Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu
Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.
A/N: -gasp
choke- The curse! -wheeeze- The curse of 41! -pant straggle cough-
It's got me! It's-! -bursts into giggles- Okay, I just can't hold
that any longer. (Sorry, Gravidy, hon, but you knew I wouldn't be able to
resist once you said that. –sits down with a sigh- Now, I know this has
taken a bit, but I took a mini snowboarding trip and ended up going down at a
bad angle and doing interesting things to my arm. Sooo... typing has been
slower, but at least I have all those secretarial years behind me of the "one
hand on phone and other on keys."
That said... into
love-love! As ever, my lovely junkies, buddies, reviewers, readers... you
guys are completely uber. (Hee hee... I even bugged poor Belle and had much
fun doing it. XD) So much speculation again. –taps finger to lips-
Well, well... granted I'm not going to tell any of you if you're right or not,
but it's fabulous reading all the ideas. I love hearing what grabbed you
and even just what you were thinking for the chapter while you were
reading. –grins- It makes my day so much more enjoyable, and I really,
truly adore you all. –blows kisses- But let's get on with it, shall
we?
<>
By Any Other Name
Leaps and Bounds
"This isn't fair!" Koenma slapped his hands against his desk, ignoring
the Botan's concerned attempts to settle the prince's tantrum in front of the
unaffected gods standing between him and his former detectives. "You knew
this was going to happen, that's why you made me bring them in when you did,
and tricked me into not being able to ask them what happened down there!"
Miroku's expression was a perfect study of innocence as he regarded the shaking
finger now pointing at his face, tilting his head to the side and holding up
one hand in a calming motion, "Now, now Koenma-sama, you wouldn't possibly be
suggesting that there was any way for my wife and I to know my
detectives would be entering a volatile situation so soon after their
employment was transferred to us, would you?"
'Have I mentioned how much I enjoy spending time in the presence of this
particular god?' Youko drawled out in a decidedly calmer tone of voice than
he'd been gracing Kurama with for the past two days, willing to settle down
temporarily with the promise of viewing another showdown between Reikai's
higher powers. 'Especially when Koenma's humiliation and
inconveniencing are involved.'
Kurama made a noncommittal sound, busy basking in the peace of relative silence
in his own head and arms loosely folded over his chest with his eyes reflecting
the warmth of their amusement the longer the monk played buffer against
Koenma's railings. Inwardly frowning at the new pitch the demi-god's
voice seemed to reach with his continued denial of the information he
wanted.
Sighing
at the unimaginative argument, he let his eyes slant over to Hiei's bored
expression as he answered Youko's insistent poking, You have made it adequately
clear that you find Houshi-sama to be an acceptable distraction.
When you aren't whining and hissing at me about being an "undersexed prude" for
not agreeing that it would be a good idea to make an attempt to sneak into
Kagome's bedroom every time the sun goes down, of course.
'You know she had to be home,' Youko inserted just enough whine
into his voice to make Kurama's eyebrow twitch, smirking in victory at the
curses his other half sent his way at the irritating tone before giving the
impression he was ignoring him again. 'This two day thing is complete
bullshit. I want to see her, Kurama; it's my right! I
need to touch her and make sure she wasn't really hurt by what happened.
Doesn't it feel like forever since we last held her? Tasted her?'
Kurama caught himself before he absently agreed, sending a dark scowl at the
kitsune pretending to be innocently engrossed in the dramatic antics playing
out in front of them the moment he had his counterpart's full attention, Nice
try.
Youko let out a snort of disgust, settling back to pout, 'Hell, I have to
try something. With Hiei being all weird and quiet, and you
refusing to do what we should be doing to take care of our lover, I'm bored to
tears.'
Kurama almost shook his head in resignation when Youko made a few more crass
remarks about Hiei and flopped back, Technically we did break the
rules of our agreement with Sesshoumaru by trespassing on his lands the way we
did. But if he is willing to overlook that I'm not going to tempt
fate by making a move when he has told us he doesn't intend to punish us with
anything more than a minor separation.
'Any separation is unacceptable.'
Two days in comparison to the entire life of her soul, Youko, Kurama
scolded softly, clenching his hands where the others couldn't see his
agitation. Besides, we aren't the only ones who are feeling this way.
Kagome has been without us as well.
Youko blinked, his annoyed twitching stopping as though it had never been when
he processed that particular thought. A slow, hungry grin started to
spread across his lips, eyes gleaming as he blew out a deceptively lazy sigh
and trailed a light caress down their spine, 'Ah... I see where you are taking
this line of thinking. We will see how much she has missed our
presence in Sesshoumaru's hasty action.'
Kurama noticed the way Hiei's eyes slanted towards him, confused by the slight
frown tugging at the hybrid's mouth, Sesshoumaru is not the type of creature
to give commands in haste, Fox.
Youko's brows lifted in surprise at the uncharacteristic defense, sitting up
more alertly and narrowing their own attention to Hiei in uncertainty when he
seemed to dismiss them after giving that opinion, 'That's not the first time
he's defended that fucking dog to us, Kurama. Why hasn't this gone
away? He still has that goddamn look.'
Which one would that be? he sighed and resisted the urge to massage his
temples in case the hint of a throb turned into a full-blown headache.
'Don't
be dense, you know it bothers me,' Youko huffed. 'That look, like
he just had amazing sex for the first time in his irritating life.
Kick him.'
Hiei
rolled his eyes.
'Preferably
somewhere that will cause a great deal of pain and suffering,' he clarified
when caught that.
I'm
sure Kagome won't mind if I tell her you're indisposed and can't see her for
another month, Hiei's
face took on such an expression of sadistic delight for a split second that
Kurama leaned back, his arms falling to his sides in shock even as the look
returned to easy boredom.
'Don't
even joke about that, you little bastard,' Youko growled low in his throat,
eyes flashing at the very thought the hybrid would try something like
that. 'If you so much as open your mouth in her direction with the
intention to say those words-'
Hiei
snorted, shifting his weight just enough to open his stance to something more
defensive, Are you really going to threaten me when you don't know where
Shinju's temple is, Kurama?
