Night fell soon enough, and with its approach the cicada's began to serenade. The sky was stained soft pink, and every now and then a pack of birds took to flight. Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, and the ever silent Shimo left the Sarashiki mall with high spirits for the evening ahead. Keiko wanted to visit Genkai, and Kuwabara was just as eager to call Shizuru as soon as his sister got off work. Shizuru might not have been the most genial person, but she was honest and hardworking (not to mention unfazed by the worst of criminals). These talents gave her an excellent edge in her new line of work: law enforcement.
Conveniently enough, the Police station was located about seven to eight blocks away the mall. The stretch in between was lined with consignment shops for high end customers, not to mention a few pricey jewelry stores that were certain to get Yusuke into seven kinds of trouble. Oddly, Keiko didn't look twice at front windows of the diamond deposits, instead focusing on holding Yusuke's hand and passing him small sweet smiles.
It was one of the reasons that Yusuke loved her. She was not swayed by material wealth. She invested her money and time in other more substantial areas.
"Man, you oughta see some of the files Shizuru brings home!" Kuwabara gloated from Yusuke's other side. He'd slung one of his long arms around Yukina's petite shoulders, and the pair of them kept in stride even though Yukina's legs were a third of the size of his own. "Makes our own work look like kid stuff. You know there's a guy whose under investigation for raping his own kid? Sick!" Kuwabara snapped, his moral fiber peeking through, "How could a man ever do such a thing?! To his own child of all people!"
Yusuke grimaced.
Kurama was ahead of Keiko, and Yusuke noticed that every so often those emerald eyes would slide warily in their sockets to glance at Shimo. So long as Kurama was on guard, Yusuke wondered if he would be safe to drop guard and converse with Kuwabara.
"That's awful!" Keiko cried out, "Is Shizuru pursuing the case?"
"Yeah, she's tough as nails." Kuwabara smiled fondly at this, "She's been working as a private investigator for the prosecution. I'm ready to see her throw his guy in the slammer!"
With an unexpected pop the street lights began to glow. Yusuke knew from working the ramen stand every night that this meant it was seven- time for the late night train to Tokyo; time for him to start work. He grimaced again, thinking of all the valuable money he'd lost by spending these nights trailing after Shimo instead of working hard. They would have to work out a system and soon if this Shimo person was going to be a long term guest. Yusuke refused to set aside his goal of owning his own home just because someone wanted to make waves.
"Here!" Kuwabara exclaimed, and sure enough they'd reached the final street across which the Police Station glowed orange and warm against the cool dark night. It was elevated from the street on a rise of fine marble columns and steps upon which several people were lounging. Parked cars parallel to the sidewalk were constantly coming and going so that a steady train of people were heading home after what clearly had been a long and arduous day. As their little group approached the steps of the Police Station, a haggard woman wearing a housecoat and old tennis shoes was storming to a beat up car with a drunk man following in her angry wake. Their group halted, not wanting to stop the free parade.
"Of all the nights!" The woman hissed, wrenching open the passenger door to the car and forcibly shoving the drunk man inside so that his head nearly hit the window. "Of all the nights to drink yourself stupid! My mother will be here in less than twelve hours and you're as washed up as dead fish! I could kill you for this Nobu!"
She slammed the door behind Nobu, and inside the car her drunk husband sagged wearily on the dashboard. The woman stormed to the drivers side, climbed inside, and started the car. They were off before Yusuke could get a second look at the miserable drunk.
"Well." Keiko bit her lip, "I'd like to thank you, Yusuke."
"For what?"
"For never putting me through that."
"So demons and death matches are alright but drinking on the eve of your mother's arrival is not?"
"Precisely."
Yusuke grinned and looked up to the bright glass doors. He was unsure whether or not they should enter the police station, given Yusuke's past run ins with the law. Would he be recognized? Would he be goaded by officers or taunted? He caught Kuwabara's eye, and the pair of them silently agreed that they would merely wait outside for Shizuru to emerge. If she was getting off work soon, then she would appear in due time. She certainly would have to step outside for a smoke break if nothing else.
"What is this place?" Yukina asked, curious and naive, "Why do people look so sad?"
"It's a police station." Kurama explained, "Where humans who have broken the law are taken to be processed and placed in jail. Offenses can range in their intensity... most people who are taken here can be bailed out with money from relatives. Take the man that just passed, for example."
