Begin Part b
========
Kitsuryuu's coronation was still several
hours away, but the Reikai was already in full
costume. The last of the banners were being hung
and the plant mages were casting their spells so
that the ivy and flowering vines that they had
hung would look their best when the festivities
were underway. Hiei easily slinked by the workers
and the guards and made his way to Kitsuryuu's
room.
He knew exactly were his daughter's room was,
having made many nocturnal visits to watch as
Kitsuryuu sleep, just as he had done with Kurama.
He slipped inside that familiar doorway and was
frozen still in shock. Never had Hiei seen so
many dresses in his entire life! Kitsuryuu larger
than necessary room was packed to the gills with
every shade, fabric and cut of dress anyone could
imagine. Some were neatly hung on racks that had
been wheeled into the room, but most of them were
strewn across the room, hanging from windowsills,
the many doorways and the four posters of
Kitsuryuu ridiculously huge bed.
Because of his shock Hiei almost didn't hide
fast enough when the door swung open. With a
single leap Hiei was up in his normal hiding place
in the wooden rafters in the corner of Kitsuryuu's
room. In a whirl of color and pageantry an
elderly lady that Hiei recognized as Kitsuryuu's
teacher entered the room with a flare of skirts
and a click of her heels. Hiei had never liked
this woman much, but she was teaching Kitsuryuu
how to read and write and all the little things
she had missed out on because of her unusual
childhood so Hiei didn't say anything. Lady
Jingo, as she was called, quickly scanned the room
and then turned on the door as if she would
attack.
"Koenma... *where* is your daughter?!" she
demanded.
It still shot a sliver of pain in Hiei's
heart to hear Koenma being called Kitsuryuu's
father, but there was no help for it. He would
just have to thicken his skin against it. Koenma
slowly entered looking very haggard and drained.
At his heels where the ever present George and a
tiny girl dressed in a pink kimono. Koenma also
looked about the room in search of Kitsuryuu and
just shrugged his shoulders in defeat as the woman
paced like a hungry tiger.
"I really don't know, Jingo."
For the first time Hiei noticed that the
bulldog of a woman held a fan in her hand and she
brandished it like a short sword. She turned on
Koenma and made the godling take several steps
back as she approached him.
"It is two hours until *your* daughter's
coronation and you have no idea *where* she is!
This is unacceptable! I demand that she be
brought here immediately! She hasn't even chosen
a dress yet!"
Koenma stammered and stuttered and looked to
Gorge and then to the other Reikai servant for
help, both had taken a keen interest in the potted
plant by the door. Just as Koenma was about to
say something intelligent a tornado of black and
red rushed by him, causing the young god to turn
many times in his place.
Hiei watched intently as Kitsuryuu whirled to
a stop and then began searching the room. Dresses
of fine silk and satin sailed across the room in
every direction. Hiei could hear his daughter
growling under her breath and the longer she
searched and didn't find what she was looking for
the angrier she became. Soon Kitsuryuu was
followed by Botan, Fuyu, Mechiko and Yukina, even
Puu made his presence known by sticking his long,
swan-like neck in through the open window.
Kitsuryuu continued her rampage around the room
until she came to her closet and disappeared
inside. Soon various clothes, shoes and
unidentified flying objects came from the dark
recesses of the miniature room.
Botan suddenly broke away from the group of
stunned spectators and approached the seemingly
rabid young lady. From inside her elegantly
embroidered kimono sleeve Botan pulled out a solid
ring of red gold with a gleaming red gem hanging
from the slight point at the bottom edge. With
great speed and bravery, Botan entered the tiny
room with the enraged youkai. Almost immediately
new sounds, equally as unpleasant as the growling
had been, could be heard from the closet.
"That stupid, pig-headed, arrogant, vain,
crass, devious, childish, domineering, impossible,
cocky, overbearing, perverse, self-righteous,
snobbish JERK!"
Botan was physically propelled out of the
closet with the very last word. She beat a hasty
retreat to the others that were staring at the
dark opening with dumb confusion. Then, just as
the room was deathly quiet, the beast emerged out
of her cave.
Kitsuryuu was in the worse shape Hiei had
seen her since her accident three months ago. Her
hair was in a wild mess and was barely being held
in check by a braid at the base of her neck. Her
right eye was swollen dark blue with black around
the edges and there was a long slash from above
her right eye, over her nose and across her left
cheek that oozed blood. Her clothes were filthy
and blood stained, what was left of them anyway,
and her hands were raw and burnt.
"Kitsuryuu, calm down!" Mechiko pleaded with
her friend.
"Calm down?!" Kitsuryuu signed and spoke
simultaneously, "Calm down! Look what that...
that...ARRRHH!"
