Chapter 11
The next morning (or as Yusuke and Kuwabara called it, the crack of dawn) Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama were sat in a train carriage, on their way to Genkai's temple compound. Yusuke and Kuwabara were both nodding off, only to wake a few seconds later as the train swayed and rattled its way down the tracks. Kurama, on the other hand, sat with his legs crossed with his hands folded in his lap, looking as bright eyed and bushy tailed as usual.
"Where is Hiei anyway?" Kuwabara grumbled tiredly with a loud yawn. "Wasn't he meant to meet us at the train station? Trust him to skip when we need him."
"Actually, Hiei is already watching Ren for us at Genkai's. He offered to keep watch last night after we left Reikai." Kurama said to Kuwabara with a slight smile as Kuwabara blinked a little in surprise and just uttered a small "Oh" in response.
"If Hiei's still watching Ren, why'd we have to get up so damn early?" Yusuke complained as he slouched in his seat. "Even Keiko doesn't wake up this early for school."
"It isn't fair if we just let Hiei do all the work for this case." Kurama reasoned. "Besides, if you're both tired you can sleep and I'll wake you before we reach our stop."
Yusuke and Kuwabara gladly accepted Kurama's offer and almost instantly fell asleep, much to Kurama's amusement and slight amazement that they could fall asleep on command. Once the two were asleep Kurama could now sit and think in peace, linking his hands together as he compiled all the useful information he knew about Ren (which wasn't very much) so that if worst came to worst and they had to fight Ren, they would be able to do something in retaliation.
When the train almost reached their stop, Kurama leaned over to Yusuke and Kuwabara and shook them both awake, saying nothing but chuckling quietly as Yusuke mumbled incoherently about Keiko and Kuwabara hastily wiped away some drool. Stretching and standing up, three of them got off the train and prepared themselves for the long trek up the many steps up to Genkai's compound with Yusuke complaining all the way about her decision to live in the middle of no where. Once they actually made it to Genkai's doorway, Yusuke and Kuwabara had to stop to rest their legs for a moment and rearrange their clothes so that they could look presentable, preferring an image of effortless physical exertion because they refused to look weak or uncool in front of anyone.
Inside the dining room Hana (who was now wearing a blue dress Botan found for her to wear) and Genkai were finishing the breakfast Ren had cooked,whilst Ren sat with a cushion on the table with the tome he acquired from Sousuke's vault. Delicately turning the yellowed pages, Ren didn't even look up when the three entered the room preferring to drink his tea in silence.
"Good morning." Hana greeted them shyly with a small smile, pushing the last bits of rice around in her bowl looking at them from underneath her fringe. While the two out of the three members of the Reikai Tantei were a little miffed that they were ignored by Genkai and Ren, they were rather pleased to see that Hana was opening up a little and didn't look as scared and sad as she had yesterday.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Ren asked in his usual slow paced monotone, noticing the bags under Yusuke and Kuwabara's eyes and the look of exhaustion on their faces.
"What's it to you?" Yusuke snapped irritably, grouchy from his early start and lack of sleep.
"Well its early morning, you're wearing your school uniforms and this is in the opposite direction of the school you should currently be attending." Ren drawled easily as they continued to read. Yusuke spluttered, grasping for something to say in retort.
"Well, I'm Genkai's apprentice, aren't I? I'm allowed to visit the fossil whenever I want to!" Yusuke sniffed defensively. Genkai made a sound of derision at this statement.
"That's not what you said when you left." She scoffed as she put down her tea. "You were practically skipping down those steps singing about how you were 'finally free from hell' and that you'd never be caught dead in this place."
Kuwabara and Kurama both turned to look at Yusuke in disbelief, as if to ask what the hell was wrong with him to make him to react in such a way when training under Genkai was considered by many to be a once in a lifetime chance and hundreds would kill to be in his position.
"What?!" Yusuke shouted, folding his arms across his chest. "You'd do the same if you were tortured by some crazy old bitch who called it 'training'."
"It's called discipline and hard work, dimwit. If you dug the crap out of your ears and pulled your head out of your ass you might have actually learned more." Genkai half snarled at her apprentice with a glare. Ren observed (from the interaction and the previous interactions between Yusuke and Koenma) Yusuke, like many adolescents his age, had a certain disrespect and dislike for authority figures and from the apparent short attention span doesn't do well, academically speaking. However, despite his blatant disrespect shown towards Genkai, he did seem to respect the old psychic and regardless of whether he was a diligent student or not, he probably learned more from under Genkai (that he bothered to remember ) than he did from school.
