InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Blue Anshan ❯ Seeking 2 - A New Friend ( Chapter 6 )

The Blue Anshan

By Alesyira

Summary: Shippo discovers that haste doesn't always give the fastest results, and friends can be found in strange places.

Chapter Rating: PG for language.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi, and Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Togashi Yoshihiro. I make no profit from this piece of fiction.

Arc 2 - Seeking 2 - A New Friend

1505

I had plenty of time over the next several years to thoroughly kick myself in the ass for not doing better research before traveling to this foreign land. Come on... Snowy land to the west? Across the water? I mean, the old bag might have been right... but considering how massive the Asian continent is, I had definitely been a tad hasty. But, like modern people sometimes say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Truthfully, though... had I never left Japan, I might not have learned so much about myself. I was on my own in a completely foreign setting. Staying at home with the comforts and familiarity of people I knew wouldn't have encouraged this sort of struggle for survival, and it might have taken decades longer to discover even the simplest of my abilities as an adult.

New scents and sounds assaulted my senses as I searched for a safe place to stay. I hunted and fished and slept under the stars as I familiarized myself with the countryside. For months, I stalked a handful of tiny fishing villages scattered across the narrow southeastern coastal plains. I picked up a little of the language, and while I understood that it might take some time to fully grasp the nuances of their language, I had a hard time holding onto my patience.

It is difficult to describe the level of frustration and anger I struggled with at that time.

To put things in perspective: Two years before, I had been permanently stuck in the body of a small kit. I cried, whined, played pranks and annoyed everyone in general for my own amusement. I almost always got everything I wanted, and I received unlimited attention and affection from the time-traveling miko, Kagome. I cared for her more than anything else in the world.

She was my world.

And then, I changed everything. I'd found a magic wand and recklessly used it without knowing its true power. What I did to Kagome could have killed her. She was probably the strongest miko to have lived since the time of Midoriko, and I cursed her with the magic of youkai. Her reiki and the foreign youki had clashed within her and caused dizziness and waves of nausea... True, we did manage to "fix" her Shippo-induced problem, but only by putting her life in another form of constant danger.

But... this strange turn in her life led to my unexpected (yet long-overdue) progression into adulthood. With my mother's disappearance some decades ago, my growth had come to a screeching halt. Not only did I remain stuck in the size of a small puffball kit, but my emotions and behavior could barely mature. I'm not sure how long I would have remained in that child-like state had I not "cursed" Kagome, but what was her bane became my blessing.

Most adolescents have the luxury of time and guidance to make their way into adulthood. Emotions, behavior, and self control develop in pieces through age and experience, and for me to make the leap from child to adult was a bit of a system shock. I had deeply ingrained childish behaviors, wants and needs that I had to juggle with my new shift in perspective.

I'd occasionally have a strong urge to toss myself on the ground and flail about in a temper tantrum. I still played my pranks and got into mischief for attention from my surrogate family. I had yet to gain firm control on my emotional outbursts, so it wasn't uncommon to see me struggling to disguise my reactions of fear, sadness, pain, and anger. (Of course, I was happy a lot, too, but with Kagome gone, it wasn't the really strong joy I had experienced before.)

I couldn't just start "acting my age." I had to understand and embrace it.

Sometimes, –er, in my case, I should say ALL the time—something as simple as having a friend can mean the difference between epic failure and success.

And so, at the onset of summer, nearly two months after I'd arrived on that rocky shore, I met my lucky break.

Summers can be awfully rainy in Korea (which is where Hachi had dropped me off), especially in the coastal regions, as I quickly discovered. (Have I mentioned I really can't stand the rain? Probably not. I'll get to that later.)

On that particular morning, the rain was much heavier than it had been for the last week, making it hard to see between the huge droplets and whipping winds. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, and I knew without a doubt that the fishing villages were about to have a very rough day. On a long stretch of muddy, unfamiliar road, I chanced upon a somewhat horrifying (yet disturbingly welcome) scene.

At first glance, I thought it was an enamored couple, so in love (and lust) that even the horrible storm beating down upon them couldn't prevent their passionate embrace. The woman's long, dark hair and clothes hid her body from sight, and the man wore strange traveling robes that were nothing like the fishermen and other commoners I'd seen since my arrival. It was really strange to see such an open display back then, and I so made to take a detour through the woods to get around them and not disturb their moment. Just as I had turned, though, I noticed something felt... wrong. A stirring of malevolent energy made the tiny hairs on my arms and neck prickle with warning (which felt really awful combined with the drenching rain) and I took a few careful steps away from the strange couple.