Kitsuryuu gave up trying to voice her temper
and began to search the room again, "As soon as I
find my sword I'll show him 'a hole in his
defenses', right in the middle of his thick, empty
skull!"
Everyone seemed at a lost at what to do, even
Hiei who remembered himself have similar tantrums,
was clueless as to how to stop the rampaging young
lady. Everyone that was except Lady Bulldog.
With a twist of her wrist the elderly lady opened
the fan with a sharp snap and the foot long
ornament took on a different look. The material
between each of the many spokes of the fan was
completely transparent like rice paper, but it
shimmered like gold. With another movement of her
wrist Lady Jingo swept the air in the room towards
Kitsuryuu with alarming results.
A powerful wind came with that tiny movement
of the fan, strong enough to blow Kitsuryuu off
her feet and Hiei nearly off his perch in the
rafters above. The stunned and angry young lady
flew several meters across the room and would have
hit the wall rather hard if Puu had not of caught
the back of her shirt in his beak and stopped her.
"Lady Jingo! I... I didn't know that you
were there!" Kitsuryuu stammered, all her anger
evaporated instantly.
"It is already quite obvious to me that you
did not know I was here. Otherwise you would not
have conducted yourself in such a rude and
unlady-like fashion," Lady Jingo said and then
snapped her fan shut.
Hiei could feel his own anger rising at
hearing his daughter spoken to in such a manner by
the female barracuda, but kept his mouth shut.
Kitsuryuu looked like she was going to defend
herself, but Lady Jingo held up her fan to stop
her.
"Do not try and defend your actions to me,
Lady Kitsuryuu. I already can see what happened."
Lady Jingo made a slow circle around
Kitsuryuu examining her clothes and pushing at the
exposed skin with the tip of her fan as if she
were too clean to touch Kitsuryuu herself. She
ended her circle in front of the young woman.
"After finishing creating those ice lanterns
in the main hall, which I might add are some of
your best work, you went to the training grounds
*against* my suggestion. Once you were there,
Shura showed you how foolish it was to go looking
for a fight when your best defense, your ki
powers, were completely drained and your hand to
hand fighting skills are at the novice level at
best," Lady Jingo walked up to Kitsuryuu and
grasped her chin firmly in her withered old hand,
"And it seems that he beat you quite soundly."
Hiei could see his daughter fairly boil with
anger at having been reminded of how completely
she was trounced by Shura. Hiei had seen first
hand how vicious the Captain of the Guard was on
Kitsuryuu. Shura seemed to single Kitsuryuu out
among the other cadets and never held back any of
his S-class power when sparing with the young
woman. Several times Hiei wondered if he should
speak to Koenma about how rough Shura was on
Kitsuryuu, but it didn't seem like his place
anymore now that Kitsuryuu was no longer legally
his daughter.
"In any case you have only two hours to
prepare for the coronation, Lady Kitsuryuu and I
suggest that you start with a bath while a healer
is sent for. I will not have one of my students
being seen at an event like this with a black eye
and a open wound across her face. Is that
understood?" Lady Jingo questioned as she stepped
away.
"Yes, Lady Jingo," Kitsuryuu signed and
spoke.
"Kitsuryuu, please remember that you can
speak now. There is no need to both sign and
speak. You will confuse people."
Kitsuryuu looked at her hands as if she had
seen them for the first time and quickly hid them
behind her back. Hiei could see a blush work its
way up Kitsuryuu's neck under the dirt and grime
as she dropped her head to study her bare, dirty
feet.
Lady Jingo once again reached out to grasp
Kitsuryuu's chin and made the young lady look at
her. When the elderly lady smiled at Kitsuryuu,
Hiei was amazed at how much it improved her
bulldog appearance.
"That is enough with the long face young
lady!" the old crone said cheerfully, with a
bright twinkle in her black eyes, "This is the
biggest night of your life and we are going to
show everyone how wonderful a woman you are,
including that snobbish Shura!"
Kitsuryuu's blush got even worse and she
responded with a small grin that got increasingly
bigger as she thought about what Lady Jingo said.
With a quick 'Yes Madame', Kitsuryuu ran over to
Mechiko and Fuyu and grabbed them both by the
hand. With an conspiring wink to each of her
companions, Kitsuryuu dragged the girls into a
room off to the side where her private bath was
located.
"And Lady Mechiko... make sure Kitsuryuu
bathes in *all* three forms," Lady Jingo called
out as the girls disappeared behind the door.
A very quite 'Oh, shit' could be heard behind
the closed door. Within seconds giggles and
laughter echoed in the large tiled room along with
splashing water and high pitched squeals of
protest. Lady Jingo just shook her head and
smiled adoringly.
"I fear that Lady Mechiko could do with some
etiquette training also," Lady Jingo sighed.
