The Shotgun Approach

Chapter 5: Unacceptable

. . .

Mid-Summer – July 2003

Days off were meant to be pleasant things. I would sit on the edge of my balcony, sketch pad in my lap, mug of coffee precariously perched beside me. I would let the drugs muffle the outside world, while I drew mindlessly, my fingers brushing across the pages until they were covered in charcoal and graphite. The sun would rise and bathe me in its light.

I loved this solitude. Needed it, even.

But today none was to be had. And I wasn't sure if I was resentful of this fact or...happy?

"So I told him he could use that stretchy neck of his and hang himself with it," Yusuke ended the story he had spent the past ten minutes regaling me with.

Currently, the king of demon world was sat beside me, legs swinging over the balcony's railing. He clutched a mug of his own coffee and kept casting curious glances to the book in my lap I never got the chance to open. The rising sun flared across his face, bringing his markings into stark contrast with the rest of his honey kissed skin.

I wasn't sure what changed a few weeks ago to make this a habit.

But ever since the night he'd walked me home Yusuke made it a point to stop in here once a week. This time it just happened to coincide with my day off, much to his pleasure. After offering him coffee and taking up my usual spot on my balcony, he'd spent a good hour telling me about his people in Tourin. His advisers, the monks, all sounded like interesting people—though you wouldn't know it by how he spoke of them.

"What's that anyway?" he asked, lifting a finger from his mug to gesture towards the sketch book in my lap.

I was about to tell him that it was nothing, but the earnest look on his face drew the words up short. Instead I found myself saying, "Drawings."

I'd hidden the ones on the walls since that night Kuwabara showed up unannounced. I didn't often share this part of my life with anyone. It was private...just like most things about me were. But something about Yusuke made me wish to loosen my tongue.

"Can I see them?" he asked, a smile creeping its way across his lips.

I chewed on the stud in my bottom lip a moment, contemplating. Maybe it was the fact I was high as kite this early in the morning, or the way his eyes lit up with honest interest, or how the sun cast him in a glow that made my breath catch just a bit—but I handed him that damned book.

I didn't end up regretting the choice.

He held it in tentative fingers, as if afraid it would crumble in his hands. For a long while he flipped through the filled pages, sometimes going back to look over ones he found particularly fascinating—before he continued to the end.

I pretended I wasn't waiting for his reaction, because his face didn't give away much. I sipped my coffee and basked in the early morning sun. It was going to be a scorcher today, I thought, as the orb climbed higher and higher.

Yusuke sucked in a breath, "These..." he paused to find the right words, running soft fingertips across one of the pages, careful not to smudge. And I expected for him to tell me they were grotesque, or gory, or even disgusting.

He said none of those things. "These are amazing, Ettie."

I choked on my coffee, the mug tumbling from my hands to fall several stories to the ground below.

"Oh shit," Yusuke laughed, leaning over to watch its descent—and its inevitable landing. "You're lucky it's still so early and there wasn't anyone down there."

But I didn't care about the mug. And if it had hit anyone I could patch them up anyway. "You think they're good?"

He looked at me funny, mouth curling into an easy smile. "Yeah. More than good." And then he flips through the book again to find a specific piece. "This one is my favorite."

He handed the book back to me and I gazed at the one he'd picked. It was something I'd drawn a few weeks back, after the night Yusuke walked me home. Not even I was sure what it was meant to be, not really. I'd drawn it in a drug haze, fingers working across paper automatically, like it just had to leave my system before I could go to sleep.

It was laden with heavy lines of black, a shape that looked like lovers twined together in a decaying room, the plants having come to conquer the space once more. Like an apocalypse had come to claim the world...and those two were all that remained. But even still, it could be interpreted differently when you turned the page this way or that. A wolf dying alone. The bodies of those left behind. A monument to the dead and gone.

I ripped the page from the book and held it out to Yusuke. "Here, you can have it...if you like."

He didn't hesitate to take the page and I watched with just a little pain as he folded it up and stuffed it into his pocket. I did my best not to cringe and instead smiled at him, my eyes dipping closed.

