AN: Review. Review. Review. That is all...
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"Some people see things that are and ask, 'Why?' Some people dream of things that never were and ask, 'Why not?' Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that." - George Carlin
. . .
Groggily, I blinked as the bright light shining in through the windows slipped between my eyelids. I groaned. Last night had been so strange. There was still so much to think about, so many things I didn't fully understand. And as I laid there in my ordinary room I felt that I was in over my head.
I tried to moan, but it came out more as a strangled croak, my newly-woken-up condition leaving me sounding like I'd smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day since I was three. I let my eyelids slide shut, though I had no intention of falling back asleep. A noise that sounded like feet pounding up the stairs battered against my eardrums.
Oh no... Please tell me today isn't-
"It's Friday, I'm in looooooove!" Dale sang as he burst in with far too much energy considering the early hour.
I pulled the covers over my head, refusing to acknowledge him as he continued to sing that all-too-familiar tune. He tugged the comforter down, only succeeding in pulling it just past my eyes, which glared in annoyance up at him and his ridiculous Cheshire grin.
He talked at me with exaggerated cheer, simply because he knew how much I hated mornings. "Wake up! You just got a phone call. Alex is in town; he told me to throw you out the door and have you meet him at the gym in an hour," Dale delivered the message, clearly pleased to have a legitimate reason to kick me out of bed for once.
That's right. I remembered Alex mentioning he might come over at some point during the break. I grunted, but sat up as Dale moved toward the door, remembering to keep my covers wrapped around me. "Oh, and breakfast is on the table, getting cold," Dale informed me as he pulled the door shut behind him.
I stood, swaying a little, and went quickly to lock the door. That done, I made my way to the bathroom and tossed my pajama top on the counter, prepared to survey the damage. Slowly, I unwrapped one of the arm bandages. Nothing. The skin there looked as if it had never been riddled with cuts just a few hours before. Huh. Guess that Reikai medicine really worked wonders. I unwrapped the other and found the same.
For a while, I debated whether to remove my torso wrap. I tested my skin by breathing deeply in and out so see how it felt when it stretched. Carefully, I curled over and straightened up. I twisted slowly, wringing out my spine. Hmm... a little sore, but everything seemed to be in working order. I supposed it was alright. I unwrapped the bandage, letting it fall to the floor. The inside of the bandage was covered in dried blood, but after washing the layer off my skin, I discovered it was healed. I looked in the mirror. Four horizontal stripes marred my otherwise clear skin as they wrapped three quarters of way around my torso. Well, I guess that was normal now. They were still very pink, but I was assuming they would fade over time to plain white scar tissue. Guess I wouldn't have to cancel my "date" with Alex after all.
I shrugged on some workout clothes, brushed my teeth, and quickly scrubbed my face. With a brief glance in the mirror, I gathered my hair up into a high ponytail where it was out of the way and trotted downstairs. Swiping the OJ off the kitchen counter, I chugged it straight down. I grabbed a couple pieces of toast as I ran out the door.
Rain greeted me. I frowned. Somehow, I had forgotten it was raining here. I dashed back inside, shouted to Dale that I was taking the car, grabbed the keys, and got my butt in the driver's seat and out into the road before he could stop me. My old car and I made our way down the familiar streets to my former high school. It was a small school, and they let me borrow the keys to the gym over the holidays, which was where I was headed to now.
I pulled up and spotted Alex waiting for me under the overhang, out of the rain. Stepping out of my car, I made a mad dash through the downpour. He greeted me with a smile and held up a CD. "Ready?" he asked me.
"Are you kidding? I'm always ready," I told him, laughing.
"Hope I didn't surprise you too much. I know I didn't give you a specific date, but I'm gonna be in town for a few days," Alex said casually.
"Then we'd better practice all we can," I replied, "And after this let's go grab something warm to drink." I glared at the offending rain.
He laughed at me: "Hah. I know you. You're gonna want a lot more than just a drink. You always complain that you're starving after a good workout."
"Yeah, yeah, tough guy. Like you don't get hungry," I shot back.
Alex flashed me a smile: "Hey, I never said I had a problem with grabbing a bite." I unlocked the door and we entered the gym together.
