A/N: Hello once again, Dearest Yu Yu Hakusho Lovers!
Daily updates will continue for the foreseeable future, and so, I bring to you the humble offering that is the next installment of our story!
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog who was met at the very end of the last chapter. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Kurama assists Akari in obtaining the opening in his and Toriko's class at Meiou High School before she retreats
to the abandoned house she's claimed as her own with a small puppy following after her.
~!**!~
After Hiei finishes interrogating Toriko about the stranger who followed her home,
she introduces him to ice cream and strawberries before he leaves.
The next day...
Toriko began gathering her things into her bag in anticipation of the last bell of the day. Since she did not participate in any clubs after school, she always hurried to leave, not expecting anyone to accost her about joining and usually being correct.
She had certainly not expected to see the girl from their previous encounters with Sensui in her home room. Akari was her name, Toriko had learned, and while Toriko could guess why she was there she found herself not particularly caring one way or the other, though she did initially exchange a look with Kurama whose eyes remained neutral on the matter.
After that initial run-in, Toriko's schedule led her into different classes than Akari, though they shared two classes, one of which was math that they had together with Kurama. Besides the initial introduction, where the students were expected to at least greet the new student before she sat down, Toriko went back to her work while ignoring the world as usual.
The bell rang, and Toriko stood up quickly, throwing her bag over her shoulder and lowering her head to bustle out the door as unnoticed as she could possibly manage. Once in the hallway, she got jostled around until set free by the main doors opening into the school grounds where the students spilled out in different directions.
"Uh, Toriko-"
She ran into a firmly planted body before her name registered, looking up and adjusting her glasses to see the green eyes and long red hair of Kurama.
"O-oh, I'm sorry."
"Intent on getting home?"
"Well, y-yes." She cast her gaze to the side, feeling much too exposed around so many people.
"I won't bother you for long, then. Allow me to walk with you to the gates?"
Toriko nodded and began moving again, Kurama walking next to her.
"I have some free time today and was wondering if you needed any tutoring."
Toriko's heart lurched in her chest. Their code for him helping her with her energy was 'tutoring' as 'training' tended to catch more attention and this way was more discreet.
She really wanted to refuse the offer, foreseeing a useless waste of their time, but she did miss his company and they had not spent time together in a long while.
Reluctantly, Toriko found herself nodded, "Allow me to cook dinner as payment."
They had just gotten outside of the gate where the flow of traffic was much less dense, and they both turned right as their houses lie in the same general direction.
Kurama was looking down at Toriko as he continued, "I'll want to drop by my house to see mother first, but I'm sure I can get free fairly quickly after that."
Toriko only half-listened, Kurama saying what she expected him to as part of their usual exchange, her attention divided. She was certain she'd seen a familiar figure with platinum blonde hair disappearing around the corner of the wall as if trying not to be seen, but she only caught a brief glimpse of him and chalked it up to her anxiety about the upcoming session with Kurama.
"I'll see you soon!" Kurama called with a wave as he went ahead and took the crosswalk to get on the other side of the street and towards his home.
"O-okay." Toriko managed to answer while he was still in earshot. The only thought in relation to the evening that pleased her was the decisions she made about dinner on the way home.3
~!**!~
Akari sat in a small desk with various papers strewn about, her eyes roving over each one of them and, for the most part, ending up irritated even more than she already had been. Literature, she understood. She read everything easily and was able to keep up, so the small book that had been given to her to read was no big deal, though she didn't care for it. History had been a breeze when the teacher had brought up the wars, and she'd finished everything easily. Other subjects, however, had left her completely baffled. Math, for example, left her borderline homicidal. The symbols were meaningless to her and the process of getting the answers were beyond bizarre, unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She had watched what the teacher had done in front of the class, but hadn't understood a single word of it in the least. Reciprocal and Dividend were not in the vocabulary of Demon World, but she knew what it meant to add things and subtract things, to multiply and to divide, yet the symbols did not coordinate with what she had known her entire life. As she went along, she found herself scratching the markings she knew all over the paper and trying to figure out which human symbol went with which demon symbol. In the end, all she'd managed was to match the symbols for adding together, and quietly huffing under her breath to keep from snarling audibly. During gym class, which was another required thing she supposed, she had found herself against each girl in the class, merely because one was a leader and the rest had been too naive and scared to do as they wished. A bully, I'm sure she would be pegged, she thought as she gathered her things. Of course, Akari had done well in keeping her temper hidden and dodged the balls that had been thrown at her with ease, even throwing a few back and earning a reprimand for the rubber sphere striking the leader in the face. Some girls had snickered and others had glared, but the teacher seemed the least amused. "It's not like I can control it. It's instinct," she had said, which had earned her a few laps- not that it bothered her.
