Chapter 3
Disaster Waiting to Happen

***

Author's Notes: *cries for joy* Finally! I was able to finish the 3rd Chapter! Sorry about the wait. Welcome! *pokes and prods her readers* Excited?! In suspense maybe?! Well.I have one solution.READ THE CHAPTER! MUAHAHAHAHA!! It may be a bit choppy, mostly in the ending section/part.
But it's because I wrote this over a long time period during different
levels of inspiration and creativity. I hope you can enjoy it anyway!
R/R!

Disclaimers and Copyrights: I do not own any of the Yu Yu Hakusho
characters or ideas from the show. Hoshi Komogata, Kohana Ashigato, The
Tear of Time's Fire, the other crystals, and all my other original characters are copyrighted to me. Any attacks that are of my own creation are copyrighted to me. Some ideas I've taken from the show and have been
altered a bit. Some copyrights may be added in the future.

***

A long time ago, before much of the universe had been completely intact, fourteen beautiful angels poured their own tears, power, and notions into fourteen, powerful crystals. With each tear added to the crystal was what
the angel was feeling as she created the beautiful item. Each holds an ability that can be used by the one who masters it, and the clue to this
lies within the two markings on both main faces of the crystal. These crystalline tears, when brought together, can form a force powerful enough
to rip the universe to pieces at the whim of their master.

The Tear of Tempest's Rage is the crystal of Weather, Glitter's Purity is of Light, Phantom's Hate is Dark, Hope's Mercy is Life, Sheol's Judgment is Death, Charm's Illusion is Psychic, Flame's Fear is Fire, Aqua's Serenity
is Water, Bleak's Sorrow is Ice, Rose's Love is Earth, and Celestial's Illumination is Stars and Planets. Heart's Courage is of Spirit, allowing
the owner to take control of one's soul and mind, while Incense's Joy
allows the owner to control another's body though the mind and soul are still free. As for the Tear of Time's Fire, it is the master crystal and
the one that gives its lord the Key to Time's Gates.

At one time they were kept under the control and careful watch of one they call the Magic Master. He had been considered the most successful Crystal
Lord and also was feared for the power he used keeping the crystalline tears out of the hands of the wicked. Somehow, by a power unexplainable, he was slain and the crystals stolen from him. At first everyone knew who
had the fourteen Power Crystals, but eventually all were lost and
supposedly forgotten. Once in awhile there would be a story of someone using something they believed to be a 'Tear', but those stories never got
far.

For many years the crystals were hiding, at rest in their separate locations until Shoki collected them and took them to his castle in Makai. But one he had unwisely forgotten and left behind; The Tear of Time's Fire.
But Time's Fire wasn't left unguarded for long, as one who's faith and
loyalty is to Reikai found it. He brought it to Lord Koenma who flourishingly placed it upon a red velvet pad in the King's Vault, and from that same place it was stolen, everyone on high watch for the thief; Hoshi
Komogata.

***

Kohana's room is tranquil and still, the only noise coming from the ruffling of the thin cotton, star patterned curtains hanging in front of the open window. The sun then suddenly bursts into vivacious colors above the buildings of Tokyo, a shaft of light permeating in through the window and landing on the sleeping girl's face. With a groan she turns over so she's facing the unwavering shadows of her other wall. Just as sleep is
about to take her, just when she's about to slip into the realm of her thoughtful dreams, there's a soft click. The familiar voice of the early
morning Radio DJ rings out a good morning call. Without opening her
crystal blue peepers she mutters drowsily beneath her breath.

"Good morning, Eizan."

Slowly Kohana sits up, the black covers falling from around her thin shoulders and laying in a folded and wrinkled pile on her lap. The orange
tabby kitten that lay at her feet purrs softly in his kitty dreams, but refuses to wake. Stretching her stiff muscles and yawning sleepily, she throws her slender legs over the side of her bed. The carpet feels soft beneath her feet and the breeze entering her room, rippling her pajamas and
caressesing her skin, leaves a cool, fresh feeling. As the sun's light bathes the blonde's back with warmth, she feels a soothing calm come over
her. A good night's rest was all she had needed to recover her former
strength, the burning and stinging sensations from her side had almost
completely vanished.

