Author's Note: I honestly didn't like how this chapter came out and no matter how many times I went through it I always found something wrong. But, oh well. Anywho, here's the second chapter for this week, as promised.
By the By, shout out to chibi Oro for guessing Chapter 6: BTE's cameo; The Deku tree thingy from Zelda. And another to Thundercat2 for guessing chapter 5: BTT2's cameo; Sesshoumaru and Rin from Inuyasha. :-)
Kurama watched Botan and Maya hesitantly. Ever since he and Botan had gotten home yesterday there had been a tension so thick between the two that he was worried one or both would explode. He had a feeling he was responsible, at least in part to the versatile emotions they were directing at each other, but Kurama couldn't think of a solution that wouldn't end in bloodshed.
Kurama ran a frustrated hand through his hair before dropping it back onto his lap. His black leather coat was left open, revealing a yellow sweater to accommodate the day's wintery chill. White washed jeans encased his legs snugly and on his feet were simple and worn in loafers.
"You could just kick one or both of them out," Hiei offered telepathically into Kurama's mind.
"You know I can't do that," Kurama sighed in defeat. He turned to face out the window and focusing on the scenery that sped by. The train ride to Kyoto was proving to be uneventful and Kurama was regretting that he didn't bring a book to pass the time. That way he had a reason to ignore the longing looks sent his way by Maya and the curious ones from Botan.
"I'm gonna go get some food, do you want anything," Botan said suddenly, fed up with the vicious looks she was receiving from Maya. She stood from her seat and pulled a wallet from her back pocket to count the cash she had. Her jeans were the same shade as Kurama's pants and were low rise, but one couldn't really tell with the pink turtle neck pulled over it. Without sleeves to speak of, an adorable jean jacket shielded her arms from the cold.
"Why don't I get it, you should really avoid walking whenever you can," Kurama suggested, rising from his seat as well.
"Don't be silly," she smiled, waving Kurama's statement away. "I'll only be gone and on my feet for a few minutes. You worry too much."
"Can you get me a sandwich, preferably turkey," Maya requested, breaking another one of Kurama's 'worry fests' as she liked to call them. "and a soda, please" Maya adjusted her simple pink mini dress as she asked this. She wore black leggings underneath it and pale purple, almost white leg warmers. She wore a small black jean jacket to protect her arms and around her neck was a long lavender scarf.
"Nothing for me, please," Kurama answered hesitantly. He really didn't want Botan to be moving about more than she had to, especially when every time Botan experienced a negative emotion she would suffer pain from her ankles.
"'Kay," Botan smiled. She was quick to leave Kurama with Maya, shuffling into the isle of the train and making her way out of sight into the dinning car.
Kurama watched her leave until she was out of his sights, and even then he kept an eye on the exit she took. He was quick to claim her seat to make it easier on him to watch in waiting for her return. He didn't realize it, but his foot started to bounce agitatedly and he was drumming his fingers against the armrest of his seat within seconds.
"…Kurama-kun," Maya started nervously, saddened by his reaction to Botan's absence. "Are you and …Botan," Maya found it difficult to form that trollop's name due to the emotions that name evoked within her, "are you two…together?"
Kurama allowed himself one final glance before turning his emeralds onto Maya. She looked so sad and scared, as if his words would break her. But even so, Kurama didn't know how to answer. Barring what happened the night before last, his and Botan's relationship seemed to be spiraling into something more without his consent. But what was this 'more' that they were becoming? The intimacy they shared, though for the mission's sake, was something he thoroughly enjoyed and he was beyond positive that Botan enjoyed it too. He could not lie to himself and say he did not want her, especially now that he had tasted her.
Kurama feared that he was slowly becoming addicted to Botan and her taste. Her sweetness seemed to radiate from her very soul, seeping through her skin and mingling with the scent of paradise she radiated. Even now, he longed for the fall of night so he could tend to Yuri's mark on Botan, erasing and replacing it with a mark of his own. How he craved to taste her lips, eager to taste her purity. How he longed to touch and caress her in the heat of passion. How he desired to see how far her innocence would last.
Kurama checked the car for a flash of his favorite shade of blue. Seeing none, he returned his gaze onto Maya, still unable to answer her question. Saying no would almost be a lie and would completely discredit everything that had happened between Botan and him, but at the same time the hostilities between Maya and Botan would cease, if only a little. Saying yes however would also be a lie since he and Botan hadn't discussed the direction their friendship was going. Human females are so complicated!
"It's hard to say," Kurama offered, not really wanting to say anything in the negative as far as he and Botan were concerned, but not really seeing any other option for the sake of maintaining the shaky peace of his current home.
"So you're not dating?" Maya's eyes lit up with hope, lacing her fingers in prayer for an answer she wanted.
"No, we're not dating." Kurama turned to watch the scenery speed by, wondering if his answer would ever change. The next thing he knew, Maya had claimed his original window seat and had wrapped her arms around his. She rested her head against his shoulder happily, filling his nose with her light floral perfume.
"Should have lied," Hiei snorted.
"Indeed." Kurama chose to do nothing to remove Maya, not wishing to create anymore drama than what was already forming around him. It wasn't like he and Botan had a chance anyway. Her scar would keep them from the intimacy that he would eventually need, and he was not the type to wait. He never has been. Nor will he ever be. Besides, when his lust passed, what would be left of their friendship? I won't risk it.
"Sounds to me like you're giving up before you've even tried," Hiei grunted, his 'ghost' misting from the soul fragment in Kurama's possession and claiming the seat across from Kurama.
"Why put myself through unnecessary torture," Kurama gave, arching an eyebrow in wait for Hiei's answer. Maya flinched against his arm upon seeing Hiei's translucent figure, but Kurama paid her no mind.
"You tell me." Hiei moved over to the window seat in time for Botan to pop up in Kurama's field of vision. In her arms were three sandwiches and just as many sodas, and from her hand hung a bag of sweets.