"This is ridiculous," Akari mumbled to herself as the bell rung throughout the campus, and when she glanced at the clock she felt relief. She could finally get out of this cramped building.
"Hi, you're Akari, right?" A small voice suddenly spoke, making Akari pause in her walk to the door. She glanced at the small human female who looked up at her, her lips quivering in what the demon supposed to be fear, perhaps the smallest dose of it. "I'm Saki, and I just wanted to welcome you personally to Meiou."
"I appreciate the gesture," Akari replied as she turned to leave, hitching her bag over her shoulder and stretching her muscles.
"You did great in gym today; I mean, not many people stand up to Haruno. You're pretty quick too. Do you play sports?"
"No, and I am not interested in them."
"We have Soccer, and tennis. We are lacking players and-"
"Sorry, but as I said, I'm not interested," Akari said, no longer standing around to chit chat. She walked away with an expression of indifference as the girl stammered behind her, but didn't chase after her. By the time she had reached the doors, Akari felt glad to see the sun and be out in the warm air. Her eyes traced the grounds, easily spotting to familiar people walking through the school gate, but she didn't care. Her eyes continued to roam until she caught a quick motion to the right, and her eyes followed the blonde male. A brow raised in curiosity before she shrugged it off and continued on, met at the gate with an eager yip and a wagging tail of the pup she had given up on ridding herself of.
"Let's go. I have work to do," she said to the pup as she passed him, earning a joyous bounce and a chipper bark. "No, no park right now," she responded to the animal, finally finding herself able to pick up on its patterns of the day, and she was trying to adjust them. "First, a book store. Then, home."
"No park? Why?" she heard, and her footsteps halted, her eyes turning to the pup in widened surprise. "But Nabu wants to play with friend! Please?" For each time the dog's mouth opened, instead of a bark, Akari found herself hearing words, guttural and almost unable to be understood, but words nonetheless. "Please?"
Akari stared at the dog for a few extra moments before sighing. "Fine. Ten minutes. Just… don't do that again."
"Do what?" *
~!**!~
For the umpteenth time, Toriko broke her stare with Kurama, her eyebrows knitting together.
"Toriko. Concentrate." Kurama said patiently. "You have to be looking at me, right?"
"I-I'm sorry. I just...I can't."
"Yes, you can."
Her expression darkened even farther and she looked for pity somewhere on the redhead's face.
"He doesn't understand. I can't. He's been so good to me and I would never want to do anything to ruin our friendship." She dropped her gaze again and stared at her hands in her lap. "I would feel terrible. Plus-"
"Toriko, stop second-guessing yourself." Kurama reprimanded gently.
"T-that's not it, I..." She couldn't put it into words.
Kurama leaned back to rest and regarded the girl thoughtfully.
The dishes from dinner were downstairs drying in the rack, and the pair had trooped upstairs after the meal as was customary, sitting on the floor and spreading out books in between them to further the charade of working on school. They sat on the carpet amidst the books and things and the window was open, as usual, letting in a soft breeze along with the noise of the city outside and one of the branches of the tree whose leaves would occasionally scrape against the windowsill.
Toriko spoke up again, "You're the first person to actually befriend me who wasn't...influenced by me."
"That fact will not change. And I would hope I was analytical enough to realize what was going on as soon as it happened."
Toriko raised an eyebrow, "I-I don't know about that."
"Well, you've never really tried, so how do we know."
"I'm scared, Kurama." Toriko sighed.
"My opinion of you isn't going to change."
She made unintelligible noises of protest, but couldn't think of any coherent words to put behind them.
"Let's start again. Put your glasses back on." He sat up again, "I'll slowly walk you through some things."
Toriko meekly obliged.
"For now, I want you to simply find your energy. Close your eyes and just listen to my voice."
