Welcome to A Pinky Promise! I've had this idea for this story for a while and finally decided to try my first Yu Yu Hakusho story! This is actually a crossover of YYH and Tokyo Drift! The story line follows the movie and characters. I hope I did an okay enough job of portraying that and blending both stories together. Any comments and concerns are greatly welcomed!
Also, I do not own any character from Tokyo Drift, or Yu Yu Hakusho. However, every other character does belong to me and I care very greatly for them! Please enjoy!
Have you ever gotten that feeling that someone was watching you? Where you could physically feel a pair of eyes on your skin? The hair on your arms will stand on end as your skin almost begins to crawl. Then, you glance around and realize that you were the only one around. Well, unfortunately for Hana, this seemed to happen daily. As long as she could remember, the sensation that someone was standing over her, or watching her, or trying to talk to her, would cause a disruption in her day. Some would call it a strong sixth-sense, and then suggest trying to scam people. Others would give her a look of apprehensiveness and avoid the subject. This little useless talent became her little secret, like almost everything else in her life.
To any stranger, it would appear that she had a normal life. She moved to Japan when she was thirteen, went to school, and now worked as a waitress in small, but busy, cafe in Tokyo. The other servers assumed that she lived alone, since she never spoke of family members, or going on holidays to visit anyone. She was usually quiet, polite, and minded her own business. That was the best thing about being a server. The guest would enter and sit, order food, eat, and leave. There were very few patrons who would waste a moment of their busy day to ask any questions, some not even bothering to ask for her name, Aihara Hana. It was the perfect job to keep her truelife a secret.
Eleven years ago she had been living in America. Her mother had died and foster care did not seem to fit. She was a troubled thirteen year old who preferred to be outside and would occasionally get into fist fights and break into cars. She was more of a hassle than anything. She ended up running with a group of trouble makers, a crew really, and got into a jam, and then Han appeared. He promised her a different life that she could not refuse. For the next eleven years, she would follow him all over the world and end up in Japan. Even with both their dark pasts, Han helped Hana get her act together. She even graduated high school, a goal she had never thought of reaching. She decided not to continue on with college, which Han was still against. Even though he had brought her into his world, he wished for a different life for her. College would help pull her away from the imperilment they face on a daily basis. However, it had become wont to her. It was almost ingrained into her DNA. Besides serving, which a monkey could do, her skills had never been used for anything else. To up and change everything was more of a bother than she wanted to deal with.
She leaned over an old wooden table, her damp wash cloth dusting away crumbs that had probably been there since they had opened this morning. She thought about Han. He was calm and tranquil. The man always seemed to be listening to every word, and would have a smart retort ready before one could finish talking. His way of thinking always put him two steps ahead anyone he dealt with, which was astonishing to watch, but a pain to deal with. Growing up with this man had taught her great patience, and fortunately, some of his wit rubbed off on her, even though she could never muster his amount of guile. But, there was darker side to his life that caused him to always be watching corners and since she had followed him for so long, that habit had been passed along as well.
Han ran with one of the most powerful mobs of Japan. Well, technically. Han and DK were partners and DK's uncle was Kamata, who ran the Yakuza, the mob that everyone knew, and feared. Their control even was known extend into politics, and some trading in Mexico into America. This gave Han an extra edge when dealing with business. For Hana, however, she was more of protégé to Han. He would never allow her to handle any deals with any one dangerous, but she still had a fair share of jobs. Checking her mirrors became a ritual when entering the car.
Hana had finished cleaning all the tables, and was currently zipping between table legs with the cordless vacuum. Somehow she had been guilted into finishing up everyone's side work so they could leave early. They all had finals were coming up and they needed to study, or so they said. She rolled her eyes at the thought.
I bet they joined together because I had the weekend off., she grumpily thought while emptying the vacuum over the trash can.
She mighthave hit it against the side of the bin hard in her frustration, causing it to make a rattling noise that promised it had broken. Having no more patience for the place, she tossed it into the corner of the kitchen where all the other, working, vacuums rested. There would be no way they could pin it on her once it blended in with the others.
Some poor sap will find it tomorrow and deal with it then. She almost snickered and pulled the trash bag from the bin and tied the strings together. Okay, what else is there left for me to do? She quickly went over the usual side work that was divided between the closing serving staff. The list seemed to go on forever since it was just her, but fortunately she only had one more thing to do: throwing out the trash. The bag was heavier than expected, so she ended up just dragging it through the kitchen. Nudging the back door open with her shoulder, she burst out into the night. The smell almost made her gag. She stepped over the cigarette butts from the kitchen staff and paused before the reeking garbage bin. Only breathing through her mouth, she tried tossing the bag into the giant opening, but could not even lift it more than two inches from the soggy ground. Groaning, she tightened her grip and tried again to lift the bag. This time, she spun and used her body weight in combination with gravity to bring the bag up and in. She heard it land with a satisfying smash into the empty bin.
"I heard something. Maybe someone who knows her is still inside."
