Hey everyone! It's been a while since I updated this story huh? I guess I should make up for that then. So, in honor of Valentine's day, I'm posting up two chapters! Hurray!
Not much else to say about this one...other than it's kind of an important plot point, I guess. But...meh. Enjoy the story!
"I think we're lost…"
"We're not lost."
"We have no idea where we are! I think that means we're lost!"
"Look, I told you before; I know exactly where we're going."
"And I told you before; I'd believe you if you would just take a look at the friggin' map!"
A scoff. "I don't need to look at the map."
A growl, followed by the flutter of paper as the map was waved about. "This is no time to mess around, Urameshi!"
"Would you relax, Kuwabara? We'll get there."
Minako released a breath, blowing her golden bangs out of her eyes as she watched the two guys – they looked around her age, but she wasn't exactly sure – continue to argue. She didn't mean to spy on them, but they had been arguing like that for the past ten minutes since they wandered into the park, and she had nothing better to do as she and the girls waited for Mamoru and Minamino-sensei to arrive.
The Venus girl sighed, sitting back against the bench and resting her folded hands on her lap. As she watched the clouds that lazy floated across the sky, she couldn't resist the small smile that formed on her lips. Thing were going so well lately, getting to spend so much time with Minamino-sensei, that it was almost too good to be true. She had always fantasized about it, but she never imagined that she would ever get to hang out with him outside of class like this; just as two regular teenagers, instead of a student and her teacher.
They had to be careful of course, since she didn't want to get Minamino-sensei in trouble. They took precautions so people wouldn't wonder why a teacher like him would spend so much time with his students. Minamino-sensei could only be around when Mamoru and Usagi were there together, so he could give the excuse that he was really hanging out with his neighbor and friend who just happened to know some of his students from school. Luckily Mamoru was nice enough to agree being the justification, though he also wondered why Minamino wanted to spend time with the girls.
She hadn't told any of them yet, but she was pretty sure that Minamino-sensei was usually around to see her. Ever since that one morning when he let her borrow the manga book, he seemed much more relaxed around her. And when they bumped into each other on days when he wasn't teaching (which still happened often), he didn't seem to mind being around her. But still, Minamino-sensei seemed the most comfortable on days like this, when they planned to have the whole group together; him, Mamoru, her, and the girls. She was sure, though, that was only because he didn't want people to think he had one favorite student.
But she knew better. She knew Minamino-sensei really wanted to see her. Now if only she could get some time alone with him…
"Urameshi! Would you just listen for a second?!"
"Give it a rest, Kuwabara!"
Minako released an exasperated sigh. "Are those two still going at it?"
"Unfortunately," Makoto replied, crossing her arms in irritation.
Minako leaned forward a little and rested her chin in her palm as she and the other girls continued to observe the arguing males. Judging by their accents and the map one of the guys had, they were most definitely from out of town. The man holding the map was tall, and his long, dark green pants seemed to make him taller somehow. He wore a black turtleneck sweater that seemed to emphasize his burly form, and as he stood in a defensive position in front of his traveling companion, she could clearly see that he was a fighter. His most noticeable feature, though, was probably the bright orange hair on the top of his head.
At least it was, until he turned around and she caught a glimpse of his face. She made a slight face, but continued to watch him curiously. Though he wasn't the most…attractive person in the world (if she wasn't so nice, she might've called him ugly), he had a certain charm that she couldn't help but notice.
The second guy seemed to be a bit of his opposite, at least in appearance. Where the first guy stood tall and straight, the other guy was shorter and preferred to slouch. The first guy had fair skin and brightly-colored hair; the second was tan and had slicked-back black hair. And while the first guy's small black eyes displayed the range of emotions on the otherwise serious, long and thin face; the smirk on the round and childlike face of the second guy seemed to offset the grim expression in his russet eyes.
She couldn't deny that there was something interesting about the second guy, though. He wore black jeans and a baggy white shirt, partially hidden under his loose red jacket that was designed with flaming skulls. His hands casually in his pockets, he seemed to display the stereotypical tough-guy attitude. And for some reason, she thought it was kind of cute in a way.
"Urameshi!" the tall carrot top said, cutting through her musings. "Can't we just ask for directions or something?"
The raven-haired one, Urameshi, rolled his eyes and punched the other's shoulder. "Don't be such a chick, Kuwabara!"
Kuwabara punched him back. "Who's a chick?!"
Makoto scoffed suddenly, clearly offended by their implication. "What a bunch of jerks," she muttered.
Rei shook her head, brushing back strands of hair as a small breeze blew by. "Men are so obnoxious," she said.
"Oh? Well, hopefully not all of us are."
