Mulder�s eyes traveled up and down the woman�s corpse, always lingering on the fatal wound. He didn�t particularly enjoy looking at such grotesque things, but he did possess an inexplicable, morbid fascination.

He happened to glance up at the crowd of civilians. In doing so, he caught the eye of a young boy. Mulder immediately recognized him as Shuuichi�s friend, the one with slicked back hair and hostile glare. Mulder rose from his position, leaning forward to whisper in his partner�s ear.

"Don�t make it too obvious, but look at that boy with the gelled black hair," he said.

Scully looked towards the direction Mulder pointed with his eyes, then looked quickly back. "Yeah?"

"He was at Shuuichi�s house, earlier. He�s that kid that made me suspect something was up."

The police photographers were done taking pictures of the corpse and her surroundings, and it was finally all right to move her. The policemen quickly covered her up, the press photographers struggling frantically for one more shot, and placed her in an awaiting ambulance, which drove off without its sirens blaring.

"I�ll let you know when you can examine the body," Ayakawa told the agents, heading for his own car.

Mulder nodded, eyes darting back to the spot where the boy had been. He looked over just in time to see him back away.

"Let�s go," he said urgently.

Yuusuke swore silently to himself. He had tried to blend in, but that strange man had spotted him nonetheless. He backed up to the outskirts of the crowd, then turned and walked speedily away.

He wished he could have gotten a better look at the body. He knew it had been unlikely in the first place, but had gone to the crime scene just in case.

And of course the FBI guy was there, along with some redheaded chick. Yuusuke still couldn�t fathom why that man was so intent on sticking his nose where it didn�t belong. Why couldn�t Americans mind their own damn business?

He knew he had more than a slight personal bias in the matter, but he didn�t care. The more that Mulder guy poked around, the greater the chance that Kurama�s secret might be revealed.

And darn, Yuusuke might just have to kill Agent Fox Mulder. He didn�t like him anyway.

"Hey!" came a voice from far behind. Yuusuke rolled his eyes. It couldn�t be� He glanced over his shoulder.

It was.

Yuusuke sped up. He heard Mulder babble something in English. Too bad for Mulder, Yuusuke never bothered learning the language.

"I thought all Japanese students nowadays understood English," he muttered. "I just want to talk to you!" he shouted, running after the lanky youth.

"Mulder, what�s he going to know anyway," Scully argued. "I was talking with Detective Ayakawa, and we both agree that this boy�s friend Shuuichi has nothing to do with this murder."

Her partner ignored her, keeping his focus wholly on the impertinent boy running away from them. Scully fought down a smile as a thought occurred to her. Maybe Fox Mulder�s reputation preceded him in this foreign land.

The teenage boy ducked into a restaurant. Mulder wondered why the kid was allowing himself to be trapped like that, but didn�t regret his good fortune. With a soft laugh of triumph, he noisily entered the building.

Some patrons of the crowded restaurant glanced up curiously, but most continued their dining uninterrupted. Behind the counter in the back of the dining room stood a sweet looking middle-aged woman, blinking inquisitively at the pair who had just barged into her restaurant.

Mulder made his way quietly to the woman, Scully behind him with one hand hiding her face in embarrassment. "English?" he asked hopefully. The woman shook her head, wide-eyed.

Scully tugged on her partner�s sleeve. "Mulder, he�s not here," she informed him, surveying the entire room.

"That�s impossible," he scoffed. "We saw him come in."

"Mulder, we�ve bothered this poor woman enough. Let�s go."

Mulder turned to throw one last suspicious look at the woman, then allowed himself to be led back outside.

The woman said something to the man, and finally convinced him to go away. Yuusuke straightened up from his position against the counter and stretched.

"Arigato, obachan," he said with a cocky grin, vaulting over the counter.

Yukimura-san smiled complacently. She had learned long ago that it was useless to force Yuusuke to go to school if he didn�t want to, so she didn�t pursue the matter.

"Please come back soon and see Keiko!" she called after the retreating youth.

