Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
Added: I do not own nor make a profit from anything dealing with the anime/manga Sailor Moon. Whether it be merchandise, characters, books, settings, episodes, ect. (in all forms) That includes but not limited to, anything mentioned in the manga or referenced in the manga. It belongs to the following: Naoko Takeuchi, Nakayoshi, Run Run, Mixxzine, Smile, Kodansha Comics, Random House Australia, Turnaround Publisher Services, Toei Animation, Fox Kids, RTE2, Seven Network, Network Ten, Fox Kids, Cartoon Network, TV2, GMTV, USA Network, Toonami, TV Asahi, Tokyo MX, Viz Media, Madman Entertainment and anyone that I might have missed. I am not making any profit from using this in a story format.
This disclaimer applies to this and all future chapters.
Warnings: See Chapter One.
Added: Naked scene/sexual innuendo.
This warning applies to this and all future chapters.
'thinking'
Chapter 9: Ain't No Rest For the Wicked!
Joann suggested that they all head back to Kuwabara's house. She couldn't help but laugh at how silly the two demon's looked, carrying the passed out teens. Hiei carried Yusuke piggyback style, as Kurama did the same with Kuwabara. It only made sense, but it still looked silly, in Joann's opinion. The group walked a bit in silence for a while.
"So it seems like you and Kuwabara-kun are very close." Kurama said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, well I kinda live with him." she said with a nervous laugh.
Kurama raised an eyebrow at the girl. He didn't think they were that close. Sure, he could tell the two had some form of unspoken feelings for each other. However, he thought it was just that, unspoken.
Hiei glanced at the girl.
"It's not like that!" Joann said with wide eyes after realizing how it sounded.
"Ya see..." she began but stopped.
How could she explain the situation to these two? They really didn't need to know. But at the same time they should. Especially if she was going to be working with them. Or she hoped she could in the near future.
Kurama looked at her. He found her fairly interesting. She was certainly a wild card, just like Yusuke. He smiled at her, trying to make her feel comfortable.
"Well, it's a long story. But I guess the short version is I have some form of memory loss and well...Kuwabara is kinda helping me out until I get it back."
Kurama furrowed his eyebrows for a moment.
"Memory loss?"
"Well, it's kinda like, I don't remember where I live and how I got here..." she said with a nervous laugh, a sweat drop on her head.
Hiei snorted.
"Baka..."
"Hiei..." Kurama said with a warning tone.
Hiei humphed.
"I know it kinda sounds stupid so he is kinda right." Joann said with a shrug before hissing as sharp pain went down her spine.
She stopped walking, going completely stiff.
Kurama stopped walking and looked at her.
"Are you hurt?" Kurama asked.
Joann was covered in dirt and dust. Not to mention green slime from those humanoids she defeated. She did have some red on her, meaning she could have been bleeding. He noticed her right arm was a bit more red than anything else.
"I'm fine." she said with a small smile.
Joann knew that wasn't fully true. She didn't have any broken bones and she didn't have big gashes on her body. However, she could feel certain parts of her body singed, most likely from the shots of electricity from Suzaku. Her right arm also felt sore and her head was pounding.
"We can rest if you wish." Kurama suggested.
They had only just exited the castle before her hiss.
"No, no. It's not so far back to Kuwabara's house." Joann said with another smile.
Kurama gave her another look over. He figured it would be a good idea to get her home and cleaned up. It was hard to see how hurt she was by how much blood, guts, and dust covered her body. He nodded before the trio continued walking, going back into silence.
"How about you? You and Hiei seem a bit close. How long have you two known each other?" Joann asked.
Joann needed to steer the conversation away from her and the best way was to learn more about Hiei and Kurama. She had an opportunity to learn more about the two demons. Not too many people would get this kind of chance, hell no one would ever get a chance like this! She had to make use of her time with them! She wouldn't ever get a chance again, or she believed.
Kurama glanced over at Hiei who seemed to be not interested in the conversation. Kurama smiled, knowing the fire demon was listening.
"A while now. I think at least three years." he said with a smile.
He could remember that day as if it happened yesterday...
"Wow, that's kinda cool." Joann said with a wide grin.
"Why?" Hiei asked, making Joann blink and look at him.
"Hiei." Kurama said with a disapproving tone.
"It's a simple question. Why do you care?" Hiei said glancing at Kurama before looking at Joann.
Joann bit her lip. He had a point. There was no point for her to care. Although, what they all had just gone through was almost like a bonding experience. They had grown closer as a group. The fact that Kurama was calling Kuwabara, Kuwabara-kun, meant the redhead had some respect for the carrot top.
"Well..." she began but stopped, thinking over her answer.
"Well, we just went through so much and we don't know anything about each other. I think we kinda became closer because of it." Joann said with a shrug.
"She's right." Kurama said, closing his eyes with a smile.
Hiei huffed. She had a point. She even showed trust in him at the entrance of the castle. She only knew him for only ten minutes and already knew she could trust him. He had to admit, he had respect for her and even the oaf Kurama was carrying. They were certainly Yusuke's friends.
The group finally reached the entrance into the human world. They were able to get back and headed to Kuwabara's house.
Shizuru had been home, Mr. and Mrs. Kuwabara still out on that business trip. Joann seriously wondered if she'd ever meet the Kuwabara sibling's parents. Joann guided the two boys to Kuwabara's room. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara were laid on the big bed. Joann couldn't help but giggle as Yusuke snuggled up against Kuwabara's chest. What made Shizuru, Kurama, and Joann laugh loud was Kuwabara wrapping his arms around the Underworld Detective. That made Yusuke snuggle even more into Kuwabara's chest.
"And with that, I'm taking a shower." Joann said, wiping away a couple tears.
Shizuru took out a cigarette and began to smoke.
"I'll order some dinner. And I insist you two stay to eat." Shizuru said looking at the two boys.
Kurama could tell that this woman wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Let me just call my mother." Kurama said with a warm smile.
"I'll pass." Hiei said before exiting out the window.
Shizuru took a long drag on her cig.
"Is that something he does a lot?" she asked the redhead.
Kurama chuckled but nodded.
"It's sort of his trademark."
Shizuru snorted, a small smirk on her lips before guiding the teen to the phone.
Joann couldn't help but smile as she got some black shorts and a black t-shirt. She took a quick look back at the two sleeping teens. She couldn't help the small giggle at the adorable sight. She shook her head before grabbing some clean clothes out of her drawer. She grabbed a long sleeved blue top, blue jeans, a new bra and black socks. She left the room and headed to the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the closet next to the bathroom.
Once inside, she leaned her back against the door. She let out a long sigh. She didn't know how exhausted she felt until this very moment. Her legs felt like jelly. She wasn't sure how she could even stand, even with her leaning against the door. She closed her eyes and took in a couple of deep breathes. After a few more breaths, she closed the lid to the toilet and laid down her fresh clothes. She hung the towel on the little hook that was next to the shower. She went to the shower, pushing back the curtains and turning on the water. It was here she felt a small shock to her right hand's finger tips.
Joann jumped and yelped at the sensation. She looked down at her hand with wide eyes. The tips of her fingers tingled and a purple static surrounded her finger tips for a moment before vanishing.
"What the hell was that?" she asked aloud, looking over her hand.
"Are you alright?"
Joann jumped at both the voice and knock on the door. It seemed her yelp had been loud enough for Kurama to hear her.
"I-I'm fine! The water was too hot!" Joann said with a squeak.
There was a bit of silence on the other side of the door.
"Alright. I came to let you know we ordered some ramen." Kurama said through the door.
Joann let out a sigh of relief.
"Alright! I'll be quick!" she said.
