Disclaimer: Don't own anything really but in essence Mikai, Senkai, Carden, and Kubo. Cat owns Sotto; The A owns Asuka; The Last J owns Reijii; Mikey owns Lei; and Nicole owns Yuzu. Damn…I've just realized how many characters I really don't own…oh well, they're still my girls and I love 'em!
The morning started off as normal as any other one would.
Kurama woke the next day still on the couch with the book in hand around eleven when the phone rang, his mother on the opposite line. She told him that she would be over in fifteen minutes or so. After the conversation ended, he woke Mikai (who was still on the couch) and straightened a few things up with her assistance. Mikai barely spoke, and yet when Shiori arrived she acted as if nothing was the matter with her. Kurama helped his mother upstairs, and informed her that he and Mikai were going out at noon but they would be back by dinner time at the least. She mentioned that she felt like taking a nap, and Kurama left her to herself.
Then, eleven thirty hit.
And, for some strange reason, Kurama felt something…shift. It wasn't the mood of the house, no, but something deeper.
Please be anything but a gut feeling.
Kurama knew that she had seen the display of time on the clock above the TV, but she failed to mention it. Instead she glanced at the display of a TV drama, staring at it rather than watching it.
"I think it would be best if we left now, Mikai," he said in a soft tone.
She nodded, a bit too hard. "Right."
They left the house together, and walked in silence to the park, Mikai with her arms crossed the entire time. The fox demon removed the device Reijii had given him from one of his pockets and held it in the palm of his hand, in case Kubo decided to ambush the two of them randomly instead of hold his promise.
Reaching the park in record time, they approached the entrance when Kurama paused, and inhaled. There was no better time for this, the stress and the promise of what was to come just over the fence would help him get an honest answer from her, the answer he had been wanting to hear since the first day he had seen her dreams. The redhead gently placed his hand on Mikai's shoulder before they stepped foot in the battle arena, turning her to face him.
"Mikai if you have anything you need to tell me, now would be the time," he said, his voice firm. "We're going in to a battle, and I need to know that I know everything about you and your dreams."
She blanched. A pause came over the two of them as he stood there, waiting for an answer from the young girl who had become a roommate in three or rather four days, one that made him think that something was up with her. Why the long pause? Did she have something to say?
"Shuuichi…I—"
Suddenly the round object Reijii had given Kurama screeched in a long beep, and he turned towards the direction of the park. The arrow on the device pointed straight to the grassy plain, the arrow never quivering underneath the spiritual energy. The spiritual powers he had felt that day he had been attacked at the bakery returned, sending shivers down his spine in warning of what was to come.
Kurama jerked his right hand in front of Mikai, keeping her an inch or two behind him. "Never mind, we'll continue this conversation later, there are more important matters at hand now. The moment we meet up with the others, put your shield up, understand?"
She nodded.
He took off in the direction that the compass led him in, Mikai trailing right behind him within the distance he would need to grab her if necessary. Kurama glanced around for attacks or minions but saw nothing, not even people in the park. Where was everyone? The park had never been this empty!
I didn't feel a barrier up when we entered. What could Kubo have done with the people here?
Running across the flat land, Kurama spotted Yusuke and Hiei standing in front of a massive water fountain where most of the park's visitors could be found on a normal day and still, nothing. There hadn't even been a sign of a bird, cat, anything since he and Mikai had stepped foot in to the park.
"Hey Kurama!" Yusuke said as he and Mikai joined the group. "It's about time you showed up, can you feel that?"
"…Kurama?" Mikai asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Oh…
Damn.
His stomach dropped at the mention of his demon name, the realization slamming in to him like a semi-truck. Such an innocent accident, yet he knew the effects it would have on her. Would she make the connection of Youko Kurama and him Kurama? He whirled and saw her eyes wide, hands near her mouth as if she was going to cover her mouth instead of whispering his true name, and her skin paled from what he figured was shock. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head, the connections being made between her dreams and the real world.
"So it seems that you're putting it all together, Mikai!"
That voice.
Turning back around, Kurama spotted Kubo standing in front of the water fountain, a cocky smirk on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his pitch black hair hanging around his face in a jagged bowl cut. The worsening weather made his skin appear darker then it all ready was, as well as his dark brown, almost black eyes.
"This guy 'Shuuichi' you've been with is the Youko Kurama!" Kubo said with a laugh. "Surprised?"