"Be careful what you say. Keiko might just
take you up on that offer," Yukina teased.
"It will not be easy for them to be gracious
young ladies having to do and be what they are,"
Lady Jingo said with what Hiei thought was regret
in her voice, but it was short lived as she turned
on Koenma with her folded fan.
"What are you still doing here!?" she
demanded of the startled man, "You have even less
time to prepare, since you will have to greet the
guests as they arrive. Now get *moving*!"
Koenma didn't bother to respond and made a
hasty retreat with George in tow. Lady Jingo
turned to the remaining Reikai servant and
instructed her to fetch the healer. She reminded
Botan that she also had to get dressed *and* pick
up a special guest and set her on her way. Soon
Lady Jingo and Yukina were alone in the room, with
the exception of Hiei whom they didn't know was
there. With an offer to help from Yukina the two
women began straitening the room that Kitsuryuu
had completely trashed.
In the quiet of the next few minutes Hiei had
a chance to reflect on what he had just witnessed.
It was alarmingly clear that Kitsuryuu had made
herself a life here in Reikai. Although not
completely pleased with her commanding officer,
Kitsuryuu seemed happy and very well taken care
of, better than he or Kurama could have ever
provided for her. In a strange way it made him
sad to see her so content without him in her life,
and he had a feeling that sadness would never
completely go away.
A knock on the door brought Hiei's attention
back to the room. The door open to reveal a
female healer who was quickly shown to the
bathroom. When the bathroom door was opened, a
tiny wave of water rushed out to soak the carpet
in the bedroom and the girls inside gave a scream
of surprise and one fox bark before the laughter
started again. All eyes were on the bathroom door
listening to strange unnatural noises within when
someone at the open bedroom door cleared his
throat.
Shura stood in the doorway in his stately and
slightly rumbled Captain of the Guard uniform with
two long wide boxes under his arm. If it wasn't
for the fact that his eyes were open and he only
had one set of ears and horns, Shura could have
been easily mistaken for his father. Hiei had not
been completely surprise when Kurama had first
told him that Shura had left his father's care,
since Yomi still refused to replace Kurama as his
heir. It had been a surprise, however, when it
was found out that he had entered the Academy and
then consequently a few years later became Captain
of the Guard.
The youkai entered the room without asking
permission and gave a charming smile to the ladies
within, which Hiei was please to note was slightly
marred by the deep slash across his right cheek.
Lady Jingo gave a small nod of her head in
greeting and Yukina presented him with a weary bow
but never dropped her eyes.
"What brings you here to the den, Sir Shura?
Surly feeling the fox's teeth once today was
enough for you," Lady Jingo said, holding back
none of her displeasure, which changed Hiei's
perception of the lady quite a bit.
Shura reached up to his cheek and gave a smug
smile that rubbed Hiei non-existent fur the wrong
way.
"I knew that if I rode her hard enough that
evidentially she would drop her stupid little
insecurity about her fox form and come back with
something good enough to train," Shura's smile
changed to something almost predatory, "Now that I
have proof that she has what it takes I'm going to
push her even harder until she lives up to her
potential or.. doesn't."
"That maybe so, Sir Shura, but today was not
the day to be pushing such matters," Lady Jingo
reprimanded.
"Perhaps you are right, but for a moment she
reminded me of someone. It was something in her
face... her... look, if your will. I would very
much like to see that look again to confirm my
suspicions."
Hiei's hands gripped the beam he was on until
the wood began to splinter. His fingers itched to
wrap around Shura's slender neck and squeeze until
his pinkish eyes popped out of his head. He
promised all the gods that he never paid attention
to that if Shura ever went out of his way to hurt
his daughter again it would be the very last thing
he would do in this plane of existence.
"If that is all Sir, you may leave."
"There is one more thing," Shura handed the
two boxes over to Lady Jingo and left the room.
His whistling could be heard as he walked down the
hall.
"Do you think he knows?" Yukina asked.
Lady Jingo gave a very unladylike snort and
flopped the two boxes on the bed, "He knows."
All conversation stopped when Mechiko tumbled
into the room with another swish of water. The
young Urameshi was fully clothed and completely
soaked and was soon joined by an equally clothed
and soaked Fuyu. Both were trying unsuccessfully
to stop their laughter as they fell on each other
for support. The unsettled healer quickly made
her way from the water drenched room and left
swiftly. Her sandals could be heard squishing as
she walked down the hall. The object of the two
girls gayety was revealed when Kitsuryuu entered
the room.
Her kitsune form was dripping wet and all her
fur was plastered to her skin making her look like
a drowned rat. Hiei found it hard to keep the
grin off his face. Kitsuryuu growled and then
barked just before she shook. Water flew
everywhere and Lady Jingo and Yukina gave girlish
squeals.
