Filler Two, Part Three

"What??!!" Mukuro said after Naoko and Kurama told her.

"You heard us. No one was there. No one. There was no indication that anyone had been there in the past six months," Kurama said.

"I don't understand," Mukuro said, "They said those people were there!" she insisted.

"It could have been the ki fields... Anyone could have made a mistake," Naoko said.

"Just great. Now we have to find them all over again," Mukuro said.

"Kurama-sama!" a young and cheery voice called out to the kitsune as the doors barged open.

"What the...??!!" the other two females said.

"Shuura!" Mukuro fairly shouted as soon as she saw who it was, "What are you doing here? And how did you get past the guards?" she said.

Shuura grinned. Then he stuck his tongue out at Mukuro and clasped harder to Kurama. Naoko closed her eyes a moment and then turned to Mukuro. "They're out cold. All fourteen of them. Not bad..." she said. Mukuro replied something in perfect archaic Japanese, which wiped the admiring grin off the Ninjen girl's face. Kurama looked up at them in the midst of trying to disentangle Shuura, who was looking curiously at the two women. The Japanese the youkais spoke was a corrupted version of archaic Japanese, but Mukuro seemed to have mastered the aristocrat's version of Japanese before the portals were closed. Naoko knew what she meant of course.

"Gomen, Mukuro-obasan," Naoko said, bowing deferentially.

Both Shuura and Kurama looked at each other. "Obasan?" Both of them were on the verge of laughing but remembering at the last minute that Mukuro was on par with Yomi and that neither of them were at that level they struggled to stifle their laughter. And I mean struggled. Mukuro did not look too pleased at their efforts though. She glanced at the innocent-looking Naoko and decided something otherwise. She merely glared at the youko and the kitsune.

"Classes were too boring," Shuura explained when Kurama had successfully managed to disentangle himself from the boy. "So I sneaked out and came here," he said.

Naoko's handphone at that moment rang. She picked it up and turned away from them, moving towards the open door. You could hear her trying to get the other side to calm down. Naoko was not one to get overly excited unless she was fighting. After a few minutes, she came back into the room, her face deadly ashen. "Mukuro-san, they found the traitors. They're holding Su and the kids hostage," she said.

*****

Fifteen minutes later they were at the small orphanage where Sukina stayed when she was not staying with her stepbrother. There was a sense of ki there, and also some signs Sukina had deliberately left turned on so that her sister would know that there were people inside. It was not a trap like the one in Akihabara.

Filler Two, Part Two

Kurama and Naoko were sitting down and examining several brochures when the owner of the cafe turned up the volume on the tv. Both of them looked up when they heard the words, "President of the Magical *sic!* Society, Daimon Scotts, announced today that Japan would be the site for the next terrorist strike. According to his aide, Wilhemina Rosencrouit, Japan has been known to have a lot of alternative beliefs, particularly concerning the demon world, Makai. There have been indications that some believe that the only way to get rid of them is to destrroy Japan. This means not only killing the people, but to wipe the country itself off the map. Japan authorities have been warned..." Naoko and Kurama turned to look at each other.

"It's begun," she said.

"We have to move quickly. We'll need to trace them and put a stop to it," he agreed.

"What worries me is the amount of propaganda they're making. They're bound to have people panicking," Naoko said, gathering her papers together.

"We can't wait for the shop to open. This is too important," he agreed, pushing away from the table and standing up.

He put some money on the table and waited as Naoko stood up and gathered the papers in her hands. She turned and lead the way out of the cafe. Neither noticed everyone's eyes on them, with the girls looking longingly at Kurama and the guys sighing after Naoko. Many of them were still staring after the door had rung shut behind them.

*****

In a small alleyway...

Kurama hit the door several times with his fists. There was no answer, but he kept doing that anyway. Both of them could feel chi inside the house, but neither of them knew why it was taking so long. After about two minutes Naoko got fed up and reached into the back of her overcoat. "Get out of the way," she said, taking out a silver-handled Desert Eagle and firing a shot into the door. The sound of traffic covered the sound of the blast.

As Naoko lowered her gun, Kurama kicked the door open. They could not feel any chi immediately, but their sixth sense warned of danger. Kurama took out a seed, but Naoko stopped him. "I've got a better one," she said, closing her eyes and looking up into the sky. An insubstantial form appeared out of her shadow and moved towards the door. After a few moments Naoko opened her eyes and glared at the door, as though she did not like what she was seeing.

