Heart beating quickly, nausea setting in, palms layered in a fine film of sweat, and last of all her mouth was dry. Yui kept staring downwards, not daring to look up and see him. Ryuunosuke Maruyama, he had no idea how he had effected her. Nor did anyone else, Yui made sure of that. Mao was more interested in her sleeping habits than she was about her behavior at school, especially when the new student was nearby.
"Yui-chan," Kurama's voice was right next to her.
She jumped slightly.
"Don't scare me like that!" Her cheeks had been pink for a while before Kurama sneaked up on her. She was trying to hide it.
"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I was trying to ask you something."
"W-what is it?"
"I was wondering how you've been feeling lately."
Yui paused before answering. "Why?"
Kurama shook his head as if he had been insulted.
"Never mind," he turned and walked away.
Confused, Yui watched him go until he disappeared in the crowd of students. She turned and Ryuunosuke had also disappeared. She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
"Yuki-onna!" The familiar and hated nickname rang in her ears.
Some of Mao's former friends were calling her over. They looked annoyed and angry, a bad combination for school bullies. Yui did the only logical thing in this kind of situation. She ignored them. Brushing right past them, she let them stand in the hallway, shouting after her. Quickly ducking into the school library, they wouldn't dare follow her in here.
Yui had one hour of free time. The library was a perfect place to hide and relax. Oddly enough, the librarian wasn't standing behind the desk. She was perfectly alone today. With plenty of time on her hands and the peace and quiet surrounding her, Yui allowed herself to relax and wander around for a bit. Her attentiveness to detail and ability to remember a lot of things at once, she knew the library like the back of her hand. Leaving her bag on a table where she could find it easily, she explored the shelves. The shelves held mostly academic books for research papers. The only recreational books that the library had were tucked away on a smaller shelf near the back. These included a few novels, some random selections of poetry, and a couple volumes of popular manga. However, the books she was really interested lay in art section. The library's collection on architecture was scarce, but what little they had were well-written and the illustrations were beautiful. Sadly, there was one book she liked the most but only for the pictures. It was entirely in French, presumably for the only other second language course the school offered besides English. Pity though, at least she enjoyed the photographs and other illustrations within.
She pulled two volumes from the desired section, and then looked down either end of the shelves. There was no one around. Yui sat down on the floor, careful of her skirt, and put the books at her side. She pried open the first, A History of Japan in Architecture by Kyoyo Sato. The number of times she read it must have been over a dozen. She could recite almost verbatim if she wanted to. Sato's presentation on pre-feudal architecture was fascinating but his details about the Heinan period had much to be desired. He seemed to have been more interested in pre-feudal era buildings and those of the modern era. Yui read the first two chapters in Sato's book before moving on to the next one. This was the French book that had an incredibly complicated title. It was only resource book that the second language class had to use so it was bent out of shape in many places. The spine received the most damage, having been torn a few times and was held together by many strips of tape. Yui was careful when using it. She held it up to her nose for a good whiff. There was something so good about the smell of an old book. It was euphoric.
"Are you reading anything good?"
Yui was so startled that she threw the book in the direction of the voice. Ryuunosuke was startled too, and it wasn't because of the book flying towards him, which he narrowly dodged. She had yelped so loud that the sound bounced off the walls and was sure to catch the attention of a teacher or the librarian. Yui was so red in the face, she felt dizzy from the heat going to her head too quickly.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Yui vigorously nodded her head. Her tongue was tied up in knots and those same knots could also be found in her stomach, which was churning up whatever pieces of undigested lunch that was left over. Sour bile was rising in her throat.
"You don't look so good. Do you need to go to the nurse?"
Yui tried to stand on her own two feet, but her knees were buckling so much she could barely do it. Ryuunosuke made the mistake in walking over and helping her. He was standing so close. Maybe too close! She felt like her insides were about to make it through to the outside. Her hand was clapped over her mouth.
"I'm just...gonna walk you to the nurse, then. You look a little green." He reached out to touch her shoulder but Yui ran away in the opposite direction.
She ran out of the library, into the hall, and made a dash for the nearest girls room. Yesterday's routine went just as well today. Yui was so overwhelmed by these new sensations and emotions that she threw up. There was no stopping it. All she had to do was think of his name and she felt the urge to run to the nearest bathroom and puke. He was so dashing, and smart, and handsome, and almost all the things she looked for in a guy, if she was looking that is. But she wasn't looking. Why would she be looking? There was no pressure for her to get a boyfriend and then later get married. She still had plenty of time for that. Or, she could choose the path less traveled and not marry at all. What was wrong with being single?
Just as things were finally going her way, plus or minus a few things, he shows up an ruins everything! Yui didn't know if she should be mad or not. All that did was had more fuel to the fire. Emotions were so complicated.
