DiScLaImEr: I dOn'T eVeN oWn My ClOtHeS!
Kris: yeah yeah yeah, so here I am. Attempting at a fic. This will probably be pathetic, it's the first fic ive put on here. Juss tell me what you think, plz!
Chapter 1: The Portal
Karen sat slumped in her desk. They were having an algebra test, and she had finished it in less than five minutes, only beat by Kenny, a freaking genius. She looked to her left at her friend, Kris. She seemed to be stuck on a certain problem, until Karen saw that her friend's eyes were closed. Karen glanced at the teacher, and after seeing that she was busy, poked the girl with her pencil.
Kris squeaked. At least now she was awake. She looked down at her test and remembered to finish it.
It was the last period of school, second to last day of school. All students were giving the teachers hell (more than usual) and well… counting down the minutes.
Finally the bell rang, and the two fourteen year olds made their ways to their lockers. The got their bags, and, in Kris's case, the major load of crap that had to be out by the next day.
"So the park's okay?" Karen asked as they walked slowly to the buses.
"Sure. Aw, man, it's raining. What a drag." Kris frowned at the gray sky, shaking her fist and her favorite finger at the bursting clouds.
After a teacher had yelled at Kris, Karen went to get on her bus.
"I'll be there as soon as I can, no promises!" she got on the bus.
Kris waved good-bye. She had to wait for second trip.
Both girls lived in town, though on opposite sides. Karen's family lived on the wealthier side, while Kris and her dad lived on the quite opposite. The two had been friends for quite a while, and held no secrets. They were complete opposites.
Karen had dark brown, almost black, hair that reached just past her shoulder blades. Her hazel eyes hid behind blue tinted glasses, just above her perfect, sharp nose. She was about 5'4, and had her own untouchable taste in fashion. She never wore what you would call a normal girl's pair of jeans; hers were all carpenter jeans, and she wore shirts either depicting dragons or…well…dragons. Karen was a unique student. She always got her work done right, barely ever missed a problem, and had to be every teacher's favorite. She was an example student, one teacher had said.
Kris, too, had brown hair, though in some places a shade lighter, in others darker. Her hair reached her mid-back. She had bright green eyes that always showed her emotion. She was shorter, only 5'2, and was not expected to grow any more. She dressed differently than most of the school, always in ripped jeans that never seemed to fit her right, baggy and long, and a band tee. She was a student that most teachers wished was more like Karen. She didn't always get her homework in, and when she did, she missed a lot. She was smart, but in the past years, she had some difficulties with her father.
Kris ran under the shelter of the band shell, as the people called it. The band shell was in the city park, just beside the basketball hoops. She sat down and waited for Karen to come.
About ten minutes later, Karen arrived. She was also soaked.
"We just had to come today!" Kris exclaimed.
"Well duh. Why not?" Karen asked sarcastically.
Kris picked up a rock. She messed around with it, pulling a black permanent marker from her jeans and drew a face on it.
"There, now I can say I've owned a pet rock." Kris grinned and shoved both the rock and the marker in her pocket.
"Wow, you do suffer from insanity," Karen commented.
"I don't suffer, I enjoy every minute of it. So how do you think you did on the algebra test? More like, since we know you aced it, how do you think I did?" Kris asked.
Karen smiled. She was proud of her grades. "You probably did good; I made you do your homework this time. I'm betting two bucks and another pet rock on a B plus."
"Yeah, you only made me do it because your dad dragged me to your place for dinner that one night. By the way, did you tell him I said thanks?"
Karen nodded.
"Yeah, my dad was pretty mad when I came home."
"Is that why you have that black eye?" Karen asked.
Kris laughed bitterly. "Cookie pans hurt when they're smacked upside your head."
"I bet. You should really tell someone about this. He's going to really hurt you one day." Karen stretched out on her stomach.
"Hm, I don't think so."
The two were silent for a few minutes, each thinking their opposite thoughts.
Karen watched Kris chuck another rock she found into a puddle.
The rock seemed to go in slow mo, and finally landed on the water… not splashing.
"What the…" Kris muttered. She stood up, pushing back a stray strand of wet hair out of her eyes.
Karen followed Kris to the puddle. She was confused by a simple rock. It's a rock for Pete's sake, it can't walk on water, can it!
Kris stepped into the edge of the large and growing puddle. She expected her foot to get soaked in her old Converse, but didn't feel the cold water. She knew her foot was under water level, but didn't feel the water. She glanced back at Karen, a concerned look on her face.
