The Yoko Prince
by Yami Yue

Prolouge

The storm raged in all its fury. Rain poured down as thunder boomed and lighting flashed. An unfortunate soul was caught out in the vile weather. A petite girl with teal colored hair raced through the woods on her horse, hoping to find shelter from the fierce storm. Lighting flashed again, startling her mount. The horse reared, knocking Yukina to the cold, hard, wet ground. Yukina tried to call out to the horse and calm it, but the booming thunder drowned out her voice. Dismayed at the turn of events, the ice maiden looked around hoping to find anything that looked familiar. Unfortunately, in the dark she couldn’t see much of anything.

Yukina got to her feet and drew her cloak closer to her body. Lighting flashed once more and to her delight she had seen a castle in that brief flash of light. Determined to reach it, she began walking in its direction. The storm took no pity upon her and by the time she finally reached the gates of the castle she was completely soaked. She expected to see light in the windows, but the palace was dark. Yukina reached out to touch the gate and to her surprise, it swung open on its own. She stepped through it, into the massive front courtyard. The ice maiden jumped in surprise as the gate slammed shut behind her.

She quickly forgot about the gate in favor of getting out of the storm and getting dry. Yukina made a dash for the massive doors ahead of her. As if anticipating her desire to get inside, the doors swung open. Yukina entered the great hall of the palace, happy to be out of the rain. She hoped her brother wasn’t out in this storm looking for her. The doors closed behind her, startling her out of her thoughts. There was a dim light ahead and she headed toward it. Strangely, there were no sound of voices, nor any sign that anyone resided here. Still, she felt the presence of another.

"Hello?" she called, but received no answer. She continued walking toward the dim light ahead, her ruby eyes shifting from side to side, looking for signs that someone was there aside from her. She entered the room the light was coming from. To her immense pleasure the light had come from a fire in the fireplace. She quickly headed to it and stood in front of the hearth to warm up and dry her clothes some. She whirled around at the sound of another door opening. A figure in a dark cloak stepped from the shadows of the other room and entered. Yukina’s heart beat wildly as the figure approached cautiously.

Though Yukina didn’t know it, the figure’s intent was not to frighten the lovely ice maiden. Its breath caught in its throat as its eyes took in her beauty. “Why would such a lovely maiden be out in these parts?” The figure wondered. “Hardly anyone comes into this area,” The figure approached the large coffee table and set down the plate of food it had been carrying and a garment of silver color. The figure smiled to itself as it gave the garment one last glance. It hadn’t worn that piece of clothing since it was a child. At least the garment could be of some use. "You may stay the night," it whispered, "…or until the storm has passed," "Ascend the main stairway to the second floor, open the first door to your right and you will find a room prepared for you," it added. "I just hope this visitor doesn’t turn out to be like the last one," the figure thought as it turned and made its way to the door. "Wait!" Yukina called softly. "Where am I?" The figure turned its head toward its guest. "You are in the castle of the silver fox dear lady," it answered, then left as suddenly as it had come.

Yukina frowned as she watched the figure leave. She was certain that whoever was hidden beneath that cloak was the one whose presence she’d felt earlier. It unsettled her that he or she had not allowed her to see their face. Yukina knew there was no use in going after the mysterious figure. She could sense that whoever it was had already gone to another part of the castle. Yukina would have to wait until the light of day to find the answers she sought. Quickly she stripped her wet clothing and placed it by the fire to dry before slipping into the silver colored garment the cloaked figure had brought for her. Though soft as silk, it was remarkably warm and kept her from being chilled. Now that she was out of danger from the storm and had relaxed some, fatigue was catching up with her. She stifled a yawn and decided it a good idea to go upstairs to bed.

Soundlessly, she ascended the grand main staircase to the second floor. The door she had been directed to had been left cracked open and dimly lit by another firelight. Yukina entered the room and looked around with wide eyes. Even in the dim light of the fire she could see how grand the room was. The cold wooden floor was covered in places with rugs that were undoubtedly the finest. The massive bed in which she was to sleep was made of mahogany, as was all the other wooden furniture in the room. She could easily see that the tiles of the hearth weren’t mere stone, but marble. Truly, she was in a palace fit for a king. However, it was clear that the room hadn’t been used in quite sometime. It smelled as though it had been closed up for a long while.

Yukina turned down the bed, inspecting under the covers as best she could for any spiders or insects that might have made their home there over the years. She quickly realized that the bedding was fresh, which meant her host must have known she was coming. Had he or she simply sensed her energy as she wandered toward the castle or had they somehow known she would come? Yukina shivered, but it was not due to the cold. She wished her brother were with her. With Hiei around, she would have no reason to be afraid. Yukina hoped that he was not out in the storm looking for her. She was sure however, that if the weather turned for the better by morning Hiei would find her. With that thought, Yukina fell into a dreamless sleep.

When Yukina awakened the next morning the sun was shining brightly as though the storm had never been. In the light of day the room she was in looked even more impressive. Her eyes fell upon the plush armchairs by the fireplace and was surprised to find her clothes freshly washed and neatly folded in one of them. It frightened her that someone had entered the room while she was sleeping and she had not known it. She quietly slipped out of bed and dressed swiftly. Out of habit, she made the bed then left the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of the staircase she’d walked up the night before. Now, with the light pouring in from the windows in front of her she could see that it was made of solid marble. It was beautiful, white and gleaming like fresh snow. Veins of emerald green snaked through the white, enhancing its beauty.

