A/N: Written for a contest on Quizilla-like a century ago-and I won second place! 8D *feels proud* This is probably one of the longest two-shots I've ever written for someone. O.O
Ichimonji Honami is © to SubtleQuirks (on deviantART); The YYH boys are © to Togashi Yoshihiro's YuYu Hakusho; Kimura Mayumi and other characters and Story are © to moi~
Part 1
"Love is like war: easy to begin but hard to end!" - Unknown
Gray clouds full of rain filled the sky as Ichimonji Honami walked on her way to her school, Nekako High. Her uniform was baggy along with the rest of her wardrobe, to hide her large breasts and avoid being taunted. Her short, black hair hung just below her ears with a small, azure hair clip kept a lock out of her face.
Well, it looks like we're gonna have some rain today… Honami thought to herself as her long legs strolled across the sidewalk.
When she arrived at her school's gates, Honami received a few snickers from her fellow classmates. In return, she glared icily at them until they immediately shut up.
Honami soon reached her locker and started putting her books away. A sharp sensation darts throughout her body; it was like a talent, her sharp spirit awareness. Then she felt a snap! against her back. Someone had snapped her bra.
"Well, well, well," a nasty voice spoke behind her, "if it isn't the school freak. How come you haven't switched schools yet?"
Groaning, Honami turned to acknowledge the mean girl of the school, Chisu Eiko, and her group of skanks, who were snickering behind her while one skank stood behind her.
"What do you want now?" Honami growled between her teeth. She then felt the snap! on her back. Eiko's skank had snapped her bra...again.
"We just wanted to say 'good morning' to the school freak," Eiko answered.
Before Honami could give a smart remark, the school bell rang as everyone hurried to class. Eiko and her followeres left with Honami cursing at them under her breath.
I hate that girl, she's such a witch!
Honami and Eiko had been best friends before, until they reached middle school. Eiko easily made friends, while Honami was left by herself as the loner. Luckily, when Honami came to Nekako High, she made one friend, Kimura Mayumi, but one friend was better than none. As Honami walked into her next class, she was greeted by Mayumi who gave her a friendly smile.
"Honami-chan, I didn't think you would come in so late," Mayumi said, a hint of concern in her voice.
Snapping out of her reverie, Honami gave her a silly smile, trying to hide her anger. "Don't worry about me, May, I'm fine!"
She sat down, putting her book on her desk. Mayumi's face fell. "Are you sure? You...seemed angry when you walked in."
"Really, I'm fine," Honami answered, an anime vein pulsing madly on her head. "I just ran into the Queen of Darkness and her skanks."
Mayumi smiled, relieved that the problem wasn't too major. "Eiko-sempai is not that bad, Honami-chan."
Honami gave her best friend a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding, May? She's pure evil! You know that she feed off of other people's pain. You should know; she teases you too!"
Mayumi sighed, knowing that it was true. Along with Honami, she was also known as the school outcast, always being picked on or laughed at by her fellow classmates. Her only friend was Honami, ever since her parents died, so it didn't bother her that much.
"I know what you mean, Honami-chan, but maybe she's trying to make real friends but doesn't know how."
Honami shook her head and smiled at her friend's naiveness. "Man, May, always try to find good in the worst of people."
The sky grew dark and thunder cracked as Honami headed home from school. She smiled, liking the feeling of rain on her face, even though she was soaking wet; she had forgotten her umbrella at home, but she didn't mind the rain. It was calm and soothing. Honami always felt at peace whenever it rained. She was able to gather her thoughts about everything.
I should hurry and get home, she thought, snapping out of her reverie. I'll get sick if I stay out here too long.
Honami picked up her speed and her walking soon turned into running. Thunder cracked a second time and lightning flashed in one direction. She picked up her speed again as she pushed against the now freezing cold wind.
As Honami ran, something immediately caught her attention. Lying against a tree was a small, black speck. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what the speck really was. Then...it dawned on her. It was a body!
Girl,
There's something 'bout me that you ought to know.
What could've happened here? Honami thought as she stared at the black-clothed body.
She noticed the face and realized that it was a boy. His hair was black and spiky with a white starburst in the middle, and a katana stayed clenched in his right hand. All across his body were deep cuts and bruises, but the largest wound, a deep, bloody gash, covered his whole stomach. The boy grunted and coughed up some blood, then his lids slowly opened, revealing eyes the color of blood. His eyes were only half-open, but he was tired so he didn't notice Honami next to him before falling back asleep.
Honami looked around and saw a large lizard demon on the ground, bleeding profusely. Disgusted, she took the body, dragging it to a nearby river. With all her strength, she was able to get the ugly demon's body to start floating down the river. Honami smiled proudly to herself.
Never thought I'd be able to lift a creature with such strong Spirit Energy. I guess I was wrong. She turned back to the sleeping boy, kneeling by his side, sensing his Spirit Energy.
"I should've known," Honami said to herself. "He's not human."
Lifting the boy up on her shoulders, she carried him back to her apartment. She placed him onto her bed and smiled at his sleeping face, even though she felt bad that he was hurt. Maybe she should tell Mayumi about the incident. No. She didn't want to bother her now.
Well, I guess it's up to me.
Honami headed into her bathroom, taking out the first-aid kit. She cleaned up the boy's wounds and quickly changed the sheets on her bed.