With footsteps creaking on the floor like tiny cricket bugs and with words and music of a playing song echoing off through the placid upstairs, 'Hana
readies herself for another day in the educational facility they call a
school. In no time flat she's dressed in her school uniform and is downstairs, her backpack chock full of her school necessities, feeling like a weight upon her slim shoulders. The schoolgirl glances up at the clock, eyes widening like saucers and she takes off out the door, slamming it shut as she jumps the three steps of the porch and running as fast as her feet
can take her to beat the last bell.

***

The hot afternoon rays beam down upon the city and its inhabitants, waves of heat rising up off the blacktop of the streets. Blistering heat of the summer that is quickly closing in on the city attacks the people of Tokyo. A strange girl treads along the sidewalk, paying little or no heed to the people passing by her and having no interest in anything but the search for a certain Youkai. Only problem is, she simply can't avoid the feeling of
the many, vigilant and accusing stares her ears and tail are receiving.

Akika passes by a store window and thinks before backing up a few paces to see what's being displayed. Displayed is just what she requires to walk around in this God forsaken place, Ningen clothes. The Youkai shoves the
door open unceremoniously, growling as the annoying bells on the door
jingle. But as she looks at the racks and shelves of clothing, a
torrential wave of overwhelming curiosity floods over her. She walks
through the masses of ningen attire, selecting some articles of the
clothing to clad her peculiar Youkai body in.

Akika steps from the women's dressing room, clad in black flare jeans that has a black kitty decal on it with a red outline and a matching black T- shirt. On her feet are black sneakers and no socks, her jeans folding over the top of her shoes, and a black hat to cover up her ears. Heat doesn't
affect her like it does fragile humans.

Still clad in the merchandise, the cat demoness starts to walk out of the
small shop. But she feels the hand of the manager descend upon her shoulder. Slowly moving her eyes so that she's looking over her shoulder without turning her head, an evil smirk appearing on her lips as he begins to explain that what she's doing is called theft. The tune coming from the speakers on the ceiling play on, making the only sound rippling through the
department store.

Akika walks out of the store and back into the heat of the hot daystar
without a word and licking warm red liquid from her claws, leaving the lifeless form of the manager to with new air holes in either side of his throat. The blood still rushes from the open wound and onto the carpet, staining it a permanent scarlet. The scent of the Fyre Fox drifts to the youkai's waiting nostrils, the prey's odor filling her nose and directing
her feet along. The game of predator and prey, cat and mouse, takes
another prowling step forward, another step into the hands of shadowed
destiny.

***

The last class of the day, the last five minutes of the period. And how those three hundred seconds are dragging on and on, feeling like hours of silence and anxious breathing. The steady tic toc of the clock's "seconds
arm" is enhanced in the still air, echoing like the drip, drip of water within the deep vastness of an icy cavern's hidden domain, and beating on
into time indefinite. Kohana's mind swirls as she drifts off into a wakeful slumber, the visions of the previous day's caper returning to her eyes and becoming real as she drifts through her thoughts. The repetitive 'ding' of the school bell becomes the blatant alarm of the King's Vault,
sending a chilling sensation of dread to run down her spine.

Luckily the feeling of a hand on her shoulder pulls her from her daydream before she can react to the alarm that rings out in her mind's ear. She turns her head swiftly up, startled and frantic blue eyes meeting with the
soft and friendly lilac ones of a fellow classmate. Benkai Yakuta. The same boy who has been in her class ever since she came to Tokyo, the same person who always seems to be there to pick her up when she's down. ~'God, he's hot. Wait! What am I saying?! He's human!'~ His eyes ask her if she is okay and the disguised youkai springs from her seat as if a red-hot needle had poked her. 'Hana scoops her books up into her arms in an untidy
bundle, apologizing to her fellow student.

"Sorry, Benny! Can't talk! I have something's to do at home!"

