The police hadn't arrived by the time they reached the main gate of the school, but with the closeness of the lights, the girls quickly darted away from the building since none of them really wanted to be found in that situation. Most of the walk was silent since no one really knew what to say.
However, the silence was broken right before they reached the Wagerman house as Keiko spoke up. "Thank you for all that you did. You didn't have to, you know."
The three girls looked at each other before Akira met Keiko's gaze head on, a timid smile on her face. "But… we're… we're friends now, right? And... that's what friends do for each other… "
Keiko was surprised. "Huh?"
"Keiko," Suzume interrupted. "Even if we weren't friends before, we're friends now. There are just somethings you can't share without becoming friends over it."
"And zombie fighting is one of them." Kumori nodded her head sagely, "As is hitting teachers with brooms and fists."
Keiko snorted before a grin broke out on her face. "I guess you're right."
That moment, the Wagerman house came into view and Suzume and Keiko stopped at the sight of it.
"Holy…" Suzume nearly dropped Botan off her shoulders.
Keiko asked, her tone quiet, "This is your house?"
"Oh… Yes… My… My grandfather… He's a little…" Akira paused, seeking the right word as she led them up the porch.
"He's a show-off," Kumori said before she noticed Akira's annoyed expression. "What? It's true and you know it!"
Akira shrugged before she opened the door slowly and peered in. She ushered everyone else in and closed the door, locking it behind her. She turned and Suzume and Keiko looking all around as if they were trying to see everything all at once. Akira walked past them and began to search for her mother.
Minori was dozing on the couch, her eyes dark and bags prominent. She seemed anxious, even in sleep, with her mouth taut and the corners frowning down into a grim line. Her eyes fluttered as Akira lightly shook her and she yawned.
"Akira? You're home. What time is it?" Minori rubbed at her eyes. She let out a yawn before she saw the other girls coming into the room and sat up. "What's going on?"
"Well, you see, uhm…" Akira bit her lip as she tried to come up with an excuse. Her opportunity was cut short when her mother caught sight of her blood-soaked sleeve and Botan's bleeding head. Instantly, Minori was on her feet and studying her daughter's arm.
"What happened?"
"Well… uhm…" Akira glanced at the others.
Keiko spoke up. "I'm Keiko Yukimura, Mrs. Wagerman. I'm Akira and Kumori's class representative and Akira was helping me today." She gestured to Suzume and Botan. "This is Suzume and Botan. They're girls in our class. They were waiting to walk me home, but after we finished our work, we got cornered by the fanatics that have been in the news lately. They attacked us and Akira and Botan got hurt."
Minori watched her daughter, her eyes darkening. "I knew something was wrong. I should've come down to get you as soon as you were late. Let's take care of you and your friend." She took Botan from Suzume and set the blue-haired girl on the couch. "Kumori, please show Keiko and Suzume where the phone is so they can call their parents and let them know where they are. Then get me the first aid kit."
"I can get the-" Akira began as Kumori led Keiko and Suzume out of the room. However, Minori cut her off.
"Oh no you don't. You are going to sit down and stay put until I have a look at that cut. Let's just hope you won't need stitches."
Immediately, Akira plopped onto the floor, knowing the flicker of temper in her mother's brown eyes and the hard set of her mouth meant business. She watched as her mother brushed back Botan's bangs to look over the damage.
"Is she going to be okay?" Akira worried.
"I'm not sure, dear," Minori answered as she studied the wound. "It looks like she just scraped her head, but I don't know if she has a concussion or not. Best thing to do right now is take care of it. If she doesn't wake up to by tomorrow morning, I'll call Minoru and see what he says."
Kumori entered the room, carrying a first aid kit. She handed it to Minori without a word before moving to sit next to Akira. While the girls watched Akira's mother tend to Botan, Keiko and Suzume joined them, one after the other and sat down to watch Minori use a cotton ball covered in some antibiotics to clean Botan's injury and cover it with a square piece of gauze, securing it in place with medical tape.
Once she was done, Minori faced her daughter. "All right. Let me see that arm."
Akira knew her mother wanted her to remove her shirt, but instead of complying, Akira took off her makeshift bandage and began to roll up her sleeve. The sleeve was sticky and somewhat stiff with blood, but Akira didn't want her mother or her new friends to see the scars that covered her back. She fought with the sleeve for a few minutes before she was able to lift it up enough for her mother to see the cut.
The main cut was a dark, angry red line that was still bleeding, though not as profusely as before. The scissors had taken a bit of skin off, leaving a intense pink area around the wound that stung painfully and bled a little as the sleeve left it.
Minori dabbed Akira's arm with another antiseptic-soaked cotton ball to clean up the blood around the wound. The closer she moved, the more Akira noticed an achy pain that shifted into a sharp sting whenever her mother brushed the cotton against the pink area. Instead of making any sound or other sign that it hurt, Akira tightened her jaw so that no one would notice.
Patiently, Akira watched as her mother smeared antibiotics all over the cut, grateful for the cooling sensation it offered. She then held out her arm as Minori wrapped a small amount of gauze around her arm before taping it shut and making sure the bandage wouldn't move.
"Well," Minori said as she tugged on the bandage once more. "I don't think you'll need stitches. If it bleeds through, then I'll take you to the hospital, but I think you'll be fine."
Akira gave a quick nod as relief settled over her. She never liked the idea of stitches and going to a hospital would only complicate the situation. Rubbing lightly at her shoulder, she frowned as she felt a slight tingling every time her hand neared the wound. Ignoring it, Akira focused her attention to her mother, who began to speak again, this time to Keiko and Suzume.
"Did you manage to get a hold of your families?"
Both girls nodded and Keiko answered, "Both of our families thought it would be safer for us to stay here for the night... If that's okay?"
"Of course it is," Minori said, seeming almost offended at the fact Keiko seemed nervous for asking. "I'll just have to figure out sleeping arrangements is all. We have some sleeping bags, but-"
Akira spoke up. "Someone can have my bed. I can camp out here or stay with Akane, I won't mind either way."
"Are you sure?" Minori queried while she eyed her daughter. She watched as Akira nodded once before she looked over the girls. "All right. Since Akira's offered her room, that's where we'll put, Botan?" At the girls' nods, she said, "Okay. Botan'll be in Akira's room. Akira can stay with Akane, so all we need to figure out is who's going to stay with Botan and who's going with Kumori."
"I'll stay with Botan, ," Keiko volunteered.
"And Suzume can crash with me," Kumori said, turning to the taller girl.
Minori rubbed her eyes. "All right, I'll get the sleeping bags. I don't think we've made storage for them yet, have we?" She glanced at Akira, who shook her head. "I'm guessing you girls must be a little hungry since you missed dinner. Akira, while I get the sleeping bags, why don't you see if there's anything you girls can eat in the kitchen?"
"Sure," Akira answered. She led the girls to the kitchen and began to rummage around in the fridge. "Let's see… Uhm…" Akira glanced back at the three girls behind her. "What would you like to eat?"
"Honestly, anything we've got sounds good right now," Kumori answered while Suzume and Keiko quietly agreed.
Akira turned back to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk and shook it a little to determine how much was in it before setting it on the counter. She took some ingredients for cold cut sandwiches and moved around to find the bread. When she had found it, she began to work at making sandwiches, brushing off Keiko's offers to help. It wasn't until she was cutting sandwiches that she realized Keiko would not be easily dismissed.
