Chapter Three

Revelations

Kuronue raced through the streets, the heavy rain drenching his body. He was getting nowhere like this, he could barely see. He reached up and removed the pendant from around his neck. His body shifted from the human façade of Yuki Hitokiri to the demon bandit Kuronue. He felt before he heard the girl walk up behind him.

"So this is who you really are."

"Kaname-"

"Don't. My entire life has been a lie. Is dad a demon too? Was mom? Am I?"

"No, I'm not your biological brother." More tears sprang to her eyes as he said this, her knees gave way and she collapsed to the ground, shaking with sobs.

"Was anything real?" Kuronue leaned down and gathered the trembling girl into his arms. She clung desperately to his chest, violent sobs wracking her body. He held her as she cried for a good five minuets into his already drenched chest. Her sobs died down into sniffles and her hands unclenched from his shirt. She pulled away from him, her eyes hidden behind her long bangs.

"I need to know, everything, I need to… I need to know." Kuronue nodded.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather explain it all inside and out of this rain. I don't want you catching fever because of me."

"You know, there was a time, I would have been saying that to you." She smiled in the saddest way and Kuronue felt another little piece of his heart break at the sight. Kaname struggled to her feet, making it about half way there before collapsing into Kuronue's waiting arms. He picked her up effortlessly without a struggle. Which worried him, Kaname wasn't the type of girl that liked to be rescued. She never would have let him carry her if she could help it. He raced back to the house as fast as his legs would carry him. He opened the door and ducked as a frying pan came flying at his head, the holder none other than Ayumi. He had forgotten she was still there. She raised her arms back to swing again and saw Kaname; the frying pan fell to the ground at her feet with a loud resounding thud.

"Kaname! What did you do to her you monster!" Kuronue glared at the human girl.

"Nothing, Ayumi it's me, Yuki."

"I know what Yuki looks like and you're not him!" Kuronue realized he was not wearing his pendant but quickly shook it off, Kaname was more important right now. He flew past the enraged girl and up the stairs to Kaname's old room, laying her carefully on the bed and pulling the heavy blankets up around her. It was nearing the end of fall so it was rather cold out and the rain hadn't helped any. Her skin was like ice to the touch and she was trembling under the heavy comforter. He needed to get her some heat.

Kurama walked calmly into Koenma's office to find the other three already sitting there. Well two were sitting; Hiei was taking up his usual position of holding up the wall. Koenma of course was seated behind the overly large desk that was for once devoid of papers. He had never really called all of them in together before, this must have been important. Kurama took a seat next to Yusuke and Koenma cleared his throat.

"I have called you all together like this for a very important mission. I was afraid it would only be a matter of time before this maniac reared his ugly head."

"And just who would this maniac be?" Koenma sighed and pushed a button on his desk causing a silver screen to slide down from the ceiling behind him. An image of a demon popped up on the screen. He was tall and regal looking with silvery white skin. He had long flowing white hair that reached just to his ankles and was held by a small ribbon at the end.

His eyes were a deep olive green with an inner circle of gold. His ears were pointed and elongated, several rings hanging from each one. He held a sadistic smirk as he stared into the camera and one could vaguely make out the protrusion of a razor sharp fang.

He wore all white robes that flowed about him, making him look like an angel. Of course the feathery wings on his back helped that along quite a bit. The dark charcoal gray stuck out like a sore thumb against the immaculate white, drawing your attention. He was altogether an imposing figure.

"Kieran, he rules over the vampire sector like a god." Hiei sneered.

"We fight demons not vampires. Don't you have slayers that handle these mediocre tasks?" Koenma's eyes brightened in an almost frightening way.

"Funny you should mention that Hiei. The four of you will not be going about this mission by yourselves, I've kindly asked our resident vampire slayer to join you and she has accepted my offer."

"I am not working with some weak woman who would serve no better purpose than to slow us down. I can barely stand to work with this idiot." Hiei motioned to Kuwabara.

"Hey you wanna start something shorty!?" Hiei sneered at the human and turned away.

