...I wonder why most of you are so into the concept of having a love triangle between Kia, Jin, and Youko Kurama. It comes close in Kikyoku, but trust me, Kia's going to teach that Youko that some people are not susceptible to his "charms". And besides, how can one think about love, when one is trying to find a-okay, I've said too much. Let me get done with Densebyou FIRST. *grin* Let's see, what else...I think I have become fond of the line "Stupid Orcs". Not sure why. O.o;; Ah, well. Lexi-chan updated, and I need to get this up, so...
Last chapter, Youko Kurama got sick! Shoot. Now Kia and Kelsey are stranded in the Makai and they're having a bad day...and it's about to get worse. Much worse. Poor Mirror Holders.
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The two girls sat despondently by their fallen friend. Kia looked as if she was going to cry, and Kelsey had fallen into a dark, brooding silence.
"What do we do now?" Kia said at last, her voice trembling slightly. She'd pulled a canteen from her backpack, and now she had Kurama's head cradled on her lap, busy patting his face with a damp piece of cloth she'd torn from her skirt and soaked in water. "I mean," she went on, when Kelsey didn't respond, "we have to find Chuu and Rinku, but...we can't just LEAVE him here!"
"True." Kelsey finally spoke. "His girlfriend would kill us if he did."
"KELSEY."
"All right, all right..." The girl sighed. "AND he's our friend, even if he IS a cocky little-"
"KELSEY!"
"Kidding, KIDDING!" Kelsey looked down at Kurama. "Well, we have three options. We could leave him here, and-"
"No."
Kelsey hadn't expected an agreement on that one anyway. "Well, then...we can take him with us or stay here. But if we stay, we're an easy target. We need to keep moving."
Kia considered this, then nodded slowly. "I see your point. I guess we'll just CARRY Kurama to that village."
"Arms or legs?" Kelsey asked helpfully.
"I'll get the arms..." The older girl sighed, slipping her arms under Kurama's. Kelsey grabbed his legs, and, between the two of them, they managed to lift him up.
"Y'know, for such a skinny guy, he weighs a TON!" Kelsey gasped, staggering slightly.
"I just hope we can get him to the village...it might slow us down, but..." Kia trailed off.
"Well..." Her friend smiled down at the unconscious Youko as they started walking. "Look at it this way-if he really DOES have the disease, he'll gradually become small enough for us to hold in our arms."
Kia almost choked on her reply. "By the time THAT happens, Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki will be DEAD!"
"...Oh, yeah." Kelsey sweatdropped. "Okay, so let's get going."
The girls started to walk, carrying Kurama between them. Kelsey kept glancing Kia's way. The shorter girl was staring at the ground, biting her lip occasionally. Kelsey couldn't handle the dead silence.
"Hey, Kia..." The brunette glanced over at her questioningly. "Remember that time when we discovered that evil people DO have sea monkeys?"
Kia nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly.
"And remember when Yusuke tricked Jin into walking into the wrong bathroom?"
The girl winced. "How could I forget? He locked Shishiwakamaru in the towel cabinet, too."
"And the time that Rinku got locked in the refrigerator?"
"And when Rei tried to convince Yusuke to marry Axe?"
Kelsey laughed. "She wanted us to be bridesmaids."
"And she wanted Hiei to be the flower girl," Kia added, smiling reminiscently.
"I remember. Hiei set the flowers on fire, and Suzuki freaked out..."
Kurama stirred. "Chit...ko..."
The Mirror Holders looked down in surprise, but the Youko didn't speak again.
"...So now her name is Chitko?" Kia blinked, brown eyes conveying her obvious bewilderment.
"Let's see if he'll tell us more." Kelsey made her voice whispery and mysterious. "Kuraaaamaaa...It is I, your conscieeence...whoooo is your girlfrieeeend?"
Her friend sweatdropped. "Uh, Kelsey...?"
"Teeeeeell meeee," Kelsey continued, ignoring her.
Kurama didn't reply.
The blonde stuck out her tongue. "Okay, fine." She returned to speaking in that freaky voice again. "Wheeeen youuuuuu waaaake up, youuuuuu wiiiiiill haaaaave the urrrrrge tooooooo eat caaaaaandy cooooorn."
"What does candy corn have to do with anything??"