Mikai fell to her knees in the bubble of protection she had put up when Kurama hadn't been looking, but rather than glance up at the young man she had been spending the past few days with, she focused on Kubo. She moved her right hand to her chest, and clenched the area just above her heart. Tears fell from her eyes, whether from pain or emotional stress Kurama could not tell.
Yusuke growled. "What do you want with her?"
"All in due time, for now!" Kubo raised his hands up to the air, opening five dark portals in the sky. "Why don't you entertain me for a while? Then I'll tell you!"
The all too familiar portals ruptured, and hundreds of demons came pouring out, one right on top of the other like some sort of twisted faucet. The moment the random gathering of demons hit the ground, they charged straight for the fox demon and his comrades, as if Kubo held some kind of control over them. Kurama summoned his Rose Whip while Hiei removed his sword from its sheath.
"I'll stay near Mikai!" Yusuke said over the screams of the demons.
That in mind, Kurama and Hiei went after the collection of demons. Hiei focused on destroying the portals, while Kurama slashed away at the many C class demons that flooded the park, taking them down one by one. Every demon that came up to he fell to his Rose Whip, screaming and crying out as their blood coated the sidewalk and grass beneath him.
Oh how this contrasted the night he had before. Last night he was reading a book to Mikai in an attempt to cheer her up, and now he was slaughtering demons as she sat on the ground, watching. This wasn't something a human should be exposed to, this was the exact reason why he never attached himself to a human female. It wasn't fair to them to put them in so much life threatening danger.
It wasn't fair to him.
Now is not the time!
"Yawn!" Kubo said as he placed his right hand in front of his mouth. "This is so boring, I'm surprised that no one came after me! I guess you're all used to fighting such low class demons!" Smirking, he raised his right hand and a bright blue ball formed in the middle of his hand. "I guess I'm going to have to get rid of one of you!"
Kurama's whip tore through the random demons all around him, and he turned to face his enemy, preparing to have the blast thrown in his direction given the link between him and Mikai, but instead, Kubo maneuvered his aim in another direction.
Kubo moved his hand in the Spirit Detective's path, and laughed. "I think I'll start with you, after all I know Mikai's secret!"
"Yusuke!" Mikai screamed. "Watch it!"
What? Why not him? Kurama's eyes darted from his enemy and to Mikai at the sound of her scream just as her light blue shield faded away. He watched as Mikai shoved Yusuke out of the way of Kubo's attack, and as the light blue ball slammed in to her abdomen. She made no noise as her body flew backwards, skidding across the ground like some kind of rag doll, arm over arm, leg over leg again and again. The ground broke as her body forced back against it, tearing skin as well as clothing from the young woman. She finally came to a painful looking stop at the base of a lamp post, her back pressed against it, curving at the metal pole.
"Mikai!" Yusuke yelled as he sprinted in her direction. "Mikai!"
Before Yusuke could reach his ailing friend, Kubo appeared in front of her body, his right hand cocked back like some kind of weapon. Every finger stood straight, his thumb tucked against the palm of his hand.
"I think," Kubo said with a smirk, "it's time we break that seal of yours."
Without a second to spare, Kubo plunged his hand deep within Mikai's stomach. Kurama watched, his eyes growing wide at the scene as human heartbeat screamed in his ear. No, this couldn't be happening! Things couldn't have gone downhill so quickly!
…Unless.
"Fighting us wasn't his intention," he whispered.
"Spirit Gun!"
Kurama's thoughts broke at the sight of Yusuke's signature attack slamming in to Kubo's back, throwing him forward and away from the fallen girl. Yusuke bolted and reached Mikai's side where he lifted her head off of the ground, cradling against his chest.
"Mikai! Why the hell did you do that?! I told you not to lower your shield!" he said, and even though it sounded angry, Kurama could his voice breaking ever so slightly.
"Yu…Yu," she whispered. She lifted her hand to his face, and cupped his cheek. "I—"
A wave of energy broke from Mikai's body strong enough to force Yusuke away from her weakened body. Kurama's demon senses spotted the immense wave erupt from her in a circle her in the middle of the eye of the storm, and like a wave of the ocean it took down everything standing in its path. The remaining demons Kurama and Hiei had yet to touch dissolved within the wave, as well as the portals lingering in the sky above. The wind picked up, the velocity so strong that Kurama had to shield his face with his arms crossed in an 'X' shape.
"AHH!"
Mikai.
