Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Trembling Roses ❯ Deeper and Deeper ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six

Following his 'mishap' in the Training Room, Shippo pressed himself harder than ever into completely mastering his lessons.

He would not have been quite so disheartened if he were getting better results.

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"Did you have a long standing grudge against the tree that I should have been made aware of Little Tail?" Staring askance at the smoking crater that used to be a lovely old ginkgo tree, Youko shrugged his bare shoulders in elegant bewilderment.

Since the day was warm, he'd opted to dress in a comfortable pair of charcoal-gray jeans and sleeveless shirt of crisp white instead of his normal attire. Blessedly, the pants were designed to accommodate his tail.

Shippo was similarly dressed in shirt of emerald green and cream-colored slacks (also tail-friendly), the latter of which was smudged with sooty streaks.

Youko tilted his head to the side, temporarily obscuring his line of sight with a curtain of silver hair. Golden eyes narrowed in thought because the past week had tested every nuance of his nearly insatiable scientific curiosity.

When he spoke again, his voice was the epitome of serene contemplation.

"When you first arrived here both you and the tree were very young so maybe the animosity began then?"

Almond eyes fell lightly upon the bowed, tawny head of the silent kit. There was something shining beneath the apparent affection in the golden orbs but it was invisible to Shippo's averted gaze. Youko wanted to sigh but a young pair of pointed ears were listening to him intently.

'First exploding flowers, then flaming seaweed, the petrified vines were unusual but not unique. The man-eating violets that committed herbicide by eating themselves were. But this…' He knew he should be upset with the boy, except that he'd never seen a tree do that.

'How does one cause a tree rip itself out of the ground by the roots and then pivot so fast that it spontaneously combusts?'

Firm lips pursed at the glumness showing in every line of the svelte body standing before him. If anyone had less of a clue than Youko, it was Shippo.

"So all these years you've been carefully plotting the day that you would turn it into kindling Little Tail?" Crouching down to trail his fingers through the fine ash, Youko gave a short laugh as he dusted them off.

"If that is the case then I'm surprised you don't have higher marks from Hiei for tactical strategy." Turning his back on the blackened pit, Youko headed towards the main building with his mortified student in tow.

Shippo's head hung lower than ever under the temperate chiding.

Kagome's looks of mild disappointment he had handled without a second thought.

Inuyasha's almost theatrical tirades had been amusing after a while.

However, these gentle admonitions were killing him.

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Sitting easily in a straight-backed chair in the Training Room, Hiei was staring at a fixed point in space when the two kitsune youkai came to the door.

Youko sensed his presence before he actually saw him and halted at the threshold. Lost in thought, Shippo nearly collided with his mentor but managed to stop at the last minute.

"Sensei?" Despite the amount of time spent in class with the fire demon, Shippo had never been able to detect Hiei's comings and goings. Youko knew that this time was proving to be no different.

Hidden in the shadowy interior, scarlet eyes blinked at the elder fox spirit with inhuman calculation. That small act spoke volumes.

Addressing the cub over one shoulder, Youko cleared his throat. "I think that a period of meditation is in order after that last demonstration Little Tail."

"Hai sensei…" The elder fox didn't think anything on earth could sound as dejected as Shippo did right then. As a child, Shippo had hated the long periods of inactivity required of deep meditation. From his tone of voice, Youko guessed that the years hadn't changed that opinion.

"On second thought, mediation is not what you need right now." Youko watched in fascination as Shippo's eyes lightened from their natural turquoise to a much paler sea-green.

'Does he know how easy his expressions are to read?' he wondered. The blatant relief still radiating in the kit's face said no. Youko had to turn away quickly to hide a smile.

The boy was still too green.

Not wanting to appear too lenient, Youko changed the assignment to one he knew the cub loathed less than mediation, but only marginally.

"What you will do instead is adjourn to the library and peruse the medicinal qualities of the gingko tree. You should at least know something about the flora you annihilate. Don't you agree Little Tail?"

Youko didn't need eyes in the back of his head to feel the angry heat radiating from the flushed kit. This time, there was a bit of bite to the respectful reply.

"Hai sensei, I guess I should." Spinning on a padded foot, Shippo hurried away down the hall. Behind the retreating lad, his teacher gave a rueful smile.

'Entirely too green.'

Once he was sure they wouldn't be overheard, Youko stepped fully into the room. His tone was one of practiced welcome.

"Well, well. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Set in a youthful face that belied its years, curiously large eyes flicked in Youko's direction before sliding away. "I came to discuss something with you." To anyone else, the toneless voice would have put a stop to any further conversation. However the last few hundred years had created an understanding between the two men that let one read the other easily.

Youko took a seat opposite his friend and waited for him to continue, still wearing that benign smile.

Dark hair that defied gravity rustled as Hiei shook his head. "No Kurama, this is no laughing matter."

Now the kitsune's curiosity had a new outlet. Hiei needing assistance was a rarity in and of itself, but for him to admit to it willingly was beyond odd. Folding his arms over his chest, Youko frowned anew.

"What happened?"

"It's Urameshi." Those shadowed eyes closed solemnly. "He knows."

For a moment there was no sound made within the room, but Hiei immediately saw the effect his words had. Youko's face rivaled freshly driven snow as the blood drained away.

"That cannot be possible." Voice trembling with the effort not to shout, Youko rested both hands on the cool surface of the table and rose to his feet. "Yusuke wasn't even born then, how the hell could he know anything?!"

"He didn't divulge that information Kurama. Yusuke may not be a genius like you but he is far from stupid." A hand wrapped with bandages reached out to flit over a silver ear. "You should realize that Kurama. Of the two of us, you're the one who was the closest to him."

Youko unconsciously leaned into the supportive touch. Understanding was not the only thing wrought by the passage of time. "Once upon a time we were close Hiei, but much like the years that too has passed. The Yusuke that I knew seems to have disappeared before my eyes." When he took his seat again, Youko seemed to fall into it. "How could he know what happened? Everyone who was there died." Before Hiei could say more, a voice interrupted.

"Not all of us died kitsune."

Unaware that another had entered the confines of the room, both Hiei and Youko drew their weapons. There was a second of confusion when they could neither see nor sense the intruder.

A sonorous laugh preceded the figure as he materialized in a darkened corner.

Conventionally dressed head to toe in black, from a form-fitting high-necked shirt to tailored slacks and low-heeled boots, the trim form was hard to detect among the gloomy shadows.

Even when he came into view, the man watching them bore the air of one who hailed from some forgotten eldritch realm rather than the material world.

The Rose Whip fell from Youko's unfeeling fingers. "I-Impossible."

Ignoring Hiei and making his way to the silver-haired man, the figure gave a smile that was chilling for both its beauty and utter lack of mercy.

"I told you I would find you again, Little Fox."

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A/N: (practically in tears.)

I have kids and art commissions, throw me a bone Kurama!!

Youko: In time all will be made clear. Have patience Karasu.

It's Mistress Bakani to you Fox-boy! You are screwing up my concentration for "I.T.T." with this story! C'mon, give me hint about where this is going…please?

Youko: Pardon me Mistress Bakani, but as I said, it will all become clear in time. You must simply wait like everyone else.

Say that again and I will rip out your tail one hair at a time.

Youko: You've been talking to Hiei again haven't you?

…maybe…