Chapter 12: Come Again?

Genkai's temple astounded May as they walked up the wearying steps. May only fell slightly behind the formidable woman but she suspected it was more because Genkai had slowed down as well for her sake. When they passed under the archway May felt more at peace than she had since before the attack by Haruka. It felt safe.

After helping her settle into a room with a window that opened to a view of a waterfall, Genkai left May to herself telling her to rest while she made their evening meal. When the younger woman protested Genkai looked at her with a small smile. "There will be plenty of meals that you will help me to prepare in the future, child. But for now you need rest." May had nodded before Genkai shut the door and she walked over to the window resting her arms on it and leaning her face out a little. The summer wind whisked across the face of the waterfall, cooling slightly before it met her face and refreshed her after their trudge up the stairs.

Running a hand through her dark curls she moved slowly over to the bed and collapsed upon it, soaking in the Western-style luxury of a king sized bed. Her thoughts were unfocused. The majority of them simply brushing upon the smells, sensations and sounds that this new place afforded her senses. It dawned on her slowly that there was still a lingering fragrance of roses and pulling her hair across her face, she discovered her body was covered in it.

Kurama's face flashed against her eyelids forcing her eyes to snap open as she looked at the wooden grain of the ceiling. She hadn't given herself enough time to read his expression when she bid him farewell before leaving with Genkai. But the vividness of the emerald green burned into her memory…

Sitting up suddenly she opened the door that Genkai had said led to May's own personal bathroom and she fluttered her eyes in surprise to find it to be quite spacious for a single person bathroom with a shower like space and an old clawed-foot tub. She wondered briefly how long she had before Genkai came to call her for dinner but made her mind up in a split-moment that she would rather have a cold dinner than let the scent of roses, the scent of his memory to cling to her skin a moment more.

She was sure that she spent a good half hour or so in the shower, scrubbing determinedly at her skin and then working the vanilla scented shampoo into every inch of her hair before rinsing it and attacking it with a pomegranate conditioner which she had left in for 5 whole minutes for good measure.

It had worked, however, and as she dug through her clothes she whistled until she realized that all her clothes smelled of roses. She growled in frustration stomping away from her clothes and pulled an aggravated hand through her wet hair. She heard a slightly hesitant knock at the door and she looked up startled.

"Who is it…?" she asked uncertain as to whether anyone but Genkai lived there.

"Um, may I come in?" a timid voice asked and seeing as it was feminine May gave the affirmative and the door opened slightly to reveal a mint haired young woman with brilliant crimson eyes. She wore a kimono and walked like a rich heiress.

"Hello, May. My name is Yukina," she said softly only seeming slightly surprised to see her new acquaintance dressed in naught but her towel. The crimson eyes flickered to the bag of clothes that had been tossed about then back up to May. "You seem frustrated," she said straight-forwardly.

May choked on a laugh before rubbing her face with a hand bringing it to rest on her cheek as she looked at Yukina. "In my haste to take a shower, I forgot that all my clothes... are dirty," she said, changing her words halfway through not wanting to admit that they weren't dirty at all but merely smelled like a certain attractive demon.

"Oh," Yukina responded with a soft laugh before walking to the closet and sliding the door open. "When Genkai told me you would be coming, I prepared a gift of welcome," she said, pulling out a hanger upon which was draped a yukata. "The material is quite light, I'm afraid, but seeing as there will only be women here for the evening, I think it should suffice until we can wash your usual clothes," she said lightly, laying the yukata on the bed before bending down to grab the bag of clothes.

"Wait, you don't have to do that!" May said reaching out for the bag but those strangely familiar crimson eyes locked on her and with what she gathered was probably very unlike the young woman, Yukina sternly told her to get dressed.

"Genkai is expecting you downstairs in just a few minutes so the two of you can talk and eat. I have already eaten and so need something to do anyway," she said. Although it was stern, she was so soft spoken that May just couldn't argue. The stern expression vanished replaced by a warm smile and a farewell as May was left to get ready.

It didn't take long for May to get dressed and as she walked down the stairs, she braided her hair into a single long plait, the already drying curls holding it together at the end without a tie. The temple was huge and she thought how lonely it must be for Genkai to live alone—even if Yukina lived with her all the time. It seemed like a lot of empty space.

"Child, dinner is in here," she heard from her left and turning she saw through an entryway that Genkai was setting a bowl down on a low table. Her bare feet padding along the wood floor, May entered the smaller room. It had a window facing the same direction her bedroom window had and it was wide open to let in the summer winds with the refreshing mist from the waterfall.

"It seems strange to feel summer when I know it is winter in the human world," May remarked suddenly as she sat opposite of Genkai.

"Yes," the older woman said as she looked to her left out another window that faced the setting sun, "Though in this particular region it never gets cold enough to snow which suits me just fine. Yukina, however, must return to her homeland often or the heat gets to her," she finished bowing briefly over her food and starting to eat.

May's eyebrows shot up a little before furrowing and she picked silently at her food for a moment, thinking on Yukina's appearance. Mint green hair and crimson eyes...

"She is a demon is she not?" May asked not looking up from the food.

"Yes. She is an ice apparition to be specific," Genkai informed before they settled into silence once more. May allowed the silence to persist until they had both finished eating and pushing her plate to the side she folded her hands on the table and looked up at the older woman.

"You are not a demon...?" May prompted as Genkai looked up at her.

"No. I am human just like that brat Yusuke and your own cousins," Genkai said but this caused something to pulse within her heart.

"And like me," she said but her voice quavered and Genkai sighed through her nose before looking out at the setting sun.

"We are not exactly sure what you are, child. You look quite human and nothing about you feels like a demon. But according to Koenma's files, you should not exist—or at least you should have been dead years ago," Genkai said, her voice graveled from age but it was striving to be gentle.


Casidhe here! You should all thank foxchick1 for digging me from my hole and asking so kindly for me to continue through a PM. I apologize for being so out of it lately... it has been a rough couple of months on this end. I am already working on the next chapter of this story, however. I just felt that this would be a good place to stop to reassure foxchick1 that I would indeed post for her.

I will commence real shout-outs once more in the next chapter.

CB