Kaku Ren Bo

Kurama sighed and shook his head. "We've got to be a bit more careful, it seems."

Hiei snorted. "I don't think so, fox. Give it a week, and she'll have forgotten what she was curious about. She's rather predictable like that."

Kurama laughed outright. "I think you're talking about Yusuke and Kuwabara."

Hiei grinned. "Perhaps, but I like Yusuke, and I get along somewhat better with the oaf. I don't like or trust Botan."

"Fair enough."

As they reached Kurama's house, Shiori met them on the driveway. She studied them closely before hugging them both. "I'm glad you're okay."

Hiei gave her a small grin. "Nothing can touch us, we're just that good."

Kurama facepalmed. "Hiei."

"What?" Hiei grinned. "It's true and you know it, fox."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "I'm badass and I know it."

"That song sucks. I will kill you."

Shiori chuckled, fully aware of Kurama and Hiei's tendency to talk without talking. "You two go inside and get showers. I'll make some hot chocolate. You look like you could use it."

Hiei and Kurama wandered into the house, not even blinking at the sight of Yusuke and Kuwabara crashed out on the couch. They split off, Kurama going into his bathroom, and Hiei into the guest bathroom to take a shower.

Kurama emerged first and wandered downstairs, smiling at Shiori when she handed him a mug. "Thank you."

Shiori kissed his forehead. "No, thank you for getting Suiichi out of there."

Kurama smiled and settled in the armchair. "It was no problem, mother."

Hiei snorted as he came downstairs. "No kidding. That city is less terrifying the second go-round."

"Hello, Hiei." Shiori said, handing him his mug. Hiei gave her a grateful smile as he perched on the arm of the chair and leaned back. "So, do you two feel better?"

"Yes." Hiei said. "I'm glad to have the last traces of that city gone."

"Hiei burned it to the ground." Kurama said with a faint smile. "I highly doubt Otokoyo will ever return."

"And if it does?" Shiori asked quietly.

"We'll burn it again." Hiei replied. "I hate that place. It deserves to die."

Shiori chuckled. "Well, I'm just glad you both are all right. I don't worry very often about you anymore, but sometimes something happens and I worry again."

Kurama smiled. "Mother, we were worried this time. We'll forgive you for being worried about us."

"That really doesn't help, Kurama."

Hiei just laughed. "He's too tired to be properly comforting."

Kurama snorted. "Yes, and you're just the epitome of comforting, Hiei."

"Hey, I know I suck at comforting people. I usually leave that to you." Hiei said with a shrug. "Why bother trying when no one believes me anyway?"

Yusuke shifted and gave a tired laugh. "He's got a point, Kurama. Most of us leave the smooth talking to you. You're good at it." With that, he passed back out.

Hiei looked at Kurama. "Five bucks says he won't remember this conversation at all."

"I am not betting against a sure thing." Kurama said with a grin.

Shiori just smiled. "I'm going to bed - I need to make sure Suiichi is all right. You two dont' stay up too late, okay? You both look like death warmed over." With that she hugged them both and left.

Hiei grinned. "If I haven't said it yet, I have gotten really fond of your mom."

"I realized that when you stopped threatening to kill her." Kurama teased.

Hiei polished off the rest of his hot chocolate and stood, yawning. "I say your mom had the right idea. I'm beat, and I want some sleep."

Kurama laughed. "I agree. C'mon, dragon. Let's get some sleep."

Shiori walked downstairs a few hours later to lock up the house and smiled when she saw Kurama and Hiei passed out on Kurama's bed. She could just make out the black spikes of Hiei's hair under the covers while Kurama was sprawled across the bed.

Behind her, her new husband peeked inside. "You don't want to walk in and check on them?"

Shiori had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She didn't answer until they made it to the living room. "I like living, hon."

------/

Kurama woke up in the early hours of the morning. He went into the bathroom (somehow without disturbing Hiei), did his buisness, and was washing his hands when he heard it.

"One, two, three,"

His head snapped up. There was no one in the room but him.

Hiei jerked awake and sat up, looking around with a faint frown on his face. Something had woken him up.

"Four, five, six"

His eyes narrowed, his sword in his hand. "Fox?"

"Yes?"

"Please tell me that was you counting."

Kurama winced. "No." he said quietly. "It's not."

"Seven,"

"Where the hell is it coming from?" Hiei hissed.

