InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Intertwined ❯ A night of exploration ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: All characters are products of Rumiko Takahashi, and Togashi Yoshihiro's minds, not mine. I am only borrowing to test and broaden my writing. ^_^

 

**Okay. Before we go any farther, I'll point out a few things for you. First, there is no yaoi in this…but there will be a bit of non-sexual M/M interaction. Come on. This is Youko we're talking about here.

Second, the pairings are a bit confusing and in a gray area, so I'll explain as best I can. The main point I need to make first is that this will not become an orgy, but this is kind of a bulk pairing. You'll know why as the story progresses. As of now it will consist of six members. This might change, and you won't see all of them in action. That would be going too far for my tastes. I will probably only put two or three scenes in this story that heralds the “X” rating, but I'm playing safe.

I hope you will enjoy my story.

 

The Intertwined

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Reaching the spot where they had entered the woods, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief at no longer being in the fox's claimed territory. He'd known it was watching them, but only because they were granted passage to the water source.

 

He snuck a look underneath his heavy fringe to Kagome. Too bad they couldn't stay; he knew she and Sango would love to have bathed in that unbelievably clean river. The fact of the matter though, was that it made him nervous knowing that the kitsune was there, yet he wasn't able to feel or smell him. That alone was proof enough of his power. The only other demon he'd come across with that ability, not counting Naraku, was his own brother.

 

He watched the girls chatting amiably for a moment longer until he heard Miroku “tsk-ing” from behind him. He turned to see Miroku's mock disapproval and answered it with a wink and a cocky smirk before looking up to take note of the sun's position. They had another five or so hours of daylight, and it would take them about two weeks to make it to Jinenji's village. Generally it wouldn't take that long, but the trip was extended by a few days with the backtracking they had to do around the territory.

 

Looking back down the path, he continued reflecting on the power of the being in the territory while strolling at a sedate pace to give the humans their break; he figured they could pack up and begin moving faster after the next ridge…

 

“Hey Inuyasha, are you ready?” Kagome's voice came to his sensitive ears. She trotted up to him, admiring the way his ear twitched at the sounds she made as she approached him.

 

He stopped and looked behind him to find Sango already mounted on Kirara with Shippo. Miroku was making his way to mount as well, as it was faster for travel. He huffed in what might be called a chuckle; his proud pack continued to get stronger and stronger as the days went by.

 

“Yeah, I'm ready,” he knelt to punctuate his agreement and waited for Kagome's familiar mount before speeding off toward the east. Neko with cargo and one intrigued kitsune followed.

 

 

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As the day began to darken and come to its end, Youko held a new degree of respect for his venture. They moved fast considering the three humans the group held.

 

He'd been keeping a fairly safe distance away; he knew they couldn't feel him, but he was sure they were expecting the owner of the land to be watching anyway. Which he was, of course.

 

His current positioning gave him a prime view of the two in the lead; that beautiful and quite rough hanyou Inuyasha carrying one of those lovely soft women. This put him even with the other woman, who he suspected to be a slayer because of that weapon of hers, and the monk on the cat. Each bound the dog made at the front, the woman's… “Kagome” he'd learned, short green kimono would flutter just high enough to see what color undergarments she wore. They were odd; something he'd never seen a woman wear, and they disappointingly covered all of her fleshy rear to end around her thighs.

 

He also took note sometime about an hour ago that the monk of the group seemed to be somewhat of a masochist. He must have been slapped about four times already, not counting the time she smacked him with her boomerang…truthfully, he'd lost count as he'd been diverging his attention between everyone. Though he couldn't blame the handsome monk; that woman's backside had to have been difficult to ignore at such close range. The man was truly one after his own heart.

 

 

Whistling sharply and drawing Youko's attention, Inuyasha signaled his pack to a stop. The sun had finally descended and darkness was spreading quickly, cooling the land noticeably.

 

Kagome slid off of Inuyasha's warm back to shake out her legs and stretch her strained arms, unaware of the eyes drinking it in. All three pairs of them…well, she wasn't really unaware of Miroku's gaze anyway… Finishing her stretch, she shot a shame-on-you look to Miroku (who already sported a bump on the head from Sango for his gawking) before turning to follow Inuyasha toward a campsite. She loved it when she didn't even have to beg Inuyasha to stop anymore. Well…when they weren't on a shard hunt anyway…

 

Entering a short distance into the tree line, everyone began their nightly appointed rituals they had all begun to recognize. Kagome took out cooking utensils and food, Sango would set up the fire after Shippo collected wood, Inuyasha generally took his rest in the tops of the trees to keep watch when hunting wasn't necessary, and Miroku would fetch water if there was water nearby. Since they'd collected water earlier that day, he simply sat with Kirara after aiding with the fire.

