Chapter 10

"So, Koenma. Is there some particular reason you have chosen to convene at this diner, rather than your office?"

The young leader of the Spirit World shifted in his seat and tugged uncomfortably at the red Hiei-esque bandana wrapped around his head to cover up the 'Jr' tattooed on his forehead while in teenager form. "Why yes, actually, there is. My father discovered I have been asking you and the others for help without his permission." He made a face. "He's not very happy with me at the moment."

Kurama smiled knowingly from his place across the table. The white coffee mug before him was no longer steaming, though it was still nearly full. "I can imagine the wrath of King Yama must be great. No doubt it hurts you to sit down for so long after such an appalling punishment."

Koenma's cheeks flushed, matching the color of his bandana. "Shut up, Kurama," he said through gritted teeth. "I called you here for a reason!"

One more chuckle escaped from the red head's lips. "My apologies, sir. Down to business, then?"

The prince threw one more glare before he responded. He hesitated for a moment, debating with himself, before coming to some sort of resolution. With shoulders squared in purpose, he spoke. "I've come to speak with you about Akina."

All traces of humor left Kurama's face in an instant. Glittering emerald eyes went flat and hard. The politeness, however, never left his voice. "What about her?"

"Can we trust her?"

"Trust her with what, exactly?"

"You know what I mean," Koenma barked.

"I'm not sure I do." That was a lie and they both knew it.

Despite the fact that the two were tucked away into a corner and as far away as possible from everyone else in the restaurant, they kept their voices low. It was a couple hours after noon, and most humans were at work, leaving the establishment fairly vacant. Nevertheless, there were still some couples and groups of giggling girls milling about. Their conversation was not one that was meant to be overheard.

"Oh stop it. You know exactly what I am getting at," Koenma snapped. He picked up his own mug to take a sip of his beverage but found it to be empty. With a clatter, he placed it back on the matching saucer. "You know what has been happening in the city the past few weeks. How do you know she's not a part of it? She could be a spy." Kurama did not reply, nor did his gaze waver. "I know she is your daughter but I need to know that won't get in the way if she ends up being dangerous and we need to eliminate her."

There was silence. Koenma eyed the fox, clearly expecting an answer. He folded his arms over his chest and his liquid amber eyes were steady. Kurama clasped his hands before him, deciding the best way to reply. Each word was carefully calculated before he spoke. "At this point in time, I am not sure whether or not we can trust her. She has only been at the safe-house for four days. We have not been able to determine anything concrete."

Koenma nodded. "And the others? What do they think?"

Again there was another pause as Kurama considered his words. "I have not had a chance to speak with them in depth. But, from what we were able to discuss in passing, Yusuke and Kuwabara appear to be on the fence like myself. We need more time to observe her."

"And Hiei?"

At this, the fox's eyes hardened even more. "Hiei and I have not had the chance to speak yet. Though in light of recent events, it appears he and I have much to discuss."

The prince did not miss the undercurrent of venom in the fox's voice. As he opened his mouth to ask what was meant by 'recent events,' he was interrupted.

"Hey there! How are you two doin' all the way over here?" The young waitress appeared next to the table like a phantom. Her smile was bright and her voice was bubbly. She wore a collared pink t-shirt with the top few buttons open and a short black skirt. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail and a pad of paper was in her hands, pen poised above it. "Can I get you anything else to drink, darlin'?" Her question was directed at Koenma.

"No. I'm fine, thanks," he replied in short, clipped tones that clearly stated he wanted her to leave.

Despite the lack of courtesy, she smiled. "Well, holler if you need anythin'!" She winked at them before walking away.

Kurama made to move to get out of his chair. Despite the brevity of the conversation, he knew it was time for him to leave. He was not willing to answer any more questions. "If you'll excuse me, I have some items of business I need to tend to."

"Wait, Kurama." This time, Koenma's voice was firm. He was no longer a pal drinking coffee; he was the leader of the Spirit World, ready to give his instructions. Kurama remained seated and looked at him expectantly. "She is not to be left alone. Do you understand me? I want you, Hiei, Yusuke, or Kuwabara with her at all times."

"That is a lot to ask, don't you think? Already the four of us are patrolling the city—at your request—in hopes of catching the perpetrators or to prevent more harm. Kuwabara and I are also attending our respective universities. When Yusuke is not training for the next Demon World tournament, he spends a fair amount of time with Keiko these days, when she is not studying of course."

