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Zwischenzug

by four-eyed 0-0

Part I

"The general himself ought to be such a one as can at the same time see both forward and backward."

– Plutarch, Whether an Aged Man ought to meddle in State Affairs

o-o

Omniscience

His whip sliced through the creature that had advanced towards him and he flipped himself backwards as he took down another to his right. Kurama hit the ground running, charging past Hiei and Kuwabara and flicked his wrist, neatly cutting five of the creatures in half.

The distant sirens of fire trucks and ambulances reached his ear. The latter must be Botan's doing or she'd receive some reprimand from Koenma. He sighed, one for the post-battling protocol that he'd have to oversee.

More of the lanky creatures streamed from inside the laboratory and Kurama looked over his shoulder to check up on the crowd of employees that had burst out of the gates, catching sight of a motorcycle that had turned the corner. It had previously brought up the rear of the crowd, but had seemed to stay behind, as much as he could gather from the length of time he and his teammates had been in the skirmish. Kurama recalled to the forefront of his mind the license plate, distorted and lopsided, as though it was hit by something equally sturdy:

7 – Shinagawa – Wo

31-05

If the rider had lurked a moment longer than they needed to…

Kurama somersaulted in the air just as a blue ball of energy—of reiki—almost seared a hole in his stomach.

…then it's either they know more than we do…

He had no time to act on his surprise as another ball barreled towards him and he pushed his hand against the asphalt to propel himself out of harm's way.

…or they don't.

He straightened as his feet touched the ground again, watching as more rubble fell from the already collapsed building as one too many energy spheres hit none of the team.

Hopefully the troops coming from Reikai would do their job as instructed.

He took down another of the monsters after gaining mastery of the situation. Even though the energy spheres came at rapid rates, the creatures didn't match their speed. This provided plenty of time for Kurama to avoid taking hits to the stomach, as he was very partial to, a realization he'd had almost a decade ago.

The creatures kept coming at them, and soon enough, he was standing in the middle of the battleground with the backs of Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei pressed to his. The asphalt had taken a darker shade from the blood and flesh that littered about, and he silently wondered how much more they'd have to slay to get out of this.

"Are you kidding me?" Yusuke said between gasps, fists stretched out in front of him.

Kuwabara let out a chuckle, high-strung. "Reiki and beach ball heads? Rich prank, if I ever saw one."

"They're definitely a level-up from the previous puppets."

"I wonder what the boss would be like."

"Beach ball-headed humans with youki?"

Kurama's lips twitched, holding back a laugh. Hiei scoffed in return, not bothering to roll his eyes to the back of his head.

"Getting impatient, are we?" said Kurama, grabbing at anything to clear up the nervous atmosphere that had descended over them.

"Tch. We came here to fight."

"Yeah, but we're not that much of a war freak."

Before Kuwabara and Hiei broke out into their routine scuffle, Yusuke yelled, "All right, guys! Let's wipe their asses off the face of the three realms! Free ramen after this!"

Kurama shook his head at the detective's lousy attempt at prep talk, which was always the case, before jumping off as one with the team. He secured a spot to the west, raising over his head the hand that grasped his rose whip. Slowly, he flicked his wrist in a circular motion, clockwise, the dangling end of the whip rising as it gathered force. Rose petals began to swim in the air surrounding him.

The beasts that had previously charged at him froze in their tracks, stunned. He allowed a small smirk to play at his lips before summoning more of his youki. His jacket and the tips of his hair rose as the wall of wind and petals moved faster with the command of his whip, and his whole body tingled with the energy it was amassing.

A pair of the beasts seemed to remember what they were here for, and they tore their eyes away from the dancing petals, shooting through his whirlwind. The balls of energy bounced back with a zap, as though hitting a mirror loaded with electrical energy, and crashed into their proponents, blowing them up.

Kurama smirked once more.

That should be enough.

The tingling dissipated, replaced by a steady buzzing. Kurama opened his mouth and roared, "Rose Whip Thorn Wheel!"

Sickle-shaped blades of his youki pierced through the wall of wind and petals, catapulting in different directions. Around him the beasts fell bunch by bunch, limb by limb. Soon the whole army that had hemmed him in was naught.

He slowed down his swinging of the rose whip, the tingling coming back to him. As the petals fell off the air no longer moving, the sensation died down entirely, and he became more aware of his companions.

The four of them stood alone, the only breathing creatures in the mass graveyard they had yet to dig up.

