AN: We've finally introduced the OC Yukina will be with. In this chapter expect to get a small biography of Riku. He will also explain the details that made him chase Domaru. They also get a bit closer.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho but I do own the wolf demon Riku.
Chapter 4
Explanations and The Search Begins
Riku and Yukina had been walking in total silence since going into the forest. Riku was always alert in case of more danger. Yukina was still at his side. She took a few glances at him every now and then but he never noticed.
Riku stopped when they reached a clearing. "This looks like a good place Riku" Yukina said. "Maybe" he replied quietly. He lifted his head and started to sniff the air. "What are you doing?" Yukina asked, "I'm checking for any suspicious scents" he replied. "Looks like there's no danger here" he said after sniffing the air for about a minute. "You sit down on that log" he said pointing to one in the middle of the clearing "I'll get a fire going." Yukina sat down but felt a bit nervous at the thought of him leaving her even for a short time.
"This one should be good enough" Riku said as he examined a tree at the edge of the clearing. Good enough for what? Yukina thought while watching him. Riku's claws started to glow red again "CRESCENT CLAWS" he yelled as he slashed the air. The same five blades he used against Domaru shoot out and headed for the tree. The sliced it into small logs about a foot long each. The tree fell into a neat stack. Riku grabbed a few of them and walked back toward the astonished Yukina. He leaned them into each other creating a small tepee. He then started putting leaved into the middle. He reached into his jacket and pulled out two pieces of flint. After a few minutes he got a good spark and stared to blow on the small flame. In no time there was a good-sized fire.
Riku got back up and sat on the log next to Yukina. He stared at the fire for a few seconds before breaking the silence. "So, why are you out in the wild alone?" he asked looking at her. She looked back at him "Well it wasn't my choice" and she went on explaining the events that led up to meting Riku. He listened with great interest. When she finished she went silent. "So let me get this straight, you were camping with your friends in South Dakota and fell into the river and got washed up near here?" he asked. Yukina nodded. "Well the river carried you a long way from your friends" he said. "Where am I?" Yukina asked. "Your in Colorado now" he replied. "WHAT" she yelled. "Please keep your voice down I have sensitive hearing" he said while rubbing his pointed ears. "Sorry its just that *sniff* I'll never find my friends now" she said starting to cry. Riku put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm sorry this happened to you but you can't lose hope Yukina" he said reassuringly. He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him tears still flowing. "Now stop crying while I go catch some fish to eat" he said getting up "I'll be back."
Yukina watched him leave. He sure is kind and cute to she thought. This caused her to blush I just met him and I'm already thinking like that. She sighed and continued to wait.
About ten minutes later Riku came back with five fish in each hand. "Lets eat" he said. "I don't eat fish like that" she said. She did eat sushi back in Japan but the fish he had were freshly caught. "Sorry, I'll cook them for you" he said. He gutted the fish, sharpened some nearby sticks, impaled the fish with them, and stuck the other end of the sticks into the ground around the fire. "How can you eat fish right after you catch them from a river without getting sick?" Yukina asked. "Wolf demons can stomach it but I personally prefer them heated up before I eat them" he replied "they should take about fifteen minutes to cook."
"Why are you alone out here, I thought wolf demons lived in packs?" Yukina asked. "Do you really want to know?" he replied. "Yes" "Very well, it all started around eight months ago"
Flashback
Riku was in the middle of a field slashing at imaginary enemies. He was wearing the same outfight but without the red trench coat. This sword is my responsibility now and I have to master it he thought with determination.
Suddenly he heard someone come up behind him. He was able to get the newcomer's scent and frowned. "Rogato, what are you doing out here?" he asked not turning around. "What, I can't even check up on my brother without getting asked questions?" a voice (which is the same as Miroku's from Inuyasha) replied. Riku seethed Crescent Edge and turned to face Rogato.
Rogato and Riku were twin brothers. They pretty much looked the same but there were a few differences. The most notable one was Rogato's hair. Instead of the controlled style Riku had Rogato's hair was wilder in appearance. It went down to his shoulders and was spiky. One bang covered half of his left eye. His outfit was the exact opposite of Riku's. He had a red t-shirt with red pants and a black jacket. Like Riku, Rogato wore black army style boots and fingerless gloves. Because his jacket only went just past his waist you could see his tail better. At his side was samurai style sword.
"I know you, your not here to just come here to check up on me" Riku said. "Actually I came here to ask you something." "What is it?" "What's it like to wield the Crescent Edge?" Rogato asked. Riku smirked "Well it's really no different from mastering your sword." "Your kidding" "Nope" "Well considering how big it is have you had any problems with it" "Not really." "Oh."
The Crescent Edge was a pretty big sword. The blade itself was a yard long and the handle was a foot long. In total it was just about a foot and a half shorter than Riku was tall.
