Eleven pages...okay, sorry, can't get off of that. I've never written so much...well, not in one chapter anyway. To all Yarikake readers, I'm REALLY sorry!! I need some inspiration to finish up chapter 7, because it really seems to hate me at the moment...anyway...Kaeru's had a near death experience, and everyone is suspecting that Kuronue's not such a heartless bastard after all...but only time will tell, ne? Oh, wait...chapter 7 IS done! Whoo! Go, me and the me-ness that I possess!
Cast of Yarikake and Hiruiseki: *give Kia weird stares*
Kia: ...Sorry.
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"Onegai, Chitsuko-san, why are we doing this again?" Kaeru wriggled slightly as she stood on the stool in her nightshirt, getting measured.
"Precaution," the Youko replied with a small smile, blue-gray eyes twinkling. "It'll be harder to spot you in a school uniform...we COULD dye your hair, but I doubt you'd like that."
"I don't know..." Kelsey grinned, perched on Chitsuko's bed, along with Kia and Yukina. "I think she'd look good as a blonde."
"Yeah, defend your hair color," Kia muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well...okay, sea-green isn't very normal...but hey, people nowadays..."
"I saw a ningen yesterday with purple hair," Yukina said helpfully. "Is that normal?"
Chitsuko laughed. "Not usually. It may work with Z, but she's youkai." She made the Koorime turn slightly and raise her arms, extending the tape measure around her small waist. "Okay...you're done, Kae-chan. Kia, can you sew?"
The brunette grinned as Kaeru happily hopped off the stool, slipping into her kimono and joining the others on the bed. "I do what I have to, I guess. If you give me her measurements, I think I can do some adjustments...raise the hem, most likely."
"All right." The golden-haired girl turned her attention to Yukina, beckoning the other Ice Maiden over and helping her onto the stool.
"Hey, Chitsuko..." Kelsey blinked. "How long did it take you to measure Hiei for HIS uniform?"
The hanyou made a face. "Don't remind me...it took four hours...and he complained every minute, second, and hour."
Kia's brown eyes danced with amusement. "I knew he'd be dead-set against this..."
"Yes, well, lucky for us...we have leverage." Chitsuko nodded towards Yukina, who was watching them blankly.
Both Mirror Holders suppressed grins with their hands. Kurama and Kuronue couldn't convince Hiei to pose as a middle-schooler...but when Yukina turned those big ruby eyes on her brother, the Jaganshi didn't even have a chance. Not that they would mention it. A mere chuckle from Suzuki had sent the poor inventor through a window. Kurama hadn't been too happy about that, and they'd had to explain to Shiori that some drunk guy had attempted to break in that way. If only it hadn't been Rei who'd done the explaining...poor Shiori had finally given up on learning the truth, since the axe-wielding priestess was giving her a migraine.
"Well, that's that." Chitsuko straightened up. "I can fix my old uniform to fit you, Yukina. And Kuwabara's loaned one of his uniforms for Hiei..." Kelsey couldn't help snickering at all the adjustments THAT would take. "And Kia's adjusting hers for Kaeru. How soon can you be done?"
"Umm...give me a day or two..." The brown-haired girl looked thoughtfully at the Koorime beside her. "Kaeru, you're being pretty quiet...even for you. Are you okay?"
Kaeru blinked, looking up at Kia, quickly composing her features, but not before they all caught a glimpse of sadness and longing on the girl's pale face. "Hai, Kia-san, I'm fine..." She slowly got off the bed, shuffling towards the door. "I'm a little tired...I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." She left, politely shutting the door behind her.
"...Okay, what was that?" Kelsey asked finally. "Surely she doesn't expect us to believe that!"
"Something's bothering her..." Chitsuko said quietly, looking concerned. "Has Kuronue done anything perverted lately?"
Kia sighed. "Kuronue's been himself. I don't think that's what's depressing her, though."
"I think she's...umm...I forget the term...ill for her home?" Yukina spoke up.
The brunette looked at her. "Homesick?"
"Hai, that's it!" The Ice Maiden smiled gratefully at her. "I was like that when I first came here...Kazuma-san and his friends were very nice to me, but it was rather overwhelming...and I started to miss home. The snow...the Koorime..."
"You seem to be recovered," Chitsuko pointed out with a smile.
"She'll recover too. She's stronger than I am." Yukina frowned slightly. "But she misses snow terribly...and it's not exactly the right conditions for snow in Ningenkai at the moment."
"Oh, I think we could change that!" Mizu flung open the door, beaming. Accompanying her were Jin and Touya.
