Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN YU YU HAKSUHO! . . . any questions? Okay, cool.
Author's Note: Hello all. Well, it's been a long road, but this is it, the very last chapter of My Sweet Heart's Rival. I want to thank everyone who read this story and stuck with it, even when I didn't update in . . . ever. But yeah, so its been fun everyone. Read and please enjoy!
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Chapter: 10
"Caitlin! Come over here please." Keiko beckoned to her friend who stood about a yard away from here.
"Yeah, what is it?"
Keiko handed her a list. "This list is of ALL the things that we need to buy to set up the cafeteria and make it look like the ideal place for a dance."
Caitlin's eyes widened. "Oh but Keiko, how're we supposed to--"
"Good question." Keiko said, cutting her off. "We'll have to raise money fast. Any ideas?"
"Hm . . . well, what about a . . . a car wash? Or maybe a bake sale?"
Keiko nodded. "Good. Go around and ask everyone what they think then report back to me and I'll get everything arranged in accordance to what you decide, okay?"
The other girl nodded. "Yes sir, chief!" She said and marched away.
Keiko smiled after her friend and turned to face the entire cafeteria. The place was stark and white, and there were messes of lights and other decorations scattered around, lying in heaps on the tables and floor. She let out a sigh. It looked hopeless, but she'd get this place fixed up if it killed her! Suddenly, someone yelled as a ladder fell, pulling off a string of white lights from the wall. The person, the ladder, and the lights fell to the floor in one big mess. Keiko shook her head. And it very well may kill her . . . she needed an aspirin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yusuke let himself float in his dreamless sleep. It was nice and warm, and oh how he wanted to stay! But . . . there was a voice, one that kept nagging at him to wake up, yanking him toward consciousness. For a moment he thought it was Kurama again, but no. The kitsune's voice was soft and tenor, and not nearly as impatient. The voice that was calling to him was somewhat high-pitched and screechy and really . . . really. . . "ANNOYING!" Yelled Yusuke.
Without even checking to see whom it was, he jumped up and whacked the person hard with is pillow.
"OW! URAMESHI! WHAT'D YA DO THAT FOR!?" Came the same voice. Yusuke looked to see Kuwabara sprawled out on the floor with an indignant look on his face. He couldn't help but grin. "It's sad enough that you pick fights with ME and lose every time, but then you have to go and pick a fight with my PILLOW and lose? Come on." He taunted.
As expected, Kuwabara's face turned red and he jumped up. "I can take you AND your pillow any time and any where Urameshi, and don't you ever forget it!"
Yusuke rolled his eyes and lay back down. "Whatever." He said and promptly threw his pillow in Kuwabara's face. Needless to say, it did hit the other boy. A few moments of silence went by before Kuwabara sat down on the side of Yusuke's bed.
"So uh . . . it's Saturday. You wanna do something?" Kuwabara asked tentatively.
"Can't." came Yusuke's muffled reply, as he had his face buried in his reclaimed pillow.
Kuwabara let out a sigh. "Why not? What could be more fun than hangin' out with a cool person like me, huh?" He asked. He was teasing.
Yusuke chuckled and looked up at him, for a moment, that comforting light was present in his eyes again. "Heh. Fighting another Dark Tournament." Replied Yusuke.
Kuwabara smiled ever so slightly. At least he had put his friend in good humor for a bit. "Funny." He retorted sarcastically.
The dark haired tantai sat up. "Yeah, well . . . I'm a funny guy." He said quietly. Another silence ensued.
"But seriously. That cool movie is finally in theatres and I was wonderin' if you wanted to go."
Yusuke shrugged. "I can't, but maybe you can get Kurama to go with you."
Kuwabara frowned. "Why not?"
The other boy made a notion toward his books and things on the floor. "Make up work. If I do that stuff, they'll let me pass middle school."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Kuwabara eyed the scattered papers and books. Urameshi needed a friend, someone to take his mind off of his heart sickness as Kurama had called it. "Well that's cool man. I can help you. I'm actually really good a social studies and I have a B in that class. I could have pulled an A, but I never did any class work, just aced all of the tests."
Yusuke eyed his friend in surprise at such a generous offer. He thought about refusing it, thinking that maybe he just wanted to be alone . . . but then . . . did he? Not really. He didn't want to be alone at all. He wanted his mind to preoccupy itself with other things . . . and he REALLY wanted his headache to go away. Some painkillers could take care of that though, and Kuwabara could help with taking his mind off of . . . other things. "Yeah, that'd be cool." Yusuke said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kurama sighed as he finished up the last of his homework. The breeze from his open bedroom window messed with his hair and he closed his tired eyes. He hadn't been sleeping so well lately. His mind had been wondering about Yusuke. The youko turned human did not like the fact that a certain something had been sucked out of their friend and leader. He thought about approaching Keiko, and at first he had preferred to let Yusuke and her work the problem out themselves. However, now, talking to her was looking better and better.
He closed his eyes and relaxed in his chair. He needed to think. Behind his closed eyelids, Kurama's eyes began to sting, urging him to let himself fall victim to unconsciousness, but the fox was stubborn and forced himself to beat out the stinging. His mind wandered in all directions, pondering, calculating, and planning. . . all of the things that his mind usually did anyway. Suddenly, the breeze seemed to stop abruptly. He sighed and slowly opened his eyes to look toward his window. He quickly found the source of the problem and cracked a gentle, welcoming smile.
"Ah, back so soon Hiei?"
The darkly clad fire youkai jumped from the windowsill and allowed the breeze to continue its path into the fox's room. "Hn." He replied, making his way over to Kurama's bed. He sat down and Kurama got up, waiting for more of an answer to come. It did.
"Mukuro was generous enough to give me some time off."
Kurama smiled. "Well I'm glad that she isn't working you too hard."
Hiei shrugged and Kurama noticed him wince ever so slightly. The fox shook his head, but Hiei did not see this. If Hiei would not TELL him that he was injured, well, Kurama would have to do it the hard way . . . "Hiei." He said calmly, and discretely picked up a book from his shelf.
"Hm?"
Kurama grinned. "Catch!" With that small warning, the fox chucked the heavy book to Hiei. Out of instinct, Hiei caught it with his right hand, but dropped it instantly, as the book's impact in his hand had jarred his injured shoulder. The youkai glared daggers at the smirking fox. "What the hell, Kurama!" He yelled.
Kurama looked rather smug. "I thought so. Lay down and let me help you." He instructed.
Hiei still glared, but he did as told. Kurama walked to his bedside and helped Hiei take off his cloak and shirt. Kurama inspected the damage. Hiei's shoulder was a mess. The skin was torn and there were pieces actually hanging from a deep gash that was caked with dry blood and oozing sickly green puss. Kurama made a face of disgust. "Jesus, what the hell happened?" He asked.
Hiei shrugged his good shoulder. "Yukina crossed the border. She's headed back to the land of the koorimes to explain to them that she is staying here, in Ningenkai. If she doesn't tell them they'll come here looking for her, which, ultimately, wouldn't end well. Anyway, a demon attacked her. I jumped in front and took the blow, having no time to do anything else. Then, I escorted her to her destination."
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you have her heal you?"
"I didn't want her to waste her energy on me."
The fox shook his head. "Honestly Hiei, you have GOT to take better care of yourself. If you had come a day later I'd end up having to amputate! God, okay this is going to hurt like hell, all right?" He warned. He disappeared into the bathroom and reappearing with a bowl filled with water, a rag, and gauze.
Hiei shrugged his good shoulder. "I've been through worse and even if you-- " He replied stoically.
Kurama rolled his eyes. "And even if I amputated you could still take on half the Makai and live. I know, I know." He said.
Hiei let a smile curve on one side of his lips. "Yeah." It amused him how the fox could read his mind like that.
Kurama set to work wiping the blood and puss away, and then he removed all of the hanging threads of flesh. Hiei winced, or sucked in his breath, or closed his eyes due to the pain, but he did not utter a sound.
Kurama reached into his hair and pulled out two seeds. In his palm, one grew into a small, blue flower with a red center. Kurama plucked the petals and held them out to Hiei. "Singe." He ordered. Hiei shrugged and did so. The petals shriveled and turned black. Kurama crushed them in his hand and then sprinkled them into the deep gash. Hiei hissed in pain.
"Those will help to heal it quicker, help your body start rejuvenating the torn tissues and such."
