Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ meeting rieko ❯ life & team ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

the reikai team watched the old wolf in front of them be engulfed by a silver light. Before

their eyes the mighty animal changed into a beautiful female youki with long silver hair

and molten amber eyes. she was dressed in a long white tunic with a silver belt and gold

necklace. her wolf ears were still on top of her head and bent down and back, indicating

she was on her guard. the six other ookami stepped back a pace but kept close enough to

be able to react quickly to an attack on their friend.

“what do you want?” she asked the reikai team, coldly glaring at Hiei and Kurama.

“he’s a trator.” growled one of the other ookami.

“we should kill them before they kill us.” said another.

“i agree. kill them.” hissed yet another.

“friends please.” said the youki. she turns back to the reikai team and says, “answer my

question.”

“and if we refuse?” said hiei.

the ookami behind him took a step forward, growled and flashed its gleaming white

teeth. kuwabara jumped back just as hiei grabbed his katana. there was a quick flash as

he dropped it. the youki had hit him with a whip greatly resembling kurama’s rose whip.

another one of the ookami picked up the sword.

“don’t threaten my friends hiei.” she said to the apparition.

“rieko. we didn’t mean to...” kurama starts.

“silence!” growled another ookami. “you speak when you’re spoken to.”

“no, inu. let them speak.” said the youki to the ookami.

he growled something to her in their language and stepped back. she closed her eyes for a

moment, thinking, before she continued.

“you didn’t mean what?” she asked kurama.

the reikai team was rather suprised that the youki and kurama knew each other.

kurama continued, “we were sent on a mission from koenma and i guess we got lost. we

ment no intrusion, rieko-san.”

“hum?” she said, closing her eyes again. “i haven’t hear form him in a long time. what

exactly was your mission and to were?”

“none of your buissness youki.” said hiei with a glare.

she laughed. “come. we can talk some were a little safer.”

with that they started walking, not that the reikai team had a choice. they walked through

the forest in silence for about half an hour. they came to a very large tree which the youki

knocked on. a unseen door opened and they all went inside. then remaining six ookami

changed into their youki forms. Yusuke noticed that they were all male. the reikai team

sat down at a long table in a large dinner room. the youki sat on a silver chair at one end

of the table with two of her ookami friends on either side of her. the five of them were

brought two plates of food and a cup of green tea.

“kurama, tell me. how is it a intelegent kitsune like yourself could get lost in my forest?”

the youki asked.

kurama laughed. “so now i’m intelegent? a few years ago you said i was the dumbest

creature to walk the makai.”

“oh, did i? it’s really been that long? hum?” she said, smileing.

“hey, not to sound stupid or any thing but who are you?” said yusuke.

“oh. i’m sorry. how rude of me.” the youki appoligised, “i’m rieko. this is my friend inu.”

she said pointing to the male youki standing next to her.

inu had silver hair that fell to about his waist and his eyes were a mixture of ocean blue

and silver. he was tall and thin wearing a silver tunic with gold trim and a white belt.

rieko continued, “this is koneko, koinu and suteneko.” gesturing to the three other youki

around her.

they were wearing matching white tunics with light blue belts. they had the same hair as

inu. koneko had golden eyes, koinu had light green and suteneko had hazel.

“um? ok.” said yusuke.

“and you are? i’m sorry but i didn’t get your names.” rieko said.

“this is yusuke urameshi, kazuma kuwabara, and hiei jaganshi.” kurama said gesturing to

his friends.

“hum? yes, i’ve heard of you. the makai is buzzing about a human boy with such

extrordinary spirit energy. i didn’t think it to be true though i mean a human? that’s just

imposible, isn’t it?” she said almost amazed.

there was a small interuption as a young youki, presumably about fifteen years old,

walked in and asked to talk to rieko. she was about five foot seven and greatly resembled

yoko kurama. she wore the same outfit as rieko except her necklace had a red jewel

fashioned to look like a rose.

“sakura. what’s wrong?” rieko said rising from her seat.

“i just wanted to ask you if i could go hunting with you tommorow, rieko-san?” sakura

pleaded, showing off her beautiful eyes.

inu laughs, “come on sakura-san. can’t you see rieko is busy?”

there came another interurtion.

“my lady, urgent news from the north out post.” said a young, male youki running into

the room.

“what is it?” rieko asked, greatly alarmed.

“intuders asking to tunr the reikai team over to them...” he said catching his breath, “... or

they’ll...”

“or they’ll what?” rieko asked.

the boy falls to the floor unconscious.

“good help is so hard to find these days.” said a voice from the door.

the room stood still. inu, koneko, koinu, and suteneko took deffencive positions around

rieko and sakura.

“who is that?” said kuwabara with his mouth full.

there were laughs from the door and five fighters entered.

“you konw better then to bring weapons here.” shouted inu.

“yet you do.” says a tall male with a jean jaket on.

“it’s our home. we keep our weapons to protect it and you know it.” inu shouted.

“inu, please.” rieko said, “what do you want auoshi?”

“exactly that this boy said, them.” he says, kicking the child on the floor and pointing to

the reikai team.

“don’t kick noraneko like that!” shouts sakura.

“oh. like this?” auoshi kicks the boy again.

there is a quick flash as rieko throws a small dagger at auoshi. he catches it and throws it

back.

“now, rieko. you know better than that.” he says.

there is another quick flash and sakura hits the ground.

