Okay. Here we go with this. Sorry, Kuronue fans! I don't think there's
going to be too much of him in this chapter. But he'll come in again
sometime! I promise!
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, we hear it from everyone. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho either.
Jeroun hardly had time to gape at Koenma's palace before two large doors swung open, revealing a brown-haired teenager with a pacifier that could only be Koenma himself. Jeroun snorted when he saw the pacifier, and was rewarded with a painful blow to the head. He growled at the man who was holding the ropes that were tied around his wrists and ankles. He then took a moment to sweep his eyes around the office, presumably looking for a way out. For some reason, his eyes fell on the person in the corner; a teenage boy (Jeroun hoped it was a boy, he had no figure in the chest area) with long red hair and thoughtful green eyes, that when they caught Jeroun's, the fire yokai had to repress a shiver. And then the redhead smiled at him, and nodded, jerking his head in Koenma's direction. Jeroun remembered his more pressing questions. He began talking before Koenma had a chance to open his mouth.
"I was told I was gonna be given a second chance because the crime I commited was not really that serious," he said. Or meant to say. It came out more like; "IwastoldIwasgonnabegivenasecondchance becausethecrimeIcommitedwasnotreallythatserious." Koenma ducked his head and hoped that the yokai did not hear his laughter.
"Yes, that seems to be the case," Koenma said. "It was a minor robbery, and you really didn't get anything out of it."
"I got caught before I got out of the place," Jeroun grumbled, and he heard a soft laugh. He looked over at the redhead in the corner, who had a hand in front of his face to hide a smile. (I wonder why he thinks it's so funny,) Jeroun thought.
"All right, then," Koenma said, jerking Jeroun out of his thoughts. "That seems to be in order. Here's the deal: You need to prove that you can go six months in the Ningenkai without revealing that you're a yokai. And you don't steal anything, either."
"That's it?" Jeroun said, although inside his head, he was already planning. Who was gonna be there to stop him? No one, that was who. He could rob as many places as he wanted, as long as he avoided Koenma's agents.
"That's it," Koenma said.
"If that is all, then why am I here?" The redheaded boy had stepped forward. "Just as a witness?" Jeroun blinked. He had been wondering the same thing a few minutes before.
"I'm glad you spoke up, I would have forgotten," Koenma said. "You will be watching Jeroun to make sure he doesn't do anything. Are you up to it?"
"Of course," the boy said with, what Jeroun thought, was a slightly evil smile. Then the redhead turned to him. "You are Jeroun, I presume?"
"Yes," Jeroun said, trying to keep any manners he had with him. "And you are?" The redhead opened his mouth to say something, but not before Koenma jumped in.
"You will know him as 'Shuichi' all right?" Koenma said, looking from one to the other. "Is that all right with you?"
"Fine," Shuichi replied. "Shall we go then?"
"Yes, yes, get on with your lives," Koenma said, turning back into his toddler form, surprising Jeroun enough that he had to laugh, earning himself another whack from the guard with his ropes.
The trip back to the Ningenkai was not a very comfortable one. Indeed, Jeroun had to admit that he was glad he was still alive at its end. Shuichi seemed quite unfazed by the trip, save for the fine shade of green that tinted his mouth. They entered the house as soon as Botan had wished him well. Shuichi cautiously turned on the light, and exhaled in releif.
"My mother's not home," he said. "Good thing, too. It gives me more time to think up a lie about you."
"You're not fully human," Jeroun stated in response. It had been bugging him for a while now, mainly because the boy had called upon various plants during the ride to save them from a certian crash. Shuichi smiled.
"I'm not," he said.
"Shuichi's not your real name, is it?"
"I'll leave that for you to find out," Shuichi said. "Obviously Koenma doesn't want you to know too much about me. I'll tell you this, though, I'm an excellent tracker, so I'll know if you've done anything." Jeroun nodded bitterly, and wondered what Kuronue was doing. It had been early afternoon when he had been called to Koenma's office, and he had no idea how long it had taken for their discussion and the trip, only that it was nighttime in the Ningenkai. "Is there something wrong?"
"Huh?" Jeroun looked up. Shuichi was looking at him with interest.
