Ch. 28

Like I said, I didn't die! But the aftermath of that lightning strike did end up causing James and I problems that could have been avoided otherwise.
~

Warm, safe, and happy. Rin sighed as she curled close in her father's arms. A soft evening breeze brushed over them as she and Father sat together in the meadow, his powerful wings wrapped around them both. Rin felt Father's claws running lightly over her cheek, just as he had done when she was small. Oh, how she wished she could stay here forever.

"Rin."

Rin gazed up at her father. His gentle face was was full of love, but his smile was sad as his golden eyes glittered in the red light of sunset.

"Father?"

"Rin, the time to fight has come."

"What... who...?"

"You must show the world the both the demon and the human of your soul, my child. But remember to be kind in victory. You will know what to do."

"But Father, I don't want to leave you."

"I'm here, Rin. Rin. Rin."

"Rin!"

With a groan, Rin forced herself awake. A blaze of scarlet light flashed across her eyes, causing the half-demon to blink furiously to clear her vision. The light faded, then blazed again for a moment before plunging the room back into darkness. The half-demon pushed herself up from the ground, stifling a pained growl as red once more filled the peach pit followed by another few seconds of darkness. By this time, though, Rin's head had ceased swimming and she was less bothered by the persistent pulse of red and black. What did still bother her, however, was the stiffness of her muscles as she sat up.

"Rin!"

James had been kneeling next to her and now he threw his arms around her neck. Rin felt her little brother trembling and could tell in an instant that the dampness on his cheeks weren't leftover raindrops. The half-demon hugged James tightly, ignoring the pain the coursed through her body at the action.

"James-chan, it's okay. I'm here, I'm here."

"Are you alright?" James's voice held traces of sobs.

"I'm fine. Just a little stiff is all. That's normal when you get hit by lighting. Are you alright?" Rin drew back from James to peer into her brother's eyes. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No. I just saw a flash of light and then we fell into the peach. I was still in your wings when we hit the floor so I barely felt anything. But then..." James's lip quivered and he brushed his hand over his eyes. "You didn't wake up."

"Oh, James-chan." Rin felt her heart twist as she pulled him close again. "I'm so sorry for scaring you like that." The half-demon winced, feeling more pain shoot up her arms.

"Rin, your wings."

The half-demon looked down at the leathery membranes as the red light lit up the room again. But even without the aid of light, Rin knew what she would see. Her once-powerful wings were tattered and torn, the spikes drooping and dragging against the ground. No way would they bear her weight now and just looking at her damaged wings was enough to double the pain Rin felt radiating up her arms.

"No wonder I'm so sore."

"But... does this mean...?" James couldn't bring himself to ask the question.

"Hmm? No, James-chan, don't worry." Rin forced herself to sound more optimistic than she was. "I'll be okay. Just need to give them time to heal, is all. Trust me, I'll be flying again in no time."

Well, actually, she didn't know how long it would take her wings to heal; a few hours, most likely, but maybe longer than that. Rin gritted her teeth as she folded the tattered membranes; her wings slowly eased themselves back under her arms until the spikes barely showed, but Rin felt the twinges from every wound on her wings as they settled themselves into place. She could only imagine what the others would say when-

Rin stiffened as she realized something. "James-chan, where's the rest of our family?"

"They..." James blinked back tears. "When you got hit by the lightning, some of it hit the peach stem too. It ripped the strings away and they..."

"They were still holding to the strings and seagulls, weren't they?"

"Yes. But the peach, it..."

"Hai, I know. Without the seagulls to hold it up, what else could it do?" Rin frowned as the red light continued to pulse inside the pit. "But where exactly did we fall?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't want to leave you alone to go look."

Rin smiled at her brother, allowing him to lean close to her. "Well then, let's see what I can hear, shall we?"

The half-demon cocked an ear against the wall of the peach pit, listening hard for a few minutes. "Hmmm, I can hear engines and car horns for one thing. Sounds like people are still up and about on the streets, but a lot more are relaxing at home. I hear quite a few radios and records, there's a party to the south... and about two miles away, some couple is either having an argument or a really good time."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, never mind that. But I'm certain we've landed in the city somewhere. Probably on one of the buildings."

"How do you know?"

In response, Rin held up a claw as the red flash lit up the pit yet again. "This light, it's meant for airplanes. They're placed on tall buildings so pilots don't crash into them. We're probably stuck on the roof of a skyscraper."

A glimmer of hope sparked in James's eyes. "If we're on a roof, the others will see us, right?"

