InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Father's Love ❯ On the Road Again ( Chapter 4 )
[ 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: 10.03.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.6K | Visits: 964 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 10.03.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.6K | Visits: 964 | Status: Completed
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 Four:
On the Road Again
“My Lord Kurama,” muttered Kaede as she shook Kurama’s shoulder. “My Lord Kurama.”
As he opened his eyes, Kurama found they were stuck together. “Little Kaede?” he murmured as he felt a damp cloth being pressed into his hand.
“Wipe your eyes, my Lord Kurama,” she advised quietly. As Kurama did so, he realized where he was.
“Was I here the entire night?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Aye, my Lord Kurama. Ye must return to the village before the others wake. Your absence would cause questions.”
Kurama sighed. “Yes, I know.” He stood slowly, the weariness in his legs betraying he had not had a restful slumber. He began to walk back to the village.
“Ye do not have to journey with them,” Kaede said suddenly. “Ye may remain and guard the village, if it is easier.”
“Easier, yes. However, I did not come here for easy, Little Kaede.” He turned to her. “I came here for Honokitsu.”
“Aye, I know. Does Lord Hiei know ye are here?”
“No.”
“Ye should return and inform him before he comes in search of ye, then. I will not have him burn my village to the ground because ye ran off.”
“Hiei has changed much in recent years, Little Kaede, and he would never burn your village.” Kurama flashed Kaede a grin. “It would make me sad if he did.”
Kaede laughed at that unexpected piece of information. “I never would have believed it of the hiyoukai.”
Kurama shrugged. “He loves me.”
“Aye, my Lord Kurama. That he does.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kurama made it back in enough time to lie under a blanket and appear to be asleep before the others rose for the day.
The first to awake was Shippo. Kurama could hear the near-silent footfalls of the young kit coming closer to him. Then felt the small paw push his shoulder. “Shuichi? Are you awake?”
Kurama slowly opened one emerald eye. “Is something wrong, Little One?”
Shippo shook his head. “No. I was just wondering if we could spend time together like you said yesterday.”
Kurama smiled and rose from his bed. “Of course we can, Little One. We should leave a note for Kagome before we leave. I would not like to have her angry at me.” Kurama knelt down to Shippo’s level. “She seems very protective of you.”
Shippo smiled sheepishly and put a hand behind his head. “Yeah, she is. She’s always been like that, ever since I met her and Inu Yasha.”
After leaving Kagome a note saying that he was taking Shippo out into the forest for a while, the kit and Kurama set out. “What would you like to do today, Shippo?”
“Could you tell me more about plants? I was always interested, but Papa didn’t know anything about them and we could never find someone else to teach me.”
“What about your mother? Could she not teach you?” Shippo stopped suddenly. “Little One?”
“Mama died when I was a baby. And Papa died right before I met Kagome and Inu Yasha. The Thunder Brothers killed him because he had a shard of the jewel. That’s why Kagome’s so protective of me. She’s all but taken me as her child.”
Kurama was torn between rage at the Thunder Brothers, his sorrow for poor Honokitsu, and an intense jealousy of Kagome. Kagome dared to assume that since she knew nothing of Honokitsu’s real family that she could just... adopt him?! What if he had other family? Aunts, uncles of his foster family? What if one of them appeared suddenly claiming their familial rights to raise Honokitsu themselves? No matter her feelings for him, she would, by demon law, have to surrender the kit.
Forcibly pushing his parental instinct into the background, he knelt down next to Shippo. “I am sorry to hear that, Little One. My father died when I was a child as well, and my mother nearly died three years ago. Do you remember your mother?”
Shippo shook his head. “I know she was really nice, and Papa said she loved me very much. That’s all though. Do you remember your father?”
“No, not at all.” Kurama wiped away a tear that had begun to trek down Shippo’s face. “In a way, you’re lucky, Little One. You remember your mother, even if only a little. I have no recollections of my father at all.” He pulled Shippo close to him in a hug. “I envy you.” A brief second later, he pulled away. “Now, on to plants.”
A few yards into the forest, Kurama knelt down next to a plant with pointed-oval shaped leaves and a star shaped flower and gestured to Shippo to join him. “Do you see this plant?” At Shippo’s nod, Kurama continued. “This is called Oriental ginseng. You use only the root of this plant for healing purposes. It aids in calming the stresses of daily life, especially in the old and ill.”
“Oriental ginseng. Root only. Calms people down,” Shippo repeated, looking at Kurama for confirmation.
“That’s right. And this,” he pointed to a plant nearby, “is lavender. You use the flowers, but always dry them first. It is good for burns, insect stings, headaches, coughs, and colds. The scent aids in a restful sleep.” Upon saying that, Kurama suddenly wished he had grown a lavender plant for himself the night before. His fitful sleep was beginning to catch up to him already. Or it was the lavender. He wasn’t quite certain.
