InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ When Foxes Run Free ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yu-Yu Hakusho

A reviewer requested me to put this story onto mediaminer. I'd been planning on it anyway so now I have an excuse. I'm hoping to get as much popular response here that I got on fanfiction. A couple points I'd like to address. Usually Yoko is written as being a fox demon. In the show he's called a spirit fox. To me there's a difference and that's how I wrote it. I'm also aware that Yoko is 300 years old. For the story to work he'll be about 100 years when he meets Kagome.

Chapter 1

Yoko had been traveling for a few weeks now. He was following a rumor of a very rare and precious treasure. A thief such as himself could not resist the challenge of acquiring it. And it should be a challenge. As he had heard it a large amount of the Shards of the broken Shikon Jewel were being carried by a group of humans and demons. He had finally caught the scent of that group yesterday. It was the scent of two demons, three humans, and a half demon.

He was a bit surprised that creatures like that would travel together. But perhaps they simply tolerated each other to gather the Jewel Shards. It didn't matter because Yoko was planning to gain possession of their Shards. He was currently traveling in fox form. His body was covered in a soft silver fur and he possessed seven tails. Being a spirit fox he had powers over nature and a great physical strength and grace. In his humanoid form he was much more formidable.

The fox stopped and sniffed the air. There was a band of demons ahead. He would have to travel to the right to avoid their camp. But something told him to check it out. There may be something valuable there. So he changed his direction and went directly towards their camp. He was lucky enough to be downwind already.

He silently crept forward keeping his body low to the ground. His sharp eyes darted around looking to see for anything useful. Something caught his attention. It was a trunk. Looking at it it didn't seem very valuable. Just a square box with a lid and made of heavily worn out leather. But the difference was that it had wards on it. A barrier had been created to protect the contents.

'Now what would they be protecting.' the demons didn't seem like they'd have anything valuable. The demons looked like boars that could stand straight up. The smell coming from them almost made Yoko gag. Almost all of them wore some kind of tattered old armor. Some carried weapons that were rusty and in dire need of repair. Yoko looked towards the west and saw the sun setting. 'Soon they'll be asleep. Then I'll strike.'

Yoko slunk back into the forest and pulled himself into a hole at the base of a tree. He'd rest here until it was time to move. It took no time for darkness to completely cover the forest. The spirit fox moved cautiously from his hiding place. It was pitch black but the fox's eyes could see perfectly. He moved slowly towards the camp for the second time.

Looking in he could see two guards stationed on each side of the box. They were both asleep. Around the various fires there were other boar demons. All of them were also asleep. It wasn't that hard to move quietly to the box. Yoko cautiously pawed at the wards. A spark of energy appeared where he placed his paws. He moved back a little.

It was fairly simple charm to break. When it was opened he took a look inside. He scoffed at the contents. Some silks were there. They weren't even high quality silks. 'This was a complete waste of my time. I better go.' Unfortunately that was easier said than done. He had let out a growl unconsciously and that had woken up the two guards. Now they were raising the alarm. Yoko was soon surrounded by demons.

An instinct to flee took him. In his fox form he didn't have the better control of his instincts. He darted among the demons dodging blows from fists and swords fairly well. An unexpected shot to the side knocked him off balance just enough to allow the others to get their hits in. In less than a minute Yoko was bleeding from innumerable wounds. He used his powers to pull vines over and trip up some demons. It created a clear path that allowed him to use his last adrenaline rush to shoot straight through.

He ran quickly through the woods until the shouts of the boars faded. Having the last of his energy run out Yoko collapsed. His breathing was ragged and the wounds were still bleeding. He fought to keep conscious but lost. The fox fell into blackness.

***

Inuyasha had been pushing the group hard that day. It was well into the night before many complaints made him stop. After eating ramen the group had settled down to sleep. A little after the first light Kagome woke up. She'd gotten used to waking up at near dawn. It had become a habit. Shippo had lain across her stomach to sleep. Kagome had to gently move him to the sleeping bag before she could get up.

She moved towards the slightly glowing embers of the fire pit. Using a bit of paper she coaxed back a fire and added some wood. After a small blaze was going she started to cook ramen. The smell woke up her companions. Inuyasha was down in a heartbeat hovering over Kagome waiting. Miroku and Sango were a little slower in getting up. They sat down across from Kagome. Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and looked at what she was doing.

"Alright now. It's ready." Kagome handed each one their ramen and sat back to eat her own. Inuyasha took no time in finishing his. The rest of them took longer.

"Come on. We got Shards to find."

"Not until I bathe."

Inuyasha got angry. "Why?"

