the story behind the story: due to me consistantly pointing out Hiei and Mukuro as a couple in yuyu, my friend Pocky gave me the ultimatum: i had to write/draw five works that are pro-hiei/pocky so that i can continue going on about mukuro. this is the first of them.

i thought i made it pretty sappy by the end and all, but it's sh-weet, so 'm not changin' it.

disclaimer- i don't own any yuyu hakusho characters. not even hiei, whose name was never mentioned in the entirety of this fic.

My Guardian Demon

A small four-year-old girl sat on the soft mattress of her bed, combing her hair, doing her best to stay blissfully unaware of the world around her. "He-ey Ka-ri…" a young boy's voice drifted to her and she barely had time to dodge a pounce from her twin brother, "GOTCHA!"

Kari rolled her way to the other side of the bed, "Leave me alone, Haku!" she tried kicking at him, but the boy was too agile and avoided her attack.

"Kari, look! I'm a deeemmmon!" he waggled his fingers at her, his voice wavering when he said 'demon'.

Kari pulled away, tears clinging to her eyelashes, "Go away!" Haku made another jump at his frightened sister, but the sound of a person clearing their throat behind them made him stop. Automatically knowing who it was, Haku edged away from Kari and sat silently, as Kari jumped off the bed and ran to the person, "Grandma!"

Kari and Haku's grandma smiled at the girl hugging her, "What were you crying about?"

Kari sniffled and pointed to Haku, "Haku was being a mean old demon again and scaring me!"

Their grandma patted Kari's head, "It's alright, if you know who your demon really is, you have nothing to fear." She walked over to Haku, "This litlun's all bark and no bite." Haku flushed at the comment and looked out the window.

"But, grandma!" Kari motioned for the older woman to kneel down and she continued her protest in whispers, "It's bad luck! If you mock demons or do anything bad to them, they'll kidnap you when you're sleeping and… and…!"

At that moment Kari and Haku's mother walked in, "What's going on in here?" she spoke chidingly to her children, "I told you both to be in bed asleep by now."

Kari continued speaking in whispers as though saying it too loud would demolish their house, "Haku was being a demon again."

"Haku!"

Haku muttered, "Tattletale."

"Young man, if I've told you once, I've…"

The old woman interjected, "Calm down, Mariam." Her daughter stopped and looked at her, "It wasn't anything serious, I'm sure I can administer… justice here."

Mariam bit her lip before agreeing, "Alright. Just make sure they get to bed soon, we have places to go tomorrow." She faced her children again, "The both of you behave now for Grandma Jaclyn. I don't want to hear that you-" Jaclyn waved her hand, dismissing her daughter without too much care. Mariam huffed quietly and all Jaclyn, Kari and Haku heard for a minute was the sound of the door closing and Mariam walking down the stairs.

Grandma Jaclyn reached out and held both of her grandchildren's hands, "Shall we get you two tucked in?"

Kari prissily flopped onto her pillows, Haku snuggled into blankets on his side. "Tell us a story, grandma!" shouted Kari. Their grandma had always been so original with her storytelling, every time she came over, she could tell about four stories at a time and rarely repeated them over a long while.

Jaclyn laughed, "About what?"

"Mermaids!"

"Pirates!"

"Unicorns!"

"DEMONS!"

Kari hit her twin over his head, "Stop with the demons! They're horrible, evil creatures that would eat your heart out in a minute!" She looked towards her grandmother for support, "Right?"

Jaclyn seemed to be in thought for a minute, before saying something, "Demons aren't all that bad…"

"What!" Kari's mouth dropped open, "B-but, the stories! Demons have come to our town before and hunted humans! How can they be good!"

Jaclyn laughed, "I never said they were good… I just said that they are more than the bad that people stereotype them with." She smiled and nodded, "Yes, I think I will tell a story about a demon…"

Kari frowned and rolled over, "Then I don' wanna listen."

"Get off your high horse, Kari," Haku sat up in bed a bit, wanting to hear about the creatures he always tormented his sister about.

"I really think you should listen too, Kari," said Jaclyn, trying to prod her granddaughter out of her cocoon, with no immediate avail. Sighing, she faced Haku more, her only audience, "This is a true story about the time I met a demon. He was not as cruel as the tales say… but I'm getting ahead of myself. A good story always starts at the beginning: Once upon a time…"

"Momma!" a smaller, eight year-old version of Jaclyn ran around her new bedroom, ecstatic that she would finally have one all to herself, "Oh momma, it's so wonderful!" she leapt up on her new bed and started hopping up and down, getting a birds-eye-view of the room.

