An Empty Shell

Chapter 7: Wherever You Go

Disclaimer: Art photo not mine

Shuichi helped her slowly get up, supporting her back while holding her hand.
"Do you think you can stand up?" He asked her with concern.
"Yes, I think I can now." She was still a little wobbly but Shuichi didn't let her hand go until she was able to get her balance.
"How are you feeling now?" Shuichi asked her with a smile. He noticed that she was still a little tense towards him.
"Uhm, yeah, I feel a little bit better and that's because you let me take my nap." She shyly responded.
"That's good to hear. Let me send you home then, so you can rest up some more, besides it's already late." Suggested Shuichi and went to opened the door for her.
"No, it's okay. You don't need to do that. Besides you should be going home now too." She refused once again, waving her hands but Shuichi noticed her hesitation.
"Come on, I'll send you home." He simply insisted without questioning her and she just shyly nodded.
They finally went out of the bookstore. It was already almost night time and the street was a little busy for the rush hour. They continued to walk down the alleyway then to the train station without a word muttered from each other. Then suddenly, Hayami noticed something and stopped.
"Wait. How did you know which way I should be going to get home?" Hayami was walking behind Shuichi as if he was the one leading the way, without even asking for directions. Shuichi turned to her and saw her suspicious look towards him.
"Uhm, yeah about that?" Shuichi was trying to think for an alibi while scratching his cheek a little. How could I forget? She never knew I've always known where she lives, he asked himself when he thought she has to know.
"Remember that night, when we were on our way home after we saw lady Fushimi? Well, I sort've followed you when you got off the train until you got home to your appartment. I did that because I was worried about you especially after that particular incident happened that day." Shuichi tried his best to explain it all to her without sounding defensive.
"So, you have been stalking me?" Hayami claimed as she crossed her arms with a raised brow.
"Do you think that's exactly what I'm doing?" Shuichi gave her a curious look while pointing a finger to himself.
"Well, what else should I call it? You said you followed me all the way till I got home that night. And if you think about it, you even know where I work. And you unexpectedly appeared in front of me out of nowhere!" She pointed out looking straight at him.
"Are... are you mad?" Shuichi asked looking away with a little pout and nervy face, feeling a little intimidated by her expressions.
"No, I am not mad.." she just softly answered.
"Well, maybe not anymore." She looked away trying to perceive how she really feels. Shuichi turned and caught that sight of her and smiled.
The two proceeded and just before they reached the train station Shuichi stopped.
"Are you hungry?" Unexpectedly he asked Hayami.
"I thought maybe we can grab something to eat before you go." He added scratching his cheek while looking away from her.
So this is what he does whenever he wants to ask or say something he's not used too. Is he being shy? Hayami was starring at him trying to read his expression.
"Well, I am actually a bit starved.." She gave him a big smile which stunned Shuichi in an awe.
She never acted this way before. This is the first time she showed me that reaction...At least it's better this way than being feared. He was dumbfounded in a moment when Hayami called for him. She caught him gazing at her.
"Is everything okay..?" She was confused on Shuichi's sudden silence.
"Ah, yeah! Let's go over there. Do you like tonkotsu?" Shuichi snapped out from his daze when she heard her voice and quickly directed her to a small ramen stall by the station.
"Hm!" She nodded quickly with a smile.

When they got there, the cook took there orders right away.
"Two bowls of tonkotsu ramen ple—"
"With extra toppings please!" Shuichi was suddenly cut off when she raised her hand for add ons. They looked at one another and both laughed.
"Don't look at me like that! I already told you I was starving!" She gave Shuichi a slight punch on the shoulder.
"It's not that." He shortly commented still smiling at her.
"You look livelier than ever..It suits you." he asserted her. She turned to him and smiled.
"Hope you always stay this way, just smiling." He smiled back to her.
"I just don't know how to thank you enough for what you've done for me today...and for everything else. You barely even know me but you took the risks and came after me to help without any hesitation ...so thank you..Shuichi." She expressed herself towards him with beaming eyes. Shuichi was stunned. This was the first time she called him by his name with those eyes full of expression, he just couldn't take away.
"You're welcome." He simply replied.
After a few minutes their orders were ready.
"TWO BOWLS TONKOTSU RAMEN!" the cook eventually served them their noodles placing them on their table. "With extra toppings." the cook added playfully and winked at Hayami.
"At least, now, I think I have found out a way to make you smile." Shuichi commented without her noticing he was referring to her latter expression.
"Really? How?" She rebutted, a little confused.
Then Shuichi swiftly pointed at the noodles with his eyes in response to Hayami who was still waiting for his reply. Hayami followed his gesture and then looked at the bowl of ramen.
"Oh, so this is how you think could make me happy huh?" She remarked with a contempt look on her face, then they laughed.
The two of them had a hearty meal. They chatted along with laughs and smiles. It was a simple yet warm and lovely dinner that they shared together.
After they finished their ramen, they decided to call it a day. Shuichi accompanied her back to the train station. Hayami was about to get on board when Shuichi grabbed her hand suddenly.
"Wait before I forget." He handed the communicator to her. "Please make sure you always have this with you wherever you go."
"What is this?" She asked with a perplexed face looking at the button like thing.
"It's a communicator. I asked one from Koenma, the Prince of the Spirit World. I also have one. That way we can connect to each other wherever, whenever, especially when you get into trouble or when you're in the trouble. Also you would be able to contact the Spirit World when things get too extreme." Shuichi explained with a little chaff.
"In the trouble huh? So you think I'm a troublemaker?" Hayami caught that remark of Shuichi raising a brow.
"I was just kidding." He chuckled. "But I just want to make sure you're okay, especially when you refused to give your phone number." He smirked.
"Oh, so that's the reason why you went in the trouble to get one of these for me? Aww...that's sweet of you." Hayami playfully paid him back. Then they both laughed.
"Okay, I don't know exactly how to use this but I will figure it out. I have to go now, the train is going." Hayami hurriedly boarded the train. Then she turned to him while the door was closing. She smiled saying inaudible thank you. Shuichi read her lips and he smiled and nodded. Then he bid goodbye.
Meanwhile, all this time, Shuichi have already noticed two people sneaking in a stealth mode on his back when he was with Hayami.
"Okay, you guys can come out now!" He affirmed as soon as the train left. He didn't turn towards them and just let them approached him.
"And here I am came rushing to get here, traveled hundreds of miles, in distressed of the situation involving you, only to find out that you were on a date?!" Yusuke pulled a face, mocking their friend as he walked towards Kurama (Shuichi).
"Yeah I didn't even finish my whoopsies in my throne as soon as I heard Genkai yelling that you were in big trouble, and came straight here!" Kuwabara back-to-back with Yusuke on Kurama. Both of them wrapped their arms on Kurama's shoulder then starred at their friend's face. Kurama just sighed with a worn out face, letting those two with their never-ending commotion on him. I just couldn't believe these two. They never fail to impress me. He thought to himself as he shrugged his shoulder and chortled a little.

