A/N: Here it is: the sequel to Nervosa!

I recommend reading Nerv. before you begin this. In Kurama's POV, there's some spoilers, but I left enough out to probably leave you confused if you didn't read Nerv. before this. So you know, this is not meant to be a standalone fic.

As a warning, the rating will go up to M in the future, mainly for graphic violence and dark themes.

PART I. "Carefree Highway."

"My friends don't come dime a dozen.
The good Lord knows I couldn't ever leave 'em behind."

— Slade Echeverria.

Aiko.

"Welcome juvies and delinquents alike!"

My boot heels gripped the slanted, rough wooden tiles beneath me. I could see the entire city from my vantage point. Beneath the hill was a sea of green and colorful cherry blossom and plum trees among the roofs of buildings and homes alike. The photo-worthy scene was all under a beautiful, wispy-clouded sky; there wasn't a dark cloud in sight.

Hirogawa's voice boomed out of the speakers as he carefully strode next to me. "And the rare but ever-present convicts!"

"To Kagami Mansion!"

The crowd directly below us on the yellowed, dirt-patched front lawn cheered and roared. Even from up here I could see them itching to get past Sasakawa, Kazuki, and inside the mansion. The brawns of our operation, our Bull, held a mean mug that could rightfully scare a convicted felon so nobody dared to test their luck.

"Tell them what they have to do, Stray Cat," Hirogawa said.

I made sure to look past the crowd of men below and into the beautiful scenery to ensure I didn't stutter.

I brought the mic to my mouth again and let my free hand fly behind me to point at the very top, flat roof—almost resembling Meiou's without the safety railing, chain-link fence.

"Make it to the top roof."

Hirogawa laughed, ruffling his black bowl cut. "Anything else you think is important?"

"Oh, right." I grinned. "You have one hour."

"You're a cold girl," Hirogawa howled with laughter through the mic.

"Everyone who makes it to the top roof before the hour ends competes in an all-out brawl for the last four Megallica tickets!"

The crowd cheered so loud I figured we might as well pack up and leave since some resident way down at the end of the hill would call the cops. We were thankful to have Amakusa in one of the rooms below on the police scanner.

I was sure they all wondered how we were able to maneuver and set up this event in the abandoned mansion. I bet they all thought it was something intricate since Hirogawa was involved. It was actually simple.

Out of boredom and desire for a change of scenery during his routine, recreational drug use, Hirogawa decided to spend one long weekend in the mansion… after breaking and entering. Searching and exploring, he happened upon the master plans of the house and the other prints of the eccentric developer's eclectic buildings throughout Western Japan.

Hirogawa waved his hand around, asking them to calm down. "I feel we're missing something, you guys."

I thought for a second, running through our checklist in my head. "Hm… No refunds."

"No… well, yeah. But one more thing."

"What?"

"Back-up!"

We were trespassing after all.

"Better take this down," I said, tapping my temple with my index finger, feeling the gel nail pierce against my skin. "If the cops are called and we're all busted, we're meeting at the abandoned Community Ruins construction site where the all-out brawl will be held—so all plans here will be cancelled! If you don't show up an hour after the signal, you don't participate."

We knew there would only be three people at most participating here due to our intentional setup, so I hoped we wouldn't get caught. It would be harder to control an entirely chaotic environment like that; at least if we left them in the mansion we could control things.

"You'll hear this—" He pulled the small air horn out of the back pocket of his baggy jeans and pressed it, letting it blare into the mic and out of the speakers for a few seconds. "It'll last for ten seconds."

"We don't have a chime for when the hour's up. That's all on you! Hope you have a watch."

"We will lock the top roof's entrances after the hour!"

Neither Hirogawa nor I were worried about anyone busting it down, or trying anything funny since Sasakawa was packing heat. I mean, the gun wasn't loaded... it was just to fear-monger. But even these walking sacks of meat knew better than to risk their chances with Sasakawa pointing a gun at their face.

I tapped my foot on the tile. "Everything understood?"

The crowd roared louder than before, and Sasakawa opened the front doors as Hirogawa and I yelled.

