Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Evolution ❯ Ponder ( Chapter 13 )

By the way, Kagome's nickname for Yomi, Cho, means butterfly.

 

Evolution

 

OooooO

 

Sango worried her lip as she trekked across the terrain with Miroku. Kirara had caught Inuyasha's scent awhile back, and they were following her diligently. Sango could only hope Inuyasha had found Kagome. She shuddered to think of what that mark meant on Kagome's arm, and whether or not it drew Youko Kurama to her.

 

“ Sango-chan, are you well?” Miroku asked. Sango looked up.

 

“ Un, yeah, I'm okay. I'm just worried for Kagome-chan,” she replied. Miroku smiled softly, but it was tinged with worry.

 

“ I am sure that Inuyasha has found Kagome and is taking good care of her, Sango-chan. Do not worry,” Miroku told her. Sango nodded, but the uneasy feeling in her stomach did not cease.

 

“ Sango-chan! Miroku!” a high pitched voice exclaimed. Shippo bounded towards the humans from up the path, a relieved grin on his face.

 

“ Where's mama? She's with you guys, right?” Shippo asked excitedly. Sango's heart sunk.

 

“ You mean Kagome-sama isn't with you?” Miroku inquired. Shippo shook his head, his eyes dimming. He had really been looking forward to seeing Kagome again. Inuyasha was awfully grumpy without her around. Inuyasha and Kirara reappeared a moment later, Inuyasha growling angrily.

 

“ So Kagome isn't here with you guys?” he asked gruffly.

 

“ No. We were hoping you knew where she was. Miroku can't feel her aura anywhere in the vicinity. Have you caught her scent at all, Inuyasha?” Sango asked hopefully. They fell when Inuyasha shook his head dejectedly.

 

“ Shippo and I have searched the entire area. She isn't within two miles of us,” Inuyasha replied. Fear gripped Sango's heart. Certainly, Youko Kurama had Kagome now. Sango pondered what her friend's fate would be. He hadn't shown any inclination of killing Kagome, as far as Sango knew, but she also knew that Kagome was hiding some things from her.

 

“ Oi, Sango, do you know somethin'?” Inuyasha asked suspiciously. Sango looked up guiltily. `I'm sorry, Kagome-chan, for betraying you like this…'

 

“ Kagome-chan…Kagome-chan has encountered the King of Thieves, Youko Kurama, several times during these past few weeks. From what she has told me, they are barely acquaintances, but I…I have reason to believe Youko Kurama's interests in Kagome-chan may run deeper than that,” Sango admitted. Shippo gasped, eyes wide. Inuyasha snarled. Miroku shifted uneasily.

 

“ I'm not sure what kind of interests he has in her. The last time we bathed together, Kagome-chan showed me a green mark on her arm,” Sango said.

 

“ Do you remember what the mark looked like?” Miroku asked. Sango nodded. She bent down and drew the mark in the dirt; a rhombus with a dot in the center, with a dot above each side of the rhombus.

 

“ Oh! I know that mark. It's the symbol of the legendary Kurama clan. They were all wiped out, in the span of one day. Youko was the only survivor, so he took his clan's name as a last name. Then, when he was older, he slaughtered the clan who killed his own. He didn't leave any survivors. Shortly afterward, he began to lead a band of thieves,” Shippo said in awe, “ Because he was the last of the clan, the symbol faded from his face. Otherwise, it would be on his forehead, kind of like Sesshoumaru's.” The adults all glanced at each other. Inuyasha's brows furrowed.

 

“ Sango…did Kagome tell you how she got that mark?” he asked slowly. Sango nodded.

 

“ Un. She said that she had a wound on her arm, and that Youko had licked the wound and healed it,” Sango answered. Inuyasha swore.

 

“ That must've been the night she came back with a bloody sleeve and no injury,” Miroku said speculatively while Inuyasha continued his blue streak. Sango ignored it and spoke over Inuyasha.

 

“ I assume you know what this means, then, Inuyasha?” Sango inquired. Inuyasha whirled around, snarling and gnashing his teeth together.

 

“ Damn right I do. We gotta find Kagome, quick,” Inuyasha snapped.

 

“ Why Inuyasha? Is something wrong?” `Besides Kagome-chan being kidnapped?' Sango added wryly in her head.

 

“ Oh hell yes. That damn bastard's courting her!”

 

OooooO

 

Kagome hummed softly to herself as she patched up the youkai's back. He had been unfortunate enough to be caught in a trap and had gotten skewered. He was the only injured one, so Kagome didn't have a lot of work to do. Seiryoku had gone out, taking a portion of the men with her, leaving Kagome to be the only female in the entire clan. A part of Kagome was nervous at the prospect of spending a week to two weeks with no female company; with no wall to hide behind. Another part of Kagome was prepared to charge forward and take command, and get to know all these men. Another part just wanted to leave and find if Koroku's words were true; that everyone else had died in the blast. Kagome's hands unknowingly shook at the prospect.