"That would be a supreme waste of time." Yusuke interrupted the two.

"Hey! Cut it out you two! Jeez you fight like a married couple." Kuwabara turned on the spirit detective.

"What'd you just say!?" Kurama interrupted the argument, not wanting to witness another one of their senseless brawls.

"Who is she? This vampire slayer, what is her name?" He of course knew all about her but it had effectively diverted the boy's attention. Koenma pulled a picture of Kaname up on the screen in place of Kieran.

"Her name is Kaname Hitokiri, it says here that she goes to Meiou High. Isn't that the school you go to Kurama?" Kurama nodded, ignoring the burning stare he was receiving from the apparition behind him.

"Yes. I know Kaname, in fact I was just at her home a few minuets ago." Yusuke stopped glaring at Kuwabara and turned his attention to the fox.

"So you know this chick? Can she fight?" Kurama was slightly taken aback by the question but answered it promptly.

"Well I should suspect so, she's been training for about three years now." Yusuke nodded approvingly.

"Good, hate to say it but I agree with Hiei. I don't want some wimpy girl tying us down." Kurama smirked as he thought of what Kaname would do to Yusuke if she ever heard him call her wimpy.

"Well if she's anything like her brother that shouldn't be an issue." Yusuke looked over at the fox quizzically. He looked over at Kuwabara and a snicker crossed both boys' faces.

"Is that how you know her? Her brother?" He looked at them both suspiciously.

"You could say we are prior acquaintances." Yusuke put on an obviously fake guise of innocence.

"And what kind of acquaintances would you be?" Kurama glared at him, he understood now. Yusuke and Kuwabara had been trying for quite some time now to come up with some kind of evidence that Kurama was gay, of course they never bothered to just ask him and he wouldn't answer them until they did.

"Her brother, Yuki Hitokiri, is actually my old friend Kuronue; A former associate of mine, so to speak, back in my demon days." Yusuke's eyes narrowed as he recalled the name.

"Kuronue? But didn't you say he was dead?" Kurama nodded.

"Until today, I thought he was." Yusuke glanced at the fox apprehensively.

"How do you know it's really him I mean, it could be some kind of trick like that demon god pulled before." Kurama shook his head with utter certainty.

"It's not, trust me, it's him." Yusuke shrugged and settled back in his chair.

"Alright but expect an I told you so when he turns out to be some memory forming shape shifty thing and stabs you right in the back." Kurama smiled to himself and conceded to the boy.

"If that happens, which I know it won't, you have full liberty to tell me what ever you wish." Yusuke nodded superiorly and stuck his nose in the air, glancing at Kurama out of the corner of his eye as If expecting it to be some kind of trick.

"Well ok then. I will." Koenma cleared his throat pre-eminently.

"Well if you know her I can expect you to inform her of the situation. I tried calling her in but Botan hasn't reported back in yet." As he said this the doors of Koenma's office flew open and a dripping wet Botan came rushing in, Kuronue in step behind her and carrying a small bundle in his arms. It was Kaname. Kurama rushed to Kuronue's side, placing a hand on Kaname's cheek. He snatched it back quickly as if burned. She was ice cold. Koenma jumped up from behind his desk.

"Botan what happened?" The girl was visibly shaken and she stuttered out her answer.

"I'm not sure sir, I arrived to pick up Kaname as you asked and saw Kuronue and the human girl Ayumi piling blankets on top of her. She has severe hypothermia. If we don't get her body temperature raised soon she will die." Botan was frantic to save the girls life, Koenma nodded anxiously.

"Take her to my room, Hiei, you go with her." The demon glared at the god looking slightly shocked and angry at the same time.

"What." Koenma turned on him with a deadpan look of seriousness that clearly conveyed his age.

"You're a fire demon, you can lend her some of your energy and help to raise her temperature. Please do this, there isn't much time." Hiei followed the group into Koenma's bedchambers, grumbling about stupid humans and their stupid illnesses. He wasn't entirely thrilled to be lending any of his energy to some stupid girl either. It was her own damn fault for running out in the rain.

