Anemone
By: oONekomataOo
Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.
Warnings: OOCness, Maaya-bashing, mild language, and flirty bats.
EDIT: I'm not changing any of the words, but writing this as a second warning of sorts. No matter how flirty Kuro' sounds, this fic WILL NOT be yaoi or shonen ai. Kuronue's just joking and/or being (too) friendly. Some readers sounded worried, so I'm just clearing it up here as well. I should have the third chappie up shortly.
Neko: Thanks for all the positive feedback for the first chapter of Anemone! Kuronue's one of my favorite charas, so I love writing him. Hell, he's one of only 4 reasons why I watch the YYH movie. The other three being: Kurama's bathing scene (stupid shadows!), Some of the battles (the Hiei fight was pretty cool), and the unintended humor (I fall over laughing every time at the cheesyness of The Walk to challenge what's-his-name…Yakumo, and his cronies to a Final Showdown). Hee, hee, hee…
------Respose To Reviewers------
Neko: Ok, I'm going to explain a few things quick. First off, Kuronue's new appearance (because I was kinda vague in the first chappie!) I imagined Kuroji as a tall and lean guy, with blue eyes and semi-long black hair. Grr, that hair is a pain in the ass to describe…
Kuro: Thanks a lot.
Neko: Uh…Anyone read DNAngel? Think Dark's hair, but not quite as long...or stylish. Er, what's another good reference…?
Kuro: (tugs hair) I dunno.
Neko: Fine, fine…I'll draw a pic and post it on dA, sometime. Secondly! Kuronue's reincarnation/rebirth thingy! I'll be the first to admit that something similar has been done before (You can only find so many creative ways to bring back the dead), but other than him being reincarnated like Youko, going to school with Kurama, and eventually meeting the Tantei & Co., I'll try to keep things different from other fics. I've only had the time to read a few Kuronue stories on but will do my best to not copy something that's already been done. Granted, I'm sure some things will be similar to other Kuro' fics you've already read, most of the school-related things here will be based off of events that actually happened in The World Outside My Laptop. With a few crazy things that could only happen to an equally crazy koumori thrown in as well, of course.
Kuro: (blinks) That was….really long.
Neko: Meh. Needed to be said. Oh, and to answer your question Sora Sotara,
Kuro: The "creatures" I was referring to in Chap. 1 was anything falling under the category of "Lizard," not my ningen siblings. Although with the way they act sometimes…
Neko: You should have stated that better.
Kuro: You're the one typing this, Cat!
Neko: Touché… On with the fic!
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I woke up and the hateful thing that is my school uniform glared menacingly at me w/its maroon hues and gold trim.
It's not fair, it really isn't. Had I not transferred into Meiou, I wouldn't have to go through their stupid Welcome Week for freshmen and new students held two weeks before the actual semester started. I mean, it's still technically summer, for the love of all things shiny! I'd planned on sleeping in!
Snarling a few curses in Makaain to the idiot that designed the uniform as well as the idiot that invented school, I made my way to the bathroom. I flicked on the light, and was temporarily blinded by the overhead light and white porcelain. Mr. Clean obviously has something against me. You really can't trust a guy that uses the same stuff to clean toilets on his freakishly white teeth.
White was so going to be my least favorite color…..Right after Meiou-Maroon.
Grumbling, I returned to my room and put on the offensive uniform and then looking in the mirror to survey the damage. Bad idea. And for future reference, I look about as good in pink as I do in a chicken suit.
I scratched the back of my head. Pity, that Kuroji has such short hair. If I was in my true form, I could at least wear my hair down and hide part of this stupid outfit. Ugh. Some days I'd still wake up feel the back of my head and panic that half my hair got chopped off in my sleep. When I was younger, Hazuki always got a kick outta the screams and fell over laughing when I went through that whole Running-Around-The-House-Screaming-"Youko!! What the hell did you do to my gorgeous hair, you damned Kitsune?!"-At-The-Top-Of-My-Lungs-Phase.
I gelled the longer strands of my bangs to cover my face more than usual to save what little dignity I had left….which was probably about the width of my fingernail by now.
