Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Standing In The Shadows ❯ Chapter 2

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Standing In The Shadows 2

Disclaimer: As much as I may wish otherwise, I do not own any part of Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They are owned by their respective authors. I only claim ownership of this twisted plot and the muses that created it.

Chapter Two

Kuronue was having entirely too much fun. It was such a rare occurance that Koenma left his office and his paperwork behind that Kuronue was very often bored. If it had not been for his loyalty to Amaterasu for giving him back his life, there had been many times he would have left the little demi-god behind. But now that they were out and about he had decided to make the most of his freedom while still maintaining his watch over his charge.

His illusions were now perfect, the hours of practice that Amaterasu had insisted upon had seen to that. If anyone were to see him at this particular moment, they would see nothing more than a black bird circling overhead or settled on a branch looking down at them. He hated this particular illusion, it went against every fiber of his being to be mistaken for a common bird, but she had insisted. Now however it was serving him well, no one noticed him flying overhead. His shields were also perfectly in place without a flaw. Those had been painful lessons; Amaterasu was a hard teacher who would accept nothing less than perfection from him. Now, much to his delight, it seemed the practice could pay off as he studied the jewelry and trinkets that the people below him were wearing with a trained thief’s eye. That was what he had been doing when he had happened to fly over Kagome and her group of friends. The red head below him felt like his old partner Youko Kurama and so he couldn’t resist the temptation of dusting them with a light powdering of snow before he flew off, leaving the greeting of sorts in Youko’s mind that had made the kitsune so irate. ‘Second guessing yourself now Fox?’

‘You are here for a purpose you know.’ Her voice brushed against his mind, tinged with amusement as his antics and his joy at being out among others but also bringing with it the reminder that he was there to watch over Koenma. ‘Be sure no one feels you, remember, he has no idea you are watching over him.’ Obediently he flew back to where he knew he would find her standing on the grounds of the shrine that he had passed only minutes before. He was perched in the Goshinboku, near enough to the group to have a perfect view of all the people and demons below. He chose a branch high up, lighting on it, then cocking his head curiously as he watched the scene unfold beneath him.

‘Get yourself under control Youko. You’re over a thousand years old dammit, act like it. Use your head. If some lower class demon is enough of a fool to try to impersonate Kuronue, we will kill them but we need a plan.’ Kurama was doing his best to get the kitsune to calm down and use his head. ‘And stop fighting me for control! You’re not going to get it. I refuse to get myself killed because you insist on running off without knowing who we are up against.’ As Youko grudgingly subsided Shuichi rubbed his head and looked at Kagome with an apologetic grin on his face. “Sorry about that.”

“What was that all about?” Kagome was becoming deeply distressed at the anger that she could feel radiating off of Shuichi’s body and was trying to soothe him with a calming influence, much like she had soothed Shippo in the past when the kit had become upset over something. Apparently it was working just a little, even if he was still standing tensely, looking around as if he expected an attack from any direction. His body pose was still one of a hunter ready to strike and take down its prey. ‘Maybe he knows something I don’t. Damn I wish I had my bow with me.’ She turned and looked at Hiei, following his glance up the tree where a lone black bird sat. There wasn’t anything odd feeling about the creature that she could tell, and she wondered what it was about the bird that had caught Hiei’s attention. Then her attention was diverted once again as she noticed Yusuke walking towards them.

Yusuke really wasn’t looking forward hanging out in temples all day but it beat the heck out of having to hang around the house, saddled with his drunken mother who was far too inebriated to do anything other than sleep on the couch like she was currently doing. Add to that the possibility of any so called uncles showing up, yes, it was definitely better that he not be there when she woke up. “Hey, what’s up? Sorry I’m late but I had some things to take care of first.” As he got closer he noticed the tense faces on everyone in the group and the way that Kurama and Hiei had taken up protective stances on both sides of the group of girls. Immediately he tensed, taking up a defensive stance as he scanned the area around them for any possible threat. “What the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know. Kurama growled and here we are.” The answer came from Botan before anyone else had a chance to answer the question, earning her a black look from Hiei. A look which clearly conveyed just how stupid the fire apparition thought the answer sounded. She saw the look of disgust being directed at her and demanded “What? I just answered his question! It isn’t like you answered him.”