"So the little Koorime's missin' snow?" Jin asked, ignoring the girls' quizzical stares. "Mizu's right, I think we can help!"
Kia raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm confused..."
"Simple," Touya said, a small smile crossing his face. "We have here an Ice Master, a liquid manipulator, and two powerful Wind users. Now, if you combine everything together..."
"You get a slushy, windy mess?" Kelsey asked, smirking.
Mizu coughed. "You get SNOW!"
"Ohhhh..." Kia couldn't help grinning at her friend's surprised tone. "I knew that."
Chitsuko smiled. "Of course you did. I think that's a good idea...but you're going to have to make it subtle...brief snowfall for a day is probably best."
Jin pouted, ears twitching. "You're no fun. Not even a snowstorm?"
"ESPECIALLY not a snowstorm!" Kia and Chitsuko said in unison. The Wind Master cringed at the emphatic double tone.
"Okay, okay...no need t'bite my head off!"
"Could I be of assistance?" Yukina asked. "Kaeru-chan is my friend, and I hate to see her so sad..."
"We wouldn't dream of doing this without you," Touya reassured her.
Her eyes lit up. "Arigato, Touya-san!" Before their eyes, she suddenly became brisk and business-like. "Let's see...Touya-san, you and Mizu-san should probably start off with me...and then Kia-san and Jin-san can whip it up...and let nature take its course."
"Ummm...right..." Kia agreed, looking somewhat stunned by the change in the Koorime's meek personality.
Yukina smiled. "Let's get to work, then..."
Kaeru was curled up on her bed, sleeping, when Kuronue checked in on his charge. He turned, satisfied that she was safe, but then hesitated, turning back and walking closer to the Koorime. He brushed a few strands of sea-green hair that had fallen into her face, noticing a slightly distressed expression on her face. And she was whimpering faintly.
"Aw, Kaeru..." The chimera sighed, settling down besides her. As he reached over to tuck some more hair behind her ear, something cold and hard hit his hand and bounced to the floor. Frowning slightly, he leaned over and picked up the object. A small tear-gem shimmered in his large, callused palm. "Hiruiseki..." he muttered, looking at it. For a moment, he just sat there, staring at the luminescent perfection that had come from this little maiden asleep on the bed. And he became aware just how much he really HAD changed. Not even a week or two ago, he would not have hesitated to keep this gem and see if he could get more to sell. But now...he carefully took Kaeru's limp hand, uncurling her fingers and placing the tear-gem in her palm, returning her fingers to their normal position and running his own across the small hand.
Kaeru stirred, the slight tickling sensation registering in her consciousness. Kuronue immediately dropped her hand as if it had burned him, cheeks flushing guiltily, and looked out the window-then blinked. Small, white things were floating down from the sky and settling on the ground, slowly covering the city with a peaceful white blanket. "...Snow?" he murmured, bewildered. From what Kurama had told him, it didn't usually snow at this time in Ningenkai...maybe Kaeru would know. He shook her shoulder lightly. "Oi, Koorime. Wake up."
The Ice Maiden slowly opened her eyes, blinking sleepily at the chimera. "...Kuronue-san? What's the m-m-matter?" She yawned, covering it with her hand, and blinking in surprise when the tear-gem slid from her palm.
Kuronue pointed at her window. "Look."
Wondering, Kaeru did as she was bid...and froze, staring at the flakes as if it were some sort of miracle. "Snow?" She breathed, echoing Kuronue. "But...Yukina-chan said...that...it doesn't..."
"Come on." The chimera grabbed her hand, pulling her off the bed and practically dragging her out the door. "I want to investigate this...snow."
Once they were outside, Kuronue immediately regretted not wearing anything warmer than his usual black leather attire. This stuff was COLD!
Kia, Kelsey, Mizu, Touya, Chitsuko, Kurama, Jin, and Yukina were already outside, all dressed warmly, except for Touya, Mizu, and Yukina, who didn't seem to be affected by the chilly weather. Kelsey looked up, and waved to the approaching duo, cheeks flushed with the cold and gray eyes sparkling happily. "Hey, you two! We're building a snowman! Wanna help?"
"...A WHAT?" Kuronue blinked violet eyes at the Mirror Holder, as Rei came running out, lugging a ridiculously-large carrot and Rinku's cap.
"A snowman, Batty!" the priestess said gleefully. "What, never made one before?"
"Uh...no." The bat demon formed a sweatdrop when he noticed that everyone was staring at him in shock. "WHAT?" he said defiantly.