Kelsey shrugged. "Dunno. Be cool if it works, though, wouldn't it? If he won't tell us who his girlfriend is, he must suffer candy corn cravings."
"We'll find out sooner or later," Kia pointed out logically. "We'll just have to wait until Kurama decides to tell us."
"That'll be the day," Kelsey retorted, with an indignant sniff. The girls exchanged amused looks, then sighed in unison and kept walking.
***At Suzuki's House***
"Kuso!" Kuwabara hammered at the closed bedroom door with his fists, frustration lending a piercing quality to his shrieks. (A/N: I'm suddenly reminded of Fred Flintstone. "Willlllllllmaaaaaa!" o.o) "Open the goddamn door, you little bastard!"
"Locked you out again, didn't he?" Yusuke remarked, watching his friend as he sat on the couch, absently rubbing Kage's ears with his bare left foot.
"I'm gonna MURDER Hiei!" Kuwabara growled. "How he managed to lock the door-"
"Well, it IS Hiei." The other smirked. "I told you this wouldn't be easy."
Suddenly, Jin and Touya's door blew open and a small tornado leapt out, advancing steadily on the two Tantei. Obviously the miniature Wind Master still had control of the breezes.
"Shimatta!" Yusuke yelled, leaping off the couch and running for his life.
Kage squeezed under a chair, eyeing the vortex warily. -It never gets dull around here, does it?-
"No, dog..." Kuwabara glared at the door. "It doesn't."
***Back to Makai***
Kelsey spotted it first...the plume of smoke rising up in the distance. "Look...that must be the village!"
"I hope so..." Kia sighed. "That took awhile."
The blonde girl grinned. "Is that the best Kodoma Binetsu can do? HA! I laugh at her pitiful attempts!"
There was a crack from above, the sky turned pitch-black, and hard rain poured down in torrents. The Mirror Holders and Kurama were thoroughly soaked within seconds.
"Ha. Ha. Fricking ha," Kia said dully, her voice and face both expressionless.
"Heh...sorry," Kelsey said sheepishly. "So, ole buddy of mine, what now?"
"It's dangerous to stay out here," the Healer replied. Sure enough, lightning lit up the sky, turning it an ominous greenish color. "Maybe we should find shelter somewhere. I don't think that we can reach the village now."
Kelsey nodded, then pointed to her left. "How convenient is that?" A small cave stood there, looking extremely safe and innocent.
"...Okay, that's TOO weird," Kia commented.
"Yeah." Her friend shuddered. "What say you, Cookie Sheet?"
"Okay, LOOK, Shishi lover-" Both girls flinched when a bolt of lightning struck the ground by their feet, perilously close. Without speaking, they readjusted their grip on Kurama and rushed inside the cave.
***Twenty Minutes Later...***
"The sticks are wet," Kelsey reported, dumping an armful of wood on the cold cave floor.
"So are we." Kia gave a disgusted sigh, wringing out her sopping skirt, before doing the same to her dark hair. "We'll dry off eventually, but we need to keep Kurama warm."
Kelsey piled the sticks together and flicked her fingers. Emerald flames raced from her fingertips and set the wood alight. Soon, she had a decent-sized fire going. "Okay...take off Kurama's clothes."
"Whaaaaaaat?!" Kia stared at her in absolute horror. "No way!!"
"Why not?" Kelsey asked impatiently. "He'll just get sicker if he keeps those wet clothes on!"
"Then YOU do it!"
"Hell no!"
"Well, I'M not doing it!"
"I'M not!"
They settled for taking his shirt off and leaving his pants on, which greatly relieved them both. They placed the article of clothing near the fire to dry, and settled down to wait out the storm.
"...How big do you think this cave is?" Kelsey spoke up presently.
Kia blinked. "Not sure. But there's no wall back there...at least, not one that I could see, so who knows?"
A pause. "Kia?"
"Hai?"
"Does it feel like we're being watched?"
Kia looked at her friend. "...Watched?"
Kelsey pointed. Kia looked. She met the stares of lots of little beady red eyes. And then she heard the squeaks and angry chitters...
"Kelsey?"
"Hai?"
"Are those what I think they are?"
"Hungry hamsters?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Yes."
