Chapter 6: New Friends and Enemies
Kagome was shocked by his questioning of Youkai, and how she had found out the information. 'I stalled; I wish I could have been somewhat more prepared with the information. There was no way I could have told the truth. Yeah as if this would sound right 'Yeah I lived in the feudal era, I fought demons, and all that good stuff!' Yeah like anyone would really believe that, some demons that live in this era are still wary of that idea'.
"Okay, anyway" She added looking around the room to make sure everything is in order. "You should be okay with what is in here now, if you do need something you can ask me" she said turning back to look at him. He was inspecting the room, there wasn't much, a bed, desk, night stand, a chair in the far corner, it was livable.
"Why are you, well, more pleasant to me?" he asked, "Well what I mean is that-"
"I get what you mean Shuuichi" she said cutting him off. She walked across the room and sat gracefully in the small chair in the corner. "That was somewhat of a test" she continued.
"A test?" Kurama asked not understanding what she meant by it. He walked over to his bed and sat on it listening intently. Like a little kid listening to a bed time story.
"Well lets see… how should I put it?" she asked herself pondering the question; a few moments later she opened her mouth to answer "well I get so many inters that I have to give them some sort of a test" she said looking to Shuuichi, when she received a nod of understanding she continued. "If they do decide to come here, some think its going to be a piece of cake, when it really isn't. If I'm hard on them in the beginning then it will only sift through the weaker out of the bunch, that way I don't have to waste my time on someone who won't even be able to handle it in the first place."
"So how many people have actually made it this far?" Kurama questioned.
"Hmm, well I would say three, one being a boy named William from America. There was also another girl named Isabel from London" she said her anger slightly raising a bit "that girl, urg! She was such a nuisance; she took the fancy to calling me 'Kaggy'. She would always say 'Oh Kaggy why is it hot here?' Oh yeah it's the desert hello 'Oh Kaggy why can't we ever stay at a hotel?' Kaggy this Kaggy that! You would have thought that she would have used my full name once in a while, but no, she had to go and be annoying" Kagome said fuming. "That boy was alright, if he ever learned to not hit on a girl while he was here. Gosh you would have thought that he came here to get laid, thank Kami that he never hit on me." She concluded her ranting.
Kurama noticed that he fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning almost completely white. "Miss Kagome?" he questioned hesitantly, hopefully he wasn't as annoying at those two, even though he was never in the position where a woman hated him. He had this fan club back home to prove that point.
Being snapped from her thoughts she glanced up from the floor that her eyes were set on; to Shuuichi that looked a little jumpy at the moment. "Yes?" she said irritation still lingering in her voice. She looked at him to see his eyes set lower; she looked down to see her hands clenched. She loosened her grip and stretched her fingers and knuckles out.
"You said that there were three, you only mentioned two people though." He said still a little startled by his mentor's anger.
"Your first lesson, archeology isn't always what is in front of you" she smiled a bit as a look of concentration spread across his face. "The answers won't always be laying in the sand waiting for you to dust it off"
He thought for a bit then realization dawned on him "Im the other person" he said.
She nodded her head yes then began speaking once again "Yes, out of everyone I have had here, I like you the best" she said coolly "you at least care about learning something here unlike the others who have showed their faces here"
'She does like us' Youko said slyly, making his presence now known.
'Youko I hardly think that is what she meant by that' Kurama debated.
'No she likes us the best, that's a start for us to really open her eyes to the world around her, and I mean world as in us' Youko laughed in Kurama's head.
'This is going to be one hell of a trip' Kurama said to himself, forgetting all about Youko being able to hear his thoughts. Getting a 'humph' as a response he went back to the conversation that Kagome was having with him.
"So Shuuichi" she continued "I will let you get unpacked, and give you some time to rest, I know that the planes aren't that pleasant" she gave a small chuckle, remembering the time she had to ride in some of the smaller planes to get to remote places.
Before Kurama had a chance to answer he heard shouting from outside and people running about. Turning to the doorway that led to Kagomes room he saw a man; he was covered in sand and looked to have a cut near his hairline, on account there was blood dripping from his forehead.
"Kagome" he exclaimed running further into the tent, ignoring Kurama completely and heading straight for Kagome.
"Nick? What is it? What happened?" she frantically questioned jumping out of the chair to help the poor man. She grasped his shoulders and steadied him; she asked more forcefully "Nick what happened?"
"The- the passage it collapsed" he said "Sabrina and Mathew went back into it ta get something they forgot" he said out of breath, catching it he continued with his story "June and I went back into get em'" he said.
"Are they alright?" she asked frantically sitting on the ground next to him.
"Sabrina has a broken arm and cant move er' leg, then Mathew some cracked ribs we think. Other than that nothing" he said shifting his weight to a different position to make it somewhat more comfortable.
