REVISED DISCLAIMER: Any and all characters, techniques, weapons, and settings from the series Yu Yu Hakusho are not owned by me. They are owned by Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, and whoever else helped in the creation, production, and airing of both the manga and the series. I, however, do own the plot and any and all original characters. Dalsea, however, belongs to kittyluv; I have just changed a few attributes of her with her permission. For Dalsea's complete profile, go to kittyluv's author profile (at least, it was there last time I checked) or email her for it. This disclaimer goes for the rest of the story

Note: I would like to ask you, the reviewers, to especially review this chapter. I only need 15 more reviews until I reach 100 and it would mean a lot to me if you could contribute. Please note that this is the only time I will be asking for reviews like this, and even this small message goes against my views on asking for reviews. I would also like to thank those who have commented on my works so far, so thank you.

Special Thanks to:

Ak

phoenixfirekitsune

BHS

Tankar

SoarMoreFlyHigher

joybug

lazy fat kitsune

Hiei's Loving Angel

Serina

arisu16

ineXpressible

jay

Kitsune Kit

kittyluv

What2callmyself

Volpe Di Spirito

A-dragon's-beautiful-rose

- - -

Standing behind the two boys was Hiei, who, because of his political position and somewhat bratty behavior, was able to gain his own story, and what better number than thirteen? After all, it was a taboo number in the West. The three of them remained frozen in time as Hiei glowered at Youko, completely ignoring the silent human beside him.

"What are you doing here?" the vassal asked. Youko broke the eye contact by blinking his dry eyes while Shuichi started back on his work, only glancing their way with his bottle green eyes from time-to-time. The fire demon shifted his weight to his left foot and crossed his arms by his chest.

"Well?" he snapped.

"I'm cleaning this corridor, Master. I was instructed to," Youko responded timorously.

"Did I ever tell you that you could do anything other than what I tell you?" the lord hissed. Shuichi, who had moved further away from the two, could see the rage in Hiei's eyes. Although he wasn't sure if he liked Youko, he did feel commiseration towards him. The green-eyed boy knew well what the fire demon was capable of, and he wouldn't wish it on any of his enemies. He shifted slightly so he could hear what was spoken between the two better.

"N-no, you didn't say anything, Master, but I-" a loud scoff silenced Youko, who quickly bowed lowly to the lord.

"Then why are you doing so? You belong to me, and that means that you only do what I say. Do you understand?" he whispered into the fox's sensitive ear, causing said appendage to twitch.

"Yes, Hiei-sama," the young fox said. He then decided to look Hiei straight in the eyes, visibly defying him. It was true that he was afraid of him, but he didn't want to be considered weak. He had lived on his own and taken care of himself for as long as he could remember, and that was no easy task. Besides, if he didn't show Hiei that he was not a weakling, his life would be over, and he didn't want that anytime soon, especially when he had finally emerged into the radiance of it.

Indeed, his life had changed drastically from a few days ago. He now had at least one person who cared about him deeply instead of having no one at all. Simply with that knowledge alone, Youko felt he could take on the whole world and prevail, even if he was a child of taboo. This helped the fox become more strong and courageous as he looked at his master, no longer scared and weak. He was now ready for the worst the lord could do to him.

"However, I did tell you to pull your own weight, so, continue, but you are to clean my room alone, which means that you are not to help him, human," Hiei commanded, directing the last part of his sentence towards Shuichi.

After that, Hiei took to following Youko around while he was cleaning. If something wasn't up to his standards, the demon lord would make a snide comment to the fox and order him to do the task again until he was satisfied. However, no matter how many times Hiei cut him down, Youko never let him see how the words affected him.

He was tired of being weak and easy to push around. Youko was a fox demon, and it was time he started acting like one. Foxes were supposed to be cunning, elusive creatures whose arrogance was as famous as their splendor. A true fox would never bow down nor show their weaknesses to anyone. Youko was determined to finally be the fox demon he was born to be. He would show everyone that he could stand on his own two feet.

Hiei, too, noticed the change in the fox's behavior over the past few hours. He no longer quivered every time the lord opened his mouth or merely made a noise, and he was even defiant enough to look him straight in the eyes from time to time. If the fox kept up, he might provide ample entertainment for the vassal. The fire demon was already feeling a certain attachment towards him.

