Tales of the Jagan

Chapter 8

The Missing Twin

OOOOOBotanOOOOO

Life had returned to normal on the Jagan, or as normal as life on a pirate ship as renowned as the Jagan could be. Kayko and Yusuke squabbled like an old married couple, Kazuma remained insistent on following me wherever I went when he was off duty, until Hiei physically threatened to pulverize him for 'stalking' me, as the fire demon had called it. The normalcy between Hiei and I returned as well.

As promised, my duties on the ship were to help Kayko, the wondrous chef, cook and do other things to help out in the kitchen, which the dark haired brunette was only too appreciative for. On his off time, Hiei would spend time with me and me with him. It became a ritual to seek him out even if he was on duty. The crew hardly looked at me now, as if even a mere glance could incite Hiei's wrath.

Shizuru handled things differently. If I had not known better, she was born to be a pirate, because she adapted splendidly. She was tougher than Kayko and I, and was not in the least bit intimidated by the crew. She had proved early on, if they so much as leered at her, she would proceed to pummel them into the floor. Though some of the crew were demons and not easy to take down, Shizuru, who was technically considered Kurama's ward, was protected under the captains. If they should strike back in retaliation they knew they should chop off their head with their own hand, or it would be chopped off by one of the eight of the captains' hands. They were so afraid they didn't even dare to block for fear of their heads.

And so began their respect for the newcomer. With her bold and daring will, she had earned it quickly. It was never announced officially anywhere, but Shiz had unofficially taken the role of the fifth captain, though it would never be said in words. It just was.

Unlike Kayko and I who worked in the kitchen, Shizuru took orders from the captains and gave them out to the crew, and made sure they were carried out efficiently. It was quite funny to see a human girl ordering older, stronger demons around, but they obeyed and she would accept nothing less.

Shizuru and I molded a close bond immediately. She cared for me as would an older sister and looked out for me. Her relationship with Kayko was solid as well, though they didn't interact, as much I knew they both considered each other to be good friends and were well respected in the other's eyes.

As for her relationships with the other captains, Shizuru got along well with Yusuke, and had even come to give him advice that the sometimes dense captain was too obtuse to realize. She even went as far to ridicule Kazuma, one of the four captains, when he made stupid commands or otherwise mess up in an idiotic way. Kazuma, for his part, got mad and argued right back, but could do nothing more than get annoyed because she was usually right.

Hiei was another matter as he was too intelligent to make the mistakes Yusuke and Kazuma made. She respected him more than the previous two captains and always considered what he had to say. Hiei acknowledged her reliable and effective. It was pretty much him who gave her orders and unofficial rank to command the crew.

Shizuru was strong enough to not have to be Kurama's ward, but she was nevertheless. I haven't seen them interact that much, I admit, but their bond is strong and respected. I see that they group off together much like I do with Hiei, but they are more mature and quiet about it. When I'm around Hiei I sometimes childishly cling to his arm and plead he tell me stories or that I'm bored, or something childish like that. Sometimes he humors me and sometimes he playfully calls me annoying. But that's my personality and my way of showing affection, and that's his.

Kurama and Shizuru aren't as vocal, more conservative. All I can say is that it is deep. They converse about politics, plans of the Jagan, the weather, anything. Their bond is comfortable and relaxed. It's plain to see the respect and admiration, at least on Shizuru's part.

I was currently out on the balcony, my favored spot, reminiscing in my thoughts. I call of a bird nearby startled me. Birds? In the middle of the ocean? I looked out and that there were birds, many in fact, seagulls. And not far away, I saw land that the Jagan was no doubt approaching.

I leapt up in search of Kurama, the main planner. I was curious about what we would be doing in on this stop, we haven't docked since we picked up Shizuru a few weeks ago, and I was certain he could answer my questions.

Over the month I've been on the Jagan, I have become more confident on the passageways and finding my way around. As expected, I found Kurama in the captains' room where they often gather to strategically plan or organize things. I've been honored, as have Kayko and Shizuru on occasion, to be allowed in to the meetings. I'm never actually included on my opinion or contribute to the conversation, but I'm allowed to be in the room, which is a big step.

With all the captains in there, sometimes the girls and I get bored, so while they discuss something, we play tic-tac-toe or some other trivial game on another table to pass the time. During that time we might also tell stories, careful not to laugh too hard to make to much noise, lest we disturb the captains. Few things could make them ticked at us, but when they were heavily set in their discussions the mood was always so thick and serious, we knew better to interrupt.

I knocked on the door to be polite but didn't bother to wait for an answer before letting myself in.

