Lakefront Reflection

A fanfic by Tsu_chanB

A/N: This takes place before the Yu Yu Hakusho series. Hiei has just recently received the Jagan, which explains his overall weakness.

It was something one would see in a movie, a scene of mystery and beauty. Lush foliage grew easily by the still, pristine water of the lake. A thin mist hung around Ameko's ankles and blanketed the forestry. She placed a hand against the oak beside her, one of many hiding the picturesque image from the rest of the world.

Ameko stepped forward to further examine the lake but an unnatural electronic beeping stopped her. She pulled out her cell phone and glowered at the time, switching off the alarm she had set earlier that morning. She turned and left the way she came, filing the exact location of the lake in her memory to return to later.

She followed the direction of her compass to find the trail again. Ameko was an explorer; she loved to wander off the beaten path. Now that she and her father had moved to a new town, she was beginning her exploration of the parks and woodlands surrounding the city. She liked the move since she had already memorized all the paths and trails that she could reach in a day back home. Ameko had all new territory to discover.

She reached the dirt trail she had veered off of and found her dirt bike sitting against a tree where she had left it. She pulled it out, turned it on, and slipped on her helmet. She revved the engine for a moment, smirking in satisfaction, before shooting off down the trail back toward home. It was the weekend and she had the whole day to herself, but that night was her turn to make dinner for her and her father. He would be home in an hour from work and she wanted to have everything prepared before then.

Ameko returned home fairly quickly. She was still in the early stages of exploration and hadn't gotten to wander too far out. Ameko pulled her bike into the driveway of her father's home and rolled it into the garage. The house was fairly large by Japanese standards, even though only two of them lived there. Her father was paid very well for his job and actually made a lot more than he spent.

She moved into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. The grandfather clock in the living room chimed to call the hour as she stood at the stove over a sizzling skillet. Ameko didn't hear her father come in, but she felt the shift in the air behind her as he moved in.

She moved to the right to escape the blade aimed to impale her and knocked the weapon out of his hand, catching it with her opposite hand as she shifted her well grounded stance. She poked him in the places she would target in a real opponent; the heart, eyes, jugular, and liver.

Ameko smirked as she returned to the skillet, tossing the plastic dagger over her shoulder for him to catch. "Come on, dad. Too easy."

"Oh, you're just too skilled for an old man like me," he sighed dramatically. "I must be getting slow in my age."

He suddenly rushed her and Ameko, not expecting another round, was caught off guard. She jumped out of the kitchen, dodging some of his attacks, blocking others, and getting hit the rest of the time. She growled and pushed back harder, trying to land a hit as she defended herself. Her anger increased the longer she remained unsuccessful and her vision clouded with rage.

Ameko lost the fight. Her father slapped her hard on the head and tripped her up while she was disoriented. Ameko fell to the ground and he backed off.

"Don't get cocky," he reprimanded.

"Dammit," she snarled as she sat up, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

"Is this the thanks I get for making dinner?" Ameko shouted. "I swear!"

"Stop whining. This wouldn't happen if you would keep up with your training instead of going out tramping in the woods," he said.

"Whatever!" Her voice was still on the louder end of things, close to yelling. "I don't need these stupid martial arts! I'm never going to use them like you. I don't even want to be a bodyguard, especially not for some rich fat pig who can barely waddle straight!"

Her father took up stirring the meat and vegetable mixture on the stove. "I'll ignore that last bit on account of your temper. You know very well that these fighting skills are for keeping you safe. Ignoring them is stupidity. There is still the real possibility that a rival of mine or my charge could try to take advantage of you as my weakness. You have to be able to take care of yourself. I won't always be there to protect you."

Ameko threw up her hands. "Grr. That doesn't make any sense! Why would someone come after me to try to get to your boss? I have nothing to do with that slime ball."

"You misunderstood. My employer is not a saint. Far from it, in fact. What he says goes, and if he decides I haven't been doing a good enough job he might sent some of his other hires to kill you as punishment for me." The man pulled two plates from the cupboard and began filling them with rice and stir-fry. "That's why it's so important for you to be able to protect yourself."

Ameko glared at the ground, knowing that her logic had been soundly defeated. Her father beckoned her to the table and they ate in silence, Ameko still sore over both her losses.

"Did you finish your homework?" he asked as Ameko stood. She dropped her plate in the sink.