"Okay, then. Makai hamsters." Kia casually lifted her left hand. A vertical shaft of pale blue light appeared, which she grasped, before it curved to form a semblance of a bow. The girl eyed the snarling creatures, her right hand starting to glow with that same azure light.
With a roar, the hamsters surged forward-just as the light formed an arrow.
Kia smiled, eyes narrowed. "Go to hell, you irritating little ratty bloodsuckers-REIYA!" (A/N: Translation: Spirit Arrow) The arrow flew at the advancing hamsters and exploded in a beautiful (and deadly) fireworks display. Squeaks and actual screams could be heard, and Kia grabbed Kurama's arms, tucking the shirt under one arm. Kelsey got the legs, and they ran. Most of the furry army pursued.
"I hate you, Binetsu!!" Kelsey wailed. "I HOPE YOU DIE!"
"Save your breath and-OW!" Kia kicked out violently, and the unfortunate hamster trying to devour her ankle fell off. "Kelsey, can you-"
"Out of the cave," the blonde girl ordered grimly, immediately understanding.
Once they were outside, Kelsey gestured. The ground in front of the cave groaned and rose up, covering the entrance, and sealing the little beasts inside.
"¡No lo aguanto más!" (I can't take it anymore!) Kia was so upset that she had reverted to Spanish without even realizing it. "Evil youkai, Kurama getting sick, the storm, the village, the hamsters-"
"The storm stopped," Kelsey said reassuringly. "We're almost there."
The dark-haired Mirror Holder nodded, trying to smile.
In fifteen minutes, they had reached the village--a small settlement consisting of eighteen assorted huts and houses, completely surrounded by a tall wooden fence. Kia could tell what was inside by peering through one of the thin gaps.
"...This is it," the girl said, knocking on the fence. It didn't make much of a sound, but it worked anyway.
A tan man with a scruffy purple beard looked over the top. He was either very tall, or he was standing on a ladder. "An' what would ye be wantin' with us, then?" He asked gruffly.
"We...we're looking for two friends of ours," Kia called up hesitantly. "A tall drunkard and a little boy. They go by the names Chuu and Rinku."
"Ah..." The man studied them carefully. "This Rinku fellow...three stars under 'is eye? Funny little cap?"
"That's him!" Kelsey said excitedly. "Can we see them?"
He sighed. "Ye came too late, m'dears; just missed 'em. They jus' left 'bout two or three hours ago. Might've just caught 'em, iffen that storm hadn't blown up."
*OOC*
My God, it just keeps getting worse! Now what? Will Kia and Kelsey break this bad luck streak? Will Yusuke survive chibi youkai? Will I stop saying "Stupid Orcs"? Who knows. ^^ Please review! NEXT Chapter!
* Kurama starts getting younger...uh-oh!
* When Kelsey loses it, her yelling attracts the wrong people...
* Well, guess who's captured? Watch the Mirror Holders try to avoid getting dunked in de pot. Ooh...bad luck, indeed. But maybe all is not lost.
Stupid Orcs. ^^;; Thanks to all who reviewed, you make my day! *huggles everyone*
Last chapter, Youko Kurama got sick! Shoot. Now Kia and Kelsey are stranded in the Makai and they're having a bad day...and it's about to get worse. Much worse. Poor Mirror Holders.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The two girls sat despondently by their fallen friend. Kia looked as if she was going to cry, and Kelsey had fallen into a dark, brooding silence.
"What do we do now?" Kia said at last, her voice trembling slightly. She'd pulled a canteen from her backpack, and now she had Kurama's head cradled on her lap, busy patting his face with a damp piece of cloth she'd torn from her skirt and soaked in water. "I mean," she went on, when Kelsey didn't respond, "we have to find Chuu and Rinku, but...we can't just LEAVE him here!"
"True." Kelsey finally spoke. "His girlfriend would kill us if he did."
"KELSEY."
"All right, all right..." The girl sighed. "AND he's our friend, even if he IS a cocky little-"
"KELSEY!"
"Kidding, KIDDING!" Kelsey looked down at Kurama. "Well, we have three options. We could leave him here, and-"
"No."
Kelsey hadn't expected an agreement on that one anyway. "Well, then...we can take him with us or stay here. But if we stay, we're an easy target. We need to keep moving."