"Hey Kurama," I greeted. Kurama was bent over the 'planning' table, looking at various maps and even some blue prints of what I believed to be the Jagan.

"Botan. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He greeted warmly in response. He had such a way with words; he could make a simple greeting sound formal and complex.

I smiled cheerily.

"Are we docking? I've noticed we're approaching land," I began eagerly for answers.

"From your balcony?" He chuckled.

I blushed red. It seemed everyone had noticed I had an affinity for that spot.

"Hiei's twin sister resides here. Periodically we make a stop here so he can visit her for a check up, and we take the time to restock."

"Hiei has a twin?" He never told me that!

"Yes, Yukina. She and Hiei are very close, unbreakable. Their mother is dead, and without her they are each other's only known relatives," Kurama explained, figuring that I knew close to nothing and looking slightly curious that Hiei hadn't spoke of it. I made a mental note to bring it up later. Scratch that, why do it later when there's always the present?

"We'll be docking in under an hour. Be ready if you want to get off," Kurama said knowingly, "There's a chance Hiei might let you come along to meet her."

OOOOO

"Hiei! Hieiiiiii!" I called out dragging the last syllable out. Normally it annoyed him when I was loud. I knew it annoyed him, and we both knew that's the reason I did it.

"What do you want you insufferable woman?" His voice was light and proved all the harsh words to be playful, as did the half smile on his lips.

I almost ran into him, he had appeared so suddenly.

"There you are!" I exclaimed, smiling, as if I had just noticed.

Hiei rolled his eyes at my childish display.

"We're docking soon to visit my sister Yukina. Be ready if you want to come," was his command.

Ha! Kurama must have known, he said the exact same thing, get ready. So he tells Kurama but not me? I pouted.

"I'm ready!"

I had ditched my former dress with the orange blossoms on it in favor of an equally pretty solid white dress with red flowers printed into its design. Yes, I know, I like flowers, ok? I was named after one, so why not? Hiei's partly to blame, he just bought a whole rack of clothes, and many of them had flowers on them.

"I see," Hiei commented.

"You never told me you had a sister! What's she like?" I admit I was curious to know much about her. If she was Hiei's twin, did they have the same attitude? Would she have black hair too?

"She acts more mature than you do," he answered vaguely. I resisted the urge to say 'Duh!'.

"She's your twin, which means she's the same age as you! And you're how old? Like a thousand!" I retaliated, exaggerating his age. Come to think of it, I didn't know his age.

"I'm hardly a thousand. I'm three hundred and fifteen years old."

"That's way over ten times my age!" I growled back, "A few more years and you could be going senile!"

Hiei just snorted.

"How come she stays here?" I asked curiously.

"She lives in Koorime because piracy does not suit her," the fire demon replied automatically, as if he had rehearsed the same line hundreds of times.

"Are those her words or yours?"

The swordsman just glared.

I almost fell over when the ship lurched forward, I had learned that meant we had dropped the anchor, but Hiei grasped my wrist with one hand, my waist with the other to support me.

"Thanks."

"We need to work on your balance."

This time I glared.

"I can stand just fine thank you! If the stupid ship hadn't stopped like that I wouldn't have almost fallen over!"

It was a taboo to refer to the Jagan as any derogatory word but he brushed it off easily. If it had been a crewmember, he might have been scolded, wounded, or dead, but I was fine. I got off with way too much, but I wasn't exactly complaining with the leniency I was given.

"Then why do you trip over your own feet?"

I blushed hotly. Ok, I was a little clumsy, but I had always hoped no one saw my mess-ups.

"Hey! At least I'm not some old geezer! Try not to get stressed, you may start growing white hair!"

Even for us, today we were arguing more than usual, though only teasing.

OOOOO

We stood in front of a decent sized, wooden house. It seemed pretty enough, but some windows were broken, the grass looked a little torn up as if someone had been dragged, and there were some holes in the walls of the house.

I looked at Hiei questioningly. I wondered if it had always been like this. His expression was unreadable. It was just the two of us, the other captains knew that Hiei preferred to be alone with his sister, but for whatever reason I was allowed to come. Allowed actually meant more like ordered, but I was all too happy to comply. Who wouldn't want to meet Hiei's twin?

I walked in behind him; he didn't even bother to knock, just opened the door and entered. What I saw came as a shock.

Pictures were smashed, tables overturned, chairs lay on their sides, glass littered the floor. I could see more holes in the walls from the insides and even a couch or two was on its side. The place was a mess. A struggle had definitely taken place.

A woman with long greenish-blue hair, tied in a high ponytail, was crying on the only couch that wasn't knocked over. Her hands were covering her eyes and she hadn't noticed us yet.

