A/N: In celebration of Friday and Earth day I thought I'd post this chapter up now instead of Sunday. I think a lot of you will like it (hopefully).
Also threw in a little tribute to the Legendary Prince. Rest in paradise Sir! ( I don't own any of Prince's music).
Coco: Thanks for the encouragement! Regardless of the feed back I am enjoying writing this :) I hope you like this chapter.
Biku-sensei-sez-meow : Thank you, I have been really happy giving her a sense of humor. And I think this chapter will answer a lot of your questions!
3CHOS: Thank you! It's been fun writing this.
ENJOY!
Feels like somebody's watching me - VII
It had been a few weeks since Kazuma's return and after several sessions of graveling and begging, I finally convinced him to teach me how to fight. He was still doubtful, going on that it wasn't right to hit a lady. I retaliated and told him that if there were demons like Rando hanging out in the human world I needed to be able to defend myself and protect the people I cared for. And on top of that I wanted to master my own spirit energy like he had done.
"Alright!" Kazuma held up his hands and balled them into fists. "Now try and dodge this."
He attacked with a series of punches. I avoided each one, and caught the last punch in my hand. Kazuma looked at me in amazement and stood up from his offensive stance.
"Wow Juno, I'm really impressed you stopped that," he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in approval, no doubt proud he was such a good teacher. However, unbeknownst to him I was crying on the inside as I cradled my bruised hand. He sure knew how to pack a wallop; it felt like it just got hit by a semi-truck. When he finally looked back at me he saw my hand.
"Oh jeez, sorry Juno!" He grabbed my hand quickly. "I knew this was a bad idea."
"No!" I snapped at him quickly. No way I was letting him back out now after only our third practice. It was time to push through the pain and put on my game face. "I want to learn Kazuma. One measly injury can't stop me. Plus I can't think of anyone tougher than you to train me!"
Kazuma smirked at my comment and got back into his fighting stance.
"Okay," he backed away a few steps. "Now dodge a combo of kicks and punches."
I shifted my stance to defensive and waited as he charged at me. His left leg raised and went straight for my side. I jumped out of the way, but not a second later a fist was swinging for my face. I ducked down then jabbed my arm up, successfully hitting him square in the jaw. The orange haired boy took a step back in shock and held his chin.
"Oh my god," I stared at him in awe. "I did it!"
A surge of happiness washed over me and I jumped in place a few times.
"I hit you! I finally hit you!"
"Man, you're fast," Kazuma grumbled while rubbing the agitated skin. "But that was really good."
"Yeah," my fist pumped in the air. "Let's do it again!"
Kazuma's stomach gave a loud rumble.
"Hmmm, maybe after some food," he suggested. "We've been at this for an hour and you need a break too."
The topic of food had my own stomach complaining. Maybe he was right.
Kazuma bopped his is hand in the other, suddenly getting an idea,"I know where we can eat!"
The tall boy grabbed my uninjured hand and dragged me away from the training grounds.
"Wait! Shouldn't we go shower or change or something," I protested behind him, but he only shook his head.
"Nope. We have to replenish our bodies right away after such a hard workout." Great. We were going to be some ripe kids. My pity to whoever had to smell the mixture of sweat and dirt coming from us.
After being tugged around town for ten minutes, we ended up at a small restaurant tucked in between other shops. Kazuma, the gentleman that he was, opened the door for me. Walking in, I was hit by the smell of miso, ginger, and other wondrous flavors. I knew this was going to be good. Surprisingly, there were no other costumers in the shop but us. We walked up and took a seat at the bar where a man in a white chef's hat was chopping what looked like bok choy. He looked up at us and noticed Kazuma.
"Ah Kuwabara, I was wondering when I'd see you next. I'm surprised Yusuke isn't with you."
"Yeah, well he's away right now. But that just means more for me!" Kazuma exclaimed and looked over at me. "Oh and this is my friend, Juno King. Juno this is Mr. Yukimura. He makes the best ramen in all Japan."
"Nice to meet you," I smiled and waved at the man.
He returned my smile and bowed his head towards me, "a friend of Kuwabara's is a friend of mine."
