Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ My Kitsune ❯ Homecoming ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Homecoming p1(Tokyo : 11-16 - 02)


There's that stupid fox. Having supper with his humans.


I'm on that tree I use to look into his house without being seen . He hasn't smelled me out yet, the wind is blowing in the other direction. I hate fall but I hate winter worse.


This tree is going to sleep, orange papery leaves brushing making that papery noise only autumn leaves make. The wind annoys me, it's got a cold edge to it that makes me want to wrap my scarf around my head. It's also swaying the limb I'm on, it's only about as thick as my middle finger so I have to channel some of my Youki to keep it from throwing me off.

I hate windy autumns.


I hate cold rainy windy autumns.


They're worse than blizzards. Dry cold I can handle but being wet and cold is pure misery.


Why did he leave the Makai? I thought he was serious about staying there for good. Something must have happened...


I hate admiting this to anyone, I hate it when they notice but... that stupid fox is just about the only person I'd trust with my life. More that that jerk Yusuke or that moron Kuwabara.


Hn. Officially I'm the jerk between us. And Koenma is the brat. I can't seem to decide what to call that hanyou. Royal pain the ass? Hn, sounds about right.


I can't help the grin on my face as I remembered those days. I look on my time as a Rei Kai Tantei with a certain pride and nostalgia.


Nostalgia. I learned that word from Kurama back then too.


He's excused himself from the table... finally. Damn... does he have to do the dishes?


Two years have passed since I last saw him, but always in the Makai I reach out and touch his prescence just to know that he's still around. Then one day when I woke up to another go-guard-the-borders-day I reached out and he wasn't there.


It was a few days after that disturbance me and Mokuro sensed.


It was strange, there was this great flash of ki like that of an upper class S, then it doubled like there's two of them, then there was chaos before it was gone. Like a blown candle leaving a vague shadow, just like that pfft, gone. It was in Yusuke's part of the Makai, next to his border with Yomi's.


We would have investigated but the tensions between the 3 kingdoms have escalated what with Yomi driving demons out of his kingdom who won't swear loyalty to him. Mokuro asked whats the deal and he said he was merely ridding his kingdom of vermin. Cleaning up the fields were his words.


"Cleaning up, my ass." that was my reply and Mokuro agreed. Yomi is building an army.


SO I have 2 reasons for being here. To tell that slacker Yusuke his kingdom is in danger and to check on that stupid fox.


Speaking of the demon... seems he's done washing the dishes, that mother of his don't know what kind of power she has over that youko. Good thing that woman is a nice person, yeah I kinda like her too, she's okay for a ningen. And finally he's going to his room.


I'm exasperated already and we haven't exchanged words yet.


Hmmmm.... he looks... different.


He's taller now, lean but filled out, his shoulders seem broader and his hair, that ridiculous red hair, had grown long enough to touch his butt. His face has lost it's youth, he looks more masculine but still, there's that roundness to him that was feminine. It made him look soft and vulnerable when really he isn't.


Yes he is a full grown man now. He grew so quickly.


He's suppressing his youki admirably I can't sense how powerful he has become.


And his eyes! Those deep emeralds are so... I don't know what it is. But it's not the same eyes.


Kurama's eyes we're almost always filled with sadness or with mirth or with alert understanding or with... now I understand.


This man's eyes are... dead. Empty.


It's the absence of anything in his eyes that had me stumped. Kurama's eyes two years ago were always so lively, expressing his feelings when he wants to and even if he closes himself off there was at least an expression in them. A spark of something.


This man stood in the middle of his room staring with empty eyes at his bed. It was several moments before he decided to raise a hand and touch his hair brushing his mane back with his fingers. I watched his hand fall to his side and he resumed staring into space.


I stayed where I am, my youki shrunk into a tiny ball within myself, letting only a miniscule amout out to keep me on this traitorous limb.


Two years...


He finally moved, he 'dragged' his feet to his bed then crawled over it to a corner where he curled up, his arms wrapped around his knees.


I frowned. If I use my Jagan he will see me, but I have to know if he's Kurama.


He looks like him, feels like him, but I need to be closer.


