Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Golden Gaze ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Youko Kurama

by:

Goijh

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.

Author's note: I need a title for this story! If you have any suggestions please let me know!

Oh! And this may not be updated daily or it may. I've been out of school due to a surgery and *shudders* I can't wait until its time to play 'Ketchup'.

Chapter One

Desire.

It coursed through his veins, urging him on. Thick underbrush forcefully parted as he raced past it, a blur upon the scenery. Where he was going, not even he knew.

His speed caused the wind to whip throughout his silver fur as he continued on. His golden eyes filled with material lust. He needed to this and he needed to do this now.

Youko's pace exceeded what he thought was possible, and still he managed to increase it as the need for larceny grew. This was why he was a thief. It was his destiny. Nothing he couldn've done would have been able to prevent his mischievious nature from crime. Fate would not have it any other way.

The startlingly beautiful fox pressed onward through the forest. He had no idea where he was. His instincts were crying out to him though. Telling him that there was something precious. Something beautiful. Something valuable to steal.

It was a call he couldn't resist.

Nothing he had ever done had compared to the thrill that he felt in the middle of a job. Knowing that it was night. That he was not alone. That death lurked around every corner. That one wrong move could end everything that he had ever known, but one right one could bring him the happiness that nothing else could. Knowing that everything depended on his next course of action - or lack of one...

It sent the adrenaline through his veins.

Youko could feel his body tiring. He had been running all night. Gradually the kitsune relented in his merciless pace. His spirit screamed in protest. It was always a problem to have a restless soul that was confined in a semi mortal body. Especially when the body was quickly approaching its limits and the spirit was dying to continue, knowing that its goal was almost reached.

Youko panted heavily. His limbs pleading with his mind for a rest. It seemed that they had been doing so for hours. Finally his sould relented. Knowing that he could go no farther the kitsune dropped his haunches to the ground in a mixture of relief and disappointment. Shuddering in exhaustion the mystical looking creature emersed itself in a phospherous glow, morphing into a humanoid figure.

If anyone had been watching they would have immediately been overwhelmed by the man, or rather youkai, that now stood before them. In place of the magnificent kitsune stood a creature of etheral splendor. The eyes that originally seemed brilliant appeared dim when compared to the molten amber color they now possessed. His silver tresses hung past his waist, stirring gently in the slight breeze. Upon his head sat his ears, unchanged, still complete with their silken fur. His complexion was only slightly tanned, a sign that he spent most of his outdoor time wrapped in the blanket of darkness known as night.

The Youkai's chisled body was unclothed, leaving him in all his glory before any fortunate enough to stumble upon him. His figure was made of lean muscle, shrouding him in irresistable sex appeal. The fantasic animal that he had once been was almost nothing compared to this god of men.

Never breaking the hushed silence that had fallen over the forest, Youko Kurama padded softly over the mossy ground. As he moved he untied a bulky pouch from around his neck and opened it. Inside were garments of the purest white, made from the finest silk that money could buy, or in his case, one could streal. The material was as smooth as a newborn kitten and it slid soundlessly over his skin. The garments being placed over his body were in the form of a knee length tunic and a hakama. There was also a thick strip to be used as belt.

As soon as he was dressed, Youko leapt into a nearby tree, coming to rest effortlessly on a secure branch. He could smell lower youkai nearby and would perfer to not be disturbed in his rest. Right now he was unable to mask himself enitrely without the risk that he would be too drained to defend himself should the need arise.

He settled himself on the limb, resting his back against the solid trunk of the tree, and without another moments hesitation, closed his eyes in a resting, light, sleep.

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"Inuyasha...?"

A whisper called through the forest with an almost haunted quality to it. It seemed to hang in the air as it awaited a response, breaking the unearthly lull that rested there. The reply never came.

Dried leaves crackled underfoot and underbrush rustled as a young woman entered a clearing. Her face was filled with emotion:

Worry.

Fear.

Confusion.

Obviously lost, the raven haired beauty sighed audibly and walked timidly to the western edge of the clearing. For a moment her features betrayed a desperate fatigue, but the appearence was quickly replaced with a thoughtful frown. Kagome turned around, her sapphire eyes somewhat withdrawn as she unknowningly bit her bottom lip in concentration. A small hand combed through her ebony locks as she gracefully sat to the ground.

