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Also: CAUTION so those who are easily squirmy, while there's no real gore in this chapter there are some dark themes that show up here. though, I would still try to read it seeing as it is very important to the story.

Enjoy! F&R


Chapter Six: Informed

Chaos Blend was teaming with customers. Smoke drifted through the air like a fog bank, causing eyes to sting and noses to twitch. The lights were low, amber in color, and energy pulsed through the air like music would have in a club.

Demonic energy.

I slouched, curling my back forward, black wings hanging limply across my back as I took a sip of whiskey and tonic, mixed with just a bit of some demonic drink simply known as Shoots. The drink burned, even more so then the smoke in the air, but it was a type of burn I had grown to like over the years. Slowly, as to play the part of a common city girl – I lifted a clawed hand and waved at the waiter – a large man with cat ears and a tail, half of one ear gone – and signaled for another drink.

I had learned long ago that demonic bars in some of the bigger cities of Demon World were some of the best places to pick up hints and clues when it came to my job. Using Kuronue's powers to that of 90% not only gave me the complete look of a demon, but pretty much left no sign of my spirit energy or human smell.

My drink skidded across the bar top – reminding me of an old western movie – and I reached a hand out, stopping it and taking another gulp. It was the day after Saitō had shown up at my apartment, and after calling it in, Koenma – or rather the new captain of the SDF who had picked Saitō up – had told me it was time to get back to work. He'd given me all the time he could to ease back into life and mourn the lose of my teacher, but rebel hideouts didn't find themselves.

Demons, and even more so the ones who thought they had it made, tended to flap their mouths a bit when it was loosened by liquor. So now all I had to do was sit around, keep my ears open and wait for someone to boast about something they should be keeping quiet.

I traced the rim of my new drink, figuring I should bide my time. Demons didn't loose it as fast as humans, but I didn't want it effecting my work. Still, I had to remain one of the crowd, and drinking was the best way to fit in at a bar.

"Demons can never just be happy with the way things are, can they?" I thought irritated. It had hardly been three months since the new king had come into power and rules had been set, yet demons were grouping up and planning a revolt.

"As if humans are ever any different."

I sighed, knowing he was right. In the end, demons and humans were hardly that different.

"Yeah, the leader's planning something big."

I perked slightly, hearing the words to my right and slid my eyes over to look. It was a pale demon that had spoken; his skin paper-like and his teeth sharp and uncovered from the lack of lips. His hair was green, pulled back messily by a leather wrap as he leaned on a table talking with a few other demons.

"We're getting really close to having enough followers to start something." The demon raised his glass. "Soon enough we'll be dining on human again, I tell you."

"Ah… and we have a winner," Kuronue muttered and I grimaced.

"Oh goodie…" I sighed. I was tired enough as it was. Last night had been stressful even without Saitō's sudden appearance. The evening had been all about meeting the family of my boyfriend – something I was sure no one ever enjoyed doing, no matter who they were. It had been… an interesting night at the restaurant, filled with me easily spouting the same lies I had used with everyone two years ago. Only this time I wasn't an exchange student, I had simply finished school and had missed it over here. I was working for a… law firm and my parents were still over in America. I knew my lines well, too well, and Kurama – or Shuichi – had played along easily. By the end of it they seemed alright with me, though I was pretty sure Shiori was just ecstatic that her son had taken an interest in someone – I probably could have been bald, blind and ditsy and still have been on her good side.

"Well, then, let's get to it."

I took in a deep breath before reaching up and undoing the front part of my hair, slipping the clip into my boot and running my fingers through my hair. For a moment I was quiet, thinking things over before I nodded my head – no time to think too much about it; I had done this before, I knew what I was doing. Grabbing my glass, I gulped back the last of the drink, letting the burn distract me as I threw down some coin for my drinks and headed out.

As I headed towards the door I took the long way, passing right in front of the demon I was targeting. As I passed I let my hair cast over my eyes and made eye contact with the demon. He blinked, flinching in surprise before simply staring. That was all it took and I was off, shifting my gaze and leaving the bar at an even pace.

