Chapter Two- Admission

She came down to find her son cooking breakfast. She inhaled deeply to absorb the smells on the air: Eggs, bacon, sausage, human, and fox. Yes, that last one was of particular interest to her.

Unknown to her, Kurama was also smelling the air. He detected his mother's steps and sniffed. The scents of human and wolf reached him and he sighed softly. So, it's true. She was bitten by a werewolf. He turned to see her by the table and, to him, it felt as if he was meeting her for the first time. He turned slightly, grabbed the plates of food, and put them on the table before getting glasses of juice and heading to the table to sit in his seat.

Shiori slunk over to her seat, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she sat. "Shuichi," she said in a low and almost deadly voice. "Why am I smelling a fox scent on you?"

Kurama looked calmly into his mother's unnecessarily hostile face. "I have a fox scent because I am a fox demon in addition to being your son."

"You're a demon?" she growled.

"Yes. Mother, I smell wolf on you. You were bitten, yes?"

"I was. I'm a vicious angry wifewolf and I love it." She bared a sadistic smile.

Kurama recoiled at her words and the smile. This person was no longer his mother, at least not the mother he had known. "I am assuming there is no cure."

"That's right," Shiori said happily. "I will be a wifewolf forever." She leaned forward. "Does that horrify you, Shuichi?"

"A little," he admitted. "But you are still my mother."

Shiori blinked as she leaned back. He still loved her in spite of her condition and how she acted toward him. She pulled the plate of meat toward her once Kurama had taken what he wanted. Now that her secret was out, she did not have to resist eating a lot of meat in front of Shuichi. After breakfast, mother and son headed for work and school, respectively. Shiori had called in yesterday as the morning of the first moon of the cycle did make her ill but it passed as the day wears on. She could tell Shuichi all about her condition, but saw little reason to do so.

"She loves being vicious and angry?" Hiei repeated.

Kurama nodded sadly. "And there is no cure. This is who Mother will be from now on."

"She smelled your demon half and confronted you about it."

"I suspect she smelled it when her senses became enhanced. I think her preoccupation with her condition and her work are why she did not mention it until now."

Shiori swallowed a forkful of raw meat as she clicked onto the Internet. She made sure that her behavior didn't show at work and that no one saw her lunch choice. She had learned that her stomach could handle raw meat in human form, especially during full moons. She brought up two search boxes, typed "werewolves" in one and "demon" in the other. She then cross-referenced them and the results led her to the website that she had come to when she had been bitten. She chewed more meat as she leaned forward to read the site thoroughly and then leaned back to reflect on what she had just read.

Hmm, yes. I have already experienced the mood change and personality change. I am more hostile and aggressive than before. I am more of a carnivore and can eat it raw. I am absolutely vicious and brutal when I take my wolf form. Hmm, I can attack and kill humans and if I smell a family member, I will be compelled to turn them rather than kill and since they're kin, they will change immediately. Now, what's this? She swallowed more meat as she focused on a subheading titled, Demons.

She leaned forward again to read and a cruel smile came to her lips. No wonder Shuichi was desperate for a cure. He is just as likely to be cursed as humans are. This was also what I was looking for. I will transform tonight and hunt humans to eat. I will tell Shuichi of this and he will likely want to stop me from eating humans and in my wild state, I will bite him. He will transform and his demon side will be suppressed during the full moon and in-between moons his human and demon side will become hostile and aggressive like me, maybe more so as he is a demon. Yes, Shuichi and I will be a vicious mother-son pair.

Kurama gaped at Shiori. "I'm sorry, Mother. I am afraid I did not understand what you said."

"I doubt that," she said coldly. "It is high time that I started being a true wifewolf. I will be killing and eating humans starting tonight."

"No, Mother. Please don't."

"Silence!" she snapped. "I'm the adult and I will do as I want. The one who bit me planned to eat me if I hadn't kicked him and he had gotten scared off. Plus, I am tired of eating animals and demons."

Kurama's mouth dropped. "You ate demons!?"

"I'm pretty sure they were demons. I thought of the strange corpses I wake up next to sometimes and while at work this morning, I am convinced of it. It makes sense especially when you told me you were a demon." She stood, headed for the front door, and was out it before long.

Kurama put his face in his hands. He had a vicious wifewolf for a mother. She had shown preference for meat and a harsh attitude toward him. Before he scented wolf on her, he had been confused by her change in attitude. Now that he knew the truth, it horrified him. His mother becomes a vicious wolf three times a month and eats whatever appeals to her. She has no human thought those nights. She thought only as a wolf and its hostile, aggressive side showed in her human form. He hated what she had become and she was getting worse. She now wanted to attack and eat humans. It was likely he couldn't stop her as he didn't know where she was going to strike and she wouldn't stay in one spot. She would be a wild animal who would follow her instincts.

"Fox."

Kurama looked up to see that Hiei had come downstairs when the redhead hadn't come up. "She's getting worse," he whispered. "She's decided to eat humans now."

"Stop her, Kurama. You can stop her from going down that path. She may be a wild animal, but an animal nonetheless, who can be caught and restrained."

He tilted his head as he considered Hiei's words. Yes, when Shiori took her wifewolf form, her mind reverted to wolf and she became an animal who was all instinct. She was able to kick the one who bit her and it got scared off, though she didn't say what made it flee. I should be able to sniff her out and use my rose whip to bind her legs and mouth. I will drag her back and find a way to keep her from heading out tomorrow night. Then, I'll have a month to construct a more secure means of imprisonment.

"You are right, Hiei. I can stop her and I have a plan."

Hiei smirked as Kurama stood. "I knew you would once you put your mind to it."

"I will need to keep her from going out tomorrow and then I will acquire a more secure and permanent means of imprisoning her on her full moons."

"Perhaps some kind of wards on her door and windows."

"Yes. Genkai may have wards to keep a werewolf or wifewolf restrained. I will also research the weaknesses to keep her down."

"Hn. Good luck, Fox," Hiei said as Kurama stepped out to a sunset already in progress. Once it had closed, Hiei allowed concern to show. Kurama may not restrain the wifewolf as securely as he should simply because it is someone he cares about. His compassion can be a strength, but in this case, it could be a weakness. Be careful, Kurama. She will not recognize you as anything but food. Use the necessary force and don't worry about hurting her.