I got reviews! *hops up and down* And yes, I felt Kuronue was sadly overlooked, and the poor guy needed to have his own fanfic...of sorts. Once again, I'm going to ask...do any of you think that Kuronue should pair up with Kaeru (*snickers* sorry, funny thought!) or be his own single self and treat her like a little sister...or a dog. O.o;; Hey, it's Kuronue we're talking about, not Mr. Rogers. I forgot a disclaimer so here it is...
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the characters of YuYu Hakusho! The only characters I DO own are Kia, Kelsey (of a sort...o.o), Rei and Axe, Kage, and Kaeru. Mizu, Chitsuko, Mikage, and Zyoshi are owned by their owners. Flames will be taken to warm poor children. So go ahead-you're helping humanity!
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Kuronue soon became acquainted with Kurama's reluctant "harem". Kelsey and Kia were the Sole Holders of some legendary Mirror of great power. This intrigued him, but neither girl seemed to want to discuss it in front of him after they had heard of his history as a thief. Kia, a year older than Kelsey, was a little wary of the chimera, but she eventually warmed up to him. Kelsey liked him from the start and introduced him to bubble-gum, which had been a disaster. They'd had a contest to see who could stuff the most pieces of gum in their mouths and Kuronue had accidentally swallowed nineteen pieces of gum, causing Kia to call him an idiot and Kelsey to laugh her head off. Mizu, a liquid-manipulating kitsune, seemed to like Kuronue well enough and flirted with him, despite her obvious connection to Touya, the Ice Master.
Chitsuko, Kurama's pretty friend, was nice to him when she discovered how long he and Kurama had known each other. Kuronue, in turn, was intrigued by her history. She was actually a powerful youkai named Kohana with her spirit energy running in her blood. She too was a Youko, and Kurama had protected her as a baby, sending her spirit to Ningenkai to occupy a fetus when she was threatened. And now the two seemed to be pretty close. And Rei...well, the woman talked to an inanimate object! He was starting to wonder if she retained even the slightest shred of sanity. And none of them were unattractive. Mizu and Zyoshi, a violet-haired hanyou friend of Kia and Kelsey were sultry, Kelsey's charm and endearing nuances added to her looks, Rei was a vivacious beauty, and Chitsuko and Kia were attractive in a subdued manner... "quiet beauties" Yusuke Urameshi, one of Kurama's friends, jokingly called them. There was another girl named Mikage, but she had been staying with her relatives, and none of them had seen her lately.
Of course, Kuronue and the girls had had their share of conflicts. The chimera, closely watching Chitsuko and Kurama, had asked Kia and Mizu, who were sitting on the floor with a big, black ningen dog they called "Kage", if the two foxes were mates.
"Are...are they WHAT?" The brown-haired girl toyed with her ponytail, wrapping a few dark strands around her index finger.
"Mates," the bat-winged youkai repeated. "She hasn't gone into heat yet, has she?" He looked curiously at the Mirror Holder. "Do ningen girls go into heat?"
Mizu choked on whatever she had been about to say, and promptly went into a coughing fit. Kelsey returned from the kitchen with a ham sandwich and a glass of water, which she handed to Mizu.
"Well?" Kuronue asked Kia impatiently, and Kelsey turned her head slightly, listening. "DO they?"
"No, Kuronue," the brunette said with gritted teeth. "Ningen females...do NOT...go into heat."
"NANI?!" Kelsey shrieked, spitting out a chunk of ham. "Is THAT what he asked??"
The silvery-haired kitsune nodded slowly, taking a sip of water and leisurely swishing it around in her mouth before she replied. "Hai..."
"WHAT?" The bat demon said indignantly, practically getting a chill as Kia and Kelsey fixed him with a double glare. "What'd I say?"
"DOGS go into heat..." Kelsey said angrily, taking a step toward him. "FEMALE DOGS, KURONUE, YOU BASTARD!!"
"Axe needs a mate," Rei piped up from the corner of the room, hefting the heavy weapon. "Any takers? How about you, Urameshi?"
Yusuke gave a shudder as he sat on the couch, watching Kelsey and Kia chase after Kuronue. "Uh...no, that's okay."
