Kai stands at the entrance to an old decrepit shrine. The statues of knights that protect the entrance had lost pieces of themselves over time. A sword was chipped away from one, another lost a part of his armor, both were covered in moss. There was a poor attempt at a 'do not enter' sign to scare away unwelcome guests. Thankfully, this shrine was out of the way for most humans, and those that stumbled upon it usually gave it no mind.

But Kai wasn't like most humans. He had a reason for being here, even if he'd rather be back in his office and looking through the papers that had been cast upon his desk. He looked through them so many times, trying to find a single clue that would help him solve this mystery. And that clue led him here.

To Ren Suzugamori's shrine.

The man lets out a sigh. Standing out here would get him nowhere. So, he takes in a breath and walks past the statues. He hates that sudden chilly feeling that passes over him. It's an odd sensation that makes his body shiver. He could never properly explain it. The closest he could get was the feeling of crossing into a dimension where he shouldn't be.

After that feeling passes, Kai looks at his surroundings. The pathway leading up to the shrine had been cleaned and the shrine itself looked as if it were just built yesterday. If he were to look back at the statues, he would see them in their full original form.

He assumes the only reason that this place is well kept is thanks to the guardian assigned to him. Unlike most guardians, Asaka was known for liking the youkai she watched over. She would do nearly anything for Ren. Why? He never understood her reasoning and didn't bother to ask when seeing her love-struck. But thanks to her, Ren always had someone monitoring him.

As he steps towards the shrine, he expects to see one of them here. Asaka might be inside, but she could have sensed him when he walked through that barrier. Ren was usually perched on the stairs leading into his shrine, lazing around and sleeping without a care in the world. It was hard to imagine that both were absent.

"Kai."

His name is whispered into his ear, he feels the cool breath of another on his skin. Arms wrap around his neck and he catches sight of red hair. The spirit behind him places his head against his, letting his body lean onto Kai's.

"You came here for a visit!" Ren chirps. "I knew you'd come back, eventually."

"I'm not here for a friendly visit."

Kai doesn't need to turn his head and catch him pouting. Ren lingers on him a little longer before releasing him from his hold. He walks past him to sit at the highest step of his shrine. He bends his knee to rest his arm on it and looks to the human before him.

"If you're not here for a friendly visit, then to what do I owe this honor?"

"You of all people should know why I'm here."

"Sorry, but I don't think I qualify as a person."

"Ren," he hisses out his name. The spirit only shrugs in response, waiting for an explanation. "Humans are disappearing."

"And that should concern me, why?"

"In all of their files, they were last seen coming to your shrine. If not they mentioned it beforehand. Most would brush it off, but those that know of your existence are suspecting you."

"But you don't think I'm responsible for that, do you, Kai?" He asks with a playful grin. "If I wanted to keep a batch of humans all to myself, I wouldn't make such an obvious show of it. Especially since I know they'd send you to hunt me down. You wouldn't even need to look at those silly case files when it comes to me, hm?"

He knew how Ren worked, and he wasn't sure if that was good or not. Out of all the spirits he had come in contact with, Ren was one that kept showing up, a little too much for his liking.

"So, you're here to investigate the area." Ren states as he gets to his feet. "Don't you think I would know if someone was messing with my domain?"

"I would hope so."

Ren hops down the steps, easily landing on the ground. His red eyes shine as they look past Kai. They have an eerie glow to them, and Kai can feel something stirring within this contained domain.

"Hm." He hums and frowns. "I suppose they've done their research on me. I can't make out their forms, though I can sense traces of the same youkai and human passing here."

"Are you positive?"

"Would I ever lie to you?"

Kai crosses his arms. That was…unusual. Being able to see spirits was a rarity and working together with them? Even more so if this were the case. He didn't want to jump to conclusions on it yet, but now he had something to work with. Even with Ren's word, he would still have to investigate the area and find a hint at who and what was daring to pin the blame on Ren.

"Are you going to leave without saying thank you?" Ren huffs as Kai had turned towards the entrance. The spirit makes himself appear before him, blocking his path. "Don't you want to stay a little longer?"

"I have work to do."

"Then let me come with you."

"No."

Ren smiles to that response. He moves and clings onto Kai's arm.

"Don't you think to combat a youaki and human team, we should form one ourselves? Besides, I think I have the sudden interest in clearing my name. It would be such a hassle to visit you, to have the other humans try to shoo me out."

Kai rolls his eyes. Even if he tries to wiggle his arm free, Ren won't let go. There's always the option of force. But he didn't want to use that against him.

"Fine," he sighs out.

Perhaps working with Ren would prove to be useful…or so he hopes.