Chapter 2

Faces

"Strangers are exciting, their mystery never ends. But, there's nothing like looking at your own history in the faces of your friends."

Ani Difranco

My dad had always told me to watch out for strangers, but how do you watch out for strangers when you live among a sea of them. How do you portray that you aren't interested in a person when they are so clearly interesting. That was a problem the world all-around had to face day after day.

As I slid from my room and to the streets of Tokyo I didn't wait. I practically ran down the street and found myself a place I could order something to eat. The first place I stopped at was a sushi bar that had a belt that served you different kinds of sushi as it went by you. Paying at the door I started to eat and enjoy my dinner until I felt eyes on me. Looking around I saw several boys staring at me and almost every girl was glaring. Shifting uncomfortably I turned back to the food and took a sip of the water I ordered.

After eating my fill and getting stared at I headed out of the shop and ran straight into two boys. As sudden as it was I didn't quite catch my balance and went crashing to the ground. Pissed didn't describe how I was feeling, take pissed and times it by about three and you might get close to what I was feeling.

As I sat there I viewed the two boys as one of them rushed to help me. Brushing him off, I watched as the other just shrugged his shoulders and continued walking. Jerk, he could have at least said he was sorry. Sure I was the one who had accidentally run into them in my haste to get the hell out of the sushi shop, but that didn't call for him being so rude. Jumping to my feet in a smooth and highly practiced move I spun and was about to curse him out when his friend stopped him.

"Hiei, you really should apologize to her. It was an accident and you are being rude about the whole thing." The taller of the two said to his dark companion. Sighing, the dark-haired boy turned back to me and glared.

"Sorry you can't watch where you're going." Then he turned and started to walk off. Standing there I noticed the tall boy smile in a way of apology and jog to catch up with Hiei. Glaring I started to shake and wished that one of the displays that they were walking past would suddenly fly out and hit him on the head.

No sooner had I wished it than one of the books flew out and landed solidly on the side of his head. Gasping I could feel the blood drain out of my face and I felt my stomach drop out of the bottom of my feet. Stumbling forward I gently picked up the book and looked between the man on the ground holding his head and the object in my hand. Neither had seen me pick the book up and it had all happened so fast that I just started to shake.

"What the hell was that for baka?" Hiei howled out. Looking at the book I saw the blood on the binding and quickly dug some yen from my bag and handed it to the man behind the display. Dumping the book in my bag and the rest of my money I sidled past the two boys and then started to sprint down the walk.

"Hey, get back here onna." Hiei said as he tried to follow. Luckily for me he was held back by his friend and I raced back toward my room.

As I raced up the fire escape I slid the door open and rushed inside totally forgetting to be silent. Opening the door to the closet I grabbed the book and shoved it onto the highest shelve I could while trying to calm my shaking hands.

"Hey, Kat are you ok?" Yusuke asked as he knocked on my door several minutes later.

"Yeah, I… um… just had a bad dream. I fell asleep refolding my clothes. Sorry." I mumbled remembering my note on the door.

"Hey could I get into your bathroom for a minute to get the first aid kit. One of my friends got hit on the head walking over here." Yusuke said trying to open the door to find it locked. "Kat, why's your door locked?"

"No reason." I said quickly opening the door and turned so he didn't see how pale I was. Sitting on the bed I waited for him to get the kit and get the hell out.

"Yusuke, are you in here?" A voice that sounded oddly familiar asked from my door.

"Yeah, the kit wasn't in my mom's room or the half-bath so it's probably in here. Could you come help me look for it Kat I don't want to have to go through your 'things'." Yusuke said saying the last word like I was going to force him to look through my underwear drawer. Jumping off the bed I walked into the bathroom and felt the strange guy follow me in. Opening the closet across from the sink I pulled out one of my small bags and dug around for my first aid kit.

Finding it I handed it to Yusuke and turned to walk back out the door when I caught a glimpse of the guys face. It was the tall guy from the street earlier. Trying to keep my face under control I lowered my head and kept my bangs in front of my eyes. If I could just get them out without wanting me to leave my room I could probably avoid the guy that I had hit.