Hiei nodded. Kurama grew the other seed into a large, broad leaf that was somewhat fuzzy and soft. Kurama held it over Hiei's wound and squeezed. Out of the leaf poured several drops of a clear, thick liquid. They landed heavily on the areas where the skin was missing and along the edges of the gash. The moment they hit, they turned into a white, fizzy type of foam. Hiei sucked in his breath as Kurama blew softly of the wound and the liquid dried into a cool sort of seal. Suddenly, Hiei's shoulder fell completely numb.
Kurama smiled. "Works fast huh?"
"What was it?"
"It'll help to seal the wound, grow back that skin, disinfect it, and of coarse, numb the pain. I had to blow on it and dry it, because if that gets mixed the flower petals, the two components create a rather deadly poison."
At Hiei's raised eyebrow Kurama decided to add that once the substance was dry it was perfectly harmless, and Hiei relaxed at this revelation. The fox set to work wrapping Hiei's shoulder with the white gauze. Hiei watched him for a time, noting easily his friend's tiredness.
"You know, I didn't ONLY come back because of Mukuro letting me." Hiei said.
Kurama glanced at him, but then went back to his wrapping. "I know." He replied.
"I came back because of Yusuke. His ki does not feel as strong. "
Kurama nodded. "I thought you would." He replied.
"What's going on?"
". . . If I tell you will you promise to be more careful in the future?"
"Now you KNOW I can't do that Kurama."
"Fine, then you have to promise that when you're injured you won't try hiding it from me."
Hiei sighed. Well anyway, it felt nice to have someone worry and care about him. "I promise."
Kurama finished dressing the wound and sat down across from Hiei in his chair. "Okay, so it all started when . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Lunch break everyone!" Keiko yelled, her voice echoing throughout the crowded cafeteria.
Tons of relieved sighs were heard. She smiled as people started filing out.
"Hey Keiko, we're going to that café down the street. You wanna come?" Asked Caitlin.
She shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll hang out here. I'm really not very hungry."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, you guys go on ahead."
"Okay, see ya in an hour."
"Bye." Keiko said, and she watched her friend's retreating forms.
It wasn't long before the entire room was empty . . . well, except for her of coarse. Other than the fact that the earlier messes had been organized so that there were specific messes, they hadn't gotten very far. On the other hand, the group had chosen to do a carwash, which would help them raise money because the school could only pay for so much. She didn't mind really, after all, it was her responsibility now. The school was paying for catering and drinks and things, while they had to come up with enough cash to bring the stark, barren cafeteria to life.
She sighed as she got up to go and reorganize the messes in an attempt make them look less messy. Somehow, she didn't see that happening, but whatever.
The minutes ticked by, but Keiko didn't notice until she looked at the clock and realized that there were only ten minutes left of the hour long lunch break. It was very quiet. She wondered when people would start coming back. She heard footsteps then and turned around to greet her loyal workers, but her business welcoming face faltered as she saw Kurama and Hiei appear. "Uh . . . hey there." She said.
Kurama smiled and Hiei . . . well stayed the same.
"How is everything going in here?" Kurama asked, coming toward her.
Keiko shrugged. "How does it LOOK like it's going?"
"Indeed." Replied the fox.
Kieko looked toward Hiei and smiled. "You're back. How is everything?" She asked good-naturedly.
Hiei stared at her, but Keiko was unfazed. She still expected an answer. "Well enough." He answered in monotone.
"Great. You know Yusuke will be so happy to see you." Keiko said absently. Her statement, however, caught both demons attention. Kurama and Hiei matched one another, stare for stare before Kurama cleared his throat.
"Keiko, we actually came here to speak with you about . . . Yusuke." He said.
Keiko tilted her head slightly. Her friend's voice sounded very concerned. "Is he injured?" She asked cautiously.
Kurama bit his lip. In a sense he was, but Keiko obviously meant physically. "No, nothing like that . . . necessarily anyway. Actually he--"
"Keiko! Oh my God, Sota had this great idea and you have come now!" A voice yelled excitedly, cutting Kurama off. They all snapped their heads in the direction of the girl. She ran up and took hold of Keiko's wrist, giving her a soft yank. "Come on!"
Keiko felt that familiar adrenaline rush again and her eyes seemed to light up. "You guys, I have to go. We'll talk later though, okay? Bye!" With those words, Keiko disappeared from the room with her ecstatic companion.
Kurama and Hiei were left staring at empty space for a few moments, and then they turned to one another.
Hiei sighed. "I can see what you mean."
The fox supported his head on his loosely drawn fist. "Yusuke isn't much better I'm afraid."
"What will you do?"
Kurama eyed the jaganashi slyly. "What do you mean ME?" He asked.
Hiei's eyebrows rose. "Don't even go there Kurama." He said.
"Come on Hiei, we have to help them!"
"I don't see why. They got THEMSELVES in to this mess, why should it be OUR job to get them out?"
Kurama let out an agitated sigh. "Well, one, I'd like to get some sleep, two, how many times has Yusuke saved the world and our asses along with it, and three, Keiko and Yusuke are good kids and they BELONG with one another."
Hiei rolled his eyes. He eyed the fox. "God, you're such a girl." He said.
The fox grinned. "That a 'yes'?"
He sighed reluctantly. "I guess."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuwabara's phone rang several times before the boy woke up to snatch it up.
"Hello?" He asked drowsily. "K'rama? That you?" He yawned. "What is it? It's like 2:00 in the morning. Hiei? Uh . . . could it wait till morning? . . . Yeah I guess you're right, it sorta is already morning huh? Fine, I'll be there in like . . . 15 minutes, m'kay? M'kay bye." With that Kuwabara dropped the phone and went back to sleep.
Five minutes passed and his phone rang again. "Hello? Oh hi K'rama, what is it? I was s'posed to meet you where? In how many minutes? Yeah, sure, thanks for calling to check up, I'll be there in ten. Right, okay, bye." Kuwabara hung the phone up and dozed off once more.
7 minutes later the phone rang again. Kuwabara answered it. "What? I was? . . . Okay, wait, I remember now . . . I'm sorry, I'll be there in ten minutes, I just gotta get dressed. It won't take long, I just have to throw some pants and a shirt on, okay? Sure, bye." Kuwabara dropped the phone on the floor, and the dial tone was heard on deaf ears, for sleep had claimed the boy again.
Ten minutes passed and suddenly, a shriek sounded throughout Kuwabara's house. Shizuru awoke and quickly went to her brother's room, only to find him sprawled out on the floor in his white night shirt and his teddy bear boxers, surrounded by feathers from his beaten pillow. Hiei stood atop the boy's bed holding an old, worn out looking stuffed bunny as hostage to the blade of his sword.
The black clad figure glared down at Kuwabara. "Now get up or the rabbit gets it." He ordered.
Kuwabara got on his hands and knees. "No! Please, not Mrs. Bun Bun! Anything but Mrs. Bun Bun!" He pleaded.
Hiei opened his mouth to say more, but he then noticed Shizuru standing in the doorway. He nodded at her. "Hey Shizuru." He greeted.
"Hey Hiei. How's everything?" She asked casually.
The jaganashi shrugged. "Pretty good, you?"
"Well enough."
"Good to hear." Replied Hiei.
"Yeah, well, I'm off to bed, I'll see ya around Hiei."
"Yeah, good night."
With that Shizuru left the room and Hiei went back to his threatening. It was a mere 15 minutes later that both Kuwabara and Hiei showed up at the all night café. Kurama was awaiting, pleasant and patient as always. They all ordered coffee, although Kuwabara's was espresso plus a few added spoonfuls of sugar so as to keep his eyelids from drooping. He cradled the cup as though it were his very life. "So what's this all about?" He asked through a yawn.
"Yusuke and Keiko." Replied the fox.
Kuwabara regarded his friends with a raised eyebrow. He had thought that it was decided that they would merely work things out on their own, but apparently, there had been a change in plans. He shrugged. It didn't matter either way to him. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were . . . and to have the privilege of still maintaining an unconscious state at 2:00 in the morning. That would be nice too.
He listened as Hiei and Kurama explained to him their theories and carefully thought out plans. Everything sounded perfectly flawless, but then, Kurama and Hiei had made the plan up, so flaws were pretty much nonexistent.
By the end of the hour, everything had been laid out. Kurama finished up the last of his coffee and set the cup down carefully. "So, is everyone clear?" He asked. Hiei nodded, and so did Kuwabara. Kurama seemed satisfied enough. "Very well." He said. "Then that's it. I'll see you all later." With that, the three boys departed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Keiko sighed in utter relief. She looked around. The room was completely transformed. It had gone from a deathly stark cafeteria to a lovely, midnight ballroom complete with dazzling lights and tables adorned with fine cloth and lovely centerpieces. The floor was shiny and there were side tables with very intricate food designs on them. It was all just perfect. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey girl."