She stepped further, almost falling as if she had stepped off a rather large edge. She pulled her hand out from the water to see it was perfectly dry, until the rain once again splashed on her skin.
She saw Karen step up behind her. Kris stepped once more, grabbing Karen's arm just before she lost balance and fell under the 'water.'
Though it hadn't been wet, both girls had breathed in the murky water by surprise, gagging, but still falling.
Kris: please r&r! flames will be accepted and used to warm my hot chocolate that has gone cold, so I will accept them!
Chapter 2: What is going on!
Karen nearly choked, coughing up a large amount of water. She glanced around her. It was bright outside, the sky was clear, the birds were singing, the grass was dry… Wait! Karen jerked upright. She found Kris next to her, still out cold, but breathing. Hadn't it just been raining…?
Karen looked around, wondering what had happened to her glasses. She found them lying in the grass beside her, and put them on.
They were by a crystal clear lake. The sun was setting, and the scene was beautiful. Even a pair of swans swan gracefully by, followed by seven ducklings, making the scene almost…
"Isn't this romantic?"
Karen's body snapped around so fast she was sure she had pulled a few discs, but her mind was on the male voice that had asked the question.
A guy, who could have only been twenty or so, with long red hair, stood by a bench.
"Ar…Bu…ohmygod I've gone crazy…" Karen muttered.
Kris woke up, also choking up water. She sat up and looked at the guy leaning on the bench. She cocked an eyebrow and turned to see Karen still stuttering.
"Spit it out, Stan," Kris said, wondering what had got Karen all tied up. Usually Karen was neat and composed, calm, in situations like these. But strangely enough, Kris wasn't afraid of what was going on, nor the guy who looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly if it had a death wish for him.
"Holy crap! We'relikenotinourworldanymoreomygodwe'resoscreweditsnotfunny whatarewegoingtodo?"
"Whoa, slow down. Say what?" Kris asked.
"We're screwed," Karen simply explained.
"Oh. Cool."
"So who are you?" the guy asked.
"No, not cool! We'll never go home! What if I failed that last test! Oh my god," Karen moaned.
"Believe me, you didn't fail it. I'm Kris, and that is Karen. As you can see, we have like no clue what's going on and I think if she doesn't get information in less that ten minutes she'll have an emotional breakdown."
"Oh, I see. I'm-"
"Kurama!" Karen moaned out again.
"How do you know him?" Kris wondered aloud.
"How do you know me?" Kurama wondered.
"Back in the regular world-our world- you and the rest of them are in a TV show," Karen explained in about half a breath.
"I see now…" Kurama murmured, a faraway look on his face.
"Oh, you and your TV. I swear; you're as bad as a little kid. So we're stuck with TV show characters?" Kris asked.
Karen nodded. They sat for a minute, wondering what to do.
"Dude, are you alive?" Kris waved a hand in front of Kurama's face.
Kurama snapped back to action. "I suppose you should go see-"
"Koenma!" Karen finished. "Yeah, he should know how to get us back…"
"Right, she's delirious. Well, if it's something to do," Kris sighed. She could feel a long night coming on.
Koenma and Karen once again, for about the fiftieth time, explained to Kris what a portal was, how it worked, and why they had been sucked in. Kurama was sitting at the table also, trying not to laugh at Kris.
"Okay, so how do we get home?" Karen asked.
"I don't want to go home," Kris commented bitterly, fingering her black eye.
"This is the hard part, and knowing you," Koenma pointed his stirrer for his coffee at Kris, "it's going to take another fifty explanations. So I vote for waiting for the morning."
It had taken Kris ten minutes to realize that the toddler could talk, then another to realize that he was educated, then another to get over the blue ogre named Jorge, then another to go the bathroom, then finally another god only knows how long to get the portal thingy. So they decided to have it wait for morning, and Koenma called in Jorge again.
He was just telling the ogre what rooms to place them in when a guy walked into the room. He was shorter than Karen but just taller than Kris. He wore all black, had crimson eyes, and sported a katana that glinted almost evilly in the light.
"Yes, Hiei?" Koenma asked, wondering what the demon was doing there.
"Hn, I need to speak to you."
"Yes, just a minute. Anyway, Jorge, the two rooms to left of Kurama's shall do."
"Wait, I'm going up to my room, so I can take them up," Kurama suggested.
"Okay, that will work."
Kurama led them up two flights of stairs. It wasn't very late, but Karen was dead tired, and each step was like climbing Mt. Everest. She couldn't wait for anything to sleep on, lest it be cement or hay.
