Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Question of Intimacy ❯ Chapter 2, Clues ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: At the moment, I'm not honestly sure whether or not this will wind up being a traditional Hiei/Kagome fic or not. What I have written so far is interesting, but it is not by any means overtly sexual. This story is far more about intimacy and sexuality then it is about sex. As for Kagome's mating mark, well, that is a plot point that you will have to read more to find out. The ratings will change whenever the story becomes a bit lemony. I write in longhand in a paper journal and then transcribe onto the computer so it takes a fair bit of time for me to update. I can't quite seem to compose well at the keyboard and the extra pass at editing between the two versions does tend to help. *shrug*

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Once the group had reached Genkai's guest room, Kurmura laid the little youkai on top of a futon. The miko had yet to let go of Hiei's hand and the rest were watching cautiously. The boys and Keiko were completely at sea with this strange turn of events. Boton for all her usual cheerful air headed behavior was starting to reason out what Kurmura had already concluded and was quite frankly worried. The atmosphere of the room was tense with concern for their friend.

"Do you know what is wrong with Hiei?" Kuwabara asked to break the tension up and satisfy their curiosity as well as give them all something to do. The idleness that the Spirit Detective team had been regulated to grated on their nerves. This was not the sort of situation they handled well without Hiei and Kurmura actively working at keeping them in line.

"I think so," answered the miko, "it is a bit complicated though. At some point, we will need to undress him and tuck him in, but I want to let him regain consciousness first." She was unsure how to even broach the topic of what she thought was the root cause of Hiei's problems with his companions.

"He is in season, but his eye is creating problems, right?" Kurmura both explained and asked at the same time to make things easier for the young miko.

"I believe so," Kagome replied with a sigh. "Actually, he would have had a very hard time regardless. Going into season kills quite a number of youkai with its side effects. Hybrids like him often don't make it. The eye just seems to have upped the ante."

"I'm surprised it caught him unawares," Kurmura rejoined to the confirmation of his suspicions. Boton just winced and looked very nervous.

"Um, could one of you translate for those of us who don't speak youkai?" Keiko asked, slightly annoyed, but more intrigued then anything.

Kagome blushed slightly in chagrin and stated, "Season, as in mating season. It lasts for anywhere between three and eight weeks about once every decade depending on the species. Females go into heat and don't stop fighting until they are defeated by a prospective mate and impregnated. Males as just forced by their hormones to seek release, preferably with a female that is in heat and difficult to subdue. Depending on the species they will either stick around and be hyper protective or they will take off. Only a few species mate for life, kitsunes and elementals are not among them." Kagome tried to be as clinical as possible and hoped they would take the matter seriously. Her hopes were dashed when both the young humans burst out laughing and Keiko blushed so red there was a chance she would pass out.

"You mean Hiei just needs to get laid!" Yuuske laughingly commented. "I told him that over a month ago."

"It seems you were right, " Kurmura said with a frown. "However, Hiei has always been very touchy on the topic of mates. From what Kagome-sensei is saying, it may not have made any difference." The group all seemed sober up from their levity and to look to the woman for answers.

"I don't know. A strong miko or priest could have prevented this by being his mate. There still would have been problems, but much of it could have been avoided." She answered after some thought, thinking some more she said, "It would have been difficult, if not impossible, for him to have found a willing miko. There is a significant taboo and social stigma where that sort of relationship is involved. He doesn't strike me as a rapist and I can't picture any miko actually helping a youkai who raped her."

"Hiei? Kami-sama, no." Kuwabara rejoined rather shocked by the suggestion. "He isn't the least bit interested in sex. A more asexual man I've yet to meet."

"Its hard to shock him though." Yuuske commented.

"I get the picture." Kagome responded, purposefully stopping the pair before they could get started. "How badly do you think he will take waking up? He should come round in the nest twenty minutes or so."

"Badly," Kurmura stated baldly. "He doesn't like feeling out of control."

"Hopefully, he will be coherent enough to talk with, that should help with the control issues. What does his extra eye usually do and how did he get it?" she asked quietly as the auras from the little youkai took on a pre-wakeful state.

"It does several things. Mostly it gives him a form of second sight and telepathy along with a power boost." Yuuske answered while scratching the back of his head.

"As far as we understand it, it was involuntarily implanted while he was a guinea pig at some mad scientist lab." Kuwabara finished answering for Yuuske.

"Thank you, I have a much better idea of how to handle this now," Kagome replied with a very sad smile.

"So what will you do?" Genkai asked as she returned from going to get a bowl of cool water, some clothes and fresh tea.

