Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Patron ❯ Chapter 3

Youko watched Asuka as Shuuichi left them in their apartment. She couldn't seem to believe what she'd been bought for and he'd take advantage of her disbelief to establish his dominance over her. He could deal with belonging to Shuuichi, even if his master had less power than him at the moment he knew that it was only because he'd benefited from the other's mania for growing stronger while they shared a body and he was originally a kitsune. But he couldn't stand being submissive to a two-tail, and if he didn't do something now he would be, by the end of the fifth lesson, at most. So, to retain some slight psychological edge, he remained standing instead of joining her as she sat seiza on the cushions in the main room.

 

“I doubt that Shuuichi-sama will bother to bed you again. So in addition to teaching your duties are to do all the chores necessary to keep the apartment fit for entertaining him.” He tilted his head, looking down at her in vague contempt, if she harboured any hopes of challenging him for the top spot among Shuuichi's concubines this would bring it out. One of his Patrons had kept at least three concubines at all times, and he'd never managed to come out better than third when there were five in total. “Well, those that don't involve you leaving the apartment.”

 

“Since I cannot pass as human?” She was accepting it easily, he just hoped he hadn't gotten so out of practice at hiding his emotions that the relief he felt that she wasn't going to fight his dominance showed. “As you wish, but you will need to teach me how to do these chores. And what of these?” A gesture to the plants he'd grown while their master claimed her. “Humans don't normally grow plants like this, do they?” She kept her eyes cast down submissively as she spoke, keeping her words from seeming like a challenge.

 

“I have a list of humans who know what we are, I can turn away any others who come here without warning. We'll get warning if any humans need to visit, I take it that you can hide them with illusion given that?”

 

“I-I'm not sure.” She shot a nervous glance up at him and he finally came to kneel opposite her. “If you would be willing to supply me with your ki then certainly, but I couldn't hide something so big for very long by myself.”

 

It was a reasonable request, and at least he knew how to feed ki to another, it was something he'd gotten down to a fine art in fact. Partly because that was something every demon could do, with varying degrees of skill, and it was very similar to his Plant Mastery. Come to think of it...

 

“I can do that. Tell me, have you found out what elemental or Quest-class abilities you have yet?”

 

“No. I haven't.” She blushed a deep red and Youko hid his satisfaction at causing that response. “No one in my clan knew what abilities I might gain, and they didn't manifest obviously.”

 

“Genkai-shihan or Hiei might be able to help with that. Mastering the unpredictable abilities will be the fastest way for you to gain another tail. That's how I gained my second tail, and it only took me twenty years, as opposed to five or six hundred each for the next two.” She gasped in shock at that, he extended his empathic senses to find out if she felt any contempt for how long it had taken him to gain his third and fourth tail - even if he hadn't needed them, even though he'd been capable of taking care of himself by the time he returned from his self-exile to the ningenkai to gain more control over his powers. Shuuichi had been contemptuous enough, since he hadn't even thought about finding out what he was supposed to be capable of. He found that she was awed not contemptuous, he hadn't expected that, and he knew that his surprise showed.

 

“There were five four-tailed kitsune in my clan when I left, five out of nearly eight hundred, and not one of them was under two thousand years old. But...if it took you twenty years to gain your second tail how does Shuuichi-sama know that a tail can be gained in under ten years?”

 

How much could he afford to say? He wasn't going to risk telling her the full story, besides which he wasn't entirely certain about that himself, but...

 

“I cannot tell you that, you'll have to ask him directly if you want to know.” He shrugged and stood, reaching a hand down to help her up. “I'll show you what you need to do now.” She placed her hand in his, accepting the implied order.

 

 

***0***

 

 

The three kitsune were sitting seiza in a circle, facing inwards early the evening after their master had bought Asuka, since Shuuichi had started back at school that day. Shuuichi had an old piece of paper in front of him, he must have written it out while he'd been doing his homework, since Youko had always tended to just fade into the back of his mind when he did homework for some subjects, the ones that bored him.

