Anything but Ordinary

1

"This ought to be it, I think… Sunset Shrine."

Kurama glanced out the backseat window of the cab he was in as it pulled off to the side of the road, taking stock of the long set of stairs that led up to a pair of looming torii arches; boldly red against the dusky hues of pink and orange that preceded nightfall.

The cab driver turned to him, one arm draping around the headrest of the seat and rattled off the fare, which the redheaded man paid with a pleasantly bland smile before he gracefully exited. He lingered at the base of the staircase, his face contemplative as he waited for the vehicle to sputter off and began his ascent up.

Cresting the top, his calm green eyes swept over the quiet courtyard of the neatly kept shrine, imprinting it into his memory and analyzed the thrum of energy flowing in the air. There is certainly something here.

That was good—at least this errand for Koenma wasn't a complete waste of time, although he didn't quite know what he was looking for yet. Ever since Yusuke had been discharged as the Ningenkai's Spirit Detective, some of these wayward duties had fallen to him as he still owed some service for his former transgressions.

It pleased him when he spotted the large, magnificent tree that occupied the grounds, and he drifted over to it, fanning out his senses further to pinpoint if that was what he was picking up on. Indeed, this was a very sacred tree, probably hundreds of years old, or even a millennia, and it pulsed gently as he searched its energies with his youki.

Staying like that for awhile, simply basking in the sacred tree's steady presence, he supposed that this was what was causing blips on the Reikai's radar, and was content to end his visit to the shrine. A tree was hardly anything to be concerned about. He supposed he could try to find the owners, but didn't know if he was in the mood for that. Nothing felt off or malignant about the grounds; perhaps just stronger than he would've imagined for this day and age. There weren't many temples or holy institutions nowadays that boasted a strong spiritual prowess, the art and bloodlines slowly fading away through the generations.

Turning away from the tree, Kurama made to head towards the stairs again, but paused mid-step when another pulse of energy permeated that of the tree's, mingling with its aura. Closing his eyes, he focused on it, trying to dissect them from each other, and thankfully felt it once more, faint and coaxing. Yes, there is something else here...but where?

When he opened his eyes, he was staring across the courtyard at a wooden structure. Inside there.

Starting towards the shack, he again considered trying to find the owners instead of skulking around, but still didn't feel obliged enough to do that. All he'd been asked to do was do a quick scout and report back. Unless things got harry and some evil entity showed itself, Kurama hardly figured there would be any kind of confrontation and he could finish this off in the next few minutes and be on his way.

Quickly scanning the area for anyone who may come across him, he slid open the wooden door and slipped inside of the small building like a shadow.

It was dark and the air smelled stale, and immediately he was on alert as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Peering down a rickety staircase, his eyebrows furrowed quizzically at what he saw. A well?

He lingered at the top of the stairs for a minute, thoroughly evaluating the energies that were emanating from the weathered structure before he slowly descended. Placing a hard on the rough wood, he felt its energy signature skitter down his spine and pool in his lower back, something warm and ancient. This was what I was feeling.

There was nothing at the bottom he could see, but just for good measure, he extracted a rose from his hair, infused it with a small amount of youki and dropped it into its depths. When nothing happened, he lightly vaulted himself over the lip and dropped inside. Small plumes of dust kicked up when he landed at the bottom, and he waited. Nothing, and yet there is energy here. What awakens the power that is connected to this well?

As he mulled over the strangeness of it and was almost prepared to leave, figuring there was nothing to do but report it to Koenma, there was a shift in the air and he froze. All around him the ancient, sleepy power swelled extraordinarily, and blue light exploded.

Gritting his teeth against the onslaught, he rallied to remain upright as magic swirled around him, and then suddenly it faded out, completely extinguished.

A warm weight settled against him, and he opened his eyes, seeing spots after being so thoroughly blinded.

And found himself staring at a girl.

From the Author:

Hello to anyone who decides to give this story a try. This is a small start, but hopefully someone will like it.