"It's possible. Even if they don't see the peach, the city's pretty hard to miss. So it's likely-"

That was all James needed to hear. The little boy immediately ran for the tunnel and was already halfway up before Rin caught up.

"Miss Spider? Mr. Grasshopper?" he called. "Is anyone there?"

"I don't think they are, James-chan," Rin called softly. "I don't hear their voices."

James didn't respond and quickly made his way to the tunnel door. Pushing it open, both the little boy and young half-demon were confronted by a night sky that shimmered with traces of neon lights. The brilliant red of the skyscraper's top light continued to pulse around them as Rin and James eased themselves onto the peach surface. Rin nudged James.

"I was right. Look."

Sure enough, the peach had been impaled on a thick silver rod that was even now still jutting out of the juicy orange flesh. A tiny ring of peach juice was coated around the silver rod as the light atop it continued to flash. The stem, meanwhile, was still intact, but Rin could see a singed patch on the dark brown wood as well as the remnants of the silk seagull tethers.

"They're not here." James was looking up at the sky, his face falling. "I don't see them."

"I don't hear them either." Rin stretched her arms above her head, wincing as the last of the soreness left her. The half-demon took a chance sniff at the air and nearly gagged.

"Ugh, this place reeks. How humans can stand to live surrounded by all this soot and grime, I'll never know."

"Maybe they're used to it," James said, finally looking away from the night sky. "Whoa," he breathed as he beheld the city below.

Despite her misgivings, Rin had to admit the sight was certainly a wonder. Far below them, Rin and James could see buildings ranging in size from squat brownstones to towering steel. Lights flashed as far as the eye could see and the steady honking of horns still echoed from the dark gray streets. However, even the tallest of the tapering skyscrapers didn't even come close to reaching the height of the peach's current position.

"So, this is New York City."

"But... I don't think it is."

"What do you mean, James-chan? Where else could we be?"

"I don't know, but this isn't right." James had retrieved his travel book from his pocket and studying it. "Where's the Empire State Building? We should be able to see it from here."

The red light flashed again. Rin frowned at the rod the peach was impaled on and then peered over the side of the peach.

"James-chan? I think we're on the Empire State Building."

"What?" James joined his sister at the peach's side. At least twenty feet below where the peach had come to rest was a square floor with high walls surrounding it. Hefty bronze binoculars set into stone were positioned at various points on the cement floor, each of them peering in a different direction. James gasped, then looked back at his travel book. A huge smile lit up his face as he compared the painted illustration to the siblings' location.

"It is! It's the Empire State Building! We made it, Rin! We made it!"

"Hai, we did!" Despite the situation, Rin couldn't stop herself from smiling as James threw his arms around his sister's waist. "Just like we said we would!"

"Yes, just like..." James's face fell again as realization struck him like a lightning bolt. "Just like Mum and Dad and our family said. But... they didn't."

Rin hugged James to her, feeling her own heart drop at the thought. Naturally, her mother and stepfather wouldn't ever reach the Empire State Building in anything other than memory. But as for the rest of her kin, her and James's new adoptive family, they had wanted to share this moment with their two children. And now? Well, who knew where they were?

Hell of a time to not have use of my wings.

"Hey, James-chan? I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"C'mere." Rin led James over to the steel rod that stuck out of the peach. Kneeling down on the fuzzy peach surface, Rin's eyes sought out a small patch of shining steel that likely wouldn't be noticed. With a grin, the half-demon began carving Japanese characters into the steel with her claws as easily as though she were dragging her fingers through water.

"Here's my name. Here's yours. Here's Mother and Henry keifu-san. And I'll add every one of our new family too."

"Won't we get in trouble for this?"

"I doubt anyone's gonna notice. Besides, people do this to trees in public parks all the time and everyone sees that."

"I guess so." Still, James was smiling again as he watched his sister slowly carve the tiny figures into the steel. "It's like the cliffs back in England; we're the only ones who could come back up here because no one else can fly."

"Exactly. There, what do you think?"

James titled his head as he viewed Rin's handiwork. His lips moved as he counted the number of names, reaching out to run his small hands across each of them. "Wait, you forgot someone, Rin."

"Who?"

"Your dad."

Rin glanced at James, then smiled and nodded. "Hai, of course." She quickly added the familiar kanji close by her and her mother's names. "There. Now we're all together at the top of the Empire State Building."

"And... we'll find the others soon, right?"