"There's no one there. We've been duped. The place has been clean for a month," she said.

"Traps?" he asked.

"Plenty of them. All of them are rigged to steal the soul of the person who come in here. No, not ordinary humans. They're pretty safe. The traps seem to have been designed for Reikai Enforcers," Naoko said.

"Damn!" Kurama said. "We've been had!"

"There's nothing to show us where they went. Can I pull back my *Shikigami now?" Naoko asked.

"Can your Shikigami trace them?" he asked her.

Naoko shook her head. Then her eyes went distant as though someone was talking to her from far away. "She says that they seem to have been afraid of any youkai or Reikai Enforcer would come. The traps are rigged to them. Ordinary humans are fine," she relayed the message.

"Let's get back to the others. I don't like this. If they have been away for a month, why did Mukuro say they were here?" he mused while waiting for Naoko to pull back her Shikigami.

"Myabe it was not so much as her seeing them as they depending on the Chi field. It would have dissolved in a few more weeks. There seems to be signs of deliberate tampering so no one would know they were gone until it was too late," Naoko said.

"Isn't it?" Kurama said bitterly.

"Not until the golden Princess sings. And she hasn't. Come on. I want to talk to Mukuro," Naoko said.

Filler Two, Part One

Sukina was at the orphanage when Hiei stopped by. She was putting the clothes to dry when she felt a thump on the tree. Looking up, she saw Hiei scowling at her but there was nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was that he also wore a worried frown. His manner, as usual, was not gracious either.

“Have you seen Shuura anywhere?” he asked.

“Shuura who?” she replied.

“Yomi’s son. His father informs us that he escaped from his tutors. He’s probably running around here somewhere,” Hiei said.

“Can’t say I have. I’ll tell you if I find anyone who looks suspicious,” she offered, smiling serenely.

The jagan nodded and left. After three minutes Sukina turned to her clothesbasket and lifted a large pile up. She was wearing a mischievous smile. “He’s gone, Shuura,” she said.

“Thank you, Sukina-oneechan,” Shuura got out of the basket. “I’ll pass your message on to Mukuro-sama when I see her next,” he continued.

“Thanks. Just look out for my sister. She and Kurama are shopping in the Akihabara district,” Sukina supplied.

“Arigato!” the cute boy-demon jumped easily over a wall and disappeared.

“Onee-chan!” she heard the children calling. Apparently they were back from their trip to the grocery store.

Chapter Six

Naoko and her sister walked through the bookstore in silence. One of the advantages of living in the East was that the lines between the two worlds were often blurred. Thus, you could find books on the most surprising topics in very odd places. Naoko and Sukina were shopping for Sukina’s supplies. Though using parchment and quills were the order of the day, Sukina decided to use foolscap and rough paper instead. She did get a stack of parchment though, but no quills. Those were for her essays, and she had a way to transcribe her words onto the paper without using quills.

Naoko on the other hand, was merely keeping an eye on her sister and helping her carry her books. After about half an hour, they managed to locate all of her supplies, minus the cauldrons and potions supplies, which they could get from a nearby herb shop. The only problem was trying to identify the herbs with their Japanese names.

They spent their whole morning in that district and some part of the afternoon as well. Lunch was a rather giggly affair at a ramen stall. After that, they picked up their bags and made their way home. Not a word passed between them after lunch, the two sisters enjoying a rare moment of peace and quiet. They could not have looked anymore different.

Sukina wore a simple calico dress with her shawl pinned about her shoulders to keep it from flying away. She looked the very epitome of femininity. Naoko was wearing a pair of short ripped jeans, with red-and-black striped tights, a matching long-sleeved top and a sleeveless jeans jacket. The effect was her trying to look like a street girl.

As they walked through a quiet alleyway, several hooded men dressed in black robes surrounded them. Both of them immediately stopped, with Sukina turning to hide behind Naoko. The man was someone they thought they had banished, but it turns out that they hadn’t. Not enough to make sure that he would come back to haunt them anyway.

“Hello Princesses,” one of the black robes detached from the group.

“Rumen,” the girls fairly spit his name out.

“Nice to see you again. How are you?” he said conversationally.

“Let us pass, Rumen,” Naoko said.

“I don’t think so. This is the first time in years that I’ve caught the two of you alone, without your brother and the Sentinels. If you follow me no one will get hurt,” he said silkily.