"Begin!"

Kazuma.

I couldn't believe it was such a big turn out—there were at least a hundred people here! Maybe more. So with the ten thousand yen entrance fee, they had to have made at least a hundred thousand yen! *

I stood my ground and weight as I pushed past the large entrance with the majority-male crowd—but I instantly realized why they gave us an hour. Everyone continued to push blindly into the poorly lit foyer, all clambering for the staircase that lay ahead.

I stopped and let the rest of the crowd run past me when I noticed something from the corner of my eyes. A dirty mirror… no big deal, right? Except when I looked down and found the floors were mirrors as well… and the other wall, and the wall at the other end of the foyer, and the ceiling…

The entire house was made of mirrors!

On cue, Aiko's cackling rang out from the speakers outside.

"Enjoy your stay at Kagami Mansion!"

My reflection was infinite, stretching out into a great, dark unknown as I got smaller and smaller in the distance. Reflections bounced off curved and slanted walls and stairs, creating a big, visual mess.

"It's a fucking maze!" someone cried as they ran down the stairs to try another path. "Some bullshit optical illusion maze!"

"I knew it was too good to be true!" A girl ran down the steps, furious, before taking a right and entering another room. "Hirogawa wouldn't make it that easy! What a prick."

I stood still, debating what to do. It was a maze and all the mirrors did was trip us up! I couldn't use my reiki ever since the tournament ended but my hunches were still good… so I couldn't have completely lost it, right?

Gah! I already wasted ten minutes debating what to do.

I grumbled, wondering what the best way to approach this was. This was a trick house, right? So… there was going to be a bunch of hidden passages. I couldn't spend time banging on every mirror here for a secret passage and my reiki was out of whack so I couldn't use that. I'd have to hope my hunches were still good.

Twenty minutes now…

Some guys that found their way back to the main entrance left, walking past me and cursing loudly.

Slowly, I began walking through the foyer, heading straight. Coming to a fork in the foyer that led into two hallways, I debated which would be best.

Taking my gut instinct, I made a left and headed down another dimly lit hallway. A couple of grown men ran past me, confused and angry, but I continued to push forward, convinced in my guess.

As I soon realized the hallway led to a staircase, I didn't feel right about it and instead made a quick right into one of the rooms. There didn't seem to be any furniture in the house, only mirror. Mirror after mirror after dirty mirror and the lone, occasionally broken window if you were lucky.

I stood in the room I entered, feeling right about it—but I couldn't place why. It really didn't look right. It was an empty room with a broken window. I wandered around the room as people in the hallway continued passing by, their reflections disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

Maybe it was a trick room. "Hopefully..."

I felt around the room, rapping my knuckles on the mirror as I walked around until I found a hollow knock. I placed my hand against the portion of the mirror and pushed, confused, until it swung open. Like a revolving door, it opened, spun, and pushed me inside as it completed a one-eighty.

I stumbled inside the narrow, dark hallway. I felt around with one foot, finding steps. I stepped up them carefully, slowly, holding my hands out in front of me. I could feel it turning, angling. I walked into a few walls that wouldn't open and found I was supposed to make turns.

Soon I came to a dead-end and nowhere to turn. I pushed on the walls until one, like the first wall, slowly spun open and I stepped outside as it revolved. I exited the small room I was in to the hallway and looked over the banister to see where I was. Right below was the foyer and a bunch of people scrambling around room to room.

Steadying myself since it was dizzy to look down and see hundreds of people all at once, I quickly looked away and tried focusing on my floor. It was still a mess and even worse up here since slanted walls reflected everyone below.

"I probably only have ten minutes left by now…" I grumbled to myself, checking my watch on my wrist.

I just had to find a way to the roof.

"One floor away."

Walking down the hallway, I tried not to pay too much attention to the moving reflections so I could keep steady and focused.

I put my hand on the wall, knocking gently. I didn't think there'd be another room with a secret staircase but there might be one in the hallway. I walked around the hallway, following it blindly, not exactly feeling like I shouldn't be headed down this way... but not that I should either.