Kurama showed them to the two doors (to the left of his). Surprisingly, the middle room was black and red, fitting Kris's personality, and the other was black and blue, fitting Karen's. Kurama politely said goodnight and they retired to their rooms.
Karen first checked out the room. Despite how close the doors were together, the bedrooms were expansive, with a bathroom/shower, small kitchen, and closet. It was quite exquisite. She peered into the closet, finding a number of clothes that seemed to be just her size. 'They must be enchanted or something,' she thought. She picked out pajamas (shorts and a loose shirts) and went straight to sleep in the huge, comfy, and canopy-covered beds.
Kris looked around her room. She checked out the kitchen, bathroom, and closet. She decided to take a quick shower, having nothing else to do.
When she came out, she changed into pajamas (baggy pants and a tank top) and sat on the windowsill, looking out across the incessant land.
She soon fell asleep where she sat, head against the cold glass.
Chapter 3: Wake up and smell the reality
Karen woke up on her own. She forgot where she was and almost panicked, but remembered when she sat up and saw the beautiful room. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. She had hoped that she had just been dreaming.
After a while, there was a knock on her door, and when granted permission, Koenma in his teen form, entered.
"I have done some research, and I believe I know a way to get you two back to your world. As soon as you can, you should wake up your friend and we'll discuss matters over lunch."
Karen nodded and Koenma left the room. She sat up quickly and looked at the clock on the bed stand next to the bed. 'Don't people eat breakfast here… Oh.' It was just past noon. She rolled out of bed and took a cold shower.
Once dried and dressed, Karen knocked at Kris's door. She figured that the girl would be awake, as she usually woke up before Karen. But she didn't say anything or open the door, so Karen walked in, leaving the door open behind her.
Kris was still sleeping in what looked like a very uncomfortable position on the windowsill.
Karen walked over to Kris and lightly shook her shoulder. Karen resisted the urge to give Kris a wedgie, seeing how just half an inch of her underwear was above her pants.
Kris stirred, but only rolled her head towards the window, ignoring Karen.
"Hey, wake up!" Karen exclaimed. How could that be possibly comfortable.
Kris looked up at Karen. She rubbed her eyes, muttering something about ducks.
"Alrighty, Rubber Duck, we gotta get up now."
Kris looked at Karen. She stood up slowly, stretching out her muscles.
Once the two were back down at the table with Kurama, a lunch consisting of sandwiches, fish, and tea was served.
"Well I have good news and bad news," Koenma announced, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Okay… So?" Karen asked, hoping that the good news was that they would go home in like two seconds.
"I found out a way to get you home."
"And the bad news…?" Karen asked.
"Well, that is part of the bad news. It won't be for a complete year, when another portal opens up to get you home," Koenma explained.
"So what are we supposed to do until then?" Karen asked, trying to decide whether to be happy or sad.
"Well, you're always welcome to do my paperwork. But I suppose you could…well, I don't really know. We'll figure something out. But for now, you should get comfortable where you are." Koenma finished a piece of fish.
Kris's face remained emotionless.
Karen was slightly bummed that they couldn't go home for a year, but happy that they were at least able to go home. Besides, spending a year in a TV show shouldn't be too bad, right?
"So, who's willing to do my paperwork?"
Silence.
"Oh, that's just mean." Koenma frowned.
"Maybe later," Karen muttered.
But for now, the girls had to let it sink in that they were actually going to be away from home for a year.
Chapter 4: Wandering around random places
Karen and Kris were walking around the castle. Each had gone in their own direction, lost in their own thoughts.
Karen had hoped to discuss the topic with Kris, but had seen her face and let her be. She looked like she needed space. So Karen wandered around the immense property, wondering if she could 'accidentally' walk into Kurama.
Kris had somehow found a river after wandering through the forest. She just hoped she could find her way back to the castle. She sat next to the river, chucking rocks in randomly.
Least did she know, she had awoken Hiei, who was perched in the tree Kris sat against.
Karen had found a nice clearing where she sat in the tall grass and watched the fat fluffy clouds roll by. It was perfect weather, not too hot, not to cold, and just a slight breeze blowing, teasing the grass every now and then. She thought of how she was stuck in the makai, and how it could be good or bad.
Kris had shut her eyes and had almost fallen back asleep when she about jumped out of her skin when Hiei jumped down, landing gracefully just in front of her.
Kris was standing with her back against the tree.
Hiei slightly smirked.
Kris didn't remember him from the night before, and her heart was racing. She was scared, but couldn't help but wonder, 'Where the hell did he come from!'
