Author: Swythangel
Email: [email protected]
Title: The Reddest Rose
Type: Series 1/?
Rating: PG (just to be safe)

Note: This is supposed to be a fan fiction of the series YuYu Hakusho. Since the creator didn't see fit to find Kurama a sweetheart, I thought I'd do it for them. In no way am I sure that I am not butchering the Japanese language and words, as well as the whole YuYu Hakusho storyline, so please bear with me.
And minna-san? This is Kurama paired with an original character so don't kill me if you like yaoi. I like Yaoi too but somehow I made het! Ahoho!
Disclaimer: All characters of YuYu Hakusho are owned by their writer and company. They aren't mine (sigh!) and even if I wished on a hundred falling stars, Kurama will never be mine. This fiction was made to entertain and hopefully does not infringe on their copyright.
This would take place a year after Enki won in the competition. Kuwabara, is a responsible young man with good grades (surprise! surprise!), who is seriously dating Yukina. Hiei and Mukuro are still on the Spirit World's Border Patrol. Yusuke and Keiko have gotten engaged though Yusuke has decided not to go back to school and instead operates a small restaurant (His exact words: Well, if I have to work, then it might as well be with food!." what's new?). And Kurama? Well he's still single and in Medical School, trying to become a doctor.
So without further adieu, pls. read on…

The Reddest Rose
Part 1

"I am not going to be your messenger of death and I will not stand to be manipulated by you again!"

This particular tension-filled hall of the Makai shook with the shouted pronouncement. All eyes were on the defiant female who dared to shout down the Ruler, Kawakami.

"You are who I say you are, Hitori!" The deep dark voice of the ruling youkai of the legendary tribe of Demon-Foxes almost dislodged the stalactites hanging from the natural cave that was the Hall of the Youko-Kitsune. So furious was he that his nine tails lashed about wildly.

"No, I am not!" The young female youko's five tails were also twitching about as she ignored the warning glances of Kawakami's advisers and plunged on. "I have earned my right as a five-tailed youko to do what I decide to do." She lifted her chin in a gesture of defiance, her red eyes flashed in the reflected light of the torches that lined the hall.

"You are still of the tribe of the Youko Kitsune and as such you also have the responsibility to carry out my commands. Furthermore, as my daughter, you have the filial duty to fulfill your father's wishes." Kawakami's fist pounded the throne's armrest. Hitori was still in her defensive pose, her prominent ears twitched in time with her five tails, ruffling her luxuriant long reddish-brown hair, her eyes seemed to be daring her father. His temper began to rise again, but as he opened his mouth to let out another fearsome tirade, his son, Foxfire, laid a hand on his shoulder, distracting him.

Foxfire shook his head and spoke quietly, intending only his father to hear. "Let me handle this, father. You know how Hitori is when she is riled. Also, I do not think its proper to let the others hear this dissension."

Kawakami realized the truth in his son's words. He threw his hands up in anger and frustration. "Alright, you handle this situation, Fox-fire. But make your sister understand that I will not be crossed, not on this. She will do what I ask or she will be exiled and hunted down."

A startled look crossed Foxfire's features. He didn't realize that the situation was that serious. Kawakami turned towards Hitori again. "I would advise you to take stock of what this might mean, Hitori. Consider your decision well. You have until dawn to decide. Dismissed." And Kawakami turned towards another youkai who obviously had pressing concerns to discuss.

Hitori's eyes narrowed in outrage, She had been dismissed like an unimportant little…She opened her mouth to speak but Fox-fire, who had descended from the dais, clapped her mouth shut and all but dragged her out of the hall.

***

"Foxfire! I wasn't through speaking yet. How could you do that to me?" Hitori stamped her foot on the ground in frustration.

"It was either that or forever be called an only child." Was Foxfire's wry reply. At Hitori's astounded look, Foxfire turned serious. "You didn't know how angry father was. I did. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have banished you from here or worse. I really don't understand why you keep balking at your duties. It was a simple assassination mission, nothing more. And its not like you don't know how to kill, I've seen you ruthlessly dismember a Demon-Spirit without blinking. What's so different about this one?"

Hitori shook her head. "That Demon-Spirit was different. It was of my own free will and he was trespassing on our land, killed a few pups. But the missions that father gives me are so autocratic. He expects me to fulfill them without asking if I want them or not. I hate being treated like I am someone's tame puppy. Its been a long time since I was a pup and I've certainly never been tame."

Foxfire barked a short laugh that was over even before it began. "A runaway dragon would be tamer than you, sister. But why not accept this mission that father gave you? I hear it's an easy assassination."

Hitori shot Foxfire an irritated look. She knew Foxfire believed in the Kitsune Code unswervingly and echoed their father's sentiments. "I am not an assassin!"

"You are a youkai, a part of the legendary tribe of the Youko-Kitsune! You chose the life of a warrior and you know that we have a reputation as one of the finest warrior tribes to uphold. It is your duty to the tribe, as a warrior, to do what is necessary for the good of the tribe, why can't you see that?"

