CHAPTER 3 : The Fox's Appearance
DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or Kurama, but I DO own all characters of my creation. Don't copy or use them in any way unless you have my consent.
"Dammit! This is taking forever!" Yusuke shouted as he and Kuwabara walked around the park for the umt-nth time. "Trust Koenma to give us out-dated information! 'Miss Hinasaki is no longer living at this complex'. Stupid receptionist... wouldn't even give us a forwarding address..."
Yusuke grumbled various curses while they continued to look around, not noticing Eriko sitting on a park bench nearby trying to do her homework while various animals were bothering her.
3 dogs, Huka among them, along with 2 cats and several birds were sitting around her, bombarding her with questions about her absence.
"C'mon guys, I need to get my homework done..." Eriko said, trying to supress a giggle as the animals crowded around her.
'But Miss Eri, you were gone for seven days! Where were you?' A black mixed-breed dog asked.
"I was at a hospital, Nesu. I was hurt..." Eriko said hesitantly. All the animals were very protective of her, Nesu more than most. She had to be careful around him so he didn't hurt anyone.
'How'd you get hurt, Miss Eri?' This from a small bob-tailed kitten named Yasuo.
Eriko fell silent and continued to work.
'Well?' Nesu pompted, obviously concerned.
"My dad found me." She went back to her work. "I don't want to talk about it, so why don't you guys run home. I'll see you tomorrow."
All of the animals looked at her with concern before they all dispersed in a different direction. Huka remained behind.
"What about you, Huka? Aren't you going home?"
Huka looked up at her with her strange mixed-matched eyes. 'I can't leave you on your own. Not with him out looking for you. Please forgive me for disobeying, Miss Eri.' Huka layed down next to the bench and layed her head on her paws. 'I'll stay with you until he is caught.'
Eriko looked suprised for a moment, then smiled. "If that's what you want, Huka." Eriko reached down and scratched the dog behind the ears.
"Hey, Urameshi... Isn't that her?" Kuwabara pointed to Eriko sitting on the bench.
"She's almost as short as Hiei. Are you sure she's been holding the turf here?" Yusuke said, doubt plain as day in his voice as he compared the face on the photo with the girl sitting on the bench.
"I'm pretty sure..."
"Oh well, let's go and get this over with. The sooner this case is over, the better." Yusuke stuck the picture in his back pocket and started walking over to Eriko, Kuwabara close behind.
"Hey, Haruko! Can I have a word with you?" Yusuke asked when they were close enough.
Eriko froze when she heard that name. Huka noticed her sudden tension and turned to the boys, standing up and bristling. She had her head low and was snarling at them
"How do you know that name?" Eriko said in a quiet and dangerous tone. Huka continued to snarl, snapping her jaws at them aggressively.
"Hey, do you think you got her angry enough that she's gonna sic all the dogs in Tokyo on you?" Kuwabara asked worriedly, eyeing the defensive Huka.
This sent a fine tremor through Eriko. How the hell do they know about my ties with animals! How the hell do they know my first name! Eriko glanced up at them, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked, putting her school stuff away. "Back off Huka, there's nothing to be worried about." Huka stopped growling instantly and sat next to Eriko, making it obvious that she was ready to beat the hell out of the two boys if they so much as looked at Eriko the wrong way.
"You don't need to get hostile, Haruko. We just wanna talk to you for a sec." Eriko watched Yusuke suspiciously. He was the first person she had ever seen that hadn't reacted when they saw Huka's display of aggression.
"No one has called me 'Haruko' since I was five. It's Eriko now, so if you don't mind could you tell me who the hell you are!"
"Fair enough." Yusuke shrugged, locking eyes with Eriko and giving her his fiercest gaze. "I'm Yusuke, and this is Kuwabara."
Eriko's eyes widened slightly as she leaned back on the bench. "So, what did I do to deserve a visit from the infamous Urameshi of Sariaski Jr. High? If it's about that ass-kicking I handed to those idiots a few days ago, they had it coming. They came here looking for a fight, not the other way around." Eriko leaned forward again, returning Yusuke's gaze with one of her equally dangerous and icy glares. "Of course, I shouldn't call it an ass-kicking. I didn't even have to throw a punch."