 

“To summarise what I learned from you six years ago, no living kitsune has had more than four tails, until Youko and I were separated. The abilities that all kitsune have are; sexually oriented empathy, the ability to change from our natural fox form to the humanoid form and a Quest-class or elemental ability. When we gain our second tail we also gain the ability to create foxfire, telepathy and some ability with illusions, which increases as we earn more tails...you didn't mention if there was an upper limit?” Their master raised one eyebrow as he looked at Asuka.

 

“In a way. The four-tails of my clan could create illusions of anything, and they could only be distinguished from reality by using ki-senses, rather than physical senses. It's said that five-tails can create illusions that can almost never be distinguished from reality and the ability to create illusions doesn't improve beyond that, but since there haven't been any five-tails for so long it's just a legend.” Asuka shrugged, blushing as she did.

 

“When Youko manages to learn how to create illusions we'll find out if it's true then. To continue: with a third tail kitsune are supposed to gain telekinesis and the ability to take human form, and the fourth gives us the ability to assume other humanoid forms besides the half fox one. What else does legend say a five-tail can do?”

 

“The only other thing legend mentions for a five-tail is the ability to combine illusion and shapeshifting to change gender on the surface. It's said that a six-tail can change gender completely, enough to father or carry a child if desired, but who knows.” Asuka shrugged again, carefully not pointing out that if Youko managed to gain his sixth tail they'd be able to test it. He was grateful for that, he didn't particularly want to be used as his master's broodmare, and he knew that Shuuichi would choose the more powerful of his concubines as the mother of his kits given a choice. But...

 

“Might I learn how to change my apparent gender first Shuuichi-sama? It would make Kaasan happier.”

 

“Pay attention, my pet. You need to master illusion and shapeshifting first, since changing gender combines these things...presumably illusion so you look female to others, and shapeshifting so it feels real to you. We'll start with illusions Asuka. What do we need to do?”

 

She took a deep breath, obviously steadying herself to tell two more powerful kitsune what to do, something that should feel unnatural to her. “Creating an illusion is a matter of forming an image in your mind and then making it take substance wherever you choose. The better the image the better the illusion, but you can alter the image once you've created it. I was told that everyone has different ways of perceiving the process of making an illusion, for me it always feels as if I'm weaving a net of light.”

 

“That sounds a lot like what I do to create an object or person in the dreamscape.” Shuuichi sounded amused at the idea. “The basic concept anyway. Your method makes me wonder if your element isn't light. It never occurred to me to connect what I do in the dreamscape to the waking world, but...” Youko could feel him exert his ki and suddenly Karasu was standing in front of them. Youko flinched before he realised that he couldn't sense any ki from the image.

 

“Are you sure you need me to teach you anything Shuuichi-sama?” Asuka sounded shocked at his casual display of control. Youko kept his eyes to the floor to hide his inevitable embarrassment and made his own effort at creating an illusion, of that ring Yuusuke was given to boost his Rei Gun. It was botched every bit as badly as he'd botched the goban in the dreamscape.

 

“I need you to teach Youko, and it never occurred to me to try this before, yes I need your teaching. But you can focus on Youko for this week. By the way, one of my Yakuza contacts has a `mistress' who cross-dresses. `She' will be coming to visit the day after tomorrow, to help you work out how to dress as Akari. Once we've got that sorted out I can get you a fake ID and get you accounts in a number of stores. I'll be leaving money in your bedroom for that. Asuka, I'll be taking you to visit Genkai-shihan on Sunday, to check what your elemental abilities might be, and help you access them, will you need any more clothes, or material to make some for yourself?”

 

“N-no. You have been more than generous Shuuichi-sama.” He'd bought her a number of outfits and the material to make more before they left the Makai, simply by going to a shop and offering a Hiruseki for whatever she wanted. Asuka turned to Youko then. “Youko-san, would you show me your illusion again?”

 

Glancing at Shuuichi for permission he obeyed, and listened as the vixen critiqued his methods.

