InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Father's Love ❯ Hidden Identities ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Luthien Tinuviel-Minyatur 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.26.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.8K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 09.26.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.8K | Visits: 1.1K | Status: Work In Progress
I forgot it last chapter… -_-
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or YuYu Hakusho. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi. I make no money off of this, nor do I intend to.
Chapter Three:
Hidden Identities
“Feh. Where’s your friend, Kagome?” asked Inu Yasha as Kagome dabbed some of her stinging water on Sango’s wound.
“Friend?” asked Sango.
“I brought someone through the well with me, that’s all.”
“A pretty friend?” Miroku asked hopefully.
Kagome sweatdropped slightly. “Um... yes, actually.” It wasn’t a total lie, she told herself. Shuichi *was* rather pretty.
There was a light rapping at the door, then a ruby-haired head poked inside. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“No, come on in. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, this is Shuichi Minamino. Shuichi’s a classmate of mine.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Shuichi responded, bowing slightly.
“Greetings, fair one,” said Miroku, suddenly appearing at Shuichi’s side.
*Uh-oh,* thought Shuichi. He’d forgotten about this, and Kagome had conveniently not used pronouns when she introduced them.
“Um... hello,” he said nervously.
“I do hope this is not too forward of me, but I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?” Shuichi asked, hoping that Miroku would notice that his voice was most certainly *not* a female’s.
“Would you do me the honor of bearing my...” *He’s actually going to ask?!*
Miroku was suddenly cut off by the flat edge of a large boomerang connecting to his head. “You’ll have to forgive the hentai,” Sango said calmly. “He asks every woman he meets that.”
“There’s only one problem with that,” muttered Inu Yasha. “Shuichi happens to be a man.”
Kagome sighed. “This makes how many times, Shuichi?”
“At least the hundredth since I’ve known you, Kagome.”
“A male?!” sputtered Miroku. “How is that possible?!”
“Same as you,” retorted Kagome, watching as Shuichi knelt down next to Sango and examined her leg injury. “I’ve already put some antiseptic on it,” she informed him.
“A wise decision,” he agreed with her. It wasn’t too bad, he decided after a moment. It would take a few days to heal, but it wasn’t deep and was a clean gash. “If you wouldn’t mind, I could go out and find some herbs to help you heal faster,” he offered to Sango.
“Would you?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course.” Shuichi glanced at Shippo. “And would you like to come along, Little One?” he asked.
“Can I go, Kagome?” Shippo asked, looking up at her with big eyes. Shuichi felt his heart lurch.
“Sure, Shippo.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was harder than Kurama thought, having the kit tag along with him. It wasn’t that he wandered off, not at all. He was very well behaved. He certainly would not have learned *that* from either of his fathers had he stayed with them. However, every time Kurama looked at Shippo, he saw Hiei. He had his father’s eyes, Kurama had often thought.
“Is something wrong, Shuichi?” Shippo asked suddenly.
“Hmm? No, Little One.”
“Why did Kagome bring you down the well with her?”
Kurama stopped and knelt next to a plant. “She thought I could help you with finding the final shards of the jewel,” he lied easily. Examining the leaves and flower, he disregarded that one and moved on to one near it.
“Did she tell you?”
“I noticed her many absences and how her energy felt slightly off every time she returned to school and asked her about it.”
“Are you a monk?” Kurama laughed outright at that. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Forgive me, Little One. After all that I have done in my life, I can hardly be called a monk.”
“Worse than Miroku?”
Kurama considered that question. Most of what he had seen Miroku do was just touching a few women inappropriately, something that, while annoying, was not really frowned upon in this era. As Yoko, Kurama had killed, stolen, and a whole number of other things...
“I do not know,” he lied. “How does Miroku behave?”
Shippo sat down next to Kurama. “He touches Sango a lot. I don’t think she likes it. She always blushes and hits him for it. And he always asks every girl he meets if she would bear his child. Sango doesn’t like that, either.”
