A Glint in the Snow
By: Abby Ebon
AN: Sorry for the long wait everyone hope this makes it up to you in some way.
Disclaimer: YYH and Gundam Wing do not in any way shape of form belong to me. However anything unrecognized such as the Nekokikai, and original characters such as Rius do.
Makai hosted a verity of demons that, for the most part warred with each other for status. In resent times however this had all changed and now Makai was ruled by one demon. Or was supposed to be- some demon clans held themselves above this alliance.
Among them were the Koorime- but they rarely ventured outside their domain and so were not normally considered a threat. The Koorime however fear only two things both were concerned with two ancient prophesies, which foretold the end of their way of life.
The withered face of an ancient Koorime –the one who had spoken with Yukina, stared up out of a clear bowl of water. Her eyes as silver as the ice that was common on their floating island. Her withered hands gently rubbed the bowl- it was plain and undecorated, but the polished wooden surfaces and edges were gleaming, and she smiled.
She was the oldest living Koorime- and she alone knew the name of the one who had prophesied their end. The bowl she held was what the prophesier had placed her memories in- especially the visions she had had concerning the end of their current way of life.
Unfortunately that information was barely worth watching now, as it was blurred and whitened with age. Nevertheless she knew the signs and had memorized them long ago when their images had been as clear as sight could allow.
She had feared when the twins had been born. They hadn't been the first set but the only set where the male had been so powerful. As was custom the boy child had been dropped off an edge from their domain. She hadn't feared again until a stranger had boldly set foot upon their domain seeking aid. What was worse the stranger had been male.
He had been very badly injured- instead of sending him away as they should have his injuries were so severe they had allowed him to live among them. However only on the ground – the land below their floating island.
Yukina's mother and two other Koorime females had nursed the man back to heath. Later it had become apparent that Yukina's mother had fallen for him and naturally they had coupled as the young would often do. Later when it wasn't near the normal birthing time for Koorime women, Yukina's mother had given birth while off their domain and so they hadn't known anything until it was too late.
The stranger had fled with her presumably male child. The stranger had only been known by one name to the Koorime… Jioden. Only afterwards did she had noticed that two male Koorime had been born less then five years apart -and from the same mother. Which had never happened before- and was later found to be mentioned in the prophesy from the bowl.
When nothing else had happened for quite some time while they had been wary they had let their guard down all the same. So when Yukina had reached the age of maturity and left them to presumably find her brother none of them had stood in her way. The ancient Koorime rose the prophesy bowl to her mouth and blew onto it the surface rippled and swirled and she smiled and she whispered under her breath.
"Show me Jioden…"
This bowl besides showing the prophesy also if pressed would someone connected to the prophesy and Jioden was very much connected to the prophesy but sometimes it would be clearly or sometimes so foggy one would only see vague images.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Last Time
Both boys watched Yukina warily and she met both their eyes boldly but her curious gaze seemed to linger on both of them longer then either had seen her watch anyone else. When they made it back to their rooms Duo and Heero had silently decide not to tell their fellow pilots or their hosts of the encounter.
The three of them hadn't known that Yuusuke had watched their strange encounter from the training room as it had taken place just outside it.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Yukina hesitated just outside the kitchen she had felt something inside of her scream at her when those two strange boys with eyes of amethyst and steel had caught her own. Peering into the kitchen door just ahead she saw a blond and a tall brunette specking to Kurama. Kurama looked up just as Yukina was about to leave and even though Youko Kurama screamed at not to he opened his mouth to speck- only to be beaten Quatre.
"Please join us- you are Yukina, right?" Yukina nodded to the blond, giving him a small smile in return for his own. Yukina steeped into the room and knew she was under intense scrutiny by the tall brunette and even when she gave him a gentle smile he remained passive to her presence.
"I'm Quatre and this is Trowa and this is-" He started the introductions much to Kurama's amusement.
"Kurama, I know." Yukina interrupted smiling slightly at Kurama's solemn expression.
"Oh…" Quatre blushed lightly and glanced down not meeting her eyes.
Yukina flinched suddenly feeling a sharp stab of anger that was not her own fell upon her. As she knew these emotions weren't her own she found herself looking around for the perpetrator.
Yukina found her eyes drawn to the brunette- Trowa and his neutral expression. Was it possible he was capable of projecting his emotions and wasn't aware of it? Maybe but neither Quatre nor Kurama showed anything like what she had felt outwardly.
Apparently something on Yukina's face had changed as Kurama frowned and tilted his head to the side in a silent inquiry. Quatre had apparently caught her face change as well as he frowned.
"Is there something wrong?" Trowa asked blandly, Yukina's eyes caught his again and she felt a chill of apprehension run down her spine- and knew it was her own. This time she had schooled her features into a pleasant mask.
"No nothing is wrong, don't worry about it." Yukina smiled pleasantly even as Trowa nodded but his eyes told her he didn't believe her. Kurama glanced to the cupboards with a blandly pleasant expression as he reached for the cupboards.
"Would you like something to eat Yukina?" Questioned Kurama, Yukina shook her head and smiled again while she felt Trowa's eyes on her back and decided to make a retreat.
"No thank you Kurama, I was just on my way to my rooms." Kurama nodded and didn't seem surprised. Yukina ran her eyes over them one last time and without looking back turned and left the room.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Yuusuke shifted his balance as he and Genkai watched Wufei perform his martial arts movements with his sword without using any spirit energy. Hiei had told him- shortly after he and Yuusuke had accidentally caught Wufei at morning practice, that Hiei had noticed a little amount of spirit energy being used while he practiced.