"Ask his permission before attempting anything at all," Kagome responded wanly. "Restraining him will only make him panic which could easily kill him. He needs to be kept as calm as possible to help prevent his youki from fluctuating with his emotions. I will just have to ask him what he wants to do and work something out from there."

"And if he attacks you? Youkai are prone to violent matings during their seasons after all." Genkai asked stoically, neither gently nor cruelly, just bluntly.

"I'd be very surprised if he did. He does know I've been previously Claimed. He also knows I could kill him with a touch, I expect he would ask me to before he would rape me. Am I not correct, Hiei?" Kagome asked when his auras shifted to full wakefulness without him giving any physical hint of his return to consciousness. She knew he had been listening in from at least Genkai's question, if not earlier.

"Hai," he grunted. He tried to sit up only to be hit with a wave of pain and nausea.

"Lay back down." the young woman beside him guided him back gently. She let go of his hand only to take his pulse at his neck. "You will want to eat something along the lines of saltines and have a bit to drink before trying that again. My appologies for invading your personal space, but I need to maintain skin contact to balance your auras Hiei-san."

"How?" Hiei asked in a whisper.

"I haven't a clue" Kagome responded to his question in complete frankness as the rest of the room looked at her in shock. The miko just shrugged and ignored them. "My name is Higarashi Kagome. I'm a miko so ask before you try to look in my head. I might burn you on accident or I might not, it is just better to be careful about that."

'What does she mean, fox?' Hiei asked Kurmura telepathically.

"What do you mean?" The shorter redhead asked for his friend.

"My powers can be pretty flaky at times. I do nearly everything on unconscious instinct with them." Kagome looked at him, completely unconcerned about the revelation. " Not all telepaths can safely read me. Some see right into my head with no trouble, some hit a blank wall and th rest seem to get hurt somehow. Does that answer the question?"

"Hai, I think so," answered the shorter redhead thoughtfully. Miko's with the kind of power the girl was referring to were very rare. He wondered if he should warn Hiei about that.

"What?" Hiei asked again, his voice starting to cut out in the middle of the word.

"Your Jagan eye is complicating a natural biological function. Would you like some water first before you interrogate me?" Kagome replied.

Hiei nodded and Kagome and Yukina, who had quietly slipped in without the others noticing, helped him sit up just enough to sip from a cup of cool water without spilling it.

"Would you like to speak privately to anyone first? I think you are stable enough for a short conversation with your friends." Kagome offered. Gently she kept his hand flat on top of hers and waited for him to pull away. When he didn't remove it from hers, she raised an eyebrow in inquiry which he brusquely ignored. Instead, he maintained contact and looked toward the kitsune avatar.

'What's going on, Kurmura? Why is she here?" Hiei asked in the other's mind sounding thoroughly disgruntled about the whole thing.

'You went into season and it nearly killed you.' Kurmura replied the same way, he went on to explain further before the fire apparition could get a word in, 'I don't know why she is here. She and Keiko reached you first. Your youki was spiking so wildly, Koenma sent us out to find you. The minute she touched you it just cut out.'

'Nani!?' Hiei widened his eyes in startlement.

'From what she says, she is giving your auras something to fight to allow them to balance out so they are all directed at her rather then at each other. It not only seems possible, but also plausible at this point. She has been Claimed at some point and knows a surprising amount about youkai, but she didn't know what a Forbidden Child was.' Kurmura explained, at the small fire youkai's frown he went on to say, ' It didn't even phase her when we explained it. She seems to do a lot of reading between the lines and has been extraordinarily gentle and non-threatening toward you.'

'Hn,' was all Hiei could say for a bit. 'Ask her why she's here.' he demanded still in Kurmura's head, wanting to save his voice as his throat was still sore.

"He wants to know why you are here, Kagome-sensei," Kurmura translated.

"I felt his youki. Anything that powerful is bad news. Either some one was on a destructive rampage or they were in serious distress. I've learned to never ignore something like that." Kagome answered nonchalantly with a shrug.

"How did you learn that?" Yukina asked her curiously.

Kagome just closed her eyes visibly clamping down on some unknown memory. "Not all places are as calm as this one. I've seen a lot of people die. Some of their deaths were preventable. Besides, it is usually less effort to save a life then it is to dig a grave and preform the funeral rites," the miko answered sardonically, reminding the rest of a cross between Genkai and Kurmura, or possibly even Hiei. "If you don't mind Hiei-san, I need to make use of the facilities."

Kagome waited for the young youkai to lift his hand and then stood up. "Genkai-sama, could you show me to the little girl's room." Kagome asked in a quiet voice and left the room training the elderly woman.

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