Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Youko Kurama: Rebirth of a Legend ❯ Interesting Developments ( Chapter 2 )

Wingzero: Okay, okay. I'm updating!

DS: About time.

Wingzero: *thwacks her yami*

DS: @@ *gets thwacked by her hikari*

Kurama: You'd think she'd learn by now.

Kurai: *nod* *nod*

Kurama: *blink* *blink* Who are you?

Kurai: You'll find out soon enough.

Kurama: Okay…………

Kurai: Wingzero doesn't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Dragonball Z. *runs after the pesky lawyers while wielding his scythe* DIE!!!!

Lawyers: O.O!!!!! *run as if their lives depended on it*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Third Person POV~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two figures stood side by side. They were twins, but looking upon them, one couldn't tell as they seemed like complete opposites of each other. They stood at the same height with different body builds. The muscular one had black hair and seemed to be more on the cold side. His body was built for strength while his companion's was built for speed and grace. The other had flowing silver-white hair.

Of course if anyone was caught looking at them, he or she would have thought these two were in costume, for in the clearing stood two powerful fox youkai. The two of them had slipped out of their ningen disguises to greet this mysterious person. They had sensed the power surge not too long ago and now were searching for the source of it; however the power surge didn't last long and now they were forced to sniff him or her out, which was taking them longer.

The white haired fox youkai searched the area where his senses last picked up the power. Unlike his brother, he had more training mentally instead of using various weapons. He mastered some weapons while his brother had practically mastered every weapon he could get his paws onto. Still both of them were forces to be reckoned with.

"Have you picked anything up?" The dark haired youkai growled to his younger brother. He hated waiting and not being able to sense energies like his brother. If it came down to it, he preferred an all out combat as opposed to a stealth one.

The light haired youkai shook his head. He had not been able to pick up any energy signature. In his mind, he knew it was somewhere close. His instincts told him to be alert as they spoke for that person lurked somewhere. He knew his brother wasn't exactly the patient type so he hurried.

On this summer day, the sun shined with a blazing heat. Most people retreated under the shade or into a pool during peak hours. The breeze decided not to make its presence known, making several people and youkai grumble. Nevertheless, they managed to survive with it by creating their own using air conditioners. That meant their electric bills went up. The birds waited for the weather to cool down before heading out of their nests unless they had young ones to feed. In that case, they were out, hunting for food.

"What's taking you so long?" The dark haired youkai inquired his little brother. Normally, his brother wouldn't have any trouble tracking down their prey. They were bounty hunters as youkai, but now that they have lived human lives, they pretty much went into retirement. Before then, they were the best in the business and usually took high risk jobs.

"This person must be disguising his or her power," the light haired one said completely exasperated. "I can't track his or her scent either because we don't have a sample."

He knew his brother was irritated and cranky. They were risking being caught by the spirit detectives or rogue youkai. Also the ningen might find them and go running to the authorities, which would lead the spirit detectives to them.

Suddenly, a flash of blue caught the older twin's eye. He knew if it weren't for his youkai senses he wouldn't have detected anything. "We have company." He yipped to his brother in the fox youkai language, hoping that the intruder didn't understand.

The younger brother just nodded his head and went about searching for the power source while keeping alert. He too saw a flash of blue after his brother had warned him. Before the older youkai could react, his brother was being charged at by a lavender haired man. His brother, having superior speed compared to him, reacted as fast as the intruder. They were exchanging blow for blow.

"We have no time for this," the dark haired youkai yipped as he watched the struggle. As much as he wanted to help, he knew he couldn't keep up with their speeds. Besides, he would have gotten in the way of his brother, but if the tide of the battle turned out of their favor, he will have his say in it. Even though he wasn't as good in sensing power, he knew this intruder had a low power compared to the one they had felt earlier or so what it seemed to be.

`He's good,' the light haired one thought to himself. His opponent had matched him blow for blow. He wasn't used to facing someone as fast as him. That was when he discovered his opponent was not only fast but he had muscle to back it up. He was forced to go on the defensive once the lavender haired teen decided to put more muscle into his attacks.

Pretty soon the younger youkai found himself flat on his back with a blade near his throat. His brother came charging in the second he noticed his brother on the losing end of the battle. However, he was brushed aside by the demi-saiyan's strength. He severely underestimated his opponent, which wasn't going to happen again as he stood up and readied himself for another attack. His ears were flat against his skull and he once again tried to dislodge his brother's captor. Unfortunately, he wasn't as strong as the violet haired teen.