When she was finished, Yui crept out of the bathroom. She had a free period but most of her classmates didn't. They were already in class. She walked quietly past them, hoping not to run into a certain someone.
Bam
"Ouch," Yui had been blinded for a moment when she walked right into something solid. When she regained her sight, rubbing her nose, she found Kurama standing in front of her.
She picked herself up and dusted off her skirt.
"We need to stop meeting like this," he whispered, not wanting to disrupt any of the classes.
"Indeed." Was all she could say.
"I would still like to talk to you. If that's alright with you. There's around twenty minutes left before next period."
Yui thought that maybe some fresh air would do her some good.
"Let's go outside then." She led him to the back entrance.
They quietly sneaked through the back and basically loitered on the steps. Yui carefully set herself down on the concrete steps while Kurama remained standing.
"Genkai's been keeping me updated on your progress. Apparently, you're one of her more admirable pupils. You complain less."
Yui shrugged. "I suppose. Are you going to tell me what this is really about?"
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, annoyed. Brows furrowed, Kurama didn't need to guess that she was getting, or was, irritated.
"You're forgetting that I can be just as smart as you. You're trying to beat around the bush, and I don't appreciate that. You're clever, but so am I. What do you really want to know?"
Kurama conceded. He looked stern. "She's also told me that you wake screaming and that you look like you don't get enough sleep at night, which is why you take naps after training."
Yui went silent.
"What happened two weeks ago? We all know that you were tortured, but for what purpose? There are so many pieces that are missing and only you know what they are. I would like to consider you a friend, Yui, and I want to help you, but I can't if you don't let me in." Kurama got closer and sat down next to her.
Yui flinched and tried to creep away. She couldn't get very far. Looping her arms around her legs, she tried to make herself as small as possible.
"Yui, please. For all our sakes..."
"They're dead, aren't they? So what does it matter? I don't want to talk about it." Yui was grinding her teeth and resisting the urge to bite her nails.
"As you can see that they have also left a deep emotional scar on you. You are not a fighter, there's nothing wrong with that..."
"You're right," she interrupted him a second time, "I'm not a fighter. I don't like to fight, I can't even use my powers to defend myself, and when I do it's because I can't control it or it's fluke, a stroke of pure luck. I can't do anything and that's why I'm an easy target. But in this instance, I want to fight my own battles. I want to beat this thing inside on my own. There's nothing you or anyone else can say about it."
He sat there while silence descended after her emotional outburst. There was no surge of energy, no ice or snow on the ground. He was proud that her emotions no longer seemed to play a role in how her powers manifested. At the same time, he was very disappointed and even wounded. Yui may have leveled some of her walls, but that was only because she was rebuilding some other ones. The walls closest to her heart and soul were guarded by giant walls of ice. And for some reason, this made him feel things, unusual things, emotions that made him feel entirely uncomfortable. These included anger, betrayal, and some version of sadness. Living in a human body, he came to understand these things, especially when his human mother allowed herself to be deeply wounded by broken glass in order to protect him. As for other people, there were few that made him feel similar things. He had noticed Yui for a long time, and at first thought nothing much of her. Perhaps a little unusual herself and maybe even a little gloomy with her hunched-over posture and stoic features, but there no emotions until they had accidentally touched. After seeing what she really looked like without her wig, and gloves, and all pretense, she didn't seem so unusual. It would be a lie if he said that he didn't find any attractive qualities in Yui, but he also couldn't bring himself to admit any kind of serious attraction. Hiei pointed out for the past month or so that she had become a distraction.
Kurama had gone out of his way to confront Yui. He was concerned for her emotional well-being as well as her physical. He was beginning to agree that she had indeed become a distraction. She wasn't always on his mind, but she certainly preoccupied a portion of it.
He rose and separated himself from her. He walked to the door, however he turned to look at her over his shoulder. Yui was still huddled up with her face buried in her knees.
"I wish you the best of luck, Yui-chan." He opened the door, slipped back inside, and softly shut the door behind him.
Yui wanted to cry but the only things that came out were senseless blubbering. She stayed like that until the period bell rang. She rushed inside and made a run for the library, suddenly remembering that she left it there the whole time. Yui walked quickly in between the shelves she wandered in. There was no trace of it anywhere. She looked at the clock. She had five minutes before she was late to her next class. Begrudgingly, she left the library and went to class. It was embarrassing not to show up with anything to do work with. No paper, no pen, and if she lost her student I.D card she would get an earful from her mother. She walked to her next, ashamed of herself, only to find her bag sitting on her desk. Ryuunosuke was already sitting in the back, head buried in his arms, resting or hiding his face from her. She couldn't tell.