***
Kuronue was finally able to escape from Kurama's house and decided to find a bar and stay there for awhile...at least until those crazy girls calmed down...he was now nursing a bump on his head from a giant potted plant they'd managed to peg him with. And hopefully, the Koorime would be there by the time he returned.
After some searching, the chimera located a bar teeming with youkai, all disguised as humans. The disguises weren't very good, since a few had horns or forked tails...not that Kuronue was any better. He wasn't even bothering to hide his wings or ears. He chose a stool, and ordered vodka from the bartender, tilting his head back to let the alcohol slide down his throat. It was fairly peaceful...until he heard a lot of ruckus occurring in a corner of the small tavern.
A group of about five horned youkai surrounded something, sneering and poking it, laughing loudly. Kuronue was about to return to his drink when the circle shifted and he saw who they were torturing.
A petite girl was on her knees, staring at the youkai with wide ruby eyes, strands of sea-green hair straggling across her pale face, with the rest tied into a high ponytail with some sort of red flower ornament. She was dressed in a light blue kimono, with a red one underneath and a blue obi. And at the moment, she looked terrified. "Onegai...just leave me alone..."
One of them, a three-horned, green-skinned fellow, kicked her in the side roughly. She yelped and crumpled in a ball. "Leave you alone? Don't make me laugh, sweetie...I know what happens when Koorime cry...they make guys like us big bucks! Now cry, you little snowdrop!"
No one could exactly remember what happened next. But suddenly, the temperature in the bar had dropped sharply, snow was flying everywhere at great speeds and the five youkai were ice statues. The Koorime stood up, brushed her hands on her kimono, and looked apologetically at the shivering drunkards. "Gomen nasai..." she stopped glowing gold, and the frost slowly faded, restoring the room to normal.
"Geez, Kaeru," the bartender, a kind-looking youkai with purple hair said, putting down a newly-dried glass. "Do you have t'do that EVERY time?? They're payin' customers!" He had an Australian accent and he seemed to know this girl well.
The girl (Kaeru?) sighed, lowering her gaze. "Gomen nasai, Chuu-san...I couldn't help it..."
"I know, love...it's okay, they were bastards, anyways..." Chuu reached over the countertop, patting the Koorime's head. "But my shift's over, and don't ye have t'get to Kurama's house?"
"That's right!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "I'd completely forgotten! But...I don't even know where it is..."
Kuronue, convinced that this was the Koorime he was supposed to protect, spoke up. "I can take you."
The Ice Maiden whirled around, eyes widening in surprise and fright. "Who're you?"
The chimera hastily held up his hand in surrender. "Take it easy, I'm not your enemy. That little bra- I mean, Koenma sent me."
"And...?" Kaeru said coldly, still watching him warily.
Kuronue sighed. "I've been assigned to protect you. I'm Kuronue."
Chuu blinked. "Kuronue? Kurama mentioned you...that perverted thief bat demon..."
Kaeru flinched. "Perverted...thief?" She didn't look any more thrilled than she had previously.
"I'm not perverted," the chimera said hotly. "And you have my word that I won't harm you, Koorime!"
"I have a name!" she retorted. "And how can I take the word of a THIEF?"
"KAERU, then. And I'm a friend of Kurama's!"
"Also a thief," Chuu said helpfully. "But a good guy..."
Still Kaeru hesitated. Losing what little patience he had, Kuronue reached out, wrapped his arm around the Koorime's slender waist and hoisted her up and over his right shoulder, holding her firmly in place with his right arm. "Okay, let's go."
Needless to say, the Koorime was NOT happy and began to struggle, flailing against the bat demon. "Let me go!!"
Chuu sighed. "Careful with her, Bat, this one's been through a lot."
"She's about to go through a hell of a lot more if she doesn't stop wiggling!" Kuronue snapped.
Chastened, Kaeru fell silent and draped limply over the chimera's broad shoulder. He smirked, and glanced over at Chuu. "You coming?"
"No, I need to head back to Suzuki's...but I'll be back tomorrow to check on 'er. Be good now, love, y'hear?" He winked at the Koorime, who refused to meet his gaze. "You'll thank me for this someday, I'm sure."
Kuronue rolled his eyes and headed back. He could tell this wasn't going to be easy...
