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Chapter Thirteen
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He could feel his eyes on him.
That golden gaze boring holes into his figure. He could practially
cut the tension in the air with Tetsusaiga. A barely perceptible smirk
played on the corners of his mouth.
So the fox was finally beginning to get frustrated. Well it was about
damn time!
Inuyasha kept his eyes clenched shit and his arms stubbornly folded
across his chest. The only part of him moving was his velvet pair of ears
as they twitched in response to each sound the forest made.
Or rather that a certain silver kitsune made.
Six hours had passed since Inuyasha had taken refude in the highest
branches of the Goshinboku. Whether he was actually trying to hide from the
stalker fox or just avoid the ever constant inquiring glances from his
friends he wasn't sure. Pride forced him to lean towards the latter when
less then ten minutes after settling himself on his favorite branch he had
felt the growingly familiar eyes on him.
It was then that he had decided that if the youkai was going to
insist on stalking him, then Inuyasha would give him something to watch.
Aside from his ears, the hanyou had not moved a muscle for that last
six hours.
With mounting satisfaction he had sat there like a statue, taking
unabashed pleasure in the increasing amount of frustration he felt through
the ever present stare. Then, about half and hour ago, the fox had cracked.
Or at least that was the only plausible explanation Inuyasha could come ip
with when branches had spontaneously started to crack every few seconds,
causing a sensitive ear to twitch in that direction.
But Youko didn't stop there. Soon he was dancing around the
Goshinboku in clumsy circles- stomping on dead branches, kicking dried
leaves, snapping twigs from trees. In short he was making as much noise as
possible in varied locations so that every sound caused at least one of
Inuyasha's ears to turn.
At first the fox's lack of maturity had been amusing.
Then it was slightly irritating.
Now it was down right annoying.
But Inuyasha refused to give in to the kitsune's torture. He wasn't
going to move a muscle.
Not one.
SNAP!
The hanyous's ear twitched in the direction of the noise. This one
was slightly closer and therefore louder then the others. The inu valiantly
resisted the urge to cover his ears to make them stop moving. If this
continued much longer than the muscles would cramp up and THAT is NEVER a
pleasant sensation.
SNAP!
'Dammit!' Inuyasha cursed to himself as the muscle under his ear
painfully contracted. 'Great! Now I have a cramp and its all that DAMN
FOX'S FAULT!'
SNAP!
The hanyou couldn't take it. No demon could last longer under this
type of torture. Without another moment's hesitation Inuyasha lept from his
perch, barely giving his feet time to register their contact with the
ground before he was off, racing through the forest with one hand firmly
massaging the base of his ear.
He only hoped that his sudden movement after such a prolonged period
of inactivity startled Youko into hesitation. the inu didn't care though as
he fled to the haven of the village.
He went slightly out of his way to avoid the clearing with the bnone
eater's well. He wasn't sure if he could resist the temptation the well
presented him :solitude in Kagome's time. A place where ramen abounded in
wondrous varieties and annoying silver foxes didn't exist.
But if Inuyasha went down the well, Youko would discover that the
hanyou could work its magic as well. That was a secret that Inuyasha wasn't
willing to share. So instead the inu made his way to the village.
Or more specifically - Kaede's hut.
Throwing aside the blanket that served as a door, Inuyasha plunged
into the hut. A quick scan with his amber orbs told him that no one was
there.
Finally, solitude.
"Inuyasha?"
Or almost.
The hanyou looked toward the corner behind him, one he had forgotten
to check, to find the owner of the voice. Shippo laid curled in the corner,
wiping the last of sleep from one aqua eye as he watched Inuyasha curiously
with the other.
'Shippo!'
The hanyou's eyes lit up as suddenly he was struck with a brilliant
plan.
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Youko could feel his lips curling back into a menancing snarl. Fangs
glinted in the filtered forest light. The kitsune's molten gold eyes
narrowed as they glared at their target.
A village hut.