The voice made her jump. It came from the other side of the wooden fence that surrounded the little stoop in the back of the restaurant. Only when the garbage man showed up on Thursdays did the gates open; no one else was allowed on the other side. It was dirty, grimy and slimy, but it was kept blocked to keep vandals from attempting to break in.
"Well, if someone hadn't disappeared we wouldn't be crawling around back here!"
Both voices sounded young.
Probably love sick boys looking for their server from earlier today. Hana rolled her eyes as the two continued to bicker and walked back inside.
Pulling the keys from her apron pocket, she double-checked the lock on the back door was secure before hitting the lights to the kitchen. With the soft light from the dining room, she made her way past the blenders and ovens safely. Grabbing her purse from behind the counter and making sure everything was put away one last time, she finally allowed herself escape. She locked the front door and headed towards her car. The street was darker than normal, there wasn't the usual light reflecting off of the black and blue paint.
An almost euphoric sigh escaped her lips as her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. The leather felt alive under her skin. She needed this. The shift had been long and filled with idiotic people. A huge, gut loaded sigh escaped her again as she sat further back into the seat. Her feet were thankful for the moment of not being stood on. The sudden thought of going home to a nice bath entered her mind, and her fingers were already twitching to turn the Mazda in that direction. Not only were her feet hurting, but so was her back and a headache was forming above her right eye. The idea of having to put on any sort of clothes that were not pajamas put a sour taste in her mouth. A part of her was even content with leaning back into her seat and taking a little snooze. She closed her eyes with the thought of her mattress and how perfect her body fit into its curves. They were a perfect match, and after a long day of work, nothing seemed better.
Life suddenly stirred outside of her window.
"I just don't understand how you could be so stupid enough to lose her. She was inside all day!" a boy in a white shirt and jeans nearly hollered, obviously annoyed.
It sounded just like the one she heard while dumping the trash. Another approached the car. He was tall and looked clumsy and his bright orange hair could have been seen even without the help of the street lamps.
"I don't know what happened. She seemed to be closing up the place. I went for a piss for only a second, and she was gone!"
Hana sat further back in her seat thankful for tinted windows and the dark alley she had parked in. A feeling in her gut told her they could be talking about her. That could have explained her uneasiness from earlier. The brunette boy nearly growled as he slammed his clenched fist into his pockets.
"I swear to God, Kuwabara, if you lost our lead because you were off chasing a cat, I will bust your teeth in so bad that even Yukina won't be able to look at you again!"
Carrot top suddenly grew serious, "Yukina's love for me is much deeper than looks, Urameshi. She will love me no matter what!"
Hana heard the thwack of skin hitting skin. She knew from experience that it hurt, but carrot top almost seemed to giggle while rubbing a big hand through his hair, trying to sooth his aching head.
"Focus, you idiot. We really need this lead to work out, or we'll be shit out of luck again. I cannot stand another baby-face temper tantrum." the Brunette huffed, returning his fist to the pockets.
Hana had had enough. If these weirdos were after her, sitting here and listening to their pointless chatter was not the best idea. She pressed on the start button next to her steering wheel, and the engine roared to life. Both boys jumped when they were caught in her head lights. They resembled stunned deer. The gears shifted under her hand and she was racing off into the night.
Her heart was in her throat. She could not wrap her mind around what just happened. She reached into her bag for her phone, but it was already buzzing. Dread filled her. It must have been Han informing her that something at base had gone wrong and she needed to get out of town. That would explain why people were stationed outside of work. Her thumb slid the green arrow to the right and the call picked up. However, instead of the cool, sobering voice she expected. Multiple voices screamed through the speakers of her car.
"Hello?"
Roars of engines played even louder and annoyance filled her. She flipped the phone over to see who had actually called her.
"HEY HANA!" A voice yelled, causing even her bass to strum to life.
Grumbling, Hana hit the volume button on her steering wheel so her ears would not get damaged. It was Twinkie, the newest member of their family. He was an army brat with a lot of energy, but he was good at talking. He could probably sale rubbers to a nun. Not bad for a kid still in high school.
"What do you want, Twinkie?" She knew what he wanted, but really did not have the time to deal with him.
"You need to get here, girl! I brought a new kid with me tonight and he needs help learning the ropes!"
She rolled her eyes. There were some familiar voices in the background that greeted Twinkie. Dealing with a new kid was the last thing she would have wanted to deal with, even before she found out two guys were stalking her.
"Have Mitsura do it, Twinkie. I'm trying to get a hold of Han." She did a good job at hiding the edge in her voice. "Besides, the last kid you brought turned into my stalker. I can only handle so many at a time."
Twinkie laughed, even though he did not understand the severity of her statement. Even if she had time, she still wouldn't spend it explaining the situation to him. He seemed to enjoy being the center of attention and would likely start an even bigger issue.
"But this kid seems to have some tricks! Come on, Hana, it's been forever since you've been to a meet up." He knew he wasn't winning her over, so he added quickly, "Han is here."