Youko's displeasure intensified and Kurama let out a sigh as he focused more
energy on soothing the kitsune's emotions, Easy, Youko, he's just saying it
to piss us off. He doesn't have any control over our contact with
Kagome, and we're going straight to the temple as soon as Houshi-sama gives us
our dismissal from this.
'I still don't see why we're here at all,' Youko shot one last
threatening scowl at Hiei and ignored the two-word response. 'Houshi-sama
has this under control, and it's already the afternoon. I want to
get to her before she has lunch.'
She may not have time to entertain your scheming today, Hiei cut in
again, his voice taking on a vague note that had Kurama grinding his teeth
together in frustration. Kagome has a prior engagement.
How would you know that, Hiei? Kurama's eyes narrowed fractionally,
slanting to the almost distant expression on the hybrid's face. We
haven't been allowed contact since I dragged your ass out of Makai.
I never said I had contacted them, Hiei shrugged. But
Sesshoumaru insinuated she would be busy when we visited, so I'm warning you
not to get your hopes up. I don't want to have to listen to you
pouting all night.
'She'll have time for us,' Youko insisted, folding his arms and turning
up his nose against the mere suggestion of another possibility.
"You know the rules, Koenma," Sango's short bark dragged them back into the
conversation to see her grab his wrist and apply enough pressure to get him
cutting off mid-rant with a yelp of discomfort. "You can make all the
accusations you want, but under the current agreement, you have no rights to
any information our detectives have collected. Dragging us away
from our prior engagements for this kind of idiocy is not winning you any
points from myself or my husband."
"But-!"
"Do you want to re-grow your form that badly after all?" Sango's voice lowered
to a truly ominous pitch that had the temporary ruler blanching and cringing
back away from her. "Just keep speaking, Koenma, I can make it happen."
Miroku smiled peacefully and slid his hand down over the curve of her backside,
"Calm down, my lovely Sango, I'm quite certain that he does not mean to insult
us in such a way, do you, Koenma-sama?"
Kurama couldn't help by smile faintly, wondering just what kind of look the god
was giving their former boss to get such a look of stark fear filling his eyes
as Sango released the captive wrist in favor of smacking her husband over the
head for the blatant groping, They are very clever together, aren't
they?
A relationship to be envied, Hiei dipped his chin ever-so-slightly in
agreement, drawing their curious gaze yet again at the oddly pensive note to
his voice.
Youko twined his arms around their soul, whispering softly to avoid detection
from the seemingly hypersensitive youkai, 'This is starting to become
disturbing. Since when has Hiei ever shown the slightest hint of
anything but indifference towards a romantic-type relationship? Even if
it is between two gods who could probably teach us a few new ways to
maim and decimate our opponents.'
Apparently since that day, Kurama ground his teeth together in
frustration, soothing himself by carefully gliding his fingers over the dormant
vine he'd been steadily feeding his youki into for the past two days. Whatever
happened to him while we were stuck fighting Shippou and those human boys.
'He's always broken down and told us before long when he has secrets,'
Youko ran his tongue over his teeth in a mildly nervous gesture, a show of
turning his thoughts over a particularly stubborn puzzle. Snorting in
irritation, he flopped back, determinedly putting it aside to mull over
subconsciously while paying more attention to Koenma's growing discomfort, 'He
can't keep it from us forever, and I'll be ready when he slips up and shows us
what changed in his pointy little head. In the meantime, help me
think up a good trick to get him back for that threat about our lover.'
It was difficult to suppress his urge to sigh, but Kurama managed to bite it
back before it became obvious, half-heartedly scolding Youko for his childish
temper, Is that really necessary? We're going to see her shortly, and
I'd rather not delay that by wasting energy for the sole purpose of pissing off
Hiei.
'Coward.'
"This is ridiculous," Sango made an expansive gesture around the chamber with
one hand, her already strained temper drawing sparks of dark energy up around
her torso in sporadic bursts. "You know the rules, and you know that
Houshi-sama and I are very busy, but you're still pulling us away from our
important duties to behave in such a spoiled fashion? If you had wanted
to keep your rights to these detectives, or to your precious investigation,
Koenma, you should have paid more attention to the agreements you were
signing. Now... are you quite finished? Or do I need to
convince you a little more."
Koenma's indecision showed clearly on his face as he looked from the detectives
to the impassive Houshi-sama and the more daunting threat in Sango's eyes,
"I-I... But, I-?"
"Don't you have paperwork to do?" her knuckles cracked and Yuusuke lifted a
hand to cover his snicker at her behavior, even more at the way the prince was
trying to back away from her. "Or have you really caught up from that
mess you tried to convince us to help you with?"
Four pairs of eyes turned on the squirming caretaker, varying from amused to
openly suspicious, but none of them opened their mouth to offer any assistance
as they waited patiently for more information. Koenma set his jaw, tilting
it up as he shifted the pacifier from one side of his mouth to the other,
"You're- you are known for having a way with files, Houshi-sama."
"I do try," he dipped his head to acknowledge the compliment. "Yet if you
continue this disrespectful trend, I may fall behind in my own paperwork, and
then I may have to seek out new methods of relieving my stress."
"The rules are simple, Koenma," Sango flicked a hand out behind her to open the
door with a resounding bang. "We have no more time to waste on this
matter when nothing you say will change our answer. Stop bothering our
detectives or we will run out of patience and chastise you more seriously than
I intend to do now."
Miroku turned around with a calm smile, gesturing for the four men staring at
him inquiringly to precede him out of the office, "My beautiful wife will
handle the rest of this meeting, if you would-?"
Youko grinned coldly from inside the safety of their head when those violet
eyes lingered on him the longest, sparking with a myriad of carefully guarded
emotions underneath the usual amusement, 'Damn, just when it was about to
get good.'
Hiei scoffed at that, turning on his heel and calmly exiting as the others
seemed to snap out of their indecision at his move and follow suit, Make up
your mind, Fox, just a moment ago you were complaining that we were having that
meeting at all, and now you complain because it's over?
'You know whatever she's about to do is going to be good, and they all
openly admit she was a taijiya in her lifetime. Those skills have
to be even better now after so many centuries,' Youko defended in a lofty
tone, slowing Kurama's footsteps as he exerted his influence to get their eyes
flashing gold in silent displeasure under Miroku's "herding."
