Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, only my characters and plot.
}}Chapter One: It Started Much Like a Dream{{
He fell from the sky.
He actually fell from the sky.
I'd never tell him but it felt like a movie to me.
You'd think it was a movie or something the way she stood there…the way she looked at him.
I was relieved when he woke up; I could feel my heartbeat in my ears the whole time he lay there whispering some girl's name.
She was doing that thing again, and so I prepared. To be honest, I was relieved when he whispered that girl's name. I thought that would help…
I thought, "She must've been an amazing girl."
I thought, "Poor thing. He must've made her one sad girl."
"You're a pain in the ass, Z."
"I'm still not doing it."
"Please."
"Do it yourself."
"Puhweasse?"
"You're not a baby."
"Come on."
"Stop ruining my shot."
"What shot? You're painting!"
"And you're ruining it." Azura said, frowning at the canvas in front of her. "Why do I even try?"
Rolling her eyes, Ivory flopped onto her back and watched the condensation slide down the side of her glass of lemonade just out of reach and just in reach of her favorite sister. Ivory was the one who suggested they take the tiny table with them in the first place. It made no difference to Azura, she put her paints on top of it and kept swiping.
Azura pulled a lock hair behind her ear and bit down on the corner of her lip. It was her "in the zone face." Ivory called it her constipated/horny face. Although, thank fully I don't think I've ever seen my sister horny, Ivory thought as she threw her head back laughing.
"I hope you're staying on that blanket." Azura muttered, undoubtedly swapping out one color for another, swishing that brush back and forth across the canvas. "You know I can't stand fleas and I bet that grass is infested with them."
"It's still winter. There are no fleas, Princess." Ivory wiggled around on the blanket and rolled to face Azura. With her eyes narrowed in concentration, eyebrows knitted together, she looked so much like their mother it was scary. "Hey…Z?"
Slowly, her brow pulled apart and she took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sweet air around them. It was too much like a dream to be real. An oasis. Much like home. "I know." She said, "I love it too."
Ivory laughed again; the twin-telepathy is strong with us two.
"No one told you to laugh—" Azura dropped her smile, her head tilting towards the sky with her lips slightly parted.
Her sister was often dramatic, often pausing—mid-step—to stare in awe of her surroundings: the perfection of a cherry blossom tree in spring. Ivory stuck out her tongue. Today was no different.
"Ivory?" Azura began to stand and Ivory pulled into a sitting position. "Do you see that?"
She pointed behind her and Ivory leaned back onto her hands, peering into that direction, using one hand to shield her eyes against the sun. The meadow stretched for miles. Trees, sky, and grass were usually your only options…unless it was snowing of course.
Ivory thought about pointing this out but a glance at Azura stopped her. She hadn't moved at all. Slightly unnerved, she squinted to get a better look.
Something was falling from the sky, flipping over and over on the wind. It sort of looked like…a body?
Ivory reared back. "What the hell?"
"I'm not imagining it then." Azura squatted down beside her, one hand playing with her amethyst earrings.
Ivory swallowed but said nothing.
"Let's get out of here." Azura grabbed Ivory's shoulder and shook her. "If something's wrong, we shouldn't be here."
"What if it's a person?"
"What if it's something we shouldn't know about?" Azura said through her teeth, waving her hand in Ivory's face to grab her attention. "You know what happens in movies. If you investigate…you die. This isn't Scooby-Freaking-Doo. We're not Batman and Robin. Let's go. I won't say it again."
"Don't be paranoid. That stuff only happens in the movies. Never in real life." It, whatever it was, was still falling, becoming easier to see. It was a body alright, whether or not it was dead remained to be seen.
Ivory finally stood up. It was yards away, way more than twenty she'd wager. Still, the body flipped, constant like the second hand of a clock.
Over and over.
Over and over.
Over and over.
"This isn't a joke, Ive." Azura urged, "I know what you're thinking…and let me assure you… It's stupid. Don't poke the bear. Don't go down the rabbit hole. Don't—"
"Look," Ivory elbowed her in the arm, "It's about to hit."
And hit it did, kicking up a cloud of dust all around it. The sound itself rung out around the clearing, washing over the grass in a wave. It felt just like a movie. And reminded Ivory of home… But, despite that feeling, Ivory started toward it.
It took her a moment—after she'd run several yards—to realize her sister was right beside her. Later, months later, after her heart had been ripped out of chest, she'll realize that it was her fault. It was she who brought them into the storm that was to come.
Today, Ivory quickened her pace, somehow encouraged by the feeling of Azura by her side, the warmth of the sun rolling over her caramel colored skin. Ivory felt powerful. Invincible.
"Didn't Dad tell us to stay away from here?" Azura asked, in a surprisingly distant sort of way.
