Lucky Penny
Summary – Playing a game of poker with Faith and Destiny can be a dangerous task, especially when they control the hands. Two souls, thrown into a world of twists and turns, take their chance in this game against the gods. With so many out to kill the young and talented duo, childhood friends Kagome and Kurama must fight their way through the trials in hopes of making it out alive.
Rated – T – M (Mild Violence) (Medium Sexual Themes) (Mild Language) (Medium Blood and Gore)
Disclaimer: Do you really have to ask? No I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or InuYasha. The prophecy below however, I made that up, pretty well if I do say so myself.
WARNING: This fic will get dark closer to the end...real...dark. Like...
Black, like...
Black as night, black as pitch, blacker then the foulest witch.
Yeah, that kind of dark.
-x-x-x-
Chapter Two – Don't Get Caught
-x-x-x-
Eons ago, a prophecy was made that foretold the future of a single soul.
A female immortal would be placed among the human world, memories erased and body remade until the time of her rebirth.
And so the prophecy goes,
Into the grotto of the
Spring of the peachblossom
Invite the Immortal one.
She who is born on the night of the Beast
Will be tested for the right of her Immortal name,
Redemption
6.6.6
-x-x-x-
Kagome sat with Shuichi eating lunch on the roof their elementary school. Both were in first grade. Kagome was now five years old and Shuichi was six.
"Nai, Shui-Chan, what are we going to do today, I'm bored." He looked up from a Herbology book and looked over to her. A forgotten spoon lay limp in his mouth.
Kagome laughed as she pointed at the spoon.
"Hm?" He looked at the tip of the spoon and blushed. Pulling the spoon out, he put it in his Bento Box.
"You forgot you were eating again." She said still laughing.
"It's not that funny." She stopped laughing.
"Alright, so what are we doing, I'm bored and I don't want to go to anymore of my classes. Math and Reading is all that's left anyways." Shuichi nodded in agreement.
"I chose last week, it's your turn."
"Hmm, you feel up to painting?" Shuichi looked questioningly at her but didn't say anything as he watched her close both of their Bento's and put them in their bags before standing.
"Come on. We will need paint and lots of it." They made their way to the art room and checked to se if anyone was inside.
"It's clear." Shuichi said before they snuck into the workroom and grabbed one of the tables for pants that moved on wheels. The placed tub after tub of paint on the paint table along with large paint brushes and pushed it up to the door. Shuichi checked the hall before they pushed the basket like table out into the hallway and out the school doors.
"So where are we going?" Shuichi asked as they received odd stares from passerbies.
"We're going to that new rich guy's house. We can't do this now so we will just drop it off in a safe place. Tonight however, we are painting a house." Shuichi's eyes widened slightly.
'Mother's going to kill me if she catches wind of this.'
'Grow a backbone human.'
'What, who's that...hello? I must have just imagined that.'
"Shui-Chan, you okay?"
"Huh, oh I'm fine."
"Good, that's the house." She said pointing at a big white house that already had four people painting it.
"Good, that will ensure ladders for us."
"Kags that's huge. There is no way we can finish it all tonight, and we can't return tomorrow night because we will get caught."
"Well, we can't leave it half done. We just can't get caught."
'She's gonna kill me one day.'
'I like her style.'
'YOU AGAIN! Who are you?'
'Hm, not that it matters but my name is Youko Kurama.'
"Alright, this will do." Shuichi tried to ignore the superior sounding voice in his head as he helped Kagome hide the paint in nearby bushes then push the table back in the wood area.
"Let's go get something to drink at the smoothie and milkshake place." Shuichi nodded and followed the girl who was only a year younger then him.
-x-x-x-
9:00 at night.
Kagome tapped on his window and she watched as he came to the window with a backpack. She had one herself. She watched as he opened the window and hopped down before the two ran off into the night and up to the man's house.
"Ready?" Kagome asked in a whisper. Shuichi nodded and the grabbed a bucket of paint each and started on a wall each. They were both dressed in black. The only things really standing out were their eyes and Shuichi's hair.
'We are so dead.' Kurama thought as he painted panel after panel of the house in forest green. Kagome was on the wall around the corner painting it royal violet.
It was 1 in the morning by the time they finished the first two walls and started on the last two with Sunset Orange paint on the third side of the house and a Sky Blue on the fourth and last wall.