Yui uneasily slid into her desk chair and opened her bag. She half-expected some kind of mean prank like fake vomit, wouldn't that be ironic? But no. Everything was neat, clean, and where it should be. Except for this yellow note. That wasn't there when she organized her bag this morning. Yui dug it out and unfolded it. She glanced around her. Nobody was paying attention to her and class hadn't started just yet.
I think you forgot this. Maruyama R.
Yui kept thinking about Ryuunosuke's note. Rather than throwing it away, she kept it between the pages of her notebook, like a little souvenir. She went through the whole school day with it tucked safely in her notebook, never prying it open and she kept thinking about it long after the final bell rang and she started making her way to the bus which would take her to Genkai's for training.
To the old woman's disappointment, Yui was painfully distracted. Which was why today's training session was unlike their normal routine.
"Alright, I've seen enough. I want you to actually use your powers to create shields on your forearms."
Yui blinked.
"Are you listening? Raise some shields with your ice powers, Lizard! Don't make me repeat myself a second time!"
Yui gulped and hesitated for a second or two in raising her arms. The ice crackled against her skin, crawling up her forearm up to her wrist. It spiked and feathered like dragon scales.
"You ready?"
"N-no."
Genkai charged nonetheless. It was a flurry of feet. For an old woman she moved fast, and for sure Yui felt every kick. Digging her heels into the ground, she tried to keep balance from Genkai's attacks. And then came the punches. This was the point where Yui began to see why the others were so nervous about her training with the old woman. She knew nothing about mercy, not when she was busy trying to take down your defenses and beat you to the ground. There was no point in trying to ignore how bad her arms were shaking now. Combat was not Yui's specialty.
"Hey, cranky old bat, ya busy?" There was only one person who dared to call out Genkai in the middle of a training session.
With one mighty kick Yui barely saw coming, Genkai knocked her to the ground, sending her sprawling. The hard dirt and pebbles scratched her old wounds, possibly reopening them. Pieces of broken ice were scattered everywhere.
"Can't you see I'm a little busy here?" She huffed. Then she turned to Yui laying in the dirt.
"You gonna live?" She asked.
"Y-yeah." Yui weakly replied.
"Good," Genkai grabbed a cigarette from her front pocket it, lit it, and took a long drag from it. She walked off to see what Yusuke wanted.
Yui hissed. The fall definitely opened some of her scars. A shadow fell on top of her as she managed to pull herself up half way and rest some of her weight on her forearms.
"Do you need some help?"
She looked up, becoming very red in the face, and saw Kurama holding out his hand to her. Reluctantly, she took and was quickly sent back on her feet. Perhaps a little too quickly. She moved her shoulders and back the wrong, causing her to cry out audibly. Yui would have fallen back into the dirt if not of Kurama's quick reflexes.
"I-I think some of my scars opened up." Yui spat through gritted teeth.
Fire was rushing up and down her spine as her scars lit up, agitated by the harsh treatment. She felt specks of tiny pebbles sticking deep into the first layer of skin and in some of her scars. Kurama wrapped her arm around her shoulder.
"Let's get you cleaned up." He said and they headed for the temple.
They found an empty room. He instructed her to take a seat on one of the pillows and try to relax before he disappeared to fetch some things. Yui already knew the drill. She waited until he left and shut the door before taking off her shirt. The fabric decided to dangerously cling to her sweaty skin, but that wasn't all that was there. She flipped the shirt over and found tiny red marks approximately where some of her scars used to be. They must have been cut open by the fall and the pebbles sticking to her skin. Her shirt was bunched up in her hands, wringing the life out of it. The door slid open. Yui almost jumped out of her seat, but Kurama spoke softly and calmly.
"It's just me," he announced.
Yui had her shirt bunched around her front. When she saw that it was him, she whipped around. If her cheeks weren't already red, they were really, really red now. He put a box on the floor, mostly likely a first aid kit of some kind. His fingers were very warm and light. Yui did everything in her power to suppress a shiver. He hummed to himself as he noted the damage.
"I need you to take off both tops. I'm sorry."
The heat rushing to her head might have killed her. She nodded slowly.
"C-could you turn around or something?"
"I promise not to look. I'm just looking at your back. That's all, I promise."
Still, it wasn't all that comforting as his voice tried to make it. He may have been there just to see to her wounds, but he was still a young man and she was an innocent, and sometimes naive, young woman. It wasn't in his nature to do things against her will, but there was not guarantee. Slowly, Yui put her hands to her sides, along her ribcage, and grabbed hold of the sports bra she was wearing. To be honest, it was a little refreshing having cool air hit her sweaty skin. However, her embarrassment had her blood boiling to a dangerous level for an ice dragon.
