Hinote Kyou Mizu

Chapter 7

Six Years Later

“Oh! Hinote look at this, pink lingerie to wear under your wedding dress.”

“No, thank you Botan, but if you ever catch me wearing pink, shoot me.”

“Oh, why not? I think it’s pretty.”

“Then you wear it. No chance in hell I am wearing that!”

Amaya smirked. “That’s my daughter for you.”

Hinote smiled. “Besides, I don’t wear underwear anyway, it’s just a waste.”

Keiko and Amaya both gasped in unison. “Hinote!”

“What?”

Amaya shook her head and covered her eyes. “You take after your father, seriously.”

Hinote laughed. “What Dad and Ryu both go commando?”

Botan covered her ears. “I’m too young to hear that.”

Keiko shrugged. “Oh Ryu gets that from his father. Yusuke absolutely refuses to wear them, says it’s harder to get out when…”

“KEIKO!”

Keiko laughed. “We should ask Kaida about Kurama when she gets here.”

Hinote shook her head. “I do not really want to know what kind of underwear Kurama wears. Besides, knowing his Youko side, it’s a loincloth. You know, because of the tail.”

This had the group laughing as the door opened, Ryu walking in, crisp and clean looking in his business suit, suit coat thrown over his shoulder.

“Hello ladies. How are you?” Every female in the room, Hinote, Amaya, Keiko, Botan and Yukina laughed, ranging from Yukina’s snicker to Botan’s full belly laugh, all of them knowing that the Ryu they had known since the day he was born was walking around a newspaper office all day, sans undies. Amaya turned to her future son-in-law and smirked, her laugh quieted only a little.

“Hey Ryu.”

The newest spirit detective turned and looked at his mother-in-law-to-be, his face confused. “Yes?”

“How’s it hanging?”

This caused another round of laughing as Ryu scowled and shook his head. “Whatever you all are on, no more. Hia, can I talk to you real quick?”

Hinote stood and nodded, excusing herself from the room as she followed her fiancé. Amaya smiled as she watched her daughter and son-in-law walk down the hall.

“Keiko, those two will be the death of both of us.”

The other woman shrugged, closing her eyes as she sighed. “I will almost guarantee that we have grandchildren within a year.”

Amaya nodded and reached down to pick up one of the bridal magazines she and Yukina had picked up. “I don’t doubt that. They are worse than Hiei and I sometimes.”

Keiko nodded as the rest of the party all looked up at the presence of a demon at the door, the familiar aura of Kaida making knocking an unnecessary task. Yukina rose and let the air demon in, the winged apparition carrying a bundle of fabrics in one arm and a sewing kit in the other hand.

“Where is the bride to be?”

“In the backroom, with the groom to be. He wanted to talk to her.” Yukina spoke softly, as Amaya began laughing silently, as did Keiko.

“Yeah, they probably are talking about movies.”

Kaida looked at Amaya, rather confused. Keiko smiled into her glass of water, both mothers knowing their children’s habits as much as their children did.

“Movies?”

Amaya smiled. “Yeah. If you want her, go ahead and get her. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kaida dropped her bundles on the floor next to the couch and walked down the hall that led to the master bedroom. Both Keiko and Amaya smiled to each other, knowing exactly what their offspring were doing.

“Practice makes perfect, eh Keiko?”

“It really does Amaya, and they earn a Triple A star as much as they practice.”

At that comment, Botan and Yukina looked rather confused and Kaida came back in the room, red faced and silent.

Amaya smirked at the air demon that looked rather uncomfortable. Keiko was the one who spoke up, looking down at the dress styles in the book the Kaida had brought with her. “Well?”

“Never send me back there when they’re talking about ‘movies’ again. Ever!”

Amaya looked at her friend and smirked. “See or sense?”

“Sense and that is not what the wall is to be used for.”

This sent Keiko, Amaya and Botan into fits of laughter as Kaida distracted herself with her sewing kit. It only took a few more minutes before the sensitive ears of some of the females to pick up a quiet scream from the bedroom. Keiko laughed at the faces of Kaida and Yukina, and the badly concealed laughter of Amaya and Botan.

“Looks like someone enjoyed themselves.” Amaya snorted as she spoke, the next sound even heard by Keiko’s ears.

“That’s my son. As loud as his father.”

