Title: Legally Sane 2: Psychological Trauma
Pairings: HieixOC plus KuramaxBotan and YusukexKeiko and some unrequited KuwabaraxYukina
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho; I do own Lydia and the story...As well as any other OC's I manage to create.
Chapter One: Therapy, Anyone?
'I…Find you…Tolerable, Onna.'
It had been three whole years since my kidnap and near death experience at the hands of a cult organisation known at the time as E.M.O; where my wrists had been slit in order to obtain the unusual mix of ningen and demon blood that was needed in order to open the gates between Makai and Ningenkai. Yes, I had almost died that day, weak from blood loss and the energies that it took to stave off the end of the world as we had known it then.
One would think that I would have been psychologically damaged in some way from those strange occurrences- To be truthful, you would have been right. I had been only sixteen at the time, a High school student with dreams of becoming a doctor, (though nobody knew of my dreams back then, apart from me and my faithful Hamtaro plushie) when I was thrust into the supernatural world of demons and Spirit Detectives constantly caught in a battle for dominance.
But here I am, three years later at the age of nineteen, trying to fend off the rumours that I was a religious 'cutter' hell bent on my own destruction through violent means.
"I am not going to off myself!"
My voice ricocheted off of the cream walls of the college counsellor's office, the pitch high and the tone extremely pissed off.
This was the seventh time I had been called in by Mr. Takanaka, Yamazuka's student counsellor, purely based on the fact that I had two vertical scars on both of my wrists. Of course, nobody would have guessed them to have been an accident! I could have easily fallen on some glass, throwing my weight onto my arms to save myself a mortal injury. Or I could have been offered as a sacrificial lamb in order to bring around an Apocalypse of epic proportions.
But no- The just had to believe I was trying to kill myself over something or other.
"Miss. Takeshima, please restrain yourself! You outburst is attracting unnecessary attention."
I snorted at that, and cast a sidelong glance at the glass plated door that led out of the office; my eyebrow raising at the two secretaries whom were busy fighting each other in hopes of being the first to witness one of my violent tantrums. Rolling my eyes, I threw myself back into the leather chair that was directly opposite the counsellor, my arms folded across my now developed chest.
"Why do you insist on calling me in here, once every few weeks?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at the college official. "Have I given you any indication that I could be even remotely suicidal?"
I was met with a calm silence. Mr. Takanaka pasted a serene smile on his face and clasped his hands together atop the worn oak of his desk. Despite this false display of bravado, I noticed the barely imperceptible twitch of his bushy moustache, and the beads of sweat that threatened to cascade from his greying temples to his double chin.
"Well, you have been rather violent as of late;" he murmured, fingering the worn manila of my college file. "I believe you gave…Mr. Johnson was it?… A black eye and a busted lip for a small misunderstanding."
I gaped in outrage at that.
"A small misunderstanding? The bastard grabbed my ass! Then asked if I 'wanted to have breakfast with him' after spending the night in his dorm!" I seethed, my face turning an angry red at the memory.
"…And that you…" Here he paused, slipping a piece of paper from the open file, glancing over it's contents briefly before continuing; "…Have become rather melancholy due to these unrequited feelings you have for the aforementioned Mr. Johnson. He is rather distressed that you'd 'harm yourself'."
This was beyond ridiculous. Taking a deep, yet calming breath, I began to mentally count backwards from infinity- Yes, my patience had thinned that much over the last three years. I had become far less tolerant of characteristics I had found displeasing; becoming rather waspish and aloof as a result of it.
Gritting my teeth once I'd reached a count of one thousand, I spoke.
"That conceited ass! He's the one with all the hormones! I'm not interested in the least, and when I told him that, he called me a frigid dyke. The last thing I'd do, is harm myself over that muscle head."
Mr. Takanaka regarded me silently, his hands folded beneath his chin, and elbows resting on the edge of his desk. I hated it when he looked at me like that- As if he were somehow trying to worm his way into my head to see what wasn't broken before attempting to 'fix' it. Knowing him, he'd probably do more worse than good, as I'd almost gone insane a time or two in his presence. He was utterly infuriating.
"Look…" I added, after a pregnant pause, heavy with tension; "Y'see these?" I raised my arms and shunted the sleeves up a tad so that he could see the scars on my wrists. "These were an accident. I fell on some glass when I was younger- You can even ask my doctor. So would you please keep your 'I want to help you' bullshit to yourself? I'm not going to kill myself now…Or ever."
His eyes flickered to my wrists, then back to my face. Still he said nothing. Perhaps he was dumbstruck? Hopefully he would stay that way until my graduation.
