Disclaimer: All Yu Yu Hakusho characters and world stuff belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi. All original characters and stuff belong to me. The two T-shirt sayings belong to the catalogue I found them in called "What On Earth."
Author's Notes: First off, I changed the dividers because the site is fickle about asterisks (it's also cranky about being mentioned in notes. The site deleted its name in my chapter). Hopefully, it won't delete the number symbols. I may eventually fix the other chapters, but it doesn't seem to bother people and it could just be my particular internet application, so it won't be happening any time soon.
Second - I am back from my long break. I've successfully moved out of my apartment (kinda, I still have stuff in a storage unit in Kirksville, but that will be remedied eventually) and I've finally graduated, though it won't be official until I get the diploma.
That's all. Hope you enjoy the chapter. =D
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Shinzui was up early the next morning and decided to go for a run to clear her head of all the new information she had gained. She braided her hair before changing into track pants and a T-shirt, slipping a keychain and house key from Ryuka into her pocket. She wandered across the hall to see if her friend was awake only to find that the brunette was still fast asleep and Shinzui knew better than to wake her up unless it was an emergency. She went back to her room and grabbed her mp3 player off its charger along with its case and a pair of headphones. The redhead quietly slipped downstairs and left the house after putting on her sneakers. She took a deep breath and put on the headphones, selecting an energetic playlist of songs on the player before putting it in the case, which she secured to her waistband with its clip.
I've missed this, thought the girl with a faint smile as she set off at a moderate speed, The peace of a morning jog. I've been so tired lately that I haven't been able to do it.
The headphones created a disadvantage because she didn't hear the voice of a man speaking into a cellphone as he hid near the house:
"The kid's on the move. You were right to guess she would go for a run."
"It's part of her regular routine," said a voice on the other end, "it's been disrupted as of late, but now she'll try to restore normality. Call the others and continue."
"Yes, sir," said the other person, sidling out from behind a tree.
The strangers weren't the only ones Shinzui caught the eye of. Kurama saw her go by his kitchen window as he washed dishes. He frowned slightly when he noticed fresh bandages around the girl's neck, which Hiei had neglected to tell him about when they discussed the previous night's events over breakfast. The frown deepened when he noticed that there were men in suits following the girl, darting out of sight every so often. The fox cracked the window open to listen when one stopped nearby to speak into a cellphone like a walkie talkie.
"Yeah, Shoushiko's kid is still on the same street, but it looks like she just turned left up the main street. Should I have the men set up? You'll do it yourself? Yes, sir. I will call the others to let them know." He punched a few buttons before speaking again. "The stage is set, guys. Let's go."
"Looks like those humans from yesterday are making their move," said a voice next to Kurama.
The redhead was not entirely surprised to see that Hiei had appeared as the man ran off.
"Shall we trail them?" inquired Kurama, looking at the fire demon.
"You can," replied Hiei, "there's nothing interesting about these humans."
Kurama rolled his eyes and left the house to follow the men, slowing down once he caught up with them. With amusement he noted that Hiei, despite his words, had come with him, using trees and rooftops for cover. Meanwhile, Shinzui was still jogging down the sidewalk, enjoying the music of her player as she traveled along the block. She suddenly came to a stop when she saw her father's colleagues standing next to a car with several men in black suits, arguing about something.
Crap, I don't want to deal with those guys, thought the girl, glancing around, After what I heard yesterday who knows what they're planning. Her eyes fell on a nearby alley. Aha! Exit stage left.
Shinzui ducked into the alley, hoping the men hadn't seen her and ran toward the other side. The route was suddenly cut off when a black car appeared at the other end, driving right at her. She scrambled to turn and went back the other way only to stop again when another car blocked her path. She heard a screech as the first car came to a halt in the alley behind her and several men in black suits got out. Shinzui glanced back at them before glaring at the people who appeared at the front of the alley.
Dammit! I walked right into this one, thought the girl angrily, pulling off her headphones, I should've known right away! These men have been around me all my life. They know my habits and the way I think. I can't believe I didn't realize this was a set up! God, I'm such an idiot!
"A bit trapped are we, Miss Ookami?" asked Yamai, looking smug.
"Nothing a fight won't fix," growled Shinzui, stuffing her headphones into one of her pockets, "I've taken on these types of goons before. Your men suck." She shifted into an attack stance, getting for a brawl.
The redhead froze when she heard a series of clicks and looked back to see all the suited men pointed guns at her. Shit, they're really serious about this, she thought as her confidence changed to anxiety, how the hell am I going to get out of this?
"I'd stay put if I were you," said Gaidoku, smirking, "All these guns are loaded with tranquilizers. You'd be out before you took five steps."
"Sounds good to me," said Shinzui, attempting to hide her panic by feigning a casual tone as she shrugged, "I could use more sleep."
"Take a good look around you before making your choice, Miss Ookami," said Yamai, "it's the last time you'll see the outside for a while."
