Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mating ❯ Kidnappings and New Abilities ( Chapter 12 )

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

"The Mating"

Disclaimer: See Chapter one

AN: Yomi and Mukuro I have only run across through other fanfiction! I apologize here if they seem to be OOC. I am basing them on what I have peiced together on what does happen. Just a reminder, scene changes are denoted by **************text************ the text in the middle will identify what location the scene starts in.

Chapter Twelve: Kidnappings and Surprising Abilities

********At the Hatanaka household***************

Shiori was tidying up a bit and calming her nerves after the jumble she had been thrown into, just enjoying a quiet morning. She sat down on her couch, stretching out, trying to absorb the revelations. She was about to drop off to sleep when she heard a knock on the door. She didn't want to answer it, but sighed and went over to the door.

"Is the the Hatanaka residence?" A strange man asked.

Shiori was confused. "Yes, this is."

"Are you Mrs. Hatanaka, then?" He asked.

Shiori nodded. "What did you need?"

He looked at her, "You." He did something to fast for her eyes to follow and she felt herself losing consciousness.

************A short while later, at the High school******************

Kurama was in gym class. He usually got bored with human sports as he had to hold himself back in order for it to be any challenge at all for the others, but today he was nervous and didn't really concentrate like he normally did. He could sense a strange demon in the area and as a result his play was not really up to his normal performance.

He watched his fellow students. Today was baseball, american style. He had taken an american culture class, which had a section devoted to american sports. He looked around at the surrounding area, seeing if he could spy the strange demon.

Then demon appeared at the edge of the field and motioned directly at him, not saying a word. Kurama recognized him as one of Yomi's lackeys.

Kurama nodded, went over to quietly tell the teacher than an important message for him needed to be passed on.

The teacher gave him a quizzical look, but noticed the stranger off to the side and nodded.

Kurama went over to the demon, who motioned him towards the trees. "What do you want, emisary of Yomi?"

"Yomi wishes to quietly talk with you, no fuss." He motioned behind him. "We have taken a hostage. She is not harmed, only unconscious." Four powerful demons came forward, bearing Shiori.

Kurama glared at him. "Talk only?"

"Yes. Talk only." The demon motioned to him. "Yomi wishes you bound, however, so that you do not inadvertantly harm one of us."

"Or all of you?" Kurama said in his deadly quiet voice.

"That too." He replied, pulling out some warding cloth, designed to bind the youki away from the wearer.

As the demon came toward Kurama, he grabbed the demon's hand right when he was about to put the cloth on him, "If you are not telling the truth, you shall have no mercy, demon. Do you understand me?"

The demon nodded. He quickly bound the kitsune away from his power and then knocked him out. He motioned to the other demons and swiftly moved back to their master Yomi.

*******Still in study hall***********

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko were still in study hall when Keiko gasped.

Keiko felt something strange at her neck. Her mark flared, and then went silent for a moment. Then it suddenly throbbed painfully and she grabbed it yelling, "Kurama!" As she was brought to her knees by the initial flaring of pain.

Yusuke noticed where she grabbed and motioned to the study hall teacher that the two of them would take Keiko to the school nurse. He and Kuwabara each took an arm of the momentarily paralized Keiko. They stood against the wall, Yusuke letting Keiko get her legs back.

Kuwabara asked, "What happened?"

Keiko opened her eyes, still pain filled, but clearing quickly. Without a word, she ran down the corridor, heading for the outside.

"Damn, when did she get so quick?" Yusuke said, then thumped Kuwabara, "Come on. We'd better follow."

"Kay." Kuwabara replied and the two of them quickly followed Keiko, catching up rapidly.

"Keiko, what's up?" Yusuke asked as they ran.

"Kurama's unconscious, and moving quickly. I feel it." She continued running, quickly finding the spot where Kurama had been knocked unconscious, unsure of how she pinpointed it.

"Sounds like a kidnapping." Kuwabara said. "But who could take Kurama?"

"Especially without a fight." Yusuke added, observing the noticeable lack of destruction.

"Someone who had leverage." Keiko replied. She lept away, once more showing grace beyond that of a human.

"Her moves are starting to remind me of Kurama." Kuwabara commented as the two of them once more took off after Keiko.

