Friday again, sorry about that. Hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker so I can get back on my normal schedule. It's been a hectic time for us, but like I said last chapter, things are kinda starting to settle down.
Things are going to be happening soon here. Very soon. Characters are moving into position, things are being set up, and my god, I'm getting closer and closer to the second story. The update schedule might possibly change a little more, considering the two stories will be linked. I may update biweekly with the stories alternating weeks, and I may not. No guarantee on that yet. Anyways, enjoy, and on with the "sho!"
If you ask me why I lie to you,
I can tell you I don't know myself.
It's amazingly dishonest.
But I'd have to recognize it
as part of myself.
And if you ask me why I hurt you,
I don't understand it.
I can't help myself.
Its a special combination
of predatory instinct
and simple ill will.
I would give some thought to it
if I thought that it might do me
some good.
-Why I Lie - Liz Phair
The Search for Friendship
"Minamino-San is not abusing me."
Obvious bruising and the flinch when Asako grabbed my shoulders told the two girls otherwise. Naturally I didn't escape our sparring session unscathed, especially as Kurama was quite adept at causing me to end up on my back rather painfully. The majority of his effort always went to that final blow, and my shoulders certainly felt it. I should like to think he carried several bruises on his midsection, though if he somehow remained perfectly immaculate, I wouldn't be surprised.
"So then you're fighting again," Hitomi inferred, Asako standing just beside her with arms crossed, and I let out a deep sigh, hoping I managed to conceal the vast well of irritation pooling inside of me.
"I've decided to attend lessons at the dojo again, not that it's really any of your concern," I gave both girls a narrow-eyed look. They leaned over my desk and I fought the urge to recoil from the close proximity. "Minamino is a good sparring partner I've recently found."
"Sparring?" Asako sounded… disappointed? She pouted, brows furrowed sadly. "So you're really not dating him?"
Then she gained a devilish grin.
"So that means he's available!"
Hitomi's eyes grew wide as saucers as she looked at her friend, and I'm sure my own matched the expression. Asako's grin only widened, and she thrust a finger in my face.
"Ah-ha! You totally like him! You just panicked- it's written all over your face!" Her triumphant crowing drew some attention, other students whispering around our small group. Eyes burned into me from all sides, and it was with great difficulty I resisted breaking the finger less than an inch away from my nose.
"That's rude!" Hitomi batted the other girl's hand away, bright blue orbs sparkling furiously. "You know how private Hotaru is, you don't need to call attention to it!"
She turned a critical eye to me as the other nursed her hand.
"We really don't mind that you're with someone- I mean it," she added as I opened my mouth to protest. "And I think picking up your karate again is great. It will keep you out of trouble- no, I'm not finished." She held up a finger, cutting me off yet again. My teeth clenched painfully, and I was sure they would crack.
"You of all people need an outlet, and this is good for you. We're sorry if we've contributed to your stress at all," she said with her eyes downcast, and my will to interject died instantly. Asako nodded, also refusing to meet my eyes.
"I know I can be pushy, but it's just because I worry! As long as you're happy, and this guy's treating you right, then it's all okay with us." As one, they gave a shallow, but respectful bow.
I blinked, suddenly feeling very self conscious as eyes were once again focused on us. I felt this should be touching, and there was certainly something within me that inspired some sort of calm acceptance. At the same time, it irked me somewhat that they seemed to believe my social life, meager as it was, required their approval. However, despite their rather bold presumptions of their importance, their arrogance could work in my favor. I manufactured my best impression of fond exasperation, smiling and shaking my head.
"Girls… I'm sorry." They looked up in surprise, and my eyelids fluttered with visible hesitancy. "Minamino is also a very private person, but I feel I should tell you this, if only to keep you from worrying. You see, his mother was quite ill recently. She nearly died."
The gasps of horror were right on cue, and I sighed internally at how simple this was.
"So you've been distant because of his mother?" Hitomi asked quizzically, and I shrugged. "And you never told us… so we wouldn't be tempted to intrude."
"I'm sorry to have kept this from you, but I didn't need to add onto his stress."
A tiny grimace here, a dip in tone there, and the two girls were tripping over themselves with apologies and reassurances, which I accepted gratefully and without hesitation. It was perfectly alright, no matter at all. Everything was forgiven.
Because we were friends.
It was with this the status quo was restored. Our relationship returned to normal, with the small exception of one or both of the girls offering some friendly ribbing regarding my 'boyfriend' Minamino. Their casual way of bringing it up was distracting. Were they hoping I would invite them along on a 'date', or were they hoping for me to start divulging the secrets of my relationship? As it was, there was nothing to tell… until I mentioned offhand that I would be helping his mother with dinner that night. This was at his insistence of course, for the sake of appearing normal. For both of us.