Never thought it'd take so much work! she thought to herself as her bright chestnut-colored eyes began to droop. Soon she found herself falling asleep in her desk chair…
I've never felt the need to lose control.
Always held on back and played it slow.
But not this time.
Baby, don't be gentle,
I can handle anything.
The red-eyed demon soon opened his eyes after like what seemed to be a few hours later. He looked around, observing his surroundings.
Where am I? He pondered to himself as he stood up, only to sit back down because of the now bandaged gash in his abdomen.
His eyes soon fell upon the raven-haired beauty who slept peacefully but somewhat uncomfortably in her desk chair. Taking off his headband, his Jagan eye opened as he read the girl's thoughts. He expected her to be some kind of demon, but she was no threat to him at all; she just had a high spirit awareness.
Honami opened her eyes to see the demon staring at her. His eyes were cold but somewhat curious.
"You brought me here, didn't you?" he asked curtly.
Shyness quickly overcame Honami as she stuttered, "Y-yes, I-I did. I saw you injured a-and I wanted to help you."
"...What's your name, girl?" the demon questioned her, his eyes never leaving hers.
"H-Honami. Ichimonji Honami. Wh-who are you?"
He stayed silent for a while, and then answered, "Hiei."
Honami got up from her chair when she saw and noticed that Hiei was a lot shorter than her. By about six or seven inches! She then saw him wince because of his stomach wound.
"Y-you should sit down," she said as she led him to her bed.
Hiei pushed her away. "I'm fine." He winced again as he tried to walk and ignore the pain, but he had no luck. Giving up, Hiei laid himself down on Honami's bed.
"Do you...want me to get you anything?" Honami asked, cursing herself for being so shy around the demon.
Hiei turned his head towards the window. "No."
The girl nodded and left the room so Hiei could rest. She headed to the kitchen to make herself some dinner; millions of thoughts came rushing into her head.
Why did I ask so shy around him? Something is obviously wrong with me! Normally I'm okay when I'm around guys, but he seems so...different.
After dinner, she went to her room to do her homework. She found Hiei sleeping on her bed and smiled. As she did her homework, Honami continued to think about the demon that slept in her bed.
He might be a little mean, but he's sort of...cute. I wonder what kind of demon did that to him. He seemed pretty powerful when I sensed his Spirit Energy.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice saying, "He was only a D-class apparition. He wasn't that powerful."
Honami almost jumped when she noticed Hiei smirking at her. "H-how did you know what I was thinking?" she asked.
"It's called telepathy," Hiei replied, not removing his smirk.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door as Honami went to open it. There stood a funny-looking boy with orange Elvis-type hair, wearing a blue school uniform and another boy with black, gelled-up hair, wearing a green school uniform.
"Uh...can I help you?" Honami asked, shifting eyes from each boy.
"Yeah. Sorry to bother you, Miss, but we're looking for our friend," the orange-haired boy answered.
The boy with black hair nodded in agreement. "Yeah, so have you seen him? He's short, wears black, is kinda grumpy..."
"Why were you looking for me?" a voice behind Honami asked. She turned to see Hiei standing behind her, not looking too happy to see the two boys.
"Hiei! You were here this whole time?" the orange-haired boy asked, almost screaming his lungs out.
"Of course I was, you fool." He turned his head to Honami. "She brought me here."
The two boys turned to the girl. "So what was he doing here?" the boy with black hair asked her.
Honami replied quietly, "H-he was injured, s-so I bandaged him up."
"So, Hiei, what did you do to get yourself in trouble now?" the orange-haired boy asked smugly.
Hiei turned his head and glared at him. "Watch it, fool, or I'll decapitate you right here."
The black-haired boy turned to face the two. "Hiei, Kuwabara, enough already, will ya?" He then turned to Honami. "I'm Urameshi Yusuke and that goof over there is Kuwabara."
The boy who went by Kuwabara glared at Yusuke. "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A GOOF? YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE, URAMESHI?"
Yusuke rolled his eyes, smiling at Honami and shrugging. "Anyway, we should get going," he said. "We'll see you later!"
He and Kuwabara left with Hiei, but Kuwabara turned back, running over to Honami who was about to close her apartment door. "We're going to meet a few of our friends at a restaurant," he said with a smile. "You wanna come with us?"
After thinking for a few moments, Honami nodded with a smile. "S-sure, I'd love to. I'll go change into some casual clothes." Kuwabara smiled as Honami dashed to her bedroom. She opened her closet door and looked through her wardrobe for a good outfit.
Honami soon came back wearing a white 3/4-sleeve shirt with a black tank top over it and some dark green denim pants.
"Okay, I'm ready." She walked out of her apartment, putting on her shoes and closing and locking the door behind her.
Kuwabara smiled as they both walked with Yusuke and Hiei. "You're gonna like our friends!" Yusuke said as he gave Honami gave Honami a goofy smile. "Especially Botan. I bet you both will be great friends. Oh, and what's your name? I forgot to ask."
Honami smiled, feeling glad that she was now included into their circle. "Ichimonji Honami." Then a thought popped into her head. "Um...is it okay if I bring a friend?"
All three boys looked at her and then shrugged. "Who do you have in mind?"
~ ღ ~
Part 2
"You got me right where you want me..." - Jesse McCartney
The doorbell rung and Mayumi came out of her bedroom to answer the door. She looked to see her best friend, Honami, standing there with a smile.
"Hey, May! You wanna hang out today?"