"This doesn't look like nothing" Kagome said touching a spot near the cut on his head.
"I'm fine" he said chuckling "Just 'a scratch".
"And how did June fair?" she questioned helping nick to her room and placing him on her bed.
"She's fine" he said lying down on her bed.
"Damn…" she said frustrated. Walking to the doorway she turned back to see Shuuichi "I will be back later to explain some things" she said. Glancing back to Nick, she opened her mouth to talk "Nick, you get that wound cleaned up, find someone who can help. I want you taken of, after you get that handled I want you to go back to your tent and get some rest" she paused thinking if there was anything else that needed to be done. "Oh, I know you won't like it, but please do it. Go and find Aden, get him to take the jeep and get Hiro, have Aden tell him that he needs to bring his medical supplies, and that its an emergency." She said then hurried outside to take control of the situation.
Kurama stood there registering what he just saw. He turned to that man that lay on the bed. The man called Nick was bleeding out of a slash by his hair.
Nick glanced to the man standing looking worried, smiling a bit he spoke "G'day mate I'm Nick" he said "I'm guessin' you're the new intern here" he laughed pulling himself up a bit. "Hey, how well do ya know first aid?" he questioned the red headed man looking quite puzzled at the scene that just developed before him.
Kurama stood there inspecting the man. He looked fit, he had dark hair, and he was tan, but being in the desert would most likely do that to anyone. Realizing that he was talking he focused his attention to him "well, uh yes, I know first aid pretty well" he answered the man named Nick. Glancing around the room he spotted a first aid kit by the desk, grabbing it he brought it back over to the bed. 'Well I should know how to heal a cut' Kurama thought, he couldn't necessarily heal him with his herbs or anything, but he did know how to use a first aid kit.
Nick moved in a better position. "Good ol' Kagome always keeps those first aids handy everywhere" he chuckled while Kurama opened the kit and started to clean the wound. "So what's your name mate?" he asked looking at the red head.
"I'm Shuuichi, but my friends call me Kurama" he answered getting another cloth from the kit and wetting it with water that was placed in there also. "So what exactly happened out there?" he asked Nick. It was odd; it seemed like he could talk to this man easily, there was something comforting about him.
"Well bloke" Nick dragged out. "I reckon Kagome will probably tell ya what happened out there later on, in a nutshell though; two of our members out there went back into one of the passageways we discovered. In one of them was a small crack, well that wee crack got worse and it caused the rock to crumble and some of that rock fell onto them." He said while Kurama finished wrapping his injury
Standing up, nick stuck his hand out to Kurama "Bonzer! Well thanks a lot Kurama." Nick said.
"It was no problem Nick" Kurama shook his hand "You going to be okay there?" he asked.
"Well I outta be now" he said stretching a bit. "Hey ya want to come with me to see Aden, and then we can have a look around." He asked Kurama.
He put away the first aid kit; then threw the gauze away in a trash can. He heard Nick ask if we would like to come with him. Kagome wouldn't want him wandering would she?
'Come-on Kurama, I want to head out and check out the surroundings' Youko said eager to get out.
'I never thought you would be interested in something besides girls and stealing' Kurama chuckled in his head at Youko.
'I know, I am just as shocked as you are, but I think I can learn to like this place, and this Nick guy is cool, he reminds me of…. Well me! He just isn't as cool as me' Youko said.
Standing up Kurama turned to Nick "Wouldn't Kagome want me to stay here?" he asked the Australian
"She'll be apples" he said smiling.
"Apples?" he asked.
"Oh! Well lets se mate, hmm, how shall I put it" he questioned himself. "In Aussie slang 'She'll be apples' means she'll be fine" he said walking over to the tent entrance "so you coming then?" he directed towards Kurama.
'Let's go Kurama' Youko urged him 'It will give us a chance to look around here' he continued.
'Fine' he surrendered to Youko.
"Let's go" he told Nick who in return smiled at his new friend.
They walked into the sunlight; Nick continued walking in a steady pace as Kurama trailed behind him looking around. There were so many different tents and things going on.
"Kurama ya comin' mate?" He heard Nick say.
"Yes" he replied walking a little faster to catch up to Nick. "So; how many people are actually here?" he questioned him.
"Well… it's a small group, around 60 I think" he answered his question.
Kurama nodded glancing around at the sandy earth around them.
"Yes, Kagome likes to specially pick the people on her excavations" Nick replied as he led Kurama into a tent.
As Kurama stepped into the tent he was met with the scent of cologne. Something cheap he would guess. He noticed a tall, but built man lying on a bed.
"Aden put that blasted book away you bludger" Nick said grabbing the book and looking at it "Oh come-on 'Reading your rival's Mind'? Your not still reading that are ya now?" Nick said throwing the book on the bed.