I was certainly no fool. I knew perfectly well how much he was enjoying putting me in this situation. My discomfort brought him no end of amusement, which he made perfectly clear every time the affair would be brought up, and until the night in question. When the red-haired demon opened the door to welcome me inside, I paused, unsure as I could feel no other presence inside. We would be alone, and this time it would be inside his territory.
And he now had a fairly intimate knowledge of my fighting style.
"Kurama, where is your mother?" My initial suspicion was taken in with an amicable smile and a gesture for me to enter.
"She will return shortly. Surely you don't expect me to have eyes on her every minute of the day," he teased, closing the door behind me. Immediately, the scent of coffee beans made its way to me, a temptation beckoning me further in. I dutifully followed.
"Would you be surprised if I said that's exactly what I'd expect?" I returned, and the smile somehow managed to be wolfish without showing teeth.
The home seemed different, though nothing had changed aesthetically. Potted plants still created the intricate web of ki that thickened the air, the decor had remained in tact, and it was still quite well-kept. However, there was this lived-in quality to it, displayed in the extra slippers at the mat, the coat slung haphazardly over the rack, and upon entering the kitchen I could spot even more evidence. A calendar hung open on the wall, dates marked in blue somewhere in late September. Reading glasses and note pads cluttered a small space on the counter.
How odd that his abode seemed so empty before. It was like looking through a catalogue of furnished houses, everything pristine and unused and ready for presentation, but the moment Shiori returned, the house began to resemble a home.
"She seems to be settling in well," I told him, moving to the table with my school bag. "I brought her a 'welcome home' gift this time, if you want to inspect it."
He looked mildly surprised when I procured a white box, holding out both hands to accept the gift. He examined the container for a moment before removing the lid, eyes more curious than suspicious. His brows raised further when he beheld the contents.
"Hotaru-Chan, you shouldn't have," he exclaimed lightly, as was protocol for receiving a gift, then gave a pleased smile. "I believe she will appreciate this, but they do look rather expensive. And I'm under the assumption you used your own money and not some stipend from Spirit World."
I blinked for a moment, caught off guard, then let out a genuine laugh of scorn.
"Spirit World does not pay us," I informed him, and he smiled wryly. "As for the price… you can tell her it came from a bargain store if that would help her accept it."
He quirked a quizzical brow, said: "I doubt she will believe that, these are quite unique."
I shrugged, moving to sit at the table.
"A few pieces of kitchenware is hardly any inconvenience for me." He closed the lid and set the box on the table, nodding in agreement. As he moved further into the kitchen, I carefully eyed the window to the right.
"Quite an interesting design. She may not want to use them," Kurama said as he puttered around in the cabinets.
I only hummed quietly in response. Those same two women had walked by twice, three times if one could count when I first arrived. They cast not-so-subtle glances at the home every pass. I remember having seen them before, the first time I visited Kurama's lair and again twice after. They circled like buzzards or sharks, or some other unsavory animal with an annoying proclivity for picking on the dead.
The clacking of ceramic on wood stole my attention back, and I smoothed my pinched features. Coffee aroma wafted up to my nose without provocation. A curiosity gripped me for just a moment, wondering if perhaps he grew his own cacao plants. I'd wager he could. But that thought left quickly as I settled my hands around the white mug.
"Sometimes, nosy neighbors are just that," he said in a way that was both teasing and reassuring, sitting across from me with his own cup of liquid caffeine. "They were quite curious about you, Mei-San and Kimiko-San. Apparently they've been fueling the rumor mill for weeks now with just the talk of our supposed involvement."
I took a sip, registering and enjoying the way the bitter drink scalded my tongue. It went down smoothly, heat spreading from my throat into my chest, and out from there as if the coffee had gone directly to my heart and was now in my veins.
"Is that going to be an issue?" I asked, then nodded to the window. "Your mother may not be a socialite, but I imagine such closely-packed communities have ways of spreading gossip even to shut-ins."
At this, he gave a dignified laugh, hiding his smile most politely.
"She was quite pleased, actually. It only confirmed for her that I wasn't completely alone while she was away. She's very grateful to you." I rolled my eyes at his earnest tone, leaning back in my chair in what was almost a slouch.
"She is ignorant of the true nature of our acquaintance, the same as those prattling women. Her feelings on the matter have little weight, as they are based on lies." His smile did not waver, which confused me even more.
"I don't think it matters much if it was your intention. Your actions have made her happy, which is something I also appreciate." This was straying into territory far too personal. I gave him a cold expression that I did not feel, pulling my hands away from the center of the table and leaving my mug where it was.
