(Ten years ago)
A young girl with fire-kissed hair, soft fox-like ears, and a bushy tail the same shades as her hair, sat in the center of a burnt out clearing. She sobbed as her tail dragged the earth in grief. All around her, the cinder outlines of demons scorched the earth. Some had been part of the pack of dog-demons who had raided her small kitsune village. Others, like the one the little girl's palms were pressed into, were the final remnants of her family.
"Mommy please! I-I didn't mean to... Please mommy, come back!!!"
The little girl still couldn't understand what had happened. She couldn't make sense of the memories threatening to destroy her young mind. Only a few hours earlier, the sun had been bright overhead. Her mother had been teaching her how to call the seeds of the forest to grow, and little Yumi had only just managed to bloom her first lily.
Then the bad ones came... Everyone had heard rumors of a band of demons set out to enslave any spirit beast they could find. That day, they found the small kitsune village. There had been shouting, screaming... Many of the older kitsune tried to fight back, but Suna had grabbed her daughter, and ran. They had nearly made it to the forest's edge when the big brute of a dog demon fell upon them.
Yumi squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to block out the image of the great brown furred brute holding her mother up by the tail. It was a cruel thing to do, to hold a kitsune by the tail, even little Yumi had known that! She had stood on her little toes, fire-branded tail sticking out straight behind her, and smacked her palms against the brute's leg trying to force him to let her mother go! He had barked out a laugh and slammed the back of his hand into the girl, sending her flying back against an old oak tree.
Yumiko wasn't entirely certain of what happened next. She remembered watching the forest fly past her before she hit the tree. She remembered everything growing dark, and a searing pain bubbling up from deep within her, and she remembered a scream.
When the little kitsune had opened her eyes, the only thing around her was the clearing, and a burning forest. "I-I'm sorry mommy... Please come back...*sniff* I d-didn't m-mean to... to...." She whimpered, laying her forehead against the cinders where her mother had been.
"That's one hell of a gift there, kiddo..." a deep voice called from behind the treeline. Yumi let out a yelp, and twisted around, eyes wide and glazed over with fear. She raised her palms again in the direction of the sound, only for a frantic voice to speak up.
"Woah woah woah!! H-hey now, easy there tiger! I'm not here to hurt you alright? I'm a friend, see?" The voice called out, nervous at first, then laced with honey as a man with cat ears and tail, long black claw-like nails, and deep golden eyes stepped out from behind the remains of an old ash tree.
He was much older than the little fox, but still young for a demon. She couldn't quite place his smell. He was certainly at least partly a cat demon, but the scents of blood and rotten fruit filled the air as well, making her eye the newcomer with caution. After a moment, seeing that the man made no move to draw closer, she turned back to the cinders, and pointed to the larger one.
"Bad men attacked our village..." Was all she was able to say in a voice far too small, before kneeling to place her hands back on her mother's cinders.
"You're right kit, they were bad men. I was actually hunting those bad men." He lied. "You did me a real favor by getting rid of them!" He mewed gently, trying his hardest not to provoke the child.
He had seen this kind of power before, and although the half-blooded cat-demon tried his hardest to remain calm, anyone with a tempered nose would be able to smell his fear-scent. 'Why's it always the little ones....' He thought ruefully. In truth he had seen this many times, but only to this extent once before, although that had been more than enough.
It was the day his own clan had been destroyed. His little sister had only just turned ten when she stumbled and cracked her head on a stone. that simple action, that tiny bit of fear and pain had been enough to draw out the deadly 'pulse' energy inside of her, and decimate everything that had been within a 50 meter radius.
*'Pulse' Was a term given to a very specific and volatile type of spirit energy that had been systematically eradicated over the course of King Enma's reign. any child born with a 'pulse' energy inside them, be them demon, from spirit world, human, or even deity, would be eradicated before their 12th birthday as by that time, a release of their power could wipe out an entire continent, given the child's own strength.*
Mako Ren looked at the child with great sympathy. She was young, no older than five, and yet her powers had already progressed far enough to destroy an entire settlement. He let out a sigh, and knelt down slowly, opening his arms for the girl. The worst part, he knew, was she would have no way of knowing what exactly she had done to cause this, nor why the king of spirit world would now send his dogs after her.
"Come here girl, it's alright. It was an accident. Let uncle Mako help you..." He mewed softly, adding a soft purr to the words, a trick he had learned through nearly four centuries of collecting errant 'pulses'.
Yumi looked up to him with pleading, tear-stained, seafoam eyes. She watched him for a moment, before trying to stand. She was weak... incredibly so. She felt as though she had asked the entire forest to grow, and even taking the first step was difficult. On the second step, she tottered, but before she could fall, two pale arms caught her, and lifted her into the cat-demon's chest.
He was tall, with waist long black hair, eyes as gold as the sun above the clearing. His ears flicked uneasily as he watched the little one's eyes, and it took all of his strength to keep his sleek black tail from lashing. Should he frighten this child, it would take less than a heartbeat for her to end his life, just as easily as she had caused the scorched earth around them.
