InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Puppet Master ❯ Chapter 3

Title: The Puppet Master

Author: Bondage Fetish

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Lemons, language, violence and character death.

Theme: Dangerous Liaisons

Disclaimer: If I owned either Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho, I'd actually be rewriting both series instead of having to content myself with fan fiction of it. And no, I make no money off of this story.

 

Written for The Deadliest Sin's contest.

 

 

Chapter Three

 

Kagome's mood was one of impatience and she wished that there was some way that she could hurry the process of getting Hiei to sleep along. For someone who thrived on fighting, his need to fight had been quiet as of late, and she had to wonder if it was a possible side effect of the bond with her.

 

Had he been his normal self, she would have had ample opportunities to feed the jewel the precious youki that it needed, however, the apparition just hadn't cooperated. At first she'd been patient, passing it off as an after effect of crossing the border. However, when he'd nearly reached the mark that would indicate a week, she began to worry. She'd finally come to terms with the fact that she'd been draining his energy like some psychic vampire, he was making things increasingly difficult for her to succeed in doing so.

 

It was hell on her nerves not to reach out to him in an attempt to push him deeper into sleep. She knew that it wouldn't do any good, not at this distance. Most likely, it would have the opposite effect and she'd be back at square one. 'I can't let that happen. I can feel the other souls in the jewel weakening and if I wait too much longer, it'll be too late.'

 

Nor did she really have a choice in just what form of energy she could take from him at this point. Since he clearly hadn't been involved in any intense battles, there was only one other option available to her, and she had to take it. 'Go to sleep dammit. All this waiting has got to be worse than actually doing it!'

 

The extra time had given her opportunity to plan her attack, even if her confidence still wasn't at its best. In the short time they'd been connected, she knew that it would take more to attract him than the average male. Nor would he be swayed by the helpless, damsel in distress act either. Hell, just the fact that she was human was likely to be a turn off, so she was prepared to up the stakes. 'I guess it helps that in dreams I can take whatever form I want. Otherwise I'd be screwed, and not in the good way.'

 

Unable to do anything else, she waited and when the time came, she pounced upon his vulnerable mind. It was deceptively simple to influence the dream that he was about to have, especially since he tended to think of the freedom that came with living in the forest. So she allowed the slightest of smirks to cross her lips and she closed her eyes, willing herself to appear as something that would entice him, yet not seem out of place either.

 

When she opened her eyes again, she didn't have to look to know how she appeared. A gentle breeze caressed the wings on her back and she began setting off in the direction that she knew that he would be. And within moments she had found him, although she was slightly surprised at his appearance and she allowed it to show on her face.

 

Immediately Hiei looked up when the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Are you... hurt?” Kagome asked in a near whisper and pressed herself up against the tree that she was hiding behind. This was all a part of the game, and to act bold or sure of herself would surely give her away.

 

Hiei nearly scoffed at her antics. It was the typical curiosity of a wood nymph that had drawn her to this place, although why she wasn't running in fear was unknown. Whatever the reason, it didn't concern him, “Of course I'm not hurt, the blood isn't mine, so go along with your business.”

 

Cautiously Kagome stepped away from the tree and advanced on him, her wings twitching in nervous anticipation, “Are you sure? Wounds do not have to be physical to pain you.”

 

Carefully she tilted her head to the side, as if unsure of what his answer would be and she took another step closer to him. She was so close now, so close that if she reached out she could touch him. “This place is peaceful, sacred. You can rest here and no one will come, I promise.”

 

“Sacred? I doubt it, otherwise I wouldn't be here,” he replied, unsure of just what the woman wanted. There was no peace, not for him, not anywhere. It didn't matter what she said, that's the way things were with him. He held the very proof of that fact smeared across his chest, the blood of his last opponent.

 

Lightly she giggled beneath her hand and moved even closer. It was amazing that he hadn't outright told her to get the hell away from him, but she also knew why. Wood nymphs were well sought after, a prize that any demon would be proud to claim. It wasn't in the fact that they were so rare, and most demons didn't seek them out believing they could catch one. No, it was in the slight whispers of power they used to enchant their callers, but in the end, the only ones caught were those that were ready to be taken. They were as elusive as they were powerful, and Kagome was wasting no time in exploiting that knowledge.

