Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters. I do own Angela.
AN: I can't remember the fruit's name that the smoke in the Idun box comes from so I'll call it the Idun fruit for now, until I can find it on the web.
REVISED AN: Okay, I was doing an Angel Time Line and found out that I made a mistake in my calculations. I've adjusted some details to make it fit in the time line.
Legend:
Music
Noise
-Telepathy-
-Thought-
/Flashbacks/
/Visions/Dreams/
Chapter Sixteen
Kurama turned around to show the girls pictures of his family. His eyes widened. Botan was there, but Angela wasn't. "Where did Angela go?" he asked Botan.
She looked around. "I didn't know she had left."
They jumped when they heard a squeal. It was coming from the rose room. "Oh no..." Kurama said, dread in his voice as he ran to the rose room. He moaned.
Inside was a little girl with long pale blonde hair and bright green eyes in nothing but a large sweater. On the floor around her were jeans, shoes, socks, panties and a tongue ring. She was sucking on her finger, tears coming out of her eyes.
Botan peered around Kurama. "Who's she?" she asked.
"I think it's Angela." Kurama bent down towards the little girl. "What's your name?"
She shook her head. "I'm not s'possed to talk to strwangers."
Kurama looked to Botan. She shrugged. Kurama stuck out his hand. "Well my name is Kurama."
The girl looked at the hand, she shrugged and put her hand in his. "I'm Angela Marwie Rwoss."
Kurama gently shook her hand. "Well, it's nice to meet you Angela. How old are you?"
"This many," she said, holding up four fingers.
Botan stared at the child. -Oh my...-
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Kurama stayed with Angela as Botan went shopping for some clothes. She came back with a bag of panties, a pair of socks, small white shoes and a little green dress.
"I hope they fit," she said as she took Angela into a different room to change her. After a few minutes, Botan and Angela came back into the living room.
Angela looked absolutely cute as she twirled around. "See Uncle Rama," she giggled.
"I see," Kurama said, not sure if he liked Angela calling him uncle. -I wonder what the others are going to say,- he thought. He bent down and picked the little girl up. "We're going to go to a friend's house. Is that okay?" Angela thought about it for a second, then she nodded.
As they walked through town to the shrine, Angela whinned about wanting an ice cream. Finally Kurama gave in and bought her a small ice cream in an edible cone. After she gobbled the ice cream down she fell asleep.
Botan looked at the child. "Oh dear...What will we do?"
Kurama shook his head. "I don't know. I'll have to talk to Suzuka. It was the Idun box that did this. Maybe he has an antidote."
"If it was the Idun box, shouldn't she have turned back into her normal self by now?" Botan asked.
"I think it works differently on humans than it does on demons," Kurama said as they walked up the stairs.
Yusuke was sitting on the front porch smoking when he saw Kurama and Botan come up the steps, Kurama carrying a small blonde child. "Hey, who's the little girl? And where's Angela?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake the child.
Kurama grimaced. "This is Angela. She got a hold of the Idun box." Yusuke's eyes widened. "I'll explain when we get inside and get everyone together."
They walked into the training room where the DT gang and Hiei were training. They stopped when they saw the child Kurama was holding. "Who's the kid?" Jin asked.
"Angela," Kurama replied. Everyone's eyes widened.
While they stood there stupified Angela woke up. She looked around her at all of the strange people until her eyes fell upon a small blue cat on the shoulder of a blonde man. "Kitty!" she squealed, wiggling in Kurama's arms. A terrified look came over Shishi's face as the child tried to get out of Kurama's arms.
Suzuka walked over to Kurama and the child, who stretched out her arms to Shishi. "Let me guess, she opened the Idun box," Suzuka said as he handed Shishi to the squealing child. Shishi squeeked and tried to get away, but Angela held on tight to him.
Kurama nodded as he sat Angela on the floor. "Do you have an antidote?"
Suzuka shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
They all watched her as she played with the 'kitty'. Jin whispered to Yusuke. "Why does she think he's a kitty?"
Yusuke shrugged, "Maybe he looks like a cat to her child eyes. What's got me is why she can talk japanese and understand what we say. Does she still have a Tongues-Ring, and a Hear-Ring?"
"No, I've been trying to figure that out myself," Kurama said.
Suzuka thought for a second. "Maybe while she reverted to her child self the 'magic' of the Tongues-Ring and Hear-Rings rubbed off on her."
