Yay! I found out how to get my files off so you all no longer have to wait for me to update. My dad is a real whizz at computers so he told me I could just copy my files onto a data disc direectly from my computer, so I was able to copy all the missing updates you guys wanted. Now you won't have to wait like another month.

So here you are, here's the first in a long line of updates.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.


Yoko's One Regret

Chapter 4

Life was strange. For a kitsune such as himself who had made a living stealing valuables and leading dozens of clans of ruthless bandits, Yoko was sure he'd seen it all. And now look where he was. Lying in a woman's bedroom, with pants on might I add, holding said woman tightly to him while his 'reincarnation' lay draped across her. If this had been some 500 years ago the scene might have looked a bit different, well different if you got rid of everybody's clothes, threw in the smell of sake, and added in a few more naked bodies. And yet, for some reason Yoko was sure he wouldn't have traded this morning for any of those.

Yoko groaned, dragging a hand through his ratty hair and yawned stretching his arms above his head. He couldn't sleep. Despite how he'd reacted to this situation, waking up in your own skin when you'd been living in someone else's for the past couple of decades was not as pleasant as he'd always dreamed. His body felt achy and soar, although that could have been because he'd hit a miko's barrier, courtesy of the miko currently draped over his naked stomach.

Oh if only his comrades could see him now. They would never let him live it down. Well, except for maybe Kuronue. The old bat would have poked fun at him sure, but he ultimately would have been genuinely happy for him. Yoko grimaced and tried to shut out the images of his partner's gruesome death, sitting up and starting slightly when the female body pressed against his own, murmured in her sleep and began purring. Yoko's head tilted to the side and immediately took note of Kagome's hair which lay draped all around them, shadowing her face from his view. He let his eyes travel lightly over the silky strands, admiring the rich blue black color and couldn't help but compare her hair to his best friend's.

Kuronue had hair like that, as dark as the darkest night and as soft as his own silver locks. He'd always wondered why Kuronue kept his hair up when he'd had such fantastic hair. Once he'd begged his friend to leave it down for one day, just one day. Of course Kuronue had never been able to deny Yoko anything when he put on the charm and had agreed to leave his hair down. Yoko had spent the whole day running his hands through his best friend's hair while Kuronue complained yet never bothered to tell him to stop. Yoko sighed sadly, his ears lowering with his depressing thoughts. How he missed his best friend. The bat had been the first and only demon who'd ever gained his full respect and friendship although he'd never once asked for it.

The bat demon had been beautiful, the first time Yoko spotted him. Both demons had been in Reikai attempting to steal the same treasure from the same lord. In those days, escaping into Reikai had been something unheard of. Such a thing was only possible if the demon was truly strong so Yoko had been surprised to come across a young kumouri on one of his heists. Yoko had at first been angry that someone else would dare try to steal anything he considered his and was surprised when the bat demon had offered to leave. Seems Kuronue had been there for the thrill and danger instead of just the treasure. Yoko had surprised himself by asking Kuronue if he wanted to join and both demons had been hooked on each other after that night.

At the time Yoko had relished the thought of finding a friend, though he'd never let Kuronue know just how badly he'd wanted someone to trust and depend on. He'd been a strong kitsune and admitting such a weakness was beneath him. But Kuronue had never once been afraid of him nor treated him as a god as all the others did. Much to his surprise and some ire, Kuronue had always treated Yoko as if he were just your normal bandit.

Yoko had few regrets in his life, but the biggest one was that he never told his partner just how much he meant to him. He'd loved him for so long, as a brother, comrade, and sometimes even a lover. Both demons had indulged themselves in each other's flesh a few times when there were no other warm bodies around. Once again he desperately wished he knew if he'd done the right thing by running away that night. Would Kuronue have lived if Yoko had stayed and attempted to rescue him? Or would they both have fallen? Would it indeed have been better to fall by his friend's side than to go on living those few miserable years when he'd regressed into his spirit form and continued living those last few miserable years in the Reikai before he was struck down?

