"Yusuke!" Botan hollered at the top of her lungs as she descended towards the ground.
Yusuke and Kuwabara looked up. They were trying to make their way to the arcade, but by the looks of it there was a change of plans.
"You people always know when I'm about to enjoy myself, don't you?"Said Yusuke snidely just as Botan touched down and hid her magic oar in thin air.
"This is kind of emergency, Yusuke. The tracking department is in a tizzy and Lord Koenma is prepared to have a mental breakdown."
"As opposed to every other time?" Yusuke folded his arms across his chest, pouting.
"This is serious! We're talking about unregistered dragons in the area!"
"So Mao...was right?" Asked Kuwabara.
Botan slightly nodded. "Yes, but that's not the point. There are three known dragons in the area: Yui, Ryuunosuke, and his mother. But there's a fourth lingering outside the city and it's making Lord Koenma nervous."
"Can't he just tell him to, I don't know, move or whatever?" Yusuke's patience was running thin.
"It's not as simple as that." Botan sighed.
"What do ya mean?"
Shaking her head nervously, "Lord Koenma is blocked by too many laws and prohibitions. Dragons have proved to be such great allies to the Spirit World that they are protected. It's easier for them to travel between worlds and their affairs are left alone. Even if Lord Koenma had the means, there is no way he could interfere with one of them, even if it threatened a human city."
"Are you kidding? A bunch of overgrown lizards get to do whatever they want and you can't get them to leave, but you want to send me out? What ifI get eaten? Whatcha gonna do then?"
The air went cold like a gust of wind from the north blew all the way there just to give him and his friends a chill down their spines.
"Just who are you calling an overgrown lizard?" Came a voice like winter wind.
Yusuke and Kuwabara whipped around and Botan got behind Yusuke, looking past his shoulder. Ryuunosuke was still in his school uniform, but was still completely out of place. His disheveled white hair drew attention in the worst of ways. He looked like a punk or the kind of guy you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. His striking silver-blue eyes seemed to blaze like embers yet were ice cold. The air around him swirled with a freezing kind of energy. It surrounded him like a shield. Ryuunosuke glared at Yusuke head on, not caring what he might do such as pull out his spirit gun and fire point blank.
"So, we finally meet in person?" Yusuke lowered his arms to his sides. He didn't know if he had to fight this guy but couldn't let down his guard either. Admittedly, he was kind of torn. He knew Yui really liked the guy for some reason and didn't want to think what she might do if he laid a hand on Ryuunosuke. He'd seen her mother and what Yui could do as well if the circumstances were just right.
"If you wanted an introduction, you have have asked. Instead of, you know, pricking my hand with a needle," Ryuunosuke opened his palm to show the near invisible pinprick left in the middle of his hand.
Botan nervously cowered behind Yusuke, ducking behind him and using the boy as a meat shield.
"You really are a demon, uh?" Said Kuwabara.
Ryuunosuke groaned. Rubbing his temple, he shook his head as if he was highly disappointed.
"If this is the best Spirit World has to offer, I think they should really reconsider their recruitment strategies."
"You're incredibly unpleasant when Yui isn't around," Botan remarked earning a sharp glare from Ryuunosuke.
"Those of us from the Northern clan are raised to be this way. If you're weak or sickly, you're left out in the wilderness to be eaten by dire wolves. We have snow for blood and ice for bones. We seem cruel because the environment in which we live in does not allow the weak to survive very long."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Ryuunosuke's eyes narrowed into slits, pupils cut like a reptile's. If looks could kill, Yusuke would be a frozen statue by now. "That is none of your business, human."
The three of them exchanged looks. Maybe Mao was on to something.
"I was on my way home after walking Yui to the bus stop. Tell me, what does she do at this Genkai's place, anyway?" Ryuunosuke asked.
"Why do you care?"
"I believe I asked the question. You can answer or I can freeze you where you stand." Ryuunosuke warned.
"Fine then, she goes up there to learn how to control her powers," Yusuke answered.
"Yusuke," Botan cried in disbelief. "You can't just give out information like that!"
Ryuunosuke looked mildly confused. "'Control her powers? How can that be? She's almost sixteen, isn't she? Shouldn't she have proper control already?"
Yusuke paused before speaking. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
Botan got out from behind Yusuke and punched him hard in the gut. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face.
"You idiot! You can't give out any more information than that! What if he uses it for some nefarious purpose," Botan hissed.
"I can hear you, you know." Ryuunosuke chimed in.
Botan whipped around to find the icy young man not amused by her antics. His hand ruffled through his hair before he put it behind his pale ear. It was slightly pointed but well-hidden under his hair.