Kurama shrugged "Who knows."
After nearly strangling Shishi she looked at everyone around her again. "Who are you?"
Suzuka leaned forward. "I'm Suzuka."
"Ol' Jin here," Jin said, sitting next to her, ears wiggling as he looked at the exhausted Shishi.
"I'm Touya," Touya said.
"And I'm Rinku," Rinku said, smiling big.
"My name's Chu," Chu said, quickly hiding his booze.
"Yusuke," Yusuke said.
Angela nodded at them all. Then she looked at Hiei, who just stared at her. She got up and walked over to him. "Who are you?"
Hiei bent down. "Hiei."
"Did you hurt your head?"
Hiei thought for a second. "Yes."
"I'm sorwy," she apologized. She turned around to Suzuka. "Aunt Suzi? What's your kitty's name?"
The other guys started to chuckle. Suzuka didn't know what to say. -Did she just call me 'Aunt Suzi'?- "Uh...Shishi..."
"Sisi?" she asked.
"Uh...yeah."
Shishi started to growl, but Angela hit him on the head. "Bad Sisi!" The others laughed. "Uncle Hiei? Do you like kitties?" She held Shishi up to him.
Shishi looked pleadingly at him. Hiei laughed. "Yes, let me see..." She handed Shishi to him, Hiei held Shishi loosely. Shishi, finding a chance to get away, launched into the air and flew away.
Angela gasped. "Kitty flew!" The others laughed again.
Hiei looked down at the child that had been the woman he was falling in love with. -Why did this have to happen? Will you stay like this? Will I have to wait until you grow up again? Or will I have to be your 'uncle' forever, with no hope of being your...- Hiei shook those thoughts from his head. He heard a small grumbling. He looked down at Angela.
She blushed and laughed as she held her stomach. "My tummy's talking."
Kurama, standing near, heard her. "Well, I think it's dinner time." He picked her up.
Botan watched Kurama carry Angela to the kitchen. -He'd make a good father...Wait! Why am I thinking this way!-
"What?" they heard Kuwabara yell from the kitchen.
A squealing Angela ran back into the training room and hugged Hiei's leg. Hiei looked down at the crying child. He paused for an instant, then he bent down and picked her up. "What's wrong?"
Angela hiccuped. "The scary man yelled."
"I take it you met Kuwabara," Yusuke laughed.
In a second, Kuwabara entered the training room. Angela squealed and buried her head in Hiei's shoulder. Hiei glared at Kuwabara. "Look, I'm sorry Angela," Kuwabara said, taken aback by Hiei's glare. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just surprised."
She glanced at him then buried her head back into Hiei's shoulder. Hiei walked to the kitchen. In there he found an astonished Yukina talking to Kurama.
"Will she ever be able to return to normal?" she asked.
Kurama shook his head. "Not on her own. Suzuka and I will try to create an antidote with various plants, since the smoke of the Idun box came from a fruit, but I don't know how long that will take." He turned to see Hiei standing there holding Angela. A dark look was in Hiei's eyes. -How hard is it for you to see the one you love like this?- Kurama thought, pity in his eyes.
"She's a cute li'l sheila." Chu said as they talked about what had happened to Angela.
"Yes but that's not important. We need to find some way to cure her," Suzuka said as Shishi, in human form, walked in.
"Hey Kitty," Jin teased, "Or is it Sisi?" Shishi glared at him.
"Back to the discussion," Suzuka said. "We're lucky that it didn't regress her any further."
Yusuke laughed. "Yeah, we could have been stuck with Angela in the 'terrible twos'."
Suzuka glared at him. "If she had taken anymore, she might have been regressed into nothing." That shut all the jokes up.
Kurama walked in. "Angela's been put to bed. Suzuka, I think we should go to my place to try to cook up an antidote." Suzuka nodded.
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The next day Yusuke was sitting on the porch looking at the pond when he heard Angela squealing again. He looked to the house addition to see Shizuru grab a soapy Angela in a towel and take her back inside. He laughed. -And I thought she was a handfull before this.-
Suzuka came out of the training room. "Hey Yusuke, Kurama and I couldn't create an antidote with his plants so I and the rest of the DT gang are leaving for Demon World to look for plants there. Kurama has to stay since he still has classes."
