Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Path of Discovery ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Yaten woke up a few hours later. Everybody was packing up their things. Oh Stars! he grumbled to himself, don't tell me I slept through all of it. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. That's when he saw Kiku, sleeping next to him holding on to his ponytail. Yaten felt weird looking down on the little kitsune's trusting sleeping face. He shook his head, what's wrong with me? I feel like I want to protect the little kid... That's weird.

"So it's settled. Everyone is going to our place for a little swim in our indoor pool?" asked Haruka. "Oh! Yaten... I see you're awake. Are you coming with us to swim?"

"Well... I could come but I don't think I feel like swimming too much..." Yaten replied, trying to get up but Kiku was holding his ponytail and he didn't want to wake up the little boy. Kurama gently pried the hands of the kitsune off of Yaten's hair and gathered the still sleeping Kiku into his arms. Almost immediately as he was in Kurama's arms, Kiku reached and grabbed a hold of one of his sideburns. Freed, Yaten got up as Minako cooed loudly.

"Ohhh! He's sooo cute! Can I hold him?" She asked. Kurama didn't see why not. So he pried his hair off the little kitsune and gave him to Minako who happily took him. Kurama helped Taiki get the things inside the van as Yaten took also a small bundle.

"Tell me, Redi-chan..." said excitedly Minako. "Have you ever seen such a kawaii little kid?"

Redi shook her head smiling. "No, no I never saw such a cute little thing before..." Mamoru raised an eyebrow. Redi didn't know that little kitsune? Strange, I was beginning to wonder if this might be Kurama and Yaten's child from the future. But if Redi-chan claims she never saw a child like that... mmm...

While the others were cleaning up things, Setsuna looked at Mamoru. She saw him looking intently on the strange child, then waving his hand in front of his face as though he had dismissed his trail of thoughts. Smiling, Setsuna feigned that she had lost something and pocketed a small object that had fallen forgotten on the ground. She was hoping no one had seen her when faith pushed help along the way.

Kiku had grabbed Minako's hair; who was giggling and chatting away with Rei; when he sniffed, sniffed some more. WRONG SMELL! His eye grew wide and he started to throw a tantrum.

"Yaaaa, Yaaaa.... BWAAAAAA!!!! MAMA!! DOKO MAMA? BWAAHHAAAAAAA!" he yelled right into Minako's ear.

"OW!" she cried out. She tried to hold on to him as he struggled to get away from her. "Kiku-chan... We're friends... Calm down!" Minako gasped as the little boy broke free from her grasp. Rei tried to catch him but she was too late.

Surprisingly the little kitsune fell down on the ground easily and sprang forward like rubber band and he ran straight in front of him, towards a very busy street. Kiku ran. He was frightened. He had woken up in a stranger's arms. He wanted his mother or his father, even one of his kit siblings would do. Where was he?

As he ran, he remembered the trip. He had stolen something from his parents. Not really stolen, he just wanted to borrows these items. But now, he didn't remember where they were. Papa and Mama yelled this morning. It was his fault. He stole something that meant so much, so he ran away. If he ran away maybe his parents wouldn't be mad at each other again.

Kiku yelled when he felt himself lifted up from the ground. He saw red hair, but the smell was familiar. Not what he was used to but familiar. He cried into the arms that held him.

"Hey... Don't go running like that into traffic. You could have been hit!" said a worried Kurama.

Kiku looked at him with fright and he sobbed. "Mama?" He hugged Kurama very hard, trembling. Seiya raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Did he just call you mama, Kurama?" asked Seiya.

"I don't *THINK* so..." replied Kurama. Just then Yaten peeked from inside the van.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Kiku spun his head and reached out for Yaten.

"I want Ya-chan..." Kiku pitifully started. "Ya-chan..." He started to fidget and tried to get out of Kurama's grasp.

"Whoa! Stop struggling like that..." said Kurama, trying to hold on the little fox-spirit.

Taiki, appraising the situation, finally said. "You better get in the van, Kurama. Then give Kiku to Yaten. He seems almost calm when Yaten holds him." Kurama nodded and got into the van. Taiki closed the van door.

"It's weird on how he can latch himself onto Yaten like that..." started Seiya. "But not as weird as Yaten's reactions..."

"I know... " continued Taiki. He shrugged. "... maybe he's tired..."

"Yaten would be even crankier, if he were tired..." added Seiya. Taiki nodded and they both got into the car.

As the Three Lights and Kurama were getting in the car, Minako asked Hiei.

"Soooo... Hiei... Was it your first time?"

Hiei froze and so did Makoto. They both became blue in the face. "That's rather..." he started.

"It was fun, huh?" asked Minako, after a silence. "Aren't you glad you came?"

