AN: A continuation of my previous yyh/dc crossovers...
o*O*o
Go on a family vacation, Shiori had said. It would be fun, she said. Kurama was not finding this trip very fun. Oh, it hadn't been too bad at first. It had been a long while since Kurama had a chance to visit Osaka—over a century in fact. The sprawling urban landscape that greeted him wasn't what he remembered, but it hardly surprised him. The food, however, was just as delicious as he remembered it being. He could appreciate visiting Osaka Castle and its park and could tolerate attending a baseball game since it made his step father and brother happy. He'd even enjoyed visiting the aquarium, his mother's first choice in things to see, but the fun family outing had become decidedly not fun after a visit to a shrine had apparently made its spirit guardian angry. Just by existing so far as Kurama could tell. Now he'd had to excuse himself from his family to keep it from targeting them too, and dodge the damn spirit all around the city.
He couldn't kill it, as much as he'd like to. It was a shrine guardian. If he killed a shrine guardian he'd be in trouble with Koenma for sure. Or at least have to endure a long tirade of complaints and thinly veiled threats to his short-leashed freedom. Telling a white lie to his family to have them continue on with day plans without them was the lesser of two evils until he could figure out a way to get the shrine guardian to either calm down or lose interest in him.
Kurama sent a bust of youki into a bush several feet behind him. It reached out and tangled around the shrine guardian as it barreled after him. It would only slow it down, but honestly, that was about the best Kurama could hope for at the moment.
He slipped down another back alley and out along a road lined with picturesque shops, probably with family apartments above them. There were plenty of plants in pots or trees tucked into gaps in the pavement here, perfect for if he needed more things to slow it down with. A few too many people, but that couldn't be helped.
Kurama jogged on, trying to appear as if he were exercising, not running from a spirit. Down the road, take a right, slip past someone's tiny back yard and up over a fence. If he headed to a park... But no, while it would give him privacy and ammunition, it wouldn't take care of the problem. Another shrine? Enough spiritual energy surrounding him could mask his presence, the spirit would lose him, and it would eventually give up so he could return to his family vacation in peace. He clicked his tongue, irritated at the lack of options, but sometimes the simplest routes were better in the long run even if it would be more time consuming. He was already having to remind himself why he couldn't kill it. He hated being inconvenienced.
He took a sharp turn, mental map providing him with a potential shrine location, provided it still existed. Kurama took four long strides before twisting to the side as he almost ran someone over.
"Woah!" a familiar voice said. "Careful. Where's the fire?" Dark skin, green eyes, Osaka native—the teen from the woods a while back. ...And an equally familiar friend.
Kurama's eyes met the other teens'—the detective from the smuggling case. There was recognition in the detective's eyes and surprise.
"Minamino-san," the detective said.
"You know this guy, Kudo?"
"Yes," Kudo said, Kudo...Shinichi if Kurama remembered correctly. "He was involved with that ice murder I told you about a few months ago."
"That guy, huh?" Kudo's friend gave Kurama a once over and from the faint blush on Kudo's face, Kurama didn't have to wonder what sort of things had been mentioned.
He tried to appear relaxed, but his attention was less on the detectives in front of him and more on his plants and the spirit he'd left them tangling around; roots and vines only lasted so long. He shifted and sharp eyes locked onto him.
"You're running," Kudo said. "Why are you running? Last time you were running someone got killed."
"I'm here on vacation, not hunting down cat thieves this time," Kurama said. He wondered what their expressions would be if he mentioned that most of the time when he ran something or someone ended up hurt or dead; probably horrified for humans with such firm moral fiber. "This time I'm running from a dog."
"A dog," the Osakan detective said skeptically.
"I seem to have upset it somehow and it's rather tenacious." There was a faint feeling of the plants he'd touched earlier being torn, the spirit breaking free. Dammit. "I hopped a fence a bit ago, but that's not going to keep it long."
"Why not just go in a building?" the Osakan continued. "Not like a dog can follow you there."
"As I said, it's tenacious. Tried that already." Kurama felt the prick of boiling anger directed at him—really, what had he done to the thing? Murdered a priest that belonged to that shrine in his past life? He couldn't remember anything like that—and the spirit guardian rounded the corner. It paused when it found Kurama with two humans, locked on to him with beady eyes and all the focus its tiny brain held. It would be simpler if it was a bit smarter, then it could be reasoned with. It was stupid though so that was out of the realm of possible options.
"What," the Osakan detective said, "the fuck is that."
"A...shiba inu?" Kudo said, glancing at his friend in bemusement.
"Try komainu," he returned, fixating on the dog-like spirit's horn and curly pelt. "What the hell," he said, looking hard at Kurama, "did ya do to piss off a shrine guardian."
Of course he could see what it truly was. He'd seen what Kurama was and through the boar demon's illusion too. Kurama gave him a wry smile. "Exist? I would love to know the answer to that question, but there's not exactly a way to ask that."
"It's a spirit, ask it."
"It has rock for brains."
The spirit snarled and took a slow step forward.
Kudo looked between the spirit and his friend and Kurama. "...Hattori?"
His friend winced. "Look, Kudo, I'll explain later. Once this Minamino guy proves he's not an evil spirit."
As if the detective could do anything if he had been one. Kurama huffed and stopped pretending to be nervous and human. Clearly he wasn't going to get to a shrine to chase it off. The spirit was still approaching, slow like it had cornered him, like it thought Kurama was caught. Why? Kurama flung out his senses and oh, the Osakan detective, Hattori, had more than just that charm from before. He had several small objects of power on him, enough to feel like a low level priest or exorcist. It probably thought it had encountered an ally. Kurama glanced at the shops around them and—perfect.
