Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Golden Gaze ❯ Chapter 15

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Kurama placed his arm over his forehead, shielding his eyes against the glare of the magic light. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hiei skid to a halt and mimic his movements.

The ancient magic hummed almost audibly in the air around them, Kurama's youki reacting and causing his skin to tingle. Then, almost as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

Without another moment's hesistation, Kurama rushed forward, pictures of Kagome lying lifeless at the bottom of the well's depths spurring him onward. But somehow he knew that she wouldn't be there.

His hands flew forward, grasping the splintering edge of the well's wooden frame, helping to stop him as his body jerked in protest to his abrupt stop. But he didn't care, emerald eyes were already scanning the shadowy floor for any sign of the hanyou and girl that had just jumped in there.

Not that he honestly expected to find any.

They were gone.

In one of his dreams Youko had watched Kagome fall into a well and disappear in a flash of blue light. The silver fox had tried to follow her, jumping in just as she had, but to no avail. Where the young woman had vanished, the demon had remained. Now, before his very eyes, his awake eyes, Kurama had just witnessed the same event take place.

Except this time there was someone else.

The hanyou, Inuyasha, went through as well.

There was the same flash of blue light, the same hum of magic.

Even the well looked the same.

Kurama knew there was some connection between the two events. He just couldn't make it out right now. His mortal mind was still on an adrenaline rush from the battle, still bewildered by the site of the characters from his haunting dreams running around in his concious world.

He would make the connection later, after he had had time to think it out.

"They're gone." He announced softly, but sure that his companions could hear him. Twin sets of heavy footsteps rushed towards him as Yusuke and Kuwabara ran over to confirm what he said was true. They hadn't seen what he had in his dreams. They were probably now thinking that there must be something wrong.

After all, no one could just vanish, right?

Kurama backed away, allowing his ningen comapanions the space they needed to appropriately gape and gawk into the empty depths of the well. The fox's hazy mind noticed something had not changed throughout the commotion.

Hiei had not moved.

He could still feel crimson eyes boring into his back, accusing.

Slowly Kurama turned, his emerald eyes seeking out the koorimes. They were quick to meet, and had the kitsune been anyone else he would have staggered under the blow of angry emotions that met him there. As it was, he waited.

Silently.

Calmly.

He awaited Hiei's judgement, the sentence that the koorime would bestow upon him for betraying him.

And it came.

'You protected him.' Hiei's cold telepathic voice echoed through Kurama's mind.

'Yes.'

'Why?!' The jaganashi's mental voice rung true with pain, betrayal, confusion. His one close friend had betrayed him. Had openly admitted that he had betrayed him. He needed an explanation.

'You haven't seen what I have in my dreams. He is no threat.'

'You had orders. Koenma ordered his capture. That hanyou could have killed someone. He nearly tried. How can you say he was no threat?!' Hiei argued back.

'He was only here for the girl. He is one of her friends. You haven't seen what I've seen. He is no enemy. He means no harm. All he did today was out of self defense. We struck the first blow.' Kurama replied, calm as a statue, through the telepathic link.

'I haven't seen what you've seen?! Surely you don't plan to use those dreams of yours as a defense for your actions! How do you know that this Kagome isn't a threat herself? How do you know that the hanyou is not currently plotting with her against your life.'

Suddenly something made sense. Kurama had been wondering how Koenma knew of the hanyou's presence. How he knew that there would also be a miko. He had told them only to capture the hanyou, but leave the miko alone. Now he knew.

'You told Koenma didn't you.' Now it was Kurama's turn to sound betrayed as he mentally questioned Hiei, fearing the answer he would recieve.

'Hn.'

Emerald eyes narrowed. Crimson mimicked the action. Yusuke and Kuwabara were still in the background, now climbing in and out of the well. Neither was aware of the silent war brewing between their youkai companions. Not even Kuwabara could sense the blatant feeling of betrayal in their auras.

'Why?'

'Because, your slipping fox!' Hiei's telepathic voice thundered in Kurama's mind. 'Someone needs to look out for you! You are going to get yourself killed! If this girl is a miko, then it is her nature to be after demons. If she really knows Youko, then she must know that you are him, and is probably just looking at this as an added bonus to killing you!'

'I do not need protection.'

'Hn.'

'I am sorry that I betrayed your trust Hiei, but perhaps you just need to trust me. I know what I am doing.' With those final words, Kurama abruptly closed the mental link, shutting off his mind so that Hiei could no longer get inside.