"I could care less about what you did a few days ago. The fact is, now that I've found your ass, you're coming with us so I can finish this stupid and pointless case!" Yusuke pulled out his communication mirror and flipped it open.
"Hey, Botan, I found her. Where do you want me to drop her off?"
"Excuse me?" Eriko growled. "I'm not going anywhere. Especially with you." She picked up her bag and started walking.
"Dammit! Stay here! I've been looking for you for over two hours and I'm not going to loose you now!" Yusuke grabbed her shoulder.
"HYA!" Before Yusuke knew what hit him, Eriko had twisted around and given him a good soc in the gut.
"Damn, she's fast for a short kid. Strong too." Yusuke said. He was still standing, much to Eriko's surprise and seemed to have barely felt Eriko's punch. She quickly knocked his hand off of her shoulder and started backing up, Huka charging infront of her and growling.
"Let's go, Huka. Now." Eriko turned around and bolted.
"WAIT!" Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted, following after her.
Eriko almost passed Suichi's house, but she remembered just in time to skid to a halt and run in, slamming the door and locking it behind her. I knew Urameshi was tough, but he acted like my punches felt like little more than nothing... Eriko thought in confusion.
"Something wrong, Eriko?" Mrs. Minamino asked as she walked into the living room, smiling at her.
"Wha? No, nothing's wrong..." Eriko jerked in surprise when she walked in. Before she could ask anymore questions, Eriko was already walking into her room and shutting the door behind her.
...ooo Yusuke & Kuwabara ooo...
"Man, she's fast..." Kuwabara gasped while he held the stitch in his side.
"I think my lungs died with the way they're burning..." Yuske muttered, leaning on the wall. "Remind me to yell at Botan when we see her again... Damn, when did she get so fast! Koenma's tape didn't say shit about how fast she was!"
"Yusuke, Kuwabara, what are you doing here?" Kurama asked as he walked up to the two of them, his backpack slung over his shoulder. It appeared he was walking home.
"Hey Kurama. We're just working on a case for Koenma." Yusuke replied, smiling at him.
"This case wouldn't happen to be Eriko Hinasaki, would it?" Kurama started walking past them, so they started walking next to him.
"Yeah, it is actually. How'd you know?" Kuwabara asked.
"I go to school with her for one thing, and she's currently living with me and my mother..."
"What!" Yusuke shouted. "You mean she's been staying with you this whole time!"
Kurama smiled briefly. "Actually, she's only stayed for one night, but she does stay with us none-the-less. Her father tried to kill her, you see, and the police thought it better to have her stay with someone familiar than to be on her own."
Yusuke shrugged. "Yeah, that's right. I'm supposed to get her before her old man does her in."
"Why don't you try and let me talk to her tonight, Yusuke. Then I'll have her speak with you tomorrow."
"Alright, Kurama. Makes it easier on me. C'mon Kuwabara, the arcade is calling us!" Yusuke and Kuwabara smirked and started running down the street. Kurama couldn't help but chuckle as they ran off.
Kurama walked into his house and greeted his mother as he normally did before asking where Eriko was.
"She's in her room... She hasn't left it since she got home." She replied, sounding kind of worried.
Kurama nodded and walked back to the hall before knocking on the shut door.
"Come in." Eriko said, only half paying attention. She was layed out on the floor with various assignments strewn around her, a book laying opened infront of her. She had changed out of her school uniform and was wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue shorts. Her left arm was sitting infront of her while her head rested on her right. She looked like she'd been doing homework. He also noticed that a kitten with a bobbed tail and light blue-gray patches was curled up on the small of her back.
"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" He started to close the door.
"No, I'm just finishing my homework and checking it over. You want something?" She closed the book and nudged the kitten off of her back while she started gathering up the paper.
"I just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes." Kurama stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.