"What and who are you?" The violet haired teen asked his captive. In his life, he had never met up with a creature such as one he captured. He met a Namek, Piccolo when he went back in time, not to mention a full blooded saiyan. His mother was a human and his mentor was like him, half human and half saiyan.

"I'm a fox demon," the light haired youkai replied. His golden eyes were focused on the sword rather than the person holding the sword. Sure, he could heal from fatal wounds, but he needed to keep his head on his body. And besides, he liked his head where it was. "As for my name, I can't tell you because I have a reputation among us youkai."

The captor raised a brow at the statement. "What exact reputation do you have?"

"We're bounty hunters," the captive said. His brother watched; his muscles tensed. "And no we don't hunt humans."

"Why is that?" The demi-saiyan inquired. This was his first encounter with a youkai so naturally he wanted to learn more.

"It's the law," the older youkai replied. If it weren't for the law, they could have expanded their business into the ningen world. He also knew if he made a wrong move he could lose the only living relative he had left. Their parents were killed while they were young. It was one of the reasons why they had chosen to become bounty hunters.

"I see," the captor said thoughtfully. He used his free hand to tap his chin. "Why are you here?"

"We thought you could have been a powerful youkai," the captive explained, trying not to stutter. "In our line of business, it is a risk we cannot afford to take. As I said, we are not popular with our kind. Besides that, we want to live normal lives now."

"Then why would you take up that career?" The captor asked, now confused on the two.

"It wasn't much of a choice," the older youkai explained this time. "My brother here isn't accepted by our kind due to his element. He uses the light element, which is the complete opposite of youkai nature. There are a few who wield this element, but they are quickly killed off. Our parents were killed while we were young so it didn't leave us with much option. Once we found an opportunity to get away from it all, we took it."

The captor mulled over their words. True, either one of them could have used their powers early in the fight, but they were only using their physical abilities against him. Perhaps, they wanted to learn more about him before they actually killed him. "Why didn't you use your powers against me?" His blue eyes had a gleam of curiosity.

"We don't kill for entertainment," the older youkai spat. "More to the point, we didn't know if you were after us or someone different all together."

"I'm actually lost," the captor admitted sheepishly. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. Since they had revealed themselves, he thought he should return the favor. "I'm from the future, a different time line. I wanted to see my friends, but something must have knocked my time machine from the path and I wound up here."

"Would you mind removing your sword from my brother?" The dark haired youkai asked politely as possible as he can. In a low voice, he also added, "He's the only family I have left."

The demi-saiyan nodded his head. He knew what it was like to have only one surviving family member. If his mother died, he didn't know what he would do. His mentor died at the hands of those killer androids. His father had also been killed by them while he was young. That was one of the reasons why he went back in time. He wanted to meet his father. The violet haired teen removed the blade away from the younger youkai, who nodded his head in thanks. He helped his former captive from the ground.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," he said with concern.

The younger youkai shook his head. "I have the power of light. Besides that, I'm a full demon, meaning I heal faster than most ningen."

"You mentioned a time machine," the older youkai spoke up, while keeping an eye out for eavesdroppers. "We need to make sure it's safe, because I know several youkai would love to get their claws onto it."

"Even if they steal it from me, it wouldn't do them any good," the violet haired teen informed them. "First of all, they would need to recharge the power cells. Trying to correct my course took more energy than I had originally anticipated. Second, you need a manual on how to operate it correctly. I had my mom teach me. She personally invented this."

"I suggest we find another place to talk because I sense a couple of youkai heading this way fast," the younger one spoke up abruptly. He felt a sense of darkness in that youkai, meaning this one controlled the element of darkness. "I suppose you can suppress your powers, because I had a hard time of locating you."

The violet haired teen nodded his head. He turned to look in the direction the energy signature was coming from. When he looked back at his two companions, they appeared to be normal humans and now can be considered twins. His eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to digest the information.

"Come on, we don't have much time," the older one said, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him away from there. "I'll explain once we're home."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Kurama's POV~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kuwabara and I headed towards my mother's house. On the way there, we encountered a handful of youkai. It was apparent they were searching for my mother, because they were tailing us once they caught sight. With my companion's sharp energy senses and my sense of smell, we were able to find them with no problem and dispatch them quickly, leaving no one to call for backup.

I stopped abruptly at my front door and was almost flattened by Kuwabara if I hadn't stepped out of the way at the last second possible. Good thing my door withstood such force. I didn't want my mother to be paying for this. After all, we were barely managing and I might have to find a job if anything should happen.

Fishing out my keys, I dropped them and fumbled for the house key. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kuwabara peeling himself off my front door. He stumbled a bit, but then regained his equilibrium in no time.