So far Wufei didn't look at all tired and Genkai was watching for spirit energy carefully- yet he had been at this 'practice' for nearly two or more hours. Yuusuke watched as Heero and Duo entered, though Wufei was so caught up in his practice he didn't seem to notice.
"Hey Heero- Duo, how are you two doing?" Duo gave him a wide grin but Heero looked solemn as he approached Yuusuke, and Duo sat down to watch Wufei practice glancing at Genkai's frowning expression then back to his friend.
"Why is Yukina here?" Heero said bluntly, Yuusuke sighed and focused on the intent pilot in front of him. Who strangely enough reminded him of Hiei with his seriousness and cold cobalt eyes.
"Because she is normally gentle in nature and other then going with Koenma we have nothing else against her, and she is a relative of one of us- and a love interest for another." Yuusuke mumbled as he nodded as if to verify his own explanation. Yuusuke wasn't particularly pleased with his justification and that made him uneasy.
Heero simply stared at him for a bit then turned to join Duo- leaning against the wall behind the braided pilot. Yuusuke watched as Heero frowned at nothing apparently lost in thought. Yuusuke was left to his own thoughts, as they had been riled up and disturbed by his own opinion and Heero's strait foreword inquiry.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Yukina paused at the training room door as she walked down the hall. She watched as Yuusuke was joined by Heero in the training room. Heero, who spoke in low tones, with a solemn expression with the former spirit detective who answered and nodded after Yuusuke he had spoken.
Yukina was unconcerned with what they were saying. Her demon stirred as she watched Heero and sent her a warm feeling of familiarity and she knew who her brother was. As she turned away and walked down the hall her only thought was 'I wonder how you will like your new found family- younger brother Heero.'
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
"Show me Jioden…"
The ancient Koorime studied the bowls surface carefully. It was a unpredictable tool in whither it would work and you would see clearly or merely vague images. But this time it showed as clearly as when the prophesy had first been uttered so long ago.
An old human man-assumedly Jioden, who wore a white lab coat, with no hand only a metal substitute. Though the Koorime hunter's had been unable to catch him, an overenthusiastic hunter had stolen his hand.
The man known as Jioden sat before another this one she knew- if only by what he was. Physically he appeared almost human- tall and muscled enough to notice when he moved, and most noticeable was the messy silver hair which framed unreadable brown eyes. He didn't appear old however- the silver hair seemed almost natural.
She knew only too well what he was- a Nekokikai, a mysterious race of cat-like demons. She only knew that this one was an enemy of the Koorime- and the only one of his race they had ever had any contact with.
Despite trying to find others of his kind- in that they had been unsuccessful, so much so that it appeared that his race had disappeared for so long they were thought to be a dead race.
They and the rest of both spirit and demon world were in the dark about this man and even more disturbing his entire race- if there were any but he left. She settled staring into the bowl- this was new news that Jioden had contact with their enemy known only as Rius.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
Jioden stared into the blank eyes of the demon who had aided him so long ago to get out of Makai. Rius made no move even as he himself shifted uncomfortably, finally the Nekokikai shifted giving the illusion of muscles in places no human could have them- which probably in part wasn't illusion after all Rius was anything but human.
"Doctor J- or should I just call you Jioden, Doctor?" Rius mused aloud his voice soft and deadly. J inwardly flinched to know Rius knew his human alias, and with a chill running down his spine he realized Rius might know of- or even have Heero.
But he let none of these thoughts or even feelings appear on his face- instead calming himself to ask a question that he hoped would open more doors then close them.
"What do you want Rius?" Rius smiled slowly and a tooth flashed in the dull light. J quelled the feelings of unease and watched as Rius leaned forward intent on J's face.
"I want what you owe me Jioden." Rius's face was now inches from J's own.
"I want a favor returned equal to saving your life." J took a shuddering breath, no longer hiding his feelings-the last shards of dignity he had held to.
J of all people knew it was no longer any use, Rius was simply not human- with his inhuman abilities he probably smelled the fear J held for him. Rius moved back and looked to the side to turn up the lamp by the desk.
J found this unusual but voiced no comment even as Rius continued to speak with his face turned away.
"Your knowledge Doctor- nothing more and most certainly…" Rius turned to look at him and J felt chilled at the inhumanness of Rius's features blank brown eyes had turned amber and though the silver hair remained the same Rius grin was nothing more then a flash of bared deadly sharp canines.
"…Nothing less." Rius hissed sparks lighting the room- sparks the color of electricity- the color of Rius's eyes as his expression changed showing his glee. Even as J's shock and underneath pure fear threatened to overwhelm him.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O
As the ancient Koorime shifted the image rippled and was clear again it seemed that was all the bowl had wanted to reveal. It was more then enough for even though it did not allow the user to hear she had learned long ago to read lips.
It seemed everything was falling into place and her people would soon find themselves in danger of becoming as extinct as the Nekokikai were rumored to be. She smiled slowly; she knew now at least that Rius's powers derived from electricity and that Rius sought knowledge that Jioden held.
Both the spirit world and the Koorime feared Rius- bot not as much as the Koorime feared the prophesies. Even that Koenma probably knew where the Nekokikai- were somewhere within his records.
They could find them and either threaten Rius with his peoples destruction- if they supported him. Or ask them to get rid of him if they regarded him with hostility.
AN: What the Koorime fear- Rius, a new enemy. Trowa's power found out, to push his emotions upon others. Heero revealed as Hiei and Yukina's brother. Thus marks the 50th page in this ficcy- yay. LOL.
Just to clear up:
Jioden aka Doctor J who trained Heero to be the 'perfect soldier'. Jioden learned of the Koorime's hatred of men near Heero's birth, and with the help of Rius he got back relatively safely to GW.