"You...never...built a SNOWMAN..." Kia whispered, brown eyes large. "You poor deprived baby..."
"Hey!" Kuronue protested. "I'm NOT a baby!!"
Kaeru patted his hand sympathetically before pulling away and running over to the others to help assemble the snowman. Despite his sulky mood, Kuronue couldn't stop a faint smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. The little Koorime's sad aura had dissipated entirely, and the smile never left her face.
"Come on, Kuro!" Chitsuko called. "Come join us!"
"Naw...s'okay..." He tucked his hands into his white overskirt, shivering slightly. By the time Kurama had lifted Kaeru to place the cap on the snowman's odd-shaped head, his shaking had increased, and his teeth were chattering. He wasn't suited for this type of weather...were they EVER going to finish?
Fortunately, Kaeru glanced back at her "bodyguard", noticing his shudders, and gestured for Kurama to put her down. Once the Youko had done so, she came running over to the chimera, ruby eyes wide with concern. "Kuronue-san, you must be freezing!"
"I-I'm f-f-f-f-fine..." the bat demon replied, wincing. Why wouldn't she stop staring at him with those EYES? They were so large, and worried...something fluttered in his chest, and he took a step back.
"Kuronue-san?" The Koorime sounded puzzled.
He cringed. "It's nothing..." And he ran inside. Kaeru stood there for a moment, somewhat confused.
"Is he mad at me...?"
"No, Kaeru..." Kurama laid a hand on her shoulder. "He's just...trying to sort out a few things..."
"Oh..." Her face didn't clear. "Well, I hope he's alright..."
"He'll be fine." Mizu rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about him, Kaeru..."
The Koorime smiled. "I'll try not to..."
***
It had been four days since the snowfall, and Kuronue was avoiding Kaeru, for some unknown reason. He still kept to his duty, and maintained watch over her, but he seemed to flinch every time she addressed him, and so she had given up on that. Neither one of them was talking to the other, and Kaeru now seemed even more depressed than she had been originally.
Strangely enough, it was Rei, who snapped them out of it. The woman announced a trip to the local ice-cream parlor, and was immediately seconded by Kia and Kelsey. Pretty soon, the entire gang had assembled...Z was still at Suzuki's house, but Chuu had gotten off work and went with them. Unfortunately, Yusuke was the one working now. Which, for some reason, Kelsey thought was incredibly humorous. Neither Kuronue nor Kaeru knew what ice-cream was...but they soon found out when the group walked into the drafty place.
Kaeru bounced lightly on her feet, inhaling the aroma with an exclamation of delight. "It smells GOOD in here!"
Mizu grinned down at her. "Ice-cream always has a nice smell..."
Hiei wandered toward the counter, peering down at the buckets of the creamy dessert. "Sweet snow!!"
The Koorime blinked. "Sweet...snow?" She, too, headed for the counter, looking down at the array. "Ooh..."
"Yeah, yeah, what'll it be?" The impatient voice snapped over the counter.
Kaeru looked up. That voice...
Kia took a closer look, and then her mouth fell open. "YUSUKE?!"
Everyone stampeded over, staring at the blushing Tantei.
"I had no idea you were working HERE!" Kuwabara said at last, goggling Yusuke's pink apron. "Nice clothes."
"Shut up," the boy growled, waving the ice-cream scoop threateningly.
Jin smirked. "Now, Urameshi, is that any way t'be treatin' payin' customers?"
"I'll have strawberry!" Rinku said, grinning.
"I'll...have...the brown one..." Kuronue muttered.
"Try the mint one," Touya advised Kaeru, who took his advice and was soon sampling it. Her eyes lit up.
"This is good!"
At another table, Kelsey and Shishiwakamaru were arguing about chocolate or vanilla. Frustrated, Kelsey finally chucked her cone at his head. The samurai retaliated by flicking his ice-cream-loaded spoon at her. Mizu caught on and aimed her lemon sorbet at Touya...only to miss and hit Kia in the face.
The girl stood there silently for a moment, before glowering at them and climbing onto a table. "When I find out WHO DID THAT, THEY'RE GONNA DIE!"
Mizu gulped and ducked behind Touya. But now everyone else had joined in, and ice-cream of all flavors was flying everywhere. Hiei was quite upset that they were wasting good sweet snow and sat in a corner, glaring balefully at anyone who so much as LOOKED at him.
