I am wealthy in my friends – William Shakespeare

Chapter One: Nothing is Ever Gonna Be the Same

Ran's POV

I felt a sharp pain inside my stomach. It hurt from the inside. I didn't need to look down to know that I was bleeding. I knew how it felt to be injured with a sword, even this badly. However, this really was the worse of the worse. This was the end. I knew it. There was only so long that you could dance with the death before she had enough. Oddly dying wasn't the scariest part. The scariest part was the silence. Why couldn't I hear anything? Why was there no noise?

I blinked. My eyes opened once more revealing the blue sky upon me, not a single lonely cloud.

I blinked again, and a tall figure appeared in front of her.

A tall, white haired figure with golden eyes and little animal-like ears.

A demon. A youkai.

'How do you feel? Would you like something to drink?' asked one of the stewardesses in English with a trick accent. I stirred in my seat.

'Oh, sorry, were you asleep?' she asked with an apologizing look on her face.

Blinking I looked around. I was in a plane heading home to Japan.

All the stewardesses and the captains were acting very nice toward me. The captain even came to chat while I was in the airport and made sure that I would be okay. He even offered to show me the captain cabin before the flight, but I didn't feel like it. I wasn't sure if they heard about what happened or if it was because I was the only child on the plane. Staff was always nice just never this nice.

'Okay, we'll be landing shortly so put the seatbelt back on, alright?'

I nodded and did as told. I could have told her and the others that I could easily speak Japanese but since they tried really hard to speak English I didn't bother. Maybe I just didn't feel like talking Japanese cause then everyone could talk to be. The last thing I wanted was to talk about what happened right now.

The only one I spoke about dad was Matilda and the old woman pressed my hands together and made me promise I wouldn't talk about it or they might think I was crazy and sent me far away into some hospital. So when the police came, I told them the same thing John did. There was an intruder in the house. He came into my room. I scream. Dad came, he stabbed him. John shot the intruder. He still got away. There was really no easy way to say a youkai sucked out blood from my dad through a large and long tentacle coming from his chest, and when John shot him it just vanished into the thin air. I covered my face again. I didn't understand where was my mom! Why didn't she come? Matilda called her. She didn't even speak to me when I asked Matilda to give me the phone. Why did she made me fly alone?

When we finally arrived to the airport in Japan, I wanted to crawl under the covers and wake up back in Washington where my dad would have been still alive because he wasn't dead. He just didn't get killed by a youkai in my room in front of my eyes. He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't! He didn't!

'Oi! Ran!' called someone and I turned to the sound of the voice. The woman who was waving at me looked exactly like my mom, but she wasn't.

'Baba?' I asked confused when I saw her walking toward me. My grandma and my mom rarely spent time together if they could avoid it. In fact I haven't seen my grandma in about a year because she and my mom had a fight over something again.

'What happened? Where's mom?' I asked suddenly terrified that something happened to mom as well. The old woman put her hands on my shoulders, 'Your mom went somewhere for a while to calm herself down a bit. You know how emotional she can be.' I blinked more than confused because my mom was many things but emotional was not one of them.

My grandma hugged me brushed my back and whispered, 'I'm so sorry, Ran. Your dad was a very good man more than you ever known and can ever imagine. He loved you every much and if it was up to him he would be with you every single day.'

I started crying. I cried the three whole days in the hospital after it happened, at the funeral, and then in the cab to the airport when we passed our house at one point. I thought I was done crying for a while but obviously that was not the case. I cried when John shot it. I cried when Matilda called my mom. I just cried every time. I remembered my dad's eyes looking at me.

I just felt so devastated. I knew I would never see him again. I mean, he was dead. Inside a sealed coffin. It wasn't fair. I wanted to see him. I wanted to see my dad. I felt this terrible pain inside me that didn't want to go away for any reason, but it was okay. I wanted to pain I would take all of it if I could see him. Just one more time. Just once smiling at me again like he used to or hugging me or just…something. Just…I want my daddy!

My granny started stroking my hair. I was grateful. I was grateful for her, her warm hands, her soft voice but mostly for the feeling she brought with her when she came to me.

A feeling of not being completely alone, a feeling of having at least someone look out for you… still I wanted my dad! I wanted my parents! I wanted to wake up from this nightmare! Why couldn't I wake up!

Please…wake up!

Of course nothing happened. I didn't magically wake up and my dad wasn't magically alive. I tried to tell Keiko, Ken and Yusuke, but they all just looked weirdly at me probably thinking it was shock. My friends didn't believe me, and very soon I stopped talking about it because Matilda was right if I didn't people would think I was crazy and they would want to take me away. It wasn't like they were being insensitive. After a while I didn't blame them that they didn't believe me when I had no real proof. I wished I could let myself believe it was all in my head, but it wasn't. That much I knew.

My mom finally came to pick me up from my grandparents' house about a week and something later. She didn't look sorry for leaving or too sad. She hugged me and said that it would be okay and that I was very brave and strong. She didn't speak about my dad, but then again she never spoke about him while he was alive either. As a kid I assumed it was normal that some parents just weren't together, but I always wondered why mine ended up the way they did. Did my dad wanted to be a senator so bad he left a woman carrying his child on the other side of the world? Did my mother not want to leave her great job at the University? She was always a free spirit always causing trouble everywhere she went maybe she wouldn't look too well next to an American Senator.

Either way, things were strange. She acted like truly nothing happened, and I wanted nothing more than for her to talk to me about it. She didn't. She didn't wear black, she didn't look sad. The only acknowledgment about what happened was me staying home for the summer. I guess I thought that my mom did all the things she usually did when I was away for the summer. I was wrong. She didn't. She had her own life, and I slowly started to realize that my mom wasn't very much like other moms either. It was barely a month after dad's dead that she left me alone for the night. I was so terrified, I didn't sleep that night thinking that some other youkai would come again, but this time no one would have stopped him. I ended up running away to Ken's house.

