Hi! *^^* The characters of WeiB Kruez and Yu Yu Hakusho do
not belong to me, I just kidnapped them for my own evil
purposes ^.-; I hope you guys enjoy this shortie... ^.^
---------------
-After Grace-
---------------
"Kore wa nan desu ka, George?" squeaked the frazzled voice
impatiently. "It looks rather trivial..." Tiny hands turned the
envelope swiftly.
The blue oni took a nervous glance at his exhausted,
irritated employer. "Uhh..." he said intelligently.
The chubby face twisted into a frown around the pacifier.
"I don't have time for this! We've just been hit with a surge
of souls incoming from an earthquake somewhere in Africa!!"
"Matte!" George said, automatically reaching out a hand as
his boss made to toss the letter somewhere on the floor. If it
landed somewhere in the bottom of the mess, it'd be undoubtedly
lost for all eternity. "It's... well..."
Unamused, half-lidded eyes stared at him.
"Have a heart, Koenma-sama..." sniffled the blue oni. "I
was going through one of the departure halls when this family
saw me and asked me for a favor!"
A small vein pulsated in the godling's forehead. "You
what?"
"They were a mother, father and sister," George rushed on,
determined to cram the details in. "apparently, they died
because their son killed them all!"
Koenma's face fell from annoyance to a more neutral
expression. "Aa."
::Better than nothing:: the oni supposed. ::Koenma-sama's
seen enough hideous cases to give all of us nightmares for
life....:: "It was very sad for them," George continued. "They
told me that he went insane after finding out that he wasn't
entirely their son..."
Koenma raised an eyebrow.
"His real mother was actually a nun that he liked. He
basically lost it and killed them all... nearly killed his real
mother too, she had a knife wound through the chest..."
The little god winced. "I see... well, what was it they
wanted?" He turned the envelope carefully in his hands, making
ready to open it.
"The envelope's for the kid!" George said hurriedly.
Koenma stopped, turning attentive eyes on him. "They don't
think their deaths were his fault... so they gave me that in
hopes that maybe you can give it to him-"
Koenma looked incredulously at him. "You can't mean *me*
personally can you? Probably Botan or another one of the ferry
girls if they have time..." He frowned again. "Besides, we
don't convey messages from the dead to the living. We're not a
postal office... we have enough to do as it is!" He waved an
impatient hand at the mountains of paperwork stacked neatly in
his office.
"Demo, Koenma-sama..." the oni said with watery eyes.
"The little girl really wanted you to pass it on if you could.
She said that... that... her 'niisan would..." Tears brimmed in
the oni's eyes.
Koenma sweatdropped. He was starting to understand why the
oni had been coerced into persuading him to give the letter.
George was a sucker for sad stories... especially when they
involved sorrow-stricken, innocent little girls... He supposed
it was just his misfortune that they had caught George while
walking down the hall... no other oni would've given the letter
a second thought.
"For the love of... ARRGH. George! Be realistic, kuso. How
in the world do you think I'll be able to leave the Reikai for
something as trivial as passing on a LETTER?!" Koenma said,
waving the envelope impatiently.
"But... you do occasionally leave to see Yuusuke and the
others..." protested the oni. "It wouldn't hurt to carry it
around just in case..." The oni made big, pitiful, puppy eyes.
The sight was disturbing to no end. Koenma sweatrained.
"Ohh... fine. Whatever. You're taking up too much of my
time anyway!! I'll pass it along if I ever see the guy!!"
::Which is one chance in a million:: Koenma grumbled to
himself.
"Thank you thank you thank you, Koenma-sama!!" cried
George, tears of joy sprouting from his eyes.
"Erk. Yes. Stop *that*. You'll ruin the papers!" Koenma
yelped. "What is this guy's name?"
George promptly produced a file. "He looked like this
before the incident happened..."
Koenma took the file and gave the photo an uninterested
glance. A lanky, awkward, silvery-haired boy around 6 or 7
looked up at him. He flipped the page and glanced at the next
photo.
Koenma did a double take; large, golden-brown eyes going
wide.
"And that," said the oni solemnly, "is what he looks like
now."
"Kami-sama..." Koenma murmured, staring at the image with
something akin to shock. "Name?"
"Jei. But he goes by Farfarello now..."
[Several months later; Schwartz base, around 5 AM]
Hate... I hate.
I hate them... for dying.
I hate the God who took them away from me and left me here
to die.
I hate all people.
I hate everything.
I hate myself...
There can't be a God... if there is one, why can't He see
my suffering? Why does He refuse to answer me? Am I so
insignificant? Haven't I killed enough people in His name to
draw His attention?!
The creak of an opening door instantly drew the tormented
thinker's attention. His icy gold eye locked unnervingly on the
figure that dared to disturb his contemplation. The door had
released a stream of brilliance from the outside, making it
seem as if the man had stepped forward from a blinding pool of
light and into the darkness of his domain.
"Come," commanded Crawford coolly. "Your self-torture has
to end for a while, Farfarello. We have a new mission."
Farfarello regarded Crawford coldly for a few tense moments
as the man stared unflinchingly into his good eye. Eventually,
Farfarello closed his eye and nodded his asset.
