Disclaimer: I do…(Kurama: You're doing good.) Oh, shut up. Not….own….YYH

Spirit Child

"Hey, Rei!" the rough voice called out to me. I ignored him. "Hey, baby! Wait up!" He was following me, his gang at his heels. I jogged up to the avenue, hoping to flag a car. Daisuke was always after me, trying to get me to date him. It was my terrible fear of him that made me run. But I had forgotten two things. One, the fact that he was a wrestler, and two, his lust. He caught me, and had me on ground in minutes. Members of his gang held my arms and legs in a spread eagle position, and one forced my head to stay still. He ripped open my blouse and tore off my jeans, his grubby fingers perusing my body. His mouth covered mine, and any hope I had had of ending it all painlessly slipped from my mind as he began to rape me…

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It was early morning as we walked downtown, pausing here and there to glance into the shops. Hiei, Yusuke and I enjoyed this little respite; Kuwabara was out with his friends. Hiei suddenly stopped, and craned his head towards some unknown sound.

"Kurama," He said softly. "I do believe that we have a young woman in trouble." As he said this, I scented a disturbing odor wafting from an alley way. The scent of blood. We cautiously eased towards the dark, gaping hole of a lane. As I stepped lightly in first, a soft groan came from my left.

"My God!" I gasped, and threw away the garbage concealing a battered, beaten young woman, nearly naked. "Hiei, go get my kit!" I snapped, but the demon was already gone. Yusuke had paled drastically. "Yusuke, help me get her out of this squalor!" I raged at him, the girl already in my arms. He found a clean, private place where I could lay her down.

Hiei then showed up with my medical kit, along with a blanket to wrap her in. I grunted a thanks, and shoved open my kit. It took the three of us an hour to stem the massive bleeding from her side, and another thirty minutes before we could move her. I carried her like I would a priceless treasure back to my house, while Yusuke went to find Kuwabara, and Hiei followed behind me as rearguard. She couldn't have been more than maybe 17, though I noticed a few wrinkles and stress lines in her face that were more likely to be seen in some one like her mother. She was pretty, with longish red-brown hair, a slender face, and a strong athletic body. She moaned when I laid her on my couch, but was still unconscious. I could already tell that she had been raped, probably more than once, judging by the massive bruising over her legs and abdomen. I sighed, and went to the kitchen to start some tea…

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I woke up terrified. Every muscle in my body hurt, but the real true pain was between my legs. Someone had been singing when I was coming to, but had stopped.

"Momma?" I cried out, my voice slurred.

"It's alright, now." A soft, female voice comforted me, but only a little.

"Where am I?" I whimpered.

"You're safe among friends." My heart stopped. That voice was undeniably male, calm and calculated. I screamed in fright, and tried to leap off the bed. I was totally naked under the blankets, and as I fought the tangling, strangling covers, two strong arms caught me and held me still. "We will not hurt you. Stop struggling, or you do more damage to yourself." A hand pulled my head up to face a pair of beautiful green eyes, sparkling like jewels. Those eyes were set in a smooth heart-shaped face, above a slender nose and thin lips. They were framed by bright red, curling locks of hair. His face had a stern look to it, and I tried not to scream again when he bent down. He was simply pulling a sheet from the bed to cover my shoulders and chest.

I shivered, and my head drooped in shame. This man was not going to hurt me. The others in the room were silent, and the red-haired man spoke.

"May I at least know your name? We can find your parents and return you to.."

"They won't want me back. I stole my grandfather's katana, and I'm sure I've been disowned by now." I felt a tear push past my eyelid at that thought. "My name is Reiko Hijeki. I'm sorry for making such a scene." He still held me.

"I doubt that, Reiko. At the very least, let us talk to them. Hiei, will you go…?" The unknown presence disappeared. "Now, Reiko. I want you to let Botan, Genkai, and Keiko take care of you. They will be my assistants while you recover. You will need the full services of a Healer, and I'm the only one around. Stay here while we figure out just what is needed for you." His tone was soft, gentle even. I wanted to cry at those promises. He gently sat me down on the bed, and lifted my face to his again. "Even if your parents don't want you, you are welcome here." His slender fingers brushed my cheek as he left, taking with him two other men who had waited by the door.

I glanced around me, a little surprised. A tall blue-haired woman was closing the door as a mere girl started picking up the sheets I had undone. An old woman sat near my side, her grayish-pink hair and brown eyes contrasting.

"You were rather worried that he would hurt you, weren't you, my dear?" She said gently, handing me a long, button up shirt.

"I…didn't understand…I'm so sorry…." I murmured, pulling on the shirt. As I covered myself, I noted that my entire torso was bandaged, and my legs had stitches all over them. My side ached, and my lower regions hurt with a dull, throbbing pain. Sickened, I turned my attention to the shirt. It was a pale blue, almost silky at first touch. It was long enough to cover my front and back down to my thighs. The buttons, though, were miniature works of art. Each one was a sodalite rose, carved exquisitely.

I glanced up at the woman.

"Why are you helping me?" I whispered. The answer came from behind me.

"Because you needed a helping hand. If we hadn't found you, you would have gone the way of your beloved Kai. He's still circling you, terrified to leave you now, especially after your attack." I shook my head a little.

"Wha…? How do you know about Kai?" I asked incredulously, turning to face the other woman. She smiled.

"I'm not who I seem. I am Botan, Ferrywoman of the afterlife. I take all souls to their final destinations." I felt my jaw drop. She laughed sadly. "Your Kai refuses to leave, on the grounds that he should stay and protect you…Would you like to see him?" I did a double take.

"You've got to be kidding me….He's dead…"

"No, no! He's right in front of you, right….THERE!" Suddenly, light seemed to condense around a skinny, floppy eared German Shepard whom I thought I'd only see in the afterlife.

So, what do you think? Was I wrong about anything? The further adventures of the Reikai Tantei will continue after a short intermission.

KD