Kuronue was freaking out, unsure whether this stuff was dangerous, and ran to protect Kaeru. Rei had discovered the canisters of whipped cream and the chocolate syrup...and the maraschino cherries-and used them to her advantage. Poor Kaeru took the brunt of the attack and was soon covered with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherry juice. Kuronue was doing his best to keep her safe, and ended up shielding the little Koorime from most of the ice-cream missiles that flew her way.
And then Rei found the pineapples...and tossed them onto the overhead ceiling fan, scattering pineapple juice everywhere. Kia was still on the table, ranting about ice-cream until Jin pulled her off. Kelsey had managed to dunk Shishiwakamaru's head in the rainbow sherbet bucket and was yelling gleefully "Take THAT, Shishi! Chocolate ALWAYS triumphs!! Choose the dark side!!" Chitsuko and Kurama were pelting each other with marshmallows and cherries, laughing. Mizu and Touya were still hurling ice-cream, while Chuu and Suzuki just stood by the side, ducking occasional ice-cream blobs. Kuwabara was busy trying to save Yukina, and Rei was everywhere.
"OI! YOU'RE MESSIN' UP THE GOODS!" Yusuke yelled angrily. "You'd better be paying for all this!!"
Kelsey immediately pointed to Suzuki and Chuu, who both facefaulted. "Them!" Everyone else nodded in agreement, with Hiei smirking in his little corner.
"...There goes my paycheck," the drunkard muttered unhappily as he dug in his pockets.
Yusuke blinked as the jangle of the door alerted him to a new customer. Startled by the sound, Kuronue stepped protectively towards Kaeru, but slipped on some of Jin's chocolate chip cookie dough and flew towards the Koorime. He collided with her, and the two went down, Kaeru pinned underneath the chimera's larger and heavier body.
"Shimatta!!" Kuronue cursed loudly as the Koorime winced. His head was resting against her shoulder, and he caught a whiff of chocolate syrup. Didn't smell that bad, actually...he swiped a dab of whipped cream off her nose, licking his finger experimentally. And this wasn't bad either!
"Kuronue-san..." Kaeru's voice was somewhat pained and muffled. "You're squishing me..."
Yusuke looked over at the two, smirking, before he turned back to his customer. "Hi, and welcome to-" He suddenly froze as the stranger removed his black hat and sunglasses, revealing light purple eyes and blonde hair, with two red-tipped locks hanging in front of his pale face like antennae. He was rather handsome, wrapped in a black overcoat and white baggy pants. "No," he croaked, finding his voice at last. "No, I thought you were dead..."
"Give me more credit, please," the man said, smirking. His eyes roamed the room, skimming over the mischievous-looking Rei, the two ice-cream-covered Mirror Holders, the three foxes, the two Masters, the drunkard, the samurai, the Jaganshi, Suzuki and Rinku, Kuwabara, and pausing to rest on Yukina. Hiei gave a low growl, but the stranger shook his head...and then noticed Kuronue. He frowned, taking a step closer, and spotting Kaeru pinned under the chimera. His violet eyes narrowed dangerously and small sparks of electricity ran along his body. "Kaeru!!" He strode up, catching Kuronue by the shoulder and roughly pulling him off. "You! What are you DOING to her?!"
"SAVING her!" the bat-winged youkai retorted, propping his hands on his hips. "What's it look like?"
Kia coughed into her hand. "Umm...Kuronue...it looks pretty bad..."
"Like some sick pervert's erotic fantasy," Rei said helpfully.
Kelsey and Shishiwakamaru groaned in unison.
"Thanks, Rei," Mizu said dryly.
"So...who is this guy?" Chitsuko wondered, taking a napkin from Kurama and wiping strawberry ice-cream off of her black shirt.
Kaeru was staring at the man with big eyes, her expression relaying surprise, confusion, and...happiness?"
"Suzaku-san!" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet and hugging the stranger around his waist. He patted her head, eyes softening.
"Wait...wait JUST ONE MINUTE!" Suzuki yelped. "You're...you're not saying...he's...actually..."
"That's exactly what she's saying," Hiei said shortly. "That is Suzaku, the leader of the Saint Beasts."
*OOC*
Only seven pages this time...ah, well. Well...didn't expect THAT, did you? ^^ It's Suzaku! But he's supposed to be dead, isn't he? And how the HECK does Kaeru know the notorious Saint Beast who almost took over Ningenkai? And WHY is she HUGGING him?! I sense this may cause some problems...please review! Next chapter!
* Kaeru knows Suzaku...because he was her WHAT?!
* Kuronue and Suzaku get into it...uh-oh...and what happens when Kaeru and Yukina are curious to learn what's so appealing about chocolate syrup and whipped cream? And when Rei...answers? Better run, boys...
