Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho
This story was written by 4fireking and CainToYourAbel. After it was finished writing it was edited by Anya Maygo. This chapter is a little long you probably already know. It's almost twice as long as the last chapter. The thing I like about this story is the humor. When humor is used it's done in a way I think could make even the grumpiest of readers smile. Please read and review.
#
Dizuki wondered what kind of special gift the old man was talking about. There was no way it was going to be something good like money. It seemed like something that Dizuki would have until the day he died.
The old man was grinning now, revealing shiny pink gums where a few of his teeth were missing. Dizuki resisted the urge to cringe.
"I don't suppose you know what spirit energy is, do you?" At Dizuki's blank stare the strange man chuckled. "No, I guess you wouldn't. That's quite alright, I'll teach you."
Dizuki was really starting to regret ever listening to mechanical woman's message. "Um…yeah…I'm just…gonna leave now…" Dizuki trailed off, beginning to back up slowly.
This, however, was not in the man's plans. "You're not going anywhere," the dinosaur of a man scowled.
"Look, Mister," Dizuki started, panic rising, "my parents will come looking for me if- "
The old man snorted and waved Dizuki's idle threats away. "Kids these days are so paranoid. If you knew how to use your spirit energy, you'd never feel paranoid again," he baited the younger man.
"You're crazy!" Dizuki exclaimed, bumping up against one of the covered games in his haste to get away. The old man smirked.
"I'll show you then," he reported, the words hanging ominously in the air.
Dizuki was positive his heart was about to burst from his chest. He's going to kill me. He's going to chop me into tiny bits and eat me.
Dizuki was expecting a lot of things. He was not, however, expecting a strange purple aura to start emitting from his potential murderer.
"W-what is that?" Dizuki called over the gusts of wind the aura was creating.
The old man laughed, waving his cane around. "That, my dear boy, is spirit energy."
When Dizuki got past the way he felt about this old man about to kill him he saw something that made his eyes grow wide and his heart feel like it was glowing. It looked like a small child, or possibly a large doll, but it was glowing softly. A part of him wanted to touch it.
And so, stupidly, he did. Only to instantly regret it when his body felt like it was being crushed like a bug. His knees buckled from the force and he collapsed to the ground. He curled up in the fetal position when he was certain he was being torn apart from the inside out.
"What…What did you do to me?!" Dizuki screamed as best he could, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Consider it a…jump start, if you will," the older man answered casually, like there wasn't a teenage boy writhing about on the floor in obvious pain. "Fight it, Dizuki," he tapped his cane against Dizuki's head. "You could bring the world to its knees now, but only if you fight!"
Dizuki screamed in response, howls of pain bouncing off the walls and filling the air. He was going to die. He just knew it. Dizuki wasn't a fighter; hell, he was practically a hippie. He closed his eyes, teeth grinding loudly as the energy flooded his system. He thought every bone in his body was going to break and his organs were going to explode. He receded into his mind, trying to block it out in a feeble attempt at coping. His brows furrowed.
He could feel something. Deep, deep inside him, something was worming around uncontrollably. He reached deeper still, trying to pinpoint its location. His eyes snapped open. There.
With another roar of agony, Dizuki mentally grabbed onto the squirming ball of energy. It was going to tear him apart. It was going to rip him to shreds and-No. He snarled and clutched at the energy. And all at once the pain was gone.
"W-What just happened to me?" Dizuki asked when the pain was gone.
"You've been awakened of course," the old man said exasperatedly. Dizuki was panting as he sat up.
"What the hell do you mean 'awakened'? What the fuck was that?!" Dizuki demanded in fear, scrambling away from the stranger. The old man stood with a sigh.
"Honestly. 'Why' this, 'what' that. A simple 'thank you' would suffice, y'know," he huffed like a child.
Dizuki was having none of it. "Answer me, you freak! What the fuck did you do to me?!"
The walking age spot blinked at Dizuki's harsh tone, a stark contrast to the shivering boy he'd been merely seconds ago. And so it begins, the old man grinned internally. "I gave you the power you're going to need," he smiled slyly.
"Need? Need for what?" Dizuki asked in confusion.
"You'll see. Big things are on the horizon, my friend. Best be prepared," and with that the old man was walking away, waving his cane about jovially. Dizuki was positive that if the man wasn't in dire need of a hip replacement, the old man should've jumped and clacked his heels together for good measure.
