**Standard Disclaimers
Shounen ai hints
**Thank you Lynx the Fang Fetished Feline for the use of Youko Sumireina and Suren!!
*Takemi is my creation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Big Island, Hawaii - town of Volcano)
The earth rumbled and shook as tremors rocked the town of Volcano, Hawaii. As scientists rushed to Kilauea Volcano to perform tests, kahunas (wise men), old Hawaiians, and believers in the old legends shook their heads and looked at each other knowingly. Little by little, believers gathered at the summit of the crater, Halemaumau, to offer gifts and prayers.
Sitting in a diner in Volcano, Youko Sumireina looked up from her breakfast. "She wakes."
When Fire Walked the Earth
By Take (Dec. 1998)
(Big Island, Hawaii - one week later)
Sumireina gazed thoughtfully out into the forest through a window of her small cottage. Situated at the outskirts of a heavily wooded area at the edge of Rainbow Falls, the neighbors were few and far between, giving her the privacy and proximity to water that she craved.
Absently, one hand went to the ocarina hanging about her neck, raising the instrument to her lips. Sweet notes issued forth from the ocarina, silencing the twilight song of the birds as the illusion cloaking her fell away.
Delicately pointed ears now rose through sun-streaked blond hair, and a long luxurious tail twitched nervously. Sumi let the ocarina fall back into place around her neck and focused her wide emerald eyes into the depths of the darkening forest. Her sharp ears picked out the different sounds, searching for one in particular - the voices of Hawaii's native youkai, the Menehune.
Sumireina frowned. The Menehune's increased activity was always a sign that something was going to happen; coupled with the recent volcanic activity of Kilauea, it was almost a sure bet that Pele was somehow involved.
The youko vixen suppressed a shiver of apprehension. Being a youkai herself, she was used to the strange goings-on of the Islands; at the same time, she was amazed at the relationship between ningen and youkai. Sumireina adjusted her ocarina. Fellow youkai she could handle - but a Goddess? If Pele was the cause of the increase in Menehune pranks, something had to be done - relocation to another island in the chain, perhaps. In any case, there would have to be steps taken soon; the youkai were bound to the islands securely after centuries of inhabiting them, and their pranks would become dangerous as their agitation swelled.
Mind made up, Sumireina reached for her phone and dialed the one number she had hoped never to use again. "Hai, Saotome-san? I'd like to speak with Koenma-sama, onegai. Tell him it's urgent."
Yuusuke thew open the doors to Koenma's office and stalked in, ignoring George's sputtered protests. "Nanda, Koenma. What kinda shit are you in now that you're cuttin' into our summer vacation?" the young Tantei grumbled as the other three members of his team filed in behind him, followed by Botan.
Koenma glared at his best team of Tantei, a vein in his forehead beginning to throb. "For your information Yuusuke, it's not my problem." Hiei raised an eyebrow. "It's Sumireina's."
"Nani?" Kurama stiffened at the mention of his childhood friend.
"Aw, man! I thought we'd already gotten rid of her psycho brother's ghost!" whined Kuwabara.
Kurama nodded in agreement. "Sou. Sumi-chan moved to the Ningenkai and disappeared for a fresh start. What made her break her silence?"
The toddle behind the desk chewed on his Fukuumen before answering. "Apparently, the native youkai have been getting nervous. And when they get nervous or upset, things happen - sometimes dangerous things. Sumireina wants to know if you can possible help calm them down, and maybe relocate them temporarily." Koenma hesitated. "There was something else she mentioned, but she was pretty vague about it."
"So we're just supposed to baby-sit a buncha jumpy youkai?" Yuusuke looked disappointed. "Where's the action in that?"
"If Sumi-chan needs help, that's all the reason I need," Kurama said, stepping forward. Hiei moved to stand by his side, a silent gesture of support and agreement.
Koenma smiled slightly. "Good. You'll be even happier when you learn where Sumireina's been living. You might even want to bring along Keiko and the girls."
"Why?" asked Yuusuke, his curiosity piqued.
"She lives in Hawaii."
(Narita Airport, Japan)
Hiei shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glowering at the lanky redhead reclining next to him. "I hate flying," he muttered.
Kurama chuckled, grasping the black-clad youkai's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "It's too bad Takemi couldn't come," he mused.
Kuwabara's shrill voice could be heard from a few rows ahead. "Damn baka. Still don't know what Yukina sees in him."