Absently she played with a button on her slightly damp school blouse which was dirty and torn. She wore a green skirt that was not in much better condition. The day had been rough and draining. Her eyes began to droop as the last few hours caught up with her.

They had been out shard hunting. The demon in possession of a piece of the precious jewel had been more powerful than they had anitcipated. Inuyasha was having a difficult time defeating his oppenent as he couldn't release his kaze no kizu attack, due to the proximity of his companions. Sango and Miroku were fighting from the air upon Kiarara's back, but they were not much help themselves as Miroku's kazaana was useless for the same reason Inuyasha's wind attack was and Sango's hiraikotsu could not penetrate the monster youkai's armor.

The only one really having any luck was Kagome. She was releasing her purifying arrows as fast as she could, each one destroying a portion of the almost invincible plating that covered the demon and giving Inuyasha openings in which to attack. Shippo had fortunately been left at Kaede's that day, making one less distraction for the friends fighting.

The battle had raged on for hours. The shard was just above the bottom of the youkai's sternum. An area that he had very well protected. With its aid he would quickly recover after each attack while his oppenents grew weaker. The determined humans and hanyou prolonged their stamina though, using their exhaustion somehow as fuel.

Finally Inuyasha had managed to get the shard from the beast. Immediately after the hostile youkai's life had been abruptly terminated by the Tetsusaiga and the battle weary comrades had stumbled a little ways away.

Too tired to walk all the way to the village, Inuyasha and Miroku had started a fire while Kagome fetched water and Sango set up camp. After a hearty meal of Ramen, they had all laid down to go to sleep. Sango was too tired to even pay heed to Miroku's encroaching presence. Kagome recalled laughing to herself as she thought of the wake up that the monk would recieve.

Kagome remembered being woken in the middle of he night by the rain that began to pour down upon them. They had all rushed to seek cover from the shower that was quickly turning into a torrential downpour. Inuyasha had said something about a cave and raced ahead to clear out any youkai that were in it. The miko had been temporarily forgotten by Miroku and Sango when Kiarara, violently protesting the moisture, had transformed into her smaller self and buried herself in the recesses of the monk's robes.

They had only been a few yards ahead of her. Kagome had run after them, shielding her face against the painful needles of water rushing from the sky. She had not been watching the ground, choosing instead to keep her eyes on her friends ahead of her. 'Why didn't Inuyasha bring me with him?' she had thought, but decided that most likely he had sensed multiple youkai in their future shelter and had not wanted her to get hurt.

It was while she was pondering over this that she had fallen. Her sharp cry had been cut short as her tired body came into rough contact with the forest floor. It never reached her companions ears. Come to think of it she wasn't sure that Miroku and Sango had even known that she was there. Most likely they had assumed that Inuyasha had carried her on ahead like he normally did. Either way, when Kagome had lifted her head, they were gone.

Thus she had come to be in the clearing she was now. She had wandered aimlessly through the night, calling out in vain for her hanyou friend to find her. She knew that the rain drowned his sense of smell and by the time it let up, it would have washed away her scent. She had probably ventured a few miles or so from where she had last seen her friends. The sun was just beginning to peek from its cloudy bed, bringing the first signs of dawn to wash away the night.

Kagome shivered slightly from her still damp clothes. The rain had let up about three hours ago, but she was not completely dry yet. If it wasn't for her modesty, she would have stripped the offending garments off a while ago. As it was though...She had no idea if their was anyone around. She was too tired to make any effort to sense for youkai.

Licking her slightly chapped lips, Kagome's sapphire eyes darted around the clearing. There was some moss covering the ground, making it a little softer than usual, and there were no signs of youkai having been there. All in all it was a reasonable place to rest. Not that it would have mattered if it wasn't. The young woman was almost certain that she would not have been able to continue her futile searching had the clearing proven unacceptable. She would most likely have just lain right down and collapsed into blissful, elusive, slumber.

"Sleep..." she murmered as her eyes fell shut. The word itself conveyed peace and comfort to her worn body. Without another second wasted, she fell to her side, asleep before her head ever hit the mossy forest floor.