She remained quiet while she went over her options. If Han was at the rally, maybe base was actually fine. Perhaps those two boys had been looking for someone else and she was just a body with some answers. The possibilities were endless, but it did calm her down knowing Han was safe. It didn't appear that anyone was in mortal danger, for tonight at least.
Suddenly the phone shuffled like it had been ripped from Twinkie's hand. She could hear him rebelling in the background as a slow and a thick American accent spoke through her speakers. Yet again tonight, her heart nearly clenched and she held her breath as the stranger spoke.
"I don't know who this is," his draw created an image of an American cowboy in her mind. She had not heard that accent since she lived in the States. "But, I say you should get here. If you got the balls, that is."
Silence. Her speakers did that annoying hum while waiting to project any sort of sound. A streak of anger replaced the fear in Hana's chest so fierce that the hairs on her neck stood on end.
Who was that little prick to speak to me like that? He obviously has not been told who to watch out for yet or he would have kept his stupid mouth shut.
She clenched her teeth down in frustration. A mixture of a groan and growl filled the car as her left foot hit the clutch to shift up a gear. She was thrown back into her seat from the sudden jolt.
Hana stepped out of her car. A crowd was forming around her Mazda. They eyed the paint job like children at a candy store. Someone asked to check under the hood, but his eyes did not stray from her body. She ignored him, knowing that he actually meant her white cut off t-shirt. Besides, she did not have time for these idiots. She had business with the new kid.
It took a bit of weaving through the crowd to find them. A lot of people had showed tonight. Greetings were thrown her way from people she knew. Others tried to stop her with questions of where she's been, and what she's been up too. Unfortunately for them, she did not waste a second to stop and answer. Nothing had changed since she last seen them anyways. If they took offense, she could deal with it later. After pushing through a circle of drooling boys and the Hayabusa sisters and their matching pink cars, she finally spotted the group. Their cars were lined together, with the green Hulk's trunk facing the group, loud music blaring into the parking garage. Twinkie saw her first, smiled, then noticed her venomous scowl. He cursed after choking on his drink and jumped from his seat on the trunk lip.
"Don't even think about it," she threatened when he tried running into the crowd.
He gave her a sheepish grin as she approached. It wasn't hard to pinpoint the newcomer of the group. He was tall, very American looking. His eyes followed everything going on around him as if he would miss something interesting. She swallowed down her rage. If she was going to really teach this kid a lesson, it would be slow and sweet.
"Hi," she looked up at him through her eyelashes. A coy smile pulled at her lips. "Are you the new kid I keep hearing about?"
If he could only see the rage in her eyes. Instead, his face fell into a goofy grin as he leaned forward and placed a hand around her shoulders. He pulled her closer and the appendage fell to her waist. His lips fell next to her ear and went to purr something. She reached for his wrist and twisted it around and behind his back. His head made a tremendous bang as it met with the window of Twinkie's car. She smirked when she felt the joint begin to fight against her. If she applied just a little more pressure, his shoulder would pop out of its socket.
She stood on her tiptoes, but could not reach his ear like she wanted to. "I'm Hana. The girl who needed to grow a pair. I hope these are big enough for you." He winced under her grasp as she leaned forward just another inch, "too bad I can't find any around here."
"Come on, Hana. Give the kid a break."
They both glanced through the window of Twinkie's car. A thin silhouette reflected back at them. Hana could not help but roll her eyes.
"Mind your own business, Neela." Hana let her victim go. "He just needed to know how things work around here."
She raised her hands up to show the brunette girl that she meant no harm. She reached out to help him stand straight, but was not surprised when he didn't take her hand. For a moment he looked ashamed as he dusted himself off, until he saw who had rescued him, that is. His goofy smile returned to his face. Hana rolled her eyes as she watched another guy fall victim to Neela's grace. It's not like the girl went around seeking attention, like most of the girls in this parking garage did. Hana could say that she and Neela were probably the only females who knew how to drive, and how the underground life they shared, worked. The rest of the drivers here found this as a hobby, something to look forward too after school or weekends. While for them, it was life. All the others had to do was stop showing up, while it was not that easy for them.
The new kid and Neela traded words, apparently they had met while at school today. A sudden pang of guilt hit Hana's stomach as she watched the girl speak with the foreigner. Neela was forever stuck in this life. Well, until she no longer fit the part and would be replaced with a newer model. That was why Hana was glad her introduction into this life was purely because of racing and the rare chance of meeting Han. All she had to do was keep up with the latest racing trend, kick ass at it and then collect. Her name with Han's business had always been kept on the downlow, even though everyone but Kamata had seen her face. Disappearing would be easy, after collecting from the right gig. Versus, Neela was adopted by Kamata and the current love interest of his nephew. They would eventually marry, even if love was not involved, and that would be her life.
He must have sensed that Neela was exchanging words with another, for DK joined their group. His usual smug face looked the new kid up and down, as if sizing the competition. He curled his arm around Neela's neck to claim his territory. Hana had to hide her eye roll as his dark eyes attempted to shut down everyone in the group. This was Han's partner, but that didn't mean she had to like him. He reminded her of a spoiled child that thought he was more grown up than he really was. DK and the new kid began a pissing contest and Hana found herself bored and still irritated.