"That's where we're heading, I think. His house." Yusuke replied as they caught up with Keiko once again.

The three of them came to a halt as they were met by a frantic young teen. "Keiko!" Shuuichi cried as he hurled himself into his sister's arms.

"Shuuichi, what are you doing out of school?" Keiko asked as she caught him.

Shuuichi regained control of his panic as he took a deep breath. The guys with Keiko he recognized as some of Kurama's friends. "I was in school when I felt something really, really wrong at home. I think Mom's been kidnapped!"

Keiko's eyes burned with anger. "Hence, how they got Kurama without a fight! Low bastards!"

Yusuke's eyes widened at Keiko's use of language. "Ah, Keiko? Are you still there?"

She took off at top speed toward the house, vowing to keep a change of clothing with her as this would call for something other than a skirt. She heard Kuwabara and Yusuke downstairs, but paid them no mind. They had arrived to find the door wide open, which Shuuichi said had been as he had found it and then thought of Kurama. She quickly changed into one of the practical outfits that Kurama had purchased for her the previous day. She came downstairs wearing a very similar outfit to one of Youko Kurama's.

Yusuke whistled as she moved with more grace. She still looked completely human, but her movements seemed to be anything but, reminding him more of Kurama all the time. So far she had called the shots on this one, but he knew that couldn't last. "Do you know where Kurama is?"

Keiko nodded. "I do, but can't tell you, only show you as I feel where he is through our bond." She thought for a moment, considerably calmer. "Let's collect Hiei, he's going to want to know what's happened here."

"Why get the shrimp? Half the time you can't even find him!" Kuwabara asked.

"He mentioned at breakfast that he was going to Genkai's Temple this morning." Keiko told him.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow saying, "Breakfast?" Then shaking his head, "I'm sure this will make sense at some point. Shuuichi, are you coming with us?"

"I have to! My brother and mother have both been captured!" Shuuichi replied vehemently.

Yusuke sighed. "Now I know how Kurama and Hiei viewed us when we were first starting out." He told Kuwabara. He looked around, only to realize that Keiko and Shuuichi had already left. "Oh, crap! Come on!"

"Right behind you! When did Keiko get so athletic?" Kuwabara asked, as the two of them ran out of the house after their friends.

"Remember what she told us? She's turning into a kitsune!"

"Wonder if there's anything else that she can do?"

The two of them caught up once again to Keiko just as she was running up the steps to the temple.

"Oh, hell! I hate these steps!" Yusuke grumbled. They reached the temple and Keiko immediately opened the door, seeing Hiei, Shizuru and Yukina sitting there, talking quietly and sipping tea.

The three of them looked up when the door slid open, Hiei quickly noting who was not amoung them. "What happened?"

"Shiori and Kurama were kidnapped!" Keiko announced without preamble.

Yusuke and Kuwabara's eyes widened with surprise at the rage that came over Hiei's face.

Hiei coldly replied, "They kidnapped Shiori? And used her as bait to kidnap Kurama?" He quickly analyzed what must have happened.

Keiko nodded.

Kuwabara just looked befuddled, "What's it to you if Kurama's mom was taken?" He went on, not seeing the death glare sent his way, "I mean, she's just a puny human, right?"

Hiei was giving Kuwabara his best death glare. "That ningen, as you call her, has done more for me in these last few days than you will ever comprehend, baka! It is thanks to her that I was able to tell my sister who I am." He looked down at his sister and the woman wearing the tear-gem now hanging around her neck. He had showed her how to thread it on some hair and wear it as a necklace. "I owe her much more than you can imagine. Excuse me, Sister, Shizuru. I must go to rescue them."

Yukina stood up, embracing Hiei, who still stiffened slightly. "Please come back safely, Hiei-niisan."

"He's your brother?" Kuwabara asked, wondering how many revelations that he could take.

Yukina grinned. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Just then, Botan popped in, "Bingo! We all have been after him to tell her for years, but does he listen to us?"

Yusuke just gaped, "B-Botan, what're you doing here?"

Botan looked over the tableau. "I was sent here because Koenma saw the kidnappings on the monitors that he keeps." She went on, "Koenma wasn't able to determine exactly who took Kurama, but we know that it was a major lord of the Makai who had them taken."