 

“You're here because you want to be, isn't that enough?” she asked and walked passed him, close enough that her wings brushed against his arm teasingly. To throw herself at him now would be a mistake and spook him. No, she had to draw him in, make him desire her and only then could she take what she needed.

 

The slight tingling in his arm caused his brows to furrow, but he answered her question anyway, “I go where I please. Shouldn't you be off, finding someone else to bother?”

 

The fact that she'd even remained this long baffled him. By all rights, she should have never revealed herself to him, much less questioned him for as long as she had. Even he knew that wood nymphs were solitary creatures, so why would she look to him for company, if that's what this was?

 

“This is my home,” she explained, giving him a slight smile before she perched herself on a nearby boulder, “Where else would I go? You must be tired, weary from the days travels. Or perhaps you would prefer to bathe? There is a spring nearby where you would not be disturbed.”

 

That in itself was the perfect reason for him to disrobe and from there it would be far easier to seduce him. It was just a matter of getting him to relax his guard enough to get to that point, and that was the problem.

 

Before he could refute her claim she was standing before him and her fingers were tracing along the streaks of rapidly drying blood. As before, her touch caused his skin to tingle slightly, however it wasn't painful in the least. So for now, he wasn't going to remove her hand at the wrist for having the audacity to touch him. However, he wasn't about to allow her curiosity to go unchecked either and he quickly grasped her wrist, “What game are you playing at, woman?”

 

Kagome stared at him with wide, innocent eyes, although she knew that wouldn't have that great of an affect on him. “Is it... wrong to offer that which you seek? It isn't often that one seeks the solitude that this glade offers. Can't you feel it? Your aura demands acknowledgment and the spirits are helpless to your whims. Was that not your intention? Did you not come here with desire?”

 

“You know nothing of my desires, woman,” he said flatly and dropped her wrist. The nymphs were naive in the ways of the world and she couldn't possibly realize just how she had sounded just now. If he were to take her up on that “offer” she'd most likely vanish before the act could be completed. No, he wouldn't be a party to such a thing, not when she had no idea what she was asking for.

 

“You're wrong,” she whispered and slowly dropped to her knees in front of him. She maintained eye contact with him, knowing that if she lost it even for a moment the spell would be broken. She could feel the desire beginning to build, filling the air with a tension that couldn't be ignored. Carefully she ran her hands along his upper thighs, caressing the hard muscles beneath the black fabric of his pants. “I can feel your desire, and I know what you want. I can show you, if you wish.”

 

The liberties she was taking with his body had him scowling, yet he couldn't bring it in himself to pull away. Instead he grabbed a fistful of her long, black hair and held her head in place, “Don't even think of starting something that you have no intentions of finishing. I'll not be played for a fool.”

 

“Then we have an agreement then, yes?” she asked quietly. When he only continued to glare at her, she moved her hands up to the waistband of his pants and began to pull the belts free. While she still felt trepidation over what she was about to do, this was her only option. To let it slip through her fingers now would be disastrous, and she couldn't afford to hesitate.

 

When the belts were removed and his pants had slid down over his well toned thighs, she moved in closer. The fist in her hair had tightened considerably, but she had no intentions of stopping. She could only pray that he wouldn't find her lacking due to her inexperience and turn her away.

 

For a moment Hiei was sure that she was going to change her mind. Every movement she made had become hesitant, like she was unsure of what she was doing. It was understandable, he reasoned, given that her contact with others was so limited. But still, he wasn't going to wait for long and he wasn't shy about letting her know that. When his grip in her hair didn't provoke a response, he pulled her head closer, “Are you actually going to do something with that mouth of yours besides talk, or are you wasting my time?”

 

The flash of irritation in her eyes made him smirk. So she wasn't completely helpless to what his aura commanded, like she'd claimed and that just made her that much more alluring. When her lips wrapped around the head of his cock, he growled in pleasure. It'd been far too long since he'd indulged in the pleasures that a woman could offer him, and even longer since he'd taken a virgin to bed. Knowing this, he was certain his patience wouldn't last for long, but he'd give her a few minutes to become accustomed to the idea of sucking him off before he took control. “That's it, take more of it in. Show me what you can do with your mouth.”