“Lavender. Dried flowers. Burns, insect stings, headaches, coughs, and colds. Scent puts people to sleep.”
“Exactly. You learn quickly, Little One.”
“Th-thanks, Shuichi. How did you learn all of this?”
*Because I’m actually Yoko Kurama, the kitsune thief of Makai who used plants not only in healing, but as weapons to steal from and kill people,* Kurama thought. Instead he said, “Like you, I’ve always had an interest. Most of what I know is from self-study, I’m afraid.”
They continued on, Kurama stopping to explain the use of every plant. “Now, this one,” he said after ten or twenty others, “is called mandrake. Ah... I’ll explain its uses when you’re older. However, there is an old folk tale I heard about it once. You see, the root is human shaped, thus the name. If a witch wished to harvest it for magickal purposes, she had to go out on a full moon’s night with a dog, some rope, soft candle wax, and a horn. When she found her plant, she tied the rope to the dog and the plant, stuffed her ears with the wax, and blew the horn while the dog pulled the mandrake out of the ground.”
“Why would she do that?” Shippo asked.
“The belief was that when the root was pulled from the ground, it would let out this blood-curdling scream that would instantly kill all who heard it. If the witch used the dog to pull out the root while her ears were clogged and she was blowing the horn, she would not die, just the dog.”
“Does it scream?”
“No,” Kurama said with a grin. “Plants cannot scream.”
“Then the dog wouldn’t die. Wouldn’t they know they could just walk up and pull it out like any other?”
“Well, people also believed that witches ride on brooms and have green skin with warts on their noses, right?”
“Ah.”
“Shuichi! Shippo!”
Kurama looked up towards Kagome’s voice. “Sounds like Mother is calling us home, Little One.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is something wrong, Kagome?” Kurama asked as he and Shippo walked up to her.
“I’ve sensed a jewel shard,” she said as she and Inu Yasha quickly packed. “We have to get to it before Naraku.”
“I’ll come with you,” Kurama quickly volunteered.
“Are you sure?” Shippo asked.
“I’m stronger than I look, Little One.”
“Feh. I certainly hope you are. I mean...”
“SI...”
“Okay!”
“Did I miss something?” Miroku asked as he exited Kaede’s house.
“Nothing important,” said Kagome cheerfully. “Right?” she asked Inu Yasha, the faintest hint of a threat in her voice.
“Right.”
Several hours later, the group set out to find one of the few remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, the Jewel of Four Souls. A jewel that demons and humans alike fight and kill for.
~~TBC...~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Four:
On the Road Again
“My Lord Kurama,” muttered Kaede as she shook Kurama’s shoulder. “My Lord Kurama.”
As he opened his eyes, Kurama found they were stuck together. “Little Kaede?” he murmured as he felt a damp cloth being pressed into his hand.
“Wipe your eyes, my Lord Kurama,” she advised quietly. As Kurama did so, he realized where he was.
“Was I here the entire night?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“Aye, my Lord Kurama. Ye must return to the village before the others wake. Your absence would cause questions.”
Kurama sighed. “Yes, I know.” He stood slowly, the weariness in his legs betraying he had not had a restful slumber. He began to walk back to the village.
“Ye do not have to journey with them,” Kaede said suddenly. “Ye may remain and guard the village, if it is easier.”
“Easier, yes. However, I did not come here for easy, Little Kaede.” He turned to her. “I came here for Honokitsu.”
“Aye, I know. Does Lord Hiei know ye are here?”
“No.”
“Ye should return and inform him before he comes in search of ye, then. I will not have him burn my village to the ground because ye ran off.”
“Hiei has changed much in recent years, Little Kaede, and he would never burn your village.” Kurama flashed Kaede a grin. “It would make me sad if he did.”
Kaede laughed at that unexpected piece of information. “I never would have believed it of the hiyoukai.”
Kurama shrugged. “He loves me.”
“Aye, my Lord Kurama. That he does.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kurama made it back in enough time to lie under a blanket and appear to be asleep before the others rose for the day.
The first to awake was Shippo. Kurama could hear the near-silent footfalls of the young kit coming closer to him. Then felt the small paw push his shoulder. “Shuichi? Are you awake?”
Kurama slowly opened one emerald eye. “Is something wrong, Little One?”
Shippo shook his head. “No. I was just wondering if we could spend time together like you said yesterday.”
Kurama smiled and rose from his bed. “Of course we can, Little One. We should leave a note for Kagome before we leave. I would not like to have her angry at me.” Kurama knelt down to Shippo’s level. “She seems very protective of you.”
Shippo smiled sheepishly and put a hand behind his head. “Yeah, she is. She’s always been like that, ever since I met her and Inu Yasha.”
After leaving Kagome a note saying that he was taking Shippo out into the forest for a while, the kit and Kurama set out. “What would you like to do today, Shippo?”
