'Thud'
"Owww!" The girl yelped, rubbing her knees. She'd just tripped over the footrest next to her armchair. "How can I be so graceful and quiet when I'm on business and so blasted clumsy at home?!"
"Probably because your life doesn't depend on you making it safely across the living room without mishap. And I think it's fun to watch you fall."
"Yeeeek!" She jumped a foot at the sound of the voice, which resulted in her falling hard on her rear. "Titus! DON'T DO THAT!" The small black and orange mottled cat hopped off the top of the chair and sauntered over.
"What'd you bring for supper?"
"Oh, thanks for the sympathy. I brought flounder." She got to her feet. "C'mon, I've got business tonight. Eat quick." Titus hopped up onto the kitchen table, and proceeded to wolf down the fish at a surprising speed.
"What're we after tonight?"
"Blood. There's someone I need to see, and kill."
"I'm not coming unless we get something good out of this."
"Don't worry Titus, I believe they may have some objects of value."
"Oh. It's that blood."
"Mmhm."
"After you've gotten your blood, are we going to go on as we have, or are we going to go straight?" Titus wanted to know. He shuddered at the thought of becoming a normal house cat instead of assisting in theft and robbery.
"Staying the same, of course. I don't think I could be a normal person. Now let's go." The pair hurried out the door. Once outside, the girl pulled on a mask, which hid her features so effectively that it seemed she had no face at all.
Keeping to the back roads and alleyways, Titus and his mistress made good time to their target. Carefully, she crept up to the door and picked the lock without a sound. With Titus behind her, she slunk down the hallway, opening each door and peering into every room. After her target was dead, she would search his room for something memorable to remember this by, and then determine whether there was anything worth stealing before she left. The other occupants of the house wouldn't know of their comrade's death until the next morning.
"Kristina! Over this way!" Titus came bounding up to her, an excited gleam in his eye.
"Good boy, Titus! If this goes well, you can pick your supper for a week!" Kristina peeked around the open doorway. There, completely oblivious of what waited for him, a tall, slim redhead slept peacefully. He would never know what happened because he would never wake up. She carefully unsheathed a dagger, relishing the soft, deadly hiss it made. Silently, she crept up to the head of the bed. Almost as if he knew and accepted his fate, the boy lay on his back, his throat bared. Titus hopped up on the bed to watch. "I thought you weren't interested." Kristina commented dryly.
"I didn't say that. Besides, it's been a long while since I tasted blood." Kristina held the knife close to the boy's throat, carefully lowering it until it touched his skin. She was about to press down and cut across, ending his life, when a strange shiver shook her body. The knife slipped, drawing a shallow line from just beneath the right side of his jaw to the left side of his collarbone. He stirred, mumbling something Kristina couldn't hear. Frightened, she froze, praying he would stay asleep.
The soft, comforting darkness of sleep was broken by a shiver that caused his entire body to convulse, followed by a thin, white-hot line of pain on his throat. It was enough to fully wake him, cursing and swearing in a low monotone. He opened his eyes to see the outline of someone with a cat sitting on their shoulder standing over him, a bloody dagger in one outstretched hand.
The redhead sat up, his eyes widening as he saw Kristina, the cat on her shoulder, and the dagger she held. A feeling of ice-cold dread filled her stomach. Before she could comprehend what was happening, he had opened his mouth and yelled "Everybody up! NOW! We've got company!" He vaulted out of bed and charged at her. Kristina dodged, and heard the sound of others waking up.
"Titus, get out of here." she hissed. The cat leaped off her shoulder and raced away. Before the boy could grab her, she tore out of the room, racing down a hall. Behind her, doors slammed open. Chancing a look behind her, Kristina saw the redhead, accompanied by 2 other boys, racing after her. Turning to see her pursuers had slowed Kristina down, and a fourth boy, who had a powerful demonic aura around him, tackled her. "Let…Go…Of…Me!" Kristina yelled in a deep voice, disguising her feminine tone. The redhead she had tried to kill approached, a thorn covered whip in one hand.
"I think we should take him to Koenma." He said, and then wrapped the whip around her tightly. Kristina winced as the thorns dug into her skin. "Yusuke, Kuwabara, I suggest you at least get some pants on." The two boys he'd spoken to were clad in only their boxers. They nodded and left. Several minutes later, they returned, fully clothed. A portal appeared beside Kristina, and she was lifted up, then thrown in.
"You are going to pay for this insult." she spat, lying on the floor of the room she'd been thrown into.
