III. Cheshire fox

"I could get us out of here."

"Huh?" The words had interrupted Schuldich's gloomy musings and he didn't quite hear them.

"I said I could get us out of here."

"How?"

"Gate."

"That's informative…" Schuldich huffed. Ran's economy with words got on his nerves sometimes. He wondered if the latter's thoughts were just as short. He Reached out with his gift and immediately got an equivalent of a wrist slap for his pains, Ran didn't appreciate being Read without permission.

"Trust me." Ran said standing up and put up his sword back into it's cross-girth position on his back.

"Don't have a choice. Lead away, o Silent One!" Schuldich did always find words to turn the occasion to his advantage.

"By the way, how does that work?" Curiosity overwhelming fear, Schuldich was very inquisitive. In fact, it was his curiosity among other things that landed him in this situation in the first place. Such as lusting over his former boss' moll…

"Can't go into the details. Do you want out or not?" Said Ran as the tortured door made a loud creak. It wasn't long now before the lock gave way or the wood would.

"Hai." Schuldich found himself swept off his feet and suddenly the world turned inside out.

A moment later the door burst open to let the indignant Crawford and homicidal Farfarello in. They tore the room apart but their respective "Significant Others" were no where in sight.

***

Somewhere in a forest in the Makai…

"Why did you try to get loose? I said trust me!" Ran said with a glare.

"I wasn't trying to get out of your grip Fujimiya, I was trying to get cozy. Where are we?"

"In the Demon World, the Makai." Ran said distractedly. He had been in the Makai only a couple of times before, once in the company of the Urameshi Team and the other with his brother. He didn't know much about it except it was a dangerous place. He tried to detect any present hazard like stray youkai using his ki sense.

"Y'know we're almost like a pair of newlyweds in this position. You're the husband and I'm the wife. And since we've passed the crossing the threshold part, when's the bedding gonnaaaaaaa…" Schuldich bantered. The uncanny place between worlds had unnerved him and he needed to get his confidence back besides Ran was as fun to tease as Crawford was—scratch that thought out. Crawford must want to kill him by now.

Thud. Unfortunately, he had forgotten what could happen if he pushed it at the moment.

"Yeow!" Schuldich yelped as he found himself summarily dropped on the hard ground by an irritated Ran.

"Shhh! We're not even supposed to be here."

"Hey, that was your fault. Besides they think we've done it, we might as well…"

"Schuldich!" Ran said in a scolding tone.

"Will you stop it, we're in enough trouble as it is. Frankly, the only thing that stops me from leaving you helpless around here is that as a Reikai Tantei, I would catch hell, literally. I've already violated the rules by bringing you here. We need to find out where we are." With these kind and gentle words, Ran stalked off leaving Schuldich to follow if he would but pulled up short. He thought he had heard something…

"Decided to play knight-in-shining-armor for little 'ole me?" Teased Schuldich, the forest seemed ordinary enough and he couldn't find any reason to be frightened or in need of someone to protect him.

"Shhh…"

"You know you sound like Crawford when you do that. You've been hanging around him too much."

"Hn." Like I should be. Ran just glared at Schuldich with increasing intensity.

This was the state of affairs so that they were caught unawares when a net was tossed over them.

"Well, well, what do we have here, two red-headed humans. They'll fetch a good price at the slave markets of Gandara…" Said a red-orange youkai with numerous eyes and claws at weird places in Makai Trade Tongue. Schuldich goggling at astonishment at it.

Ran didn't hesitate, he drew his sword cutting through the net and before the youkai could evade or even finish its sentence, had it sliced into a hundred pieces.

"What the…" Schuldich also goggled at this development. If he had this speed before why didn't he use it? Weiß would have defeated us, if… His jaw had hit the forest floor in amazement so he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Hn. Let's go there might be more about." Ran said taking the pieces of the net off Schuldich, careful not to touch the latter more than necessary.

"Where to?" Schuldich said after a few meters of apparently aimless walking.

"Cave. We can go to ground." Ran said not slowing down his ground-eating lope, forcing Schuldich to keep up.

At last, they reached it. The cave was hardly bigger than a small studio type apartment on the inside. The entrance was hardly big enough for one person to pass. In short, it was a good hiding place for them, as some of the bigger youkai denizens couldn't pass through such a small opening. Ran waved his arm in a gesture before he had let Schuldich enter the cave.

"What was that all about?"

"Wards."

"Huh?" Since there was no answer forthcoming Schuldich looked around the cave. It showed recent occupancy. Strange furs were piled on a makeshift bed and ashes were accumulated in a ring of rocks under a chute hole in the ceiling.

"Cozy, how did you find it."

"Dead demon."

"Oh, what was that was that monstrosity anyhow?"

"Demon, youkai."

Confident about the prowess of his companion, Schuldich took time to wonder at this place. He called it the Demon World but that would be impossible. There were no real demons and therefore there's no world for them to populate. Isn't there? But what was that monstrosity Fujimiya slashed if not a demon… This is so confusing…

Poor Schuldich would see even more confusing things to ponder on soon.