I dug out the CD player from a corner of the gym closet. "Too bad we don't have the whole team here," I stated conversationally, "We could get really pro over the holiday. Guess we just have to do our best."
He grunted in affirmation before moving on. "So, which routine are we gonna practice first? It's ladies choice today," he said.
"Mmm. Lets work on track three," I decided.
"Track three?" Alex laughed openly, "But that's the easiest one. You sure you're really Friday?" I ignored his teasing.
"Hey. It's a holiday. We just need to get back in the swing of things. We'll get to the other tracks eventually," I said, stretching my arms. I didn't want to overdo it on my newly-healed muscles. They felt alright now-the stabbing pain had disappeared, replaced by a dull ache-but there was no sense taking chances.
I switched on the CD player and went to stand by his side as we began to dance to the pounding beat.
.
.
.
"Ah. Friday. Glad to see you could make it," the toddler lord said from behind his desk, glancing up briefly in the middle of stamping papers.
I blinked. "Was there something I was supposed to be doing tonight?" I asked.
"Well, I assumed you'd continue chasing down Nightmares. Tonight's patrol is in the city. We were getting very high readings of Nightmare energy. I already sent the team out," he informed me.
"I see. By "team" you mean..." I prompted.
"The Reikai Tantei, of course. Hati is coordinating their effort, and Botan has joined them as well. They haven't been out there long. You should get going," Koenma said, opening a portal distractedly.
"Right," I muttered, and jumped through.
I had thought the portal would be something like my nightly experience of being transported to this dream world. You know, with the darkness, then the sound, and finally colors fading in. I was wrong. If I had to compare it to something, it was like my stomach got caught in a possessed spin cycle, wrenching me around behind it a few miles per hour faster than light speed. And the landing wasn't too swell either.
I sat up, rubbing my cheekbone that had made a loud "crack" on impact with the concrete. There was that nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach, the kind where you know you aren't actually going to lose your lunch, but wonder if that wouldn't be better. As I pushed myself to my feet, white spots flashed before my eyes. I groaned. Remind me never to do that again. I much preferred my method of transportation.
"You're late," a too-familiar voice greeted my ears. I glared over my shoulder at my nemesis. Or at least, at the flashing white spot where his head should have been. Great. So he had seen my awesome landing.
"Well, I'm here now. What's everyone doing?" I asked, shaking my head to clear the light patches.
It was Hati who answered: "Actually, we just finished dividing into pairs to patrol the area. Come with me, and we'll get started right away."
"Hai, hai. Coming," I replied, starting to feel somewhat normal again.
Our groups split.
Hati spoke into the silence: "Friday. How have you been finding the Nightmares?"
"Erm... Not really sure. Mostly, I just wander around. Sometimes I get a weird tingly feeling, and then I follow that," I answered.
"This... 'weird tingly feeling', is it a solid sensation?" Hati asked, silver eyes glancing up at me.
"Hmm. More like an instinct," I crossed my arms behind my head in a relaxed position as we padded down the empty street.
Hati moved to block my path. I stopped, looking down at him in confusion. "Hati? What's-"
"I want you to focus for me, Friday," Hati told me sternly.
"What are you talking about? I'm very focused," I said.
"Just close your eyes, and see if you can pick up any of that feeling for me," Hati ordered.
"Oh," I said and obliged, but after half a minute of getting nothing but the sound of traffic, my eyes opened. I shook my head: "I'm not getting anything."
Hati sat down, making it clear we weren't going anywhere. "Concentrate," he said.
I sighed, but did as he suggested. There was the sound of cars rushing by on a parallel street. A minute passed. The sounds of traffic slowly seemed to fade away, replaced by the sound of my heartbeat as it relaxed and began to pump less frequently. I breathed deeply, in and out, and in and out. Who knew it was possible to actually hear the blood as it circulated though your body? Time ticked on. I was sure it had been at least five minutes now. Suddenly, I felt warm. That was when I noticed a strange light surrounding my body. Well, it wasn't really a light, more like the feeling of a light. It was hard to put into words.
