Disclaimer: Blah, blah, no rights, no fun. Feh.
Chapter 6: To peek, or not to peek?
========
Kurama leans against the wall of his employer's office, with Hiei by the window and two human boys standing in front of the desk. One is taller than the other by about a head, and has coppery hair styled in a 60's 'do; the other has short black hair slicked back over serious brown eyes.
Their 'employer' is none other than King Enma Jr., also known as Koenma, the toddler-like ruler of the Spirit World. While his father is off on business, anyway. Who is currently seated at his desk, sucking on a blue binky like there's no tomorrow.
"Geez, Koenma, what's got you so worked up, huh?" the black-haired human boy--named Yusuke--asks cheekily.
"Something's happening in Nerima," is the edgy reply. "Our other agents are reporting a sudden change in planned events in that area. I want you four to check it out."
"Are you serious?" Kuwabara and Yusuke laugh. "You want us to play regular detectives?" Yusuke questions in disbelieving amusement.
"That's exactly what I want you to do. Particularly in the neighborhood around Furinkan High School and a place called the Tendo Dojo: most of the alterations are occurring around there."
"Aw, man," Yusuke complains as they leave the office, "this is gonna suck. We finally get a breather and we get sent off on some boring investigation work. How lame is that?"
"No kidding," Kuwabara agrees. Hiei simply looks over at a rather concerned-looking Kurama.
"Didn't you tell me Rei lives in Nerima?"
====
"Geez, Akane, I really did go overboard on that last attack!" is Rei's startled exclamation as Akane comes through the front gate. Bandages still cover the short-haired girl's arms and leg, the heavy scratches not yet completely healed. "Why didn't you tell me my Fire Claws did that much damage??"
"Calm down, Rei," Akane soothes her friend, patting air with her free hand as she sets down her duffel bag. "Dr. Tofu says they'll heal in a couple more days. Nothing big."
"Still," Rei says doubtfully. "I don't like the thought of causing you that much damage."
"Pfft. I've done worse to myself." Akane starts stretching and Rei gives up, beginning her own stretches before they begin again. It's another crisp early summer's day, and there are no classes for Rei to help teach, so Rei has called her friend over for some extra time training.
"Rei!" Mrs. Kenobishi calls from the house. "Guess who's here? Suichi!"
"Suichi??" Rei is out of the dojo and across the lawn, flinging herself at a slender young man with wild red hair and eyes the same shade of green as her own. Akane follows more slowly and stops several feet away as the visitor swings Rei around in a circle before setting her down and grinning at her.
"Hello, cousin," he greet her warmly, and Rei grins back at him.
"Hello, yourself! What brings you all the way to Nerima?"
"Work, as always." Rei's face falls.
"Drat. I didn't think it was a social call. Where's Hiei?" Akane is watching this conversation in interest.
Suichi looks uncomfortable. "He's wandering around somewhere." Rei sighs.
"Somewhere above street-level or getting into a fight as usual, I'm sure."
"Hey, um, Rei?" Her friend blushes and clears her throat.
"Oh, right! Sorry, Akane. Suichi, this is Akane Tendo, my new training partner. Akane, this is Suichi Minamino, my cousin, but his nickname's Kurama."
"Rei, please," the boy chides softly, but his eyes spark with interest at Akane's last name, "you know Mother doesn't approve of nicknames and if you tell people then she'd get upset. When she inevitably finds out."
"I'll call you Suichi, if you'd prefer," Akane says politely, and the green-eyed boys smiles brightly at her.
"Thank you, Tendo-san."
"Akane's fine, thanks."
"As you wish, Akane." With a near-invisible sigh, Suichi turns back to his cousin. "I merely wanted to drop by and say hello before the others drag me off somewhere."
"You mean like me?" a cool voice asks, making the two girls jump. Behind Suichi stands another boy, a head shorter than Rei's cousin and clad in black. Black longsleeve tunic/shirt, leggings, boots. A white bandage strung with a chain hung with a couple of odd charms is wrapped around his right forearm, a white headband tied under his spiky bangs and trailing past his elbows. His hair is naturally spiked straight up, bangs outlined heavily in white. Maroon eyes regard everything around him with indifference.
