Disclaimer: Characters and story concept are the copyrighted intellectual property of CLAMP and/ or other perspective owners. However, all original characters are mine and should be not duplicated without my expressed written consent.

Author's Notes: This is the prototype for this chapter. I will be correcting and advising it in the next couple of days but I just wanted to get this up since its been awhile.

WARNING: Towards the end, there an illusion to sex between two (seemly) male figures. If this type of things offends you, then I suggest you read no further!

*****

A WISH Fanfiction

Heaven and Hell

Chapter Six

(Dangerous Curiosity: Enter the Cat Twins)

            Ruri and Hari stretched lazily, amongst a sea of cushions as they awaited their master's return. He'd promised to return to the castle within an hour, but according to a crude clock mounted on the wall, at least six hours have passed since then. Despite Kouryuu's obvious tardiness, they continued to wait for his homecoming with diligent patience. However the boredom was being to irritate them, they were cats after all, with all the traits entailed.

"Hey, Ruri."

A yawn was her only response before continuing, "Where do you suppose Kouryuu is?" Hari flopped down heavily next to her twin sister, trying her best to become comfortable, while trying to catch her sister's gaze.

"How am I supposed to know!?", Ruri was annoyed to have been awaked so rudely form her well deserved catnap, it had been a long night of partying. She adjusted her body, finally curling into a ball.

Hari sat up anxiously. " Aww, C'mon Ruri. I'm serious. Where could he be?"

"I don't know." Ruri was very annoyed now. All she wanted was a little peace and quiet, but with Hari's consent onslaught of questions sleep was becoming impossible.  She shifted again in the hopes that Hari would get the hint and shut up.

Oblivious to her sister's subtle suggestions, Hari continued thinking aloud, "It seems that he's gone a lot lately. I mean, no sooner than we see him, he leaves again. Don't you think its strange. It's like…like he's trying to avoid us."

Ruri's ears twitched. She was awake now despite her best efforts to remain asleep. She'd only been half-heartedly listening as Hari rattled on and on, but somehow her attention seemed to focus at the thought that Kouryuu could possible be avoiding them on purpose. She sat up in one fluid motion, training her slit eyes to meet her sister's inquisitive ones.

"You're right, Hari. He has been acting strange lately. Like there's something he doesn't want us to know. A secret"

"Secret", Hari repeated the word carefully to herself and then more confidently out loud. She didn't like the thought that her master could be keeping something from her.

They sat across from one another now, intent on uncovering the mystery of their master's disappearances everyday. The thought bothered them that Kouryuu was changing. He was not the fun-loving demon that he once had been, long ago. That Kouryuu had been replaced with someone slightly more reserved, and secretive: someone who was becoming a stranger to them a little more everyday. In the golden days of their youth, the trio used to share everything even the tiniest detail would be spread amongst them.

"It must be something very important not to even tell us, his most loyal servants. Ruri now that I'm thinking about this, I don't like it. Its like he doesn't trust us."

"I know, Hari. I don't like it either. Her body was ridged, and her forehead creased in deep thought. " But you're right again. Indeed it must be something very top secret. Maybe, maybe he's taken a new lover…"

No sooner had the sentence escaped Ruri's lips when both fell silent, scrutinizing the other under cool, deathly calm gazes. One could virtually follow their trail of suspicion each progressed to: Huh? Kouryuu wouldn't do that to me, or would he? Lover? Why did she say that? Is it her? Is she stealing him away from me behind my back? No she wouldn't? Or would she? She's my sister afterall. Besides, why would he want her when I'm available? I'd do anything for him. Anything…In the instant that it took to suspect one another of trickery the thought fizzled and died in the instant that followed. If the truth be known, Ruri and Hari were an inseparable pair; where one was the other was sure to be along. So, it was impossible for them to hide things from on another, especially something so time consuming as an affair with Kouryuu would undoubtedly be. The every thought of it was dismissed.

The overall question still remained though, what was Kouryuu up to? They sat in silence, each considering the limitless possibilities on their own. Finally after what seemed like ages Ruri spoke.

"How do we know that Kouryuu isn't in Hell? Maybe be came back already?"