Botan's expression wilted sadly before a mask of happiness replaced it. But even though her expression change happened in a span of a few seconds, Kurama saw it. He looked away from her, almost shamed by the scenario presented to her. He wasn't doing anything wrong, and yet he felt like some filthy lowlife, which was strange. Kurama has had multiple lovers at once and never had he felt the way he did now. Never in his life did he feel like a two-timer.
"I know you said you didn't want anything, but you hadn't eaten a thing since the night before last," Botan explained, focusing her gaze on Hiei while she handed Kurama and Maya their meals. "I hope you don't mind."
"Thank you," Kurama smiled, hoping to catch her attention. His expression fell when he realized how adamantly she didn't want to look at him or Maya. Rather then start something else, Kurama relented and leaned back in his seat.
"No problem," Botan beamed, staring at the fabric of the seat above Maya's head. "So, Hiei, how are you feeling?"
"What do you think?" Hiei huffed, crossing his arms before turning his suddenly grinning face to Kurama. "Though I am curious to see how you're going to get out of this mess."
Kurama caught the double entendre and did not appreciate what Hiei was implying. "Don't worry, I'll manage."
"You mean we'll manage," Botan corrected, oblivious to the double meanings all the while making Hiei's grin grow. She ripped open the wrapping to her sandwich and sank her teeth into it viciously. While she ate, Botan swung her legs onto the seat next to her, her feet stopping before they could 'touch' Hiei. She kept her amethyst orbs glued to the window and the country side beyond, suddenly angry with all present. What am I, useless? I'm helping too! Where does Kurama get off dismissing my aid like that?
"Hi-chan," Botan said suddenly.
Hiei sputtered and turned to Botan, enraged and appalled by the pet name that was sent in his direction. But before he could make his anger known, a burst of white flame ignited over Botan's knees and an imp of a pixie emerged from it. He stared at the creature curiously, having never actually seen one before. The small creature turned to face him, and Hiei and Hiya were instantly locked in a stare down. Crimson met crimson and their inner flames clashed for a moment in time.
"I like him," both announced in unison.
"He's way better than the fox," Hiya continued, flitting over to Botan's face to place a kiss in her cheek. His words were met with a barely audible bark of displeasure from Kurama, but Hiya paid him no mind.
"Are Unmei and Kaen here," Botan inquired, leaving Hiya's comment against Kurama alone.
"Unmei is…recovering." The way Hiya said it made Botan blush and bat her pixie friend away from her head. Hiya just laughed at her reaction before gliding over to Botan's knee. Once he perched himself atop it, he continued; "Kaen is around here somewhere, most likely causing mischief. You know how she is." Both Hiya and Botan rolled their eyes at the truth of that statement.
"I swear, if she wasn't so cute," Botan sighed.
"Don't worry, we'll be here when you need us," Hiya promised.
"That's good. And your report?"
"A lot of the shikigami have managed to hold down the fort, but Reikai is starting to unravel. Spirits are becoming restless and some have even managed to escape from the lands of the dead. Fortunately you have some friends that are keeping the darker spirits at bay, but I don't know for how much longer they can manage. You've already felt the affects on the weather, right? Well that's not even the half of what's going on now. Mt. Fuji, and other volcanoes are starting to act up and it's only a matter of time before they start erupting." Hiya paused in his explanation to prepare himself for what he was about to say next.
"What? What is it," Botan pressed.
"Yuri escaped," Hiya frowned, flitting over to Botan's neck so he could wrap his arms around her in a hug.
"How," Botan demanded, clinging to the smaller body of the imp and rocking back and forth in her seat in an attempt to keep herself calm.
"No one knows. She hasn't made it back here to Ningenkai, but it's only a matter of time. Even with younger Toguro hot on her tail she has managed to elude capture. She's crafty, and her stability is deteriorating faster than anyone can predict."
"Why is he helping," Kurama questioned incredulously, shocked to hear Toguro's name.
"It was a deal that a large group of the more powerful shikigami made with them. For one day amongst the living, they must help return order to Reikai," Hiya answer.
"Who else has received such a generous offer?" The situation must truly be dire if they'd let him back amongst the living.
"Quite a few people, actually. We're desperate, you see, and better to risk their release than to let the spirits run amok while spirit world unravels."
"Who else, Hiya," Kurama hissed.
"Karasu…among others," Hiya answered finally.
"You're going to let him out?" Kurama shot up to his feet, and started to pace towards the isle of the train.
"Like I said, we're desperate. I recommend you put an end to this as fast as you can before more demons from your pasts are offered the same deal." Hiya vanished in a burst of white flame after that, leaving only one parting message for Kurama: "Don't let anything else bad happen to Botan, or else..."
They arrived in Kyoto several hours later. All were still stunned into silence by the news they received from Reikai, so none were willing to start up a conversation to disperse the gloom around them. Fortunately, the walk from the train station to their hotel was a short one with no stops along the way. But even so, Kurama was on edge and Botan was no better.
"I'll go check us in," Kurama announced as he held the door open for both Botan and Maya.
"Don't be long," Maya hollered after him, not wanting to be alone with Botan for any longer than she had to. Kurama just glanced over his shoulder and nodded before checking on Botan. She had claimed a seat in the lobby and had snapped open the map. Hiei's ghost hovered over her shoulder, unseen by the other humans with little to no spirit awareness. Kurama could see that they were deep in conversation, but he could not hear their words even with his acute senses. Hiei shot him a glance before moving closer to Botan than necessary.
Kurama quickly turned away from them and made his way to the front desk. He knew that Hiei was trying to get under his skin, but Kurama would not allow him to do so.
"It looks like we'll be doing another break in," Botan groaned, finding the location of Hiei's soul fragment with the said demon's help.
"This one should be easier though, the demon holding my other piece is a weakling in comparison to Kurama," Hiei assured.
"Oh, so I should hide," Botan concluded humorously.
"Or you could send him to another underworld," Hiei offered. "I hear limbo is exceptionally torturous this year."
