Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Visit from Family ❯ A Visit from Family ( Chapter 1 )

Summary: Youko finished his daily thieving, but on his way home, he encounters a golden-haired kitsune. Then, when he returns home, another two are waiting for him. Who could these three kitsunes be? What is Youko going to do with them? What trouble will these three bring? One- shot.

Disclaimer: I own no one from Yu Yu Hakusho.

AN: This is set in the past-while he still knew Hiei, but before he escaped to the human world. Dedicated to my friends, ElementFoxofFire, who is Kaylee, and LilDrummerGrl58, who is Kelliann.

A Visit From Family: One-Shot

On his way home from the thievery of an ancient vase from a nearby castle, the king of thieves was brought to the ground by a blob of golden-yellow that attached itself to him. The kitsune demon dropped the vase and fell down to the forest ground with the person over him. The stranger climbed off him as Youko Kurama lifted himself off the cold hard ground, hand glued to his face.

"Kaylee, what are you doing here, and why are you poking me?" Youko sighed.

He looked his cousin over before she answered. Long, slightly curled, golden hair cascaded down to her back, outlining her strongly built body, and framing her strawberry shaped face. Orange-colored fox ears adorned the top of her head as narrow green eyes blended perfectly with her face. Her lengthy apricot-colored tail swished left and right happily. Loose, forest-green clothing patched her upper body while dress-like pants covered her lower body with a sash to keep her attire together.

"I came here because mom said I could, and I'm poking you to see if I'm imagining you or not. I haven't seen you in ages, after all!" chimed the 23-year-old girl excitedly.

"I am me, so STOP POKING ME. Now come," commanded the seven-foot five kitsune as he raised himself up off the ground.

He lent a hand to his five-foot eight cousin, helping her off the grass-covered floor while she held tight to the ancient vase in her arms. By the time the two had reached home, another blob of brown had fastened itself to Youko, fiddling with his ears using one hand as the other wrapped around the fox's neck. Youko pried the annoying ball of brown off of him and held her at arm's length.

She was quite short, about five-foot one and had brown hair down to her back. Greenish-yellow eyes fitted in her oval-like face. Her fox ears were brown, as was her tail, and her dress was exactly the same as her younger sister's, save the fact that it was orange.

"Kelliann?" asked Youko. He looked her up and down.

"YES! YES, YOUKO! YOU REALLY ARE YOUKO, RIGHT?"

He sighed, and lowered his cousin to the ground. "Hard to say you and Kaylee are not sisters. I am Youko Kurama, I assure you." Then he muttered under his breath, "Also hard to believe that you are the oldest of your three sisters-24 years old."

"I heard that, Youko. I may not be the one offended, but the recipient is still my older sister," said the 23-year-old fox youkai as she stepped out of the shadows. She was about three or four inches shorter than Kaylee, and had reddish-brown-black hair down to mid-back, but it was currently tied into a ponytail. She had strange, almond-shaped brown eyes, which stood out in her circular face. Her fox ears and tail were both reddish-brown with a tinge of black. Her clothing was the same as Kaylee's, except it was a metallic-black color. She was also Kaylee's older twin sister.

"Yuuga, you're here. Good. I have things I need to discuss with you," said Youko. He sounded pleased at her arrival.

"Um, Yuuga, hear what?" asked both Kaylee and Kelliann curiously.

"Nothing," answered Yuuga and Youko in unison.

It was then that Youko motioned his three cousins to sit down around the table as he went to put the vase away in his stash room. Once the vase was carefully stowed, the King of Thieves leaned against the wall, deep in thought.

`It's nice for both Kaylee and Kelli to visit, but if Yuuga is here then something is going on. Her mother must have sent her. Unless there is trouble, she would've stayed home. Though she is the middle child of my aunt, her senses, logic, and intelligence are the best next to me; but, if it were about combat, than her two sisters would be better. The problem is, what is the problem? If there weren't one, then her mother would not have sent her to me...'

`Then why don't you ask her?'

`Hiei, do not intrude upon my mind when I am not aware. It's impolite.'

`Hn. You knew I was there. Therefore, I was not intruding.'

`True. Why do you not show yourself?' The fire youkai remained silent.

The mental link broke, and Youko left the room to return to his cousins, planning to question Yuuga later on.

As soon as the fox demon had reached his living room, Hiei arrived outside the front door.

`Hn… It's been four months since I last left here, and that fox changed everything. Well, at least the front door is still the same.'

