Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Child of Bliss and Doom ❯ The Question ("What's a Hungry?") ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Do you really think I would still be writing fanfiction for free if I did?

I know that I haven't updated since…*checks mm.org and gulps nervously* …March? Hehe. I was a little busy with… other stuff. (Not that, you perverts!) Yeah… So, here it is: Curiouskitsune is (almost) proud to present… The Forth Chapter of the Child of Bliss and Doom!

Katy123, TheBlackRose, yoyo7957, Katyfoxdemon2, Rabid Yaoi Fangirl H-chan, Beautiful Dreamer1, Youko Starr, Yoko Midnight Dragon, Derek, twinsofthesky (though I doubt you actually like this story), and TomMalfoy: thank you for encouraging me! Crazy Clown Chick: The `Ancient Language' is completely made up; I made up the words simply by how they sounded. Nothing special.

The Child of Bliss and Doom

Chapter Four: The Question ("What's a Hungry?")

The den was strange, she decided, everything was man-made, only the occasional green plants in pots vaguely reminded her of the place of the Forest that she once occupied for more than she would have liked. Yep, nigens were strange creatures all right.

It had been hours since she had woken up in that bizarre room that her new fathers had placed her in. She was prepared, of course -in a way- for such treatment. After all, the Tree always taught the next child of his or her future parents. But somehow, she was not used to such environment.

She silently cursed the blasted Tree; he had told her that she wouldn't be able to adjust to it right away and she had brushed Him off without a thought. Why did He always have to be right?

As she got out of the comfy bed she noticed that there was an outfit of sorts folded neatly at the foot of the furniture. The child unfolded it and admired the craftsmanship.

Judging from the style and the material, it was a dress made for little nigen girls, around six years old or so. It was navy blue in color with little stars scattered all over the fabric. She put it on, a perfect fit. The sleeves went down to her elbows, while the dress itself extended down to just below her knees. She smiled; she didn't mind, really, but it was nice to wear clothes again.

The snow colored haired child walked out of the chamber and down the steps of the staircase where her ultra sensitive ears had picked up people talking.

Her father -the redheaded one- was pacing back and forth in front of a counter-like structure that had various utensils lying on top of it, doing weird things with them, while humming an unidentified tune to himself. The talking was actually coming from a black box in another room that was connected to the one the redhead was in; there were people sitting in it, debating something called "politics." She ignored it.

As her one of her delicate foot made physical contact with the lowest step, a pleasant scent filled her nostrils and she had the strangest urge to drool, and a new feeling made itself know that settled somewhere in her midsection. All these signs could only lead to one thing.

Food.

As her lips parted so she could greet her father, a foreign sound -a goggling sort- was made, also from her midsection. The child froze. What was wrong with her?

The busy redhead spun around quickly, upon seeing the small kid that appeared to be no older than a five-year-old nigen, he smiled. "Hungry?"

Hungry? What is a hungry anyways? She voiced her thoughts and stared at her tïmmï in both fascination as well as confusion while he first looked thunder struck and then suddenly burst out laughing.

What was so funny?

"I'm sorry," he said as he wiped away unshed tears from his grass-colored eyes, "I shouldn't have laughed. You just took me by surprise and all." After Kurama had regained his composure, he explained in a patient tone, "Hungry is a feeling-"

That's why I didn't know what it meant.

"-that you have when your stomach is -generally speaking- empty, and needs food. And it makes that goggling sound, too, when it happens." He turned around and the next time Kiko saw his face -which happened about two seconds later- the youko was holding a tray full of things she could guess as food.

The "food" appeared white in color and was structured into a triangular shape. No matter how weird and different it looked, it did smell good, and she took one into her little hands under her father's encouraging smile.

"Go on, kuzuwâ mï karu, try it. I didn't poison it, you know."

Realizing that she had been studying… what ever it was for too long, she smiled sheepishly and took a timid bite of the white-colored food.

Warmth spread out through her whole body the instant her white teeth sank into the food as if someone had wrapped her in a warm blanket after walking in a snowstorm for two hours. The Snow Angel closed her snow colored eyes in ecstasy, enjoying the sensation as she chewed it slowing before swallowing, and taking another -bigger- bite.

"Like it?" the redhead teased lightly, green eyes sparkling happiness.

