Note 1: Good evening, ladies and gents!( It might be noon for you guys, but you gotta excuse my inability to tell night from day these days). I know I've been out of the picture for a long time, and I might start by telling you that my inspiration was pretty much in a coma for a couple of months – however, it seems like it got back on its feet, even though this chapter is a little shorter, and maybe just a little more unpolished than the others.
Note 2: Even though my updating schedule was never too organised, the next ones might be even more irregular, as I find myself caught up in my schoolwork as a last year medstudent. I really really hope you didn't lose too much interest in my story, and that you'll be enjoying the content I'm writing as it comes. I'm doing my best to balance everything out, so I promise not to let the story die, at least not before you get some more of its plot and purpose.
Huge THANK YOUs to all my readers and reviewers, you guys are incredible and I'm beyond grateful for the time you invest in my story. I hope you're all safe&sound!
Chapter 9
'Sukoshi ame'. That was more like a nickname of affection, and yet I had no clue on where to place this woman – she knew me better than I knew her, and that went without saying. This wasn't much of a shocker though, as the ones coming before her seemed to know some things about me as well - but in her case, it was totally different. She called herself 'family', and her approach was definitely friendlier…and weirder. Judging by the way the dragged us to this forest, she was, without doubt, a Water Demon, the very first I have encountered in all these years, and that gave me a slight trace of comfort. Within this awkward silence, I managed to pull myself together, swallowing that indefensible fear, just so it won't be able to take over me anymore. Whoever she was, she didn't have to know that I felt uneasy, or even worse, to even think of taking advantage of that erratic state.
"Your words are kind of endearing for a stranger, don't you think?", I murmured, staring back at her troubling, colourful eyes, as a shadow fluttered above them when she frowned all of a sudden.
"That's cold coming from you", she squealed, "but I can take than, considering how many unwanted visitors have come your way in the past couple of days."
"So you've spying on me for quite some time", I replied, narrowing my eyes. "Great way to make acquaintance of someone. Not creepy at all."
"You really are Shinoyoru's daughter, aren't you?", she sighed, curling her feet underneath her as she sat down. "You definitely inherited his sense of humour, or should I say 'lack of'. Call it spying if you want, but in my book looking after your kin doesn't really count."
Alright, there she goes again, digging around with all the family talk. Playing mind games with Kaito seemed to have drained up all the coffee from my system, as I was slowly slipping back into my grumpy shoes, raising one eyebrow at her apparent, overflowing energy.
"I suppose that your kin should know at least as much as a name", I retorted, crossing my arms to support my outward disbelief.
"That's true", she shrugged, keeping her small frown in place. "To think of it, I don't really know yours either. Shinoyoru took great care to miss it whenever he got to mentioning you. Not even my brother had the chance to hear it. You know your old man - always so wary and elusive."
"Wait…Your brother?", I echoed her words, diving into my memory's dusty depths, searching for every bit of useful information; eventually, I stumbled upon uncle Yoshi, mentioning a "Kai" during our last talk, being the one close friend of my father's - the one who apparently knew about my existence to begin with. What were the odds of him being the brother she talked about?
"Yeah", she continued, "I'm sure he kept you from knowing too much about us as well. His only concern was to keep you safe, away from all the mischief taking place back at home", she contemplated rather absently, twisting a long strand of hair between her fingers. Then, all of a sudden, she switched her gaze towards the two of us, focusing it on my very silent companion, whose expression hasn't changed one bit since we got there. "I see you've got yourself mixed in a pretty interesting crowd", she stated, studying him from head to toe, without any sign of restraint. "Trust is a very precious gift, sukoshi ame, one you should choose carefully who to offer it to."
It was only then, as she uttered those words, when Kurama's eyes flickered with an indescribable emotion, something he managed to wash out within seconds - quickly enough to make me wonder if I actually saw it happening. He had no response to her assumption, which assured me that he knew at least that much about me – and it was incredibly soothing. I, too, wasn't sure if he trusted me, which was only fair, as it was way too soon for that kind of talk ( and I was really hoping we would never have that kind of awkward talk.)