As soon as I got to the stairs, I glanced around quick. Even in my drowsy Half-Awake, Half-Coma state of mind, I know enough to check for Iro. Ever since Hana took him off the pills, I swear he's been trying to kill me. The hallway was lizardless. Good.
Before I made my journey to the bus stop, I swung by the kitchen for some breakfast. The way I figured was that ice cream topped off with pixie stix would help keep me awake for at least half of the boring speech I was sure the principal would give us. As I got closer to the doorway, I smelled smoke.
Hazuki must be up.
"Mornin' Mom," I greeted her.
"Good morning, hon—!"
Now upon seeing their own son's disgracing themselves by wearing the most hideous school uniform known to mankind, most mothers would somehow keep smiling, give them a hug, and tell them how handsome they look. They might even manage to throw in a couple words of encouragement if they had already gotten some coffee into their system to help them anticipate the shock.
But no,…not Hazuki.
"Oh my god, what are you wearing, Kuroji?!" she yelled in shock.
"My school uniform," I seethed. "The one I'm required to wear."
The shock had quickly turned to laughter.
"You look like a plum that's been out in the sun too long!" she giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're seriously going out in public like that?!"
"A good Mom would've given me kind words of support and a special Back-To-School-Breakfast," I growled.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" she sputtered between gasping for air and clutching the counter for support. "Have a Pop-Tart."
And with that, a burnt Pop-Tart was shoved into my mouth.
"I can't even begin to guess what flavor this originally was."
"Now don't say that! It's your special Back-To-School-Breakfast!"
"Gee thanks, I'll remember this when it's time to put you in a home."
"You think you're gonna live another forty years, boy?"
I hate it when she has a point, but the victory dance she does right after is just salt in the wound. Hazuki's laughter followed me all the way to the bus stop. At least my day couldn't get that much worse right?
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I was wrong. Horribly wrong.
As soon as I got to Meiou's gates, I fought the immediate urge to run back home. Nevermind the fact that it was nine miles away. I was in good shape, and I'm sure the horror that was beginning to build up inside me would be a great motivator.
Freshman flooded the front grounds in crazy packs all comparing schedules, giggling amongst themselves, and running around like they were at the funny farm. Maybe I had made a wrong turn somewhere…?
"Ow!" shrieked a voice behind me. "Watch where you're going!"
"Well, next time you feel like colliding with my back, you could give me a little warning," I shot back, turning around to see my attacker.
"What'd you say?!" the girl screamed at me.
You know all those TV shows about high school where the entire female cast are drop-dead gorgeous, the guys are either super-buff or super-sexy, and both genders are accompanied by enough glitter to make you worry about them being radioactive? They lie. In real life, not all of the cast look like they just walked off the runway. Unless they had just stepped off the runway and were run over by a cement truck.
This little spazz was no different. Although she had her hair done up in a fashionable bun and was even wearing 24-carret diamond earrings (Yes, I can tell. I'm a thief, remember?), she was wearing way too much body-spray, about ten tons of foundation, and seemed anything but charming.
"Do you even know who I am?!" demanded the girl.
"No, but I have a feeling you'll tell me anyway," I replied without interest.
"I am Ichiwassou Maaya, Chief-Coordinator of the Welcoming Ceremony Committee!" Maaya boasted proudly.
"Right," I shrugged. "Look, Itchweed, when I actually start caring, I'll let you know, 'kay?"
But she wouldn't let me leave.
"And just who are you?" Itchweed asked.
I wondered if she knew her voice squeaked when she got angry.
"Alright, Itchweed, I'll let you in on a little secret," I whispered. "I'm not really a high school student…"
"Wh-What?" she stuttered, caught off-guard.
"Yeah, I'm really working for the JSDF to capture a serial killer that may be attending this school,"
"You're lying," the little coordinator said unsurely.
"Nope, according to the reports, the killer is a female around the age of 16, kinda short, and has a tendency to wear rotten fruit-scented perfumes, but that's not the strangest part…"
"What do you mean?"
Had her attention now.
"Instead of taking lives….she takes eardrums," I nodded. "This sick freak likes to deafen people with her nails on a chalkboard voice."
"WHAT?"
"It's true! Her name's Maaya Itchweed!"
"You insufferable little--!"
Swing and miss! Thank you demon reflexes!
