Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Patron ❯ Chapter 5

Youko knew that he couldn't afford to wait for Genkai to finish training Asuka before he went looking for some fighting outfits, not if he wanted to finish before Shuuichi was out of school. And he knew better than to risk not being available for his Patron's pleasure. He wished that he could go and play in the forest until it was time for him to escort Asuka home, since Genkai understood at least a little of the restrictions they lived under she'd promised to make sure they could get back in time to wait for Shuuichi. It didn't matter as much for Asuka, she'd been bought as a teacher more than anything else, but she'd still have to get back to the apartment before Shuuichi arrived, by herself.

 

“Would you like me to come with you and help you find something to fight in Youko-san?” It was sweet of Yukina to offer, but her taste in anything but kimono made her look like a paedophile's wet dream and he knew she was only offering from duty.

 

“I appreciate the offer, but you're not a fighter and I'll probably get done more quickly by myself.” Besides which Hiei would be pissed if she left Genkai's temple without one of the bodyguards he'd approved of, and even if Shuuichi was on that list Youko wasn't sure that he was. In fact he rather suspected the opposite, who'd trust a concubine with anything important?

 

“If that's what you want, Youko-san. I'll see you tomorrow then?”

 

“Yes, Yukina-san. We could do something with pigeons or deer tomorrow?”

 

“I'll see what I can get. Goodbye, Youko-san.”

 

“Goodbye, Yukina-san.” And then he started off into Tokyo, checking how much cash he had left from what Shuuichi had given him last week. He hadn't spent as much of it as he'd thought shopping with Himura, he had almost two thirds left, so a couple of pairs of leather pants weren't out of the realm of the possible.

 

The first place he went to specialised in motorcycling leathers, he had the feeling that somewhere like that would give the best armouring qualities, and he was probably right, but...

 

“Do you have anything that isn't mostly black?” He looked good in black, but it wasn't his favourite colour to wear.

 

“No, sir, we don't.”

 

“Then I'd like to try these on.” A pair of pants, a jacket, and a vest, they'd cost about a third of his budget put together and he didn't really like the weight of them, even if he was a kitsune his fighting style depended more on speed and reading his opponent than strength - fortunately, because in terms of pure strength he and Shuuichi had to be the weakest of the Tantei. But they didn't feel as heavy on as he'd expected them to, and Shuuichi was the one who had that ridiculously high pain threshold, his was high, but nowhere near what his Patron could handle. And despite his reputation he'd avoided fights as much as he could, partly by making the consequences of crossing him horrific even by Makai standards, and defeating even higher classed demons, by trickery more than power. The clothes didn't exactly look bad on him either, so...

 

“I'll take them, and another pair of pants like this.”

 

“Cash?” The salesman sounded surprised by that, and for a moment Youko thought about explaining, then he decided that no, the human had no need to know.

 

“Is that a problem? Or are you willing to give a discount if I'm paying in cash perhaps? Say...five percent off?” He knew that wasn't going to happen, but he enjoyed the way the man got all flustered, and hurried through completing the sale, especially after Youko looked pointedly at the clock. He'd taken almost an hour just to buy these, and they weren't really enough, no matter how decadent it made him feel to have so many outfits already.

 

The next thing he got was a selection of loose cotton shirts in shades of red, amber and grey, along with two pairs of simple black jeans, because the heavy denim might work to give some protection where lighter fabrics wouldn't. Still, he wasn't sure how well he'd be able to move in them, and when he found a shop that sold gi he immediately bought two before he had to return to the apartment.

 

Asuka was waiting for him, sitting in front of the door in fox form, still wearing her collar, her leash in her mouth, but hidden by an illusion. He could tell that she was unhappy with how long she'd been waiting, but she didn't snap at him the way he'd half expected, instead she just swallowed the clear disregard he'd shown for her - even if he would have come to let her in if she'd just contacted him.

 

“What did you get?” She somehow managed to just sound eager to see his new things, and he couldn't even sense any resentment from her through his empathy.

 

“This for you, for a start.” It was just a cheap silver necklace with a foxhead pendant, but from the smile on her face you'd think it was platinum and diamonds. Than he began to show her all his new clothes, before getting out his sewing.

