Invocation

Chapter Eleven

For Hana, it wasn't that the shower from her apartment was not to her satisfaction for most things but there was something special about washing in scented water that she didn't get at her new home. Sure she could buy scented bath soaps or products to make use of that deep Japanese style bathtub, but it still wouldn't be the same. Which was exactly why a smile split the neutral expression on the young woman's face when she got to the main building of her agency in the area. The water had a faint floral and peach scent, mixed with green tea and a lot of different minerals that she knew was good for her skin. The scent was subtle, of course, in the shower but when she soaked in the bathtub it was all she could smell. And the blend was so relaxing that Hanna almost lost track of time. The only thing that stopped her from taking a nap amongst the warm, scented water and soft music playing was the fact that she couldn't help but wonder how the face-to-face with Mister Vue was going to go.

Once she'd spent a sufficient enough time in the bath to turn into a prune, the young woman decided that she'd wasted enough time. She had enough preparation to appeal to his attuned sense of smell. After Hanna regretfully pulled herself away from the warm water, she slipped on a terrycloth robe and a pair of slippers. The water beaded on her skin and rolled down her body until it was absorbed by the soft covering. As the brunette tied the robe and fixed the neckline she heard the door open up. One of the attendants walked in as though to guide her to the next step - as though this was the first time she had a client schedule an engagement. It might have been a little insulting if she didn't already know that even the most experienced and called upon assets were treated the same. Hanna supposed, as they led her down the hall, that it was a form of flattery. The attendant was like having her own personal handmaiden should she ever need her. Which meant that they put her on the level of aristocracy that she otherwise never would have experienced. Still, as she was not raised with being served as a given aspect in life, it was rather stifling.

Hanna said nothing as Yashida and her stylist joined the trek down the hall. She became a living doll as they dressed her before applying the subtle hints of makeup that fit the engagement parameters. It was still more makeup than she would have put on if she'd just been hanging around the house or otherwise relaxing for the day but at the same time she had worn a lot more plenty of times before. After twenty minutes being their canvas, there could be little doubt that the makeup specialist and stylist were artist.

When they were done with her, Hanna was lead into an apartment on the top floor of the building. More specifically she was taken to the living room section of the apartment. There was a variety of places to sit and stationed in the corner was a few different toys, all of which looked gently used. She took a seat on one of the couches. The cushion was wonderfully soft and had a true microfiber casing. Hanna ran her hands up and down the fabric with a soft smile. Silk had it's time and place but she tended to go more towards soft fabrics than anything else. The young woman was glad that this was an engagement which suited her textile preferences as well. Mister Vue might have been a bit demanding of a client but his tastes ran practically parallel to hers.

Hanna leaned her head back on the side and relaxed, folding her hands on her stomach. Her feat mildly kicked back and forth to the melody that she could hear in her head, the same one that she started to hum. The sound of music, even from her own voice, helped to take her mind off of the slightly uncomfortable feeling of her abdomen willfully growing and stretching. Hanna's hands rose away from their original spot only because of the fact that her midsection itself enlarged. Within the span of two minutes her once slim-enough body took on the appearance of a woman in the late stages of her second trimester.

Slowly the young woman stood up and tested the fairly new growth. It wasn't the first time that she'd changed her outward physique to that of a pregnant woman in order to match a client's inclinations and it wouldn't be the last. People had all sorts of interesting emotional desires even outside of the realm of sex. And while she wasn't actually pregnant, Hanna could mimic the pregnancy well enough just by way of a body change. She'd long since gotten down how to physically mimic the extra heartbeat and a few kicks here and there. It just always felt strange whenever she had to. Though she never let a client know that she wasn't actually pregnant, she certainly knew. Hanna had heard pregnant woman describe the unique sensations and feelings that came with creating a new life; none of which she felt when she changed her body to mimic the appearance of pregnancy. In fact, she felt rather hollow and that was definitely not something she wanted to portray to any client. Especially not to one like Mister Vue. Which was exactly why she took the time to readjust to her body before the man made his appearance.

Once Hanna heard the door start to unlock, she went into full game mode. It was time to play expecting mother. There was a child depending on her ability to fool Mister Vue into thinking that there was. Funny thing was that it was his biological child; he just needed to keep believing that she was the one carrying it.

Kurama smiled indulgently as he listened to his step brother's tales about junior high school. The young man certain found interesting things to do with his day, and his uniform. The magenta blazer was unbuttoned down to the middle of his chest despite the fact that it was in the middle of winter. And his sleeves were likewise rolled up. Which probably accounted for why the older of the two noticed that the younger kept curling his fingers for warmth. The teenager was just too stubborn to admit defeat.

"I see," the redhead acknowledged what his step brother had said. "And what do you plan to do about it?"

"I don't know," the younger of the two answered honestly. "What do you think I should do? They're getting kind of pushy you know and I don't know how many more ways I can turn them down."

"I suppose that's because they recognize the great amount of talent that you possess," Kurama surmised as he folded his hands on the table between them.