 

“ Are you almost done?” the youkai, Hiko, sneered. Kagome curled her upper lip back to reveal blunt teeth. She tied the bandage extra tight, reveling in the startled gasp he made. He would certainly become numb and tingly within a few moments. Kagome smirked. When she finished and packed her medical supplies away, she stalked out of the cave and on top of the small, mountainous hill. Really, it was just a hill of stone covered in grass with a labyrinth of caves in it. Kagome slumped on top of the mountain-hill thing and stared out across the land. It was all just forest. There wasn't even a village nearby. Yet it was very pretty, and Kagome could even see the stream where she got water to fill her bottles. Kagome cradled her face in her hands and wondered when she would see her friends again. Her eyes stung, and she hastily rubbed them to make the tears go away. A crunch in the gravel told her that someone was behind her.

 

“ If its Yomi, go away,” Kagome muttered. The footsteps continued, and Otonashi settled beside her. Kagome smiled weakly at him.

 

“ Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was you, since you didn't say anything,” Kagome said. Otonashi nodded. It seemed odd, seeing him in all white. It was as if Otonashi should have been in dark clothing, like all black. It didn't suit him. His coloring was rather plain compared to the other youkai, like Ryuuza and Ryuujin, but he wasn't any less beautiful. His hair was black, and he had gold eyes, like Youko's. His ears pointed, like most other youkai, but other than that, he could have passed off as a human. Kagome noted that his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

 

“ Am I annoying you?” Kagome asked. Otonashi shook his head. Kagome's smile grew wider. At least he was polite, even if he didn't talk.

 

“ I think you shouldn't wear white. You would look better in black, I think. Why does everyone wear white anyway? It's kind of blinding sometimes. Doesn't that hurt your stealth?” Kagome babbled. Like always, Otonashi remained silent.

 

“ Don't you know he doesn't talk?” a snide voice said. Kagome scowled and turned around to glare at Takahiro. She fought to stay still and not edge towards Otonashi. That guy really creeped her out. Takahiro ran a hand through his green hair.

 

“ Hey, Otonashi. Boss wants to go out, and he wants you with him. Yomi's gonna take care of things in your stead,” Takahiro told the other youkai. Otonashi glanced at Takahiro, and raised a brow. Apparently, Takahiro knew exactly what that meant.

 

“ Yeah, I know, Yomi is still a little brat, but he is pretty damn powerful, if a bit reckless. Anyway, Boss says it would be good for Yomi. Might help…relations around here a bit,” Takahiro glanced at Kagome surreptitiously. She narrowed her eyes in response, then gazed at Otonashi out of the corner of her eye.

 

“ You are so obvious, you know that? So what's Yomi's job that involves me, huh? It's not like I'm gonna run away for anything,” Kagome bit out. Takahiro smiled a smile that was more of a baring of teeth than anything.

 

“ I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually since you're so smart. C'mon, Otonashi,” Takahiro started to walk away. The silent youkai stood and followed him. Kagome growled at Takahiro's back.

 

“ Why you…” she grumbled angrily. She huffed and turned to face the forests again, tracing designs in the dirt and gravel. Even if Otonashi didn't say anything, he was someone that was always around, except for when he went on heists. It was kind of lonely without him or Seiryoku. However, Kagome turned her thoughts to Takahiro's words.

 

He called Yomi “ a little brat”, so that meant Yomi was pretty young still. Kagome snorted. Maybe that explained his attitude and immaturity. However, he's also apparently “pretty damn powerful”, which would explain why he was Youko's third-in-command. Seiryoku and Kuronue were both second-in-command, with Yomi behind them in power status. Then there was Youko “council”, so to speak, which consisted of Otonashi, Takahiro, Ryuuza, Ryuujin, and Koroku. Then there was everyone else. They had formed a sort of hierarchy among themselves, though Kagome hadn't completely figured it out yet. Then there was herself. Kagome was a little confused as to her own standing within the clan. She could talk back all she wanted towards anyone in the clan, but all they did back was grumble and make a few snide comments. Seiryoku attended to her, sort of, and took care of Kagome. She even listened to what she had to say in regards to the clan. Kagome didn't interfere with the heists, it wasn't her place, even if she thought it was wrong. But aside from insults and sneers, Kagome was treated the same way Youko was. She hadn't been given any special title, like “Boss”, but she was definitely a top-dog in the clan. Kagome looked down at the mark on her arm. `Does it have something to do with this?'

 

“ Saa, isn't it a little lonely up here?” a voice said. Kagome turned. It was Kuronue. Kagome shrugged and turned back to the forest. Kuronue sat next to her.