He pushed past the others roughly and settled himself on the bed, removing his cloak. He had to fight back a flinch as Kuronue placed Kaname on his lap; she was like a living ice cube. Kaname instantly curled around him and he could already feel her sucking up the warmth from his body. If she went about it this way she would kill them both. He removed her arms from around his waist and Kaname whined at the loss of contact. He clasped both of her hands tightly in one hand, his other going behind her and resting on the small of her back. He concentrated his energy and a purple aura surrounded the two. He glared at the others and they all quietly left the room, Kuronue giving one last glance before closing the door behind him.

"Do you think it wise to leave them alone together?" Kurama nodded and looked over at Kuronue somberly.

"If you want your sister to survive, it's best to leave them be." Koenma snorted and began to laugh.

"Sister huh? So that's what you have been letting her believe all this time. That you were her older brother." Kuronue glanced over at the demi-god and frowned.

"What are you talking about Koenma?" Yusuke asked. Kurama sighed heavily.

"Kuronue tracked me down to human world after he heard of my death and had a gypsy charm put on him to conceal his true identity while he searched for me. The family he came to was Kaname's. He became her older brother." Koenma shook his head, glancing firmly at Kuronue.

"Is that what you told him? Why don't you tell the real story Kuronue? Tell them who Kaname really is to you." Kuronue steeled his gaze, his face becoming impassive.

"She' my little sister." Koenma called him on it and squared his shoulders.

"No, tell them who her father is." Kuronue didn't even bat an eye.

"Hatori Hitokiri." Koenma snapped.

"Her real father!" Kuronue sighed and his stature collapsed, he sagged into a chair and let out another heavy sigh.

"I found Amane Sohma wandering about the streets of Tokyo the first night I came to human world. She was distraught, something about a death. I don't really remember, it wasn't important to me. I asked her what the matter was and she collapsed on me, crying her beautiful eyes out. I had never seen a creature so delicate. I found it extremely alluring. I could understand her grief at losing someone dear to her as I had just lost a dear friend of mine as well." Kuronue glanced over at Kurama who turned his gaze away.

"We comforted each other, if you could call it that. She became pregnant. Now you should understand. Human bodies are not made to sustain a demon fetus. They absorb an extreme amount of energy and eventually end up consuming the woman's entire store of life energy in a matter of months. I had not even expected her to last the first month in her weakened state." A small smile graced his lips.

"But unbeknownst to me Amane was no ordinary human. She was the slayer. Their different you see, not made like the rest of the weakling stock of humans. They're stronger, more powerful. She carried to term and bore me the beautiful girl lying just beyond that door. I'll never forget the look in her eyes when she held her daughter for the first time… The last time." Kurama was slightly confused by his last statement.

"Human women, slayer or no, should not be able to emit enough energy to complete the birth, you said she died in child birth." A look of pure and utter anguish fell across the bats face as he recalled that terrible day.

"She survived the birth, but she hemorrhaged, and I had to watch helplessly as the woman I loved bled to death on the operating table right in front of me, and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I watched the life drain from her eyes, those beautiful eyes. Watched as she kissed our baby one last time. That was the most horrifying experience of my life." The entire room was still; they were all staring at Kuronue sympathetically. Botan was crying silently, even Yusuke had a small tear in his eye. Kuronue glared daggers at Koenma.

"There I told them. Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted? I think I've been sufficiently humiliated for the night and I would like to get some sleep if that's alright with you." Koenma nodded solemnly and Kuronue stood to walk out the door. Kurama grabbed his arm as he walked past.

"We'll keep you posted on Kaname's condition." Kuronue nodded and left the room, casting one last glance at the doors concealing the fire demon and his daughter.

Kaname's eyelashes fluttered and she began to regain consciousness. She was unbelievably warm and extremely comfortable and she smiled contentedly. Suddenly she realized she was being held tightly in someone's embrace and tensed. The last thing she had remembered was being lifted into her brother's arms, how had she ended up here? Where was here?

