Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Par Tout Autre Nom ❯ Lines in the Sand ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and Yu Yu Hakusho belong respectively to Rumiko Takahashi and Yoshihiro Togashi.

A/N: Okay… I have to give out a warning to anyone who happens to know Ookami-chan and her stories, that I've wheedled a bit of future info on Turnabout out of her, and I'm branching off a few ideas that she told me about. Basically, if you don't want a couple spoilers to the end of her stuff, you may want to skip this. But she gave me the express permission to use it however I saw fit. So, I'm going to have to thank her for being so great and sweet about sharing the idea and allowing me to use it.

To the rest of my reviewers, you guys are lovely, and thanks for all those sweet things you've said about my fun little fic. I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading it, and hopefully the rest of it is just as fun for you to read. Kazusa's probably going to kill me before I'm done, so we'll see. *cheeky grin* Really though, you guys are wonderful, and thank you for taking the time to give me your opinions. *^_____^*

~*~*~*~

By Any Other Name

~Lines in the Sand ~

"Sorry, guys, but I'm telling the truth," Kurabara took one hand out of his pocket to reach for his cigarettes, saluting Hiei and Kurama when they both took a step away from what they already knew would be an overpowering scent when he shook one loose. "Takeharuka-sama is a real hardass, but he's felt completely human to me every time I've been anywhere near him. There are a few youkai in the complex, but they try to keep a low profile. No fights, no nothing," he blew out a long drag and shrugged.

"We saw him ourselves," Kurama shook his head, putting a restraining hand on Hiei's shoulder when he saw the way his friend was eyeing the hand holding the cigarette. "Whoever was in that car wanted us to see that he was a youkai and that he knew we were too."

"You're sure he was showing off?" Kurabara leaned back against the smooth metal of his building, pushing his sunglasses up to a better rest on his nose before he glanced up the perfectly flat, reflective windows to the blue sky. "That's not his style… Why do you think he's got guys like me employed?"

"Hired muscle?" Hiei looked away, curling his lip in disgust and searching the faces and minds of the humans around him almost as badly as Kurama, albeit for a different reason. "Good to know you managed to find a job where thinking wasn't listed as a requirement."

"Say what you want, Hiei, but I'm paid enough to take that kind of trash-talking and smile about it," he grinned widely to prove that statement, stroking one hand down the front of his tailored suit. "Takeharuka's the top of the chain in a lot of circles, and he takes his business pretty damn seriously. He doesn't associate much outside what he has to do though."

Does it bother you as much as it bothers me to see him speaking so… so…

`Eloquently?' Youko finished for Hiei, finally offering up a mental smirk at how unsettled the shorter demon was at seeing the changes in Kurabara up close. Considering how often he tried to avoid his sister's romantic interest to stop himself from giving him a potentially fatal injury and upset her, he tried to keep his distance. Yet, this new turn of events had them seeking him out, and Youko was reveling in the change in discomforts.

I tell them you're trying to have a baby with a human girl, and you can't find an appropriate one, Hiei shot him a warning look, eyes narrowed and flashing furiously before he turned his attention back to the girls moving in and out of the downtown financial district.

`We will eventually kill him, right?' Youko was almost whining, shifting restlessly against the edges of Kurama's mind when he resisted their instinct to kick him for that reminder.

No, we won't, now knock it off and listen, Kurama reached up and rubbed his aching head for a moment before hiding that telling motion under the guise of sliding his hand back through his hair to push it over his shoulder. You were the one whining about information, and Kurabara's our potential inside to this Takeharuka person.

`Right, right,' Youko obediently refocused on the other human they associated with regularly.

Yuusuke sighed, massaging the back of his neck with one hand as he glanced around to be sure they were alone, "I'm more concerned about the other thing."

"What other thing?" Kurabara cocked his head, a frown creasing his brow at the serious note in his voice. "Something I need to get time off for?"