The girls turned to see Mamoru and Minamino-sensei approaching. The red-haired teacher turned to Rei, a playful smile on his lips. "Surely you know some men who aren't, Hino-san?" he asked.
The Mars warrior huffed, her violet eyes barely holding back a glare. "Mamoru-san is the only one I know who isn't," she retorted.
"Rei-chan!" Minako hissed.
"Don't take it personally, Minamino-sensei," Ami said, trying to keep back the tension that was rising in their fellow Senshi. "Rei-chan is like this with most men."
Minamino simply chuckled. "So I've noticed."
Minako shot Rei a small glare, but the priestess simply looked away. The only problem with Minamino-sensei hanging out with them was that he was also spending more time around Rei. The fiery girl was already wary of men to begin with, but she insisted there was still something about Minamino-sensei that couldn't be trusted. And the more time the two spent around each other, the harder a time Rei had of keeping her misgivings of him a secret.
So far, Minamino-sensei seemed to take it all in stride, and he didn't seem to mind how cold she was to him. But Minako feared that if Rei kept that kind of attitude, he would get tired of it and stop hanging out with them…with her.
"What's going on there?" Mamoru wondered, indicating the nearby scene.
The girls turned back to the two guys who were now wrestling in the middle of the park. ""I think they're visiting," Usagi replied with a shrug.
"Looks like they could use some help," Minamino said with an amused smile.
"Doesn't seem like they'd take any," Makoto said disdainfully.
"They'd be stubborn about it," Rei added. "Just like most guys are."
Mamoru and Minamino glanced at each other, and the redhead simply shrugged. "Well, if there's nothing else," Mamoru said slowly, "we should get going."
Minako jumped to her feet, ready to follow Mamoru, Makoto, and Rei as they began to head off. But she paused when she noticed that Ami, Usagi, and Minamino were still watching the two guys wrestling.
"Hey," she said, trying to get their attention. She noticed that the other three had stopped and waited for them to catch up. "Aren't you guys coming?"
"We really should help them," Ami said, even as she slowly stood from the bench.
"Well, as Kino-san said, we can't help them if they don't want it," Minamino said, the smile still on his lips. "And if they don't notice us, we can't offer our assistance."
Suddenly, as they continued watching, Urameshi grabbed Kuwabara and pulled him into a headlock. The taller one struggled to try and get free, and in the tussle the breeze pulled the map out of his hand. It fluttered as it drifted away, unnoticed by either of the two males.
As the piece of paper came closer, Usagi bent down and picked it up before the wind could take it farther. Rising to her full height, she held the map out as she called to the two boys. "A-ano…excuse me…you dropped your map."
The two either didn't hear her or simply ignored her as they continued fighting.
"Forget it, Usagi-chan," Makoto called to the rabbit. "If they get in trouble because they lost their map, it's their problem." But Usagi seemed a little hesitant, and looked at the map in her hands.
"May I try, Tsukino-san?" Minamino offered, holding out his hand. Looking at him, the dumpling-haired girl nodded and handed him the map. He accepted it from her and started to fold it as he headed for the two guys, now wrestling on the ground.
If anyone could get those two guys to listen, Minako was sure that Minamino-sensei could. But as she watched, her eyes widened when her nice, polite teacher used the map to reach down and whap both boys on the head. They both recoiled and looked at the redhead in surprise.
She expected that the boys would get angry or something. But instead, the one called Urameshi just blinked. "Oh hey," he said. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough," Minamino replied. Though Minako couldn't see his face, she thought she heard a smile in his tone. "You two certainly know how to draw attention to yourselves."
Urameshi smirked and jumped to his feet. "Whatever works," he said with a shrug. Then he turned to Kuwabara. "See? I told ya we'd find him."
Kuwabara snorted, rubbing the back of his head. "What're you talking about, Urameshi? He found us."
"It wasn't hard," Minamino said. "But what are you guys doing here?"
"What, we can't come by and visit a buddy for a while?" Urameshi asked, pretending to sound hurt.
"You should have called, though. I would've been glad to go meet you at the train station."
"So we wanted to surprise ya."
"It was Urameshi's idea," Kuwabara muttered, finally getting to his feet. Then he hit the raven-haired teen's arm. "I told you we shoulda called."
Minamino shook his head a little as Urameshi once again hit back.
Curiosity finally got the better of her, and Minako quietly tiptoed forward until she stood behind her teacher. "Minamino-sensei?"
The two guys, who looked as though they were about to fight again, stopped when they finally noticed her as Minamino turned to look at her.
"Minamino-sensei," Minako said again, feeling the curious gaze of her friends on her back. "Are they friends of yours?"
