Chapter 3
The ceiling fan whirled softly, sending an air-conditioned draft towards the table below. Two older women were kneeling at the table, one serving tea for her guest. She had long hair pulled back in a loose bun, the dark brown strands of her youth losing in number to the gray strands that came with age. She was dressed in a pale purple blouse and comfortable dark blue pants. She finished pouring the tea and offered a cup to her guest.
The woman took the cup, supporting the bottom with her left hand and cupping it with her right. She wore a light yellow summer dress with a floral print and small flowers embroidered along the neckline and sleeves. Her hair was curly and cut short, with only a few hints of light brown amid the white. She raised the cup to her lips, sipping the hot tea. "This tea is amazing, Shiori," she complimented with a warm smile. "You must tell me what it is called and where you get it."
Shiori returned the smile, also taking a drink. "I'm sorry, Akari, but my son makes it," she explained. "He likes to experiment with different plants, creating his own teas. And he rather seems to have a knack for it, I must say. This particular blend is my favorite."
Akari looked impressed. "Shuichi made this?" she asked. "I daresay he's working in the wrong field. He should close his floral business and open a tea shop- I guarantee he'll never be short of customers!"
"True," Shiori agreed. "But he really enjoys what he does now. This is more of a hobby, at best."
"That's a shame. It's important to enjoy your work, but to let such talent go to waste..." She took another drink of her tea, closing her eyes as she sighed. "Perhaps just a small business on the side?" she suggested. "I know I'd certainly buy from him."
Shiori laughed. "I'll ask," she promised. "Though, I'm not sure he has the spare time to devote to it. He grows all the plants himself."
"Yes, I can see the care and attention he gives your yard," Akari said, looking through the glass sliding doors to the backyard. A small sakura tree stood off to one side, a line of purple and pink flowers forming a border around the well at its base. A stone path led back to a small gazebo in the corner, large leafy vines climbing up the posts and interwoven across the top to form a shady canopy for the bench below. A small pond was just in front of that, tall grasses and cattails growing on one side while leaving the other clear to view the koi within. Akari smiled, shaking her head. "Even though I know it's a hot day today, your garden looks deceptively cool and inviting."
"Yes," Shiori agreed. "My Shuichi certainly does have a way with plants."
They sat in companionable silence for a moment, sipping their tea. "So, how is your husband doing these days?" Shiori asked.
"Very well," Akari said. "He's not done with physical therapy yet, but he can now make it across the room without his cane."
"That's wonderful news."
"Yes, although with how much he complains, you'd think he broke every bone in his body instead of just the one in his leg." Akari shook her head, smiling as she took another drink. "Getting old certainly isn't for the faint of heart. Still, Senri moving back in has really helped out a lot. I just wish it didn't take Kando breaking his leg to make it happen."
"Things have changed a lot since we were young," Shiori said, sadly. "And, not all of it for the better."
"Children were expected to take care of their aging parents before an accident forced their hand," Akari agreed. "Still, you must have done something right in raising Shuichi."
Shiori smiled. "I'm very fortunate to have him as a son," she agreed.
Akari nodded. "Anyway, Kando is hopeful that he won't need the cane at all by the time o-bon starts," she continued. "A bit unrealistic if you ask me, but he's too stubborn to listen."
"O-bon?" Shiori repeated. "Oh, that's the end of next week, isn't it?" She shook her head. "I really need to start writing things down in a planner."
"That's what I used to do. Problem was I could never remember where I put it!" Akari said, laughing.
The clock in the hall chimed five times and Akari looked up in surprise. "My, where has the time gone? I really must be getting back. Senri will be bringing Kando home from the pool soon and I haven't even started on dinner!"
Both women rose, leaving the room only to run into Kurama in the hall. "Shuichi? When did you come in?" Shiori asked. "I didn't hear the door..." She trailed off, her gaze dropping to the shoes he was holding in his hands. She raised an eyebrow.
"Just a few moments ago. I didn't want to disturb you. Hello, Mrs. Tsukada. You're looking well today," Kurama greeted, bowing to the older woman.
"Oh hello Shuichi dear. Sorry to rush out, but I really must be going," Akari said, stepping into the genkan and slipping her shoes on. "Shiori, thank you for having me over. You must come and visit soon."
"I will," Shiori promised, moving to the door to see her off. "Goodbye Akari."