"Now, if you're done…" I rose to my feet, dusting the seat of my jeans off out of habit; "I've got a Biology mid-term to cram for. So if you'll excuse me."
Without giving him a chance to reel me back in with another of his 'theories', I slipped my backpack over my shoulder and exited the room as fast as was humanly possible; almost bowling over the interested secretaries who had been listening intently at the door up until then.
"Ladies…" I murmured, nodding my head apologetically as I shoved them out of my way.
Once I had cleared the second set of double doors that led out into the communal hallway, I was immediately joined by none other than Kuwabara Kazuma. His arm slung over my shoulders, and he directed me towards the college canteen with ease, as I had long since grown out of the habit of throwing him over my shoulder in surprise.
"Kuwa-chan…" I grunted in greeting, my shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of his muscular arm.
The carrot top gave me a goofy grin, his hand twisting in such a way to be able to muss my already messy hair.
"Lydia- You seem t'be in a good mood today," he teased, when he knew all too well that I was inwardly fuming, despite the cool façade I had adopted.
"Oh yes, because hanging out in Takanaka's office talking about my 'infatuation' with Johnson and how his rejection of me is now causing me to become mildly suicidal is something to be happy about," I growled in response.
He laughed, and shunted me through the last set of double doors, steering me towards our usual table. Unfortunately, there were people occupying it today. My mood dropped several notches. A glance at Kuwabara told me that he wasn't too thrilled about this development either, and he removed his arm from my shoulders, one fist rubbing into the palm of his opposite hand. Knuckles cracked, and a glint appeared in his eyes.
There was going to be trouble, I just knew it.
"Hey there ol' buddy…" he said, slipping behind one weedy looking kid. "Wouldja be a pal, and give the lady your seat?"
The weedy one shifted in his seat, sending Kuwabara an irritated look.
"Look, we were here first. Get your own table," he retorted boldly, much to the delight of his snickering friends.
I rolled my eyes, a hand rubbing absently at my temple. The kid's attitude would only get him into trouble…Why couldn't the newbies learn the place? We were a year their senior, it was only natural for them to vacate the table when asked, nicely I might add by a senior.
Kuwabara's expression flickered into one of mild shock, before he adopted his bad-ass look. Those knuckles of his flexed and cracked, before one meaty hand grasped the kid by the front of his shirt, hoisting him easily into the air.
"I don't think ya heard me, kid…" he stated, his voice calm. "This is our table, and you're sitting in it. That presents a problem."
Wow, knuckling down at school really had changed Kuwabara's speech. I was mildly impressed; though I knew he'd get a good ribbing from Yusuke should he come back from Makai and heard him. Perhaps he was hanging out with Red too much…
"What's going on over here?"
Shit! That nasal twang could only belong to Reynold, the student body president. If Kuwabara was caught roughing up a junior, he'd be in for it this time, Reynold would make sure of it. Deciding to cut this short, I stepped between the two boys, my had resting lightly on Kuwabara's outstretched arm.
"Kuwa-chan…" I interceded smoothly, shooting a backward glance over my shoulder. Yup, the brunette was weaving his way through the heavily crowded tables, his scowl easy to see. "You're being a little heavy handed with him, don'tcha think?"
I cocked my head to the side, signalling the approach of the student president. I just received a blank look and a grunt. I took my fourth calming breath of the day, and forced a sweet smile onto my lips.
"Hey…I'm sorry I didn't catch your name…?"
I turned to the weedy kid, and he offered me a shaky grin.
"Sarutobi."
"…Yes, Sarutobi." I turned to use my puppy dog eyes to my complete advantage. Soon he would be putty in my hands. Mwah! "This has been our table since we started…And I'm not having the best of days, so could you please park your ass somewhere else?"
Another look over my shoulder had me tensing for the inevitable verbal spar between me and Reynold. Shit. I really didn't have the patience to deal with him today. Flashing my most dazzling smile that I could muster at that moment, I disengaged Kuwabara's hand from the front of Sarutobi's shirt, making a big show of smoothing it out.
He blushed under the onslaught of my attention, and he stuttered out that he would be more than happy to move; and that they'd already finished their lunch anyway. Of course he needed to use a forceful tone and a sharp nudge to get the group moving, and soon enough our table was free.
"…They moved for you? I see how it is. Just because you have boobs."
I laughed softly at the mock pout, and patted him consolingly on the arm, before taking my rightful seat at our claimed spot. I frowned slightly as a thin shadow fell over my side of the table, and from the scowl that contorted Kuwabara's ugly mug, Reynold had finally made it across the lunch hall.
