So, I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about Friday's family. I just want to say... don't kill me after you've read this chapter. There's already a sequel planned and I promise you'll see a lot more of them then. So hold your fire.
As always, thanks so much for the reviews. Response time! Anon: I'm really glad the battle scene was successful. I worry about stuff like that. And yes, not telling you what's going on with Friday is me being evil again. (You're starting to know me so well...) ;] bananamush: Friday is more of a person to take action, which is why she and Yusuke get along so well, but yes, she does plan ahead. And I'm glad you liked that last bit with Kurama. :)
As a completely unrelated side note, I'm on episode 2 of Level E, another one of Yoshihiro Togashi's creations, and I've gotta say, I love it so far! It's very entertaining. Don't believe me, just check out the awesome opening theme. And that person with the flowing golden locks... it's a guy, just so you know.
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"And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack. And all around the world was waking, I never could go back. 'Cause all the walls of dreaming, they were torn wide open. It finally seemed that the spell was broken." ― Florence and the Machine
. . .
"You've gotten soft, Kurama," Hiei mentioned with displeasure, as if I hadn't realized.
"Is that so?" I replied coolly, the annoyance in my voice well-concealed. I knew Hiei would notice, regardless. He said nothing more.
The four of us continued walking out of the forest; our training done, we were headed back to Genkai's to see if Friday had made any progress in regaining consciousness. Botan and Genkai were sitting on the porch, drinking tea.
"Where's Hati?" Yusuke asked, "Off chasing rats?" He grinned at his own joke.
"Actually, he left for Reikai not too long ago," Botan informed him.
"So does that mean our meeting's officially done for the day?" Kuwabara wondered.
"It would seem so," I replied and excused myself to go change clothes. I couldn't return to my mother looking like this, after all.
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A cool sensation rested on my forehead. I moaned and tried to pry my lids apart, though it felt like someone had superglued them together. Perhaps I should just let myself fall back into that nice, dreamless sleep. Such a thing was so rare now...
The cool object pulled away, and curiosity won. My eyes slid slowly open. Everything was blurry still, and I blinked groggily, trying to clear my vision. It didn't help much. The blur moved back and I felt the mattress underneath me snap into place as a weight was lifted from it.
The further away the blur got, the more I realized it was shaped like a man. The tall silhouette stepped in front of a doorway and my brow furrowed. I tried to lift my head, and succeeded in moving it a few inches off the pillow. It looked vaguely like he had a pair of animal ears perched on his head... But it couldn't be. My vision must have been foggy still.
I groaned; my head pounded and I let it fall back onto the pillow. My eyes slid shut gratefully. I heard the door close gently and listened to the sounds of my own breathing in the silence. Eventually, I got around to opening my eyes again. I stared at the ceiling for a while until they adjusted and started seeing more than blobs and patches of color.
I sat up slowly and looked about me. It was a small broom cupboard, no, a room. The only thing in it was the mattress that I was currently occupying. I noted distractedly the smooth wooden boards that made up the floor; wood was always so nice to lay on in the sunshine.
Belatedly, I realized I had no idea where I was. I didn't even know which world I was in. In fact, I had no recollection whatsoever of how I'd gotten here in the first place. The last thing I remembered doing was leaving my house.
My finger throbbed. I looked down at it. There was a small red mark under the skin, as if my fingertip had just been pricked. I sucked on it; there was still a faint taste of blood.
I worked my way around to standing and stumbled toward the door, opening it and peering around cautiously. I shuffled down the hall in the direction with the most light, trying to keep quiet. Reaching an open doorway, I poked my head around it carefully.
"Oh, hey guys," I said, stepping fully out into the room. It was just the gang and Botan-and this old lady that I didn't know, but I was sure she was okay if they were all sitting down and having tea with her. A thought popped into my head. "You haven't seen a man around here with big animal ears, have you?" I asked the group, positioning my hands on the top of my head as mock ears.
As one, they turned and looked at Kurama-or peered suspiciously, in one fire apparition's case. The redhead simply held up his hands in self-defense, an eyebrow quirked in surprise, as if to say he didn't do anything. Which, of course, he hadn't. I had asked about a man with animal ears, and Kurama was positively ear-less, or at least, his ears were definitely of the human variety.
They directed their attention back to me. "How are you feeling, Friday?" Botan asked.
"Fine. Why? Should I not be?" I replied, confused at her worried look.
"Well, you..." Botan started to say and changed her mind, "Don't you remember anything?"
I thought for a moment. "Nope," I said flatly.
"Are you positive?" she prompted.
"Yes, I'm positive," I replied a little testily, crossing my arms over my chest, "What is going on?"
