Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Like Sakura Petals Falling... ❯ Blood ( Chapter 3 )

Blanket Disclaimer: InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, YuYu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. Perverse bastardizations of both can be blamed on me.

"I am where the fearing dwells." - 'Incantation' by Delerium

Chapter Three (Blood)

The flashing of red and blue lights atop the police cars, although muted by the bright, spring sunlight, held ominous portent for all those within the small family shrine. Kuwabara stood at the fringe of the crime scene observing the macabre sight as a whole, while taking slow, thoughtful drags off of his cigarette. It was the fifth shrine attack in the past week alone, and with the same modus operandi as all the others.

The media had latched onto the idea and had ran with it. Quickly dubbing the murders "The Shrine Massacres," the press began wildly reporting that there was some depraved serial killer stalking the streets of the Ueno district, and the outlining areas in Tokyo. Vicious and maniacal, this alleged crazed predator hunted down shrine priests and mikos, leaving only one victim alive, made perfect fodder for the medias sensationalistic spins on the crimes. Add to that, a general population that was unaccustomed to such rampant violence, and you had all the trappings of a highly volatile situation with the potential to blow at any moment. Making the police force's hunt for the person or persons behind these brutal homicides all the greater a priority.

Kuwabara, however, had his doubts about them ever finding a killer. Namely, because he believed there wasn't a killer, at least not in the human sense. There was nothing natural about these murders. Most homicide cases the crime scene was infused with darkly passionate emotions: hate, rage, jealousy, fear, dominance, lust, greed. However, the shrine scenes were nearly devoid of emotions contributed to human emotion, as from fear, and in their absence was nothing but the echoes of a primal blood-lust. The degree of which, Kazuma had only seen matched within the most fearsome of demons during his adventures with the Rei-kai Tantei.

His speculation that these were, in all actuality, youkai attacks was further substantiated by the trace signatures of youki and jyaki in the surrounding environment. Low level punks by the feel, Kuwabara thought narrowing his beady brown eyes in stern contemplation.

Though that was not what confused Kuwabara the most about these murders. Inspecting the bodies, and their causes of death seemed accurate and confirming for a youkai kill. No, what had Kazuma scratching his head in confoundment was the overwhelming amount of concentrated pure energy resonating from the crime scenes. He'd been able to assess that the purifying energy had been what had ultimately killed the youkai, but its source remained unknown. None of the humans at the scenes had ever had the kind of spiritual energy it would take to purify a youkai, even, in some instances, to reduce the demon to nothing more than dust or a scorch mark.

Could there be some renegade taijiya on the loose with this kind of awesome ability? And why didn't Kuwabara know them? Furthermore, where the hell did were these youkai coming from? There couldn't have been an unauthorized breech in the barrier, Koenma would have had them running all over both the Ma-kai and the Ningen-kai in search of such an opening.

And speaking of Koenma, why the hell hadn's he stuck his nosey little pacifier into the middle of this yet? This was exactly the kind of shit the Rei-kai Tantei was supposed to investigate!

Discreetly putting out his cigarette, Kuwabara decided to walk the crime scene one more time. It never hurt to do multiple sweeps of the scene. It was so easy to miss something, the first, second, even third and fourth time.

What was left of the priest was heaped ear the main shrine's entrance, looking like not much more than a bloody pulp. Sprays of blood and gore had jettisoned across the front steps to the shrine itself in brilliant reds and rusty browns. About twenty yards away lay a small mound of ofudas with an arrow standing erect through the middle of them. The arrow still resonating strongly of the now trademark purifying energy.

Hama-ya? Kazuma pondered, squatting down to closer inspect the arrow, yet still careful not to disturb anything. Underneath the massive amounts of holy power, Kazuma could make out the lingering traces of youki and jyaki. So, under here is what's left of the oni. Kuwabara speculated before easily unfolding his tall form as he stood to survey the scene once again. The survivor, this time a young miko, had been found unconscious about five feet away.