"We dragons have very good hearing. Trying to whisper in front of me really is pointless."
Nervously, Botan stepped to the side. Yusuke was moaning and complaining about his gut. He didn't know that she could punch so hard. Admittedly, he hated being seen like this, especially in front of this guy. Ryuunosuke was not what he pretended to be. This little encounter was proof of that. Underneath the physical pain, Yusuke felt something tingling in his gut when he looked at the guy. Ryuunosuke had this look about him that he meant business. He was a nasty dude. He was mean as he was cold. That fierce yet freezing cold look could give Hiei a run for his money. It was almost scary how he could be so cold.
"You're telling me that Yui...can't control her powers?" Ryuunosuke's face changed slightly. Now, he appeared to be contemplating something.
None of them said a word. When they didn't give him an answer, Ryuunosuke interpreted their silence as a positive answer.
"And she asked an old human woman to train her," he ground his teeth. "Mi'lord would not like to hear that."
"Who's Mi'lord?" Asked Yusuke.
"King of the North, head of the clan." Ryuunosuke answered quickly. They were certain that he hadn't meant to say his previous remark out loud. He stroked his chin as if he was searching for answers in his dimples.
Saying not another word, Ryuunosuke brushed past them. Not so much brush past them but walk right by them as if they were nothing but air. Yusuke, healed from Botan's sudden assault, turned on his heels and started running after him.
"Don't you walk away from me! I've still got questions for you!"
Somehow Ryuunosuke was able to disappear in the crowd, even looking as odd as he did in his school uniform. Yusuke lost track of him in the busy streets. The boy vanished and left no trace. Kuwabara and Botan caught up with him. They stood on a street corner and scanned the crowds. Ryuunosuke must have found a way to turn into wind or become invisible. They couldn't find catch even a glimpse of his white hair. It should have been easy though. Their search was to no avail.
"Mao isn't going to let us live this down," Botan sighed.
"Could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you correctly." They found Mao on her way on home. She let them inside, served drinks, and waited for her request to be answered. She looked thoroughly satisfied and quite smug.
"I said you were right!" An exasperated Yusuke said loudly enough for the neighbors to hear.
"Say it again!"
"You were right!"
"One more time, please. I really want to rub it in your face!"
Yusuke refused, crossed his arms, and sat in his chair with the most horrible posture he could come up with. He slouched in his chair at the dining table, mumbling under his breath.
"Ryuunosuke is as bad as I figured him out to be! And they say only Yui's the smart," Mao gloated with a dark chuckle.
"He didn't say it in so many words, but he is up to something. Probably him and his mother." Botan stated. "We also have another dragon outside the city. It seems that there's no end of potential crises."
Mao took a swig of water. "What does that have to do with anything? If we leave it alone, maybe it'll go away."
"Dragons are extremely territorial, Mao. Lord Koenma's worried that if the dragon stays for very long, it'll try to claim the city as its own and Yui will be caught in a fight for it." Botan explained at the same time trying to keep calm. Dragons were notorious for leveling cities just to stake their claim on land, even if that meant destroying the very thing they were fighting for. Koenma had every right to be nervous.
"Yui isn't going to get into a fight over something so stupid. She's not petty at all." Mao stated as a matter of fact. "Plus, she doesn't have a violent bone in her body."
"Even so, she's still a dragon. Her very nature won't allow an outsider interfere. And as I was telling Yusuke and Kuwabara earlier, there isn't anything Lord Koenma can do about it. He doesn't have the power and authority to simply move the dragon elsewhere."
"Some prince of the underworld he is," Mao grumbled before taking another sip from her glass. "So do we just sit here and wait for something to happen or does he have an actual plan?"
"Well," Botan's hand ruffled through her hair nervously and stopped at the back of her head. "Unfortunately, no. The best bet we have is to find the demon and find out what it wants. We may have to bring Yui along."
"You want to put my sister in even more danger?" Mao slammed her hand against the table.
Botan jumped in her seat, waving her hands defensively. "We don't really have much of a choice. Yusuke's not strong enough to go against a dragon and the situation is technically outside of his jurisdiction. If it was an ordinary demon, Lord Koenma would send him right over there. However, that is not the situation. There are two things one needs to know about dragons: one, they don't take orders or listen to anyone. Two, don't meddle in the affairs of dragons."
"Because you're crunchy and taste good with wasabi," Yusuke quipped.
"Are you feeling better?" Mao asked her sister as they put on their shoes to go home after another day at school.
"Much better, actually." She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself from doing so.
Mao saw how she hesitated. "Is something the matter?"