"Hey you guys, they're gone!" Kuwabara yelled as he jogged back over to them, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Kurama said that already." Yusuke pointed out, whacking the rough looking red head in the back of his head.

"HEY!"

"Yusuke, call Botan. We need to return and report to Koenma." Kurama interrupted before Kazuma could hit Urameshi back.

"Got'cha."

Kurama sighed heavily as he watched the Spirit Detective flip open the compaq and begin speaking with the ferry girl. Looking over his shoulder he saw Hiei leaning against a shadowed stone wall. His eyes were closed, but his hand was on his katana.

Vaguely Kurama wondered what this recent development would do to their relationship. Would Hiei forgive him? Could he forgive Hiei?

"Hello everyone!" The cheery voice that signaled Boton's arrival wouldn't allow him to continue his thoughts as he reflexively turned around to greet her in return.

But not before seeing a flash of crimson as the fire demon looked up at him.

Emotionless, but not cold.

That one gaze said it all.

Maybe things would be alright after all.

Again, Kurama was given little time to dwell on it as the ferry girl opened a portal and the Spirit Detective and team stepped through.

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"Oh cool! Do you really think that I will be able to do that?" Asked a wide eyed kit as his aqua eyes, wide with appreciation, took in the site of the flower growing and blooming before his very eyes.

Youko merely nodded his head, and taking the seed that the flower had produced, handed it to Shippo.

The little youkai stared questioningly at the open palm and gift for a moment, as if pondering what to do. Gathering his courage though, he quickly grasped the little treasure, hurriedly placing it into one of his pouches and flashing the older kitsune a grateful smile.

Despite the fact that Youko had not harmed Shippo, and had instead spent time with him in the forest teaching him more about his kitusne abilities, the kit was still quite timid around him. After all, Inuyasha had really seemd to not like him.

Though Inuyasha really didn't seem to like other male youkai at all. Or even other males for that matter. Not when there was a chance of the being around Kagome.

But Kurama didn't seem so bad to him. After all, he was teaching him this cool stuff wasn't he? And now Shippo had something to do other than sit in Kaede's hut feeling bored or perform for the village children.

Shippo was about to ask Youko to germinate another plant for him when suddenly a scent caught his nose. The sweet aroma filled his senses and he couldn't contain the squeal of glee that it caused.

"Kagome!"

His surrogate mother was back, early true, but back all the same.

Just as he was about to scamper off, racing to the well clearing to greet her and bask in her warmth and gifts, Youko caught him gently by the tail.

"Go the the old miko's hut and stay there." The silver fox ordered, releasing the kit's rusty colored bushy tail. Shippo stayed still, moving neither to go to the well or do as he was told.

Instead he stood up tall, dramatically pushing his shoulders back and crossing his arms over his chest as he has seen Inuyasha do many times before. Aqua eyes peered boldly at the fox before him, who remained sitting on the ground much to Shippo's relief.

It was hard to be intimidating when your target towered over you ten times over.

"What are you going to do to Kagome?" He curtly demanded. Even if the kitsune had been nice to him, it didn't mean that he would be to his mother. Fox Demon nature was to care for orphans of their own kind. It did nothing to ensure the protection of those who currently or formerly cared for the young.

Youko grinned at the kit's audacity. The runt had spunk. And he was admirably protective of the human woman. From what the thief had gathered from their brief time together, Shippo thought of her as the mother that had been cruelly snatched from him.

It was, to say the least, quite interesting.

And Youko had to fight hard to quelch the growl that was threatening to spill forth at that thought. Though he had been able to admit a certain attraction to the miko, he did not like the fact that he was becoming steadly more and more attached to her.

He blamed most of it on his curiosity. But he couldn't deny that it was beginnin to get out of hand. He was a fox youkai, sensual by nature. It was a well known trait of his species to have a myriad of lovers. Very rarely did silver kitsune's actually settle down and mate, perferring instead to continue to enjoy the many intimate pleasures of the body instead.

But for a silver kitsune to be attracted to a ningen? And want her for reasons other than lust. If he wasn't sure that he was healthy and that the wench in question wasn't capable of performing it, he would have sworn that he was under some sort of spell.

"I am not going to hurt Kagome." Youko informed Shippo. "I am going to talk to her."

The kit peered at him for a moment longer, as if searching him for any sign of false bearing. Content that he couldn't find any, Shippo nodded his head briefly and then took off. Heading in the direction of the village as was requested.

Youko sat still a moment longer, waiting to make sure that the kit really would listen. When he was satisfied that Shippo would not deter from his assigned course, he stood, and took to his feet.