A second later they snapped open again when he said, "You know, I've never kissed someone with a lip piercing before."

If I still had my coffee I would have been choking on it again. That didn't stop me from sputtering like some kind of idiot. I didn't have much experience in the...well, relationship department, I supposed. So I wasn't sure if Yusuke was just making a random comment...or if he was attempting to hint at something.

I turned away with a blush, pushing ice through my veins to cool my cheeks. "What a pity," I said, though it came out with a crack.

This also wasn't so unusual anymore. His little quips here and there, hints of another nature that made me both uncomfortable, if not a tad excited. I avoided responding to them, usually casting them off with nary a comment and a wave of my hand. Only this time...well, we were in a much more intimate setting weren't we?

"Do you think it would feel weird?" he continues, apparently choosing to push his luck.

"I wouldn't know," I replied, fiddling with the sketch book in my hands. The way he was sitting now, body turned towards me, the sun highlighting him in all the right places—I wanted to draw him. So badly that it was a craving not unlike the one I harbored for the drug in my veins.

I fought off the notion. I would never hear the end of it if I chose to do something so embarrassing.

"You haven't kissed anyone since you got that done?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think this line of questioning is appropriate."

He snorted, raising an eyebrow at me. "What about me screams to you as appropriate?"

I cast him a long look, eyes scanning every inch that was bared to me. The answer on the tip of my tongue was, 'nothing,' but I didn't speak it aloud. He was regal in his own right, perhaps not in the traditional sense. With his slicked back black hair, the mazoku markings staining his skin, that light in his eyes that never went out. He'd always been a force to be reckoned with.

I chose not to answer him and hopped down from my balcony's ledge.

"Where you goin'?" he called after me.

I swept my hair up into a messy bun, using the tie kept around my wrist. I didn't wait for him to follow me because I knew he would.

He met me in the kitchen, where I was pulling things out of the refrigerator to cook some semblance of breakfast. But before I got very far he took over, pulling pots and pans down from the rack hanging on the ceiling.

I chopped vegetables while he cooked, handing him ingredients and just watching as he skillfully used my lacking utensils. For a minute I think I forgot to breathe. This was a new side of him I didn't realize he had. And it was fascinating.

The finished meal was something far grander than I was planning.

We ate in an amicable silence for a while until I said, "I didn't know you could cook."

He answered with rice still between his teeth, "I run a ramen shop during my down time."

I raised an eyebrow, "A ramen shop?"

He grinned a little and swallowed. "Yeah, it's mostly a front for my detective work but I decided not to be half-assed about it."

And suddenly I was laughing, because the thought of the king of demon world standing behind a counter slinging spatulas and boiling noodles was too much. I could imagine him in those little paper hats and the laughter only increased until I was practically in tears.

There was still so much I didn't know about Urameshi Yusuke.

And it was only with a little shock that I realized I wanted to learn everything that I could.

. . .

Things between Hiei and I had gotten petty, I decided one day, as I froze his coffee while his back was turned. But when he turned back around all he did was raise an eyebrow and place a palm around the mug. A second later the coffee was back to steaming.

I felt my ears burn with my annoyance.

He just sneered at me as if I were some kind of peasant.

Kuwabara's gaze darted between the two of us before he sighed and rolled his eyes. He wasn't the only one sick of the petty actions between Hiei and I. Even Kurama expressed his distaste on the situation.

Yusuke, on the other hand, found it hilarious.

So I continued to do it, because not only did it irritate the fire demon, it made the king laugh. It was a win, win.

Today we all met for lunch at a demon run coffee shop in the heart of Sarayashiki. It was a vain hope of mine that Hiei wouldn't show up, but he did, and now here we were.

"How considerate of you to cool my drink, Etternia," he said without a drop of sincerity.

The shock of hearing my name spoken out loud had also started to wear off. Hiei took every opportunity to speak it since that first night. But the others respected my wishes and continued to call me Ettie. I never offered up an explanation for my dislike of it, though I had apologized to Kurama for reacting the way I had. Days later I recalled that during our first meeting in his car I had, in fact, offered up my full name. But I didn't specify that I preferred to be called one or the other, so that was my own fault.