She closed them, breathing deeply.
"Somewhere inside of you is your reserves of energy. I need you to find it for me."
"Is it somewhere specific?"
"You might be able to feel it as your core, something akin to or near to your heart. But it doesn't matter where really. Try to clear your mind and you'll lead yourself to it. It's as much a part of you as breathing."
For another moment, Toriko could feel nothing, but as she sat in the stillness without her eyes to receive data, she started to sense another part of her. Something extra. Something...else flowing through her veins besides just blood.
"I-I think I found it."
"Good." Kurama encouraged. "Now, this next part will require you to tap into it. Everyone has a part of their physical body that is easiest to channel their energy through, a part that is like second nature, almost reactive, or instinctive. Like, for Yusuke, it's his fists." Kurama couldn't help the smile that settled onto his lips.
"And for you?"
"My fingers." Kurama provided. "I am able to channel my spirit energy into plants through my fingers very specifically. Now, you still feel your reserves?"
"Yes."
"I want you to tap into them, and notice the first place on your body that buzzes or tingles when you do so."
Toriko found herself biting her lip and she tentatively reached into the power, only slightly. She started back physically when a jolt of energy shot to her eyes, making them fly open in shock, her breath suddenly coming much faster, but any sense of her energy completely gone as she dropped it when she felt the jolt of power.
Kurama's eyebrows were raised, but he said nothing.
Once Toriko caught her breath, she found herself flushed and blinked at the room around her, putting a strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun behind her ear.
"Try again." Kurama suggested.
Toriko nodded once and closed her eyes again, finding the energy more quickly the second time, but reaching out even more slowly to access it.
This time, she knew she felt the power shimmer across the front of her eyes and she was able to hold it in place, but she had gotten this far with Kurama before. She already could feel herself starting to seize up at the thought of the next step.
"As slowly as you need to, take off your glasses and place them on the floor in front of you. But keep your eyes closed."
Toriko heard Kurama's words as if from a very far away place, but as she held onto the energy that she could still feel glimmering over her eyes, she allowed her hand to move almost of it's own accord up to her face, but she paused. What had he said? Not to open her eyes? That seemed different.
She grabbed one lens and pulled forward, the ends slipping off over her ears, and she let her hand fall back to her side with the glasses in tow.
Without further provocation, her connection to her energy grew stronger, and she had a harder time keeping her eyes closed, struggling not to open them, afraid of what would happen to Kurama, afraid of losing control.
"...Toriko?"
The voice seemed farther away this time, and suddenly the energy surged again, but this time Toriko fought with it, creating this invisible tug-of-war with herself where she tried to shove her energy away, but found she could not let it go.
"...your eyes...just...open."
"No!" She shouted inside her mind, pulling at the energy that threatened to spill out.
The third time the energy surged, Toriko's eyes flew open of their own accord and she first saw Kurama, leaning towards her with concern plain on his face.
At the sight of him, all of the memories of the time they had spent together, of their initial encounter where he shared his non-human state with her and they exchanged in secrets no normal human would understand, bubbled up over the energy and just as Kurama looked up deeply into her eyes, she burst into tears, throwing her hands up to hide her face from him, feeling her energy abruptly disappear.
"I-I-" She sobbed, "I c-can't. I ju-" She heaved a breath, tears still running down her cheeks, "I can't."
Kurama's eyes widened at her outburst, having not expected this exact result. He had felt her struggle with her energy before it became even greater, and the realization excited the analytical part of him, hoping that he would finally be able to witness her abilities at work and know exactly what they were dealing with, but perhaps he had pushed her too far this time, maybe they were going too fast and-
"You're much too kind, Kurama." Toriko pulled herself together and sniffed, wiping the back of her hand underneath her nose and unintentionally interrupting Kurama's silent train of thought.
The phrase jogged something within him, and he froze in place, partly stretched over the books set up between them with the intent to comfort her with a pat on the shoulder or head, but her words stirred Yoko's spirit and Kurama felt fragmented memories of the sleeping demon cut over his own mind.
