Yusuke Urameshi was walking home from school with Kayko as he normally did. She was also giving him her daily lecture about the importance of not skiping class as he had almost done half way through the day.
"Come on, Kayko. Haven't you chewed me out enough?" Yusuke sighed.
"No, Yusuke. I'm not going to stop unless you promise not to ditch again!"
"Yusuke!" Botan nearly tackled him from behind, waving a video tape. "You have a new assignment from Koenma."
"Another one! Can't binky breath find someone else? Have Hiei or Kurama do it." Yusuke turned back around and started walking.
"No, he can't get someone else to do it, Yusuke! You're the spirit detective, so it's your responsibility!" Botan shouted at him, throwing the tape at him. Kayko caught it after it smacked him in the back of his head.
"Dammit, Botan! That hurt!"
Botan stuck her tongue out at him. "You were made spirit detective for a reason, Yusuke. Start doing your job! Where's Kuwabara anyway? Koenma said he could assist you on this case. Oh, get that look off your face! It's not even that hard of a case to begin with!"
"Fine. Whatever. Kuwabara's probably at his house anyway." Yusuke grumbled as he started walking to Kuwabara's house
At Kuwabara's House
The group popped the video tape into Kuwabara's VCR, everyone sitting around the TV. Even Shizuru and Kayko were watching. A teenaged Koenma popped on screen, the background black while a spotlight was focused on him.
"Hello, Yusuke. As Botan has probably already informed you, I have another pressing case for you." A picture came into focus next to Koenma. It was obviously taken without the subject's knowing, because it was just too natural. "Your next mission is a seach and recovery, involving this girl." The picture took up the entire screen. "Her name is Haruko Eriko Hinasaki. She is 15 years old, and also an unknowing half-kitsune."
"Like Kurama?" Kuwabara asked stupidly.
"No, you moron. Kurama's a full kitsune trapped in a human body. Remember?" Yusuke said irritatedly.
"Her mother was one of the most powerful Kitsune of her time, running along the lines of Yoko's power." Two pictures replaced Eriko's on the screen. They were of Eriko's parents. "The picture on the left is Aneko Hinasaki, the kitsune parent. The picture on the right is of her father, Doug Berven. He was a world-class demon hunter with the ability to use spirit energy. In a twist of fate, Doug found out his wife was a kitsune, and murdered her infront of Haruko when she was five."
"That's awful!" Botan chimed in.
"How could someone kill their loved one right infront of their child?" Kayko asked more to herself than anyone.
"Doug then faced his daughter and tried to use his spirit energy against her, but with Aneko's last fleeting moments of life, she sealed up his spirit energy before he could harm their daughter. In a rage, Doug tried to strangle Haruko. Now a spirit, Aneko was able to find the family dog outside in the backyard. She commanded him to break into the house and protect Haruko while she commanded the other animals to guard her when she escaped. The dog burst in and saved Haruko, dragging her to safety while the police arrested her father. She has virtually been an orphan ever since." The pictures faded and the screen was once again focused on Koenma. "It is absoluetly necessary that you find Haruko before her father. He's already found and wounded her once, and we need to get her to spirit world before her kitsune half awakens. If he pushes her into a corner, he could unleash one of the most dangerous creatures in existance. If she was an ordinary half human/kitsune, I wouldn't be worried. However, considering her parents and their powers, she is very dangerous if she is left as-is. She is untrained in all of her abilities and poses a serious threat because of her inexperience."
"What the hell, Botan! I thought you said this case was going to be easy!" Yusuke shouted at her.
"I said, 'it's not even that hard to begin with'. I never said it was easy!"
"Now you're just twisting words!"
"Will the two of you please be quiet? He's not done talking." Kayko said, eyes still glued to the screen.
"Another reason why this case is so important is because it involves all the animals in the vicinity of Tokyo. One of the abilities Haruko has already obtained is the ability to speak with and command animals. If Haruko gets angry enough, she can order all the animals to attack a designated human. Should this happen, she will be seen as unfit to live among humans, and brought to spirit world and convicted of human hunting because of her demonic lineage." A map appeared on screen. "She attends the same school as Kurama, and is known only as 'Eriko' around there. Your mission is to approach Haruko and bring her back to Spirit World as peacefully as possible. Her route to and from school is highlighted, and it is suggested that you approach her here at this park. Be careful Yusuke."
With that, the film stopped and the VCR started to automatically rewind the tape.
"Eriko... sounds familiar." Yusuke said, deep in thought. His eyes were screwed up in concentration as he tried to remember that name.
"I think she's the chick that runs the turf over by that other jr. high." Kuwabara said. "I think she kicked the ass of some of the kids at our school the other day."
