Semper Vigilans

- Chapter 18 -

After leaving the Minamino residence, the twins went back to their hotel room for the night. They were simply too worked up over all that they had learned to go to sleep, so instead they sat up on the bed talking. They discussed all that they had learned from Kurama, but skirted around the topic of Hermione and the revelation of her being their mate.

"Do you think this training stuff will work?" Fred finally asked George. He wasn't sure what to think. After the way he had been towards Hermione lately, he wondered if she would even forgive him if it did.

"I don't know," George replied, thinking along the same lines as his twin.

He hoped to God it did, for Fred's and Hermione's sake. If his brother could just get a handle on this feral side of himself then maybe he could make up with Hermione. It had disturbed him so much to see Fred withdraw emotionally like he had, hurting Hermione in the process.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," he shrugged before laying down on his bed. Fred did the same, both figuring it best if they got a bit of rest seeing as they had no idea what their training would consist of.

As he lay there, George's thoughts turned to Hermione. He attempted to reach out to her as he had in the plane in hopes of reassuring himself that she was okay, but was disappointed to find that there was no response at the other end of the bond, perhaps due to the many miles between them. He felt nothing through the link. He cast a glance at Fred, who he could tell was already out by the even rise and fall of his chest. Sighing, George settled in to sleep, reluctantly pushing his worry for Hermione down. The sooner they got this training over with, the sooner they could get back to Kit so that Fred could make things right.

The next morning, they were up and ready early, eating a hearty breakfast from the cafe across the street from the hotel before catching a cab back to Kurama's house.

"Good morning," the older red head greeted them at the door.

"Good morning, Kurama." the twins replied with a wave.

"I will be ready to leave in just a moment." he continued, before turning to Keiko, who had stepped up beside him. Gathering her into his arms, Kurama kissed her gently. "I'll be back soon." he whispered, before drawing away and going to join Fred and George outside. Keiko watched from the doorway.

The twins moved toward the car but stopped when Kurama cleared his throat. "We will be travelling by foot," he announced, then began to walk across the street to a nearby treeline.

The twins shared a look before following behind. "So it's not far off then?" Fred spoke, eyebrow raised in question.

"I didn't say that." Kurama replied with a smirk over his shoulder. By now they had reached the trees and suddenly Kurama disappeared before their eyes.

The twins looked around, trying to find him when a rustle of leaves caused them to look up. Kurama stood on a tree branch a good ten feet above them.

"Let's see if you can keep up, shall we?" he teased before flitting away.

Grinning at each other, the brothers quickly took to the trees as well. Allowing instinct to take over, Fred and George sailed through the dense foliage behind Kurama, leaping and bounding from branch to branch. The wind swept around them, whipping their hair wildly as the scenery blurred past. They managed to keep up with Kurama easily. They lost track of how far they went but it had to have been a pretty good ways. A bit further and Kurama allowed them to pull up alongside him.

"We're not far now," he informed them as they ran. "Just up ahead, actually."

He leapt down onto the forest floor, the twins copying his graceful moves almost exactly. They came to a stop at a clearing in the woods where a a large set of stone steps began leading up to an old temple.

The twins looked up in awe at the ancient looking building. They ascended the long stretch of stairs until they reached the top where a young woman with mint green colored hair stood, apparently waiting for them. Her odd colored hair was pulled into a low ponytail by an elegant looking red ribbon and she was dressed in a light blue kimono that was held closed by a darker blue obi tied around her trim waist and fastened in a bow at the back. She smiled pleasantly at them as they approached. Her eyes, Fred noticed, where a crimson hue, causing him to think that perhaps she wasn't as human as she appeared, but refrained from saying anything.

"Good morning, Kurama-san, it has been awhile." the woman greeted Kurama, her voice as gentle sounding as she looked. "And I see you've brought friends."

"Hello, Yukina, it's indeed been awhile since our last visit. I'm afraid this isn't a social one, however, hence why Keiko didn't accompany me." Kurama explained. He then gestured to the twins. "I'd like to introduce Fred and George Weasley. They have travelled a long way seeking my aide. Gentlemen, this is Yukina. She is the caretaker of this temple, and before you ask, yes, she is indeed not human. She is what is known as a Koorime, or Ice demon, if you will." he explained.

"Wicked." the twins murmured in sync as the kitsune turned his full attention back to Yukina.

"I was hoping that you wouldn't mind providing us with the use of the temple grounds for a few training sessions, Yukina." he requested.

"Of course you may, Kurama." Yukina nodded and gave a small smile as she agreed. "The training posts have all been repaired and reinforced against most types of sword strikes and beginner level elemental attacks, so you should be all set." she added.

Kurama was about to respond when he was abruptly and very loudly interrupted by the arrival of an extremely enthusiastic young man with reddish-orange hair.

