Mayumi opened the door to her small apartment and sat down. She was almost in tears, remembering what she had said to that poor boy--
::Thanks, but no thanks, Kazuma. I can take care of myself.::
'Youkai don't cry,' she told herself sternly. 'Did you ever see him cry?'
The pain of thinking about him almost pushed her over the edge of tears. "I can't think about him," she said aloud. "It's better that I don't." She looked down at her right hand, which laid upon her lap. "He would never love me in this form anyway, even if he was still alive…no matter who I was." She cursed, knowing what she would have to do. If she didn't, she would never get any peace of mind.
"Kuso."
------------------------
"Hey Kuwabara, you still mad at her?" Yusuke playfully hit his friend with his briefcase. They were on their way to school two weeks after Mayumi had first appeared at Sariyashiki.
Kuwabara hit him back. "Come on, are you serious? Of course not."
"Good." Yusuke pointed ahead of them. "Because there she is."
The carrot-top gulped. Mayumi was about ten feet in front of them, blocking their path.
"Um…ohayo, Mayumi-san…" Kuwabara muttered, looking at the ground. Yusuke looked at her coldly, ignoring his feelings of pity towards her.
"Look, newbie, get out of the way. We're going to be late for sch--" He stopped in mid-sentence.
Mayumi's face had lost its callous, hard glare and had taken on a soft look. It made her seem almost fragile. Yusuke noticed she still had her right hand in her pocket.
"I just wanted to say," Mayumi began softly, "that I'm extremely sorry about what I did on my first day here. I was…" she trailed off, looking for the right words. "I guess I was afraid, that's all."
"Of us?"
"Of being in a new place, I suppose. I've lived in Osaka all my life." 'Which is part-true,' she thought. 'All my human life I've been there…' She bowed. "Gomen nasai."
Kuwabara grinned. "Don't worry about it, Mayumi-san," he said, waving off her apology. "I guess everyone's nervous about their first day at school. You have to worry about me! Kuwabara Kazuma, worst thug of Sariyashiki Junior High!"
Yusuke whacked him hard with his briefcase again. "No use lying!"
Mayumi smiled softly. "We should go," she said quietly. "The bell will ring in three minutes."
"Oh, kuso…detention again…"
------------------------------
The end-of-school bell had rung and all of the students were gone except Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Mayumi. The two boys were thanking Mayumi profusely for giving Takenaka an excuse for letting them go home instead of detention.
Yusuke had secretly invited all of the Reikai Tantei to his apartment for a meeting yesterday. The oafish Kuwabara had shot his mouth off about it to Mayumi, causing Yusuke to bash his skull in with both of their briefcases.
"You baka! Now she knows, and it's all your fault!"
"Yusuke, I--" Mayumi was interrupted by Yusuke screaming again.
"I told Botan that no ningen or youkai would know about the Reikai Tantei, and you blew our cover!"
"Yusuke, I already knew you two were Reikai Tantei."
The two boys stopped fighting and stared at Mayumi in amazement.
"But…but…" Yusuke stuttered. "How did you know?"
"Because…" Mayumi paused, as if unsure of what to say. "Because I'm also a Reikai Tantei."
"NANI?!"
::Thanks, but no thanks, Kazuma. I can take care of myself.::
'Youkai don't cry,' she told herself sternly. 'Did you ever see him cry?'
The pain of thinking about him almost pushed her over the edge of tears. "I can't think about him," she said aloud. "It's better that I don't." She looked down at her right hand, which laid upon her lap. "He would never love me in this form anyway, even if he was still alive…no matter who I was." She cursed, knowing what she would have to do. If she didn't, she would never get any peace of mind.
"Kuso."
------------------------
"Hey Kuwabara, you still mad at her?" Yusuke playfully hit his friend with his briefcase. They were on their way to school two weeks after Mayumi had first appeared at Sariyashiki.
Kuwabara hit him back. "Come on, are you serious? Of course not."
"Good." Yusuke pointed ahead of them. "Because there she is."
The carrot-top gulped. Mayumi was about ten feet in front of them, blocking their path.
"Um…ohayo, Mayumi-san…" Kuwabara muttered, looking at the ground. Yusuke looked at her coldly, ignoring his feelings of pity towards her.
"Look, newbie, get out of the way. We're going to be late for sch--" He stopped in mid-sentence.
Mayumi's face had lost its callous, hard glare and had taken on a soft look. It made her seem almost fragile. Yusuke noticed she still had her right hand in her pocket.
"I just wanted to say," Mayumi began softly, "that I'm extremely sorry about what I did on my first day here. I was…" she trailed off, looking for the right words. "I guess I was afraid, that's all."
"Of us?"
"Of being in a new place, I suppose. I've lived in Osaka all my life." 'Which is part-true,' she thought. 'All my human life I've been there…' She bowed. "Gomen nasai."
Kuwabara grinned. "Don't worry about it, Mayumi-san," he said, waving off her apology. "I guess everyone's nervous about their first day at school. You have to worry about me! Kuwabara Kazuma, worst thug of Sariyashiki Junior High!"
Yusuke whacked him hard with his briefcase again. "No use lying!"
Mayumi smiled softly. "We should go," she said quietly. "The bell will ring in three minutes."
"Oh, kuso…detention again…"
------------------------------
The end-of-school bell had rung and all of the students were gone except Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Mayumi. The two boys were thanking Mayumi profusely for giving Takenaka an excuse for letting them go home instead of detention.
Yusuke had secretly invited all of the Reikai Tantei to his apartment for a meeting yesterday. The oafish Kuwabara had shot his mouth off about it to Mayumi, causing Yusuke to bash his skull in with both of their briefcases.
"You baka! Now she knows, and it's all your fault!"
"Yusuke, I--" Mayumi was interrupted by Yusuke screaming again.
"I told Botan that no ningen or youkai would know about the Reikai Tantei, and you blew our cover!"
"Yusuke, I already knew you two were Reikai Tantei."
The two boys stopped fighting and stared at Mayumi in amazement.
"But…but…" Yusuke stuttered. "How did you know?"
"Because…" Mayumi paused, as if unsure of what to say. "Because I'm also a Reikai Tantei."
"NANI?!"