"I understand you are busy but it can't be helped! Until we know if she can be trusted, she must be watched! We don't know who she is or where she came from. Just because she is your daughter does not mean she means well."

Kurama regarded him for several long minutes. The two men stared at each other, both with eyes narrowed defiantly. Finally, he sighed, conceding to the young prince's point. "I will let the others know. Don't worry, we will take care of it."

"Thank you."

It wasn't until the fox had disappeared through the front doors of the café that Koenma realized Kurama had not addressed his other concern. In the event that Akina was a threat to them, whose side would Kurama take? His team's or his daughter's?

Akina stared down at the little kids in the park as they chased each other in games of tag. Others were testing the laws of gravity as they played on the swings, pushing themselves higher and higher. Some hung upside down on the monkey bars, dangling like the monkeys for which the equipment was named. The sound of laughter and giggles was soothing to the cat as she sat in her tree several yards away, hidden by the leaves, able to watch without being seen herself.

She leaned against the trunk of the tree, one leg hanging over the limb while the other was pulled up against her and used as an arm rest. It was odd how relaxing it was to observe these humans living their day-to-day lives. The children were something she found she particularly enjoyed. Their innocence was refreshing.

The branch she sat on shook as a pair of black boots landed on the end of it. She looked up, slightly startled. She hadn't been expecting company. Upon realizing who it was, though, she tensed involuntarily.

"What are you doing?" Hiei asked, staring at her, his hands tucked away inside his cloak. As usual, his expression gave nothing away. And, as usual, she found this to be aggravating. She still knew his little quirks and idiosyncrasies, but there was still a lot that had changed over the years. It irritated her that she was not able to read him as well as she used to.

She tore away from his vermillion eyes and turned back to the kids. "Watching," was all she gave in way of reply.

"I can see that." His tone was dry. "Why?"

She sighed, still apprehensive of his appearance. "Because it's something to do and I enjoy it. Why are you here?"

"You disappeared."

She flinched, waiting for some snide remark about how she had abandoned him. Hiei noticed this but didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, "I was wondering where you ran off to. I traced your pitiful energy here."

At that, she scowled up at him. "Did you come to mock me? Or to be mean to me? Or to tell me to leave again? If it's any of the above, then you can leave."

"I said you could stay, didn't I?" Now there was impatience in his tone. She sniffed at him and looked away. The two fell into silence as they watched the scene below. "I thought you were looking for Youko."

A humorless snort came from the cat. "Yeah. Right. I think I'm done with that. If he wanted me to find him, he would have let me find him a long time ago. I was just too stubborn to give up but I'm finally beginning to see it's useless to continue."

"You've never been much of a quitter. And he may be closer than you think." To her confusion, there was humor in his voice.

Asshole.

One eyebrow went up as she looked at him, slightly insulted. "I'm glad you find this so funny. Do you, by chance, know something that I don't? If so, do tell. I'm quite interested to know."

His expression gave nothing away. He watched her for another moment before he looked back down at the kids. "I don't understand why you find watching these little monsters enjoyable. They seem… loud."

The fact that he eluded her question did not escape her notice, but she did not press the matter. He'd said more than enough. "Monsters. And this comes from demon that has three eyes."

He scowled at her, but did not remark. She shook her head and once more turned back to watch the children. Below her, a young boy and girl, probably around 4-years-old, were holding hands and skipping through the grass. Songs about butterflies and ducks wafted up to her and she smiled.

"I've never seen you without your ears and tail before," Hiei observed suddenly. "I don't like it."

She didn't even bother to look up at him. A smirk twitched at the corner of her mouth. Some things would never change. He wasn't one for tact, that was certain. "I would be offended by your bluntness, but I don't like it either. It's uncomfortable."

"Hiei. Akina." They both turned at the new voice as it sounded above the children below. Hidden farther into the trees, out of the sight of the humans around them, they could see Kurama staring up at them, his red hair standing out against the green of the foliage.

Without being asked, the two short demons dropped from the tree branch, landing gracefully on their feet before the fox. Kurama looked down at her and smiled. "Hello, Akina. How are you today?" he asked her politely.

She smiled back. "I'm great, actually. I've had a long time to think and figure some stuff out."

"Good. I'm glad." His smile, while genuine, didn't quite seem to reach his eyes. He turned to Hiei. "Hiei, might I have a word with you?" The fire demon grunted in response. Both Akina and Kurama knew him well enough to know that was his consent. "If you don't mind, Akina, we'll meet you back at the house. I believe Yukina is preparing dinner again, since she is returning to Genkai's in the morning."