"You've got a few rocks in your scars. That must be what's causing you pain." He fumbled through the first aid kit. "I'll try to be as gentle as possible."
Yui felt his hand on her shoulder. It was light, almost feather weight. He held her steady and give her some small comfort. Every now and then she would glance at his hand to make sure it hadn't turned gray. When satisfied, she went back to clutching her clothes for dear life. Silently she prayed that no one would be able to see them like this. Oh, the humiliation. On top of that, her sister wouldn't let her live it down for an entire month. Yui was still unsure of Mao's feelings towards Kurama. She was unsure of how she felt about him. They were both fairly attached to him, maybe not necessarily on a romantic level, but certainly more attached than before.
She clapped her hand over her mouth when a high-pitched yelp escaped from her. The tweezers gently plucked the pebbles from her scar tissue but it still felt like the outermost layer of her flesh was being pulled off or a new scab was being picked clean.
"Sorry."
"It..it's okay." Yui mumbled.
"What do you think of the new student at school?"
That was a very strange question. Not that the question itself was odd, but coming from Kurama it was. He made it sound so unusual. When did he start wanting to make small talk? Especially when he was picking rocks out of her scars?
"W-what do you mean?"
She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Kurama shrug his shoulders. Yui was grateful he couldn't see how hard she was blushing right now. He wasn't looking at her face. He was focusing on her back.
"I don't know really. I thought that the two of you would get along together."
Her brows furrowed. "What makes you say that?"
"You seem to have similar auras and you're both the quiet type."
"Look who's talking, Mr. Fox Demon. Ouch!"
"Sorry."
"I haven't even spoken to him." Which was technically true. Every time he was close to her, she'd run away and find the nearest girl's room to throw up.
"It couldn't hurt to get to know him."
Yui might have been daydreaming but she could have sworn that there was the slightest hint of bitterness in what he just said.
"Yui-chan! You ignored us yesterday. That was terribly rude!" Ruka slung her arm around Yui's neck.
"If you don't mind, I would like to get to my next class," she struggled out of the girl's grip.
Another one of Mao's former friends, Miyumi, stepped up to plate and grabbed Yui's arm.
"If you and your sister are getting along, then we should too, don't you think?"
Something smells rotten in the state of Denmark, Yui thought.
Pushing the girls off of her was no easy task. Ruka was tall and a member of various sports teams. She was strong and athletic, much like Mao. Miyumi may have been tiny compared to her friends, or to anybody really, but she was still very sneaky, using her low stature and center of gravity, the girl could trip someone very easily. Despite escaping their greedy claws, the two girls followed behind Yui. They were on her tail like bloodhounds who refused to give up the scent. Mao was nowhere in sight. She had found herself in an after school study session again. Kurama wasn't here either. That meant that she had to fend for herself. How hard could it be? They were both just high school students, right?
"You've given me no sign that you ever wanted to be friends with me, and I beg your pardon if I doubt your intentions even more now."
Not long after Yui said that, she felt the back of her skull meet the metal lockers. Her head was throbbing and her ears were ringing. Ruka and Miyumi pinned her arms to her side. Someone walked down the hallway towards them. A girl, the same age as the rest of them, came strolling down, hips swaying back and forth.
She was tall for her age, skinny too. She had a pair of dark, sultry eyes lined with black makeup that made her eyes look like they belonged to a cat. Her dark brown hair was tied close to her left ear and curled to an inch of its life. A pink flower barrette was clipped in her hair on top of the ponytail.
"I've heard so much about you, Yui-chan. I just had to meet you for myself." The girl smiled.
"Who are you?" Yui, surprisingly, wasn't intimidated. She faced much worse than a teenage girl.
"Junko Fusihiada. I knew your sister, and now that she's stepped down from her position, I'm gonna take it for myself."
Yui looked at her confused. "Her position?"
"Ugh, you really don't know how people work, do you?" Junko whined. "Mao was one of the most popular girls here. Emphasis on was."
Yui still didn't understand why Junko started to laugh.
"And popularity is important to you?" She asked.
Junko wore a smug look. "Of course it is."
"Seems rather pathetic if you ask me." Yui was by no means trying to be cocky. This was how she honestly felt. "Popularity will only get you so far in life. We are competitive in Japan, but there is only so much good looks and charisma can get you in life. It's petty really."
Junko raised her hand and struck Yui's cheek. The slap resounding against the lockers and all the way down the hall.
"What would somebody like you know?" Junko leered at her.
Comparatively, a slap to the face was nothing to the things Yui had endured over the past couple of weeks. Her cheek still stung, but she could bare it. She took a deep breath. If they were lesser demons, literally speaking, perhaps she could have fought back. As atrocious as they were, and she always figured that Ruka and Miyumi could be easily reeled in by someone such as Junko, using her powers were forbidden here. Not unless somebody knew how to erase their memories.
