Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Her Spirit ❯ Enjoyment ( Chapter 4 )

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Those two Spirit world officials were still here. And Souta wanted to talk to his sister without someone hovering nearby…how rude. It's been four years and there was so much to talk about! So many stories were waiting to be heard and so many looks wanting to be shared; so much laughter to be let and so many smiles to be given. And those two redheads were getting annoying.

The bigger one wasn't so bad, he lost focus once in a while but he was pretty cool. He was like a big kid himself - almost as awesome as his big sister. He was a real softie that much was easy to tell. He would always watch him with this look in his eyes; like he knew something important was going on- Something that no one else was savvy to.

`Oh, there I go…' Kagome had told him a story about pirates to pass that time away.

She seemed to be saving the better stories…or she was getting back into the swing of things. Her stories always seemed to crawl into your imagination and create the most exhilarating and real experiences. You could feel everyone's emotions; you could actually taste the mist and smell the forest. Kagome could take you into the future with its outlandish culture and machines, she could take you into the Amazon jungle to native tribes and cannibals, or she could take you down the street into your neighbor's life; once, she even took him into the past. And in any setting… her stories found a way to change the way you look at something.

He grinned rakishly-`Or they found a way to make you act like one of the characters.' The story from this morning was on the high seas, and his favorite character was a lookout called Rat. He was always either up in the birds nest or scurrying around the mast and sails, accomplishing quick movement and acrobatic feats to get from one end of the ship to the other.

He also was known to say either `savvy' or a slow `no' to any yes or no questions. Souta just happened to be unconsciously mimicking his character. The two siblings had made a game of this when they were younger. If you caught yourself doing just that you had to annoy your sibling until they guessed which character you imitated.

Souta grinned.

Looking around his grin slowly changed into a frown. His sister wasn't in the room…and neither was the smaller redhead. Scowling now he shoved himself off the bed and stormed towards the door. He stopped and looked at it for a moment, contemplating his course of action. The door was eventually opened, slowly, an inch at a time, letting Souta listen to conversations that were being carried out in the halls.

He could hear his sister- And Minamino.

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Youko was positively delighted. The female Higurashi sibling was proving to be more of a puzzle than even he had anticipated. She also wasn't fawning over him…which was a plus.

`Ask that question again! Do it!'

Kurama almost sighed. Youko had been acting up outrageously; it seems that Higurashi acted like she had experience with kitsune tricks. She had either dodged or parried his answers with veritable ease and it was driving Youko crazy with his curiosity.

You're treating her like a new toy.

Youko grinned rather lecherously. `I wouldn't mind having her for a toy.' His face sobered into a mildly curious expression as he watched Kagome through their overlapped senses. `Seriously, she does interest me. She has that feel about her.' He sat gracefully - with kitsune everything was either graceful or playful, even when being intimidating - in a chair of vines and stone crafted from their imagination.

`That `feel'?'

`You wouldn't know it; humans who were in contact with demons for extended periods of time got an otherworldly feel to them. Demons knew who to avoid - they were not an easy kill if they had previous experience with demons. The touched might also be claimed by these demons, and harming a demon claimed was suicide in the days.'

Kurama sighed internally and almost gave in to cursing the fates for his counterpart's personality. “What did you experience that you need to know about?”

A sly look was in her eyes, and Kurama could almost see the smile trying to force its way onto her lips…

`Oh, those lips...' Youko said quite solemnly. `Those lips that probably have said more to her brother in stories than us in the whole time we've been questioning her.'

“I believe, Minamino-san, I told you it doesn't matter.” She surreptitiously flipped a stray bang over her shoulder, and set about idly smoothing the creases in the clothes her brother had brought in for her.

`Everything about her is so calculated.'

`She's on her guard.'

It was stated so bluntly Kurama blinked in confusion.

Suddenly the boy's presence was at their side and he was glaring up at him through his untamed bangs. He gently took his sister's elbow and started to guide her towards her room.

She smiled amusedly at her brother as she allowed him to take her away from him. Kurama smirked slightly and followed, this boy was always amusing.

