InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Life of a Fox ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own YYH or Inuyasha.


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Angry footsteps stormed down the deserted corridor, each step threatening to punch a hole through the wooden floor. The feet seemed to have a mind of its own as it meandered through the maze-like corridors, stopping only when it reached its destination, the master chambers. Raising a knuckled fist, the disheveled hanyou who looked like he had just escaped from the torture chamber, relentlessly pounded his fist on the double oak doors.

“Sesshoumaru, get your butt out here!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice would reach the ears of his elder youkai sibling, who slept just beyond doors. “I know you’re not sleeping! Don’t you dare ignore me! Sesshoumaru, you royal pain in the…”

“Silence, hanyou.” a chilling voice commanded a split second before the giant oak doors were ruthlessly flung open. The hanyou’s eyes widened as one of the two doors flew towards his face – time seemed to slow for him – he could see his whole life flash through his mind’s eye, going chronologically from childhood to adulthood. Time resumed its original course when the doors succeeded in connecting with his face, sending him sailing backwards into the corridor wall.

He shook his head from side to side in an attempt to correct his double vision; however, his actions only served to remind the bemused Taiyoukai of a wet dog drying itself after almost drowning. Wiping the blood that had trickled from his nose with the back of his hand, the hanyou clumsily struggled to his feet.

“Damn it Sesshoumaru, how much muscle do you have to put into swinging open two doors? This is your palace – not the battlefield. Are you trying to kill me?!?” grumbled the hanyou, a deep scowl etched on his face. He swiped his nose again when more blood dripped from his nostrils. “If you had placed any more force behind it, you’d have torn the doors right off of its hinges! (Not that he cared, I can assure you. After all, it wasn’t his door and he wasn’t paying the bills).”

“Hanyou, I hope you didn’t come find me in the middle of the night, waking half of the palace occupants, just to give me a lecture on how to open MY doors.” The murderous glint in Sesshoumaru’s eyes clearly conveyed that he was not amused by his younger half-brother’s antics.

“Uh, right.” replied the hanyou, scratching the back of his head as he tried to remember why he had came to search for Sesshoumaru in the first place. To say he and his elder sibling didn’t get along was an understatement, so the chances of him coming here just to have a friendly chat or lecture with his brother were none to below none.

“Hanyou,” growled Sesshoumaru, “my patience wears thin.”

“Oh yeah,” the hanyou whispered as his memory returned to him, “KAGOME’S GONE!!!” He inhaled deeply through his nose, sucking the blood that threatened to spill down his lips back through his nostrils.

“…” Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow as he took into account his half-brother’s distressed state and more than disgusting actions.

“She’s not in her room.” the hanyou explained, hoping to gauge Sesshoumaru’s reaction to this situation.

“I don’t remember confining her to her room.” Sesshoumaru bit back before he prepared to slam his doors shut.

“But it’s midnight! Where else could she be but in her room? What if she got kidnapped or got herself killed? Or…or…”

“Maybe she decided to expel herself of her fluid wastes.” a soft, but firm voice answered him.

The hanyou turned around to face the speaker and his jaw dropped. There, standing five feet away from him was the object of his distress, Kagome, who had her hands firmly planted on her hips in a condescending manner. The hanyou admitted that under the dim light, Kagome was kind of…creepy; however, the fluffy pink sleep wear she had on contradicted his aforementioned, mental image.

“Hello to you to, Inuyasha.” she grinned, her previous frown pulling up into a content smile. “Ugh, what happened to you?” she asked, eyeing his bloodied nose.

“K-Kagome, where were you?” he countered, purposely disregarding the question she had asked him. He chanced a quick glance at Sesshoumaru, whose molten gold eyes were boring several holes into the back of his head. If looks could kill, Inuyasha would have died several times over. Without another word, the elder inu-youkai turned on his heels and reentered his chambers, slamming the double doors tightly shut behind him with a loud clang.

“I was releasing waste, where do you think I was?” Kagome answered with a question of her own.

“Keh, how long does it take you to piss? You were gone for at least three hours! And don’t deny it.”

“I upset my stomach with the dinner we had tonight.” Kagome replied. “I don’t think the chicken was cooked very thoroughly. We’ll have to talk to the master chef.” Inuyasha took a small step back when Kagome’s lips turned into a small pout. “Hey, why am I telling you all this anyway? You make me feel like a criminal. Oh what did I do now, oh great Inuyasha of the west? I wasn’t aware that exiting my room at night was a crime.” At Inuyasha’s annoyed look, she quickly smiled. “Joking, anyway, what were you doing in my room anyway?”

“I-I was not!” protested Inuyasha, his eyes widening at being accused…of such a vile act. “Where’d you get the idea I was any where near your room?” he shot back, turning up his nose. He sniffled again as he wiped away the blood that had managed to leak from his nose. With a long-suffered sigh, he plugged his nose with one of his fingers, hoping his action would stop the flow of blood.