"Oh, yes," the redhead said, as though just remembering she was there. Waving the others to come over, he then indicated the two boys behind him. "These are two of my friends from back home. This is Kuwabara Kazuma-kun…"
"Hi," the tall carrot top said.
"And this is Urameshi Yusuke."
The raven-haired teen grinned and held up a hand. "Yo," he said.
Then, turning to his two friends, Minamino gestured to the taller man behind him. "Yusuke, Kuwabara-kun, this is my neighbor at my apartment building, Chiba Mamoru-san."
Mamoru bowed politely. "Nice to meet you," he said.
"And these are some of my students at the school where I teach," he continued, indicating the four girls as he spoke their names, "Aino-san, Tsukino-san, Mizuno-san, and Kino-san."
The four girls bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you," they echoed.
"And their friend, Hino-san," he finished, pointing out the priestess.
Rei simply nodded, her violet eyes fixed on Yusuke.
Kuwabara frowned, looking at Minamino curiously. "You hang out with your students a lot?" he wondered.
For some reason, Minako suddenly felt a little nervous. It was one thing to risk his reputation as a teacher around strangers. But she didn't want his friends to think badly of him as a person.
Yet as she glanced at the redhead, he simply smiled as he shifted into the well-rehearsed excuse they've used for the past few weeks. "Actually, Chiba-san and I were just passing by when we encountered the girls."
"I'm a student at KO University as well," Mamoru added. "And we were on our way to the library when I saw Usa-ko."
"Chiba-san and Tsukino-san happen to be dating, you see," Minamino explained.
"Ah…" Kuwabara said, nodding a little. But Minako could tell he wasn't entirely convinced.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Yusuke said, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway…" He draped an arm over the redhead's shoulders as he looked at the group. "Mind if we steal him for today? Kuwabara and I came all this way, and we need to hang out with him for a while before we head home."
Minamino's emerald eyes rolled good-naturedly. Then he turned to the group, but Minako was certain his attention was directed mostly on her. "You wouldn't mind, right?" he asked, a little hopefully. "They've just arrived, and I'd like to spend some time with them…"
"Oh yeah, of course!" Minako answered before the rest could say anything. "You need to spend time with your friends, after all! You haven't seen them in a while, so you've probably missed them. What's that saying? 'An absent heart is always growing'?"
"Minako-chan…" Makoto groaned, exasperated.
A small smile appeared on the redhead's lips. "I believe the saying is, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.'"
She blushed, then laughed nervously. "I guess you could say it that way…" she floundered, rubbing the back of her head.
"You go on ahead," Mamoru said suddenly. "We could always go to the library some other time."
Minamino nodded. "I appreciate your understanding." Then, looking at the girls, he said, "I'll see you at school."
"Yes, Minamino-sensei," the Azabu Juuban students replied.
"C'mon already, let's get going," Yusuke said impatiently, grabbing two discarded knapsacks that no one noticed before and tossing one to Kuwabara.
Minamino raised a curious eyebrow as the three of them began to head away. "Planning on staying the night?"
"Saves you the trouble of offering," Yusuke replied with a grin.
"So what's a good place to eat around here?" Kuwabara asked, just barely audible as they walked out of range. "I'm starving!"
Rei continued to watch with narrow eyes, even as the three teens disappeared from sight. "They're the same," she said softly.
They all turned towards her. "What are?" Ami wondered.
"Minamino and his friend, Urameshi." The temple Miko shook her head and finally turned away from their direction. "The feeling of their energy is almost the same."
Mamoru nodded. "I noticed that too. It's different, but there is a similar sense of darkness about them too."
"What about the other one? Kuwabara-san?" Ami asked.
Rei shook her head. "I didn't sense anything like that about him. But I also felt that he isn't an ordinary person either…"
Ami placed a hand to her chin. "It can't be a coincidence that they're here, then," she said thoughtfully. "If they're meeting Minamino-sensei, they might be planning something. We might have to be careful."
"Really?" Usagi wondered. "They didn't seem that bad to me."
"Except those two guys seemed kinda rude," Makoto added disdainfully.
"No kidding," Minako agreed. She continued looking in the direction her teacher and his friends had gone in, clearly not paying attention to the concern her friends spoke with. "I wonder how someone like Minamino-sensei can be friends with guys like them…"
"This is a nice place, Kurama," Yusuke said as he flopped onto the couch. He folded his arms behind his head as he stretched out. "I can see why you came here."
Kurama sat in a chair beside the couch. "Well, don't forget, I came here because I'm attending the university."
"How is the university, by the way?" Kuwabara wondered, sitting beside the raven-haired teen on the couch. "Are your classes all right?"