Mayumi smiled and nodded. Stepping out of her apartment and closing the door behind her, she was greeted by the three boys. Kuwabara gave her a goofy smile.
"You're hot—"
Yusuke smacked him upside the head. "Sorry, Kuwabara's a dope," he said to her. "You must be Honami's friend, right? I'm Urameshi Yusuke, the grumpy midget over there's Hiei, and that goof over there's Kuwabara."
Mayumi smiled, wondering how Honami met these new people. "Kimura Mayumi."
Yusuke gave her a smile. "Nice meeting you, Mayumi. We're going to hang out with some friends of ours. Wanna come?"
Mayumi smiled. "S-sure, I'd love to."
The boys, along with Honami and Mayumi, headed to the city square. Millions of people filled the streets, creating a massive crowd.
Wow, I never thought I'd see so many people, Honami thought as she pushed through the sea of people.
"Isn't it obvious, onna?" Hiei said, once again interrupting her thoughts. "Doesn't this normally happen in your everyday life?"
Honami blushed slightly and nodded silently.
The group soon came to a small café that was located a few miles away from the train station. There they met up with four girls and a boy with long, red hair. Hiei seemed to know him, for he immediately struck up a conversation with him as soon as they came within two feet of each other.
"Yusuke, what took you so long? We've been waiting here for fifteen minutes," a girl with dark brown hair said worriedly.
Yusuke smiled. "Sorry, Keiko. We didn't mean to be late, so cut us some slack, okay?"
The girl known as Keiko groaned and then spotted Honami and Mayumi. "Who are they?"
"This is Honami, and this is Mayumi," Kuwabara introduced.
Keiko gave both girls a smile and walked to them. "Hi, I'm Keiko. It's nice to meet you."
Honami and Mayumi smiled back at her. "Likewise."
"Oh, how wonderful! We have more friends!" a girl with blue hair and pink eyes exclaimed. "I'm Botan! It's nice to meet you both!"
Honami smiled at Botan's enthusiasm, knowing that they would obviously be good friends.
Botan turned to the rest of the group and introduced, "The boy with red hair and green eyes is Kurama, the girl with light brown hair is Shizuru, and the girl with green hair is Yukina. I know you both will love to hang out with us! We're going to be great friends!"
Botan's conversation was soon interrupted by Yusuke's moaning. "Guys, aren't we going inside yet? I'm starving!" Botan rolled her eyes and led the girls inside to a table.
"So what school do you guys go to? Do you like it there?" Keiko asked.
"We go to Nekako High," Honami answered as Mayumi nodded in agreement. "It's a public school not too far from here. It's okay, I guess."
The waiter soon came, asking for the group to order. Everyone ordered and then went back to conversing with one another.
"I've never seen you around town before," Kurama said. "Do you live close by?"
"No, we live a few miles from here."
After dinner, Yusuke suggested a movie night at his house; everyone agreed and followed him to his apartment. But Mayumi decided that it was late and headed home.
When Yusuke reached his apartment, he saw that his mother, Atsuko, was out as usual. He motioned his friends to come in and they all headed to his room. "Since it's my house, we're gonna watch Blade II."
"No way, Yusuke!" Keiko objected. It was obvious that she hated horror movies. "We always have to watch some horror movie whenever we're at your house!"
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Fine. What do you wanna watch, Keiko? It better not be some chick flick."
Keiko looked over at Botan who whispered something in her ear. Then she turned to Yusuke. "Enchanted~"
Yusuke made a face. "No way we're watching some girly movie!"
Kuwabara jumped up. "Ooh, I know! How about The Village? We can see that!"
"No, that's too scary!" Botan argued.
"Just pick something before I get bored," Hiei muttered.
Kurama stood up, not being able to take more of the arguing. "Maybe we should let Honami choose? After all, she is a guest here."
Botan smiled at the idea. "That's a great idea! Honami, which movie do you wanna watch?"
Honami was quiet during the whole argument; she liked all the choices of movies, but wanted to watch The Village the most. She didn't want anyone to be mad at her, so she hesitated.
"It's okay, Honami," Botan said kindly. "Just choose a movie. We won't get mad at you."
"...The Village?"
Kuwabara cheered and Botan and Keiko stared at Honami. "Are you serious?" Keiko demanded as Honami nodded slowly.
"All right, everybody, shut up and watch the movie," Yusuke said as he put in the DVD and then sat by Keiko on the floor. Honami sat between Hiei and Botan, holding a bowl of popcorn for all three to share.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the TV screen as The Village played. During some of the scary parts, Keiko, Yukina, and Botan would either cling to one of the boys' arms or hide their faces with their hands. Honami soon found herself clinging to Hiei's arm during one part. The fire demon stared at her for a while but soon dismissed the thought as soon as he knew she wouldn't let go. After much arguing, the next movie, Enchanted, was placed into the DVD player. By the ending, everyone was pretty much half-asleep.
"We should be getting home, Urameshi," Kuwabara said, yawning. "My sis is already sleeping on your bed."
Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, you guys should go on home."
Everyone agreed and headed for the door, saying 'goodbye' to each other. Kurama offered to walk Honami home, but she kindly declined, assuring him that she would be all right on her way home.
They are all so nice, she thought as she took her usual route home. I should hang out with them more often. Mayumi and I are gonna be great friends with them!