 

It was then that he decided he rather liked watching this woman struggle to take more of his cock in and he knew the moment that she reached her limits. However, that wasn't going to be enough, not in the long run and he knew it. Determined to see just how far he could go, he began thrusting into her mouth, relishing in the way her tongue worked at the underside of his shaft. It was only when he triggered her gag reflex that he stopped, pausing only long enough for her to catch her breath before his hips began thrusting again.

 

This time, however, there was nothing gentle about his movements and when her hands tightened on his thighs, he pinned her head in place, holding her there for several long moments. The feel of her swallowing around his turgid length had him groaning in need. What she lacked in experience and skill was more than made up just by how she felt. Right now he couldn't even imagine how tight she would be when he finally bent her over and took possession of her body.

 

It was only when she whimpered that he let go of her hair and immediately she pulled away, fighting for breath. When she glared at him though, he smirked and began stroking his cock with purpose, “Are you still so certain that you want this from me, woman?”

 

Kagome's glare didn't lessen in the least, but she'd expected this much from one such as him. Arrogance dripped from his every word and he was self assured in everything that he did. No doubt he was a possessive lover, demanding that his partner give everything over to pleasure. However, she wasn't about to back down now just because he liked having his dick sucked. 'The bastard is taunting me, trying to see if I'm going to run away. Like hell if that's going to happen.' Giving him a saucy look, she moved in again, this time doing things like she wanted. Instead of taking his shaft into her mouth, she ran her tongue along the underside before sucking on the tip lightly. She was slightly surprised when he didn't react immediately to her teasing, nor was she going to give him the chance to take control again.

 

Before the apparition could do more than blink at her in surprise, Kagome wrapped both of her hands around his needy flesh and began stroking in time to the movements of her mouth. Even though she was only doing this to get the energy that she needed, she found that having such control over him was empowering. Gone was the blood thirsty killer that she'd seen weeks before, and in his place stood a being consumed with pure, unadulterated need. Each time he tensed, trembled or groaned she grew more addicted, and her own lust rose to match his.

 

Hiei's eyes darkened with lust when he realized one of her hands had left his body in order to begin pleasuring herself and the strong scent of her arousal filled the air. It wouldn't be long before she was ripe for the taking. “Even with such innocence, you still know what your body needs. Get undressed, it's time we finished this and get what we both want.”

 

The husky words had her standing slowly, although she made no move to comply with the demand right away. Instead she fingered the edge of the silk wrap she wore and gave him a considering look. She was playing with fire, and she knew that he wouldn't wait long before taking matters into his own hands. When the apparition reached towards her, she took a step back, putting her just out of reach. The slow smile that crossed her face was teasing and a thrill of anticipation coursed through her body.

 

“Do you feel that?” she asked, whispering in an almost haunting tone, “It's thrilling, isn't it? Knowing that what you want is just beyond your grasp and you only need to reach out to touch it.” Giggling slightly, she turned and ran from him, knowing that he wouldn't stand there long. The desire and instinct to hunt coursed through his veins, and he wasn't about to be denied.

 

For a moment Hiei stared after her, a look of surprise crossing his face before it was replaced with a predatory look. Now he knew what her game was and he wasn't adverse to playing along since in the end he'd get what he wanted. With that thought in mind, he started out after her although he kept his speed to a minimum. It would be child's play to catch her at this point, but then the game would end all too quickly and he wanted to see just where she would lead him on this hunt.

 

The sound of the apparition's footsteps reached her ears easily enough and Kagome couldn't help but laugh again. For a moment she'd wondered if he would put an end to her bid for freedom, however, he seemed content to let her have control for the moment. Quickly she darted behind a thicket of trees, stripping the silky wrap from her body and letting it trail behind her before dropping it directly on the path.

 

The action didn't go unnoticed either, although by the time that she'd let it fall Hiei had taken to the trees. Through the foliage he could catch brief glimpses of her bare skin and he licked his lips. She was definitely a piece of work, not that he had expected anything different. That skimpy thing that she'd been wearing had done little to hide her curves, or how lithe her body was.

 

When the light broke through the trees ahead, Hiei knew exactly where she was heading. Only a few yards away was a small lake, surrounded by lush foliage which was a perfect place for one such as her to hide. Determined to catch her before she had a chance to reach her destination, he surged ahead and then waited, timing his next move. It was only once she was almost directly below him that he took action and dropped out of the tree he'd been hiding, pinning her to the ground. “I win.”