He looked up despite the wind and saw Mikai on her feet, her fingers clenching her brown hair and tugging at the roots. She jerked her head around, screaming at the top of her lungs as her entire body twitched in various directions almost like a rusted machine in need of oil. One moment she's stumble forward, catch herself, and then stagger to the side, her wound bleeding more and more with every passing second. Her hair stretched out past her shoulders, growing out towards her backside in a thick curtain.
"NO!" she shrieked, the wound on her stomach bleeding more than ever.
Another wave shot out from where Mikai struggled, but this one brought something along with it: a spiritual energy Kurama had never felt before. It sky rocketed, and it didn't seem as if there was any kind of peak to it. He searched and searched for a limit, an apex, but it continued to rise, unchecked.
"I think it's time we break that seal of yours."
A seal! A seal had kept the true depths of her spiritual energy hidden away from those seeking it, including him. Now her powers went all out, escaping for the first time in who knows how long. No this wasn't right! How could Kurama miss something like this? A seal was a simple thing, yet he had overlooked it!
Mikai threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs, her pain laced cry echoing through the wind and increasing the volume tenfold. Kurama's gut twisted at the sound her heart wrenching screams, but he knew that there was no chance of him getting near her at the moment. Her nails dug in to the skin of her arms, and through the wind the redhead picked up on the smell of copper. What was she doing?
"Haha!" Kubo's laugh echoed over the winds, sending a chill down Kurama's spine. He appeared in the middle of the tornado, in front of Mikai. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen! I've been waiting for this day for fourteen years! Please won't you all welcome," he gestured back to Mikai, "my sister, Senkai!"
The winds died the moment the name Senkai left Kubo's mouth, leaving an eerie 'calm before the storm' silence that made Kurama flinch. There, in the middle of where the storm had been stood a woman, but it wasn't the young woman Kurama had come to know over the past three days. No, the dark aura that spilled from her was nothing like the warm one Mikai had shared with him while reading her a book, this was bitter, sour, and unsettling. Her black hair gathered at the base of her thighs, bangs hanging down in front of a pair of light brown eyes. The aura the strange one he and Hiei had picked up on no longer existed, instead a dark, demon energy took its place, one that Kurama knew all too well.
"Senkai…" he whispered.
"What?!" Yusuke's eyes widened. "Mikai? What the hell is going on around here?"
Hiei narrowed his eyes. "Senkai has been inside of Mikai the entire time," he hissed, sending glares in Kubo's direction. "That was why her power never registered even though she was in the area. Dammit."
So that was it.
Kurama stood, shocked as the pieces came together in his mind, each edge fitting together and forming a picture that he could now see in hindsight. Why everything had fallen in to place the way it had, why Mikai had the ability to shield and heal people. Granted it was a small level, but that was all her human body could keep up with. Asking a human to unload the powers of a demon was impossible, which was the reason for her two day hibernation. Damn, why couldn't he have realized this sooner?
"She's been resurrected!" Kubo laughed and placed his right hand on his hip. "Mission phase one complete! Now all I have to do is get rid of the host and Senkai will have her own body."
Get rid of the host?
"You're not getting rid of anything!" Yusuke clenched his fists, and tore away from where he stood and raced towards Kubo. "Give Mikai back!"
Yusuke moved his fist back as he neared Kubo, his energy spiking with every step. But before he could connect his fist to Kubo's stomach, Senkai appeared in front of her brother, her right hand extended in front her, fingers stretched out.
"Shit!" Yusuke cursed as he dug his heels in to the ground. Dirt and dust flew up, leaving visible skid mark. He came to a stop right in front of the female demon, the palm of her open hand resting above his heart.
Kurama watched in horror as a light blue hue similar to the color of her shield shined out from where her hand made contact with Yusuke's chest. No, this would be a point-blank shot, there was no way Yusuke would be able to survive any kind of blast from that angle. "Yusuke!" he took a step forward as Senkai's energy spiked.
"Finish him, Senkai," Kubo said with a grin crossing his lips. "Then we'll be on our way."
Time froze.
Kurama watched as Mikai prepared an attack aimed for Yusuke's heart, at that moment the fox demon knew that Mikai was no longer in charge. The girl he had come to know would never dare risk such an attack against Yusuke, a close friend of hers. Senkai had betrayed people, however, demons and comrades that she had taken for granted over the years and used them as she saw fit.
This wasn't Mikai.
"Fuck."
The redhead's heart jumped at the sound of Mikai's voice, and saw her clenching her teeth instead of the stoic look she had seconds before. Had Mikai returned and gained control of her body?
"Mikai…" Yusuke whispered, eyes wide.