“monster!” shouts koneko.

he runns straight for auoshi and draws a sword made of an oak limb.

“koneko, don’t.” rieko announces. “auoshi may i have a word with you?”

“my lady?” says inu, worriedly.

“i’ll be fine.” rieko replies reading his concern.

the two walk to the end of the room and dissapper behind a curtain. the four remaining

fighters wait by the door they came in through for their master’s return. koneko picks up

noraneko and takes him over to lie him down near sakura. a few minutes later auoshi and

rieko return and auoshi and his band leave.

“as long as the four of you stay within these walls or are escourted by one of my people

you’ll be safe. other than that there’s nothing i can do to protect you without penalty to

myself.” she tells yusuke. “now if you’ll please excuse me.”

rieko leaves to tend to noraneko and sakura. inu walks up to the reikai and asks them to

follow him. they walk down a corrador were guests of the youki slept. inu showed the

two humans their room and the demons the one across the hall.

“were is rieko’s room?” asked kurama

“none of your buissnes.” shot inu. “good evening gentelmen.”

inu leaves.

“hum?” kurama says, “i don’t remmember him. inu.”

“why would it matter kurama?” asked hiei.

“it doesn’t. good night hiei.” kurama says before lying down to sleep.

back in rieko’s room,

“what was all that about?” asked sakura.

“sakura please go to bed. i’ll talk to you tommorow.” says rieko.

sakura leaves and inu enters.

“my lady.” he says with a bow.

“good night. don’t stay up to late.” reiko says as she turns to sleep.

inu stands at the door to watch over her while she sleeps. about an hour later there is a

loud rumble and flashes of light. rieko is awakened by inu shaking her shoulders.

“my lady! please awaken. we must get out of here.” he shouts.

“what’s going on?” rieko said sleeply.

she looks up to see her home in flames.

“what in the world...” she shouts as a beam over their heads falls to pin inu to the ground.

“help! some one please! help!”

“run my lady. please get out of here.” inu pleads.

rieko starts to cough from smoke inhalation. she faints next to inu. while the other guests

run form the building yusuke and kurama noticed that rieko and inu never came out. they

run back in with koneko to find them. they reach rieko’s room and move the beam off

inu. they run back out yusuke and koneko carrying inu and kurama with rieko. the entire

community funs to the river and it begins rainning. rieko wakes up by a small fire.

kurama not to far away talking to inu.

“good morning rieko-san. i hope you slept well.” kurama says as inu leaves.

kurama walks over to her to help her up. he sees a ring o her left hand. he stares at it for a

moment.

“you’re married?” kurama askes speaking in a quiet voice.

“he died.” rieko told him pulling her hand away.

“do you have any children?” he asked staring at her with careing eyes.

“no, but sakura is like a daughter to me. just as noraneko is like a son.” she told him

looking away.

kurama walks tword her and takes her hand. they stare at each other for a while.

rieko says, “no kurama. i can’t do it again.” in a weak, shaky voice.

she’s crying. kurama dries her tears with his sleave, then dries his own. she was one of

the strongest people he knew. to see her cry told him how vonerable every one was and

how you don’t have to deal physical damage to a person to cause them so much pain.

“it’s gone, isn’t it?” asked rieko, changing from her personal, sensitive self to the fromal,
practical person she was known as.

“yes.” he said, complying.

“that tree has been there since the world was born. my family has always lived there and

invited thoughs who lived in the forest that they protected to stay there. it was a sacred

place to youki, now it’s gone.” rieko said, mostly to herself.

kurama understood. the reality was just still a shock to her. every thing she once knew

and fought so hard for, her entire world, was falling apart. yusuke walks in with hiei and

kuwabara behind him.

“hey, kurama. we’d better get going if we want to get to the ferry on time.” he says,

relizing the situation.

“uh? what’s going on?” says a sleepy kuwabara.

yusuke gives him a glare.

“we never said you were bright.” said hiei, coldly, reading kuwabara’s mind.

“what? that’s it shrimp! you’re dead!” shouts kuwabara.

“ladies, could we please save it for the tournament?” yusuke asked, slightly mad at his

two friends.

“we’ll walk you to the ferry. after that you’re on your own.” rieko said in her neutral

tone.

they walked out of the cave. rieko stopped and inu brough her a staff. kurama

remmembered that that was the same staff rieko’s youki father would use when making

an important announcement. all youki turned to face rieko.

she hesitated for a moment before she rose the staff and said, “we are leaving for a while.

our home is gone but that doesn’t mean we are lost.” she paused, “you will have to return

to your old homes and wait. once a new castle is built i will send word to you. don’t lose

faith. our home will be rebuilt, i give you my word as protectors of this forest, auoshi will

pay.”

there were cheers and applause. rieko turned to lead the reikai team to their destination.

yusuke caught a glimpse of regret and fear in her eyes before a wall between her feelings

and the world consructed itself. kuwabara, hiei, and kurama noticed it too. the four

members of the reikai teamwere on their way to the ferry accompanyed by seven youki.

“yusuke, the winners of the tournament are granted one wish, is that right?” asked rieko,

kindly smileing at him.

he would have smiled back if reiko’s smiles weren’t so darn scary.

“ya. why?” he replied.

“i was just woundering.” she said looking at the ground.

they reached the ferry and the reikai team, joined by genkai, boarded. rieko had changed

into her human form and, with her six comrades, also boarded. the ferry shoved off and

was on it’s way to hanging neck island.