Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Evolution ❯ Meeting ( Chapter 4 )

Evolution

 

OooooO

 

Kagome was irritated. It was raining. Again. It had started raining shortly after they had begun their quest again. Earlier, Miroku had pointed out that they were leaving the darkest of the storm clouds behind, meaning they would be out of the rain soon. However, the wind was blowing in the direction they were headed, so the storm would follow them. Kagome sighed. `Is there no escaping this storm?' Inuyasha had said that they would stay awhile after they exterminated the demon, so they could “see if there are any shard rumors”. Kagome knew it was because the hanyou knew they were from the rain and were tired of trekking through it. Surprisingly, no had gotten sick yet, except for Kagome's small bout of sniffles yesterday. Someone up there must have felt sorry for them.

 

The next village was only one more day's walk from where they were now. It wouldn't be long before they arrived and were met with pleads to rid the villagers of the youkai plaguing them. Then afterwards there would be hearty thank yous, please stay at my house, and have all you want from us we're so grateful. It was routine. Kagome was almost bored by it. The demons were all of the same caliber, just low class, instinct controlled beast with a half ways decent ability or a jewel shard. Other than that, they were complete weaklings.

 

Kagome turned her thoughts to Youko Kurama. Personally, Kagome thought him to be egotistical, over confident, and a complete and utter jerk. The youkai had known how much his presence effected her, and used it to his complete advantage. Kagome could remember quite distinctly the wicked smirk on his face when a tendril of fear had crawled into her heart as he spoke. The bastard had known what he was doing, had been doing it on purpose, just to get a reaction out of her! What irked Kagome the most, however, was the fact she was affected at all by this Youko Kurama. It was entirely too bothersome to Kagome. The girl felt a paw touch her cheek.

 

“ Mama? Is something wrong?” Kagome smiled at Shippo. The young kit alternated between her name and “mama”, unable to fully get used to the fact that someone was willing to fill in the role of adopted parent to him. Most times he called her Kagome, but when he was worried, sad, or really angry, he would call her “mama” excessively. Other times were hard to tell what he would call her, but Kagome didn't mind. To call her “mama” would mean that she was his new mother, and that it would mean his family was gone forever, that he was moving on. Kagome understood that a part of him didn't want to move on. She felt the same when her own father had died when the family needed him most.

 

“ No Shippo, there's nothing wrong,” Kagome told the kit. He nodded and snuggled deeper in her arms, her body warmth seeping into him. Kagome shook her head in an attempt to rid her hair of some of the water. Kagome scowled deeply. `I really hate rain'. As if finally answering her prayers, the rain slowly started to let up. Kagome sighed in relief.

 

“ Inuyasha! When you find a good camping spot near a hotspring, we have to stop!” Kagome called to the dog hanyou. Inuyasha scoffed.

 

“ If the rain lets up before dark, why should we stop? We should keep going as long as there is light,” Inuyasha replied.

 

“ Inuyasha, not everyone here has demon blood in themselves like you do. And don't even mention Shippo, he's still a kid! We're all tired from the rain! Please Inuyasha?” Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha continued to move on, but Kagome saw him look out of the corner of his eye subtlety. He was checking on his makeshift family, gauging their energy. And he saw their exhaustion. Inuyasha gave a barely visible nod. Kagome knew then that she had won the argument to keep going. Inuyasha was just too proud to admit it. Sango and Miroku smiled at Kagome in gratitude. Kagome herself sighed again. She was happy knowing that soon she would get her bath, and that she could finally confront Sango about this mysterious Youko Kurama. Sango slowed up her pace and dropped back to where Kagome was walking.

 

“ Kagome-chan? Is something wrong? You seem anxious about something,” Sango asked. Kagome looked up, turning her eyes off the road.

 

“ Oh, it's nothing to worry about right now, I'll tell you about it when we take a bath,” Kagome said. Sango nodded and moved forward again, leaving Kagome in the back all by herself. With the exception of Shippo of course.

 

The sky was beginning to darken and turn dark blue when Inuyasha finally had the group stop for the night. The girls relished the fact that they would have another hot bath two nights in a row. Kagome was glad she could finally talk to Sango and could hopefully get some knowledge of the kitsune at last.

 

“ Inuyasha, Sango and I are going to take a bath now,” Kagome informed the hanyou. He grunted in response.

 

“ Houshi-sama, you better not follow us or there will be severe consequences!” the taijiya warned the monk. Miroku just smiled innocently as he sat before the fire. Inuyasha `keh'ed.

 

“ I'll make sure bouzu doesn't come and peep on you guys. Just scream if you need anything,” Inuyasha told the girls. They both nodded and turned and disappeared towards the hot spring.

 

Kagome sighed in delight when she felt the warm water from the spring's slide across her body. Sango just smiled and closed her eyes when she got in. Both of them sank down into the water, resting against a ring of rocks on the other side of the spring from the shore. Sango finally opened her eyes to look at Kagome.

 

“ So Kagome-chan, what is that you wanted to talk about?” Sango asked.