They all laughed harder at this, stopping only for a second when Ryu walked out, longish hair pulled back and disheveled. He smirked as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a small bottle of his favorite ramune from the fridge. “Enjoyed the sound show I take it ladies.” He looked to Keiko, his cheeks turning red. “Mother, that was not for your ears.”

“Oh, but we all heard that one. Demon or human, I think people in Osaka heard it.”

This set off the laughter again as Hinote came out of the hallway, hair wet and pulled up in a loose ponytail, the overly large t-shirt and shorts she wore obviously belonging to her beloved.

“No comments, Mom.”

Amaya turned her nose back in the book in front of her as the others in the room resumed their giggling. “I’ll shut up, this one time.”

“Smart.”

The female hiyoukai walked up to her intended mate and took the offered drink. She handed it back, making a face. “Bubblegum…Ew.”

He smiled, handing her the other bottle. “Yeah, Yeah. The only thing we disagree on. Ramune: Bubblegum versus Peach – the never ending struggle.”

“Oh you love me despite all our differences.”

Keiko looked over to Amaya and smiled as the water demon spoke. “Differences, there are what like five?”

“Seven, maybe eight, we haven’t settled into agree to disagree mode on it yet."” The couple came and sat down in the living room, Hinote on the couch, and Ryu right in front of her, the fire demon leaning with her arms on the apprentice spirit detective’s head.

Kaida, now over her earlier trauma, asked the question that was burning on her mind. “Seven, maybe eight?”

Ryu nodded as Hinote leaned back, speaking to the air demon to her left. “Ramune flavors, pizza toppings, some music, school – the masters or bachelors debate, what to do with free time, mecha anime, and reading material.”

Botan looked to Hinote, the hiyoukai stopping without mentioning the last thing. “That’s seven. What might the other one be?”

Ryu looked at Hinote who had suddenly gone quiet. His eyes questioned his fiancée, who nodded. He answered, hands wrapping themselves around Hinote’s. “Hinote is not so sure it’s a good idea for us to have kids. Our lives are too unstable with our work in the Makai. I haven’t yet been able to convince her that demon mothers have natural protection.”

Kaida, Amaya, Yukina and Botan all looked at each other, knowing that Ryu did not know the whole truth. Kaida cleared her throat to speak as Amaya shook her head, speaking first.

“It’s not going to be true in your case Ryu.”

The man looked at his mother in law, confused as all three demons in the room looked at each other nervously. They knew Hinote hadn’t had the heart to tell Ryu the truth about what could happen ‘if’ they had children.

“What do you mean, ‘in my case’?”

Kaida was the one who spoke to him, Hinote wrapping herself up in a ball, obviously uncomfortable. “Ryu, demon mothers only have natural protection if the father is a demon. Hinote is a high-class demon, but I doubt she is an A-class at this young, even with her pedigree. Two S-class demons do not automatically bring forth the same class. Right now she is a high B, maybe. She has work before her if she wishes to be of a higher class. You’re human as far as your genes are concerned. Your father is descended of a battle demon, a being considered a god. Yusuke’s powers his powers awoke fairly early. Yours on the other hand have not woken up yet. Unless Hinote raises another class, she cannot have your children. It’s not when Hinote wants to have a baby, it’s not when you want her to conceive with you. It will not happen until she is of a high enough class to have a child with a human or she couples with another demon.”

Ryu turned to look at Hinote who was hiding her face in her arms, which were wrapped around her knees. Kaida kept speaking, knowing Ryu needed all the information before his heart was broken completely.

“Ryu, you need to know these things, we should have told you before. And this part even Hinote may not know, but you should as spirit detective. Should you succeed in having the child you both long for, the bloodlines of fire, ice, water and battle may make for a rather powerful combination. If the child is too powerful and Koenma’s father gets wind of it, then he will forcibly take the child and kill it. You need to be aware, if the child is considered a danger, he may take the same action he did when your own father’s powers were awakened.”

Ryu barely listened to Kaida as he turned and embraced the woman he already considered his wife. He smoothed her hair as the other women in the room watched, the two speaking silently, the demons trying not to listen as Hinote spoke.

“I’m sorry Ryu.”

“Hia….”

“No, I should have… I should have told you.”

