Ch. 29

What Spiker and Sponge were thinking, I'll never know. But that night, they- and indeed all of New York City- learned what it meant to cross a Kurosaki.
~

"How in the hell did they get here?" Rin snarled under her breath. Her ears flattened against her skull and she bared her fangs at Spiker and Sponge as they tottered away from their smashed vehicle on unsteady legs. Seawater streamed from their sodden hair and clothes and Sponge had to pause for a moment in order to pull a crab away from the back folds of her robe. Both women kept large smiles pasted on their faces as they approached Rin, James, and Chief Beatcom, yet Rin could sense the barely-concealed rage that was radiating from their dark eyes.

Rin glanced at the police chief out of the corner of her eye, but the stocky man made no move to intercept the women. James, meanwhile, was clutching Rin's hand hard enough to turn his knuckles white and Rin could hear her little brother's heart racing in fear. The half-demon placed herself fully in front of James, meeting both Spiker and Sponge's eyes as Sponge spotted James's terrified face and called out in a sickly sweet croon,

"Oh, my little angel! Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Don't you take another step!" Rin snarled as she bared her fangs. Her own heart was speeding up in her chest and Rin could feel the fine hairs on her nek and arms standing up from both fury and her natural demon power.

"Hey there!" Chief Beatcom held up a hand.

"Officer, thank goodness you've managed to detain her!" Spiker clutched her chest in a display of relief. "And thank goodness you've stopped her from hurting her poor little brother!"

"Rin's not-"

"There, there, darling!" Sponge called, cutting James off. She started forward again, but thought better of it as Rin raised her clawed hands. "We know your horrid half-sister took you away. But you're safe now."

"No, she didn't!"

"You dare accuse me of such a thing?" Rin snapped back "I'll have your heads for this!" The half-demon could hear gasps and shrieks of fear from the crowd at her words, but paid them no mind. Growling, the half-demon snapped her deadly teeth in Spiker and Sponge's direction, daring them to come closer.

"That's enough!" Chief Beatcom pointed his baton at Rin. "Young lady, if I think you're a threat-"

"I will be if you even think of listening to them!" Rin could feel anger coursing through her, the edges of her vision turning red again. "I am-"

"A monstrous creature who has shown she has no place among decent folk!" Spiker held up a soaked piece of paper "Officer, we're their legal guardians and we know what we're talking about."

"Is this true?" Chief Beatcom asked, glancing at Rin and James again.

"Those women are no kin of ours!"

"Oh, I beg to differ. And so does the law." Spiker waved the document again. "I know it's a bit damp, Chief, but I assure you it's all in writing."

"Hmmm." Chief Beatcom peered at the waterlogged writing. "Well, the names are smudged, but the seal looks official."

"And you're just going to believe them?" Rin growled in disbelief at the Chief. "I'm telling you right now that I'm-"

"In very serious trouble, girl, that's what you are!" Spiker took a deep breath, trying to draw herself up with as much dignity as she could muster. "Officer, this half-demon may be our niece, but she's a danger to us and our nephew. We did our best, but she ran off with the poor boy when he was still deeply traumatized from his parents' deaths. Look at him; he can't tell how horrible she is."

"Rin didn't kidnap me!" James cried, emerging slightly from behind his sister to glare at his aunts. "You were the horrible ones, not her!"

"How dare you disagree with us!" Sponge's face twisted in anger at he nephew's words and she held up a hand. Rin moved in front of James again as Spiker held Sponge back.

"Patience, sister. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"Yes I do! I-"

"Dear, let the adults talk," Sponge hissed through clenched teeth. Pasting a smile back on her face, she added,

"I promise we'll get you home safely."

"You're not taking my brother anywhere!" Rin snarled. "No one is!"

"That's not up for you to say, missy!" Chief Beatcom managed to work his way between both pairs of siblings. "And no one's going anywhere without my say-so. Not you, not your brother, and not this... thing."

"Oh, yes, our peach. We'll be taking that as well."

"Wait, what?" Chief Beatcom gave Spiker and Sponge a look of disbelief. "This big round thing is a peach?"

"No, dumb-ass, it's a plum!"

"Rin!"

"You little-"

"Considering the smell of peach is all over you, Chief, I would think you could tell!" Rin snorted in disgust. "Huh, how someone like you got to be in a position of authority, I've no idea!"

"Well, I am in a position of authority and unless you behave yourself, I might just decide your aunts are right about you being a danger to your brother."