"Anyone we knew?"
"Nope, just some random punks that went over and picked a fight."
"Ok. Let's go and say hello Kuwabara." Yusuke stood and stretched, before walking over to the door.
Back to Eriko
Eriko was spending her last day at the hospital, and she was eager to leave. The birds snuck into her room every once in a while, keeping her company during the day while she was bored.
Suichi also came to visit every day, bringing her homework and missed assignments along with him and tutoring her through the missed lessons. Eriko still didn't trust him, and remained quiet for most of his visits. She was hoping to be gone before he came to visit that day.
The nurse that was responsible for her (someone who was far too perky for her own good in Eriko's opinion) came in and started helping her get the IV drip out of her arm.
"I'm sure you're really excited about going home with that little friend of your's!" The nurse said way too happily. Eriko was wondering if she should have gagged or not.
"What little friend? I don't live with anyone at my home, and there's no one I've talked to to come and pick me up." Eriko said coldly, rubbing the place the IV needle had been.
"You mean you don't know that that nice boy is coming to pick you up?" Eriko almost fell out of the hospital bed.
"Suichi is coming to take me home?" She flinched when she touched the bullet wound in her shoulder. "Dammit. I need to get out of here now..." She grumbled. "Thanks, ma'am. I think I'll... uh... go and wait for him in the lobby."
"Alright, hun. Have a nice day!"
Eriko nearly ran out of the hospital room and over to the elevators, mashing the button to call the elevator. She looked away for a brief moment to see the nurse coming back out of her room.
"Eriko?"
Eriko nearly jumped in surprise at Suichi's voice. It turned out he was in the elevator she had been calling, along with his mother.
"I should have taken the stairs..." Eriko muttered.
The three trooped into Mrs. Minamino's car and started driving away from the hospital. Suichi and his mother in the front, while Eriko sat in the back.
"Thanks for getting me to the hospital and driving me to my apartment." Eriko said quietly.
"Not a problem. However, I can't take you back to your apartment. The police still haven't found that man that was chasing you, and they think that he will come after you if you're on your own."
Eriko looked surprised for a second, her face then becoming expressionless as she stared out the window. "So I take it I'm going to a foster home?"
"No, actually... You're going to be staying with us." Suichi said, smiling at Eriko.
"Say WHAT?" Eriko lunged from her seat belt, only to flinch and relax again. "No, you don't have to... I'll be fine... really..."
This time it was Mrs. Minamino who smiled. "Don't worry. You're welcome in our home."
God, please kill me now... Eriko thought desperately. She did not want to live with this guy and his mother until her father was caught. Frankly, she didn't want to live with anyone. And these people, nice as they were, were not on the top of her list of possible temporary families. She leaned her back against the seat and shut her eyes.
Eriko dozed off and the next time she woke up, someone was gently touching her shoulder. Instinctively, she grabbed their wrist while her eyes fluttered open.
"Don't touch me when I'm sleeping, Suichi." Eriko muttered, glaring into his impossibly green eyes. He smiled again, which made Eriko soften her expression unintentionally.
"I just wanted to tell you that we were here." Eriko blushed suddenly when sherealized she was still touching his wrist, and jerked her own hand back.
"Thanks." She muttered as she climbed out of the car. She reached over and grabbed a bag that had her clothes in it, mostly school uniforms and her night clothes. Eriko sighed and started walking up to the front door, Suichi infront of her.
Some sudden scrabbling at the front gate brought her attention to a large akita that must have hopped the gate to get in. It was pure white except for a black patch of fur over it's left eye. It's left eye was golden amber while the other was light blue.
"Oh, boy." Eriko said as the dog tackled her, knocking her back into Suichi. The dog got Eriko onto her back and started licking her face wildly.
'You're BACK! I didn't think I was going to see you again, Miss Eri!' The dog growled politely as it licked her.
"I'm fine Huka! FINE! Let me up, you're hurting my shoulder!" Suichi dragged the dog back, expecting to have to take Eriko back to the hospital for a dog bite, but she only sat up and wiped her face of all the dog drool. "Energetic mutt. You can let 'er go, Suichi. She's not going to hurt anyone..."
He hesitantly let the dog go, which sat down right next to Eriko.
"You know this dog?"
"Know her? Hell, she eats my lunch everyday because she's too lazy to go and find her own." Eriko scratched the dog behind the ears. "You were scared when you didn't see me at school, huh Huka?" The dog made a loving sound and nuzzled Eriko like a mother dog nuzzled her pups. "Go on, Huka. I'll see you at the park tomorrow, ok?"
'Alright, Miss Eri. If you promise me, I'll go.'
