And I'm back! sort of...

My friend has agreed to look over chapters till i find a new beta reader... WHICH I CANT FIND.

So long story short, until said bate can be found, updates will be random do to it being at the mercy of my friend.

ANYWAY

Thank you to Verry-chan, COunting Sinful Stars, Guest and andhewillneverknow, for your reviews.

Now go and enjoy your new chapter! R&F

D.R.O.H


Chapter Two: Numb

I hadn't been able to get to Spirit World.

I wasn't sure why, but the concentration needed to turn into spirit form hadn't been reachable. It might have been the pain, or it might have been the panic I felt. Either way, I hadn't gotten there, and the communicator still wasn't working.

Knowing that going back to the ranch was a hopeless idea, I headed back towards the city of Tokyo.

When I reached it four hours later it was pouring down rain. Unable to stay in the air I landed near the park and withdrew Kuronue's power for the time being. Then I started walking. I wasn't even sure where I should go. The rain quickly soaked me to the bone making the burn on my shoulder sting even more as it cooled and blood mixed with rain and cascaded down my arm and off my fingers like a spout.

I couldn't think straight. All I could see was Kyo being hit by that demon, watching the blood splatter to the ground. Then what had I done? I had run. Saito had ordered me away and I had done it in habit. I always followed an order. That was why I was a good asset.

How could I leave them behind though?

I was a coward. For all the bravery people said I had, I had run and left the ones close to me to die. Slowly, I sat down on a bench near one of the entrances to the park and stared at the ground, watching as puddles reflected images that were broken over and over with every drop of rain that hit. I couldn't seem to grasp at anything. I couldn't even get a hold of Koenma. My communicator was broken, there was no use trying again. Useless. I was useless.

"I'm sure they'll be fine Izumi. Neither of them are weak or reckless."

I didn't answer him. I wasn't sure how to reply. I knew I should have been cold in this rain but I didn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything.

"Izumi please… you'll get sick if you stay out here like this."

"And go where Kuronue? The keys to my apartment were at the ranch. Everything was there." I knew I could probably pick the lock; I had done such a thing many times. Or I could go to Kurama's, he would help me. Even so, for some reason I couldn't seem to find it in me to move. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're in shock."

Shock? That didn't make much sense to me. I had certainly seen worse things in my life than this. How could I be in shock? A shiver racked my body and I bit my lip closing my eyes shut against the rain. How had any of this happened?

Some where in the distances of my thoughts I heard music and realized I never turned off my MP3 player, and that my headphones were still around my neck. Some how they have survived intact and continued to play my music on a repeat cycle. I tried to listen to the music, if only to distract myself, but I couldn't seem to focus on it. I caught a few words, a line: '…Tell the world that I'm coming home…' but couldn't seem recall the band or the title.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, but after a while the rain suddenly stopped hitting me, though I could still hear it pounding on the ground. Had I truly lost all feeling then? Opening my eyes I frowned looking up to see an umbrella.

"Hey there, didn't think I'd be seeing you for a little time yet." I recognized the voice, but was unable to place it until I looked up at the person holding the umbrella. Her light brown hair had been pulled back for once and she had what looked like grocery bags in her left hand. Shizuru's face was calm like every time I had ever seen it, and for once I didn't see a cigarette in her mouth or hand, though I guess that wouldn't go well, given the rain. She regarded me silently for a moment and when I didn't replay she crouched to come eye level with me. "What are you doing out here kid?"

It was almost a laughable statement; I was rather sure we were close in age - though she had no clue of that. I shifted a bit, my eyes landing back on the ground as I formed words.

"Something happened…" It was hardly an explanation, but I had a hard time trying to put into words what I had seen. The young women 'humph'ed, her eyes trailing over me before stopping on my shoulder, where they widened slightly. The shirt I wore was black with white sleeves, but my injured shoulder was only partly covered thanks to the melted fibers. I was rather sure the fabric was also stained red with blood that not even the rain had been able to wash away.

