Hello everyone! It's me, Tayako, bringing you my first story, "Winner
Takes All". I hope you enjoy!
--This fanfic is dedicated to Tia Mawanay. Please don't drink and drive, for the price is heavy. It cost me my best friend.--
Chapter I
The full moon shone brightly in the velvet night sky, hanging from an invisible thread, little slivers of light streaming through the blinds of Kurama's open bedroom window. He sat on his bed, his bedside lamp on, reading a book, when there was an almighty crash that nearly gave the red- haired boy a heart attack. He looked up quickly, his heart racing, searching for the culprit of the noise, and found him almost immediately. The kitsune rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. Hiei was sprawled on the windowsill, tangled up in the blinds. He threw Kurama a very nasty look. "As soon as you help me get out of here, baka, you are going to be one dead kitsune. Why the hell did you put these things--" he held up his arms, wrapped in the narrow sheets of plastic. "-on your window?"
Kurama put down his book, smiling slightly, and managed to untangle Hiei and the blinds in a relatively short amount of time, even if the blinds were not exactly intact by the time he was through with them. The small fire demon brushed himself off, seemingly oblivious to the death warrant he had given his red-haired friend mere minutes ago.
"What in the Three Worlds are you doing here at this hour?" asked a bewildered Kurama. He turned to look at his alarm clock. "It's two-thirty in the morning."
Hiei scowled at him, his red eyes flashing like rubies under a bright sun. "I can go where I want to go when I want to go there. You're not my mother."
The kitsune grinned. "You sound a lot like-"
"A lot like Yusuke, I know, I know," the fire demon said, waving him off. "Anyway, I came to." He broke off, staring at the door.
Someone was running up the steps to the bedroom.
The two turned quickly to each other. Kurama snatched the smaller demon's collar and dragged him to the closet. "Stay here," he said, throwing Hiei in. "And for Kami-sama's sake, don't make a sound!"
The bedroom door opened just as Kurama shut the closet door. A woman with long black hair came in, looking worried.
"Oh, Shuichi," Minamino Shiori said, hurrying over to him. "What on Earth happened? What was that awful noise?" Her eyes roved over the room, searching for an intruder. Then she caught sight of the window. The blinds had been ripped to shreds. "Oh, my goodness.what happened here?"
"I was trying to close the blinds and the string broke. It took everything down with it." Kurama was a smooth liar; he had had more than three hundred years of practice, and most of it was guilt-free. However, he felt bad about lying to his mother, who had done much for him for the past sixteen years of his ningen life, but if you're a kitsune master thief wanted for numerous crimes disguised as a ningen, well, what can you do?
Shiori sighed wearily. "We're going to have to get that fixed."
Kurama chuckled. "That goes without saying, Kaasan." He yawned, trying to send his mother a hint that she should leave.
She kissed him on the cheek. "No more loud noises tonight, all right, Shuichi?"
"All right. Good night, 'Kaasan."
Shiori left, shutting the door quietly behind her. Kurama let out the breath he had been holding all during their encounter. He strode over to the closet and flung open the door. Hiei was sitting on a pile of shirts, looking extremely irritated. "You could have given me a warning, you know."
"I had no idea she was coming. Anyway, why on Earth are you here?"
Hiei got out of the closet and brushed himself off again. "I came to tell you that we have a new case. Yes, I know this is Botan's job," he said, seeing the skeptical look on his friend's face. "But I'm following orders."
Kurama smirked. "Something that you almost never do."
"Don't push me, kitsune." Hiei glared at him. "I'm supposed to tell you to wait outside your school building tomorrow after your classes are done. The Detective, the baka, the Grim Reaper, and I will be waiting for you. From there we're going to the Yusuke's house. We're going to watch the video there."
"Video? What video?"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "The video of the case, of course. It's obviously too late to show it now; everyone's asleep except us." He went to the window, the mangled blinds on the floor. "Don't forget or I might have to hurt you."
Kurama grinned. "You could never hurt me and you know it."
"Hn."
Hiei disappeared into the darkness. Kurama sighed, climbed back into bed, and turned off the light. He had a feeling that this case was going to be a big one. He needed as much sleep as possible before it was time for him to get ready for school.
Which was in about three hours.