A few months have passed and Honami and Mayumi have quickly bonded with the YYH gang. Shyness had disappeared between the two girls and the gang, and Honami's old self started to emerge. Kurama and Mayumi had started dating, and Honami quickly developed a crush on Hiei, even though she somewhat annoyed him to no end.
Botan had invited the girl to go on a weekend trip to the amusement park with her and the rest of the group; Mayumi and Honami immediately accepted.
"What do you think we should wear to the park?" Mayumi asked into the phone as she sorted through her wardrobe for a good outfit.
"It's just the amusement park," Honami answered as she did the same. "Kurama already likes you, so you shouldn't get all worried. Just pick something."
"Well, wouldn't you want to find a nice outfit for Hiei-kun?" Mayumi asked with a smile. "You wouldn't want to go in something bad."
A blush crept across Honami's cheeks as she thought of the fire demon. "Come on, May. Forget about it, okay? Let's just pick something casual."
The girls met with their friends and headed off with them to the amusement park. "Why don't we split up?" Botan suggested. "We'll each go in groups of two."
"I'll go with Yukina!" Kuwabara immediately exclaimed.
Everyone sweatdropped and got into the groups. Honami ended up with Hiei who didn't seem to care which group he was in...as long as it wasn't with Kuwabara or Botan.
"Okay, everyone! We'll meet back here by 3 PM."
The teens nodded in agreement and headed off to enjoy themselves.
"Isn't this fun?" Honami said in her usual hyperactive voice. "I can't wait to ride all the rides!"
Hiei muttered under his breath, but the only audible thing was, "Hn."
Honami shrugged and looked around. "Oh, how about that ride?" She pointed to an indoor roller coaster. "Do you want to ride this one, Hiei?"
Hiei turned his head. "...I'm not going."
The girl made a pleading face, puppy-dog eyes and all. "Please, Hiei?"
Hiei didn't budge. "I'm not falling for that, girl."
Honami then pouted. "Oh, you're no fun! Why don't you want to go?"
Hiei kept silent and then answered, "It doesn't interest me."
Honami continued to pout, but then a smile spread across her face. "Maybe you're too scared to go on it. That's why you don't wanna ride it," she answered, her smile widening.
Hiei kept his glare. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would I be scared of anything? There's no reason to be."
Honami cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? I bet you a billion yen that you'd freak once the ride starts."
After hearing that, Hiei decided not to back down, especially a challenge made by a girl. He turned to her and smirked. "You're on."
Honami smiled, almost giggling, and dragged him by the arm into the building. It was dark with the usual dim light, but it didn't bother Hiei nor Honami. They climbed into the car, waiting for the ride to start, hearing the chatter of the people in front and behind them.
The car started moving and the chatter stopped immediately.
"I bet you'll be the first to scream," Honami said, smiling evilly at Hiei.
The fire demon turned to Honami, smirking. "You should think twice before something as foolish as that to me."
As soon as the car reached its peak, a few screams were heard and then it was silent.
Seconds later, it plummeted down the track at full speed, almost giving Honami a heart attack. She was determined to win the bet, so she tried her best not to scream. Hiei smirked at her reaction and kept silent throughout the ride until it ended.
"It looks like a draw," Honami said as she and Hiei exited the building.
"Hn. I still would've won," Hiei remarked. "You were on the brink of screaming."
Honami blushed and then pretended to pout. "I was not! I-it was just...the first time riding something like that!"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."
"How about we get something sweet?" Honami suggested.
Hiei looked away. "Hn. I don't care."
Shrugging, Honami took Hiei to an ice cream shop and ordered two vanilla cones. Hiei just stared at his cone in confusion.
"Since when do humans eat snow?" Honami stared at him and then started laughing.
Hiei looked at her coldly. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"That's not snow, silly. It's ice cream!" Hiei stared at her, obviously new to learing about such a thing. "Go ahead," the girl said to him. "Try it!"
Baby,
Take me on a journey.
I've been thinking lately,
I could use a little time alone with you.
Crazy,
Let's do something, maybe.
Please don't take your time,
You got me,
Right where you want me.
He stared at the strange sweet treat for a while before tasting some.
"So? How is it?" Honami asked him.
Hiei continued licking the ice cream. "Hn."
Honami rolled her eyes and looked around. "Let's go on some more rides!" She dragged to another roller coaster, which they both enjoyed—even though Hiei didn't admit it–and continued until it was 3:00.
"We should go and meet the others," Honami said as Hiei agreed. They headed back to the center of the park and waited. Soon the others came, looking exhausted.
Honami smiled. "So how was your time?"
"It was awesome!" Botan said and started naming off the rides she went on.
"It was okay," Yusuke said. "Keiko freaked out on all of the rides we went on."
Keiko glared at him. "I did not!" Seconds later, they were in an argument.
Honami turned to Mayumi. "How was your day?"
"It was nice," Mayumi answered. "Kurama and I had a good time."
Kurama smiled and laughed. "Yes, we did have a pleasant day. What about you two?"
Honami turned to Hiei who was still eating his ice cream. "We rode a lot of roller coasters, so it was pretty awesome."
"I heard that there's a concert here," Kuwabara said, "we could see it while we're having dinner!"
"Good idea!" agreed Yusuke. "I'm starting to get hungry anyway. Where should we eat?"
"Well, since the concert's gonna be here, we should eat in a place that's close by," said Kurama.
Mayumi looked around and pointed to a small café. "How about there? Is that a good place?"