"I'll get to it," she said as she began to wash the used dishes. Her father joined her a moment later.

"I'll take care of that. Go do your homework."

Ameko rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Her father smacked her on the head as she walked past. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"Yes sir," she mumbled. Ameko almost missed the low sigh from her father as she retreated to her room. She felt like kicking something, but settled on glaring viciously at the closest textbook. She didn't want to exasperate her dad like that and channeled her frustrated energy into her schoolwork.

Ameko knew she wasn't the best daughter. She was hot-headed and quick to anger. Her grades weren't the best and she didn't have many friends. The ones she did have were mostly guys, something her father wasn't always happy about. She had never been much of a girl, preferring fighting games and action movies to romance and nail-painting. Her father didn't help in keeping her from that choice, even though he tried sometimes to help her be more feminine. He wasn't an expert on it and most of his attempts failed. His occupation as a fighter and bodyguard made teaching Ameko how to be a woman more difficult as well; he just wasn't used to dealing with it.

Ameko grew up without a mother, she had died soon after Ameko's birth, and her father had tried many times over the years to find someone to act as a mother figure for her. But Ameko didn't want a replacement and her father never found anyone he liked enough to marry. So it was just the two of them and Ameko knew it ate at him sometimes. He still missed her mother.

She quit halfway through her work and laid sideways across her bed. She grabbed the mp3 player off her nightstand, putting on the earphones as she cranked up the volume on one of her favorite rock songs. She drifted off to sleep and awoke the next morning with her alarm.

Ameko wiped the drool from her lip, noticing her head had somehow moved onto her pillow and her mp3 player was back on the nightstand. She sat up with a yawn and scratched her scalp under her matted hair before sluggishly making her way to the bathroom for a shower. She got ready for school, slipping on her blue uniform and leaving the jacket open to show her favorite shirt that had 'The angels have the blue box' written in blue across the front.

Her father had already left for work. Ameko ate breakfast alone and locked up the house before jumping on her dirt bike. She rode off to school.

The first bell rang just as she pulled up to the school yard. Ameko cursed as she removed her helmet. She was late again. There was no use hurrying now, so she meandered down the halls until she reached the correct classroom. Ameko slid open the back door and tiptoed her way to her seat, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice her late entrance. Ameko reached out for her desk chair.

"Takeshi!" Ameko flinched as her last name was called. She turned to face the wrath of her irate teacher.

"Late again, I see," Iwamoto continued with a sneer. "Outside."

With a sigh, Ameko followed his pointing finger as she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If that man thought she would be intimidated by time out he was sorely mistaken.

Ameko sat in the hall for the rest of the class. She watched the ceiling or the trees outside the window and stared at anyone that passed by. The highlight of the hour was when she found a loose thread in her pants and tried to remove it without ruining the clothing.

She stood abruptly as the door beside her slid open. Class was over and Iwamoto had exited the classroom. There was no need for Ameko to let him know she had been sitting the whole time.

"This is the third time you've been late to my class and you've only been a member of this school for two months," he said. "Lateness is a sign of laziness. The next time this happens you will receive an automatic failure."

"Yes sir," Ameko responded and stuck out her tongue as he turned away to walk down the hall.

"I also expect you to wear the correct uniform tomorrow." Iwamoto turned his head, sending her another condescending sneer.

"But sir," Ameko responded in fake innocence. "This is the standard blue uniform required for all Sarayashiki students." Iwamoto always ground on her nerves and she wanted a chance to return the favor.

"Don't be a smartass. Didn't your parents teach you how to dress properly?"

Ameko clenched her hands into fists. Anger flared up at his patronizing attitude and she spoke before she could stop herself. "Excuse me for not wanting to dress like a whore so you can stare up my skirt, sensei."

Iwamoto's eyes widened. Ameko continued. "I'm just the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass since I can't seem to follow your rules, aren't I sensei? And I don't remember seeing that rule in the school's dress code. In fact, none of the other teachers seem to care nearly as much as you. So are you sure it's really about dressing properly? If that's the case, someone should redesign those trashy miniskirts."

"You've earned yourself a detention for your cheek, Takeshi," he growled after several moments of silence. "Now get back to class!"

Ameko stood there for another few seconds, trying to force down the urge to punch his lights out and wring the teacher's neck. Without another word she stiffly walked away and opened the door of the classroom. She went back inside, plopped down at her desk, and fumed until the next class started.

