiei glared from his upside-down position, his feet securely bound by vine-rope. And to top it off, several wards had been placed on the rope, effectively canceling his demonic energy. He should have known better than to follow Haru, or even to listen to Kurama.
As Hiei grumbled about what he should have really done, his "attacker" slipped from his hiding place. His crimson-laced golden eyes narrowed at his catch, but a slight smirk graced his lips. "Caught again, Papa?"
"Haru, let me down!"
The words were uttered angrily, but Haru didn't take the threat. Instead, he stood there, posed, one hand on his hip, looking thoroughly amused. He wasn't about to be gulled by the tone his father was using; Haru was the one in charge here. If the kit didn't want to let his father down, Hiei would be stuck up there until Kurama took pity or when Haru finally relented—which wouldn't be anytime soon.
"Haru, if you don't let me down now, you are grounded!"
This time, the words had an effect on the youth. Quickly he released his ki that was woven into the wards, and then removed the vine-rope from around Hiei's feet. To say Hiei wasn't expecting that was an understatement; he slammed into the ground, a low, unintelligible curse slipping past his lips.
Haru stepped back from his father, back to the protective form of his mother, who stood just hidden from sight behind a tree. "Mama, don't ground me, please…" A sniffle accompanied these words, and instantly the elder kitsune pulled his son into his arms. "No, no, Mama won't ground his chibi-kitsune. But your father may need it."
At that, Haru followed his mother's gaze to his father, who was now sitting up. Both gazes met in a stare, the crimson against the green, then Hiei looked away. "Sorry," the unusual word slipped out, and Kurama nodded approvingly.
Green eyes glanced at the child in his arms, and he grimaced at the grass stains and dirt that covered the youth's flesh. "Let's go home. I'm not sure about you, but Haru needs a bath."
---
In the Reikai, everything was as usual. Ogres ran around, their arms full of paperwork. Yells about different deaths came from ones who monitored the phone lines and computer system.
However, the hustle and bustle did not penetrate the large double doors at the end of the hallway. Inside the very room, a teenage-formed godling hurriedly stamped several papers, and then placed them on a meticulous pile. The tawny-amber orbs were narrowed in an intensive glare as he continued to work on the never-ending pile of paper.
Koenma mindlessly completed the repetitive efforts, and in doing so, had forgotten about his son. Normally it was Yusuke's job to watch Koki when there was too much paperwork to do be done, but Genkai had ordered the Tantei to a 'training session.' The elderly master had believed her star pupil was lazing on his work again, so the now-crawling and speaking baby was left to the demi-god's supervision.
Koki was growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the demon blood he had inherited from Yusuke. And the child was becoming more curious by the day. To say little, this was making a rather bad combination.
Quietly the child climbed atop the desk, his small form sitting next to the large, meticulous stack of paperwork. Gently he leaned toward the enormous pile and pushed it off the desk.
At first Koenma did not register the sound, but as he went to place another sentence upon the already large stack, there was no mountain of completed work there. Instead, an innocently smiling and gurgling child sat in its place. "Ma-ma," Koki squealed happily. The demi-god blinked in shock, then looked over the side of the desk to where the papers had spread across the floor, the different sentences mixed together. A whole day's worth of work gone…
Koenma's left eye began to twitch, and just before he was able to make a comment to his son, the large doors opened. "Koenma Sir…" the blue ogre uttered, standing there, looking a bit pale.
"What is it?"
Before the ogre was able to reply, he was pushed out of the way. "Koenma…"
"Inari," the name was uttered in response, as the demi-god of the Reikai looked at the Fox God. The gold-toned fur glistened in the doorway, and with an unnatural ease, the smiling deity walked further into the room. The blue ogre looked on helplessly, only to be dismissed by Koenma.
Once Inari was closer to the desk, Koenma was able to see that the god was there on business, for his demeanor was subdued and more aggressive than the previous time, when he had cryptically told about Kurama's decision. "What brings you here, Inari?"
A smirk crossed the silver-eyed male's face, and he perched himself on the edge of the desk, pushing yet another stack of papers onto the floor. His nine-tails flicked restlessly while the Fox God looked at the baby who smiled. "Such a cute child, Koenma."
"Thank you," the reply came, the words coated with thinly veiled shock.
Inari reached out and picked up the growing boy, gently smiling, as there was no outcry or fear, only unusual trust. Large tawny-amber eyes met opposite toned silver, and the ancient god nodded his head thoughtfully. "Yes, he will do well for a mate."
Those words sparked an immediate outrage in Koenma, and he stuttered a refusal on behalf of his heir. "I-I don't think…"
Before the entire refusal was spoken, Inari held up a hand, effectively halting the tirade. The junior god looked at the other god skeptically, hesitant on hearing what was going to be said.
"Not for me."
Koenma blinked, stupefied. That answer was not what he was expecting. But then if not the god himself, who?
Inari placed Koki back on the desk, and smiled slyly as another stack of paperwork met the floor, an action that earned a groan from his parent. The Fox deity stood and brushed out his flawless golden robes, then he proceeded toward the entrance.
Opening the one large door, the god smiled softly back at Koenma and Koki, who was now in the demi-god's arms. The smile floated away, only to be replaced by indifference. "Be forewarned, the fate of your child's future mate is in danger. The crow is a fickle enemy but will not hesitate too much longer."
