Sorry! I know I kept telling people who reviewed that I would update but stuff with school got in the way but I back and this is my longest chapter yet! I will try to update Caught Inbetween soon as well, maybe even before the next chapter of Meeting with the Wolf. Well enjoy this chapter and I promise there will be fluff soon!
Chapter 3: Trust in Me
Yusuke's words hung in the air as he watched Keiko for her reaction. She contemplated what he had said and found she didn't mind. She should tell him off and head home by herself but he had told her the truth. He didn't try to convince her; he just stated what she already knew. Yet because of those words she was starting to trust him. He didn't seem so bad for a demon.
"I'll walk with you. At least then I don't have to worry about other demons. You seem like the type who doesn't like to share." He chuckled at her comment before walking in a path slightly different from the stream. Keiko followed.
"You can get to the village by following the stream but it takes longer. This is a straight cut to the village." He seemed to approve of her response. His manor seemed more relaxed and he was walking with his hands behind his head. Keiko thought of something then.
"Hey Yusuke. What are you doing in this area? This doesn't seem like your kind of setting." He looked at her and she saw an inner turmoil before he seemed to come to a decision.
"No I'm not from around here. Actually, I'm here because I'm looking for someone. I have no idea if she's anywhere near this area but I decided to check it out anyways. I've talked to demons around here but they haven't seen her. I thought about looking in your village for clues but I'm not certain about it. All I know is the name so I don't know if people will listen to me."
Keiko was disheartened as she heard the dedication in his voice. He really wanted to find this girl which caused envy for this unknown person to rise up in her. "Searching for your mate? What? Did she realize what a loser you were and left you?" Keiko usually wasn't one to be mean or sound so harsh but the girl was jealous. Not like it mattered. 'He probably has no interest in me. This girl is probably one of the most gorgeous demons around. Why would he want an average human like me?' Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she noticed him staring at her.
"Are you crazy? If I even thought about her that way I would die! Where did you get that idea?!" He seemed to realize how stupid that last question was as he had an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry it's just that she's the sister of a good friend of mine. He's very protective of her and would rip my balls off if I ever tried anything. Then he would make sure I died in a very painful and bloody way. He's really sadistic sometimes. I'm helping him look for her and I had some free time so I came here to try and locate her." Keiko was laughing at how Yusuke sounded about getting castrated. He made it sound like nothing worse could be done to him.
"How long are you staying then? If you're only here because you had free time then what's your time limit?" Keiko knew it was stupid but she wanted to see more of Yusuke so the thought of him leaving didn't sit well with her.
Yusuke looked as if he knew why she was asking and sent a glance her way which she pointedly ignored, waiting for an answer. "Unless I find any clues I only have a week before I head home. Before you ask I live really far from here so I wouldn't be able to come back for a while." It was impossible to miss the look of sorrow on Keiko's face before she managed to hide it behind a mask.
"I see. Is there any way I can possibly help?" Her voice was monotone knowing what his answer would be. Why would he want the help of a human? Anyway, how could Keiko find a demon when even an upper-class demon can't find this girl? Keiko waited for him to snap at her and remind her of her uselessness when she saw him smile.
"Yea I guess you can help." Seeing the look on her face he continued. "What? Did you think I would say no? She probably has wards around her that prevents me from finding her so I need all the help I can get. I just need you to look around the area and tell me if you find anything suspicious. You can also talk to the villagers since they aren't likely to talk to a stranger. You can do this in the week I'm here and just contact me if you find anything."
Keiko looked at him. "How am I supposed to contact you? If you're searching this entire area I could get lost just trying to go in your general direction." Yusuke looked at her while he thought about the predicament. Then his eyes cleared.
"I know!" He exclaimed before he turned, facing where they had been walking from, and gave a long, shrill whistle. Keiko, confused, looked at him, hoping he would explain his actions and how they would help her get in touch with him. "Just give it a minute. He'll come quickly." Keiko wasn't sure who this "he" was but she figured she would find out soon enough.
