Sumire didn't like the Living World.
There were too many things crammed together, buildings that touched the sky and loomed over her like giants, overcrowded and nonsensically crisscrossing roads. It wasn't like her home at all where there was room to walk, where there were no harsh lights in the night, only twinkling stars and the moon. She couldn't hear the birds or smell the wind here. She didn't know what Tamamo-no-Mae liked about it so much.
She must have been lying, she thought to herself as she stretched in the morning, arching her back and flexing her paws against the blanket, that's all kitsune ever do.
When Sumire was only a kitten, she heard stories from the older nekomata, bragging about their journeys to the Living World in the old days. They used to show off the scars they got from shrines and temples, the lines seared into their flesh from the protective wards hung in trees and plastered on doors. They treated them as though they were badges of honor.
But not all of them had scars. Sumire heard them say that only those bearing ill will and evil intentions in their hearts would incite the wrath of a guardian deity or protective magic. She'd been hopeful, then, even when she'd seen one of the humans scatter his homemade talismans around the room, believing that her pure heart would protect her, and tried to carefully take them down in the night so no one would even notice they were gone in the morning.
She'd been wrong; she felt welts rising along her spine where the character that meant "FORBIDDEN" had been singed into her, burning away her fur in clumps. She cursed her own foolishness for believing she would be safe; she had been sent to kill a fellow apparition, and she had decided that she would devour his very essence. No matter what justification she repeated in her head, the talismans saw through her and punished her accordingly for daring to touch them when she was impure. But Sumire was stronger than the wards and, with a cry, she pushed back against their power with her own, watching in twisted fascination as they caught aflame and burned away.
She'd heard the humans coming from far away the previous day, heard their footsteps loud and clumsy outside of the inn, disturbing the peaceful energies of the mountain. She'd been frightened at first, wondering if she'd be discovered, but managed to take the proper precautions and assume a disguise that she knew would fool them. She'd listened to their prattle and observed them without them noticing, and when one among them discovered some of her hair, carelessly shed and left behind before she'd shifted into a human form, she'd stopped breathing for just a moment, because she felt it then; that the one who had come so close to her was not a human. The one beside him, the small one with narrow eyes, was not, either. And yet, they were nonchalant as they stood with the humans, looking so natural that she had nearly missed the difference in their auras. It was a mistake she couldn't afford to make again.
The one who found the hair, she thought, must be a kitsune. He smelled of old forests and wet earth, a medley of wildflowers. He must have been holding back, though, not allowing all of his demonic energy to seep into the open, hiding his true nature. Sumire could have been fooled into believing he was some weak apparition or even a human had she not known better; foxes let nothing betray their true forms and thoughts.
They would be returning later that day. Sumire slowly uncurled her tail from her body and stood, arching her back with a yawn. She was still very weak, her energy barely recognizable even to herself, and she struggled to grow larger, a cat the size of a human child, and the transformation took a frustratingly long time.
She closed her eyes and waited for the old magic to fill her veins, stretching her bones into strange shapes, making her fur recede and her ears pull down to the sides of her head. Her pupils rounded out and her tail withered until she was wearing the guise of a human. She took the soft yukata the inn had provided and began to get dressed, enjoying the warmth it brought in place of her fur, and went to lie down again, pulling the covers back over herself.
Beside her, the human girl was still sleeping, unaware that she did so beside a nekomata. Sumire thought it was odd how things had turned out, but she tried to use the situation to her advantage. In a way, this human was protecting her from the spirit detectives and their apparition allies, and she wasn't even aware of it. After all, if she was the human's sister, she couldn't be a demon.
Of course, this ruse could only last so long. Maintaining the spell she'd cast over the girl with so little energy was difficult. If anyone figured out the truth and told her, it might even break completely. And with the detectives investigating, she knew her time was running out.
If the red-haired demon was truly a kitsune, then all she needed to do was devour him. She wouldn't need to worry about what the others would do in retaliation then, because she'd be strong enough to take care of them afterwards. Killing a kitsune would be no easy task, though, and Sumire knew she'd have to employ more trickery to make sure things went smoothly.
Somewhere deep inside, guilt bubbled up towards the surface. She pushed it down and locked it away beneath fresh memories of Two-Tails Village, the frightened eyes of her parents, the head of the village falling to his knees before Tamamo-no-Mae as she ate his eye.