"Do you need help getting down from there?" Crawford
queried, his voice eerily devoid of expression. It cut through
the empty air with the edge of a scythe. Crawford's emotionless
eyes flickered to the suspension cord that connected the
ceiling to the straightjacket Farfarello had strapped himself
in.
A short pause. "No," Farfarello answered mechanically,
gently swaying in his upside-down position. The terse reply was
punctuated with a loud snap as Farfarello effortlessly
dislocated his left shoulder and wiggled out of the restraining
contraption. He landed heavily on the ground, pounding his
shoulder back into place upon impact. He looked up at
Crawford's composed face as Crawford gave him a short nod.
"Clean yourself up," he said, gesturing to the oozing blood
bleeding from the multiple cuts Farfarello had inflicted upon
himself. "We need to stop by a café later on."
Farfarello indicated his acknowledgement as the leader of
Schwartz left the room. He stared motionlessly into space for a
moment.
::Even lacking an eye, I can see that Crawford has the
dispassionate eyes of Satan... and even though I consort with
him, You still refuse to acknowledge me. What do You amount to?
What will it take for You to come and face me?:: Farfarello
balled his hand into a fist, easily crushing the skin tightly.
Blood gently seeped from the abused hand.
::I will have an answer from You!::
[Early morning, near Sarayashiki High]
"Maa, maa..." groaned Yuusuke. "What does Koenma want from
us this time?" He casually slouched in a resting position as he
shoved his free hand, the one that wasn't slinging his book bag
over his shoulder, into the deep pants' pocket of his school
uniform.
"Yeah," squeaked Kuwabara's voice from behind Yuusuke.
"What does the squirt want now?"
Botan scoldingly waved a finger at the two Reikai Tantei
as she hovered in midair on her oar. "You shouldn't speak of
Koenma-sama so disrespectfully!" The sun climbed slowly in the
sky behind her.
"Yeah, anyway," Yuusuke interjected. "Please get to the
point? I've got to get to school y'know. And then I have some
other stuff I got to do... Keiko wanted to drag me to some
school play later on today." He withdrew his hand from his
pocket to wave theatrically in the air.
"Sou ka... gomen." Botan twisted in midair, arranging
herself more comfortably on her oar. Reaching into the sleeve
of her pastel pink kimono, she withdrew a note and skimmed its
contents. "Koenma-sama wants you guys to show up at the Kaze
Hime Café around 3 o' clock this afternoon to explain a mission
to you."
"But I have an appointment with 'neesan around then! And
Yuki- Yukino-san will be there..." Hearts started floating
around the love-struck Kuwabara. Eyeing his friend, Yuusuke
closed his eyes in mock pain and proceeded to ignore Kuwabara,
turning to Botan.
"Geez... why can't Koenma just give the mission details to
us via that television thing?" Yuusuke grumbled, rumpling his
hair. "It's much simpler. 3 o' clock's about when the play
starts too."
"Well, sorry!" Botan exclaimed, brow creasing. "Koenma-
sama just simply doesn't have the time-"
"-to waste from his duties on things like this," droned
both boys simultaneously.
Yuusuke glanced at his ex-rival. "Well Kuwabara? Looks
like both of us are tied up around then. What do you suggest we
do?"
"Eto... well..." Kuwabara scratched his head
meditatively. "Botan, can you tell Koenma to show up earlier?
If he already scheduled to meet us around three in the
afternoon, it wouldn't hurt if he leaves the Reikai a bit
earlier right? That way Urameshi and I won't miss his
debriefing."
Botan hesitated. It sounded reasonable and she really
didn't see the point in arguing for them to show up on time.
Especially since their absence was going to be due to them
meeting with the other girls. "I think Koenma-sama will be able
to do that..." she said. "But when exactly..."
"Dunno... and don't worry," Yuusuke shrugged. "We'll be
there some time after noon and before three... Koenma better be
there 'cause I don't like being made to wait!"
Botan sweatdropped. "A....aa. Well, that aside... don't
you know where I can find Kurama or Hiei at this moment? I need
to tell them to show up too."
Yuusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other.
"Well, Kurama should be heading to school too... as for
Hiei? Hell knows where that guy goes. Ask Kurama, he has a good
handle on Hiei's locations."
Botan nodded. "Remember to show up!" she called as she
ascended into the morning sky.
"Yeah..." Yuusuke and Kuwabara echoed after the spirit
guide.
[Later that day; around 2 PM in Kaze Hime Café]
A waitress politely stopped at the brown-haired teen's
table, but he waved her away, indicating that he was fine with
the cup of tea he ordered. Sighing, the young man brooded
impatiently, unconsciously wishing that he had ordered coffee
instead of tea as sleep nipped at the edges of his senses.
::Where are they?:: He thought grumpily, sipping gingerly
at his cup of tea. ::They better show up soon. It was difficult
getting out of the office earlier than I scheduled; and the
time I cut out is going to be Hell to make up for.:: He ran the
tip of his tongue uncomfortably over his parted lips. ::Plus I
feel weird without my pacifier.:: Koenma unconsciously felt
inside his jacket pocket to reassure himself of the Reikai
tool's presence. ::Who cares if it makes me look really weird
in ningen society?:: He sighed.