She was still pretty sore when lunch came around. Natsumi, one of Ameko's only girl friends, noticed it as soon as she sat down in the small group on the school's lawn.

"What happened to you, Ameko? Get another detention or something?" Natsumi asked.

"Yeah. Iwamoto and I share a common hatred. That prick just gets me so riled up. I can't stand him!" Ameko nearly yelled.

"You and most of the rest of the school," Rokuro commented beside her.

Another boy joined the group. "You know, Ameko, you might actually beat out Urameshi for record number of detentions if you keep this up. How many is that, five since you started here?"

"Six now," Natsumi reminded them. Ameko growled and fell back on the grass. She glared up at the sky for a little while before her pensive reverie was broken. A foot came down on her stomach as someone walked right over her.

"Hey!" Ameko sat up quickly and looked to see who had done that. "Oh."

Her other female friend, Midori, had crouched behind Natsumi as if she was hiding.

"Don't let him kill me!" The small girl squeaked.

"What's up, Midori?" Rokuro asked.

"I was just minding my own business, getting a snack from the cafeteria. I happened to grab the last sweet bun and Rushio was behind me in line. He threatened me to try to get me to give it to him but I told him some not-very-nice ways to get lost. Now he's out to get me!"

"Hey!" The group turned to see Rushio rushing toward them, his face contorted in rage.

"Shove off, bonehead," Ameko said as Rushio opened his mouth. "Throwing a temper tantrum cause you didn't get what you wanted is pretty lame."

"I'm not here for you. Come out and insult me to my face, Midori. Then we'll see how tough you are," he said.

"I already did!" Midori peeked out her head from behind Natsumi. Rushio growled and approached. Ameko stood between him and Midori as the girl squeaked again. Her temper hadn't fully cooled from her confrontation with Iwamoto and Rushio's idiotic pursuit of Midori had easily set her blood boiling again.

"This is a bad day to get on my nerves, jerkoff. Just turn around and walk away so you can save face," Ameko said. She knew she was breaking her father's first rule, but her friend had been put in danger. Surely he would agree she was doing the right thing by protecting someone.

Rushio laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm three times your size and I know some serious martial arts moves."

Ameko scoffed. "If you knew half the shit I know, your fuzzy little head would explode."

"Then let's test it and see!" Rushio growled and threw a punch. Ameko let the arm pass by her face and grabbed the appendage, using a combination of momentum and leverage to pull him off balance and send him crashing into the ground. She mounted his chest and beat down on his face until someone finally pulled her off.

". . . I think you got him," Rokuro said. Ameko panted and her vision cleared. She glanced down at Rushio's bloody face and her own hands, knuckles wet with the red liquid. She pulled out of Rokuro's grasp and began to leave the scene just as a small group of teachers arrived. Ameko ran to her dirt bike and quickly shoved her helmet on over her head. She shot out of the school zone with no set plan on where to go. She let her instinct lead her as her mind whirred.

Ramming her fists into Rushio's face had felt good; too good. She hadn't really gotten into a fight like that before. Sure, she sparred with her dad, but it was never violent. It was only for teaching. And she was always getting in verbal arguments, but her father specifically barred her from fighting in school as the first rule of her training. Her anger had overpowered her and Ameko didn't remember anything after the first hit. All she knew was that it was exhilarating and gave her something of a high. The emotion was scary after the fact.

Ameko found her way back to the beginning of the dirt trail she had visited the day before where the lake she found lay hidden. She decided that was as good a place as any to hide. She still needed to think things over and wanted to stay away from her father's wrath as long as possible.

She looked behind her to make sure no one had followed before taking off down the path. The lake itself was easy to find in the full daylight, now that she knew where it was. She dropped down on the dirt at the lake's shore, no longer awed by its beauty; her mind was still on the school yard.

Ameko let out a puff of air as she ran both hands through her hair. She had messed things up big time. Her father would be furious, to say the least, and she was most likely suspended from school. Her father would probably make her pay Rushio's medical bills, which Ameko was sure he would have. She knew he had at least gotten a broken nose. Hiding out for a little while might be good for her well being.

"Shit." Ameko fell back onto the foliage and glared up at the smooth, rolling clouds. Her eyes didn't process it when the image changed as the day passed on. She felt like it was only a few minutes since she laid down, but the sky had darkened in the approaching night. Maybe she had fallen asleep.