"Hey Caitlin." She said.
Her friend looked around with a smile. "It all happens tonight you know, and you did a great job setting this place up . . . now all that's left is to set YOU up."
Keiko giggled and looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. Caitlin was right. She did need to head home and start getting ready. She sighed again, taking one last look at her masterpiece before she left to go home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuwabara knocked impatiently on Yusuke's door. There was no answer until Atsuko came to the door and opened it. She smiled. "Oh hey there Kuwabara, come on in. Yusuke should be getting ready. You can go right into his room, he shouldn't care and if he does . . . oh well." She said, allowing him inside.
Kuwabara thanked her and went to his friend's room. The door was closed, but what did he care? He pushed it open without any worries. He sighed when he saw the state of his friend. Yusuke was paler than he had been before, and he looked very tired. Kuwabara shook his head, and put on a smile. "Hey Urameshi! What are you doing sitting around here for? We're going to get there really late if you don't get ready." He said.
Yusuke looked at him drowsily. His head ached, and those painkillers weren't helping. Tired. He didn't want to go, but he had to . . . he had promised himself that he would go to the dance . . . for Keiko, he would go. He smiled up at Kuwabara.
"Right, I'll uh . . . be right out." He said.
Kuwabara took his leave of Yusuke and waited in the living room. A few minutes later Yusuke came out wearing a pair of black slacks complete with a black belt and black shoes and he wore a dark, forest green shirt that buttoned up the front, except for the first three or four, which had been left unbuttoned. The shirt had been tucked casually, yet neatly into the pants. As per the usual, Yusuke's hair was greased up nicely.
Atsuko whistled. "You clean up nicely honey." She said.
Yusuke rolled his eyes and Kuwabara grinned. They were about ready to leave when Atsuko stopped them. She held up a camera and both boys groaned. "Photo up!" She said cheerily.
The camera snapped the picture and the two boys were out before another word could be uttered. They sighed in relief when they were sure that they were safe from prying cameras.
"So uh, this thing is really important to Keiko huh?" Kuwabara asked.
Yusuke glanced at him, and then at the ground. "Yeah . . ." He replied. 'Keiko.'
"Ya know, Kurama is coming."
Yusuke looked at his friend fully this time. "Kurama is? Why?"
Kuwabara shrugged. "Ya got me . . . heh . . . he's bringin' Hiei with him."
At this, both of them simply HAD to burst out laughing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hiei grumbled and Kurama nudged him. "Relax Hiei." He said as they entered the cafeteria. Music was already blaring and kids were dancing, a few teachers stood around chatting at the food tables.
Hiei rolled his eyes. All of this and not a damn tree for him to retreat too. It was depressing. He hated crowds . . . he was starting to hate Kurama, as the fox seemed to draw crowds to him. The worst part was that those crowds were of hormonal, giggling, squealy, human females. He just wanted this entire thing to be over with, and afterwards, he'd have to promise himself never to promise Kurama ANYTHING EVER again.
He waited while Kurama pushed his way through the sea of girls to his side.
"Sorry." Appologized the fox.
Hiei shook his head, and Kurama smiled easily at the gesture. A few moments later they noticed that Yusuke and Kuwabara had entered. Kurama and Hiei met them immediately. Kurama, ever the observant one, inspected his friends.
Yusuke looked very nice and so did Kuwabara with his khakis, brown Dockers, and dark blue shirt. He looked at Hiei's outfit for the billionth time. He had one hell of a time trying to get Hiei to wear something other than his usual. However, he had won in the end. Now, Hiei wore pants and a belt and shoes very similar to Yusuke's, only he wore a black shirt. Kurama himself was clad in khakis, brown Dockers, and a gray shirt that resembled pretty much the same style as everyone else's.
He sighed. Tonight, everything would have to work out . . . and if it didn't, they'd move to plan B. . . as it was, they didn't necessarily HAVE a plan B, but they were all creative young men, surely they could think of something at the spur of a moment.
"Hello Yusuke!"
They all turned, Yusuke included, to the cheery voice. Yusuke smiled as he saw Ms. Yugumai come up. She was wearing a lovely black dress that was simple, and yet elegant.
"Hey Ms. Yugumai." He greeted.
She smiled back at him, but then frowned. "Yusuke . . ." She started.
Yusuke gently shook his head, meaning, he knew what she was going to say, and that it didn't matter because he was staying no matter what.
She sighed, and put on forced smile. "You," she looked at the other three, "all look very nice this evening." She said.
Hiei did not acknowledge her, Kuwabara blushed and mumbled a 'thanks', while Kurama nodded politely at her. Yusuke just grinned to the best of his ability. Even the muscles in his face felt tired.
He shook away his sudden wave of weariness. "You look good too. Are you uh . . . here with someone, I dunno, special?" He asked.
The young teacher blushed lightly and glanced toward her date, the infamous gym teacher, with a slight smile. "Well . . ."
Yusuke's grin broadened. "He really likes you Ms. Yugumai."
"I know that. . . well anyway, I'd better take my leave of all of you, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting, and I'm sure you all have some mingling of your own to take a part in, so I'll see you later. Have fun tonight kids!" She said, and waved as she walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Yusuke smiled after her until Kuwabara nudged his shoulder. "Hey, Urameshi, let's head toward the food, okay?" He asked.
Yusuke nodded and took the lead. Kuwabara lingered shortly behind him. He leaned toward Kurama. "Is it ready?" He whispered. The fox only nodded.
They made their way toward the food and Kuwabara took a plate and filled it rather generously, while Kurama and Hiei only grabbed something to drink. Yusuke didn't grab anything, which ultimately, wasn't counted on. Kuwabara looked nervously at the two demons.
Hiei rolled his crimson eyes. 'Figure something out! You can't expect us to do everything!' Hiei sent to Kuwabara through telepathy.
The orange haired kid glared at the black clad figure, but then shrugged. "Hey! Try this! It's really good!" He said, shoving his plate toward Yusuke.
Yusuke looked at it and shook his head. He was too nauseous to eat. "No thanks." Kuwabara frowned. "C'mon! It's good!"
"No, really, I'm good."
The latter's frown deepened. Fine, he'd merely have to FORCE-feed him. He waited then until Yusuke yawned, mouth opening widely, and then he shoved one of the unidentifiable food items in to his mouth.
Yusuke gagged and cough, but ended up swallowing it. He was about ready to kill Kuwabara right then and there, but then a terrible after taste began to sit on his tongue. "Oh gross!" He said. "What the HELL did you put in my mouth you idiot!" He said.
Kuwabara shrugged. "I though it tasted pretty good myself." He said in his defense.
Hiei rolled his eyes. Well, it was rough, but it worked as well as anything else.
Yusuke shook his head. "Yuck. I gotta get something to drink." He said this and began to head to where assorted drinks sat on a tray. Suddenly, Kurama stepped in his way.
"Just a minute. I'll get one for you." He offered.
Yusuke nodded, not thinking much of it, as Kurama was considered the polite one. The fox made his way to the drink tray and pretended to be searching for something suitable to his friend's tastes. In his show, he turned his back to his familiar party and dug a small vile of green liquid out of his pocket. It was a special concoction, personally made by him for Yusuke. He uncapped the vile and poured the liquid into a cup of soda. It was tasteless, but its effects worked without fail.
He took it back to his still gagging friend and Yusuke gulped it down, sighing in utter relief as that horrible taste left his mouth. Kurama smiled to himself. All he had to do was snap his fingers, and the drug would take its effect. All they had to do now was wait.
Suddenly, he heard a dissatisfied grunt off to his side. Kurama looked and simply had to chuckle. A trio of girls had cornered Hiei, and he was none to happy about it either.
"Hi, my name it Aiko! Would you like to dance?" one asked.
Hiei didn't even have time enough to respond before one of the other girls shoved Aiko. "No! He's dancing with me!" She said.
The third shook her head and held a hand out toward Hiei. "I'm Lynn, would you like to dance with ME?" She asked.
Suddenly, the two other girls shoved Lynn who retaliated with hitting back. Hiei attempted to sneak away, but he suddenly found himself confronted with the same three, only now very angry, girls. "You have to choose someone!" Cried Aiko.
"Yeah!" The two others agreed in unison.