He was having one of the best months since I knew him. He hadn't gone to the hospital at all. He lived in a second floor house which had a tree near his window. Yusuke and I used to play there until Ken's parents got worried that we would fall down and hurt ourselves. It was easy to climb up. Almost like old times.

I got up and knocked on the window briefly amusing myself thinking that I probably scared the shit out of him.

He opened the curtain very slowly, and I jerked toward the window. I watched as he fell backward trying to get away. He probably thought something came for him.

I barely contained my laughs. When he opened the window he didn't look amused, 'You're a bad person, Ran.'

I shot him a grin, 'I know. That's why you have to be good for the both of us.'

He rolled his eyes. Keiko and Ken always said something about Yusuke and I being the evil partners in crime in our group while they were the good guys. Maybe it was true. But you should consider that no bad guy is as bad as when a good guy goes bad.

He sighed losing the annoyed expression, 'Why are you here?'

I shrugged my shoulders, 'No reason.' I didn't feel like talking about mom right now. I still didn't know what her absence meant. Did she not care what I was going through? Or did she not think that it was important. I wondered if maybe I was over dramatic, but then again my dad died. I needed my mom.

I looked up at Ken. There was something between us. Like with all my friends there was always an understanding. Mom once told me that friends tend to grow apart. I couldn't imagine that really.

'Come on, I don't think I will be able to sleep anyway,' admitted one of my best friends, 'I thought I was going to die of a heart attack.'

I grinned, 'Nailed it.'

He sneaked me into his room, and I slept in his old sleeping bag that night. We walked until I didn't fall asleep. Since then Ken probably became my favorite person to go to when I was scared to be alone. Being on my own while my mom did whatever the hell she did wasn't so bad. After school Yusuke was always around getting into trouble with.

'Got off me you, punk!' he shouted as he punched another boy who tried to fight with him. He kicked one's ass as they were running away.

'That kid is insane!' shouted the boy as he and his friends ran while I was drinking juice watching them from the bench as Yusuke was finishing him.

Yusuke was only eleven, a year younger than me, but he already made fourteen years olds crap themselves just seeing him.

'You know you could have helped,' he said as he walked up to me, and I handed him his bag.

'I would but you seemed to be having so much fun,' I told him and he smirked at me. Sometimes we walked with Keiko, sometimes she had to go help her parents in the diner so we just stopped there for dinner.

'Yusuke! Did you get into a fight again!' shouted Keiko as we walked in. I chuckled and turned to him, 'Busted!'

He shot me a look right before Keiko got in his face.

'Why did you got into a fight?!'

'They came after me!'

'So you had to get a new clean uniform dirty? You should have run,' she said crossing her arms.

'Me? Run? Are you insane? I don't run! I'm Urameshi Yusuke.'

I looked up at Keiko's dad, 'Hello, Yukimura-san.'

He smiled down at me and put a plate with just made ramen in front of me and a pair of chopsticks, 'How was school?' he asked as we ignored Keiko and Yusuke's arguing.

'It was okay. Just a few more days though.'

'Oh, so your mom is really forcing you to switch school?' asked Keiko, I turned around only to find my female friend choking Yusuke, who was slowly turning blue.

I sighed. I seriously didn't know what was up with my mom sometimes, 'Yeah, some fancy school that I will probably hate.'

Keiko let go of Yusuke, and they both walked toward me to eat as well, Yusuke brushing his neck and mumbling something about angry women.

'Too bad you can't go to our school,' said Keiko sounding said. I smiled at her. It felt oddly good to know that someone actually wanted you in their life.

Yusuke sat down next to me as Keiko's dad handed him his place, 'Thank you. You should feel sadder. They have green uniforms in your new school.'

I shot him a look, 'You wear green all the time.'

'Yeah cause I look so good in it. You'll look like a frog,' he teased, and I stabbed him with my chopstick into the hand.

'Au, Ran!'

I turned back to Keiko, 'We wouldn't even be in the same class.' I would have been a year higher than them. We both sighed and Yusuke and I started to eat talking about school, and what was new. After that we were take our things, and walk to Ken's house. Keiko and I would do our homework while Yusuke and Ken passed time talking about he got to beat up today, and then we would play tag or on take turns on Ken's new computer. When I would look up I could see how much Ken enjoyed being around us and that we spent time with him. In all honesty those were my favorite times.

'Why can't I go to my old school? Or at least to the school Keiko and Yusuke go to?' I demanded as we walked to my new school with my mom. A few months ago Ken had to be homeschooled since he was taken into hospital again too often. My mom did a lot of drastic changes in my life. She forbidden me from seeing granny, and I more occasions she wouldn't come home at night. Some nights when Ken was in the hospital I would stay at home and read a horror book. I know this may seemed crazy, but being scared of lake monsters was more comforting than thinking about youkai who could eat me.

'Ran, we talked about this,' said my mom annoyed.

I frowned at that, 'No, we didn't you always said next year and then never let me transfer.'

I stopped, and she frowned, 'Ran, we're going to be late?'

'Why can't I go to the same school as Yusuke and Keiko? I don't understand don't you like them?' I asked confused. My mom always encouraged me to play with them for some reason. Sure, she probably didn't hear the other parents forbidding their kids to play with Yusuke, but-

She watched me for a moment before she nodded and sighed, 'Fine, you want to know. It's because your granny, and I already decided that you will go to my old high school after middle school.'

I honestly didn't get it, 'So?' This was bull. Because we haven't spoken to granny in a while. Last time she came she bought Yusuke, Keiko and Ken a bunch of things and they told me that she wanted them to call her and tell her things about me. I honestly didn't understand my family from time to time. I didn't however called her out on it as I wanted to know more.

'Look, if I let you go to school with Yusuke and Keiko it will be that much harder for you to go to a different school then they will after middle school.'

