(A/N: Hey all! I hope you're enjoying my fic! Let's get the ball rolling shall we?)
The 'taxi' as Yoru had called it, was quite an adventure in Touya's personal opinion; adventurous in that he had to keep his fifty-year old brain from surfacing every time he saw something vaguely unfamiliar, colorful, or shiny.
Not to mention being inside the 'taxi' was quite like being inside the belly of a medium-sized youkai that moved at a fairly good rate.
And, GOD the smells! It was close to totally sensory overload! Between the scent of feet, soda, greasy meat, vomit and something unidentifiable that he knew must be some sort of ningen cleaner, he very near lost the battle to his juvenile brain.
He had never been so thankful for a breath of cold air that slapped him across the face and sent his child's mind back to the corner's of his subconscious for the time being as Yoru lifted him back onto her shoulders.
They had walked in silence for a time as they made their way towards the place whereYusuke's mate dwelled, but the silence apparently weighing more heavily on her shoulder's than Touya himself, Your attempted to strike up a conversation with the miniaturized youkai.
"How ya holding up up there?" Yoru asked, a smirk tingeing her words as she walked along as at a leisurely pace Touya wished would expedite.
"Okay." He replied quietly, gripping two handfuls of her long hair nervously, unconscious of the color out of nerves as he watched the ningens she passed nervously, wondering with increasing worry if they were staring at her, or at him.
"My aren't you the quiet one." Yoru replied with a snicker, "Most of the kids I work with can't ever seem to put a lid on it."
"Eh?" he blinked, leaning forward slightly to peer at her face, "You work with children, Yaminade-san?"
"Yoru please, Yun-kun." She retorted quickly, "I hate formalities. And yes. I work at a daycare center part-time. But it's hush-hush. My school doesn't allow part-time jobs."
"Ohhh." Touya said, his fifty-year old curiosity coming out of hiding from his subconscious mind to partially overwhelm his analytical Shinobi judgment, "Why's that?"
"'m not sure." Yoru replied in a quizzical tone, "It's silly if you ask me. But still, it's our little secret 'kay? No one, not even Keiko-chan knows about this. It's just between the two of us."
Secrets? Ooooo, he liked the sound of that. He was a grown up! He could keep a secret! He was, after all, gonna be a ninja when he-AAAAAAAUGH! STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT! You. Are. An. A-dult! Repeat! ADULT! Don't start acting like an undersized Jin! Lord! What next? Screaming like Rinku for sweet snow?
"Okay." He managed to reply in what he hoped was a mild tone as a dwelling that was redolent of Yusuke's mate loomed into view, bringing on a wave of fresh as three other familiar scents struck his nostrils.
The ningen girl shifted him off her shoulders, much to his child mind's disappointment, and into her arms where he got a better view of his savior.
Rather pale complexion, as though she had been ill for some time, amber-brown eyes and a kind face framed by long grey-brown hair. Her entire appearance was rather washed out…like a rather old painting.
"We're here." She smirked, raising a hand to knock only to have the door fly open ad a red-headed blur fly out with a blue haired blur streaking after him.
Yoru clutched the miniaturized Touya tightly to her chest as the figures flew by, the blue haired being shout expletives at the red-head.
"What the…I don't wanna know." She mumbled, giving his back a pat as she entered Yukimura's house, "OI! Keiko-chaaaaaan? You here?"
"Eh?" the brown haired, brown-eyed teen appeared around a corner, cheeks flushed from yelling only moments before, "Yoru-kun? What are you doing here?"
"Keiko!" the real Yusuke barked, striding around the corner after her, "You can't just walk out in the middle of a…"
He trailed off, his dark brown eyes fixing themselves on Touya with a look of recognition at the familiar youki.
Touya? he mouthed, his eyes wide, Is that you?
The youkai in the ningen girl's arms nodded slightly, hoping that Yusuke would urge Keiko into the tale he had managed to spin.
"Hey Keiko." Yoro said offhandedly, shifting him around in her arms, "You're relatives must be pretty out there to let your cuz go off on his own."
"My cous-YEEOWUCH! Yusuke!" Keiko shrieked as her boyfriend pinched her arm, "Knock it off!"