I began to turn back but something smooth grazed my hair and I all but jumped out of my skin. I looked around for what small object could have touched me but found nothing. Confused, wondering where else something could have come from, I looked up and gently patted my hair.

"Please don't be a huge spider," I mumbled, breath caught in my throat.

If it wasn't for that small glint a few feet above me given by the light from a nearby window, I wouldn't have noticed the glass string.

I looked around the floor to make sure nobody else could see me. I pulled the string carefully, a square mirror flap on the ceiling opened upon tugging, and a clear glass ladder slid out.

I had to hurry up the ladder before anyone else saw!

Once settled in the dark room, I pulled the ladder up and the door with it, putting me in darkness again. I would have been more concerned if I didn't hear Aiko's laughter, the smell of skunk, and loud hip-hop music playing. I stumbled around the room until I found a doorknob.

The bright, outside light was blinding but my eyes adjusted quickly.

Aiko cheered from her seat across the cement roof on the ground. "I knew he'd make it!"

"Lucky you, kid," said the older guy with a bowl cut. "I was just about to lock up. I was beginning to think we gave too little time for more than one person to show up."

"Looks like it's just Kuwabara and Matsuoka!" Aiko said, pulling a rolled cigarette out of her mouth and placing the mic in front of it. "Great. Lock it up. Let's get this fight going!"

Matsuoka… I looked around the open roof as a gust of wind blew by. My eyes landed on bowl-cut guy. I guess he was Hirogawa.

He spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Copy Dog to Hawk, how's the scanner? Over."

The walkie hissed before another voice could be heard. "Copy Hawk to Dog, no reports of noise complaints. Clear for now. Over."

"Remind him to lock the windows too," Aiko said. "Someone could still get up here through those."

Then the thug that guarded the front door was up here… No.

"We're starting now. Stray Cat says lock up all the windows, will you? Over."

"Copy that, over."

There were some speakers and a boom box… Other than that, the only other person up here was…

"How did he even fit through that door?!" I screamed at Aiko once I saw the obese man I had to fight.

His huge size wasn't even just fat, there was definitely muscle underneath. He was also taller than me at about a hundred and ninety-five centimeters. He had these thick lips that had trouble lying over his teeth, like he'd have to put effort in keeping them shut. He had this buzz cut that reminded me of Okubo, a stubby nose like a pig, and his face was meaty enough to make his eyelids heavy so his eyes were just slits. **

"I was surprised too, but it happened so... easily!" she laughed.

She closed the plastic top over her salad before passing Hirogawa, who returned to her side, the cigarette.

"Five-second count when you're down," she announced into the mic, nudging the boom box away from her with her foot as it changed songs. "No kidney shots, but you can hit each other's dicks to your personal delight. Throwing your opponent off the flat roof is an automatic win but ill-advised."

Skipping between us, she had an eerie resemblance to the Dark Tournament referee Juri as she lifted her hand in the air.

"Matsuoka versus Kuwabara!" she yelled into the mic. "Begin!"

She wasn't even there! Maybe it was a girl referee thing…

Uh-oh.

He lunged towards me, running at full speed with his fist cocked back. He was surprisingly fast for being such a big guy! But after the tournament, this should be a piece of cake!

I dodged him, sidestepping him so his fist would push past me. Wind carried with his punch and I stumbled as a gust tried pushing me off my feet. How he was able to lift that log of a leg was one of the Seven Wonders of the World to me, but he turned swiftly and aimed his foot at my face.

I couldn't make it out of the way in time. I moved my arms to my face for protection. The hard blow came in seconds and I stood my ground, keeping my legs firm as the kick sent me sliding back.

"How on Earth can this fuck run that fast?!" Aiko laughed into the mic. "He's coming full speed at Kuwabara—both hands up like he trained to be a professional boxer."

I stayed crouched, readying my own fists. Throughout the tournament I got used to using my reiken but I couldn't use that. Even if I wanted to I couldn't, not to mention it wouldn't be fair.