"You're much too kind, Youko." He closed his eyes as her words echoed across the plane of his memories, knowing the voice was Toriko's, and yet it was not Toriko's. He heard her sniff, felt rather than saw her wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Youko's reaction to her words had been one of incredulous cynicism, as if she hadn't known him at all, and yet at that moment she was likely the closest person the kitsune had as a friend. In reality, she had been the one that was much too kind to him.
Kurama felt himself bumped back into the present as Youko's stirring lasted only the fraction of an instant before he returned to slumber within his human host.
He blinked and saw that Toriko had nearly recovered herself, deciding to sit back down on the carpet before she saw his awkward pause, and regarding her in a different light.
"Toriko..." He couldn't help it, he had to know, "How much do you remember?"
"Huh?" She looked up at him, sniffing again and wiping her cheek with the palm of her hand.
"I've heard you talk about how you came to be in Human World fifteen years ago..." Kurama faded off, shocked with himself that he'd never made the connection before. Youko Kurama had inhabited the body of a still-fetal Shuichi Minamino nearly fifteen years ago. He stringed together the information, and Toriko being in this area for the same amount of time led him to believe that, while she may not remember why she ran from Demon World, he had a very good idea as to the circumstances of her escape into the realm of the mortals.
"Kurama?"
His thought process had taken just a moment too long, the silence stretching on into awkwardness.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Toriko." Kurama smiled and tilted his head at her to try and ease her concerns, "Please think nothing of it."
As far as he knew, any attempts of Toriko to access memories before her Human World time were traumatic and he regretted even mentioning it as little as he did.
"I don't wish to push you in our endeavours. You did very well today." He praised her efforts and noticed the embarrassment start to creep up her neck.
"No, truly." He reassured her, "I believe that's the longest you've held onto your power since we started. You're probably exhausted."
Kurama started to gather up his things, and Toriko mimicked his motions with her own stuff, both of them feeling as if their time together that evening was drawing to a close.
"Thank you." Toriko said quietly, stopping in the middle of her cleaning.
Kurama looked up at her, her eyes still bright from her tears, and felt another jolt of memory from Youko and he desperately tried to hold onto it, but only got impressions.
Carrying her, or rather whatever she was before Human World, her body beaten and bloody, running through a part of the Demon World forest with her, back towards his base, having stumbled across her battered and bruised and being used by weaker animalistic demons, killing the lot of them and easily outdistancing anything wanting to chase him down, glancing down at her as he ran when she whispered those words, words no demon in their right mind ever admitted-being indebted to another-and catching sight of her face in the light that occasionally broke through the trees, cracked lips moving easily, sincerely, around her thanks.
Youko had covered her with the upper portion of her yukata, her cheeks were dirty, her hair long but matted and full of leaves and things, still somehow giving off a scent Youko imagined would be intoxicating were it in normal condition. There was a certain thankfulness associated with the fact that her eyes were closed as she drifted into unconsciousness.
"Don't mention it." Her lips tugged upwards at the wry request he made of her, but started to bleed in the effort, her tongue snaking out and licking the blood away.
The impression faded and Kurama re-entered the room from the depths of his mind, seeing Toriko almost finished putting her papers and writing utensils away, a stack of her school books neatly piled next to the bed. She hadn't noticed Kurama freezing in place. Kurama quickly caught up and soon had his own bag full of his school things.
"Maybe we'll try again next week some time." Kurama said as he stood up and hitched his bag over a shoulder.
Toriko nodded. A week would probably be enough time for her to forget the trauma, but for tonight, she felt as if curling up by herself in bed as soon as she was alone was her best course of action.
She walked Kurama downstairs and they exchanged good night pleasantries at her door as he went down the walkway to the sidewalk, closing the door as he turned out of sight towards his home. Toriko promptly shut the door at that point, locking it and, leaning her back heavily against it to put a hand up to her face, trying not to recall any of the night's events.
As she slowly shuffled her way back upstairs, turning off all the lights in the house she began taking her hair down and tossed it about her shoulders, fluffing it with a hand as she got back into her room, feeling better just with the simple task completed.
She turned off the light in her room and walked over to pick up her glasses and put them on her bedside table along with the pins she used in her hair.
The sun was nearly setting on the horizon, and despite her initial desire to lay down and curl up tightly to hope for sleep, Toriko made her way over to the open window, sitting on the sill and pulling her legs up as well, scooting over to lean against the side of the window frame and letting one leg hang outside, the other bent at the knee with her inside arm resting over it.