I am a warrior but not because I want to kill. "I am a warrior and I am proud to be one, make no mistake about that. But I am not a butcher or an assassin. What is the honor in killing defenseless creatures or demons just because they trespass on our lands? I would much rather fight someone of similar strength in fair combat for a good reason." Hitori told Foxfire.

Foxfire wasn't about to listen. He shook his head at her. "Honor? You talk of honor? Honor is for the weak who cannot tough it out. Understand that in the Makai, we fight in every way possible to survive, to dominate others before they dominate us. If it means using tactics that are vile, so be it. The end justifies the means."

Hitori turned to protest, wanting to defend her side but Foxfire held up his hand. "It is useless to talk to me about it, Hitori. I am not about to listen."

Hitori let out a howl of frustration, which only made Foxfire quirk his mouth up in an amused smile. One that showed his canine teeth. "And anyway, I am not Father and he is the one you have to convince." His face turned serious. "I suggest you accept Father's command, sister. This time he is really angry with you and he might just forget you are his daughter. Whatever your principles are on this one, you must accept. Otherwise, even I cannot stave off the consequences. I would hate to lose my only sibling to something as minor as this." On this final note, he turned his back on her and faded off into the darkness of the Makai. He barely heard Hitori's reply.

"Do I really have a choice…"

***

Hitori was inside the dimensional portal between the Youko-Kitsune and the Ningenkai. It was one of the longest portals, much longer than the Spirit World's and Hitori was out-of-sorts. She hated long portals; they gave her the creeps! The endless blackness of the void unnerved her and she couldn't tell how long she had been in it. It also made her sick. The longer the portal, the sicker she got.

But she knew that she couldn't use the Spirit World's portal since she was going to the Ningenkai to kill someone. And the wards that Enki and Koenma had put on it were too strong for her to break. Even if she could break them, it would alert the Spirit World's border patrol and draw attention to herself. Something she didn't want to happen since she was assassinating someone. So she was stuck with this portal.

Her target was the human called Minamono Shuichi. The crime was defection. He was the youkai that they had called Youko Kurama, the Silver Fox.

He had been born long before Hitori's time but was well known even in her generation for the reputation he had. It was said that the Silver Fox had chosen to become a thief in the Spirit World leaving behind the Youko Kitsune tribe for personal glory, dragging with him his friend Kuronue, the Black Raven.

In time, he utilized his cunning and power to become the most renowned and feared kitsune of all. The tribe held him up as an example to the young pups, telling them that the Silver Fox embodied what the ideal youkai was- Cruel, cunning, ruthless and powerful. And he only had five-tails then. But even the Silver Fox was not immune to danger. Because of his fame, an entity known as the Hunter tried to kill Youko. He had managed to escape but had sustained wounds. The tribe never heard from him since…until the time of the great contest in the Spirit World, where they found out that Youko had become one of the generals of the Spirit World's leaders, Yomi the Blind. They had also found out that he had gained 4 more tails, to become one of the Nine Tails of Kitsune. After that, It seems that the Silver Fox had become human and now resided in the Ningenkai.

The Youko-Kitsune, upon learning this, decided to ask the Silver Fox to come back to their tribe, thus adding to the tribe's already great reputation as fierce fighters. But he had refused, preferring to stay mortal. Of course, knowing the colossal pride of her father and his counselors, Hitori knew that they took it as an insult and would rather kill off Youko Kurama rather than let him live as a mortal. Defection my tails! Kitsune snorted. They're just hurt that their hero prefers the mortal world to their own. Hah! Serves them right for being so arrogant.

Outbursts like this made her wonder if she really was a kitsune or if she was a changeling left in the Youko Kitsune tribe as a joke. When she had been little she had always balked at orders to kill little creatures, questioned the morality of killing at all, and never showed interest in tribal politics. Many of the youkai pups her age had shunned her for this, telling her that she was not acting like a youko. Even Foxfire had always teased her about that. And she had always bashed his head in whenever he did. The others, she couldn't touch, she knew that if she did, she would have been the one punished. Youkai maidens, even young ones, could not assault male youkai. So she had suffered in silence, never fitting into the Youko-Kitsune tribe.

Was she really a kitsune? After all her doubts and fears, she had only to wiggle her pointy fox-like ears and look down at her five-tails to know that she was undeniably kitsune. And a damn good warrior at that! Kitsune said smugly, she might suffer from attacks of honor and feelings of not belonging but she had never suffered from a lack of self-confidence. Not that it's doing me much good, I feel sick. When is this portal ever going to end?

Even before her thought ended, she sprawled into an ignominious heap on a solid linoleum floor. Her eyes hadn't readjusted to the flood of light and she knew she was going to vomit. I hate portals! I hate them! I hate them! I hate them! It took her a while to calm her stomach and to realize that some boy was alternately pulling on her ears and tail like they were detachable.