"Takeshima, Kuwabara;" he greeted, casually slipping into the last available seat, one of those creepy as hell smirks on his face.
"What d'ya want, creep?" I bit out, stretching my hand out for the apple Kuwabara had recently removed from his knapsack.
"Is that any way to greet a friend?"
He leant forward, his hand slipping atop my free one. Twitching, I snatched my hand back, repulsed.
"The only way we'd be friends, is if it'd turned out to be 'Be Nice To Freaks' day," I retorted, sarcasm heavy in my voice.
Kuwabara made a mock display of thumbing through his worn college planner, pausing thoughtfully on today's date.
"Nope…It does say that it's 'Pot Luck Meat' day though;" he replied, gagging at that.
Reynold's smirk remained in place, though his shoulders had tensed somewhat.
"Now I'll ask again…What d'ya want? You're wasting valuable face-stuffing time here."
"I was just wondering why your peers were in such a rush to leave is all…" he murmured silkily.
I merely shrugged, taking a giant chunk out of my apple, chewing slowly.
"We asked if we could sit here, and they vacated the table as they'd finished eating," I explained, absently licking the juice that had spilled out onto my finger.
Kuwabara nodded, and began to attack his Super-Dooper-Awesome-Meat-And-No-Veg baguette that his sister had so kindly prepared for him that morning. As I had neglected to bring my own lunch, I snatched his lunch bag and began rummaging around for something…That could satiate my carnivorous side.
"Aha! I knew she'd pack this!" Triumphant, I retrieved a leg of chicken wrapped delicately in cellophane. "Ah, Shizuru! How I love thee!"
Reynold who had been forgotten about up until then, coughed into his hand to gain my attention. With a mouthful of greasy chicken, I arched a brow enquiringly at him. I opened my mouth to ask what he wanted, and when he caught sight of the food currently being digested on my tongue, he paled and backed up.
"Actually…I think we'll catch up later. I have a sudden urge to dry heave."
And he was gone in a flash, leaving a lonely wind to swirl around his now empty seat.
Swallowing, I turned to Kuwabara. "Was it something I said?"
He shrugged, and we went back to eating our shared meal in peace.
Cracking open the door to my newly leased student accommodation, I groaned and shuffled in with my shoulders slumped and my eyes barely open.
"Lydia, is that you?"
The perky voice had a tired smile curling my lips, and I made my way over to the kitchen after toeing off my boots and leaving them by the front door.
"Honey, I'm home!"
Keiko spun around from her task of fiddling with the dials on the cooker, beaming her pleasure at my untimely return from college. I leant casually against the jamb, my arms folded across my chest in a pose that was reminiscent of my wandering fire demon.
Noticing my slight fatigue, she ushered my to a seat at the breakfast bar with a soft cluck of her tongue.
"Lydia- You look like death! You work yourself way too hard!" she admonished as she bustled around the kitchen in order to make me some much needed tea.
I bet you're wondering why I'm living with Keiko now, huh? Well, after Hiei had left three years ago, Kurama and Yusuke had also disappeared a few months after for some reason that eludes me at the moment.
Drawn to each other in our time of need, Keiko and I had forged a relationship based on our love for demons and Spirit Detectives. We had hung out after school, as at that time we were attending different ones; weekends were solely ours, along with the company of Yukina and on a slightly rarer basis, Botan. Usually it was just the two of us.
Once we'd reached our last year in High School, we both decided to enrol in the same college for fear of being split up. That summer, Yusuke and Kurama returned- Though this did not change our plans. Just before the start of our first semester as college students, we put the money we'd saved together to rent out an apartment close to campus- And we continued to go halvsies on everything, due to the part-time jobs we both worked.
And now here we are!
Keiko deals with the domestic stuff; cooking…Cleaning…And I…Just loafed around. She was used to it from previously hanging around Yusuke and his permanently drunk mother, so our arrangement suited us fine.
"What shift are you working tonight, Keiko?" I asked, as she placed a cup of herbal tea in front of me.
"Hmn? Oh! I'll only be doing a few hours this evening, waiting on the tables and such," she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
I blinked.
"So you'll be finishing at what time? I'll swing by in the car and pick you up."
Yes, we had a 'car'…Though few would call it as such. It was a hunk of prehistoric junk that was a bitch to start up on cold, or relatively wet mornings. The locks were retarded; in order to secure both doors, the passenger had to lean over to the driver's side and push the lock down…Then crawl out her own side and do the same with the passenger lock. Once the door were shut, the locks activated properly until I unlocked them again the next day. The radio rarely worked, and sometimes the breaks would give out…
We both paled at a similar memory when that had occurred.
