Chapter 2
"Urameshi, are you sleeping already?" Mr. Nakatu asked from his perch on the edge of his desk.
"Just restin' my eyes, Teach," Yusuke answered without opening his eyes. "I'm all ears."
Yusuke liked Mr. Nakatu. He was the youngest teacher in the high school, and the most modern. Which was probably why he ended up in this particular room. Yusuke would bet his last yen his junior high principal, Mr. Takenaka, had something to do with it. He'd understand the only possible way to keep Yusuke coming back to school was if he found it remotely interesting and wasn't being constantly pressured. It was also likely he made sure Keiko was assigned to the same class as well, even though she would have easily handled the stricter teachers. Mr. Takenaka was the only adult at Sarayashiki Junior High who ever saw the good in Yusuke and knew he was capable of becoming more than just a common street hood. Sometimes Yusuke wondered how his old principal would react if he knew of his true occupation and powers.
At the sound of the door opening, Yusuke cracked one eye, then sat up, fully awake, as Keiko and Kurama entered. "Ah, there you are Miss Yukimura," Mr. Nakatu said. "And who do you have with you?"
Keiko handed him a piece of paper and then took her seat. Kurama remained standing, head down, just inside the door while the teacher read the principal's note. "Class, it seems we have a new student," Mr. Nakatu began, gesturing for Kurama to join him at the front of the room. "This is Shuichi Minamino. Now, I expect you all to make him feel welcome here in Room C."
Kurama seemed oblivious to the glares of jealousy from the boys because of the starry-eyed smiles the girls were giving the new kid. He gracefully slid into the vacant seat beside Yusuke.
"Shuichi?" Yusuke leaned over to whisper to him.
"That is the name my mother gave me," he whispered back with a sly grin.
Yusuke gave a snort of laughter which earned him a raised eyebrow from Mr. Nakatu. He knew school was going to be a lot more entertaining with Kurama around.
The morning passed quicker than Yusuke could ever have imagined. He had no idea what was being taught because he was too busy watching his classmates. Several of the girls attempted to get Kurama's attention, but his eyes were either firmly on the teacher or his schoolwork. Small, folded notes found their way onto his desk, but these he slipped, unopened, into his pocket.
The boys were nearly as bad as the girls, though their intentions weren't quite as hospitable. Yusuke noticed a couple whispering as they shot angry looks towards Kurama. When one girl missed an easy question because she'd been staring avidly at the new boy, her boyfriend made a fist so tight his knuckles cracked and he broke the pencil he was holding in two places. All in all, Yusuke was having a blast!
The lunch bell rang, but instead of fleeing the classroom, everyone gathered around Kurama.
"Hi. Can I call you Shuichi? My name is Miho."
"Hey, Shuichi, do you want to share my lunch?"
"What kind of a name is Shuichi?"
"Just wait until the upper classmen get a look at that hair."
"How long do you think he can keep it that long?"
"Do you play shouji?"
"Do you like to read?"
"Why don't you all back off and let him breathe?" Yusuke said, interrupting the constant barrage of questions. "Give the guy a break, why don't ya?"
"That's all right, Yusuke," Kurama said, earning a small gasp from the crowd.
"You're on a first name basis with Urameshi?"
Kurama gave Yusuke a sidelong glance, but didn't reply.
"Are you students going to go to lunch or not?" Mr. Nakatu asked, heading for the door himself. "You do know that lunch period starts at the sound of the bell, not whenever you get around to leaving the room."
Kurama's admirers reluctantly drifted away with their lunch boxes, and he was allowed to escape the room, following Keiko and Yusuke to a remote table under a large tree. Keiko and Kurama opened their neatly packed box lunches while Yusuke perched on the edge of the table, sneaking bites from both.
"So how many notes did they manage to slip you?" Yusuke asked, popping one of Kurama's grapes into the air and catching it effortlessly in his mouth.
