Author's Note: I would like to dedicate this story to my best friend, Lauren, who has listened to my endless rants and always had suggestions. If that's not enough, she has been my ever-faithful beta (she helped with this story too don't forget!). Forever and Always, Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. -dreamy look- Maybe one day... -slaps self- Snap out of it girl! Hehe.
Beware the Silver Kitsunes
Arayan/Cymarel
'Present'ing...the Kitsunes!
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome! Wake up! Wake up! Wake uuuuup!!!"
"Souta, Souta, Souta..." she grumbled to cease his early morning, 7:00, wailing. "What is it?" she snapped at him. Upon seeing the crestfallen look that had stolen across his features, Kagome had to feel guilty. "Oh Souta...I'm sorry ok? Just don't give me that look!"
His grin immediately returned full force and Souta began insistently tugging on her arm to make sure she was getting up.
Mumbling something to herself about not being a morning person, Kagome swung her legs over the side of her bed. With a glimpse downward, she noticed with a sigh the state of her nightclothes and waved Souta's hand off hers. "Mind letting me change first?"
Souta shook his head, too anxious over his surprise for her to be upset over having to wait just one more minute or so! Not that that prevented him from pacing the hallway outside her room. He picked up a package he had left outside her door and was now tenderly cradling the blue box, loosely tied with a golden ribbon, to his chest.
The occasional "I'd better get some Oden out of this," or "I feel like I'm back in Sengoku Jidai...way to early..." could be heard from his position out in the hallway and Souta grew further impatient, "Kagomeee...are you almost done?"
The door opened and she came out, and, tweaking Souta's nose, "Ok, ok! I'm out already!"
Since Souta had now cleverly hidden the package behind his back, Kagome was forced to ask, "So, you wake me up early because...and unless it's raining Oden..."
Souta's face blushed rose pink as he shoved, gently, the sunrise blue package into her shocked fingers and hugged her tightly, "Happy birthday Sis," he whispered.
She blinked and stood there, perplexed for a moment. She hadn't realized it was her birthday already...at least not so early in the morning! "Oh Kami, it is! Thank you Souta!" She smiled brilliantly and appreciatively towards him.
"It was nothing," he mumbled abashed, but quickly recovering, he demanded that she, "Open it Kagome! Pleeeeaaase! Open it!"
She giggled at his highly amusing antics.
"Ok, ok!" With long, outdrawn movements, she slowly tugged apart the two ends of the ribbon that had been tied together in a bow.
Something inside the present shifted then, and it rocked almost out of her hands before she grasped it all the more firmly.
She shot Souta an inquisitive glance, raising her eyebrows. He only nodded eagerly in response, pressing on her hands to remind her to open the package and stop staring at him!
While she appeared perfectly relaxed but for the glitter in her eye, Souta was bouncing on his toes, nearly jumping into the air in his excitement.
His breath nearly froze in his lungs; he dared not take even a gasp of air for fear it would break the moment.
Kagome had finally removed the beautiful golden ribbon and was hovering her hands at the edge.
Suddenly, as if a new person had taken control of her body, Kagome grasped the top of the box and had it removed in one swift action.
The fluffy silver-white tail wagged. The ears pricked excitedly forward. The tongue poked out of its mouth eagerly.
Kagome gasped in delight and Souta puffed out his small chest proudly.
Her first present for her sixteenth birthday, and it was...a curiously wondrous looking silver kitsune: red nose, white claws and all. Oh, and the eyes! What lovely, cerulean eyes. Such an exquisite blue color...oh. Wait. Now they were green, that perfect forest green. Kagome blinked and stared, but the eyes seemed to maintain the steady jade color.
While not the most conventional, the kitsune kit was a uniquely beautiful creature and Kagome had already fallen in love with it.
"You DO like it right?" As if the look in her eyes was not obvious enough. "It was the only one in the pet store. The owner said he found it abandoned and clawing on the side door no more than a week ago. It can't be more than a couple months old and I thought you like him..."
"Oh so it's a him, is it?" she joked, but she reassured him nonetheless that she did.
The brief wish that she be allowed to take him back with her to Sengoku Jidai passed through her mind; if she could, she would take him with her for forever everywhere.