"I'll do that in a minute," Kurama said, grabbing both detectives by the wrist.
"What're ya—?!" Hattori sputtered. Kudo went calmly in comparison, though perhaps that was because he appeared to be dissecting the scenario and coming up with questions.
Kurama dragged them both into a nearby shop. Instantly his nose was assaulted by several dozen scents. If he wasn't half scent blind in a human body, this would be hell for his nose. As it was, the scents made his nose itch. He pushed the detectives to the back corner where the scent of sandalwood was strongest and focused on killing his aura as much as possible.
"Incense?" Hattori said. He tried to free his wrist unsuccessfully. "So it can't smell you, sure, but how's this supposed to—"
"Shush," Kurama said. He pulled the detectives in front of him, then proceeded to lean full bodied along Hattori's side. "If you could focus on your omamori please."
"Omamori?" Hattori touched it with his free hand. Kurama felt the energy from it spike and kept his own spirit energy output dwindling, counting the seconds. To the komainu, it would feel like he was dying from exposure to the charm. "Why're ya touching me?"
"Keep holding your charm," Kurama said, "then look out the window and see if the dog is still there." There were worse ways, he reflected as Hattori did as he asked, narrowed eyed all the while, to avoid a spirit than plastering himself against two fit young men. Very fit; Hattori had the muscles of a swordsman and smelled nicer than the incense behind them.
He felt the komainu's attention spike, then dwindle, fooled. Kurama breathed out slowly and finally relaxed.
"It's walking away," Hattori said. As Kurama relaxed, he only got tenser. "What the fuck was that about?" he asked as Kurama let him and Kudo go.
"As you so eloquently put it, I pissed off a shrine guardian. Somehow." Kurama plastered on his enigmatic smile that often left human girls tripping over themselves. Human boys weren't immune either; Hattori had a slight pause before suspicion overrode the smile's charm.
"Right. Now what kinda evil spirit are ya for it to be trying to kill ya?"
"I'm human as you can see," Kurama said, arms open, putting himself on display.
"Yeah, and what else? I know spirits can take on human form."
"If you won't take my word for it, I'll leave that to your imagination then," Kurama said, shrugging. "As for the komainu, I don't know what it took offense to. I've been to dozens of shrines and never had a problem. I suppose I should stay away from Sumiyoshi Taisha." He'd visited Osaka maybe twice in his previous life. He'd stolen something, but the details were fuzzy with time, and it hadn't been a great prize or anything. There hadn't been anything of note, so either the shrine guardian had it out for kitsune or one of his actions had been far more important to someone else than it had been to him at the time. As an afterthought and because he wanted to see how the detective would react, he added, "I am generally a patron of Inari anyway."
Hattori's eyes flicked to Kurama's red hair, to his smile, to his eyes, and Kurama saw the realization click into place. He took a large step back; even if he didn't remember their last encounter, his hind brain probably retained the fear of his last encounter with a fox spirit. "Human my ass, yer a kitsune."
Kurama kept smiling, staring him down. He was gripping his omamori like it would actually do him any good if Kurama did decide to suddenly attack him. Honestly, Hattori's arm muscles would be more use than a scrap of fabric with a bit of unpracticed spirit energy sewn in it.
"Hattori," Kudo cut in, demanding. "Explain."
Hattori winced. "Uh, so, remember that camping trip I went on a while back?"
"The one where you came back from and bought Kazuha a gallon of chocolate ice cream and she thought you were dying?" Kudo frowned. He kept his eyes on Kurama even though he was talking to Hattori. Hattori did the same.
"Yeah. That one." Hattori pulled out his phone and tossed it to Kudo. "Scroll through my pictures. You'll know it when ya see it."
Kudo looked down at the phone. Ah, Kurama hadn't thought to check for cell phone pictures. Would Kudo be able to tell what the body was if he couldn't see the komainu for what it was? Then again... Once the boar demon had died in his true form, it was pretty clear he wasn't human. The rules spirits had in being viewable by humans were pretty varied.
Kudo's eyes narrowed. "...This isn't faked is it."
"Nope. Memory's still kinda patchy about what happened, but definitely ran into a corpse and it definitely wasn't human. Kinda pig-like. Pretty sure I ran into another spirit too cuz something had to mess with my memory."
"Huh." Kudo handed back the phone. Kurama had expected more doubt or surprise. Instead, Kudo just looked thoughtful. "The murder in that bathroom was similar to this, wasn't it?" Kudo said, catching Kurama's eyes. "It wasn't about cats at all."
"No," Kurama said. "It wasn't."
"Would you answer truthfully if I asked what it was really about?"
"It wasn't a secret," Kurama said, "but most people don't believe in spirits. Reiki was smuggling human children into the demon realm. He was in trouble before he killed that woman."
"And you were trying to catch him. Why?"
Why. 'Why' always mattered to detective types. Kurama supposed 'why' had begun to matter to him as well since he accepted some human morals into his life. "He committed a crime and I was told to collect him for his punishment."
"Yer, what, a bounty hunter?" Hattori asked, nose wrinkled like the thought was abhorrent.
"Mm, closer to detective, actually." Kurama grinned at their expressions. They were the detectives. "In name, though I suppose in function it's more being a dog sicced on any problem that crops up involving the human world."
"Are there a lot of spirits that commit crimes?" Kudo asked. "Attack humans?"
"Some." More than there used to be thanks to the lowered barrier between realms. "But for every one that causes harm, there are dozens who just want to go about their lives." Kurama shrugged. "It's more trouble than it's worth when the law cracks down on you."
Kudo murmured something to himself about a whole separate legal system. While he tried to process the existence of a whole realm outside his experience, Hattori stepped a bit in front of his friend.