"You missed a spot on this table. Dust it again," the small demon commanded. Youko sighed, and began to dust the table he had finished five minutes ago again. Every once and awhile, he would steal glances at his master. He couldn't explain his new fascination with Hiei, but he knew he didn't want it to stop.

Shuichi, who had been ignored by both demons, was finishing up his side of the hallway. He too had noticed Youko's sudden burst of confidence, and was not sure what to make of it. Normally he would know exactly what was happening by simply watching the situation, but this one was different. He had been watching both demons' actions for a few hours now, and was still confused.

"How is it that one person could change so much?" he wondered. It seemed so irrational. No one could change so drastically so quickly; unless you were a god, of course. But Youko had so many mortal qualities that it was impossible for him to be divine. And then, Shuichi came to a brilliant hypothesis: what if Youko was semi-divine?

The pieces began to fit together perfectly. That was why Youko had the euphoric affect on the human, that was why he had worldly flaws, and that was why he had golden eyes. Of course, Shuichi had no proof, but he would find some even if it killed him. He was determined to find the truth, even if it was impossible to do so.

Soon, his thoughts had wondered to all of the theories he'd have to test, and Shuichi didn't notice where he was going until he accidentally ran into the side table that his fellow slave had just finished cleaning and knocked it over. The loud tinkle of the glass candelabra sounded through the hallway. Youko quickly turned around and helped the red-haired boy off the ground and away from the glass.

"Are you alright?" the fox asked the other slave as he carefully helped him up into the sitting position. Shuichi nodded apprehensively, but quickly bowed his head to the livid lord standing in front of them.

"You should know better then to neglect your duties, Slave. I do not tolerate insubordination well nor do I like my clothes to get ruffled. You will be punished later for your mishap," Hiei reprimanded, turning on his heel to face Youko. "And you are to clean my chamber now." Youko glanced quickly at Shuichi, and then faced his master.

"I'll take Shuichi's punishment," he said. The corridor grew eerily silent as both pairs of eyes fixed themselves on the pale face of the demon. Youko looked at Hiei, challenging him to say anything against his decision. He could have sworn that he saw amusement shining from Hiei's scarlet depths, but it was quickly pushed back into the emotionless pools he called his eyes.

"Why would you do that?" Hiei asked, not giving an inch on the staring contest that was going on.

"He's just a human, and whatever punishment you're going to give him will kill him. People would care if he died, but no one would care if I did. Besides, it was just a mistake; haven't you ever made one?" Youko asked.

Hiei was growing angry, and he couldn't hold it anymore. With one quick movement, his hand had dragged across Youko's face in a hard slap.

"The only mistake I've made was letting you live longer than ten minutes in my presence. I do not know why you are suddenly so brash, but I will not tolerate it. You should remember your place, because you'll never be anything more in life. Now leave here and don't come back until I summon you." With that, the angry fire demon left into his chambers, slamming the doors behind him. Shuichi stood up slowly and looked at Youko.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that," he said. Youko smiled, and began to walk back to the slave quarters with Shuichi.

"Well, I had to do something. He was going to punish you for no reason, and that wouldn't be fair," the silver demon responded as they headed down the stairs with their cleaning supplies in tow.

"It doesn't have to be fair; he's a noble. Whatever he says goes, and we have no say in the matter. We only slaves; nothing we do counts as anything. There's no way we can change that, either," Shuichi said. Youko fell into silence after that, thinking about what was just said.

The concept wasn't new to him at all, but for some reason, it stung more now than it ever had before. As a Kogane, he didn't have a say in anything at all. In fact, people would chase him away or beat him if he even came near them, so there was no way he could have ever said anything. . Perhaps he had gotten his hopes up and expected a better lifestyle than what he had previously.

Meanwhile, the god-in-disguise was lounging on the balcony of his room, gazing lazily at the twilight sky, contemplating ways he could get Youko to meet him. It had to be tonight, he knew that much, but he didn't know how he could get him here. Inari sighed and shut his eyes. He was sure that Hiei would not call Youko up tonight due to the question of authority that had taken place, so the fox suddenly had an opening in his busy schedule.

He shifted to a sitting position and leaned back on the palace wall. A perfect idea suddenly flashed in his mind; he would have a servant lead the fox into his chamber, claiming that he needed to bring something down that worker had left previously, and then their meeting would begin. But for now, he would wait a tad longer; he was divine, after all, so time meant nothing to him.