"I asked you if there was anything wrong," Shuichi said. Jeroun shook his head. "Well then. Do you want anything to eat?" Jeroun nodded, his mouth suddenly watering. He was told to stay put while Shuichi vanished into one of the doorways leading off from the living room. Within minutes the house was filled with good smells that made Jeroun even more hungry. Another few minutes passed, and Shuichi called out for him, and Jeroun followed his voice into the kitchen, where some plates were set up with food on them. Jeroun stared. Shuichi smiled. "Does it look good?"
"Hai!" Jeroun said, a little too loudly. "Gomen," he added as Shuichi looked at him. With that, the two sat down and began to eat.
A while later, Jeroun had to admit that he was quite full, not to mention warm, happy and content. He sat in one of the many armchairs in the living room while Shuichi was asleep in one. Jeroun wondered briefly if he should try to escape, and remembered Shuichi's earlier words about him being a good tracker. Jeroun dropped the thought. He heard something, almost like gravel crunching outside the house. He sat up straight in his chair. Shuichi must have heard the sound, too (A/N: Duh.) because he was up in a moment and walking over to Jeroun.
"Remember, this woman is fully human," Shuichi said. Jeroun could only guess Shuichi was talking about the "mother" he had mentioned earlier. "So nothing about the Reikai, Makai, or anything. And I'm just Shuichi."
"I don't know you as anything else," Jeroun grumbled. "And this woman is your mother?" Shuichi nodded as the front door opened.
"Shuichi! I'm home!" Jeroun watched as a woman moved into the living room. She was very pretty, dressed in a brown skirt and a white blouse with a faded brown jacket thrown over her shoulders. Her brownish-black hair was pulled away from her face by a ribbon that tied near the back of her neck. She smiled when she saw Jeroun-a first. "Oh? A friend?" She also didn't automatically go into a defense mode when she saw Jeroun-another first.
"Okaa-san," Shuichi said, moving toward her. Jeroun wondered how he was going to explain this. "He's a friend from school. I found him out on the streets today. He says he has nowhere to go. So I brought him here." Jeroun's eyes widened. (This guy could be a good thief if he wanted to!) Jeroun thought, noticing how calmly he said the lie. (A/N: Jeroun really has no clue of who he's dealing with, does he?) Shiori's face went from forceably polite to pitying.
"Oh, you poor, poor, thing!" she cried, walking over to Jeroun and hugging him. Jeroun was so surprised that all he could do was look over Shiori's shoulder at Shuichi, who looked about ready to laugh his head off. "You can stay here as long as you need to." Jeroun worked hard into making his face look slightly thankful and slightly puzzled.
"Are you sure it's all right?" Jeroun asked. Shiori nodded, and Shuichi shot him a warning look. (I'm not gonna tell her anything!) Jeroun wanted to yell at the redhead.
"I'll go get you something to eat," she said. "And Shuichi, go prepare the guest room for . . . "
"Jeroun, okaa-san," Shuichi said. "I'll be back down when it's ready."
"And Shuichi already gave me something to eat," Jeroun said, not wanting, for some odd reason, to take more than he had to out of the family. "And I couldn't eat anything else right now." Shiori smiled at her son.
"You really know how to take care of a guest," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. Shuichi smiled as well, and Jeroun watched as the boy made his way up the stairs.
Kuronue wiped the sweat from his brow. Even though it was night in the Makai, it was hot, not to mention dark. He looked up at the rock he had been chipping away at for the past two hours. It was one of the rocks bordering the jail, and, if one looked closely enough, one could see little niches in it. Niches that were just big enough to fit a foot or hand in. After Jeroun had been taken away by the oni, Kuronue rethough his plan of escape. And he had started chipping the footholds in the rock, only stopping when an oni walked by. A few hours before sundown, he had seen the oni that had taken Jeroun away; and Jeroun was not with him. Kuronue ran up to the guard.
"Well?" he asked the oni.
"Nani?" the oni asked back.
"Jeroun," Kuronue said. "The fire appirition?"
"He was sent to the Ningenkai," the oni said. "They are leaving in about an hour. And you are not to see them." The oni had added when a questioning look made its way over Kuronue's face. He mentally cursed the oni and went back to his footholds.