The flash of the forensic photographers camera brought Kuwabara out of his brooding thoughts, and he deftly made his way back to the fringe of the crime scene with a practiced ease. Admittedly, working the crime scenes was Kazuma's favorite part of the job. It was the subsequent report filing that was quickly proving to be the bane of his existence. Large, laborers fingers and tiny keyboard keys, did not a fluent typist make.

Yet even with that handicap, Kuwabara found himself flying up the ranks of the police precincts at an unheard of rate. He'd only been on the force a scan three years before he'd received the promotion to homicide detective. No one could deny the rookie's natural flare for detective work, and his gut instinct was quickly becoming legendary.

In his private moments, Kazuma humbly credited his talents to hears of hard-work and experience on the Rei-kai Tantei. What he had learned from those cases, and his teammates, had proved to be indispensable; and for them Kuwabara was grateful.

Though he did have his own lion-share of accomplishments to which he had only himself to accredit. It was through his own hard work, discipline and persistence that he had gotten through high school, graduating in the top fifteenth percentile. And even more dogged dedication to his scholastic aptitude that had gotten him through college and onto the police force. Kuwabara had proved not only to the others, but most importantly, himself, that he was not some big dumb ox.

Hell, he'd even managed to get the love of his life to say she'd marry him! Kuwabara had plenty to be proud of.

"You ready to go?" Came a gruff, gravelly voice, startling Kuwabara out of his thoughts. Turning to his seasoned partner, he nodded.

"Yeah," Kazuma replied. "I've seen all I need to for now."

Kanzaki, his partner, just laughed at the other man's comment, and patted Kuwabara soundly on the back. "Sounding like a pro, kid." He praised in a fatherly manner. "Come on, let me go buy you lunch."

"Sounds like a plan, old man." Kuwabara joked back with a deep, good-natured chuckle.

~*~

Kuwabara let out a weary sign as he pushed his key into the final lock on the door to his apartment. As soon as the door swung open, he was greeted by the aromas of tempura and sukiyaki. Kazuma breathed deep, savoring the scent of his fiancée's cooking as he kicked off his shoes and deposited them neatly in the entrance hall.

"Yukina-love! I'm home!" He called out in his customary greeting.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Came the expected melodic reply, and Kuwabara smiled broadly to himself as he followed his nose to more properly greet his koorime.

"How was your day?" Yukina asked warmly, as she turned to address Kuwabara as he joined her in the kitchen with a docile smile on her delicate face.

"Good," Kazuma replied vaguely and cheerfully as he turned toward the refrigerator to get a beer---

---and froze.

"What the hell are you doing here, Short Stuff?" Kuwabara demanded in surprise upon seeing the short, fire apparition lounging against the counters near the refrigerator.

"Hn," was the only answer Kuwabara received.

"I invited him." Yukina spoke up somewhat hesitantly, concern and worry marring her features. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Oh, no, no!" Kazuma back-pedaled, raising his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I was just surprised to see him there is all." He laughed nervously, hoping to assuage the doubt in his true love's eyes.

"Oh, alright." Yukina replied with a relieved smile. "Well, dinner is almost read. Why don't you two go get settled." She suggested, gently shooing them from the kitchen.

"Where'd you run into Yukina?" Kuwabara asked Hiei once they'd taken their seats at the dining room table.

"Genkai's temple." Hiei replied in a tone that state that the answer should have been obvious.

"Really?" Kazuma asked, his brow furrowing. "Why were you out there?" He interrogated further, receiving an icy glare from his long-time comrade.

"That is none of your business." Hiei replied shortly.

Kuwabara shrugged noncommittally, unphased by Hiei's death glares and silent threats. "I just thought you'd be too busy patrolling the borders between Ningen-kai and Ma-kai to spend so much time in our neck of the woods. " He carried on easily. "What does Mukuro think of all your extended stays away from Ma-kai?" Kuwabara slyly asked with a half-smile.

"I do as I please, human." Hiei replied blandly, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Ah," Kazuma replied with a full grin. "Trouble in paradise?" He alluded teasingly, winning himself another deadly glare from the smaller demon.