His thick lips pulled back further and showed clenched teeth as he jabbed at me. I moved my head out of the way of each jab until I could muster a good punch to counter. He aimed a bit too high, for my forehead, so I ducked and stepped forward.

"Oh! And Kuwabara sends multiple heavy blows to Mastuoka's torso—I can't even count, it was so fast!"

And he still barely budged!

Maybe I shouldn't hold back...

If I could step up the punches I could get some leverage. Throwing him over the ledge probably wasn't going to happen with how big he was, so I'd have to tire him out, get him to trip off the roof, or knock his lights out—meaning a punch straight to the dome. It was a toss-up between the first or last choice.

"And Matsuoka tries a stunning uppercut! Luckily, Kuwabara dodges swiftly—stepping out of the way and putting distance between the two of them!"

I wasn't Hiei; I couldn't give him the run around like that. I'd have to go with my last choice: punch him hard enough to knock him out his socks.

"Kuwabara sprints to Matsuoka! Kuwabara's fast and doles out a stunning punch straight to the jaw!"

Once my knuckles hit the bone, I knew I'd have this after the next punch! His head cocked back sharply and he stumbled backwards, clutching his bloody mouth. I sidestepped away from him as he swatted at me with his other hand like he was trying to catch a fly. I readied my other fist for his cheek, aiming for his temple this time, but he caught me off guard.

He turned his back to me?!

By the time I could react to the rounding kick, his foot already connected with my ribs. I had the wind knocked out of me as I flew across the roof. The pain hit my arm first as I skid across the floor, then my back...

"Holy shit…" Aiko's voice pulled away from the mic as I rolled to a stop, writhing in flaring pain.

No wonder that kick was insane! His legs were holding him up all day.

Her voice boomed over the stereos again in less than a second. "One! … Two! …"

I wasn't going down! I've handled worse. I stood up with a groan and steadied myself. Across the roof from me he stood, breathing heavily, holding his hand to his mouth. He was tired and that punch I got in did some damage.

"And Kuwabara's back up at the count of four. The fight continues!"

One hard punch to the nose and he'd be down, no doubt. But if I went straight for the kill he'd get one over on me again… and it had to be a real hard hit.

I spat, coughed, and steadied myself.

Real hard.

I ran at him head on with my sneakers picking up dust behind me. From behind his hand, I could see the glimpse of a satisfied smirk like I was dumb enough to try that twice.

Kuwabara, Kazuma, wasn't so stupid!

When I was close enough, like I thought, he picked up his leg again, aiming his foot at my ribs. He knew if he got the kick in, I'd be down.

I jumped up, reaching my foot out to land on his. I used it like a stepping stone to push myself forward. The second I cocked my arm back, he figured out my plan. He threw back his arm too, ready to punch me in the stomach.

His leg began lowering when I let my fist loose—and I felt the sharp pain in my knuckles once I hit cartilage.

He never got his hit in.

I flew with the weight of the punch and watched as he tipped back, eyes rolling into the back of his head. With a loud boom, he hit the pavement, and I stumbled around him when I landed, clutching my ribs in pain.

Aiko's chant could be heard again as I steadied myself. "Yes, Kuwabara! Yeeeeeeessss!"

"Don't just cheer," Hirogawa snapped. "Count him out!"

"One! …" I waited anxiously to see if he'd stir, but he just writhed in pain on the ground. "Two! …" He was still conscious, and that meant he could get up if… "Three! … Four! …" He stirred again, tried to get up, but wasn't able to roll on his side. Instead, he clutched his bloody face with a deep groan. "Five! Kuwabara is the winner!"

Aiko and I cheered, and Hirogawa clapped as Aiko ran up to me, digging in one of her high-waisted jean's pockets to pull out a folded envelope.

"I present to you, Kuwabara, Kazuma, the winner of the Kagami Mansion Battle, four tickets to see Megallica this April!" she announced into the mic.

I snatched the white envelope from her so fast I practically ripped her manicured hands out of their wrist sockets. She didn't mind though. We just continued to cheer until Hirogawa walked up to us.

