Chapter 7

The sun had dropped below the western horizon, a few stars becoming visible in the darkening sky. The normal street lamps that usually lit the street were dark, replaced by thousands of paper lanterns strung on wires. The soft glow illuminated the hundreds of stalls, all tightly packed together on both sides of the street with bright banners advertising their wares, although the smell alone would have been enough. Karaage, yakisoba, roasted corn still on the cob, takoyaki and much more perfumed the air with their tantalizing aromas, drawing many customers to their counters. The people filling the streets were dressed in a mixture of traditional and modern clothes. Women wearing kimono walked hand in hand with men dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and vice verse.

There were also many game booths set up. A few teenagers were crouching around a low table filled with water, armed with thin paper scoops. Goldfish swam around in the water, darting to and fro as the teens tried to catch them without tearing the paper. Another stall had a similar water table, although this one was filled with brightly colored balls and the water was flowing quickly in a circle around the table. A few people were trying to collect as many of the balls as they could with a long-handled scoop, also made out of paper. Further down was a cork-gun target range. A number of items were lined up on two three-tiered tables that were spinning slowly at the back of the stall. Several people were leaning over the counter at the front of the stall, trying to get the gun as close to their targets as possible before shooting at the items in an attempt to knock them down.

Suuichi leaned forward until he was almost lying on the table, holding his cork gun at arm's length. He was dressed in a gray yukata, a black pattern of bamboo decorating the sleeves and coming up his right side. His sandals scrapped softly against the concrete of the sidewalk as he moved his foot back for better balance. With one eye closed to help his aim, he willed his arms to remain steady and pulled the trigger. There was a pop as the cork flew out of the gun, clipping the ear of a plastic panda. The toy wobbled back and forth a few times before settling, still upright. Suuichi groaned, straightening back up. "That was my last cork," he grumbled, stretching his back.

Kurama was next to him, standing on his hind legs with his front paws resting on the counter so he could see the targets. /I don't think you're ever going to hit that phone case, much less knock it over,/ he said.

Suuichi gave him a disgruntled look. "Thanks for the encouragement."

Kurama met the look with his approximation of a shrug. /You have been trying to hit it for half an hour and your aim has not improved at all,/ he pointed out. /You never were very good with guns./

"We haven't been here that long," Suuichi argued, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from the people around him for carrying on a seemingly one-sided conversation with a fox.

/You have played this game twenty-three times and have fired one hundred sixty-one corks, clipping the wrong item seventy-three times although you have yet to actually knock anything down,/ Kurama stated, yawning widely. /But who's counting?/

Suuichi chuckled, laying the cork gun back on the table. "Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "We can go do something else. How about something to eat? I think they're selling ikayaki a little ways back up the street," he said, picking up his messenger bag and slipping the strap over his head.

Kurama nodded his consent, trotting along at Suuichi's heels as they headed toward the food stand. Suuichi purchased one for each of them, holding the second stick low enough for the fox to pull off pieces of the grilled squid as they casually continued down the street.

They heard the music before they reached the plaza where bon odori was being performed. A large, two-tiered wooden scaffold had been erected in the center of the area, the larger bottom platform going all the way around the base. Lines of paper lanterns had been run from the top of the structure to the buildings on all sides, illuminating the square. A large drum was sitting on the higher platform of the yagure with one man beating out a rhythm while three others stood behind him. Every few minutes they traded places, a fresh drummer taking over. They timed the switch perfectly, not allowing even the slightest hitch in the cadence. The lower tier had a line of women, all wearing dark blue kimono with a lighter floral print, dancing around the base of the higher platform. The crowd danced with them, forming three or four concentric circles on the concrete around the yagure.

The brothers stood to the side, watching for a moment or two until Kurama noticed Suuichi tapping his foot to the beat. A glance up revealed his head was also bobbing to the rhythm, although the movements were slight enough that Kurama doubted Suuichi was even aware he was doing it.

/Why don't you join in?/ he suggested.

Suuichi shrugged, not taking his eyes off the people dancing. "I don't really feel like it," he lied.