"Dinner's ready!" Yukina announced in her usual quiet cheer, diffusing the growing irritation in her brother without realizing. Quickly and efficiently, she set about serving everyone before herself, and beginning the meal.

The dinner passed surprisingly amicably amid the trio with polite conversation, mostly exchanged between Yukina and Kuwabara. Kazuma, on his behalf, kept his day's details to a minimum as much as possible so a to not upset his fiancé. Once the meal had finished, Yukina excused herself to go clean the kitchen.

Kuwabara sauntered into the living room before plopping rather unceremoniously onto the sofa with another tired sigh exploding from his chest.

"Hiei, have you noticed anything strange in the past month of so?" Kuwabara asked, his demeanor taking a sober turn.

"How so?" Hiei asked boredly.

"Like someone with an abnormally high purification abilities." Kazuma explained. "Or demons getting through the barriers where they shouldn't?"

"No." Hiei replied with a frown after a moment of consideration. "Why?"

Kuwabara simply shook his head in abstract thought. "Oh, just these damn shrine murders." He replied. "I keep sensing trace of youkai that have been purified. Some, to the point where there's damn near nothing left of them."

"And?" Hiei prompted as Kuwabara fell into thought.

Blinking up at the saturnine demon. "It's just that I can't figure out the source. None of the humans or priests at the scene of the murders have the kind of spiritual energy it would take to do the things that were done to slay these youkai and oni."

"I see." Hiei replied, glancing off in the direction of the kitchen as the two silently agreed to buffer Yukina from their conversation.

A few moments later Yukina appeared with a dish rag in tow. "Would you like some tea?" She asked sweetly.

"Sure, love," Kazuma accepted with a soft smile. "Sounds good."

Yukina smiled back. "Alright." She nodded, before leaving to return to the kitchen.

"Have you spoken to the others?" Hiei asked after a moment.

"No, not yet." Kazuma replied with a shrug. "I wanted to wait until I had something more substantial to tell them."

"Hn." Hiei grunted as a response, glancing up as Yukina returned carefully carrying a tea set. "I should get going." Hiei dismissed himself.

"Oh." Yukina sighed out in dismay. "You can't stay for tea?" She entreated softly.

"No." Hiei replied, then caving slightly to her disappointed expression, added. "Perhaps some other time."

Kuwabara shot him a quizzical look but nodded at the fire apparition in salutation. "See ya, Hiei."

"Yes, goodbye," Yukina replied, trying her hardest to mask her displeasure at his sudden departure. "Please come back soon." She added sincerely as she rose to show him to the door.

Ever the gracious and good hostess. Kuwabara mused as he watched the two head toward the apartment door.

~*~

«The shrine murders?» Kurama asked, leaning back in the chair at his desk.

«That's what the idiot was referring to.» Hiei confirmed from his perch in the kitsune's bedroom window.

«I see.» Kurama speculated. «And Kuwabara has no clue what is purifying these demons?» He asked, seeking further confirmation of the facts.

«Nor where the youkai are originating from.» Hiei added with a snort.

«That is a puzzle.» Kurama assented musingly as he steepled his fingers across his chest in thought.

«Hn.»

«I remember hearing about these murders in the news.» Kurama mused, green eyes turning toward the lounging demon in his window. «Most of them have occurred in Ueno.»

«Ueno?» Hiei perked up at that. The moron had neglected to tell him that.

«Yes. The police seem to be at a loss when it comes to apprehending a suspect.» Kurama continued. «If Kuwabara is correct, then there probably little chance that they will find anyone.»

«Assuming there is someone.»Hiei added.

«Exactly.» Kurama agreed almost philosophically.

«And your thoughts on the mysterious purifier?» Hiei prompted.

«No idea. I'd need to feel the nature of the energy first.» Kurama admitted. «But how to do that?» Green eyes narrowed in thought as the kitsune schemed to himself.

«Road block, Fox?» Hiei baited with a smirk.

Kurama cast him a dour glance. «Actually, I will be in Ueno Sunday.» He mused undeterred. «I can always sense thing out then.»