"Of course." Rin sat with her back against the steel rod, wrapping an arm around James as he curled up next to her. "Once my wings heal, we'll go searching for them. Unless, of course, they find us first. Like I said, the city's pretty hard to miss; they're probably just having trouble directing the seagulls, is all."

James didn't say anything. He replaced the travel book in his pocket and reached for for a shimmery substance close by. Rin bit her lip as her brother picked up the ends of the remaining silk seagulls strands that Miss Spider had spun. James's face was solemn as he held tightly to the strings, clutching them close so that the ends brushed his cheek.

"It'll be okay." Rin held tightly to her little brother as he leaned against her side. "I promise."

"I know." James managed to give his sister a small smile. "You always make things better, Rin."

"And I'm not going to stop now. Although... we may need a little help getting down from here. Well, the peach, anyway. Even without my wings, I could climb down the side of the building no problem."

"Hmmm. Do you think people have noticed us yet?"

"We are stuck on top of the tallest building in the world. I'd be very surprised if they didn't notice the peach. Then again, considering what people don't notice, I suppose it wouldn't shock me if the entire city failed to see us up here."

A squelching noise caught the half-demon's attention. A few seconds later, a faint wet plop reached Rin's ears, followed by a startled shriek and the yapping of a small dog.

"Never mind. They've noticed."

"How?"

Rin twitched her ears as another sickening squelch sounded from somewhere below. "The peach is leaking. And from the sound of it, a couple of New Yorkers just got hit by peach juice."

James's eyes widened and he quickly covered his mouth to stop himself from bursting out laughing. "Really?"

"Really. And from the sound of it- wait..." Rin cocked her ears forward. "Huh, sounds like a little girl spotted us and alerted a police officer. Wonder how she did that."

"Maybe she has a telescope or binoculars."

"Maybe. Still, that's a lucky..." Rin paused, then sat back with a groan and covered her face.

"What's wrong?"

"The police officer is reporting the peach. Obviously, he doesn't know what it is; he just reported it as an unidentified object."

"How's that bad?"

"It isn't. The person he's talking to just asked the officer what the unidentified object is!" Rin shook her head. "You would think the word 'unidentified' was enough of a clue."

James looked back down at the city below. The lights in the buildings continued to shine and signs continued to flash but otherwise, nothing changed. "What's going to happen now?"

"The officer sent for a crane. Huh, surprised they had one big enough to reach the top of the building."

"They probably had to when they built it." James nodded at the steel rod with the flashing light. "And they needed to put the light up here too. They would have needed a crane for that."

"I guess so." Rin sighed. "So I guess it won't be long until we have to explain ourselves."

"Won't they already know we're coming?" James asked. "The fishermen in Montauk said they'd let the city know."

"Maybe. If their message got through to the right people. And if those right people didn't think it was a joke."

"Oh." James drew his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. "Do you think... do you think the police will believe us when we tell them about our adventure?"

"Considering that we literally fell onto the tallest building in the world on top of a giant peach, they'd better! I mean, there's no way they could be that stupid!"

Although...

"Anyway, once I tell the police I'm a Kurosaki, they should at the very least give us the benefit of the doubt."

"Do they know how your uncle is?"

"The Kurosaki name is known over the world. When my father was alive, he did some work for the British Embassy and met diplomats from different countries. Plus the heads of most first-world countries know about the ruling yokai leaders. They have to if they don't want to risk a war with them, after all. I'd be willing to bet the police have at least heard of the Kurosaki bat demons and unless they want to risk my uncle's wrath, they'd better be willing to listen to what we have to say."

"Will your uncle be here soon?"

"Within a day or so, I'd guess. But until then, my uncle's reputation should be enough to ensure we're treated like honored guests."

A low rumbling suddenly echoed through the city. Both Rin and James looked up to see the outline of something tall and thin approaching them. The rumbling noise got louder as the strange formation approached and as it did, both siblings could see that the thing in question was a massive metal crane. Its gleaming metal neck stretch far into the sky as its heavy body inched forward on huge rubber tires. A heavy cable of steel wool dangled from the top of the crane and both Rin and James's surprise, it appeared as though there was a man holding onto the cable for dear life.

Rin growled as a bright white light suddenly washed over the peach. This was followed by several others, all of which were coming from the ground. Thankfully, the light quickly faded to a more tolerable level, though this do nothing to alter the half-demon's annoyance.

"What in the hell?"

"I think those are spotlights." James got to his feet, still holding tightly to the silk ropes. "There must be a crowd below us."