 

“ I was just thinking,” Kagome replied absently. She eyed the bat youkai for a moment, then decided to be a bit daring.

 

“ Hey, do you know what this mark means,” Kagome showed Kuronue the green mark on her arm. He eyed it for a moment, and a strange look passed over his face, before he looked back up at Kagome. There was a strange gleam in his eye, and it made Kagome a little nervous.

 

“ I'm afraid I'm not allowed to tell you what it means,” he replied lightly. Kagome pouted.

 

“ Youko's orders, huh?” Kagome said. Kuronue nodded. Kagome sighed and flopped on to her back. Kagome thought back on her experience with Youko's clan, and immediately compared it to when she was with Kouga's tribe. All it was a bunch of men, though Kagome was sure Kouga had some females hidden around there somewhere. They had all been very eager to eat her, until Kouga proclaimed that she was his woman. Then they all showed deference to her, sort of like with Youko's clan…

 

“ That's it!” Kagome exclaimed, startling her companion.

 

“ What's it?” Kuronue asked slowly.

 

“ I'm going to be Youko's wife, aren't I? I mean, everyone here shows deference to me, sort of. Even you do. And since you're a second-in-command, that puts me on equal status with Youko. And the only position that would offer that kind of status would be his wife. I'm right, aren't I?” Kagome said quickly. Kuronue arched a brow.

 

“ Kagome, you are here as a guest, as our healer. Guests are very often treated with the utmost respect, no?” Kuronue said. Kagome deflated. That was true as well. Yet, calling her a healer made it sound like she more of a…permanent kind of guest. Not only that, she was the only healer, and as Seiryoku pointed out, if she wasn't kept happy, she could easily slip and “accidentally” cause further injury to one of the men that came to her for help. And she had thought that she had had everything figured out to. It's so much easier to escape a situation when you knew exactly what your situation was. Kagome sighed.

 

“ Hm? Do you want to be Youko's mate?” Kuronue asked, humor coloring his tone. Kagome bolted up, her face flushed.

 

“ Ehhh! His mate? No way! That's, like, um, well, no, I don't want to be his mate. Besides, I'm already taken,” Kagome sniffed, turning away with her nose in the air. Well, that was pretty much a lie, since Inuyasha had broken it off with her. But there was Kouga, who still maintained that she was his woman, and since no one else had bothered to stake a claim, it was kind of true…

 

“ Oh? So who is the lucky man?” Kuronue inquired. Kagome blushed further. But if she told Kuronue that she was Kouga's woman, then she would be having little wolf cubs in no time flat! Kouga was just her friend, and she did not want to be having his kids.

 

“ Well, if I told you, you all would probably kill him, or raid his home,” Kagome said sourly. Kuronue chuckled.

 

“ Ah, so he is a weak man, and you are embarrassed?”

 

“ No! He leads a tribe! He is very strong,” Kagome replied sharply. Kuronue grinned.

 

“ Hm…tribe…Last I knew, humans do not have “tribes”. So that means you are partial to youkai, yes?” Kuronue asked, eyes glittering. Kagome's face was absolutely aflame. Kuronue continued on.

 

“ And you say he leads a tribe, so that must mean he is nobility. I wonder, how rich is he and his tribe?” Kagome glared at Kuronue angrily.

 

“ I don't know, and I if I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you!” Kagome snapped. Kuronue smirked.

 

“ Well, I can most certainly tell you that Youko and this clan are most likely far more richer than your lover's. As well, I know for a fact that Youko comes from a very pure, strong line of foxes. His father was general, you know. And his great-great grandfather once ruled all fox youkai. Wouldn't you like that kind of strong blood for your children?” Kuronue asked. Kagome scowled.

 

“ I'm not shallow, you jerk! I don't care about money, or bloodlines, or how strong someone is. I care about whether or not they love and if I love them,” Kagome said vehemently. Kuronue tilted his head.

 

“ Love?” he said curiously.

 

“ Yes, love!” Kagome snarled. Kuronue stood.

 

“ I see then. Well, I hope your lover can find you, though I doubt he will. Our lair has never been found, thanks to Youko and his plant manipulation. I have to go now, Kagome. I'll see you when you decide to come down from your perch up here,” Kuronue said. He walked away, no doubt going to talk to Youko before he went on his heist.

 

OooooO

 

It turned out that Kagome was very right when she thought that Kuronue was going to talk to Youko. After all, he had just learned some very important things, whether or not Kagome realized that she given him that information.

 

“ Kuronue? Is there something you needed?” Muscular arm encircled the bat youkai, and Youko placed kisses up and down the column of Kuronue's neck. He moaned and leaned back into Youko's embrace, and they fell on the bed together, licking and nipping each other roughly. They were both bare chested and covered in red love bites before Kuronue could collect his thoughts and tell Youko the information.