"Don’t run, I have to do something." Ran started to call on the water in the air and form a warded ice barrier, he didn't know how Schuldich was going to react to his half-human half-reptile form but he didn't want the trouble of running after a fear-crazed human in the Makai. The wards on the cave mouth were for keeping out; these were for keeping in. He could catch the man immediately but it would provide the necessary diversion for all sorts of unsavory residents to take advantage of.

"Ra—an?" Schuldich widened his eyes and looked like he was about to bolt but the wall had been completed.

"Hn, that's just me." For some reason Ran's voice was seemingly coming from a distance. A mist was rising to cover him.

Huh, that couldn't be there. Schuldich blinked then it was gone. Standing in Fujimiya's place was someone of approximately the same height but not exactly the same build as the Weiß assassin. He was more slender, more sinuous. His hair was longer and spikier, the locks cascading to his waist and it was so white that it almost glowed faintly blue in the afternoon light. Bat-like wings extended from his back with scaly appendages. His eyes were still purple but the pupils had dilated to slits. His hands were tipped with claws and blue-and-purple white scales that faded to skin at the wrist. His feet were similarly scaled and clawed. Schuldich found the combination very striking.

"Fujimiya, that's still you right?"

"Hn." Ran's disappointment in Schuldich's calm acceptance of his changed body evident in his tone.

"Yup, it's still you. Nice." Schuldich said pulling close and slinky onto Ran. "Whaddaya say? Let's get kinky?"

"Schuldich!"

"You've been hanging with Brad for too long." The tone of outrage Ran used was a mirror of Crawford's own.

"Hn." Like I should be, and you've gotten me into trouble enough already.

"Hey, they think we've done it already…we might as well…"

"Shhhh…" Hissed Ran more convincing than ever with his slit-eyes but the sound that came out was more long suffering in nature.

***

"Are you sure that those are edible?" Schuldich asked Ran as he dug out some roots.

"Shhht." Ran had remembered more than he thought. He still knew that some of the flora and strange looking fauna were edible and had been able to provide for both of them. They had been here for a little over a day and no one had yet to come looking for them.

Ran was about had it with Schuldich's flirting and less subtle wooing. The German made the best of the situation Ran had to admit making light hearted banter and never complaining about the rough arrangements. The pleasant surprise Schuldich had been able to spring was welcome. Some of the edible flora was the same as those in the human world. Schuldich managed a sweet treat of the evening when he prepared them for dessert. He had also been a good housemate as well as being romantically inclined, sweet and fussy over Ran's comfort. The Weiß redhead grudgingly admitted to himself that if he hadn't been attached to Brad already he'd be tempted to take the latter's offer.

He was about to tell Schuldich to head back to their cave when he heard a rustle in the bushes. He whirled about to face them warily holding his katana in the ready. Out popped a greenish fox head.

:Konichiwa, Ran-niichan, don't you think it was a little extreme to abscond with Schuldich-san? Crawford-niisan and Farfarello-san were positively foaming in the mouth. I was almost too frightened to get rabies to ask them what had happened.: A good-natured voice said in his head.

:It wasn't my idea, I assure you.: Ran replied projecting the events of the hours into Kurama-chan's head. It was a good thing that the Little Fox was here. The kitsune-chan could guide them to the nearest path to civilization. Ran had no intention of facing both Crawford and Farfarello until they both had a chance to cool down. A century would be nice…

:So it was Schuldich-san's idea…: The kitsune-chan's voice was rather reflective, almost sad, but Kurama changed the topic before Ran could ask about it.

:Do you want to return to the Ningenkai?:

:No, I could have done that if I wanted to. I want things to calm down back at home before returning there.:

:Good idea, that, Crawford-niisan and Farfarello-san would listen to reason after they have calmed down some…in, maybe, say a week's time. Meanwhile, I think you and Schuldich-san could use some Makai hospitality. Adiago, City of Trees, is only a half-day's walk from here. Why don't we go there?:

:Hn.:

Meanwhile, Schuldich finally noticed the peering fox head and decided to investigate by approaching it cautiously.

"Schuldich…that's…"

:A friend.:

"A friend of mine. He's offered us the hospitality of his city home for the duration of our stay here in the Makai."

Assured that the strange creature was harmless, Schuldich proceeded to examine the protruding fox head up close by going nose to nose with it. Without warning, the fox head popped back into the bush. While Schuldich was pondering its disappearance, it suddenly reappeared body, head and all as a furry streak that tackled the telepath to the ground. Surprised, the Schwartz redhead lay on the ground with a twenty-pound kitsune sitting on him wagging all six fluffy tails in different directions.

:Why are you a green fox all of a sudden?: Ran finally asked what he had been wondering.

:The plant stuff keeps youkai from tracking my spoor.: Kitsune-chan said while cutely giving the laughing Schuldich a lick-bath.

:So aren't we going…:

:Spoilsport.: Kurama said affectionately as he allowed Schuldich to stand and dust himself.

:Let's be off then.:

With a green fox bounding before them, a Cei and a human walked the dappled forest path towards Adiago.

Review this Fic...