After a few more minutes, Joann heard footsteps walking away from the door. She let out a breath and leaned back against the door. She looked back down at her hand.
"Just calm down. You're just seeing things..." she thought aloud.
Joann striped down and looked at herself in the mirror located above the sink. She was short but was still able to see herself from her chest up. She winced at how bad she looked. She looked down and saw random singed spots scattered all over her lower body. She touched one of them and hissed. It seemed Suzaku wasn't just electrocuting her, but his attack was individual bolts of lightning, hitting her body at random. She was happy none of them were visible. Well, they were but not if she was wearing clothes.
The only thing that was visible were the marks on her right arm. Joann could barely see them because of the coating of blood from her own and those humanoids. However, it was obvious it was from Merg, Suzaku's bird. Joann hissed as she touched one of the marks. It was totally from that bird's beak.
"That damn bird..." she hissed before touching her head.
There were a couple small nicks on top of her head. Her arm had gotten the brunt of the attacks but the bird had been trying to attack her head. Hench the headache it seemed.
"I really need a shower..." Joann mumbled before getting into the hot shower.
She sighed as she leaned her forehead against the shower wall. She let the hot water trickle down her naked body. It felt almost therapeutic on both her achy body and her wounds. She closed her eyes and just stood there.
Joann could tell something was different with her body. Even before getting electuitied by Suzaku. She felt different the moment she had arrived. She wasn't sure if it was because she was there or if the way she had gotten there made her feel this way. She wasn't sure what it was but hoped that it wasn't a bad thing. She let out a sigh before slowly cleaning herself. She had to be gentle on both her head and arm. The scorched spots on her body didn't hurt as much as those pecks on her arm and head.
Once she was done, she found some of the wounds began to bleed. It was so annoying and painful at the same time. She looked underneath the sink for something to stop the bleeding. The only thing she found was a roll of gauze. She wrapped her arm. Her head began to bleed as she began to dry her hair with the towel. She sighed and wrapped some gauze around her head. When she was done, it made her look more injured than she truly had been. She sighed. There was nothing she could do about the arm but her head, she could cover with the towel.
Joann dressed before wrapping the towel around her head. When she got back to Kuwabara's room she found Kuwabara was awake.
"I don't care if he is sleeping?! He's gonna get an ass whuppin!" Kuwabara growled, standing above a still sleeping Yusuke.
Joann couldn't help but giggle, causing the two boys to look at her.
"I'm assuming you woke up to a snuggling Yusuke?" Joann said after her little giggle.
Kuwabara turned to find Joann looking much better from when he and the two demons had found her. He was relieved. After a moment he realized what she had said and growled.
"He needs to learn about personal space!" Kuwabara growled.
Kurama couldn't help but chuckle. He was also happy to see her looking much better.
Joann let out a sigh before going to the desk and sitting down. It was here the towel fell off onto her shoulders. Her eyes widened, just as wide as Kurama's and Kuwabara's. She yelped before covering up her head with the towel.
"Carson-san?! What happened to your head?!" Kuwabara shouted, his eyes still wide.
"N-nothing! I'm fine! I couldn't find any small bandages for the small wounds on my head!" she said with a nervous laugh.
It was true at least. However those small wounds were bleeding a bit.
Kurama furrowed his eyebrows in thought.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Joann instinctively curled her right arm to her chest.
"N-no. I'm fine really!" she said but could tell neither boy believed her.
"Is there something wrong with your arm?" Kurama asked.
Kuwabara noticed how Joann's arm was positioned and walked towards her.
Joann 'irked' and shook her head but found it began to hurt.
"Hi!"
Everyone jumped as Botan floated into Kuwabara's open window.
"Botan!" Kuwabara and Joann shouted.
"That's my name don't wear it out! How's everyone doing?" she asked, her face too innocent looking.
However, she noticed the bandage on Joann's head. Her eyes widened.
"Joann! Are you alright?!" she asked.
She thought there weren't any serious injuries except for Yusuke being unconscious. However, it seemed her informant was wrong.
"I'm fine! Really I am!" she said before she let out a small cough.
This time she wasn't able to hid the small spit of blood. She sweat dropped.
"Ahh..." she said with an embarrassed grin.
"Coughing up blood is NOT fine!" Kuwabara growled as he stood in front of Joann.
Before Joann could say anything, Kuwabara pulled at her arm, causing her to yelp and hiss in pain and surprise. Kuwabara's eyes widened before instantly letting go. Joann couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.
"Really...I'm fine." she said as she nibbled on her bottom lip.
Botan walked over to Joann and gently took her hand. Joann blinked up at the blue hair deity of death.
"Let's go." she said with a reassuring smile.
Joann blinked up at the girl.
"Let me look you over in the bathroom." she said before gently pulling the girl to her feet.
"I'm fine, really." Joann whined but not struggling as Botan guided the girl out of the room.
The two boys were left in the room, worry on both of their minds.
Botan continued to pull the girl until they were both in the bathroom. Botan had pushed the poor girl into the room before standing in front of the door, locking it.
The two stood in silence.
"Clothes off." Botan said, standing in front of the closed door.
Joann's eyes widened, her entire body turning red.
"W-what?!" squeaked Joann.
"I can't know how to help you if I don't know what I'm working with. So clothes off." Botan said with a stern look.
Joann gulped. She was a pretty shy girl. She didn't even change in front of the girl's back in highschool. She would go into the bathroom stall and change. She wouldn't even look at the other girls! She rarely let her own mother in the dressing room with her!
Botan's face softened.
"Please?"
Joann bit her bottom lip before slowly nodding.
"But turn around!" Joann added.
Botan blinked a bit confused.
"Why?"
"Cause..." Joann said, turning even redder and looking away.
Botan was still confused before a thought hit her.
"Ohhh! Are you shy?" she asked, a small smirk on her lips.
Joann irked.
"Oh, but we're just girls! Come on!" Botan giggled.
"It's not like I'm asking you to strip naked! I just need your clothes off...wait..." Botan said, starting to realize how it truly sounded.
"I mean, just take your off your shirt! Wait..." Botan said with a sweat drop.
"You know what I mean..." Botan said with an embarrassed giggle.
Joann let out a sigh. The girl was right. She needed to take off her clothes. It wasn't like she was asking for her bra and pants too. This wasn't a yuri hentai...
Joann turned around, keeping her back to the blue haired girl. She took off her shirt. She heard a gasp from Botan. This scared Joann.
"What? Is it really that bad?" Joann asked as she turned around.
Botan covered her mouth with her hand. The look made Joann pale.
Botan shook away her shock and turned determined eyes at the girl. This made Joann gulp.
"Sit down." Botan said pointing at the down toilet seat.
Joann hesitated for a moment before sitting down. Botan stood in front of her, a reassuring smile on her lips. Joann gave a weak smile back.
"If it will make you feel better, you can close your eyes." Botan said as she stood in front of the girl.
Joann's mind wandered to a yaoi she remembered reading that used that same line. Her body turned red before crossing her arms over her chest. Botan couldn't help but giggle. She seemed to have a less dirty mind than Joann as she didn't catch the implication to those words.
"It's okay, just relax." she said before placing her hands above her head.
Botan figured she would work on the head wounds first. Joann tensed for a moment. However, the warm feeling from Botan's hands on her head made her feel more relaxed. She uncrossed her arms and let them rest on her lap. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh.
Botan smiled as before concentrating on healing the small wounds on the girl's head.
Joann hummed which almost sounded close to purring. Botan couldn't help but giggle at hearing it. (1)
"What?" Joann asked in a relaxed tone and not opening her eyes.
"You almost sound like you're purring. It's adorable."
