Chapter One
Two figures ran from a building with an object in one hand. A tall fox demon stopped and looked at his comrade, a bat demon, showing off their prize with a smirk. They ran through a thicket of bamboo as shouting could be heard from behind them. The bat demon felt a ping as his necklace was cut from his neck, making him stop short to retrieve it. He could hear his friend call from behind him. Just as he picked up his treasure, bamboo stalks came down, piercing his body in multiple spots. Crimson gushed from the openings of the stalks.
"Go, Kurama, run!" he shouted at his comrade.
"But, Kuronue…" Youko said as he watched his friend in horror.
"Don't worry about me! Run!"
Hesitant at first, Youko made his way through the forest, leaving his friend behind to die. The air was quiet as the bat demon hung lifeless amongst the stalks, a river of blood at his feet.
"Awe, man. One of them died," said a soldier. He looked up at the corpse.
"What will we do?" asked another. "He wanted them alive."
"We must report this to our king," said the first soldier.
With a nod to each other, the soldiers went back to the castle. Crunching of leaves could be heard as a child with black medium length hair emerged from the bamboo forest. She picked up the pendant and quietly sobbed at her father's grave. A dark figure approached her from the shadows; the body was wide and built.
"What is wrong, child?" he asked as he hovered over the mourning young demon. If he had to guess, she was about hundred years old. She had black hair that stopped halfway down her back. Her face looked young, but she had the body of a young teen. Her small bat wings were wrapped around her body as she sobbed.
"M… my father… is DEAD!" she cried. She didn't have a mother and now her father had been killed. She was alone now. Loneliness engulfed her as tears ran down her cheeks. How will she get through this again?
"Ah. I see," the stranger said as he nodded sympathetically. "I, too, have lost a very valuable item." He looked at the child as she grieved. "Maybe you can help me. Come, my child. You can be part of my clan." The shadows hid his appearance, but he stuck his hand out into the light. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked at the green, froggish hand. She didn't really have a choice in the matter. There was no one left for her to turn to. She took it and stood up.
"Do you know who did this to my father?" she asked.
The figure grinned and nodded. "In time, young one. I will tell you all."
(Many decades go by)
The three suns were out burning that day. Only a few clouds could be seen in the sky. The humidity was awful. There screams echoed out into the distance. A young woman fought off a gang of wolf demons. Her bat wings opened as she took flight, swooping down and slicing them all with her scythe. She picked up the golden relic and looked out into the vast forest of Makai.
"Where did she go?" asked a voice. A frog-like demon was sitting at this a throne that was made of solid gold, treasure littered everywhere. The demon's arms were crossed over his built chest. "I told her to be back here before supper."
"You did tell her to go out and find the relic of Iatchon, sire," one of the servants answered, hoping not to get a beating for speaking out of turn.
"I know that, but she should have been back by now."
"Father, when are you going to understand that she is not like us?" came a female voice. A slender girl came into the room with long black hair tied into a ponytail. There were purple scratch markings on her face. Her elven ears twitched as her golden eyes met the beady black ones of the frog demon.
"You be nice to your sister, Fukai, I took you both in and you both have potential," he said with a strong nod.
"Say what you will, but I did my task a long time ago," Fukai boasted.
Soft footsteps could be heard coming toward the room. "No one cares about your time, Fukai," said a voice as she entered the room, relic in hand. The bat demon sauntered over to the king. "I was out wandering the forest for a bit, getting some fresh air." She handed the relic to the demon king and flashed a smile. "Was that okay, Father?"
"For now, yes, but you must return on time," he said. He looked at the handiwork of his youngest daughter.
Fukai spat and walked away from the room, her hands in fists. The bat demon watched her go before turning her attention to her father. "Father, it's been decades. Please tell me who killed my real father. I need to know so I can get vengeance." She was patient on knowing this information, but her patience was growing thin.
"If you must know, I guess I can't keep it from you any longer. You are now a grown woman and can fight on your own. The one who was responsible for your father's death was the great fox thief, Youko Kurama."
"Youko Kurama… no." She took a step back and looked at the man in front of her. She vaguely remembered the demon fox, but she had little to no contact with him. All she knew was that he was her father's best friend. There was no way he could have done something so horrible.