"I don't bite," he said plainly before sitting down.
Kris warily slid down the tree, sitting on the ground. He was only a foot or two away, and she didn't know whether to trust him or not.
Kris tried to keep an eye on him, but was tired, and soon fell asleep.
Karen watched Kurama walk over to her out of the corner of her eye. She was lying in the grass, still watching the clouds.
"May I join you?" he asked politely, brushing the bangs out of his face.
Karen nodded. She was quite nervous, having zero experience with guys. She knew not to worry about the guy, as he wouldn't hurt a fly.
Kurama laid down near Karen.
"So you said that where you come from, we're all in a TV show?" he asked.
Karen nodded.
"So tell me about this show…" he persuaded.
Karen drew in a breath. She knew almost every little detail about the show. Kurama really had no clue what was coming. Poor guy. (A/N: JK, Capybara about that but yeah you know a lot so it works…right?)
After an hour, neither Hiei or Kris had spoken, as Kris had fallen asleep, and Hiei didn't talk much for one, and when he did, they were usually awake.
Isn't it weird; Hiei hasn't moved? I know I know. OOC. Stifle.
Kris woke up. She sat up and looked to Hiei. She rubbed her eyes, wondering why he was still there, and why he was just sitting.
Hiei watched Kris sit up. He wanted to ask why she and her friend had popped unexpectedly into his world, and he wanted answers.
"What?" she asked, sounding rather moodily.
Hiei cocked an eyebrow.
"Usually when you look at someone like that, you talk…" she muttered. She stretched her arms.
"Where did you come from?" he asked.
"Don't ask me. I don't know anything about where I am, or where I came from, for that matter. Ask Karen." Kris leaned back against the tree.
"Hn, you're no help."
Kris nodded, more to herself than to Hiei. "Seems like I'm nothing anymore."
Hiei almost questioned the girl. Almost. "So this Karen, she's your friend that was there last night?"
Kris nodded and chucked a rock into the peaceful river. Are we just not as talkative today or what?
Kurama gave Karen a wild look. "Wow, that's just a little creepy."
"I have a question," Karen said uncomfortably.
"Yes?"
"Well, Koenma said we can't go back for a year, but if you guys have portals that take you from place to place, why can't someone just, like, take us back?" Karen asked.
"I don't know, but Koenma should. You should ask him," Kurama suggested.
Karen nodded, and went back to the castle to ask Koenma about it.
Kris wandered off again. Hiei had walked off somewhere. She wandered around for a while, and had no clue that she was being watched.
She found a lake with a very handy boat on the shore. She had rowed before and looked in the boat for the oars.
While she searched under the wooden seats, the boat unexpectedly set out into the vast lake. Kris looked up. "Oh shit…"
She was too far away from the shore, but saw the oars which must have been sitting under the little row boat. "Crap… Today is just not my day…" she muttered.
Kris soon found out that the wind had decided to turn on her, blowing fiercely and of course in the wrong direction.
"Well I thought about that, but for the past month the portals have been messed up and people end up in different places than they're supposed to go. We don't want to take the chance," Koenma explained.
Karen's hopes died, her face showing it.
"Well, I'll have Botan, Keiko, and Yukina come around, and we'll see if they'll take you two in. They always knew how to have fun," Koenma added.
"I suppose…" She left the castle again, Kurama leading her to what he said was a 'very relaxing place.'
Kris cussed at the wind, shaking her fist at the sky. She slumped down in the boat.
"You seem pretty upset."
Kris twirled around to see a guy with shaggy brown hair, black eyes, and wings standing on the edge of the boat.
"Who are you?" she asked, alarmed.
"Never mind that, but do you want to get back to the shore? I'll gladly take you," he offered.
Kris remained alert, but by flapping his wings, the demon managed to direct the boat back to shore.
The demon helped Kris out of the boat and sat next to her in the white sand.
"Thank you," she murmured, looking into his odd eyes. They seemed so…empty. Not like Hiei's eyes empty, but a nothingness empty.
He smiled warmly. "Next time you decide to go out on a boat, try to take the oars," he joked.
Kris smirked.
"Kris?" Karen asked, she and Kurama emerging from the forest.
"Oh, hey."
"Hello," Kurama greeted cheerfully. He then spotted the demon seated next to Kris, and his smile quickly faded.
"Hello Kurama," the demon said, smiling almost mockingly.
"Kyo."
Karen looked questioningly at Kris, who shrugged.
"It's nice to see an old friend." Kyo's cold eyes glinted in the sunlight.