 

“ Oh…well…I was wondering if you knew anything about a fox youkai named Youko Kurama..” Kagome said, ducking her head slightly.

 

“ Youko Kurama? Why would you want to know about him?” Sango said, shocked.

 

“ Well, I sort of met him twice…” Kagome replied. Sango pursed her lips and tilted her head to look at the sky.

 

“ Youko Kurama….he's a silver kitsune, and a notorious thief. He is also supposedly very beautiful. But I suppose you already know that if you've met him. He's supposedly very cruel and cold, merciless when getting what he wants. While he is supposedly the leader of a gang of bandits, there are two others that are almost always associated with Youko Kurama.

 

The first is Kuronue of the Scythe. He is a bat youkai, and wields a scythe with impeccable skill, hence his name. He is Youko Kurama's first partner, according to rumor, and his confidant. Some say even his best friend. I'm not sure if one should venture far into that, though.

 

The other one is Seiryoku of Great Beauty and Strength. She's a dog youkai and doesn't have an apparent weapon. She uses her great strength to fight with her fists. Supposedly, she's so beautiful that if a male were to look upon her, he would never want any other woman. They say that looking at Seiryoku is like gazing at the moon itself. I personally think its rubbish.

 

There are a few rumors going around that Youko Kurama picked up another powerful youkai named Yomi. He's young, younger than Youko, Kuronue, or Seiryoku, but he supposedly has potential to be powerful, if he isn't already. That's all I really know about Youko Kurama and his followers. Now tell me about your encounters with him!” Sango demanded. Kagome smiled slightly and soaked up all of the information.

 

“ The first time was in the forest. We didn't talk; we just sort of stared at each other until Shippo-chan told me it was time to leave. The second time was at the temple when he was stealing something. He asked me how I got up there, I told him I thought it to be my priestess powers and then he left,” Kagome explained briefly. She left out the part of the utter fear he had struck in her heart. Sango nodded in acceptance of her explanation. After sitting in a contemplative silence for awhile, the two girls began to talk of other things and proceed to bathe themselves. It was about twenty minutes later when Sango announced she was going back to camp.

 

“ You're sure you will be okay out here alone?” Sango asked. Kagome nodded.

 

“ Un! I just want to relax a bit more, since we hardly get to rest anymore,” Kagome told her friend. She nodded and left. When Sango was gone, Kagome closed her eyes and leaned against a rock, breathing in deeply. She instantly felt her muscles loosen and turn into mush in the hot water. So she was very irritated when she tensed up again due to the sound of water moving.

 

“ Youko, how long will it be until we reach that village?” a dark voice asked. Kagome tensed, her spine straight and stiff, listening to the conversation on the other side of the rocks.

 

“ Not long. We'll strike at nightfall tomorrow,” a familiar voice answered. `Tomorrow night? But the only village that close is the village we're going to!' Kagome felt her heart speed up in her chest at the thought of another possible confrontation with Youko Kurama. Kagome stared at a tree in front of her as several scenarios played out in her mind's eye. She was shaken from her reverie when she heard sloshing and drops falling into the spring. Nervous, Kagome turned her head up and was met with violet eyes set in a very male face. Kagome turned red.

 

“ Eeek! Pervert!” then she did the worst possible thing she could do in that moment. Kagome slapped him.

 

OooooO

 

Youko and Kuronue were making good time, flitting through the trees towards their destination. Being youkai enabled to continue on without breaks or food. However, neither one of them was stupid, and they knew it was wise to stop for the night to be in top form tomorrow when stealing from the village. So the two found a grove of trees with a spring hidden in its depths and decided this would be where they would rest. Soon after finding the right place where they would sleep, the two thieves left for the hot springs.

 

Once they arrived to said hot springs, Youko and Kuronue quickly and silently stripped themselves down and slid into the springs. Then Kuronue inquired Youko about the timing and what they would do when they reached the village. Not long after Youko had answered, Kuronue immediately stiffened, larger than the average youkai ears twitching. Youko knew then that Kuronue, who had better hearing than he did by far due to his species, had heard something nearby that was out of the norm.

 

Slowly, Kuronue turned around to face the ring of rocks that he had been leaning against. Picking himself up and leaning over a particularly large rock, he investigated as to what he had heard. Youko found himself smirking quite largely when he heard a girl voice her complaints.

 

“ Eeek! Pervert!” a resounding smack echoed in the clearing, and Youko watched Kuronue freeze up. Youko moved himself to the rocks to see the female that had dared to strike his partner. Youko found himself inwardly laughing at their expressions.

 

Kuronue's eyes were wide and unblinking, staring at the girl in shock. The girl in question still had her hand raised, while the other was doing its best to cover herself. It wasn't a very easy task, considering how well endowed she was. She was blinking rapidly as if trying to dispel the image before her, her red face a mask of `oh-my-god-what-have-I-done'. Youko then realized she was the girl from the previous village. `Her entourage really does move quickly. I would've thought they would have moved slower due to her presence'. She seemed to sense his gaze on her person, because she slowly turned her blue eyes to Youko. If it was possible, she turned even redder, then ducked into the water up to her neck, shifting her limbs to cover her breasts. Youko noted that her blush seemed to go down her neck. As she did this, Kuronue seemed to come back into focus.