"And yer one of the ones that just wanna live their life?" he asked.
"As I said, I'm human." Kurama's smile had a bit of fangs, persona of schoolboy be damned. "For the most part. I go to school, live with my family, and occasionally hunt down criminals. Most of my life is downright mundane."
"Like gettin' chased by komainu."
"I see you're still stuck on that." Somehow he didn't think he'd be convincing Hattori that he wasn't an evil spirit anytime soon. Kudo on the other hand... "I'm not here to cause harm or hunt anyone. I'm on a perfectly normal, entirely human, family vacation."
As if to prove his point, his phone began to play the Waltz of the Flowers, the ringtone for his mother. He answered immediately. "Moshi moshi, Okaa-san." He could feel both detectives lean in behind him, blatantly eavesdropping. Kurama rolled his eyes. They wouldn't gain much from this conversation about his double life.
"Shuichi, where are you? We finished up early and went to see if you were feeling better, but you're not in the hotel room."
Of course they had. Kurama closed his eyes, guilt mixing with irritation. He had a loving family; naturally they would worry and he liked that they cared. He felt bad for worrying them, but they could have better timing. "I was feeling a bit better so I went for a walk," he said. "I think the fresh air has helped. Sorry for worrying you."
"Oh, no, I'm glad you're feeling better! We were about to head out to get dinner and wanted to see if you were up to joining us."
"Ah." Kurama looked at the detectives. The detectives looked back. Hattori raised an eyebrow. He apparently wasn't getting away without more discussion. "Actually, Okaa-san, I ran into an acquaintance from Tokyo on my walk..."
"Bring your friend along!" Shiori said. "I always love meeting your friends. You so rarely bring them home." There was a reason he didn't bring friends over often. The idea of Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara all in his mother's dining room was a terrifying thought. Perhaps one at a time when they were on their best behavior... Although his mother was fond of Kuwabara.
Kurama had the sinking feeling that if he showed up alone, his mother would be very disappointed. Just as disappointed as if he didn't go at all. Hattori flapped a hand at him, a 'well?' expression on his face. "Of course, Okaa-san. We'll join you at the restaurant. My...friend...has another friend with him, so expect three of us."
"Wonderful. I'll send you the address." The sound of his mother's smile made up for the sinking feeling in his stomach. This was going to be an interesting meal. "Take your time getting there, we're still changing."
"Of course. I will see you soon." Kurama hung up the phone.
"Well she sounded human enough," Hattori commented.
"My mother is human," Kurama said. He sighed and pinned them with a cold stare that never failed to intimidate opponents. It worked now too, both detectives looking wary and on guard. "You're not going to mention anything about spirits or komainu or youkai. My family isn't involved in any of that."
"Right." Hattori snorted skeptically. "Well we'll see I guess."
Kudo hummed in the back of his throat, thinking face on again. "You didn't use your phone call back then to call your mother."
"No." Kurama's phone buzzed with the restaurant's location. He read it, placed the location in his mind, and started walking leaving the others to follow at their own pace. Leaving the incense store was a literal breath of fresh air.
"You called your employer," Kudo continued, keeping pace beside Kurama.
"More of a coworker than employer, but yes."
"You had to know they'd call your mother anyway."
"Of course, but I was hardly going to call her and have her arrive to see me covered in blood," Kurama said. He was beginning to lose patience.
"So much more makes sense," Kudo muttered, half to himself. "The melted ice, the way only some people saw the murderer, that weird whip you had... And your reaction to the murder."
"Death is something I witness a lot, yes," Kurama said tersely. They weren't too far from the restaurant actually, just one train stop away.
"Flirting with me was to keep me from dwelling on the inconsistencies, wasn't it?" Kudo asked. Beside him, Hattori made a choking sound.
"No, that was because it was amusing," Kurama said. "The distraction was a welcome side effect." Kurama gave him a sideways look. "You're cute, but not my type."
"And what might that be?" Hattori quipped. "Foxes?"
"My boyfriend," Kurama said, catching them both off guard. "So short, grumpy, and vindictive." He smiled to himself and didn't bother looking to see what expressions that left on their faces. He already knew they would be good ones.
o*O*o
They were almost to the restaurant when Kudo next spoke. Kurama had enjoyed the quiet on the train ride for the brief time it lasted.
"Why could Hattori see the spirit and I saw a dog?" he asked.
"He's more spiritually sensitive," Kurama said. Hattori touched his omamori as if that was the reason for him seeing. They stopped outside the restaurant, but they were early. Enough time to talk then. "It's usually something you're born with."
"Then how come I don't see stuff all the time?" Hattori asked.
"Maybe you do and don't even realize what you're seeing." There were people like that. "Or perhaps it depends on how focused you are. It's a bit like using a muscle; the more you use it, the more aware you are and the stronger it becomes."
"Can people gain that ability?" Kudo asked.
Meaning could he gain the ability. Kurama knew Kudo must be wondering if he'd run into supernatural cases in the past besides the one Kurama was involved in. Cases he might have had the wrong information on. Cases he could do right by if he could see. Frankly, Kurama was of the opinion that it was better not to go halfway. Either you immersed yourself in spirit abilities or you lived in ignorance; only learning a bit about spiritual energy was a disaster waiting to happen. "They can," Kurama said finally, "but most of the time it involves a close brush with death or influence of spirits or demons. In rare cases people who dedicate themselves to religious or spiritual tracks can gain that ability too."
"A close brush with death..." Kudo echoed.
"If nearly dyin'll do it, Kudo shoulda been able to see spirits ten times over," Hattori said.
