Chapter Two: The Two Day Bet
Something cold to the touch came in contact with my entire body when I finally woke up. My eyes opened to find that I was in someone's arms and they were radiating the normal freezing temperature most demons couldn't handle. I recognized the scent to be Yukina's and my tail thumped slightly at the fog I started creating.
"Hey, that means she's waking up, right Yukina?" I heard the ice demon giggle a little and stroke my fur gently, causing another thump of my tail to be heard.
"Yes. She is waking up, Kazuma."
My ears twitched as someone else approached Yukina and me. They didn't stop moving so I opened both of my eyes to find that it was Koenma, who cringed at my look of annoyance. The fog thickened and became colder as he backed a good distance away from us. I slowly raised my head and shook myself to wake up completely.
"I'd be careful Koenma. My fog will freeze even you if you get too close." I warned lightly.
He realized that it was a mild threat as I hopped down from Yukina's lap, which she didn't object to verbally. I padded forward before a pair of legs got in my way in each direction. I looked up to find that it was the group that had chased me to this temple. A growl slipped out of my lips and my hackles rose wearily.
"Get out of my way." I ordered and the one facing me grinned.
"No way in hell." He stated.
The muscles in my legs bunched up tightly as I prepared to spring above all of them. I wasn't sure who noticed but I didn't care. If I wanted them to move, I'd rather they get out of my way before I hurt them.
"The same fog applies to the four of you, if you hadn't thought of that." I warned. "And at this close of range, even that demon's heat won't be enough to ward off my cold."
I felt the higher temperature nudge against the ends of my fur and I stomped one of my front paws hard. A wave of cold tore from my body and hit everyone in the room. Ice appeared on inanimate objects, and frost touched the clothes around me. Koenma made a shivering noise before he dusted the frost off of himself lazily.
"Alright Shimo, stop showing off. I really need you to get serious for me." Koenma told me.
I twitched both of my ears in annoyance but I called the wave of cold back to my body. It came without complaint as I hopped back onto Yukina's lap. She began brushing down my hairs softly as I licked at my paws to clean them.
"I'll tell you what you want to know," I began with a grin. "If you explain why you sent these… dummies to chase me first."
"Hey! What are you calling us that for?" One of the four shrieked at me.
I glared at the orange haired one for saying that and he was silenced immediately by it. My tail thumped from side to side leisurely as I scratched one of my ears roughly because of a vicious itch.
"I'm only stating the truth. I absolutely hate demons and humans that follow the orders of Koenma. The four of you are fools for chasing after me when I'm sure you don't have an idea of who I am and what I do." I remarked.
Deadly silence entered the room as I noticed that the shortest demon was beginning to draw his sword. Despite all the work Yukina did, my fur began to rise wearily. If he was going to attack, I planned on freezing him right where he stood. Koenma noticed both of our intentions and he sighed a little.
"Well, you were never known for being nice," He muttered while rubbing his forehead. "I sent Yusuke and his team to find you because you took something that was never meant to come across your hands."
My ears twitched worriedly as I cast my eyes to stare up at the prince. Judging from how serious his brown eyes were, he wasn't acting. He meant what he said. I finally cocked my head slightly to produce confusion while thumping my tail against the floor again.
"What wasn't I supposed to find? You do know that once I've taken something, I'm not likely to return it no matter what, right?" I asked Koenma.
"Yes, I realize that, Shimo. But this is something that if my father ever finds out, he'd destroy all of the worlds just to get it back."
"He can destroy them all for I care. He'll never find me and he won't get whatever it is back if we all die." I countered.
Koenma gritted his teeth behind his pacifier and I smirked a little because I knew I was frustrating him. This was always the entertaining part of ever interacting with the prince. He got annoyed with me way too easily.
"You stole the Winter's Bane from the ice realm Shimo! Not only that, but you took the snow gem from one of my generals! It was supposed to be delivered to me." He grumbled.
My ears twitched in agitation and the room chilled once more. Everyone in the area felt it as I glared at the prince to show my anger.
"Well color my fur black! You know nothing of snow gems, do you?" I barked.
I flicked my tail and jumped back onto Yukina, where my bag was. She and everyone else watched me open the bag with my fangs and I slipped out the snow gem with the ice demon's help. Everyone was staring at the ice blue orb as I placed a paw on top of it.
"Snow gems are rare and only the rich ever have them- or thieves like me," I began while rolling it slowly, "They're used solely for the purpose of generating enough coldness for us ice apparitions to live outside of the ice realm. I stole this one because I needed it for… well, let's just say something very selfish."
I was stared at with wide expressions and I rolled my eyes at them. The snow gem continued to dance underneath my paw as I licked my lips. I hadn't eaten for some time now. My stomach was beginning to ache with pangs for hunger. Mostly for meat, but I wasn't truly that picky. I turned my head towards Genkai and she looked at me expectantly.
"Do we have any food? Last time, I had to go hunt just to survive here!" I exclaimed.
"Yukina went and stocked up a few days ago. Go check the fridge if you're that hungry." She retorted.