It, however, did not excuse the fire demon's behavior or use of it after repeatedly telling him not to.

I stirred my own coffee, casting him a dark look and refusing to reply to his baiting. I took a sip and then almost instantly spat it back out.

Salt! There was salt in there instead of sugar!

Hiei's dark laughter had me gaping at him. When the hell had he—how had he even?! I was sitting here the entire time!

He tapped his temple beside the jagan, a smirk rising a single edge of his lips.

Ah. An illusion. I had fallen right into his trap. That rat bastard.

"You two are ridiculous," Kuwabara announced and Kurama hummed his agreement.

But Yusuke was snorting into his drink (an overly sweet concoction that even the barista was wary about making) and Kuwabara's words held no impact. None whatsoever.

I rose from my seat and went to order a new drink. When I sat back down with it, this time I kept it carefully out of Hiei's reach.

"Lets get down to business," said Yusuke, "Koenma has decided to make this a full fledged investigation. He's hired all of us and the amount he's paying is...well, generous for pacifier breath."

"Ettie too?" asked Kuwabara, licking the froth from his latte off his upper lip.

"Uh..." here Yusuke paused, casting me an apologetic look. "Sorry, he...doesn't know about you. But I can give you my share. Not like I need the money."

I waved him off, "I don't want it. I didn't decide to help you for any kind of monetary gain."

Hiei scoffed. I pointedly ignored him.

Kurama picked up where Yusuke left off, "Its been four months since these attacks started. We have ascertained that necromancy may be part of their goals, but so far no walking corpses have made themselves known—besides the one we captured weeks ago."

"And he wasn't dead until after we brought him to the Reikai," added Yusuke.

"Which is concerning," I said.

Kurama hummed his agreement. "I believe the bombings won't stop until the body count is high enough for their end goal."

"Or they've killed us all," Hiei added with a displeased sneer.

"Do you think the man you caught...do you think they wanted that to happen?" I asked.

"I'm certain of it," said Kurama. "He was meant to die once he'd been captured and that triggered a spell that even the wards in the spirit world could not prevent."

That was far more concerning. Those wards were powerful, ancient. So whoever...or whatever, had created the spell knew about them and knew exactly what to do to bypass them.

"What I'm not sure of," said Kurama, "is if the man was meant to spy on us or the workings of the Reikai itself."

"Let us find another and the answer will make itself known," said Hiei. He swallowed down a large gulp of his coffee—black as night and as bitter as he was.

"I suppose that is our only course of action at this point in time," said Kurama, though the thought made him frown in displeasure.

I pulled out a pill from the bottle in my pocket and swallowed it during the moment of silence. I would need it for courage. For what I planned to offer up next. Everyone noticed, but none said a word. Even Hiei, much to my surprise. But they had all averted their gazes. I was a shameful thing, after all.

"Let me hunt the next one," I said. "I have a plan."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow at me, "A plan?"

Hiei scoffed again and it made me grit my teeth, but I continued anyway. Who needed his opinion.

Well...I supposed I would need to rescind that in a moment. "I want Hiei to follow me during my runs. To poke through people's minds. In fact, I want him to play as an EMT."

Yusuke and Kuwabara both released simultaneous barks of laughter. Kurama was staring at me with his lips slightly parted and eyes wide.

And Hiei...well, I think he was the most stunned of all. He froze completely. You could mistake him as a statue quite easily.

But I wasn't finished, "I want him to find where the next bomb is going to be...and I want to get there first and blow it up myself. After coming up with an excuse to clear all the nearby buildings, of course."

Which, in retrospect, would be kind of suspicious. But it was a risk I had no choice but to take.

"What would that accomplish?" asked Kurama, his brows dipping in obvious confusion.

"Because," I said, "they'll be there too, won't they? Someone will show up to plant it. And I want to be there when they do."

"But why blow it up?" asked Kuwabara.

But it was Hiei who answered, "Smart," he said, the first compliment the man had ever given me. "Not only will we have captured one of their own...but they will have no idea that we have if the bomb still goes off. Not at first. Not if it's played right."