"You're hurt." It was rhetorically, but I nodded my head slightly anyways. "Something bad happened then?" Her questions were simple and I nodded again. "You need to get that treated. You're a smart girl Izumi, why haven't you gone too red's?" Her voice was soft for once, and it took me a moment to realize she must have been talking about Kurama. I shook my head slightly.

"I thought about it. Then I realized that wasn't an option. Showing up on his family's porch like this would be odd enough on it's own, but they don't even know who I am." I hadn't really thought about it, but as I spoke my own words made sense. Shizuru seemed to understand too.

"Good point." She stood up and the next thing I knew she was pulling me up by my uninjured arm. I looked at her slightly confused but she simply rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to just leave you out here. Come on, you're coming home with me. I'll have my bro call Kurama for you."

I wasn't sure how I felt about any of it; I hated how hollow I felt. I hated how I wasn't use to this type of loss yet – surely I was by now. Useless. The word was a hiss in my brain and I felt Kuronue flinch at it.

We walked mostly in silence, her hand never left my arm as she practically dragged me down the street and to an apartment complex. We took the elevator, which I found myself envying just slightly. How many times had I wished for one when climbing those stairs up to the ranch? The ranch... every thought went back to that moment. I watched the numbers climb up to six before the doors reopened with a ding and we stepped out. I was glad she didn't question me, for I wasn't sure how I would explain it. I was sure at some point I would have to though, but for now I just let my mind remain blank. We stopped in front of a door labeled '613' and she took out a key, opening it before stepping in side.

I followed suit as she took off her shoes, though getting off knee high combat boots took a bit more time then her slip on work shoes. Once we were in the main room - a room I remember from the night after facing the doctor at the hospital - Shizuru set down her bags and collapsed umbrella.

"Kuzuma, get your rear out here! We have a guest."

I found myself smiling slightly. The interaction between brother and sister was something I had known well a long time ago, and such things never faded. A door opened somewhere deeper in the home and heavy footfalls followed at the carrot-top appeared around the corner.

"Geez sis, what's the- Izumi?" I gave his surprised expression a watery smile. His eyes ranked over me much like his sister had before he quickly walked over to us. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Does she look alright bro? Honestly…" The brunt shook her hair. "I'm going to try and get her a little cleaned up, she's pretty banged up. I need you to call Kurama for me, tell him she's here and hurt. See if he has any miracle plant stuff for burns. Looks like she has a pretty bad one." Kuwabara nodded his head still giving me a worried look.

"Yeah okay. I'll call him right away." The boy turned on his heels and headed into the kitchen where a phone hung on the near wall. I didn't get to watch him dial it, as my arm was tugged forward again and I was led down the hall and into a small, light blue bathroom. I was instructed to sit on the counter and so did do as the women opened a cabinet and rummaged around in it.

"Let's take those off for now." She lifted the headphones off my head and I carefully dug the player from my pocket and hand it to her. "This is nice, it is one of the new ones right?"

I nodded my head slight. "Kurama gave it to me for Christmas last year…"

"Ah, should have guessed. He is spoiling you." There was a smirk in her voice as she sets the player and headphones on the counter. "You must have gotten something really good for your birthday." She waits for an answer but I can't give her one. Kurama had never known my birthday, I had not been sure whether to give him the fake one I used, or the one I really had, and in the end I had just never said anything. "Can you get out of that shirt, or should we just cut it apart?"

She was pointing to my shirt, it was ruined, I knew that much, but I didn't feel like having scissors that close to my skin. Slowly I grabbed the bottom of my shirt with both hands and pulled upward and over, turning it inside out as it was stripped from my body. My arm screamed in protest and I grimaced slightly but easily throw it into the bathtub across the way.

"No need to be so rough," she muttered raising an eyebrow. I looked her in the eyes and frowned.