 

Kagome sat back once the water was set up to boil. Habitually looking into the trees, she spotted the red figure on a branch directly above her. Continuing to watch his ears turning toward sounds she couldn't hear, she found herself wishing she had free reign to touch them more often. One of the furry ears turned toward her, and she could tell he was now aware of her rather blatant stare.

 

Refusing to look away, she cleared her throat, “So, how far until we are past the youki?” she wondered aloud to him while trying to hold back the blush she felt spreading over her features. I should really try to stop staring at him…

 

Peering down at her, Inuyasha nearly grinned. He'd been waiting for her to ask him that. Any minute now he would hear Sango slap Miroku… “We've got about another two days. He may watch us on the way to be sure we behave, but at least we know he's agreeable,” he answered before rolling over to fall into a crouch beside her.

 

Kagome watched as Inuyasha seemingly fell off his branch and landed solidly on his feet beside her. Every time he did that her heart did a flip; she would never get used to that... She wondered if he knew just how cat-like that action really was.

 

She internally cringed. He would never talk to her again if he'd heard her think that. Looking over at Sango, they shared identical knowing smiles. Of course, Inuyasha getting mad at her thought didn't keep her from voicing the observation with Sango…

 

While the women were grinning, Sango's expression quickly turned from that of mischievous to outrage. When Inuyasha felt Sango's sudden change in mood, he smirked as hand met flesh in a resounding smack.

 

 

…Right on the money…

 

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He'd been reclined in a tree some dozen feet away when he heard the monk get slapped again. He'd been pleasantly watching the acrobatics of Inuyasha as he dropped from the tree in a very feline-like maneuver. He was fairly graceful sometimes. `Such nice hair, too…' He swung his leg off his branch as he gazed back at the man who now wore a well defined handprint on his face. His face must have attained some kind of callous there to withstand such abuse. Still watching as Miroku fondly rubbed the area, he shook his head. As he'd suspected; a masochist.

 

Leisurely sucking on another of his precious strawberry treat, he considered the brown-haired slayer's actions. She quite obviously enjoyed his attentions, or she wouldn't sit so near to him with the knowledge of his wandering hand. So why then, wouldn't they simply get on with it? He could easily smell from both of the women, and the men for that matter, that they hadn't been engaging in more intimate activities with anyone. `How utterly boring…'

 

Pulling out one of the last few sweet sticks from his box, he frowned at it. Shifting his gaze, he studied the woman Kagome and the yellow pack sitting next to her. `What else to do to get more of this stuff?' His line of vision adjusted to the kit that sat next to her, gleefully rubbing his hands together as he watched the noodles cook over the fire.

 

Youko continued watching as Kagome declared the noodles to be ready for consumption and pulled out five bowls. The hanyou Inuyasha eagerly closed in to the fire as Kagome began spooning equal amounts for everyone. Indeed, the food did smell good.

 

He looked contemplatively to the candy he held. Where does she get these things? Still suspending the candy away from the box, he returned his golden attention to the camp.

 

The child got his serving first, followed by the slayer, then the men before Kagome finally spooned out her own serving. The silence reigned as they ate peaceably. That is…unless one considered the slurping coming from Inuyasha. `He must really like those noodles…' Fortunately, he stopped just short of being offensive by not licking the bowl clean.

 

“Sango, Kagome, I trust you'll need extra warmth for the night. Excuse me while I go and retrieve some more firewood,” Miroku offered as he set down his bowl and stood from his place, needing to stretch his legs, “Shippo, would you like to join me?”

 

Also finished with his share, Shippo jumped at the chance for something to do that would hold off his bedtime, “Yeah!” As he hopped up to follow Miroku, he suddenly stopped and slowly turned toward Kagome with his trademark pleading look.

 

Seeing the look, and having expected it, she had the shiny red box of candy outstretched in no time, “Just remember that you do need to go to sleep soon, so you shouldn't eat it all,” she advised as ownership of the pocky transferred to the nearly drooling kit.

 

Youko avidly watched the exchange and swiftly returned the strawberry stick in his hand to its box. He grinned slowly as he leapt from the tree into the direction they headed toward. Going surely from one tree to another, he spotted a fallen tree on the ground that hadn't yet lost its green color. It was pretty close to the camp and would serve its purpose well. Landing next to it, he placed his long fingers over the bark and pulled the remaining energy from the dead tree, feeding it to the living greenery around him. This rendered the wood dry and ready for utilization in their fire. Everything was held in a circle and this fallen tree was no different.