"Exactly," I said with a nod.

"I still don't see why Hiei would have to play pretend," said Yusuke. "Why not any of us, if that's the case?"

"Can you read minds, detective?"

"...No."

"Then that is why."

"Why not just have him follow you then, isn't that enough?" Yusuke asked me, ignoring Hiei's snide remark.

"Because," I said, my eyes turning sharp, "I think one of the people behind this is either working in my field...or that they're a cop. If Hiei is close by, working with whoever it is, there's a good chance he'll pick out the tendril of thought much faster than if he was just scouring the crowds."

"What makes you think they're one of you?"

"This is at least a three person job. One to make the bombs, one to plant them, and one to make sure no one shows up to screw it up. And who is always the first to respond?"

"The cops...or an ambulance."

"Bingo," I said. "No one would think twice if a cop or an EMT or even a fireman was at the scene...even if they happened to be there before anyone else."

"Oh god, you sound like Botan," Yusuke bemoaned and I stared at him funny. Who the hell was Botan?

We talked a while more, solidifying the plan and working out any kinks. Hiei, to my utter shock, was receptive to the idea and added in his own tweaks here and there. When things were finalized we all parted ways, agreeing to meet again in a few day's time to check in.

Of course...even the best laid plans held the potential to go awry.

. . .

I cast a critical gaze across his form—up down, up down. It still didn't look right. But I was sure it was the best I could do considering who he was.

"I look ridiculous," he snapped.

"There isn't much I can do about that," I said, hiding a grin behind my hand.

Hiei and I were at the ambulance station. I'd announced him to my crew as a new recruit and they'd been accepting enough, offering claps on the back in encouragement and words of advice—in which Hiei had snarled and sneered. Everyone knew he was a demon, and were fine with it. One of the reasons I respected my crew so much—none of them were prejudiced. They did their jobs well and didn't let personal opinions get in the way.

Now, we were fitting him into a uniform, and I was loathe to admit that it didn't really look that bad—not that I would tell him that. Hiei had come a long way from the short man that fought against Lord Mukuro in the first demon world tournament.

He shuffled, uncomfortable, and glared at anyone who looked at him too long.

I would put him at average height now, about five feet and five inches. Close to Yusuke, but not quite. His hair was trimmed a little shorter than he'd kept it in the past, but not enough to be all that noticeable. And now, with things the way they were, Hiei kept the jagan uncovered and closed when not in use.

I handed him a stethoscope and a duffel bag full of medical supplies. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What use do I have for this nonsense?"

I suppressed the snarky comment I wished to say and instead said, "You shouldn't have to use them, you just need to play the part, okay?"

He let out a long suffering sigh, as if he hadn't agreed to this and I'd forced him into it, and then tossed the duffel to the floor. He wrapped the stethoscope around his neck, mimicking how I wore mine, and then crouched so he could dig through the bag.

"What are you doing?" I asked, leaning over his shoulder to watch him.

"If I am meant to play a roll and play it well, I should be familiar with the tools, yes?"

My brows rose to my hairline and I nodded appreciatively. At least he planned to take this seriously. So I spent the next half an hour showing him the most basic tools in the bag, how to use them for first aid, and then moved on to some of the more complicated items. He picked things up quick, keeping any snide remarks to himself for once.

It was during my demonstration of inserting an IV that a call came over the scanner.

I listened to the codes, explaining them to Hiei as the dispatcher fired them off. A multi-car pileup in an intersection. What a way to throw the fire demon into the thick of it.

"Ready?" I asked and received a glare as my reply. Alright then.

We reached the scene of the accident in record time, Hiei holding onto the inside of the ambulance's door with a white knuckled grip the entire ride.

It was a four way intersection. Businesses and shops lined the streets on either side and four cars were involved in the accident. I walked to the one closest, seeing there was a child in the backseat. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, a bruise already forming on his forehead where he'd smashed into the back of the front seat. But he was no worse for wear.

As for his parents, however, they were both unconscious.

