~*~*~*~*~Chapter 14~*~*~*~*~
Yusuke pressed the power button and the television sprang to life.
Garbage. With a flick of his wrist the channel changed.
More garbage.
He changed it again
Garbage.
Garbage.
More garbage!
There was nothing on!
In a fit of frustration Yusuke through the remote across the room and folded his arms crossly. Stupid TV.
Keiko sighed and picked up the remote from where it had fallen and tapped in the number for the cooking channel. A man basting a turkey immediately appeared on the screen.
Yusuke's mouth fell open in disbelief. He looked at Keiko, "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Kidding you? About what?" Keiko asked innocently.
"I'm not watching a cooking show!" Yusuke demanded.
Keiko frowned and then shrugged, "You said yourself there was nothing on."
"At least nothing's better than this!" Yusuke stood up, gesturing toward the television.
Keiko stood up as well, "If you don't like it, go watch TV at your house!"
Yusuke opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Not wanting to admit she's one their little argument he folded his arms curtly and fell back onto the couch, fixing his eyes stubbornly on the screen. At this Keiko gave a superior sounding scoff and plopped down next to him. She took the small box that she had been holding and opened it.
Yusuke fixed it in a attentive stare, "What's that?"
Keiko smiled and flapped a bundle of 3x5 cards in in the air, "They're my recipe cards. I thought I'd organize them."
Yusuke gaped, "How many recipes do you have?" It looked like quite a few. The pile of cards had to be an inch high.
"A hundred or so-"
"A HUNDRED OR SO!"
Keiko seemed unfazed by the teen's outburst, "Well I watch this channel quite a lot. And I got a few from my mother."
Yusuke settled back down, "Sheesh, Keiko, why don't you just open a restaurant or something?"
Keiko put up a finger, signally she was going to make a point, "I plan to run the family restaurant one day!"
Yusuke sighed and tried to seem interested in how to baste a turkey. It wasn't working. Before long he was bored out of his mind, until at last he fell into a deep slumber, his head leaned back and mouth wide open. At the sound of Yusuke's snores Keiko looked up from her recipe cards. She smiled at the sight of the sleeping teen and pecked him lightly on the cheek before returning to her organizing.
At present, Hiei was sitting on a barstool, the heat from the coffee cup warming his hands. He'd watched the entire exchange between Keiko and Yusuke with a slight smirk. How these mortals amused him. But something was beginning to worry him. What it was exactly he did not know. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but something nagged incessantly at the back of his mind.
Hiei shook his head, as though trying to jar the thought loose and took a sip from his coffee.
It was then Koenma decided to appear in the room, "Looks like we've got trouble."
Keiko switched the TV off and Yusuke came awake with a start. Rubbing his eyes he half said, half mumbled, "Wha? What is it?"
"Botan and Kurama have been kidnapped."
Keiko and Yusuke sprang to their feet, a sense of urgency about them. Hiei's attention was full on Koenma.
"WHAT!?!?!"
"But how could anyone kidnap Kurama?" Yusuke snapped.
Koenma folded his arms and closed his eyes thoughtfully, "I don't know. Come with me."
~*~*~*~*~
The first thing Koenma did when he arrived at Rekai was change back into his toddler self and scamper over to his desk. Yusuke and Keiko followed him with Hiei bringing up the rear. Koenma sat down in his chair and found his remote in the top desk drawer. He aimed it at the screen against the wall and clicked.
The screen flickered to life and A mug shot of a woman was magnified on the screen.
"Arisu." said Koenma, plainly.
Yusuke looked at the screen and didn't seem impressed, "Who's the broad?"
Koenma glared, "She's more than a "broad", Yusuke. She's one of the most notorious demons in the Makai."
Keiko shivered and became even more worried.
"I believe she may have something to do with Botan and Kurama's disappearance."
"How do you know they've disappeared?"
"Botan was supposed to report to me today and since you told me that she was Kurama I can only assume he was taken too."
Keiko looked close to tears with worry, "But what would they want with her!"
Koenma shook his head sadly. After a moments reflection he coughed politely and turned back to the screen, "The thing is she never works alone. Her crime in partner is Hakuma, her brother."
Hiei and Keiko blanched, staring up at the O, so familiar face on the screen.
"I have a theory that they have taken them to their palace in the Makai. Gather up your team, Yusuke, and I will transport you there."
Yusuke nodded, a sense of duty setting on his shoulders, "Okay. One thing though..."
Koenma looked at him quizzically.
"How'd you know it was Arisu?"
Koenma looked startled for a moment but then folded his arms and held his nose in the air, haughtily, "I'm the Prince of Rekai, its my job to know. Now hurry up! Botan and Kurama's life hang in the balance!"
Yusuke ran out. As Keiko left she caught Hiei's eye and mouthed something to him. Hiei merely nodded and followed Yusuke out.
~*~*~*~*~
I think I'm losing interest in this. I wish I weren't. But I am. I need something to reenergize my interest. Think! Think! Ah well...I'll think of something.
I'd like to point out that I'VE GOT 300 REVIEWS!!
Thank you.