| Category: Anime, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, TWT(timeline-what-timeline) Warnings: shonen ai, fluff, humor Pairings: Kurama+Hiei/H+K Author: Arigatomina Email: arigatomina@hotmail.com Website/Complete Archive: http://www.oocities.org/arigatomina Japanese=English terms: youkai=demon, kitsune=fox, shonen ai=boy love, youko=demon fox, baka=idiot, ano=well/um, kawai=cute, rei-ken=spirit sword Glossary of Terms: http://www.oocities.org/arigatomina_animeinfo/index.html Indebted Part 5 They hadn't unlocked the front door, and sudden pounding alerted them to the slip. Yusuke winced when he heard Keiko calling to him, and he was right behind Kuwabara. The abrupt noise, after blessed minutes of silence snapped Hiei out of his light doze. Warm breath huffed close to his neck, and he echoed the sentiment, his nose wrinkling in distaste. He'd never been comfortable around the females. It was bad enough having to be where Yukina could see him, but with the kit on his shoulder, he was bound to be the center of attention. The though made him glare and pull the scarf off his neck, fox firmly wrapped up in it. Gold eyes stared at him, a soft mewling whine making him blink in surprise. Aside from the occasional hiss, that was the first sound the kitsune had made. He was tempted to talk to it, but he could hear the girls enter the living room and decided to wait. Shizuru was leaning in the open doorway, her cigarette held so the smoke drifted outside. She smirked as Yusuke waved his hands at Keiko, the boy's quick explanations not the least bit intelligible. Her foolish brother was simpering over Yukina, the girl standing a few feet away and watching Kuwabara's antics with her usual sweet smile. With one last drag, Shizuru sighed and flicked the butt away before shoving inside. "Well, Yusuke," she called, her eyes glittering when the boy froze and turned brown eyes in her direction. "Where's Kurama-kun?" The black-haired youth glowered at her, but didn't have a chance to answer. Hiei was abruptly in the room, his scarf held in his hands, and a silver face peaking out of the white cloth. Shizuru grinned. "Oh, he fits in your hand, too. How fortunate." Yusuke groaned, smacking a hand over his face as he shook his hand. A glance found that the innuendo had gone completely over Hiei's head, and he was relieved to see the youkai wearing only his regular blank expression. He took a step toward Hiei, meaning to show Keiko and the others, but the short demon didn't wait. Yusuke blinked as Hiei was in front of him in an instant, the bundled fox pressed into his hands. The next moment he spotted the black-clothed demon stretched out on the windowsill near the door, his face turned away from the room. How Hiei had managed to open the window so quickly, Yusuke didn't have a chance to ask. The girls circled him too quickly. "Kawai," Keiko whispered, her eyes bright as the little fox turned to look up at her. Gold eyes flicked at the three females standing near Yusuke, and she blinked when the baby ducked its head, struggling in the white cloth wrapped around its body. "Oh. Yusuke, he's scared." "Be careful, Yukina-sama!" Kuwabara warned, his eyes wide as he barely resisted pulling the short girl away from the fox cub. No matter how young the kitsune was, he would never let it bite Yukina. Not while *he* was on watch. "He looks cute, but he can be vicious." Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Ah, be quiet," he sniffed, shooting his friend a droll glare. He caught Shizuru's raised eyebrow and smirked. "He's just worried because he got bit earlier." "Then Kurama-kun remembers my idiot brother," Shizuru smiled, still looking down at the fitful fox. "I can understand that, but I never figured Kurama to be the biter." Keiko blinked startled eyes on her and she smiled, waving away her comment. "But he should remember us, too. Ne, Kurama-kun?" The little kit was chewing on the scarf, tugging the fabric with its teeth, and she glanced back to where Hiei was sitting. Red eyes met hers for a second before the youkai turned his face away again. She couldn't help the small chuckle that made it past her lips. "Maybe he wouldn't be afraid if you set him down," Yukina said softly, blinking worried red eyes at the fox. Kuwabara shifted nervously beside her, but she paid him little attention. "He doesn't want to be confined like that." "Eh?" Yusuke looked at the fox, noting how still it had gone, and a small smile pulled his lips when that little face tilted up to