"Catch ya later, Itchweed!" I waved as I strolled off, leaving the cranky coordinator to fume.
It only took me about twelve seconds later to realize exactly why I did come to this school.
"Hello, ladies…" I grinned, walking over to a group of three girls that probably could have been cast into one of those high school shows I mentioned earlier. "Have you always been this cute, or did you have to work at it?"
I was met by a chorus of giggles and smiles. Yep. Still got it.
Or at least I did before the intercom crackled to life.
"Attention students, will you all make your way to the auditorium in an orderly fashion, please. I repeat…"
Can't let that put me off, now can I?
"Hey," I said in a deeper voice. "Would any of you care to sit by me?"
I was promptly dragged off to wherever the hell the Aud. was, by three pairs of hormonally-driven hands.
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"And that is why we do not switch the school's garden plants with carnivorous ones…" the principal droned on.
We must have been here an hour already, and he still wasn't halfway through the school rules and policies. The three girls I sat with had already fallen asleep, I was pretty sure I'd be next.
"The brewing or production of alcoholic beverages in the chemistry labs is strictly prohibited…"
"The distribution of said alcoholic beverages under the name of 'Gatorade' is also a violation of policy…"
A few decades later, the fat man finally stopped and wished us well on our first year. His secretary took over the mic again, and told us all to return to the courtyard to find our school guides.
"You'll be assigned a guide based on the last two digits of your student ID. All students with 20's and lower will meet by the fountain, 30's – 40's will meet by the field house…"
I looked at my own ID. It ended in a '13.'
"This really won't be my day, will it?" I asked myself.
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Back outside, I was forced to bid a tearful farewell to three ningen girls that sat with me. Well, at least they were crying. Maybe I should have gotten their names? Oh, well.
Now from the five minutes of the Principal's lecture I actually listened to, I learned that I'd have my own School Guide person all to myself because I'm one of only about five transfer students. Apparently, they figure that we know what the hell a locker is and how to open it without being held by the hand, so they let us skip a few of the activities designed for freshmen. Thank God. One less thing I have to put up with on the Tour de Meiou. Now if my School Guide is hot, I think I might actually be able to make it through the week.
Where was I supposed to meet them again? Oh, right. The fountain. Perfect. If I get stuck with that Itchweed as my School Guide, I'll be able to do the school a favor and drown one of us before the festivities begin.
With that happy thought in mind, I strolled over to the fountain with grin on my face. One of the teachers presiding over the event gave me a glare that would make lower class demons think twice about eating humans. Bitch. I was mentally calculating all the ways I could sneak a box full of frogs into her classroom before she even opened the door, when yet another person ran into me.
What was it with people crashing into me today? I thought this school was for the gifted, not the walking-challenged.
"Terribly sorry," a voice apologized.
"Hey, don't worry about it," I said as I turned around. At least he actually sounded sorry. "Are you one of the--"
I couldn't help but laugh at the guy. He looked like the type of person that could give you an hour long lecture about Lord of the Rings followed by another about Star Wars. But that's not what made me laugh. What cracked me up was the way his face resembled that of….a fish?
This is what happens when I get sleep-deprived. I'll notice something that would normally not even get a chuckle and find it hilarious.
"I'm Kaito Yuu," he stated in a bored tone while re-adjusting his thick glasses.
"Yes, Fish-boy, I can see that." I got out in between laughs.
"I take it you just broke out of the asylum one town over?" Kaito said with a raised eyebrow, clearly not getting it.
Geez, you'd think that somebody that got into Meiou would notice if one of their parent's were part-fish. Were all the upperclassmen this stuffy?
"I'm still waiting on my School Guide," I explained. "Please tell me you're not him."
"Well, you'll be waiting a little longer then," the Fish snorted. "I'm just supervising."
I threw a quick prayer of appreciation up heavenward. Who in their right mind would want to be shown around Meiou by some nerd that had the sense of humor of a dead fish? I wanted a cute girl, dammit!
"I believe this is my assigned transfer student?" Someone behind me asked.
…..Okay. I could settle for a cute guy instead.
I took one look at my "School Guide" and blinked. Red hair and green eyes? Was this guy even Japanese? Well, I guess I couldn't talk since my own eyes were blue, but still…
"You speak English?" I said in a horrible English accent as he came over.