"Really, Keiko, I'm fine," Akira answered as she cut up the second sandwich into triangles. "You don't have to help me."
"There has to be something I can do," Keiko responded, her face determined.
Akira looked at her before glancing at Kumori. Understandingly, Kumori moved over to Keiko. "Hey, Akira's fine. We're more worried about you."
"Me?" Keiko asked, surprised.
"Well, you were the one those people were targeting," Suzume spoke up. "I mean, yeah we got away, but still, you should take it easy, just in case."
"But-!"
Akira interrupted the protest. "Keiko, if I need any help, I'll ask you. But… honestly, I'd feel a lot better if you just rested… Stressful things like what happened… Well, they can really affect a person."
Keiko opened her mouth to argue but before she could, Minori entered the kitchen. She gave a tired smile to the girls before speaking to her daughter. "I set the sleeping bags out and moved Botan into your room, Akira. I'm going to head to bed since I'm supposed to get a call from your grandfather in the morning. Try to get some sleep after you finish eating, okay?"
"Okay," Akira answered as she finished cutting the last sandwich. "Night, Mom."
Minori was quiet for a moment before she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight." She turned and left the kitchen.
Once she had left, everyone ate in silence. Judging from Keiko's face, Akira could tell she wasn't pleased about not being allowed to help. However, Keiko chose not to bring it up again.
After she finished eating, Akira found she felt weary and sluggish. Before heading up to sleep in Akane's room, Akira found a couple of sets of nightclothes for Keiko and Suzume to wear to bed. As soon that was done, she headed towards Akane's room, feeling the last bits of energy drain out of her.
Being careful to not wake Akane, she changed and crawled into her bag. She watched the ceiling, staring at little glow in the dark constellations her mother had put up only a couple of days ago to help Akane get used to being in a room by herself. They glowed down at her with a warm light and Akira felt her worries slipping away.
The next thing she knew, Akira was being shaken awake. She opened her eyes to complete darkness. It took a moment to realize her mother was above her, Trying to focus, she blinked a few times before rubbing at her eyes.
"Mom?"
"I'm sorry, Akira," Minori whispered. "I know it's early, but you're grandfather called. He wants me to see him right now. Can I ask you to watch over your brothers and sisters? Kohaku didn't really get up when I tried to wake her and Sakura's not in her bed."
Akira's head bobbed twice and she forced herself out of the warm security that was her sleeping bag. Looking over at Akane, she saw the five year old clinging to Cuddles and curled up into a white fluffball next to her tiny form was Ikkei. She smiled a little before she followed her mother out of the room and down into the living room.
After a few minutes of making sure her mother had everything for the trip and good-byes, Akira watched her mother go out the front door. As soon as she was gone, Akira felt her body begin to voice all the complaints it had been keeping quiet. Her muscles felt sore and stiff, as if she had performed a difficult dance routine, while her eyelids were heavy. Everything felt slow and fuzzy, but it only took her a moment to shake those feelings off.
Out of curiosity, she glanced at a nearby clock. 5:00. Startled at the earliness of the hour, she wondered what exactly her grandfather wanted from her mother. She rubbed at her eyes and sunk into the couch before she switched on the TV. The channel's news program was starting up and she let it sink into the background noise. It wasn't until she heard Sarayashiki Junior High, that she became interested.
"It is still unknown why the group targeted Sarayashiki, since before this, the attacks weren't in groups as large as this and appeared to be random strikes at those who were close by. The school has suffered a substantial amount of damage while the principal, Mr. Takanaka, is in the hospital. Due to this, it has been decided that the school will be closed while police continue their investigation. According to a statement from police, those who have been taken into custody claim to have no recollection of their actions. As of now, police are trying to determine the cause of-"
Akira shut the TV off, feeling cold. She stood from the couch and moved to the kitchen, working on breakfast to give her hands work to do.
Her mind raced as the chill settled in. While most of her schoolmates would probably welcome this break from the daily grind, she found herself more focused on the fact that none of the affected people seemed to remember anything. Botan had said that they had been hypnotized, but Akira doubted hypnosis could completely wipe every person's memory in a group the large. Someone would have had to retain some fragment of memory if nothing else. She frowned. Something about the whole situation felt off and the fact she didn't know what it was bothered her.
The sound of light footsteps came down the stairs. Akira didn't have to turn to know who it was. She asked, "What are you doing up this early, Kumori? I thought you liked sleep."
"I do," Kumori answered with a yawn as she came into the kitchen. "But sleep decided it didn't like me today." She latched onto Akira and peered over her shoulder. "What'cha making? It smells good."
"Breakfast."
"Ah," Kumori eyed it for a moment. "I'd ask if you want help, but I have a feeling you'd tell me no."
"Well, that depends," Akira answered, still focused on her work. "Do you want a repeat of the cookie incident or not?"
Kumori grimaced and took a few steps away from the stove nearby. "Point taken. I still don't get why that thing hates me. I mean, I hate the cold so you'd think that I'd be best friends with it." When her friend shrugged, she changed the subject, "Anyways, where's your mom?"
"She had to go meet with Grandfather. I don't know why."
"Kit, what's wrong?" Kumori questioned as she felt her friend's anxiety.
There was a pause as Akira froze. "Nothing."
"That's a lie. You're worrying about something and I doubt it has to do with your mom and grandpa meeting. What happened?"
Akira was quiet for a moment. Her hands found an orange and she began to hack at the peel. "Don't worry about it, Kumori. I'll get over it." She continued her work on the orange, ignoring the drops of juice that splattered on her face every time she attacked it with the knife.
The room was silent for a few moments as Kumori struggled with whether to push the issue or not. After grappling with herself for several minutes, she let the matter drop. Instead. she asked, "Do you have something against that orange?"
"Excuse me?"
"Look at the poor thing. You've murdered it." Kumori bowed her head in mock sadness.
Glancing back at the orange, Akira grimaced as she saw Kumori was correct. Bits of pulpy fruit had been cut off along with the peel. The main fruit had been squeezed to mush in her now dripping hand while a large puddle of orange juice sat on the counter. She tossed the fruit and peel in the garbage and grabbed a rag in the sink, mopping up the juice puddle.
As she cleaned, she heard Kumori retreat into the living room. She could hear the TV switch back on and listened absentmindedly to the voices change. She smiled a bit at the fact that Kumori was channel-flipping as she went back to cooking. The faint familiarity was comforting to her as it somehow made the events of yesterday feel like a half-forgotten nightmare. Giving herself a little shake, she focused back on her work.
…
The sound of footsteps caught the attention of both girls. Kumori turned from the show she was watching to see whoever was coming down the stairs while Akira listened to the noise. Kumori raised an eyebrow as Suzume came down the stairs, with the nightclothes she wore and hair in disarray, looking half-dead. A bit of recognition flared in Suzume's eyes as she saw Kumori before she yawned
"Hey Kumori. What are…" she yawned again, stretching this time. "What are you doing here?"
Kumori smirked at Akira before turning her attention back to Suzume. "You still asleep, Suzume? I live here."
Suzume blinked and looked around. "Oh. This isn't my house, is it? Then what am I doing here?"