Koenma stood there in shock at Inari's warning. As his mind slowly processed the cryptic statement, the god slipped unnoticed from the room. "Crow… future mate…" the words were whispered, while the godling tried to unravel the puzzle set before him.
The blue ogre entered the room, breaking Koenma from his daze. "Ogre, clean up this mess."
"But Koenma Sir…"
"Do it Ogre." The demand was uttered with a tone of finality. While the faithful ogre set about to restack the sentences, Koenma went into his private chambers. There he laid Koki down for his nap, and the demi-god tried to figure out what exactly Inari meant.
---
Hiei lied on the bed, with Kurama protectively held by his bandage-clad arms. The hour was late, and Haru was safely tucked away in bed. Thoughts of the crow filled his mind, and the fire-demon promised silently that nothing would happen to the young kit. An almost-inaudible snore brought Hiei out of his reprieve, and he looked down at his slumbering mate.
One petite finger pushed back a lock of red hair that rested on the flawless, milk-toned cheek. A gentle kiss was pressed to that very spot, and it was only then that the fire-demon felt the discrepancy in Kurama's ki. Blood-red eyes narrowed while he attempted to concentrate on why the humanized-youko's ki was so low.
However, before he was able to make even progress on finding the cause, the lovely being within his hold began to awake. Green eyes were unveiled once the lashes fluttered apart, and a small, sleepy smile graced his mate's lips. "Good morn—"
The words were cut off by a piercing scream. Both males looked at the other before rushing off to the bedroom, both praying that they wouldn't find the worst. Once inside the door, Kurama and Hiei released a sigh of relief at seeing Haru in the bed, but they hastened to his side at the expression of fear and horror on the child's face.
"The crow," Haru cried in response to Kurama's question of what was wrong. A slender finger pointed at the window. A sob slipped from the kit's lips before he tried to explain. "I awoke to a laugh. The crow was at—at my window. It was eating…" He broke off, unable to curtail the fear within, as well as the tears.
Hiei walked over to the window, and what he saw stopped him cold in his tracks. Resting on the small ledge were the remains of a rabbit. It had obviously been road-kill and had also been picked apart by a scavenger. Nearby the dead creature was a message, written in blood. "I am coming for him."
A chill crossed through the demon's body, causing him to briefly shiver. Kurama looked at him inquisitively, but Hiei shook his head. This was not the place nor the time to tell of what "note" had been left. However, Hiei feared that Haru would wake and see what the crow had left behind, so he eased the window open and destroyed the signs with a quick burst of ki.
Once that had been accomplished, both parents helped Haru get back to sleep, as their very presences were comforting to the small child. As soon as both were certain Haru was indeed asleep, they slipped from the room back into theirs.
"What did you see?" Kurama asked, his voice full of worry.
"The bastard left us a dead rabbit and a threat- 'I am coming for him.'" Hiei looked furious at the thought that Karasu, a sadistic demon with a fetish for destroying beautiful things, was after his family.
Kurama was as well perturbed by the events, and feared greatly for his son. He remembered the fight at the Dark Tournament against Karasu. If Kurama had not been able to transform into Youko, there was no chance he would have survived the match. And now, that vile demon was after his child… It sent a chill through him and he fought back tears. Gently he curled against his mate, laying his head on Hiei's chest, silently asking for comfort.
Idly Hiei began to run his fingers through the thick red locks, enjoying their silkiness against the rough sword-worn hands. It was this repetitive motion that brought both their slumber for the night, allowing their fears and worries to fade away until the morning light would reawaken them.
TBC.
Muse: ::sitting on throne, alternating glares between MiniMiniMuse and the Book of Muse:: I can't find the spell, and MiniMiniMuse keeps trying to destroy my book.
deliciae: Oh, that's nice, Muse. What is the spell for?
Muse: ::says innocently, or as close as possible to innocently:: O-h, nothing.
deliciae: Why do I suddenly fear for my life?
Muse: Maybe it's not yours, deliciae.
deliciae: I guess I'll just have to find out next chapter, right, Muse?
Muse: Might not be the next chapter, might be further down the chapter list.
deliciae: Oh. I'll just have to be on my guard.
Thank-you's for last chapter go out to: Psychogirly, Sapphire Angel, Kitsune Kit, Jessica, Cattibrie393
Raku Ozzarian princess: I'm not certain where this story is going. I had planned on doing something like you mentioned, but with a different twist. We'll just have to see with how the story decides to write itself.
Eve27: Next chapter will be a bit more on the Hiei x Kurama aspect, as they will get some time together. Also, I hoped this chapter had a cute Hiei and Haru scene for you.
Kityara: Thanks for your review; it rather surprised Muse and I. We had been actually discussing something along those lines, about more kits. Muse says that you should stay tuned, she has something in mind for the next chapters that might just fulfill your suggested ideas.
deliciae: As for next chapter, a little more Hiei x Kurama, while Haru gets to stay with Koenma. Does that spell trouble for the demi-god and his mate? Maybe so, but this gives Koenma a chance to think over Inari's warning. What was it that the ogre had to say? What else is planned? A possible kidnapping, maybe character death, Hiei might have to report in to Mukuro… there's many things that could happen, but you, the readers, will have to just wait for the next chapter to find out. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review, please.