I had assumed that I'd be able to find all sorts of supernatural creatures no matter where I'd travelled, but until that morning, I had not yet come across anything of note in that country. I didn't know if I'd find youkai or ghosts or anything, so I always kept up my guard and tried to be vigilant against anything that seemed suspicious or smelled funny. Holding to this careful consideration of potential threats, I had to think that they were evil entities of some sort. I figured that, in a worse-case scenario, they might vanish at any moment and be upon me in an instant, so I had to ensure I stepped carefully away from the situation. I wasn't exactly sure how I knew that there was something evil afoot, but it was such a strong sensation that I couldn't have brushed it off as anything other than what it was.

So, there I was... creepy ghost couple necking on an empty, muddy road in the middle of a torrential downpour. I made my way carefully backwards for some time, unintentionally stepping in my fair share of ankle-deep puddles.

The man's stance relaxed and his knees apparently buckled, but the two held so tightly to one another that he didn't slip to the ground. His arms, though, eventually loosened and fell limp at his sides as they continued to kiss. When the woman effortlessly held up his body with an arm while supporting his head with her other, I paused in slight concern. I wasn't sure what was going on between the two, but I had the distinct feeling that the male was a lot less evil than the woman, and that he was on the verge of death.

A moment later, he slumped backward across the woman's forearm as she tilted her bronzed face toward the sky, and the rain fell in heavy sheets to beat harshly upon the sharp features of her face. Her head angled in my direction and she opened her eyes to gaze at me. Her beautiful mouth curled into a grin bordering on evil, and then with no revealing movement, she vanished in the haze of the morning storm.

It was simply too strange to have been imagined, so as soon as I realized she had gone, I glanced around to ensure I was alone, then moved forward with care to examine the spot she had stood with that unfortunate man. With the heavy rains rapidly washing away the traces of her scent, all I could detect was the distinct smell of ripe bananas.

Only one object remained where they had stood, and the rain splashed heavily against the wooden surface. As I knelt to retrieve it from the mud, I noticed it was covered in etched writing that had slightly worn down over time. Before this moment, I had stumbled across only a few texts written in the local language, but these characters appeared far more complex than any I had seen before. I pocketed the little wooden slab and stood, looking around for any other sign of that scary female. She had effectively vanished with her prey, and I had the suspicion that she probably frequented this location.

But I did mention that it had been a somewhat welcome sight, didn't I? I never would have guessed...

The storm gained strength throughout the day, and without shelter for the night, I could do nothing but find refuge in a tree.

When I was smaller, the rain only slightly annoyed me. My family would take shelter if the weather was particularly bad, but for the most part we would ignore it. After I met up with Inuyasha and Kagome, I discovered that humans didn't appreciate traveling in the rain constantly, so we didn't do that too often for the sake of their health and comfort. But as the rains grew in intensity after those first few months in the foreign lands, it quickly became apparent that my dislike for this particular type of weather had grown exponentially. (I've always thought that it had something to do with the nature of my element, but I'll get to that in a moment.) Now, I didn't learn much of this information until much later in my journeys abroad, but my father and mother's ancestors descended from legendary, magical creatures called the youko. A youko begins its life as a normal kitsune, but through some great deed or a strong will, it gains favor with Inari and is granted magic. Kitsune youkai, especially those that have descended from the youko, are skilled in energy transfers. The most common use of this transfer is between the youkai and his or her element.

The element of my father's family was the earth. They held firm control over soil, dirt, and rocks of all sorts. Where they lived and walked, ki could seep into the ground and enrich it with the strength to support life. Some considered his kind to be the gift of the land.

The element of my mother's family was directly related to flora, especially within the forests. The magic of her family could do many things with plant-life, but the most common use was directly related to making plants grow. I've never shown much of an ability to do such a thing, but as a child in frequent danger, I was able to make a trail of whining mushrooms so that I could be found.

A secondary, minor element that is common in kitsune is the element of illusion. It is stronger in some than others, an example of which can be seen in my parents. My father had great control over his illusory magics, but my mother never displayed any ability along those lines. I gained my kitsune-bi (foxfire) as part of those illusory magics prevalent in my father's line, but on that same note, I've never displayed any ability to enrich the land like most of my father's family could.

