Hey there guys. I just got done with a big paper for my college prep class and I was about to cry but I decided to write a few more chapters for this story instead. I have another one finished so I'm gonna shoot for 3 reviews before I post chapter 5!
Chapter 4: Home Invasion
Kurama signaled to Hiei to move one roof closer to the target. A rarity, the fire apparition did as he was told without objection. Kurama snuck closer as well, now close enough to see into the dark bathroom on the west side of the house. Hiei, hidden behind the chimney on the east side of the house, removed his headband and opened his Jagan. After a moment of intense concentration he appeared next to Kurama, beginning to speak almost before the redhead realized he was there.
"The house is empty. There are 3 bedrooms: the master bedroom on the ground floor, a male room on the second floor on the north side with dust on the nightstand, and a female bedroom on the south side with the window open."
Kurama grunted to show that he understood. The Yamamoto household was empty.... He hadn't expected the eldest son to be home, as he had already gone to a college 3 hours away and his parents had left for the restaurant where Yamamoto Takeshi would be informing one of his employees that he'd be receiving a big promotion, but Akari should still be here. They'd seen her enter the house after school, a large stack of books in her arms. Her energy hadn't moved from her bedroom the entire night. In fact, it was still there.
Moving silently down the roof, Kurama dropped 2 stories into the grass with impossible grace. He had gotten such a thrill earlier when he had been given the lead on their self-motivated mission. It reminded him of the life he'd just finished being punished for and he longed to go back.
But the adrenaline had dropped with Hiei's report. Not only was their target not home, but she had disappeared from right beneath their noses and had evidently seen them coming. This blow to his pride was insufferable. He'd been made.
Hiei was already looking down at him from the windowsill when Kurama made it to the back yard, the plush grass rising back up beneath his feet as his aura willed. He motioned for Hiei to be careful, still uncertain of the aura he was feeling from the bedroom. The fire demon was sure she wasn't there so why...? But his short companion disappeared into the house without a sound and without hesitation.
Kurama followed a few moments later, pupils constricting with the bright desk light still pointed to a biology book lying open to a page on the structure of cellular mitochondria. The bed, immediately to the left of the window in the corner, was perfectly made and the TV in the far corner was on and muted, a soccer game between Tokyo FC and Gamba Osaka flickering across the screen. A dresser beside that sported a bit of makeup, some jewelry, and several neat stacks of CDs. A typical teenage bedroom.
The jewelry caught Kurama's attention first and it took all of his energy to redirect his attention to Hiei, who was already shifting through the densely packed books in the cabinet beneath the TV. Without sparing the redhead a glance, he tossed something over his shoulder and began pulling out the dresser drawers.
Kurama caught the object and inspected it closely. It was a necklace with a thin silver chain and a roughly cut, quarter sized blue stone. It was the source of the energy they'd been sensing for most of the night. Once finished with his investigation of the dresser, Hiei approached Kurama, handing him a note. "Found this on the bed with the rock."
Unfolding it, the fox demon scanned the fluid, loopy handwriting.
Youko and Hiei,
I don't know why you have chosen to follow Akari but I was not going to allow her to meet either of you in person to explain it. If you wish to tell us why you have chosen to invade the privacy of her home you may use the pre-paid phone in the cupboard beneath the TV. Akari will be available to speak tomorrow morning between 8:00 and 9:00. Whatever you choose to do, know that Akari will not be returning home and would appreciate it if you would close and lock the window behind you when you leave.
-Ryu
Hiei showed him the phone and slipped it back into his cloak. "Must've been that demon with her at the tournament. Whatever they did to Botan, they aren't saying."
Kurama nodded, recalling the look of alarm on the ferry girl's face just a few day's earlier at the tournament when the 2 girls had walked past. He wasn't sure exactly how much power Botan held in the Spirit World but Akari and this Ryu must have had something to gain by it. If it involved leaving Koenma vulnerable then they couldn't take any chances. Hiei had fully expressed his opinion that Koenma could die and he would be celebrating but both demons recognized the importance he held in the 3 worlds. If he disappeared... the effect would be catastrophic to Ningenkai and, as a result, Makai.
But they needed to know what danger he was in.
As if on cue, Kurama's old communicator went off. He hadn't used it in a long time but he'd been carrying it around with him since the tournament preliminaries. When he opened it, Botan was on the other end, looking extremely nervous about what she was going to tell him.
"Kurama! I need to talk to you." She hesitated. "... Where are you?"
"Nowhere of importance. What is it Botan?"
She fidgeted and bit her lower lip, refusing to make eye contact through the communicator. She took a deep breath and then was seemingly distracted by a loose thread on her kimono. Kurama waited patiently. When the amethist orbs finally turned back to the screen she straightened and forced a smile. "You know what, nevermind."
Kurama, seeing her reach forward to turn the communicator off, thought fast. "Botan!" She froze. "I'm at the Yamamoto residence. Akari isn't here because she sensed me coming. Why am I a threat to them?"
She 'epp!'ed and covered her mouth. "Kurama! What are you doing there?! I didn't know you knew her!"
"I don't." The fox demon sighed heavily. "Botan... we all saw your reaction when Akari and her friend appeared at the tournament. You wouldn't tell us what was going on but we aren't stupid. We know they're threatening you. What have they done?"
"No, no, no! You don't understand!"
"Botan you can tell me!"