"Don't forget that I once threatened her life," I reminded him sharply, and his eyes flashed for a moment. His warmth receded, thankfully. "You shouldn't encourage her behavior. I am not her friend, nor do I have time to be. I'm not even your friend, and I'm certainly not gossip material. We give the appearance of a platonic friendship, and nothing more. It is a farce, or are you really fool enough to believe that my simpering and pandering are genuine?"
He was far too polished in his craft to show hurt, but there was some emotion in his gaze that lingered, even as the lines of his face grew stern.
"You're being defensive," he accused, a humorless smirk curling his lips briefly. "Not to mention, contradictory. First you try to ingratiate yourself to me, and now you pull away. Could it be that you are beginning to believe your own lies?" I gave his question a narrow-eyed look, looking back out the window quickly.
"You're projecting," I replied. "My attempts to gain your favor have nothing to do with a desire to be your friend. You are well aware of what I want."
"I am," he agreed. "Are you?"
"I don't have the patience for your mind games, demon," I spat, standing abruptly. The chair I occupied scraped against the floor obnoxiously, followed closely by his own as he rose to meet me. "You will inform your mother I had a family emergency and could not attend-"
So, naturally, the door opens at that exact moment, and my mouth snaps shut. My eyes darted to the kitchen doorway briefly, as did his, and as one we returned to our seats. Shiori entered the scene, purse in hand, to see the two of us sharing an amicable cup of coffee, her son laughing politely at something I had just said. Her eyes sparkled warmly.
"Hello Mother," Kurama's voice was normal, natural, as though the past minute or so had never happened.
"Minamino-San," I greeted with an equally jovial smile. I stood to bow and was shocked when My small frame was pulled into a sudden embrace, her longer arms completely trapping me against a soft chest.
"Hotaru-Chan! It was so good of you to come!"
Twist, elbow to the fragile ribs, bring my head back to meet the chin as it comes down, stomp down hard on a foot to throw off balance, turn and send a fist through the solar plexus-
Stop. It's just Minamino.
It took me a moment, but I returned the embrace, albeit briefly.
"Of course, I did promise." I stepped back with a smile, taking the box from the table and presenting it with a shy smile. "Also, I wanted to give you your 'welcome home' gift. I only wish I'd gotten a warning so it wouldn't be so belated," I added, shooting the demon a look of mock scolding. He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Minamino took the box gingerly with both hands, her eyes wide in wonder.
"Oh dear, you shouldn't have," she echoed Kurama's sentiment from earlier, though her iteration was an honest reaction. "I really didn't mind, you really went to all the trouble?"
I waved her concerns away with a blush, staring pointedly at my feet.
"It was no trouble, truly. In fact, picking them out was all too easy." She opened the box, her eyes growing wide as saucers. I watched intently, gauging her reaction as she took out one of the measuring spoons. The gleaming sterling silver was, like the rest of the set, crafted into a shape that resembled a blossoming flower, the dip engraved with the carving of a rose while leaves sprung at the top to frame some other bloom, which was colored with bits of dyed shell that formed petals. Every piece bore different flowers, as did the display shelf they were meant to rest on.
"Oh, Hotaru," she breathed out, and I could feel the small hand of triumph tugging at the corner of my mouth. "This is far too much!"
"Not at all," I assured her, expecting such a reaction. She still looked hesitant, though she couldn't keep the pleased smile from her face. "They were bargain, really. I only thought the aesthetic might compliment your home."
It was by chance that I caught sight of them. I didn't normally frequent that particular shopping center, but the window display caught my eye immediately. It was an easy decision to make, and the set hadn't been terribly expensive.
"They're certainly lovely," she admitted, admiring the way they glinted even in the limited light from the ceiling. "I'm sure I'd never use them with how pretty they are. I might just display them." I gave her a sunny smile.
"Either way, I thought they would be right at home here. You can't go wrong with something both useful and pretty." She beamed at me and moved in for another hug, one which I responded to appropriately this time.
"Thank you," she said, voice thick with gratitude. "This was far too much for just a housewarming present. You realize now you've challenged me. I'll have to find something just as nice for you!"
That was… unexpected, but I could work around it.
"You don't need to go through the trouble, and I expect nothing," I told her, speaking in a way I hoped was final. "Perhaps think of this as belated celebration of your return to life. Without your recovery, Shuichi would still be a miserable layabout."
With the commencement of my teasing Kurama and his faking being offended, the encounter was swiftly becoming formulaic, mirroring the very first time the three of us shared a meal. Shiori was pleasant, just shy of ecstatic, and I was reminded of Kurama's confessions some time ago, that her social life had taken a dive after his birth. It appeared, however, he intended to use me to begin her recovery in that field. Why someone as intelligent as he would come to such a ludicrous conclusion was beyond me.