"You speak Japanese?" replied the guide with a grin.
Finally, someone here with a sense of humor, bless his heart.
"I'm Minamino Shuiichi," he smiled. "You're Akatsuki Kuroji, correct?"
"Did it hurt?" I asked him seriously.
"Did what hurt?" Shuiichi asked, confused.
"When you fell out of heaven," I finished with a smirk before turning to the confused Fish-boy. "Make sure you write that down, you might actually be able to use it someday after spiking someone's drink."
Kaito's brain managed to register that he'd been insulted during his shock that people actually still used that cheap pick-up line. He scowled at me and stomped off. Shuiichi just laughed.
"So where did you transfer from?"
"Well, depending on the season, I'd have to say either the Sahara or Siberia."
"I see…Kyoto, then?"
"Right-o."
"It must be hard, leaving your old city behind," he said with real sympathy.
"Nah, I'm getting used to it," I replied. "The food's pretty good, here."
He laughed again.
I guarantee you, that's one of the first things you'll notice about Shuiichi. After you're done drooling over his long red hair and elegant eyes, you'll notice that he's actually talking to you. If you haven't fainted in bliss by then, you probably will when you hear the sound of his voice.
What really got me was his accent. It's not totally obvious, but when I'd listen closely I could hear some kind of faint accent under his pronounced and articulate "Tokyo-ese." What I couldn't figure out is why it sounded so familiar. Be damned if I could place it though. Maybe he was from a different part of Japan or something.
"We can start with a tour of the building, tour of the campus grounds, or get your ID card. Any preference?" asked Shuiichi.
"Where will there be less freshmen?" I answered seriously.
"Already had a traumatic experience?" he smirked.
I remembered all the hyperactive first years running when I came in and then the unfortunate experience of running into Itchweed.
"You could say that…"
"Let's see then, the majority of the freshman groups start out getting their tour of the building and campus before the lunch break," he said.
"Then lead the way to the ID office!" I grinned.
And so he did. I was glad we came when we did too, the wait was only about five minutes until I was a proud, card-bearing Meiou junior. Okay, maybe "proud" was stretching it, it's hard to feel anything but embarrassment when you're forced to wear a maroon uniform to school five days a week.
"Hey, Shuiichi?" I said, not even bothering with formality.
"Yes?"
"How the hell do you guys put up with these uniforms?"
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Next we started on the grand Tour de Meiou. Only I got the special No Freshmen Tour. Basically, Shuiichi took me to the fourth floor (this school is effin' HUGE) and we worked backwards. Turns out the freshman tour guides were required to follow a strict schedule, and by starting on the fourth floor, then going to the third, skipping the second and going straight to the first floor, before returning to the second floor, we could almost completely avoid the other tour groups. Smart guy, that Shuiichi.
"The fourth floor is mostly advanced placement courses," explained Shuiichi. "Unlike most of the other floors, it doesn't have a major field of study centered here. Although there's a few underclassmen that have AP classes, it's mostly juniors and seniors that have class up here."
"I'll have to remember that when I'm fleeing from Itchweed, then," I laughed.
"Itchweed…?" the redhead replied.
"Oh, just some psycho-bitch freshmen that wants me dead."
"That's…nice."
"Yeah," I shrugged. "I don't think I'm taking too many AP classes though, so I'll have to think of some other clever excuse to come up here."
"Well, not all the AP classes are held here either." Shuiichi said. "Most of the science classes are in the labs on the third floor."
"So what else is there on the fourth floor?" I asked him.
"Not too much…" he mused. "There's a student lounge at the end of the hallway, but every floor has one."
"Fancy."
We continued on to the third floor and visited a few classrooms. Shuiichi was right about all the lab rooms (not that I was expecting him to lie about them). There were at least twenty-five classrooms on the floor and half of them were science rooms.
"This is one of the chemistry rooms," my school guide explained. "Here all the Chem rooms are on the right side of the hallway and all the Bio rooms are on the left."