Curiously, I focused on this light, captivated by the way it felt alive, twisting, flowing, bending... my light suddenly touched another. I jumped a little in surprise, but followed that new light back to its center. Hati, I realized. That light was Hati's. It seemed to have stretched out to greet mine, like two curious dogs touching noses.
If I could feel his light, maybe... I tried to open my mind. To listen to things far away. I tried to send my light out in search of another. Something dim and far off brushed against my mind, so gently I wasn't sure I had really felt it. It was like my own light, but not like it at all. That light crept, and reminded me of closets and dark basements. It was the feeble and flickering candle that gave you just enough light to see the shadows as they writhed and fed on the darkness around you.
My brow furrowed, and I opened my eyes. I realized with some surprise that a few beads of sweat had gathered on my brow. Using the back of my hand, I wiped them away. I pointed. "That way," I told Hati, "I'm not sure what it is, but I felt something."
"Good," Hati told me, walking off in that direction, "Don't forget to practice that regularly. It is one of your most valuable skills. You must learn to sense the auras of others instinctively, so that you are never taken by surprise." His eyes slid over the shirt that hid my scars, "It would seem you know something about that." I grimaced, and trotted to catch up to him.
It was a fairly uneventful patrol, despite the fact that Hati worked me like a slave driver. He was insistent that I sense the Nightmares each time before we went looking for them. He claimed it saved time in the long run, rather than wandering aimlessly about, but it still felt like it took forever just to find each aura. Especially if the Nightmare was far away. Plus, I was pretty sure he could sense them better than me.
In a little over an hour, Hati and I headed back to our designated meeting place. Yusuke and Kuwabara were already there, and bickering over who took out the last nightmare they had found. With a start, I realized they were each surrounded with a light of their own. The brief flash was gone as I lost focus, and the two of them stood there looking ordinary once more.
"Nuh-uh, Urameshi! You got the first one, and I got the last two!" Kuwabara
"Yeah, right, Kuwabaka! It's obvious that the last one was mine!" Yusuke retorted.
They argued like this for a while, and neither Hati or I bothered to stop them. Hiei and Kurama arrived right as Botan swooped down from the sky on her oar. It seemed like it was time to switch again, so I interrupted the two boys' verbal fight: "Uh... guys?"
They turned as if noticing for the first time that others were present. "How many did you take out?" Yusuke demanded. He had apparently given up on resolving the numbers with Kuwabara, who was still insisting he had beat one more despite currently being trapped in one of Yusuke's headlocks.
I blinked for a moment, then decided to give them the honest answer. "Five," I told them. For a minute neither of them responded.
"Hah. You were beat by a girl, Urameshi," Kuwabara said. Yusuke tightened his grip, nearly popping Kuwabara's head off.
"Shut it! She got more than you, too. And I still beat you, Kuwabara!" Yusuke shouted down at his friend.
"Alright! Fine, fine. Just get off!" Kuwabara struggled, finally falling to the floor with an "oof" as Yusuke released him.
Kuwabara rubbed his neck as Yusuke turned to Hati and asked, "What about you?"
"None," Hati replied flatly.
"Hah. There, Kuwabara. That should make you feel better. Still got more than wolf-boy over there," Yusuke jerked a thumb at Hati.
"Friday needed the practice," Hati said, "Besides, Sleepers are designed to fight Nightmares. Why should I battle them when I have a Sleeper with me?"
Yusuke blinked, then grinned, "Good point," he cracked his knuckles, "In that case, Friday and I are going now." Yusuke grabbed my arm, and tried to pull me along behind him, but I dug my heels into the pavement and didn't move. That Urameshi. Trying to get out of the work.
"Wait!" Kuwabara said, taking hold of my other arm, "I'm going with Friday next! You don't know how to treat a lady, Urameshi."
"Let go, Kuwabara! You're in the way," Yusuke said, tugging harder.
"Enough," Hati's voice rang out, and there was an undertone of a bark to it, "Friday will be going with Botan."
"But I thought I was supposed to be patrolling from above and notifying the others when I found something," Botan said in confusion, obviously wondering if she was supposed to fight now.
"So you were, but I have some matters to tend to, and this way you should have even pairs. I will be taking my leave, now," Hati said, glancing over his shoulder at us as he went. His silver eye was piercing, the scar stern.