"Hmm, this is a tough choice," stated Shinzui, using sarcasm to cover the nervous quiver in her voice, "I either go with you willingly and not get tranked or I defend myself, get tranked, and then go with you. What a dilemma." She shrugged and gave a sigh. "I guess my mind is made up."
"What is your decision?" inquired Baikin, looking excited.
"Seriously, what choice to I have?" growled the girl, glaring at him, "I'd rather not be pumped full of chemicals." She paused and looked thoughtful. "Then again, do I really want to be conscious in such an undesirable situation?"
"What do you mean?" asked the short man, frowning a bit.
"You three for company?" snorted Shinzui, shaking her head, "I think I'd rather be tranked."
"Enough," said Yamai cooly, "do you plan to come quietly or not?"
There's really no way out of this, thought the girl. She sighed as she responded. "I'll be quiet. Regardless of how unpleasant you idiots are, I believe I'd rather be awake if you're going to be around."
"Smart choice," remarked Yamai, nodding a bit, "You have more common sense than that father of yours. Come along then."
Shinzui shoved her hands into her pockets and grudgingly approached the men, keeping a neutral expression as her mind raced to find a way to escape. When she was a foot from the trio, a commotion broke out behind them and she turned to see the armed men drop to the ground. Their weapons were sliced in half and something had knocked them out. As the main group stared in shock at the sight before them, the girl felt something rush by her and the guards around the car began to crumple to the ground with their disabled weapons. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a familiar form appear in front of the guard next to her for a split second before blurring out of sight again. The man collapsed unconscious, pieces of his gun scattered around him.
Oh god, I'm hallucinating, thought Shinzui, rubbing her eyes a bit as her panicked mind continued to babble, I thought I saw...That looked like...Was that Hiei? No, it couldn't have been. My eyes are playing tricks on me. He wouldn't be around here. She shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself so she could think straight.
"Let's get out of here," said Gaidoku, eyes narrowed.
The man grabbed Shinzui's upper arm, but without the threat of being tranked, she was now able to act. Quickly, she pulled a small canister out of her pocket and pressed down on the top of the nozzle as she pointed it at Gaidoku's face. A spray of liquid hit him in the eyes and he let go of her, putting his hands to his face as he staggered back, yelling:
"My eyes!"
Shinzui immediately moved away from the other two men and leapt on to the hood of the car, holding up the item. "Mace is such a marvelous invention, isn't it. You'll have spicy eyes for several hours." She shoved the small can in her pocket. "Ryuka told me to be ready for an ambush, but I really didn't expect things to happen so soon. Auf wiedersehen, Dummköpfe."
The redhead turned and jumped to the sidewalk, taking off down the street at a dead run. She heard a shout behind her and stopped, looking back to see a flailing Gaidoku making angry gestures as he yelled at what he thought were the remaining minions. In reality, it was a tree, which felt no desire to obey the floundering human.
"You idiots! After her!"
Yamai shook his head and turned to the two cars parked behind theirs and was obviously relaying the order in a more civilized manner.
Wow, they really want to catch me, mused Shinzui as she heard the car engines start, this looks like a job for a hiding place. She quickly turned and ran down the street again.
The girl flew past the alley that Kurama was hiding in and, not seeing him, disappeared around the corner before he could call out. He heard the screech of tires and turned to see two cars speeding down the hill after their fleeing target. The fox quickly produced a rose from his hair and turned it into a thorny whip as he slipped behind a tree. When the cars got closer, he threw the weapon on to the street in front of them. The first car ran over the thorny whip, flattening all four tires, and went skidding into a wall of bushes at the bottom of the street. The whip also worked on the second car, which was following too closely to have time to avoid it, and it crashed into the first car. Several of the men got out of the cars and the two groups split up, some staying with the injured, while others continued after Shinzui.
"At least it slowed them down," commented Hiei from the tree, "she has a lead of about two blocks."
While the pair resumed their pursuit of the men, Shinzui had found an alley with several dumpsters, trash cans, and other discarded items. She heard shouts and quickly ran into it to secure a hiding place. When the men got to the location, their quarry had completely disappeared. Not deterred, they started turning trash cans over and digging through the dumpsters in an attempt to find her, but when they came up with nothing, the group gave up and returned to their search of the neighborhood. When Kurama reached the spot, he noticed that Hiei had stopped and stood by the alley, eyes scanning the area before him.
"Why did you stop?" asked the fox, walking up to the fire demon.
"Wait for a few minutes," stated Hiei, glancing at him.
Knowing that Hiei wouldn't delay a chase for something meaningless, Kurama sighed and leaned against the wall. Almost half an hour passed before he saw what his friend had been waiting for. Several trash bags rose up and fell to one side as a grate was pushed open. The faint odor of dead fish that lingered around the hole became stronger when Shinzui, soaked and covered in bits of muck, hauled herself out of the sewer below with a gasp.