His eyes slid over to the door as the bells cheerfully
announced a new customer.
"-what do you mean it was my fault! Those thugs showed up
because of your stupid "gang," which doesn't even exist! How-"
"Damare! I, Kazuma Kuwabura-sama, the No. 1 fighter of
Sarayashiki High will not tolerate such rude accusations to be
leveled against my person!"
"Since when were you ever No. 1?!! You never even beat me
yet (not that I care)!"
::Finally!:: Koenma breathed quietly, raising his head
from the depths of his cup. "Urameshi. Kuwabara. Over here!" he
waved at them with one hand.
The bickering duo stopped and looked over at Koenma.
Recognizing him, they started over to his booth.
"Hey, squirt. What's the big idea this time?" demanded
Yuusuke as he approached. "This place was really hard to find!"
Koenma winced. Maybe he shouldn't have been so eager for
those two to show up.
[2:25 PM, in Kaze Hime Café]
"Ne, Crawford," drawled Schurderich, casually lounging in
his seat. "This sure is a change from our usual meeting places.
Who are we seeing?"
Crawford seated himself stiffly into the booth, across
from Schurderich. "Some Japanese official who is willing to
think about working for Mr. Taketori." A light pause.
Farfarello slid in his seat next to Crawford as Nagi sat
across from him, next to Schurderich. "Is that all?" he asked
in his dead, hollow voice.
"Why do all four of us have to be here then?" Nagi asked
quietly, his voice a high and lilting tenor. The contrast
between the two consecutive speakers was startling.
Light reflected off of Crawford's glasses as the older man
slowly answered. "Because I foresaw a fight."
The other three members of Schwartz turned to look at
their teammate with interest.
"Really? With who?" Schurderich asked, gold-brown eyes
glinting with anticipation.
"Is it WeiB?" questioned Nagi sharply, placid demeanor
instantly dissolving in prospect of a serious fight.
"I'm not sure," Crawford answered, frowning. "But they
will be difficult to handle."
"...," Farfarello stared fixatedly into space.
"Hmph," Schurderich shrugged. "Whoever it is, we'll be
more than enough for them. WeiB never stood up to us anyway..."
Nagi nodded in agreement.
Crawford said nothing. As a waitress came up to their
booth, he softly murmured, "I hope you're right."
Schurderich, Farfarello, and Nagi turned to glance at him
sharply. ::Crawford is worried?::
"What would you like sir?"
"Coffee, please," Crawford requested politely.
"DAMNIT! WHAT KIND OF HAIRBRAINED MORON WOULD STEAL THE-
MPHGFF!!!"
Jerking at the sudden yell, the entire Schwartz team
swerved quickly to eye the source of the disturbance. They were
greeted with the unlikely sight of a tall, muscular young man;
who was probably in his last years of high school; attempting
to ram his fist down another shorter, black-haired teen; who
was probably his classmate. Nearby, a casually attired brown-
haired teen with a headband wound around his forehead looked
exasperatedly at the tussling two.
"Shut up Urameshi!!" the carrot-haired boy hissed. "And
you complain I'm noisy!!"
"Phmmpwhck?!!" Urameshi glared at the other boy with
murder in his eyes.
The third boy, sensing all eyes in the café turn to their
particular booth, nervously laughed and waved a hand. "Sorry...
personal disagreement."
As the attention drifted away from the three, the orange-
haired boy slowly removed his hand from Urameshi's mouth.
"%*#!@^ Kuwabara!!" snarled Urameshi the instant Kuwabara
removed his hand. "What the Hell did you do that for, you
bastard?!"
"Moron! You nearly blurted out the mission for everyone to
hear!" hissed Kuwabara.
Such quiet speech would have normally escaped general
notice. However, after that stunt, the Schwartz team's
attention had not entirely dissipated from the three. As the
waitress left with their orders, the four looked at each other.
"Mission?" Nagi asked softly.
Crawford and Schurderich eyed each other thoughtfully.
"For cripes sake, they're only teens. They're just probably out
to hit on some chick or something," cracked Schurderich
humorously. Crawford pursed his lips and stared at the three
vehemently arguing teens.
The waitress returned shortly with their orders and
departed gracefully.
"Schurderich."
"Yeah?" Schurderich asked, sampling the slice of chocolate
cake he ordered.
"Read their minds."
Schurderich blinked, swallowing. "What?"
"Try and read their minds."
Eyeing Crawford strangely, Schurderich complied. Or tried
to. "What the... I don't see anything!"
"What?" Nagi uttered incredulously. Farfarello's attention
turned to the three teens.
"Me neither... I can't see anything in the future
involving them..." Crawford said quietly. "Something is very
wrong with those three..."
Yuusuke was clearly unhappy.
Koenma felt like banging his head against the table as
his detective sulked. "Guys," he tried again. "You got that,
right?"
"Yeah, we heard you," murmured Kuwabara, superstitiously
eyeing the surrounding crowd warily. "Go and find the rogue
youkai who jacked the almighty puppy of Hades."