“Just do us all a favor and shut up. Your pathetic babbling is getting on my nerves. If I thought it would do any good I'd spare us all the headache and remove your tongue just to get two minutes of peace.”

Botan thought about trying to whack him across the head with the back of her oar, then decided against it. ‘I wish he would learn to just shut up.’ But his comment had hurt her feelings and she just couldn’t resist trying to strike back. “Just for that, I’m going to tell Koenma what you said.” When that failed to get a response and he turned his back on her, she couldn’t resist throwing the added comment at him “Maybe I should accept Souta, then there could be a chance of us being related. As soon as you get around to telling Kagome you like her, that is.”

That got a reaction as the air around Hiei began to grow extremely warm and the smell of fire began to rise along with his temper. He had not made up his mind yet if he was interested in trying to pursue this young miko, but Botan had just put him into an impossible situation. If he decided he was interested, it hadn’t been right for Botan to be the one to let her know. If he decided he wasn’t interested, then Botan had almost certainly made a continued friendship impossible. He looked over at Kagome who was staring at him with a mixture of hope, fear, and something else he wasn’t ready to identify. ‘Damn you Botan, I’m going to find a way to kill you somehow.’

“I’m sure this is all very interesting for some later point in time but right now, what the fuck am I looking for?” Yusuke hadn’t found anything to be alarmed about and now turned to his partners, ready to demand an answer. By beating their heads together if necessary. When no one answered right away he sighed, wondering why these things happened to him. Glancing out of the corner of his eye he noticed the spectators they had, their hands and faces pressed against the living room window. By the amused expression and speculation on her face, he could tell Kagome's mother did not necessarily object to the idea of her daughter dating Hiei. Souta was looking back and forth between Hiei and Shuichi with a look of malicious speculation on his face. Kagome’s grandfather was looking at some pieces of paper in his hands and appeared to be muttering to himself. "In case you all haven't noticed, we have an audience."

As one the group looked over to the house, taking note of the way her mother, grandfather and brother were keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Kurama sighed, knowing that if trouble were to come for them it would be best if it wasn't at the shrine. "Let's take this elsewhere. There is no need to drag them into this if we don't have to." Casting a glance over to the girls he was about to suggest they stay behind but the look on the faces of the girls told him that they would have no part of any such suggestion. ‘It figures. No such luck there.’ A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning around he warily watched as Koenma approached. The demigod never came out of the Reikai unless something important was going on. Another wave of foreboding washed over him. ‘And to think all I wanted was a fun day out.’

Koenma looked at the group before him and fidgeted, nervously chewing the ever present pacifier that he used to store his energy. Taking in the appearance of the group before him it was plain to see that most of his team was very unhappy about something, though the girls only mirrored confusion. His eyes settled on Kurama, the kitsune looked positively livid about something, It wasn't often one could find the fox in such a state but when it happened there was almost always bloodshed to follow. He noted the gold that seemed to have over taken his eyes in place of their normal green which could only mean Youko was much closer to the surface than normal. Hiei was really the only one he could not detect a definite difference in, though there were the occasional glares he threw in Botan's direction. There was no love lost between the two of them but this seemed to go beyond their normal animosity. 'I wonder what she did this time to piss him off. Why do I always walk into things like this, on top of everything else? I guess I should consider myself lucky he hasn't taken her head yet though by the looks of things he might fix that oversight soon.'

