5Muie5: Hello. This is a story I wrote a while back. It is an AU so please no flames about that. I hope you enjoy the first chapter. And the others will be up soon, I just have to reread them. After all I did write this over 3 years ago. ^_^ Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Torture
"Are we sure Koenma sent us to the right place?" asked an unsure orange haired teen boy.
"Kuwabara, heck if I know," answered another teen-age boy, but this one had greased-back, black hair and wore a white T-shirt with blue jeans.
"He better not have sent us on a wild duck chase," warned the boy now known as Kuwabara.
"It's called 'a wild goose chase'. Besides it's not like you have anything important to do, baka," stated a man with spiky black hair that was outlined with blue and a star burst in the middle towards his forehead.
"Why you!" Kuwabara yelled, placing a foot towards the man's direction.
"I doubt Koenma would send us off on a mission without knowing the location," the tall, red haired, green-eyed man butted in.
"Kurama's right. If anything, Koenma would know the location," the teenage boy stated.
"That would be the only thing he knows," the man stated.
"Now, Hiei. I'm sure he tried to find out all he could about this demon," Kurama stated.
"So, Urameshi. Are we just going to stand here till the demon shows up?" asked Kuwabara.
"READY!" came a female's voice.
The four men turned in time to see a young-looking woman running at them from the shadows, kunai knife in her right hand. Kurama took out a rose from his hair and transformed it as the others got out of the way. The thorn whip clashed with the kunai knife.
The woman's blue eyes displayed frustration as she looked at the man in front of her. Her one black ear and one silver ear on top of her head shifted some.
-20 Years Earlier-
A young girl ran through the trees of the Forest of Tragedy. Her shoulder length hair flew in her face as the cold winds of night set in.
"Get back here, kid!" ordered a man with long black hair, brown eyes, two horns above his ears, and he wore a white outfit.
The girl looked back to see the group of men right behind her. She looked forward once more as she tripped over a root.
"She tripped! Let's get her!" yelled another man.
In a second the girl looked around and spotted an old oak tree. Without hesitation she quickly got up and ran to it. As soon as she reached the tree, she crawled into a hole that looked like it was rotted out. Many men surrounded the oak tree, seconds after. The young girl wrapped her cat-like tail around her small form. Her cat-like ears on top of her head drooped some. She hugged her legs close to her body as a form of protection from her pursuers.
"Stupid girl," a man with light green hair and red eyes exclaimed.
One of them reached in to the hole to get her. When she saw the hand enter the hole, she leaned over and bit the hand as hard as she could. The man pulled his hand out of the hole and shook it as if that would help the pain go away faster.
"Dang brat! She bit me," he stated in a growl.
"I can see that you're still as good as ever with the ladies," mocked a male's voice.
"Shut up, Kuronue!" ordered the demon.
A demon walked through the crowd, which separated for him, and stopped in front of the man. This demon wore a tight black vest that had ripped sleeves, black ties wrapped around his arms from the wrists almost all the way to his shoulders, and a white skirt-like garment over a pair of black pants. Hanging from his neck was a red pendent on a sliver chain. On top of this black bat winged demon was a black hat that was nicked, had the top ripped off, and a gold platelet on the front of it. His raven black hair popped out of the top of the hat in a ponytail.
"Do you think you can do any better, Kuronue?" asked another man from the crowd.
Kuronue walked up to the old oak tree and stuck his arm right in. Once again the young girl leaned over and bit his hand as hard as she could. Kuronue pulled out his hand that now had a trickle of blood coming from the tiny holes in his skin.
"That brat!" Kuronue growled.
"That was so much better, Kuronue," laughed a demon from the crowd.
Kuronue put both hands into the hole. In doing so he caused the girl to try to move away, but Kuronue grabbed onto her throat.
"It's Youko," called several demons.
"Make room!" ordered some more demons.
"Kuronue. Yomi. What are you all doing?" asked a sly, calm voice.
Kuronue quickly let go of the girl and turned around. Yomi took a step back while Kuronue put his back against the hole.
"Youko!" Kuronue gasped a bit surprised at seeing his leader here.
"Why are all my men out here?" Youko asked again, a bit colder this time.
"We were just…"
"Waiting for you to get back," Yomi cut in.
Just then Kuronue started to move back and forth slightly. The young demon was beating on Kuronue's back has hard as she could. Youko put his right hand on Kuronue's left shoulder. With one swift shove Kuronue got pushed out of the way.
The young girl fell out of the tree and into Youko's arms. She punched him in the gut as hard as she could, and jumped back into the hole. The crowd started to mumble stuff about what the girl just did. Others grinned and prepared to watch the blood bath. Youko ignored his bandits and bet down to peer inside the tree. In there, sat the scared demon girl. Her entire body started to shiver as she looked into Youko's cold, merciless golden eyes.
"Cat?" Youko asked quietly.
The girl nodded softly. Youko put his right arm into the hole. The girl scooted away till she hit the back of the hole. Youko just stared into her eyes with his right arm extended out to her.
The girl looked into Youko's eyes. Her cat tail unwrapped from around her body and her cat ears lifted. She put her left hand into Youko's larger one. Youko turned to his bandits with the young girl in his arms. The bandit with light green hair reached for the little girl with lust in his eyes. The girl grabbed tightly onto Youko's garments and hid her face into his chest without thinking. The bandit grabbed the girl's left arm with a lustful smile creeping onto his face.
"Now the fun begins," the bandit exclaimed, starting to pull the girl from Youko's arms.