"Lady Kitsuryuu! That is enough! That is
why we have towels."
"Their... their all wet," Mechiko struggled
to get out between hic-ups.
"How could they possibly all be wet? Never
mind, I don't want to know. Fuyu, dear, would you
please bring us some more towels from your room,"
Lady Jingo asked as she tried to save some of the
dresses that had been rained upon.
Once Fuyu left, Mechiko's giggles died down
and the young girl started to blush under the
scrutiny of both Lady Jingo and Yukina. Mechiko
coughed nervously and tried to straighten her wet
clothes. When it was obvious it was futile, she
jabbed her hands into her jeans pockets and
started to examine the dresses in the room. With
a squishy stomp on the floor Mechiko gained
Kitsuryuu attention.
"Have you picked your dresses out yet?"
Kitsuryuu gave a snort to show her opinion on
the subject of dresses and shook her head.
Mechiko shrugged her shoulders and then started
looking at the dresses again. When her eyes fell
on the two boxes on the bed Hiei could practically
see Yuusuke's daughter's curiosity oozing out of
her. Mechiko flipped open the two boxes and gave
a low whistle and turned to her kitsune friend.
"Did you see these, Kitsuryuu? There a
couple of kick ass duds."
"Lady Mechiko!"
"Sorry, Lady Jingo," Mechiko replied
sheepishly.
Hiei tried to crane his neck so that he could
also see what was in the boxes but his vision was
blocked by three heads and a fox. Kitsuryuu had
jumped onto the bed to get a better look at the
boxes and looked to Mechiko with a questioning
glance.
"I think you should wear them, Kit. Who ever
picked them out sure had you in mind."
Lady Jingo and Yukina exchanged looks over he
girls heads when Fuyu came back with the towels,
"What all the interest?"
"Come look at these and tell Kitsuryuu that
they would be perfect for her," Mechiko said
crooking her finger at the other girl.
Fuyu handed the towels to her mother and
looked down at the dresses Hiei still couldn't
see. She also gave an approving whistle and
winked at Kitsuryuu. The fox looked back down at
the boxes and turned her head to the side
examining them. With a sigh of defeat she nodded
her head 'yes' and the decision was made.
"Well, now that is settled, isn't about time
the two of you got ready also?" Yukina asked the
girls.
Both girls looked down at themselves and then
at each other and ran from the room, pushing to
see who would make it out the door first.
"Now it's time for you young lady," Lady
Jingo said as she picked up the boxes.
She started walking to yet another door in
the room when Kitsuryuu changed from a wet
silver-blue fox to an actual young lady.
Kitsuryuu's wet hair clung to her back all the way
down to her hips looking completely black. The
bruise and the gash that had been on her face were
now no where to be found and her hands showed no
signs of ever being burnt. She gave a huff and
crossed her arms over her naked chest.
"I don't see why I have to dress in another
room. What's wrong with this one?" she asked.
"It is improper for a lady of your standing
to dress in her bedroom. The servants could enter
at any time to clean the room or bring something,
besides the door doesn't have a lock," Lady Jingo
informed her with a royal air that made Hiei's eye
twitch.
Kitsuryuu huffed once again but gave up. She
walked the remaining distance to the other room
and followed Yukina inside. Hiei shook his head
at the strangeness of this place Kitsuryuu now
called home and waited to see what his daughter
looked like in the dresses he hadn't been able to
see.
For what seemed like hours the two women in
the changing room made a lot of demands on
Kitsuryuu. 'Don't move. Don't touch that. Hold
still. Give me that. Hold this. Stop squirming.
Put your hands here. Stop that. Change forms.
Bend lower. Breath in deep.' Among the many
sounds that came from the room, only one of which
Hiei could recognize as a hair dryer, Kitsuryuu's
groans of protest, yelps of pain and one or two
barks made Hiei think that they were torturing the
poor girl. The waiting became almost unbearable,
but Hiei endured. This might be the only time he
ever got to see Kitsuryuu like this since he had
no plans to attend the coronation. The three
woman finally reentered the room.
Yukina reentered the bedroom with a beaming
smile on her face and what looked like tears in
her eyes. Lady Jingo was next to appear with a
drape made of spun sliver over her arm and a look
of pure pride (for herself, or for Kitsuryuu Hiei
could not tell). When Kitsuryuu didn't emerge
Hiei began to worry. Had they truly hurt her in
there? Lady Jingo looked into the room and
motioned to Kitsuryuu to come out.
Hiei watched his daughter slowly enter the
room and was amazed. This was only the third time
he had ever seen his daughter in her youko form.
The first time he had been delirious, the second
had been a deadly serious situation and he hadn't
the time to examine her, this time he could only
stare in wonder.