 

“Then take your prize,” Kagome said in a whisper and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her chest heaved with exertion and she knew that he was only moments away from possessing her body. The way that his shaft was rubbing against her was unlike anything she'd experienced before, and she wasn't about to tell him to stop now.

 

Never one to deny his own urges, Hiei settled on his knees and grasped his little lover by the hips. He no longer had it in him to be slow or gentle, and with one smooth thrust he buried his cock in her. However, the gasp of pain he'd been expecting from her never came, only a moan of pleasure. The smirk that came across his face was one of pure satisfaction. She was as tight as he had been hoping, but there wasn't the complications that normally came with having to reassure an inexperienced lover.

 

“Please,” Kagome whimpered, shifting against him hungrily. In one brief moment he'd managed to take her breath away and leave her aching for more, yet for some reason he'd paused and that just wasn't acceptable. That one little word was enough to get him moving though, and for that she was grateful. The pace that he set had her frantically clutching at the soft moss she was laying on, her back arching while he drove into her repeatedly.

 

A fine sheen of sweat formed on his body and his hands tightened on her hips. The way her slick walls clung so tightly to his cock was exquisite, yet he still needed to drive harder, deeper into her. With a snarl he pulled out of her, no doubt leaving his lover to wonder just what the hell he'd stopped for. “On your knees, now.”

 

The barked order left Kagome blinking in surprise for a moment before she moved to comply with his demand. She'd barely gotten into position before he was penetrating her again, and the change in sensations left her breathless. What he was doing to her was positively sinful and she'd long thought she was no longer capable of feeling. But there was no denying just how real this was and she met each thrust he gave her, taking the pleasure that he was offering with a hunger that could not be denied.

 

The only sounds given were the soft moans and the wet sounds of their flesh meeting together almost violently. There was no need for words, and there certainly weren't any flowery declarations of love spoken between them. This was pure, unadulterated lust, nothing more; where both of them took what they needed from the other. In the end, Kagome was left biting her lip to keep from crying out when his hand reached around and his fingers brushed across her hidden jewel.

 

The reaction was almost immediate and Hiei hissed when her tight body clamped down around his cock. He'd thought she was tight before but it was nothing compared to now. His pace quickened when she cried out and gave over to the release that had been offered; and he knew that he wouldn't last much longer either. The pleasure was far too great to be denied, and moments later he reached his own peak, spilling his seed into her waiting warmth.

 

Breathing heavily, he pulled away and sat back to try and catch his breath. That had to rank up there with one of the better fucks that he'd encountered, and he wondered if she had any intentions of sticking around. It wouldn't be long before he was ready for another round. A smirk crossed his face then with the realization that she probably wouldn't want to move for the next several minutes anyway. Even now that she'd laid back down on the moss, he could see that her thighs were still quivering with excitement. 'She's not going anywhere.'

 

Kagome nearly laughed at the look of satisfaction that crossed his face, as well as the thoughts that she could hear from him. As tempting as the offer was, she'd gotten what she needed from him. Now that the balance between the jewel was secure, there was no reason to linger, at least not this time, and there was no doubt in her mind that she'd eventually be back for more.

 

So it was a bit of a surprise to Hiei when she stood, and he found himself scowling up at her, “Where the hell do you think you're going?”

 

The indignant question had Kagome laughing then; he'd been so certain that she'd jump at the chance to stick around. Most likely he had his pick of women whenever he wanted one, and they lingered for as long as he was willing to tolerate them. So to find one that he'd enjoyed so much ready to leave almost immediately had to be a bit of a blow to his ego. “Don't you know?” she asked with a giggle, “Half the fun is in the chase, remember.”

 

With that she took off running again, although this time when he moved to follow she vanished from his sight. It wouldn't be long before he gave up the chase, but it would mean that he would be even more eager for their next encounter when she appeared before him again. Smiling to herself, she withdrew completely from his mind and basked in the satisfaction of a job well done. Not only had she accomplished her goal, but she'd also given herself an experience that she'd never hoped to have. It was definitely an arrangement that she could enjoy and she no longer had misgivings about what she'd done out of necessity.