"Rui." It was Hiei who spoke.

The woman, Rui, looked up fearfully, but relief came when she noticed the speaker.

"Hiei! Thank the heavens!" It would have been an understatement to say she looked distraught.

"Rui, where is Yukina?" Hiei questioned.

The poor woman looked like she was about to burst into tears again and her lip quivered.

"She's gone! They took her?" She cried hysterically.

"Gone? Who took her?" Hiei's voice was much calmer than I would have imagined. The voice calm, but cold, the underlying tone deadly.

"T-tarukane," the woman said between sniffles.

"Tarukane," Hiei growled. Apparently, he had heard of him.

Somewhere inside myself, I found the courage to pose a question.

"Who is Tarukane?"

"A rich business man. A real low-life bastard to," the fire demon spat.

I made some tea and Hiei busied himself by fixing some of the furniture and turning them over. I gave Rui a tissue and she smiled her thanks. I offered her the tea I had made and she accepted gratefully.

I sat across from her on the opposite couch, Hiei next 0to me. Only a glass table, which had a large crack going down the center, but we all ignored that. As Rui sipped the tea, she began to calm down a little.

"Can you tell us what happened Rui?" I asked. I had learned that Rui was Yukina's caretaker.

"Yes. It happened a few days ago. A large barrage of men barged in here demanding Yukina. Of course, we tried to fight back, but they were too strong for us. Some of them were supposedly Toguro's men who leant themselves out to support Tarukane."

"Why would they want to do that?"

"They supported him because Tarukane is trying to make a stand against the Jagan. He plans to use Yukina against Hiei so the Jagan can't interfere with their trade routes," Rui explained.

"Damned Toguro's," Hiei swore, eyes livid. Trying to calm him back into his rational state, I put my hand over his and clasped it. He squeezed back so hard I thought my hand might break under the pressure, but I bit my lip and tried to ignore the pain.

"They've been just waiting to take a stab at us," He raged on.

"We'll get her back," I consoled.

"Of course we will," I growled, "Along with their blood! Let's go!"

Hiei wasted no time picking me up bridal style and bursting out the door in his demon speed. I hadn't even the time to wave a goodbye to the forlorn Rui. The speed at which he ran forced my neck to rely on his chest for support. My hair was whipping over his shoulder and I clutched at his shirt desperately.

Trees, houses, everything was a blur. His speed awed me every time, especially when I was carried along for the ride.

OOOOOYukinaOOOOO

I heard the incoming footsteps stop outside my door. The said door opened and revealed an ugly, short man who was bald and had hideous bumps on his head. Tarukane, suit and all.

He entered along with some other black suit and tie people, all who were no doubt millionaires in their own right.

"Gentlemen," I nearly snorted. They were many things but gentlemen was not one of them, "this is the girl. Meet Yukina, the end to all of our problems."

"Are you sure this girl is Hiei's sister?" One of the men asked dubiously.

"Yes, I'm certain of it. She was in the house and resembles the picture perfectly," Tarukane responded quickly, squashing any doubts. I was silent and didn't acknowledge them the entire time.

A few days ago, I was home and with Rui. Then these men came and took me away. I didn't blame Hiei though. No, it wasn't my dear brother's fault that these men lacked honor and were corrupted. And I did so hate to be used against him.

I always was my brother's weakness because he cared for me and I was important to him. An easy target. But I would be adamant and not give in to them. If they had any questions concerning my brother, I would not answer them. They could torture me all they liked; I would not sell out my twin.

"The Jagan won't be interrupting our trade routes anymore," the men chuckle.

I was locked in a room that was surprisingly furnished. It had a bed, and a connected bathroom with no window. The sole window in my bedroom, no my prison, was barred and had a chair positioned next to it so one could look out the window if they wished.

That was exactly what I was doing and it did wonders to ignore them.

"Hey brat, what are you doing out there? I told you not to sneak around!" Tarukane snapped at his nephew.

Inconspicuously, I let my eyes wonder over toward the door and saw a little boy. He had brown hair and violet eyes, his expression meek. His eyes though were dull, void, and numb.

"Stupid bastard son of my sister! Government practically forced him on me when she died. I had to give in to keep up my respectable image," the ugly man murmured to his comrades.

The little boy didn't flinch at the insults and jeers being tossed at him but I saw a sparkle of hatred in the emotionless eyes. I felt my own loathing for this man grow. He even treated his own blood like trash!

I made a mental note in my mind to be nice to that boy should we ever meet again. I stared back out my window, oblivious to everything else, wishing I were free like the passing birds that flew by.