"Perhaps he doesn't have the aptitude," Kurama said. "If you really feel you have to look into the matter, I can give you the contact information of someone who could help you." Genkai wouldn't be happy with him sending people her way. But Hattori at least seemed to have enough power that it would be better if he wasn't running around completely untrained.
Hattori gave him a suspicious side eye. "That's awful nice to do."
"Would you consider that perhaps I don't have any intention of harming you?" Kurama asked drily. "You're hardly the first people I've run across that have had supernatural encounters and I haven't harmed them either. I don't strike first." There was so much more to be learned in waiting and using strategies against their creators. Kurama only struck first when it was advantageous to do so and he had the whole picture to begin with. "Oh look, there's my family. Play nice." Kurama waved at Shiori as she led the way through the streets.
"Ya don't look anything like them," Hattori observed.
"They're a step-brother and step-father. My mother remarried. Is that a problem or are you against remarriage as well as anything supernatural?"
Hattori shut up. Kurama put on his best human son face as he greeted his mother. She immediately felt his forehead to check his temperature.
"Good, you don't have a fever," Shiori said, smiling at him. Her arms were bare in the heat, scars clearly visible. Kurama would never stop feeling a sliver of guilt when he saw them. It was lessened by how happy she looked, old stress lines relaxed as they had been since she remarried.
"I feel fine now, Okaa-san," Kurama said. "It must have been something I ate." He nodded at his step-father and brother. "Kazuya-san, Shuichi-kun."
"You had to leave me all alone with them to see the rest of Sumiyoshi Taisha," his step brother said with an exaggerated sigh. "Tou-san wanted to take pictures of all the historical architecture. I think he's going to drag us to the other shrines just to compare styles."
"What a burden," Kurama teased back. "It's a pity you love history." His brother laughed as Kurama had intended. Kurama turned back to his mother and made introductions. "This is Kudo Shinichi and Hattori..."
"Heiji," Hattori supplied.
"Hattori Heiji. Kudo-san is the acquaintance from Tokyo that I mentioned." Kurama turned to his family. "And this is my mother, Hatanaka Shiori, and her husband Kazuya and his son Shuichi."
"Does it get confusing with both of you having the same first name?" Kudo asked, looking between him and his brother.
"Not particularly." Kurama was Shuichi to his mother, Shuichi-kun to Kazuya, Nii-san to Shuichi, and Shuichi was Shu-chan to his mother and Shuichi to Kazuya. To anyone else, Kurama was Kurama or Minamino, not Hatanaka.
"Is one of them your boyfriend?" Shuichi asked, not nearly as quiet as he thought he was.
"No."
"Am I ever going to meet your boyfriend?"
"We'll see." Kurama smirked at Shuichi's brief pout. His mother had met Hiei. That was enough for now. Kurama stepped back and watched his mother take over, shuffling them all into the restaurant and asking the detectives questions about themselves. It turned out Kudo was repeating a grade because he'd missed almost a year of school from a case and had spent extensive time in America. And Hattori was an Osaka native and had plenty of suggestions for tourism ideas for the remainder of their stay. Both detectives had been active in investigations for several years and planned to pursue it as a career once they graduated from school.
It was amusing to sit back and watch people interact. They had no trouble talking about their cases or tourism, but the moment the topic turned around onto themselves and their goals and motivations, Hattori and Kudo got a bit tongue tied.
"And are you planning on attending university?" Shiori asked.
"Uh," said Hattori.
"I was thinking maybe courses on criminology or psychology?" Kudo said like it was a question.
"That's wonderful," Shiori said, as genuine as she had been when Kuwabara confessed that he wanted to become a veterinarian or a doctor in the future. "Shuichi's planning on studying botany."
"I plan on opening a flower shop." What better way to keep a human front with minimum effort? Plants came easy as breathing and he could make his own hours.
Hattori gave him another incredulous look. Kurama just smiled.
"I've always liked flowers," he said innocently.
Kudo, who remembered the rose thorn whip, looked a bit pained.
Toward the end of the meal, when Kazuya went to pay, Hattori leaned over and whispered, "Okay, yer family's painfully human. Point made."
"Is it?" Kurama asked. "Because if you're not convinced that I'm just living my life, you're welcome to join us in visiting the Sakuya Konohana Kan. I've heard the botanical gardens are in full flower this time of year and I intend to spend several hours looking at as many plants as possible."
Hattori looked a bit terrified of being stuck with Kurama in a glass building full of plants. How much did he remember from the woods?
"No?" Kurama finished the last bite of his dessert. "What a pity. I could have told you all about the rare orchids. Or perhaps the carnivorous plants in their tropical plant section. Some of them are large enough to digest small vertebrates."
"Nope, I'm good. No meat eating plants for me."
"Most of those only eat bugs," Shuichi said, catching the tail end of the conversation. "Though I guess the corpse flowers are kind of cool in a disgusting way. I mean, who wants to be around a flower than smells like rotting flesh?"
Hattori looked a bit sick.
Kurama patted his arm, mock consolatory. "There probably won't be any there in bloom at the moment. It does ruin the tourist aspect if your visitors can't be in the same room for the smell."
There was a flicker from the corner of his vision, something insubstantial passing through the wall and darting for the kitchens. Kurama caught a glimpse of an oar before it went out of view. Moments later screaming came from the restaurant kitchen. Ah, a ferry girl. Kurama was on his feet with Kudo and Hattori before the first scream died down.
"Minamino-san, don't let anyone leave! Hattori, you're with me!" Kudo said, taking control of the situation.
"Right," Kurama murmured. He set a hand on his mother and brother's shoulders. "It seems like something has happened in the kitchens; everything will be okay, but we need to stay here and stay calm until police arrive and figure out what happened."