"Shouldn't you be at school?" Hana asked curiously after checking the time, feeling a little jealous of their normal school routine. Since the death of her parents, her brother had forbidden her from going to school. Hana missed the feeling of normalcy, the familiar routine of going to school, seeing her friends and then going home to talk to her parents and brother about her day.
"Nah, it's all good." Kuwabara said, laughing it off with Yusuke. "We can skip a day or two."
"Kurama can, but you two dimwits would benefit from attending more than just a day or two." Genkai commented dryly, making Kurama hide a small smile. "At least I have the comfort that you treat your teachers with the same respect and diligence that you showed me."
"What do you mean Master Genkai?" Hana asked Genkai. Genkai was all too happy to explain, as she sipped her tea that Yusuke was, to date, the worst apprentice she has ever had the misfortune to teach.
"And yet," Ren said, turning a page of the tome and briefly looking up at everyone in the room and Genkai. "Yusuke has been the only student who you have deemed worthy to be your student and successor."
This comment made Genkai purse her thin and wrinkled lips together, as she looked at Ren with a deadpan expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Ren's statement. Instead she finished off the last of her tea with a sigh and turned to look at Hana, silently commanding the young girl's attention as she did so.
"Since you'll be staying here for now there are some things you should know." Genkai explained to Hana. "You are free to visit the beach to the west of here at any point. The forest that surrounds temple is relatively safe; however I suggest that Ren be with you should you decide to go wandering around the area. The Dark Forest is off limits due to the creatures and apparitions that reside there. I also suggest that you stay away from Ren's room."
Hana nodded in understanding of the 'ground rules' of staying with her, but was a little confused by Genkai's suggestion about Ren's room. However as she thought about it, she did understand in a way. Ren was (or appeared to be) a teenage boy and she was a girl, they weren't related in any way and they weren't in any kind of intimate relationship. It would be inappropriate if she was found in Ren's room. Besides, Ren needs and wants his own privacy.
Kurama, on the other hand furrowed his brows together slightly. He understood Genkai's warnings about the forest around this temple, especially the Dark Forest, since they were for Hana's own safety. However it struck Kurama as a little suspicious or odd that Genkai would specifically single out Ren's room when Hana didn't seem to be the kind of person to be snooping in through other people's belongings.
"Genkai, why is Ren's room in particular somewhere that Hana not enter?" Kurama asked Genkai while carefully watching for Ren's reaction, or if he would react at all.
"For Hana's own safety." Ren answered without a change in the tone of his voice or pace of speaking. Genkai nodded in agreement with Ren's words, which made Hana frown in slight confusion, wondering why not entering Ren's room would be for her own protection. Ren was protecting her; he wasn't going to hurt her!
"What do you mean for her safety?!" Yusuke shouted, immediately on the defensive, hands curled into firsts at his sides and ready to attack Ren should he make the wrong move. Kuwabara was the same, his right hand gathering reiki so that he could summon his spirit sword at a moment's notice.
"I like conducting experiments with different herbs, plants, some chemicals and other miscellaneous ingredients and other such things." Ren drawled calmly, not even the slightest bit threatened or concerned about the spirit energy Yusuke and Kuwabara were summoning, or Kurama's tense and calculating stare. "It would be best if people didn't o inside my room and start touching things and potentially making things go…horribly wrong for them…and for the sake of my own privacy."
Ren's answer cleared up Hana's confusion, but Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama were all still wary and suspicious about Ren's intentions towards Hana. After speaking Ren looked up for a moment and blinked as he looked at the trio as if only just realising that Hiei was missing.
"Oh…that reminds me." Ren began slowly and blinking again. His blank expression changing as his lips curled into a knowing smirk. "You can tell Hiei to come in now since you three have come in. He really doesn't have to stay in the same tree watching the compound all night and day."
"O-of course." Kurama said recovering quickly from his surprise, discreetly nudging Yusuke and Kuwabara out of their matching expressions of surprise as Hiei, having heard the entire conversation entered through the window. Hiei had his customary scowl on his face, but the corners of his mouth had curled up slightly into something that looked like it resembled a smirk as Ren was beginning to somewhat live up to his expectations.
~Timeskip a few hours~
After an extensive tour of the compound which revealed rooms that Yusuke hadn't even known existed, everyone were sat in the living room watching T.V (or just flicking from one channel to another in an attempt to find something interesting to watch). Yusuke and Kuwabara, having become bored, and since Ren appeared to be engrossed with playing with Miffy – Chan, decided that now was the best time for everyone to share their thoughts.
