InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Seductive Embrace ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Hiei relaxed in a tree, trying to appear as disinterested as possible from the scene before him. Kuwabara and Yukina sat on the same bench that Kagome and Yukina had shared a couple of days ago, talking quietly to each other. The moment they had reached the shrine grounds, Kuwabara had practically glued himself to Yukina's side, not once leaving her alone.

 

Although Hiei would never admit it out load, he had finally resigned himself to his comrade's proclaimed love of his sister. He may not like the idea, but he knew that Kuwabara would protect her with his life if it came down to it, so if Yukina ever did accept his advances, he would leave it be and let the couple do as they wished.

 

He turned his attention to the lowering sun, looking forward to the darkness that the impending night had to offer. They had spent the entire day at the shrine after their all night search. He felt somewhat annoyed that he had to participate in the escapade, but he didn't want to raise too much suspicion, especially from the fox. He knew how odd it would be if he didn't help since his sister was in the general area.

 

So far, Genkai hadn't said anything to Yusuke concerning her new student, so he took that as a clue to not say anything either. He knew the girl was of no threat, so he saw no point in bringing her up to his friends. He just hoped that the information that he had already given the fox wouldn't come back to haunt him. If he had known that she would have brought this much attention to herself, then he would have refrained from saying anything at all.

 

Hiei was brought out of his musings when a familiar aura signaled that the kitsune was nearby. Just as he had suspected, within a few minutes said fox arrived. Kurama immediately located him, coming to a stop below the tree he was perched in.

 

“Hello Hiei. Enjoying yourself up there?” he asked as he leaned against the tree.

 

“Hn.”

 

“That's nice. Has any information surfaced since I've been gone?”

 

Hiei's silence gave Kurama his answer. “Well, I had better say hello to Genkai. See you in a bit unless you care to join me?”

 

Hiei thought on it for a moment before jumping down from the tree, walking ahead of his friend towards the dojo where he knew Yusuke and Genkai to be. They made their way quietly across the courtyard, Kurama's lips curling up in a smile as the sound of what sounded like a violent sparing match reached their ears. When they had finally made it to the entrance of the dojo, Kurama and Hiei waited at the door, watching the master and student combat with each other, and so far it looked as if the master was winning.

 

Both youkai watched as Yusuke was punched clear across the large room, landing on the ground with a loud grunt. He quickly stood up, bracing himself against Genkai's many punches before she pulled back. During the brief pause, Yusuke noticed their spectators, losing his concentration for a moment.

 

“Oi! Kurama! When did you get here?” Yusuke asked before flying back again from a sucker punch to the face.

 

“Don't you ignore me!” Genkai scolded, as she stood over the sprawled out form of Yusuke.

 

If it had been anyone else, Genkai's opponent would have been seriously injured, if not killed by her attacks. But since it was Yusuke, he sat up after a moment, shrugging off the remnants of the assault.

 

“Hey now, its not my fault that they just come waltzing in here!” Yusuke replied as he got to his feet. “Besides, I was trying to take it easy on you, you being old and all.”

 

Genkai ignored her former student's remark, walking gracefully towards the other side of the dojo.

 

“What, done all ready?” Yusuke asked while rubbing the side of his bruised face.

 

“If you have that much energy, I'm sure that I can dig up some chores for you to do” Genkai threatened.

 

Yusuke immediately began waving his hands in front of him. “Naw. That's ok. I need to catch up on some sleep anyway” Yusuke replied, adding a yawn to emphasize his point.

 

By this time Kuwabara had joined the youkai by the door, followed by Yukina. The four made their way into the dojo, coming to a stop in the middle.

 

“So, what shall we tell Koenma?” asked Kuwabara, anxious to get back to Yukina.

 

“Well, I guess we'll tell him what we found. Nothing” replied Yusuke. “I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading home to get some sleep. Knowing Keiko, she'll want to go out tonight” explained Yusuke before heading out the door.

 

Seeing that the meeting was now over, Kuwabara not so discretely escorted Yukina back outside under the tree. Although he wished he could never leave her side, he needed some sleep too. Saying his last words of undivided love, he raced down the stairs of the shrine after his friend.

 

Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai watched the two as the headed into the forest, listening to the fading voice of Kuwabara as he begged Yusuke to wait up on him. Yukina, finally alone, turned towards the main house, intent on getting to her chores since someone had tied her up all day.

 

Genkai was about to head in the same direction as Yukina when Kurama stopped her with a question.