Not waiting to see what they had to say, Kurama moved to the door and pulled out his phone to call the police. Kudo and Hattori darted into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Hattori left and circled around to the bathrooms and then to the back door. No one had tried for the exits yet, too alarmed to think about moving. When the phone picked up on the other end, Kurama calmly reported the murder and their location—for it likely was a murder with its suddenness and the prickling feeling he had at the back of his neck.
It didn't take long before word got out that someone was dead and the first people tried to leave, but thankfully the arrival of the police meant that Kurama no longer had to guard the door. He returned to Shiori's side and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as people were questioned. Unsurprisingly, Kudo and Hattori had singled out a small group of suspects for the police to question.
The murder victim's spirit had chosen to linger for a bit, the ferry girl hovering beside him. One look and who he lingered angrily near gave away the murderer, a young woman in her late twenties who didn't look nervous at all. There was a steely determination about her along with conflicting resignation. She knew she wouldn't escape but felt she was in the right. Kudo's gaze lingered over her more than once, picking apart tiny details.
The police officer in charge said something, too low to hear. Kurama let a trickle of youki into his ears to strengthen their range.
"—as by poison," the officer said. "It's not clear yet how he ingested it, but he clearly ingested a lethal dose a little before seven-oh-nine. His body was found less than five minutes later, correct?"
"Correct," Kudo said. "Which leaves a ten minute window between when he was seen and when he died. Although I have to say, keibu, the method of ingestion is quite clear once you take other factors into consideration."
"The victim was a smoker," Hattori continued, "smoked a cigarette every hour on the hour."
"You're suggesting he was dosed in his cigarettes?" the officer asked.
"Not quite," Kudo said. "Hattori?"
"The victim had a fancy lighter—collector's item, only a few of 'em." He held up a small, shiny object wrapped in a handkerchief. "You'll find traces of poison on this. He also had the habit a chewing a mint when he was done smoking. Right handed, touched the lighter and the mint with the same hand and poisoned himself that way."
"With a bit of searching," Kudo said, "we found this in one of the restrooms." He held up an identical shiny object. "The lighter was a gift from his late wife who was friends with the creator. Everyone who knew him knew the story, but not everyone would have been able to get ahold of a duplicate lighter." His eyes cut to the young woman, freezing her on the spot. There was a lot of force of will behind that look and it was a little puzzling that Kudo didn't show signs of spiritual abilities because in all other ways he showed potential for it. A bit of training and he could wield that strength of will against lower level demons as effectively as his friend could already ward away things. "Chise-san, you are the only one who both has the connections to obtain one and had the time to swap the lighters from his locker and throw the original in the bathroom. He was your father and you killed him."
The woman didn't try to protest or refute the claim. If anything, she stood straighter. "I did," she said. "And he deserved it. He drove Kaa-san to suicide and he'd have tried the same abuse with me if I hadn't gotten out of there. She was my mother. He as good as killed her and deserved it."
"He was yer parent too," Hattori said quietly.
"You have to actually care to be a parent," Chise said. Her father's ghost still looked angry. As she held out her arms to be arrested, he finally allowed the ferry girl to usher him onto her oar.
Kurama released his enhanced hearing. He realized at some point he had gripped his mother's hand and her hand gripped back with equal strength. "It looks like things are being resolved," he said with a reassuring smile.
"I can't believe someone ended up dead," Shuichi said. Shiori and Kazuya reached out to him at the same time and it was a testament to how shaken he was that he let them coddle him.
Kurama looked up as Kudo and Hattori returned. "Will the police need our statements?" he asked, though the police had technically already gone around to the patrons.
"Nah," Hattori said. "They got what they need. Kudo 'nd I'll go up to the station later and finish up some paperwork, but we can go."
"This is a bit of a damper to a nice meal," Shiori said.
Hattori and Kudo shared a look. Hattori shrugged. "Eh. It happens a lot. We're used to it."
Shiori looked more concerned at hearing that, but Kurama cut in before she could start asking questions and mothering them. "I'm sure they have other things to do with their day that don't involve us or the police," he said. "We're very glad that you took time to join us for dinner nevertheless."
"Yes," Kazuya chimed in, "always nice to meet people Shiuchi-kun knows. He meets such interesting people."
That was one way to put it.
"Uh, yeah, it's uh, nice to meet ya too," Hattori said, more uncomfortable by friendly parental gazes than a group of police officers and a murderer.
Shiori smiled and patted Kurama's arm. "We'll let you say your goodbyes and catch up at the hotel."
Kurama nodded. It was moments like this when he wondered if Shiori didn't know something about him wasn't as straightforward as he acted. She gave him moments to discuss what he needed to with Kuwabara and Yusuke and Hiei too. "Thank you," he said.
Hattori scratched his head as they walked out the door. "How're you so...eh...and they're so nice?"
"Are you saying I'm not nice?" Kurama asked innocently.
"Nice isn't the first thing that comes ta mind."
Kurama smirked. "It's awfully convenient timing that you were here when the murder was committed."
"Kudo's cursed," Hattori said. "Runs into dead bodies all the time."
"Hattori," Kudo complained.
"What? Doesn't happen nearly as often when I'm alone. Face it Kudo, yer a murder magnet."
Kudo rolled his eyes. Kurama wondered if it didn't have some truth. Another thing to mention to Genkai if they ended up talking to her. On that subject... He picked Kudo and Hattori's pockets for their phones to enter his and Genkai's number into. And to get their numbers of course. One never knew when that could come in handy. To distract them while he did it... "I can't help feeling a little bad for the murderer."
"The murderer?" Hattori said. "Why the hell would you feel bad about that?"
"Well, she was looking for justice for her mother," Kurama said. "There's a lot I would sacrifice for my mother."
