Kurama walked into class and quietly took his seat. Touma had already gone to class, and Yuusuke hadn't shown up yet. He dug in his bookbag for the book he was intent on finishing. He carefully hid the cover to it, not wishing to hear Yuusuke's taunts if he was caught. He would no doubt tell Kuwabara, then he wouldn't be able to live it down. Kurama hated to admit it, but he had gotten himself stuck on Harlequin romance novels. They were a change to the science fiction and fantasy he was accustomed to reading. For him, those old novels were a way of life. He carefully imported them from the states, absolutely obsessed, thankful he knew the English language and was able to read the books. Especially since everyone he knew was starting to feel the effects of "Cupid's arrows." Not more than six months ago, he and Hiei had become lovers. Kuwabara and Yukina had exchanged Koorime tokens and were planning a wedding. Yuusuke and Keiko had become an item, and best of all, Touma had found Seth.
After dismissing the thoughts of his friends and their love lives, he had become so engrossed in what he was reading, that he barely noticed the bell ringing. A piece of wadded up paper hit the side of his face, and his head snapped up and to the side, ready to complain for being interrupted just as the couple in the book were about to admit their feelings. He saw Yuusuke motioning for him to hide the book from the teacher who was entering the room. Sighing disappointedly, Kurama marked his place and shoved the novel back into his bag.
"Today, class," the instructor began, "we move into the study of logarithms. Everybody take out their notes from yesterday and begin right below the..."
He was cut off as a rumble suddenly shook the school. Kurama heard surprised cries and murmurs across the hall. Students in his own class were whispering nervously. Kurama caught Yuusuke's brown eyes and frowned. He felt something...something like youki, coming from the room across the hall. His eyes widened. That was Touma's classroom! He squirmed, wishing he could get up and see if his friend was all right, but the teacher would probably bite his head off for moving.
There was another round of shaking, stronger than before, causing a loud noise to follow in its wake. More screams erupted from the other classroom and Kurama's teacher darted out to find out what was going on. Kurama jumped from his seat, heading for Yuusuke.
"Do you feel that youki?" he asked.
"It's kind of hard to miss. It's immense."
"What do you think it is?"
Yuusuke shrugged. "Maybe Koenma knows, but he hasn't summoned us yet."
"He might not even know it's here. K'so! I want to know what it is!"
"Only because Touma's in that room," Yuusuke half-teased, watching the opposite door nervously.
"That's part of it."
Their conversation was cut off as a loud crash sounded, this time from inside the classroom itself.
"You want it, you bastard? You'll have to come and get it!" a male voice screamed.
Kurama gasped. It was Touma's voice!
"Pitiful little samurai, our time in exile has strengthened our power. You won't defeat us so easily!" a vicious voice boomed.
"Say that once you've fought us!" Touma countered.
"Not now, little one. When we think it's the right time, then the fight will come."
A peal of laughter followed, then faded into oblivion.
I was a little more than concerned when Touma never showed up to our usual spot at lunch. I knew that the disturbance this morning had something to do with him, that much I got from Kurama's quick rambling. He had been looking for Touma too, since neither of us had seen him since this morning. I chose to scour the outside grounds while Kurama and Yuusuke took each of the school's inside levels. It was hard to keep my mind on anything but finding Touma. It may seem a little overprotective and childish, but I was afraid of losing him. I'd almost killed him once, nearly realised my feelings for him too late. I wasn't about to take any chances now. I scanned the perimeter of the school, trying to pick up any signs of his blue hair or magenta uniform. Other students bustled around me, making my search that much harder.
"You've got to be kidding me!" an angry voice shouted.
I paused, the voice somewhat familiar to me.
"I'm not! He was right there! He said that his exile had strengthened him. I would have fought him, but he vanished!"
I peeked around the corner, instantly recognising my Touma's voice. I found him addressing a group of boys that I knew to be his friends. I barely knew them by name, only being introduced to them once and rarely seeing them since.
"It's probably good that you didn't fight him, Touma," a brunette that I think was named Mouri Shin, said thoughtfully.
"Especially if he's as powerful as he says he is," Date Seiji, the school's flirt, added.
"Powerful?!" well-known fighter, Huang Shu snorted. "When was Arago ever powerful?!"
"The past isn't an issue right now," the last, a black-haired boy that I remembered to as Sanada Riyo, told the group. "What matters is that he's here now, and we have to take care of this soon. It's going to raise a lot of questions about Touma as it is."
"What's the plan, Riyo?" Touma asked.
Riyo just shook his head. "There really isn't much we can do right now, since we don't know exactly what Arago's up to. We should just sit tight and watch our backs. The minute anything comes up, we'll get together and work things out."
The group nodded and parted ways.
