Chapter Three-Into The Nest
Hiei stared at the wall for a few more minutes, thinking. "Damn. This is going to take a lot of convincing on my part." He turned and made his way through the throng of dancers. "Kurama!"
Kurama was knocking back another Corona at the bar. "Over here,Honey." He waved his boyfriend over. "What's the scenario?"
"Well, the spiritual vampires….they're children." Hiei ordered himself a coke.
"Children? Are you sure?" Kurama looked at his mate skeptically.
"Quite." Hiei nodded. "I saw them go into a wall."
"A wall? How are we supposed to get in after them?" Kurama finished off the bottle. "Man this is going down nice. I better not have another one."
"I agree. We need to figure out how to get to the hidden staircase." Hiei pulled Kurama to his feet. "I think we're done for the night, so let's just go home."
"Okay." Kurama smiled. "I saw that chick over there hitting on you…."
Hiei snorted. "Actually, she was hitting on you,Love." He led the way out of the club. "I told her you wouldn't be interested."
"Thanks. I still haven't figured out how to talk to girls…well, except for the women of my group, and little Marcella." Kurama smiled at his mate.
"Eh…you'll figure it out. Let's get some Baskin Robbins before we get home."
Hiei's strange attraction to ice cream still baffled Kurama, but the kitsune acquiesced. "I wonder if Marcella will ever be able to taste ice cream. I've seen human children eat it before. They seem to like it a lot."
"Most humans do, unless they're allergic to milk products." Hiei explained. "If her mother was human, she might." Hiei studied Kurama. "She's a handful for you, isn't she, Baby? You should bring her here for a while. You two are welcome to stay at the manor. You know that."
"I know, Hiei, I know. It's just…I don't know how she'd behave here. Things are a lot different here. There are rules." Kurama looked at Hiei. "I mean…there on the island, she's free to romp. She loves it."
"Just like you do." Hiei concluded, as he walked into the ice cream shop. "Kurama, eventually, she's going to start asking questions. Especially if she takes more after her mother than Kuri." He paused, looking over the ice cream flavors. "You should introduce her to her mother's world. I'm sure Kuri would do the same."
Kurama nodded. "After we're done with this mission, that's exactly what I'll do. I'll bring her back." He ordered himself a vanilla milkshake. "Come on. We'd better report in."
Back at home, Zuri was having her own problems. The baby kitsune that Kurama had left in her charge refused to stay in her den. She wanted to sleep in her own bed. As a rebellion to not getting her way, the young girl wandered off constantly, often to the river, or the cookery hut, where she constantly was in the way. Zuri was also under a lot of strain from other matters. Scavengers had been sighted in the ocean again. This couldn't be a good thing. The last time looters had appeared, they had killed the majority of the villagers. She only hoped that Kurama would finish any business he was dealing with before they reached the shores. She didn't have much hope for that. She watched Marcella play in the stream, pretending to catch fish. "Come on,Marcella. We've got cleaning to do."
The little girl looked up at Zuri. "I no wanna. I wanna pways heres." She pointed to Sita, who was across the stream. "Her tan watch mes."
The wisewoman sighed. "Alright…." She looked up at Sita. "Keep an eye on her, will you?"
"Sure." Sita replied plainly, as she tugged her twins apart. "Enough you guys." The younger woman looked over at her niece with a great dislike. She was so unlike her father, Sita wondered if she was even a kitsune at all. "Come here, Marcella. Auntie's got a surprise for you."
Marcella regarded her aunt cautiously. She was little, but not stupid. Everyone knew that Sita blamed the child for her brother's death, even though she'd been no where near the fight that took Kuri's life. Or maybe it was the simple fact that Marcella was so unusual. She didn't have ears, or a tail like the others her age. Whatever the reason, the child knew Sita hated her, and was bound to do anything to rid herself of the girl. "No fanks." She went back to playing in the stream, without realizing that she was drifting from the boundaries set by the village elders.
.
"Children, eh? Well, that should be interesting to deal with." Yusuke looked over at Hiei. "Was there a lot of action there?"
"Too much. Kurama and I decided we were going to go back after closing time to scout out that staircase." Hiei looked over at Koenma. "With your permission of course."
"A wonderful idea. The sooner we get those two out of the way, the sooner some of us can return to more important matters. " At the last words, the boss turned to Kurama, who seemed to be unaware of any discussions going on. "Kurama? Are you okay?"
"Oh. Yeah. I was just thinking about little Cella. She's going to be so thrilled to hear she's coming back here with me." Kurama smiled at Koenma. "I appreciate the gesture."
"Oh it's not trouble at all. Maybe having a child here will lighten us all up." Koenma now turned his gaze to Yusuke. "I want you to go with Hiei and Kurama as back up. That is, if you're rested enough."
"I'm rested." Yusuke looked over at Kurama. "Is it okay with you, Kurama?"
"I'd rather you did. That way, if need be, I can get out of harm's way." The demon responded. "Somehow, I don't think my whip or wheel are going to be all that useful though."
"Maybe you should stay,Love." Hiei spoke up softly.
"Well….." Kurama looked down at Hiei. "I really don't want to…"
"Aw, come on! We can beat these children, Kurama. We should all go." Yusuke patted his arm. "We're going to do this together. Besides, that whip of yours could come in handy."