"Umm..." Botan hesitated.
"Just spit it out," I demanded, tapping my foot.
Her words all came out in a barely-intelligible rush: "Well, it was early morning and we were sitting here in master Genkai's temple when you suddenly appeared, but there was light like electricity crackling over you and then you collapsed, and you were unconscious but you were still here in this world, and Hati said he'd never seen anything like it and, and... and then Yusuke and Kuwabara brought you inside and you've been asleep ever since." I was more worried she'd work herself into hysterics than over any weird lighting at this point.
"Hey, now," I said, coming to stand by her side and leaning casually on her shoulder, "Everything's just fine. I feel great."
"Yes... I suppose you're right," Botan replied more calmly, but something still seemed to be worrying her.
"I'm sure tonight I'll fall asleep and end up back in my own world, just like normal," I told her, taking care to appear confident, though in part I was reassuring myself. My voice sounded a little false in my own ears, and I looked away before the lie in my eyes could betray me.
"Yes. Of course," she agreed with me and we smiled a little tentatively at each other, hoping it was true.
"Well this is all very touching," the old woman spoke up, and her voice surprised me with its roughness.
"Oh! Of course. Friday, this is master Genkai. Genkai, Friday," Botan introduced us, "She's Yusuke's teacher, and creator of the technique he uses: the spirit wave."
"It's an honor to meet you," I said politely and bowed to her as I recalled you were supposed to do, both in Japan and to masters. I wondered vaguely if I should bow twice. She nodded back.
"Genkai has a large temple," Botan informed me, "The rest of us will be leaving, shortly, but she has agreed to let you stay here... at least until you go back home." Very practical, master Genkai. And beneath it all was an undercurrent of doubt, wondering just how long my return home would take.
"Then thank you, master Genkai," I murmured, feeling somewhat subdued.
She waved it off with a "Don't mention it, girl," and went back to sipping her tea.
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When they took their leave, I heard Botan requesting that master Genkai contact her when I returned home. Master Genkai's response was blunt. Simply put, it was this: "It may be a while." I listened from the other side of the doorway and felt my heart sink. She was right, of course. What was happening was entirely not normal. Even Hati had said so. I sighed and wandered away, hoping that discovering where I was would take my mind off other... more unpleasant things.
And so the day passed as I roamed the empty halls and peeked into rooms filled with antiques and arcades. I sat on the porch and watched as evening fell. No one called me to go hunt nightmares; I didn't know where I was in relation to the city, anyway, so getting there on my own wasn't really an option.
Genkai came to sit by me briefly, with a teapot and two cups. I was surprised at how un-grandmotherly an old woman with her tea set could be. I held my hot teacup in silence as we stared out at the dangerous-looking forest with its dark trees. My tea got cold. Eventually, Genkai went back inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I tried not to think. The night passed by in a haze of trees, cold tea, and darkness. I didn't return home.
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Botan came over the next day and looked at me with a sympathetic smile. It didn't help. I stared back apathetically.
"Don't worry!" she assured me and turned her smile on brighter, "You got quite an unusual amount of sleep. Your body probably just isn't tired yet."
"Yeah..." I replied, trying to smile back. It was only half-successful.
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By the next day I couldn't offer her more than a blank stare.
The day after, I hardly registered her presence. I felt stuck in a trance, neither asleep nor awake.
And each day, the thought crossed my mind of how my family was doing, that they were probably very worried... and every time I extinguished that thought before it could go any further.
But still there was a deep, pervasive sadness. A hole that burned through my chest where it felt like part of me had been ripped out. I tried to ignore it. Sometimes it worked.
And so the days passed. No one asked me to go Nightmare hunting.
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It wasn't yet time for the boys' second meeting at Genkai's, but they came mid-week anyway-though this time, Yusuke insisted on coming later. The numb thought passed briefly across the surface of my mind that they were probably here to peer curiously at me and mutter things I couldn't hear about the strangeness and unexpectedness of it all. I was sitting out on the porch, as usual, so I saw them as soon as they arrived.
Yusuke called out to me as he crossed the dirt entrance, "Hey, Friday! Missed you at the Nightmare hunting this week..." He drew closer, and as I looked up into his face, his thought trailed off. He stopped, and shared a look with Kuwabara, who appeared equally concerned. I should have cared, but couldn't bring myself to, somehow.
The boys passed by me and entered Genkai's temple. I heard them talking about me on the other side of the doorway, but for some reason I didn't mind. I leaned my head against one of the wooden support beams and closed my eyes.