Koenma gritted his teeth. "I think you fail to understand
the seriousness of this! Let me explain it again... the puppy
is the child of Lord Hades' Kerbos and Lord Ashura's Cerberus.
Cerberus as in the eight foot tall, three-headed guard dog of
the first level of Hell; with fangs the size of a T-rex's and
the temper of a loose trigger. Kerbos is extremely formidable
herself; Cerberus' equal, if not superior. The idiot who
kidnapped their child is in for a world of hurt!"
Both boys' eyes widened as Koenma continued, "Apparently,
the guy is going to try and use the kid as a hostage to
blackmail Lord Ashura and Lord Hades to free his friend.
However, for obvious reasons, it's all Lord Ashura and Lord
Hades can do to restrain their Guardians from tearing out of
the Underworld to stalk the moron and rip him into pieces.
That's why they're asking the Reikai to track down the culprit
and find the puppy before everything gets out of hand. If
Cerberus and Kerbos emerged in an all-out hunt over the three
worlds, people will get hurt."
"Oh." Yuusuke blinked adorably in sudden confusion,
derailed from his original thread of thought. Shaking his head,
as if to clear it, he leaned back in his seat and grinned. "Now
that sounds more like it!"
"Yeah,' Kuwabara nodded enthusiastically. "So, can we
start now?"
Koenma felt pained. The urge to bang his head against
something was getting stronger.
"What exactly do you mean?" asked Nagi intensely, eyeing
the teens carefully.
Schurderich frowned uneasily. "Well... When I try to
enter their minds, I... can't. I'm being 'bounced' out and
whatever I can get from them is all static... kinda like when I
try to get into your mind Nagi, only much stronger."
"You try to manipulate my mind?" Nagi raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly like that!" protested Schurderich quickly. "I
was just curious on what you were thinking every now and
then..."
"It's what I'm getting as well," said Crawford abruptly.
"I'm receiving blurs and shadows... but the kid with the
headband is blocking me even more than the other two."
"Eh?" Schurderich turned to eye to the third teen. "You're
right," he breathed. "I can't get anything at all on him..."
"Schurderich..." Nagi said thoughtfully. "You said so
yourself that they feel like me. Do you think they have powers
similar to mine then?"
Crawford and Schurderich started. "That's a thought..."
conceded Crawford calmly, a troubled look glimmering in the
depths of his eyes.
"Ne, Farfie," bantered Schurderich. "What do you think?"
Farfarello barely glanced at Schurderich as he stared at
the brown-haired teen. He narrowed his right eye. There was
something about the kid that strongly appealed to him.
Nagi started as Farfarello spoke.
"I like him."
Koenma breathed a sigh of relief as his two friends
finally swaggered away. ::Gods... is handling cases suppose to
be this hard? This is more troublesome than the paperwork!::
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Koenma eyed his watch. ::2:35
only? Hmmm... I have some time to kill. Kurama and Hiei are
showing up at three, like I originally planned. Those two are
always punctual...:: The young god rubbed at his eyes wearily.
::Maybe I'll take a nap or something...::
Schurderich facefaulted; Crawford looked as if someone
told him that Taketori was a goddess; Nagi's eyes went huge.
"What! Where did that come from?!" yelped Schurderich.
"That is *so* off topic," Nagi agreed.
Crawford couldn't say anything. "...meaning, Farfarello?"
he finally asked.
The Irishman simply shrugged, never removing his eyes from
the brown-haired teen. "He's strongly attractive." The group
turned to see the other two teens leaving the café while the
object of Farfarello's dubious affection remained where he was.
Schurderich did a double take. This was Farfarello talking
after all. The psychotic member of the group who would soon
kill than lust after another human being. The same guy who
murdered anyone close to him and choose to cut himself up on a
daily basis.
"Nagi," Schurderich said seriously. "What's your diagnosis
of this?"
"I have no idea," replied the youngest member of Schwartz
honestly. "Demo..." There was a slight rustle as he stood up.
"Nagi?" Crawford questioned.
The boy waved. "I'm going to see about this..." He headed
toward the lone occupant of the booth.
Farfarello abruptly stood up as well. "I will go with
him."
Before Crawford could protest, a portly gentleman entered
the café. As the man impatiently looked around, his gaze fell
on Crawford and Schurderich. Evidently recognizing them as his
contact, he approached swiftly. "Mr. Crawford I presume?"
Inwardly gritting his teeth, Crawford shot his two
erstwhile teammates one last look before focusing his full
attentions upon the man. "Yes. You are Mr. Kushimi, correct?"
It was obvious that the teen was strikingly beautiful.
Lush, feathery locks, the color of dark chestnut sheened
with gold, glimmered in the meager lighting of the café. The
silky strands of hair delicately framed a pair of sleepy, gold
eyes, which were flecked with a warm, gorgeous bronze. The tail
ends of the dark blue headband wrapped around the teen's
forehead trailed against the soft, flawless, ivory skin of his
face as he tilted his head, sighing wearily. He was wearing a
pair of tight black jeans that clung to his hips; and a
complimenting baggy, white T-shirt that threatened to slip from
his narrow shoulders. A comfortable cerulean cotton jacket
completed the ensemble.