This comment made Joann blush in embarrassment.
"I guess when you live with cats you tend to pick up their habits." she said with a small smile.
Her smile turned to a frown at the thought of her two cats. Sure they could be annoying sometimes, especially walking in between her feet as she walked. However, she missed them very much.
Botan raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"Cats?"
"Yeah, two." Joann said.
It took the girl a moment before remembering she wasn't suppose to remember that. Her eyes snapped open before jumping. However, the jerking motion caused a couple of her injuries jerk making her hiss. Botan had jumped, not expecting the sudden movement and stopped her healing.
"Are you alright?" Botan asked with worry.
Joann felt embarrassed again and gave the blue hair girl a weak smile.
"Sorry, I guess I'm really not fine." she said before letting out an embarrassed giggle.
Botan gave the girl a look before nodding.
"Okay. Well, I'm almost done with your head." Botan said before moving her hands back over to the injured head.
Joann stayed tense until she felt the warm feeling back on her head. She closed her eyes again and let out a sigh.
Botan concentrated on healing however, she kept the new information at the back of her mind.
'Maybe she is starting to remember things...' Botan thought but there was something nagging her about the entire situation of Joann. 'I'll talk about this with Koenma-sama.'
The two stayed like that for a little while. It was a comfortable silence and only the humming of Botan's power was heard. After some time Botan let out a sigh before moving her hands away. Joann opened her eyes and looked up, a smile on her lips.
"Thanks. My head feels much better." she said, before standing.
"Oh no you don't! We aren't done yet!" Botan said, gently pushing the girl back down onto the closed toilet seat.
Joann blinked up at her before her body turned completely red as Botan kneeled in front of her. Botan's glowing hands positioned themselves right in front of her chest.
"W-what are you...?" Joann stuttered.
"Relax. You are such a silly girl, you know that?" Botan giggled.
"But.." Joann began before feeling that nice warm sensation above her chest.
Her hands went slack and fell into her lap. Joann's eyes closed and she let out a breath. She could feel her chest being healed, just like her head. It seemed she had something wrong in her chest, which caused her to cough up blood. She leaned back a bit, causing Botan to lean closer. The blue haired girl didn't stop her healing hands. The two went back to silence, as Joann relaxed and Botan focused on healing the girl. She began to purr and this time Botan didn't acknowledge it.
They were silent for a bit longer before the other thought that was nagging her got too much.
"So..." Botan said, continuing to heal.
Joann's eyes were still closed but she hummed, acknowledging that she heard the girl.
"How did this happen?"
Joann frowned, her eyes still closed.
"I know it's none of my business but..." Botan said, looking down at the other injuries that scattered her body.
Her pink eyes landing on the still bandaged arm. She was saving that one last. She wasn't sure how back it was and felt the other injuries needed attention. Especially the ones by her chest. She could sense some internal injury that was causing her to cough up some blood. Her hands began to power up more as she turned her focus back to the area.
Joann sighed, catching Botan's attention. The two ended up looking into each other's eyes. Joann could see the worry in those pink eyes and felt a bit guilty. Botan could see the guilt but wasn't sure why. There was no reason for Joann to feel guilty.
"Okay, but promise me that you won't tell anyone. I don't even think Yusuke noticed. I mean, he was too busy worrying about you and Keiko to really notice what I was doing." Joann said with a smile.
Botan blinked before her pink eyes widened.
"Yusuke worried about me?"
Joann smiled and nodded.
"He freaked when he saw you knocked out on the big mirror."
Botan continued to be stunned before a teary eyed smile crossed her lips.
"Aww he does care!" she squealed.
"But you didn't hear it from me." Joann said with a giggle.
The two giggled for a moment before they went back into silence.
"So..." Botan said, moving her glowing hands over to her stomach.
Joann shifted backwards a bit, but wasn't as uncomfortable as she had been a while ago.
"So?" Joann asked, already forgetting the question from Botan's healing hands.
"So how did you get this hurt?" Botan asked, her face looking serious.
Joann looked into those big pink eyes and let out another sigh.
"Well...I kinda got in-between Yusuke and Suzaku."
Botan was silent for a moment.
"In-between?" she asked, realizing Joann wasn't going to explain further.
"Basically, I got his attention and ended up getting hit with his electricity." Joann said with a shrug.
Botan nodded. That explained the scorch marks, which were fading. They wouldn't completely disappear but they would be so faint you wouldn't be able to see them, unless you knew they were there.
"What about your arm?" Botan asked, nodding towards the bandaged arm.
Joann gave a small smile and a nervous laugh.
"It's not as bad as the bandages suggest, I swear. It was from Suzaku's bird. I was going after the whistle and the bird was trying to pluck my eyes out, or it seemed like it." Joann said with a side ways smile.
Botan's eyes widened.
"Wait...I thought Yusuke destroyed the whistle."
"Yeah, well Yusuke was kinda busy fighting Suzaku. Kinda like distracting him." Joann said with a shrug.
Her injuries were starting to hurt less, meaning Botan's healing was working.
Botan continued to look in awe for a moment before turning serious.
'Koenma-sama's gut was right...' Botan thought.
"Botan?"
Botan's eyes blinked before looking at a concerned Joann.
"Are you okay?" Joann asked, a bit concerned, "You don't have to keep healing me anymore. I'm healed up pretty good."
Joann thought the blue haired girl was growing tired from healing her. Botan shook her head before giving the girl a warm smile.
"No no, I'm fine. Besides, I haven't fixed your arm." Botan said before moving her hands to the injured arm.
Botan gently took off the bandages. It looked like a bird had been pecking at her arm. It wasn't horrible but still looked a bit painful. Botan began to power up her hands, ready to heal the injured arm. However, the moment her hands began to glow above the arm, purple sparks surrounded the injured arm. Both girls jumped, looking at the arm with wide eyes.
"What was that?!" Botan asked, staring at the arm as the sparks slowly fizzled.
"I-I don't know. It started happening after the fight with Suzaku." Joann said, looking worried at her arm.
Botan furrowed her eyebrows.
'It was like Joann was making her own electricity...' Botan thought before shaking her head.
She smiled at Joann.
"Well, I guess that's your body telling me you had enough of my healing energy." Botan said with a laugh.
Joann frowned.
"So do you know what's happening to me?"
Botan's smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown. She shook her head.
"I'm afraid I don't know." Botan said.
'But I'm sure Koenma-sama will...' Botan thought before standing up.
Joann blinked as she looked up at the blue haired girl.
"Well, I guess I'll try to heal you up later. For now, you should get some rest." Botan said with a smile.
Joann couldn't help but smile back. She stood up and the two girls just smiled at each other. After a few more moments, Joann remembered that she was naked. She yelped before grabbing her shirt. Botan couldn't help but giggle.
"You really are a silly girl Joann." Botan laughed as she stood up.
Joann pulled her shirt back on as she stood up. Her face turned red with embarrassment.
"Oh shush..." she grumbled, just making Botan laugh more.
"And very cute." she said in a teasing tone.
Joann pouted which only made Botan laugh more.
"Let's go before the boy's get too worried." Botan said before opening the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back In Kuwabara's Room~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the two girls had left, the two boys became quiet. Kurama furrowed his eyebrows in thought, as did Kuwabara. The two glanced at each other. It seemed they were on the same page.
"What the hell happened up there?" Kuwabara asked before looking back at the closed door.
Kurama shook his head.
"We might want to ask Yusuke when he wakes up. I doubt Joann will tell us." Kurama said with a grim look.
Kuwabara let out a sigh and nodded. He learned that Joann, despite having some memory loss, was a very private person. She was also a bit awkward and shy. But she was brave and impulsive. She was a weird girl, in the carrot top's opinion. Although, he still found her interesting.