Thanks to the demon's superior acting abilities, our near spat was easy to ignore for the time being, the two of us playing the part of close friends well enough. It was almost enough to make me regret rejecting his offering. It had been going exactly the way I wanted, hadn't it? My response to his friendly advances was quite an overreaction.
On the other hand, while my goal was for them to favor me, it wasn't for them to get attached.
"Have you spent much time with that other friend of yours?" Shiori asked innocently, fork halfway to her mouth. "That boy, Yusuke I believe? Shuichi speaks highly of you both. He says you've been friends for quite some time, always together."
Oddly specific.
"Yusuke is attending an educational camp of sorts, some sort of junior police academy," I lied easily, and the woman seemed quite impressed, setting both hands down to give me all of her attention.
"Really? Is he interested in law enforcement? That's wonderful!" I smiled, and Kurama cut in smoothly.
"He and Hotaru both have quite an interest in law," he tells her with a sideways glance my way. Cheeky.
"Oh? And here I remember you saying you were partial to psychology," she remarked, and I shrugged good-naturedly.
"Laws are rewritten and amended more frequently now that the study of the mind is more widely accepted. The efforts to make things more fair would be wasted without the ability to understand the nature of humanity." The woman nodded in agreement, and I even caught Kurama give a subtle tilt of his head.
"Well, what will you do now that he is gone for- oh, how long did you say it was?" Again, an all too innocent tone to her voice left me a little more than suspicious.
"Six months. I've promised my brother I'd be spending more time with him, helping with his studies and what not. And of course, Shuichi seems to be taking up more and more of my time. Not that I mind," I added, aiming a meaningful look in the demon's direction. If he noticed, he gave no indication. He only smiled.
"Well, I hope he's as good company to you as he is to me," Shiori tittered.
"He's an absolute-ACK!"
My throat convulsed when I caught sight of a flash of abnormal blue over the woman's shoulder, dissolving into coughs and averting my eyes. Mother and son stared at me with identical expressions of surprised concern. That is, until Kurama's eyes darkened as he felt the fourth presence in the room.
"Hotaru-Chan? Are you alright?" I responded to Shiori's question with a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine, Minamino-San," I assured her. "If it's not too much trouble, may I use your restroom?"
I could not leave the table fast enough as she insisted I go. The moment I closed the door, I rounded on the ferry girl who had followed me. She, for all she had just done, did not seem the least bit worried that I intended to rip out her voice box the moment we were not in the Minamino's bathroom.
"What are you doing here?" I hissed quietly, aware that the home was rather small and my voice would certainly carry, at the very least to Kurama's ears.
"Oh, no need to be so snippy," Botan replied with a dismissive wave. She had no need to keep her voice down, as Shiori would hear nothing, but I still flinched at her volume. "I've only come to give you your next case. Here now- we received reports that the entire staff of a farm in-"
"No," I cut her off. To her credit, her mouth only hung open for three seconds total before snapping shut with the force of a mousetrap. She pulled back her hands, which had been offering a manilla file folder.
"No? What do you mean no!?" I clenched my teeth, feeling my chest swell with something stronger than irritation, but not quite fury.
"You do not have the right to intrude on my life whenever the desire strikes your little brain," I snapped quietly. I ignored her look of extreme offense, pressing on. Clearly, Yusuke let her get away with far too much if she felt this was acceptable behavior. "If you must give me my assignments immediately, we will need some other form of communication, or else you will leave any and all files on my desk, in my bedroom."
She opened her mouth, and I pressed one finger roughly against her lips.
"You will not risk being exposed. You have no way of knowing who is able to see you. Had we been at my home, this entire operation would have been revealed, and that would be unlucky for both of us. So, Botan, you will now go and put whatever relevant information you have in my room. Won't you."
Now that she had the opportunity to speak, the reaper was occupied with her silent fuming. Her magenta eyes blazed with a bright indignance that was reflective in the aura that was now visibly hovering around her body.
"I will not," she snarled- snarled? Had I really pushed her so far as to lose her temper in such a way? That was sure to be entertaining. "Listen Missy, you may be a Spirit Detective, but I've served Spirit World for years now, and I'm not going to be bossed around by my own project! This is your job you know."
I frowned, and she thrust the file under my nose.
"Now, as I was trying to say," she began in a waspish tone, "We've been informed of demon activity on a dairy farm near Tokyo. The entire human staff went missing, and the last investigator we sent has gone silent. I've told Koenma you were on the case, and that I would assist you. Though I'm starting to regret making that assertion," she added in a muttered complaint.
