The Problem
Warnings: Kura-clone is still naked for a while. Just thought I'd warn ya, hehehe
Author's Note: In reply to a few reviews, Kura-clone isn't really conscious of its nekkiness. Kinda like how animals and bugs don't realize they're nekkie. Or something like that. But I guess I can't put clothes on it. And I'm not too terribly fond of chapter four, but it served its purpose. This one too. Gah, I suck at this! ::hits head against the desk::
Chapter 5 – The Chase Continues
"We have to catch that thing!" Yuusuke shouted, already running down the hall in pursuit. "What if it escapes into the Ningenkai?" A naked Kurama look alike running around town? Definitely not good. The rest of the Reikai Tantei was hot on the dark haired youth's heels. "I'll just take Yukina back to Genkai's then, I guess." Botan called after them.
Kura-clone's trail was easy enough to follow through the maze of corridors. They simply had to go down the ones full of stunned looking oni. Strange things happened all the time in Reikai, sure, but a naked guy with wings and antennae running about was odder than usual.
It disappeared into a glowing portal just as its pursuers rounded the corner of the latest hallway. "No!" This was bad, really bad. That thing was on its way to the Ningenkai now. If anyone saw it there would be a lot of explaining to do. They rushed through the rapidly shrinking portal, coming out in the middle of a park. Grand, just grand. Lovely public place to be chasing after a naked doppelganger. So far, though, no shouts of alarm sounded and everything seemed quiet enough. Had it even come out here?
"Can anyone feel its ki?" Yuusuke asked. All he got was a unified shaking of heads. No one had felt anything from it when it had first appeared. "Does it even have any kind of ki?" Good question. "I guess we'll have to do it the hard way. Kurama, you and Hiei search the west end of the park. Kuwabara and I are gonna cover the other end." He shrugged, "If its not here, we'll just have to spread out further, I guess." This was as good a plan as any. Outside of hanging Hiei upside down from a tree in hopes that it would come after him, of course. Seeing as that would never happen, this would have to do for now.
---
Kura-clone watched, concealed in the braches of the same tree its four pursuers were standing under. Being so close to the real Kurama caused their ki to overlap and covered the very slight difference between his and its. Once they had split up, it left the tree. It wanted to follow after Hiei, but something in the back of its little mind telling it to follow the small noise that had caused it to bolt in the first place. The sound wasn't irritating, but Kura-clone wanted it to stop.
"Ahh, there you are." The quiet voice behind it caused the doppelganger to jump. "You look just like him. The wings are a bit much, but you'll do." A dark figure seemed to step out of nothing to look over Kura-clone. A second figure snorted, "Are you satisfied now?"
"Hmm, yes, quite. Thank you, Suzaku." The first figure was still studying the clone, walking around it in slow circles.
Suzaku snorted, idly twirling a small flute in one hand. "So where is my payment then?"
"But you did not do as I wanted." The other gestured towards Kura-clone, "This was supposed to take the place of the real Kurama for them, not for me. I want the real thing. Not some cheap knock off!"
Kura-clone was fascinated, and slightly frightened, by the two men talking. Its simple mentality was urging it into flight mode. Something about these men screamed 'threat'. Yet before it could bolt again, a cool hand grasped its shoulder. "Now, now. Just because you didn't work quite as planned doesn't mean we cannot still use you..."
---
'Why did this happen? What is that thing?' The thoughts circled around Kurama's head. There was no reason for this to be happening. 'Why me?'
"Quit it, Fox."
Kurama stopped, turning curious eyes on his companion.
"I know what you're thinking. You can stop it. Nothing will change what happened." The short demon was pointedly not looking at the redhead.
"I know, but—"
"Ch'," Hiei sprinted ahead. This situation was unnerving enough, and now the kitsune had to start in with his...being himself. Usually he kept such thoughts to himself. But that didn't mean that the Jaganashi didn't know full well what was going through the redhead's mind. Hiei often wondered how Kurama could live under the guilt he seemed constantly burdened with.
Said possibly guilt ridden youngster was currently following Hiei at a distance. He had no chance of keeping up with him in his ningen form and resigned himself to keeping a look out for the doppelganger.
"What is up with that thing anyways? Why was it all hanging on Hiei like that? I mean, that was gross. And it called him koi." Kuwabara looked green around the gills.
Yusuke was coming to his own conclusions. If the thing was like Kurama not only in appearance, but on some mental level as well, it meant that...Honestly, he wasn't all the surprised. He'd seen the way the two acted around each other. You would have to be blind not to see it. 'Hmm, maybe I should let them know that I know.' The detective was jolted out of his thoughts by a quick fist to the head. "Ow, what was that for?"
"We're supposed to be looking for that thing before Kurama's reputation gets ruined or whatever." The carrot-topped human wasn't exactly all that enthused with the whole ordeal. By the time they'd made a full circuit of their end of the park he was wondering if this wasn't just someone's idea of a joke.
The two reached the small clearing they had started from to find Kurama there by himself. "Hey, where's the shrimp? Did that thing eat him or something?"
The kitsune shook his head, "No, he went off on his own. I think we should start checking farther out from here." He began walking back the way the others had come from. Something was chewing on the back of Yusuke's mind, but he ignored it for the moment in favor of concentrating on finding the clone.
---
"So far, so good."
"Indeed, this may work out after all."
Suzaku sighed, bored out of his mind. Why, oh why did he take this job? The former leader of the Four Saint Beasts wondered for the millionth time. Once he got paid he was splitting and leaving everything up to Karasu. Suzaku actually hoped the Reikai Tantei would find the masked psycho. After he got his payment of course. Reduced to taking on such things to make a living. Life sucked.
---
The story is getting out of my hands and running amok on it's own. I think I'll be happy once I get it finished. No chapter preview this time, folks.