As to be expected of Meiou, everything here looked state of the art. One section of the room was set up with a whiteboard and a group of desks for classroom discussions and demonstrations, while the other part had long metal tables with lab equipment. I poked one of the Bunsen burners imagining all the chaos I could cause….accidentally, of course. I wondered if they'd let me take another Chem class since I had taken one my sophomore year in Kyoto. A Bunsen burner, a strip of magnesium, and a half-blind geezer for a teacher made for some of my fondest memories in Kyoto. I must have been really zoned out, because Shuiichi had to wave his hand in front of my face to get my attention.
"Let's go look at the other classrooms, shall we?"
If the Chem labs weren't enough to amaze me, the Bio labs definitely were.
"They let you keep snakes?!" I practically squealed. "That is the coolest thing ever!"
I tapped the glass of a cobra's cage. It uncoiled itself and blinked at me.
"Yes, one of the teachers owns an animal rescue shelter and always brings them in for the animal behaviors chapter," explained Shuiichi.
But I barely heard him. I was way too caught up in plotting how to best use these animals in my evil little schemes. Upon further inspection, I also discovered that they kept rats, mice, crickets, fish, frogs, and my personal favorite, the king-sized crab perched on a rock in one of the fish tanks. (Yes, I liked the crab more than the crickets. Just because I'm a koumori, doesn't mean I share all their eating habits). Trust me, if you're planning to freak people out at school by setting an animal loose, use the crabs. They're easier to sneak out than snakes and if they're much bigger than your hand, nobody will want to touch them.
I grinned. This crab was bigger than my head.
"Would you like to see what the student lounges look like?" asked Shuiichi with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure," I smiled.
This guy was on to me.
Turns out the lounges here aren't half bad. They all have two couches, two cushioned chairs, and three wooden tables with standard school chairs for group meetings. In the corner was a vending machine and according to my red-haired guide, got great wireless connection. I still can't get over the fact that someplace this big could be totally wireless.
Shuiichi checked his watch and motioned me to the elevator.
"I'm about as eager as you are to get mauled by the freshman groups, so we're going to skip the second floor for now," he said. "We can come back to it after we're done looking at the first floor. That way all the other groups should at least be on the third floor."
I nodded my head. Good looking out, man. I was really grateful that this guy was my guide instead of some bossy little prick that would probably get us lost amongst a swarm of first-years. Shuiichi seemed relatively easy to get along with too. He may prove to be a valuable ally in my stand against the principal and these god-awful uniforms. Yes…first I'd take over Meiou, then this city, then…a bigger city, and then…an even bigger city, and then….the WORLD!!
"…Akatsuki? Are you alright?"
"Huh?" I snapped out of my daydream. "What'd you say?"
Shuiichi chuckled a bit.
"Zoning out?" he asked.
"Eheh…sorry," I scratched my head. "Habit."
"I see," he smiled. "You remind me of someone I used to know a long time ago."
I blinked while he tried to stifle another laugh.
But his eyes weren't smiling.
"Let's start off at the main office…"
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Let it be known that the first floor is officially my least favorite of the five. (There's a weight room and indoor track in the basement that was supposed to stay locked up until later in the week). It not only has the main office, the attendance office, the principal's office, the cafeteria, and the main gym. Oh, no, it also has the Art wing, the Music wing, and the Drama wing. It took us forever to get to them all! No wonder we had gotten through two floors in the time it took most of the freshmen tour groups just to get to the second floor.
I could already hear my stomach growling by the time we got to the elusive second floor Library and Language classrooms. The school Library took up a good half the floor (which is saying a lot, given the size of this place) and took quite awhile to get through. I'm pretty sure Shuiichi could tell I was getting hungry, because instead of taking me into all of the different classrooms, he just told me that if I could imagine any language or writing class, I could probably find it on this floor. He then just stuck to showing me the classroom that I would probably have my English class in.
"And….it's lunchtime!" grinned the red-head as he checked his watch again.
"Thank god!" I cheered.
"Oh, it's too bad you feel that way about the tour," he smirked. "The second part starts right after lunch."
"What?!" I shouted. "I don't mind you giving me the tour, but seeing all these classrooms and imagining myself working in them's starting to depress me! I thought you said we were done anywa--"
"I was joking," Shuiichi said simply while walking by me and patting my shoulder.
I blinked. He got me. That little jerk actually got me!
"I am so getting you back for that!" I yelled as I ran to catch up with him, smile on my face.