"Hey thanks for bringing the lil' guy back!" the mazoku said quickly, reaching to take the Toddler Touya from the washed out teen, who was now staring at Yusuke curiously.
"You have the same name?" she asked sardonically, raising an eyebrow as Yusuke snatch the chilly tot from her, "That's a rather odd co-winky-dink…doncha think?"
"Yeah, well, Yusuke's a popular name nowadays." The hanyou replied cheerfully, shooting a poisonous look at Jin and Chuu over his girlfriend's shoulder.
"Uh-huh...so explain to me why half the boys I baby-sit are named Shinji?" Yoru snorted, rolling her eyes as she headed for the door, "I'll stop by later Keiko-chan. We can play then, okay, Yun-kun?"
Yun-ku…? Ohhhh, she was referring to him!
"Okay." He replied in an almost timid voice as she ruffled his hair a little before walking out the door, leaving him to talk seriously with the real Yusuke.
"Touya, what the hell happened to you?" Yusuke cried, causing Keiko's eyes to widen in surprise at the familiar name.
"Touy-wait a minute…" she murmured, squatting down to the little so she was at the miniaturized youkai's eye level, "…it IS you!"
"That pinheaded, feather-brain, Shishiwakamaru was meddling where he didn't belong." Touya growled bitterly.
"Ah, the Idunn Box stroikes again it does." Jin chuckled merrily, his blue eyes glittering merrily at his friend's current predicament.
"It's not. Funny. Jin." Touya spat, pronouncing each syllable, "Suzuki had just finished 'making improvements to it', so I've no idea how long it will take to change back."
"Well aintchoo a cute lil' bugga." Chuu snickered, cuffing the poor juhyou tsukai around the neck to give him a very rough noogie, "Ne'er told us whadda cute lil' runtcha were, Toy."
"Knock it OFF, Chuu." Keiko snapped reproachfully, snatching Touya away from him with a withering look, "Honestly, this is not the time for games!"
"Hey Keiko-chan, I forgot my…huh?" Yoru murmured, quieting herself as the sound of unpleasant conversation reached her ears, "What's going on?"
"Well, where the hell is that idiot anyway?" Yusuke (senior's) sharp strident voice snapped angrily, making Yoru cringe at its force.
"Chasing ningen skirt, what do you think?" Yun-kun (at least from Yoru's perspective) retorted, in his sweet, yet icy tone.
"Was that really Yun-kun?" she wondered, "And what did he mean when he said 'ningen' anyway? He's ningen too! And what's a kid his age doing using such a colorful vocabulary?"
"At any rate, we better find Suzuki." Keiko's voice came, serious and grave, "He's the only one who would know for certain how to change you back."
"What does she mean by that?" Yoru practically screamed in her mind, "Yun-kun's a little boy! There's nothing for him to change back into except an embryo!"
"Detective." Another voice, a darker voice sliced through the air, "You've become careless."
Pain. Splintering pain exploded through the back of her neck, sending stars cascading past her eyes as she felt her knees give out.
Tears watering in her eyes, she vaguely saw Yun-kun's shape before her vision clouded over and she blacked out.
"Oh no." Touya moaned as Hiei sheathed his katana and began working at the knot of his bandana, "How much did she hear?"
Knot undone and jagan uncovered and open, Hiei quickly scanned the newer memories in her mind and let loose a heavy sigh.
"Everything." Hiei muttered irritably, moving a palm over her forehead, "I'm going to have to wipe her mind."
"It's our little secret okay?" Touya unwillingly heard her voice echo in his head, "It's just between the two of us."
"Stop." He mumbled, grabbing a hold of Hiei's wrist with all ten of his tiny fingers, "Don't. It's not necessary."
"What are y' on man" Jin asked, scratching his wild mane, "A course i' is!"
"I know one of her secrets and she now knows one of mine. An even trade, no?" Touya asked, "If she threatens to tell what she knows, I'll threaten to tell what I know."
"Eh?" Chuu blinked, peering at the diminutive juhyou tsukai, "Whatchoo know 'bout this Sheila, eh?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu." Touya said cryptically, indulging his fifty-year old instincts this time around and sticking out his tongue.
"No need to be rude, Touya." Keiko said chidingly, as she rose to her feet, "I'm going to get some smelling salts to wake her."
