The park they settled in after the show wasn't crowded yet and Kuruma bought ice cream for them. Hiei was impressed with human sweets at least, and ate his cone silently, but happily. Keiko ate hers as she and Kuruma discussed why the film was not destined to be a hit and why the army men should have been eaten, with an occasional comment from Hiei on the matter. As Keiko was finishing the last of her cone the redhead lay back, smiling at the murmurs from the tree above them.
"Wanna climb?" He asked suddenly, sitting up with mischief glinting in his green eyes. Keiko and Hiei blinked, brought out of their discussion on ice cream flavors, and the fire demon raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, it'll be fun..." The fox grinned.
"I don't think I could even make it to the first branch..." Keiko murmured, glad she'd worn pants.
"We'll help, hurry, before more people show up..." And then Kuruma was in the tree, nothing but a blur of motion signaling it. Hiei sighed.
"Stupid fox," He murmured, but there was a hint of affection in the tone. Smirking the fire demon followed, they both reached to grasp Keiko's arms and pull her into the first branches. From there, much to the demons' delight, the girl moved deftly higher, followed by the males who carefully tracked her.
They settled when they reached the higher branches; Keiko looped her arms over a limb at face level and laid her cheek on it, sitting on a sturdier branch, watching the squirrels in a nearby tree squeak at them. Kuruma lay on his stomach on a limb above her and Hiei was leaning with his back against the main trunk just to Keiko's side.
"I haven't done this in years, not since I broke my arm..." The brunette girl murmured. "Yusuke and I went climbing, I lost my grip and fell...we had to walk all the way back with my arm broken. He wouldn't go climbing with me after that..."
"You and Yusuke seem close..." Kuruma said smiling lightly.
"We are, or at least we were, we were best friends, now...I feel like he's pulling away from me..." Keiko sighed, eyes distant. Commotion below them made them look down. A small crowd seemed to be gathering. "I wonder what..."
The tree suddenly shook and Keiko yelped, wrapping her arms more tightly around the branch.
"I can cut this tree down just by punching it! Watch!" A gruff voice below started. Everything shook as the man hit the tree again.
"We have to get down," Kuruma muttered. He and Hiei looked at each other. The redhead swung down beside Keiko, Hiei was on her other side a moment later. "Let go, we've got you..." Keiko nodded and let go of the branch she'd been steadying herself on. A moment later she was flying upwards, both demons' arms around her waist. They landed just beyond the tree.
"He's going to hurt someone if he knocks that tree down, and if he's that strong..." Keiko started after she caught her breath.
"We'll take care of it," Hiei murmured drawing his sword. Kuruma nodded, a rose appeared in his fingers.
"Wait, it's too open here..." Keiko said, shaking herself off she stood. "I'll get him away from the park..." She didn't wait for their opinion and Kuruma smiled, looking amused.
"She won't accept anything but equality, this one..." The fox said absently, the rose went to seed again as Hiei re-sheathed his sword.
"Yes," Hiei agreed, watching the girl slip easily into the crowd. "She could be an impressive warrior." Keiko smiled at the hulky brute and talked to him in a non-stop stream of flattery. He turned, allowing himself to be led away by the young girl now on his arm.
"His spirit energy is demonic, I think we might have a possession on our hands..." The redhead murmured, keeping up by rooftop with their prey.
"We'll need to alert the Spirit World," Hiei said absently, but neither looked away from Keiko.
"Quite the charmer to have led him so far away..." Kuruma said absently, admiration in his tone as the city gave way to forest. "Koenma should hire her..."
"Now that we're out here, alone..." the man smiled at the young teen. She suddenly stepped away and back, catching a watch that fell into her hands from a tree.
"Call Koenma," Hiei said landing in front of her. She nodded, pressing a button on the watch; she'd sat in on the explanation of the device when they'd gotten them.
"Lord Koenma?" She said hesitantly. The small screen lit up and a confused looking baby face appeared.
"Keiko? What...?" The muscle man tossed Hiei aside and trees tangled around themselves to catch the fire demon as Kuruma attacked from behind.
"We...ummm...have a demon, or a possession or something, Hiei and Kuruma are trying to contain it..." She ducked bits of tree and looked up worriedly. "I think we're going to need a someone to transport him..."
"Hold on..." Koenma shuffled several piles and tossed something at the screen. "Catch." A length of golden rope fell into her arms. "This will separate the demon from the soul when you bind him...I'll get someone to you in just a moment..." The screen went dark. Keiko tucked the watch in her pocket.
"Right..." She watched the fight going on in the path before her and then looped the rope over her shoulder and ducked into the trees. She went unnoticed as the fight was progressing in earnest now. "Here goes nothing..." Jumping she grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself into the branches, one of which extended just above the battle. When she was settled firmly in the tree's limbs she made a loop out of the golden rope. Sliding along the branch until she was just over the fight.
"Fools, I've been amassing spirit energy for weeks!" Both Hiei and Kuruma were tossed away again, though they landed easily, no worse for ware. They were older and if nothing else Kuruma was sure they would wear him down. A loop of gold suddenly fell over the muscular shoulders, falling to the demon's waist. It tightened immediately. The demon's image blurred and a man fell from the blur, leaving only a red skinned goat horned being with rippling muscles. It roared and yanked the rope.
"And I yell at Yusuke for not thinking..." the brunette muttered wrapping her wrist in the rope and her legs around the branch. The branch beneath her stopped bending and straightened, Kuruma had his hands against the trunk.
"Hiei! Hurry, the rope must be Spirit World made, it's not breaking, but Keiko will..." There was a blur of black and quick fingers relieved the human of her burden, tying the demon in the golden coils before he knew what was happening. Clapping made the three of them look up. An oar maiden and Koenma floated above them.
"Bravo!" Koenma said, waving the oar girl down to get the large demon. "You three worked very well as a team..." The branch Keiko sat on twisted and she slid down it to the ground. "But for my sake be careful, Yusuke'd have my head if you got hurt..."
"I'm not made of porcelain you know, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing..." She crossed her arms and glared up at him. Hiei and Kuruma moved to stand on either side of her.
"You could have, but it's commendable that you didn't..." The little god looked at her very seriously for a moment before sighing and shaking his head, a watch appeared just in front of her and she caught it. "Here, so you won't have to keep borrowing Hiei's. I'd like to ask you to come on as at least an assistant Spirit World Detective, nothing dangerous if I can help it, some of it will be boring...but you've proved you can think clearly in odd situations and I could use that..."
"I accept," Keiko said seriously. There was a thoughtful pause. "Not that I can do anything as incredible as Hiei and Kuruma, but I'll help where I can..."