There comes a time in all children's lives when they must face their most dreaded fears, whether real or imagined. Inevitably, they all take that huge step from being a "baby" to being a "big kid." Demon children are no exception. While demon life-spans are so incredibly different from those of humans, a lot of the experiences of child-rearing are somewhat universal. Just ask any demon parent.
Such was the case with Hi and Rami, those rambunctious and mischievous twin demon children that belonged to Kurama and Hiei. About the only thing that seemed to really scare the youngest offspring of the beautiful Youko and short but handsome Fire Demon was 'The Monster That Lives In The Cave.' Having heard enough bedtime stories to frighten even the bravest of demon children, the threat of being dropped off at 'The Monster's' cave entrance was the only way to get those devilettes to behave themselves.
Having lived through the dreaded "gimme's," "mine," and "she/he started it," the adorable little critters decided to test their parents' patience with a game called "Find Me." Who instigated this annoying game is still a mystery, but both twins were equally guilty of its prolonged continuation. If Kurama's hair wasn't already silver, and Hiei's didn't already have that cute white starburst, the kittens surely would have turned their touchan's hair gray!
Hi especially liked to play this game. He would even hide from his sister on occasion, which irked the miniature youko to no end. She'd stand there, hands on hips, Wuzzy dangling by his horn, and she'd scowl. I mean scowl! Small, but very perceptive, critters would run away in terror from the pissed-off aura she would produce. Rami always considered the twins a team; how dare he go off on his own like this? She would give it to him when he was found, but good.
One evening, not too long ago, the alternate-lifestyled demon family was settling down for the night. After hearing about 'The Monster,' again, and how much he loved to eat naughty demon children, Hi snuggled up to his youko touchan for a little extra reassurance. The extra hug wasn't missed by his older, loving siblings, who saw a golden opportunity to harass their kid brother a little more.
"'The Monster' would probably choke to death on Hi! He hates to eat 'scaredy-cats' like you!" Yoji taunted, as he and Ryu prepared their futon for sleep.
"Yeah," Ryu agreed with a sneer. "He doesn't like to eat 'chickens.' They give him indigestion!"
"Yeah!" Yoji spoke, breathlessly. "Yeah! And every time touchan tells us a scary story, you wet the bed!!!" The boys went hysterical with laughter.
"That's enough!" Kurama growled angrily. He didn't mind a little teasing now and then, but this was getting too mean. The two boys got up silently, but gave each other knowing looks, as they tried to suppress more giggles. Kurama lifted Hi as he rose and held him tightly against his hip. "I seem to recall both of you were just as scared as Hi is when you were his age. Besides," Kurama added, putting Hi down next to Rami, who was listening quietly, thumb in her mouth, Wuzzy clutched tightly to her chest. "I don't see either of you running off and killing 'The Monster,' so why don't you just keep your comments to yourself, ne? Hi will outgrow his fear just like you guys did."
Kurama leaned down and kissed Hi on the forehead. "Don't let them get to you," he said, giving the two giggling brothers a glare. "I know you're very brave, 'cause you have to put with them." Kurama reached over Hi and began to tickle the two older boys mercilessly, until they pleaded for him to stop. The youko leaned back with a smile and looked down at Rami. "How did I get one normal kitten, ne, Rami-chan?" He gave her one more goodnight kiss, as she smiled up at him around her thumb, then doused the candle. "Goodnight!"
After their touchan had left their bedchamber, the older boys sat up and smirked at the younger children in the dark. "You guys are just big babies. I'll bet you couldn't even steal a single scale from 'The Monster,' even if he wasn't in his cave!" Yoji pestered.
"Yeah," Ryu chimed in, mirroring the sentiments of his older, wiser sibling. "Betcha' couldn't, either!" They gave each other approving chuckles and lay back down to sleep.
Rami snuggled a little closer to Hi, resting her head on his shoulder. "I think you're very brave, niisan," she whispered, as she slowly closed her lids. Hi lay very still on his back, staring at the ceiling, biting his lip so he wouldn't give his brothers the satisfaction of seeing him cry. Only after the others had fallen asleep did he allow a tear to trickle its way down his cheek.
A few days later, Kurama and Hiei had taken the kittens out to the meadow for some self-protection training. While Yoji and Ryu were old enough to wield a katana, and not too shabbily at that, their parents wouldn't let them carry one of their own. Self-defense was as vital to the well-being of a demon child as a strong offense. Knowing when to run and where to hide was crucial if they wanted to live to be adult demons. Survival techniques were also important and certainly weren't lost on the younger twins. Kurama showed the offspring what plants were safe to eat and what made great camouflage; Hiei demonstrated how to start small fires with focused ki. The boys had inherited most of Hiei's combustible abilities while Rami's talents were definitely leaning on the youko side. Perhaps a little fire ki would emerge in the future. Right now, surviving any way you could was important.