I doubt this will be our last chance to view Sango-sama's skills, Kurama
regained control with a warning to behave to his antsy other half, smoothing a
hand down the front of his shirt to cover the internal struggle. If
you stop dragging your feet we might be able to catch the end of classes.
Youko immediately redirected and perked up at the suggestion, 'Ooh!
Yes, hurry up then! Let's go watch our lover teaching youkai children how
to fight, it'll give us a good idea of how difficult it will be to convince her
she wants to have ours.'
Hiei snorted and shook his head, tossing a particularly dry look over his
shoulder at him, It's almost disturbing how obsessed you are with Kagome and
making sure she's the one crazy enough to breed with you.
'You said yourself that she was the one human female who could possibly be a
mother to my children effectively,' Youko snapped back.
I said she would retain her sanity and control your inherent psychosis,
Hiei corrected with a subtle flick of his hand. If you are going to
throw my words back at me, have the sense to quote me properly or I may begin
to think you are becoming senile in your advanced years.
'Oh, I'll show his ass senile,' Youko drawled out in a low growl,
gathering his ki to take over and advance on the amused hybrid when a
restraining hand came down on his shoulder and sucked the energy away.
"A moment of your time, Youko Kurama?" Miroku's voice really left no room for a
denial despite the wording, but the upraised hand bringing Hiei and the two
uncharacteristically quiet detectives to a halt effectively stopped his forming
protest at the delay.
Still, he couldn't resist heaving a mock sigh and murmuring, "I don't suppose
you would accept my apologies for poor timing and let me leave without seeing
you privately?"
Miroku's smile never changed, but the look in his eyes shifted to something
Kurama knew very well as the deity leaned forward and whispered, "I leave the
choice as to whether you would like to retain an illusion of control in front
of your colleagues to you. Besides... I'm sure that clever brain of yours
already has an idea of what topic I wish to discuss with you."
"My Kagome," Kurama was already turning as he whispered back, not even needing
Youko's promptings to do so under the sudden wash of possessiveness filling
their soul.
Amusement lit in those violet eyes as he turned his back and started to walk
away, lifting his hand in an imperious summons to show he wanted to be
followed. Miroku waited until they were an acceptable distance from the
others, hidden by more of those strange "walls" before coming to a stop and
sliding his hands into the sleeves of his robes, "You have already decided?"
Youko was instantly wary of the tone, eyes narrowed as Kurama absently brought
his hand across his chest to cup his shoulder, a habit whenever danger could
present itself at any second, "Are you going to try and stop me?"
Miroku slanted him a grave look over his shoulder, chuckling softly when he saw
the confusion chase across those green-gold eyes, "Calm yourself, if I was
intending to interfere, I had a million chances to do so before now. You
would never have seen her standing in the doorway, or across the street from
you with her brother."
Kurama sucked in a slight breath, stiffening under the subtle implications
coloring those words, Is he-? Is he suggesting-?
'He guided us to her?' Youko breathed out in awe, sitting back inside
their body as one brow kicked up in suspicion. 'Dammit all, I can't
tell if he's fucking with us or if he really is telling the truth.'
"But... then I would have had to wait so much longer to see that smile," Miroku's
gaze turned introspective, resting two fingers on his lips as they curved
upwards in tender remembrance. "And I do so love to see her smiling face,
Youko Kurama, never doubt that. I would lay a thousand kitsune at her
doorstep if I knew it would make her happy without me."
'He admitted it!' Youko crowed out in victory, very nearly springing
forward to tackle the monk before Kurama caught him and held him in
check. 'You heard it! We were right, she's the reincarnated
second wife, and he- Oh HELL no, tell him he's not doing any more
"guiding" involving our lover! She's mine now, I saw her first-!'
Miroku started to chuckle, surprising him out of his rant as he turned around
to stare at Kurama directly, "Your eyes are turning red the longer you speak to
yourself, but then... I knew you would take offense to hearing I was capable and
willing to offer her others."
"She has me now, she won't be seeing anyone else," Kurama's eyes narrowed,
mingling with Youko as their consciousness merged under their agreement
regarding this particular topic. "And if you send others to try and take
her away from me, I'll kill them."
"Ah, then you have decided to stake your claim seriously," his brows
lifted, forming his expression into curious surprise, if one ignored the
knowing arrogance lighting those eyes. "How very troublesome."
"If you did what you're hinting you did, then you practically gave her to me,"
Kurama resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, not wanting to clue Hiei in
to the conversation's severity. "You don't have any right to complain
about my behavior after all this time. You're a deity, you obviously knew
I would want her and be good to her, or you wouldn't have led me her
direction."
"Is that what you think?" Miroku's lips curved again, teeth flashing in an
oddly chilling way as he took a step closer to Kurama. "I may have turned
your eyes to show her to you, but you think... that she is yours to take?
To win?"
'What the hell?' Youko's brows furrowed slightly. 'Shippou...
Shippou said something to us similar to this right after the meeting with
Sesshoumaru, remember?'
I remember, Kurama tilted his head, forcing himself to remain perfectly
still under the monk's searching look. There's something here we're
missing. Something important-
Miroku chuckled and leaned back, eyes narrowed and flashing brightly for a
split second before his face settled back into his perfectly stoic expression,
"I see. Even after all this you are still denying it to yourself?
Perhaps you were not the right choice after all."
Kurama nearly saw red, lashing out before he'd realized he'd moved to slam his
palm flat against the wall beside Miroku's head and hold those unperturbed eyes
within his own deadly serious glare, "I will not give her away to another, not
even at the whim of a god."
"Is that so?" Miroku's brows lifted in polite curiosity, inwardly snickering
when he saw the muscle in the kitsune's jaw twitch and spasm. "And would
you fight me for it? Knowing you would possibly lose your soul?"
'He's testing us.'
"I would fight you and survive," Kurama assured him in a low growl, not
bothering to acknowledge Youko's observation before they blended together
again. "Stop posturing at me, Houshi, I get enough of it from the youkai
surrounding her."
Miroku nodded in agreement to that, making a sound of contemplation as he
tapped a finger to his lips and murmured, "Indeed, indeed... for a time I
wondered if perhaps her new partner could be found among them. But that
was before I found your soul. Very clever, by the way, escaping
and creating your avatar aspect."