=======
End Part b
========
Kitsuryuu's coronation was still several
hours away, but the Reikai was already in full
costume. The last of the banners were being hung
and the plant mages were casting their spells so
that the ivy and flowering vines that they had
hung would look their best when the festivities
were underway. Hiei easily slinked by the workers
and the guards and made his way to Kitsuryuu's
room.
He knew exactly were his daughter's room was,
having made many nocturnal visits to watch as
Kitsuryuu sleep, just as he had done with Kurama.
He slipped inside that familiar doorway and was
frozen still in shock. Never had Hiei seen so
many dresses in his entire life! Kitsuryuu larger
than necessary room was packed to the gills with
every shade, fabric and cut of dress anyone could
imagine. Some were neatly hung on racks that had
been wheeled into the room, but most of them were
strewn across the room, hanging from windowsills,
the many doorways and the four posters of
Kitsuryuu ridiculously huge bed.
Because of his shock Hiei almost didn't hide
fast enough when the door swung open. With a
single leap Hiei was up in his normal hiding place
in the wooden rafters in the corner of Kitsuryuu's
room. In a whirl of color and pageantry an
elderly lady that Hiei recognized as Kitsuryuu's
teacher entered the room with a flare of skirts
and a click of her heels. Hiei had never liked
this woman much, but she was teaching Kitsuryuu
how to read and write and all the little things
she had missed out on because of her unusual
childhood so Hiei didn't say anything. Lady
Jingo, as she was called, quickly scanned the room
and then turned on the door as if she would
attack.
"Koenma... *where* is your daughter?!" she
demanded.
It still shot a sliver of pain in Hiei's
heart to hear Koenma being called Kitsuryuu's
father, but there was no help for it. He would
just have to thicken his skin against it. Koenma
slowly entered looking very haggard and drained.
At his heels where the ever present George and a
tiny girl dressed in a pink kimono. Koenma also
looked about the room in search of Kitsuryuu and
just shrugged his shoulders in defeat as the woman
paced like a hungry tiger.
"I really don't know, Jingo."
For the first time Hiei noticed that the
bulldog of a woman held a fan in her hand and she
brandished it like a short sword. She turned on
Koenma and made the godling take several steps
back as she approached him.
"It is two hours until *your* daughter's
coronation and you have no idea *where* she is!
This is unacceptable! I demand that she be
brought here immediately! She hasn't even chosen
a dress yet!"
Koenma stammered and stuttered and looked to
Gorge and then to the other Reikai servant for
help, both had taken a keen interest in the potted
plant by the door. Just as Koenma was about to
say something intelligent a tornado of black and
red rushed by him, causing the young god to turn
many times in his place.
Hiei watched intently as Kitsuryuu whirled to
a stop and then began searching the room. Dresses
of fine silk and satin sailed across the room in
every direction. Hiei could hear his daughter
growling under her breath and the longer she
searched and didn't find what she was looking for
the angrier she became. Soon Kitsuryuu was
followed by Botan, Fuyu, Mechiko and Yukina, even
Puu made his presence known by sticking his long,
swan-like neck in through the open window.
Kitsuryuu continued her rampage around the room
until she came to her closet and disappeared
inside. Soon various clothes, shoes and
unidentified flying objects came from the dark
recesses of the miniature room.
Botan suddenly broke away from the group of
stunned spectators and approached the seemingly
rabid young lady. From inside her elegantly
embroidered kimono sleeve Botan pulled out a solid
ring of red gold with a gleaming red gem hanging
from the slight point at the bottom edge. With
great speed and bravery, Botan entered the tiny
room with the enraged youkai. Almost immediately
new sounds, equally as unpleasant as the growling
had been, could be heard from the closet.
"That stupid, pig-headed, arrogant, vain,
crass, devious, childish, domineering, impossible,
cocky, overbearing, perverse, self-righteous,
snobbish JERK!"
Botan was physically propelled out of the
closet with the very last word. She beat a hasty
retreat to the others that were staring at the
dark opening with dumb confusion. Then, just as
the room was deathly quiet, the beast emerged out
of her cave.
Kitsuryuu was in the worse shape Hiei had
seen her since her accident three months ago. Her
hair was in a wild mess and was barely being held
in check by a braid at the base of her neck. Her
right eye was swollen dark blue with black around
the edges and there was a long slash from above
her right eye, over her nose and across her left
cheek that oozed blood. Her clothes were filthy
and blood stained, what was left of them anyway,
and her hands were raw and burnt.
"Kitsuryuu, calm down!" Mechiko pleaded with
her friend.
"Calm down?!" Kitsuryuu signed and spoke
simultaneously, "Calm down! Look what that...
that...ARRRHH!"