"Alright," I said, shaking both boys off my arms, "Let's go, Botan."
"Wait. What are we supposed to do?" Kuwabara asked, turning to me. I blinked. Was I supposed to coordinate this now?
"Uh. Just switch with those two," I said, jerking my head at Kurama and Hiei.
"Yusuke and I will take the next round," Kurama said, stepping forward.
Hiei glared at his friend. "Why do I have to go with the oaf?" he asked.
"Hey!" Kuwabara protested the insult.
"We will all have to switch eventually, Hiei," Kurama placated him. I watched as they parted ways and turned to Botan.
She was now hovering on her oar, and for some reason she was smiling and patting a place beside her.
"What?" I asked, disbelieving.
"Oh, just get on, silly. We'll look for Nightmares from the air," Botan told me in a chipper tone. I grumbled a bit, but took my seat on the wood bar. "Now hold on tight!" she gave me the warning as she shot off into the air. I gripped the oar until my fingers turned white and bit back a scream.
"There. See, it's not so bad from up here," She said, turning to me with a smile as we hovered high above Tokyo.
I blinked in surprise, "Yeah. You're right. But the getting up here part isn't so pleasant."
"Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly.
We scanned the city, looking for anything unusual. I used my eyes instead of what I supposed was my sixth sense, figuring it could probably use a break.
"So, umm..." Botan began timidly, "I know this isn't really my business, but are you getting along any better with Kurama?"
I grimaced and frowned. "That boy is a stuck-up jerk. I don't want to get along any better with him," I refused to say that name out loud.
She chuckled nervously, "You know, I'm sure you wouldn't think he's so bad once you get to know him. In fact, you're the only person I've ever heard of having trouble with Kurama-well, besides his enemies."
"That's because we are enemies, Botan," I told her.
"Hm. Well, maybe you've put each other into that category, but you're teammates. We can't afford to have you killing each other. Besides, there's no need for this tension between you two," Botan tried to reason with me.
"Yeah, well why don't you tell him that? I'm not actually the one who's being violent and rude, you know," I would have crossed my arms if I hadn't been hanging onto the oar still.
Botan sighed. "Friday... I hope you don't mind my prying, but... this really makes me sad to see the two of you like this. I've known Kurama for a few years now, and in that time I've seen him do many things that are noble and kind. Would you... would you mind hearing a few stories? It might help you change your mind." I could tell she was determined to make us understand one another, so I mumbled a "fine." Besides, no one had really mentioned what was up with him when he was present in the meeting. I was, admittedly, curious.
"Hmm... where to begin. Well, I suppose I'll start at the beginning! Well, not the very beginning, of course, because I wasn't there, but the beginning where I met him-" she twittered.
"Botan," I interrupted, trying to get her back on track.
"Oh, right. Of course. I heard of Kurama during Yusuke's first big mission as spirit detective. At the time... ah, well, it's a long story. Anyway," she began again, giggling nervously, and I got the feeling she was editing bits out that would tarnish my impression of Kurama, "his mother was in the hospital."
"Kurama's mother?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, she was very ill. Kurama realized she wasn't going to last the week, so he used an artifact called the Forlorn Hope-a mirror that would grant any wish the user made on the night of a full moon-to save his mother's life. There's a terrible price for this wish, however, and Kurama knew this. He went to the top of the hospital that night, prepared to give his life, in exchange for his mother's..." Botan went silent.
I gasped, despite myself. "But that's crazy!" I exclaimed, "How could his mother ever be okay with that?"
"She didn't know," Botan said, "Like your own family, those close to many of the Reikai Tantei don't know about the supernatural. There are a few exceptions, but Kurama's mother doesn't know and never has."
"So... what happened?" I asked, mildly disgusted at my own interest as I found myself leaning forward. I couldn't forget this was a story about Kurama.
"Yusuke found him. He told Kurama he wouldn't allow him to sacrifice his life, so that his mother could live just to mourn the death of her only son. This was right after Yusuke's death, so his compassion probably came from seeing his own mother's tears," Botan had a far off look in her eye as she remembered the events from her tale.