"I'd rather not. I want to hold off my descent for as long as possible, thank you very much." Botan lifted her nose into the air snootily, in an attempt to be funny, but she got the opposite affect.
"Sorry," Hiei grunted. He had learned of Botan's descent when she told her story to Kurama and he felt truly guilty for what he had started within her*.
"It's not your fault; I made the conscious choice to use my demon traits when I healed Keiko." Botan placed her hand on Hiei's shoulder, letting it rest on the thickness of the hot and cold air that made up his current existence. "Besides, if not then I would be falling now. It was only a matter of time now that I'm no longer human."
Hiei nodded in acceptance of her words, grateful to be relieved of his partial guilt. "So a cat, huh?"
"Nya-Nyaa~! You couldn't tell?" Hiei just stared at her for a moment before he cracked a grin.
"Hey, do me a favor," Hiei requested.
"Sure, what?" Botan stared at Hiei impatiently, curious to know what it was that Hiei would ask of her and not Kurama.
"Stay mad at Kurama for as long as you can," and win me my bet… Hiei grinned inwardly, thinking of how large the betting pool had become*.
"I'm not mad at him," Botan lied. "Where would you get that idea?" Instead of answering, Hiei misted back into the soul crystal Kurama held in his coat pocket and left Botan to ponder his odd niceness and even odder request. Why would Hiei want me to be mad at Kurama? Botan contemplated this question for several more minutes before Kurama came into her line of sight.
"Are you ready to go?" Kurama waited for a positive reply, but what he got was Botan's cold shoulder and even colder reception. Even though he had his hand held out to help her onto her feet, Botan brushed him away and stood on her own. She refused to even glance at his face, which was probably for the best since all that saw Kurama would see the look of a kicked puppy. He said nothing concerning Botan's behavior, he just took the lead and led her and Maya down the farthest hall to their shared hotel room. He could always ask her later when they were alone.
Botan continued on her way, lost within her own thoughts and oblivious to the affect she had on Kurama. Why would Hiei want me to be angry with Kurama? Are they in a fight or something? Did Kurama do something that I don't know of yet? Did he and Maya do something while I was away? Speaking of…why were they so close together when I got back? Botan didn't think Hiei cared enough about human mating rituals and rules, so that couldn't be it. But even then she wasn't completely mad at Kurama. I mean…I am a little mad at him, but only because he keeps hopping back and forth between Maya and me. He's dating her, and yet he's treating me so…he's making me feel special. Not wanting to return to that train of thought, Botan decided to come up with other reasons. And then there was that comment on the train, as if he's the only one working to save the others.
The three walked, and skipped in Maya's case, to their room. It was a generic hotel room with two queen sized beds that hummed with the sound of the wall unit pumping the room full of cold air. The two beds were already made with multiple pillows, but not for long. Maya was quick to dump her bag onto the bed farthest from the door. She turned to look at Kurama expectantly, but frowned when he ignored her and placed his own bag onto the nearby chair.
"We should go and scope out the temple now since we'll be doing another break in," Botan explained before dumping her own bag onto the remaining bed. She then pulled her purse over her shoulder and left. I still don't understand why Hiei wants me to be mad at Kurama. Frustration quickened her heart as she came back to the same question. Why, why, why? He didn't really do anything wrong…He's with Maya and if anyone should be mad at him it should be her. That night when he healed me was just that. But then…why was he so…loving? Botan growled in frustration and kicked the nearby wall. Why is everything so confusing?
"Botan, are you okay," Kurama demanded, coming out of the room in a hurry.
Botan looked up at him curiously, oblivious to her own actions. She looked down at her foot and was shocked to see the cracks and chips at the wall's paint. She refused to look deeper into the damage, fearing that she would find something she'd have to pay for. "Is something wrong?"
"…Why are you upset with me?" Kurama closed the door behind him in hopes to avoid having his words listened to by anyone other than Botan.
"I'm not upset," even though she said it, her words were harsh and biting. But she wasn't that upset with him, for he did nothing wrong. She was just upset. "I'm just tired and confused and I want for this nightmare to end."
Kurama didn't know what to say to that, sensing that she wasn't lying. But at the same time he knew that Botan wasn't telling him the complete truth. Either way, he was grateful she wasn't mad at him. Strange, there were times when he thought she was annoying, but now that she wasn't talking to him he found himself craving her happy voice. He moved closer in hopes to touch and nuzzle her, but she stepped away from him. It was like a knife through his heart to have her deny him.
"Why don't you get Maya, we'll go to the temple." Botan saw the flash of hurt in Kurama's and instantly felt regret for her actions. But Kurama was with Maya, and he shouldn't be behaving in such a way towards her, even if his intentions weren't romantic in any way. "I'll wait here."
"Very well." He took several calming breaths in hopes of preserving his mask of indifference, but what he got was a lungful of a…glorious surprise.
That explains everything. Her body was reacting like a human's, and because of this she was entering her cycle. She was experiencing the few days where her fertility, and her scent, were at its delicious peak. Now was the time where her chemistry was at war within her and her instincts screamed for her to take a mate and chase away all others. He should have seen it, smelt it, tasted it, when Botan started to become territorial and emotional some time yesterday. PMS at its finest… I should probably get my own room…lest I surrender to her body's call. Hers…and mine.
"Kurama, look," Maya pointed, trying to lead Kurama towards the long tunnel born from the thousands of red torii*. But instead of following her, he struggled against her remarkable grip. He started to back away, looking akin to a scared and cornered animal.
"Are you alright," Botan question, placing herself between him and the Fushimi Inari Shrine.* Forgetting her own petty feelings, she wrapped her arms around Kurama's shoulders and pressed his face to her heart. Instantly he wrapped his arms around her and started to shake violently. His body convulsed around hers, dropping them both onto their knees. "Shhh, it's alright," She cooed.
"That power, Inari's power is still there," he groaned. "There's so much of it, forming a cage."