"Hey! Come back!" Dizuki cried. But the old man was already gone. "Dude," he hissed to himself, "what the fuck was that?!"
Then he stood up and went to open the door again.
"Of course," Dizuki said flatly upon seeing the rain hitting the pavement. He sighed. It was going to be a long walk back home.
#
Meanwhile at the Urameshi household, Hiei looked back and forth between Machiko and the doorway.
"So can you actually fit through a human's doorway in full yokai form?" He asked his mate.
Machiko scoffed and then folded her wings tightly to her back. "Of course!" she hissed as she climbed onto the wall and slipped through the doorway sideways, still clinging to the wall.
Hiei considered mentioning that doing that was going to leave holes in the wall inside. Then he shrugged and followed her in. His head started to hurt again almost as soon as he cleared the doorway. It was probably because he didn't have the Jagan eye in his head anymore.
He quickly shoved the pain away when the two children they were babysitting came waddling into the room.
"Why's your head bleeding?" Makoto asked in innocent confusion. Machiko quickly jumped in before Hiei could tell the poor child that an extra eye had been ripped from his skull and traumatize her for life.
"He…hit it…when…he fell from the tree!" Machiko lied lamely. The children giggled and Hiei sent her a glare. She smiled sheepishly. "So I hadn't come up with a better cover story, so sue me!"
"Why do you have wings?" Nasuko blinked up at her. They'd never seen her in full demon mode before.
"This is my full yokai form."
"Why are you using it?"
"Uh…"
"She used up her energy. Now she's stuck like that. Her reserves are terribly low," Hiei smirked when Machiko leveled him with a flat stare. The children laughed again and Machiko scowled.
Then another loud laugh rang through the room. Hiei only heard laughter this big from that detective Yusuke. The two lovebirds had come home.
#
"Machiko, since when have you been such a lightweight?" Yusuke jeered.
Machiko sent the former detective a scathing glance. "Oh, and who was it that managed to fly you away from a speeding semi-truck while they had two injured ankles and a half-lame tail?"
"Yusuke," Hiei interrupted, "we need to talk." He sent a pointed look towards the children. "Alone."
Yusuke frowned in confusion when he caught sight of the blood-stained bandage on Hiei's forehead. "Uh…sure," he replied slowly. "Kids, you two go find your mother."
"But Daad," they whined in unison.
"Now," Yusuke remained firm.
The children pouted but relented, sticking their tongues out when they knew for sure their father couldn't see them, causing Hiei to smirk while Machiko snickered.
Yusuke whirled around to glare at his children and they scattered quickly. Yusuke gave a self-satisfied grin and turned back to the pair. "So what happened to your forehead, Hiei? Did one of the kids poke you in the Jagan with a pointy stick?"
Hiei curled his lip. "No, you fool, there was an attack," he snapped.
"What?!" Yusuke shouted in alarm. "There was an attack? Were my kids there?!"
"Yes and no," Machiko leaped in before Hiei could give the Spirit Detective a heart attack. "We made them go inside, but…" she hesitated. Continuing would involve…
"But?" Yusuke prodded.
Machiko shifted uneasily. "The guy had power like I've never seen! He batted us away like we were nothing! He stuck me in my demon form, swiped Hiei's Jagan eye, and then just took off!" She growled in frustration; the last thing she'd wanted to admit was that she'd been outclassed, because the only person she was comfortable admitting being outclassed by was Hiei.
"He took your Jagan?" Yusuke asked Hiei, eyes wide with horror.
Hiei brushed away the concern with verbal barbs.
"That's what she said, idiot."
Yusuke bristled slightly. "Yeesh, I was just asking, damn." He took a deep breath and then let it out again. "We have to go to Koenma," he went on, only to falter when Hiei voiced his own opinion on the subject.
"We don't have to go see Koenma, you have to go see Koenma."
A sweat drop rolled down Yusuke's head as he watched Hiei turn to leave.
"Wait!" Yusuke cried, the years falling away to when he was just the obnoxious high school student. "Don't make me go see Baby Breath alone!"
Hiei ignored him and continued walking. Yusuke started to sweat nervously. The idea of facing Koenma again looked a little less bleak with his friend by his side. So, Yusuke decided to try the only way he knew worked to get Hiei to do what he wanted: throwing Hiei's failure into his face.
