Disclaimer: Don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Only Takusa and Jiki
Black Tears
Chapter Seven
Warnings: Nothing really bad in this chappie!
From last time:
Outside of the room, Takusa smirked in satisfaction. "Everything is going to plan," he whispered to himself, allowing a slight chuckle to escape. "Soon, he will be fully in my grasp. And once there, he will never escape. Never."
"Maybe it was this way," muttered the girl, turning a full circle on the street corner. "Or was it this way?" she asked, rotating so that she now faced the opposite direction. "I can't remember!" she wailed, slumping down and sitting on the curb.
We've been walking downtown Kyoto for the last two hours looking for the jewelry shop Keiko had gone too yesterday. So far, no luck. Every street seemed to look the same, the alcoves offering shelter against the drizzle that had been following our little group since we'd come out.
Flashback to earlier that day
As soon as Keiko had told us about how she had a black pearl ring, hope had filled my heart. If we could locate where the store had bought the precious pearls, we might have a chance on locating the missing fire demon.
We left my house, headed for Kuwabara's to alert him of our current lead. I know he isn't the smartest person in the world, but he has a way of saving the day when we all least expect it. We could use his luck right now and also maybe his senses of being able to pick up on power sources.
Walking about four blocks from my apartment, we arrived on a tree- lined street, little houses lining the road. Each lawn was cared for with fresh, green grass and some had even added birdbaths or large cherry blossom trees. Going up one of the neat front walks, Botan rang the doorbell and stood off to the side so that the door could be opened.
After a few moments, Shizuru appeared in the doorway, her brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and wearing only a pair of purple sleeping pants and an over large T-shirt that read 'Got Milk?'
"What are all of you doing here this early?" she yawned, rubbing her eyes. "It's only ten in the morning...."
"We need to see Kuwabara," said Keiko. "It's an emergency..."
"Wait one moment..." Disappearing into the dark interior of the house, loud cries of Kazuma could be heard ringing down the halls and startling the birds out of the trees outside. "He should be hear in a minute," said the older sister, appearing back in the doorway.
In precisely forty-eight seconds Kuwabara came to the door, wearing a pair of old blue sweats and nothing else. "What do you want Urameshi?" he growled, clearly upset about being woken this early.
"We have a lead on Hiei," I said, "And we thought you might like to know."
The tiredness seemed to vanish from his face instantly and his eyes were alert. "You mean," he said, running a hand through his orange hair, "That you might know where the shrimp is? That's great!" He hugged Shizuru who gave a loud sigh and disentangled herself from Kuwabara's grasp after hitting him on the back of his squarish head several times.
"Are you coming?" asked Botan impatiently, quite eager to start the search. "We still have to swing by and pick up Kurama so if you're coming, hurry up!" Her oar appeared next to her and the blue haired girl hopped on. "I'll just go get Kurama and meet you in about five minutes right here. I'm assuming you're going to need that time Kuwabara." With a wave, the ferry girl sped off towards the fox's house.
Kuwabara entered his house and the brown haired sibling of his gestured for Keiko and I to enter, which we gladly did seeing as a raindrop had just hit my nose. She led us into the family room where we'd been playing Nintendo with not a care in the world a few days ago until Botan had come to get us.
"He might be a little while," said Shizuru, plopping herself down on the red, leather armchair. "He needs to brush his teeth, comb and gel his hair, find a clean set of clothes, and then eat breakfast. Do you two want anything to drink?"
"I'll have a coke," I said, looking at Keiko who shook her head. Shizuru got up from the chair and headed into the kitchen where I could hear her rummaging through the fridge.
"Yusuke?" said Keiko softly, "What happened to Hiei? Please tell me," she begged, eyes brimming with tears. "I know you want to protect me by not telling me about your cases and such, but please Yusuke. Hiei... well, he wasn't really a friend, but he cares a lot about Yukina and he's always been loyal to us. Please tell me what's wrong..."
I gave a deep sigh, pulling the distraught girl to me and resting my chin on top of her brown head. "It's complicated Keiko, even I don't understand all of it. But I'll tell you what I do know... Hiei was captured four days ago for his black pearls. Because he is part ice demon but part fire, he doesn't make the white ones like his sister does but black. I've recently found out that when black pearls are crushed they make a poison that can kill anyone instantly. Some demon must have gotten his hands on Hiei and is forcing him to give him the pearls."
