Chapter fourteen! Holy crap, Kittens! You're all perfect! Seriously, I love you guys! Than you so much!
Disclaimer: I don't own YYH! Quit making me do this! It's painful, DAMNIT.
-Galaxy-
I sighed, smoke lazily swirling through the air. I glanced down at the can of beer in my hand, a frown tugging my lips downward. Was Kazuma ready? For the Saint Beats? I hoped he would at least be alright. Yusuke had been gone for around six months, so it was almost time.
"Let me tell you what I wish I'd known,
When I was young and dreamed of glory.
You have no control.
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story." I had to admit, it was nice. In this life, I could sing. Before? I sounded like some form of dying creature.
"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?" I sat up straighter, and ignored the slight buzz going through my body.
"But when you're gone,
Who remembers your name,
Who keeps your flame,
Who tells your story?" I had liked that play, back then. It had been a good story. It had proved that everyone had their faults.
"And when my time is up,
Have I done enough?
Will they tell our story?" I closed my eyes, then flipped back onto the grass. I groaned low in my throat. I hated everything. My anxiety had soared through the roof, and that wasn't something that I could fight. Not with my normal methods, at least.
"You have a lovely voice, Reina." I jerked myself back into a sitting position.
"For fucks sake, Shuichi! Make a little noise!" I glared. He smiled, infuriatingly calm.
"I heard someone singing, and came to find the owner of the voice. To my surprise, it was yours" I snorted. He gracefully sat himself at my side, snagging a can of beer.
"You look troubled." He told me, popping the tab.
"I have a bad feeling." I answered his unspoken question.
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
"I hope it isn't too serious."
"...Yeah, me too."
-galaxy-
I opened my hand, and stared down at the smashed creature on my palm. A spirit world insect?
"So, its started?" I asked the morning air. I watched it dissolve into particles, then sighed. I glanced around the area, seeing more of the flying creatures fluttering about.
"New occupation: Exterminator, start. Let's see how good I am." I spoke to myself.
I stretched, then lurched off. Reaching into my pockets, I dialed Shuichi's number. As the bugs had only just appeared, I was hoping he'd be home. I shoved the phone back into my pocket when I got a dial-tone.
No luck, it seemed.
-galaxy-
"How many of these things are there?" I growled. I had been running around the city all day, and the damn things only seemed to multiply. I cursed, and took a left, not really paying much attention. Another one of those bastards was attacking. Luckily, a punch would knock them out.
My fist struck, and the controlled man landed on the cement. I stomped on the insect that crawled out of its ear. With that done, I turned to give the girl I had helped the same advice that I had given the others.
"You should go home and lock the doors. If you live with someone, make sure that they aren't affected." I said, body on autopilot as I searched out the next biggest grouping of insects using my awareness.
"Rei!" A familiar voice.
"Master Reina!" Hello, Kazuma.
"You?" Yusuke.
"Alpha." The tiny fire demon. I blinked and turned my head. My eyebrows rose when I saw the woman I had helped. Botan, my fellow blue-haired lady.
"Er, hey. Why are you all in a mirror?" I asked.
"No time to explain." My favorite fox said.
"Reina, Botan, the woman with you, is an agent of Spirit World. While she's been doing well, can I ask you to watch over her? If nothing else, your presence should deter any demons that want to take advantage of the situation." He said in a rush.
"Sure. I've just been searching out the hordes and attacking those. What the hell is causing this?" I answered.
"Four very bad demons that want to enter the Human World." He said. I saw Botan asses me from the corner of her eye.
"Can I trust her?" Botan asked him.
"She's an Alpha of the city. She's also pack. I wish she were with us, honestly. This would go a lot smoother with her skills. We have to go, there's still two more that we need to fight. Be safe." With that, he closed the mirror. Botan turned to me.
"Botan, Pilot of the River Styx! A pleasure to meet you!" She chirped. I gave an easy grin in response.
"Well met. I'm Reina, spiritualist. Let's go, I sense a large amount of the insects being drawn to one location." She nodded her head, face serious.
"Right!"
-galaxy-
I decked another possessed teacher, twitching when Keiko screamed.
"That was- that was a teacher." She whimpered.
"Yep." I agreed, grabbing her wrist and tugging her down the hallway.
"You have a nasty right hook, Reina!" Boton smiled, running along beside us.
"Damn straight." I pulled Keiko around the corner.
-galaxy-
I growled, more than irritated. The possessed bastards had figured out that I was the biggest threat. Once that thought had hit them, they had sent several groups after me. A student with a pocket knife lunged at me, and I slugged him. The boy sailed several feet away, his nose steadily dripping blood.
"I don't have time for you!" I growled, then smirked nastily when several of them stumbled backwards. I heard one of them whisper the word 'alpha' in awe, and knew that the bugs were somewhat intelligent.
"This is my territory." I warned.
"And you are trespassing." I gave a toothy smile, then lunged.
-galaxy-
I ducked a broken broom and sent the man sailing. I couldn't sense Keiko, she had too little spirit energy, but I could sense Boton. I smiled when I caught sight of the two, then brought my knee up into another mans stomach. He collapsed against a locker, and I heard Keiko scream something. I didn't think, instead, I jumped. My foot planted itself in the face of one of her attackers, and he crumpled.