The damn hanyou had spent the entire morning just sitting in a tree.
For the first few hours, Youko had endured, refusing to look away for even
the smallest secong lest the half breed notice and stray from his sight.
But Youko was a kitsune: mischievious, playful, restless, and proud
by nature. No way in hell was he going to lose this 'game' to a mutt.
Yet after a few more hours of doing absolutely NOTHING! Kurama had
snapped.
Or rather, a branch had.
SNAP!
The noise was inspiration in its purest form, as in correspondance to
the noise, Youko's ear flinched.
But he wasn't the only one to react. The hanyou's dog ears did too!
Youko almost let out a triumphant bark as he realized what this meant: He
was going to win.
And so, for the next half hour or so had had danced around in circles
making as much of a disturbance as he could. The inu remained stubbornly
still, but Kurama knew it wouldn't be long.
He and the hanyou shared a similar trait, their animal like ears.
Youko knew from experience that the muscles at the base of the ears would
cramp if caused to turn too much at a variety of angles. So cause the
hanyou's ears to flinch and twist he did.
Those cramps hurt like hell!
Youko watched in morbid anticipation for the moment of victory. He
knew it was almost at hand, the half breed wouldn't be able to hold out
much longer.
Suddenly, in a blur of red and silver flickering through the trees,
the mutt was gone.
Youko hesitated. He knew he hesitated and it pissed him off! He
didn't stall long though. Less than a second later he was off, pursuing his
target in a growing rage.
The cowardly mutt had run straight to the village with his tail
between his legs, hidin gin the hut of the old miko. Youko laid in wait at
the forest's edge. If he went any closer to the village in daylight a
villager would be sure to spot him. Unnecessary panic would ensue and in
the midst of that chaos, his prey would be able to slip away.
That could NOT happen!
If the inu got away then Youko would never learn the secret of the
ancient well. If he kept constant vigil on the hanyou however, then he was
sure to learn something.
Or at least he would sooner or later run across Kagome again.
Youko reverted to his animal form and pawed at the dirt restlessly.
The wind had changed direction. He could no longer smell the mutt. He knew
he was there though. There was only one exit from the miko's hut and he was
watching it.
Youko sat, one of his back paws coming up to scratch behind his ear.
One eye closed in pleasure at the satisfying sensation but the other
remained wide open, unblinking on the hut.
A white maned head peeked out from the door frame. Faster than
someone could blink Youko was up and alert, already morphing to his
humanoid form once again.
Hesitantly the figure crept out of the baba's shelter. Its hands
adjusting its haori in the back. Youko cocked his head curiously to the
side. The mutt sure was acting a bit peculiar.
Suddenly, without the slightest bit of warning, the hanyou took off
running south, away from the village and the forest. That meant that in
order to pursue, Kurama would have to leave the shelter of the trees.
Snarling while mentally vowing to get the mutt back, the fox demon wasted
not another minute before giving chase.
Villagers working in the rice patties dropped the tools they had been
using to scream as Youpko raced past after the half breed. Ningens began
running about in widespread disarray, fleeing to their huts, calling to
arms, and gathering the children as they prepared for what that assumed was
a demon raid.
Youko rolled his eyes as he sped by them. 'Baka ningens. So much for
no panic.'
Oh well, the disorder the villagers caused now was of no mind to him.
He had his prey right ahead of him. The kitsune focused his attention back
on his quarry. The mutt was making for the forest on the far side of the
village. His hands still kept coming back to adjust something under his
haori. And he wasn't even running as fast as he could.
What the hell was going on here?!
It was almost like the inu was trying to distract him, but from what?
Was it something to do with the well?
Before Kurama could ponder this further, the wind changed direction
once again, this time blowing towards him. And the scent the assaulted his
senses was NOT the scent of the half breed.
Youko's eyes widened in something akin to horror. The mutt had
deceived him! Moving as if mechanically the kitsune sped up and pounced,
soaring through the air until he collided with the hanyou's body,
effectively tackling it.