"Kuwabara-kun does have his good qualities, Hiei. He's smarter and kinder than he initially looks." The youko winced at a particularly high 'Ahh, Yukina-san!' and smiled ruefully. "And they say love is blind."
His lover snorted and turned to look out the window as the last vestiges of Narita Airport vanished under the clouds. The truth of Kurama's words struck home; love WAS blind - how else could he explain the two of them? The Ningenkai social standards did not exactly smile on the kind of relationship he and the youko beside him enjoyed. With a resigned huff, Hiei shut his eyes, determined to get all the rest he possibly could out of the flight to Honolulu; from the way Kurama's fingers were playing along his thigh, he doubted he would have much time for sleep later.
Botan giggled softly as she watched the members of the Urameshi Team with their respective partners. Up ahead, Kuwabara's elated responses to Yukina's words could be heard, along with Yuusuke's groans from across the aisle as Keiko brained him - again. The ferrygirl could not hear any noise coming from behind, where Kurama and Hiei were sitting, but they were probably sleeping.
The blue-haired girl sighed wistfully as she shifted in her seat, eyes soft. A gentle hand on her shoulder made her look up. Kuwabara Shizuru's understanding features gazed back. "Daijoubu yo, Botan. There's someone out there for you, too. And he might be closer than you think."
Botan gave her neighbor a puzzled look. "Dare?" she asked, unable to think of anyone - except Koenma-sama, and their relationship was strictly professional - wasn't it?
Shizuru smiled wisely. "You'll see," she said, turning to respond to something Atsuko was commenting on. Botan made a moue of frustration, then shrugged and put the matter aside, her normally buoyant personality reasserting itself. There would be time enough later to consider Shizuru's words.
(Honolulu Airport, Oahu)
Yuusuke gasped as the warm air hit him like a slap in the face; after so long in an air-conditioned plane, he found it hard to breathe the balmy humid air. He looked around curiously. Turning to Botan he asked, "So now what?"
The Spirit Guide frowned. "Koenma-sama said that Sumi-chan was going to meet us here."
"How?" Kuwabara wanted to know. "Sumi's a youko, na? She can't just walk around in public."
"Ano, sumimasen." All eyes turned to the young girl in an aloha-patterned dress and sandals. A large red hibiscus was tucked behind her right ear.
Kurama's jaw dropped. "Su-Sumi-chan?!"
Sumi smiled, brushing blond hair away from her face. "Hisashiburi ne, Kurama-kun." Emerald eyes met, one blank with shock, the other sparkling with mischief. Kurama's childhood friend idly twisted the cord around her neck. "Amazing what magic a little can do, ne?"
The redhead gave the ocarina a troubled look. "You still carry that?" he wondered. "After all the problems it's caused, I'd have thought you'd hide it, at least."
The blond youko shook her head. "Iie. Suren couldn't control the ocarina's full power, and it consumed him. I don't even try...I just use as much as I can handle, so I'm okay." She looked down for a moment, lost in her memories before tossing them off. "Ja, shall we get your bags?" she offered her guests. "We have to transfer to another flight."
Hiei grumbled as he buckled his seatbelt. "Another damned flight."
Sumireina and Kurama shared a grin. "Hasn't changed much since the last time I saw him," she whispered to the other youko.
"Only on the outside. He's a softie inside," Kurama murmured, smiling sweetly at the object of their conversation as red eyes glared balefully at them.
"Oi Sumi," Yuusuke's voice interrupted them. "Where are we going, exactly?"
Sumi leaned forward to address the question. "We're landing at Hilo Airport, then checking into a hotel. My cottage can't accommodate all of you, and it's not very wise to sleep outdoors right now."
"Doushite?" Yukina asked, looking back at the youko vixen. The other's followed suit, also unclear as just what they would be up against.
Sumi took a deep breath. "Koenma-sama told you that I called you due to disturbances among the native youkai, ne?" At their nods of confirmation, she continued, "Well, let me start at the beginning."
"Long before the first Hawaiian ningen arrived to populate the Islands, a few tribes of lower-class youkai managed to break through the kekkai and settled down in the Ningenkai. Since Hawaii were as yet unpopulated, it was a perfect place to set up a relatively peaceful society. Even when the Hawaiians got here, the youkai, or Menehune, as the ningen called them, were able to comfortably coexist with the newcomers.
"The Hawaiians believed in various gods and goddesses...and one of them was the goddess of the volcano, Pele. New, there are signs that Pele is once more beginning to stir under the Big Island - quakes, volcanic activity, that kind of thing." Sumireina paused. "It's making the youkai here nervous - not a good thing."