"Dear lord!" She pushed the grate shut. "That was disgusting!" She shook her arms to get some of the slimy mud off them. "I'm glad none of them decided to try the grate. They probably thought it was too heavy for me." She made a face at the smell. "Ugh. The things a person will do to not be found." She turned and was startled to see Hiei and Kurama. "Oh...Hi...Um... How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to see that you got into trouble again," stated Hiei.
"I swear, trouble found me!" protested Shinzui, putting her hands on her hips, "I don't go around looking for it!"
"I don't believe Hiei meant to offend you," remarked Kurama in a calm voice.
"Oh, I'm not offended," said Shinzui, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. She sighed ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the slime that stuck to it. She looked at Hiei as she tried to wipe it off on her wet shirt. "That was you who helped me back there wasn't it."
Hiei didn't look at her, obviously not wanting to admit that he had willingly helped a human.
Shinzui raised an eyebrow at him, but then shrugged and shook her head. "Never mind. I don't really need an answer. I rather doubt there are many people who can move that fast and slice up guns at the same time." She smiled at him. "Thanks."
The fire demon said nothing and suddenly vanished.
The girl blinked and looked at Kurama. "Does he just not like me?"
"He doesn't like to admit to helping people, especially humans," chuckled Kurama, "he sort of has a reputation to uphold."
"Ah, that makes sense," said Shinzui, nodding, "well, time to see if I can get back to Ryuka's without running into more trouble."
"Would you like an escort back?" inquired Kurama.
"You don't have to go out of your way," replied Shinzui quickly, "besides..." She looked at herself, feeling embarrassed. "I kind of stink."
"Hiei told me that your friend's house is only a few blocks from my own," stated Kurama, "it's not out of the way at all."
"Thank you," said the girl, smiling, "company would be nice."
Hiei rejoined the two redheads as they made their way to Ryuka's house and while the group did see a few suited men watching them, it was obvious none would approach while the two demons were with her. Shinzui, who was thankful that she hadn't lost her key during her scramble into the sewer, let the boys into the dwelling and immediately disappeared upstairs to take a shower. She grabbed her robe and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. After ridding herself of the soaked clothes, she set to taking a long shower and went through multiple washings to try to rid herself of the smell. As she scrubbed herself for what felt like the millionth time, there was a knock on the door and Ryuka called out.
"Hey, Fish Girl! Care to let someone else share the joy of being clean?"
"Don't call me that," muttered Shinzui, smelling her hair make sure the fish odor was gone, "I think I've taken enough showers to last me for a year." She turned the water off, got out, and started to dry herself off.
"Yeah?" said Ryuka from the other side of the door, "Well, I can still smell it in the hallway."
Shinzui wrapped up her hair and pulled the robe on. "That's my clothing." She tied the belt of the robe and opened the door.
"Rough morning, Shin?" inquired Ryuka in an annoyingly cheerful tone.
Shinzui glowered at her. "Ya' think?"
"Hey, we'll get to the bottom of this and make it stop," said the brunette placatingly, "In the mean time, I hope you didn't use all the hot water."
"There should still be some left," replied Shinzui with a shrug, "are you just getting up?"
"Yeah, I haven't even had breakfast," answered Ryuka with a yawn.
"Me neither," said Shinzui, wandering toward her room, "By the way, we have some guests downstairs. Hiei and Shuuichi."
"So I finally get to meet the Shuuichi," teased her friend.
Shinzui sighed and shut her door on Ryuka's wicked grin and laughter. The redhead replaced any wet bandages before changing into a pair of blue-gray, knit pants and black shirt with large, white letters stating: 'Chaos reigns' with 'Mission accomplished' in smaller letters underneath it. After brushing and braiding her hair, the girl left her room, heading toward the stairs to go back to the living room. Ryuka met her in the hallway, holding a towel that was wrapped around something with an expression of disgust on her face.
"Your clothes," stated Ryuka, twitching a bit and looking faintly green, "I think you might want to wash them before the smell becomes permanent. There's a washer and dryer in the basement. The detergent and dryer sheets are in the small closet next to the machines."
"Thanks," said Shinzui, making a face as she took the bundle, "If I can't wash the smell out, I'll have to burn them."
"Just don't do it in the house," commented Ryuka, disappearing into her room.
Shinzui rolled her eyes and went downstairs where she found Kurama reading the newspaper and Hiei staring out the window.
"Ryuka's up," said Shinzui, "she should be down soon. I need to get these clothes in the wash before they stink up the house."
While the redhead got her laundry started in the basement, Ryuka joined the boys in the living room. She wore jeans and a deep green shirt with yellow words that said: 'No one ever suspects the short ones.' Hiei raised an eyebrow at the shirt and Kurama was amused, which pleased the girl.
"Good, you have a sense of humor," chuckled Ryuka with a friendly smile, "I'm Ryuka Taiyou."