"No! They haven't threatened me!" The communicator was very nearly thrown onto a desk top and Kurama saw Botan pacing in the background. Suddenly she flung herself back towards the screen, apparently about to say what she'd been avoiding. "Kurama! Akari's your soulmate!"
Kurama was sitting on his rooftop watching the sunrise when Hiei appeared next to him. "The police have left the house now."
"What time is it?"
"Shortly after 6."
He nodded. When Akari's parents had returned home, they had become frantic. Hiei had neglected to inform him that the house had been trashed and the back door kicked in to give it the appearance of a break in. When Ryu had said that Akari wasn't coming back, she had apparently been serious. Akari was NEVER coming back. She'd faked her own kidnapping.
Hiei took a seat next to Kurama on the roof. In 2 hours they would make the call and try their best to explain what the hell had just happened. The shorter of the 2 didn't seem near as nervous as his companion. Like the girls would believe them anyway. No need to get excited about something that wasn't going to happen.
Kurama looked at the phone in his hand. It was simple and white with only one contact. Speed dial number one. All he would have to do is wait 2 more hours and press 2 buttons and say... what? How was he supposed to tell a girl he didn't know that they were supposed to be together forever. That they were soulmates....
And then he knew why Hiei had never told Yukina that he was her brother. Kurama, a demon, would live several hundred more years, aging like a snail while her life was infuriatingly short. And that wasn't to mention what he'd done. He'd been watching her. She was everybody's friend and every teenage boy in the country of Japan was chasing her. She was smart and beautiful and innocent. And yet, fate said that she had to settle for him: a thief and a manipulator. She deserved better.
But he couldn't just leave it at that. He'd waited too long. He'd spent 300 years looking for a mate and now that he knew who she was he wasn't going to chicken out. He would become what she needed. He would manipulate himself this time and she would get the best. He would promise her that.
Hiei sensed a change in Kurama as he gripped the phone and looked straight at the sun. It had risen fully now and it seemed to bring with it a sort of confidence and determination that swept aside the uncertainty that had consumed him all night. Normally, the fire demon could care less what the fox was doing, but right now, he'd give a hell of a lot to know was he was thinking.
Akari was pacing again. She walked back and forth in the small mountain cavern, then through a narrow passage to a second, bigger cavern. She would peek in and find no sign of Ryu and return to pacing. Her phone read 6:36. She should have been back by now!
The ferry girl at the tournament had made them suspicious but after the events of last night they had been forced to check, yet again, what Spirit World knew about their plans. Ryu was excellent at infiltrating just about anywhere and had so been the one to go. Normally, she would return in about 4 hours, taking so long only because of her cautiousness, but by now it had been 8 hours and saying that Akari was worried was a vast understatement.
What if she'd been caught? If she hadn't been killed on the spot and her soul destroyed, Enma would surely forbid them to complete their mission and that couldn't happen. Ryu had barely believed her, Enma surely wouldn't. Not with Fate as his advisor. The damn spirit was always correct in his predictions but he never just told you anything. It was always a trick.
And with all of the research that Spirit World had done... to tell them that they were wrong... it was unthinkable. But unless Akari could convince Enki himself to help, Ryu was the only one strong enough for this and the only one willing.
Suddenly, there was a surge of energy from the portal room. Akari sprinted through the narrow passage, banging her knee but ignoring the minor pain. Sure enough, Ryu was there panting in front of the portal on one knee. The psychic was there in a second. "What happened?! Are you okay?"
Fine. She stood and waited for her breathing to ease. Koenma is on a 2 week vacation to oversee the tournament. All of the files were moved around and I almost got caught by one of his fill-ins. I took a little longer to make sure nobody had noticed me. I tried to hurry back so you wouldn't think I had died but apparently you did anyway.
Akari scowled. "You shouldn't have risked it. If those demons call in an hour like you told them to they might tell us what Spirit World knows without risking getting your soul destroyed."
Getting my soul destroyed?
"Nevermind." The dark haired girl sighed and brushed her hair back behind her ear.
You should be practicing.
"I practiced for 6 hours while you were gone! My concentration has been stretched to maximum capacity. And besides..." She looked at her phone. She had turned in on not too long ago, having kept it off to conserve the battery. Now that she knew Ryu was safe she was less nervous, but she was still too worried to sit down. She almost had to deal with the phone call on her own. Or if it hadn't come... that might've been worse. At any rate, Ryu's presence was reassuring.
Let's go outside. You don't have service in here and the fresh air might do you some good. Akari nodded, following Ryu through the cold, damp caves of the mountain just outside of the city. It took at least 20 minutes to navigate their way through a quarter of a mile of tight sqeezes and steep climbs and mazes of stalagmites. By the time they emerged onto a small grassy shelf on the side of the mountain facing the city, Akari was longing for the sun.
Together, the girls perched on the edge of the shelf beneath a tiny, struggling tree. "Get some sleep Ryu." The demon turned to her companion, heavy bags under her eyes. She could handle anything but she really loved her sleep. For a second she looked ready to argue but a small chuckle from Akari stopped her. She must look like shit. So, quietly, she shrunk back onto the grass, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep instantly.
Akari looked to her left, leaning back against the trunk of the tree to watch the sun cast gentle rays over the city and glint off of the enormous skyscrapers. All that was left to do now was wait.
8:01. Suddenly, the ancient black pre-paid phone in Akari's hands began to vibrate. The sound woke Ryu who sat up next to her. For a long moment, they both just looked at it. Taking a deep breath, Akari brushed her hair behind her ear and gave Ryu a look. Here we go. And she answered it.