As Kurama and Hiei were rounding up the babes to head back home, the youko noticed Hi lagging behind. Remembering the teasing from the other night, the silver kitsune slowed his pace to join his son, but not so obviously that the rest of the family would notice. Hi looked at the ground as he walked and didn't realize his touchan was in step along side him. Hiei was carrying Rami on his shoulders, Yoji and Ryu noisily running on ahead.
"Tired, ne?" Kurama asked, walking with his hands behind his back, resting them on the top of his tail. Getting no response, he stopped and knelt down, taking Hi's tiny hands into his. Hi had his little face scrunched up in a frown. Kurama tilted his head and smiled, looking into Hi's ruby eyes. "Still upset about the other night?"
"No," Hi pouted. Kurama chuckled.
"Just like your touchan," the youko sighed softly, stroking his son's silky raven hair. "Keeping it all bottled up. Well," Kurama said, picking up his son. "Try not to let it bother you too much." Hi hugged Kurama around the neck, fingering the soft, silver mane.
"I am, too, brave," he whispered.
"Of course, you are, kawaii hito. Just like your touchan." He kissed Hi lightly on the cheek, moving a little faster now to join the rest of the clan.
::I am....:: Hi thought to himself, hiding the seeds he'd stolen from his father's hair tightly in his tiny fist.
Kurama chewed on his lower lip as he scanned the countryside near their home for his two youngest children. They hadn't been seen for quite some time by either Hiei or their older brothers, and it was starting to bother the youko. He had called their names many times, with no response. Normally, Kurama and Hiei let the children venture quite far from the nest, developing some instinctive skills on their own needed for survival in such a harsh environment like the Makai. But this seemed different. Kurama felt very uneasy, pacing back and forth, until Hiei finally came outside and joined his worried life partner.
"Still no sign, ne?" Hiei asked, squinting in the direction of the setting sun.
"No," the kitsune whispered. "Where the hell are they? They've never been this late before...." And he called their names again.
"Well, they'll come in when they're hungry, fox. Don't worry. They're probably just playing that stupid game again," Hiei noted, going back inside the house.
"I hope so," Kurama murmured to himself. He shook his head. ::Oooh, when they get home,:: he thought, and went inside himself.
Yoji was digging to the bottom of the stew pot for some of the larger vegetable chunks when Kurama came up and swatted his hand away. "Hey! Wait for your brother and sister, brat," Kurama admonished, giving the stew a stir and a sniff. He figured the delightful aroma of dinner would have surely brought the twins running home. "Spread out the mat and wait, dozo?"
"What if they don't get back 'til late? I'm starving!" Ryu whined, holding his round stomach which, by the way, hadn't missed a meal in very long time.
"What do you mean by 'get back,' Ryu?" Hiei looked at his second son with a frown. "Do you know where they went?"
"I dunno'," Ryo mumbled. "They said they had to go get something important and show us."
"What did they want to show you?" Kurama continued the questioning, as he set out the stew.
"I dunno'," Ryo answered, this time with a mouth full of stew. Yoji startled to giggle. Kurama's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and frustration, as he sat down next to Hiei.
"What would they want to 'show' you..." the youko asked more to himself then the rest of the family.
"I know," Yoji perked up, suddenly coming up with a brilliant idea. "Maybe they wanted to show us how brave they were and went to steal a scale from 'The Monster Who Lives in the Cave'!" He just barely finished his sentence when he fell over laughing, Ryu joining him.
Kurama's eyes opened wide and he shot a glance over at Hiei, who was already looking at him.
"You don't think.....Shimatta!" Kurama shouted.
"K'so!" Hiei growled.
"Cool!!" the boys yelled, recovering themselves enough to give each other a high five.
Kurama and Hiei leapt to their feet and ran to the tree house entrance together, knocking over the stew in the process. "Eww! Yuck! You got it all over me, touchan!!" Yoji complained, as he shook the stew off his hands and lap.
"Where the hell is the cave?!?" Kurama asked, practically jumping up and down.
"How the hell do I know, fox. I've never even seen Kaibutsu in person!"
"Ya' mean he's REAL?!?!?" Yoji asked, incredulously. "I thought you were just making that stuff up to scare us."
"Well, I did want to scare you, baka," Kurama explained, nervously scanning the countryside again. "Kaibutsu is very real. And he loves to eat any demons who bother him. I was just lucky enough to defeat him once, otherwise you guys wouldn't be here!" Yoji and Ryu looked at each other, totally confused by the reproduction comment, and shrugged.