She shivered in his arms, and for a moment, the demon's eyes widened in alarm, every muscle in his body cringing in anticipation, but as the little fox let out a long, heartbreaking wail, he felt his body relax. As long as she was awake enough to cry, it meant safety for the demon, as he prepared his long trek to the border between the the demon and spirit realms. He hated this job, truly he did... but what was he to do? There was no known cure for a 'pulse' all they could do was kill them off quickly before their power claimed any more lives than necessary.
He hadn't gone more than a dozen steps before the sound of a clearing throat behind him sent a chill up his spine. He slowly turned around, fully prepared to see the great king himself, and audibly sighed in relief at the sight of a toddler clad in purple robes. Quickly he glanced to the girl in his arms, and let a smile twitch at the corner of his lips as he found her fast asleep.
"Oh, it's you... Look what do you want from me? Your father said I could comfort the ones I find before I bring them to him. I haven't broken any rules."
"I'm well aware of that Songbird..." The little boy spoke in a matter-of-fact way around the pacifier in his mouth, the nickname the spirit world had given the cat who sang to doomed children caused the demon to flinch visibly. "I just thought you might want to know, we think we've found a new option."
Mako eyed him dubiously, his grip tightening on the child in his arms. "If this is another bright idea to 'transfer' the energy with another one of your father's twisted machines then you can forget it! This kit's not a murderer, she's a child! And I won't let you hurt her like he did Miya!" He carefully covered the little one's ears with one clawed hand as he spoke, not wanting to risk her hearing. He had watched centuries of tests on 'pulse' children, with each one ending more cruely than the last. The cat-demon was of a mind that simply ending them in their sleep was a much kinder choice.
The toddler shook his head, eyes serious as he peered up at the demon in his father's employ. "No, nothing like that. Tell me Mako, have you ever heard of the legendary human psychic, Genkai?" Mako's eyes widened at the name, and he sucked on his bottom lip, a trait he had carried since kithood for when he was unsure or anxious. The toddler noted this, and continued.
"She's made a name for herself across all three realms for her work on the spirit wave technique, and for a few years now has theorized that it might be used to 'seal away' a 'pulse' as she puts it. You see, some decades ago, one of her students wound up showing the traits of a 'pulse' the boy was quickly put down, but Genkai made it a goal for many years to find a way to prevent that tragedy from ever repeating itself. She believes she's found a way, but she needs a subject to try it on."
Mako had been listening to each word intently, but his tail lashed to the side at the term 'subject' "She. Is. A. Child, Koenma! Not some damned lab-rat!!" He spat, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Before he could let the hiss fall from his lips, a tiny hand struck him across the face, giving him pause.
Lord Koenma had teleported to stand just in front of him, and the little imp had actually slapped him! He blinked, and made to snarl, when he caught sight of the glare in the boy's eyes. "That's right you heartless oaf! She IS a child, and she deserves a chance to live! As do the dozens of unfortunates born every year with this accursed disease!!!" The boy screeched, outraged by how such a chance was being so easily overlooked. He took a deep breath, lowering himself to the ground before continuing. "Look, you're absolutely right. This could end up hurting, or even killing the girl... Or it could save her life... Just once, wouldn't you like to be able to say you saved a child, instead of being their executioner?" He knew the words were cruel to say to the songbird of the spirit world... but it was the only way he could think of to get through to the tom-cat.
"Regardless, Mako Ren... You will take that girl to earth, and you will stay with her while master Genkai does her tests... With any luck, this will be the one that works..."
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~In the living world~
Genkai sat patiently on the steps leading to her dojo. She had spoken to lord Koemna just earlier that day. It had been 50 long years since one of her students caused the very building behind her to be blown to bits. When the prince of the spirit world had come to take the boy from her, he had set his ogres to rebuilding the temple, and after a week's time, the only way anyone could tell anything had occurred was the absence of laughter in the dojo. She had promised then to find a way to heal a 'pulse' soul and had even entered the infamous dark tournament to see that dream completed, only to learn there was nothing the wish makers could do.
Now as she waited for the prince's lackeys to deliver the 'pulse' soul they had found, she stared at her hands in wonder. She had perfected her technique years ago, but had not had a subject to test the ability on. Her healing wave technique had earned her quite a reputation as a healer, but this would be the true test of it's power. She drew a puff of her cigarette as a pink portal appeared just above the stairs, and took a step back just before a tall cat-demon fell through it.
"WAAAAAAA- *BOMF* AUOUGH!!!" Mako landed hard on the stairs backside first, and groaned in pain as he clutched his bundle tightly to his chest.
"That damned little brat! The least he could do is warn people before he drops them through multiple dimensions!!" He grumbled out loud, before carefully stumbling to his feet, refusing to remove either arm from where they cradled the small kitsune. He blinked in the bright light, then caught sight of the little old woman standing about 3 meters away from him.