Soon, Keiko could hear something above the trees, moving towards their direction. She looked at Yusuke in alarm but saw him looking up calmly. He had a big, goofy grin on his face so she figured this was who he called. She looked up in time to see a giant blue phoenix circling above before coming in to land. She didn't see how he could fit before she jumped in surprise. 'The phoenix disappeared! No I can see something small and blue falling.' Just as she thought that, Yusuke jumped up and caught the little blue thing. Once he landed Keiko saw that the phoenix had transformed into a small animal with long ears, tiny orange claws and beak, and a tuff of black unruly hair on its head. 'He's adorable!' Keiko wanted to laugh at the image they made.
Yusuke faced her holding the animal glaring at her when he realized she was trying not to laugh. "This little guy is my spirit beast. His name is Puu and he's connected to me. He feels what I feel and he always knows where I am. I'll leave him with you and if you need to find me just tell him. He will lead you to my location. Here you go." Yusuke held out Puu for her to take but before she could grab him Puu flew into her arms. Keiko was startled and looked at Yusuke. Nervously rubbing his head he laughed. "I forgot to mention that he can still fly in this form and for the most part can take care of himself. He just needs a companion." Keiko noticed how soft Puu's fur was and couldn't help but coo at him when he snuggled into her chest.
"You must be extremely sweet on the inside to have this guy as a spirit beast." Keiko laughed at the expression on his face before a thought struck her. "He won't turn into a phoenix again will he? I can take him into the village like this but I don't know how everyone would react to his bigger form." She really hoped she wouldn't have any trouble. Puu was the best way for her to see Yusuke again.
Yusuke smiled at her. "Don't worry, he'll only transform if he needs to or if I call him. He tends to prefer this form. He knows this is the best way for him to be." Keiko sighed in relief. This would make things easier.
"By the way Yusuke, is there any more info you can give me on this girl? That would make things easier for me if I happen to find her."
Yusuke gave her a searching look. "I probably shouldn't tell you this but she's an ice maiden. I have reason to believe she is imprisoned by humans but I'm not certain. Even if that's true, they would most likely have some form of bodyguard so don't get too close. Just tell me if you find anything out of the ordinary but if you do see an ice maiden, tell me right away or as soon as you possibly can." Keiko nodded. She was a little worried though. Not much was known about ice maidens except for what they looked like. For one to be captured, let alone by humans, was unheard of. They secluded themselves which is why no one knew anything about them but every now and again one revealed themselves to humans.
They continued the walk in the forest silently, both in their own thoughts. Keiko could see that dawn was approaching and was really tired. She wanted to get back and maybe get a little more sleep. Next to Keiko, Yusuke tensed. Suddenly he became aggressive, growling, looking like he was ready for a fight. Puu was chirping and looked uneasy at his master's attitude. Yusuke spoke before Keiko got the chance to ask what was wrong.
"You said you were with a group of women and children, right?" Keiko wasn't sure where he was going with this but she confirmed his statement. He noticed her puzzled look. "There is a group of humans a little way a ways being surrounded by demons." After seeing her panicked look he grabbed her arm. "Don't do anything rash. You stay here and I'll go check the situation. Don't worry, I sense a strong human fighter with them. That person can hold off the demons until I get there. Puu will keep any demons away while I'm gone."
"What do I do?! Just stand here while friends of mine are attacked?" She was shouting, fear causing her to lose her temper. Yusuke watched her for a few seconds before he tightened his hold.
"Don't worry. I will protect them. I promise." Keiko looked at him and noticed the serious look on his face. She relaxed before leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek.
"Please hurry." He grinned.
Yusuke ran through the forest heading to where the demons set up an ambush for the humans. He thought back to Keiko's kiss. It was just a quick peck but he was surprised by the soft and warm lips as they pressed against his cheek. Even more surprising was the trust she placed in him. He was delighted she did but he didn't know why. They hadn't met too long ago yet now she was depending on him to save her fellow villagers. Well he wasn't one to disappoint a beautiful woman, even a flat-chested one.
Yusuke could hear the fighting but something worried him. There was a powerful aura coming from the group that seemed human but hinted at demon. This person seemed to be fighting for the humans but Yusuke decided to be cautious.
Amazed, Yusuke looked around at the corpses of what used to be a demon ambush once he got to the site. He stayed in the trees, hidden, laughing to himself. Seems he worried for nothing. Apparently, he was never needed. Before he could get up, a voice called out.