"Not sure yet," Yuusuke shook his head negatively, stuffing his hands down in his pockets. "The other day, when you had the kids for us, Hiei thinks that he ran into a girl he couldn't feel. Like a ghost with a pulse or something."

"That doesn't make any sense," he took a deep drag off his cigarette, holding it up to stare at the glowing tip as though it held the answers they wanted. "If it's alive, shouldn't the creepy eye thing have been able to see it?"

With his back to them, Hiei felt safe enough to roll his eyes, Creepy eye thing?

So you can't take the thug out of his blood all the way, Kurama shrugged that off. "Hiei doesn't make mistakes like that," he pointed out to Kurabara, waiting for the nod of agreement before he continued. "He didn't sense her and the `creepy eye thing' can't see her for some reason, but he's certain she was a living human."

"This is bad news, isn't it?" he rubbed his chin, shoulders hunching forward a bit as he tried to think of anything that could help them. "Doesn't Koenma have anything to say about this?"

"Haven't asked yet," Yuusuke brushed that off. "We wanted to get your take on this Takeharuka guy first before we started digging for anything that involved Rekai. For all we know, he's just keeping quiet about this for gods know what reason, and the second we do ask, it'll get our asses shipped out on a bullshit mission."

"Makes sense," Kurabara grinned around the cigarette, straightening away from the wall and starting to pace absently back and forth. "There's a couple of pretty boys that give me chills, but they stay out of the way for the most part. It's practically impossible to get any closer to Takeharuka than he wants you to be, and that's why I'm on payroll. Nothing in, nothing out; not without his express permission."

"Sounds like a real congenial bastard," Yuusuke snorted in disgust at the politics of big business, and the way some of these corporate heads treated it as thought they were the emperors of their own country. "What about away from him? Anything feel wrong?"

Kurabara shook his head, "I can tell you that there hasn't been so much as a rumor of anything remotely illegal that's linked to his name or his businesses. I've overheard some complaints about spies who keep the more major underlings in line, but that doesn't look like something any other company of that size wouldn't do."

Youko latched onto that, leaning them forward eagerly and speaking from Kurama, "Like investigators?"

Hiei snapped around and stared at Kurama when he sensed the shift, but he let it slide in favor of waiting for the answer, You're thinking that kid we saw is one of his? The one on skates who had photographs of the weakling youkai in the square?

`Exactly.'

"Plenty, but only a few that he trusts for the really important jobs," Kurabara stubbed out the spent cigarette and flicked it out into the street. "One of them is his nephew, I think… or some type of family, has to be. He gets away with more than anyone, and he's not afraid of Takeharuka like the others are."

Clever fox, Hiei turned more of his attention back to the conversation, his own curiosity tweaked at hearing the potential lead.

`You're acting like you've forgotten who you're talking to,' Youko scoffed at that idea. `This is my area of expertise, after all.'

Stop gloating and start talking, Kurama rolled his eyes and nudged him hard to get him out of his preening stage. Just because he has an investigator employed and rumored to be family, doesn't mean it's the same kid we've seen in the neighborhood.

`Maybe not, but it's something to start from,' Youko refused to let that skepticism get him down. "Red hair? Blond streaks? This long and spiked out?" he gestured to his chin and prodded Kurabara for more details, eyes flashing gold as his mind really got going.

"Goes by Takashima, we think," Yuusuke added when Kurabara dropped his chin thoughtfully to his chest and made a vague sound.

"Wish I could tell you that too, but he never goes past security if he does show up here," he sighed and gave them an apologetic look. "Takeharuka keeps quiet about family except for the one niece who works as his assistant. No press, no pictures. He has a thing about privacy, or paranoia about their safety because of his lifestyle. Not to mention the investigators aren't supposed to make what they do obvious."

Smart man… they're more effective when his men don't know what they're watching for, Hiei grudgingly admired the strategy, even as he cursed the foresight that made their inquiries more difficult.