Yui closed the locker door, locked it, and slowly turned to her sister.
"Do you not like Ryuu-kun?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Because the other day you seemed upset."
"Now why would I be upset?" Mao sneered at the thought of Ryuunosuke having his hands on her sister.
"Mao," Yui didn't sound as mad as she seemed. "I know that you want to protect me. After what happened, I am in the same shoes as you. I want to protect you too, but Ryuunosuke is not out to hurt me. He's the best thing that has happened to me. He understands me in a way...you never could."
"How so? Shouldn't your own sister, your twin sister know you better than anyone else?" Mao's fists tightened at her sides.
Yui gave her a cold, sharp look. "With all due respect, Mao, we haven't properly spoken to each other in almost eight years. If it wasn't for that incident, we probably would have kept going as we were. Ryuu-kun is just like me. He's...he's..."
"A demon." Mao finished for her.
A gasp left Yui with shock quickly sinking in. Would Mao tell their mother about Ryuunosuke?
"I was doing some research on him, and he doesn't make it hard to put two and two together."
"What do you mean you were doing research on him? Have you been spying on us?" Yui could barely look at her sister. To think that Mao had so little trust.
"I don't trust him. There are some things that you need to know about him."
"Like what! Tell me what you know. There isn't anything that he's been hiding from me!" Yui shouted.
Mao looked around. They were starting to pick onlookers.
"Yui, keep your voice down. You'll attract attention."
"No, I won't."
Yui's brave new voice startled Mao. Her cheeks were flaring. She was shaking all over. There was an unknown emotion behind her crystal blue eyes Mao had never seen there before.
"I want you to tell me exactly what you know about Ryuu-kun. I want you to tell me why I should not be with him when he has done nothing wrong. Tell me why I can't be happy!"
"It's not that I want you to be unhappy, I don't trust..."
"Don't trust who, Mao? Me or Ryuunosuke?"
"Who do you think!"
The sisters glared at each other. A small gathering came to watch the show, not that either of them noticed.
"Not once have I questioned your judgment but the second I start to feel something towards a person, you jump to the conclusion that he's no good for me. Why can't you trust me?"
"I do trust you. It's him that I'm worried about!"
"Why's that? Why is he any different from anyone else here?"
"Just trust me when I say that he's a lying snake and you should stay away from him. You're just going to end up being hurt."
"What's your proof? What is he planning? Have you been spying on him when my back is turned?"
Kurama had over heard the shouting from down the hall. Yui and Mao certainly knew how to draw a crowd. This was the second time they decided to pick a fight in the middle of the hallway. Students were circling around like vultures waiting for first blood. What was about two girls fighting that grew a crowd like nothing else? They didn't even have to be drawing blood. If two girls were screaming down each others throats, then rest assured there would be people standing around to watch. He had told himself time again that he would interfere as little as possible in their lives. Yui was seeing someone and Mao needed to learn to grow up on her own. On the other hand, they were causing a great deal of fuss. The chances that it could escalate were slowly rising. Kurama made his way over there and pushed his way through the body of students.
Mao and Yui were standing at least a foot apart. School bags were on the ground. They were both shaking with anger and glaring at each other. They had been getting along so well.
"Why don't you ask Yusuke about it? He, Kuwabara, and Botan can verify with my that Ryuunosuke is just a lying little piece of shit! I'm trying to protect you from him but you're being so damn stubborn!"
"So you were spying on him!" Yui accused.
"No, I wasn't! He just so happened to sneak up on us!"
"A likely story," Yui scoffed.
"Go and ask any of them. They'll tell you that he's..."
SLAP
A collective gasp left the mouths of the students. Funny how nobody did the same when Mao hit her sister a while back. Some girls clasped their hands over their mouths. The male students were torn between excitement and worry. However, all were generally confused. Yui Kagami was everybody's favorite punching bag. She put up little resistance and made it so easy to bully her, especially for the girls. Too quiet, too anti-social, too weird to be taken seriously. There were rumors that she was Mao's half sister or cousin. They were too different to be so closely related. Never once had anybody imagine Yui Kagami raising a hand against anyone, let along her sister. But she did it. Her palm was red as Mao's cheek. The other girl looked just as shocked as some of the members in the crowd. Her eyes were torn wide open. Yui seemed to be in disbelief as well. She was shaking more violently than before and breathing hard. Even her breath was shaking.
"No." Her tone was terrifyingly cold and harsh. "Not another word. I don't want you to say another word about Ryuunosuke. You...have no idea what's it like to be me. You're the pretty one. You're the one with friends. You can make friends without even trying. You have guys who like you, and for the longest time I would have never been remotely close to having any of that. Ryuunosuke has helped with that. He doesn't make me feel isolated like I have been for the past eight years. He makes me feel special, like I have nothing to be afraid of."