Kia considered this, then nodded slowly. "I see your point. I guess we'll just CARRY Kurama to that village."
"Arms or legs?" Kelsey asked helpfully.
"I'll get the arms..." The older girl sighed, slipping her arms under Kurama's. Kelsey grabbed his legs, and, between the two of them, they managed to lift him up.
"Y'know, for such a skinny guy, he weighs a TON!" Kelsey gasped, staggering slightly.
"I just hope we can get him to the village...it might slow us down, but..." Kia trailed off.
"Well..." Her friend smiled down at the unconscious Youko as they started walking. "Look at it this way-if he really DOES have the disease, he'll gradually become small enough for us to hold in our arms."
Kia almost choked on her reply. "By the time THAT happens, Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki will be DEAD!"
"...Oh, yeah." Kelsey sweatdropped. "Okay, so let's get going."
The girls started to walk, carrying Kurama between them. Kelsey kept glancing Kia's way. The shorter girl was staring at the ground, biting her lip occasionally. Kelsey couldn't handle the dead silence.
"Hey, Kia..." The brunette glanced over at her questioningly. "Remember that time when we discovered that evil people DO have sea monkeys?"
Kia nodded, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly.
"And remember when Yusuke tricked Jin into walking into the wrong bathroom?"
The girl winced. "How could I forget? He locked Shishiwakamaru in the towel cabinet, too."
"And the time that Rinku got locked in the refrigerator?"
"And when Rei tried to convince Yusuke to marry Axe?"
Kelsey laughed. "She wanted us to be bridesmaids."
"And she wanted Hiei to be the flower girl," Kia added, smiling reminiscently.
"I remember. Hiei set the flowers on fire, and Suzuki freaked out..."
Kurama stirred. "Chit...ko..."
The Mirror Holders looked down in surprise, but the Youko didn't speak again.
"...So now her name is Chitko?" Kia blinked, brown eyes conveying her obvious bewilderment.
"Let's see if he'll tell us more." Kelsey made her voice whispery and mysterious. "Kuraaaamaaa...It is I, your conscieeence...whoooo is your girlfrieeeend?"
Her friend sweatdropped. "Uh, Kelsey...?"
"Teeeeeell meeee," Kelsey continued, ignoring her.
Kurama didn't reply.
The blonde stuck out her tongue. "Okay, fine." She returned to speaking in that freaky voice again. "Wheeeen youuuuuu waaaake up, youuuuuu wiiiiiill haaaaave the urrrrrge tooooooo eat caaaaaandy cooooorn."
"What does candy corn have to do with anything??"
Kelsey shrugged. "Dunno. Be cool if it works, though, wouldn't it? If he won't tell us who his girlfriend is, he must suffer candy corn cravings."
"We'll find out sooner or later," Kia pointed out logically. "We'll just have to wait until Kurama decides to tell us."
"That'll be the day," Kelsey retorted, with an indignant sniff. The girls exchanged amused looks, then sighed in unison and kept walking.
***At Suzuki's House***
"Kuso!" Kuwabara hammered at the closed bedroom door with his fists, frustration lending a piercing quality to his shrieks. (A/N: I'm suddenly reminded of Fred Flintstone. "Willlllllllmaaaaaa!" o.o) "Open the goddamn door, you little bastard!"
"Locked you out again, didn't he?" Yusuke remarked, watching his friend as he sat on the couch, absently rubbing Kage's ears with his bare left foot.
"I'm gonna MURDER Hiei!" Kuwabara growled. "How he managed to lock the door-"
"Well, it IS Hiei." The other smirked. "I told you this wouldn't be easy."
Suddenly, Jin and Touya's door blew open and a small tornado leapt out, advancing steadily on the two Tantei. Obviously the miniature Wind Master still had control of the breezes.
"Shimatta!" Yusuke yelled, leaping off the couch and running for his life.
Kage squeezed under a chair, eyeing the vortex warily. -It never gets dull around here, does it?-
"No, dog..." Kuwabara glared at the door. "It doesn't."
***Back to Makai***
Kelsey spotted it first...the plume of smoke rising up in the distance. "Look...that must be the village!"
"I hope so..." Kia sighed. "That took awhile."
