Chapter three
"Shuuichi-kun, where are you going?" Ayumi asked as she watched the kitsune-youkai fold his long silky hair underneath a wide brim cap and place darkly tinted sunglasses onto his elegant nose, long since the show had ended had he changed into a pair of loose fitting grey pants and white tank top, so now he looked completely different from before.
"I'm just going to look around a bit, go on up to our room, I'll meet you there." And with that he was off. Ayumi growled in frustration and began to make herself inconspicuous like Shuuichi had and snuck off after him.
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"Yuusuke, is that really you?" Botan asked tentatively, the former Onmitsu (note1) sighed.
"Shh, I'm called Kageboushi here," Yuusuke explained quietly his face curved in one of his trademark grins.
"It really is you," the girl whispered as tears began to well up and threaten to spill from her large violet eyes. "But what are you doing here, I thought you where still in Ningenkai?" Yuusuke shook his head slowly.
"I haven't been to the Ningenkai in fourteen years, I really don't have anything there anyways," he replied a little bitterly.
"What about Kurama, or Hiei, do you know where either of them are?"
"Hiei's somewhere around here, but I haven't seen Kurama since I moved to Makai." Yuusuke said convincing himself that a little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone. Yuusuke was too deep in thought to notice that Botan had moved and was startled when he felt strong arms wrap around his stomach and squeeze. After recovering from his surprise he returned the hug with interest, placing a gentle, brotherly kiss on the top of her head.
"I was so worried something had happened to all of y'all, and now seeing you…" she didn't finish but broke down, and let all of the emotion that had built up inside of her loose. Botan had stood with her head buried deep in Yuusuke chest for several minutes unwilling to let her friend go when a knock on the door startled both of them.
"Yes?" Yuusuke asked, dropping his voice to the tone it had been in before he introduced himself to Botan, letting go of said girl, and telling her silently to hide in the bed.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take Yanagi, a very important customer has requested her personally, and I have no way of denying him what he wants." It was Yoshimitsu, and he didn't seem at all displeased at having to take Botan from Yuusuke. The assassin growled loudly enough for the owner outside to hear, and to his satisfaction he heard the small man shuffle away from the door.
"You can tell however it is to shove it up his ass, I requested Yanagi first, and I will not relinquish her." Yuusuke felt guilty talking about his friend as if she was nothing, but a common whore, but he didn't have much of a choice. He looked over at Botan to see what her reaction was and saw her smiling thankfully.
"I'm sorry sir, but you don't have a choice, now give me the girl."
"And if I don't?"
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Kurama stood beside the short owner of the inn in complete disgust. As much as he disliked whorehouse, especially the employees, he thought it was extremely rude, let alone awful customer service, to interrupt whatever it was they were doing in the room. But he let it slide this time; he really wanted to see if this Yanagi girl was the ever-cheerful Ferry Girl from his past.
"And what if I don't?" Came the muffled threat from the room the two stood in front of. The voice seemed strangely familiar to the kitsune-youkai, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it might belong to.
"Sir, please don't make this difficult," Yoshimitsu said. Wait, was that a whine? Kurama thought to himself, amused. The little grey man seemed almost frightened by his customer, and Kurama slowly felt his curiosity arouse.
"Difficult my ass, I requested Yanagi first, so that means I have her 'til the night is over." The man sighed in frustration, finally giving up on the occupant of one of his rooms.
"Well Shuuichi-san, I don't think I'll be able to convince the man to let Yanagi go until the night is over, can I interest you in one of my other girls?" Yoshimitsu asked rubbing his hands together greedily.
"No thank you, I'm fine." Kurama replied curtly turning on his heel and stalked off.
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Ayumi sat at the bar with her head placed firmly against the cold, mock marble counter. To those who past her, she seemed nothing more than a hopeless drunk, but in truth she was quite sober. So why lay her face first on a cheap counter? Simple, she had finally quit hitting her head against it, and she had such a massive headache that she didn't think it was smart to lift her sore head, not that hitting it repeatedly against a stone counter was all that intelligent either. She was slightly aware that a man had seated himself beside her, but she didn't pay much heed to it, she was dead set on figuring out where Shuuichi had gone after loosing her seconds prior to her deciding to stalk him.
After ten minutes of socializing with the stone counter Ayumi's headache subsided and she decided it was safe to start her search for her singing partner. Spinning around on her stool she stood up, promptly tripped, and fell on the short demon in front of her; though in her current form, almost everyone was shorter than her 7' 9".
"Eh, sorry kid," she muttered standing up and offering the boy her hand, which he rudely refused.
"Hn," he snorted picking himself up off the ground and brushing the thick layer of dust that had stuck to his black jumpsuit and gravity defying hair, off. The boy's long sleeves, which had previously hidden the top of his right hand, slid back and revealed an elaborate tattoo: a black five point star with dark thorny vines interwoven around a red-gem-headed dagger plunged through the star at a slight angle, and red-ink blood dripped elegantly from the pointed tip.