Kitsuryuu gave up trying to voice her temper
and began to search the room again, "As soon as I
find my sword I'll show him 'a hole in his
defenses', right in the middle of his thick, empty
skull!"
Everyone seemed at a lost at what to do, even
Hiei who remembered himself have similar tantrums,
was clueless as to how to stop the rampaging young
lady. Everyone that was except Lady Bulldog.
With a twist of her wrist the elderly lady opened
the fan with a sharp snap and the foot long
ornament took on a different look. The material
between each of the many spokes of the fan was
completely transparent like rice paper, but it
shimmered like gold. With another movement of her
wrist Lady Jingo swept the air in the room towards
Kitsuryuu with alarming results.
A powerful wind came with that tiny movement
of the fan, strong enough to blow Kitsuryuu off
her feet and Hiei nearly off his perch in the
rafters above. The stunned and angry young lady
flew several meters across the room and would have
hit the wall rather hard if Puu had not of caught
the back of her shirt in his beak and stopped her.
"Lady Jingo! I... I didn't know that you
were there!" Kitsuryuu stammered, all her anger
evaporated instantly.
"It is already quite obvious to me that you
did not know I was here. Otherwise you would not
have conducted yourself in such a rude and
unlady-like fashion," Lady Jingo said and then
snapped her fan shut.
Hiei could feel his own anger rising at
hearing his daughter spoken to in such a manner by
the female barracuda, but kept his mouth shut.
Kitsuryuu looked like she was going to defend
herself, but Lady Jingo held up her fan to stop
her.
"Do not try and defend your actions to me,
Lady Kitsuryuu. I already can see what happened."
Lady Jingo made a slow circle around
Kitsuryuu examining her clothes and pushing at the
exposed skin with the tip of her fan as if she
were too clean to touch Kitsuryuu herself. She
ended her circle in front of the young woman.
"After finishing creating those ice lanterns
in the main hall, which I might add are some of
your best work, you went to the training grounds
*against* my suggestion. Once you were there,
Shura showed you how foolish it was to go looking
for a fight when your best defense, your ki
powers, were completely drained and your hand to
hand fighting skills are at the novice level at
best," Lady Jingo walked up to Kitsuryuu and
grasped her chin firmly in her withered old hand,
"And it seems that he beat you quite soundly."
Hiei could see his daughter fairly boil with
anger at having been reminded of how completely
she was trounced by Shura. Hiei had seen first
hand how vicious the Captain of the Guard was on
Kitsuryuu. Shura seemed to single Kitsuryuu out
among the other cadets and never held back any of
his S-class power when sparing with the young
woman. Several times Hiei wondered if he should
speak to Koenma about how rough Shura was on
Kitsuryuu, but it didn't seem like his place
anymore now that Kitsuryuu was no longer legally
his daughter.
"In any case you have only two hours to
prepare for the coronation, Lady Kitsuryuu and I
suggest that you start with a bath while a healer
is sent for. I will not have one of my students
being seen at an event like this with a black eye
and a open wound across her face. Is that
understood?" Lady Jingo questioned as she stepped
away.
"Yes, Lady Jingo," Kitsuryuu signed and
spoke.
"Kitsuryuu, please remember that you can
speak now. There is no need to both sign and
speak. You will confuse people."
Kitsuryuu looked at her hands as if she had
seen them for the first time and quickly hid them
behind her back. Hiei could see a blush work its
way up Kitsuryuu's neck under the dirt and grime
as she dropped her head to study her bare, dirty
feet.
Lady Jingo once again reached out to grasp
Kitsuryuu's chin and made the young lady look at
her. When the elderly lady smiled at Kitsuryuu,
Hiei was amazed at how much it improved her
bulldog appearance.
"That is enough with the long face young
lady!" the old crone said cheerfully, with a
bright twinkle in her black eyes, "This is the
biggest night of your life and we are going to
show everyone how wonderful a woman you are,
including that snobbish Shura!"
Kitsuryuu's blush got even worse and she
responded with a small grin that got increasingly
bigger as she thought about what Lady Jingo said.
With a quick 'Yes Madame', Kitsuryuu ran over to
Mechiko and Fuyu and grabbed them both by the
hand. With an conspiring wink to each of her
companions, Kitsuryuu dragged the girls into a
room off to the side where her private bath was
located.
"And Lady Mechiko... make sure Kitsuryuu
bathes in *all* three forms," Lady Jingo called
out as the girls disappeared behind the door.
A very quite 'Oh, shit' could be heard behind
the closed door. Within seconds giggles and
laughter echoed in the large tiled room along with
splashing water and high pitched squeals of
protest. Lady Jingo just shook her head and
smiled adoringly.
"I fear that Lady Mechiko could do with some
etiquette training also," Lady Jingo sighed.