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"KAGOME!" A gruff voice shouted, scaring away any wildlife that had once been within a three mile radius of the area. An inu demon with sliver hair that cascaded to his waist rushed by. All that was visible of him to a passer by was a red blur of his haori and hakamas. His amber eyes had a bit of a frantic look to them, as if he was cornered with no escape. The panic shown in them did not reach the rest of his face, which was set in a deep frown.

"Kagome-sama!" called a deep and somewhat sensual voice from the sky. Above the hanyou flew a firecat with two passengers. One of them was a young man, dressed in the robes of a monk, a golden staff in one hand. He had cropped balck hair which was pulled back in a pigtail with a few random strands escaping their binding. His face was handsome with dark violet eyes that were currently clouded with concern.

In front of him was a young woman, about his age, dressed in the skin tight unifrom of a tajiya. Her brown orbs scanned the ground below her methodically, with a touch a anxiety that she tried to mask from the others. Her dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, streaming behind her as Kiarara flew foward into the wind.

They had been searching for Kagome since the night before when she had failed to show up at the cave Inuyasha had secured. The skies had cried themselves dry hours ago, but still their was no sign of the miko who they called their friend. Miroku could see Inuyasha below and flinched slightly as he thought about what would happen to him if they didn't find Kagome.

Last night Inuyasha had been furious. He had left Kagome with the monk and tajiya so that she wouldn't get hurt. Due to Kiarara's natural objection to wetness, they had not noticed her. They had instead assumed that Inuyasha had carried her on his back as was usual for him in those kinds of situations. They had arrived at the cave just as the hanyou finshed dragging the corpses of a few slain demons out of their comandeered shelter. It was then that they first noticed Kagome's absence.

Inuyasha had tried to all but kill Miroku, blaming the monk for Kagome's disappearence. Instead of resting as they had all hoped to do, they were dragged onto a relentless quest to find their missing comrade. The search had only managed to further irritate the hanyou though because the water drowned his scent of smell while at the same time destroying any trace of Kagome that they might have hoped to find.

They had no idea where to begin.

They had no way of knowing whether she had gotten lost, kidnapped, or even killed.

Inuyasha and Sango simulataneously, but unaware of the other doing so. They didn't even know if they were going in the right direction.

'Please let Kagome be alright...' the demon exterminator prayed to Kami silently.

The comrades could only hope that they were on the right trail...

'Kagome! Wench, what happened to you!' Inuyasha screamed in his head as he took a moment to search for her scent again. Growling ferally in frustration he took off, heading deeper and deeper into the forest.

There was no sign of her yet.

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Leaves rusting...

Twigs snapping....

Did lower demons ever learn?

Youko stirred from his light, but rejuvenating slumber to the indiscreet sounds of youkais trying to sneak up on him. Trying being the key word there. Rolling his eyes he sighed to himself. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with.

With one graceful leap, the kitusne landed on the ground before them. Without paying them even one glance, he stood tall, rising above most of their pathetic heads. With deliberate slowness he turned around, showing them his back and his silver tail twitching in annoyance.

The leader of the lower demons, a wolf with scars and mutilations covering every inch of his body, growled ferally at the extreme insult. By turning his back upon them, Youko had wordlessly expressed his disdain and opinion of the their weakness and insignifigance. It was an indignity that could NOT be ignored.

Unfortunately for the group of youkai, accepting the challenge would cost them their worthless lives. For Youko Kurama on the other hand, it was a bit of morning sport.

Hiding any emotion that he could have displayed behind a mask of boredom, Youko began to walk gracefully away, knowing that any minute his path would be obscured by a fuming demon who demanded acknowledgement. He didn't have long to wait.

The wolf demon wasted not a moment to attack. As soon as he the mysterious youkai walking away, his eyes had bled crimson. That bastard was walking away from HIM! HIM! Obviously the fool had no idea who he was dealing with. The wolf sneered, his fangs showing. Well he would just have to show him wouldn't he?

Youko had overestimated his newest opponents severely. He had thought that they were demon enough to fight him face to face. His earlier mask was shattered when he sensed someone aiming for his back. Only the lowest of cowards attacked a man or youkai from behind. He could not contain the fierce growl that ripped from his throat as he spun, just in time, to block the asshole who dared to break the honor code.