There was no sense in returning to the village now. With the time
wasted on the chase, and then on the return trip...No doubt inu was long
gone.
Youko returned his attention to the matter at hand. What demon was so
cocky, so audacious, as to assume he could deceive the legendary bandit and
get away with it?
Kurama looked down. His prey was face first in the dirt, its body
straddled and held by his own. But now he saw why it, whoever it was, had
kept adjusting the hanyou's haori. A rusty colored bushy tail was now
protruding from beneath.
A fox's tail.
Or more specifically, a kit's.
Great. Now Youko couldn't even take his frustrations out on it. Just
wonderful. Golden orbs were cold and calculating as Kurama rose to his
feet, brusquely brushing off the dirt from his garments while continuing to
glare at the hanyou's body, which was now trembling in anticipation of
attack.
"Okay kit, show yourself. I'm not going to hurt you." The silver fox
all but snarled. Slowly the mutt's body began to shrink and transform
before his very eyes. Oh yes, the mutt was DEFINATELY going to pay.
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Inuyash acould hear the frantic cries of the villagers.
'Good. So the yarou kitsune if following Shippo.' he thought as he
all but strutted arrogantly out of the hut and into the mass confusion. His
white kimono was brilliant in the afternoon sun as he began to run toward
the well. He had given Shippo his fire rat haori to wear to conceal his
tail and then sent the pup off the distract the silver fox.
The hanyou knew that Shippo'd be fine. A kitsune would NEVER kill or
harm young of its own kind. Especially not an orphan like Shippo. And
because the kitunse and question just happened to be a male, he would be
unlikely to even consider caring for Shippo and would allow him to return
unscathed to the village.
The bone eater's well was just ahead. Inuyasha wasted no time as he
covered the remaining distance and leapt into the well's inky depths.
A few seconds later and a blue flash illuminated the well as ancient
magics engulfed Inuyasha and carried him through limbo, to the future.
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Hiei waited impatiently in a tree just barely on Sarayashiki's
campus. the ningen school had just finished and he, Kurama, Kuwabaka, and
Yusuke were supposed to meet Botan here. The fire demon scowled. He really
didn't feel like dealing with dim wits and perky blue haired ferry girls at
the moment, but his refusal to do so would violate his probation.
He just wasn't looking forward to a couple centuries or so in makai
prison.
And besides, he needed to speak with Kurama. Hiei had a nagging
feeling in the back of his head that something wasn't right.
A bird was sitting on its nest in a nearby branch. The soft cooing
noises it was making for its eggs were beginning to get on the koorime's
nerves. If the others didn't get out here soon he might be tempted to knock
the bird out of the tree to make it shutup.
Fate seemed to be smiling on the oblivious winged creature. Just as
the prospect of assisting the bird in a rapid flight to the ground was
beginning to look interesting, Hiei felt familiar spirit energy
approaching. Faster than the naked eye could follow the jaganashi was out
of the tree and on the ground along side his ningen companions. But not
before startling the bird with an impressive imitation of a cat's hiss.
"Hey Hiei, I was wondering when you were going to show up." Yusuke
greeted the petit demon with a crooked grin.
"Hn."
Scowling Hiei fell back to pace with Kurama, who was walking a bit
slower than the rest of the group. The fire demon's crimson eyes remained
stubbornly ahead, refusing to look at his friend as he awaited the
customary greeting.
Silence.
Startled, Hiei's pace almost faltered as he glanced at the fox out of
the corner of his eye. Kurama didn't seem to notice the little fire demon
as he continued to walk slowly forward, eyes unfocused as if he was lost in
thought.
Hiei almost dropped his 'piss off' facade in favor of surprised
concern at this. Suuichi was always alert. And even when he was slightly
off he never failed to notice the jaganashi.
Was it those dreams?
Whatever it was, Hiei couldn't help the slight feeling of rejection
that was creeping up on him. Quickly he pushed it aside. This once, he
would instigate the conversation.