"So, boys, can I have an explanation as to why you're here, in my office, at 1:30 in the morning? And why, may I ask, is there someone tied up in Kurama's rosewhip lying on my floor?"
One of the boys spoke up. "Kurama woke us up."
"And why did you wake them Kurama?"
"This person-" Kurama poked Kristina in the ribs with his toe. "-was standing over me holding a bloody knife when I woke up. If you don't believe me, here, this is the dagger he had, and look" He tossed the dagger, which Kristina had dropped, onto the desk, and tilted his head back so the light shone on the still wet blood on his throat. "He tried to slit my throat. If that isn't reason to wake you up, than I don't know what is."
"Hmmmm. Well, untie him and-"
"Ouch! He just bit me! Release my leg, you savage! Let… Go!"
"Ummmf!" One of the boys slammed something hard into Kristina's back, knocking the breath from her body and forcing her to let go.
"What is he?" One of the boys wanted to know.
"Hey, look! He's a demon." In order to make her bite hurt as much as possible, Kristina had forced a change to her demon form, which had very sharp canine teeth.
"He drew blood!" The redhead grumbled, examining his tattered pant leg.
"How 'bout you boys untie him, hold him, and let me speak to him." Grudgingly, they unwound the whip from Kristina's body and shoved her into a chair.
"Well, mister, I suppose you think you're pretty clever, trying to kill one of my Spirit Detectives."
"Well, for one thing," Kristina hissed, "I'm not a mister." Shaking the boys off her arms, she carefully removed the mask and sweatshirt she was wearing.
"He's a she!"
"And what a she!" Kristina glared at the boys who just said this, one a tall, powerfully built boy with orange hair and brown eyes, the other a shorter boy who had slicked back black hair and dark blue eyes.
"Try saying that again when I'm not outnumbered and see what happens." She growled, turning back to Koenma. "So, get on with it. Just sentence me or something. If you don't, I'm sure that he'd love to do something." Kristina nodded at the redhead, whose emerald green eyes were glittering angrily.
"Well, normally you would be executed for the attempted murder of someone in my employment, but-"
"But!? But what!? She just tried to kill me and you're just going to give her a slap on the wrist and release her? That's…mmmmmmf!" The fourth boy, who had, until now, stayed in the shadows came up behind Kurama and covered his mouth with one hand.
"Just remember whom you're talking to, idiot!" he whispered in Kurama's ear.
"So, brat, what are you gonna do with me? If you imprison me, I can guarantee I'll escape."
"You're not going to be imprisoned, miss…"
"Kristina Blackfell." She said angrily.
"Well, Miss Blackfell, instead of life imprisonment or immediate execution, you are to work with these boys."
"WHAT!?".
"No need to shout, and my decision is final. You boys need a fifth partner to enter the upcoming tournament. Incidentally, you must have at least 1 female combatant on your team to enter."
"Hn. She'd better not cause any trouble." The short boy with black hair and red eyes said, and then left.
"Boys, follow Hiei and leave, I need to speak with Kristina alone." Grudgingly, all three left, although the redhead paused beside her chair, bent low, and whispered in her ear "When the tournament is over, you are going to pay in blood for what you did to me." His words dripped venom.
"I couldn't have said it better myself. What better way to please myself than by killing the person who ruined my life." Kristina answered.
"Not kill, at least not immediately. I want to see you writhe in pain before you die."
"To not kill is a sign of weakness, half-breed." The redhead exhaled sharply. To a pureblooded demon, the name 'half-breed' was as rude an insult as any you might utter.
"Hmph. See you on the battlefield, vixen."
"Likewise, whelp."
"Are you two finished?" Koenma was getting impatient. Kurama stalked out of the room with the air of a cat whose tail has just been stepped on. "Unless I am very much mistaken, you just got the true personality of Yoko Kurama to speak with you. In all the time I have known him, that has happened only a handful of times, and never has he spoken more than a few words. Just who are you?"
"Like speaks to like, blood must answer blood." Kristina muttered to herself.
"Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."
"I said nothing," she said quickly, glaring at Koenma. He sighed and gave up on coaxing any more information out of her.
"You are to move in with the boys, here, at the tournament, and in the human world. Until the appropriate additions can be made, you will share a room with Hiei."
"Which one is he?" Kristina questioned. She'd already decided to protest if her roommate turned out to be the annoying boy with orange hair.
"He's the short demon with black hair and red eyes. He-"
"Oh, no. You're so not sticking me with another demon."