"You're right. You can't possibly give someone your trust without receiving a solid reason to do so", I reflected, watching her as she nodded her head, visibly content with my wise reply. "That obviously applies to you, too", I added, taking the tiniest, yet evil satisfaction from watching her face drop with disappointment. "And…would you please just call me Amaya?"
"Oh?", she taunted, seemingly enjoying the situation. "I thought we didn't trust each other enough to reveal our names."
"We don't", I replied coldly, much to her surprise, "but if that's what my father used to call me, I find it inappropriate for you, or anyone else, to say it."
She remained silent, staring at me in complete astonishment for a while. She seemed to have sunk deeply into her own thoughts, before suddenly getting up, dusting off her cherry-coloured yukata with swift moves. "Amaya…so that's why he hid your name all this time", she reverberated, returning that oddly familiar smile on her face.
"What do you mean?", I heard myself asking, soon realising the answer has been right before me, for all this time.
"Yoru means 'night', and Amaya, as his daughter, is the 'night rain'", he murmured from beside me, his solemn voice mimicking the thunders blowing far above our heads. "Simply saying your name would have given away the link between the two of you, something that it seems he wanted to avoid at all costs."
"Now that's what I call quick thinking", she chimed, clasping her hands together in apparent delight. "I never thought that the Legendary Bandit would have such a sharp mind, but then again…nothing should be too surprising when it comes to such a renowned thief as you are."
The Legendary Bandit? Apparently, I was, once again, the one to know the very least of everything that has been going on. It also seemed that I was right to be reserved towards him, as he was hiding just as much as I did (or even more) about his past – but it wasn't the right time to dwell on such thoughts, since this lady did her best to test my patience. At the same time, her expression seemed to have changed slightly before my eyes, oozing with unmasked contempt under her wide sneer.
"I suppose it's only natural that my reputation reached even the youngest of your brethren", he uttered, his calm words contrasting the ire igniting in the depths of his forest eyes.
"You bet", she chuckled, straightening her body into a more confident stance. "If it weren't for your less crafty fellows back then, the Diamond Orb would have been gone for even longer than it was. However, those were way simpler times for our village."
Her voice became bitter, and she was clearly avoiding my gaze as she finished her sentence. In that precise moment, I remembered my father's words : "Now everything is different - there's a new order in place, one that wouldn't keep you alive"; "I need to go back to settle things, and that's precisely why you can't come with me right away. It's not safe for you there, not yet." It clicked. It all clicked within seconds, detonating a silent, yet powerful bomb inside my head.
"What exactly is happening there? Is that why my father left for the Demon World?"
"Precisely", she hissed, still averting her eyes from meeting mine. "There's no mere coincidence in everything that went down around here. I'm still working on how it actually connects to you, but…there's no point in fooling around with it. There's definitely more of this comin…"
She stopped abruptly, as her whole body seemed to tremble, almost like something was pulsing from within her. Her eyes widened, finally fixating her glare on me, while her face distorted into another sarcastic grin. "It seems like my in-between-worlds trip has come to an abrupt end."
"Wait, what? Why?", I growled, unknowingly clenching my fists. "You haven't told me a thing about what's going on ther…"
"I know."
"You're playing dirty for a Water Demon…"
"Himizu"
"What?"
"My name. I was planning on extending this tag game for quite longer, but you already gave me yours, so…it's no fun anymore. I owe you at least that much."
"Yeah. That's very considerate, but clearly not enough."
"Don't be so greedy, Amaya-chan. This won't be the last time you see me, I can promise that."
"Sure. I'll be sure to watch my back more closely."
Her grin grew wider, looking even more frightening as she bowed her head, with waves of black hair falling over both of her sides. "You should always do that. Always."
