Demon Tale

Demon Tale
5: Lost Boys

“I swear to you, it was Peter Pan!”

“Peter Pan?” Yusuke stared at the pretty brunette woman. Her name was Risa. She’d gone to the same high school as Keiko and remembered the case he once worked at said school. Now she’s come looking for his help for her own problem.

“Keiko told me what happened, but I’d still like to hear it, in your own words,” Kurama, who had accompanied Yusuke, said.

Risa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “It started a few weeks ago, I think. It was small at first like, my garden spade going missing or neighbor’s dog barking at night, strange sounds outside …. At times I swore I could hear little high pitched whispers in the night. I thought it was just me. But one night, when I was saying goodnight to my two boys, my youngest asked if I was going to say goodnight to ‘the boy in the window’.”

“Your ‘Peter Pan’?” Yusuke prompted.

“Couple nights ago, I heard the window in my children’s room squeak, as it does whenever it’s opened. Thank goodness that my husband had neglected to fix it! I rushed into the room and found a boy flying into the window!”

“What did he look like?” Yusuke asked her.

“He was small and beautiful…and frightening. He snarled at me, I could see he still had all his first teeth. And he was FLYING! It was Peter Pan. He came to steal my children away! You have to believe me!” The woman broke down crying. It didn’t seem like it was the first time she’d done so in the past few days.

“We believe you,” Kurama told her softly. He shot Yusuke a sharp look that told him speech at this moment would mean instant death. Yusuke remained silent as Kurama instructed the woman to pack her things and take her children to a relative’s house.

As they left the woman’s house, Kurama said to Yusuke, “Thanks, by the way, for coming. I know you’re busy in demon world, looking for that cure for Hiei.”

“Well, you’re my friend too.” Yusuke told him. Curing Hiei had become a priority in his life, but that didn’t mean he could just cut the rest of his friends off. “Besides, Hiei’s not going anywhere.”

Kurama granted him a warm smile then continued, “So what do you make of the lady’s story?”

“There was… something there. I could smell it. No aura left, though. My guess is it hadn’t been back for a few days.” Yusuke said.

“No doubt she’s been guarding her children, sleeping in the nursery,” Kurama surmised, “It will stay away so long as she’s around. It probably avoids adults in general.”

“But, Peter Pan?” Yusuke scrunched his nose.

“If I had to guess I’d say we’re dealing with a vampire, of sorts; one that uses illusions to lure its prey out. Peter Pan does seem oddly appropriate, ‘Come away with me, human child.’” Kurama sneered at the concept. “It’s a menace. Spirit World has even offered assistance in its capture.”

“Okay, but how? It keeps far away from adults and being demons, it’ll smell us coming a mile away,” Yusuke said a moment before a sinking feeling settled over him. Of course Kurama had a plan even before he’d called Yusuke.

Kurama grinned and pulled a small object out of his pocket. Yusuke looked. It was a very familiar pacifier. Koenma’s pacifier, or at least one just like it; the Mafukun. Actually, it was a powerful charm, designed to siphon off and store the holder’s energy. Consequently the holder would also be reverted back to a child-like form.

“How do you feel about reliving your childhood?” Kurama asked

Yusuke snapped back, “How do you feel about profanity?”

Yusuke would never remember how the fox talked him into agreement, but the next day they returned to Risa’s home, Keiko in tow. Risa handed the keys to her home over to them, before packing her two children into the car and departing for her mother’s house. As soon as they were inside, Kurama pulled out the Mafukan and without even so much as a, “are you ready,” he shoved it into Yusuke’s mouth.

Yusuke felt a heat wash over him, and a drain. It was like he was falling slowly in a warm bath. He wasn’t falling he was shrinking. Suddenly the room seemed a lot bigger. He was swimming in his clothes. And Kurama was looking down at him with the most adoring expression on his face.

“If you call me ‘cute’--,” Yusuke cut off his warning, appalled at the sweetness of his own voice.

“Watch it, darling. It’s your turn next,” Keiko grinned. Something told Yusuke that she’d been looking forward to seeing her husband as a child. Already she was pulling cutesy clothes out of a shopping bag that she’d brought with her.

Kurama nodded soberly and placed the Mafukan between his lips. Instantly, Kurama’s tall lithe form vanished in a puff of smoke, when it cleared a little boy stood in place. Only one word could describe him. “Cute!” Yusuke chirped in his cherubim voice.

“No fair!” Kurama squeaked back, “You can’t call me cute if I can’t call you cute. And you are totally cute.”

“Hey!” Yusuke argued, “You’re like 200% cuter than me!”

Kurama smirked, “If you want to talk about cute….” He pointed down Yusuke’s diminutive body.

Yusuke hastily covered himself with his hands. “It gets bigger!”

“Well, you two certainly SOUND like little boys,” Keiko laughed, “And by the way, you are both super cute!” She pinched their cheeks. “Now, you two change into your new clothes while I go make supper.”