Neela's brown eyes met hers with a silent plea to fix the situation. Hana could only return it with a shrug. She had no power here. The best she could do was create a diversion, but since the new kid seemed so determined to meet DK head on, the likeliness of its success was very slim. The poor brunette seemed to understand, even though they spoke no words. Hana did feel bad, since Neela would have to deal with DK's mood after they left.
The feeling of being watched crawled up her neck again. The usual glances were normal, and maybe they had gained a few extra bystanders since DK's presence was with their little group. Everyone knew who DK was, and would give anything to be apart of his inner circle, so the added attention was normal. But, this person watching was only interested in her. She went to investigate, but heard the new kid accept a challenge from DK. Her jaw dropped and she forgot about her stalker. Was this kid dumber than he looked?
DK's sneer could have even made a Disney villain to tremble. "With what? You do not have a car."
She stepped forward, her hand wrapped tightly around the American's elbow, "this is not like racing in the States, believe me. You can't just hop behind the wheel and figure out what you just accepted, you idiot." The American surely didn't realize he just accepted a challenge to drifting by the actual drift king of Japan.
"He could use my car." The jingle of keys ran through the silence.
Hana glanced over at Twinkie. They both shared apprehensive groans and turned towards the voice. They saw a male, a few years older than them, step away from his recently parked car. He had shaggy black hair and brown eyes and appeared as serene as could be. Not like he had just signed a death warrant for the new comer.
"That one?" Hana nearly croaked after catching a glimpse at the keys in the kid's grasp. "But, that's your baby!"
Han simple shrugged as the crowd migrated to the start line, which was at the bottom of the parking garage. Twinkie led the American to his new toy for the next five minutes. Han snuck an arm around Hana's shoulder and brought their cheeks together in a not so formal greeting.
"My gut is telling me that this is a bad idea, Han." He was the only one who took her useless talent seriously. Or, at least, didn't mock her for having it. Usually, he would listen to her gut more than she did. Today was the first she was listening to it, and he was not.
"Sometimes you just have to see how things work out." He gave her his signature toothless grin as he retracted his arm from her shoulder. Even though she thought of him as family, he understood that she did not enjoyed being touched for too long. "I trusted mine when I first met you, right?"
She wanted to pout. It was not fair that Han would compare that cocky kid to her. Their stories were so different. Turning away, she watched as everyone got into position to watch the race. Hana could already tell how this race was going to end and could not stomach to watch what would crawl over the finish line. If he did, that is. DK was the best racer in Tokyo for a reason, while the new kid probably still had no idea what he was going up against. Drifting was not a thing back in the states. Races only lasted ten seconds, and usually took place on a straight street. They were currently in a parking garage, with foreign cars, and, oh yeah, the freaking drift king as his opponent! This kid was dumber than she took him for.
She turned to her car with the thought that it was time to take her leave. The mood she would be in after this race would not be a pretty one. However, she saw two goons standing over her car. They had their heads together, pointing out things to each other. That would have been common, because her car was beautiful and they were surrounded by car enthusiast. Except, these two made her heart jump into her throat as her stomach did a nasty knot. It was the guys from the restaurant. She turned to get Han's attention for his insight of what needed to be done. Unfortunately, his watchful eyes were busy with the race. So, it was up to her on this one.
She approached her car with a slanter. Their eyes watcher her hips sway when she stood next to her door. Leaning against the window, she crossed her arms and rested her chin on them and smiled at the strangers.
"Hey there," she tried her best at being coy.
It took the both of them a moment to shut their jaws and if it wasn't for the fact that she was putting on a show, she would have rolled her eyes.
I've done that so many times today, she thought to herself. If I'm not careful, my eyes might get stuck that way.
She returned to the situation. Which was two strangers had followed her from work to the meet up and was now eyeballing her like she was a fresh filet. Now, don't get Hana wrong, she knew she had attractive attributes. Her hair was long, and blonde to the point of silver. That alone got her a lot of attention, let alone her blue eyes. Her height was just above the average for women in Japan. If she focused more on boys than cars, she could have anyone she wanted. Instead, she had spent her time racing. She had missed the stage where she was suppose to learn about makeup, and how to successfully flirt. Fortunately, Neela had taught her a few lessons. But, mascara only got in the way when rebuilding an engine in the middle of Japan's summer. So, makeup in general was only put to use when a good impression was really needed.
And right now, she was grateful she had thrown on the basic necessities to her face and some clothes that showed her stomach and arms. She was using every trick in her arsenal to figure out who these boys were. She eyed them up, now officially seeing their faces. They appeared to be the same age as her. Twenty-three, maybe even twenty-five.
"You enjoying the show?" Her voice was breathless as she fabricated as much innocence her body still had.
The brunette answered first. He seemed lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders while outside the restaurant. The better mood caused his brown eyes to reflect a mischievousness that almost stirred her own as they finished the last inspection of her slim form.