'This is surprisingly easier then I thought.' Shuichi looked at the sky, it was still dark out. The sun wouldn't rise for a few more hours. He continued painting until the sun was peeking over Mount Fuji. He looked down and noticed he was almost done, one panel left. Finishing up quickly he placed both his hands and feet on the side of the ladder and slid down. He ran to the other side to find Kagome yawning as she stretched. She had finished two. It actually looked good, though the man who lived there was probably going to freak.
"Kagome, let's clean up." She nodded and the two went to putting the paint and brushes along with the empty tubs on the art table before taking their black clothes off, revealing normal clothes. Kagome sat down on the ground and almost fell asleep there.
"Kagome," Kagome opened her eyes a bit and saw Shuichi crouching in front of her, slowly and wearily she made her way onto his back. He placed his hands under her legs before standing and walking off towards his home, he helped Kagome inside before he climbed in and shut the window. He looked at the clock which read 7:08 and sighed.
'I guess we could skip class today and sleep instead.' He climbed into bed next to the sleeping Kagome.
-x-x-x-
2 hours later
"Shuichi?" A soft female voice called from the other side of his door. Kagome peeked open an eye. Shuichi's arms wrapped securely around her shoulders, her head lay gently on his chest. She heard the door open and a small gasp, and then she heard 'tiptoeing' and refrained from sighing. The last thing she heard was Shuichi's mom whispering before drifting off back to sleep.
Only to be woken up ten minutes later...
"Shuichi dear,"
"Kagome, sweet heart, wake up."
"Gome!"
"Mm, mom?" Kagome looked up and saw her mother standing there with a smile, Souta sat on her hip.
'She obviously doesn't know yet.'
Shuichi opened his eyes tiredly, trying to keep them open long enough to see what was going on.
"Time for school you two." They both groaned at the mention of school.
"Sick, can't go to school, bad idea." Kagome mumbled.
"Oh, then why are you with Shuichi?" Her mother asked in that 'I don't believe a word your saying but I'm going to go along with it anyway' tone.
"Ichi" Souta said happily, trying to grab a lock of Shuichi's hair.
"He's sick too."
"Oh, well then, if you two are sick then that means you have to stay in bed all day and you can't go to the pool when we take Souta." Her mother said in an attempt to get her daughter 'healthy again.
"Okay, can we have soup later, our throat's hurt." The two mothers sighed.
"Shiori, what are Shuichi's grades?" Kagome's mother asked Shuichi's mom.
"Uh, he is making all A's. Why?"
"Kagome has one B and the rest A's, so, I suppose it will be okay to let them sleep in. Though, you two will be telling us why you are so tired when we get back from the pool later." Kagome smirked.
"Take a walk to the park if you are that curious." Kagome said before falling back to sleep.
"Well, if I wasn't a second ago, I am now." Shuichi heard his mother say before walking out with Rai and Souta.
Shuichi looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms.
'So weird, she loves when people know about the pranks we pull, always has.'
'She doesn't want others taking credit for her work. Maybe she should make an insignia.'
'Insignia? You mean like signature of recognition, right?'
'Big words for a six year old, but yes.'
'Can I ask you a question Youko?'
'You just did, but go ahead and ask your question.'
'What are you? Surely you are not my conscience. Just yesterday you were telling me to grow a backbone and go through with Kagome's prank.'
'I have already told you my name. I am a Spirit Fox, a demon. You see, when I was alive I was the most feared thief in Makai, but I got carless in one of my escapades and was given a fatal injury. In a last attempt to live I pushed my soul from my body and into a pregnant woman, your mother. Now my soul resides within you.'
'Oh, so it's not strange that I'm holding a conversation in my head?'
'Nope, it's completely normal. I bet your friend has conversations with some anonymous soul all the time, normal.'
'Your sarcasm isn't needed. If you will excuse me, I'm going to sleep.' With that said Shuichi blocked out Youko and fell asleep.
-x-x-x-
It was around 3:00 when Shiori and Rai got back from the pool. They had taken a walk to the park and were shocked to see the paparazzi outside of the most colorful house they had ever seen. It was at that time Rai knew what they had done.
"UP! Kagome get up."
"You to Shuichi."
They sat up wide awake, knowing their parents were mad.
"You are going to apologize to the old man that lives there, both of you." Rai said, trying to keep hold of Souta who was trying to get to his older sister. It was no secret that the baby loved his sister. He tried to follow her and Shuichi everywhere.
"Yes ma'am." They said together. Walking out of the house they walked down the sidewalk still slightly tiered. Making their way to the house they almost laughed. Kids were practically begging their parents to take them to the 'funny clown's' house.