Yusuke gave her a 'confused, but it-wasn't-me' look, "Sure wasn't me. I was with Keiko, and why the hell would I want to kidnap Kurama?"

Hiei just added, "Wasn't Mukuro, she has no reason to want to kidnap Kurama and knows that it would only alienate me."

Yusuke looked over at Hiei, "That leaves exactly one possibility." Hiei and Yusuke said it at the same time. "Yomi."

Keiko gasped. "What? But why?"

Shuuichi asked, "Who's Yomi?"

Shizuru added, "What the kid said."

Kuwabara just looked a bit lost. He knew more than either of the two who had just asked, but still didn't know enough to answer that question.

Yukina just stood next to her brother, trying to be as supportive as she could.

Hiei looked at the two who asked. "Yomi is the third lord of the Makai, next to Yusuke and Mukuro. I am Mukuro's heir and Kurama is listed as Yomi's heir presently. Kurama has never accepted the position."

"Yeah, he's been a real jerk about it too. Never completely understood him." Yusuke added.

"Kurama was talking about accepting the position now, though." Keiko added quietly.

Shizuru looked surprised. "So this is an internal politics manuver?"

"Basically." Hiei replied.

Botan wondered why this would happen now. She scooted a little closer to Yusuke, who, in spite of his perverted ways, always seemed to make her feel more comfortable.

"All the same, it's important to get him out of there." Yusuke added.

Keiko grabbed her shoulder as it throbbed. "He's conscious again." Her mating symbol throbbed in time to what seemed to be a headache. "I think he has a headache."

Hiei gave Keiko a sharp look. "You can already tell all that through your bond?"

Keiko nodded.

I knew it was strong, I didn't realize how strong it was. Hiei thought, then added out loud. "Okay, we'll go back through the same portal that we used yesterday morning, which is undoubtedly the same portal Yomi's lackey's used."

"Ah, Hiei?" Yusuke asked. Hiei just glared at him for breaking his train of thought. "When did you get so damn talkative?"

"Don't push your luck, Detective. Maybe when we're done with this, you'll understand a little better." He handed a few seeds to Keiko. "I don't know if you will be able to use these, yet. Kurama and I were having trouble determining exactly when you'll get new abilities, but I will feel better if you are armed."

"Huh?" Kuwabara asked.

Hiei spun to glare at the baka, "We loose Keiko, we loose Kurama. They are mates, they live as one and they die as one. The only reason our," Here he gestured at Yukina and himself, "Mother clung to life after our father died was because she was pregnant. She died shortly afterwards. They were mated as well and not as strongly as Kurama and Keiko are already within two days."

Yusuke whistled sharply, already his brain starting to turn with this new information. "Okay, so top priorities here are keep Keiko safe, but with us, and get Kurama out of there."

"And make sure Shiori is not harmed." Hiei added. Someone will pay for kidnapping her!

"Internal politics means that neither of the two taken would not have been harmed, most likely." Shizuru added, studying and trying to calm the fire demon at the same time. She was getting the strangest feeling that's what he wanted from her, was to be his mate. She had learned a lot in this talk with the twins and understood some of their motivations, but Hiei seemed a bit more complex than she had thought.

"Sis, what do you know of Makai politics?" Kuwabara asked.

Shuuichi just looked like he was getting more confused with each passing moment. "Please! Can we just go get Mom and Kurama?"

Keiko nodded. She had accepted the seeds from Hiei, not sure which was which, but grateful that the two of them had been thinking of her. "We'll leave in just a moment, Shuuichi. Hiei, none of these are Makai plants, are they?"

"I don't think so. Kurama wouldn't have wanted his mate accidentally eaten because she couldn't control what she summoned." Hiei told her, "All the same, if we get in a fight, unless you need to defend yourself, just dodge the way you did yesterday." He added, "In time, you should be able to dance just as gracefully and with as deadly a precision as Kurama himself, but not yet."

"Well, then, is everyone ready?" Keiko asked, not sure what to say in response to Hiei's summary of her abilities.

"Let's go kick Yomi's ass!" Was Yusuke's response to that.

"Yeah." Kuwabara chimed in.

"Hn." Indicating that he would not say anything.

"About time! Come on!" Shuuichi burst out.