"Mi... Minako-chan..." said Makoto, her right eyebrow twitching. "You're talking about the Cherry Blossom festival... aren't you?"

Minako blinked. "Of course!..." She made a face. "What did you think I was talking about?..." Hiei facevaulted as Makoto started to laugh nervously, her right hand rubbing the back of her head.

"Nothing... beside the Festival, of course!"



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Keiko was heading home. She had to get her swimsuit. But frankly, she didn't feel like going. She knew Yukina was already heading back to her shrine. She chuckled. Ice Maidens and water didn't mix, just like Fire Demons avoided water. But then... why did Hiei tag along? Mmm, she thought. First Yaten-san, then Hiei acts weird. Not to mention all of Yaten's friends who didn't bat an eye when she announced that Kurama -Minamino Shuuichi- was a Youko, a fox-spirit. She thought the one who was studying to be a Shinto priestess would freak... no she just nodded along like it was normal. Also, when Kiku-chan appeared most of them were more shocked to get cake all over them, rather than ponder on the fact there was a live kitsune kit in front of them.

Those were a weird bunch... she thought, I'm not even sure the word eccentric would apply here... They just accepted the little kitsune as though he was... well, one of them. Like I said... weird...

Keiko entered by the back door not wanting to disturb her parents who were still managing their small shops. I'll just drop them a note, she thought. She wrote a small letter saying that she had gone to swim at a friend's house and not to be worried. She folded the note and took her bag with her towel and swimsuit in it. That's when she felt that she wasn't alone. She spun around and came face to face with a fellow just about her height. She gasped. He looked familiar.

"Konnichi wa Yukimura Keiko..." the young man started, lifting his hand and light emitted from it. "... and Sayonara..."



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Kiku was splashing water all around. He was having the time of his life. He even started to like the red haired guy a little more. But he liked Ya-chan even more. His smell was so familiar but something was missing. He couldn't place it, but for Kiku it was enough. He multiplied his antics to impress his new friends.

"Hey!" said Hotaru. "Quit splashing! You'll get my hair wet!"

Unfortunately for Hotaru, Chibi-chibi decided to join in the fun and started to splash as hard as Kiku was.

"How old are you anyway?" asked an exasperated Hotaru.

"I'm three!" said Kiku. Chibi-chibi giggled and repeated "three!"

"Hey, stop that you copy-cat!" growled Kiku. Chibi-chibi repeated the last word that Kiku said and she swam next to him.

"Hey! Stop that!" protested Kiku. Chibi-chibi latched unto him and gave him a real big kiss. The kiss was spied by everyone who just went.

"AAAAAWWWWWW so cute!..."

Ewwww... someone bring me a barf bag, thought Hiei. He turned his head around when he felt Makoto next to him. Up to now she had been busy in the kitchen preparing snacks.

"Looks like Chibi-chibi really likes Kiku-chan, ne, Hiei?"

Hiei felt like his bottom jaw had just hit the cement floor. Makoto was well... gorgeous. She's... she's... whoa... Even Hiei's thoughts couldn't form themselves inside his head. He blinked, there were beautiful women around but Makoto wearing that green 2 piece bikini with pink rose, literally made him stare. Makoto giggled and blushed. She put her hand under his chin and closed his mouth.

"Kawaii..." she whispered to him. "You have almost the same reactions Yaten had when he saw Kurama in his bikini..." she chuckled and dove right in the pool. Making Hiei wonder if he really did a good thing when he said that he didn't want to take a swim. Because he sure would need to cool off right about now...

Kurama, like almost everyone, was looking at Kiku and Chibi- chibi kiss. "Mmmm... Three years old... That would explain it..."

Taiki and Mamoru, who were on either side of Kurama, lifted an eyebrow. "Is there something you think you know about Kiku-chan, Kurama?" asked Mamoru. Haruka heard it, too, so she turned around and rejoined them followed by Rei.

"Well, it still doesn't explain how he came here but..." started to say Kurama.

"Please tell us. It might explain why Kiku-chan is here..." said Taiki.

Kurama nodded. "Very well... But I would like to start by saying please do not think we are a savage race... It's just the way it's been for fox spirits since the beginning of time..." They all nodded. Satisfied, he continued. "You see when a Kitsune Kit is weaned, his mother abandons him to the clan."

"At what age are they weaned?" asked Mamoru.

"Three." was Kurama's reply. All around him gasped. "During that time, a Kitsune kit usually attaches himself to someone who will become his or her big brother or sister. That's the way it is. The kitsune will then follow his foster brother around until he's mature enough..."

"And you think that Kiku-chan has attached himself to Yaten in that way?..." asked Taiki. Kurama nodded.

"Poor little kit... Why has he attached himself to Yaten? He's no kitsune. You would make a better candidate..." said Rei.

