Twisted Perception: Chapter Three

by LilyLovesGoths

Yusuke walked throughout the crowd asking everyone around his age if they knew a girl named Yumi. This was unfortunate because as it turned out even some of the girls he asked were named Yumi. "This freaking sucks and I'm getting no where. I need more to go on than a name, hair and eye color, and guess of height. The girl sounds like every other girl around here with dark hair," he thought to himself as he walked.

Kuwabara was having even less luck than Yusuke, if that was even possible. It was like no one noticed Kurama and a girl. Considering that lots of people where here on dates it wasn't that shocking that people didn't take notice. Kuwabara's break came at last when he asked a couple that was just 2 years older than Kuwabara.

 "So you saw Shuichi with a girl? Did you see which way they went? My friends and I are looking for Shuichi. The jerk was supposed to meet us here," Kuwabara said in the calmest voice he could muster. He was really worried but wasn't going to let these people know.

 The man gave a nod before saying, "She was lovely, it's not wonder Shuichi avoids dating if he's got a girlfriend like that."

As soon as the words were out the girl was glaring at her boyfriend, clearly insulted. The guy picked up on it and raised his hands in the air laughing faintly, "I didn't mean she was prettier than you Emi, honest. You are thousands time's prettier than she is."

The girl went on to say something, but Kurama paid no attention. "Man this guy is whipped. So they did see him with her. Too bad this guy's girlfriend got all offended then maybe I'd of gotten some real answers," Kuwabara thought to himself.  "Hey did you see which way they went or overhear what they were talking about," Kuwabara didn't even care that he had just interrupted the guy trying to make his way out of the doghouse.

Kuwabara's voice was serious, yet calm and took the two by surprise as if they had forgotten that he was there in the first place. This time it was the girl who nodded. She smiled and pointed down one of the side streets before telling him, "She was holding onto him pretty tight. Almost like she thought he'd run away from her if she let go or something. Something must have spooked her badly or something. He kept telling her he'd walk her home and it'd be okay. I didn't think much of it but that girl had a creepy little smile on her face."

Kuwabara could only nod and mutter, "Thanks," before his feet were heading down the side street. He had found a lead he would waste no time following it. The side street met up with another street leaving him slightly confused about where to go. He had came across a residential district and was now not sure where to go. He looked around for someone to question, but this street seemed nearly deserted.

"Oh man come on," Kuwabara complained to himself, "How am I supposed to find you Kurama if you didn't leave me any clues. Man you really must trust this girl. I hope she's okay." Kuwabara wasted no more time and flipped open his cellphone, pressed 2 and hit call. A few rings later he was talking into the reciever, "Hey Urameshi, I had a lead but it didn't go far. Come give me a hand."

------------------Meanwhile------------------

Kurama's night was spent trying to come up with some sort of plan and determining  the situation he seemed to have found himself in. He knew one thing for certain, no matter what was going on, nothing was what it seemed.

Kurama had heard some movement from Yumi's cage and pretended to be asleep, even imitating soft little snores this time around. To his relief she said nothing to him even after the faint sound of what sounded like something latching or locking, he was unsure which.

Sometime between that moment and the sun's rays hitting his face slightly as they shown through the tiny window at the top of one of the walls, he had drifted into sleep. The sound of the door opening awakened him and his eyes flew open. He stood up quickly without even thinking about it and faced the door.

Sure enough his jailer was standing in the doorway. She looked as hateful as she had the first time he had saw her. She walked over to Yumi's cage and grabbed her up by her hair the room leaving a faint, near invisible trail of tears.

Kurama was horrified, confused, and angry. "None of this makes any sense. How is it that one moment she is cruel, the next wishing to help me escape, and then back to being cruel?"  Then the thought hit him, "Yumi may or may not have been in the room when that woman was here speaking to me. Maybe she is just a puppet."

Kurama continued to try to figure out the situation for a good 20 minutes or more before the woman returned, without Yumi. She rushed over to him and disarmed the barrier that had caged him. He stared at her in slight shock until she spoke, "You need to get out now. She's working faster than expected. I've been sent to collect you."