Her eyes wandered up to the face of the person holding her and she had to fight back a gasp. It was him! The demon from her house. His striking crimson eyes where tightly closed and a look of extreme concentration was etched across his features. She stared in awe at the glowing red eye in the middle of his forehead, she hadn't noticed that before.

Her eyes traveled down to where he held her hands, the place the remarkable warmth was coming from. She felt wave of heat hit her and her lids began to droop, her conscious thought clouding over and making her feel deliciously light headed. She involuntarily snuggled closer to the apparition, rubbing her cheek against his bear chest. Her eyes shot open in the realization that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She looked down at herself and noticed she wasn't much better off.

It looked as if her clothes had been changed, probably Ayumi. The girl had probably changed her out of her wet clothes and into the ones she was wearing now, if they could be called that. She was wearing the pajama set that Ayumi's mother had made her for her fifteenth birthday. She had hidden it under her bed never to be touched again. Ayumi had probably figured that this would be the only time that she would ever get to see her wear it. It consisted of two pieces, the top being a lacy pink camisole with built in support and two black ribbons lining a corset pattern beneath her breasts. The bottoms were very snug pink lacy boy shorts with the same black lacing down the sides on her hips.

As soon as Kaname had taken it out of the box she had thrown it right back in, a bright red blush across her cheeks. Ayumi had made her try it on, saying it would look sexy at which Kaname spit back that she didn't need to look sexy but Ayumi would not take no for an answer. Kaname had eventually given in but that was the last time she had even looked at the stupid lingerie. And now she was wearing it again, wrapped up in and incredibly attractive demons arms and- wait a minuet, where had that come from? Attractive demon!? Had she just thought that!?

She looked back down at the hands around hers and felt another wave of heat roll through her body and her eyes lolled back in her head, her breathing becoming labored and heavy. She forced her eyes open and looked up at the demons face from behind hooded eyes. The look of concentration had been replaced by a look of utter euphoria. His alluring eyes opened slowly and he turned his smoldering gaze to hers, holding her eyes in a concrete embrace.

His stare burned like fire through her veins, igniting areas of her body she didn't even know existed. She watched helplessly from the inside as her hand left his and traveled up to his face, her finger running a burning trail down his jaw line. She hooked her finger under his chin and slowly brought his mouth down on hers. Their lips met in seething fervor, running fire through their bodies. Their tongues battled ardently for dominance. Hiei eventually gained the upper hand and pinned her tongue to the roof of her mouth. He plunged in deeper, exploring the deepest recesses of her tantalizing mouth, driving to the very edge of his control and falling over in a daze.

His eyes snapped open and he wrenched his mouth from hers. He looked down at the female beneath him. Hear hair was splayed out on the pillow like an evanescent waterfall, almost disappearing in the deep midnight blue of the bed coverings. Her eyes were half open, looking up at him with arrested passion, her lips, swollen and bruised from the kiss that should never have happened. Her arms where held above her head, entangled in her long midnight tresses. He trailed his gaze down her body, taking in every inch of her beautiful form before returning to her stunning steel blue eyes. She was a goddess.

But what had happened? What on earth had possessed him to lose control like that and kiss her. Not that he hadn't like it; that was the problem. He had liked it entirely too much. He had given in to his body's demands and seized this young girls virgin lips, he could tell she had never been kissed before, not really. She was by no means inexperienced but what those stupid humans called kissing was nothing compared to the depth and passion of a kiss given by a demon lover. He had given her her first real kiss and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she had liked it a little more than she had expected too. So what had happened? Where was this heat coming from?

His gaze wandered down to where their hips met. He was settled nicely between her thighs and he could feel the intense heat emanating from her core. His eyes returned to hers, a suspicion in the pit of his stomach. He rolled his hips against hers experimentally and was rewarded with a small gasp from her cherry lips. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep himself from dropping all of his inhibitions and fucking the girl right into the mattress. He nearly lost it when the smell of her evident arousal drifted up to his sensitive nose. She smelled of sugar and spice, the perfect combination of innocence and lust.