"Poor Hiei," said the girl softly, resting her head against my chest. "He isn't the type to cry... What do you think they're doing to him?"
"I don't even want to think about it," I said, my hands playing with her sleek, brown hair. "I can't even imagine the pain and torment they're putting him through Keiko... And it isn't fair. No one should have to suffer for some evil person's destruction."
Just then Shizuru entered the room again, this time carrying a coke for me and a mountain dew for herself. Settling down, she turned on the T.V. and sat back to watch the morning news. Pounding on the ceiling above alerted us that Kuwabara was coming down. Seconds later, he skidded into the tiled kitchen and promptly crashed into the table.
"Owwww. When did we get a table here?" he moaned, crossing over and pulling a cereal bar out of the cabinet.
"We've always had the table Baby Bro," said Shizuru, her eyes glued to the screen as a huge diamond bracelet that was to be auctioned off later that week filled it.
Kuwabara entered the family room dressed in a pair of his blue school pants and a white muscle shirt that easily showed off his six-pack. "Ready to go," he said optimistically, munching contentedly on his frosted flakes bar.
The three of up trooped out onto the front stoop to wait for Botan. She arrived about twenty seconds later, Kurama looking slightly winded but excited on the back of the oar. "Let's go!" she cried. "Lead the way Keiko!"
End Flashback
So here we are now, standing in the constant drizzle with absolutely no idea of how to get to the store. And even most unfortunate, Keiko lost the bag and can't remember the store's name, only that it had a green front.
Botan pulled her light spring jacket tighter around her as the wind picked up, a torrent of rain making her blue hair hang plastered on her face. Kurama's long red locks weren't faring much better in this weather although he did have a hat on.
"Come on Keiko," I said gently, "You have to get out of the rain or else you'll catch cold." Taking her firmly by the arm, I pulled her into one of the shop's doorways, shielding her slightly from the rain.
"So what do we do now?" asked Kuwabara, who was huddled miserably against a wall, trying to keep dry and not succeeding. "Should we go ask one of these shop owners if they know where the jewelry store is?"
"That's actually an excellent idea Kuwabara," said Kurama. Opening the door he was leaning against, a little bell tinkled inside and he entered, the other four of us trooping in after him.
It looked like we had entered a little perfume store, the smell overpowering. Let's see...In one breath I could smell, rose, peppermint, vanilla, country apple, orange....AHHH! Too many girly scents!
"Can I help you dears?" asked a little old lady coming out from behind a beaded curtain in the back of the store. Huge spectacles sat on her nose and her gray hair was pulled up in a tight bun. A jade green shirt and a pair of satiny blue pants were her clothing choices. Several large and gaudy beaded necklaces and a pair of leather slippers completed her eccentric outfit.
"It would be wonderful if you could," said Botan, admiring a bottle of pumpkin spice lotion. "First off, how much is this?" A large sweat drop appeared on the back of my head, wondering how she could be shopping at a time like this.
"Four eighty dear," said the owner. Forking over the money, the orange colored bottle was put in a bright pink bag and handed over the register to the ferry girl.
"The second thing is we're looking for a jewelry store. We know it's down here somewhere but not sure where. It had a green front if that helps," said Botan, praying the woman knew.
"Let me see here," said the woman, "Jewelry store with a green front.. I do believe you're trying to get to Kingsley Jewels. Turn right when you leave and head down about two blocks. It should be right around there."
"That does sound right," said Keiko, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Thank you very much," she said, turning to the shopkeeper.
"No problem Sugar." After saying thanks several times, the five of us left the shop, are spirits high. It had even stopped raining in honor of the occasion and a faint rainbow could be seen in the sky as the sun shone brilliantly down on us.
It was just as the old woman had said. A large green building sat two in from the corner, golden letters on the outside reading Kingsley Jewels. In display cases were watches, necklaces, rings and many other valuable items.