"Yukina, my love!" the man exclaimed as he bounded over to stand in front of Yukina and gathered her delicate hands into his much larger ones.

He then proceeded to verbally reaffirm his apparently undying devotion to the girl. Fred and George watched with amusement until Kurama cleared his throat rather loudly, interrupting the other man's speel as politely as he could manage.

"Kuwabara. So glad you could come on such short notice." he greeted as Kazuma Kuwabara tore his attention away from his beloved Yukina.

"Oh, hey, Kurama." the larger man replied, grinning widely. "It's no problem. You know I'm always willing to help out a friend. So what'cha needing help with, and who are these guys?" Kuwabara asked, gesturing with a jerk of his thumb in the twins' direction.

"This is Fred and George Weasley. They are a couple of new acquaintances of mine and the reason I asked you to meet me here." Kurama began. "They are in need of some training to help control their spirit energy and I have offered to oblige, with your assistance, if you don't mind."

"Sure! Like I said, anything for a friend." Kuwabara shrugged.

Yukina spoke up then, addressing the four men. "Well, then, I shall leave you to your activities. Once Botan returns from the Reikai, we shall prepare some refreshments for you as I'm sure you'll need it." With that, the green haired Ice maiden bowed before retreating back into the stone building.

"Alright then," George suddenly exclaimed, speaking for the first time since arriving at the temple. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" He really was impatient to begin and could feel Fred's eagerness as well.

"Yes," Kurama responded with a nod. Turning to Kuwabara, he continued. "Let's start with a bit of meditation, then later, we'll move on to spirit energy as well as youki manipulation."

"Sounds good to me. You guys ready for this? Me and Kurama won't go easy on you." the stocky man warned.

"Bring it," the twins exclaimed in time with one another as they crossed their arms over their sturdy chests.

"Oh, don't worry, we will." Kuwabara chuckled. Oh, how he loved a challenge.

The Twins' Flat

Hermione inserted her key into the lock, and turned it, waiting for the resounding click indicating that she could enter the twins' flat. It had been nine days since Fred and George had gone on their 'urgent business trip', or at least that was where George had told her they were going. Once Fred had left her house the night before their departure, and after George had made his feelings for her abundantly clear, he had held her in his arms as he told her of their travel plans. He'd assured her that they would be gone no more than three days, four at the most.

His expression as he spoke had made her suspicious that something was really off about this trip of theirs, and the fact that he was not inclined to share any other details with her, frankly disappointed her. When the next morning - the day of their departure - had dawned, George had promised that they would tell her everything when they returned, as she went with him back to his flat. She had been intent on saying goodbye to Fred as well. That had not gone the way she had hoped and had resulted in her running from this very building, feeling as if a knife had been driven into her chest.

She hadn't been back here since. But it had been over a week now and not even a word from George, leaving Hermione to worry something had happened to them. For heaven's sake, he hadn't even told her where the meeting was taking place! Hermione looked around the flat as she laid her keys on the stand near the door. There was still no sign that Fred or George had been back to the flat either, and so Hermione did what she seldom did when it came to her friends.

She began to snoop.

She started in the living room, having always been impressed with how the flat stayed rather tidy. For a couple of bachelors, Fred and George were definitely no slobs. No clues were to be found in the living room, so she gathered her courage and ventured into George's bedroom.

It was as clean as the living room had been, save for a few clothes tossed atop the dresser. A few articles that had been decided against for their trip, she figured. The bed was made and beside the bed was a night stand which held a small lamp and a notepad and pen.

'Hm...' she wondered.

Stepping over to the small table, she picked up the pad of paper and noticed a list was scribbled out in George's distinctive handwriting.

Passport

Identification Papers

Cash and Credit Cards

Plane tickets

Hotel reservation and contact information

Cell phone, and charger

Shirts

Trousers

Underwear

Socks...

The list went on. Obviously things to take with them on their trip. Something at the bottom of the page caught her eye. It was a reminder to himself.

Do not forget the book. Mr. Minamino will want to see it.

Hermione thought for a moment. Was he referring to the book he and Fred had been so happy about finding at the shop last month? Just who was this Mr. Minamino and why would he be interested in seeing it?

Shaking her head, Hermione set the list back on the stand and exited George's room. She hesitated a moment, fighting off the wave of dizziness that seemed to plague her on occasion lately. When she finally regained her bearings, she approached the door leading to Fred's bedroom, though she did not know what she was hoping to find.

She idly noted that Fred's room was nowhere near as clean as George's. 'Well, looks like I know who keeps house now.' she grinned briefly. The smile slipped from her lips a second later as she recalled exactly what Fred had been doing in this room the last time he'd been in here. She had to bite her lip as the sudden urge to cry hit her.