OOOOO

Reviewer Responses:

Crystal Koneko-Thanks for adding your favorite line! It really helps! Thanks for reviewing! I don't know if you know but you're somehow always my first reviewer! It's awesome to know I can count on you!

Ashley Dawn Kirk-You're very welcome! I was worried people would be annoyed at me for sending out email alerts but I knew some people wanted them. I'm glad you liked it though! Thanks for reviewing!

Youko's Kitsune Girl-Thanks for reading and reviewing my first chapter! I hope you like the rest even more!

Youko's Kitsune Girl-Enjoy the rest of the chapters! I wonder how long it took you to read the whole thing!

Kuwabara99-You're awesome, you know that! You review every chapter! And Yukina finally comes! Even if it's only a little bit…and the fact that she's kidnapped…but she's there, isn't she?

Youko's Kitsune Girl-Thanks, I'm glad you are liking all the chapters!

Forgotten-Heart-Shizuru and Kuwabara are not related because…I really didn't think about that. My mind was on other things in the story such as the plot and character relationships that when I came to the point where I had to decide if the Kuwabara's were siblings, I kind of just shot it down. I think when I was writing it, I forgot they were related so when I remembered I just decided that they weren't going to complicate the things I had already decided on and there you have it. Now that you mention it, I could have done the separated at birth thing, but I didn't think of it then. I'm glad you like Sakyo, you're right everyone forgets him. There will be Kurama/Shizuru in this fic, but we already know that Shiz loves Sakyo so it's going to be Kurama/Shizuru/Sakyo. I'm proud of you for catching on! Whenever Sakyo comes back in, it might be awhile, but I can promise it's a doozy!

Youko's Kitsune Girl-Really? You almost cried? That almost makes me happy. Not that I'm a sadist! I'm just happy I can write well enough to move people to tears! Yay!

RitSuYue-I'm glad you approve! You rock too!

TearsofSadness17-Thanks for contributing to the favorite line contest! I'm always surprised to see that everyone likes the same line! Seems almost like a magic trick or something…

Kitsune Kit-Thank you very much!

Vindiya-Thanks for doing the line contest! Actually I'm surprised people liked that line, because I didn't really like it when I wrote it. Ironic huh?

Kristyna girlie-Thanks for reading my fanfic! Your support really helps. And if you're email address has anything to do with being left handed, I'm a lefty too! Lefties rock!

Betabonanza-Thank you! I do notice I'm getting faster at updating and I'm glad you appreciate it!

LivingImpared-Yes, you are a very good guesser! Matane!

Kit-h-In this fanfic Shizuru will be placed with Kurama for romance. Outside of the crew, there will also be other people that she might also be paired with. And for how many gems there are…even I don't know that! But there's a lot!

Angel61991-Wow, I congratulate you for reading all eight chapters! It must have taken awhile!

Amata Mercy-Thank you! You're review was extremely flattering! I loved it! Thanks for participating in the favorite line thing! I hope you do it next chapter too! And yes, it has Kurama/Shizuru.

MystiKoorime-Sakyo will return in the fic, I'm positive of that. Nope, you're not getting too deep in the fic, you're pretty close on actually! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter my friend!

Keke-Kikyou's-Daughter-Thank you and I will!

Authors Notes- PLEASE READ! I thank all of you who did that last chapter's favorite line survey. It turns out there were two winners!

Favorite Line- "You handled yourself pretty well. If you would prefer, you can come along next time, but stick close to me. You're really quite helpless in a fight…"-Hiei

"Well, I moved the firewood in the kitchen for Kayko because she was complaining about how she had to get it for the stove and how it was tiring for her to lug it all the way back. So I transferred it here and when I checked on it this morning it was almost gone. So you can see, it was mostly Kayko's fault!" -Yusuke

Other notes-In this fanfic the some of the character if not all will be OC. I plan on making Yukina harder, Kurama is going to be darker, Botan more innocent, and so on.

In this fic there will also be various pairings. This fic, obviously, will end as Hiei/Botan but both characters will have triangles and other pairings along the way. Kurama/Shizuru is a pairing for example, but you can see that there is a Kurama/Shizuru/Sakyo triangle as well. Just giving you guys a quick warning!

And lastly, I'm extremely happy with the reviews, so I gave this chapter out early as a reward! You guys are awesome! This chapter is shorter, but I had to write it fast, and to be honest I most chapters are seldom going to be as long as the last chapter was. I just wanted to get Shizuru joining the crew all done in one chapter!

The next update will be up when I have 173 reviews!

Don't forget the Favorite Line Contest!

Freesia