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Chapter IV--A Dark Room
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When Yusuke woke up the following morning, he expected Nariko to be long gone; maybe she had jumped out the window or flew out or something. However, when he left his bedroom and entered the living room, he found her sitting on the sofa, fully dressed, looking at him.
"You wake up really late, has anyone ever told you that?"
Yusuke yawned. "As a matter of fact, yes." He sat next to her on the sofa. "I thought you would have left already. I put you in a room with an easy escape route. You could have just climbed out the window and you would have been gone."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you do it?"
Nariko closed her eyes. "It wouldn't have made a difference if I had left or not."
"Do you want us to kill you or something?"
"I said it wouldn't have made a difference! Are you not processing that? Do I have to write it down for you?"
"Why are you acting like such a bitch?"
"Because I can, now fuck off!"
"Sure. Any time, any place." Yusuke grinned.
Nariko stalked to the door and tried the knob. It was locked. She turned to Yusuke, who was still grinning.
"Go ahead, bust down the door, I don't care. I think, though, that the noise might attract some people who will be wondering who left the poor Urameshi family without a door."
Nariko glared at Yusuke with such hate and malice that he had to look away. "You...you _bastard_!"
Yusuke didn't stop smiling. "That's me."
"I hope your face gets stuck with that stupid grin on it, you jerk!"
She stalked into her room and slammed the door so hard that dust fell from the ceiling. Yusuke shook his head, the smile disappearing from his face.
"Why didn't I just kill her and get it over with?"
There was a knock on the door. "Hey Urameshi! Open up!"
Yusuke stood up and let Kuwabara in. The tall orange-haired boy entered and sat on the couch. "What was all that racket about? People shouting, doors slamming...why are you picking on her, you big bully?"
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "I wasn't picking on her. She was being a bitch, so I decided to mirror her attitude." He plopped himself down on the other side of the sofa. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, well I just wanted to see how you were doing with Nariko," Kuwabara said. "Kurama should be here soon; I don't know about Hiei."
"You don't know anything about Hiei."
"Exactly. I also don't know when he's coming." He looked around. "Where is Nariko, anyway?"
The black haired boy jerked a thumb in the direction of the guest room. "In her room, having a temper tantrum."
The door opened again, and Kurama walked in. "What happened in here? I could hear Nariko shouting at someone from a block away." He leaned against the glass door leading to the balcony. "Which one of you was it?"
"Urameshi," Kuwabara said promptly. "He was bullying her."
Kurama turned towards Yusuke, eyebrows raised. Yusuke stood up angrily. "Oh, for Kami's sake, I wasn't bullying her! She was being a bitch and I decided to--" He broke off, noticing that Kurama had stopped listening. He was standing outside Nariko's door, listening for any activity in there. He reached for the knob.
"Don't open it, Kurama--" Yusuke advised.
"She'll kill you--" Kuwabara warned him.
He opened it, against his friends' advice, and entered.
Nariko was lying down on her back on the made bed. She didn't look up to see who the intruder was.
"Go away, Kurama."
Kurama didn't go away. Instead, he closed the door and leaned against it. "Why are you making things so hard for everyone?"
"Because I can."
"We haven't done anything to hurt you, so I don't understand why you're being so difficult."
"I don't understand why you won't leave me alone."
"Why do you hate us?"
"I hate everyone."
"You don't mean that."
"Oh, but I do." Nariko sat up to look at Kurama, her eyes blazing. "I do, Kurama. I've hated everyone for most of my stupid little life."
Kurama looked at her, puzzled. "But...why?"
Nariko glared at him. "I have my reasons." She laid down again. "Now go away."
The red-haired boy shook his head. "Nariko--"
"Do you want to help me?"
"All of us do."
"Then leave me alone."
Kurama exited the room and shut the door, shaking his head. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei, who had recently arrived, were staring at him.
"So?" Yusuke asked. "What happened?"
Kurama shrugged, sitting down on the couch. "She told me to leave her alone."
Kuwabara sighed and leaned back. "It figures."
Hiei turned his ruby gaze onto Kurama. "Why did you save her?" he asked. "She's only going to give us grief."
"But you don't understand," Kurama said softly. "She doesn't deserve any of this. She isn't evil."
"We got that part, Kurama," Yusuke said wearily. "But _what is she_?
Kurama remained silent, staring at the wooden floor. After several minutes, he spoke.
"It's like her spirit's locked in a dark room," he said, so quietly that the others had to bend closer to him so they could hear. "Her spirit throws itself against the door, screaming, begging to be let out, but no one's around to hear her. Each time her spirit throws itself against the door, it gets hurt a little more. I guess this will go on and on...until she dies."
They were silent for a little while, absorbing what Kurama had just said.
"So what you're saying," Yusuke said slowly, "Is that the brat who shut herself in that room is...sad?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Yusuke stood up and paced around the room. "It's pretty hard for me to believe. If she's sad, why is she acting so angry? I don't feel sorry for her."
Kurama smiled slightly and stood up. "I'll come tomorrow to check on her. In the meantime, try not to antagonize her." He walked out the door.
They stared at the closed front door as if they could see his retreating back. "What's with him?" Kuwabara asked. "Who could feel sorry for her except Botan-chan?
Hiei blinked. "Baka kitsune," he muttered, but not in a vicious way.
Yusuke groaned. "I just hope that Nariko's not like this tomorrow."
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::A.N:: Hmm...yeah. Please review. ~D.M.