"I promise Huka." Eriko gently hugged the massive dog one last time before it left. She watched her for a few seconds, when Suichi sat down next to her.
"You care about animals very much, don't you?" He asked quietly.
"They've been the only ones with me since everything that happened..." Eriko answered automatically, not paying very much attention. "I've always felt like they were looking out for me." She smirked bitterly. "It was a dog that saved me, if I remember right."
Eriko turned and looked at Suichi, only inches from her. She looked away suddenly, getting a familiar feeling that she didn't quite recognize right away.
"I'm going inside." She stood up and walked into his house.
Why'd I tell him that? I've never told anyone that. Atleast, not anyone human... Eriko was surprised at how clean the house was. There were pictures of the happy family every where, rubbing the proverbial salt in her wounds as she was reminded of what was taken from her. Eriko glanced around emotionlessly, walking through the living room and into the kitchen where Mrs. Minamino was.
"Ma'am, could you tell me where I'll be staying and where the bathroom is? I'd like to take a shower." Eriko asked tentatively.
"Your room is down the hall, first on the right. The bathroom is right next to it. You don't have to call me ma'am." She replied with a chuckle.
"Thanks." Eriko nodded and headed to the room she'd be staying in. She dropped off her stuff while grabbing a black pair of pants and a white t-shirt and heading into the bathroom.
While the water was heating up, she started looking at the bullet wound. I'm no doctor, but I don't think I should be healing this fast... The bullet hole was completely closed and scarred over, only slight redness and a bruise where it had been hours before.
After Eriko took her shower, she headed back to her room and unpacked the meager amounts of clothes she had with her. She intended to stop off at her apartment the next day to pick up more, knowing that her father wouldn't be caught that soon if they hadn't found him after a week of her sitting in the hospital.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes, feeling drowsy. "These painkillers are going to knock me out..." She mumbled to herself as she shut a drawer in the dresser. She moved over to the bed and layed down, rolling onto her side away from the door.
"Maybe a little nap won't hurt..." She muttered quietly, yawning again before falling asleep.
A five-year-old Eriko sat on her bed, waiting for her mother to tuck her in. Her dad was away on a business trip, like he often was, so it was just her and her mother at home.
"Mommy!" Eriko cried gleefully as she smiled up at her mother.
Aneko sat down on her daughter's bed and pulled the covers over Eriko. "Sh, now Haruko. It's time to sleep. You won't fall asleep if you get yourself all wound up." She smiled down at her daughter.
"I'll fall asleep if you tell me another story!" Eriko said happily as she stared expectantly up at her mother.
Aneko smiled and brushed Eriko's bangs out of her eyes. "Alright, Haruko. What story do you want to hear?"
"Tell me a story about a kitsune!"
Aneko visibly paled, but it was only slightly and her daughter didn't notice. "Alright, my little one. I'll tell you a story about a very powerful kitsune, named Yoko Kurama..."
Aneko proceeded to tell the younger Eriko tales of Yoko's exploits; how he was an expert thief and some would even go as far as calling him the prince of thieves and kitsune alike.
"I wish I was a kitsune. Then I could be strong and smart like Yoko-Kurama." Eriko said quietly as she began to fall asleep.
Aneko paled more and flinched, shaking her daughter slightly to wake her up again.
"Haruko Eriko Hinasaki, you must never say such a thing again. Especially in front of your father. Do you understand, Haruko?"
"Why, mommy?" Eriko asked as she stared questioningly up at her mother.
"You must never, ever say that again Haruko. That is all you need to know. Now, promise your mother you will never say that again. Please?" Aneko hugged her daughter tightly so she couldn't see the look of fear on her mother's face or the tears that started to form in her eyes.
"I promise, mommy." Eriko said as she hugged her mother back.
Haruko... I'm so sorry, Haruko. I should have... I should...
The dream shattered as Eriko's eyes shot open. She sat quickly up in bed and looked out the only window in the room. It was night outside, and a quick look at the clock confirmed it was the early hours of the day.
"Why am I dreaming of the past?" Eriko said as she hugged her knees to her chest and sat against the head board of the bed. "And what is it with the freaking foxes?" She said bitterly as she remember the dream she had a week ago and her father calling her 'fox'.
Eriko slipped out of bed and opened the window, looking outside at the moon. There was something calming about the lunar body that relaxed every muscle in her, so she headed back to bed and returned to sleep.
END CHAPTER 2: "Never Say That Again."
...ooo Replies ooo...
shadowkitsuneonna : Yep, same thing. I'm moving from animespiral so I can update at school.
RoseFire-shadow66 : Thanks o I hope you liked this chapter too.