Kumori chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You get enough sleep?"
"Mmm. I guess so. I smelled food, so I came down." Suzume rubbed at her eyes as she moved and sat next to Kumori.
"That would be Akira's handywork," Kumori answered, leaning against the back of the couch. She started when she felt a head land on her shoulder and turned to find Suzume dozing on her. "Hey, Suzume, I'm not your pillow, so…" She shoved the girl away from her. "Get off!"
Suzume didn't even seem to notice as her head landed on one of the couch pillows. She mumbled something and then rolled over as her breathing evened out.
"She must be tired," Akira murmured, a faint smile lingering around the corners of her mouth.
"Suzume?" Kumori glanced at the sleeping girl on the couch. "Guess so. Never really seen her in the mornings except at school." She peered at Akira. "Now that I think about it, why aren't you ready for school? Usually, you're dressed and ready to go when you drag me out of bed. But your hair's not even brushed and you're still in your pajamas. It's a little strange."
Absentmindedly, Akira reached up to pat her hair down a little. "Oh… I watched the news a little before you got up. The school's closed because of… well, what happened."
"Really?" Kumori's face split into a grin. "No school? For how long?"
"I don't know. They haven't decided yet."
"Yes!" At Akira's scowl, Kumori stopped the victory dance she had started when she had learned that there was no end date to the break. She groaned, "C'mon Akira. School is a pain. A break like this is rare so we need to take advantage of it! But if I had known that this was all it took to get the school closed, I would've caused mayhem like this months ago." She noticed Akira's scowl morph into a look Kumori recognized quite well. "Don't give me your 'mom' face! You know I can't handle your 'mom' face! Gah!" She covered her eyes and scrunched up her shoulders in a mockery of a shield.
Akira gave a small snort as a smile crept up her face. "Dramatic much?"
Kumori's hand dropped as she glared at Akira. "I'm not the one who has mastered a 'mom' face. Geez!"
"Well, I needed one," Akira answered, not at all affected by Kumori's expression. "It's not like my mom could always handle six little kids by herself. You know that."
Kumori closed her eyes and grimaced. "Yeah. I know."
The conversation lulled into nothing as Kumori went back to channel-flipping and Akira finished up breakfast. Kumori listened to the clinking of tableware and the sound of Akira's footsteps fading as she went upstairs to rouse her siblings. Rubbing a hand over her face, Kumori let out an exhausted sigh as her mind went over what had happened last night.
When the zombified civilians had passed out, Kumori knew Yusuke, wherever the hell he was, had beaten the person who was controlling them. She hadn't been surprised at that. Yusuke Urameshi was a determined and stubborn person and she knew he loved Keiko more than anything in the world. There was no way he would've let her die. What had surprised her was the light show and she wondered if Yusuke had somehow intervened. It was like him to do something like that.
Kumori let a smirk play around her mouth. If it hadn't been for his kindness in helping to save Shiori, Kumori probably never would've become friendly with the Spirit Detective. After all, the first time she had met the detective when they were thirteen, he had gotten on her nerves. She had been placed in his first-year class and the stares she had received from other students because of her appearance had gotten on her nerves to the point that she had retreated to hiding on the school roof.
Kumori grumbled to herself as she stomped up towards the roof, trying to ignore the skirt brushing around her knees. She hated skirts and the fact she was required to wear this to school made her feel more irritated. What made people think it was okay to stare at her? It wasn't like she had chosen to look the way she did, she just had the luck to look like her mother.
Thinking about her mother, Aisu, made her mood sour. She wanted her mother with her in this new country. She didn't want to be living with this family who she didn't even know. While Mrs. Minamino and her son, Shuuichi, were nice enough people, she still didn't feel comfortable with everything. But she had seen the fear in her mother's eyes, frightening her, and agreed to move to Japan.
To Kumori, her mother was an unshakeable force. In Whitebrook, Aisu had an authoritative air about her, as if the world and its opinions never mattered because she knew who she was and her place in the world around her. Her mother didn't really care for intermingling with anyone outside the Wagerman family because, to her, everyone else's opinions about her and her daughter didn't matter. When Kumori had come home seething because a classmate had teased her and Akira about their Japanese roots, Aisu had stared her daughter in the eye and said, "Deep down, they know you are special, Kumori. They can feel it in their very souls. It frightens them, so they have to lash out at you. Don't you let them get to you. You are someone they only can dream about being."
If only she felt that now. While the kids in Whitebrook had voiced any opinions they had, the people here made her feel strange without even saying anything. She hated that. A couple of them looked like they wanted to try and welcome her, but she wasn't really in the mood to deal with them when the rest of class couldn't stop making her feel so alien.
Opening the door to the roof, Kumori let the breeze move through her hair. She glanced around, searching for a good place to hide when she saw a boy around her age with black hair, slicked back and wearing street clothing. He was lounging against the wall, but he spoke without even bothering to look at her.
"Dammit, Keiko, leave me alone... I came to school, didn't I?" He cracked an eye open at her. Realizing she wasn't Keiko, he turned to glare at her. "Who the hell are you? Did Keiko ask you to come find me?"
"No," Kumori growled, the leash on her temper snapping. "I don't know this Keiko, I don't know you, and I don't give a damn what you do during school. I just came up here to be alone."
"Oh." The boy's glare softened and he examined her. "I guess you're that new kid in my class everyone's talking about. Didn't realize you were a girl."
She scowled at him and marched over to the chainlink fence, choosing not to respond. It wasn't until she felt a breeze from behind her that she glanced back to realize the boy had lifted her skirt and was looking at her underwear.
"Red, huh? Interesting choice."
Kumori wrenched her skirt out of his hand and hissed. "You sick bastard! You don't even know me and you look at my underwear?!" In a matter of seconds, she had twisted his arm around until it was behind his back and kicked the back of his knees. "You ever do that again and I'll gut you and paint a fucking landscape on the ground beneath you with your blood, got it?!" She shoved him and marched into the school, snarling about morons and their inability to leave people alone, while she searched for a good hiding spot that wasn't already taken.
Since then, they hadn't spoken until after he helped Shiori. During that time, they sent black looks at each other whenever they passed each other. Kumori didn't care that she had made an enemy; instead, she took pride in the fact she had knocked another stupid male down a few pegs. Other than that, she had blissfully ignored him, instead choosing to get to know her host family better, and when her inheritance came and shoved her head first into the frikken occult, learning from Kurama how to hide the secrets forced upon her.
In time, her host family became like a second family to her. Shiori's caring attitude and gentle mothering hand drew Kumori in, allowing the young girl to see her as a second mother. As for Kurama, with the guidance he provided her and their shared secrets caused them to come to view each other as surrogate siblings, with Kurama being the older brother and her, the younger sister. She was content with the way she was fitting into the Minamino family, and she knew that, deep down, it would hurt when she'd go live with the Wagermans.
Then Shiori had fallen ill a few months ago.
Kurama and Kumori hadn't realized the coughing and fevers, which Shiori had told them was just the result of a nasty cold that wouldn't go away, were signs of pnuemonia, which had caused her to pass out at work. When that doctors at the hospital had affirmed that there was a high chance that it would be fatal, Kumori became angry, cursing her luck, germs, genetics, and anything else she could think of. Kurama kept his cool for the most part, instead searching for any way that his mother could be saved and having her look into anything that could be useful. It was on one of these searches for Kurama that she had met Hiei and Gouki.
Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair as the rain soaked her through. Perfect. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse. The 'lead' Kurama had sent her to check out had been a dead end. That cure wouldn't help Shiori now; she was too sick. If they tried, it'd be increasing her chances of dying.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't even notice how empty the street had become or how large the person she brushed against actually was. A deep voice, gravelly and rough, called after her.
"Hey, girl. When you bump into someone, you should apologize, don't ya think?"
Kumori glanced back at the man, sizing him up. He was buff and taller than any other man she had seen, but the glare of the confident eyes underneath his crew cut didn't show much intelligence. Just another tough guy who thought she was a tiny, weak girl to bully. She shrugged and walked away from him.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" A large hand landed on her shoulder and she eyed the man with a scowl. "You owe me an apology." His grip tightened on her shoulder in an attempt to scare her. "I suggest you hurry up and do it."
Kumori raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his wrist, allowing a bit of her natural strength to boost her grip as she pulled his hand off and shoved it back. "Maybe I would, if you didn't grab me." While it would do no damage, it would probably scare him off.
Instead of having the intended effect, the man began to laugh as he rubbed his wrist. "You've got spunk, girl, I'll give you that. You must be some sort of psychic to have boosted your strength like that. I bet your soul will taste pretty nice when it's steeped in fear and given a dash of pain."
That caught Kumori's attention. Without a word, she moved back a bit, giving herself a bit of space to move.
"Running won't do ya any good," the man said, flexing his arms.
He began to grow in stature as his skin darkened to a light terracotta color. His clothing began to shred off him except for, thankfully, his pants which had torn in the lower leg. His hair grew out as did his bottom canines, which grew out to be the length of a pocket knife's blade, but much wider. His ears shifted into points, much like an elf, but the five horns that now protruded from his head signified he was some kind of demon.
Internally, Kumori swore. She had been sparring with Kurama since her inheritance, but she hadn't been in any real combat with a demon yet. She took a few more steps backward.
"Too late, girl. Now that you've seen my true form, I'm going to have to kill you. Which kinda sucks, since we're trying to recruit that boy you're living with, but oh well. I'm sure Hiei'll understand."
He reached for her, only to grab at air. He spun on his heel to see Kumori, eying him with distaste. He stared her down. "Stop moving, or else it'll be more painful for you when I finally catch you."
Kumori let out a hostile hiss. "Just try it." She flexed her hands, feeling her nails sharpen into points. As the demon reached for her again, she raked her claws over his arm, drawing deep rivulets of blood.
He howled and she moved away from him, letting her ears shift and her tail appear as she did. When he noticed her ears, now shaped into triangles atop her head and covered in silver fur that matched her hair, as well as her sleek, silver tail, he chuckled. "Cat demon, huh? Well, I guess I can't eat ya. I tried a cat once, gave me indigestion for a week. Guess I'll just have to squash you."
Kumori's scowl blackened. Before she could respond, a voice spoke from behind her, the tone cold and impatient. "Gouki? What the hell is taking you so long?" She swiveled on her feet to see a boy around her age and height, in a dark cloak, glaring past her at the demon.
Gouki gaped at the boy behind her and began to rub the back of his head. "Ah… Hiei… Sorry. I got distracted."
"I can see that." Hiei's eyes landed on her and she noticed the crimson color. "What I want to know is why you'd take so long with a weakling half-demon like her."
"Excuse me, asshole?" Kumori snarled.
"Half-demon?" Gouki questioned, his gaze returning to her.
"Use your nose. Surely, you can smell the human in her blood." Hiei spat human like it was dirty as his glare deepened. "Why Kurama would keep something like her around him is beyond me…"
"Maybe because he's not a condescending jackass?" she shot back at Hiei, blinking up at him with a mock innocent expression.
Hiei's glare narrowed and suddenly his voice spoke in her head. 'You'd be wise to keep your mouth shut, half-demon. Kurama wouldn't like it if I killed you.'
Clapping a hand to her head, Kumori scowled at him. "What that hell did you just do?"
The voice spoke in her head again. 'Tell Kurama that Hiei wants to speak him.'
"Excuse me?!" Kumori snapped. "I don't take orders from people well, especially not assholes like you. On that note...GET OUT OF MY FRIGGING HEAD!"
Hiei didn't even bother to look at her, instead keeping his eyes on Gouki, before turning and walking away. "Come on, Gouki. We're leaving."
"Ah, right…" The big demon lumbered past her to catch up to Hiei. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Kumori let out a frustrated yowl before stomping off towards the Minamino household, grumbling about arrogant little biggots and how much she would like to hit them where the sun didn't shine.
She had delivered the message to Kurama, as much as she hated to do it. There had been no other way to explain her delay to him. After Kurama had met with Hiei at a later date and explained that Hiei wanted his expertise in stealing three artifacts of Reikai, he informed her he was going to help Hiei with his plan, as one of the items could cure Shiori.
Kumori hadn't liked the idea of him going with those two alone. She asked him if there was anyway she could help. It turned out that there was. When they stole the items, they would need a quick escape route; so while they stole the treasures, she would search for the quickest way out. Both Gouki and Hiei had not been impressed with her, but Hiei had openly commented several times on her half-human nature as if it were a weakness.
As she thought of it, Kumori scowled. Wherever the guys were, she hoped Hiei had ended up badly injured. Preferably in someway so he couldn't reproduce. The world didn't need more condescending assholes like him.
A plate of food appeared in front of her face. Lifting her gaze, she saw Akira, dressed and eyeing her with a smile on her face. "You all right? You were spaced out on me for a while."
"Sorry about that," Kumori muttered. "Just thinking."
"Okay." As Kumori took the plate, Akira spoke, "Hey, Mom called. Grandfather wants her to stay until lunchtime, and the news says they decided to open back up the daycares and kindergartens since the fanatics were caught, so I've got to take my brothers and sisters to daycare and Akane to kindergarten. You mind watching over things while I'm gone?" When Kumori answered with her assent, she continued, "Okay. Suzume went to eat at the table. I left Botan and Keiko asleep in my room. There's extra food for them on the counter in case they get up while I'm gone. If it's cold, just use the microwave. I put Ikkei outside, so just let him in when he paws at the back door. And you know the rest of the rules. No explosions, no burning down the house, no searching for and breaking into my chocolate stash, and so on. I will see you when I get back, okay?"
"Yeah." Kumori answered, taking a bite of her meal. "Have fun. Be careful. Don't die. Call if you find more zombies or similar shit from horror movies."
"Will do." With that, Akira walked off and Kumori heard the door open and close, signaling her friend's departure.
Kumori ate her breakfast in silence, watching the TV and wondering what to do with the free time she had while Akira was gone. She couldn't nap; Akira had asked her to watch the house. Suzume was up, but Kumori wasn't sure if Suzume would head back to bed after she ate or not. While the two were good friends, she had never really seen Suzume in the mornings and didn't know the mood she'd be in. After deciding that she could play a board game with Suzume if Suzume was up for it, she wandered into the dining area once she had finished to find Suzume somewhat staring off into space as she ate her meal.
