Title : Arrows and Whips

Disclaimer : I do not own Inu Yasha and YuYu Hakusho.

"..." Talking

'...' Thinking

~@~@ Time gap

~*~*~* Scene change

*......* Telepathy

* * * * * *

Previous Chapter:

"He will be. Vixinia's power had helped him. But he will be unconscious for a couple of days." Yukina sighed again. "The problem is Vixinia. She won't leave his side as soon as she wakes later. The only ones that could tell her not to are Genkai or one of her teachers who are all going to somewhere."

'Teachers.' thought Hiei. "I'll take care of that." he said.

Chapter 8 :

@~@~@ Few hours later @~@~@

Vixinia woke up groggily. She was about to go to see Kurama again when Yukina show up with a bundle of clothes.

"Go and take a bath!" she ordered in a tone that told Vixinia that she couldn't argue with her. So, she nodded and went to the bathroom. When she was dressing, she found out that the clothes Yukina gave her were a fighting outfit.

'Wonder why she give me these for?' mused Vixinia as she put them on. She made her way to her room and was stopped by none other than Hiei.

"Your training starts now, Vixen." he declared.

"But I want to go check on Kurama." Vixinia whined. Hiei glared at her.

"It's now or never."

With that he left. Vixinia sighed and gave up to the inevitable. Hiei was a hard teacher, not to mention an impatient one. They sparred for hours. Vixinia was only allowed to use her claws, nothing else. No fire, no vines, nothing. Hiei gave her some of his sarcastic comments like, "Is that all you got?" or "I wonder how you could survive this long."

They stopped in the evening. Vixinia owed Botan for this. She had come to inform them that another demon had escaped again from Makai. Hiei was sent for this and he left unwillingly.

*~*~* The Dining room *~*~*

"How's the training?" asked Yukina. Vixinia groaned.

"Worse than Lady Tsuki's (Tsukikage)." She motioned to her wounds. Instead of bruises and cuts, she got gashes and burnt marks. Her clothes were ruined.

"Good thing Botan came, if not I will be a bloody pulp now." Vixinia said. "By the way, why is there meny demons run lose from Makai?"

Botan shrugged. "Koenma is still looking for the reason. Why don't you heal your wounds?"

"They'll heal in no time, but I will need a new set of clothes." Vixinia answered lightly.

"Where are Ellon, Veiland and Kouran? They said they'll come home today." asked Botan.

"They change their mind. They're staying for the whole week since Genkai and the others are not here to teach them." answered Yukina.

"How's Kurama doing?" inquired Vixinia.

*He's well. Just need more rest. He won't wake for another few days.* replied Youko. *Yusuke and Kuwabara are with him.*

"They went home to their houses and came back to see him." supplied Yukina. "They are there to watch you train."

"Maybe they can't imagine Hiei having a student." laughed Botan. Vixinia glared at her.

"I'm getting careless not to notice any of you just now. Even if I train, I have to be conscious about my surroundings." Vixinia sighed desperately. She rose and went for a bath. She bathed and went to her room to visit Kurama. This time she managed to get there without any interruption. As Youko had said, Yusuke and Kuwabara were there.

"Has he awaken yet?" asked Vixinia. Yusuke shook his head.

"Not yet." he answered, "I'm going home. I'll visit again tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too." said Kuwabara. They both left the room. Vixinia brushed Kurama's face lightly.

'He looks so peaceful when he sleep.'

Hiei and Youko entered the room. They sat in the same position as the previous night.

"How was it?" Vixinia asked.

"Low level demon." answered Hiei curtly. Vixinia nodded. They sat in a comfortable silence. When night came, Vixinia lay beside Kurama and slept. Hiei would watch them or went outside. And thus, Hiei and Vixinia became closer in dour days.

Hiei had been more opened and a little bit more talkative to Vixinia. They trained in the afternoon and at night, they stayed by Kurama's side, talking telepathically about anything until Vixiia felt sleepy and fell asleep beside Kurama. Yusuke and Kuwabara visit them everyday, so did Botan. More demons had escaped from Makai, still Koenma didn't have a clue about it.