"I already see right past your little disguise. You try to act that you're better than everybody else by pretending to be some kind of anti-social freak. I can see past that! You get on my last nerves." Junko raised her hand again to slap Yui's other cheek.
Yui closed her eyes and waited for impact. When it never came, she cracked her eyelids open for just a peek. She expected it to be Kurama standing there, restraining Junko's wrist. Sadly, it wasn't him this time. Butterflies were fluttering madly in her stomach. Her cheeks turned beet red. There was a thump in her throat the size of fist.
"That's enough." Ryuunosuke was seething. His body was tense and rigid. The knuckles in his hand were turning white from holding Junko's wrist too tight.
"This has nothing to do with you! Let go!" Junko yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Not until you apologize."
Junko forced her wrist out of his grasp. Once out of range, she made a run for it. Ruka and Miyumi followed.
Yui swallowed hard and turned her gaze quickly to the floor. She didn't give Ryuunosuke a chance to speak to her. Turning away, Yui made haste to nearest exit. Her cheeks were burning now. It felt like the heat was slowly moving its way to her brain and seeping through. He called out to her. He looked at her student handbook that had her ID in it. She ran away as fast as she could. Once outside of the school grounds, she managed to lose him in the crowd near the bus stop. It didn't take her more than a few seconds to hop on board without even thinking and sit herself down in the nearest available seat. The ride to the temple was a slow and awkward one. Fellow passengers kept trying to ask her why face was so red. When she refused to give them an answer, they shook their heads at the rude response and ignored her for the rest of the ride. All she could think about was Ryuunosuke. He made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. The physiological reactions weren't something she was used to, perhaps she would never be used to. Sweaty, clammy palms, buckling knees, and a blush that went from her cheeks to the top of her chest were entirely unpleasant feelings to her. She didn't understand why people looked forward to feeling like this when they see someone off the streets or talk to someone they like. These symptoms weren't something that Yui could ignore. If she wanted to get rid of them, then there was only one thing for her to do.
Genkai was not happy with the results of her training today, to say the least. Yui was uncharacteristically distracted. Her head was up in the clouds when it was usually closer to the ground. No matter how soft the old woman kicked, the ice shields would break after a few short minutes. Yui's gaze was elsewhere, like she was daydreaming. But that couldn't be right? Yui, daydreaming? That was an oxymoron in and of itself. Yui, the studious, focused, and intelligent school girl, simply did not daydream. When would she have time to? Certainly not here, where she was supposed to be training and getting her powers under control and learning how to defend herself.
Genkai kicked away her shields again. Admittedly, she was at least proud that the girl had learned how to stay on her feet after an attack.
"Is there a problem?"
"Uh?" Yui stirred from her daydream.
"You're awfully distracted today. Any particular reason why?" Genkai growled, and then drug out another cigarette to smoke.
"I'm sorry. I've just been preoccupied with something."
"With what?"
Yui's cheeks turned bright red. "It's really embarrassing."
"Does it involve a boy?"
Yui swallowed hard. It frightened her that Genkai could read her so well. The old woman took a long drag from her cigarette before continuing.
"You do realize that you're, what, 15 years old. It's perfectly naturally for you to be a little boy crazy." Her eyes narrowed. "However, it's unnatural for you to have your head in the clouds. Do whatever it takes to get it out of your system, just get it out by next time."
"Next time? Are we done for the day?" Yui wanted more time to think things through. If she saw Mao, her sister would probably wander what happened with her and her former friends. By now, the rumor mill must be working overtime.
Genkai nodded. "That's it. I believe that there's food inside if you want any."
Yui returned to the temple, her mind slowly coming down from the atmosphere. She pried open the living room to find something short of banquet. Her brow arched, she looked around the room. Yusuke and Kuwabara were busy stuffing their faces while Mao seemed to be getting along with Botan very well.
"W-what is this?" Yui asked before entering the room.
"Dinner." Yusuke replied.
"I can see that, but why are you here?" She left the door open.
The smell of food was almost overwhelming. There was some meat like beef and pork, but most of it was rice, vegetables, and tofu. It was obvious who this meal was designed around.
"Free food and they will come," joked Botan.
Yui allowed herself to laugh. Still though, there was something oddly suspicious. Mao must have sensed her sister's uneasiness as she sat down. Mao filled up a plate of Yui's favorite things before she could even move towards any of the food herself. There was a pile of rice, steamed vegetables in teriyaki sauce, and stir fried mushrooms on her plate before Yui had any sense to stop her. There was so much food on her plate that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to eat it all. Mao smiled at her from ear to ear. There was no way Yui could refuse. She settled down to eat. At one end of the table, by Yusuke, there was another half-eaten plate. With the seating arrangement as it was, there was one person who she thought was sitting there. Panic started to settle in. The last thing she needed today would be to sit so close to Kurama.