Kurama emptied the pockets of his coat and pants, dropping them into a pile in the middle of the table. With a sigh, he reached into the collar of his shirt and the back of his neck to pull out two more. One more note appeared from the cuff of his pants.
"Whoa! What a haul!" Yusuke whistled in appreciation. He pawed through the notes, laughing at the heart-felt confessions of his female classmates.
"That's not nice," Keiko said with a frown. "Those are personal and not meant for you to read."
Yusuke fanned himself with a note written on neatly folded, red paper. "I don't think I'm old enough to read this one. Think you can handle it, Kurama?" He waved the note in front of Kurama's eyes as he made a grab for a riceball.
"I'm not interested," Kurama said, easily evading Yusuke's attempts at stealing his tuna.
"Why don't you ever bring your own lunch, Yusuke?" Keiko slapped his hand away from the last piece of boiled egg, so he snatched a piece of pineapple from Kurama's lunch, instead.
"But I could never make anything half as delicious as you guys." He took a long drink from Keiko's juice and settled himself on his back in the grass, hands behind his head. "You've made quite a first impression, Kurama. You've got all the girls drooling over you and all the guys itching to beat you up. I don't mind admitting, I'm a little jealous. Maybe I should try switching schools. Bet I could get just as many if I tried."
Keiko crushed the empty juice can in her fist, barely restraining herself from throwing it at Yusuke's head. "As many what?" she managed between clenched teeth. "Girls drooling or guys wanting to beat you up?"
"Well, girls of course. Ouch! What was that for?" Yusuke rubbed the can-sized bump forming on his forehead.
"Hey, Urameshi. Keiko," Kuwabara greeted them with a wave. He stopped short and did a double take. What are you doing here, Kurama?"
"Shuichi's going to be attending school here," Keiko said, welcoming Kuwabara's intrusion. Quickly, she turned and grabbed her bookbag. "I've got to get going. I've got an activities meeting after lunch period. See you later, Shuichi." She escaped before any of them could even wave.
"Was it something I said?" Kuwabara asked, gaping after Keiko's hurried departure.
"No," Kurama assured him. "I believe it was Yusuke."
"As usual," Yusuke huffed.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Kuwabara said suddenly. "What did Keiko call you?"
"Shuichi," Kurama answered.
"No one's supposed to find out he's a demon," Yusuke snapped. "So call him Shuichi in school. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it," Kuwabara said, studying Yusuke. "Man, are you in a bad mood." Absently, he picked up some of the notes on the desk, his eyes flying open wide as he read. "Woah! These are some serious love notes! You demon dog, you!"
While Yusuke and Kuwabara shuffled through the pile of notes, Kurama studied the other students gathered in small groups around the school yard. While he sat with Yusuke, he was confident they would not be approached. Most of the students gave the infamous fighter a great deal of space; even the upperclassmen. Though whether they did it out of respect or fear, Kurama wasn't sure. One group of upperclassmen gave Yusuke's table hate-filled glares as they ate. The largest, obviously their leader, sported a jagged scar running just under one eye and a distorted nose that had to have been broken at least six times. He made a comment to the others and they all looked directly at Kurama and laughed. Kurama calmly stared back at them until they looked away.
"Well, if Kurama will, I will," Yusuke relented, bringing Kurama's attention back to their conversation. "Besides, I'd like to see how the great fox demon handles a simple Phy Ed game like baseball."
"Don't get your hopes up, Yusuke," Kurama said. "Remember, I'm trying to blend in. I'll be playing completely as a human."
"Yeah, but I bet you could still beat the pants off Kuwabara. Even with a bat in his hands."
"You've got yourself a bet, Urameshi," Kuwabara laughed. "My bat against your pitch."
As they haggled the details of their wager, Kurama glanced over at the group of upperclassmen again. Although the others lost interest, the leader was still glaring at him. Kurama had a feeling he would be seeing a lot more of that scarred face.