"Hey, Suzume." Kumori offered as she moved toward the kitchen to place her empty plate in the sink.
Suzume waved a hand in greeting, before swallowing and giving Kumori a bright smile. "Hi, Kumori. Nice day, huh? Akira told me that we didn't have school today, so I'm not sure what to do..." She brushed hair behind her ear, causing something to glint, catching Kumori's attention.
"Your feathers are showing," Kumori remarked off-handedly, causing Suzume to brush her hair back down. "By the way, neat trick you did yesterday. Using one of them to knock him down. How'd you do that?"
"It's an old defensive ability," Suzume answered. Her smile fell a little. "You don't think Botan realized what I am, do you?"
"Nope." Kumori stretched. "She's airheaded. The only reason she knows I'm half-demon is because I got in trouble with Reikai."
"You still haven't told me how you did that," Suzume said, her smile brightening up again. "I'd like to hear it sometime."
"Mmm, well, not really my thing to say," Kumori answered. "But last I checked, I'm the only one who knows your little birdy secret."
Suzume pouted. "I'm never gonna live down the fact you snuck up on me while I was practicing my powers, am I?"
"Mmm…" Kumori pretended to think about it before shaking her head. "Nope. Probably not. But, I will make you a deal. I won't tease you about it if you can beat me in Shogun."
"Shogun?"
"It's a board game," Kumori answered, going to the entryway closet to find it. "Akira's dad got it when we were little. The point of the game is you and I are warlords fighting each other for control over feudal Japan. When someone controls all of Japan, then that person wins." Box in hand, she approached Suzume and shook it. "So you up for it?"
Suzume smiled. "Sure. Sounds fun."
…
When Akira returned a little while later from dropping off her siblings, she was greeted by Ikkei running up to her and the sight of Kumori and Suzume glaring at each other across the table while a board game lay between them. She raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, what are you two doing?"
"Playing Shogun," Kumori answered, her glare intensifying as she watched Suzume. "And you just assassinated my strongest daimyo!"
"Well, you took two of my provinces with him, so excuse me for trying to prevent you taking any more!" Suzume argued as her glare matched Kumori's.
Akira shook her head with a small smile on her face. "I can't believe you're playing Shogun at seven in the morning in your pjs..."
"No school," Kumori reminded her. "So instead, I'm schooling Suzume at Shogun."
"You keep thinking that, Kumori," Suzume responded, her face now intent on the board. After a moment, she peered up at Akira, "Do you want to play with us?"
Akira shook her head, her expression warming. "I'm good. Thank you for offering."
A noise had all three girls whirled their heads to see Keiko coming down the stairs, rubbing at her eyes. Even though she had been sleeping just moments earlier, she still seemed exhausted. There were slight circles under her eyes and her hair was disheveled, as if she had been tossing and turning all night.
"Good morning," she mumbled to her audience.
Akira and Kumori glanced at each other before Kumori announced that she was going to take another of Suzume's provinces. While Suzume argued that Kumori would not, Akira took the distraction to approach Keiko.
"Hey, uhm, how are you feeling? Did you sleep well?"
Keiko sent her a weak smile. "I'm okay. I just feel really tired."
"I think you have a right to be tired," Akira admitted. "Yesterday was… exhausting."
Keiko giggled. "Exhausting is a good way to put it." She noticed Ikkei, watching her with his tongue lolled out, and bent to pet him. "Who is this little guy?"
"Ikkei. My uncle gave him to us when we moved here... He's supposed to be a guard dog, but…" Akira giggled as Ikkei pushed up to lick Keiko's cheeks, causing Keiko to laugh. "He...he's more of a goofball, if anything."
Keiko grinned at her. "Well, he's an adorable goofball."
"That he is. So, uhm… are you hungry? I made breakfast. It's probably a little cold, but… I can heat it up for you."
"That would be great, thank you." Keiko stood and followed Akira into the kitchen. "So why did you name him Ikkei?"
"My little sister, Akane, came up with it. She said he looked like an Ikkei. And, well, he responded to it, so… that's we named him."
Keiko opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud curse coming from the dining table. She peered behind her to see Kumori glaring at Suzume and vowing revenge for the loss of her province and her men. Turning back to Akira, who was putting Keiko's plate in the microwave, she asked, "What are those two doing?"
"Playing Shogun," Akira answered as she pressed start. "It's a board game where you go to war with other players and try become Shogun of feudal Japan. Kumori gets really into it, as you can probably tell..."
"It sounds like it," Keiko answered, watching them as Akira handed her breakfast. "Do you like to play it?"
"Sometimes. You can go sit and watch them if you want to learn how it works. Do you think Botan will get up soon?"
As in response to her question, a cheery voice spoke up. "Well, good morning, Kumori and… it's Suzume, isn't it?" There was a pause where Suzume affirmed her name, before the voice asked, "Uhm, what's going on?"
Keiko set down her plate on the counter and ran out of the kitchen to Botan. "Oh, Botan! You're okay!"
"Keiko" Botan's eyes glimmered in relief as she held Keiko's hands. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe! One minute, we were in the school and the next, I woke up all by myself in room I didn't recognize!"
"You got hit in the head. With a metal pipe," Kumori deadpanned, rolling the dice, "It made you go 'snu'."
"You were bleeding and when we brought you here, we didn't know if you were going to be okay," Keiko explained. "I was so worried you'd gotten badly hurt because of me!"
"Oh, well, there's no permanent harm done," Botan responded, beaming. "So, where exactly is 'here'?"
"My house…" Akira murmured as she moved into Botan's line of view.
"Akira, right?" After Akira nodded, Botan looked around her. "This is your house? It's huge!"
Kumori rolled her eyes. "There are eleven people who live here, Botan. Of course it's going to be huge."
"Eleven?" Botan asked.
"Oh… Well…" Akira stared at her hands. "Kumori's living here… and then my mom… and my brothers and sisters… I'm uhm, the third out of nine children..."
"Well, what about your father?"
"He… uhm… he passed away..."
Botan raised a hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine…" Akira shrugged. "I, uhm… have breakfast if you want some."
"Oh yes! Thank you!"
Akira retreated to the kitchen to heat up Botan's breakfast. Keiko followed her to get her plate before she moved to the dining room table. Once Botan and Keiko had gotten their meals, they made their way to the table to eat and watch the game going on between Suzume and Kumori with Akira following them to watch.
"This territory is mine now! Nyeh~!" Kumori cried, cackling as Suzume complained about losing her favorite vacation spot, "Mwahahaha! I shall be Empress Kumori and you shall all be my servants! I shall rule all! "
"Actually, Kumori…" Akira muttered as she looked over the board. "You technically already do."
Suzume appeared distraught as she finally noticed how much of the board Kumori controlled. "I thought we played until one person owned all of Japan?"
Shaking her head, Akira answered, "No. Once a person controls a certain number of territories, they win. Kumori just likes prolonging her victims' suffering."
"Wanna play again?" Kumori asked with a catlike grin.
Akira reached over and lightly slapped the back of Kumori's head. "Don't prey on innocent, unsuspecting people. If you're going to challenge someone, at least make sure they know ALL the rules of the game."
Kumori pouted and moved to face away from her friend, grumbling under her breath. "Ruin my fun, why don't you?"