"We don't know for sure." Looking up, questioning Ruri's logic. "Oh, I get it! We should go look for him! He could be in the castle. Maybe he's been locked away with Satan and can't get away. Or he's out hunting with the other nobles." For the moment, the idea that Kouryuu could be entertaining someone else slipped into the background, replaced with the notion of searching the castle. The cat twins bounded away, happily in pursuit of their master, hopefully to be found somewhere in the many nooks and crannies that Hell housed.

Their attempts to locate him were futile. He was simply no where to be found. The possibility that he had not returned without their knowledge as previously thought was discarded and current strategy. Again, they crashed to the cushioned floor forced to re-think their situation. Time droned on slowly before anyone spoke and it was no surprise that it was Ruri again.

"Hari."

     

            Hari fliched, apparently startled to hear name spoken after through the graveyard silence. "Yeah."

            "I have another idea." Hari laughed with delight, jumping up and crashing into her sister at full speed, over-anxious to get the details.

Ruri could not help but laugh as well. It was contagious. "It's useless looking for him. Hell is just too big. I think we should wait."

"Wait! We've been waiting all day." Hari threw a hand toward the window for emphasize. The day had slipped away from them entirely. It bad been the middle of the afternoon when they left to search the castle and now, it was late in the evening. "I've tired of waiting! I need to do something now!"

"I feel the same way but that's not going to work. If we go on like this, we'll never find him. And we'll never know what he's up to."

Hari immediately calmed down, under the reasoning tone of her sister. "So what should we do then?"

"Like I said, wait. Wait until he comes home and then we can follow him. Go wherever he goes, maybe then we can finally uncover his secret hiding place."

As much as the topic of Kouryuu interested her Hari had stopped paying any attention at all to her sister. She couldn't bear to wait any longer, it was driving her mad. They had been waiting, it seems for far too long, now was the time for action. Then she thought of something, an option that had been left unexplored. Now Hari was overwhelmed with joy. She prances merrily over to her sister, leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Ruri, we've forgotten something. There is on other place that he could be. I place we haven't been to in a long time." She smiled to herself. They were idiots for not thinking of this earlier.

"You don't mean…"

"Yup!" Hari grinned ever broadly now as Ruri finally understood her thinking.

"Of course. Why didn't I think of it!? Earth. Kouryuu could be on Earth!!!", Ruri exclaimed the words at the top of her lungs.  

"Shhh!" Hari leapt on top of her covering her mouth., " Shh! Idiot, he's not supposed to be there remember? If anyone found out…"

"OH! That's right. I forgot."

            In the times that followed the incident with Hisui and Kokuyo, Satan had placed many restrictions on Kouyuu; his visitations to Earth had been one of them. In fact, he was banned entirely from setting foot on the planet. If Satan, or anyone for that matter, found that he had been there….There would be Hell to pay! The cat twins shuttered to think of the consequences.

 They inched their heads out the door to ensure that no one had heard them before continuing, this time in hushed voices. "We should go there right away and come back as soon as possible. We have to go before and be back before anyone notices that we are gone. They might suspect something."

"Yes. What where should we go? Earth is just as big as Hell if not bigger. It could take us centuries before we find any sign of him."

"No, think about it. Who is the one person that Master Kouyuu would visit on Earth?"

"Kokuyo."

"Right.  We'll start there. Maybe he's seen him."

"Can we eat a few souls while we're there? We haven't had any in such a long time" Hari licked her lips in anticipation.

"If we're lucky. But not more talking we should go." Ruri, smiles just as devilishly as her sister, before heading off to find a distant corner to perform the chant that would take them to Earth.

            It was quiet in the neighborhood in which Kokuyo and Hisui now took up residence, the type of stillness that could only be brought about by routine. Once, the neighbors realized that Seichirou was no longer living there, and his father had graciously given the house to these newcomers things seemed to have settled down considerably.

The tranquil atmosphere that seemed to embrace the darkness was moments away from being rudely interrupted.