There was a certain miko that he had to meet.

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Inuyasha felt the cold hard earth under his feet, signalling to him that he and Kagome were now back in the feudal era. Back in his time.

Away from the youkai that weren't supposed to exist.

Away from the ningens with powers that he had never seen before.

And back to his time.

Back to the stalker fox that was the reason he had left in the first place.

Inuyasha tentatively down at the miko still held tight in his arms. She didn't seem to notice that he was holding her. She didn't even seem to be aware that she was in the bottom of the well. Her sapphire eyes were wide and confused, unfocused. It was obvious that something else was occupying her mind...but what?

"Kagome." Inuyasha whispered, taking one of his hands from her waist to place it instead on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. A few wisps of his silver hair were snaked in with her own raven mane, and he carefully tried to avert his eyes from the sight, not wanting to admit how warm it made him feel inside.

The miko did not respond. Instead her lips moved silently, as if forming words that her vocal cords could not give sound to at the moment. She didn't look at him.

"Kagome." Inuyasha shook her shoulder a little harder this time, but still gently. All he wanted was to get her attention and make sure that she was okay.

"Suuichi...Kurama....No...could it?" A hoarse and bewildered whisper came from her lips now, but her eyes were still vacant. She was still lost in her thoughts, unaware of what was happening at the moment.

A familiar and unwelcome scent caught Inuyasha's attention. It was approaching fast.

"Kagome!" This time the hanyou stood, still in the bottom of the well, taking the girl by both her shoulders and forcing her to rise as well. This seemed to get her attention as sapphire met inquiring amber.

"Are you alright?" He asked sincerely, his tone soft, his eyes for one rare moment unable to conceal any of his concern.

"Inuyasha?" She asked, her voice still a little lost. "Huh? Oh yes...I'm fine." Realization seemed to dawn upon her as she fiercely shook her head, one hand clutched to her temple.

Then she looked up at him again. "What did they want?"

Inuyasha, knowing immediately to what she was referring to, didn't know how to answer. He himself was asking those same questions at the moment. 'Wait...' He thought. She hadn't asked, 'Who' they were.

Now that he thought about it, she seemed to recognize them.

The future intruder was still fast approaching. It would only be a matter of minutes, but there was no point in leaving the area. Youko already knew that they were here, and would be able to track them anyways.

But the well...

Inuyasha drew Kagome close to him once again as with a powerful push against the ground, he leapt out of the well. Instead of taking off like she expected him too, he merely sat down on the edge of the ancient structure and beckoned for her to do the same.

The miko glanced at him curiously. He was acting a bit odd. Not one wanting to question it at the moment though, she mentally shrugged and joined him.

Inuyasha stared intently at her, willing her to meet his gaze. Getting the hint she did.

"Kagome, who were they?"

Seeing no reason to lie to Inuyasha, and in fact a bit frightened by the revelation herself as well as angry, she told him the truth. "They go to school with me. Actually, they were some of my friends there. Except for the one in black..." She mused softly aloud, turning away so that she missed the angry and protective look on Inuyasha's face as he listened. "I don't know who he was."

"They go to your school?!" Inuyasha blurted out, incredulous that her so called new friends would attack her. Immediately sensing what he was thinking, Kagome headed him off.

"They weren't attacking me. They were attacking you." She pointed out. Inuyasha opened his mouth to argue once again but she hushed him with a stern glare.

"And they seemed quite surprised when I showed up."

"The little black demon -"

"Was still only going after you. You just happened to grab me and thus I was present. But like I told you, I don't know who he is."

Youko was almost there. No doubt that if they spoke above a whisper he would be able to see them.

"Youko's coming wench." Inuyasha informed her, tactfully changing the subject for once in his life. "You'd better tell him to go the hell away and leave us alone or else I'll do it and it won't be pretty."

Kagome looked up at him again, her face now filled with anger, though the inu could tell that none of it was directed at him. How her mood had shifted so suddenly he couldn't be sure.

'Feh. Human women.'

He was just glad that he didn't seem to be the one on the recieving end of THAT.

Kagome stood up and went to stand a few feet in front of the well as for the first time she noticed the nearing presence of a jewel shard. Her arms were crossed, her eyes flashing like an ocean storm.

Youko appeared a moment later. He had stopped running at the tree line, opting instead to make a more stately entrance rather than rushing in. A stoic mask was plastered onto his face, his silver hair glinting in the afternoon light.

