Chapter One: Don't Even Bother
"Rachel wants Hiei to stick his dragon in your spirit energy" said my best friend and roommate Jenny, mocking me. I stuck my tongue out at the dirty pun and proceeded to set up the dvd player and popping a Yu Yu Hakusho disk.
"Ya, okay, because you don't adore Kurama." I mocked back.
Jenny gave a small sigh and threw a pillow in my direction. "They are are all so perfect and different. Why can't guys in our class be more like that. Perfect, not different" I shrugged as she rambled on. "I mean I know you would want to marry Hiei and then have some Kurama but you are just better suited for Hiei because of your height..." I stopped listening as I cleaned the disk that just didn't want to play. I finally got the dvd player working and pressed play as Kurama was locked in a match during the dark tournament.
"Why can't they just be real" I muttered, motioning to the tv. "Oh no," I whispered as I began to feel sick to my stomach and my head felt like it was being split open. I clutched the sides of my head and I heard what seemed like white fuzz and my eye sight went a little wonky.
"Are you okay?" Jenny asked me, but I didn't hear her. There are times in my life when I get black outs after little headaches. Doctors told me it was from the stress of having my entire family, including my parents and baby brother, die in a terrible house fire 5 years ago when I was 18, but this headache or whatever this was, was something new. "Rachel, Rachel!" I could hear Jenny's voice calling out to me frightened, but she seemed far away some how.
The room began to spin. I reached out and grabbed Jenny's hand to steady myself to no avail. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was a dark tournament match. I was able to make out the idone box being opened and mist swirling around Kurama. Then I saw Jenny's panicked face and I saw no more.
I landed with a hard thud on the bottom floor of a strange building. I wanted to vomit, but someone's black shoes were in my way. I looked up to see who was blocking my path and it was none other than Yusuke Uremeshi. pointing his trademark spirit gun right at my forehead. I held my hands up in surrender and got to my feet slowly. So, then I did what any Yu Yu Hakusho fan would do. I screamed.
I heard footsteps running towards us, Boton,Kurama, and Kuwabara appeared before my eyes.
"What in heaven's name?" Boton scolded Yusuke. "Are you trying to scare her to dealth?"
Yusuke dropped his hand and put it behind his head. "Sorry, it was a reflex."
I sat in aw, watching them interact. I scanned the group and wondered if I was hallucinating. Well, if I was, oh well, gang's all here, except one. Hiei. My heart sank.
Boton quickly explained how they knew who I was. Apparently they had been looking for me, and when I was tuned it, the frequency picked me up. I guess my subconscious wanted to explore their world and them looking sucked me in. She introduced everyone, even though I already knew. I glanced around, still no sign of Hiei (I wasn't entirely surprised) or Jen.
"Am I dreaming?" I mused "Someone pinch me. This can't be happening."
"I doubt even if a demon wanted to pinch you, they wouldn't be able to find your weak spirit energy. And yes, unfortunately human, it is real. I could slit your throught to prove it if you would like" Someone shushed him, as I listened to the dry sarcastic comment come from behind me. Boton didn't need to introduce him, I was no idiot, or at least not when it came to...
Hiei.
I pinched myself, and for the record, it did hurt. Could it be? Im not dreaming? How in the world? I turned around extra slowly, barely moving, my eyes wide. I felt as as though if I moved to fast, he'd disappear, they'd all disappear. As my eyes adjusted, I realized I was right, less than five feet in front of me, my dream guy, my hero, my short, sarcastic, dark spikey-haired fire demon that possessed the Jagan eye. It was I could do not to faint (again). I would have run up and hugged him if I didn't think he would instantly snap me in half. So we just stood there, staring at each other awkwardly.
Glancing upwards, a portal opened and Jenny came flying out of it in hysterics. "Somebody catch me!" I shoved Yusuke right into her path and she landed easily in his arms and placed her on her feet. No sooner had he put her down her knees buckled beneath her. I knelt beside her and helped her gingerly to her feet. Jen stepped carefully from step to step, like the ground would swallow her up if she wasn't cautious. I know, it seemed like we were acting really foolish, floors swallowing us up, thinking people would disappear, but just look at the situation. I was pretty sure we had just been sucked into the TV.