“Could you tell me more about plants? I was always interested, but Papa didn’t know anything about them and we could never find someone else to teach me.”
“What about your mother? Could she not teach you?” Shippo stopped suddenly. “Little One?”
“Mama died when I was a baby. And Papa died right before I met Kagome and Inu Yasha. The Thunder Brothers killed him because he had a shard of the jewel. That’s why Kagome’s so protective of me. She’s all but taken me as her child.”
Kurama was torn between rage at the Thunder Brothers, his sorrow for poor Honokitsu, and an intense jealousy of Kagome. Kagome dared to assume that since she knew nothing of Honokitsu’s real family that she could just... adopt him?! What if he had other family? Aunts, uncles of his foster family? What if one of them appeared suddenly claiming their familial rights to raise Honokitsu themselves? No matter her feelings for him, she would, by demon law, have to surrender the kit.
Forcibly pushing his parental instinct into the background, he knelt down next to Shippo. “I am sorry to hear that, Little One. My father died when I was a child as well, and my mother nearly died three years ago. Do you remember your mother?”
Shippo shook his head. “I know she was really nice, and Papa said she loved me very much. That’s all though. Do you remember your father?”
“No, not at all.” Kurama wiped away a tear that had begun to trek down Shippo’s face. “In a way, you’re lucky, Little One. You remember your mother, even if only a little. I have no recollections of my father at all.” He pulled Shippo close to him in a hug. “I envy you.” A brief second later, he pulled away. “Now, on to plants.”
A few yards into the forest, Kurama knelt down next to a plant with pointed-oval shaped leaves and a star shaped flower and gestured to Shippo to join him. “Do you see this plant?” At Shippo’s nod, Kurama continued. “This is called Oriental ginseng. You use only the root of this plant for healing purposes. It aids in calming the stresses of daily life, especially in the old and ill.”
“Oriental ginseng. Root only. Calms people down,” Shippo repeated, looking at Kurama for confirmation.
“That’s right. And this,” he pointed to a plant nearby, “is lavender. You use the flowers, but always dry them first. It is good for burns, insect stings, headaches, coughs, and colds. The scent aids in a restful sleep.” Upon saying that, Kurama suddenly wished he had grown a lavender plant for himself the night before. His fitful sleep was beginning to catch up to him already. Or it was the lavender. He wasn’t quite certain.
“Lavender. Dried flowers. Burns, insect stings, headaches, coughs, and colds. Scent puts people to sleep.”
“Exactly. You learn quickly, Little One.”
“Th-thanks, Shuichi. How did you learn all of this?”
*Because I’m actually Yoko Kurama, the kitsune thief of Makai who used plants not only in healing, but as weapons to steal from and kill people,* Kurama thought. Instead he said, “Like you, I’ve always had an interest. Most of what I know is from self-study, I’m afraid.”
They continued on, Kurama stopping to explain the use of every plant. “Now, this one,” he said after ten or twenty others, “is called mandrake. Ah... I’ll explain its uses when you’re older. However, there is an old folk tale I heard about it once. You see, the root is human shaped, thus the name. If a witch wished to harvest it for magickal purposes, she had to go out on a full moon’s night with a dog, some rope, soft candle wax, and a horn. When she found her plant, she tied the rope to the dog and the plant, stuffed her ears with the wax, and blew the horn while the dog pulled the mandrake out of the ground.”
“Why would she do that?” Shippo asked.
“The belief was that when the root was pulled from the ground, it would let out this blood-curdling scream that would instantly kill all who heard it. If the witch used the dog to pull out the root while her ears were clogged and she was blowing the horn, she would not die, just the dog.”
“Does it scream?”
“No,” Kurama said with a grin. “Plants cannot scream.”
“Then the dog wouldn’t die. Wouldn’t they know they could just walk up and pull it out like any other?”
“Well, people also believed that witches ride on brooms and have green skin with warts on their noses, right?”
“Ah.”
“Shuichi! Shippo!”
Kurama looked up towards Kagome’s voice. “Sounds like Mother is calling us home, Little One.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is something wrong, Kagome?” Kurama asked as he and Shippo walked up to her.
“I’ve sensed a jewel shard,” she said as she and Inu Yasha quickly packed. “We have to get to it before Naraku.”
“I’ll come with you,” Kurama quickly volunteered.
“Are you sure?” Shippo asked.
“I’m stronger than I look, Little One.”
“Feh. I certainly hope you are. I mean...”
“SI...”
“Okay!”
“Did I miss something?” Miroku asked as he exited Kaede’s house.
“Nothing important,” said Kagome cheerfully. “Right?” she asked Inu Yasha, the faintest hint of a threat in her voice.
“Right.”
Several hours later, the group set out to find one of the few remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, the Jewel of Four Souls. A jewel that demons and humans alike fight and kill for.
~~TBC...~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~