"Nick what do you want now?" Aden said sitting up on his bed to glare at Nick, but looked behind him to the red head instead. "Well well well, what do we have here? Fresh meat hmm?" he said standing up from his stop and towered over the two men. "Looks like the bitch found a new one." He said eyeing Kurama.
"Aden you better shut the hell up you nong, I am jack of the way you speak about Kagome like that." He yelled eyeing the man.
"Shut up Australian" he said glaring at Nick once again. "I just want to meet the boy" he stated dragging his eyes back to Kurama.
'Kurama let me out this instant I am going to kill that man for talking about Kagome like that!' Youko yelled in Kurama's head.
'I know Youko I want to kill him for speaking like that, but it wouldn't get on her good side would it now? I think she might be angry for killing someone on her team even though he might deserve it' Kurama said back to Youko to try to calm him down.
'I don't care; I want to kill him…'
'Youko I swear if he says one more thing about her we will do something about it, not kill him though' Kurama tried to compromise.
'Fine, if he says just on more thing he is going down' Youko declared.
"Hello... Umm Aden" Kurama said.
"Yeah yeah yeah" the man named Aden drew out.
'He ignored me? Me? Kurama did you hear that! He doesn't even care.' Youko said aghast at the mans manners.
'I know Youko. He didn't have to be so rude'
'Rude? Rude? Is that what you think of him? He is downright evil for ignoring us; well I could imagine ignoring you... but me? I cannot fathom the idea that some kind of improper creature like that thing is allowed to roam this planet. It's just… goamed!' Youko ranted.
'Youko you know that 'goamed' isn't a word right?'
'Yes I know. I just couldn't think of a word that would explain it right… so I thought of a new word, that's just how spectacular I am'
'Just making sure you weren't losing your mind. How about abysmal? Kurama answered him.
'Nice word there, but my word is still better' Youko replied closing the link before Kurama had a chance to rebuttal.
Snapping back to what was going on with Aden and Nick; he saw that they were having a… well…conversation.
"She said ta' go! Ya don't ever do anything anyway" Nick was shouting at Aden.
"Just shut the hell up, all I have to do is dig in the dirt, I don't have to do anything extra for that little slut you stupid-" Aden never finished his sentence on account that Nick had smashed his right fist into Aden's Nose making a stomach churning crack.
"Now that your nose is cracked ya have to go see Hiro anyway. Getta' move on ya bastard" Nick said as he watched Aden grasp his bleeding nose and ran out of his tent. "Stupid bloke, he wont ever learn a damn thing" he chuckled. Looking to Kurama he received a look of astonishment. "Heh, come-on Kurama I will show you around" nick replied walking to the exit of the tent.
Kurama still amazed at what he saw; the bad side of his jolly friend followed quietly behind him. "So…" Kurama started "Why did Kagome even hire someone like him?" he asked.
Slowing up a bit to allow Kurama to catch up he thought for a second. "Well I'm not completely sure, I reckon most of it being that he is just good at what he does, he was at the top of his class. Kagome knows what he calls her behind her back, but she just puts up with it. If Aden ever downright talked to her like that in front of her, she would not accept that." Nick said.
"I see" Kurama responded still following Nick to a larger tent. So far this whole experience has been way too much, 'no wonder all the other inters left'.
"This is where we will eat" Nick commented continuing walking past the huge tent to one side of the camp. "Over there is recreation" he pointed to an area past the other tents.
"Recreation?" Kurama questioned
"Well not much can be done out in these parts, since it's hot, many people don't want to do activities. We always have cards, many people like to gamble, whatever else anyone would want to do" he answered walking past everything and up to a hill. "Sometimes we will start a football game, gives the men a chance to show off for some of the ladies here".
Kurama glanced around to see people laying about and talking to others.
"And this here is where we go to work" nick said smirking at the look on Kuramas face.
He was looking across the desert plain to see the most magnificent thing ever. Ruins half covered in sand were set in front of the blue sky and the golden colored sand on a huge cliff with holed through it. Some people were running about and there were tabled full of artifacts and papers. "So this is work?" he asked no one in particular. 'This looks like it was taken right out of a photograph' Kurama thought.
Nick heard what Kurama said to himself, we was the same way when Kagome asked him to travel out here to be apart of her team. He had so many friends here; well more like he met so many people. Kagome, Hiro, and himself were the ones who had been here the longest and the closest friends. This Kurama he made a connection with, unlike how he hated other interns. He knew this Kurama has something special going on. Hopefully he won't want to leave, or Kagome make him leave. He really needed a guy to hand with, Hiro was too far away and Kagome, well, she's a sheila! "Yeah that's work" he answered Kurama that was still staring at the land below them.