Almost like it was on command, another bolt of lightning struck from under the grim clouds, pouring all the way down to her spot, engulfing her in its blinding brightness. I reflexively lifted my arms to cover my eyes, but in no more than a few seconds, it was all gone. The light, her body, her presence – everything. I blinked a few more times before sighing deeply, throwing my head back in utter frustration.
"What a dramatic exit she pulled!", I snarled, as countless raindrops rested on my boiling cheeks. "Himizu. She threw that up just like that, like it was supposed to make up for all the things she conveniently left out. That's…"
I stopped at the sound of my own words, echoing throughout the forest like a rather unpleasant whirring. I wasn't talking. I was yelling – seemingly at myself, because no other response came back. I turned around to face him, as his impenetrable gaze was still pinned to the round patch of scorched grass where she previously vanished from. I couldn't tell if he was distraught…or angry, or both. I watched him even closely, but there was no other sign that could come to my aid. Aside from his suddenly darkened eyes, nothing could possibly betray his thoughts. 'The Legendary Bandit, huh? That might be the real you, shedding your human skinsuit…'
"That can prove very useful, if it's looked up accordingly", he murmured, locking my gaze within his. "Himizu symbolizes a contradiction, a discordant conjunction of fire and water. Its meaning could be overtly poetic, or it could be…"
"A hidden warning to her duality in terms of demonic energy", I followed, gaping at my own sudden breakthrough. "In her case, I think it falls within both categories."
He smiled softly, although it went without saying he would do anything but laugh in that moment. "That would explain the lightning. It's the joint venture of her innate abilities, and as far as my knowledge goes, it requires tremendous training in order to be controlled at will."
"That must run in the family, too", I muttered, squeezing my eyes tightly. "Today has definitely taken its toll on me."
"I hate to be the one to ask this, but is there any chance you could drag on today a little bit longer?"
I raised my eyebrows at him, allowing my surprise to be as obvious as the rain still falling down on us. "What for?"
"We should be meeting with the others. As far as Himizu implied, there's no end in sight for these strange apparitions. We need to assess the magnitude of the events that have been taking place in the Demon World, and we should do that as soon as possible."
"Excuse me, 'we'?", I retorted, no longer trying to be polite. "Why do I have to drag anyone else in something that's clearly concerning me?"
"Because it's no longer concerning just you", his voice lowered, almost like it thundered. "The whole city can be exposed to these sudden attacks, and it consequently falls within our jurisdiction as well. We need to prevent these occurrences from harming other humans." His tone was calm, but firm – he was clearly keeping his manners in check, but he was highlighting the gravity of his words at the same time. I remembered his brother's face in that hospital bed, and that was quite enough to stop me from blabbering. 'We need to prevent these occurrences from harming other humans', he said. And he was right – I was being overly selfish to think it was something I could handle all by myself. 'You were raised to fight your fights alone, for there won't be anyone to save you all the time. But that doesn't mean you have to do that right away. Not when there still are people around who can lend a hand.' My uncle was right, as well. Essentially, there was a point where our goals were seemingly colliding, and that could be enough for a reason to cooperate. He sensed the abrupt silence taking space between the two of us, as he proceeded to speak again, this time in a slightly softer tone.
"You can take all the time you need to think that through. It is, in fact, your choice to decide whether…"
"Fine."
"What?"
"I said fine. I'll go meet with the 'others', whoever they might be."
"I expected it to take a lot more persuasion struggle just to get there."
"It would have probably been like that…under different circumstances. But now we don't really have the time for unreasonable resistance, do we?"