Pushing open the glass doors, we were hit with a wave of air conditioning that made Botan shiver even more. Keiko strolled over to the counter and rang the little brass bell that should bring in the jeweler.
A thin, balding man with a black handlebar mustache came out of a side door, a magnifying lens over one eye and a half polished piece of amethyst in hand. "Yes?" he said in an oily voice. "Do you need something from the case?"
"Actually," said Keiko, "I bought a ring here yesterday. My friend," she said, gesturing towards Botan, "Liked it so much we were wondering if you had any more in stock. It was the black pearl ring." Holding her hand out, the gem seemed to glow before fading back to its black sheen.
"Let me go check in back," the man said. "They sold like hotfire yesterday and I'm afraid we might not have any left." Vanishing behind a black door, he emerged several minutes later empty handed. "Sorry Young lady, we're completely sold out."
"Oh." A slight pout formed on Keiko's lips before she brightened. "Do you have the company's name? It would be wonderful to send them feedback on their amazing pearl jewelry."
"Yes, I do have that.." Reaching under the counter, the man handed a business card to Keiko who beamed widely at him.
"You've been such a help," she gushed, "Thank you." We all exited the store and then grouped around the card.
Atlat Pearl Jewelers
6057 Wallabie Ave
Tokyo, Japan 79381
"Should we got pay Atlat a visit?" asked Botan, inspecting the card. "If they made the rings then they must have some sort of connection with Makai..."
"Let's go," I said, slamming my fisted hand into the other. "Time to get some answers and rescue our friend." Turning to Keiko, I said, "It'll be better if you stay here. It's going to be dangerous and I don't want to see you hurt."
"I'm coming Yusuke," she said, eyes flashing. "I came to the Dark Tournament and I'm coming with you now. I care about Hiei as well and you are not going to convince me to stay."
Hopelessly, I glanced over at my other companions who just shrugged. "Fine, you can come, just don't get in the way," I warned. "It might get ugly and I don't want you to be injured in any way."
"Fine. Now let's go. We'll need to get a taxi to the airport and then plane tickets and then...."
Three hours later we were all comfortably seated in a small passenger plane that was headed for Tokyo. Botan was leaning back and relaxing in her reclining chair, munching on a bag of airplane peanuts with a contented look on her face.
Keiko was curled up in her seat, staring out the window at nothing in particular. "We will be taking off in several minutes. At this time please turn off all electronic devices and put your seats and tray in the upright position. Please fasten your seat belts and prepare for lift off," said a voice over the intercom.
With a sign, Botan pulled her seat up and Kuwabara put up the tray. Kurama huddled miserably in his seat, a slightly green expression on his face. "This is the first time I've ever ridden a plane," he mumbled, clutching his stomach.
Kuwabara, who was next to the fox, shifted slightly over in his seat and pulled out the white paper bag in the seat pouch and handed it to the redhead. "Here you go Kurama," he said nervously. "Just don't get sick on me, kay?"
"I'll try," he said weakly, curling up even tighter. I gave a loud yell of surprise as I felt the plane speed up underneath us and Kurama made a sickening noise.
"IT'S JUST LIKE A ROLLER COASTER!" I yelled, holding my arms above my head as we left the ground. Keiko turned away from me and tried to pretend she had no idea who I was. Botan laughed and went back to eating peanuts.
"Owwwie," moaned Kuwabara. "My ears are hurting." Sticking his finger in his right ear, he started to poke around, trying to pop the growing ear bubble. "Does anyone have a band-aid?"
Keiko reached into her purse and pulled out a stick of gum, handing it across the narrow aisle to Kuwabara. "Chew this Kuwabara, it should help quite a bit."
"Golly, thanks Keiko!" Sticking the stick in his mouth, wrapper and all, he chewed furiously, spraying globs of spit over Kurama. The fox, taking one look at Kuwabara, opened up the bag and had his own little spitting fest.
Botan, who was sitting next to me, offered me the peanuts and I took the whole bag, ignoring her protesting cries that they were hers. "It is now safe to unfasten your seatbelts," came the captain's voice. "Bathrooms are located at the front and back of the cabin. If someone is in them a red 'X' will light up on the sign. Please do not get up unless necessary and it is now all right to use your electronics. Have a pleasant flight."