"I won't be talked in a circle or turned by pretty words, Houshi," his eyes
narrowed as the touch of that disorienting aura started to tug across his
senses. "You told us once that you were a jealous man, but I can promise
you that your worst memory of what you wished you could do to anyone who
touched your wives inappropriately will look like the most gentle of affection
compared to what I will do to anyone you send after my Kagome."
Miroku stared silently into his eyes for a long moment, unaware of how similar
their expressions became the longer they clashed wills until he sighed and
turned to look off at something only he could see, "It will remain a mystery to
me as to how Kagome manages to stand prolonged exposure to the intensity you
kitsune seem to exude without damaging her mental state."
Kurama snorted, but he could feel his lips twitch upwards slightly at the
roundabout acquiescence to his claims on the miko, "I was good enough for you
to select."
"You were good enough for me to bring into her life, Youko Kurama," Miroku
glanced back to correct him softly. "Everything beyond that is left to
her decision and your actions. But I like you, and so far you have proven
that my judge of character has not degenerated over these many centuries."
Kurama blinked, his hand falling back down to his side in surprise as he stared
at the smirking deity in rather dumbfounded fascination, He likes us?
"Trust a kitsune to know when a woman is in need of someone to play with,
someone who can erase the shadows of sorrow from her lovely eyes," he winked,
sidestepping around Kurama to start walking back the way they had come.
"Kagome has not had an easy life, not in the past and not now, but I have the
power to help her the way I could not before. And if you make her happy,
I will count you among my allies."
'Sonofabitch-' Youko's eyes widened, opening his mouth to speak in
response to the incredible distinction when Miroku turned a decidedly evil look
at them over his shoulder.
"However... if you ever hurt my beautiful wife, Youko Kurama, you can be most
certain that you will wish you had never escaped Death the first time," Miroku
lifted his hand, letting the black energy crackle and curl up into his palm
ominously. "Am I understood?"
Oh yes, Houshi-sama, I understand you now, Kurama's eyes flashed,
a smile slowly turning up his lips as he nodded in satisfaction, "Perfectly."
Miroku closed his eyes and returned the gesture, making a casual motion with
his hand to dissolve the gathered energy and indicate Kurama was being
dismissed, "You will protect her, and you will come to understand that her love
for her family does not diminish her capacity to love a husband with her entire
soul."
Kurama nodded slowly to show he understood, clenching his jaw when Youko cocked
his head to one side and started to grin, 'He's telling us not to make her
choose between them and us, the way to make her ours body and soul. He
wants us to know what we need to win her for ourselves.'
"And a note of advice-"
Kurama could feel his eyebrows lift in absolute shock at the offering,
subconsciously leaning forward in his eagerness to hear what he had to say
after everything the deity had already revealed, "Yes?"
"If you ever see Kagome with a sword in her hand," Miroku trailed off, his lips
quirking up at some private entertainment before he shook it off and pinned the
kitsune with a serious look, "get her out of the fight."
'What?'
"I'm sorry?" Kurama vocalized their instant confusion.
Miroku chuckled, folding his hands back up into the sleeves of his robes as he
turned to face away from him again, "You heard me. Kagome has never had
the- the heart of a swordsman. Her skills in that aspect of her
training have remained a running joke within the family since our first
gloriously failed attempts to teach her how to use one."
Youko snickered to himself, an odd curl of affection escaping him to wind
through Kurama at the thought of such a flaw even as he felt the kitsune murmur
through him, "No one is perfect."
That's a new stand coming from you, Kurama accused him.
'What? I happen to think it's cute that she has such obvious power
with her arrows but can't use a sword,' Youko turned up his nose. 'Besides,
no one can be a master in all things, and that only means she knows that
she needs to keep us close to protect her.'
They could hear the smile in Miroku's voice as he nodded and replied to Youko's
vocalization, "Her strength in close battles lies in her defense. If you
wish to see her openly assist you in a dangerous situation, give her room to
use her arrows."
Kurama nodded, his eyes taking on a more calculating gleam as he regarded the
deity in front of him and finally asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Miroku sighed and shook his head, "Because there is always a possibility that
one will have to fight to protect and keep the woman they truly care about, and
I want you, Youko Kurama, to be prepared when that time comes."
He wants us to be prepared to defend her...He wants us to
succeed with making her ours, Kurama's chin kicked up at a haughty angle,
smirking at having such direct approval from the ascended form of the monk
who'd won her in their former lives. No matter what the youkai around her
said to him now, this god, the one who'd had her before any of them
was giving him his blessing. A god's blessing-
'Well don't just stand there like a twit then, let's get moving,' Youko
chuckled richly in his delight and gave Kurama a hard shove. 'You're
wasting time standing here like a schoolboy soaking in his praise when we could
be convincing our lover to adore us. Besides, I don't trust what Shippou
and those boys will try and say to her about us if we are tardy.'
Kurama rolled his eyes, but started back towards his companions, shaking his
head at their questioning looks to show them that he was intending to be
secretive as Miroku leaned back in the shadows and watched them open the portal
back to the Ningenkai. He folded his arms over his chest and grinned
widely, not at all surprised to feel the sudden smack against the back of his
head that nearly sprawled him out, "Ow."
"You're a terrible man, Houshi-sama," Sango set her hands on her hips and frowned
at him. "Now he thinks he's holding some great secret over Kagome about
meeting with you and hearing all of these things. And you're only
encouraging him to believe it's true."
"It's entertaining to me," Miroku protested in a whine, rubbing the back of his
head. "You have to admit that it's fun to watch them muddle through our
history while we keep rearranging the pieces. It's like we left a mystery
novel and they're reading it, but we're outsmarting them whenever they think
they're close to solving the puzzle."
"Kagome would beat you if she knew how you were behaving," she muttered a few
words under her breath about the intelligence of certain gods, turning her
frown at the beautiful man casting one back look to where Miroku had last stood
before passing through after his friends. "And are you sure about
this kitsune? He's not evil? He seems a little too selfish to be
right for her to me."