"Don't you dare threaten me, Chief, unless you want the-"

"Officer Hanson, keep your weapon drawn on this half-demon. Boy, you come with me."

"No, wait!" James dodged away from the Chief's hand as the policeman next to the chief drew his gun and pointed it at Rin. The crowd, meanwhile, began cheering.

"Hah, that showed her!"

"I say cuff that wild creature now!"

"Yes, and get that poor child away from her!"

Rin's eyes darted in their sockets as the words flew thick and fast around her. The half-demon snarled again, doing her best to keep herself in front of James while making sure the idiot officer wasn't going to try and pull her brother away from her. The jeering faces of the crowd seemed to blur as the blood pounded in her skull, forcing more red into her vision.

"There, you see?" Spiker eyed Rin with distain. "You have no power here. Don't try and lie; you'll only make it worse for yourself."

"Rin's not lying!" James's voice rose above the crowd. Looking up at the Chief, the little boy gestured at Spiker and Sponge. "They're the ones who're lying! The peach isn't theirs! The old man gave the green things to me and Rin! That's what made it grow! If it wasn't for us, that peach wouldn't be here!"

"Hai! Listen to James; he's telling the truth!"

"He's telling you a bunch of nonsense!" Spiker shook her head. "But that's to be expected. The poor boy hasn't been right in the head since his mother and father died. And his beast of a sister hasn't made it easier. We should have refused to take her in from the start, but we were trying to do the right thing!"

"Yes, and we're the ones the boy needs to care for him. Now come here, lovey, and this will all be over!"

Sponge lunged for James, nearly grabbing the little boy's arm.

"Don't you touch him!" Rin raised a clawed hand, but Officer Hanson cocked his gun, causing the crowd to gasp and stand back.

"If we have to use restraints, we will!" the officer called, eliciting another round of cheers from the crowd.

"You'll pay for this with your life, human!" Rin snarled. "My family will-"

"-ensure you never get near your poor brother again!" Spiker snapped back. "Officer, this has gone on long enough. The boy needs our care and-"

"Let the children speak!"

Rin froze at the sound of a familiar voice. Beside her, James peered out at the crowd, which was now looking about in confusion at the sudden command. Though Rin caught merely a glimpse of a man standing in the shadow of a truck, a wind as light as a morning mist breezed over her skin, helping push back the rage that was threatening to consume her senses.

"Yeah, I wanna hear!" a child's voice piped up from near the back of the crowd.

"Hush, Adam!"

"But the man said to let them tell us!" another child- a girl this time- spoke up. Before her parents could say anything, other children in the crowd began chiming in, many of them squirming past their parents to the front of the crowd.

"Yeah, we need to listen!"

"They probably know what they're talking about."

"Dad, you always say there's two sides to every story, right?"

"They were on top of the peach anyway!" This came from a small girl with braids and glasses who wormed her way to the front of the crowd, along with a few other kids. She caught James and Rin glancing her way and gave them a shy smile. Despite the situation, James returned her smile, his grip on Rin's hand relaxing slightly.

That's the girl who told the Chief about us. The half-demon nodded at the little girl, who actually returned the gesture without a trace of fear.

"Alright alright alright!" Chief Beatcom yelled, holding up his hands for silence. "Let's get to the bottom of this!"

"As we've said-"

"Just a moment, ma'am." Chief Beatcom looked behind him at the massive fruit sitting serenely on the truck and then back at the crowd. "This thing is a peach? Alright, I'll buy that."

"Considering you were hit by some of its juice, I would hope."

"Uh-huh." The Chief eyed Rin with annoyance before asking,

"Now does someone want to tell me how it got here?"

"We attached it to a hundred seagulls. But the strings got cut and that's why the peach fell on top of the Empire State Building," James explained.

"Seagulls!" Spiker tittered. "Really, have you ever heard such a thing?" She and Sponge gave another bray of laughter that was quickly taken up by the crowd of adults.

"But that's what happened!" James insisted. "And it wasn't just us either. We met a group of bugs in the peach too. Miss Spider and Centipede and Mr. Grasshopper and-"

Another great shout of laughter rang through the crowd. James's voice trailed off as other voices rang out.

"Big bugs! Do you hear this?"

"Oh wow, and I thought I could tell stories as a kid!"

"He must really be off his rocker!"