Warnings: Kura-clone is still naked for a while. Just thought I'd warn ya, hehehe
Author's Note: In reply to a few reviews, Kura-clone isn't really conscious of its nekkiness. Kinda like how animals and bugs don't realize they're nekkie. Or something like that. But I guess I can't put clothes on it. And I'm not too terribly fond of chapter four, but it served its purpose. This one too. Gah, I suck at this! ::hits head against the desk::
Chapter 5 – The Chase Continues
"We have to catch that thing!" Yuusuke shouted, already running down the hall in pursuit. "What if it escapes into the Ningenkai?" A naked Kurama look alike running around town? Definitely not good. The rest of the Reikai Tantei was hot on the dark haired youth's heels. "I'll just take Yukina back to Genkai's then, I guess." Botan called after them.
Kura-clone's trail was easy enough to follow through the maze of corridors. They simply had to go down the ones full of stunned looking oni. Strange things happened all the time in Reikai, sure, but a naked guy with wings and antennae running about was odder than usual.
It disappeared into a glowing portal just as its pursuers rounded the corner of the latest hallway. "No!" This was bad, really bad. That thing was on its way to the Ningenkai now. If anyone saw it there would be a lot of explaining to do. They rushed through the rapidly shrinking portal, coming out in the middle of a park. Grand, just grand. Lovely public place to be chasing after a naked doppelganger. So far, though, no shouts of alarm sounded and everything seemed quiet enough. Had it even come out here?
"Can anyone feel its ki?" Yuusuke asked. All he got was a unified shaking of heads. No one had felt anything from it when it had first appeared. "Does it even have any kind of ki?" Good question. "I guess we'll have to do it the hard way. Kurama, you and Hiei search the west end of the park. Kuwabara and I are gonna cover the other end." He shrugged, "If its not here, we'll just have to spread out further, I guess." This was as good a plan as any. Outside of hanging Hiei upside down from a tree in hopes that it would come after him, of course. Seeing as that would never happen, this would have to do for now.
---
Kura-clone watched, concealed in the braches of the same tree its four pursuers were standing under. Being so close to the real Kurama caused their ki to overlap and covered the very slight difference between his and its. Once they had split up, it left the tree. It wanted to follow after Hiei, but something in the back of its little mind telling it to follow the small noise that had caused it to bolt in the first place. The sound wasn't irritating, but Kura-clone wanted it to stop.
"Ahh, there you are." The quiet voice behind it caused the doppelganger to jump. "You look just like him. The wings are a bit much, but you'll do." A dark figure seemed to step out of nothing to look over Kura-clone. A second figure snorted, "Are you satisfied now?"
"Hmm, yes, quite. Thank you, Suzaku." The first figure was still studying the clone, walking around it in slow circles.
Suzaku snorted, idly twirling a small flute in one hand. "So where is my payment then?"
"But you did not do as I wanted." The other gestured towards Kura-clone, "This was supposed to take the place of the real Kurama for them, not for me. I want the real thing. Not some cheap knock off!"
Kura-clone was fascinated, and slightly frightened, by the two men talking. Its simple mentality was urging it into flight mode. Something about these men screamed 'threat'. Yet before it could bolt again, a cool hand grasped its shoulder. "Now, now. Just because you didn't work quite as planned doesn't mean we cannot still use you..."
---
'Why did this happen? What is that thing?' The thoughts circled around Kurama's head. There was no reason for this to be happening. 'Why me?'
"Quit it, Fox."
Kurama stopped, turning curious eyes on his companion.
"I know what you're thinking. You can stop it. Nothing will change what happened." The short demon was pointedly not looking at the redhead.
"I know, but—"
"Ch'," Hiei sprinted ahead. This situation was unnerving enough, and now the kitsune had to start in with his...being himself. Usually he kept such thoughts to himself. But that didn't mean that the Jaganashi didn't know full well what was going through the redhead's mind. Hiei often wondered how Kurama could live under the guilt he seemed constantly burdened with.
Said possibly guilt ridden youngster was currently following Hiei at a distance. He had no chance of keeping up with him in his ningen form and resigned himself to keeping a look out for the doppelganger.
"What is up with that thing anyways? Why was it all hanging on Hiei like that? I mean, that was gross. And it called him koi." Kuwabara looked green around the gills.
Yusuke was coming to his own conclusions. If the thing was like Kurama not only in appearance, but on some mental level as well, it meant that...Honestly, he wasn't all the surprised. He'd seen the way the two acted around each other. You would have to be blind not to see it. 'Hmm, maybe I should let them know that I know.' The detective was jolted out of his thoughts by a quick fist to the head. "Ow, what was that for?"
"We're supposed to be looking for that thing before Kurama's reputation gets ruined or whatever." The carrot-topped human wasn't exactly all that enthused with the whole ordeal. By the time they'd made a full circuit of their end of the park he was wondering if this wasn't just someone's idea of a joke.
The two reached the small clearing they had started from to find Kurama there by himself. "Hey, where's the shrimp? Did that thing eat him or something?"
The kitsune shook his head, "No, he went off on his own. I think we should start checking farther out from here." He began walking back the way the others had come from. Something was chewing on the back of Yusuke's mind, but he ignored it for the moment in favor of concentrating on finding the clone.
---
"So far, so good."
"Indeed, this may work out after all."
Suzaku sighed, bored out of his mind. Why, oh why did he take this job? The former leader of the Four Saint Beasts wondered for the millionth time. Once he got paid he was splitting and leaving everything up to Karasu. Suzaku actually hoped the Reikai Tantei would find the masked psycho. After he got his payment of course. Reduced to taking on such things to make a living. Life sucked.
---
The story is getting out of my hands and running amok on it's own. I think I'll be happy once I get it finished. No chapter preview this time, folks.