 

It was the loud sound of the intercom which woke Hiei up, jolting him out of bed. It was only a couple of seconds later when he realized that the entire thing had been a dream and it had him swearing. He didn't need to look down to realize that his pants were a complete mess and that he'd need to change before he could think of going anywhere. 'Fuck, you'd think I was still a teenager who had gotten excited over seeing a pair of tits for the first time.'

 

However he was well past the puberty stage and the fact that he'd had so little control over his own body during a dream was downright infuriating. Growling under his breath, he stripped his pants off and tossed them in the corner to be dealt with later. There was no way in hell he was going to wander the halls without cleaning up first. The thought of just going back to bed never crossed his mind, not with the mood that he was in. Instead he had the insatiable desire to work off some of that anger, preferably in the form of a battle that was going to leave each of his opponents dead.

 

Nor did he care just who those opponents happened to be at the moment. Anyone who was foolish enough to cross his path had a good chance of becoming the first on the list, but it had to be away from the fortress. The last thing he needed was for Mukuro to come calling, looking to find out just what had pissed him off in the first place. Of course, he doubted that the woman would even be wandering the halls this late in the afternoon. Most likely she was ensconced in her office, dealing with whatever bullshit it was that had woken him up in the first place.

 

Quickly he yanked on a fresh pair of trousers and began fixing the belts into place. The boots followed shortly after, and only then did he snatch up his sword. Once he was certain that he had everything he needed, he stepped from the room and began walking down the corridor. As expected, the hallway was far from deserted, however, those who happened to be in them gave him a wide berth after seeing the look upon his face.

 

That, in his opinion, was all to the good since most of these fools wouldn't be able to offer him anything more than a token attempt at a fight. The slight amount of effort to kill them wouldn't be anything remotely worth the amount of work it would take to cleanse the hallways of their blood; assuming that he couldn't pawn the task off on someone else.

 

He'd nearly made it to the exit when he heard the voice that he least wanted to hear at the moment and he stiffened, although he didn't bother to turn around. There was no way in hell that he wanted to explain just what had him so agitated, especially when he considered the amount of amusement that she was likely to get out of his... problem.

 

“By your lack of answer, I'm assuming this isn't going to be just a nightly stroll,” Mukuro said when her second in command didn't even bother to acknowledge her presence. It wasn't all that unusual for the apparition to slip out to do his own thing from time to time. What was odd, however, was the amount of sexual tension that leaked from his aura, mixed with anger. 'Curious, it seems to be directed at himself more than anything else.'

 

“I'll return when I feel like it, unless you have something more pressing to be asking me instead of the state of my aura,” he said, a hard edge to his voice. It was a clear warning for the woman not to press any farther, however, he knew just how likely that was to come across. Sure, she'd know what he was doing, but she'd just as easily ignore it if her curiosity was sufficiently aroused.

 

“I suppose that depends on you,” she replied, her lips quirking upwards in amusement. Whatever it was that seemed to be bothering him didn't seem to be too pressing, even if it had annoyed the hell out of him. If it was anything serious, she would have known about it and as such, she wasn't about to press him for answers right away. As similar as they both were, she knew that he had a need for privacy, just as she did.

 

Now Hiei did turn to look at her, his scowl deepening, “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

 

“You seem to want to fight, I could have you settle the dispute that's waiting in the mess hall,” she said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. She could almost anticipate his answer, but then again, she really didn't want to have to be bothered with it either.

 

Hearing the offer, Hiei gave a snort of derision. Most likely the entire incident centered around two fools who couldn't be bothered to tolerate each other's presence for the time it took for them to shovel down whatever crap the cook had prepared for the evening. Knowing that she was waiting for an answer, he spoke, “Unless you wish the fools responsible disposed of permanently, find someone else to do it. I'm not in the mood to deal with it today.”

 

“Very well. I trust you'll inform me of when you are in the mood to speak on what's troubling you? I'm not blind, Hiei and I know that things have not been the same since your last trip to the Ningenkai. I've been patient so far, but I'll not wait forever for answers,” she said quietly. Her decision to give him some space only went so far, and sooner or later he would have to answer her questions. Whether he liked it or not, she was still the one in command here, even before she was a friend.