Yusuke seemed to be the only one who was in a halfway decent frame of mind. Koenma tried to comprehend exactly what it was that he was seeing here. Every time the detective glanced over at Hiei, it would cause the apparition to cast a glare over at him before diverting his attention back to Kagome who blushed and shuffled her feet. Every so often his crimson gaze shifted back over to Botan, his eyes narrowing in annoyance causing the ferry girl to back up even further away from him. Too much further and she'd be half way to the house. The only one that seemed to be missing was Kuwabara, though if his senses were right then the final member of the team was on his way at that very moment. Koenma debated waiting until he arrived but for the preliminary interrogation his participation was not all that critical. "Good, you are all here. This just means I won't have to take the time to hunt each of you down." He looked to the girls, had Kagome not been there he would have spoken freely but since she knew nothing of what was going on, it was for the best to keep it that way. "We need to talk and before you ask Yusuke, no it cannot wait. If you ladies would excuse us for a moment this shouldn't take very long."

All the girls except Kagome glanced at each other with knowing looks before leading Kagome off. But she was no fool, Kagome had felt the strange energy pouring off of the newcomer and there was the distinct possibility that he felt something from her as well if his suspicious look in her direction meant anything. For now though she allowed herself to be lead away so the men could talk.

Seeing that the girls were now out of hearing range Yusuke turned an irritated look on Koenma. "What's this about, you almost never leave that precious paperwork you seem to be so in love with pacifier breath. Can't you see that we were in the middle of something?" A grin formed on his face as he looked over to Hiei, who was staring in the direction the girl's had left to. The apparition wasn't paying any attention to what was going on now and by the looks of things his eyes were glued to Kagome's ass. "You're timing really sucks Koenma, by the look of things I think Hiei was about to get lucky. Or at least he was until you showed up anyway." Honestly he couldn't say he blamed Hiei for looking, the girl filled out those jeans quite nicely, giving all who cared to look an excellent view. Of course, one had to be discreet while doing so, unless you happened to have a death wish. He was certain either Hiei or Keiko would be more than willing to remove his head if either of them caught how his eyes lingered as well.

“Have any of you noticed anything unusual lately?” It probably wasn’t the brightest way to start asking questions and was sure to raise the ire of his detective, who’s attention turned to the demigod with a look of disbelief as if he couldn’t believe he was hearing what his ears were telling him. Surely Koenma wouldn’t interrupt their day for such a stupid question. Hiei didn’t even bother to grunt an answer, the question meant nothing to him. Kurama on the other hand leaned closer, ready to shake answers from the demigod if needed, sure that what he had felt earlier had something to do with Koenma’s question now. Koenma noticed the look he was getting from the kitsune. He backed up a small step before clarifying his question, sucking on his pacifier furiously as he became more agitated. “What I mean is have any of you felt an unusual energy signatures? It doesn’t have to be demon energy necessarily, I also mean any holy energy that might have appeared in the Ningenkai.

“If it is holy energy you are interested in you would have been better off asking that miko that you just sent away.” Hiei turned an annoyed look on Koenma now that Kagome and the rest of the girls had turned the corner removing her from his view. Why he would be asking them about such a topic anyway. 'It isn't like I go out of my way to search for holy powers on a regular basis. Though last time...' His thought trailed off as he looked over to where he had last seen Kagome. 'Stupid Botan, I'll have to make her pay for that loud mouth of hers.' When Koenma cleared his throat to get his wandering attention Hiei glared at him. "Fine if you don't want to ask her then ask the fool if he's sensed anything out of the ordinary. He is the next logical choice after all."

‘This is beginning to feel like some badly thought out play.’ Youko growled out his thoughts to Kurama as he noticed Kuwabara coming over towards the group. ‘It is just like him to make a fashionably late entrance.’ His tail swished back and forth in annoyance, it was highly unlikely anyone with holy energy would be so cruel as to imitate Kuronue much less have the knowledge of his partner to make use of such a thing. With that in mind Youko believed that this was something Koenma came up with to keep them away from what was going on which was unacceptable. If it wasn't, well there was no doubt the other three could handle themselves. Their presence wasn't necessary and he had no qualms about stating his thoughts on the matter. ‘Let's go Kurama, we don't have time for this. Let's go find that imposter and teach him what happens when you fuck with a kitsune.'