I groaned but hopped down from Yukina's lap as she held the snow gem in her hands. My paws danced across the wooden surface as I made my way to the kitchen. All eyes were on me so I flicked my tail lazily just to send a rush of cold in every direction. I heard several shiver from the chill but I merely smirked and made my way into the kitchen.
I spotted the white fridge and I raced towards it, but stopped short when I realized with my height, there was no way I could open the refrigerator. Growling in annoyance, I paced back and forth, debating on whether or not to shift my form. Before I had to come to a choice, a sound pricked my ears. Someone was opening the fridge door. My head turned to see that it was the orange haired human. He grinned down at me as my ears twitched in confusion at his actions.
"Can't have you running on an empty stomach now can we?" One of the others told me. I frowned at him but I hadn't really put much effort in it.
"Don't expect me to be all nice now that you are helping me get food. I maybe short now, but I'm smarter than you might think." I remarked while jumping into the fridge, sniffing out the meat I sought.
I heard snickering from one of the teenagers as I bit down on what looked to be raw steak. Without pause, I got out of the fridge and the orange haired boy shut it for me. My eyes glanced up at the boy with red hair that reeked of fox scent. He stared down at me with his green eyes and I didn't make a move at all. I became as still as a statue.
"Shimo, I don't know why you've come to the human realm, but you have to return to the Forest of Winter." Koenma said to me.
The raw meat fell from my jaws as I spun around and growled angrily with my hackles raised. This was taken as a threat and everyone but the prince, Yukina, and Genkai prepared to attack me if I struck. My teeth snapped together at one point and made a sharp clack together.
"I won't go back! I haven't gone for several hundred years. What makes you think I'll change my mind?" I barked.
"Maybe because I've got a Spirit Detective and his team here to force it on you if you don't comply." Koenma retorted.
My lips rose once again to reveal stark white teeth as the familiar ice cold fog appeared around all of us slowly. Even if it had just appeared, ice was starting to cling to several inanimate objects like the counter or the fridge.
"Have you forgotten that no matter who you send, I slip away from them? I'm not a fox for no reason!"
"But this time I have a fox demon, a fire demon, a half demon, and Kuwabara!"
If Koenma wasn't the prince of Spirit World, I would have ripped his throat out for that last sentence. He knew it too and that was the horrible part of it.
"I'm not the puny lower B class demon I was the last time we met." I muttered.
"If anything, you've become a high C rank now."
That was a low blow that damaged my pride. Koenma knew it even before I pushed off the ground and bit into his arm. My coldness swam into him from my fangs and before anyone could even try to grab me, I darted away and placed myself beside Genkai. I was glared at by nearly everyone and I scowled right back.
Hiei sent a burst of heat in my direction and I sped away and landed right against Yukina, who I knew wouldn't take kindly to being hit by a wave of high temperatures. And just like I thought, the fire demon wasn't going to touch either of us now.
"I don't take kindly to people insulting my rank. The cold should wear off within the day, Koenma. But by that time, you won't have a clue on where I am." I said while putting my bag around my neck once again.
"Well aren't you confident that we won't find you." The slick-backed teen stated.
"I know you guys won't find me. No one has ever seen me twice unless I wanted them to."
He grinned down at me at that point and then he kneeled down to my level while I reached out a paw and extended my claws to grab the steak I was starving for. But before I got it, the fire demon snatched it into his hands, which earned him a growl from me.
"Tell you what: You can go out and hide and if we find you before the week is up, you have to explain who you are and what you were doing in the Human World." He told me.
"And if you guys can't find me?" I questioned.
"Then Koenma leaves you alone no matter what excuse he cooks up."
"Yusuke don't say that! What if the Human World is threatened like it was with Toguro and Sensui? Shimo is a strong asset and would be perfect-!"
I barked at the ruler and he shut up almost instantly. I stared at him for a few seconds before turning back to stare at the boy Koenma had called Yusuke. My eyes traveled up and down in a manner that showed dislike. He smelled of half-demon, which meant he wasn't fully human or fully demon. But I had heard stories of the famous Yusuke Urameshi, stories that used to frighten me. Now, they just make me laugh.
"You all think you'll find and capture me in two days? Don't you know who you are speaking to?" I asked in a mocking tone.
"Um… a fox?" The orange one stuttered out.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, a fox. And as one of you knows, we foxes tend to be very cunning and swift."
The red head nodded his head at my meaning. Yusuke and the others glanced at their fox as I turned to stare at Yukina. She was smiling at me but I knew that she understood what was going on. My tail flicked back and forth leisurely as I pawed at the bag around my throat again.
"After the two days, I'll come back here and we can hang out like we used to. Does that sound good?" I asked her.
"Oh yes, it sounds very good," She replied. "I hope the days pass swiftly then."
I smiled towards her and danced my way towards the edge of the house where the forest resided. I could feel everyone staring at me so I stopped while twitching both of my ears with a smirk growing on my lips.
"And if you think you can catch me off guard or in my human form, you are very wrong. I'm not stupid. I know exactly what I'm doing." I said before jumping down and racing off into the forest.