"Are you still angry with me?" Scully asked flatly. She glanced at her partner in the driver�s seat, who was pouting.

"No," Mulder finally replied after careful consideration.

"We have enough information here without the input of a young boy. A young boy loyal to his friend Shuuichi," Scully declared, poring over the documents she had in both hands and on her lap. "Your friend Ayakawa�s done his homework."

"He�s good friends with Shuuichi�s stepfather. That�s how he knows so much," Mulder explained. "According to everyone who knows him, Shuuichi�s incapable of murder."

"Don�t you agree? You met him yourself."

Mulder shrugged. "I don�t know..."

"Mulder, just because he harbors a �big secret� doesn�t mean he�s a murderer."

Mulder glanced over at his partner, making brief eye contact that spanned a wide range of emotions and thoughts. In their line of work, he and Scully had certainly kept their fair share of big secrets.

"Let�s wait until we can examine the second victim," he said decidedly.

Yuusuke grimaced in disgust, shaking his head.

"I knew I probably wouldn�t get to look at the body anyway, but I didn�t expect that asshole to be there," he said.

Kurama felt the urge to smile, despite his current situation. Leave it to Yuusuke to judge people before he got to know them.

He sighed, the momentary mirth passing all too quickly. "That�s okay. We�ll find some other way to investigate."

"Investigate what?" a girl�s voice came from the doorway. Wearing a blue school uniform and short brown pigtails, Keiko stared at the four boys expectantly.

"What are you doing here?" Yuusuke snapped as his childhood friend sat down beside him.

"School�s out," she replied, meeting his gaze levelly.

"I mean here, in Baasan�s temple?"

Keiko shrugged. "I just wanted to see what you all were up to. So? What is this new case you guys are working on?" She glanced around the table. The only one who would meet her eyes was Hiei, and it was a murderous scowl that told her to butt out.

"The murders," Yuusuke finally said after a long while. "Those women who had their bodies carved out."

Keiko frowned in confusion. "I only heard of one woman dying like that."

"There was another one just recently," Kuwabara explained.

Keiko paled. "The exact same way?" she asked softly. They all nodded. Keiko tucked a stray hair behind her ear, trying to calm her nerves. "So is there a serial killer out there?"

"We don�t know," Kurama answered, "but having two people die in this same strange way is too coincidental."

Keiko studied her lap, her mind racing. She felt an inexplicable fear grip her. After all, the victims had been older than her. So far, she was in no danger. Still, she couldn�t help but have the ridiculous worry that the murderer, whoever he was, would come after her next.

"Does it have to do with the Reikai? Is that why you�re investigating?" she inquired.

"Sort of. The spirits never made it to the Ferry Girls," Kurama said.

Keiko blinked. "That�s odd."

"Not if there�s a ki sucker out there," Yuusuke interjected.

Keiko felt a slight amount of relief at the confirmation that the killings were more spiritual in nature than superficially assumed. It gave her a sort of security, since she was used to dealing with the supernatural. If it had been a "normal" killing, insidious murders only heard of in horror movies, that would have been scary.

"Probably from the Makai then, huh? Do you have a suspect yet?"

"No," Yuusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei said in unison, startling her.

"Damn what the police say," Yuusuke added emphatically. "It�s a load of bullshit."

"What Yuusuke is trying to say," Kurama said slowly, "is that I am the prime suspect."

Keiko laughed in disbelief. "You�re joking, right?" His face told her he wasn�t. "You, Kurama-san? No way."

"That�s what I said," Yuusuke exclaimed. "And that�s why I�m going to find the bastard and make him pay."

If anything, Keiko admired the fierce loyalty Yuusuke possessed. He never let his friends go through anything alone. Once he was on your side, he was staying there. Keiko supposed that was why her parents adored him so much. They knew he would take good care of their daughter.

Keiko blushed slightly when she realized in what direction her thoughts were headed, and stood up with her bookbag. "I better be getting home," she said.