"Well, now I am."
She shifted in her favorite jeans. The ones that gave her the most compliments, but allowed her to move with ease. Her leather boots, however, gave an almost military appearance, but with much more chains. The outfit was understated, but seemed to be doing the job. Carrot tip pressed up against her passenger window and mimicked her position.
He spoke with the smoothest voice he could muster, which still came out almost croaky. "Are you a parking ticket? 'Cause you've got fine written all over you."
She faked a laugh. "Because we're at a car rally, I get it." Her flat expression suggested that she had heard that a million times. Quickly, she caught herself before she ruined the innocent routine. Her finger curled around a long strand of hair, and questioned them the first thing that came to mind. "Do you guys have rides here?"
Internally, she sighed with relief. That would sound like something the Hayabusa sisters would say, who were probably the most dense of the whole female population.
"Oh man, if only! I would definitely be owning the streets in some American muscle, though." Carrot top almost yelled with his excitement as he began to describe his perfect car.
Hana's mind wonder from the conversation for the moment as she pictured the car perfectly. A friend of her's by the name of Dom would have been proud of carrot top, since he lived in America and only drove the muscle from there. He had taught her how to rebuild his precious 1970 Dodge Charger. Returning back to the conversation as carrot top was wrapping up his vivid detail of his dream car. She turned to the brunette with an eyebrow raised.
"What about you?"
He was leaning against the side of her trunk. He tilted his head back to glance at her. Neither of the boys seemed to notice the anger vein that Hana was trying to hide behind her bangs.
"I don't trust these things. There's no place I can't walk to on foot, anyways." He turned back to the crowd as his arms crossed his chest. He looked like the epitome of a bad boy. Black hair slicked back, white shirt and jeans and a scowl. His brown eyes looked off into the distance as if this place was boring. "I've seen too many accidents in my lifetime."
Hana wondered if at any point he did love cars. Something must have happened to him to have changed his mind. Carrot top broke her out of her gaze, again.
"What about you, cutie? You got any sick rides around here?"
The way he worded it made her skin crawl. As if hinting that the beast underneath them could not possibly belong to her. He must have assumed she was like the other girls here, whose boyfriend's had money and wasted it on buying them new civics with a nice radio. Those girls gave Hana the best laughs, but were the most annoying. They could not tell the difference between the blinker and the windshield wiper controls, yet showed up to these rallies as if they stood a chance against girls like her, or even Neela.
With a smirk, she held up her key flob and the lights of her baby flashed with recognition. The two boys jumped as the beep rang. "Yes, actually. Do you care for a little ride?"
Both boys took a moment to reply. Nervously, they both declined. She pouted, knowing it had worked for other girls when they needed rides. Hopefully it worked the other way around. She needed to figure out why these goons were following her.
"Sorry, lady, but my mother told me never get into car with strangers." Brunette quipped as he dug his hands into his pockets.
In a finally attempt , she even stuck out her bottom lip in the most pathetic form of a pout. She hadn't even used this technique on Han before. "Come on! I'll show you the difference between an American ride and my baby." she added with a wink, "I'm sure you'll be able to feel the difference."
She slid into her seat and waited to see what the two would decide. Her fingers slid under her wheel and found the secured, leather strap. She made work of the snaps and slid back into seat, now ready to make the boys talk. And, if they decided to not get into her car, perhaps after this they would leave her alone. Silently, the boys opened the door. Realising that they needed to slide the chair forward to allow one of them to sit in the back, it took a moment for them to figure out the procedure. They played a quick hand game, which the brunette lost and he slid into the back seat. Hana repositioned to the right and hoped that neither boy would notice what hid under her steering wheel.
"Quit the seatbelt you have in here." Carrot top noticed as he fumbled with the four point harness. The kind that would keep you safe even if the car was to flip.
"Well, you can never be too careful." She tried innocence again with a big smile. "My brother had them installed."
A sudden wave of worry washed over her. She really should have warned Han what she was planning on doing, just in case this turned ugly. It was to late now. When the two boys were settled, she turned with a coy smile.
"Ready?"
Carrot top chuckled. "Yeah, sweet thing. Show us the best you got."
A smirk pulled at her lips. She was hoping he would say something like that. She whipped forward in her seat and adrenaline shot through her veins like fire. Brunette noticed her sudden transformation from the innocent girl. He leant forward to protest this ride, but he was to slow. Hana had already slammed the start button on her dash and was switching gears. Her foot hit the pedal and the two unexpectedly shot into their seats. She could not hide the smile that pulled at her lips. She felt like howling as rubber screeched against pavement. The rear of her car whipped around and her tires cried out while turning towards the exit. They shot into the traffic of the street. Loud honks of protest came from both sides.
"EASY!" Brunette yelled from the back.
Hana had to bite back her laugh. She shifted down a gear to fight through the thick traffic. When a gap finally emerged, she shifted up and shot forward even faster.
"So," she smiled taking her eyes from the road and to the boys. "I never caught your names."