If she needed to become as much of a monster as the kitsune were to protect what she cared about, then so be it.
"We know that we're dealing with a cat apparition of some sort."
The former detectives were assembled in Shizuru's apartment. Hiei and Kuwabara were seated in the living room while Yusuke paced, already growing restless. Shizuru had the glass doors that lead to the balcony cracked open for fresh air, a cigarette balanced between her index and middle fingers with a lazy trail of smoke circling over her head.
Kurama stood in the kitchen, a potted plant resting in the sink, and cupped his hands over it, gently urging the seed he'd planted to grow. "In all likelihood, that means it's one of two things," he continued. "A bakeneko or a nekomata."
He heard Yusuke stop pacing and felt the boy's eyes on his back. "Does it matter much which it is?" he asked.
"Well, not especially." The soil shifted and a slender, green stalk slowly rose towards Kurama's hands. "The bakeneko is a closely related subspecies to the nekomata, and they're naturally quite similar. I suppose it's just curiosity that has me wondering. Either way, it'll be troublesome."
"Come to think of it," Kuwabara mused, "I don't think we've ever dealt with a cat demon before, unless Byakko counts. Are they anything like him?"
Kurama shook his head. "No, Byakko was a particular type of tiger apparition. There isn't much similarity. There was a cat apparition involved in the Demon World tournament, but I doubt he comes from the same lands our current target does." Small buds appeared along the side of the plant, gradually growing and ripening, and Kurama closed his eyes to focus. "King Yama could never rule all of Demon World in all of the centuries he was in power, but he tried enforcing a number of reforms over what he could control. These were put in place with the goal of civilizing demon society, and would lay the groundwork for the Three Kings to rise to power."
Shizuru tapped the faintly glowing embers on the end of her cigarette into a glass dish on the table, clearing her throat. "Pardon me for my ignorance," she drawled, "but I'm having a really hard time imagining a 'civilized' Demon World."
Kurama chuckled. "I use the term lightly. Our culture is quite different from that of humans, and truly, that was what Enma hoped to change. Perhaps he'd hoped we would be easier to rule if we more closely resembled the denizens of the Living World. Some of these laws were resisted at first; when it was first forbidden to cross into the Living World, there were riots. Many went anyway." The plant began to bloom under his hands, buds splitting into flowers secreting a clear liquid and dropping small, dark seeds into the dirt. Kurama picked out a handful to tuck into his pocket and turned to face the group. "Some changes were met with more acceptance, however."
"Such as the ban on spiritual cannibalism," Hiei said, his tone accusatory and his eyes narrowed. He looked genuinely annoyed, and Kurama supposed it was because Hiei had been, until just recently, under the impression he finally knew everything about him. A foolish assumption, even for someone he'd known as long as Hiei. No one, Kurama was certain, knew his entire history; the good deeds, the atrocities, and the time that passed far too slowly in between.
No one except another kitsune, though if they could solve this case, she'd take her secrets with her to the grave.
"The old cat apparition tribes were part of the minority who disliked even the more popular reforms," Kurama said. "Rather than bow to the new laws, they chose to live outside of where they applied, in the untamed wilds of Demon World that still abide by the codes of the past. Most apparitions refer to it as the Lost Country today. It won't be surprising if our culprit turns out to be working for Tamamo-no-Mae—they'd likely have similar values."
"Let me guess," Kuwabara muttered, expression somewhat horrified. "We've never fought something from the boonies of Demon World."
"That's correct."
Quiet laughter from the corner drew his attention, and he turned to see Shizuru's shoulders shaking, a smile on her face. "Don't mind me," she said, shaking her head. "It's just funny. The way you're talking, Kurama, it sounds like you really hate cats."
Kurama shrugged indifferently. "I wouldn't say I hate them. Although it's true that cats and foxes naturally don't get along."
"Really? Even when it comes to apparitions?"
"Especially when it comes to apparitions."
"Probably because you have too much in common," Hiei scoffed, earning a perturbed glance from Kurama, who decided to change the subject.
"In any case, we should check on the sisters. I've prepared something for Saki that will lessen her fever and dispel lingering demonic energy. Hopefully, that will ease Shiori's worries, and maybe Saki will have something to tell us."
Shizuru called after them to bring her back a souvenir as they left, and the former detectives made their way back towards the inn. "We're really not any further along in this than we were yesterday, though, right?" Yusuke asked. "I mean, yeah, it's good that we can help Saki, but we still don't know where the cat went."