She clenched Yusuke's shirt, twisting it underneath her grasp for a moment before releasing it. What energy she had built up rose once more, and she whirled, socking Kubo on his jaw and sending him flying backwards until he smashed against a tree. Mikai's shoulders moved up and down as she panted, gasping for air before her knees buckled, bringing her down to the earth.
"I knew," she said between gasps. "Yusuke…I knew."
Kurama ran over to Mikai, and kneeled down in front her, taking extreme care as he rested his hands on her tense shoulders. He could feel the heat of her body radiating off of her through her clothing, too warm for a human body. Demon energy lingered in the air around her, the energy coming off like ripples that followed her heightened pulse. Damn, if Kurama didn't get her away in an isolated place where Hiei could put up a barrier of some sort then she would attract every demon within a one hundred mile radius.
"Knew what, Mikai?" Yusuke asked, still standing behind her.
"I knew I was Senkai," she said from behind the curtain of her pitch black hair. "Ever since I was five…I've known that I was Senkai. I'm sorry."
"You knew?!" Yusuke twitched and his eyebrows furrowed. "Why didn't you ever say thing, Mikai!? You knew about this mission and who we were looking for! Why the hell do you feel like confessing now?"
She laughed, her shoulders jerking even more. Lifting her head, she looked at Kurama through her thick hair with those dark brown eyes he had come to know, and smiled. "Kurama…" Slumping forward, she fell against the redhead, eyes closed.
"She's lost consciousness." Kurama grabbed her right hand and searched for a pulse and felt how warm her skin was. "She's running a high fever and her heart rate is above average. She needs to rest and recover."
"Rest and recover?!" A crackle burst from where Kubo had fallen, and Kurama turned as Kubo got back to his feet, blood cascading from a wound on his hairline. "Mikai is never going to recover, I'll see to that! Just a bit more energy and my sister will finally have her own body! She won't have to share that disgusting human body she reincarnated in to!"
"How the hell does a demon come back as a human?" Yusuke cocked a brow. "You'd better start talkin' before my fist decides to meet your face."
"Ha!" Kubo shook his head. "She stole something from one of the three kings and made a wish as she was dying to be with Kurama," he explained, voice growing bitter as he spoke about the fox demon. "The two worked together as thieves and she wanted to be with him again but I won't allow that! I'm not going to be alone again! I will destroy the world, and Mikai, no Senkai and I can be alone! Away from you, Kurama!"
Yes, Senkai…That was where that name had originated from in his memories. Ever so slowly small facts littered his mind, almost like he was reminiscing with an old friend he hadn't seen in years. From what he could recall she had been the healer of his group, going on missions and healing those who Kurama saw fit while snatching whatever she desired. Yomi, his second in command at the time, had brought her to him while out on a raid and after testing her powers he enlisted her, but his mind drew a blank when he attempted to pursue his memory. Why? Surely there were more memories then that, he had seen some of them through Mikai and her dreams, but what was stopping him? Was something blocking him from remembering?
Kubo shook his head. "You will not take my sister away from me again! Especially you, Kurama! I will not lose!"
Kurama handed Mikai's lifeless body to Yusuke, stood, and whirled. "She was never yours to lose."
Kubo's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists at his sides. "And she never belonged with you! You stole her from me and killed her! She died after you left her for dead you monster!"
"And you are any better?"
"Shut up!" Kubo's spiritual energy exploded, taking down whatever trees and shrubbery Senkai's powers had failed to knock down. Demon energy spilling from him, Kubo raised his right hand in to the air. "I'm taking this whole town down with me!"
The pitch black color that made up his portals appeared above his elevated arm, swirling and growing out from the palm of his hand, becoming larger with every passing second. The sky suddenly released a curtain of water down on the earth, but Kurama kept his focus on Kubo and the darkness overhead. There was no way Kubo could take the town in one go! He had struggled to take a block, how was he going to take the town with his level as low as it felt at the moment?
He's allowing his emotions to get the better of him. A childish, naïve move, perhaps I can use this against him.
"Shit," Yusuke cradled Mikai's body against his own, and slipped his arm underneath her knees as he held her bridal style, taking care so her head didn't flop backwards. "We've got to get Mikai out of here!"
Kurama brought forward his Rose Whip and snapped it forward, wrapping it around Kubo's neck too quickly for Kubo to put up any kind of defense. Blood trickled out from where the thorns had emitted in to his dark skin but he remained still, a cocky smirk on his face.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kubo said, the smirk growing and showing each bright white tooth with every passing second.