Does he mean his people or us? Naoko telepathed to her sister.

Presumably his, I believe. That thought was accompanied with a chuckle.

“Rumen Astakoba, you are under arrest for defying Makai laws! Move slowly and no one will get hurt,” they heard an unfamiliar voice saying.

Rumen sneered. Turning, he saw two boys, both about 18 at least, with one far taller than the other. The taller one had curly carrot-red hair, while the other had slicked black hair. Both were holding weapons, although the black-haired boy was holding his hand like a pistol.

“Reikai enforcers,” Rumen sneered.

“That’s right scum! Now get yourself and your minions away from those ladies!” the black-haired boy said in crude Japanese.

Before he struck, Naoko and Sukina were ready. There was no signal. All three minions of Rumen struck. They were throwing chi ropes, obviously with the intention of capture the girls. The ropes hit a shield made of pure chi. Rumen stared at the two in horrific surprise. Sukina smiled at him. Naoko grinned. “Burn!” she said, and suddenly Rumen was engulfed in fire.

Rumen screamed and screamed, but the screams confirmed what the two of them thought. Rumen did not want to endanger himself by trying to capture the two girls himself, but was using the body of one of his men to act like himself. Apparently, the Enforcers realised that too, so they just shot the poor guy to release him from his misery. The others escaped.

“Are you guys okay?” they asked the girls.

“Fine,” Naoko grinned.

Sukina smiled bashfully, tucking a stray golden lock behind her ear. She knew who they were of course, as a matter of professional courtesy, if nothing else. “Thanks for coming to our rescue,” Sukina said shyly at them. She was still hiding behind Naoko’s shoulder.

“You’re Sukina Toriyama, right?” the black-haired guy said.

“And you would Yusuke Urameshi, Head of the Reikai Enforcers Team,” Sukina said. “The other would be Kuwabara Kazuma then, the one who can wield the Dimensional Sword,” she said to her sister.

“There you guys are!” they heard Kurama’s relieved voice.

“What took you so long?” Yusuke asked, looking at the newcomers over the girls’ shoulders.

“We got your message late. Did you catch him?” Kurama asked. It was only then that he saw Sukina and Naoko.

“See you guys around,” Sukina and Naoko grinned. Both of them left the scene rather quickly to avoid being questioned by any of them.

Chapter Five

Naoko and Sukina made their way to where Kurama lived with his mother. His stepfather was away on business. His younger stepbrother was Sukina’s junior. Sukina had been coming over to the house to mentor Hatanaka Syuichi quite often, so the family was used to seeing her. Kurama’s excuse was that the orphanage where Sukina stayed did not have any space, so Naoko was staying there for a short while.

Shiori Minami, now Shiori Hatanaka, was a sweet middle-aged lady who had done her best to raise her teenaged son after the death of her husband and before her remarriage. She knew Sukina and liked the young girl. Thus, she was not apprehensive at all at having the girl’s elder sister stay for a short while.

Naoko did not unpack, but she did make use of the bath. After taking her bath, she retreated to the room and read a book while awaiting news about arrangements to Hogwarts. Someone scratched at her door. “Yes?” she said, going to the door.

“I wanted to talk to you about the textbooks,” Kurama said.

“Oh, come in then,” she said, moving away from the door and sitting in the middle of the floor. Kurama was carrying a small stack of books.

“I’ve read through them and…” he had barely put the books down when Naoko began to go through them.

“Different Asian Monsters and Ghost and their Similarities... You’re kidding?” she said, putting the book away after reading it its title.

“Creatures of Lower Philippine Mythology, Explained… Nah!” she discarded another book. “A Beginner’s Guide to the Asian Pantheon… This looks promising,” she said.

In a few astonishing minutes, Naoko had ‘approved’ only three out of the ten books Kurama had brought in. It was also the three books he had thought suitable.

“Why did you discard the rest?” he asked her.

“Relevance and importance. Learning that the Asian Gods and Goddesses are intimately entwined with the culture of its people will give them a necessary jolt. Those kids need to know that there are plenty of creatures who live side-by-side with humans and consider them superior only in numbers and that they are capable of depopulating the Earth single-handedly,” she said, holding up ‘Demon Classes and a hierarchy- 2003.’ She picked up the last book she had selected.

“This will show them why Voldemort is not considered dangerous here and be a great distraction from you,” she grinned at him. Kurama sighed.