Kurama went over to Kuwabara's bed and sat at the end. He made sure to not disturb the still passed out Yusuke. Kuwabara sat at his desk. The two sat in silence for a little while.
Kurama began to think about Joann. He could sense that she was different. There was something 'off' with the girl. He didn't really have a sixth sense but his intuition was almost like a super power. He could tell she wasn't a demon or even a half demon. She was certainly human but had an 'otherworldly' feel about her.
"So how did you meet Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked, looking at the red head.
Kurama snapped out of his thoughts. He looked over to the carrot top. He couldn't help but give a small smile.
"He helped me out a while back."
"Did it have to do with some Underworld stuff?" Kuwabara asked, leaning more on his chair.
Kurama chuckled.
"I guess you could say that."
Kuwabara huffed. He hated when people talked in circles.
"How about you and Joann?" Kurama asked, sensing the carrot top about to ask another question.
Kuwabara paused. He wasn't sure how much he should share.
"We kinda just...bumped into each other." Kuwabara said with a shrug.
Inwardly the carrot top was smirking.
It was obvious the carrot top was avoiding the question, giving a vague answer just like the red head.
Kurama sweat dropped.
'Touche.' he thought.
A loud snore and mumbling came from the sleeping Yusuke. The two boys looked over to him, seeing him lying on his back, his right hand on his stomach as his other was sprawled out on the bed. His one leg was straight while his other was bent at the knee, almost in the air.
Both teens couldn't help but laugh at the position.
"Nice...undies...Keiko..." Yusuke mumbled out.
Both teens went quiet and had sweat drops.
'A perv even in his sleep.' Kuwabara thought.
The two sat in another long silence. Kuwabara was about to ask another question.
The sound of the door opening caused both teens to jump and look towards the door.
Botan walked in with a shy Joann right behind her.
"Well, she's not completely healed but it will do." Botan said in her usual perky self.
Joann gave the two teens a weak smile.
Kuwabara let out a sigh of relief, however, he noticed that her right arm was still bandaged.
"What about your arm?" he asked, pointing towards it.
Joann instinctively curled it against her chest.
"It will need more time to heal but it will heal." Botan said with a smile.
Kuwabara still looked concerned but nodded.
Kurama furrowed his eyebrows, looking at the arm.
"Well, I have to report back to Koenma-sama. I'll keep in touch." Botan said, turning to Joann and winking at the girl.
Joann tilted her head, a bit confused as what the blue hair girl meant. Botan grinned before summoning her oar. Kuwabara jumped out of his seat, his eyes bugging.
"Where'd ya pull that out of?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know." giggled Botan, with a wink.
"That's why I asked!" Kuwabara said with a growl.
Botan laughed before heading over to the window. She sat on the oar before flying off into the sky. Kuwabara had rushed over to his open window and stared in awe. Kurama couldn't help the chuckle, as Joann laughed.
Kuwabara shook his head. He turned back around and was about to ask the two what was funny.
"Food's here." Shizuru said through the open doorway.
At the announcement, the groups' stomach growled. After a moment of silence, the group laughed. They went downstairs and ate the ramen takeout. The small group talked about themselves. Joann and Kuwabara found out that Kurama was in the same grade as they were, but attended another school. Joann was the only one who didn't share much about herself. The rest seemed to be like open books. It made the girl feel bad but she really couldn't say anything. She couldn't share anything about herself, no matter how much she wanted to.
After a couple of hours, Kurama had to leave before he missed the last train of the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Three Days Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on!" pleaded Botan.
She was dressed in a nice light blue top that was short sleeved. She wore nice blue jeans with black shoes that had a slight heel to them. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail. She was standing outside the Kuwabara household.
Keiko was with her. She was wearing a nice short dress that was a light pink with a pretty yellow flower print covering it. She was giving Joann a warm smile.
Joann was standing in the doorway in jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was a bit of a mess and looked like she just got out of bed. Which was the case. She gave a big yawn as she scratched her head with her right hand. The bandages were off and the little peck marks were almost faded.
"But we went shopping yesterday." whined Joann.
Joann wasn't much of a shopper. She was the type that would only go if she needed to buy something. She didn't like the 'browsing' part of shopping. However, the blue haired deity had convinced the girl to go shopping. She claimed it would be a great chance to get to know each other and even invited Keiko. Joann admitted that it was fun hanging out with the two girls. However, they had gone shopping for the last two days. There was only so much shopping a person could do, or so thought Joann.
"Yeah, but I want to check out that shoe place again. They had really cute shoes for a great price." Botan said, her face turning into a cat look.
Joann sweatdropped. It was the face that had worked on her the first two times.
"I guess..." Joann said, earning a happy squeal from the blue haired deity.
"We can eat at my parent's ramen shop for lunch." Keiko suggested with a smile.
Joann thought about it. She hadn't met the brunette's parents yet. It was an opportunity that other fans of the show would probably kill for. Well, maybe not kill for but it was still a great opportunity.
Joann smiled before nodding.
"Okay, let me change." she said, offering the two girls inside the house.
Joann went upstairs to Kuwabara's room to grab some clothes. She found Kurama and Kuwabara sitting in the room just talking.
"Well hello Joann." Kurama said with a warm smile and nod.
"Oh hey Kurama. When did you get here?" Joann asked.
She had been sleeping in Shizuru's room for the last two nights. The eldest Kuwabara sibling had to work some overtime at the beauty parlor she worked at and ended up sleeping over a fellow coworker's house.
"A little while ago." Kurama said.
"Ah. Well, I'm about to head out with Botan and Keiko." Joann said as she walked over to her drawer, taking out some clothes.
It was pretty nice day outside. She found some nice dark blue shorts that had back pockets. She pulled out the Megalica black t-shirt and threw both items on her shoulder.
"Again?" Kuwabara asked in surprise.
He knew how much Joann hated to shop.
Joann shrugged.
"Well what else am I gonna do? School is closed and it's not like I have anything better to do."
Kuwabara and Kurama nodded. It made sense.
"Well have fun." Kurama said with a warm smile.
"Thanks." Joann said with a smile back.
Kuwabara felt a bit uneasy with how easily the two had got along. Kurama had been coming over after school for the last three days. The incident had only been at Kuwabara's school and didn't affect Kurama's school, which was in a different district. However today was Sunday, so no school.
"Hey wait, do you need money?" Kuwabara asked, ready to give Joann some money.
"Naw, I still have some of the money Shizuru gave me." Joann said with a shake of her head.
"Well, see ya later." she said with a wave before leaving.
The two teens waved back and watched the girl leave the room.
Kurama turned to Kuwabara who was still looking at the closed door.
The two teens had been getting to know a lot about each other over the three days. They had learned a lot about each other and had thought of each other as good friends.
Kurama had shared his story of being a kitsune in the body of a human teen. He told Kuwabara his human name, Shuichi, and told him to use that name whenever they were in public. He shared how Yusuke helped save his mother's life as well as his own.
Kuwabara shared a bit of himself. He told him how he knew Yusuke for such a long time and were rivals. He shared some information about his sixth sense and how it grew over the last couple of months.
Kurama cleared his throat, catching Kuwabara's attention.
"So, how is it going with Joann?"
Kuwabara blinked at the redhead.
"Whatdya mean?" he asked.
"With her memory."
Kurama learned the jist from both Joann and Kuwabara, a bit more from the carrot top. He could tell Kuwabara might know more then he was sharing.
"Same." Kuwabara said with a shrug.