"Dude, this guy took your eye! He attacked your girl! And you're just gonna let him get away with that?!"
Hiei glared at him. "I can find this guy on my own, thank you."
"Without your Jagan eye? You'd be lucky to spot Machiko against a brick wall ten yards away!"
Hiei whirled around again. "How about you say that again to my face?!"
Machiko sighed, knowing there was just no reasoning with Hiei at times. She walked between the two men and let her tail reach up and loop gently around her mate's neck. "Come on, Hiei, let's go talk about this outside."
She wasn't clinging to him tightly enough to cut off his breathing, but she wasn't letting go, so he had no choice but to follow her. He fixed Yusuke and his dopey 'you sly dog' grin with a glare and went out into the backyard again.
Once they were outside – and Yusuke was hovering in the doorway – Machiko released Hiei with her tail, only to grab him by the shoulder with one wing. Then she knelt slightly for an easier time making eye contact, bringing her other wing about to hold onto his other shoulder and taking his hands with hers.
"Hiei, Yusuke might be obnoxious, but he's got a slight point: you have always found things with your Jagan eye. Without it, if we're going to find our attacker at all, we need to use Koenma's resources. And because this is your eye we're talking about, you should remain involved. Yusuke's going to go anyway, regardless of how much he complains, so if you're going to stay involved in the search you have to go along."
Hiei remained motionless the whole time she was speaking to his mind, his red eyes fixed on her golden. Then he sighed. "Fine."
Yusuke studied them. When Machiko had grabbed Hiei's shoulders with her wings, she positioned her wings so that their thumbs were on his shoulders. It gave him the odd illusion of wearing a dizzyingly-striped cape.
After Hiei agreed, Machiko released him. "Okay, so now that that's sorted out, can we go now?"
Yusuke switched his gaze to her and smirked. "You're not coming. Someone's gotta stay here with Keiko and the kids in case our new friend comes back."
Machiko stared at him. "What? But-"
"Unless, of course, Hiei would like to stay?" Yusuke grinned slyly. If Hiei had any reservations left over going to Koenma's with him, this was likely to get rid of them completely.
Hiei's head snapped over to Yusuke. He thought about being stuck with the little monsters, both of them asking him unnecessary questions…and if Machiko went with Yusuke, that would mean he would have to try to play the stupid kid's games!
"Yusuke is right. You should remain here," Hiei replied quickly before leaping away.
"You sonofa-"
"Hey, feel free to tell Keiko I got called out of retirement!" Yusuke laughed right before he disappeared after his friend.
Machiko stared after them, slack-jawed in shock. Then she let out a near-primal scream of anger. "YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK, YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'D BETTER COME BACK!" With a soft hiss, she closed her wings tightly to her back to go into the house again. "Every lamp is going to be knocked to the floor by the time Yusuke comes back." She could manage doorways in demon form, but in a human's living room her wings were just awkward. Keeping them tightly closed helped, but she couldn't hold that forever, and their relaxed closed state was just wide enough to where they bumped into everything.
#
Walking through the halls of Koenma's palace, Yusuke couldn't help but reminisce. "Man, it's been a while since we've been through here," he chuckled with his hands behind his head.
Hiei gave a noncommittal grunt.
"I wonder if Koenma still looks like a toddler."
At this, Hiei gave a snort. "He's been in that form for centuries, you buffoon. A few years isn't going to make much of a difference."
Yusuke cut his eyes to his companion. He'd never admit it aloud, but he'd missed Hiei's bad attitude and snarky retorts. "And here I thought the married life would've made you a nicer person, Hiei," Yusuke teased.
Hiei flinched and scowled. "We are not married, we're mates. Please don't put your trivial human terms on something you know nothing about."
Yusuke let out a low whistle. "Trouble in paradise, huh?"
"I'm not having this conversation."
"It's cool, buddy. Just remember that she'd been raised for the most part as a human. From one married man to another, human women like shiny things," Yusuke leaned in and whispered the last part dramatically, like he was sharing some ancient secret.
Hiei looked totally unimpressed. "As if I would ever trust advice from you," he said flatly.
"So? What is it?" Yusuke got in Hiei's personal space, grinning madly. "Did you p*** her off?"
