Hikari: Hello lads! I'm back!
(Audience grumbles dejectedly)
Hikari: X-P Anyways, did I ever tell anyone that I love reviews? Cuz I do!
Yami: ¬.¬We gotta work on your subtlety skills hun…
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Rori's eyes opened as though she'd only blinked and stared at the fuzzy ceiling opposite her. She felt warm and content and for a few minutes she lay completely still as the rising sun tipped falls of light through the trees into her window. She'd just had the single greatest dream a girl could have, albeit a very odd dream. It had been so real, so… right. She tightened her arms around what should have been the sock monkey that she slept with and frowned.
Slowly registering the body next to her, Rori moved her hand to glide over his form. Hiei lay with his arms wrapped around her waist, his head tucked under her chin, nuzzled into the hollow of her neck. Rori's eyes shut lazily again as a dreamy smile turned her pink lips… And then the circuit connected. Rori's eyes shot open again as her heart leapt into her throat. Why was Hiei lying next to her in bed? Why where they naked? Why were they holding each other as if…
Oh SHIT! She felt Hiei stir in her embrace and then go ridged as he too regained conscious thought.
"Onna?" His deadpan voice reveled something Rori thought might be fear as he shot into a sitting position among the tangled sheets. Rori followed suit though she only made it as far as leaning on her elbows.
Damn it, I feel like I've been hit by a train! "Otoko," She replied in an equally emotionless voice. She was not going to freak out and loose her cool. She was going to be rational and calm about this… what ever it was. There was a sharp chime as someone pressed the door bell and they both jumped dramatically. So much for calm. Hiei slid from the bed and gathered his clothing as Rori tried to get out of bed without loosing the sheet she'd pulled around her.
"Onna…" Hiei inquired again as the bell rang once more. Rori found her glasses and slid them onto her face watching the form of Hiei Jiganshi pulling his pants on slide into focus. His eyes shifted from her to the window and back again as the bell rang a third time.
"Tell no one." She responded, voicing his mental plea. It felt wrong to say them, but the words made since. "Go. I promise I won't say a word." Hiei stared another moment, his face expressionless, then he turned and opened his escape rout, jumping into the tree and disappearing from sights.
Rori felt a painful twinge in her chest and took a shuttering breath as she made sure she didn't cry. "People have one night stands all the time. This isn't any different," She spoke out loud, as though that would make it true. She dropped the sheet and pulled a robe around herself tightly as she walked (or hobbled rather) out to the living room.
Looking through the peek-hole she found Kurama waiting on the other side. Unlocking and opening the door Rori put on her best smile, which wasn't very good seeing as she didn't really smile very often.
"Good morning Kurama," She said as the kitsune pushed passed her and looked wildly around the apartment. "Am I under some kind of inspection?" She asked dully watching him reemerge from the hall.
"Where's Hiei?" He asked nervously. Internally, Rori's heart throbbed at the sound of his name and she flinched, though she was far to practiced at hiding her feelings to let the other teen see this.
"He left about fifteen minutes ago. I didn't think it would be a problem seeing as you'd be here soon. He said he had somewhere to be and I didn't ask questions, so…" She let the fable finish its self as the panic drained from Kurama's face and he sighed.
"He wasn't acting… friendlier than usual last night was he? You two didn't… do anything?" Rori glowered at him.
"I don't know if I seem the type to put out for anyone who walks by, but just to make things clear, I'm not!" She snarled.
"I know you're not, I'm sorry." Kurama apologized raising his hands in defeat. "So are you ready?" Rori arched an eyebrow and looked down at her attire and then back up to the boy.
"Do I look it?" She snapped before pushing past the confused kitsune and entering the bathroom to take a shower, walking meticulously so that her gait did not give her lie away.
--- --- ---
They trained strenuously that Saturday morning until around noon when a freak early winter heat wave forced them out of the sun and into the shade of the temple. Rori slid down the wall trying to catch her breath as the boys flopped down around her. Kuwabara tossed water bottles to each of them and they were silent for a bit.