The dismissal was clear. Despite her curiosity as to what they would need to speak of in private, she nodded. It wasn't her business. It was odd, though, to see that Hiei had built a life here, with friends that had items to discuss in privacy. Even more unsettling was knowing that he wouldn't meet up with her at the end of the day and exchange information like they used to. Being back near the fire demon was throwing her off; things were not how they used to be.

"Okay, I'll see you there." She met the fire demon's gaze once more before she waved at them and walked away.

They both watched her depart and waited until she was out of earshot before they spoke. "What do you want, fox?"

"You lied to me, Hiei. You told me you didn't know her. I want to know why." Kurama's gaze was piercing as he stared at the shorter demon. And, as always, his tone remained polite but deadly.

There was no way Hiei was going to answer that with the truth. So, he replied with, "Does it matter? You know the truth now."

"Yes. I do." There was a pause. "Koenma wants us to watch her."

Anger flitted briefly across the fire demon's face. "For what reason?"

"He doesn't trust her. He feels she may be a spy." Nothing about the fox gave away what he was thinking at this point. The fire demon was unsure if his friend was angered by this or if he agreed with it.

"She's here looking for you, she said so herself."

"Are we sure about that, Hiei? It could be a cover story. You know what's been happening around town. The spikes of demon energy. The explosions. The attacks. For all you know, she could be a part of it."

Hiei thought about Akina's admission moments before that she had given up looking for Youko. He wouldn't divulge that bit of information either. It would only prove the red-head's point. He found it odd, and even somewhat amusing, that it was still instinctual for him to defend her. "I highly doubt that, fox."

"Regardless, Koenma has asked one of us to remain with her at all times."

Hiei was silent for a moment, debating. Currently, he lived with her under the same roof. The responsibility to watch her would fall on him most of the time anyway, except for when it was his turn for patrol duty. He could discover the truth for himself. "Fine," he snapped.

"I need to know your feelings for her are not going to impair your judgment."

He blinked, completely caught off guard."My feelings for—"

"Don't try to lie to me, Hiei. It's quite clear you still love her."

"I don't love her. I've never lo—"

"Of course not. You were simply so thrown off by her appearance because you are indifferent to her, is that right?" Kurama's tone was sharp. Hiei said nothing, though his responding glare was spectacular. "Tread carefully, Hiei. She is not the only one I will be keeping a close eye on." As Hiei stared into the green eyes of his friend, he could have sworn they flashed a familiar gold for the briefest moment before the fox turned and walked away.

"Wow Yukina! That was amazing!" Keiko gushed. "You've become an excellent cook!"

"Yeah, Yukina. This is fantastic!" These words from Akina were muffled as she spoke around a barrage of half-chewed food, and were barely distinguishable.

Yukina beamed from where she stood next to the table. "Thank you! Would anyone like more?"

Akina swallowed the bite she was chewing and pushed her now empty plate away from her. With a groan she leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. "I wish. I ate too much already."

"Thank you, Yukina, but I'm okay as well," Keiko said with a smile.

Yukina turned to the ex-detective sitting at the head of the table. It was only him, Keiko, and Akina there. Hiei had returned from his chat with Kurama but had not sat down to eat. Kurama and Kuwabara were nowhere to be found. "Yusuke?" she asked.

He sat in his chair, leaning on the back two legs with his feet propped up on the table. The plate before him had barely been touched, a rarity for the human. His arms were folded over his chest and his brown eyes were locked on Akina. He did not look away as he responded in a quiet voice: "No. Thanks."

Next to him, Keiko frowned. "Are you all right Yusuke? You barely touched your food."

"I'm fine," he answered shortly.

Akina—who was not unaware that the ex-detective had been staring at her the entire meal—finally turned to face him. His eyes were narrowed slightly, seeming too intelligent for a junior high school dropout. But then again, this was the Mazoku who organized the Demon World Tournament. His human education had nothing to do with his intellect. Currently, there was something on his mind, something he knew. "Can I help you, Yusuke?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure? You've been staring at me all throughout dinner."

"I'm great."

"If you need something, let me know."

"Will do."

