Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stay Gone ❯ Foxes and Kitsunes ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Foxes and Kitsunes

~*~

A little boy crawled up into his mothers lap. "Momma, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Shippo," smiled the black haired woman. "What type of question?"

Shippo smiled, showing off his fangs in the process. "One about foxes!"

"How typical…" murmured the woman with amusement laced in her voice. Shippo's eyes widened with fake shock and began to tickle her for "insulting" his heritage.

"Alright, alright! I give up! Stop tickling me!"

Shippo grinned once more. "You promise?"

"Yes!" she wheezed, "I promise!"

Shippo then settled back into her lap. "You know, Kagome, you shouldn't mess with kitsunes."

Kagome struggled to keep her face straight as she said, "Please accept my humblest apologies. I have learned my lesson. I will never again mess with the kitsune race."

"Good," Shippo said smugly, "you have finally gained some wisdom. Now, about foxes."

"Well, I can honestly say I don't know anything about them," murmured Kagome. But before Shippo could make another protest, Kagome said, "But I know something that does. Stay here while I get it." Kagome then lifted Shippo off her lap and headed to the kitchen.

Shippo was puzzled. What thing could tell him about foxes? He had only been in the modern era for a few months, and many things still puzzled him. Like telephones. The people here actually believed that they are talking to other people! If Shippo hadn't seen Kagome pick up the box and talk through it, he would have believed that the whole population was insane!

Kagome was actually surprised when Shippo had voiced his opinion. She'd thought that he would be most curious about the TV. But Shippo wasn't stupid, he knew that the people on the TV were just shrunk temporarily and put into the box so they could entertain others.

"I'm back!"

Shippo immediately sat up straight. Kagome's scent was permeated in excitement.

"Here!" she said and handed Shippo a book. Shippo gave her a queer look. Kagome motioned for him to open it.

Inside there were paintings. Paintings like the ones that Kagome made from her little flashing box. She called them pictures. Except, these pictures were different. Instead of pictures of the group, these were pictures of foxes. There were so many kinds! Artic foxes, Red foxes, Gray foxes, Fennecs, Swift foxes, Sand foxes, and so much more! Shippo hadn't even heard of most of them!

"Do all of these species have youkai equivalents?" he asked.

Kagome looked thoughtful. "I guess so. It would all depend on where they lived. Fox youkai in the Northern American continent wouldn't be called a youkai; most likely they would be called spirits."

Shippo's eyes widened. "Really?"

Kagome nodded. "Different places have different beliefs and systems. This might be why "youkai" are only in Japan."

"Oh… What species do you think I am?" Shippo had hardly seen any kitsunes in his life, with the exception of his parents of course.

Kagome peered at him thoughtfully. "By your coloring, I'd say that you were a Red fox."

"Cool!" said Shippo. It seemed that he had picked up some expressions from Souta. "Let's read about the Reds! Let's read about the Reds!"

"Alright! Stop bouncing around so I can read the text!"

Shippo plopped down into his chair and immediately snuggled up.

"Ok… the Red fox." Kagome browsed through the page. "'They are the most common types of foxes. They are distinguished by their black ears and feet and their white tipped tail.' I guess we know what you will look like if you ever go into your true form, eh Shippo?"

Shippo didn't say anything; he was too engrossed in the information.

Kagome giggled a bit. He was too funny! "'The alertness of the red fox and its keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing allow it to live close to humans.' Wow, Shippo, I didn't know that!"

Shippo's chest puffed up. "You know that all foxes are superior. We can beat anyone, especially dogs, at anything!"

Kagome let out a laugh. "I bet you could. But remember, dogs have a better sense of smell than foxes." Shippo glared at her. "But in everything else, they are superior."

Shippo nodded his head in agreement and folded his arms. "Aren't you going to read some more?"

"'Foxes are believed to mate for life.'" Shippo made a face. "'And they live for a lifespan of about 12 years.'"

Shippo paled. "Does that mean I'm never going to become 13!?"

"No. Remember Shippo, you are a youkai, so you have a life span that is many times the amount of your animal counterparts. You can live to be about 1200 years old."

"That is remarkable!"

Kagome shook her head. "We need to work on your slang; I see that Souta hasn't been that much of an influence. Ok, 'Foxes are all over the world. They are mostly located in the Northern Hemisphere, but have been introduced to Australia.'"

"What's that?"

"It's a continent in the south."

"Oh."

Kagome laughed quietly. He was so cute! "'Variations of the red fox have developed: Southern foxes are smaller and have lighter-colored coats, and those of the north are larger, with thicker and darker coats.'"

"Where do you think I am from?"

"A middle area. Now let me finish reading! 'The silver fox, valued for its black, frosted fur, is simply a variant of the red fox.'"

"A 'Silver' Red fox? That is so weird. I thought they were a different species."

"Well they're not. Have you ever met one?"

"No, but I have seen one. It talked to my father once. He wouldn't let it get near me."

Kagome sighed. "Too bad. It says here that the silver fox is rarer than the red ones. I guess we'll never see one."

Shippo jumped up. "Well, who would want to see a stupid Silver fox when you have a red one? Reds are much better! The stupid Silvers don't have enough brains to survive long enough to make more kits."

"I think I disagree with you," and with that said, she started tickling him.

"Hey!"

~*~

Kurama was wide-awake and out of bed at dawn. He had slept peacefully despite the hard ground and the little tiny pebbles that always seemed to be right where you didn't want them. He was used to sleeping outside. Even though he lived right in the middle of Tokyo, he had always seemed to find a nice park or something in which he could take a nap.

He sighed. Those were the days. Not having to worry about youkai, Youko, or fan-girls!

Kurama's ears twitched. Kagome had just let out a loud groan.