"Can we get two of the pork ramen please?" Kazuma ordered. Mr. Yukimura nodded and walked away, fixing up our dishes with ease. "Hey is Keiko around?"
Mr. Yukimura looked up at Kazuma.
"No, I think she is out with some friends. But who knows what a teenage girl does in her spare time," he stared up at the ceiling, rubbing his chin thoughtfully; not a moment later he was back to making our meals.
"Who's Keiko," I asked Kazuma quietly.
The carrot top gave me a blank stare for a second before coming to.
"Oh that's right, you haven't met her yet. She's a good friend of ours and might as well be Urameshi's girlfriend. But they haven't made anything officially. He's too much of a punk I guess."
Immediately I thought back to when I kissed the hazel eyed boy. Oh god, I'm a wannabe homewrecker. I bowed my head in shame.
Kazuma seemed to know what I was thinking and patted my shoulder.
"Don't worry about that Juno, it's in the past," he said reassuringly.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
A few minutes later our meals were placed in front of us. It smelled really good and looked amazing. Kazuma and I took our chopsticks and snapped them apart simultaneously. After that it was a contest of who could finish their ramen first.
Surprisingly I won.
Loneliness.
One of the worst feelings someone could feel and as of now I was swimming in it.
I missed Shuichi.
We had only been able to hang out twice after our night outside of the Kuwabara residence. Once for coffee and another when he took me back to his school's greenhouse. The topic of spirit energy had been put on hold and was replaced with light talk about him wanting to see me in school. He really thought it would be beneficial for me to attend Meiou with him. I had laughed at him and said I would be too distracted. One, by him and his devilish good looks and charm. And two, by having to avoid his violent fan club who I now knew were plotting against me.
An example of the very real threat would be the afternoon Kazuma and I had gone to the arcade. A group of girls, dressed in red school uniforms which I knew belonged to Meiou High were watching me like valchers. They didn't approach me but were certainly glaring at me and having a gossip fest. I was positive it was about me since I was the only one they were looking at.
Shuichi seemed to give up after my explanation, but I knew sooner or later he would bring it up again. That evening he told me he had to go away for a while, something about dealing with a sentencing. I laughed and asked him if he was a trouble maker.
"More than you'll ever know," he whispered in my ear.
I still get shivers thinking about the way he said it.
I moved around the coffee table and wiped the surface. I found the best way to distract myself of thinking of the Minamino boy was to clean. Somehow I got the house to myself so I blasted music and danced around the house and cleaned. It was the least I could to repay the Kuwabaras for letting me bum out on their couch. Taking advantage of being alone, I sported one of Kazuma's rather large shirts and socks. Nice enough for me there wasn't really that much to clean, but I took to wiping down furniture, dusting and doing the dishes. I spun around a couple times to the beat, awkwardly moving over Kei who happened to be following me.
"Maybe I'm just like my father to bold. Maybe you're just like my mother. She's never satisfied," I sang to him. He didn't seem impressed. I laughed more at myself for acting like an idiot and danced into the hall, whipping my hair back and forth.
"Someone is at the door," Kei shouted over the music. I stopped dancing and looked over at the door in question. Walking over I opened it, but no one was there. I glanced back at Kei raising my eyebrow at him.
"No there's not," I shot at him. That cat hustled over and sniffed.
"No. Someone was here, I can smell them," he hissed.
I shrugged my shoulders and shut the door, "well they're gone now."
Starting to dance again, I shimmied my way towards the kitchen unaware of the cat staring at the door.
When all the chores were finished I took up my spot on the couch and read one of the many books I had checked out from the library. The Art of Binding. 'To create a paper talisman, the aura of the sealer must be infused with the ink. The stroke of the brush must be a fluid motion and hold a perfect design. If not the binding will fail'.
Tap, tap
I looked up from my book to the window. Surprisingly, Botan was on the other side sitting on her oar. Setting my book down on the coffee table, I crawled over the couch and opened the window for her.
"What are you doing here?"
I was excited to see her; I could use a little company. The blue haired girl hopped through the window and sat down next to me.
"Well I wanted to come by and let you know that I spoke to Koenma about your issue," she started. "Unfortunately he didn't seem very concerned about the whole situation, but that could actually be a good thing. If he isn't worried about it than I suppose neither should you. If it was something serious as someone bringing you here he would have said something."