I did not touch the file, staring over it and through her.
"You can leave it on my desk. We can go tomorrow, after school. I am not missing any more of my classes to this job."
Her face went slack for a moment before she seemed to increase in size with her anger, looming over me in the air like some large, cotton-candy themed kami.
"You'd rather go to class than save lives!?" she practically screeched, and I leaned away, rubbing my ear with a frown.
"In so many words," I confirmed, and she reached forward, hands coming close to tangling in my collar. I caught her wrist, only just remembering to push her away and release before I could do anything I would most likely regret.
Though there was that small chance I would have zero regrets.
"Oh! You and Yusuke both, you're impossible!" She spat and sputtered, and I crossed my arms defiantly.
"I have an image to maintain," I told her quietly. "I have a future to plan for. I cannot skip class whenever I feel like it just for these cases. I'm not Yusuke. We will leave tomorrow, after school, unless you feel confident in your ability to handle the situation yourself."
She didn't respond, and I gave her a satisfied smirk.
"Do you understand?" Her eyes flickered briefly with some primal anger, deep and unrelenting, and I was half tempted to keep digging into that emotion. She was normally so superficial. I wonder how it felt for her to experience things with such intensity as unbridled rage.
"I understand, perfectly," she hissed through gritted teeth, and I gave her a saccharine smile.
"Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, I abandoned the Spirit to her own devices. I managed to suppress the satisfaction, keeping my expression neutral as I re-entered the kitchen.
"Sorry to worry you. Seems my lungs won't allow me to further tease Shuichi-Kun." Shiori laughed. I met eyes with Kurama.
Clearly, he had questions. They would have to wait, as I returned to my seat, leaning over to pull the chair in closer behind me. Shiori suddenly made a quiet noise, and I looked up, still slightly hunched over.
"Oh, that's a cute necklace," she remarked, and I could feel my teeth cracking with the strength I used to clench them shut. The abomination must have been knocked loose when Botan made a grab for my collar.
"Ah, thank you," I smiled after a moment, sitting down somewhat awkwardly. "It was a gift from my brother." I couldn't move the thing out of sight, that would look strange since she'd just complimented it. Instead, I unhooked the chain and held it out for her to inspect, watching her hands as they accepted the jewelry delicately.
"That's so sweet of you to keep wearing it, even in middle school," she remarked, and I blinked, feeling the slight heat of embarrassment creeping over my neck.
"Actually, Minamino-San, he gave that to me less than a month ago," I confessed, and she looked startled, unsure how to proceed without being offensive. "It's childish, I know. He has yet to understand that I am beyond that age. I wouldn't wear it if he hadn't been the one to give it to me."
She then looked somewhat bemused, handing the necklace back with a curious smile.
"Perhaps you could explain to him what girls your age like," she encouraged, and I shrugged.
"There's no guarantee it will stick. He is very set in his ways." I returned the pendant to its rightful home, palming it briefly before letting it rest on top of the shirt, completely visible. "In any case, it makes him happy to see me wearing it. That's worth the embarrassment."
She outright grinned, practically swooning when I looked up again, and the approval in her gaze was nothing short of motherly. I couldn't help but feel like I was under the lense of a particularly maternal microscope, and I was that difficult sort of specimen that was easily mistaken for something entirely different, which would result in an incorrect answer being filled in.
"You're a very good sister. I hope your brother appreciates your sacrifices," she joked, and I was forced to give a small giggle.
"Oh, he doesn't know the half of it."
While I expected the tension to return the moment the door closed behind us, the atmosphere remained fairly civil. He walked closely beside me as we made our way to the train station, obviously mulling over what information he now had.
I found myself unable to decide which direction in which to take our relationship. Where before I had appreciated the mutual respect between us, I now noticed it had perhaps become more. Certainly, I enjoyed his company when he was not embarrassing me in front of anyone we happened to come across. It was a little game of his, I think, to make me lose my composure, though it lacked the malice with which I pushed at Botan. His actions spoke of familiarity one might associate with people who were in fact longtime friends, and not just play-acting the part.
He was like me, and yet not. He lied and manipulated every facet of his life while managing to somehow be a decent person. It was having his cake and eating it too, and it was some miracle of nature that landed him the luck of charm he so liberally utilized.
Yet also like me, his world would cease to be if his lies were discovered. So perhaps my jealousy was pointless.
"Will you be needing my assistance tomorrow?" He spoke suddenly, and I turned to give him a blank stare. "Your next assignment," he clarified, and my momentary confusion cleared.
"I will let you know when I read the full report. As it stands, Botan and I should be able to handle it." It seemed that was what he had been waiting to hear, as his eyes immediately slid away in a casual motion.