As Nagi neared him, he suddenly felt unaccountably nervous.
Sweat formed along his brow as he fidgeted. There was a coolly
sensuous aura hanging from the teen that distorted his
thoughts. ::That's probably the reason why hordes of girls
aren't tackling him...:: Nagi thought irrationally. Then his
eyes widened as he suddenly unraveled the reason for his
nervousness. ::Wait... this aura... It's of power! That
confirms my theory that-:: Nagi's line of thought was cut off
as he saw Farfarello head unfalteringly toward the teen.
"Farfarello, wait! You don't know what he's capable of-!"
The words caught in his throat as the teen abruptly looked up
at them, sensing their presence.
Nagi felt a jolt of fear as he looked into the hazy, golden
orbs of the teen's eyes. The gorgeous hue did not hide the
intelligence of the individual they were facing. Nor did it
mask the authority or the overwhelming power.
But beyond all those qualities, it was the ancientness of
the eyes that scared Nagi the most.
As he fought to keep his face from slamming into the table
and falling asleep, Koenma was suddenly shocked awake by the
feeling of two, semi-hostile ki heading towards him. Abandoning
the urge to sleep, he straightened up and faced the direction
of the possible threat. And blinked.
A man in his early twenties and a teen around Yuusuke's age
were heading for him. He didn't recognize either of them. Still
not quite awake, Koenma quickly asserted their abilities.
::Hmmm.... Their ki indicates that they're humans... and have
much lesser skill than Kuwabara, but still:: Koenma eyed them
warily. The teen froze as he looked at them, but the man
steadily approached him. The teen yelled out something, but
Koenma's attentions suddenly focused on the man who stopped by
his table.
He was scary. For a human, anyway.
::I've seen enough derailed humans to make a high class
youkai cringe,:: Koenma thought ruefully to himself. ::But this
guy still rates among the worst I've faced.::
Dressed in black leather and vinyl, the man was moderately
muscular. He had short, silvery-white hair that was cropped
close to his skull. Each of his ears sported four, small hoop
earrings, and a black patch covered his left eye. His right eye
was frightening enough to make up for his lost eye. Surrounding
by an icy gold iris, the pinpoint pupil zeroed in on the
unnerved Koenma. The man, however, was, in a strangely
grotesque way, pretty. The perfect blend of evil and purity
sent shivers down Koenma's spine.
The man eyed him for a long moment, but didn't' seem
inclined to speak. As the teen finally joined the man, Koenma
decided that meandering around was pointless.
"Do I know you?" he asked politely.
A short pause. "No," said the man, a second before he
grabbed the collar of Koenma's jacket and slammed him into the
wall of his booth.
"I'm surprised you're actually walking with me to meet
Koenma," murmured Kurama, sliding a teasing look at the irate,
spiky-haired man next to him.
"Hn," came Hiei's eloquent reply. "The place is hard to
find."
"Oh?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, emerald eyes glittering
mischievously. "So even you need help with directions
sometimes?"
Hiei silently glared at the redhead they walked past various
people on the sidewalk.
"Maybe if you went out more, you wouldn't have this
problem," teased Kurama. "Although I admit, this café isn't
near my territory..."
Hiei opened his mouth to make a scathing retort when the
sudden flare of ki ahead stopped him short. "Kurama," he said
tensely.
Humor gone from his face, Kurama nodded curtly. He felt the
surge of alarm as well. "Koenma's..." he confirmed.
The two suddenly flashed out of view as they sprinted
towards the café.
Alarms were ringing in Koenma's head as a wave of dizziness
washed over his senses. He was pretty sure that the jagged
lines of color parading across his vision were not suppose to
be there. Momentarily incapacitated, he blinked bewilderedly as
he tried to clear his head and get it into working order. The
surface of a tugging memory abruptly appeared. ::This guy...
I've seen him before... but where...?::
Farfarello unexpectedly leaned in and gave Koenma a savage
kiss full on the mouth.
It was about then Koenma's thoughts came skidding to an
abrupt halt as shock rocked his sense. ::What the FUCK?!:: he
thought in utter disbelief. He was even more stunned by the
tingling feeling sweeping across his body. ::What...:: His eyes
widened. ::I'm leaking ki! No, wait... he's absorbing my ki! Oh
shit!:: Snapping his mind to more important matters, he
struggled to free himself from the man's grasp.
Crawford was cursing in every language he knew, which was
quite a lot, as he maintained a calm and placid exterior for
his guest. ::What the Hell is Farfarello doing?!!:: he muttered
mentally, noting Nagi's wide-eyed stare. He felt mildly
mortified. ::And in front of Nagi! In a public area for that
matter!::
Across from him, Schurderich was trying not to gag.
"...so you're saying that Mr. Taketori will grant me the
privileges of a Minister?" asked Mr. Kushimi.
"Yes," replied Crawford, jerking his attention to the
matter at hand. He adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Taketori
guarantees that-"
The front door of the café exploded inward.
Schurderich was feeling ill as he watched Farfarello break
off the kiss. He pitied the teen. He really did. It must the
worst punishment in existence to have Farfarello's attention on
one like that. He faintly wondered if he should help break up
the tableau...