So deep into his past was he, that he didn't notice as Kagome stirred a bit, eyes fluttering open with alarm until she remembered what had happened the night before and just who was in her bed. She was about to fall back into sleep when she realized Yoko had his eyes open though she couldn't tell what he was staring at. He was just staring straight up towards her ceiling, eyes fogged over in thought. She raised her energy a bit noticing the depressing colors swirling in his aura, wondering who it was he was thinking about.

Well whatever it was must have been bad, for she noticed the pained look in his eyes and couldn't help but tighten her arm and move up a bit. "Are you all right?" She murmured huskily, voice roughened by sleepiness. She must have startled him a bit for he jumped, ears straining and growl rising from his throat. His body relaxed after a few moments and he looked down to see Kagome lift herself onto her elbow and peer curiously at him.

"Sorry," he apologized thickly pulling her close and rubbing his chin upon the crown of her forehead. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," she replied, purring happily when he embraced her. She lifted a hand and placed it over top his where it was lying harmlessly across his abs. She kissed his long, slender fingers and gazed at him softly. "What were you thinking about? Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Wordlessly he gazed at her, wondering whether he should tell her about Kuronue. On one hand it was still hard for him to talk about his best friend, even to Shuichi who knew all about their relationship. On the other, it might be nice to get it all out there. Maybe for once he'd be able to sleep peacefully without picturing his best friend's anguished face through the thick bamboo poles stuck in various places within his body. Oh Kuronue, he thought.

"Kuronue?" She questioned, wondering why that name seemed familiar. She shrugged it off as it appeared she'd startled him. Noticing the conflicting emotions fluttering through Yoko's burnished gold eyes, she set back and allowed him time to speak.

"He was my partner," Yoko told her after what seemed an eternity. Yoko turned on his side a bit to hold her so he could talk face to face and Kagome was struck by how good he looked with the silver moonlight shining across his body. He really was a very attractive man.

"When you were a thief?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Bandit," he corrected her and chuckled when she raised an eyebrow in question.

"What's the difference?" Kagome asked, giggling a little at Yoko's posturing.

"A thief is one who does petty crimes; stealing food, minor valuables, things like that. You don't need a brain to know how to pickpocket or swipe a loaf of bread," Yoko explained as if he were quoting some philosophical nonsense.

"Oh? And you know how to use your brain?" Kagome nudged him playfully snickering when he growled at her playfully. Yoko lifted a hand and brushed her hair off her shoulder twining his fingers through the long, thick strands. Kagome's eyes followed his fingers' path, leaning into Yoko's soft touches. "What kinds of things did you steal?" She asked.

"Hm," Yoko looked thoughtful. "Well most of the time it was cash loads of gold and jewelry, however there were also artifacts which held great power and wealth."

"What did you do with it all?" She asked, watching as his eyes lit up. He obviously must have loved going on adventures every day, breaking into forbidden places and stealing even more forbidden valuables. Yoko was positively glowing as he talked about his days as a bandit. "Did you trade it at market and pawn it off or did you hoard it all in your den somewhere?"

Yoko wondered why she was so curious about his life as a bandit. Shuichi had never seemed to understand just what it was about the danger that got his blood rushing that way. "Why do you want to know?" He finally asked giving her a considering gaze.

She shot him a mischievous grin and Yoko was truck by how foxy she looked. "Maybe I want to know so I can break in and steal it all for myself."

"Why should I tell you then if you're going to steal it from me...not that you'd get very far. My plants would eat you before you even found my home."

She grinned secretively. "Maybe. Besides you're my friend now, right? And friends share with each other. So what's the harm in sharing the wealth?" Kagome wasn't aware how deeply she'd affected Yoko by that last statement. That was until Yoko's eye began to light with a suspicious heat that lit Kagome's body on fire.

She backed away when Yoko got the most seductive look across his face, one remnant of the one Miroku wore right before he said or did something perverted. Only Yoko looked so much better than Miroku and his eyes looked positively sinful as he forced her back against the bed, urging his body to come to rest on top of hers, Shuichi's arm sliding away from her body as he rolled over, leaving Kagome slightly nervous. Yoko's arm slid around Kagome's hips, to boldly display a hand on her right hip, fingers curling into her backside.