Now, you've got to remember that foxfire isn't mean to burn things. It's supposed to look like fire long enough to fool enemies so that the kitsune can flee, but it's also useful in creating spooky apparitions. But my foxfire evolved differently as I was pushed into sudden maturity. It was still essentially the same thing, but something in the energies composing it shifted so that it gained heat. That shift in energy actually began to collect in a liquid-like substance that dripped from beneath my claws in times of battle or during times that I suffered from extreme agitation. To this day, I believe that is was this same shift in my energy that resulted in my extreme dislike for rain. I'd never felt this way about the weather before, so it was the only thing that made sense. It didn't harm me, so there was no real drive to actively seek out shelter, but damn if it didn't make me terribly miserable and uncomfortable.

The rain was so heavy that night that I couldn't detect that banana scent as the mysterious female approached my perch. I quickly realized I wasn't alone, though, as those hairs stood up once more in alarm.

I spotted her a short distance away, looking up at me in open curiosity. She said something, but I had yet to pick up enough of the language to understand her. She must have sensed my confusion, for she tried again in what sounded like a different language.

She waited for the expected response, and when none came, she tried again. "You are from the islands of the east, then?" I had no idea what she'd asked the first two times, but I could definitely understand this, even with her thick accent. I nodded once in response.

"Come, there is shelter."

I stared at her in dumb shock as my mind tried to wrap around what she'd suggested. Hours earlier, I'd witnessed her kissing a hapless human literally to death, and she expected me to follow her willingly into what would most likely be a trap?!

She mistakenly took my continued silence as confusion and pointed to the southwest while beckoning for me to follow. "I have food and fire. Come! We rest and speak."

When I made no motion to follow her, she smirked and unexpectedly leapt to my branch. She moved with quick grace to catch hold of the front of my not-so-new shirt and kissed the tip of my nose before I could escape. Her banana scent wafted across my senses, along with the subtle, familiar smell I'd not noticed on the road earlier.

She was a kitsune.

I suppose when I came to that realization, all suspicion and instincts of self-preservation flew out the imaginary window. "Ah! What kind of kitsune are you? Where are you from? Have you met others? Where are they?" I shot off every question that came to mind, and in my excitement at finding another kitsune I completely forgot about the danger she might have posed.

Her hand clapped over my mouth as a crash of thunder sounded overhead. "We go inside, first! Rain gets worse quickly." She took my hand and stood easily upon the branch. A quick tug had me scrambling after her, and soon I was zipping through the water-logged forest at her heels. Her two tails, which had been hidden from sight earlier in the day, were as sopping wet as her hair, and each leaping bound she made caused them to flip about with such force that I was getting hailed with high velocity water droplets from the front and below as well as above with the storm.

Hurray for rain.

The entrance to the black kitsune's den was tucked carefully behind a large green bush, hidden from sight and protected from random curious animals by prickly branches. It had been carved without grace into a rocky hillside, but it provided adequate protection and shelter regardless of appearance.

She slipped inside with me close on her heels. I was wary of her because she was a potentially dangerous youkai, but I couldn't help the growing feeling of warmth and happiness blossoming in my chest. (I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fire she had lit seconds before...) I plopped down next to the flames and shrugged off my soaked shirt, shuddering once as the moist chill began to fade.

"You are so young!" She draped a fluffy length of fabric across my shoulders and patted my head as one would a child. "Why have you come, so far from home?" She sat down to my right and pulled her mane of black hair to the side in order to wring out a good amount of the water.

"I'm looking for my mother's family."

"Oh? Where's your mama? Did she tell you where to look?" She seemed genuinely concerned, and I didn't know if it was a ploy to get me to trust her... or if she really worried about such things.

"She couldn't tell me. She disappeared."

"Ah, such terrible news!" She sat up on her hands and knees to sit beside me. I began to think that telling her anything was a bad idea as she squashed me in an awkward, one-sided embrace. I was seriously too big for her to be cuddling me like a kit, but apparently she didn't think (or care) about our size difference.

The whole situation was odd, even more so after seeing what she'd done on the road earlier in the day. Maybe I could find out what she knew of my relatives, and then I could make a hasty retreat. In the rain.