"I've had much worse." I wondered off hand as those words left my mouth what I was hoping to get from saying that. I didn't want pity; I wasn't sure why I had said it. Maybe I had hoped it to be a comfort? I frowned, wondering if all of these thoughts I was having were the result of shock or just the fact that I was slowly, but surely, losing my mind. Shizuru scanned over my exposed skin, her lips becoming a line.

"I can tell." Her voice was held at an even tone, but I knew she was surprised, I knew what she saw of course. My skin was pale thanks to my Caucasian bloodline. Whether it was because of that or because of something else, it had always scared easily. I was no Spirit Detective, but that didn't mean I hadn't seen combat before the demon portal crises had started. Most of my bad wounds had been treated quickly and Kyo had used his time powers to reverse the wounds. If they had been minor I hadn't bothered or if they had been left alone too long, there was little point.

There were many scares on my body, most of which were small and simply just raised, puckered skin that one only saw if you were looking closely. There were those that were more visible though, ones that had healed red or purple in scar tissue. The one on my upper right arm where a wolf demon had bit me, the patch of discolored skin on my left side where a hand that been. The one I hated most was the recent one though, the one that went from right shoulder to below my caller bone, the one that Sensui had given me. I should have counted myself lucky that it hadn't cut all the way though, but I was ashamed that I had been put in such a position to begin with.

"Guess this explains all the long sleeved shirts." Her tone was slightly humorous and I blinked looking at the older women who smirked slightly before leaning forward to look at the burn. "You're certainly a fighter kid. Who says only men had take a hit! Humph, they need to meet you." I smiled slightly at her abrasive words.

"I doubt you go down very easily either."

"Course not. Who do you think toughened up my little brother? Certainly not our parents." Now that she mentioned it, I wasn't sure I had even seen their folks before. It was possible they worked all hours of the day, but I had a feeling the siblings had either moved out, or they were on their own. Whatever the case, it wasn't any of my business. "I hope that fox of yours had something for this; I'm not sure what to do for you." She tapped her chin. "Normally ice is good for pain, but you don't want to suffocate burns, it will just make them harder to deal with. Maybe a spray bottle? Keep it cool at least."

"It's okay, the rain didn't really help before so…" I tried not the think about the title 'my fox' too much, as Kuronue was already growling quietly in the back of my mind. He had been quiet since she had shown up, probably to give me some space, but that didn't mean he didn't hear everything.

"Kuronue… put a sock in it…"

"Too bad, I don't wear socks."

I sighed and was about to replay when I heard the front door open. Shizuru stopped and looked into the hall way as some voices were heard and then some quiet footsteps approached. Kurama appeared in the door way moments later, damp and slightly breathless. Shizuru raised her eyebrows and looked to me as I sat there calmly with nothing but a bra on and lifted a hand a wave slightly.

"You could at least look embarrassed…"

"Why? Kuronue you have seen me butt naked for years, I have no dignity left to feel shy about it."

"…hnn"

"Izumi." Kurama muttered, sighing as his eyes flashed over me and then zeroed in on my burnt shoulder. He turned, and looked at Shizuru "Thanks for looking after her, I'll take it from here."

The brunet shrugged her shoulders and turned to the exit.

"Fine with me, I need a cigarette any way."

Once she was gone, Kurama took her place and looked at the wound more carefully. After he had assessed it completely he sighed and then, quite suddenly, pulled me into a tight hug. I was a bit stunned honestly, and just sat there for a bit before slowly letting my chin drop onto his shoulder. After two years, he still smelled like he always had - of the forest and spice. I closed my eyes tightly and bit my lip. Two years, and we were finally together again.

"You scared me to death," he muttered, running a hand over my wet hair. "This was the last thing I had expected to get a call about tonight." He pulled back and looked me over again, his figures trailing over my arms. "You're shaking… are you cold?"

I hadn't even realized I was trembling, but sure enough as I looked down, my hands trembled where they lay in my lap.

"I…yeah I guess."