The slight breeze felt nice in her hair, and the outdoor smell and night sounds slowly lulled her into sleep, still dressed in her after school clothes without a care in the world.3
Hiei was dreaming, though he didn't have a clue in the world as to what was going on inside his own sleeping mind. He paid little to no attention to the small pictures that flashed through his mind, because he knew they meant absolutely nothing. After all, Hiei wouldn't walk into a random building and find it filled with strawberries and sweet snow. However, he could actually taste the treats as if he were actually eating them. He enjoyed the flavors, finding himself simply unable to figure out just how much he could eat. It seemed he could eat forever, if he so desired. However, something stirred his dream self, causing him to look around curiously, confused. His eyebrows drew together and he looked around the building, even as it faded. When he was left in nothing but darkness, his feelings of confusion intensified, and within mere moments he found his eyes snapping open and looking around.
The evening rays from the sun filtered in through the leaves of the tree he had taken to perching in, for the second day in a row. The warm beams of light hit his face, even occasionally shining into his eyes from the side, telling him it was almost dark, the sun almost dipping below the horizon. His crimson orbs roved over the birds in the nearest tree, each of them chirping to one another and looking to him and back to the others, as if communicating about the strange being that was in their habitat. He ignored them and continued searching for the reason behind his interrupted slumber, and it didn't take long for him to register the growing source of energy that was alarmingly close to him. He immediately turned in the direction of Toriko's house, his ruby irises quickly falling on the two beings inside the bedroom that he had walked through yesterday.
His eyes zeroed in on the back of Kurama, who sat calmly on the floor, watching Toriko, whose eyes were closed and her face contorted into an odd expression. The power continued to get stronger, and the hairs on the back of Hiei's neck stood on end; he hadn't registered her having so much energy. How did she keep it pent up so long?
He moved to sit up, his curiosity driving him to take in every inch of the scene. Despite the books laid out on the floor, Hiei knew that they were not studying; it was all for show. As Hiei continued to watch, he felt a stunned expression overcome his own features at the sudden outburst from Toriko, tears spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks before she could hide them from view. He heard her stammer her inability to do something, likely handle her own energy, from the way her energy simply dissipated. His eyes narrowed as he listened to the dialogue in the room, their voices clear to his keen ears.
After a few seconds of nothing more happening, Hiei moved to settle into a comfortable position again, bark once more against his back and hands laced behind his head for support. His eyes stayed on the scene, carefully watching to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, he noticed the slightest hesitation in Kurama as he reached to Toriko, and his curiosity exploded into full blown need to figure out what was going on. But the hesitation was no longer than a fraction of a moment, and then it was over, Kurama resting on his haunches and reassuring the female. And as he continued to watch, his curiosity continued to strengthen, continued to grow until it was almost difficult for him to not move forward and inquire from his comrade. Especially at the hesitation of an answer for Toriko.
It struck Hiei that maybe, just maybe, there was a distraction for Kurama from within. It wasn't entirely crazy, wasn't entirely impossible, but if that was the truth then something had happened to stir the fox. He frowned in thought and continued to watch, not allowing himself to move from the spot in the tree, not even when he noted Kurama taking his leave down the sidewalk. For a second, Hiei caught his friend's gaze, and then the redhead was gone from sight and on his way to his human mother.
And Hiei's curiosity continued to burn like a candle in a still, dark room, even as he moved to another tree to remain out of Toriko's eyesight as she settled in her windowsill.
~!**!~
Akari wandered the streets, now in her usual attire of jeans and a loose blouse, her hair up in a ponytail so that the wind didn't slap it into her face so easily. As she was beginning to grow accustomed to, a small pup continued to follow her, bounding and yipping, occasionally making actual words for her to understand, though that was about all she understood. As for speaking to the animal, she had not a clue. She hadn't ever heard of demons communicating with animals before, but she tried her best to ignore the confusing fact; she didn't need anything else to have her confused anymore than she already was.