"Because I was walking all day and it won't kill you to rest a little while."

Miroku looked up from his meal. "I wouldn't mind waiting."

"No one asked you!"

Kagome sighed. "Just chill for a little bit. You want me to sense Jewel Shards. Right." Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Then I should be fully rested. Right." Inuyasha gave an unidentified mumble.

Sango decided to chip in. "She's got a point."

"Fine. Just hurry up."

"Thanks Inuyasha." Kagome set Shippo down on the ground and grabbed her stuff. She disappeared into the forest heading towards the hot spring. On the way she tripped. "Ow. What was that?"

She got up and dusted herself off. Looking back she saw what she had tripped over. It was an animal. The animal was covered in dirt and blood. Kagome dropped to her knees beside it to get a closer look. 'Maybe it's a dog. No. Its nose is too long and pointy. Skinny limbs and big ears too.' "It's gotta be a fox." She looked at the rest of him. "A fox with seven tails." She cocked her head. That was pretty odd. But there was very little that was odd anymore.

Kagome brought her hands along lightly over the fur to try and assess the damage. She didn't notice that the fox was watching her. Yoko had woken up when she tripped on him. He didn't like this human touching him. A growl alerted Kagome and she looked up. She noticed that the fox was awake and its two golden eyes were staring at her. After a few deep breaths she tried again. It was bound to be angry and confused. She just tried being even gentler.

Yoko got even angrier when the human was still prodding him. He didn't trust humans and he was too weak to defend himself. When her hand was checking his neck he bit her. Kagome pulled her hand back and clutched it to her chest. She took a look and decided it wasn't that bad. It was only deep enough to draw blood.

'This is gonna be harder than I thought. Leaving it here is out of the question. It'll die.' "Try to be calm ok. I want to help you. If I leave you here you'll die."

The fox wasn't sure. 'Few humans would bother to help their own kind let alone a wild animal. She's quite the odd one. Her kimono is very indecent and she's far too caring for a human.' Looking into her eyes he saw genuine concern. Yoko decided to believer her words. What choice did he have? So he nodded.

Kagome hadn't expected an answer but she got one. 'He's very smart. It looks like he can understand me. There's no way he's a normal forest fox. Maybe he's a demon.' Seeing as it didn't matter at the moment Kagome picked up the fox. It was pretty heavy but she managed. Moving slowly she made her way to the hot spring. It was definitely a relief when she got there. Setting down the fox gently she sifted through her bag's contents. She pulled out a first aid kit and a couple towels.

He was watching her pull items from a large yellow pack. One was a shiny white box with a red mark. She also got two large cloths that looked oddly fuzzy. Yoko let his gaze drift to the steaming water. It looked good. Suddenly he felt her lift him again. He could tell she was straining herself and was again surprised that a human would care enough to bother with him. She brought him to a shallow part of the hot spring. Setting him in the water she left his head on the bank and walked away. He watched her remove her clothing and get in.

Kagome sighed when she got in the water. 'Just because I'm helping that fox doesn't mean I don't get to have my bath.' She waded over to where the fox was lying. Being careful of his wounds she gently cleaned the blood and dirt from his fur. As he began to get cleaner Kagome noticed just how beautiful his fur was. It was a shimmering silver color. There was no way to duplicate that kind of natural beauty. After she was done cleaning him she swum away to get clean herself.

The spirit fox averted his eyes. It was hard but he managed. Fox's were mischievous and sexual by nature. And the human was very beautiful. He was glad she put him in the water. It felt good to be clean. The warm water took the sting out of his wounds. The young woman walked over after getting dressed. She picked him up again and set him on a laid out cloth. It was soft to the touch.

After getting dressed again Kagome placed the fox on a towel she had spread on the ground. She got the first aid kit and opened it. The antibiotic spray went on first. Kagome had braced herself for that. And sure enough the fox thrashed a bit and mad whining noises. After he settled down she quickly sprayed the rest of his wounds. Waiting until he settled down again she wrapped the wounds in gauze. She ended up having to cover his entire middle, front left leg, both hind legs, and even two of his tails.

Yoko had tried to remain in control. The herbal remedy she had used had hurt. The sudden pain had caused him to shudder uncontrollably. His wounds were wrapped now and he was starting to dose. He was sleepy from the soothing treatment.

Kagome wasn't sure how she was going to carry the fox. There was no way she could leave him here. Inuyasha definitely wouldn't carry the injured animal even though he could easily. She didn't want to bother the rest with her fancy of saving the forest creature. After a minute an idea struck her and she moved to her backpack. It was only half full. She tied her blanket and sleeping bag to hang off the bottom. She put the food in the side pockets. The hard stuff was pushed to the side and her towels and clothing was placed over it. Kagome picked the fox up and set him inside. The two zippers allowed for a whole at the top so he could stick his head out.

