"Talking"
"Thinking"
-Telepathisis-
Flashback

-x-x-x-x-
Chapter Seven
First Test

"Still children..." He murmurs once during his otherwise silent internal debate; all of us stare.

His son approaches and stands beside the two of us.

The purple ogre frowns. "Lord Koenma-"

"No." His chin juts out stubbornly as he glares up at the taller and stronger being. "I won't let him do this; they saved me!"

"Shhhh." Hisses the girl who also added to the argument. "Do you want him to hear you?"

Kat, calmer, raises an eyebrow at me; my reply is the tiniest of shrugs. Who knew spirit world was this nuts?

0x0x0x0

Kurama sits on his window sill in his room and stares out blankly. It has been a month since Kimi came to school; a month and a week since he has left the team. He knows he is worrying his mother, but nothing he says will calm her now. Despite his best efforts, she has found out that he had a falling out with 'those boys he never brings to meet me'. A small sigh escapes him as he wonders if he can last the rest of his life like this.

He has not used his energy to manipulate any plants or trained in any way, shape or form for an entire month; he is about ready to snap.

"I used to enjoy the time between missions..." He reflects bitterly. "I was able to spend time with my mother and not have to worry about hiding anything from her..." His stream of consciousness continues in this fashion as he becomes more and more irritated with himself.

On the dresser, six feet away, lies the completely undamaged communication mirror.

0x0x0x0

Yusuke, Kuwabara and even Hiei have tried to talk to Kurama since he left; the fox has always retreated or walked past them without acknowledging them. They are beginning to get frustrated; Koenma merely tells them to let him alone. The three have tried to persuade Sora and Kimi to talk to him; both refuse to approach him, as they are in a completely different "circle" at school and they want no attention drawn to them. The three have now resigned themselves to the fact that if he does return, it will be when he feels like it.

They have been training together recently and about two weeks ago, convinced Sora and Kimi to join them. They are startled to find Sora's abilities far better than the last time any of them have seen him spar. They are training again, as it is a Saturday.

"Jeez..." Kuwabara mumbles as he slowly sits up; he is still trying to figure out how Sora managed to throw him.

Kimi grins, guessing what is puzzling him. "Ya gotta remember, he's been training with me, an' most of my opponents are taller an' heavier than me."

The redhead glares before getting back on his feet, summoning his spirit sword and charging Sora again; this time, he manages to strike the other boy before he is flung.

Sora winces, then checks the injury; Yusuke and Hiei spar nearby, though they do covertly observe the other three from time to time; Kuwabara gets to his feet again and resumes attacking; Kimi sighs before selecting an oddly shaped knot on a nearby tree and practices her aim with her sai.

Though the five have learned to tolerate each other, all know that things would go much more smoothly if Kurama was with them. Despite this, they persevere and are slowly learning how to do more than just put up with one another.

When training is over for the day, Kuwabara rejoins Yusuke and Hiei; the three then head inside. Sora sighs and holds still as Kimi cleans and bandages his injuries; he then tries to do the same for her. She waves him off and deals with her own injuries.

"I wish they would trust us more..." He murmurs as he watches her tend her wounds.

"Trust comes with time." She replies and winces as she sticks herself with a needle; a few gashes need stitches.

"We trust one another." He pauses. "Then again..."

"You know very well why I won't allow you to bandage me." The bluette sticks her tongue out at him and finishes stitching. "You also might wanna keep in mind that they don't train with us as much as we train together."

Thinking of all the early morning and nighttime training sessions Sora replies, "true."

0x0x0x0

Three months after Kurama left the team finds the new group waiting for Koenma in Genkai's dojo.

Said demi-god appears abruptly. "Sorry for the wait. I had pressing paper work."

Sora rolls his eyes. "All your paper work is pressing..."

The brunette frowns. "You've been spending too much time with Kimi."

"Don't I know it." Said girl and said boy reply in unison, then grin. Yusuke smirks; Kuwabara blinks; Hiei glares.

"Ah...right." Koenma sweatdrops. "Well, it's come to my attention that a powerful magician is working magic."

"When aren't they?" Kimi grumbles.

"But this one is working shiki."(1)

"Less common." She acknowledges. "Do we know who against?"

"Hold it! What's shiki?"