He replied with only a smile, more genuine than the one he showed before. I avoided his gaze for a while, remembering Himizu's words about him. I wasn't one to rely much on my gut feelings, although I was aware that, during certain times, they could prove useful - and vital. I was the (over)thinking type, and I could tell right from the start there was something deeply inscrutable about him, something I could neither define nor divide. He could be virtuous, or vile, or a fine fusion between the two. Or he could be something that my mind couldn't possibly comprehend at the time. These were, after all, no more than flash theories my brain was trying to put together, in order to gain a slight sense of control over the matter – in reality, however, there was no such thing as control. I had nothing at hand, and I needed more than flimsy hints to make up my mind over it. Himizu's reaction, as well as her words, were clearly disapprobatory – they could have emerged from my brethren's old grudge towards his attempted theft, or it could be more than just that, something that tied her to him personally. This would be the ideal situation where my gut feeling could guide my steps towards one of the sides, but that wasn't typical for me. I knew nearly nothing about any of them, and I was determined to give them both the benefit of the doubt, just enough to get a glimpse of whatever happened on each side. Only then I could think of picking a side, either his or hers….or my very own. I was used to pick my own side more than anyone else's.
"What's the matter?", he asked, as he seemingly moved around to find my avoidant eyes.
"Nothing, really", I murmured, before eventually letting out a deep sigh. "I'm just hoping that Katsumi is alright. In that split second, seeing her so frightened and up close made me question my own judgement."
"I must admit, it was a daring move. If we couldn't erase her memories, that would have been quite a difficult explanation to elaborate…", he paused, peeking at my visibly guilty expression, chuckling as he spoke further, " but you were counting on my presence there, weren't you?"
I hesitated, too (stupidly) proud to admit that one out loud. He knew far well that I wouldn't have pulled such a stunt in his absence – or more precisely, in his ability's absence, and that made it even more frustrating to accept. He took the sheer pleasure of taunting me with it, and I was unable to counteract his words – because we was right again.
"Alright, I'm sorry!", I barked, once again turning my face away from him. "It was a deplorable thing to do. I should have thought better than that."
"You set out a rather fastidious rule for yourself", he contemplated, "but he had trouble handling it just as much. For what's worth, I followed your exchange quite attentively, and he was close to breaking it more frequently than you were. You used everything that was at hand in order to secure your win and save everyone else in the process. You planned on saving both of you, and that's precisely why you intended to drag it that long. Besides…"
He paused, prompting me to meet his gaze one more time. He then closed his eyes for a second, with another smile blooming at the corner of his mouth, as he seemed to remember something. "I know how demanding Kaito can become, considering that I was trapped within his territory once before. Aside from my own soul, there were also the souls of my friends who have lost to his rule. The stakes were high at the time, so I had to resort to certain tricks as well."
So he fought Kaito on his own, too. That would explain his wariness in the beginning of our fight, and also his apparent understanding for the means I had to use to "win" against him – he knew exactly what I was dealing with. That would also explain the slight frustration that seemed to guide most of Kaito's actions – it had to be quite troublesome to keep running into someone who surpasses you in every direction, even when it comes to your own specialty. Then again, he probably didn't have to "risk" anyone else's life (or mental health, for that matter) in order to defeat Kaito - and my sudden, uncalled for consciousness surge was becoming quite bothersome.
My track of thoughts was switched off by a sudden alarm-like sound, a disturbing chirp that was coming all the way from my bag – the one I almost forgot I had with me…again. I must have thrown it away, somewhere on my way to reaching Himizu, because I had to search for it for quite some time before eventually finding it. Apparently than phone-thingy my uncle gave me was set to ring out loud at any time, but only when it would be him who was calling. Smart move, uncle Yoshi – you can't miss a call like that even if you try.
"Hello there! Are those guys intending to keep you at school all day?", he cheered, something that caught be off-guard. He knew I should have been home at least 2 hours ago, and I conveniently forgot to mention I would have to stay longer…again.
"No, not really. I had an after-school thing with the Biology group, one I forgot I had when I left this morning", I chirped back, intending to sound just as carefree as he did. Of course, none of us were that relaxed, so I was the first to adjust my tone accordingly. "I'm sorry. Everything is fine. I promise I'll be home soon."
"Alright. Want me to fix you some tea?"