Yuusuke rose as well. "Alone?" he asked doubtfully.

"I walk home alone all the time."

"Yeah, but that was before this psycho killer started butchering women. Come on, I�ll walk with you."

"You�re such the gentleman, Urameshi," Kuwabara remarked dryly. Yuusuke stuck his tongue out at him, but following Keiko out, was unable to follow it up with a punch or some other physical blow.

"So�" Yuusuke began when they had reached the bottom of the temple steps. "How was school?"

Keiko shrugged. "Same as always." She broke into a smile. "But of course you wouldn�t know."

Yuusuke gave a mock giggle, making a face at her. After a moment of thinking he commented, "You were pretty shook up when we were talking about the murder."

Keiko kept her eyes on the sidewalk. "You have to admit that it�s pretty unnerving. People killed like that, and so close to us�"

"You�ve seen worse, you know."

"Yeah, but those things happened in another world, not here."

"And not to human girls."

Keiko stopped walking and finally raised her eyes, filled with worry. "Well� yeah."

Yuusuke�s brows came together, showing his concern. He hated to see Keiko like this. She shouldn�t be afraid of anything; she should feel safe and protected. He hated even more that at the moment he was helpless to alleviate her fears.

But that would change soon, he vowed. He would clear Kurama and protect Keiko.

"Come here," he said softly, opening his arms in a rare display of affection. Keiko walked into his embrace thankfully, leaning on him as if her life depended on it. She leaned her cheek on the soft, warm fabric of his shirt and gripped his waist tightly.

"Nothing will happen to you," Yuusuke promised, resting his chin atop her head.

The small window in the examination room slid open noiselessly, a welcome convenience for the group. Why there was even a window in a holding room for corpses was inexplicable. Maybe it existed to bring a little light into an otherwise desolate environment.

Yuusuke climbed into the room cautiously. He glanced around, knowing at the late hour it was unlikely anyone would be present, but just to make sure. Behind him, Kuwabara entered with a slight grunt. Hiei flickered into sight beside him.

They had all agreed that Kurama should not accompany them on the excursion. It would help him most if he kept as far away from the victim as possible.

"There she is," Yuusuke whispered, pointing to a form covered with a sheet.

Hiei walked over and poked the body almost nonchalantly. "Let�s get this over with," he muttered.

Yuusuke gripped the sheet in his fist and pulled it off the woman. He fought down the bile that had risen in his throat in reflex to the stench that attacked him. That, and the truly unsettling sight of a gory murder victim.

Kuwabara cleared his throat, obviously feeling the same discomfort as his companion. His eyes were glued to her face, and he wondered how much the woman had suffered before finally dying.

But if Koenma�s assumptions were right, she had not been alive to experience the horrible mauling done to her body.

"Well?" Yuusuke prompted, glancing expectantly at his friend.

Kuwabara concentrated, summoning his sixth sense. He shook his head. "Nothing. No residue."

Yuusuke nodded, lips in a tight, grim line. "Just as we thought."

He stared at the face, the horrifying visage nobody wanted to exist and everybody couldn�t help looking at. The woman�s long brown curls pooled around her face. Yuusuke began to see Keiko in the same position, mouth open, eyes wide, body mangled. The same fear he had seen in her eyes earlier that day crept into his own mind. What if� What if Keiko were killed too?

What if he couldn�t catch the killer in time to stop him from taking her away?

Yuusuke mentally shook himself. Never had a case hit so close to home, involved those he cared about in such a personal way. But he would not let the personal interest become his weakness. He would make it his strength.

He glanced over at Hiei. The fiercely guarded expression on the diminutive youkai�s face told Yuusuke that he had the same line of thought.

Hiei studied the victim as well, but instead of seeing Keiko he saw Kurama. He felt hot anger flare up in his chest, that someone would dare frame Kurama for such an unspeakable crime. He knew his longtime friend was not capable of doing this. He was the surest of the entire group, Kurama included.