"Shuuichi Minamino," stated Kurama, shaking her hand.
There was a strange spark between their hands that made Kurama draw his back in surprise.
"Hmm, you're an interesting one, too," remarked Ryuka, looking him up and down, "but you are a demon. Is Shinzui aware of this?"
Kurama was shocked by these words, but it was Hiei who replied.
"She doesn't. Your friend figured me out because of my abilities, but she doesn't know about him."
"I'll keep it quiet then," said Ryuka with a smile, focusing on Kurama, "you must have your reasons, but you will have to tell her eventually."
"Tell me what?"
Shinzui surprised the group by appearing at the doorway that led to the basement.
"He left his house without having breakfast," replied Ryuka without skipping a beat, "c'mon, Shin, let's make some food for our guests."
"Oh, okay," said Shinzui, frowning slightly, "Yes, you should've told me. I would've showed you the kitchen so you could get something to eat."
"It's fine," said Kurama, "I didn't really think about it until now."
Ryuka dragged Shinzui to the kitchen and the two set about making a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Kouken, who had obviously been awakened by the smell of food, soon joined them and sat in the kitchen with a begging look until Shinzui put some eggs and bacon into a bowl with some left over white rice. Once they finished cooking, the girls served up four plates of food and poured some drinks. The group ate their breakfast in peace and chatted about the morning events.
"You're probably one of the few people in the world wishing for a less interesting life," laughed Ryuka.
"So it's bad to wish there weren't people after me?" asked Shinzui in a sarcastic tone.
"Oh, such a bad mood," remarked Ryuka, rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Sorry," sighed Shinzui, resting her chin in her hand, "Too much has been happening lately. New school, new friends, which isn't so bad." At this she glanced at Kurama with a small smile, but then she looked back to the table top with a sigh. "Then again, there are also new crazies after me and I just found out my dad lied about how my mother died."
"What was that last one?" asked Ryuka, frowning.
Shinzui was silent for a few moments, looking rather listless, and finally spoke after taking a deep breath to speak. "My mom didn't die when I was born." Her downcast eyes were focused on the table. "She died when I was five."
"How...How did she die?" inquired Ryuka in a quiet voice.
"Oh, it was still my fault," replied Shinzui, sitting back in the chair as she wrapped her arms around herself, "According to my father's journal, there was some sort of spell or something that a woman named Kotori asked her to do on me. I've never heard of or met this Kotori, so I don't know what the connection is. All I know is that it killed her. The way he put it was that she died for the sake of my stability...Whatever that means." She sighed. "Master Genkai and the Chikaras knew about it, too. For some reason they thought it was better to cover it up."
"They were right," stated Ryuka, sipping her orange juice.
"How can it be right?" snapped Shinzui, rising from her chair so fast she knocked it over, "How is it right to hide that information from me?"
This complete change in her demeanor startled Kurama, but Hiei seemed to expect this behavior.
"You were five, Shin," stated Ryuka in a firm, yet calm voice, setting her glass down, "Would you expect a five-year-old to understand that situation? The child would end up blaming themselves."
"How is telling the kid that their mother died in childbirth any better?" exclaimed Shinzui angrily, slamming her fist on the table, "That still brings blame on the child for the mother's death!"
"Your father was in the wrong with that decision," said Ryuka, unmoved by her friend's rage, "but it's possible that he had to come up with something fast, so he didn't think it through."
"It wasn't just him, Ryuka!" yelled Shinzui, "Master Genkai and the Chikaras were there! They knew about it and they went with his charade! It's too weird." She put her hands to her head. "If I was five when she died, I should have memories, but I don't have any! My memories match what they've all told me, yet I find this complete contradiction in my father's journal! I trusted them and now I find out they've been lying to me all these years! How can that be the right decision?"
She went to slam her fist into the table again, but Ryuka stood and caught her wrist, speaking in a stern tone as she kept a strong grip on her friend's arm.
"Don't you dare break my table, Shinzui Ookami. You need to calm down. Go to your room and think about this rationally. Take some time to chill."
"You are not my mother!" growled the redhead, glaring at her friend as she yanked her arm free.
"No, indeed I am not," said the brunette placidly, "but I take it upon myself to stand in for her right now." She fixed her friend with a firm stare. "Go. Stay up there until you've cooled down and please don't destroy anything."
Clentching her fists tightly, Shinzui turned on her heel and stormed away in a huff with Kouken trotting after her. Ryuka closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, returning to her chair as she heard a door slam upstairs.
"You handled that well," remarked Hiei, raising an eyebrow.
"I've had to do that many times before," stated Ryuka, shaking her head, "but she's right about too much going on. Most of which I'm still in the dark about. Shin is overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated. That tends to lead to outbursts like this." She looked at the boys with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry you saw Shin's bad side. She works so hard to keep it hidden."
"Would she have really broken the table?" inquired Kurama.