Both pair of eyes stared back at her in disbelief. They clung to their leather seats with such tight grips she feared they might tear it.
"Will you pay attention to the damn road!" They yelled in unison.
Hana shrugged, "yeah, I could."
Turning to the correct position, she shifted down again to take a so sharp her back tires fought against her again. When she straightened out, she shot off without missing a beat. She quipped, again.
"So, your names?"
"I'm Kuwabara Kazuma," carrot top almost squeaked as she continued to cut through traffic. "The guy in the back in Urameshi Yusuke."
"Yeah, and the guy in the back wants you to slow down!" He paused, his brown eyes caught something in the front windshield. "I never thought I'd ever say this, but thank God the cops are here."
Hana laughed silently, loving this part. Shifting again, she gained even more speed and shot past the perched police. Checking her rear view mirror, she watched as they checked her speed, shrugged and continued tracking traffic.
"WHAT!" Both bellowed.
"Police cars are only factory tuned. If you can do better than 180 KMH, which we're going-" she paused to check her gages. "196, they can't catch you. So, they won't even bother."
Kazuma seemed the only one to relax, if only just a little. "Sounds like you've done this before."
Hana rolled her eyes, "ever since I was 10. I was in America then."
Boys aren't the only ones who can drive around here. She thought to herself.
Yusuke grumbled, obviously not enjoying this. "Did you get chased out of your own country?" Hana's grip tightened around the steering wheel as she took another sharp turn. With her left hand, she released the shift and reached under her steering wheel. Her fingers curled around a smooth handle.
"I've never seen you two around before. What brought you to the meet up?"
"We've heard some people talking about it." Yusuke answered quickly.
Kazuma added, "yeah, kids always talked about it while at school. So, we figured we'd finally see what it's all about."
"Well, I do find it a little suspicious that I've never heard your names before," she glanced at Yusuke in her rearview mirror. "And yet, you're willing to get into a stranger's car and drive off into the night."
His brown eyes shifted, and saw what her hand hid. He fought against his harness, but it kept him secure in the back seat. Before he could warn Kuwabara, Hana had freed the barata and swung it at the carrot top's nose. As the stomach churning crack filled the car, Hana continued.
"Since you didn't ask for my name at all, I will assume I'm correct when I say that I saw you guys stalking out my restaurant as I was leaving!"
His brown eyes winced, glancing between Kuwabara clutching a bleeding nose and the girl with the gun. He knew they had been caught and as her thumb reached for the safety, he raised his hands as a sign he did not plan on fighting. Hana shifted forward and sped off. Having a little difficulty with shifting gears with the weapon in hand. She followed the bends of the road until they came under a bridge. She threw the gear into park and unbuckled herself.
"Now, I don't really want to use this." She indicated to her pistol. "So, please explain to me who you're working with, and what do they want?"
"We don't work for anybody!" Kazuma groaned, babying his nose.
Hana raised her gun meaning to attack again. Yeah, that's what they all say at first.
A hand grabbed her wrist a she swung. It halted her attack right before Kazuma's nose. She turned to the, now very serious, brown eyes. For a moment, Hana could never explain why, but she paused. Her thoughts, all the anger, just seemed to vanished. These brown eyes seemed to send signals to her brain that caused every warning to shut off. Her gut trusted him before he even opened his mouth to speak.
"Yes, we were looking for you. Only because you have a connection to someone we need answers from."
"And who would that be? My contact list is pretty short." She tightened the grip around her pistol.
Kuwabara tried to protest when his friend went to answer, but was hard to understand with the blood still gushing from his broken nose. "Don't, Urameshi."
"What's the point, Kuwabara? We're literally facing the end of the barrel." He turned towards Hana and she knew the answer to her question would not be pretty. His brown eyes were too serious for someone his age, she noticed. He did not give the impression of having a lot of smarts, but his caramel brown eyes had seen some shit. How else could he be so calm while at the end of her loaded weapon?
"We are looking for Kamata."
She blanched, the worst possible outcome of this situation. "Kamata. You mean the crime boss of all Tokyo?" Her stomach did a nose dive into the bottom of her seat. Had she just gotten unintentionally involved with something much greater than her pay rate?
Yusuke nodded his head calmly, and slowly. An awkward silence filled the car as Hana went over how she had gotten into this situation just because she heard two guys talking outside her restaurant. If they were ballsy enough to go after Kamata and the Yakuza, they either had a boss that was more power or was just really dumb. At this point, she had already gotten herself so involved that she could not just simply apologise. When they would part, there would be no time wasted before their boss would hear of this event. There wouldn't be enough time for her to find a safe place to hide.
Her stomach did another nose dive with her next thought. Han would not be pleased when the news reached him. He already had a hard time keeping her out of his dirty business with DK. How much was he going to freak when he found out that she had essentially kidnapped, and broken the face of some guy trying to get to his boss?
"I'm sorry to break it to you," Hana broke the silence, then winced at the unintended pun. She went to drop the gun, since there was no longer a need to be armed. However, Yusuke's firm grip did not lessen from her wrist, so it was left disabled in between the three. "But, I have no way to get you to Kamata."
