Chapter 3 - Running Start

Youko's deep voice echoed in the confines of Kurama mind as the girl broke eye contact with them, her countenance panicked and wild, reminding him of a juicy little rabbit finding itself trapped. She had long black hair tumbling over her shoulders messily and big, bright eyes colored a strange pale blue. There was a gauze patch taped to her left cheek and bruises rimmed the outside of the white fabric like someone had hit her with extreme force. The green and white uniform she wore fit her loosely, and Kurama could pinpoint the school colors as a faintly familiar school on the other side of Tokyo.

She was lovely.

And she's going to run. Youko purred, pleased. Kurama only had to glance at the girl to confirm this.

Her eyes were wide, unguarded and showing a myriad of emotions flickering in and out existence through their depths ever since they had laid eyes on her. But now, some instinctual resolve asserted itself within her gaze and without a word to her friends, she turned tail and fled.

What are you waiting around for? Youko barked. Chase her!

Kurama felt his foot involuntarily take a step forward.

And suddenly Yuusuke was glaring at them, blocking their path and looking more concerned then angry. "Kurama, what the fuck are doing?" He hissed oh-so-tactfully. "Koenma'd shit if he knew you let Youko out."

Kurama's gaze flickered over the detective's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the girl but she was already gone. His initial disappointment didn't escape Yuusuke's scrutiny and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. However, any comments were postponed as the missing girl's friends began chasing after her before pausing and turning to glare cautious back at them, eyes burning in to Yuusuke's back until the detective finally turned around and gave them a glare of his own. "What are you looking at?" He growled.

One of the girl's jumped at his tone, but the other two exchanged meaningful glances and nodded in agreement. The one with the shortest hair approached Yuusuke, closely flanked by her two companions, giving him a venomous look.

"I don't know what she sees in you." She finally spat, slanting a hip to the side. Yuusuke could only blink at her in confusion as she continued. "But you're just a lousy, two-timing jerk Kagome-chan should of gave up on a long time ago!"

Yuusuke blinked again.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent!" Another girl piped up. "It's so obvious!"

Yuusuke turned to Kurama for support but the kitsune avatar merely shrugged his shoulders. The girls looked ready to fight. Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with these girls otherwise, Yuusuke resisted the impulse to just ignore them and go back inside Keiko's shop. But when his eyes flickered to the strangely quiet Kurama, he rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing what he was about to do and already regretting it. He didn't get girls. Period. The fox owed him one for this though, Yuusuke grumbled mentally. Big time.

As Yuusuke expression quickly morphed in to a cocky sneer, Kurama snorted at the detective's apparent plan. Yuusuke wouldn't even bother with the fan girls if he knew Kurama didn't need any information. Although this sacrifice on his part would likely result with an interrogation later about the runaway girl. That girl- Woman, Youko quickly corrected - was an intriguing human. She seemed like a normal high school student and that was it. Lovely, but normal. However, there was something about the way she reacted to him though... It was off.

A normal human, ignorant of the three realms existence, would have cringed when Youko's youki reached them, a instinct bred in to creatures long ago by powerful, blood-thirsty demons dominating the human populaces. It was a survival instinct, but as demons faded from reality in to myths, the response was forgotten now. At least, consciously it was forgotten. The baser, animalistic responses still remembered those times of violent bloodshed - Like how a rabbit recognizes the fox is an enemy- and worked as an inner alarm system in modern times. But her instincts seemed trained to do just the opposite. His youki seemed to breath life in to her-If her expression had been anything to go by.

We have to meet her again. Youko stated intensely. Kurama was surprised by the amount of determination in his voice. She's different. And she's hiding something, I know it! We have to find out what it is. Besides, In his mind, he licked his lips hungrily. She's tasty, too.

Kurama sighed at his other half's antics, but he agreed. She was hiding something. Kurama had the sneaking suspicion she knew about demons. The question was whose side was she on and how she knows.

"-Kagome wouldn't just run off for no reason! She only left when you came outside." One of Kagome's friend was in the middle of saying, voice steadily growing louder and shriller. "Kagome spoke as if she knew you, too! Not to mention you fit her ex's profile exactly. Violent and trash-talking! I can't believe we never realized it was you after two years!"

Yuusuke grinned. "I guess that makes you stupid then, doesn't it?"

Yuka's face flushed with anger and she took a step forward, hands clenching dangerously at her sides. Ayumi and Eri grabbed her before she could pounce on the insufferable boy, and even then they had some trouble holding her back.

"Forget it, Yuka!" One of the girls squeaked and Kurama turned to her as clutched on to Yuka's arm, tugging on the limb urgently. She was the quietest of the three and this was the first time he had heard her speak. She was the shortest of the three, wavy black hair held back by two matching clips and her expression seemed really worried. "Have you forgotten Kagome-chan doesn't know this part of town?" She demanded, "And she's still just recovering from last week! She could be really hurt right now! We have to go find her!"

Paling considerably, the three girls froze looking at each other. They had forgotten. They had also forgotten how much of a trouble magnet Kagome has always been ever since she was a kid.

Yuka's head dropped in to her hand and she moaned. "Oh no..."

A/N: Okay! So there's your third chapter, everyone! Sorry it took so long to post this but inspiration has been a long time coming. I forced myself to write this chapter as it is and I'm not especially proud of it, but I hope you like it. Knowing me, I'll probably edit for quality later. Well, someday. Eh-heh. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW! I LOVE YOU GUYS! If not for you, I would of deleted this story. But since there were so many encouraging reviews I wondered if you might be on to something after all. lol, Anyway I have a basic plot idea for this story, but the idea hasn't been fleshed out fully yet. So we'll see.

Thank you again everyone. You're the best!

8-29-2006