…Why do I keep writing this? I should be trying to do something on my Digimon fics…getting some of them finished…but I just can't!!! *my muse hast gone mad…It's totally YYH focused at the moment*

Disclaimer: I don't own and of the original YYH characters. Anything you don't recognize most likely belongs to me.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Blossom

Chapter 1: Earth and Cherry Blossoms

"Class…Class, attention, please!"

Mamoru brushed dust of the blue jacket of his school uniform. He mostly complied to the dress code, but often left the tight garuken un-buttoned to show the white shirt underneath. He brushed loose, dark brown hair back from his brown eyes. When he was younger the fifteen-year-old had tried to grease it up in the same style as his grandfather, but even since he flunked a grade and was forced to take his first year of middle school over again, his mother hadn't put up with anything that made him a 'tough-guy.' He'd managed to do well afterwards and was in his 2nd year now, at Sarayashiki. (A/N - Same year as Yusuke at the beginning of the show)

He was a fighter, but forced into being an okay student by his mother. His mother was like Grandmother Keiko, but his father was a combination of the two, a good student and a good fighter. He was a police officer. His grandfather, an old and powerful fighter, currently lived at an old temple, training. Grandmother lived with him, of course, but did cooking and cleaning rather than his training.

"Quiet down!" the teacher exclaimed, exasperated. The class grew quiet as Mamoru pulled out of his thoughts. The teacher sighed, then cleared his throat. "Thank you. Now before we begin today, I'd like to introduce a new student…"

The door slid open and the new kid stepped in. Mamoru looked up, and blinked in surprise as many of the guys around him started to whistle.

It was a girl, wearing the usual uniform and clutching a schoolbag shyly in front of her. There was a red rose sticking out of the black bag that matched her hair, long and straight red, pulled back in a modest ponytail at the base of her neck. Her skin was very pale, yet with a rosy tint in the cheeks, and her eyes were a bright jade-green. She smiled shyly out at the class, shifting her weight as some of the boys whistled and made other gestures.

"Settle down." the teacher called and they quieted. She turned and smiled at the girl. "Introduce yourself, dear."

"Yes ma'am." she whispered quietly, bowing slightly to the class. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Sakura…Sakura Koubai."

"Flowery name." Mamoru whispered under his breath. Maybe that explained the rose.

"Sakura has just moved here from Sapporo." the teacher continued. "I'd like you all to welcome her and make this move a pleasant one. Now, Sakura, you'll be sitting in that empty desk next to Mamoru."

Sakura nodded, then moved through the desks to her seat. She was very graceful, almost like she was dancing as she slid into the chair. Mamoru noted how she held her head high, but in a very humble fashion, and she almost immediately pulled a flower-pattered spiral notebook out of her bag. It was open and ready in front of her, pen all set to take notes. So…she was a goody-goody top-student type, like his younger cousin Akane. That could be an advantage…

The teacher began her lesson, but several of the boys still kept glancing back at the new girl. Most of the girls were glaring at their boyfriends or holding back rage as their crushes showed interest in another girl. Sakura, somehow, didn't notice and was calmly scribbling down perfectly-written notes.

"Hmph. Show-off." Mamoru heard a girl behind him mutter. It was true, she did seam a little too…perfect. But there was also something strange about her…Something he didn't quite understand

~ * ~ * ~

"'Kaasan, I'm home!" Mamoru shouted, kicking his shoes off in the hall. He tossed his schoolbag to the side and walked through the apartment towards the kitchen.

A cat rubbed up against his legs, he stopped a moment to stroke it then shoo it away. He entered the kitchen, where his brown-haired mother, Meilu Urameshi, was busy spicing the side of meat they were having for dinner that night. She didn't look up as he entered. "Hello, Mamoru, dear." she smiled. "How was your day?"

"Not bad." the son shrugged, taking an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.

As he bit into the juicy, crunchy flesh of the apple he felt a sharp tug on his pants leg. "Ni-san! Ni-san!" a high-pitched voice squeaked up at him.

Mamoru leaned down, picking up the little blonde-haired two-year old. "Hello, Miho." he laughed, kissing his sister on the cheek.

"Kochiwa! Kochiwa!" Miho cheered, wrapping her arms around her older brother's neck.

Meilu laughed as her son gave her a quizzical glance. "She means 'Konichiwa'. Just learned it this morning, and I can't get her to stop saying it."

"Kochiwa! Kochiwa!" the girl cheered again, spilling her cup of cereal into Mamoru's hair. "Kochiwa, ni-san, kochiwa!

"Okay, okay." Mamoru set her down on the floor, patting her on the head. "Konichiwa to you to, Imoto-san."

Miho grinned up at him, then ran over to play with the family dog, still chanting "Kochiwa, kochiwa…" as she went.

Mamoru sighed, brushing cheerios out of his hair, turning for the stairs. "I'm gonna head upstairs."

"Make sure you study, dear." Meilu called as he headed up. "Oh…and by the way. A letter arrived for you today, from your grandfather. It's on the counter, if you want it."