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Kuwabara had watched the boy contemplate whatever happened to grace his mind and wondered at his naiveté. No it wasn't naïve; it was purity that clung to this boy. Despite what tough years fate had dealt him he had maintained his innocence.

Kuwabara was looking at life. This wasn't a twisted rendition of the jaded veteran. This was the pure and unadulterated joy one got from merely living. This boy simply lived each day and enjoyed it through all that was said and done.

It was refreshing to say the least. Kuwabara had grown up in the area of the Bosozoku. Violence and crimes were rampant in his part of town and innocence was destroyed or exploited.

But here was some little piece of it all, protected and encouraged. Kuwabara could make out the thin wrappings of his sister's aura on the boy's soul; he had to wonder how she came up with the technique and how close the siblings were before the coma.

From what he could tell the family was the family.

Poor Koenma really didn't know what he had got himself into.

Kuwabara was drawn out of his thoughts by the arrival of a silently fuming Souta. His sister he was pulling in behind him and she had this oddly bemused and wistful smile on her lips. It made for a funny picture and only more so when Kurama trailed in leisurely after them.

Kurama's smirk belied his amusement and Kuwabara had to wonder how much information he got out of the woman.

He shook his head to clear out the useless thoughts and watched the siblings. He had found he enjoyed watching them, and he had been watching them more than he usually watched anything else.

He was just about to laugh when Kagome-san cuffed her younger brother in the head for a random comment she took playful offense to when the nurse came in.

She was nervous, and rightfully so he mused. Talk of the siblings had spread through the whole hospital. `I have even heard the aids talking about them near the bathrooms on the first level!'

The Higurashis were becoming the protective entity at the Reikai Hospital, and nurses had been warning each other to be as cautious and polite as possible so as not to upset either one of the siblings.

For the miniscule twenty-four hours the siblings had been together, they sure raised a lot of hell.

She, `the nurse that is', glanced uncertainly at the sibs before turning to the two detectives. Her face firmed up. “You will have to leave. She is due for her checkup and Koenma told us to inform you that he wants a report.”

Kuwabara saw the young man's eyes flare up with distaste. The female just smiled, Kuwabara had to take a second look. Her smile was the innocent but all knowing smile of one at peace with oneself - like Buddha - but on her it looked like she was planning something devious.

`No not devious but mischievous and fun and …lets just say it looks like she's going to do something.'

The two detectives nodded and left the room quietly. The nurses were very high-strung now; it wouldn't do to have one startle the young boy.

As they left Kurama turned to him. “I believe I wish to talk to the others before Koenma. In any case, he didn't tell us when to meet him.”

Kuwabara smiled. “Lead on Red.”

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“How are you feeling?”

“How am I supposed to be feeling doc?”

“Are you dizzy? Maybe even feeling a little weak or sluggish?”

This was the third employee of this hospice to come and check up on her. He obviously didn't get the other doctor's memos.

“No.” She gazed longingly over the doctor's head, staring out into a place only she could see. “Can I leave now?” Souta watched the doctors face. He was a specialist, but all he had been doing was annoying his sister. The constant inquiries as to her health and even one brave comment, from a previous doctor, about her sanity had his sister in a dark mood.

He really did pity the next questioner.

Maybe he didn't.

`If they are questioning her that means they don't trust our family and the Higurashi name. If they question her more that means that they will keep her here longer.' Souta mumbled some choice words under his breath and looked at his wrist watch. `Sis needs to be near something familiar for a while.'

Souta sighed and watched this doctor scribble something on the clipboard she'd brought in with her. His sister's eyes came into focus slowly, and he watched them in amusement.

They were glaring at the scratching pen.

As they narrowed even more, and the scratching got even louder Souta started to get annoyed. `They are annoying her and its bugging me. How do they treat patients in this hospice if they're always annoying them?'

He reached over to grab the pen with a sigh. The doctor looked up in surprise before opening her mouth to voice the question.

“We're leaving.”

They left her gaping like a fish.

As they walked out into the halls Souta couldn't help but watch his sister. The clothes he had brought from her closet used to fit so much differently on her; and not in the tighter way. The hospital hadn't made her lose weight, if anything she had gained more in muscle mass.