 

“So, I hear that you have acquired a new student, Genkai.”

 

Genkai stopped in her tracks, only haven taken three steps. Sending a quick glare to Hiei, she decided to answer his question as truthfully as possible, but without letting too much information out. It was her responsibility as a teacher to protect her student's privacy.

 

“That would be true. But do not worry. She won't be here for long, and there's nothing that special about her.”

 

`Just amazing' she thought to herself. When Kurama remained silent, she took that as her queue that he was finished, and continued on her way towards the house for a well-deserved nap.

 

Kurama turned to Hiei to ask him more about this new student. Sensing Kurama's intentions, Hiei made a quick escape into the forest, not even leaving his friend with a good bye. Kurama shrugged his shoulders, knowing that there would always be a time for more interrogations. Deciding to head back home he turned towards the forest, thinking about a certain woman that had caught his fancy.

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

 

 

Kouga woke from his disturbed slumber, the sounds of the different Makai birds signaling that is was morning. He left his bed, and after a suitable stretch, made his way downstairs to join the rest of the household for breakfast. He only hoped that his kitsune friend had arrived during the night.

 

As he descended the stairs, a very solemn faced Rin greeted him. He immediately joined her, knowing that the only thing that could be wrong would be the still on-going absence of Shippo.

 

“So, I assume the kit hasn't made it in yet?” he asked her even though he already knew the answer.

 

“No. Do you have any idea where he went?” she asked, the worry that was on her face leaking into her voice.

 

“He escorted this girl home that we met up with in a town on our way here. She had apparently lost her companions and was afraid to walk all the way back by herself.”

 

“BAKA! The both of you! How could the both of you be so foolish?! Do you have any idea what this girl's name was of where they were heading? And why didn't you stay together? And…”

 

Rin was cut off by a warning look from Kouga. Behind them at the base of the steps was Lord Sesshoumaru, who was glaring at the both of them due to Rin's shouting so early in the morning. He merely turned away, heading into the dining area. The pair on the steps took that as their cue to follow him, though reluctantly. They knew that the Lord would not be pleased with Shippo's absence, and even more so, with the reason behind it.

 

After they had all been seated and the food served, Kouga and Rin began to eat their meal in silence under the irritated stare of the Lord.

 

“Where is the kit?” he demanded.

 

“He should be here any time now” Kouga replied, meeting the direct stare of Sesshoumaru.

 

“I presumed that you would be traveling together. Do not tell me that he has gotten himself into trouble” he replied, his knowing eyes scanning the faces of his company.

 

Rin tried her best to keep a straight face, but the worry over her friend became evident as her eyes watered up. “Lord Sesshoumaru! He escorted this girl home and now he's no where to be found. Will you please look for him?” she asked, her tears finally spilling over onto her face.

 

Sesshoumaru redirected his glare towards the wolf lord, his eyes demanding a more detailed explanation. “Well, you see, there was this girl that we met in a tavern and she seemed to be lost. She asked if we would accompany her home, so Shippo volunteered and told me to go on ahead and that he would meet up with me” he explained.

 

“Fools. And how long ago was that?”

 

“Just a few nights ago. It was only a day or so from here, well if you're as fast as me, anyway.”

Sesshoumaru shook his head in disbelief that the two could be so careless. Having lost his appetite, he rose from the table. “I will send out a search party this afternoon. Kouga, meet me in my study this afternoon for the information that you requested on Kagome.”

 

“But what about Shippo?” Kouga asked, not wanting the kit to be left out of the meeting.

 

“Considering if he is still alive, you can pass on the information yourself” he replied as he left the dining hall.

 

After a few moments of silence, Rin turned her watery eyes towards her companion. “Do you really think Shippo is in any danger? Do you think he'll be okay?”

 

“Don't worry about it. He most likely got lost or something. He'll be fine” he replied as reassuringly as he could. Rin calmed a bit with his words and began to eat. He only wished that his words could have the same affect on him, for the worry that he had felt upon arriving had magnified a thousand fold. `If anything has happened to him, Kagome will never forgive me' he thought sullenly to himself.

 

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

 

Kagome sat up in her bed for what had to have been the hundredth time that night. Every time she started to doze off, she was assaulted with various images, ranging from the fateful day with Inuyasha to the date that she had with Kurama. She let her face fall into her hands, letting out a frustrated sigh. It had been a while since she had done this, and had hoped that her insomnia had finally passed.