"Trust me, my lovely Sango, he will be just what she needs in her life," Miroku
reached over and patted her hands reassuringly. "Look at how quickly he
figured out that she needed someone who would temper the seriousness she
gained, and that she liked sunrises! I didn't even have to help him with
that."
Sango sighed heavily, pursing her lips as she stared at the closing portal, "I
suppose."
He chuckled and slid his arms around her waist, gently pulling her up against
his chest and whispering in her ear, "We are the ones who are being too
selfish, Sango, in thinking no other could be good enough for her. She is
alive when we are not... it isn't fair of us to try and hold all of her soul to
our marriage vows when our bodies are dust and our souls ascended beyond her
reach. Trust me in this, I am thinking of Kagome's heart."
"But he doesn't love her," Sango protested stubbornly, yet her body was already
softening against him, gratefully leaning into him for the comfort he could
offer her.
"Perhaps not the way we do, and not the way he should yet," Miroku nodded, a
faint, secretive smile curving his lips. "But he is very much an ancient,
and a kitsune, my dear. What he feels is far deeper than what he
will admit he feels, you know how much they hate to think they could be
the ones with the unrequited fascination rather than the one it is directed
towards. I looked into his soul, after all, and he cannot hide his
intentions towards her from me."
"You're sure of that?" she leaned away to search his eyes, frowning suspiciously
at the innocent look on his face. "Don't make me kill you, Miroku, tell
me the truth."
Miroku chuckled and shook his head, burying his face in her hair as he
swallowed against the pang of heartache that went through him, making sure his
voice would obey him before he murmured, "He will see the truth soon
enough." He will see that my Kagome is not the only one who will find
her perfect lover from my actions...
<::.........::>
One minute Kagome was guiding her intent little students through a round of
simple kata-
The next she was almost completely bent over backwards, barely registering the
flash of green to gold and the familiar, beautiful face framed by inhumanly
perfect crimson hair before she was practically being devoured by the hungriest
kiss she had ever, ever experienced in her life. Her eyes closed
on reflex to the assault, fingers twitching and finally giving into the need to
sink into that hair she knew would feel like cool silk spilling through her
fingers as she pulled him even closer. Her entire consciousness seemed to
flip upside down, disoriented and lost in a flood of heat making it's way
through her veins the longer that mouth continued to slant insistently across
her own.
Kagome felt more than heard his groan, registering the arm he'd wrapped around
her back when she felt his thumb brush across her spine through the thick gi
with his fingers splayed out wide to hold her just how he wanted her. Her
mouth opened wider on an instinctive gasp when the touch of his ki sent a jolt
straight to her soul, the sound lost when his tongue took advantage of that to
slide deeper inside her mouth.
She wasn't entirely sure how long they stood like that, overwhelmed by the
feeling of his body against hers, his youki teasing her soul, the sinful smell
that was his alone, and especially the way his mouth moved over hers... But it
was the distant register of a badly muffled snicker that had her mind
reluctantly coming down from its euphoric high to reconnect with exactly where
she was and what she was doing.
Kagome twisted her face to the side, her wide, glazed eyes meeting the shocked
and amused eyes of her students and then up to see Hiei standing at the
entrance to the training hall with his hand up in front of his mouth, Hiei...
snickered?
That sound coupled with her movement triggered a sort of wave effect amongst
the juvenile youkai and the parents who had arrived early to pick up their
offspring. Laughter and whispering spreading like wildfire amongst them
until the Urameshi boys let out a gleeful squeal and announced loudly enough to
be heard over the din, "Sensei's marrying Uncle Kurama!"
Oh he's definitely laughing now, Kagome's eyes cleared a little when she
turned a glare on the openly amused hybrid, gritting her teeth and trying to
push down her temper when she felt Kurama smile against her throat. "I'm
going to kill you," she took in a calming breath, barely resisting the urge to
drop the kitsune on his head for interrupting and embarrassing her in front of
her students.
"I missed you too," Youko chuckled, sliding the tip of his tongue up the side
of her neck before Kurama pulled him back and reasserted his control. 'Killjoy.'
You're going to get us- Kurama started to hiss, only to break off in
surprise when the air was punched from his lungs and he was suddenly staring up
at Kagome's blushing face- thrown, damn.
Even expecting it after that first experience with her gift for this maneuver,
he still jerked slightly when the sound of Hiei's laughter shattered the
renewed stillness around them. Scowling at the youkai leaning back
against the doorframe to support himself under the force of his amusement, he
let out a faint sound of impatience and snapped his hand up to catch her wrist
before she could move out of his reach.
Kagome let out a startled squeak when she felt his other hand tangle in the
front of her gi, throwing off her attempt to counter his tug and sending her to
her knees. Kurama had released her the instant she hit the floor, hands
moving to grab the back of her head and pull her down until he could steal
another slightly upside-down kiss.
I am going to get along very well with Kagome, Fox, Hiei's amused
thought entered his head when the miko managed to remember herself enough to
break free of his hands a second time, swatting him upside the head
half-heartedly and sitting back on her heels to catch her breath.
"I did warn you I would bring you down with me the next time you did that," he
murmured to her when she turned a disgruntled frown on him at the continued
giggling around them. "And you aren't so skilled yet that you can expect
to out-trick a kitsune like me every time."
Keep talking, maybe she'll kick you too, Hiei urged.
Quiet, you, Kurama huffed back at him, starting to roll to his side when
she shocked him back into stillness by leaning down and brushing a fleeting
kiss over his cheek.
"Distract me again before class is over, Kurama, and I really will kill you,"
Kagome whispered in his ear before standing and turning to her class as though
nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
'Oh she loves us,' Youko slid his tongue over his lower lip in a
decidedly satisfied motion, sighing as he folded his arms behind his head and
let all the frustration of the past two days seep out of him.
You're a sick bastard, Youko, Hiei was still chuckling, shoulders
shaking and eyes softer than the kitsune could remember seeing from him as
Kurama rolled gracefully to his feet as well. And I am never, ever
going to forget the look on your face as that little miko tossed you on your
ass for kissing her. Good gods, I would kill anyone in this room
to have had a camera.
Covered.