"This is ridiculous."
"Not giving it up enough in the bedroom?"
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."
"Oh, come on, Hiei. It's not like we're talking about kids here or anything," Yusuke chuckled.
Hiei's eyes darted everywhere but at the former detective.
Yusuke froze. "No way," he breathed. Then his voice lifted. "Machiko wants a baby?!"
"Will you quiet down?!" Hiei hissed.
"Machiko wants a baby?!" Yusuke whispered loudly.
Hiei just wished there was a hole nearby so he could just crawl into it and die. He was hesitant about having a child because of being a demon who hadn't been raised by his mother. Finally, he decided to throw Yusuke one bone. "Actually, the topic just happened to come up while we were going to your house. I'm not sure what she wants." He didn't mention that she'd been surprised they hadn't had a baby sooner; that wasn't on Yusuke's need-to-know list.
Yusuke stopped his teasing and turned serious. "Hey man, don't worry about it! You'd make a…an interesting father," he chose his words carefully.
He thought he'd been braced for the glare he knew was coming, but he still flinched when Hiei did whip his head around for said glare.
"This topic was never discussed," Hiei hissed before brushing past the retired detective.
Yusuke frowned and followed after.
#
They strolled into the madness of the office ogres' domain. Hiei was trying his damnedest to get through there quickly and unnoticed, otherwise-
"YUSUKE! HIEI!"
Hiei winced when Boton's high-pitched voice shrilled dangerously close by. He panicked inside. He had to get away. He had to hide or she was going to-
The air left Hiei's lungs as Botan crushed the two men together in a hug. Hiei had never known the blue-haired grim reaper could be so strong; frankly, though, he only tolerated hugs – even enjoyed them a bit – if they were from his mate.
"I can't believe you're here!" she giggled, ignoring the squirms and grunts of pain. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"
"Get. Off," he ground out between his teeth. Maybe he should've stayed with the kids and sent Machiko instead.
"Oh, alright, alright; no need to get grouchy, Hiei," she teased as she released the two.
"H-hey, Botan," Yusuke smiled weakly through the pain of what he was sure was a bruised rib.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked curiously.
Hiei spoke first to avoid Yusuke's long-winded explanation that would no doubt include the absence of his Jagan eye. "We're here to see Koenma," he informed her shortly.
Botan put a finger to her chin in thought. "Hmmm, I suppose I could take you to him, but he's been pretty busy and you know how he gets when work piles up," she warned as she waved them forward.
Yusuke shot Hiei a wry grin before replying. "Well, far be it from us to disturb His Highness in such a desperate time."
#
Koenma sat huddled at his elaborate desk, stamping away at papers, barely giving the request a second thought. Permission to immigrate to the human world? Sure. Marry a human? Splendid! Eat your mother-in-law? Why the hell not? Oh wait, should probably fix that one…
"HEY TODDLER-BASTARD!"
The door to his office was kicked open and the enormous stacks of papers teetered dangerously before falling over, covering the floor in a carpet of white. A vein throbbed in the small prince's forehead. "YUSUKE! Do you know how long it took me to organize all that paperwork?!" Koenma yelled around his binky.
Yusuke almost laughed before remembering he had more important matters to deal with. He stormed right up to Koenma's desk with Hiei in tow and slammed his hands down on the desktop. "Screw your paperwork! You mind telling me why some guy showed up at my house while my kids were there and tried to kill people?"
Koenma was taken aback. "What in all the realms are you talking about?"
"Tell him, Hiei!" Yusuke nudged his stoic friend in the side with his elbow.
Hiei grunted and grit his teeth in annoyance. Really? Well…it did happen to me, so I'm the one with all the facts. "Machiko and I were asked to…" he refused to use the word 'babysit,' "guard Yusuke's hell-spawn while he and Keiko were out. A man wielding immense unusual energy came and attacked. He stole my Jagan eye and Machiko's energy seems to be…stuck. I would almost call it frozen."
While Koenma was thinking, he put his hands together and looked down. Yusuke wondered if that was him postulating for something. "Hmm…interesting. What kind of unusual energy?" Koenma asked.
As this, Hiei seemed to hesitate. "It seemed to be a mixture of all three energies," he finally replied, annoyed at being unable to be absolutely certain of that.