'You're being careless fox.' Hiei stated coldly through a telepathic
link. Out of the corner of his eye he watched, gauging the scarlet haired
young man's reaction.
Kurama tensed a little at first, his back going rigid and shoulders
stiffening in obvious surprise at the sudden interruption to his thoughts.
His head spun to face Hiei, as if alarmed by the demon's 'sudden'
appearance, emerald eyes uncharacteristicly wide and questioning as they
fell upon the koorime.
Being a true kitsune youkai, no matter that he was trapped within a
mortal body, Suuichi quickly recovered. If one had not known him, and in
fact had Hiei not been carefully paying attention and looking for such a
reaction, one would not have noticed the lapse in his demure demeanor as he
seamlessly slipped back into it.
"Hello Hiei." Kurama greeted him quietly, aloud so as not to draw
attention from the others. A gentle smile flickered across his face,
appearing to reach his eyes. But the koorime was no idiot to be fooled with
a 'hello' and friendly gesture. More skilled at reading people than perhaps
anyone would ever know, Hiei could still see the anxiety swirling in his
friends forest depths.
Thus, the jaganshi said nothing. He only frowned and arched a brow.
Something was wrong. Something was bothering Kurama, distracting him. If
they were called on a mission at that very moment, the fox's life would be
in danger due to his current inability to pay heed to his surroundings.
Crimson clashed stubbornly with emerald as Hiei silently demanded an
answer.
Not one to get into a battle of wills, and most likely already well
aware that the koorime would win anyway, Kurama quickly relented, though he
did not falter his gaze. "Can't this wait?" He pleaded in a hushed tone,
his eyes darting ahead to their ningen companions already waiting for them
under the designated tree.
Hiei's jagan eye tingled as he began to pick up on a new energy.
Shooting Kurama one last cold glare out of the corner of his eye, he
turned, tucking his hands into his pockets and walked over to within a few
feet from the tree. Understanding that this was a temporary relent, but
that Hiei would demand a full explanation as soon as business was done,
Suuichi sighed in half relief.
A picture of cheerful blue eyes and raven hair flashed through his
mind as he turned to follow Hiei, just as Boton was emerging from a portal.
Kagome...
The dreams were real...
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Kagome stared hesitantly at the well house.
The wooden structure was normally a little intimidating, but now it
was just downright forboding. The darkness that lay beyond the door seemed
to be straining to break free of the shadows and swallow her up.
But that was nothing to what the miko knew that she would find on the
other side of the well. Amber eyes would flash in anger, fangs glint in the
sunlight as angry mouths opened, words of protest and hurtful resistance
flowing from their jaws. She could see Inuyasha's enraged silhouette as he
argued with her, telling her over and over again varied forms of, "No."
give or take a few curses.
Then she would sit the hanyou and come running back to her time. She
would have the night and maybe the next morning to herself, but then in the
afternoon Inuyasha would be back to drag her back to the feudal era. And if
that happened Kagome wasn't sure if she would really resist.
Truth be told she disliked Sarayashiki High. Many of the students
were just appalling, and some of the teachers worse. The miko could
certainly see how the school had gotten its soiled reputation. There were
some kind people there though...like Keiko, and her boyfriend of sorts
Yusuke. Oh, and their mutual friend Suuichi.
For a moment a picture of a scarlet haloed young man with intense
golden eyes flashed through Kagome's head. Wait, something wasn't right
with that. Suuichi had emerald eyes, not golden. Didn't he? The more Kagome
thought about it, the harder it became to seperate the colors in her mind.
For some reason it was just so easy to see Suuichi with those beautiful
golden eyes, and silver flowing hair...Something about the highschool boy
just made the miko think of Youko Kurama.
Maybe it was the fact that they both had such deep seductive voices.
Or refined, almost beautiful yet entirely masculine, looks.
Or it could be that fact that Yusuke had called Suuichi Kurama by his
locker this morning.