"Goodbye."
Shiori closed the door, turning back to her son. Kurama had put his shoes next to the others in the entrance foyer, pointing the toes toward the door so they'd be easier to slip on next time he went out. "So, I didn't hear you come in," Shiori repeated, her voice curious.
"I came in through the window in my room," he explained, heading toward the kitchen. "I didn't know you had company, or else I would have used the front door."
Shiori followed him. "The window? You were in your fox form, then?" she asked. "In this heat?"
"It's actually far more bearable than in my human form," he said, pulling a pitcher of juice from the fridge and pouring a glass for himself. "I suppose you could say it's more of a 'dry heat.' Animals don't sweat like humans do. Would you like some?" he asked, raising the pitcher slightly.
Shiori shook her head. "So, is there any particular reason you came home as a fox?" she asked, the corners of her lips turning up in a grin. "I assume you didn't deliver the flowers looking like that, though I'm sure most people would love to receive flowers from such an adorable fox," she teased.
Kurama returned her smile, although it was a bit more subdued. "No, I changed after my deliveries were finished," he assured her. He paused, taking a long drink. "There was another murder today. I found the body on my way home."
Shiori's face sobered instantly. "Another demon?" she asked. "Was it related to the others?"
"I believe so," he affirmed, staring thoughtfully at his cup. "I would have needed to examine the other crime scenes to provide proof, but there are a few elements that leave no doubt in my mind."
"So, naturally the first thing you do after finding out someone who's hunting demons is nearby, is change into an easily recognizable demon form and head home," Shiori stated, sighing. She moved over to him, laying her hand on his arm. "I wish you wouldn't use yourself as bait to draw these things out."
Kurama covered her hand with his own. "It wasn't purely to draw him out. I can track people better as a fox," he explained.
"Did you find him, then?" Shiori asked, her tone a bit anxious although she tried to hide it.
Kurama shook his head. "No, the trail ended at a bus station. But, I did discover something useful."
"What's that?"
"The murderer is human."
"Human?" Shiori asked. "A human hunting demons?"
"It is more common than you might think. The good news is human demon hunters generally tend to leave other humans alone," he stated, replacing the pitcher in the fridge.
Shiori nodded thoughtfully. "Shall I tell Kazuya I've changed my mind about wanting to 'get away for a while' then?"
Kurama paused, considering. "No," he said after a moment. "Stop dropping hints, but don't say you've changed your mind just yet. It may turn out that our serial killer is just as dangerous to humans as he is to demons." He rinsed his cup out, leaving it in the sink. "I need to find out more about him."
"Which means you're going to start actively looking for him, aren't you?" Shiori shook her head. "I know once you've made up your mind, there's no talking you out of it," she said, sighing. "Just be careful, alright?"
Kurama smiled, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I always am."
. . .
The day dawned bright and cheery, with not a cloud in the sky. A number of mothers had taken advantage of the weather, taking their children to the local parks. Ice cream venders were out in force as the sun climbed in the sky, selling cold treats as the day grew steadily warmer. Kurama stood patiently in line at one such cart, purchasing two cones when it was his turn. Thanking the vendor, he glanced around briefly before making his way toward a dark haired woman sitting on a bench some twenty feet away. She wore a white blouse and a long pale yellow skirt that reached her ankles, the pink tip of a scaly tail just visible beneath the hem. Brown curly hair was cut short, allowing her pointed ears to show. Large dark sunglasses hid her eyes from view but her smile revealed teeth that were just a little too pointed to be human.
The woman stood as Kurama approached. "You certainly know how to spoil a girl," she said, accepting the strawberry cone. "You even got my favorite flavor."
"I'm glad you could make it Aki," Kurama said.
"I wasn't aware I had a choice," she replied lightly, following as he led her at a sedate pace along one of the stone paths.
Kurama smiled but didn't reply, licking his own cone before it started to melt.
They walked for a little bit, eating their ice cream as they gradually left the other patrons of the park behind. "So, what do you need this time?" Aki asked quietly, just in case there were people nearby she couldn't see.
"I need you to find someone for me," Kurama replied, his voice low. "The one responsible for the recent killings."
"Forget it," Aki said, taking a bite out of her cone. "We're not stupid enough to get mixed up in a territory battle."
"It's not over territory. The target is ningen."