Hiei gulped and backed closer to the wall. He looked around. "Uh . . ." He stared. His eyes searched frantically. "I uh . . ." Suddenly, he caught sight of Kurama and thought 'what the hell', just as long as he didn't have to bother with any of these human girls. "I um . . . can't." He said.
"What? WHY!" They all yelled at once.
Hiei winced. "Because my girlfriend is here!" He answered quickly.
"Girl friend?" asked Lynn. "Where is she then?" She asked suspiciously.
Hiei pointed to the red headed fox who had his back turned to them. "That's her right over there. Her name is Kurama." He said matter-of-factly.
At the sound of his name, Kurama looked over his shoulder. The three girls mouths hung wide, and then they sulked. "Oh she's so pretty! It's not fair! If I had eyes and hair like that, all the guys would want me too." Aiko said.
Lynn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hate her."
The third female nodded and they all walked off looking miserable. Hiei let out a sigh of relief and walked back over to his group. Kurama raised an eyebrow at him. "What was that all about?" he asked.
Hiei grinned. "Well uh . . if anyone asks, you and I are goin' out."
Kurama sweat dropped. "Excuse me?" He asked, blinking. Hiei did not answer. Kurama put his hand on his hip. "Hiei." He said in a warning tone. "What the HELL are you talking about?"
Hiei shrugged. "Nothing, nothing at all . . ."
"Hiei!"
"It's nothing!"
The two demons bickered for a good thirty minutes to follow. Finally, the room began to quiet down, and all attention was at the front of the room where there was a platform, a podium, and a microphone. They heard the clicking of heels, and then Keiko appeared, one of the spotlights shining down on her.
Yusuke's eyes went wide when he saw her. She looked quite lovely. Her slender form wore a royal blue dress that went down to her ankles and had one slit on the right side that extended up to her knee. The top part of the gown was simple, as it went straight across her upper chest and had two thin straps that hung on to her shoulders. Her heels were the same color as her dress, open toed and strappy. The minimal amount of make-up she wore gave her face a natural, but stunning glow, and her hair was down, as usual, only she had two frontal strands pulled back into braids that fastened in the back of her head with a golden colored hair clip.
Her delicate hands picked up the microphone and she cleared her throat. "Welcome students and staff to this end of the year dance. It's so great to see that all of you could make it this evening. I just wanted to personally thank everyone that helped to make this once barren cafeteria into a lovely, makeshift ballroom. You've all been absolutely wonderful and if--"
Keiko stopped suddenly as she seemed to feel her eyes being pulled gently toward the back of the room. Little did she know that Hiei's gently glowing, and still covered jagan was playing a hand in that. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something. She shook her head.
"If it weren't for all of you, this wouldn't be possible. Honestly, you all have yourselves to thank for everything tonight. We have the school to thank for their generous donations, the students to thank for all the hard work that was . . ."
She felt her attention being drawn away, again to the back. Her mind seemed to suddenly become aware that it was sitting in a thick cloud of fog, and she felt light headed, but frustrated, as if she was trying to reach something, but couldn't touch it.
"As I was saying . . . we have the students to thank for all the hard work that was put into decorating and I--"
Keiko's eyes passed over Kuwabara, then Kurama, and then Hiei, who's glowing jagan she remained oblivious too, and then they passed over Yusuke, and something seemed to jar her thoughts. Yusuke. He was there . . . it wasn't unusual for her to see him, certainly not, so then why did it feel as though she hadn't seen him in months? Why did he feel so distant? Her heart beat faster as the crowd began to whisper. She gently shook her head to try and clear her muddled thoughts, but she couldn't seem to.
Meanwhile, Kurama glanced at Hiei, who nodded, and then Kurama snapped his fingers softly. At that exact instant, Yusuke began to feel faint. He felt, heavy and light at the same time, sleepy, and yet totally awake.
Keiko watched as Yusuke's form began to relax and seemed to swerve slightly, suddenly, he seemed to crumple over in to Kuwabara's waiting arms. He was conscious, but . . . strangely not.
The crowd still had their eyes on her, and at first glance nothing looked out of the ordinary, so no fusses were made, but inside Keiko's mind, that strange fog seemed to be wafting away, and the distance she had felt between herself and Yusuke began to grow smaller. It was as though what she was trying touch was him, and that she was almost there, and then, then it snapped. Sirens seemed to go off and her eyes widened. She gasped a little as she let her arms fall to her side, microphone still in hand.
Keiko looked toward the floor, and she felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She tried to steady her suddenly rapid breathing and swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked up slowly then, facing the crowd of confused, worried faces. Keiko gradually lifted back up the microphone, holding it far away from her lips.
" . . . And I . . . have been a fool." She finished.
The faces were still confused, and the whispers more urgent. "Please excuse me." She said quietly, and set down the microphone.
She all but leapt from the platform and pushed through the crowd, ignoring and brushing off all of those other people. One person in particular refused to back down. Keiko glared at her for a moment, partially out of habit, but then her features softened and she put a hand on Amissa's shoulder. "Why don't you take over for me, hm? I need to be with someone right now." With that she continued walking.
Amissa stared after her. "Uh . . . Keiko." Called the blonde.
Keiko looked back at her over her shoulder. Amissa bit her lip, looked away and then back at her long time rival. She sighed and nodded, and a soft, barely visible smile graced her lips. Keiko smiled back and continued on her path.
Her course took her directly to Yusuke who still leaned on Kuwabara for help standing. Keiko hesitated as she glanced at an easily smiling Kurama, a regular looking Hiei, and Kuwabara looking at her with kind eyes of understanding and relief. Gently, she took Yusuke's arm and slung it over her shoulder. She took another look at her friends and mouthed a thank you before taking her leave of the room and the school.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yusuke had a strange dream that could hardly be considered deep. He dreamt that he was drowning in a huge bowl of chicken ramen . . . oddly enough, he had had that dream many times when he was a child. But, whenever he had that dream, he was always woken up by someone, and so, when he felt himself drifting back to consciousness, he was not surprised.
His eyes slowly slid open and he felt that he was lying on a familiar bed, his own. A cool, damp cloth was resting on his forehead, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he felt better upon waking.
Suddenly, he heard soft humming and slight shuffling. He wanted to sit up, but his body felt tired and heavy. He yawned instead and stretched.
"Awake? I thought you'd be out for at least another hour." Said a soft voice.
Yusuke gulped. He recognized it. "K-Keiko?" He sputtered.
The spoken girl leaned over him. Her eyes were misty, as though she had been crying, her smile sad, regretful, and guilty. "Hey there." She greeted.
Yusuke blinked. "I--" But a finger was suddenly placed to his lips, silencing him.
"Sh. Don't say anything . . . you shouldn't have too. I should have a lot to say, but you know its crazy . . . I don't. I just . . . oh God Yusuke, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed abruptly, and crushed him into an embrace.
Yusuke hesitated, but he then wrapped his arms around her smaller form. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it felt too good to get to hold her so he wasn't about to complain. Things would probably be explained to him later . . . they usually were anyway, and something told him that later, whenever that was, was going to feel just as good as now was. Yeah, things would be okay from now on . . . he knew that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kurama stared up at Yusuke's lighted window, a satisfied smile on his face. Hiei couldn't help one either.
"So . . ." Kurama started, turning to the fire demon.
Hiei looked at his friend. "So what?" He asked.
Kurama grinned. "So, we should do this more often." He said.
Hiei groaned and rolled his eyes. "I think not." He replied.
"Oh come on, we both know you enjoyed playing match makers Hiei!"
The jaganshi rolled his eyes. "Please! That was like watching a bad soap opera."
Kurama chuckled. "Yeah, one you helped produce." He said mockingly.
The pair turned to head back toward Kurama's.
Hiei grunted. "Whatever. I'm NEVER promising to help you with ANYTHING EVER again."
"That's no way to talk to your girlfriend Hiei." Kurama teased.
Hiei blushed, causing Kurama to laugh merrily. "You're too easy, ya know that?"
"Ha! Youko Kurama, infamous thief and lover of the Makai calling ME easy? That's the pot calling the kettle black."
Kurama made a mock, woeful face and put a hand to his chest. He pretended to rip out his heart and hold it out to Hiei. "Here, I think this belongs to you!" He said way over dramatically.
"Ch! If you ever drag me into anything like that again, I'll be carving it out of your chest FOR you."
"Oh yeah, that a threat?"
"That's a fact."
Overhead the stars and their father the silver moon laughed as they listened to the two friend's merry banter fade off into the night breeze. Tomorrow would be a new day, and for two very particular teenagers, a fresh beginning.