"Definitely. Thank you, uncle Yoshi."
The second I ended that call, I swirled on my feet to find Kurama, slowly making his way back to the path we took from the school yard.
"It seems like I have to make a stop home before…"
"I know."
"Eavesdropping to someone's conversation isn't really polite, you know?"
"I do", he replied smoothly, with his back still turned from me. "You can join us later, whenever you might see fit."
"Right…", I paused, distraught by his sudden change - there something wrong with him. "But how am I supposed to find you?"
"There shouldn't any concern over this. I will find you."
Yeah. There definitely was something wrong. Maybe I could have asked, but that wasn't my place to do so. And moreover, he was the first one to be rude, lacking any kind of pertinent reason ( or so I perceived at the time). Instead, I gathered the last ounce of energy I had left, turning it into the most unmoved look I could pull off.
"Good luck with that, then, Legendary Bandit", I shrugged, slipping the slightest taste of sarcasm in my tone.
He chuckled lightly as he kept walking out from the clearing, and I found myself in need to follow after him, while keeping a safe distance. That mist of tiredness that engulfed me in the morning was spreading its sticky tentacles once again, resting heavily on my eyelids. With that obvious impediment, it would have been quite tricky (and also pointless) to find another route to leave. There could be a motive behind his unusual behaviour, but I was clearly too hazy to give it more thought, so I chose to just walk beside him, embracing the utter silence. When it was time for us to part ways, he only gave me a nod, which I reciprocated almost automatically – even if there was supposed to be a meaning behind that gesture, I couldn't manage to pick it up. The haunting look in his eyes took over the whole scene, which was even more worrisome than any I've seen before. I was hoping that the later meeting would eventually make some ends meet, because it seemed to me that every day that was passing in this city brought even more grueling questions along with it.
The rest of my journey to my uncle's house was an autopilot attempt, as I used little to none of my senses ( or brain activity) to reach it – I wasn't even sure if a power nap or another coffee would do the trick, but I certainly needed something to recharge my batteries…and I needed it as fast as possible.
"Biology group, huh? That was a fast move to enter the elite students club", he joked, popping his head from behind the kitchen door, watching me with his peering, deep purple eyes as I got inside.
"Yeah, clearly", I yawned, dropping my bag in the closest corner I could find, dragging my feet as I spoke. "It's more like a nerd club, but Kobayashi sensei asked me to join them, so…I thought it would be impolite to refuse a teacher without an appropriate excuse."
"That's true. I'm actually proud of you. These are big steps you're taking, considering how little time has passed since you've been here. It's still all so new to you…"
"Not everything is that new, uncle Yoshi", I mumbled in between yawns, making use of both my hands to sustain my chin. "I used to study Biology at my former school as well. Besides, I've always loved reading mom's book before…", I paused, feeling my forehead crumpling into a frown. I pinned my eyes down on a small crack in the tabletop, acknowledging his arrival only by the glassy, clicking noise the two cups made as he laid them down.
"Before your training days weren't just days, but also nights", he added, pushing a huge, steaming cup in front of me, as he sat across the table.
"Yeah, I guess that must run in the family, too", I growled, tapping my fingers on the ceramic walls.
"I…suppose?", he retorted, throwing me a very confused look. As I didn't bother to notice his questioning tone, he resorted to waiting in silence for a few more minutes before speaking again. "Is this supposed to mean something in particular?"
"What? No, I mean yes. I'm sorry, my brain is seemingly failing me", I blabbered, taking a long sip of my slightly darkened beverage. "IS THIS COFFEE?"
"It is", he chuckled, "I figured you were tired by the tone of your voice, so I thought that tea won't be much of a help."
All of a sudden, I was engulfed in a warm, gratifying feeling, swapped away from the mundane reality of my uncle's simplistic kitchen setting, to a place that was dark, yet soothing and bittersweet – and I was willing to dwell to that feeling for as long as I could. My mind was emptied of any other thought, and it was arguably the first time in the past couple of days when I was able to do that. []
"And yet…", he added mysteriously, taking a sip of his tea, "I have a feeling that there is more to these words that just sheer exhaustion."