"Is Kurama a ki-sucker?" Kuwabara wondered aloud, making Hiei�s head snap up.

"No," the Koorime growled menacingly. "Not like this. He didn�t do it," he added through gritted teeth. He couldn�t believe that Kuwabara even suspected Kurama of killing those women!

Kuwabara blinked, slightly taken aback by Hiei�s reaction. Making it seem like he suspected Kurama was not his intent. On the contrary, he was trying to find a way to clear his friend. Apparently Hiei took it the wrong way and would do Kuwabara bodily harm if he pursued it.

Kuwabara couldn�t help but sense something different in Hiei, something affected by the current situation. Naturally, he felt concern for his best friend�s plight. Despite his stoic countenance, Kuwabara felt his inner turmoil. It seemed that the superficial sensation of tears was making itself known inside the little youkai�s heart.

It didn�t really surprise Kuwabara all that much. He had witnessed firsthand that Hiei was actually able to have emotions just like anyone else, especially with Kurama and Yukina.

Kuwabara frowned slightly. He had always wondered why the shrimp paid so much attention to Yukina. If Kurama was his best friend, that would mean�

No, it couldn�t be�

Hiei�s...

Was Hiei in love with Yukina?

He had no time to find the answer to that question as the room was suddenly flooded with light.

Mulder and Scully automatically whipped out their guns in response to the startled cries. They had not expected anyone to be in the victim�s holding room. Especially since the night guard had told them the place would be empty.

Mulder lowered his weapon when he saw faces he recognized. His mouth hung open in disbelief that those kids would actually break in to a dead woman�s room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded. His partner lowered her gun as well, looking at Mulder questioningly.

The boy with slicked back hair, Scully recognized from earlier. He was the kid who didn�t understand English. He shouted something back in Japanese, which neither she nor Mulder understood.

"They�re all Shuuichi�s friends," Mulder told Scully. "I saw them all earlier today."

Mulder took out his trusty dictionary again, prompting a loud groan from the boy and another string of Japanese words.

"English! English!" Yuusuke cried desperately. He didn�t care if he only knew all of two words in the damned language; anything to keep that man from speaking in Japanese again!

"I thought you didn�t know English," Mulder said suspiciously, tucking the book back into his coat pocket.

"A little," Yuusuke replied, rolling his eyes to the side.

"What about you two?" Scully asked, glancing at the boy�s companions.

Kuwabara shrugged. "A little." Hiei snorted and turned away.

"I can help with that," a new voice came from the window. All five glanced over and saw a girl wearing a blue ponytail climb inside.

"Botan?" Yuusuke asked. "Why are you here?"

"Kurama and Koenma-sama were worried that you guys would get caught," she said, eyes darting over to the two agents. "I guess I was too late."

"Uh� You can help with what?" Mulder interrupted, breaking the Japanese conversation and trying to bring the attention back to English.

"Oh," Botan exclaimed, laughing at herself. "I meant with the English."

"You speak English?" Kuwabara inquired.

Botan nodded. "A Ferry Girl�s gotta know every language if she wants to make the souls feel comfortable," she explained with a smile.

"My name is Botan," she went on in English, turning back to the Americans.

"My name is Agent Fox Mulder, from the FBI, and this is Agent Dana Scully," Mulder answered.

The blue haired girl nodded, repeating the names quickly to her friends. "This is Yuusuke Urameshi," she began, pointing at the rude boy, "this is Kazuma Kuwabara, and that is Hiei," she finished, gesturing to the small boy with his back turned.

"Why are kids so interested in this murder case?" Mulder inquired curiously.

"Why are Americans?" Botan returned readily.

Mulder and Scully glanced at each other. Scully took a deep breath.

"We�re with a special division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called the X-Files," she began. "Actually, we make up the entire division. We investigate the strange, inexplicable situations that occur, often finding a feasible explanation for such phenomena." Her eyes traveled knowingly to her partner. "Sometimes these investigations take us to different locations on the globe, such as Japan."