So as she walked, the rather cute ensemble - as it used to look - took on a decidedly tougher yet regal look.

Maybe it helped that she was walking like a predator now.

The virginal white of her blouse with the baby blue vest appeared innocent and guileless until you noticed the arms under the rolled up sleeves- toned and muscular.

Her skirt was long and covering, and looked deceptively naïve, until you heard the determined clip of her army boots on the tiled floors.

As she carried herself so proudly, walking with an innate grace and flow that left him breathless, she turned to smile at him over her shoulder. His sister had never been very tall, cursing the fact that she got her height from their grandparents- but as she turned to look at him, and when she stopped completely to wait for him to catch up, he couldn't help but gawk in awe.

He shivered excitedly. If his sister had changed this much in only her presence, he couldn't wait to see how she would weave her real stories without the intruding presence of strangers.

So he grinned up at her when he reached her side and held her hand as they walked out of the hospital doors. `Finally…'

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Kurama had his hand to his chin and his eyes darting about frantically even as they remained unseeing. He was conversing with Youko and it was, as usual - or not so usual due to Youko's maturity levels sometimes - enlightening about the demon cultures and magic rituals of the past.

`I can only feel the bond between them that means they are related. For a soul bond - the ones usually in the higher demons ranks - they made sure the bonds were almost indistinct until one was put into danger. It's like a sixth sense.'

`So demons will sense this only when they threaten one of them?'

`Hmm, after that it is usually too late to redeem oneself. Interesting trap, really. If a demon has such poor senses that he can't sense a bond then they don't deserve to live. Survival of the fittest you know.'

Yusuke was grumbling beside him as Kuwabara remained silent. They were looking for Hiei, and the safest bet was always somewhere with space to practice and trees- the parks.

So they walked, and Yusuke complained.

`Hiei will be interested in this. Did you feel her power? She can control it so easily!'

Youko nodded absently as his eyes drifted with his thoughts. He was probably looking for the hybrid koorime.

`She had training…but when?'

Yusuke laughed as Kuwabara suddenly made an exclamation. Something about the little brother having a kitten he was going to see.

Hiei suddenly appeared beside them, and Kurama was glad that he could still surprise the rest of the team. It meant that he was always training, always improving, and always pushing the rest of them to catch up.

He nodded cordially to Kurama and waited for the initiator to start. Kuwabara surprisingly enough tilted his head towards a convenient bench and started to walk that way.

They had settled before Yusuke sighed. “How were the brats?”

Kuwabara bristled, “Souta is not a brat,” He deflated dramatically, “but the woman….”

Yusuke looked up at him without moving his head, his interest was peaked.

“She - I can't say she's a brat - I can't say she wasn't one either.” Kuwabara paused in his random speech to glance at Yusuke's reaction.

“She was different that's for sure.”

Yusuke stood up fuming. “Alright already! Just tell us.”

Kuwabara snickered. `He seems to enjoy that game….'

Kuwabara cleared his throat and resettled his lanky body across the bench. “She acts like a kid.”

Yusuke looked disgruntled.

“Not really a kid I mean like a kid.” He trailed off as he noticed how he was sounding.

Kurama sighed, “What he means is that she acts like a kitsune.”

Hiei glanced up sharply and Yusuke had a weird and indescribable expression pass over his face.

Kuwabara sighed. “They weren't brats; they were a very close family that has a growing dislike for our boss.”

Yusuke brightened up considerably. “Great! I like them already.”

Hiei scoffed. “You said she acts like a kitsune, do you mean in the physical or personal sense?”

Youko grinned within the confines of their mind, absently running his fingers along their souls. `If she had been acting like a kitsune in the physical sense I wouldn't be here right how.'

Kuwabara looked confused but he elaborated none the less. “It's in the personal sense. She likes playing word games with you, and she's decidedly playful when she deals with our boss.” He glanced at Kurama, probably wondering where his mind went for him to stop his commentary so soon.

`That's obvious; Hello! I compared her to a kitsune!'

Kurama smiled genially to hide his inner thoughts and took a breath to join the conversation. “She was in a coma, but she moves around with the ease of a trained fighter.”