 

And that message was clearly conveyed to Hiei, although he didn't say anything to the unspoken warning. Whether she liked it or not, he'd been given the option of leaving whenever he felt like it. It was only because he was comfortable with their arrangement that he remained at his post. “You've already received my report on what happened during the incursion. Now unless you want to take me up on the offer to eradicate the fools on the lower levels...”

 

“I'd rather not have a riot tonight,” she replied with a sigh. Granted, there was a good chance that the initial instigators would be killed, the potential for further trouble was just too much of a headache to deal with. Most likely she'd end up taking the two fools responsible and toss them down in the training arena to work it out, even if it meant killing one or the other in the process.

 

“Then I'll take my leave,” he said and turned to leave again. Whatever method she used to deal with the problem just wasn't his concern. Nor did he particularly care to continue the conversation, so he left before she decided to question him further.

 

 

~Back in the Ningenkai~

 

Both Yusuke and Kuwabara walked along the sidewalk that would lead them to Kurama's house, both silently thinking about what they'd learned from their little excursion to Tokyo, which wasn't much. Frankly, the Toushin was almost willing to label the trip as a complete waste of time, but only one thing stopped him, and that was the fact that Kagome's disappearance had gotten attention. Sooner or later the girl would be found, one way or another. Of course, there were no promises as to what condition she would be in when it happened.

 

“So do you think Botan was right?” Kuwabara asked, finally breaking the silence. They were only a couple of minutes from the Kitsune's house, and they needed to know how they were going to approach him. Assuming that the redhead was even home at that point.

 

Turning his head slightly, Yusuke regarded the taller man curiously, “About which part?”

 

“Them not caring enough about the girl to want her found. I didn't get that impression, but you knew them when they were still alive. What do you think?” he asked and scratched his head. It didn't make much sense to him for them to be so adamant about giving information and he was positive that they knew something. If it had been Shizuru missing, even hell wouldn't have been able to stand in his way of finding her and he'd be taking any help that had been offered.

 

“That was a load of crap,” Yusuke replied easily enough, “but there is something going on. The way they latched onto what happens to the humans that the Reikai arrests convinced me of that much. I'm not sure what it is, but they think Kagome's done something that could get her on the wrong side of the Reikai. They're trying to protect her from that.”

 

“Huh... You met the girl, right?” Kuwabara asked, considering what Yusuke had just said and when the Toushin nodded, he continued, “Did she strike you as someone who would pull a Sensui? Cause it has to be something pretty damned bad if possibly being tortured by demons isn't enough to get them to break their silence.”

 

“Another Sensui? No... I'd be surprised if Kagome had it in her to even think about killing someone. The girl's got a temper, but that's about it. If there's a reason that the Reikai would go after her, it's not because of something that she did, at least not on purpose,” he said quietly. Unfortunately, whether something was done on purpose or not was of little matter to King Enma and if he wanted the girl dead, there was little that they'd be able to do to help her.

 

Kuwabara nodded silently, accepting Yusuke assessment of her personality. While he hadn't met the girl himself, he knew that the man at his side was a damned good judge of character. If he said that Kagome wasn't at fault for whatever it was she'd found herself involved in, that was good enough for him. But it still left the question as to how in the hell they were going to figure out what the problem was to begin with. Without her family's help, they were at a standstill unless Kurama had managed to uncover something.

 

Fortunately though, they'd just reached his house and those answers would be forthcoming in just a matter of moments. Taking a deep breath, Yusuke steeled himself for the conversation that was about to transpire. The fox could be possessive of his secrets and difficult to get answers from, but he wasn't about to leave empty handed. To his surprise though, the door opened before he could even manage the first knock, “Hey, Kurama. Can we talk?”

 

The serious look upon both men's faces had Kurama scrutinizing the both of them. It didn't take much deduction to figure out what they were there about and he held the door open, inviting them inside, “I trust that you've spoken to Keiko then?”

 

“How'd you guess?” Yusuke asked and stepped through the doorway. If Kurama already knew what they were there for, it could make their visit so much easier. But by the same token, it could just as easily put the redhead on his guard and make it difficult to get the answers that they needed.

 

Quietly Kurama closed the door after his two guests had entered the house and led them to the living room, “It was easy enough to figure out, Yusuke. The fact that Keiko's perfume covers you indicates that you've spent quite a bit of time in her company today and the same goes for Kuwabara. I'm assuming that the three of you were in close quarters for an extended period of time, like a train perhaps?”

