Brother, Fledgling, Teacher

Hiei.

The Forbidden Child of Hyouga, the floating island of eternal ice and snow that just like clouds, is eternally drifting so the maidens that lived on it the Koorime, are safe from hunters who hunt them for their priceless tears.

They despised men for their violence and greed. Thus its forbidden to have relationships with outsiders. They can repopulate without the help of men anyway.

Every hundred years, they give birth to an identical daughter through Immaculate Conception until they become too old to do so. Due to having so many look-alikes, hairstyles have to vary just to have a means of identification to differentiate from their sisters.

But one such Koorime has had relations with a male youkai and returned home pregnant...and gave birth to twins.

But they found out and forcibly took her son from her...and cast him to the void.

Hiei remembered it all. His mother's desperation...and her friend telling him to survive no matter what for revenge if he wants because she really didn't want to throw him out, only reluctantly doing so and gave him his Birth Tear pendant.

Indeed, he survived for a hundred and eighty years, appearing the equivalent of a human thirteen years old teenager. Already in puberty. Once he and his sister turns 200, Yukina will have her first child. Time is running out and she's vulnerable.

He found the island and learned of his twin sister who left home to find him despite not knowing what he looked like, her only clue being their mother's gem...that he lost, by the way!

So he sought her instead, a girl who resembles his mother. Doing all means to do so, even acquiring a Jagan at the expense of his immense powers, from A to a pitiful D.

Upon arriving in Ningenkai as he sensed the last remnants of her trace entering this world, he heard a voice that as wretched as he was.

She was a little girl who suffered bullying, and couldn't rely on anyone. She was clumsy and unable to retain anything in school, hence the bullying and her peers feel they have the right to because they were her betters, and teachers disdain her existence. And her own mother is an obliviously tactless woman, cheerfully saying she has no future.

Heartbroken that she has no support at home, she began to resent and hate. She wanted someone who would give a damn to give her hope that she could live by herself even if she had no future. All she wanted was to live and be saved from her plight by someone who would actually save her.

Problem?

A large chunk of her spirit was sealed, which he easily released and he took her as he wished.

She was astonished that someone actually saved a no-good like her that she saw him as her savior, and willing to do anything just so he wouldn't leave her.

'Just so you know, I can only stay a short while.' he told her. 'I will teach you how to live. Grow to be strong. Find yourself a mate and have family with that mate so you will not be alone.'

'What's that?'

'What you humans call 'husband'.'

'Oh...'

'Your name?'

'Shouhi.' said the little girl. 'That lady said its written as rose princess.'

She no longer considers her mother as family. He could tell that much through his psychic powers.

'Hiei.' said Hiei. 'I'm pretty strict but its for survival.'

'OK...just...get me out of here. I hate it here.' Mishou choked into a sob, clinging to him. 'Take me with you.'

Well, Hiei knows full well what it means to be unwanted and unable to belong anywhere. That is very true for him, while Shouhi has a chance to find her own place one day when she finds a mate.

Now that the seal is undone, how different will she be?

xxx

Years later...

13 years old Shouhi endured tough training, be it combat and survival training, and knowing how to read and write before she learned Youkai Lore.

They lived as thieves and killers.

Shouhi became just as cold-hearted, ruthless, merciless and brutal. She too, has a jaded and misanthropic view of the world knowing nothing but the cruel side of humans and despised her own kind and is loyal to her foster brother who raised her patiently, finding it ironic that he, a youkai, had more heart than humans do so she likes youkai that are just like him.

But not long ago, he told her to be independent and grow stronger...and find herself a mate in two years. Humans age fast unlike youkai who can live for thousands of years...assuming nobody kills them first.

But as a safety measure, he dropped her off in Genkai's Shrine with instructions. Ningenkai's strongest psychic and a woman who can teach her how to be a good woman one day, one thing he definitely CANNOT teach her.

So here she is now.

'...its rare for me to have guests.' Genkai was an old woman with graying pink hair, and way shorter than Hiei. 'What can I do for you, young warrior?' she asked, considering she can easily tell many thing about a person by one glance alone.

'...here.' said Shouhi softly, giving Genkai a letter that she read.

I am entrusting this girl, Shouhi to you.
I adopted her away from a human town
that only gave her grief.

I taught her how to fight and survive, but
one thing I cannot teach is how to be a good
woman. In two years she would be old enough
to mate so her time is short.

She originally lived with her mother who is sadly,
not good material for her bullied and castigated
child. Basically no support at home when she's
bullied and disdained in school and unwanted by
anyone she grew to hate her own kind but sadly,
they're her only choice of mates.

She was also sealed but I unsealed her.
The seal turned out to be the source of her misery,
messing up her abilities she was clumsy and unable
to learn anything new. But with it gone, she's talented
and has flame powers. She is also a formidable fighter
specializing in dual-wielding tantos.

Can't come here. Barrier. She has money for her lessons.