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We decided to once more avoid the swarm of freshmen all crammed into the cafeteria, and took our lunches outside. Shuiichi showed me his favorite spot to eat lunch in relative peace—a large oak tree on the edges of the school grounds.
It was a good location, I must admit. Hidden enough to keep the fangirls away, yet close enough to the school, so that you can still keep an eye on what was going on. Plus, there was a nice breeze today which helped improve my mood drastically. The two of us opened our lunches and started to eat while talking about Kyoto and Tokyo.
Lunch went okay until a midget fell from the sky.
And I mean this literally.
A small child jumped (?) from the tree Shuiichi and I were sitting by, and immediately started babbling something about missions, baby chipmunks, and idiots.
"Uh, Hiei, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now, would it be possible for me to listen to how you barbequed Kuwabara later?" Shuiichi asked.
The kid snorted a "Who is this, Kitsune?" before glaring at me.
I could already tell we weren't going to see eye to eye on a lot of things. And not just because I was a good two feet taller.
"This is Akatsuki Kuroji, the transfer student that I'm showing around this week," Shuiichi informed him, then turned to me. "Akatsuki, this is Hiei. He's a friend of mine."
The Hiei kid "Hn'd" at this and cast another glare in my direction. What kind of reply was that anyway? I've gotten better responses out of rocks than—holy shit, what was the midget doing?
I could have sworn I saw something glow under his white bandanna. I thought I felt a small burst of you-ki as well. There's no way this brat could be a youkai was there?
"He seems….strange," the kid said. "I don't like him, Kitsune."
"Hiei…" chided Shuiichi.
"Nah, it's cool," I reassured him. "I'm not real fond of tree-rats with dark secrets anyway."
The kid looked startled for a moment, before giving me a deathglare, and vanishing as quickly as he came.
"Damn, he can really move, huh?"
"Yeah," the red-head said with a sigh of relief.
"But what's up with that name that he called you?" I asked. "'Kitsune,' was it?"
"Oh, just a nickname," he smiled with just the slightest sense of unease.
"Good, 'cause that's what I'm gonna call you too," I grinned. "Okay, Kitsune?"
"Uh…"
"Glad we have that settled!" I said biting into an apple (one of the few things that Hazuki couldn't poison, surprisingly). "You sure know some interesting people."
"That's…one way to put it," sweatdropped the redhead.
As we were talking, I noticed that "Kitsune" as I now called him spoke clear Japanese as always, but his accent sounded stronger. Come to think of it, that kid had a similar one too, it was just a little harder to pick up on.
I tried to listen better while my guide spoke. His accent was still there, flowing right over me. It sounded so familiar, but I still couldn't place it. This was going to drive me nuts.
"Oi, Kitsune?" I interjected. "I know you said you're Japanese, but were you born in Tokyo or did you move here from someplace else? Hokkaido, maybe?"
Kistune gave me a strange look.
"No, I was born here."
"Really? Cause you kinda sound like you have an accent or something." I shrugged. "It sorta sounds familiar, but I'm not sure where I heard it before."
Kitsune blinked at me a few times.
"Okay, maybe Hokkaido wasn't the best guess, but I've never been up that far north and have no clue what they sound like."
"Then why do you think it sounds familiar?"
Now I blinked a few times. He had me there.
"Uh…" I oh-so eloquently countered. "Yeah, good point. Sorry, had a dumbass attack there."
We both laughed and continued our lunch until the bell signaling the second half of the day rang. Time for more fun. This time in the form of another boring assembly wherein Principal Gan would tell us about all the upcoming "exciting" and "neat" activities planned for us during the rest of the week. Be still, my heart.
Oh, well. At least I'd get to sit by Kitsune. He probably wouldn't fall asleep on me. Hmm, not that it would be the end of the world if he did…
"Akatsuki? Are you coming?"
I pulled myself out of my thoughts long enough to respond with a "Yeah."
As soon as we got there, I was having second thoughts. They have got to be pumping sleeping gas through that muffled air conditioner of theirs. I had been fine outside, but the second I sat down in one of the cushioned chairs in the Auditorium, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. The last thing I remember was cracking some joke about the Principal's "hair" to Kitsune before falling prey to the evil sleep faeries that I'm sure were dancing above my head.