Suddenly a tingling sensation in the back of her mind roused Kagome
from her confusing thoughts. The well's magic was being activated. Curious,
and at the same time almost dreading to see who it was, Kagome stepped
through the door to the shed and cautiously leaning over, peered over the
edge of the well.
A moment later there was a brilliant flash of blue and Kagome was
forced to close her eyes. When she opened them again she was face to chest
with something red and baggy.
Inuyasha's haori.
Audibly gulping she quickly backed away. Her heart was racing a
little from the surprise of suddenly seeing Inuyasha like that and she put
one hand over her chest as if to calm it.
"Oi, wench. We need to talk."
So much for calming her pulse. Inuyasha's uncharacteristic words
shocked Kagome even more than his sudden appearance. Bewildered her eyes
darted up to meet his own. His amber orbs were completely serious.
Something about his entire demeanor screamed that he was irritated about
something. Yet the miko could swear that she could see a bit of a smirk
playing at the corners of his lips.
Nodding mutely Kagome stepped aside and motioned for the hanyou to
lead to way. Inuyasha walked past her, his body coming close enough to just
barely brush against her arm as he went by. Kagome followed him as he
walked over towards her house, but right before he got there, the hanyou
detoured and instead went to the Goshinboku, hopping onto his favorite
branch before the miko could utter a sound.
Inuyasha couldn't help but smile a little as he settled onto the tree
limb. It really hadn't changed that much in 500 years. And here he could
sit comfortably without having to worry about stupid kitsune's spying on
him. But if the fox was still back in the feudal era, then why did Inuyasha
still feel like he was being watched?
Confused, and growing extremely annoyed, Inuyasha looked down over
his shoulder. His eyes were met with an irritated miko, tapping her foor
impatiently on the ground.
"How are we supposed to talk Inuyasha if you're way up there?" She
demanded, hands on her hips. Inuyasha resisted the urge to smack himself on
the head. He had been so content to just finally have some peace and
quiet...and then when he saw the Goshinboku...and his favorite branch... He
had just momentarily forgotten that he had wanted to talk to Kagome.
Without a word he leapt off of the branch, landing gracefully next to
the miko. She opened her mouth as if to say something to him, but quickly
shut it when without warning Inuyasha wrapped his arms firmly around her
waist, pulling her close to him, and jumped back into the tree.
Shocked, Kagome could only dumbly cooperate as Inuyasha set her down
on the branch so that she was safely straddling it and would not fall. Even
so, his clawed hands remained a moment longer on her arms, making sure that
she was back to her senses before he let go so that there was no risk of
her falling.
Kagome's mind slowly cleared, the fog clearing from her vision. For a
moment she wished that it hadn't though when she saw how high up she was in
the tree. Sure Inuyasha went higher when she was riding on his back
sometimes, but then she was always holding onto him and him to her. That
had always given her a sense of security. The tree branch just wasn't
working at the moment though.
As if sensing her fear, Inuyasha leaned forward and looked her in the
eye. Without thinking Kagome's own orbs darted down to the ground, then to
the branch, then to him. It wasn't much but it was enough to make Inuyasha
see that she was nervous about being up in such heights. His protective
youkai nature kicked in and without thinking he pulled her over to him so
that she was all but straddling his lap. His arms wrapped protectively
around her lower back, steadying her.
They sat their for a moment, both completely dumbstruck by what the
hanyou had just done. Slowly their eyes met and simultaneously they both
blushed and looked away. Kagome began to squirm ever so slightly, as if to
try to escape him and brave the branch. Unknowingly though she was gently
grinding against the equally embarressed hanyou, causing delightful
sensations to coarse through his body. Resisting the urge to shudder
Inuyasha did the first thing that he could think of in order to stop
Kagome's movements.
"Stop all your squirming wench if you don't want to fall."
His words had the desired effect as Kagome went deathly still,
obviously finding the prospect of falling VERY unappealing.