"Oh yeah," sighed the brunette, "she can be quite destructive when she's angry. It's a bad habit we share."
The fox glanced at the stairs for a moment. "How much time will she need to calm down?"
"Not too long," answered Ryuka with a small smile, "Shin's outbursts may get ugly at times, but she also has a strong guilty conscience, so she'll be rational again soon. Venting her emotions like this is better for her than she thinks." The girl seemed a bit satisfied. "Much of the time it's the only way to get an understanding of what's bothering her."
"What do you mean?" inquired the fox, frowning slightly.
"I know she's been brooding about those books since yesterday," stated Ryuka, crossing her arms with a look of frustration, "but she wouldn't talk about it. Provoking her is usually the best way to get her to speak her mind. Hell, sometimes it's the only way to get her to talk to me about sensitive subjects." She sighed, looking somber. "Well, I think her negative emotions have had enough stimulation." She smiled at Kurama. "Perhaps you could provide a distraction for her."
"Me?" said Kurama, blinking in surprise, "Why me?"
"I don't know whether you're thick or just in denial like Shin," said Ryuka, looking at him with an odd mixture of annoyance and amusement, "No matter. You'll be a good diversion either way."
"Well, I could ask her to translate another line of her letter," said Kurama, looking thoughtful.
"Her letter?" repeated the brunette, raising an eyebrow.
"We were pen-pals while she was in Germany," replied the redhead.
Ryuka stared at him for a moment, rather surprised and then a look of realization swept on to her face. "Oh! You're Shuu!" She grinned. "Well, that certainly makes things easier."
"She's like Yusuke and Botan," remarked Hiei.
Before the fire demon spoke, Kurama had already understood why Ryuka was suddenly grinning at him with such a pleased expression and his face turned faintly red. Ryuka laughed while Hiei looked mildly amused.
"Hey, you two get along and a stable relationship would be good for Shin," remarked the girl with her hands on her hips, "well, let's clear the table and go see if the moody teenager has calmed down." She started to collect the dirty plates.
The trio took a few minutes to clean up the kitchen and rinse the dishes. Once the dishwasher was loaded and running, Ryuka led the boys up to Shinzui's room and knocked on the door, but it took a few minutes and a second knock to get an answer.
"Kommen Sie herein."
"I think that means come in," said Ryuka, glancing at the other two with a shrug, "I never really learned the language."
The short girl opened the door to find the redhead sitting at the window seat with her back against the bit of wall that was there. She had her knees drawn up with a sketchpad resting on them and her eyes were on the paper as she drew. Shinzui didn't look at them until Ryuka cleared her throat, but instead of giving them a look of annoyance, she just looked a bit dazed.
"I'm glad you were just ignoring us because of concentration instead of anger," remarked her friend with a smile.
Shinzui closed her eyes with a sigh and set her sketchpad aside. "Sorry about that. I know it's no excuse, but I've just been feeling so overwhelmed lately that it's driving me nuts."
"Meh, at least you haven't punched the wall," said Ryuka with a shrug.
"You heard about that?" asked Shinzui, looking embarrassed.
"Heard about what?" inquired Ryuka, raising an eyebrow, "I just remember the last time you lost your temper during an argument." She snorted and grinned. "Who's wall did you damage?"
"The brick one in front of my house," replied Shinzui, sighing again.
"Fight with your dad?" asked Ryuka.
"Yeah," muttered the redhead, "it was bad. I threw a chair through the window, too."
Ryuka burst out laughing.
"Shut up," said Shinzui sulkily, "I was aiming for Toraeru and he dodged."
"You need to pick up some less destructive habits," chortled the brunette, trying in vain to quiet her laughter, "Next time you get mad, come over here and take on a few rounds with the punching bag. That should do the trick. I ordered them in bulk, so you can destroy as many as you want." She took a breath, finally calming her giggles. "Anyway, do you have a lot of homework?"
"No, I finished it yesterday," answered Shinzui, standing up and stretching.
"Good," said Ryuka with a grin, "then we're going to adjourn to Shuuichi's house. I think he wants to work on the letter a bit more."
"Oh, sure," said Shinzui, smiling, "That'd be nice."
Shinzui picked up her messenger bag and stuck the sketching supplies into its large pocket. The four went downstairs, put on their shoes, and left the house with Kouken following after them. Once the door was locked, the group set off down the street in the direction of Kurama's house. Upon reaching the building, the two redheads went up to Kurama's room to work on the letter while Hiei and Ryuka sat downstairs. The pair sat quietly for several minutes until the female finally broke the silence.
"So, you gonna tell me what's been goin' on?"
"What do you mean?" asked Hiei, looking at her.
"There are definitely some elements missing from Shin's accounts of what's taken place recently," answered Ryuka, turning to gaze at him, "She managed to use raw spirit energy, didn't she." This was more of a statement than a question.