-OWARI
Author's Note: Hello all. Well, it's been a long road, but this is it, the very last chapter of My Sweet Heart's Rival. I want to thank everyone who read this story and stuck with it, even when I didn't update in . . . ever. But yeah, so its been fun everyone. Read and please enjoy!
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Chapter: 10
"Caitlin! Come over here please." Keiko beckoned to her friend who stood about a yard away from here.
"Yeah, what is it?"
Keiko handed her a list. "This list is of ALL the things that we need to buy to set up the cafeteria and make it look like the ideal place for a dance."
Caitlin's eyes widened. "Oh but Keiko, how're we supposed to--"
"Good question." Keiko said, cutting her off. "We'll have to raise money fast. Any ideas?"
"Hm . . . well, what about a . . . a car wash? Or maybe a bake sale?"
Keiko nodded. "Good. Go around and ask everyone what they think then report back to me and I'll get everything arranged in accordance to what you decide, okay?"
The other girl nodded. "Yes sir, chief!" She said and marched away.
Keiko smiled after her friend and turned to face the entire cafeteria. The place was stark and white, and there were messes of lights and other decorations scattered around, lying in heaps on the tables and floor. She let out a sigh. It looked hopeless, but she'd get this place fixed up if it killed her! Suddenly, someone yelled as a ladder fell, pulling off a string of white lights from the wall. The person, the ladder, and the lights fell to the floor in one big mess. Keiko shook her head. And it very well may kill her . . . she needed an aspirin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yusuke let himself float in his dreamless sleep. It was nice and warm, and oh how he wanted to stay! But . . . there was a voice, one that kept nagging at him to wake up, yanking him toward consciousness. For a moment he thought it was Kurama again, but no. The kitsune's voice was soft and tenor, and not nearly as impatient. The voice that was calling to him was somewhat high-pitched and screechy and really . . . really. . . "ANNOYING!" Yelled Yusuke.
Without even checking to see whom it was, he jumped up and whacked the person hard with is pillow.
"OW! URAMESHI! WHAT'D YA DO THAT FOR!?" Came the same voice. Yusuke looked to see Kuwabara sprawled out on the floor with an indignant look on his face. He couldn't help but grin. "It's sad enough that you pick fights with ME and lose every time, but then you have to go and pick a fight with my PILLOW and lose? Come on." He taunted.
As expected, Kuwabara's face turned red and he jumped up. "I can take you AND your pillow any time and any where Urameshi, and don't you ever forget it!"
Yusuke rolled his eyes and lay back down. "Whatever." He said and promptly threw his pillow in Kuwabara's face. Needless to say, it did hit the other boy. A few moments of silence went by before Kuwabara sat down on the side of Yusuke's bed.
"So uh . . . it's Saturday. You wanna do something?" Kuwabara asked tentatively.
"Can't." came Yusuke's muffled reply, as he had his face buried in his reclaimed pillow.
Kuwabara let out a sigh. "Why not? What could be more fun than hangin' out with a cool person like me, huh?" He asked. He was teasing.
Yusuke chuckled and looked up at him, for a moment, that comforting light was present in his eyes again. "Heh. Fighting another Dark Tournament." Replied Yusuke.
Kuwabara smiled ever so slightly. At least he had put his friend in good humor for a bit. "Funny." He retorted sarcastically.
The dark haired tantai sat up. "Yeah, well . . . I'm a funny guy." He said quietly. Another silence ensued.
"But seriously. That cool movie is finally in theatres and I was wonderin' if you wanted to go."
Yusuke shrugged. "I can't, but maybe you can get Kurama to go with you."
Kuwabara frowned. "Why not?"
The other boy made a notion toward his books and things on the floor. "Make up work. If I do that stuff, they'll let me pass middle school."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Kuwabara eyed the scattered papers and books. Urameshi needed a friend, someone to take his mind off of his heart sickness as Kurama had called it. "Well that's cool man. I can help you. I'm actually really good a social studies and I have a B in that class. I could have pulled an A, but I never did any class work, just aced all of the tests."
Yusuke eyed his friend in surprise at such a generous offer. He thought about refusing it, thinking that maybe he just wanted to be alone . . . but then . . . did he? Not really. He didn't want to be alone at all. He wanted his mind to preoccupy itself with other things . . . and he REALLY wanted his headache to go away. Some painkillers could take care of that though, and Kuwabara could help with taking his mind off of . . . other things. "Yeah, that'd be cool." Yusuke said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kurama sighed as he finished up the last of his homework. The breeze from his open bedroom window messed with his hair and he closed his tired eyes. He hadn't been sleeping so well lately. His mind had been wondering about Yusuke. The youko turned human did not like the fact that a certain something had been sucked out of their friend and leader. He thought about approaching Keiko, and at first he had preferred to let Yusuke and her work the problem out themselves. However, now, talking to her was looking better and better.
He closed his eyes and relaxed in his chair. He needed to think. Behind his closed eyelids, Kurama's eyes began to sting, urging him to let himself fall victim to unconsciousness, but the fox was stubborn and forced himself to beat out the stinging. His mind wandered in all directions, pondering, calculating, and planning. . . all of the things that his mind usually did anyway. Suddenly, the breeze seemed to stop abruptly. He sighed and slowly opened his eyes to look toward his window. He quickly found the source of the problem and cracked a gentle, welcoming smile.
"Ah, back so soon Hiei?"
The darkly clad fire youkai jumped from the windowsill and allowed the breeze to continue its path into the fox's room. "Hn." He replied, making his way over to Kurama's bed. He sat down and Kurama got up, waiting for more of an answer to come. It did.
"Mukuro was generous enough to give me some time off."
Kurama smiled. "Well I'm glad that she isn't working you too hard."
Hiei shrugged and Kurama noticed him wince ever so slightly. The fox shook his head, but Hiei did not see this. If Hiei would not TELL him that he was injured, well, Kurama would have to do it the hard way . . . "Hiei." He said calmly, and discretely picked up a book from his shelf.
"Hm?"
Kurama grinned. "Catch!" With that small warning, the fox chucked the heavy book to Hiei. Out of instinct, Hiei caught it with his right hand, but dropped it instantly, as the book's impact in his hand had jarred his injured shoulder. The youkai glared daggers at the smirking fox. "What the hell, Kurama!" He yelled.
Kurama looked rather smug. "I thought so. Lay down and let me help you." He instructed.
Hiei still glared, but he did as told. Kurama walked to his bedside and helped Hiei take off his cloak and shirt. Kurama inspected the damage. Hiei's shoulder was a mess. The skin was torn and there were pieces actually hanging from a deep gash that was caked with dry blood and oozing sickly green puss. Kurama made a face of disgust. "Jesus, what the hell happened?" He asked.
Hiei shrugged his good shoulder. "Yukina crossed the border. She's headed back to the land of the koorimes to explain to them that she is staying here, in Ningenkai. If she doesn't tell them they'll come here looking for her, which, ultimately, wouldn't end well. Anyway, a demon attacked her. I jumped in front and took the blow, having no time to do anything else. Then, I escorted her to her destination."
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you have her heal you?"
"I didn't want her to waste her energy on me."
The fox shook his head. "Honestly Hiei, you have GOT to take better care of yourself. If you had come a day later I'd end up having to amputate! God, okay this is going to hurt like hell, all right?" He warned. He disappeared into the bathroom and reappearing with a bowl filled with water, a rag, and gauze.
Hiei shrugged his good shoulder. "I've been through worse and even if you-- " He replied stoically.
Kurama rolled his eyes. "And even if I amputated you could still take on half the Makai and live. I know, I know." He said.
Hiei let a smile curve on one side of his lips. "Yeah." It amused him how the fox could read his mind like that.
Kurama set to work wiping the blood and puss away, and then he removed all of the hanging threads of flesh. Hiei winced, or sucked in his breath, or closed his eyes due to the pain, but he did not utter a sound.
Kurama reached into his hair and pulled out two seeds. In his palm, one grew into a small, blue flower with a red center. Kurama plucked the petals and held them out to Hiei. "Singe." He ordered. Hiei shrugged and did so. The petals shriveled and turned black. Kurama crushed them in his hand and then sprinkled them into the deep gash. Hiei hissed in pain.
"Those will help to heal it quicker, help your body start rejuvenating the torn tissues and such."