Yusuke's chuckle trailed off and he stared at him as if he had just told him he didn't know the answer to a teacher's question. Kuwabara nodded emphatically and snapped his fingers out of sheer nervous energy.

Kurama looked at the red head. “What did you notice when we where there?” Kuwabara glanced up nervously. “I saw it; you noticed something and it startled you.” That was an understatement, but it wouldn't do to put him on the spot. Kuwabara was a man of pride and wouldn't take lightly to him stating that he was frightened.

`Or maybe he wouldn't mind…Kuwabara has such an odd sense of pride and morals and perceptions you never really know.' Youko drawled lazily in his head, even as he leaned forward uselessly to get a better view of the large detective.

Kuwabara hesitated, this time truly feeling that he didn't want to expose such a piece of information to the group. Yusuke's blatant curiosity and Kurama's inquiring stare urged him on. “The family…that's what they are…” He took a hesitant breath and shifted his weight to one hip. “They are bonded.”

Hiei silent as usual, looked off into the distance.

`Bonded? What is Kuwabara talking about? He can't possibly know about youkai bonds.'

`Just ask him then.' Youko sighed in aggravation as he ran his hands through the hair behind his neck.

“A bond?” Hiei asked the question.

Kuwabara sighed. “Wisps of her soul and his are bonded to each other. It's a rather pretty sight.” Kurama and Hiei both snapped their heads to look straight at the tall male and stare at him in disbelief.

“Their souls are…?” Yusuke summed up the emotions running rampant through the team.

Kuwabara nodded curtly his gaze trailing off to the unknown and unseen. A smile made its way onto his face and the detectives had to glance at him askance trying to get his attention. It took a few minutes of their staring.

Then it took a few minutes of calling his name.

Then it was a shout of his name.

And finally Yusuke got into his face. “KUWABARA! Earth to baka! Pick up the phone since somebody's home!”

Kuwabara's eyes slowly came into focus and he glanced confused into the eyes of his team mates. “Something up guys?”

Yusuke growled in frustration.

Kurama smiled bemused and cleared his throat. “A bond like that is unheard of…that I know of. She did make references to some miko powers being trained.”

Hiei slowly settled himself into the branches of a nearby tree, listening intently to their comments as the conversations continued. Kurama watched him covertly; he could see Hiei making some connections in his mind. He was very curious to find out what.

`The little firecracker is highly intelligent.' Youko's eyes glinted in the recesses of his territory. `It is very possible that he is making connections we wouldn't notice just because of who he is.'

Kurama nodded in silent agreement before taking up their conversation. `Do you think he can emphasize because they are family, and he recognizes the bonds like the one with his sister?'

`It could be. But then he's probably thinking about something else; he likes being unpredictable like that.'

Kurama smiled and waved off the concerned look of Kuwabara. The large man could always sense when he talked to his other half, and he was taking pride in the way that his friends were growing in their powers.

Yusuke stood up from his seated position on the ground and dusted off the seat of his pants: “I want to meet her.”

Hiei jumped down from his perch and contemplated their leader before nodding his head and turning to the redheads. “I too would like to see this `miko'.”

Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders at Kurama, “I don't see why not,” he glanced at Yusuke before continuing, “but we have to talk to Koenma first.”

Kurama sighed. The demigod was being infantile at best and a pain in the ass at worst. He had already taken a dislike to the two Higurashi and Kurama could only hope that he'd let the whole team go to meet them, let alone that he'd let Kuwabara and him see the two again.

-Highly unlikely at this point.

Still he waited with the others for Botan to open them a portal, and he walked with them into the cluttered expanse of their boss' office.

.x.

Yusuke scowled at his boss, the stupid toddler was pacing around his room throwing up a mess of papers in search of something. Without looking up he started to address the two he had appointed the Higurashi case. “Good I found something startling and you need to know that her power…” His voice cut off as he looked up to spot the whole team.

His wary gaze traversed the four of them and he cleared his throat before looking to the redheads. Yusuke watched Kurama urge him to continue his previous line of thought. Koenma glowered at his predicament and Yusuke smirked.

“…it doesn't have a set element.”