Botan listened to his words and ran her fingers through his hair. She should have known that coming to the main temple of Inari-Ookami would have an affect on him, but she did not expect for the effect to be so great. Her hands worked on auto pilot before Botan closed her eyes and immersed herself in the divine energy that pulsated within the holy grounds. She could hear the howls of the lesser kitsune darting around, their ghostly feet dancing on the wind. They were all going in one direction, through the main temple, but not into it.
"Where are you and the others being called," Botan murmured.
"Cage, we're being called to a cage." Kurama hold on Botan tightened. He was worried to discover his canines and claws lengthening. He felt a familiar tug at his ears, one that stretched and pulled them almost painfully atop his head. The energy within the temple seeped into his skin, filling him and forcing his true form out into the open. Try as he might, he couldn't fight it.
"Then that's where we're going," Botan pressed, pulling Kurama under the archways.
"I'll change if we go any farther," Kurama argued, eyes searching for any nearby humans.
"Then change," Botan commanded, all the while nuzzling into Kurama's neck and shoulder as she'd learned to do in the short time she worked with him. "Inari-sama's not going to hurt you, she's helping you."
"I hope you're right," Kurama murmured. He then surrendered to his change, this time feeling different in comparison to all the other times he'd changed. Within moments, the red bled from his hair and he felt his clothes constrict around his growing body before they shifted into his garb of white. His spine stretched and split into three, before they bristled with fur. Eventually, his violent shivering settled and his labored breath calmed. His ears twitched atop his head as Kurama scanned his surroundings through sound alone. "The demon has been trapped inside a cage made from Inari's remaining energy. The kitsune that make this there home have been directing it to hold our prey at bay."
"What should we do?" Botan felt a shiver trail down her spine when his breath and deep baritone voice caressed her ears.
"The cage that holds him is hidden beneath the temple in a shrine only for true kitsune, near their village…where the likes of me aren't welcome," Kurama explained before climbing onto his feet and pulling Botan up with him.
"Since when has that been an issue," Botan grinned, slightly unnerved to be so close to Kurama when he looked down at her so…intensely.
"We must go now, before any humans see me like this." Kurama grabbed both Botan and Maya and lifted them onto his back before he charged ahead at inhuman speeds. Randomly, he would make sudden jumps or sharp turns, randomly squeezing through the gaps between the torii to avoid human detection. Kurama later turned onto a side pathway before he worked his way outside of the trail. He stayed within the trees as he continued on his way, ignoring the increasing numbers of fox statues that seemed to follow his every move with angry leers.
"We're almost there," Botan announced, clinging to Kurama's back with all her might. "Slow down."
Kurama did just that, coming to a halt within a thick cluster of trees and bushes before lowering himself to the ground so his two passengers could dismount his back. He scanned the temple grounds, counting the amount of humans he could detect while the young women adjusted their appearances.
"Wow…" Maya breathed. "We barely took ten minutes to get here. It would've taken two hours for a normal person." She turned to face Kurama and frowned, angered by the direction his golden orbs faced. Why does he always have to look at her? "So what now?" What does she have that I don't that turns him into to such a…a…a pervert! Maya tried to school her features, but the way Kurama was looking at Botan, or more importantly her butt, was enough to drive her mad.
Maya watched him still, unnerved by his demon state and almost fearing it. There was an edge of wickedness within his aura; a wickedness that she could only see in this form. Maya was oblivious to it the first time she saw Kurama like this, or maybe she was just in shock. Regardless, the malice and darkness that was almost impossible to detect within his human aspect covered the demon in a thick shell. But with that being said, that very same darkness seemed to fade away the closer he got to Botan, replaced by a strange light that would radiate from Kurama's form to encompass the blue haired witch. Maya hated it. Maya hated the demon part of her Shuichii for that very reason. Whereas Shuichii's aura was self contained and hidden beneath his skin, Kurama's liked to wrap around people of importance to him.
Why does the demon like Botan so much? Maya pondered, creating a separation between the demon and the human aspects of Kurama within her own mind. Why not me? Shuichii liked me…at least once he did, so that should account for something. I know he does care about me…but the demon cares about Botan more it seems. Maya wanted to cry at this realization, wishing that the demon would go away and take Botan with him. That way she and her beloved Shuichii could start over and let their romance bloom. I want Shuichii back…
And in a 'poof' of smoke, her Shuichii was.*
"Now we find the entrance to the kitsune-only shrine," Botan answered. "Kurama, stay…here?"
The Kurama that stood before them now, was his human shape, and yet he wasn't. With Botan's trained eye she could see the shimmering of a powerful glamour that he'd placed around himself. Granted this Kurama was almost as tall as his demonic form and his eyes were still a deep shade of gold. No one would think to call him a demon though, even if Botan could vaguely see his tails peeking out from beneath his coat.
"I can only hold the transformation for so long, so we should hurry." Kurama took the lead in guiding his companions out of the foliage. Though seen by few, one of the temple's miko looked at them with barely concealed disdain.
"You'd think we'd done something indecent," Botan huffed when she noticed the look.
"She probably thinks we did," Kurama shot over his shoulder, looking back at Botan who walked with her arms crossed.
"But there are three of us," Botan grumbled. Botan froze when realization set in. "You don't mean she thinks that…?" At Kurama's roguish smirk, she knew her answer. "Kurama…you've never…?"
"I have, and then some," Kurama smirked. Quick as a flash, he ducked through one of the shoji doors, pulling Botan along with him. "It looks like we're going to have to skip the scoping period. Maya, keep yourself busy for a few hours and try not to look suspicious, then head back to the hotel," Kurama ordered before the two vanished into shadow.
"…Okay," Maya mumbled. There he goes…with her again. At this rate, I'll lose him to her for sure… What was so great about her anyway? Botan was a freak, more so than her. She was crippled and it was only a matter of time before she became a detriment to Shuichii and his mission. She wasn't that smart, so she couldn't provide Shuichii with any mental stimulation of any kind. Maybe that's why he seems so interested in her. Not for who she is but for how she looks. She may be strange to look at with her blue hair and purple eyes…but she is pretty. Maya sank down to the ground and turned to face the rest of the temple.