"Reina-san?" The girl whimpered. I stood to my full height, and cracked my knuckles.
"Sorry I'm late, I got a bit caught up." I explained to her. I readied myself to take on this group, but it turned out that it wasn't necessary. I blinked when they all collapsed.
"Well, that was anticlimactic." Boton agreed with me as she stepped out of a hallway.
"So, what do we do now?" I asked her, tugging my water bottle out of my bag. After taking a few good swigs, I handed it to Keiko. She smiled shakily at me, but took it.
"Now, we get her out of here." Boston answered.
"Easy." I scoffed, lifting the girl into my arms. Her squeak was ignored as I started toward the stairs.
-galaxy-
"Reina." I jumped at the sound of my name, spinning around with my fist at the ready.
"Damnit, Shuichi!" I snapped at him, relaxing.
"Are you injured?" He asked me.
"Nope. A few possessed humans isn't enough to hurt me." I shrugged. He smiled.
"I'm glad. Sorry for roping you into that." I waved him off, turning back to the pizza I was making.
"It's no problem, Shuichi. Like I said, I was just going toward the biggest hordes. With how many were after girly? I would have wound up there anyway." I piled cheese onto the sauce, then started adding the toppings.
"Can I eat with you? It's rather rare that you cook." I smiled.
"No problem, Foxy. My food is your food, and yours is mine." He laughed lightly.
-galaxy-
I hiked up the stairs, frowning. Genkai had summoned me, and I had an inkling of why. Sighing, I opened the door to the shrine, not bothering to knock.
"Reina." The woman spoke. Wordlessly, I settled in on the seat across from her.
"Lady Genkai." I bowed, taking the offered cup of tea.
"I'm still going to the tournament, but not as a contender. That falls to you." Maybe I hadn't had the correct idea after all.
"The dark tournament?" I asked. I looked down at my cup.
"Please, compete for Yusuke's team. They expect me, not you, Reina. They don't even know that I have more than one student." I closed my eyes.
"As you wish, Satan." I stood up. She frowned at me.
"Where are you going, Reina?"
"To train. Focus on Yusuke. I'll be back two days before the tournament. Have a disguise ready." I turned to leave, but heard her voice call out.
"Ask your first Master. He can help you, Reina." I frowned, but bowed before leaving.
Master Yuji? Well, I had suspected that he was a spiritualist.
'If he's managed to hide it for this long, how good is his control?' I wondered.
-galaxy-
"You rarely speak to me anymore, Child." The old man told me.
"I've been very busy for the last few months, Master. I came to ask for your help." I held myself low in my bow.
"Help with what, exactly?" He pressed.
"I have been asked to participate in... a certain tournament." I started.
"Why you? You're powerful, Child. However, you are not the type to leave witnesses."
"I am competing at the request of lady Genkai. So that her student, my fellow apprentice, will survive."
"The Urameshi boy?"
"Yes."
"You're much stronger than him, Child."
"I am."
"Be here tomorrow at four in the morning. Inform any who need to know, that you're leaving town to spend time with your dying grandpa."
"Of course, Master Yuji."
-galaxy-
I was covered by a large coat, the only visible part of my body was my hands. Those were covered in bandages, they ran from the tips of my fingers to my shoulders, not that anyone could see past my wrists. A masquerade mask hid the top half of my face, whereas the bottom half was bandaged.
I felt like a mummy. I fiddled with the hood of the jacket, ensuring that it was clasped to the mask. My neck itched, but I ignored it.
"I resemble a mummy." I informed Genkai. She grinned.
"The mask is very fashionable." She smirked at me. I ran my hands over it. It was a Sun, Moon, and Stars design, and it showed. While the mask itself was black, there were a variety of separate colors worked into it, it resembled a Galaxy.
A large crescent moon decorated the left side of the mask, the bottom curved down to rest over my cheekbones. Rather, to rest over the bandages there.
The sun decorated my right side, and the thin, flame-like pieces of metal reached out toward the side of my head. Several small stars decorated the top, and bottom of the mask.
"Shuichi is going to recognize me immediately." I warned. She shrugged.
"That boy is your best friend, Reina. He'd recognize you if I shoved you into a different body." I thought about it, but conceded to her point.
"That's true." I agreed. She smiled. It didn't reach her eyes.
-galaxy-
I walked with Yusuke toward our ship, blatantly ignoring the looks he sent at me.
"You don't talk, but what am I gonna call you?" He asked me. I tilted my head at him, then pulled out a small notebook from my jacket. I scribbled a word with my pen.
"Nova? Alright, Dude. Whatever you say- er, write." I huffed a laugh at him, then tuned out the greetings with his team, my team. We climbed onto the boat, and I settled down next to Shuichi, who was frowning at me.
"This is our fifth member?" Kazuma asked, tilting his head at me.
"He barely comes up to my shoulder!" I ignored him, instead tuning into what the captain was saying. When the man asked for volunteers, I stepped forward.
'Here we go.' I thought, watching as they all turned toward me. My hand lit up, and when the captain said start, I released the attack.
'These weaklings couldn't even handle a half-power Star Shower.' I internally grumbled, then hopped back to my team. The brawl that followed was also pathetic.
-galaxy-
So, the tournament starts next chapter! Are you ready, Kittens?
Feeling sorry for Reina,
-Tigressa.