Betrayal. That was what it sounded like to Kurama. And to Kurama, betrayal was the only thing worse than murder and theft. The only person Kurama had ever truly betrayed in his life as Yoko was Yomi. Yomi didn’t count in his mind, though. Yomi was a loose cannon, and he could not allow a loose cannon to roam free. And when he and Hiei had found out about Honokitsu...
“Then no. I have not done worse things than Miroku.”
“What are you looking for?” Shippo asked.
“A plant with blue flowers and red thorns,” Kurama replied, raising to his feet and walking on.
“Can I help?”
Kurama froze in his tracks for a split second. He had always hoped one of his children would take an interest in plants. Hiei’s hope was that one would prefer pyromancy. That his Honokitsu would...
“Of course you may,” he said, hoping that Shippo would miss the slight hitch in his voice.
Shippo leapt up and dashed into the forest.
“Don’t wander too far!” Kurama called before he could stop himself.
“I won’t!” Shippo called back.
Kurama chuckled. There were days like this, when he was young. He would run around in the park with his human mother, and if he ever got too far away from her, she would always call after him like he had with Honokitsu.
He sat down on a nearby rock and watched Honokitsu search for the plant. This was what he had always imagined when he found out he was going to be a father. Sitting on a rock while his child ran and played. Hiei would be standing off to the side somewhere, on the watch for hostile demons.
Kurama sighed. He had often wondered if Hiei would be a good parent. They had to give up their children almost as soon as they had been born in order to protect them, so he had never really gotten the chance to see Hiei with them. He had always seemed happy, though, so Kurama wasn’t wholly concerned.
“I found it!” Shippo called out.
Kurama rose from his seat and walked over to Shippo. He had indeed found the proper plant. “Good work, Little One.”
“What do we do next?”
“Well, we trim what we need, and only what we need, and we take it back to Sango and Kagome.”
“That’s all?”
Kurama’s head jerked up at the sad tone in Honokitsu’s voice. “Is something wrong, Little One?”
“No...”
“Come, now, Little One. Whatever is troubling you, you can tell me.”
“I want to stay with you.”
At that moment, Kurama’s heart broke. It was all he could do to hold back the tears. “I’m not yet leaving, Little One. We’re just going back to help Sango. Once she is healed, we can spend as much time together as you wish.”
“Really?” Shippo’s eyes twinkled in happiness.
“Of course,” Kurama replied, falling back slightly when Shippo suddenly leapt into his arms. “As much time as you wish,” he said softly, holding Honokitsu close to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was near noon when they finally returned to the village with the herb. Shuichi helped Kagome prepare it and apply it to Sango’s leg.
“It burns,” she whimpered, clutching Miroku’s hand. “Worse than your water, Kagome.”
“My apologies,” whispered Shuichi. “I had forgotten how badly this plant stung. Once the pain resides, however, your leg will heal in half the time.” He wrapped a bandage around Sango’s leg to keep it clean and keep the poultice against the wound.
“Are we sure we should let him do this?” asked Inu Yasha.
“Since when were you concerned about Sango?” Kagome returned.
“I’m not!” he protested quickly. “I just... don’t know anything about this plant. And I don’t know anything about Shuichi!”
“Shuichi wouldn’t hurt Sango!” exclaimed Shippo.
“Now, Little One, Inu Yasha is right to be cautious. It is unnecessary, but he is right.”
“Heh. You agree with me? I just insulted you.”
Shuichi stood and smoothed the front of his tunic. “No, you didn’t. You spoke your mind, and knowing as little as you do about me, you are right. However, Shippo is equally right. I would not harm Sango.” He made his way to the door. “Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to find Lady Kaede and inform her that lunch is prepared.” He walked out the door.
Throughout the village, only two words were heard as the sun reached noon.
“SIT BOY!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again the moon found Kurama outside the house, this time in front of a centuries-old tree.
He placed his hand against the bark and felt the tree pulse with energy. It had always comforted him, every time. It was always this tree he returned to when his emotions were about to burst. Hiei, however much he loved Kurama, was never able to take the emotional storms that Kurama was occasionally prone to.