 

“ You slapped me!” he exclaimed. The girl narrowed her eyes.

 

“ Of course I did, you peeping Tom! You were spying on me!” she screeched. Kuronue's ears twitched from the pitch of her voice.

 

“ I merely wanted to see who was on the other side of the rocks, girl,” Kuronue bit back.

 

“ I don't care! Go away! I need to get dressed, and I can't because you're looking at me, you jerk!” the girl replied vehemently.

 

“ Kuronue, this is the girl I told you about,” Youko interrupted. Kuronue glanced at his partner before studying the girl before.

 

“ This one? She's nothing more than a mere filly! And she purified your youki from the air?” Kuronue said incredulously. The girl glared.

 

“ Look, I already told you, I'm an UNTRAINED priestess. I didn't mean to do it on purpose! I didn't even know what I did!” she cried out. Her face was slowly loosing its redness as the conversation turned to another subject that did not include her lack of dress. Kuronue narrowed his eyes at the girl while Youko looked on in amusement.

 

“ I didn't ask for you to speak, now be silent, I'm trying to figure out how you could have had the power to purify such potent youki from the air,” Kuronue said coolly. The girl narrowed her eyes back at the bat youkai.

 

“ Listen you! I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to talk to me this way! If I decide I want to talk, then I'll talk and there's nothing you can do to stop-mmmph!” Kuronue promptly muffled the girl by sticking his hand over her mouth. She turned red again, but this blush did not go down her neck, just across her cheeks and nose. Her blue eyes had gone wide, and they seemed to darken with her anger. Then Kuronue yelped and yanked back his hand, inspecting it closely, while the girl glared. Youko chuckled inwardly as he noted the bite marks on his partner's hand.

 

“ How dare you! Don't you have any manners? It's rude to stop a girl when she's talking, you know! And…” the girl seemed to take in the atmosphere around him that clearly said he was pissed and trailed off, a tendril of fear sneaking into her scent.

 

“ You were saying?” Kuronue asked silkily. The girl swallowed and didn't reply. Kuronue sneered at her then turned away. Then the girl began to speak in a small voice.

 

“ You youkai always talk about how us humans are so uncivilized. Well, the way I see it, if you two are anything to go by, then youkai are the ones who are uncivilized. I won't bother going into a huge lecture since you're probably going to tune me out anyway, but what kind of proper behavior is it to peek on a girl while she's bathing?” the girl said simply, “ Unless you had something else in mind when you did it.” Kuronue turned to look back at the girl curiously and it clicked in Youko's head. `She's trying to apologize without looking like a fool or losing any pride…' Kuronue seemed to catch on as well because he turned towards the girl with an incredulous look on his face.

 

“ Are you trying to apologize?” he asked. The girl flushed.

 

“ So what if I am? I was just thinking maybe you turned around not to spy on me like some pervert but to….do whatever youkai do while they're in the hot springs. In any case, I want you both to turn around and leave me alone so I can get dressed without a couple of guys looking at me,” she huffed. She had stomped her foot in her irritation and stirred up the sand, clouding the water and blocking the view of her body. Kuronue shifted, but to the girl, it must have appeared he was getting out, because she closed her eyes tight.

 

“ Eeeeekk!!! Don't get out, don't get out!” she squealed, turning around. Kuronue smirked at her back.

 

“ What's wrong, little girl? A bit modest?” Kuronue called. Red tinged the back of her neck as her embarassment returned.

 

“ Yes! Yes I am! Go away you nasty perverts!”

 

“ That would require us to get out, and as you kindly pointed out to my partner, you don't want us to get out,” Youko added, eyes dancing in amusement at the girl's plight.

 

“ Then turn around so you can't see me and I don't have to see anymore than I WANT to see!” she said heatedly, determined not to look around behind her. Youko and Kuronue snickered.

 

“ Look, can you guys just please turn around so I can get back to camp and cook dinner? I just wanna get some food and some sleep and then I wanna go home, but that's not going to happen for another week or so yet, so please, just turn around so I can at least get two of my three wishes,” the girl pleaded. Youko gave a sigh. It had been much fun teasing the girl, being as modest as she was, but as much as he would like to play, he and Kuronue had business to attend to that night as well.

 

“ Very well girl, we'll turn around to save you some dignity,” Youko conceded. The girl grumbled a bit, and as Youko and Kuronue turned around, Youko heard the water splash and drip quietly as she exited the spring, then rustling as she predictably put on her night clothes.

 

“ Thank you ever so much for your kindness,” sarcasm dripped from her words. Both Youko and Kuronue turned to give her a tongue lashing, but she was walking away with some fluffy towels and a yellow pack in her arms. Freeing one arm, she gave a backwards wave as she left.

 

“ Goodnight and goodbye!” she called. Both youkai watched her leave, stunned and amused. Finally, Kuronue leaned back on the rock and laughed. Youko soon joined him, their laughter echoing throughout the night. Both had the same thought. `What a strange and amusing girl…'