I frowned, 'So this is your idea of spearing me more pain?'

She let out an upset noise, she only let out when I really got to her, 'Ran, you don't have to understand it. You just have to do as I say. I'm your mother.'

Coming from a woman who constantly argued with her own mother, ran from home when she was eighteen, never got married and had a child out of marriage that was very hypocritical.

I looked down at the green uniform. I looked like a frog. (Shut up, Yusuke!) I wondered what dad would say about for a moment before I looked up at her. I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of her others anymore, at least not in school.

'You can go to work, I'll walk on my own,' I told her and walked pass her. She didn't follow me, and when I turned around she was already walking to the other side of the street. It was the last time she ever walked me to school. I missed it every day, but when I asked her about it she claimed she would have been late to work if she did.

I stopped in front of the school entrance when I noticed one of the janitors talking to a teacher. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Ever since the night in my room I tried it a few time, but it never worked very well. Sometimes if I tried hard enough or looked at people for a longer time I could see something around them. A glow? A smoke? I wasn't sure cause it was really hard to see it at times but it was mostly lightly blue except for that one time…the first time I ever saw it… that one wasn't blue it was red like blood and it looked nothing like the ones I saw on other people…it looked hideous.

I opened my eyes, and the janitor was had a very light blue glow around him. I watched it for a moment before I walked to the school. I was supposed to meet with the guidance counselor before I would go to class. The guidance counselor, an elder woman with kind eyes walked me to the class explaining everything she could think up and offering three times to come and talk or ask if I wanted to. I think I could like her someday if we spent more time together.

The teacher stopped the talking the moment we entered the room. The whole class was silent and everyone's eyes were on me. I never felt so…I don't know watched? Exposed. Outside, I could leave it if people were staring too much. Here I had to stay and face it. I looked around the room. There were about twenty and something people in the room and everyone was looking at me as if I was just about to perform a magic trick.

'Sensei, this is the student we spoke about,' said the woman and pushed me a bit so the teacher could have a look at me.

'Quiet, everyone,' said the sensei, 'how about you introduce yourself?'

I nodded and then turned to the class bowing slightly before I said, 'Hajimemashite, uh, my name is Fujioka Ran, Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.'

Everyone was quiet all of the sudden. I guess they didn't like the trick. I couldn't help a small grimace before the teacher continued, 'Very well. You will be sitting with Minamino. Please raise your hand, Minamino-kun.'

A boy in the back raised his hand. I nodded at him and then at the woman and walked over to the boy with his hand still raised. It was odd because a wave of whispers followed me. That wasn't odd I was expecting to it but what was weird was that most of it wasn't the fact that I was here at all but that I was going to sit with the boy, Minamino. Girls were especially looking a bit envy. Great, I was going to sit with some loverboy-

However, none of that mattered because the moment I came too close to him I saw it. The glow. Red glow.

I swallowed hard with my eyes widened. He had a red glow. A glow which looked like a freaking fox. It was red.

Dad.

Screaming.

Crying.

Blood.

Was he the one? No John shot that one… but he didn't die he disappeared. I was afraid all the time now, but it didn't occur to me that he might have followed me home. Stupid, of course it could come back. What in a world would stop it? Not telling people what really happened was all of the sudden the stupidest choice ever.

I didn't even realize when have I sat down but I was grateful for it because standing in front of him would have looked weird and I wanted nothing more than for him not to notice that I can see right through him.

My hands were shaking and I was desperate to keep them in check. I was sure he noticed and couldn't help but think the worst about him knowing. I looked in front of me and almost lost it. I could see everyone's glows. It was the most terrifying thing yet. I usually had to focus like hell to get to see them but right now they were clear as ever without me even trying or wanting to see them.

Kami, what is happening?

'Is everything okay?' I suddenly heard a voice close to me ask, and I was tempted not to look. Yet, I couldn't ignore it because I didn't want to be more suspicious than I was before.

I tried not to take a too obvious breath and look at him again. I could see how he looked. It wasn't like I only saw his glow. He was really cute so it was no doubt he was a loverboy. Probably half the class jealous over me being the one to sit next to him. He had really beautiful red hair that even I was envying and nice green eyes. He was looking at me calmly but curious and maybe a little bit guarded like he was expecting me to be trouble. The fox was also staring right at me scary as hell which only made me more nervous as it was clear he could be dangerous…just as my last youkai.

Nodding I turned back to the board. I was sitting next to a youkai. It was surreal. Not all were supposed to be bad of course. Mom told me plenty of folklore stories when I was younger. But were they really youkai? This was the same one as the other one. The other one didn't even look human definitely not a kid and his glow didn't look like a fox.

I didn't talk with the boy. I was too terrified. I didn't like sitting with him. I stared at him and felt weird about this glow around him. Never mind the point that I could actually see a glow. His glow was looking at me… could it be that if I could see the glow the glow could like see me as well?

I couldn't wait for the first ring to go off so I could get as far away from him as possible. I guess it was true what mom said pretty boys were trouble.

Kurama's POV

There was a change. Ever since I decided to stay with my mother in the human world, I started to try a little bit harder. It was easy to have good grades learning about the human world was actually interesting. There were still some boring moments, but I grow to enjoy the peace of my new life. I liked Shiori walking me to school very proudly, wishing me good luck as if I needed it, classes and school last by quickly, then I returned home where my mom liked to ask me about how was my day. I liked my calm human life now. I liked living with my mother only from time to time feeling guilty whenever I caught the sight of her scarred arm. However, it was that sight which was the ultimate evidence of her love.

It was a normal school day which went on quite normally. Mother walked me to school, in the class several of my female classmates would come to talk to me during the class. Some bolder than other asking me directly if I wanted to be their boyfriends. I gave them all a nervous look declining or trying to laugh it out without looking too annoyed or unpleasant. Slowly it was clear that human girls had a tendency to be interested in handsome boys even middle school kids.