"Congrats, kid!" he said, grinning. "Now I know why she wanted to get you in on this: you've got some skill. Pushed me to start it and everything last winter."

"Aw geez, Aiko, you didn't have to do all this. I did win..." I trailed off, not wanting to talk about the tournament in front of Hirogawa.

"Eh, it's no big deal," she replied with a shrug. "It was actually pretty fun to set up."

"Speaking of fun," Hirogawa said as he dug in his varsity jacket's pocket. He pulled out another ticket and handed it to Aiko. "I'm not going. I picked up a second job and it's usually night-shift."

"You sure, Hirogawa?" she asked as she took the ticket slowly. "Megallica's not really my scene."

"Yeah, you know I can always get another ticket. They're playing out past Mushiyori soon so I'm thinking of taking a trip down there."

"We're all going!" I asserted, gripping the envelope tightly as I pumped it in the air with my fist.

The sharp pain in my ribs sparked again and I recoiled to hold my sides.

"You sure you want me to tag along?" she asked uncertainly. "I can always just sell this. I'm sure Matsuoka would still want a ticket."

I cleared my throat before replying, still putting pressure on my ribs. "Hell yeah, you can come! You practically got me the tickets… you know, like, made them available to me and all. It'd be cool if you came. I can convert anyone into a true Megallica fan. Trust me!"

She hesitated and looked down at the tickets before flashing me a wary smile. "Yeah… maybe I will go."

Hirogawa clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he looked around the roof.

"Let's start cleaning up this mess, Hojo." He then headed towards the door where the guard stood. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible."

I was still pumped up and excited, and ended up cutting her off before she could reply. "We're going to see Megallica!"

Kurama.

Just seconds after I rang the doorbell, I could hear small footsteps running to answer.

I gently shook my closed umbrella to push off water droplets. The door opened almost instantly, revealing the younger child of the Hojo residence. It seemed the older wasn't awake yet as she never would have let him brandish the slicked-back hairstyle he wore to emulate his idol Urameshi, Yusuke.

"She's not up yet, Shuichi!" he said, opening the door further. "But you can still come in."

"I didn't expect her to be," I said, stepping inside.

I set my umbrella in the stand near the front door. From the living room, I could hear the faint voice of a female newscaster on TV as I began taking off my shoes.

"Yesterday, just a few weeks after local police enlisted the help of Saburomaru, Hideki, a renowned private eye, they were able to arrest a serial arsonist who went into hiding after terrorizing our town almost a year ago. Saionji, Ryu, a thirty-four year old male, was captured at Misawa Airport late last evening as he tried fleeing the prefecture after setting fire to…"

I should wait until after finals to tell her about that. She would become so excited she'd ruin her studying.

Mrs. Hojo came into view from the other end of the entryway as I slid off my other shoe. She looked just like her daughter: light brown hair and eyes, and the same curve in the apple of her cheeks. She adjusted the collar of her white blouse as she greeted me with a smile.

She was quick to make conversation with her hands. They moved immediately, signing to me, and Minoru began translating.

"Would you like some breakfast? There's still some on the stove."

"No, thank you," I said with a shake of my head. "I've already eaten."

"She's still asleep and Noboru left to work already," Minoru translated as his mother heaved a loud sigh. "I'm leaving to drop off Minoru and head to work, so I'm hoping you can wake her up in time."

"Of course. She asked me to come."

His mother laughed loudly before continuing.

"Then we're off! Don't be afraid to eat. Don't be afraid to pressure her to eat, either! Some breakfast is still on the stove."

"Bye, Shuichi!" Minoru smiled. "Good luck! Tell Sis I said 'good luck' too!"

"Will do." I nodded, and Mrs. Hojo returned my gesture.

I waved to the boy as they made their way past me and out the front door. Upon the lock clicking, I made my way through the quiet apartment. When I arrived in front of her room, I knocked softly, wondering if she finally woke up and was only lazy.

She wasn't awake, of course.