Finished with her speech, her crystal blue eyes met and held the young girl Botan�s gaze. Something about Botan unnerved her, sent a chill through her spine. As if she were in the presence of a ghost. Which was ridiculous, because ghosts didn�t exist.

Botan relayed a summary of what Scully said to her friends. Yuusuke asked a question, which Botan translated for the agents.

"Why do you think this case is supernatural?"

"Isn�t it obvious?" Mulder replied.

"If you mean the way those women were killed, it�s unusual but not necessarily your field of expertise. It could just be some sick mind getting his kicks."

"Like I said, Botan, usually our cases result in a �rational� explanation, one like you just described," Scully explained.

"Or it could have nothing to do with a sick mind and have more to do with a creature who consumes ki," Mulder interjected. Scully gave her partner a sidelong glance.

Botan blinked, obviously taken aback by the man�s knowledge of the ki disappearance. She turned and told Yuusuke and the others of Mulder�s revelation. Yuusuke gave out an astonished shout and demanded that Botan find out how much they knew.

The young Botan turned back to Mulder. "How do you know about life energy?" she inquired curiously.

"I�ve been doing my research," Mulder answered. "Am I right about the ki drainer?"

Botan shrugged vaguely. "I couldn�t tell you. Have you spoken to anyone about your theories?"

"Actually, yes. I�ve spoken to the mortician who performed the autopsy, and he has informed me that the first victim�s life energy was completely diminished. I have also found out that that is abnormal for a �natural� death."

The girl turned again and translated for the boys. The large carrot top, Kazuma, spoke up this time.

Botan swallowed and took a minute before continuing. "My friends say it�s the same situation with this victim," she told them.

Mulder looked over at Scully, his trademark "I told you so," and returned his attention to Botan with tirumph in his eyes. "The woman�s ki was drained."

"It would appear so, yes."

"I think it would be beneficial to all of us involved if we openly shared our information -- all of it -- with each other and joined forces," Scully interposed. "We can solve this case a lot more quickly and, hopefully, a lot more thoroughly."

"So we�ve told you where we�re from and why we�re here," Mulder said. "Why don�t you and your friends do the same?"

Botan sighed. "It�s only fair, I suppose." She took a deep breath. Mulder practically lunged forward, anxious to hear who these strange people really were.

"Shuuichi Minamino is a dear, very close friend of ours," she explained. "We all know in our hearts that he did not commit these murders, despite the evidence against him. We are working to find proof that Shuuichi did not do it."

Mulder�s heart sank. He knew there was definitely more to the story, but they weren�t willing to talk. Yet. "This ki drainer theory we�ve been discussing. Shouldn�t that be enough to prove your friend innocent?" Or maybe Shuuichi�s secret had something to do with that all along. Maybe Botan would drop some clues.

Botan averted her eyes slightly, just like Shuuichi had done during their interview. "Not everyone in the police department is so open-minded as you or the doctor, Agent Mulder," Botan answered, which was the truth. "They are looking for a tangible culprit, one who can atone for their crimes in court. They can�t spend their time chasing a possibly existent ghost."

Besides, Botan added silently, bringing up the ki issue would not necessarily exonerate Kurama. The police could still investigate him, and with the new information might dig deeper and find out about Kurama�s origins. Very unlikely, but possible. The main goal was to protect Kurama, not expose him.

"How did you detect this victim�s life force, or lack thereof, I should say?" Scully queried.

Botan gestured to Kazuma. "He can sense a person�s energy. I guess a type of sixth sense or something. It works with ghosts too."

"Ghosts." Scully didn�t know whether to view Kazuma as a valuable investigating tool or ship him off to the nearest nuthouse. "He sees ghosts."

"No, of course not," Botan replied with a scoff. "He feels their presence. He talks to them."

Scully�s eyebrows shot up. "Oh, that makes so much more sense."

"Here�s my telephone number," Mulder said, handing Botan a business card with his cell phone number scrawled on the back. "Give me a call if you kids find out anything more."