They walked up to the door and Kagome knocked three times. Someone opened the door.
"Yes? Are you here about the house?" The old man asked kindly. Suddenly Kagome felt a wave of guilt hit her full force.
"S-sort of, sir." Kagome said, calming slightly when Shuichi took her hand in hers.
"You seem scared." The old man said.
"Well, you see. We were the ones that snuck into your yard late last night and painted your house. Please don't be mad at Shuichi though, it was my idea." Shuichi stared in shock as she took the blame for the prank.
Rai and Shiori stood with Souta, watching them, making sure they apologized.
"Haha, my goodness, you are very brave. I would have been too scared to climb ladders at night, especially as high as you did. It was so dark, yet you did a fine job painting. I should thank you. My grand kids love it." He pointed towards three little kids chasing after each other. They looked to be four, four and three. The twins were one boy and one girl, the three year old was a little girl.
"So, you're not mad?" She asked.
"Nope, your parents must be proud, you two are very artistic. Brave too. I remember when I pulled a prank on my neighbor. We completely deflowered her garden and mailed them to her at her job. I never apologized, got too scared."
"How did you mail all those flowers to her?" Kagome asked in awe.
'Great, give her more ideas.'
'I won't complain.'
"It wasn't easy, took a lot of stamps." The three laughed as they talked a little longer. Then, saying goodbye the duo turned around and headed off towards their mothers and Souta.
"Since no harm was done Kagome I will cut your punishment down. You're grounded for two weeks." Kagome looked down at the ground.
"Yes mama."
"You too Shuichi, since you went along with it, two weeks. However, you both still have to go to school. This doesn't accuse you from it."
"Yes mother."
The two families went their separate ways.
"Kagome, go take a bath, then come down and eat dinner. After that you will do your chores and go to your room for the rest of the night."
"Yes mama." Kagome grabbed a pair of dark blue flannel PJ's that had little silver moons and stars. She started the water and made sure it was warm before undressing and climbing in.
-x-x-x-
"Shuichi, I want you to take a shower then come eat dinner, and then you will do your homework. You will spend the rest of the night in your room."
"Of course, mother." Follow his mothers instructions he grabbed a pair of green boxers and a white wife beater before turning the faucet on. He stripped off his dirty clothes and climbed inside to take a warm shower, washing the dirt out of his hair.
-x-x-x-
Kagome dried off and dressed. She went downstairs and ate dinner before doing the dishes. When she finished she gave Souta a quick kiss on the forehead before walking upstairs to her room. She sat down on her window sill and stared up at the full moon.
-x-x-x-
Kurama dressed then grabbed his blow dryer and went to drying his hair. When he finished he went to the kitchen and ate the food that sat on the table ready for him. When he finished he laced it in the sink where his mother stood doing the dishes.
Kurama walked into his room and started working on his homework, biology. It was his best subject. For some reason, he could make anything grow. He finished up quickly before putting his homework away and sitting on the window seal.
-Sigh-
'What's wrong with you?'
'I want to cheer Kagome up, but I can't leave.'
'Pull a seed from the base of your hair.'
'Pull a what?'
'A seed, look, just do it.'
Kurama was uncertain if he should be listening to voices in his head, but none the less, he brought his fingers to the nape of his neck and into his hair, where he...pulled out a seed.
'It's a seed. I just washed my hair though.'
'You can't just wash them out. They grow from your hair. Now, here's what you've got to do...'
-x-x-x-
Kagome was about to go to bed when something tapped at her shoulder. She turned to see a green vine holding a rose and a letter. She took both before hesitantly holding her hand out for the vine. It wrapped around her waist once before leaving out through the window.
'Odd.'
She opened the letter first and read its contents.
Dear Kags,
Hope you feel better. I didn't want you to be sad so I thought this would lighten your mood. Hope you sleep well. Oh, Youko say's high.
Shui-Chan
"Youko?" She looked at the rose with light blue petals that she held in her hands. She quietly snuck into the kitchen and filled a small vase with water before sneaking back into her room and placing the vase with the rose on her desk.
"Thanks Shui-Chan."
-x-x-x-
Me: Hope you enjoy this chapter. The story is going to be slow during the ages 8 (Kagome) and 9 (Shuichi A.K.A - Kurama) then again at 15 (Kagome) and 16 (Shuichi A.K.A - Kurama)
Envy: The next chapter will be up soon, please Read and Review.
Jakotsu: -Looks back and fourth- Eh?
