Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Just Outside the Light ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

The wait wasn't too long, was it?

Disclaimer: I don't own it, but then, there are a lot of things I don't own. Say for instance, a hover car.

Author: Letta

Rating: Probably R.

Warnings: Violence

Pairings: none so far

"speaking"

/thoughts/

Title: Just Outside the Light

Kurama eyed the plant intertwined with his leg suspiciously. It had been there since he had most recently awoken. Not to mention his `hostess' had not shown hide nor hair since asking who had attacked him. If his sense of smell served him correctly, she was nowhere near. Whether she was out hunting or dead, he hadn't the slightest clue. True enough, her scent lingered, but it wasn't fresh.

The kitsune eyed his leg again. It was vine-like and he could feel it pulse with energy. It wasn't hurting him; in fact, it seemed to be doing the exact opposite. If anything, his leg felt like it was healing. He hadn't even noticed before how pulpy it looked. Now, with little green tendrils kneading their way in between and around exposed muscles, the pain was actually subsiding. For some reason he couldn't quite place, this seemed to be familiar, or at least had some sort of significance.

As he watched his leg in a type of morbid fascination, he could see the achingly slow repairs take place. At the rate the vine was going, his leg would be healed in a matter of hours. Also, the vine seemed to release some sort of numbing agent into his system, as he could feel very little.

Then, a familiar scent began to tickle his nose. Leiko was coming back, and at a surprisingly quick speed. In fact, there wasn't much warning before a door flew open from somewhere beyond his room, inviting a cooling breeze to trace a path through the hut. A moment later, he heard the soft click of the door shutting and padded footsteps coming towards him.

"Recognize this?" Leiko asked, tossing a plastic rectangle onto his lap from her position in the doorway.

Kurama looked down at it, eyes narrowed as he picked it up. There was writing on it, and a picture of a striking red-haired boy.

"Student identification… Minnamino Shuiichi…" he said, mouth vocalizing the characters.

"So you can read it. That's not exactly an ordinary foreign language, at least not around here. It's from ningenkai."

Kurama looked up sharply, his penetrating gaze landing on the demon across the small room.

"I found it in the area where I found you."

His gaze turned back down to the card in his hands, staring at the picture of the boy. He seemed so familiar…

"Leiko… what kind of demon are you?"

If the question surprised her, she didn't show it.

"I'm from Nekonin. I'm a neko, an animal spirit like you."

"Where are we now?"

"We're in Kiri forest."

"Earlier, you had said I was on your private hunting grounds… do you own the land we're on?"

"I claimed it as my territory, if that's what you mean. Nekos are mostly solitary creatures and they hunt in large areas. I'd say it's common knowledge and that you should know it, but under the circumstances…"

"Basically you're saying you're this area's predator, right?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes. I'm not the only one, but I am the most powerful."

"Now I'm here. I'm a predator as well, and you're healing me?" he asked, gesturing to the vine.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Didn't I already say why?"

"Yes, but you went to go inspect where I was attacked. You brought this back," he said, holding up the ID card, "what's the rest of it?" he finished, eyeing her accusingly.

Leiko smirked as she met his gaze.

"Simple. I'm the most powerful predator in the area, and as such, I have certain duties. A fairly strong demon is turned into mincemeat on my lands, saying to me that I have competition. If another unknown predator crosses into my territory, I must hunt them down and kill them. I don't want my game over-hunted or scared away by dead kitsunes. So, you, my brain-damaged friend, are my key to finding them. I will heal you, we will kill them and everyone's happy."

"Are you sure they're just other predators?"

"No, I think they went after you for a reason. I just don't want every demon who thinks they can intrude on my territory to think they can get away with it. It's the principle of the matter."

"What if I don't agree?" Kurama asked.

"Kitsunes have a vengeful streak," she said, walking out of the room to leave Kurama to stare back at the redhead on the card in his hands.

So familiar…

~`~`~`~`~`

Yusuke and Kuwabara stood back to back, readying themselves for attack. They had stumbled onto a pack of wolf demons. Why Hiei hadn't reported that was a mystery.

/Where is Hiei, anyway?/ Yusuke thought to himself. He hadn't seen any glimpses of black for awhile…

If Hiei wasn't around, it was possible they were in more trouble than they could handle. Yusuke briefly tried to sense out Hiei, but it was as if the fire youkai had disappeared into thin air.

Yusuke braced himself for the slightest twitching of any of the pack surrounding them, ready to attack first and ask questions later.

A sudden nudge in the back nearly had him jumping out of his skin.

/Kuwabara…/ He let out a breath of relief at the realization, noting how erratically his heart was pounding. He turned ever so slightly to look at the offending elbow, to notice that it was lightly spasming. Yusuke blinked before realizing the jerks were intentional. Slowly, he let his eye travel in the direction that the elbow was pointing to.

There he saw two narrowed red eyes hidden amongst the foliage and the silent sweep of something black.

/Hiei…/

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A/N: You know, I had this typed up for two weeks, but due to computer problems of my own, I figured I better just send out what I have and worry about the rest later. I just hate sending out such a short chapter.