Kuwabara thought that he was going to pass out by the time he reached the top of the steps. He eyed the group before him, wondering where the girls were. Noticing Koenma he stopped for a moment, perhaps there was a mission. If that was the case then the least they could have done was be considerate enough to hold the meeting at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey guys," A few somber greetings were thrown his way, completely out of line with festivities and moods surrounding the traditions of Oshogatsu. "I'm guessing since the girls are gone they left without us? Damn Koenma, you have rotten timing. I was looking forward to visiting the temples today and spending time with Yukina." The mention of his sister earned Kuwabara a black glare from Hiei, obviously the little fire apparition was in no mood to contemplate any relationship between his sister and the red head standing before him. Seeing that Hiei was growing irritated and looking for something to maim, namely him, he thought that diverting the attention off of himself was more than likely a wise idea. He turned to Koenma once more, about to ask him exactly why he was here when his gaze traveled over the demigods shoulder.

A woman sat on one of the benches, watching them calmly although she looked greatly amused by something. Was she a visitor there for the festival? He wasn't so certain, something seemed off about her. Kuwabara allowed his awareness to expand, taking in her energy. For several long moments he stared at her, unable to quite believe the feeling of holy energy that washed over him. This put even Kagome's power to shame. "Ummm guys, who is that pretty lady over there? Part of our new mission?" As one the group turned to look at the newcomer, various expressions of shock and some anger on their faces for not having sensed her before. Now though, they could feel the power radiating off of her and immediately fell into defensive stances should she prove to be a threat to them.

Amaterasu had been sitting silently off to the side of the shrine watching the group, eyes taking in every action that each person made. No one had noticed her until Kuwabara had made his appearance, now everyone wondered how in the world they could have missed her. Her appearance alone would be enough to make most people take notice. While many women would be wearing kimonos this day. the formal kimono that she was wearing spoke of great age. The only place a person was likely to see another of it’s caliber and quality would be in the National Museum of Japanese History. The silk cloth it was made from had obviously been hand woven by an expert weaver, The white layers were unmarred by any stains or other colors, despite it’s age. The red layers that were interspersed between the white were a clear ruby red that if a person were to make a comparison would have perfectly complimented the color of Hiei’s eyes. The obi looked for all the world as if it was spun out of pure gold or if somehow someone had managed to capture the color of the sun and weave it into the cloth. It was a kimono that anyone would be jealous to own and many would have died trying to steal. All in all, it looked as if it could have been made by the hands of a goddess. She gave a small chuckle. ‘Only because it was.’

Calmly she stood from her seat as if there were no threatening presence nearby, her hands coming up in a sign of blessing. “Peace, I mean you no harm.” Slowly she allowed her shields to drop, her energy becoming a visible thing even to those who had no spiritual awareness. It shimmered in the sunlight, surrounding her like a living veil and infusing everything it touched with a healthy verdant glow. The Goshinboku tree itself moved it’s branches as if drawn to the immense holy energy that the strange lady possessed, causing a large black bird to take wing to the air, squawking in protest of the branches sudden movements. She spared an amused glance at the bird before her eyes came to rest on Hiei, whose eyes had also followed the birds movements with interest. ‘The bird is of no interest, there are more important events that need to be discussed.’ Her thought brushed against his mind, causing him to turn and glare at her, his eyes narrowing in annoyance that she had been able to initiate the mind link with him uninvited. Amaterasu however chose to ignore the look for the moment, turning her attention instead to Koenma. “Ame no Oshi-ho-Mimi no Mikoto” She said the name softly, so softly in fact that the demons almost missed hearing it. But there was no mistaking that Koenma had heard her, his face grew pale and his eyes round with shock as he very quietly whispered the single word in answer “Mother?”

