Shizuru couldn't help but flinch every time Botan walked into her house.
Her Spiritual Energy was so distinct, so entirely overwhelming that it was a wonder no one fell over. But then, none of the boys ever reacted adversely to her presence, so she shrugged it off.
She had only begun to suspect something odd when the boys continued to ignore her, even when her Aura was a writhing mass of worry and anxiety. Shizuru had nearly choked on her cigarette, it was so stifling.
Yet the boys just sat there, staring at the Baby King on the screen like the living room wasn't going to explode at any given moment.
It was almost like they couldn't feel it.
Kuwabara was twitchy, which meant he felt something, but whatever he felt wasn't enough to bother him.
She frowned.
Shizuru had always been especially sensitive about spiritual stuff, but this… this was something else.
She squinted, brown eyes straining as she tried to see beyond her normal vision.
She saw Botan's body, her Energy a deep pink, almost red. It was expanding and contracting with each swing of her emotions, pushing outwards only to stop before it left her skin.
Shizuru leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, trying to ignore the physical world for a moment and really focus on what was before her.
Her sight narrowed and suddenly the world was ablaze with light, each person in the room shining like multi-colored flames.
She was drawn to her brother's first, orange and prickly, but she moved on quickly, ignoring Yusuke's overly-bright blue, Keiko's barley-existent white and the two demons- Hiei, red with flickers of black and Shuuichi's, purple with a white core- intent only on finding the one she was searching for. But every time she tried to look at Botan, it was as if her gaze was pushed away, returning always to the boys'.
She tried harder, forcing herself to look and when she felt that familiar push, she pushed back harshly, and kept pushing until she felt something give.
Suddenly she was looking at blazing red, though instead of fire, she saw liquid, the light moving in a steady flow around Botan.
And then she saw the chains.
They were imbedded in the skin of her wrists, ankles and neck, the gold markings looking like they had been carved there. They kept the torrent of Botan's Spiritual Energy at bay, confining it and hiding it all at once.
Whoever had shackled her had either been extremely powerful, stupid, or both. Because from what Shizuru could see, it should be impossible to render invisible that much Energy.
Shizuru pulled back, feeling her ears pop as the barrier hiding Botan's soul hissed into place like a compressed can of air. She rubbed at her now scratchy eyes, letting them slowly adjust to their normal sight.
When she opened them, she sighed, lifting her cigarette and taking a long drag. Her gaze lingered on the group huddled around the tv screen, all unaware and oblivious.
Shizuru huffed, turning to fetch the snacks she'd prepared for the brats.
She would keep her findings to herself.
It would be more fun to see their reactions anyway.
AN: What do you think? Mistakes?
Review Please!
~Delgodess