Edan sat across from his friend and crossed his legs, leaning back in the chair and slipping his arms behind his head satisfiedly. "I got a cuddle." he said happily, emphasizing the 'I' a little.
Rhys kept his eyes on the book. "Oh? Don't compromise the unsuspecting girl's virginity."
Edan glared at him. "She said I was cute. That's all. And she scratched my ears. Standard kitty cuddle. Nothing more. Why would you suspect me of something else? I have morals..."
"I know. I was just kidding." Rhys said quietly.
Edan seemed content with that and settled back down in his chair. "She's very kind, you know. And beautiful, and innocent. I don't understand what use they could have for her."
Rhys's gaze snapped up to meet Edan's and he hissed, signaling for silence. He set his book on the table face-down and stood, walking over to the door and pressing his ear to it, listening. After a moment, he pulled away from the door and looked at Edan. "She has no idea what she's worth to them. You don't understand yet, either. Do you even know WHO she is?" he asked quietly.
Edan shrugged.
Rhys sighed. "Edan... Her mother was a spirit detective. Tantei, you know? Well, her mother died. Koenma was flippin crazy over the woman, so he made sure that her daughter, that girl, was always cared for by other detectives. And you've heard of the Ankoku Bujutsukai. The men watching over her won that tournament a few years back. Yusuke Urameshi, Kazuma Kuwabara, Youko Kurama and Hiei Jaganshi. They'll be after her soon. We'll just tell them all about... Them..." he explained.
"But all four of them are coming?"
"I don't think so... She wasn't particularly close to Urameshi and Kuwabara. Most likely it'll only be Kurama and Jaganshi... That would make things easier for us as well, I think."
Edan stood. "Yes, but what can we tell the girl?"
Rhys sighed. "Just so you know... Her name is Sosaku."
Edan looked at the ground, thinking. "Sosaku... Creation?" He glanced back up at Rhys.
Rhys shrugged. "Has a nice ring to it, neh?" He smiled and opened the door. "Pancakes, Madame Chef." he called over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.
Edan cursed under his breath, turning to go into the kitchen.
Hiei trudged down a street in Kyoto as the sun began to rise, his frustration driving him to the edge of insanity. He glanced at Kurama, who was walking beside him, looking more than a little tired. Hiei glared a little. "Fox, this shouldn't be taking so long..."
Kurama sighed. "Well, I do not know why. You have that lovely little THING on your forehead, and it sees all, correct?" He continued without waiting for a response. "The only reason this could take so long is they never went to Kyoto and fooled your eye somehow, or they moved and concealed themselves from it. Either way, your eye has been fooled somehow."
Hiei twisted his mouth frustratedly. "How?"
"How should I know? I didn't even know you could fool the Jagan."
"Me either..." Hiei muttered. "But according to this damn eye, they're not far away. They should be within a few miles..."
"You said that at four o'clock in the morning. It is now six o'clock, in case you don't know." the fox muttered grouchily. "We need to find Sosaku NOW."
Hiei growled slightly. "It isn't MY fault!"
There was a momentof frustrated silence between them as they continued walking. But they WERE getting closer. Not much, but at least a little...
Sosaku walked silently over to the door as she finished with the last of her shirt buttons. She heard mumblings from a room nearby and opened the door, carefully stepping out. She looked into several different rooms, but never found the room she had slept in the night before. They had moved... She didn't doubt that Kurama and Hiei would search for her without stopping, but if they kept moving... She sighed and went in search of the voices she knew were that of Rhys and Edan. What really didn't make sense was Edan's being so kind to her. Whatever happened to evil, cruel kidnappers? So strange.
She walked quickly and quietly around a corner, listening to the voices. Rhys spoke of her parents and of her friends: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei. Well, he had certainly done his homework, she thought grouchily. How did Rhys know all this? And he kept saying "they" and "them"... Who could he possibly be talking about?
Right at that moment, the door swung open and Rhys stepped out. Sosaku whirled back around the corner before he could see her. No luck, though. He turned the same direction as her, and walked right into Sosaku. Their faces mashed together, including their lips. Sosaku went red and immediately backed off, losing her balance in the process. Rhys caught her arm before she could fall, an expressionless look on his face. He held her there for a moment, looking at her deeply, but unseeingly. She stared back, the situation truly freaking her out. Her eyes narrowed and she snatched her arm back. "How do you know about me? My mom and dad, my friends!" she hissed.
Rhys sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "That could take a while to explain..."
She glared in fury and before she knew what she was doing, she reached up and slapped him across the cheek. She simply stared for a moment, her mouth dropping open. He didn't move, his face turned slightly to one side from the blow, his cheek reddened.
Sosaku turned and fled back to the room she woke up in, slamming the door behind her. She ran to the bed and collapsed on it, tears of rage and frustration forming in the corners of her eyes. She didn't hear the door open. She suddenly felt a warm body pressing againsy hers, strong arms slipping around her waist. She flipped over, prepared to strike, and she met those golden cat eyes. She released a breath and Edan was embracing her while she cried. She sobbed into his chest and he held her, rubbing her back. Her senses fled her, and she whimpered about Edan's kindness and how confused she was.
Edan smiled, stroking her hair. "Sosaku... We used to work for some people... A-And they intended to kidnap you and kill you, luring out the tanteis and murder them as well. Rhys and I knew it was wrong. We found you and saved you before they could." He paused a moment and lifted her tear-stained face to look at his. "You deserve to live. I took one look at you and... I don't know... I wanted to protect you." he mumbled sheepishly.
Sosaku felt her cheeks go hot. "I hardly know you..." she protested weakly as he leaned in and she felt herself moving closer to him. He smiled momentarily, then it vanished and he kissed her deeply. His tail moved around and rubbed against her hip lightly, his ears twitching in satisfaction.
Sosaku kissed back as she felt him roll over on top of her, slipping her arms around him. Her first kiss from a kind, handsome man who cared about her... And... Kurama was on her mind. Why would she think of Kurama?
Kurama sneezed.
End Chapter Three