"That wasn't justice," Kudo said quietly, "that was revenge. No one gained from this. She's going to jail and another person is dead."
"Hm." Kurama cocked his head to the side. "You could see it that way. To her death was the worst punishment she could think of, I suppose, one she'd willingly give up everything she had for. It was righteous enough intention to avenge her mother against her abuser, but a bit short sighted. There are so many worse things than death."
Both detectives shivered, giving him wary looks again.
Kurama smiled his human smile and knew it would be all the more unnerving. "If she truly wanted vengeance, all she had to do was subtly lead him down the same road her mother took. But I suppose it would be hard to play such a long game." He finished with the phones, sliding them back with ease.
"I think," Kudo said after a moment, "that if everyone hurt everyone who hurt them, the world would be a pretty awful place."
"Hm," Kurama agreed. It wasn't the demon way, and it certainly wasn't how all humans functioned, but he could see the value in it. "It is good that there are people like you or grudges would never end. I'm not one of those people though."
"Noted," Hattori said. "I'll keep an eye out for bodies leadin' ta you."
"If I was the one who killed them, you'd never find the body." And that, Kurama thought, was his cue to leave. "Kudo-san, it was good to see you again, you as well, Hattori-san."
"This's the first time we met," Hattori said.
"Is it?" Kurama asked. As he sputtered, Kurama turned to Kudo. "You have a number in your phones under the name Genkai. She can help you both with learning more about spiritual power. Just tell her Kurama sent you and she'll be agreeable enough." As much as Genkai could ever be called agreeable.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Hattori asked, finally managing to speak again.
Kurama waved and walked away.
"Oi!"
"See you around Tokyo, Kudo-san."
"Minamino, you're a creepy bastard!" Hattori yelled after him.
It was always satisfying to leave an impression. It would be interesting to see what happened if they ever met again. Messing around complete, he turned back toward the hotel room. He had a family vacation to continue.
"That was the detective who cleared you from the murder suspect list, wasn't it?" Shiori said much later, just the two of them drinking tea on the hotel room's balcony.
"It was." Kurama sipped jasmine tea and enjoyed the fresh air, cooler now that it was evening.
"I hope you at least got a chance to thank him for his help," Shiori said. "I can't imagine what you'd have done if he hadn't been there."
Escaped due to spirit world meddling, Kurama assumed. "I did. As you saw, he handles that sort of thing pretty often."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't show proper gratitude when someone helps you." Shiori set down her tea cup. "I should have thanked him."
"I thanked him enough for both of us." Genkai's contact information was more than enough thanks. Debt repaid and all that. As if he would ever let himself remain indebted.
"I insist," Shiori said. "You did get his contact information."
"Phone number. I could probably get an address if I looked him up."
"Please do." She settled back in her chair, still beautiful and as kind as she had been his whole life. "I'll bake something. Teenagers are always hungry, right?"
"I'm sure he'll appreciate anything you make," Kurama said. If he didn't, he'd better pretend to or Kurama would have words with him.
"I'm glad to see you making more friends," Shiori said. She'd said that every time he brought someone new home. He hadn't brought anyone home for a long time so of course she was glad to see her son showing signs of normal socialization. He'd have to keep trying harder to be the best human son he could be for her.
Kurama let her hug him and leaned into the touch, savoring it while he still could. The length of a human lifetime could be so short, as today could be a reminder of. It was no sacrifice to do little things to make her happy for as long as they had together. Thank you he thought to her. For caring, for sticking with him, for knowing him even if she didn't know all of him. Out loud he said, "I'll be sure to get you his address."
"Thank you, Shuichi," Shiori said. It was always bitter sweet to be thanked when it was always him who should be thanking her.
They sipped their tea in companionable silence and watched the sun sink down below the horizon.
o*O*o
Kurama put the meeting out of his mind for a while. It was not that he forgot that it happened, but more that he had no reason to actively think about it. Neither Kudo nor Hattori called him with the number he'd helpfully placed in their phones, and Genkai didn't mention them getting in touch with her either. If he thought about it at all, he assumed that they'd decided to stay as far away from the supernatural as possible. He did pass along Kudo's home address to his mother (it was very easy to find) though so perhaps him knowing Kudo's address had scared Kudo off as well.
In the meantime, Kurama had homework and cases and family time to fill his hours. And a bit of time in there to just revel at how his powers continued to grow by sparring with Hiei every now and again. It never hurt to stay in practice.
Today was one of the days he was visiting Hiei, going to Genkai's temple instead of Hiei visiting him. It was a bit of a trip to make, but being surrounded by the forest on the long trek up the mountain was more than worth the time it took to get there. He liked any occasion to be more surrounded by nature, really. Training was going on when he got there, he could feel the fluctuation of spirit energy the closer he got. It wasn't a familiar presence though, weaker and more flickery than Yusuke or Kuwabara. There was Hiei's strong presence and Genkai's steady one, Kuwabara near Hiei but not fighting him. If he strained his senses, he could feel Yukina, contained and cold with a mirror smoothness to his spirit sense at odds with Hiei's jagged warmth.
Genkai was waiting for him at the top of the stairs, standing on her porch and glaring at the world. "I'm blaming you," she said when he came closer.
"For what?" Kurama asked.
"For bringing me more idiots to keep track of."
Ah. It clicked, the unfamiliar presences lining up to the impression of Hattori's unpracticed spirit energy and the sharp focus Kudo had held. "Then they did contact you?"
"Obviously," Genkai said with a snort. "I can see why you sent the one, but the other was a problem."
"Oh?"