“Whatever you say,” Kagome smiled as she turned her back to the hanyou, knowing if she didn’t turn away soon, she would end up bursting with laughter – it was just so cute – Inuyasha, the feared hanyou of the west, dressed in a red nightgown with a finger up his nose! After taking a few steps down the corridor that led to her chamber, she whispered just loud enough for Inuyasha’s ears to pick up, “Though how else would you have known I wasn’t in my room for the last three hours? The doors were closed.”

“T-That…”

“Good night, Inuyasha.”

“Keh, woman,” grumbled Inuyasha as if that answer was the solution to every problem in the world. With a yawn that he didn’t bother to stifle, he marched (with his finger up his nose) back to his chambers, which was inconveniently located at the opposite end of the castle from Kagome – the north wing. He couldn’t understand why Sesshoumaru did such a stupid thing – what if someone attacked? He’d have to run all the way across the castle (which wasn’t a small distance) to come to Kagome’s aid! What if she got hurt or something? Of course, he had conveniently forgotten that Kagome could protect herself to a certain degree. That and the fact that it would only take Sesshoumaru seconds to reach her if the situation called for it.


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As soon as she was within the safety of her own chamber, Kagome whirled around and bolted all the locks on the doors. Moving swiftly towards her futon, she quickly grabbed her black cloak and veil that had been hidden under the covers and stashed them into a dark corner of her walk-in closet. After sliding the paper doors leading to her closet shut, she proceeded to close the window she had exited and entered from.

When all was finished and done, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to collapse onto the futon. She was exhausted, but everything was well worth it. The story she had told Youko and Maya’s kit was told with hidden anger and malice, but nonetheless, it was nothing but the absolute truth. Yes, Youko was one of the three powerful and famed Makai Lords – everyone who had half a brain knew that, but only a select few knew how his life had truly begun. Most just believed Youko popped out of thin air one nice, sunny day and claimed himself king; others, like his son, believed he was born of noble blood and inherited the throne.

Only a select few knew the real life of Youko Kurama, a life he had tried his best to forget. And she, Kagome, was part of that select few. Youko was special, but not royalty. He was at the far end of the spectrum in the youkai social ladder – he was Yousimaru’s son. He was the child that was shunned by his very own guardian, clan, and friend.


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Youko knew the moment Gosidian assigned him to the care of Akio, a handsome and well-respected kitsune youkai, that the hardships in his life had only just begun. The distasteful glint in the elder kitsune’s eyes told him so. Well, that plus the fact that Akio wasn’t the type who liked beating around the bushes. Youko was informed the very first night at Kitsune Valley by his so-called ‘guardian’ that his presence was abhorred and unwanted not only in his household and village, but throughout the world.

“Filth, you are lucky you have been spared from the punishment of death. If I was clan leader, I would not have let you off so easily.” Akio’s lips twisted into a disgusted snarl as he pinned the young kit with a hard glare. He refused to address the kit by his proper name because he believed by doing so would inflate the kit’s head; therefore, giving the brat a false sense of hospitality and warmth. “Do us all a favor and stay out of sight. No body wants their day or mood ruined by your presence. Got that, runt?”

Youko clenched his small hands into fists, digging his claws into the flesh of his palms. He wanted to retort. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of the situation. He wanted to mourn for the loss of his parents. However, even as those suggestions ran through his mind, he knew he couldn’t act on any of them. So, clamping his mouth tightly shut, he numbly nodded his head in comprehension.

An unbidden gasp of pain escaped Youko’s lips when Akio suddenly grabbed his forearm in a bruising grip, embedding razor-sharp claws into his flesh, drawing a flow of fresh blood. “Dirty blood runs through your veins.” he sneered before dragging the young kit into the storage room, where firewood was kept. “This is your room.” Shoving the child unceremoniously to the floor, Akio hissed, “Remember what I said earlier, whelp.” With that, Akio slammed the storage room door shut.

Shuffling to one corner of the cold and damp room, Youko huddled into a tight ball as he finally allowed the tears that he had been holding back slip. He wished everything could go back to the way it was before. Back to the days when he would visit the inu-youkai clan with his mother and father. He remembered how his mother would gossip merrily with Auntie Midoriko while his father discussed one thing or another with Uncle Inutaisho. And he would be playing with Sesshoumaru, Uncle Inutaisho’s eldest son. Together, they would pull pranks on Sesshoumaru’s younger, half-breed brother, trying to make his life miserable.

He reached under his clothes and pulled out the crescent moon charm that hung limply around his neck by a thin chain. As he cupped the charm in his hands, he recounted his final moment of happiness with Midoriko, Inutaisho, and Sesshoumaru (the hanyou didn’t stick around when he came). He gave a small grin as the memories streamed into his mind.


&Flashback&


He and Sesshoumaru were planning to pull another prank on Inuyasha when Midoriko stopped them. He had thought, for a split second, that they were going to be punished for their pranks. However, that idea was soon quenched…

“Everyone, I would love to please have your attention.” Midoriko smiled as Ume tilted her to the side, regarding her best friend with amused eyes. “Ah hem, AH HEM!” she coughed when her mate and Yousimaru continued chatting as if she had never spoken. “MEN!” she finally shouted, causing both Inutaisho and Yousimaru to look at her with bewildered looks. “I was about to make an announcement!”