"Where's my teddy?" she mumbled. Her arms were stretched out in front of her making grasping motions; she was most likely trying to seize her stuffed animal in a bear hug. Apparently, she realized that her teddy wasn't there, and her arms fell to the ground with a thump.

Kurama raised an eyebrow. That was just plain weird. Ice Queens didn't call after their teddy bears in their sleep!

Then Kagome yawned. "Good Morning," she mumbled from the place on the ground. She sat up and winced. "Or not."

Kurama kept his face in a calm look. "I happen to think that it is a very good morning."

"Easy for you to say, I bet you are used to sleeping outside."

"You are correct."

She snorted at his reply. "Whatever. How is your hand?"

Kurama quickly glanced down at his appendage. On his palm was a nice and shiny red mark. "It could be better. But it suffices."

Kagome didn't believe him. In her experience, guys always put up a tough front when injured. She lay her palm face up and commanded, "Hand."

Kurama had no choice but to place his hand in hers. As soon as it touched her skin, Kagome grasped it tightly and drew it in for a closer look.

"Are you sure that you aren't descended from gypsies?"

"Positive," she replied. Her face was once again buried in his hand.

Kurama looked at her skeptically. "You sure, because this is the second time you have done this."

Kagome's head shot up and she gave him an icy glare. Strangely, Kurama wasn't affected by it. Well, not as affected as he was last night. Maybe it was because Youko's presence was more dominant. Kurama could never tell when Youko was listening or not. Who knew what the reason was? He didn't care, as long as he didn't get shivers from it every time.

"Hm," murmured Kagome. "It seems that you are like the rest of the Male populace. Never admitting any injury, even when it is fatal. Lucky for you, its not."

Kagome reached and grabbed some leftover ointment. "Why aren't you healing faster? Since you know that I know about youkai, why don't you tell me? Is it part of your human disguise?"

"No, it is not part of my 'human' disguise. In fact, if you recall, I told you that I am currently human, meaning I don't receive the benefits of rapid healing until I call upon my youki."

Kurama could see that Kagome was thoroughly confused, even if she didn't show it. She didn't press for answers, so he didn't feel inclined to give them. The reserved part of his nature was once again taking root. It seemed as if his sub-conscious was fed-up with revealing topics labeled (in bold, red print) "Top Secret" and decided to seal his mouth shut temporarily.

Kagome took his statement with seemingly cool indifference, but inside she was relieved. He was telling the truth and not trying to trick her! Well, that was what she convinced herself to believe. The other option was that he was pure human and a psychopath. What sane person would say that they were a hanyou? The Japanese people still feared the race even though they created youkai characters for their Animes and Mangas.

Kagome shuddered inwardly. She would have physically manifested her urge but she didn't want to be perceived as weak. The very thought of staying within a mile radius of that kind of person was daunting.

Kagome chewed the inside of her cheek. She was becoming more nervous each second. 'I can do this, I can do this…'

She had enough, she couldn't take it anymore! "Let's go!" she declared. Oddly enough, there was a deeper pitch to that statement that her voice couldn't make. Kagome looked over at Kurama.

Kurama, on the other hand, was quite calm when he voiced his statement; though he was thrown off balance when Kagome said the exact same thing at the exact same time.

'She seems to be hyperventilating,' mused Youko.

'You think? She seems pretty calm to me.'

'To the untrained eye it might. But four centuries does wonders for honing your vision.'

Kagome's voice cracked the silence. She had gained back some of the lost composure. "Since we seem to agree on that, let's depart." She got up and walked out the door.

Kurama raised an eyebrow and followed her lead. She was in ice mode. Youko was chuckling.

~*~

Osuwari- commonly mistaken as the word "Sit" in Japanese. In actuality, it is a command of obedience for a dog.

Youkai- Japanese Demon; doesn't translate correctly

Miko- Priestess of the Shinto Religion, has magical powers; sometimes called a sorceress; doesn't translate properly

Haori- The "shirt" usually worn by men during the Feudal Era of Japan; it is the outer most of the layers in the outfit.

Makai- Youkai world; only used in Yu-Yu Hakusho

Kitsune- literally means "fox" in Japanese. But for this story, I'm using as a way to distinguish between the animal and their youkai counterparts.

~*~

Review Responses:

Tsuki Yume- *blushes* I never thought of anything I do being original. Keep on telling that it is original and my ego will get so big that it will burst.

UltaAnimeFangurl2004- The word plausible is similar to possible, but it means that it has some facts backing it up or something. I was wondering when someone was going to notice it, good job!

SuzumiTenshi- Sorry, fluff won't come for a while. I don't want Youko saying "I want her" right away. I want him to develop a liking for her; this includes the Shuuichi side too. And again, I'm sorry if I didn't update soon enough. I was kind of busy.

Tbiris- Shippo is only overreacting. I hope he doesn't pop a vein or something! I mean, he's only 10.

InsaneAuthoress- *beams* Thank you for declaring this as the best Crossover fic you have ever read. Even though I doubt that statement, it's nice to hear it. I'm not sure I'm going to have Inu come back in. Maybe later on in the story, when Kurama and Kagome have established their relationship.

Rosie13- Kagome is going to warm up to Kurama later on. I'm already having Kurama become immune to Kagome's current personality. Later I'm going to develop it into a relationship. Gomen Nasai for the late update. I had a busy schedule and couldn't work. All I need to write is a quiet place without any distractions, which is hard to get when you are the oldest child of a very loud family. I hope to see more of your fics!

Thanks to: Fire Elfglow, BloodRoseOTDemon, Lifeless-Kanna, Kristie, ShadowTigerDemon, LIL ANGEWL and Slywolf!