Yuusuke looked as if he wanted to ask something, but the flight attendant announced their imminent landing, cutting short the conversation.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Yukina asked Kuwabara worriedly.
"Never you worry, dear Yukina-chan!" Kuwabara assured the ice maiden, striking a heroic pose. "With Kuwabara Kazuma the Man around, the others will have nothing to fear - urk!" he was cut off unceremoniously as Yuusuke hit him on the head. "Urameshi! Temee-!"
"Baka yarou! The faster we check out Sumi's place, the faster we get this over." Yuusuke grinned suddenly, slinging a companionable arm around his best friend's shoulders. "And the faster we get this over," he added, a twinkle in his eye, "the more vacation time we have. Keiko always did wanna see Hawaii."
Kuwabara's face turned a dangerous shade of red as he thought of Yukina in a swimsuit. "Ah, Yukina-chan!" he shrieked, his mental faculties overloading.
"Hai?" asked the tiny Koorime, who had watched the entire exchange curiously.
"Na-nandemo nai!" Mortified at being overheard, the orange-haired boy blushed an even brighter shade of red and ran down to hall to the lobby entrance, where Hiei was trying to explode his head with the heat of his glare. "Ikuzo!"
"It's beautiful." Kurama looked at his surroundings with appreciation.
Rainbow Falls was stunning in the twilight, the setting sun turning the mist churned up by the waterfall into a golden spray. The youko inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp, cool air, the muted roaring of the Falls in the background adding to the aura of peacefulness.
"I live near the Falls so I can be closer to the water." Sumireina grinned. "I've gotten better at controlling it - a regular Sub-zero." She caught the other's looks of surprise. "Nani? You didn't think I could live in the Ningenkai without picking up SOME habits, ne?" The blond youko led the Tantei down a narrow path, Kurama growing lantern plants to light their way.
As they neared the Falls, Kurama stopped suddenly, shaking. Hiei looked at him in concern. "Doushitanda?"
The redhead hugged himself tightly, his features drawn and pale. "I can't go in there," he lifted a trembling finger towards the darkening woods. "It - it feels like there are hundreds of eyes on me - watching and waiting." He looked at his companions. "Don't you feel it?"
Sumi moved to support her old friend. "It's probably the Menehune in these woods," she told them. "They're linked with the environment, and now's the time they usually come out of the woodwork, so to speak. I'm used to it, but I'm surprised Hiei-kun and Kuwabara-kun haven't felt them."
Kuwabara shook his head. "I can't feel anything here. It's like there's a wall blocking out any probes. I only get birds and animals."
"Hn." Hiei spared a final glance at his kitsune before stepping forward, removing his warded headband and closing his almond eyes. The Jagan opened, glowing an eerie purple in the diminishing light. Kurama's shaky breaths were the only sounds that broke the silence that descended while the dark Jaganshi scanned for signs of the youkai.
As the Jagan's Sight ranged farther out, it passed over Kilauea Volcano. Deep within the fiery pit, Pele stirred, feeling the dark touch feather over Her before moving on. The brief sensation was noted; dark and icy-hot - and unmistakably masculine. For the first time in a long while, Pele, the goddess of the volcano, felt a flicker of interest; on that was sensual in nature.
Hiei opened his eyes with a silent sigh, re-warding his Jagan. "Nothing," he said, turning back to his teammates and lover.
Yuusuke's normally eager expression was troubled as he glanced at his redheaded youko friend. "Should we go on?"
Sumireina shook her head. "Iya. It's getting dark, and it'll take a while to get back to the hotel. Besides," she added, leading Kurama back up the trail, "I'm not so sure the woods are safe anymore, given Kurama-kun's reaction."
TBC...
~~~~~~~
Author's notes: Hmm...this is...the continuation of my "Child of the Grove" series. I didn't write them in order, really, so hopefully this is a tentative outline:
Pre-Child:
1)Wings of Destiny
2)Child of the Grove (WIP)
3)Beyond Friendship
4)My Lover, My Friend/Friend and Lover/My Brother's Heart
5)When Fire Walked the Earth
6)Brown Penny
7)A Sister's Love (WIP)
This is my `baby' - I've been working on it for almost 4 years now, and it's getting harder due to work and college. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and my plots, so feedback is welcomed and appreciated! Thanks to all the positive responses I've gotten so far. ~Take^_^
Shounen ai hints
**Thank you Lynx the Fang Fetished Feline for the use of Youko Sumireina and Suren!!
*Takemi is my creation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Big Island, Hawaii - town of Volcano)
The earth rumbled and shook as tremors rocked the town of Volcano, Hawaii. As scientists rushed to Kilauea Volcano to perform tests, kahunas (wise men), old Hawaiians, and believers in the old legends shook their heads and looked at each other knowingly. Little by little, believers gathered at the summit of the crater, Halemaumau, to offer gifts and prayers.