Rori shifted and exhaled sharply in pain as the muscles in her legs burned spitefully. "You okay Kanbara?" Yusuke inquired guzzling water down. She tried not to show how irritated she was at the question.
If they ask me that ONE MORE TIME someone's gonna lose their ability to procreate!!!!
"Fine," She answered splashing water on her face. She thought she may have heard a hiss of steam on contact, but she'd always had an active imagination. So. Hot!!!
A short clip of what she could remember of last night's events flashed in her mind and she grimaced. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that she'd slept with a guy she really didn't like, or that she couldn't remember sleeping with the guy she really didn't like. She remembered the incident with Mazaki, telling Hiei about Honda Junpei and then crying. Then Hiei had carried her home and… what next? A vague sequence of shedding cloths, sweaty bodies and the incredible heat filed past her thoughts, but other than that it was a blank slate till she'd woken up to find a very naked youkai lying next to her. She hadn't partaken in any drugs or alcohol that she could remember…
Hmm, that would make a good soap opera episode anyways, Rori though as she pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her back pocket and proceeded to light up. She was only allowed to savor the deadly treat for a moment before some one just had to interrupt.
"You really shouldn't smoke Rori," Kurama said disapprovingly as he watched her exhale a plume of white particles. She looked at him, the cigarette hanging between her lips, and gave him the worst death glare they'd ever seen.
"Whoa…" Yusuke commented in awe as the small woman slid down the wall to lie sprawled on the porch and rolled over onto her side away from them.
Kuwabara gave them a curious look but Kurama shook his head with a sigh. It would be far too hazardous to his heath to talk about it in front of the angel. Rori continued to puff on her cigarette as she brooded silently. This morning's turn about had put her in the worst mood possible and now she wanted nothing more than to beat something senseless, preferably Hiei, seeing as this was entirely his fault to begin with.
I don't recall you protesting with any vigor, onna.
Get out of my head you son of a bitch. She thought back viciously, not bothering to look up to see the boy who had just jumped up to rest on the porch railing beside the lounging teens.
For an angel you have an incredibly vulgar vocabulary onna, Hiei continued despite her demand.
I'm pure, not perfect, now piss off! She seethed flicking some ash off her cigarette. There was silence between them for a second before she heard his thoughts again.
I think last night was a mistake…
Thank you Captain FUCKING OBVIOUS!!! Now that we're all on the same page will you leave me alone? You've done enough damage, both physical and otherwise. She felt the youkai's emotions through their link and was confused.
Did I really hurt you? He sounded more than a little concerned. Rori looked up at him now. Their eyes met and she could feel her blood heat immediately. She had the sudden urge to nuzzle her cheek to his and her heart began to pound.
What if I said yes? She replied unable to break eye contact. Even her thoughts sounded lustful! His eyes hardened into a glare, but the emotions she felt from him were anything but angry.
"Rori?" She snapped out of the link with a jerk, breaking eye contact with the crimson eyed man and rolled over to see the addresser. Kurama was standing above her looking curiously at her. "Koenma is calling for us," The kitsune repeated. Rori didn't waist time asking questions; jumping to her feet stiffly she pushed her glasses back up her nose and snuffed the end of her cigarette in the dirt following Kurama into the temple.
--- --- ---
"Good afternoon team…" Koenma said as the last of the group entered the living area to see the young ruler standing there waiting for them. "I have an assignment for you all."
"All? As in Rori too?" Yusuke asked in surprise.
"Yes, you'll need the extra help and this won't be terrible dangerous. It will be good for her anyways to really see what she's up against." The prince explained calmly. There was a moment of silence before Rori spoke.
"So… where are we going?" Another long pause.
"Makai," Koenma said. There was an up-roar of protests shortly following the dumbfounded looks on everyone's faces. Even Hiei looked mildly shocked.
"Not dangerous?! Koenma that is the single most dangerous place for the girl to be!" Yusuke shouted at his boss.
"Yeah," Kuwabara agreed, "You can't send a girl to that place!"
"Koenma, I admit Rori has progressed greatly in her training but I still don't think she's ready for something of this magnitude." Kurama added his two cents while the others continued to rant at the spirit ruler.