 

“Youko, this might improve your abilities in the dreamscape. Work hard at it; I'll expect to see some improvement when I visit you tonight.” Then he left, threat unspoken. Not that he needed to verbalise his threat.

 

 

***0***

 

 

Youko had dressed in one of his yukata for this meeting, since Shuuichi seemed to prefer him in traditional outfits, and he had the suspicion that it would be easier for him to cross-dress when he was dressed like that. For the Patrons who'd wanted him to appear female in public he'd always gone for veils and robes, concealing his figure, as well as a whole host of tricks with how he spoke and held himself, and he pulled all of them out when he heard the doorbell and went to greet this Yakuza's `mistress'.

 

He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but this wasn't it. The man in front of him was dressed in a Western style business suit, dark green with a jacket that emphasised `her' narrow waist and a skirt cut to reveal beautifully shaped legs from the knee down. `Her' pale blue blouse revealed just a hint of cleavage that couldn't be real and `she' wore black court shoes along with black stockings and a garter belt that only his enhanced senses would notice beneath the skirt. `Her' black hair was put up in a chignon and `her' dark green eyes were amused - if it hadn't been for her scent he wouldn't have known he was looking at a man, even the ki didn't give strong enough cues, which had happened before. `She' had an escort too, three men in black Western suits with obvious guns hidden beneath the jackets - well, obvious to him anyway.

 

“Hello, I am Youko Akari.” If he was going to do this then he'd introduce himself by the name Kaasan had given him, and use the feminine forms. “I take it that you are the one my Patron said would be coming to help me?” Youko offered a helpless shrug as he stepped back away from the door. “I hope you were given more information than Shuuichi-sama chose to give me. But please, do come in, you can put your shoes in the closet to the right, and your jackets in the one to the left should you choose to do so.”

 

“Thank you. I am Himura Aya.” As `she' was speaking `she' removed her shoes, lifting her feet one at a time to do so, then `she' let one of `her' bodyguards remove the jacket. When the bodyguards moved to come into the apartment without removing their shoes Youko put an arm out to stop them.

 

“I seem to have failed to make myself clear. Removing your jackets is optional, removing your shoes is not. Himura-san, what do you wish to see first?” He turned away, assuming the ningen would obey, and from the sounds he heard they did.

 

“The only thing that damages the illusion you present is how you look, and that seems mostly a matter of dress, make-up and perhaps styling your hair differently. But you knew about me as soon as you opened the door. Was it just that you had been warned?”

 

“That and your scent.” Youko shrugged again, pushing the hair that had fallen over his left shoulder back with a calculated grace. “I have an exceptional sense of smell, just as my Patron does.” `Her' eyes widened just slightly at that, just enough to tell him that `her' Patron hadn't known how Shuuichi was aware of his true gender, but safe enough to reveal since Shuuichi supplied drugs and an excellent sense of smell would aid in that.

 

“Ah. I should see your bedroom, and what sort of clothes you have.” Himura frowned at him, unhappily, as he led `her' and `her' bodyguards to his bedroom. “You seem young to be doing this sort of thing.” A leading statement, rather than a question, but it would be better to reassure `her' in a way.

 

“I've been with my Patron for a long time.” And by human standards it even was. “I made a ten year contract with him before we were together the first time.” It had been meant to be a ten year contract. He knelt gracefully to pick up Asuka in her fox form as they passed through the office, letting his sleeve ride up just enough to show the bruises from where Shuuichi had bound him overnight, leaving him with instructions not to get his plants to release him until the morning, as punishment for not being able to work in the dreamscape any better than he had the first time he tried.

 

“I was generous. I gave you two days to practise before I tested you. You failed to show any improvement, so I'm punishing you. But I understand that this is hard for you, so it's mild.” Shuuichi had stood at the side of his bed as he'd explained to Youko, after allowing him five minutes to panic when he realised he wasn't going to be released after Shuuichi had finished taking his pleasure.

 

“Then why does he only now want you to disguise yourself as a woman?” `She' sounded puzzled. “It isn't as if he's become ashamed of preferring men, is it?”