The lure had been cast, now I just had to wait for him to take the bait.

Leaving the alleyway that the entrance was located in, I crossed my arms in front of me. As I waked slowly down the street, avoiding any other demons, it didn't take me long to pick up the sound of footsteps behind me. I didn't even have to look to know the lipless demon was following.

Why were men so… predictable?

I continued walking, never stopping or changing my pace as I left the main part of the city that had once been Yomi's base of operations. Some day, it might still be that, but with the former demon lord off somewhere with his test tube son, only the fates knew when that might happen.

As I climbed the hill of sandy grassland outside the city I watch the lightening dance in the purple black sky, tracing the sharp lines. Once I had reached the top, I stopped, letting my arms fall to my side. The demon's footsteps got louder and he grunted slightly, taking the final steps to make it up the steep slope. He grumbled under his breath, stopping to my left and eyeing me. I simply tilted my head and smiled.

"So what, you want a way into the resistance?" He grumbled and I was a tad surprised. This demon was sharper then I had thought for some one who had the form of a lower class. Some how, even without lips, I knew he was smirking at my reaction. "You're good, I'll give you that, singling one person out so easily, but that look in your eyes, I'm rather sure you're not interested in spending the night with me." He looked me up and down, sighing. "Which is too bad really… bat demons are so reclusive." Shaking his head, his large black eyes came back to my face. "That aside, this has to be a business call out."

"Smarter then you look," I muttered, which he snorted at. I hadn't intended to go this route, but I easily could. "Then yes, I am wondering about how to get in. the stupid 'replacement' supplements they give us now are like eating glue. I want my old life back."

I had to do quite a bit of homework before doing this mission. Spending the last two years in isolation had left me a bit behind in things that had been happening. Since the One King had been named and the barrier had been taken down, consuming humans was outlawed. The market on them had completely collapsed, and the ban on owning and eating them was one of the reasons demons were so unhappy. A large portion of demons lived off of humans, including all three of the former kings. So, to make sure demons didn't starve to death, a supplement was created that gave demons the same …nourishment that they needed from humans that could easily be put into any food or liquid.

Safe to say I had skipped over just what it was that that could only be found in humans – that was just a bit too creepy for my taste.

The demon nodded his head. "I hear you there. Fuckers will have us bowing to our food if this keeps up." Food. I scowled to myself; I hated how demons thought of humans as nothing more then sustenance most of the time.

It was sick. At least we thought of animals as living creatures.

"Probably," I said coolly, shaking my head slightly to move hair from my eyes. I missed my clip already. "So, what's your name? I'm Izzy." Using my name completely would be a mistake. Even if people didn't know the Soul Detective by name, it was best to use aliases in Demon World.

"Kuro." He nodded once. "I would have to talk to the boss, and he's often gone."

"What's his name? Maybe I could track him down. I have connections all over demon world." Those "connections" being the son of Rizen (if we ever figured out where he went), Yomi's ex-general, and Mukuro's heir… plus Spirit World forces, give or take a few ogres.

Kuro raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Sorry, but I have orders not to give out anything important till you're an official member. Hell you have to be pretty high up to even talk to him."

I tilted my head, smirking. "And you are?"

Kuro puffed his chest, his grinning rows of teeth reminding me of a cartoon shark. "Was ranked up last week after a mission went well. "

I surveyed him for a moment, briefly feeling a bit bad to be the one who would be bursting his bubble. Thankfully, it only lasted a moment.

I walked a few steps closer to the demon smiling easily. "Good." I muttered and Kuro looked a bit confused. He only got a moment though, for a band on my arm lite up with runes at a mental command and sprung to life. Kuro breathed out, startled and moving to get away, but it was too late as the long piece of cloth leapt from my arm to him, wrapping around him in almost a hug, pinning his arms to his sides.

I crouched quickly, throwing my leg out and kicking his out from under him in moments. Kuro snarled as another armband attached to his legs as he fell, and I watched, slightly amused, as he went rolling down the other side of the hill, snarling and cursing as he went.