***
"Waaaaiiiiii! She's so ADORABLE!!"
Rei was bending over, looking at Kaeru, who, unnerved by such scrutiny, was staring at the floor.
"Stop it, Rei, you're frightening her!" Kia said exasperatedly, noting the petite girl's scared expression.
Chitsuko had also noticed, and now knelt by the Ice Maiden, who was shivering. "It's alright, Kaeru, we're not going to hurt you. We're here to help protect you from that hunter."
"And squish you and hug you to death, because you're just so KAWAIIIIIII!" And Rei was off again. Kelsey, Zyoshi, and Mizu were having problems keeping straight faces. Kia exchanged glances with Jin, the redheaded Wind Master. Privately, Kuronue considered them to be mates, but after today, he would never say that to the brunette's face. It'd probably be the last thing he'd ever do.
"She DOES have a point, though..." The blonde youkai Suzuki had even dropped by, curious to meet this "assignment". He now grinned at Kaeru. "She's pretty cute."
"Stop, Suzuki, you'll make us all jealous," Mizu told him, rolling her eyes.
"Naw...she's Kuronue's. She's been claimed." Rei smirked.
Kuronue pretended he hadn't heard that, walking over to Kaeru. "Oi, Koorime. What do you know about this hunter guy?"
The girl flinched, taking a step back, away from him. She kept her eyes trained on the carpet.
Yusuke snorted. "Yeah, she and Kuronue have a REAL relationship going."
"Any more love, and we'll start seeing hearts," Zyoshi (or Z) added.
"And beautiful swelling music will fill the air!" Kelsey clasped her hands dramatically over her heart. "It's so sappy, I can't stand it."
"Please tell me I'm not the only sane person in this room..." Kia groaned. Jin patted her back sympathetically.
"There's always Puu," Chitsuko told her solemnly, handing the girl Yusuke's blue penguin-like Spirit Beast.
Kia grinned, lifting the little creature to eye-level. "Say something intelligent, Puu."
"Puuuuuuu!" He replied, flapping his ears, which also served as wings.
Kurama chuckled, wrapping an arm loosely around Chitsuko's waist. "My thoughts exactly." He pulled her close, brushing his lips against her cheek.
Mizu raised an eyebrow. "What was that about too much love in the room?"
"We're getting off track, Axe says," Rei informed everyone. "We have to find out about the hunter."
"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd agree with a weapon," Touya murmured.
"Life's funny, ain't it, Touya?" Jin remarked, grinning cheerfully.
"I TRIED!" Kuronue protested. "She's just afraid of me!"
"Who could be afraid of YOU?" Kelsey poked his wings.
"Lots of people," he said stiffly.
"Oh?" She grinned. "Like who?"
"Kaeru?" Chitsuko looked over at the Koorime, not bothering to move Kurama's arm. "Can you tell us anything about this hunter that's after you?"
Kuronue snorted. "Good luck with THAT." He yelped as Kia aimed a kick at his shins.
"Quiet, you!"
"...His name is Zenkai."
"Nani?" Suddenly, everyone was looking at Kaeru, who was now staring even harder at the ground, as if wishing it would swallow her up.
"His name is Zenkai," the Ice Maiden repeated softly. "He's a Koorime hunter, and he killed my mother...he's angry that I escaped him...no one has ever escaped him..." She trailed off, falling silent, and a couple of small, sparkling globes hit the floor.
"Hiruiseki..." Kuronue breathed, starting forward. And then he remembered what Koenma had said and cursed under his breath, subsiding.
"Um..." Kia had also spotted them and picked them up, placing them in the Koorime's hand. "Did these...just come from your eyes?"
She nodded.
"Koorime cry tear-gems," Kurama explained to the blank-looking Kia and Kelsey. "They're called hiruiseki and they're very valuable. They're often tortured and forced to cry for that reason. Hiei's sister was captured once and had to cry gems for a greedy ningen man named Tarukane."
"Yukina?" Kia breathed, appalled. "They DID that?"
"Yukina?" Kaeru lifted her head, surprised. "You know her?"
Kelsey blinked. "YOU know her?"