Now, nearly five hours later, Kuronue was tired, cranky, but still wanted to work on his escape. He told himself it was not a good idea as he looked at the wall he could barely see. What if he messed up one he had already worked so hard on? What if he started making them in the wrong place? Both possibilities could seriously hinder his escape plan. And he wanted to see Jeroun before the fire demon screwed up his chance. Then Kuronue though of something.
::Jeroun?:: he mind-called tentavely, not wanting to draw attention from someone else. ::Jeroun! HEY! Can you hear me?::
::Huh? Nani?:: Jeroun had obviously been very comfortable or very preoccupied. (Curses on him) Kuronue thought. ::Kuronue!!::
::You in the Ningenkai?:: Kuronue asked.
::Yeah.::
::Alone?::
::Nope. I'm staying with a . . . er, well he tries to be human, and his "mother" is human, but he's not,:: Jeroun explained.
::Who is it? Anyone we might know?:: Kuronue asked.
::Dunno.:: Jeroun said. ::All I know is his human name is "Shuichi Minamino" Ring any bells?::
::Nope,:: Kuronue said. ::But you should try and find out his demon form. Tell him stories about you, about me, even. All the stories I told you, and the times we spent together here at this jail.::
::Really . . . :: Jeroun sounded skeptical.
::But, refer to me as "Kanon", so he doesn't know who I really am for when I join you two,:: Kuronue said. ::I don't want anyone to know I'm alive until I can make a strong comeback.::
::Kanon? Where did that come from?:: Jeroun asked. Then he realized what Kuronue had said. ::YOU'RE STILL PLANNING ON ESCAPING!?!?!?::
::In that order; I have no idea where the name came from. Someone called me it once, I think,:: Kuronue said. ::And, yes, I'm still gonna get out of here. You can bet on it.::
Okay, so Kuronue was in this chapter more than I thought. But man, Jeroun really has no idea of who he's dealing with, does he?
Kurama: It's KURAMA! YOUKO KURAMA, Jeroun, you nuthead!!
Hiei and Nagem: O.O;
Kurama: Ku-ra-ma, Ku-ra-ma! Ple-ase-re-ve-iw!!
Hiei and Nagem: O.o;;;;;;;
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, we hear it from everyone. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho either.
Jeroun hardly had time to gape at Koenma's palace before two large doors swung open, revealing a brown-haired teenager with a pacifier that could only be Koenma himself. Jeroun snorted when he saw the pacifier, and was rewarded with a painful blow to the head. He growled at the man who was holding the ropes that were tied around his wrists and ankles. He then took a moment to sweep his eyes around the office, presumably looking for a way out. For some reason, his eyes fell on the person in the corner; a teenage boy (Jeroun hoped it was a boy, he had no figure in the chest area) with long red hair and thoughtful green eyes, that when they caught Jeroun's, the fire yokai had to repress a shiver. And then the redhead smiled at him, and nodded, jerking his head in Koenma's direction. Jeroun remembered his more pressing questions. He began talking before Koenma had a chance to open his mouth.
"I was told I was gonna be given a second chance because the crime I commited was not really that serious," he said. Or meant to say. It came out more like; "IwastoldIwasgonnabegivenasecondchance becausethecrimeIcommitedwasnotreallythatserious." Koenma ducked his head and hoped that the yokai did not hear his laughter.
"Yes, that seems to be the case," Koenma said. "It was a minor robbery, and you really didn't get anything out of it."
"I got caught before I got out of the place," Jeroun grumbled, and he heard a soft laugh. He looked over at the redhead in the corner, who had a hand in front of his face to hide a smile. (I wonder why he thinks it's so funny,) Jeroun thought.
"All right, then," Koenma said, jerking Jeroun out of his thoughts. "That seems to be in order. Here's the deal: You need to prove that you can go six months in the Ningenkai without revealing that you're a yokai. And you don't steal anything, either."
"That's it?" Jeroun said, although inside his head, he was already planning. Who was gonna be there to stop him? No one, that was who. He could rob as many places as he wanted, as long as he avoided Koenma's agents.
"That's it," Koenma said.
"If that is all, then why am I here?" The redheaded boy had stepped forward. "Just as a witness?" Jeroun blinked. He had been wondering the same thing a few minutes before.