The book she was holding was, “Chi: A magical user’s guide and how it affects the world around you.”

“Okay, we got that part figured out. What about yours?” he asked her.

In answer, Naoko held up an A4-sized thick hardcover book with the words, “Cultures Of The World: A Summary” blazoned in gold on it. She shrugged when he asked her its relevance. “I’ve got something to refer to when I’m talking about other cultures,” she said. “Besides,” she added, “My course is not compulsory. Yours and Hiei’s are,” she grinned.

*****
Meanwhile…

A young boy sat listening to his tutors with indifference. He had heard this a thousand times and yet they were not satisfied. Indeed, they insisted that he repeat his lessons for them at least twice a day, and even then they were not satisfied. Shuura son of Yomi was bored. When his tutors finally decided to give him a break, he went in search of his father and if that failed, he would go to Ninjenkai and look for Kurama, who had once served as his father’s right hand man.

Chapter Four

“Welcome to Cat’s Eye! Oh hello Sukina-kun, Kureei-kun. The usual?” a petite Ice Maiden asked as a blond maiden and her dark-haired stepbrother entered.

“Yes please,” the blond girl replied as her elder brother took a seat at the counter.

She herself went to a booth in the far corner where a handsome young man was. He held a cup of steaming tea in his hands and was looking out the window, as though waiting for someone. “Konichiwa, Koenma-sama,” she greeted him.

He turned. What she saw surprised her. His faced was lined, far beyond his young years and there were unusual bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted and was on the verge of fainting. The weak grin he gave her told her that he knew what she was seeing. “Of all those whom I’ve known, you’re the only one I can trust on this,” he began, speaking in an ancient language.

“What is it, my Lord?” she asked him softly, getting his point immediately.

“We have known each other far too long for you to call me that. We go back a long time, don’t we?” he asked.

“Far longer than anyone suspects,” she answered.

“Have you heard of this man, Voldemort?” he asked.

“I have. He’s not that big a threat, Koenma-sama.”

“Not for long. I assume you know of the Crystal Rose Bearers?”

“Yes. We are all safe. No one except me and my sister know who they are.”

“Voldemort has found out about the Crystal Rose. He will be paying a visit shortly. I don’t want you to argue with me, little one, but I want you to leave the country. There is only one person in the entire world that that man fears, and until we find a way to neutralise him there will be no safer place for you and your sister,” he said firmly.

“That was not what Minami told me,” another voice said.

“You’re late,” Sukina chided.

“Sorry. Minami wanted to take me to Yusuke’s house but I insisted that we come here first,” her sister said, the words forming a melodic yet strangely military tone.

“Your command of the language was always the best among us,” Koenma said.

“Thank you,” she said cynically. “Now, who’s going to follow us to Hogwarts? After all, I don’t think you intend to let us run loose now, do you?” she continued, a smile on her lips.

“Kurama and Hiei,” Koenma said, and both the girls, who had chosen that moment to sip their hot chocolates instantly spit them out.

“WHAT??!!” they said, as Koenma calmly wiped his face with a handkerchief.

“They are the best, and they have the knowledge and expertise that would explain their being there with you girls,” Koenma said.

The next five minutes does not bear repeating. Koenma calmly listened to their tirade, before cutting them off. He was tired and wanted a rest, though any ordinary person would have seen a healthy and handsome young man.

“You girls have no choice. I mean it. You’re going with them. Kurama will be the new Defence against Dark Arts teacher, and Hiei will be the new Martial Defence teacher. Naoko will be the Cultural Relations teacher and Sukina will be an exchange student. No more arguments, ladies,” he said sharply.

Both of them looked at him. Sukina was the first one to speak, and her voice was oddly gentle. “Go home and rest, Koenma-sama. You need it. My sister and I can see to the arrangements,” she said. Her sister merely nodded.

Once Koenma had left, the two girls spoke softly in another ancient language. “You think our ‘guides’ know?” Sukina asked. Her sister merely shrugged.

“When do we move?” a husky voice said.

Naoko turned to see Minami, but it was obvious that her sister knew him by another name. “Hello Kurama,” she said.

“He’s Kurama?” Naoko asked in Japanese. “The Kurama? The one who stole the Heart of the Fire?” she continued.

“Heart of the Fire?” Kurama/Minami asked, perplexed.

“A small gemstone, as red as blood,” Sukina said.

“Oh that!” Kurama merely grinned at the sisters.