That night, Kurama's mind was plagued by thoughts of that man. He was sitting with his mother, trying to listen to what she was saying, but there were just too many things on his mind for him to catch the words she was saying. He tried to focus on her words, but they just fell away into the void out side his thoughts.
"Suichi?" The tone his mother used pulled Kurama back sharply. "Is something bothering you Suichi? You've been awfully quiet tonight." Kurama forced a smile.
"I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired."
"You know, you're a good liar. I almost believed you." Kurama looked at his mother in shock. "I guess you could call it a mother's intuition. I would take a guess that you're behavior has something to do with a girl." Kurama jumped a little. "A new girl at school that you like? Oh, you're growing up too fast dear. Please, tell me everything."
"You're so sure it's a girl." Kurama muttered.
"Oh? Are you gay?" His mother looked at him intently.
"What?! M...mother? How could you? How could you even think that? ... No, never mind. I didn't say anything."
"So what's her name?" Kurama hesitated. "Alright then... if you won't tell me her name, then will you tell me what she is like?" Kurama smiles at his mother, and how pushy she is about knowing about 'this girl' that's affecting him. But, he didn't feel like telling his mother that the girl was trying to find out who she really is, because her brother's are all demons.
"Well mother, a friend of mine, who happens to be a girl, is going through a very hard time. Her father died a few years back, and her mother died recently. And she just found out that she might have older siblings that she never knew about. It's been hard on her, and I'm just worried." His mother only smiled at him. It was a strange, almost knowing smile, and it unnerved him greatly.
Kurama sat on the roof of the apartment building, looking at the moon. Something just didn't seem right tonight. It wasn't just because of what happened earlier at the park, with the mysterious man, and it wasn't because of his mother's knowing intuition. Something was just... wrong. He felt a demon presence behind him.
"I'm surprised you would come to the living world. But I guess, you must like it better at night when there are less people around." Kurama didn't even turn to who he was speaking to.
"There are some things that require putting aside preferences, and doing the things we hate." Hiei was standing behind Kurama. "I have... news. I'm not sure which is worse, coming to the living world, or having to say this... but..."
"Saiko's not there anymore, is she?" Kurama tore his eyes from the moon, and turned to look at Hiei. Hiei stood staring at Kurama.
"How did you know?"
"Things have happened lately that made me think that. Like, you coming to the living world, you having something that's hard to say... and..." Kurama stopped.
"And?"
"This evening, Emerald attacked me. I might not have lived had this man not appeared. I couldn't feel anything unusual about him. He felt like a human, but he was able to beat Emerald. But what really confuses me, he told me to leave the area, because I had a girl to save. I know it sounds strange, but that's what happened. I just knew he was talking about Saiko."
"You're sure that there was nothing abnormal about this man? You think he was a human?" Kurama slowly stood up and brushed himself off.
"I don't know for sure, but that's what I felt. It was quite strange." The two men fell silent for quite a long a while.
"There is another reason I came here. Koenma is sending Boton undercover to try and get inside the group after Saiko, and find out the real reasons they want to kill her."
"She's going alone?" Kurama asked, startled.
"She has to. The rest of us would be recognized in an instant. There's no way around it Kurama. Face it, she's our best hope."
The morning was cold. The dew on the grass had frozen over night, and the world seemed too still for a Monday. Yuske stood outside the school walls, watching everyone pass. Yuske noticed Migi and Shinju walk bye with sullen expressions on their faces. They didn't even notice Yuske as they passed. Keiko was the last person to walk by, and had a drawn and worried expression on her face.
"Nice skirt." Yuske muttered. Keiko barely raised her head to look at him.
"Oh, Yuske." She said sadly.
"Keiko? Keiko, what's wrong?" She looked at him with such sad eyes that Yuske felt guilty, and he wasn't even sure he'd done anything.
"It's odd... you're here, and Saiko's not. She's been gone for over a month now. Migi and Shinju haven't heard from her either. No one answers at her house, and I can't even reach her cell. It's not like her to leave and not tell anyone. And even less like her to sever communications."
"Keiko... I'm not going to lie to you about this. But Saiko may have found some of her birth family. She's checking it out now. I know she left suddenly, but she couldn't miss this chance."
"How do you..." Yuske stopped her from speaking.