"I know you are there demon! You might as well show yourself." A long, red hair boy was looking straight at him. Yusuke narrowed his eyes as he realized this was the one who gave off a slight demon scent. He stood and jumped down from the tree branch he had been perching on. He walked out of the trees and noticed another male with an aura sword, tense, ready to attack. Yusuke kept his demeanor calm and collected along with relaxed so as not to seem like a threat. The demon in human skin wasn't fooled.
"Why are you here demon? You don't seem to be with the group that attacked us. I could feel you coming towards us after they attacked." Yusuke could see the red head thinking of ways to escape him as he said this and Yusuke had to give him credit. Not only could he sense Yusuke he could also tell that Yusuke was stronger than him. This one was a sly, calculating one. Like a fox. This thought led Yusuke to narrow his eyes again. But that wasn't a main issue here. Yusuke gave a long whistle. 'There. That will lead Keiko here seeing as there's no more danger. Or not.' Yusuke glanced around to see guarded and hostile faces.
"Who did you just call you pansy little demon?!"
"Kuwabara! Stay calm and don't aggravate him. I would like to prevent a fight if we could."
"Hah! Shows what you know Shuichi! I could kick this demon's ass in an instant." The man named Kuwabara was really starting to piss Yusuke off. One could see a vein twitching on his forehead and would see danger if one carefully looked at him. Kuwabara didn't. "Hey demon boy!" Yusuke gathered that Kuwabara was talking to him. "You must have really bad luck running into me: Kuwabara Kazuma!" Yusuke was obviously supposed to be impressed but he just yawned and started to clean his ear. Just before Kuwabara charged, a new voice rang out.
"Kazuma you dimwit! It's obvious that that demon over there is hiding his true power. He could probably flick his finger and take you head off so stop trying to be all macho. If you keep it up you're going to die and I'll laugh my ass off!" Even though the woman said this Yusuke could see that she wanted to protect him. 'She must be close to him; family or a dear friend I would guess.' Shuichi forestalled any argument.
"Stop it you two! There are more pressing issues than a sibling quarrel." He turned to Yusuke. "Kuwabara might be hot-headed but he asked a very good question earlier. Who did you call? Also if I may ask, what is your name?" Yusuke could practically see the gears turning in the strategist's head and would bet that he was thinking of possible ideas for the answers to his questions.
"Well as to your first question, I was calling to my spirit beast." There was no reason to tell them that Keiko was with Puu as well. He wasn't sure how they would react to that bit of news. "And second, my name is Yusuke." Yusuke's name was unknown to the humans but seemed to confirm something for Shuichi. This was gonna get interesting.
"What, if I may be so bold to ask, is the son of King Raizen doing way out here?" The reaction was instantaneous. The villagers may not know Yusuke's name but Raizen was their king and held their lives in his hands. Being Raizen's son and heir to his throne gave Yusuke the same power over them. All the women and children knelt down on their hands and knees showing him submission in hopes he wouldn't slaughter them. The only two who stayed standing were Shuichi, who suspected who he was, and Kuwabara, who was gaping at Yusuke like a fish. Kuwabara quickly recovered from his shock and took a defensive stance in front of the other villagers. His message was clear: He would fight no matter who Yusuke was to protect them. Yusuke was starting to like this guy even if he did call him a pansy earlier.
Suddenly a rustle in the trees where Yusuke had come from caused everyone to peer in that direction. Puu came out of the forest, Keiko running up from behind. Yusuke then realized he never told Keiko that he would call to her using Puu. He got a bad feeling as he watched her storm up to him before raising her hand and slapping him. IT STUNG!
The villagers, including Kuwabara and Kurama, watched surprised as Keiko came out of the forest. They had been worried about her but had no way to find her. Their surprise quickly turned to horror as they watched Keiko slap the King's son. Kuwabara was about to jump forward to drag Keiko away from the punishment she would surely receive before Shuichi stopped him. Shuichi shook his head indicating they could not interfere as it would risk the other villagers. Neither liked it but Keiko's fate was in Yusuke's hands. Everyone waited to see what would happen.
