"Would it be smart to let them all near eachother?" Botan asked.
"Cats and dogs don't like eachother, maybe if we introduce them early enough, they'll learn to be friends." Shizuru suggested.
"I'm not sure I'm willing to share! She's just so cute!" Botan shrilled lightly.
"Put her on the floor with Hajori." Kuwabara took Bingo out of Botan's arms, and put her on the floor, waking her up completely. Kurama put Hajori next to her.
Hajori cocked her head, and mewed at Bingo a little. Bingo sniffed her, and yipped. It was quiet for a minute, they just stared indifferently. Bingo yipped nervously, and Hajori blinked at her confusedly. Bingo yipped again. Hajori mewed in return.
"Too... Cute!" Botan squealed.
"They don't understand eachother." Yusuke chuckled, bellowingly, making Hajori jump, and Bingo yip at Yusuke.
Bingo softly pushed her head into Hajori's and yipped real quiet-like.
"They understand eachother perfectly. You scared Hajori, and Bingo is calmng her down." Kuwabara pointed out. "It's like some sort of something known by everybody. Like a universal sign."
"Like the Batman sign?" Yusuke asked.
"No. Like a hug, or holding someone's hand." Botan rolled her eyes.
"Oh..."
Bingo yipped loudly, and excitedly, jumping around a little. Hajori was confused, but began to understand. Bingo wanted to Play!
'Catch you.' Hajori said in a language only their own.
'Try me.' Bingo began to run, and Hajori gave chase around the living room.
"Maybe I prefer them when they sleep." Yusuke sighed.
Everybody took a seat away from their play area to watch them run around the room and up the walls. An hour passed before Riko returned down stairs.
'I gotcha! I gotcha!' Hajori smiled proudly.
'Only 'cause I let you!' Bingo pouted.
'Play while you can.' Riko warned.
'Whats'at mean?' Hajori asked.
'Before you know it they'll be sick of you. I was taken in before, and before I could even speak I was back out on my own.' Riko sighed, and sat against the wall.
'They wouldn't do that though!' Bingo said.
'Mommy and Daddy Love me!' Hajori said, her eyes watering up.
'That's what I thought too.' Riko sighed. 'I'll teach you how to survive, just stick with me.'
'Mommy and Daddy--'
'Aren't your REAL parents! Your "Mother" is A Cat-eater! How'd ya feel about that, huh!' Riko chuckled. 'That tall man found you on the streets and brought you here because he thought he could make a few quick bucks out of you!' Riko sighed. 'Your "Father" is a cold-blooded killer. Bingo, dear, don't even start me on your situation!' Riko chuckled. 'Your "Mother" only likes you because she thinks that when you get old enough she can whore You out!' Riko told. 'Mine had the exact ideas.' Riko whispered 'If you stick with me we can survive.'
Hajori's eyes were large and watery. Hajori took a deep breath and started wailing hysterically.
'Look what you've done!' Bingo growled, and rammed her shoulder into Riko, knocking her over.
'You have to learn about the real world sooner or later.' Riko stood, and walked to the kitchen.
Kurama swooped Hajori up in his arms, cooing softly. Hajori struggled to get away, thinking that her Mommy was going to eat her. Kurama looked at Hajori worriedly. Kurama looked to Hiei.
"What's wrong with her!" Kurama asked. "She's clean, warm, well rested and fed! I'm holding her and she's still crying!"
Hajori pushed her way out of Kurama's arms. Hajori backed away quietly. Hiei scowled. He had no idea what was making her cry. Hiei picked her up and tried to calm her. No effect. Kuwabara tried, and she cried harder. Yusuke tried, and she stopped. This man was fine, Riko had said nothing negative about him. Hajori curled into his chest. She was safe in this mans arms.
"What!" Yusuke asked when he found Kurama holding his head, almost crying, and Hiei glaring.
"Next time just let her cry." Hiei growled. "You think Kurama likes that she cried in his arms, but will cuddle and be sweet with you!" Hiei whispered to him. "Don't hurt Kurama like that. You know how his Mother... Passed on. He has a need to take care of someone now more than ever. To retrebute for what his mother did for him."
