A Past Love: Sequel
Chapter 1: A Spat Between Lovers
by AngelK
Note As of 10/8/05: I've decided to take the story and just add all the chapters to the original A Past Love/Lost and Found: Love
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Welcome to A Past Love/ Lost and Found: Love's Sequel. Four years have passed since the first story.
My usual blather, I do like comments and suggestions/criticism. But, if you don't like this story as you read it, it's kind of pointless just to tell me how much you hated it and how terrible I am. So, I want a reason for why you dislike it so much if you do (in other words, constructive criticism). If you see a problem with it, state it. Otherwise, enjoy yourself.
Disclaimer: This is a story based upon characters of Yu Yu Hakusho. It is for entertainment purposes only.
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A male somewhat petite in height wearing a black cloak and a white bandanna was walking through a forest in Makai. His hair was black and flame shaped, with a white starburst at its center. His red colored eyes were piercing and intense and seemed to see and notice everything at once.
A young child walked in step with him. It was somewhat obvious that the two were related. Her hair was longer but was as spiky as the male's and contained a white starburst. Her eyes were identical to the demon's and she was dressed in a black yukata tied with a dark blue obi belt. "Are we there yet, Papa?" Garnet colored eyes looked expectantly up into the identical male demon's eyes.
Hiei's mouth twitched. "Almost, Akiei." He offered her his hand and they continued walking together.
"I wish Mama could be with us too. And Toshiro." Akiei commented earnestly, frowning slightly.
"As do I. But, she had to go and Toshiro wanted to go with her," Hiei explained patiently to the five year old.
"I wish I had gotten to go see Auntie Nariko too," Akiei moped, lower lip covering her upper lip in a classic pout.
"How about a weapon lesson?" Hiei asked, quickly steering the girl from the current subject.
Akiei raised a curious eyebrow. "Is that a bribe, Papa?"
Hiei chuckled. "You learn fast, my daughter. But you would like a weapon lesson, wouldn't you?"
"Oh yes, Papa. I want to be as good as you are someday. I'll train really hard until I'm as good with a sword as you," Akiei stated, her eyes shining brightly.
Hiei kissed the child's head. "I have no doubts. I believe you'll even surpass me someday. You have amazing potential for your age and you already wield your weapon well. Shall we get started?"
Akiei unsheathed her katana. It appeared to be a full length sword compared to the child's small size but she handled it better than most would at her age. "Alright, Papa. What sort of drills will we be working with today?"
"Hm...start with usual exercises. Move onto combinations and today, I'll teach you a new one." Hiei promised.
Akiei's eyes lit up and she immediately began her movements. She was as graceful as her mother; each sword pass was smooth.
Hiei smiled with pride. His daughter was developing wonderfully. He should have expected no less from a combination of himself and his mate, Akita. The jaganshi wondered what his mate was doing at that very moment.
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Wide red eyes watched every agile movement of a bowyer at work. "Are you almost done yet?" Excitement rose in the young child's voice.
"Yes, my little darling. Almost." Careful fingers fletched steel to an arrow shaft. Holding it up to eye level, ebony eyes examined the arrow. "Perfection-" The words had barely left her mouth before the steel feathers fell to the ground. "All my damn work put into that one arrow and the feathers don't stick...for heaven's sake..." More cursing and swearing followed before the rage subsided.
"Mother? Perhaps you should have used that stuff." The boy gestured to the jar of glue.
Akita raised a confused eyebrow.
"I was going to tell you that maybe white paint wouldn't work." Toshiro's red eyes darted to indicate the jar Akita had been using.
His mother picked up a feather and stared at its white painted tip in wonder. "We'll start over then." She murmured with a sigh.
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"Akita has been sighted, Master Hiei. She and your son are approaching from the east." A messenger said and then disappeared from the doorway.
Hiei stood from his desk. "Did you hear that-" He turned. "Akiei?" The jaganshi raced to the balcony. He smiled.
"Mama!"
The demon hybrid saw a streak of black racing towards her from the direction of the fleeing sunlight. Akita lifted the girl into her arms and kissed her forehead.
"I missed you, Mama! Why'd you have to go to Aunt Nariko's?" Akiei asked, clinging to her mother's neck in a hug.
"Only to see my new niece, love." Akita replied, shifting her daughter to her right hip. She took Toshiro's hand in her left and began walking towards the compound.
"You're so lucky you go to see Aiko, Toshiro. Is she still really cute?" The young child asked her brother.
Toshiro nodded. "She's so tiny though."
Akita laughed. "She'll grow bigger than you, I'm sure." Ruffling his hair, she smiled.
Suddenly, someone lifted Toshiro up.
"Hello, Father!" Toshiro said with glee.