Ameko sat up again and rubbed her hands together against the slight chill. The dried blood there cracked and flaked off, reminding her of its presence. She moved and knelt at the water's edge, planning to dip her hands in to clean them.

Ameko's hands stopped inches from the surface as she really looked at the pristine water. She glanced up at the sky and back at the water again. Her eyes turned to the trees behind her, silent and empty.

"Holy . . ." She was too shocked to finish. Ameko slowly backed away from the edge and stood, staring at the reflection in the water that was not a reflection. The trees were in the wrong places and more spread out. The moon hung full in the darkness, while the sky above Ameko was still dusted orange and purple in sunset. The moon wasn't even visible to her.

The most noticeable difference, though, was the boy sitting in a high branch of an oak tree front and center to her vision. She looked at the trees above her again; there was nothing there. He only existed on the lake's surface.

Ameko moved closer again in curiosity. The boy was asleep, large eyes closed beneath a white bandana. She couldn't stop herself from staring and watched him until the darkness of night closed in, until she fell into slumber at the lakeside.

She awoke the next morning to birds chirping merrily and a nasty crick in her neck. Ameko rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck to get out the kinks from laying oddly. She cursed the twittering creatures in the trees above for waking her. It was barely dawn. She felt her stomach grumbling unhappily at her for skipping out on two meals in a row but ignored her body in favor of the undisturbed lake.

The entrancing figure from the night before was gone. Ameko wanted to see him again and wondered if she should wait for him to come back or go home to face the consequences of her actions the day before. She didn't have to wait long for the decision to be made for her.

The black clad figure came back into her vision, but not the way Ameko had expected. She had barely caught sight of him before he connected with the tree in front of her, breaking it with the force of the impact. He stood after several moments on the ground and Ameko saw with a great deal of fascination that his eyes were a brilliant crimson. They narrowed in anger as he pulled a katana from beneath his cloak. Ameko blinked and he was gone.

She wasn't sure what to make of the scene. Was he in some sort of fight? If so, should she be rooting for him? Was he the good guy or the bad guy? Ameko didn't know him at all, but she found herself drawn to him. She wanted to be on his side of the fight.

He came back into view and brought a whole troupe of enemies with him. The short, handsome guy seemed to be fighting by himself against a group of . . . creatures. Some of them looked like lizards, others resembled snakes. Ameko wasn't sure what to make of them.

"What is going on here?" she mumbled to herself. There was no one to answer and the fight carried on. Ameko could tell after a little while that her guy was losing. Every time he struck one down, another rose up to take its place. His enemies had been giving as much as they got, too. He had lost his cloak and glancing cuts from their blades covered his skin. It looked like there were splinters lodged in his back from the tree he had gone through.

Ameko watched, frozen. She wasn't sure what to do, or if she even could do anything to help him. All worries she had over whether he was on the good side or not vanished from her mind as she saw something he could not. He had been caught in a stalemate with one of the snake people-things and a lizard guy used the opportunity to sneak up behind him, preparing to slice him in half.

"Hey!" Ameko jumped forward without thinking. "Look out!"

She aimed herself at the lizard person and touched the surface of the lake, disturbing the serene calm. She didn't fall into it, she fell through it. Her world turned upside down and back again in a second. Ameko crashed into a cool body and toppled over with the lizard creature. She spent the next several moments on the floor as she tried to regain her equilibrium.

"What's this?" a voice hissed under her. "A human?"

Ameko jumped up, still slightly dizzy, and grabbed the lizard's weapon before he could. The sword was heavier than she expected and Ameko's arms trembled under the strain of holding it up.

She raised the sword as he rushed at her with sharp claws extended and let gravity do its work. The steel slid easily through his skin and the lizard fell to the ground in two pieces.

Ameko didn't have time to wonder about the fact that she had just killed a living creature or the grossness of his visible innards. Another lizard attacked and she was forced to counter, receiving a deep gash on her left arm. She sliced down another and a snake person soon after. It didn't take long for her to become completely exhausted. The weight of the sword and weakness of her body from lack of food dragged her down. She started to have trouble concentrating, even as the number of opponents decreased. She swung at another lizard, which there seemed to be more of, and he blocked her attack with his weapon. He easily disarmed her and Ameko stood helpless, too tired to work up the strength to move.