The wind changed once again, now blowing towards Inuyasha as the hanyou was struck with the full force of the kitsune's scent. The smell of roses and pine seemed to trigger a memory temporarily buried as amber eyes suddenly widened.

A picture of a scarlet haired young man brandishing a rose whip flashed across Inuyasha's mind. The demon had smelled similar to Youko.

He had used the same weapon.

"Kagome, how nice to see you again." Youko greeted her, strutting cockily forward, his tail swishing arrogantly behind him. He flashed her a quick grin and for a moment a look of hunger crept into his eyes.

Kagome was sure that he was trying to remind her of the kiss.

And damn him it was working she admitted as her cheeks warmed.

But she had something to 'discuss' with him at the moment.

"Youko, come with me." She commanded in a authorative tone as if daring him to say otherwise. Youko cocked an amused brow at her, his molten gold gaze flickering briefly over her shoulder to the hanyou at the well, who undoubtedly heard.

"Kagome! You can't go with him!" Inuyasha yelled, responding just as Youko thought that he might. A clawed hand was already reaching for Tetsusaiga, which had been resheathed at his hip. "You can't trust him! He's one of-"

"Sit boy."

"Inuyasha's warning was abruptly cut short as the rosary's command dragged him to the ground, his mouth forced to stay close lest it wished to be greeted with dirt.

"I need to talk with Youko KURAMA," She said stressing the last part of the youkai's name, " And I will be right back."

With that she roughly grabbed the fox's arm and proceeded to drag him from the clearing, both knowing that had he not wished it, they wouldn't have been moving at all.

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Koenma twisted his fingers worriedly.

George and Botan glanced at him from the corner where they stood. No one else on the spirit detective seemed to pay the child ruler any attention at all. Yusuke and Kazuma were arguing over some fight at school, Kurama was leaning against a wall looking surprisingly miserable and lost. Hiei was reclining in the shadows, most likely thinking of the many other things he could be doing.

Koenma buried his head in his palms for a moment. A muffled noise that could have been a cry of exasperation could be heard by those with demon hearing.

Had they been listening.

Taking his hat off for a moment, the demi-god ran a hand through his brown hair before replacing the, 'Jr.' bearing article and folding his hands as calmly as possible in front of him. Paperwork on the corner of his desk loomed over him, more of it being brought by the minute, threatening to topple over on him, but this didn't seem to be the cause of his worries.

So, too caught up in the matter at hand to raise a stamp or even think clearly, Koenma faced his spirit detective and team, prepared to once more go over the highlights of the presented information and try to make sense of it.

He was so going to get a good spanking for this one.

"So you did come upon a hanyou? An inu hanyou at a shrine in Tokyo?"

The question caught the attention of the team and they resumed paying attention to their boss. They had been over this already and everyone's patience was wearing thin, but they had yet to make sense of the situation.

Kurama didn't seem at all surprised about some of the presented information, causing Koenma to believe he was harboring some sort of knowledge that he wasn't sharing with the others. But the fox was too caught up in something else to pay much attention to the meeting.

Sure he answered questions and knew what was going on, but he wasn't all there.

This whole problem with the hanyou and miko just had Koenma worried.

"Yeah toddler, there was a dog demon, a hanyou. We know this already!" Yusuke all but yelled, punching a nearby wall in frustration. He had been supposed to go on a date with Keiko about an hour ago. Now she was going to think that he stood her up again and there would be hell to pay.

"How many times have I told you not to call me toddler?!" Koenma yelled right back, allowing more anger to edge into his voice than he meant to. His tone caused the humans, George, and Botan to jump at it.

One of his babyish hands came up to massage his temple as he propped an elbow and rested his chin on the opposite palm.

"Now let's continue." Koenma said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had quickly enveloped the room. "You attacked the hanyou, but he was able to well defend himself with a demon fang that transformed when he drew it?"

This time no one spoke, they only nodded.

"And in the midst of the battle a girl from Yusuke's school, Kagome Higurashi, showed up?"

Again with the nodding.

"And upon her appearence the hanyou stopped fighting to...grab her and jump down a well where they disappeared with a flash of light."

Yusuke fisted his hand and let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. "We're not idioits! You don't need to repeat all this to us like we are! Or do you not believe us or something?!"

. "Yusuke Urameshi! If you do not shutup than I will be forced to make you and it will not be pleasant!" Koenma roared back at him, finally losing his patience with the stubborn young man that never knew when to quit.

Shocked, Koenma had never threatened him before, Yusuke could do nothing other than shut his mouth. Almost meekly he took a couple steps back and bowed his head, staring at his feet.

