Chapter Nine: The Peerlessness of a Moonless Night
Amaya's hair whipped about wildly and she closed her eyes so that the slender whips wouldn't sting her as they played about. Finally when the breeze softened she looked up with a chilling gaze. Her blue eyes suddenly seemed very, very foreign like the landscape around them.
"We're here." She said.
"And where is 'here'?" Yusuke asked. He looked around. It wasn't like the Reikai that he knew. A lush forest surrounded them and the only thing visible was a single mountain off in the distance. The land was dark and the only light was from the eerie moonlight glow coming from the mountain.
"Itsuki," Kurama mused. "He wouldn't happen to be-"
Amaya nodded, "A moon god." She shivered despite her robes. "We're in his world now."
There was a moment of silence between them as they each processed the new turn of events. Finally Yusuke sighed and took a seat under a tree.
"Why us?" Yusuke asked. "What's this guy got against us?"
"You mean other than the whole, 'youkai and defenders of Earth' thing?" Amaya asked somewhat irritably. She suddenly realized that they were all tired (including herself) and sat down as well. "He's still under the delusion that he can win me over, but you lot are an obstacle."
"How's that?" Kuwabara raised an eyebrow.
"With youkai heroes defending the earth," Amaya asked, "Do you really think humans will rely on 'gods' anymore?"
"Well, Koenma is certainly a pain in the butt." Yusuke mumbled. "And there's only one of him." Suddenly Yusuke became serious and very 'team-captain-like'. "I think we should take a break for now."
"A plan would be useful." Kurama agreed.
"Good, we kick this kid's butt and go home." Yusuke told them.
"I always admire a solid plan," Kuwabara said dryly. They turned to Amaya for more clarification since she was their only expert. As best as she could the young woman explained all that she knew and what she had been told. There was only one bit of information that Amaya chose to keep to herself.
How can they sleep at a time like this? Amaya asked herself when she noticed the boys had dozed off. She wanted to rest too, but there was another more important matter to attend to.
The lady fighter snuck off to find a quiet spot in the woods. Reikai felt strange to her. It made her feel nostalgic. Her blood was humming a sweet tune that was making her feel giddy, like wine. All it took was a single sip and Amaya knew she would be unable to leave the enchanting realm.
A single fragile thread tied her to the earth realm. Amaya feared that at any moment it would snap.
I'm here, little one. The woods whispered. Come to me. Come away, worlds away, from strife and misery.
"I don't want-" Amaya stopped in her tracks. Kurama had followed her.
They glanced at each other carefully making sure that the other was not an illusion caused by the alien landscape.
Finally, after making sure his friends were long out of ear shot, Kurama drove his palm into a tree cutting off Amaya's escape. He stared at her coldly.
"You may be able to fool the others, goddess," He told her softly. "But I've had enough of your tricks." Amaya's lips curled in to a smile and she opened her mouth to let an unearthly voice.
"Clever, clever. Well done, foxboy." The war goddess Macha abandoned Amaya's form and took on her natural appearance. Unlike Amaya's budding body, Macha was a woman in full bloom that could not be replicated by art or imagination. Her ascorbic personality, however, left much to be desired.
Macha tilted her head curiously, "How did you know?"
"Amaya-chan always favored the right cross." Kurama replied speaking from experience.
Macha moved a hand to hide her all-knowing-smirk with her long finger tips. "I wonder why Koenma picked the gel-head to be the detective. You clearly are much better at it."
"Enough, what are you doing here?" Kurama asked Macha sharply. It was in his experience that gods were to be kept on a short leash and he wasn't going to blindly trust her or her human vessel. Speaking of vessels-
"Where's the girl?" Macha asked innocently plucking the question from his mind. "Right here," Macha pointed at her chest and assumed Amaya's form again. "You know I wove, wove our wittle girly so much and I would never do anything to harm her." Macha looked Kurama over suggestively. Giggling she traced circles on his shirt, "Her reputation is fair game though."
"I warning you-" Kurama growled in a low tone as he swatted her hand away.
Macha stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "Oh, you're no fun when you use your angry voice."