What they didn't expect was for Yusuke to smile. "Yea I guess I deserved that one. Come to think of it I probably deserved the first too." Yusuke laughed good-naturedly. Keiko couldn't stay angry at him when he laughed like that even if he did leave her in the middle of a demon infested forest with no way of knowing what was going on. Keiko thought about slapping him again. "Chill out Keiko." Keiko glowered. 'So he knew that I was thinking of trying it again.' Yusuke started taking again. "By the way it turns out my help wasn't needed. Kuwabara the loud-mouth,"
"Who're you calling a loud-mouth!"
"Shut the hell up you dumbass! I can't believe I'm related to you."
"I can." A blue hair girl murmured.
Ignoring all this Yusuke continued, "and Shuichi the smart one had it all covered." Keiko quickly looked around only now noticing that everyone was staring at her and Yusuke. Taking a closer look Keiko became confused.
"Why is everyone on the ground? No one got hurt did they?" As Keiko questioned them she scanned the crowd looking for injuries. She spotted Shizuru along with Shiori but saw no outward signs of injury. She also spotted Boton towards the back of the group with her grandma Genkai. They were both staring intently at Yusuke. Boton seemed especially interested in him and jealousy curled in Keiko's stomach but she pushed it down.
Kuwabara then spoke up to answer Keiko's last question. "No one was hurt Keiko but where have you been?" Kuwabara wanted to hear the whole story before telling her Yusuke's identity. Shuichi seemed to agree.
"First we should all get moving back to the village. I'll tell you everything on the way." None of the villagers got up. They glanced at Yusuke noticing he had his back turned and seemed to be walking back into the forest. Keiko was upset. "Yusuke! Where are you going?" He glanced back at her then towards the villagers.
"You're safe with them and can find the village from here. Take care of Puu for me and I'll come get him in a week. See yah!" With that he melted into the forest, disappearing from view. Keiko came out of her shock at his sudden retreat before realizing that she had been holding Puu since she had slapped Yusuke. Releasing a sigh she turned to see the villagers eying her warily. When she was about to ask what was going on, Boton ran and glomped her.
Through her tears Boton managed to speak. "Keiko I was so worried when that attack happened and we couldn't find you. I thought I would never see you again! Then on our way back we were ambushed by so many demons and I missed you so much! Then you came out of the forest alive and I was so giddy but I thought that demon was going to hurt you for hitting him! I'm so glad that you're okay and safe with us!" By the end of this Keiko couldn't breathe because of how tight Boton was hugging her.
Kurama came forward and pried Boton off her friend. Then he told everyone to keep moving. One by one the villagers stood up, with Shiori being last, and continuing on the path. During the walk Keiko told them everything that happened. She left a few things out like why Yusuke was there and the kiss she had given him. One thing she couldn't avoid was Puu's presence. She told everyone that Yusuke asked her to look after him until Yusuke left in a week. Keiko could tell that Boton and Kurama were suspicious of her but she could tell them everything else later. She also suspected that Shizuru had an idea of things as well. By the time she finished telling her story they were almost back to the village. The men were waiting for them, thanking the heavens when they saw that everybody got back safely. Kurama pulled Keiko to the side.
"I know you're hiding something so after me and Kuwabara give our reports we will meet you at your place. I expect answers." With that he walked off leaving Keiko behind to mourn her chance at sleep. She trudged back to her house and unlocked the door. Shizuru was helping Shiori and Boton had disappeared somewhere, maybe to help Genkai. As Keiko waited for everybody to assemble she played with Puu. Shizuru was first to arrive, going to make tea for everyone, then Boton who gave no explanation as to where she had been. Finally Kurama and Kuwabara arrived. After everyone was settled and had drinks Kurama spoke.
"I have to ask you something before we get started with this meeting of ours. Keiko, did you know that Yusuke was Raizen's heir?"
"What?!"
Oh my gosh that was a really long chapter. I hope you enjoyed and I should be able to update sooner since it's almost winter break. I really am sorry. Please review and if you have questions feel free to ask me. I may not respond quickly but I check my e-mails every couple of days and I try to respond to every review. Have a good day!