"Oh, it's more like a mob." Rin bared her fangs as she caught the roaring swirl of voices blending together like the crashing of waves against a rocky cliff. "Huh, sounds like the whole city's turned out to see us."

James said nothing, but he grasped his sister's clawed hand tightly as he watched the crane continue to approach. The crane's engine rumbled to a halt and the neck of the structure gave a metal groan as it began to lower the man on the cable down to the peach. As he got closer, it became apparent that the man's foot was resting in the curve of a massive metal hook. The man, garbed in a heavy hat, blue work shirt, tan trousers, rawhide gloves, and heavy boots, waved at the crane operator, holding out his hand when the hook came to rest on the peach's fuzzy surface.

"Are you kids okay?" he asked. "Do you- ah!" The man's eyes widened as he caught sight of Rin.

"Good evening. And yes, we're fine. I presume you're here to help get the peach off the Empire State Building?" Unable to wrap her wings around her, Rin settled for cocking her ears forward and baring her fangs at the man.

"I... peach... what... you're a..."

Rin growled. "Hai, I'm a half-demon of the Kurosaki family. James and I are half-siblings, and yes, this a peach. It's a long story, so could we leave the explanations until we're on the ground?"

"I... uh... right." The man continued to gape at the two, but managed to step off the hook. Shaking his head, he eyed the peach stem with a contemplative frown. "Now, how're we gonna do this?"

"I think I know."

The man blinked in surprise as James walked over to the peach stem and examined it. The little boy nodded and gestured for the man to come look.

"You can fit the hook under the silk strings here." James tapped the stem where a band of silk, the end of the strings, still encircled the sturdy wood.

"That's a start, kid, but I don't think those strings will support this hook."

"You'd be surprised what that silk can support," Rin retorted. "But if it eases your mind, perhaps you can toss us some steel cables and I'll secure them to the stem."

"That'll work." The man continued to eye Rin warily, but having a task he was somewhat accustomed to seemed to help. Turning away, he waved at the crane operator and made a few signs with his gloved fingers. The crane dipped away from the peach and arched back toward the cabin of the machine. A few moments later, the crane swung forward, this time laden with a few heavy cables. The man waved the crane down until the cables were within reach. Before he could do anything else, Rin darted forward and snatched them from the crane as though they weighed nothing at all.

"Whoa, hey there-" The man started to protest, but fell silent as he watched the half-demon easily attaching the hefty steel ropes around the stem.

"Are you able to lift that hook or do you need me to do that?" Rin asked, barely looking back at the stunned human.

"I... I... I got it." The man picked up the heavy hook and slid it through the silk and steel. "Yeah, that should do it. Right, I think it'll be better if we stayed on top of this... whatever it is until we get off the ground. Still, I dunno how sturdy it'll be once we're in the air so-"

"Oh, that's not going to be a problem."

"I'm sure you two know what you're doin', but until we get to the ground, I gotta make sure you're safe. That's my job."

"Here, Rin." James was already tying a few of the silk tethers around his waist. He held the last few out to his sister as he looked up at the man. "Will these work?"

"Uh... I guess." The man quickly hoisted himself back onto the hook and attached himself to the chain with a clip on his belt. "Though how those got there, I got no idea."

"Like I said, it's a long story." Rin knotted the silk around her waist with a quick jerk. "But we're good to go, so the sooner we can get on the ground, the better."

"Tell me about it," the man muttered. He raised his hand to the crane operator, nodding and giving the all clear. The peach floor began to shift beneath the siblings' feet as the peach rose off the spike of the Empire State Building with a rumble of engine and a squelch of ripe peach. From below, the sound of cheers and and excited yells surged through the waiting mob of New Yorkers. James held tightly to the stem as the peach came free from of the spire and began its slow descent into the city. Rin stood next to her brother, arms crossed, as she stubbornly refused to hold onto the stem as the roar of the crowd got louder.

"Sir?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"Have you seen any big bugs tonight?"

"Big bugs?" The man gave James a slightly concerned look. "How big?"

"Never mind, sir," James sighed. "I hope they're alright," he added so that only Rin could hear.

"Me too, James-chan." Rin tapped a claw against her bare forearm as she twitched her ears from side to side. "But I don't hear anything about giant bugs in the crowd. If our kin made it here already, we'd probably have heard about them. Or even heard their voices."

"Can you hear different voices? There are lot of people below us."