Damn.

"Do you... know of any silver kitsune?"

She finally released me from her petting coddle, and her dark eyes widened in surprise. "Why seek them? They are bad luck, thieves and tricksters."

It's actually kind of strange, but she was right. Silver kitsune were bad omens in legends and folk tales, while black kitsune were a sign of good luck. But while she may have been right on that account, I had to call her out on what I'd seen her do...

"What about that human today? What happened to him?"

She grinned and tweaked my nose. "He was Seonbi," she said with a matter-of-fact tone, as though that should answer all of my questions and concerns. At my blank look, she tried to clarify the statement. "Seonbi... travel. They study, read... take gwageo exam..." she shook her head in apparent frustration and I realized the subject was probably a bit too complicated to translate. "He was not good man," she paused to tap her lip with a slender finger, "but he made good snack."

I jerked in surprise. "Snack?!"

"Yes."

"You ate him?" I was a bit horrified. Of course, most youkai eat meat, but eating a human is something completely different. In my opinion, it borders on cannibalism, but there is another reason that most higher youkai can (and do) agree on. Humans taste like what they are. (Truly good humans are rare...) some of the bad ones taste like burnt oil or rotten fruit, so I've heard. (On the same note, though, this is supposedly the same reason dragons like the taste of virgins.)

She looked just as horrified as I'd felt and shook her head vehemently. "Not eat... I took his energy."

"You..." I stopped to think about it for a moment. "Oh." I had no idea how she'd done it, but from my limited experience in the matter at that time, I knew it was something kitsune could do.

She moved over to a wooden box along the back wall, withdrew a clean kosode, and tossed it to me. The pants she found were strange, but after the weird clothes Kagome brought for me to wear, I couldn't feel too bothered about it.

Once I was dressed and mostly dry, I began to work on drying my hair and tail. She introduced herself as Hu, and told me that she'd lived in this country for a few years. She'd originally lived much farther to the west, but had taken to traveling in her youth and had yet to find someplace she really liked.

She said that she'd only personally met one silver, and that had been over a hundred years before. She knew of a few places that might have the answers I sought, so when morning came we set out.

Damned rain. It took us a month to locate the first place Hu had in mind. And wouldn't you know, the rainy season lasted at least that long. To top it off, I didn't really trust her yet. She held no concern for the humans we encountered (beyond their potential for her "snacks"), and while she ate food on occasion when I hunted, I could tell that she didn't really care for that sort of nourishment. And, just as I couldn't understand her apparent need for a human's energy, she couldn't understand how I didn't need it.

I wasn't sure if she would still eventually try and make a snack out of me, so yet again I had another great month with very limited sleep. I had a bit of an advantage over an untimely death at her hands, though, because I could detect that creepy malevolent energy just before she got hungry, which was once a week or so. She'd slip off to find another human, and for about an hour or so after she came back I could still feel it, albeit diminished. I wanted to say something about it, but I didn't really know the exact circumstances surrounding what she was up to, and every time she came back, she had new information that would guide us closer to our goal.

The damned rain hammered us as we made our way through the foothills, skirting the edges of paths and roads the humans frequented. Hu carefully picked her way through the mountain trails with me close on her heels, and finally, after a few days on the slopes, we'd left the heavy storm clouds below us. The vegetation became sparse with the lack of precipitation, and the air was brisk in the higher altitude. Even the warmth of the summer sun could do little to ward off the strange chill settling within my bones. A few days before we found the first location, Hu started giving me strange looks (I almost thought she was worried about me...).

When we finally reached that somewhat mysterious destination though, a flood of warmth shivered through my system at the beauteous sight before us. We had crested a rocky outcrop, and suddenly my senses were filled with the scents of life, of grass and highland flowers. Nestled between two mountain ridges was a small, lush valley; a crystal clear spring trickled its meandering path through the green grass. An ancient looking temple sat amidst it all, cut off from view of those outside the valley and sheltered from the elements. It seemed impossible that so much life could exist this far up the slopes...

Hu spoke, drawing my attention to her warm expression. "Haeinsa Temple. It houses many writings, and we might find mention of your kin."

Holy crap. The building was so massive, if it had not been devoid of color and decoration I might have thought it to be the Imperial Palace. How could anyone ever hope to fill those walls with that much information?!

I was fairly certain we would be searching this place for a long, long time.