"Oh." Yukina frowned, still a little lost, "But... why would they break the law?"
Kurama smiled absent mindedly, "I could curl your hair with the answer to that question." Kurama chuckled. "I am a criminal, Yukina... even if only in my past."
Yukina looked alarmed at this, and Yusuke was brought to the sharp realization that Yukina had utterly no idea that Kurama and Hiei were once enemies of Spirit World. She had met them long afterward, when they were working as Rekai Tantei... How had she been perceiving them, if she hadn't a clue that they were once criminals? Yusuke tried to imagine how he would see Hiei if he didn't know that Hiei broke the law. All that came to mind was the term 'asshole', and so he kept his mouth clamped firmly shut.
"You're a criminal?" Yukina demanded agog, "But- but why? What on earth did you do?"
Kurama shrugged.
"Do not think on it, Yukina." Kurama soothed, "It doesn't matter now."
But this was a downright lie, for there would never be a time in Kurama's life when Yoko, and all that he once existed within, did not reflect on the present... did not affect his judgement or choice.
Yusuke knew that well enough.
"Hey, check it out!" Yusuke broke the awkward silence which had fallen upon their group, and Yukina's worried expression slowly melted away, "Look whose here!" Yusuke pointed to the top of the stairs, where a lanky woman with long brown hair and callous eyes had emerged. With a leather briefcase slung over her shoulder and a cigarette between her thin lips, Shizuru looked utterly spent and a touch irritable.
"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed, and Shizuru paused mid-light to cast a disgruntled look at the bottom of the stairs for the source of the calamity, "Shizuru! How's it going sis?!"
Shizuru's lip curled, and though she was at the top of a long flight of stairs Yusuke could practically feel the heat radiating off her brain.
"I do believe we've irritated her." Kurama murmured, for even as he spoke Shizuru descended the stairs at a great stomping pace. People waiting for bail to come through scurried out of the way as she tossed her unlit cigarette aside and pocketed a golden lighter on her way down. Kuwabara automatically took a step back, but it was hardly a wise move to make as Shizuru bore upon him. Yusuke was hit with a wave of whiskey, and was reminded automatically of his mother Atsuko back when she drank amber brandies and scotches. He grinned, but his smile was not returned as Shizuru seethed at Kuwabara and curled her fingers into a tight clenched fist.
"The hell are you doing 'round here?" Shizuru demanded in a hot whisper under her breath, "I told you not to come down here alone! You know what kind of a reputation you've got with thugs?!"
"But I'm not alone!" Kuwabara exclaimed gesturing to all those around him, "See, I've even got Yusuke and Kurama here! Whose gonna take me with these guys backing me up?"
"Me." Shizuru seethed.
Yusuke took a quick step to the left, elbowing into Keiko as he ushered out of the way. Thugs, Yusuke could easily take. Demons were likewise not an issue. Shizuru was downright terrifying and he would not stand in-between her and the prey that she chose.
"Sorry, Kuwabara." Yusuke snickered, "I'll back you with thugs and demons but you're on your own with this one!"
Kurama likewise shrugged and looked away.
"I do not intervene on family affairs." Kurama spoke mildly.
"Wait!" Kuwabara was scrambling for backup, and the first person he found was Yukina. Taking her in his arms, Kuwabara hugged her protectively which made Yukina emit a noise similar to a frightened baby bird. "Let me hold Yukina one last time!"
"You're hiding like a coward, face me like a man!" Shizuru spat, "What the hell are you people doing down here anyway? Don't you know I've got work to do?"
"We were shopping at the mall!" Keiko implored, "Kuwabara wanted to catch you after work to ask you to dinner at Genkai's. We thought it might be nice to all catch up!" Keiko urged, "Please Shizuru, don't be mad at him... we haven't been here ten minutes, honest! We weren't going to go inside!"
Shizuru grimaced at this, and a vein in her neck pulsed. To sooth her nerves, Shizuru brought out another cigarette, lighting it with a golden flash and taking a long deep drag.
"Dinner, eh?" Shizuru grumbled. With a deep sigh, her nose twitched at the assaulting smoke and she reached out to ruffle Kuwabara's unruly ginger locks. He looked automatically relieved at this. "... Dinner'd be nice. I didn't want to cook anyway."