Yusuke nodded, "Good luck."
Suzuka looked to the house where they could hear squealing. "I think you're going to need the luck more."
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"Uncle Hiei? Why are you so quiet? You look sad," Angela said later that day as she sat by him on the porch, wearing her new yellow dress that Yukina and Botan had bought. They had gone shopping that morning for clothes for Angela.
Hiei looked at her. "Well, it's just that a woman I...liked...is gone."
Angela thought about what he said, then she hugged him. "Well I'm here!" she said happily.
Kuwabara laughed, "Hiei, I think she likes you."
Angela saw him and crawled into Hiei's lap. He gasped as she sat down hard in his lap. Ignoring his gasp, she hid her face against his chest.
"Eh...I didn't mean to scare you yesterday," Kuwabara tried again. Again Angela glanced at him. He held out his hand. "My name is Kuwabara."
She looked at the hand for a moment, deciding. Finally she took it. "I'm Angela Marwie Rwoss."
Kuwabara looked at Hiei's pained face and took pity on him. "Why don't we go to the kitchen, Aunt Yukina is making lunch." Angela nodded and jumped out of Hiei's lap. She took a hold of Kuwabara's hand and skipped along side him to the kitchen. Hiei grabbed his crotch and gasped.
"Ouch," Yusuke said, coming onto the porch wincing along with Hiei. "That looked like it hurt." Hiei glared at him. "I see that she's made up with Kuwabara," Yusuke commented. He looked at Hiei, who had recovered. "She's a handle. I miss the old Angela. You?" Hiei just stared at the woods, eyes dark with some type of emotion. "Hiei, I'm sure they'll find a cure."
Hiei didn't say anything. He stood up and walked into the forest. Yusuke sat there thinking. He turned when he heard a pitter patter of running feet. Angela ran and jumped into his lap. Yusuke was luckier than Hiei and wasn't injured. "Guess what!" she squeaked.
"What?" he asked, smiling.
"Aunt Kina is having a baby!"
"That's great!" Yusuke replied, acting surprised.
She got up and started to pull his hand. "Let's go tell everwy one!" Yusuke got up and swept up the squealing Angela into his arms as they walked into the training room. "Where is everwy one?" she asked when she noticed only Botan and Kurama there.
"Well, Uncle Chu, Uncle Jin, Uncle Touya, Aunt Suzi, and Rinku had to leave," Yusuke said.
"Oh." She started to wiggle. Yusuke sat her down on the floor and she ran to Kurama and Botan. "Guess what!" she squealed again. She didn't give them time to answer. "Aunt Kina is having a baby!"
Kurama picked the child up. "That's great! Thank you for telling us," Kurama said, smiling. Angela giggled at being thanked.
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The next week went by fast. Angela kept them all on their toes. She constantly ran from one person to another, talking about nonsense, and when she wasn't running to somebody, she just ran to be running. When ever she saw Hiei, she was practically attached to him. Everyone smiled when ever they saw them together. Kuwabara watched them as they sat by the pond, Hiei keeping a vigilant eye on Angela as she played in the water. -Hiei would be a good father. He would definately be a good uncle, if only he would tell Yukina.- Kuwabara thought as he turned around to tell Shizuru to get a towel ready.
Hiei watched Kuwabara go inside with a smile on his face. -Why do they all get these smiles on their faces when they see me taking care of Angela?- he thought. Angela squealed as she made a big splash, bringing Hiei's attention back to her. He smiled at her antics.
After a bit, Shizuru came out, holding a towel. "Angela, it's time for your bath."
Angela instantly latched onto Hiei. "Nooo," she said. Shizuru rolled her eyes.
Hiei laughed and said "Angela, if you go take a bath, I'll read you your book later."
She thought about it. "Okay." She still was reluctent to go take a bath.
Kurama walked up behind him as he watched Shizuru carry Angela to the house. "Hiei," he said quietly. Hiei turned to him. "Suzuka and the others have returned last night with several plants from Demon World. Suzuka and I have been working on an antidote, but Suzuka doesn't have much hope." Hiei's eyes darkened. "I just wanted you to know," Kurama said then he left.
Hiei sat there for awhile thinking. -So I might have to wait for her to grow up after all. Hn...maybe I was never meant to be with her...-
Angela ran to the training room, but she saw Suzuka, Jin and Shishi, in demon form. "Aunt Suzi! Aunt Suzi! Uncle Jin! Uncle Jin!" she cried as she ran to them. Jin bent down and picked her up. "Guess what!"