“She’s cooking?” Yusuke said as she padded off to the kitchen. “You’d think with everything going on we’d just order take out.”

“Microwave meals; it’s late in the day but, she wants to try to enact the whole family scene.” Kurama hurriedly added, “In case the creature is watching.”

“You sure it’s only an act?” Yusuke whispered to Kurama while Keiko was fixing their plates—as if they weren’t perfectly capable of doing so themselves. “I think I saw a Disney movie in that bag of hers.”

“As long as it’s not the Fox and the Hound, I can go with it,” Kurama replied.

“Too close to home?” Yusuke grinned, “But seriously, you don’t think some of this is her subtle way of saying she wants a you-know-what?”

“Baby?” Kurama swallowed.

“Are you okay, Kurama, darling,” Keiko frowned, touching his forehead, “You look pale.”

“Just hungry,” Kurama lied.

“If you’re not feeling well, you should say so. I don’t want you battling some demon to the death if you’re not up to 100%,” She said as causally if she were reminding him to wear a raincoat. It was remarkable how she’d gotten used to these sorts of things. “On that note, how exactly are you going to catch this thing?”

“Koenma equipped us with a Spirit Net,” Kurama pulled the object from his pocket. It resembled a coin with a web stamped into it. “It will both capture the creature and null the effects of its power. Though, it’s a bit more complicated than that.”

“We don’t know what creepy’s been up to,” Yusuke added, “For all we know he’s already snapped up a half dozen kids. It feeds slowly so if he’s got them they’ll still be alive.”

“So, you’ll need to let it take you to its lair—or whatever you call it,” Keiko nodded. “Well, just don’t lose that net thing,” She said before she changed the subject to something more pleasant.

If anyone or anything were watching that night, they would have thought Yusuke and Kurama were children, and Keiko their doting mother. She made them eat their veggies and drink milk at dinner. Yusuke was fine with her act, but he had to draw the line when she was putting them in the bath and she tried to help him off with his clothes.

“Dang it, woman, I can handle this,” Yusuke smacked her hands away, “and do we have to take a bath together?”

“It’s almost 8:30. There won’t be time for you to take separate bathes before bed. And no decent mother would send you to bed without a bath.” She added, “And it’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”

“I didn’t need to hear that,” Kurama sighed.

“Oh, no! I meant like this, as a child,” Keiko flapped her hands in the air. “Yusuke and I grew up together, so we took bathes together from time to time. Not like you, honey. I’ve only seen you naked as a grown man.”

“Didn’t need to hear that,” Yusuke echoed.

“You know what, I think Yusuke’s right. You two are old enough to bath yourselves.” She retreated before she could dig herself any deeper.

“She’s gonna tuck us into bed, isn’t she?” Yusuke said as he started to remove his clothes.

“And read us a bed time story too,” Kurama followed suit.

“And along comes Kurama with a baby carriage,” Yusuke observed as he stepped into the tub. Kurama gave him a sharp look.

“Did you know Kuwabara as a child, too,” Kurama asked out of the blue.

“Nuh.” Yusuke told him, “I didn’t start putting his lights out until junior high. Seen some pictures, though. Thank you, Shizuru.”

“The ones when he had the shoulder long tube curls,” Kurama grinned almost laughing. “And his sailor suit uniform? He looked so delicate; I couldn’t believe it was him.”

“Yeah, he looked like Shirley Temple about to do a dance number,” Yusuke started to laugh. “Man did puberty do a number on him!”

“Nonetheless--,” Kurama stopped. His big, green eyes got even bigger. Yusuke almost asked what was wrong, but there was no need. He felt it too. They were no longer alone.

In that instant the high window in the bathroom flew open. A small figure floated in. He looked like a pretty boy-child wearing a suit made of leaves and moss, but Yusuke could feel the truth behind the illusion. Whatever it was, it was no child. He felt slimy just being near the thing. He knew that Kurama felt it too. He could feel Kurama trembling next to him.

“Our clothes,” Kurama gasped as he reached for his pants. Yusuke realized belatedly that it wasn’t modesty that worried him. The Spirit Net was in his pants pocket. Before they knew it, they were standing naked in a dark place that smelled like dust and fear.

“Wh-what?” Yusuke sputtered.

“We underestimated him,” Kurama hissed between gritted teeth, “He actually TURNED OFF our perception before he took us. Damn, I don’t even remember how we got here.”

“I think… I think I remember… flying,” Yusuke said. He felt like he was falling asleep, only without being drowsy. “And then there was this island… and a pirate ship. Can’t be; the sleaze must be pushing these memories into our heads.” Yusuke shook his head to try to clear it. It wasn’t working.

“But then how did we get to this beautiful place?” Kurama slurred. He must have been feeling it too.