As the guys, Botan and Keiko left, Yukina turned to Shizuru, who held her, saying. "They'll be alright, babydoll. Maybe you can explain a little more about this whole issue of mates, because I get the strangest feeling that I'm being courted."

Yukina nodded. "I'm glad for him. I've had Kazuma, but Hiei has had no one for so long."

The two settled back to finish the tea that had been abandoned minutes before and went on discussing demonic mating. Yukina still had not had that talk with Kazuma yet, primarily because she was embarrassed to.

***************At Yomi's palace********************

Kurama regained consciousness with a groan. He could tell that he was still warded from his youki, and his head throbbed. It smelled like the Makai.

"Kurama?" Shiori hurried over to her son, "Where are we?"

He opened his eyes, seeing a very nicely appointed room and his mother kneeling by his bedside. If it hadn't been so desperate a situation, he would have been tempted to smile in reminiscence. He probed the spot on his head gingerly, sitting up as he did so. "It smells like we are in Gandistra, and judging by the furnishings, we are 'guests' of Lord Yomi himself."

A brief knock on the door and a strange looking demon came in. "You are correct, Youko. I wished to talk to you and didn't think you'd just accept an invitation."

"Yomi, you know me better than that. If I wanted to avoid talking to you, I could have just taken out all five of your messangers and no harm would have come to my mother in doing so. I would have been happier without the kidnapping." He glared at Yomi.

Yomi looked taken aback. "Then I apologize for the manner of the invitation. Next time I will simply send a note."

"Do so." Kurama started removing the wards, feeling his youki flood his system again. He swiftly grew a leaf and placed it on his tongue, feeling his headache going away very quickly, along with the small goose egg that was on the back of his head. He slowly chewed it, then swallowed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Your position in my territory." Yomi looked over with the sightless eyes, giving Shiori a shiver. He grinned, as if he could see her reaction. "Back at the Makai tournament, you told me that you would not be my heir, is that still true? You also had been seen with your human mother, Mukuro's Heir, and a woman who was marked as your mate. I wanted the truth of these rumors."

Kurama sighed. All this for a few simple questions? "Yomi, did you have to do this in the most complicated manner I can think of? Very well, I will tell you. No, and yes."

Yomi took a few minutes to try to comprehend the very simple answers that Kurama had given him. Shiori had by this time sat down on the bed with her son, who had checked to make sure that she didn't have a headache or any side effects from whatever they had used on her to knock her out. "I made sure they used something safe for Ningens. Usually used when taking ningen slaves, which as you know is now outlawed, we still confiscate the stuff occaisionally."

Kurama nodded. "That's what you used. Good. I didn't want my mother to come down with another deadly disease. I already almost lost her once."

"So you will be my heir now? And you did mate?" Yomi asked for confirmation.

"Yes, to both questions. I still have obligations in the Ningenkai, as does my mate. We have both agreed to move back to my lair, the only question left is when." Kurama clarified.

"Well, then come down for some lunch and we can discuss particulars while waiting for your mate to show up. I'm sure she will soon."

"Yomi, Keiko will be coming with my comrades as well as my friend, Hiei."

"Well, then I hope they don't totally demolish the castle. Mukuro was wondering when her heir was coming home the last time we spoke." He led the way to the dining room. "The two of us have been feeling a bit left out. The three of you, you, Hiei and Yusuke are all so closely knit together that she and I seem to not exist sometimes."

Mukuro was sitting at the table, obviously waiting for the three of them to be seated. "Greetings, Youko. It's been a while."

"Mukuro." Kurama nodded. "Mother, meet Mukuro, one of the three lords of the Makai, Mukuro, my mother, Shiori." He introduced them, hoping that he wasn't making a mistake.

Mukuro nodded at Shiori, then turned to Kurama. "Have you seen my heir? I understand he was here in Gandistra's market yesterday morning."

They settled down talking over food, Kurama worried about what would happen when his mate finally did catch up to them.

*************Outside the gates, a short while later***************

Botan had flown over Gandistra, looking for any military preparations, and didn't see anything out of the ordinary, save for a flag flying with Yomi's that was recognized as Mukuro's. They had had no encounters of any kind so far, which they were all glad about. They walked in a vanguard formation, with Keiko and Shuuichi in the middle. Keiko had infomed them of when she felt the mark flare up once more, indicating that he was not sealed away from his powers anymore and that he didn't have a headache anymore. At that point, they had decided that Shizuru had probably been correct and Yomi wanted something else from Kurama. At which point, the blue-haired deity decided that she probably wasn't needed, but made sure Yusuke had his communication mirror with him so that if anything changed, to be sure to contact her and went back to the Reikai.