"You were not sucked into the TV" said Kurama, as if reading my thoughts, and for all I knew, maybe he was. "Boton summed it up, We can't tell you exactly how or why, though"
I nodded and shuffled my feet as Boton saved me. "We should get a move on." She appeared to sense the tension. "We want to get there before dark." she gestured as we began to literally put our best foot forward.
A short time later, oddly even though I had no real experience dealing with energy, spirit, demon or otherwise, I felt a tickle in the back of my mind. It seemed as someone near me was becoming very frustrated. I tilted my head to look behind me. "Problem Hiei?" He ignored me, I honestly wasn't surprised. The tingling in the back of my mind surged, then hurt and I whipped around angrily. "Hey! You guys are the ones who sucked me in or whatever. So clearly I'm confused. So don't waste your time trying to pick my brain because I have no idea. And even if I did, I have a block up." Everyone exchanged looks due to my sudden outburst so I just added fuel to the fire. "This little brain-peeping-tom here was just digging around."
"How do you know you have a block?" Kuwabara asked
"My doctor told me there was something in my brain that triggered the black-outs and said it was my body's way of dealing with stress by giving me the blackouts where I can't remember anything and have no idea what my body is doing. He said its strong enough to fool a professional profiler or a polygraph test. I guess I figured Hiei's special talent just went hand-in-hand."
"You'd be correct." Said Kurama and I suddenly wondered if I'd said to much. They all looked at me like I had completely lost it. However, with shaking heads, they let it go and we continued on our destination which was still a mystery to Jen and myself.
Hiei threw me a look of pure loathing and I stuck out my tongue in retaliation. Yes I know, so mature. Hiei just continued to stand there, facing back the way we came. So far he was running pretty close to character. I stopped and waved my hand in front of his eyes (all three of them), he seemed unfazed. "Hello, earth to Hiei! We are going that way! You have to move to get there! It won't appear out of nowhere!"
As I blabbered on, Hiei suddenly disappeared from my sight. Now, I'm no mind reader and I have no idea how this happened, but it did and for some reason, I seemed to sense what Hiei was going to do before he did it.
I felt his energy and heard Kurama mutter, "Here we go again, Hiei's doing it again, when will he learn that..."Kurama didn't get to finish his train of thought because at that that exact moment, Hiei was flying in the air towards me. I had felt him coming and threw my hands up in the air, not really trying to stop him, but just because I was startled. Somehow, my fingers got twisted up in his shirt and when I tried to get free, I ended up throwing him in the opposite direction. I knew it wasn't over. Hiei was way to damn stubborn to just lie down and take a hit. He bounced back quicker than a rubber band threw a rain of punches my direction. I guess I was having beginners luck and managed to duck each one. Out of fear, I went to shove him away and I ended up accidentally knocking him straight in the jaw. I scooted out of the way just in time before he had time to counter.
"Whoa..." I heard Jenny whisper quietly. Yusuke, Boton and Kuwabara nodded furiously in agreement. i dusted off my hands as I trembled behind Kurama, not wanting the fight to continue. I had a hunch my luck was about to run out.
"Enough!" scolded Kurama, Hiei glared and pursed his lips. When he walked away and continued up, the rest of us kept walking as well in an uncomfortable silence.
Without thinking, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "You know, for a little guy, you're really heavy." Hiei stopped walking and I saw him stiffen. Hiei's hand moved gracefully to his katana.
Yusuke muttered, "Do it for Kurama." to Hiei and I saw Hiei and Kurama exchange looks. I think something may have been said telepathically. Im thinking something along the lines of Don't kill her, Hiei. Out of the corner or my eye I saw Hiei nod curtly when he thought I wasn't looking.
I didn't know what was going on, but I quickly realized that us being brought here was no accident and had something to do with everyone's favorite red-head. The question was what. I nudged Jenny, the less physical of the two of us. "How you holding up?" I asked her.
She looked positively green. "I don't think I can walk much further."
"You're in luck." said Kurama. "We're here. Welcome to Starshot Temple." Maybe all my questions were about to be answered. Glancing at Hiei and Kurama, I quickly took that back. There were more questions than I could ever hope to anwser.