When the first class started it didn't look like it was going to be such a different day then the rest. Then the door opened and we all looked up as an elderly woman, our guidance council, brought in a little girl with black hair and the very grey eyes.

'Sensei, this is the student we spoke about,' she said and pushed the little girl a bit so the teacher could have a look at her.

She was obviously our new classmate. She appeared to be half Japanese only which immediately made everyone look and whisper about her.

'Quiet, everyone,' said the sensei, 'how about you introduce yourself?'

The girl nodded and then turned to the class, 'Hajimemashite, uh, my name is Fujioka Ran, Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.'

Everyone was left silent as the girl had no accent what so ever and spoke in perfect Japanese. She smiled a bit awkwardly before she turned to the sensei who nodded, 'Very well. You will be sitting with Minamino. Please raise your hand, Minamino-kun.'

I quickly raised my hand. I was partly expecting this since I was the only one with an empty seat. The girl nodded at the sensei and walked up to me before she sharply stopped her eyes widened. It was the first time since I merged with this human soul that I sensed such a strong spark of spiritual energy. She must have a very gifted spiritually aware child that I could sense the energy even in my still weak state.

She swallowed a bit as she nervously sat down her fear not leaving her. Everything from the way she trembled to how she smelled like she was going to throw up told me that she knew exactly who I was. I met people with similar reactions to me. It used to be a game to make my preys fear me so utterly as well as it was a sign of power.

'Is everything okay?' I asked. However, now it was anything, but good to know that someone even a child knew that I wasn't human. It made me worried a bit. She could jeopardize everything.

She took a moment to take a deep breath before she looked at me and nodded. She had a weird wait of looking at me. As if she wasn't looking directly at me, but at something in front of me. She instantly turned back to the board.

There was one thing for sure.

She knew. This little girl knew who I was despite not having any abilities right now, she knew that I was really a youkai. Did she knew which one or was she just spiritually aware like that. She didn't panic or scream or anything which would alarm the others. It could mean that I wasn't her first encounter with a youkai. What surprised me was that she didn't try to sit away or ask to leave. In this world people rarely believed in the surpernatural. To them it was all just nightmares and old fairy tales to make the kids listened to them. Shiori also used to say that onibaba would come if I didn't eat meat. It wasn't as much as I didn't want to eat as much as I was doing it to push her limits. Shiori could be very amusing when she was trying to hold her temper. Anyway, perhaps the girl believed that she was simply crazy which was an oddly unsettling thought for a little child to believe to be not in her right mind.

We preceded the class in silence. We didn't speak. I observed the girl next to me. She was too scared to be a real treat, but she could easily give in and unfortunately reveal something she shouldn't.

I pulled out a book to read at one point of our breaks. I wasn't sure if I was trying to calm her nerves or my own. When our classmates came to introduce themselves, I paid attention to what they were talking about despite not lifting my eyes from the book.

'Are you American Japanese?' asked Kazu, who was never a very subtle child. The girl shifted a bit, 'Yeah.'

'Are you from New York did you meet any celebrities?' he pressured while Emiko shove him a bit, 'Don't be stupid not everyone is from New York.'

I heard Ran let out an embarrassed laugh, 'She's right. I'm lived in Washington for a while, but I also live her for a few years. I traveled a lot.'

'That's so cool!' said Asami, 'Is your dad like businessman?'

The girl visibly tensed. I could only assume it was a recent tragedy which caused this tension, 'Uh, no, and my mom is a professor in the Uni here,' she explained. She didn't say what her father was doing for living so it was obvious something happened there.

'That book has a second part?' asked the girl, and I blinked as I realize she was now talking to me.

I looked up at her and nodded, 'Yes, it's about the youngest son.'

Her eyes lightened up a bit. They were very grey indeed, 'I thought so. They mentioned his in the end.'

I nodded again, and she swallowed the fear returning before she looked away.

Asami, one of the girls who loved to chat with me before the class, instantly took interest in the book, 'What's the book about?'

I wondered if I should tell her maybe she would lose her interest in me if she thought I was into horror things, 'It's a detective story.'

Ran turned to me with a very disproved look saying that she knew all too well that I was lying. I found it rather amusing. She seemed to have forgotten her fear for that moment before she turned away once again. This would be very annoying.

She changed the conversation by asking the others to introduce themselves, and I returned to the girl paying close attention to her.

Ran's POV

I wanted to run out of the class room as soon as I would hear the first bell. Unfortunately, just my luck once the bell actually went off half of my new classmates cornered our desk.

Oh, man, why?

In the end it wasn't so bad, but I had this feeling that at least one of the girls who came, Asami, wasn't interested in me as much as she was interested in Minamino. Detective story. Yeah, right. I literally couldn't stop to look at him with an are you kidding me look because that was putting it very gently.

To put it gentle. It was the scariest thriller possible. I didn't use to like horrors and stuff but ever since my dad died there was something about it that made me seek out the violence. Maybe it was just the experience. Maybe I shouldn't be doing it and be scared of it but…it somehow felt good to know that I wasn't the only one who was suffering. Somehow…it felt good to paint my own memories with horror scenes of other people. If felt good to be afraid of something as a book than what could be watching me this moment from the seat next to mine or window.

'Oh, maybe I could borrow it later then?' asked the girl looking at Shuuichi.

He looked up at her and smiled but instantly returned back to his book without a single word. It wasn't exactly unfriendly or rude but it felt cold. Like he didn't want to really deal with her. Or any of us for that manner.

I looked at the girl, 'You haven't even introduced yourself, by the way.'

They immediately took the cue and started saying their names and what they liked and didn't like and wish me to have a great time in my new school. I wasn't entirely sure how are you supposed to have a great time in school but what the hell? It's what people say all the time.