A few minutes later, one of the flight attendants came by and asked what we all wanted to drink. Kurama requested some sprite, Kuwabara and me got coke, Botan got water, and Keiko got apple juice. I tried to pay the extra money for wine but when the lady asked for my ID I told her to not bother anymore. She's been looking at me strangely since that.
We rode for about an hour, all of us doing our own thing. Keiko fell asleep gazing out the window; Botan ate thousands of peanuts and gradually got a stomachache so she spent most of her time in the bathroom, making a pretty long line outside the door. Kurama gradually made a plant seed that helped with stomach sickness and was fine for the rest of the trip. Kuwabara ate and ate as well, but didn't show any signs of stopping. And me... I sat there, thinking of how great it would be when we got Hiei out of wherever her was.
I don't know how he'll react to seeing us, probably something like 'Stupid Ningen, what took you so long?' or maybe 'So Kurama isn't the only one who knows how to efficiently use his brain...I mean, you actually all managed to get here. Congratulations.'
A large grin spread across my face, already picturing the happy reunion. Kuwabara would probably hug the shrimp and then get knocked out because of it, Botan might try and then retreat seeing murderous intent in his eyes. Kurama would just give a smile and say it was nice to see him again. I'd probably try to high-five him and give him a hair ruffle, one thing he hated above all others. Keiko would just smile and welcome him back. Yep, I couldn't wait....
"We will be landing in several minutes. Please buckle your seat belts and place all trays and seats in the upright position. Thank you so much for flying with Japan Airlines and we hope to see you again soon."
Minutes later, we had all disembarked off the plane and were headed for the luggage claim to pick up our bags. We had all packed for one night and Botan had already booked a hotel. Besides, it was late out so we would visit Atlat tomorrow and get a good night's rest tonight.
"What was the hotel named again?" I asked, carrying Keiko through the thronging crowds. I hadn't had the heart to wake her so had given Kuwabara the task of getting my luggage while I got Keiko.
"Palace Inn Suites. Koenma-Sama decided that we would get the best hotel possible. It was also rather nice of him to buy our plane tickets, I'm sure none of us could have afforded it." The blue haired girl led the way, a large pink duffel riding on her shoulder. "TAXI!" she yelled, waving down a bright yellow cab. "Palace Inn Suites," she said climbing in. The rest of us followed after throwing the luggage in the trunk.
Keiko was sitting on my lap and Botan sat on top of Kurama, telling him he was rather squishy, a not intended insult to the rather vain fox. He ignored her for the rest of the trip, especially when she said maybe he should start gelling his hair or at least cut it.
When we arrived at the large hotel, I could only look up at it in astonishment. Huge marble pillars stood on the front, holding up a large overhang on the street. Pots full of flowers went up the walk to a set of glass doors that went into the lobby. Inside was a crystal chandelier, the light casting small rainbows over everything. A fountain was erected in the corner, jets shooting about eight feet in the air and cascading into a shimmering pool. "It's wonderful," breathed Botan, looking around her in awe.
Kurama moved over to the front desk and came back to our little group a few minutes later holding two room keys. "Keiko and Botan can have their own room," he said, handing the key to the genki girl without looking at her, still upset about the comment on his stomach. "Us three can have the other room, sound good?"
"Good to me," said Botan, twirling around on one foot. "Can you bring Keiko up Yusuke? I really don't think I can carry her..." After taking the elevator to floor four and setting Keiko on a large queen sized bed, I collapsed on my own. Kuwabara was grumbling how he had gotten stuck with the couch but I think it was a good arrangement.
This hotel really was a suite. We had two queen beds, two TV's, a pullout couch, huge bathroom, our own refrigerator, coffee maker, and microwave. We also had a view of a gigantic pool but unfortunately we knew there was no time for a quick swim.
As soon as I had gotten dressed in my blue pajamas and crawled under the covers, I was lulled to sleep by the lullaby of Kuwabara's loud snores... An odd lullaby but one nevertheless.
I was awoken to Kurama shaking me gently by the shoulder, a hopeful smile on his face. "Time to get up Yusuke. We're going to grab a quick bite to eat and then we're going to Atlat. Time for you to get up."