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I woke up to something jabbing me in the ribs. I half-consciously swung my fist around until it connected with something that gave out a loud squawk. Probably that damned lizard again. Doesn't he know by now just to let me sleep? How would he feel if he had to go to some stupid school event and….oh, shit.
I jolted awake with speed that even surprised me.
"Are you awake now, Akatsuki?"
I turned to face my school guide. He was still sitting in his chair. Good, maybe I hadn't been asleep for very long.
"What was that for, you monster?" cried another voice from the other side of me. This one did not sound happy.
I hesitantly faced it. Turns out it was Kaito, doubled over, clutching his face to stop a nosebleed. He was also glaring at me for some reason.
"What's up with you, Fish-boy?" I asked in a cheerful tone. "I'm flattered that I can even give uptight guys like you dirty thoughts, but I just can't return your feelings."
Kaito's glare increased tenfold.
"It would never have worked out between us anyway," I continued.
Steam seemed to come out of the nerd's ears.
"I might have considered ya, if you looked more like Kitsune or one of the chicks off of Japan's Next Top Model, but….the way you bear a strange resemblance to the sushi I had for lunch…."
Had I been paying better attention to Kaito, I would have heard something snap.
"I just don't think I could bear looking at you, much less date you," I laughed. "Especially with the way your veins keep pulsing like that….Is that normal?"
"SHUT UP!!"
The entire auditorium fell silent, or at least the twenty-five or so students waiting in line to leave fell silent. How long was I out? Freshmen glanced at Kaito then up at their shocked guides. The look on their faces screamed "Holy Crap, The Nerd Finally Snapped!" Thankfully there were hardly any teachers present. Not that it would have mattered—they were frozen in place too.
"Damn, Fishy. Spazz out much?"
"SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!!" he screamed back.
"Kaito, calm down," Kitsune interrupted, stepping between us. "This is not the place to start a fight."
"You saw what he did to me Shuiichi!" Kaito continued to scream, but in a quieter tone. "He's done nothing but insult me since he got here!"
Then it hit me. Fish-boy had rei-ki. Rei-ki that he had very little control of at the moment.
"If you create a scene here, you'll drag those bystanders into your little argument," the tall redhead said coldly. "You know well enough that I won't allow that."
Damn…Kitsune was freaking scary! I could have sworn I saw his eyes go gold for a second. Crazy how this Kitsune reminded me of another kitsune (and his damned deathplants) I had the pleasure of fleeing from whenever I pissed him off.
Well, apparently I wasn't the only one that thought so. Kaito backed off quite a bit and fidgeted under the redhead's gaze. His rei-ki diminished at the same time that I could feel some kind of pressure surround the three of us. It sent a chill down my spine. Could it be you-ki?
I didn't have time to track down who the hell was sending it out, because the bleeding Fish-boy stubbornly brushed past me and stormed out the doorway. Everyone followed him with their eyes and then I felt thier line of vision return to us.
"What's his problem?" I scowled.
"Well, you fell asleep during the announcements, and--"
"Crap!" I cursed. "I didn't snore or anything did I?"
"No, you didn't," Kitsune chuckled, seeming a lot less homicidal than he was twelve seconds ago. "I'm just grateful you didn't drool on my shoulder."
"I…I fell asleep on…your shoulder?" I stuttered, absently pointing to his shoulder.
At Kitsune's nod, I about died. That was not the plan. Why doesn't the world ever swallow you up when you really need it to? 'Cause this was definitely one of these times!
"Relax, the only one that really took notice was Kaito. He was trying to wake you up," he chuckled. "That is, until you punched him in the face."
"Oh," I sweatdropped. "So that was his problem."
We walked out after the last of the spectators.
"So…where to now?" I inquired.
"Home," Kitsune answered simply. "You missed Principal Gan dismissing us all during your nap."
"I was really out, huh?" I scratched my head.
"I'll see you tomorrow," waved my School Guide as he left through the school gates….only to be followed by a horde of giggling fangirls. Poor guy.
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"I'm home!" I shouted as I walked through the door and kicked off my shoes.
"Welcome home, Aniki!" Hana called from the kitchen.
