Chapter One- The Ebil Fox Must Die!

Kurama had been let out of school for the rest of the day so he could make sure Asa was going to be all right. ((More to the point: he was everyone's favorite student, and what he wants, he GETS. Well, 'cept for certain people -wink wink- !)) He was slightly annoyed with how long it had taken to send messages to Yusuke and the others concerning his and Asa's whereabouts, and how long that he'd had to wait before he was able to head for Genkai's to check up on his ward.

Once he did reach Genkai's temple, however, he found that he was little needed---in fact, his presence didn't seem to be cared about, at all. The fox was entertaining Asa quite well on its own. The girl was sitting on a couch, Genkai standing beside her, with Asa's eyes bright and laughing as she giggled, watching the fox do flips and leaps that were very easily done by himself in his full fox form, he thought. Even Genkai wore a smile, that quickly turned into a smirk as she turned to look upon Kurama's face, which was tinged red, and especially his eyes. Despite their being a natural emerald, she could see something envious green flickering in them as he eyed Asa's attention being lavished upon another being.

She could only shake her head. "Asa-chan, I will leave you in Kurama's care for now," she spoke, causing Asa to look up from the fox in surprise.

"Kurama! I didn't even know you'd gotten here!" she exclaimed as Genkai chuckled, merely patting his arm due to his superior height as she left the two of them alone, shutting the rice paper door behind her. Kurama looked back at Asa, taking note that the fox had jumped up into her lap and that she was now petting it with one hand, as she looked up at him, then patted the seat next to her with her other hand meaningfully. He took the seat she offered, and smiled a somewhat forced smile at her, as his eyes remained glued onto the fox, that snuggled further into her skirt, glaring triumphantly up at him with a look that clearly said, 'Look who's got the girl.'

"Asa, that fox...isn't right," he informed her gently.

"Well, of course he's not! You wouldn't be very 'right' either if you had a near-death experience!" Asa retorted smartly. Kurama sighed quietly, as he noticed the fox resting its nose against Asa's stomach. That stupid thing, he was getting a little too close to Kurama's girl...wait...did he just seriously think that? Eyes widening a slight bit, he knew he was flushed as Asa looked up at him in confusion. "Something wrong, Kurama?"

"Iiya, iiya, not at all," he responded, all too quickly. The fox was losing his touch...chikushou.

"O...kay, moving on...hey, what do foxes eat, do you think?" When he looked at her quizzically, she blushed lightly, letting the fox out of her embrace to point her index fingers together nervously. "It's just...you were a fox when you were Youko, and...ya know? I figured..."

He smiled, mostly at the look of rejection on the little fox's face as it eyed the blush on her cheeks, then glared at Kurama vengefully. "Hm...well, I'd say most foxes eat small animals...like rabbits or mice. Only, this fox might need rats..." he added as an afterthought, narrowing his eyes at the little creature and returning its sharp glare.

Asa didn't seem to notice the staring---or in this case, glaring--- contest going on between the fox in her lap and the redhead beside of her, and looked thoughtful as they started quietly growling at each other. "What should we name him?"

"Oro?!" Both fox and ...uh, other fox...face vaulted, knocked out of their contest by her quiet, innocent question. ((A/N: HAH! I've always imagined Kurama pulling a Kenshin...poor Ken-san...))

"Nani?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at them as they both lifted themselves off the floor and quickly returned to their seats--- Kurama almost wanted to switch seats with the fox as it snuggled into Asa's arm, encouraging her to scratch his ears lovingly. "It's a valid question. He doesn't seem to want to leave. So what should we name him?"

"I like the name Rafu."

The new voice jolted Kurama from his careful observation of the little white fox in Asa's arms, and he turned to look at Hiei, who was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room, smirking. Just meeting his eyes told Kurama that he'd seen everything---and wasn't going to easily let it slide in the near future.

"Rafu? Where'd you get that, Hiei-kun?" Asa asked, inclining her head to the side. Kurama bit the corner of his lip then. She was way too cute for her own good sometimes.

He shrugged, "Not sure...just came to me. He seems to have a real net of a mind; it's hard to read. The name Rafu sort of popped up. As did Bokouru..."

"Hm..." Asa stood up, still holding the fox, and gingerly tested her weight on her injured ankle. Nodding in approval when it only stung a bit, she spoke, "Okay, well, I'm going to go see if we've got anything for Rafu to eat...can you two watch him until I get back?"

Kurama glared at the fox, then noticed that Asa's eyes were on him as she asked this, and smiled innocently, giving a polite nod as Hiei smirked, "Hn."

"Okay, I trust you two!" Asa deposited 'Rafu' into Kurama's arms, and half-limped, half-hopped out of the room, Kurama and Rafu both looking after her with glassy eyes, then glaring at each other when they saw that they were both staring.

"Ijirashii," Hiei muttered, rolling his eyes at the two of them.

They both threw him glares that shouted out, "Be quiet or die."

"Well, Fox...not Rafu, but that Fox," he said, pointing at Kurama, "You seem to have a bit of a jealous streak going for you today...what's the matter? Little fox got your girl?"

Kurama blushed furiously, narrowing his eyes at Hiei, "She is not my 'girl'."

"That's not what you were thinking when the little fox was snuggling up with her..." Hiei commented, his tone indicating that he was having a lot more fun with this than was even legal in the Games of Torment for Kurama. ((A/N: inside joke. The Games are a thing me and a couple buds do when we're bored---we trade our characters and find ways for each one to torment poor Kurama-kun... .;;))

Kurama glared down at the fox then, as it smirked quite deviously at him, and both Hiei and Kurama were surprised to hear...a chuckle?! The fox was chuckling?! What in Makai?!

"I didn't think foxes could chuckle, Hiei," Kurama commented, immediately holding the fox by the nape of its neck and standing, holding the thing out in midair as it flailed its legs and bared its teeth at him.

"I didn't, either...that is no ordinary fox," Hiei nodded, as if to answer Kurama's unspoken question.

This fox was no fox. And it needed to be found out. Or else, Kurama might kill it. Sooner than later.

- - - - -

Well, some good wholesome fun in this chapter. The ebil fox is going to pay...dearly. Oh, a few Japanese notes:

Iiya- no
Chikushou- damn
Nani- what
Rafu- a net ((it's a name...don't ask ME...ask Rose))
Ijirashii- pathetic

Hah. Thanks to Melanie-chan and Kurama/is/hot (I really thought your story was funny...I reviewed, right? Because when I was reading it, I was sorta rushed...if I didn't, I will!) for the reviews... Dun worry, I'll update again soon so's we can find out what's up with the lecherous fox that Kurama wishes to murder...