 

“Nothing gets by you does it? So you know why we're here then,” Yusuke said, skipping the formalities of dancing around the subject. It seemed that luck was on their side with Kurama being the one to bring it up. If he hadn't wanted to speak of the matter, he would have pretended not to have noticed and the initial question never would have been asked.

 

“I do. Perhaps you should tell me of what you learned. I'm sure that Kuwabara was able to pick up on something that perhaps Hiei had missed on his trip to the shrine,” Kurama said and sat down on the couch. In this instance, perhaps it was for the best that these two had taken the chance on becoming involved. Short of going to the shrine himself, he had limited information to go on and he hadn't had the chance to make the trip to Tokyo.

 

“There's three spirits that have trapped themselves there and they all but told Botan to go get screwed,” Kuwabara said uneasily. He wasn't sure what Hiei had to do with any of this, and he wasn't all together certain he wanted to know. While he doubted that Hiei was involved with the girl's disappearance, it just didn't make sense that he'd stop at a random shrine and just stumble onto a mystery either.

 

“I'm assuming you mean voluntarily then?” Kurama asked, his expression turning speculative. Had he gone to the shrine himself, he would have been able to see the spirits there, and perhaps even manipulate them to a certain extent. However, second hand knowledge was better than none at all. “I'm assuming it was the mother and two children then?”

 

“Actually, no. It was the two elder Higurashis and Souta,” Yusuke said with a raised brow, “Kagome's whereabouts are still unknown, unless you've found something out that we haven't.”

 

“Curious, I wasn't aware that the old man had passed away. I'd spent a bit trying to track him down, but after his second relocation he'd disappeared. Now I know why,” Kurama replied with a sigh. He'd been worried that one of his only leads had died, but since he hadn't yet found an obituary, he'd remained hopeful.

 

Kuwabara gave the kitsune an odd look and leaned forward, “You thought the third person was Kagome, why are you so sure that she's dead?”

 

“Because a demon would not have attacked the shrine without reason. While it's true that most of the old magic is gone, traces of it still remain and to risk being purified would be foolish. There has to be a pressing reason and the first thing I would have done was eliminate any immediate threat,” Kurama replied with a careless shrug of his shoulders. He certainly wouldn't have taken the chance without the reward being something he'd consider worth the trouble.

 

“And you think Kagome was it?” Yusuke asked, staring at his friend as if he'd lost his mind. Yes, he'd been able to feel a certain amount of power coming from the girl on the few times that he'd met her, however, he was positive that she'd never come into contact with demons. Nor would she have had anyone to train her in her abilities, rendering them virtually useless.

 

“It makes sense, does it not? Consider this, Yusuke, she's the only one who disappeared without a trace. Had she been nothing more than a normal human, the demon would have left her body there just like the others,” he replied quietly. Of course there was the strong possibility that she'd been taken to become some sort of play toy, but his instincts told him that wasn't the case this time.

 

“But why attack the shrine in the first place?” Kuwabara asked, his voice colored with uncertainty. That, above all else was what made no sense to him. If Kurama was right, this girl was dangerous and it would have been stupid to attack her without wanting something. Most of the shrines and temples that he'd been to held nothing that would be of interest to a demon, so what was so different about this one?

 

“A very good question,” Kurama said and reached for a small stack of papers that he'd laid on the table long before he'd realized he was going to have company. If there was one thing that he'd learned, it was that each individual shrine was ripe with legend and lore. One only needed to know where to look in order to find it. “And I believe that I might have found the answer. There are several prominent legends surrounding that shrine which could have been the cause of her disappearance.”

 

The idea that the entire family could have been slaughtered over a legend didn't sit well with either Yusuke or Kuwabara, however, they couldn't change what had already been done. If nothing else, they could listen and hope that it was a step in the right direction that would lead them to Kagome.

 

“We're listening,” Yusuke said at last when it looked like Kurama wasn't going to volunteer any further information. They hadn't come this far just to watch him fall silent on the matter.

 

“The first of the legends actually ties in with the rest, but I'll get to that in a moment. Five hundred years ago, there was a miko by the name of Kikyo who, for lack of a better term, tended to the needs of the village which surrounded the shrine that Kagome once lived at,” Kurama replied, studying his notes carefully, “As I'm sure that you're aware, the barrier was in place around that time, however, there was still a decent population of demons scattered throughout the human world.”