* Suzuki holds a party at his house! Including Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle, and Seven Minutes in Heaven...so who's going to tell Kaeru how to play? ^^
Pleeeease review!!
Cast of Yarikake and Hiruiseki: *give Kia weird stares*
Kia: ...Sorry.
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"Onegai, Chitsuko-san, why are we doing this again?" Kaeru wriggled slightly as she stood on the stool in her nightshirt, getting measured.
"Precaution," the Youko replied with a small smile, blue-gray eyes twinkling. "It'll be harder to spot you in a school uniform...we COULD dye your hair, but I doubt you'd like that."
"I don't know..." Kelsey grinned, perched on Chitsuko's bed, along with Kia and Yukina. "I think she'd look good as a blonde."
"Yeah, defend your hair color," Kia muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well...okay, sea-green isn't very normal...but hey, people nowadays..."
"I saw a ningen yesterday with purple hair," Yukina said helpfully. "Is that normal?"
Chitsuko laughed. "Not usually. It may work with Z, but she's youkai." She made the Koorime turn slightly and raise her arms, extending the tape measure around her small waist. "Okay...you're done, Kae-chan. Kia, can you sew?"
The brunette grinned as Kaeru happily hopped off the stool, slipping into her kimono and joining the others on the bed. "I do what I have to, I guess. If you give me her measurements, I think I can do some adjustments...raise the hem, most likely."
"All right." The golden-haired girl turned her attention to Yukina, beckoning the other Ice Maiden over and helping her onto the stool.
"Hey, Chitsuko..." Kelsey blinked. "How long did it take you to measure Hiei for HIS uniform?"
The hanyou made a face. "Don't remind me...it took four hours...and he complained every minute, second, and hour."
Kia's brown eyes danced with amusement. "I knew he'd be dead-set against this..."
"Yes, well, lucky for us...we have leverage." Chitsuko nodded towards Yukina, who was watching them blankly.
Both Mirror Holders suppressed grins with their hands. Kurama and Kuronue couldn't convince Hiei to pose as a middle-schooler...but when Yukina turned those big ruby eyes on her brother, the Jaganshi didn't even have a chance. Not that they would mention it. A mere chuckle from Suzuki had sent the poor inventor through a window. Kurama hadn't been too happy about that, and they'd had to explain to Shiori that some drunk guy had attempted to break in that way. If only it hadn't been Rei who'd done the explaining...poor Shiori had finally given up on learning the truth, since the axe-wielding priestess was giving her a migraine.
"Well, that's that." Chitsuko straightened up. "I can fix my old uniform to fit you, Yukina. And Kuwabara's loaned one of his uniforms for Hiei..." Kelsey couldn't help snickering at all the adjustments THAT would take. "And Kia's adjusting hers for Kaeru. How soon can you be done?"
"Umm...give me a day or two..." The brown-haired girl looked thoughtfully at the Koorime beside her. "Kaeru, you're being pretty quiet...even for you. Are you okay?"
Kaeru blinked, looking up at Kia, quickly composing her features, but not before they all caught a glimpse of sadness and longing on the girl's pale face. "Hai, Kia-san, I'm fine..." She slowly got off the bed, shuffling towards the door. "I'm a little tired...I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." She left, politely shutting the door behind her.
"...Okay, what was that?" Kelsey asked finally. "Surely she doesn't expect us to believe that!"
"Something's bothering her..." Chitsuko said quietly, looking concerned. "Has Kuronue done anything perverted lately?"
Kia sighed. "Kuronue's been himself. I don't think that's what's depressing her, though."
"I think she's...umm...I forget the term...ill for her home?" Yukina spoke up.
The brunette looked at her. "Homesick?"
"Hai, that's it!" The Ice Maiden smiled gratefully at her. "I was like that when I first came here...Kazuma-san and his friends were very nice to me, but it was rather overwhelming...and I started to miss home. The snow...the Koorime..."
"You seem to be recovered," Chitsuko pointed out with a smile.
"She'll recover too. She's stronger than I am." Yukina frowned slightly. "But she misses snow terribly...and it's not exactly the right conditions for snow in Ningenkai at the moment."
"Oh, I think we could change that!" Mizu flung open the door, beaming. Accompanying her were Jin and Touya.
"So the little Koorime's missin' snow?" Jin asked, ignoring the girls' quizzical stares. "Mizu's right, I think we can help!"
Kia raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm confused..."
"Simple," Touya said, a small smile crossing his face. "We have here an Ice Master, a liquid manipulator, and two powerful Wind users. Now, if you combine everything together..."