"It's not like I was trying to be the hero here. I don't know what this... beast eats! I don't know if I change her or take her for a walk!" Yusuke exasperatedly said. "Maybe something was said to her that upset her."
"Who woul... Riko..." Hiei growled, and flitted into the kitchen. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her the truth of this world." Riko shrugged.
"I could kill you this minute and have Koenma damn you to hell." Hiei hissed. "If I EVER find out you make MY little girl cry that way ever again, I swear by the gods you will not live to explain yourself!" Hiei sneered.
"You... Are keeping her?" Riko asked, in a small, shocked tone.
"Of course we are!" Hiei growled. "Now go undo what you've done!" Hiei growled.
"I-It's not that easy. I told them truths that are true that they only know are true now that I confirmed it..." Riko bit her lip, her eyes growing wide.
"What. Did. You. Say?" Hiei growled out.
"That The Bigger Kitsune is a Cat-eater. That you only want her for a quick buck."
"That second part is a complete lie, and you know it."
"And that you aren't her REAL parents."
"Damn." Hiei sighed. "Go tell her that Kurama is a vegetarian."
"He is?"
"No, but he only likes fish." Hiei sighed.
'Hajori?' Riko nudged her.
'What do you want?' Hajori asked. 'Haven't you destroyed my life 'nough yet?'
'I just found out your mommy is a vegetarian. He doesn't eat meat other than fish.' Riko sighed. 'No cats.'
'Fish! What kind!' Hajori mewed happily.
'I don't know!' Riko yelled
' . . . Are they my real parents?'
'No, but I've convinced them to keep you against the dark one's judgment. The red head'll keep you and love you, and that tall man is a cat-lover, he doesn't wish to exploit you.' Riko ran a hand through her hair. 'Bingo?'
'Huh?' Bingo asked.
'Your mother doesn't wish to make you a whore.' Riko sighed.
'So you lied to us?'
'I... didn't know it was a lie at the time.' Riko bit her lip. 'I...I think these are decent people, the nice kind of people. The kind of people I know nothing about.'
'So mommy is still Mommy?' Bingo's ears perked up.
'It seems so.' Riko nodded.
Hajori jumped off of Yusuke, and dove for Kurama, snuggling into his oversized shirt, playing with a bit of his hair in her mouth. Kurama's eyes lit up, and a small smile graced his lips. Otherwise you wouldn't know he was showing emotion at all.
"Thank you Hiei." Kurama whispered.
"Hn. Just took a little understanding from both sides." Hiei smiled slightly at Riko, who turned her head and blushed.
Riko decided she would stick around, not because she felt she had to or anything of the sort, but she just had to know why these people were so different from the others she had encountered, the little children who pulled her tail, bit her ears, the men who sold her only for the renters to die before they touched her. Why were these so special? What made them different, and how?
Hajori chewed on Kurama's hair quite contently, using her hands to make his face make funny faces. She opened his mouth, tried to stick her head in, just to see if it COULD fit, and when she found it couldn't, she rubbed her face against him, marking him once again. Hajori pulled herself off of Kurama, and rubbed her sides against the groups legs affectionatly. Hajori climed up Kuwabara's pant leg, and pushed him to the ground, which he found weird, her stregnths at such a young age, but was content when she was purring on his chest, laying so her face was over him.
"I thought you didn't like me anymore." Kuwabara raised an eyebrow.
'Not so!' She tried to tell him, quite able to understand him, hoping he could understand her. She shook her head and looked at him pleadingly. 'Please understand me!'
Kuwabara pet her behind her ears. "I don't understand what happened, but okay, I forgive you, if you forgive me, got it?"
"He reasons this way with Eikechi." Yusuke shook his head. "Kinda depressing."
"Figures." Kurama sighed. "Leave it to him to treat animals as people, and people as animals."
Hajori marked him several times, repeating it another four or five.
"Is it safe to let her mark him that much?" Hiei asked.