"Hai. She was a good friend of mine..." The Koorime yawned, covering her mouth with her hands politely.
Kurama's sharp fox eyes noticed this. "Kaeru, how long have you been in Ningenkai..."
She removed her hands, looking puzzled by the question. "This is the second day...why?"
"You look exhausted. I suggest you get some sleep. 'Kaasan won't mind if you stay here...she's letting Kuronue stay here too, and it's a good idea if you two stay together."
Judging from the look on Kaeru's face, she didn't consider it a good idea at all. But she was practically asleep on her feet, and Chitsuko took the girl's hand.
"Come on, Kaeru-san, Shiori-san has a lot of spare bedrooms...you can have the one next to mine!" Still talking warmly, she led the tired Koorime out of the living room.
"You're going t'have your hands full with that lass, Kuro," Jin told the chimera, who sighed wearily.
"I know..."
"It's going to be hard to protect her when she's terrified of you," Kia mused, looking thoughtful. "You'll need to find a way to gain her trust."
Kuronue scowled. "I am NOT having tea parties with her!"
"Axe says she's sixteen in ningen terms, so she's probably too old for tea parties...if she's even heard of them." Rei smiled sweetly.
"I don't wanna know..." Shishiwakamaru, the blue-haired samurai, who seemed to be fond of Kelsey, shook his head. "That thing deeply perturbs me."
"EVERYTHING perturbs you, Shishi," Suzuki told him, grinning. "But we'd better head back to the house. Don't worry, Kuronue, we'll come up with a way for her to trust you." He and his group departed, leaving Kuronue alone with Kurama.
The chimera buried his head in his hands. "What did I get myself into?"
Kurama sighed quietly. "I'm sure everything will work out fine, Kuro." He hoped so...how would Kuronue be able to protect a Koorime if she didn't even trust him?
*OOC*
Aww...this should be getting interesting now. How the heck will Kuronue be able to accomplish this mission? Please review! I have one vote for Kaeru+Kuronue...keep 'em coming, I really don't know...-.- NEXT chapter!
* The gang learns a little more about Zenkai from none other than...Hiei?
* Mizu tries to teach Kuronue how to bake a cake...ooooh boy...
* It's VERY hard to earn Kaeru's trust...but what happens when the Koorime has a horrible nightmare? Guess who goes in to talk to her...
Like I said...review! The pug will love you!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the characters of YuYu Hakusho! The only characters I DO own are Kia, Kelsey (of a sort...o.o), Rei and Axe, Kage, and Kaeru. Mizu, Chitsuko, Mikage, and Zyoshi are owned by their owners. Flames will be taken to warm poor children. So go ahead-you're helping humanity!
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Kuronue soon became acquainted with Kurama's reluctant "harem". Kelsey and Kia were the Sole Holders of some legendary Mirror of great power. This intrigued him, but neither girl seemed to want to discuss it in front of him after they had heard of his history as a thief. Kia, a year older than Kelsey, was a little wary of the chimera, but she eventually warmed up to him. Kelsey liked him from the start and introduced him to bubble-gum, which had been a disaster. They'd had a contest to see who could stuff the most pieces of gum in their mouths and Kuronue had accidentally swallowed nineteen pieces of gum, causing Kia to call him an idiot and Kelsey to laugh her head off. Mizu, a liquid-manipulating kitsune, seemed to like Kuronue well enough and flirted with him, despite her obvious connection to Touya, the Ice Master.
Chitsuko, Kurama's pretty friend, was nice to him when she discovered how long he and Kurama had known each other. Kuronue, in turn, was intrigued by her history. She was actually a powerful youkai named Kohana with her spirit energy running in her blood. She too was a Youko, and Kurama had protected her as a baby, sending her spirit to Ningenkai to occupy a fetus when she was threatened. And now the two seemed to be pretty close. And Rei...well, the woman talked to an inanimate object! He was starting to wonder if she retained even the slightest shred of sanity. And none of them were unattractive. Mizu and Zyoshi, a violet-haired hanyou friend of Kia and Kelsey were sultry, Kelsey's charm and endearing nuances added to her looks, Rei was a vivacious beauty, and Chitsuko and Kia were attractive in a subdued manner... "quiet beauties" Yusuke Urameshi, one of Kurama's friends, jokingly called them. There was another girl named Mikage, but she had been staying with her relatives, and none of them had seen her lately.