"Good, then let's go." Yusuke urged. Though he was glad to see Shizuru, Yusuke couldn't help his frayed nerves. Shimo had him constantly on edge, with those glassy eyes that seemed to see nothing and yet everything. He had no answers as of yet, and felt utterly helpless at times. Perhaps one of them was now, for Shizuru sent him a quizzical look.
"Need a ride?" Shizuru offered, "My car's in the deck around back."
"Sweet!" Kuwabara jumped on the offer at once, "Come on Yukina, Shizuru's car is brand new! You're going to love it!"
"Okay!" Yukina chirped,following Kuwabara at once without hesitation. Shimo was right behind her, hot on her heels, and Yusuke nearly threw himself atop the strange boy before Shizuru blind stepped him and fixed him with a blinding glare.
"What tree are you climbing?" Shizuru demanded gruffly.
"Yours!" Yusuke attempted to side step Shizuru, but it was in vain. He should have known as much when she grabbed him tight by the shoulder and forced him to meet her hard brown eyes.
"Yusuke." Shizuru used his first name, startling him slightly out of his reverie. "What are you on about?"
Yusuke looked over her shoulder.
Yukina and Kuwabara were far along now, Shimo right behind them, headed for the parking deck which looked dark and ominous. Yusuke knew that Kuwabara could hold his own in a fight, even against someone like Shimo, but Shimo's strength was still up in the air and Yusuke had no way of knowing what class he belonged to. What if they were caught off guard in the dark? What if Kuwabara was hurt? What is Kuwabara was...
No, Yusuke would not allow such thoughts. They'd been horrifying enough years ago in the Dark Tournament.
"Yusuke." Shizuru spoke louder this time, and his eyes snapped back to hers. "What's going on?"
"I- it's- damn." Yusuke grunted through his teeth. He pulled his shoulder out of Shizuru's grasp. "You see that guy walking with Kuwabara and Yukina?"
Shizuru looked over her shoulder, nodding when she spotted Shimo's pale back.
"Don't trust him." Yusuke ordered, "He's a stranger that showed up about a week ago claiming to be Yukina's brother... and we all know that he's not."
"Save them." Shizuru added at once, motioning to Kuwabara and Yukina.
"Save them." Yusuke agreed.
"He got a name?" Shizuru asked, "I might have a file on him if he's from near here... we could get a scoop."
"Shimo. That's all we've got. Hell, we've been unable to find demon energy on him, he might not be a demon at all!" Yusuke pondered aloud, "What do you think Kurama?"
"We've been monitoring the situation very closely but to no avail so far." Kurama smoothed over, "Shimo seems harmless on surface evaluation, but there is much that I still am unsure of. It is hard to question him when Yukina is near. Kuwabara is also a quick defender. Hiei, of course, attempted to solve this problem on the first night but I fear he did more harm than good."
"I figured." Shizuru did not look pleased as she watched Kuwabara, Yukina, and Shimo vanish into the parking lot, "It's not usual that I see you all together. Hiei's not here, and that stuck out to me."
"He's gone off to find out more about Shimo. But I feel like I've got to protect Yukina with Hiei gone." Yusuke continued. "Still, if Shimo's human... I can steam roll him. Easily." Yusuke grinned at this.
"I've said it before, I'll say it again!" Keiko added indignantly, "You ought to ask Botan and Koenma! If Shizuru can't find papers, they're our best lead. Maybe they have a file on Shimo."
"Girls got a point." Shizuru agreed, "But there's nothing that can be done now... if we've got a problem, we've gotta fix it. That's the way we work."
Their was unified agreement in this.
"They're in the parking lot alone. I won't have it that way for long." Shizuru sighed, looking drained from the new heavy burden. "I'll take the kids to Genkai's and keep my eyes on Shimo. I might not have a spirit gun like you..." Shizuru paused, and from inside her suede formal jacket she revealed her police badge and a gun holstered tight. "But I'm still just as loaded."
"Shoot him in the head!" Yusuke joked, chuckling mischievously.
Shizuru took off without another word, shrugging on her jacket and chucking her finished cigarette butt into a puddle on the street. She was out of sight before Yusuke could count to ten, and so they were left alone.