"Jaclyn, calm down!" her mother pulled her back down to the floor, "You don't have to destroy it in one night." Jaclyn grinned and pulled herself back onto the bed and under her warm covers, "Will you be alright on your own? This would be the first time you've ever slept in a room all alone."

Jaclyn nodded hyperly, "I'm okay! I'm okay!" Jaclyn's mother shook her head; with their day being one where demons and humans lived in the same plane, she worried about letting her daughter sleep virtually unguarded from the dangers of the world, but with her being older and needing more room to grow, it was obvious that staying in her parent's room would hinder that need. Jaclyn buried her head under the blanket and said with a yawn, "I'm sleepy…" She fell asleep, hidden in the folds of her covers.

Jaclyn's mother nodded, "Alright then, sweetheart. Goodnight." A small kiss where her daughter's forehead was covered and she left the room.

"There's no demon in this story!" pouted Haku. He folded his arms across his chest, while his sister had settled herself more comfortably to hear.

Kari smiled, "I know…"

Jaclyn shook her head, much to the dismay of her granddaughter, "You should know that when I tell a story… I tell a story. You needed to hear this story at its beginning, otherwise you wouldn't understand the rest. My parents were taking quite a risk, giving me my own room. It would have been equivalent to letting one of you run off in the parks on your own. The societies that don't have to worry about demons invading their towns take for granted that their children can sleep safely alone, not like ours."

Haku bowed, feeling ashamed, "Sorry, grandma."

"It's alright," the old woman smiled, and picked up where she left off, "Now I only managed to sleep a few hours that night, on account of a pack of demons raiding the town that night. They'd been hiding out on the outskirts for some time, needing to regroup after their previous botched-up attack. If people thought that demons could be vicious on a regular day, they were even worse when coming back on the rebound of a failed raid…"

Little Jaclyn stirred as she heard voices at her window. Curious as to who could be outside at that time of the night, she silently pulled herself out of bed and hid just next to her window. She could now clearly hear the voices of the first demons she'd lay her eyes on.

"I can't take this waiting…" muttered a snakelike creature that hung in the air above her window. It was long like a boa constrictor, but its head resembled a decayed human head. It turned its gruesome head to its companion, "Why can't we just attack already?"

The other demon frightened Jaclyn; his build and form looked human, but its skin was a sickly orange with ears that looked like fish fins. He grunted at his partner, "The villagers are ready for us. They know they foiled our plans the last time and that we'll come back…" he scoffed, "I want to hunt these foolish people just as much as you, but we have to do it carefully. I hate admitting it, but they've gotten much harder to kill when they've all banded together."

The snake replied, "I know… but it's making my blood boil that we're so close to so much human flesh and can't tear it apart." He rubbed his coils against the window gently, "Especially the pups; they're just so irresistible." Another shadow appeared on the roof above them, "Wh-wh-"

The third voice spoke, "The plan's cancelled for tonight… let's get out of here." With that the shadow's just disappeared from the house, showing no sign that they'd been there, except the slightest bruise on the window from the snake's scaly skin rubbing on it.

Jaclyn heard a sound from the hallway outside her room and hurried back to her bed, not wanting to be caught. They were less than a few feet away from her; had they known about her, she was sure she'd have been dead. The thought scared her so badly that all she could do was hide in her blankets and pray for her safety, that the 'plan' really was off and that she wouldn't be carried off to be a demon's meal.

Kari sat up straight, eyes wide, "Ah! What happened next! Did the demons come back? Were you kidnapped!"

Haku jabbed her in the ribs, "Idiot. Would she really be here if she'd been kidnapped?"

As Kari was about to make a comeback, their grandma held up her hand, "That's quite enough of that." She shook her head, "I'm not sure you two should hear about this… your mother would be furious to hear that I was telling you a story like this before you go to sleep."

Kari and Haku leapt up, "Please? Keep going! We really wanna know what happens!"

Jaclyn smiled, "I thought so. Well… that morning, I was so scared, I just couldn't get out of bed… I was so worried that if I left the safety of my bedroom again, I'd be killed for sure. But my mother was not going to have any of my slacking off, so she came to wake me up…"

It was around nine to nine-thirty and Jaclyn was still in bed. A knock on her door made her jump and shake fearfully, before her mother's form came through the door.