"Another one?" Aki scowled, rubbing a hand across her eyes. "Didn't you just deal with a hunter like, I don't know, eight months ago?"
"Yes."
"That one was almost more hassle than it was worth, as I recall," she added.
"But it worked out in your favor, in the end," Kurama reminded her. "I'm not asking you to engage him in battle. I just need you to find him for me. I will take care of the rest."
"Alright, fine," Aki agreed. She glanced sidelong at the redhead, smirking. "It's not like it's the worst thing you've ever asked me to do."
"No," Kurama agreed. "And I appreciate your assistance with this matter."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand negligently. "All I can say is the pay better be worth it."
"Have I ever disappointed you?"
"Nope and I'd like to keep it that way," she said, finishing her cone. "If that's all, then I need to go organize some search parties."
Kurama nodded, taking a bite out of his own cone as he watched her walk away. Aki had proven an invaluable asset to have on more than one occasion, although he held no illusions as to where her loyalties lie. If she thought he was on the losing side, she'd betray him in a heartbeat to save herself. Still, rats like her had their uses, as long as one knew how to employ them effectively.
. . .
It was late afternoon when Kurama pulled up outside an abandoned warehouse. He parked the van he was driving, pulling the keys out of the ignition as he got out and looked around. A small green form detached itself from the roof of the van and followed him, keeping its distance but being sure to keep the redhead in sight at all times. It had a mop of stringy black hair and two small horns jutted up on each side of its forehead. It had beady red eyes with sharp teeth and claws on both its hands and feet. A ringed tail swung and curled lazily behind it as it hovered in the air. A strip of material tied at its waist, serving as a loincloth, was the only article of clothing the creature wore.
Kurama glanced briefly at the minion demon, wondering why Aki had bothered sending it. He had first seen it when he left the house that morning, surmising Aki had assigned one or two of the creatures to each demon living in the area when he'd hired her the day before. Minion demons weren't good for much, but scouting, reconnaissance and gathering information were some of their strengths. They were fast, unable to be seen by ningen without high levels of reiki, and had auras that were so pitifully weak it was almost impossible to sense them nearby. Kurama had never much liked dealing with the imps himself (in the old days, as a thief by trade, the feeling of constantly being watched set his fur on end and made him even more paranoid than usual), but he could still appreciate their usefulness. What he didn't understand was why Aki had assigned one to him. After all, if the demon hunter found Kurama, Aki's services would no longer be needed.
Ignoring the imp for now (as well as the itch between his shoulder blades that told him he was being followed), he headed into the warehouse. It wasn't much darker inside and didn't take his eyes long to adjust. He glanced around, frowning slightly when he didn't see anyone in the immediate vicinity. However, before he could call out, his ears picked up the scrabble of claws across concrete and he turned toward the sound.
Around the corner, running at top speed, came the strangest-looking rabbit Kurama had ever seen. Its fur was a reddish-brown color, over-laid with large blotches of lighter brown bordered in black. Instead of the signature cottontail most hares sported, it had a short sinuous tail that looked better suited to a lizard and slit-pupil eyes to match.
A wolf barreled around the corner behind it, hot on the rabbit's heels. Its non-descript grayish brown coat was shaggy and looked like it could use a good brushing-out. The wolf had a scar running down through its right eye, although the eye itself seemed to have been spared permanent injury. While the rabbit looked like it was running for its life, the wolf seemed to be chasing a favorite toy.
The two rushed toward Kurama, the hare skidding to a halt in front of him. Seeing an opportunity the wolf lunged, jaws ready to snap around the smaller animal. Anticipating this, the rabbit spun around and sprang upward, sinking its teeth squarely into the canine's nose. The wolf yelped loudly, jerking back and rubbing almost desperately at its snout with its paws.
The rabbit seemed to shake its head before turning back to Kurama and changing into a woman. She had reddish-brown hair tied at the nape of her neck and large hazel eyes with a slit pupil. She looked like she had just stepped off of a safari, wearing a beige button down shirt and khaki shorts with a pair of hiking boots. Her skin was well tanned, although he could still pick out the irregular blotches of brown edged in black along her arms as she folded them in front of her. "You Kurama?" she asked, looking him up and down. She didn't look impressed.