"Come on." Keiko urged, "We have to hurry if we want to meet them at Genkai's! My car is parked just down the street."
"We'll leave my car in the mall lot. There's no time to double back." Kurama agreed, and so the three of them turned to run down the street. It was completely dark now, and Yusuke had roamed the streets at night long enough to know when trouble was near. The police station might have been a hub of justice but it was surrounded by a river of seedy crooks freshly released on bail. They reached Keiko's green little mercedes without delay, however, and the three of them climbed inside before they could be harassed.
"Gas it, Keiko." Yusuke urged as the engine revved. "I don't want to give that little prick any more time alone with Yukina and Kuwabara than necessary.
The little green car started off down the busy night streets, bound for the darkened mountains of Sarashiki's northern border... and the silent wilderness that Genkai called home.
Hiei coughed haggardly, his head pounding with horrific pain as he stumbled blindly. His heart pounded, as if his body was under great stress, but he'd merely been walking at an average pace for a few hours now- nothing compared to his usual stride! Mukuro kept anxious watch from behind, keeping her mouth shut as her hands twitched with nervous anticipation. Should he fall, should he begin to struggle, Mukuro would not hesitate to grab him and hold him upright. Hiei would curse her, and howl like a banshee, but she didn't give a damn for his filthy mouth at times like this. Hiei was ill. Extremely ill... and Mukuro knew they had very little time left.
"Just a little further now." Mukuro urged from behind, spotting a row of cliffs ahead set against the seasonal forest backdrop. If they could make it to the mountain's base, she could easily help him up the rocky slope. As soon as they were under cover of darkness, they would be safe from onslaught... for now, however, they were sitting targets. Mukuro did not like being a sitting target.
"Shuttup, woman!" Hiei spat, more forcibly than he'd intended. He could not help his savage temper, for the pain within his head was so immense he could hardly hold down the bile in his throat. Any minute now, he knew that he would vomit, and so he kept his head bent in a desperate attempt to ward off the oncoming nausea.
"If you weren't on the verge of death, I'd put you there." Mukuro snapped back, "Keep your tongue if you can't speak without cursing! It insults both our intelligences."
Mukuro's words were like mud sliding through Hiei's ears and he could hardly make sense of what she was saying. His vision was going brown, as if the world were in sepia tones, and with each haggard breath he could feel his nausea growing stronger and stronger. Something hot and wet trickled down his face, and Hiei reached up to touch his forehead with nervous and trembling fingers.
Puss. Damn.
"If we can get to the mountains, we'll be safe for the night." Mukuro continued, explaining her thought process, "I can seal you somewhere safe, and go for Shigure myself, you're far too weak to keep walking like this. We're still days away from Shigure's hut and you're already falling slack!"
Hiei stumbled again, sweat breaking out all over his forehead as his jagan throbbed without cease. He could not think, he could not gain breath-!
He fell to his knees and vomited without cease.
"Hiei!" Mukuro cried, dropping her irritation at once as she immediately came to his side. She held his hair back, frightened to see that it was not stomach acid but blood that his stomach was purging. Hiei vomited again and again, until his entire body was wracking with a shaking fever that scared Mukuro just as much as the blood. She knew nothing about medical maladies, and knew even less about the jagan. She knew that weakness and illness in demon world was quickly followed by death as healthier demon's killed the lesser. She had to get Hiei to a place of secrecy and quiet, or they would be attacked and overwhelmed with ease.
"Goddamnit." Mukuro cursed underneath her breath. She felt something wet between her fingers, and pulled her hand back from Hiei's forehead to see with horror that a yellow brown ooze was dripping from her digits. At once, she crawled around Hiei's side, hesitantly pushing back the meager gauze over his jagan to display the damage. What she found was so appallingly disgusting that she had to hold her breath so as not to gag.
The jagan was no longer living. How long it had been dead, Mukuro did not know. What she did know was that it was now rotting in Hiei's skull, green and purple, sagging and festering with sick momentum. The smell was so foul, she could hardly stand it and so she pulled away to clean off her hands in the dirt and gasp fresh air.
"That's it!" Mukuro snapped, angry at the situation and her own foolish blunder of not checking Hiei's jagan more often. How long had he been suffering like this? What stage were they at now, in regards to Hiei's health? How much time did they have left before... before...