Inuyasha burst out through the well house, intent on reaching Kagome in her house and dragging her back to collect his precious jewel shards THIS instant. She was already a half day late and the only reason he had let her stay even that long was because a shard impaled demon has happened upon the five - Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippou, Kirara, and Sango - during Kagome's period of absence.
"KAGO--!"
Rumored to be psychic when it came to knowledge of their children, mothers often had astonishing luck in their timing in rescuing said children.
"Okaa-san!" Kagome leapt to her feet from her kneeling position, still cradling the kitsune kit in one arm, to give her mother a hug. The discomfort from the presents her mother has brought with her being crushed between the two of them was disregarded in the moment of happiness.
"Happy birthday sweetheart," she placed the presents on Kagome's dresser, and, stepping past the indignant hanyou in the open window, she tweaked one of the ears of the obviously ruffled and disgruntled Inuyasha.
He bristled, but he refused to react violently or even speak harsh words in retort. He did like Kagome's mother and wanted her to like him in turn. Especially now, as he was feeling slightly guilty. After all, it was mostly his fault for always dragging her back to Sengoku Jidai that she never had the opportunity to see her family.
NO, he growled, berating himself mentally, it was her fault for shattering the Shikon no Tama in the first place!
Kagome's mother gave him a knowing look that set him sulking back into his proper place.
A hyperactive voice brought Kagome's attention back to the source of its owner, Souta, "So Kagome, what's his name? You have to name him or he can't officially be a part of our family! It's tradition!"
Hm, a name, she thought, like Buyou? But, of course, something...prettier. Oh no I can't think of any! Think, Kagome, think! Think!
"Um..." she held her chin in her hand as she thought, eyebrows furrowed together in thought, "how about..." and, without warning, she was rapidly wheeling off names, all of a sudden unable to choose a favorite of a seemingly endless amount of choices, "Taji? Kaii? Ryo? Ryu? Sadakuno? Sen? Taro? Rikyu? Seitaro? Terao? Kur--"
Souta stopped her mid-name, "Sadakuno...Kuno-kun...I love it!"
She mock glared at him, "Hey! I'm the one who gets to make up nicknames!" Turning her nose up at Souta, she twisted to look at the kit, eye to eye, "Well, Kuno-kun! Welcome to the family!" and with that, she cuddled him up to her chest as he gave a contented purr.
The katana dove towards the unprotected shoulder blades, prepared to deliver a hefty strikewith its blunted edge. The attack would have been perfect...
...had not a thorny rose whip flicked it out of the way. The one whose hand held the whip and who had been the would be receiver of the katana's attack held steadfast just one more moment before turning from his position, a mischievous gleam in his precious emerald eyes.
The eyes flashed gold, "Hiei, Hiei. You'll never hit me that way. You have to get me when I'm unprepared."
Kurama scolded the Kitsune youkai whose soul shared a body with him. After all, Youko wasn't supposed to be allowed to speak through him, Kurama, unless he gave it the OK!
Youko, ever the picture-perfect innocent one, responded with a 'smart' retort, "Hah! We all know I don't have to do anything you say. After all, I am of the superiorly rare Silver Kitsune youkai's and hold more power than any normal human will any day!"
"Yes, well lucky me then that I'm not normal. After all, what normal human shares a body with another soul, much less that of a 'superiorly rare Silver Kitsune youkai,' neh?"
Kurama rolled his eye and Hiei, having listened in on the conversation, gave a knowing laugh, "Keeping him modest are you, Kurama?"
Kurama glared as gave his answer, sarcasm evident, "Always."
Youko, disliking being ignored, stamped his metaphorical foot over Kurama's very real one in a highly immature manner. "Take that,he seethed.
A grin replaced his scowl when Kurama winced at the annoying gesture.
It wasn't as if Youko would actually hurt him. After all, what Kurama felt, so did Youko so it was pointless...as the Kitsune had learned many years ago. Nor could he pick some tangible reason out of the air for his reaction.
His body just seemed to respond to Youko's actions when they were charged with an abnormally high emotional level.
As this happened on such rare occasions, it immediately sparked the interest of the two, no, three of them.
After all, last time, there had been a massive spirit blast, though the source was never found. At least, not beyond the relative area, focused around a small shrine rumored to have once hosted a long line of mikos, but apparently, no longer.
