Disclaimer: For the love of fan fiction! I only own my OCs and the plot!

Recap: The first day on the mission was interesting. Kurama learned never to let girls into his personal space when they are fan girls, and they ran into The Fox's Rose. After having their target disappear, the two went in search of an inn.

This Is How You Remind Me
Chapter Three
Meeting an Elder

Day Two

When we were in Human World, I found that Tsukino responded positively to me when I acted most human. Partly for that reason, while we were searching for an inn, I kept a comforting arm around her. The other reason I kept my arm around her was that we were walking through a rougher part of the city, and it warned other demons to behave. She didn't seem to care as she kept quite close to me with her eyes carefully looking for signs of an inn.

Eventually, we found an inn in the middle of downtown City of the Damned. Unfortunately, downtown was also the home to the worse groups of demons in the city. I held Tsukino even closer to me as we entered, keeping my eyes on everyone and my ears open for sounds of rising aggression. As I bargained with the greasy aging demon, the drunken demons in the pub adjacent started to become rowdy. A few had spotted Tsukino and started to call to her. Fearing a repeat of what happened with the other drunken demon, I agreed to the price the inn owner suggested and quickly paid.

The next minute we were in our room for the night. Instantly, I collapsed on the bed closest to me. Tsukino walked over to the other bed on the other side of the room and did the same. Without even bothering to put our bags away, we both fell asleep and prepared for the next day of the mission.

Barely five minutes into the second day of the mission, and I can already say that today will be just as difficult as yesterday. I awoke with a piercing migraine and lied still for at least five minutes, hoping that the pain would pass. Unfortunately, it has not. Instead the pain has grown worse. Painfully, I raise my head to look around for my bag for some painkillers. I would have started to wonder what was causing my pain if it didn't hurt to think. Slowly, I start to pull myself out of the moth-eaten covers to look for my bag.

Just as I am about to lift my top half from my bed, a hand appears in my vision. Laying on the center was a small white pill about the size of a American dime. Agonizingly, I turn my gaze upwards to see that Tsukino is holding the pill out to me with a glass of water in her other hand. Through my migraine, I wonder why she was looking so concerned. A strand of my hair falls into my face as I reach for the pill in her hand. As I brush it away, I notice that it is quickly returning to its semi-original red hue. I suppose that my eyes are also changing because Tsukino seems to be coming more concerned as she holds the pill closer to me.

I take the pill from her hand and put it onto my mouth. Ignoring the pain that is stabbing into my brain as I move, I quickly swallow the pill. Instantly, I feel the need to stick my tongue out like a child or gag, but I manage to stop myself. Not only do the pills taste vile, they also make my tongue feel furry.

Tsukino hands me the water, and I gratefully take a sip. Though the water does not completely wash away the revolting taste, it does manage to dull it. Soon, my migraine disappears completely, and I thank Tsukino.

She nods and starts going through her bag looking for something to eat for breakfast.

I'm about to follow her example when the communicator in my bag starts to ring. After a few seconds of digging though my supplies, I open the cover to see the face of Koenma.

"The pills are working I see," he states instantly.

I nod. "We ran into The Fox's Rose last night but she managed to get away."

Koenma nods. "That's not surprising. Did anything else happen?"

The question was innocent enough, but Koenma's tone and expression caused me to pause. Koenma had spoken in the same of-hand way that one uses when one knows something about you but wants you to say it. He was looking at me through the corner of his eyes suspiciously.

"The Fox's Rose is masquerading as a bat cat demon named Mikiku," I finally say.

Koenma nods again, the suspicious look not leaving his face. "And did anything between you two happen?"

Frowning, I take the communicator and go to the washroom. Tsukino does not need to overhear this. "What did Yusuke tell you?" I ask quietly.

Before Koenma can answer, I hear Yusuke shout in the background, "Are you talking to Kurama?"

Koenma's eyes widen at the sound of Yusuke's voice and he turns to face the man. While Koenma is speaking he is waving his hands before him to signal that he has nothing to hide. "Not at all, Yusuke. I would have told you if I was so that you could tell him your message."

Unfortunately, Yusuke either sees the monitor which my image on it in Spirit World, or he doesn't believe Koenma and uses his own communicator to call me. Regardless, now Yusuke is yelling at me through the little mirror.

"What the hell were you going cheating on Tsukino-chan with the girl your supposed to be arresting!?"

I resist the urge to sigh. "I am not cheating on Tsukino-san, Yusuke."

Yusuke scowls. "That kiss didn't look like not cheating to me."

I am about to reply when Kazuma's voice comes from behind Yusuke. "Kurama did what?!" Suddenly, Kazuma is standing by Yusuke and looking over his shoulder. "Kurama, did you honestly kiss a girl?!"