 

~~~()~~~

 

“Dress as a woman tomorrow.” Shuuichi had been pleased with Youko's choice of clothes, he'd made that very clear when he'd delivered the promised kifu papers and notebooks yesterday. He'd insisted on Youko modelling everything for him, letting him know every time that he looked pleasing, but also commenting on the other aspects of the outfits, the impressions they'd give, and he'd left some more cash to replace some of what he'd spent. Still, Youko wished that he knew why he'd been told to look like a woman today.

 

But his master's reasons didn't matter, and he was appropriately dressed in his pale grey yukata, and writing up a game he'd played with Sai when Shuuichi arrived that afternoon.

 

“Here.” Youko picked the sheaf of documents Shuuichi had thrown at him up from his lap and looked through them. They were all forms of identification, and all the other things that came along with living in the ningenkai.

 

“I wondered why Himura-san insisted that I use one of those photo booths after she'd dressed me up and done my make-up. Was it `her' Patron the one who supplied these?”

 

“No, that would have given him too much possibility of leverage. I just got the pictures from `her'. Your new ID's been entered into all the official computers, that's what took so long, now I can arrange accounts for you. Read through the information and memorise it, then build around it, I'm sure you know how.”

 

“Now Shuuichi-sama?” He doubted it, his Patron didn't get any particular enjoyment from seeing him looking female, so he had to be planning to take Youko somewhere, and introduce him as Akari.

 

“No, put them away safely and get ready to go out.” He only then seemed to notice what Shuuichi had been doing when he arrived. “Are you enjoying your reward my pet?”

 

“Very much Shuuichi-sama. I can already play Net-Go via the internet connection you've permitted us to use, and with these I can record kifu while I play. At least if it isn't Speed-Go.” He smiled at his master, the explanation all too obviously lost on him, before he finished obeying his command.

 

“You bought Asuka a necklace yesterday. I didn't bother to get either of you any jewellery. Should I have?” Shuuichi wrapped his arm around Youko's waist as he questioned him. Not every Patron bothered giving jewellery to their concubines, usually only if they enjoyed seeing it on them, and Shuuichi didn't really care about that, so...

 

“Only if it pleases you Shuuichi-sama. Asuka was so pleased, I think because whores don't get jewellery, and it was another thing that symbolised her improved position.” Except there was one thing. “But...you might wish to give me jewellery if you wish me to attend any formal events with you, so I will not shame you.”

 

“I'll commission some pieces to go with your formal kimono. By the way, you'll be wearing the black yukata to dinner with my mother, and I'll get you something simple to go with that.”

 

“Thank you Shuuichi-sama.” Youko forced himself to smile gratefully at him, even if he didn't want the jewellery he knew that he had to act as if he did. It was expected of a concubine to desire jewellery, and he'd always wanted it before, since he'd be allowed to keep it when he was freed, and that would give him something to live on if he couldn't support himself. But, now he was the most accomplished thief in the Makai, and until he'd died he'd been so feared that no one would use his name, so it felt more than a little degrading to be given pieces of jewellery so he could decorate his Patron's arm.

 

“I know, it's insulting, the implication that your only purpose is to look good for me, but you brought up a valid point. And I need to get Asuka some nice jewellery as well, don't I?”

 

“Yes, but...” If the jewellery he gave her was too expensive then it would affect Youko's position, and Asuka might start making assumptions. The situation was unusual enough in that she was teaching them both, or supposed to be, even if she was weaker than they were, and their Patron wasn't fucking her.

 

“Some cheapish pieces just because, and the more expensive stuff as a reward for teaching us, when you learn how to make perfect illusions for instance.” That was a breathtaking idea. And she couldn't see it as a sign of their Patron favouring her over him, because she'd be given something he chose, while Shuuichi would probably ask Youko what he wanted.

 

They spent three hours at the bank and going around various stores opening accounts for Youko to use, so he could buy all sorts of things, from clothes, to books, to food.

 

“From now on you're responsible for getting the groceries in for you two.”

 