There were footsteps coming from down the hall. Yui heard her heart beating a little faster. She hoped against hope that no one else could hear it.
"Yusuke, you eat like a pig, you know that?"
Yui could have sighed with relief. It wasn't him. Instead, a spunky brunette took the seat next to Yusuke. She was petite, but she seemed to be able to carry her own weight around. Yui saw in the corner of her eye how Yusuke slightly flinched at the sound of the girl's voice. The girl turned to Yui after she had her chopsticks in her mouth and some rice in the process of chewing.
"I'm sorry. We haven't met before! I'm Keiko."
Yui still wasn't used to be people, especially not ones were being nice. She finished chewing and shook Keiko's hand, slightly. Formalities out of the way, she quickly returned to eating. She watched Keiko out of the corner of her eye. She observed how she talked to Yusuke. It was clear that they had known each other for years and were both comfortable around each other. If she had to be honest with herself, she was jealous of Keiko. Yui had never been in a relationship with someone so intimately except for her family. She guarded herself very well against outsiders, against other people. Keiko had an ability that Yui only wished she had: to be able to talk to people without worrying. It was almost a magical ability all on its own. While everybody else was talking, eating, and generally enjoying themselves, Yui was left to her own devices. She ate and her mind wandered again.
She imagined what it would be like to talk to others so easily, confidently. Then, she imagined just walking up to a certain someone, a certain person with blue eyes not unlike her own. It was true what Kurama said. She and Ryuunosuke had similar auras. She felt...drawn to him. They seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces. Something inside her head clicked when she started to think about him. It was like he was the piece she had been missing. However, she was just fifteen years old. Who was she to talk about missing puzzle pieces and love?
"Hey, Yui?" Mao asked.
Her dreaming came crashing down to earth, breaking into a million pieces.
"Yes?"
"You do realize that you've been pretending to eat from an empty plate for the past ten minutes, right?" Mao pointed with her chopsticks despite the fact that it was considered rude.
Yui looked at her plate. Aside from a few scraps of broccoli and some rice, her plate was empty. Her blush deepened. She set it down in front of her and buried her face in her hands.
"Is there something wrong?" Asked Botan.
"You have been acting strange the last couple of days." Mao hoped that Yui would finally confess about her nightmares.
Everybody stopped eating and waited for Yui to respond. It was several minutes before she raised her head, cheeks fully flushed like two ripe apples and her lips quivering.
"How do you talk to boys?" Her eyes were wide and desperate.
Mao nearly dropped her chopsticks. That wasn't quite what she was expecting but at least she was getting to the bottom of something. But what?
"Excuse me?" Mao hoped that it didn't come off as rude.
Yui went silent again. Her hand moved to her mouth and her fingers to her lips. She pressed her thumb between her teeth and gnawed on her fingernail. Her brows furrowed. There were lines like wrinkles marring her clear forehead.
"T-there is someone that I..." Yui couldn't bring up the 'L-word.' Not in front of her sister. She quickly looked down at the table.
Mao nearly squealed with delight. Yusuke complained about busted eardrums, or something like that. He stuck his fingers in his ears while Mao continued to squeal like an overexcited fangirl. She hopped up from the pillow she was sitting on, ran around the table, and clasped her arms around her sister in a choking hug.
"I'm so happy for you! My sweet baby sister's got her first crush!" Mao gushed on and on until Yusuke interrupted her.
"Wait? I thought you guys were twins." He leaned on the table.
"We are, but Yui took an hour longer than I did to come out. Technically speaking, I'm the older sister." Mao replied.
"And Mom still complains that...
"It took two days to give birth." The twins completed the sentence in unison.
Mao wrapped her arms around Yui that much tighter. "Now you just have to get him to fall in love with you! It shouldn't be too difficult. We just have to work on your smile!"
"What's wrong with my smile?" Yui felt just a little bit insulted.
Mao unwrapped herself from her sister. "Nothing. It's just that..."
"You look grumpy most of the time." Yusuke said what Mao had almost said out loud.
"What?" Now Yui felt really insulted. "What do you mean I look grumpy?"
Yusuke popped a piece of beef into his mouth, and answered with his mouth full.
"I mean what I said. You look grumpy. How often do you even smile?"
Keiko punched him in the shoulder without saying a word.
"What'd I say?" He put aside his chopsticks to rub his now sore arm.
"My best bet is to be honest about your feelings. Say hello. Introduce yourself." Botan offered.