 

“Right, but what does that have to do with things now?” Kuwabara asked, wondering where this was going. How would a five hundred year old legend affect a teenage girl's life in this era?

 

“Patience, Kuwabara, I'm getting to that,” he said, fixing the man with a look, “I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that any relationship between humans and demons are frowned upon at best. But the game changes when the human involved is one with holy powers. It is considered to be one of the most forbidden of unions.”

 

“Sort of like...” Yusuke began and then trailed off, remembering that Kuwabara had no knowledge of Hiei and Yukina's relationship.

 

“Hardly, Yusuke. The extenuating circumstances of one does not fall on equal footing with the other. To continue, Kikyo did the unthinkable and fell in love with a hanyou,” Kurama stated, skirting past the issue of Hiei's parentage almost entirely, “Such a thing was virtually unheard of and raised more than a few eyebrows. However her standing in the community was enough that most of the villagers would not take her to task over her choice of lovers.”

 

“To each their own, I guess,” Yusuke said with a shrug. Personally he didn't give a shit who this long dead miko fucked or didn't fuck, just so long as the kitsune got to the point. “So is this like some retaliation on the part of the fucker that set fire to the shrine? They didn't like the fact that one of their kind was banging the enemy at some point?”

 

“As interesting as that thought is, no. The past is long dead and buried, leaving most humans and demons unaware of what even happened between them. It took me some time to look it up, and I've made a point over the years to learn the various legends that might be of interest. This one had escaped even my knowledge,” Kurama replied and leaned back against the couch, “At any rate, the relationship between the miko and the hanyou went sour, and he ended up killing her as best as I can come up with. The exact cause of her death and what happened to the hanyou has been lost to time.”

 

“So are you saying there's a chance that he's still alive and that he was the one who did this?” Kuwabara asked, his brows knitting together as he tried to piece together what Kurama was implying, “If he did kill Kikyo, why come for Kagome?”

 

“Perhaps Kagome was Kikyo's reincarnation. Depending on what happened between them, the anger could still linger after five hundred years. Or perhaps she resembled the other woman enough that it triggered a deep seated memory,” Kurama said and put the papers back down on the table. He of all people knew just how long a grudge could fester in a person, and it would take little to bring it to the surface in someone with little to no impulse control.

 

The explanation was all well and good on the surface, but Yusuke still wasn't buying it, “I dunno, that seems kinda far fetched to me. Yeah, he might have offed her because she looked like a girl he used to screw, but like you said, taking on someone with holy powers isn't a walk in the park. Would that really be reason enough to take the chance?”

 

“Perhaps, perhaps not. There is a problem that most hanyou have to deal with, and Inuyasha would have been no exception. Periodically his demonic blood would have come to the surface and taken away any control that he might have had,” Kurama said, fixing Yusuke with a considering look. In a way, he'd often wondered whether or not Yusuke would suffer with the same affliction, but to date, he hadn't shown any signs of it.

“Wait, you said Inuyasha?” Yusuke asked, sitting up in surprise, “Now what the hell are the chances that both Kikyo and Kagome would know of a hanyou like that with the same name?”

 

“What are you talking about, Yusuke?” Kurama asked, narrowing his eyes at the Toushin. So far he'd come across nothing in his research that would suggest such a thing.

 

“It was something that Botan said before we even went to the shrine. Apparently when she'd gone to ferry the family to the Reikai, Souta had mentioned Inuyasha specifically by name and said that he'd keep her safe,” Yusuke said, his mind trying to wrap around this new development.

 

“So then it's entirely possible that he would have been able to get close enough to the family to take her, after he slaughtered them,” Kurama said thoughtfully. It would explain much and it wasn't out of the realms of being possible for a hanyou to exist in the Ningenkai without detection. It would all depend on just how human he looked, but it could be done.

 

“Except for one thing,” Yusuke said, giving the kitsune an uncertain look, “Botan thought it might be a lead as well so she looked into it. Inuyasha died a couple of centuries ago and his spirit was processed by the Reikai. So short of time travel, how in the hell would they know each other?”

 

“I don't know, Yusuke. I just don't know.”