Hiei's attention snapped to the other side of the training hall, brows lifting
when he saw Shippou holding up his camera with a cocky smirk, winking and
shaking his head to indicate Kurama hadn't been privy to that last
remark. Amused now, he set his hand comfortably on the hilt of his katana
and couldn't resist asking, How long have you been waiting for that?
Since she told me about the first time she did it, Shippou admitted with
a wide grin, tucking the camera back down safely into his gi in a way that
suggested more of his enchanted pouches were either sewn in or hidden on his
person out of sheer habit. I was hopeful, with her temper and his
mouth. But then again, I am an investigator... and I never go
anywhere without my camera.
Kurama shrugged to himself as he saw Hiei turn his attention across the room,
habitually scolding Youko for being childish enough to start making his
innuendos when it seemed that Shippou was the focus of the hybrid's gaze, Do
you mind leaving him to muck about in his own dubious sex-life alone for a
while until we straighten out ours? The thought of those two in
any sort of compromising position disturbs me on a level I wasn't even aware I
had.
'You can be such a baby,' Youko snorted, but obediently settled back to
watch Kagome quiet down her class with the threat of more disciplinary kata if
they lost focus. Unaware of the way his eyes gleamed as Kurama folded his
arms over his chest and leaned them back against the wall to observe the way
she meticulously corrected each child until she was satisfied before encouraging
them to start again. 'She is very patient with them, and she
adjusts from one to the other. At least her knowledge of forms and
basics is good even if Houshi-sama is right about her lack of working skill.'
Perhaps that's the reason she is in charge of the children, Kurama
suggested, never taking his eyes from her as she continued to walk through the
youkai children, crouching down now and then to help control a spark of errant
ki or adjust a swing before anyone caught the bad end of a shinai. Or
Sesshoumaru can see how good she is with them.
'This may be easier than we anticipated,' Youko touched the tip of his
tongue to one fang, letting out an appreciative rumble. 'Good nothing,
our lover is perfect around them. Hell, even Yuusuke's boys are
behaving for her, and that's nothing short of a damn miracle after the trouble
we had with their attitudes. Look at her, you can tell by her eyes that
she's eating it up. She wants babies of her own as badly as we
want to give them to her.'
We'll give her as many as she wants, Kurama assured him, wondering if he
should be concerned with the way Youko had so easily said something so very
serious. He sighed and inwardly shook the thought away for a later time,
reaching down to pat the vine at his wrist when he felt it stir and begin to
wake.
He wasn't in the least bit surprised when it let out a whine, recognizing its
surroundings and casting about rather pitifully for the aura of the miko it had
grown so attached to. Kurama lifted his amused gaze to find Kagome
staring back at him, holding out his hand to show her the rose as it shook off
the forced dormancy and split its vine into two sections to reach out for her,
"You are missing something very important, lover."
A cough from somewhere behind her warned Kagome that the adults were beginning
to find this entire fiasco just as amusing as their children, and she rushed
across the space separating them to clap her hand over his mouth before
anything more suggestive made it's way out. Leaning up on her toes to
hiss in his ear, "These are my young students, you ass! They're
mature, but not that mature."
She could feel him smile just before he nipped her hand to free himself,
reaching up to catch her wrist before she could pull farther away. He
waited until she had looked up at him before allowing his expression to shift
away from the teasing smile to a much more serious intensity, "I was not able
to give this to you in person the first time, but you still understood that it
offers you my protection. It calls to me when you're in danger, and helps
to keep you safe until I can reach you."
Kagome blinked, her thoughts scattering momentarily at the concern she could
see in his eyes and hear threading subtly through his lecturing until her soul
couldn't help but start to warm, Without the rose, he can't connect
to me even that little bit anymore. Was he really that worried
without it to help him be sure I was all right?
The sudden squeal of delight drew broke her musings and pulled her eyes down to
the familiar vine reaching out to cross the space from Kurama's wrist to hers
so quickly it nearly blurred to her eyes. The moment it touched her skin
it split even more until its ends fanned out wide and started winding and
rewinding itself up her forearm as tightly as it could without effecting her
circulation. All while making its little chattering noises that
definitely held an odd impression of scolding and happiness all at once.
Kurama smiled at the annoyed look that crossed her face, her fingers flexing
unconsciously as he felt the rose expand its youki over hers with just as much
possessiveness as his own, "You really should feel flattered, Kagome. It
missed you very much."
"We talked about the understanding your plants thing," she gave him a pointed
look, but he wondered if she even noticed the way her other hand had moved to
stroke soothingly across the vines spiraling up her arm in its effort to lock
itself in place as though half afraid it would be taken away again.
"That's why I translated for you," he lowered his voice, curling his fingers up
to touch the rose and send a potent streak of his own youki into the vines to
reinforce its hold on her. Kurama leaned forward, making sure she raised
her eyes to his as they flashed gold and his voice dropped further to a private
whisper, "No matter what situation you find yourself in, don't take it off
again. Or I may fuse it into your soul to be certain I will have a way to
know when you are in need."
Kagome's eyebrow arched, trying desperately not to let her eyes glow or show
how greedily her soul siphoned off the power he was trailing over her skin
while keeping her words steady, "I'm not a child, Kurama, I can handle
myself."
'That is so tempting.'
Kurama hurriedly stopped him from turning it into an innuendo just yet,
strangely encountering less resistance than he thought he would until he
realized Youko wanted to impress the severity of that instruction on her just
as badly, "I have no doubts of that, little lover, but I would not forgive
myself if something happened to you that I could have prevented."
And he goes from regular domineering youkai to romantic domineering youkai
in less than sixty seconds, Kagome bit the inside of her cheek before she
did something silly. Like kick him... or kiss him... she wasn't sure which
sounded more appealing, "Kurama-"
"Humor me?" he pressed his fingers to her lips to stop her protests, turning
his head to purr into her ear. "Since I have been able to use this to
feel your soul at night, when I reach out my senses and can't find you,
something in me aches. Like an emptiness that won't be filled."
Goddammit.
"Please, Kagome?"
Fuck.
"I might even be able to be persuaded to let you throw me again without
repercussions," Kurama's voice took on a decidedly playful edge, sensing the
way she was struggling with her desire to give in like a true predator and
giving her that little push to make her efforts completely unsuccessful.
"Provided you negotiate with another kiss."