"So...you call me friend then, little vixen," Yoko whispered, leaning down and speaking in her ear, nuzzling at the tiny lobe of flesh.

"O-of course," she whispered suddenly quite breathless. Realizing what Yoko was doing to her, Kagome's own kitsune senses began to kick in and Yoko found the tables turned. Now it was he on his back with a slightly snarling demoness leaning over him.

Yoko was shocked, though he didn't show it. He hadn't realized he was dealing with a demoness. He hadn't sensed even an ounce of demon energy within her body. "So...you're a kitsune," Yoko drawled admiring the golden strands showing through. Suddenly Kagome realized what she was doing and backed off, lest Yoko's own senses kick in. Her hair lightened and faded to black and she sighed. "Sorry, I'm not completely in control yet," she apologized. He gave her a curious look and she just shook her head. "I'll tell you later. It's a long story and I don't really feel like going down that road right now." Kagome's eyes grew a bit distant and foggy and Yoko wondered if her wasn't the only one with a bad past.

"It's okay," He answered, tentatively drawing her back into his arms. He almost sighed in relief when she settled back against him, once again splaying an arm across his chest.

"So we've already discovered you're not trying to get me into bed in hopes of spilling all my secrets," Yoko teased after a few moment and Kagome blushed before smacking him lightly. "So why do you really want to know. Most people don't find the life of a thief very interesting."

"Bandit," she corrected him, lips tilting into a teasing smile.

"Bandit," he agreed.

She peered down at him adorably as she tilted her head to the side in a thoughtful manner. "Why wouldn't I want to know?" Her eyes lit up when she realized what it was he was truly asking. "Look, Yoko. It does not matter to me what you've done with your life. From what you've said about the Makai, it is a dangerous and ruthless place to live. So the way I see it is you either live or die, kill or be killed. You had to survive somehow and it looks like you've managed to do all right for yourself. Why should it matter what you did with your life, as long as you lived it the way you wanted?"

Yoko's jaw just about dropped. He'd never heard anyone speak about his life the way she did. She'd accepted him even knowing all the cruelties he'd faced and the many crimes he'd committed. "No one has ever put it quite like that before," he whispered.

She lost her smile and Yoko wondered if he'd upset her somehow. He was surprised when she apologized. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It really isn't any of my business and I hope you aren't angry with me for butting in."

He smiled, something he hadn't done in quite a long time. "No, it's okay. Its just no one has ever heard about my past without fearing me afterwards. Even Shuichi hasn't been able to handle some of the more atrocious acts of my past." Kagome sighed and looked behind her, spotting his once human counterpart's body lying peacefully on his back.

She couldn't help but smile at the red head, a soft look in her eye. "He must be very strong in order to have seen all your memories without cowering away from himself. Be grateful that he has been able to accept you as you are or else I don't think you would have survived long without losing both your minds."

Yoko couldn't help but agree with her. Although the once human boy, turned demon was still weary of his past, Shuichi had decided to learn from it and continue living in the now, instead of in the past. She turned back to the silver kitsune and lay back down scratching delicately behind his ears, causing him to break out into a rumbling purr. She was about to drift back into sleep before a thought drifted through her mind. "Ne, Yoko," she whispered against his chest.

"Hm?" he murmured, eyes closing sluggishly.

"Someday...will you tell me about your Kuronue, about the one you lost?" She asked softly and Yoko wondered how she'd been able to figure out the friend he'd been thinking about was dead.

"Yes," he answered kissing her forehead gently. "Someday, Kagome. Someday soon."


There now we have some Yoko/Kagome interaction. I hope you guys liked it. Also I wanted to add in that there is a surprise character who will be coming in, in two more chapters, though you won't recognize him right away. As for the other members of the Reikai Tantei I haven't written them in yet, but they'll be around soon.

I'd like to thank you all for being patient with me, although some of you haven't. And that's okay. I know how crazy I get when a good story I enjoy doesn't get updated. So now all you readers can rest easy cause I'm back again.

Ja ne.

Kura