"I can't imagine the two of you make a very effective team, what with how you were at each others throats tonight." The pointed question in his tone gave me pause, but I dismissed it as a casual reprimand. My morals, or lack thereof, were not important at the moment.
"This will be a test run of sorts. Up until now, it has been Yusuke and I running the missions alone. She is not one to engage in the dirty work without reason. I believe she is meant to be assessing how I handle solo assignments. Spirit World wouldn't put someone as useless as her in a fight unless they were truly desperate."
He chuckled, and I glanced his way with a frown. His eyes sparkled warmly with mirth, and though part of me was unsure if the emotional attachment was worth allowing, the look was one that put me at ease.
"You really have a low opinion of her, don't you," he accused jovially. "Now I wonder what brought that about. The first time I saw the three of you together, you were quite civil."
I tilted my head, searching the shallow pool of memories regarding Botan in an effort to come up with some answer that might satisfy his curiosity.
"Initially, I viewed her as a possible source of information from Spirit World, one who could be manipulated quite easily. Despite her lacking intellect, her blind loyalty and inability to question orders makes her virtually useless on that front. As for her healing ability," I patted my skirt pocket, "I have my curse pen, it does the job well enough."
Come to think of it, I should have used the pen rather than attend school with the bruises. It was easy to forget that it could be invaluable in a day-to-day capacity.
"Then you mean to say she is useless to you, and therefore not worth your kindness," He mused with a quirked brow.
"That is the implication, yes," I replied. "I don't waste myself on those things which will not help me achieve my goals."
"So you have said before." He gave a little half-smile. "As far as selfish humans go, you are particularly demonic."
~"You would make an excellent demon. It's really a pity you were born human." Garnet eyes stared through me to my soul, mocking, tempting, goading, accepting.~
"Is it really so selfish if my goals do not necessarily concern my own gain?" I posed the question, not expecting an answer, then shrugged. "Regardless, time is short, and resources are limited. If what I have chosen to pursue is considered selfish, then so be it. I won't exhaust myself on things that hold no value to me. If I did that, there would be none of me left, and nothing to offer the things that do matter."
~"There are no wrong or right choices, only those that benefit you." An angry snarl darkened his gaze to nearly black, confused, betrayed, livid red pools.~
Kurama considered my position, stopping beside me as we reached the station. My train home would be leaving shortly, our conversation effectively ended. Whether he accepted my ideology or not, he now knew where we stood.
"You're certain you won't need assistance?" He asked once more just before I stepped onto the platform. I nodded.
"I will call you if things change. Thank you for having me this evening." I bowed politely. Our interaction ended there, though it seemed there was something he wanted to say. I was in no mood to listen to whatever heartfelt drivel he could possibly concoct. That assertion had brought unpleasant memories to mind, and I felt it may take all week to chase them out again.
I knew what I was. No matter how much I claimed to value those virtuous people in my life, I knew I would never be one of them. I could not, when I knew their morality could kill them if they weren't careful. Kurama had somehow managed to find that balance between goodness and intelligence that Yusuke and Kazuma likely never would. Someone had to be their brain.
Poor, beautiful fools.
The next day was completely normal.
I woke after a full night's rest, something that was growing less and less common the longer I was in the employ of Spirit World. I dressed in my uniform, ensuring the garish cat necklace was completely out of sight, and fixing the absolute disaster that was my hair.
Mami enjoyed her tuna breakfast, while I demolished a rather large mug of coffee. It was a staple of our home, given the area our father grew up in. Shizuru was quite fond of it herself, and in a rare instance of civility, we shared our morning in silence, occasionally trading glances, but never words.
She often did this, though she did not need to wake as early as Kazuma and I. She was self-employed, and had no real schedule to keep. Yet she woke with us, without fail, for several weeks now, making coffee for me, and sitting quietly. This was a strange new tactic she was employing to win my favor, I was sure of it. But why? Was the silence perhaps a luer, hoping to force me into asking a question that would inevitably lead to conversation?
I could put a stop to it, but that meant the coffee would also stop.
After the coffee and whatever I decided on for breakfast, it was the short walk to school, accompanied by Kazuma's boys. Their chatter was less irritating than usual, and I discovered that tuning them out was much easier than I once found it. Was patience a human trait that I was rediscovering? Or perhaps it was the way my mood lifted when one of them said something that made my brother laugh.
School was normal as well, with perfectly plain interactions, my two school 'friends' not letting any detail of the previous night's dinner be spared. Their investment in my relationship had been a surprisingly beneficial turn of events. I fed their curiosity, keeping them satisfied with interactions that would have virtually zero repercussions, as Kurama would be all too willing to play along, given his teasing.