Kagome couldn't stop herself from laughing any more than she could stop the
blood from going to her cheeks in a light blush at the way his earlier
seductive words had sent such amazing heat through her body and soul.
Stepping back out of self-preservation instincts, she shook her head and
pressed her hand to his chest to stop him from following, "All right! All
right, I'll keep your plant thing with me. Just- just stop being sexy for
five minutes while I teach, hm?"
Kurama blinked at the strange request, looking down at himself and then back at
her in a way that clearly indicated the impossibility of that request, "I'm not
trying to be sexy."
Youko was smirking widely, his tail flicking from side to side at the way his
ego swelled to hear her openly- publicly admit that she found them sexy,
'Damn right. This is all natural, but it is very, very nice to
hear our lover finds us as desirable as we find her.'
Kagome made a face, opening her mouth to suggest he stand in the hall or
somewhere she wouldn't see him when a thought had her falling silent with a
sudden, devilish gleam in her eyes, Even better.
'Oooh, she can't possibly think she can look at us with such a delicious
expression and not give us a taste,' Youko let out a low, admiring growl,
starting to pour his influence through Kurama with every intention of taking
another kiss.
"How much do you know about basic kata, Kurama?" her question jolted through
them, surprise and curiosity stopping them short as they both frowned and
regarded her.
"Kendo?" he glanced at the students watching them just as intently as the
observing adults and even the furtive glances of the older students in the
other half of the hall, lifting a hand to hide a chuckle when he admitted they were
causing something of a scene in her classes.
Kagome shook her head, making a simple motion that had the children running to
put away their shinai, "Judo."
Defensive focus, we should have guessed, Kurama folded his arms over his
chest and dipped his head once to acknowledge that he was familiar.
"Enough to teach them to a class of children?" that sly look was in full force
as she slanted her eyes to his, openly challenging while she mimicked his pose
and offered him a smile.
'Teach-? I've never taught a child anything,' Youko protested.
You taught me, Kurama pointed out, cocking his head to one side as he
regarded Kagome's expression for a hint of what she might be thinking.
'That was different, I'm on the inside of you,' Youko shook his head.
Are you telling me that you think we'll fail?
"I can teach a class of children," Kurama's eyes flashed gold again after a
moment of silence, barely keeping the offended note out of Youko's tone when he
knew Kagome wouldn't understand it was directed at him for successfully
baiting his moodier side with that insulting suggestion. "By why would I
do such a thing when it's obvious they already have an excellent instructor?"
Kagome pivoted until her back was facing the class, carefully shielding her
next words from everyone but the man at her side, "Because I need to speak with
Hiei."
'Fuck that-'
"Don't say no yet," Kagome giggled at the way his brows had drawn low, waving
her hand to dismiss what was likely about to be a prime example of youkai
stubbornness mixed in with the kitsune gift for eloquence and persuasion.
"I know you hate the idea that there are things he's hearing that you don't
know, Kurama, but what if you and I make a deal?"
'I'm listening,' Youko drawled out reluctantly after a beat of silence,
unable to deny a certain interest and suspicion over what she could possibly
propose.
"What kind of deal?" Kurama sent a few dry remarks inward, trying not to laugh
at Youko's short, highly suggestive responses. Calm down, Hiei would
no sooner become competition for Kagome than Sesshoumaru would renounce his
holdings. And this is a chance to show her we can fit with her
family, you want to blow that when she's showing us this much trust?
'I don't want her to be alone with him,' Youko pouted.
It might be worth it, Kurama shrugged and mentally prodded him. C'mon,
she'll be happier with us if we let her win the little battles.
'There isn't anythi-!'
"If you stay here
without interrupting the meeting I need to have with Hiei, and Shinju tells me
that you do a good job with instructing the children-" Kagome started,
swallowing hard as she sent a quick prayer heavenward that she wasn't about to
make a huge mistake. Gathering her resolve, she turned her head to meet
his calculating stare and finished, "I'll ask you to come to Yoshimi-cho with
me."
Kurama's eyes widened, "Yoshimi-cho?"
'You're kidding me,' Youko shot up in disbelief.
"For two weeks."
"Just you and I?"
'Tell her yes before she changes her mind!' Youko snapped out, shoving
at Kurama forcefully in his enthusiasm to agree. 'Shit, I hope she
needs to have private meetings with that little bastard regularly if that's our
trade. I can give him an hour for two whole weeks!'
An hour, my ass, Hiei can spend the fucking night in the house for all I
care, she wants us to go with her to Shikoku for two weeks to look at
gardens? Rose gardens? Kurama could feel the smile starting to spread
across his lips, thoughts racing like mad over the slew of possibilities that
kind of alone time with her opened up. Two weeks out of town with only
Kagome and none of her over-protective guard dogs?
"Hiei can come too if you'd like," Kagome offered, clasping her hands together
and nervously taking her lower lip between her teeth as she tried to settle her
heart. Is this right? Miroku wants me to move on, but I need to
be alone with him to see if we get along for more than an hour or two... Sesshoumaru
will probably want to kill me. "I know it's kind of a tourist trap,
but I've always liked it there, and it's close to a few temples I need to visit
and-"
Kurama's hand cupping her chin to draw her face back snapped her out of her
troubled thoughts and rambling as the uncertainty abruptly left her expression
for amazement under the blinding smile making him that much more attractive, "I
will be the best temporary instructor you will ever employ, my beautiful
Kagome."
<>
"How are you feeling?" Shinju murmured softly as he came up beside the
attentive hybrid, smiling as he watched his mother's temper manifest into quite
a show for the amused audience.
"Better now that I can feel all of you coming and going, and see inside your
heads as much as anyone who's had the training to resist assaults of that
nature," Hiei snorted and responded candidly, not bothering to look at the boy
as he too watched Kagome put the kitsune in his place and take control of the
class again. He couldn't prevent the slight frown at the calm that seemed
to radiate out from her and settle in his soul the longer he followed her with
his eyes, but knowing he would get real answers when he asked those questions
today made it more tolerable.
"You came early," he sighed, glancing around to be certain Shippou was busy as
well before he reached out and set his hand on Hiei's shoulder to pull him
backwards. "Kagome-sama wishes to meet with you in the house rather than
the dojo. I'll point you in the right direction before I get back to helping
her make enough of a distraction that you have privacy when you ask her your
questions."