"It's alright, Kurama." A softer melodious said as the real Amaya Bard appeared from the woods. Both the moonless night and the girl's special abilities had hidden her presence from Kurama's senses. It was something that former thief couldn't quite get used to.
"She may act like that," Amaya tilted her head to indicate Macha. "But she means no harm."
The girl's raven hair was longer than usual, dangling almost to her waist, and her skin was moonlight pale. In the dim light Kurama could see the growing resemblance between the girl and the goddess. It left him with an eerie feeling.
"I trust you've cleared up the matter with Koenma?" Macha asked the girl in a deadly tone. "If you can't even manage that much, then I'll be forced to take matters into my own hands." Her sly expression was enough to convey that whatever she had planned would not be pleasant by any means.
"I've done my part," Amaya answered tartly. "Just remember your promise."
Amaya unconsciously rubbed her left arm and Kurama's intuition perked up. He glanced between the two reading their cues like a book. They must have switched places many during the tournament. He guessed that the first masked fighter on the boat and in the room had been Amaya, but it was Macha who fought in the masked fighter's first match and against the dragon girl. It was very clearly Amaya who had scolded the tengu for coming and made a last plea to King Araku. The question was now "how" they switched, but "why"?
"Very good, girly." Macha purred. Her voice broke Kurama's concentration. "Happy to hear it."
"Oh?" Kurama's ears perked up in curiosity.
"Down, boy." Macha freed herself from the tree and Kurama like the wind weaving its way through branches.
By the time Kurama could blink she had her arms possessively around Amaya. She stroked the girl's hair.
"Temporal beings have no place in the affairs of the gods," Macha said evenly as she moved on to petting her captive's chin. "Remember to thank the girly. She's my everything." She added suggestively, "And she's my only excuse for not killing you and everything else that walks on two legs."
Amaya sighed and muttered sarcastically, "Oh, I am utterly unworthy of your praise Mistress. Let~Me~Go~." She enunciated the last three syllables and tried to brush off the goddess, but failed.
Macha sighed. "I see what Chiyoko means by a 'rebellious phase." But in the girl's ear Macha whispered something more so that the fox couldn't hear.
"I am bound by laws and forces greater than you could hope to imagine." Macha warned. "And I alwayskeep my promises," She glared at Kurama reminding him of another promise that had yet to be fulfilled. Namely taking revenge on humanity.
Once the cryptic message had been spoken Macha vanished to do whatever it was the goddess did when she was away from prying eyes. Kurama crossed his arms as Amaya refused to meet his gaze. The suspicion there was obvious and stung the girl's pride, but it wasn't like they were "friends". It had been years since they had even spoken to one another.
"Neither of you have proven to be very trust worthy." Kurama pointed out.
Amaya winced in response. The goddess had once led them on a wild goose chase only to it end herself rather anticlimactically. Amaya could no longer deny her growing resemblance to the goddess.
The girl sighed and complained, "You can only imagine what my love life like." She shrugged. "I take them to meet the prospective in-laws and, well, hilarity ensues."
They both smothered a round of chuckles at that. Amaya was the adoptive daughter of a priest on paper, but her family actually extended to not only a war goddess, but a whole clan of man-eating tengu. Not to mention she was also a key member in a worldwide secret psychic police and Koenma's "right hand man" in human world affairs.
Kurama cleared his throat once they were done giggling and found that the tension between them had been eased.
"How have you been?" He asked. The question was very late, but not unwarranted. He also motioned that they should rejoin their friends before any odd rumors started circulate.
Amaya let out a long exhale before she found the strength to reply. "Gods, where do I even start?" Kurama tugged on one of her long raven locks with a meaningful look of inquiry in his eyes. "Ah, right. Divine puberty is not a topic I want to get into."
"What?" Kurama had an indiscernible look on his face that zapped the girl's confidence.
"So, one moment everything's all fine and dandy," Amaya narrated. "And the next I got this really weird feeling like somebody was tickling my brain with a feather and BAM- worship me I'm a god."
By her expression Kurama could tell that she was less than thrilled by the idea.
"It took nearly ten years off father P's life and onii-sama didn't have a clue either." Amaya's voice suddenly dropped suggesting how much she was against the rash idea originally. "So we had to phone you-know-who."