"Be careful what you say. Keiko might just
take you up on that offer," Yukina teased.
"It will not be easy for them to be gracious
young ladies having to do and be what they are,"
Lady Jingo said with what Hiei thought was regret
in her voice, but it was short lived as she turned
on Koenma with her folded fan.
"What are you still doing here!?" she
demanded of the startled man, "You have even less
time to prepare, since you will have to greet the
guests as they arrive. Now get *moving*!"
Koenma didn't bother to respond and made a
hasty retreat with George in tow. Lady Jingo
turned to the remaining Reikai servant and
instructed her to fetch the healer. She reminded
Botan that she also had to get dressed *and* pick
up a special guest and set her on her way. Soon
Lady Jingo and Yukina were alone in the room, with
the exception of Hiei whom they didn't know was
there. With an offer to help from Yukina the two
women began straitening the room that Kitsuryuu
had completely trashed.
In the quiet of the next few minutes Hiei had
a chance to reflect on what he had just witnessed.
It was alarmingly clear that Kitsuryuu had made
herself a life here in Reikai. Although not
completely pleased with her commanding officer,
Kitsuryuu seemed happy and very well taken care
of, better than he or Kurama could have ever
provided for her. In a strange way it made him
sad to see her so content without him in her life,
and he had a feeling that sadness would never
completely go away.
A knock on the door brought Hiei's attention
back to the room. The door open to reveal a
female healer who was quickly shown to the
bathroom. When the bathroom door was opened, a
tiny wave of water rushed out to soak the carpet
in the bedroom and the girls inside gave a scream
of surprise and one fox bark before the laughter
started again. All eyes were on the bathroom door
listening to strange unnatural noises within when
someone at the open bedroom door cleared his
throat.
Shura stood in the doorway in his stately and
slightly rumbled Captain of the Guard uniform with
two long wide boxes under his arm. If it wasn't
for the fact that his eyes were open and he only
had one set of ears and horns, Shura could have
been easily mistaken for his father. Hiei had not
been completely surprise when Kurama had first
told him that Shura had left his father's care,
since Yomi still refused to replace Kurama as his
heir. It had been a surprise, however, when it
was found out that he had entered the Academy and
then consequently a few years later became Captain
of the Guard.
The youkai entered the room without asking
permission and gave a charming smile to the ladies
within, which Hiei was please to note was slightly
marred by the deep slash across his right cheek.
Lady Jingo gave a small nod of her head in
greeting and Yukina presented him with a weary bow
but never dropped her eyes.
"What brings you here to the den, Sir Shura?
Surly feeling the fox's teeth once today was
enough for you," Lady Jingo said, holding back
none of her displeasure, which changed Hiei's
perception of the lady quite a bit.
Shura reached up to his cheek and gave a smug
smile that rubbed Hiei non-existent fur the wrong
way.
"I knew that if I rode her hard enough that
evidentially she would drop her stupid little
insecurity about her fox form and come back with
something good enough to train," Shura's smile
changed to something almost predatory, "Now that I
have proof that she has what it takes I'm going to
push her even harder until she lives up to her
potential or.. doesn't."
"That maybe so, Sir Shura, but today was not
the day to be pushing such matters," Lady Jingo
reprimanded.
"Perhaps you are right, but for a moment she
reminded me of someone. It was something in her
face... her... look, if your will. I would very
much like to see that look again to confirm my
suspicions."
Hiei's hands gripped the beam he was on until
the wood began to splinter. His fingers itched to
wrap around Shura's slender neck and squeeze until
his pinkish eyes popped out of his head. He
promised all the gods that he never paid attention
to that if Shura ever went out of his way to hurt
his daughter again it would be the very last thing
he would do in this plane of existence.
"If that is all Sir, you may leave."
"There is one more thing," Shura handed the
two boxes over to Lady Jingo and left the room.
His whistling could be heard as he walked down the
hall.
"Do you think he knows?" Yukina asked.
Lady Jingo gave a very unladylike snort and
flopped the two boxes on the bed, "He knows."
All conversation stopped when Mechiko tumbled
into the room with another swish of water. The
young Urameshi was fully clothed and completely
soaked and was soon joined by an equally clothed
and soaked Fuyu. Both were trying unsuccessfully
to stop their laughter as they fell on each other
for support. The unsettled healer quickly made
her way from the water drenched room and left
swiftly. Her sandals could be heard squishing as
she walked down the hall. The object of the two
girls gayety was revealed when Kitsuryuu entered
the room.
Her kitsune form was dripping wet and all her
fur was plastered to her skin making her look like
a drowned rat. Hiei found it hard to keep the
grin off his face. Kitsuryuu growled and then
barked just before she shook. Water flew
everywhere and Lady Jingo and Yukina gave girlish
squeals.