The room Youko and his cousins were in was bare, excluding the huge table in the middle, and some tapestries hung up on the walls. Two doors were located to the right, mirroring the left-hand side. A staircase could be found right next to the entrance, leading to the second floor where the bedrooms were located.

"Konnichiwa, Hiei-kun!" screamed Kaylee and Kelliann in unison, equally happy to see him.

Hiei unconsciously took a step back, his eyebrow twitching, a look of pure terror written clearly across his face.

`Youko, I have known that they are here not too long ago, but the aura of mischief is stronger than before. You better keep me safe.'

Youko chuckled silently upon hearing the fearless Hiei plead with him on account of two mischievous girls.

`Do not fret; you are safe…for now. I will help when necessary.'

As soon as Youko assured him that he would be safe for the moment, Hiei relaxed and resumed his normal, carefree stance. He walked into the house, one which did not seem fit for The King of Thieves, and was careful to sit down as far as physically possible from Kaylee and Kelli. Past experience warned him that those two are dangerous characters.

Suddenly, Youko called Yuuga over to him, and motioned her to follow him upstairs. On his way up the staircase, he shouted to Hiei, "Keep Kaylee and Kelli company!"

`Damn fox… I hope you've enjoyed life, because you will die when you return.'

Once up the staircase, the two kitsunes opened the first door to the left, and entered. Inside was a plain-style Japanese room. A futon was laid on the far-left corner, covering up some of the green grass mats that made up the room's floor. A low tea table was placed in the middle, and a closet could be seen in the right corner.

Youko instructed Yuuga to sit on one of the cushions surrounding the table. As she did so, he mimicked and sat as well.

"I know you are not here for sheer enjoyment. What does your mother need me to do?" inquired Youko very seriously.

"Brilliant as ever, dear cousin; I'll get right to it, then. You do know that mother is the guardian of the Fox Stone, correct, and that you are the best of the best in our family?" Yuuga responded with questions of her own in an equally, if not, more serious tone.

"Yes."

"The Fox Stone has been stolen by a kaze demon by the name of Kaitou Kaimaru. Mother has found his location and has sent people after him, for she could not go, but those so far have proved to be failures. The only one now who can claim the Fox Stone in a high success rate is you, so mother sent us to you for help. If you do not aide us, then the Kurama Fox Clan will be destroyed, you now that," cried Yuuga desperately.

Youko smirked and ruffled his cousin's hair, "Just as I thought. I assume you and your sisters will help me if I agree. You three are the next most powerful in line, after me."

"Yes… Will you retrieve the stone, then?"

"Both my conscience and myself will give all I have to bring back our clan's treasure." Youko grinned with a characteristic air of mischief about him.

"Good."

As though on cue, a thud could be heard, coming from the living room. The two fox youkai rushed out the door to see what was going on. All they could see was Kaylee and Kelli chasing Hiei wildly around the room. There was a small gap between them, but even that was quickly closing as the two foxes gained more speed. Within a minute, the fire demon was on the floor with two girls on top of him. Kaylee was busily trying to find Hiei's tickly spots, discovering every spot she tickled was. Kelli, letting curiosity get the best of her, poked Hiei's Jagan eye.

"What the hell?! KAYLEE, KELLI, STOP IT NOW!" commanded Yuuga fiercely.

The two looked up and stopped, pretending to look innocent, for when Yuuga was pissed, lives would be lost.

Yuuga and Youko sped down the stairs and gave the two an icy glare. Yuuga glanced over at Hiei to find him battle scarred and fatigued.

`Yuuga, you saved me.'

`No problem.'

"What is going on?" pressed Youko.

The two looked nervous then answered, "Nothing really."

Both Youko and Yuuga gave identical looks of disbelief, but did not press the subject. Instead, Youko commanded everyone to sit, including the hurt Hiei, as he informed the rest about his compliance on retrieving the Fox Stone. He offered Hiei the chance to accompany him, after it was confirmed that he could.

"I will come; but first, what is this `Fox Stone'?" inquired the fire demon.

"The Fox Stone is a stone with the Kurama insignia on it. A black, round stone with a spirit fox on one side and a red rose on the other side that gives all the foxes in the Kurama Clan their power. If it is destroyed, the kitsunes in that particular clan, which is us, will slowly lose their magical abilities," explained Kelli in a serious manner for the first time in what seemed all night.