"Yes, always a pleasure," Kurama said rather coldly.
Both Kris and Karen felt the tension between the two, and neither knew quite how to handle it.
Just as Kurama was about to step forward and throw a random insult at Kyo, Hiei popped out of nowhere (once again) and looked between Kyo and Kurama, then Kris and Kyo.
Kurama's knuckles were white and his eyes were focused on Kyo, full of anger. On the other hand, Kyo appeared rather composed, and completely relaxed.
Nobody said anything or moved for a few silent and tense moments.
"Leave," Hiei commanded. All eyes turned to him, and Kyo grinned.
"Why? I am only visiting with this young, beautiful lady," he defended.
Hiei stepped forward, and inch of his katana showed out of its sheath. He gripped it and stood, ready for anything that was to pop up.
Kyo looked at Kris. "I am sorry, but we must continue our conversation at another point in time. I feel that I am not wanted here."
Karen almost snorted. 'You think?' she thought.
Kris once again looked into the deep and emotionless eyes. She nodded, and with a last smile, Kyo flew off.
"That was random," Karen commented.
"Who was he?" Kris murmured, watching his form fade away in the distance.
Kurama let out a breath, sighing deeply.
Hiei looked up at his friend, and finally released his katana he gripped so tightly in his hand.
"I used to know him, but I don't know… it's hard to explain. He is in between dead and alive, and is not to be trusted. I thought I knew him once…"
Kris stood up. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened between the two. Kyo had seemed trusting enough, and he hadn't tried to hurt her in anyway, which was surprising. He had the perfect chance to do anything to Kris, who was defenseless against the demon.
"Never, ever let yourself be caught with him alone again," Kurama warned.
Kris didn't know what to say, but halfway nodded.
Kurama popped back into being his normal self. "So what shall we do to entertain ourselves?"
The girls shrugged. Hiei wasn't paying attention, so Kurama suggested going out for ice cream.
Of course Hiei agreed, and the two girls had nothing better to do, so they tagged along.
Chapter 5: Ice Cream and meeting the girls
They went through a portal (how convenient, it worked) to a city. They wandered around and found an ice cream parlor.
Inside, Kurama ordered a double scoop of mint ice cream, Hiei had ordered a humongous bowl of twist, Karen had ordered a dilly bar, and Kris had ordered an ice cream bar. The sat at a booth, and ate quietly.
Small talk is awkward, and they weren't trying very hard at it. Nobody was really in the mood to talk.
When they finished, they decided to wander the town for a while, because they had nothing better to do.
After a little bit of window shopping, Karen asked, "Do they have movies here?"
"Yes, they do. Shall we go see one?" Kurama inquired.
In the long run, they decided to, and went. Kurama seemed to have an endless supply of money that he pulled out of his hair ("How do you do that!" Kris had asked), so that wasn't a concern. They got their pops and munchies (haha munchies…) and went into the theater.
Karen followed Kurama in the row of seats, followed by Kris then Hiei. With the two girls seated in the middle, and after Kris had gone to the bathroom right as the previews started to end (did that make sense?), the movie started.
The movie was one of those old horror movies that made you jump when you least expected it. It was quite interesting.
At the climax, both girls had their feet curled under them and were glued to the screen. Kurama and Hiei had seen the movie before, and knew what to expect, and anticipated the moment when the scariest part was to come.
When the moment came, both girls jumped and were taken aback. Kurama couldn't help but snort.
"Shut up, it's not funny!" Karen whispered to him.
Kris held her knees to her chest.
When they left the theater, both guys poked fun at the girls. After walking around the large city, they happened to stumble across none other than Botan, Keiko, and Yukina.
"Hi!" Botan greeted.
"Hi," Keiko said.
"Hello," Yukina greeted warmly.
After everyone had said their greetings and Botan, Keiko, and Yukina were introduced to Karen and Kris, they sat at a table at the city park. They watched a fair set up for later that night.
"So what are you guys going to do tonight?" Keiko asked.
"You're welcome to come to the fair with us," Yukina offered.
They eventually decided to, contacted Koenma, and waited for the fair to begin.
Chapter 6: The Fair
The fair started promptly at six, but the lines were huge by five-thirty. Luckily enough, they had gotten in line pretty early, and were only a few people back.
When they had finally all gotten their wristbands, they split into smaller groups and went in their separate ways, deciding to meet again at eleven by the ticket seller.
Yukina, Kris, and Hiei went their own way, while Botan, Keiko, Karen, and Kurama went theirs.