look at Yukina. A bit of the white scarf was clamped between its tapered mouth, but its ears were forward, and he could feel something inside the cloth. He could almost bet its tail was wagging. His soft laugh made the fox flinch and turn its head back to look at him, and he smiled. "Okay, Kurama, I'll set you down, ne?" That twitching sped up until he was nearly cackling, and he smothered the sound as he went to set the bundled creature on the low coffee table. "Easy," he smirked, unwrapping the scarf and glancing at Keiko's smile. "He's excited." "He's adorable," Keiko smiled, crouching down beside the table. The fox held still until the scarf was moved off its back, and she leaned back when it jumped free of the cloth. Yusuke's startled cry made her frown. "What's wrong?" Eyes wide, Yusuke pointed at the crouching fox. "He has-" "When did he grow another tail?!" Kuwabara interrupted, his loud cry making his sister snort at him. "Nani?" Hiei flitted in front of the tall human, his narrowed eyes frowning down at the kitsune. Just as the baka had claimed, two bushy tails were twitching back and forth in visible excitement. The kit had been looking at Yukina, but it whipped around at his voice, gold eyes glittering up at him. Hiei sniffed. "Youko..." "How many tails is he supposed to have?" Keiko asked, her gaze moving from the short demon to Yusuke. Her fiancé and love-interest was shaking his head. For once she was glad Kuwabara hung out with the boy. "He only had one a little bit ago," Kuwabara said, leaning over to frown at the two-tailed fox. Yukina turned wide eyes up to him from the opposite side of the table, and he nearly melted when she smiled. "Ah..." "He's a baby youko," Yukina said, tilting her head to smile at the pretty little fox. "How old are you, kitsune?" Hiei's brow twitched when the fox immediately turned to the girl, and he fisted his hands, hiding them in the sleeves of his cloak. If Kurama so much as hissed at her, the kitsune was going to regret it. Kuwabara flinched when the silver cub hopped a few inches closer to the blue-clothed girl, that double tail swiping from one side to the other. "Careful," he warned, his fingers jerking as he tried not to grab the fox. He didn't want to get bitten again, but he didn't trust the thing. One minute it was sweet, and the next it was a tiny monster. The small wounds on his hand ached, and he qualified that thought - it was a tiny monster with sharp teeth and strong jaws. "Ano..." The fox hopped again, almost prancing in place, and Yusuke winced when he saw Hiei's shoulders jerk in response to the movement. Yukina was leaning a bit too close to the suddenly lively kit. "I don't think he's eaten for days," Yusuke said quickly, snatching up the discarded scarf. The kitsune made another fidgety hop closer to the pale blue-haired girl, and he leaned over the table, ready to grab it if it jumped for her. "We were hoping you girls might want to fix him something to eat. I'm sure he's starving." "Yeah," Kuwabara said quickly, moving around the table to put a tentative hand on Yukina's shoulder. The girl didn't even glance up at him, and he shot a worried look to Yusuke. His sister was smirking from the other side of the table, and Keiko was staring at the kitsune as if it were a kitten rather than a rabid youkai. "You could help, too, if you want to, Yukina-sama!" The koorime finally looked up at him, and he gave her a bright smile, a light blush swamping his cheeks. "You make such wonderful tea." "I would be happy to," Yukina smiled. Something tugged on her sleeve, and she let out a soft laugh as she looked back to the kit. The little fox was waving its tails and it let go of her sleeve the moment her gaze fell back to it. Golden eyes sparkled at her, and she smiled, ruffling her hand over its little head. "But Kurama-san wants to play," she said, a light laugh tickling her throat. "And I don't think he would like tea very much." "We'll play with him," Yusuke said quickly, a wide grin spreading over his face as his hands curled over the scarf. "Really, don't worry about that." "Are you trying to chase us off to the kitchen?" Shizuru drawled, her eyes flicking to the boy. Yusuke was looking decidedly high-strung. "Yukina-chan wants to play with him. We can fix something later." "But he's hungry *now*," Yusuke returned, his forced smile threatening to crack around the edges. "We don't want to keep him waiting, do we?" A dark look hit him from the side, and he winced when he saw Keiko frowning at