"That's enough for today. We'll head out for Kaitou tomorrow since night has already come. Rest for now, and if anybody is hungry the kitchen is the second door on the right," informed Youko as he left his seat to return to his room for rest.

The remaining people, too, retreated to their room, except for Hiei. He chose to sleep in a tree near Youko's bedchamber.

The next morning, the group headed out for a shack in the deepest corner of Yumi Forest. Youko, Yuuga, Kaylee, and Kelli turned into their animal form and headed off, with Hiei keeping pace, close behind.

They reached their destination by nightfall and decided to rest for a few hours so they would have enough strength for a sneak attack. Soon after every one regained their strength and returned to human form, it was decided Yuuga would stay where she is right now to act as an overseer, informing people mentally when they are in danger, since her combat skills are the weakest among the group.

The rest slipped silently into the shack. They found their enemy recuperating in a corner, and agreed that they would give him a quick death. It was then that Kaitou decided to open his eyes, and gave his assailants an evil smirk.

"I thought kitsunes were honorable demons," mocked Kaitou in his deep, velvety voice as he stretched to his full seven-foot height. His short-spike silver hair to reflected beautifully in the moonlight, along with his wide amber-like eyes. His dark blue robes fluttered in the wind as he took a quick run around the intruders.

"And I thought wind demons don't steal other people's property," countered Kaylee as she and the others went into battle stance.

"Normally, they don't; unless they are insulted by someone," continued Kaitou as he tossed the Fox Stone up and down in his hand. "The guardian of this thing ruined my reputation as the strongest demon. Now, she will pay."

Catching the stone in his hand again, Kaitou prepared to crush the precious rock into dust. But, as he prepared himself to do so, he made a startling discovery: the stone was no longer in his possession.

"Looking for this, are you?" mocked Hiei, who, in a flash, had stolen back the Fox Stone while Kaitou was playing with it, and in the blink of an eye, had returned to his spot next to Youko.

Hiei's face suddenly froze in mid-smirk. Kaitou gave a cold laugh while he watched as an invisible force pried Hiei's fingers loose around the stone. The Kurama Clan's treasure lifted into the air and floated towards the thief at a lightning speed, one not even Youko or Hiei could catch up with.

"Nice wind trick, bastard," Kelli sneered, charging towards him with her rose whip at the ready.

Apparently, she missed, since Kaitou disappeared and reappeared behind her. Kelli smirked, and turned around to give him a punch to the face.

`Behind you, Kaylee!'

"Your stench is all over the place," she commented.

`Thanks, Yuuga.'

`No problem-it was partially that guy's smell, too, because he stinks, and seriously needs a bath…'

"Heh, I am not so easily defeated!" shouted Kaitou as he used his speed to return Kelli's punch, catching her off guard, but Kaylee caught up to him and gave him an upper-cut right in the stomach, causing him to double over, wheezing in pain.

"Be careful next time. The braggadocio uses his wind abilities to not let you smell his scent," warned Kaylee.

The battle between Kelli, Kaylee, and Kaitou continued for quite a while, with Yuuga, too, occasionally helping her sisters out. Hiei and Youko stayed out of the battle until they were needed, which was soon because Kaylee was hurt pretty heavily in her torso by Kaitou's wind blades.

Hiei helped her over to a corner of the half-wrecked shack; then joined the battle. Dodging the two fox's rose whips, Hiei managed to create a deep gash in Kaitou's chest. Youko took advantage of Kaitou's injured chest and shot a plant seed into it. He gave his allies a retreating glance. They acknowledged it and stepped back, well aware of Youko's decision.

Youko closed his eyes and concentrated on his plant magic. With a wave of his hand the seed implanted in Kaitou's chest began to grow.

"Hiei, before this plant grows to its full potential, go and get the Fox Stone!" Youko demanded of his friend. Hiei complied, without a moment's hesitation.

As soon as the stone was taken safely into the hands of its rightful owners, Kaitou died with flowers bursting from his badly injured body.

"What a pity-such beautiful flowers, blooming form such a hideous creature," commented Youko quietly.

"We'd better leave now," offered Hiei.

Agreeing wholeheartedly with this, Youko pulled an unconscious Kaylee onto his back, who had long since fainted from her injuries. He called over his shoulder to Kelliann that they were leaving.

By the time the group arrived at the tree that Yuuga was in, she was already standing in front of them, ready to go.