"Lady Kitsuryuu! That is enough! That is
why we have towels."
"Their... their all wet," Mechiko struggled
to get out between hic-ups.
"How could they possibly all be wet? Never
mind, I don't want to know. Fuyu, dear, would you
please bring us some more towels from your room,"
Lady Jingo asked as she tried to save some of the
dresses that had been rained upon.
Once Fuyu left, Mechiko's giggles died down
and the young girl started to blush under the
scrutiny of both Lady Jingo and Yukina. Mechiko
coughed nervously and tried to straighten her wet
clothes. When it was obvious it was futile, she
jabbed her hands into her jeans pockets and
started to examine the dresses in the room. With
a squishy stomp on the floor Mechiko gained
Kitsuryuu attention.
"Have you picked your dresses out yet?"
Kitsuryuu gave a snort to show her opinion on
the subject of dresses and shook her head.
Mechiko shrugged her shoulders and then started
looking at the dresses again. When her eyes fell
on the two boxes on the bed Hiei could practically
see Yuusuke's daughter's curiosity oozing out of
her. Mechiko flipped open the two boxes and gave
a low whistle and turned to her kitsune friend.
"Did you see these, Kitsuryuu? There a
couple of kick ass duds."
"Lady Mechiko!"
"Sorry, Lady Jingo," Mechiko replied
sheepishly.
Hiei tried to crane his neck so that he could
also see what was in the boxes but his vision was
blocked by three heads and a fox. Kitsuryuu had
jumped onto the bed to get a better look at the
boxes and looked to Mechiko with a questioning
glance.
"I think you should wear them, Kit. Who ever
picked them out sure had you in mind."
Lady Jingo and Yukina exchanged looks over he
girls heads when Fuyu came back with the towels,
"What all the interest?"
"Come look at these and tell Kitsuryuu that
they would be perfect for her," Mechiko said
crooking her finger at the other girl.
Fuyu handed the towels to her mother and
looked down at the dresses Hiei still couldn't
see. She also gave an approving whistle and
winked at Kitsuryuu. The fox looked back down at
the boxes and turned her head to the side
examining them. With a sigh of defeat she nodded
her head 'yes' and the decision was made.
"Well, now that is settled, isn't about time
the two of you got ready also?" Yukina asked the
girls.
Both girls looked down at themselves and then
at each other and ran from the room, pushing to
see who would make it out the door first.
"Now it's time for you young lady," Lady
Jingo said as she picked up the boxes.
She started walking to yet another door in
the room when Kitsuryuu changed from a wet
silver-blue fox to an actual young lady.
Kitsuryuu's wet hair clung to her back all the way
down to her hips looking completely black. The
bruise and the gash that had been on her face were
now no where to be found and her hands showed no
signs of ever being burnt. She gave a huff and
crossed her arms over her naked chest.
"I don't see why I have to dress in another
room. What's wrong with this one?" she asked.
"It is improper for a lady of your standing
to dress in her bedroom. The servants could enter
at any time to clean the room or bring something,
besides the door doesn't have a lock," Lady Jingo
informed her with a royal air that made Hiei's eye
twitch.
Kitsuryuu huffed once again but gave up. She
walked the remaining distance to the other room
and followed Yukina inside. Hiei shook his head
at the strangeness of this place Kitsuryuu now
called home and waited to see what his daughter
looked like in the dresses he hadn't been able to
see.
For what seemed like hours the two women in
the changing room made a lot of demands on
Kitsuryuu. 'Don't move. Don't touch that. Hold
still. Give me that. Hold this. Stop squirming.
Put your hands here. Stop that. Change forms.
Bend lower. Breath in deep.' Among the many
sounds that came from the room, only one of which
Hiei could recognize as a hair dryer, Kitsuryuu's
groans of protest, yelps of pain and one or two
barks made Hiei think that they were torturing the
poor girl. The waiting became almost unbearable,
but Hiei endured. This might be the only time he
ever got to see Kitsuryuu like this since he had
no plans to attend the coronation. The three
woman finally reentered the room.
Yukina reentered the bedroom with a beaming
smile on her face and what looked like tears in
her eyes. Lady Jingo was next to appear with a
drape made of spun sliver over her arm and a look
of pure pride (for herself, or for Kitsuryuu Hiei
could not tell). When Kitsuryuu didn't emerge
Hiei began to worry. Had they truly hurt her in
there? Lady Jingo looked into the room and
motioned to Kitsuryuu to come out.
Hiei watched his daughter slowly enter the
room and was amazed. This was only the third time
he had ever seen his daughter in her youko form.
The first time he had been delirious, the second
had been a deadly serious situation and he hadn't
the time to examine her, this time he could only
stare in wonder.
=======
End Part b