"If I focus, I can make out individual voices. Like this." Rin cocked an ear and listened for a few moments before rolling her eyes. "Oh, really?"

"What?"

"A couple of grown men think we're aliens and the peach is a spaceship. The smell of peach is everywhere; are they really that stupid?"

"They can't smell like you can," James pointed out. "And like you said, we did fall out of the sky."

"I guess," Rin sighed. She listened again before shuddering a bit.

"Oooh, someone's car sounds waterlogged. What'd they do, fish it out of the harbor?"

"Maybe they were taking it to get fixed when they spotted us."

"It does sound like it's headed for the crowd. But I'd be surprised if that car lasts long at this rate. And... no, you idiot, this isn't a publicity stunt!"

"A publicity stunt?"

"Hai. Some man is telling a woman- his wife, I think- that the peach is some kind of advertisement for a movie or new show. He's convinced that any second now, someone's going to pop out of the peach and yell, 'Gotcha!' Heh, at least his wife thinks that's ridiculous too."

"I don't think that would be allowed, would it?" James asked. "Remember when all those people got in trouble for painting all the lampposts in the village?"

"Hai, that was for some kind of festival, wasn't it? I remember how angry the police were about that. And I'm guessing if someone stuck a fake fruit on top of the Empire State Building just because they wanted people to see a movie, they'd be in even bigger trouble. But who knows what people do in big cities like this?" Rin paused to listen again. "Huh, now that's better."

"What is?"

"I can hear that same little girl who first spotted us. From the sound of it, she's still watching and she's already reported to what sounds like her parents that I have pointed ears. They haven't come out and said it, but I'm pretty sure they're already guessing I'm a hanyo. Hope more people listen to this girl; she sounds like she's at least sensible."

More sensible than the city, anyway. Rin could hear the panicked shrieks of police sirens and the screech of tires against paved streets as the mob continued to roar away in confusion. Hastily shouted orders of "stand back" and "move away" rose above the excited chatter below and as the peach got closer to the ground, Rin could see a few tell-tale flashes of camera lights aimed in her and James's direction. Cocking her ears forward, Rin felt a growl rise in her throat as she heard several reporters arguing with police officers about possible interviews and "the inside scoop."

"Right, James, when we get down, I want you to stay close to me. If anyone tries to ask you questions, let me handle it. These reporters sound like they're going to be pushy, but I don't want them getting near you."

"Alright." James took his sister's hand again. "I don't mind helping you answer questions, though."

"When we're talking to the police or anyone in a position of authority, that's fine. But reporters like the ones below will do anything for a story, even trying to get you to say something that isn't true. It's best to ignore them and not say a word."

"Are you going to tell the reporters you're a Kurosaki?"

"They'll probably be listening in when I tell the police. Why?"

"He didn't know who you were." James briefly glanced up at the man above them, who was busy guiding the crane operator.

"Hai, I noticed. I'm hoping he just didn't hear me properly, but then again, his line of work wouldn't put him in contact with yokai. But if the police don't know..."

"But they will, right?"

"Like I said, they'd better."

By now, the peach was level with most of the roofs of the surrounding buildings. In the middle of a street, a large flatbed truck had been parked and police were busy setting up wooden blockades and doing their best to control the seething mass of people all pushing and jostling for a better look. Slowly, the peach's fuzzy and still dripping bottom came to rest on the heavy wood and there it sat as serenely as though it were still anchored to its tree. By now, the crowd had spotted Rin and James and they all began pointing at the two siblings as they stood atop the massive fruit.

"There they are!"

"They're just kids!"

"Who are they?"

"What's that one?"

"Why are they together? is that little boy in danger?"

"Are we in danger?"

"What is this thing anyway?"

"I ain't gotta clue!"

"Hey! How 'bout some answers up there!"

"Damare!"

A good many people jumped at the half-demon's snarl. Still, the questions and shouts stopped for a blessed few seconds, but they quickly started up again as a fire truck screamed onto the scene.

"Watch it! Stand back! Stand back!"

A stocky police chief with short brown hair, a rather dull face, and a peach juice -stained uniform, was directing both his own men and the firefighters as they scrambled to pull a ladder of their truck. Rin pulled James close to her as the firefighters approached the peach and set the ladder against the fruit's fuzzy side.

"Don't worry, kids, they'll help you down." The man in the hard hat had climbed back down from the hook and was nodding toward the first firefighter who was scaling the ladder. The firefighter was trying very hard not to make eye contact with Rin as he waved James forward.