Yui was speaking with such passion that Mao was forced to take notice. She slowly turned towards her sister. There was an air swirling around Yui. Something was changing within her. She exuded this energy that came out of nowhere.
"With Ryuunosuke," Yui began again. "I have nothing to fear. I don't have to be afraid anymore."
"Afraid of what?" Mao couldn't stop herself from asking. Butterflies were fluttering around so much in her stomach, causing her to feel lightheaded. A chill ran up her spine. Goosebumps crawled over her skin. The feeling got worse when Yui's frown slowly rose and became a smile.
What are you going to do? Mao wonder nervously. She looked at the crowd around them, finally noticing that they were being closely watched. Yui wouldn't reveal herself in front of all these people, would she? No, that couldn't be it. She wasn't stupid.
"Of the opinions of others." Her hand reached for the edge of her wig.
Mao seized her arm before she could pull it off.
"What are you doing?" She could barely keep her hold on her sister. Yui was quietly resisting with a power Mao didn't know she had.
"I've been dreaming this entire time, hoping that one day that I'll wake up and be some place better."
"Yui, what are you saying?"
"Is this wise?" Kurama suddenly spoke up.
Yui turned her head slightly towards him. His face was drawn with worry. His eyes seemed to hold more than just a glimmer of concern.
"I've woken up from that dream. Something has changed within me. Something isn't the same as before. It is too late to go back to sleep." She said calmly and then turned to Mao again. "Let go."
"Y-Yui."
Yui eased Mao's hand away from her. She gently pushed her sister away. Her pale hand reached once more for the edge of the wig. Her fingers grasped it. She was shaking. Closing her eyes, Yui took a deep breath and released it slowly. She tightened her grasp. At an achingly drawn-out pace, she curled her fingers and pulled the wig off in front of everyone. When it came off along with the wig cap, her shoulders suddenly felt so much lighter. Her white hair tumbled out and spilled down her back. The wig and cap were discarded, abandoned on the floor. Her hands rifled through her hair, pulling out pins that kept it so neatly bound up. These too were left on the floor for somebody else to pick up.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay from now on." She picked up her bag and sauntered away like nothing happened, snow white hair trailing behind her.
Yui rounded a corner once she was out of sight. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a trashcan and the threatening lurch in her stomach increased in strength. She ran for it, dropped her bag, and ducked her head inside. After dry heaving for a couple of minutes, eventually she could no longer keep her lunch inside. Her lurches and groans echoed a little as she emptied the contents of her stomach. When she finally raised her head again, Yui felt lightheaded and stumbled back slightly. Lucky for her, someone was there to catch her when she fell.
"Yui, your hair?" Ryuunosuke looked at her with bewildered eyes.
Immediately, heat rushed to her cheeks. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins. Running fingers through her hair, Yui couldn't get herself together enough to look at him in the eyes. Her eyes were drawn to her shoes. She could not look at him. Not with the fluttering butterflies threatening to overrun her her digestive system.
"It...it's because of you that I-I did this. You have no shame, and I mean that in the best possible way, Ryuu-kun. I, I mean you didn't bother to care about what other people would say about you. You've given me courage to do something I'd never thought I could. I, I took it off in front of everybody. I don't, I don't want to be afraid anymore!"
"Yui," he pulled her into a tight embrace, nestling her nose against her white throat, "You shouldn't put so much confidence in me."
"Why not? You're, you're the best thing that's happened in my life. You've given me courage to do something I never thought I could before."
Slowly, she raised her arms from her sides and wrapped them around Ryuunosuke. Yui held her close to her, blushing as his hard chest met with her soft one. First time, she was curious what he looked like without a shirt. The sudden heat that came with such a naughty thought made her head so light, her vision faded into white lights. Her eyelids closed and she allowed herself to fall into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was Ryuunosuke calling out to her.
The boy nervously looked around him . Here he was with an unconscious girl in his arms. What was he supposed to do now? If anyone saw them like this, he was a dead man!
"What on earth is going on here?" He turned around with Yui slumped in his arms to find Kurama staring at him.
"Look, I can explain," Ryuunosuke started but didn't know why he should have to explain anything to him.
"Did the heat go straight to her head again?" Kurama walked down the hall to meet them. When he finally got there, he placed his hand on Yui's forehead. "I see that is the case. Whatever did you to her?"
There was so much venom in his voice that Ryuunosuke had to resist with all of his might not to shiver or cower before him.