~~~()~~~

 

“Asuka, come here.” The vixen broke from her stretches in surprise at hearing her Patron call for her. He really wasn't interested in her at all sexually, just in her knowledge, he usually had Youko pleasure him. And despite that Youko had been generous enough to give her a necklace yesterday. She shook her head, it didn't matter how much her Patron preferred his other concubine, when he called her she was to come, and she was pulling her fingers through her mane in a motion most of her clients had found alluring as she entered the central room. It wasn't affecting Shuuichi, and she swiftly crossed the room to kneel in front of him.

 

“What is your wish Shuuichi-sama?”

 

“Give me your hand, your right hand.” She didn't understand, but she lifted her hand as commanded. He slid two rings on her fingers, both silver, one onto her first finger set with an opal, the second, onto her third finger was just silver, shaped into a foxhead. “Now the left hand.” She obeyed with a sense of mystified wonder. She'd known she was just here as a teacher, she hadn't expected any jewellery, not even silver like these, and she'd already learned that rings had a special meaning for ningen, from the TV Youko had introduced her to. This new ring was silver too, two hands clasping an onyx heart that was crowned with silver. He slid it onto the middle finger of her hand slowly, the point of the heart away from her hand.

 

“This is called a Claddagh ring. If it's worn with the point towards you it means you're claimed; away from you and it's just a good friend.” He wasn't wearing one himself, but when she glanced at Youko she could see that he was wearing a ring like hers, but gold, with a ruby heart, pointed towards him. And he was showing it off ever so subtly - a five-tail, showing off a gift from a four-tail, almost like he was warning her off or something.

 

“Thank you, Shuuichi-sama.” Asuka hoped that her Patron could see the depths of her gratitude for this unexpected boon.

 

“Go, check on Youko's illusions, then come back to me I have questions I wish to ask of you.”

 

She nodded and moved over to where the other was waiting.

 

“Can you create an illusion, as a demonstration?” She wasn't sure what his illusion was meant to be, but she could see where the problems lay, and she tried to explain what he'd done wrong, and what he needed to do instead, even if her methods wouldn't really work for him. Youko listened to her, showing the respect she'd give any teacher of hers, and tried again, showing some improvement at least. Not much, but... “You're improving faster than most do as far as I can tell. No one's ever tried learning all the stages of illusion at once before, not as a practical matter. We all learn them all at once as theory of course, but I was told not to expect to master any stage of my powers in less than a year.” Youko looked shocked at that. He shouldn't have been, he'd told her himself that it took twenty years to gain control of his abilities with plants, even if that was a more significant power, but it seemed he was.

 

“And of course Shuuichi-sama masters it instantly.” Then he tilted his head and laughed. “No, that isn't accurate, is it. He spent fifteen years learning how to control his personal dreamscape, and that carried over to creating illusions.” Asuka couldn't hide her gasp at Youko's mention of controlling dreams, but he seemed to dismiss it. “If our Patron has things he wishes to ask you, then you should go to him. I can continue practising without the need for supervision.” He smiled at her then, eyes straying back to his efforts at illusion and she obeyed the implied order.

 

Shuuichi was sitting seiza, paper and pen in front of him, and she took her place opposite him.

 

“Your will, Shuuichi-sama?” She only dared prompt him when she realised he'd been lost in thought.

 

“First, would it be easier for you to teach us both shapeshifting together, or to just teach one pupil at a time?”

 

“I think, to just teach one at a time Shuuichi-sama.” It wasn't something she'd considered before, but her teachers had always taught her one on one when it came to magic, then allowed their pupils to practise alone.

 

“Then I should start learning now, so you're free to teach Youko when he finally manages to master illusions. Secondly, I want you to explain what sort of powers are ascribed to the kitsune of legend, ones with five tails or more. Just general terms, not specific ones.”

 

“In general terms then, there are two groups of powers kitsune are said to gain, first powers associated with dreams, dreamwalking and dreamscapes, and secondly the ability to heal using sex.”

 

“Forget that.” Shuuichi scowled at the idea. “We have a healer connected to us already, and the humans on the team are strictly hetero, while Hiei's as asexual as a Koorime.

 

“Tell me about these abilities linked to dreams.”

 

“The simplest is merely to dreamwalk, gained with the sixth tail. The only thing the seventh tail grants is the ability to control one person's dreams, or so legend has it - that might not be accurate. With the eighth tail it is said a kitsune gains the ability to control many people's dreams at once, and to trap any one person in a dreamscape. And with the final tail legend has it that a kitsune can trap as many as he desires within a dreamscape, and force anyone hurt there to be equally hurt when they get back to the real world.”