At first Hiei just sort of walked with Yukina and Kris, and watched them go on the rides and play the games. Finally Yukina dragged him onto one of the rides, and he must have had fun, because he went on the rest of the rides with the two girls.
Kurama, on the other hand, had to urge the girls to go on the rides with him. He managed to get them to go on all with him somehow.
The fair had started at six, and it was about nine, and everybody was getting hungry. The two groups ate the sinful fair food (Me: drool…).
Hiei once again got ice cream, making him one happy demon. He had a high intake of sugar, and Kris wasn't surprised he wasn't jumpy or hyper.
After eating, they played games for a while (riding rides after eating a lot doesn't agree well with your stomachs…).
They finally met together at the ticket stand at a little after eleven. They sat on top of a hill and waited for the fireworks to start.
They talked of what rides they liked or hated, which food was their favorite, and how it was getting a bit chilly out. Right at 11:30, the fireworks started.
Karen and Kris were awed by the figures that showed, compared to the boring fireworks they were used to.
The fireworks were to end at 12:30. It was around midnight, and Kris stated that she had to use the restroom, and that she had no clue where it was.
Hiei was told to show her to the restrooms, as he wasn't too interested in the fireworks. So off the two went.
Neither talked as Hiei led Kris through all the crazy people. They finally reached the more sanitary restrooms. After a minutes, Kris emerged. They started to make their way back.
Kris wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking and tripped over a cord, falling face first.
As she prepared to face plant in the dirt, a pair of strong arms caught her gracefully. She stared into the crimson orbs inches from her own.
"Watch where you are going," Hiei growled, letting go of her.
Kris blushed. "Sorry," she muttered.
"Hn." Hiei began to walk away.
Kris began to follow him, but another pair of arms grabbed her and pulled her away, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream.
Hiei didn't notice that the girl had been taken away until he walked into someone and waited for the girl to walk into him, but she never did. He turned around and searched the crowds for the girl.
Just as he began to worry if he should worry, he heard his name screeched. He ran to where the voice came from, but found no one. He looked around for anyone trying to hide a teenage girl.
Chapter 7: Everyone's thoughts
It had been exactly one week since the abduction of Kris. They had been searching, but she could be anywhere, if she was even alive.
Koenma was angry, blaming it on himself that he shouldn't have let the group go to the fair. Botan and Kurama kept insisting that there was no way he would have known, and that he just wanted them to have fun.
Botan, Keiko, and Yukina were too worried. They knew what demons would do to get information or other things of importance. They all thought of the people that would have done it, but knew that Kris and Karen had been in the world for a very short time, and that no one other than them, Kurama, Koenma, and Hiei knew that the two had dropped in for a very unexpected visit.
Kurama wondered how Hiei didn't notice that the girl had been snatched away. He couldn't help but wonder if she had ran away deliberately, but thought that Kris was smarter than that.
Karen was lost without her companion. She knew better than to blame it on Hiei, but felt as if he had let Kris down in some unexplained way. She missed her friend, and worried constantly about the girl, lost somewhere out there.
Hiei didn't seem at all affected on the outside, but inside, he fought his own disappointment at himself. He stayed up almost most of the night thinking about how he had let his guard down, and felt bad. He thought of a hundred different things he should have made the girl do, like walk in front of him or she should have latched onto him. Hiei spent the days wandering around towns and searching, and the nights almost sleepless.
On the eighth morning, Kurama walked past Karen's room to go eat breakfast. Just as he stepped on the first stair, he heard Karen yell. He tried her door, but it was locked. He kicked it in as Hiei appeared and they ran in.
A large bird was hovering outside of Karen's window, pecking at it. Karen stood in a towel only, staring at the abnormally large bird.
Kurama and Hiei felt relieved. Kurama went to comfort Karen, and Hiei went to the window and looked at the bird. He saw a dark blue envelope in the talons of the sandy bird. He looked at Kurama, who had noticed the letter. Kurama shrugged.
Hiei carefully leaned out the small window and grabbed the envelope. The bird screeched and flew off.
The three sat on the foot of Karen's large bed. Hiei gave the letter to Karen, as it seemed to be addressed to her.
Karen carefully opened the letter as if it contained gold. She quietly read the letter in only her towel, her hand covering her mouth.
She looked up at Kurama, her eyes wide and full of trepidation. She handed the letter to him and excused herself to get properly dressed.
Kurama silently read the letter and passed it to Hiei.
After Hiei finished, he looked at Kurama.
"We have to get her before they find out…" Kurama said.