Kurama nodded while the wolf changed as well. The fur seemed to shrink back into his skin, leaving him only with a mop of hair on his head and scruffy-looking sideburns. He was wearing faded denim jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes that looked like they had seen better days. Dark brown eyes met Kurama's questioningly. "You're late," he said, his voice a bit muffled by the hand still clutching his nose. "When I told you I'd be here by 9:00 on Thursday I meant a.m., not p.m."
"Forgive me Hachiro," Kurama apologized. "And you, Miss...?"
"That's Momo," Hachiro said by way of introduction, gesturing to the woman. He lowered his hand, going cross-eyed as he tried to focus on his nose. "Well? How does it look?" he asked.
Kurama studied his nose with a raised eyebrow. "It's swelling and becoming discolored," he stated, his eyes sliding to Momo. It seemed it wasn't a coincidence that her coloring matched that of a mamushi, one of the more deadly snakes in Japan. "Do you need to have that looked at?" he asked.
"Nah, it'll be fine in a couple hours," Hachiro said, waving him off. "Momo never uses very much venom."
Momo grinned as Kurama looked back at her, revealing her fangs. "I got the best of both worlds- dad's speed and mom's venom," she explained. "Not that it seems to be doing him any good."
"What exactly is the purpose of this exercise?" Kurama asked.
"She's, ah..." Hachiro looked a bit embarrassed, scuffing his foot against the floor. "She's helping me curb my instinct to chase everything that moves," he admitted quietly.
"You'd think the pain of his tissue melting before his body can counteract my venom would teach him to stop chasing things pretty quick, wouldn't you?" Momo chimed, throwing her arm over Hachiro's shoulder. "Sadly, he's got a pretty thick skull." She rapped her knuckles on his head to demonstrate her point.
Kurama just stared at them for a moment before shaking his head. "Sometimes I forget just how old I am," he muttered. He couldn't even remember training himself to resist the instinct to chase anything that moved quickly, especially if it was running away from him.
Hachiro cleared his throat a bit nervously. "Anyway," he started, steering the conversation toward safer grounds, "I got the soil in the back if you want to look it over."
Kurama nodded, following the wolf demon. It didn't take him long to check and make sure it would suit his needs and soon they were carrying the boxes out to the van.
Hachiro blinked in surprise when he saw the vehicle. "This yours?" he asked. "When did you get rid of your car?"
"It's a rental," Kurama explained, opening the doors on the back and putting a box inside. "My car's in the shop."
"Ooo, tough luck," Momo said, putting her box down as Kurama moved aside. "Rental companies really gouge you with their prices this time of year."
"Yes, they certainly do," Kurama agreed. "Even if you're only keeping it for a few hours."
After they finished loading boxes Kurama pulled out his phone, his fingers quickly tapping back and forth across the screen before replacing the device in his pocket. A few seconds later Hachiro's phone beeped. "Payment in full," he announced, thumbing through the screens. "And a gratuity?" His questioning eyes sought out Kurama's.
The redhead nodded, climbing into the driver's seat. "The soil was of exceptional quality, higher even than I expected," he said, smiling slightly. "And I grossly miscalculated how long it would take at the rental place."
Hachiro laughed, putting his phone back in his pocket. "That's why I like working for you, Kurama."
Kurama shrugged. "Excellent work deserves to be rewarded. Shoddy work deserves to be done again."
"Speaking of work," Momo spoke up, "wasn't there something you needed to tell him?" she asked, elbowing Hachiro in the ribs.
The wolf demon stared at her blankly.
Momo sighed. "I swear, sometimes you really are an idiot," she said, flicking his forehead. "O-bon's next week, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Hachiro said, lightly smacking a fist into his palm. "I can't make any deliveries for you until after next week because we're staying through o-bon."
"O-bon?" Kurama questioned. "Any particular reason?"
"I like human festivals," he said, shrugging. "And going across the border isn't exactly easy these days."
"Fair enough," Kurama acquiesced, nodding his head. "I don't have any pending orders and anything that comes up can wait until after the holiday."
"Thanks man," Hachiro said, moving away from the van so Kurama could back out.
Kurama started the engine, clicking his seatbelt into place before leaning out the window. "One more thing," he called. "There's a hunter in town. Watch yourselves."
Hachiro and Momo nodded, thanking him for the warning as the van pulled away and disappeared down the street.
. . .
To Be Continued
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