"N-no! It's alright, I'll walk home! Besides…" she added, wringing her hands with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Yusuke's coming by to see me."
I grinned slyly.
"Will he be getting any action tonight?"
Keiko squealed and punched me lightly in the arm, her blush intensifying.
"How lewd! I swear, he's rubbing off on you every time he comes around!"
I giggled good naturedly, and she glanced at her watch.
"Oh! I'm going to be late…The soup is simmering on the stove, and it'll be a few more minutes until it's ready! Try not to burn down the house," she informed me as she raced around in search of the last minute things.
Keys…Wallet…Tampons…
Slinging her purse over her shoulder, and giving herself one last glance over in the full length mirror, she paused momentarily at the front door.
"Oh! And Kurama called- He needs you to call him back when you're not busy. I'll see you later!"
And she was gone in a whirl of subtle perfume and hairspray, leaving me to stare after her, long after she had left. Wait…Perfume?
"Oh, he's definitely getting some," I mused with a perverted grin.
Slipping from my stool, I padded over to the cordless phone we kept on the kitchen wall, and swiftly punched in the familiar number that would ultimately lead to a much needed conversation with my favourite redhead.
"Moshi, moshi! Kurama desu!"
I rolled my eyes at the formal greeting as I walked over to the now frothing soup boiling happily on the stove.
"Kurama, don'tcha ever look at your caller ID?"
"Lydia! It's so good to hear from you! How's college?"
Ah, the same old fox. Always asking after school first, rather than after me. I told him how it was going at college, absently stirring the orange goop in the pan. This was soup? Once I'd gotten to the 'discussion' with Mr. Takanaka, I could hear the displeasure in his voice.
"You're still having problems with that?" At my murmur of assent, he continued, his voice exasperated. "It's been three years…I don't see why they think you need therapy. Anger management perhaps, but not psychological help."
I snorted dryly. "Thanks for that. Anyway, have you heard from Hiei yet?" I tried to keep the hopeful tone out of my voice.
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I could hear his sigh.
"No. He's probably still patrolling Mukuro's borders for signs of humans who had unerringly stumbled into Makai. She's keeping a pretty tight leash on him, seeing as she has named him her heir."
I scowled. Yes, I knew who Mukuro was- Though the first time I'd heard her name, I had felt a geyser of green-eyed jealousy; but later found out that Hiei had no romantic interest in her. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the demon lord.
"She better be keeping her hands to herself." I grumbled.
"I'm pretty sure she is. Hiei isn't interested." Kurama replied soothingly, attempting to smooth out my ruffled feathers.
"Wasn't there something you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked, a flash of recollection illuminating the cobwebs in my tired mind.
"Hmn?…Oh yes! Genkai wants us to have a small get together at the temple, and seeing as your due for a mid-term break after your exams, we thought it would be best to schedule it for then. Botan and Koenma will be there of course…As well as a few demons you haven't met before."
I visibly brightened at that, and assured him that I would be more than happy to attend.
"Alright. It'll be held next Saturday. I'm sure Yusuke and Keiko will direct you there, so it'll be smooth driving the whole way."
"…Drive?" I echoed faintly- I was terrified of my car. Then an idea struck, and I couldn't help the smirk that sprung to my lips. "Would you like us to pick you up? Saves you the train fare."
"Are you sure? I don't want to be an added burden."
"Kurama…I'd be honoured to drive you to Genkai's shindig…I'm sure we also have room for Kuwabara and Shizuru too!"
"Alright! Well, you know where I live. Pick me up around nine?"
"Sure thing, Red. I'll see you then, alright?"
He murmured his goodbyes, and I hung up.
Hehe…I was going to have all of them at my mercy! If I had to drive up there, I'd be taking them with me, gosh darnit! And with that bright thought in my mind, I poured the soup into a ceramic bowl and quickly brought it to my lips- effectively downing the entire contents in a few practiced gulps.
Glancing at the clock, I knew Keiko wouldn't be back anytime soon; so I waltzed off to the living room and settled in for the night with the DVD of King Kong and a box of tissues.
Spirit: The not-so-long awaited sequel to Legally Sane has arrived! This was basically the introduction and background chapter- And yes, Keiko will be featured a lot in this, as well as Shizuru and Botan (some Yukina...Depends). I like all of the Yu Yu Hakusho women! So sue me. Anyway, everyone knows the drill...Constructive criticism is appreciated, and complimentary reviews even more so!