Even inside of the house, there was a chill in the air. The traditional blanket kept both of their legs warm while they ate lunch, of course, but Kurama had no desire to rack of his mother's electricity bill by pulling out one of the space heaters. He was sure that his mother and step-father had plenty enough to worry about with the cost of supporting the growing son which still lived at home. The redhead could barely fathom how much they went though in food and clothing expenses alone. It seemed that every two weeks another uniform would be ruined for one reason or another and he recognized that they weren't cheap. Of course, that hadn't stopped him from going out and fighting demons and the like back in the day. But at least he had plenty of treasure to cash in on so that his mother never had to carry the financial burden that his life style required.

"Yeah, I understand. I just don't know how to deal with them at this point, you know?"

"Oh, I think I can imagine," Kurama smiled wryly. "I dealt with my fair share of pushy club presidents back when I went to school as well. I would go so far as to say that they wanted to redefine the idea of nerd violence. It just runs in the family."

Of course Shuichi Hatanaka wasn't his brother by blood, but he was the son of his mother's new husband. For the last couple of years they had lived as brothers would, more or less, and Kurama was fairly certain that was as close to understanding the bond between siblings as he was going to get.

Shuichi nodded in understanding with an easy smile about his face, looking as though he were suppressing a laugh. No doubt he was just imagining his older brother getting bombarded with the various different academic clubs which were laced throughout the school system. He could practically see the older of the two pulling one of his ninja disappearances the second that someone dared to blink their eyes. As far as he was concerned his brother was the least confrontational person in the world. And that was a trait to be admired.

"I will try explaining my choice better to them next time I see them," the junior high school student decided.

"That would be a good start. But I would also suggest that you think about picking one club to join as well. They are an integral part to your educational experience." Kurama posed the question.

"I wanted to try to focus on school for now. Entrance Exams will be here before I know it and I want to get into the same senior high school that you were in."

"I'm sure you will. Just consider this - if not in a club when else do you have time to socialize with your fellow students?"

The younger Shuichi acknowledged the logic behind the elder's words. "You're right. Speaking of socializing - what have you been doing?"

Kurama leaned back, resting his hands under the table's blanket to warm them back up. He didn't want to lie to his step-brother but at the same time he wasn't sure the truth would be edited enough to be acceptable. In fact, he knew it wasn't. Kurama couldn't exactly explain that he'd hired a young woman in order to get close to a company he needed to spy on for Koenma. There were so many things in that which he couldn't even touch upon for the younger Shuichi.

"I met a new person through work. We've been taking the time to get to know one another," was what he settled for.

It wasn't a lie per se, it just wasn't the truth either. Then again he was used to walking in the gray zone. That's kind of what his whole life with his human family was about.

"A woman?" The younger Shuichi surmised.

Kurama nodded in acceptance. "Yes."

"Are you planning on telling mom and dad?"

"It's far too early for that, Shuichi," Kurama pointed out. "Besides it's not that sort of relationship."

"Do you want it to be?"

Lightly Kurama shrugged. He would let his step-brother do with that what he would. That way he had plausible deniability for whatever it was that his brother decided it meant. Though judging by the slightly frustrated look that passed over said brother's eyes, Kurama knew that Shuichi didn't appreciate the vague response nearly as much as he did.

"What's she like?"

"I thought we were talking about you today," the redhead jovially pointed out.

"You're part of my life too. A big part. So now I want to know how you've been."

"Very well," Kurama accepted as he pulled his hands back out from under the covers and leaned forward ever so slightly. "Her name is Hanna. She just moved here due to her work. From what I know of her, she seems sincere in furthering herself as a well rounded and developed person. That includes learning how to speak Japanese."

"She's foreign?"

"Yes. As I said she's still learning the language but she is improving very quickly."

"Maybe we could show her around then? Or have you already done that?"

"No, I have not," he admitted freely.

Kurama knew that was going to need to be rectified. There was a whole list of things he knew would need to change as soon as he was able to do that. After his failed attempt at finding anything in the main building that Spirit World would be interested, he discovered that you were the one that he should be focusing his attentions on. And that was almost by accident or an unlikely coincidence too. When he'd been snooping around the building he'd heard that Hanna was up and about when she should have still been asleep in bed. He'd made sure to dose her enough to keep any normal human asleep for hours past their normal sleep schedule no matter the alarms that could have gone off.

"Is she pretty?"

Kurama leveled his younger brother with an admonishing stare. Shuichi pulled his hands back defensively with a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

"Sorry. I'm just curious. This is the first that I've heard about my big brother spending time with anyone outside of work."

"I understand. In the future please remember that looks are quite deceiving. Most of the time there is very little correlated with someone's outward appearance. You shouldn't assume that I'm spending time with her based on her appearance."

"I wasn't, I promise."

Nodding, Kurama softened his stare which allowed his younger brother to relax. The young teenager let out a deep breath. Sometimes when his older brother stared at him, he felt like a mouse caught in a trap. Or like a deer in the headlights. There was just something that screamed control about the redhead when he went all serious. He could only imagine what he was like in the workplace. No wonder everyone seemed so intimidated by him. Still, judging by how defensive the redhead had gotten over the whole subject, Shuichi was going to bet that he really wanted to meet this girl. Oh he couldn't wait to accidentally bring it up to their mom.