Hiei nodded. "I'm ready to go."
When Karen came out, they explained that they were going to get Kris, and that they should be back that night. They left the room quickly and told Koenma that they were going.
Chapter 8: Saving Private Ry… Wait wrong story…
Kurama and Hiei made it to the place in under ten minutes. They entered the tall building in the sinister forest.
They were immediately greeted by five demons attacking them, which they easily fought off. They knew where to go, and started to make their way.
They reached the room without any more hassle. They were both a little suspicious about that but opened the door and slipped in unnoticed behind the crowd of about a hundred demons. They fit in the crowd perfectly, and wondered what all the commotion was about; the crowd was chanting and cheering. The two made it close enough to the front so they could see what was going on.
They saw two demons holding Kris. It was all Kurama could do to hold Hiei back. She was slumped and kneeled on the floor in shackles, beaten pretty badly. A man stood speaking to the crowd (envision Hitler making a crazy-man speech). He held a syringe in his hand, dangerously waving in his constantly moving hands.
"…so then she will be ours to bear our children! It has been proven my dear friends, that she will be strong, and the medicine I give to this ninjen will help along with the creature that will be brought out to bite her will help even more! Who wants first dibs!" the man yelled at the top of his lungs.
The crowd roared. Hiei looked at Kurama. "This will not happen."
Kurama thought. "Wait for an opportune moment."
Hiei clenched his fist until his knuckles were white.
The man strode over to the girl, lifted her with one arm and stuck the needle in her shoulder. Next, another man led out a viscous looking demon held by a leash and power shackles.
It hit both Kurama and Hiei what was going to happened to the defenseless girl at the same time, and both lunged forward, racing for the girl.
The demons took this as a way to cause chaos and to actually get first dibs on the girl. Kurama began to beat off the people as Hiei easily cut the four people's throats that surrounded Kris. He twirled around after realizing that now the demon was loose and was running the ten feet to Kris.
Hiei sprinted, but the demon sank its fangs into her neck just as he got there. Hiei sunk his katana into the demon. He grabbed Kris just as all the other demons began to surround them.
With Kurama fighting, and Hiei with his blade in one hand, they made their way slowly through the crowd. Finally, with not very many people left, they sprinted out of the room and jumped out of a window.
They sprinted away. When they finally lost the last three people, they stopped and caught their breath.
Kurama watched Hiei set the girl down tenderly on the ground. "Did it…"
Hiei looked away. "Yes."
Both guys thought about how her whole life was just about gone. She would never be able to go back to her world, or her life. Kurama walked about a hundred yards and found a small creek and led Hiei to it, who carried Kris.
Kurama cleaned the wounds on Kris's arms, face, and legs. He felt along her arms and legs, and found that they weren't broken.
They were just about to leave as the sun started to set, when Kris woke up. She sat up and coughed. She was shaking, but looked up at Hiei and Kurama.
Kris's usually bright green eyes were dull and empty. She avoided eye contact and looked at the ground.
Without a great number of words, they started their way back.
Chapter 9: Back at the castle
The three didn't get back until after midnight. Karen, Koenma, Botan, Keiko, and Yukina were waiting impatiently in a room with comfy leather couches. Karen was pacing back and forth.
The three walked into the room. Karen raced over and hugged her weary friend.
"Ow…" Kris murmured. She was about to fall asleep standing.
The others all stood up and walked over to greet the people.
While everyone said hello, Kris slumped down by Hiei's feet, asleep.
Yukina led the way to Kris's room, Hiei following her and carrying Kris.
Yukina kicked Hiei out of the room and began the long process of healing Kris.
The next morning, they all met down at the long table for breakfast. Karen sat next to her tired friend.
"How are you feeling?" Karen asked.
Kris shrugged. "Like the crappiest crap. Better than I was though…"
"At least you're alive," Karen commented. She put four pancakes on her plate before handing the dish of pancakes to Kris.
"Oh real food. You gotta love it!" Kris indulged in pancakes, waffles, French toast, bacon, and sausage. "I'm going to be so fat by the end of the day."
Karen laughed. "Yeah right. You are the only person who has a high metabolism than mine."
"So? I don't think I have ever eaten this much. Maybe I'll go for a run."
After everyone had finished eating and they went their separate ways, Koenma and Hiei walked up to Kris as she was going to go out the door.
"Kris, we know that the men who abducted you will be looking for you, so I want you to be with someone at all times. Hence, Hiei is here," Koenma said.
"I have to be watched? Oh come on… that's not fair." Kris knew that she would be safer with someone watching her, but she liked solitude.
