InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Seductive Embrace ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Kagome continued through the forest, noting that Hiei's presence never faded, meaning that he was most likely following her again. She knew that he had probably heard the explanation that she had given Genkai, and wondered if that was the reason why he was still hanging around her. She had learned from past experiences that most youkai could not resist the pull of the Shikon no Tama, and although she masked its presence, she had no doubt that it still attracted attention to its self.

Now that he knew her secret, she wondered how he would approach her now. She had a feeling that if things worked out with Genkai, that she would most likely have more meetings with the short youkai, and although he didn't seem like the nicest of beings, she hoped that they could become friends, or at least something of the sort. If Yukina seemed at ease with his presence, then maybe he wasn't as bad as he appeared, but that still didn't mean she would let her guard down. If she had it her way, no one would ever know the true story behind the Shikon, knowing that if the wrong person caught wind of it, it could bring disaster.

Her thoughts wandered to a certain red head, and just as she had with Hiei, she began to question his motives. He seemed to be highly attracted to her, but if he was indeed youkai, then maybe it was just from the pull of the jewel. Although she had no intentions of being in a relationship with him, she still felt slightly disheartened at the thought that it wasn't really her that he was attracted to.

Kagome and her invisible companion continued on in silence, and just as the sun had begun its lazy descent towards the horizon, the forest began to thin out slightly as they neared the park. Within a matter of moments, Kagome pushed through the brush, stepping out into the almost deserted park. She came to a stop, noticing Hiei departing towards the opposite direction that she would be heading. She shrugged her shoulders, continuing on her way to Keiko's house.

Kagome dragged herself through the door, and noticing that no one was home, continued upstairs, intent on taking a hot shower. She hoped that Keiko wouldn't try and drag her out anywhere, because even though she had more stamina than most, it had been a while since she had had that kind of workout, and she was exhausted, to say the least. And then there was the stress from removing the concealment spell and replacing it. She chuckled to herself lightly at that thought, thinking it was so ironic that she possessed all that energy, yet could use almost none of it. But she hoped that she could rectify that problem with the help of Genkai.

After a long shower, Kagome quickly dressed, heading for the kitchen and then straight to bed.

~~~~~*~~~~~

As soon as Kagome had made it to the park, Hiei took that as his cue to leave her. At first he had no real reason to follow the girl back towards the city, but quickly decided that it had been a while since he had seen Kurama, using it as an excuse.

He pondered as to if he should tell the kitsune about the girl. Deciding that as long as he didn't divulge any information that connected the girl and the Shikon, it would probably be safe. For some reason, he wanted to respect the girl's privacy, and also felt that it wouldn't be the wisest thing to bring that up to Kurama's youkai side. He knew that Shuichi wouldn't bring any harm to the girl, but he wasn't too sure with Youko. He had always been a sucker for rare artifacts, and although she had claimed that she didn't know where the jewel was, didn't mean the Youko wouldn't confront her about it.

As Hiei sped towards Kurama's apartment, he questioned himself as to why he was so intrigued with the woman. She had been very annoying during their encounter, and he would have had the mind to kill her on the spot if it wasn't for his employer and the threat of imprisonment.

As Kurama's apartment building came into sight, Hiei pushed the thought to the back of his mind, leaving it for another time. Using his Jagan, he scanned the area, and to his satisfaction, said kitsune happened to be home. He hopped onto the porch, reclining against the rail to wait for his friend to notice his presence and join him outside.

~~~~~*~~~~~

`Just call her and be done with it.'

`We need to give her some space. I don't want us to come across as desperate' Shuichi reasoned.

`Just make it seem like you're checking up on her, and then slip in a date. I know you can at least trick the girl into going out with us tonight.'

Shuichi groaned, knowing that the kitsune in his mind would not just let it be. Youko had been pestering him all day about the girl. `She is most likely still upset about last night. I don't think it would be a good time to push our selves on her.'

`We don't need to push ourselves on her. Just convince her that she needs our company to make her feel better' Youko suggested.