The crack of shattering glass yanked his attention to the
entrance of the café. He turned barely in time to see two
shadows flickering into the café. ::What the...?!!:: On sudden
instinct, he turned back to the scene with his teammates. Sure
enough, two newcomers were warning Farfarello off the brown-
haired teen. The shorter of the two was a boy who couldn't have
possibly been older than twelve. Dressed utterly in black, save
a white scarf around his neck and a white headband encircling
his forehead, the boy held a katana at Farfarello's throat,
Aya-style.
The taller one was speaking softly, an edge of quiet malice
hidden in his voice. Slender, with luscious red hair that fell
to his waist, he appeared harmless. Yet there was a certain way
that he held himself that set Schurderich on guard. However...
::A pink uniform?:: thought Schurderich incredulously. "Uh...
Crawford?"
His exalted leader nodded. "Excuse me, Mr. Kushimi. It
appears we have a problem."
The nitwit official gave them an anxious glance from his
pudgy face. "Are they police?"
"Troublemakers are more like it," drawled Schurderich.
"Wait a second, Mr. Kushimi. This shouldn't take long." He bit
back further words as he caught the disturbed look in
Crawford's eyes. ::Crawford, disturbed?::
That worried Schurderich.
"Kisama. Remove your hands from him," ordered Hiei coldly.
Light shimmered on the edges of his sword as he glared at
Koenma's assailant.
"I think you should do as my companion says," said Kurama
softly, steel belaying the soothing tone of his voice. He was
seemingly unarmed. Koenma knew better than to think that.
"Oh?" rasped the man amusedly. "and why should I?"
Twisting his tongue in his mouth, Farfarello eyed his short
menacer darkly.
Koenma watched with revolted fascination as needles
emerged from the depths of the man's mouth and protruded
dangerously close to his face. "Ne, pretty boy? Call your dogs
off."
::Pretty boy?:: Koenma blanched. ::Dogs? Oh, Hiei is going
to *love* that remark about him... Kurama will probably take
insult too...::
As if on cue, a low snarl emitted from the figure wielding
the sword. The blade twitched a tiny bit closer to the unknown
assailant's jugular, drawing blood.
"Dog?" Kurama repeated, a vein beginning to throb in his
forehead. He smiled unpleasantly. "Let go of him. Now. Or my
friend will cut you down."
"I don't think so," came a low, calm voice. Kurama blinked
in surprise, half turning to meet the voice.
::The teen...:: Koenma remembered. ::Oh boy.:: Nearby
tables were rising into the air. ::He just had to be a
psychokinetic...:: Koenma groaned.
"Tell your buddy to remove his weapon or you're going to
get hurt," the other boy said, looking into Kurama's forest
green eyes with an equally serene lake blue.
Koenma dimly wondered if the café's management decided to
call security yet. Things were going to get ugly.
Farfarello felt intoxicated. As he had kissed the brown-
haired boy's mouth, the sensation of power coursed in his
veins. It was addicting. He might have gone further if he had
not been rudely interrupted by the two newcomers. He eyed the
shorter of the two. ::Red eyes...:: he thought in mild
surprise. ::The hue of fresh blood...::
His attentions shifted back to the teen he held in his
grasp as the boy coughed. "Anou..." he said, soft eyes darting
significantly over at the staring crowds. "Would you mind
putting me down so we can discuss this more comfortably?"
"That would be wise," said a cold, efficient voice over
Farfarello's shoulder.
"Crawford." Farfarello's moved slightly to look at his
leader. "Weren't you meeting with the contact?"
"We were," drawled Schurderich, coming up to the group.
"Until some idiot decided to hit on a minor and blow all
pretense of normality to hell." He smiled lopsidedly at the
red-haired teen that turned to look at his approach.
"We apologize for our associate's behavior. Farfarello, put
the kid down," Crawford commanded. The two newcomers didn't
look pacified. Farfarello's wasn't too happy with the sudden
turn of events either.
"What if I don't want to?" he whispered in a dark
undertone.
::Farfarello?:: Koenma thought. ::Why does that name...?::
"Don't make me hurt you, Farfie," chided the newcomer with
long, orange hair. "You've got enough shit in your life as it
is."
"Stay out of this Schurderich."
::Farfarello.... Farfarello... wait, I do know him! Wasn't
he that kid that George wanted-:: Koenma realized. "Jei!" he
blurted out, unthinkingly. "For the love of Enma, I *did* run
into you!" He blinked as all attention suddenly focused on
him. "Ahh..." said Koenma weakly, wilting.
"What did you say?" Farfarello said, eye narrowing
dangerously.
"Koenma, you know this person?" inquired Kurama.
"Koenma?" blinked the other newcomer.
"Something special about that name, Crawford?" asked
Schurderich, frowning. He looked back and forth between his
comrade and Koenma. Crawford tapped his head wordlessly.
Catching the hint, Schurderich dropped into Crawford's mind and
absorbed the information. "What?!" he exclaimed in shock.
"Kurama, you idiot," said the shorter boy tonelessly,
seeing the orange-haired man understand the reference.
The red-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you
would've been able to stop addressing someone by name, Hiei."