Kuwabara had been avoiding any questions that had to do with Joann. First, he thought it was only Joann's business to talk about herself. Second, he didn't know much about her either.
Kurama frowned. Another question appeared.
"How do you feel about her?"
Kuwabara's eyes widened and he stiffened.
Kurama inwardly smirked. He had been meaning to ask about the two since meeting the two. It was obvious they really liked each other. But they hadn't acted on those feelings or seemed to be aware of them.
"W-what do you mean? She's my friend." Kuwabara said, sitting up in his chair.
Kurama raised an eyebrow.
"Just a friend?"
Kuwabara froze. He learned a lot about the redhead over their time hanging out. One of which was he wouldn't give up on a subject until he got what he wanted.
A stirring from Kuwabara's bed caught the two teen's attention.
"Uh...ow..what the..." Yusuke said before sitting up in Kuwabara's bed.
He felt a headache and began to rub the back of his head before looking around the room.
"Where am I?" Yusuke asked, his mind trying to register what was going on.
"Hey sleeping beauty awakes! It's cool. You're in my room." said Kuwabara.
Yusuke blinked before turning to see Kuwabara sitting at his desk, looking at him.
"You've been out for three days." came Kurama's voice.
Yusuke turned towards it, finding the redhead leaning against the wall opposite of Yusuke.
"Man, school's in total turmoil right now! All classes are canceled until further notice. You've been here the whole time. Don't worry though, I let your ma know you're okay and staying here." Kuwabara said.
Yusuke looked at Kuwabara in disbelief.
"Sheesh...three whole days. I've never felt so beat to death." Yusuke said letting out a sigh.
After a moment, his eyes widened.
"Whoa! What about Keiko, Botan, and Joann! Are they..." Yusuke began.
"Hey hey get this! Iwamoto's being grilled by the police! He's claiming he doesn't remember anything! Mr. Take's recovering from a bump to the head!" Kuwabara said with an excited grin.
Yusuke nodded, worry still on his face.
"Got it! But what about-"
"Did I mention Iwamoto being grilled by the police?!" said Kuwabara.
"Yes! Kuwabara..." growled Yusuke.
"Right! And the best part is..." said Kuwabara, but is interrupted by a pissed Yusuke.
"What about Keiko, Botan, and Joann!" growled Yusuke as he got out of bed.
He stormed over to Kuwabara, who couldn't look Yusuke in the face.
"Wait..." Yusuke started, noticing the sad look crossing Kuwabara's face.
"What are you trying to hide?" Yusuke asked, his stomach beginning to tense up.
"Kuwabara!"
Kurama looked away as Kuwabara avoided the raven haired teen's face and questions.
"Hey..." Yusuke said, his eyes dilating.
"Hey!" Yusuke growled, grabbing Kuwabara by the front of his shirt.
"Don't pull this crap!" he growled, trying to force the carrot top to look at him.
"What happened?!"
Yusuke got in Kuwabara's face, which looked morbid.
"What are you hiding?! Kuwabara?!"
Kuwabara looked down while Kurama just looked away.
"Hey! Don't pull this crap! What happened?!" Yusuke said still holding onto Kuwabara's shirt.
Kuwabara looked away, making the teen grow even more worried and angry.
"Tell me! What about Keiko, Botan, and Joann!" Yusuke demanded.
The room was silent.
Yusuke let go of Kuwabara's shirt and took a step backwards.
"But I saw Joann..." Yusuke whispered.
Kuwabara was about to break until he heard this line. Kurama glanced over to Yusuke.
"I thought she..." Yusuke said, his eyes wide. "Were we too late?" Yusuke added in a whisper.
Another moment of silence. Yusuke grew angry and grabbed Kuwabara by the front of his shirt again.
"Say something! Anything! Don't just sit there! We destroyed it in time, right? Kuwabara!" Yusuke growled.
"Boy, someone woke up grouchy!" came a familiar voice.
Yusuke's eyes widened as all three teens turned towards the door.
"Hi Yusuke!" Botan said as she walked into the room, bubbly as ever.
"Huh?"
The room was silent for a moment before Kuwabara's shoulders began to shake. Yusuke blinked before turning back to Kuwabara, letting go of his shoulders. Kuwabara was laughing. This made Yusuke look down at the carrot top with confusion.
"Really had you goin' man." Kuwabara chuckled, trying to hold back the laughter but failing.
"He thinks he's funny, Yusuke." said Kurama, his hand over his mouth, covering up his chuckle.
Joann raised an eyebrow at the redhead.
"What about you Kurama?" she asked, a snicker on her lips.
Keiko was looking around the room a bit confused, almost as much as Yusuke.
Joann and Botan had heard of the plan Kuwabara cooked up when he told Kurama the day before. Joann told him it might not be a good idea, but it seemed the carrot top went along with it anyway. Although, it seemed Kurama didn't stop it and had gone along with the trick. He was just as sadistic as Kuwabara it seemed.
Kuwabara laughed loud and hard. Yusuke still seemed to be in shock as he could just blink.
"You shoulda seen yer face! Some joke, eh? Gottacha good!" said Kuwabara with tears in his eyes.
Yusuke snapped out of his confusion before his right eye twitched in annoyance. Joann closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. All the girl heard was a sound that sounded like Kuwabara getting his head handed to him
"It was a close call." Botan began, catching Yusuke's attention, "I thought we were goners! Then they knocked me in the head! When I came to, all the infested people were sprawled out! I knew then that you'd trumped!"
Joann opened her eyes and saw Kuwabara lying face down on the floor with a huge tombstone on his back.
She winced at the scene as it looked painful. Although, it was a tombstone on his back. Obviously it was going to be painful. It would be a mircle if he would be able to walk after that. Joann walked over to the motionless Kuwabara. She knelt next to him and began to poke him a bit.
"Well, glad you're all okay! That's a huge relief!" said Yusuke with a relieved sigh.
Kuwabara really had him believing they weren't in time. It also had him thinking Joann might have been killed from his huge spirit gun.
Yusuke looked over at Keiko and couldn't help but gulp at the death glare he was getting from Keiko.
"Ah Kuwabara...? Kuwabara?" Joann said, still poking him.
"Yusuke where did you get this tombstone?" Joann asked, turning towards Yusuke.
Yusuke shrugged.
"I just found it."
There was an awkward silence.
"Well, I'm going home now. Bye." Keiko said before turning on her heels, leaving.
"Ooooo snap. Looks like you're in trouble." Joann said, smirking.
Yusuke irked before stumbling after the girl.
"Keiko! Wait! " he shouted.
He ran out the door.
"Keiko! "
The group shook their heads and couldn't help but laugh at Yusuke's misfortune. Joann turned back to Kuwabara who was grumbling from beneath the tombstone. Kurama and Joann removed the heavy object. Joann went back to poking him and only got a groan.
"At least he's still alive..." Joann mumbled, earning a chuckle from Kurama and a giggle from Botan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Next Day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joann and Kuwabara groaned as they got ready for school. They had gotten a phone call informing them about school being opened, early in the morning. It seemed to be a chore as they got ready. Kuwabara was extra sore while Joann felt achey. She suggested it was because Kuwabara lounge around the house and didn't move. That made him stiff and hurt more when he moved.
Joann wasn't too sore. However she figured it was because she actually went out and moved around. She had felt sore each day she went out shopping. It seemed that shopping was possibly the best thing for her to do, otherwise she would have been just as bad as Kuwabara. She was happy that Botan had forced her to go shopping. She was going to thank the blue hair deity the next time she saw her.
The walk to school was a long one as Kuwabara moved like a turtle. Joann had to walk slow just so she wasn't getting too far ahead of the carrot top. By the time they got to the school yard, Kuwabara was a bit sweaty and out of breath.