/I take it you've developed a nervous tick, then?/

Suuichi blinked, looking down at his brother. "What?"

Kurama shook his head. /Bon odori isn't preformed that often,/ he reminded him. /You should make the most of it./

"Yeah, but I can't just leave you alone," he said, staring a bit wistfully at the lines of dancers.

The fox blinked. /You do realize that I am an adult, correct?/ he asked. /And, I have been around them and even been a human longer than you have. I think I can handle myself at one festival./

"Yeah, but that was before-" Suuichi cut himself off, biting his lip. "You hadn't just died," he continued in a much lower tone.

Kurama chuckled, shaking his head again. /Physically, I am perfectly fine,/ he assured his brother. /I told you, my depleted youki won't be an issue unless I try to manipulate any plants. I'll be alright, so you should go and join the dance./

Suuichi was wavering. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Kurama nodded. /It's getting late,/ he said. /I'm not planning on staying for much longer anyway. Go./

Suuichi hesitated for a few seconds more before nodding firmly. "Alright," he said. "I guess I'll see you at home later."

Kurama nodded, watching as Suuichi made his way to the people dancing and joined in their ranks. He glanced around for a higher vantage point, spotting a tree on the other side of the circle of dancers. He made his way over to it, skirting the edge of the crowd. Most of the lower branches had been cleared away, but it looked like there were enough ridges and bumps in the rough bark of the trunk for him to be able to get up it. He backed up a few paces and ran at the tree, the momentum helping him seemingly run up the trunk to the lowest branch, about six feet off the ground. It afforded him a much better view of the plaza and he was able to pick Taro out of the crowd. He was some twenty to thirty feet away and, although he never seemed to look at the fox, he casually moved through the crowd to get closer to the tree. The detective had been following him for the last hour or two and Kurama wondered once again why he in particular was under surveillance.

Ignoring Taro for the moment, Kurama turned his attention back to the dance. The movements were fluid and graceful and there was something almost mesmerizing about watching such a large group of people move more or less in sync with each other. All the dancers moved in unison, sweeping their hands twice to the right as they stepped in that direction and then repeating the motion to the left. They took another step forward, raising the right hand and tossing the wrist as if throwing something over the shoulder while the left fingers lightly rested on the right elbow. The group took another step, mirroring the motion on the left side. Then they all took two steps back, raising first the right hand as if looking at something in the sky and then the left. This was followed by two steps forward, hands held up as if they were pushing against something. Finally, they put their hands together, palms down, and swept them apart as they bent their knees slightly. The group straightened up, clapped three times with the tempo of the drum and began the set again.

Kurama watched for a few minutes, temped to join in himself despite the fact his fox form wasn't suited to ningen dancing. He froze as he felt someone watching him intently, the bloodlust prickling the fur on the back of his neck. His eyes surreptitiously scanned the crowd, trying to locate source of his unease. A group of schoolgirls were laughing together over there; a mother was trying to calm a crying child who had dropped his choco banana on the ground; a group of tourists were taking pictures and videos with their phones; an older couple was sitting on a bench, sharing a large cup of shaved ice... Kurama's eyes roamed over them all, systematically assessing and dismissing the large crowd before him.

He paused as his gazed landed on a young man with short dark hair, heading unerringly for the tree. He was dressed in a red yukata with a dark print, an oddly long and slender bag slung across his back. He wasn't overly tall, though he was broad-shouldered and barrel-chested and easily cleared a path as he stalked toward the tree. His smoldering eyes were locked onto the fox as the corner of his lip turned up in a malicious grin. There was no doubt this was a predator and Kurama knew he had found the serial killer that had been hunting demons.

The fox quickly glanced away, not yet ready to alert the human that he was onto him. He followed the murderer's progress in his peripheral vision, lightly jumping down when he had almost reached the tree. There were too many people here so he decided to head to the nearby park, a couple blocks away. He trotted up the busy street, using the crowd as cover for as long as possible. The demon hunter wouldn't dare make a scene with so many witnesses around.

