ALONE IN THE DARK
CHAPTER ONE
DEMONS IN DISGUISE
May 26 was a good day. It was the last day of school. Exams had been over for a few days and school let out early because of senior grad night. The students flooded out of the building like rats escaping the tide.
Skye Johnson was a 16 year old girl in her junior year. She had clear blue eyes and dark red hair kept in two buns on the top of her head. She wore dark blue jeans with the knees faded and a dark blue short sleeved shirt over a white long sleeved shirt. She had two piercing in each ear with each a gold ring and a stud in the higher one. She had a thick leather collar on with spikes at least and inch long and polished, obviously well taken care of. She also had on several hundred black rubber bracelets on her left arm and a simple gold chain on her right. Black converse high tops squeaked as she went up the stairs to the roof.
Once she got there, she walked around to the back behind the door of the stairs and found another girl who was also 16 and in her junior year. Morgan Matisse Moch went by Blue to her close friends and Moch to those around her. She had a vibrant shade of blue hair cut just above her shoulders and spiked out with wax. She had grey eyes and wore black military boots, baggy black pants, and a baggy black shirt with bold white letter printing 'Hound of Hell'. She wore the same rubber bracelets on her left arm and a single platinum bracelet on her right. Around her neck were two chains; one a platinum box chain with a square piece of a computer chip hanging from it and the other a ball chain with twin military dog tags on it. A fingerless glove covered her right hand, made of black leather.
She sat on the edge of the building with her legs hanging over the side and a bent cigarette in her mouth as she watched the students meet with their friends and say goodbye to one another. Skye sat next to her and accepted the cigarette Blue offered her. She stuck it in her mouth as Blue took off her glove, muttered something, and her whole hand burst into flames. Skye held the tip of her cig in it just long enough to light it. Blue put the glove back on and the flames diminished immediately. They sat in silence until the majority of the students had left.
"You know that loitering is illegal." Skye broke the silence and the two girls smiled thinking about all the laws they broke daily and all the times they did and didn't get caught.
"Are you ready to leave?" Blue glanced at Skye before putting out the cig and standing up.
"In more ways than one." Skye took one last drag on hers too before crushing it under her shoe. Over the summer, they had made plans to go to Tokyo in order to get some adventure out of a long summer. Their flight was scheduled to leave today at midnight. The girls walked down the streets of Harlem and made their way to the apartment they were sharing along with Blue's mother. They visit occasionally whenever they have time to.
Blue's father died when she was 6 from a shoot out at a drug dealing, one that he had no part of but was accidentally caught in the crossfire. Her mother was also injured and slipped into a coma. Skye's parents took care of both the girls. Skye and Blue were originally from New York, but Skye's parents left once the girls started high school and bought a house in Florida. Two years ago though, Blue's mother awoke from the coma but was still in a very distant state, barely talking and always seeming to be thinking about something. She didn't even recognize her own daughter. Blue still loved her and took care of in the apartment they all shared.
They had already rented an apartment in Tokyo so they had somewhere to go once they arrived. Skye worked at the local drug store and Blue at the music store and at the martial arts academy in order to pay the rent. Whenever Skye had time to spare, she would visit Blue and they would spar together. They worked overtime whenever they could for the past year to save up enough to buy flight tickets and the rent in Tokyo.
The girls walked through the door and past 2 large black and red duffle bags, one full of clothing and the other random items and objects the girl thought necessary to bring. Skye went to the kitchen and pulled out a couple of apples, washed and dried them. She took a large bite out of the green one and handed to red to Blue. They walked to the living room and found Blue's mother, Classivere, sitting in a chair at the window and staring out at the sky in a dreamlike state. Blue knelt down in front of her mother and rested her hands on the woman's knees.
"Hi mommy, I'm home." Classivere didn't waver from her pensiveness. "It's me mommy, don't you remember me?" It was an empty question since it was obvious she didn't. "Today was our last day of school mommy; we're going to Tokyo tonight. Isn't that exiting? I bet you can't wait to get out of the city." Blue looked sadly at her mother once last time before standing up and leaving to go to her room.