"You'll be late to class. I'll meet you after school, and tell you everything. But know this, she is safe." Yuske hugged her quickly before running off.
"Suichi?" The tone his mother used pulled Kurama back sharply. "Is something bothering you Suichi? You've been awfully quiet tonight." Kurama forced a smile.
"I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired."
"You know, you're a good liar. I almost believed you." Kurama looked at his mother in shock. "I guess you could call it a mother's intuition. I would take a guess that you're behavior has something to do with a girl." Kurama jumped a little. "A new girl at school that you like? Oh, you're growing up too fast dear. Please, tell me everything."
"You're so sure it's a girl." Kurama muttered.
"Oh? Are you gay?" His mother looked at him intently.
"What?! M...mother? How could you? How could you even think that? ... No, never mind. I didn't say anything."
"So what's her name?" Kurama hesitated. "Alright then... if you won't tell me her name, then will you tell me what she is like?" Kurama smiles at his mother, and how pushy she is about knowing about 'this girl' that's affecting him. But, he didn't feel like telling his mother that the girl was trying to find out who she really is, because her brother's are all demons.
"Well mother, a friend of mine, who happens to be a girl, is going through a very hard time. Her father died a few years back, and her mother died recently. And she just found out that she might have older siblings that she never knew about. It's been hard on her, and I'm just worried." His mother only smiled at him. It was a strange, almost knowing smile, and it unnerved him greatly.
Kurama sat on the roof of the apartment building, looking at the moon. Something just didn't seem right tonight. It wasn't just because of what happened earlier at the park, with the mysterious man, and it wasn't because of his mother's knowing intuition. Something was just... wrong. He felt a demon presence behind him.
"I'm surprised you would come to the living world. But I guess, you must like it better at night when there are less people around." Kurama didn't even turn to who he was speaking to.
"There are some things that require putting aside preferences, and doing the things we hate." Hiei was standing behind Kurama. "I have... news. I'm not sure which is worse, coming to the living world, or having to say this... but..."
"Saiko's not there anymore, is she?" Kurama tore his eyes from the moon, and turned to look at Hiei. Hiei stood staring at Kurama.
"How did you know?"
"Things have happened lately that made me think that. Like, you coming to the living world, you having something that's hard to say... and..." Kurama stopped.
"And?"
"This evening, Emerald attacked me. I might not have lived had this man not appeared. I couldn't feel anything unusual about him. He felt like a human, but he was able to beat Emerald. But what really confuses me, he told me to leave the area, because I had a girl to save. I know it sounds strange, but that's what happened. I just knew he was talking about Saiko."
"You're sure that there was nothing abnormal about this man? You think he was a human?" Kurama slowly stood up and brushed himself off.
"I don't know for sure, but that's what I felt. It was quite strange." The two men fell silent for quite a long a while.
"There is another reason I came here. Koenma is sending Boton undercover to try and get inside the group after Saiko, and find out the real reasons they want to kill her."
"She's going alone?" Kurama asked, startled.
"She has to. The rest of us would be recognized in an instant. There's no way around it Kurama. Face it, she's our best hope."
The morning was cold. The dew on the grass had frozen over night, and the world seemed too still for a Monday. Yuske stood outside the school walls, watching everyone pass. Yuske noticed Migi and Shinju walk bye with sullen expressions on their faces. They didn't even notice Yuske as they passed. Keiko was the last person to walk by, and had a drawn and worried expression on her face.
"Nice skirt." Yuske muttered. Keiko barely raised her head to look at him.
"Oh, Yuske." She said sadly.
"Keiko? Keiko, what's wrong?" She looked at him with such sad eyes that Yuske felt guilty, and he wasn't even sure he'd done anything.
"It's odd... you're here, and Saiko's not. She's been gone for over a month now. Migi and Shinju haven't heard from her either. No one answers at her house, and I can't even reach her cell. It's not like her to leave and not tell anyone. And even less like her to sever communications."
"Keiko... I'm not going to lie to you about this. But Saiko may have found some of her birth family. She's checking it out now. I know she left suddenly, but she couldn't miss this chance."
"How do you..." Yuske stopped her from speaking.
"You'll be late to class. I'll meet you after school, and tell you everything. But know this, she is safe." Yuske hugged her quickly before running off.