I know that design; it's the crest off Kageboushi and Kokushibyou (note2), but what are assassins doing in an inn like this. Ayumi thought to herself as she stared at the beautiful design. Suddenly a thought hit her horribly hard and her eyes narrowed. They could be after Shuuichi and myself. Ignorant fools. Ayumi snorted and glared at the man who only rolled his eyes.
"You're only partially correct, girl. I'm looking for Shuuichi, as you call him, and I need your assistance." The man seemed to take great amusement in her confusion about how he knew what she was thinking, but she quickly dismissed it.
"Why should I help you?" Ayumi asked suspiciously, and with good reason: he seemed to know who she was, even though she looked nothing like her former orange-haired form.
"Because refusing would be hazardous to your health," he replied harshly, Ayumi flinched and quickly figured out this demon was not someone to be messed with.
"But I don't know where he is," Ayumi responded truthfully, the boy sighed.
"Fine then, where are you staying?"
"Here, I'll show you I guess, but give me your katana." She held her hand out expectantly and the assassin handed her his sword reluctantly. "Well follow me then."
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Both Yuusuke and Botan stared at the door in shock. That voice, no one would ever forget Kurama's light beautiful voice, and it had been right outside the door.
"Was that….?" Botan asked getting out of the bed.
"Yeah I think so," Yuusuke responded before rushing to the door. He opened it and looked down the dark carpeted hall, but both Yoshimitsu and their beloved redhead were gone. "If it was him, he's gone." There was a hint of disappointment, relief and resentment in the young hanyou's (note3) voice.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXBoth Hiei and Ayumi had been waiting in the latter of the two's room for many minutes, expectant of the redhead's arrival. It was a large, spacey, and of all things clean room, but Hiei was very anxious to leave. After taking in every detail of the inn below, he had thought that the rooms would have been rundown, extremely dusty, and bug ridden, but instead the only thing that made this room almost unbearable was the awful stench of old sex.
As he looked over once more at black haired girl he saw that she was all too unhappy with the room as well, and he almost laughed, but a sudden noise at the door stopped him in time.
"I believe Shuuichi-kun is back, Kokushibyou-kun," Ayumi muttered as she stood up. Somewhere along the lines of walking to the suite and sitting in almost complete silence, Hiei had told the girl his occupational name, but to her it was his official title.
As quickly as the taller youkai stood, he did as well, finding a nicely shadowed area to conceal himself in; he also covered up his aura so that his former teammate and close friend wouldn't know he was there. There was some commotion at the door, before Ayumi returned now back to her shorter orange haired self along with Kurama in full fledged human form.
"Shuuichi-kun, there is someone here to see… hold on where is he?" Ayumi asked herself looking around for the short youkai.
"See me? What was his name?" Kurama asked, afraid that Ayumi might have let a fan into their current living quarters accidentally.
"His name was Kokushibyou-kun, don't worry I have his katana," she added the last part after seeing her singing partner's face widen in shock. Hiei almost laughed again, the Kitsune still didn't know who he was, and he felt strangely satisfied. He had always had trouble keeping things from the red haired beauty, but now he was having no trouble.
"I wouldn't worry if I could sense him, but I currently feel no aura."
"Maybe he left? I don't know, but he seemed very determined to see you."
"It seems Fox that you have lost your touch over the years, gone soft, even softer than you were in Ningenkai," came a Hiei's voice from behind the couch to the left hand side of the room. Kurama froze his mind reeling at the possibilities of that voice.
"Show yourself Kokushibyou," Kurama commanded, he was not going to let hope grip his heart as it had at the site of Yuusuke or even Botan; he still wasn't sure if they were the real deal or just people with youkais resemblances to his old friends.
"Hn, suspicious as always, but I think I like it here in the shadows, but I might come out if the girl was gone."
"No way short stuff, I'm staying right—" Ayumi started angrily.
"No, Ayumi go outside for a moment, you'll know if I'm in need of assistance," Kurama said aware that he was taking a risk, but curiosity, especially that of a kitsune's, was hard to defeat, and he felt his wage war with his reasoning.
"But-" Ayumi whined, but looking at her partner she decided it was best to leave. Once she was gone Kurama turned to the source of the voice expectantly. There was a short pause as silence blanketed the room, then a black clad figure stepped from the shadows.
"Hiei?"
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Author's notes
Note one- Onmitsu- detective
Note two- Kokushibyou and Kageboushi are extremely well known throughout Makai, and most recognize them by the crest on their right hands.
Note three- Hanyou I pretty sure means half-breed. Also by mixing those emotions into Yuusuke's voice I show how he feels about Kurama leaving him and Hiei.
I would also like to note Ayumi's changes, like Kurama, her other form is tall and almost completely different from its counterpart, also she has a split personality, so in her black-haired red-eyed form she is extremely suspicious and sadistic and in her normal for she is usually a ditzy girl. Also in case you are wondering, she has very little to do with the story, and is only here to move the story along.
Oh, has anyone noticed how I seem to end each chapter with a character's name? See chapter one was Botan, two was Yuusuke, and three was Hiei. I actually don't intentionally do it, and probably by the next chapter this odd tradition will end…
But anyways, Thank you KyouHana and kit-kit for reviewing, and even though it is a little late, I dedicate this chapter to you two
Well 'til next time
Catie-brie