"I'm glad you spoke up, I would have forgotten," Koenma said. "You will be watching Jeroun to make sure he doesn't do anything. Are you up to it?"
"Of course," the boy said with, what Jeroun thought, was a slightly evil smile. Then the redhead turned to him. "You are Jeroun, I presume?"
"Yes," Jeroun said, trying to keep any manners he had with him. "And you are?" The redhead opened his mouth to say something, but not before Koenma jumped in.
"You will know him as 'Shuichi' all right?" Koenma said, looking from one to the other. "Is that all right with you?"
"Fine," Shuichi replied. "Shall we go then?"
"Yes, yes, get on with your lives," Koenma said, turning back into his toddler form, surprising Jeroun enough that he had to laugh, earning himself another whack from the guard with his ropes.
The trip back to the Ningenkai was not a very comfortable one. Indeed, Jeroun had to admit that he was glad he was still alive at its end. Shuichi seemed quite unfazed by the trip, save for the fine shade of green that tinted his mouth. They entered the house as soon as Botan had wished him well. Shuichi cautiously turned on the light, and exhaled in releif.
"My mother's not home," he said. "Good thing, too. It gives me more time to think up a lie about you."
"You're not fully human," Jeroun stated in response. It had been bugging him for a while now, mainly because the boy had called upon various plants during the ride to save them from a certian crash. Shuichi smiled.
"I'm not," he said.
"Shuichi's not your real name, is it?"
"I'll leave that for you to find out," Shuichi said. "Obviously Koenma doesn't want you to know too much about me. I'll tell you this, though, I'm an excellent tracker, so I'll know if you've done anything." Jeroun nodded bitterly, and wondered what Kuronue was doing. It had been early afternoon when he had been called to Koenma's office, and he had no idea how long it had taken for their discussion and the trip, only that it was nighttime in the Ningenkai. "Is there something wrong?"
"Huh?" Jeroun looked up. Shuichi was looking at him with interest.
"I asked you if there was anything wrong," Shuichi said. Jeroun shook his head. "Well then. Do you want anything to eat?" Jeroun nodded, his mouth suddenly watering. He was told to stay put while Shuichi vanished into one of the doorways leading off from the living room. Within minutes the house was filled with good smells that made Jeroun even more hungry. Another few minutes passed, and Shuichi called out for him, and Jeroun followed his voice into the kitchen, where some plates were set up with food on them. Jeroun stared. Shuichi smiled. "Does it look good?"
"Hai!" Jeroun said, a little too loudly. "Gomen," he added as Shuichi looked at him. With that, the two sat down and began to eat.
A while later, Jeroun had to admit that he was quite full, not to mention warm, happy and content. He sat in one of the many armchairs in the living room while Shuichi was asleep in one. Jeroun wondered briefly if he should try to escape, and remembered Shuichi's earlier words about him being a good tracker. Jeroun dropped the thought. He heard something, almost like gravel crunching outside the house. He sat up straight in his chair. Shuichi must have heard the sound, too (A/N: Duh.) because he was up in a moment and walking over to Jeroun.
"Remember, this woman is fully human," Shuichi said. Jeroun could only guess Shuichi was talking about the "mother" he had mentioned earlier. "So nothing about the Reikai, Makai, or anything. And I'm just Shuichi."
"I don't know you as anything else," Jeroun grumbled. "And this woman is your mother?" Shuichi nodded as the front door opened.
"Shuichi! I'm home!" Jeroun watched as a woman moved into the living room. She was very pretty, dressed in a brown skirt and a white blouse with a faded brown jacket thrown over her shoulders. Her brownish-black hair was pulled away from her face by a ribbon that tied near the back of her neck. She smiled when she saw Jeroun-a first. "Oh? A friend?" She also didn't automatically go into a defense mode when she saw Jeroun-another first.
"Okaa-san," Shuichi said, moving toward her. Jeroun wondered how he was going to explain this. "He's a friend from school. I found him out on the streets today. He says he has nowhere to go. So I brought him here." Jeroun's eyes widened. (This guy could be a good thief if he wanted to!) Jeroun thought, noticing how calmly he said the lie. (A/N: Jeroun really has no clue of who he's dealing with, does he?) Shiori's face went from forceably polite to pitying.