Rori stayed perfectly silent while the others continued to argue. She was going to demon world? And why was everyone so worried about her? Sure, she may not know as much as them or be as experienced or strong, but she was perfectly capable… right?
Eventually she got tired of hearing them talk about her as though she weren't there and she spoke up. "Guys?" As expected, her tiny voice did little to grab anyone's attention. "Hello?!" She insisted a little louder. Still no response, unless you counted the amused smirk Hiei was now giving her. "FOR FUCK'S SAKE WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!?!" She finally yelled. The room fell completely silent.
Rori sighed in exasperation, "I appreciate all the concern guys, but if I'm going to live to experience adulthood, I need to see exactly what I'm up against." No one could seem to find a stable argument against this (try as they might) and eventually everyone conceded.
"Now that we are all in agreement," Koenma cleared his throat and got a few death glares in return. "You'll need to travel to a city called Hakusai where you will find an establishment by the name of Seki no Yoru. There you will wait for a demon named Soshi. He's in close league with the youkai gang here in Ningenkai so you should be able to persuade him to give a little information on them."
"And by persuade you mean…?" Yusuke asked.
"I mean buy him a drink and butter him up because if you even look at him the wrong way you'll be in serious trouble." Koenma warned gravely.
"What was this about not being dangerous?" Kurama asked.
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They finally came to an agreement that afternoon after the Reikai prince departed. They would wait until next Tuesday afternoon to head for the demon plain; Rori had a business meeting that morning that could not be avoided and she had been warned that this mission may take several days to complete.
That Monday night Rori and Kurama sat in her apartment doing homework and keeping silent company. Hiei had abruptly refused to take the night watch that night and Kurama's mother and step father were out of town visiting relatives so he was available. Rori chucked her biro at the wall in frustration after reworking a calculus problem for the fourth time and still getting it wrong. Kurama watched as she raked her small fingers through her mint hair and ruffled her feathers furiously, seethed in silence.
"Is everything alright Rori-chan?" He asked pushing his history book away and facing the girl across the table.
"Fan-fucking-tastic!" She growled. She felt his emotions harden at the assault and sighed. "I'm sorry I've just been having a bad week. First Mazaki, then Hiei, now I have to face a board of trusties that would like nothing more than to take my company away from me."
"I heard about what happened with Mazaki-san. Did you get into trouble?" Kurama asked, though he really wanted to know about the Hiei comment more.
"No, I think Hiei scared her so much she didn't bother telling anyone," Rori laughed half-heartedly. "Maybe I should apologize to her."
"Why do these trusties want to take your company?" Kurama asked again politely. If talking about this would help her lose some of the tension she'd been carrying around since last weekend then he would let her talk his ear off.
"Oh," Rori sighed heavily leaning back against the wall behind her. "They're a bunch of old moguls who think I'm too young to run a corporation. Sometimes I think they're right…" She trailed off looking at the paper lamp over her head with out really seeing it.
"And Hiei?" Kurama asked hoping he didn't sound too curious.
"We…" Rori stopped to think then sighed again looking tired. "We don't get along very well. And that Friday after he picked me up from school something… changed between us. I don't know if it's me or him, but he can't stand to be around me any more." Rori explained. Kurama thought the angel may have sounded slightly crestfallen about this.
"Don't worry about it. It's definitely his problem not yours. Hiei's going through…" Kurama stopped trying to think how to word this properly and whether or not Hiei would maim him for it.
"Going through what?" Rori asked looking down again from the ceiling with a squinting glare. Why did she get the sneaking suspicion he was about to say something she didn't want to hear?
"Well, around the ninth full moon of every year youkai go through what they call heat, or mating season. Usually they spend this time with a partner or a mate if they have one already," Rori gave him a funny look at the word mate. "Like a husband or wife," He explained. "This three week period is kind of like the human reproductive cycle, only a little more…" He blushed at his own words, "intense."
Gursh damn it, sometimes Rori hated being right. A sensation like dropping a few hundred feet filled her stomach. Hiei was in heat. That was why he'd slept with her. There were no feelings behind the act, just hormones. She felt so used, so… worthless.