"Jeeze Kurama, I thought you were more graceful than that," he chuckled at me. He had this goofy smile of his, which made me want to strangle him at that very second.

"I'm merely worried my mother might be in their hands," I said as I shoved the key rather harshly into the lock. His smile changed to a frown. He knew the danger to my mother and his honor wouldn't let him mock me at the moment. I was grateful for it. With a few turns, I had my front door open and walked into a nice house. Good, they haven't been here.

Kuwabara took his time to look around the place. I believed it was his first time over at my house. Hiei was a frequent visitor as he used this place as refuge when the weather became unbearable. Yusuke sometimes would drop by when he needed help with his homework or something in life. Why was it people turned to me for help or advice?

I couldn't smell her as it hung heavily in the air. No duh, she lived here so it would be natural her scent was everywhere. "Mother?" I called out to her, hoping that she would answer like she always does.

No one answered and I glanced over to Kuwabara, who shrugged. Of course he wouldn't know the energy signature my mother had, because he had never met her. He only heard of her, during the tournament. Yusuke was the only one out of our group, who formally met my mother and he was with Hiei doing clean up.

I slipped into the kitchen. She usually could be found here, creating wonderful food, but she wasn't here. Maybe she might be upstairs or doing the laundry, perhaps even cleaning? I walked out of the room and pushed past a surprised Kuwabara. He probably didn't have time to retort or he knew that I wasn't exactly in the best of moods and didn't want to push his luck.

Quickly, I looked all over the first floor before proceeding to the second floor. Now that I thought about it, I haven't heard anything besides us since we have been here. Then you have to take into consideration there was no sign of break in or struggle. This made me more nervous and high strung.

"She isn't here," I slumped over in my room. My room was the last one I searched. I buried my head into my hands and curled up on my bed. "What if they have taken her? What if they're torturing her as we speak?" I received a jolt in the form of a slap.

"Stop thinking about it," Kuwabara said with a serious tone. His eyes became squinty and his hands were on his hips. "Everything is going to be all right. She might have stepped out for groceries or whatever mom's do."

My green eyes blinked rapidly for the next minute or so as I digested the information. For once, I wasn't the rational one, which deep down inside made me happy to a certain degree. "I've been to the grocery store yesterday, and besides, she usually leaves me a note."

"You were out and I think she thought she will be back before you," Kuwabara suggested. Now something was wrong with him. He usually doesn't come up with ideas. "If you're wondering, it happens a lot with my family." Ah, so that was where he got the idea. Wait a second, how did he know what I was thinking? Then I recalled what Hiei said to me.

Minutes later, I heard the front door opening and rushed downstairs before Kuwabara had a chance to register I was exiting the room. I stood in front of my ningen mother, helping her with the clothing she was holding.

"Thank you," she replied in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to be home this early. "I thought you were with your friends."

"There's no time to explain," I said, ushering her to her room on the second floor. Meanwhile, Kuwabara peeked out of my room. "You need to pack, because it isn't safe here."

My mother nodded her head. She knew I wasn't joking around and hurried to pack her belongings. Since we didn't know how long it would be for, she will need to pack for more than an overnight stay. I decided I would also need to pack my belongings. In any case, I could always come back here by myself or with one of the others. There was no way I was going to risk my mother coming back here even with a company of good youkai.

"Kuwabara, I need you to step out of my room," I asked him politely as possible since I was kicking him out of my room. "Unless you want to be run over by a nervous fox youkai."

"I think I'll take my chances outside," Kuwabara laughed as he exited my room.

With him out of the way, I packed the necessities. Of course, I wouldn't be taking any of my textbooks. They were heavy and I had no school for the time being. Maybe I should pack my portable CD player and a few CD's just in case. I hesitated on whether or not I should bring my laptop but then decided to because we were going to be away for who knows how long.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*1 hour later*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We were packed and ready to go. Kuwabara didn't mind carrying my mother's larger luggage. She figured she might as well pack enough supplies for a month, meaning she had two large suitcases and a carry on as well as her purse. I had one large suitcase, my backpack, and a carry on. Of course, women had more things they needed than men. I wasn't about to explore that mystery, but I did know my mother didn't wear a lot of make-up or perfume.

Both Kuwabara and I were on constant watch as we headed towards Genkai's place. I used my power of illusion to make it seem like we were carrying smaller items instead of three large suitcases. That way if someone did see us, it looked like we were normally heading out. I certainly hope we didn't meet up with the source of the huge power surge.