Hiei froze in his normal shiftless movements, the stunned expression on his face giving Yusuke the knowledge that this was unorthodox.

He glanced in curiosity at the equally confused Kuwabara before turning his head to Kurama for an explanation. He blinked before he replied his unspoken inquiry: “Everyone has a base element that lends to their powers. I am a soul kitsune but I specialize in the souls of plants and their manipulation. Hiei is a hybrid but his more dominant side is of fire. You and Kuwabara have powers based on your personalities: Kuwabara's honor-code reminiscent of the days of swords and knights, and yours attracted to the more street-fight brawl style.”

Yusuke looked confused before he turned to Koenma. “So she doesn't have an element? Doesn't that mean that she just hasn't used her power to fine-tune it to her?”

Koenma's mouth dropped open in shock and Yusuke watched in disgust as his pacifier rolled out onto the papers at his desk. Koenma shook himself roughly out of his stupor and glanced at him. “That has got to be the smartest thing I've ever heard you say.” Both ningens bristled at his comment before he shook his head more gently this time. “But no, her magic is controlled. She has been using it just hasn't taken on any element.”

Kurama looked at Hiei before glancing at the two ningens. Yusuke caught the look, sending one of his own back: confusion and curiosity.

Koenma grabbed their attention again before they could elaborate amongst themselves. “What exactly are you two doing anyway?”

Hiei stepped out of the shadows he had encased himself in. “We wish to visit the miko.”

Yusuke laughed as Koenma face-faulted.

“Hell no!”

So he stopped laughing. “Shame on you toddler. You of all should know that the denizens of hell won't take kindly to such curses.” He playfully retorted.

Koenma growled, rather impressive for a toddler. Kuwabara interrupted, sending a hidden wink the team's way as he picked up the trail. “Kagome is probably going to go into a meditative state at the same time as she hit her power fluxes in the hospice.”

Koenma stopped to think.

“Not that it would make a difference. Your bogus missions are just to spite the team- not anything really important.”

Koenma sputtered pout his indignation. “They are not bogus!” A pause. “They are not unimportant!” He roared.

Kurama took up his piece. “He didn't mean it that way Koenma, just saying that the more important missions you usually delegate to your fathers workers.”

Koenma glared heatedly at Kurama before opening his mouth to argue.

Hiei's smooth voice cut in. “I wonder if your father appreciates knowing that his son is incompetent in such matters.”

Koenma sputtered, subdued this time as his anger slowly left him.

“Besides I thought you wanted to have her observed.”

“Yes I did.” The resigned tone made Yusuke get a gleam in his eyes. `Jackpot.'

“Well then, we'll be on our way.” Yusuke grinned as he turned to leave through a portal a confused Botan had called up.

Kurama bowed slightly, mockingly, at the demigod and spoke: “We'll visit the family tomorrow sir. No fear.”

As the portal closed and the team entered Yusuke's new apartment they could hear Koenma's curses and mutterings.

Yusuke grinned at the last strain: “…I can't believe I just did that!?”

He laughed and Kurama and Kuwabara smirked at him as they settled into the furniture that dotted the living room. Hiei settled onto the windowsill, glancing proudly at the team from the corner of his eyes.

“This is going to be fun.”

`And what a way to start it off.' Yusuke grinned, he loved it when they could pull together to pull a fast one on Koenma.

“I can't wait to see what has you two all riled up, and Koenma having fits like that.”

Kurama grinned at him. “It's actually rather fun hanging around them.” He shrugged, “Who knows, maybe the brother will take a better liking to you than he did me.”

Yusuke stopped in his tracks. “He doesn't like you.” Simple really. But Yusuke was hard put to keep his chuckles in, and as a result they broke through a moment later as a loud rowdy laugh.

Kuwabara smiled wryly and shook his head at the two.

Yusuke calmed down and got himself under control, almost losing it again when he looked at Kurama's self-depreciating face. “This is going to be fun!”

Yusuke chuckled to himself as they settled in further in comfort. He couldn't wait to meet this family. From what Kuwabara had told him, the boy was one hell of a spitfire.

Oh yes, this was going to be a lot of fun. Koenma would rue the day he put them on this case.

Time to raise some hell.

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