"Jaclyn! I don't want you lounging about in here all day! There's chores to be done!" when her normally spirited daughter didn't move, she became worried that something was wrong. She sat on the bed, next to her little girl and rubbed her back, "Jaclyn, what's wrong?"

"Mommy I'm scared," mumbled the child, shaking slightly, even though it was warm in her pajamas, "There were demons out last night."

"Yes, I know," sighed her mother, "There were a few slinking around places in town, but evidently, that's all they were doing… how did you know?"

Jaclyn stayed face down in her pillow, "There were some outside my window…" her mother kept her fear for her daughter well hidden; it would do no good to freak out and then expect her daughter to remain calm, "Mommy, will I get taken away?"

Her mother continued rubbing her back, before thinking of an answer, any answer, to her daughter's question. "I don't know," she said honestly, "But I do know you'll always be protected."

"How?" came the reply.

The woman rose from the bed and went to the same window that Jaclyn had been standing at the night before, "Because, everyone has their own guardian angel that is supposed to take care of them and protect them from harm. I have faith that yours will do just that."

Jaclyn rose for the first time that morning, "An angel?"

"Yes."

"An angel?" repeated Kari, enthralled by the story being told to her.

Grandma Jaclyn blinked, "Of course! Everyone has an angel that watches over them and them alone. They are with them for eternity and never leave their side." She fondly smiled, "My mother knew in such troubled times, it was important to still have faith in what we can't see."

Haku had his head in his hands, "But you said that this is about a demon who…"

Their grandma's eyes lit up excitedly, "Of course, of course, now pay attention, this is my favorite part." The twins looked happy that they were getting to the good part and managed to contain their excitement so Jaclyn could continue, "My mother telling me how I had someone who was always guarding me did much to keep my spirits up; the entire day I felt I was walking on air. That night was no different…"

Jaclyn got through her day wonderfully, but even as her parent's tucked her into bed, she had this nagging feeling in her heart that something was going to happen that night. Regardless, she again gave in to the cozy comfort of sleep.

Again, hours later, an alarm broke out across the city, warning that the demons were attacking again and to move to a safe place. Jaclyn's heard the sirens and bolted from her bed, but was stopped by a hard grip on her right arm.

"Going somewhere?" came the voice of the snake demon she'd seen the night before.

Jaclyn's mouth moved up and down, "I-I-"

The snake demon licked its lips, "Mmm, they're always more tasty when there's FEAR running in their veins!" it moved in to devour her but was sorely ripped off the frightened girl. The angry demon spoke in an unknown tongue, "What! What are you-" but was ignored by his partner.

"We're not to eat of her yet!" yelled the fish-eared one, "We're supposed to divide the humans we take with us evenly between us all!"

"I don't give a damn!" came the foreign response, but was silenced by an attack from the third one that had landed on her roof.

"Insubordinate beasts like him don't deserve to live…" spoke the most human looking demon Jaclyn had yet to have seen, except for the dark batwings coming out of his back. The creature's dark eyes landed on her and lifted her off the floor as though she weighed no more than a feather, "Let's be quick about this…"

Jaclyn gasped as she and her captor went high into the air, higher than even the rooftops were. Not knowing what else to do, she started kicking and screaming, trying to get out of his grasp, "LET ME GOOOOO!"

"Shut up, wench," muttered the bat demon, "Or I will, and you won't like that."

Jaclyn kept on yelling though, "LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GO-" she felt a harsh slap on her face as she was struck with the demon's wretched hand.

"Maybe now you'll listen to me," he smirked, "You've got nothing left to hope for now… all you have is death." He was surprised when she actually had the nerve to laugh at him, "Why do you laugh when you know I have your life in my hands?"

Jaclyn glared up at him, "Because I have a guardian angel and he's going to protect me from anything you try to do."

The demon carrying her grunted and looked ahead to find that they were almost in demon's country, "Let's see him protect you from this…" giving a sadistic grin, he released the wrestling girl from his grasp and watched her fall into the foggy land below.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Fish face looked surprised at the action and questioned his now partner, "Yoko is not going to like what you've done, Kuronue."

Kuronue laughed, "Let him hate me. The girl won't survive out here anyway. In a day or two we can come back and pick off her rotting flesh." He gave a good strong laugh before they made it to their camp.