Kurama grimaced. "I have a hunch, actually."
Spirit foxes, and kitsune in particular, were a naturally powerful class of apparition that outranked most others in skill, intelligence and strength. One may have wondered why, then, the kitsune had not come to rule Demon World, or all three worlds, why Enma's reforms were even allowed to pass when the land of apparitions had such terrifying creatures. At the very least, it was curious that there were so few kitsune in Demon World when they were among its most powerful denizens.
Kurama, too, asked these questions as a child. His mother Shiragiku, a great silver fox whose fur glittered in the light like thousands of gemstones, would smile sadly and never answer. Since then, Kurama had met many demons, and it was a rare one that could speak of the Fox Hunts. Most only knew of it through old texts, yellowed and faded scrolls with records of ancient history scrawled upon them stored in the treasure vaults of Spirit World.
Kurama lived through the Hunts, though he didn't know that at the time. It was the old camellia tree that told him the truth, because the forest had seen everything that happened and it pitied him.
It was around the time that he met her; a golden fox child no older than him who came to his homeland with wide, fearful eyes, blood streaked across her face and the front of her shivering body.
How strange, Kurama thought, she was so small then.
If someone had told him that timid creature would become one of the most feared and terrible monsters in the history of the three worlds, he wouldn't have believed them.
Kurama had expected the scent of the apparition to fade overnight, so when Shiori opened the door and he ran straight into a thick cloud of demonic energy, wisps of the spirit cat's scent mingling with that of a human's, he nearly recoiled in surprise. "Oh, good, you've come back," she said, sounding relieved, and stepped aside to let them in.
The miasma had only grown stronger. It had settled over the room and clung to everything in it, including both of the sisters, coiling around them like ghostly manacles. The smell was nearly overpowering; Kurama saw Hiei and Yusuke flinch when they walked in and Kuwabara wrinkled his nose.
He wasn't sure if the demon had hidden its aura deliberately or if it had been weakened before, but he was certain that it was growing stronger.
"Hey, uh, you mind if I open a window?" Yusuke asked. "It's just a little stuffy in here is all."
"Oh, that's fine," Shiori told him.
As the detective hurriedly slid the glass aside, Kurama smelled something peculiar that further agitated his nose, something singed. Yusuke noticed it, too, and bent to swipe his hand along the floor, pulling it back to inspect the black smear that covered his fingertips.
"Ash," he said, and Kuwabara's eyes widened.
"The protective charms," he realized, and turned wildly, looking at each of the places he'd put them the previous day. Kurama's eyes followed him around the room, though the other ones were untouched. "Looks like just that one got burned up. Something must've tried to come through the window."
Shiori stiffened, eyes widening. "What?" she asked anxiously. "S-something came in? When?! Did it do something to us? To Saki? I didn't even notice!"
Kuwabara tried to calm her, saying that they both seemed fine, but she was nearly in hysterics, insisting that they shut the window. Yusuke reluctantly did so, and Kuwabara searched for paper to draw up a new charm.
Hiei didn't say a word, though Kurama saw him glancing around the room carefully. He knew just as well as Kurama that something wasn't right.
"Shiori," Kurama said, "I brought something for your sister. It should help with her fever."
"You did?" He could still feel panic rolling off of her in waves but her eyes softened with gratitude. "Thank you. Can I give it to her now?"
"Of course." He handed her one of the seeds, which she examined in her palm with slight apprehension, though eventually knelt beside the rumpled futon and the sick body wrapped in blankets.
"Saki, they brought you some medicine," she said gently, and Saki stirred. She didn't say anything as Shiori helped her sit up slowly, eyes hazy and unfocused, but she didn't take the seed from Shiori, sitting motionless and drowsily staring into space. Kurama felt a spike of demonic energy and tensed in anticipation, ready for a fight. Shiori held the seed up to her sister's mouth.
"No," Saki whined, pushing her sister away childishly.
Shiori frowned. "You need to take this. It'll help you feel better."
"No!" It was the most energetic reaction they'd seen from the sick girl. She began to thrash, pushing her sister away and convulsing. "Take it back! Keep it away from me!"
"Saki, what's wrong with you?" Shiori cried, dodging her sister's swinging fists as she tried again to give her the seed, only for it to be smacked out of her hand and land on the tatami floor at Kurama's feet.
