Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : w w w . comnet . ca / foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.
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I've had to alter my markings for various languages due to some new quirks of
Now it's "Japanese" and "Makai dialect."
- : - : - Chapter Twenty-One: Breaking Curfew - : - : -
The aura was truly unique. A core of plain, white human reiki was surrounded by a swirling cloak of blazing, blue-white reiki, deep, cobalt youki, and black, violet, and red youki, creating a veritable rainbow of energy around the simple, human soul to which the energies were attached.
It was strange, Hiei reflected, to sense the odd blend of Yuusuke's and Rogue's energies that lay dormant at the far end of the Insitute, giving him a reading not unlike that of a battle-weakened Yuusuke lying unconscious somewhere, when Hiei could clearly sense the wellspring of Yuusuke's vibrant youki just a room away in the company of Kurama's gold and emerald presence.
Even stranger was the occasional flicker of Hiei's own energy amidst the unique blend of energy that was Rogue.
It was quite disconcerting.
His bared Jagan glowing a deep violet, the Jaganshi drew in long, slow breaths of the cool night air coming in through the open window as he continued to monitor the surrounding human auras, waiting patiently for the final few to fall dormant, signaling that it was safe for the Tantei to set out.
The only humans left awake were Logan and Kurt. Kurt was somewhere downstairs, most likely in the kitchen, and Hiei dismissed him as a threat; they wouldn't be leaving through the front door, after all. The only true threat was Logan, whose heightened senses might possibly pick up something abnormal and alert him to the Tantei's extracurricular activities.
But Logan was in his rooms, and the turmoil in his aura was slowly dying away, bit by bit. Soon, Hiei knew, the mutant would be deep in slumber.
Just a few more minutes.
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One crimson-brown eye cracked open to glare across the dimly-lit room at the silver figure --currently shrouded within a veil of ever-moving, green-gold light-- seated upon the windowsill.
"Would you knock that off, already?" snapped Yuusuke irritably from where he sat propped against the headboard of the bed, arms crossed and chin tucked against his chest.
Kurama's amber eyes searched the Toushin's shadowed face inquisitively, gray-furred ears pricked as though to say 'What?'
"The light show, fox-boy," growled Yuusuke. "Cut it out. We're still in the heart of humans-ville. Your youko form is risky enough; we don't need to be giving more clues to the humans . . . and it's annoying me."
"Ah." The glow died away immediately. "My apologies." The youko smiled, revealing sharp fangs. "Moonlight is . . . exhilarating to me." A moment passed, then Kurama tilted his head to one side, as though pondering something. "Cats bask in sunlight. I suppose it makes a sort of sense that foxes --being canine-- would bask in moonlight."
"Moonlight, shmoonlight." The ruby eye closed once more, its owner appearing to be completely asleep. "Just save the fireworks for battling, got it?"
The corners of the kitsune's eyes tilted upward ever-so-slightly in amusement. "Of course."
The door linking Yuusuke's room to Kurama's snapped open and shut within the space of a heartbeat, and Hiei was suddenly standing at the foot of the bed, red eyes gleaming brightly in the darkness.
"It's clear."
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Cool night air, wet earth, and the soothing scent of green, growing things enveloped Rahne. Quiet breezes whispered through her fur, setting the leaves overhead to rustling, and the thick grass beneath her cushioned her body better than any man-made pillow ever could have. The cinnamon-brown wolf whuffed contentedly, drifting in that heavenly place midway between awake and asleep.
The musty scent of rabbit drifted over her, and the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers, followed swiftly by the smell of . . .
Her eyes snapped open.
Smoke . . . and fire? And some other scent . . . musty, some animal that she had never encountered . . .
The wolf raised her head, abruptly wide awake, and peered around the dense forest undergrowth suspiciously, ears pricked, fur bristling.
Technically, she wasn't supposed to be outside. Students at the Institute were subjected to a strict curfew unless excused by some teacher, but Rahne had always tended to grow restless when enclosed indoors for long periods. Tonight, the forest had beckoned . . .
And now, the forest seemed to have beckoned something other than Rahne into their depths. Something foreign . . .
Something dangerous.
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Wind twined playfully through the thick mane of jet-black hair that fell down the demon's back, and the moonlight clearly highlighted the blue-black markings adorning his cheeks, shoulders, and arms. Ruby eyes glinted with emotion akin to the excitement felt by a predator at the beginning of a hunt.
Clad in a loose gi of deep blue and black, Yuusuke had never felt more ready for a good brawl.
He, feeling daring, walked brazenly down the wide driveway leading off Institute grounds. Occasionally he would catch a flicker of silver or black out of the corner of his eye, reassuring him of his two companions' presences. No doubt, Kurama was thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to get up close and personal with the local flora, and Hiei was probably cursing --mentally, anyway-- at the slow pace set by the Toushin, but Yuusuke was savoring the rare sense of complete freedom that this semi-solo walk brought, and he had no intention of cutting the expedition short by hurrying.