Of course, Kuronue and the girls had had their share of conflicts. The chimera, closely watching Chitsuko and Kurama, had asked Kia and Mizu, who were sitting on the floor with a big, black ningen dog they called "Kage", if the two foxes were mates.
"Are...are they WHAT?" The brown-haired girl toyed with her ponytail, wrapping a few dark strands around her index finger.
"Mates," the bat-winged youkai repeated. "She hasn't gone into heat yet, has she?" He looked curiously at the Mirror Holder. "Do ningen girls go into heat?"
Mizu choked on whatever she had been about to say, and promptly went into a coughing fit. Kelsey returned from the kitchen with a ham sandwich and a glass of water, which she handed to Mizu.
"Well?" Kuronue asked Kia impatiently, and Kelsey turned her head slightly, listening. "DO they?"
"No, Kuronue," the brunette said with gritted teeth. "Ningen females...do NOT...go into heat."
"NANI?!" Kelsey shrieked, spitting out a chunk of ham. "Is THAT what he asked??"
The silvery-haired kitsune nodded slowly, taking a sip of water and leisurely swishing it around in her mouth before she replied. "Hai..."
"WHAT?" The bat demon said indignantly, practically getting a chill as Kia and Kelsey fixed him with a double glare. "What'd I say?"
"DOGS go into heat..." Kelsey said angrily, taking a step toward him. "FEMALE DOGS, KURONUE, YOU BASTARD!!"
"Axe needs a mate," Rei piped up from the corner of the room, hefting the heavy weapon. "Any takers? How about you, Urameshi?"
Yusuke gave a shudder as he sat on the couch, watching Kelsey and Kia chase after Kuronue. "Uh...no, that's okay."
***
Kuronue was finally able to escape from Kurama's house and decided to find a bar and stay there for awhile...at least until those crazy girls calmed down...he was now nursing a bump on his head from a giant potted plant they'd managed to peg him with. And hopefully, the Koorime would be there by the time he returned.
After some searching, the chimera located a bar teeming with youkai, all disguised as humans. The disguises weren't very good, since a few had horns or forked tails...not that Kuronue was any better. He wasn't even bothering to hide his wings or ears. He chose a stool, and ordered vodka from the bartender, tilting his head back to let the alcohol slide down his throat. It was fairly peaceful...until he heard a lot of ruckus occurring in a corner of the small tavern.
A group of about five horned youkai surrounded something, sneering and poking it, laughing loudly. Kuronue was about to return to his drink when the circle shifted and he saw who they were torturing.
A petite girl was on her knees, staring at the youkai with wide ruby eyes, strands of sea-green hair straggling across her pale face, with the rest tied into a high ponytail with some sort of red flower ornament. She was dressed in a light blue kimono, with a red one underneath and a blue obi. And at the moment, she looked terrified. "Onegai...just leave me alone..."
One of them, a three-horned, green-skinned fellow, kicked her in the side roughly. She yelped and crumpled in a ball. "Leave you alone? Don't make me laugh, sweetie...I know what happens when Koorime cry...they make guys like us big bucks! Now cry, you little snowdrop!"
No one could exactly remember what happened next. But suddenly, the temperature in the bar had dropped sharply, snow was flying everywhere at great speeds and the five youkai were ice statues. The Koorime stood up, brushed her hands on her kimono, and looked apologetically at the shivering drunkards. "Gomen nasai..." she stopped glowing gold, and the frost slowly faded, restoring the room to normal.
"Geez, Kaeru," the bartender, a kind-looking youkai with purple hair said, putting down a newly-dried glass. "Do you have t'do that EVERY time?? They're payin' customers!" He had an Australian accent and he seemed to know this girl well.
The girl (Kaeru?) sighed, lowering her gaze. "Gomen nasai, Chuu-san...I couldn't help it..."
"I know, love...it's okay, they were bastards, anyways..." Chuu reached over the countertop, patting the Koorime's head. "But my shift's over, and don't ye have t'get to Kurama's house?"
"That's right!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "I'd completely forgotten! But...I don't even know where it is..."