It was several minutes before they reached the end of the line of stalls, leaving the festivities behind them. Kurama was carefully regulating his pace, trotting slowly enough so as not to lose the ningen but still fast enough that he was just out of range of any attack that might come from behind. He kept his eyes forward as he heard something being pulled out of the bag, pretending not to notice he was being followed.

They were almost at the park now, the line of trees visible as they turned the corner. The lane was completely deserted, a stark contrast to the festival they had just left behind. The ningen quickened his pace, apparently deciding he'd waited long enough. Kurama matched it, easily keeping three or four strides ahead as he crossed the street and jumped lightly over the short stone wall. He headed to the heart of the copse of trees, not wanting to risk any ningen inadvertently walking in on the scene.

"Oi, what's your hurry, little fox?" the hunter called behind him, giving up all pretense of not following him. "Are you lost? Bet I could point you in the right direction..."

Kurama ignored the taunt, slipping through the dense clumps of undergrowth with ease while making the hunter fight his way through or risk losing his prey. He really only needed to keep the human occupied until Taro saw enough to make an arrest, although he didn't relish the thought of relying on someone who disliked him so much. Still, he felt confident in his ability to either out-run the murderer or conceal himself in the undergrowth should the detective fail to play his part.

Coming upon a break in the trees, Kurama was startled to find another ningen sitting on a bench some distance away, a lone lamppost casting its pale light over the area. He was even more shocked to realize it was Kazuya sitting there. What on earth was he doing here? And where was Shiori? Was she safe at home, or was she here as well? He hesitated, taking a few precious seconds to glance around, not seeing anyone else in the nearby area. Perhaps his stepfather had come out here by himself after all. But why?

A whistling sound through the air drew the fox' attention and he tried to jump out of the way, berating himself for letting his worry distract him. He wasn't able to move fast enough and he yelped in pain as the wooden bokken connected solidly with his ribs. He was thrown to the side, smacking into a tree trunk a couple feet away and falling helplessly to the ground, dazed.

"I, Yuudai, will send you to the afterlife, little fox," the demon hunter continued, slowly advancing on the kitsune. He grinned as he watched it struggle defiantly back to its feet, raising the bokken over his head. "I'll even light a candle for you tomorrow night to guide your black soul to the other side!"

"Hold it right there!"

Yuudai stopped, glancing at the new voice behind him. Taro was standing there, his right hand extended in the shape of a gun while his left hand supported it. "I'm placing you under arrest for murder," the detective said.

Yuudai laughed. "Am I supposed to be afraid?" he asked snidely. "It may be dark out here, but even I can see you don't have a real gun!"

"It's real alright," Taro stated. "Lower your weapon and back away from the fox."

Yuudai's lips turned up in a cruel grin. "No." He raised the bokken once more, preparing to strike.

"Rei gun!"

A blue ball of light shot through the trees, almost blindingly bright in the shadows of the night. Yuudai turned slightly, his eyes widening as the energy raced toward him. He closed his eyes and raised one arm instinctively to protect himself from the attack. The orb of light stopped just before it hit him, seeming to bounce off an invisible shield and shot back to where it had originated.

Taro cursed as his own attack headed straight for him, futilely throwing himself to the ground. He wasn't quite fast enough and the rei gun caught his right shoulder, the force of the impact tossing him back several feet.

"Well, what do you know? Turns out there're two of you," Yuudai stated, grinning at the fallen detective. "You're disguise is quite good- I never would have pegged you for one of the black hearted devils!"

Kurama's eyes were narrowed, studying Yuudai's aura intently. He had been wrong. This ningen wasn't taking control of the demons' youki and using against them- he had somehow managed to make their own attacks bounce back at them. Furthermore, the reiki surged and ebbed sporadically, responding to emotion rather than conscious direction. It seemed this ningen was just as untaught in energy manipulation as any of his previous victims. He was lucky he hadn't run across any highly trained demons. A trick like that would be all but useless in an actual fight.

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Kazuya called, rising to his feet and striding quickly toward them. He couldn't hear much from where he was and could see even less, but it was obvious they were doing something they weren't supposed to be.

Yuudai turned toward the new voice. "This doesn't concern you, old man!"