Mamoru froze a moment, one leg up to climb the next stair, then leapt back down and snatched the letter off the tile surface. Yes, this was definitely from his grandfather, his ojee-san, he recognized the thick, parchment-like envelope he like to write on for the effect it gave.

He scrambled back up the stairs, locking the door to his room behind him as he rushed in. Whenever his grandfather wrote, it was always big news for him, usually some new kind of special training his parents had no idea he did. He's already mastered some simple moves, like being able to sense and identify familiar Spirit Energies, but he'd even manage to partially master his grandfather's favorite technique: the Spirit Gun.

Yes. This letter held excitement in every word. And he didn't want to miss a second of it.

~ * ~ * ~

"I'm home!" Sakura called as she entered, gently toeing off her shoes in the foyer. When she heard no answer, neither from her mother or her father, nor her mother, she began to explore the house.

"Kaasan? Tousan?" she called, entering the kitchen. No. It was a new house, no one was here.

A scribbled note on the counter caught her eyes. She picked it up, recognizing her mother's handwriting at once.

Sakura-chan,

We'll be working late tonight, getting settled into these new jobs. There's dinner in the fridge, warm yourself up some Oden. Be home by 10. Lots of love.

Sakura sighed. She hadn't really be expecting anyone. New school, new home… same work-a-holic family. They wouldn't be home until she went to bed, not this first week, and sometimes she preferred it that way.

She began up the stairs to her room, pulling at the yellow neckerchief under her collar. She wore the uniform to comply with school rules, but she detested it so. It left her throat bare. Most of the clothes she wore had an elegant Chinese style, and most with a high mandarin collar. She was too used to that extra warmth, the lower-cut sailor collar of her school uniform made her feel…exposed…She wore t-shirts sometimes, or collared shirts that were slightly unbuttoned to reveal her throat, but only with jackets or wraps that she could pull around her when she got nervous.

Her thoughts slipped to that as she pulled an outfit out of the closet, beginning to put it on. Come to think of it, why did she hate having her throat exposed? It wasn't like anyone was gonna jump out and slit it or anything…

She let out a strangled gasp, snapping her head up as she buttoned the strap on her outfit. She felt something…an energy pattern, in the attic. It was familiar, but at the same time it panicked. Somehow it just didn't feel human…

Sakura yanked the ladder to the attic down, scrambling up the steps. They'd only been in the house a week, but it was stacked with boxes they hadn't unpacked yet. The energy was up here…

She slid to a stop, mouth dropping open in surprise. The window was open, wind blowing in leaves from the tree outside. And sitting in the sill was a gorgeous silver fox.

It was there only a moment before flitting away, but it that spilt second a rush of memories came back to her. Her grandfather, his smile, his eyes, his stories. The night he died, this fox that came to her with the message. And…and…

Long, white hands, shooting out from the darkness. Cold finger snaking their way past her hair and running themselves along her exposed throat. A rush of dread filled her, waiting anxiously…helplessly…as the pressure grew…the air was squeezed out…

Sakura gasped, snapping back into reality. She was on her knees, clutching her neck protectively. What was that? The memory…of a dream…a nightmare that came to her, some nights when she was afraid or tired or scared. Why…who…

She looked up. The fox was gone. But right by the window she noticed an old, yellowed letter…with her name on the front of the envelope.

Sakura picked the letter up, opening the yellowed envelope carefully. Her eyes were drawn to the familiar pen-scratching of the parchment. Her eyes widened. It was…impossible. It was from…her grandfather.

To my Kura-chan, she read, eyes widening with each word.

I suppose I'm not with you to read this message…but it's better this way. What I'm about to tell you, I don't want you to repeat. Your mother and father need not know. This is for your eyes only…and only for you.

You're a special girl, Kura…and not just to me. You have a destiny you can't even imagine now. You can go anywhere you want to, Kura, but only if you try. The best I can do for you now is wish you well…and give you some last instructions.

I have a dear friend, known in these parts as Master Urameshi. If at all possible, I'd like you to train with him. Directions to his home included. He'll recognize you, don't worry. Just train your hardest, and become as strong as you can.

Forever with Love,

Ojeesan

Sakura stared at letter a moment before re-reading. Strongest? As in, a fighter? But her mother…

This 'Master Urameshi' he was talking about…hadn't he mentioned him before? Yes…now she remembered. While he was in the hospital, Urameshi had come to visit, along with that short, black-haired man that looked too young for her grandfather to know.

If she remembered correctly, Urameshi had been a tall, joking, old man with a warm, caring laugh. She'd liked him a lot, but he hadn't seamed like much of a fighter, and she hadn't seen him sense grandpa's funeral.

"Maybe…I will…" she muttered, picking the letter up again. She looked at it a moment, letting the long-forgotten memories of her grandfather waft back before she headed back down to start her dinner.

Words To Know (sounds like a textbook, huh?)

Kaasan - Short for okaa-san. Respectful term for mother.

Tousan - Short for otou-san. Respectful term for father.

Ojeesan - Respectful term for grandfather.

Okay…that was a little lame. But it picks up the next chapter, I promise! Uh…Please review.