"Fine, you'll say with Yusuke Urameshi, the boy with an attitude as bad as yours."
"Fine by me."
"I think you two are going to be more than the others can handle." Koenma muttered. Annoyed, Kristina cracked her knuckles, delighted when Koenma winced. Score? Kristina: 1 Koenma: 0
/The next evening/(Kristina was given time, with an escort, to collect some of her things, like clothes, to bring with her. She also spent several hours searching for Titus, with no luck.) Kristina stepped through the portal to their living quarters in the Spirit World. Looking around, she examined her surroundings. She was standing in a large living room. Her roommate and the brunette, whose name she now knew as Kuwabara, were sprawled over the couch and a large armchair. Her target, Kurama, was lying on the rug in front of a fireplace, and Hiei was nowhere to be seen. "Oh look, our little burglar is back." Kuwabara drawled.
"Shut up. I have no interest in talking to you." Kristina turned to Yusuke
"You're Yusuke, right?"
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"I'm your roommate until further notice, buddy, so be polite. Where's your room?"
"M-m-my roommate? As in, sleeping in MY ROOM!?"
"That is what I said. Now, show me to your room or I'll make you." Yusuke nodded grudgingly, than got up and led Kristina on a very fast tour of the house, ending at his room. As he followed her into his room, he stopped suddenly, with a horrified look on his face.
"Uh-oh. There's only one bed in here. I'll call Koenma and tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." Kristina walked over to the bed and picked up an envelope lying there.
"Here, looks like ol' babyface already thought of that." Looking hopeful, Yusuke opened the letter, which immediately shot out of his hands, out the door, and down the stairs.
//Kurama's Point of View// A large envelope came sailing down the stairwell, coming to a halt right in the middle of the living room, with Kristina and Yusuke in hot pursuit. Before either could grab it, the letter glowed blue and started yelling in Koenma's voice. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, YUSUKE! YOU TWO WILL, I REPEAT WILL, SHARE A BED. THAT'S FINAL!
//Third Person POV// Kuwabara cracked up, falling off the couch and rolling on the floor, laughing. Kurama was having trouble keeping himself from laughing, and was unable to hide a grin. Yusuke and Kristina, however, were far from amused. They both turned red. In order to get away, Kristina said, "I'm going to take a shower, and possibly drown myself." She left quickly, collected clean clothes, and then proceeded to boil herself in a very hot shower. She'd just stepped out of the shower and was reaching for her towel when the door opened. She screamed instinctively. There, in the doorway, stood Hiei. He just stood and gaped for a split second, then took one look at Kristina's face and shot out of the room. "I'm gonna kill you, shrimp! Get back here!"
/Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room/ Upstairs, a scream sounded, than a slam, followed by a second slam, after which came the sound of someone running for dear life, with a second person in hot pursuit. "Ten bucks say that Hiei walked in on Kristina," Kurama said, calmly, not bothering to look up from his book.
"You're on," Yusuke replied. Moments later, Hiei came running through the room, looking as if he knew he was in big trouble. Kristina was right behind him. All three boys watched, wide-eyed, as she ran past. In her hurry to catch Hiei, she'd only had time to grab a towel to cover herself with. The hastily wrapped towel just covered her bosom, and exposed her long, shapely legs. Her hair streamed behind her, dripping wet. When she had disappeared, all three flopped back to wherever they'd been sitting.
"Pay up Yusuke." Kurama said, smiling. "That was plenty of proof."
"Man, Yusuke, you are one lucky guy. Sharin' your room with that beauty." Kuwabara sighed. A terrified yell broke the silence, along with numerous bangs/crashes, then a cry of
"I didn't know you were in there! Don't touch me! Get off! Alright! I'm sorry! "
"She caught him." The boys said together. An ominous silence made the boys uneasy. The fact that Hiei had apologized was even more worrisome, especially to Kurama, who knew that was very unlike Hiei.
"We'd better make sure Hiei's still alive." Kurama murmured, getting up from his chair. They headed in the direction from which to noise had come from.
When they arrived, in Hiei's room, as it happened, Kristina was nowhere in sight. Hiei, however, was hanging upside-down by his ankles. The thing that held him up was a column of ice, engraved into which were the words. "I have control over water, idiot." Hiei was unconscious, knocked out by one of the hits Kristina had landed. "Hmmmm…judging by the katana on the ground, I'd say she hit him in the head with the hilt of this." Kurama commented picking up the katana and examining it.
