I do not own YYH

Chapter 2

Journey to the ningens

The moon rose high in the sky. Only a few more minutes, and the kitsunes would embark on the well known Journey. Van had to chase the twins back to the den- they'd ditched him to get home faster. Sakura and Kiku watched in awe as their mother and Hanna exited the den with a few other kitsunes following. Their mother carried a lit torch high above her head. She gave the torch to Kiku. Kiku stared into the flame, mesmerized. Another was passed to Sakura, and yet another to Van. Saiko looked around to make sure everyone had a lit torch. She held up her own.

An older kitsune bowed to Saiko, and revealed a pile of branches and dried pines. The elder kitsune moved out of range of the flames that would soon blaze fiercely. Saiko ordered complete silence. "Whisper your name unto the flame, pray for your return soon at sight of the full moon!" she yelled, thrusting her torch into the pile of firewood.

Nothing happened.

Everyone sat in anticipation, waiting for something spectacular to happen. There was a hiss and a sputter from within the firewood, and it suddenly roared to life with bright orange and white flames.

Kiku and Sakura squinted. The bright light hurt their eyes. Hanna knelt down next to them. "Go on," she urged. "Say your names and throw in your flame." She straightened up. "Hanna!" she shouted, throwing in her torch. The one giant fire glowed green for a moment, and the heat intensified. Sakura was amazed. She'd never seen anything so magnificent in her life. She grabbed Kiku's hand.

"Come on," she said to her more reluctant twin. "Sakura!" she shouted, the timidity she'd felt only seconds ago leaving her. Kiku watched as the one fire glowed a soft blue. Kiku's ears twitched at the strength in her weaker sisters voice. It gave her the boost of envy she needed.

"Kiku!" she shouted, willing the flame to grow larger as it landed in the fire. She kept her eyes fixed on the torch. It seemed to fall in slow motion, slower and slower...

Although unknown to Kiku, her spirit energy level burst, sending off a red glow. The torch began to fall at normal speed. Landing in the fire...nothing happened. Saiko raised an eyebrow. She had been positive Kiku had more spirit energy than this. Over the years she'd tested her daughters, pitting them against Van and occasionally a weaker demon. The fire erupted with a black glow. Kiku sat back with a satisfied smirk.

Sakura smiled at her sister. "I knew yours would be the prettiest." Kiku was dumbfounded. She'd just beaten Sakura at energy levels, and she was handing out compliments like invitations! Kiku sometimes wondered if Sakura was going off the deep end, or if she'd just been born far too kind.

The other kitsunes took their turns, and the fire flashed multiple colors. As soon as that was over, they were all instructed to get one item to bring along. Sakura came out with her favorite necklace. Van had given it to her as a birthday gift. It was a pendent carved from the wood of an enchanted tree with an actual cats eye embedded in it. Van had told her that legend had it that the eye could hypnotize people for a short period of time, see into the future, or read people's minds. One of the three. He hadn't been sure which one. Saiko had laughed and told him to stop telling her daughter unnecessary crap. He'd insisted it wasn't crap, that it really was magical, Saiko had laughed in his face, told him to get his head out of the clouds and that it was a piece of junk. Sakura had loved it anyway, and that's what had counted.

Kiku fastened the sword given to her by the twins father around her waist. They really didn't know much about him, not even if he was demon or human. Saiko had claimed in the past that she didn't know who he was. Kiku had overheard her tell Hanna that she had made a foolish mistake in her youth and had fallen in love with the wrong man, because after she had gotten pregnant he had deserted her. "He got up during the twins delivery and just walked out the door!" their mother had stated in a fury. She refused to tell anyone the name of the father.

"Why do you wanna bring that stupid thing?" Kiku asked Sakura.

"I love this stupid thing." Sakura retorted. Kiku rolled her eyes. Sakura was going to bring a completely useless object that would be no help on the Journey.

Saiko marched everyone down to the portal to the human world. Everyone went in one by one. As soon as Kiku and Sakura reached the front of the line, their mother knelt down. "You two are traveling together, correct?" she asked. They nodded. She kissed both their foreheads. "Be sure to meet us all at the entrance to the darkest ally in the town at midnight, three days from now. Be careful, use your heads, and work together." And then she stepped through the portal.

"Ready?" Sakura asked. Kiku nodded. They clasped each others hand and jumped in. They felt the energy swirling in torrents around them. And then they were dumped right back where they had left off.

"This can't be right!" Kiku exclaimed. She heard a laugh behind her. She whirled around.

Van continued to laugh. "Haven't you two ever been to the human world before?" he asked.

"No." said Sakura, confused.

"Well, don't fret my little trouble makers, you're in the human world." he told them. He smiled and turned to walk away. The twins watched him go.

"We are?" Kiku asked. Sakura shrugged. "I guess." she said. They began to head out for the city, where they'd soon find that humans are more dangerous than the stories claim.

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