"He had a block on him. It's gone now, but he has no idea what to do with what he has." She turned away. "At least they're not complete idiots like my thickheaded apprentice," she grumbled. For Genkai that was practically a compliment. "Come in."
Kurama followed. Kudo Shinichi was in Genkai's living room sitting across from Yukina, looking around him with a fascinated expression on his face. He was the flickering presence, weak then strong when he focused on something in particular, like he was figuring out how to catch his energy and direct it without a real understanding of how much energy was needed or really what he was doing at all. He looked at Kurama and stared.
"Oh. That's different," he said. "You're purple and gold."
Kurama raised an eyebrow and looked at Genkai.
"He's been seeing auras since the block came off. Not sure what else he can see yet. We're trying to work on controlling that before moving on to anything else."
"I see." Kudo's eyes flicked over Kurama like he was tracing individual strands of color, seeing where they mixed and separated.
"It's pretty," Kudo said, with another flare and diminishing of energy, "but distracting. Are you multiple things?"
"I'm a demon spirit fused with a human body," Kurama said, "so I suppose that I am."
Kudo blinked and focused in a different way, seeing Kurama instead of his aura. He frowned, likely trying to figure out how that was possible.
Yukina gave Kurama a smile and then turned back to Kudo. "Kudo-san if you would try focusing on the different seals around the room again?" she said, patient and encouraging. She would be a good teacher. She was good with control and didn't have Genkai's abrasive nature. It was probably for the best for Kudo's sake not to have Genkai's particular brand of encouragement until he got a bit more used to even having spirit energy to begin with.
"Right," Kudo said, refocusing on the room.
Genkai huffed and jerked her head toward the dojo. "Your other stray is that way," she said.
Kurama went. He could hear the clack of practice swords before he got there and the occasional burst of energy, not focused enough to have much damage potential yet but it had the same promise that Hattori's energy had held when he focused on the omamori.
Hattori sparred with Kuwabara, exchanging controlled blows while Hiei looked on from the shadows. Hiei caught Kurama's eye and smirked a few seconds before Hattori managed to wrench Kuwabara's sword away.
"Wow, you ever learn how ta use a sword?" Hattori teased, retrieving his opponent's sword.
Kuwabara snatched it back, face red. "Shut up! I'm supposed to be teaching you, not the other way around!"
"Ya fight like a brawler. Swords are an art." Hattori moved into a basic stance. "Fer instance if ya kept yer elbows in a bit more you'd have less openings."
"I've been doing fine so far," Kuwabara grumbled. He mirrored Hattori though. It was a bit funny to watch because Kurama could remember Hiei saying something similar a long while ago and Kuwabara ignoring it entirely.
Hiei flickered to Kurama's side. "Shockingly, the oaf is actually learning something," Hiei drawled.
"Hiei," Kurama said. He couldn't quite make it into an admonishment, and Hiei knew it.
Hiei smirked and went back to watching. "The other idiot knows how to use a sword," Hiei said, "but he has no instinct for taking any opening he can. Too structured and used to fights having rules."
"You'll break him of it," Kurama said.
"Hm." Hiei didn't insist that he wouldn't and that was as good as a confession that he was actually interested in seeing Hattori's progress. "He has no idea what he's doing with spirit power. The oaf can at least teach him that much."
"Was that a compliment to Kuwabara's spirit abilities?"' Kurama teased.
"He's not as horrible as he used to be," Hiei said. "He just left his hip wide open," Hiei said suddenly, directing his voice at the fighters. "Take advantage of every opening no matter how underhanded."
Hattori jumped and whirled. "How long have you been there?" he asked, looking between Kurama and Hiei.
"The shrimp's been here the whole time. Kurama just got here," Kuwabara said, taking the chance to wipe sweat off his brow. "You gotta work on your awareness, not just trying to focus energy to your sword."
"Right, yeah, I'll work on that," Hattori grumbled. He pointed at Kurama, irritation bleeding off him. "You."
"Me?" Kurama said, wary of the slight spike in Hattori's spirit energy in his direction.
"You were in the woods weren't ya? With the dead pig guy."
"Boar demon," Kurama corrected. "And yes, I was."
"You messed with my memory! I still can't remember everything right."
"He didn't do anything to your memory," Hiei said. "I did."
"Geeze, guys, since when're we doing memory blocking," Kuwabara muttered.
"Since we started having witnesses who can see but aren't involved," Kurama said. "Actually, there's been a lot of memory manipulation going on. The number of times demons have attacked heavily populated areas lately has had Koenma's people in a tizzy doing cover up."
"No one tells me these things!" he complained.
Kurama ignored his dramatics and turned back to Hattori. "Out of curiosity, what do you remember?"
"Uh..." Hattori frowned. "Kinda remember trippin' over the dead guy, then running? Uh. Kitsune? Maybe? Then... Wait." He narrowed his eyes. "You fuckin' kissed me!"
Kurama snorted with laughter as Hattori and Kuwabara had the same expression of horror on their faces. "One," he said, "I'm a demon fox, not a benign spirit. And two, I could have knocked you out some other way, but it was funny to see your expression."
"I was thought ya were gonna eat me!" Hattori said.
Kurama laughed.
"You two have a sick sense of humor sometimes," Kuwabara said.
"Wait," Hattori said. "Ya said you had a boyfriend. How'd he feel about ya kissing strangers?"
"He tolerates the occasional ridiculousness," Hiei muttered.
Kuwabara looked between Kurama and Hiei. "Wait. Waaaaait. Kurama, what the hell?! How long have you been dating Hiei?!"
"You're using terms for a non-human relationship," Hiei informed him.
"A while," Kurama said, leaving it vague.
"We refer to each other as partners and you didn't notice?" Hiei continued.
"You're married?!"