Kurama nodded. "They're fine, and I'm doing well in them. And the university is as good as its reputation claims it to be."
"Yeah?" Kuwabara grinned. "Think this would be a good place for me to study?"
"Yes, I think you'd be able to do well, if you really wanted to attend here."
Yusuke scoffed. "So, you're leaving too, Kuwabara?" he asked.
Kuwabara shrugged and leaned back against the couch. "Well, we'll see," he replied casually.
"Damn, makes me almost wish I could go to college."
Kurama looked at him with a skeptical smile. "Really?"
The Mazoku snorted with a laugh. "No."
"I figured as much." The redhead paused for a moment, letting the silence settle for a moment before looking back at the taller teen. "Didn't you have school today, Kuwabara-kun?"
"Huh? Oh yeah…" Kuwabara rubbed his nose a bit. "A water pipe burst yesterday or something, so they had to cancel classes until it got fixed."
"I see," Kurama replied, eyeing his friends thoughtfully. "I was wondering how you two arrived this early in the afternoon."
"Urameshi actually wanted to leave later," Kuwabara said, giving the other a sideways glance. "I had to remind him how long it would take to get here."
"I thought he was exaggerating," Yusuke commented, leaning forward and looking at Kurama. "But we were actually on that train for six hours! Is that how long it took you to get here?"
The red-haired fox nodded. "More or less. Five or six hours is the usual travel time for the train."
Yusuke frowned. "And there's no way to cut down that time?"
"None that I've found so far. Why?" he finally asked, his emerald eyes watching the two younger teens carefully. "Should I find a faster way home soon?"
Yusuke and Kuwabara glanced at each other, exchanging hesitant expressions. "We don't know yet," the young Toushin finally admitted.
Kurama sighed softly. He already had an idea of where this conversation was heading, and there was no point in dragging it out any longer. "What have you heard from Hiei?"
Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck. "Y'know those demons that Hiei told us about?"
"The ones that were causing some unrest in the Makai, yes."
"Yeah, them…Well, apparently, they started some kinda riot at the border."
Kurama blinked. "A riot?" he echoed.
Yusuke nodded. "Yeah. They managed to rile up some other demons to support them – mostly lower-class, I think – and they went to revolt against Enki by starting a little brawl along the border."
The redhead frowned, silent at first. "But Hiei and the others are all right." It wasn't a question; judging by the other's demeanor, he was sure of that.
"Yeah, they're fine. Hiei said that they weren't planning on pushing past the border anyway. It was just a protest to get Enki's attention, and no one was hurt or anything. But the demons who started it all…"
"They used all the chaos to get past the border patrol and escape into the Ningenkai," the fox finished. His mind easily slipped into the strategic warrior he was known to be. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Does anyone know who was in charge?"
"Apparently, no one's seen the leader guy," Kuwabara said. "When they were gathering support, it was mostly other lower-class demons doing all the grunt work. No one knows what the head demon looks like."
"Then the protest was a cover up so this demon could slip past the border without being seen." Kurama folded his arms over his torso. For a demon to travel from the Makai to the Ningenkai, they had to pass a border check to prevent hostile demons from disturbing the still-unsteady peace between the worlds. To put so much effort into making certain no one could identify them could mean that these demons, especially the head demon, had malevolent intentions.
"Has anything happened after the riot?" he wondered.
"No…" Yusuke replied, sounding a little puzzled by it himself. "Hiei came by to tell us about it after it happened, but there's been nothing since then."
"They're probably biding their time," Kuwabara pointed out. "Waiting for the right moment to strike."
"But he technically hasn't done anything wrong," Yusuke grumbled. "So I can't do anything about it yet."
"You have to wait for him to make the first move," Kurama said with an air of understanding. "And we don't know what this demon is capable of?"
Yusuke sighed. "Not a clue. But considering what he's already done, we might need your help."
Kurama nodded. Manipulating a number of demons and organizing them into a rebellion in order to distract the patrol and escape into the Ningenkai unnoticed was a clever plan. "If only I could get back there quick enough…"
The three friends sat, letting the silence hang over them. There had to be something they could do…But what?
The sound of familiar voices arguing roused Kurama from sleep, but he kept his eyes closed and settled deeper into his bed. It was Sunday, his only day to rest without worrying about teaching or classes or work. And after they all stayed up so late the previous night, he was surprised Yusuke and Kuwabara weren't trying to sleep in as well.
They spent most of the night trying to come up with some kind of plan, but nothing really seemed to work out. Without knowing what these demons were capable of or what they were after, Kurama couldn't think of anything useful to help the situation. That, he knew, was part of the reason the demons wanted to slip in unknown and undetected; to get past anyone who could try to stop them.
