Hello all! Happy New Year to you! I feel like I've been gone so long...I'm sorry guys, I've been really busy. There was Christmas, and I got taken snowboarding, and then I was visiting all the people I don't see when I'm at school. But excuses are bad. Hopefully I can post another chapter by Saturday or Sunday, but I can't promise, because, once again, I'm going to visit people for a mini party before school starts up for them.
Anywho, here's Chapter 11. Then I'm going back to the Twilight Zone Marathon! Woot! Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone. God bless you! I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho however, but please leave a review at the end. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! Sorry there's not the fluff in here with Kaori and Kurama you'd like, Fox Girl, but I left a set up for it in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 11
Ayame sighed as she looked at the stairs that led up to Genkai's. She knew that the stalker guy would have to be crazy to follow them up all those steps. She didn't even feel like making the trek, but Kaori and Kurama were going to meet her at "the top of the crazy stairs," and she was only at the bottom. What made matters worse was the fact that she had the bags with her that held her clothes and necessities for the two week vacation that she would be spending here. At least her mom allowed her to go.
Ayame sighed and sat on her largest suitcase. She'd either have to lug all three up, or make three trips…and that last idea seemed impossible. Maybe if she was lucky, Kaori wasn't here yet and she could wait here for her.
"She's inside already, waiting for you."
Ayame jumped up and spun around to see Hiei looking at her like she had a third eye. "Um, hi," she said, unsure of what do say. "Could you do me a favor?"
Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes. "Pathetic," he spat, grabbing her two larger bags.
"Hey!" Ayame said, stomping her foot. "Just cause I'm human doesn't mean I'm pathetic! I don't need your help if all you're going to do is be a pain."
"You couldn't even carry one of these up those stairs," Hiei said in a bored tone. Ayame glared at him.
"You wanna bet, shorty?" she said. Hiei raised an eyebrow. "I know I can't beat you up those stairs, but I know I can make it, I just don't want to make more than one trip."
"Hn, you couldn't make it halfway."
"Wanna bet, emo?!"
"What did you call me?!"
"You heard me! Or are your ears full of your hair gel?"
Hiei growled then flitted away, depositing the bags at the top of the stairs and reappeared, face set in a permanent scowl. "Go."
Ayame grabbed her bag and sprinted up the stairs. Her lungs began burning halfway up, but she kept up the pace due to her frustration. Who did that demon think he was?! Insulting her because she was a human! She was going to show him!
Hiei followed with half a glare, slightly surprised that the human was faring so well. But she wouldn't make it to the top. He could count on that. She stumbled once, but merely growled and got back up. Hiei didn't say a word as he followed her up to the top of the stairs. Ayame reached the top and dropped her bag, panting heavily and fighting the burning in her lungs.
"Congratulations. You didn't kill yourself."
"Shut…up," she panted out, unable to get out anything more. Hiei watched her carefully as she made her way to the other bags, then tried to drag them inside. He walked up to take them from her, then flitted inside and deposited them in her room. Ayame watched in semi-amusement as he disappeared. He did owe her from that bet, though there were no terms. She saw him reappear in the doorway before she collapsed to her knees, exhausted.
Hiei sighed, then flitted over to Ayame, who was still awake. He picked her up bridal style then carried her to her room, laying her down in her bed before disappearing once again. Ayame laid on her back, finally catching her breath and thinking. She should probably have been more careful around such an uptight demon. He could definitely catch her if she said the wrong thing.
Kaori sat in the kitchen with Kurama and Yusuke, discussing Ayame's situation. "Kurama, I don't know why you couldn't've called Koenma," Yusuke complained, sitting in a stool. "I think he was already mad when I called him, and he didn't take our current issue with a smile."
"You are the detective in charge of Kaori's case," Kurama said. He was leaning against the counter aside of Yusuke. Kaori was sitting on the counter between the two.
"But I shouldn't be!" Yusuke complained. "You're the brains, and I'm sure you're more emotionally attached to Kaori than I am."