"So you don't have to worry about how Hiei's been acting these past few weeks. He's just being moody," Kurama chuckled. Rori tried to laugh along so he wouldn't see how hurt she was.
"Anyways, I have to be in school tomorrow morning, but someone should accompany you to your meeting. Should I call Yusuke or Kuwabara? I'm sure both of them would be thrilled to get out of school for the whole day."
Rori thought for a moment staring down at her math homework. As she did she realized that the reason she'd gotten it wrong was because she'd been miscalculating a product. I hate making stupid mistakes she thought dully as she made up her mind.
"I'd like Hiei to come." Kurama raised an eyebrow at her statement. "No offence, but I can't see Yusuke or Kuwabara making a very good impression on my employees." Kurama snickered, all suspicions put to rest.
Maybe this will be another stupid mistake, but I can't believe Hiei would sleep with me just because of a hormone over load. There are plenty of other girls he could have gone too… right?
Rori went to bed that night feeling as though she were setting herself up for disaster. She hated the bastard right? So why was it that she wanted his approval more than anyone else's? She wasn't even sure she was actually angry that Hiei had chosen her for a mindless sex toy.
WHAT AM I THINKING?! OF COURSE I'M PISSED! RIGHT?! She waited for her other reasoning voices to tune in with shouts like "Of Course" or "Hellz-to-the-fuckin'-yeah!" but instead there was silence. ...Gods, I'm such a baka onna, she thought, rolling over to face the wall in bed. But if I could be his baka onna… and with that she fell into unconscious fantasy.
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The next morning Rori woke at eight and made her signature breakfast muffins before dressing in her business cloths. When she came out of her bed room Kurama nearly dropped is muffin, coughing and sputtering as he caught sight of her.
"What?" Rori asked confused, giving herself a once over as he continued to stare. Was her skirt stuck in her panties or something? She hadn't done that since first grade… wouldn't her employees like that!
"Nothing, I've just never seen you in anything but your school uniform or your training cloths. You look… nice." He blushed at her mischievous grin.
Although Rori couldn't honestly say she thought herself drop dead gorgeous, she did think her curves were at least some what enticing, unless of course you were talking about her generation who were all swept up in the size zero craze. The older generations though (mainly the people working at her company) could appreciate a size nine.
She was dressed in a skirt suit, the black pin-striped skirt hugging her hips before it fell to her knees, a short split in the back. She wore a white blouse and a matching pin-striped blazer. She'd traded her thick plastic framed glasses for frameless round glasses that exposed more of her eyes and the intense determined expression in their silvery pools. Her hair was scraped back into a high plait that then looped around several times and hung in a twist just above her shoulders, her fringe had been blow dried to hang straight, framing her face.
"Do I look okay?" She asked twirling in the black high heals that completed the outfit, three pairs of black and white studded earring glistening behind her bangs in the light. Kurama nodded vigorously giving his friend the thumbs up.
"I called the temple and Yukina said that Hiei would be waiting for you at the school." He said grabbing his rucksack as they exited the apartment.
"Great, I'll swing by after I drop you off at school then." She said grabbing her purse, a small briefcase and her car keys off the breakfast bar and locking the door behind them.
"Kanbara-san, ohayo gozaimass!" A little old woman exclaimed as she exited the apartment next door and hobbled over to them.
"Hello, Tachi-san, how are you this morning?" Rori responded politely.
"Grand, grand…" Tachi-san answered distractedly looking over to Kurama.
"Oh, Tachi-san, this is my friend Minamino Suuichi." Kurama bowed politely and the woman did the same smiling a kind, wrinkled old smile.
"Are you going some where special, Kanbara-san? You look awfully done up." The old woman said eyeing the girl's professional attire approvingly.
"Oh, yes. I have another meeting with the blood sucking trusties this morning," Rori only half joked and the two women laughed together.
"Well, just don't let them walk all over you. Show them whose boss!" Tachi-san shook her wrinkled fist encouragingly.
"I will Tachi-san, I promise." Rori giggled.