It was a cunning strategy. The risk of drawing attention to themselves by rallying other demons and instigating an uprising so close to the Ningenkai was made up for by concealing the identity of the one in charge. The only possible thing they could do is try to find the head demon by locating the ones directly under him, but that could develop some problems. They would have to try to get accurate descriptions from the ones involved in the riot of who recruited them, and then try to locate those demons and hope they were still working under their leader. And that was assuming those demons weren't working for another group of demons working under the leader. It could involve a complicated hierarchy that could take too much time, and by then the demon could set off whatever he was planning.
So instead they tried to think of a way to get him back in case the demon finally did strike, but they ran into problems there as well. As they had to point out several times, there was nothing fast enough to shorten the travel time between there and Tokyo. So Kurama suggested that he take time off from his classes and work in order to head back with them. He could probably stay with one of them, or even at Genkai's temple so he wouldn't have to make an excuse to his family why he was home.
But not knowing when the demons would strike – or even if they would strike – posed a bit of a predicament. They didn't know how long it would take, and he could miss a lot of time in his classes and work. The missing classes weren't any trouble – he had done it before in high school – but the work was a little tougher. If he was gone too long, the school might have to fire him.
Yusuke and Kuwabara also were against him missing classes if he could help it. He had made the plan to attend the university when things were still peaceful, they argued, and it wouldn't be fair to ask him to give it up if he didn't have to. Besides, Yusuke said, he was the spirit detective, not Kurama.
Kurama wanted to point out that he really didn't need to go to college, and he wanted to help if he could. But then he also realized that if he went back with them and the demons discovered his return, the demons might attack prematurely because they felt threatened. They could feel that Yusuke was gathering forces against them, and they would rise to the challenge by making the first move. Without knowing what their real intention was, that could prove to be a critical mistake. A mistake that, for now, was avoidable if he remained in Tokyo.
They really had no choice but to wait it all out and see what happened. And though Kurama hated the feeling of being unprepared, they had such little information to go on. So what else could they do?
He heard the sound of shuffling feet stop at his bedroom door. "Yo, fox boy," Yusuke said. "You plannin' on sleeping all day?"
The redhead smiled, but didn't open his eyes. "One can only hope," he replied playfully.
"Yeah, well, you can sleep when you're dead. Now get up so we can get some breakfast, I'm hungry."
With a small laugh, Kurama rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes before opening them, sitting up slowly. He noticed with some curiosity that Yusuke was already dressed for going out.
Leaning against the doorframe, Yusuke grinned at the other's expression. "Kuwabara and I thought we could head out for breakfast."
Throwing off his sheets, Kurama slipped out of bed. "How long have you two been up?" he wondered as he stretched his body.
"Long enough. Now hurry up already. We don't have all day, y'know."
"Ah…" Kurama nodded, remembering that the two had to head back home sometime today. "All right." Deciding to leave his bed for later, he grabbed some clothes and moved past Yusuke to get to the bathroom.
He stopped, however, when he saw Kuwabara grinning as he stood behind the kitchen table, where a tall box rested in its center. The box was wrapped in white paper, decorated with little colored balloons, and topped with a bright red bow. Blinking curiously, he looked at Yusuke.
The raven-haired teen shrugged. "When your mom found out I was coming up here to visit you, she wanted me to give you this."
"Ah, I see." Kurama nodded, turning his attention back to the package. That made more sense, considering he never told either of them. They knew now, though, and he suddenly understood why they were awake and all ready to go before he was. Slowly approaching the table, he carefully picked up the wrapped box and found the small card behind the bow, written in his mother's familiar script.
Happy birthday Shuuichi!
Love, Kaa-san, Tou-san, Shuiichi
"Geez!" Minako huffed as she stomped out of the Crown Game Center. "I don't see what the big deal is! So what if he has weird friends? That doesn't mean anything!"
She had just spent the last hour reading over the information Luna and Artemis gave her about Minamino-sensei's friends, Kuwabara Kazuma and Urameshi Yusuke. After the three of them left yesterday, the Sailor Senshi found the cats to tell them what happened. Rei also mentioned the feeling she had of Urameshi, and how he and Minamino were similar. So Luna and Artemis spent most of the previous night trying to find information about Minamino's friends.
Earlier that morning, Artemis came to get her and took her to their secret base under the gaming center. There, he showed her the information they could find. Apparently, both boys were a year younger than Minamino-sensei. They never attended any of the same schools as Minamino himself, but the two boys had both attended the same junior high together. Kuwabara Kazuma was a previous delinquent, the head of a small gang at Sarayashiki Junior High. After moving onto high school, however, he stoppeded getting into trouble. He was a good student who did very well, and was preparing to continue on to college.