"You get a slushy, windy mess?" Kelsey asked, smirking.
Mizu coughed. "You get SNOW!"
"Ohhhh..." Kia couldn't help grinning at her friend's surprised tone. "I knew that."
Chitsuko smiled. "Of course you did. I think that's a good idea...but you're going to have to make it subtle...brief snowfall for a day is probably best."
Jin pouted, ears twitching. "You're no fun. Not even a snowstorm?"
"ESPECIALLY not a snowstorm!" Kia and Chitsuko said in unison. The Wind Master cringed at the emphatic double tone.
"Okay, okay...no need t'bite my head off!"
"Could I be of assistance?" Yukina asked. "Kaeru-chan is my friend, and I hate to see her so sad..."
"We wouldn't dream of doing this without you," Touya reassured her.
Her eyes lit up. "Arigato, Touya-san!" Before their eyes, she suddenly became brisk and business-like. "Let's see...Touya-san, you and Mizu-san should probably start off with me...and then Kia-san and Jin-san can whip it up...and let nature take its course."
"Ummm...right..." Kia agreed, looking somewhat stunned by the change in the Koorime's meek personality.
Yukina smiled. "Let's get to work, then..."
Kaeru was curled up on her bed, sleeping, when Kuronue checked in on his charge. He turned, satisfied that she was safe, but then hesitated, turning back and walking closer to the Koorime. He brushed a few strands of sea-green hair that had fallen into her face, noticing a slightly distressed expression on her face. And she was whimpering faintly.
"Aw, Kaeru..." The chimera sighed, settling down besides her. As he reached over to tuck some more hair behind her ear, something cold and hard hit his hand and bounced to the floor. Frowning slightly, he leaned over and picked up the object. A small tear-gem shimmered in his large, callused palm. "Hiruiseki..." he muttered, looking at it. For a moment, he just sat there, staring at the luminescent perfection that had come from this little maiden asleep on the bed. And he became aware just how much he really HAD changed. Not even a week or two ago, he would not have hesitated to keep this gem and see if he could get more to sell. But now...he carefully took Kaeru's limp hand, uncurling her fingers and placing the tear-gem in her palm, returning her fingers to their normal position and running his own across the small hand.
Kaeru stirred, the slight tickling sensation registering in her consciousness. Kuronue immediately dropped her hand as if it had burned him, cheeks flushing guiltily, and looked out the window-then blinked. Small, white things were floating down from the sky and settling on the ground, slowly covering the city with a peaceful white blanket. "...Snow?" he murmured, bewildered. From what Kurama had told him, it didn't usually snow at this time in Ningenkai...maybe Kaeru would know. He shook her shoulder lightly. "Oi, Koorime. Wake up."
The Ice Maiden slowly opened her eyes, blinking sleepily at the chimera. "...Kuronue-san? What's the m-m-matter?" She yawned, covering it with her hand, and blinking in surprise when the tear-gem slid from her palm.
Kuronue pointed at her window. "Look."
Wondering, Kaeru did as she was bid...and froze, staring at the flakes as if it were some sort of miracle. "Snow?" She breathed, echoing Kuronue. "But...Yukina-chan said...that...it doesn't..."
"Come on." The chimera grabbed her hand, pulling her off the bed and practically dragging her out the door. "I want to investigate this...snow."
Once they were outside, Kuronue immediately regretted not wearing anything warmer than his usual black leather attire. This stuff was COLD!
Kia, Kelsey, Mizu, Touya, Chitsuko, Kurama, Jin, and Yukina were already outside, all dressed warmly, except for Touya, Mizu, and Yukina, who didn't seem to be affected by the chilly weather. Kelsey looked up, and waved to the approaching duo, cheeks flushed with the cold and gray eyes sparkling happily. "Hey, you two! We're building a snowman! Wanna help?"
"...A WHAT?" Kuronue blinked violet eyes at the Mirror Holder, as Rei came running out, lugging a ridiculously-large carrot and Rinku's cap.
"A snowman, Batty!" the priestess said gleefully. "What, never made one before?"
"Uh...no." The bat demon formed a sweatdrop when he noticed that everyone was staring at him in shock. "WHAT?" he said defiantly.
"You...never...built a SNOWMAN..." Kia whispered, brown eyes large. "You poor deprived baby..."
"Hey!" Kuronue protested. "I'm NOT a baby!!"