"What? You didn't mention that earlier!" Yusuke stared at the short fire demon.
Hiei shrugged him off. "You wouldn't have been able to grasp the significance."
"If you two are finished," Koenma snapped, bringing their attention back.
"Fine," Yusuke huffed. Hiei simply remained quiet and unreadable.
Koenma sighed and resumed his 'thinking' pose. "It's just as I feared," he said cryptically.
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Stop with the mysterious act and cut to the meat!" he shouted.
Koenma seriously considered throwing the heavy weighted stamper at his former employee, and then sadly discarded the idea. Instead, he closed his eyes. "His name," he replied somberly, pausing for dramatic effect, "is Takeo…"
#
Dizuki stumbled into his house in nothing short of a daze. The cold rain seeped through his clothing and bit into his skin, leaving him shivering and feverish. Or maybe whatever that creepy old man had done to him had made him feverish. He wasn't sure.
He struggled out of his shoes and socks before making his way back to his room. All he wanted to do now was just sleep. Fumbling his way up the stairs, Dizuki tore off his jacket and began peeling the clothes that had become a second skin off his body.
When he opened the door to his room, he glanced around warily, searching for any sign someone else had been there. Was it the old guy who'd left him the disk? How had he gotten in here? How had he gotten into the house? Hell, how did he even know where Dizuki's house was? These were the questions that plagued Dizuki's mind as he put on a fresh pair of jogging pants to sleep in.
He was also thinking about staying away from the old man. After the pain and feeling like he was different Dizuki learned he didn't feel any different. What a rip-off.
Dizuki flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? Just pretend it never happened? He damn sure wasn't going to tell his parents – they'd never let him leave the house again if they found out. He heaved a sigh and rolled over onto his back to stare blankly at the ceiling.
What if that guy showed up again? Dizuki frowned. He'd just have to get tough with the old man. Dizuki had no idea what the stranger was up to, but he was positive he wanted no part in it.
His eyes started to droop.
Yeah. He'd just have to get tough.
His eyes fluttered shut.
#
"Wake up."
Dizuki's brow furrowed and he frowned in confusion against his pillow. Is it morning already? He mumbled incoherently before snuggling deeper into his cocoon of blankets.
"Seriously, wake the hell up."
"Five more minutes, Mom," he whined.
There was a snort.
Dizuki's eyes shot open and the hair on the back of his neck stood up straight. That was definitely not his mother. He slowly turned his head to face the intruder.
"Rise and shine, sweetheart, you've got a big day today," the silky voice drawled sarcastically.
Dizuki's breath hitched when he spotted the silhouette of the voice's owner. Crimson red eyes peered back at him from the shadows.
"Gah!" Dizuki screamed, fighting to get out of his blankets.
"Wow," the shadow said blankly.
That simple response caused him to pause in his battle with the sheets. He looked up again. "Y-you wouldn't happen to be a…a guardian angel…would you?" he asked hopefully.
The silhouette blinked. Then it rolled its eyes. White teeth flashed from the darkness in a sarcastic smile, and for a brief moment, Dizuki was reminded of the Cheshire cat. Then the figure stepped lithely out of the shadows. "Think of me more as your guardian demon," it – she – supplied.
Dizuki stared.
She was short. Like, ridiculously short. However, he felt that pointing this out would not end well for him. Her short and spiky jet-black hair accentuated her sharp features and she was lean with hints of well-toned muscles.
She's awfully pretty to be a demon.
Wait.
She's a demon!
"S-stay back!" he ordered weakly, standing up quickly on the bed. He glanced around wildly for a weapon, and the only thing he could come up with was the letter opener resting on his night stand. He fumbled for it quickly before turning back to the girl.
She raised an eyebrow. "Wow," she repeated in amusement.
Dizuki was getting a bit more used to her appearance. "W-what are you doing here?" he stuttered, clutching the letter opener before his chest. She took a step closer and he held the small blade higher. Of course, this isn't much of a weapon when demons can kill people without even touching them, but still…
"Put that down before you hurt yourself," she snickered.
Dizuki was mildly affronted. "Excuse you, I can open like ten letters in sixty seconds with this thing," he defended. Way to sound macho, you idiot.