 

“He doesn't prefer men, he enjoys males and females equally.” Youko replied absently as he pulled some of his yukata and underthings out of his clothes chest. “But someone who matters finds it distasteful that I share his bed, so he requires me to look female, to appease her.” He stood, turning to her. “Is this a sufficient sample? I only have one Western suit, the rest are yukata like these. My Patron prefers a more traditional style. That's why he was surprised that she held to those Gaijin notions about gender.”

 

“I think with the right bra and prosthetics, as well as the right sort of underwear these would work on the clothes front. You also need to get make-up, and I'll show you how to do your hair. Any ideas?”

 

“A high pony-tail for my hair I thought, if I cannot just leave it loose.”

 

“That will work as well. Come with me.” Youko grabbed his purse, fastening it to his obi before they left.

 

 

***0***

 

 

Youko shivered unhappily as he slowly dressed as a woman, first the bra and false breasts, then an amber yukata embroidered with silver roses, and a darker amber obi. He'd put on his geta before he left, even if they were harder to walk in than zori, he'd worn both before. This would be his first time appearing in public dressed like this, even if he'd been practising in the apartment since Himura's visit, and worse, it would be in front of the Tantei, since they were all interested in Shuuichi's new concubine. She would be wearing something practical, leather pants and a leather vest, black to match her hair, he wasn't even sure he could fight in this outfit. But Shuuichi thought it would be better for him to test out his skills at cross-dressing on people who knew him. He took his brush and put his hair up in a high pony-tail - far more practical than the more elaborate styles Himura had shown him - adding an amber ribbon to cover the hair tie, then used as little make-up as he thought he could get away with.

 

He took a final look in the mirror, to make sure he hadn't done something stupid, and that the stares he was bound to get in public would be for his traditional style of dress in a time when almost all ningen aped Gaijin fashions, knowing as he did that he was delaying. He'd started getting ready early enough that it wasn't really a problem, but he didn't like the implied weakness, especially if Asuka noticed it. She didn't seem inclined to challenge his dominance, but he didn't want to risk it; even if she was more broken than he was from her years in that brothel, which she might not be, she was still his teacher in how to use all the abilities he'd failed to master before.

 

It was with a hint of relief that he noticed the chipped red polish on his nails, polish that Himura had insisted he needed to wear, but that looked wrong with this yukata, for the colour if nothing else. And she'd said that a woman was supposed to have perfectly painted nails, at all times ideally, but failing that at least for formal occasions, which this wasn't, but it was his first presentation to the Tantei and Genkai like this. And it reminded him of something he'd forgotten after Himura had finished putting him through his paces, something he shouldn't have forgotten, but that he couldn't afford to let ningen know about, because it would raise awkward questions.

 

“Asuka, come here.”

 

“You look good, Youko.” She sounded surprised, even though he'd dressed like this before he hadn't bothered with the make-up, just put it on briefly to practise, then washed it off, and he'd left his hair loose like a proper mane should be. “What do you want?”

 

“You need to put some make-up on, and some nail polish too. I know it isn't exactly practical, but...we're concubines, it's expected to some degree. Did you ever wear make-up in that brothel?” She hadn't been wearing it when Shuuichi bought her, he knew that.

 

“Only if a client requested it in advance.” She was blushing, and had lowered her eyes, good she was reacting submissively.

 

“But you know how to use it. Good. Here,” He'd found the box of make-up he'd bought for her on Wednesday. “this contains the basics, eyeshadow, lipstick, blusher, mascara and nail polish in pretty generic shades, ones that are supposed to work for most people. Use it. Go to the entrance hall for your shoes and change to fox form when you've finished.”

 

“Yes Youko. Subtle, like yours?”

 

“Subtle, but there.” He turned away from her then, picking up the nail polish remover and starting to clean his nails in clear dismissal. There was a gold shade of nail polish among the selection Himura had insisted he needed and that would work well with this outfit.