But I'm pretty too… For some reason Maya wasn't so sure anymore. She had always heard people talk about how adorable she was and how sweet she was, but what did it matter if the one man she wanted to look at her was too busy looking at someone else? Maya never thought she'd be the one to spend any part of her life pining after some guy, but there she was; almost desperate to claim her Shuichii back from the wicked floozie that had him in her clutches. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures…
Kurama led Botan by the hand through the darkest of corridors, dropping his transformation as they went. The only times they stopped was when they ran the risk of encountering one of the shrine hands. Eventually, travel was becoming more and more risky when a large congregation of monks started making their way to one of the main rooms from multiple directions. In reaction to this, Kurama pulled Botan close before jumping high into the air. He knocked one of the panels that served as the ceiling over so he could pull both Botan and himself up.
"Ew," Botan gasped when her hands came into contact with dust and cobwebs, amongst other things that squirmed beneath her fingers.
"Don't look up," Kurama said once he replaced the panel. He then crawled over her until she was beneath him, trapped within his arms and legs.
Suddenly Botan was thankful for the darkness since she did not want Kurama to see the affect he had on her. But even though he couldn't see, Botan was sure that he could feel her body heating beneath his and the rapid increase of her beating heart. "I can't see anything," she admitted in hopes of distracting from her reaction.
"Just stay under me," Kurama suggested before he started their awkward crawl forwards. Occasionally he would shake his head, ridding his ears and hair of the spiders that he encountered. He stilled several moments later when Botan flinched, bringing his attention to the wooden beams they crawled on. "Are you alright?"
"Just a nail," Botan assured, healing the small puncture wound the metal point inflicted in her palm. "How much farther?"
"We should find ourselves over a secret room in a few yards; from there we make our way downwards." Kurama slipped his hands under Botan's to prevent any further injury even though he knew she didn't need it.
"This feels a little funny," Botan admitted. She tried to speed ahead to remove herself from beneath him, but Kurama was resolute in maintaining his placement. She sighed in defeat before she continued at Kurama's pace. Then, quick as a flash, Kurama wrapped his arm around her waist and slammed her rear against his lap when he stopped her. She struggled to keep her squeak as quiet as possible, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with his hair tickling her shoulders.
Wait a second…that's not his hair. Once she realized it was a spider on her shoulders, Botan began to squirm about wildly in an attempt to remove it without losing her balance and knocking both her and Kurama through the ceiling and onto the ground below. "Get it off. Get it off. Get it off," she chanted under her breath when she felt it travel closer to her neck.
Kurama groaned above her before he tightened his grip in an attempt to still her. With that same hand he reached up to her shoulder, finding the spider and crushing it between his fingers. He dusted it off of her and then rewrapped his arm around her waist. "Shh," Kurama whispered into her ear, easing a panel to the side and revealing an occupied room bellow. They watched the young miko who paced in front of a human sized fox statue.
In a 'poof' of smoke, the image of the miko vanished and was replaced by a smaller than average kitsune. Her perfectly groomed silver fur bristled with energy for a moment before she started to hum and pace. A panel behind the statue opened up a minute later and the vixen was gone into the darkness it presented.
"Go." Botan didn't need to be told twice. She grasped the ledge and gracefully rolled out of the hole in the ceiling. She was on her feet for only a moment before she fell backwards onto her rump. Pain shot up her ankles for a second, but it was long enough to drop her. She checked up above her to make sure Kurama hadn't noticed before she rolled to the side and stood up, focusing more of her reiki for walking, even as it resulted in a brief dizzy spell.
Kurama shook off the spiders that crawled onto his back and shoulders as he approached the still open doorway. He would have to duck his head, but it was tall enough for Botan to walk normally. He waved her over and waited till she entered before he took his place behind her and walled into the black hallway.
"How do you see in here," Botan whimpered after she stubbed her toe.
"I don't. Only those who serve under Inari are able to see their way through this twisted maze," Kurama explained. He reached out one hand to grasp hers and decided to take the lead since his sight was slightly better than hers. While all she could see was a black abyss, he could at least see shapes and shadows that formed objects and obstacles.
"Oh," Botan gasped suddenly. "I completely forgot I had this." Kurama turned to her curiously when she pulled away from him and started to rummage through her tiny back pack. From it, she pulled a palm sized flashlight that hung from her keychain. She clicked it on and from it a beam of light pierced through the darkness and revealed a pit not even five steps away from them.
Kurama just looked at her, his brow twitching. Never would he question her higher than most intelligence, but there were times when he wondered where her mind went to create her moments of…air-headedness. If she weren't so adorable and useful to him, he would have left her with Maya. No, that's a lie. I would have kept her with me just the same. Kurama accepted the flashlight and started to mumble under his breath, taking Botan's hand and taking the lead again.
Botan sighed, angered and embarrassed by her ditziness. I'm getting in the way again… Botan stumbled into Kurama's back when he stopped so suddenly. "Is something wrong?" She peeked around his form and looked in the direction the light was pointing. In front of them stood three large caves that could only be described as mouths with dangerous teeth hanging overhead.
Kurama barked a colorful expletive, approaching each entryway and taking deep whiffs in hopes of finding the correct one. All he smelt were other dogs, but there was one vixen his nose could pick up. She was entering her heat prematurely and the scent was like a siren's song in his lungs. There should be more than just one, Kurama hypothesized, walking backwards before turning to grab his Botan. That vixen must be the guide that only kitsune can follow…
"Did you figure out which one it was?" Botan stood from the ground on which she sat and dusted her jeans before meeting Kurama half way.
"I think so, but I have a feeling this is not going to be as easy as we hope," Kurama nodded.
Botan made a sound of complaint before she laced her fingers with Kurama's and followed his lead through the right most cave mouth. "When this is done, I'm putting in for a vacation."
"Put me in for one too," Kurama agreed.