Indeed. Remind me to compliment him later, Kurama took over when Youko muttered in irritation and flopped back into his usual place in their consciousness. "No rumors from the people they've investigated?" he frowned in confusion at that uncommon feat.

"Not a peep, but then again, going against Takeharuka would be like committing suicide," Kurabara sighed and looked at his watch. "He's influential enough and rich enough that he destroys anyone who starts to spread unsavory rumors, but he does have a real soft spot for kids. Probably because they're too little to realize he's someone they'll eventually be afraid of."

"And you're certain he's felt human to you every time?" Hiei demanded again.

"Positive," he turned to head back inside, calling back over his shoulder. "I'll keep my eye out for anything associated with our other job, and I'll call you, but I have to get back to work."

Yuusuke nodded and lifted a hand in a motionless wave, "At any rate, if you see Takeharuka today, tell him my boys say hello. Might give you a conversation opening."

"You got it," Kurabara pressed his hand to the panel beside the handle-less door, waiting for it to clear him and open. "Let me know what Koenma says about the ghost girl thing, hn? If you want I can ask Kaze if there's a spook in here who can help."

Kurama was instantly frowning, suddenly not so sure they had been asking the right questions about just what he did within the massive corporation, "Spook?"

"Yeah, professionals," he tapped a finger to his head and grinned again. "Spiritualists and monks with enough power that I get more than a tingle. Maybe someone in here has hit the ghost thing too, since they mostly all live around this location."

Yuusuke could feel his eyebrow twitch while Kurama folded his arms with a sigh, and Hiei muttered a few less than favorable remarks under his breath, "You didn't think it was worth mentioning that your coworkers have abnormally high spiritual energy?"

"They don't use it the normal way," Kurabara snorted, waving at one of his fellow guards as he passed the open doorway. "Besides, Koenma's not worried about it unless they start screwing around with the barrier or the humans in here."

"See what they can add," Kurama instructed in a crisp voice, setting his jaw against the urge to throttle him as well. "Any information you can give us will be helpful."

"I'll call you as soon as I hear anything," Kurabara nodded and gave them a mock salute before he disappeared behind the windowless door with a heavy click of the locks sliding into place.

"I'm going to kill him," Hiei spat out, turning to stalk away from the building. "There's something going on in that place, but either Koenma told him not to tell us, or he's too stupid to figure out he's in the middle of something important."

"My money's on the first one," Yuusuke scowled up at the sky, making a mental note to have a nice long talk with their boss about the little things that were popping up lately. "He's talked to Koenma, that's obvious, but what the hell could that pompous ass be trying to hide from us?"

`Something the "youkai" shouldn't be a part of. Since Yuusuke's got it in him too, and he didn't know-' Youko growled out, trying to impress an urge to do something that would let off a little steam. `Woods.'

For the last time, no, Kurama let his exasperation fill his voice. We have more important things to do than roll around in the woods, and I'm not giving Hiei anything else to start laughing about.

You actually should go suck up some energy out there before you let your energy get low, Hiei interrupted with a chiding frown. You don't seem the type to give up a tail for the ki-boost if you're running low.

`I am not giving up my tails,' Youko insisted in one of the most offended tones Kurama had heard him use yet. `And my ki is just fine. I'm strong enough to stand for going a while without feeding.'

We're fine, Hiei, Kurama added when it looked like the hybrid was going to press the issue. I'm not so stupid as to let myself be unhealthy for the sake of my pride.

`Unless it's a very special situation,' Youko couldn't resist offering.

Hiei turned his eyes upwards as though praying for patience, No one can ever say that a kitsune doesn't have its priorities completely clear.

`That's really saying something, isn't it?' Youko's voice was full of pride. `How many other youkai have such direction?'

That wasn't a compliment.

`Says you,' Youko snorted. `You're just jealous that I have such charisma while all you have is dubious "little and cute" appeal from some weird girls until they get a glimpse of the asshole that lives in your pointy little head.