Sitting in a diner in Volcano, Youko Sumireina looked up from her breakfast. "She wakes."
When Fire Walked the Earth
By Take (Dec. 1998)
(Big Island, Hawaii - one week later)
Sumireina gazed thoughtfully out into the forest through a window of her small cottage. Situated at the outskirts of a heavily wooded area at the edge of Rainbow Falls, the neighbors were few and far between, giving her the privacy and proximity to water that she craved.
Absently, one hand went to the ocarina hanging about her neck, raising the instrument to her lips. Sweet notes issued forth from the ocarina, silencing the twilight song of the birds as the illusion cloaking her fell away.
Delicately pointed ears now rose through sun-streaked blond hair, and a long luxurious tail twitched nervously. Sumi let the ocarina fall back into place around her neck and focused her wide emerald eyes into the depths of the darkening forest. Her sharp ears picked out the different sounds, searching for one in particular - the voices of Hawaii's native youkai, the Menehune.
Sumireina frowned. The Menehune's increased activity was always a sign that something was going to happen; coupled with the recent volcanic activity of Kilauea, it was almost a sure bet that Pele was somehow involved.
The youko vixen suppressed a shiver of apprehension. Being a youkai herself, she was used to the strange goings-on of the Islands; at the same time, she was amazed at the relationship between ningen and youkai. Sumireina adjusted her ocarina. Fellow youkai she could handle - but a Goddess? If Pele was the cause of the increase in Menehune pranks, something had to be done - relocation to another island in the chain, perhaps. In any case, there would have to be steps taken soon; the youkai were bound to the islands securely after centuries of inhabiting them, and their pranks would become dangerous as their agitation swelled.
Mind made up, Sumireina reached for her phone and dialed the one number she had hoped never to use again. "Hai, Saotome-san? I'd like to speak with Koenma-sama, onegai. Tell him it's urgent."
Yuusuke thew open the doors to Koenma's office and stalked in, ignoring George's sputtered protests. "Nanda, Koenma. What kinda shit are you in now that you're cuttin' into our summer vacation?" the young Tantei grumbled as the other three members of his team filed in behind him, followed by Botan.
Koenma glared at his best team of Tantei, a vein in his forehead beginning to throb. "For your information Yuusuke, it's not my problem." Hiei raised an eyebrow. "It's Sumireina's."
"Nani?" Kurama stiffened at the mention of his childhood friend.
"Aw, man! I thought we'd already gotten rid of her psycho brother's ghost!" whined Kuwabara.
Kurama nodded in agreement. "Sou. Sumi-chan moved to the Ningenkai and disappeared for a fresh start. What made her break her silence?"
The toddle behind the desk chewed on his Fukuumen before answering. "Apparently, the native youkai have been getting nervous. And when they get nervous or upset, things happen - sometimes dangerous things. Sumireina wants to know if you can possible help calm them down, and maybe relocate them temporarily." Koenma hesitated. "There was something else she mentioned, but she was pretty vague about it."
"So we're just supposed to baby-sit a buncha jumpy youkai?" Yuusuke looked disappointed. "Where's the action in that?"
"If Sumi-chan needs help, that's all the reason I need," Kurama said, stepping forward. Hiei moved to stand by his side, a silent gesture of support and agreement.
Koenma smiled slightly. "Good. You'll be even happier when you learn where Sumireina's been living. You might even want to bring along Keiko and the girls."
"Why?" asked Yuusuke, his curiosity piqued.
"She lives in Hawaii."
(Narita Airport, Japan)
Hiei shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glowering at the lanky redhead reclining next to him. "I hate flying," he muttered.
Kurama chuckled, grasping the black-clad youkai's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "It's too bad Takemi couldn't come," he mused.
Kuwabara's shrill voice could be heard from a few rows ahead. "Damn baka. Still don't know what Yukina sees in him."