"That much is obvious. I'm not about to make myself a fool by trying be something I'm not. That won't be a problem seeing that I can barely act like myself around him." Yui slammed her head on the table. She folded up her arms so nobody could see her face.
"Well, what's he like?" Mao let go and scooted herself to Yui's side.
"Perfect."
Mao rolled her eyes. "What does he look like?"
"Like a prince."
"Does he have nice eyes?"
"I could drown in them."
"What about his hair?"
"Like silk."
Yui wasn't being remotely useful. Her vague answers left much to be desired. She could be talking about anybody at the school. She gave Mao zero details. This made the 'older' sister frustrated to no end while she was also very excited for her sister. Come to think of it, there had been no indication that she liked Kurama. In fact, there was never any kind of indication of Yui liking anyone until that point. Mrs. Kagami sort of assumed that Yui was asexual, that is not interested in a relationship with anyone. That's she had explained to Mao when they finally got home. Yui was busy taking a shower, so she couldn't have heard their conversation.
Meanwhile in the Spirit World
"Kurama is here to see you, sir." A blue-tinted ogre popped his head out between the double doors.
Koenma sighed. There was a massive pile of paper work on his desk already. Couldn't it wait? Whatever he wanted, he better make it quick.
"Send him in," the prince stamped his arrival on the new budget for the repairs needed for the dam on the River Styx.
The ogre disappeared behind the doors and Kurama stepped in. He walked quickly to the large desk as if he was in a hurry.
"What brings you here? If you're looking for ways to shorten your parole, you're out of luck. I don't have anything for you." Koenma hadn't even bothered to look at his visitor.
"Actually, I'm here for a different kind of favor."
"Oh, do you want to shorten Hiei's parole?" But that was already out of the question.
"No, that's not it. I was wondering if you could find out if someone was dead or alive with the records that you have."
How interesting. This somehow piqued Koenma's curiousity. Why would Kurama possibly need to know who was alive or dead? Koenma put his stamp and ink aside. The paper work was pushed away. He looked up and leaned across the desk, granted not very far. His tiny hands were folded up and rested on his desk.
"I trust that you have a specific person in mind, otherwise you're out of luck."
"Sort of. Do you think you can find information about a man named Izo?"
Koenma pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you know how many men are named Izo, both living and dead? You're going to be more specific than that."
"He's a dragon for one thing."
Koenma froze.
"He also from the Northern clan and disappeared nearly eight years ago. Is that specific enough for you?"
Koenma couldn't help but chuckle. "I see what this is about."
"You do?" A confused Kurama looked at the miniature prince of the underworld like he had grown a second head.
He nodded.
"You like her."
"Pardon?"
"You like Yui Kagami and you're trying to find her father for her. It's a noble sentiment, but don't you think that it would be nicer if she knew what you were doing. After all, it's not your father you're looking for. It's hers." There was a knowing glint in Koenma's eyes.
"I can assure that I treat like anyone else. I don't have romantic feelings for her."
"And yet you're performing an incredibly personal quest to find her father. Would you do the same of Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Hiei?"
"Well, yes." He hesitated answering first. He hoped that Koenma hadn't noticed.
Koenma did notice. He just chose not to point it out. He leaned into his chair as if deep in thought, thinking things over to himself. At long last, he sat up straight again.
"I'll see what I can do. There's bound to be some record of him somewhere. He's dragon, after all. He shouldn't be too hard to miss."
"Thank you, sir." Kurama bowed from the waist briefly and made a quick escape. Hiei was waiting on the other side of the door for him.
"That toddler is right, you have feelings for the girl." He spat.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kurama tried to play nonchalant, but Hiei was smart enough to not fall for a simple trick like that.
"I'm just thankful she's a dragon and not some human. Then I'm afraid I would have to cut off all communication with you."
"Keep talking like that and the universe might pay you back by giving you feelings for a human girl." Kurama joked.
"That's not even remotely amusing." Hiei purposely bumped his arm into Kurama's as he walked ahead of him.
After another long day at school, Mao made her way to Yui's locker. She was wearing a determined look on her face. It would have been more convincing if she wasn't blushing so hard. Her lips were drawn as a fine line and eyes narrowed, one would think that Yui was about to take on the world in a deadly battle when she was about to confess to a boy she liked. All's fair in love and war, suppose.
"I'm going to do it," said Yui before slamming shut her locker.
"Today!" Mao was shocked by Yui's determination, but then looked at her sister's shaking knees. "Um, maybe you should give it a day or two before doing something so rash."
Yui took a deep breath. "When Maurice Koechline and Emile Nouguier proposed designs for a monument to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution, what do you supposed other people called it?"
"Uh..."