"So what now?" Yuusuke folded his arms behind his head, oblivious to the internal catfight between his friends. "Koenma's going to be out of range for that celebration bullshit for another week or so, and we really don't have anything to go on until Kurabara can get us more from his work."

Kurama sighed and tried to ignore the insults getting thrown back and forth in his head, turning to glance around the street before he shrugged and offered, "We could always get a late lunch at the restaurant Keiko showed you."

"The one with the chairs?" he made a face, suddenly frowning when he realized that had been a little too vague. "The uncomfortable metal ones."

"Yes, the one with the chairs," Kurama lifted a hand to hide his amused smirk at the way that shut both Youko and Hiei up to start mocking the poor man together. "I'm rather fond of their udon."

Yuusuke sighed and resigned himself to another uncomfortable afternoon, "Let's go then."

~*~*~*~

Kagome sat on her heels in front of the altar in Shinju's temple, Miroku's shakujou held vertically in front of her with one hand low on the staff and the other poised just beside the enchanted metal. Shinju had promised her that he would keep Souta occupied at the house, rearranging the furniture and belongings they had moved in over the weekend, to give her the privacy she needed for her ritual.

A faint smile touched her lips as she recalled the awed look on his face when she'd requested his help with the layers and layers of traditional kimonos, shaking her head and looking up at the symbolic artifacts, "He's so much like you, you know, Miroku-sama. Just as charming and just as perverted."

Her eyes lifted to focus on the staff again, shaking off her past thoughts before they could distract her from the concentration she needed, They wanted me to be happy where I went; Souta and Shinju worry… they want me to be happy as well, but I can't do that without accepting what's you changed in me.

Kagome sighed heavily, rising to her feet as she felt the curl of wind ripple through her carefully styled hair before moving down to weave through her clothing and brush along overheated skin, "You wanted me? You've got me, but I'm calling the shots this time. We are not going to repeat the past."

Her soul warmed, feeling almost like it was pouring out of her body to pool at her feet in long, slow waves before the crackle of pink and white lightning flashed out around her in a wide circle. Her hand moved higher, bringing two fingers to trace the razor edge of the gold topping the shakujou, watching the energy skip from it to her skin and back.

She exhaled slowly, eyes glassy as everything shifted around her, patterns of ki flowing like iridescent mist to her gaze while the sparks around her feet slowly drew out an archaic pattern as old as time itself, "You want to feel them around us? I'll let you feel them, but I am not a mindless thing to be tainted."

Quiet laughter echoed in her head, swirling through her conscious with soft crystalline pings as the pink light cast the main room of the temple into stark relief despite the afternoon sun filtering through the shoji. She could feel it pulling inside her, reaching out to search for the youki near itself to bask in the inhuman power it promised, the strength and the heat that it craved so very desperately.

"We have a partner who can control it already, stop trying to get ideas," Kagome whispered, her brow furrowed in a sharp frown at the way it pushed at her restraints. "I don't care how many unfamiliar auras are running around that we can sense," her voice split strangely, like her lips had to catch up with the actual sound. "I made a promise, and I don't intend to let the thought of instant gratification get us into a mess that gets us in over our head."

Kagome splayed her fingers, opening her arms out wide as the energy balanced the shakujou perfectly in front of her, jingling the rings in the unnatural wind melodically, "We're reconnecting with the feel of this time, nothing more." This is… not as easy as I hoped it would be. How could the feel of everything change so very much? Even the air is twisted.