"Morning Kuwabara-sama! Joann!"
Before Kuwabara could turn around, he felt a hand on his back, lightly patting it. Kuwabara made a strangled noise before turning around. Joann turned and found it was Okubo, Sawamura, and Kirishima. Kirishima was the one who patted Kuwabara's back. However, they all looked confused and worried.
"Don't do that!" Kuwabara growled, which caused the three friends to take several steps backwards.
The three turned worried eyes towards Joann. She gave them a small smile. It was here they saw the small marks on her right arm. She had removed the bandages the night before, finding that there was no point as they had stopped bleeding.
"Hey, what happened to your arm?" Kirishima asked, concern in his voice and eyes.
Joann pulled it to her chest and waved him off with her other hand.
"It's nothing." she said with a nervous laugh.
"But it looks like you got attacked by a bird or something." Okubo said.
Joann sweatdropped.
'He's on the money.' she thought before smiling.
"It's fine." she said before walking towards the school.
Kuwabara was too much in pain to notice the conversation and had already been heading towards the building. The three friends looked at each other before following behind the two.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Lunch Time~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The three were happy when the lunch bell rang. They decided to head up to the roof for the period. Kuwabara's three friends gave Yusuke odd looks as he joined the group.
"Walking's serious torture man." groaned Kuwabara as he walked onto the roof.
"This must be how guys who play sport for a living feel like." Yusuke grunted before walking towards his usual spot. (2)
"Why aren't you in pain?" Yusuke asked, turning towards Joann who appeared to have not problem.
"I went out and moved around a lot. You two just laid around and did nothing. That probably made your body go stiff." Joann said as she sat down.
She was very happy Botan forced her to go out shopping. Joann was positive if she did what Yusuke and Kuwabara did she would be feeling just as bad as them.
Both boys grumbled and moaned as they sat down. It seemed Joann was right.
"We better lay low for a while." said Kuwabara as he took out his lunch.
Joann nodded as she took a sip from her can soda.
"I don't think we can." said Sawamura.
"While you guys were out..." Okubo started, looking between Yusuke and Kuwabara, "someone was pretending to be you."
"Imposters of me and Kuwabara?!" said Yusuke in shock.
"Yeah." said Kirishima with a nod.
Joann blinked in surprise.
'I don't remember this happening in the show.' she thought. (3)
Joann knew she missed a couple of episodes but she would have totally remember this episode. Or at least heard about it on fan sites relating to the show.
"They lurk in the dark, picking off Kanegafuchi Jr. High guys left and right." said Kirishima as he dug through his pockets.
The group watched as he took out some IDs and threw them in the middle of the group. They had been sitting in a circle at this point.
"Fake student ID cards?! That's totally lame!" said Yusuke as he looked at the cheesy yet obviously fake ID cards.
"They think they're international terrorists or something" mumbled Kuwabara.
"They casually call each other by name...your names!" said Sawamura.
"Kasane guys are such dumb clucks, they fell for it." snorted Kirishima.
"Take off for a few days and the idiots rush in." whispered in annoyance at Joann and Kuwabara.
"They don't even look like you guys." Joann said, picking up one that said 'Kuwabara'.
He looked sorta like the carrot top, if you squinted. Even then, the imposter was ugly looking. Yusuke's was just as bad.
"We'd better take these fakers down fast!" said Kuwabara looking down at the ID Joann held.
'Doesn't look a lick like me an' Urameshi.' Kuwabara thought.
At that moment both Kuwabara and Yusuke's bodies made painful sounding snaps. They stiffened and groaned. Joann winced at the noise.
"When we're all better." chorused Yusuke and Kuwabara.
"I dunno if we can wait. Things could get out of hand if you don't do something soon." said Kirishima.
"Their victims are already going after random kids from our school." said Okubo.
Joann frowned as Yusuke and Kuwabara growled. First they were impersonating Yusuke and Kuwabara. Now they are picking on kids from their school. The group had finished up their lunch. Kuwabara's friends began to get up, ready to walk away.
"We'll give it some thought okay?" said Yusuke.
They three walked a few feet away.
"Wait!" said Kuwabara.
"So you'll do it?!" said Kirishima turned around, excitement in his face and voice.
"Great! Let's run those punks down right now!" said Okubo making a fist.
Joann stared at the two. They couldn't be serious? They were true fight junkies.
"Actually-" Yusuke started with a sweat drop and goofy smile.
"Help us up. We can't move..." finished Kuwabara who had the same look as Yusuke.
The three friends anime fell and groaned. Joann couldn't help but shake her head with a laugh.
Joann stood up, stretching a bit. Her body popped a bit but didn't hurt. She was feeling a bit stiff. She turned to Kuwabara.
"Come on." she said with a smile.
Kuwabara grumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed. Kirishima went next to Joann to help him up. The other two went to help out Yusuke.
"Careful...take it easy, will ya?!" growled Yusuke as his body popped and groaned as he was slowly pulled to his feet.
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" Kuwabara whined, while Joann and Kirishima pulled him up.
"They're practically invalids..." mumbled Kirishima.
Joann couldn't help but laugh.
"But they're our invalids." she said with a snicker.
Kirishima couldn't help but laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After School~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kuwabara and Yusuke ditched the next several classes and slept in the nurse's office because of how much pain they were in. Joann and the rest of Kuwabara's friends decided to wait for the two outside the school. She had gotten pretty close with Kuwabara's three friends. She was even more so with Kirishima as he had the same humor as her.
"So what happened to those two?" Kirishima asked.
Joann tilted her head as she looked at the boy.
"What do you mean?"
"They seem to be...friendly with each other." Okubo said, also wondering what happened.
"Ahhh..." Joann said, unsure how to explain the new friendship between the former rivals.
"Well..." she began trying to think of a story that wasn't too much of a lie.
"Remember when we were all out?"
"Yeah, that just happened." Sawamura said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, the reason we were all out was because we all work for the government." she said, deciding to use Botan's excuse to Keiko.
"What?!" the three boys said in shock.
"No way!" Sawamura said with excitement.
"When did that happen!" Okubo asked in shock.
"Right after Yusuke came back. The government heard about his situation and thought he would be great as an undercover agent." Joann said, feeling really stupid telling it.
Kirishima seemed to be deep in thought. He leaned in close to Joann, causing the other two to do the same.
"So Kuwabara's dad recruited them?" he asked.
Joann blinked at the blonde in shock. It finally clicked. That explained why Kuwabara's parents were always on 'business' trips. They must have been secret agents. Her shock made Kirishima think he had figured it out and gave a cocky smile.
"I've known for a long time. But I promised Kuwabara not to say anything, same with these guys." Kirishima said, pointing to the other two.
They nodded.
"It's about time his dad trusted him to join the 'family' business." Sawamura said with a grin.
"Huh, yeah. So we are now secret agents." Joann said with a nod and a smile.
'Kuwabara is gonna kill me...' she thought with a slight sweat drop.
However, her sixth sense kicked in. Something was wrong. She turned to see a couple guys about to attack Okubo.
"Watch out!" Joann shouted before pushing past her friend and kicking one of the attackers in his gut.
Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura turned and jumped backwards.
The guy who got kicked spit out some spit and growled. Joann took a few steps backwards and held up her hands.
"Who the hell are you?" Kirishima asked, also getting into a fighting stance, the other two following.
There was a total of five guys. All of them looked like thugs from another school. However, two of the five looked familiar. Joann squinted as she looked at them. She gasped as her eyes widened.
"It's you! You're the punks impersonating Yusuke and Kuwabara!" Joann said, pointing at them.