Even my normal self that loved sleep recognized the importance of today. So with no protests whatsoever, I got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. That's one think ya gotta love about hotels... they never run out of hot water. When I came out, Kuwabara and Kurama were already dressed to go, the luggage packed neatly away in our duffels.
We were all dressed in outing clothes. Kuwabara wore a pair of ripped jeans and a large black and yellow T-Shirt that read 'If bees like honey, I'm the honey'. Kurama had on a pair of khaki green cargo pants and a beige hoodie shirt. Me...I was dressed in my favorite pair of black jeans and my white tank top, with my red jacket thrown over my arm. "Let's go!" exclaimed Kuwabara. "Breakfast lies just around the corner!"
When we reached the lobby, a room had been set up off to the side with delicious food laid on the tables. Sitting at a rather large one were the two girls, happily eating breakfast.
"The scrambled eggs are great," said Botan, after swallowing. "Try the French toast too.." Dropping our duffels on the ground we went over to the buffet table and heaped our plates full. I can already see Hiei complaining about the lack of meat here and the sweet snow. It occurs to me that the fire demon has two weaknesses... Yukina and ice cream. Poor guy...
About half an hour later, Keiko finally get sick of watching us four stuffing our faces. "Time to go," she said, pulling on her jacket. "You guys have all had plenty to eat and none of you need any more. Now come on!" Kurama, the one who hadn't been eating that much, rather picking at bits of pineapple, rose as well, dragging the ferry girl up by her arm.
I was dragged down the street by my girlfriend, quite ready to go and disgusted with the amount of food I could consume. Leaving the hotel, we hit the main road, cars driving by on our right side at furious paces. People were everywhere, creating traffic jams on the sidewalks.
It's been six days since Hiei was kidnapped. Kurama counts down the days, growing more impatient as they continue to pass with no clue to our friend. But today should be a breakthrough. If these Atlat guys know anything, we might be finding him faster than we can say jagan.
The walk wasn't a relatively long one, just about ten minutes. After you escaped from the bustling crowds Tokyo was a rather nice place. We took a shortcut through a pleasant little park, Japanese ponds everywhere.
"There it is," said Kurama quietly, staring up at the building that rose into the sky. It was a dark red brick with huge glass windows at the top. The doors slid open for us and we stepped in, entering a large lobby. "Excuse me," said Kurama politely to the secretary at the front desk, "We were wondering if we could speak to the manager. It is extremely important."
"Kitoan-San is a very busy person young man," said Dora, for that's what her nametag read. "He doesn't have time for a bunch of teenagers like you."
"But it's an emergency," said Botan, appearing next to Kurama. "We must speak to him immediately. How much do you want?" Reaching into her purse, Botan came out with huge golden coins, easily worth a large sum. "I'll give you ten of these," she said, clinking the money. "Or we can just leave..."
"No no.... He's in room 453 on floor two," she said eagerly, eyes focused on the gold. "Just don't tell him I sent you there."
"We won't," said Botan sweetly, dropping the money on the desk with a tinkle. "Thank you so much." With a wave of her hand, the ferry girl headed for the elevators, a large smile on her face. "That was so easy," she exclaimed once we were in the moving contraption. "Koenma-Sama gave me some spare gold in case we needed it. This looked like that situation."
The elevator gave a lurch, indicating we had reached our floor. The doors opened with a ding and we entered into a red velvet carpeted hallway, small glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Kuwabara whistled looking around. "Nice place they've got here..."
The large stained glass door at the end of the hallway read Tanosuke Kitoan, just the man wanted to see. Fearlessly, Botan strode forward and shoved it open, walking in with a purposeful stride. A large, slightly overweight man sat behind the desk dressed in a black business suit. His red hair was on only the sides of his head, the rest of it bald.
"Can I help you?" he asked coldly, not happy with our sudden intrusion.
"Yes, you can," I said, stepping in front of our little group. "What do you know about the black pearls?" The man paled considerably, sweat droplets clinging to his face.
"I don't know what you kids are talking about. Now run along and go play."
"You do know what we're talking about," I said, placing my hands on the desk and leaning forward, my face mere inches from his. "And if you know what's good you're going to tell us."