"This is so stupid." Yusuke complained quietly with a scowl on his face. "We're not even doing anything!"
"Would you prefer Ren to be attacking the girl Detective?" Hiei retorted quickly with a scoff, making Yusuke shoot a quick glare his way.
"No. But this whole plan seems so damn stupid!" Yusuke hissed in frustration. "I mean look at him! All he's done all day is read his books and play with that stupid bunny of his!"
"Urameshi's kind of right, I mean he hasn't been actin' shifty or anythin'." Kuwabara mumbled in agreement. "But I guess him not doing anything is kind of suspicious I guess. What do you think Kurama?"
Kurama hummed slightly in thought as he considered everything he and Reikai knew about Ren and along with his actions and words since meeting him. His fingers laced together as he thought.
"I believe that Ren is already aware of Koenma's plan and the assignment he has sent us on." Kurama murmured softly trying to make sure that Ren wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. "I believe that there is also the possibility that he had already planned for Koenma to send us on this mission."
"So you're saying that he already knows why we're even here?!" Yusuke cried out incredulously along with Kuwabara before being shushed harshly by Hiei.
"It is a possibility." Kurama said quietly. "And I doubt that Ren has planned or even intended to hurt Hana in the first place."
"Then why the hell are we even here?!" Yusuke ground out in aggravation.
"Or he's a really convincing actor." Kuwabara interjected suspiciously unwilling to trust Ren as far as he could spit.
"Regardless of what we think Ren knows or has planned, this pointless task is a complete waste of our time." Hiei scoffed standing up and walking to a corner of the room to sit and brood (probably or whatever Hiei does in his spare time, like watch and ensure Yukina's safety from afar). Yusuke just groaned, ready to slam his head into the table or the concrete out of boredom. After hanging his head and drooping forward out of the mind numbing boredom Yusuke suddenly sat up straight and turned to Ren. Seeing that there wasn't anything to do Yusuke decided now was the best time for him to get some answers that he had wanted answered for a while (a day or so at the most).
"Oi, Ren!" Yusuke shouted eagerly hiding the fact that he was slowly dying on the inside from inactivity. "How did you rip out that guy's heart? And that demons head? I've only seen that kind of shit in movies, you know? Did you use some kind of special move or somethin'?"
Ren looked up at Yusuke with an amused smirk on his face.
"If you want to know and learn how to do such things, why don't you ask Genkai?" Ren said, speaking at his usual slow pace, but instead of his usual monotone, it was slightly coloured by a hint of amusement. "After all she is your master and you her ever so diligent apprentice."
Yusuke's eye twitched slightly at Ren's response and realised that Ren had just answered his questions with another question, effectively deflecting his question.
"If you don't wanna tell me, you can just say no." Yusuke ground out irritably. "Ya don't have ta go around in circle to say it."
The corner of Ren's mouth twitched upwards slightly before he blinked and his eyes quickly flitted to look outside and sighed inaudibly and standing up.
"Excuse me." Ren said quietly and placing Miffy – Chan on the floor next to Hana as he headed outside.
"Is everything alright?" Hana asked him looking away from the T.V and at Ren. Ren's eyes slif over to the Reikai Tantei who (Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama) had sensed the youki headed towards the temple.
"Yes." Ren answered her easily, as if the demonic energy headed towards them was nothing to worry about or be bothered by. "There are just some unexpected guests that require my attention. It would be in your best interest Miss Hana if you stay inside with Genkai while I greet our guests."
After speaking Ren continued to swiftly walk outside while Genkai sat calmly with Hana, sipping her tea as if nothing was wrong (in her eyes, nothing was wrong since Ren was going to deal with the problem.). The others, mostly out of habit than anything since they were always the ones to have to deal with such problems, stood up and began to head out after Ren (mostly) with the intention to help him face the demons (depending on who it was but again mostly to help). Kuwabara and Yusuke, being the heroes they are had stood up with the intention to help Ren, regardless of whether or not they could trust him (although Yusuke was also going with the intention of spectating). Hiei was heading out just to watch Ren fight and Kurama believed that the arrival of the demons was not a mere coincidence.
"Don't bother." Genkai told the four boys, knowing that they were planning on helping Ren. "You know that Ren is more than capable of dealing with the apparitions outside. You'd just get in the way. Besides Ren wouldn't bother if this wasn't something of importance."
