A/N: Thank you, Rhisa. ^_^ I now have reason to continue. LOL. Oh, and for
whoever E-mailed me (I'm sorry, I forgot your name. ^^), yes, Yoda is
actually the name of one of the youkai in Yomi's territory. He's really
ugly. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying
writing it. Peace, all! :D
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Shuu and Aya stared, awestruck, at the large water serpant advancing on Yoda. "What's going on!?", Aya cried, flattening herself against the wall. "Don't worry", Sai tried to reassure her. "He's not going to hurt you or Shuu. Just keep back.". Yoda laughed. "That's what you think", he said. He vanished before the children's eyes and, in a blur, Mitari was unconscious. "MITARI!", Shuu cried, trying to get to his friend's side. Sai caught him around the waist. "Shuuichi! Stop!", she snapped. The boy stopped strugging and looked at her.
"You have to stay back. I don't know if I'll be able to stop him, but you mustn't interfer. This is a youkai, a dangerous one. If anything happens to me, take Aya and get out of here". "What about Mitari?", Shuu asked, tears in his eyes. "He's not going to hurt him. You and Aya are the ones he's interested in." "Why?". Sai struggled to find an answer while looking into his large, frightened brown eyes. Why? Asked like a small child would. Why? Yet she couldn't give him an answer-not without revealing everything.
"Are you finished yet? I'm growing impatient", Yoda snapped. His eyes passed dangerously over Shuu and Aya. "You can try to protect them, if you want, but once you're gone, they will be defenseless." "That's why you won't get past me this time", Sai said, pulling out the katana she'd tucked into the duffle bag she'd brought. "Let's move this outside". "As you wish", Yoda replied. "However, they're to go out, too." Here he pointed at Aya and Shuu. Sai winced, but agreed-they'd still have a better chance of getting away outside. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The two squared off in the Hakataka's back yard. Yoda and Sai raised their katanas at eachother. For several tense minutes, neither moved, anicipating an attack from the other. Then, without warning, Yoda attacked. Sai got out of the way of his blade just in time and slashed at him with her own katana. He blocked it easily with his katana and rounded on the girl. She felt the blade pierce her left shoulder and nearly dropped her katana. She knew it was going to be almost impossible to continue to fight with her arm messed up, but she had to keep trying.
Sai was about to try an attack on Yoda, but haulted at a brilliant flash of light. Yoda spun around to find the source. SNAP! His head was lying on the ground. "Kurama", Sai thought. "He came!". Sure enough, the redhead came walking up, looking, for lack of a better word, dangerous. He stared at the bleeding corpse with absolutely none of his usual compassion on his face. "Are you all OK?", he asked. Shuu's mouth dropped open. "Shuuichi!", he cried.
Kurama's face softened considerably as he pulled Shuu to him in a brotherly embrace. "I'm sorry, Shuu-Kun. I should've been here sooner.", he whispered. His brother pulled away and looked him clear in the eyes. "Don't blame yourself. However, now that you're back, you're not gonna leave, are you?". Kurama laughed. "No. No, I promise this time I'm not going to leave you.". He looked up at the sky and prayed he wouldn't have to break his promise. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After he'd gotten Sai's arm bandaged up and had made sure Mitari wasn't in any danger (He wasn't. He'd just suffered a blunt on the head), Kurama called Mitari and Aya's parents and explained to them (as best as he could) what had happened that afternoon. For preventative messures, he suggested the children stay at the Hakataka house for a while. Mitari lived with his father, who, it seemed, couldn't care less where his son stayed, and told Kurama that he really didn't care either way. He wasn't the problem. It was when he called Aya's house that he met slight difficulty.
Mrs. Kazanaki was a very protective, loving parent who didn't want her daughter away from home. She went near hysterical when he told her what had happened. Finally, Mrs. Kazanaki agreed she thought it was best Aya stay there, but asked to be allowed to bring her daughter her clothes and uniforms, and some other things she may want or need, and to be allowed to comunicate with her by phone every once in a while. Kurama, who was reminded strongly of his own mother, agreed that it would be allright. Then he hung up and, with the help of Shuu and Aya, started to clean up the house.