Hiei nodded. Kurama grew the other seed into a large, broad leaf that was somewhat fuzzy and soft. Kurama held it over Hiei's wound and squeezed. Out of the leaf poured several drops of a clear, thick liquid. They landed heavily on the areas where the skin was missing and along the edges of the gash. The moment they hit, they turned into a white, fizzy type of foam. Hiei sucked in his breath as Kurama blew softly of the wound and the liquid dried into a cool sort of seal. Suddenly, Hiei's shoulder fell completely numb.
Kurama smiled. "Works fast huh?"
"What was it?"
"It'll help to seal the wound, grow back that skin, disinfect it, and of coarse, numb the pain. I had to blow on it and dry it, because if that gets mixed the flower petals, the two components create a rather deadly poison."
At Hiei's raised eyebrow Kurama decided to add that once the substance was dry it was perfectly harmless, and Hiei relaxed at this revelation. The fox set to work wrapping Hiei's shoulder with the white gauze. Hiei watched him for a time, noting easily his friend's tiredness.
"You know, I didn't ONLY come back because of Mukuro letting me." Hiei said.
Kurama glanced at him, but then went back to his wrapping. "I know." He replied.
"I came back because of Yusuke. His ki does not feel as strong. "
Kurama nodded. "I thought you would." He replied.
"What's going on?"
". . . If I tell you will you promise to be more careful in the future?"
"Now you KNOW I can't do that Kurama."
"Fine, then you have to promise that when you're injured you won't try hiding it from me."
Hiei sighed. Well anyway, it felt nice to have someone worry and care about him. "I promise."
Kurama finished dressing the wound and sat down across from Hiei in his chair. "Okay, so it all started when . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Lunch break everyone!" Keiko yelled, her voice echoing throughout the crowded cafeteria.
Tons of relieved sighs were heard. She smiled as people started filing out.
"Hey Keiko, we're going to that café down the street. You wanna come?" Asked Caitlin.
She shook her head. "Thanks, but I think I'll hang out here. I'm really not very hungry."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, you guys go on ahead."
"Okay, see ya in an hour."
"Bye." Keiko said, and she watched her friend's retreating forms.
It wasn't long before the entire room was empty . . . well, except for her of coarse. Other than the fact that the earlier messes had been organized so that there were specific messes, they hadn't gotten very far. On the other hand, the group had chosen to do a carwash, which would help them raise money because the school could only pay for so much. She didn't mind really, after all, it was her responsibility now. The school was paying for catering and drinks and things, while they had to come up with enough cash to bring the stark, barren cafeteria to life.
She sighed as she got up to go and reorganize the messes in an attempt make them look less messy. Somehow, she didn't see that happening, but whatever.
The minutes ticked by, but Keiko didn't notice until she looked at the clock and realized that there were only ten minutes left of the hour long lunch break. It was very quiet. She wondered when people would start coming back. She heard footsteps then and turned around to greet her loyal workers, but her business welcoming face faltered as she saw Kurama and Hiei appear. "Uh . . . hey there." She said.
Kurama smiled and Hiei . . . well stayed the same.
"How is everything going in here?" Kurama asked, coming toward her.
Keiko shrugged. "How does it LOOK like it's going?"
"Indeed." Replied the fox.
Kieko looked toward Hiei and smiled. "You're back. How is everything?" She asked good-naturedly.
Hiei stared at her, but Keiko was unfazed. She still expected an answer. "Well enough." He answered in monotone.
"Great. You know Yusuke will be so happy to see you." Keiko said absently. Her statement, however, caught both demons attention. Kurama and Hiei matched one another, stare for stare before Kurama cleared his throat.
"Keiko, we actually came here to speak with you about . . . Yusuke." He said.
Keiko tilted her head slightly. Her friend's voice sounded very concerned. "Is he injured?" She asked cautiously.
Kurama bit his lip. In a sense he was, but Keiko obviously meant physically. "No, nothing like that . . . necessarily anyway. Actually he--"
"Keiko! Oh my God, Sota had this great idea and you have come now!" A voice yelled excitedly, cutting Kurama off. They all snapped their heads in the direction of the girl. She ran up and took hold of Keiko's wrist, giving her a soft yank. "Come on!"
Keiko felt that familiar adrenaline rush again and her eyes seemed to light up. "You guys, I have to go. We'll talk later though, okay? Bye!" With those words, Keiko disappeared from the room with her ecstatic companion.
Kurama and Hiei were left staring at empty space for a few moments, and then they turned to one another.
Hiei sighed. "I can see what you mean."
The fox supported his head on his loosely drawn fist. "Yusuke isn't much better I'm afraid."
"What will you do?"
Kurama eyed the jaganashi slyly. "What do you mean ME?" He asked.
Hiei's eyebrows rose. "Don't even go there Kurama." He said.
"Come on Hiei, we have to help them!"
"I don't see why. They got THEMSELVES in to this mess, why should it be OUR job to get them out?"
Kurama let out an agitated sigh. "Well, one, I'd like to get some sleep, two, how many times has Yusuke saved the world and our asses along with it, and three, Keiko and Yusuke are good kids and they BELONG with one another."
Hiei rolled his eyes. He eyed the fox. "God, you're such a girl." He said.
The fox grinned. "That a 'yes'?"
He sighed reluctantly. "I guess."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuwabara's phone rang several times before the boy woke up to snatch it up.
"Hello?" He asked drowsily. "K'rama? That you?" He yawned. "What is it? It's like 2:00 in the morning. Hiei? Uh . . . could it wait till morning? . . . Yeah I guess you're right, it sorta is already morning huh? Fine, I'll be there in like . . . 15 minutes, m'kay? M'kay bye." With that Kuwabara dropped the phone and went back to sleep.
Five minutes passed and his phone rang again. "Hello? Oh hi K'rama, what is it? I was s'posed to meet you where? In how many minutes? Yeah, sure, thanks for calling to check up, I'll be there in ten. Right, okay, bye." Kuwabara hung the phone up and dozed off once more.
7 minutes later the phone rang again. Kuwabara answered it. "What? I was? . . . Okay, wait, I remember now . . . I'm sorry, I'll be there in ten minutes, I just gotta get dressed. It won't take long, I just have to throw some pants and a shirt on, okay? Sure, bye." Kuwabara dropped the phone on the floor, and the dial tone was heard on deaf ears, for sleep had claimed the boy again.
Ten minutes passed and suddenly, a shriek sounded throughout Kuwabara's house. Shizuru awoke and quickly went to her brother's room, only to find him sprawled out on the floor in his white night shirt and his teddy bear boxers, surrounded by feathers from his beaten pillow. Hiei stood atop the boy's bed holding an old, worn out looking stuffed bunny as hostage to the blade of his sword.
The black clad figure glared down at Kuwabara. "Now get up or the rabbit gets it." He ordered.
Kuwabara got on his hands and knees. "No! Please, not Mrs. Bun Bun! Anything but Mrs. Bun Bun!" He pleaded.
Hiei opened his mouth to say more, but he then noticed Shizuru standing in the doorway. He nodded at her. "Hey Shizuru." He greeted.
"Hey Hiei. How's everything?" She asked casually.
The jaganashi shrugged. "Pretty good, you?"
"Well enough."
"Good to hear." Replied Hiei.
"Yeah, well, I'm off to bed, I'll see ya around Hiei."
"Yeah, good night."
With that Shizuru left the room and Hiei went back to his threatening. It was a mere 15 minutes later that both Kuwabara and Hiei showed up at the all night café. Kurama was awaiting, pleasant and patient as always. They all ordered coffee, although Kuwabara's was espresso plus a few added spoonfuls of sugar so as to keep his eyelids from drooping. He cradled the cup as though it were his very life. "So what's this all about?" He asked through a yawn.
"Yusuke and Keiko." Replied the fox.
Kuwabara regarded his friends with a raised eyebrow. He had thought that it was decided that they would merely work things out on their own, but apparently, there had been a change in plans. He shrugged. It didn't matter either way to him. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were . . . and to have the privilege of still maintaining an unconscious state at 2:00 in the morning. That would be nice too.
He listened as Hiei and Kurama explained to him their theories and carefully thought out plans. Everything sounded perfectly flawless, but then, Kurama and Hiei had made the plan up, so flaws were pretty much nonexistent.
By the end of the hour, everything had been laid out. Kurama finished up the last of his coffee and set the cup down carefully. "So, is everyone clear?" He asked. Hiei nodded, and so did Kuwabara. Kurama seemed satisfied enough. "Very well." He said. "Then that's it. I'll see you all later." With that, the three boys departed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Keiko sighed in utter relief. She looked around. The room was completely transformed. It had gone from a deathly stark cafeteria to a lovely, midnight ballroom complete with dazzling lights and tables adorned with fine cloth and lovely centerpieces. The floor was shiny and there were side tables with very intricate food designs on them. It was all just perfect. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey girl."