Yusuke squinted his eyes and then shrugged. "What the heck?"
The gang headed into the café and got a table. Honami looked around, smiling to herself. "This place isn't that bad. I like it."
From their table, they could see the TV screen that showed the concert stage and the hundreds of people surrounding it.
"Whoa. Good thing we got a table inside a restaurant," Yusuke muttered.
"Yes, it would've been hard to see with all those people," Kurama added. Hiei stared at the TV. "Who's even playing anyway?" he questioned. Everyone shrugged. "Whoever it is it better be good," said Shizuru.
A waiter soon came to take their orders and then left. Honami suddenly sensed something; her spirit awareness was on high alert, so she looked around to see where the strong spiritual aura came from. Her eyes widened at what she saw and sensed. At a table across from hers was Eiko and her friends, which was where the strong aura was coming from!
Immediately, Honami nudged Mayumi's arm as she was talking with Botan and said, "I have to tell you something." Then Honami turned to the rest of the group. "We're just gonna go to the bathroom. We'll be right back."
Grabbing Mayumi's hand, Honami quickly ran into the women's bathroom and into an empty stall. "What's the problem, Honami-chan?" asked Mayumi.
Honami said in an almost frightened voice, "I sensed someone's aura and it was Eiko's!"
Mayumi stared at her friend, her pink eyes filled with concern. This wasn't like her at all. "Eiko-sempai? H-how could that be?"
"I don't know, but it's true!" Honami replied. "She's in the restaurant at a table across from us, and her aura was pretty strong. It was almost as tough as Yusuke's, Kurama's, or Hiei's!"
"Why wouldn't Kuwabara-san be able to sense her energy?" asked Mayumi. "How come he wasn't alarmed?"
"My spirit awareness is a lot stronger than his," Honami said, finally calming down. "But that's not important now. What if Eiko's a demon?"
Mayumi stared at her. "She couldn't be a demon, she looks just like a human," she said, confused.
"Don't you remember what Koenma told us?" Honami asked. "Demons come in all shapes and sizes, and some of them can wear a human body like piece of clothing in order to hide their scent and aura."
Mayumi nodded. "So what are we going to do, Honami-chan?"
Maybe we should tell the others? Honami thought to herself and then turned to Mayumi. "We'll tell Yusuke and the others, but we have to wait until Ei-"
"Hey, Honami, Mayumi, you guys okay?" Botan came into the bathroom. "What are you two doing? The concert's going to start in a few minutes!"
"Sorry, Botan-chan," Mayumi said. "Honami-chan and I were just talking."
The girls walked out with Botan and back to the table. "What took you guys so long?" Kuwabara asked.
"Oh nothing," Honami said as she, Mayumi, and Botan sat in their seats.
Kuwabara shrugged and continued eating. As Honami started eating, she felt the same spiritual aura coming closer to her and a familiar snap! against her bra again. Gritting her teeth, she turned to see Eiko and her followers walking out of the café, giving her nasty grins.
"Who was that?" Yusuke asked, taking a sip of his drink.
Honami turned back to her food. "Some witch who goes to our school. Don't worry about her."
The day soon ended and nighttime came as the gang was heading back home. Mayumi was sleeping against Kurama's shoulder, while Honami stared out the window, still thinking about Eiko and the possible fact of her being a demon.
"You've been a lot quieter than usual," said Hiei who was sitting next to her.
Honami turned to her crush and gave him a little smile. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
Hiei leaned his head against the seat. "I know. That girl you were talking about is a demon."
Honami's eyes widened as she stared at Hiei. "H-how did you know?"
"I sensed her energy when she walked past me. She's not that strong, only a D-class apparition."
Honami nodded and turned her head back to the window.
The gang reached the house and went into their rooms to go to sleep. Honami laid in her bed, trying to sleep but to no avail. Her thoughts were constantly occupied by Eiko.
What if her skank friends were demons, too? she wondered. Their auras didn't seem as strong as hers. Maybe she's more than a D-class now, but a D-class wouldn't have that strong of an aura.
Honami sighed and climbed out of bed, putting on a large, loose T-shirt and her slippers. She walked out of her room, careful not to wake the others, and walked outside, lying against a tree.
"Honami, are you all right?" Honami looked to see Kurama who was standing in the doorway. He was like a big brother to Honami, and she always felt comfortable telling things to him, besides Mayumi.
"I'm fine, Kurama," she said with a smile. "I'm just thinking."
Kurama sat beside her. "Hiei told me about Eiko. I sensed her energy as well, but I didn't want to say anything about it. Kuwabara unfortunately didn't sense her energy; she was able to only hide her spiritual aura from him."
Honami nodded. "So...is she dangerous?"
"No, but you'll never know. At any time, she might strengthen herself and become a B-class. I'll have to ask Koenma about her, but that's not why I'm here."
Honami gave the red-haired boy a confused stare. "What is it?"
Kurama stared at the moon for a while and then turned to her with a smile. "Are you going to tell Hiei yet?"
The girl's eyes widened as her face turned cherry-red. "Wh-what are you talking about, Kurama? Tell Hiei what?"
Kurama chuckled at the girl's reaction. "You know what I mean," he said. "Are you going to tell Hiei how you feel about him? It's been so long."
Honami's blush deepened. "Kurama, you know I can't do that. Hiei's not the type of guy to express his feelings. It's a lot easier for you and Mayumi to do stuff like that. Besides, he thinks I'm annoying."