"That demon was nothing but a nuisance. He stole something very valuable from me and I want it back! If you want your revenge, then take it out on him. He holds no loyalty to anyone, Mayonaka. He only looks out for himself."
Mayonaka could feel her blood boiling. So, he was a traitor. No wonder he kept his distance from her when she was younger. He didn't want her knowing his true colors. "Where is he now? I'll go and bring back his head!"
"He's not in the demon world any longer. Rumor has it that he was taken down by a bunch of poachers. His spirit went down to the human world. After that, no one knows what happened to him, but I do. Listen to me, child, and you will get your wish."
It's been a year since the second demon world tournament. Lower class demons and humans live in unison. Some demons held simple jobs. However, the danger remained for upper class demons to penetrate the barrier between worlds.
Yusuke was at his noodle cart, fixing up some ramen for his customers. Kuwabara slurped loudly on his noodles.
"Kuwabara, did you do well on your entrance exams?" Keiko kindly asked.
"I made it into Shinaku school in Shinjuku," he said proudly.
Shizuru snorted. "It's surprising that he got in at all. All things considering."
"Hey! I've worked my ass off with studying for those exams!" Kuwabara said defensively.
"Congratulations on making it, Kazuma," Yukina softly said with a smile.
He took her hands into his, his cheeks cherry red. "I'll work even harder for our future. Yukina looked at him dubiously.
"I think it's good that you are continuing with your studies," Keiko commented. "Unlike a certain someone." She quickly glanced over at Yusuke.
"What? Do you honestly think that I could go back? After all that I have been through? Come on, Keiko. That whole study thing is for the birds," Yusuke said as he swirled his ladle.
Keiko retorted. "It's better than being a noodle boy."
"Hey. My noodles are delicious. I'm still a spirit detective." Yusuke countered back.
"Speaking of which, has Koenma contacted you?" Kuwabara asked. "You know, since that whole ordeal with his father trying to sabotage our world?"
"The brat hasn't said a word. I'm sure he's trying to fix things. For right now I'm an undercover detective."
"It must be weird seeing us around," Yukina said softly.
"Nah. Everyone will get used to demons walking around. I'm sure you are happy that you don't have to keep hiding," Shizuru said with a smile before inhaling her cigarette.
Yukina smiled as a train moved past them.
In Spirit World, Ogres were rushing around with stacks of papers. Grim Reapers were trying to assist the best they could. In the middle of it all stood Koenma, his arms in the air, his fingers pointing in different directions.
"Now, Koenma," Botan said as she tried to calm her boss down. "Try not to yell too much. Everyone is doing their best."
"What do you mean 'calm down'?! My father left a mess and now I have to clean it up!" Koenma shouted. "You! Grab that stack of papers and report to the Spirit Sorting office!"
Botan could only watch the chaos before her. She didn't blame Koenma for being so uptight. He was right about King Enma leaving things in disarray. An ogre ran up to the two of them, panting heavily.
"Sir, do you want us to start on your father's office?" he asked.
"No. Leave that room to me. I have to carefully look through all the stuff in there." The ogre saluted and made his way back to the hustle and bustle. Koenma sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do, Botan. What should my next step be?" He poofed into his adult form. "My father really did it this time."
"It'll be okay," Botan reassured him. "You are good at taking charge and you certainly know what's right from wrong. Just breathe. Everything will come to you."
"I hope you're right, Botan."
"Oh. That reminds me, everyone down in the human world says hello." Koenma nodded. "What are you having Yusuke do?"
"Nothing much. For the time being I told him to lay low. So far, the demons down in the human world aren't causing trouble. In fact, some of them like being down there and doing humanly things."
Botan had to agree. Koto and the others loved being down there for some fun. "Hopefully things will be okay from here on out."
"I agree. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go through what's in my father's office. Why don't you accompany me?" Botan nodded her head and followed her boss down the hall and to the back of the building.
It was a typical Wednesday at the Yamata office. The end of the month sales was ending. That meant reports had to be written and submitted. Two rows of cubicles were in the middle of the room. There was a strong scent of coffee that wafted through the air. Some employees were on the phones with various customers and companies. Others were typing frantically on their computer keyboards. One person got up from their seat and started shouting over the phone receiver. Other employees went to try to calm the person down until their supervisor showed up. The customers usually got under your skin if you were the one dealing with them. It wasn't an easy job.