"Looks like our cover is blown." 'Kuwabara' said with a snicker on his lips.
"Doesn't matter. They won't remember anything after we are through." 'Yusuke' said with a laugh.
Three of the guys laughed along with him before jumping at Joann and the group.
Sawamura snorted before punching one of the guys in the face. He then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tossed him against the school's wall.
Joann growled and used one of the guy's momentum against him, flipping him over her shoulder. Kirishima was standing behind her and kicked the guy in the face as he fell down.
The third one grabbed onto Okubo who grunted before pushing backwards, slamming the guy against the school's wall. The guy yelped before letting the shorter member go.
The three backed away, still in a fighting stance.
"Not bad..." 'Kuwabara' said, a small annoyance in his voice.
"Wouldn't expect anything less from someone who fought against a Saint Beast and survived." 'Yusuke' said with a sicken grin.
Joann's eyes widened as she lowered her hands a bit.
"How did you..." she said with blinking eyes.
"News travel fast." 'Yusuke' said with a smirk.
Joann stood there in shock for a moment before shaking her head.
"Why are you impersonating Yusuke and Kuwabara?" she asked with narrow eyes.
Both imposters laughed at the question.
"Who cares what their motives are!" growled Sawamura.
"Let's just whoop their asses!" Kirishima shouted before charging 'Kuwabara'.
"Wait!" Joann said however, one of the guys that had attacked the group grabbed Joann.
"Joann!" Sawamura and Okubo shouted before being grabbed by the other two guys.
'Kuwabara' side stepped Kirishima's attack before punching the back of his head. Kirishima yelped before stumbling forward. 'Yusuke' grinned before kicking Kirishima in his stomach and watching as the teen fell to his knees, coughing.
"Kirishima!" shouted Joann and the other two.
Joann growled before throwing her head backwards, hitting her 'captive' in his head. She felt a little dizzy but pushed through the slight pain. The guy let her go, holding his nose. It began to bleed. She turned around and punched him in his face, right where his hands were covering his nose. He cried out in pain before falling to the ground. She looked over to see 'Yusuke' and 'Kuwabara' kicking Kirishima. All he could do was cover his head as he laid on the ground. Joann growled before rushing over.
Okubo tried to fight back against his attacker, however they were too strong for him. He was thrown up against the school's wall before tossed to the ground and stomped on. Sawamura wasn't so lucky as he had gotten kicked in his balls and was on the ground being curb stomped as well.
Joann slammed her fist into 'Yusuke's face. He stumbled backwards, a small cut on his bottom lip. 'Kuwabara' growled but was kicked in his balls. He yelped in pain as he bent over in pain.
"Kirishima! Are you okay?" Joann asked, kneeling next to him.
He was beaten up really badly but was still alive. She let out a sigh of relief but felt her body fill with anger. It was here she noticed the other two on the ground getting beaten up.
'Yusuke' growled before bringing back his foot, ready to stomp on Joann and Kirishima. Joann covered her head as she leaned over Kirishima's body. She could feel a slight burning sensation on her right arm.
'Yusuke' brought his foot down. However, it hit a force field, stopping his foot and making an electrical sound. It sparked with purple electricity where his foot made contact. He could feel a spike of electricity. 'Yusuke' yelped as he felt a volt go through his body before he stumbled backwards. Joann uncovered her head just enough to slightly see a ripple of purple electricity. She blinked before moving her arms more. She stared at her right arm as it had small purple sparks randomly surrounding the arm. She lowered her left hand and sat up a bit. Her eyes widened. A faint outline of a dome could be seen from the rippling purple electrical sparks. It covered herself and Kirishima. It's starting point was from her forearm it seemed before sprawling out. It reminded her of a plasma ball. She stared up before looking at her arm.
"No way..." she whispered.
'Kuwabara' growled before getting to his feet. He limped over to the girl and brought down his fist. Joann closed her eyes again and went back to covering her head again. However another electrical sound echoed as his fist was stopped by the slightly invisible dome. 'Kuwabara' yelped in shock and pain as some purple electrical volts zapped at his hand. He pulled back his hand and stared at it. There was some steam coming off his hand. He shook it before holding it close to his chest.
"Bitch!" 'Kuwabara' growled out.
"Forget about her." 'Yusuke' growled, getting up.
His one shoe had some smoke. The souls of his shoe was slightly melted.
Joann opened her eyes, uncovering her head again and staring at her right arm in awe.
"We did what he came to do." 'Yusuke said before turning towards his men.
"Let's go." 'Yusuke' said.
The three guys who were beating up Sawamura and Okubo stopped and tossed them over towards where Joann laid with Kirishima. The group left, leaving a confused and shocked Joann with the three injured friends. Once the group was gone, she felt the burning sensation fade until it was completely gone. She sat up until she wasn't covering Kirishima. She looked over her arm as the last remaining sparks of purple electricity vanished.
"What was that..." she whispered as she continued to look over her arm.
The burning sensation was completely gone. Her arm didn't show any sign that she had just made a shield.
"Kirishima! Okubo! Sawamura! Carson-san!" yelled Kuwabara.
Joann blinked before looking up and seeing Kuwabara and Yusuke rushing over.
"What happened?" Yusuke asked looking around at the bloody scene.
Kuwabara knelt next to Joann who was sitting close to Kirishima. Kuwabara had noticed Joann looking at her right arm. It was the same one that had been bandaged up not too long ago. He went to touch the arm. Joann noticed. Her eyes widened before bringing the arm to her chest and placing her left arm over it.
"It's fine. I'm fine." Joann said, a bit of fear in her eyes.
Joann didn't know what she had just done. She didn't know if it would hurt Kuwabara. She was scared to even let him know about it. She didn't even know how to explain it.
Kuwabara blinked at Joann and was a bit confused. He was worried at seeing fear in her eyes. He didn't know what had happened, but it certainly shook the girl. He clenched his hands along with his teeth.
Sawamura began to stir and groaned as he tried to sit up.
"They...came from behind..."started Sawamura.
"Don't try to talk!' Kuwabara said, his voice upset.
He looked over his friends and could feel himself filling more with anger. Whoever did this was going to pay.
"Take them to Dr. Gondu! Say they're my friends!" Kuwabara shouted to the crowd that began to form.
Two freshmen came up, scared.
"Message from the Kasane guys. The hell housing site, 4:00 this afternoon." said one.
"Either you show up or they'll beat us up." said the other, both looking like they're about to wet their pants.
Yusuke stood there, his fist clenched and his body filling up with rage.
"Creeps...forget the imposters! Kanegafuchi's just bought themselves a bashing!" yelled Yusuke.
Joann had been deep in thought when Yusuke spoke. Her eyes widened before she shook her head. However, she got a sharp pain. She rubbed the back of her head. It seemed she had did some 'damage' to herself when she hit that thug in the nose with the back of her head.
"Carson-san!" Kuwabara said with worry.
"Joann! And I'm fine!" Joann growled as she rubbed the spot.
Kuwabara gave the girl a look before nodding. He looked up and locked eyes with Yusuke. The two nodded. Kuwabara stood up. Joann noticed him getting up and stood up.
"Stay here and rest." Kuwabara said, giving Joann a stern look.
"No. Besides it's not the Kanegafuchi guys! It was the imposters!" Joann said.
"Even more of a reason to kick their ass." Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles.
"But it's obviously a trap!" Joann said.
"Yeah, well it better be a good one." Yusuke said before he started to walk away.
He grunted as his body began to ache and shoot pain through his body. Kuwabara's own body was giving him trouble. Joann sweat dropped as the two looked like old men. Even more when they picked up sticks that were almost walking sticks.