She gave me a sheepish smile.
"If you say so," I agreed. Looks like I was back to square one again.
"Don't look so down, you're safe. You have Kuwabara, Yusuke and now me!"
I laughed. The grim reaper sure knew how to make me feel better. She was so cheerful and bright; she reminded a lot of Kerri.
"Hey, do you ever get a break," I asked her spontaneously.
She blinked at me for a few seconds caught off by my question, but shook her head.
"Not really, most of time I am busy guiding souls to the spirit world, when I am not helping Yusuke of course."
"Creepy," I deadpanned.
"Just part of the job," she beamed.
"Well nonetheless we should hang out. I don't really have any girlfriends except for Shizuru and I've really wanted to check out the nightlife here."
Botan sat back on the couch, looking unsure.
"It sounds fun, but-"
"Come on, when was the last time you went out and did something fun? Why not live a little," I pressed a little harder. She looked thoughtful.
"Plus I know where Shizuru keeps the sake," I added and winked at her.
That seemed to catch her attention and I knew I had won her over.
Parts of the night were a blur.
It was fair to say I owed Shizuru a new bottle of sake. Botan and I stormed the streets as soon as the sun had set, caught up in an inebriated haze. We started at a karaoke bar, singing like professional divas, but somehow we got kicked out. Apparently the owner didn't find me dancing on the tables "good for business".
He was a buzzkill anyway.
Eventually we found ourselves at an all age club. At least I think it was since the bouncer didn't card us. Lights were flashing neon blue and purple and I was caught in between hot bodies, moving with the vibrations of the music. With the warmth of sake in my veins I felt like a goddess. Like nothing could touch me. My head rocked with the techno blaring out of the bass speakers.
The cotton candy haired reaper had her arms in the air, dancing against some boy. She laughed and lost her footing but the boy caught her and kept dancing with her in his arms. I giggled at her clumsiness till a flash of light hit my eyes and sent me back into my trance. I spun around a few times and bounced with my eyes closed. God, this music was so amazing. It was so exuberating to glow in the lights and finally enjoy myself.
A hand touch my shoulder, gently pulling me back. Botan asked if I wanted a drink, but underneath the song it sounded muffled.
I smiled and shook my head no and continued dancing. I felt her aura get farther away from me, most likely off to get herself a beverage. The music started to pick up and everyone got caught up in a mosh pit, jumping up and down with the beat. Laughing like an idiot, I pushed myself forward till I was at the front of the stage. A go-go dancer caught sight of me and grinned. She reached down for me. Catching on to what she wanted to do, I quickly grabbed her hand and let her pull me up onto the stage. Clapping my hands, I rocked my hips with scantily clad woman. I looked out over the crowd wondering if I could spot the grim reaper from here.
There were so many people.
The club was packed to the walls. My eyes floated over faces but stopped when something caught my attention in the far back corner of the building. It was hard to see him with the group of guys dancing in front of him, but I did see him. A boy was standing against the wall dressed in a long black jacket with his hands in his pockets. His gaze seemed to be fixed solely on me. What was really interesting about him was his eyes. Even from this distance I could see his unusual irises. The lights of the club made them look red, like two glowing rubies. Realizing I was staring, I shot him a friendly smile. His stare didn't falter however and I couldn't rule if that was a good or bad thing.
Something tugged at the hem of my skirt snapping my attention away from him. Looking down I saw Botan waving at me to listen to her. I crouched down to her level and picked up the words leave and Koenma from her muffled speech. I glanced back towards the boy watching me but to my surprise he was gone.
Weird.
Hopping off the stage, I followed the blue haired girl towards the entrance. We rushed out of the club in a blur and found a private spot away from the festivities. The reaper summoned her oar and sat down on it, then looked at me expectantly.
"Are you coming?" She asked with a grin. I blinked a few times trying to decipher what she was saying. Was she wanting me to get on?