"What?" Jin said.
"Uncle Hiei's going to read to me!" She saw Shishi sitting on Suzuka's shoulder. She reached out to Shishi. "Come here Sisi!" Shishi looked about ready to split, but Suzuka grabbed him and handed him to Angela. She squealed and hugged Shishi tight. She then started to wiggle in Jin's arms, indicating that she wanted down. She ran inside the training room to find Hiei sitting in the little hollow area. "Uncle Hiei!" she said as she ran to sit beside him.
"Are you ready?" he asked, holding up a little picture book. She nodded and sat in his lap.
He was half way through when she fell asleep. Hiei looked at the child sleeping in his arms. A feeling of tenderness and protection came over him. He gently picked her up and carried her to her room. She woke up slightly as he tucked her in. "Unn...You didn't finish the story..." she complained.
Hiei smiled. "I'll finish it tomorrow, okay." She nodded and yawned, then she fell back to sleep.
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The next day as Hiei read to Angela, who was squeezing a poor Shishi, a person came into the shrine. Angela turned to the strange woman with orange hair, dressed in weird clothes. She crawled over Hiei's lap, causing him to gasp. As she crawled to the woman, Hiei ran out the side door, hunched over. "Who are you?" she asked the woman.
The woman bent down. "I'm Mukuro. Are you Angela?" Angela nodded.
She pointed to the odd mask that covered Mukuro's right half of her face. "What happened?" she asked innocently.
Mukuro thought for a second. "I got hurt."
"Does it still hurt?"
"No," Mukuro said, smiling reassuringly.
"That's good," the smale child said, smiling. Hiei returned. Angela ran to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him over to Mukuro. "Uncle Hiei, this is Aunt Kuro."
Hiei nodded to Mukuro. -I heard about what happened from Suzuka when they returned to find some plants,- Mukuro said telepathically to Hiei. -I don't think they'll be able to create an antidote. But there still may be an antidote somewhere. I'm here to bring you and some of the DT gang back to Demon World.-
Hiei looked to Angela, "Why don't you go and get Aunt Suzi and Uncle Touya," he said. He really didn't want to leave her but he had no choice if he wanted to cure her. She nodded and ran out.
Mukuro watched Hiei closely as he watched Angela run out of the room. -It's seems like he's a totally different person from the one I had sent on this mission. Is this girl the reason for the changes?- Mukuro thought.
A few minutes later Suzuka and Touya showed up. Their eyes widened when they saw the captain of the border patrol. "We're leaving for Demon World to find a cure," Mukuro ordered them. "I think Shigure may have known something about the Idun fruit, so we're going to his labratory, the one he had when he was with me and the one he had before he joined me." She turned around to leave, the others following.
Suddenly a squealing Angela latched onto Hiei's leg. Hiei looked down to see her crying. "What's the matter?" he asked softly as he picked her up. Mukuro watched him closely.
"You're going away! Aren't you?" she cried. She had heard Mukuro say they were leaving.
Hiei held her. "It's okay," he said, trying to reassure her.
"You're neverw coming back! You'rwe leaving cuz I've been bad!" She continued to cry.
Hiei laughed and held her close. "I'll be back. And you haven't been a bad girl."
"How do I know you'll come back?" she asked, still slightly crying.
Hiei thought about it. He sat her on the ground and took off his cloak. He wrapped it around the child. "Here, I'll leave this with you to show that I'll come back. I guarantee it."
"What's guarwantee?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of his cloak.
"It means I really promise. Now, can you keep my cloak clean until I come back?"
She nodded. "I guarwantee it," she said, using her new word.
Hiei nodded and hugged her one last time. Mukuro smiled as she saw this sign of affection. -She has changed him. For the better I'd say.- Hiei turned around and saw Mukuro smiling. He gave her a questioning glance. She shook her head, saying "Well, let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back."
Hiei saw Shishi hiding in Suzuka's clothes. -Shishi, stay with Angela,- he ordered.
Shishi peeked out of Suzuka's shirt, a terrified look on his face. Hiei glared at him. Shishi nodded meekly and flew to Angela, who immediately caught him as she watched them go, tears coming out of her eyes.