Suddenly the sound of screaming children filled the air. Riku and Rogato looked in the direction it came from. "That's where the pups were playing" Rogato said. "You sure?" "Positive" "Rogato go get the pack, I'll try and stop it" "Okay be careful" "I will." Rogato headed back the way he came and Riku headed in the direction of the pups. Please be alright he begged.
When he got to where the pups were supposed to be a horrific sight greeted him. On the ground were the mangled bodies of six wolf pups. "Who did this?" Riku said aloud with rage in his voice. He heard a scream to his right and turned to see what it was. Over there the remaining nineteen pups were clinging each other as Domaru with blood on his claws and fangs approached them. One of them saw the Riku "RIKU HELP!!!" he called out.
Domaru turned around. "Well it seems we have more company" he said cockily. Riku unsheathed his sword "Who are you?" he asked glaring at Domaru. "I am Domaru the most powerful demon of these lands" he replied. "You'll pay for what you've done." "And are you going to punish me" Domaru said smiling. "THAT"S IT" Riku yelled and charged Domaru. "I hate it when I'm interrupted in the middle of a meal" Domaru said with frustration in his voice.
Riku swung his sword at him but the bear easily dogged it and punched Riku sending him flying into the trees. Riku emerged from the demolished trees with his cloths torn and clutching his right arm. Where's the Crescent Edge he thought. "I see you lost you little sword" Domaru said mockingly.
He didn't get a good look at the sword and didn't realize what it really was. Throughout the world the Crescent Edge was considered one of the most powerful swords ever made. Legend has it the sword can kill an army in one swipe.
"It's time to finish you" Domaru said. He charged the wounded Riku. Riku was unable to move. He received a twisted his ankle when he hit the trees. Domaru toward over him and let lose a barrage of punches. They hit Riku with devastating power. "CHAOS ROAR" Riku only caught a glimpse of the attack before it hit him. With a thud he fell to his knees. Domaru grabbed him by his throat and lifted him so their eyes met. "You couldn't hurt me even if I was blindfolded" he said. "That's… what you think." Riku replied. His claws glowed red. "CRESCENT CLAWS" he slash the air right in front of Domaru's body. With a scream of pain Domaru dropped him and stumbled to the ground. Riku was on one knee and looked over at his enemy. Domaru's midsection was severely bleeding and he was clutching himself. "NOW YOU DIE" Domaru yelled getting ready to charge. Riku knew he was finished and watched as Domaru charged him.
"Oh no you don't" a voice said. Domaru looked to the right as Rogato kicked him right in the face. "Stop interfering" Domaru growled. Rogato took a defensive stance as Riku stumbled back up. "You okay" Rogato asked. "I'll live" Riku replied. "I'll just kill you both" Domaru yelled. Just then an arrow hit him on the shoulder. He winced in pain as he saw where it came from. Out of the woods came thirty-three wolf demons both male and female alike. "Damit, this isn't over" Domaru growled. He then blasted the ground and in a flurry of dust disappeared.
The wolf that fired the arrow approached Riku whose wounds were almost healed. "Thanks Mokudo" Riku said. "It's my duty to help protect our next pack leader" the wolf demon replied. Mokudo was an intimidating demon. He was 6 foot 10 in height. All and all he looked like a 30 year old Indian but his tail and claws showed he wasn't. He wore brown pants and black boots. He didn't wear a shirt exposing a bulky midsection with a cross shaped scar over his heart. He let his long back hair hang freely. It almost went to his waist. Over his right eye was a slash scar. In his hand was a bow and strapped to his back was a quiver that held a number of arrows.
"What was he doing here?" Mokudo asked. "He killed six of the pups" Riku replied solemnly. "Don't fell bad Riku, if you hadn't gotten here on time it could have bee a lot worse" Rogato said reassuringly. "But that monster is still out their" Riku said through clenched teeth. "There's nothing we can do about it now he covered his tracks well" Mokudo stated. Riku looked over to where the bodies of the pups were being carried to back to the village for burial. The mother and fathers of the killed pups followed them mourning their lose. "I can't let him live" Riku said heading for the trees he crashed into. "What are you going to do?" Rogato asked. Riku rummaged through the debris and found what he was looking for. He pulled the Crescent Edge out and sheathed it. "I'm going to hunt him down and kill him" Riku replied anger in his voice. "Tell mom and dad not to worry. I'll return when Domaru is no longer a threat to anyone." With that Riku took off in the direction Domaru's well hidden scent went. "Be careful" Rogato said as he watched his only brother leave.