As she walked toward the grand staircase she could see the path she’d taken to the castle’s door the night before through the large windows. Upon reaching the staircase, she realized that it went upward to a third floor as well as down to the ground floor. She gave no thought to what might be up there. Her interest did not lie in exploring the castle but leaving it. As beautiful and grand as it was, it was devoid of any sign of life. There were no voices to be heard, no sounds of pots and pans being clanged, only silence and that unnerved her.

As she descended the staircase another window on her right caught her attention. On the other side of the window was a beautiful, well tended garden. Her eyes widened at the sight of the herb garden. There in the front row was the very herb she had journeyed to find when she’d been caught in the storm. Somehow, Yukina found her way outside to the garden. She looked around, looking for someone to speak to about acquiring some of the sought after herb. Had her brother been there, Hiei would not have bothered asking, he would have just taken it. As though her thoughts had summoned him, she could sense her brother nearby.

At that same moment, the cloaked figure that had appeared to her the night before emerged on the garden path ahead of her. As before, she was unable to see anything beneath that cloak. Though the figure was clearly taller that she, it kept its head at such an angle that it was impossible to see beneath the cloak’s hood. Somehow, she sensed that she’d startled the figure in the cloak by being in the garden.

Indeed, she had startled the figure. It had not expected her to show up in the garden. In fact, the figure had thought she was leaving the castle. It was clear from her expression that she wanted something. The figure couldn’t imagine what the girl could want. "Would it be alright for me to take some of these herbs?" Yukina asked, gesturing towards the one she wanted. "A friend of mine is very ill and this is exactly what she needs so that she can get well," The cloaked figure’s heart went out to her. It knew that it would be impossible to find that particular plant at this time of year. Only this particular garden would hold them due to the gardener’s talent, and even with that the plants were difficult to grow.

After a moment of consideration, the figure spoke. "As much as I would like for you to have them dear lady, I am afraid that it would have to come at a price…" It whispered. Yukina frowned. She and her brother were not rich. There was no question in her mind it would be a price that they would be unable to pay. Still, she had to try. Genkai’s life depended on it. "What is your price?" Yukina asked softly, hoping against all odds it was not beyond her means. The figure was slightly taken aback by her response. It had not expected her to ask the price she would have to pay. There was only one thing that could be exchanged for the substantial amount of energy and time it had taken to get those particular plants to flourish. The cloaked figure doubted she would agree, but decided to name its price anyway.

"Would you be willing to remain here and be a companion to the one who raised those plants?" The figure asked. "That is the price," It watched as Yukina thought it over, certain that she would refuse. She sighed softly as her eyes took on a somber tone to them. "I would," she said. " To save one life, I would give up mine," Beneath the cloak, the figure’s facial expression was one of shock. It had not expected those words to fall from her lips. "So be it," the figure said as it stepped forward.

Suddenly, a male appeared directly in front of him as though out of thin air. His sword was drawn and pointed directly at the cloaked figure. "Take another step toward her and it will be your last," He threatened. "This does not concern you interloper," The figure hissed. "The girl has bargained with me, not you," Hiei’s angry eyes turned to his sister. "What bargain?" he asked. "For the herbs that will save Genkai’s life I must remain here," she answered. Hiei’s eyes widened. "How could you agree to such a thing?" he responded in shock. There was no telling what the intentions of the figure in the cloak were, no way he could be sure she was safe. "Genkai is going to die if she doesn’t get this soon," Yukina reminded him. Hiei sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again he looked over at the cloaked figure. "Take me in her place," he said. The cloaked figure was once more taken by surprise. What reason did the swordsman have to offer himself in the girl’s place? Whatever the reason, the cloaked figure was sure the swordsman would not take no as answer. The cloaked figure could see no reason why it shouldn’t indulge him. "As you wish," the figure responded.

Suddenly, the figure lifted its arm and grabbed Hiei’s hand. Hiei flinched and brought his sword closer against the body underneath the cloak. "What did you just do?" he demanded. "I’ve just given you a poison," the figure answered. "You can see to it the lady returns home safe and say your goodbyes, but you must return here before sunset for the antidote, or you will die," Yukina’s eyes widened in horror. "I should kill you where you stand," Hiei growled. "Then you would die as well, leaving the lovely lady alone," the figure stated. Angrily, Hiei sheathed his sword and turned to Yukina.

The lovely ice maiden seemed to be holding back tears as she plucked three of the small plants from the garden’s soil. Without a word Hiei helped her onto his back and in the blink of an eye they were gone. Once sure that the siblings were gone the figure headed back into the palace to await Hiei’s return.

As soon as they arrived back at the temple Hiei and Yukina had called home for the last few years the ice maiden broke down in tears. Hiei gently let his sister down off his back and placed his arms around her. "It’s alright," he assured her. "How is it alright?" Yukina said tearfully. "I may never see you again," Hiei gently rubbed her back. "You will be able to heal Genkai with the herbs," he said soothingly. "Watch over her until I return," Yukina’s eyes widened as Hiei released her. He gently kissed her forehead, then headed back to the palace where his he and his sister had made their bargain with the strange figure in the black cloak.