"Hn. Then don't talk," grunted Hiei monotonously.
"Anou... what exactly is going on?" asked the younger
teen. The tables settled back onto the floor.
"I'm not sure Nagi," said Crawford. He turned to
Farfarello. "Farfarello, for now, put Koenma down."
"Not until," the Irish murmured. "I know why he called me
Jei." He looked ready to kill.
Koenma sweated. "Isn't it natural to call someone by
name?" he asked tentatively.
"Jei's your name, Farfie?" asked Schurderich in surprise.
"You really put your foot in it this time," said Hiei,
still not withdrawing his sword. Kurama couldn't help nodding
in agreement.
Farfarello stared at Koenma grimly. "Don't look at me like
that," protested the young god. "I have a letter for you,
that's all..."
"A letter?" echoed the other three members of Schwartz.
"Who would want to mail Farfarello?" wondered Schurderich.
"Is it even possible for us to get mail?"
"Whatever the case," murmured Kurama. "Get your hands off
of Koenma immediately. I won't ask a second time." The leafy
green of the teen's eyes hardened to ice-jade.
Not wanting a bigger scene, Crawford put a hand on
Farfarello's shoulder. "Do it."
Grudgingly, Farfarello dropped Koenma.
Coughing slightly, Koenma tried to straighten up-only to
double over.
"Are you alright?" Kurama asked worriedly, stepping
forward and supporting the godling.
"Yeah..." gasped Koenma unsteadily. "Just give me... a
second..." ::I guess the management didn't call security after
all...:: Shaking off the last traces of disorientation, Koenma
finally stood up and eyed the man who... well... kissed him.
::Maa... I had weirder things happen to me.:: Shrugging, Koenma
fished inside his mind for the appropriate link into his
dimensional pocket. Finding it, he connected with his 'storage'
area, as he called it, and withdrew the letter from thin air.
Kurama and Hiei didn't twitch, but the other four started.
"What the..." said Schurderich intelligently, wide-eyed.
Focusing on Farfarello, Koenma stiffly extended the
envelope to him. As the older man inquisitively accepted it, he
asked, "Who... is this from?"
Impulsively, Schurderich looked over at Hiei for answers
and attempted to exert his powers over him. He sensed
nothing... and then an enormous gout of agony hit him. The
faint lavender image of a large, sinister, slit-pupil eye came
to mind. As his voice failed him, Schurderich managed a pained
gasp as he started to crumple to the tile floor. "Schurderich?"
Crawford murmured in slight alarm as he caught the falling
long-haired man. "What happened?"
Scowling, the black-haired kid turned and glared up at
them. "What the fuck did you think you were doing, bastard?"
Koenma warily kept half an eye on the temperamental fire
demon, although the possibility that he could stop Hiei from
doing anything was doubtful. "Hmm? Oh. Your sister," replied
Koenma absently albeit gravely. "And the rest of your family I
guess..."
Koenma abruptly found himself lifted again, and on the
verge of being impaled with a dagger as well. Fortunately, or
unfortunately, Kurama intervened instinctively.
Half a dozen vines abruptly sprang into existence in the
red-haired teen's palm and trussed Farfarello up securely. Just
as Farfarello was starting to manage to look startled, the
vines mutated and long, metallic thorns raked from the fleshy
sections of the vines. The thorns gleamed dangerously close to
Farfarello's face.
Koenma fell to the ground with a thud, unexpectedly
released as Farfarello had taken a step back in his initial
vain attempt to escape the plants.
"I did," said Kurama sweetly, "warn you not to touch
Koenma again." The Schwartz team froze.
Koenma groaned. "Why is it so hard to deliver a letter?
George, I'm going to kill you when I get back," Koenma muttered
under his breath as he got to his feet again. "Kurama," he said
softly, raising his voice so that the reincarnated youko could
hear. "Is this... a wise thing to do in public?"
Blinking, Kurama calmly thought about it. "This isn't in
my neighborhood."
"True..." Koenma conceded, sweatdropping. He looked
sharply to the left, raising his ki.
The hovering chairs which suddenly attempted to hurl
themselves on Kurama's head deflected on the barrier
harmlessly. Startled, Kurama looked up at the projectiles as
Nagi released a frustrated hiss-which turned into a yelp as
flames engulfed him.
::This is getting way out of hand. The Ningenkai isn't
somewhere I, no, we should display our powers freely.:: Koenma
thought grimly. ::What the Hell... things can't get any worse
can they?:: He looked at the shaking patrons of the café, who
seemed frozen to their seats. ::Or maybe not.:: he amended
silently. Reaching into his jacket pocket, Koenma gripped his
pacifier and shoved out with his other hand.
Farfarello suddenly found himself free of the restraining
plants as he fell ungracefully to the ground on his butt. Nagi
was shakingly revealed as the flames died away. However, the
teen was still unnerved by the brilliant blue-green glow
shining from the teen Farfarello molested.