Shuichi groaned again, this time bringing his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. He was about to give in and call Kagome when he was alerted to a familiar presence. Thankful for the distraction, he walked over to the porch, stepping out into the warm evening air.

“Long time no see, Hiei. What brings you here this fine evening?” Kurama asked as he walked over to the railing of the balcony. He rested his arms on the rail as he looked up into the sky, noting the first stars of the night as their light struggled to be recognized.

“Hn.”

“I see. I take it that you became bored staying at Genkai's.”

“No, I just happened to be in the area” he replied indifferently.

`Surely you didn't come all this way do some shopping. Perhaps you missed us?' Youko taunted, winking to him mentally. It had been too long in his opinion since he had had someone besides Shuichi to talk to, and Hiei was fun to torment.

Hiei glared at his friend, sending mental images of a very painful death if the comments continued. But all he received as a reply was the smirk that graced the lips of his red headed friend, knowing that Hiei would do no such thing.

He chose to ignore the taunts, not being in the mood for such a thing.

<Genkai has taken on another apprentice, or at least has considered it> Hiei informed the two as a bored expression masked his face.

Kurama looked to his side to better see his friend, his elegant eyebrows lifting in surprise.

`Really? I had assumed that Yusuke was to be the first and only of her students. How did this come to pass?' Shuichi asked.

`Interesting' Shuichi replied.

`This is not interesting. Send him on his way and get your ass in the house and call her' Youko snorted, clearly aggitated. He had no interest what so ever what Genkai did or did not.

`I told you, we will go see her tomorrow. I don't want to scare her off.'

Hiei's lips upturned in an evil way. <So, you actually found a girl that has caught both of your attentions?>

Shuichi sighed, wishing that he had remembered to block that particular conversation from Hiei. For some reason, both him and Youko didn't want Hiei to know about her as of yet, or at least of the interesting things that he had learned of her so far.

< Is that what you two were arguing over when I arrived? Amusing. Usually Youko is begging you to take their heads off > Hiei replied, the amusement he felt showing clearly on his face. <So, who is this girl?>

Kurama paused before answering, wondering how much he should divulge. `She happens to be Keiko's cousin. She is staying with her for the summer' explained Shuichi.

<Good. If it was one of those females from that mob that follows you around, I was seriously considering giving you a mercy killing.>

`Like I would be interested in them' Youko snorted, clearly offended that Hiei would even entertain that thought.

Youko smirked from the safety of their mind. No, they hadn't, much to his dismay. Even if most of the females that they had encountered were insufferable, it still didn't mean that he wasn't attracted to them. But Shuichi had always refrained from getting involved with any of them, saying that it would be wrong to lead them on, even if it was just a one-night stand. But if Hiei wanted to badger him due to his interests in females, then two could play at that game.

`Well, Hiei, if I'm not mistaken, it seems that you have taken quite the interest in Genkai's new student' Youko countered smoothly.

Hiei once again shifted his glare towards his friend. <You presume wrong, fox, if you think that I would have any interest in a human. A human female, none the less.>

Youko was about to reply to that statement when their attention was drawn to the sidewalk below them where two familiar people waved up at them.

“I wonder what brings them here?” Kurama asked out loud, more to him self then to his quiet friend as he reentered his home to greet his two human friends.

Once Yusuke and Kurabara were comfortably seated in his living room, the leader of their mismatched group began to explain the reason for their visit.

“Well, it seems that the toddler picked up on some strong energy somewhere near Genkai's temple and wants us to go and check it out” he replied, propping his feet up on Kurama's coffee table.

Hiei's eyes widened a bit at the information. Luckily for him he had remained on the porch with the door open, so none of his comrades caught the look on his face that would have been a dead give away. He knew what they were talking about, and he wasn't about to tell them who and what it was. He just hoped that Genkai and Yukina would he as forth coming of information as he would be. He knew that if Koenma caught wind of the girl's identity, then she would no doubt be dragged to Reikai. What Koenma would do with her, he had no idea really, but he would spare anyone the discomfort of meeting with the prince.