Well, it had been half a week already and nothing had happened. I just hoped someone would say it soon... those words I so desperately needed to hear.
Botan came out of the temple, bearing tea. I took it, expecting the normal Japanese green tea. I was acutely aware of the bluenette studying my face as I took a sip. My eyes widened slightly. "Jasmine," I chuckled, for a moment breaking out of my trance-like state, "It's my favorite. Thank you."
"Jasmine is said to be good for the soul," a voice that definitely didn't belong to Botan said from behind me. Oh. I hadn't realized Kurama had been there. Of course the jasmine tea would be his idea. Probably trying to shock me out of my disbelieving stupor. But jasmine tea really was my favorite, so I didn't mind much. I didn't answer.
"How are you feeling today, Friday? Any better?" Botan asked, trying to keep up a cheery attitude. I just shrugged. I got the distinct impression that she had been encouraged by my comment about the jasmine.
"Friday..." Botan began tentatively. She seemed to debate for a moment before saying gently, "I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like you're going home any time soon. It may be time to get some necessities. I can get you some clothes, if you'd like."
Ah. There they were, those words. A cold splash of reality. I had been needing it for a while now. She was right, of course, and in the back of my mind I had known it all along. For now... this was home.
Another thing she'd said struck me. Clothes? I glanced down, and suddenly realized that I was wearing something scuffed and dirty that looked like I'd had it on since I arrived... which I probably had. I pulled on the ends of the shirt, examining it, becoming aware of what a mess I must be. I ran my fingers through my hair and grimaced as I was met with grease and grime. I rubbed an eye. What the hell was I wearing?
"Ah... tell you what," I said, looking up at Botan and seeing her clearly for the first time in days, "How 'bout I go with you." It wasn't that I didn't trust Botan's intentions-I knew she would try to find clothes I would wear-I just didn't trust the wardrobe choice of a who-knows-how-old, blue-haired, bubbly grim reaper. Especially not one who liked to wear fully pink kimonos.
A huge smile lit up Botan's face. The jasmine tea had worked-I could just see her thinking-I was cured! I didn't bother to repress a laugh that bubbled forth at her expression. I stood, dusting off the back of my pants.
"Gomen. I didn't mean to worry you," I said with sisterly affection, ruffling her blue hair, "Now where the hell is the bath?"
She giggled with relief and told me, offering to lead the way.
"I have to admit, these clothes are disgusting," I commented lightly, "You wouldn't happen to know of anything else around I could wear temporarily, would you?"
She laughed and smiled as she agreed with me about the clothes-mentioning that it could have been much worse if I hadn't just sat around all this time-and assured me she'd look for something.
We passed by Kurama. "Thanks for the tea," I muttered, just low enough for only his ears to catch it.
Botan ushered me away and dumped me unceremoniously into the bathing room. It was, admittedly, very cool and very much needed at this point. I had never been in a traditional Japanese bath, but I knew how one worked, so I showered myself down in the room made completely of tile and soaped off before climbing into the round tub of scalding hot water to soak.
"This is a pretty nifty bathroom Genkai has here," I told Botan from the tub as she returned bearing gifts of fresh clothing.
"Oh, well, most of the other baths are more modern, but I figured you could use a good soak," she giggled nervously, worried she might be offending me.
"You know what, Botan. I completely agree," I replied and splashed down into the hot water before surfacing and shaking out my long, purple locks.
She passed me a towel and I climbed out of the tub, drying myself thoroughly. It felt so good to be clean. The germaphobe in me sighed blissfully.
She pulled out the clothes, and nervously began explaining to me that they were the only clean set she could find. Yes, I assured her, I had noticed Genkai was terribly small. No, I hadn't been expecting to wear her clothes. Please spit it out. What was the big deal about a simple tunic and pair of long pants?
"They're Kurama's," she finally confessed, "He was the only one with spare clothing."
I blinked slowly at her, my mind taking a moment to register that Kurama would actually relinquish his clothing to me for the day. I wondered what kind of fight Botan had put up to get them from him.
I sighed, but held out my hand: "Fine. Just give them to me."
The tunic fit alright, though I had to roll up the sleeves of the shirt that went underneath it considerably. I struggled with the pants. The elastic waist was too big and it slipped down to the widest point of my hips. Fortunately, I wasn't shaped like a bean pole. Unfortunately, the pant legs were much too long since the waistline refused to stay up. I tried rolling the ends, but they kept wanting to unroll with every step. I sighed and resigned myself to fighting with them.
Feeling awkward, I made my way back to the front of Genkai's temple with Botan. Unfortunately, this also meant passing through the room where the boys were currently meeting. I paused in the doorway as five sets of eyes looked up at me. Hati had joined them in the time I was gone.