Urameshi Yusuke was also a previous delinquent at Sarayashiki, but that was all the information about him as far as school records were concerned. He didn't do that well in his classes, he had frequent absences, and he barely managed to graduate. There were no high school records, so they assumed that he didn't attend, but they did find a statement that mentioned his ramen noodle business. There was also a listing for him as a 'spirit detective'…whatever that meant.
But perhaps the strangest piece of information about him was a hospital-issued certificate that sited the time and place…of his death.
No one was sure what to think about that. But Artemis believed it was additional proof that something was strange about all these boys, including Minamino-sensei. After all, Artemis said while showing her the information, Minamino wasn't really from the neighborhood Kuwabara and Urameshi were from, he never attended school with either of them, and he was a good student who had no records of delinquency like they did. They didn't seem to have much in common (Minako even thought so herself, just from briefly meeting his friends), so how did they know each other in the first place?
Unless, he pointed out, there was another reason that they all knew each other. And what if the feeling Rei had around Minamino was the reason he was friends with those two in the first place?
Minako scoffed as she walked, trying not to stew over all the information. "Whatever," she muttered. "What's the big deal anyway? I was at a different school when I met Usagi-chan and the others. And Rei-chan still goes to a different school. And we're all friends."
'That's exactly the point,' she heard Artemis say in her mind. 'After all, there's a reason all of you became friends in the first place.'
Shaking her head, Minako sighed. There couldn't be anything wrong about Minamino-sensei. There just couldn't be.
The girl froze suddenly as she caught a flare of crimson from the corner of her eye. She turned her head in time to see Minamino-sensei and his two friends right across the street. Her red-haired teacher and Yusuke seemed to be debating about something while Kuwabara stood off to the side, carrying a plastic bag under his arm. Suddenly, with a grin, Yusuke dragged both of them into the building they stood in front of.
Checking both sides of the road for oncoming cars, Minako then quickly crossed the street and headed towards the building. At first, she was planning to call out to Minamino and say hi to him as she always did, but she stopped herself in time before he saw her. She quickly realized that his two friends knew a lot more about him than she did, and perhaps if she listened in on them, she could learn more about him. That would certainly give her an advantage over the other girls!
With that thought in mind, she grinned and slipped inside the building.
She was surprised to find herself in a small gift store, filled with a variety of items that ranged from small novelty toys to tall stone statues. But she didn't have much time to dwell on that when she spied Minamino and his friends talking as they stood between two shelves. Quickly she ducked out of sight, creeping over to the nearest shelf and crouching behind it so they wouldn't see her from the next aisle over. She couldn't see them either, of course, but she could hear them at least.
"Hmm…how about this?" Yusuke asked.
"Urameshi…what's it for?" Kuwabara asked.
"Ya got me. I'm just trying to find something to buy. Though it'd be easier if you'd just pick something, Shuuichi."
Minamino sighed. "Yusuke, I've told you before, you don't have to get me anything."
"Well, Kuwabara already got you something, so I can't just let it go."
"You and Kuwabara-kun already took me out to breakfast. Isn't that enough?"
"Just humor us, would ya?" Kuwabara said. "I mean, we've known you for a few years now, and you never told us when your birthday is."
"Yeah," Yusuke retorted, "if I hadn't talked to your mom, we never woulda known that it was today!"
Minako's eyes grew wide. 'Minamino-sensei's birthday is today?' she wondered.
Minamino chuckled softly. "Well, to be fair, if it wasn't for Kaa-san, I would never celebrate it myself. When you're as old as I am, the day of your birth is hardly worth remembering."
Yusuke snorted. "Well, suck it up. In this world, birthdays are a big deal, and we like celebrating them…even if it's with some lame-ass gift."
Minako frowned, a little puzzled. Something about their words were strange, but she wasn't entirely sure why.
Her thoughts were cut short, though, when she heard Yusuke say, "Hey, what're these?"
"Porcelain figures," Kuwabara replied with a tone that clearly suggested the other was an idiot. "What else?"
"Wise-ass," Yusuke countered, and it sounded as though he hit the other. "I know what they are. But what are they figures of? They look familiar, that's all."
"That's because they're porcelain figures of the Sailor Senshi," Minamino replied. "You took notice of their picture once before, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Yusuke said, sounding slightly intrigued now. "So these are those Sailor girls, huh?"
"Aren't there supposed to be more of them?" Kuwabara wondered. He didn't sound as interested, though.