"Hey Caitlin." She said.
Her friend looked around with a smile. "It all happens tonight you know, and you did a great job setting this place up . . . now all that's left is to set YOU up."
Keiko giggled and looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. Caitlin was right. She did need to head home and start getting ready. She sighed again, taking one last look at her masterpiece before she left to go home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kuwabara knocked impatiently on Yusuke's door. There was no answer until Atsuko came to the door and opened it. She smiled. "Oh hey there Kuwabara, come on in. Yusuke should be getting ready. You can go right into his room, he shouldn't care and if he does . . . oh well." She said, allowing him inside.
Kuwabara thanked her and went to his friend's room. The door was closed, but what did he care? He pushed it open without any worries. He sighed when he saw the state of his friend. Yusuke was paler than he had been before, and he looked very tired. Kuwabara shook his head, and put on a smile. "Hey Urameshi! What are you doing sitting around here for? We're going to get there really late if you don't get ready." He said.
Yusuke looked at him drowsily. His head ached, and those painkillers weren't helping. Tired. He didn't want to go, but he had to . . . he had promised himself that he would go to the dance . . . for Keiko, he would go. He smiled up at Kuwabara.
"Right, I'll uh . . . be right out." He said.
Kuwabara took his leave of Yusuke and waited in the living room. A few minutes later Yusuke came out wearing a pair of black slacks complete with a black belt and black shoes and he wore a dark, forest green shirt that buttoned up the front, except for the first three or four, which had been left unbuttoned. The shirt had been tucked casually, yet neatly into the pants. As per the usual, Yusuke's hair was greased up nicely.
Atsuko whistled. "You clean up nicely honey." She said.
Yusuke rolled his eyes and Kuwabara grinned. They were about ready to leave when Atsuko stopped them. She held up a camera and both boys groaned. "Photo up!" She said cheerily.
The camera snapped the picture and the two boys were out before another word could be uttered. They sighed in relief when they were sure that they were safe from prying cameras.
"So uh, this thing is really important to Keiko huh?" Kuwabara asked.
Yusuke glanced at him, and then at the ground. "Yeah . . ." He replied. 'Keiko.'
"Ya know, Kurama is coming."
Yusuke looked at his friend fully this time. "Kurama is? Why?"
Kuwabara shrugged. "Ya got me . . . heh . . . he's bringin' Hiei with him."
At this, both of them simply HAD to burst out laughing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hiei grumbled and Kurama nudged him. "Relax Hiei." He said as they entered the cafeteria. Music was already blaring and kids were dancing, a few teachers stood around chatting at the food tables.
Hiei rolled his eyes. All of this and not a damn tree for him to retreat too. It was depressing. He hated crowds . . . he was starting to hate Kurama, as the fox seemed to draw crowds to him. The worst part was that those crowds were of hormonal, giggling, squealy, human females. He just wanted this entire thing to be over with, and afterwards, he'd have to promise himself never to promise Kurama ANYTHING EVER again.
He waited while Kurama pushed his way through the sea of girls to his side.
"Sorry." Appologized the fox.
Hiei shook his head, and Kurama smiled easily at the gesture. A few moments later they noticed that Yusuke and Kuwabara had entered. Kurama and Hiei met them immediately. Kurama, ever the observant one, inspected his friends.
Yusuke looked very nice and so did Kuwabara with his khakis, brown Dockers, and dark blue shirt. He looked at Hiei's outfit for the billionth time. He had one hell of a time trying to get Hiei to wear something other than his usual. However, he had won in the end. Now, Hiei wore pants and a belt and shoes very similar to Yusuke's, only he wore a black shirt. Kurama himself was clad in khakis, brown Dockers, and a gray shirt that resembled pretty much the same style as everyone else's.
He sighed. Tonight, everything would have to work out . . . and if it didn't, they'd move to plan B. . . as it was, they didn't necessarily HAVE a plan B, but they were all creative young men, surely they could think of something at the spur of a moment.
"Hello Yusuke!"
They all turned, Yusuke included, to the cheery voice. Yusuke smiled as he saw Ms. Yugumai come up. She was wearing a lovely black dress that was simple, and yet elegant.
"Hey Ms. Yugumai." He greeted.
She smiled back at him, but then frowned. "Yusuke . . ." She started.
Yusuke gently shook his head, meaning, he knew what she was going to say, and that it didn't matter because he was staying no matter what.
She sighed, and put on forced smile. "You," she looked at the other three, "all look very nice this evening." She said.
Hiei did not acknowledge her, Kuwabara blushed and mumbled a 'thanks', while Kurama nodded politely at her. Yusuke just grinned to the best of his ability. Even the muscles in his face felt tired.
He shook away his sudden wave of weariness. "You look good too. Are you uh . . . here with someone, I dunno, special?" He asked.
The young teacher blushed lightly and glanced toward her date, the infamous gym teacher, with a slight smile. "Well . . ."
Yusuke's grin broadened. "He really likes you Ms. Yugumai."
"I know that. . . well anyway, I'd better take my leave of all of you, I wouldn't want to keep him waiting, and I'm sure you all have some mingling of your own to take a part in, so I'll see you later. Have fun tonight kids!" She said, and waved as she walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Yusuke smiled after her until Kuwabara nudged his shoulder. "Hey, Urameshi, let's head toward the food, okay?" He asked.
Yusuke nodded and took the lead. Kuwabara lingered shortly behind him. He leaned toward Kurama. "Is it ready?" He whispered. The fox only nodded.
They made their way toward the food and Kuwabara took a plate and filled it rather generously, while Kurama and Hiei only grabbed something to drink. Yusuke didn't grab anything, which ultimately, wasn't counted on. Kuwabara looked nervously at the two demons.
Hiei rolled his crimson eyes. 'Figure something out! You can't expect us to do everything!' Hiei sent to Kuwabara through telepathy.
The orange haired kid glared at the black clad figure, but then shrugged. "Hey! Try this! It's really good!" He said, shoving his plate toward Yusuke.
Yusuke looked at it and shook his head. He was too nauseous to eat. "No thanks." Kuwabara frowned. "C'mon! It's good!"
"No, really, I'm good."
The latter's frown deepened. Fine, he'd merely have to FORCE-feed him. He waited then until Yusuke yawned, mouth opening widely, and then he shoved one of the unidentifiable food items in to his mouth.
Yusuke gagged and cough, but ended up swallowing it. He was about ready to kill Kuwabara right then and there, but then a terrible after taste began to sit on his tongue. "Oh gross!" He said. "What the HELL did you put in my mouth you idiot!" He said.
Kuwabara shrugged. "I though it tasted pretty good myself." He said in his defense.
Hiei rolled his eyes. Well, it was rough, but it worked as well as anything else.
Yusuke shook his head. "Yuck. I gotta get something to drink." He said this and began to head to where assorted drinks sat on a tray. Suddenly, Kurama stepped in his way.
"Just a minute. I'll get one for you." He offered.
Yusuke nodded, not thinking much of it, as Kurama was considered the polite one. The fox made his way to the drink tray and pretended to be searching for something suitable to his friend's tastes. In his show, he turned his back to his familiar party and dug a small vile of green liquid out of his pocket. It was a special concoction, personally made by him for Yusuke. He uncapped the vile and poured the liquid into a cup of soda. It was tasteless, but its effects worked without fail.
He took it back to his still gagging friend and Yusuke gulped it down, sighing in utter relief as that horrible taste left his mouth. Kurama smiled to himself. All he had to do was snap his fingers, and the drug would take its effect. All they had to do now was wait.
Suddenly, he heard a dissatisfied grunt off to his side. Kurama looked and simply had to chuckle. A trio of girls had cornered Hiei, and he was none to happy about it either.
"Hi, my name it Aiko! Would you like to dance?" one asked.
Hiei didn't even have time enough to respond before one of the other girls shoved Aiko. "No! He's dancing with me!" She said.
The third shook her head and held a hand out toward Hiei. "I'm Lynn, would you like to dance with ME?" She asked.
Suddenly, the two other girls shoved Lynn who retaliated with hitting back. Hiei attempted to sneak away, but he suddenly found himself confronted with the same three, only now very angry, girls. "You have to choose someone!" Cried Aiko.
"Yeah!" The two others agreed in unison.