"You're on." Kurama went into the kitchen to get a refill of ice tea. "I'm going to lie down for a while. I'm exhausted."
"Good idea. We'll wake you up a little later." Hiei said to him as the fox demon headed upstairs to his room.
"Okay." The door closed a minute later.
"Look there, Connan. One of their young ones got away." Senara pointed out the four-year-old.
"She probably knows the way back to the village. Let's grab her." Senara's older brother approached the child. "Hello there,Little One."
"Who's you?" Marcella blinked up at him.
"I'm Connan. I used to live in your village..but now I'm lost…." Connan smiled at her kindly.
"I tan cake you theres." Marcella said softly. "Her toos?" She pointed behind them at Senara.
"Yeah. Wait here a minute okay?" Connan walked over to his sister. "She's perfect hostage material, especially for Kurama, that slime ball…"
"Alright, alright…as long as we don't hurt her." Senara said softly. "We'll let her lead us there, then I'll snatch her." She looked at the small child, who was playing by the stream again. "She's cute."
"Yeah…whatever. She's our ticket to destroying Kurama once and for all." Connan led them back to her. "Well now,Marcella. Are you ready to take us back?"
"Uh huh. Dis way!" The little girl dashed off.
"She's got a lot of energy….." Senara breathed, as she tried to keep up.
"Yeah. I know…" Her brother caught up to Marcella as they reached the gates. "Ah ha! Now I remember this place….." Connan's smile twisted into an evil leer. "And now,I will destroy it." He grabbed Marcella by the arm, and passed her to Senara. "Back to camp with her!"
"NO! Wet me gos!!!!" Marcella struggled fearfully. "Zuwi!!! Tita!!!"
"Now now…." Senara covered the girl's mouth with a gloved hand. "We're not going to hurt you." She watched as their army of beasts and demons ran into the camp. "We just wanna talk to Kurama, and you're the only one who he'll listen to." She headed away from the village, and into a canoe.
"Okay,Yusuke. Blast it!" Hiei called out. He,Kurama and Yusuke had gone back to Café Celicka to look into the vampire matter closer.
"You got it!" In a few minutes, the wall was dismantled. "There ya go Hiei."
"Thank you. Thank you very much." The fire apparition shook the dust out of his hair. "There." He pointed to the staircase. "Let's go."
Kurama smiled. "We better not rush into this, Hiei. We don't know if they're the only vampires."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Yusuke followed Hiei into the wall, and up the staircase.
When he reached the top of the stairs, Hiei gasped. "It's like a child's playroom up here." When his two companions reached him, he looked over. "Someone's been using this place to entertain their children…"
"Maybe it was the other vampires I ran into." Yusuke mused.
"This playroom is off limits to your kind." A soft voice spoke up.
"Who's there?" Kurama pulled out his rose whip.
"I am Alyson. My children play in this room." A woman dressed all in white appeared before the trio.
"Your children? They are spiritual vampires." Hiei spoke up.
"I am aware of what they are, but they are not dead." Alyson remarked. "They have been likened to mutants."
"Mutants? Lady, you've been reading too many X-men comics." Yusuke said. "They've killed thousands of innocents in this club."
"They do not mean anything by it." Alyson insisted. "They've never hurt anyone on purpose."
"Yet, they continue to do so." Kurama said. "Let us speak to them then, if they are truly harmless."
"As you wish. There is only one thing I ask." Alyson turned towards another door. "Do not assume they are pure evil." She led the group through the door. "They built this club over the ruins of our mansion. The club owner is letting me stay on as a border, if I can do bar tending. Everyone wants my children. They really don't mean to cause any harm."
Hiei,Kurama and Yusuke exchanged looks. This was certainly not what they'd expected to happen. If the children were innocent, they certainly couldn't kill them.
"Sherva….come on out, Honey. These people won't hurt you." Alyson purred softly.
The girl from the club appeared. "Hi…." She spoke up shyly.
"Jolie is sleeping. She's sick." Alyson told the three guys. To Sherva, she said. "These boys want to know how all those people died."
"It's by touch. My sister and me have the same dangerous power as Rouge from X-men. Do you know X-men?" She asked Kurama slowly,feeling silly.
"Well, no…..but Yusuke does." Kurama looked at Yusuke. "How does Rouge deal with that?"
Yusuke, totally bewildered, smiled a little. "She wore gloves. Do you and your sister have gloves?" He looked down at Sherva.
"Yes. We have gloves." She looked up at her mother. "Our problem is solved."
"Good. You must never take them off, lest the killing start all over again. " Kurama told the child. "We must go now." He turned, and Hiei and Yusuke followed.
Kurama sat on the porch later that day. "I'm glad that's over. Now I can go home, and get my baby."
"Yes. Don't forget to bring her back here now. Yukina won't let you live it down if you forget." Hiei laughed softly.
"I won't. Besides, I want her Uncle Hiei to take her out for ice cream." He grinned at him. "Who better?"
Hiei grunted. "You're coming too. I'm not so sure I'll be good with her."
"You'll do fine." Kurama assured him. "She'll love you." With that, Kurama left to pack for his return to Kitsune Isle. If all went well, he would be reunited with is little baby soon.