“Oh, what is it?” Inutaisho asked, giving his mate his full attention.

“I’m going to have a baby.”

“…”

“Well?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“That’s wonderful news!” Ume gushed.

“Congratulations!” shouted Yousimaru.

“Really?” asked Inutaisho as a wide smile spilled across his lips.

“Great, another half-breed.” groaned the young inu-youkai prince.

Youko nodded his head and patted his friend on the back, offering the inu-youkai his deepest understanding and consolation.

“And I’ve decided that if the baby is a boy, he’ll become blood brothers with Youko. After all, our family is such close friends. This way, while they aren’t born on the same day and time, they can hope to die together on the same day and time. Their bond will be lasting and their friendship legendary – they will share each other’s happiness and carry each other’s burdens and sorrows.”

“That sounds great.” Ume agreed as the two men just sat back and allowed the women to sort out their children’s lives. It wasn’t like their mates were going to listen to them any time soon anyway – not that they were objecting with their decisions or anything like that.

“I don’t want to be bound to a half-breed.” Youko grumbled under his breath as he imagined a black-haired Inuyasha and shuddered. If Midoriko’s child was going to be anywhere close to what Sesshoumaru’s younger sibling is like, he would go nuts!

“But if the baby’s a girl, she’ll be mated to Youko; therefore, still joining our families!” Midoriko and Ume finished in unison.

“Wonderful idea.” agreed Inutaisho.

“Why didn’t I think of it?” Yousimaru grinned.

“It’s all right; the kid can’t be as bad as Inuyasha.” Youko sighed, patting Sesshoumaru on the back. “Good luck.”

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow, “Did you hear what your mother and Midoriko (Sesshoumaru refused to call her mother) just announced?”

“…”

“They said if the baby’s a girl, she’ll be your mate. Good luck with the half-breed.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” Youko murmured.

“You might be getting a half-breed mate.”

Youko’s eyes flew wide open as he attempted to digest this new information.

“You’re going to have to live with the brat forever…it’s even worse than a blood bond.”

“Yeah, I figured.” the young kit whispered as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, causing him to fall into a dead faint.

Instead of cushioning his friend’s fall, Sesshoumaru innocently took a small sidestep.

Crash…

“Are you okay, dear?” Ume asked, rushing to her son. Youko gave a forced grin and gave a slight nod.

“He’s just in shock.” Sesshoumaru answered in a matter of fact tone. “Look on the bright side,” he whispered to Youko when the adults went to chat amongst themselves again, “we’ll be related.”

“Yeah…and thanks for letting me fall, it helped a lot.” Youko hissed, his voice dripping with annoyance and sarcasm.


&End Flashback&


Curling his fingers around the moon charm, which held the promise of a brother or mate, he allowed the stream of tears that had welled in his eyes to slide down his pale cheeks. It was hard to believe that not long after their visit, Inutaisho died from mortal wounds in the battle against the dragon Ryukotsusei. Then, everything just seemed to go wrong from there. As he tucked the crescent moon back under his clothes, pressed firmly against his bare chest, he desperately hoped that Aunt Midoriko and the unborn, little brat were all right.


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Kagome shaded her eyes from the sunlight as it poured into her room. When did she fall asleep? Groaning slightly, she pushed herself off of the futon, standing on wobbly legs. She immediately regretted sleeping in an awkward position last night. It left all of her muscles sore. Trudging towards the door, she slowly unbolted the locks, opened the door, and poked her head out of the doorway.

“Kanna!” she hollered down the hall before making her way back to her futon. A deathly pale young girl with snow-white hair entered her chambers a few seconds later. “Close the door.”

With a light push, the door swung shut. “What would you like to wear today, milady?” she asked monotonously in soft, airy voice.

“The yellow kimono with orange kitten patterns and just put my hair into a bun.” As Kanna helped her dress and prepare for the day, Kagome asked, “Is anything important happening today?”

“No, milady, but rumor has it that Lord Youko’s domain was attacked last night.” answered Kanna as she ran the brush through Kagome’s hair. “His son is safe; however, his mate is another story.”

“Will she live?”

Kanna stopped brushing and murmured, “According to the rumors, yes, milady. The wounds while deep and sever, but they were not life-threatening.” As the pale girl resumed her task, she noticed how her lady’s hands tightened into fists. “Milady, not all hope is lost.” she whispered, her voice light and mysterious.

“No, your right, it is not lost…nor is this far from over. It’s a good thing she’s still alive. Where’d the fun be if my dear friend Maya died? I’d surely die of loneliness and boredom.” she smiled as ideas of all the fun things she and Maya could do together popped into her mind.

“And my services are always available.”

“Tell Lord Sesshoumaru I’m leaving the castle. You and Hakudoshi will accompany me. It is time we paid the black miko, Tsubaki, a visit.”

“What of Lord Inuyasha?”

“Avoid him if possible, if not; tell him to go feed the ducks that followed him home last week.”


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TBC

Read and review. ;)


Author’s note: I got the idea blood brothers from several Chinese movies I watch. For those of you who don’t know, it’s just the exchange of blood and vows, saying they’ll watch each other’s backs and share everything – good and bad.



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