I pulled back, frowning. I wanted to know what was happening that involved Touma. He wasn't exactly like Kurama, provoking the revenge of demons and evil beings. What could he have possibly done to have himself be attacked in the middle of school? And how were these other boys involved? The answers eluded me, and I decided to go right to the source, waiting until Touma had rounded the corner and passed to speak.
"What did you do this time?"
Touma whirled, apparently on edge and surprised to see me there. He smiled nervously, arousing my suspicions.
"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," he scolded lightly. He was avoiding my question, and his returned comment didn't exactly instil much more confidence. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, I just hated to be kept in the dark about my lover's problems.
"Who was sneaking?" I responded coolly. "I was just waiting for you to show up for lunch. Maybe you shouldn't be so jumpy." I lifted my eyes to meet his, nearly drowning in their dark blue depths. "Unless you've done something naughty." I grinned wickedly, letting him know that I wanted answers and I wasn't going to drop the subject easily.
"I haven't done anything, Seth," he answered sincerely, walking towards me, his voice lowering. "An old...friend...paid a visit today, and my friends and I are going to give him one hell of a welcoming party."
I noticed the sharp edge in his tone. He was becoming angry, and I rarely ever heard that from him. The last time he had spoken in that tone, it was to reprimand me for stealing his dying moments from him. For nearly destroying his one last wish. There must have been some really bad blood among Touma, his friends, and this Arago.
"Maybe you should tell me about this old friend, Touma. Whatever it is, I'm not going to let you deal with it alone. I know he came after you this morning."
"I'm not alone," Touma nearly snapped. "You should let me and the other guys handle it. You don't even have to worry about it."
I clenched my teeth, trying to keep a lid on my anger. He could be so stubborn sometimes! "I care about you, Touma! Of course I'm going to worry about it! Quit being so damned secretive and tell me what the hell is going on!" I yelled. I hated to lose my temper with him, but I wasn't about to be left behind to wonder what could be happening to my lover at any given moment.
He sighed, his anger fading into a grim smile. "Sorry, Seth. You have a right to know, I suppose. Let's go have our lunch and I'll explain things along the way."
I nodded shifting my stance and turned to walk beside him. As we headed for the wisteria tree we always sat under, I gazed intently at him, silently prodding him to talk.
"Well," he said, taking a deep breath, "remember Tenku..."
Kurama stood on the roof of the school, peering down at the grounds below, hoping that he could catch a glimpse of Touma from the higher vantage point. Yuusuke was still searching the lower level, and the roof was the last place Kurama had to look. He pushed his scarlet hair away from his face, his large eyes scanning the area. Sighing dejectedly, he turned from the rail and headed inside. Lunch would be over soon and he shared homeroom with Touma after that. He figured that if his best friend didn't show up, then he would start panicking.
Kurama sat down at his desk, too nervous to eat much, his mind too distracted to finish his novel. He wondered what could be involved with Touma. It wasn't like he had a past of enemies and vengeance.
"Hey, Shuuichi, did you miss me?"
Kurama's head turned toward the doorway. Touma and Seth were standing there, holding hands.
"Touma!" Kurama jumped up to his seat and ran to embrace Touma. "Where the hell have you been?! We've been trying to find you ever since this morning."
Touma grinned sheepishly. "I had to meet up with some friends of mine after that little disturbance. It's nothing to worry about, really."
Kurama saw Seth shoot him a glare, but Touma seemed to ignore it. Kurama shrugged it off, simply happy to see his friend there and in one piece. So many possibilities had entered his mind as to Touma's fate. Most of them weren't pretty.
Yuusuke, panting and out of breath, skidded into the classroom, doing a double-take upon seeing Touma standing with Kurama, especially with Seth.
"Oh! You found him already!" he said. "I've gotta get to class before the bell. Catch up with me after school."
"Yeah," Kurama agreed, watching Yuusuke sprint off to his next class.
He turned back to Touma and Seth.
"I'd better go before some teacher catches me," Seth told them. He leaned towards Touma to give him a quick kiss. "I'll see you tonight."
"Bye."
Kurama went back to his desk as Seth left them, and Touma sat down behind him.
"So, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Kurama asked seriously. "I've been worried about you all day."
"It's like I told Seth, Shuuichi, it's really nothing you have to worry about. My friends and I have this little situation under control...or at least we will once we find out just what it encompasses. But I don't want to get you involved. After that business with Yomi, you don't deserve to be dragged into my problem."
"Oh, come on Touma. You know I wouldn't desert you," Kurama reasoned. "I'm not going to pressure you, but if you need help, you know who to come to."
"Of course I do." Touma flashed Kurama a beautiful, reassuring smile.
The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Students quickly ran in to take their seats before the teacher arrived. A bit relieved, Kurama returned Touma's smile, then turned away to finish his novel.