"Can you see him, Hiei?" Kurama asked, his voice starting to shake a bit.
The Koorime pulled off his bandana, letting the Jagan open slowly. After adjusting to the strain, Hiei surveyed the area, trying to detect any ki at all. His senses locked onto Hi's faint aura. "That way," Hiei pointed, and grabbed his katana. "You guys stay put!" Kurama shouted over his shoulder as the touchan went running into the night.
"Uh oh, Yoji," Ryu said, quietly picking vegetables off his brother's arm. "I think we're gonna' get it...."
"I told you not to follow me!"
"Well, tough tarts, I'm following you anyway, baka!"
"And don't call me baka, you...you...baka!" Hi was getting tired of the arguing, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking, in somewhat of a snit. He really didn't appreciate his sister tagging along when he wanted to single-handedly steal one of 'The Monster Who Lives In The Cave's' scales. He'd have to share in the glory. Now, after several miles of bickering, he begrudgingly gave in to the idea that he'd have to accept her company. But he wouldn't do it willingly.
"You could walk a little slower, ya' know," Rami complained, her little legs moving as fast as they could to keep pace with her brother. "I told you I wanna' help you find the cave."
"I don't need your help, so just go back home," Hi remarked, sticking out his tongue, continuing to walk in a huff. Suddenly, he tripped over something about two feet by two feet square and fell right on his face. "Oww! Shimatta!!"
"Hey, you're not 'sposed to swear. I'll tell touchan..." Rami began, when the object Hi tripped over commanded her attention. "That's it, Hi! That's one of the scales! Ooh, I found it!"
"You mean we found it," Hi corrected her, brushing himself off. "But this one's too big to carry by ourselves. We're gonna' need a smaller one and show those jerks we can be as brave as them." Hi's confidence was soaring now that his goal was in sight. Just then, the ground beneath the twins began to rumble. Rami's eyes widened in fright as she ran and clung to her brother in fear.
"What's that?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "A Makai-shake?"
"I don't know," Hi whispered back, trying to sound brave. They looked around and saw that they were standing very close to an enormous cave entrance. They had been so busy arguing that they didn't realize where their feet had taken them. The rumbling stopped abruptly. The twins sensed a strange aura, and together slowly looked up. Their mouths dropped open in unison.
"To what do I owe this unexpected and unwelcomed intrusion?" came a deep, deafening voice that sounded like it came out of the ground. Towering before them, about 20 feet tall, was...'The Monster!' And they were standing in front of his cave!!
Hi swallowed hard, but was so mesmerized by the huge creature before him that he couldn't take his eyes off the hideous face. The twins blinked together in astonishment. 'The Monster' was, indeed, covered from head to tail - and a very long tail at that - in large iridescent scales that seemed to shimmer in the dim light of the fire from inside the cave.
"Well, are you just going to stand there and let me eat you, or do you want to put up some sort of argument? I can tell you now, begging doesn't work for me. Groveling, on the other hand, may save you a few minutes, but...eventually I eat just about anyone or anything that I want." 'The Monster' leaned forward, the twins feeling his hot breath on their terror-filled faces. "And I haven't had children in some time. Oooh," 'The Monster' poked Hi in the tummy with a claw-tipped finger, "fresh and plump. Yum!"
Hi swallowed again, but this time something in him, something from deep down, gave him the courage to speak. He moved Rami off to the side and set his jaw. He looked 'The Monster' right in the eye and spoke in a loud, albeit somewhat squeaky, voice.
"I need one of your scales to show my brothers how brave I am." 'The Monster' raised an eyebrow and cocked his massive head to the side. "Do I just take one of these on the ground or do I have to get rough?" Rami covered her face, mentally thinking that was the last time she'd see her twin alive. But curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked through her fingers.
'The Monster'....actually began to laugh! He had a very loud laugh, too. It caused Hi's and Rami's hair to blow back, from the force of the air. And his breath wasn't all that nice, either, if Rami's face was any indication.
"Now why should I let you have one of my scales, hmm?" 'The Monster' asked, moving a little closer to the children, the ground rumbling with each step.
"'Cause if you don't, I'll have to kill you with....my Rose Whip!" And with that declaration of war, Hi reached into his hair and snatched one of the seeds he'd stolen from Kurama, bringing it forward in his outstretched hands.
A cute, little four inch vine with a few blunt thorns on it appeared with a glow from Hi's hands. It stretched out and...immediately wilted.