Shortly after they'd gotten the house cleaned up, the doorbell rang. Kurama answered the door and let in an attractive woman in her late 30's who was carrying a suitcase and several grocery bags. Her porcelen-white skin, curly silver hair, and light blue eyes told Kurama she was Aya's mother right away. "Are you Shuuichi Minamino?", she asked Kurama as he let her in. "Yes, Ma'am", Kurama said politely. "Hidei Kazanaki...where's my daughter?". "Ah, yes...Aya-Chan!", Kurama called. "Your Kaasan is here!". Aya shuffled shyly into the hallway to meet her mother. Kurama had had the kids clean themselves off, so she was wearing an old shirt of Shuu's and a pair of his swimtrunks.
Mrs. Kazanaki didn't seem to care that she was dressed in Shuu's old clothes. "Aya-Chan!", she cried, grabbing her daughter and sobbing against her shoulder. "Okassan...please...don't cry...I'm not hurt...It's not good for your health to cry!". Hidei pulled away and ran her hand through Aya's silken curls. "I'm just glad you're allright...", she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you". "Okaasan...", Aya murmured and looked at the floor. Kurama was shocked. Was that guilt on her face? Aya's eyes darted upward to look into those of her mother. "Promise me you're going to take care of yourself. That you'll take your medicine, and you'll go to the doctor as soon as you feel any difficulty, Okaasan".
Fifteen minutes later, they said goodbye to Hidei. Aya stared at all the stuff her mother had brought her with tears in her eyes. "You need some help carrying that to the room you'll be staying in?", Kurama asked gently. The girl lifted her head. "Yes, please". She stood up and Kurama noticed the back of her leg was scratched up. "Aya-Chan...your leg...". "It's OK. I scraped it when I backed up into that rose bush", she said, swooping down and picking up two of the bags. Kurama helped her carry all the things her mother had brought her into the nearest guest room and then left her to get herself settled in. As he shut the door, he felt a painful tug at his heart. Hidei reminded him of his mother...and Aya reminded him of himself... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Well, that's all for this chapter. Next chapter is the big one! You do not want to miss it. I'm not gonna tell you what happens, but it's full of surprises. On a completely unrelated note, has anyone taken the YYH personality test on ReikiTantei.net? It's alot of fun, but I'm not sure on the accuracy. I always get I'm most like Kurama or Jin...LOL. Anyhow, if anyone's taken it and thinks it is accurate, let me know. I could do with a good laugh or two. ^_^
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Shuu and Aya stared, awestruck, at the large water serpant advancing on Yoda. "What's going on!?", Aya cried, flattening herself against the wall. "Don't worry", Sai tried to reassure her. "He's not going to hurt you or Shuu. Just keep back.". Yoda laughed. "That's what you think", he said. He vanished before the children's eyes and, in a blur, Mitari was unconscious. "MITARI!", Shuu cried, trying to get to his friend's side. Sai caught him around the waist. "Shuuichi! Stop!", she snapped. The boy stopped strugging and looked at her.
"You have to stay back. I don't know if I'll be able to stop him, but you mustn't interfer. This is a youkai, a dangerous one. If anything happens to me, take Aya and get out of here". "What about Mitari?", Shuu asked, tears in his eyes. "He's not going to hurt him. You and Aya are the ones he's interested in." "Why?". Sai struggled to find an answer while looking into his large, frightened brown eyes. Why? Asked like a small child would. Why? Yet she couldn't give him an answer-not without revealing everything.
"Are you finished yet? I'm growing impatient", Yoda snapped. His eyes passed dangerously over Shuu and Aya. "You can try to protect them, if you want, but once you're gone, they will be defenseless." "That's why you won't get past me this time", Sai said, pulling out the katana she'd tucked into the duffle bag she'd brought. "Let's move this outside". "As you wish", Yoda replied. "However, they're to go out, too." Here he pointed at Aya and Shuu. Sai winced, but agreed-they'd still have a better chance of getting away outside. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The two squared off in the Hakataka's back yard. Yoda and Sai raised their katanas at eachother. For several tense minutes, neither moved, anicipating an attack from the other. Then, without warning, Yoda attacked. Sai got out of the way of his blade just in time and slashed at him with her own katana. He blocked it easily with his katana and rounded on the girl. She felt the blade pierce her left shoulder and nearly dropped her katana. She knew it was going to be almost impossible to continue to fight with her arm messed up, but she had to keep trying.