"His mane..." started Kurama.

"What about it?" asked Haruka.

"A silvery mane is considered low cast... he was lucky the vixen who bore him, didn't abandon him as soon as he got out. Maybe the green eyes were considered a curiosity..."

"You mean..." said Seiya. "That he might have been cast off?"

"How do you know this?" asked Michiru who had swam next to Haruka.

"I know..." sighed Kurama, his green eyes seemed haunted now. "Because, that's what happened to me..." He looked down, his eyes mesmerized by the water splashing on him. "I have a silver mane and gold eyes... the bottom line in the Kitsune hierarchy... I was abandoned, left to die mere hours after my birth... if that thieving guild hadn't taken me in..." he stopped, as everyone near Kurama swallowed what he just had said. Everyone had a lump on their throat.

"How could anyone be that cruel?" whispered Taiki, echoing everyone present thoughts.

"Does Yaten know?..." asked Seiya, Kurama shook his head.

"No... And I do not wish to burden Yaten with this..." Seiya frowned. They both had tragic childhood. It is a way faith has found to give them strength? Bring two very scared people together, fall in love and maybe repair the damage that was done to their soul by giving them children that they will love?

"But still... Why Yaten?" asked Michiru.

"Maybe Yaten's own silver hair is what Kiku made want to attach to him... It's a rather instinctive process and a necessity for the Kitsune to find someone to bound to. Maybe... just maybe, Kiku couldn't find anyone and when he saw Yaten, his initial reject of a Ningen was overridden..."

"You mean he probably went to Yaten because..." said Ami unbelieving.

"Because Kiku-chan had ran out of options... they usually starve themselves to death if they can't find anyone..." concluded Kurama.

Meanwhile, Yaten was lying on a futon Haruka had placed for him by the edge of the pool. He smiled back at Kiku who was waving and calling for his attention. He didn't know why but he liked the little kitsune, but now his yelling and splashing was giving him a headache. He sighed as he looked toward Kurama, he seemed troubled about something. At least he and Kiku were starting to get along. Good, he didn't want to hurt either one's feeling.

He blinked, why was he thinking that? Sure, Kiku was a cute kid but he wasn't Kurama. He sighed again he just wished he could be alone with Kurama right now and put his head on his shoulder and drift toward a nice little nap. He closed his eyes and imagined Kurama's arms around him. He smiled. He almost felt Kurama's silky hair on his nose. He was drifting towards sleep when he heard a screech.

"PUT ME DOWN!!!" yelled Kiku as Kurama held him in a towel. "I want to see Ya-chan..."

"And you will as soon as you are dry... Yaten is sick and going to him all wet is going to make him sicker... that would be bad. You wouldn't want to make Yaten sicker than he already is?" asked Kurama as he energetically dried the little kitsune. Kurama was himself soaked, water dripping from his hair. Soon Kiku was dry enough for Kurama's standard and he rushed to Yaten.

Kurama was busy drying himself while the little kitsune was snuggling to Yaten. "Sleepy again?" asked Yaten. The little kitsune yawned and nodded. Chibi-chibi after Hotaru dried her, giggled and went to sleep next to Kiku at Yaten's side. Yaten shook his head and saw that Kurama was also yawning as he was putting on his robe.

"Are you tired, too?" Yaten asked shuffling the little ones in his arm to make some place to Kurama. "There's still room..." he smiled.

"Unfortunately, I'm not a little kid..." started Kurama.

"Soooo?" interrupted Michiru. "What's your point? No one will mind here... Go on... go on..." she almost gave him a tap you give to stubborn children and he resigned himself. He laid down next to Yaten and he put arm around his waist. Yaten closed his eyes and smiled as he felt Kurama's head recline on his pillow, he sighed and drifted off to sleep.



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Yukina was brewing some tea when she saw a shadow fall on her. She barely had time to turn around and scream when everything went dark.



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Chibi-chibi was already up and about when Kurama woke up from his nap. Greeted by grins and flashlights, Kurama realized they were taking pictures. He was a little annoyed but when Minako gave him the picture he understood why. Yaten had turned around to face him in his sleep and Kiku had gotten up and settled in between them.

"You looked so much like a cute little family, we couldn't resist..." said Usagi. Kurama blushed slightly when Usagi said family. Yes... he thought, it really looked like that didn't it?

As he was looking at the picture, Kiku woke up. Of course upon seeing that Kurama had something in his hand, the little kitsune wanted to see. He literally climbed up Kurama's chest and peered at the picture.

"Oh... Ya-chan and Ku-chan... OH! and me..." He giggled softly. Kurama was surprised, Kiku had called him by the name Yaten used to call him.

"Would you like to keep the picture, Kiku-chan?" asked Usagi.