Hiei gulped and backed closer to the wall. He looked around. "Uh . . ." He stared. His eyes searched frantically. "I uh . . ." Suddenly, he caught sight of Kurama and thought 'what the hell', just as long as he didn't have to bother with any of these human girls. "I um . . . can't." He said.
"What? WHY!" They all yelled at once.
Hiei winced. "Because my girlfriend is here!" He answered quickly.
"Girl friend?" asked Lynn. "Where is she then?" She asked suspiciously.
Hiei pointed to the red headed fox who had his back turned to them. "That's her right over there. Her name is Kurama." He said matter-of-factly.
At the sound of his name, Kurama looked over his shoulder. The three girls mouths hung wide, and then they sulked. "Oh she's so pretty! It's not fair! If I had eyes and hair like that, all the guys would want me too." Aiko said.
Lynn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hate her."
The third female nodded and they all walked off looking miserable. Hiei let out a sigh of relief and walked back over to his group. Kurama raised an eyebrow at him. "What was that all about?" he asked.
Hiei grinned. "Well uh . . if anyone asks, you and I are goin' out."
Kurama sweat dropped. "Excuse me?" He asked, blinking. Hiei did not answer. Kurama put his hand on his hip. "Hiei." He said in a warning tone. "What the HELL are you talking about?"
Hiei shrugged. "Nothing, nothing at all . . ."
"Hiei!"
"It's nothing!"
The two demons bickered for a good thirty minutes to follow. Finally, the room began to quiet down, and all attention was at the front of the room where there was a platform, a podium, and a microphone. They heard the clicking of heels, and then Keiko appeared, one of the spotlights shining down on her.
Yusuke's eyes went wide when he saw her. She looked quite lovely. Her slender form wore a royal blue dress that went down to her ankles and had one slit on the right side that extended up to her knee. The top part of the gown was simple, as it went straight across her upper chest and had two thin straps that hung on to her shoulders. Her heels were the same color as her dress, open toed and strappy. The minimal amount of make-up she wore gave her face a natural, but stunning glow, and her hair was down, as usual, only she had two frontal strands pulled back into braids that fastened in the back of her head with a golden colored hair clip.
Her delicate hands picked up the microphone and she cleared her throat. "Welcome students and staff to this end of the year dance. It's so great to see that all of you could make it this evening. I just wanted to personally thank everyone that helped to make this once barren cafeteria into a lovely, makeshift ballroom. You've all been absolutely wonderful and if--"
Keiko stopped suddenly as she seemed to feel her eyes being pulled gently toward the back of the room. Little did she know that Hiei's gently glowing, and still covered jagan was playing a hand in that. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something. She shook her head.
"If it weren't for all of you, this wouldn't be possible. Honestly, you all have yourselves to thank for everything tonight. We have the school to thank for their generous donations, the students to thank for all the hard work that was . . ."
She felt her attention being drawn away, again to the back. Her mind seemed to suddenly become aware that it was sitting in a thick cloud of fog, and she felt light headed, but frustrated, as if she was trying to reach something, but couldn't touch it.
"As I was saying . . . we have the students to thank for all the hard work that was put into decorating and I--"
Keiko's eyes passed over Kuwabara, then Kurama, and then Hiei, who's glowing jagan she remained oblivious too, and then they passed over Yusuke, and something seemed to jar her thoughts. Yusuke. He was there . . . it wasn't unusual for her to see him, certainly not, so then why did it feel as though she hadn't seen him in months? Why did he feel so distant? Her heart beat faster as the crowd began to whisper. She gently shook her head to try and clear her muddled thoughts, but she couldn't seem to.
Meanwhile, Kurama glanced at Hiei, who nodded, and then Kurama snapped his fingers softly. At that exact instant, Yusuke began to feel faint. He felt, heavy and light at the same time, sleepy, and yet totally awake.
Keiko watched as Yusuke's form began to relax and seemed to swerve slightly, suddenly, he seemed to crumple over in to Kuwabara's waiting arms. He was conscious, but . . . strangely not.
The crowd still had their eyes on her, and at first glance nothing looked out of the ordinary, so no fusses were made, but inside Keiko's mind, that strange fog seemed to be wafting away, and the distance she had felt between herself and Yusuke began to grow smaller. It was as though what she was trying touch was him, and that she was almost there, and then, then it snapped. Sirens seemed to go off and her eyes widened. She gasped a little as she let her arms fall to her side, microphone still in hand.
Keiko looked toward the floor, and she felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She tried to steady her suddenly rapid breathing and swallowed a lump in her throat. She looked up slowly then, facing the crowd of confused, worried faces. Keiko gradually lifted back up the microphone, holding it far away from her lips.
" . . . And I . . . have been a fool." She finished.
The faces were still confused, and the whispers more urgent. "Please excuse me." She said quietly, and set down the microphone.
She all but leapt from the platform and pushed through the crowd, ignoring and brushing off all of those other people. One person in particular refused to back down. Keiko glared at her for a moment, partially out of habit, but then her features softened and she put a hand on Amissa's shoulder. "Why don't you take over for me, hm? I need to be with someone right now." With that she continued walking.
Amissa stared after her. "Uh . . . Keiko." Called the blonde.
Keiko looked back at her over her shoulder. Amissa bit her lip, looked away and then back at her long time rival. She sighed and nodded, and a soft, barely visible smile graced her lips. Keiko smiled back and continued on her path.
Her course took her directly to Yusuke who still leaned on Kuwabara for help standing. Keiko hesitated as she glanced at an easily smiling Kurama, a regular looking Hiei, and Kuwabara looking at her with kind eyes of understanding and relief. Gently, she took Yusuke's arm and slung it over her shoulder. She took another look at her friends and mouthed a thank you before taking her leave of the room and the school.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yusuke had a strange dream that could hardly be considered deep. He dreamt that he was drowning in a huge bowl of chicken ramen . . . oddly enough, he had had that dream many times when he was a child. But, whenever he had that dream, he was always woken up by someone, and so, when he felt himself drifting back to consciousness, he was not surprised.
His eyes slowly slid open and he felt that he was lying on a familiar bed, his own. A cool, damp cloth was resting on his forehead, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he felt better upon waking.
Suddenly, he heard soft humming and slight shuffling. He wanted to sit up, but his body felt tired and heavy. He yawned instead and stretched.
"Awake? I thought you'd be out for at least another hour." Said a soft voice.
Yusuke gulped. He recognized it. "K-Keiko?" He sputtered.
The spoken girl leaned over him. Her eyes were misty, as though she had been crying, her smile sad, regretful, and guilty. "Hey there." She greeted.
Yusuke blinked. "I--" But a finger was suddenly placed to his lips, silencing him.
"Sh. Don't say anything . . . you shouldn't have too. I should have a lot to say, but you know its crazy . . . I don't. I just . . . oh God Yusuke, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed abruptly, and crushed him into an embrace.
Yusuke hesitated, but he then wrapped his arms around her smaller form. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it felt too good to get to hold her so he wasn't about to complain. Things would probably be explained to him later . . . they usually were anyway, and something told him that later, whenever that was, was going to feel just as good as now was. Yeah, things would be okay from now on . . . he knew that.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kurama stared up at Yusuke's lighted window, a satisfied smile on his face. Hiei couldn't help one either.
"So . . ." Kurama started, turning to the fire demon.
Hiei looked at his friend. "So what?" He asked.
Kurama grinned. "So, we should do this more often." He said.
Hiei groaned and rolled his eyes. "I think not." He replied.
"Oh come on, we both know you enjoyed playing match makers Hiei!"
The jaganshi rolled his eyes. "Please! That was like watching a bad soap opera."
Kurama chuckled. "Yeah, one you helped produce." He said mockingly.
The pair turned to head back toward Kurama's.
Hiei grunted. "Whatever. I'm NEVER promising to help you with ANYTHING EVER again."
"That's no way to talk to your girlfriend Hiei." Kurama teased.
Hiei blushed, causing Kurama to laugh merrily. "You're too easy, ya know that?"
"Ha! Youko Kurama, infamous thief and lover of the Makai calling ME easy? That's the pot calling the kettle black."
Kurama made a mock, woeful face and put a hand to his chest. He pretended to rip out his heart and hold it out to Hiei. "Here, I think this belongs to you!" He said way over dramatically.
"Ch! If you ever drag me into anything like that again, I'll be carving it out of your chest FOR you."
"Oh yeah, that a threat?"
"That's a fact."
Overhead the stars and their father the silver moon laughed as they listened to the two friend's merry banter fade off into the night breeze. Tomorrow would be a new day, and for two very particular teenagers, a fresh beginning.
-OWARI