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked Genkai with a frown feeling insulted that she had said that he and the others would just be in the way. Genkai put down her cup and sigh through her nose in exasperation.
"Why don't you use your heads for once and try to think about the kind of person Ren is?" Genkai half snapped. "This falls within the parameters of the job given by Koenma, so regardless of the cause of the demons coming, Ren will consider the potential threat they pose to Hana as a matter of importance."
Genkai's words made the four pause for a moment, but sensing the demons getting closer to the temple, that they were practically on their doorstep, the four of them put Genkai's words out of their minds for now and left to see what kind of apparitions were outside and if Ren would need their help. Genkai let out a snort of exasperation at the four of them. Running outside they saw Ren standing by the stairs of the temple across from two apparitions. One was a giant grey skinned ogre with three small horns protruding from the crown of his forehead and large brown bulging eyes. In the Ogre giant brutish clawed hands sat a large and heavy spiked flail. The Ogre's hulking muscular form looked tense and its face looked like it was set in a constant scowl, its harsh panting showcased by the swaying of the thick gold septum piercing. Along with the large, sharp and yellowed fangs that jutted out from its wide mouth, the Ogre looked like some kind of nightmarish beast, especially with the fur loincloth that hung about its hips with a dangling belt made of the skulls of various creatures. The other apparition had a humanoid form, with ginger hair and hazel eyes. Were it not for the incredibly long and impractical looking sword he was carrying, he could have been mistaken for a normal human. Both apparitions looked none too pleased to be greeted by the short Sacred Spirit turned human, especially the Ogre who looked like it was itching to grab Ren with its hands and swallow him whole.
"Who are you?" The Ginger demons asked in mock politeness, gloved hand on the hilt of his long and impractical sword that was somehow strapped to his back.
"I am just a human who lives here." Ren answered in his slow and monotone drawl. Ren looked at both apparitions standing before him and tilted his head to the side slightly, as the corners of his mouth curled upwards slightly. "Perhaps the two of you are here to…visit? To see Master Genkai about your need to overcompensate for…certain…things?"
The two apparitions growled loudly and angrily, drawing their weapons.
"Insolent human brat!" The Ogre shouted. "Are you too stunned by our power to realise that you stand before your executioners?!"
"Oh? No, no." Ren said slowly a hint of amusement in his voice as the apparitions flared their youki in an attempt at intimidation. Ren looked on; expression unchanged despite the demons attempts to intimidate him.
"Have we scared you senseless boy?" The ginger demon sneered down at Ren with an arrogant smirk on his face. Ren didn't respond and the demons took this silence as acquiescence and fear. "If you hand over the girl, we might let you live."
"Oh?" Ren asked, seemingly amused by the demons displays and actions. When he spoke it was the same calm drawl with the barest hint of amusement. "Girl? You'll need to be more…specific about whom you are referring to."
The group looked on surprised at the two demons patience with Ren. They assumed it was patience since Ren wasn't exactly being cooperative. It struck them that it was Ren's nature to be difficult and while it was something that could be considered somewhat helpful in situations like these, it would be really annoying and would get old fast should they actually work with him and need information from him.
"You know who we want boy, just hand the girl over and no one gets hurt!" The Ogre shouted brandishing his weapon, his patience having grown thin from getting nowhere after speaking to the insolent human brat that was too stupid to realise that he was outnumbered and outclassed by two demons.
"Is that so?" Ren asked in his slow drawl, looking to the side as he spoke. "Ah, who knows if I do or not?"
After Ren said this the Ogre's patience with Ren (or what little patience he had to begin with which Ren had been determined to test) snapped as the Ogre rushed forward (as quickly as the bumbling beast could rush) wildly swinging his flail with its long chain at Ren with a battle cry.
"You brought this on yourself, human!" The Ogre cried as he swung the flail at Ren, who easily stepped to the side before jumping out of the way of the ginger demons blade.