Perhaps it was only coincidence then, that these two most recent occurrences happened exactly a year apart. Neither youkai bothered to remember this.
Youko, for testing purposes, of course, re-attempted his attack on Kurama's foot with the same result. 'Youko, 2, Kurama...0!' he silently cheered.
It came as a bitter shock to Kurama when, after that last outburst from Youko, he could hear nothing but dead silence from within. He gave a mental probe but found nothing.
Hiei looked on in mute silence as his friend's face took on a crestfallen, anguished look. Distress lines worried his eyes as he shouted and then screamed with a mental voice that Youko, even in his deepest state of slumber would have heard.
Expression was forced onto Hiei's face as Kurama's body fell limp to the dirt, a pained look still tied upon his features.
He moved out of his shocked stance to stand beside his only friend. He yanked Kurama up into a sitting position and shook his shoulders.
When he won no result from these actions, he muttered his favorite word, "Hn," and progressed to throw Kurama over his shoulder as he made his way back to the mainland. He jump-flew from stone to stone, all perfect quartz structures embedded in the sea's floor to provide a path across the water for only the most skilled adventurers and warriors.
There was no evidence of their presence left behind on the island they had been training on but for a few stands of red and silver hair entwined together and surrounding an octagonal obsidian rock lying insidiously on the white sand beach
A fine sheen of sweat coated his pale humanoid form. His hair color flickered in and out of silver and red hues.
Wide-open eyes searched blindly as they rapidly ran from green to gold; however, no matter the color, the flecks of red never lost their possessive hold over both brilliant eyes.
The portal Botan had opened in order to allow the rest of the Spirit Detectives to come through in order to possibly offer any aid or comfort to their Kitsune friend was held open. No reason was given for this anomaly, but any curious doubts on that topic were overshadowed by the immediate danger to their team member.
Even Kuwabara had realized the seriousness of the situation and had sat himself down on the tiled floor, brows furrowed in thought...or confusion.
Koenma was the last to enter, and no sooner had he stepped foot in the room had Hiei growled menacingly, "Fix it."
"It? Why, I thought Kurama was a he."
"Don't mess with me, tyke. You know what I mean, now fix it before I fix you."
"You think I would not if I could? You think I do not value your lives? Think again young fire-blood. Now..."
Yusuke and Kuwabara were both visibly taken aback at this comment. When ever had Koenma become the young diplomat? Where was the little baby, so easy to taunt and torment?
Tactfully ignoring the gaping jaws, Koenma continued his report on his findings, "I have been searching through files and the most relevant information I could obtain was in relation to the spirit blast occurrence. It was 365 days ago to be exact. A year," at the last comment he was given multiple glares at the slight insult to their intelligence. Only Kuwabara remained blissfully unaware at the intended jab.
"So far we have found no evidence of the cause of the blast and know only of such powerful occurrences happening hundreds of years in the past. The only ones able of initiating this would be mikos, and from our knowledge, they are a dying, if not dead breed."
Hiei, growing frustrated, felt his temperature rising, "Prince-ling, get on with it. I will not have you dictating history while his life hangs in the balance of time."
No less astonishing than Koenma's sudden maturity was Hiei's vastly improved vocabulary and choice to speak. More often than not Hiei's voice would only be heard in an occasional 'hn.' Either that or he was shrouded in a dusky, heavy silence.
"I am, if you would choose to listen for once and cease your impudence. It seems that these reactions of Kurama's are caused by this miko spirit power. Finding one may possibly be the only answer to saving your friend. If you wish to find one, I suggest you begin your search at the Higurashi Shrine. That is all."
Hiei's eyes glowed a fierce red and where once he had stood only moments before, now he was miles away racing towards the one direction he assumed held all the answers.
Inuyasha was in the living room, stuffily moody and sitting crouched on the edge of the couch, ears twitching at every unnatural sound.
Kagome, on the other hand, was enjoying her one extra day of rest, her birthday, in her room, cuddled up on her bed with Sadakuno cradled affectionately in her arms. She was drifting in and out of sleep, but when she was awake, she stroked his fur admiringly and soothingly.
The feeling of utmost serenity was one she felt she had been lacking for this last year.
