Solaris: This is the fic after Akachan and before Road Trip. I know, they're a little out of order, but I swear as soon as I finish Road Trip and this fic, I may take a two or three day vacation and then I focus exclusively on the stories in order. Sorry it's so confusing. Oh, standard disclaimers apply. I don't feel like making up a poem or anything today.
Chapter one: The dream
"Kurama… KURAMA!" Solaris sobbed/yelled. Kurama ran to her room to find her still asleep, and crying like a child, her ears flat on her head. Hiei and Foxglove ran in, half-asleep. "Kurama, don't go…" she whimpered. He sat beside her, pulled her into a sitting position, and held her close.
"What's the matter?" Hiei and Foxglove intoned sleepily. Solaris woke up to see white. She looked up into Kurama's face, then buried her face into his pajama shirt again.
"I had a nightmare. Joshi came to take you and Foxglove and Hiei away forever! Then he came back and tried to… tried to…" was all Solaris could say before she fell back to sobbing. Kurama and the others mentally filled in the blanks with one of the few things that Solaris truly feared Joshi would do if he ever got out and found her. And it wasn't that he'd kill her.
"Solaris, I'll sleep in here if it'll make you feel better." Foxglove offered. Solaris nodded, and stopped crying. The two foxgirls laid down and fell asleep instantly.
"Kurama, why don't you tell her you like her?" Hiei asked as they left.
"Remember Rose? I had a crush on her for a while until rumors began that we were dating. I looked at it from an objective viewpoint, and she wasn't really my type. I'm afraid the same will happen with Solaris. She's too… sweet to hurt." Kurama sighed. (A/N: I know, he seems ooc. No like, too bad.)
"I suppose. Night." Hiei said as they parted company.
--
Meanwhile, the Reikai was in an uproar. A criminal had escaped prison and vowed to wed the girl he loved and bring her back to crime. Who was the escaped criminal? Joshi of course! And somehow he had found Solaris's address. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan all stood in Koenma's office, yawning. "It is imperative…" Koenma began.
"Yeah, yeah, we heard a thousand times. Solaris can't find out, she'd go bananas." Yusuke said, then headed toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Koenma asked.
"Home to sleep." Yusuke yawned and left.
--
Later that night, Kurama dreamed. He was at a park with Solaris, watching her climb a sakura tree to get some of the blooms. As soon as she came back down she offered some of the flowers to him. He took one and went to hug her (who could help it? She was a sweet little thing, even after all that she'd gone through!) when Joshi snatched her away. Kurama looked down to see a vat of boiling oil and Solaris weeping as she came into a dungeon in a wedding dress. Joshi came to pull her away again. Kurama! she wept.
"SOLARIS!" he shouted in the dream, and this shout woke him. He sat up, awake and still feeling uneasy. He felt like he had just sweated off a fever. The sun was shining and he leaned his head in his hands. -It felt so real… a premonition? Or just a nightmare?- he questioned himself, then got out of bed. –Well, nightmare, premonition or otherwise, I have school to get ready for.- he mused as he exited the room, uniform in hand. Soon the tow had left the house, Solaris's red uniform and cheery disposition brightening his day.
"Last day before vacation starts. Are you ready for the last exams?" Kurama asked.
"I'll be happier when scores are posted. I think nerves caused my dream last night." She sighed, then fished around in her school bag for a something, pulling out a bright yellow folder clip. (A/N: You know those things that keep reports and crap in those clear plastic folders? I hope that clears it up.) "And now, my rendition of 'Freckles'!" she smiled before she put the thing to her lips and hummed 'Freckles' as loudly as possible. Kurama couldn't help it- he laughed. It was hard to be unhappy when Solaris had a yen to make you laugh and a folder clip around. (A/N: I've done that before, it sounds like a kazoo. I swear it!) Even she found it hard to keep playing until he was laughing so hard he was crying; she wanted to laugh so badly.
"See? I knew I could!" she giggled as the bus stopped and she finished. As the two teens boarded the bus to school, a mysterious figure watched from a bush. Suddenly, it smiled. All that was left now was to take on a human disguise and capture her friends, and she'd be all his all over again.
Solaris: And that ends chapter one! I'll try to keep the authoress notes to a minimum. Review please! After all, it only takes two or three minutes of your time…