He growled in frustration and clenched his hands around the sheets, tearing small gashes in the soft material. He almost whined when she rotated her hips against his, his breathing becoming uneven as he fought for control over his traitorous body. His cause was lost however when she reached up and wrapped her lips around the pulse in his neck. In a final attempt to save his sanity he desperately called to Kurama in the other room. He reached up and grabbed her hair, jerking her head back and crashing his lips against hers, his hands wandering burning trails down her body. His fingers curled around her hips, gripping them in an iron grasp and pulling them to him.

She moaned into his mouth, clutching at his back as a wave of pleasure racked her body. She had never felt anything like this before. In the back of her mind she knew it was wrong, but right now she really didn't care. Her hands began exploring his body, wandering down to his belts, fully planning on getting this offending piece of cloth out of the way. No sooner had her hands reached the ties than she was suddenly alone on the bed. She opened her eyes to see Kurama holding back a very pissed off looking Hiei.

"Hiei," He attempted to get the smaller demon's attention, but all he got was a low growl. So he brought his hand back and gave him a small, hard slap in the face. Hiei flinched, then looked at him, eyes focusing.

"Can you hear me?" He said calmly.

"Yes," came the whispered reply. Kurama sighed in relief.

"Good," He had been sitting outside the door when he heard Hiei's distress call. It had caught him extremely off guard. He never in his life thought he would ever hear the demon call for anyone's assistance. He hadn't sensed any other demons in the room besides Hiei and Kaname and even if there had been an attack Hiei would have surely been able to handle them himself. The next thing to cross his mind was Kaname, had something happened to her? He had jumped up from his seat after recovering from his momentary shock and flung open the door. He was completely unprepared for the sight before him.

He stood there for a few seconds, taking in the sight and processing it. He quickly called his Rose Whip and wrapped it around Hiei's neck, jerking the smaller demon off of the young girl. As soon as he had opened the door he had smelled the intoxicating scent of a female demon in heat. He supposed that would account for Hiei's loss of control. If he had been in such close proximity when her cycle had started then it would make sense that this would happen. No one had that kind of resolve.

He released his grip on Hiei and the apparition quickly and quietly disappeared. Kurama sighed heavily, involuntarily taking in more of Kaname's intoxicating scent. He shook his head to clear it and glanced up into the terrified eyes of the young slayer. She was huddled in the corner of the bed, so obviously shaken. Kurama stood and took a step toward her but stopped when he took in a breath. It was her first heat and damn was it strong. No wonder Hiei had lost control. Kurama staggered back against the wall, calling for Botan.

The ferry girl came running into the room, taking in Kaname huddled on the bed and Kurama's prone form clutching onto the wall. Botan rushed to Kurama's side, catching him as he collapsed. He needed to get out of this room.

"Botan, help Kaname." Botan struggled to get the fox to his feet and wrapped an arm around his waist, the other holding onto his arm over her shoulders.

"Let's get you out of here first." She helped him out of the room and into a chair.

"What happened in there?" She asked, Kurama shook his head, already it was clearing.

"Kaname must have gone into heat when Hiei connected with her. I can't believe I didn't see this coming." Kurama clenched his fists. She was at the right age, she was vulnerable. He should never have put her in that position. Kuronue was going to kill him. He could already tell that Hiei and Kuronue did not get along at all. The two had completely different views. But Kaname and Hiei had bonded and there was no stopping the inevitable. Kuronue was just going to have to come to accept the fact that Hiei was eventually going to become his daughters mate, like it or not, and there was nothing he could do about it. Of course he wasn't going to be the one to tell him that.

"It isn't your fault, there's no way you could have known. What should we do?" Kurama shook his head.

"There's nothing we can do. This is up to the two of them." Botan nodded and sighed heavily.

"Oh I'd say this definitely complicates things."

Kurama found Hiei standing outside, back in his cloak, he must have grabbed it on his way out. He was staring at the moon. With much persuading by Koenma, Genkai had allowed Kaname to be kept at her temple to be watched by the old psychic and Yukina, Botan had also offered to stay and help. It was better to keep her isolated and away from the male influence. They had moved her immediately so as not to alert anyone else to her condition. Kurama had notified Kuronue immediately and it was safe to say he was less than thrilled.