 

Asuka hadn't finished by the time he stepped out into the main room, so he found her leash, a length of steel chain that he could fasten to her collar, which Shuuichi had set to still show when she was in fox form, and knelt to wait for her, they still had time after all, even if they were taking the train most of the way there.

 

When he saw her shift to fox form so easily something caught in his throat, and he hoped that he'd be permitted to spend the time at Genkai's temple exploring the forests in fox form instead of training. Shuuichi did want to equal or surpass him, so it was likely, he thought as he fastened Asuka's leash on her and locked the apartment door behind him.

 

 

***0***

 

 

Genkai sighed in frustration when she sensed Youko approaching her temple with another kitsune. She didn't want another student, Yuusuke was trouble enough, with his erratic power levels and complete lack of understanding of his own emotions, and she hated the idea of slavery that the demons seemed to find so normal. But somehow Kurama had persuaded her to at least look at his new concubine.

 

“Genkai-shihan, I found Asuka in a brothel eight years ago. There wasn't anything I could do for her then, but now that I can help her I will. She's teaching us both the abilities Youko never had the chance to learn, but she never found out what her offensive abilities are. Quest-class abilities tend to be varied in nature, but there are signs that she didn't show, and certain common elements. So she has to have some elemental abilities, but none of her clan have abilities with the same element as her. Please, even if you can just help us work out what her element is that would be enough for us to start finding out how she can use it. If we can't give her that she'll probably end up being enslaved and raped again when I free her, that or forced to stay with her clan all the time, to stay safe.”

 

“Are you saying she can't fight at all?” That sounded unlikely to Genkai, demons had to know how to fight, just to survive to adulthood.

 

“No, she can fight, I think,” Kurama was frowning as he answered her, “although I've never seen her in action, but her abilities aren't the sort that do much good in combat - except perhaps foxfire. I heard about the contest you held to determine your successor. I'd estimate her abilities are about the same as those who reached either the second or third stage, but not equal to those who got to the duelling stage.” He shrugged as he spoke. “I know that means you won't think she's worth your time, but I swear that if we can just identify her element I should be able to find a way to teach her to use it in combat.”

 

“Very well. Bring her here on Sunday. What element do you think her abilities lie with?” Genkai knew that Kurama had to suspect what abilities lay hidden within his concubine, or he wouldn't have asked her to help.

 

“I'd rather not say. It would be better if you looked with an unbiased eye.”

 

She didn't let her surprise show when Youko arrived in human form, dressed in a yukata, looking like a beautiful, exotic woman. He was more than capable of taking care of himself anyway, but it would be fun to see how the Dimwit reacted to him. The vixen was the one who concerned her. She was dressed for battle, in leather, hair braided out of the way in a very human fashion, Genkai knew from Kurama that kitsune usually fought with their manes left hanging loose, but she kept her gray eyes cast down, and she didn't seem to show the sort of awareness the Tantei did. Not promising, but she had said she'd try.

 

“Genkai-shihan, this is Toura Asuka, my Patron's other concubine.” Youko smiled at her as he spoke, teasingly, she was glad he was willing to do that, it had been unnerving how submissively he'd behaved the last time she saw him. “I remember what Yuusuke and Kuwabara said about your testing, and brought plenty of 100 yen coins for your arcade games.”

 

“Good. You can play on some of the others while Asuka tests herself on the Janken, Karaoke and Punching games.”

 

“Yes, Genkai-shihan.” The fox let his eyes fall then, and glanced towards the forest wistfully. Genkai didn't need to read his mind to know what he was thinking.

 

“Stay until my dimwit apprentice and Kuwabara turn up. I'll tell Yukina not to let them know who you are, I want to see how long it takes them to figure it out for themselves. Then you can go and play.”

 

“If Shuuichi-sama gives me permission. Might I just stay with Yukina-san while you test Asuka? I should do some more work on illusions, it may help persuade my Patron to let me go.”

 

“Yes, go on.” She warned Yukina about the joke she intended to play on her apprentice, while Asuka used the games, then returned to assess her abilities.