I knocked again and pushed the door open. Along with it, underwear and t-shirts belonging to both her and her brother slid across the floor with its swing. I looked around the floor. It wasn't too messy… only clothing, a few books, and some figurines. It was her desk that was trashed—with piles of scratch paper and empty liter water bottles.

On my left, upon entering the room, she lay on the bottom bunk, buried under a mountain of blankets.

"Aiko," I called her name, and yet, no real response. She stirred underneath the blankets and rolled over with a groan, turning to the wall. With a small sigh, I coughed into my fist and spoke louder. "Aiko."

Her body stiffened, and a messy head of hair perked up from under the blankets and whipped around to see me. With a gasp, she began throwing blankets off her to get out of bed.

When a thin, bare leg poked out from under a blanket, I caught a glimpse of the congealed burn skin that wrapped slightly around her ankle and lower shin. She paused, remembering she probably wasn't fully dressed, and quickly pulled her leg back under.

"Out!" she snapped, to which I repressed a smile and exited the room, pulling the door closed behind me.

Usually, we only met on the way to school. I was here this morning because today was the beginning of final exams. She asked me to wake her since her parents left earlier than usual and she was surely to go against her better judgment, actually get up from bed to turn off her alarm, and then go back to sleep.

After I teased her about how often she ditched that today shouldn't be a special occasion for her to show up, she "swore to god" that her habits coming into Meiou were "good" but it was when she befriended Natsume and her clique she started "rebelling tenfold." Bad habits included excessive partying and ditching class to find a safe place to smoke.

The latter was something she'd always done but she was just trying to pin the blame on Natsume and her friends.

Neither of us considered the group of school girls a threat until we found Natsume to be the daughter of one of Reikai's Barrier Regulations and Enforcement officers.

The group dealt with youkai immigration and matters regarding the barrier that separated Makai from Ningenkai. This wouldn't have been a problem had I not been here illegally, under the guise of a human.

Natsume threatened to expose me, have me handled appropriately by Reikai, and have Aiko punished for knowingly harboring an illegal immigrant. Things were seemingly handled when Yusuke brought it to Koenma's attention. I was an asset to the Prince at the time so he forged a few documents that pushed Natsume's powers at bay.

Things seemed fine until we were forced into the Dark Tournament and I reverted to my youko form. This wouldn't have been a problem had Reikai officials not been present.

"Thank god he's here," she grumbled from inside her room, slamming her closet door shut. "I don't even remember turning off my alarm."

Aiko found out about the tournament through Natsume, who, lucky, wasn't present to see me. She was, however, able to talk to Aiko about the tournament and let her piece everyone's disappearances together.

I didn't see Natsume and her friends as much since the tournament, though Aiko was still around her often.

"You can come in," she sighed and I turned the knob again to enter.

I found her leaning against her desk, arms crossed over her untucked blouse.

"We have forty minutes to get to school," I said, and as I neared her she put her face in her hands. "You also have to eat."

"Okay, mom," she sighed through her hands. "I just need to fix my face and we'll go."

"Your routine takes too long. It takes longer to get to campus from here." When she didn't respond, I sighed. "Are you going to move your hands from your face?"

"Not until I can put on concealer."

"I've seen you without it plenty of times."

"Not from a gross three-hour attempt at sleep. You have seen me with a clean face and I am sure there's actual grime in my eyes."

"We don't have time for your routine. You're fine without it today."

"I need to at least do concealer. Move."

I sighed again, hanging my head. You would think if I could boost her confidence then she wouldn't feel the need to be bothered, but it never worked out as such. Today wouldn't be the day I stopped trying.

"What could you possibly need to conceal?"

She scoffed, finally removing her hands from her face to reveal tired eyes. "These fucking Dooney and Bourke bags under my eyes."

"Ah." I stifled a smile as she walked past me, wondering how low she ranked Dooney and Bourke in handbag fashion. "We leave in ten minutes."

"Uh-huh." She ignored me.

Of course she would prioritize her make-up first and then try to get out of eating breakfast. We didn't have time for that.