Chapter IV--A Dark Room
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When Yusuke woke up the following morning, he expected Nariko to be long gone; maybe she had jumped out the window or flew out or something. However, when he left his bedroom and entered the living room, he found her sitting on the sofa, fully dressed, looking at him.
"You wake up really late, has anyone ever told you that?"
Yusuke yawned. "As a matter of fact, yes." He sat next to her on the sofa. "I thought you would have left already. I put you in a room with an easy escape route. You could have just climbed out the window and you would have been gone."
"I know."
"Then why didn't you do it?"
Nariko closed her eyes. "It wouldn't have made a difference if I had left or not."
"Do you want us to kill you or something?"
"I said it wouldn't have made a difference! Are you not processing that? Do I have to write it down for you?"
"Why are you acting like such a bitch?"
"Because I can, now fuck off!"
"Sure. Any time, any place." Yusuke grinned.
Nariko stalked to the door and tried the knob. It was locked. She turned to Yusuke, who was still grinning.
"Go ahead, bust down the door, I don't care. I think, though, that the noise might attract some people who will be wondering who left the poor Urameshi family without a door."
Nariko glared at Yusuke with such hate and malice that he had to look away. "You...you _bastard_!"
Yusuke didn't stop smiling. "That's me."
"I hope your face gets stuck with that stupid grin on it, you jerk!"
She stalked into her room and slammed the door so hard that dust fell from the ceiling. Yusuke shook his head, the smile disappearing from his face.
"Why didn't I just kill her and get it over with?"
There was a knock on the door. "Hey Urameshi! Open up!"
Yusuke stood up and let Kuwabara in. The tall orange-haired boy entered and sat on the couch. "What was all that racket about? People shouting, doors slamming...why are you picking on her, you big bully?"
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "I wasn't picking on her. She was being a bitch, so I decided to mirror her attitude." He plopped himself down on the other side of the sofa. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, well I just wanted to see how you were doing with Nariko," Kuwabara said. "Kurama should be here soon; I don't know about Hiei."
"You don't know anything about Hiei."
"Exactly. I also don't know when he's coming." He looked around. "Where is Nariko, anyway?"
The black haired boy jerked a thumb in the direction of the guest room. "In her room, having a temper tantrum."
The door opened again, and Kurama walked in. "What happened in here? I could hear Nariko shouting at someone from a block away." He leaned against the glass door leading to the balcony. "Which one of you was it?"
"Urameshi," Kuwabara said promptly. "He was bullying her."
Kurama turned towards Yusuke, eyebrows raised. Yusuke stood up angrily. "Oh, for Kami's sake, I wasn't bullying her! She was being a bitch and I decided to--" He broke off, noticing that Kurama had stopped listening. He was standing outside Nariko's door, listening for any activity in there. He reached for the knob.
"Don't open it, Kurama--" Yusuke advised.
"She'll kill you--" Kuwabara warned him.
He opened it, against his friends' advice, and entered.
Nariko was lying down on her back on the made bed. She didn't look up to see who the intruder was.
"Go away, Kurama."
Kurama didn't go away. Instead, he closed the door and leaned against it. "Why are you making things so hard for everyone?"
"Because I can."
"We haven't done anything to hurt you, so I don't understand why you're being so difficult."
"I don't understand why you won't leave me alone."
"Why do you hate us?"
"I hate everyone."
"You don't mean that."
"Oh, but I do." Nariko sat up to look at Kurama, her eyes blazing. "I do, Kurama. I've hated everyone for most of my stupid little life."
Kurama looked at her, puzzled. "But...why?"
Nariko glared at him. "I have my reasons." She laid down again. "Now go away."
The red-haired boy shook his head. "Nariko--"
"Do you want to help me?"
"All of us do."
"Then leave me alone."
Kurama exited the room and shut the door, shaking his head. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei, who had recently arrived, were staring at him.
"So?" Yusuke asked. "What happened?"
Kurama shrugged, sitting down on the couch. "She told me to leave her alone."
Kuwabara sighed and leaned back. "It figures."
Hiei turned his ruby gaze onto Kurama. "Why did you save her?" he asked. "She's only going to give us grief."
"But you don't understand," Kurama said softly. "She doesn't deserve any of this. She isn't evil."
"We got that part, Kurama," Yusuke said wearily. "But _what is she_?
Kurama remained silent, staring at the wooden floor. After several minutes, he spoke.
"It's like her spirit's locked in a dark room," he said, so quietly that the others had to bend closer to him so they could hear. "Her spirit throws itself against the door, screaming, begging to be let out, but no one's around to hear her. Each time her spirit throws itself against the door, it gets hurt a little more. I guess this will go on and on...until she dies."
They were silent for a little while, absorbing what Kurama had just said.
"So what you're saying," Yusuke said slowly, "Is that the brat who shut herself in that room is...sad?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Yusuke stood up and paced around the room. "It's pretty hard for me to believe. If she's sad, why is she acting so angry? I don't feel sorry for her."
Kurama smiled slightly and stood up. "I'll come tomorrow to check on her. In the meantime, try not to antagonize her." He walked out the door.
They stared at the closed front door as if they could see his retreating back. "What's with him?" Kuwabara asked. "Who could feel sorry for her except Botan-chan?
Hiei blinked. "Baka kitsune," he muttered, but not in a vicious way.
Yusuke groaned. "I just hope that Nariko's not like this tomorrow."
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::A.N:: Hmm...yeah. Please review. ~D.M.