Chapter I
Stepping off of the terminal, I brushed the obnoxious curls from my face as I began a frantic search for my cousin in the unfamiliar, congested Japanese airport. Not only had it been seven years prior since I'd actually been to Japan, this was the first time that I had visited this airport. And my cousin was seemingly no where to be found. Furiously gnawing at my fingernails, I began a senseless panic within my own paranoid mind. My original unease was now offset by the glooming fact that I was completely lost, my Japanese sucked, my cousin lacked the ability to tell time, and for Christ's sake I didn't even know where I was!
Letting out a final sigh, I randomly chose a gate and hefted my duffle bag over my shoulder, desperately hoping my cousin would be on the other side.
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Fourteen year-old Yusuke Urameshi shoved his hands into his pockets as he gave out a form of defiant grunt towards his "friend" Kuwabara. Rolling his eyes, he quickened his previous lethargic pace to match that of Kuwabara's. Taking out one hand, he hung onto Kuwabara's shoulder and glared irately in his direction.
"Okay, so I get why you're here, but what exactly is my purpose for being here on a perfectly good SUNDAY1 afternoon when I could be sleeping, eating, or beating the living shit out of somebody?" Yusuke complained, releasing his hold from Kuwabara as he as he relaxed back to his initial pace, a few feet behind Kuwabara. Glancing up at flashing sign, he realized they were getting closer to the south gate. Kuwabara titled his head back and gave that of a halfway shrug.
"I told you, my cousin is flying into town and it's the first time in a while they've been to town in about six or seven years. So I want 'em to feel at home," explained Kuwabara, taking a sharp turn towards terminal eight. Yusuke clenched his hand into a small fist, and smirked silently as he imagined himself knocking the crap out of Kuwabara. The only thing that behooved him was the fact that he had brought him, instead of a closer friend like Kirishima, or he could've even have dragged Shizuru along for that matter! Why him? He thought, dragging his feet even more so than before.
Not only that, but Kuwabara was being particularly suspicious; Yusuke knew nothing about this so called "cousin" of his, other than the fact that the "cousin" (for some reason, Kuwabara had yet to reveal gender, but Yusuke had determined long ago that it had to be some butt ugly girl that would resemble Kuwabara) had previously lived here in her early years, and then moved, because of her father's work (it was divulged though, that her father was American and happened to be stationed on an overseas assignment for the military.) and because of parental issues (Shizuru mentioned something of a divorce?) she was coming back to visit for a few weeks, or was it months? Yusuke didn't know, and personally didn't care, but held onto a thin thread of hope that this "cousin", despite his original thought-process, would turn out to be an amazingly hot babe. And at that thought, Yusuke had to restrain a fierce laugh, realizing that the idea in itself was completely insane and absurd; I mean, she was related to Kuwabara, right?
It was then that Kuwabara stopped and grinned, "Dude, I think I see my cousin!" he exclaimed, bolting into the waiting area for the terminal. Yusuke sighed, 'Why do I even bother?' he thought, but as he followed Kuwabara, someone caught his eye, big time.
Standing out from the crowd, this girl had a rich caramel tan with long, lush black curls that were practically Shirley Temple ringlets that framed her face and draped eloquently behind her back. Her eyes were abnormally large, not to mention the lightest shade of brown, almost like amber, that he'd ever seen in his life, and it was almost as if they seemed to dance and sparkle when light shone upon them. Despite her exotic facial features, she was dressed very plainly, but this only seemed to enhance her beauty even more so. She had only a simple forest green tee, cut just above her collar bone, and that hugged her ever so tiny waist! It was so tiny that Yusuke could've sworn that he could fit his hands around it. But what she seemingly lacked in her waist, she definitely made up in her thighs! Yusuke snickered at this, but also realized she was very close to having a perfect hourglass figure. Giving an exasperated sigh, he thought how horrible it was that she wasn't Kuwabara's cou-
"Yo, Urameshi! Come here and meet my cousin, Kit!" Kuwabara shouted, pointing to the girl Yusuke had just seen.