The class went on and I was more than happy that he didn't try to talk to me. I didn't either. He was just sitting next to me. Watching me but not doing anything if I wasn't. And I sure as hell wasn't.

I couldn't rush faster out of the class even if I wanted to. I still didn't know what to do. I just wished I wouldn't have to see him for another day. I didn't have such look as I had to see him the next day as well, and the next and the next.

I was very jumping walking home since mom didn't come for me. I couldn't even make it home and ended up in Keiko parents' dinner until it was too late and Keiko's dad had to walk me home. To my shook mom wasn't home when I came. She was home when I called her that I was in the diner, but she must have left. I crawled into the bed not daring to turn off the light dreaming about red youkai glows and other things. When I woke up in the morning the lights were off so mom had to come home and just turn them off.

She made me breakfast and asked about my day. She dogged all questions I had about where she was and just continued to ask me about the new school. I tried to find some distraction in the fact that I was too focused on her glow. It was a nice blue one like every other human I guess. She didn't walk me to school that day claiming she needed to go to work or she would be late.

I didn't want to think too much about it so I just took my things and left. Outside it was becoming hard to look at people. Everyone had a glow, and I couldn't unseen it. Why was I seeing this? Why were youkai real? Why Kami, oh, why?

School had become a terrible place because I could see everyone's glow, and I couldn't for the love of me get used to it.

'Good morning,' I heard the youkai boy say, and I waved at him before looking away. I wouldn't look at him if I really didn't have to. Maybe I could get someone else to sit with him. I was sure many of the girls in my class were interested in him. Once the class started I tried to ignore the glows around me and failed profoundly as I was slowly getting a headache.

I decided that even though I couldn't talk about it with my mom or friends, who didn't believe me, I had to talk about it with someone.

'I know exactly who you should go talk to,' said Ken as I came to visit him after school. I almost didn't make it too his house since there was too many people everywhere with their stupid glows.

'Yeah?' I asked as we were sitting in his room on his bed talking about my day in school. Since he thought I was pretending and making things up with the glows, he played along for a while, 'Of course, you need to talk to some fortuneteller, or a priest, or a medium.'

I raised my brows at that, but surprisingly it wasn't the worst of all times idea.

'Alright, how does one find a fortuneteller and make an appointment?' I asked. In the next moment both Ken and I were going through the phone book and calling numbers and writing down names and addresses.

'You will have to skip school for them though,' he warned me. No problem a day away from Minamino was a blessing really.

At one point I looked up at him once he finished another call. He even changed his voice a bit so he wouldn't sound like a little boy.

'Hey, why are you helping me Ken?' I asked. He thought it was all a joke or game. I knew he didn't believe me that I actually saw something.

He looked up at me before he smiled. Between Yusuke's cheerful grin and Keiko's soft smile Ken's smile was for some reason my favorite. I always caught him when we were playing that he would just randomly smile at us. It must have been because he often wasn't allowed to play with us that he just had to watch, but he didn't look like he mind too much. He always looked like he was just happy we were there with him.

'Because you're my friend, Ran. If this helps I don't mind looking for fortunetellers. Besides it's actually fun.'

I chuckled and shoved him a little bit, 'Okay, last one.'

I didn't want to look too suspicious so went to school for the rest of the week. On Monday I called in a pretended to be my mom. Even I was surprised they believed me, I was very lucky that mom stopped walking me to school.

In a couple of hours I found out that I wasn't so fortunate in fact I was a very unlucky since I went over a dozen of supposedly monks, psychics and fortunetellers only to come out empty handed.

The next day I had to walk to school again feeling very disappointed and annoyed. I was expecting at least one to know what was wrong with me when all of them just wanted to contact dad and failed since neither knew how he died. Not that it was a typical dead. I felt a tear roll down my cheek remembering it for some reason, and I quickly brushed it away as I stopped in front of my locker to change my shoes.

'Maybe I just look that sad,' I told myself.

'Sad, Ran-chan?' asked Asami, one of the girls who introduced themselves to me on my first day. I looked at her as she just came as well with an embarrassed smile. I really didn't want her to think I was talking to myself or crazy or her to prey about what happened to my dad.

'Sorry, it's a bad habit to talk to myself,' I said before I turned away hoping she would leave it at that. She didn't say anything else, but I could tell she was still looking at me.

'Perhaps, you wish to talk to someone.'

I was tempted not to turn around at all when I heard the second voice. I shouldn't have been able to recognize the voice since we only greeted each other since my first day, but I guess when you didn't like someone you just know. Either way I didn't even need to recognize his voice because the blush on Asami's face was enough to tell me who was speaking.

Turning around I found him putting on a pair of shoes not bothering to look up at me. Why was he talking to me? I thought we were playing the silent household.

'If you're talking to yourself maybe you just wish to talk to someone or like to think outloud,' he looked up at me. I looked at the fox. I wasn't sure why but today it didn't look so terrifying as it did the previous day.

No, it was still scary as hell.

Great, he made me foxphobic.

'It's probably the first one,' I opened my locker.

'Is that what you do Shuichi-kun?' asked Asami instantly losing her focus on me which was good cause in a moment I noticed a small paper inside my locker. I heard the two continue to talk (and until later when I realized he rarely spoke with anyone if he didn't have to), but I was paying them no attention.

I grabbed it. It turned out to be a card. There was a phone number and an address.

Master Genkai psychic, marital trainer

I looked over to Shuichi, but he was just leaving with Asami already. Was he watching me yesterday? How could he possibly know that I was looking for a psychic? Wasn't he as at school as well?

He stopped for the slightest moment and looked over to me. His face was a perfect poker face that would make the best of the gamblers jealous. I swallowed hard unsure of what to do or say or if I should do or say anything at all. Before I could make my mind however, he was gone.

I looked down at the small card and then back at the way he just left. I guess I will be have to pretend to be my mom again tomorrow.