I first made sure her mother already packed her lunch in her school bag before waiting by the open bathroom door. She should be on her eyeliner right about…

I stepped inside the bathroom as she dragged the liquid above her upper lashes. Walking next to her, up to the sink, she eyed me curiously through the mirror as she began lining her other eye.

"What do you need?" she asked in a relatively sweet tone. "I'm sure my mom left breakfast on the stove so feel free to help yourself."

I shook my head quietly, almost feeling guilty for the plan I had in mind.

I quickly reached for the faucet handle that lie in front of her. She jerked her arm away from me to avoid bumping arms... and dragged the black liquid across her face.

My arm returned to my side without having touched the handle and she glared at me through the mirror, scowl apparent and just as amusing as I imagined it would be. I stifled a laugh as she growled at me.

"Out."

"Oh, come now," I said, smiling down at the black line that trailed across her face. "Maybe it's a sign you shouldn't wear make-up. Just for today."

"Out!" she said through gritted teeth, still glaring at me through the mirror.

I continued stifling laughter as I left the bathroom, but she could hear the chuckles catching in my throat.

She was less than amused three minutes later when she stepped into the kitchen and was offered the toast and egg her mother made earlier. I was satisfied that she decided to stick with just the concealer and eyebrow pencil today. The bare look wasn't half bad on her.

"Here," she said, shoving a small booklet in my hand. "They're my chemistry notes. Could you quiz me on the way there?"

"Su—"

"To make up for my face."

I smiled as she scowled. "Sure."

She shoved the food in her mouth and we gathered our belongings. She ushered me out and we set off, heading to the elevator to leave the building.

"Which chapter?" I asked.

She swallowed the last of her food before replying. "What other chapter than my own personal hell?"

I flipped to the thermochemistry section, noting the scribbled title. I was often praised for my quick reading though it was another story when it came to her hand writing. It almost baffled me how someone who had a knack for art, shown by the rough sketches of various people or animals next to her notes, could have such horrid handwriting.

I wouldn't need to entertain the questions for long. I asked enough questions to last the elevator ride, and with a quiet swish of the opening doors, I handed the booklet back to her.

"I think you'll do fine."

She took it from me with a grumble as we made our way out the lobby, and I was the first to open an umbrella. Noting that, she didn't bother opening hers and instead moved closer to me to fit underneath.

"I really need to go over that chapter some more," she pressed as we stepped into the rain.

The droplets padded softly on the umbrella above us yet they were abundant enough to serve as noticeable background noise.

"You've studied for days. Give yourself a break," I reassured her.

She sighed and then mumbled a small "oh" before spilling information.

"About breaks... Get ready to disconnect from Ningenkai because Natsume's dad is in town for the next week, starting tomorrow," she said simply. "After that, you'll be free for a while because he's headed to the States."

Aiko took to hanging around Natsume after school hours for many reasons, but her main duty was to overhear the phone conversations between Natsume and her father. All she had to do was find out when he would be in town and, if possible, if any officials from other jurisdictions were joining him.

"Sendozuka Shopping Center's a big one," she said. "But he's going to be here all week, so I can't guarantee any specific places."

Normal places were the Nakayama and Sendozuka Shopping Centers, or any high-end restaurant or plaza in any nearby city. Nothing was ever specific or guaranteed and it was only a matter of time before I was caught.

Koenma arranged with me a rift in the barrier I could use to flee Ningenkai. Of course, to protect him of this crime, I would have to take accountability and say I opened the portal.

Logically, there should be no way for me to break the barrier. I either had to know someone who could open portals or be able to do so myself. If I were to possess either kind of knowledge I would become an even larger threat. But as Youko Kurama, I was already issued as "kill-on-site" and would be taken out without question if caught.

Reikai was bound to find me sooner or later. It was only a matter of time until someone put the pieces together but I was going to milk my time here for all it was worth.

"Christ, this has to be like, the longest game of hide and seek with Reikai, huh?" she snickered. "Go big or go home."

The words came easily, as it was my first response for some reason. "One day I will have to go home."

