Prologue

Black filled the cool air. Crickets chirped while the ocean's waves brushed gently against the shore. Trees were outlined in the darkness, their branches danced softly in the breeze. It was a quiet and serene scene. All remained quiet and tranquil until a loud scream erupted from the hidden building.

Suddenly soft footsteps were heard running through the hall of the temple that was nested between the trees. He couldn't sense any spirit energy but that didn't mean there wasn't any danger. The sliding door swooshed open and a red haired man emerged. His emerald eyes pierced through the room. They were dark and threatened to harm any unwanted guests. It took only a small moment before they rested on a small, sobbing girl. She was curled up on a bed across the room from him. His eyes instantly softened.

"Terumi." He whispered as he made his way towards the bed. His mind quickly analyzed the situation and began to calculate the best way to handle it. Once he reached the child, he sat on the bed and gently engulfed the brown haired girl in his arms. She continued to cry as he rocked her in comfort. "What's wrong?" Terumi continued to cry a moment before her tears turned to sniffles. Her flustered pink cheeks were stained with tears. Her frightened brown eyes rose to meet his kind, clear ones.

"The monster wants to eat me." She whimpered as another large tear fell from her eye. Kurama's expression quickly turned into a concerned, serious one.

"Monster?" he questioned. She did not yet know of demons and he knew to her they could easily pass for monsters. Had she seen something he hadn't sensed? Was something lurking out there? He knew the dangers that wished her harm. If they were close by, he needed to know. "What monster?" Terumi blinked before she looked over to a paper she had knocked off the bed. Without a sound she simply extended her pointer finger down towards it. The fox demon's eyes followed her gesture and quickly caught sight of the parchment. Keeping one arm around her, he gently bent down and picked it up. He stared at it a moment before his lips threatened to curl upwards.

Kurama held back a smile and laugh when he saw the picture she referred to. While Terumi's drawing was disorganized, much of it being lines and squiggles, he could easily make out the three eyed face of Hiei. She must have spotted him the last time he was there to check on them. How it would please his former colleague to know his very existence caused nightmares. Truth be told, however, the emerald eyed man knew his old friend would never harm the girl. Patiently he glanced back down to the four year old.

"Now, now," he softly spoke as the child he called his own firmly held onto his arm. "There is nothing to fear. I promise you are safe." Terumi nuzzled further into him as the tears slowly began to fade away. Her eyes remained open as her father's arms held her to him in comfort. After a few minutes she turned and rested back down on the bed.

Terumi smiled up at her father as he softly spoke words of comfort to her, urging her to sleep. After a few minutes the tear-eyed girl sighed contently and closed her eyes. The red haired demon, remained on the bed a couple more minutes before he stood and walked towards the door. Once there he paused as he tapped into his energy. All seemed peaceful. Kurama couldn't sense any danger. Nor could he smell any foes. Once he determined this, he went to leave the bedroom. Then a soft snore caught his attention. He glanced back to Terumi as she stirred. His lips curled into a soft smile and he watched her snuggle deeper into her pillow. The smile remained on his lips as he closed the sliding door behind him. Thoughts and memories swirled around Kurama's mind as he walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

Four years had passed since the child he named, Terumi came into his life. She had only been six months old when her mother died and she came into his care. He remembered that night quite vividly. The smell of human blood filled his nostrils as flesh was torn from muscle and bone. Screams of pain and agony had filled the air. Then, the cry of a baby followed soon after. Had Terumi's mother been a demon she might have survived the attack. Where she was a human, she bled out almost instantly. While Kurama's relationship with her mother had been strictly platonic, he found her death caused him great grief. She had, had a fiery spirit but was also sweet and somewhat innocent. Someone like her did not deserve to die. Not in that gruesome way, at least.