No. Mukuro would not go there. She would not think that horrific thought.
"Climb on my back." Mukuro ordered, pulling Hiei away from the steaming pile of fresh blood to yank one of his arms around her shoulders. He struggled, though faintly, and his indignant whispers were full of curses as she forcibly holstered his legs around her bony hips. His sweaty form slumped against her back, till her vest was sticky with his secretions, and she desperately tried to get Hiei to hang onto her neck. He would not cooperate, pulling away even as she yanked harder back. With a growl of frustration, she ripped Hiei's scarf off from around his neck, using it for meagre rope as she tied his hands together and slipped them over her head.
"You'll thank me for this when you're not utterly fucked!" Mukuro spat, rising to her wobbly legs and gaining balance once more. She hoisted Hiei firmly upon her back, cracking her neck before setting off at the fastest pace she could safely manage. She would run, without cease, till her muscles would scream for release. She would not stop for drink or food. She would not pause for breath or rest. She would run until she reached Shigure's hut... and she would halt this disease in its tracks.
Mukuro would not lose Hiei to something that was preventable, especially if she could do something about it.
She had thought before to simply stall in the mountain caves overnight, but she knew now that this was folly and the best way forward was simply to surge onward without cease. The more ground she covered, the closer she got Hiei to Shigure. There was no way of calling out to the surgeon- of letting the man know that they were coming. Part of Mukuro secretly feared that they would arrive only to find an empty hut with no fresh trail to follow. Yet she knew that Shigure had asked for a week or so off, and that he'd been itching to return home to work on new medical discoveries. Where else would he be, if not at his little hut? Mukuro had never been inside before, yet she knew where to find it. Shigure's home was just beyond a great stretch of swamp land that was infested with low class scavengers kept on their toes by acid rain and underground fires that would strike up without warning. Some might consider it a foul place to start their medical practice, but the wary landscape kept away the weaker fools who thought themselves worthy of the jagan.
Mukuro ran, the terrain underfoot turning from thick grass to damp soggy earth full of dead leaves. The forest above her was haunted with the end of summer as old limbs began to sag under the weight of time. On her back, she could feel Hiei shivering. His ridiculous rambling floated through her ears every so often so that she could catch snippets of his conversation.
"Not... not going to... where is... kill-" But Hiei was making no sense, and it only served to spur Mukuro to run even faster through the undergrowth. The sun was beginning to slowly set upon the horizon. Somewhere in the west she heard the crackle of hot lightening. Hiei could not stand to be in the rain in this condition. They would need to seek drier ground if he was to survive through the night. Mukuro wondered if there might be useful plants lurking in the brush that she could use to sooth Hiei's distress. Anything to help numb the pain he must surely be in and bring his madness to a manageable level.
The thunder was growing louder. A hot gust of wind moved the trees above her, and she paused in her great stride to cast a look backwards. A great storm cloud had formed in the time she'd been running, and now it was nearly upon their little forrest. Mukuro had no more time to gain ground. Her plan to run non stop had been forced to halt by weather and she damned her own cowardice. If she was brave, she'd run through the rain not caring how it affected her passenger...
But she did care. God damn her for it, she did care.
Mukuro immediately dodged right, leaping off the beaten path to begin her hot pursuit for shelter. Meager creatures were already nestled in their dens, and Mukuro knew they'd be unwilling to share. Manners were a rare commodity in demon world, and Mukuro was not above being an ass to get ahead.
A group of small bird like demons were squatting in a hollowed out tree trunk. Mukuro fixed them with a piercing glare which they hissed and spat at in return. Her silent warning had been generous enough; with a haggard swipe of her hand and a burst of energy she slaughtered them all. Where once a group of birds had been huddled together there now lay a pile of bloody, twitching corpses. Mukuro ducked into the hollowed out tree, her nostrils suddenly full of the sent of mold and wood. she kicked the corpses out into the forest floor, not caring for decency. They were weak, plentiful and without purpose. A few birds were an easy sacrifice for her to make to keep Hiei safe.