 

“77 points on the Karaoke, 118 points on the Punching game at best, and 9 correct predictions on the Janken machine. I can see what Kurama meant. I won't waste my time training you, but sit down and tell me what you know about your magic. The elemental aspects, not the standard kitsune things.”

 

 

***0***

 

 

Youko bit off a curse as he sensed Asuka's pain and need for someone. But he knew his duty, to comfort and help her if their Patron wasn't there to do it himself. And he wasn't. Youko's nerves had meant they arrived here well in advance of him. But at least he'd made some improvement in his illusions since Shuuichi had tested him, so he had something to show his Patron if the other demanded it.

 

Asuka rarely let him perceive her emotions, and never negative emotions like this before, so he'd been expecting to see something a little more dramatic than Gankai sitting opposite Asuka, while the vixen seemed to be trying frantically to think of something.

 

“Asuka, what difficulties are you having?” He came to kneel behind her, and pull her back into his lap in a gesture that showed equal measures of dominance and comfort.

 

“I thought I was to come here so I could learn what my element was, not to be mocked for not alreay knowing it.”

 

“Genkai-shihan, I do not understand?”

 

“If she knows that her abilities lie with an element she should have noticed clues as to which element she can control. Even negative results will be useful.” She seemed scornful, and Youko had to admire Asuka, he might well have flinched had that scorn been directed at him. “I thought kitsune were supposed to be smart. Guess that's just Kurama, both of them.”

 

“Asuka, think about the way you use your kitsune abilities, or the elements you know you can't control. I've only begun to make any headway with illusions by treating them like a plant I was controlling a bit. Or...Hiei likes things hot because his powers lie in heat, Yukina prefers the cold for similar reasons, and both I and Shuuichi-sama would spend all our time with plants given a chance. What sort of thing do you like doing best?”

 

“Oh. There were kitsune among my clan who could control fire, earth, wind and water. And it was said that one of the four-tails could speed up or slow down time, to some extent. One of the kitsune with powers relating to earth specialised in crystals, and there was one who combined mostly air with a bit of water control to manipulate weather. They all said my abilities were nothing like theirs, so...” She shrugged against his chest, Youko didn't like her defeatist attitude, but he couldn't deny the advantages it gave him.

 

“Was that why you left your clan?” He couldn't really conceive of doing such a thing by his own choice.

 

“In part, yes.” She didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't make her. “I always saw creating my illusions as weaving with light, and my foxfire always starts as a ball of light. My empathy, I perceive the emotions as different shades of light, and I always used to trade tasks that took me into shadows for ones where I could stay in the light. I planted Sunstars in my den when I was old enough to have one of my own. Before that I would only come into the den when I was dragged, or when it was full dark.”

 

“Then I think I know what your element is. Light. It's almost unheard of. This just might be worth my time after all.” Genkai sounded almost happy about that. “Youko, get away from her. If you're too close when I test her it will interfere with the testing process and I won't get a true reading.” That wasn't anything he could understand, he just obeyed and let Asuka down onto the floor before stepping away, eventually moving over to the other side of the room at Genkai's commands to move further.

 

He couldn't see exactly what they were doing, nor hear what Genkai was saying to Asuka, so he occupied himself with trying to form illusions right, but suddenly, almost half an hour after they'd started there was a flash of light from the other side of the room. It wasn't very bright, perhaps as much as a single Sunstar blossom opening at midnight, but from the excitement Asuka was feeling she had created it, and controlled it.

 

“I've got more information somewhere in my library. I'll lend you the books and you can come here for assessment and some help every weekend.”

 

“Thank you Genkai-sensei.” Asuka sounded so excited as she followed Genkai.

 

“Youko, wait with Yukina. Come and get me when the others arrive.”

 

“Yes, Genkai-shihan. Forgive my presumption, but you do realise that she can only train with you should Shuuichi-sama permit it?”

 

“He asked me to teach her Fox.” That seemed to be all Genkai felt she needed to say. Youko shrugged and returned to the main room where Yukina was mending a torn yukata and went back to working on his illusions.

 

 

***0***