"And why the hell not?" Yusuke interjected, his grip on Mikai tightening.
The demon chuckled. "If I die, Mikai does too."
Kurama eased up the tension on his Rose Whip, but did not remove it. He heard Yusuke mutter a few expletives behind him, but he kept his attention on the dark haired demon. What was he talking about? Why hadn't Kubo mentioned that detail before? Had releasing that seal Mikai had on her trigger something?
Perhaps it would be best if he got rid of Kubo, regardless of the sacrifice.
It would easy, all Kurama had to do was tighten his hold, and he was sure Hiei wanted a part of the action. The two of them without the help of Yusuke were more than enough to take care of him at the moment, it wasn't like Kurama could sense a significant amount of demon energy about him. If he did go through with his plan and killed he and this Mikai then everything would be over. The town would remain as it was, no more demons running around and buildings disappearing…but was it right?
"Haha, what's the matter, Kurama? Human morals getting in the way?" Laughing, Kubo moved his free hand to his chest. "I know for sure Youko Kurama would have killed me by now, Senkai was disposable to him after all."
That bastard.
How much does he know?
Before Kurama could usher another thought, Hiei appeared just above Kubo, sword in hand. The fire demon thrust his sword downwards, slicing through Kubo's outstretched arm, just inches from his shoulder. The sword met with little resistance from Kubo's innards, creating a clean and precise cut. The appendage hit the ground before Hiei, blood pooling on the ground where it had fallen.
"Ah!" Kubo screamed, his face withering in pain.
Kurama drew back his Rose Whip as the darkness Kubo had summoned thinned out to the point where Kurama could see the gray clouds responsible for the rain. Now free from Kurama's hold, Kubo moved his left hand over to the injury and grabbed it between his fingers.
"You son of a bitch!" Kubo spat, kneels threatening to buckle. "I see that your comrades don't care about my sister either! Fine," Kubo panted, "I'll restore Senkai and she can exact her revenge herself!"
"Restore?" Kurama asked, readying his weapon for another attack. "You've all ready restored Senkai's memories in the host, what more is there to do?"
"The host will hold the memories as they come back completely as well as Senkai's powers," Kubo explained as if he had rehearsed it thousands of times. "When she's recovered everything I'll remove the soul and insert it in an earth demon child, feeding it human spirits so she can regain her powers quickly!"
Kurama blinked as he listened to Kubo's plans. So thought out…how long had he been planning this? "Why open the portal to the Makai?"
"Unlike you I'd like to return home to the Makai," he said as if it was obvious. "That is, after we get rid of you."
Laughing, a black portal opened underneath Kubo, swallowing him whole. Kurama moved forward to stop him, but the hole in the ground vanished before the fox demon could even hope to reach it. The moment the hole disappeared, the park returned to normal, people appearing as if they had been there the entire time. What had Kubo done? Why it was that no one had seen anything?
"We need to get Mikai out of this rain," Yusuke said, breaking Kurama's thoughts. "Can we take her to your place, Kurama?"
Kurama shook his head. "I'm afraid not, she's emitting too much demon energy I don't want Kubo to know where my mother is." He thought for a moment. "I think Genkai's would be the best place for now."
Yusuke readjusted Mikai's body and raised a brow. "So far out of town?"
"Yes." Kurama glanced over his shoulder towards Hiei. "You and Hiei have to stay here in case Kubo decides to attack again, I'll stay up with Mikai until she wakes up."
"Hell no!" Yusuke protested. "I'm staying with her! It's my fault that she's in on this in the first place, the least I could do it be there when she wake up from her coma!"
"The fox can heal," Hiei explained in his usual manner. "Come, we need to get her there soon before we attract something else."
Yusuke rolled his eyes, and sighed. "And how the hell do we get up there? It's not like I can drag an unconscious girl on the bus without getting a few nasty stares."
Kurama couldn't help but agree with Yusuke. Without a car there wasn't a way to get up to Genkai's place with Mikai in tow which was the point of the whole thing. If only there was someone who was old enough to drive! Wait… "Shizuru," he said, the older girl finally coming to mind.
"Great!"
With the young woman in Yusuke's hold, the thee fled the park, Hiei claiming that he would stay behind while Kurama and Yusuke went up to Genkai's place. Kurama could feel the now familiar signature of Mikai's energy, and knew that there were much more questions up in the air then answers.
Questions, that he wouldn't give up on until answered.