"She didn't tell you?" said Hiei, frowning.
"I'm not surprised," sighed Ryuka, shrugging, "She knows I can use spirit energy and I know about her ability with plants, but she's never admitted to me that she uses spirit energy to do it. I think she's scared of her powers, which also doesn't surprise me considering what happened when she was able to use them properly."
"So, you know what she's forgotten," remarked Hiei, eyeing the girl with suspicion.
"Oh, don't go all cautious on me," snorted Ryuka, rolling her eyes, "Of course I know. I've been her friend since we were kids. How could I not know what went on? She wrote to me about everything."
"She said you lived in Hokkaido," said Hiei, "how did you meet?"
"Except for when she lived in Germany, her family always came to Hokkaido during school breaks," replied the girl, leaning back into the sofa, "We met, became friends, and started writing each other. Since I was the daughter of a priest, she wasn't afraid to ask me about demons."
"When did she start asking you about demons?" asked the fire demon.
"A little over five years ago," answered Ryuka, fixing him with a steady gaze, "That's why I know what went on. She didn't tell me everything, but I did know that she had gotten involved in something where she needed a lot of information on demons. Then one day, it just stopped. She no longer wrote about demons and was clueless when I asked about the situation. I have no idea what happened...though she did mention something about a bus accident, but such selective memory loss doesn't fit..."
Ryuka sounded completely sincere, but Hiei felt like there was something she was leaving out. However, no matter how much he persisted, the girl was able to derail his line of questions without slipping. Soon their conversation settled on a discussion of abilities. While Hiei and Ryuka had been talking, Kurama and Shinzui had retrieved the old letter and the latter translated the next line.
"Ich wette, Sie fragen sich, warum ich sage, dass ich nicht mehr schreiben, aber keine Sorge, es ist eine gute Nachricht." She smiled at the sentence and pointed at each word as she spoke the translation. "I bet you are wondering why I am saying that I do not write more, but do not worry, it is good news."
"You were teasing me in this letter, weren't you," chuckled Kurama.
"I wanted to keep you in suspense just in case you were good enough with German to translate it yourself," stated Shinzui with a laugh.
"This next line talks about writing, too," said Kurama, pointing at a word in the next sentence, "Schreiben. That means to write, correct?"
"Yep," said Shinzui, smiling, "Oh, I'll just translate the next one. It's not very long." She read off the letter. "Bald werden wir nicht haben, Briefe zu schreiben, um zu kommunizieren." Then she spoke the translation. "Soon we will not have to write letters in order to communicate."
"You really wanted me to be in suspense," remarked Kurama, amused by the sentence.
"You were fun to confuse," laughed Shinzui, "you always seemed to know everything, so it was hilarious to see those rare moments when you were completely stumped."
"I see the word Japan in the next sentence," said the fox, looking at the words, "Is there a German word for Japan?"
"No, it's spelled the same way it is in English," replied Shinzui with a shrug, "it is pronounced a bit differently. The letter J is pronounced more like a Y. However, I've already translated two sentences for you, so the next one will have to wait for another day."
Shinzui slipped the letter back into the folder with the translation she was writing down and put it back in the box. Kurama's gaze was drawn to the scars on the girl's palms, which he had seen when she was staying at the house, but he had never asked her about them. He caught her hands and turned them over to look at the palms, surprising her so much that she didn't react past blushing.
"How did you get these?" asked Kurama, moving his eyes to look at the girl.
"Oh...Um...I..." stammered Shinzui as she pulled her hands away, looking uncomfortable, "I don't know."
"They look more like birthmarks," commented the fox, frowning, "Like the ones on your face. They aren't raised or depressed like regular scars."
"Well, this one," said Shinzui, tapping her left cheek, "is a birthmark. The other one..." She touched her right cheek. "I thought it was also a birthmark until I remembered that when I was little I didn't have it. I don't know where it came from either, but it seems identical to the left, which is weird." She shrugged and sighed. "Every time I try to think about how I might've gotten them I hit a blank spot, which means it happened in that timeframe I've forgotten. I don't know why they look the way they do either. Maybe they just healed strangely."
"The only time I've seen scars turn out like this is when healing wasn't done properly," murmured Kurama, frowning.
"I thought scars turn out worse if the medical treatment wasn't done well," stated Shinzui, sounding a bit disbelieving.
"Not medical treatment," explained Kurama, shaking his head, "Healing. Spirit energy can be used to heal. If it's not done properly sometimes the skin is left with what is essentially a scar, but not quite the same as what you would get from natural healing with medical treatment. The pigment cells in the new skin change and become either permanently darkened or lightened." He looked thoughtful. "However, sometimes injuries caused by spirit energy can leave a scar regardless of what method you use for treatment."
"So, either way I was exposed to spirit energy somehow," said Shinzui, hoping she understood the meaning.
"Indeed," said Kurama, nodding, "What are you thinking?"
