10

Their lot forbad: nor circumscribed alone
Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined;
Forbad to wade through slaughter to a throne,
And shut the gates of mercy on mankind,

I've seen a lot of versions of Kurama, but here he's come out rather prejudiced. In the series he expresses disdain for other demons and I think it's a bit of the left-over arrogance from his former life. The expression of this attitude comes out more subtlety when he's dealing with Hana, but it colors almost all their interactions.

Hehehe I was bad with this one... Sorry it's taken so long to update, I was working on the other story instead when I hit a little trouble with this one. I adore everyone who's reviewed on this. Since no one reviewed the last two chapter I'm assuming I responded to everyone already, if not I'm Really Sorry!

Keita gestured at Kurama to translate while the later stared back at him defiantly. "Chi-chan please," Hana said, turning her wide eyes on him.

"They are saying you look childish, cutesy, and that isn't how they want you to look for the picture. Sophisticated is more complex, worldly, with knowledge of what is going on."

"MeaningI don't know anything because I am from an isolated area," she responded in a biting tone, her eyes narrowing on the boy. He blinked at her as she held her head up higher and inclined it, her mouth compressed, one corner turning up into a deliberate expression, not quite a smirk or a smile, while she arched one eyebrow ever so slightly, giving her face a very knowing look. She looked almost crafty, and definitely worldly, as she slowly turned this expression on the camera.

"Perfect," the photographer exclaimed and began furiously clicking. "Excellent darling, turn a bit more towards me."

Hana turned as instructed while the designer clapped his hands behind the photographer's back and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. "Hana-san you're a natural! You'll have to do the whole collection!"

"Okay, now a little less jaded, more ethereal." Both men looked at Kurama.

"You expect me to translate ethereal?" They nodded. "Ethereal, like a bird or a something else light, airy, delicate, like a spider's web."

"That is a very strange way for a solid creature to be."

"Yes, but somehow they think you can accomplish it."

"It's like something pretty," Keita said gesturing at Hana. "Very pretty, but you can't touch." He reached out, miming something just out of reach.

"That silly," Hana responded, shifting her posture, tilting her head up and turning it to the side while looking at them from the corner of one eye. The photographer got up and adjusted her position slightly, moved her arms around and had her shift her weight, but they liked the profile view. They went through several more poses, making Kurama translate abstract terms describing the strange sort of look they wanted. The teen found it boring and tedious, made even worse by the fact that Hana kept snapping at him over what she had earlier taken as an insult.

Finally they were done and Kurama dragged Hana back into the shop to change into her own clothes. Keita was occupied as he stood talking to the photographer besides the cash register. When the two adolescents emerged from the back room he jumped in surprise and reached for Hana's hand, but Kurama blocked him. "Don't tell me you're leaving!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, we are. I don't know why I allowed this to continue for as long as it did," Kurama remarked.

"But Hana-san liked it! Didn't you Hana-san?" He turned pleading eyes on the girl who frowned slightly. "Well then I guess it's time I paid you, you did a lovely job Hana. Austrian, I still can't believe it!" He pulled out a checkbook and glanced up at her. "How about 500 euros, I think that's about right." Hana just smiled pleasantly while Kurama's jaw unhinged slightly. "How should I make it out?" Keita asked, whirling his pen around.

"She doesn't have a—"

"I'll make it out to you then, if that's okay with you Hana-san?" Keita pursed his lips and looked at the girl.

"Yes, yes, give to Chi-chan," she flapped her hands towards the red-head and Keita smiled.

"So my boy, how do I make it out?"

"Shuichi Minamino," Kurama replied automatically. His brain was working quickly, trying to figure out how he would explain this to his mother, how he would hide it, what they would do with the money, and every other possibility the situation presented.

"Now I absolutely demand a phone number or address where I can contact this darling girl. I still want her to do the rest of the collection."

"I will, I will have to take her to get papers so that she can work."

"Oh of course!" Keita exclaimed. "But you give me your number and I will give you mine so that you can call me the moment everything's cleared."