"Ooh, this looks so weird. Is this real?" Yusuke was very amused at his unwanted guest who was sprawled on the floor. He had never seen a female that looked so much like Kurama's youkai form before. Keiko should see this. He raised his head just a second to shout. "Hey Keiko, look at this. Five tails! Wonder if they come off…" And promptly gave one of Hitori's tails a mighty tug, eliciting a yelp of pain from the girl who was fast becoming irritated.

No one touches my tails, let alone yank on them! That does it! Hitori was just about to punch the lights out of the human when a female interrupted.

"Stop that, Yusuke!" Keiko beaned Yusuke on the head with an elbow. "You are being rude."

"Ow! What did you do that for, Keiko? That hurts." Yusuke said rubbing his head. Keiko totally ignored him and helped Hitori up.

"Are you hurt? Sorry for the tail yanking. Yusuke can be such an idiot at times." Keiko told Hitori.

"Hey, I heard that!" Yusuke glared at Keiko who glared back at him. "And anyway, she's the one who dropped in unannounced. I do have a right to investigate any unauthorized entry into my house, y'know!"

"Oh, shut up, Yusuke! You are an idiot!"

The two continued bickering while Hitori got her thoughts together. It looked like the girl was winning the argument, which puzzled Hitori. She sensed that the boy had a great amount of controlled power and wondered why he didn't use it instead of arguing with words.

She was also puzzled why the humans were not reacting that much to her appearance. The Youko-Kitsune tribe had not been to the Ningenkai in a long time now and she had forgotten to put on a glamour when she went through the portal. As far as she knew, humans rarely saw ears and tails like she had…

"Just stow it, Keiko! Since you're championing this alien here why don't you ask her who she is and why she's here?"

That stopped Keiko's tirade. "Oh, yes! I completely forgot about her." She turned towards Hitori and was startled. "Goodness, Yusuke! She looks like Kurama in youkai form."

Yusuke uttered a deep sigh of exasperation. "That was what I was telling you before you clobbered me. Honestly, Keiko, you never really listen to me."

"That's because you rarely say anything that makes sense." Keiko impishly said, winking at Yusuke.

Hitori's ears had pricked up at the name of her target. So these were his friends. Then she remembered where she had heard the name Yusuke before… This objectionable boy was Yusuke Urameshi, Raizen's son and heir. He would be close to Youko then…he must not find out who I really am or else my mission would be more endangered than it is. I must think of a plan…. Think, Hitori, think!

"Aaargh…I can't win an argument with you, Keiko." Yusuke clapped his hands on his ears.

"Oh, Yusuke!" Keiko smiled. "Alright, I'm not going to fight with you. Not when we have so little time alone these days…"

Yusuke smiled too. He had been hoping to spend some cozy moments with Keiko before she went back to school.

"Ok, before we do anything I think we should ask about her." She turned towards the preoccupied Hitori again and whispered to Yusuke. "Who do you think she is? Do you think she's Kurama's sister?"

Yusuke had never thought about it but he felt decidedly naughty so he told Keiko in a carrying voice. "Maybe she's his girlfriend! Hahaha!"

"Idiot! She might hear you." Keiko pinched Yusuke and that started another bout of tickles and banter.

Hitori had heard Yusuke's teasing pronouncement and a plan began to form in her mind. She hated masquerading but she realized that if she didn't, she would be liable to go head to head with Youko and possibly with this Yusuke. While she felt she could handle one, she knew she couldn't handle the two. She had to resort to the underhanded tactics her brother and the other kitsune resorted to. The plan she thought about was distasteful and she didn't want to do it. She didn't know how to act, for one. But she knew the consequences of failing this mission. She could still remember Foxfire's last words…

"Don't fail, Hitori. I heard the Council talk about this. And somehow your past missions came to light. You know and I know what happened then. If you fail in this, you will be stripped of your warrior's title and you will be given to Kuronue."

Kuronue! Eech! Hitori thought. She was sure that whatever else Kuronue was, he wasn't anything like Youko's past comrade and friend. One of the "Nine Tails of Kitsune", Kuronue, was one of the most powerful kitsunes in the Makai, he was also her father's oldest friend. But that wasn't what made her blanch, something, she really couldn't tell what, but something about him made her blood run cold.

Many years ago, when Hitori had only been a scant hundred years old, her father had promised Kuronue that he would give Hitori to him. A fact that Hitori didn't appreciate but had no right to gainsay. Maidens of youkai tribes generally had no right of choice in anything and their fathers could virtually just give them to anyone they pleased. As a maiden of a youkai tribe, she didn't have a choice but if she chose to be a warrior, she would gain the right to refuse being given to just anyone and the right to choose her own way. I'd rather die than be given to Kuronue.

The fact that they would strip her warrior title from her angered Hitori but she knew she didn't have a choice in the matter. That's why she had to do everything she possibly can to be able to finish this mission. She squared her shoulders. I have to see this through. Now let's see just how good I am at acting like a helpless youkai maiden…

***

TBC

^_~ To those who have read some of this from an ML, you guys know I have a veritable epic here…I'm just testing the waters here are FF.net. I'm finishing this fic if it kills me. lol> But minna-san from the Weiß side know I just love comments ne?