Mukuro slowly lowered Hiei to the base of the tree, carefully brushing aside a few spiders that scuttled past. He groaned as his head hit the inside of the tree, and Mukuro ducked through Hiei's arm hold so that his bound hands lay helplessly in his lap. She untied them, taking the long white scarf and spreading it fully open so that she could lay it across Hiei's person like a thin tattered blanket.
It was hardly cover... but it would have to do.
A great crash of lightning made her jump, and she cursed herself for her jangled nerves as rain suddenly began to pour down. Luck alone had gotten her to find shelter on such quick notice, and outside their tree huddle the bloodied bird corpses were immediately drowned in a sudden river of silt and mud that washed past. Using her energy, Mukuro kept rain from coming inside their tree hole with a translucent barrier. There was little warmth, and a fire would be downright foolish. After all, they were inside a ball of kindling, and with Mukuro's barrier blocking the only exit for smoke they would literally suffocate to death. Instead, Mukuro contented herself to pull Hiei from the wall of the tree to her side so that she could warm him with her own body heat.
"Just breath, Hiei." Mukuro whispered as Hiei continued to mumble feverishly under his breath. "Just keep breathing. That's all you have to do. Just breath."
Hiei gave a shaky sigh as she spoke, and without knowing why Mukuro suddenly felt the urge to kiss him.
... Why here. Why now.
Why at all.
And yet...
Slowly, tenderly, like a mother to her babe, Mukuro pressed a soft and simple kiss to Hiei's bloodied forehead. She held her lips there without pressure, simply letting her skin touch his own.
"I..." Hiei was taking in great breathes. "I'm not... weak... get off me woman..."
"Yeah." Mukuro sniffed, pulling back and wiping her bloodied lips, "I know, I know. Don't stress yourself."
"He... he did this." Hiei coughed.
Mukuro looked over to see that one of Hiei's blood shot eyes was cracked open, staring at her through his muggy fever.
"He did... he did this, Mukuro." Hiei spoke in a sluggish voice, riddled with sickness. "He's... he's not right. He's evil. I know... I know it..."
"Don't worry." Mukuro soothed Hiei as soon as his voice had faded to silence. "I'll carry you to Shigure. He'll fix you up, and I bet he can tell us a thing or two about what happened to your jagan in the first place. If we know the problem, we can find out how it occurred... We can find out the bastard's skill."
"I just... I saw... I saw it." Hiei was beginning to ramble again without conscious strain of thought, "I saw it all... but I didn't... I didn't see her. I didn't see her."
"...Who?" Mukuro asked pensively, not wanting to pressure him when he was clearly already under great stress. "Who didn't you see?"
She hadn't a clue what he was talking about in the first place, but her heart ached for Hiei, and for the pain that he was in. There was something about the tone of voice in which he spoke that mirrored on grief. Mukuro didn't know why Hiei would be grieving at a time like this, but the reason why did not matter. She could comfort him regardless.
"Maybe she was there... Maybe you just didn't see her." Mukuro offered gently.
"No..." Hiei choked, "He... He left her out... on purpose. He left her out. To fuck with me. I know he did. Bastard."
"Don't give him the satisfaction." Mukuro urged, "Don't you let him fuck with you Hiei... You're too good for that."
Hiei did not respond. Outside, lightning crashed again and the wind began to howl. Their tree groaned in the savage wind.
"You're lucky." Hiei finally spoke up.
His tone had changed. His tone was clear. Mukuro caught his eye, and in their depths she found true pain staring back at her. Pain beyond measure, riddled with time and lack of closure.
"How am I lucky?" Mukuro whispered, fearful of Hiei's answer.
Hiei's face crumpled into one of miserable depression. He closed his eyes, and let out another shaky sigh.
"Because he's in a pot."
With that, Hiei seemed to fall slack as if his energy had finally run short. Mukuro was left in a state of utter confusion, lacking an answer. In a pot? What the hell did that mean? Who was the 'he' that Hiei spoke of?
"That's maddeningly unhelpful." Mukuro grumbled, irritated at her companions lack of clarity. Another crack of lightning ripped through the muggy late summer air. It was growing difficult to keep awake with the warm air filling her lungs. Hiei's head drooped onto her shoulder making a strange pillow. She laid her own head down atop his own, breathing deeply as she prayed for the rain to slow. As soon as the rain stopped... she'd be back on the move, and headed towards Shigure.
She only prayed that time was still on her side.