And if he's not Kurama I'll be putting his family in danger. Because I will not tolerate anybody copying one of my friends.


My first best friend. The one I trust.


I took my ward off and toched his youki.


He leapt off the bed like he's been burnt and stood in the middle of the room with his hand behind his back. His eyes became slits of apprehension as he searched me out face expressionless. He straightened and what spark of life I saw in his eyes died.


"Oh, it's just you." his shoulders slumped and he leaned on his door as he brushed his hand through his hair again with the same hand he kept behind his back. He looked pass the window and straight at me unerringly "Well?" he asked.


I can't really hear him, he was just forming the words with his lips, but I can almost hear him in my head. Our old connection.


I raked him with my Jagan sensing how his powers have grown, his emotions are closed off I can't sense what he's feeling. His face betrayed no emotion either. I shuddered involuntarily, this is Kurama, I know his youki anywhere. But he wasn't warm anymore. He's gone cold.


I closed my Jagan and leapt to the tree closer to his window. I stood on the tree limb that was directly in front of his window and watched him as he watched me. He was sizing me up as I was sizing him up.


"Come Hiei, no need to be shy with an old friend." He tilted his head to one side " Am I still your friend?" He asked me. He wasn't sounding his words just forming them with his lips so I can see them. I waited, we have a tradition...


He sighed moved away from his door and opened his window. He backed away and kept his eyes on me as I went in.


I crossed my arms and frowned. Whats wrong with him?


I sniffed at him and... but I can't smell anything that well with more that 4 steps between us. I went closer and grabbed a handful of his forelock, he tensed but I ignored him, I took a deep breath of his hair. It is him but... somethings wrong...


I looked up at his eyes and saw... fear? Anger? It was only a second then they became dull and hollow again. My frown deepened.


My eyes are level with his chin, so it's true that I did grow a little. Still I had to stand on my toes to smell his skin.


I took a deep breath of that o so familliar scent of Youko, the scent of Kurama so hard to describe, but always with that strong hint of roses. My nose brushed his neck accidentally and his skin broke into gooseflesh.


The squared shoulders sagged and he bent close to press his nose against my hair. He breathed me in and I let him. I let him know that it's me, I let my hold on my youki relax to let him see how much my own powers have grown and to warn Yusuke of my prescence as well.


His hand very gently tilted my head to one side as he scented my skin. His breath is warm against my throat, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck go up, then... he also let go of his youki.


Class S definitely. Upper class S? Maybe. But how did he manage it in just 2 years? I was suddently intrigued with the kind of training he did.


But... there's still something wrong with the way he smelled.


No it wasn't a smell it was ...


I pulled away and looked up at him.


"Hiei, long time no see." He said his voice just a shade darker, sadder...


"It is you, but I smell something else." I said.


He looked at me like I wasn't there then he crossed his arms over his chest as he made his way to his closet. He started bringing out clothes as he answered me. "It's Yomi, he marked me." I watched him throw clothes on his bed haphazardly... a long time ago he would have carefully laid out every article of clothing.


"Where are you going?" I asked, because that's what he looked like he was doing. It took him a long time to answer and his answer was very unsatisfactory.


"Away." he said as he threw socks and underwear on the bed.


"Where?" I'm persistent, he knows that.


"Anywhere." Why is he pushing me away?


I grabbed him by an arm and pushed him against the wall to face me. "What's wrong with you?" I snapped at him. "Did I do something wrong? Tell me because I will not be ignored!"


He looked at me, really looked at me. The muscles in his arm bunched and weakened my hold, but he didn't pull away. "Why you concerned all of a sudden?" he asked.


I glared at him. " I asked you first. Where are you going?"


"Since when did that became your business?" He asked his voice cool and level.


Why is he driving me away? Why is he pushing at me so hard? Something's wrong...


"Are you going to hold me against the wall all night?" he asked when I didn't answer. I let him go and backed away. I watched him brush his arm of imaginary dust and resume going through his things.


I stayed there and watched him, even though I have been effectively dismissed with that brushing of his arm thing he did. He's completely ignoring me. Why is he doing this to me? Why am I letting him do this to me?