"RAWWWWRRR!" The crowd shrieked at Rin's furious roar. "Don't you dare insult my brother in such a way! And he's telling you the plain truth! Those bugs we met have been more kin to us than these women-" Rin gestured at Spiker and Sponge, whose faces wore masks of fury- "ever were! And if you don't believe us, ask the man who helped us down! He saw the remains of the strings we used to harness the seagulls!"

"Miss Spider spun them!" James clarified. His voice steadied as he continued the story. Meanwhile, the crowd of children listened to his every word with shining eyes and awed smiles. "We all worked to catch the seagulls and that's how we were able to fly here. And you should know!" James appealed to the very confused police Chief. "We met fishermen in Montauk. They said they were going to send a message on to you so you'd know we were coming! Did they tell you?"

"Well, now, sonny, I'm surprised you know of Montauk, but I haven't heard anything about a giant peach bein' flown by seagulls."

"Of course not because it didn't happen!" Sponge shook her head. "Flying a peach on seagulls with a crowd of bugs? Whoever heard of such a thing, I ask you?"

"You have!" Rin growled at Officer Hanson. The policeman's face had paled and his eyes had widened at James's words. "You took that message, didn't you?"

"Hanson?" Chief Beatcom frowned as he looked at the younger man. "Is this true?"

"Chief-" Spiker started.

"Ma'am, I have to get all of the facts." The Chief nodded at Hanson to continue.

"I... There was a message from a Montauk fisherman. A Captain, I think."

"Captain MacDavis," James said. "His boat's called the Alexa. We helped him and his crew get home to Montauk."

"Hush, boy, you don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes I do!" James glared at Sponge, who looked like she was about to spit fire. "Rin and I know exactly what we're talking about!"

"And you just made the biggest mistake of your life," Rin growled at Hanson, who still had his weapon trained on the half-demon. "Did you happen to hear who I am?"

"No! All I heard was some guff about a flyin' fruit! I thought it was a joke!"

"But it's not a joke!" one of the watching children piped up.

"Yeah!" another boy agreed. "And it was flying, like they said!"

"Because of her!" Spiker pointed a finger at Rin. "This... creature used her awful demon magic to steal our peach and kidnap our nephew! Come, Chief, you know what demons are like! The girl is no different and she has threatened us numerous times before!"

"Only because you've been nothing, but cruel to James and I!" Rin snapped back, her vision taking on a reddish hue once more. "Believe me, the only reason you're still alive is because I couldn't bring myself to kill you in your sleep!"

The mob of adults gasped at Rin's words, many of them pulling their children away from the front of the crowd in an attempt to shield them.

"There, you see! She's dangerous! You have to do something!" Sponge cried.

"Don't worry, I plan to!" Chief Beatcom was frowning at Rin. "I think you've shown your true colors, girl. And I can't take the risk having you around that boy."

"No!" James moved closer to Rin. "I'm not leaving my sister!"

"And I'm not letting you take him!" The half-demon could feel her whole body trembling, the red in her eyes becoming more vibrant. Her voice deepened as each word she spoke came out as a growl. "I warn you, Chief, I-"

"Neither of you have a choice!" The Chief nodded at several of the officers. "Officer Hanson, keep your weapon on the half-demon. Men, ready whatever handcuffs or restraints you have. And you, girl, if you know what's good for you, you'll come along quietly!"

Rin snarled, her lips pulled back from her teeth as the police started to advance on her. "Stay where you are! I am a-"

"Yes, finally! Treat her like the wild animal she is!" Spiker sneered at Rin while calling to James,

"Now come along, darling. You're going home with us!"

"No I'm not!" James held tightly to his sister's hand, glaring at his aunt.

Spiker stared at her nephew, her face twisting in a mixture of fury and disbelief. "What did you say?"

"I said no I'm not!" James glanced up at his sister before turning back to face Spiker and Sponge. "I'm never going back to that awful house with you! I hate it there! I hate that cold room and how you never gave Rin or me anything to eat or how you made us work all day!"

"Wait, what?" The policemen paused, staring at both James and the two women. A stunned silence fell over the crowd as the adults traded glances. Rin clenched her teeth, forcing herself to stay silent and let her brother speak up for himself.

"Alright, that's enough!" Spiker fought to keep her voice under control. "No more of your lies, boy!"

"You're the liar!" James retorted, his voice trembling with emotion. "You always told Rin and me how much you hated us and how we were nothing! You even laughed at the way Mum and Dad died!"

"What?"

"They did what?"

"That's horrible!"