She raised an eyebrow at him. He mimicked her action. It was clear he was hiding something and his monosyllabic answers were maddening. But if he didn't want to talk about it, then he didn't want to talk about it. What did it really matter, anyway? If he did have a problem, he would confront her soon enough. From her few brief encounters with the human, she knew he was not really one to hold in what he was thinking for too long. His sarcastic and blunt nature didn't allow him to refrain.

Ignoring the former detective for the time being, Akina rose from her place at the table and began to clear the dishes, piling them next to the sink where Yukina was rinsing them under the running water. They smiled at each other. Yukina handed her a dripping dish and she picked up a towel. Carefully she dried the sopping plate before laying it neatly on the counter.

Behind them, there were muted whispers as Keiko and Yusuke spoke softly to each other, so quietly that she couldn't pick up what they were saying. From what she could gather, though, Keiko was upset about something and Yusuke sounded as though he didn't care. After a few minutes, Keiko let out a huff. Her chair scraped across the ground as she pushed away from the table and her footsteps took her from the room.

As the pile of clean dishes began to build, there was a familiar itch on the back of Akina's neck. A small shiver ran up her spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. It was a feeling she was accustomed to, but not one she enjoyed. Someone was watching her. Slowly she turned. Yusuke's brown eyes were locked onto her once again.

"Are you absolutely sure everything's okay, detective?" she asked through gritted teeth. He was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Fan-friggin'-tastic," he replied, voice flat. The tone and the words did not match.

She glared at him.

"Um… Akina, I can finish the rest of the dishes if you would like to do something else…" Yukina's voice was hesitant behind her. The ice maiden could obviously sense the building tension and was attempting to relieve the situation. Akina ignored her.

"Would you stop staring at me?" she snarled. The young fighter did not reply, but his gaze did not waver. In fact, his eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction, as though he was staring at her even harder.

Jackass.

There was a low rumbling in her chest. It was soft, almost like a low vibrating hum. But if her irritation was fueled anymore, the sound would rise in volume until it was a full growl, like a cat with her back arched, hackles raised, and teeth bared.

As she opened her mouth to tell him off in a less-than-polite way, she paused. Yusuke, who had been waiting to hear what she would say, frowned slightly and watched as she tilted her head to the side.

Something had caught her attention. Something… familiar. It had passed by so briefly, she wasn't even sure she knew what it was. A feeling? A sound? A smell? She closed her eyes and sniffed the air delicately. The main smell in the room was the dinner they had just eaten. There was the smell of the human before her, the human girl in the front room, the fire demon upstairs, and the ice maiden. A few other household smells were picked up as well but she pushed past them, trying to determine what it was that had caught her attention.

There it was, so faint that it was at the edge of her senses, barely perceptible even with her cat nose. It was almost like the smell of burning hair and melting plastic. One silver ear twitched, trying to see if there was a sound with it. Once again pushing past the sounds of the other living bodies in the house, she heard a faint whistling, almost like a boiling teakettle.

"Yusuke," she whispered, still concentrating. Every muscle was beginning to tense up, starting in her shoulders and working its way down as her body went rigid. A sinking feeling appeared in the pit of her stomach and she suddenly felt nauseous.

The young boy seemed to pick up on the seriousness of her tone. He sat up straight and dropped his feet from the table. "Yusuke, grab Keiko and run." He stared at her as though she had grown two heads and had spoken in Pig Latin. Her golden eyes snapped open, fire dancing behind them. "Yusuke, RUN!" she shouted.

He was smart enough to know there's a time and a place to ask questions. He was on his feet and in the other room before she could say another word. Akina whipped around and grabbed Yukina, who looked terrified and confused. "What's going on, Akina?" she asked. The front door slammed as Yusuke and Keiko disappeared.

Akina didn't reply. "Hiei!" she called out softly instead, knowing the fire demon would be able to hear her.

The stench was stronger now, nearly overpowering. It made her gag. No one else, though, could smell it as they did not have her cat senses. She knew from the intensity of the smell that they only had mere seconds. She debated for only an instant—run or hide? A black figure appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, making up her mind. She pushed the ice maiden toward her brother, not caring as the girl let out a squeal of surprise. His hands shot out to steady her.

"Run," Akina said. The fire demon, seeing the look of urgency on her face, didn't argue or ask questions. She was not one to spook easily and her expression said more than enough. He scooped up his sister and disappeared through the back door without another word, knowing the cat could fend for herself. She turned to run but knew it was too late. Instead of bolting, she dove under the table.

And then, the world around her exploded.