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I wasn't quite sure what to make of Kuwabara's friend as he ran over. It was as if he had mere animal instincts, despite the fact it was something I had become accustomed to seeing in most men, I just wasn't so certain that I wanted to associate myself with them anymore than I had to. He just looked so much of a school punk, but then again, Kuwa was basically the same…but at least he had morals! The boy's hair was slicked back greaser style, and she assumed in an act of defiance wore a green uniform rather than the issued blue. I began to mentally kick myself at my disgraceful prejudice, and tried to find good points on his appearance, and after a few moments of looking over, I found that that actually became easy and easier. His eyes were bright and honest, and dark brown hue, and his smile was very warm and inviting, two points that I held on high accord. It was a total shame that a guy with such potential had to be such a punk! But he walked up to me, his lips splitting into a wide smile, a cocky smile at that, but immediately threw a dirty glare in Kuwabara's direction. I chuckled, assuming that Kuwabara had forgotten, or just seemingly opted not to reveal my gender to his friend, but this only made me smile.
"Hey-o, I'm Yusuke Urameshi ,this guy's bud. So…" he hesitated, as his eyes flickered back and forth between me and Kuwabara, "you sure your this guy's cousin? You couldn't have gotten secretly switched or anything, could you? I mean, I hope you don't mind me saying, but you're way too cute to be this oaf's cousin!"
Flattering and cute, it really was a shame he was a punk, I thought as I processed the introduction. Although my mother primarily spoke in Japanese, I still had a difficult time understanding and speaking in Japanese. But I laughed as Kuwabara gave Yusuke a swift punch to the left shoulder.
Regaining my compsure, I answered, "It's a pleasure. I'm Kitiara, but you can call me Kit for short. And to your question, yes, I am Kuwabara's cousin." Yusuke smiled as he thumbed his nose. Damn his smile was cute, I thought as I subconsciously giggled. It was when I heaved my back to my non-sore shoulder, that Kuwabara actually entered the conversation.
"I'll be taking that," he said, taking my duffle bag filled with random goodness that had to weigh over 75 lb. Though I can say it was amusing to see Kuwabara attempt to carry it on the first try. While I knew Kuwabara could carry objects heavier than said duffle bag, I figured it still must have been a shock.
"Want me to carry that for you, big boy?" I asked teasingly. Kuwabara gave a defiant grunt, but before he could try to lift it again, Yusuke came and scooped it up in an instant as he slung it effortlessly over his bag as if it was a bag of feathers.
"I think I've got this one; got any other bags?" Trying my very hardest to contain myself, I nodded and murmured something of a "I'll go get them," as I darted off to the near baggage claim.
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Yusuke on the other hand, couldn't refrain himself from grinning ear to ear; not only had his day just went from being disastrous to amazingly fantastic in a matter of ten seconds, he had just showed up Kuwabara without even trying! Though he'd never admit this to Kit or Kuwabara, her bag was surprisingly heavy. 'What the hell does she have in this bag?' he thought, slinging it over to his other shoulder as they waited for Kit to return with her bags. But it was then that Kuwabara began perversely glower at him.
"I HAD that, Urameshi," he said, his voice in a low growl.
Yusuke shrugged, his large grin still apparent, "Yah, right, because you soo had it. But at least this little adventure has divulged where all the good looks in your family went to," snickered Yusuke as he received another fairly good blow to his left shoulder.
"Watch it, Urameshi!" Kuwabara spat, as he began to roll up his sleeves.
"Hey, don't get upset at me, you're the one that wanted to so desperately introduce me to her!" he retaliated, though it was at this point that he wanted to thank Kuwabara a million times over for this one.