Kurama sighed, letting his whip revert back to a rose, then to a seed that he tucked under his hair. Ever on cue, five familiar auras made themselves felt, and the four of them stepped aside, away from the gore, as they fixed their eyes on the five people that had materialized as beams of white light landing from the sky.

"Urameshi, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei," said the female captain, briefly nodding to each of them. "We'll take over from here."

They all walked away, waiting in silence for Botan to arrive and give them instructions. It had always been the standard protocol: gore, sidelines, post-gore proceedings. The Spirit World SDF had never bothered placing their full trust in their team, obligated to clean up after they did the dirty job. Though their team wasn't one to talk; the sentiments were mutually shared.

The edgy police sirens echoed through the compound as three automobiles pulled up into the driveway, while yelled instructions from the firemen carried through from the southern gate. Even in the chaos, every sound was distinct, and Kurama's head started to throb a little.

Botan swooped in front of them and alighted her oar, taking out her notepad and pen. She turned to them with a small half-smile—not too proud, but proud nonetheless. After years of working for the Reikai, Kurama had come to relate the smile to that of non-satisfaction, as there was never a time they walked out of a mission with a feeling of fulfillment. They gained some, lost some. It was constantly that way.

"Terrific job, as always, guys," said the ferry girl, nodding at them. "But of course we need you to take care of the human victims."

"Was everyone retrieved?" asked Kuwabara.

"According to Witness Protection, yes," said Botan.

Kurama's memory brought to mind an image. "Did they retrieve a motorbike rider?"

They all turned to him, and Hiei grunted, as though to underline what he just said. The fire demon must have taken notice of the lingering presence, too.

The pen found its way to Botan's lips as she scanned the notepad. "Hmm, no motorbike riders at all, but we can't be sure just yet. All of the victims they found were those wearing laboratory gowns. Did you see the rider on site?"

Kurama knew hoping was too much. He could've gone after the person if only their hands weren't tied. He tried to recall as much detail as he could before speaking again. "It was a woman."

"Did you see her face?"

Kurama's thumb automatically connected with his chin as he paused in thought. The distance of the gate from the courtyard was relatively great and would've impeded anyone else from making out the tear-stained features of the stranger. Why she was crying was a great mystery. "She had a full-face helmet on but had the visor up. I remember the license plate."

"That's great then! We'd be able to find her easily. Was she suspicious?"

"She was escaping with the crowd but seemed to have paused to watch us."

If they were to look into the matter lightly, the rider's actions were normal as anyone else's; it was in the very nature of both humans and demons to have a need for survival as well as satisfaction to curiosity. But at this point into the new era and with their jobs, complacency wasn't very acceptable.

No matter how much effort the powers that be exerted in order to maintain the relative image of peace across the three realms, evil still lurked in untouched corners. They could be the pettiest of crimes as well as the most elaborate. While some could add spice to their routine days in the Ningenkai, the sort such as this one proved less than convenient.

It was the second attack in a month and they didn't have a clue who was behind all this.

Botan jotted what Kurama had said. "May I have the license plate?"

Kurama recited the details and she closed her notepad, turning to address the four of them with a wide smile.

"All right, so the usual. We're going to the city hospital. The ride should arrive soon, and the witnesses should be all be unconscious except for the three chosen for the questioning. Must I remind you not to scare them off—"

Hiei groaned as Botan pointedly looked at him. Kuwabara didn't bother to hold back his laughter and Yusuke and Kurama joined him shortly. The fire demon had come across as too terse for a still shell-shocked witness the previous assignment they had that he passed out without Hiei's jagan working on him.

Botan chuckled, her arms going akimbo as she tried to keep her composure from crumbling. She wagged her pen in front of them, unable to wipe the smile off her face even as she tried to sound serious.

"That goes for the three of you as well! Don't go harassing the witnesses just because Kurama would blow some powder under their nose after you're done with them."

Although the warning didn't contain any hint of malice, Kurama inwardly flinched as he was reminded of the dirtiest job of all—modifying the witnesses' memories without their consent. The Reikai could've easily let the witnesses get off with their memories intact but Koenma had feared they all had to keep up the charade lest they wished for their efforts to be put into waste. The less people knew about the problems, the better.

He and his companions didn't agree to this set-up at first as Koenma himself had his reservations. What was the use of concealing the truth from humans when the barrier had been taken down and all sorts of youkai were able to roam around freely among them?

"Public unrest will still more," Kurama had said simply. "If word gets round that youkai are able to elicit terror in the Ningenkai or humans in the Makai, more of those who wish to disturb the peace would be confident to carry out their plans."