"Kind of wish I had a camera…"

"…You're becoming more twisted everyday…"

I snickered, walking down the hill and coming to a stop where Kuro lay face down on the ground. I paused, waiting a moment to see if he had some hidden power, but my binds had stopped him in his tracks it would seem. Slowly, I lifted a combat booted foot and rolled him over.

I was met with a searing black gaze of hate. I didn't flinch; I just tilted my head, smirking. "Why don't we try this again?" I asked, and he growled.

"Who are you? What the hell do you want?"

I crouched next to him, my fore arms resting on my knee. "I'm the girl you underestimated, and why I'm here hasn't changed… I still want info on your boss… and everything else."

Kuro snarled again, his jaw opening wide and he jerked his head. Suddenly, he was showing all of his teeth, all four rows of them, as his jaw seemed to unhinge and he took a snap at my nearby leg. I flinched, jerking away, his front teeth scrapping the skin as it got out of range. Narrowing my eyes, I quelled the anger that burned through me. Instead my hand fisted, and in one swift moment I smashed it into his face sending it to the other side with a crack. Kuro groaned, spitting up blood.

"Don't make this any worse for yourself. Trust me, I will get the information from you. " I relaxed my hand, energy shivering around it like see-through oil. Kuro stared at it for a moment, grimacing.

"You're a shadow user then…" He took in a deep breath. "Too bad for you though, I'm not weak. Your little illusion tricks won't do anything to me. My leader could wipe the ground with you…"

I raised my eyebrow surprised, and Kuronue chuckled in the back of my mind. "Where on earth did you get the idea that shadow demons used illusion..?" I muttered, making him tense. "I mean, yeah, I can see though them if I know to look for them, but…" I smirked, leaning forward slightly. "I assure you, everything that I do, is real, and normally… its permit."

"You're lying, you bitch," he snapped, his eyes livid, his muscles straining at my charmed fabric. I sighed, reaching out a hand.

"Shall I show you then?" I asked, though I didn't wait for an answer. Tapping into more of Kuronue's power, I took his silent suggestion, using what I knew about demon biology. "For instance, I happen to know that…" I moved my hand, my fingers slipping behind his ear and very gently tracing the edge. Kuro tensed and then shivered. "I know that a demon like you would have a lot of nerve endings back here. Makes certain activities quiet fun, so I've been told. But, you see, with my powers I can change that." Again energy swam down my hand, glowing ever so slightly as I whispered, "Tenebrae tangimus(1)." With that I lifted my hand drawing it back to where it had started. "Now, this time, when I move my hand," I said easily, "You'll regret not just telling me."

I moved my hand, just as before, light and swift, but instead of a shiver and a gasp, Kuro screamed. I clenched my muscles to keep from flinching away and covering my ears as the demon howled in agony that I had been told was like being skinned alive. I swallowed, pushing back the feeling of remorse that came with using such a power. This was necessary to do my job.

After a couple of minutes Kuro's screams stopped and he panted, his face drenched in sweat. "What… did you…do?" He gasped, his fingers digging into the dirt. I frowned, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I stayed crouched.

"My shadows rewrote your brain's response to being touched there. Instead of pleasure, you feel agony." My explanation was calm, and he stared at me with terrified eyes, quite different from what they had been minutes ago. "If you don't answer my questions… I'll leave you like this." I warned.

I saw the demon swallow, his eyes flying around the area. Sadly for him, we were the only ones around. A person screaming wasn't out of the norm here in Demon World

"Okay… alright, I'll tell you what you want."

I smiled. "Good. Now then, let's start with something easy; who leads the rebels?" I waited a moment, and when he paused I lifted a hand and he flinched.

"J-Jiro." He sputtered, and I put my hand back down. "His name is Jiro, he's an A class illusion demon."

That explained his remark from earlier. "Alright. Now, why don't you tell me, what's been going on, hm?" As I spoke, demonic energy pricked at my mind and I shifted my gaze to the far off tree edge. Recognizing it, I went back to business.

"I'm not sure…" He muttered, and tensed again when I narrowed my eyes. "He hasn't told us everything!" He pleaded.