The demon's lips twitched. "Right," she chuckled. "We'll play it your way then. I'm guessing by your substantial amount of spirit energy that you've had a visitor. Old guy? Kinda creepy? Gives off the strangest vibe ever?"
Dizuki squinted at her in suspicion. "…Maybe." How'd she know so much about the old man? Has she been watching me?
The girl smirked. "There's no 'maybe' about it. You wouldn't have that kind of energy otherwise," she countered.
"How do you know about the old man?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh, from around," she replied evasively, waving a hand. He opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it. "Now put a shirt on, loser."
"Why? It's my house. If I wanna walk around without a shirt, then I'll walk around without a shirt." It hit him immediately after he said that that he was basically declaring that he was cool with the idea of being bare-chested in front of a girl, and he didn't even know her. "…Never mind." He glanced warily between her and the letter opener. "If I put this down, you won't eat me, will you?"
"Sorry to disappoint," the girl grinned, "but you're too scrawny to eat. Now hurry up and get a freaking shirt, because we're going outside."
"…Right," Dizuki sighed and placed the small knife back down on the nightstand. He moved to step down from the bed, only to have his foot get caught in the twisted sheet.
"Nghuh!" He let out a pathetic cry as he flailed before falling…right onto the girl.
"Mmph!" Her eyes were wide in alarm as his body collided with hers. Dizuki landed gracelessly on top of her. His eyes snapped open when he felt his mouth on hers. He froze before glancing down to stare at her like a deer caught in the headlights.
It didn't really help that their lips were still touching. The girl's face had gone red and she did not look happy. She began to tremble in rage.
He got the feeling he should probably get off her. And he was about to, honest he was, but before he could…
"Get the fuck off me!" she shouted, smacking him away.
Dizuki cringed and hopped up. "It was an accident, I swear!" He was panicking, he just knew it.
"What the hell ever. Just put a damn shirt on and meet me downstairs." She scowled before storming out.
Dizuki was pretty mad at the demon – couldn't stand the way she bossed him around at something he would have done sooner if she'd told him why. He slammed his dresser drawer shut with a huff and began putting on some more suitable clothing, muttering under his breath about the demon girl who was probably in his kitchen right now stealing food.
When he finished changing, he stomped loudly down the stairs. "I'm ready!" he yelled, glancing around for his new annoyance.
She emerged from the kitchen, carton of ice cream in hand and spoon limply hanging out of her mouth. She studied him with a bored expression. "That's what you're wearing?" she asked around the spoon in her mouth.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he asked, indignant that she was calling him on his clothes like she was his mom.
"Nothing, nothing," the girl waved dismissively. "I hear the unemployed look is really big now anyway."
He opened his mouth to inform her that he did have a job…until he remembered that he didn't anymore. "Can we just go?" he snapped in frustration.
"Well sure, but aren't you going to grab a coat?"
"What? No…" he replied, unsure.
"You should grab a jacket," she informed him as she took another bite of ice cream.
"I don't need a jacket," he said stubbornly.
The girl shrugged. "Alright then." She turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!" he cried.
The demon paused, one hand on the doorknob, the other holding the ice cream carton. "Hmm?"
He frowned. "You never told me your name!"
The girl's expression brightened as she pointed to herself. "Oh, me? You can just call me Karai."
'Just call me,' huh? That means it's probably not her real name. Then again, in a lot of books, many beings with magical powers were very careful about who they told their real names to, because names had power. And as long as she answered to it, it didn't matter.
He considered doing the same thing, and then decided it'd be too much work to make up a name and then remember he was supposed to answer to it. "I'm Dizuki," he smiled slightly.
"I don't care," she dismissed.
He gave her a flat stare. "Just tell me where we're going," he sighed.
She gave the boy a wicked grin. "Well, Dizuki…you and I are going on a little adventure."
#
Machiko glared at the ceiling. Those jerks are definitely going to pay for this. She grimaced when Makoto tugged on her hair. Again.
"You're gonna be so pwetty," the little girl giggled as she gathered more hair to put in the outrageous hairdo she had devised. She was having a field day with the black-and-white stripes.
Machiko blew at a white lock that was hanging right next to her face. This little girl was going to drive her crazy. The only reason she was letting this happen was because she'd promised before the attack.
Machiko had had the unenviable task of explaining to Keiko exactly where their husbands were. The conversation had gone something like:
"They just left?"
