Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Symbols of Haven ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

SoH

Chapter 3

 

I realized that Flamara Cat Eyes is right about the need for a Japanese/English dictionary! I didn't realize I was using so many Japanese terms…and if I've gotten anything wrong or missed something, simply point is out and I'll change it.

 

Youkai- demon

Neko- cat demon

Kitsune- fox demon

Youko- fox demon

Voorime- Fire Maiden

Koorime- Ice Maiden (I also call Hiei this, since he's half koorime)

Koumori- Bat demon (like Kuronue)

 

 

Hiei gazed up at the blood-red sign above him, proclaiming in black scripted letters the name of the nearby structure to be `The Head Hunters Inn and Pub'. Before him, a four-story building made of red brick gracefully emerged from a thick grove of trees. Hiei could see demons seated at the windows, and pulsating shadows farther within belied the presence of still more youkai.

At the entrance, a silver haired woman with pointed ear tips watched him closely, suspicion making her dark eyes glitter coldly. He met her icy gaze with a glare of his own as he approached the doorway, knowing that showing any timidity or hesitation would be detrimental to his image, and likely get him turned away or killed.

The elfin woman's eyes narrowed when she was certain Hiei was headed her way, and she rose to block his access to the door. Hiei's ruby eyes met her onyx gaze evenly.

“I take it you're supposed to be the bouncer? Adeen, right?”

“What's your business here?”

Hiei glared at the woman.

“It's a pub, is it not? I'm here to buy a few drinks.”

“Alone?”

“Maybe I'll pick up a wench or two before the night is over.”

Adeen snorted sourly.

“My, you do sound confident.”

The woman stepped aside and let Hiei silently enter the building. Inside, the dim lanterns barely emitted enough light for the koorime to see the roiling mass of youkai that flooded the pub. As Hiei was forced to side-step and dodge and slip between the pub's patrons in the darkened room, a teenage kitsune emerged from the pulsing crowd and slammed into the koorime. The tray of drinks he had been carrying crashed into the ground, and several of the glasses broke, spilling their contents across the floor in a dark puddle.

The kitsune scrambled across the wooden floor, snatching up the fallen glasses that hadn't broken and cringing away from Hiei as though the young fox expected a blow at any minute. Hiei glared down at the younger youkai, making no move to help the fox, then began to walk around the stressed kitsune. The teenager remained crouched low to the ground, clutching an empty glass to his chest with one hand and balancing the reloaded wooden tray with the other. He nervously watched Hiei and waited for the older koorime to leave, his lavender eyes flickering back and forth between the floor and the koorime.

A neko woman, wearing a black and red kimono that matched the inn's sign, sprung out from between two much taller demons and cuffed the back of the kitsune's head.

“What the hell do you think you're doing? Get back to work, you stupid git!”

She tossed her long copper hair back over her shoulder and stood up with her hands on her hips. The kitsune stooped to collect another glass, then quickly ducked away between a few groups of youkai. The neko's acid green eyes focused on a stray glass left behind by the small fox, and she knelt to pick it up.

“Hey, Jacob!”

The brown haired kitsune reappeared between the same two youkai that had concealed the neko's approach.

“Yes, Miss Aeri?”

Jacob's lavender eyes grew wide and he was forced to duck quickly when the cat hurled the glass at him with childish glee.

The glass passed between the demons and over Jacob's head, landing with an ear-splitting CRASH on a tabletop where the glass fractured and scattered into thousands of crystalline splinters.

Youkai around the room turned to see what had happened and many cheered Aeri enthusiastically. She walked past the rattled kitsune without a sideways glance and made her way back to her station behind the bar. Hiei smirked and followed closely.

 

~*~SUB-CHAPTER~*~

 

Kuwabara rushed down the twisted, littered alley, clutching his light jacket close against the fierce European winter snow and glaring at the shadowed spaces to either side of him. He could feel two auras nearby, one red-orange and the other a smoky grey edged in red. Both energies were flaring wildly, flashing in the still winter night like beacons.

Kuwabara took a corner at full speed…and went crashing down, sliding across the icy concrete. The curly haired tantei kicked out to regain his footing, and ended up bringing a trash bin down with him. The resulting crash thundered through the deserted street and reverberated through the adjacent alleys.

After the final echoes died away, Kuwabara noticed that the previously flaring reikis had calmed and were approaching. The human peered up from his sprawled position on the cold ground and saw a tall red haired man and a diminutive black haired girl walking along the street toward him. Kuwabara quickly clambered to his feet, now dripping with melting snow. The black haired human continued across the street toward him, but her red headed companion halted on the sidewalk. The girl was barely half of Kuwabara's height, but she didn't seem to notice as she marched up to older tantei.

“What do you think you're doing out here alone?” she demanded of him, “And at night, too! Do you need us to accompany you back to the haven?”

Kuwabara's jaw dropped, but as the girl started to turn away, his shock melted away enough for him to do something he had not done since his years at Junior High. Pulling himself up to his full adult height, the orange haired man placed one fist against his heart and shouted for the entire world to hear.

“I am Kuwabara Kazuma, the protector of the weak, the defender of love, and the strongest Spirit detective that has ever lived!”

The smaller girl stepped back, one eyebrow raised and a skeptical twist to her lips. Her companion crossed the street to join her and looked Kuwabara in the eyes.

“You work for Koenma?”

Kuwabara nodded, his dark eyes shifting from the girl to the man, his confidence suddenly vanishing.

“Then tell him to fuck off. I don't work for the Reikai anymore.”

The red head turned and stalked off without looking back, leaving Kuwabara once again speechless. The girl watched her companion go, then turned back to Kuwabara with a frown.

“We need to get you out of those clothes before you get sick. And we should probably leave anyway…before we receive more unexpected guests. You can ride with me. By the way, my name's Ash.”

The girl was already walking away before Kuwabara realized he had been given a command. He hurried to catch up with her.

“Ride?”

“You'll see. Hey, how is it that you speak English anyway? You're from Japan, right?”

“Yes, I live in Tokyo. Kurama, one of my closest friends, taught me how. If you and Keith will come back with me you might be able to train with him.”

Ash lifted an eyebrow.

“Are you hitting on me or trying to bribe me?”

“What!? I'm engaged!”

“Really? I would have never guessed.”

 

Next Chapter: Hiei meets Joseph at last, but only after coming face to face with the neko sisters who own Head Hunters, Kuwabara is faced with the challenge of convincing Keith and Ash to join the tantei, and Yuusuke, J, and Kurama bring the remainder of Jodi's gang of thieves back to the Rekai.