"Kuwabara-kun does have his good qualities, Hiei. He's smarter and kinder than he initially looks." The youko winced at a particularly high 'Ahh, Yukina-san!' and smiled ruefully. "And they say love is blind."
His lover snorted and turned to look out the window as the last vestiges of Narita Airport vanished under the clouds. The truth of Kurama's words struck home; love WAS blind - how else could he explain the two of them? The Ningenkai social standards did not exactly smile on the kind of relationship he and the youko beside him enjoyed. With a resigned huff, Hiei shut his eyes, determined to get all the rest he possibly could out of the flight to Honolulu; from the way Kurama's fingers were playing along his thigh, he doubted he would have much time for sleep later.
Botan giggled softly as she watched the members of the Urameshi Team with their respective partners. Up ahead, Kuwabara's elated responses to Yukina's words could be heard, along with Yuusuke's groans from across the aisle as Keiko brained him - again. The ferrygirl could not hear any noise coming from behind, where Kurama and Hiei were sitting, but they were probably sleeping.
The blue-haired girl sighed wistfully as she shifted in her seat, eyes soft. A gentle hand on her shoulder made her look up. Kuwabara Shizuru's understanding features gazed back. "Daijoubu yo, Botan. There's someone out there for you, too. And he might be closer than you think."
Botan gave her neighbor a puzzled look. "Dare?" she asked, unable to think of anyone - except Koenma-sama, and their relationship was strictly professional - wasn't it?
Shizuru smiled wisely. "You'll see," she said, turning to respond to something Atsuko was commenting on. Botan made a moue of frustration, then shrugged and put the matter aside, her normally buoyant personality reasserting itself. There would be time enough later to consider Shizuru's words.
(Honolulu Airport, Oahu)
Yuusuke gasped as the warm air hit him like a slap in the face; after so long in an air-conditioned plane, he found it hard to breathe the balmy humid air. He looked around curiously. Turning to Botan he asked, "So now what?"
The Spirit Guide frowned. "Koenma-sama said that Sumi-chan was going to meet us here."
"How?" Kuwabara wanted to know. "Sumi's a youko, na? She can't just walk around in public."
"Ano, sumimasen." All eyes turned to the young girl in an aloha-patterned dress and sandals. A large red hibiscus was tucked behind her right ear.
Kurama's jaw dropped. "Su-Sumi-chan?!"
Sumi smiled, brushing blond hair away from her face. "Hisashiburi ne, Kurama-kun." Emerald eyes met, one blank with shock, the other sparkling with mischief. Kurama's childhood friend idly twisted the cord around her neck. "Amazing what magic a little can do, ne?"
The redhead gave the ocarina a troubled look. "You still carry that?" he wondered. "After all the problems it's caused, I'd have thought you'd hide it, at least."
The blond youko shook her head. "Iie. Suren couldn't control the ocarina's full power, and it consumed him. I don't even try...I just use as much as I can handle, so I'm okay." She looked down for a moment, lost in her memories before tossing them off. "Ja, shall we get your bags?" she offered her guests. "We have to transfer to another flight."
Hiei grumbled as he buckled his seatbelt. "Another damned flight."
Sumireina and Kurama shared a grin. "Hasn't changed much since the last time I saw him," she whispered to the other youko.
"Only on the outside. He's a softie inside," Kurama murmured, smiling sweetly at the object of their conversation as red eyes glared balefully at them.
"Oi Sumi," Yuusuke's voice interrupted them. "Where are we going, exactly?"
Sumi leaned forward to address the question. "We're landing at Hilo Airport, then checking into a hotel. My cottage can't accommodate all of you, and it's not very wise to sleep outdoors right now."
"Doushite?" Yukina asked, looking back at the youko vixen. The other's followed suit, also unclear as just what they would be up against.
Sumi took a deep breath. "Koenma-sama told you that I called you due to disturbances among the native youkai, ne?" At their nods of confirmation, she continued, "Well, let me start at the beginning."
"Long before the first Hawaiian ningen arrived to populate the Islands, a few tribes of lower-class youkai managed to break through the kekkai and settled down in the Ningenkai. Since Hawaii were as yet unpopulated, it was a perfect place to set up a relatively peaceful society. Even when the Hawaiians got here, the youkai, or Menehune, as the ningen called them, were able to comfortably coexist with the newcomers.
"The Hawaiians believed in various gods and goddesses...and one of them was the goddess of the volcano, Pele. New, there are signs that Pele is once more beginning to stir under the Big Island - quakes, volcanic activity, that kind of thing." Sumireina paused. "It's making the youkai here nervous - not a good thing."