Koenma had nodded. "General panic and lost sense of reason can do more damage than you think."

Towns swallowed by panic meant more work. And so they were stuck with doing the lesser evil.

At least humans were kept aware with regards to the youkai that had decided to inhabit their realm. They might be stripping them off their rights to know all that came with this reality, but it was the best they could do.

They couldn't really eradicate evil entirely, but that was what they were here for: to maintain peace to the best of their capabilities.

Three suit-clad men made their way to their little party, bowing to them in greeting. Kurama readily recognized them, all hailing from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Koenma had legislated that they enlist the help of and maintain working relations with the human police force, as they relieved them of the duty of taking care of rowdy snoopers and keeping up the façade.

They had to have some form of insurance from the inside, after all.

"Inspector Inoue," said Yusuke, nodding at the man sporting a small stub of facial hair, hawk eyes hidden behind the glare of his eyeglasses.

"Detective Urameshi," Inoue said in return, his tone starched. "We've come to collect you."

"And the witnesses?"

"We're bringing you to them."

Yusuke turned to them and jerked his head towards the police cars, beckoning wordlessly.

With the detectives leading their small group to the gates, Kurama took in the scene before them as the Special Detective Force gathered the fallen creatures, placing them in black zippered bags without so much as a grimace. The five of them were quick to work, about a dozen bags already piled up by a random corner. Those bags would find their way to the Reikai to be examined, and he'd have to know the results, no matter how he'd have to bug Koenma about it.

Inspector Inoue opened the doors on one side of a car and rounded the bumper before settling himself in the driver seat. Kuwabara hastily took the passenger's, clearly intent on keeping as much distance as he could from Hiei. The rest of them silently clambered into the backseat, Yusuke in the middle, while Botan hovered by the window, sitting sidesaddle on her oar.

"It's the second time," said the inspector as he shifted drive and pulled out of the parking space.

Even with the bland utterance, the meaning of the inspector's statement wasn't lost on any of them.

Kurama looked out the window, watching as the rest of the police officers in their blue armored uniforms and dark helmets try to placate the growing crowd of onlookers who wished to pass beyond the yellow lines. Several members of the media scattered about, none of them successful in taking a good shot of the scene as the automobiles had blocked vantage points for their rolling cameras.

Yusuke pushed against the backrest and glared at the inspector through the rearview mirror as he replied, "Look, we're doing everything to understand what's happening."

"Your efforts have proved futile."

Kurama's eye twitched as Yusuke scoffed. This human's gall to confront four capable people should come from the fact that they were inside an authorized vehicle and that he was behind the wheel.

Classic.

"I hate to break it to you but you're barking at the wrong tree. If you have issues, shove them up your sorry ass and blow them out while speaking to Koenma. We're here to do our assignments as they come and as they go. I don't expect you to understand, since you don't see half the shit we go through to get all these done in record time."

Kurama's eyes swept through his companions. At Yusuke's blatant disregard of the authority, which had gone on for longer than he could remember, Kuwabara paled, Hiei smirked, and Inoue chuckled with a shake of his head.

"It wasn't my intention to undermine you and your team, Urameshi," said the inspector, patient as a saint. "I just wished for you to know of our frustrations about the matter. Our forces have worked with you for years now and we do not envision any riff that could break the bond we have forged with you."

Yusuke huffed, unconvinced.

"I beg your pardon."

The young man sitting next to Kurama crossed his arms and let his head loll backwards with no headrest to catch it. "Yeah, whatever, man. Sorry I said anything."

Kurama could almost laugh at the exchange. Neither of them had sounded genuinely sorry, and it didn't come out as a surprise since there had always been an unspoken animosity between the Reikai Tantei and the human police. It was one that came with the territory.

It was the same routine—exchanging words meant as they were said without acknowledging the underlying intent. Kurama had to give it to Yusuke for playing the game easily and for always having the upper hand.

"Inspector," said Kurama, deciding to follow through with protocol. "How many witnesses are there?"

"Fifteen were brought to the hospital."

"Was there any motorbike rider?"

"None reported." He cast his eyes on Kurama through the mirror. "Was there supposed to be one?"

"Yes, a woman."

"I will deploy a search party at your disposal."

Kurama waved a hand. "I don't think that will be necessary. We'll have enough information to go by when we get to the three brought in for questioning."

Inoue nodded, and the rest of the ride passed in stony silence. Kurama absently watched as the city blurred past the window, taking in the impassive harmony that the people enjoyed without even trying. If only they knew what had happened…

He was cut off from his reverie when the car pulled up the entrance to the city hospital. They all got off the vehicle, Botan floating above their heads, and walked up the stone steps with the other two police officers to be greeted by a familiar face leaning on the doorframe.