“Beautiful?” Yusuke blinked once, twice. He was in the clearest daylight he’d ever experienced. They were standing on the edge of a lush jungle, overlooking a blue lagoon filled with buxom mermaids at play. Every warm breeze carried with it the smell of flowers, the sea, and adventure. Yusuke spun to find Kurama. The fox had wondered off a little to play with a patch of purple flowers. The tiny redhead giggled as a fine tendril snaked out and tickled him.

Yusuke was about to call to him when he heard his own name being called. “Yusuke! Up here, Yusuke!” The voice sounded so familiar. He looked up at the jungle canopy. There was a whole city of tree houses up there. It was getting closer. No! He was floating up to them.

“Welcome to paradise,” the other said as Yusuke floated up into a tree house. Yusuke recognized the suit leaves and moss right away as Peter Pan’s, but it was not a child wearing it. It was a small man with wild dark hair.

“Hiei!” Yusuke gasped, “You’re awake! When…. How?”

“The point is, Yusuke, we’re here now,” Hiei told him, “We won’t have to worry propriety, responsibility, or foolish interloping women. We can spend forever playing like we did that day.” Images of Hiei and he wrestling on the ground in the serenity of Mukuro’s garden flashed through his mind.

“Yeah, that sounds… good,” Yusuke sighed.

“Come here, Yusuke,” Hiei said. His voice was hypnotic. Yusuke felt his feet move outside his will. But who cares? Hiei was there, just a few feet from him. Yusuke felt so happy, but…. Something turned in his guts, this persistent feeling like he was touching something… slimy.

“No!” Yusuke shouted. He raised his finger. His entire body heated up. It felt like every molecule of his being was being pulled and stretched as his arms and legs grew, and he shot up to his full adult height. He fired his Spirit Gun point blank into Hiei’s belly. Never Land faded to black.

Later, Kurama explained. “We seriously underestimated this creature,” A frown pulled on Kurama’s cute little face, “Our intelligence never expected that it would have had telepathic powers. That’s how it knew exactly what to use to trap its prey. If I had to guess I’d say it knew our true natures the whole time. That is why it snatched us prematurely and why we didn’t wind up in pods. It was going to kill us out of hand.”

“Yeah. Seems like everything in the friggen world is telepathic but me,” Yusuke grumbled. He was small again. “But it screwed up, trying to pretend to be Hiei. I KNOW Hiei.”

The illusions cleared the moment Yusuke had unleashed his spirit gun. In Hiei’s place was a horror from the most ancient pits of spirit world. It was greasy smudge now. Kurama and he found the missing children, stashed away in gooey pods with no memory of what happened. That was for the best, really that kind of shit can mess a kid up. The spirit world officials had already responded and where in the process of returning the young ones to their homes.

“Yes. Interesting that it chose THAT bait,” Kurama muttered.

“What was that?” Yusuke started.

Kurama was saved, just then as Keiko came rushing onto the scene with all the bustling of a worried mother, “Oh my goodness, there you are! I was so frightened when you were gone and that net thing was still in the bathroom.”

“My love,” Kurama reached up to embrace her. It looked a little funny with him being a little kid. The effect would wear off by morning.

“Oh by the way, I found this one outside looking for you, Yusuke,” Keiko stepped aside. Yusuke almost thought there had been a mirror behind her. But the other was grown while he was still small. And he had green hair.

“Yuichi!” Yusuke exclaimed, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be keeping Koenma’s royal bed warm?”

“He sent me to give you this,” He handed Yusuke a folder; “It’s a lead on the cure for Hiei.”
Yusuke took a deep breath before looking into the folder. He didn’t want to get his hopes up just to get let down again. It was report about an old woman who claimed to KNOW what the cure was. The document included her current location. It was worth a shot.

“By the way, I was meaning to ask you,” Kurama said as they walked toward the exit, “You reverted back to your adult form to defeat the creature. I’m assuming it had to do with the Spirit Wave Technique you learned from Genkai.”

“I remember that,” Keiko put in, “It made her young again, for a while.”

“That’s right,” Kurama confirmed for her, “It has the effect of reverting the use’s body to the time when it was at its greatest power. But what I wanted to know was how Yusuke knew that it could work in reverse, making his juvenile body mature again.”

“I didn’t,” Yusuke laughed. “I had a hunch and thought ‘why not give it a try?’”

“What? You risked everything on a hunch?” Keiko squawked, “What would have done if you were wrong?”

“Get killed, I guess,” Yusuke laughed again.

Kurama started to laugh too. Keiko said, “Not you too.”

“Sorry love. I was just struck by the remarkable feeling of deja` vue,” Kurama said, “The three of us laughing in a warehouse after a fluke of a victory… ring any bells, Yusuke?”

“Yeah,” Yusuke smiled remembering. It was just like his first battle against Hiei. It was how they all came together.

“I don’t know about you,” Kurama said, eyeing the folder in Yusuke’s hands, “But I, for one, would take that as a good omen.”

TBC…