Eriko glanced at him nervously while she set the paper on the desk in the room. She picked up the mewling kitten and patted him, whispering to him that he need to go and that she'd let him back in later that night.
"So, Suichi, what did you want to talk about?" Eriko asked as she sat on the window sill, facing him. It was the farthest away that she could get from him within the room.
"Did you meet anyone on your way home?"
"No, I didn't." Eriko lied, still watching him carefully. Why is he asking this?
He watched her and she had a sneaking suspicion that he knew she lied.
"Why are you lying to me?" He asked calmly, his face an unreadable mask.
Eriko started to get alittle more nervous. Some of it was her natural suspicion of him while the other was the fact that he'd known she'd lied. She looked away from him, hiding her eyes like she normally did when she was trying to think.
"Why don't you trust me, Eriko? I'm not going to hurt you..."
Eriko looked straight at him. "I don't trust you because I know you're hiding something. How can you trust someone when they can't be straight with you?"
"I'm not-"
"Don't lie to me, Suichi Minamino. I knew you were hiding something big even when I first met you, so don't you dare try to bullshit me." Eriko crossed her arms as she watched him, his face still that unreadable mask.
He sighed and shut his eyes, rubbing his temple with his hand. To Eriko, it looked like he was trying to buy some time to figure out what to say, while others would have thought he was just growing bored with her accusations.
"Believe what you like Eriko, but I'm not hiding anything. I only want to help you. Why can't you see that?"
"..." Eriko didn't answer while she stared at him. After half a minute, she finally said, "What could be so important that you'd hide it with such skill, Suichi? Does your mother even know that you're hiding something?" Her own face was just as unreadable as his.
Suichi turned and left the room, leaving Eriko by herself while she thought about the conversation she'd just had with him.
I knew he was hiding something... Eriko thought to herself. She stretched and layed down on her bed while she thought.
Eriko must have dozed off, because the next time she woke, it was around seven at night.
"Damn, I forgot to go and pick up some clothes..." She muttered. Her eyes drifted to the window, and she got an idea.
She quickly scribbled out a note to Suichi and his mother about where'd she gone and pulled on an extra pair of shoes she kept in her backpack. She looked back at the door before climbing out of the window.
...ooo Kurama's House ooo...
"Suichi, could you go and tell Eriko it's time for dinner?" Mrs. Minamino asked her son as she set the places at the table.
"Yes, mother." Kurama replied and got up from the couch in the lving room.
Eriko hasn't left her room or made any noise since I last spoke with her. Is she truly that angry with me? Kurama thought as he knocked on her door.
No answer.
"Eriko?" Kurama opened the door and looked in. She was nowhere in sight. "Eriko!" Kurama walked into the room and over to the window, which was open slighty. Why did she...? He looked onto her bed where she had placed the note. He picked up the note and quickly read it.
Suichi and Mrs. Minamino:
If you're reading this, that means I haven't gotten back yet. I just
went over to my apartment to pick up more of my clothes from my house.
It's 7:09 right now, and I expect to be back around 7:45 to 8:00. Please
don't worry about me, I'll be fine and I can take care of myself. I doubt
I'll be found by him if I hurry. Who knows, maybe he already left the area.
See you Soon, Eri
Kurama looked at the clock. It was 7:14 right now, so he thought he could catch up with her if he hurried. He set the note down and went back to the living room, and put his shoes on quickly.
"Eriko went out, mother. I'm going to get her, alright? I'll be back soon."
He quickly went out the door and jogged up the street towards her apartment. I have a bad feeling about Eriko leaving on her own... She should have atleast taken mother with her so she wouldn't be attacked by her father...
...ooo Eriko's Apartment ooo...
Eriko sifted through her trashed apartment as she headed to her room. It seemed her dad had come back after she'd found safety at Suichi's and destroyed the place in anger. She peaked into her room and found it completely untouched.
"Why would you destroy the rest of the apartment and leave my room alone?" Eriko asked herself. She glanced at a picure frame turned on it's face on her dresser, and when she flipped it up, she noticed that the glass was shattered like someone had hit it. It had been a picture of her mother.