Kurama was totally confused and stayed still for a moment, mostly because he had no idea how to get out. The woman gave a faint nervous laugh before saying, "Right you have no idea where you're going. I'll take you as far as I can." With that said she turned and ran out the door. Without hesitation Kurama followed.

"Even if she is leading me to a trap I should be able to tap into my energy and get out of whatever they throw at me," Kurama thought to himself as the two of them ran down the long corridor that seemed endless.

Finally, after running in silence for what felt like an eternity, they came to a T in the path. The woman stopped dead in her tracks, causing Kurama to run right into her. His reflexes were quick enough to catch her before she toppled to the ground. She 'returned’ his kindness by pushing him into a wall.

She quickly made her way around the corner and was greeted by the voice of a male, "Katou! Your sister is looking for you. She sent me to find your worthless ass and give you a taste of your own medicine." 

Kurama kept his back against the wall, unsure what they hell was happening and he stayed there until he heard the girl he now knew was named Katou let out a little scream before flying backwards now back into view. She had a slight amount of blood running out of the corner of her mouth. The man stepped closer and grabbed her by her arm before pushing her to the ground beside the small pool of blood that had escaped her body when he had hit her. 

"Clean it up, slut. Then go get your sister's new play toy," He shouted at her before turning and walking away, totally oblivious that Kurama had watched/listened in horror as he abused Katou. Katou waited until the man disappeared into a doorway to attempt to get up.

She got up onto her hands and knees and Kurama rushed over to help her up gently. Katou gave him a small smile before muttering, "Thanks," to him.  She wiped the blood from her mouth before grabbing some towels from a door that was marked 'Clean-Up Station' and used them to soak up her blood.

Kurama couldn't help but wonder why she obeyed without as much as a word. She had said nothing to the man even as he punched her. "Nothing is as it seems, clearly," was the only true thought that appeared to Kurama.

Katou placed the bloodied towels in a basket before turning her attention back to Kurama          and whispering, "Let’s get you out of here." Kurama could only nod as she took off again, in the opposite direction the man had went, this time at a slower pace due to her now injured abdomen.

At the end of the hallway was a door. Katou pushed it open but did not step outside. Instead she looked to Kurama and sadly informed him, "I can't go any further. Just go to your right and there should be a door leading outside. Go and get as far away as you can Shuichi."

Kurama was lost. "Why can you go no further than this? You should get out of here too," Kurama's voice displayed more of his shock than he had expected. He knew he was losing time for his own escape but he couldn't make himself leave, not after everything he had just witnessed. Nothing in this place made sense.

Katou shook her head and let out a small sigh before finally speaking, as if she were choosing her words carefully. "I cannot leave this place. It's forbidden. Please Shuichi, my sister is a very powerful demon." There was a slight pause and with another small sigh Katou continued, "Okay look, she’s wanting to use you to make even more of her sick and twisted offspring."

Kurama was taken off guard and yet disgusted to the point he felt nauseous. How could he have misjudged Yumi so easily? Katou must have picked up on his disgust because she stepped closer to Kurama and spoke in a quieter voice as if she would be overheard in the deserted hallway, "Please Shuichi, she's a monster who wants to do unspeakable things to you. You need to go, please."

Kurama was caught totally off guard by the small tears forming in Katou's eyes. He did not understand why all of this would upset her so much but he found a small amount of comfort in the sincerity of her caring eyes. Before he truly knew what he was doing he placed his hand on her shoulder gently and told her, "Come on. Forbidden or not, come with me. We'll find a way to stop her."

Katou stared at his hand as it rested on her shoulder, a faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks that Kurama didn't understand. "Shuichi," She said softly, "I am trapped here. I cannot go outside that door. There is a barrier keeping me trapped her, much like the one that had you trapped. Please go. I know the punishment for freeing you and it feels worth it."

Without another word or time for Kurama to react she pushed him out the door and let out a yelp as he hand attempted to pass through the doorway with him.  She winced and placed her now really burned hand behind her back almost as an attempt to hide it from him. "Goodbye Shuichi Minnamino," She told him as she closed the door then locked it.