Kuwabara shook his head, "Dude, don't even think about messing with her. She'll beat the living crap outta you! I mean, you think that Keiko used to hit…o, sorry man, I mean…" Yusuke turned away as Kuwabara trailed off. Keiko, now there was a touchy issue if there ever was a touchy issue. It was only recently that things started to go downhill between them, right after his last mission. That entailed "the Four Saint Beasts", four of the ugliest, strongest brutes that Yusuke had ever faced in his entire life, and Yusuke practically had gotten killed for her! And what does she do? She goes and finds herself a boyfriend! And let's not forget, WITHOUT telling him! He found out accidentally when her threatened to beat Mr. "Yukito" to a pulp for needlessly hanging around what he thought was his girl. It was then that the piece of shit blabbed that Keiko and him had been going out for a few weeks already. Yusuke wasn't sure who he was more infuriated at; the man who stole Keiko away from him, or Keiko. And the fact that she was hiding all of this from him, was she not able to trust him? Did she feel as if he was going to forbid her to date anyone else? Of course not! (He would only do this because he thought she'd realize after a brief time that all the other guys would never compare to him.) But, even if this plan would've gone in play, it wouldn't have worked. It had already been four months and Mr. "Yukito" and Keiko had still been on great terms.
But alas, there is plenty of more fish in the sea, as they say, and he was quite amazed at the cute catch he'd just reeled in.
"So about how long does she plan on staying over at your guy's place?" he asked, breaking the prolonged silence. Kuwabara shrugged, clearly glad that the previous topic had been cast aside.
"About a year or so, when the divorce is final between her mom and dad. Then her mom is going to move from America and they're going to look for a home in this area," he explained, not quite sure if he liked the strange look that had crept into Yusuke's eyes as they widened to the size of golf-balls.
"A whole 'effing year!? Hell yah!"
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As soon as I was out of earshot, I began to double over in an uncontrollable, hysteric laughter. It amazed me how much Kuwabara hadn't changed. After seven years, he was still trying to prove his manliness to me, like I didn't believe that he could be a man. And his friend…Yusuke was it? He seemed like an enormous show off himself, going and sweeping the duffle bag in one instant, I mean, not even my dad, the retired colonel, could do that! It was then that I realized that slowly, but surely, Kuwabara's friend was getting to me. I cursed silently at myself; I told myself not do that anymore! I could not look at every guy and examine what potential they did or didn't have! I COULD NOT! I repeated, hitting myself lightly on my forehead. After my last failed attempt at a relationship, I could not afford to make the same costly and fatal mistake that I had previously done.
Giving a quiet "squee!" as my bag rotated towards me, I quickly grabbed it and hugged it tight to my chest. It was filled to the brim with all my babies!! My manga!! O my heroine of heroine, this was just what I needed to get my mind off of everything and unwind once I get back to the apartment! I thought as I trotted back towards the guys, who were apparently still arguing like a bunch of squabbling five year olds.
"Hey hey! No fighting on my first day!" I said, making an effort to sound angry as my hand flew to my hips. Yusuke merely shrugged it off, while Kuwabara's eyes were still fixed irritably upon Yusuke.
"O-kaay, so I assume we're going to go nab a taxi or something?" I quickly asked, trying my very hardest to change to subject, or to at least distract the both of them. It was then that both of them adorned a curious expression as though I had just questioned their gender.
"Taxi? You've got to be kidding me; taxis cost MONEY, something that neither me or Kuwabara have. We gotta walk from here to there, sorry to say, but don't worry, the apartment is only about a mile and a half from here," Yusuke replied, and was that at an attempt of reassurance with the only a mile and a half?! Suddenly it was as though my bag instantaneously gained 100 lb, and I could feel my jet-lagged legs beginning to give way at the thought. Kuwabara seemed to have read my mind, because he immediately asked if I needed someone to carry my bag. I shook my head defiantly; Despite my "not looking forward" to walking a mile and a half with a suitcase, I was honestly more concerned about Yusuke, whose bag was ten times as heavy as the one I was carrying. It was going to be a major pain to have to heave that thing for that distance.
"Well, if it's possible, maybe you two could alternate back and forth with the duffle bag, it's pretty heavy and it'll really hurt your back," I offered. A smirk played on Yusuke's lips as he responded.