"Shut up!" Sponge commanded, a note of hysteria creeping into her voice. "Shut up, you little-"

"No! I won't shut up!" James was gasping for breath, but he wasn't backing down. "Rin's right about you; you've never been anything but cruel to us and you were never our family! And Rin could have left at any time, but she wouldn't because she wouldn't let you hurt me! Right, Rin?"

"Never!" With all the effort she could muster, Rin managed to push the crimson haze away from her vision and speak clearly. "I would never let anyone hurt you, James and I won't let these idiots take you from me! I'll protect you to my last breath!"

"There, you see?" James addressed the crowd. "Rin's not a monster and I'm not a liar! We flew the giant peach across the ocean together and we landed on top of the tallest building in the world. Mum and Dad and Rin's father weren't here to see it, but Rin and I did it for them and for the bugs we met! They're our family, not you!"

"How dare you-" Spiker's eyes were narrowed to slits.

"And even if they aren't with us now, I know they're looking for us! We're staying with them and you can't stop us! We're not nothing, you are! And you aren't taking me or the peach away with you!"

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO US THIS WAY!"

No longer able to keep up the façade of concerned relatives, Spiker and Sponge made a sudden dash past Chief Beatcom and made for the fire truck parked a foot or so away. Too stunned to react, the crowd of onlookers could only stare in horror as both women grabbed a pair of axes and charged forward.

"AHHHHHH!"

"They've gone crazy!"

"GET THE CROWD BACK!" Chief Beatcom blew his whistle, motioning at the officers to keep the people away from the two crazed women. But, of course, neither Spiker nor Sponge were interested in anything other than their niece and nephew. Wild-eyed and furious, it took the two women only a few seconds to reach Rin and James with the blades raised high with murderous intent.

But a few seconds was all the time Rin needed.

"RAWWWWRRRRRR!"

At the sound of the half-demon's roar, Spiker and Sponge skidded to a stop and the police froze in terror as Rin's eyes turned as red as blood and she leapt forward to meet her former kin's challenge. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Rin's claws sheared through the blade of the axe. Spiker had just enough time to contemplate the fact that she was now utterly defenseless before her enraged niece was upon her. The bony woman screamed, attempting to twist away from the half-demon's fangs, an action that might well have saved her life.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Spiker screamed as Rin's powerful fangs sank into the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder. Blood spurted from the wound, turning Spiker's scream into a strangled gurgling. The woman's thin legs gave way and she went limp as the sound of bone being crunched to splinters echoed throughout the city streets.

"SPIKER!"

At Sponge's shout, Rin's crimson eyes locked onto the fat women's flabby face. Her fangs still buried in Spiker's flesh, Rin lashed out with her claws and was rewarded with the feeling of the deadly talons slicing through thick flesh and muscle. Sponge fell to the ground with a scream, clutching her face as gouts of blood spurted from the horrific wounds.

By now, the crowd was in a panic, their terrified shouts blending together in a chorus of fear that was like music to the half-demon's ears.

"OH MY GOD!"

"DO SOMETHING!"

"GET BACK! EVERYONE GET BACK!"

"RIN!"

In the midst of the carnage and chaos, James crying her name was all it took to drive the pure yokai rage from Rin's mind. Rin raised her dripping mouth from Spiker's neck just in time to see one of the police officers grab James around his waist and start to pull him away.

"JAMES!"

The police officer, still holding onto the little boy, attempted to draw his gun. But like Spiker and Sponge, he was no match for the angry half-demon. Before he could draw his weapon from its holster, Rin darted forward and slashed at the man's back. The officer screamed as Rin's claws cut through his uniform, opening five gashes along his back that were deep enough to reveal pulsing muscle. The sheer pain made the officer let go of James and Rin pulled her brother close. Gasping with fear, James climbed onto Rin's back, burying his face in his sister's shoulder. Meanwhile, the frightened screams of the crowd were rising to a crescendo and more officers were running forward, making a beeline for the three people who lay bleeding on the ground.

We can't stay here.

Crouching low, Rin took a deep breath and let loose with a piercing cry.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Everyone-nearly the entire population of Manhattan- froze and covered their ears. No longer blinded by fury, Rin stopped her shrieking and raced away from the crowd with James still clinging to her back. Before anyone could stop them, the two siblings had left the scene behind and vanished into the night.
~

I only have one regret about that night and it is that James- and indeed all of New York's children- had to see what I was truly capable of when my family was threatened.