Kurama wrote down his phone number for the designer, praying the man would lose it. He took the proffered slip of paper along with the check and hurried the demoness from the shop.

"I can honestly say that was one of the most surreal experiences of my life," the fox demon said as he led the girl down the street.

"Surreal is what?" she said but received no answer as he was looking down at the check.

"I will have to tell Spirit World then."

"Chi-chan." She picked at his sleeve. "Chi-chan!"

"Hm?"

"I not understand."

"Hana, would you like to do that more often, to wear different clothes and have people take pictures of you?"

"Less sleepy than go school," she said while pursing her lips into a pout.

"Because it seems like that man, Tanaka Keita would be willing to hire you at least once more. When you do work like that you get money," he waved the check and saw her eyes flick to it. "It's like when you gave your horns up. And then you can buy food, clothes, anything."

"I give Yusuke for food," she said immediately. "And you mom."

"Don't worry about that," Kurama said quickly. "But I have to talk to Spirit World about you to make it so you can work. If you really wanted to go home," he said slowly, "there's a chance they could help you get there."

"I would not be able to find them again," she replied, absently tugging at her damaged ear.

Kurama sent Hana back to Yusuke's and set about contacting Spirit World. It was not as easy as it had once been. Now that he was done with his 'probation' he had to go through roundabout sources to get his message that he wanted to talk to Koenma. After dinner he excused himself to his room, snuck out his window and went to the place a portal would be appearing if Koenma accepted his request for a meeting.

It was five minutes late, but luckily Kurama had always been patient. He had an even longer wait outside the prince's office, but at last he was invited in and saw the small ruler in much the same position as he always was.

"Well Kurama, I must admit you were one of the last people I'd peg to be calling me up for a favor. So what is it that's serious enough for you to need my help?"

Kurama explained about Hana, explained how she was harmless, how she had shown no desire to go back where she had come from and how she now had an opportunity to work in the human world, to make a new life.

"We almost never get antelope demons in the human world!" Koenma exclaimed. "They're just not aggressive enough to get through the portals, and normally not smart enough to try. Well it makes sense if this one was running and happened to trip through one. No, it doesn't seem like there will be any problem. I'll put the paperwork in immediately. What did you said her name was?"

"Minamino Hana," Kurama replied. "I've been telling people that she's my cousin."

"Ohoho that's a good one, a fox and a doe. I can get her that name but probably not status as your cousin. Things get tricky when you try to make up identities connected to living people. And how about we make her a year older, so she's just graduated, give her a diploma from a foreign school, Austrian, right? But make her a citizen; I think we can swing that."

Kurama was dreading what he would say next, but he had to ask, he had to know the price. "What do you want in return?"

Koenma's eyebrows rose and he let out another laugh. "I'm not that evil! I swear you all think I'm some kind of sick dictator messing with people's lives like they were pawns in my chess game! Just keep her out of trouble, don't let her kill anybody and I'll consider it a fair trade."

Shocked to be getting off so easy, Kurama nodded and left before the prince could change his mind.

The weekend came again there has as yet been no word from Spirit World. Kurama was giving Hana an extra long lesson in Japanese, but they were both growing more distracted as lunch time approached.

"Why don't we go for a walk after lunch?" Kurama suggested as he snapped his history book closed and gave her a pleasant smile. "It will be a nice break."

"Yeah, walk," Hana said. She dropped her pen and shook out her hands while grimacing. "Writing hurt much."

"You're doing very well," he remarked, picking up the paper she had been practicing on and looking over her characters. "You're handwriting is good too."

"Thanks. After walk you read me story?"

She looked up at him hopefully and he couldn't help smiling back. Being read to was one of the few indulgences Hana insisted on, but as she seemed to find his textbooks enthralling he wasn't one to complain when she asking him to read his homework aloud.

They went downstairs for lunch and settled around the table with the rest of his family. Kurama was starting to suspect his step-brother of having some sort of crush on the demoness. Whenever they were in the same room together the boy would spend most of the timing staring at her. Hana only barely acknowledged him as being there, she was polite in her own special way, but took no other notice of little Shuichi.