"Hmm..." Kurama thought. "Probably not, but it isn't hurting anyone, I don't see a problem. It's no wonder she's so attached, he saved her, and she put out some sort of bond, maybe a debt of some sort." Kurama shrugged. "It's too late to tear her away."
Kuwabara smiled at Hajori kindly, and rubbed her tail kindly. "You have a soft tail." He mentioned off hand. She sighed happily.
'And you have a Soft pillowy exterior.' She told him, or tried to.
"Hajori." Kuwabara cooed.
Hajori's eyes lit up, knowing that was her name. Her purring grew louder, and she bit his palm the next time he went to pet her. He bopped her hard on the nose to try and make her let go. Kuwabara picked her up, and put her off of him, while he stood to take a look at his hand. It was bleeding pretty bad, she bit through his hand some, fang marks on the back of his hand, and deeper marks on his palm. She had done a job on him! Kuwabara swore quietly, and went to the kitchen, rinsing it out in the sink, blood dripping, and pouring down the drain.
Shizuru got some gauze, and wrapped his hand tightly. Meanwhile Hajori was sitting on an angry Kurama's lap.
"No! Bad Girl! No Biting!" Kurama said sternly, and angry look on his face. "Biting is bad! Biting hurts! You hurt him! Bad Girl!" Kurama was just trying to get himself to understand that Kat had done something he himself had yet to do when he was Youko. Maybe... Maybe it didn't mean anything.
Hajori nodded in understanding, and hugged Kurama, tears streaking down her face. 'I just...'
"Go apologize to him, not to me." Kurama said, and set her onto the floor to go to Kuwabara. "No biting!"
Hajori looked cautiously into the kitchen, where Shizuru was wrapping Kuwabara's hand. When she finished, went and sat at his feet, looking up at him sadly. She didn't know how she would get her point across. She put her arms up, she wanted him to hold her. Maybe she could get her point across better in his arms. 'Please?' She begged.
Kuwabara sighed, and gave in, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and put her face in the crook of his neck. She had no idea what to do now. Kuwabara rubbed her back softly. Kuwabara sat her on the counter, and looked at her.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Kuwabara asked.
She nodded.
"Do you know why it was wrong?" Kuwabara continued.
She shook her head, and looked at him quizzically.
"Do you feel bad about hurting me?" Kuwabara asked.
She nodded her head almost hysterically.
Kuwabara looked her in the eyes. "We can be friends, ya know." Kuwabara mentioned. "As long as you don't bite me ever again. Understand?" Kuwabara put a hand through her hair.
She nodded a little hesitantly, but it came across as confusedly. Kuwabara picked her up, and smiled at her. "I'm not mad, but biting is bad, got it?" She nodded her head, and snuggled into him.
'Please, just don't let me go yet.' She begged in a language he couldn't even hear.
"You're still tired, huh?" Kuwabara asked.
Hajori nodded a little.
"Let's go take a nap, then okay? How does that sound?" Kuwabara led her up the stairs, and into his bedroom, where he lay her down, and snuggled close to her. They fell asleep in minutes.
Downstairs however a pressing matter was at hand.
"Riko, why'd she bite him?" Hiei asked, knowing just how to get the answer.
Riko shrugged. "Maybe she likes him."
"But... I haven't even bitten before..." Kurama sighed. "Growing up way too damn fast!"
"What does biting mean exactly?" Shizuru asked
"It's the way you mark a mate, and the scar never fades." Yusuke said off-handedly. "I say we enforce the no-biting rule strictly. She may have been just playing, and bit too hard, we can make sure Bingo knows no-biting is no-biting." Yusuke said, placing the said girl gently on his hip.
"So how exactly does the bite work?" Shizuru asked persistantly. "Ya know for us down to earth-not-a-demon-kinda people?"
"It changes the Chemistry of the body almost completely. It makes the biter and the bitee almost the same person." Kurama sighed. "It is the most sacred thing a demon has to offer, and it has only been broken once or twice a millenia."
"So depending on what she wanted at that moment Kuwabara and her may be bound together." Botan nodded. "Forever."
"Maybe it's for the best. She may be the one thing that he needs in his life." Shizuru shrugged. "Since our Parents left he's been half-empty, and he's been needing someone to fill in that gaping hole in his chest."