Kiko barely had time to nod before she took another bite, and another, and another, until she almost bitten her finger due to the absence of the food. The kitsune handed her another one of the Marble Food -as she had secretly named it due to it's pure white in color and it's priceless in value (or so she thought).

"Take your time there, Tsumï, there's plenty. Don't choke yourself, okay?"

Within four minutes, the tray was polished clean down to the last grain of rice (Kurama told her that the Marble Food was made of those little white grains of… things, and the Marble Food was actually called a rice ball. Oh well, it was still Marble Food to her) and she sat back and enjoyed the last sensations in her mouth before the taste of the food disappeared completely.

She reopened her eyes, and saw her tïmmï was washing the tray that had the Marble Food on it a few minutes ago with water that came out of a strangely shaped metal before placing it into a rack full of utensils that stood next to the metal… thing.

Like she said, nigens were indeed strange creatures.

Sometime during her silent musing Kurama had dried his hands with a towel and made his way to her. "Ready to go?"

Kiko was an intelligent being, and her answer must be intelligent as well.

"Huh?"

Okay, maybe not.

Kurama had to hide his smile behind his hand; he should have known that she couldn't hear him while eating his famous rice balls… Okay, so only Hiei knew about it, but still… From the identical doubtful expression on their faces when they first saw the rice balls to the ecstatic one when they first bit into one… Who knows, maybe they really were related…

Chuckling at the thought, he repeated, "I want to take you shopping today. Ready to go?"

"Sha-pin?" the word felt foreign on her tongue but she struggled to not let it show. And failing miserably.

"Yes, shopping," the youko-turned-nigen confirmed, "I want to buy you some more outfits. By the way, do you like the one you're wearing?" in a much more hushed tone, he added, "I made it myself."

The kuzuwâ mï karu nearly raised a silver eyebrow. I thought he was supposed to be a cold-blooded thief of Maikai? The cold-blooded thief of Maikai? Since when do cold-blooded thieves of the Maikai make clothes for children?

"It's wonderful, Natïm, thank you."

The youko flashed her a brilliant smile, "You ready then?"

Slowly, she nodded.

She never saw it coming.

~@@~@@~@@~@@~@@~

She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.

"Hiei-tïmmï!"

"Hn," Hiei grunted as a greeting when the shape of the small demon materialized, "I see you have experienced the famous yet horrific Kurama-Shopping-Streak first hand, too."

"Hey!" a redhead was barely visible behind the pile of clothes that he made Kiko tried on. "I do not have shopping streaks."

"Yes, you do." Hiei and Kiko unintentionally echoed each other, and she saw one of the Koorime's rare smiles as well as one of Kurama's rare scowls. An unfamiliar warmth engulfed her until she could contain it no longer.

She laughed.

She really shouldn't have.

~@@~@@~@@~@@~@@~

Six hours, two malls, forty shops, and at least three trips from mall entrance to Kurama's vehicle on her part later, Kiko was able to drag her wary feet back onto the… interesting vehicle that Kurama had referred to as a "kar." Hiei was not fairing well, either.

"If one more person calls me your kid brother again, I swear I will-" the rest was muffled by his boyfriend's hand. The youko turned to Karu -a nick-nick name he gave Kiko- with a smile.

"Had fun?"

She shook her head, horrified.

He laughed. "Don't worry, we got you enough clothes an shoes to last you a year without ever needing to repeat the same outfit-"

She (and Hiei) sighed in relief. Thank you, Inari, I shall worship you forever.

"-Though there's always next year."

On a second thought, how does a month sound?

"I'm just kidding, Hiei, don't look so horrified. It's unbecoming of your `uncaring, bad-ass' image."

The red-eyed youkai scowled. She vaguely wondered if it was Kurama that taught Hiei the scowl or vise versa. Making a mental note to ask about that later, she sat back and enjoyed the scenery as the odd vehicle moved out of the visible range of the mall.

With three words firmly tugged in her mind, Kiko fell into Morpheus's welcome arms.

Thank you, Inari.

~Chapter Four End~

Translations from the Ancient Language:

kuzuwâ mï karu Snow Angel (the direct translation is really `Angel of Snow')

tïmmï Daddy

tsumï Daughter

natïm Father

karu Snow