This time, however, he found no comfort, no peace. Giving in to the tears that had threatened earlier in the day, Kurama sank to his knees against the tree and sobbed hopelessly.
~~TBC...~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or YuYu Hakusho. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi. I make no money off of this, nor do I intend to.
Chapter Three:
Hidden Identities
“Feh. Where’s your friend, Kagome?” asked Inu Yasha as Kagome dabbed some of her stinging water on Sango’s wound.
“Friend?” asked Sango.
“I brought someone through the well with me, that’s all.”
“A pretty friend?” Miroku asked hopefully.
Kagome sweatdropped slightly. “Um... yes, actually.” It wasn’t a total lie, she told herself. Shuichi *was* rather pretty.
There was a light rapping at the door, then a ruby-haired head poked inside. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“No, come on in. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, this is Shuichi Minamino. Shuichi’s a classmate of mine.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Shuichi responded, bowing slightly.
“Greetings, fair one,” said Miroku, suddenly appearing at Shuichi’s side.
*Uh-oh,* thought Shuichi. He’d forgotten about this, and Kagome had conveniently not used pronouns when she introduced them.
“Um... hello,” he said nervously.
“I do hope this is not too forward of me, but I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?” Shuichi asked, hoping that Miroku would notice that his voice was most certainly *not* a female’s.
“Would you do me the honor of bearing my...” *He’s actually going to ask?!*
Miroku was suddenly cut off by the flat edge of a large boomerang connecting to his head. “You’ll have to forgive the hentai,” Sango said calmly. “He asks every woman he meets that.”
“There’s only one problem with that,” muttered Inu Yasha. “Shuichi happens to be a man.”
Kagome sighed. “This makes how many times, Shuichi?”
“At least the hundredth since I’ve known you, Kagome.”
“A male?!” sputtered Miroku. “How is that possible?!”
“Same as you,” retorted Kagome, watching as Shuichi knelt down next to Sango and examined her leg injury. “I’ve already put some antiseptic on it,” she informed him.
“A wise decision,” he agreed with her. It wasn’t too bad, he decided after a moment. It would take a few days to heal, but it wasn’t deep and was a clean gash. “If you wouldn’t mind, I could go out and find some herbs to help you heal faster,” he offered to Sango.
“Would you?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course.” Shuichi glanced at Shippo. “And would you like to come along, Little One?” he asked.
“Can I go, Kagome?” Shippo asked, looking up at her with big eyes. Shuichi felt his heart lurch.
“Sure, Shippo.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was harder than Kurama thought, having the kit tag along with him. It wasn’t that he wandered off, not at all. He was very well behaved. He certainly would not have learned *that* from either of his fathers had he stayed with them. However, every time Kurama looked at Shippo, he saw Hiei. He had his father’s eyes, Kurama had often thought.
“Is something wrong, Shuichi?” Shippo asked suddenly.
“Hmm? No, Little One.”
“Why did Kagome bring you down the well with her?”
Kurama stopped and knelt next to a plant. “She thought I could help you with finding the final shards of the jewel,” he lied easily. Examining the leaves and flower, he disregarded that one and moved on to one near it.
“Did she tell you?”
“I noticed her many absences and how her energy felt slightly off every time she returned to school and asked her about it.”
“Are you a monk?” Kurama laughed outright at that. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Forgive me, Little One. After all that I have done in my life, I can hardly be called a monk.”
“Worse than Miroku?”
Kurama considered that question. Most of what he had seen Miroku do was just touching a few women inappropriately, something that, while annoying, was not really frowned upon in this era. As Yoko, Kurama had killed, stolen, and a whole number of other things...
“I do not know,” he lied. “How does Miroku behave?”
Shippo sat down next to Kurama. “He touches Sango a lot. I don’t think she likes it. She always blushes and hits him for it. And he always asks every girl he meets if she would bear his child. Sango doesn’t like that, either.”
Betrayal. That was what it sounded like to Kurama. And to Kurama, betrayal was the only thing worse than murder and theft. The only person Kurama had ever truly betrayed in his life as Yoko was Yomi. Yomi didn’t count in his mind, though. Yomi was a loose cannon, and he could not allow a loose cannon to roam free. And when he and Hiei had found out about Honokitsu...