The sliding doors were open which afforded a fantastic view of the yard, during their late meal. Then, there was a sudden bright blue flash of light in the garden. It lasted merely for a second before fading to darkness again. It was indeed a strange occurrence, not only for the time of day it was, but also it emitted a very familiar aura, one that marked it clearly as something other-worldly.  Hisui looked up from the meal that he and Kokuyo were sharing before directing a small smile in his direction.

"Kokuyo. I think we're about to have visitors."

Kokuyo didn't bother to look up from the cup, which was poised on his lips. In the time that they had lived on Earth interruptions in their daily life had become more of an expected occurrence than anything else. Hisui smiled again. He gracefully removed himself from the table and causally walked toward the sliding doors. He carefully scanned the darkness; feeling out gently with his powers but still couldn't detect anything. Hisui frowned. He was positive that someone was there, lurking in the shadows but he couldn't sense their presence. It unnerved him. Creases formed on his forehead. What's happening to me? Over the last few days he'd noticed a glitch in his magical abilities, if such a thing was possible. Every now and then his powers would fade, and at other times burn within him which such intensity that he feared the results of releasing even the smallest of enchantments. He consoled himself with empty words, citing various causes of how such a thing could happen. But from the depths of his soul he knew that none of them was the real reason, save for one. One that he preferred to stay ignorant about; to admit it was to acknowledge he was no longer something he still held dear, despite his past actions.

Kokuyo watched Hisui. His cup, still fill, sat on the table. He had been observing his angel ever since his departure from the table. Moments after he felt Hisui reach out with his aura searching but then stopped abruptly. Now he just stood there, his petite silhouette outlined in the indoor light; clenching the wood frame so hard his knuckles were white. Obviously something was bothering him, but since he refused to converse about it there was nothing that Kokuyo could do. He would not force his angelic lover to tell him. Instead then he would wait.

"Hisui. You're letting the draft in"

Forced to abandon his troubling inner thoughts, Hisui snapped back to reality.

"Yes! You're right. I'll close it right away" Before he could do so completely, two black objects came bouncing inside. They seemed oddly familiar.

They were now on the table eating the contents of Hisui's unattended bowl. Now, that Hisui and Kokuyo had enough time to get a closer look at them they knew exactly who they were.

Kokuyo picked one of the black cats with one hand, and help him half and arms length away. His eyes level with the cats, he asked plainly, "What are you doing here Ruri? And you, Hari?" The cat struggled against his hold, until he let go. Ruir dropped to the table, spilling Kokuyo's tea cup. She headed for her twin before transforming into their human form.

"That was good, Hari, wasn't it?" Ruri began to lick her hands, attempting to clean the rice from them.

"Yes it was! It's a shame we don't visit more often."

Kokuyo crossed his arms impatiently. The cat twins never in the past have stopped by for casual visit, especially without Kouryuu. They were definitely up to something.

"It's been awhile hasn't it, Ruri and Hari. How are you?  And how are things in Hell? What brings you here this late?"

Hari and Ruri looked at each other before training their cold cat glaze on Hisui. "We're here to talk to Kokuyo of course. Why else would we come here?" They turned their back on him and edged around the table to snuggle closer to Kokuyo.

"We're missed you so much, Kokuyo-sama? Hell just isn't the same without you there! Its not nearly as much fun as it was before".

"Funny I haven't missed you at all. Now. What are you doing here? And you better tell me this instant before I throw you out"

"Don't be so cold Kokuyo-sama. I just missed you."

"Yeah! Don't be so mean…"

Hisui was now, back at the table trying to clear the mess that it had become. Rice grains and bits of meat and vegetables lay in everywhere; plates and chopstick were sprawled in every direction, all mingled in lukewarm tea. "One moment, please. I'll be right back." He carried several dishes out as he left.

"I'm waiting for your answer." Kokuyo's patience was growing then. The only thing he wanted tonight was spend a quite evening eating and relaxing with Hisui. With these two here, that small wish was becoming impossible. He wanted them far away from this house as soon as possible.

"Well, we just wanted to know if you'd seen Kouryuu recently?"

"I haven't. So, you can go now" He rose from the table and pushed the sliding doors open, with such force that they nearly flew off the track.