Kurama's eyes filled with concern. "Honami, you're overreacting. Hiei doesn't think that about you."
Honami hugged her knees to her chest. "It's okay, Kurama. You don't have to try and make me feel better."
Kurama gave her a little smile. "Honami, you can't keep your feelings a secret from him forever."
Honami sighed. "Fine, I'll tell him…but if things go wrong, I'm blaming you."
Kurama smiled. "I doubt things will go wrong. You and Hiei are pretty compatible, I hardly see you both bickering."
Honami smirked. "We made a bet at the amusement park today: who would be able to withstand one of the roller coasters. It ended up being a draw."
Kurama laughed. "Well, I'm glad you both had fun, and I'm wishing you the best of luck that everything goes well."
Honami smiled, grateful for her friend's kindness. "Thanks, Kurama, you're the best."
She hugged her friend, and he got up and walked back toward the house. He quickly turned to Honami.
"Are you coming?"
"I'm just going to stay out here for a while. I'll come up when I get tired."
Kurama nodded and bid her 'good night' before heading back into the house. Honami looked up at the moon, thoughts rushing through her head. "Maybe I should tell Hiei now..."
"Tell me what?"
Honami almost jumped and looked. Hiei was standing on the tree branch above her. He jumped down so he was standing in front of her. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
Honami blushed a little. "I-I couldn't sleep, so I decided to stay out here for a while."
Hiei walked over and sat by her. "So what do you have to tell me?"
Honami's blush immediately intensified. "U-um, well, there's been something I've wanted to tell you for a while."
Hiei looked at her, unphased. "What?"
"Well...Hiei...I wanted to tell you that...I-"
Suddenly, Honami sensed an aura...a strong aura. Then a loud screech sounded throughout the area. Hiei quickly stood up, his katana ready to strike anyone...or anything.
"What was that?" Honami asked, half to Hiei and half to herself. Her spirit awareness sensed the aura, it was a lot stronger than Eiko's.
"It's an A-class demon," Hiei finally answered. "Stay behind me."
"You don't have to worry about me, Hiei," Honami said as she stood up. "I can take 'em."
Hiei smirked. "Weren't you just scared of that D-class demon Eiko and her aura? Now, you think you're brave enough to fight an A-class?"
Honami turned to him. "Well, now I know not to be afraid of demons. Some of them are just strange-looking creatures. It'll be easy."
Girl,
I'm gonna let you have your way with me.
But when you move like that,
It's hard to breathe.
Hiei smirked at Honami's braveness. Maybe she's not such a weakling after all.
He turned to see theree demons—a lizard demon, a dragon demon, and a leopard demon—stepping out of the bushes.
"What do you want?" Honami demanded.
The demons smiled. "Out of our way, human girl. We want Jaganashi no Hiei, not you. It's our leader, Ivy's orders."
Hiei was about to speak, but Honami stepped forward, her nose wrinkled. "You'll have to get through me first. And who's Ivy?"
The dragon demon who seemed to be leader of the group smirked, his rotten, yellow teeth gleaming in the moonlight. "She's a spunky one. Get her out of the way."
The leopard and lizard demons charged at Honami, aiming punches and kicks at various spots on her body.
Honami smirked. Such idiots. She easily dodged their attacks and sent them both flying into the ground in mere seconds. Then she got into a fighting stance and smirked. "Who's next?"
Suddenly, she sensed more auras coming from different areas. Ten more demons leaped out of the bushes toward her. Honami dodged and blocked their attacks easily and they were soon on the ground with their buddies.
Honami looked around for Hiei, but couldn't find him. "Hiei? Hiei, where are you?" She continued to call out his name, worrying tremendously. "Hiei! Hiei!"
But there was no answer. Honami quickly ran back into the house, waking everyone up. "This better be good, Honami," Yusuke said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What is it?"
"Hiei's gone! He's been kidnapped!" Honami almost screamed, on the verge of tears.
"Hiei? Kidnapped?" Kuwabara said. "That's never happened before!"
"Tell us everything," Kurama said, worried for his best friend.
Honami tried, but continued to cry. Mayumi came to her friend and tried her best to comfort and calm her down. "Please, Honami-chan," she said, soothingly rubbing her friend's hand. "Calm down and tell us what happened."
Honami looked up to her, her brown eyes now red and sore from crying.
"We were talking by a tree and..." She sniffed before continuing, "three demons came out, saying that they wanted to fight Hiei. They sent a few demons after me, and I was able to defend myself against them, but when I looked for Hiei, he was gone! He was kidnapped!"
Mayumi hugged her friend and continued comforting her. "It's okay, Honami-chan. It's okay. We'll find Hiei-kun, I promise."
"Do you know where they took him?" Yusuke asked.
Honami shook her head. "All I know is that the demon who took him was an A-class dragon demon. He was working for someone named Ivy, but I don't know anything about that person, not even their gender."
"Let's go to Koenma's office," Botan said. "He'll be able to give us coordinates to follow."
Everyone nodded and followed her to Koenma's office.
When they opened the door, they saw the toddler sleeping on his desk, a small puddle of drool forming around his face.
Yusuke walked over to Koenma and yelled, "Wake up, Binky Breath!"
Startled, Koenma immediately opened his eyes and then glared at Yusuke. "What's so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" he asked angrily.