She let her head loll back, tilting her head from side to side as her energy seeped down through the floor, pulsing in brightly in time with her heartbeat when she released it to sweep outwards just below the ground, There's no way that I can purify the damage here… but maybe we can help to prevent any more? After we find out where the regional lines have been drawn and find the lord…

She trailed off when her vision swam under the overwhelming sensations she had denied for so very long, stubbornly gritting her teeth and curling in slightly to keep herself under control. A wrong move now would send the searching energy in an upward flare, and there was no chance in hell that any of the youkai she was feeling in a fifty mile radius wouldn't be drawn that that kind of burst like moths to fire. Not to mention explaining to thousands of humans seeing something they had stopped believing existed centuries ago, Focus, Kagome… just another moment-

The underground spiral shifted, bringing a flush of color to her cheeks and a liquid sheen to her eyes with the rise of heat and power, crackling in the air around her and making the rings clang together with more speed. Everything seemed disjointed to her starving senses, the sound of heaving breathing reaching her ears as though being heard from someone else, like a shell. It felt like a roller-coaster, like the bottom dropped out of her stomach when it tilted, trying to lift up and lick along the senses of the more powerful youki she could sense, but she forcefully yanked her hands back to her heart, "NO!"

She could hear the shriek of rejection in her head, that sense of defiance that she quashed with almost exhausting effort until its resolve buckled and reluctantly obeyed her unspoken command to contract and return. Kagome knew she was panting, her knees giving out to drop her hard onto the floor as she fisted her hand against her chest in reflex to the swelling magic. She gritted her teeth against the pain of the energy flowing back into her a piece at a time. Every breath seemed torn from her burning lungs, keeping her concentration centered through the familiar tricks and twists; the efforts to gain control and call the powers to them like the old times…

This is not the Sengoku Jidai, Kagome pressed one palm hard to the bamboo floor, closing her eyes as she felt the heat penetrate and warp the wood. We're strangers here, and we will not behave in so careless a fashion when we have only just opened our senses to feel the difference in the youkai and the ki surrounding us.

Some of the reluctance faded, bending to her will as the energy she'd released seeped back up into the temple and began to reabsorb in long whips of crackling magic, I am the one in control now.

The magic seemed to snap violently, snaking back to its origin with a speed and force that arched her back as far as bone and tendon would permit. Kagome let out a sharp cry before she could get her vocal chords under control, the spasm rocking through her from head to toe as each new feeling and sensation arrowed down her spine and out through her blood. Her arm snapped around, bracing her weight up behind her and letting her head fall back to take the strain off her neck when the pain died back down into the more familiar pulse of heat.

Vague, grasping tendrils of that same white light seeped back up through the floor, fanning out to retrace the symbol around her before wrapping back around her body like a lover, pushing back into her skin with liquid ripples until the last of it had finally faded away inside her.

The sound of the shakujou striking the ground jolted her out of her trance, bringing her other hand around to catch her balance before she fell back completely and pushing herself back up dizzily, That… was more intense than I thought it would be. But if he's here…

Kagome let out a shuddering breath, rolling forward and letting the tension melt from her spine until her forehead rested on the floor in front of her, hands loosely curled on either side of her face. Her body was too sensitive, pulsing uncomfortably heavy with the rapid pace of her heart as she held herself carefully still rather than aggravate the condition trying to move. There would be plenty of time to settle into all the sensations it was echoing through her before Shinju and Souta returned, eyes drifting closed in an almost trance while she reached out and rested her hand on Miroku's staff for comfort through her disorientation.

Let's see if this will make me happy, Miroku-sama.

~*~*~*~

Takashima slowly let the hand holding the camera lower, grinding his teeth together in frustration at the urge to go to Kagome's side. She looked like a princess, with the colorful layers of kimonos draped out around her with more grace than the most skilled professional could have accomplished in a controlled setting. He could see the faint glow to her eyes, the vivid blue that she always displayed after letting her power out like that. When her body was exhausted, her mind would drift to places in her memories behind those openly expressive eyes to occupy her while she dealt with such excess, raw feeling.

It was a fight not to go to her side and lift her head into his lap, fingers itching to stroke through that silky hair while he talked her back from that place she went to alone time and time again, Stay out of sight… that fucking bastard thinks that's the best way to handle it? She's more vulnerable when she thinks she's alone!

His hand clenched on his camera, accidentally snapping off another shot even as the prints formed out of his magic, and served to remind him of just what he'd decided to do.

