"Talking"
"Thinking"
-Telepathisis-
Flashback
Sorry for the late update T_T
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Chapter Eighteen
The Return of Kimi (1)
I find myself dragged from my room and onto a serious mission.
"Koenma didn't give us a lotta details..." Emma murmurs.
"Great." I mutter sarcastically. "'Cuz we totally love going in blind..."
Kurai, deciding to play the ham, ties a bandage over her eyes. "Ready to go, Capitan!"
That prompts weak smiles from most of the group.
0x0x0x0
Sora leaves the room fairly quickly after that incident.
Kurama frowns after him, unsure of what is going through the other boy's mind.
Artemis sighs. "Hopefully an overly enthusiastic attempt to assist me is all there is to worry about."
"What do you mean?"
"I am not positive...but I believe there may have been more vampires. The hunger of a single one would have been more than sated with the number of people dead."
"That reminds me." Kurama interrupts. "Why were there no bodies?"
"Hm? Oh, that is a common vampiric practice. After they drain as much blood as they wish, they Turn the person and then leave them there. The complete metamorphosis from human to vampire takes about twelve hours and the person is immobile for that time. As soon as the sunlight hits them, they become dust." Artemis shrugs. "It is easier for vampires; no need to clean up."
"...why didn't you tell us this earlier?" The redhead is slightly annoyed.
"As I said, it is Hunter business; you and the others are not Hunters."
"Then how come you got Kimi involved?" He shoots back.
"...she is a special case." The dimilamia murmurs after a few moments. "It is impossible for a vampire to Turn her, so..."
"Can't you be Turned...further?" He interrupts as he gets the gist of why she avoids the others' help.
"I am...unsure. No one that I have talked to has the answers either." She replies frankly; several moments pass in silence. "It is...odd."
"What?"
"How alike you and Kimi are."
He frowns. "What do you...?"
"She asked me the same question upon finding out."
The fox demon makes his excuses and attempts to make a polite, if hasty, exit.
Artemis smiles. "I wonder how he will react when Kimi finally finds what she has been searching for..."
0x0x0x0
"Are you sure it's okay for you to be up and about?" Yukina fusses as Artemis assists her with breakfast.
"I am fine." The younger girl smiles slightly. "As long as I am careful, I will not injure myself further. I also have no intent to train or spar today, so light movements like this should be fine."
"...did you learn about things like this from Kimi?" The ice maiden questions as she makes breakfast.
Artemis wears a bittersweet smile. "Yes. ...but I doubt it was her intention."
Yukina giggles. "She seems like that."
0x0x0x0
"...wanna have a match?" Sora questions; Artemis and Kurama both look up from their books.
"Which of us are you addressing?" The girl questions.
"You."
"...I apologize, but as my injury is not healed, I cannot spar."
"...it's cool." Sora mutters, standing there awkwardly.
"Why don't we discuss tactics?" Kurama interrupts smoothly, dispelling the awkward silence that has settled upon the room.
"I am game." She places the book down; he joins them, but his inputs are few and far between.
0x0x0x0
"Kimi!" Sora nearly tackles her as she wearily reenters the dojo.
"Hey." She calmly pries him off her. "No clinging. I can barely walk as is."
"Did--?!"
"No." The demoness sighs. "I meant that I'm tired and the extra weight will topple me over."
"Oh...what are you--why are your eyes still bandaged?!"
"...bandaged?" Yusuke questions from the open doorway; everyone else is gathered in the room beyond.
"Yah. I normally wear contacts and, when we freed Jin and Touya, I melted them to my eyes." She shrugs. "Anyway, my friend removed the contacts and healed the damage; I just have to wait for my body to do the rest, and then reaccustom my eyes to light. Nothing major."
"You've had eye injuries before..." Sora acknowledges as he drags her into the room.
"Kimi."
"Hm?"
"I stormed the castle." Artemis states.
Kimi grins. "And did it take a miracle?"
"Nope." The dimilamia returns the grin. "Just Hiei."
Said demon hmphs before darting off.
"Why're you back so early?" Botan questions as Yukina gives Kimi a cup of tea.
"Simple. They said I had a month...not that I had to use it all at once." There are several moments of silence. "So has everything been okay here?"
"Yes." Artemis grins. "Kurama and I have even managed to get along."
"No bloodshed?" The older girl inquires as she stretches.
"...well, I would not go that far. Come on!" Artemis drags her off to trade stories.
Sora watches them go, waiting for Kimi to stop and acknowledge him, or tell him she will talk with him later. When this does not occur, he retreats to the porch. He can hear the others' laughing, talking and having what sounds like a wonderful time. He knows he can get up and join them; he knows they will not turn him away; he knows that he is the one building this proverbial wall between himself and the others.