"I have no idea."

"Eight,"

By now the two were backed into the hallway, backs pressed together. From the living room, they heard Yusuke.

"You guys counting?"

"Nine,"

"No." Hiei bit out.

"Ten. Ready or not, here I come."

Hiei turned wide eyes to Kurama. "We need to get your family out of here. Now."

Kurama nodded, and took off, running for his mother's room. Hiei bolted downstairs to where Yusuke and Kuwabara were on their feet, looking around suspiciously. Yusuke's finger was glowing.

"Hiei, what was that?"

"I don't know. But we're not sticking around to find out." He looked up as Kurama ushered his mother, step-father, and younger brother into the room. "Let's get out of here and figure out what the hell is going on."

Kuwabara's eyes widened. "Yusuke, there's something behind you."

Yusuke turned, and jerked. The little girl was standing behind him, head cocked to the side.

"Found you."

Yusuke just glared. "Rot in hell, you creepy bitch." He raised his hand to shoot her, but she vanished before he could. Her laughter rang through the house. Hiei grabbed Kurama's wrist. Yusuke and Kuwabara were quick to join their teammates, while Shiori held Suiichi and her husband close to her.

"Found you, found you."

Shiori broke. "Leave my family alone!" she shouted.

"A life taken, a life found. I want to play my game forever."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Kuwabara demanded.

Suddenly the girl appeared again, this time standing in front of the entire group. "A life for a life. Kaku Ren Bo may be gone, but otokoyo lives. The foxes will play the game forever."

Shiori's eyes narrowed. "Like hell will you take my son."

'Fox, we need to get outside. None of us can do anything to stop her without leveling the house."

"I know. Can you three distract her long enough for me to get my family out?" Kurama asked, glancing at Hiei.

Hiei gave him a grin. "Please. Who do you think you're talking to?"

Kurama nodded, and turned to his family, Hiei moving to block the girl. He gave her a grin. "You wanna play, we'll play. But on one condition - it's just you, me, the detective, and the idiot in blue."

"HIEI! I said distract her, not get yourself killed!" Kurama yelled in his head.

"I have a plan, fox, chill."

"Screw your plan, we'll fight this together!"

Kurama forces his family out the door. He turns around, and suddenly runs into a wall of energy. He can't get back in.

Hiei glances behind him. "Why the wall?"

The girl grins. "I agree to your terms. Now - let's play."

"Hiei!"

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged slight grins before looking at the girl. "You know, it's more fun outside. Inside, there are too few places to hide and that makes it no fun." Yusuke said easily. "If you want a good game, it's gotta be outside."

The girl considered it. "Fine. How far away?"

"We'll make the parameters one block. It's not too far away, and it gives more places to hide." Yusuke looked at Hiei. "Sound good?"

Hiei nodded. "Yes. You are more familiar with this game than I am."

"Hiei, I swear to God, once this is over, I'm going to wring your neck."

"I love you too, fox. Get your family to Genkai's."

"Scratch that, I'll murder you."

"When you get out of this, you and I are going to have a very long talk."

Hiei smiled briefly. "Yes, dear. Now get your family out of here and safe. We'll catch up."

Kurama turned and started moving his family down the road, shooting Hiei a faintly worried look. Hiei winked and turned back to the girl.

"Now then. Once they're out of the range of fire, the game'll begin."

"Fine." The girl's head tipped to the side. "I find it strange you're not nervous - most people usually beg for mercy."

Hiei and Kuwabara snorted as one. Yusuke laughed outright. "Little girl, we've beaten things bigger and meaner than you and walked away whistling. We're not worried at all." he grinned at her, hands in his pockets. "So bring it on, and we'll throw everything we've got right back at you."

Kurama and his family flees, the fox looking over his shoulder every so often. Shiori places a hand on his shoulder. "He's going to be okay." she assures him. "He's strong."

He nods. "I know. Still, he's my pack." He's been the only family Kurama's really known, at least until Shiori. Suiichi looks up at Kurama.

"Why is she back?"

"I guess she has a thing for foxes." Kurama mutters. They arrive at Genkai's. "Stay here. I need to go check on the group."

Kato, Shiori's new husband, shakes his head. "No Leave the freaks to it. Stay here where it's safe."

"He can't." The group turns around to see Genkai standing behind them. "Kurama can no more turn his back on his pack than you can stop breathing. Go, Kurama. I'll explain everything to him."