"Where are we headed?" My mother inquired with a soft voice. I could see she was nervous and I don't blame her. It wasn't everyday you hide from murderous youkai. Well, for most of the people it wasn't normal and I don't hide.

"We're going to a friend's place," I answered her vaguely, because someone may be listening into our conversation.

"I wouldn't exactly call her a friend," Kuwabara said off handedly. It was evident how he felt about Genkai. I at least gave her respect.

"Then what would you call her?" I asked with a hint of amusement. In the shade, there were several people lounging or keeping themselves busy. I saw ice cream shops, literally overflowing with customers. In some of the stores with air conditioner, some people were browsing through the aisles, taking their sweet time. I don't blame them.

"A team mate," the other red head replied. I knew she was his friend and he was her friend, even if both of them were too stubborn to admit it. "I wonder where Urameshi and the runt are."

I sighed in exasperation. "Hiei is not a runt. Honestly, do you have to call him names?"

"He calls me names all the time," Kuwabara replied childishly, which caused my mother to giggle at his antics.

"I'll try to talk to Hiei about that," I offered him. "If I can get him to stop calling you names, would you stop calling him names?" Truthfully, I hoped they would get along and maybe become friends. Now I knew that was wishful thinking as it would take a miracle for those two to get along. Yusuke and Hiei were a different matter. I'd think they would become friends given time. Yet, Hiei and Kuwabara will be related through marriage if the red head decided to pop the question to Yukina, though I doubt it would be any time in the near future. They weren't officially dating, not to my knowledge.

"Sure, if you can get him to do it, then I will too," Kuwabara agreed to it. "I wonder how my ice angel is doing." What was the sudden change in topics? Did he really know Hiei and Yukina were related?

"You know she is a youkai," I whispered loudly to him. My mother heard this and had a puzzled look on her face. I walked near her this time. "She's a youkai, a koorime to be more precise."

"What is a koorime?" My mother inquired politely.

"A race of ice youkai," I replied. "You'll meet her when we reach our destination. She lives with the owner of the house. Just to warn you, she isn't exactly nice to strangers either."

"I see."

The rest of the walk we spent either in silence or my mother asking questions with me answering them. She had an inquisitive mind. It made me wonder if some of her rubbed off on me or was it the other way around? Foxes tend to be curious creatures by nature. We were also playful and mischievous as well.

"Where are those two?" Kuwabara asked. We had exited the dense area of the city and were now heading towards the less populated area.

"That wouldn't be us you're referring to," Yusuke was hanging out in a tree, smirking. No I knew something was definitely wrong. That was Hiei's job!

"Urameshi," Kuwabara greeted his rival.

"Did either of you stumble across him or her?" I asked the both of them, even if the other was nowhere in sight. My senses picked up his youki very close.

"No," Hiei's voice came out of nowhere, startling both my companions. "We were close, but they were able to get away. It was more than one and two of them had youki. I wasn't able to discern what the third one was." The fire/ice youkai leapt out of the tree and landed with hardly any sound.

"This is not good," I muttered to myself, though I knew at least one of them could hear me. "Did you clear the way?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't imagine how many we had to get rid of," Yusuke said off handedly. He jumped to the ground with a loud thud. "You know you two are becoming popular with the youkai." He indicated my mother and I. "They've been asking for the two of you since they knew Kurama hung out with us a lot."

My mother didn't know what to say and the others didn't feel like stepping in at the moment so I decided to speak up. "Why don't we all go to her place?" Before it was too late, I mentally added.

"Sure thing, Kurama," Yusuke agreed to it. He shoved his hands into his pockets and waited for the others to respond.

Needless to say, Hiei took off into the trees. I explained it to them that he was going to be our look out. Besides, it gave us an element of surprise. They might not know we had an extra person guarding our backs.

"Let's go," Kuwabara said pointing straight towards Genkai's house. "My ice princess awaits my arrival." With that, he marched proudly onward as if he was a knight going back home to his princess. I could imagine Hiei on the verge of strangling Kuwabara or rolling his eyes.

"Did anything exciting happen on your trip?" Yusuke asked me, trying to start a conversation. His brown eyes glanced to the trees. Yes, we have entered the forest at this point.

"Nothing exciting," I waved him off. "Just a few youkai, wanting to kill me or kidnap my mother." For me, this was just the usual. However, I noticed how my mother paled at my casual saying of this or maybe it was the fact there were youkai after her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," my mother attempted to sound assuring. "It's just new to me. I don't know how you manage to do all this and keep up with your studies."