"If you want, you could always challenge me," Akira offered while raising an eyebrow at her friend.
Kumori blanched before she turned away and grabbed the game box. "No thanks, I fancy actually having a chance at winning. I swear you and Nii-san enjoy destroying me at this game."
Akira's brow furrowed. "You taught Shuuichi this game?"
"Eh?" Kumori blinked, already halfway through putting the game away, "Pffft, no. I challenged him once, when I first got here. He beat me soundly, left me one territory before asking if I was done trying to make him catch it all."
"So he knew most of the rules already?" Akira inquired, tilting her head.
"Most? HA!" Kumori's tone was annoyed. "Asshole knew every single rule of the game, before I even asked him to play with me! He kicked my ass and then some, even when I was cheating…"
"You cheated," Akira said as she pursed her lips. "And yet, you still lost?
"Rather soundly, yes." Kumori chirped. She stood up, the game tucked under her arm, "Give me a hand, Candy-Girl."
Botan stared at her empty plate. "But shouldn't I-?"
"Go help Kumori," Akira answered with a wave of her hand, "I'm doing dishes anyways, I'll take it with me." Uncertain, Botan watched Akira's face.
"BOTAN!" Kumori called impatiently from the other room.
"Coming!" Botan yelped, running out of the room like there was fire at her heels.
Kumori caught her shirt collar as she ran past, jerking the reaper to a stop. "Question," Kumori said sweetly, her face blank of emotion. "The possessed zombie people are back to normal, the city is no longer in a state of panic, and the annoying buzzing noises around the city have finally stopped. Usually, mysterious circumstances like zombies and giant bugs do not just vanish. So, I'm guessing Yusuke did whatever it was he was supposed to. In which case, shouldn't the detective and my Nii-san have been back by now?"
Botan raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh! I completely forgot! After Kurama and Hiei went through the portal, we closed it off. I'm supposed to open one up for them!"
"You forgot?!" Kumori's face shifted from blank to venomous in a few short seconds. "So they could be dead now, because you FORGOT!? You poisoned cotton-candied twit!"
"What is that supposed to mean?! In case you'd forgotten, I happened to be unconscious until only an hour or so ago!" Botan snapped, using the height she had on Kumori to tower over her.
Kumori simply stared at her unperturbed, before holding her right hand up and allowing her nails to sharpen. "I will use these. Get. My Nii-san. HOME!"
"Now, now, there's no need to resort to violence!" Botan responded, eying the claws nervously.
"NOW, Botan."
"Right." Sticking a hand out, an oar materialized and she grabbed it. She stepped back from Kumori and began to twirl the oar in between her fingers. The energy around them began to charge, crackling and hissing as both girls felt their hair stand on end. The hallway began to pressurize in response. When it felt like the pressure was going to overwhelm the entirety of the entryway, a loud crack sounded, similar to an electrical surge, and the room filled with bright light.
In the dining room, Suzume, Keiko, and Akira all froze as they heard the noise and noticed the light. Keiko stared at the front entrance. "What was that?"
Akira's eyes were worried as she answered, "That sounded like electricity. Maybe the lights blew out?" She moved towards the hallway, only to break into a run when she heard Kumori call out for her.
"Akira! Help!"
Akira left the dining room and spun into the hallway. While Kumori and Botan were fine, both each had an expression of mixed shock and worry on their face as they stared at the center of the entryway. Akira followed their gazes and gasped as she stared at the sight in the entryway.
Standing there was Shuuichi, haggard and bleeding all over his clothing from multiple open wounds on his upper body. On his back, he carried a much larger, unconscious, carrot-topped boy covered in what appeared to be claw marks all over his torso and quite pale. She thought he might go to Sarayashiki, but she wasn't certain. Her eyes noted a boy a little taller than Kumori next to Shuuichi, with dark hair that seemed to defy gravity. She ignored the scowl he shot at her as she saw the boy on his back. Yusuke was unconscious, like the other boy, but he looked like his body had fallen into a state of severe shock. His skin was paper-white, his lips and fingernails almost blue, and it appeared that he was struggling to breath.
Akira was stunned. "Shuuichi? What… What happened?!" Her eyes ran over the state of two unconscious boys and the severity of the wounds she could see on all four of the boys before her once more and she gave herself a little shake. "Actually, tell me later." She gestured for him and his companion to follow her into the living room.
In the living room, Akira helped Shuuichi ease the larger boy flat onto the floor while next to them, Kumori and Botan eased Yusuke down as well. When she had made sure that the tall boy was on his back and breathing, she moved onto Yusuke.
Hearing a sharp intake of breath, Akira gazed up to see Keiko and Suzume entering from the dining room. Keiko's eyes were wide as the color drained from her face.
"Yusuke!" Keiko cried as she came into the room and knelt next to him. She peered up at Akira. "Is he going to be okay?!"
"I don't know…" Akira answered, touching both Yusuke's and the orange-haired teen's foreheads. Her hands stilled at the iciness. Her eyes met Kumori's. "Kumori, take Keiko and Suzume to where we keep the extra blankets and pillows and have them bring some down. Then get me my box so we can get those injuries cleaned up. It's under my bed."
Standing, Kumori raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why is it under your bed?"
Akira didn't bother to look up as she responded, "Would you want explain what's in it?"
"Point taken. Nevermind." Kumori disappeared into the hallway as Keiko and Suzume followed close behind.
Glancing around, Akira saw that Shuuichi's companion had vanished somewhere in the commotion. Shuuichi, however, was still standing near her, appearing to be in pain. Akira pointed to the couch and said, "You should sit and try to rest a bit."
Shuuichi nodded and moved to the couch, but Akira could feel his eyes watching her. She ignored him and waited until Keiko and Suzume returned with several blankets. It didn't take long for the three of them to wrap the two boys up. Soon after, Kumori came in, carrying a wooden box about the size of a large jewelry container in her hands. A key had been left in small keyhole in the front.
"Why didn't you grab the first aid kit?" Suzume inquired when Akira took the container.
Kumori rolled her eyes. "You'll see."
Akira twisted the small key in the lock and opened the box. Inside, a large amount of medical supplies, ranging from antibiotics and bandages to some painkillers and large gauze pads.
Botan's jaw dropped. "Why do you have all that?"
Ignoring the question, Akira pushed Yusuke into a sitting position before turning to Keiko."Help me get his jacket and shirt off."
"Won't that make his injures worse?" Keiko whispered as she kept staring at Yusuke's pallor and all his injuries.
Akira answered, "If they had been bleeding and scabbed over, yes. But there's no blood on it and I need to see the damage to see if there's anything I can do to help. While we do that, someone needs to go call for an ambulance anyways."
"We can't take them to the hospital!" Botan interjected. "It's not safe for them there!"
Akira's head jerked up, her eyebrows disappearing past her bangs. "Why not?"
Botan rubbed the back of her head as she said, "Well, uhm, it's just, you know, we don't really have a good explanation for how they got that way."
Obviously, the answer wasn't good enough for Keiko. She argued, "But they need it."
Botan stared Keiko in the eye. "Trust me, Keiko. Taking Yusuke and Kuwabara to the hospital won't help them. It'll only make things worse."