"Okay, what do you want to talk about Inuyasha?" She demanded,
turning to face him once again, the blush still faintly staining her cheeks
as she battled valiantly against it, crossing her arms across her chest.
"That damn fox is hanging around the village, stalking me, and I
think it has something to do with you." Inuyasha blurted out. He always did
have a way with words.
"Youko?" Kagome asked in almost disbelief. Youko was still hanging
around. Kagome couldn't help but feel a little pleased that he was so
interested in her.
'Interested in you or the jewel shards?' A little voice reminded her,
putting a damper on her hopes.
"Whatever the hell that damn fox's name is. He won't leave me the
hell alone and I'm sick of it." Inuyasha grip around Kagome's waist was
getting a little tighter as he got angrier at just the thought of the
thief.
"Hm..I would have thought he would have left by now." Kagome mused
aloud. Inuyasha's amber eyes immediately darted to her, demanding an
explanation. Kagome blushed a little more and began to fidget a bit again.
"Well I don't think that he's interested in the Shikon shards. After
all he's more than capable of taking them without my notice. He's proved
it. But he's always given them right back." Kagome's voice faded off, but
her mind continued. 'Could it be that he's actually attracted to me?' A
thrill of excitement went through her at the thought and she had to fight
against the herself to keep from trailing her fingers over her lips as she
remebered her first kiss.
Inuyasha seemed to realize what was going on in her head too for his
eyes darkened and his ears drooped a little. Kagome didn't notice.
"Kagome." Inuyashe murmured softly. The miko immediately looked up,
concerned, when she heard him say her name.
"I think that he might be able to travel through the well." Inuyasha
told her. It was obvious by the look on her face that she wanted him to
continue. So Inuyasha explained to her what had had happened since she had
gone through the well: through the fight to the well's reaction to the
Youko, and even about the little 'game' that morning.
When he was done he waited patiently for once in his life for
Kagome's response. The miko was lost in thought. If Youko could get a
reaction like that out of the well, then who else could? Was it possible
that others could travel through the well? Or was it because of the shard
that Youko possessed?
Kagome had no idea what to say. Secretly she was flattered by the
fact that Kurama was still hanging around back in the feudal era, waiting
for her. At the same time she was annoyed by his behaviour - deliberately
provoking Inuyasha and getting into fights with him.
Realizing that Kagome wasn't going to say anything, Inuyasha decided
to speak. His mouth opened, but then closed again. He was hesitant to say
what he was going to, worried about what Kagome's reaction would be.
Finally he bit his tongue and decided to just come out with it.
"I'm going to stay in your time with you until you go back. When we
get back to feudal era you can talk to the fox. Tell him that if he's going
to continue like this I'll slice him open with Tetsusaiga."
Kagome glanced up at Inuyasha, once again surprised. Normally he
never gave her an option like this. When it came to demons like Kouga,
Inuyasha never asked her opinion, he would just go into angry- kill-the-
demon-that's-talking -to-Kagome mode.
"Wait. You're going to stay here?" She asked bewildered. He wasn't
going to try to make her go back with him?
Inuyasha nodded, tensing in preparation for the verbal attack he was
expecting to follow. Kagome however just sat there quietly and looked
pensive. "Well I suppose that's a good thing considering your human night
is in a couple days.That way you can rest safely."
Inuyasha looked at her in bemusement for a moment, calculating the
time in his head. She was rught. The new moon was coming up and he had
completely forgotten about it.
"Ugh! MOM!" A young boy's voice broke the young adults out of their
individual thoughts as their heads snapped to the side to see Souta
grimacing on the ground below them. "Kagome and Inuyasha are doing
something in the tree together!"
Kagome, fully understanding the implement of her kid brother's words
blushed red from the roots of her hair to her toes. Inuyasha on the other
hand, didn't understand exactly what the boy was talking about.