"Nah, sissy pants over here would pass out from exhaustion if he even tried to carry this massive thing. Don't worry about it, I've got this under control," Kuwa glowered, as if he was about to slug Yusuke once more, but refrained after the look I shot at him. While I didn't approve of Yusuke toting that thing all that way, it really was quite nice of him. Definitely something that American guys would NOT do, nor even attempt to ask, unless they found the girl attractive, but Yusuke even declined the offer of letting Kuwabara helping him. Maybe guys here were a bit different…suddenly I realized the impossibility of the latter. Boys will always be boys.
I'd never walked so far in my entire life! Run, possibly, but walk with a 20 lb bag, never. The thought had never even crept into my mind, and yet, here I was, trudging along and not even holding my bag anymore (they must think I'm totally weak!). I personally blame the jet-lag, because, if I had been back in America, it would be 5:30 in the morning! (And I would so be asleep!)
"You two are utterly ridiculous," I muttered quietly to myself as I continued to walk, feeling as though I could fall asleep on my feet at any given moment. But luckily for my sake, I could see that same old apartment cresting over the top of the hill. God, nothing has changed around here. Not like back in the States, where every year something new had been added, or homes destroyed, and in there stead a new shopping mall or school. Kicking in on reserves, I began to sum up my last bit up strength to run up the hill and up the stairs as I dashed into apartment and into the living room.
It was as if I had just turned the clock back seven years. Pictures still hung in the exact same spot, the television hadn't migrated at all, and that same old, green couch was positioned smack in front. And not only that, but my favorite girl in the whole wide world was still sitting there, beer in one and a cigarette in the other. My lips split into a wide, toothy grin that rivaled that of the Cheshire cat's as I proceeded to tackle said girl.
"Shizuru-nee!2" I squealed as, giving her a tight squeeze as I embraced her. Shizuru gave a half-way smile as she placed her beer down, returning the favor.
"*Hmph* About damn time, I thought my fool of a brother might have gotten you lost, or worst forgotten about you! And what's with the "Shizuru-nee"? You seem to be the only one that calls me that! So how's things been going?" she asked, now tearing me away from my grasp as she plopped me down on the other side of couch. The couch in itself was really more of a love-seat, meaning it was only big enough to seat two normal sized people. I grinned, the sleepiness slipping away bit by bit. I didn't know where to begin. But somehow I found a place to start (like at the fourth grade!) when Kuwabara and Yusuke entered the room.
"Hey sis! Kit, we put your bag in the spare bedroom, if you don't mind," Kuwabara said, sitting himself down on opposite from us in one of the two recliners. Thinking that Yusuke was going to do the same, I didn't bother to scoot to the back of the couch as I continued to babble on to Shizuru on practically useless nonsense when Yusuke did the most peculiar thing. He sat right next me! He squeezed his big butt (or rather, small Asian butt) right in between me and the arm rest of the couch! I cocked one eyebrow in that of confusion towards his way, while Kuwabara did the same, but as Yusuke grinned broadly, I don't think the air-head noticed the tension. I then tried to continue the conversation, but I couldn't help but feel a tad nervous about Yusuke being so close.
Shizuru noticed my silence, "So, you were telling me about your dad?" she asked, trying to bring me back in, (also throwing a skeptical look towards Yusuke's way) and taking a strong puff of her cigarette.
Snapping back into the mood of things, I tried to recall what it was I was originally talking about before I was interrupted. "O, right, well…well, you know how it is between those two. I don't think there ever was a real time that they truly got along. Mom has had it hard since we moved to the States, plus, she was pretty, well, uncomfortable with dad's old job to say the least. Dad wouldn't hear anything of it, and kept constantly trying to tell her it would get better when it wouldn't…and I just don't know anymore," I explained, zoning off. Deep down, I knew it was going to eventually going to come to all of this. Our family had never been a "Cleaver"3 family if you catch my drift. Not that that ever bothered me, but I always had a sinking feeling that the dream was always going to end sometime or another. That one day I was going to wake up from it all. And it sure did abruptly end. Not to mention the fact that Dad was fuming at the thought of me moving to Japan. But I didn't feel the need to tell Shizuru all of that. She was probably already worried enough as it was, and I didn't need to go and making it worse for her. But it was then that I felt a weight on my shoulder; glancing back, I saw it to be Yusuke's hand. I knew all boys were the same.