He pulled her forward and kissed her, lips pushing fully into hers. He pulled away, leaving both of their lips bruised. He held her closer, whispering in her ear as he held her close. “I don’t care about the rules, or Enma, or bloodlines. We have talked about having a baby together for years. I promised to wait until we were to be married. I want to give you what you want Hinote. I will some how give you everything you have always wanted, needed and more. I don’t care if it means my death. I will give you a child.”

She nodded, hugging her male around the neck. “I love you Ryu.”

He didn’t get to respond as the other beings in the room all turned to see a small white ball come in through the open window, cold steam rising from its glistening sides. Amaya, Kaida and Botan took a second to look at it as Yukina gasped turning to all of them, obviously recognizing the item. It glowed with a strange blue aura, the other demons recognizing youki immediately.

“Everyone, get down! Hinote use your ki and warm this room up! NOW!”

As she said the words, a great cold began to envelope the apartment, ice crystals quickly forming on the ceiling, falling near Ryu, Kaida and Amaya. The air demon began shivering within seconds, throwing her wings out to wrap around her form and watched as the tiny shards of ice that flew out of the orb scratched at Ryu, the light lines leaking blood from the cuts on his arms, thrown up to protect his eyes. The young human had backed away from his lover a bit and allowed his spirit energy to shield his body from the temperature change, his body unable to handle the oppressing cold of the orb and the stinging heat of his love’s hiyouki. Amaya had covered Keiko as the fire demon let her ki flare, warming up the room.

It was still cool as she let the energy blaze, unknowing why she had to, only that she trusted her aunt. The Ice maiden picked up the small white ball and handed it to Hinote, the younger woman eyeing it suspiciously.

“Melt it.”

The fire apparition did as she was told, melting the cold orb to reveal a thin and worn string, attached to a perfectly round stone that glowed clear and blue. Yukina backed away from the stone, eyes wide and confused as it glowed in the light, the temperature in the room returning to normal as the orb was destroyed and Hinote’s fire energy relaxed.

“It can’t be.”

Hinote looked at her father’s twin, confused. “What was that thing?”

Yukina shook her head, driving away her disbelief to answer her niece’s question.

“It’s a kooribomu. It’s an ancient Koorime weapon. Only ice maidens can wield it and it will kill anything in the vicinity with extreme cold unless there is some way to destroy the cold immediately. Normal mortal fire cannot destroy the demon cold from a kooribomu. Only a demon with fire powers can destroy it. The person who sent it knew there would be a hiyoukai here to destroy it.”

Botan looked confused as Amaya walked forward to take the damp string and jewel Hinote held in her palm. “You know the stone don’t you, Yukina.”

The Koorime nodded. “She is alive, Amaya.”

Ryu’s brow furrowed thinking to the story of Hinote’s first battle. In that battle, her own cousin, the brat known to her family and everyone as Harime, had died. His father, Yusuke, Kurama and Hinote’s parents had searched for the body. They had never found either the corpse of Mukuro or Harime, Koenma had also never told them that they had crossed over. The team had all simply assumed both were dead.

“You mean to tell me that…”

Ryu never got to finish his sentence as his communication mirror signaled him from the kitchen table, calling him into Koenma’s service. He walked over and opened the small device, seeing a rather excitable Koenma in the glass.

“Ryu, what’s going on. We got a report of a huge youki energy burst going off right inside your apartment and it wasn’t a recognizable signal. It seems to be a double layered. Who’s there besides…”

It’s my daughter Koenma-sama.”

There was some cursing after Yukina spoke Koenma turned from the screen and addressed his ogres. “I need everything you have on Harime and that energy reading. I need it twenty minutes ago!” He turned back to the Mirror and attempted to look around the apprentice before him.

“Amaya.”

“What is it, Runt?”

“Can you…”

“Yeah, Yeah. I know the entire situation. Are you calling the Daddy Detective too?”

The Junior Lord ruffled a bit at being called ‘runt’ but nodded. “I will contact Yusuke. I would ask that Kaida and you contact Kurama and Hiei. We will need the full team for this I believe.” A blue hand handed him a sheet of paper, and shook his head as he read.

“That was not simply Harime’s power.”

Hinote looked confused as she looked over Ryu’s shoulder to watch Koenma. The Toddler God looked up and calmly spoke, his voice moving into that of his teenaged form.

“The other energy reading, it was Mukuro.”