I have a mission here. I will deal with that first then I will get to the bottom of this crap Kurama is throwing at me.


I will not be fucking ignored.


I went out his window without a word and left it open to the bitter autumn winds.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I fell on my knees, he's gone he's finally gone, I reached under the bed for my suitcase and opened it with numb fingers.


I don't think I could have kept my composure if he had stayed 5 more minuites.


I hope he dosen't come back Inari I hope he hates me.


My silk tunics are too tight now, I need to shop for clothes. My shoes don't fit me that well either. I heaved a sigh and tried to remember the name of that pawnshop across from town. I broke into one last night to get some money so I can buy a plane ticket and to get my passport and other stuff. But I guess I'll have to get into another pawnshop or store to get more money for clothes.


I don't want to impose on Okasan, she will gladly loan me the money but.... I don't intend to come back.


She's so worried about me, Otosan kept his silence but I can tell he was very worried too.


Shuichi kept stealing glances at me when he thinks I'm not looking.


My room is freezing, he left my window open. It was open all the time he was here and I didn't feel cold. He took the warmth with him when he left. And he left me cold.


Goddamit... I'm still in love with that son of a bitch.


I thought it was gone, I thought I'm over him. That time I got the courage to tell him how I felt about him he rejected me. He opted to pursue his career as Mokuro's heir. He ripped my heart out and fed it back to me piece by piece. But I forgave him because, I love him, I can give him no less.


2 years I tried to forget him, 2 years I tried to forget myself and become something else. Maybe he rejected me because I was weak, so I trained mercilessly pushing myself to near death more than several times.Maybe I wasn't beautiful enough. Most demons are bisexul, I'm very sure Hiei is one because he told me once about this demoness who seduced him in a slave trading post and the demon he had to satisfy sexually to escape a trap.


He never told anyone stories of his life except me.


I felt him every now and then touching my prescence, but then it faded, and I was glad because I won't have to remember him and come to expect that brush of thought from him. I can loose myself and forget who I am and be the demon I was. The demon I am.


Then he came tonight, that touch of thought was so familliar once it never bothered me. Tonight it sent me off the bed ready to destroy anything that moved. It shook me, I had to lean on my door to keep my knees from trembling. I was mad at him, I didn't want anything to do with him, I don't want him in my room.


But I went and opened my window anyway. And what was the first thing he did when he got in? He came into my personal space like he belonged in there grabbed my forelock and smelled me. And if that wasn't enough he pulled me closer to him and scented my skin.


That broke me.


What ever anger, misgivings, hurt, whatever bad feelings I had for Hiei blew away like so much dust uncovering the fact that deep inside I'm still in love with that bastard.


His scent made me want to cry. I haven't been this close to him in years. My suitcase blurred and swam before me, now that he's not here I can cry my eyes out as much and as long as I want.


He smells so good. He smelled of that pine tree from across the street, he smelled like warm amber, of toasted marshmallows, of clean sunburned skin. He smells so goddam good. He let me tilt his head so I can taste the skin on his neck. That small patch of his skin burned me to the core!


I dragged my pillow over to me and muffled my sobs in it's detergent softness.


Tonight I practically ripped my own heart out just so I can do that to him. He hates being ignored he hated being disregarded, he hates being dismissed like that. I pressed my face on my pillow and clutched at my chest. I hurt his feelings to keep him away from me, I can't be weak now, I have to be strong, I have to see this trhough. This is the only way.


Goddam it why am I still in love with you?!


Ah Hiei! What have I done to you? Please forgive me, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.


Suiichi's steps muffled by socks and carpet came thumping up the stairs down the corridor and... what does he want with me? He went pass his room. I wiped my eyes on the pillow forcing down the lump in my throat.


"Oniisan?" he asked as he knocked lightly on my door. Everyone's been walking lightly around me... what do I look like to these people now? Even Hiei was cautious...


"Yes?" I asked as I stood to close my window and to open the door. There's no hiding the fact that I've been crying...