A warm body crashed hard into her own and Ameko found herself sprawled on the ground, looking up at the red-eyed stranger she had been so entranced by. He sliced the lizard in half before its sword could descend. Ameko's eyes turned to the rest of the battlefield. It was deserted for the most part. The stragglers left alive were running away rather quickly. More joined their ranks as the seconds ticked by until only Ameko and her companion remained.

He turned to her, blood sliding down his skin from various cuts and the deep gash across his back. Ameko could only stare, drawn in by his bright eyes. His face contorted in a sneer.

"You have the worst fighting skill I've ever seen." His smooth voice pulled Ameko further in and she almost ignored his insult; almost.

"Yeah, well these fighting skills saved your life," she spat back. Reality wiped the haze from her mind.

"I did not need your help, human," he snarled. Ameko would have commented on his choice of the word 'human' but he tipped forward suddenly, falling onto his hands and knees. Ameko rushed to his side without a second thought.

"Whoa, you okay there?" She wasn't sure whether she should touch him or not. His back was still bleeding pretty badly. She grasped his shoulder to try to help him up but he slapped her hand away with a snarl. He sat up straight, which turned out to be a bad idea. The movement caused a dizzy spell from his blood loss and he fell over again, completely unconscious. Ameko scratched her head before an idea suddenly hit her.

"Yes! I'll bring him back home so dad can patch him up. This is the perfect distraction from my fight at school!" She smirked smugly at her own genius.

Ameko lifted the nameless boy up, hooking one of his arms over her shoulders and wrapping her right arm around his waist. She half carried, half dragged him over to the lake and passed back into the forest she came from. The trip was much smoother than the first even though Ameko suffered through several moments of dizziness. She laboriously made her way back to her bike.

She situated the boy in front of her on the seat, feeling his warm blood against her stomach as it soaked through her shirt. Ameko winced and shifted as his body weight fell against her left arm. She turned on the bike and took off a bit more slowly than usual.

She returned home and her father, after hearing her bike in the driveway, threw open the front door to greet her. His reproachful glare dropped into a concerned frown as he caught sight of the duo. Ameko inwardly grinned. Her 'plan' had succeeded.

"What the hell happened to you?" her father questioned as he helped her lift the boy off the bike. "And where have you been?"

"Long story, dad," Ameko said. She followed her father's eyes to the unconscious figure in his arms. "Don't worry, he's only mostly dead."

He didn't find that amusing and sent her a look to that effect. They both returned to the house.

One hour and many bandages later, Ameko sat with her father at the dining room table, scarfing down the food in front of her. Her arm was wrapped tightly in white cloth and her newfound non-human friend was laid out in the guest room. Ameko squirmed under her father's gaze.

"Explanation," he commanded.

She swallowed her food and the lump forming in her throat. "Well, I found this lake and that kid was there and he was being attacked by these lizard people so I jumped in to help and we won but we both got hurt so I brought him home and here we are."

Ameko looked up at her father as she finished her rushed recounting of her adventure. One of his eyebrows rose. "Lizard people?"

"You don't believe me?" Ameko asked, anger seeping into her voice.

"Just making sure I heard right," he said.

"Look," Ameko continued, hardly hearing him. "I already know I'm in a shit load of-"

"Watch your mouth," he interrupted.

"I'm in deep doo doo for what happened yesterday at school. I'm not gonna lie. I already know I'll be punished no matter what I say about this."

He nodded. "Good. You're using your head first. As for punishment, when you're not in school you're doing homework or training, if not with me then with Kai. And we're definitely going to work on your self control."

"Not Kai," Ameko groaned.

"You asked for it. Next time you should think before you act." He took up her plate and moved it to the kitchen. "Now go do your homework. I'll be checking in on you."

"Yes sir," Ameko mumbled and dragged herself out of the dining room. She passed by the guest room on her way back to her own and couldn't help but look inside at the sleeping figure. Her eyes caught on the white bandana and she had the sudden urge to take it off.

She looked down the hall briefly and entered the room. Ameko knelt at the bedside. She stared for a while at his face.

"If you're not human," she mumbled, reaching for the white cloth. "Does that make you an angel or a demon? Do you have horns under this or something?"