Even resting her gaze upon a drawing she had done of Inuyasha in one of his particularly grumpy moods could not put a damper on her mood. Instead, it served to lighten her mood further and she laughed aloud, a light, high pitched, melodic laugh.
Snuggling the soft blanket around her and the Kitsune kit, she relaxed, allowing herself once again to fall back into a lovely, dream filled sleep. A soft smile flitted gently across and came to rest on her lips.
It was with an acute tenderness that the silence gave way to Hiei's rolling anger and the calming peace was marred by his raging need to find the one responsible for his friend's current status.
Disregarding the shock he might have otherwise felt at sensing a half-breed in the very nearby vicinity, he honed in on the source of the same power he had felt a year ago.
It might seem a remarkable coincidence that he might find her here, when, for so long, Koenma and his staff had been researching this small, slender girl of such profound power and found nothing. At the moment, that, too, was disregarded as unimportant.
In and out. It was a simple task and he had pulled it off nearly without thinking of it, leaving a curious hanyou in the dust.
Minutes later, when Inuyasha finally discovered that his shard detector was gone, Hiei was too far gone, with his scent just a faint taste in the air, to be found.
In Hiei's arms, a fluttering of eyelashes signaled the awakening of the kidnapped girl.
If the strong wind rushing past was not enough proof, the well-muscled arms holding her were.
Instinctively, her first move was to where Kuno-kun had been held, only to find him firmly wrapped around her arms and glaring relentlessly up at the fire youkai.
The fur on Sadakuno's tail tickled her chin and she giggled even under the harsh look Hiei had bestowed upon her.
Until he spoke, "Silence, woman," and her features immediately took upon themselves a grudging and infuriated look.
Not yet having noticed that they were no longer speeding through the air, Kagome burst out in response to his demand, "Silence?! You dare kidnap me and tell me to silence myself when I hardly make a sound? Not only that but you can't even bother to ask my name in order to call me by it instead of some derogatory term?! What century are you living in?! Ever heard of a little thing called common human decency?!"
Ignoring her rant, Hiei dropped her, then forcibly pulled her to her feet and turned her around to face the Spirit Detectives, but most importantly, Kurama.
"Fix him, girl, and I will answer whatever questions you ask," he hissed, "but fail, and you will answer to my blade. Now," he demanded and shoved her towards the pale, shallowly breathing Kurama.
His eyes and hair colors still blending in and out of each other, Kurama was a sore sight to behold to one who had only just recently woken up.
She was too disconcerted still to be embarrassed and blushing about her earlier yelling in front of the entire group of strangers, and the redness that flushed her face was the result of seeing this other Kitsune stranger in a near state of undress.
It reminded her of the times at school when they were forced to do co-ed swimming. She could barely stand to look around her for fear she might see something she wasn't supposed to.
Then Kurama's spirit energy pulsed and Kagome was drawn undeniably back to the dilemma on hand.
She couldn't help it. She was too nice. Complete stranger or not, Kurama was in dire need of aid and it seemed she was the only one able to give it to him.
Placing Kuno-kun haphazardly over her shoulder, she took a few staggering steps to kneel by the injured one's side.
Sadakuno, disagreeable to his current position, squirmed out of his position on her shoulder and nimbly leapt down her extended arm to sit squarely in the middle of Kurama's chest. His tail wagged eagerly back and forth and his oh-so-adorable eyes urged her to action.
She tilted her head pensively at his strange behavior, but could allow herself no more distraction. She shook her head and returned her gaze to Kurama's now closed, but still roving eyes. "His name?" she asked.
Yusuke was the first to answer, "Shu--...Kurama." The Kitsune youkai was most probably unable to hear her speak his name, but if, by the slightest chance he could, Yusuke guessed that he would most likely respond best to Kurama than his human given name.
"Kurama..." she opened her mouth again as if to speak more, but at the moment her two fingers touched upon his forehead, she saw white and her voice froze in her throat.
A heart-wrenching shout was torn from a raspy throat as both patient and healer flinched and clenched their fists tightly enough to draw blood. It appeared that they were sharing the same traumatic experience through the physical touch Kagome had bestowed upon Kurama.
Kagome was shocked backwards and would have let her body fall backwards had not the Kitsune kit bit into her wrist.