"Thanks for the warning." Yusuke cringed, making a face at her back, "That stuff reeks worse than Kuwabara's sweat socks after gym!"
From his apartment, Kuwabara sneezed.
"Hopefully, we can explain this to her." Shishiwakamaru said coolly, "And you wont have to play your trump card."
"Yeah…hey, wait a minute!" Touya yelped, whipping around as Shishi sauntered up the stairs, letting his childish personality take partial control as he screamed, "YOU TURKEY-BRAINED BUFFOON! I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!"
"So…" Yoru said in what she hoped was a calm voice as she addressed the child in her lap, "You're a youkai?"
"Hai." Touya nodded, patting her hand awkwardly in an attempt to relieve whatever fear she might be experiencing.
"And this isn't the way you usually look?" she asked in an discomfited tone, peering into his face as he stared up at her through big, round, ice blue eyes that lacked the innocence of a the age he appeared to be.
"Tha's fer durn sure." Jin snickered, feeling comfortable enough now to float Indian style in mid air with his arms folded behind his head.
"And I don't think you need me to tell you that these guys are demons." Keiko said in a soothing tone, jerking her thumb in the direction of Chuu, Jin, Shishiwakamaru and…
"Yusuke-chan too?" Yoru asked, cocking her eyebrow, "No wonder no one could ever beat you in a kenka!"
"Yusuke-chan?" Chuu snorted, trying to suppress the laugh building up in his chest, shaking under the effort.
"How many times have I told ya it's just plain ole Yusuke?" the mazoku barked, reddening slightly as Chuu lost it and a long loud booming laugh escaped.
"So…how'd you get like this?" Yoru asked, subconsciously wrapping an arm around Touya's front and petting his hair.
Touya's body temperature dropped instantaneously as did the room temperature, making Jin, who was in his normal garb, yelp.
"Ask. Him." Touya spat, voice dripping with venom as he jabbed a finger in Shishiwakamaru's direction.
"It's not my fault you're like this Touya." Shishiwakamaru remarked snidely, running a hand through his hair, "It's Suzuki's."
"So…his name is Touya, huh?" Yoru thought to herself as a familiar dark voice expressed it's opinion.
"Actually, it is your fault, narcissist." Hiei growled softly, emerging from the shadows with Kurama in tow, "You should have known better than to touch Pandora's box."
"In this case, it's effects are quite the opposite." Kurama mused, stepping forward to inspect Touya closely, "Why haven't you transformed back yet I wonder."
"Ah!" Shishiwakamaru cried, palming his fist, "I almost forgot! How foolish of me!"
In the blink of an eye, he was clasping Yoru's hand, his eyes glowing with the seductiveness intrinsic only to youkai.
"I am Shishiwakamaru, at your service." He smiled, exposing his perfect white teeth, "An honor to meet you my dear."
"I suppose introductions are in order." Kurama sighed, giving the ningen girl a small smile, "I am known in ningen circles as Minamino Shuichi, but in the Makai, I am known as Kurama. Good to meet you."
Jin flew forward and grabbed Yoru's free hand and shook it heartily.
"Oim Jin!" He said, grinning cheekily all the while, "Good t' meetcha!"
"Th' name Chuu!" the drunken master smirked, cuffing the ningen on the back, "Good t' meetcha Sheila!"
"Hiei." The koorime muttered, eyeing the ningen girl with suspicion.
All present expected a reaction similar to Keiko's - a warm smile and a happily introduction. What they got was quite the opposite.
"Keep. Your. Distance." Yoru snapped venomously, smacking Jin and Shishi's hands away and shooting Kurama and Chuu a poisonous glare before removing Touya from her lap and placing him carefully on the floor, rising to her feet.
"You don't need to worry about me keeping your secret." She said coolly, "I won't breathe a word. You'll have to excuse me now, I have to start dinner."
She gave a short, deep bow and turned on her heel, stalking towards the door and closing it with a snap.
"What was that all about?" Shishiwakamaru asked, rubbing his hand as he eyed the door.
"Huhhhhhh…sit down everyone." Yusuke sighed, sitting back on his heels, "I'll tell ya."
Sore wa himitsu desu - It's a secret!
Kenka- Street fight.
(A/N: Yusuke tells why Yoru hates men. Touya changes back, but with an unexpected twist. R&R!)