A young man with long red hair was sitting in his cubicle, typing away on some report. He tuned out the yelling that was being caused on the other side of the room. He took a sip of his herbal tea before getting up from his seat. Just as he was about to leave, an older man came up to him.
"Well done on that statistics report, Shuichi," he complimented as he placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder.
"Thank you, Father. I'm glad that you approved of it," Kurama smiled. "I stayed up on some nights working on it." Of course, it only took him a few hours, but he didn't want his stepfather knowing that.
After the demon world tournament, Kurama got a job at his stepfather's company of computers. He thought long and hard about going to college but opted out of it. He still planned on going back to the demon world once his family had settled in. Of course, his stepfather did not object to it. He thought Kurama would make an asset to the company. Plus, Kazuya valued his time with his stepson and was always amazed at his brilliance.
"There are going to be a few new hires coming into the office in the next few weeks. There's one that I'm going to have you train. Show them the ropes of the office," Kazuya said.
"I'll do my best," Kurama replied with a nod.
"That's my boy. I have a meeting in five. Page me if you need me."
"Of course."
Kazuya turned and was about to leave when he stopped mid-step. He turned and looked at his stepson. "Oh. Will you be home for dinner tonight?"
Kurama frowned. "I'm afraid not. I am meeting an old friend of mine. We have some things to discuss. I'm terribly sorry."
"Don't sweat it, son. Your mother and I must remember that you kids are grown up and have other things to do rather than to be with your parents."
Guilted tugged at Kurama as he looked at the man before him. "Not at all. My time with you is just as precious."
"I'm just pulling your leg. We all know, Shuichi. Let me get to this meeting." He waved at Kurama before making his exit.
The red head let out a sigh and returned to his desk. He could see the disappointment in his stepfather's eyes. The last time he had dinner with his family was about a week ago. His mother usually left food for him in the microwave when he came home. He usually roamed the streets, making sure no trouble was being made. It was the least he could do to help Yusuke out. At the same time, he knew his mother was worried about him, but just like Kazuya said, she knew he had a life, too. Nothing was simple when you are part of two worlds.
He started typing away again when a woman stopped by his desk. She twirled her long hair with her finger. Krystal Cohen was her name. She moved to Japan about five years ago and got a job as a secretary. She was fluent in both English and Japanese. She was taller than most of the females that worked in the practice. Most men either took to her long blonde hair and striking blue eyes, or her slim figure. She, however, took to Kurama like most girls did and kept asking him on dates. It had been nonstop for months.
"I overheard that the report was on point. Not a shocker there," she said with a flirtatious smile. Kurama ignored her and kept typing. "Let's go out for lunch or something. Celebrate another victory for you."
Kurama wasn't sure if she was being sarcastic or trying her best not to sound like an idiot. In any case, she was failing. "Krystal, why do you keep on asking me the same thing?" Kurama asked in a fatigued voice.
"Because you are good looking and I'm just plain gorgeous," she said confidently. "Your smarts aren't so bad, either."
Kurama cleared his throat at the answer that he got. In all honesty, he knew she wasn't ugly on the outside. It was just her arrogance and inflated ego that made him turn the other cheek. He looked over at her with his vibrant green eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline the offer, again. I have way too much on my plate as it is. There is no room for dating."
"May I remind you that you have said the same exact thing the last few times?" she said with her hands on her hips. "I'm not buying this, Shuichi."
Kurama closed his eyes for a moment. He was starting to get annoyed. "It's the truth and I am very sorry for the last time." He stacked some papers on his desk and got up. "If you will excuse me. I must meet with the software engineer for a bit." Without another word, he walked off, leaving her alone.
Krystal watched him walk to the other side of the room. She huffed and headed back to her desk. There had to be a way to get him to notice how lucky he was that she was into him. Most guys flocked to her like lovesick puppies. Why was he so different?