Stupid paperwork, she thought to herself as she walked, ignoring the sudden ramblings from the dog. She'd given up only about half an hour ago on the school work, just in time to keep from ripping it to shreds and simply tossing it away. She had done a bit of looking into the math symbols, and had made at least two more connections and changed them to symbols she recognized, but other than that, she'd made no progress. The book she had been given- a play, she recalled the teacher calling it- was written in an older version of the language she had been taught by Sensui, and it left her just as baffled as the math work. As for the Chemistry class and her class on Psychology, she hadn't even touched those. She knew that Chemistry was a bust, but Psychology told her that she was an arrogant fool, an idiot set up for disappointment and playing God, with more issues than the typical comic book, as Mitari would have put it. It only accomplished angering her and causing her to throw the book across the room, putting a hole in the weakened walls, but not damaging the book.
That had been when Nabu, as the dog called himself, had suggested a nightly stroll, for her nerve's sake. Without any response, she had left the building, almost unaware of him following her. "Maybe you should take a bath. That always helps me, because it makes my coat shine!" the dog suddenly rambled, and she glanced back at it.
"I don't have a coat of fur, Nabu."
"But you have hair! It's nice and shiny already, but wouldn't it feel better wet? Oh, there are sprinklers at the park!"
"No."
"You're no fun." Akari scoffed and continued walking in silence. "So where is your fur? And your ears? You're a dog, I can tell by your scent!"
Akari's stomach jolted and rolled, but she didn't reply. Instead, she rounded another block and scoured the sidewalk. For a few moments, everything seemed normal.
That is, until she noticed a blonde standing idly in the center of the sidewalk, looking up at a house. She recognized him from earlier that day and suspicion grew. Now, who are you following? she thought as she slowed her pace, hoping she could figure out what he was up to before he decided to leave. *
The act of following 'Toriko' as he discovered she called herself now, had been no trouble for Otento, but when he found that she only returned to her home after school, he did nothing more in that moment, biding his time, waiting for...something, though he did not know what.
As the sun began sinking in the sky, however, he could no longer keep himself away, his thoughts consumed with her, with the knowledge that he had found her, and so he pointed his long legs once more towards her house, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his khaki-colored pants, smiling congenially at the pairs of females who passed him on the sidewalk giggling and staring at him and his platinum blonde hair that fell freely across his face, wearing it just a little longer than fashionable in the city. When they saw his eyes, amethyst, they would blush further, especially, he found, when he winked at them and smiled widely. He had gotten used to their flirtations, though he had not been in Human World long, and found their attentions strangely satisfying, though his mind always returned to 'Toriko' before long.
And so, as he walked, he kept his head high, feeling better than he had in a long time. That is, until he felt smacked by a wave of energy pulsating from the house just ahead. It felt anxious, but overly familiar. Trying not to bring too much attention to himself, Otento continued walking, but his steps were more measured and careful. When he reached the front of the house, he felt jolted to a stop without meaning to, his heart yearning to be a part of the woman whose energy he felt struggling desperately to be free.
As much as he wished to barge into the home, he held his ground in better judgement, but could not help turning his head to stare long and hard at the house, briefly closing his eyes and letting his senses absorb as much feeling from the energy as possible from this distance.
After too short of a time, the energy disappeared into the nothingness that he was surprised with when he first laid eyes on her several days ago before he helped her with her grocery shopping. He had caught the smell of her hair, a smell he had never forgotten since their first encounter in Demon World, a smell that drove him almost to madness. Her demeanour was different. Her appearance was different. But she could do nothing to mask her scent.
He threw his head back and let a bout of laughter into the night air, thinking that she should have had him killed while she had the chance. He put a hand up to his face as he lowered his head back down, his shoulders still shaking and a chuckle still passing over his lips until he managed to heave a sigh, glancing up at the house to his left one more time before starting to move again, hands in his pockets as he whistled a tune.3
Akari eyed the male with scrutiny from the distance she held between herself and him. She could see that his hair was longer than most human males around here, but she couldn't get a good look at his face. She continued to walk at a slow pace towards him, all senses concentrating on him. Oddly, she felt no energy. None, not even spiritual energy like a human would have. The lack of it made her very suspicious, and the closer she got, the slower she moved. She didn't want to run into him, but she didn't want to walk by him either.