 

“I see. Well, for now you can start my lessons in shapeshifting. What's the first point?”

 

“The most essential part of this is visualisation, being aware of both the external, and as much of the internal structure of whatever you seek to change into as possible.” And Asuka began trying desperately to remember her own long ago lessons.

 

~~~()~~~

 

Friday, the day Shiori-sama was to judge his appearance as a female, and how suitable he was to belong to Shuuichi. Youko took great care with his appearance, wrapping his black yukata, and tying the obi with as much skill as he possessed, the sort of skill he'd learned when Shuuichi took him to be fitted for his formal kimono. Shiori wouldn't approve of make-up that was too outrageous, so just subtle greys around the eyes, and a amber shade of lipstick. He resisted the temptation to paint his nails black, or even red to match the obi, settling for a discrete shade of silver-grey, carefully understated. He looked in the mirror, anxiously inspecting his appearance for any flaw in the illusion. The only thing he could see was possibly how the yukata closed over his `breasts', possibly covering a bit too much, but also not lying exactly right, even if he couldn't quite tell what was wrong. In the end he shrugged mentally and gave up on trying to work out what was wrong. He had managed to fool Yuusuke and Kuwabara about his gender, even if it was because they tended not to pay too much attention they still had senses most humans didn't. But he wouldn't settle for a simple pony tail today.

 

“Asuka, come here and put my hair up for me!” Telepathy might have been easier than shouting for her, but he didn't see the point in using it while they were in the same apartment, and a small apartment at that, and there was no one present they needed to keep secrets from.

 

“How do you want me to style your hair for you then?”

 

“Something elegant, but not too elaborate. Shiori-sama would not approve of anything too elaborate I do not think, and I am trying to obtain her approval. It would please Shuuichi-sama if she approves of me. And probably if she approves of you as well, but I do not think that her approval is as important to you as it is to me.”

 

“I don't think so either.” Asuka sounded almost amused at the idea. “I mean, I want her to approve of me if it will please our Patron, but you seem to want her approval for its own sake. Why would you care so much about a human's approval?”

 

“I can't explain it to you, but remember, my clan died before I learned the things you're teaching us.” A carefully misleading answer, it would give her part of the answer, he wanted to feel part of a family, but not why, or what made Shiori-sama so special. When she'd let herself be scarred to protect Shuuichi...that had been the thing that broke through the other's careful indifference to her, and that had won his own heart. “Weren't you supposed to be doing my hair?” It wasn't a subtle change of conversation, but it worked and she began working on his hair.

 

“Do you have anything to help me put this up?”

 

“In the black oak box.” Things that Himura had suggested he get, mostly cheap stuff, and some hair ornaments that Shuuichi had got for him on Wednesday. “Use the silver combs or pins decorated with amber if you can.” It should work well enough with what he was wearing, and he had the feeling that Shuuichi would want to show his mother how well he was capable of keeping his property - the rest of his hair things were plastic or steel.

 

“You're lucky that I learned a bit about how to do this in the brothels. In one any whore hurt too badly to be used was required to serve the ones who could be sold this way, and Inu expected us to be able to style one another's hair if it was something a client desired.” She sounded almost...

 

“Did you like belonging to Inu?”

 

“Not exactly, but...of the brothels I'd been in, it was the best in some ways. Punishments were harsher there, but a lot of the things he punished us for none of the others had...like fighting among ourselves.” Her hands stilled for a moment, and he was sure she was shrugging. “Once I learned the rules it offered the best life of all the brothels. I was terrified when I heard I was being sold, even more when I learned what the buyer was and what he already owned. I owe him, and I'll do everything in my power to repay him.” A strong sense of honour then, not uncommon among kitsune, he'd been an exception in that as well, and of course there were some cases where almost all kitsune felt honour did not apply. Such as when dealing with anyone who kept a kitsune slave of their clan, even one acquired legitimately, except when that slave was a concubine.

 

“I'm done, is it acceptable?”

 

“I don't know, get another mirror so I can check the back.” It looked good from the front drawn back away from Youko's face, but he could still feel perhaps half of it tumbling down his back. When Asuka got back with the mirror Youko could see she'd drawn half of it up into an elegant pleat, held with a couple of the silver combs, and let the rest tumble out of the pleat. It looked good, very sophisticated, hopefully what Shiori-sama would approve of in her son's concubine.

 

Asuka was very amused by his behaviour, and it showed. Youko wasn't sure what to think of that, on one hand it was probably harder to learn from a teacher who was afraid of you, but on the other hand, if Asuka wasn't at all scared of him he could lose his top spot.

 

“Will this be satisfactory to meet our Patron's human mother?”

 

“Yes.” Youko turned and let his eyes rake over her body, barely clad in skin-tight leather pants and a red breast band. “But your attire won't please her. Put something more modest on.”

 

“What do you suggest then?” Asuka was accepting this time, not resentful as he'd half feared she would be.

 

“Looser pants, or a long skirt, and a blouse or tunic, not too skin tight, but leave a breast band of some sort underneath. And nothing filmy or translucent.”

 

“I suppose you expect me to wear make-up and put my hair up too?”

 

“Make-up, yes, but do what you want with your hair. She'll probably be predisposed to like you because you actually are female.” Youko couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice, and Asuka left to obey. She'd just returned, wearing a black bias cut skirt to her ankles and a dark grey sweater that skimmed over the curves of her body along with all her new jewellery, when Shuuichi arrived to pick them up.

 

“You look good, both of you.” Shuuichi was looking directly at Youko when he started to speak, and the last part sounded almost like an afterthought. “Get into fox form, Asuka. Akari, shut your eyes.” When Youko obeyed he heard Shuuichi walk around behind him. His Patron lifted his hair away from the back of his neck, kissing him lightly on the nape and reached around him to fasten some sort of necklace. Then he felt Shuuichi moving him around the room.

 

“You can open your eyes now.” Youko obeyed, finding himself in front of the mirror, a heavy silver - or white gold - cross, set with a black pearl where the arms met, around his neck. It lay just above his fake breasts, and he knew that was what he'd been missing, now his yukata lay just right.

 

“Thank you Shuuichi-sama.”

 

“Hmm. That helps the illusion, doesn't it? I'll get you a couple of other necklaces like that.”

 

“If you think it would help Shuuichi-sama. Or I could just wear this all the time?”

 

“No, that would imply a religious affiliation you don't want to claim. Not with the attitude most branches of that particular religion have towards homosexuality. But wearing it occasionally can be seen as a fashion statement. A foxhead like you got Asuka would work, in gold though I think, and I'll come up with something else along with the custom jewellery to go with the formal kimono.” Shuuichi was frowning as he thought about it. “Now get your shoes on and we can go.”

 

And he fastened Asuka's leash to her collar before they set off out of the apartment.

 