End Flashback
"For the past eight month's I've been hunting for Domaru and now that he's dead I can return to my pack" Riku said with sadness in his voice. Yukina looked at with teary eyes "That's so awful" she sad sadly. "It's beyond awful" Riku replied. "So now your going back to your pack?" Yukina asked. "Yes but over all this time I've become more of a lone wolf" Riku replied looking down at the ground. He thought of the pups that were killed. He knew each of them and was one of their trainers. Images of them playing without a care in the world filled his head. Yukina saw tears start to fall down his face. She put a reassuring arm around his shoulder "I'm sorry" she whispered. "It's alright" Riku replied. They sat there in silence.
He was actually crying at the lose of those pups. Domaru was beyond heartless. I was really lucky when Riku came and saved me. Riku really has a good heart Yukina thought. "Foods ready" Riku suddenly said bringing Yukina out of her thoughts. He got up and pulled the sticks out of the ground laying them over a cloth he pulled from inside his jacket. They let them sit for a few minutes. Yukina was starting to get hungry and couldn't wait to eat. She looked at Riku. He looked back at her. He knew what she wanted to ask and nodded to her. "Thank you" she said. She got up and picked up one of the fish and stared eating while sitting on the ground on her knees. "This is pretty good" she said after a few bites. "You should try them when special herbs and spices are added to them" Riku said watching her eat. "Aren't you going to eat?" Yukina asked. "No, I had a deer yesterday and won't have to eat till tomorrow night" he replied. "Oh." They sat in silence again. The sun was starting to set.
Yukina was on her third fish when Riku asked "What will you do now?" Yukina looked at him "I'll look for my friends of coarse" "By yourself?" "If I have to." She sure is determined to find them. I like that. "Its to dangerous you can't go alone" Riku said. She looked down "I know" "You won't survive the trip" "But I have to get back to them" Yukina said. Tear gems started to fall "I miss them so much." The tear gems flowed from her eyes. Riku seeing this went to her and kneeled down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her a pulled her in for a comforting hug. Yukina cried on his chest his warmth helping to calm her. "Shhhh, its all right I'll be here for a shoulder you can cry on" He said running his hand over her hair that went over her back. He then made a decision. "Tell you what, I'll go with you to protect you and help you find your friends. In fact I'll be your friend the whole way." Yukina looked up at him and smiled "Thank you." "Your welcome" he replied smiling back.
He sure is handsome when he smiles. Yukina thought. "Their just one problem" Riku said getting up and sitting back down on the log. "What's that?" She asked sitting next to him. "We're now near the end of my packs territory and the area around Mt. Rushmore is controlled by my packs arch enemies, the Dark Moon pack." "The Dark Moon pack, who are they?" "They are another pack of wolf demons but are exact opposites to my pack. You see my pack has sworn never to harm humans unless they threaten the pack. We prefer to exist with them in peace. The Dark Moon pack on the other hand believes humans should be driven off the lands. They readily kill any humans that get lost in their territory. In order for me to be able to travel there I need permission from my dad who's the leader of my pack." He explained. "So what does that mean" Yukina asked. "It means we have to go in the opposite direction toward my village and get permission to go there." "How far is it?" "It's around seventy five miles south of here. At top speed it'll take me two days to get there from here and that's when I'm alone. It may take longer traveling with you." he replied. Yukina remained silent. "So are you willing to go with me to my village then start the search for your friends?" he asked. "If I have to yes" She said. "Good here's the plan. Tomorrow we go south to my village. I'm pretty sure my dad will let me go with you. After we leave, we'll head back for the river you washed up from and follow it upstream. Along the way we'll pass through four other wolf pack territories but don't worry they're friends with my pack. If your friends are looking for you they'll stick to the river and won't be hard to find. We may have to stray from river some of the ways but as long as we stay within two miles of it I'll still be able to follow it. It should take us about three and half weeks." he said. "Sounds good to" me Yukina said cheerfully.
"Alright, we'll start tomorrow. Better get some sleep" "Okay" Yukina replied getting up and lying down on some grass under a tree. "Yukina" she sat up and looked at him "Use this as a blanket" he said taking off his red trench coat and tossing it to her. "I know since your and ice demoness you won't get cold but it may be more comfortable for you if you used it" he said. "Won't you need it" she asked looking at the coat she was holding. It was pretty soft and was a bit heavy but not to heavy. "Don't worry I can manage without it, in fact you can keep it until we reach my village those cloths your wearing don't look like they'll last much longer." "Thanks" Yukina said. She then looked at him without the jacket. With it off, his muscle shirt was all that cover his body. His arms were extremely well muscled. They weren't to bulky but at the same time not to wimpy. I guess you could call them perfect. He sure has one hot bod Yukina thought. She lay back down to hide her blush from him. "Goodnight Riku" she whispered "Goodnight Yukina" he replied. How could he… oh yeah wolf like hearing she thought. I guess traveling with him won't be so bad was the last thought she had before drifting off to sleep.