"You all did a great job-masking your scent so Kaitou won't know what direction you're in, and using your speed and amount of people to overpower him. Anyway, I suggest going to my house to rest. It's about ten miles from here," stated Yuuga.

"No-if we do, your mother would make sure I visited seven levels of hell for letting Kaylee get hurt. We will go to one of Hiei's rehabilitating houses, nine miles from here," said Youko.

"I will lead you. Follow me," demanded Hiei.

He began to run at a fast pace with the others following close behind, in their human forms. Within half an hour they reached a small, one-room house.

As soon as Youko had laid Kaylee to rest on the floor of the house, he journeyed to a nearby stream to fetch water for them all. While Youko was gone, Kelli cleared away the hair that was on Kaylee's face, and started to wipe away her sweat. Yuuga told Hiei to ferret out some bandages as she examined her younger sister's wound.

There were cuts and bruises all over her, but the main injury was across her torso. Just when Yuuga was about to wipe away some fresh blood, Youko arrived with a bucket of water and the bandages that Hiei was supposed to supply, then left, knowing that he couldn't stay. Kelli and Yuuga were both glad to see the clear liquid. Kelli wet a cloth and put it on top of her sister's forehead, then started to remove certain pieces of Kaylee's clothing to purge the dried blood and dirt that accumulated on her body. Yuuga concentrated on Kaylee's heaviest wound, cleaning it out carefully, and trying to stop her blood from flowing out. Once the blood around her torso was cleaned away and stopped, claw like marks were revealed, cutting deep into her skin. Yuuga's face contorted in disgust upon seeing the deep wound; instantly satisfied to know that that son of a bitch Kaitou was dead.

She bandaged Kaylee's injury, then left the room to join Hiei and Youko outside, leaving Kelli to fight off the fever that was slowly coming over her sister.

"How is she faring?" asked Youko in a down voice.

Yuuga sat down next to her cousin, wearing the same sort of anxious frown. "Her wound is cleaned and bandaged, but she has a fever. Whether she lives on not, depends greatly if she can get through tonight."

"She'll live. Her will to be alive is stronger than my Dragon of the Darkness Flame," stated Hiei in a somewhat uncharacteristically helpful voice.

"Hope so," said both Yuuga and Youko simultaneously.

Youko decided to get up and enter the forest.

"Where is he going?" inquired Yuuga.

"In search for plants that would help with fever," answered Hiei.

Within an hour, the fox demon returned with a single green leaf in hand. "Hurry and build a fire to boil water," urged Youko.

Yuuga went for water with a pot that she found when she was bandaging Kaylee as Hiei raised a flame with his demonic abilities. Soon, the liquid boiled, and the leaf was placed into the water to form tea. Yuuga went into the hut, and brought out a cup, which she filled with the fever remedy, then went back inside to have Kaylee drink it.

Yuuga emerged from the hut once again, and sat down next to Youko.

"She finished the tea, and her fever lowered," informed Yuuga. "The fever should submerge soon. Kaylee's wounds have started to heal, too. The small cuts and bruises disappeared. Now, all that is left is her torso."

Youko looked up into the pink sky, a sure sign that the sun would come into view in a few moments. "That should clear up in two days," he said, relief lacing his voice.

"Well, I'm going to take a bath in the stream and Kelli is coming with me so somebody needs to watch over Kaylee."

Youko agreed to be the vigilance while Yuuga went to fetch her sister, and the two headed off towards the stream. When the two returned, both Hiei and Youko decided they need to wash so they took a trip the stream, too.

Two days had passed. By then, Kaylee had fully recovered and was jumping all over the place, but not before being upbraided by her idle sister. The girls stayed at Hiei's place for another day, before it was time they returned home with the Fox Stone in hand. Not too long after that, Youko returned to his home, already late on retrieving the artifact that had captured his attention long before. Hiei, being a wanderer, left his shack in search of his sister.

!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

On his way home with another priceless treasure in hand, the King of Thieves was again ambushed by a coffee-colored ball of fluff. Instead of being caught off guard like he had the first time, he caught it and held it at arm's length. "Kelliann," he said, accenting every syllable.

"Yes, Cousin Youko?"

"Is Kaylee here?"

"Yes."

"Is Yuuga here?"

"No."

`Kami, help me. Yuuga, why didn't you come? You seem to be one of the few in this world who can control your sisters…'

AN: Jenny in Japanese is Yuuga so figure it out. You're smart enough. Put the pieces together.