"Thank you." In a flash he's gone.

When Kurama arrives back on his street, it's deserted. The girl is nowhere in sight, and neither are Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara. He frowned slightly, eyes scanning the street.

Hiei dropped down next to him, with an eyebrow raised. "I'm surprised the girl let you in. As far as I could tell, she'd barricaded the street. No one can get in or out."

Kurama gave him a slightly sardonic smile. "She has a thing for foxes. I'm a fox. She's not going to pass up an opportunity to get me."

"Then it means her death. By myself, I'm dangerous. With the two of us working together, we're lethal." Hiei jerked his head towards the trees. "Come on, she's just started the game. We don't want to get caught in the open."

Kurama nods and joins him in the trees. "Is she using the fake demons this time?"

"No. Just us, for some odd reason."

"Must be the lack of a set-up."

"Maybe. The thought actually worries me a bit."

Kurama nodded. "We'd better keep moving. If we stay still for too long, we run the risk of being seen."

"And your white fighting gi isn't helping." Hiei pulled his cloak off and draped it around Kurama's shoulders, hiding most of the white cloth. "You'll blend somewhat better with the cloak on."

"Thanks. Let's go."

They'd moved a fair distance away when there was a crash behind them. Hiei drew his sword as Kurama drew his whip. The girl stood a distance away, her back to them, studying the tree they'd initially hidden in. Kurama slid a glance at Hiei. "If we hadn't moved when we did, we'd have been caught." his eyes went wide when the tree began to blacken.

Hiei glanced at Kurama. "Fox? What's she doing?

"She's sucking the life out of the tree. She's killing it."

Hiei glances at him again. Kurama's slightly pale. Being a plant-user means that he's connected to the plant life around him. Killing a tree in such a way hurts. Hiei sighs. "So she's taking away our cover."

"And she knows that's where we'd instinctively hide. She's driving us towards the houses."

"But why? The houses will give her more places to look."

"That's the point, I think. She's drawing this out."

Hiei looks back at the tree. "Let's find out if that energy barrier is in place." If not, this was going to suck a lot worse than anything at Kaku Ren Bo.

They leaped onto the roof of the nearest house, ducking down behind the eaves as the girl turned to look in their direction. A very faint whistle had them looking around and spotting Yusuke and Kuwabara crouched down on the back porch of one of the houses. With a final wary look at the girl, Kurama and Hiei joined them.

Yusuke gave them a once-over. "So she didn't get you. Good to know." he kept his voice at a low whisper. "I think you know by now she's using the plants and ground to tell where we are."

Kurama nodded. "Yes - she killed the tree we were originally hiding in. Instinct had me moving us away from the area."

"Yeah, same with us. We need to get out of here." Yusuke said, looking around. "I mean, we need to kill her, but trying it here will cause massive amounts of collateral damage."

"I don't see how that can be avoided, detective." Hiei muttered. "Unless the barrier's gone down."

Kuwabara shook his head. "Nope. I tried it a little while ago." he raised his arm and showed them the rather impressive burn. "We're not getting through that easily."

Kurama winces as another tree dies. "Whatever we do, it must be done quickly." he says.

Yusuke's attention snaps directly to him. "Why?"

"What she's doing to the plants is effecting my power. She's using my connection against me."

Hiei groans. "Shit. She would be that talented, wouldn't she?"

"That is our luck."

Yusuke frowns. "Well, we could just all go after her. Like I said, the collateral damage would be massive, but it's better than having her kill you by inches."

"For once, detective, we agree." Hiei said, hand falling to the hilt of his sword.

Kuwabara snorted. "And that right there is how we know it's a bad plan. If the two most homicidal people on our team agree, it's going to get us all killed."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Kuwabara? There's still the chance we could die. This girl's playing hardball, in case you haven't noticed."

"Well, shit."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "So how about we try to find some way to get out of this without having to face her down just yet?"

Hiei gave him a look out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have something in mind?"

Kurama gave it some thought. "I might. But you won't like it."

Now he had Yusuke and Kuwabara eyeing him suspiciously too. Yusuke spoke first. "What?"

"I'm bait." Kurama said. "I'm who she's after, right? So, I'm the bait."

There was a pause. Then Hiei spoke. "You're right. I don't like it. I hate it."