"Mmm…yes, there should be one for each planet, other than Earth. But I think these five, the Inner Senshi, are the more well-known ones. The Outer Senshi, the ones named after the outer planets, aren't as famous if I recall correctly."
Minako blinked. Haruka-san and the others weren't as well known? She hadn't known that.
"These girls aren't all that bad-looking, after all," Yusuke appraised thoughtfully. "All right, fox boy, you seem to know a lot about these Sailors. Educate me. Which one is Sailor Moon?"
"Hmm…this one," Minamino said, and Minako imagined him pointing to one of the figurines. "They say she is the leader of all the Sailor Senshi, and that she's the most powerful of them."
Minako couldn't help but smile, as she felt the pride for her princess rise within her.
"Huh…not bad. Okay, who's this?"
"That's Sailor Jupiter. They say that of the five Inner Senshi, she is the strongest physically."
"Isn't Jupiter one of the outer planets?" Kuwabara asked. "Why is she an Inner Senshi?"
"Well, Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system," Minamino replied thoughtfully. "And since she's the strongest of the five, perhaps they needed her strength for a certain purpose."
Minako blinked. She had never thought about that before, but that could be why Jupiter was an Inner Senshi, chosen to protect the princess.
"Okay, let's see…" Yusuke said. "How about this one?"
"That's Sailor Mercury," Minamino said. "Of the five, she's the most intelligent."
"You really seem to know a lot about these girls," Kuwabara observed, a little surprised.
Minako nodded to herself. She had just been thinking that same thing.
"I find them interesting, I suppose," Minamino said, and Minako imagined him with a small smile and a shrug as he said this.
"Okay, let's see…" Yusuke said. He hadn't been paying attention to the other two at all. "Oh, so who is this?" She could hear the emphasis in his voice.
"That's Sailor Mars. Some believe that not only does she have the powers granted to her by her guardian planet, but she also has the power of divination."
"Huh…she's pretty hot."
"Urameshi! What's the matter with you?" Kuwabara exclaimed, disgusted. "Keiko-chan should just kill you already!"
"Hey, I'm engaged, not dead!" Yusuke retorted. "There's nothing wrong with looking. Besides, if Keiko looked like this, this wouldn't be a problem!"
Kuwabara gave a sickened grunt, and Minako rolled her eyes.
"Hey, how about I get you this for your birthday?" Yusuke suggested suddenly, and she thought she heard the figurine being lifted off the shelf.
"Seriously, Urameshi?" Kuwabara said. "What the hell's he supposed to do with it?"
"I dunno. Paperweight? It'll be a nice change of pace when he gets tired of staring at books and papers. So how about it, Shuuichi?" Yusuke said teasingly. "You want a pretty little Sailor Mars figure to put on your desk?"
Minako pouted a little, unable to prevent the wave of jealousy. Of course they would pick Sailor Mars. Rei was always noticed for how pretty she was.
She suddenly heard Minamino-sensei chuckle. "First of all, I'd like to point out that you don't have to get me anything."
"Yeah, well, too bad," Yusuke replied. "You're getting something."
"Well, if you're going to insist on this…" He paused, and Minako heard something else being taken off the shelf. "I'd prefer this one."
"Oh yeah?" Yusuke asked, putting the figure he held back. "Who's that again?"
"This," Minamino said, and she heard the smile in his voice, "is Sailor Venus."
Minako slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. Did Minamino-sensei just say that…he preferred her over Rei?
"Sailor Venus, huh?" Yusuke repeated. "So is she your favorite or something?"
"Mmm…you could say that, I guess," Minamino said. "I suppose I just know a little more about her, that's all. She was actually the first of them all to appear, under the codename Sailor V, and worked by herself for a year before the others turned up. She is the leader of the Inner Senshi under Sailor Moon, taking charge when Sailor Moon isn't there. And she's guarded under the planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love. Who," he added playfully, "used roses as a sacred floral symbol."
Minako felt a warmth in her cheeks. Minamino-sensei really did know a lot about her.
Yusuke snorted. "Yeah, yeah, lotsa sweet talk, pretty boy. Especially coming from a guy that no girl wants as a boyfriend."
She blinked. How could no one want Minamino-sensei's as her boyfriend? Was that really possible?
She heard Minamino laugh softly. "I guess that's true. Oh well."
Was that really how he felt? Or was he just saying that? Minako knew how to pretend that something like this didn't matter, so she wondered if Minamino-sensei was really okay with it, or if he was just pretending too.
"Anyway," Yusuke said casually, "ya sure this is the one ya want? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."
"Yusuke, I told you don't have to…"
She imagined Yusuke rolling his eyes. "That's it, I'm paying for this."