Sai was about to try an attack on Yoda, but haulted at a brilliant flash of light. Yoda spun around to find the source. SNAP! His head was lying on the ground. "Kurama", Sai thought. "He came!". Sure enough, the redhead came walking up, looking, for lack of a better word, dangerous. He stared at the bleeding corpse with absolutely none of his usual compassion on his face. "Are you all OK?", he asked. Shuu's mouth dropped open. "Shuuichi!", he cried.
Kurama's face softened considerably as he pulled Shuu to him in a brotherly embrace. "I'm sorry, Shuu-Kun. I should've been here sooner.", he whispered. His brother pulled away and looked him clear in the eyes. "Don't blame yourself. However, now that you're back, you're not gonna leave, are you?". Kurama laughed. "No. No, I promise this time I'm not going to leave you.". He looked up at the sky and prayed he wouldn't have to break his promise. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After he'd gotten Sai's arm bandaged up and had made sure Mitari wasn't in any danger (He wasn't. He'd just suffered a blunt on the head), Kurama called Mitari and Aya's parents and explained to them (as best as he could) what had happened that afternoon. For preventative messures, he suggested the children stay at the Hakataka house for a while. Mitari lived with his father, who, it seemed, couldn't care less where his son stayed, and told Kurama that he really didn't care either way. He wasn't the problem. It was when he called Aya's house that he met slight difficulty.
Mrs. Kazanaki was a very protective, loving parent who didn't want her daughter away from home. She went near hysterical when he told her what had happened. Finally, Mrs. Kazanaki agreed she thought it was best Aya stay there, but asked to be allowed to bring her daughter her clothes and uniforms, and some other things she may want or need, and to be allowed to comunicate with her by phone every once in a while. Kurama, who was reminded strongly of his own mother, agreed that it would be allright. Then he hung up and, with the help of Shuu and Aya, started to clean up the house.
Shortly after they'd gotten the house cleaned up, the doorbell rang. Kurama answered the door and let in an attractive woman in her late 30's who was carrying a suitcase and several grocery bags. Her porcelen-white skin, curly silver hair, and light blue eyes told Kurama she was Aya's mother right away. "Are you Shuuichi Minamino?", she asked Kurama as he let her in. "Yes, Ma'am", Kurama said politely. "Hidei Kazanaki...where's my daughter?". "Ah, yes...Aya-Chan!", Kurama called. "Your Kaasan is here!". Aya shuffled shyly into the hallway to meet her mother. Kurama had had the kids clean themselves off, so she was wearing an old shirt of Shuu's and a pair of his swimtrunks.
Mrs. Kazanaki didn't seem to care that she was dressed in Shuu's old clothes. "Aya-Chan!", she cried, grabbing her daughter and sobbing against her shoulder. "Okassan...please...don't cry...I'm not hurt...It's not good for your health to cry!". Hidei pulled away and ran her hand through Aya's silken curls. "I'm just glad you're allright...", she whispered. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you". "Okaasan...", Aya murmured and looked at the floor. Kurama was shocked. Was that guilt on her face? Aya's eyes darted upward to look into those of her mother. "Promise me you're going to take care of yourself. That you'll take your medicine, and you'll go to the doctor as soon as you feel any difficulty, Okaasan".
Fifteen minutes later, they said goodbye to Hidei. Aya stared at all the stuff her mother had brought her with tears in her eyes. "You need some help carrying that to the room you'll be staying in?", Kurama asked gently. The girl lifted her head. "Yes, please". She stood up and Kurama noticed the back of her leg was scratched up. "Aya-Chan...your leg...". "It's OK. I scraped it when I backed up into that rose bush", she said, swooping down and picking up two of the bags. Kurama helped her carry all the things her mother had brought her into the nearest guest room and then left her to get herself settled in. As he shut the door, he felt a painful tug at his heart. Hidei reminded him of his mother...and Aya reminded him of himself... ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Well, that's all for this chapter. Next chapter is the big one! You do not want to miss it. I'm not gonna tell you what happens, but it's full of surprises. On a completely unrelated note, has anyone taken the YYH personality test on ReikiTantei.net? It's alot of fun, but I'm not sure on the accuracy. I always get I'm most like Kurama or Jin...LOL. Anyhow, if anyone's taken it and thinks it is accurate, let me know. I could do with a good laugh or two. ^_^