15
"You guys were fighting, must not have been that serious if I slept through the whole thing." Yusuke muttered in between bites of his breakfast as they all sat around eating. Hiei had disappeared early that morning which didn't cause too much alarm. Siera sipped on her juice as she sat next to Yusuke and across from her best friend completely at ease again.
"Oh yeah, it was just a little tiff; nothing to be concerned about, you didn't miss anything." Zoie scoffed as he lay at Siera's feet.
"Right, but I'm sure that dude that lost his heart misses that."
"You have something to say?!" Siera placed her cup down on the table, an air of rigidity forming.
"No, I mean you're right it was nothing: No demons were massacred in the making of the dumpster fire that was your fight."
"I do regret that; and you're right their deaths weren't excusable. Except for the creep who put his hands on me and the guys who came at me first, I don't feel sorry for them. As for my teammates, I buried them, marked their graves and said a prayer I may be a bitch but I'm not heartless."
"Ha ha; I guess that's you, a bitch with a heart of gold!" The cup shattered into pieces and the air grew tense again. Yusuke looked confused as Siera and Zoie glared at him.
"What did I say?"
"Sorry Yusuke; it's just that it's more of an inside joke." Kurama chuckled hoping to ease the sudden tension. He knew them both and to have them both get reckless at the mouth could cause problems
"Yeah you see, we can call her a bitch because we mean it in the literal term. When someone else calls her that, especially in a disrespectful way it's sort of a trigger."
"Well I don't really see a difference, a bitch is a bitch."
"Yeah you would know all about that wouldn't you?"
"What did you say?!"
"I didn't stutter!"
"Siera, please…"
"NO! He wants to have a conversation then let's have one!"
"Conversation, is that what you call throwing people around like their ragdolls, acting like a spoiled child until you get your way. Is that someone who can really hold a conversation?"
"Says the motherfucker who literally uses his fists to make his way anywhere; you spend so much time going off halfcocked and fully fucked that it's a miracle you haven't died a dozen more times! You don't form any strategy in your battle; you just start swinging around hoping something works!"
"Oh like you're one to talk! Every five minutes you throw a temper tantrum trying to intimidate someone until they cave to you! You only think about yourself and your own ego, if you thought even a little bit about what others go through you wouldn't pout like the spoiled little BITCH you are!"
"Spoiled…ha! Alright, let me see, I pay my own bills I cook my own food I fight my own battles and I make my own rules. I answer to no one because I have no one and even if I did, I still wouldn't. If I feel like killing a motherfucker that looks at me wrong then it's his fault for waking up that morning. But you better believe I have a plan on how to carry it out before I even meet the guy. I am a bitch, but I am the TOP bitch and you will either submit or be made my bitch!"
"Oh waaa, your parents died, get over it already! No one is going to feel sorry for you when you act like that." Everyone watched and listened as they went back and forth not knowing what to say or to intervene; their words sounded hostile yet their body language said that they were having a casual conversation. Siera looked to Yusuke interested before crossing her legs and leaning back.
"Who says I want them to feel sorry? I would rather they feel pain, fear and intimidation."
"Do I look like someone to intimidate? You're starting to piss me off."
"Do I look like I give a fuck that you're pissed off?"
"Nope, I guess not." They continued eating without another word; the others confused as they watched them both and whispered.
"Uhhh, I'm confused."
"You? I feel like I just watched a nature documentary."
"I believe what happened is that they just sized each other up; they weighed their odds and came to an understanding."
"How do you gather that?" Kurama pointed to the table with the broken cup pieces, they were arranged neatly into two rows, one in front of her and one for Yusuke with four apiece.
" What the…?"
"They took a damn tally."
"And they came to a draw; they both made very valid points about each other. And so simply came to an understanding."
"Those two aren't going to admit to each other they are wrong, they're both too stubborn; ironic two people who are known to pick fights and handle them in the open would be so discrete." Kuwabara thumbed his nose.
"She has respect for him."
"If you say so, I'm just happy no one else had their heart ripped out, this girl is tiring me out." Zoie laid back down the two shook their heads and chuckled at the thought of two of the most confrontational people actually make peace.