Kaeru patted his hand sympathetically before pulling away and running over to the others to help assemble the snowman. Despite his sulky mood, Kuronue couldn't stop a faint smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth. The little Koorime's sad aura had dissipated entirely, and the smile never left her face.
"Come on, Kuro!" Chitsuko called. "Come join us!"
"Naw...s'okay..." He tucked his hands into his white overskirt, shivering slightly. By the time Kurama had lifted Kaeru to place the cap on the snowman's odd-shaped head, his shaking had increased, and his teeth were chattering. He wasn't suited for this type of weather...were they EVER going to finish?
Fortunately, Kaeru glanced back at her "bodyguard", noticing his shudders, and gestured for Kurama to put her down. Once the Youko had done so, she came running over to the chimera, ruby eyes wide with concern. "Kuronue-san, you must be freezing!"
"I-I'm f-f-f-f-fine..." the bat demon replied, wincing. Why wouldn't she stop staring at him with those EYES? They were so large, and worried...something fluttered in his chest, and he took a step back.
"Kuronue-san?" The Koorime sounded puzzled.
He cringed. "It's nothing..." And he ran inside. Kaeru stood there for a moment, somewhat confused.
"Is he mad at me...?"
"No, Kaeru..." Kurama laid a hand on her shoulder. "He's just...trying to sort out a few things..."
"Oh..." Her face didn't clear. "Well, I hope he's alright..."
"He'll be fine." Mizu rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about him, Kaeru..."
The Koorime smiled. "I'll try not to..."
***
It had been four days since the snowfall, and Kuronue was avoiding Kaeru, for some unknown reason. He still kept to his duty, and maintained watch over her, but he seemed to flinch every time she addressed him, and so she had given up on that. Neither one of them was talking to the other, and Kaeru now seemed even more depressed than she had been originally.
Strangely enough, it was Rei, who snapped them out of it. The woman announced a trip to the local ice-cream parlor, and was immediately seconded by Kia and Kelsey. Pretty soon, the entire gang had assembled...Z was still at Suzuki's house, but Chuu had gotten off work and went with them. Unfortunately, Yusuke was the one working now. Which, for some reason, Kelsey thought was incredibly humorous. Neither Kuronue nor Kaeru knew what ice-cream was...but they soon found out when the group walked into the drafty place.
Kaeru bounced lightly on her feet, inhaling the aroma with an exclamation of delight. "It smells GOOD in here!"
Mizu grinned down at her. "Ice-cream always has a nice smell..."
Hiei wandered toward the counter, peering down at the buckets of the creamy dessert. "Sweet snow!!"
The Koorime blinked. "Sweet...snow?" She, too, headed for the counter, looking down at the array. "Ooh..."
"Yeah, yeah, what'll it be?" The impatient voice snapped over the counter.
Kaeru looked up. That voice...
Kia took a closer look, and then her mouth fell open. "YUSUKE?!"
Everyone stampeded over, staring at the blushing Tantei.
"I had no idea you were working HERE!" Kuwabara said at last, goggling Yusuke's pink apron. "Nice clothes."
"Shut up," the boy growled, waving the ice-cream scoop threateningly.
Jin smirked. "Now, Urameshi, is that any way t'be treatin' payin' customers?"
"I'll have strawberry!" Rinku said, grinning.
"I'll...have...the brown one..." Kuronue muttered.
"Try the mint one," Touya advised Kaeru, who took his advice and was soon sampling it. Her eyes lit up.
"This is good!"
At another table, Kelsey and Shishiwakamaru were arguing about chocolate or vanilla. Frustrated, Kelsey finally chucked her cone at his head. The samurai retaliated by flicking his ice-cream-loaded spoon at her. Mizu caught on and aimed her lemon sorbet at Touya...only to miss and hit Kia in the face.
The girl stood there silently for a moment, before glowering at them and climbing onto a table. "When I find out WHO DID THAT, THEY'RE GONNA DIE!"
Mizu gulped and ducked behind Touya. But now everyone else had joined in, and ice-cream of all flavors was flying everywhere. Hiei was quite upset that they were wasting good sweet snow and sat in a corner, glaring balefully at anyone who so much as LOOKED at him.
Kuronue was freaking out, unsure whether this stuff was dangerous, and ran to protect Kaeru. Rei had discovered the canisters of whipped cream and the chocolate syrup...and the maraschino cherries-and used them to her advantage. Poor Kaeru took the brunt of the attack and was soon covered with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherry juice. Kuronue was doing his best to keep her safe, and ended up shielding the little Koorime from most of the ice-cream missiles that flew her way.