"Who is that? Why are you watching him?" the dog below barked, and Akari felt the smallest sense of alarm. She paused mid-step and watched for a reaction, her eyes following his gaze to the house he had been watching. She didn't recognize it, but the energy inside she did. After sitting in the same room as the person, she had come to figure out Toriko's energy, and while it was quiet, hidden almost, she had taken very careful note of it, along with Kurama's.
Then, the male surprised her; he tossed his head back and let out a laugh that she could hear even from this distance, and her eyes widened. The ring to it was not one she recognized, but it made the hairs on her arms stand and suspicion continue to boil in her blood. She hadn't seen him with the group, even before Sensui had engaged with them directly. He hadn't been around. At all. And that coupled with the lack of energy made her wary. She may not care about the members of the group, but much like a pup, her curiosity and instincts took over, causing her to watch him as closely as possible, her feet now moving without her consciously telling them to do so. She moved forward, eyeing him as she got closer, listening to the tune he began to whistle as he turned to walk away.
"Akari, what's wrong?" the dog yipped quietly, his very aura shaking with the nerves she could tell were frayed. "You're acting funny."
"Shut up Nabu, or go away."
"But he's done nothing wrong to you."
"Perhaps you should listen to your instincts, you might learn something."
"My instincts say you're worked up, but the man creeps me out too. He's too tall."
Akari sighed and glared down at the dog. "What did I say?" He immediately silenced and, with a tucked tail, moved a bit away from her and began watching the man as well, something Akari joined him in doing. What has you so interested in this team? *
Otento kept going down the sidewalk, easily able to act as if he did not know he was being followed by someone not very good at stealthy tracking. He continued to whistle with his usual air of nonchalance, hands in his pockets, though he did glance with just his eyes to the right to see if the tracker was stupid enough to let him get a look before he lead them into his trap.
Keeping his stride at a brisk, but leisurely-seeming pace, he made sure he stayed just enough ahead so as to be curious a person to follow, his preferred mystique when all was said and done.
He had to fight down a chuckle as he ducked into the an alleyway between two buildings several blocks away and easily made a leap onto the roof of one of them, waiting for his quarry to turn the corner and realize the alley was a dead end before closing the jaws of his trap.
There she came, curious as a...
He almost laughed at the human colloquialism that jumped into his mind, which did not exactly apply in the case of this young demon and her doggie companion.
On silent feet, he came back down from the edge of the roof and leaned against the side of the alley, waiting until the demon stopped at the end of the alleyway and turned around before speaking, his voice light and pleasant.
"Don't you know that beautiful women shouldn't be walking around by themselves in a city like this after dark? Even demonic girls have to be careful of things lurking around that might mean them harm."3
Akari had stayed back, watching carefully of his movements. Indeed, she caught the male glancing back, but didn't bother acting as if she wasn't following. She knew that being unable to hide her energy was a flaw, and if this person was a demon as she suspected him to be, he would have known from the start that she was there. It wouldn't mean much anyways. So she played along with his little game, though it was convincing enough to almost have her brushing him off and continuing on. And the moment he turned into an alleyway, she raised a brow and straightened her spine even more.
Curiosity blurred her thoughts into nothing other than seeing where he was going and why, and she merely followed upon instinct, not thinking twice about the decision, which she easily deemed as faulty and very stupid of her, especially when she noticed she was met with a dead end and a pair of feet hit the ground behind her. She slowly turned about-face and met his purple gaze evenly, her expression calm and her eyes unwavering as he spoke. At his words of compliment, her lips turned into a crooked smile, as if she took them to heart. Her eyes raked over him and she shifted her standing position, mocking a female human by placing a hand on her cocked hip and tossing her ponytail into the air. "Why thank you, you aren't so bad yourself. However, standing in front of random houses is a turn-off, don't you think?" As she said those words, her smile shifted to one that mocked the flirtatious nature of a human teenager. "I mean, talk about not being over someone, whether it be a friend, an old flame, or maybe even a pet that ran away."
~!**!~
Hiei stood in the tree he had moved to, for some reason finding no reason to sit, as if his instincts told him to wait. His eyes wandered expectantly until he found what his senses had been pointing him to. A blonde passed by the house with hands in his pockets and lips pursed, issuing a tune he didn't recognize. Hiei's brows drew together as he watched him pass by, and a moment later he felt an energy that he hadn't expected. His eyes moved to find Akari walking along the sidewalk, eyes narrowed to something in front of her and her steps full of purpose. He traced her line of sight and judged it to be something he didn't approve of.