"Hiei's been kidnapped!" Honami blurted, no longer able to hold it in.
Everyone stared at her, never seeing her so worried before.
"How do you know?" Koenma asked as he sat back in his chair.
Honami immediately explained the story to him. Koenma rubbed his chin. "Hmm...so the demon who took him was an A-class, right?"
Kurama nodded. "And he was obeying someone named Ivy."
Koenma stared at him. "Ivy...That name rings a bell."
He quickly stepped out of his chair and ran out of the door. He came back with a portfolio in his chubby hands. Sitting at his desk, Koenma opened the folder, studying its contents.
"She's an S-class demon, and she's skilled in torture and psychology. Also, she has powers that affect the mind like hypnosis, telekinesis, and illusions."
Honami clenched her hands into fists. "Is there any more information about her?"
Koenma flipped through the papers and read, "She's good at suppressing her powers to that of a D-class in order to disguise herself as a human. Until now, I haven't been able to find her. She's kept herself hidden well."
He typed something into his computer and printed out a paper. "Here are the coordinates to Ivy's hideout and a portal to get there. Good luck on finding Hiei."
Everyone nodded and headed inside the portal.
Meanwhile, Hiei opened his eyes and noticed that he was in an unfamiliar place. He looked to see that he was also chained and hanging upside down.
"Oh, so you're awake," a voice said.
Hiei looked to see a shadow walking over to him. The light shined over it and a girl with light blonde hair and dark eyes appeared. She was wearing a black sleeveless dress, black nail polish, black knee-high tights, and black heels on her feet. Around her neck was a blood-red pendant tied back with a black chain.
The girl smirked, taking Hiei's chin in her delicate hands. "You've grown so handsome over the years, Hiei. I would hate to see your looks go to waste."
"...Who are you and what do you want with me? And how do you know my name?" Hiei said bluntly.
The girl smirked and chuckled lightly. "Must you be so vague, Hiei? Why should I tell you what I'm going to do with you-"
"Just do it," Hiei interrupted, "I'm starting to get bored. Now answer my questions."
The blonde girl smiled, her dark eyes never leaving his red ones. "My name is Ivy, and I've been watching you for so long. I realize that I'm deeply in love with you, Hiei, so I brought you here to stay with me. I saw everything that happened in your life, and I want to make you mine. So I sent my followers out to retrieve you, but it took longer than I thought. That wretched human girl got in the way, but hopefully she won't get in the way again."
Hiei glared at Ivy, a bit disturbed out at the face of her watching him. He looked around, quietly thinking up a strategy.
"I know what you're trying to do," Ivy said as she smiled. "So don't try it. The more you struggle, the stronger the chains will become."
Hiei growled, clenching his fists until they bled. Ivy smirked as she took Hiei's face once more into her hands. "You shouldn't try to run away from me, Hiei. I'll always find you no matter what. You will stay with me, and you will have eyes only for me."
Hiei's eyes looked at her coldly, but before he could speak, she placed her lips on his.
"Let go of him!" Ivy looked to see Honami standing at the doorway, her fists clenched.
"Well, Ichimonji, I didn't think you'd be here," Ivy said, grinning evilly.
Honami glared at her. "Let him go, Eiko."
Ivy's smirk disappeared. "How'd you know it was me?"
"I could sense your aura through that measly human disguise of yours," Honami replied coldly. "You're not so tough."
Ivy smirked again. "We'll see about that."
A giant sword appeared, and Ivy used her mind to move it. The sword dashed towards Honami who quickly but barely dodged it. The blade lightly scraped against her cheek. Ivy quickly changed the sword's direction and continued chasing Honami with it.
"You can't dodge this, loser! I'm only playing with you, you should know that!"
Honami ignored her comment and looked over at Hiei. By the look in his eyes, he seemed to be a little worried about her, but he stayed motionless and silent. A sudden burst of pain shot through Honami's body. Honami looked to see the sword's blade sticking out of her stomach. She coughed up blood and fell to the floor.
Ivy smirked. "That was too easy. I knew you were a loser from the start."
Honami glared at her, gritting her teeth. I have to hurry! But this wound...
"Give it up! You won't win against me, Honami," Ivy said cruelly.
With her left foot, she kicked Honami in the back of the head, so her face scraped against the cold stone floor. Honami screamed in pain as she pushed the sword deeper into her body. Hiei stared in amazement at the girl he used to call 'annoying'.
Why is she going so far me? he thought. What's wrong with her? She should know that she could get killed.
Honami struggled to get up, but was pushed down by Ivy's foot on the sword, which pushed her into the ground. She clenched her fists and pulled her arms back, grabbing Ivy's leg.
"No more!"
Using her remaining strength, she flipped Ivy over, slamming her right into the ground. Ivy glared as she kicked Honami in the stomach. Hiei sat silently, watching the two girls fight. As much as he hated it, his worry for Honami started to grow more and more.
At least survive this, Honami.
I never thought that it could be like this,
But I was wrong.
Baby, don't be gentle,
I can handle anything
Luckily, Honami was able to fend off the demon girl's attacks, but her wound continuously grew more and more severe.
I-I don't think I'll make it, but...I have to...
She turned her attention to Hiei but was caught off guard by another stab in the stomach. Hiei's eyes widened, and then he clenched his fists. Knowing that he hated to admit it, he loved her. He cared about the girl, no matter how much it tortured him to care about a girl...especially a human one. He watched as she was constantly slashed and bruised by Ivy's attacks, even though she was able to dodge and block 40% of them. She was a human, but at least she was a tough one.