"Well he definitely didn't kiss a man," Yusuke growls before I can defend myself.

Well aware that Tsukino could hear through the walls, I adjust the volume on the pocket mirror and speak quietly. I hope this will be over before Tsukino starts to wonder what I am doing. "I did not kiss anyone nor am I cheating on Tsukino-san."

"You let that chick kiss you!" Yusuke accuses.

Kazuma frowns. "Okay, when did this happen and how drunk was he?"

I speak before Yusuke can twist the facts around to his favour. "I was assaulted last night by The Fox's Rose because-"

Kazuma's eyes widen. "You got assaulted?"

I nod. "Yes, last night and-"

"How did you get assaulted without being drunk? Unless you were drunk…"

"I wasn't drunk, I was-"

"Then you willingly let her kiss you, and therefore you are cheating on Tsukino-chan," Yusuke suddenly cut in.

"Yusuke, Kazuma, be reasonable," Koenma's voice comes from behind the men, but we ignore him.

"I didn't willing let her kiss me," I say, trying not to become angry though I am failing because of my current demon genetics.

(Demons feel negative emotions more strongly than positive ones. For example, humans feel love more strongly than hate and for that reason they become more powerful when they love rather than hate. Demons however become more powerful when we hate than when we (if ever) love. That is why we are usually quite violent.)

"Then what do you call that kiss?!" Yusuke and Kazuma demand.

"The disguise pills Koenma gave me have affected my reflexes. I was not able to react fast enough to move away and was assaulted."

Yusuke scoffed. "Yeah right, you didn't even have any pills yesterday."

I glare at him. "I had to take a pill in order to make this disguise."

Yusuke's eyes widen and his jaw is slack before he tries to save his failing argument. "You still are cheating on Tsukino-chan!" he says finally.

I ignore him and speak to Koenma, "We will be searching for The Fox's Rose again today. I will call you if we find anything. And Yusuke," I glare at him, "If you call me to say that I'm cheating on Tsukino-san, I will tell Keiko about what could have been 'cheap thrills' back in Tarukane's manor."

Yusuke's jaw slackens once more. "How did you know about-?"

I hang up before he can answer and make my way out of the bathroom.

Tsukino looks up as I enter the room and tilts her head to the side, silently asking what the others wanted.

I explain that I was telling them of our progress and had to talk to Koenma about some side effects the pills had.

She accepts my answer, and after I quickly eat something, we leave the inn and search for a sign of The Fox's Rose.

We check the streets first before looking in through the windows for something she may want to steal. After an hour of searching, we find nothing, and I almost consider going into a nearby bar to listen to the rumours that surely are flying around. I destroy that idea before I allow myself to focus on it. Entering the bar would mean either leaving Tsukino alone outside or having her come in with me. Both ideas brought a sour taste to my mouth.

We continue walking for over an hour with still no clues. At one point, Tsukino had ran off only to reappear with a book and pen. I assumed that the book was for her to communicate with by writing words, but then I saw that the title was 1000 Tales of Murder and Love.

We do not speak until the day is ending, and we still have not seen any sign of The Fox's Rose.

I am just about to suggest that we find another inn to stay at, when Tsukino suddenly hands me the book she had been carrying. She has circled words inside the book and points at them to tell me which order to read them in.

'Maybe she moved?' Tsukino has me read.

Realizing that this is how Tsukino is deciding to communicate with me, I nod. "It is a possibility. Regardless, we can do nothing more tonight. We'd best find an inn and retire for the night."

Tsukino frowns and circles more words. 'Aren't foxes more active at night?'

I nod again. "But so are many other demons. It will be safer to search for her tomorrow. Once we find her, it will be easier to detain her during the day because she will be tired from the night."

She is still frowning but nods, following me towards the inn I saw while we were walking. We only walk for about a block when she hesitantly grabs the back of my tunic, causing me to stop and turn to face her. Again, she hands me the book. 'Maybe it would be better if we split up-'

I do not bother to read the rest of her circled words. Instead, I shake my head. "Too risky."

Tsukino frowns again and then seems to notice something over my shoulder. Her eyes widen in fear, and I quickly turn to see a dog demon walking towards us. A very familiar dog demon. He does not even turn in our direction as he walks by us, but I notice that he watches us from the corner of his eye. Just as quickly as he appeared, the dog demon disappears, and the street is empty except for us.

I turn to Tsukino and grab her hand, quickly dragging her down the street. She does not fight so I assume that she realizes that being on an empty street makes one a prime mugging target.

We reach an inn and quickly check in. Once we are settled, I curiously watch Tsukino attempt to write something in her journal. She seems to be getting frustrated as her face slowly turns red and she grips the pen tightly. Finally, she appears to admit defeat as she goes to place the book and pen into her bag.

"Why did you circle the words instead of writing them?" I ask suddenly.