She pushed it up from the bottom and glimpsed something that looked like a scar before his eyes snapped open. He shoved her hand away and pulled the bandana back down.

"Damn human," he grumbled.

"My name's Ameko," she said, affronted. "I wasn't going to do anything; I was just curious. So what's your name, kid?"

He glared at her and looked around the room. She decided to answer his unasked question. "You're in my house. My dad and I cleaned you up after you passed out. You owe me a new shirt, by the way."

"Fool," he spat. "The portal you entered Demon World through is closed by now. You've trapped me in the Human World and dare to chide me over a worthless piece of fabric? You should be thanking me for sparing your life to this point."

Ameko glared back at him with equal force, her anger rising. "Look, I'm sorry for not leaving you to die, okay? And it's not a worthless piece of fabric. That was my favorite shirt you got bloodstains all over. Do you have any idea how hard that was to come by?"

"Che, your assistance was not needed or appreciated." He stood. "Be grateful I am a demon with honor."

Ameko watched him pick up his sword and move to the window. "Hey! You can't leave. You've hardly healed. And where could you go?"

He ignored her and pulled open the window. Ameko's anger grew. She stood and approached, pulling him back by his shoulder as he tried to leave. "I was talking to you."

He growled and grabbed her wrist, turning around and twisting it in the process. Ameko bit her lip against the pain.

"I've overlooked your disrespect long enough," he said.

Ameko scoffed despite her position. "You haven't gotten respect 'cause you haven't earned it, bastard."

His face remained stoic, but his eyes flashed with a new emotion, one Ameko couldn't place. She moved in his distracted state, grabbing his wrist with her captured hand and using a move that would be more appropriate in a tango. She quickly twirled under his arm until her own appendage straightened out, leaving his twisted under her control. He countered by tripping her, forcing her to release his arm. Ameko took him down with her a moment later, scissoring his leg between both of hers and tipping him off balance. They both scrambled to gain control first and he came out on top, pinning her down as he reared back his fist.

Ameko moved at the last moment, pulling herself up against his chest to escape heavy attacks. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles together, smirking in satisfaction. She had gained the dominant position in the grappling world.

With her newfound control, Ameko used her grip on his waist to force him forward. He placed both hands on the ground to steady himself and she took the one nearest her between her head and shoulder, reaching her arm around his head to grasp onto her opposite bicep. She rolled more to the side and squeezed his throat between her arms.

She could hear him choking for a few seconds before he did something completely unexpected. He bit her; hard. Right on her arm before her shoulder in the only place he could reach. Ameko let go of him with her arms and moved to cover the new wound with a cry of pain. He snarled and shoved his hand against her throat, crushing her trachea between his fingers.

Ameko gasped and pulled him forward again with her legs. He was forced to let go. She moved him back down to her level and grabbed onto his shoulders, lifting herself up as she pulled him down until their foreheads met.

She was disoriented for a little bit but recovered quickly enough, prepared for another round. He, however, was completely debilitated. He fell down against her, crying out profanities as he gripped his forehead. Ameko stared. Did that have something to do with the scar under the bandana?

"I can't tell if you're wrestling or trying to have sex," her father's voice came from the door. "Either way, you're not doing it very well."

"Dad!" Ameko snarled, scooting out from under her opponent with a fierce blush. She could see the fight was over. "That's not how it is, and you know it!"

The man shrugged, a stifled grin still on his face. "Yeah, but I don't get that kind of opportunity every day. Anyway, I thought I told you to do your homework."

Ameko huffed. "As you can see, I was distracted by an ungrateful jerk." She turned to glare at the offending jerk but saw no one there. He had climbed out the window and vanished.

"That guy," she snarled as she stood at the window. She hadn't even gotten his name!

"Homework," her father reminded, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that a short, temperamental man had tried to kill his daughter. Ameko trudged back to her room and plopped at her desk, returning to normal, mundane life.

But she could still feel it on occasion: those enchanting crimson eyes that would haunt her dreams.

A/N: Grappling is really hard to write, just so ya know. A video demonstration of the triangle choke used can be found at: http://www. expertvillage. com/video/5639_beginning-jiu-jitsu-arm-triangle-guard. htm
sans the spaces, of course

Let me know what you think, and I promise there will be some romancy stuff in the next part and Ameko's father's lack of surprise with demons will be explained. This part was just the set-up. Thanks for reading!