"Yes, Keiko. They left."
"Well, what are we supposed to do? Wait for them to come back around?"
"That's the idea."
"Those bastards!"
"My thoughts exactly, Keiko."
Needless to say, Machiko was not a happy camper. While she was being tortured by the tiny monster doing her hair, Keiko was busy pacing back and forth, various scenarios running through her mind and not one of them good. Nasuko was sitting cross-legged in front of Machiko, observing her demon form curiously.
"Why are your wings so big?"
"So I can fly faster," she answered, trying to sound calm.
"Why are you so furry?"
"It gets cold way up high in the air, and jackets mess with my flapping." She felt like she was explaining stuff to a three-year-old.
"Why are your fingernails so pointy?" he pestered.
A vein began to throb in Machiko's forehead. "For easy kills," she ground out between her teeth.
"Why-"
"How about we play the quiet game?" she interrupted flatly. Playing with the kids had been fun earlier, but it was starting to get old, especially with this new batch of questions. The last time, the question of pointy objects had been her feet.
Nasuko scrunched up his nose in distaste. "Nah, Dad makes us play that all the time. Why is your tail sooo long?"
Men. This question had actually come up the first time, when he saw her in her standard form. Her answer had been 'for balance.' He was probably repeating the question because her tail did actually gain another foot or so in length when she was in demon form.
If Machiko ever had children, she was going to teach them that pestering Mother was something they did not want to do…right up there with pestering Father.
Keiko came stalking into the room, her long brown hair swirling behind her like some raging hellfire. "Alright, you two. Leave poor Machiko alone," she ordered, hands on her hips.
Machiko had never been so appreciative of anyone in her entire life.
"But Moooommmm," they whined together.
"It's time for bed anyways. Upstairs, now. I want brushed teeth and pajamas on in ten minutes," Keiko ordered firmly.
The children groaned loudly before scrambling up the stairs, leaving Machiko with a frazzled disposition, back-rubbed fur and disheveled hair.
Keiko smiled slightly at her. "Sorry about them. They're just excited about you," she explained sheepishly.
Machiko balanced on all fours, held her wings up a bit and shook herself to settle her fur. Back-rubbed fur wasn't as bad for her as it was for most animals, as her fur didn't technically have a direction it flowed, but it was uncomfortable if it remained that way for too long. Then she looked up again and tried to smile. It didn't quite make it there; it bore closer family resemblance to a grimace. "No, no…it's…fine," she chuckled weakly. "The day I have kids, if one's a female, I'll have to put up with the hair-braiding then, so I might as well practice." She didn't even touch the barrage of questions; she probably would have to put up with a few questions when her kids gained vocabulary, but once she'd answered the same questions about five times, they'd probably get the message.
Keiko laughed softly. Then her expression slid into worry once again. "What will you do to get back to your normal state?"
Machiko sighed, stood up and carefully stretched her wings to their fullest extent before closing them again. "I'm hoping that Kamiko gets back from her honeymoon relatively quickly; our twin bond can mend a lot of nasty stuff."
"And if that doesn't work? Or if it takes a long time for Kami to come back?"
Machiko stood silently for a minute. Then she heaved another sigh. "Then I will have to hope Yusuke and Hiei can find some kind of…cure. I love flying, don't get me wrong, but having my wings out all the time is just awkward."
Her wings flicked, and a picture frame got knocked off of a nearby end table. Again.
Keiko picked up the picture, only replying with, "I can see that." Then she looked at the picture.
Machiko turned and looked over Keiko's shoulder. With her eyes enhanced in their flightworthy-demon state, she didn't have to come any closer to see. She didn't have bad eyesight as a human, but her standard eyes were better, and her demon eyes better still.
It was a group shot: herself, Keiko, Yusuke, Botan, Kuwabara, Yukina, Kurama, Genkai, Kuwabara's sister – what was her name again? Oh yeah, Shizuru – Kamiko, and Hiei pretending that he wasn't in the picture.
"Don't worry, Keiko; those guys have been through hell together, and they've always come out on top. This is just a trip to Spirit World for information; they'll be back with the results."
They'd better report back – after all, it's my shape that had gotten stuck in one mode, not just Hiei's third eye getting stolen!
Keiko sighed as she set the picture down again. "I hope so."