Kurama entered a small room that was to the far back of the office to the right. Lights were blinking on different devices that were on a shelf on the wall. A man with shaggy black hair was sitting behind a huge computer screen. He turned his attention to his visitor. Kurama sat down in the chair across from his colleague. "Taki."
"Geez, Shuichi. What happened, man?" Taki asked as he leaned forward on his desk. He observed his friend through his large lenses that sat on the bridge of his nose. "You look like you just sat through a five-hour lecture on useless stuff."
"I guess you could say that it fits into the same category," Kurama said as he massaged his temple with his fingers. Taki was his 'go to' person of escape. In truth, Taki was a demon who posed as a human. Even though the human world was surrounded by demons now, he felt like he should fit the part. It fascinated him on how they dressed, what they ate, and how they did certain things. In the office he called Kurama by his human name since his stepfather and fellow employees don't know about this other life. "Krystal was at my desk again."
"Seriously? When is she going to get it? Will she even get it? What's that phrase that the humans use? Dumb blonde?"
Kurama smiled. "She is very persistent."
Taki lowered his voice. "Persistent my ass. Maybe if you turned Youko she'll think twice."
Kurama shook his head. "I put that identity behind me. I have chosen who I am."
Taki frowned and looked at Kurama. "I know, man. You told me before, but you are who you are. No matter what, Youko is still in there somewhere."
Kurama knew Taki was right, but he wanted to be one person. "Regardless, I'm not going to scare her to the point where she has to demon check every guy."
"That would be something to see, though." Taki imagined Krystal going to every guy and probing them to see who they really were. He started laughing hysterically.
Kurama chuckled. "Thank you, Taki. As always you know how to lighten up the situation."
"Anytime, brother."
Kurama excused himself and exited the room. He caught a glimpse of Krystal eyeing him from her seat. He pretended that he didn't notice and went to his desk, hoping that the rest of the day didn't give him a headache.
Around four-o-clock the workday was over. Kurama quickly closed everything down and punched out. He made his way down the street as if something was on his trail out to get him. He passed by some storefronts and saw some demons selling items to humans. He made a left turn and met with an entrance to a park. It wasn't a very big park. Just a little area with a playground and some benches. He strolled down the sidewalk and stopped at a tree. He leaned against the huge trunk and inhaled. There weren't many people around this time of day, which was what he wanted. He did spot some kids playing on the jungle gym and their parents.
"On time as always," came a voice from the other side of the tree.
Kurama grinned at the voice. "Well, I had to make a quick escape."
Hiei emerged from around the thick tree trunk. "Is that pesky human woman bothering you again?" He remembered Kurama telling him about the woman and how annoying she was.
"You hit the nail right on the head," Kurama answered in a calm tone. "I had to bolt before she could have a chance to talk to me."
Hiei scoffed. "Human women are inferior beings. They are always looking for their next meal catch."
Kurama chuckled. "May I remind you that female demons are the same. Especially when they want to mate."
"I'm okay for now," Hiei stated with a blush.
"Of course, you are. You just hit the one-hundred-year mark, after all," Kurama smiled.
Hiei's cheeks turned bright red at the statement. He coughed before moving on. "What exactly did you need from me?"
Kurama leaned against the trunk of the tree and shrugged. "I'm just wondering how things are down in demon world. It's been a while since you gave me any reports. Things have been quiet here in the human world."
"Not much has changed to be honest. The new order is keeping higher ranking demons in check. But that doesn't have anything to do with me. I spend most of my days with Makuro and doing her work. I wouldn't necessarily call it a "calling." It's just something that I happened to have gotten involved in. That's all." Kurama smiled once again. He knew that his friend was happy where he was. Not just Hiei, but everyone else seemed to go on with life. "Oh yeah. Yomi and that brat of his are back from whatever they were doing."
Kurama turned his head. "When was this?"
"I don't know. I heard it from Makuro. I didn't go asking fifty questions about the guy," Hiei replied.
"Maybe I should go visit them," Kurama pondered to himself. Regardless of their past, Kurama still viewed Yomi as a friend.
"Do what you want. You were on his side, remember?" Kurama simply nodded. "In any case, I have his information." Hiei handed the fox demon a piece of paper with the coordinates. "I figured you would like to know where he was. That's where you can find him. It's not the same place as he was before for some odd reason."