She heard the sound of multiple footsteps headed down the aisle and quickly faded. Carefully creeping to the end of her aisle, Minako risked a peak from around the corner of the shelf to see Minamino and his friend Yusuke standing at the check-out counter. They were talking, but they were too far away for her to hear them anymore. She glanced around, trying to figure out how to get closer without being seen.
"Hey…"
"Eep!" She jumped in her surprise, barely catching herself before tumbling to the ground. Then she spun around to see Kuwabara at the other end of the aisle, watching her curiously.
"Uh…" She giggled nervously, embarrassed for being caught. She had almost forgotten about him. "Hi…"
The carrot top stared at her for a moment. "Oh…" he said, his eyes lighting up when he finally recognized her. "You're one of those girls from yesterday. One of…uh…Shuuichi's students, right?"
"Y…y-yeah…" she replied with a small bow. "Aino Minako, remember?"
He nodded, a little distracted. "Right."
"Aino-san?"
Minako turned around to see Minamino and Yusuke behind her just outside the aisle.
"Uh…heh…morning, Minamino-sensei," she said with a shy wave.
"Morning, Aino-san," the redhead replied, sounding a little puzzled. "I'm a little surprised to see you this early on a Sunday."
"Well, uh…" she floundered. She couldn't just tell him that she'd been spying on him and his friends, so she scrambled for another excuse. "I-I was just, um…I was just looking for…uh…for a gift for my friend and I…I thought I'd take a look in here!"
Minamino smiled, amused. "I see. Have you found what you're looking for?"
She rubbed the back of her head, a little worried that he didn't believe her. "Um, not yet. I…might have to look somewhere else. But how about you guys?" she asked, eager to change the subject as Kuwabara went over to join his two friends. "Have you guys been enjoying your visit?"
Kuwabara and Yusuke exchanged questioning expressions. "Sure, I guess," the taller teen answered.
The raven-haired one shrugged. "It's been okay," he added.
"How long will you guys be here?" she wondered.
"Actually, we have to get going this afternoon," Kuwabara said, checking his watch. "I gotta get back in case they fixed that pipe…"
Minako blinked, turning to her teacher.
"He has school tomorrow," Minamino clarified.
"Oh yeah…" Minako made a small face, realizing that she had school the next day as well. The only thing that made that worse was that Minamino-sensei wasn't teaching that day either.
"Yo," Yusuke said, elbowing the redhead. "We gotta get going."
"Oh yes," Minamino said. He turned to Minako. "I'm sorry, Aino-san…"
"Oh, that's okay!" she said cheerfully, waving it off. "I should probably get going too!"
The four teens headed out of the store, getting ready to go their separate ways. "I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow, Aino-san," Minamino said with a wink.
She blushed and nodded. "Right," she said. Looking at his friends, she added, "It was nice meeting you, Kuwabara-san, Urameshi-san."
"Sure," Kuwabara replied. Yusuke just nodded.
Turning to Minamino, she smiled. "See you, Minamino-sensei," she said sweetly.
"See you around, Aino-san," he replied.
With another blush, Minako hurried off with a skip in her step. 'Now to find the perfect birthday gift!' she thought excitedly.
The three continued standing in front of the store, watching as the blond-haired girl headed off. Once she was out of sight, Kuwabara leaned towards the redhead. "Hey…Shuuichi?" he said slowly.
"Hm?" Kurama asked, turning to the taller one. He had asked them both to call him by his human name while around the city…just in case.
"Is there something…strange about that girl?" Kuwabara wondered.
"So you felt it too?" Yusuke asked. "I wasn't sure at first, but I thought I felt some…power from her."
"It's not just her though," the carrot top said softly. "Those other girls and that guy from yesterday…they all had that weird energy about them. It was faint…but I get the feeling it could become stronger, if they wanted it to."
Yusuke turned to the fox. "Should we look into it?" he wondered. "They might be trouble."
Kurama shook his head. "No. They are powerful, but I don't think they'll be any trouble."
"Are you sure?" Kuwabara asked doubtfully. "I mean, there's definitely something different about them."
"I know. But trust me, they aren't bad people. We don't need to worry about them."
"Sounds like you really know what's up with them," Yusuke said suspiciously.
"Well, I know of them. But you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Yusuke snorted. "Yeah? Try us."
To that, Kurama didn't say anything. Instead, he eyed the bag that Yusuke was carrying.
Frowning, Kuwabara's eyes widened when he realized what the redhead was implying. "Oh, no way…" he muttered.
Kurama smiled – his small thoughtful smile that hid so many secrets – as he took the bag from Yusuke. "There is another reason why Sailor Venus is my favorite, after all," he added softly.
TBC