"Excuse me?" I said, taking his hand from my shoulder and twisting it as hard as I could.
"Yowch! Damn it that hurt!" Yusuke shrieked as he retrieved his hand from my clutches.
"Don't even dare to think about pulling something like that again," I replied sweetly, the fakeness of it all dripping from my words. Yusuke was about to retort when Shizuru glanced at her watch.
"Well what do you know, it's already past little Yusuke's bed time. Well squirt, you better start heading your way back home. You know that tomorrow's school, and if you skip even one more day of school, your mom is going to have yours, and my hide so you better get," she stated as a matter of fact-ly, using her cigarette as a baton and pointing it towards the door. Yusuke gave a reluctant nod, as he quickly waved goodbye, and if I wasn't mistaken, a smile was thrown my way. I could feel my heart do a loop-de-loop and jump up my heart as the door slammed shut. Damn punk, I thought bitterly, feeling the insane urge to want to chuck something hard and blunt in his direction. Shaking the feeling, I jumped up and stretched my arms to the ceiling.
"Well, if you peeps don't mind, I think I'm going to take a loong relaxing shower, and hit the hay! (You have no idea how tired I am! Jesus I hate plane rides!!) And for the record, your friend is insanely weird Kuwabara, just wanted to let you know…o, and since you said that I can start school tomorrow, I'll go pick out my outfit for the first day of school as well!" I said gleefully, doing an almost half skip-jog kind of thing towards their bathroom.
Their bathroom was a bit on the small side, but in a rather, cozy, homey, inviting sort of way. The walls were painted a crimson red, with gold fixtures and accent pieces with a long red and gold shower curtain that draped onto the floor. Everything was completely coordinated, and I had the bizarre feeling like I had just stepped into an HGTV4 show. But, placing that aside, I began to peel my sticky shirt from my absorbent body when I felt something oddly furry rub up against my ankles. In a mixture of shock and anxiety, I almost let out a loud scream, but stifled myself at the last second, wanting to laugh at myself for the mistake.
"Eichii-chan!" I squealed, scooping the small cat into my arms, cradling it like that of a small child. Eichii was Kuwabara's kitten (and for those of you that remember, he even resorted to stealing to get her back, Yusuke came in and saved the day on that one) and most prized possession. The kitten was completely calm as she curled up, utterly relaxed, not even to mind the fact that I was a stranger in her home, and one that she'd never seen before at that. And God was she adorable! I gave out a small squeal as I gave her a small squeeze. Eichii was definitely well groomed, her fur did not shed when stroked, and she even had a charming red collar with a tiny gold painted bell that rang whenever she moved. Stroking the back of her ears, I suddenly felt lonesome for my own cat, whom I had reluctantly left back in States.
He was a rather small orange tom whom I had happily named Marmalade under the delusion that he was a female, rather than male. (It was only a few months later that we discovered that he in fact, was not a girl, talk about awkward!) So as a slightly manly nickname, we called him "the Marm" or "Marmy" for short . Since he was an outside cat, he was considerably rougher, and loved to scratch and tear viciously at people that he did not know, or were coming too close to his territory for his own liking. He and I would get into a multitude of fights, but in the end, I would always find a way to victory. But, when he was calm, (or rather, when he felt immensely tired or just didn't feel like fighting) he would curl up in your arms and allow you to pet him for a short time. It was on that note that I released Eichii from my arms and I quickly shooed her from the bathroom. Despite the fact that I believed all cats were incredibly cute and adorable, not to mention the fact that I loved them all dearly, there was nothing worse than a dog or cat staring intently at your naked body while trying to a take a relaxing shower.