'The Monster' put his hands on his hips and snorted. Rami put her hands on her hips and snorted as well.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Hi fumbled again in his long, black hair, just like he'd seen his youko touchan do so many times before. "Rose Whip!!"
This time, an eight inch vine covered with lots of blunt thorns appeared from out of the glow, stretched itself out and...wilted, too. Rami rolled her eyes and she folded her arms, clicking her tongue, shaking her head.
"Ya' know, that technique looks familiar," 'The Monster' said, squinting one eye, tapping himself on the chin. "Ahh! You must be Youko Kurama's boy. I heard he was back in the Makai. He's the only one I know that I ever let live," he growled sarcastically. "I've been meaning to settle the score with him." 'The Monster's' eyes glowed with a dangerous glee. "Well, if I can't eat him, I guess I'll just have to eat YOU!"
Just as 'The Monster' was about to pounce on the demonettes, a booming voice rang out.
"ROSE WHIP!!"
'The Monster' found himself ensnared in a painful trap of deadly tight vines and very sharp thorns by none-other than his old adversary.
"Touchan!" the twins shouted joyfully, running behind their kitsune-dad, hugging his legs. "Touchan!!" they shouted again, as Hiei, katana drawn, came out of the shadows, blocking the three of them with his body.
"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Kurama the thief," 'The Monster' growled, his arms and legs held fast in the prickly vines. Then, looking at Hiei, "I see you brought your 'squeeze' with you." The Koorime raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Kurama. The kitsune just shrugged with a grin, turning his energies back to the struggling Oni in front of them. Every move caused 'The Monster' to wince in pain, the thorns sharp enough to cut even his thick hide. "Heard you were back. Long time no see."
"Konban wa, Kaibutsu-san. It has been a long time," Kurama smiled menacingly, keeping a tight hold on the end of the Rose Whip. "Still up to your old tricks, I see. Still trying to eat defenseless little children?"
"Hey, your kids bothered me, ya' know. I was...oomph...minding my own business...ouch...when they tried to commit petty larceny. Guess the apples don't fall far from the tree, ne?" 'The Monster' gave the angry youko a sneering smirk. "Why don't we just call it even, again, and I'll let your little brats go...this time."
"Sounds fair to me, Kaibutsu-san. And don't worry, they won't bother you again, I can assure you." Kurama let the Rose Whip loosen, then pulled it back as 'The Monster' wiggled free. The youko looked down at his children who felt brave enough to come around in front of him, now that the danger was past. Hiei sheathed his weapon, but never took his eyes off Kaibutsu.
"Hey," shouted Hi, suddenly finding his voice. "I still didn't get a scale!"
'The Monster' looked around at the ground, found a small scale, and tossed it to Hi with a chuckle. "Go away, kid, ya' bother me!" And with that, 'The Monster' slunk back into his cave, licking some of the cuts the real Rose Whip had made.
Kurama closed his eyes and sank to his knees, covering his face with his hands. Hiei seemed to relax, as he breathed a quiet sigh of relief, shoving his hands into his pockets. After letting out a huge sigh of his own, Kurama took both his children firmly by the hands and stared into their eyes.
"Don't you ever do that to us again, do you understand?! You could have gotten yourselves killed. Hiei-touchan and I have been looking all over for you! What were you thinking?"
"Gomen nasai, touchan," Rami apologized softly, nibbling her fingertip, looking at her fathers through her silver bangs. "It won't happen again."
"Yeah, gomen, touchan," Hi said, tightly clutching his trophy, looking at his feet as he toed the ground. "I just wanted to show everyone how brave I was by stealing one of 'The Monster's' scales, that's all." Kurama smiled, shaking his head, as Hiei helped him up.
"What did Kaibutsu mean...your 'squeeze?'" Hiei asked, suspiciously eyeing the youko.
Kurama laughed. "I'll tell you when we get home, koibito. Let's get out of here." He lifted Rami to his hip. She hugged him tightly, eventually falling asleep on his shoulder as they made the long walk back to their home.
After walking in silence through the forest for a few miles, Hiei looked down at his youngest son, and tousled his long hair. "Hn. That was pretty stupid, Hi. Brave, but stupid."
"Was I really brave, touchan?" Hi asked, looking up at both his touchan, eyes sparkling.
Kurama smiled down at Hi, resting his hand on his shoulder, then looked back at Hiei. "Son, I think you were the bravest one of all."
The End
Copyright 1998 Julie Farel
Yu Yu Hakusho is the property of Togashi Yoshihiro, Jump Comics, and Studio Pierrot. The "children" referred to in this story - Hi, Rami, Ryu, and Yoji - are creations of my own. ^.~`