"That I was involved in something weird during those years," replied the girl with a shrug, "maybe I don't want to remember." Her expression showed that she was trying to make light of the situation, but her eyes looked troubled. "I have enough going on as it is."
"Sorry to add to your troubles," commented the fox, feeling rather guilty.
"Don't apologize," sighed Shinzui, waving her hand in a dismissive manner, "Yes, it bothers me a bit, but you helped me figure out a clue to my past. I was exposed to spirit energy that probably wasn't mine, which means..." She paused for a moment. "Actually, I'm not sure what it means yet, but it's a start." She chuckled a bit and smiled. "You've done nothing wrong. In fact, you've done a lot right."
"What do you mean?" inquired Kurama, a bit confused.
Shinzui looked at the boy and sat down on the bed with a shrug. "I'm not sure how to explain it. I haven't had many healthy relationships with people. Most of them have been either toxic or nonexistent. At least a third of my healthy relationships were mostly through letters, Ryuka being the exception because we could visit each other. My father won't let me leave the country, so I can't visit my friends in Germany. I don't really get to see my coworkers much outside of work and the Chikaras are more like aunts and uncles than normal friends while Master Genkai was like a tough grandmother." She sighed. "Even though I haven't known you and your friends for very long...You guys have been..." She searched for the right word. "Consistent, I guess. No matter what has happened you won't back down and you..." She gestured to him. "You saw right through my attempt to distance you and countered with reassurance. I'm not used to that. It's like nothing scares you guys."
"We have our fears," commented Kurama, "but we're all stubborn, too. It's rare that fear prevents us from acting. We also support each other."
"I guess that's what I've been missing," murmured Shinzui, gazing at the floor, "I've been fighting most of my battles by myself with distant support. Sometimes I was antagonized from multiple fronts. After a while, I stopped asking for help because it just seemed so useless." She flopped on her back on the bed with a hand over her eyes. "I get tired just thinking about it." She sighed and looked at Kurama. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't unload all my troubles on you."
"I don't mind at all," stated Kurama, walking around to sit on the other side of the bed, "Your troubles are some of the more interesting I've heard in a long time. If I were going to focus on psychology, you'd make a wonderful dissertation paper."
Shinzui shifted her hand so she could shoot an irritated glare at him and, for a moment, Kurama thought he shouldn't have made a joke, but then her face broke into a smile and she started to laugh. She used the back of her hand to hit him gently on the arm and shook her head, continuing her laughter. He smiled, quite pleased that he had managed to cheer her up. The girl eventually calmed her giggles and sighed, still grinning at him.
"You're sweet," commented Shinzui, poking him in the arm, "Thank you. I needed that." She sighed again, closing her eyes as she turned her head toward the ceiling. "Ah, it feels good to just lie here and have a good laugh. Very relaxing."
"Feeling better?" inquired Kurama with a chuckle.
"Much better," chuckled the girl, smiling at him again. Then she sat up and gazed at his face. "God, you're so much like him."
"Who?" asked Kurama, raising an eyebrow.
"The one who helped me when I hit rock bottom," replied Shinzui, closing her eyes with a soft expression and a sigh, "I miss him."
"What happened to him?" inquired the fox, curious.
Shinzui's face suddenly became sad as she opened her eyes and bowed her head. "He's gone."
The girl's voice was so quiet that Kurama almost didn't hear the answer, but he understood the expression. It was the same pained look she wore when she talked about her mother. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Shinzui put her hand over his and looked at him with a rather unreadable expression. Quite suddenly, there was a knock on the door, which not only broke the silence that had persisted for several minutes, but also startled the two redheads back to reality.
"Hey, Shuuichi," came Ryuka's voice, "you have visitors at the door."
Kurama opened the door and noticed that Ryuka was wearing a wicked grin.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," chuckled the brunette.
"We were just talking," stated Kurama, quickly moving past the girl so she wouldn't see the blush rising on his face, "I'll get the door."
Ryuka poked her head into the room and laughed at Shinzui's red face. "Hmm. Maybe I should've just barged in to see what you were doing."
"It was only a conversation," snorted Shinzui, crossing her arms.
"Nah, I can tell you really like him, Shin," chortled Ryuka, sidling over to pat her friend on the head.
"Shut up," grumbled Shinzui, frowning at her, "there's no way I'm ready to even think about such things." She looked away. "You should know that."
Ryuka's smile faded. "Oh, jeez...I'm sorry." She hesitated for a few moments. "but it has been five months..." She trailed off.
"You think that's long enough to get over a death?" inquired Shinzui calmly as she gazed at her friend the a neutral expression.
The brunette sighed and shook her head. "Sorry. Look...Let's just go downstairs and see who's here."
"Yeah, let's go," said Shinzui, standing up.
The girls were halfway down the stairs when a shout caught there attention.
"Shinzui!"