Kuronue, convinced that this was the Koorime he was supposed to protect, spoke up. "I can take you."
The Ice Maiden whirled around, eyes widening in surprise and fright. "Who're you?"
The chimera hastily held up his hand in surrender. "Take it easy, I'm not your enemy. That little bra- I mean, Koenma sent me."
"And...?" Kaeru said coldly, still watching him warily.
Kuronue sighed. "I've been assigned to protect you. I'm Kuronue."
Chuu blinked. "Kuronue? Kurama mentioned you...that perverted thief bat demon..."
Kaeru flinched. "Perverted...thief?" She didn't look any more thrilled than she had previously.
"I'm not perverted," the chimera said hotly. "And you have my word that I won't harm you, Koorime!"
"I have a name!" she retorted. "And how can I take the word of a THIEF?"
"KAERU, then. And I'm a friend of Kurama's!"
"Also a thief," Chuu said helpfully. "But a good guy..."
Still Kaeru hesitated. Losing what little patience he had, Kuronue reached out, wrapped his arm around the Koorime's slender waist and hoisted her up and over his right shoulder, holding her firmly in place with his right arm. "Okay, let's go."
Needless to say, the Koorime was NOT happy and began to struggle, flailing against the bat demon. "Let me go!!"
Chuu sighed. "Careful with her, Bat, this one's been through a lot."
"She's about to go through a hell of a lot more if she doesn't stop wiggling!" Kuronue snapped.
Chastened, Kaeru fell silent and draped limply over the chimera's broad shoulder. He smirked, and glanced over at Chuu. "You coming?"
"No, I need to head back to Suzuki's...but I'll be back tomorrow to check on 'er. Be good now, love, y'hear?" He winked at the Koorime, who refused to meet his gaze. "You'll thank me for this someday, I'm sure."
Kuronue rolled his eyes and headed back. He could tell this wasn't going to be easy...
***
"Waaaaiiiiii! She's so ADORABLE!!"
Rei was bending over, looking at Kaeru, who, unnerved by such scrutiny, was staring at the floor.
"Stop it, Rei, you're frightening her!" Kia said exasperatedly, noting the petite girl's scared expression.
Chitsuko had also noticed, and now knelt by the Ice Maiden, who was shivering. "It's alright, Kaeru, we're not going to hurt you. We're here to help protect you from that hunter."
"And squish you and hug you to death, because you're just so KAWAIIIIIII!" And Rei was off again. Kelsey, Zyoshi, and Mizu were having problems keeping straight faces. Kia exchanged glances with Jin, the redheaded Wind Master. Privately, Kuronue considered them to be mates, but after today, he would never say that to the brunette's face. It'd probably be the last thing he'd ever do.
"She DOES have a point, though..." The blonde youkai Suzuki had even dropped by, curious to meet this "assignment". He now grinned at Kaeru. "She's pretty cute."
"Stop, Suzuki, you'll make us all jealous," Mizu told him, rolling her eyes.
"Naw...she's Kuronue's. She's been claimed." Rei smirked.
Kuronue pretended he hadn't heard that, walking over to Kaeru. "Oi, Koorime. What do you know about this hunter guy?"
The girl flinched, taking a step back, away from him. She kept her eyes trained on the carpet.
Yusuke snorted. "Yeah, she and Kuronue have a REAL relationship going."
"Any more love, and we'll start seeing hearts," Zyoshi (or Z) added.
"And beautiful swelling music will fill the air!" Kelsey clasped her hands dramatically over her heart. "It's so sappy, I can't stand it."
"Please tell me I'm not the only sane person in this room..." Kia groaned. Jin patted her back sympathetically.
"There's always Puu," Chitsuko told her solemnly, handing the girl Yusuke's blue penguin-like Spirit Beast.
Kia grinned, lifting the little creature to eye-level. "Say something intelligent, Puu."
"Puuuuuuu!" He replied, flapping his ears, which also served as wings.
Kurama chuckled, wrapping an arm loosely around Chitsuko's waist. "My thoughts exactly." He pulled her close, brushing his lips against her cheek.
Mizu raised an eyebrow. "What was that about too much love in the room?"