“Mother? What the hell do you mean mother?” Yusuke spun around to stare at Koenma, not at all sure what to make of this latest development and not liking it in the least. He had already dealt with King Enma more times than he cared to remember and it almost always resulted in the God attempting to assassinate him. “Why didn’t you just tell us that was your mother? And why were you acting like you had absolutely no clue who she was? Damn, don’t you even know your own mother?” Yusuke wasn’t alone in his wariness and confusion over the situation. Kurama was staring first at the little demigod then over at the goddess, eyes searching over the both of them for similarities that would tell him that the words he had heard spoken were the truth. Evidently he found what he was searching for when he stepped back and relaxed his stance slightly, waiting to see where this situation led. Hiei contented himself with simply glaring at the little demigod in irritation, still more then a little annoyed at the unexpected mind contact that had been made between the goddess and himself. Only Kuwabara seemed mostly unaffected by what was happening, although that could have been because he had noticed the group of girls that were making their way towards the current scene of confusion.

Kagome had been standing quietly allowing herself to be distracted by the light hearted speculation of the females around her about whether or not Hiei had an interest in dating her. It had been embarrassing to say the least but the good natured smiles took any sting out of the teasing. Yukina in particular had seemed excited over the prospect that her brother could possibly be interested in her friend and was trying her best to unobtrusively find out if Kagome possibly had similar feelings for Hiei. They would be good for each other in her opinion, Kagome bringing some light into his dark existence. Hiei would balance her out nicely, healing the wounds the girl seemed to carry deep within her soul. Kagome had never really spoken of what caused them but they were plain to see if you looked hard enough. Shizuru had been listening to the conversation, but not hearing Kagome say much of anything. Tiring of the banter she ground her cigarette into the ground and stubbed it out with her toe. Turning to face the girl she bluntly asked “Well? I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think no one is watching. It's obvious that you at least like him so what's stopping you? By the looks of things I doubt he'd turn you down so what do you intend to do about it?”

Kagome sighed, trust Shizuru to come right out and ask about her feelings. She hesitated before answering, knowing that the group gathered around her could be brutal in their attempts at scheming once they set their mind to something. "You would ask me that. He has never admitted to liking me you know and it isn't as if I could just ask him out on a date no matter what my feelings are." Her gaze dropped to the ground in dejection and she fought to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. She had been rejected thoroughly so many times by Inuyasha she didn't know if she could bear putting her heart on the line once again. "Even if I did he would probably tell me that I wasn't good enough and if he didn't, I'm sure he'd be thinking it. I don't think I could take it if that happened."

Everyone stood there stunned, unable to believe she had just said those words and wondering what could possibly have happened in their friend’s past to make her think so little of herself. It was at that point that something had happened, Kagome’s head had come up and she stared off in the distance, back in the direction where the guys were gathered. Suddenly she started rapidly walking, her destination obvious to all of them. The group of girls looked at each other in surprise before hurrying after her, hoping that they could stop her before she reached the guys. There was no telling what they were discussing and they didn't need Kagome to be dragged into Spirit World business. That Koenma hadn't recruited her anyway was a surprise but it was best not to tempt fate. As Kagome continued to hurry ahead they came around the corner and saw the strange woman standing there with them. Whatever it was that was going, they knew then that Kagome had felt this woman's presence and nothing was likely to be the same again.

Kagome came to a stop and stared, she couldn’t help it. Her soul cried out to this Goddess, who held a power that was so similar to her own but in such an amount that Kagome knew that she would never have been able to contain it in one hundred lifetimes. The look that the Goddess turned on her spoke of understanding and hope, she knew deep within her heart that this pure being would not judge her as so many had before. Ignoring the startled looks of the ones surrounding her she walked up to the Goddess, a look of wonder on her face the likes of which none of her friends had ever seen before and most likely never would again.

"Wait just a minute! What the hell is going on here?” Yusuke was getting pissed that his original question had never been answered and he was uneasy at the way Kagome was approaching this newcomer. He didn’t like the look of pure adoration on her face either, she was proving in his mind to be entirely too trusting too fast. ‘She needs to learn not to accept everyone at face value on first sight, that way of thinking will get her killed fast.’ He thought about stopping her but one look at Hiei told him the apparition was already on his way to intercepting the girl. Glaring he turned to Koenma, the only one likely to hold any answers. "Koenma, you have two seconds to tell me what the hell is going on before I shove that pacifier up your ass. Is that really your mother and just what the hell are you getting us into now?"