Her face hardening, Keiko looked ready to fight Botan on the point when Akira managed to remove Yusuke's jacket and shirt. Immediately, the room's atmosphere shifted into something solemn and heavy. It became a tangible pressure that forced Keiko to forget her reply and give her attention back to the unconscious boy in front of her. Her attention recaptured, she turned back to Yusuke and let out a choking gasp that was almost a scream.
"Oh my…" Botan's hands covered her mouth as she took in the sight.
A red, angry burn covered most Yusuke's upper body, brighter due to the contrast with his near-white pallor. It started on his right shoulder, but unlike most burns, the mark snaked across his torso and branched out into different directions, like the image of a tree had been burned into his skin. There were also several burns on his arms that were open and oozing clear liquid.
Any color that had been left in Keiko's face instantly drained out. "Yusuke…" she whispered.
Akira met Keiko's eyes and murmured, "He's going to be okay. I've had to treat injuries before. I'll try to help him the best I can."
Kumori bobbed her head in agreement. "Akira's pretty accident-prone. Like 'trip over my own feet and fall down stairs' accident prone."
That earned Kumori a scowl before Akira studied Yusuke's skin. "I have never seen a burn that looks like that." She asked Kumori, "Do you recognize what type it is? I mean, I've gotten burns from cooking and we did see that one high schooler in our neighborhood who got a burn from messing around in chemistry, but this..."
Kumori shrugged before turning to Shuuichi. "Do you know what could cause that?"
"I believe he came into contact with electricity."
"An electrical burn?" Akira grimaced. "I'm not sure what I can do for that. I'll put some cold compresses and rags on it for those for now, but I can't say how much that'll help… Kumori, get me some rags while I get some cold water?"
"Yup."
After both of them had left, Botan knelt near Keiko. "Hey, are you alright, sweetie?"
She barely managed a nod.
Botan patted Keiko's shoulder. "Try to worry a little less. Yusuke's very strong. He'll survive and be back to normal before you know it."
Keiko's words were barely a whisper. "How do you know that?"
"Simple. He got hit by that car and survived," Botan answered with a smile.
"That's right," Suzume agreed, smiling as well. "He'll be okay."
Keiko still looked ill, but the idea seemed to soothe her. The corners of her mouth shifted up a bit. "Right."
Akira entered the room with a large mixing bowl filled with ice cubes and water as Kumori returned with rags. She took the rags and placed them in the icy liquid, letting them soak. Her eyes flickered to Keiko before they returned to Yusuke. After a few minutes, she plucked a rag out and set it on Yusuke's shoulder. Repeating the process, she sighed as all the burns on Yusuke's skin were covered in icy rags.
"Keiko, can you keep an eye on him?" Akira asked. When Keiko nodded, Akira pulled rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, medical tape, and a pack of large gauze out of her box. She maneuvered over to the other unconscious boy -Botan had called him Kuwabara- and, after pulling back the blankets he was wrapped up in, began to use the cotton balls to swab the cut-up skin on his shoulders and torso with the rubbing alcohol. Finishing that, she pressed gauze to each cut and taped it on.
Once she had finished his torso, she noticed a rather large cut on Kuwabara's left cheek. She patted an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to it before covering it up with gauze as well. Satisfied, she pulled the blankets back up to his chin.
Moving back to Yusuke, Akira rummaged around in the kit before pulling out a tube that appeared like it held sunscreen.
"What is that?" Suzume came over in an attempt to see.
Kumori glanced over Akira's shoulder at the label. "Burn ointment? You got burn ointment in there? Why?"
"You being ten ring any bells?"
"Ah." Kumori ignored the confused looks, instead choosing to keep her gaze on Akira. "Makes sense. You're going to use it?"
"Since we can't take him to the hospital right now, this is the best I've got for him." Akira bit the inside of her cheek. "I could ask Uncle Minoru to take a look, but he'd probably want to know why we didn't take these two to the hospital…" She watched at Botan, her eyes darkening with her anxiety. "I don't see why it's so bad to take them there."
Keiko, whose eyes had never left Yusuke's face, added seriously, "This is why they exist."
"As I said, we'd have to explain why they have these injuries!" Botan offered, her nerves showing by the increase in her volume. "And even if we could come up with a convincing lie, they might notice where Yusuke and Kuwabara go to school and tie us to the attack, which would involve the police, who would probably take us in for questioning. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not mention our involvement in that."
Akira bent back over Yusuke and opened the ointment cap, ignoring the being-watched feeling she was getting from the couch. "I understand..."
Keiko was silent for a moment as she seemed to be internally struggling with the idea. After a moment, she sighed, "Okay." Right then, her head shot up, eyes fixed on Botan with a stern expression. "But if they gets worse, then we have to take them to the hospital, Botan! Or at least get a doctor to help them!"
Botan nodded, emphatic in her agreement. "Of course, Keiko! But they'll be fine, so there's really no harm done."
"Someone take off the rags, please," Akira murmured. Keiko did so and Akira began to slather the burns with ointment and wrap them loosely in gauze. When she finished wrapping the ones on Yusuke's arms, she looked at Keiko. "You've wrapped gauze on burns before right?"
"Yes," Keiko answered. "My parents' work in a ramen shop, so I've had to wrap up burns before."
A small, relieved smile appeared on Akira's face. "Good... Kumori and I are going to have to hold Yusuke up while you wrap up his burn." She held out the gauze to Keiko, then gestured for Kumori to come help her sit Yusuke up.
It took a while for all three girls to figure out how to maneuver so that Yusuke could be bandaged up properly, since the bandages had to be loose enough for the burn to breathe, but not enough to fall off. A few attempts later, they were able to manage it and now Yusuke was sleeping under the blankets that had been brought for him. Some of the color had returned to his face. A small encouragement that he was doing better.
Keiko brushed Yusuke's forehead and asked Akira, "Is there anything else we can do?"
"I'm afraid not," Akira answered reluctantly. "Until they wake up, that's all anyone can do unless we take them to a hospital."
"I see…"
Akira bit her lip. Keiko's distress was practically palpable. "Keiko," she ventured. "I think it'd be best if you go rest in my room for a while."
Keiko's protest was immediate. "No. Yusuke and Kuwabara-"
"They will be fine," Akira interrupted. "Rest is what they need right now." She met Keiko's frown with the stern stare she had gained from her father. "You hide it well, but you're oozing stress. I know you want to stay here with them, but you need to take it easy. Considering what happened yesterday, I'm surprised you haven't collapsed." Keiko's gaze faltered a bit and Akira place a hand on her shoulder. "We're friends now, Keiko. I've been in stressful situations like this before. I can take it. If anything happens with either of them, I'll get you. Okay?"
"Okay…" Keiko mumbled. She stood and faced Akira. "You'll tell me the moment anything happens?"
"I promise."
Satisfied, Keiko left the room, heading for the stairs. Once Akira heard her door shut, she noticed the green eyes studying her. Inwardly, she groaned. 'I forgot Shuuichi is here. Stupid me! I should've thought my words through carefully. He knows about my scars and there's no telling on what he picked up from what I told Keiko. I'm such an idiot!'
Akira was pulled out of her thoughts by a hand waving in front of her face. "Hm?" She blinked before following the arm to Suzume. "I'm sorry, Suzume. What'd you say?"
Unperturbed, Suzume smiled, "It's okay. I was just curious on where you learned first aid."
