Because we're terrible people (okay, this was mostly my idea).

[paradiseblossoms]

A log in which a great deal of time has passed, Kurama (minamino_shuuichi) and Shoshanna have somehow met again, and Kurama hasn't aged a day.

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[minamino_shuuichi]

He laughs a little, and shrugs loosely - because she's right, of course. "Blame my step-father for that," he explains. "He decided I should come work for him after high school - that's how it all started. Now it's just…a habit, I suppose. It does serve to pay rent and keep me fed, though," he admits. "Demon-hunting isn't exactly a lucrative business, after all."

Or, not since he started doing it for the Spirit World, at least - if he were still freelancing, or working for the Demon World side of the border patrol, he'd likely be allowed some looting on the side.

"And no matter how often I try to retire from that particular position, it never seems to take," he says wryly, but then shrugs again.

"Still, I suppose one never knows when the balance of power in the Makai is going to shift, and the next ruler might not be quite so concerned with demon-human relations. And, technically," he says, with an almost sheepish grin, "I think I'm still on parole."

[cinematiques]

She gives him what amounts to a very frank look, taking in his lanky frame--which is deceptive, because she knows for a fact the sort of muscle hiding beneath his clothing, that he's far stronger than he looks at a glance, even in this form.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be. And I would say I was surprised, but..."

But she definitely isn't.

Suddenly, Shoshanna seems to realize something, and she pauses for a moment mid-stride.

"Forgive me, but I've just remembered--I haven't found a hotel yet. I don't suppose you'd be willing to assist me in finding somewhere suitable?"

[minamino_shuuichi]

"Of course," he says softly, and with a smile, and he holds out his hand for hers.

It's a quieter part of town, but there always seem to be taxis to be had, so Kurama flags one down and helps her into it, closing the door behind her before circling around to the other side and climbing in himself. If the driver finds it curious - this pairing of a young twenty-something Japanese man with an older, foreign woman - well, Kurama hardly thinks it is likely not the strangest thing he's ever seen in the course of his job, and when they reach their destination, Kurama pays him enough extra that he thinks the driver will just...forget all about it.

He takes her to a hotel - not quite American and not quite Japanese, but clean and quiet and with its own certain charm. The floors are wooden, and there's a proper bed (at least, insofar as it's not simply a mattress on the floor, which he thinks she will appreciate), but there's also a small, raised portion of tatami matting, with a low table set in the center. The staff is kind and attentive, and most of them speak English (well enough, anyway), and it's the work of not very long at all for the girl who led them to the room to bow her way back out and shut the door behind her, leaving them alone again.

He turns to her, a questioning look on his face, but he thinks he doesn't need to say much aloud, because - well, because he hardly ever did.

[cinematiques]

Throughout this all, Shoshanna is quiet--more so than usual, anyway--and she lets Kurama do the talking where there's Japanese to be spoken. She can still remember a few phrases, ones she'd picked up from the ukiyo, but none of that is terribly useful here. And then, almost all too soon, they're being left alone. Taking a moment to decompress, Shoshanna sets her suitcase on the provided luggage stand, removes her jacket and the silk scarf from around her neck, she turns to catch the questioning expression on his face.

"I was tiring of people staring. For all I've heard about the Japanese being polite, I felt an awful lot of eyes on me."

[minamino_shuuichi]

He laughs a little, because he can, and because she's right, of course. But it's a kind sound, as it always has been, not cold or mocking in the slightest.

"Politeness comes in many forms here," he agrees, nodding. "You're hardly likely to actually catch anyone staring, for instance, but that doesn't mean they aren't doing it while your back is turned. And once they get up to a certain age, they're basically given free rein to say whatever they like, and it's considered rude to even mention anything to them."

He shrugs a bit, loose and relaxed. "It's something you get used to, over time."

He should know - his hair is hardly what's considered a normal color here, but it's nothing he can help. He considered dying it black more than a few times when he was younger, just to quiet the whispers his better-than-human hearing always managed to pick up when he was out with his mother - more for her sake than for his, because at that point he could hardly have cared less what any humans thought of him. But she'd always loved it, said if she were braver, or younger, she would dye hers to match, and even now that she's gone, Kurama can't quite bring himself to cover it up.