Hiei was silent, almost docile as he followed the boy away from the sounds of
training and young voices. Silent until he reached up and lightly touched
the symbol resting below his throat, that is. There was something
different... something in this little monk's aura that felt new, but familiar and
ancient at the same time, "You have one too."
Shinju glanced back at him with a wry smile at the almost accusing statement,
shaking his head slightly and tapping his fingers against his arm, "Not to the
degree that you do, but yes, I have the mark."
"The miko will tell me what it is?" he set his jaw when he felt the disjointed
pulse run through his soul, nearly stumbling at its reappearance before he
forced himself to straighten and continue walking. "She knows what is
happening to me."
"Kagome-sama knows the answers to what you want to know better than any of us,"
Shinju admitted with a quiet laugh, turning a knowing look back on the frowning
hybrid. "Sesshoumaru will be glad to hear that you're coherent and you
don't look like you've lost your mind, but with youkai it can be difficult to
tell right away."
"Why the hell would I have lost my-?"
"The house is across the courtyard," Shinju cut him off, reaching out to slide
open the shoji in front of him and point to the obvious structure. "Kaze
had to work and Shippou has dragged Souta into his class, so it's empty right
now, but make yourself at home. Kagome-sama will join you as soon as she
can."
Hiei blinked and frowned at him in annoyance, "You bear a striking resemblance
to a deity that has recently been introduced to us."
To his amazement, Shinju grinned and dipped his head in acknowledgement before
he stepped back into the temple to retrace his steps, "Thank you, Hiei-san, I
hear that more often that you likely suspect, but it never fails to give me
more than a passing moment of pride."
The shoji slid closed with a snap before Hiei could open his mouth to question
exactly how Shinju knew what he was talking about, leaving him with one more to
put to Kagome as soon as she made her escape from the watchful eyes of her
over-possessive kitsune.
Annoyed now, he made a faint sound of disgust and darted across the courtyard
to the side of the house facing away from the temple, scanning the exterior
until his eyes found an open window. Even being told to "make himself at
home," there was still something discomforting about strolling in the front
door to a structure he'd never entered. Not that he felt they would go
through all this for a trap at this stage of their games, but still... Hiei
hadn't lived as long as he had by being careless.
Silently entering the kitchen, he fanned out his senses to verify that he
really was alone in the house before he let his curiosity get the better of him
and began to explore the strange mix of ancient and modern aspects to the
interior. It's all like this, everything they own, he frowned
slightly, poking at a wind-chime that seemed to hum with power. All
these charms and ofuda, I should be feeling weak. Maybe
even paralyzed with how strong their magic I, but I don't feel-
Reaching up to lightly rub his head in an effort to stave off the beginnings of
an ache, he left the kitchen and followed the hallway back towards the front of
the house, stuffing his hands down in his pockets as he memorized the path.
All in all it wasn't much different from Yuusuke or Kurama's houses, the only
difference being the obvious youkai ties to the family in a few of their
displayed "gifts" and art. To say nothing of the ancient weapons hung
along the walls or resting in stands that looked as well maintained as any
fighter's most prized collection.
Hiei glanced into the den as he passed by, coming to a stop just as he passed
the doorway when his own instincts kicked in, That's strange. There's
something in that room-?
A brief mental battle with himself later, Hiei was turning to slip into the
large room, eyes narrowed as he scanned the bookshelves and cabinets for
whatever had caused the thief in his soul to awaken so strongly and
precisely. He was scowling a moment later when his search brought him to
the entertainment center against the far wall, shaking his head over the
oddities of human ideas of fun while he reached out and opened the cabinet
beside the silent equipment.
Videos, he swore under his breath, reaching in to slide a few of the
unmarked cases out before pushing them back in when they failed to satisfy the
gnawing vibration inside him. What the hell could possibly be
interesting in a bunch of videos and DV-?
Hiei's mental conversation with himself unraveled when he slid the first few
thin cases of disks aside and found himself staring down at an innocent looking
computer disk with "Shippou's copy" written in marker across the reflective
surface. Arching an eyebrow he pulled it out of the stack and held it up,
tilting his head as he tried to puzzle out just why this human thing would be
setting him off.
It's not even valuable, Hiei snorted in disgust, starting to put it back
when indecision and curiosity gripped him. But... it has that kitsune's
name on it. Fuck it, why the hell not? he glared angrily at
the disk as though it was the source of all his troubles, sliding it discreetly
into his clothes until he could look at it in private and figure out if it was
anything useful.
He had just shut the cabinet when he heard the sound of the front door open and
close, just before the unmistakable sound of the inner shoji followed less than
a minute after that. Stepping to the side until he was in front of the
picture window facing the trees protecting the rear of the temple, Hiei folded
his arms over his chest and waited patiently for the oddly faded aura he'd
learned to associate with Kagome to reach the doorway, Now why does she
still feel so faint? I can feel the others, and didn't she feel
different before? Stronger? Was I just caught up in the fighting?
"Miko," Hiei acknowledged the moment she came into the room, one hand in her
hair pulling out the ribbon holding it in it's high ponytail and her shakujou
in the other. She looked up when she saw him and smiled warmly, chuckling
at the confused look on his face as she propped her staff up against the
naginata display at her side and dipped her head to the "greeting."
When Kagome straightened, the blue in her eyes flashed once and settled on a
deep glow that held him strangely transfixed as she silently crossed the space
between them. He felt detached, almost as though he was watching a dream
as the more regal her bearing became, the more her aura drained away until
there was practically nothing left. Yet he could taste the ki filling the
air, practically see it dance lightning quick across the pale hand that she
raised to press the tip of her forefinger against his throat.
The jolt
that ran through Hiei in that instant nearly buckled his knees, reflexively
snapping his hand up to grip her wrist when the warmth he remembered so clearly
flooded him inside and out, every bit of tension in him smoothing away.
He felt his chest expand on a deep, startled breath, locking gazes as her lips
pulled back in a warm smile before Kagome murmured the last two words he had
ever expected to hear.
"Okaeri... Hiei."