"She must be a hit at parties." Kurama noted dryly. This time he successfully dodged the swing Amaya threw at him.
"Oh, you are hilarious." Although Amaya's tone clearly indicated that she thought otherwise. "I assure you it's a lot easier to summon a goddess than get rid of one."
"So it's really a case after all. Yusuke will help if you ask him." Kurama told her.
Amaya's expression fell and shook her head. "Youkai aren't my department," there was a sorrowful note in how she said it.
"Nor gods mine." Kurama granted.
"It's not the end of the world or anything." Amaya assured him. "It's just… a complexity."
"Enlighten me."
"I promised Koenma to keep it a secret." Amaya told him
"I should have known." Kurama frowned. "He's gotten miserly since he ascended his father's position."
"You can't really blame him." Amaya made a face. "Thanks to Moth…-er, Macha's agreed to help him on this case, he's finally caught up on paper work, but he in exchange had to promise to keep an eye on me."
"Why would he do that?" Kurama sensed there was more to this deal than the girl was telling him. He didn't think Koenma was the type to strike a deal with a loose cannon like Macha without a very compelling reason;
But then again, he was the one who had made Yusuke spirit detective to begin with.
"Macha wants to take me back to her realm once my powers fully develop." Amaya rubbed her forehead. "Why couldn't I have been born a yokai? This whole part kami thing sucks."
"Free pass to heaven?" Kurama asked lighted. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"I swear I'm going to smite you." Amaya growled. "I don't want to be a kami! As long as I don't use them, then the powers will eventually go away…hopefully."
"But other kami children are waking up as well?" Kurama guessed the situation.
"They're forming an alliance with Itsuki to overthrow Koenma." She paused. "Oops, that was supposed to be classified. Oh well."
"Need I say, 'dear god'?" Kurama mused.
"They're mostly harmless." Amaya waved her good arm dismissively. "Only a few have enough of a spark to do any real damage." She became very animated when she explained, "They want to unite Reikai under a single banner (like Makai did). Only the method of determining the king would be a little different. Rather than fists they'll need something else."
"Mana." Kurama deduced.
"Give the man a medal." Amaya applauded. "Macha and Koenma say if I solve this case I get to stay in human realm. Here's to boredom," Her heart did a very loud 'thump' when she realized something. She looked down so that the subtle color change on her face wouldn't be noticed. "But I think it'll suit me over all."
"Oh?" Kurama raised an eye brow.
"Oh, indeed. The heaven don't have everything." Amaya said in a very 'all that glitters is not gold' way. She slid a sneaky glance at him and asked, "Why do you think Macha's always looking for an excuse to come here?"
"Why did she come?" As Kurama thought about it he realized that the goddess rarely did anything without a hidden reason. Two-dimensionalism was not her style by any means.
"Oh, right. The switcheroo." Amaya scratched her head. "She did say she wanted to tell you something, but I don't know what it was."
"Oops, I almost forgot" Macha suddenly reappeared before them in her natural form. She yanked Kurama forward with strength far beyond what a mortal could manage and locked lips. Kurama quickly pulled away and Macha dodged the palm strike he aimed at her with a wicked chortle.
Kurama covered his mouth as a burning sensation, the mark of a seal, glowed and vanished on his tongue. Macha put a finger to her lips and said "That should keep you from telling our little secret. I won't have you foiling my plans this time, foxy." Then after a minor change of heart Macha added, "But, that mark will also act as a boost to aid in your victory." She winked. "You can share it with the others, if you like." She licked her lips and with a spine chilling evil laugh the goddess vanished into the morning light.
Amaya's face was visibly flushed as she covered her mouth in surprise. "Uh… I'll go… scout ahead! Yes, that's what I was doing."
Amaya made her escape leaving Kurama to make up his own excuses to his friends of where he had been and why.
"What's the matter girl?" Macha's voice asked wickedly in Amaya's ear. "You look like someone who just watched their mother make-out with her boyfriend."
"Oh, no. It was very beautifully done, my praises." Amaya assured her pleasantly despite the obvious blush on her cheeks. "But does he know you like to eat rotten skulls for dinner?"