"Didn't Dad tell you not to intimidate, Mr. Tanaka?" Ivory slowed her pace as they came upon a crater with a radius of about 200 feet.
Azura kept pace with her, "I did not."
"He stuttered…twice!"
She scoffed. "I just gave him a look."
"Yeah, the Death Look."
"You're not clever." Azura replied, messing with that earring again. "You're trying to distract me. It won't work, this is still bad. Dad wouldn't want us to do anything that would jeopardize—is that a body?"
The two of us stuttered to a halt, standing on the very edge of the crater. Down at the crater's center was the body of a boy clothed in black. His eyes were twitching, struggling to open. One arm was splayed on his right, it seemed to be gripping something tightly, and the other was beneath him in a way that looked extremely uncomfortable.
Ivory took a deep breath and turned back to her sister, "You're right, we should leave."
Seemingly ignoring Ivory, Azura slipped down into the crater, knowing full well that Ivory would follow. Ivory rolled her eyes, now she's on board.
The closer they came the older he looked but his face still held this child like quality, despite the burns and tears in his clothes that said he was beyond innocence. He had black hair this boy, trimmed with blue…or was it the light? Oh, well. Either way, he couldn't be older than their fifteen years. No way.
Around his waist, a katana was slipped into his belt. Ivory slapped a hand against her forehead. This was not someone they should be around, let alone rouse! Ivory tried saying so but Azura just ignored her. Her sister liked to play tough but she was a bigger softie than Ivory was. She couldn't walk away from this guy, not with him clearly in pain. She didn't even want to come in the first place!
Azura continued toward him, and motioned for Ivory to join her when she knelt on his right. Cursing her own stupidity, Ivory joined her alright. Her eyes were trained on his hands and then his sword—back and forth they watched, waiting for those hands of his to make a move. Ivory took his left side.
"Hey," Azura used her mother voice, the sweet voice she used to calm Ivory down or to talk to a child (not that there was much of a difference anyway). "Are you okay?"
His head was shaking now, left and then right, but his eyes refused to open.
"I'm going to touch you…is that alright?"
"He can't open his eyes, Sis. What makes you think he can hear you?" Ivory replied which earned her one murderous glare from the sky haired beauty.
"Help me move his arm; it's twisted up behind him."
"I'm not touching him."
"Ivory." Cue the disappointed voice.
"I'm not." Ivory said. "The guy has a sword."
She, of course, just stared until Ivory relented.
Ivory held him up while Azura adjusted his arm as gently as possible. The guy was solid. He didn't look like he weighed much but he was heavy with muscle, his arms coiled tight from years of exercise—or whatever guys from the sky did.
Azura giggled, looking over at Ivory as she tried to pull her serious face back on. "You're ridiculous." Being twins had its perks. Sometimes, without even really trying they could have entire conversations without speaking.
With one final laugh, Azura turned her gaze on the boy. "Hey? Can you hear me? Where ever you are, I need you to come back to us, okay? Wake up."
Azura placed one hand on his cheek and leaned over him, "It's okay…" she murmured. "You're okay."
His murmurs suddenly became coherent. "Yu…"
"That's it." She smiled, that kilowatt smile that made the heavens themselves move. "You're right here. Safe."
Fluttering rapidly, his eyes finally opened and a single name escaped from his lips. "Yukina?"
Between the two of them, it was child's play to get him back to the cabin. He was unconscious but at least he didn't struggle. Azura wanted to get him inside, get those wounds bandaged up and give him a much needed reprieve. She could imagine what happened to him…her dad wouldn't be pleased when he finally got back from town but…she could handle Dad.
Azura sat next to his bed as he slept, his chest rising and falling deeply. He slept sort of like a child—recklessly—throwing all caution to the wind. Azura smiled and shook her head. Whoever this Yukina was would undoubtedly be missing him.
"I'll get you back to her soon." Azura said, pausing to lightly touch his hand.
"Here." Ivory walked in and dropped the spare clothes into Azura's lap. "You're not going to watch him all day, are you?"
"Of course," Azura replied brightly, "When he wakes, he'll have questions and the first one will probably have to do with where you put his sword."
"I put it away…for safe keeping. Don't look like that," Ivory crossed her arms and tossed her white hair over her shoulder. "I'm being realistic. If you woke up in new surroundings with strange people the first thing you would do is start swinging."
"Shh! And no, I wouldn't. That's what you would do." Azura lowered her voice so her sister would get the hint. "I'm not the impulsive one. I'm not all, 'Oh, hey, uh-duh, something fell from the sky and I'mma think I'mma go investigate it all fast like, ya heard meh?'"