"Is Mom, still at work?" I asked, walking through the doorway.
"Yep," nodded my little sister. "But she said she'd be back in time for dinner!"
"God help us," I muttered.
"You're just cranky because you had to get up early and go to school," laughed Hiro. "Nice uniform, by the way."
I turned to glare at my little brother at the counter. Just sitting there with his apple juice and his messy hair and his…his pajama pants?
"How long have you been up, you little bastard?!"
Hiro checked the wall clock with a grin.
"Well, let's see…it's almost four now, so…three hours?" he laughed.
If jealousy was tangible, I'd have a fucking Behemoth behind me right now.
"You suck," I growled, plopping down next to him.
Hana gave me a glass of juice out of pity.
"Oh, Hana!" I proclaimed. "You're the only sibling I like!"
"Flattery will get you nowhe—Ah! Iro!"
Out of absolutely nowhere the lizard came flying at my juice like he hadn't been fed all day. Did Hana forget to give him any human skulls to munch on? The stupid lizard then proceeded to lap up the spilled apple juice until there wasn't a drop left.
"Screw this!" I said, standing up. "I'm gonna go take a nap!"
I jogged up the stairs, the last sounds of Hana lecturing the Devilspawn fading once I got to the top.
Opening the door with my foot, I dropped my bookbag to the floor, and ripped off my uniform. I kicked it a few times for good measure. Stupid thing. Stupid maroon, self-esteem crushing thing. Grrr…Okay. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts…How about a little self-reflection?
The uniform will leave psychological scars that will only be healed with intense psychotherapy and a shredder. School food provides an excellent selection and much lower ammonia count than Hazuki food. Classes sound worse than Chinese torture methods. I have to get up early for this crap. Kitsune seems cool and will be there too. I have the makings of a ego-boosting group of cute fangirls forming, but Itchweed will probably try to disband them. Actually Itchweed will prove to be a problem of her own, but she, Fish-face, and that one teacher that looked at me wrong will be dealt with in time…heheheh. No, I don't hold grudges at all.
Overall it was a good day. School sucks and the uniforms are demeaning, but the food's good and the school guide is hot.
I sat down on my bed and fell against my pillows. It wasn't until I had closed my eyes and replayed the events in my head that I even realized Shuiichi had a Makaain accent.
----------------------------------------- END: Chap. 2
::A/N::
Neko: Oh…my…god…was that ever long! My brain hurts. (bashes head into desk)
Kuro: Quit whining. (points to text) You made me sound like a dumbass!
Neko: I call 'em, like I see 'em, Kuro-muu. And at three in the morning, you should be grateful you're even speaking in sentences.
Kuro: (crosses arms) How could I not figure out that Kitsune is Kurama? It's totally obvious, Cat!
Neko: Shut up, you'll figure it out really soon in the fic anyway.
Kuro: Sure, if you get off your ass soon enough to update.
Neko: (sticks tongue out)
Translation Corner------------------------
I tend to include foreign words in my fics, so you can see definitions here. If you see something that's wrong or that you want to add on, let me know so I can fix it.
Kuro (Jap.) "Black."
Kuroji (Jap.) "Being in the black."
Koumori (Jap.) "Bat"
Akatsuki (Jap.) "Daybreak" OR "Red Moon" (Thanks to Sora Sorato for pointing out the latter)
Aniki (Jap.) "Big Brother." This is one of the informal ways to say it.
-nii (Jap.) "Big Brother" Another informal way to say it.
Kitsune (Jap.) "Fox"
Youkai (Jap.) "Demon"
You-ki (Jap.) "Demon-Energy"
Rei-ki (Jap.) "Spirit-Energy"
Ki (Jap.) "Energy"
Oi (Jap.) "Hey"
Ichiwassou (Jap.) Two words I put together. The "Ichi" means "One" or "First" and the "Wassou" means "Weed". I know that this isn't Maaya's real last name (It's Yamada I think), but I grew fond of calling her "Itchweed" ("Ichi" kinda sounds like "Itch").
Yuu (Chi.) "Fish" among other things.
Gan (Jap.) "Cancer" OR "Wild Goose" OR "Gun". The principal's name would be written with the character for "cancer," (as in the illness) but all possibilities amuse me.