 

“ It's the woman,” Kuronue gasped, hissing when Youko bit his nipple sharply.

 

“ Oh?” the fox youkai slid up his partner's body some, sucking and nipping on his neck.

 

“ She…she likes youkai,” Kuronue said. Youko paused, eyes connecting with Kuronue's, before he began to trace his claw along the bones in Kuronue's wing through the thin membrane.

 

“ Go on, I'm listening now,” Youko said, knowing it was hard for Kuronue to concentrate through the hazy pleasure induced by Youko's claws on his wings.

 

“ She said she has a youkai lover, but she lied. I suspect he's nothing more than a friend,” Kuronue's breath hitched. Youko was massaging the base of his wings, where they connected with his back.

 

“ Keep going,” Youko said lazily. A sheen of sweat covering Kuronue's lightly panting body.

 

“ Dammit Youko, stop touching me!” Kuronue snapped. Youko paused.

 

“ Stop? You've never wanted me to stop before,” Youko said.

 

“ That's because I haven't been trying to tell you something before. If you keep going on the way you are, Takahiro will have to lead on the heist because I will most certainly be keeping you busy in here,” Kuronue said. Youko smirked.

 

“ You make it sound like I'm your bitch, not the other way around. However, I will stop for now if that is what you so desire. Please, tell me what you know,” Youko said, leaning back and straddling Kuronue's body.

 

“ This youkai that Kagome claimed to be her lover is nobility. He leads a tribe. So you were right, she does have friends among the nobles. Getting her on our side would definitely be a good idea now. She might have some decent information for us, especially if she knew other nobles. Think of how much gold we could get with inside information,” Kuronue said, eyes alight. Youko's own eyes glittered as well.

 

“ Also, I told her that you probably have more wealth than him, and mentioned a few things about your family history. She wasn't impressed,” Kuronue smirked at the put out expression on Youko's face.

 

“ Not impressed? At all?” Most female youkai would kill for the chance to be the mate of a youkai with such powerful bloodlines such as his. He had been related to the head of the clan even! Females loved the chance to have the most powerful children possible. They spent most of their lives trying to snag such a youkai, so that they would live in prosperity for forever, and that their names would be known for mothering strong children. Yes, female youkai were quite cunning in that aspect, and yet this woman was not at all impressed with his family's feats.

 

“ Go on, Kuronue,” Youko urged. Kuronue nodded.

 

“ The little minx also believes in the notion of love,” Kuronue scoffed. Youko frowned at Kuronue's attitude.

 

“ Kuronue…what is it that you think is between us, then?”

 

“ Sex and gold,” Kuronue replied. Youko's brows furrowed. He bent down and kissed Kuronue harshly, biting his lip until it bled and lapping up the blood.

 

“ You are a fool, then. Although, perhaps I am a fool as well, for not conveying it more clearly. You stupid bat, I am in love with you. No one will ever take your place,” Youko growled a bit, before leaning down to worship Kuronue's body. Kuronue gasped and hissed, snapping at Youko with his fangs.

 

“ You are an idiot, Youko! There is no such thing as love,” Kuronue hissed angrily, trying to ignore the pleasure Youko was bestowing upon his body. His back arched when Youko wrapped his hot mouth around his shaft through his pants.

 

“ Then what possessed your brother to give you that pendant you treasure so much?” Youko asked coolly without looking up.

 

“ That's different…” Kuronue gasped, hands burying themselves in the fox's hair. Youko stalked back up Kuronue's body, lips inches away from his own.

 

“ How so? It is still love, albeit a different version of it,” Youko said. Kuronue stared into Youko's eyes, heart beating rapidly. Youko closed the gap between them and kissed Kuronue. He being abnormally gently, and their tongues entwined around each other's. They pulled back, and Youko drew Kuronue close.

 

“ You, Kuronue…you are my only precious person,” Youko said, eyes darkening with lust and emotion.

 

“ Not even Seiryoku?” Kuronue asked in awe.

 

“ Not even Seiryoku,” Youko confirmed. Youko's arms tightened around Kuronue.

 

“ You are fooling yourself. If you cannot admit it to me, then admit it to yourself. You love me,” Youko growled possessively, nipping Kuronue's long, pointed ear.

 

“ I…” Kuronue looked deep inside himself, and thought of all the times Youko had saved him, all the times he had protected Youko. They had watched each other's back, in a world where everyone betrayed the other to be on top. Certainly, Youko was the only one Kuronue trusted, but did that amount to love. Kuronue glanced into Youko's slightly hopeful eyes. What they had…was a lot like love. Kuronue thought of all the things he would do for Youko, and he realized that the list would never stop, because he would do anything for the coldhearted fox. Though at this moment, he wasn't being very coldhearted.

 

“ I think I love you…”

 

Youko smiled, and kissed Kuronue again.