"I don't know what got into her. She just fainted!"
"I see." Kurama said rather coldly.
"I didn't do anything if that's what you're asking." Ryuunosuke returned. His mood turned foul in the other man's presence. He sensed something off with this guy. Something just didn't feel right. It felt like there was a power much stronger than he coming off of the one they called Shuichi Minamino.
"She tends to do that sometimes. She's easily flustered."
"How would you know?" Ryuunosuke growled. He had trouble keeping his fangs, which were aching to tear into Minamino's throat, out of sight.
"I've known her longer than you have. I know her habits, her personality, the small things that make up her person. She's a very modest person, extremely so. I believe that you were her first kiss so even if you just hold her close like that for an extended period of time, I think the results would be the same." There was an edge of smugness in his voice, like he knew something more.
Ryuunosuke couldn't help but tighten his fingers around Yui. "And what does that mean?"
"If you're thinking that we've done something inappropriate, you are mistaken. I would never take advantage of Yui like that. And the same should go for you."
Ryuunosuke cradled Yui his arms and easily stood up. She was light as feather. Her extra weight didn't bother him at all.
"Are you implying something, Minamino?"
"That is for you to decide. I will not have you hurt her in any way. I respect her far too much to have you ruin her. She has been through a lot of pain already. I don't want to see any more scars marring her body or spirit. Do you understand?"
Ryuunosuke couldn't suppress a hiss and showing off his fangs. His pupils were slit down the middle like snake eyes.
"I don't care if you're the king of the underworld, you should learn how you speak to me. I could rip out your throat for talking to me like that!" He hissed.
Kurama remained as calm and collected as always. Ryuunosuke had let his emotions get the better of him. His true form was showing. The air about them certainly got coldly as the boy released his energy into the atmosphere as if claiming his territory. He was only following what his instincts were telling him to do, protect what was his. Kurama had heard many vicious stories of the dangers of even just tiptoeing around a dragon's property or territory. They liked to assert their dominance in displays of outbursts of raw energy. Half the time they didn't fight or have a need to when they let their powerful auras do the fighting for them. Ryuunosuke was simply staking his claim. However, Kurama took offense to this. Yui, he knew, wouldn't appreciate being called a piece of property. Meek and mild as she was, she also possessed her mother's dominant spirit at times and wouldn't allow herself to be spoken of like she was something to be owned rather than respected.
Normally, he wouldn't blow his cover so easily. For Yui's sake, Kurama would make an exception. He let down some of his barriers, only releasing a tiny portion of his energy. Just the smallest fraction of his own spirit energy was enough to make Ryuunosuke notice that he was not in the presence of a normal human being. Or a human being at all.
"What the..." Ryuunosuke was utterly flabbergasted. He hadn't expected that.
"Surprised? You should be. I've spent the last fifteen years perfecting ways to keep my spiritual energy tucked away and difficult to be traced, even by the Spirit World. It's good to know that my efforts have not been wasted." He chuckled.
"Who are you?" Ryuunosuke glared with reptilian eyes burning like little embers.
Kurama took a moment before speaking. "You don't seem like you are very old. I've heard that dragons from the time their born until their adolescence they age as humans, which is why they're fairly easy to catch. It wouldn't surprise me if you actually were fifteen years old."
Ryuunosuke ground his teeth. How could he possibly know that?
"Have you heard your parents talk about a white fox in the Makai? He's a rather famous thief that made a name for himself in just a few hundred years. He suddenly vanished over a decade ago. I wonder where he went."
Kurama watched as Ryuunosuke's eyes lit up. His pupils returned to normal. He looked defeated the moment realization hit him. Kurama made sure to savor the look on Ryuunosuke's face for future reference. He stood there like a useless bump on a log while he brushed right past him. Kurama placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it firmly, almost painfully. Ryuunosuke winched just a little.
"If you dare to hurt her, I will be the one to make you regret it. I consider her to be a very good friend of mine and would hate to see anything or anyone hurt her again. If I were you, I would pay very close attention to what I'm saying to you now. You hurt her, I'll hurt you. Break her, and I will scatter your bones into the four winds. Understand?" Kurama's words might as well have been uttered by another dragon from the North.
Ryuunosuke nodded his head slowly. He had been biting his tongue, now bleeding thanks to his exposed fangs. He didn't bother to look at Kurama as he walked away. His footsteps were almost in time with Ryuunosuke's pounding heartbeat.
Yui hummed. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open.
"R-Ryuu-kun?" She touched his face. "Is something wrong? You look scared."
He shook himself and put on a brave smile. "I was just worried for you. That's all. I'll take you home."