The frantic girl stuffs and packs her homework and junk into her bag as she pushes out the door and cutting in front of someone else in her hurry to get out of the room and away from the boy. Kohana doesn't like, or trust, the humanly feelings that surface when she's around that mortal human. She
always stumbles over her words and makes herself a complete idiot.
Unbeknownst to her, she just came face to face with an enemy of her demoness self, Hoshi. And Benkai Yakuta, the Bounty Hunter for Hire, was oblivious to the fact that Kohana was his target in her camouflaged, "hide
away body". ~"Geez. . .What's her problem? She was in a hurry to get
away. And did she have to call me Benny?"~

Kohana fights the waves of students flooding the hallways, getting pushed and knocked about most of the time like she wasn't even there. At times
she'd be swept in the completely opposite direction of her desired
destination. Through sheer determination and some force, she finally manages to arrive at the large doors. She runs down the steps, stumbling over the last few, and begins home at a hurried pace. The human girl, the disguised female youkai, is eager to put as much distance between Benkai
and herself as possible. It's for the better not to get involved with these more fragile and co-dependant beings. For Hoshi, and thus her human self, she has more powerful people to worry about; like Yusuke Urameshi, a
Spiritual Guardian of the earth, and Shoki, the Demon Lord.

As the blonde reaches the latter park gate, she becomes aware of a
plaintive cry of a cat, the little voice coming from her right. Tall grass, that appears to have been left for weeks, says and the stalks soon part for an ebony kitten to sluggishly pad out from between them. The kind mortal soul forced upon Hoshi when she transforms into the weaker Kohana doesn't allow her to pass the baby up. Squatting down, the student holds
her hand out pleadingly, rubbing her fingers together and making a soft
sissing noise to gain its attention. Its dull yellow eyes watch her cautiously, taking in every motion and baking up with a low, frail growl.

Persistence and patience pay off for 'Hana and she is soon treading carefully with the petite feline in her protective arms. She's too engaged
in contemplating a name for the kitten and making sure nothing she does will cause the small animal to start and become afraid to notice its cloudy yellow eyes become twin pools of luminescent light for a mere moment. As the young girl strokes her new friend's fluffy velvet, slightly dusty fur, her face beams with a smile of delight. Gently she lifts the babe into the
air, her hands tucked beneath its forelegs, and rubs her nose tenderly
against the tiny, damp rosy one.

"Let us call you Baba! Such a sweet name, don't you think, Kitty-Chan?
Wait 'till Mom sees you!"

The kitten just blinks large wide eyes and then answers with a pleased 'meow'. By this time the pair are at the front door of 'Hana's abode and she tickles Baba's chubby belly before rotating the brash doorknob, pushing in the door, and entering. Kohana closes the door behind her, calling for
her mother.

That night, while the youkai schoolgirl sleeps with a kitten at her head
and on lying precariously at her feet, Benkai is sitting and doing his
homework by flashlight. But something weighs heavier on his mind than these algebraic equations and deep-sea creatures. The boy's mind delves deeply into the mystery of his pretty peer, Kohana Ashigato. The peculiar
gal had just appeared on year in the hallway, slipping in through the bottom story window. And she had tagged along with him all day, as if she were gathering data on him for some experiment. It had freaked him out and put him on the edge, but she never gave him the creeps and chills that she
had today.

Since the day Benkai had met Kohana she had seemed normal. Maybe a little strange and a wee bit more out of this world, but that just furthered her interesting qualities. However, she never gave off such evil vibes before! And he sensed energy, possibly spiritual energy, emanating from her being. All in all 'Hana had intimidated him, scared him even. ~'Could she be. .? Nah! She's too.just too.great. ..'~ The male student, and secret Hunter
of Spirits, drifts off into wistful thinking after that little bit of sentiment. As if on cue his source of light flickers, grows dim, and goes out. Without the light to keep him awake and focused on anything else but dreaming, he falls to sleep half curled around a jumble of school books, study papers, and papers scribbled with numbers, words, and formulas. The
corner of a photograph sticks out from amid the learning and practice
materials, showing Kohana looking beautiful for a quick snapshot.

***

Author's Ending Notes: There you have it! The 3rd Chapter! Let me give you a bit of an explanation about the crystal names. Let's take The Tear of Time's Fire for instance. Time would be the Angel's name (which usually has something to do with what kind of Crystal it is. Tempest/Weather for
example) and Fire (of spirit and zeal) would be what she poured into it
with her tear. Question for the readers! Does anyone remember what
Yusuke's school is called, correctly spelled? If you do I'd really appreciate it if you could give me that information. Thanks! Nice little touch for the ending sentence, huh? *giggles and hugs Benkai and Kohana, then avoids Zena who's basically Ben's Cowboy Bebop Sweetheart.* AHH! R/R
please! *puppy dog eyes*