Hari and Ruri, again looked at each other. This time however, a slight feaer registered in their eyes.

"What are you getting so mad about? We just want to know where Kouryuu is!"

"So you come to Earth and interfere with MY life for that! Besides, how in Hell would I know where he is? I've been expelled, remember? It's not like he comes and tells me everything he's up to. He's probably off in Hell right now screwing some high ranking demon. Why not go look for him there?"

Ruri slapped her sister on the arm, "See! I told you!"

"Don't hit me!" 

"I haven't seen him in several months anyway. Are you satisfied? No. Well you have to leave anyway".

"Kokuyo, are you sure its been that long? I could have swore than he was here just a couple days." Somewhere during the heated discussion Hisui had come back into the room and finished clearing the table, replacing the mess with a hot, fresh tea kettle and cookies."

Kokuyo shut his eyes and frowned. There would be no getting rid of them now.

"Hisui…"

Kokuyo's comment was unheard as the focus of the conversation switched to Hisui. He was surrounded by the cat twin, who jumped about him excitedly; obviously delighted that Kokuyo had been lying.

"Really? Only a couple days? What did he come by for?"

"Did he mention anything important? Or a secret? Did he say if he would come back?"

The constant barrage of question continued for several moments before, they settled down enough for Hisui to reply. "Well, I think he said something about coming by again, but I'm not sure…"

"Hisui! That's enough. These two are up to something. Its best not to answer anymore of their questions" Kokuyo was finally able to catch Hisui's attention but not before he revealed exactly what they wanted to know. Hisui looked up a little surprised to met  Kokuyo's stern face.

"Now that you know of your master's soon-to-be whereabouts what will you do?"

Hari and Ruri didn't bother to answer. They transformed in a cloud of smoke and fled the house, leaving Kokuyo and Hisui behind. Already, beside the doors, Kokuyo closed and locked them. There would be no more visitors on this night.

Hisui met his half way as he crossed the floor on the way back to the table.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I was just trying to be helpful. I….I…" Hisui's face was concerned, his eyebrows were knotted together.

Kokuyo sighed, and drew his arms around the angel. "It's not your fault. You don't know them as I do. They are planning something whether Kouryuu knows it or not."

Hisui looked up, "Do you think he will be alright?"

"I don't know. With those two, you never know"

Hisui relaxed further into his grip, placing his head on his shoulder. Kokuyo smiled, the first of the night. He grew him even closer, lifting his chin to claim a kiss. Hisui didn't protest, instead he placed his arms around his shoulders. Kokuyo pleased with himself, reached up and turned the light out, before claiming the rest of his angel.

At the far fence overlooking the house, Hari and Ruri watched the light go out and the two figures inside disappear.

"Why did me leave in such a hurry? The angel knew something about Kouryuu!"

"Keep you voice down or they'll hear us."

"But to answer you question, dear sister, Kokuyo-sama was getting pissed off. You remember what he's like when he's mad, don't you? Not even the angel could have saved us from him. Besides, the angel told you everything he knew. So now all we have to do is wait. Kouryuu will show up eventually."

"Awww, more waiting! I can't stand to wait anymore. That's why we left Hell in the first place!"

"Listen to me. When Kouryuu show up here again, we'll finally be able to follow him and discover his secret. That's really why we came don't here."

"Oh, yeah! I remember now!"

"We need to be careful though. If we stay to close to the house, Kokuyo will sense us and then…and then…"

"We'll be dead?"

"Right. Let's go over there" She pointed off into the distance. "We'll be able to see the whole neighborhood from that tower's advantage point."

Without further discussion or questions Hari and Ruri pounced off, with sights of Kouryuu promising in the future.

Thanks for reading yet another chapter of Heaven and Hell!

Akuma

*****

Author's Notes: I should really stop making empty promises! Again, I'm sorry for the long update time. Well, in this chapter finally introduced the competition, Hari and Ruri, and what well soon to shape up to be the real conflict, although there have been several other moments of discord thus far. Won't you say? :) Stay tuned for more, if you want to know what the Cat Twins are up to! I know I do! :)