"Mother, you know about my past," I reminded her. My sensitive hearing picked up a very faint rustle among the trees. Instinctively, I readied myself for an attack when I realized it was only Hiei guarding our backs and relaxed. "I'm used to dealing with it, but if you need anyone to talk to, feel free to come to me."

"You can talk to anyone of us," Yusuke helped out. "With the exception of Hiei. He's not the touchy, feely type."

"True," I agreed with him while Kuwabara snorted.

"Thank you so much," Shiori said with a genuine smile.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*2 hours later*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We arrived at Genkai's place in one piece, which was good in our case. I dispatched my illusions from the luggage we were carrying. Genkai, aka Grandma, was out having her lunch by the time we arrived. Yukina was with her and I noticed she had made enough food to feed an army. Well, it looked like Hiei and Yusuke stopped by the place as they cleared our path.

"I figured you'll be hungry," Yukina smiled at all of us while Kuwabara went weak at the knees and only nodded his head. "Please take a seat and eat. There's plenty enough to go around."

"Thank you," Kuwabara managed to say without stuttering too much. He placed Shiori's two suitcases down gently and helped himself to the food as I shook my head.

"I'll be a few minutes," I informed my hosts. "I would like to set our belongings down before we eat." I didn't want to sound rude; at the same time, I wanted to know which room we will be staying in. I've been here a few times, including the whole netherworld incident.

Yukina waved her hand indicating for us to put down our luggage. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Kuwabara will help you after you eat. Wouldn't you?" She turned those brown (?) eyes over towards the said person.

Seeing as he had his mouth full, Kuwabara merely nodded very enthusiastically. She practically had him wrapped around her finger, except she was too naïve to take notice of it. Besides, she was too nice to use him.

I placed my belongings near the other suitcases as well as my mother's carry on. Yusuke was already helping himself now that he wasn't needed. I swore those two can eat like an army. Oh well, at least they fought like a ningen army. My mother waited patiently for me before she started to eat.

"How long do you plan on crashing at my place?" Genkai asked rather bluntly. She wasn't known for being kind.

"I'm hoping a week at the latest," I answered her after I swallowed. It was rude to talk with your mouthful, not to mention messy and completely disgusting. "We're planning to find a more permanent hiding place until we take care of our problem."

"And what is this `problem' you need to take care of?"

The other spirit detectives and I filled her in my problem. She surprisingly listened to our explanations without saying anything until we were finished. With her, I knew she would make some wise crack about our situation, but then again, she did agree to let us stay here for the mean time, though she insisted we help out around the place. She had Yusuke helping her with her other students. Kuwabara was to use his `muscles' around the house and help Yukina with the chores. I was to tend the garden and the surrounding areas. My mother helped with the household chores as well. Hiei, let's just say he stayed out of everyone's way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*After Lunch*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I unpacked some of my belongings. Why I didn't completely unpack? I originally planned to stay there no more than a week. Then I would have to pack again when we moved to a more permanent place. I glanced over at the clock and sighed to myself. This was going to be a long day. I wasn't tired physically but emotionally yes.

My mother roomed with Yukina. It made sense as they were both women while I roomed with Yusuke. Kuwabara had to sleep the furthest away from all of us due to his snoring. Genkai said she will kick him out if he refused to sleep in that room. Naturally he accepted, because he wanted to spend more time with Yukina.

As we were going to stay there for a week, the others secretly headed to their houses for their supply. Something made me think Kuwabara was not only picking up his clothing and other daily necessities but a little bundle of fur as well. He was very fond of the cat from what I could tell and from what Yusuke informed me.

"Are you okay?" My mother asked me.

Eh? I never noticed her step into my room. This was not good. I usually was alert. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"Are you worried about me?"

Dang, she knew. It must be a mom thing; it had to be a mom thing. Seriously, they have this book on how to raise children somewhere. I only nodded my head as I couldn't lie to her. In the past, I did, though now I completely regret it. I didn't want her to know I was a fox youkai or that I was a former thief.

She walked over to me and sat right next to me. My ningen mother pulled me close to her. With her hand, she rubbed circles on my back, comforting me as if I was a child. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."

I don't know whether it was her words or the fact that she was holding me like she would a young child, but I felt relaxed.

I felt safe.

Wingzero: You can already guess who the three mysterious people are. I gave enough clues.

Yusuke: *places Kuwabara's sock near DS's nose*

DS: *nearly kills Yusuke as he is holding the sock*

Yusuke: O.O! *jumps back to avoid the attack*

Kuwabara: >.>;;; *grabs his sock and storms out of there*

Wingzero: Okay…………………

Yusuke: Well, it worked.

Kurama: *shakes his head*