"You tell us if you find out anything more too," Botan returned, accepting the piece of paper.

"How do we get in touch with you?" Scully asked as the four turned to leave.

Botan turned with a mysterious expression. "You don�t," she said simply. Inside, she was giggling madly. She had always wanted to be a Supersecret Agent Spy!

Scully seemed as if she hadn�t even realized the encounter had taken place. She stoically put on surgical scrubs and set to work examining the victim. Mulder went over to the window the kids had climbed out of. Looking down at the ground, he noticed two of the boys just reaching the ground, hopping off the climbing rope they had used. However, the blue-haired girl and the gothic little boy were nowhere to be found.

Scully unlocked the door to her motel room and entered, never happier to see one of those dingy beds. She threw her keys and coat on the nearby table, sighing loudly. The eventful day had exhausted her.

She sat down on said dingy bed and kicked off her shoes, wondering idly where Mulder had gone. He had dropped her off at the motel and then sped off in the car, leaving her without an explanation nor transportation. The latter she didn�t mind, since she was going to crawl under the covers and go to sleep anyway.

She knew Mulder wouldn�t be out investigating. Despite their many conflicts, they always worked as a team. And Scully was sure her partner was as mentally worn out as she was.

He was probably clearing his mind, she decided. Or chasing those poor kids again. But Scully had to admit those kids were hiding something, just like Mulder had been insisting. That they wanted to protect their friend from persecution was only a fraction of their ultimate motive, she was sure of it. No kids would be so loyal to their friend as to investigate on their own, unless they actually had the power to make it mean something.

Did they? Could they find the real killer?

They seemed awfully young to be a vigilante group.

Scully smiled to herself and fell back on the bed, closing her eyes. She tried to force herself to get back up. If she didn�t she would fall asleep in the pantsuit she had been wearing all day, a thirty-four hour day which involved a trans-Pacific airline flight, two autopsies, an encounter with the Smoking Man which she still hadn�t told Mulder about, and a meeting with some weird natives.

Oy vey.

She had finally convinced herself to stay awake at least through a shower when a chill shot up her spine, her eyes flying open.

Sitting up and surveying the room, she found nothing out of place. But that chill was so jarring, it was not just her imagination.

She drew out her gun and pulled back the hammer, all thoughts of sleep gone from her mind. She checked the entire room again, then went back into the bathroom.

She hurriedly flicked on the switch, flooding the tiny room with light. The light comforted her, made her feel as if the elusive stalker had been scared away by the brightness.

"Mulder?" she called doubtfully. "This better not be your idea of a practical joke."

Her heart hammered wildly in her ears, and Scully desperately tried in vain to stop the pounding. It made it impossible to hear any other noises.

Like an approaching�

Scully whirled, gun aimed slightly shakily. She could have sworn there was someone -- something -- behind her.

"This is insane," she muttered. She wasn�t sure if she was talking about the situation or about herself. Her breath slowed and practically stilled completely, ready to detect even the slightest movement.

She repeatedly scanned each corner of the room. Every light was now blazing, scaring off most of the shadows. Only the small closet space remained partially dimmed.

Every time Scully�s eyes landed on that area, her blood turned cold. Somehow, she knew that was the source of the threat, those lingering shadows. She also knew her gun was useless. She couldn�t shoot what she couldn�t see� or what she wasn�t even sure was there.

She inched closer to the back of the room where the closet rod hung, although her body was screaming to turn the other way and run. As she neared she felt increasingly suffocated, as if a large wool scarf were being wrapped slowly around her head. A throbbing pain began in her heart and spread through her entire abdominal area. It seemed as if her body would burst open with the pressure.

She was almost there�

A car door slammed outside, and she whirled her head around to see Mulder had returned from his trip.

Suddenly the shadows were merely shadows again, the pressure on her body completely diminished. Scully took a deep, full breath, filling her lungs with air.

What the hell had just happened?

• To part 3
• E-mail author
• Back to the Houmon no Shi index