"I'm glad you're back. How are the Wind Master and his child?" Hiei asked, balancing Toshiro on his left hip and slipping his right hand into Akita's.
"Kaori recovered well from the birth. Aiko has the red hair of her parents and has the most beautiful pair of amethyst colored eyes. The flame colored are from her mother and the blue are from her father, combining into purple. Jin is fine. He sends his regards to you both." Akita explained.
"Well, Akiei got a weapon lesson this afternoon. Would you like to-" Hiei began to ask the young female.
"Shhh..." Akita hissed. She gestured to the sleeping pair with her head.
"They are five years old. How can they already be asleep?" Hiei asked incredulously.
"Perhaps they aren't as similar to us as we thought. Fighting tires them out more than it tired me when I was this age." Akita kissed her daughter's forehead.
Hiei slid an arm around her waist. "Let's go and tuck them in then."
Akita nodded and leaned against her mate as they walked towards their home.
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Akita tucked the covers tighter around Toshiro. She leaned in and kissed his forehead.
At the bed beside his son's, Hiei ruffled Akiei's hair lightly and smiled softly as he watched her clutch her katana nearer underneath the bed covers.
Akita shut off the light and she and Hiei returned to their chambers.
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Morning light was sneaking in through the minuscule spaces of the blinds that covered the window.
Hiei cracked open a crimson eye and glanced at the sunlight. He re-closed it instantly and wrapped his arm tighter around his mate.
Akita's bare back leaned in against Hiei's chest snugly. She felt his body shift slightly and smiled. "Awake already?"
"Hn..." was the sullen reply.
"Well, would you mind if I got up?" Akita asked tentatively.
"Hn," Hiei muttered and tightened his grip.
Akita sighed. "Brat."
Hiei grinned. "I know."
"Don't make me tickle my way out." Akita threatened.
"Try me." Hiei said smugly.
A few minutes later, Akita was dressing into a sea green kimono with a disgruntled Hiei getting up as well.
"Sometimes I really hate you." Hiei grumbled, buckling his belts.
Akita only snickered as she tied her blue obi.
Hiei growled as he pulled a cloak on. Picking up his katana, he stalked from the room.
"Brat..." Akita said with a chuckle. She went to the door of the adjoining room to wake the twins.
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"Eye on the target...that's it. Now, aim and fire!" Akita instructed.
Toshiro closed an eye so he could focus completely on the bulls-eye. Lifting his bow, he put an arrow to the string and released it. It hit the target precisely.
"Beautiful shot, Toshiro! I'm so happy!" Akita swung her son up into her arms joyfully and kissed his cheek.
"Will I be able to use heavier arrows from now on? To practice with at least until I get the hang of it? Like some of those armored arrows that are meant to puncture buildings?" Toshiro queried.
Akita chuckled. "Soon, my son. You're only five years old. You're well on your way to becoming a talented archer."
"Is it almost time for my plants lesson with Uncle Kurama?" Toshiro asked anxiously.
"Your uncle promised to teach you only if you harnessed your weapon by today. So far, I haven't seen it..." Akita trailed, a twinkle in her eye.
"Oooh! I want to show you then, Mother!" Toshiro closed his eyes and instantly a pale violet aura began to emanate around him. From beneath his shoulder-length, raven locks, he pulled a pale blue flower.
"Of the Reikai? Those are expensive plants." Akita commented with a smirk.
"Not really of the Reikai. It's a close relation except from the pits of Spirit World. I got it when we were traveling to return that jewel to the Chaos Dragon," a male voice remarked softly.
Akita whirled. "Kurama!" She wrapped her arms around him. "It's been awhile."
"Mother, will you please focus?" Toshiro asked impatiently.
Akita rolled her eyes.
Purple energy surrounded the blue bud. It burst into full bloom. A small ember burned at the center of the ice colored blossom.
"Now, remember, Toshiro, concentrate on what you want the weapon to be." Kurama reminded.
Toshiro gave a curt nod and the flower began to transform.
"Beautiful," his mother observed aloud a few moments later.
"But, what is it specifically, Toshiro?" Kurama asked, studying the weapon with immense curiosity.
"I used my imagination, Uncle. I thought of your weapon, Father's, Mother's, and Uncle Yusuke's. I wanted a mix of them all." Toshiro explained simply, as if it should have been obvious to his intelligent uncle.
"Well, you've done a wonderful job." Akita murmured, approaching to inspect the weapon.
What the young boy held in his hand was intricate and elegant. It was slightly longer than a katana but shorter than a full-length sword. Fire raced up the entire length of the weapon; fine threads of ice made up the sword itself. The hilt was of a thick green stem and five thorn-like handle structures arched to meet the blade. A sphere of violet energy glowed through the open spaces directly above the sword's hilt within the arcs of green thorn spindles.