"So you did come in... you just couldn't stand to see your victim's face..." Eriko openned the back and pulled the photo out and stared at it.
"Finally come back home, fox?"
Eriko jerked and looked at the doorway, where her father stood motionlessly.
"Oh, fuck." Eriko muttered as she folded the picture up and slid it into her pocket.
"Time for me to finish what I started ten years ago..." He held up a glowing bullet infront of her. "See this? Normally, because of what you are, I would use my spirit energy to make sure you were dead. But, thanks to your mother, I can't use it like I should beable to. All of my spirit energy is sealed up in me, but it's still in my blood, so as long as I use bullets I made with my own blood, you should be dead all the same."
He put the bullet in his pocket and took his gun out of its holster. "These will hurt alot more than those lead spitballs I was using against you earlier. I suggest you don't move or else I'll miss something vital and you'll feel the worst pain in your life..." He started to point it at Eriko, but she tackled him before he got a shot off.
"Shit, shit, shit..." Eriko continued to mutter as she rolled off of him. She was more concerned about getting away than grabbing the gun as she leapt off of him and nearly tripped out of the door. She could hear him following her down the stairs as she tripped on the last few steps, landing face-first on the ground level.
She shook herself up and continued to run along the darkened, empty sidewalk. Her father was much closer now and he decided to fire a round off. The bullet took her in the leg.
"Augh!" She shouted as she fell again. She screamed because it felt like someone had stuck a red-hot poker in the injury that now leaked large amounts of blood onto the pavement. Eriko tried to stand, but the leg was useless and she ended up watching her father walk triumphantly up to her.
He stared down at her for a brief moment, smirking at her as she stared fearfully up at him.
Don't fear him, Haruko... A somewhat familiar voice called out to her. Remember what your mother was, and you will know what you are...
"But I don't understand...!" Eriko whispered in response. An image flashed in her head of a large storm-gray kitsune with black tipped ears, paws, and tail. Her face also had black mask-like marking. She remembered now what it had been! It had been her mother in her true shape, trying to console Eriko while her kitsune half tried to awake within her.
Eriko's eyes suddenly turned pure, pupil-less white as a feeling of immense pain erupted over her body. It felt like something huge within her was trying to force its way out of a very small opening. Two black, gray edged ears appeared on the top of her head while her hair turned pure white. A fluffy, black tail with a gray tip also appeared suddenly.
Her father didn't look surprised with her sudden transformation in the least as he pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple. "Good bye, Haruko. May you forever rot in hell for your sins."
Eriko grabbed his hand suddenly and pushed the gun away from her face. She yanked it out of his grip and threw it over her shoulder while she glared at him.
She shoved him away as she stood on her own, her fox tail waving angrily behind her. She stared at the puddle of blood that had formed underneath her and looked surprised at her new ears, hair, and tail. She looked up and glared at her father, he seemed pissed that he'd lost his gun.
"That's why you killed her, because she was a kitsune. That's why you're trying to kill me now, too. Because I was her daughter. You forget something, dear ol' dad. I was your daughter too, and she was your loving wife!" Eriko snarled at him, her hands glowing with white light. The air crackled with her unleashed and uncontrolled spirit energy, attracting demons from all over Tokyo at the sudden appearance of new energy.
...ooo Spirit World ooo...
"Koenma, sir!" The blue orge burst into Koenma's office, waving a paper with several things circled in red.
"What is it Ogre, I'm busy!" Koenma shouted at him, getting ready to dig into his dinner.
"You need to see this! There was a huge burst of spirit energy in Tokyo, and it's attracting all the demons within the city!"
"WHAAAAAAAT!"
Koenma quickly turned on the TV in his office, flipping through the channels until he found the one with Eriko on it.
"HOLY COW! Ogre! Who is that!" Koenma said as his binky almost fell out of his mouth. Ogre quickly looked down at the page, trying to find who it was.
"It says here that it's Haruko Hinasaki. You know, that half kitsune Yusuke was supposed to bring back to spirit world before her Kitsune half materialized."