~~~()~~~

 

Shiori would try to accept the demon who'd corrupted her son but seemed to be so important to him. She'd promised Shuuichi that she would make an effort if...Akari, she was going to call the kitsune Akari, managed to appear convincingly female. She wasn't sure how to feel about this Asuka, Shuuichi had told her about, on the one hand, she was female, even if she couldn't appear human, but...if Shuuichi had two lovers what did that say about his morality? At least both of his lovers knew they weren't the only one, they even lived together. But it was still wrong, Shiori knew that. Men should only sleep with women, and they should only have one lover at a time, if they couldn't stand to wait for marriage.

 

“Tadaima Kaasan.” She sighed and reluctantly stood to greet them. She couldn't hold back a gasp when she saw the elegant, if a bit old-fashioned, young woman walking beside her son. If he'd only brought home this version of his lover the first time...but she still reserved judgement. Being a woman was about more than just appearances, it was about how you acted, spoke and held yourself.

 

“Shuuichi, Akari-chan.” She'd never used the familiar suffix with her son, because it just felt wrong, but using chan for Akari was a deliberate test. She watched as the kitsune blushed modestly, looking grateful and pleased. “You said you'd be bringing this Asuka?”

 

“We did.” Her son bent to stroke the fox he had trailing along behind him on a leash while Akari removed her old-fashioned geta. “She just can't shift to her humanoid form where anyone can see her. I guess she could use illusion to hide her tail and fox ears, but a kitsune's height is too hard to hide. That's why she's restricted to fox form except at my apartment, Genkai-shihan's temple, and here if you choose to have her visit more often.”

 

“Oh, then what do you need so she can change form?” Shiori wasn't entirely clear on exactly what Shuuichi meant for Asuka to do. But she knew that he couldn't be sleeping with a fox, he might be with another boy, but bestiality was another matter entirely.

 

“Somewhere people won't see her from the streets to shapeshift. I expect that if anyone sees her through the window they'll assume it's a costume, but we can't risk anyone getting a closer look, especially at her ears and tail. You saw what Akari and I look like in our humanoid form.”

 

“Is she as tall as you two are then?” Shiori led her son and his lovers into a back room as she spoke.

 

“You can see now if you want.” Shuuichi bent to unfasten the leash from the black fox's neck and it transformed to a woman, a bit more than six and a half feet tall, dressed with nearly the same elegance as Akari, if in a more modern style. Her fox ears poked up through her loose mane of black hair, and her black tail was difficult to see against her full black skirt, until it twitched that was, and Shiori could see why her son didn't want her looking like this in front of anyone.

 

“Tell me how you met my son then Asuka.”

 

“I was a whore, a slave in a brothel, in the Makai, and I was locked up in my bedroom as usual. One of the guards told me I was being sold, and my new master wanted to inspect me. I couldn't believe what I saw, a kitsune as powerful as any I'd ever seen, with another kitsune even more powerful kneeling at his feet. Shuuichi-sama asked me if I'd be able to teach other kitsune how to use their powers, when I said yes he sealed the agreement with my old owner, and offered to make me his concubine. I accepted of course.”

 

“Why of course?” Shiori could accept, barely, that slavery still existed in the demon world, but for her son to be involved in it, to the extent of actually buying a slave...

 

“A concubine is still a slave, but one who will be freed when her Patron tires of her. It meant I'd be kept, safe, fed and clothed for however long Shuuichi-sama wanted me. And when he did tire of me I'd be freed, and I'd be allowed to keep any jewellery he gave me. It would give me a chance at a new life, one where I was free.”

 

“Ah, I see.” Shiori could understand Asuka's choice now, but not... “Shuuichi, why did you buy Asuka when you have Akari?”

 

“Because Akari's clan were killed when she was young, and she didn't learn how to use all her powers. We needed a teacher and still do. I intend to free Asuka when we no longer require teaching.” Akari had her eyes cast down to where she'd folded her hands in her lap throughout this conversation, but Shiori had noted the soft pained sound she made when the death of her clan was mentioned.

 

“Akari-chan, would you like to tell me a bit about yourself and your interests?”

 

“If you wish it Shiori-sama. After my clan died I became a concubine, until a Patron decided to teach me the basics of Plant Mastery. After he freed me I came to the ningenkai, where I could perfect it more safely - and this is where I met the first lover I chose, and desired myself. His name was Sai, and I learned how to play Go to please him. When I returned to the Makai I became a thief, probably the best in the Makai. Most of my interests aren't really the sort of things that would make sense to a human, but breeding new types of plants was always a hobby of mine, most of them I bred for how useful they were, but one or two were bred for beauty.”

 

“Then you might want to study Ikebana.” Shiori wondered how she'd react.

 

“If it would please you, Shiori-sama, and you, Shuuichi-sama.”

 

“Go ahead, as long as it doesn't detract from you learning the important things. And, later you could probably use that for pin money so to speak, if you wanted.”

 

“Why would you want that? Shuuichi-sama has provided for us so well.” Asuka sounded astonished at the idea that Akari would want any independence, it disturbed Shiori.

 

“It would be a reason to meet people more than anything else I think.” Even now Akari had her eyes cast down, submissively.

 

“Akari-chan, come and help me cook.”

 

“Yes Shiori-sama.” By the time they'd finished preparing the stir-fry Shiori had offered to teach Akari the Tea Ceremony, and the kitsune had accepted blushingly. By the end of the visit Shiori had come to begrudgingly accept Akari as her son's lover. It had helped when Asuka mentioned the mix of disappointment and relief she'd felt on learning that she was Shuuichi's concubine in name only.

 

~~~()~~~