"C'mon, sonny. Come on over to me. I gotcha."

"No, you most certainly don't! James-chan, come with me."

Rin crouched and allowed her younger brother to climb onto her back. Baring her deadly fangs at the firefighter, the half-demon informed him,

"We'll make our own way down."

Rin gave a bounding leap down off the peach, causing a collective gasp and a few screams from the people watching. The half-demon landed about halfway down the peach and just as her claws sank into the fuzzy fruit, she pushed off again in another bound, landing neatly on the top of the truck. From there, she jumped to the ground in front of the startled police chief, allowing James to slide easily from her back.

"Whoa there!" The chief's eyes widened and he took an instinctive step backwards, raising a heavy black baton as he did. "Are you crazy, jumpin' from that thing like that?"

"I'm capable of a lot more, trust me."

"Easy there." The chief, whose nametag identified him as 'Chief M. Beatcom' held up his other hand. "No one's gonna hurt you." His eyes sought out James and he tried to smile. "No one's gonna hurt either of you."

"And I'm going to make sure you don't," Rin snarled. "I of the-"

"Wait, tell us!"

Before anyone could stop them, a trio of reporters managed to dodge past the police officers and over to the two siblings. Their eyes gleamed in the flashing lights as they called out in quick succession,

"Where're ya from?"

"Why're you here?"

"Who're you?"

"Hey, boy, tell me-" One of the reporters reached to grab James out from behind his sister, a most foolish mistake.

"RAWWWWWR!"

"Ahhhh!" The man jumped backwards, clutching his arm. His pinstripe jacket sleeve dissolved to threads under Rin's claws and on the reporter's bare skin, four red marks stood out like lashes from a whip. While no blood welled up from the wounds, the reporter's teeth were clenched in pain as his companions ducked behind him, cowering in fear from the angry half-demon. At the same time, the rest of the crowd screamed and a few policemen drew their weapons.

"Rin!" James held tightly to his sister's wrist, his eyes wide. Rin pulled him close, fighting the red that was beginning to cloud her vision.

"If you ever try to lay a hand on my brother again, I'll rip you to shreds! That goes for all of you!"

"Stand down!" Chief Beatcom called to his men. "It's alright, stand down." Turning back to Rin, the Chief held up his hand again.

"Look, no one's gonna hurt you. But I can't let you keep that boy-"

"My brother!"

"Yeah right," the wounded reporter muttered.

"Rin is my sister!" James had overheard the injured man. "We just had different dads, that's all."

"Is that so?" Chief Beatcom eyed Rin again. "Then how-"

"I'm a hanyo, a half-demon!" Rin snapped, still eyeing the crowd with untrusting eyes. "My name is-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, we'll deal with that. But first, I'm gonna need you two to come with me to the station."

"You would do well to listen. I'm-"

"Look, I know all this has gotta be overwhelming for you. Don't you think you should get your... brother somewhere safe?"

James's brow furrowed; he had noticed the doubt in Chief Beatcom's voice. Rin narrowed her eyes to slits at the policeman.

"It'll be on your own head if you don't listen to who I am. I-"

"Sir, that sounds like a threat!" One of the other officer's hands was tightening on his gun again.

"I got this, Hanson. She's just nervous, is all."

"I'm standing right here, baka-san! Now for the last time-"

A harsh beeping and the rumble of a dying engine cut off the half-demon's words. The crowd began to shout once more, this time in both disbelief and indignation. Rin, James, and Chief Beatcom turned to see a very wet and crushed car making its way through the crowd to the peach.

A very familiar wet and crushed car.

"Rin? Is that...?"

"I... I..." Rin was too stunned to speak. The half-demon could only stare in shock as the laboring vehicle finally halted, steam gushing from its radiator like water from a whale's blowhole. The doors of the car swung open, sending foul smelling seawater and dead fish onto the street as two figures emerged.

Two very familiar figures.

Waterlogged, covered with seaweed, sickly-pale, and with makeup running down their faces like ink, Spiker and Sponge stepped onto the streets of New York.

"No," James whispered. His eyes were wide with fright and his hand trembled in his older sister's grip. "No. Please no."

But no amount of begging would change what had happened. Somehow, some way, Spiker and Sponge had followed Rin and James all the way to New York and from the smiles they flashed at the siblings, Rin knew that whatever her aunts had in mind, it was sure to be unpleasant.
~

A shame Chief Beatcom didn't bother listening to me. It might have saved us all- especially him- a lot of trouble.