Once in the kitchen, Kurama began to boil some water for tea. His thoughts turned back to the sleeping child he kept in his keep. This was different from the many futures he had prepared himself for. Different from any test he had taken in the past. This...nothing had prepared him for this particular challenge. Had her mother not died, the little family of two would not even exist. Terumi Minamino would not exist. She would have kept the name given to her at her birth. He possibly may never have come to know the exhaustion, frustrations and joys of fatherhood, had she not come to him.

Originally, Kurama had been hesitant to take on the role of father. He had not the experience nor was it in his nature to raise a child. Had she not been the daughter of friends, he would have instantly walked away, believing it was for the best. However, in the first few months of living together, the fox demon found he evolved and adapted into his new title well. As they grew more accustomed to the other, happiness began to fill the lives of both he and the daughter he adopted. She was a small light of delight in a world that had hastily gone from peace to cold and unfeeling.

He remained in his thoughts until, suddenly he sensed a small surge of spirit energy run through the halls of Genkai's former home. A foul stench filled his nostrils. However, his straight face remained as he turned and caught sight of three demons. One had yellow skin while the other two were a pale white. Horns prickled from their heads and backs as they growled and hissed at him. He gave the creatures a blank but dangerous look. Effortlessly, he removed the rose from behind his ear.

"Rose whip." He called out before the demons who had attempted to gang up on him could speak. It took only a few strokes of his whip before the small group of weaker class demons were lying on the floor. While they were weaker, they were growing bolder. It had been a long while since anyone had randomly approached him with the intention of fighting. This fact worried him slightly. He glared down at the filth that covered the floor. He bent over them looking for any clue or sign that could lead him to their commander. Whoever they worked for was surely the same demon who had killed Terumi's mother and threatened the life of his daughter. He continued to look them over with disgust when he heard a door open.

"Daddy?" the small girl called out, instantly catching Kurama's attention. His head snapped over to the door only to see her shadow approaching. Quickly he stood and walked towards the door frame. To his luck, he reached the door at the same time she did; his body hid the sight behind him from her view. He would not have her see such a sight at her young and tender age.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Terumi questioned sleepily as their eyes met. Relieved that she was only half awake and would easily go back to bed, Kurama picked her up and stepped out into the hall.

"Yes, I'm fine my dear." Kurama told her. Her head almost instantly dropped and rested against his neck. "Come let's get you back to bed." It was time to move, he silently decided as he held her. His mind again began to calculate all their different options and possible outcomes. He plotted and planned every next possible action to take. He would not take her into the Makai yet, not until whatever spirit energy she had revealed itself. Also, Terumi's biological father requested she remain in human world until she was older. That was a request he intended to honor.

'I must hide her in a crowd.' he decided as his thoughts turned back to his mother's house. They would be welcomed there until he could find a small place to call their own. Terumi would have access to the different schools, actives and the openness to play. He continued to weigh out the possible threats and different scenarios, knowing one wrong move could cost him his daughter's life.

~Author's Note~

Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my new story. I don't usually do stories for animes but I've been watching a lot of Yu Yu Kakusho lately and this plot somehow managed its way into my head. I don't usually write stories that aren't romance base so this will be different from what I usually write. It seemed like a decent idea, so I thought I'd give it a go.

Just a couple of notes before we get to the next chapter, I am not a professional writer. I will and do make mistakes in my writing. I try to filter them out, as best I can but I don't always catch them until after the chapter has been published. You're more than welcome to point it out so I can get it fixed as quickly as possible. Also, I love constructive criticism. So if there's something you think could improve feel free to let me know that too.

This story is rated "T" for now but will likely change to 'M' in later chapters. Story is set after the end of the Yu Yu Hakusho series and will be a little bit darker than the original series.

Thanks again for checking out my story! I will try to update as often I can. Usually either once a week or every other week, depending on what real life throws at me. I hope to see you for the next chapter; I have a lot of fun things planned for this story. Feel free to leave a review if you have a moment and are so inclined. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks again! ~Lin

Disclaimer: I do not own Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan, Koenma or any other canon character. Nor am I getting paid to write this story. It is purely for fun and entertainment.