It took several many twists and turns, with enough pitfalls to up the danger scale, before the exit came into view. Beyond it, Kurama and Botan found themselves inside a strange village with as many burrows as there were actual huts and other forms of human styled housings. There was only one main road, with two side roads that radiated from either side of it. The side roads led into beaten paths inside forests while the main road cut through the makeshift village and stopped at the stairway leading to a simple temple. Above it, a giant crystal floated with chains linked to its smooth glassy surface and vanishing in its ascent to the sky.
"Youko!" something howled angrily, his voice echoed by many others.
Kurama grabbed Botan and leapt to the side in time to dodge a shower of foxfire. He didn't stop moving until he was on top of the nearest house's roof, where he saw the faces of his attackers. There were five in total, in various stages between humanoid and fox. All were armed with weapons of tempered steel and had ropes made of vines wrapped round their bodies.
"Kill the Youko! Kill the traitor!" Words of rage and bloodlust filled the air as more kitsune in various shapes and sizes charged Kurama.
Grabbing Botan again, he leaped onto another home in time to avoid the cave in caused by the joint attack. He made a move to draw his favored rose whip, but Botan had another idea altogether. She squirmed in his hold and snapped the rose before he could change its shape. Finally, she managed to wiggle out of Kurama's hold and dropped to the ground.
"I am a servant of Inari-Ookami," she announced loudly. "I've come at his request to vanquish the demon among you, one of the demons responsible for his imprisonment."
"Where is your prove? Show us your mark," a vixen hissed, her two tails bristling with anger. Her long thigh length braid, and her fur, once a fiery red had started to fade in color and was streaked with silver. Her eyes were an angry jade that darkened into a deep shade of emerald around the edges. She wore little in the form of clothing for the sake of mobility and comfort. Remarkably short jean shorts, that may have been pants in the beginning, were the only things she wore on her legs and a white T-shirt with the sleeves torn off guarded her torso from view.
Botan unbuttoned the top of her shirt and exposed her chest where a celestial light began to glow. She then waited patiently, standing her ground when the vixen inspected both the mark of light and Botan herself. "It's real," Botan found herself saying when she noticed the increasingly angered expression form on the two tailed vixen's face.
"So it is…but what of him?" The vixen turned her pike in Kurama's direction. She leered at him, ready to strike at the slightest movement.
"Kurama has also been sent." Whispers broke out amongst the increasing crowd at the sound of his name.
"That's Kurama? The Kurama?" She dropped her pike and fell to her knees, bearing the back of her neck in submission. "Forgive us, we did not know." At her lead, all the others that attacked did the same.
"What is the meaning of this," Kurama demanded, dropping from the rooftop and approaching Botan's side.
At his advance, the vixen rolled onto her back and clamped her eyes shut. When nothing came, she peeked through one eye to see that Kurama's attentions were solely on Inari-sama's priestess. She watched from below how Kurama refastened the buttons of Botan's shirt with such tenderness, his fingers grazing over her flesh in a gentle caress. With both eyes, the vixen trailed her gaze along his body, feeling hunger rise within her at his perfection. He would make a perfect mate for me she thought when her emerald orbs landed on his three tails.
"I am Ryoko," The vixen began in introduction, hoping to acquire the youko's attentions onto herself. "Your name is known amongst all the kitsune," she breathed huskily, finally answering Kurama's question. "You are the legendary Youko that had returned to his divinity."
"I am merely a demon under Koenma's employ," Kurama snorted darkly. "I have not returned to anything…Get up. All of you."
"Kurama?" Botan turned to face her companion with some worry, hearing the upset in his voice. She reached up and touched the hair just before the base of his ear, not sure if he wanted her to comfort him. Turned out he did. He canted his head forward so she could rub the appendage, but only for a moment. "We should hurry."
"Yes, lets. I don't want to be here longer than I have to." Kurama ignored all but Botan as he continued his trek to the temple, angered that they would assume such a thing about him. Return to Inari… Never! I refuse to be his slave again. Never again.
"Kurama," Botan called when he suddenly broke into a run. "Wait up!" Seeing the futility in running after him, Botan summoned her oar and mounted it in hopes of catching up to him.
He stopped at the temple, turning his angry face heavenwards so he could take in the sight of Inari's imprisoned form. In that moment, Inari was in her female aspect. Her long black hair fell from her white scalp, fading from black, to red, and eventually became silver where it pooled on the crystal beneath her. Wrapped around her in layers of woven starlight and sunlight was an elaborate kimono with foxes in play painted onto them. In one hand, she held her wish granting jewel, and in the other, a key. Tangled in her hair were her favorite tools, her sickle, her sword, and her whip.
"Welcome home," she mouthed down at him with a secretive smile. The smile only grew when he flashed her his teeth. She turned her attention away from him in favor of filling her vision with Botan's image.
"Inari-sama," Botan greeted, repositioning herself on her oar so she could bow. She floated higher so that she was just below eyelevel with the powerful deity. "Are you alright?"
Inari simply nodded before looking down at Kurama through the corner of her eye. The secretive smile returned when she saw how agitated Kurama had become. It was clear to see that he did not like Botan conversing with his patron deity, but Inari did not care. Kurama deserved to suffer for abandoning her and the worst of it was just beginning, all because of this slip of a girl. Inari would have laughed, but what was the point of no one could hear her. Instead, Inari's smile grew.
Gentleness entered her gaze when Inari returned her attention to Botan, one of her first priestesses and the one shikigami she had claimed. She missed Botan's light, but Inari knew she made the right choice when she gave Botan away to King Yama and his son. Reaching out through the crystal and ignoring the burns and cuts inflicted on her physical form, she gave Botan's head a loving pat. In doing so, Inari's eyes turned sorrowful.
Botan didn't have time to question her expression when her body convulsed and dropped from her oar. She landed in Kurama's arms, but she didn't have the piece of mind to thank him. Her body began to seize and shake as her blood began to boil. Botan whimpered pathetically, trying as she might to control herself and fight the increasing pain.
"What did you do to her," Kurama barked angrily, clutching Botan tighter to himself as he glared angrily at the trapped deity.