Hiei looked at Kuwabara like he was debating sending fire his direction. If Kurama wanted to it would take a few words to tip them into a brawl and let himself sit back and watch the show. For Hattori's sake, unused to Kuwabara and Hiei's dynamics, he held off. "It doesn't quite mean the same thing," Kurama said. "Think more a pact to have each other's backs, pool strengths, with an added physical and potentially emotional benefits."
"Allies with benefits," Hattori choked, under his breath. Kurama ignored that.
"It implies more trust and intimacy than an alliance."
"Is that what you meant every time you mentioned a partner?" Kuwabara's face screwed up before he started shaking his head like he was trying to get rid of unwanted thoughts. "Gah, really?"
"It's not our fault you're just dense," Hiei said.
"Shut up already!"
Hiei smirked and then he and Kuwabara were sparring. So much for holding back his words. Hurama made his way to Hattori's side. He squinted at the blurs of motion, trying to track Hiei's inhuman speed.
"Short, grumpy, and vindictive, huh?" Hattori said, not taking his eyes off the fight.
"He's also extremely loyal, capable, and constantly striving for improvement," Kurama said. "But I will admit that his vindictive side was part of what caught my eye."
"Uh huh. And he likes ya cuz yer scary as hell, huh?"
Kurama smirked. "Why Hattori-san, do I unnerve you?"
Hattori grimaced. "Not gonna touch that."
Hiei's sword sparked against Kuwabara's spirit sword, lighting his bestial grin with a hellish glow. Hiei at least was having fun. Kuwabara would complain later, but he didn't hate it or he wouldn't start half the fights he did.
The fight ended shortly after Kudo wandered in and started following the movements around the room with his eyes, no trouble at all. One false step from Kuwabara and the glowing golden sword was gone from his hand and he was hitting the floor, hard. He chose not to get up, growling in frustration. This was a frequent sight though. Hiei scoffed at Kuwabara's sputtered insults and sheathed his sword.
It was Kurama's turn to spar now. He sent Hiei a glance. Hiei's stance shifted and Kurama reached for a seed.
"You might want to stand closer to the door," Kurama suggested to their guests. The surprise on Hattori's face when Kurama pulled out a rose was nothing next to when he turned it into a whip. Kurama met Hiei's eyes and telegraphed that he meant to make this a show. Hiei humored him. He'd deny it, but he enjoyed showing off at least as much as Kurama did for the right audience.
o*O*o
"Botany," Hattori said after the spar. "Botany."
"Fitting," Kurama said, content after a good workout even with holes singed in his short and a few slices he'd have to sew later. "Isn't it?"
"The more I see the more things make sense," Kudo said.
Hiei, covered with thin scratches where he barely dodged Kurama's whip, brushed past them to go find Yukina before Kuwabara could start flirting with her again.
"Are you getting more comfortable with your vision?" Kurama asked.
Kudo shrugged. "A bit." He looked at the room, the various signs of battle in it, and back at the people still in it. He was hard to read, but Kurama guessed he was still overwhelmed. "Thank you," Kudo said, "again for giving us the number."
"Consider it repayment for helping me out of a difficult situation," Kurama said.
"And thank your mother for the cookies."
"I'll pass that along."
"I don't think I'd have been able to handle knowing that this existed but not having a way to know if I was dealing with something like this," Kudo said. "So I'm glad." Even if it was disorienting and difficult, Kurama read in the silences between his words.
"And I'm glad ta learn how to fight back," Hattori said. "So thanks even if ya are kinda a jerk fer the whole woods thing."
"Keep learning," Kurama said, "and figure out what works for you." It wasn't altruism. You never knew when more allies would be useful and he wouldn't be surprised if in the long run they had two more spirit detectives on their hands. "Now, I believe we should all go help Genkai with chores or we will all be in trouble." Genkai was particular about people who frequently used her space, and even more particular about anyone she trained. The detectives would learn fast.
"More warning about her personality woulda been nice," Hattori muttered.
Now where would the fun in that be? Kurama went and they followed. Things, he decided, were going to be interesting around here for a while. That was fine. Kurama preferred an interesting life.
o*O*o
AN: Komainu, for anyone interested, are those sort of lion-dog statues that some temples have and are meant to ward off evil spirits. Komainu doesn't seem to be a term only for the dog statues though as Inari shrines have fox komainu, and there are other possible animal shapes.
Why botany and future flower shop for Kurama? 1) it would be amusing (really do you expect anything else considering my method in this fic?) 2) it gives him human ties and a respectable life for his human front to keep his connection to his mother but costs him little time and effort due to his abilities. 3) due to this, he could easily spend time in the future going back and forth to makai and having his double life. 4) gives kurama a potential excuse to do future research on plants he might find interesting in the human world which he'd probably enjoy considering his seed collection.
Shinichi has weird sight at the end partly because he's always the one to see details in the series and it's doubling as increased insight with aura reading ^_^ He may or may not be able to see ghosts now (it's really not clear in YYH how many people can, or how common it is to have ghosts as that bit kinda gets tossed aside in favor of demon battles early on in the series).
Hiei/Kurama because I ship it, but the bit about 'partnership' vs boyfriend is because I can't see it fitting into anything that would be traditionally considered a 'romantic relationship'. Also I imagine a lot of demon social constructs would be different. Take Hiei giving Mukuro her childhood tormentor in a half-life state to torture to her heart's content. That would be what passes as a romantic gesture to a demon, personally. (I also don't feel like there'd necessarily be exclusivity in relationships unless it was more of a personality thing. Dunno. Eh, whatever, it isn't actually relevant, it's just musings. That bit with Mukuro or not, I am still a Hiei/Kurama shipper _)