For the next 8 hours, the girls chatted in their room, watched TV, went online, ate, and lastly checked to make sure they had everything they needed. They went out in the parking lot and found their motorcycles. Both were racing bikes and seated two people, except Blue's was black and Skye's was red. They laid the duffle bags on the back of Skye's. She checked the gas and oil while Blue helped her mother onto the backseat of her bike. After everything was ready, they took off towards to airport. They turned their bikes in to a special department and signed some papers saying that they wanted to take their bike with them. They each grabbed a bag and Blue led her mother to the gate.
It was now 11:45 and Blue just got back from buying a couple packs of gum, peppermint for herself and cinnamon for Skye. They each popped a piece into their mouth and chewed it, enjoying the flavor. Blue offered her mother a piece but got no response.
Their flight was delayed a couple hours so at about 2 in the morning, they were finally in the air. Blue's mother got the window seat where she looked out through the window, Blue sat in the middle next to her mother, and Skye in the aisle seat. Blue pulled out a silver mini iPod and turned it on, giving the right earphone to Skye and keeping the left for herself. Blue's mother fell asleep immediately and Blue put on the first song in the track, Sympathy for the Devil by Guns N' Roses.
Please
allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've
been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and
faith
The food cart passed by not long after and she nudged Skye awake. Blue chose a simple chicken and rice for herself and her mother to share and Skye took a beef with vegetables. Getting her mother to eat was not difficult, just tedious. After her mother refused any more food, Blue gave up and ate the rest.
And
I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his
fate
Skye fell back asleep quickly now that her stomach was full and Classivere followed soon after. Blue pulled out a sketch pad and a mechanical pencil from her duffle bag and stared out the window at the many stars before deciding on something to draw.
Pleased
to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
About 20 minutes into the project, you could clearly see a graceful oval face with soft dark hair gathered at the top of her head in an elegant bun with a few strands of loose hair falling around her face and the back of her neck. The lady in the picture had full dark lips in a slight pout and her expression was one of indifference. In the portrait, she wore a necklace of large pearls and beautiful pearl earrings to match. A barrette decorated in pearls could just be seen as it held up her glossy hair. Blue titled the picture 'Classivere', signed and dated it. She placed it carefully in a folder with other drawings and put the folder and the pencil away.
I
stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
They still had an hour and fifteen minutes before their
flight landed so Blue tried her best to fall asleep but just ended up
staring out the window with her eyes glazing over in boredom. As
someone passed through the alley on their way to the bathroom, they
accidentally brushed against Skye's leg, waking her up. They
discussed what they thought Tokyo would be like and went through the
different things they wanted to do upon arriving, like go to the
music store and update their tastes, or order sushi out of a
fast-food takeout.
I
rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the Blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
The plane landed and it was almost midday in Tokyo. They stretched as they got off the plane and found their motorcycles in the parking lot, somewhat dusty from travel, but not dented or damaged in any fashion. Once again they strapped the duffle bags to Skye's bike and Classivere rode with Blue. They drove side by side until they reached the apartment and shared a parking space in front of the elevator. Yet again they took their bags and Blue's mother ad took the elevator to room 513 on the 5th floor.
I
watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten
decades
For the Gods they made
"Its times like this you're glad you took Japanese as an elective instead of pottery." Skye laughed at the irony in Blue's comment since she was absolutely right. They worked harder and had to do projects and research for their Japanese class, but if they had taken another course instead; they wouldn't be in Japan right now. In the room there were two beds, one bunk and one regular single bed. Blue dumped her bag on the top bunk and Skye on the bottom while Classivere had already taken a seat on the single bed and stared off into space. The girls got settled in and explored their apartment as the first thing they did. There were five floors in total and most of the people living there were young, save for one floor that was filled with middle aged and elderly people, the first floor.
I
shouted out
"Who killed the Kennedy's?"