"We're getting off track, Axe says," Rei informed everyone. "We have to find out about the hunter."
"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd agree with a weapon," Touya murmured.
"Life's funny, ain't it, Touya?" Jin remarked, grinning cheerfully.
"I TRIED!" Kuronue protested. "She's just afraid of me!"
"Who could be afraid of YOU?" Kelsey poked his wings.
"Lots of people," he said stiffly.
"Oh?" She grinned. "Like who?"
"Kaeru?" Chitsuko looked over at the Koorime, not bothering to move Kurama's arm. "Can you tell us anything about this hunter that's after you?"
Kuronue snorted. "Good luck with THAT." He yelped as Kia aimed a kick at his shins.
"Quiet, you!"
"...His name is Zenkai."
"Nani?" Suddenly, everyone was looking at Kaeru, who was now staring even harder at the ground, as if wishing it would swallow her up.
"His name is Zenkai," the Ice Maiden repeated softly. "He's a Koorime hunter, and he killed my mother...he's angry that I escaped him...no one has ever escaped him..." She trailed off, falling silent, and a couple of small, sparkling globes hit the floor.
"Hiruiseki..." Kuronue breathed, starting forward. And then he remembered what Koenma had said and cursed under his breath, subsiding.
"Um..." Kia had also spotted them and picked them up, placing them in the Koorime's hand. "Did these...just come from your eyes?"
She nodded.
"Koorime cry tear-gems," Kurama explained to the blank-looking Kia and Kelsey. "They're called hiruiseki and they're very valuable. They're often tortured and forced to cry for that reason. Hiei's sister was captured once and had to cry gems for a greedy ningen man named Tarukane."
"Yukina?" Kia breathed, appalled. "They DID that?"
"Yukina?" Kaeru lifted her head, surprised. "You know her?"
Kelsey blinked. "YOU know her?"
"Hai. She was a good friend of mine..." The Koorime yawned, covering her mouth with her hands politely.
Kurama's sharp fox eyes noticed this. "Kaeru, how long have you been in Ningenkai..."
She removed her hands, looking puzzled by the question. "This is the second day...why?"
"You look exhausted. I suggest you get some sleep. 'Kaasan won't mind if you stay here...she's letting Kuronue stay here too, and it's a good idea if you two stay together."
Judging from the look on Kaeru's face, she didn't consider it a good idea at all. But she was practically asleep on her feet, and Chitsuko took the girl's hand.
"Come on, Kaeru-san, Shiori-san has a lot of spare bedrooms...you can have the one next to mine!" Still talking warmly, she led the tired Koorime out of the living room.
"You're going t'have your hands full with that lass, Kuro," Jin told the chimera, who sighed wearily.
"I know..."
"It's going to be hard to protect her when she's terrified of you," Kia mused, looking thoughtful. "You'll need to find a way to gain her trust."
Kuronue scowled. "I am NOT having tea parties with her!"
"Axe says she's sixteen in ningen terms, so she's probably too old for tea parties...if she's even heard of them." Rei smiled sweetly.
"I don't wanna know..." Shishiwakamaru, the blue-haired samurai, who seemed to be fond of Kelsey, shook his head. "That thing deeply perturbs me."
"EVERYTHING perturbs you, Shishi," Suzuki told him, grinning. "But we'd better head back to the house. Don't worry, Kuronue, we'll come up with a way for her to trust you." He and his group departed, leaving Kuronue alone with Kurama.
The chimera buried his head in his hands. "What did I get myself into?"
Kurama sighed quietly. "I'm sure everything will work out fine, Kuro." He hoped so...how would Kuronue be able to protect a Koorime if she didn't even trust him?
*OOC*
Aww...this should be getting interesting now. How the heck will Kuronue be able to accomplish this mission? Please review! I have one vote for Kaeru+Kuronue...keep 'em coming, I really don't know...-.- NEXT chapter!
* The gang learns a little more about Zenkai from none other than...Hiei?
* Mizu tries to teach Kuronue how to bake a cake...ooooh boy...
* It's VERY hard to earn Kaeru's trust...but what happens when the Koorime has a horrible nightmare? Guess who goes in to talk to her...
Like I said...review! The pug will love you!