Hiei continued to clench his fists until they bled, not wanting Honami to die. After he was freed, he would make sure Ivy paid dearly for what she did to her. A payment that she would never forget. He growled and cursed under his breath, quietly hoping Honami would survive.
"Just don't die."
Baby,
Take me on a journey.
I've been thinking lately,
I could use a little time alone with you.
Crazy,
Let's do something, maybe.
Please don't take your time,
You got me,
Right where you want me
The punches and kicks Ivy delivered constantly hit Honami to no end. Honami's arms and legs became tired from defending, and they seemed to have minds of their own when they forced her to collapse and stay on the cold ground. No matter how much she struggled, her body refused to move. She cursed under her breath, chiding herself for being so weak.
Hiei glared at her. "Get up!"
Honami looked at Hiei, but her eyes were failing her because of so much blood loss. "Hiei..."
Ivy smirked to herself. "It looks like you've reached your limit, Honami. I knew you were a loser for so long. You know you can't beat so it's over, I've won."
The girl cursed herself even more, knowing that she was moving closer to her fear - death.
I...I can't die, she constantly thought, almost scared out of her wits, I just can't! I won't!
Honami continued to struggle and used the last of her strength to send a punch to Ivy's face. It wasn't much to kill her, but at least it would knock her out. Ivy smirked, thinking that she knew what Honami was going to do.
"It's not going to-"
The punch almost knocked the sense out of her as it was delivered to her face, breaking her jaw in several different places. The blonde demon beauty fell to the ground, unconscious and immobile.
Honami smiled to herself, knowing that punch would keep her out for quite a while. Her eyes slowly drooped until they closed and her body became limp. Everything was quiet until the rest of the gang rushed in.
"Hiei!" Kuwabara called into the darkness. "Hiei, where are you?"
Hiei rolled his eyes and responded, "I'm right here, you fool."
Kuwabara turned to see the demon in chains and started laughing. "It's about time someone caught you like that!" he joked. "Man, that Ivy girl must be tough."
Hiei glared at him. "Get me down now."
Grumbling, the orange-haired teen walked over and started unchaining him with his Spirit Sword. Mayumi and Kurama rushed over to Honami's side and then Hiei came over, standing over as Mayumi started healing her best friend.
"She might have been weak, but it was enough to defeat her," Hiei said quietly.
Kurama turned to him and stood up. "Are you all right?"
"I have few injuries," Hiei replied, "she looks worse than I do."
Yusuke threw Ivy over his shoulder and signaled Kuwabara to stop gawking at her. "Well, let's get going," he said. "Kuwabara, Botan, and I will go to Koenma. The rest of you take care of Honami."
Can't explain it,
How you swept me off my feet, unexpectedly.
In slow motion,
My imagination's running, trying to keep my body still,
I can hardly stand the thrill.
Baby, don't be gentle,
I can handle anything.
The group headed back to the house with Honami. She was laid down in her bed when her slower-healing wounds were bandaged.
"I'll go make something for her to eat," Kurama said. "Hiei, do you mind staying and watching over Honami until she wakes up?"
Hiei didn't respond, but only nodded. Mayumi and Kurama headed out of the room, closing the door behind them. Hiei turned to Honami's sleeping face and gave a small smirk.
She really came through...for a human, he thought, trying his best to push his real thought out of his mind.
He stared at her face as he leaned closer, wanting to kiss her. Hiei pulled his face away, grumbling to himself.
Honami stirred and then slowly opened her eyes, looking around. "What...happened?"
"You fell unconscious," Hiei replied, causing Honami to almost jump.
After seeing Hiei, her heart immediately lifted and she blushed. "Hiei, I'm so glad that you're okay!" she said with a smile.
Hiei turned his head, trying to hide his new blush. "Hn."
Honami smiled shyly. "Well, I had to tell you something before all this even happened, so...um..."
Getting impatient at Honami's stuttering, he interrupted, "Just spit it out already."
The girl blushed even more, getting impatient with herself. Suddenly, she snapped and blurted out, "Why is it so hard for me to tell you that I love you?"
Hiei cocked an eyebrow and stared at her. "You love me?"
Baby,
Take me on a journey.
I've been thinking lately,
I could use a little time alone with you.
Crazy,
Let's do something, maybe.
Please don't take your time,
You got me,
Right where you want me
Baby,
Take me on a journey.
I've been thinking lately,
I could use a little time alone with you.
Crazy,
Let's do something, maybe.
Please don't take your time,
You got me,
Right where you want me
Honami blushed even more, covering her mouth. "U-um, well, it's just that over the past few months I realized that I really like you, Hiei, a-and I assumed that—"
Her mouth was shut tight by Hiei's lips immediately crashing into hers. Honami blushed, surprised that her crush would do something like this. Just as she was about to kiss him back, Hiei pulled away, leaning close to her ear.
"Don't assume things, Honami."
He got up from his seat and walked out of the room with his hands in his pockets. Honami smiled to herself, lightly touching her face and giggling to herself on the inside. She laid down on her bed, her smile gradually widening.
Hiei headed into his room, thoughts rushing through his head. He knew for sure that he was in love with her, but he decided to keep it to himself. It was obvious. She had him right where she wanted him...