"Yo, Ruka!" said Yusuke, saluting the nurse, clipboard pressed against her chest.

She cast their group a heavily-lidded stare before nodding her head in acknowledgment. "Hello to you too, detective," she drawled out before shifting her gaze to the other party, "Inspector, officers. Come this way."

Ruka gestured for them to follow her, maneuvering their group down the hallway. The walls, painted a sickly shade of blue, reminded him of antisepsis more than the outward smell that hung in the air. He didn't have fond memories of hospitals, and the mirror incident didn't even count.

Their guide walked with an easy confidence only someone who knew what they were doing could project, and he wasn't surprised he and his companions couldn't take this as seriously as possible no matter how many times they'd already done it.

They didn't need to be reminded of what happened years ago to find the situation comical.

Ruka stopped at the fifth door and gestured for them to come inside. Yusuke went in without a word, and they all hovered by the threshold as they took in the room at large.

Kurama's eyes had to adjust to the stark brightness of the room. Six beds were pushed against two opposite walls, all draped with white linens and privacy curtains. Sunlight poured in from the large glass windows running the length of one wall, bathing the whole room with light that hurt the eyes upon coming from outside.

Ruka silently closed the door behind them, resigning to the back of the crowd. "We administered sedatives for the twelve of them," said the nurse lazily. "Three were randomly chosen and isolated. They should be ready for your questions when you're through here."

Inoue cleared his throat, not wasting words to express his utter disgust at the underhanded procedure. No one bothered dignifying his attempt to make them feel guilty. It was a constant that came with their line of work.

"Inspector," said Kurama, without turning his head, "if you may."

A scrambling of three pairs of feet and the door was slid open before falling closed. Kurama waited for the footsteps to fade before stepping in the middle of the room and reaching in his hair for a lone, brown pea-sized seed. The familiar tingling came back as he forced his energy to flow in it, letting it sprout and grow into a single-stemmed plant, four pairs of brown leaves decussate with a solitary, terminal white flower.

The campanulate flower dangled off the stalk, stamen facing downwards and bursting with bright yellow pollen grains. Kurama gently shook the flower, letting some of the pollen sacs fall on an open palm. His fingers curled inwards, crushing the sacs to get the pollen grains out. He felt the hard walls bite into his skin without damage, the density turning out fine. Otherwise, the witnesses would not remember their names.

"Cover your noses and mouth," he said at the room at large, before muttering under his breath for the incantation.

He spread out his right arm and threw the pollen in the air, projecting some of his power to carry them to the targets. The pollen grains glowed despite the sunlight, and for a minute, everything seemed silent as Kurama's power pulsated throughout the room, the powder scattering in bright, broad yellow arcs from the point of release. The arcs ended on the beds, landing on each of the sleeping witnesses' faces.

Soon, the pollen grains disappeared, as though absorbed by the air, and Kurama shrunk his plant back to its dormant state. A collective sigh sounded from behind him as his companions released their breaths.

He almost rolled his eyes before turning to them. "I've already told you before that you don't need to hold your breath whenever I do that."

Kuwabara shrugged. "Urameshi and I were trying to find out who could hold it longer."

"And who—?"

"Me, of course!" they said in unison, heads whipping to face each other.

At their antics, Kurama shook his head, gesturing for them to open the door.

A/N:

* In Japan, motorcycle license plates follow this format:

EOH

##-##

(Top)

Left corner (E): Expiration of issuance (e.g. 7 for July or 12 for December)

Middle (O): Issuing office in kanji (e.g. Shinagawa or Nerima in Tokyo Prefecture and Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture)

Right corner (H): Hiragana character (a fixed set of characters is allowed for different vehicle types)

(Bottom)

(##-##): Four-digit serial number divided into two groups separated by a hyphen

Motorcycles are issued white plates with green borders.

* I don't really know what Kurama's plant looks like (I've been checking the manga where it was used in the bonus two-shots in volume 7) so I just created the description. If you'd like to know, decussate = leaves opposite each other and at right angles with adjacent pairs (best seen when you view the plant from the top), and campanulate = shaped like a bell (Yes, a bit of botany for you.). The color scheme? Well, I leave it to you to think about.

* Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and those who added this story to their faves and alerts! You make me happy! Next chapter will be up in a week, so keep your eyes peeled!

* Enjoyed the chapter? Didn't? Please drop a review! I need to know what you think! See you! :)