Hiei continued to appear stoic, unaffected by all the events. Kuwabara looked like his attention was wavering as well as his consciousness. Kurama was just standing there, eyes darting as he replayed seens in his head, a deep frown marring his handsome appearance.

Botan bit her lip as she crossed her arms across her chest in discomfort. Not one to like confrontation in the first place, Koenma's dangerous and out of character mood was affecting her, making her jumpy and nervous.

George just kept looking between his friend and the piling paperwork with something akin to horror. His most obvious concern was that the many stacks would fall over at any given moment and bury his boss. Then he would be forced to dig him out.

"Okay. We can safely conclude that this Kagome Higurashi is the powerful miko. How she knows the hanyou, we have no idea. But we do know that the half demon was never from makai in the first place. We also know that the well is a portal of some sorts, but that it doesn't seem to work for anyone besides the girl and dog demon. So in other words we have next to nothing!"

Kurama looked up at the sharp words and the mention of the conclusions. His emerald eyes locked for a moment with Koenma's coal colored orbs. The child-like ruler could swear that he could see the door's being locked in the fox's mind.

Doors that held information vital to the case.

The way that Kurama's eyes sparked each time the girl, hanyou, or well was mentioned.

He knew something.

He had answers and he wasn't sharing.

Koenma had the feeling that no matter what they did, Kurama would never tell. Not even under torture. And it hurt the toddler sized ruler. He trusted Kurama.

But it seemed Kurama did not trust him.

The fox had too many secrets.

Dark secrets.

The gaze was broken as Kurama looked away, but for a split second before he did, Koenma thought that he saw flecks of gold beginning to swirl into his depths.

He didn't know why, but intuition told him that Youko was somehow involved.

And if he didn't know any better...If he wasn't sure that it was impossible...

But then again, there weren't any real cases of a demon spirit bonding with a human soul....No records as to the state of mind, the side effects....What really happened...What happened afterward....

It was an uncomfortable feeling to not know the answers. Even worse when such mysteries were the embodiment of someone you depended on to help keep order.

"Well, I will have Boton contact you when I have further orders. Yusuke, Kuwabara, you may leave."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the humans disappeared.

And then there were two.

"Hiei, I want you to keep constant survaillence on that shrine. If the miko or hanyou makes an appearence I want to be informed immediately. And Kurama, you be ready to be at his assistance in an instant."

The two nodded their understanding.

"Hiei, you may leave."

With that the jaganashi disappeared through a portal, heading straight to the Higurashi shrine.

And then there was one.

"Kurama." Koenma began, not exactly sure how he wanted to phrase his words.

"Hmmm?" The subject responded respectfully, his thoughts for once focused on the present, an emotionless mask in place.

Emerald eyes darted to the corner where Boton and George still stood.

"Oh yes, of course." The demi-god concurred, realizing the meaning of the silent message. "Boton, Ogre, you are dismissed. I'll call you when I need you."

"Yes Koenma sir." They responded in unison, before hurriedly departing, neither wanting to be in the room longer than they had too.

Once he was sure they were gone, Koenma commenced his earlier announcement.

"Kurama, I trust you. You are a vital part of the Spirit Detective Team. Despite problems in the past, and for that matter in your past life of sorts, I have full confidence that you will do nothing to jeopardize the missions I put you on. I know that you are with-holding information, and I want you to know, that you are free to tell me anything that could be important to the case without fear of being penalized."

The fox stood still for a moment, his facade never wavering to indicate whether or not he even heard the child king.

Silence.

Koenma subconciously nodded his head, as if to encourage the detective to share his hidden knowledge.

"I am sorry sir, but I am afraid I know nothing that would be of interest to you or to the case."

Koenma couldn't help the feeling of pain that filled his chest.

So Kurama didn't trust him after all.

More hurt than he would like to admit, the ruler nodded curtly.

"Very well then, you are dismissed."

With the permission of leave granted, Koenma immediately turned his attention to the mountains of paperwork encroaching upon his personnal space. He didn't look up once to watch the young man slowly turn and walk away.

Not even when the door opened.

Not even when it closed.

And then there were none.

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AHHHHH!

It's the end! (Of the chapter).

And I never told you what Kagome is talking to Youko about. Poor you....

Guess you'll just have to find out next chapter.

BTW: I am taking an indefinite, but not permanent break from Before I Die.

I have also started writing a new fic called A Rose in Winter. So for the sake of advertising, take a peek at it. The second chapter should be out soon.

REVIEW and save me from insanity.