"Eh?", I flinched, relinquishing my dream-like state as I was found by his circumspect gaze.
"Is there something else you'd want to tell me?"
"Uh…yeah. I met another demon today. This one that claimed to be "family", so I guess that marks as something rather outstanding, comparing to the other encounters."
"A Water demon?", he exclaimed, raising his eyebrows with unrivalled surprise.
"Uh-huh. It seems that she took her time to observe me closely before eventually coming out of hiding."
"She? I thought it was only Kai who knew about you to begin with…"
"So did I", I muttered, tapping the cup with my fingers. "But coincidentally enough, she is his sister….or at least that's what she implied. She never really mentioned his name."
"Coincidentally enough, huh…", he reverberated, staring blankly at the wall behind me. "But why did she come all the way here to see you?"
"I have no damn clue", I growled, shifting from finger-tapping to actually kicking. "She had the nerve to mention Dad and something about "things being out of place around there", before making a grand exit." I sighed, silencing my rage to replay those last minutes once again. "There was something odd about it, though. It felt like she was running out of time, like she was being summoned back somewhere else."
"That's indeed odd…the barrier between the realms has been closed for years, and yet they seem to be moving freely at any times. Something really serious must be happening in the Demon World…"
"I think so. She was very elusive, but for some reason she has run out of time just when we reached that particular subject. However…", I hovered, forcing my fingers to clench before actually breaking the cup, "she said she will come back at some point. Until then, I hope to find some answers by myself." His brows raised again, mirroring his silent uneasiness, prompting me to continue without uttering any words. "It might be just a hunch, but…I feel like she's tiptoeing around me. When it came to Dad, she became somewhat defensive, almost like she tried her best to hide some things from me. Some important things."
"Do you think that Yoru specifically told her to watch over you?"
"Quite the contrary. I think she's acting on her own, although I'm not sure why. If she really is Kai's sister, she must be one of his trusted people as well, and yet…he didn't even told them my name. It makes me wonder why he wouldn't trust them enough for such a small matter."
He smiled, fixing his dark purple eyes on me. As I eventually stared back at him, visibly confused as well, he started to speak again, his worried tone shifting to his usual calmness : " Your name is no small matter, and not telling them doesn't necessarily imply that he didn't trust them. It was, most likely, a means to protect you, if there was something to happen to them while he was away. Your name alone bears a direct connection to your demon identity, although it wasn't intended from the beginning."
"You can't mean…"
"Nara chose it for you, out of her immense love for your father. He vehemently opposed it, knowing it would make it easier to link you to him, but he couldn't change her mind. It was her wish, after all."
"And here I thought it was only because it was raining that night, huh…", I contemplated, letting out a deep sigh. "Sooner or later, all these things will unravel before me, no matter how much Dad tried to keep them away from me. But before then…"
"You need some rest."
"Yeah. You seem to always know what I'm about to say."
"Not really. Just a hunch", he chuckled, giving me another warm smile. "I'll be down here if you need anything."
"Thank you."
The stairs leading to my room seemed to slip lightly under my feet, as I was barely keeping my eyes open while climbing. It was no longer tiredness I was feeling - I was overwhelmed. Even though my "tough act" wasn't entirely an act, I felt like it was eventually getting back at me – all the thoughts that I supressed in the past few days, while promising myself that I'll take my time to fully explore them later, were now starting to backfire. They kept popping up like bright, flashing lights on an endless control panel, one that had no on/off switch; the unfiltered noise was flooding from every single corner of my mind, drowning me in a sea of loud, indistinguishable voices. My skin was burning, drawing out even the smallest drop of fear that was resting quietly within my body. There was no point in denying it – I was afraid. I was starting to lose myself in a state of anguish, because everything that was happening was everything I could ever fear - everything my father seemed to have feared ever since I've been born into this world. And this world looked like it was about to crumble at any minute, right before my eyes…
"Is it a bad time?"