He sniffed curiously as he padded toward me. "Are those-" he began to ask.
I cut him off: "It's good to see you again, too, Hati! I'm feeling much better now!" My over-enthusiasm threw the group off long enough for me to escape to the front door, pulling Botan along behind me-though I nearly killed myself skidding along the slick wood floor when a pant leg unrolled and half-tripped me.
I slid the door open quickly and dashed out, pausing to tug my battered converse on.
"Don't worry. I won't get them dirty," I shot the words, perhaps a little gruffly, over my shoulder at Kurama as Botan and I ran down the steps. We were going shopping. This should be an exciting disaster.
I stopped in the middle of the steps, turning to look at my companion. "Uh, Botan... Who's got the money to pay for this?"
"Reikai's got the money, silly," she told me, pulling a wallet out of her pocket and displaying it.
"But why would Reikai lend us money?" I asked.
"You're working for Reikai now, aren't you? So if you need anything, they'll help you out," she smiled at me.
"Oh. Do the others get paid, too?" I said, but immediately realized it was a stupid question. Of course they did.
The look on her face said otherwise. With an embarrassed cat-face, she informed me, "Well, they started working for Reikai a long time ago and it wasn't really part of the program then. The Reikai Tantei has already been disbanded once. I guess Lord Koenma never got around to mentioning it when they began working for Reikai again."
"Oh," I said, "Should we tell them?"
"Umm... Just leave it to me! I'll mention it to Koenma," Botan assured me.
"Well, alright," I responded, still unsure. "Hey," a thought occurred to me, "How does Reikai have human money anyway?"
"You'd be surprised how much money is lost every year in gutters and couches and the like. It would never be found anyway, so Reikai puts it to good use," Botan said, proudly displaying her knowledge of Reikai's nitty-gritty inner workings.
This world just got stranger and stranger.
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I sighed with relief as Genkai's came into view. It had been such a long trip to go anywhere and those stairs were killer! But our trip had been successful and both Botan and I were loaded down with bag after bag of stuff-most of it practical, with a few not-so-practical purchases that Botan had insisted on.
I heard voices beyond the doorway and labored to slide it open with all the bags hindering the use of my hands. The door opened of its own accord. A maniacal cackle followed, and I felt a bag being lifted from my hands. I stepped through the doorway and glared around. Yusuke was frolicking about, trying to get the bag open while the others simply sat at the table and stared at him like he was a complete imbecile...
Yusuke finally managed to pry open the bag; he dug around in it blindly. "Ha! Let's see what Botan found for you, Friday. I bet it's pink and frilly and totally ridic-" Yusuke pulled out a pair of underwear, black and practical. He blinked, confounded.
I stared at him flatly. "Yeah... Botan didn't pick it," I informed him needlessly, stepping up to him and holding my hand out in a wordless gesture. Numbly, he dropped the undergarment back in the bag and handed it over.
"I told you not to do it, Urameshi," Kuwabara mumbled. His brilliant plan had backfired, and in an effort to humiliate us girls he had ended up embarrassing himself instead.
I continued on, striding through the room as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to go change and give you your clothes back now," I informed Kurama. I didn't bother to look at him.
I halted as Yusuke began talking again. "Hey, you are wearing underwear, right?" he asked suspiciously, apparently just realizing that I hadn't had any spare pairs of those either after discovering the contents of the bag.
"Yusuke," I said, giving him a condescending look. "You don't borrow someone's clothing and not wear underwear. That's just plain rude." And with that I continued making my way to the bathroom down the hall.
"What! I had to ask," I heard Yusuke grumbling from behind, likely in answer to the silent, reproachful gazes of his comrades. I could just imagine Kurama's dark look. Suddenly, inexplicably, I felt like chuckling.
And with that, my stay at Genkai's officially began.
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AN: Ehehe. So... that last part got totally weird. Don't look at me. The story did it. View it as an outtake, if you wish. Also, Friday borrowing Kurama's clothes... here's literally what happened: 'Oh, Friday's clothes are probably dirty. She'll need a new pair. Maybe I'll put her in miko garb since she's at a temple... but it's not a traditional temple and Genkai is only half her size, so I doubt there are any clothes that would fit her. Hmm... spare clothes... O.o Kurama had spare clothes in a previous scene. Lol.'
This story is taking a weirder turn than I expected. It's like it has a mind of its own...
I still have a deviantart account where I will be posting some pictures of characters, etc... to go with this story. Check it out if you want. I'm theanonymouspen . deviantart . com (no spaces)
Thank you for reading :)
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