"Wow, hot and dangerous." Kuwabara murmured. It took the boys the better part of an hour to get Hiei down, as the ice was very hard, and the little shards they got off were sharp, the cuts on their arms proof of that. It was a good thing for them that Hiei wasn't currently in the same level of consciousness as they were, because his ankles came loose rather unexpectedly, and he fell to the floor with a thud.
"Ouch. Right on his head, too. He's gonna have a major headache when he wakes up." Yusuke commented. After Hiei had been placed carefully on his bed, the rest of them headed back downstairs to find the culprit.
After she'd given Hiei his well deserved thrashing, Kristina pulled on her P.J.s, which consisted of loose black pants and a tight, form-fitting black tank-top, then proceeded to drape herself across the rug in the living room with a book. The boys came downstairs, calling her name. What she found odd was that they didn't seem to see her, even though they were in the living room. Then Kurama tripped over her leg and fell on top of her.
"Kristina! How did you get there?" he seemed both angry and confused, although he didn't get off of her.
"I've been here the whole time, you numbskull. How you didn't see where I was is beyond me. WOULD YOU GET OFF?!"
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Kurama blushed and scrambled up. It took Kristina a moment to realize why the boys couldn't see her. The rug she'd been lying on was soft, thick, and black. She was wearing black clothes; her hair was splayed over her arms/hands, and the surplus material of her pants concealed what little bare skin was still visible. In short, Kristina was invisible to the casual eye. She stood,
"Since you three have returned, I'm going to bed, which means you are too, Yusuke. If you stay up later, and wake me up, I can guarantee you'll regret doing so."
"Fine" he grumbled.
"Maybe we should all get to bed." Kurama suggested as Kuwabara yawned.
"Good idea." Kuwabara mumbled "Night all." The rest of the group responded similarly, and headed for the stairs as one. Once Yusuke and Kristina reached his room, the girl made a beeline for his bed, burrowing under the blankets and ignoring his protests. He gave up after a few minutes, closed the door, and said
"Stay under there until I say you can come out." Kristina didn't like his tone, nor did she like being ordered around.
"Now tell me, why should I listen to, let alone obey, the commands of a human teenager?" Yusuke turned red, trying valiantly to control his anger.
"Because I don't want you watching me change. Now do it." Partially because she just wanted to sleep and also because she wanted him to be quiet, Kristina obeyed, pulling the blankets over her head.
"You can come out now." Yusuke said, climbing into bed next to her. Almost immediately, he rolled over, nearly knocking Kristina off the bed.
"I'm here too, idiot." she snapped. He argued back. Over the next ten minutes, the argument escalated into a shouting match. Soon, Kurama opened the door and poked his head inside.
"If you two don't be quiet and get to sleep, I'm going to make you hush." Despite the fact that his voice was sleepy, it was clear that he would make good his promise. Both Yusuke and Kristina quieted down, flopping back onto the bed, back-to-back. "Good, now please stay quiet. Goodnight." Kurama shut the door and left. Kristina concentrated on ignoring Yusuke, who was muttering under his breath about:
"Sure, I get stuck with the one girl who can catch and beat Hiei up. Wonderful! Tomorrow I'm going to complain to Koenma, I'm gonna wake up dead if she stays here..." He continued, but Kristina lost interest and fell asleep.
/Later/
'Whump'
"That is it. I'm taking over." Kristina hissed, getting up from the floor. Yusuke had just shoved her out of bed for the third time, and she had had enough. "Hey, Yusuke." she shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up.
"Wipnft…Uuuhhnn…wha?" He mumbled, still more than half asleep. Kristina socked him in the stomach, not in the mood to be nice. "Oof! Hey, what was that for? I was asleep y'know." He was less than happy to be awake. 'Smack' Yusuke recoiled with a yelp, his hand over his face where Kristina had slapped him "Why'd ya' slap me?"
"Because this is the third time you have kicked or shoved me out of bed and I'm tired of putting up with it. You will not move for the rest of the night." she forced him back to his side of the.
"Hey what are you doing?" Kristina ignored the question and gestured at Yusuke's feet, then made a sweeping motion towards his head. In seconds, his body was incased in a coffin-like enclosure of ice.
"There." she said, satisfied. "I can sleep, you can sleep, and I don't have to worry about how hard the floor is anymore. Don't worry, you can breath in there, so stop glaring at me." Pleased, Kristina curled up and fell asleep.
9