"Thank you. It's the only time you will ever hear it from me so take it for what it's worth. This is the closest I can get without…" Hiei trailed off, his gaze never wavering. Kurama looked over at his stoic friend. He felt a little sorry for him, the girl was only fifteen, and it was much too early for her to be tied down by a bond.

"I understand. What will happen now?" Hiei stood prone against the icy wind rippling across the plane. He seemed to all the world to be just a statue but Kurama could see the raging emotions behind the apparition's eyes.

"What's the matter Hiei? She's not a human, you know that. Not entirely. And she's a very powerful and formidable warrior, her ancestry proves that. What is wrong with this union?" Hiei blinked, a shadow of an emotion crossing his face. Could it be, sorrow?

"But she is. Half of her is tied to this world, it is the only world she has ever known. I saw her mind. She's pure of heart, untainted. I can't touch that light. My entire life has been spent destroying things and when something so pure and so delicate comes to me, I don't know what to do." Kurama's eyes widened in realization.

"Like Yukina. That is why you won't tell her you're her twin. You feel it would taint her?" Hiei's head dropped and he glared over his shoulder at the fox.

"My heart holds a terrible darkness few have ever seen. I will not let either one of them become a part of that darkness." Kurama glared at the smaller demon slightly irritated.

"You told me once, that there is no one who does not have scars on his heart, that if there were someone like that, he would be a shallow soul. It's true, but those scars will never heal if you hold them inside. You need to let someone in, let someone help you find your way through that darkness." Hiei shook his head solemnly.

"No, she deserves more. She deserves something outside of demons and darkness. She should be with someone who can take her into the light. Something more than this freak show." Kurama had heard just about enough.

"Don't you think you should let her decide?" Hiei looked over at the fox. Kurama was shocked to see tears in his eyes. The look of desolation there was almost unbearable. He looked so lost.

"Hiei I-" The apparition was gone before he could say another word. He stared after the flying shadow. "I'm sorry…"

Botan looked in on Kaname, she was curled up and turned away from the door. Botan stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her.

"Kaname? Kaname are you awake?" The girl's form remained still except for her steady breathing. Botan sat down next to the girl and placed a hand on her arm, she felt the girl flinch at the contact. A small voice drifted up from the bundle of blankets.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take Botan." The ferry girl looked down at the slayer sympathetically.

"I can't imagine what it must be like having this happen to you all at once. It must be horrible." Kaname sat up and hugged herself around her knees, resting her chin on top.

"I think horrible is still coming. Right now, I think I'm still getting over the shock. I can't do this." Kaname's face contorted in pain and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Botan reached over and gathered the girl in her arms.

"Oh Kaname." She buried her face in Botan's robes and let all of her emotions out, soaking the girl's robes with her tears.

"I can't breath Botan, I feel like I can't breath." She sobbed violently, crying heavily into Botan's chest. Botan rocked the girl, whispering soft words of reassurance into her hair. A lone figure looked in on the heart wrenching exchange with sorrow filled eyes. Kurama watched as Kaname cried herself to sleep in Botan's arms. He turned when he heard a figure walking up behind him. Kuronue walked up and looked in on his daughter and the ferry girl.

"It breaks my heart seeing her like this. She never did anything to deserve this." Kurama dropped his head, a sad smile crossing his lips.

"They never do. You spend your whole life protecting someone from the unknown and you end up being the one that hurts them in the end. It's the circle of love and hate. And circles continue on forever." Kuronue let out a soft chuckle.

"And I thought I was the one that was cryptic." They shared a smile. Kuronue turned back to the room.

"It's even worse knowing there's nothing I can do to ease her pain. I haven't felt so helpless since Amane died." Kurama placed a comforting hand on the bats shoulder.

"It'll all work itself out, it always does." Kurama restated Kuronue's previous phrase before turning and leaving the demon to his thoughts.

Lucie