As Ren effortless stepped out of harm's way, moving with practised ease as the two demons haphazardly attacked him, it became clear to Hiei and Kurama that the two apparitions weren't used to fighting in a team. The lack of awareness of their partner's position and fighting style made them a clumsy pair and easy prey for Ren. Taking advantage of their lack of coordination Ren moved to carefully attract the blind swings of the Ogre until the spiked flail smashed into the ginger demons sword and knocked him to the side. The Ogre, seeing his comrade fall and the human boy stand unharmed and with the same expression on his face, the Ogre became enraged, charging the boy who darted forward just as the Ogre raised his flail and unsheathed a tantō from his hoodie. Jumping up as the Ogre lunged forward to swing his flail; Ren stabbed his short blade deep into the Ogre's throat before slashing the Ogre's windpipe and swiftly moving back to avoid the spray of warm blood that followed. Walking towards the ginger demon, and letting the Ogre bleed out of the steps of the temple, Ren flicked his blade, getting most of the blood off and kicked aside the remains of the ginger demons sword.
Ren walked over to the ginger demon's side and crouched down, holding his tantō to the surviving demon's throat. Bringing up his other hand, Ren focused some of his spirit energy into the tip of his middle and index fingers and gently tapped the ginger demons forehead, forcing him to wake up with a jolt. The ginger demon's eyes fluttered open and became wide as shock and panic washed over him, his adams apple bobbling as he swallowed, feeling the human boy's blade dig in ever so slightly into his neck.
"Tell me who sent you." Ren commanded the demon, eyes cold, face impassive and completely devoid of emotion.
"I'll never tell you." The demon hissed, baring his fangs at the boy, forcing his eyes to stay locked on the boy's mismatched ones, and not to stray over to his dying comrade.
"Are you saying that out of loyalty to them or for fear of your death should you fail to bring her to them?" Ren asked the demon with a sight smirk. The demons glared hatefully at Ren, who just smiled in return. "I commend you for your loyalty, work ethic and tenacity. But the fact is, you're just a man waiting for death to find you."
Ren leaned closer to the ginger demon and as he opened his mouth to speak, his voice was lower, softer and it's timbre was hypnotic as Ren once again asked for the identity of the one who sent them. As the demon listened to Ren, his eyelids began to droop and his throat bobbed as he swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, mind fogged by Ren's words. The demon opened and closed his mouth as he tried to form the words that would answer Ren's questions, and then, after pushing through the thick fog in his mind for the answer, the demon whispered a name. After the demon spoke, Ren slit the demon's throat and stood up, watching impassively as the demon chocked on his own blood, making squelching, gurgling noises as he died, fighting to cling on to life.
As Ren turned around and walked over to the Reikai Tantei his eyes swept over their face and forms taking in their reactions to what he had done. Kuwabara and Yusuke were filled with shock and disgust for Ren's actions, both of them shouting their disgust and anger at Ren. Kurama and Hiei remained silent, whether in understanding or disapproval, Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't know. What they did know was that the ginger demon, regardless of the fact that he was sent here to kidnap Hana and tried to kill Ren, gave Ren information (or atleast they think he did since only Ren could hear what the ginger demon had said just before Ren slit his throat) and Ren could have simply just let the guy go. He didn't have to needlessly kill him.
Ren pulled out a rag to clean his blade as he stepped through the door, only to be stopped by Yusuke and Kuwabara with looks of anger on their faces.
"What the hell was that?" Yusuke asked angrily through gritted teeth. "Why'd you kill him after he gave you what you wanted?"
"Urameshi's right." Kuwabra growled. "You could've just let him go."
"If you wanted me to do that, why didn't you stop me?" Ren asked them calmly in the same calm drawl with a slightly raised eyebrow. "You saw that I had my blade to his throat, showing my intention to kill him. If you wanted to stop me, why didn't you fire your spirit gun to push me aside and stop me from killing him? I'm sure Koenma would approve of your actions if you explain how it would mean that you kept Miss Hana safe from me."
Yusuke and Kuwabara were surprised by Ren's words and stunned into silence as they opened and closed their mouths trying to explain why they hadn't done a single thing to stop Ren. This led to the two of them wondering why hadn't they done something to stop Ren? He was right, they'd seen him put his knife to the demon's throat, and could see that Ren was going to kill him. So why didn't they do anything? It wasn't like they wanted Ren to kill him, but they just stood there watching like it was some kind of sick show.
"Besides," Ren said, drawing Yusuke and Kuwabara out of their musings. "Haven't the two of you done something similar when you stormed Torukune's mansion? Only the two of you were in the demons positions. Sure the two of you can see the hypocrisy of your anger in this situation? Had I let them live, they would have continued to try and take Miss Hana. I am doing what has been asked of me, just like the four of you. My actions fall within the parameters of my job as Miss Hana's protector."
Yusuke and Kuwabara were left silent as they thought about what Ren said as Ren walked past them and inside the temple.