Hiei wrenched the front door open with his bare hands, tearing the metal and kicking away glass falling from the window. I quickly told him not to move them and he nodded, stepping out of my way.

I checked the vitals on the driver, a male in his late thirties. Human. There were lacerations on his face and chest from the broken windshield. But he was breathing. The airbags knocked him out. He was wearing a seat belt, but would probably have severe bruising on his chest. Perhaps a broken rib. And definite whiplash.

I pulled him from the vehicle, stabilized him, and then Hiei helped me load him onto a waiting stretcher. Shou hooked the man up to an oxygen mask and rushed him to the nearest ambulance.

I moved the vacated front seat forward, so I could help the screaming child clamber out of the wrecked vehicle. He hesitated, tears still streaming down his face, but I gave him a reassuring smile and he took my hand.

I hefted him from the car, handing him over to Hiei. The fire demon gave me a bewildered look, obviously not having the first clue what to do with a child. But he continued to hold onto him and the little boy stopped his screaming at any rate, entranced by Hiei's third eye.

I moved onto the mother. She was not as fortunate as the father. She had not worn a seat belt.

The woman was hanging out of the windshield, covered in blood. A quick check of her vitals told me she wasn't breathing. She was covered in large gashes, from head to torso. I turned to Hiei, "Take him to Momo."

"Who?" he growled and I gestured over towards one of the other cars where Momo was assisting Eric.

Hiei at first was reluctant to take orders from me, but when I began to pull the boy's mother from the wreckage so I could preform CPR, he thought better of it. He returned a second later, stepping from thin air.

I managed to get the woman breathing again, caught beneath Hiei's piercing gaze. He watched my every move. It took much to ignore it.

Other ambulance crews came to help us, some of them I knew and some I didn't. As I worked on the mother, Hiei crouched beside me, jagan open and searching.

But it quickly became apparent that I needed help...and everyone's hands were full.

"Can you read minds and assist me at the same time?"

"Assist you?" he hissed. "Do I look like a goddamn medic?"

In fact he did, currently. Despite his aversion, I grabbed his hand anyway, jerking it forward when he attempted to jerk it back. "Just put your finger here." I sealed his hand over a burst artery, staunching the steady flow of blood from the woman's neck.

"Why not use your powers?" he grumbled, clearly irritated with this turn of events.

"I do not trust myself using them on a human," I replied, cleaning and packing wounds, working with quick hands.

"You lack discipline," he said, a sneer to his tone.

"Just shut up and help me," I snapped.

From then on out Hiei did as I asked, cataloging every piece of information he could. He learned what it really meant to save a life that day. That it was not always about who was strongest or who won the most battles. But it was about who had the mettle to fight the hardest, not always in a physical sense.

Some good came of the day at least, in the aftermath, when the parents were taken to the closest hospital, Hiei and I heralding the mother's entrance, staying the death that tried so desperately to claim her. With blood still on our hands, Hiei turned to me as the mother was wheeled away to surgery, and said, "I've found him."

He pointed one bloody finger towards a young recruit tagging along with one of the police's units. They were still milling about asking questions of the EMTs and the other's involved in the accident that had made it out mostly unscathed.

"He doesn't look remarkable," I said, frowning.

"That's the point," Hiei replied. "Do you think he wants to stand out?"

The way he said it was designed to make me feel stupid, but I just pursed my lips. A cold anger snaked beneath my skin.

He was a cop, a fellow member meant to serve and protect. We were sworn to save lives, not take them.

There was no justice to be had here. He was nothing other than a traitor hiding beneath the guise of safety. Of protection.

I would not accept this.

And even as I reached my hand into my pocket, running my thumb over the smooth surface of my bottle, I knew I would do whatever it took to stop this senseless loss of life.

I would never let them take from anyone else...what was once so brutally torn from me.

. . .

A/N: Making Hiei an "EMT" had me giggling like a little girl through writing this xD And Ettie has some deep, not-so-hidden trauma if you didn't notice.

So I have been very busy recently. Not much time at all to write. I'm very late with Ticking Timebomb and I apologize to those that read that as well, chapter 61 is coming please be patient. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this update!