Just as Akita and Kurama bent closer to examine the weapon, ice-colored thorns grew from the blade.
"Remarkable," Kurama stated, awed.
"This is taking a lot of energy to uphold, isn't it?" Akita asked, concerned for her child.
"Not really, Mother. If it worries you, I'll simplify it. Besides," Toshiro smiled up adoringly into his mother's onyx shaded eyes, "I prefer to fight long range with the bow and arrows you made for me. I'm not very good with close range attacks. Father said so." For a moment, disappointment flashed in the young child's brilliant ruby eyes.
Akita's eyes shimmered for a moment but she quickly blinked. Kneeling, she looked at her son, pride and love brimming in her tear-filled eyes. "Toshiro..."
"Momma..." Toshiro dropped his weapon to be swept into his mother's embrace. Tears trickled down his cheeks.
Akita stroked his hair and ruffled his kitsune ears that were identical to her own except for their white tips. She could blame that on Hiei.
"I love you, Momma." Toshiro said softly.
"I love you, my son." Akita whispered, clutching him tightly.
"Eh-hem."
Akita looked up into her brother's kind green eyes. Momentarily, they shifted to harsh, pale amber and returned to emerald. "I guess it's time for his lessons then." She reluctantly released her son and kissed his forehead. "Have a good time." She straightened and walked towards where Hiei often ventured with Akiei. She paused beside her brother. "When you're done, call for me. I'd like to have him go visit Comp and his mate, Snowblossom. They have pups and I want Toshiro to practice shape-shifting a little." She continued walking.
"Come, Toshiro." Kurama offered his hand and the boy took it. They walked towards the borders of Yomi's territory.
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Akita stood in a large open field. "Ice..." Stretching out her hands, frost and ice particles leapt from her palms, and flowed out from her feet, racing along the ground and through the air. Flowers shriveled and were covered with a layer of ice. "Fire..." Flames shot out all around from her body, melting the ice in a heartbeat. Embers threatened to engulf the forest surrounding the field.
Akita's eyes glowed red. "Don't you dare."
The flames seemed to test the demon's words and were instantly extinguished with shots of ice.
"Hn...climate control. I figured you had to be around here." Hiei commented with his arms folded smugly.
Akita's eyes blazed again. "Twin Drag-"
Akiei squeaked. "Mama, you aren't serious!"
Akita whirled, eyes burning furiously. "Akiei, leave now. Your father and I have... things to discuss. Your uncle is on his way back from another lesson with Toshiro on Yomi's territory. Meet him at the border and go and train with your brother under Mukuro's instruction. Immediately."
Akiei didn't dare refuse her mother and took off like a shot.
Akita stood, flames racing up her right arm and ice forming around her left. Dragon tattoos were burned into her flesh. Her form was drifting between human and demon shape.
"Hm, I've never seen you take on this form. Since when did you have tattoos?" Hiei asked, still amused.
"Wipe that smirk off your face before I burn it off." Akita shot forward, drawing her sword with lightning speed.
Hiei was able to block with his katana. "What in heaven's name is the matter with you?"
"How DARE you degrade Toshiro's fighting abilities!" Akita pulled back her left fist and it shattered as it made contact with Hiei's face, partly melting, partly broken on impact.
Hiei's eyes widened angrily. "How dare you accuse me of debasing our son!" Pulling back his fist, he growled. "Fist of the Mortal Flame!"
Akita bent and flipped backwards, escaping the burning purple flames. "You're the one who told him he wasn't good at close range attacks. If someone spent a little more time with him rather than with just Akiei, he might pick up some stuff from someone besides me and Mukuro!" Reversing her blade, she smashed it into Hiei's chest.
Hiei drew back his right arm. "I'll release it." The black tattoo pulsed with energy; the dragon appeared more menacing than ever.
"I dare you. After what you did, I'll shred you and your precious dragon." Akita growled, hands bleeding from the sharpness of her blade when she had forced the blunt side against Hiei's chest. Her sword had left a long burning cut mark there across his torso.
"Dragon of the Darkne-" Hiei began, preparing his attack.
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Author's Note: Sorry it ended so abruptly… I didn't know of a good spot to end the chapter. I write stories way ahead before I post them and the information flows together in a constant. Unfortunately, I had nineteen pages that could have flowed nicely for the most part into one chapter. But, everyone would've gotten bored with the massive chapter. So I split it….sorry if it's a bad split. Fortunately enough, I can post both chapters since they're already written. So, no wait! How lucky!PLEASE REVIEW!
Author's Note 10/8/05: Fortunately enough readers will get to see Chapters 1-7 of the sequel...how luck are you!