Sadakuno hated to harm her, but he would not let one of his kin be allowed harm only because she could not keep a strong enough hold.
Blood dripped from Kurama's wrist onto the mat lying beneath him. Kagome's wrist, still held clamped in the firm, pointy-toothed grip of Sadakuno's mouth began to lose color. The blood from the wound ran into the kitsune kit's mouth, however, none pooled over the edges of the kit's mouth nor fell to the mat.
Finally, he released her, and her hand fell limply to her side as the rest of her body slumped forward, the top of her head fitting perfectly into the nook of Kurama's neck.
Kurama's body had ceased its quaking and was deathly still for a moment.
A shockwave hit the ground and threw all but Kagome, Kurama, and Sadakuno against the wall. A heavy thump followed and the thin layer of dust that had settled after the shock wave was thrown up once again.
Hiei was the first up and at his friend's side. Mutely attempting to throw the girl aside, he found himself unable to complete the should-be easy task.
Her body leadenly hugged the mat and her fingers were captured in Kurama's red hair.
The rose that was normally tucked in his red tresses was laid bare, the petals curling around Kagome's hurt wrist, the thorns narrowly avoiding pricking the young girl's fingertips.
Golden green eyes stuttered open. His hand came up, just barely lifting the distance to come above his side, to move up along his chest towards his forehead...
The hand brushed against the top of Kagome's head, fingers becoming tangled in the loose strands of her hair.
He made no attempt to move her aside, nor to remove his hand from its captured position among the lovely raven strands.
He foggily wondered who she was, his mind still clouded over and his eyes viewing the scene around him dizzily.
Youko appeared to have returned and was very irritated, "NOW look what you've done..." he started, "A girl, Kurama? My, my. And I thought..."
Kurama rolled his eyes, "Damn Youko. You had me worried. You just disappear into nothing, NOTHING! And now, when you're back, you only notice the GIRL?!"
"And what a pretty one too. Just look at the way she's all over us."
"Yes, but what is she doing here? And why are we here?"
Youko began to answer with some attempt to sound omniscient when the girl stirred.
"Kurama?" Her cloud ridden eyes blinked and focused on his as she lifted herself slightly off him. Her movement was cut off when Kurama, because of Youko's influence, moved his hand to her back to hold her in place.
Her back arched so she could look him in the eyes even with Kurama holding her down, Kagome's first question was about his well being, "Kurama? Are you ok now? You're not going to die on me are you?"
"Die?" His face gathered an inquisitive look.
"Hardly," scoffed Youko.
"Well, before...when I was brought here...you looked as if you were...about to...um...die." She looked away, blushing, "I was scared you wouldn't make it..."
"Well at least we know somebody cares about us. Hmph. Look at our so called friends just sitting there not even giving us a second glance."
"Youko, they're staring directly at us. As they have been from the moment we woke."
"Yes, well, that's their first glance then. They still haven't given me a second!"
"Kurama? Can you...er, let me sit up please?"
Holding her gaze, he inclined his head ever so slightly in recognition of her request and pulled her up as he moved into a sitting position.
With a mischievous quirk of his lips, Youko temporarily took control over Kurama's arms and hands and twisted Kagome so that she was sitting in his lap.
Kurama inwardly seethed. To Kagome, he could offer no more than a sheepish shrug of his shoulders and a helpless little grin.
"I apologize. It was my...evil other half." Not so far off from the truth...but he couldn't risk mentioning Youko yet. He didn't know that much about this girl to trust her with his most sacred secret.
She gave him a look, "Is that so? Hmph, 'he' acts like a more refined Miroku," she grumbled to herself.
Gently pulling her off of him, he stood to his feet, offering her his hand to help her up.
If the brief rush of wind against his back and the quiet fwoosh were not signals enough that something not quite ordinary had just occurred, Kagome's gasp and dazzled eyes were.
"What?" he quirked his eyebrow at her, and the rest of crew as he saw their stunned expressions. Even Hiei's eyes were wider than normal.
Kagome's eyes had taken on a dreamy look as her fingers subconsciously reached out above his shoulder. She was standing on her tip toes, leaning into him as she tried to attain the object of her desires.
Hiei grunted. Yusuke finally answered Kurama's question. "You might want to...look behind you," he said, and then he sniggered.