I stared solemnly at the setting sun. Somehow, sunsets in the Makai were much more beautiful to me than those of the Ningenkai. Touma, however, loved the skies of his homeworld. Even I had to admit that the starlit nights were wonderful to see. The demon realm had no stars that glittered as brightly. It was even better the see them glinting in Touma's beautiful dark blue eyes. I was becoming wistful rather quickly, my thoughts rolling on to the anticipation of savouring his kisses later that evening. I never in my life expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, I hadn't expected to fall in love at all. It had always been just me and my brother. My only loves had been my twin, Tsuzumi, who had a heart for no one except me, and a youko that denied my feelings for him. My only partner had ever been Yomi, and he had his own purpose for me. At the time, I had been trying to win Kurushimi's affections, and Yomi's proposition sounded good, so I joined him. I adored Kurushimi from the moment I met him. I couldn't just let him a chance for happiness slip away without trying to get it. After so many centuries of pain and suffering, I decided that it was time for me to be happy. So...I followed him home...to a master who decided he could use me after all...for revenge.
Yomi wanted Kurama dead, and I could understand why. The youko had stolen his sight with the blade of a hired hitman. I gladly agreed to assist him, not just because of his handicap, but because of the servant so utterly devoted to him. Kurama and Hiei were very powerful demons, even with Kurama as half-human. With their talents and youki, Yomi and I were almost successful in destroying both demons. I had also acquired Touma's yoroi, Tenku, accidentally acquiring Touma's soul as well. I didn't care at first, anger at Kurushimi's rejection making me blind to his reasoning. Once the actual battle began and I got deeper into Touma's heart, I had become frustrated, weighing the possibilities of love and the calling of revenge for my anger and pain. I almost killed everybody. With Kokuryuuha, Hiei and I nearly destroyed a section of the Makai.
Thoughtfully, I strolled past what had once been Yomi's hideaway, feeling a shudder run through me. The mess that we had left behind had long since been cleared away, but that didn't stop the bombardment of feelings that overcame me. I had become a new soul then, thanks to Touma. I hate to think of what my life would be now if I had mocked his forgiveness as I had his love for Kurama. I looked to the swiftly darkening sky again, smiling. It would soon be time to return to Touma, and I looked forward to it.
"Look, there she is!"
My head turned at the sudden cry. While I had been in thought, a large crowd of youkai were beginning to gather around the gate that led into Dokoren, the Makai's capital city. Curiosity got the better of me and I headed for the commotion.
"After all these years!"
"They have returned."
Tapping into powers I had managed to keep alive inside me, I became a small, silver kitsune. Drawing my six tails close to my body, I weaved among the legs of the rambling demons that stood in my way. When I broke through the mass, I was able to see what they were making all the fuss about. My ears dropped in disappointment. It was only a woman. Her long, dark blue hair was streaked with silvery white and she wore robes that were a rich garnet. She had a small smile on her face, obviously enjoying all of the attention she was receiving. Under normal circumstances, any youkai would be all over a lady of that beauty, demon or otherwise. But I noticed that everyone stayed back, keeping their distance as if she were royalty.
My interest wavered. I had no thoughts about attractive females. I had my own lover to worry about. I preferred to be with him. I turned away from the crowds, pushing through them until I had gotten far enough away to return to my normal form. The conversation continued around me.
"If she's here, then her brother must be as well."
"Could their reign be strong enough this time?"
"I heard they were born from the womb of one of his servants."
"Don't let them hear you speak in that tone!"
Hmm. Not just any woman, but one with a brother, and both seek vengeance on those with big mouths. I smiled. All very peculiar, but I had more important places to be. With that decided, I sought out a random gate and returned to the Ningenkai.
Kurama had just drifted off into a dreamless sleep when the tapping started. He groaned and rolled over, hoping that pulling his blankets over his head would make the noise cease. Unfortunately, it persisted and Kurama sighed, drawing himself upright, his hair ruffling as he yanked the covers away. Just as he suspected, Hiei was rapping intently on his window, demanding in his own way to be let in. Reluctantly leaving his bed, Kurama went over to open the window, allowing his youkai to enter the bedroom.
"I don't suppose I could convince you to keep earlier hours on school nights, could I?" Kurama grumbled, running a hand through his hair.
"Hn," Hiei snorted. "I had to see you."
"I'm touched, but..."
"Shut up, Fox. There's something going on in the Makai."
"At this hour I couldn't care less about that place."
Hiei ignored him and continued. "Arago's back."
Kurama was instantly at attention. "Say that again."
Hiei smirked, assured that Kurama was now listening. "Actually that's not true. Arago was destroyed by a force in the Ningenkai a few years ago. His descendants are back to continue what he began."
Kurama backed up to sit on his bed, reaching to turn on the light. Hiei squinted for a moment at the sudden flood of brightness.
"All right, back up. I thought Emperor Enma sealed them in space after Arago was defeated."