 

She withdrew the covers from her body, and once she was out of bed, she walked over to the one window in her tiny room. She opened it up, relishing in the warm breeze that fluttered the curtains and her hair. She gazed out into the night sky, watching longingly at the twinkle of the stars. If she closed her eyes and thought long enough, she could still remember the sight of the night sky during her stays in the Sengoku Jidai, sleeping under a blanket of a million stars. The comfort of knowing that a certain hanyou watched over her…

 

Kagome's eyes shot open at the memory. She scolded herself for the thought, reminding herself that those memories only brought back more pain. Deciding that she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon, she quickly dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, and after pulling on some sneakers, quietly made her way into the night.

 

She had no place that she had particularly wanted to go, and had just intended to walk around the block, so she was quite astonished when she ended up at the park. `Man, I must really be out of it' she thought to herself. Shrugging her shoulders, she went into the park, heading towards the clearing that she had found on her first day.

 

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

 

 

Hiei made a fast getaway from Genkai's shrine, knowing that if he didn't, the fox would pester him for more answers. As dusk turned to night, he still remained in the forest, not wanting to face Genkai's scolding, for her glare told him everything.

 

He chided himself for this one. He was always the quite one, never telling anyone anything. And the one time he does, it comes right back at him. Well, now he knew better. With nowhere to sleep, he decided to head towards the city and see if there was anything amusing going on in the area.

 

As he neared the park, a now familiar presence greeted his senses. Heading towards the hidden clearing of sakura trees, he quickly located the object of his attention in the darkness. She was sitting in the same position, as she was when he had first seen her, but she didn't jump up in surprise this time. He stopped, and watched as a small smirk played across her face.

 

“I know you're there, Hiei, so you might as well come out” she said softly, but not to where he couldn't hear it.

 

Hiei hesitated for a moment, debating on whether he really wanted to have a conversation with the woman. Deciding that he had nothing better to do, he made his way over to her, jumping down in front of her with a soft thump. She sat against the tree, her legs crossed and her eyes closed.

 

“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” he asked, trying to sound as disinterested as possible.

 

“I could ask the same of you” she replied with her eyes still shut.

 

She felt Hiei's youki spike for a moment and calm.

 

“You don't have to get upset, Hiei. I was only joking. If you really want to know, I couldn't sleep” she replied, finally opening her eyes to look at the squatting youkai before her.

 

“You couldn't sleep, eh? Most ningen watch TV or read a book. Not go wandering out into the park in the middle of the night.”

 

“Well, I'm not like most ningen” she replied, a slight sadness overtaking her features.

 

Hiei noticed the expression, but decided that it was not a concern of his. He was about to jump off into the trees to find somewhere to sleep when Kagome voiced a question of her own.

 

“Hiei? Have you ever been betrayed by anyone before?”

 

His first instinct was to tell her to mind her own business and leave, but there was something about the way she asked it that caught his attention.

 

“Who hasn't?” he replied indifferently.

 

“That's true. But by someone you really loved, who held your heart.”

 

“Love is inconsequential. If someone betrays me, then they must die” he replied with a deadly glint shining in his eyes.

 

Kagome brought her hand up to her mouth to try and stifle the giggle that escaped her mouth.

 

“What do you think is to funny?” he asked, turning that glare towards her.

 

Kagome immediately cut off the giggle when she noticed his expression, waving her hands in front of her face. “Nothing! I swear. It just seems like a typical answer from a youkai.”

 

Hiei caught what she said. “So, have you ever had actual contact with youkai before? You seem to be an expert” he asked, standing up to loom over her.

 

Kagome didn't know what to say, not having meant to leak that information. “Um…well you see…it's …”

 

“Never mind” he cut her off. I'll find out one way or another. That I promise you.”

 

Kagome stared up at him, hoping in one way that he could find out so she would have someone to talk to. But could he really be trusted?

 

“As far as being betrayed, we all have been one way or another.”

 

Before Kagome could ask him what he meant by that, he was gone into the night. She sensed him as he moved towards the forest, getting up from her spot on the ground.

 

“Goodnight, Hiei” she replied softly before heading back towards home.

 

 

~~~~~*~~~~~

 

Hiei made his way into the forest, deciding that he would rather spend the night amongst the trees then in the streets of the city. The girl was becoming more of an enigma every time he saw her. From their latest conversation, the girl had most definitely come into contact with youkai before. But how? He had considered forcing the information out of her, but for some reason he didn't want to do that to her.

 

As he settled into a tree not to far from Genkai's shrine, he just reminded himself that he would have to keep a close eye on her during her training with Genkai.