Then the walk home, again with the company of the four boys, and thankfully without interruption. They left us when we reached home, and it was made immediately clear by the flash of bright blue in my window that the day's normalcy was drawing to a close. I stopped on the sidewalk, catching Kazuma's arm as he went swaggering past me.
"Zu, would you mind doing me a favor?" I asked, and he blinked twice before the question really registered.
"Uh, sure, what's up?"
I pointed towards the direction of the train station.
"Botan has brought me a new case from Spirit World. I'm going to be gone for most of the night, so could you please feed Mami, and let her into my room before you go to bed?"
His face morphed into one of suspicion. He asked: "What kind of case?" Then, his eyes widened in distress. "Wait, is it- I mean, are you gonna fight a demon again?"
I blinked.
"Most likely." He hovered over me in a panic.
"By yourself!?"
I shook my head, jerking my thumb up at my bedroom.
"Botan will be accompanying me. I'll be fine, really, but if you could-"
His entire expression bore a striking resemblance to a ray of sunshine.
"Hey, isn't that the pretty girl?"
…
And it was through this chain of events, regrettable as they were, that I found myself standing just outside the gates of a dairy farm, an hour or so before dusk, with Botan and Kazuma on either side of me.
Though Botan had been as adverse to the idea as I was initially, she had quickly warmed up the longer my brother talked. Her attempts to dissuade him were useless, as there was no point in trying to convince him demons weren't real. Not after what he had seen at the tournament. It was, in his own words, his duty as a man and a big brother to be there for us girls.
Whatever hope I had for this mission to go smoothly was quickly dashed, alongside any ideas I may have entertained of keeping Kazuma as far away from this nonsense as possible. He refused to accept my rejection, which was, in retrospect, sweet in its own right. I could appreciate his willingness to help, but his complete disregard for his own safety was something we would need to discuss. At the very least, Botan had promised to get him through a portal if worst came to worst.
"Alright, let's go over it one more time, shall we?" the traitorous bluenette chirped jovially, Kazuma's presence and my subsequent discomfort making it nearly impossible for her to retain the foul mood I had worked so hard to put her in yesterday.
"There were eight farmers, right?" Kazuma asked, both of them speaking over my head at one another. I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath. I immediately regretted this as the scent of the farm filled my olfactory receptors. My nose wrinkled in disgust, turning away from the fenced in field as though that might make the smell less pungent.
"They were reported missing the day before yesterday," Botan confirmed, donning her human body in the normal street clothes she had worn before. "Now, the human authorities have been kept at bay for the time being with some fake phone calls from one of our operators, but that will only last so long. We need to find the farmers, and whatever demon presence may be here."
My ears perked, and I turned to give her a side-eyed frown.
"May? You said there was definitely demon activity here," I reminded her, and she gave a loud, nervous giggle.
"Did I? Well, the readings are unreliable in these situations, plus we can't really be sure what our operative actually saw. His communicator cut out rather suddenly, and our animal spies have yet been unable to relay reliable visuals."
I stared at her for a moment, deciding which question was the most important to ask.
"His communicator?"
The idiot looked back for a moment, face blank in confusion. Then, a wide grin split her face.
"Right, yes! Sorry, I was supposed to give this to you earlier, but I got so caught up in our fight that I completely forgot." She reached into the pocket of her sweat shirt, digging around for a moment. I could feel Kazuma leaning over me.
"What does she mean, you guys had a fight?" he asked uneasily, and I waved his concerns away in a dismissive gesture.
"It's not important, just a disagreement about the timing of the mission was all." He blinked, nose wrinkling in thought for a moment.
"Uh, I don't think they can really plan out times for things like this. Seems like stuff just sorta happens."
I rolled my eyes, but Botan had finally found what she was looking for, holding out what appeared to be a plastic compact mirror, a small purple clam shell covering her palm. Yet any illusion that this was some cheap dollar-store throw-away product was ruined by the faint glow of white surrounding the item, the trademark of every tool we had received from Spirit World thus far.
"This is a Spirit World Communication Compact," she explained with a smile. "You and I will each have one, so if we get separated, or if I'm in Spirit World and you need to get ahold of me, this is the way to do it!"
I frowned down at the device, pressing the release to open it and finding a rather strange sight inside. The top half was the usual mirror, though with a black tint to the glass, but the lower part resembled a very limited calculator. Three buttons lay in a row beside a small speaker, which all sat above a screen that remained blank, until Botan opened her own mirror and, speaking clearly, said my name.
Immediately, my mirror lit up with an image of her face, which grinned at e from across the way. The screen below showed her name.