Tsukino looks over at me in shock, as if she thought I had been asleep. She takes the book out again and circles the words, 'because', 'I', and 'can't'.

I frown, realizing that stage two had affected her more than we had originally thought. "Have you tried writing?" I ask cautiously.

She nods. 'That's what I was trying to do.'

"Show me."

Tsukino hesitates for a second, before she turns the pages of the book until I see the inside cover. Originally, clean and white, the inside cover is now covered in black ink almost as if Tsukino was a child drawing on the wall. Once or twice, I think I see something that is close to a word in Japanese, but it usually is nonsense.

I sigh quietly after looking over her attempt. "I guess we'll have to start over."

Tsukino takes the book back and circles some more words. "Do you think he will be mad that I forgot?"

"You mean Kazuma?"

She nods, silent as always, and I shake my head.

"No, he won't be mad. He knows it's not your fault that you forgot." It was Enma's but I do not say that.

Tsukino does not seem soothed by my words so I take the pen from her and sit down on her bed beside her. "And if you are truly as fast a learner as Kazuma says you were, he'll never have to know."

She stares at me, her head slightly tilted and her mouth twisted into a confused frown.

Ignoring her for the moment, I turn the pages of the book until I come to a blank page. Purposefully, I take the pen and write out the word cat. Then, handing the pen back to her, I say, "Copy it."

Tsukino shakes her head and goes to flip through the book before I grab her arm. She glares at me when I stop her from explaining whatever she was going to say.

"You aren't going to learn if you don't try."

Her eyes narrow even more clearly saying that she had already tried.

"Show me," I urge her.

For a moment, it looks like Tsukino is going to ignore me and turn the pages of the book to explain herself. To my surprise though, she takes the pen and tries to copy the symbols, but for whatever reason she couldn't copy the symbols.

I mentally sigh and take her hand in mine, wrapping my fingers over hers. Looking over her shoulder, I help her to copy the symbols. We continue this until she is able to write cat by herself. Then we move on to other words that would be of use to her. This continues for more than an hour before we finally ready for bed, and I'll admit, I was reluctant to release her hand.

I call Koenma before turning in and inform him that we found nothing of use and need a list of valuable treasures within the area. Koenma promises to deliver, and I turn in.

Day Three

Tsukino and I awake to the sound of one of Koenma's messenger birds tapping on the window. Because of my headache caused by my lack of demonic energy, Tsukino opens the window while I swallow another horrid pill. She then takes the folder from the bird, and it returns to Spirit World. We, on the other hand, return to the streets of the City of the Damned.

After walking around for about two hours, we run into a dog demon. The same demon from yesterday. Except today, he acknowledges our presence. He walks right to us while we stand in front of a fruit booth discussing our best course of action.

"May I have a word with you, young cousin?" he asks quietly in a voice gruff from age. "Alone."

I'm about to refuse when Tsukino tugs on my tunic again. "A moment please," I reply before we distance ourselves a bit.

She hands me the book with her suggestion half written, half circled. 'Talk to him, he might know about Mikiku-san.'

I cannot disagree with her point, but at the same time, it would not be wise to leave her alone. "Will you be safe alone?" I ask carefully.

She frowns. 'Of course. This might be the only chance we have to learn if she is still in town or not.'

I frown but again cannot argue with her. It does not matter because she runs off towards a booth before I can say anything. With a sigh, I turn back to the dog demon though I keep a sharp eye on Tsukino.

Similarly, the elder had been watching us with his blue right eye as we talked; his left one forever sealed with a vertical scar down the middle. Now he watches as I approach; his black tail swishes side to side. In the right light, it shines with the hidden gray streaks that tell his true age of over many millions of eons. "Hello little cousin," he says.

I nod and reluctantly bow, leaving myself open for attack. A sign of trust in canine traditions that was passed on to their demon counterparts. "Hello elder, you wished to speak with me?"

He nods; his hand on his sword. "How long has it been since we have last spoken?"

I frown, worried that he saw through my disguise or is mistaking me for someone else. "I'm afraid you have me confused with another fox or perhaps dog, sir."

He nods again. "Yes, perhaps. It has been a long trip."

"Coming from the North?" I ask as I notice the heavy black fur that covers the elder's body to protect it from not only the cold but also sword strokes.

The elder shakes his head. "Nay, I come from the East. My brother is in the North still mourning over the death of his prized student. Inu always was a foolish one though I cannot say that my own student was not as foolish in his own ways. Silly fox, he was."

Tsukino has vanished from my view, and I start to worry. "I hope that you do not find me disrespectful, elder, but I have not the time to talk. My partner and I are searching for The Fox's Rose and have little time to waste."

