LAST
"…Who's the little kid?"
"Dead," Shuichi ground out.
Yusuke swore loudly and
yanked the red head back.
LAST
FIFTY-FIVE
"Kuwabara?"
The tall boy grinned at the disbelief. "Yeah. That's me! I told Urameshi to let me know how you were doing and if you were in trouble, I would be there." The boy's face grew serious. "Screw what Koenma thinks of her until she does something to deserve it, I'm here for you Kurama."
Shuichi's mouth gapped open for a moment. "That, that is kind of you…since I know what importance you place on sensing things to come."
"Annoying as hell, ain't it," Yusuke snorted in agreement.
Shuichi frowned to himself. "Yes… Hiei, do you still have the bad habit—"
The one in question nodded sharply. "Relatively, she's fine."
The red head paced back across to the other tree, looking down the slight gorge to where a small town lay below. It had taken the others a little under a week to make it where he was in Demon World. After waking up after the event, Shuichi really had to bite down on himself on just going at it alone. He swallowed, eyes searching for more clues outside the town of what happened inside. Somehow, they had known Kennedy for what she was and Kennedy swung her arm in the tell tail sign she was throwing water in front of her…
Nothing.
What the freaking hell happened?
Yusuke and Kuwabara jolted at the sound of the tree being punched by the red head.
"Dude, Kurama! Calm down! I know you act all weird when dealing with Kennedy, but calm down over there!"
Emerald eyes pressed shut tightly and Shuichi rubbed his temple. The other hand twisted with his shirt, the chain clinking underneath. "You're right Yusuke. I must stay calm…"
He drew in a sharp breath and strode away from the edge of the small gorge, back to where the others had joined him. "Roughly, I have an estimate at twenty-one demons down below. There seems to be a general shift, rotation, but there could possibly be more who never leave the town. None act as regular citizens, but as guards. One of the five who attacked us was a snake demon who has been reported seen at where we resided until Kuwabara came along."
The taller boy winced. "Sorry."
Shuichi ignored the apology, continuing on in a rush. "The snake demon only came after this happens, which suggests a leak in Spirit World information. However, by words said by him according to R.J. and the ones I heard myself, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the two. This group is working separately, claiming they are the true protectors of the hidden people."
He snorted. "Protectors. What the trice cursed…"
Hiei's gaze flickered over at the fuming Shuichi was venting out. The demon huffed, a small smile crossing his lips. Kuwabara glared over him, not understanding the amusement. Hiei glanced away, still smiling at how Shuichi sounded like the youngest brat, Carly.
"Kurama," Kuwabara spoke up. "I've seen her use water so easily, scaring the shit outta Mitari, but how—"
"I don't understand it either!"
Shuichi yanked at the folds of the shirt, gripping the pendent underneath. The other three watched as their friend began pacing once more.
"Kennedy swung her arm! She attacked! But nothing! Do you think either of us knew why? No water! There was no factor we knew about to change that! You even saw it with Mitari, with blood water! The snake yanked her off before we realized… She kicked… Hit him the whole way…"
Shuichi's voice cracked. He squatted down, leaned over his knees, and stared at the ground. The grass rippled in a wave, stopping Yusuke and Kuwabara in their tracks of stepping forward in concern.
"I'm going to kill them," he whispered. It was almost a croon, purring out darkly. "Wrap my fingers around something palpable, stop their breath…"
He screamed out his frustration and flung daggers of grass blades into a nearby tree. Kuwabara jolted back with a huge yelp.
"I can't… And Kennedy was so happy about returning home with the good news… She deserves that…"
Hiei snorted. "You've been left too long to your emotions Kurama."
"Huh," Yusuke spoke up. "I thought it just had something to do with Kennedy. Kurama really opens up when it comes to that chick… Gotta go with Shiori here, it's real nice. She doesn't get to see the scary as shit side like I do."
"She's been down there for practically a whole week while I sat here waiting for all of you," Shuichi roared out. "If you want to do something about it, get the hell here faster! Go any slower; I would have already been doing something!"
"Against twenty or more," Hiei questioned. "You're not any good to the bitch dead fox."
"That's why I waited!"
Anger huffed out loudly as Shuichi glowered with turbulent eyes. He collapsed roughly to the ground, clearing off a section of grass. "Plan." He sketched out a rough outline of the buildings lying below.
"Here is where I have to add iiiiIIIIN!"
The last part of that ended in a scream, a small figure bending backward to avoid the testy attack of grass for their head. All four stared at the younger boy, who stared back wide eyed. The young intruder blinked, regaining control of his body and scowled.
"Really? I come up here to help out and you try adding holes to my head?" The boy snorted, narrowing his eyes over at Shuichi. "I was starting to think you were a piss poor protector Vardo. But now I know you are! There are twenty-six high level demons down there, not including me! Even if I can't go up against all of them, at least I did something this past week for poor Kennedy-san!"
All four of them stared at the infuriated boy, pointing and screaming at Shuichi.
"…Who's the little kid?"
"Dead," Shuichi ground out. Yusuke swore loudly and yanked the red head back.
The little kid stuck out his tongue at the enraged Shuichi. "Bet your glad Kennedy-san didn't talk me out of joining the group my father said I couldn't handle. She only spoke up on if it was a group meant for me. They said they were about protecting everyone, but they're all about protecting everyone by targeting the 'hidden people'. I still can't stand the assholes down there with father's views, but at least I can protect the people they target, hm?"
Shuichi eyed the younger boy. "That and you always favored Kennedy when we traveled together, right Shura?"
The boy grinned. "Yep! I like you and all, but you're a dick whenever you remember whose son I was. I'll tell you again Vardo… I AM NOT MY FATHER! I'M ME!"