"See? It's very simple, and quite handy! You need only say the name of the person you need to contact. If you need a direct call to Spirit World, that's the first button here. And since there's two of you, we had a third mirror made for Yusuke. If we all need to talk together, then someone would need to hit the second button. Got it?"
Kazuma's hands landed heavily on my shoulders, his head invading my personal space to more clearly see the mirror's image.
"Wow, that's awesome!" He grinned, a small blush coating his cheeks. "You're just as pretty there as you are out here!"
I shut the device with a loud click, holding it up to a blushing Botan to emphasize my irritation.
"How long have these been available?" I asked, and her lips twisted down in a confused pout.
"Since we recruited you, but remember, I explained it already. We couldn't let you have all the Detective Tools until you were ready to handle them all at once. For someone without a lot of Spirit Energy, that's quite a power drain."
I shook my head, exasperated.
"And you didn't think this might be the best thing to give us first?" Her puzzled expression was not surprising, but that didn't make it any less vexing. "Communication is the key to successful teamwork. Proper coordination is invaluable-"
I cut myself off with a click of my teeth. There was no sense talking to someone with the mental capacity of a stone wall. At the very least, she knew enough to look offended. She recoiled as though stung, her pout turning into a glower, like a child told they couldn't leave the dinner table without eating all their vegetables.
"The tools we gave you were very useful! I picked them out myself. I thought you'd appreciate the versatility of the Curse Pen." Of course, she had been the one to make the decision. Not, of course, that I thought Koenma would choose any better. While the tools we were given certainly proved convenient at the time, means of communication should have been prioritized.
"Let's get this over with," I muttered, ending the conversation. "Kazuma, you should-"
He wasn't there. A brief moment of trepidation was settled as I caught sight of the bright blue figure already investigating the farm house. He peered inside, leaning so far forward a good shove might send him crashing face first onto the concrete. I joined him, Botan following closely, picking her way over the uneven ground. Running away might prove difficult.
I reached out, touching my brother's arm lightly to gain his attention.
"You sense something," I inferred, noting his furrowed brow and the unusual focus in his bearing. Intention was in his every motion, eyes alert and movements more fluid. He was hyper aware of his surroundings, head turning this way and that as his senses picked up on things normal humans wouldn't even consider. I resisted the urge to take lead, waiting for him to find the correct course of action. Inside the long barn, invisible animals stomped and snorted behind closed doors.
Botan entered, covering her nose and mouth quickly as the putrid air met her senses.
"Goodness, it's awful! How can anyone work here?" she exclaimed, and I frowned. The smell of waste was even worse within the confines of the walls, and for a moment I wondered if anyone had bothered to let the animals out of their pens. They certainly hadn't been cleaned out.
This was unacceptable.
"Something bad happened in here," Kazuma voiced grimly, his dark eyes travelling slowly across the scene. "There's a weird feeling, like someone was really scared. Like… like someone died here."
I could feel the tightness in my face, my eyes squinting in the darkness. I could see it, the outlines of figures barely recognizable as human. Faint white spots in the air, on the ground, and against the walls were all colored with desperation, terror, agony. If I shone a light, I was certain we would see pools of blood.
In the center of it all, a splash of red, the same color that lay underneath Kurama's energy, the shade of crimson that spoke of something distinctly non-human.
"That's the demon, isn't it," Kazuma asked me, in a tone that indicated it was not a question. I nodded, and he frowned. His eyelids slid shut. I pulled energy into my eyes to watch him, seeing his power begin to focus and move upwards to his brain. It did not radiate from his body in pulses like mine, instead circling in its own fashion outwards in barely perceptible waves. I waited for him to finish his sweep, standing back to give him space to flex his power.
It took only a minute or so, but his eyes snapped open and he turned to look at me with an expression of dismay.
"There's nothing here anymore," he concluded, and I nodded.
"Now, we do things the old fashioned way."
We search for clues.
So, this mission originally was set in the city, in a factory, with lots of dead bodies. I only changed two of those things, so here's your warning for next chapter. Sorry, but Hotaru is pretty descriptive as a narrator, and gore doesn't bother her, so she does not pull punches.
A lot changed for this chapter from the original concept. I am actually happier with this one and where it goes and what it leads to, even though the original was pretty fun to write out. I had this whole scene where she analyzed a corpse and broke off a finger, and I utilized my forensics text book quite a bit for it. She basically became Sherlock for like, a page and a half, but specifically for the dead body. It was funny. To me.
There was a decent bit of acting in that chapter too, if I recall. She got to be more manipulative, though I had to cut the majority of that out since there are no other humans for her to interact with now. Speaking of human interactions... Shiori's not exactly being subtle, is she.
Meow for now!