Ivory doubled over with laughter, "Funny." After wiping a tear from her eye she straightened up, "You're the one who went into Mother Mode. 'Oh-" Ivory continued with a high pitched impersonation of her sister, "'Oh, Mister Darkness, Mister Mysterious allow me to nurse you back to health but please, while you're at it, please don't fall in love with me as most men are wont to do! Oh!'"
Unable to suppress her laughter and teeming with embarrassment, Azura's face burned. "He was hurt!"
"And so are a lot of people! But somehow you always pick…these kinds of hurt people."
"Keep your voice down, you're going to wake him."
"He's in my house, dammit."
"Can you calm down?"
"Oh, I'm calm alright." Ivory muttered, turning on her heel to march out of the room, "Like a volcano, I'm calm."
Smiling, Azura turned back to the visitor and checked his wounds again. He'd been asleep for six hours now and they seemed to have miraculously healed. Good, she thought, one less thing to explain when Dad gets back.
Truly, Azura wanted to be there when he opened his eyes again because, despite her assurances, the possibility of him going crazy on them was high. Most sane people were apt to lose it when given the perfect storm. This could be his…but somehow… she reached out her hand to touch his face again. I doubt it.
His hand closed around her wrist in a vice grip, like steel.
"Oh," Azura said, "You're awake."
He narrowed his large ruby eyes, they were breath taking things. Jewels. Honestly. Azura shook her head. "Hey," she began, "we mean you no harm."
His expression didn't change. "Where's my sword, human?"
His index finger was pressed against the pulse in her wrist and she could feel its steady rhythm washing her in a state of calm. "My sister will bring it to you, but you still need to rest. I imagine you're quite hungry as well—"
"I don't need to do anything." He replied sharply, rising from the bed, her hand still in his grip. He looked down, "Where are my clothes?"
"They were torn." She supplied, trying to keep her irritation at bay. "Try these on. They're my dad's."
He eyed the garments, scoffed and peered over her head.
"Call the other in here, I'm growing impatient."
"And what?" Azura asked playfully, "I won't like you when you're impatient?"
He just ignored her and the reference. She couldn't expect everyone to get it.
"Ive!" Azura called out, "Can you bring him his sword? He's awake now."
"Sure. Has he tried to kill you yet?"
"Let's not give our guest ideas…or slander his character." Azura replied, following the guest as he proceeded to pull the both of them from the room and into the hall. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Like I'd ever tell the likes of you that." He sneered, following the sound of her sister's voice. She was in the front room. His sword was neatly placed by the door. Ivory was impulsive but not stupid.
"The likes of me?" Azura repeated as he snatched up his sword with his free hand. "If it wasn't for the likes of me you'd still be lying half dead in a crater."
"I didn't ask you to pull me out of it." He replied maliciously, "That was your own folly."
"You also didn't have the decency to pause—just once—and say thank you, you arrogant jerk." Azura pulled up short and he whipped around and she noticed for the first time that she was a little taller than he was. That didn't stop him from looking at her with this strange expression, like he couldn't even fathom the idea of thanking anyone. Azura yanked her hand away, stomped passed him and wretched the door open. She chose not to savor the look of surprise on his pretty little face.
That seemed to make him hesitate, but not for long because as soon as she jerked her head in the door's direction he smirked. "You humans never cease to amaze."
Ivory leaned over the couch, "Glad we didn't disappoint and if you could…" she waved her hand toward the door. "We'd appreciate it."
He furrowed his brow, shook his head and took the invitation gladly.
"You're welcome!" Azura shouted as she slammed the door behind his back. Azura whipped around and pointed at her sister, "Never again."
She shrugged, and fell back onto the couch, "My thoughts exactly."
Monday was not a fun day. In fact, Sunday and the drive back had been miserable. Azura had been seething for an entire day now.
Ivory turned in her seat to face the resident genius of the class, "Yo!"
Shuichi Minamino looked up from the novel he'd been reading, "Yes, how are you Ivory?"
"Where do you want to start on this project? Your house or mine? Say yours because if you say mine Dad will hover weirdly the whole time to ensure that you don't 'give me certain attentions'."
"I can imagine that could be quite unbearable." He said amicably, laughing with a slightly amused expression. "Very well, then. It will be the three of us, correct?"
"Azura will be there," Ivory rolled her eyes. "She's still mad about this weekend though."
"Is she?" Shuichi inquired, "What happened? Didn't you go to your family's cabin in the country?"
"Yes." Ivory shook her head and her sister suddenly turned in their direction. "You wouldn't believe what happened."
Shuichi widened his eyes, in that innocent way of his before turning his gaze into something sharper, something strangely... calculating. With a smile he said, "Try me."
Author's note: I should be finishing up my other story...I wrote this instead.