When
after all
It was you and me
"Do you remember where I said the grocery store was located?" Skye absentmindedly flipped through a few papers and maps looking for the direction of the nearest food market. A girl with short brown hair and large brown eyes emerged from a home nearby. She saw the girls and paused to think for a moment before calling someone by the name of Yusuke. A boy with slicked back black hair came out from the same apartment and stood next to the girl he called Kayko.
Let
me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And
I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached
Bombay
"Hi, you must be new here. I'm Kayko Yukimura and this is my boyfriend Yusuke Urameshi. May we help you in whatever it is that you seem to be struggling with?" She smiled kindly but the boy seemed slightly perturbed by the girls. Skye put the papers away and they both smiled kindly.
Just
as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners' saints
As
heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of
some restraint
"Hi, I'm Skye Johnson, but you can call me Skye."
"And I'm Morgan Moch but just Moch is good."
"We're on vacation here from New York in America."
"But we don't really know our way around yet."
"Our plane just landed about 2 hours ago."
"So we're still checking things out."
"But you see our problem is that."
"We don't know where anything is."
"Like the food market."
"Or the music store."
"We printed out some papers online."
"So that we could not be as lost."
"But they're no use to us because we can't read them."
"Hey, speak for yourself."
"That's not true, you can't read that damn cryptic either."
"Yes I can, you just won't give me a chance."
"I would, but I already know you can't."
"No way, you've been hogging them since they were printed."
So
if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and
some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay
your soul to waste
The girls stopped when they noticed Yusuke smirking at them and Kayko giggling madly while trying to hide her mouth with her hand. They found it funny that they could finish each other's sentences and have the funniest fights. They bicker as if they were married. The girls were aware of their bad habit and shut themselves up with a sigh.
"So will you help us?"
"Because we need help."
"And lots of it too."
"Oh yeah, loads."
"For several different reason too."
"But mainly because she can't read maps."
"I thought I told you it wasn't my fault."
"But it is."
"No way, you'd have just as much trouble as I do."
"I wouldn't know that, now would I, map-hogger?"
"I am not a map-hogger."
"Yes you are."
"We'd be happy to help you!" Kayko interrupted them as they went off into another bickering fight and this time, Yusuke couldn't help but chuckle at how silly they were being. "So what room are you in?"
"Oh, 513 on this floor. We're all the way at the end of the hallway." Skye pointed to the last door facing them. It had a small metal plate on it with their room number engraved into it and it was hanging vertically instead of horizontally because one of the two screws keeping it up had come out.
"Oh no Yusuke! Yukina will be waiting for me! I have to go before I'm too late! Sorry I can't stay longer and show you around town, but I promised my friend I'd take her shopping and I'm already late! We should get together soon, before the summer ends that is. Here's my number, call me when you have a chance, and Yusuke lives right over there so if you have any questions you can just call him! Bye!" She quickly hugged each girl and kissed Yusuke. The elevator doors closed as she was waving goodbye to them.
They stared at the doors before staring at each other. Skye coughed uncomfortably and sniffed before looking to the ground to the side of her shoes. Blue licked her lips and took a deep breath. It was awkward, but in a strange way. Yusuke laughed as he saw a long, thin, black tail wave behind Skye for a fraction of a second, but he was sure he saw it. Blue asked what was so funny but he just pointed at Skye, making both girls somewhat frustrated. Finally he managed to spit out what he saw. Skye blushed as dark as her hair and Blue sighed in desperation, rolling her eyes.
"Eh, heh, oops..?" Skye smiled sheepishly and let her tail and ears show.
"Yeah, no kidding 'oops'." Blue glared at Skye sharply.
"Meow..?" Skye put her paw in front of her face and scratched the air. Yusuke burst into laughter. Blue glared at him too so he quieted himself quickly.
"Sorry, it's just that I knew she was a demon. Her aura was just so strong."