He nods. "Of course, little cousin. I apologize for withholding you, but allow me to offer you a bit of advice for your travels. Be wise this time with not your mind but your heart. War is not a pup's game and you will do well to avoid it, yoko."

I nod. "Thank you, but news of The Fox's Rose would be of more use at this time."

"Turn your nose to the wind then. Surely you have not forgotten the secrets of scents. Though I understand it can be hard to use ones nose when an alluring scent such as one's mate in heat is around."

I frown. "I mean no disrespect, but she is not mine. I do not know who her mate even is."

For the first time in the conversation, the elder frowns. "Then you would do well to learn the identity of her mate and challenge him. You came close before, you will come closer still."

Tsukino slips back into my view, and I allow myself to relax a bit. "I'm afraid I do not follow."

The elder shakes his head. "It is of no condition. Just try to avoid the war for my kind is slow to learn new tricks and the cats are growing more cunning. Furthermore, I wish you luck in your mission to learn the identity of her mate and find The Fox's Rose. Perhaps we will meet again."

I bow. "Good travels, elder."

He ruffles my hair. "And to you, young yoko. One last word of warning though, an alluring scent often leads to things you would rather not know of. Kits should be the least of your worries right now."

I frown but do not reply, and the elder quickly disappears into the streets. Almost instantly, Tsukino appears at my side. Her tilted head asks her question for her.

I start walking away from the crowded booths, and she follows. Then without looking at her, I say, "He did not know where The Fox's Rose is but suggested that I try using my nose more. Elders usually say that to growing kits so that we keep our canine ways alive."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her nod and reach for her book. She circles a few words before holding it to me to take.

I shake my head, my mood still sour from dealing with the elder. He had brought up many things I had not thought or cared to think about. Also, my displeasure at not being able to find The Fox's Rose was more apparent in this form. "I'll answer your questions once we get back to where the Mirror of Desire was stolen from. I should be able to find The Fox's Rose's scent there and learn if she is still in the city or not."

I cannot see her reaction to my harsh voice, but it is also for the better that I cannot see it. I need to have a clear head right now and cannot be bothered by emotions. Perhaps it is a good thing that I'm in my true form rather than my human one. At least now I will only be affected by my negative emotions, which will cause my power to grow.

Soon we arrive at the house, and we quickly make our way to the roof. Before I can say anything to her, Tsukino walks over to the corner of the roof and sits down. She pulls out her book and instead of writing in it, starts to read.

I force myself to ignore her and close my eyes to better concentrate on the scents surrounding the roof. A small wind blew over the roof helping me center in on the scents. Now that I'm downwind of where I was standing before, I can easily recognize my own faded scent as well as what I assumed to be The Fox's Rose's, but I couldn't find Tsukino's. Concentrating harder, I breathe deeper, trying to catch her scent. I can only smell my own, and The Fox's Rose's that smells like Mikiku's once was with a hidden scent of copper.

Suddenly, the wind switches directions just as I am breathing in deeply. I am down downwind of Tsukino, and her scent quickly surrounds me. Usually, this would not have been a problem, since I was used to her scent, but I have never been concentrating on the scents around me as I am now. I try to block her scent from my mind and concentrate on my task, but it's much harder than I thought. Just as the elder warned me.

Her scent was… intoxicating, nothing like I remembered it to be. Instead of the chrysanthemum scent it was when she was staying in Human World, I found myself breathing in a mixture of feline and chiroptera scents that was surprisingly pleasing.

Suzuka must have changed her scent as well when he had her transform by using shampoo and such.

With a great amount of effort, I manage to get control over myself and bring myself back to my mission. After a few more minutes, I decide that The Fox's Rose has left the city behind.

'Can you guess where she went?' Tsukino asks, once I explain that The Fox's Rose has left.

I pause for a moment and take out the file Koenma sent us. After taking a second to read it, I reply, "If she is raiding places due to how close they are to each other, then we should run ahead to the City of Ghosts and Apparitions. When I was last here, there was a rumour about a jewel that I-Yoko Kurama had once stolen, but that was three years ago and it may have moved by then."

Tsukino nods and circles some words to say, 'What have we got to lose? Sooner or later she's going to come back because she knows who you are.'

I nod and walk towards the edge of the roof. Tsukino follows me but just before we jump off the roof, I grab her arm. "You had a question for me before we got here?"

She shakes her head. 'It was nothing. Forget it.'

Her face tells a different story, but the more time we waste, the farther The Fox's Rose is getting away from us. I turn away and look in the direction of the City of Ghosts and Apparitions. "We'd better hurry. It's a day's run from here even if I'm the one running."

A/N: Chapter three done. I really like the elder, I was going to give him a bigger role in the original, but I just ran out of time plot-wise. I hope I can fit him in some more later on. Anyways, hope you all are enjoying the story. See ya at the next chapter!

-D101