"Uh, Oniisan, phone." he held out the cordless to me. I took it from him but not before I saw the fear mixing with his concern and his longing to be close to me again. Like we used to be. He opened his mouth to speak but I didn't want to loose the fragile hold I have over my self pity.


"Domo." I nodded and closed the door. I don't want to look, I don't want to give in, I can't give in... I cleared my throat.


"Hello Yusuke." I said as I put the phone to my ear. I wasn't mistaken.


"Hey Kurama, you've been in the city for days, how come you never called? I'm this close to getting insulted man, if you don't show up anytime soon I'm going to come over and beat the crap out of you . Do you understand?"


Good old Yusuke, I bit my lower lip wishing I could smile again. "I'm sorry Yusuke I was kinda busy, will you be at Keiko's noodle house tomorrow?" I'm proud of the fact that my voice didn't shake.


"Yeah the noodle house opens at 7:30 I stay there till 2 pm. Don't make have to give you a house call Kurama, you'll regret it, gods! You don't call, you didn't even say 'hi'. What the hell man? I want to know your still alive or something we all do. I thought I'd give you some time but it seems-" He stopped, well he has the right to be indignant, Yusuke...


"Alright, tomorrow, I'm going to the noodlehouse before I go shopping and we'll talk okay?" I conceeded. I owe him that much.


"Okay, we'll talk then, right now I have a visitor." he said his voice held a hint of surprise.


I know who his unexpected guest is. "Tomorrow morning then. Bye." I said and hung up.


My little brother is outside my door. He never left, he was listening to me. I opened the door and saw him looking up at me. My brother is not so little anymore but I'm still taller than he is. I knelt down so I can look up at him and gave him back the phone. "Thank you."


He took the phone from me, he looked behind me at my bed and I saw what I feared to see in his eyes.


I found myself in his arms small hiccuping sounds told me he was crying. His eyes, his face too close to my hair. I pulled him away from there and pushed him gently down so he can cry on my shoulder instead.


My little brother is as tall as Hiei now... he wept silently in my arms, knowing I was leaving and that I was being vague because I'm not coming back, he picked up on it really quick. But he didn't say anything, he just held on to me. This is how close we are, me and little Suiichi.


I brushed his hair back from his temple and took a deep breath of my human brother remembering his scent for posterity, the salt of his tears, the nori he crumbled on his rice, the babysoap my mother preffers, the fabric softner in his cotton shirt that smelled like green apples, the sweet cakes in his breath... he hasn't brushed his teeth yet and he has homework.


"That's enough now, Suiichi." I said as I patted his back "You have homework and you haven't brushed your teeth yet."


"Oniisan?" He said as he wiped his eyes on the sleeves of his shirt.


"Yes?" I asked with just a little apprehension.


"He was here wasn't he? The little guy with the black spiky hair. Did he hurt you?" he asked. My face must have changed because he was suddenly doubting his position in my life. I reached out and patted his head and forced myself to smile.


"Nah, he couldn't hurt me," Liar, he did so and you fell apart "we're we too loud?"


"No, Okasan was washing dishes she didn't hear Otosan was watching T.V. I was on the stairs going up, when I heard his voice." He looked down at his knees. "Your not coming back are you?"


I lowered my hand "What and miss out on your making a fool out of yourself on the soccer field? I don't think so, I'll miss annoying you too much. But I think I've done my big brotherly duty of making you cry today."


"Hmph, you wish." he said pouting now but still doubting me.


"I'll just be gone for a month or so not as long as the last time." Liar, liar, pants on fire.


"Really? But where are you going?" he asked.


"Abroad, to see the world." I said.


"Cool! Where you going first?" he asked leaning closer.


"You know I'm really getting nauseaus smelling your nori and soy sauce breath combo, would you mind brushing your teeth for me pls?" I said as I wrinkled my nose at him.


Suiichi rose up on his knees and went "Hhaaaaiiiii oniisaaaaaahhhnn." closer to my face.


"Thank you very much." I pushed at him and he dodged, he ran laughing down the corridor to the bathroom we share. "Hurry up or I won't help you with your homework."


"Thanks Onisan!" he shouted.