Despite this knowledge, he chooses to sit there alone as night fades to dawn.
0x0x0x0
Sora's mother is on the front porch when Kurama opens the door, about to venture out for a walk.
"Ah...hello, Mrs. Maki..." He murmurs.
"I know full well that you two are not psychics. Shiori forgot the dinner, as did all of you...and I want to know why she does not remember that...toddler's...explanation." The woman states.
"Mom?!" Sora gapes when he enters the main room.
"I would like an explanation." She informs him icily as the others exchange glances.
"About what?"
"About that utter bullshit the toddler said."
Sora freezes.
0x0x0x0
Jin frowns as he spars with Touya.
"What?" The ice demon questions, stopping the match.
"...don't you think we ought to go tell them what little we remember?" The wind demon bites his lip. "I don't want to end up involved anymore than you do, but...they could use what information we have..."
"Kimi grew up there. Kuronue lived there. What could we tell them that they don't already know?"'
"What the name of the one behind this is."
Kat enters the training area. "Greetings."
Touya gives Jin a 'look'. "I can't believe you dated her..."
"You dated Kimi!"
Kat is inwardly amused, but makes a point not to show her emotions anymore. "Do you two want to stay at the dojo?"
"How did you..."
"I've given up on asking." Jin mutters. "You should too."
0x0x0x0
A tall, statuesque man eyes the woman who waited somewhat patiently for him to awaken. "What is it now, Misaki?"
"Youko is alive." She states, her eyes lighting up with a manic light. "And so is his pet, Kimi."
Something flickers in the man's countenance, but as soon as she tries to detect what it is, it vanishes. "I see you have had no problem acting on what you assumed I would like done..."
She hopes he is still weaker than her. "Yes, my lord."
"Have you actually accomplished anything?"
"I...had two hostages."
"And?"
"...they retrieved them."
The man shoots her an icy look of pure hatred before he leaves to his private quarters.
She stares after him for a moment, looking vulnerable, before her face hardens. "Once I kill that bitch...and her master...he will be mine."
0x0x0x0
Koenma sighs as he surveys the silent room before him; an irate woman; a nervous and jittery bat demon; an edgy fox demon; a calm ice demoness; a calmer dimilamia; a seething ferry girl; an indifferent aged psychic.
He clears his throat. "Yo."
"And what are you, exactly?"
"I am Koenma, son of Enma."
She glares. "I'm beginning to think you're--"
"Listen and listen well." Interrupts Kimi. "Your son is the reincarnation of Kuronue, just like I'm an ice demoness."
"Prove it." The woman demands.
"Alright...but don't say I didn't warn you." Kimi calmly focuses her attention on a single flower in a vase upon the table; within moments, it is encased in ice.
The woman gapes.
"I'm...I have powers--"
Before he can finish what he is saying, his mom passes out as pale yellow dust enters her throat and nose.
Kurama calmly catches her. "She won't remember any of this, or about the dinner party." He states calmly.
Koenma doesn't have to survey the room to tell that everyone's a little on edge right now; he clears his throat. "Sora, if it's okay with you, I'll have one of the ferry girls make sure she is returned home safely."
"I-it's fine." He mutters and watches as one such ferry girl carries her off.
"You wanna talk?" Kimi inquires as conversation slowly reenters the room; he nods and rises before following her out of the room.
0x0x0x0
The next day finds Sora much calmer and more grounded; he also feels less isolated from everyone else.
"Feelin' better?" Kimi questions with a yawn.
"Yeah..." He murmurs. "Thanks."
"No prob." The demoness replies, yawning yet again as they enter the kitchen.
"Ah..." Yukina murmurs; Kurama and Kuwabara look up from their respective meals in confusion.
"Something up?" The bluette blinks.
"Wait here." Yukina hurries out, leaving the four to exchange confused glances.
0x0x0x0
After we get back from the mission, Koenma pulls me aside. "Just so you know, this is only temporary..."
"...the post?" I question.
He nods.
"I know that..." I mutter crossly.
"Well, I may have a new place to send you soon."
"How soon is 'soon'?"
"...I'm not sure."
Greeeeat.
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(1) - Lolololol. :dies of laughter: Sorry, but my first ever story was called the 'Return of Suzaku'...it ended up being a 100+ page monster that I'm currently too lazy to go back and edit. (It's a trainwreck, end of story XD) Anyway, amongst my friends and I, it's become more of a joke than anything else...and it's even spawned a few "spoof" chapters, some from my friends and some from me xD
Uwah. Too many plots running at once x_X
I will be finishing up some of said plots, if only to save you guys and myself some serious confusion. Again, sorry for the rextremely late update. By the time the computer was fixed, I was sent on vacay and had no opportunity to finish typing, let alone post.
Seeya next chapter.
Emma