Kiku nodded, "Hai, arigato..." He beamed and turned to look at Yaten. When he saw he was still sleeping, he turned to the others who were giggling. "Shhh... Ya-chan is still asleep..." He turned to Kurama and whispered in his ear. "Maybe if we go away they will leave Ya-chan to sleep..." Kurama nodded and Kiku grabbed hold his neck.

As soon as Kurama was up, Kiku climbed on him and settled on his shoulder. Redi put her head on Seiya's shoulder. "Aren't they cute like that?" she asked Seiya.

"Not half as cute as you..." replied Seiya with a smile. He was about to kiss Redi when he felt two pairs of eyes on them. Mamoru coughed, Seiya suddenly remembered he had something important to do in the other room. Redi glared at Mamoru for interfering and took the direction Seiya took.

"Ku-chan..." said Kiku. "Ya-chan is cold..." Kurama looked and saw that Yaten had rolled into a ball and had started to shiver. Kurama took a wool blanket and put it on Yaten. He kissed his forehead.

"Me too..." whispered Kiku and Kurama lowered himself back so that Kiku could kiss Yaten. When he got back up he was surprised, the little kitsune was hugging him and had just given him a quick peck on the cheek.

"What do you say we go change and go play outside and let Ya-chan sleep?" The little Kitsune nodded and they headed for a room to change.



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Michiru just marveled at Kurama's stamina and how good he was with kids. It was almost dinnertime and Kurama had been able to occupy Hotaru, Kiku and Chibi-chibi and prevent them from being bored. They had started by playing at hide and go seek, then he was a horse and gave them pony ride. Well Hotaru thought she was too old for the pony rides and had gone inside to help Makoto.

After the pony rides, Chibi-chibi was exhausted and had gone to snuggle next to Hiei who was nodding off under one of the trees. But Kiku was still full of energy so after taking off his shoes, Kurama installed Kiku on the flat of his feet and was holding him up, careful so the little kit wouldn't fall. Kiku laughed, shouting that he was flying.

Haruka came to them and knelt down next to Kurama as Kiku let himself fall gently on Kurama.

"Congratulations... You managed to tire him up..." smirked Haruka.

"Yaten will be so mad he missed all the fun, eh Kiku-chan?" Kurama started, tickling the little kitsune.

"No, he won't... I got it all on tape!" She replied. "And if Kiku-chan behaves he'll get to see himself on TV... Well, dinner is ready. I'm sure you are all hungry..."

Both Kurama and Kiku nodded energetically. Kurama laughed when he woke Hiei and when he realized that the person snuggling next to him was Chibi-chibi. Kuwabara sneered.

"She must think Hiei to be a Ken doll..." Hiei glared at the taller boy. "Humpt!" was his only reply.

Everybody was sitting down when Makoto realized that they had all forgotten about Yaten. She told everyone she would wake him up.

She walked the long corridor up to the pool. And sure enough, there he was all snuggled up in the blanket Kurama put on him. She started to shake him.

"Yaten-kun... hey, sleepy-head, wake up... you slept enough to..." Makoto gasped as she pulled out the blanket. Yaten was no longer there, in fact a strange woman had taken his place. The woman with a swift motion brought her hand to her mouth and blew a powder in Makoto's face. Makoto had taken a deep breath and was about to yell her henshin when the world became a blur and she fell down.

"Humpt!" said the woman. "That was almost too easy." She got up and as she snapped her fingers Yaten became visible. On his face glittered the same dust that the woman used on Makoto. She whispered a few words and both unconscious bodies floated. She opened a portal and they all disappeared through it.

Meanwhile, Kiku fidgeted on his chair. All the tall ones were laughing and eating. "What's wrong Kiku-chan?" asked Kurama.

Suddenly everyone's eyes grew wide. There was a flux of energy and it came from the pool area. Kurama and Hiei were out of their chair in a heartbeat. The Reikai Tantei and the Senshi all ran to the pool. Too late, the energy was gone, so was Makoto and Yaten.

"Kurama..." said Hiei pointing to the futon where Yaten was sleeping. There was a folded piece of paper and some dust. Kurama carefully smelled the dust. He knew what it was. It was the pollen of the Black Lotus. If blown on someone's face it would render anyone unconscious. He took the piece of paper and read it out loud.

Reikai Tantei,

We have in our possession, the persons you have so foolishly left unattended. They will not be harmed if you do exactly what we say. We want you to come, alone, to Shiseiju Castle, tomorrow morning at dawn. Suffice it to say that if you do not comform to our demands, we will kill the hostages one by one at random.

We will have our revenge.

"That's all very nice!" yelled Kuwabara, "But who the heck are we supposed to fight?"

Only the wind that came from the opened window replied.