"Uh," was the only thing I could get out. She laughed and took hold of my hand, pulling me to sit behind her. She instructed me to hold on and I quickly wrapped my arms around her as she took off. I squeaked out a curse as we flew up, the cool wind whipping at my face. Looking down I watched the city move beneath us in a shimmer of lights. It was amazing. You could see something similar to this on an airplane but being so open in the air was a whole other experience. After a few minutes we slowly lowered to a vacant street. I knew where I was though. The Kuwabara residence was about ten minutes away from here.
"I'll have to drop you off here. Apparently it's very urgent I get back," Botan said, lowering her oar enough for me to get off safely. Jumping down, I looked up at her as she started to ascend. "Sorry to just up and leave you."
"Not a problem, I'm sure it's important. Thanks for the ride," I waved as she flew off. I started walking down the sidewalk. The music from the club was still beating in my mind, so I took up to dancing to myself in the silence. Apparently sake is a lot stronger than regular wine because I was still tipsy. I tried to keep my steps even and not trip over myself.
A turn around a corner had me bumping into a group of girls. I gave them a slurred apology and kept walking towards home. The street turned relatively quiet. In the back of my mind an alarm was quietly starting to ring. I passed by an alleyway and glanced into the darkness. Something felt off. I tried to pick up my pace, but my legs didn't feel like cooperating. Keep going Juno. Think about cuddling up in a warm bed.
Just then a shy smile spread my lips as the redhead popped in my head. It would be nice to cuddle next to him. A blush warmed my face. I couldn't wait to see him again. I'd have to ask him if he wanted to go to the library when he got back, or maybe go to his school's greenhouse.
"I can hardly see his infatuation with you," a voice criticized behind me, interrupting my private thoughts. Surprised, I looked over my shoulder to see the boy from earlier watching me. He was standing right next to me. Whoa, I didn't even sense him. He had a bored look on his face, but even in my drunken state I could feel how dangerous he aura was. I took a step away to create a more comfortable distance. Being this close now gave me a clear view of him. Jet black hair spiked up with a flame of white highlights, his forehead covered with a white bandana. The thing I thought was a jacket now looked more like a cloak now. That wasn't normal.
"Is there a reason why you're following me?" I asked carefully, his presence now sobering me up. I wasn't necessarily afraid, but I knew I needed to be on guard. Meeting his gaze I realized his eyes really were red.
Definitely not normal.
He stepped towards me boldly and examined me more, his eyes shifting to my chest which just so happened to be at his eye level.
"At least your appearance is pleasing," a smirk adorned his face quickly. "But besides that you are nothing more than a dull human. To think the fox could be bewitched so easily."
I frowned.
"Who are you talking about?" I gave him a questioning stare.
"And painfully clueless."
"Hey! Quit being a jerk and answer the question," I snapped at him, scrunching my eyebrows to give him my best glare. His smirk grew wider, like he knew something I didn't. After a few moments without a response I huffed and turned away from him. "Fine be an ass. But I'm not really in the mood to get picked on by some wannabe emo punk."
I marched off down the street towards home, trying to keep an even pace so it didn't look like I was running away; but that's exactly what I was trying to do. I walked three blocks before looking back to see if he was following. He wasn't.
I let out a sigh and continued walking.
"What did he mean by fox?" I wondered aloud.
When I got to the house the lights were off and it was quiet. After what seemed like forever, my legs finally hit the edge of the couch. I flopped my body down onto the cushions, moaning in happiness at the feel. Thank god, I could sleep now. I closed my eyes and hummed as my hazy mind started to drift.
Purrr
I cracked an eye open, not missing the swish of a white tail.
"You stink," I heard Kei hiss. Grunting in annoyance, I rolled over onto my side and looked up at him. He was glaring at me, tail moving back and forth in an irritated manner. I so didn't need this right now.
"Sorry if my smell offends you, but I did just come back from a club."
"That's not it," he snapped. "It's the same smell as before."
I sat up slowly and gave him a questioning look.
"What do you mean?" I whined. I was so tired and just wanted to sleep.
"You reek of a demon," he snapped. He jumped down from the couch and dashed away from me. I sat there confused as his pattering paws faded down the hall.
A demon?
A/N: Yay what I'm sure most of you were waiting for! The appearance of our favorite fire demon. Hope it was worth the wait :3 Let me know what you think.