Training with Hiei had improved Vixinia's skill. She had become faster and more accurate in attacking. Hiei had also trained her mind power (he used his Jagan eye). Now, Vixinia was learning sword art from Hiei.

@~@~@ The fourth day after Kurama fell unconscious @~@~@

Kurama woke up in the morning to find Vixinia sleeping peacefully y his side with Youko and Hiei sitting at the other side. Hiei opened his eyes.

"Wake up at last, Fox." he said indifferently. Kurama only smiled at his friend's greeting.

"Good morning, Hiei."

Vixinia woke as Kurama sat up. She looked at him with teary eyes and unexpectedly, hugged him. Kurama blushed.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed. She pulled away from him. "Don't you ever do that again." she scolded. "I'm going to tell the others." She left.

"How long did I sleep?" asked Kurama.

"Four days." replied Hiei.

"Four days." muttered Kurama. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Yukina came in.

"Decided to come home from the dreamland?" grinned Yusuke. Kurama merely smiled.

"You are one lucky man!" commented Kuwabara. "Vixinia had been worried sick about you and would not leave your side if Hiei didn't asked her to train."

Yukina chuckled. "That's right. She and Hiei stayed here every night."

Kurama glanced at Hiei who turned away and crossed his arms.

"Hn." With that he left.

"Sorry to worry all of you." Kurama apologized.

"Never mind that." said Yusuke, "Only, next time don't try to act like a hero!" he joked as he slapped Kurama's back. They all laughed.

@~@~@ Later @~@~@

Kurama was watching Vixinia's training. He had gone home and met his mother. Botan had told her that Kurama was staying at his friend's house. He decided to stay there until the school started, which will be in another one month. He spent is time mostly to watch his friends sparring and giving Vixinia fighting advices. After another two hours, Hiei and Vixinia stopped sparring. Now, Vixinia had less wounds, while Hiei got more.

"So tomorrow we will start using demon abilities, right?" asked Vixinia hopefully.

"Hn."

Vixinia clapped her hands together. "Great!" she chirped.

"But no combined attacks." he stated. Vixinia stopped chirping.

"Hey! That's not fair!" she protested. "You can easily cut the vines and blocked the fires."

"Your problems not mine." he said simply as he entered the house.

"Great! Tomorrow will be a day of Hell!" Vixinia grumbled.

"Well, you use too much combined attacks. I think that's why Hiei made you do that." said Kurama.

"But I can't use only one element. That will be too weak. Because.." she hesitated "Because."

"Because?" prompted Kurama.

"Because I can't control them, yet." Vixinia mumbled as she tried to avoid Kurama's gaze. Kurama smiled.

"I can teach you how to control plants, but for fire, you should ask Hiei." he offered.

"Really?" Vixinia asked, surprised. Kurama nodded. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Vixinia hugged Kurama tightly, unaware of his furious blush. When she let go of him, his face was still pink.

"Thank you for looking after me when I was unconscious." Kurama said. Vixinia shook her head.

"I should be the one who thank you. You saved me from the blow." Vixinia yawned. "I'm going to rest a little. Good day, Kurama. And thanks for your offer."

Vixinia went to her favorite tree and sat comfortably on one of its branch. She remembered her brother and son, but since Shippo didn't have the necklace, so he couldn't contact her in a long distance.

*Little Brother. If you're alive, answer now.* she called as she held her rose pendant in her hand.

*Hi, Sis!* he answered cherfully. *How are you? What happened there?*

*I'm fine.* then she explained all that took place during his absence.

*I had just finished my training with Hiei and had Kurama as my new teacher.*

*While I had just finished my third bowl of chocolate ice cream.* came his too happy voice.

Vixina gulped. 'No wonder he sounds so cheerful. I hope Shippo didn't eat that much or else mother will have a problem in facing two sugar high boys.'

*Don't eat too much. You'll get stomachache.* Vixinia warned.