«Hn.» Hiei snorted. «What's of interest there?»

«A museum exhibit.» Kurama replied vaguely, smiling slightly at the incredulous look that slipped past Hiei's stoic guard before he quickly re-schooled his features back into an expression of bored disinterest.

«A museum exhibit?» He prompted impatiently.

«Yes. I promised my step-brother I would take him to see the new exhibit featuring a statue of a miko carved from pink diamond.» Kurama answered, throwing the fire apparition off balance yet again.

«Domestic cur.» Hiei insulted half-heartedly before falling victim to his own curiosity. «How can a statue be carved out of a pink diamond? Is it really small?» He asked boredly.

«No, it's life-sized.» Kurama corrected, at the sharp glance demanding an explanation, he added. «And the sculpture's origins are unknown.»

Hiei openly scoffed at that. «It's probably a hoax then.»

«Perhaps.» Kurama humored mildly.

«Then how would you explain it?» Hiei demanded in irritation.

«I can't.» Kurama replied smoothly. «I haven't seen it yet.»

«Hn.» Was Hiei's only retort. Glancing around the kitsune's boyhood room in mild disgust. «How long are you planning on staying here, anyway?»

Kurama shrugged, amused by the sudden change of subject. «The landlady said the fumigation should be clear within the week.» He replied ambivalently.

«A week?» Hiei questioned blandly.

«Yes, then you'll be able to resume your nightly thefts in my kitchen.» Kurama confirmed in open amusement.

«What in the hell are you trying to imply, Fox?» Hiei demanded coldly.

Kurama simply turned wide, innocent green eyes upon Hiei. «Did you really expect me not to notice the midnight raidings upon my pantry and refrigerator?» He asked, in feigned surprise. «Nor your weakness for all things sugar laden?» Kurama discreetly chuckled behind his hand at the fire apparition's sudden flush.

«Watch it Fox.» Hiei warned caustically.

«Sometimes, you even get quiet noisy.» Kurama quipped undetterred. «And let's not mention how many mornings I've spent cleaning up sticky counters.»

«Keep it up, Fox, and you'll wake up one morning with your head shaved bald.» Hiei threatened, backing it up with a "try me" look.

«As tragic as that may be initially, hair does grow back.» Kurama dismissed loftily, then quickly changed subject. «So why were you at Kuwabara's home in the first place?»

Hiei flushed again at the new torturous line of questioning. Tonight seemed to be a night for those.

«I ran into Yukina at Genkai's temple. She invited me to dinner.» Hiei replied after a moment.

«I see.» Kurama mused. «And why were you at Genkai's?» The kitsune added, his curiosity piqued by the fire apparition's unusual admittance.

Hiei glared at the fox before shrugging. «The jagan eye has been acting strangely.» He answered flatly.

«How so?» Kurama asked, all traces of amusement vanishing.

«I keep getting visions.» Hiei responded vaguely, shifting his weight in his position on the window's sill.

«Visions of what?» Kurama asked noting the subtle signs of discomfort radiating off of the smaller youkai.

«The past, I think.» Hiei's answer drifted uncertainly to Kurama.

«You've never had experiences like this before, I take it.» Kurama deduced leaning forward in his seat, eying Hiei closely.

«No.»

«And so you visited Genkai to see if she knew of a way to suppress these visions.» Kurama stated. They must be bad. He thought, giving his friend a guardedly concerned glance.

«Hn.»

«How bad are they, Hiei?» Kurama questioned further, knowing he was testing his luck by continuing this line of interrogation.

Hiei merely glared at the kitsune before unceremoniously dropping out of the window and vanishing into the night.

That bad. Kurama confirmed, getting all the answer he needed from that reaction.

Sighing warily, he shrugged that off as something to puzzle over later. Turning back toward his desk, he began pouring over the weekly reports and business conjectures for his step-father's business. Though, try as he might to focus, Kurama's thoughts kept wondering back to his long-time friend and most trusted ally.

Take care, Hiei. He wished silently.