They reached the gates of the city and the guards there were the same that had been there the previous day. They bowed. One said, "Greetings, mate of Youko, Heir to Mukuro and Lord Yusuke, Lord Yomi and Lady Mukuro are waiting for you, as is Youko. Please continue on to the palace."

Yusuke muttered, "If they wanted a conference, why didn't they just ask? I hate these school uniforms for this!"

Hiei snorted, "Detective, if they wanted a conference, they could have gotten one at any time. I think something else is going on."

"Yeah, but what? Why would they need all of us?" Kuwabara asked.

"I suggest we wait." Hiei replied shortly.

Keiko looked around at the familiar stalls. She liked this weird city. It didn't have that bad of a smell to it, and there was plenty to look at and it appeared plenty to do.

Hiei looked around at the city, knowing that the territories that each of the three would eventually have control of perfectly suited their natures. Mukuro had many little petty warlords under her and had to be carefully balanced lest the whole system topple. Yusuke had more small rural villages and cronic bandit problems, while Kurama had the mercantile third as well as where most of the true thieves operated. It was interesting how fate played out in the end.

They reached the gates of the palace, where they were once more greeted most deferrentially, acknowledging all but the two humans in their midst, primarily because they didn't have titles, or knew who they were.

They were guided to the dining room, where there were obviously places set for everyone. Kurama immediately stood and it was a question for Yusuke and Kuwabara as to who ran to whom faster, Keiko jumped up into Kurama's arms, just holding each other close before pulling back just enough to give each other a passionate kiss, neither caring that they had an audience.

Hiei had a softer look on his face as he watched them. He hoped he could break that last barrier of Shizuru's fear and get her to accept him completely. He envied his friend. Yusuke was still too young in demon terms to know what it meant to a demon to have a mate. Few ever found them and those that did were looked upon with awe. He wondered what Shizuru would taste like, then firmly shook his head, bringing it back to what was going on.

Kuwabara was seeing the least demonstrative team member openly demonstrate emotion. Kurama always seemed so controlled, but here, it was obvious that the two were holding back. He was getting embarrassed just watching the two and couldn't imagine ever behaving like this with his beloved Yukina, then he started to think differently. From what he peiced together, demons mated for life and felt things much more intensely from what Urameshi said.

Yusuke was happy for his friends. Both of them deserved to be happy and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever feel the same. It had started getting harder lately to keep his human side in control as the demon within him became stronger. It was true what he had told Kuwabara earlier. Demonic emotions were so much stronger than human ones that there was almost no comparison. He wondered how Kurama had kept his in check all these years around Keiko before finally breaking loose. He was glad of one thing, though, with the demonic emotions had also come clarity of what he really felt toward Keiko. She was a friend, a sister, but not a mate. Didn't mean that he wouldn't have taken her as a lover, if she had been willing, but he knew that she never would have accepted him in that catagory.

Kurama and Keiko broke apart, still holding each other close, but Keiko's feet were once more on the floor.

Shuuichi broke out of his shock. He had been hiding behind Yusuke and Hiei and was stunned at the greeting given by his brother and sister-in-law. He and Hiei both spied Shiori, sitting quietly next to Mukuro, watching her son and his mate greet each other with a small smile. "Mother!" The boy greeted enthusiastically, rushing over.

Hiei quietly walked over to the two women, "I am glad you are safe." He said to Shiori, before turning to Mukuro. "Greetings. What did Yomi and yourself need all of us assembled for? Either we have a very large problem or something else is going on."

Yomi heard the question. "Yes, this does have a purpose, beyond confirming that Youko Kurama will be taking over for me, either when I retire, or die. If you will please all take seats, we can discuss this while we eat."

They quickly took seats, Yusuke and Kuwabara sitting to Yomi's left, with Kurama, Keiko, Shuuichi, Shiori, Mukuro and Hiei sitting to Yomi's right, in that order.

To be continued . . .