Youko stumbled back, a little surprised at the strength of the attack. First he had overestimated them, now he was underestimating them. Was he still half asleep. The kitsune resisted the demanding urge to shake his head as if to clear it from whatever stupor he was in. He would never grant this adversary the privelege of seeing his confusion.

The wolf youkai jumped back, snarling as he frothed rabidly at the mouth. His eyes were burning scarlet, his body trembling in rage. 'That kitsune is supposed to be DEAD!' his mind screamed as he risked a glance to his wrist, where a shikon shard was embedded. 'That thing is supposed to empower me! Why isn't it working!' The wolf was too ignorant to realize that the shard had, in fact, increased his power tenfold.

He was just way out of his league.

Youko watched the wolf carefully. He had acquired over the years, the ability to read even the most secretive of creatures and had perfected it to a T. Now the youkai was frustrated. He kept glancing at his wrist. Youko cocked his head to the side absently as he pondered what could be so important in the wolf's forearm, that it would distract him from a death match with an opponent that obviously vastly outskilled him. The fox wasn't insulted by this, just curious.

Curiousity didn't just kill the cat you know.

It was the greatest weakness of the world's most notorious thief.

The need to know and understand everything.

Youko's thoughts were rudely interupted as the wolf charged at him again.

"You shall feel the wrath of Maoko! Master of the Shikon!" Shouted the youkai as he ran toward the kitsune, claws unsheathed. Youko froze inwardly.

'Shikon? As in the shikon jewel?' he thought. His spirit was crying out in joy. This was what it had been searching for the previous night. The Shikon Jewel, one of the most priceless and powerful items ever known to man and youkai alike. It would grant any wish and possessing it gave infinite power as well as immortality. It was a treasure that many would die for. Youko HAD to have it.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the foxes body took care of the battle. Effortlessly he dodged and attacked the so called 'Master of the Shikon.' Fluid in his motions like water, he nimbly leapt and spun, dealing out imperceptible blows to his enemy that would not be felt for a few minutes more.

Spirit and body suddenly reunited and Youko find himself staring possessively at Maoko's right wrist. The wolf caught and followed his stare, paling visibly when he realized what the material lust in the kitsune's eyes was directed at.

Without hesitation, or even a shudder or thought at his actions, Youko sliced Maoko's forearm, catching the bloody appendage before it reached the ground. The wolf youkai howled in pain, clutching his severed limb as blood spurt freely forth, covering both he and Youko Kurama in a sleek covering.

Paying no head to the red fluid that was irriating his nose as well as his skin, Youko turned the body part over in his hand. Carefully, with one claw, he made a deep vertical slit in the wrist and stuck two of his fingers in. Maoko, watching this, howled once again as if he could feel the pain from the foxes actions.

He was only just beginning to feel how the shard had affected him. As he fell to the ground it seemed that his very soul was being sucked into the earth, leaving his almost lifeless body completely drained of energy before he was dead. His last visions were of that son of a bitch pulling the pink shard from his divorced hand and staring at it curiously. Absently he felt his comrades coming over, prodding at his broken body, which was now feeling Youko's previous attacks. Maoko had not even known that he had been hit.

He was in too much pain to cry out. Death was coming on swift wings. He let his heavy lids fall, and faded away, not to missed by any soul, living or past.

Youko could feel the heated stares on his body. Deciding that he was no longer interested in playing with the other children, the youkai summoned his rose whip with a flick of his wrist. One more flick and they were gone, dismembered bodies littering the bloodstained forest floor. But it was no longer his concern.

No.

Now he had a piece of the infamous Shikon jewel. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that it was only a small fragment of a greater whole. And that fed his curiousity.

How had the Jewel shattered?

Who had shards now?

Smiling softly to himself he began to walk away, ignoring the blood that spurted uncomfortably between his toes as his feet pushed on different organs and limbs. This was a mystery that he was more than willing to solve. For the first time in a long time, Youko was looking forward to something.

He disappeared into the forest, leaving that same silence to shroud the wood behind him. Even splattered in gore and blood, he maintained that sex appeal.

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