Kurama's POV

Over the past few days I observed many things about Ran. She clearly was new to her powers as she often got headache in class, and started to come earlier to class for some reason. She was getting better at handling my presence, but it was clear she still was very uncomfortable. She tried to hide it, but I had a feeling she knew all too well I knew as well. She would often leave her seat during breaks, I knew it was to stay away from me.

Whenever she would forget about being so afraid she would be just sad. Something clearly happened to the girl before. A tragedy struck close to home. However, I noticed that her abilities were slowly growing. This was under no case good. Her spiritual energy was like a magnet for youkai who would want to eat her. If this continued she could start to draw other youkai attention which could resolve in my discovery as well. In the meantime I was completely defenseless. My abilities very coming back to me very slowly, and apart from some small tricks I doubted I would stand a chance against many opponents right now.

This required me to do something.

I already had a plan in motion. I waited a day to make sure that Fujioka would return to school before I planted a special plant at home. My mother didn't notice it because it wasn't very big and it had the same color as her beloved walls. It took a week for the plant to be ready. I extracted its pulp into a small bottle and I was ready water a bit of Fujioka's food. The plant should cause her spiritual energy to appear hidden for the outside world at least for a short while. I never used it before, so I would have to take my chanced. I knew it wouldn't cause her any harm, which I would very much try to avoid, but I had to keep my existence a secret from the other youkai as long as possible.

I brought it to school on Monday. Fujioka started to came earlier to school, so I was a bit surprised when I saw her on my way to school with my mother not in the green uniform and with a backpack. I stopped which caused my mother to look at me confused.

She walked into a building.

'What is it? Do you want to know your future, Shuichi?' asked my mother with a hint of amusement.

I blinked at her, 'What?'

She nodded at the building, 'That's Madam Gina. She's a fortuneteller.'

I looked at the building again understanding. She was looking for answers. I started to walk so more with my mother.

Later it wasn't hard to find Master Genkai's address and phone number. In the youkai world even being out of it for more than a decade we knew very well about strong psychics such as Master Genkai. I wrote down her number and address before the next class I left it in Fujioka's locker.

Once she found it I started a conversation with Asami observing as Fujioka exanimate the card realizing that I saw her the other day. She was speared a reaction as Asami and I went around the corner, but I could see the shock and confusion written on her face along with a small blush. In many ways she reminded a deer caught in the light in that moment. The sight itself for some reason made my day.

Ran POV's

I had to wait for the weekend to go meet Master Genkai. The thing about an absent parent is that they don't care where you're going.

Keiko's mom brushed my shoulder a bit, 'Are you alright?'

I smiled at her, 'Yeah, just thinking.' I was twelve I still couldn't just go there on my own.

'So what exactly is this Master Genkei supposed to do?' asked Keiko as she stopped by a large map sign. I asked if she and Yusuke wanted to come. Yusuke said he rather stick around with Ken and play on his computer, but I was glad since I sometimes felt really bad for Ken being so left out.

I pressed my lips into a tight smile. I couldn't exactly tell her, 'Help me with what happened to dad.'

Keiko blinked and looked at me before she stepped toward me and hugged me. I hugged her back brushing her back a bit.

'It's fine,' I shrugged, 'I just hope this little adventure wasn't for nothing,' I said brushing my head a bit. It took about two hours to get there by a train. I just wished something would come out of it.

Keiko shook her head as we started to walk, 'It's not so bad. I like that we get to be just the two of us. How is the new school? Anyone worth being friends with?'

I thought about, 'I can't really tell. I've only been there for a two weeks. No one really stood out. There are some girls, but I think they are more interested in hanging around my desk than hanging around me.'

'Why?'

'The boy I sit next to is sort of handsome, and they're all crushing on him. It's a little bit embarrassing since he isn't interested in them.'

'Oh, what's he like?' asked Keiko, and I gave her a strange look. I didn't want to talk about Minamino at all. I had enough that I had to see him every day and his creepy fox glow.

'Coldhearted but polite jerk,' I said without skipping a beat, and she chuckled before shoving me a bit. I was glad Keiko came with me.

However, when I saw the stars that lead to the temple, I seriously thought about turning back.

'Maybe, I should have just gone and seen a therapist?' I asked, but Keiko gave me that motherly look and spoke as a voice of reason, 'We didn't come this far to go back without seeing Master Genkai. Now walk.'

I rolled my eyes, but started walking anyway. After a while however Keiko's mom stopped in the middle of the stairs, 'Girls. This is too much for me.'

I felt a bit guilty as she sit down and drank some water. As a kid you sometimes didn't notice or realize that something was exhausting since you had enough energy.

'Maybe you two could wait for me? It's temple so I'll be fine,' I suggested, and I could see that Keiko's mom was grateful for that.

I left them behind sitting on the stairs admiring the view while I continued to walk upstairs. After a while It was seriously tiring, but as Keiko said we already made it this far also when I turned to look at her and her mom I still could see the blue glows around them.

Upstairs there was a very clean and nice looking temple with a shrine. I looked around. It was so calm and nice there with no one around. For the first time I didn't feel the pressure behind my eyes from all the glows also the air felt way cleaner than in the city.

'Can I help you?' asked a voice behind me. As I turned around I found an old looking woman will shoulder length wavy dressed in martial arts clothing and a purple cap on her cap with the word manji written on top of it.

I blinked. She was so short it surprised me, 'Oh hello? My name is Fujioka Ran.'

I slightly bowed, but the old woman just pulled out a pipe and started smoking, 'And your business here?' she asked completely disinterested which was a seriously a different approach since all the other people I had visited.

'I'm here, because I have a problem with…well I guess something supernatural?' I said unsure. With all the others they just started to assume that what was wrong with me before I said anything so I honestly had no idea what to tell her or how to explain.

She blew out some smoke before she nodded at the temple's door, 'Come in.'

I followed her hoping trying to think up what to say to her.