"Trust me," her voice whispered, carrying on the wind and into his ears. "Protect her, for she is your only hope." The crystal that imprisoned Inari grew dull and became completely opaque and with the loss of her image Botan stilled and relaxed.
"Were she not a god…" Kurama didn't finish his statement; instead he nuzzled Botan's face and pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Don't be mad at her," Botan croaked. "She just gave me a present is all."
Kurama didn't care what Inari had given Botan. All he cared about was the fact that the god had hurt her. That was enough to give rise to his ire. He tossed the floating prison one last wicked glare before he stood and carried Botan away from the main shrine. He could smell the stink of the trapped demon not to far off, but the creature was going to have to wait. "Are you alright now?"
"I'm fine," Botan reassured. "My soul and this body are becoming one; she just had to speed up the process in order to give me this." In her hand, Inari's sickle took shape. At first glance it was a simple tool with nothing special to garner a second glance. But it was in that second glance engraving in the strange metal could be seen in a language older than either Botan or Kurama. From its handle was a long chain that slithered around Botan's other wrist and arm.
"Does she expect you to fight?" Kurama didn't like the idea at all. Fighting meant getting hurt or worse, and that was the last thing he wanted to ever happen to Botan.
"Looks like," Botan smiled at the gift and traced her finger along its blunt edge. With this gift she could actually prove useful…now all she needed was to learn how to use it. She turned to Kurama expectantly, knowing without even saying a word that Kurama would know what she wanted.
"We have work to do, and then we can get out of this abominable place." Kurama knew what Botan wanted, but he simply did not want to teach her anything that would lead her into dangerous situations. Call him protective. Call him in denial. Call him whatever name, but he simply wanted to keep Botan as far away from actual combat as possible.
Seeing the refusal in his eyes, Botan struggled to remove herself from his hold. Does he not want me to know how to fight? To be useful? With this I can help. I won't be a bother anymore. Well fine, I'll just figure it out on my own. With a firm hold on her chain and sickle, Botan took the lead and left Kurama to follow.
Vaguely, Kurama heard Inari's laughter behind him. His fur bristled and a deep hissing sound escaped his throat when he looked back. Though he couldn't see her, Kurama knew Inari was grinning like a fool at his expense. What's so funny? Kurama refused to think anymore on the matter before he ran ahead to rejoin Botan. Every time he managed to match his stride with hers, Botan would speed up to keep him behind her with this angry look in her eyes. There's no winning, is there?
"There it is," Botan pointed, directing her comment at the energy cage that surrounded a shed. At each corner sat a silver fox with red yodarekake* wrapped securely around their necks. From their mouths hung sheaves of rice that glowed with Inari-Ookami's energy. There were several more around them, but most were dead and devoid of the sacred energy. Within the cage sat four more kitsune, but instead of sitting they paced around the shed and snapped at the youki that seeped out, chasing it back in.
"Release it," Kurama commanded, drawing another rose and summoning his whip. He had placed himself between Botan and the shed, but she had moved to his side and took an offensive position. "Stand back, Botan."
"You don't order me around, Kurama," Botan snapped. Working on instinct alone she began to swing the weighted end of the chain, all the while chanting in an old dialect of japanese.
"You'll just get hurt again," Kurama argued with true concern in his heart, barely keeping track of the retreating foxes.
"I'm always getting hurt. This'll be nothing new." A burst of white flame ignited near Botan's shoulder, followed by a large bubble and a flower bud. From the flame came Hiya and from the popping bubble and the tornado of flower petals came two more pixies that Kurama had yet to meet.
"We're here," the lone female among them announced. Her hazel eyes were bright with child like exuberance and her caramel skin seemed to glow with warmth. Her short silver hair was tied up in pigtails, changing its tint in accordance to the lighting. Around her frame was a ridiculously short pink yukata that was lined with gold trim. The gold extended along the bottom edges of her robe, forming leaves and flowers. Black spandex shorts preserved her modesty and a thick brown cincher took the place of an obi. From the back of the brown leather, green fabric laced it together before the long tails attached themselves to the thick bangles around her wrists. From there, they hung low with bells weighing down the ends. Her feet were bare and she wore earrings that matched Hiya's, except hers were jade in color. She flitted from gossamer wings that caught the light in a dazzling display of rosy light.
"Sorry to keep you," the remaining unknown answered. He was pale in comparison to the darker skinned female and the sun kissed complexion to Hiya and around his head was a halo of blue hair. His eyes were emerald in color, but there was a ring of silver around them. He was the most dressed out of his companions, with a white zip up shirt and baggy black pants. Over his pants was metal armor and, like with the others, his feet were bare. Sapphire teardrops hung from his ears and a ruby tear hung from around his neck. Along his neck and vanishing under his color, were multiple bruises that looked suspiciously like love marks or hickies. His wings were similar to the dragon like wings of Hiya, but the blue haired pixie's wings were a pearlescent shade of white.
"We know what to do," Hiya declared before the three of them began to glow and merge together into an orb of light. The orb then descended onto the kusarigama,* engulfing it in the orbs radiance. The weapon shifted in shape after that, becoming a scythe composed of precious medals and stones.
"What are you doing?" Kurama questioned darkly.
"Just watch," Botan barked, twirling the blade expertly before mounting the scythe like her oar and flying over to bulging shed. She then dropped onto it and brought the sickle of the blade downwards, embedding the blade within the wood and the creature within it.
"Botan," Kurama cried, charging ahead towards the crumbling structure in time to see the giant spider burst from its confines, screaming in agony due to the blade imbedded into its abdomen. A purple ooze began to bubble up and sizzle from the open wound, burning away at the fabric of Botan's shoes and jeans. She didn't react to it though, hooking the blade deeper into its body and climbing the snath* and grip.*
"The soul fragment's in his stomach," she hollered, trying to maintain her balance as she gouged at the spider's back. Okay, maybe trying to prove I'm not useless wasn't the smartest of my ideas Botan whimpered. She tightened her grip and jerked herself and the snatch to the side, bringing the tip of the blade out and slicing it out the rest of the way.