Akane isn't sure what to think of him, except that he's very skilled, and probably dangerous if you get him riled. A quick half-grin full of arrogance confirms it. Rei scowls a moment at him, then grins and sticks her tongue out. "Hiei, you just love sneaking up on me, doncha?"
"On the rare occasions that I can," the boy admits freely, shrugging one narrow shoulder. "Come on, Suichi," an odd emphasis on the red-head's name, "we have work to do."
"True," Suichi sighs, and gives his cousin a quick hug. "Ja neh, Rei-chan."
"Ja neh, Suichi-kun!" is the wistful reply as the two turn and suddenly blink out of Rei's sight.
"They're fast," Akane comments in surprise.
"Yah. Those two've been training since forever, and it shows." Rei seems to deflate a bit, and gives Akane a sidelong grin. "When Hiei uses some of his ki-based attacks, it's all some people can do to stay and watch. And those are people that aren't getting the attack."
"And the people that are?"
"Let's just say you never, ever want to be on the receiving end of one of any of that group's attacks, ki-based or not. Even their weakest fighter can out-punch me. Of course, Kuwabara is a blockhead and stubborn, accustomed to being flattened on a daily basis, and has the stamina to show for it. He's taken hits that would kill just about anyone else."
"Where do you meet these people?!" A laugh and another grin.
"The same place I meet people who turn into things when splashed with cold water and martial-artists who don't know when to quit." Conceding defeat, Akane just laughs along with her friend and they go back into the dojo to resume their training.
====
Kurama blinks at the piece of paper his cousin had pressed into his hand when she'd hugged him. It is neatly folded and has a single name written on it. 'Koenma'.
"And why do you suppose she gave me this?"
"To give to Koenma, obviously." He takes a closer look and grins, a spark of a hidden personality showing. "Want to open it?"
"Hiei, what have you been doing?" Kurama asks with an amused smile. "Someone's been rubbing off on you."
"I don't know what you're talking about." But the paper is in his hand and he has moved to break the wax seal when Rei's voice breaks into his head.
'Open it and I give you Jagan nightmares for a week, porcupine head.' Wisely, he hands the paper back to Kurama and they vanish back to the Rekai, the proper name for Spirit World. (Makai =demon world)
====
When the two hand the paper over to Koenma before returning to Nerima, they stay long enough to see him start sucking on his binky furiously before he tells them they can go get the other two boys and inform them that the problem is taken care of. Hiei, unable to resist his hidden curiosity, peeks inside the ruler's head to see out of those child-like brown eyes.
What he sees startles him, although he masks it from anyone else. The paper is a list of birth dates, death dates, and notable events (some very minor, like Mrs. Amano getting her flowers dug in by the neighbor's cat). Some have red markings beside them, noting a change in the days and times. What he sees midway down the list, though, nearly stops him in his tracks. It is with a great effort that he keeps his thoughts shielded and his feet moving without him. Kurama doesn't seem to notice, lost in contemplation of some plant or another. Strange, he usually picks up on Hiei's moods as fast as Hiei has them.
But the koorime ignores him, keeping that bit of information to himself. Rei Kenobishi, age 16: born October 30th 1986 at 11:59 pm: dies three months from today at 6:32 pm.
====
"Drat," Rei mutters as she works at the enormous loom. "He peeked. I suppose he can't resist letting that bit of cat-demon he's got get the best of him. Oh, well, easily solved." And a thin cord pops into the air in front of her, glowing a black-violet color--the same shade of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame attack Hiei uses. This is one of threads she works with magnified. With a single touch to the top end, Hiei's face smoothes out into his usual bland mask as the memory of his knowledge of the list is erased, the tenseness vanishing from his slender body.
'I wonder what that was about,' Kurama wonders to himself, glancing at his friend.
"Why are you staring at me, Kurama?" is the disinterested query. Kurama merely smiles slightly and shakes his head.
"It's nothing." And the two head back for Ningenkai. (Human World).
===================
O.o What can Rei be planning? And why the hell has she set her own death?? Find out next time, on--
Starling: Stop acting like that dratted DBZ announcer!
Niana: T-T. No one loves me. Read and Review!