Down in the dungeons, a ruckus was beginning to stir as the day's work came to a close and slaves started to pour into the vicinity. Humans and demons alike talked amongst themselves sharing the latest palace gossip or the tinniest tidbit of news from outside the territory, all smiling. None of them even passed Youko a glance as they passed the table he was sitting at; it was as if he had never even existed.

Youko lowered his head onto his elbows and gave an audible sigh. How dare he be so stupid as to believe life would be different for him here. He was a Kogane, a being worth nothing unless dead. How could he even think that being bold with his master would change anything? There was no way to change what he was born as, and he was starting to believe he wasn't born as a fox.

Intelligence- he was not educated; beauty- he had no concept of the word; cunning- why, if he were cunning, he would not have been enslaved. Youko was nothing. Death had once again crossed his mind, enticing him with its false promises of peace and solitude. Why waste anything on something so completely pointless? He was, after all, nothing in the tapestry of life; no thread in its gorgeous picture represented him in the least bit.

Such reminders and promises rung through his ears as Death seduced him closer to its cold, dark void. Its soft whispers were like a gentle lullaby; he couldn't seem to pull himself from its haunting melody of false promises. Just as soon as he thought he was completely under its spell, a light seemed to appear and chase the darkness back into the shadows from whence it came.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" Kuronue asked, shaking Youko roughly on the shoulder. Slowly, the fox demon snapped out of his light slumber, and opened his golden eyes, which were dull and full of fatigue.

"Jeez, what were you thinking? You're lucky you didn't get trampled in this mob," Kuronue scolded Youko, who smiled dreamily and raised himself off of his elbows. He felt relieved to know that someone cared for him and worried about him.

"I didn't mean to drift off. Besides, it's not like anyone would want to go anywhere near me. I'm cursed, remember?" the silver demon reminded his friend, his tone somewhat bitter.

"You're not cursed, you're just different. Besides, I came near you, didn't I?" Youko nodded slightly. For some reason, Kuronue always made him feel better.

"Why then do others not like me?" the fox asked.

"Because they're all the same and are afraid of things that are different. You're different from them, so they automatically shun you; it's just a sign of their stupidity. Come on, let's go get some food before I waste away," the bat demon said.

He led Youko to the line, where they met up with Kuwabara and Yusuke who were bickering loudly. Kuronue shook his head slowly while Youko simply stared blankly at him, not knowing exactly what was going on.

"Kuro, why are they fighting?" Youko posed.

"Those two always fight; it's nothing new. Just ignore them and it'll die down."

"They're being different from everyone else, but they're not being shunned. Why is it only me?" the fox demon timidly asked. The two fell into silence as they each pondered the question Youko raised.

"I don't really know, Kurama. I wish there was something else I could say, but my insight only goes as far as that," Kuronue responded truthfully. "It makes me mad that people treat you differently than others, but there's nothing I can do to change them. Only a god could do that, and I'm not a god."

"I suppose I'm used to it, but it still hurts sometimes. I haven't done anything to anyone, and yet they all still hate me. Sometimes I wish I could just be accepted, but I'm afraid of what might happen because I wouldn't know how to act. But, it would be nice if you were a god and could change everything," Youko mused, causing Kuro to grin.

"Psh, nice? It'd be awesome. Think of how many things in the world I could change! I could make everyone like you, and Mukuro and her court slaves to us, and even bring my mother back!"

The two continued to banter about the possibilities open to them if Kuronue was a god. Neither of them noticed a demon maid approaching the two until she was standing right next to them. She was a woman with black hair tied in a ponytail and dull brown eyes that seemed misted over.

"Do you know a slave by the name of Youko?" she asked them in a voice devoid of any emotion. Both slaves gave each other cautious glances before Youko stepped forward.

"I'm Youko," the silver fox said.

"A guest has requested your presence. Follow me," she commanded. She turned around and began to walk away with Youko in tow. Kuronue began to follow behind them.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" Youko stopped and waited for his friend.

"Won't you get in trouble for being out at night? I wouldn't want you to get punished because of me."

"Don't worry about it. If anything happens, I'll be there to help," Kuronue explained as he and Youko began to follow the maid again. She stopped at the top of the stairway out of the slave quarters and turned around.