"Oh, you poor, poor, thing!" she cried, walking over to Jeroun and hugging him. Jeroun was so surprised that all he could do was look over Shiori's shoulder at Shuichi, who looked about ready to laugh his head off. "You can stay here as long as you need to." Jeroun worked hard into making his face look slightly thankful and slightly puzzled.
"Are you sure it's all right?" Jeroun asked. Shiori nodded, and Shuichi shot him a warning look. (I'm not gonna tell her anything!) Jeroun wanted to yell at the redhead.
"I'll go get you something to eat," she said. "And Shuichi, go prepare the guest room for . . . "
"Jeroun, okaa-san," Shuichi said. "I'll be back down when it's ready."
"And Shuichi already gave me something to eat," Jeroun said, not wanting, for some odd reason, to take more than he had to out of the family. "And I couldn't eat anything else right now." Shiori smiled at her son.
"You really know how to take care of a guest," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. Shuichi smiled as well, and Jeroun watched as the boy made his way up the stairs.
Kuronue wiped the sweat from his brow. Even though it was night in the Makai, it was hot, not to mention dark. He looked up at the rock he had been chipping away at for the past two hours. It was one of the rocks bordering the jail, and, if one looked closely enough, one could see little niches in it. Niches that were just big enough to fit a foot or hand in. After Jeroun had been taken away by the oni, Kuronue rethough his plan of escape. And he had started chipping the footholds in the rock, only stopping when an oni walked by. A few hours before sundown, he had seen the oni that had taken Jeroun away; and Jeroun was not with him. Kuronue ran up to the guard.
"Well?" he asked the oni.
"Nani?" the oni asked back.
"Jeroun," Kuronue said. "The fire appirition?"
"He was sent to the Ningenkai," the oni said. "They are leaving in about an hour. And you are not to see them." The oni had added when a questioning look made its way over Kuronue's face. He mentally cursed the oni and went back to his footholds.
Now, nearly five hours later, Kuronue was tired, cranky, but still wanted to work on his escape. He told himself it was not a good idea as he looked at the wall he could barely see. What if he messed up one he had already worked so hard on? What if he started making them in the wrong place? Both possibilities could seriously hinder his escape plan. And he wanted to see Jeroun before the fire demon screwed up his chance. Then Kuronue though of something.
::Jeroun?:: he mind-called tentavely, not wanting to draw attention from someone else. ::Jeroun! HEY! Can you hear me?::
::Huh? Nani?:: Jeroun had obviously been very comfortable or very preoccupied. (Curses on him) Kuronue thought. ::Kuronue!!::
::You in the Ningenkai?:: Kuronue asked.
::Yeah.::
::Alone?::
::Nope. I'm staying with a . . . er, well he tries to be human, and his "mother" is human, but he's not,:: Jeroun explained.
::Who is it? Anyone we might know?:: Kuronue asked.
::Dunno.:: Jeroun said. ::All I know is his human name is "Shuichi Minamino" Ring any bells?::
::Nope,:: Kuronue said. ::But you should try and find out his demon form. Tell him stories about you, about me, even. All the stories I told you, and the times we spent together here at this jail.::
::Really . . . :: Jeroun sounded skeptical.
::But, refer to me as "Kanon", so he doesn't know who I really am for when I join you two,:: Kuronue said. ::I don't want anyone to know I'm alive until I can make a strong comeback.::
::Kanon? Where did that come from?:: Jeroun asked. Then he realized what Kuronue had said. ::YOU'RE STILL PLANNING ON ESCAPING!?!?!?::
::In that order; I have no idea where the name came from. Someone called me it once, I think,:: Kuronue said. ::And, yes, I'm still gonna get out of here. You can bet on it.::
Okay, so Kuronue was in this chapter more than I thought. But man, Jeroun really has no idea of who he's dealing with, does he?
Kurama: It's KURAMA! YOUKO KURAMA, Jeroun, you nuthead!!
Hiei and Nagem: O.O;
Kurama: Ku-ra-ma, Ku-ra-ma! Ple-ase-re-ve-iw!!
Hiei and Nagem: O.o;;;;;;;