I gasped, tilting my head to the window, the one my uncle was considerate enough to leave open before I got home. Outside of it, there was this tiny, floating girl who looked like an accurate representation of a bubblegum commercial – she had a blue, high-up ponytail, with a few strands flying over her pale face as the wind kept blowing, while her seemingly tiny body was covered up in a bright pink kimono, just as bright as the smile she was pulling from the corners of her mouth. Apart from that incredibly glimmering appearance, there was something else that was bothering me – she was literally flying, only a few inches away from my window. There was no way she was human, and she was no demon either – if she were, the barrier my uncle put up around our house would have stopped her from coming this close. She was something else, and just as I was staring awkwardly at her, she extended one of her arms forward, completely opening the window to fly inside. Just like that. Casually entering my room without any sign of invitation from my part.
"Sorry to bust in like that, but this storm seems like going on forever, and I've been coming a long way to…"
"Who are you again?"
"Eh?"
The cheerful tone in her voice dropped in an instant, with obvious disappointment sparkling in her eyes as she watched me attentively, expecting me to repeat the question – which, obviously, didn't happen. All I was able to give her was a mild frown, because I was clearly intrigued by her presence, and I had no intention to conceal it.
"Those idiots…! They never bother to mention me, but they expect me to chime in whenever they see fit!", she rattled, raising her chin in an almost funny attempt to look enraged. "Anyway!", she sighed, "I'm Botan. Nice to meet you, Amaya-chan!", she replied, extending her arm to greet me, her cheerfulness popping up out of nowhere once again.
"Nice to meet you…too?", I squealed, inadvertently mimicking her tone as I shook her hand. We stood like that for a few minutes, our hands still glued to one another, with me being the only one to seem weirded out by that encounter. "So, Botan…Why are you here?"
"Of course they didn't tell you that, either…I swear to God, they're….", she closed her eyes in slight annoyance, clearing her throat in a full-dramatic moment that left me even more exasperated. "I'm here to take you to the meeting place…you know, where Yusuke and the others are gathering. You know about that, right?"
Oh. That. Right.
"Right…so what is this place, exactly?"
"It's an old temple that lord Koenma is owning in the Human World. They usually go to when they all need to meet up, so they won't drag any unwanted attention from other squirming demons. It's not to far, so we'll be able to get there just in time."
"Lord Koenma?", I blurted out, too tired to actually filter the thoughts that were to become words, throwing a suspicious glare towards her. "Just how many people are involved in this?"
"You don't need to worry", she murmured. "Kurama filled us all in before sending me here. Just here them out and then you'll be able to draw your own conclusion. Okay?"
She became more serious, while keeping her smile in place. Her eyes were pinned on me, analysing every move I was making. So Kurama sent her personally to my place…which was even weirder, considering that I never mentioned where I lived, leaving alone the fact that there was a barrier that could stop him from entering the surroundings. My burden of thoughts was spinning out of control, taking over my mind just enough to lose Botan out of my sight, before feeling another hand squeezing my wrist, dragging me to the cold evening breeze coming from the window. She flew out just as fast as she came in, with my body floating like a leaf behind her as she tightened her grasp over my hand.
"Would you mind hopping on?", she cheered, taping her oar as she slowed down. "It will be much easier to fly this way, and definitely more comfortable for you."
I only replied by raising one of my eyebrows at her, while she started to drag me close enough to sit beside her, placing my other hand on the oar's tail. She was stronger than she looked, making me even more suspicious of her being. Who was she, anyway?
"You'll get your answers soon, Amaya", she chirped, almost like my face was exposing all the questions popping out in my head, allowing me to raise the other eyebrow as well in slight surprise. "Just wait until we get there"