"Yusuke is in so much trouble when I talk with him! Tell Hiei he has to go and bring her back, he's the only one I know that won't screw this up worse than it is..."
"What about Kurama, sir? Doesn't he stand a better chance of calming her down since she knows him?"
Koenma sighed and layed his head down on the desk.
"Normally, I would have sent Kurama, but he told me she doesn't trust him at all! It would only make the situation worse if he showed up while she was looking like that..." Koenma whined.
"Uh, Koenma sir?"
"What now, Ogre?"
"Kurama's already on there..."
"This just went from bad to worse... Get Hiei out there immediately!"
...ooo Kurama and Eriko ooo...
Eriko was a foot shorter than her 6 feet tall father, but she wasn't scared of him anymore. In fact, she was beyond pissed as she glared at him with her ghostly white eyes.
"If I knew how, I would kill you the same way you killed my mother. I guess I'll just have to settle for beating the shit out of you with my fists..." She clenched her fists as they glowed more brightly. Just when she was about to take a step, the scent of roses filled the air forcing her to hesitate and allowing her father to give her a quick elbow to the stomach.
"Ugh..." Eriko grunted as she fell back four or five feet away from where she had been standing. She clutched her stomach and coughed, trying to get her breathing under control as her father grabbed his gun.
"Eriko!" Kurama called out as he ran onto the scene and kneeled down next to her, helping her sit up.
"Su-Suichi? Get out of here, before-"
Eriko heard her father's gun cock as her eyes widened slightly. She shoved Kurama away and shrieked when she felt another one of her father's bullet's tear into her chest.
Kurama watched as the bullet connected and she stood up shakily, clutching the bullet hole that was in her chest. He looked back and saw her father getting ready to take a final shot at her.
"Rose Whip!" He took a rose out of his hair and formed the whip, using it to get the gun away from her father.
Eriko looked at him with a stange look on her face. Part of it was the pain she was already feeling, the other part was something he couldn't decipher. She looked back at her father, and her hatred for him was apparent.
Eriko back-pedalled suddenly and ran off into the darkness much faster than she should have gone. She didn't know why, but that feeling of familiarity for Suichi was much stronger now then it had ever been. It bugged her, because she recognized that feeling that only animals, and now she, had.
Does that mean you're half-kitsune, too Suichi?
Eriko collapsed in the park, trying to get her breath as she clutched the bloody hole in her chest. She could feel herself fading while the blood leaked past her hand. She was starting to get light headed and more confused about everything.
She blinked her eyes, trying to keep the darkness from eating away at her vision.
A shorter figure behind her raised the back of a katana over head, preparing to knock her out. Eriko jerked suddenly and turned, grabbing the hilt of the katana weakly before it came down on her head.
He was about as tall as she was with black, spiky hair and dark red eyes. He also wore a white bandana.
He took one hand from the katana and hit her on the head, knocking her already weakened body completely out.
...ooo Kurama ooo...
Kurama ran into the park shortly after Hiei had knocked her out. Her kitsune features had already disappeared while she laid bleeding on the grass.
"Did you capture him?" Hiei asked as he sheathed his sword.
"No, he escaped when I tried to stop Eriko from running away."
Hiei smirked. "You're losing your touch, Kurama, if a human was able to escape from you."
Kurama looked at him emotionlessly and knelt by Eriko again, gently finding the pulse in her neck. It was slow and weak, which worried him.
"Koenma sent you, I take it?"
"Hn." Hiei handed him a blanket to wrap her up with. "If that baka of a spirit detective had done his job, she wouldn't have been in this situation."
"There wasn't much Yusuke could have done. She didn't know what she was, so she would have assumed Yusuke was insane if he told her about Spirit World."
"Don't be so sure." He bent down and picked her up easily. "Koenma wanted me to bring her back to Spirit World. He also wants to talk to you when you get the chance. It would probably be better if you were around when she wakes up, trust or not."
"I understand."
Hiei nodded and bolted back to the portal that would take them to spirit world.
...END CHAPTER 3...