Turning on the water, I stayed right on the outside of the tub, testing the water; unlike most people, my biggest pet peeve was boiling hot water running down my backs. Call me crazy, but I don't like being hot (or being "well done" for that matter), being hot always aggravated me, not to mention it was one of the few times my mind would venture into places my mind did NOT need to wander into, if you get what I mean. Stepping in, I immediately winced at the cold water that sprayed obnoxiously into my face, remembering that I was considerably shorter than Kuwabara and Shizuru (a little too late at that). And then, one by one, the tension seemed to melt away with the water as I became incredibly tranquil as I merely let the water run down my body. This was how I kept my sanity for the most part; some call it meditation, others call it contemplation, I just call it "zoning out". It was my way of forgetting the problems of the day, but unfortunately, when I was about eight, I had developed a bad habit of "zoning out" while people were talking to me, or in school; this in turned creeped out most of my friends and made my parents even more paranoid than on average, so I began the habit of doing it in during my showers.
Snapping out of the "zone" I squirted a bit of shampoo and started to scrub my hair furiously, trying perversely to get the long ends. While doing so, I pondered on the conception of actually blow-drying my hair tonight, that would at least straighten my hair from obnoxious curls to defiant waves (wavy hair). I was absolutely positive that I looked one hundred percent better with straight(er) hair. Thinking upon how much I despised my own hair, I gathered that almost every girl hated their own hair, no matter who compliments us (with the exception of cheerleaders, who truly believe they are God's given gift to the world). I gave a half way laugh as I turned off the shower (of course after washing, you dirty people) and I attempted to grab my towel, but of course, me being the klutz that I am, I felt the need to slip on my wet shirt, almost busting my ass on the concrete tile. Swearing quietly to myself, I quickly snatched my towel and wrapped it around me, hoping that no one heard me.
Opening the door, I peeked outside to make sure that no one was around, and I dashed towards the spare bedroom, while almost tripping over Eichii during the process. I slammed the door behind me, giving an exasperated sigh. I decided to braid my hair quickly, just to keep it from my eyes as I slipped into an undershirt and my "Hello Kitty" underwear, straight from the underground of Okinawa. Glancing in the mirror, I came to harsh realization that "Hello Kitty" was slowing turning into "Hello Garfield" during these past few years of ice cream and cake. Making a mental note to wear loose jeans for school, I decided to begin my hunt. I had to make a good first impression, the problem was, what impression did I exactly wish to make?
After about thirty minutes, I felt confident that I had narrowed it down to two different shirts, or rather, one blouse and one t-shirt, and a pair of jeans (a pair of loose jeans, mind you). The blouse had a dark orange spaghetti strap that matched my skin done fantastically, with a plaid (dare I say "jacket" with short sleeves?) jacket on top of it. It was particularly girly, but it wasn't quite convinced that I wanted to look that girly for my first day of school. Not on the first day at least. But then the other one…my eyes flickered back and forth. The other "t-shirt" was a dark black shirt with the words "Trust Company5" inscribed in white on the shirt. Though I could say that I had a biased liking to this shirt, it being one of my favorite punk rock band from the U.S., I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to look like a punk on the first day either…
It was then that I heard a repetitive knocking on my door, and noticing that I was still only in my "Hello Kitty" underwear and undershirt, I quickly reached for my "Green Day"/ "Blink-182" concert t-shirt and a pair of baggy PJ pants.
"You can come in now!" I called, still baffled on what to wear tomorrow. The door slowly creaked open, and I could see Kuwabara popping is head through the crack.
"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked, after seeing that he was walking into safe territory. I rolled my eyes.
"Duh, I'm picking out an outfit for school! Now which one do you think I should wear, I honestly can't pick…O what am I asking you for? Where's Shizuru…?" I trailed off, still fixated on the two different shirts. While it was apparent that Kuwabara didn't approve in my night wear, he still appeared as though something was still bothering him.
"Uh, Kit, you do know that--"
1 In Japanese schools, their school days are from Monday-Saturday, leaving Sunday their only day off.
2 "Nee" is a horrific for "older sister" like that of "nee-chan", it can be used at the end of someone's name. The same also applies for older brothers like "Kuwabara-nii".
3 Cleaver family is referenced from an old television show called "Leave it to Beaver" where his family, the "Cleaver" family was that of almost a perfect family.
4 HGTV is a Home and Gardening TV network.
5 Trust Company is a punk rock band from Alabama, one of they're more popular songs is "The War is Over" from the album "True Parallels".