"It's for your safety, all of ours. Think about this: if they get you, then they'll go for Karen, then all the rest of the girls. This cannot happen."
Kris looked at Koenma. "Fine." She turned to Hiei. "I'm going for a run."
Hiei followed the girl out of the castle.
They had been running for the most of the afternoon, and Hiei many times caught himself thinking rather bitterly that he had better things he could be doing than running. But he had made his promise to Koenma, and he was going to keep it. Besides, he still blamed himself that Kris had been abducted.
They finally stopped next to a lake. Kris sat down on the shore. Neither had spoken a word since they had left the castle.
Hiei hesitated, but sat next to Kris.
Neither spoke.
Kris wiped off the sweat the had gathered on her forehead from running. She looked out across the lake.
"I can't go home, can I?" she asked quietly.
Hiei looked down into the sad, green eyes. "I don't believe so, no."
Kris chucked a rock into the water, breaking the calm surface. After a minute, she fingered her neck. "Did it…?"
"…yes."
Kris looked up at Hiei. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Watching me, like Koenma said."
Hiei looked away and shrugged.
Karen walked around the castle for the fiftieth time. She had given up on looking for Kris. She wanted to talk to her, and see if she was really okay. She rounded a corner and walked into Kurama.
"Sorry," they said simultaneously.
Karen smiled. "Have you seen Kris lately? I kinda want to talk to her."
"No, I haven't. The last I knew, she was going for a run," Kurama offered.
"Yeah, me too. Oh, well I'll talk to her later then." She paused. "So what are you doing?"
"Oh nothing. Just going to my garden. Would you like to join me?" Kurama asked politely.
Karen shrugged. "Sure." She followed Kurama into a clearing in the forest.
Karen gasped. There were plants galore. She couldn't imagine what they looked like in full bloom.
As if Kurama had read her thoughts, he said, "They bloom tomorrow, exactly at midnight. It's quite a sight. You should come watch."
"It's beautiful now, I can't imagine what it'll look like. I would love to see it." Karen walked around, admiring all the different plants. She couldn't find more than one of everything except the roses. There were the classic red roses, cream, white, and black.
"How do you so this? I can't even keep grass alive," Karen added sarcastically.
"I have a special knack for it, you could say I guess." Kurama's ego was inflated, and he was happy someone admired his work.
Karen smiled.
Chapter 10: Full Bloom
Kurama knocked on Karen's door. He had promised her to get her and take her to see the full bloom. It was fifteen minutes until midnight, and here he was, getting her.
Karen opened the door. After remembering what they were doing, she followed him out to the clearing.
Kurama covered Karen's eyes until the moment came… he removed his hands.
Karen was too awed to even gasp. It was much more beautiful than before.
The only source of light was the nearly full moon. It was a cloudless night, so everything was illuminated with the pale light.
"It's so beautiful," Karen whispered. She walked around, admiring every little plant.
Kurama walked up behind her. "I'm glad you think so."
"You put so much work in it…" Karen turned around, right into Kurama's arms.
Kurama smiled and put his arms around Karen's waist.
Karen didn't know what to say, or do for that matter. She looked into Kurama's emerald eyes.
Kurama leaned down, and his lips met Karen's.
Karen's arms curled around Kurama's neck. She returned the soft kiss, and it became more passionate.
When they paused for a breath, Kurama told Karen, "You are so amazing, I never want to leave your side."
Karen blushed. "I never though I'd kiss someone from a TV show, no offense."
"None taken." Kurama smiled.
Karen shivered. A breeze had picked up, and it was quite chilly.
"Let's go inside now; it's cold out here," Kurama added. He too was cold.
Kurama led Karen back to the castle, her hand in his.
Outside of Karen's door, Kurama leaned down to give Karen a kiss goodnight.
When his lips met hers, they both heard Kris's door open quietly. She crept out and closed the door quietly before seeing them.
Kris looked surprised. "I didn't mean to interrupt," she whispered. She crept away quietly.
"She's not supposed…" Karen opened Kris's door. Hiei had been made to stay in her room also. He was asleep on the bed.
"Should we wake him?" Karen asked, worried.
"I'm sure she'll be fine. She just wants privacy."
Karen quietly shut the door and walked up to Kurama.
They kissed goodnight, and Karen went in her room.
Kurama walked past Kris's door and Hiei charged out.
Kurama caught the fire demon. "She just want privacy."
Hiei nodded sleepily. He went back inside the room.
Kurama went to his room and fell asleep instantly.