I nodded. I had heard about Yusuke's death and subsequent resurrection. "But his mother is still alive, so he must have used the mirror anyway, right?"
"Yes," Botan said, "But Yusuke jumped in himself and told the mirror to take his life instead. I was so scared that day... It's a hard thing, to ferry people you know to Reikai. Anyway, as it turned out, the mirror only took half of each of their life forces, so both lived. But Kurama was fully prepared to calmly give up his own life, without so much as a struggle. For someone who is used to fighting-and winning his battles-that's a truly impressive resolution."
I was silent as I took this all in. Yes, it was impressive. I don't know if I could do that myself, even though I loved my family. I don't think I could ever know, really, until I was faced with that moment where I had to choose.
Botan took my silence as proof that her stories were working and continued, "And it wasn't long after that when Kurama took a sword to the gut for Yusuke, to pay him back for helping save the life of his mother. You don't see many warriors using themselves as human shields," she said in a chipper way, holding up a finger as if to emphasize the point.
"Why wouldn't he just deflect the sword?" I asked. Surely, if he could block it he could deflect it, right?
"Err... Well, it was Hiei's, actually, and Hiei is very fast. His situation is... complicated. You heard yesterday that Hiei joined the Reikai Tantei as part of his probation. He was, erm, sort of trying to create a human slave army," Botan said nervously, and tried to move on.
I blinked. "Wait a second," I questioned, "I thought that Hiei and the redhead were friends?"
Botan sighed, seeming saddened still that I so obviously refused to call him "Kurama", but answered, "Well, they are friends now. It's been a few years, you know, and Hiei has changed a lot. He's actually a very decent person, once you get to know him-if one can ever really get to know Hiei-and he has one of the strongest codes of honor of anyone I've met." She smiled, trying to convince me that all these scary people were diamonds deep down inside. Well, I guess I had to make do with what I was given to work with.
"Oh!" Botan brought her fist down on her palm, remembering something. I vaguely wondered who was flying this oar. She continued recounting stories: "And there was that time during the Dark Tournament-this demon competition the boys were forced to enter-where Kurama's opponent tried to use his mother as leverage. It was horrible! That cheating demon... he'd brought a remote with him that would tell the demon on the other end to devour her! And you know what Kurama did? He stood there and let this demon, who was so much weaker than him it wasn't even funny, beat him without so much as lifting a finger. Of course, it turned out alright in the end. Kurama planted a seed in his opponent's body and managed to kill the nasty demon before the demon killed him... Ehe." Botan cut off her tale, seeming to realize that perhaps tales of Kurama's killings wouldn't make me like him more.
I just looked at her blankly. We shared an awkward silence.
"Ah! There's something!" Botan pointed out what was probably a Nightmare with tangible relief as we zoomed toward the spot, me clinging to the oar for dear life.
All the creatures Botan and I encountered were surprisingly weak. Either that or I was getting stronger.
She didn't say any more about Kurama, but we puzzled together over the reason why the boys were so susceptible to Nightmare attacks, while the Nightmares seemed hardly affected the other way round. She assured me repeatedly that the boys were very strong, in fact, that they were some of the most powerful beings around. It didn't make much sense.
After explaining to me a little the basic workings of normal energy wavelengths, a thought came to me: "You said that people with stronger energy are usually less prone to damage from attacks because they use their energy to fortify their skin. But it doesn't block against energy of the wrong wavelength. So what if Nightmares just naturally have tougher skin. If it's just a matter of the physical alone, then it makes sense that a creature with hard skin would be less susceptible than someone with normal skin. After all, ordinarily I don't seem to get as beat up as the guys, so it's possible that some of my energy is fortifying my skin unless the attack is too much for it to handle. And because my energy is the same wavelength as the Nightmares, it's more damaging when I attack."
"Actually, that does make a lot of sense," she agreed. We continued to hover in the air, lost in thought as we looked down at the city lights.
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AN: It's always so much fun to write about the boys' interactions. Heehee. :]
I still have a deviantart account where I will be posting some pictures of characters, etc... to go with this story. Check it out if you want. I'm theanonymouspen . deviantart . com (no spaces)
Thank you for reading :)
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