Siera looked to the spirit detective in admiration, it wasn't often someone would talk to her that way and not back down. She admired it, it meant that he means what he says and that is the type of person she could trust. But she wouldn't bind herself to him, no, there was something missing that kept there from being an actual connection; but just the same she felt no ill will towards him. The men got up to do their own thing and she felt herself being left behind again.
"Kuwabara, what are you going to do today?"
"Huh? Well, I don't know really; everyone just took off without a word."
"Would you like to hang out then, we could train or watch fights or just explore the grounds if you like." He looked at her confused, there were plenty of times she made fun of him just as the others had, even beat on him, but the moment an outsider did so she was quick to his defense.
"Hey why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"
"I don't understand, we are friends aren't we?"
"Well yeah, it's just usually you're picking on me and junk getting mixed signals."
"Doesn't everyone else do the same and you call them friends? I thought that was simply the thing to do. I could stop, it would be less fun, I would have to find some other source of joy but for you it is a challenge I am willing to accept." She placed the back of her hand on her forehead dramatically and Kuwabara simply shook his head.
"I guess it's alright, I mean you do it for fun while sometimes I wonder if the others even like me at all. They always treat me like I'm some sort of idiot or something. Sometimes I wonder if I'm not just around for their amusement."
"Kazuma… You are a very important member of the team; you have your own unique powers that you are still learning. That doesn't make you weak and it surely doesn't make you less valuable, you're young, and you just need more practice. I'm still learning about myself every day; yo want to see something?" He stopped a moment and felt uneasy, remember the dark energy he had felt from her only the day before, it was nothing less than bloodlust and hatred. But that was not found in this girl today it was like a completely different person.
"Yeah sure."
"Okay, well as you heard, my mother could command lesser beings with the sound of her voice, she would command telepathically of course but if she wanted several at one time, an invocation was needed."
"So like what Rando had did t me, do you need special words or spells?"
"No, the words do not matter, but the sound does, I don't know how to explain it, you are aware so I'm hoping you can help me."
"Sure." She took deep breaths and cleared her mind, she began to sing a melody A loving touch is what quells the fires of hell, but my hell burns bright and my heart caged cries out, lying, saying all is well birds and small animals flocked to her, wrapping themselves around her almost as in loving embraces.
"Wow, kind of like some kind of princess! Um, it was weird, like your energy spread across the area and all the animals in that range just answered the call."
"Interesting; okay now what about this?" She sings the same words but a different tune; low calss demon creatures soon flock to her feet most grumble unintelligible words but some professed their devotion to her.
"That seemed like it was stronger but different, it definitely brought a different audience."
"Hmm. Okay, I wondered about it. I can also make them d what I please, fetch me things, attack each other and themselves, at maze castle I commanded a demon to kill himself and he broke his own neck."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I am learning about my own abilities every day but I know I have a long way to go. I don't consider myself strong or invincible. I in fact don't think very much of myself at all." Damn, why did I say that, what did it have to do with anything? She refused to look to him embarrassed at her vulnerability.
"What are you kidding me?!, you are incredible, the way you took those guys out before was amazing but it was scary at the same time! And the way you snatched that other guys heart out was frightening enough but you ate it right in front of him… it still gives me shivers. It made me wonder how far you would go to get what you want." An awkward silence fell between them and she turned around wringing her hands as she bit her lip.
"You see, i know I did those things, but I don't remember the details, like one moment I was standing in front of them, the next they were in pieces."
"That's even worse, being in a blind rage like that, you could've hurt innocent people; and all because you were mad at Kurama! Why couldn't you just tell him how you feel instead of acting so abrasive every time you have a disagreement?"
"You don't understand, I would be of no use to him. He is so kind and I'm so…angry. I know he cares about me, but he doesn't love me, that I know and saying something would only ruin what we do have between us."
"So you sacrifice the lives of those demons over a disagreement; because you are too afraid to speak your heart! How are you supposed to be friends if you can't trust each other with your own feelings?! Innocent people died because you were pissed off!
"Don't preach at me! Who in that clearing was innocent?! Who on that boat was innocent? Who here is innocent; I hear their perverse thoughts, their ill intentions and their ulterior motives human or demon they are all sick and depraved. You are either corrupted or you are a victim of corruption!"
"So what are you?" She looked to her hands and flashes of fire and screaming flood her mind for a moment before silence numbs her completely.
"That is a question I have asked myself for years."