*Ahh, never mind that. You sure have too many teacher, Sis.*

*Because Akira and Hayami didn't teach us about our natural abilities, only combined attacks.* retorted Vixinia.

*Awww, Sister Vixi is getting angry.* sang Ellon. Vixinia growled in her head, unaware that she had vocalized it.

*I'm not Vixi, dammit!* she yelled. 'I hate him when he is in his sugar high mode.'

She heard Ellon cleared his throat mentally. *How's the training?*

*Fun. How's the others?*

*They're fine. Sango and Miroku had brought a Shikon shard yesterday. They managed to hide it from Kikyo.*

*Good. Any news about Naraku?* she asked.

*Yeah, they fought him once and got the shard from him.* and Ellon explained Sango's and Miroku's meeting with Naraku.

*I wonder what he wants near the well? Lets just hope he don't know how to use it.*
Vixinia felt another power was troubling their conversation.

*Shit! Ellon, we'll talk again next time. We got an eavesdropper.* She closed the mind link and rushed towards the dining room.

*~*~* In the Dining Room *~*~*

"Hello all!" greeted Botan as she appeared suddenly. Since all of them were used to this, they greeted her back casually. Yusuke groaned.

"What? Another mission?" he asked rudely. Botan glared at him.

"Fortunately no, Yusuke. I don't come only to give you missions and leave." she retorted.

"Heh, I highly doubt it." snorted Yusuke.

"I come her to see Kurama. Are you alright?" Botan asked.

"I'm fine, Botan." Kurama replied politely.

"I will be surprised if he don't." said Yusuke. Botan gave him a quizzical look.

"Why's that?"

"Because, Vixinia had been the one that look after him." smirked Yusuke. "No one will be sick if they are taken after by someone as beautiful as her."

"Yusuke, remember Keiko!" said Kuwabara.

"It only works for perverts." huffed Botan. Kuwabara nodded.

"But I think she is one of many reason Kurama is healthy now. She had used her power to help Kurama fought the poison." said Yukina. "But most of all, she was the one that make him drink the potion."

Youko snickered from Yukina's lap. Hiei smirked inwardly. He felt some energy and decide to examine it with his Jagan eye. Kurama was the only one to notice that Hiei was spacing out and that his Jagan eye was glowing under his headband.

"What?" asked Kuwabara.

*Guess how?* Youko challenged. When no one answered. * From mouth to mouth.*

Kurama was blushing, but deep down he felt happy. Yukina and Botan took it lightly, since they knew it was the only way to make Kurama drank the potion. The girls did, but not the boys.

"WHATTTT?" yelled Yusuke and Kuwabara together. Yusuke was grinning like there's no tomorrow, while Kuwabara was dumbfounded, being a person he was.

"So, what will Mr. Fox here say?" asked Yusuke slyly. Kurama's face became unnaturally red. "Aha! I knew it!" exclaimed Yusuke triumphantly. "You have a crush on Vixinia." Yusuke yelled.

"I-I " Kurama tried to find a way to deny it. He couldn't say that he didn't like Vixinia but if he said he liked her, his friends wouldn't stop teasing him about it. Before he could come up with anything, a furious Vixinia stormed in.

"Vixinia, I didn't men to tease you it's just-" Yusuke started. Vixinia ignore her and approached Hiei.

"How dare you!" she fumed. Hiei didn't spare her a glance.

"I dare." he replied. This enraged Vixinia even more.

"You know that eavesdropping is not a good thing to do!" she yelled.

"I didn't eavesdrop. You spoke too loud. I can't help myself but hear you."

"Too loud?! Too LOUD!!!!" she exploded. "I was talking to my brother TELEPATHICALLY. There's NO WAY you can hear us EXCEPT for eavesdropping."

"You should have blocked your mind link." replied Hiei calmly.

"You...You..." Vixinia was unable to get him back. "Argh!" she stomped out with Youko followed her. Hiei smirked lightly.

"What had happened?" asked Kuwabara. The others fell down.

"Are you oblivious to the obvious buffoon?" mocked Hiei.