Yusuke nudged Kuwabara, muttering, "What the hell is this? Is she possessed or something?"
His friend shrugged helplessly. "I dunno. I'm not an exorcist. Should we call Genkai?"
"Take it back!" Saki continued to yell, and Shiori held her sister's wrists, looking deeply distressed.
"Okay," she said. "You don't have to take it. I won't make you." Saki began to calm then, slowly going limp in Shiori's arms and collapsing forward into her, muttering incoherently. Shiori glanced back over her shoulder as she rubbed circles into Saki's back with the pad of her thumb. "I'm really sorry," she said. "I'm sure she's grateful for the help, she's just...not well right now."
Kurama bent to pick up the seed and felt a small jolt, like a shock of static electricity, residual traces of another demon's energy. He forced a smile. "It's alright. Maybe she'd prefer more conventional medicine."
"Did you find out anything else?" Shiori asked desperately, "Anything at all?" Saki had gone still in her arms, chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.
Kurama hesitated to speak, glancing at the new charm Kuwabara was placing at the window. "I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but we're not certain yet. I hate to trouble you, but if we could come again tomorrow…."
"That's fine," Shiori said quickly, "please." In her arms, Saki had shifted slightly, and clung to her like a frightened child.
"Alright, what's going through your head?" Yusuke asked the moment they were outside, "Do we know where the cat went after it broke in again?"
Kurama shook his head, eyes fixed on the mountain path as they descended back towards town. "It didn't break in again. I doubt it ever left." He glanced over at Yusuke, who looked mildly surprised. "You felt it, didn't you? The demon was in the room with us the entire time. It's taken the form of one of those girls."
"And now we have to figure out which one it is," Kuwabara groused.
"Unfortunately, yes. And it's assessed that we're a threat by now. This isn't going to be easy."
"It's not that hard to figure out," Yusuke scoffed. "The sick one threw a fit when she was supposed to take medicine that would've gotten rid of demonic energy, right? That can't be a coincidence. She had to know it would've made her weaker and flipped out."
"Saki does seem to be the likelier of the two," Kurama nodded, "But we can't act until we're certain. Ideally, we should separate them. That way, the apparition will lose its influence over the human and we won't have a hostage situation on our hands. The only way to know for sure which is the demon is to find the scar."
"Scar?"
"Oh," Kuwabara gasped, "because of the protective talisman."
"Precisely. It takes a fair amount of power and control to reduce a talisman to ash like that, but the apparition should be left with a scar somewhere on their body as a consequence," Kurama said, "A stronger demon might not have it for long, but if it only happened last night, it'll still be there for at least a few days."
"So, somehow, we convince them to split up, then we check who has a mark, and that's the one that we have to take down." Yusuke was animated again, finally in familiar territory. "No problem."
Hiei glanced between them. "Who's going to tell the human about what happened to her sister?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
Kurama's gaze fell to the ground. "Whichever of the sisters is human," he said quietly, "lost her twin that day on the mountain. She was likely made to forget by the demon's influence. Cat apparitions are poor shapeshifters, and they usually have to devour a human to maintain their form."
An unsettled silence fell over the four of them, broken at last by Yusuke's quiet mutter of, "Damn."
"We'll worry about it later," Kurama said. "Tonight, we should consider what kind of excuse will convince Shiori to part with Saki."
They went their separate ways at the base mountain, though Hiei lingered a moment. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked.
Kurama turned to him, one brow raised. "Not particularly, no."
"You've been out of sorts since this case began." Hiei narrowed his eyes. "If I had to guess, I'd say Tamamo-no-Mae and this cat are dragging up the past for you."
"You'd be right."
The small apparition let out a derisive sound and turned away, arms crossed. "We don't have time for you to wallow in your own self-pity," he said. "Even Urameshi understands by now that Tamamo-no-Mae is a serious threat. Keep your mind in the present."
Don't worry so much, Hiei was trying to say in his own clumsy way. Kurama couldn't help but smile at the gesture.
"I assure you, Hiei, my mind is firmly anchored in the present."
"You're a poor liar, fox," Hiei sneered.
No, Kurama thought, I'm far too good, and that's why you believe the person standing in front of you is who I really am.
Hiei leapt and vanished into the setting sun, off to hone his swordcraft somewhere, leaving Kurama alone at the base of the mountain beneath a darkening sky.
