I yawned loudly and pulled my enormous sweatshirt tighter around me, sinking more into the chilled, stiff bus seat.
As much as I love winter, I hated cold like this!
It was nearing the end of November, and for the past week all the weather had done was sleet, sleet, and sleet some more.
The bus turned a corner, and two of my friends squealed as they slid into me; pinning me to the freezing metal of the bus with their bodies, their backpacks, and their expensive marshmallow coats.
I moaned as the bus lurched to a stop, jerking us all forward. "Ow guys, that hurt…"
"Sorry Katie," Rachel said as she swung her backpack over a shoulder and pushed against those standing to get off. "Move it!" she yelled. "I wanna get off this fuckin' bus!"
I winced, and the other, Amber, smiled and patted the top of my crazy hair. "Goodbye my little Snowflake!" she called, worming her way to the front of the line.
"G'bye!" I mumbled, yawning again.
The bus hissed as the doors closed, and we drove off with another lurch. The loud screaming, cussing, and chattering of the bus continued. I stared blankly at the passing houses, each decorated in their own way.
"You okay Kit-Kat?"
I turned. Another of my friends named Peri was sitting across from me, a concerned expression crossing her face. "Yeah," I said sleepily. "Peachy keen, fine and dandy." I brought up my arms and arched my back in a stretch. When I felt a rush of haziness in my head, I sighed and relaxed my body.
"Hey, I'm tired too…" she finished with a yawn. "But did you see that new kid today? He's a senior, and he's sitting up in the front."
I raised my eyebrows. "With all the nerds who play their GameBoys and tell each other freaky stories about some cartoon show?"
Peri nodded.
I rolled my eyes and laughed slightly, but I felt guilty at the same time. My eyes traveled to the front…
"Oh no, Kitty-Kat. I know that face. Don't you dare start feeling bad for him and invite him back here."
I glanced back at her before I could take a good hard stare at him.
"What face?" I asked.
Peri giggled. "It's just your face. Whenever you feel bad for someone, you just get a face."
"Oh, real comforting!" I said sarcastically.
I looked to him again.
He was leaning casually into the corner that the seat and wall made. His skin was incredibly pale, and his dark hair fell into his eyes. He looked up at me. Into my eyes…
His eyes…they were a shockingly pale blue. I felt almost as if in a trance. Dread swelled up inside of me as the bus jerked to a stop and I leapt off the bus steps.
The boy with the pale eyes followed about three people behind me.
(xxx)
"As you well know, Kurama and Hiei, this mission will complete your hours of community service. But I don't want you slacking off because of that, or because this will be an easier case!"
Hiei lazily looked up at Koenma, who was standing on his desk. "We shouldn't be the ones you're telling that too." He motioned to Kuwabara and Yusuke, who were looking around the room innocently.
Kurama smiled slightly as Kuwabara suddenly understood the insult and tried to think of an intelligent comeback. Yusuke laughed as Hiei only glared at his giant of a partner.
"Attention please! This mission is important!"
Silently, Yusuke continued to chuckle as they all somewhat focused on the Prince of the Spirit World.
"It has come to our knowledge that demons have now begun to kidnap humans. We aren't sure how they're doing it, or getting past the barrier, but we do know when and where the next attack has been planned."
The four nodded. Pressing a button hidden underneath all of the unfinished paperwork, Koenma continued his monologue as the TV screen flickered to life.
"This is Snow." You could vaguely see the human girl, as she was laughing and trying to stop the photographer from taking the picture in the available image. "She lives in America, but when taken her kidnappers plan to transport her to Mukuro's castle in the Demon World." Although barely visible, the color drained from Hiei's face.
"We have discovered the route to the chamber where she will be held. It shouldn't be that far from an entrance, but she will be heavily guarded, so be on alert."
The raven-haired detective raised his eyebrows. "What about Kuwabara? Won't the asshole spring a trap because he's human or stupid or somethin'?"
Koenma grinned smugly. "That's where these guys come in." He swept his hand over to a side door, which opened on cue.
Yusuke and Kuwabara's mouths dropped, while Kurama looked up in surprise and Hiei cocked his head in interest.
(xxx)
"Oh, you demon of a child, you go to your room and stay there until I change my mind!"
I clumsily pushed open my door and landed on my bed with a grunt. "Do I still get to go to dance tonight?" I squeaked. "NO!" Darn it. I loved my ballet class. And lyrical. And pointe. And jazz. And hip-hop. Well, whatever class it was tonight, I loved it and I didn't want to have to miss it.
The evil little 9-year-olds giggled at Sister Anna's blunt and shrill reply. I felt like laughing too.
I was grounded to my room because three brats had broken a vase playing hockey inside and blamed it on me. Of course she believed them. I was a 'demon of a child!'
I rolled my eyes and let out a heavy breath. She had no idea what I really was. THEY had no idea. Demon of a child…Ha!
I'm an Angel.
The very thing they preached us about every Sunday. Well…sort of…I'm a Fallen Angel, an Angel too bad for Heaven and too good for Hell. Plus, I had been bestowed with one of the Five Elements: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Ice. At least, I thought I was. I didn't have a halo or wings or anything.