"Enough," Koenma said regally. "Kurama, Hiei. I appreciate
your protection, but this is neither to time nor place to
display your-" The young god glanced significantly at the awed
crowd staring at them. "-'special effects' for the movie," he
ended smoothly. "I'm breaking quite a few rules myself in
getting your attention with the flare." The aura dissipated
instantly with his words. Bowing to the café management who
suddenly decided to appear, Koenma profusely apologized for
their disruption and paid for the damages. Kurama and Hiei
stared. After a tense moment, Hiei shrugged, deciding not to
take offense at having his attack cut off. Kurama sweatdropped
slightly and smiled, dropping his serious expression.
Turning to the Schwartz team, Koenma silently looked at
them and set his gold eyes on a still mildly stunned
Farfarello. "I have already fulfilled my obligation and passed
the letter to you," he said softly. "Whatever you do with it,
does not concern me."
::Nice save...:: Kurama thought silently, glancing at
Hiei, who showed his grudging approval.
::The humans might actually buy his half-cooked story,::
snorted Hiei in amusement, mentally communicating with Kurama.
::If they don't... I'm sure Koenma won't mind if I erase their
memories. However, those four humans who attacked him...::
::I'm uncertain of Koenma's intentions toward them as
well...:: Kurama sent back thoughtfully. ::This event is a real
mess... and it could spread back to my place as well.::
::Idiot... you should have left it to me:: Hiei grunted
back.
::Well,:: shot back the offended red-head, ::you were so
busy glaring at Schurderich that Farfarello would have killed
Koenma.::
::...:: Hiei didn't have a comeback for that.
"Hiei, Kurama, sorry about this," said Koenma, catching
their attention. "Let's go somewhere else to discuss the...
'movie.'" He smiled wryly. Kurama raised an eyebrow as Hiei
continued to look noncommittal. Without a second glance at the
four men, Koenma elegantly swept past them and exited the café.
"Hn." Hiei followed in a streak of unseen black.
Shaking his head, crimson mane swaying with the movement,
Kurama made to follow. As he past the four men who disrupted
their meeting he stopped and looked curiously at the one-eyed
man who caused all the trouble. The man stared emotionlessly
back at him.
::They really don't know, do they? How does Koenma expect
them to appreciate what he did?:: A small smile quirked
Kurama's lips as he quietly whispered loud enough for them to
hear. "It isn't every day," he murmured. "That a human receives
mail from the Spirit World-delivered by the son of Enma Daioh
no less. And yet your conduct towards him was incredible."
Rueful laughter sparkling in his emerald eyes, Kurama followed
his companions out with no further hesitation.
Nagi numbly noted the fragrant scent of roses lingering in
the air after the scarlet-haired teen. ::Special effects? Yeah,
and I'm the pampered son of a high-ranking, uncorrupted
official who has never done a single bad deed in my life.::
Farfarello was coldly puzzled. "Enma Daioh?"
"Enma Daioh, Lord of the Dead," croaked Schurderich in a
hushed whisper. He struggled to stand, smiling apologetically
at Crawford. "According to Japanese legend, he is the God who
judges the souls of the dead before they pass on to the
Underworld."
Farfarello's eye widened as the letter nearly slipped
through his numb fingers. "God...?"
::You can't be serious.::
Koenma was superstitiously wiping his mouth as he strode
down the sidewalk although he knew it was rather late for such
an action. His two Reikai Tantei walked silently behind him. He
wondered what they were thinking. Koenma's face flushed as he
heard the faintest suggestion of a chuckle.
Koenma was relieved albeit mortified, when Hiei questioned
coolly, "What is the problem now?"
"Well," Koenma said, "I need you guys to join up with
Yuusuke and Kuwabara in retrieving Kurei, the child of Lord
Ashura's Cerberus and Lord Hades' Kerbos. A youkai kidnapped
the puppy, and it's raising a lot of problems."
Kurama winced as Hiei blinked. Both of them recognized
the names. "I see..." came the low rumble. Koenma was
pleasantly surprised that he didn't have to repeat himself.
::Then again, Kurama and Hiei were always intellectually
superior to Yuusuke and Kuwabara...:: Koenma sighed.
"Also," continued Hiei haltingly. "Do you want me to wipe
the humans' memory?"
Koenma blinked in surprise. ::Hiei offering...?:: "Ara...
well, I guess... Thank you, Hiei."
"This excludes the charming four guys who assaulted you?"
queried Kurama, thoughtfully sparing Hiei from speaking again.
Koenma was silent for a moment. He sighed, knowing that he
owed them an explanation. "George bagged me into passing on
some family's letter to their son. I didn't think I'd actually
run into him... but, as you guys saw, I did. As for wiping
their memory... I guess it's up to you Hiei. Although," Koenma
said wryly, "It defeats the purpose of giving someone a letter
if they can't remember who it's from."
"I won't erase their memory then..." said Hiei curtly. The
sickly violet glow of the Jagan softly lit behind the
diminutive demon's headband. There was a short silence.
"Ne, Koenma," said Kurama. Koenma could *hear* the smile
in the youko's voice. ::Oh no...:: Koenma winced. ::I shouldn't
have wiped my mouth...::
"Did Farfarello give you enough tongue?"
Hiei blinked incomprehensively.
His face beat-red, Koenma half turned toward Kurama and
snapped, "Damare."
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-*Owaru*-
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