"So kid?" He asked, genuinely curious to know what was wrong with
doing something with Kagome in the tree. He quickly realized just 'what'
everyone had been talking about though when Kagome shot him a scandalized
glare and Souta stared at his hero with childish disgust. Inuyasha's eyes
widened and in less then a second he was down on the ground.
Unfortuantely to descent had been so sudden and rapid that Kagome had
clung to him for her life, wrapping her legs around his waist, only making
the situation worse. Souta couldn't believe his eyes as he watched his hero
struggle for words, amber eyes darting between the boy, his sister, and the
tree. Shaking his head in disappointment the young boy turned and just
walked away.
That was the problem with all these heroes. They always had to fall
in love with someone's older sister. ::sigh::
Kagome had jumped off of Inuyasha the moment she realized the picture
that they painted. Quietly they both watched the disheartened Souta walk
away toward the house. Suddenly, struck by the absurdity of the moment,
Kagome burst out laughing. Inuyasha looked at her for a moment
incerdulously, but it seemed the miko's laughter was contagious for he too
was laughing more carefree than he had in a while.
Still laughing the two made their way into the Higurashi house,
unaware of the malignant eyes that watched them from the shadows.
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After Boton had departed, along with the ningens, Hiei had followed
Kurama to his home. There he had made the kitsune explain everything to
him, starting with his most recent dreams and going on through seeing the
girl at school. Though it had not shown on the koorime's face, Hiei was
greatly disturbed by Kurama's tale.
Obviously someone knew about Kurama's past, about Youko. Now they
were hunting after the human Suuichi, drawing closer and closer. The only
explanation Hiei could think of was that this Kagome was either a bounty
hunter or a slayer of some sorts. For Kurama's descriptions however she
definately didn't fit the personna of the former.
Therefore she had to be some sort of slayer after the legendary fox
demon. And she was a miko on top of it.
Kurama hadn't seemed to notice the steely glint that shadowed his
friend's crimson eyes as he bade Hiei farewell and went down to eat dinner
with his mother, Shiori. He hadn't realized the jaganshi was using his
implanted eye already to scan for miko powers in the city.
He had been too distracted by that fact that the girl from his dreams
existed.
No doubt the miko's doing.
It hadn't taken long to locate the purifying energy. There was an
amazing amount of it coming coming from a shrine area not too far from the
ningen school. It was the perfect place for a slayer to lay in wait for her
prey.
Wasting no time at all, Hiei had raced across the city, leaping
gracefully from rooftop to rooftop at speeds unachievable to man. Within no
time he was perched on a branch just outside the door to the shrine
grounds. A plate on the frame read, "Higurashi". Kurama had said that was
the girl's last name.
It was all fitting.
Without a moment's more hesitation Hiei had leapt over the wall, into
the courtyard of sorts. Sticking to the shadows that hid him so well he
scanned the grounds.
Care free laughter reached his ears.
Hiei snuck closer. His jagan eye was picking up on some extremely
powerful youki. He cursed the wind under his breath, it was blowing
downwind so his enhanced sense of smell was rendered practically useless.
He could mask his scent quite well though so he was sure that he was
undetected.
The koorime crept closer, inching along the wall of a wooden house.
Slowly he peered around the corner.
Shock.
That was the only word to describe what Hiei felt as his eyes fell
upon the two figures walking across the yard towards the house. One of them
was indeed the miko, an attractive ningen girl. But the other...Was an inu
hanyou.
A demon was loose from makai.
Quickly Hiei scanned over the other demon. Dog ears, baggy red haori
and hakama in an ancient style, demon blade at his hip emanating
dangerously high amounts of powerful energy. Crimson eyes narrowed
visciously as the two walked through the door, entering the house.
The hanyou complicated things.
But no matter.
Hiei's hand lingered on his katana on his hip for a moment as he once
again scanned the shrine grounds for anything. Then, quietly as he had come
he departed.
He would be back.
He would inform Koenma that an inu hanyou was lose from makai and
then he would begin to gather information on this Kagome Higurashi.
If she was any threat to Kurama, she would die.
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