Koenma glanced nervously at his temperamental detective, then over at Hiei who had reached Kagome’s side and taken her arm, preventing her from going any further. The situation was likely to escalate quickly if he didn't do something about this soon. Hiei was looking positively homicidal at the moment for Amaterasu had taken it upon herself to approach Kagome now that the priestess was restrained. Koenma turned to Kurama, praying that the kitsune would be able to keep Hiei from doing anything rash. At the moment he was thankful at least one of his team would think before acting. You're his partner for heavens sake, convince him to listen to you." Koenma didn't dare tear his eyes away from the apparition. 'Why is he acting like that anyway, she's a miko dammit he should hate her!' As he continued to watch he was surprised to see the amount of aggression Hiei was directing towards his mother. It was as if he thought that she was threatening his mate or something. His thoughts turned speculative, few would be able to give him the answers he sought. One of which even now was trying to keep Hiei from launching an attack, the other was standing beside him waiting for an answer to his own question. Gesturing helplessly at the pair he voiced the foremost question in his mind. "Is there something you guys have been meaning to tell me?"

“Any question about his personal life is not your concern. Now answer my question!” Yusuke stared at the demigod in disbelief for a long moment, Koenma had to think that he was suicidal if he seriously believed that he would disclose any part of Hiei's personal life. The hybrid's affairs were no ones business but his own and he certainly didn't need the Reikai sticking their nose in it. ‘Why do they have to be so damned nosy?’ Yusuke stared at Koenma hard, making sure the threat of physical pain was visible in his eyes if he didn't get his answers soon.

Shizuru watched the proceedings with thinly veiled interest, remembering a time when she had been in love with Sakyo and wanting her friends to have the same chance of knowing how wonderful love could be. Even if it hadn't lasted long for her it was an experience definitely worth having in the long run. She turned to Yukina who was watching the scene playing out before them with a small smile playing across her face, whispering in her ear her thoughts on the situation. "See, I knew that he liked her. This just proves it. Now we just have to get him to make a move on her. If he waits for her to do it, Kagome will be fifty years old and surrounded by a dozen cats before he even gets to kiss her."

“You will unhand my priestess.” Amaterasu’s voice was quiet with no hint of anger but also leaving no room for disagreement on Hiei’s part. “I will not allow my priestess to be kept from me, most especially not on the grounds of my own shrine.” She waited while the words sank in. As she stared at him she could easily read the possessive protectiveness that shone in his eyes. This pleased her, it would make what was to come that much easier for them to adjust to, provided they survived the upcoming trial. When it looked as if he wasn't going to back down she spoke once more. “Remember Hiei, this is holy ground that you are standing on and I will not tolerate insolence.” When he reluctantly released her arm Amaterasu smiled her approval and resumed her seat on the bench, waving her hand to call Koenma and Yusuke over to join them as well. Once the group was once again together she reached into the folds of her kimono and withdrew three items. Kagome gave a gasp as it became clear what exactly the objects that the Goddess was holding were. In her hands were the Yata no Kagami, also known as the eight-handed mirror, the Yasakani no Magatama, also known as the curved jewel, and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the sword that had been given to Amaterasu by Susano-O. Amaterasu looked at the assembled group, giving them all a serious look. “We have much to plan for. Hard times are ahead.”

A/N: I think perhaps an explanation is in order here. The items that Amaterasu is holding in her hands in the story are real items.

Collectively they are known as the Imperial Regalia of Japan or the Three Sacred Treasures.

The Yata no Kagami (mirror) is located in the Grand Shrine of Ise in Mie prefecture.

The Yasakani no Magatama ( jewel) is located at Koyko in Tokyo.

The Kusanagi no Tsurugi (sword) is located at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya.

These items are presented to the emperor by priests at the shrine during the imperial enthronement ceremony. The ceremony is not public and to the best of my knowledge these items have not been seen by anyone but the priests and the emperor.

I want to thank all of my readers who have taken the time to review for me. I love you all. Please everyone, continue to review, it helps the muses ever so much.