So a youkai adopted a human girl, Genkai thought. Its rare for youkai to show kindness to a race they deem food, much less adopt it. They gave her a million yen through the girl.

Now then, what kind of girl did he raise? This girl clearly never went to school so being a housewife really is her only option in order to have a good life, or continue the way she is, living as a loner, hunt and steal to survive. She'd probably stay by herself.

Genkai soon learned she really did not know how to be a girl beyond wearing her hair long, different body parts and wearing skirts, to her chagrin. Sooo yes, she had to teach the girl how to be one, and how to cook...and not all humans are bad. She just happens to be unlucky with who she first met as humans.

But really, whoever this is, gave her a problem child.

Shouhi talks in a rude, condescending boy lingo except its more as a form of speech the way her foster brother talks so its the only thing she knows. She's actually polite. She had to correct her language. Girls should not use 'kisama' to say 'you'!

Her eyes are also jaded, having seen a lot. For a girl her age, she no longer has innocence mentally, emotionally and psychologically. And very quiet. But when asked about her brother, she spoke as if he was the only one to do right by her, given what her life was before he came.

She also dresses like a ninja. A red outfit ending in a miniskirt, a fundoshi, arm and leg warmers and tatami zori. Her hair is worn long with thick fringes, wearing her hip-length hair in a ponytail. She uses a red ribbon to keep it in place. So she taught her how to wear yukata and kimono, proper manners, skills girls should have and of course, cooking. In cooking, sure they can study cookbooks but after knowing how, she can then tweak it to her liking.

Genkai also showed her what a mother SHOULD be, based on her own ideals and morals by acting like it while teaching her, praising her for good work and gently chiding her, before teaching her how to correct her mistakes. After all, she would be doing the same for her own children one day.

'Hey, sensei...' said Shouhi while folding paper crafts.

'What is it?'

'I don't understand what niisan wants for me at all.' said Shouhi. 'What use is a mate to me anyway? I can live on my own since I just got independent recently now that I'm D-Class in strength. Taking care of myself will surely raise my strength.'

'Well, in a family, its the duty of a man to protect his family in times of danger, and provide for everyone by working.' Genkai told her. 'It is also his duty to love his wife as a woman and never cheat on her with another woman, and be a wonderful father to his children. He is to never have terrible vices and never hurt his family. That's what's ideal at least.'

'Heee...'

'One day, you'll meet such a man who will make you happy.' said Genkai. 'So don't give up on humanity simply because of your childhood. Your town is too tiny, a drop in the bucket to judge humanity to be just like them. Back to folding.'

'Hai.'

'What will you do when your lessons are over?'

'Well, I will look for niisan's sister.' said Shouhi. 'Koorime...sleazeballs hunt them down and cause them pain to force them to cry their priceless tear gems.' she explained. 'Their race despised men, but their mother found a man, had relations resulting in twins. Due to Immaculate Conception and how their body works, daughters will always be Koorime looking like their mothers while sons will always look like their fathers and be whatever heck their father is. He knows what she looks like. Problem is, where is Yukina-san...' she sighed. 'She could be in an anti-youkai barrier so can I learn how to bypass those too? Its the least I could do after what he's done for me. Despite all his efforts, an anti-youkai barrier or related sorceries would make perfect sense. He looked in Makai but none so she could be here.'

'Well, training is strict kiddo.'

'I expect as much.' Genkai nodded, approving of her resolve. 'If I find Yukina-san, can she take shelter here?'

'Well, I'll have to adjust the barrier for that.' Genkai snorted. 'Koorime are still youkai you know.'

xxx

Genkai watched Shouhi.

She was a wounded innocent that made her jaded with wrong ideas, having spent over half a year to correct her and training her in what she wanted to learn. Barriers and she soon added Healing, and training to increase her reiki to put to use what she had in mind for techniques...she just lacked power, being a mere D-Class to her chagrin.

And now, around May...

She mastered all arts she wanted, and got an increase in her Rei by knowing how. Genkai was a nasty teacher from hell as nasty as Hiei, but its just as worth the pain!

And so...

'Sensei, thank you for everything.' Shouhi bowed politely.

'Well, you've now become a proper girl as your brother wants. You even learned traditional arts, you'll be fine. But for your education, make use of the public library as you don't go to school. At least that way you'd learn something, but you'll need help in Math.' said Genkai. 'Math these days isn't what I'm used to. What I know is now considered Shougakkou Level when in my day at your age, its everything you'd need for Math.'

'Hai.' Shouhi then bowed gratefully and left, wearing a nice dress and flats, using concealing sorcery on her weapons to avoid detectors in the cities.

She stole money to get around, particularly favoring banks, stealing a million to last her a while. Say, a couple months.

She followed her intuition as she used sorcery to get by...and found her prize in a certain town...

'This is it. I have about a head start of three hours. I get that feeling for some reason.' she mused as she was in a certain estate. 'Let's play~!' she grinned darkly, murder on her mind as she went into the estate, knives out...