Ch. 3 - Take Two
Several days later, the two thieves took a fire escape to the roof of one of the few short office buildings in Tomoeda. They knelt at the edge of the roof, peering over the low protective wall, and Hiei pulled his headband off. His Jagan opened, scanning the near vicinity.
"Where?" Kurama asked, intent gaze flicking warily across the pedestrians on the street below.
"The angel... cram school, with the brother," Hiei answered, Jagan pausing barely a moment. "The girl... in the park, with the video girl, the Sun Guardian, and the book and deck."
Kurama didn't bother to sigh. "Again?"
"Colossal error," Hiei said shortly, referring to their first attempt. "Put the Guardians on guard. Angel's not even focused on the brother."
"Ah." Kurama ran a hand through his hair, catching a small seed. "I'll be about fifty kilos. Will I slow you down?"
"No," Hiei answered.
Kurama put the seed in his mouth, closed his eyes, and shifted. A faint swirl of mist passed over the roof, leaving a large, five-tailed, silver fox sitting where Kurama had been.
Lifting the fox into his arms, Hiei darted away. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, using telephone poles and treetops when the roofs were slightly too far apart. Seconds later, he landed in the park and set the fox down. It turned, flicked one tail at him in farewell, and slipped into the bushes.
Hiei leapt up into a tree to wait and keep watch.
----
Kurama ran through the trees, aiming for a particular patch of bushes. He trusted Hiei to have dropped him off near a path the girl had to be taking, and the nearest one had a line of large bushes growing nearly on the road. They would conceal him excellently.
He slid under the low evergreens, slithering on his belly as the branches pushed themselves up to let him pass. Soon, he reached the edge of the walkway, and brought his legs under him, readying himself. The branches above him slowly stretched and untangled.
-- And there they were! Two little girls, eleven years old, were walking along the path towards him. The long-haired girl's team of bodyguards were nowhere in sight, but they wouldn't have been much of a problem anyway. They were only human. Besides, the short-haired one was his target... ah, and there, in her backpack, Kurama could see the Sun Guardian's plushie-toy head poking out. They were all completely oblivious.
Closer... closer... Kurama opened his mouth, a seed on the tip of his tongue... closer... five steps... three... two--
Kurama leapt from the bushes, the seed exploding into life and bloom. He blew through the bell-shaped flower, a cloud of pollen bursting into the girls' and Guardian's faces. The girls crumpled, unconscious, but the Guardian-- did not. Shit!
"ARA--!" It spat flames haphazardly at Kurama, momentarily blinded by the pollen and its own wings. Kurama dropped the plant, already smoldering into ashes, turned tail, and ran.
Kurama could hear the Sun Guardian roar behind him, the deep, throaty roar it couldn't possibly give outside its true form, but he was hidden by the trees already. Run! he risked sending the mental command to Hiei, before darting into a fox's abandoned summer den. He curled up and clamped down on his power, becoming essentially invisible -- he hoped.
----
Run! Kurama's voice shot through Hiei's mind. But Hiei was already in motion; the angel he'd been watching had snapped his head around, his gaze pinned to the park, and the overlying image of a human boy was raising a hand. He would ask to be excused within seconds--!
If Kurama needs a rescue, I'll never let him live it down, Hiei thought. He pivoted as he made this split-second decision, and darted away from the park rather than towards the fox. Miles away, he found an apartment building and hid on the roof. He took his warding bandages from his pocket, sparing only a second to check the Guardians' locations. The Sun Guardian was in full form, standing over the groggy children, on his guard with fur bristling. The Moon Guardian flew low over the park, searching.
Hiei rewrapped his third eye, clamped down on his power, and hid in the stairwell access.
----
Several hours later, after the Guardians had taken the girls home, Kurama crept out of the abandoned den. He shook himself like a dog, getting the worst of the dirt and debris off, then sat back and scratched behind his ear with a hind leg.
Makai naplily -- it should have worked! He stretched, tails flaring like a peacock's feathers, and returned to human form.
"Failed again..." he muttered under his breath. He trudged from the park, heading home. This was ridiculous. This was embarrassing. When he and Hiei planned the next attempt... the LAST attempt... they would have to have a little talk.
No more of this 'don't hurt the Master' crap.
TBC
A/N:
- I know that the Sleep Card's glitter works on Kero, and not Mizuki-sensei and presumably not Sakura. Naplily pollen isn't the same stuff.