 

Looking back in the direction of the camp, he felt the monk “Miroku” and kit “Shippo” approaching. In a few quick swipes, he severed the dead log into manageable pieces for the pair. Pulling out the box of pocky, he placed it on the ground where the child would indeed smell the remaining candy.

 

In a flurry of billowing silk, the ethereal fox took to the trees once more to observe their reaction of his offering. He knew he was doing an awful lot for this group, but the kit would probably understand his message. Besides, he didn't want them to freeze during the night…that was just cruel considering they had been providing him with ample amusement.

 

His large silver ears shortly picked up the childish chattering of Shippo as they neared the prepared log.

 

“So, do ya think the kitsune is still watching? I hope so, he seems nice letting us in to his water. Pretty water, too…and the grass was so clean…” he continued on praising Youko's territory, unwittingly and unnecessarily inflating said kitsune's ego even more than it already was. Glancing at Miroku, he took note that the houshi had perfected the art of tuning out a child's hyper chatting; something kits were really good at.

 

When Shippo suddenly stopped his river of admiration, this is what drew the attention of Miroku who was holding a small log in a swath of fabric of his robes. Looking to Shippo to see why he'd ceased talking, he saw a look of contemplation on the young one's face.

 

Shippo's furry red head tilted to the side as he contemplated the pink box emanating the strawberry scent of its contents. It sat against a neat pile of ideal firewood with a few of the treats remaining in it. An upward tilt to one side of the kit's mouth indicated to Youko that he had received and understood his message. “Give me some more, and I'll continue to aid you.”

 

“Shippo?” Miroku chanced when he saw the generally mischievous smirk cross his face. When he turned to look at whatever had spawned such a dangerous look, he spotted the box that Kagome had left back at the river for the use of it. Realizing that it meant they were still being followed, he looked back to his companion, “Well Shippo, I suppose that answers one of your questions,” he supplied, referring to the box.

 

“He wants more of it, and is offering to aid us as we go around his territory for it,” Shippo translated for Miroku, showing his deceptively mature perception. Having already gone through half of his own chocolate box, he decided that it wasn't such a bad idea. At least then he would have done something other than running or hiding to help out his family.

 

Approaching the log pile, he put the red box with the chocolate sticks on the ground and picked up the pink one Youko had left, “Can we carry all that at once?” Shippo asked Miroku about the wood as he opened the box he'd traded for and began munching.

 

“But of course. At the very least, I shall be able to carry more than enough to fuel our fire for the night. I must extend my thanks to the individual responsible for the aid,” he stated loudly, now knowing that they were still being tailed.

 

Working quickly, they gathered all the wood the two could carry, and made their way back to camp with few words; Shippo's mouth was busy with the remaining four sticks of the strawberry pocky. As they began nearing their site, Shippo put the emptied pink box into his vest, hiding it from view. Somehow, he knew that their temporary perimeter wouldn't want everyone to know of his continued presence. Shooting Miroku a look as he did so, they wordlessly agreed on silence.

 

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Sango looked up as the missing members returned from their hunt for more firewood. Miroku's look of innocence was never honest, and since he had on such a look; she was instantly suspicious. Shippo was always hard to read when it came to his tricks, so she couldn't decipher the look he currently wore. `And how did they find so much firewood in such a short time?'

 

Passing her loaded gaze to Miroku, she narrowed her eyes when he caught sight of her. He grinned jovially and placed the wood accordingly into the fire.

 

“Why, my darling Sango. Why ever the dubious look? You wound me so with your distrust,” he effectively countered to the intuitive woman. He had a feeling that she would figure it out soon enough anyway. Sango turned with a huff at his usual answer and finished off her remaining ramen. With the fond smile not leaving his face, he addressed Kagome next, “Kagome, do you by chance carry one of your insightful books? I believe I would like to peruse one before retiring for the night.”

 

As he again reclined in his spot, Youko's eyes flicked up toward the humans with surprise, `They can read?!' This was a new development that indeed required some further investigation. He wondered at the kind of parchments they carried through the forest. As he watched Miroku move over to accept Kagome's outstretched offering, Youko couldn't help but notice from his distance the size of the book she had produced for him. He took the book back to his claimed spot by the fire, and as he passed the women Youko's eyes paused on the slayer Sango.