“Then no. I have not done worse things than Miroku.”
“What are you looking for?” Shippo asked.
“A plant with blue flowers and red thorns,” Kurama replied, raising to his feet and walking on.
“Can I help?”
Kurama froze in his tracks for a split second. He had always hoped one of his children would take an interest in plants. Hiei’s hope was that one would prefer pyromancy. That his Honokitsu would...
“Of course you may,” he said, hoping that Shippo would miss the slight hitch in his voice.
Shippo leapt up and dashed into the forest.
“Don’t wander too far!” Kurama called before he could stop himself.
“I won’t!” Shippo called back.
Kurama chuckled. There were days like this, when he was young. He would run around in the park with his human mother, and if he ever got too far away from her, she would always call after him like he had with Honokitsu.
He sat down on a nearby rock and watched Honokitsu search for the plant. This was what he had always imagined when he found out he was going to be a father. Sitting on a rock while his child ran and played. Hiei would be standing off to the side somewhere, on the watch for hostile demons.
Kurama sighed. He had often wondered if Hiei would be a good parent. They had to give up their children almost as soon as they had been born in order to protect them, so he had never really gotten the chance to see Hiei with them. He had always seemed happy, though, so Kurama wasn’t wholly concerned.
“I found it!” Shippo called out.
Kurama rose from his seat and walked over to Shippo. He had indeed found the proper plant. “Good work, Little One.”
“What do we do next?”
“Well, we trim what we need, and only what we need, and we take it back to Sango and Kagome.”
“That’s all?”
Kurama’s head jerked up at the sad tone in Honokitsu’s voice. “Is something wrong, Little One?”
“No...”
“Come, now, Little One. Whatever is troubling you, you can tell me.”
“I want to stay with you.”
At that moment, Kurama’s heart broke. It was all he could do to hold back the tears. “I’m not yet leaving, Little One. We’re just going back to help Sango. Once she is healed, we can spend as much time together as you wish.”
“Really?” Shippo’s eyes twinkled in happiness.
“Of course,” Kurama replied, falling back slightly when Shippo suddenly leapt into his arms. “As much time as you wish,” he said softly, holding Honokitsu close to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was near noon when they finally returned to the village with the herb. Shuichi helped Kagome prepare it and apply it to Sango’s leg.
“It burns,” she whimpered, clutching Miroku’s hand. “Worse than your water, Kagome.”
“My apologies,” whispered Shuichi. “I had forgotten how badly this plant stung. Once the pain resides, however, your leg will heal in half the time.” He wrapped a bandage around Sango’s leg to keep it clean and keep the poultice against the wound.
“Are we sure we should let him do this?” asked Inu Yasha.
“Since when were you concerned about Sango?” Kagome returned.
“I’m not!” he protested quickly. “I just... don’t know anything about this plant. And I don’t know anything about Shuichi!”
“Shuichi wouldn’t hurt Sango!” exclaimed Shippo.
“Now, Little One, Inu Yasha is right to be cautious. It is unnecessary, but he is right.”
“Heh. You agree with me? I just insulted you.”
Shuichi stood and smoothed the front of his tunic. “No, you didn’t. You spoke your mind, and knowing as little as you do about me, you are right. However, Shippo is equally right. I would not harm Sango.” He made his way to the door. “Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to find Lady Kaede and inform her that lunch is prepared.” He walked out the door.
Throughout the village, only two words were heard as the sun reached noon.
“SIT BOY!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again the moon found Kurama outside the house, this time in front of a centuries-old tree.
He placed his hand against the bark and felt the tree pulse with energy. It had always comforted him, every time. It was always this tree he returned to when his emotions were about to burst. Hiei, however much he loved Kurama, was never able to take the emotional storms that Kurama was occasionally prone to.
This time, however, he found no comfort, no peace. Giving in to the tears that had threatened earlier in the day, Kurama sank to his knees against the tree and sobbed hopelessly.
~~TBC...~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~