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
"Shuichi! Could you help-"
"Shuichi, will you go out with-"
"I love you, Shuichi!"
Kurama walked past the girls screaming at him in the hallway, yawning widely. He was exhausted from last night's ordeal. Even though the rest of the night had been quiet and uneventful, he couldn't fall asleep, and spent his remaining three hours of rest tossing and turning in bed. Now he was paying for his restlessness. Those girls were giving him a headache.
He finally managed to get to the door leading to freedom and stepped outside. The warm sun beat down on his face and he turned it up to the sky, welcoming the pleasant rays of the sun on his skin.
"Hey, Kurama!"
A very familiar voice made him turn around. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan were standing outside the school building. Yusuke and Kuwabara were leaning against the brick wall, hands shoved in their pockets. Hiei was standing next to Yusuke, his normally expressionless face staring at Kuwabara with loathing. Botan was waving at him from her spot next to Kuwabara. Kurama smiled and walked over to them.
Yusuke grinned. "So how's our favorite fox-boy doing?" He stretched and yawned loudly. "Man, I'm tired.I guess Hiei told you about our case, huh. We're going to my place to watch the tape.I really wish I didn't have to work for the toddler."
"Um.Yusuke," Botan said, sighing, "We don't have time for small talk. We have to get to your house as soon as possible. This case is extremely important; even if you don't know that, the rest of us seem to at least realize it."
"Yeah, Botan-chan's right," Kuwabara nodded. "We should get going."
Yusuke looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you always take her side when Yukina's not around?"
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"
Botan groaned. "WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!!? WE HAVE TO GO!!"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Here's a thought: ALL of you shut up so we can leave!"
Kurama chuckled, shaking his head as they began walking. Those four were impossible. "So how was school?"
"It sucked," Yusuke and Kuwabara said in unison.
Kuwabara pouted. "I lost a fight."
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Takenaka caught me trying to sneak out. Hey Botan," he said, addressing the blue-haired girl. "Do you have any idea of what this case is about?"
She shook her head. "No, Yusuke. Koenma hasn't given me any leads. I'd tell you if he did."
They walked in silence for the rest of the way.
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
So. . . a new case. . . read on to find out what happens!
--This fanfic is dedicated to Tia Mawanay. Please don't drink and drive, for the price is heavy. It cost me my best friend.--
Chapter I
The full moon shone brightly in the velvet night sky, hanging from an invisible thread, little slivers of light streaming through the blinds of Kurama's open bedroom window. He sat on his bed, his bedside lamp on, reading a book, when there was an almighty crash that nearly gave the red- haired boy a heart attack. He looked up quickly, his heart racing, searching for the culprit of the noise, and found him almost immediately. The kitsune rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. Hiei was sprawled on the windowsill, tangled up in the blinds. He threw Kurama a very nasty look. "As soon as you help me get out of here, baka, you are going to be one dead kitsune. Why the hell did you put these things--" he held up his arms, wrapped in the narrow sheets of plastic. "-on your window?"
Kurama put down his book, smiling slightly, and managed to untangle Hiei and the blinds in a relatively short amount of time, even if the blinds were not exactly intact by the time he was through with them. The small fire demon brushed himself off, seemingly oblivious to the death warrant he had given his red-haired friend mere minutes ago.
"What in the Three Worlds are you doing here at this hour?" asked a bewildered Kurama. He turned to look at his alarm clock. "It's two-thirty in the morning."
Hiei scowled at him, his red eyes flashing like rubies under a bright sun. "I can go where I want to go when I want to go there. You're not my mother."
The kitsune grinned. "You sound a lot like-"
"A lot like Yusuke, I know, I know," the fire demon said, waving him off. "Anyway, I came to." He broke off, staring at the door.
Someone was running up the steps to the bedroom.
The two turned quickly to each other. Kurama snatched the smaller demon's collar and dragged him to the closet. "Stay here," he said, throwing Hiei in. "And for Kami-sama's sake, don't make a sound!"
The bedroom door opened just as Kurama shut the closet door. A woman with long black hair came in, looking worried.
"Oh, Shuichi," Minamino Shiori said, hurrying over to him. "What on Earth happened? What was that awful noise?" Her eyes roved over the room, searching for an intruder. Then she caught sight of the window. The blinds had been ripped to shreds. "Oh, my goodness.what happened here?"