 

He narrowed his eyes with thought. The woman was smart; she was most obviously suspicious of the monk's actions as he returned with the firewood. Keeping a sharp grip on things, he knew she was more or less going to figure out what it was that was happening before they fully passed. Let her find out; maybe he'd show himself before the group departed…

 

The camp of the misfit pack settled down for their nightly rest and as the night wore on Youko finally took out the box that the smart little kit had left before collecting the offered wood. Sniffing the decadent scent of the candy, he selected one and sampled it with bliss. He recalled the particular taste of this candy from one of the many spoils he'd acquired in the past. It had been a while since he'd had any, though. He supposed he still favored the fruity taste of the other, but it was no wonder this was the kit's favorite. The delicacy was hard to come by and quite expensive when one did find it. This spawned a whole new set of questions about the group he'd chosen to follow.

 

He savored the rest of the box slowly and had it emptied by the time the humans had fallen into slumber. The houshi still held the book on his chest and slept at an odd angle against a tree. Next he searched the tree he knew the hanyou was resting in, and finally spotted the red figure about ten feet below his location across from the clearing. His own location was most obviously secured with the help of the leaves manipulated to block their view, but he saw clearly that Inuyasha had not yet fallen to sleep.

 

Lifting to a crouch on his branch, he focused harder for a closer look. Under shadows caused by the large leaves of his tree, Youko lifted his chin with a devious smile slowly gracing his lips; the hanyou was watching his females with want clearly written all over his face. Apparently he didn't bother hiding the expression if he thought no one was witnessing it. My, my, but this group was but a stone's throw from surely exploding from all the sexual tension. Badly wanting an even closer look, he arose to stalk his prey…

 

 

 

Lifting his eyes from the sleeping forms of Sango and Kagome, Inuyasha sighed toward the sky. Scooting into a more comfortable position, he found himself wishing he could curl up in one or both of the occupied sleeping bags.

 

Inuyasha refrained from sighing a second time as he turned away and closed his eyes. Reflecting on their recent past, he revisited the realization that his shared feelings for Kikyo and Kagome in the past had gradually been replaced over time with the same for Sango and Kagome. He hadn't really known how it had happened, but the fact remained that it simply had. Those women had been standing at his side for more than three times the amount that Kikyo had; this being the only thing to which he could attribute the change.

 

And in the last meeting with Kikyo that the group had encountered before she'd finally quit the world in rest, she had essentially renounced her involvement in anything beyond Naraku's demise. This he'd met with a heartbreaking realization that he didn't much mind. Yes, he mourned the loss of any possible relationship they would have had otherwise, but this turn of events was somehow expected. Kagome's overall mood since then had improved as well, so for that he was grateful.

 

Though before Kikyo died, she entrusted that Kagome would handle her duties from the past which made him nervous all over again. He had felt guilty that he had let Kikyo die again, but it had been inevitable for her to do so, and it was long overdue. He had simply denied it for far too long. Kagome, true to her nature, continued to stay by his side in the feudal era despite the danger. He was still worried for her.

 

His last thoughts before drifting off were images of himself in one large futon packed with both girls. He supposed the houshi could join them, but only if he slept at the other side of the temptresses that had no idea of their appeal.

 

 

 

With impatient twitching of his knee, Youko watched as his white-haired target finally fell asleep below him. Aware of the fact that Inuyasha was probably still able to detect ill will in his half-asleep state, he was careful to make no noise as he relocated to a branch nearer to Inuyasha. The fact that he did not harbor ill-will kept him relatively undetected in any case. He was merely curious…

 

Soundlessly maneuvering onto the branch holding his intent, he lowered to his haunches in front of Inuyasha and pulled in close for his scent. Yes…definitely celibate. Innocent, his mind supplied as he leaned back, considering that thought.

 

Now, one of the things Youko prided himself on was his deduction skills, and his mind quickly came to the answer he sought. This hanyou was still a sexual innocent. Turning his deliberating features toward the others, he came to a realization; none of them had experienced anything intimate. There was the reason for all of the palpable undercurrents among the members.

 

As his face eased into an expression that bordered on devious, he turned back to Inuyasha as he slumbered on. That matter of affairs would simply have to change. Yes, it was always fun to have a project every now and then...perhaps he should follow them beyond his territory. He'd been there for more than half a moon cycle anyway; that was more than enough time for his claim to hold.

 

His mind made up, his gaze shortly went to the feature he himself shared with the hanyou. Knowing personally what sensitive skin makes up the appendages, he was overcome with the urge to tweak the smaller ears on Inuyasha's head. Though it would most probably wake him.

 

Coming up quickly with a solution, he reached into his hair and produced the desired seed for what he had in mind. His plan still held no ill-will, he only wanted to deepen Inuyasha's sleep with the pollen of the plant he'd produce with the seed. It was safer to be ensured an uninterrupted exploration of the other members anyway.

 

Returning the seed to its assigned strand of hair after its use, he leaned in once again after he was certain the pollen had done its job and reached out with one curious hand. Watching the hanyou's face closely, he lightly grasped his left ear and tested the down covering it. An involuntary low growl emitted from Inuyasha as his ear was molested by the fox.