"That's true, but you do remember that the seal was broken when the Meikai got loose. Apparently Koenma forgot about that little responsibility and now we have two very powerful demons running around the Makai."
"They're his descendants, you said?"
"That's what I heard. Judging by what the crowds were saying, Arago had a mistress among his ranks. She had his children."
Kurama's eyebrow raised. "Interesting for conversation, Hiei, but why did you think to bother me with it at this hour?"
Hiei shrugged, indifferent. "If I didn't bother you with it, Koenma would. It won't be long until he finds out. Then Yuusuke will be wanting our help to seal the little brats up again."
Kurama flopped down on the mattress, not bothering to stifle a large yawn. "Terrific. Just what I need on top of everything else."
Hiei looked at him quizzically. Kurama managed to catch the look out of the corner of his eye.
"Touma was attacked in school today and he won't tell me what's going on. I want to be able to help him if he needs it, but I can't do that if he doesn't tell me what the problem is."
"Hn. He's a big boy, let him take care of himself," Hiei muttered, annoyed that the conversation had switched to Touma.
Kurama leaned upward to grab Hiei's scarf. "Stay with me tonight," he whispered.
Hiei regarded him with a slightly amused smirk. "I thought you didn't like visitors at this hour."
Kurama lay back again, his hold on Hiei pulling the youkai practically on top of him. "I'll make an exception for you."
"Hn."
Kurama kissed Hiei softly, then proceeded to get rid of the coat and boots before dragging him under the covers.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," Koenma said gratefully to the group assembled.
"No problem," Yuusuke replied. "It's a good thing that you called us after school."
"I'm learning," the young prince said with a smile.
Kurama, Hiei, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara stood in Koenma's office in the Reikai. Kurama and Hiei looked at each other. They knew what the summons were for.
"I called you here for a very serious mission. The sake of the three realms depends on you."
"When doesn't it?" Kuwabara snickered.
"About a few years ago, a lord from the Makai gathered minions and some humans and led an attack on the Ningenkai. His name was Arago."
Kurama and Hiei nodded their knowledge of the demon's existence, while Kuwabara and Yuusuke listened on in interest.
"My father and a man named Kaos entrusted five young men to stop it, as it was written in their destiny. Endowed with five suits of powerful armour, they were sent to stop Arago before he could live out his dream to own the Ningenkai. In the battle that supposedly killed him, the spiritual gates went haywire, causing a horde of demons to break into the Ningenkai in Arago's wake. They were mainly searching for the armour that was to have killed the demon lord, but some just wanted access the mortal realm."
"This is true," Kurama spoke up. "I encountered one that tried to attack my mother. I managed to ward a gate that wasn't far from the neighborhood."
Koenma nodded. "It turned out that Arago had remained in some sort of limbo until he could regroup and reformulate his attack. He tried again, only to be stopped by the five boys once more."
"After that, anything that had once been associated with Arago was sealed by Emperor Enma and myself into the spacial void of the Meikai."
The four boys turned their attention to the new speaker. She was tall and regal, carrying a long staff with six rings that jangled as she moved. Her robes were white, her long blue hair flowing loose over her shoulders. She came up beside Koenma's chair and he looked up at her. His gaze then went back to his detectives.
"Gentlemen, this is Lady Kayura. She, if anyone, knows the most about Arago's reign and can help with this problem."
"If you'd ever get to it," Yuusuke whined.
"We're working on it!" Koenma snapped around his pacifier.
"I remained in the void, occasionally revisiting the Makai and the Reikai. I understand that you were the ones to counter Yakumo's attack. The entire Meikai was not in agreement with the way he wanted to do things. Whatever demons or demigods were, followed him, but the rest stayed behind, including myself. I was not strong enough to keep him from leaving, and neither were my companions. However, when his attack was repelled by the four of you, it left a gaping hole in the seal. Therefore, Arago's...followers entered the Ningenkai. That is why you are here."
"So let me get this straight. Hiei told me that there were two ringleaders trying to carry on Arago's supposed legacy. Is that true?" Kurama asked.
"It is indeed. Kyrahna and Kioku are tied to Arago by blood. They plan to finish what he started, and they are twice as powerful as he is."
Yuusuke raised an eyebrow. "Twice as powerful?"
Kayura nodded.
"What about those boys? Can't they stop it?"
"They know of the problem, but are not fully aware of how difficult this mission will be in comparison to their last. That is what Koenma and I need you for."
"There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered," Kuwabara said.
"This is the best we can do right now. They don't appear to be doing anything at the moment. The best any of us can do is wait until they make the first move. But I cannot help the others because my spirit is being used to help reseal the gap before anything else gets out."
"Will we meet the others?" Hiei asked.
Kayura fixed her blue eyes on the four Reikai Tantei, smiling. "Sooner than you think, my friends. Thank you for being so cooperative."
Yuusuke nodded. "Just leave things to us. We'll take care of this."