"I was trying to close the blinds and the string broke. It took everything down with it." Kurama was a smooth liar; he had had more than three hundred years of practice, and most of it was guilt-free. However, he felt bad about lying to his mother, who had done much for him for the past sixteen years of his ningen life, but if you're a kitsune master thief wanted for numerous crimes disguised as a ningen, well, what can you do?
Shiori sighed wearily. "We're going to have to get that fixed."
Kurama chuckled. "That goes without saying, Kaasan." He yawned, trying to send his mother a hint that she should leave.
She kissed him on the cheek. "No more loud noises tonight, all right, Shuichi?"
"All right. Good night, 'Kaasan."
Shiori left, shutting the door quietly behind her. Kurama let out the breath he had been holding all during their encounter. He strode over to the closet and flung open the door. Hiei was sitting on a pile of shirts, looking extremely irritated. "You could have given me a warning, you know."
"I had no idea she was coming. Anyway, why on Earth are you here?"
Hiei got out of the closet and brushed himself off again. "I came to tell you that we have a new case. Yes, I know this is Botan's job," he said, seeing the skeptical look on his friend's face. "But I'm following orders."
Kurama smirked. "Something that you almost never do."
"Don't push me, kitsune." Hiei glared at him. "I'm supposed to tell you to wait outside your school building tomorrow after your classes are done. The Detective, the baka, the Grim Reaper, and I will be waiting for you. From there we're going to the Yusuke's house. We're going to watch the video there."
"Video? What video?"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "The video of the case, of course. It's obviously too late to show it now; everyone's asleep except us." He went to the window, the mangled blinds on the floor. "Don't forget or I might have to hurt you."
Kurama grinned. "You could never hurt me and you know it."
"Hn."
Hiei disappeared into the darkness. Kurama sighed, climbed back into bed, and turned off the light. He had a feeling that this case was going to be a big one. He needed as much sleep as possible before it was time for him to get ready for school.
Which was in about three hours.
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
"Shuichi! Could you help-"
"Shuichi, will you go out with-"
"I love you, Shuichi!"
Kurama walked past the girls screaming at him in the hallway, yawning widely. He was exhausted from last night's ordeal. Even though the rest of the night had been quiet and uneventful, he couldn't fall asleep, and spent his remaining three hours of rest tossing and turning in bed. Now he was paying for his restlessness. Those girls were giving him a headache.
He finally managed to get to the door leading to freedom and stepped outside. The warm sun beat down on his face and he turned it up to the sky, welcoming the pleasant rays of the sun on his skin.
"Hey, Kurama!"
A very familiar voice made him turn around. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan were standing outside the school building. Yusuke and Kuwabara were leaning against the brick wall, hands shoved in their pockets. Hiei was standing next to Yusuke, his normally expressionless face staring at Kuwabara with loathing. Botan was waving at him from her spot next to Kuwabara. Kurama smiled and walked over to them.
Yusuke grinned. "So how's our favorite fox-boy doing?" He stretched and yawned loudly. "Man, I'm tired.I guess Hiei told you about our case, huh. We're going to my place to watch the tape.I really wish I didn't have to work for the toddler."
"Um.Yusuke," Botan said, sighing, "We don't have time for small talk. We have to get to your house as soon as possible. This case is extremely important; even if you don't know that, the rest of us seem to at least realize it."
"Yeah, Botan-chan's right," Kuwabara nodded. "We should get going."
Yusuke looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you always take her side when Yukina's not around?"
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"
Botan groaned. "WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!!? WE HAVE TO GO!!"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Here's a thought: ALL of you shut up so we can leave!"
Kurama chuckled, shaking his head as they began walking. Those four were impossible. "So how was school?"
"It sucked," Yusuke and Kuwabara said in unison.
Kuwabara pouted. "I lost a fight."
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Takenaka caught me trying to sneak out. Hey Botan," he said, addressing the blue-haired girl. "Do you have any idea of what this case is about?"
She shook her head. "No, Yusuke. Koenma hasn't given me any leads. I'd tell you if he did."
They walked in silence for the rest of the way.
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
So. . . a new case. . . read on to find out what happens!