"Hell housing's about a kilometer away!" Kuwabara grunted as he pulled himself forward with the stick.
"A five minute walk..." Yusuke said before take two steps.
"Okay, maybe 30..."
Joann would have laughed if the situation wasn't serious.
"I'm going with you." she said, walking next to Kuwabara.
"You stay with the guys." Kuwabara said with a grunt.
"They'll be fine, it's you guys I'm worried about." Joann said, feeling like a snail at the pace the two boys were going at.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thirty Minutes Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the three got to the clearing there was a couple of gangs. It looked to be maybe forty gang members, if not more. Joann couldn't help but hide slightly behind Kuwabara. Kuwabara growled as he held onto his stick tightly. Yusuke was slightly ahead of Kuwabara and was doing the same thing.
"You dare to show your face, Urameshi!" said a thug.
"Whactcha think?" asked a sweaty out of breath Kuwabara.
Yusuke was just as out of breath and sweaty as Kuwabara.
"Heh...I'm amazed we're still standing." Yusuke answered.
Joann looked between the two with worry.
"That makes two of us." she whispered.
"You challenge us to a face off after those ambushes! Hope you're ready to die!" growled another thug.
"We weren't the ones who were doing that!" Yusuke shouted.
"Yeah! We were framed!" Kuwabara shouted.
"We know it was you! Why would our guys lie?" growled another gang member.
"It's imposters! They set up this entire thing! You have to believe us!" Joann said, stepping out a bit into the open.
"This is none of yer business bitch!" growled another thug.
Joann growled at the 'bitch' part.
"Well stop being dumb!" she growled back.
"That's it! All three of yall are dead!" shouted another thug.
At this battlecry, the forty plus gang members charged towards the two almost cripple Yusuke and Kuwabara. Kuwabara pulled Joann behind her. Yusuke and Kuwabara stepped closer to each other, standing in front of Joann. They were going to do their best to protect her.
Joann stared at the two. She clenched her hands. She should have stayed behind. She was just a liability in this situation. She could feel her right arm burning slightly. Her eyes wide as she looked down at the arm.
'That's right! I can make a shield!' she thought.
However, she didn't know how it worked.
"I don't think I'm ready for this." said Kuwabara, sweat coming from his head.
"Me neither! Ready or not, though, here we go!" said Yusuke, both boys ready to fight.
Joann closed her eyes and began to focus on the burning sensation.
"Hold it right there!" came a familiar voice.
The voice caused Joann to open her eyes and look in the direction of the voice.
A rose was thrown in front of the thugs, causing them to stop. Joann blinked as she watched thugs go flying into the air at how hard they stopped and anime fell. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It was just too funny. Her arm stopped it's burning sensation and the danger seemed to have fade away.
Yusuke and Kuwabara both blinked at the rose. Yusuke looked in the direction it had came from. There on top of a building stood the red head. His red hair flowed in the slight breeze as he stood there looking almost comic booky.
"Kurama!" shouted a surprised Yusuke.
"What!" said one thug as the group began to stand back up.
"Who's this punk!" asked another.
"Just call me Tuxedo mask." said Kurama with a wink.
Joann blinked at the redhead.
"Did he just reference Sailor Moon?" Joann asked aloud, a bit baffled. (4)
"Hey, Tuxedo Mask is a badass!" Yusuke said a bit defensive.
Kuwabara nodded in agreement.
Joann stood there just sweat dropping.
'So Sailor Moon is cannon in this show.' she thought.
Kurama ignored the little banter from the three and tsked at the group of thugs.
"Starting early, gentlemen? Tsk...such impatience. It almost led you to beat up the wrong guys. The ones you want are over there!" said Kurama, pointing into the shadows.
Everyone turned towards the back corner of the big open lot. There stood the two imposters.
"That's them! That the guys who attacked me and the guys!" Joann said, pointing at the two imposters.
"My my, looks like we're busted. Oh well..."said 'Kuwabara'.
"The masquerade's run its course anyway. We've now got the man power to crush all of you!" shouted 'Yusuke'.
"So you're the ones who did the ambushing?" asked a thug.
"And fooled us into blaming Urameshi?" asked another.
"And beat up my posse?" asked Kuwabara, clenching his fists.
"You got it morons!" shouted 'Kuwabara'.
"Not that it matters! You're surrounded! Forward, fellow half-breeds!" shouted 'Yusuke'.
Cricket. Cricket. Cricket.
Joann blinked at how the silence created the stereotypical cricket noise. She even swore she saw a lone tumbleweed roll by.
The imposters looked confused as they turned around. Behind them was their horde of half demons. However, they were on the ground, out cold with Hiei standing next to them.
"You looking for these guys? Sorry. I thought I was just cleaning up some trash." said Hiei.
"Kn-know what I think...?" asked a very scared 'Yusuke'.
"Oh yeah...we're screwed!" said an even more scared 'Kuwabara'.
In a matter of moments, the fakes were surrounded by the thugs, who moments ago were going to beat up the real Yusuke and Kuwabara.
"Punks..."said one thug.
"Get ready.."
"...To pay-big time!" finished another thug.
"EEEEYAAH!" screamed 'Kuwabara'.
"Stay back. Or we'll-"said 'Yusuke'.
Joann grimaced as she watched the two get what they deserved. It looked very painful.
Once the thugs were done they disperse and went off. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Joann walked over to Hiei. They stepped over the beat up imposters and stood in front of Hiei. Kurama was on the ground, standing a bit away from Hiei.
"That was close. Thanks Hiei." said Yusuke as he stood in front of Hiei.
"I can't believe I had to step in at all. No matter what shape you're in, you can't go losing to a couple of weenies like that. I lost to you-even if by a fluke-so that would hardly reflect on me. You guys need to toughen up!" Hiei snorted.
He glanced over to Joann. He had sensed something stirring in her while she was standing behind the two teens.
Kurama had noticed something different with Joann. He made a mental note to ask the girl later.
Yusuke laughed as he scratched the back of his head.
"That's a fact. I owe you for two now." said Yusuke.
"Who'd even mistake that pug-ugly for me!" shouted Kuwabara.
"He was pretty ugly." Joann said with a nod.
"Thank you!" Kuwabara said, happy someone agreed.
Yusuke couldn't help but smirk.
"Don't you dare Urameshi!" Kuwabara warned.
Yusuke snorted before turning back to Hiei. Yusuke outstretched his hand.
Hiei raised an eyebrow as he looked at the outstretched hand.
"Happy to have you at my back, Hiei. Put'er there!"
The three looked on. Kurama with curiosity. Joann held her breath. Kuwabara seemed anxious. Would Hiei shake Yusuke's hand? Would he blow him off? Would he cut off the hand in one swipe?
Hiei out stretched his hand towards Yusuke's and...
Yusuke blinked and looked at the tape that was now in his hand.
"A videotape? Of what?" asked a dumbfounded Yusuke.
"Your next assignment from spirit world." stated Hiei.
Yusuke did an anime fall as Hiei started to walk away.
"Consider yourself served. I'm off."
And with that Hiei was gone.
(End of Chapter 9)
(1) I actually purr...so yeah haha.
(2) In the manga, Yusuke says: This must be how the guys in sports manga feel. - Breaking the fourth wall haha.
(3) This entire part (obviously excluding Joann) was a small story at the end of the Four Saint Beast saga in manga number 5. It's great and everyone should go and buy the mangas and read all 19...which I did and still have haha.
(4) The authoress of Sailor Moon is married to Yoshihiro Togashi; the creator of Yu Yu Hakusho. So he is able to use it...I guess haha. And it was used as a line from Kurama (including the throwing of the red rose) in the manga.