/Stay there!/ Kurama called urgently.

Kazuya stopped, blinking in surprise. "Shuichi?" he asked, squinting slightly as he eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Is that you?"

/Stay where you are and do nothing to draw his attention!/ Kurama continued. /Please!/ He spared a glance at his stepfather, relieved when Kazuya nodded hesitantly.

"Shuichi? No, I'm- argh!" Yuudai's introduction was cut off with a scream as sharp teeth sank deeply into the muscles of his left calf. He swung his bokken down, but the fox had already darted away, pausing just out of reach. "You're gonna pay for that, you little rodent!" he yelled, lunging at the canine.

Kurama nimbly avoided him, moving a little farther away and flicking his tails tauntingly when the ningen stumbled because of his injured leg and the hidden rocks and tree roots covering the ground. /I'm going to lead him away,/ Kurama explained to Kazuya. /While he's distracted with me, you need to get out of here./

"Shuichi-"

/No, listen to me!/ Kurama said sternly, cutting him off. /He is a murderer who has killed several demons over the past few months. He hasn't killed any humans that we know of, but I'm not willing to risk it!/ He avoided another swing of the bokken, steadily moving away from his step-father. /Go! Now!/

Taro pushed himself back to his feet, noticeably favoring his right arm. He could see Kurama was on the defensive, unable to get close enough to attack as he was slowly driven back into the trees. Moving as quietly as he could, Taro quickly circled around so he was behind Yuudai and raised his hand for another shot. Yuudai had been able to deflect it when he saw it coming, but what if it took the killer by surprise?

Kurama's eyes widened when he felt the detective's energy gathering and saw the flickering light dancing on the tree trunks. He looked past Yuudai to see Taro and, further back but still in the direct line of fire, Kazuya. /Taro, no!/ he cried, already knowing it was too late to stop him.

"Rei gun!"

The blast of energy went hurling through the air, aiming at Yuudai's back. Taro's jaw dropped in shock when his attack was bounced back at him again, the surprise robbing him of any chance he might have had to react. Suddenly, there was something in front of him, taking full power of the blast head-on.

The resulting explosion of energy was blindingly bright, forcing Taro to cover his eyes. When the light died down, he lowered his arm and stared. There, with his crossed arms held up in front of him protectively- and not looking any worse for the wear, despite having taken Taro's most powerful attack head-on -stood Youko Kurama. The demon slowly straightened up to his full height, letting his arms fall to his sides and Taro couldn't help but gape. There wasn't even so much as a scratch on him.

Kurama couldn't believe the amount of energy it had taken to assume his youko form. He hadn't felt this weak since he was just a kit! He felt himself swaying slightly and he closed his eyes, focusing on finding his center. Taro's mistake had cost the demon dearly and frustration burned through him. Kurama drew on the emotion, squeezing everything he could from it before opening his eyes and glaring at Yuudai. He shifted his stance slightly, folding his arms across his chest. It served the double purpose of making him look more intimidating while hiding how badly his hands were shaking.

Yuudai didn't look at all phased by the transformation. "So, the demon finally shows itself."

"Normally, I don't bother sullying my hands in dealing with vermin like you," Kurama said, his deep voice low. "However, you are starting to irritate me. And that is not a wise thing to do."

"I'm not afraid of you," Yuudai boasted, limping back over to stand in front of the youko. "I'm blessed by the gods. You're evil powers can't touch me." He raised his bokken, gripping the handle with both hands. "My mission is clear- to kill demons like you!"

Kurama caught the wooden sword with one hand as it descended, the ningen's might nothing compared his demon body's strength. Koenma had classified him as an S-rank demon years ago and one did not reach that level of power without increasing physical strength and endurance as well. Bereft of energy though he may be, no mere ningen could hope to match him in brute strength. "Blessed by the gods?" Kurama sneered. "Hardly. You have a higher than average amount of reiki and you've unconsciously learned to tap into it, but that is all. You'll need something far greater than this toy if you intend to challenge me." He broke the wooden blade with a quick chopping motion, disarming the ningen before lashing out with his foot to drive home the difference in their power.