Kurama considered what Yusuke had said, remembering that Hiei had been in the area that day. “Hiei, weren't you in that general area today? Did you sense anything out of the ordinary?”

Hiei remained silent for a moment. He knew that it was a rarity that someone could lie to Youko and get away with it, but then again, he was no someone.

“Hn. If I had, I would have taken care of it myself. Go tell Koenma to change the battery on his damn machines and to stop wasting our time.”

“Whatever. Still, I think we should still check it out. Besides, I don't want to have the rug rat breathing down my neck for not obeying orders. So who's in?” Yusuke asked as he rose from his seat.

“I'll go, but we have to stop by Genkai's so I can see my lovely Yukina” Kurabara stated, his eyes glazing over as he dreamed of seeing his love.

“Sure thing buddy. You two make such a wonderful couple. Don't you agree, Hiei?” Yusuke asked as he draped his arm around Kurabara's shoulder, a mischievious grin engulfing his face.

Kurama visibly flinched at Yusuke's words, turning his attention to the patio so he could try and counter any attacks from Hiei. Although he knew that Yusuke was practically begging for a fight, he really didn't want to replace his furniture.

When a few moments had passed by and no murder attempts had been directed at Kurabara or Yusuke, he relaxed a bit.

“I'll go. I am curious as to what could cause such a disturbance. Hiei, what about you?” Kurama asked.

“Hn.”

“I'll take that as a yes. Let's get this over with so I can get home. I've got some sleeping to catch up on” Yusuke instructed, showing himself to the door.