Jaclyn slowly opened her eyes as soon as she was conscious again, finding herself to be in a dark cavern with a small fire burning next to her. She was wrapped in rags for modesty's sake, her nightgown nowhere to be found. The little girl pulled her legs up to her chest. She was all alone now. Not even the demons could be sure of where she had fallen. With any luck, she'd be dead fairly soon. She was so caught up in her thoughts of how she would survive, she didn't hear the sound of footsteps approaching her.

A grunt brought Jaclyn out of her trance to see a boy, shorter than her at the time, standing across from her by the fire. His hair was black like the nightsky with the edges of it shining a light blue shade. His forehead was covered by a white bandana, letting his small, red eyes glare prominently at her as he tossed her a bundle of cloth. Jaclyn blinked as she realized it was her pajamas, which he must have gotten washed off in between when he found her and now. "Th-thank you," she stuttered, pulling the fabric over her head and standing up. As she did, the boy turned around and began walking back out of the cave, "Wait!"

She saw him stiffen as he did as she asked and spoke to her, "Come now." Finished sharing his two cents worth, he started up his walk again.

Jaclyn did as he told her to, even though she was getting this odd, familiar feeling that she didn't remember what it was. Even though he looked much younger than her, the feel of his voice made him sound her age, maybe even older than that. And the way he held himself seemed so un-human-like. And that's when she knew what that feeling that she was getting was: bloodlust.

"Yo-You're a…" Jaclyn trembled, "a demon…" instantly her eyes darted around for an escape, but they had reached the entrance to the cave; her only choice would have been to run back through the cave to escape, but she didn't know if there was a way out, and had a hunch that she could never out run the young youkai.

"That's not inconvenient for you, is it?" he asked sardonically. He watched her looking for her escape route and had to keep from rolling his eyes, "If I wanted to eat you, I would have done so back in the cave." His eyes closed a little, looking tired and a bit peaky, "Now, can we get you home?"

Jaclyn looked surprised, "You'd help me? But I-I-"

"Would you prefer I left you out here?"

Jaclyn shook her head furiously immediately after his question and followed him through the fog. To her, it looked as though they were going in circles and she was not too timid to voice her opinions. At least, she would have, if not for the demon answering her question.

His monotonous voice sounded back to her, "We're not going in circles. I can feel the energy of humans from your village getting stronger." When the human girl didn't answer, he stated, more than asked, "Wasn't that what you were going to ask…"

All Jaclyn could do was nod and follow the stranger. He read her mind. He's a demon. She's under his control. So why is he helping her? This time, she asked him herself, "Why are you doing this for me?"

The demon shook his head, "I don't see why it matters. I am helping you, that's what counts." Jaclyn gasped as they crossed from the foggy marsh to the fresh green forest. She was so close to home! She figured that since he was a demon, he'd leave her there to fend for herself, but found herself surprised again when he gripped her hand tightly and walked with her down the relatively abandoned street. He lifted his head up, "That's your window, correct?"

Jaclyn looked up and saw through the broken glass to the long mirror in on the wall and the wooden desk and chair on the other, "Yes, that's mine." She blushed more than she'd ever blushed before as he let go of her hand, only to lift her up, bridal style and leapt up into her room.

Setting her down, the demon turned back to her window ready to go back out into the cold marsh that had become his home. Sensing the demonic powers nearby, he faced Jaclyn again and kissed her. When he knew he'd gotten her attention he spoke, "Those demons won't lay a finger on you again. I'll be sure of that."

Jaclyn blinked, "How do you know?"

The black haired demon ripped off the mysterious bandana on his head, revealing a third eye, "I always know." With that said, he jumped out into the forest, just as the sun began to rise.

"He actually helped you!" came the astonished reply from Kari.

Grandma Jaclyn nodded, "That's right."

Haku looked sadly at his grandmother, "But he never told you his name…"

"Yet he has protected me ever since that day, and for that, I am grateful," Jaclyn thought idlely to herself. 'I wish you would have told me your name. Just so I could thank you. But I think you already know that.' "Now to bed, you two; I think I've kept you up long enough."

Jaclyn slept in the chair next to her grandchildren's bed and was none the wise when an apparently young man slipped in through the window. The black hair had gotten longer, and he himself was taller (comparably from how tall he was), but his firey red eyes still glowed the same as they did many years ago. Walking up to the old woman, he brushed her hair out of the way and whispered into her ear, "I always know."

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