Yuusuke looked as if he wanted to ask something, but the flight attendant announced their imminent landing, cutting short the conversation.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Yukina asked Kuwabara worriedly.
"Never you worry, dear Yukina-chan!" Kuwabara assured the ice maiden, striking a heroic pose. "With Kuwabara Kazuma the Man around, the others will have nothing to fear - urk!" he was cut off unceremoniously as Yuusuke hit him on the head. "Urameshi! Temee-!"
"Baka yarou! The faster we check out Sumi's place, the faster we get this over." Yuusuke grinned suddenly, slinging a companionable arm around his best friend's shoulders. "And the faster we get this over," he added, a twinkle in his eye, "the more vacation time we have. Keiko always did wanna see Hawaii."
Kuwabara's face turned a dangerous shade of red as he thought of Yukina in a swimsuit. "Ah, Yukina-chan!" he shrieked, his mental faculties overloading.
"Hai?" asked the tiny Koorime, who had watched the entire exchange curiously.
"Na-nandemo nai!" Mortified at being overheard, the orange-haired boy blushed an even brighter shade of red and ran down to hall to the lobby entrance, where Hiei was trying to explode his head with the heat of his glare. "Ikuzo!"
"It's beautiful." Kurama looked at his surroundings with appreciation.
Rainbow Falls was stunning in the twilight, the setting sun turning the mist churned up by the waterfall into a golden spray. The youko inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp, cool air, the muted roaring of the Falls in the background adding to the aura of peacefulness.
"I live near the Falls so I can be closer to the water." Sumireina grinned. "I've gotten better at controlling it - a regular Sub-zero." She caught the other's looks of surprise. "Nani? You didn't think I could live in the Ningenkai without picking up SOME habits, ne?" The blond youko led the Tantei down a narrow path, Kurama growing lantern plants to light their way.
As they neared the Falls, Kurama stopped suddenly, shaking. Hiei looked at him in concern. "Doushitanda?"
The redhead hugged himself tightly, his features drawn and pale. "I can't go in there," he lifted a trembling finger towards the darkening woods. "It - it feels like there are hundreds of eyes on me - watching and waiting." He looked at his companions. "Don't you feel it?"
Sumi moved to support her old friend. "It's probably the Menehune in these woods," she told them. "They're linked with the environment, and now's the time they usually come out of the woodwork, so to speak. I'm used to it, but I'm surprised Hiei-kun and Kuwabara-kun haven't felt them."
Kuwabara shook his head. "I can't feel anything here. It's like there's a wall blocking out any probes. I only get birds and animals."
"Hn." Hiei spared a final glance at his kitsune before stepping forward, removing his warded headband and closing his almond eyes. The Jagan opened, glowing an eerie purple in the diminishing light. Kurama's shaky breaths were the only sounds that broke the silence that descended while the dark Jaganshi scanned for signs of the youkai.
As the Jagan's Sight ranged farther out, it passed over Kilauea Volcano. Deep within the fiery pit, Pele stirred, feeling the dark touch feather over Her before moving on. The brief sensation was noted; dark and icy-hot - and unmistakably masculine. For the first time in a long while, Pele, the goddess of the volcano, felt a flicker of interest; on that was sensual in nature.
Hiei opened his eyes with a silent sigh, re-warding his Jagan. "Nothing," he said, turning back to his teammates and lover.
Yuusuke's normally eager expression was troubled as he glanced at his redheaded youko friend. "Should we go on?"
Sumireina shook her head. "Iya. It's getting dark, and it'll take a while to get back to the hotel. Besides," she added, leading Kurama back up the trail, "I'm not so sure the woods are safe anymore, given Kurama-kun's reaction."
TBC...
~~~~~~~
Author's notes: Hmm...this is...the continuation of my "Child of the Grove" series. I didn't write them in order, really, so hopefully this is a tentative outline:
Pre-Child:
1)Wings of Destiny
2)Child of the Grove (WIP)
3)Beyond Friendship
4)My Lover, My Friend/Friend and Lover/My Brother's Heart
5)When Fire Walked the Earth
6)Brown Penny
7)A Sister's Love (WIP)
This is my `baby' - I've been working on it for almost 4 years now, and it's getting harder due to work and college. I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and my plots, so feedback is welcomed and appreciated! Thanks to all the positive responses I've gotten so far. ~Take^_^