"Again," Kuwabara spoke up. "Who's the little kid?"
Shura blinked. "Well, who are you?"
Kuwabara straightened his shoulders. "Kazuma Kuwabara!"
"Kuwabara?" Shura muttered to himself. "The same Kuwabara who did something bad to Kennedy-san and she pulled something over you?"
"Uh…"
Shura shrugged. "All I know is that the moment I sensed Yusuke up here and said something, Kennedy-san was happy about it and bullied me into coming up here to help. And… I was told to say something." The boy turned to face Shuichi again. "Okay. 'Shuichi, don't go damn ballistic again or it will entail the details of your disguise being given to your friends. And what you did in it impure idiot.' Word for word."
The red head choked and then he started laughing. "She is fine down there! Only Keichan would—"
The others watched as Shuichi burst into laughter again.
Hiei shook his head. "The fox has become unhinged."
Yusuke and Kuwabara nodded fiercely in agreement. Shura scoffed. "What else is new?"
"Hn. With that bitch involved…true."
"Shura," Shuichi spoke up as his laughter stopped. "Remember the mock combat Kennedy showed you?"
"How could I forget? You went all paranoid thinking I would kill a half breed during that time. I'm not—"
"Yomi," Shuichi ended. He smiled at the younger boy. "Most certainly you are not."
Shura beamed.
"If they are just keeping her trapped there, to 'protect' demonkind from her, there will be a point that the insults at her would rise, wouldn't there?"
The boy bristled. "I'm working on not letting it! Insults and trying to scare her is the most anyone does yet! No one will hurt her! They're all idiots and think I'm like my father, so I use it to my advantage to have the longer shifts in watching Kennedy-san. I can't believe they think my letting her sleep is so that I can attack her when she's strongest and break her down the most so she never comes back. They just leave me at it, thinking I'm doing the worst. Idiots!"
All of the older boys gazed at Shura in surprise for planning that out, using assumptions of others to work for Kennedy's benefit while trapped down there.
"Smart." Shuichi commented. "But without seeing you at it, it will only last so long. It's why I brought up the mock combat…"
The older trailed off, watching the younger boy as it clicked.
"I can fake it for her!"
Hiei resisted rolling his eyes as he watched. The minute the fox had heard words that came from Kennedy, he had calmed back down to something proper. While Yusuke may enjoy Shuichi showing his feelings more, Hiei was less than enthusiastic about it. Kennedy caused that in Shuichi, but at least the girl knew how to get Shuichi back to his senses. Although, Hiei loved seeing someone who could rile up Shuichi so much like that to the point of turning a face red. Just take away how his friend began acting like Hiei himself when angry. It was far too odd to witness.
Shuichi nodded and mulled over something. "I can work with that… Now Shura, tell me what works against Kennedy using water."
"Kasssu," Shura spoke the name with the proper accent. "He says it was the oath we took to protect all demons, giving the small gems we received the power to take away from the hidden people."
The smaller boy held up his wrist, a thin gold bangle dangling from it. A lime green jewel was attached to the bangle.
"There was a man, long ago, that trapped most of the hidden people for the good of all demons. However, his son did not agree and killed his father. This left the jewel open for all else who wished to protect the worlds from the hidden people. Thus, the group began, breaking the jewel into smaller pieces so more could trap the hidden people away from destroying the worlds."
Shuichi frowned and eyed the jewel on Shura's wrist carefully.
"It's the same… But the wrong color."
"Kuronue's pendent," Hiei questioned and Shuichi nodded an affirmative to. He caught the looks from Yusuke and Kuwabara. "His old partner's pendent, it was meant to help protect the hidden people."
"Protect them," Shura asked Shuichi all interested. "There's one I'd rather have as much good as my position is in helping Kennedy-san. So there are two jewels for the hidden people?"
"The story as I have heard it was that there was only one… The son took it from his father, because the father misused his trust in the hidden people. He was supposed to use it as a means of protecting the hidden people, but went out killing all of the ones he could find with the trust that had been placed in him and the jewel that marked him protector of the hidden people."
"Where'd the second one come from?"
Shuichi shrugged at Shura's question. "But if it is your kind of jewel preventing Kennedy from using water…"
"Steal them," Yusuke interjected.
All of them grinned. Shuichi sent Shura a look. "And how are you going to manage a distraction so we can do that?"
"Give them a fight to watch," Shura hollered out. He grinned at Shuichi. "Okay. You're not so much a piss poor protector after all. Not like you knew about this little group and our jewel things… Kennedy-san said you preferred Shuichi over Kurama so… Sorry about me being a little kid and hating you because of my dad and all that… Okay Shuichi-san?"
The two gazed at each other, one eager and worried, the other surprised and much taken aback.
"Wait? He hates being called Kurama," Kuwabara asked out loud. "How come you never said so?"
Yusuke snorted. "It's Kurama. How often does he complain?"
"Yeah, well, I know what it is like being called by something you are not," Shura snapped. "I'm not my father, nor am I his 'little kid', which has got to be the worst pun ever, just because I am a goat. He's not Yoko Kurama, that part of his past anymore, just like I'm not part of my dad's past. If he prefers Shuichi, I'll honor that since he honored the fact I'm not Yomi's little kid!"
Yusuke frowned. "But you are," he pointed out. "And Kurama is still Kurama even with the Shuichi bit."
Shura narrowed his eyes at Yusuke.
"I don't mind being called Kurama still. I only prefer Shuichi." The red head shrugged. Kuwabara nodded at that, worry taken away on changing what he called a friend by.
The youngest boy still was bothered by this though and pointed at Yusuke.
"You're the new Vardo," he proclaimed darkly.
To be continued…