"What was that, porcupine head!?" roared Kuwabara. Yusuke hold him to prevent a fight between them.

"Will she be alright?" asked Botan.

"Hn. Probably sulking somewhere with her fox." replied Hiei casually. Kurama wondered how much closer the fire apparition had been with Vixinia during his unconscious period. Like it or not, he did fell the jealousy again but he brushed it off.

"It's almost dark, Hiei. You better find her." said Yukina.

"Hn."

"I'm coming. Two of us will find her faster." said Kurama. And so they went in search for a certain vixen.

*~*~* Somewhere in the nearby forest *~*~*

"That jerk! I can't believe he actually did that!" ranted Vixinia as she tried not to burn her surroundings due to her increasing temperature.

*Calm down. Next time, be more wary of him. Your anger is totally useless.* said Youko. He was used to his mistress' anger. And he knew if he didn't calm her soon, a forest fire would broke.

"But still..." she was cut off.

*If you don't cool down, in another ten minutes, this forest will be nothing but ashes.* said a bored Youko.

"Oooops." Vixinia said. She tried to think about happy things and went back to her cheery mode.

"He he. Sorry about that." she said sheepishly.

*Well, this is better. Last time you lost control of the fire, you almost burn the garden.*

"Yeah, but that was also because of him!" retorted Vixinia. "It's bad enough he called me 'vixen', but 'wench' and 'girl', I don't need a replica of Inuyasha here."

*But you like being called 'vixen'*

"Better than 'bitch'." she replied calmly as she leaped to a branch. She took out her flute and played a soothing tune.

*You have adopted Inuyasha's habit of perching on trees.* commented Youko. He leapt to her lap.

*Shut up.* muttered Vixinia mentally.

It was how Kurama and Hiei found her. Vixinia was playing a tune on a branch with a dozing Youko on her lap. When she finished her tune, she cleary said,

"Come out you two. I know you're there."

Hiei and Kurama came out from the trees. "What are you doing here?" she asked cheerfully.

"Looking for you. It's dark already. Let's go home." said Kurama.

"Alright," she chirped happily. She leaped down wit Youko. They walked in silent. As they reached the front gate, Kurama went in first, and would be followed by Hiei if Vixinia didn't stop him.

"Don't do that again, okay?"

She ran to Kurama's side before Hiei could say anything.

'She's hiding something. Something big, ' he thought as he entered the house. '... and dangerous.'

@~@~@ Weekend @~@~@

"Whoa!" Vixinia exclaimed as Hiei shot fire at her. She had improved a little in her fighting skill. All of that thanks to Kurama who taught her plant controlling techniques and Hiei who taught her fire elemental attacks better than Akira had.

Vixinia pulled some seeds from her hair (she learned that from Kurama) and threw it at Hiei. They grew larger and cracked open. They gave out yellow dust, which happened to be sleeping powder. Hiei jumped to the air. A vine shot up from the ground, aiming at him. He burnt it easily and threw another fireball at Vixina. She was about to evade when she felt the familiar tug of the Shikon shard from inside the house. She lost her concentration.

"In front of you!" Kurama shouted. Vixinia was snapped back to reality and saw a pretty large fireball was heading towards her.

"Kyahhhhhh!" she outstretched her hands out of reflex and closed her eyed, waiting for the fire to burn her hands. But, it never came. She opened one of her eyes and saw a light blue shield around her. She dropped her hands and concentrated on her powers. Soon, the shield vanished. She looked Hiei sheepishly.

"He he. Sorry, I don't know I can do that." she admitted.

"Moooom." cried a voice from the house. Not long, a red fur ball launched itself to Vixinia's arm.

"Hello, Veiland." laughed Vixinia. Ellon came out of the house not long after that.

"Nice day eh, Sis?" he said.

"Nice with you here." she smiled devilishly.

"I take back what I had said."

"We had a great week, Mom!" started Veiland. "We went to the sea and played there. We also went to the mountains." Vixinia smiled.

'He had never been to a sea in Sengoku Jidai.' she thought.