Hiei glanced back at the window where Toriko slumbered before turning back to the street. After a mere moment's hesitation, he moved towards the town, his energy still concealed, as always, and his steps quiet as he moved to the nearest rooftop to follow his query. By the time he had caught up, the duo were in an alleyway, conversing casually, exchanging compliments in tones he didn't much care for. While he thought it was sarcastic, it didn't sound as such to his ears. They were both smiling, as if they knew one another, and Hiei felt suspicion arise. He watched for a mere moment, debating whether to stay, or go. But for now, he stayed put, waiting for something to happen.
After all, demons meeting in dark alleyways was not something he enjoyed witnessing unless he could end them himself. *
Otento found himself grinning widely at this demon and her show of bravery, "So, tell me, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He said it with as much familiarity for her as he could manage, "I thought I recognized you from somewhere, but I didn't think the higher ups would let you live past Sensui's era. Tell me, you have received the invitation, right? Please tell me your answer was yes. I would adore getting to see more of you." There was no attempt to hide the obvious interest on his part and he languidly looked her up and down.3
Akari raised a brow and smiled even more at the male, reaching a hand up to twist a strand of hair around her finger in thought. The motion paused at his show of knowledge, but only for a brief moment as she let her smile grow; so, He'd been keeping track of everyone, eh? "Well, let's see, Spirit World seems rather lenient these days. Most of us got away with nothing more than a warning," she retorted, as if she enjoyed the prospect of being tied to the gang, as if she had planned it as such all along and not been practically forced into it. "And the answer to your question is yes, though I highly doubt you'll be receiving much from me after this." Her eyes rolled to the side as she contemplated dropping the charades. She didn't like the way he spoke to her, at all. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you? To the humans, anyways." Now her smile fell into her normal sneer, no longer feeling like pretending to be a promiscuous teen human. "You've been keeping watch. Flattering. Did you know Sensui as well, or are you simply just watching from afar?"
~!**!~
Hiei's ears easily caught each word that was said, and he did not enjoy anything he heard. His suspicion solidified into stone-cold anger, but he pushed it away as the conversation continued. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but this had been not one of the top picks. Yes, the thought had crossed his mind, but the way they spoke brought about a level of intimacy that he hadn't considered. And the moment that the contract with Koenma was brought up, he'd heard more than enough. With his fists stuffed in his cloak pockets and his anger sky-high, he turned and walked away, flashing through the shadows of the now starry night and to a quiet place, where he could consider several options.
While he would enjoy watching the woman's head being dismembered from her body, he decided he'd wait. For a while, at least. He'd simply keep a close eye out. *
Otento found himself frowning at her. "You didn't actually get an invitation. How sad. Well, I won't question it. There must be some reason why you were left out in the cold." He shrugged it off. "If you didn't get an invitation, then I'm sorry to say that we really have nothing else to talk about and it's here that our conversation ends."
He smiled once more, "I will definitely get in contact with you if he ever does decide to send you one, though. You can bet on that. You're quite the cutie and I'd be very interested in seeing more of those scars." He turned as he said the last bit and walked away, waving one hand and then putting it in a pocket, whistling as he turned onto the sidewalk and out of her direct sight, disappearing into the night.3
Akari felt her smile disappear entirely at his remark, finding that she'd been wrong about her assumption. She had assumed he had been referring to Koenma and his lackeys signing her on a contract for her freedom when her time was up, but his words left her stunned and confused. "Invitation?" she repeated after him, eyebrows almost touching as she watched him carefully. "Who would be inviting me, and what would I be invited to?" she asked as he turned away, almost not catching his comment on her scars. "Hey," she called again just as he disappeared, leaving her completely frazzled and confused, unable to comprehend what he'd said even remotely.
"That was odd."
"Shut up Nabu."*
Several of my OCs I tend to base on the look of another character already in existence mostly because I can't draw and it makes it easier for, say, a role-play partner to picture the character in their head. For example, Otento looks like a slightly taller version of Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club.
Saki - small peninsula
Otento - (as otentosama:) the sun
Nabu - no meaning
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star