She looked up to me, faltering in stride momentarily. She fell out from under the safety of the umbrella, standing in the rain. I stretched my arm out to her, letting the umbrella keep her dry as soft drops fell on my shoulder and head.

"Well since your time is limited…" Her eyes fell to the wet ground… It wasn't as if she didn't know this. Her eyes then picked up and lay on me with ease. "Quiz me on this thermochemistry."

She shoved the booklet in my hand before returning to my side. With forbearance and some time spent decoding her handwriting again, I asked her another series of questions.

Our walk felt quick and we soon set foot on Meiou's property. Peers passed us by with their quick strides and we greeted others as we situated ourselves at the shoe locker. Aiko shoved the booklet in her bag and took the liberty of housing my damp umbrella with hers in her shoe locker.

"I just want this to be over!" she groaned suddenly after waving to another student.

I tapped my shoe on the ground, fitting it snug against my foot. She had already slipped on her pair and was now leaning against the lockers.

"When finals are over, Yu and I are going to play pachinko! I need this break to come so much faster. I'm going to fail anyway…" ***

"Have you gone over Machiavelli?" I asked. "Our English Language and Literature final is first."

She nodded. "I skimmed through it again last night. I even took apart some sentences to help on the English Language portion."

"You're stressing over nothing, then," I assured her simply. "You should do well on your examination. Your pachinko games will be well deserved."

"I have a feeling it won't," she sighed as we began walking to class. "This is my last chance to make into the class' top thirty… because we all know I won't even make it to the top twenty."

I learned it was best to let her deal with certain things on her own, certain things she wouldn't budge on—such as this. The most I could offer was silent support and presence, and after all was said and done, comfort if asked for.

She dispersed the air quickly with a more upbeat tone as another group of students passed by us, and she waved to the group of upperclassmen.

"Just think, after finals we'll be second years!" She stretched her arms behind her head, letting her bag dangle from her fingers as she watched the group pass us by. "Maybe then we'll have a different homeroom teacher."

It was then I could conveniently sense the familiar presence and pick up the familiar smell of Mr. Suzuki. He was close behind us.

"You probably shouldn't talk about—"

She cut me off, still talking at the speed of light. "Can't wait to get out of that class—I know he's got it out for me. I know it. That fat fuck is still mad I called him a fat fuck."

I sighed heavily, feeling him walk up behind us, and let her continue.

She cocked her head back, sending her plea to the heavens. "Please, next year, let me get a homeroom teacher other than that fat fuck!"

"You should be careful." Mr. Suzuki's voice loomed over her and she froze in stride and squeaked. "That fat fuck still needs to score your final exam."

"Oh my gooooood!" she shrieked in disbelief and laughed before running down the hall to our class.

"Honestly, Minamino," Mr. Suzuki huffed as Aiko ran into our classroom. "You're the top of your class; you don't need to hang out with that trash to get entertainment."

I shrugged and feigned a polite smile, unwilling to argue with a teacher who truly didn't like her. There was no use in defending her against this man.

"She doesn't participate in any clubs because she was given clearance to work," he continued. "And every time exams come around she barely scrapes—Minamino."

I continued down the hallway, ignoring him. I stepped foot in our homeroom to find her at her desk, face pushed in her school bag to muffle the crying laughter.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she snapped through laughter as I passed by her desk. "Every day you let me do something embarrassing!"

"I thought it would be funny," I replied with a smile as I headed to my desk. "And it was."

Fifth day in the past two weeks I let her mouth get her into trouble for my entertainment. Despite it being months since the tournament ended, returning to my human routine was equivalent to temperature shock. Though I wanted to be here, it was surreal to continue this routine when my old life continued to rear its head in this one.

Her humanity, mistakes... they were comforting since I had a feeling my time here would end sooner than later.

"Ass!"

A/N:

* ¥10,000 is approximately $100 or £73. ¥100,000 is approximately $982 or £720.

** 195 cm is about 6'5".

*** Pachinko resembles a pinball machine and is often used as a gambling device. Minimum age to play and cash in the balls you win for your prize is 18.