Tarnished Gold
chapter 5
by M.E.
Tarnished Gold
By: M.E. (Magnificent Entity)
(manda_hunter@yahoo.com)
Part Five: Aoishine
Botan listened carefully to what Kurama said as they sat on the park bench together. "So, what you're trying to say
is that you think your friend- Miku- is somehow being targeted by these youkos?"
Kurama nodded, hoping that she didn't think that he was nuts- if she did, it would make perfect sense, because he only had one thing that might make his theory plausible, and that was that the youko had been attacking Miku when he, Yusuke, and Kuwabara had arrived. Well, no, he actually had two facts that might make his hypothesis hold water- he had looked up Miku's address, and so far all of the times that the youkos had died (he had to remember that there were now three- Reikai clean-up had found another body last night) along routes between Miku's apartment and Meiou High."Well, if that is the case- you're sure she's not a youkai?" Botan paused, looking straight at Kurama.
"Yes- well, at least I'm pretty sure. I think she might have had a youkai for a distant ancestor, but she doesn't really have any personal ki..."
Nodding, Botan rummaged in the sleeve of her kimono, and took out a piece of paper, "This is a cop of the Reikai Confrontation Act of 1054, she's protected from any youkai attacks under it."
Jumping to his feet, Kurama was about to thank Botan
enthusiastically, when frantic beeping noise coming from her sleeve distracted him. Blinking, she took out a small,
circular compact, opened it up, and was assaulted by a whole bunch of angry jabbering that
Kurama couldn't quite understand. Sighing, Botan took out her oar,"Get on. That
was Koenma, it seems that another youko has popped up, and is attacking a ningen who fits the description of you
friend on the other side of the park."
Miku glared at the two tantei when they arrived. She had recognized Botan's oar, and knew that she was from the
Reikai. "Why don't you mind your own business- this is a private matter."
"It's in the Nigenkai. The Reikai is responsible for the
Ningenkai and as representatives of the Reikai we are
responsible for whatever is going on here."
"The... girl... is correct. This is a private matter, and under the Reikai Confrontation Act of 1054, you have no reason to get involved in an argument. We promise not to interfere- to any great extent- with the daily life of the Ningenkai," growled the youko.
Botan took a deep breath, "The Reikai Confrontation of 1054 only applies to conflicts between youkai. It would appear that your quarry is a ningen." She indicated to her Reikai Ki Sensor (tm). The little red arrow pointed, quite obviously, to NINGEN. "Any decedents of mixed ningen and youkai blood are also exempt of the Act."
Opening her eyes, Miku looked at Botan strangely. Sighing, she waved her hand, "It applies to me, I am a youkai- no part of me is ningen. Really, can't you just leave? I'd like to die with dignity, not wading through paperwork."
"But... That's impossible! You don't have enough you-ki to be-" Kurama stuttered to a stop as Miku's body shimmered slightly, becoming taller. Fox-ears sprouted out of gold-black hair as a woman's body pressed at the seams of a uniform made for the proportions of a young girl. No tail could be seen.
Gasping, the youko- Miku?- grasped her side and fell on one knee. The blue youko frowned, a look of contempt on his face. "Pitiful. She can't even shift forms without suffering from a severe loss of ki." He moved forward, stretching out his hand, the palm of which glowed a pale, sickly green, as he readied himself to finish her off.
"Stop!" Horror written on his face, Kurama took a step forward, then another, hardly aware of his body's actions. <'...what about the practice of killing black kits at birth...?'> The words ran through his head over and over as his mind struggled to comprehend the situation he now found himself in. Common sense battled with the forces of sociological instincts he couldn't even remember learning, instincts that told him to kill the woman slumped on the ground before him- see the black in its pelt? Kill it! Kill the evil thing! But the same instincts commanded to get down on his knees in reverence of the gold fur- sign of Inari's chosen- that mingled freely with the contaminating black.
By now he was standing right next to Miku.
"You too?" The question was a choked whisper, coming from a face hidden by loose hair. "You too, Shuuichi? Disgusted by the freak, are you? Going to help finish me off? They're right- they should have killed me straight off and saved everyone a lot of bother..." She struggled to her feet for the last time, and smiled, looking like as if she had suddenly achieved enlightenment. Still smiling, she lurched forward.
She was dead before she hit the ground.