"Then tell me what you do know."

"He's planning something against Spirit World. Last week a few of us helped some of his personal guard sneak through the barrier."

I tensed, eyes narrowing again as I thought about his words, thought about how many days it had been since the attack at the ranch. About a week? No… surely there was no way this was connected to me.

"Why?" I snapped. Kuro clenched his teeth, eyeing me before slowly he spoke again. "He said he was sending them to take down some of Koenma's top agents, but, it fell through, only one came back and apparently a girl escaped."

Shocked, I had to stand, taking a step back as I lost my balance, the images from that day coming back in flashes. What had that demon said? That he had found me?

"This is…"

"Izumi, calm down. We'll figure this out."

"But how… how did they…"

"We'll figure it out. Later."

I took a deep breath, looking back at Kuro before taking a step forward to my original spot. He was eyeing me with wary curiosity, waiting for me to snap and kill him most likely.

"Alright then…" I muttered, "How did you get through?"

Kuro looked around, as if he could find a way out that wasn't there before. When he found none, he spoke. "Jiro has a spy inside the Patrol Force… I don't remember his name…"

I eyed him, searching his face and finding no lie there. After a moment I sighed and looked back at the trees. I twitched, the energy no longer there, but suddenly right next to me. I stepped to the side slightly as Hiei walked closer, and Kuro seemed to loose all hope.

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled at the fire demon. Hiei didn't look at me as his third eye opened up, glowing its eerie blue.

"Coming back from a meeting with the king." He muttered. "Heard the scream." He sounded pleased, and if I hadn't known him as well as I did, I might have been worried for my own safety. I sighed, rubbing my neck.

"So, think you can dig through his head to find your mole?" I asked, amused as Kuro struggled with new determination. Hiei said nothing and simply stepped closer before his red eyes closed. After a moment Kuro stilled, his eyes going blank as Hiei burrowed into his memories.

I used my small reprieve to try and gather my thoughts as I reached down into my boot and retrieved my hairclip. Pulling the annoying strands of hair that always got in my face back over my scalp, I clipped them back in place.

How was this all connected to me? No, not just to me, but probably my master as well. Why would the rebels think it was important to go after us? I needed to know. I needed more answers, and that meant only one thing.

I would have to go back to the ranch and look for clues from the battle remains.

The sound of Kuro gasping drew me back, and I looked at Hiei as his Jagan closed and he nodded. "I know who helped them. He wasn't a loser in the tournament, but signed up for patrol all the same. Nh, should have realized something about that was odd." He crossed his arms, turning to face me. "I also have the location of their base, though it would seem they move frequently. Right now, they're in a cave system south of Rizen's old domain."

"Alright, I'll inform Koenma. Thanks."

"Nh."

Kuro gasped again, cursing slightly as he panted and I looked over to him only to find his gaze hollow. "I had heard Spirit World had a cruelty to it. Never occurred to me that they'd send demons after their own."

Hiei simply sniffed and I frowned, thinking about his words and realizing I had thought much the same of demons in my first years of being Soul Detective. Slowly, I took up my crouched spot next to him again and he just stared at me.

"The world is cruel," I muttered reaching forward my hand glowing. "The only thing that sets people apart is whether they are devoured by it, revel in it, or except it." I touched the demon's forehead and my energy flickered over his skull, reversing my alteration. "That is the simplest truth of this world."

Kuro looked at me, his eyes unsteady as I stood and called back my armbands. They glowed again, and then unwound, jumping from the grounded demon back to my arms.

I looked to Hiei and nodded my head at Kuro. "The effects of my binding shadows won't completely wear off for a bit, so I'll leave his fate to you."

Hiei grunted, and I took that as an end to our conversation and turned to leave. "Woman." He grumbled and I paused at his voice. "Don't be stupid."

I snorted, waving him off before simply taking off, running to the top of the hill and pushing up. Jumping and unfurrowing my wings, I glided away from the scene.

When next I landed, I would be at the ranch.


Izumi's Play list: Short Change Hero by The Heavy

(1)Latin for: Dark Touch