"Oh…" Akira stilled, very much aware of Shuuichi still sitting on the couch. She felt herself start to quail. "I, uhm… I took a first aid course a couple years ago…"
"Yeah?"
Akira half-smiled in affirmation while she placed her supplies back in the box. She froze as Botan asked a question.
"Is that why you have so much medical supplies?"
Kumori intervened. "She has six brothers and sisters, Botan. Even if she hadn't taken that course, she'd still need all this stuff. They get hurt a lot."
Snorting, Akira added, "Not to mention, you have that obsession with sharp objects."
"Hey!" Kumori rounded on Akira. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just stating that you and sharp things tend to cause injuries. Especially when you throw them," Akira answered. She sighed, "Even though I've told you not to..."
"But sharp things are so pretty!" Kumori said.
Akira raised a single finger at her, becoming stern. "I don't care if they're pretty, you do not point the silver, pointy end at other people. NOR do you throw it. Especially NOT with my kitchenware."
"You're no fun," pouted Kumori.
Akira's eyes narrowed. She said, "Last time, you nearly hit Akane, remember?"
"Oh, yeah…" Kumori remembered. Rubbing the back of her head, she mumbled, "That was an accident. I was aiming for your pervert cousin."
"Well, that 'accident' nearly cost Akane an eye. It was lucky you missed," Akira pushed up to her feet. Her eyes landed on Shuuichi and she saw that his wounds were still bleeding. "Shuuichi, can you make it to the kitchen?"
"Yes," Shuuichi answered. He groaned as he stood. Kumori appeared at his side before he could crumple.
"Easy, Nii-san. Slow steps, okay?" she encouraged. She let him lean on her and led him slowly into the kitchen area.
While Shuuichi and Kumori moved into the kitchen, Akira addressed Botan and Suzume. "Do you mind watching Yusuke and Kuwabara while I help Shuuichi?"
"Of course not," Suzume answered with a soft grin. She waved Akira toward the kitchen. "Go on."
Akira nodded, grabbed her box, and followed Kumori and Shuuichi into the kitchen. Coming into the room, she saw Shuuichi resting on a chair from the dining room while Kumori was leaning against the counter, watching him. He had removed his jacket and undershirt, showing the full extent of his wounds.
Several scrapes and abrasions were peppered over his upper arms and shoulders. Each one was either roughly cut or missing patches of skin, like he had scraped them against rock or concrete. The wound on his stomach was the worst of it, being a large gash across his abdomen that was still bleeding somewhat.
"What did you do to yourself?" Akira breathed, her voice shaking with the last traces of calm dissipating as she brushed at the gash. There was so much blood just from his stomach alone… She shook her head. Losing her calm about his injuries wouldn't help now.
"It's just few scrapes," Shuuichi answered while he shifted away from her fingers barely touching the wound. "Nothing you need to worry about."
Akira made an inarticulate sound of indignation at the lie. "Scrapes? I've seen scrapes, Shuuichi. The ones on your arms and shoulders yes, but that-" She gestured to the wound on his stomach. "-is not a scrape."
"I am fine."
"No. You're hurt. If we can't go to the hospital, then please, at least let me do what I can so you don't get an infection." She checked him for any sign of blood loss before she rummaged around in her box.
"Let her help, Nii-san," Kumori piped up from her spot against the counter. "If you don't, she'll give you her 'mom' face. It's pretty scary."
"Kumori..." Akira mumbled as she pulled out more antibiotics, cotton, and gauze.
"What? It is!"
Akira ignored Kumori and doused the cotton with the liquid disinfectant. She shot a weak smile at Shuuichi when she approached him. "This is going to sting."
Shuuichi winced as she lightly dabbed at the cuts on his arms and shoulders. Each time he stilled, Akira paused, continued to tend to each wound, and placed a bandage over the injury. Once she had finished cleaning and bandaging his shoulders and upper arms, she moved to his abdomen. Instead of dabbing at it, she took a large gauze and smeared antibiotics all over it. She then placed it against the wound, pausing as Shuuichi grunted, before she slowly adding pressure to help staunch the bleeding.
When she pressed against the wound, Akira felt her hand grow warm and a prickling sensation against her skin, like she had put her hands near a heater on a cold day, warming them up. She drew her hand back at the feeling of… whatever that was.
Lightly pressing the gauze against Shuuichi's stomach again, this time with both hands, she tried to ignore the feeling. But once again, her hands began to become warm and tingle. As the sensations in her hands reached their peak, a new sensation started under her hand, a rhythmic pulse. With each pulse, the heat and prickling waned. It wasn't until her hands felt icy and almost numb that she removed them.
Without the pressure from her hands, the gauze fell from Shuuichi's stomach. Akira muttered a soft apology and pulled out another gauze to place on his wound. She moved to place it, but froze. There was no wound anymore.
The large gash that had been weeping blood only a few seconds earlier was gone. Where the cut had been, there was now skin, almost appearing as if Shuuichi had never been injured in the first place. In fact, the only sign of a previous wound was a faint line across his midsection, an almost imperceptible scar that no one would notice unless someone went searching for it. The gauze slipped from Akira's grip while Shuuichi stared at his former wound in stunned silence before he ran a few fingers over the thin scar.
Kumori pushed herself off the counter, moving closer to get a good look. Her eyes bounced from Shuuichi's astonished face to his stomach and back again until she asked in amazement, "Didn't you just have a deep gash there? Like, basketball sized?"
"H-How did it-?" Before Akira could finish her question, the edges of her vision turned black and she backed up, trying to find something to grip on. Her hand found the counter when her world tilted. The side of her head smacked against the counter as she fell and darkness gripped onto her, dragging her down into a bleak nothingness.
…
Akira would've hit the floor if not for Suzume who, after hearing Akira's head collide with the counter, had burst into the room at an inhuman speed and managed to grab her friend before she crashed to the floor. Botan was right behind her, surprise written in her features.
"You're a demon?" Botan asked.
"No. Half, like Kumori," Suzume corrected as she moved to check Akira's limp form. "Is she okay? What happened, Kumori?"
"She just fainted," Kumori answered. "After she healed Kurama."
Botan's eyes widened to the point of almost bugging. "She did WHAT?!"
"Maybe we should lay her down?" Suzume offered, ignoring Botan's surprise.
"Good idea," Kumori agreed. While Suzume set Akira down, Kumori moved to join her, but a hand stopped her. She turned and saw Kurama, now wearing his jacket, watching at her with concern. "What's wrong, Kura-nii?"
"Kumori," Kurama asked, his tone serious. "Did you know she could heal others, let alone demons?"
Kumori shook her head, her expression grim. "No. And I don't think she knew either. But that makes zero sense. I thought humans and demons were too different to be able to heal one another that well unless they're trained."
Kurama's brow furrowed while he nodded."They are. The offensive capabilities in a human's aura will weaken a demon while a demon's energy will damage or poison a human." His eyes moved to watch Akira. She was still lying unconscious as Suzume and Botan tried to wake her. "Her aura, however, had no offense that I could sense."
"What?" Kumori hissed, spinning to face the fox. "How?"
Kurama glanced at Kumori. "I'm not sure." Turning back to the commotion, his face became solemn as he studied the unconscious girl. "But I intend to find out."