Takashima swallowed hard, pulling his jacket open to carefully set the camera down into the side pocket and patting it when the bulge vanished completely. One hand convulsively gripped the slim branches of the cherry tree he was hiding in, looking through the open shoji to her prone form was an absolutely tortured expression fighting the indecision in his eyes before he swore and leapt over the fence separating the gardens from the outer yard that would take him to the street.

His hand snapped up to tear a leaf from one of Shinju's trees as he stalked past the temple wall, setting it on his head and letting his form melt to a less recognizable, if not still overly attractive young man. It wouldn't do for someone who could recognize his face to see him leaving the monk's home, not with his new guests, and not with his intention to go straight to the corporate building.

Maybe now he'll let us snatch her up, now that she just more or less announced that she doesn't have it in mind to pretend it never happened, his frown eased slightly as he crossed the street, feeling safe enough to flip through the images he's stolen of Kagome during her "moment." There was no way he could use the excuse that she wasn't trying to connect once he got a good look at these, and even he seemed to be bothered by the lethargic disconnection that she experienced after a spell. If I hurry, maybe I can-

The thought was cut short when a man suddenly darted out of the alley in front of his, knocking hard into his shoulder and making him jump back in alarm. He felt the soles of his shoes slide across the concrete for a few paces before the traction gripped and held him still, eyes wary and narrowed on the human in case that hadn't been completely unintentional when they widened and he straightened, "Urameshi?"

Yuusuke's attention went from the others he'd nearly careened into to the boy who suddenly seemed to be looking around nervously for something close by, "What the hell-? Do I know-? OI!" he yelled out, taking a useless step forward when the boy turned and vanished into the foot traffic with stunning ease. "Dammit, who was that?"

Kurama still had a hand on Hiei's shoulder, preventing the hybrid from all out killing Yuusuke in public just for the hell of it for taunting him about being the uncle to a bunch of little Kurabaras, "Save it, Hiei, now isn't the time or the place for what a fight between the two of you looks like."

"I'm not going to fight him, I'm going to put his head through a wall," Hiei returned calmly. "And then I may light him on fire for my own enjoyment."

Kurama rolled his eyes, but inwardly he was snickering just as badly as Youko, `You have to hand it to the little runt, he's fun to listen to when he's grumbling at someone else.'

We can do that later in Makai, Hiei, really, Kurama shook his head as they caught up with Yuusuke, suddenly frowning when he saw him crouched down in the middle of the sidewalk. "Yuusuke?"

Hiei was more direct, slipping out from under the kitsune's hand and striding up to snatch the little Polaroids he could see him glancing at out of his grasp, "What's this?"

"Give that back!" Yuusuke shot up, making a grab for them and swearing blackly when Hiei very casually dodged his attempts without ever taking his eyes off the picture, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Where did you get these?" Hiei suddenly demanded, snapping a hand up to catch the punch Yuusuke had just thrown and squeezing hard to get his attention focused on his question.

"Ow! Fuck, Hiei, let go!" he hissed and pulled at his hand. "I ran into some kid who was looking at them. Probably his girlfriend or something, but I've never seen a costume like that."

Kurama's curiosity peaked, feeling Youko's ears perk up inside him and all out encouraging as he moved around behind Hiei to look at the four pictures fanned out like cards in his fingers, "Costume?"

"Yeah, like one of those princesses in an anime or a samurai movie," Yuusuke rubbed his hand with a sour glare at the youkai frowning over the prints. "See? I didn't think anyone wore shit like that anymore unless it was a celebration or a temple or something."

`That's not a costume,' Youko was grinning, excited and whistling in appreciation at the obvious time and effort this woman had put into her clothing.

How can you tell? Kurama's brows drew down when Hiei nodded, still scowling at the images and continuously looking back to the picture of her face through the delicate twists of the shakujou.