'Can you lie down for a moment?' she asked while kneeling down on the floor facing me. I blinked confused, but put down my backpack and lied down in front of her.

She looked me up and down for a moment before she raised her hand with her index and middle finger. I watched as she leaned it over my face and very gently tapped my forehead.

In a second the world went black.

The world around me was soundless. Why couldn't I hear anything? Where did all the noise go? I blinked looking around. I was on a field. It was seemingly empty, but from the distance I could see someone looking at me.

I ran up to them, 'Osoi desu!' (You're late)

The person turned out to be an unbelievably tall youkai with long white hair and animal ears.

'Such an impatient little girl.'

I gasped and sat up as I was suddenly back in the temple with Master Genkai looking at me with a poker face expression, 'What was that?!'

My demand was met with a chuckle, 'What was what?'

'That vision or dream or whatever it was? You did that to me, why?'

She looked up at me calmly and stood up, 'You need to start coming every weekend for training.'

She started to walk away, so I quickly got up as well, 'What? Train for what?' She casually stopped and looked at me.

'Defense and offence, girl.'

I followed, 'I don't get it.'

She turned toward me, 'You have to protect yourself if you want to stay alive with a spiritual energy like that.'

I frowned, 'Spiritual energy?'

She blinked before she shook her head, 'Kids these days.'

She walked up back to me and sat down on her knees, and I quickly followed.

'Very well, girl. Every single person you meet can be a spiritually aware one. Most of the people however have very low spiritual awareness kind of like the girl and woman that came with you today,' she started. I was surprised she saw us from all the way up when I didn't see her glow.

'People with high spiritual awareness also have a spiritual energy. This energy is different for each person. It is unique from one to another as for example fingerprints. This energy can be used in many ways from healing to weaponry.'

My mind tried to wrap its self about what she was saying.

She watched me for a moment before she raised her hand. I watched as the glow that was all over her body started to shift a bit and a new glow more white than blue appeared in her hand.

My eyes winded, and I shifted away a bit.

'Did something happen the first time you were spiritually aware?' she asked as I watched her hand. I bite the inside of my cheek. Considering the fact that I didn't speak about it for almost two years, it felt weird to actually talk about it. Not to mention I wasn't sure I wouldn't start crying.

'I'm asking because many people seemed to first experience their abilities during a trauma or a very emotional or physically tiring situation,' she explained, her eyes carefully watching me.

With that being said, I took a deep breath and started.

Once I reached Keiko and her mom again they both were sitting on the stairs looking at the view, 'Did all go well?' asked Keiko's mom as they stood up.

I nodded, 'Yeah, she said I can come for some sessions.'

'Sessions?' asked Keiko curious.

I looked up at her a pulled a bit of a fake smile, 'Yes, apparently I have a lot of unresolved anger, I need to let out.'

Keiko chuckled, 'I could have told you that without having to go through these stairs.'

I shoved her a little bit but smiled some more. We went back home. I casually mentioned it to mom at dinner quickly adding that she didn't have to take me there that I would go on my own. She didn't mind at all.

Ran POV

I was nervously looking at him all first period. Honestly if I was confessing love for him I would have been less nervous than I was now. I looked at him for what seemed like the millionth time and rolled my eyes.

'Jesus, I'm acting like a fan girl,' I mumbled.

'Huh?' he looked at me.

I shook my head, 'Nothing…look...thank you for that card. I'm grateful.'

'What card?' he asked and I would almost believe him. Almost.

I sighed, 'I knew you would brush it off anyway but I'm not telling you this to act upon it or something. I'm telling you this to know that it means something.'

Lately, I've been playing with the thought that maybe he wasn't like the one that attacked me before. Maybe he was actually…decent? I wouldn't say nice since he was could be quite a jerk to his fangirls. Even if he didn't want to.

'And that I own you. So what do you want?'

He didn't say anything for a while just kept on watching me like with his observant eyes, 'What makes you think I'm the type to brush off a thank you?'

I raised my brows at him, 'Because you got this whole I'm really bored and don't want to be here look on your face all the time.'

He blinked again at that.

'Oh, I didn't realize this,' he said and I shot him a look 'seriously'.

Sighing I decided that whatever so I took my seat.

'Was it a thank you card?' he asked and I mentally had to hold myself not to slap my head against the desk.

I grimace but looked up at the fox glow around him, 'No, a get well soon card.'

The fox shifted a bit, and I had to wonder if it was amused. I looked back to the board and seriously wonder about everything I knew so far.

I had to look at him once more. I was afraid, I was terrified, but he did something nice for me. (Well, if you consider something nice by getting me a spiritual teacher who killed me every weekend with training worse than a mortal combat contestant then yeah, he did something really nice.) But I didn't know that at the time.

'A part of me wants to ask,' I said all of the sudden, and he remained quiet, 'But a part knows that it might be worse than anything I can imagine.'

I looked at him. Green met gray.

'Then why would you want to ask?' asked Shuichi.

'Because it feels worse not to know.'

His eyes were so big and so cold, 'You'll be afraid.'

'I'm pretty sure I'm afraid right now.'

He shook his head, 'No, you're not. You think you are, but you don't know real fear. You're just a child.'

'Does that mean that you're not?' I asked before I could stop myself. Damn it. I didn't want to think about it, about him. But how could I not? There was a youkai in my class, who I know nothing about and couldn't do anything about. Well, I did tell Master Genkai, but she seemed to be disinterested about it.

'If an youkai wants to kill you he will. If he hadn't try it yet, he doesn't want to.'

He just kept on looking at me for a moment his eyes cold and the fox dreadfully.

'How about my favor will be that you won't ask.' It wasn't a question.

I nodded before I turned back to the board. I could sense from the corner of my eyes that he did the same, but the fox kept on looking at me and into. I was certain it knew every inch of me, and that was scary.

