A/N: Welcome to my newest fanfiction. It'll mainly focus on Kurama and Shuuichi H. as brothers along with their family, though there will be trace amounts of Hiei/Kurama coupling. There will be lots of Youko Kurama exposure. Read and review!

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Yu Yu Hakusho or the characters in it, so don't sue because I really need that money for the Kumori Convention in September.

Kitsune's Brother

Chapter One

"Shuuichi, are you finished packing?"

"Yes Kaa-san," Minamino Shuuichi called back through the closed bedroom door. The redheaded teenager closed his suitcase with a snap. "Now Hiei, I've been telling you about this trip for months. Okaa-san has been looking forward to this vacation since last year; I have to go. Personally, I think I'm going to enjoy the break, and without me here, I doubt Koenma will try to call you for any missions."

He looked up to meet the red eyes of his companion, who was seated on the window seal like a shadow in front of the sun. Hiei smirked. "Just get going before the toddler comes up with something new for us to do. I'll meet you on the mountain this evening."

"You're coming then?" Kurama smiled brightly when Hiei nodded, green eyes sparkling. "You're lucky that you don't have to sit in the back of a car for five hours. Shuu-chan's been trying to get me to play a new card game since last Thursday and I won't be able to escape this time."

Hiei flickered out of sight as the door burst open to admit an energetic boy already wearing a ski cap and scarf. "Come on, Nii-san, it's time to get going. Tou-san is already in the car. So, how many hands of Tank do you think we can play before we stop for lunch?"

/See you there, kitsune./ Hiei's mental laughter followed Kurama as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

"Freedom!" Shuuichi announced loudly as they got out of the car, snow crunching beneath the boy's boots. Several feet away, a group of girls giggled at the boy's antics before freezing at the sight of the young man following him out of the car. As one, they began to conspire.

"To think, I was hoping that my fan club had been left in Tokyo," Kurama muttered, glancing up at the sky and discretely sniffing the air. "It's going to snow again tomorrow. Here, Kaa-san, let me help you with those."

"Shuuichi, I can handle a few small bags," Shiori said, shooing her son away from her suitcases. "You and Shuu-kun should go get changed. Kazuya and I will go rent some snow mobiles to get to the cabin with. If the lines aren't too long, we should be able to fit some skiing before dinner."

"They're following us," Shuuichi whispered, glancing back at the girls as they headed for the changing rooms with the bag of snow gear.

"Try not to look back" Kurama murmured. "It only encourages them. Just remember that they're never allowed to go into the men's changing room."

Shuuichi hid a laugh behind his hands when the girls made a synchronized sigh of disappointment as he and his brother made it safely into male territory.

"Are they always that scary?" he asked, grabbing a free stall.

"The ones in Tokyo try to follow me home from school every afternoon," was the reply from the neighboring stall. "But there I at least have all of the escape routes memorized."

Shuuichi couldn't stop the smirk that formed on his way out of the stall. "Don't forget to mention the paths up to and around the rooftops."

Kurama studied his brother's face. "How did you know about that?"

"My friend, Souta, has an uncle who works security at the shopping center," Shuuichi replied smugly. "He's seen you several times on the security cameras. So, who's the kid?"

"Kid?" the kitsune asked, confused as he patted the counter, looking for his hair tie without letting the red mass go.

Shuuichi nodded, handing Kurama the sought-after band. "Yeah, Souta said that his uncle told him that this goth kid with black hair usually walked with you up there. So what is he, your body guard or something like that?"

"Something like that," Kurama agreed without really saying anything. "I've known Hiei since I was about your age."

The two joined their parents out in the lobby once the stalkers (they hadn't been at it long enough to earn a capital letter) had moved on, most likely to go harass some unfortunate ski instructor.

"Here are your lift tickets," Shiori said, passing one to each boy. "Shuu-chan, try not to lose yours. ("Hey, why are you singling me out?") Our dinner reservations are at seven, so try to be back here before then, and stick together."

"Hai, Kaa-san," both boys chorused before taking off, skis in hand, toward the lifts. Upon seeing the slope listings, Shuuichi immediately started to drag Kurama toward the one labeled 'Dead man's Drop.'

"Bet I'll beat you to the bottom," Shuuichi challenged as they were carried up the mountain. "I always used to beat my friends on school trips."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kurama said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm fairly fast myself. How about a wager? Winner gets to eat the loser's dessert at dinner?"

"I look forward to it," the younger boy said with a laugh, sliding from his seat and onto the snow. "Meet you at the bottom!"

Kurama followed suit, purposefully staying in line with his brother until about halfway down, where he pulled ahead with ease without sparing Shuuichi a glance at his shocked expression. Red hair or not, the teenager was out of sight within moments. "How'd the heck he do that?"

That evening after dinner, a smug kitsune enjoyed a double portion of strawberries and ice cream.

Three snowmobiles carrying four people drove away from the official slopes toward a small cabin that belonged to a cousin of Kenji's. It had two bedrooms and a blissfully large hot-water heater, just perfect for a couple and pair of brothers. Kurama made hot chocolate while Shuuichi built a fire in the river stone fireplace. The fact that five cups were prepared went unnoticed as Kurama carried his upstairs to drink in his room after the odd cup had vanished.

"I added extra chocolate to yours," he said, closing the door with his foot. Sitting on the bed, Hiei nodded his thanks over the steaming mug. "Have you enjoyed yourself so far?"

"The humans should have gotten out of that tree by now," Hiei said, mouth twisting into an amused smirk. "Even the baka knows better than to call me slow."

Kurama laughed quietly, mindful of the trio downstairs in the living room. "I'm unsure if I should be scolding or applauding you. If I find some time where I don't have to stay with Shuu-kun, maybe we could race. It'd certainly be a way to pass the time."

"Baka kitsune," Hiei said with no small amount of affection in his voice. If their teammates had been there, it'd be enough to make even them faint. "You know that you don't stand a chance, especially not there, where there are no plants."

"We'll never know until we've tried, Hiei," Kurama pointed out with a smile. He cocked his head to the side. "Sounds like Shuu-kun's asking to go back out for some moonlight runs. Just leave your cup on the balcony when you're finished."

"Hey, Nii-san, Tou-san said we could go back out for a bit," Shuuichi said, opening the door to see his brother reading alone in the room. "But you have to come with me or I can't go. Will you come, please?" Kurama nodded, putting his book down. "Great. Come on, let's go get our gear back on before he changes his mind!"

Something seemed off as Kurama followed Shuuichi across the snow.

"Race you to the tree over there!" Shuuichi called out, pointing to a tree barely visible down the hill. Before Kurama could reply, he was off. Shaking his head, Kurama followed. The boy could win one race. Human fingers touched the tree first and Shuuichi let out a loud 'whoop' of victory, the sound echoing. However, instead of merely fading, the echo evolved into a roar, growing in volume with each passing second. "What's that?"