The girl buried her head into Youko's chest even deeper as a last attempt to save herself. Youko shifted the young girl into his left arm and grabbed the bandit's wrist. All the other bandits looked on with curiosity. A grayish vine started to wrap around the bandit's arm.
"Youko!" the bandit pleaded as the vine wrapped around the rest of his body.
"No one is to harm this demon girl. If any of you disobey this you will die in the most horrific way," Youko warned looking out at his bandits.
The bandits started to mumble various things. Youko gave them all a cold glare which shut every single one of them up. He released the bandit that was wrapped with his vines.
"Get back to the hideout. We have a heist at daybreak," Youko ordered.
Everyone but Yomi and Kuronue started to head back through the forest. Youko looked at his best friend and his right hand man.
"Youko, why do you want to save a weak demon like her?" Kuronue asked, taking a step towards his friend.
"Don't question me, Kuronue. Let us get back to the hideout. I need you both at the top of your game for this heist," Youko stated, walking back through the forest with the girl still in his arms.
Kuronue and Yomi shrugged at each other before following their leader. Youko stopped at a calm river while Yomi and Kuronue kept going towards their hideout. The moonlight hit the river in such a way that it caused the water to shine a beautiful blue. The light of the moon reflected in the river lit up the girl's face enough for her features to show. She had blue eyes that matched the crystal blue river and shoulder length hair that was a muddy brown. Her kimono was ripped all over and was barely covering her.
Youko put her down and walked over to a boulder. He sat down on the boulder and crossed his arms as the girl gave him a confused glance.
"Get washed up," Youko ordered.
The girl nodded and took off her damaged kimono which was a beautiful blue with stars on the sleeves with a royal purple tie. Youko turned so his right side was facing her. She got into the water and started to wash her tail.
"Where is your tribe?" Youko asked a bit coldly.
The girl lowered her head and ears. She started to wash her muddy hair as if it was a habit of her that she did to try to avoid a subject. Youko turned his head a bit towards the young girl. He realized that she was not going to answer his question.
The girl got out and started to pick up her kimono. Youko slid off the boulder and strolled over to the girl. She looked up at him with her kimono clenched to her body tightly. He took off his white garment and dropped it onto her.
"Your clothing is ripped terribly. Take this," Youko explained, turning his head from her as he spoke.
She smiled at him and happily took his garment off of her head where it landed. She wrapped it around her small body. It ended up like a kimono to her, reaching to a little below her knees. Youko looked at her as a cloud covered the moonlight. When the cloud moved on the young girl looked up at him in the eyes.
This is when he noticed that she had a cut going from the bottom of her right eye to her chin. Her shoulder length hair was red, black, and silver and so was her tail. He also noticed her left ear was black and her right one was silver. She just stared at the handsome silver haired demon with matching fox ears and tail with golden eyes.
"Let's go," Youko ordered, walking off.
The girl started to follow him, but fell to the ground with her first step. Youko turned around to look down at her, and noted that she had a hold of her left ankle with pain reflected in her eyes. He walked over to her, bent down, and took her hand off of her ankle. There was a deep cut going almost all the way around her ankle with blood flowing freely from the wound.
Youko ripped a strip from the long garment the girl now wore. He got some water from the river before kneeling down in front of the girl. He placed his hand on the ground and an herb grew out of the soil. He started to work on her ankle rather fast but gentle so as not to cause more pain for the young demon girl. The girl just watched him carefully as he disinfected the wound.
"I never really knew my parents. I'm guessing the same could be said for you," announced Youko after a long silence as he worked on her.
The girl lowered her head and ears once more. Youko wrapped her ankle and then looked up at her face. She wrapped her tail around her waist in a way that Youko noticed was to comfort herself.
"You don't talk, do you?" he asked.
The girl nodded slightly. So Youko stood up and swept the girl up into his arms.
"When you decide to, I would like to know the name of the girl I'll protect with my life," he confessed, walking through the forest.
The young girl looked up at him as Youko kept looking forward. She snuggled her head into his chest and closed her eyes. Just as she started to fall into the calm darkness of sleep, Youko suddenly stopped. The sudden jolt caused the demon girl to open her eyes to the sight of demons surrounding them.
"The legendary Youko Kurama appears to have a little girlfriend," mocked a red and purple skinned demon.
Youko shifted the girl into his left arm so he could have a free hand. The ten demons took out their axes and masses. Youko pulled out a seed from his silver hair and closed it in his palm.
"I will not stand for trespassers," Youko declared coldly.
"Attack!" yelled one of the demons.
With that command all the demons lunged at Youko and the little girl. The girl put her head in Youko's chest and closed her eyes tightly. Youko bent down and put the hand with the seed on the ground. Bamboo trees and vines shot out from the ground. With great precision the plants hit their marks. Each demon got a plant through the heart.
When Youko stood back up he felt the young girl shivering. He looked down at her small, quivering body. She kept her eyes closed even after the fight was over. So with that Youko continued to walk back to his hideout.
"The legendary bandit: Youko Kurama. I have found you. Prepare to die," came a male's voice.
Youko stopped and looked to his left. There stood a human looking creature with dark green hair wearing a brown outfit. He held a rifle in his right hand.
"A Spirit World bounty hunter," Youko stated, showing no feelings.
"Got that right," said the man.
Youko continued to walk with the young girl still cradled in his left arm. The bounty hunter lifted up his rifle and took aim. Youko's ears perked up a bit as the hunter pulled back on the trigger.