'Oh my God,' I sighed as I opened my lunch box only to find another note in a few days. Ken was starting to serious piss me off. I should explain. Because Ken was homeschool most of his life, and neither us could be with him when we were in school. He easily got bored. He was very smart, and often enjoyed riddles. So he started giving some to Keiko to put them in our lunch boxes so we could try and solve them. (Yeah, mom started to go to work extra early so she didn't have time, and Keiko's mom really liked when Yusuke and I eat at the diner.) Very soon we found out that it was the worst thing ever because the riddles we TERRIBLY HARD! I was almost dreading the new riddles because I knew I would give up.

Shuichi looked over at me with a bit of a confusion, 'Was is it?' We haven't spoken much after establishing that we both knew about each other and that we both should about talking about each other. I was fine with that.

I hand him over the paper, 'My friend is homeschool so he gets incredibly bored sometimes. What goes through towns and over hills, but never moves?'

The redhead blinked before he smirked a little bit, 'It's a riddle.'

'Yeah, he humors himself by making me and two of our other friends riddles when we're in school,' I said and dug into my food, 'It's not that I mind, but sometimes he just makes them too hard for me.'

He put the piece of paper next to me, 'How old is he?'

'Oh,' I coughed a bit, 'He's our age. He just goes over things quickly with his tutor,' I opened the paper again.

'Gosh, last time it took me day-'

'It's a road.'

I shot him an annoyed look, 'Seriously?'

'What goes through towns and over hills, but never moves?' he repeated, 'It's a road.'

He shrugged his shoulders and started to eat as well. I watched him for a moment before I looked to the front, 'How can someone so annoying have so many fangirls?'

'I'm sure it has nothing to do with my personality,' he muttered, and I smirked, 'Oh you think this is bad we should wait till you're 15. I'm positive there will be riots.'

H shivered a bit, and I couldn't help a victory smirk, 'Besides it's not like they can see the real you.'

I guess that was my mistake because he immediately looked at me with a stern look, 'And what would that be.'

I swallowed hard and not just the bread I had, 'I can't tell you.'

He frowned, 'Why not?'

I gave him a sweet smile hearing my own heart somewhere in my throat, 'I own you not to talk about these things.'

Before he could say anything I unfolded the paper, 'I didn't tell anyone, and I won't. I doubt anyone would believe me anyway.'

He sighed, 'That's not something to worry about.'

I blinked and looked at him, 'You should worry about people being in danger by knowing.'

That caught me off guard. I knew that I had to try and stop telling Keiko and the others about, but I assumed it had more to do with them thinking I'm a basket case. He was right though Master Genkai explain to me that youkai got drawn to spiritual energy. Something which happened with my dad.

I frowned a bit and looked at him, 'Do you feel it too?'

He turned toward me, 'I mean can you feel that I'm spiritually aware,' I mostly mouthed those words than said them out loud, but the fox still heard me loud and clear.

'Yes, and it's growing every day by a little bit, but still enough.'

I turned back to my food. Just like that I wasn't hungry at all, and I would rather run to Master's place than wait here in the open.

'It's good to be couscous, but you should know that there aren't that many youkai.'

I shook my head, 'You're here and that is something.'

We didn't talk again until a couple of days later.

'So he got it on the first guess?' asked Ken a bit surprised when I told him about how Shuichi figured out his riddle in less than a minute. I didn't tell him about the rest of the things just that I decided to train martial arts with a Martial arts master on Saturdays and that the boy who I was sitting with was a little bit annoying.

I was partly expecting my best friend to be disappointed, but he just shook his head with a huge smile, 'I have to prepare something really great for him.'

'What?' I asked looking up from a bracelet Keiko was showing me while Yusuke dug into the cookies Ken's mom brought to the room.

He repaired his glasses, 'You don't mind do you?' asked Ken.

Hm? Did I mind asking a youkai who scares me to death to play riddles with my friend?

'No, it's okay. Give him something hard to guess.'

'Hi?' I asked as a bunch of fan girls were around our desk when I came to school. Some weren't even from my class. Jesus this was stupid beyond belief.

I didn't say anything after that, but rather sat down. It was just then that I realize that he wasn't here yet. Odd.

'Say, Ran-chan,' started Asami, 'wouldn't you like to sit with Hijo?'

I blinked, 'Senpai said we aren't allowed to change seats.'

'No, Ran, please switch with me,' started begging Miko.

'I'll cook for and do your homework.'

I didn't want any of that. Sure, the thought of finally not having to sit with I'm was tempting but the girls seemed undecided who would actually sit with him.

I sighed, 'How about you decide who will sit her and gona ask senpai if she can?' I sat down and started to unpack my things.

'Good morning, Shuichi.'

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the chorus the boy reserved when he walked in.

I opened my lunch and pull out the paper with a small dote on it and hand it to him, 'Here, you go.'

He blinked before taking it, 'Is it another riddle?'

'Yup, Ken seems excited that he finally can give you some of his hard stuff,' I explained.

He unfolded the paper and heaven and earth he actually smile. I didn't mean the smile he put on to look polite or normal which now was clear was anything but normal I mean this small little pull of his corner which was genuine.

'Does he solve riddle as well?' he asked after a moment.

'Yeah, but he's really good so he has to look for them in books. The others and I can never compare with him.'

Minamino looked really interested as much as he could. He always had this expression of I'm super bored, why are you bothering me. It was annoying. That was the end of our little chit chat, but the next day he brought a small paper with a riddle inside of his own.

'For your friend, so he's not so bored.'

I looked at him completely speechless. I took the paper utterly confused by the gesture before I put it to my bag. I pulled the riddle from my lunch box and hand it to him as well. He looked at me with a question in his eyes so I explained, 'I'm more of a crossroads person anyway.'

The corners of his lips tucked a bit, but he took the paper from me. Even after the years that came exchange of the riddles would always stay my favorite from our little rituals.