"Which is why I cannot be in charge," Kurama said. "I'm also close to Ayame, and my judgment would be biased towards the two of them because of my emotions, no matter how detached I tried to be."
"I can always just run away again, go hide out in Spirit World again or something," Kaori offered.
"It would be safer there I suppose…" Kurama said.
"But can we send Ayame there?" Yusuke asked.
"I doubt Koenma would allow it," Kaori sighed. "Maybe we can just stay here while you guys go and look for Kurogane and Konajiru."
"That may work," Kurama said with a nod. "Do you know when Ayame is coming?"
"She's in her room." The three turned to see Hiei sit in the window frame.
"When'd she get here?" Kaori asked as she hopped off of the counter.
"A few minutes ago," Hiei said. "She's exhausted from running up the stairs, so I put her in her room and left her with her bags."
"Thank you, Hiei," Kurama said with a smile.
"Hn. Don't get used to it."
Kaori ran over to Hiei and gave him and gave him a hug. "Thank you for helping my friend," she said. Then she turned and ran off towards Ayame's room. She could here Yusuke's snickering, Kurama's chuckling, and Hiei's 'hn' as she went down the hall. She opened the door to Ayame's room just as she sat up. Kaori smiled and sat cross legged on the bed next to her.
"That Hiei guy is a fiery little guy, huh?" Ayame said. Kaori chuckled. "What?"
"He's a fire demon, I think it fits," she said. Ayame raised her eyebrows, making Kaori laugh again.
"How did you meet them?" she asked. "And what are you doing here anyway? I mean, you're cool, I'm glad I met you, but…you're a demon, and this is the human world. How did they get here too?"
Kaori nodded. "Well, I was running from Konajiru, the evil guy, for a while but I got caught. They're detectives, so they were sent to save me. Kurama and I bonded, cause he's a fox demon too. See, he's in a human body cause of what happened, but he can explain that part. Anyway, I got taken again, and Kurama and the guys came to save me. I all but died, and Kurama gave all but his life to save me, but their boss kept me to make sure that I'm good, so I can live here. If I was a bad demon, they'd send me back."
"So that's where you were for the month Shuichi was in a rut?" Ayame asked.
"Rut?"
"He was distant like. Like, he was still number one and loved by all, but he was distant, zoning out sometimes, and was just in slow motion."
"Was he that bad?"
Ayame waved her off with a smile. "Nah, I just noticed those things. You know, me being not in love with him allowed me to see through the smiles and haze. Funny how you have the same affect on people."
Kaori laughed. "It's part of being a kitsune. We're…attractable, cause our nature is…flirtatious." Ayame raised an eyebrow, making Kaori pause.
"How does that work?" she asked. She heard a chuckle from the doorway, and turned to see Kurama against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.
"It's natural, you could say, but it is perfected with practice," he said. His eyes flashed with gold as his smirk grew.
"How much practice have you had?" Ayame asked.
"About a thousand years worth," Kurama answered, smirk growing wider. "I'll show you sometime." He pushed himself off the frame and left. Ayame turned to Kaori eyebrow raised. Her gaze was still where Kurama once stood, smirk on her face aswell.
"And you?" she asked.
"Well, I'm only a few hundred, but I've had a bit of practice," she said. "I'm nowhere near as rehearsed as him, but I can flirt when I have to, which is probably why I was so well liked."
"You two are so matched," Ayame muttered, rolling her eyes. "He seduces all the girls in school, you win over the guys. Next, you're going to have a flirting competition."
"I'd win!" Kurama's voice was heard from down the hall. Kaori jumped up.
"Yeah right!" she yelled. "I won over Hiei! Top that!"
"The whole school! WITHOUT trying."
"GRR!! Come on!!" Kaori grabbed Ayame's wrist and ran down the hall after Kurama's voice. There was no way she was going to go down without a fight, Ayame's laughing at her or not. She had her kitsune pride to defend.