Kurabara followed silently behind him, still distracted by thoughts of Yukina. Kurama chuckled, and after closing the patio door, followed his friends as they made their way into the night. As soon as they reached the street, Hiei abandoned the third story balcony, taking to the trees as he followed his companions to the same area that he had been in earlier that day.

~~~~~*~~~~~~

Shippo sat in a comfortable chair, groggily eating the food off of his plate while his two female companions watched with little interest. He knew he needed to be some where, but he couldn't remember anything. The only thing that would register in his mind was the need to eat and sleep. In fact, he was seriously considering going straight to bed as soon as he was finished with his meal.

After a few more moments, he set his fork on his plate, ready to call it a night. He looked up, almost falling out of his seat when he noticed his company.

“Oh, hey there” Shippo responded after righting himself. “If you'll excuse me, I need to get some sleep, I think.” With that, Shippo tried to push himself out of the chair, but was stopped when he felt two small hands pushing him firmly into his seat.

“Now now Shippo. It is rude to ignore your hostess” the blonde haired girl scolded.

“Oh. I'm sorry. What did you need to talk about?” he asked, his eyes drooping as he talked. He seriously began to wonder if this was all just a dream.

“Shippo, tell us about your friend” instructed Tarasu.

Shippo regarded the demoness with confusion before his mind comprehended the question. “Oh. You mean Kouga? There's not much to him, though he is a lord” Shippo replied as he tried to think of anything else that he was leaving out.

“No dear. Your female friend. Kagome, was it?” Tarasu prodded.

“Kagome” Shippo whispered with sadness. Even though he couldn't remember where he was at the moment, he would never forget his Kagome.

“How do you know her?” Tarasu asked.

“She…she practically adopted me after my father was slain.”

“That's interesting. From what you have told Nari, we assumed that she was human.”

“She is human, and she has the kindest heart that any creature could hope to possess!” Shippo retorted angrily in his stupor.

“Calm down dear” Tarasu instructed, caressing his cheek as she sent soothing energy into the kitsune. She knew that he would be no good to her if he went on a rampage. Once she was satisfied that he had calmed enough, she continued on with the conversation.

“If my memory serves correct, kitsune will only accept foster parents at a relatively young age, but from what we know of this girl so far, she is still very much alive. If she is mortal, then how has she stayed alive till now?” Tarasu had her suspicions, the strongest one being that the Shikon had kept her alive throughout the years.

When he didn't answer, Tarasu reached forward once again, this time placing her hand on his shoulder. “So how is it that she is still alive?” she asked once more, this time sending her energy into him to make him more willing to cooperate.

“That's because she traveled through time” he replied, swaying a bit under her influence.

Tarasu's eyes lit up with excitement at the revelation. It would seem that the girl was more powerful than she had expected if she had the ability to travel through time. And if she possessed the Shikon, then that would explain its disappearance.

“So, where is the girl now?”

“I…I don't know. Some where in the Ningenkai” he replied sullenly.

Tarasu's face flared in annoyance. The Ningenkai was a large realm, and the girl could be practically anywhere. Although she herself couldn't enter the realm, there had to be some way to notify the girl of her hostage. If the kitsune was telling the truth, and she was indeed his adoptive mother, then there would have to be a very close bond between the two, especially since they were of different species. That left no doubt in her mind that the guardian would seek the kitsune out, giving her the fine opportunity to steal her soul along with the jewel.

She knew that she would have to be careful, since in all terms she was playing with fire. The guardian of the Shikon would more than likely be a Miko, but that would only add to the challenge. As long as she played her cards right, everything would go as planned. First things first, she would need to find a way to contact the girl. But she wouldn't give her their location right away, making the girl search through Makai for her lost kit. That way the girl could be observed and her weak points revealed.

Tarasu turned her attention back to the almost dozing kitsune.

“That's ok dear. But would you know how to reach her?”

Shippo turned half-lidded eyes towards the youkai in front of him, his face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to think.

“No rush, my dear, but the sooner you answer me, the sooner you can go to sleep” she purred out, hoping that would be enough of an incentive to get him talking.

When he again hesitated in answering, Nari made her way over to him, crouching down next to him so he could see her face. “What about your friend Kouga? Would he know?”

“No” Shippo replied, shaking his head. He spaced off for a moment, catching both women off guard when his head snapped up. “Sesshoumaru. I'm supposed to see Lord Sesshoumaru about Kagome. I really need to go” he babbled out, trying in vain to leave his seat.

“I'm sorry dear, but you're not going anywhere. Now sleep” Tarasu instructed, once again urging the kit into a deep slumber. “But do not worry, you will see your beloved guardian once more” she whispered before rising, turning to address Nari before she retreated to her room.

“I want you to send a message to Lord Sesshoumaru, telling him that this Kagome girl must come to my home in order to retrieve her kit. My only condition is that there will be no mention of our location, and it will only be revealed once she has made an appearance.”

Nari nodded her head in understanding as she left the dining area to fetch the servants and to fulfill her mistress's request. As they lifted the flaccid body of the kitsune, she pulled one of them aside.

“I need you to run an errand for me. This letter needs to be delivered to a Lord Sesshoumaru” she explained as she held out a white envelope. The servant snatched the envelope from her, excitement lighting up on his face. None of the servants were allowed to leave the estate, so this was a rare opportunity indeed.

“Now, there are some special instructions that you will need to follow exactly, or you will be severely punished. Do you understand?”

The servant merely nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“You will, under no circumstances, reveal our location. Second, the letter is not to be opened until you have reached your destination, and then you will allow no one but yourself to open the envelope.”

When Nari was satisfied that the young youkai understood her instructions perfectly, she dismissed him so he could prepare for the journey. She guessed that it would take the youkai a week to a week and a half to reach his destination, which gave them plenty of time to prepare.

She sighed to herself, hoping that her instructions wouldn't be ignored. She knew of Lord Sesshoumaru's reputation, and if the messenger were left alive, he would most likely use them to track their location. That was why she had laced the envelope with some very strong poison, so strong that it would kill its victim in a matter of seconds. She just hoped that the boy wouldn't be foolish enough to try and open it before, or there would be a substantial delay.

A/N: Once again, I must thank my wonderful reviewers for their on going support. Each and every review helps to keep me motivated. This chapter took a bit longer than I expected, and I hope it turned out ok. I was experiencing a blend of writer's block and just life in general. Hopefully I've gotten passed that, and the next one won't be so hard coming. Hope to hear from you, especially any suggestions. Thanks again for reading!