In an attempt to stem her tears, Hermione refocused on finding clues. It didn't matter if Fred wanted to be with Angelina and not her, he was still one of her best friends and she missed them terribly. She just had to find out where they were!

'Get a grip, Hermione. You will figure this out.' she scolded herself. Moving fully into the disaster area that was Fred's room, all the while emphatically ignoring the rumpled looking bedding, she began to search again.

She nearly shouted in triumph when she spied a recent airline receipt on the floor near the foot of the bed. Two round-trip tickets to Tokyo? The twins had gone to Japan?

A sense of numbness overcame her at the realization that the twins were not even in the same country anymore. Her hands trembled as she clutched the receipt, not understanding why George hadn't told her that they were travel-bound to Tokyo.

Her throat constricted at the thought that perhaps they didn't trust her enough. How could they have kept this secret from her? Especially after what she and George had shared. Weren't they supposed to be the best of friends? Hadn't she proven time after time that she could handle their mischief? She swallowed a jolt of hurt, her nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms. Did their sudden need for secrecy have something to do with what had happened with Malfoy? Was she suddenly too fragile to confide in? So many questions!

After an hour of numbly staring at the airline receipt in her hands, Hermione finally decided that enough was enough. She refused to dwell on her misery any longer. Sure. she was upset and incredibly hurt, but there was not a mystery that she couldn't solve if she put her mind to it. A little bit of research, and she would have the answers that she desperately sought.

Never let it be said that Hermione Granger wasn't persistent when she wanted information.

She put the piece of paper back where she found it, and marched into the bathroom. She sprinkled some cold water on her face before patting it dry and took a deep breath. If she was going to get to the bottom of this issue, she needed a snack first. She couldn't think on an empty stomach. A quick investigation of the kitchen yielded satisfactory results, and she was able to whip up herself up a cheese sandwich and glass of orange juice. She sat on one of the kitchen stools, her mind whirling with thoughts, as she bit into the cheesy goodness.

Hermione couldn't get over the fact that George and Fred were currently in Japan. She had a gut feeling that their trip had nothing to do with their business, and her logical side had to agree with that. Either the twins were planning to globally expand their business - unlikely - or they were up to something else.

Humming to herself, she quickly washed her plate after she had finished eating, and with the glass of juice in her hand, she retreated back to George's room to take a more detailed look at his jotted reminders to himself.

Sitting on George's untouched bed, Hermione crossed her legs comfortably before pulling the pad of paper onto her lap, her eyes greedily scouring the page. There wasn't anything even remotely intriguing written down, except for the last item on the list.

'Do not forget the book. Mr. Minamino will want to see it.'

Who was Mr. Minamino, and why were the boys determined to meet with him? What could they possibly want from this man? What book would he want to see?

Her curiosity was well and truly piqued. Looking around the room, she spied the twins' laptop sitting on the desk nearby and had an idea. Picking up the portable computer, she made herself comfortable on the couch before turning it on. When it was completely booted up, she opened a browser, and loaded a search engine. Typing the mystery person's last name into the search bar, she anxiously pressed enter and waited for results.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed at what came up. There were over two million hits, which was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. She clearly needed to narrow this down.

Hermione's eyes were alight with a small gleam of triumph as she looked up 'Book written by Minamino', and found what she was looking for.

There was an author by the name of Shuichi Minamino, who had apparently written a children's book. Hermione's eyes widened in shock, when she clicked on one of the links advertising it for sale, glancing at the illustrated cover of the book. The creature looked almost exactly like the one she had encountered in the forest, the only difference that she could think of was its silver color. She vividly remembered glimpses of striking red fur, and a familiar earthy scent.

Hermione gripped the sides of her notebook, her body trembling with shock, and the cell memory of the trauma she had suffered. What were the chances of a children's book character coming to life to protect her from the obnoxious Malfoy heir?

She barked a sharp humorless laugh. "I swear I'm losing my mind." she muttered under her breath, her eyes trailing back over the book cover, looking for the title.

Her eyebrows disappeared in her hairline, as she read the words: 'A Kitsune's Tale'. Something hazy was stirring at the back of her mind. Something about the creature's obvious name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't place it...

She shook her head, and put her computer aside, slowly massaging her temples. She did not like the implications of what she had found. Her heart was beating like crazy, as her mind was working a mile a minute processing and analyzing information.

Hermione remembered Fred's and George's excitement when they had found this book. Their whole demeanor had changed, and they were anxious to leave the book shop. What did it mean that they were interested in a book that possibly had something to do with the creature that saved her? Furthermore, why did they want to meet with the author?

The young woman had a lot of questions that remained unanswered, but she had a few things she could focus on, namely Shuichi Minamino and his book, the creature's uncanny resemblance to her mysterious protector, Akio, and the fact that for some reason Fred and George Weasley were both connected to it all.

tbc