Kurama's foot caught Yuudai in the stomach, sending him rolling across the ground before smacking into a tree. He gasped in pain, arms wrapping protectively around his midsection as his wide eyes lifted to the tall youko, clearly not having anticipated coming across a demon as strong as this. The realization of how utterly defenseless he was against his latest would-be victim struck him with startling clarity, blood draining from his face as the silver haired demon slowly took one deliberate step toward him and then another. The rapidly growing fear in his chest robbed him of his voice, his mouth moving soundlessly as he tried to plead for mercy.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already," Kurama taunted, hoping the slight breathlessness in his tone would be mistaken for anticipation. He could feel sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to hold this form, grateful the poor lighting masked how badly off he really was. He took another halting step forward, the strain making his voice come out harsh and low. "After all, the true fun lies in the chase. I'll even give you a head start."

Yuudai stared into those cold eyes, seeing nothing but pain and suffering within the amber depths. Already knowing his death had been sealed the moment he attacked the fox, he still turned and ran as fast as his injured leg would allow in a desperate attempt to escape his fate.

Kurama breathed a silent sigh of relief, letting the wooden shaft still clutched in his hand fall to the ground. One down, one to go.

Taro was speechless. He'd never seen Kurama's youko side before, nor seen him so intimidating. Though he did not raise his voice, there was a definite edge that was missing in its human counterpart and, for the first time, Taro realized he had absolutely no way to stop the fox. He scowled at the demon's words, not liking the insinuation.

Taro watched as the human fled and Kurama simply turned away, no doubt intending to savor the chase as he had said. "I can't let you kill him," he stated, grateful his voice didn't waver. His hand slipped into his pocket and closed around the mirror that would allow him to contact Botan, though he didn't know what help she could offer from Reikai.

"Then perhaps you should arrest him before he kills anyone else," Kurama retorted, his voice still pitched low. He turned slightly, amber eyes glaring at the detective responsible for his current predicament.

Taro studied the youko for a few precious seconds, trying to decide whether the words were genuine or if this was a ploy to get him out of the way so the demon could have his fun. He blinked, only then noticing the beads of sweat glistening on the youko's face and the almost panting breaths the other was trying to hide. Had he been bluffing?

Kurama's eyes hardened, a flicker of anger burning within him when the detective didn't take the hint. He couldn't last much longer. "I suggest you get after him," he grated out, letting the anger color his tone. "I'm tired of cleaning up your messes. Renegade humans fall under your purview, Detective. Not mine."

Taro returned the glare, the spark of concern he'd felt for the youko easily snuffed out. "Just make sure you remember that," he said, running off in the direction Yuudai had disappeared in.

Kurama's whole body was shaking with the strain of maintaining his demon form. As soon as Taro was gone, he closed his eyes and let go, falling limply to the ground.

Kazuya had watched the whole exchange with wide eyes, not quite sure what to make of the rapid turn of events. However when he saw the youko fall, he found himself running forward without conscious thought to do so and knelt at his side. The demon had reverted back to a fox, his eyes closed and chest heaving as he panted heavily. "Shuichi?" Kazuya asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"

The fox didn't reply, or give any indication that he had heard the question at all.

Cautiously, Kazuya lifted the small body in his arms, eyes widening with panic when he realized Shuichi was unconscious. What on earth had happened? Although he had been present for the entire confusing and frightening confrontation- definitely a side of Shuichi he hadn't seen before -he still had no idea what was going on. However, as one of those men had admitted to being a murderer after demons, it was probably a good idea for Shuichi to not be here if he came back.

What if the murderer had done something to Shuichi? Kazuya bit his lip, staring down at the quivering body in his arms. The conversation had seemed to indicate that Shuichi had the upper hand, but this couldn't be normal, could it? And what had been the cause of that pained yelp he'd heard earlier? Kazuya shook his head, instinctively cradling the limp form to his chest as he rose to his feet. Right now, all that mattered was getting Shuichi somewhere safe. He could figure out the rest later.

. . .

To Be Continued

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