"After eat we take break," Hana said enthusiastically to Shiori. "Go walk."

"Oh that sounds lovely dear," his mother replied with a kind smile. "It's such a nice day out. You're learning very quickly too."

"Thank you very much!"

Shiori asked several more questions about what they were studying, how Hana was progressing and other pleasantries before they finished their meal. Hana grabbed their plates and danced off to the kitchen while Shiori smiled after her.

"She's such an energetic and happy little girl, isn't she?"

"Yes, she has boundless energy," Kurama replied before excusing himself to follow the girl.

They left the house and wandered away from the main area of the city. Kurama had promised to show Hana the largest trees he knew of and they were headed for the woods. As they were wandering under the trees with Hana staring around in awe there was a sudden loud squeal and a blue blur came barreling towards them.

"Kuraamaa!" it cried before colliding with the surprised boy. "It's been so long, too long!" a high voice cried.

"Botan! I'm surprised to see you, but pleased as well," Kurama said, patting her awkwardly on the back.

"When Koenma said he needed someone to take paperwork to you I just jumped on the chance!" she said, letting go of his grip around his neck. "I miss all of you boys so much, even Hiei!"

"Well we all miss your bubbly spirit," he replied with a smile.

His eyes flicked over Botan's head to where Hana was standing a few feet away, watching them. Her face looked troubled and her dark eyes were particularly unreadable at the moment. Botan looked around to see what he was looking at. She spotted Hana and clasped her hands together as she let out an "oh!" The demoness recoiled as the ferrywoman came bounding towards her with a bright smile on her face.

"And you must be Hana! How nice it is to meet you. You're in excellent hands here, well as long as you don't spend too much time alone with Yusuke that is! Aren't you just so cute, you look awful scared for a demon, it's hard to believe! You know, I think you must remind me of Yukina. Ah, I haven't seen her in a while either."

"Why does it make so much noise?" Hana asked, her eyes darting to Kurama.

"That's just how Botan is, Hana."

"Make her go away."

"Hana!"

"What did she say?" Botan asked, turning back to Kurama.

Hana moved forward suddenly. Catching Botan's hand she shook it up and down quickly while saying: "Botan? Hello Botan, I'm Hana."

Kurama was startled by this sudden transition. Just seconds before, she had been frowning and telling him to make Botan go away; now she was smiling as Botan fluffed her bangs and rattled on. "Oh but I really need to give you the paperwork!" Botan exclaimed turning back to Kurama and he saw Hana's eyes narrowing slightly on the ferrywoman's back. Botan pulled out her notebook and began flipping through pages.

"Here we go!" She pulled out a stack and handed them to Kurama. "Now in there should be a birth certificate, immunization record, primary school permanent records and high school diploma. Oh, and a passport!"

"It's all here," Kurama said as he flipped through the little stack one more time. "Spirit World really did a good job on this."

"Well we do try! I think I'm going to run and see Yusuke quickly. It should give him quite the heart attack! Bye!" She waved as she took off back towards the city. An oar appeared out of thin air and she jumped on it and zoomed off.

"She go see Yusuke?" Hana asked and Kurama noted the annoyance in her voice with some surprise.

"You don't like Botan?"

"I didn't say that." She pranced forward and reached for the papers in his hand. "Give me!"

"Hana, I'm not sure that's the best idea." Kurama held them out of reach, which was difficult as the girl was his height, and fended her off with one hand. "We don't want to lose these."

"Hana good!" the antelope pouted. "Just want to look." He sighed and let her take the passport. "Oh, that's me!" Hana traced her fingers across the picture in the little book with reverence. "This one not move."

"It's not a mirror, it's a photograph."

"Oh, like in Chi-chan's house."

"Come on, let's head back."

"But, but, trees," Hana whined, gesturing with the passport towards the deeper areas of the woods.

"Ok, we'll look at the trees a little longer, but then we really must head back."