And then Rei found the pineapples...and tossed them onto the overhead ceiling fan, scattering pineapple juice everywhere. Kia was still on the table, ranting about ice-cream until Jin pulled her off. Kelsey had managed to dunk Shishiwakamaru's head in the rainbow sherbet bucket and was yelling gleefully "Take THAT, Shishi! Chocolate ALWAYS triumphs!! Choose the dark side!!" Chitsuko and Kurama were pelting each other with marshmallows and cherries, laughing. Mizu and Touya were still hurling ice-cream, while Chuu and Suzuki just stood by the side, ducking occasional ice-cream blobs. Kuwabara was busy trying to save Yukina, and Rei was everywhere.
"OI! YOU'RE MESSIN' UP THE GOODS!" Yusuke yelled angrily. "You'd better be paying for all this!!"
Kelsey immediately pointed to Suzuki and Chuu, who both facefaulted. "Them!" Everyone else nodded in agreement, with Hiei smirking in his little corner.
"...There goes my paycheck," the drunkard muttered unhappily as he dug in his pockets.
Yusuke blinked as the jangle of the door alerted him to a new customer. Startled by the sound, Kuronue stepped protectively towards Kaeru, but slipped on some of Jin's chocolate chip cookie dough and flew towards the Koorime. He collided with her, and the two went down, Kaeru pinned underneath the chimera's larger and heavier body.
"Shimatta!!" Kuronue cursed loudly as the Koorime winced. His head was resting against her shoulder, and he caught a whiff of chocolate syrup. Didn't smell that bad, actually...he swiped a dab of whipped cream off her nose, licking his finger experimentally. And this wasn't bad either!
"Kuronue-san..." Kaeru's voice was somewhat pained and muffled. "You're squishing me..."
Yusuke looked over at the two, smirking, before he turned back to his customer. "Hi, and welcome to-" He suddenly froze as the stranger removed his black hat and sunglasses, revealing light purple eyes and blonde hair, with two red-tipped locks hanging in front of his pale face like antennae. He was rather handsome, wrapped in a black overcoat and white baggy pants. "No," he croaked, finding his voice at last. "No, I thought you were dead..."
"Give me more credit, please," the man said, smirking. His eyes roamed the room, skimming over the mischievous-looking Rei, the two ice-cream-covered Mirror Holders, the three foxes, the two Masters, the drunkard, the samurai, the Jaganshi, Suzuki and Rinku, Kuwabara, and pausing to rest on Yukina. Hiei gave a low growl, but the stranger shook his head...and then noticed Kuronue. He frowned, taking a step closer, and spotting Kaeru pinned under the chimera. His violet eyes narrowed dangerously and small sparks of electricity ran along his body. "Kaeru!!" He strode up, catching Kuronue by the shoulder and roughly pulling him off. "You! What are you DOING to her?!"
"SAVING her!" the bat-winged youkai retorted, propping his hands on his hips. "What's it look like?"
Kia coughed into her hand. "Umm...Kuronue...it looks pretty bad..."
"Like some sick pervert's erotic fantasy," Rei said helpfully.
Kelsey and Shishiwakamaru groaned in unison.
"Thanks, Rei," Mizu said dryly.
"So...who is this guy?" Chitsuko wondered, taking a napkin from Kurama and wiping strawberry ice-cream off of her black shirt.
Kaeru was staring at the man with big eyes, her expression relaying surprise, confusion, and...happiness?"
"Suzaku-san!" she exclaimed, scrambling to her feet and hugging the stranger around his waist. He patted her head, eyes softening.
"Wait...wait JUST ONE MINUTE!" Suzuki yelped. "You're...you're not saying...he's...actually..."
"That's exactly what she's saying," Hiei said shortly. "That is Suzaku, the leader of the Saint Beasts."
*OOC*
Only seven pages this time...ah, well. Well...didn't expect THAT, did you? ^^ It's Suzaku! But he's supposed to be dead, isn't he? And how the HECK does Kaeru know the notorious Saint Beast who almost took over Ningenkai? And WHY is she HUGGING him?! I sense this may cause some problems...please review! Next chapter!
* Kaeru knows Suzaku...because he was her WHAT?!
* Kuronue and Suzaku get into it...uh-oh...and what happens when Kaeru and Yukina are curious to learn what's so appealing about chocolate syrup and whipped cream? And when Rei...answers? Better run, boys...
* Suzuki holds a party at his house! Including Truth or Dare, Spin the Bottle, and Seven Minutes in Heaven...so who's going to tell Kaeru how to play? ^^
Pleeeease review!!