`You can just tell,' Youko shrugged, drawing his attention to a wider shot where the ties and sashes were visible. `Look at the way its tied, and the layers she used. Either that's a damn good photographer, or she's used to dressing herself up like that more than just casually. Even the way you can tell how relaxed she is in- hello, what's this?'

"Are these the only ones he dropped?" Hiei's eyes speared Yuusuke to the spot before he could get annoyed with their silence and pipe up again, bringing that picture of her sprawled out on the floor to the top of the little stack.

"Yeah," he stuffed his hands into his pockets and scowled. "He had more though, like a handful, but I doubt he realized he dropped them."

"What else happened?" Kurama arched an eyebrow when Yuusuke turned his focus back up the street, most likely the direction this `kid' had gone.

"He knew who I was," Yuusuke shook his head in confusion. "Said my name, looked around, and took off like someone was pointing a gun at him. I don't like this, you guys, there's too much that's suddenly happening around here that can't be explained."

"This is her," Hiei murmured in the following lull.

`Her who?'

"Her?" Kurama's brows rose, wondering at the strange sense of anticipation that went through him and fully aware that while Youko was responsible for some of it, the rest was all himself.

"The `ghost,'" Hiei snorted, finally passing the pictures back to Yuusuke.

"Sonofabitch," Yuusuke's eyes widened, twisting away from Kurama when Youko took over their hands to try and take them for his own perusal. "You're sure? It's the same girl?"

Hiei gave him a particularly dry look.

"Right, right," he rolled his eyes and took a closer look at the pictures that showed her face clearly. "What do you think she's doing? Posing?"

I don't think she knew she was being photographed, Hiei put in his opinion. The edge of the long shot is framed by shoji screens… they were outside of wherever she was and waiting for her to turn the way they wanted.

So your ghost girl has a stalker? Kurama frowned sharply at Yuusuke's efforts to hoard the pictures, finally just grabbing his wrist and taking them back.

"Was it the same investigator?" Hiei tried to get a feel from the area or off the images, more than frustrated when that same nonexistent aura met his senses.

Yuusuke shook his head again, glaring at them both for their strong-arm tactics over the clue that he'd found without them, "It wasn't Takashima. He was younger, natural hair, and dressed a lot more conservatively."

`Maybe another investigator?' Youko pondered distractedly, tracing a finger over the image that looked as though she had fallen asleep on the floor, her hand wrapped around the staff in front of her. `Why don't you find a girl who looks like that when she's sleeping? That's a face I could definitely get used to waking up in the middle of the night and having some fun with.'

Hiei's lips twitched at the supremely irritated growl that suddenly filled Kurama's mind, glancing back to watch the flash from green to gold and back as the two started in on each other over their taste in women, It's too bad you won't eventually separate into two bodies. You would make a good couple all on your own.

`Kill him.'

Tempted.

"Now I need a beer," Yuusuke grumbled and turned around to check where they were in relation to the restaurant. "This is giving me a fucking headache."

`He has no appreciation for the beauty of a complex puzzle,' Youko turned up his nose, but still didn't argue as they followed him.

He also has a wife and two sons, Hiei needled just to hear them growl again. And he's not even a kitsune.

Hiei, will you shut up? Kurama turned a glare back down on him behind Yuusuke's back. I'm fully aware of his family status.

Just thought I'd check, Hiei smirked, slanting a look back the way he'd come one more time. You're out of girls again, aren't you?

`You wouldn't be so disrespectful if we weren't surrounded by all these humans,' Youko made their hands itch to wrap around his neck and snap it to be rid of that damn insufferable little smile. `And we are never "out of girls," you little prick, we're just moving on to new ones.'

Which ones? he prodded smugly.

I wasn't aware I had to run my list of potential girlfriends past you, Kurama set his jaw, feeling his eyebrow twitch.

And here I thought we were friends, Hiei almost lost control of his mental laughter at the furious glare that earned him, folding his arms behind his head and sauntering off after Yuusuke. Don't fall behind, fox.