But I knew I had the power of Ice!
My right hand felt for the cold tile floor. I leaned a bit, and focusing the icy chill in my body, froze the floor solid.
That type of cold made me calmer.
Hitching on my headphones, I pressed a button on my Walkman and relaxed in the quiet darkness of my room.
Just relax…
Just relax…
Thump.
I shot up. Sleep was still in my eyes. I glanced at my clock and read: 8:30. I had slept for four hours.
But what had woken me up?
Thump.
There it was again!
Looking at my window, I could see the rigged designs of frost, illuminated by a near-by street light. I stood up. Like an unearthly creature, I glided across the ice without so much a sound.
A rock lay in the gutter. Another one littered prints in the mush of sleet remains on the ground.
No one was there.
But wait…A shadow…There was a shadow of a man standing right next to the street lamp that made my window-frost glow. But…There was no man.
I opened my window, breathing smoke into the frozen air. "Hello?" I called.
Beyond the atmosphere, the clouds had finally disappeared, revealing a midnight velvet sky, bright with a half of a moon and stars. It was as silent as a grave.
Darkness fell over my head. Looking down, I could see another shadow, a shadow of the same man standing above me. A black feather drifted past my face. I whipped around to see.
My hand flew to my mouth.
"Got you…" he whispered in horrific way.
The man had shiny black hair and snow-white skin. His ivory blue eyes were bright with excitement and malice. He was wearing all black, from his boots to his thick cape. But what shocked me the most was the pair of pitch-colored raven wings protruding from his back. He was standing parallel to the ground, his feet miraculously locked to the wall.
I stepped back, my curls bouncing from the movement and the wind.
He lunged at me.
I screamed.
(xxx)
"Touya? JIN?" Yusuke asked with disbelief.
Jin smiled and cocked his bushy red head. "Well, it be nice sein' ya' all and evrithin', but it be wrong for bein' wantin' a bigger 'ello?" Touya looked up at his Irish comrade. "Yes, I was expecting something more extravagant."
Kurama gently waved courteously to the demon shinobi, while Hiei merely nodded.
A smiling Botan bounced in after Jin and Touya.
"I'm sorry Koenma," she said in a chipper voice, "but I couldn't get Chuu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, or Suzuka to come. They were all too busy with other things."
Koenma sighed and closed his eyes in thought. "Oh well. We can do without them. This number is better for the rescue anyways."
The fox-vessel looked up, confusion knotting his eyebrows. "The rescue? You have a certain plan?"
Touya followed Kurama's eyes to Koenma's face, while Yusuke was affectionately greeting the wind-master with a punch in the shoulder. Kuwabara stilled seemed confused as to why some former competitors from the Dark Tournament were there. After all, it had been two or three years.
"Yes, I have a plan. You see, there are certain…entanglements. Snow is from America, as I said earlier, and is Christian. She has NO IDEA about the Spirit and Demon World. To her, there are only relative things, known as Heaven and Hell."
Jin smiled quirkily and nodded, self-consciously massaging his pulsing shoulder. "Aye, tha' be true."
Koenma continued, "And as she doesn't even know you all exist," he pointed to the shinobi, Yusuke, the sealed fox demon, and the fire apparition, "you simply must not, I repeat MUST NOT, let her know you are demons."
Yusuke dropped his jaw in complaint. "What? You mean we can't be demons? AT ALL?"
"No. The only type of special energy she knows of is either Heavenly or Evil, and it's known as the Elements. There are five of them: Wind, Water, Earth, Fire, and Ice.
"You," Koenma pointed to Jin. "Your Element is Wind. Yusuke, you'll have water, Kurama has Earth, Hiei has Fire, and Touya is Ice."
"Well what about me?" Kuwabara whined.
Koenma glanced at him. "You are a true human. A human with spirit energy, but a human none the less. There is nothing you need to hide. As for you, Yusuke, as you are the only one out of the five who doesn't have a CLUE about your element, I can supply a tablet that will enable you to control Water. Are we all set?"
"Ahem." Jin cleared his throat and raised his hand. "Ya' said tha' the lass canna' know we're demons? Whut am I ta do about this?" He pointed to his horn, and wiggled his ears.
"Of course we have something for that. And for Hiei's Jagan Eye as well. They are called Illusion Pills, and will help hide your demonic body parts. But, you must still keep them covered. The pills only work in an emergency. Which reminds me…you will all have to wear human clothes in her presence."
A loud beeping suddenly emitted from the TV and the screen flashed red.
"Oh dear," Botan murmured.
Koenma talked quickly. "There isn't much time. She's been abducted, and she'll be held in the third floor. Memorize the map. You can change when you get back, and use your powers to free her and yourselves from Mukuro's castle. I'll have a portal waiting for you outside the south entrance. I'll explain everything else once you return. Goodbye and good luck!"
The Spirit Detectives, including Jin and Touya were pushed into a room with a portal.
"Well, as rushed as that was, see you on the other side!" Yusuke said as he stepped through.