"Hey, Kurama, what's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost." Yusuke asked as they both left. Sighing I flopped down onto my bed and covered my eyes with the back of my arm. After several minutes I felt the tension leave my body until I felt myself being lifted off the bed and carried out of my room. Looking up I saw Yusuke with an evil smirk on his face. This was so not good. Struggling I tried in vain to get out of his arms and then I felt myself falling. Twisting in the air I ended up landing on all fours on the couch face to face with a guy I wished I had never met.

To say a person can only go into shock so many times within a set amount of time is redundant. Well that is what I thought until my first day back home in Tokyo. One thing right after another would keep piling up and I soon found that I was on the breaking point. Shaking was nothing to what I was doing right now, trembling was probably closer.

Rolling off the couch I landed in a squat and flipped myself backwards and over the other side of the couch. Apparently he had anticipated what I was going to do because he followed close behind. Spinning I ducked under his arm and my brothers legs rolled to my feet and raced back to my room, jumping through my door I kicked it closed and threw my weight against it as I felt three bodies hit the outside. Struggling, I finally got the lock flipped and started to scream for mom.

"MOMMY!" I yelled over and over like a mantra. God I felt like I was going to be sick. Why did that jerk have to be friends with my Nii-san?

"Yusuke Urameshi! What in the name of god are you doing to your sister's door?" Mom shouted ending the pounding outside my door. Still I kept calling out for mom. The last time I had felt like this was the day that dad had remarried. Objects in my room started to float off the bed and fly in a vortex around me. Clenching my eyes shut I felt objects hit me and heard them bang against the wall. Crying I curled in the fetal position in the middle of the floor.

"Kat open the door." Listening I heard my mom try to get into my room. If I could have I would, but all I could do was sit there and beg for it to end.

"Mom, move." Yusuke said and I hear them shuffle around outside my room. Panicking my breathing started to accelerate and the objects moved faster. Suddenly the door was open and mom rushed into the room only to freeze at the entrance.

"What the…" The guy Yusuke had called Kurama said as he entered the room. Then Hiei walked in and I freaked. Gasping I felt a retching pull in the pit of my stomach and the world seemed to swim before my eyes until all I could see was him. Then I heard someone growl and objects seemed to fly directly at him. Then the world was black.

Have you ever had a dream and you woke up praying that it wasn't real even though it felt like it. If you ever have then you will know how I felt as I slowly woke from my state of unconsciousness. Maybe that is why is did what I did next, or maybe it was the fact that Yusuke was curled up next to me on my bed. I screamed, tears running down my cheeks as I jackknifed straight up in my bed only to immediately curl around my knees to try and reduce the pain. It wasn't until I was able to control my breathing that I felt the hand running up and down my back.

"Kat?" Yusuke asked quietly tucking a strand of my fiery red hair behind my ear. Sniffing I rolled my head to look at him and groaned as my stomach churned. Glaring I heard him stifle a groan of his own as the thought of me hurling ran through his head.

Suppressing my urge to smile I scooted a little closer to him and placed my head on his shoulder. Closing my eyes I waited for the floor to stop moving towards the ceiling and had to swallow hard to keep from actually puking. Licking my lips to give them moisture I finally got the energy to speak.

"What time is it?"

"It's a little after two in the morning." Yusuke answered my raspy question.

"What happened? After I passed out I mean. Is your friend ok?" I mumbled.

"He's doing fine, how much do you remember?"

"Everything, from the moment I got to Tokyo to when I hit Hiei with the book on accident. Then I came back here and you brought me out there, then I freaked out. It happened all so fast. I locked the door and my stuff started to float. I'm scared Yusuke." I muttered hiding my face against his shoulder.

"Well after you locked the door I tried breaking it down. All of us did. Hiei was pissed and Kurama was worried, he said you didn't smell right…"

"Huh, how does he know what I smell like?" I asked quizzically.

"Um I have to let him tell you that. Anyway he picked the lock after mom came and tried to get you to unlock the door. She was petrified when she walked in. She knows all about me and the boys being different but I kept my promise to you to never tell anybody that you could see and talk to ghost." Smiling he kissed my hair and pulled me into a better position.

"Thanks. I'm sorry you had to see me go through this again." I mumbled. Smiling he just hugged me like he always would when we were little and I just broke down.