"Oh, I almost forgot, it's the first of September! Happy birthday Kanbara-san. How does it feel to be an adult?" Tachi-san teased knowing full well that the only thing that had been separating Rori from adulthood was the actual year of her birth. Kurama looked at Rori in shock having had no idea that today was her birthday, but Rori ignored him.
"It's a good feeling Tachi-san."
"Well I'm glad. Here take this. It isn't much but its something. I didn't know what to get you so I figured you could decide for yourself." The old woman pressed a 2,000 yen note into Rori's hand.
"Tachi-san I can't…"
"Oh, yes you can, Kanbara-san." The woman insisted though still with a kind voice. "And you should come over for dinner more often. I fret every time I think of what you eat at night."
"Tachi-san, I can cook," Rori giggled again.
"Ramen and muffins don't count."
Rori sweat dropped while Kurama hid a chuckle behind his hand. "Touché Tachi-san. Next time you make your amazing home made tempura let me know. I could live off that stuff."
Tachi-san and Rori gave each other a friendly kiss on the cheek and said their good byes. Then Rori and Kurama headed towards the car park on the ground level of the complex. She directed him to an old black Nissan and unlocked the doors. Once they were inside and Rori had started the engine she spoke.
"Go ahead and ask, Kurama. I know you want to." The kitsune blinked at her in surprise as she turned to back out of her parking space. She grinned at him knowingly as she turned back around, shifted into first gear and exited the lot.
"Why didn't you tell us today was your birthday?"
Rori sighed, not taking her eyes of the road. "Because I don't celebrate my birthday anymore. I was afraid someone would try to set something up for me and I wouldn't be able to say no." She felt his curiosity stir again and she continued without prompting. "Today is the anniversary of my parents' death." Kurama felt a horrible silence leech the life out of the air around them. Rori laughed sadly.
"Until recently I was told it was a drunk driver, but I guess that was a cover up huh? We were coming home from this expensive sushi house I'd begged them to take me to for my birthday. I don't remember most of it, just a lot of noise and then waking up in hospital and Dad telling me that Mom was gone."
Kurama observed as she tried to keep a smile on her face. "Dad was there for me after that, but I didn't realize that someone needed to be there for him too. I didn't realize how sad he was until…" She inhaled shakily as they came to a rest at the stop light. Her silver eyes watched absently as the cars crossed the intersection in front of them.
"He said we'd have a quiet night in for my birthday that year, just the two of us and the picture of Mom we put in her shrine." Kurama's brow furrowed in anger as he realized that Rori's father had committed suicide on her birthday. How could he do that to her?!
"Don't be mad," She said looking at him with watery eyes and a small smile. "Dad really wasn't all there after Mom died. He was really vacant all the time and sometimes he forgot the days of the week or even what month it was. He just couldn't cope… They found him locked in his office with a syringe and a bottle of some drug or another he'd taken from one of the medical shipments at the company. It could have been an accidental OD, but the coroner said that the drug he'd chosen wasn't really for pain relief so he was probably aware of what he was doing."
Kurama's heart sank with realization. Remembering back to the day Rori had woken up in the Reikai infirmary after being attacked and how she'd reacted when she realized there was a drip in her arm; she was terrified of needles because of her father.
"But anyways," She said whipping the moisture from under her glasses and taking off as the light turned green again. "No one wants to hear my screwed up soap opera so…" She trailed off awkwardly, glad that she had to focus on the road and not her friend.
Kurama placed a hand on hers as she rested it on the gear shift and she could feel his compassion and sympathy through the connection. "Thank you," She whispered grabbing the life line he extended to her whole heartedly.
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A/N: Fin. Owari. Ende. Conclusion, closing stages, last part, culmination, termination, close, expiration. Completion, finale, windup, ending, and any other words that my awesome thesaurus doesn't list! But not really, it's only the end of the chapii. Anyways… --#
Hikari: So wha'd'ya think?
Yami: Hakusai city? "Oo
Hikari: (bursts out laughing) YUP! I'll give a virtual biscuit to all the reviews who can tell me what that translates to correctly!
Yami: Vv' You're an idiot.
Hikari: (still laughing hysterically) Kuh-Duh! XD
PLEASE REVIEW!!!
HIKARi