Riku jumped to a nearby tree branch and watched her sleeping form. After an hour the fire died down and the moonlight was the only light left. Being a wolf demon, Riku could see as well during night as during the day. He looked at her as she snuggled more into his coat. The moonlight hit her face through a gape in the branches of the tree she was under. She sure is beautiful when she sleeps. Riku you're falling for her he thought. He looked back at her Something about her makes me fell all warm inside. She's different from other girls. Maybe because she's a demon to. Throughout his life Riku had been to many places. He'd visited every major city in the U.S., Japan, parts of Asia and Europe, and Brazil and no matter where he went girls would always crowd him asking him to be their boyfriend or something along those lines. Yukina, on the other hand didn't act a thing like those girls. He liked that about her. I'm going to enjoy traveling with her he thought. He sighed and lifted his head to stare at the stars.
Earlier that day with the others
Hiei and Kurama reached the camp and looked around. Kuwabara was mopping under a tree, Boton was sitting on a log crying, and Keiko was crying into Yusuke's chest as he patted her on the back saying reassuring things to her. Depressing crowd Hiei thought. Kurama headed toward where Boton was and sat next to her. "Boton?" "How can she be dead" "Don't think like that Boton" "But Kurama there's no way she could have survived" "Have you sensed her spirit leave her" "No" "Then she's still alive" He replied. "WHAT YUKINA'S STILL ALIVE!!!" Kuwabara yelled. "Keep it down you moron" Hiei said as he stood next to Kurama with his back to him. "Yes, Boton said Yukina's spirit hasn't left her so that means she's still alive" Kurama said. "ALRIGHT" Kuwabara bellowed as he started doing a happy dance. Everyone sweetdropped. Hiei was getting annoyed and snuck behind the dancing fool and in one hit knocked him out. "Good work Hiei" Yusuke said. "Hn" was all Hiei said.
"Yusuke is what Kurama said true, is Yukina still alive?" Keiko asked her boyfriend. "Yep if Boton said her spirit hasn't left then she is alive" Yusuke replied. "That's so wonderful" Keiko said hugging him tightly. "Can't…breath" Yusuke choked out. "If she's alive then she's somewhere downstream" Kurama sated. Everyone looked at him except Kuwabara who was still out cold. "I propose we start searching for her" he said. "Good idea" Yusuke said walking toward them with Keiko right behind them. "We should start after breakfast" Keiko suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Should we wake sleeping beauty over there or tell him tomorrow?" Yusuke asked pointing to Kuwabara. "The fool won't wake up till morning after a punch like that" Hiei said. Everyone laughed. "I think I'll go to bed now" Keiko said yawning and headed for the tent she shared with Boton. "Me to" Yusuke said slinging Kuwabara over his shoulder and heading for their tent. "Man you need to go on a diet"Yusuke said.
Kurama shook his head in amusement. "Kurama?" Boton said. "Yes" Kurama replied. She hugged him. "Thanks for brining us hope" she said looking up at him. She then kissed him on the check and jogged to her tent. Kurama stood where he was wide eyed and blushing. She kissed me; she actually kissed me he thought as he felt the place where her lips touched.
Lovesick fool Hiei thought. He was about to head for the tree he was in earlier for the night when he felt Kurama's hand on his right shoulder. He looked at him. "Hiei why don't you use the jagan eye to see where Yukina is?" Kurama asked "Alright then, thanks for reminding me" he replied closing his eyes. His jagan glowed under hi sash. All he saw was fog. He thought it might not be working and decided to test it. He looked again at the first thing that came to mind, which was Boton because he was trying to figure out what made Kurama so attracted to her. He saw her all right, with nothing on but her underwear. He immediately opened his eyes doing his best not to blush. "What's wrong Hiei" Kurama asked. Better not tell him Hiei thought. "When I looked for Yukina all I saw was fog" Hiei said. "Fog?" "Yes and I couldn't see any trace of her" "So much for finding her the easy way, looks like we'll have to do it the hard way, oh well goodnight Hiei" Kurama said heading for the tent he used alone. Hiei jumped into the tree and closed his eyes. Wherever you are Yukina, I hope your safe he thought.
Don't worry Hiei, Riku would never harm to the girl he's falling for. Looks like everyone has a plan. That chapter was longer than I thought. Anyway next chapter will focus only on Riku and Yukina's trip to Riku's village. Things will get a bit mushier between them. Yukina's in Colorado now so she and Riku will have to go through Nebraska along the way to Mt Rushmore. I've been through that area before, pretty nice places. I've already decided on a character for Kuwabara to be with but it'll be reveled who it is a long way into the story. Read and review please.