Suddenly, a thought hit her that caused her heart to race. In the thirty minutes that she had spent with the boys, she had given them enough evidence to get her thrown into lock up. Nothing would stick, but she had shown them enough of the underworld to cause more cops to come sniffing around. And the fact that she had hit a cop was another story.
"Are you two cops?"
Yusuke startled, clearly not expecting that accusation... or because he was a cop and his cover had just been blown. Her fingers tightened around the barata once more.
However, Kuwabara spoke. "No, we're not cops."
She turned to him and guilt grew in her stomach. Blood, fresh and bright red, still fell from his nose. It was starting to clot, which allowed him to remove his hands. His grey eyes were clenched as he pushed through the pain. Obviously, he had gone through this before. She attempted to get her wrist freed from Yusuke's grasp, but his fingers did not budge.
"Just let me fix his nose." She indicated to the red head with her chin. "I will put the gun away."
He seemed very skeptical of her offer. But, his grip did release. Hana slid back, secretly wishing to rub the tender skin. Already, finger like bruises were forming around her wrist. Her adrenaline rush must have kept her oblivious to the pain. The pistol slid into its leather case under the steering wheel. The leather clasp made a sharp snap as the straps locked the gun into place. She took a moment to take a deep breath in. This had ended up being one hell of a night.
"Are you able to get out of the car?" Her hands had instinctively wrapped around her steering wheel. The cool leather seemed to calm her, if just the slightest.
Yusuke cut in sharply before the redhead could answer. "Can't you do it here?" His brown eyes looked at her as she were the most vile, untrusting creature in the world. "You really think we'd be that stupid so you could ditch us here?"
"No!" Hana huffed, "I'm really gonna fix his face. So, you can either shut up and listen to me, or shut up and stay in the back while I get shit done."
She kicked the door open. Her anger had risen to a level that she didn't even care about the footprint left on the black plastic from her boot. The night air had turned crisp with cold. It was refreshing after the tension of the car. She slammed the door shut and stepped to the passenger side of the car. She watched through the window as Kuwabara stuggled with the seatbelt, and then crawled out of her car. His long legs hindered him from slipping out of the seat like she had. He needed to grip the window panel and pull with his might so get him free. Her poor baby shook when he plunged from his seat.
"You got a first aid kit or somethin'? I didn't know they had kits for broken noses."
She nibbled on her bottom lip. What she was about to do was hard to explain. Mostly because she really didn't understand it herself. It had just become a norm for her and Han whenever something like this happened. Only her adopted brother had witnessed this talent of hers. They both had agreed to keep it a secret in fear that the agents from the X-Files show would knock on their front door. Yes, it was a fictional show, but her talent should have also been as such.
Kuwabara and Yusuke eyed her questioningly. She had suddenly gone very quiet and hesitant and avoided their gazes. For someone who had just pointed a gun at them, it was strange to see the transformation.
"Not… exactly." She shyly said while playing with her fingers. "I know I have not given you a reason to, but you're gonna have to just trust me." She added quickly, "and just go with it." She waited until Kuwabara agreed before she stepped forward with her hands raised. He was a good 30 centimeters taller than she. A blush threatened to crawl onto her cheeks when she stretch just to reach his face. Her fingers touched his skin and felt the bone that was definitely broken. The blood had dried at this point. It was crunchy under her touch.
Well, she took a deep breath in. Was she really prepared for the questions that would follow after this? Here goes nothing.
Her fingers pushed against the broken bone. Kuwabara groaned and went to pull from her grasp. Hana did not release her grip and waited for the usual warm sensation that would come to her finger at this point. She focused on making the pain subside from his nose. The warmer her fingers became, the less his nose swelled. When she was content that the nose no longer inflicted him any pain, she stepped away.
She was winded, and a small coat of sweat had formed on her forehead. She glanced through her lashes up at the boy shyly. His grey eyes had gone cross eyed while inspecting his improved nose. Yusuke had his face pressed against the window. His brown eyes huge. Hana internally groaned. She was not looking forward to what was about to come spilling out of both boys mouths. Even Han, who seemed to accept every strange thing in the world as if it was a norm, had bombarded her with a thousand questions when she revealed this to him.
Kuwabara took a deep inhale and groaned as if it was the best thing he had ever done. "This feels great! I haven't been able to breath this good since Yusuke first broke it when we were in grade school!" He slapped her back in appreciation. She had to buckle her knees from slamming into her car. "This is even better than a session with Yukina! How'd you do that? I didn't sense any spirit energy from you!"
Woah, this is a total first. Hana raised an eyebrow from his lack of bafflement. How was this guy so cool with her magically fixing his broken nose? (Not like Harry Potter magic, trust her, she had tried countless times to prove she was blessed with magical blood. As far as anyone could tell, she was a normal girl). He sounded as if he had gone through this before with someone else. Did that mean she was not the only one in the world that could fix a broken bone by just touching it? And what did he mean by spirit energy?