The pair looked up and the redhead grinned when she saw Keiko standing there with Yusuke, Kuwabara, Yukina, and Botan. Also with them was a tall, young woman with light brown hair and brown eyes. She was looking at the two girls with mild interest. Ryuka met the gaze of the woman and smiled while Shinzui felt a bit rattled by the stranger's stare. Ignoring this feeling, she said her greetings to the group while her friend hung back, observing them.
"Who's your friend?" asked Yusuke, catching sight of the short girl, "She looks kind of familiar."
"This is Ryuka Taiyou," replied Shinzui, pulling the brunette forward, "You saw her in my photo album." She gestured to the group in front of her. "Ryuka. This is Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Yukina, and Botan."
"You're much shorter in person," remarked Kuwabara, staring at her.
"I'm not short," stated Ryuka, looking up at him with her hands on her hips, "You're just too tall."
"While we're making introductions, who's this?" inquired Shinzui, nodding at the young woman.
"This is my sister," answered Kuwabara, "Shizuru."
"Nice to meet you," said Shinzui, holding her hand out.
When Shizuru took her hand, the redhead got a very strange feeling from her, but the woman only smiled.
"I see my little brother has made some interesting friends."
Shizuru and Ryuka shook hands as well, but Ryuka was not as bothered by the aura coming off the woman.
"You're pretty interesting yourself," stated the short girl with a smile.
"So you noticed?" inquired Shizuru, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm the daughter of an exorcist," answered Ryuka with a laugh, "I'd be disowned if I couldn't feel and read spirit energy." She turned to Shinzui. "You've made some powerful friends, Shin. I don't see why you worry so much."
"They can't use their powers against Tenma," stated Shinzui, "he's a normal human."
"He's not," said Hiei, "it's difficult to sense, but he can use spirit energy."
"Which means they can use spirit energy against him," stated Ryuka, nodding at the female redhead, "See, Shin. No need to worry."
"Okay, knowing that makes me a bit less anxious," commented Shinzui, crossing her arms, "Now I just need to figure out how to discourage dad's colleagues."
"Are these the same ones that work at that weird lab you were talking about?" asked Yusuke, frowning.
"Yes," replied the girl, nodding, "They sent their minions after me this morning. They're really starting to get bold."
"Why were they after you?" inquired Botan, quite curious.
"My dad and his colleagues research strange things," answered Shinzui, sitting down on the couch, "I knew they were interested in people with unusual abilities and recently I found out that they're also studying demons. I think they've somehow managed to collect a few, too." She sighed. "Then yesterday, I eavesdropped on one of their meetings at my house and discovered that I'm on their list of people to study."
"Have they seen your abilities then?" asked Yusuke.
"I know when I was little I showed them my ability with plants," stated the redhead, leaning into the back of the couch, "Toraeru also saw me use raw spirit energy on that demon in the park." She shook her head. "I had no idea he was there. Still..." She frowned. "From what I heard, their interest is mostly based off of the words of some seer that spoke to them."
"A seer?" repeated Yusuke, "Aren't they scientists?"
"Scientists who study people like seers," replied Shinzui, "and the meeting happened a couple months before I was born. My dad didn't even know I was going to be a girl. He didn't want to know." She chuckled a bit. "He was rather annoyed that the surprise was ruined for him."
"What kind of prediction did she make that got them so interested?" asked Botan, sitting in a chair near Shinzui.
This started a movement and soon everyone had found a place to sit, except Hiei, who was happy to just lean against the staircase and listen. Keiko and Ryuka squashed on the couch with Shinzui while Shizuru and Yukina claimed the other armchairs. Kurama brought in kitchen chairs for Yusuke, Kuwabara, and himself.
"This feels like story time," snickered the female redhead.
"It is," stated Ryuka with a grin, "and afterwards we will have nap time and then lunch. There might even be recess."
"Only if you behave," remarked Shinzui, smiling, "Now, let's see..." She paused to think. "I don't have the seer's words memorized, but she talked about things happening in my seventeenth year. Something about a blue moon, an old soul, and demons. I don't remember much else. All I really know is that something weird is going to happen when I'm seventeen. I'm not entirely sure when though."
"So, what happened this morning?" inquired Kuwabara.
Shinzui recounted the eventful jog and most of the group laughed when they heard about sewer tactic.
"Maybe I should've just kept running," sighed Shinzui, rolling her eyes, "The fish thing is going to haunt me to the grave."
"The smell is certainly going to haunt my house for a few weeks," remarked Ryuka with a grin.
Her words made the laughter worse and eventually the storyteller joined them, pleased that she was able to be so open with them.
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Auf wiedersehen, Dummköpfe - German - Good-bye, fools.
Kommen Sie herein - German - Come in.
Aw, look. I managed to make part of it kinda sappy. I must tap more Sugar Maple trees!
Why did I bring in Shizuru? 'Cause she's a fun character and I don't think she made nearly enough appearances in the manga and anime. XD