"You can come, too, Kuronue. I'm sure you can wait outside the room," the maid softly said, and they continued onwards towards the rooms the boys had cleaned the previous day.

"Who do you think wants to see me?" the silver demon asked. Kuro shrugged.

"I dunno. It must be someone pretty important, though, because we're heading towards the nobility guest rooms. We cleaned those yesterday, remember?" Youko nodded and continued to follow the woman upwards. They finally reached the corridor of the nobles, and the maid knocked on the third door of the left side. She quietly opened it and gestured Youko in, shutting the door softly behind him.

The fox demon stood in the entranceway, looking around for anyone. Golden eyes met golden eyes as the fox demon he'd seen earlier walked into the room from the balcony. He smiled softly to the frightened fox in front of him, and seated himself at a small table.

"We finally get a chance to meet, Youko. Please, sit down; I'm sure there are many things you want to ask me and there are many things I want to tell you," the older demon said. Youko cautiously sat down on one of the maple chairs.

"Who are you, and how do you know me?" Youko asked.

"I've watched you for a long time, now, and know everything about you. As for who I am, well, I suppose I am many things, but people commonly know me as the god Inari."

"You make no sense. You're a demon, a Kogane, like me, so how can you be a god?"

"The only way you would believe me would be for me to show you, young one," Inari replied. As he said this, his form shifted from a red fox demon to a glowing god. His hair was now lengthened and held into a low ponytail by a golden band that matched the color of his tresses, and his red fox attributes became glistening gold as well. Gold and white robes adorned his form and his tail split from one to nine.

Youko was frozen, too terrified to move. Truly this creature in front of him was a god. His eyes were still gold, but gods were not Koganes. An amused half-smile appeared on Inari's face as he watched Youko.

"Now do you believe me?" A slight nod responded him. "What else do you want to ask before I start the explanations?"

"You're a god, so you can change things, right/" Youko asked, receiving a nod in return. "Could you change me so that I won't be cursed anymore?"

"You are not cursed, Youko. You're a fox demon like any other fox demon in the world. The only thing that sets you apart from them or any other living being is your eye color and your fur, but," he said, silencing Youko before he could cut the god off, "they're all different, too. Even though two beings may have the same color hair or eyes, they all have something about them that makes them different from one another."

"If we're all different, why are I and my kind forced to be outcasts?"

"It is because they fear the ones who possess golden eyes because of their lineage. Those with the eyes of gold are from parents of mixed birth, half-breeds. Golden-eyed ones were once accepted many thousand years ago, but as more advanced civilization and moral standards came into being, they became looked down upon for their mixed race. Humans started to believe they could only procreate with humans, and demons with demons. That is why so few of you golden-eyed ones are found today," Inari explained.

The fox demon began to feel angry towards those who shunned him. People had no right to judge him based on appearance, and those who started it were foolish beings. His anger dimmed to a mere spark when another question entered his mind.

"What am I a mix of, then?" he asked.

Kuronue sat outside of the door, trying not to eavesdrop on what was happening inside the room, though it was hard to give in to the temptation. He looked around the area for anyone passing, and, when sure no one was around, huffed and crossed his arms.

"Kuronue!" Someone called from down the hall. He quickly looked up to see a friend of his come his way.

Her name was Dalsea, and she was a tigress demon with brown hair streaked with gold and soft tan fur that covered her ears and tail. Her bronze eyes, the pupils cat-like, reflected the bright candlelight, and her ankle length crimson skirt and off-white apron swished around her cream slippers as she ran towards him. She was wearing an ivory blouse with the sleeves rolled up, fully showing her clawed hands. Kuronue waved to her and stood up.

"What are you doing up here alone like that?" she asked him, stopping next to him.

"I'm waiting for my friend, Youko. Someone wanted to see him in this room," Kuronue explained. Dalsea smiled.

"We can't do that thing tonight, I'm sorry to say. The guards are getting suspicious and have started to report to Lady Mukuro." Kuronue nodded, and sat back down.

"Thanks for the warning, Dalsea. I'll see you later." The demoness waved goodbye and went off to finish her duties for the night. Kuronue settled himself back down to wait, hoping that youko was alright.

Back inside, Youko was still waiting for the god's response. He wasn't sure why he was so eager to know, but something inside of him wanted to know his past.

"You are a rare mix. You're half god, Youko, and I am your father."