"The Eiffel Tower criticized by both engineers and artists alike. They said that it couldn't be done. They said that engineering, industry, and art couldn't be combined into one piece of architectural history. And what is the Eiffel Tower today? It stands firmly as the cultural icon of the French people and a symbol of ingenuity, the illegitimate child of art and engineering. If these two men were cowards, then Paris wouldn't be what it is today. They were brave and rash to continue their work. Therefore, who am I to be a coward?" Her brave speech did little to keep her knees from knocking against one another.
"If you...say so?" Mao had come to learn that Yui had the interesting ability to make mountains out of mole hills, that is to exaggerate exceedingly.
Yui turned to her left. Her breathing grew louder.
"There he is." She swallowed. "I'm going to do it."
Mao turned in that same direction. Kurama finishing up his packing. She had no reason to believe that it was anybody else that got her sister in a tizzy. There was a little pinprick in her chest. She liked him too, but for her sister's sake she wouldn't stand in her way. If she liked him, Yui could go for it. Besides, she was human. They didn't have anything in common anyway. She patted Yui's shoulder.
"Good luck." She whispered near Yui's ear.
"Thank you," Yui grasped her hand around Mao's briefly and gathered up her courage.
Mao watched as Yui made her way down the hall, closing in on Kurama. Her heart was beating so quickly. She wanted to cheer Yui on, however on the other hand she wanted to cry. It like getting a paper cut, pouring lemon juice and salt all over it, before wrapping it up in a band aid. Yui needed this more than she did. Mao had other options. She could have anybody else. This was Yui's turn to have what she wanted.
"Good afternoon, Yui-chan." Shuichi watched as Yui walked past.
Mao was stunned for a minute or two. She couldn't believe her eyes. She wanted to run up to Yui and ask her why Kurama wasn't good enough, but she also wanted to feel relieved. She kept watching as Yui went right past Kurama and up to the new kid.
Yui brushed past Kurama without acknowledging his presense. There was something else on her mind. Ryuunosuke had just finished putting everything in his bag for the day. She noticed how the afternoon sun made his skin look so inviting. His blue eyes were distracted with what he was doing. Her legs were barely holding her up.
"R-r-ryuunosuke-kun?"
He turned his head and straightened himself up.
"Yui Kagami, right?"
She nodded, blushing.
"Sorry I rifled through your bag." He scratched the back of his head. "I wanted to know whose bag it was. I couldn't just leave it there for somebody else to go through and steal stuff."
"I-it's fine, really. T-t-thank you. I really appreciate it."
Ryuunosuke smiled awkwardly at the girl standing there with her eyes glued to the ground.
"Um, well, see you around I guess." He grabbed his bag and almost got away when Yui grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.
"I-I-I-I really like you. P-please go out with me!" Yui asked almost too loudly.
Some of the students turned their heads wondering what was going on. Yui was the quiet type, too quiet. She never raised her voice. With the students staring at her, it just made the situation a whole lot worse. She could feel their eyeballs watching the scene like vultures. Ryuunosuke made no move to pull her away. He didn't do or say anything at all, which was nerve-wracking. Her emotional and pyschological well-being may depend on his answer. However, the guy was taking far too long. He was taking his sweet time. Was he just processing this information or was he just messing with her? If he didn't give her an answer in the next ten seconds, Yui would bolt for the nearest exit.
Then Ryuunosuke slowly turned, and it was agonizing waiting for him to do so. The corners of his soft lips titled upwards. Yui panicked. This was all just a joke to him. He was going to humiliate her in front of all these people.
"Are you hungry? We can go out and maybe get a bite to eat together. Though you'll have to show me the way, I'm still very new here." Ryuunosuke's voice was soft and tender.
Yui felt her fingers slip away. Her hand felt like dead weight. Her ears must have been decieving her, right? He didn't just agree to go out with her. That must have been some fluke. She hit her head on something. A heavy object caused blunt force trauma to the skull. She was being brainwashed. That was it. He didn't really say any of that stuff. This was all an illusion.
"Are you okay?" Ryuunosuke looked scared and confused.
"Uh?"
"I asked you if you're okay?"
"W-why do you ask?"
"Because you've been staring off into space. Do you want to go grab something to eat now?"
"Oh," Yui blinked. "S-sure."
Kurama had been watching the scene since Yui had snubbed him. She was normally a polite person. That's what caught him off guard. He hadn't quite expected for that to happen. The two of them started walking off together. He couldn't help but feel that something was amiss, something was wrong. Mao came up beside him.
"I don't like him." Mao looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowed.
"What makes you say that?" He sounded absent-minded, and that wasn't like him. He seemed distracted.
"I don't know. I just know that there's something funny about him. I don't like him. I don't like him at all."