His hand moved underneath the desk shakily, his eyes darting between me and the door and then to my friends. "Listen kid," he said, the fear vanishing from his voice and his hand stopping its quaking. "Sorry to do this but..." Whipping his right hand out from underneath the desk, he emerged with a gun that shot straight at my face. I didn't even have a chance to blink as the bullet collided with my shoulder, his aim slightly off.
Stumbling backwards, I clutched my shot arm to me, blood seeping out of the cloth, the red stain blossoming over the white shirt. Kurama pushed Botan to the floor and Kuwabara did the same as Keiko, ready to defend the girls.
Another shot rang out, this one colliding with my left leg and I slumped to the ground, crimson liquid pouring from my wounds. "Rose whip!" yelled Kurama, pulling a rose out from underneath his hair and putting his spirit energy into it to form the deadly vine. Shooting it forward, the gun was knocked from Kitoan's hands, clattering across the floor.
With a maniacal laugh, he pulled out another one from the drawer and fired at the surprised Kurama, the cold piece of metal catching him in his lower right arm, narrowly missing Kuwabara. The orange haired man pulled out his spirit sword, and used it to form a shield.
Charging the business man, he crashed the powerful energy into the man's tubby frame, sending him flying against the wall. Letting the shield disappear, Kuwabara turned to me, not noticing Kitoan rising from the floor, the gun aimed at Kuwabara's back.
"KUWABARA!" screamed Botan, just as the gun went off, the newest victim faltering forward before falling to the ground, the back of his yellow shirt turning a bright red. By now, black dots were starting to appear in my vision from the blood loss and pain. Fighting with Toguro had been different.... Neither of us had such items that could kill with precision as a gun.
Kurama flicked out his whip again, anger in his emerald eyes. Flicking it forward at lightning speed, the second gun was pulled out of Kitoan's grasp and flew into Kurama's hands. I raised my index finger, a light blue glow forming with the last of my energy. I would not allow that man to hurt my friend's anymore... The ball flew from my body and slammed into Kitoan, driving him back against his desk and he didn't rise.
"YUSUKE!" came Keiko's panicked cry as she knelt in front of me, tears leaking down her cheeks. "Don't die Yusuke! I need you! Don't leave me!" With the last of my energy, I brought my right arm up, my hand gently wiping the tears off her face a small streak of red blood being left behind. Forcing my lips into a smile, I looked one last time at her face before darkness claimed me.
Author's Notes:
Just to let you guys all know, I've been editing the formatting a bit. I no longer tell whose POV it is unless I switch it. Hopefully you all figured out that for this chapter it was Yusuke's.. I also hope none of you try to kill me for that ending...
I go to my guitar lessons (my first one!) in less than an hour so I'm going to try to get this up before I go. If not, it'll be up later this evening, around eight my time.
Oh, and if all of you are wondering about the airplane scene.. Well I rode a plane three times on my vacation and I've basically memorized the safety procedures and all that stuff. Just felt like adding some of my knowledge into the fic!
Reviewer's Comments:
Animegoddess800 I know! Eek! I clicked the wrong entry.. I do hope you got that e-mail I sent you and read the actual update.. Very glad to say this is the right story for this chapter!
ShatteredSoul56 -laughs nervously- Didn't really update that soon, did I? But wait, I can explain! I was on vacation! Although that still isn't such a great excuse. -sigh- oh well, hope you enjoyed the chapter
Hiei Dragon Girl -Smiles- Glad you love your plushies! My virtual self on Gaia sleeps with them every night. One lucky girl...
coffeentoffee I'm with coffee, teddy bears make you feel all happy inside. I have a giant Care bear, the cheer one with the rainbow. But I named it cherry cuz one time I called it Beer Bear... hehe, cheer rhymes with beer and beer starts with B!
LishaChan I'm glad you think so. I'm also kinda relieved I didn't have to write one this chapter. It stresses me out and makes me very snappish... yeah, the milk part had me laughing when I wrote it.
Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu Well, now you can be sad for Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara. -smiles- I guess it wouldn't be so bad, but I would just be so upset losing all of my fics. I don't save them on my computer cuz I'm trying to save space for programs.
mary yeah, I think I might of exaggerated a tiny bit. But by now, seeing it's been six days, he's defiently filled some bags. I mean, they're even selling some to jewelery stores since they have so many!
KitsuneSkye203 I did, good ficcy. I hope you got that last review I sent you. Hopefully it'll help your writer's block. I normally have a small case of it, but I force myself to write anyways. But since I have so many fics, when ever one is on block I just work on a different one!
windrhythm Are you saying demented in a kind way? lol, don't blame ya. My own friends call me crazy but I prefer the term unique.
Tala Ishtar No I haven't, is that a good anime show? What's it about? I'm currently trying to broaden my anime expertise in shows, but I still only have five. =( Hopefully I'll get tons more... once I start getting back on my T.V that is.
The Theif Kurone NOOOOO! I don't want her to be a girl! Can you believe it? I still haven't gotten around to getting it b/c of all this traveling I've been doing and my dad keeps changing his credit card!
Kurosaisei Yeah, it kinda is. So is cutting in HP fics... No Hiei torture this time but I had a little side torture with poor Yusuke and Co. I read part of the fic, but then my computer froze and now whenever I try to read it the stupid screen says the server is unavailable. -sigh- Although I did like what I got to read. =)
MilkywayNut Well, the way I see it, they can figure that Atlat's head guy knows something.. Why else would he shoot at them?
HellFireFanatic I don't think this chappie turned you on any, did it? But hopefully you still liked it! =) I don't think you need another tissue but next chapter you might... -wink-
BlueBabyAquaGirl My fingers are sore too! And playing guitar isn't going to help them any.. WAAHHH!
tyesantye Yeah, that might be a good reason. I mean, I wouldn't really want to get close to anyone either if that happened to me.. Then again, I love hugs so I might...
ShadowBlue I'm glad it wasn't that bad but still good enough! I honestly think they work better as friends... Kurama just doesn't seem Hiei's type... And vice-versa. Who would you pair each one up with? I'm a H/B fan but other pairings with Keiko and Hiei are cute to. Kurama's a mystery to me.
Jin007 Isn't angst wonderful? My parents don't really agree with me on the matter but hey, I like it! Yusuke is so funny drunk.. Doesn't seem like he does it often, does it?
Lightning Fire That's odd. Did your computer crash or something? Yep, thank Kami you corrected your tongue slip. Our Hiei!
Lefty Chocolate is my fave flavor on a tootsie pop, what's yours? I'd like to live in Arizona. Just got back from my vacation there and am in love with the red rock in Seddona! Florida sounds kewl, NH too. Does it snow a lot?
BoomBamBlitz Yes Takusa does.. A perfect bad guy. Absolutely no heart and uses his power to bring pain and suffering to others. Such a great man!
Just Kidding Me Right You know, if you got rid of the me in your name, your initials would be the same as J.K. Rowling, kewl huh? yeah, Yusuke can be a bit forgetful around her...
warhero35 I'm finally starting to realize how late this update is. We were in school last time at chapter six!
Telesan Thank you. And thanks for the review!
Shizu J.R. and Plushies I have no idea, I never saw that part of the series either. But I did read somewhere that in the end the bandits let Hiei go for they were afraid of his power... I;m glad you feel that way about updating.. As you can see it took me a while. I really liked your YYH fic too! =) Nope, don't get the inside joke, but I'll laugh anyway.
Kurai-Youkai I love fics like that too! I guess everyone has a darker half, although mine keeps popping out all the time now.
NightShadow131 I'm glad he killed them too! They all deserved to die! And if Hiei didn't, I would! Hey wait, I can't do that, I'm not a character... Oh well, confusing myself now. Of course they'll rescue him, I can't let my baby suffer for ever....
I'm not quite sure Thanks for the review! Glad ya luv it!
Alaskantiger Don't worry, as soon as Yusuke and Co. get out of this problem they'll rescue poor Hiei
joe Thank you!
Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac Hehe, well, here's the next chapter! Hope you like this one as much as you did the others!
mione drac opal It was so funny.. I was typing this fic when I got your review! Doesn't look like you had to wait long, did it?