A tiny voice added, maybe it's a hippy term?
Before she could begin her questioning, Yusuke clamored out of the car. His face almost hit the ground since his ankle had snagged on a harness. "Where did you say you were from?"
His brown eyes were serious again. She had heard the tone of his question while locked in a small room with a two-way mirror and a badge in her face. She was finding it hard to believe they were not cops.
"Here." She said, apprehensively.
He stepped closer, which startled Hana. Her back hit the side of her baby, next to Kuwabara, who was still infatuated with his nose. His fist shot forward and rested against the door and successfully caging Hana, which she did not find amusing. This stranger was to close for comfort, and her pistol was strapped securely in her car. Even though Kuwabara had lost interest in the current situation, he was still apart of the trap. Yusuke stepped closer and his brown eyes worked their way down her body once again tonight.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" With his free hand, he indicated to the red head with his thumb. "Make your fingers glow like that?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. One day when I was little, I fell and broke an ankle. When I was waiting for someone to come help, I just held onto-" Her speech leveled off as she processed his words. Did he say her fingers had glowed? She glanced at the appendages but never had seen them glow before. The few times she had bandaged Han up, nothing had happened. Not even now, even though her fingers were almost burning as she concentrated on them, there was no difference.
"What did you mean when you said spirit energy before? Was that the glowing you guys saw?"
Both boy's face fell.
Kuwabara stuttered, "you mean, you didn't see it?"
Hana shook her head again. She glanced to the boy trapping her against her car with a plea as if the caramel brown eyes could help her. Was there something wrong with her? Was her secret talents a result of her being a freak?
Yusuke clenched his jaw in thought. His hand brushing through his hair. She noticed the single lock that had broken free from the gel was put back into place. He did a big inhale, and then looked at her with a big goofy grin. His sudden change of demeanor caused her even more shock than being accused of having glowing fingers.
"You know what, I bet it was just Kuwabara being in pain. He's a big baby like that." A very forced chuckle bellowed out of the brunette. "Looks like she fixed your nose, but you're still ugly."
Carrot top glared. "Shut up, Urameshi. Don't you think it's weird that she suddenly has spirit-"
Yusuke slapped his friends back with another fake laugh. Hana heard the air that escaped from Kuwabara's lungs. "Oh, wow. She must have hit you really hard. I think you're just seeing things, man!"
Why is he acting strange all of a sudden? It's like he's trying to cover something up. She raised her eyebrow at the laughing boy, "but, you even said you saw it too. What is going on?"
"I did? Oh, it must have just been a glare from the street light! I was in the car, and the street lights, and cars and things…" He indicated to the single light under the bridge that few people passed over, or under.
Hana had a hard time believing him. But, if she did, then she would be believing that something was wrong with her. She decided to shake it off. These boys were odd themselves, there was no point to get mixed up with it. "Are you sure you're okay?" She turned to Kuwabara with sincerity.
The two boys seemed to deflate with relief that she no longer pressed the glowing fingers issue.
"Better than ever! It takes a lot to bring me down." He thudded his chest with a fist.
She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "So," she paused to glance between the boys. She needed to make sure that guns would not show up on her front door step. "Are we cool?"
"Of course, little lady." Carrot top purred.
"Good. Now, let me take you back to the garage. Maybe it hasn't been busted up yet and you can find someone stupid enough to get you to Kamata."
"NO!" Yusuke's shout almost caused Hana to jump. "We can walk from here. You drove us closer to my house, anyways." He suddenly became shifty, which did not fit him.
She raised an eyebrow. She had gone a good distance from any sort of bus route. It was dark and this time of night, the creatures of the underworld were waking. It was not a safe time to be walking the streets if you had a wallet or a face to beat in. Even if you looked like punks yourselves, that would probably just gain more attention.
"I can't just leave you two out here!" She went to protest, but Yusuke cut her off.
"Trust me, we can handle anything that comes our way. We used to own these streets back in our day. Besides," he suddenly deadpanned, "I don't want to get into that death trap of a car, again."
She pouted. The one reserved for Han when he was poking at her with his weird sense of humor. It seemed to lighten Yusuke's mood, since the look of fear left his brown eyes. He smiled down at her with a wink.
"Maybe we'll see you around again. If you don't run us over with your death trap."
Normally, she would have spit venom into his eyes for degrading her driving. She was the best female drifter in all of Tokyo. But, for some reason, his wink reminded her of Han and she felt all sense of anger evaporate. To cover up her sudden brittle defense, she rolled her eyes and pushed past the smirking boy. She hoped he did not witness her sudden weakened defense. Only Han had caused her to do such things, and this kid did not need another type of blackmail. Like the fact that she had broken his partner's nose was not enough.
The boys watched as she crawled into her seat and awoken the black and blue beast. She did a graceful doughnut before streaming up the ramp and into the street. When the gravel settled, and only her tail lights were in sight, did Kuwabara turn to Yusuke.
"You did see the glowing, right?"
"Of course I did, stupid. The weird part is, why didn't she?"