 

Chuckling lightly, Youko continued indulging himself as he compared the similar trait. Inuyasha's ears were more fuzzy than they were furry like his own were. Another growl sounding very suspiciously like a moan came from him as Youko's chuckle deepened.

 

“Like that, do you?” he purred to him even knowing he wouldn't be heard. Pulling his hand away, he backed up even while the dog's instinctive whine sounded, “Now, now,” he playfully placated the unconscious man as he readied to jump to the forest floor, “don't be greedy; you have to share with the others.”

 

Landing gracefully next to a colorfully wrapped Kagome, he observed her next. She was a tempting young thing, all the more so if one had seen her in her revealing clothes. He moved in for a sample of the girl's natural scent and instantly questioned his own decision to get in for a closer look. Now he'd be thinking of nothing but getting another whiff of her enticing smell of raspberry and tea leaves… The one thing in her scent that sent him toward mild shock was the metallic tang of holy powers. Strong holy powers, too. `She's a miko?'

 

That proved interesting. He lowered to his haunches as his tail swished behind him in intrigue, “Just full of surprises aren't we?” he quietly asked of the woman that had given him that strawberry treat earlier in the day. Reaching out from his position next to her, he ran his claws through her silken hair, “Ah, yet another surprise. Such soft hair…” he drifted off to continue threading his fingers through the strands. The human women he'd been in contact with in his past had much rougher hair. How did she do it? He looked over to the other woman lying not far off from Kagome. `Is her hair the same, I wonder?'

 

Gently letting the strands of Kagome's hair drift to the ground, he resisted any further petting to appease his curiosity of the other woman's hair. Still crouched on his haunches, he slid over to the strange blue bag holding Sango and was hit with her strong cassia scent. Oooh, he had a weakness for that spice…it was incredibly difficult to come by it, and even harder to secure the more pure cinnamon of the Ceylon variety. Though he did have his own store of it, including seeds to grow more of the trees in several of his dens scattered throughout the island.

 

Reaching her side with a healthy sniff, he instantly dipped his fingers into her dark brown hair, and was bewildered to find the locks sliding through his fingers easily. As his eyes roamed the campsite in thought, he caught sight of the bright yellow bag that held way more than it should be capable of.

 

Youko stood and went to search the bag, looking to find more of the strange items he'd already seen come out of it. Plunging his hand in, he felt his way past the cooking items he'd seen to some fabric with odd textures. Quite refined materials, really. Definitely not silk, but still rather nice. He moved the fabric aside and pulled up what was underneath.

 

`Another book. So nicely bound, too…' He opened it to scan it shortly before his attention was drawn to a warning growl coming from his left. Turning, he found the firecat giving him an appraising once over. Offering his hand, he reassured her, “Do not fear, I am merely curious. I will continue to watch them for the night as I know their leader is temporarily incapable of such.”

 

The cat seemed to mull this over before huffing and returning to her spot at her mistress's feet, still eyeing the fox that had intruded on their camp. She watched as he replaced the contents of Kagome's bag and then slowly walked over to the monk.

 

Smelling cocoa coming off of the human, he determined that his natural scent was an unusual one for a human male. Overlaying the cocoa scent was the familiar metallic one indicative of his holy powers. Not as strong as Kagome's, but definitely there. Besides the scents, there was the perplexing feel of malevolence centered around his right hand. The energy definitely made him curious, but he knew well enough to leave it alone.

 

Shifting his gaze, he lifted the book from the houshi's chest and lowered the slumbering man to the forest floor. Humans had annoying habits sometimes of complaining about the smallest aches…better to head that off at the pass.

 

Standing with the book in hand, he opened it to find material explaining the intricacies of the human mind on its pages. He stopped reading it momentarily and looked back at the purple clad man sleeping on the ground, “Smart human, aren't you? Interesting.”

 

As he took note of the kit Shippo coming about wakefulness, he quickly left the forest floor and located his tree of the night. Once seated, he kept his watch as the kit traveled to the bushes to relieve himself and then returned back to Kagome's side, mumbling the whole way.

 

Opening the book he still held, he scanned the neatly printed pages by moonlight until the shades of early dawn woke the humans.

 

 

 

A/N: Also, this chapter felt kind of forced even as I wrote it. That's never a good thing, I'm sure it reads that way, too. It doesn't sound terribly original, I know, but hey…this is only for fun right? Besides, I will get to the meat of the story soon enough. Now, you'll tell me how the story feels to you, won't you? I'd be tickled pink if you did…