"Alright. I'll finish this up quickly so you can get covered up again." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small container, one that might have been used for lotion at some point. "This will help with the burn. It's from a plant found in Demon World, one of the ones I tended to keep with me at all times even back before this life." His smirk widened at my confused look. "Sometimes traps explode if you trigger them on a heist. Some even shoot fire."

"Ah, he's right. Quite a few of our gang got singed once in a while."

I nodded my head and watched as he popped the lid off and started spreading yellowish goo on to the burn. I had expected it to sting like the rain had, but what I felt was a sudden tingle and chill, like eating a breath mint.

"This is pretty bad." He noted, fishing for an explanation. I lip my lip and looked back down at my lap. When I didn't reply he paused. "Izumi?" I shook my head. After a moment he sighed slightly and got back to work. Once he'd finished he put a patch of gauze on the area and tapped it on. "There, that should get things back in order."

I nodded my head again, a bit reflexively and he reached out to brushed my hair out of my eyes. I must have lost my clip at some point, I noted.

"You're going to have to tell us what happened." He watched me carefully as I thought about his words, but I had little to think about. I already knew I needed to say something.

"I know."

There was a knock on the doorframe moments later and I looked up to see Shizuru again, this time with a bundle of cloth in her hands.

"These are some of my old clothes, they should fit okay. You need to get out of those rain soaked ones before you get sick." She nods to the counter I am sitting on. "There is a hair drier under the sink."

I gave her a small smile. "Thank you." I took the bundle and found it soft between my fingers. When I looked to Kurama I tilted my head and nodded to the door. "I will be out in a minute."

"Alright." He stuffed the jar back into his pocket and followed Shizuru back out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Once I heard their foot steps fade I set to work. I peeled off my socks and undid the belt to my jeans, letting them drop to the floor. I took out the hair drier and set to drying my undergarments the best I can, unable to stand wet underwear.

"Izumi if things are too hard for you, maybe you can tell them later?"

I shook my head and, once I was sure they were dry, pulled back on my garments.

"They need to know. Maybe they can contact Koenma and get him to send someone to the ranch."

"I guess…"

We both knew there was little hope by now though. I continued dressing, pulling on what seemed to be an old sweats set in dark green and a plain black t-shirt, as I heard the murmuring of voices beyond the door. I zipped the jacket up all the way and then turned back on the drier to work at my hair. Because it was so long, it took a lot longer then I wanted to wait, so I simply got it to the point where it was mostly dry and put everything away.

I took my last glance at the mirror, pulled Kuronue's pendant out to lie on top, and opened the door. I followed the path I had taken to get to the bathroom, the murmur of voices getting louder with each step I took. When I entered the main room, all three pairs of eyes came to rest on me and I shifted slightly before walking over. The siblings were both sitting in armchairs across from the couch I went to, where Kurama sat.

I looked at the red head for a moment and he gave me a gentle smile, but it did nothing for the knots in my gut. Still, I knew I needed to say something, if I were to get started with explaining anything.

"I might need your help explain some of what we saw."

"No problem."

The pendant at my neck glowed red and moments later the translucent figure of the bat demon sat next to me, floating ever so slightly above the couch. The Siblings looked startled for a moment, but Kurama merely nods at his old friend. I took a deep breath.

"I need to tell you how I got to be here. But first one of you needs to contact Spirit World, I wasn't suppose to be back till next week, but something… something bad happened…"

By then I had caught everyone's attention and with Kuronue's help, I told them what had transpired at the ranch hours ago. They were confused and surprised, but I tried to answer their questions so they would understand. I just hoped by the end of it, that I would understand why it came to be as well.


Something new I'm doing: instead of waiting till the end of the story for you guys to find out what gave me inspiration, for chapters, i'll be posting a 'playlist song' at the end of each chapter.

Ff you listen to the songs, you'll understand why they matter!

Izumi's playlist Song: Deteriorate by Demon Hunter