"But what if this childish plight blows up in their faces?" Kurama worried.
"Kurama, she was probably just playing a little roughly with him." Yusuke noted.
"As long as Bingo here doesn't go biting, I think we may be able to keep this under some sort of control. You know?" Hiei asked.
"Yeah, I figure if we can enforce the rule we may be able to play this down, and break the bond if there is one." Botan noted. "I'll have to research specifics, but it's nothing too tedious."
Hajori woken up a few hours later, Kuwabara still fast asleep. Hajori took the hand she had bitten. 'Why was it so bad? Why do they think it's wrong?' Hajori unwrapped his hand, and looked at it curiously. 'Did I do it wrong? Did I hurt him?' Hajori worriedly liccked his palm affectionatley, treating it as if it were the most important thing that she make it better. 'Does he understand? Why did he cover it up? Why did he not want me to bite him again?'
Hajori lapped the blood off his palm, and the back of his hand. 'Does he not return my affections?' Hajori marked the hand with the sides of her face like there was no tomorrow, and looked up at his face, nuzzling his cheek, her cold nose waking him. Hajori returned to his hand, and her ministrations of lapping it better. Kuwabara looked down curiously.
"Hajori, what are you doing?" Kuwabara asked tiredly.
'You're awake! Now I can ask you... No... I can't. Crap... I wish so badly that I could speak humanspeak.' Hajori looked sadly at him.
Kuwabara brought his palm to his face, wodering if she had bitten him again. Kuwabara was more than startled to find that all that was left was a perfect scar of her teeth. Probably good for dental records. Kuwabara looked at Hajori.
"Hajori, you healed me." Kuwabara turned onto his back, and pulled her onto his chest.
'No! This means somehting! This is important!' Hajori looked at him with eccentric eyes.
"I can't hear you, darling." Kuwabara chuckled. "We gotta find a way of communicating, huh?"
'I can understand you perfectly!' Hajori mentioned.
"Well, you communicate to me anyhow." Kuwabara ran his fingers through her hair softly.
'You heard me?' Hajori asked, head tilting to the side slightly.
"So, should I teach you how to write, or sign language?" Kuwabara asked.
Hajori sighed, and put her face in the crook of his neck. 'Why is this so hard for you to understand?'
"Tired?" Kuwabara put a hand on Hajori's back. "Well, I'm gonna get up, but you're welcome to sleep on my shoulder if you like."
Hajori nodded, and let Kuwabara get up, before holding her arms up to make it easier for him to pick her up. She lay on his chest, head on his shoulder, and she fell asleep once more. Kuwabara walked to the living room, Botan curled on the couch with Bingo in her lap, Bingo snoring softly, and Botan rubbing behind her ears. Kurama sat reading a book, Hiei had taken Riko off somewhere, and Shizuru was smoking in the kitchen, cooking something deadly. Yusuke slept infront of the TV, Kurama flicking it off as Kuwabara entered the room.
"Hey, Bara." Kurama smiled. "How's your hand?"
"She healed it." Kuwabara looked at him oddly. "What's it to you?"
'More than you'd know.' Kurama thought, and then said "Bara, can I hold her for a while?"
"Sure. She's out cold." Kuwabara laid her on Kurama, and the girl curled up on Kurama, drawing his arms around her.
"How's Bingo doing?" Kuwabara asked.
"She's a freaken genious. Beat Kurama at Chess twice, lost the first time, because it was her first time. She tuckered herself out completely." Botan chuckled. "Been out for almost twenty minutes."
"How's Riko?" Kuwabara questioned, walking into the kitchen to taste the deadly food Shizuru was cooking up.
"Hiei's training her. Then she's treating him to ice cream." Shizuru answered. "I think they're a little smitten for eachother. Too stubborn to admit it, but still."
"Known eachother a day..."
"And they claim they want to slit eachothers throats." Shizuru nodded.
"Are you sure it isn't hate?" Kurama asked.
"Riko did bring her swiss knife to his neck... But that just says love all over it to me." Shizuru nodded.