Kurama let Yusuke and Kuwabara in his apartment to discuss about the situation with Hayami Miyazaki. He explained the details of the recent incidents including from earlier when Hayami was possessed again. The two were just looking a little excited, while Kurama was telling them behind the story, hoping their friend would tell them something more.
"...and so here we are.." Kurama finalized the story.
"Here we are, you mean, you and her are officially together?" Clarified Yusuke with a wide grin and sparkly eyes.
"Or, here we are both in love and can't go on without each other?" Pursued Kuwabara with the same expression.
Kurama slightly slapped his head, a little irritated by those two for not taking him seriously.
"So that is the reason why you've been drawn to her." Added Hiei who suddenly appeared by Kurama's window and the other two jumped in surprise.
"Hiei! You're here too? I'm so glad to see you!" Yusuke was excited to see Hiei again from a long time.
"Welcome back shrimp!" Ridiculed Kuwabara which snapped a nerve on Hiei's head.
"Who the hell do you think you are giant bonehead!" Hiei reverted. And then they growled with electrical sparks on each other's stares.
"You sure really have missed each other." Kurama muttered giving in to them with a sweat-dropped face.
"So Hiei, what was that thing you said that drawn Kurama to that girl again?" Yusuke interrupted the two's commotion.
"Clearly you were not listening to Kurama's story, what a waste!" Hiei responded irritatingly. Yusuke and Kuwabara were dumbfounded.
"It was the red talisman." Kurama answered.
"It's not just making you drawn to her." Interrupted Koenma who just arrived using a portal with Botan.
"Koenma, Botan, I'm glad you made it here too." thanked Kurama as he approached them.
"We are here to talk to you about what we've recently found out." Botan added with a serious look.
"Kurama, where is the talisman?" Asked Koenma in his adult version.
"Come to think of it, I never came across at it anymore. Usually it just appears out of nowhere. The last time I saw it was at school when I opened my book. And now, I don't know where it is. But I am certain that I put that paper back inside that book because I used it as a bookmark, but when I checked upon my book again, it's gone." Kurama interpreted while the others were curious.
"That is because it was not just an ordinary talisman. Remember when I gave Yusuke a shikigami egg? Yusuke's reiki was nurturing the egg until it hatched to Puu, and Puu is Yusuke's animal spirit guide and an extension of himself. Kurama on the other hand has become Hayami's spirit guide because he was able to absorb her reiki through the spell casted on the talisman by lady Fushimi. The paper is gone because it's not of use anymore. Just like the egg shell from Puu." Koenma explicitly explained to everyone.
"Yes, I remember lady Fushimi mentioned something like 'it had already attached to you' kind of thing. That time I don't really know what she meant. I only realized it when Hayami mentioned it the other day." Kurama inserted, recalling them from earlier.
"So in other words, Kurama was hatched from that red paper through Hayami's reiki and now he's her spirit guide?!" remarked Yusuke who couldn't believe what he just heard.
"But how is Kurama going to be a spirit guide when he is a yokai? And he was reborn here with flesh and blood, an already existing living even before that woman?" Hiei questioned, trying to ponder it.
"That is because Hayami is just an ordinary human being who has a very low reiki. That is why she would never be able to hatch a shikigami egg. Lady Fushimi has to find a body that has a stronger reiki that can contain another's and that is not possible for an ordinary human body, that's why she tried to find you, a yokai in spirit, Kurama." Koenma pointing at Kurama.

Everyone turned silence, trying to assimilate these swirling events that they just heard from Koenma. Now I understand why I can see through her and wanted to follow her wherever she goes. I can feel every single emotion she has. I can sense her entire being, her whereabouts and her feelings. Kurama's eyes grew when he came to realize his very purpose to Hayami.