"Death magic." Koenma's face is grim. "Anyway, I need you all to try to investigate without being caught."

"Are you ser-"

"Yes, Kimi, I am. You know a spell caster; you ought to know how they think. I'm trusting-"

"Casters are as diverse as fighters, Koenma!" She snaps. "Some are lazy, some are diligent, some have limited reserves of power, and others have infinite!"

"In other words..."

"We're going in blind and either coming out in body bags or not at all." Kimi snarls. "This is ridiculous. You want someone who can take on someone like that? Get Kat down here!"

"She..." Koenma looks vaguely discomforted. "Well, you see..."

"Never mind. By all means, let's go." The irate girl spins on her heel and storms toward the dojo steps.

"He's at the warehouse where you and Sora saved Kat!" Koenma calls after her; the other four follow until they draw even with her; Hiei darts ahead.

"Is it really that bad?" Sora wonders aloud.

0x0x0x0

Sora mentally kicks himself as he hangs from the wall, suspended by chains that block the usage of all spirit or demon energy (not that he can call upon his to begin with). The others hang with him; all eyes immediately lock on the figure that enters the room.

"Ah, hello." A tall, suave, blonde haired man with green eyes greets courteously. A slight frowns mars his face as he considers them. "Hm, one of you is missing." The frown vanishes. "No matter." He then turns his back on them and begins to calmly sort though an odd collection of things until he comes upon what appears to be a ball of wax.

"What's what for?" Kimi questions.

A grin appears on the man's face as he turns. "Ah, a fellow scholar." He pauses, as though considering something. "Well, since you all will die anyway, I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you. This," he holds up the ball of wax, "is no ordinary wax." He then begins to mold it into a shape. "When I'm done, it will look very like your missing teammate, Youko Kurama."

"Son of a bitch..." She whispers; the others blink.

"What?" Kuwabara hisses quietly.

"So you know what this is?" The man seems excited as opposed to upset.

0x0x0x0

Kurama pauses on his way home from the store; his energy just flared sharply and he suddenly sensed the others a few blocks away.

"It's none of my business." He tells himself before continuing home. "Besides, all of them can take care of themselves..." His steps slow. "Except Kimi and Sora." He shakes his head slightly to clear it. "I doubt Yusuke and the others would let too much harm befall them." His steps resume, though they are still slow. "...not that any of this is my concern anymore..."

The fox demon shakes off his sense of impending doom.

0x0x0x0

The bluette fights to keep her composure. "Yep."

"Then you can explain, can you not?"

A tinge of anger enters her countenance. "Voodoo doll."

The four boys pale; Sora eventually manages to speak. "Seriously?"

"So you are not the only one who knows what it is..." His smile shows that he is delighted. "Good, good." He returns to molding. "My only regret is that your friend will not be here for you to watch him-" He is cut off abruptly when a green whip covered in thorns slices him in half shoulder to thigh; the whip is then pulled backwards.

The handle is held in a loose, confident manner by a grim-faced redhead with green eyes.

"Think you can get us down?" Yusuke questions; Kuwabara's face breaks into a grin; Hiei "hn"s, though he is visibly hiding a smirk; Sora gapes; Kimi blinks. Kurama nods and approaches.

"Ah, ah, ah." Says the man's voice; he stands, his body slowly knitting itself back together; the finished voodoo doll is in his hand.

"But you need-" Sora breaks off when the man's other hand opens to reveal a single strand of red hair; he then coils it loosely around the Kurama-doll.

The man calmly flicks the doll's head; Kurama drops, nearly screaming in pain as muscles and tendons in his neck jerk sharply.

"Whoops." He grins maliciously. "I have to be careful or I'll break you before I really get to play with you."

0x0x0x0

"Alright." Enma states.

I hardly dare breathe.

"Alright?" Koenma questions, blinking.

"You two will be free to go for now..."

The purple ogre begins to remove our chains.

"Although...you will be called back once you figure out whether you are children in terms of spirit world..."

Koenma and the other girl (who I learn is called "Botan") lead us out; Kat is happily chatting with the two, so I believe I'm the only one who hears his last remark.

The question is...what will happen when we're called back?

-x-x-x-x-

(1) - Shiki = death magic (alright, so I'm making up words now...)

Meh...still short. Next one should be longer, though.
Emma