"Yeah, I'm working on that little particular. I'm half panther demon and half fire demon." Her eyes turned into a burning orange and claws and whiskers sprouted from her hands and cheeks.
"I know somebody, Genkai, that could probably help you with that. She trained me." Skye blinked several times.
"Genkai... Blue, why does that seem so familiar?" She tipped her head to the side pensively.
"Because Genkai taught at the academy for a few weeks while Jinx was sick. She was visiting for a tournament and he asked her to fill in for him." Skye snapped her fingers as she remembered and her eyes brightened. Jinx was a friendly name for the martial arts master at the academy Blue taught at. His real name was Jinko. "Someone's coming." Blue commented. Skye turned back to normal and Yusuke leaned into Blue and whispered in her ear.
"Real fast; I know you're a demon too, what kind?" He gave her a questioning look.
"Half ice half-" She never got to finish since three boys emerged from the elevator.
The first had long red hair and charming green eyes laden with evident exhaustion. The next two came out side by side. On the right was a short boy with spiky black hair and burning red eyes. He held a dark glare as he listened to a tall boy with orange curly hair and beady black eyes yell at him. The shorter one and the taller one exchanged insults as the followed the redhead. They walked right up to the trio and Yusuke introduced them as his friends, which he had forgotten he was supposed to meet earlier so they came to find him.
"This is Skye Johnson and Morgan Moch; they're renting that apartment for the summer. They're visiting from America. I was supposed to show them around town, you guys can go to the movies without me. I'll catch up to you later." Yusuke smiled and shrugged his shoulders but the tall boy hit him in the head.
"Jeez Urameshi, do you really think we'd let you be with the new girls alone? I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid." Skye cracked up into giggles how stupid he truly was.
"They're demon too so no secrets, ok? Skye's a half fire demon and a half panther demon." Skye changed into the form she was in earlier and then back again to prove Yusuke right. "And Moch's half ice demon and half... I don't know, she never told me." He looked at Blue expectantly before Skye interrupted.
"You can call her Blue, we're friends so don't worry about it."
"Half ice and half vampire." The boys stared at her with blank eyes. She smiled broadly until her canines poked out over her bottom lip.
"Kurama's a fox demon and Hiei's a half fire demon and half ice demon. I'm a half demon, the son of Raizen, and Kuwabara just has really good spirit sense. Kayko's human though, one hundred percent, but she knows about angels and demons." He smiled thinking about her.
"How can you not know about angels and demons?"
"When you're the girlfriend of the spirit detective?"
"Does she have any connection to them though?"
"Whatsoever?"
"Or is she as pure as a rose?"
"Roses have thorns."
"It's a figure of speech."
"Well it sucks."
"No it doesn't."
"Does too... map-hogger."
"Don't even start!"
"Like you even have anything to argue against."
"Wanna see? I have plenty."
"Oh yeah, wanna prove that?"
"I will."
"No you wouldn't."
"Would too!"
"Yeah right, you don't have the balls to even try."
"Oops, we're doing it again."
"Doing what again?"
"The tiff."
"Oh yeah, good point."
"No shit good point."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That every point I make is a good point."
"That's not a good point."
"Sure it is."
"We're fighting again."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you stop us earlier?"
"Because I just realized when you pointed it out."
"Oh that's intelligent."
"Don't call me stupid."
"I didn't."
"Yes you did."
"I said it was a dumb thing to do."
"You called me stupid."
"Here we are again."
"Stop talking to me."
"Hate me now?"
"Of course not."
"Then talk to me."
"I'm not talking to you or else we'll bicker again."
"You mean like we're doing now?"
"Exactly like that."
"I
thought you said you weren't going to talk to me anymore?"
"I
did-"
"Gotcha."
"Damn it."
"Ok, that's enough."
"Ok, truce."
"Truce."
The girls took a deep breath and stepped away from each other. Blue cracked her knuckles and Skye fixed the sleeves on her shirt. The boys had been watching back and forth between the girls. It was almost better than RadioLive, at least it was funnier.