Now he was even more comfortable than before. The bag was warm and smelled sweetly. It was soft and allowed enough room to shift. Even being in a confined space wasn't so bad with those perks. After all now he was going to be carried. The human got the pack on her shoulders after a couple tries. Yoko gave her some sympathy. 'This human is really going out of her way to bring me back to health. When I'm well again I'll have to remember to repay her somehow.

Kagome stumbled a little at the added weight of her backpack. Determination and the fact that she had carried more than this before made her push on. She looked over her shoulder at the fox. "We have to move quickly now. Inuyasha's probably all ticked off now." She began to walk back towards camp. "I'm Kagome by the way. I'm sure you'll end up liking my friends and me. There's Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Inuyasha. You'll definitely like Shippo. He's a fox demon."

The fox nodded at her words. She continued to talk about her friends and their travels. Yoko didn't mind listening. Kagome's voice was soft and gentle. As she talked he noticed something. She was speaking about collecting Shards. A quick sniff of her scent confirmed his suspicion. 'She's part of the group I was tracking. She must have Shards.' Yoko shifted until he was completely turned around. Kagome noticed that his head was on her shoulder and brought her hand up to pet him. 'That feels good. Wait. Way off task here.' A glitter caught his attention. There around her neck was a large chunk of the Jewel. It had to be at least half.

She liked running her fingers through his fur. It was very thick and soft. They finally made it to the camp and Inuyasha immediately got in Kagome's face.

"Where have you been wench?!"

"Will you relax? I ran into this poor hurt fox on the way."

Inuyasha finally noticed that Kagome was petting a silver fox's head. "We don't have time to be helping out and carting around random wild animals."

Kagome just rolled her eyes. "I'll take care of him myself. Besides I don't' think he's a normal animal at all."

"All the more reason to get rid of it. So drop it!"

"No way!"

"Do it now!"

"Make me!"

"I will!" Inuyasha started to stalk towards Kagome.

"Sit!" The growl died in Yoko's throat. It turned into a yipping laugh at the half demon's expense.

Inuyasha glared at the fox. He could tell the fox was laughing. "What are you laughing at?!"

"Let's just go." Kagome began to walk away no longer petting the animal. Inuyasha jumped up and moved forward to the head of the group. Sango was behind Kagome with Kirara on her shoulder. Miroku was walking next to her. Shippo had jumped onto Kagome's right shoulder, which was opposite the fox's head. "Hey Shippo does this look like a demon fox to you?"

Shippo glanced at Kagome then took a close look at the fox. He took a few quick sniffs. "No. That's not a demon. It's a spirit fox."

"What's that?"

"Their spirits of the forest. My father told me about them. He said they were very powerful and could control natural forest elements. You know like plants. They're incredibly rare. No one ever really even sees one."

Kagome smiled. "Then that makes us the first to catch one."

Yoko lifted his head. 'She wouldn't think to keep me in bondage. Would she?'

Shippo noticed the fox's expression. "Don't worry she won't keep you. Kagome's too nice. When you're better you can go."

The spirit fox looked to the young fox demon. <You're sure.>

"Yeah."

Kagome looked from Shippo to the fox. "Are you talking to each other?"

Shippo grinned at Kagome. "Yeah. I can speak Fox."

"Ask him his name."

"You can ask him. He understands us."

Kagome looked to the left side. "What's your name?"

<Yoko.>

"It's Yoko."

Kagome nodded. "Good. Now I have something to call you. How long do you think it will take you to get better?"

<A week at the most.>

"A week."

"Alright. Then you'll be hanging with us for a week. Welcome to the group." Kagome gave Yoko a quick grin before looking forward again. Inuyasha just scoffed at the statement. "And don't mind Inuyasha. He can get really cranky."

"I'm not cranky! You make me sound like a child!"

Miroku looked at him. "You've got to admit Inuyasha you do tend to get cranky."

"What was that?!" Inuyasha moved back to knock Miroku in the head.

"Sit!"

"What was that for?!"

Yoko turned back to push his face against Kagome's hair. He shook his head lightly in amazement as Kagome and Inuyasha got into a fight. Sango and Miroku got into a fight as well after Miroku had felt her backside. <Do they always do this Shippo?>

"Always."

If anyone's confused <.> is Fox Speech. I hope the switching between viewpoints doesn't confuse anyone either. It's just my style of writing. Please review it always makes me write faster.