him. "Eh..." "Yusuke, why are you being rude?" Keiko demanded, folding her arms in front of her chest. "We came over to see Kurama, not to cook for *your* lazy benefit." "Ne, Keiko," Yusuke muttered, leaning away from the girl, "it's not like that..." He so did not want to get hit, but if Kurama bit Yukina, the fox was going to suffer a double-death. If Hiei didn't get him, Kuwabara was bound to. Getting smacked by Keiko was better than seeing the poor baby Kurama tortured by black fire and rei-ken. "Keiko..." The fox was licking its chops, those bushy tails positively snapping back and forth, and Hiei glared at those tiny curled feet, watching the little claws. Yukina was tickling its ears, not seeming to notice the kitsune's state. The girl pulled back a little when the kit gave another of those lurching hops, and Hiei moved. Shizuru's eyes widened in surprise, and Kuwabara gasped, but the kitsune's odd growling cry made the bickering couple shut up. Hiei's hand was curled around the tip of one of those tails, and he pulled on it, tiny clawed paws scraping on the table. Yukina's mouth fell open in surprise and visible disapproval, but the fox was more vocal. With a mewling growl, it rolled onto its back and clutched Hiei's hand with all four paws, seeming intent on chewing the youkai's fingers into tiny stumps. "Ah!" Kuwabara cried, wincing at the sight of those snapping, gnawing jaws. "Watch out!" Hiei's lips twitched, and he pressed his free fingers into the fox's stomach, making the kit rock back and forth as it attacked his hand. An odd urge to laugh made his eyes glint, and he nodded at Yukina, not actually looking at the girl. "He'd drink tea. Kurama loves the stuff." "He does," Shizuru smiled, realizing that Hiei was actually *playing* with the seemingly rabid fox, "doesn't he." "H-hai!" Yukina said, standing quickly. She wanted to stay and watch Kurama play, especially since she hadn't thought Hiei the type to play with a baby, but she knew Kurama had a preference for her tea. The redhead had praised it often when he visited Genkai's temple. "I'll make some now," she smiled, taking one last look at the mewling kit. "Kurama-kun does so like your tea," Shizuru drawled, putting an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. She caught Keiko's uncertain gaze and nodded toward the kitchen. "Let's feed the fox before he eats Hiei." Yusuke choked a bit, but managed to nod when the girls trooped off to the kitchen. The moment they disappeared through the doorway, he raised an eyebrow at Hiei's intent expression. "Why are you letting him chew on you?" "He isn't drawing blood," Hiei said, not looking up as he started to get into the work. The fox was definitely filled with energy, and the sight of that second tail eased some of his earlier worries. Tugging on one of the tails, he smirked when the kit snarled a bit and whapped his hand with the free bushy appendage. "You know what this means?" After watching for a few seconds, Kuwabara had a small smile on his face. "That you've had a kitten in the past?" he asked, letting out a laugh. "My kitty loves to play like that!" "He means the tail," Yusuke said, bopping the orange-haired teen on the back of the head. Hiei gave a low chuckle, and he blinked in surprise. "Right?" "It means he's getting older," Hiei informed them, his right hand moving to rub the kit's head, pressing the fur backward and infuriating the little youkai. "A youko evolves from a multi-tailed spirit fox. Four, perhaps five tails are normal for adults." "I get it," Yusuke smirked, "he's growing up quicker than Koenma thought. Good for you, ne?" The youkai snorted, and Yusuke sighed, moving to slump down on the couch. "Guess that means we'll have to take lots of pictures now, before he gets old enough to stop being so funny." Hiei didn't look up, and Yusuke caught Kuwabara's gaze. "Speaking of which..." "Ah!" Kuwabara grinned, darting out of the room. He returned a moment later with a camera held triumphantly in his hand. Yusuke made a shushing motion with his hand, and the tall ningen snuck a bit closer to where Hiei was crouched next to the table. Leaning to the side, Kuwabara snapped off two pictures in rapid, flashing light succession. And he immediately found himself on the receiving end of two glares, one red and one gold. If the fox hadn't had one and a half of Hiei's fingers in its mouth, he might have been scared. Instead, he grinned and took another picture. * * * TBC Post a review Back Next Past reviews Back to YYH Fanfiction Home |