"Don't touch the ooze," Kurama howled, cutting through two of the growing spider's eight legs before leaping onto the creatures back. Avoiding the bubbling acidic goop, Kurama rejoined Botan and secured an arm around her waist while whipping at the spider's eyes.
"That's the plan," she grunted. "I've never used my scythe on anything alive before," she voiced, happier than she was willing to admit to have Kurama wrap his arms around her again, even if it was to keep her steady.
"Where's the soul fragment?"
"You see where I stabbed it? It's there." Botan pulled the scythe, holding the ring* as the snath glowed and broke apart into an energy chain. She swung the weighted end in a circle over both hers and Kurama's head, the weight forming a stinger that was not that unlike one found on a scorpion. Even though she wasn't completely sure what she was doing, she went with her gut and released. It wrapped around a branch of a nearby tree and Botan used it to swing off of the creature. Her dismount wasn't the least bit graceful, and Botan feared that the landing ripped her pants even further.
Summoning another plant, Kurama forced the growing bulb into the wound. The affect was instantaneous. The two acids mixed within the spider, one from Kurama's plant, and the other from the demon itself. It ate away at the insides until the abdomen began to sink in on itself. Black flames then erupted from within the arachnid, forcing Kurama off and next to Botan.
"Leave it to Hiei to steal my thunder," Kurama exhaled, placing his hands on his hips as he watched the demon roast. A miniature dragon darted in and out of the demons body until nothing but ash and Hiei's soul fragment was left.
"I just needed a wake up call,"Hiei's voice chuckled. "That demon was merely used for safe storage. I'd been sapping its power from the get go and that part of me must have fallen asleep." Hiei floated into existence a little ways in front of the two.
"So we were useless," Botan concluded with a huff.
"Pretty much," Hiei smirked.
"That doesn't explain why it was here," Kurama added.
"…I don't know, but I have a feeling your god had something to do with it." Kurama could have laughed at Hiei's words.
It made so much sense. The ease at which this mission progressed; the regrowth of one of his tails; the location of the demon, conveniently trapped; Botan's "gift," the entire thing was orchestrated by the so-called "imprisoned" god. Kurama turned to face Inari's prison with a wicked glare. Were he anyone else, he would be grateful, but Kurama knew otherwise. The gods don't meddle in the affairs of mortals unless there was a selfish motive behind it, regardless of what was happening. Inari was up to something, but if it was linked to their current calamity, Kurama did not know.
So what is it? What are you plotting?
"Why did we have to go the long way around," Botan yawned, dragging against the hotel wall in hopes of remaining upright. There wasn't a muscle in her body that wasn't screaming in the sore, tense pain that could only be born from the strenuous use of her muscles. Physical bodies are so overrated.
"I thought you would appreciate a way without spiders," Kurama teased, fighting a yawn of his own.
"Bite me," Botan spat half heartedly. CRAMP! Cramp, cramp, crampcrampcrampcramp….. Botan laid a hand on her lower abdomen and again cursed her physical body. It had been several thousand years since she was subject to a menstrual cycle and now she had to suffer for it. I thought I was infertile… Botan wanted to cry at her rotten luck.
"You've been spending too much time with Yusuke," Kurama chided. He pulled the card key from his pocket and swiped it through the mechanical lock that secured the door of their shared room.
"Just let me in," she whined. "I'm so tired and hurt I can't even walk straight."
"As you wish," Kurama chuckled, opening the door and reaching out to pull Botan under his arm. She sagged against him tiredly with lead for feet and iron for arms. "You get used to if after a while," Kurama promised.
"Where's the fast forward button?" Botan lifted her head in hopes of seeing her glorious bed that promised a night of blissful sleep.
But what she saw was the strangely perky Maya in a sheer short purple negligee with matching boy shorts. She was checking her reflection in the mirror and fluffing her hair in a fetching manner. Her eyes were heavily coaled and her cheeks were pinched into a rosy glow. She turned to the side, checking to see how her new ensemble looked from the back.
"I take it she's sleeping with you," Botan said to Kurama teasingly, but there was a hint of jealousy in her words. What she wouldn't give to be able to wear something like that without glamour. What she wouldn't give to have Kurama stare at her with lust and adoration instead of concern, like he was now in Maya's direction. Maybe I should get my own room…
Maya turned to face both Kurama and Botan suddenly with a fiery blush on her face. She had not expected them to be back so soon, especially since the last mission took the entire night. She stared at them like a deer caught in the headlights of an incoming big rig before she snatched a satin mauve robe and wrapped it tightly around herself.
"I'll call for a cot," Kurama decided once he looked his fill, thoughts of how delicious the nightgown would look over black satin sheets and with a halo of blue hair.
*1 – Hiei's soul crystals were present during Botan's story, so he heard everything that was said.
*2 – more on the bet later, and it's a funny one
*3 – Red torri are those red archway things that look like ( TT ) that you see all over the place at temple entrances
*4 – The Fushimi Inari Shrine is an ancient Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, and features a remarkable path through thousands of red torii. It's the main shrine dedicated to Inari and serves as the headquarters to all the other 40,000 shrines.
*5 – Kurama's a fox demon, and is also described as a shape shifter. You just never get to see it in the anime, but that trait makes an appearance here!
*6 – yodarekake are the red votive bibs that the kitsune (and other) statues wear.
*7 – if you didn't get the context clue, kusarigama is japanese for the chain and sickle.
*8 – snath is the pole of a scythe and the grip is the handle that sticks out the side of the snath. The ring is where the blade meets the wood.
*can you guess who the pixies are based off of yet? Here's a hint, Star Ocean.
Author's Note: I am DONE with this chapter! If there are any complaints with it then you can let me know, but don't expect me to fix it until my next scheduled "go back and edit weeks." So yeah, the chapter sucks, but it serves multiple purposes, primarily for the set up to the Kurama's past and the second half of my fic. Please review, I live off of them!