"Thank you. He probably wanted something smaller to live in." Kurama looked at his watch. "I better get home. I'm sure my mother is worrying again."
Hiei didn't say anything but nod. He zipped into the trees while Kurama made his way out of the park.
The rooms in front of the house were already dark when he arrived home. A single outside light was on by the front door. When he entered the cozy house, he found his mother and stepfather sitting in the living room, each with a book in their hand. He headed for the larger room. His mother looked up from her reading and smiled at her son.
"I'm back," he said as he stopped at the entrance of the room.
"Welcome back," Shiori said. "Did you have fun with your friend?"
"I did, Mother," Kurama replied. "I apologize for not being home for dinner."
Shiori closed her book and placed it down on the side table of her armchair. She got up and walked over to him. "No need to apologize, Shuichi. You are a man now and have a life outside these walls." Kurama glanced over at Kazuya, who just smiled and nodded his head. "Did you eat?"
"I did not," Kurama replied. He watched as his mother maneuvered into the kitchen. She pulled a covered white plate of curried rice from the fridge. After taking the wrapping off, she placed the plate of food into the microwave. "You look tired, Mother. Are you feeling alright?"
Shiori turned around and looked at her son. There were dark circles under her eyes. She took the plate out of the microwave. After grabbing a silver spoon, she placed it down on the table.
Kurama took a seat and mixed the food together. "Have you gone to the doctor?" He placed a spoonful of food into his mouth. He looked at his mother who took a seat across from him at the table. A few years ago, his mother fell ill and he almost lost her. He didn't want that to happen again.
"No. I haven't. Kazuya thinks it's just stress," she said.
"Stress or not, I think you should go. Your health is still not the best, Mother." Shiori smiled and nodded her head. "Please go see someone."
"Alright. You win, Shuichi. I'll make an appointment with my doctor. I promise," she smiled.
Kurama nodded his head. The situation was most likely not dire, but he couldn't help but worry. After he finished his plate of food, he washed his dishes then headed up to his room. He settled down at his desk and opened a notebook that had notes on different parts of the city. He told Yusuke that he wasn't going to do any patrolling that night. A soft knock emanated from his door. He closed his notebook and looked at the closed door.
"Yes?" he answered. Kurama's younger stepbrother, Shuichi, entered the room. "Hello, Shuichi." The teen waved at him as he diverted his gaze. Shuichi was a timid person to begin with, but Kurama could sense that something was on his brother's mind. "Care to tell me what's going on?"
His brother closed the bedroom door behind him and walked over to the bed where he took a seat. "I have something that I would like to ask you."
"Sure. You can ask me anything," Kurama replied. He moved in his seat so he could face his brother. Shuichi fidgeted in his seat. His face was a slight blush of pink which made Kurama smile. "Is it a girl?"
Shuichi's head snapped in Kurama's direction. "H-how did you…?"
Kurama chuckled at the reaction that he got. "It's written all over your face. Care to tell me who she is?"
The teen looked at his hands that were clasped on his lap. "She's someone in one of my classes. She has pretty golden eyes and shiny wavy red hair." He paused for a moment. "She's not human, though." Kurama nodded. He did hear that some demon kids were attending some of the schools. "She's very nice and we have talked on occasion. I think she's a cat demon…"
"Well, it seems like you really like this person. You should get to know her more."
"But she's not human, Shuichi. She's a demon."
Kurama looked at his brother's face carefully. "Does it matter to you what she is?"
"No! Of course not. It's just… some people may not approve, you know?"
"Try to get to know her more before taking a step forward," Kurama smiled. "I'm sure everything will work out."
"I hope so. I can't even imagine what mom and dad would think." Shuichi got up from his brother's bed. "Thank you. I knew that you would have the answers."
"I don't always, but I try. You can always come to me if you are in trouble." Kurama watched as his brother left his room. He sighed and propped his elbows on the surface of his desk, his head resting in his hands. The part of his parents knowing about their son dating a demon played in his head. They didn't know that a demon was already living under the same roof. What would they say if Kurama came out and told them? What would they do? The fox demon closed his eyes. It was best not to think about such things right now. If the time came, he would deal with it.