Only when the tall, brick wall that separated the Institute from the outside world came into sight did he quicken his pace. Completely ignoring the towering, wrought-iron gate, he leapt forward, using a convenient tree as a stepping stone of sorts and landing gracefully atop the wall . . . a wall which was roughly two feet wide. Hiei appeared at his side within a split-second, and shortly after that, a multi-tailed, silver fox drifted silently across a slender branch to step daintily onto the wall-top.
Three pairs of eyes intently scanned the empty two-lane road running outside the wall.
"So, Hiei," murmured Yuusuke, "have you gotten a fix on this so-called demon 'hotspot'?"
"To the north," answered the Jaganshi promptly.
"That's precise."
"I can narrow it down as we grow nearer."
"And north would be . . . ?"
"To the left, Detective."
"Right." Yuusuke settled into an easy crouch. Hiei frowned down at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting," replied the Toushin, smirking.
"For WHAT?"
Yuusuke chuckled softly. "Settle down, tri-clops. We're waiting for a ride. You didn't think that we'd run all the way to wherever-the-hell-it-is, did you?"
Hiei arched an eyebrow. "Don't tell me that you plan to hitchhike."
The fox let out a soft bark of amusement, golden eyes glinting.
Yuusuke smiled secretively. "After a fashion. Now shush."
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Logan disliked many things. Those things included, but were not limited to, garlic, fresh-cut onions, rats, the 'dog-days' of summer, Magneto, and top-secret military organizations.
Being woken up in the middle of the night also qualified.
The faint voice from outside, however, refused to silence itself for his convenience. "LOGAN! Wake up, ye silly, metal-headed goon! We've got visitors! WOULD YE BLOODY WELL WAKE UP ALREADY?!"
Flinging the covers aside, Logan strode swiftly to the window of his room and threw it open, glaring down at the diminutive figure of Rahne below.
"WHAT," he demanded tersely, "are you hollering about in the middle of the night?"
The wolf-girl placed her fists upon her hips and glared up at him boldly, looking thoroughly put-out. "I TOLD ye! We've got visitors! Strangers on Institute grounds! SO WILL YE GO AHEAD AND GIT DOWN 'ERE ALREADY?"
There was the distinctive rasp of another window opening, and Ororo's voice, slurred with fatigue, drifted out into the night. "What are the two of you shouting about?"
Rahne let out a loud snarl of frustration, sounding very much like her wolf-self. "THERE ARE WHO-KNOWS-HOW-MANY BLOODY BEDAMNED STRANGERS WAND'RING 'ROUND THE GROUNDS LIKE A BLOODY BUNCH O' DRUNKARDS, AND YE AREN'T DOIN' A DAMN THING ABOUT IT! THAT'SWHAT I'M SHOUTIN' ABOUT!"
"Rahne!" scolded Ororo. "Watch your language!"
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Yuusuke tilted his head slightly, turning his gaze back toward the far-distant mansion that he could just make out over the tops of the forest trees. He frowned. "Did you hear something?"
Hiei looked back to the Institute as well. ". . . shouting." He scowled. "One of the humans must have woken up."
Yuusuke bared his fangs in irritation. "Well, damn." He shifted, his long hair drifting in the ever-present breezes of the night as he looked down the road in each direction. "We've got a few minutes' grace before they get here, at least. You'd best make yourself scarce, Hiei. You're the only one that they'd be able to recognize."
There was a flicker of black, a rush of wind, and the Jaganshi disappeared. Yuusuke smirked in satisfaction, and he and his fox companion returned to their road-watching, awaiting the appearance of their unsuspecting ride.
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Kurama kept his ears tuned back toward the mansion as much as possible, wary for any sounds of approach. Yuusuke seemed to know this, keeping his senses focused upon the road and leaving the kitsune to guard their rear.
However, Kurama was completely unprepared for the possibility that the mutants might approach by air. His only warning was the slightest whiff of tobacco and lightning scents.
He whirled around, his tails swirling after him like some sort of cloak, and he let out a loud warning bark as he caught sight of Logan and Ororo floating in midair nearly twenty feet overhead.
Wait, scratch that. Ororo was floating. Logan was dangling --rather ungracefully-- from Ororo's arms.
Yuusuke had time for a quick, startled, "What the HELL---?" before he was forced into a tricky backward somersault and subsequent handspring to avoid Logan's carefully aimed fall.
Kurama darted swiftly into the canopy of a nearby tree, a growl rumbling in his chest as he debated who to worry over more: Ororo because of her unexpected advantage of flight and the trouble she might cause, or Logan because he was on the verge of pissing off a semi-mentally-unbalanced Yuusuke.