"Are you the old hag then?" He growled, then half-hissed half-yelped as a cigarette landed in his hair. "Watch who you're calling a hag boy!" The psychic snarled back at the cat-demon, stepping forward to glance at the sleeping girl in his arms. "So that's the girl huh?" Her voice had softened considerably as she looked the little thing over. "Good, bring her inside."
Without another word, she turned and leapt up the stairs, moving to an open doorway, and a room she had prepared specifically for this procedure. "Did the toddler warn you about what would happen during this process boy?" She asked, her words not unkind, although her eyes were as hard as diamonds.
"You think that passie-sucking idiot tells me anything woman?" He growled, earning another glare from the healer. He flinched, then ducked his head apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry alright? It's not that I doubt you or anything, I've just seen way too many of these bright ideas cause kids more pain than they ever needed to go through..." He mewed, eyes on the verge of tears as he looked down into the little kitsune's face once more. "You really think you can save her?"
"If she is strong enough to survive the trial, then yes." Genkai spoke quickly, laying out a sheet across the table she had prepared. "Lay her here, then say whatever you need to say to her before we begin. Once I've started the trial, it will be up to her soul to complete it. She may endure great pain during this time, but if she survives, if her true soul is found to be pure, then the 'pulse' energy should be eradicated from her completely." She tried to appear as confident as she sounded. In theory, what she had told him was completely accurate, however this would be the first time her Heartsong Healing Wave had actually been put to use.
Mako did as she commanded, then watched the old healer as she began to chant. She made several hand-signs before her, and spoke several lines of chanting before shouting with all her strength, and slamming a palm into the little fox's chest. Mako flinched as the little kitsune let out an eardrum shattering scream, and began to writh on the table before falling completely still. At first, he thought the girl dead, until he saw a faint blue glow rising from her skin.
"I'll be damned...." a whiny voice called from the doorway. "You actually did it!" Lord Koenma eyed that mist in absolute awe before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large clear gemstone. "Quickly now, we must see if our theory is correct!" He levitated over, holding the stone above the girl, and to the astonishment of those gathered in the room, the energy flowed to it like a moth to a flame! The stone sucked hungrily at the mist, and as it began to thin, the little kitsune let out a small whimper, her core's warmth returning.
"heh, would you look at that... Congratulations Genkai, you'll go down in history as a hero for this...
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Three days had passed since the little fox had been brought to Genkai's temple. When Koenma had told her of "a demon child" she hadn't really been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the sweet, innocent little ginger that toddled about her garden, singing to her herbs and convincing long dead vines to grow. "you could have told me she were a forest deity and I would have been none the wiser..." She told the young prince as the girl sang to a honeysuckle, convincing it to grow to twice it's size.
"To be honest, of all the children I've seen brought to my father's throne, this might be one of the few truly worth saving..." He responded in a low voice, careful not to let the prickly tom-cat who lounged nearby over-hear. Mako had taken to keeping his fully feline form in order to stay close to the girl. He couldn't help but see his sister in those blue-green eyes, and he was curious to know what Koenma would do with the girl.
"Genkai, I need a favor... I can't very well take her back to the Makai now, her family is completely gone. The only thing that girl could look forward to is being some demon's pet if not worse... I've managed to convince my father to let her stay on earth, but only if you'll agree to foster her. It could be useful you know, you could monitor her and be the first to see if any complications arrive. And she could-"
The old psychic raised her hand to cut the prince off as her eyes followed the girl around the garden. "She can stay here as long as she needs."
That caught the prince off guard, and his jaw dropped to the floor. "Really??? You're not going to argue with me, or make outlandish demands in exchange???"
Genkai shook her head in response, and took another puff of her cigarette. "I can't rightly explain it just now.. but something is telling me to keep that girl close." Her eyes narrowed as the tom-cat rose to his feet, and she called out to him before he could even growl.
"Yes you can stay too you grouchy furball! But don't think you're getting a free ride! From this day on, you're my handyman, my grocer, my errand boy! If you can do that, then you can stay in my temple and play big brother to the little fox you rescued. Is that good enough for you?" She half snarled at the cat-demon, ready for an argument as usual, but he simply nodded, and sat back down, his gaze returning to the girl with the fire-kissed hair.
Little Yumi had been quietly listening to every word the older ones said. She didn't understand most of it, and she knew she wasn't supposed to overhear, but her lips still twitched into a smile all the same. What she could understand was this... Whatever had happened to her clan, Master Genkai had made sure it could never happen again. The old woman was going to let her stay, and her friend could stay too!! She would have to learn how to act like a human she supposed, but that wasn't so bad!! It was a lot better than being some gross old demon's pet! She imagined herself wearing some dumb old collar and stuck out her tongue at the thought. No, a life as a human was a much better idea! She didn't really know what to expect next, but she knew one thing... She was safer here than she had ever been in the demon world with those dog-demons about.
Her true adventure, was about to begin.