"Vixen, you used your miko power just now." said Hiei, annoyed.

"I don't know I can do that. I'm doing it out of reflex." answered Vixinia truthfully.

"But you can't lose your concentration in a battle, Vixinia." said Kurama. "It may cost your life." Vixinia nodded. "I know."

Vixinia's ears perked up. "They're here?"

"Yup! All our teachers are here. Including Mom. Training of your miko power will start tomorrow." said Ellon.

"Good. The sooner the better."

"You must divide your time for this." stated Ellon.

"I can train a day full. I have no problem." she answered. "I've finished my training with Hayami and Akira. I will have my lessons from Lady Tsuki and Genkai in the morning, while Hiei's and Kurama's in the evening." She turned to Hiei and Kurama. "Is that alright?"

"No problem." Kurama said.

"Hn." Hiei crossed his arms.

"I take that as a 'yes'." she snorted. "Oh yeah. Veiland, come here. I want to give you something."Vixinia unclasped the necklace with silver fox pendant and handed it to Veiland. "This means we're family." she smiled.

Veiland mouth hung open. "But I'm a fire kitsune. This necklace should be worn by the Silvers."

"No problem." Vixinia took the necklace and cupped it in her hands. She chanted something and it glowed. Vixinia put it back in his hands. "Now, it's a red fox."

"Thank you, Mommy." cried Veiland. She laughed a happy laughed while hugging her 'son'.

And so Vixinia's month of training started.

* * *

A/N : I'm back! So, how is it? First of all, I need to apologize for not posting any chapter last week. I went for a field trip to a neighboring island for four days. I was exhausted. I'm really sorry. I know I deserve some good flames from all of you. And I would like to inform you that I might not update my stories regularly. I'm having many difficulties in school and courses. I hope you all understand.
Well, as for now, I'm in desperate need of the information on the Dark Tournament. Why is it held? Who participate? Who is the main villain? Did Karasu show up here? Who are the SP's enemy here? Where do they stay? Did Keiko know? Did they abandon school?
Sorry, a big bunch of question. Here's a hint why I need it : Going to make something out of it! Just give me some sites where I can find it. Thank you for reviewing and keeping up with my nonsense. And I'll try my best to finish up Vixinia's role. I like Kagome better. (Phew, the longest A/N I had ever made. ^.^)

~Sincerely
Flying Phoenix~

Review Responses :

starkitty : He he. You got it wrong. Shippo got it. But the other one is right though.

Jupiter's Light, Elysian's Kiss, Lady2U, Artemis the Goddess, Mystic Rain, animechickie, Kuro Honoo, Kuramasgrl123, Natsuki Sasahara, Ivan's Kitsune, sesshoumarulover713, DemonLady1, ladyofthedragons1, DevilWench, Animechick8, HeavenlyAnimeAngel-Amaterasu, Sukera, bleedingwings666, Aphiopsyduck, Hiei's loveable miko : Thanks for reviewing. Love you all!

arrow-card, ANAme-chan, emerald dragon hanyou, crimson hawk : Thank you for reviewing and make my day.

tessa3 : Hey there. I'm so sorry. I told you the wrong information. I planned it all wrong. Thanks for reviewing and for the recommendations.

Katzztar : Actually, it was because he didn't want to be the one to do it. As for Youko, he knew Kagome wouldn't do it unless she was alone. Nice thinking though.

Inu Youkai-Hime : I think I made a mistake. Sorry.

hiei is mine forever : I read it. Nice one please update it faster.

Randomunit : Well, I don't actually like it. But I don't have much choice.

MAR : Sorry, not a hiei/kag. It's hard to make a romance. But Kagome will spend a good deal of time with Hiei as his so-called sister.

Diana : It's hard to make a Kag/Kur one. I don't think I'm going to make any other pairings. Sorry, I've said it before.

Illustrious Sorrow : Nice fic. Please update soon. I'm waiting for the rest.

Mermaid99 : It is not a love triangle. I am merely making Hiei acts like a brother to Kagome.