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Logan's claws were out and ready as he watched the dark figure vault easily away from him and land gracefully upon the wall several meters away. Wind twined through the figure's long --VERY long-- hair, and was is Logan's imagination, or were the person's eyes glowing red?
Logan shifted his stance to balance more easily upon the narrow top of the wall, feeling decidedly exposed in nothing but the pants he had worn to bed. He spared a quick, sympathetic though for Ororo, who was in the sky somewhere clad in only a nightgown and robe.
He silently vowed that he'd never voice a derogatory comment about his uniform again.
"All right," he growled, "What're you poking around here for? Strangers aren't welcome."
The figure straightened slowly, and Logan could barely make out the familiar shape of a dark gi and what appeared to be tattoos upon the unknown person's face and arms.
"You certainly have a gift for picking the inopportune moment," growled the stranger. "I'm warning you, claw-boy, tonight isn't the time to be getting in my way."
"Well, ain't that just too bad for you."
A slow smirk spread across the stranger's face. "I'm afraid you've got it backwards."
Logan didn't even realize that the stranger had moved until he felt the first hits land.
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Rahne ran.
And ran.
And, yes, she ran.
Forest blurred by on either side of her as she raced toward the gates of the Institute, following her nose to the strangers she had sensed earlier. Her breath came fast in her chest, and her heart raced so swiftly that it vibrated more than it actually beat.
Logan would murder her when he learned that she had followed him and Storm. Her ears still hurt from his firm admonition to "STAY, girl."
Yeah, right. She was a wolf, thank you, not some domestic dog.
She would show them. She could fight, she could HELP. And after all, she had been the first one to know of the intruders; she should have a hand --paw?-- in dealing with them.
With complete conviction in her actions, Rahne ran onward through the forest, feeling fully confident . . .
Until the vines caught her.
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Ororo let out a choked scream as Logan was flung from the wall as though he were some sort of rag doll. She swept down from the sky as fast as she could, commanding the winds to speed her downward, but the hit had forced Logan away from her, and she knew that she would be too late to save the other mutant from an unhappy landing against the ground.
She needn't have worried.
There was a flash of silver, and another figure appeared. A tall figure, a man.
A man with silver hair.
And golden eyes.
And pointed, furry ears.
A man who held Logan's limp form with unnatural ease, and when he turned to face the other stranger, Ororo could plainly see the silver tail sprouting from the base of his spine.
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"Hold, Yuusuke." Kurama met the Toushin's glimmering, ruby gaze evenly. "Mutant or no, he's still a human. You're too strong."
Yuusuke chuckled darkly, an eerie sound. "But Kurama, I'm just playing."
"When humans play in the company of demons, death often follows. You'll kill him, Yuusuke."
Yuusuke shrugged. "Fine. I'll leave him be. But hurry up before I get bored."
Kurama nodded his understanding and set Logan's unconscious form down upon the grass. As he straightened, his eyes sought out the hovering form of Ororo who appeared to be looking between Kurama and Yuusuke.
"You can come down," called the kitsune mildly. "Despite popular belief, I do not bite, and I am certain your companion could do with some medical attention. My Lord's strength is not to be taken lightly."
The female mutant hesitated, her eyes narrowed, before descending swiftly to hover several feet above the ground. She looked as though she desperately wished to check on Logan's condition but dared not come any closer to the strange fox-being. She eyed Kurama warily. "What exactly are you?"
Kurama couldn't resist a smirk, his kitsune mischievousness at the fore. "Don't you know?"
Ororo frowned. "Should I?"
The smirk widened, giving the mutant a clear view of his prominent canines. "They call me Youko."
"Hurry it up, fox-boy. I hear our ride coming. We've got demons to find and asses to kick, if you remember."
Kurama sighed, glancing up at the shadowy figure of Yuusuke. "So impatient." He executed a short bow toward Ororo. "Goodbye for now, I suppose."
Kurama cocked his head to one side as though listening and turned toward the forest. "And unless I am mistaken, you would do well to check the forest on your way back. A certain canine companion of yours seems to have fallen into a rather . . . tricky . . . situation."
With that, he leapt onto the wall to crouch beside Yuusuke. He immediately caught sight of the small delivery van whirring slowly down the road, headlights dimly highlighting its way. Kurama arched an eyebrow.
"Our ride?" he queried mildly.
"What else?" Without further ado, Yuusuke leapt off the wall and soon landed squarely upon the center of the van's roof, directly beside the black-clad figure that silently appeared upon the top of the vehicle. Kurama spared one last look for Ororo, who was struggling with Logan's unconscious form, before swiftly following.
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From within the intricate snarl of brambles and various other forms of flora, Rahne snarled indignantly to herself.
Forget killing her. Logan would laugh himself to death when he heard of THIS.
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -