Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Power In Many Forms ❯ Of Plans and Dreams ( Chapter 13 )

Power in Many Forms

Word Count: 4,686 (not counting the Disclaimer and Notes)

 

Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho, Inuyasha, Harry Potter, and Anita Blake are not mine; they belong to their respective creators. I hold no claim on them; just minor original characters.

 

Author's Notes: This chapter threw me for a loop and now I have to plan out a new chapter 14.

 

XXX

 

Harry was alone, yet he wasn't. There were no people around, but there were birds. He wasn't even sure if the birds were important, but why would they be? They were birds after all. He was alone, no one he knew was around, there was not a human in sight, but there was a warm weight on his lap. Harry looked down. He was sitting at the edge of a field, leaning against a tree. Beside him was a strange fox, it's fur was black except for the tips of its ears as they were silver…the fox looked up at him, it's head resting in his lap, the warm weight he had felt was the fox.

 

He knew the fox, yet he didn't, in fact he'd never seen a fox up close, except at the zoo, and the ones there weren't black…nor did they have three silver tipped tails.

 

“What are you?” His voice was softer than he'd intended, as if he were afraid the fox would leave, would run and somehow that would be disastrous. It was as if he couldn't think of something worse happening than the fox leaving. Voldemort could destroy the world, but the absence of this single creature would mean more to him than anything else, and that made no sense at all.

 

The fox merely blinked at him before snuggling closer to him. Cautiously he reached down to pet it, stroking the soft fur of its forehead. It didn't move so he continued on to the ears. The fur stayed soft and he wondered if such a creature existed. Suddenly he remembered something from his conversation with Kagome a couple of days ago. What was it now? Something about some demon foxes having multiple tails. He closed his eyes and tried to remember.

 

A soft yip startled his eyes open again. The fox seemed to be grinning at him, and he smiled back. The tails were waving happily and he remembered. The tails were a symbol of power, the more tails a youkai kitsune had the stronger it was. Shippo had confirmed this and said that the highest number of tails a fox could have was nine.

 

He reached to pet the fox again, scratching under its chin. The fox's eyes narrowed in pleasure and his own widened in surprise. The pupils, which had been slit like a cats were becoming more round, more human. Slowly the irises around them changed from gold to a dusty green that he thought he'd seen somewhere before.

 

Before he could grasp his next thought, he opened his eyes to darkness and a tapping on his window. Groggily he blinked and groped for his glasses on the nightstand. Once the shadowed form was more than a blur he looked toward the window to see Kagome holding Shippo on the oar. After staring at them for a bit he belatedly remembered that Kagome was uncomfortable about flying through solid objects. He gave her an embarrassed and apologetic grin before going to the window to open it.

 

She ducked and floated into the room where she gracefully slid off the oar and left it hovering by the window. “Sorry to wake you Harry, I was in the area and thought I'd check for a response.”

 

Harry stifled a yawn. “S'okay.” He went to the loose floorboard and lifted it up enough to get the letter from its hiding place. After he put the board back he handed the letter to Kagome, who had strange look on her face, though she didn't say anything and he didn't volunteer an explanation. “Here it is.”

 

Kagome tried to balance Shippo on her hip and put the letter in her messenger bag. It wasn't working out quite the way she wanted and the struggle seemed to be futile.

 

“Here.” Harry reached for the younger boy; he hid his surprise at the child's light form, and put him on the bed.

 

“Thanks.” She smiled tiredly at him and finally managed to put the letter in her bag.

 

“Are you alright?” He immediately felt stupid for asking the question, because even in the dull light from the street lamp outside he could see the circles under her eyes, shadows that hadn't been there two days ago.

 

She gave a slight nod. “I've been better; I'm just not used to pulling so many hours on a shift.” At his questioning glance she shrugged. “There's sort of a serial killer running rampant in the states. There have been a lot more deaths occurring recently. The people were homeless, but their deaths were violent and—“ She shook her head. “Never mind, it's just not easy keeping it from Shippo.” Her eyes softened at the sight of her son curled up on Harry's bed.

 

“Do you always take him with you?”

 

She nodded. “Normally, but I'm trying not to bring him with me to collect the souls of those who have been murdered. He still has the occasional nightmare from when we were fighting Naraku.” A sigh escaped and she rubbed her face. “I'm on my way to the states now, I just came here to get your response and pick up an elderly lady. She passed away not far from here.” At his saddened face she smiled. “She died in her sleep, no pain. She lived a very long life, and had a large family. It was her time.” Kagome shook her head. “But after that I need to go stateside and pick up another homeless man.”

 

Before Harry could stop himself he opened his mouth. “You could leave Shippo here, if you uh…if you wanted.”

 

Kagome blinked at him and smiled softly. “I would appreciate it; it seems everyone else is busy. Normally I'd leave him at home or with Neville…I need to warn you though, once he wakes up he can be a handful.”

 

Harry smiled back at her. “It's alright, I could use the company. It gets rather dull not being able to walk about without someone from the Order following me—err I mean…”

 

Kagome waved him off. “Please, I work for the Spirit Realm, I know all about the boy who lived.” She smiled at him to ease his sudden rigid posture. “What's more important is the boy named Harry who is friends with a boy named Neville, and Neville is practically family, and that makes Harry family as well.” He blushed and returned the smile, relaxing once more. “You sure you don't mind watching him?”

 

“Well, you just said I was practically family, and I already offered.” He smiled again. “It's fine, really.”

 

Kagome nodded and glanced at Harry's alarm clock. “Geez, is that really the time?” She shook her head. “Flying across all these different time zones really messes with my head.” She gave him a brief hug. “Thanks for this, really.” And with a few quick steps she was on her oar and floating back out the still open window. “I'll try to be back this afternoon. But I might send Botan or another if I can't make it.” Then she zipped away.

 

Harry smiled at her swiftly vanishing figure and shut the window before returning to his bed and rearranging Shippo so that his head was on the pillow and pulled the covers over him. Carefully he tiptoed to the wardrobe and pulled a light weight blanket out, he silently made his way back the bed, scooted Shippo over a little and laid down facing the boy. As he fell back asleep he wondered too late how he'd explain to his relatives about the fox boy in his room.

 

xxx

 

Meeting Genkai had been an experience, one that was not exactly unpleasant, but he seemed to have a lingering fear of elderly women. So he was especially polite and did his best to keep his distance, without appearing rude to her. She seemed stern, but her eyes were kinder than he remembered his grandmother's ever being. But he still felt nervous around her. Yusuke certainly had not helped the situation when he had told him that Genkai could be very violent. Luckily he wasn't at her temple for a social call. Instead he was training with Kuwabara. And on that note he snapped out of his thoughts and just barely managed to avoid the fist coming at him.

 

“Neville, kid you need to pay attention.” The scolding came gently, but there was a steely sort of undertone. Kuwabara was showing him how to fight, how to attack, dodge and roll with the punches.

 

He grimaced and climbed back to his feet; dodging Kuwabara's fist at the last possible moment had resulted in him landing on his arse. “Sorry.”

 

Kuwabara shook his head. “Don't be sorry, sorry doesn't get you anywhere. Let's try it again. Ready?”

 

Neville nodded and relaxed his body as he watched Kuwabara come at him. They'd been doing this for hours. Kuwabara would show him a move and then he would copy it and repeat it until he could do it smoothly. Then Kuwabara would show him how to counter it and then they would put the two together and practice the move and counter move, going back and forth until Kuwabara thought he was ready for another attack. Kuwabara had explained that unlike a schooled fighter he only knew how to teach by doing. Throughout his youth he'd been a proficient student of the school of hard knocks and knew no other way to share what he'd learned from all the fights he'd been in. He'd never had any formal training…unless you counted Shizuru teaching him how to roll with a punch. Kuwabara had laughed about that, but Neville didn't see the humor in getting beaten up by an older sibling.

 

He fazed out of his wandering thoughts and concentrated on the mock fighting with Kuwabara. They were running through a series of moves and counters, punches, kicks, blocks for both, it was repetitive like clockwork, but occasionally Kuwabara would change the order to keep Neville on his toes. Neville was doing well, going from one to the other with a steady rhythm that was almost flowing; the grace of his fox was showing through. He still lacked the power and the experience of his teacher, but Kuwabara still nodded in approval.

 

Feeling a tad proud of his progress, Neville changed the pace and threw a punch, interrupting their pattern instead of Kuwabara, who in turn grinned, proud as any teacher with a successful student has a right too.

 

“I was wondering when you were gonna step up the pace on your own.”

 

A chuckled stopped both of them and they turned to their audience that had grown from one to two. “Just who is the student here? Or is it a case of the blind leading the blind?” At some point Hiei had joined Genkai where she had sat on the steps drinking tea.

 

“I was beginning to think we'd get through this without any commentary.” Kuwabara smiled at the demon. “Guess I was just being hopeful.”

 

Neville stared at Hiei in confusion. “How long have you been there?”

 

Hiei smirked but it was Kuwabara who answered. “He's been there for about an hour. Didn't you sense him?”

 

Neville blushed and looked down. “I wasn't paying attention to anything else.”

 

“That could lead to a fatal mistake.” Hiei muttered. “You should always be aware of your surroundings.”

 

Neville glared at him. “That's easy for you to say, but this is all new to me. So what if my seal is g-gone? I've never been trained to do any of this and now you're all taking turns to rush me through it before the next school term starts. Granted that after the past two years of V-voldemort attacking, I need the training.”

 

Kuwabara shook his head. “Our deadline is sooner than that. You're the one who wants to go on vacation with a friend for a month.”

 

Hiei nodded. “You should continue your training while on holiday.”

 

Neville grimaced. “That doesn't bode well for a romantic get way.” The moment the words left his mouth he regretted them and he could feel himself turning red. A large hand settled on his head and ruffled his hair; he chanced a glance at Kuwabara.

 

“Don't worry about it kid, it's not like your going to be fighting for your life when you and your boyfriend are sightseeing.”

 

Neville felt his blush deepen. “We're just friends;” He stated loudly, but under his breath he muttered. “For now at least.” Kuwabara pretended not to hear the last part as he backed away.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They continued as they had before, Kuwabara starting the pace, while occasionally changing the order. Twice Neville stepped up the speed, having to back down only once before he slipped up and barely caught Kuwabara's leg as it came rushing toward the side of his head.

 

“He should train with Yusuke as well.” Hiei offered his advice as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

 

Neville released Kuwabara's leg and the two stepped apart. “Why?” He questioned, thinking he was doing rather well.

 

Kuwabara stared at Hiei, comprehension washing over him and he nodded in agreement. “Because my fighting style focuses more on my fists, and Yusuke's primarily uses his legs. He can move faster than me, jump higher, and is basically stronger.” He sighed. “He's also a full demon, and an S class, a very high ranking S class.”

 

Hiei was at the fighter's side in an instant. “You qualify as an A class, you have ever since the fight with Sensui.” He gripped Kuwabara's chin in his hand. “And ever since our bonding with Botan your strength has grown, in another year or two you will be on the cusp of being an S class. I am only in the lower levels of that class myself, as is the fox. Our Botan is only as strong as a mid-ranking A class.”

 

Neville backed away, putting more space between him and the lovers, giving them the illusion of privacy. He looked away and somehow his eyes met Genkai's. She motioned for him to join her on the temple steps.

 

As he sat down beside her, he managed to keep some space between them.

 

“Is there a problem?” She asked in between sips of tea.

 

“Uh…not really.” He wouldn't meet her eyes again.

 

“Here.” She handed him a fresh cup. “They may take a while.”

 

Finally he looked at her. “Just to talk?”

 

“Despite his doubts, Kuwabara is very fast. And Hiei was correct; you need to pay more attention. They've already gone inside.”

 

Neville looked to the spot where Kuwabara and Hiei had been before, they were indeed gone. “Why did they--?” He never finished the question, the smirk on the old woman's face was answer enough and he cleared his throat. “So, lovely day isn't it.”

 

“Botan told me about your grandmother.” His shoulder's slumped. “I may have been hard on Yusuke when I trained him. But I never would have beaten him for something as trivial as his preference.”

 

Neville grimaced. “That's just the way things are there, it's less accepted among Wizards than it is among Muggles. I'm just glad that no one I've met here is as prejudiced.”

 

“And your friends?”

 

“All the boys in my dorm know and they're alright with it. Some of the girls in my house know. The boy…the one that I want to travel with, he knows.”

 

“How does he feel about you?”

 

Neville thought about that for a moment. “I'm not sure, but I get the impression that he might want to be more than my friend. I'll know more when we get a chance to talk.”

 

Genkai nodded. “If I offer you some advice, will you take it to heart?” Neville nodded. “Time is fleeting, when you have something good, hold on as long as you can. Love can last a long time, even when two people are apart or cannot be together. Don't give up on it.”

 

Neville smiled. “That's good advice…thanks for that…and for not belittling me.”

 

Genkai returned the smile. “If you were my student I wouldn't be so gentle.” Her words made him laugh.

 

“So I'm told.”

 

xxx

 

Gil watched his lover from his vantage point on his back porch. His house was a small one set back and out of the way on an old gravel road. It was one that he had inherited from his grandparents. He'd only lived there for a couple of years and had not appreciated the seclusion until after she had become a part of his life.

 

His mind wandered back to their meeting nearly a year ago. It had been a full moon and he had been hunting in the woods that surround his house when he had first seen her. She too had been in full fox form, her silver body sleek and wraith-like compared to his red fur that looked burgundy in the light of the moon. He knew she was not a simple were, because no were he had ever heard of had four tails.

 

The rest of the night had been a blur, but he knew that they had hunted together and other things. He remembered his embarrassment at waking up naked beside her, her long silver hair providing a bit of shelter from the cool morning air. She had kissed him and laughed, it was nearly a giggle, because she had never been with another fox and she described it as exhilarating.

 

Sometimes he forgot how strong she was, how fast, how deadly. When he watched her sleep he could forget how different they were, he could see a lifetime of shared moments. But deep down Gil knew that she wasn't for him, no matter how much he loved her there was no way he could hold onto someone like her. He wasn't strong enough, nor brave enough, but what hurt him the most though was knowing the pain that his death would bring her. She had already lost so much, and she cared for him. She wasn't in love with him the way he was in love with her. But she did care for him.

 

Now he watched her dig a hole in the ground beside the back steps that led up to his porch. This was when she was most beautiful to him, dressed in flowing, loose fitting clothing that was otherworldly, covered in dirt up to her elbows. Toorima was happiest when she was working with plants. She'd told him that she didn't know why they were significant, but working with them felt natural. She looked up at him then, her golden eyes meeting his, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“Are we going to plant it or not?”

 

He smiled at her and picked up the potted rose bush he had bought after one of his meetings with Anita. “That's why I got it.”

 

“Come on, no time like the present.”

 

Gil stepped down onto the ground, kneeling beside her they worked to get the rose bush out of the pot and into the hole she had dug. He had let her dig the hole alone as a way to relieve her stress. So far, Mason had given her the slip and it irritated her beyond anything she had ever known.

 

“I spoke to Anita again.”

 

Instantly her face darkened, her self-disgust at being unable to find her prey evident on her beautiful face. “No luck on her end?”

 

Gill shook his head. “Everyone is looking; she brought the coalition in and everything. I told her you were looking outside the county.” He looked at the mid afternoon sky and wondered where Mason could be hiding.

 

“That monster would make a better snake.” Toorima muttered.

 

“Aren't we supposed to be crafty; I think we have a saying `crazy like a fox'.” His smile was bitter and she took his chin, gently in her clawed hand. Her ears were laid back.

 

“Crafty yes, we're well known for that. But these random acts of violence and hatred, even a hybrid like myself does not feel the way Mason does. He was poison before you changed him. He was mad to begin with.” She released his chin to finish positioning the bush, keeping the original dirt around the roots.

 

Gil was quiet for a moment before uttering softly. “I'm sorry.”

 

She sighed. “Akai-chan, we've been over this. It is not your fault, Mason is insane.”

 

“I'm still responsible for infecting him, you just now said that.”

 

“He brought it on himself, he attacked you, and you were simply trying to get away.”

 

“But if I had been stronger all those people would still be alive, and Anita would never have gotten involved.” He took a shaky breath. “He's fixated on her, you were there to stop him from killing her at that cemetery…Toorima…until this is finished I need you to watch her. You need to keep him from killing Anita.”

 

Toorima snorted. “That woman is strong; she doesn't need to be protected.

 

Gil grabbed her arm; his grip was like iron and steady for once. She met his eyes. “You need to keep her alive, Anita cannot die, St Louis would go up in flames, and it would be a blood bath.”

 

She stared at her lover in disbelief. “How can one human woman be that important to the balance of an entire city?”

 

Gil took a breath. “There will be utter chaos here if she dies. The preternatural community and it's politics depend on her survival. She is the Lupa and Bolverk to the wolves, Nimir-Ra to the leopards, and she may soon be Regina to the lions. She is the master's human servant and a Federal Marshal. Her existence is important.”

 

She took his hand in hers. “That doesn't make you expendable.”

 

“And there are rumors.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“That the first vampire…she wants Anita.”

 

Toorima's grip on his hand tightened, no one in Makai ever spoke of vampires. If the oldest of them was interested in the Necromancer…a shiver went through her, followed by the beginning of an idea.

 

Gil caught sight of her suddenly thoughtful expression. “Toorima?”

 

She released his hand and reached for the pitcher of water and began to pour it into the hole that now held the bush. “I will do what I can for your Death Talker.”

 

He nodded and finished filling the hole, gently packing the dirt around the base of the bush. “That's all I can ask then.” They shared a bittersweet smile as she touched one of the buds and they watched it bloom.

 

xxx

 

Koenma fidgeted on the cushion as he nervously watched his father across the low table. Enma had requested that he and Kurama join him in his private rooms for tea and cookies; the invitation was something that Koenma had not received in millennia, not since he was a small child. The sudden acceptance of his father worried him and had no idea what to expect from the king of the dead.

 

Kurama, seated beside him on another cushion was the very definition of calm. He sat with his back straight, but with no tension in his body as he serenely drank the tea that had been offered. Koenma envied his lover's calm state of being to no end…every time he tried to pick up his cup he managed to slosh the tea onto his shaking hands.

 

King Enma smiled at his son in amusement; the poor boy was absolutely frazzled. In a stroke of compassion he set his own cup down and cleared his throat. “Koenma.”

 

Koenma jumped, and nearly slid off his seat. “Y-yes?”

 

“I called both of you here to speak of Neville.” He directed his gaze to Kurama. “You have a fine great-grandson.”

 

Kurama nodded in acceptance. “He said that the two of you had a nice chat.”

 

“So we did. But now I wish to set down a few ground rules for the answers he is allowed to give his friend, for there will be questions. About you, Koenma, where Neville has been staying, how he came to find you. Some things he will be able to talk about, others must remain secret, for now anyway.”

 

“Father, I'm sure Neville will—“ Koenma stopped short when Kurama laid a hand on his arm.

 

“Of course Sire.”

 

“Enma is fine Kurama, no need for titles here.”

 

Kurama smiled at his future father-in-law. “Enma then, I understand that more than you may think. As a precaution we haven't let Neville see Sirius, that way the temptation to tell his friend will not be there.”

 

“Very good, I approve. But he will need to keep secrets, such as that of meeting those who have died. He cannot share that knowledge with anyone other than those who already know that he has met Koronue or Ginta. They would raise questions that should not be answered at this time. Which brings up other things.”

 

“So what exactly can Neville tell his friend?” Koenma ventured on a spike of bravery.

 

His father nodded in approval. “He can tell Harry how he came to be half demon. Kurama's past is an approved topic of conversation, if you wish it to be?” Kurama nodded. “But it would be best if he did not know that you Koenma, are the prince of an entire realm. Instead he may tell Harry that you are a demi-god, which is true, and as a demi-god you are the one to give missions from higher up should the topic be approached.”

 

Kurama looked thoughtful. “What about Botan and her subordinates. Harry knows that we are connected to Ferry Girls, or the Grim Reapers as he's been told…You know how Botan is.”

 

Enma paled a bit. “Yes, I know how Botan is.” He sighed. “Tell Neville to keep things simple. Grim Reapers are sort of like demi-gods, close enough that mortals can't see a difference. It would make a sort of sense for you to be well known to one another.”

 

Koenma nodded. “Just so all our bases are covered, what should we say about where Neville has been staying?”

 

Enma smiled kindly at his son, being with Kurama was good for his boy, Botan had been correct, not that he'd ever tell her that. “For all purposes Neville has been dividing his time between Kurama's mother, Genkai's temple, or the house in which you and Kurama live.”

 

There was a silence as Kurama and Koenma let that information sink in.

 

“Uh…Father we don't have a house of our own.”

 

“If you would look in your bottom desk drawer on the right you would have seen the paperwork by now. Call it an early wedding present.”

 

Koenma gaped at his father while Kurama smiled and thanked him. “That is very generous of you Enma, is it already furnished? Or do we need to do that ourselves?”

 

“I believe Botan and George have already taken care of that.”

 

A knock at the door interrupted Koenma's reaction. “Come in.” Enma barely had the word's out of his mouth before Kagome stuck her head in.

 

“Sorry to interrupt Enma-sama. But I was wondering if I could take Neville with me to relieve Harry of Shippo. Harry was kind enough to watch him while I went to collect a few murder victims…and I managed to catch a few hours of sleep. So I was gonna pay Harry back with a trip to get some ice cream and I wanted to take Neville with me.”

 

Enma looked at Kurama who nodded. “Go ahead; just be sure Neville knows not to answer any questions until after Kurama and Koenma have spoken with him.”

 

Kagome nodded. “Will do.” And then she was gone again, closing the door softly behind her.

 

“Sometimes she and Botan seem so much alike that it frightens me.” Koenma commented.

 

“Noticed that did you?” Enma asked.

 

Kurama nodded in agreement.

 

Enma smiled. “Now about that trip Neville wants to take. May I make a few suggestions?”

 

XXX