The blonde girl grinned. "Is that the best Kodoma Binetsu can do? HA! I laugh at her pitiful attempts!"
There was a crack from above, the sky turned pitch-black, and hard rain poured down in torrents. The Mirror Holders and Kurama were thoroughly soaked within seconds.
"Ha. Ha. Fricking ha," Kia said dully, her voice and face both expressionless.
"Heh...sorry," Kelsey said sheepishly. "So, ole buddy of mine, what now?"
"It's dangerous to stay out here," the Healer replied. Sure enough, lightning lit up the sky, turning it an ominous greenish color. "Maybe we should find shelter somewhere. I don't think that we can reach the village now."
Kelsey nodded, then pointed to her left. "How convenient is that?" A small cave stood there, looking extremely safe and innocent.
"...Okay, that's TOO weird," Kia commented.
"Yeah." Her friend shuddered. "What say you, Cookie Sheet?"
"Okay, LOOK, Shishi lover-" Both girls flinched when a bolt of lightning struck the ground by their feet, perilously close. Without speaking, they readjusted their grip on Kurama and rushed inside the cave.
***Twenty Minutes Later...***
"The sticks are wet," Kelsey reported, dumping an armful of wood on the cold cave floor.
"So are we." Kia gave a disgusted sigh, wringing out her sopping skirt, before doing the same to her dark hair. "We'll dry off eventually, but we need to keep Kurama warm."
Kelsey piled the sticks together and flicked her fingers. Emerald flames raced from her fingertips and set the wood alight. Soon, she had a decent-sized fire going. "Okay...take off Kurama's clothes."
"Whaaaaaaat?!" Kia stared at her in absolute horror. "No way!!"
"Why not?" Kelsey asked impatiently. "He'll just get sicker if he keeps those wet clothes on!"
"Then YOU do it!"
"Hell no!"
"Well, I'M not doing it!"
"I'M not!"
They settled for taking his shirt off and leaving his pants on, which greatly relieved them both. They placed the article of clothing near the fire to dry, and settled down to wait out the storm.
"...How big do you think this cave is?" Kelsey spoke up presently.
Kia blinked. "Not sure. But there's no wall back there...at least, not one that I could see, so who knows?"
A pause. "Kia?"
"Hai?"
"Does it feel like we're being watched?"
Kia looked at her friend. "...Watched?"
Kelsey pointed. Kia looked. She met the stares of lots of little beady red eyes. And then she heard the squeaks and angry chitters...
"Kelsey?"
"Hai?"
"Are those what I think they are?"
"Hungry hamsters?"
"Uh-huh..."
"Yes."
"Okay, then. Makai hamsters." Kia casually lifted her left hand. A vertical shaft of pale blue light appeared, which she grasped, before it curved to form a semblance of a bow. The girl eyed the snarling creatures, her right hand starting to glow with that same azure light.
With a roar, the hamsters surged forward-just as the light formed an arrow.
Kia smiled, eyes narrowed. "Go to hell, you irritating little ratty bloodsuckers-REIYA!" (A/N: Translation: Spirit Arrow) The arrow flew at the advancing hamsters and exploded in a beautiful (and deadly) fireworks display. Squeaks and actual screams could be heard, and Kia grabbed Kurama's arms, tucking the shirt under one arm. Kelsey got the legs, and they ran. Most of the furry army pursued.
"I hate you, Binetsu!!" Kelsey wailed. "I HOPE YOU DIE!"
"Save your breath and-OW!" Kia kicked out violently, and the unfortunate hamster trying to devour her ankle fell off. "Kelsey, can you-"
"Out of the cave," the blonde girl ordered grimly, immediately understanding.
Once they were outside, Kelsey gestured. The ground in front of the cave groaned and rose up, covering the entrance, and sealing the little beasts inside.
"¡No lo aguanto más!" (I can't take it anymore!) Kia was so upset that she had reverted to Spanish without even realizing it. "Evil youkai, Kurama getting sick, the storm, the village, the hamsters-"
"The storm stopped," Kelsey said reassuringly. "We're almost there."
The dark-haired Mirror Holder nodded, trying to smile.
In fifteen minutes, they had reached the village--a small settlement consisting of eighteen assorted huts and houses, completely surrounded by a tall wooden fence. Kia could tell what was inside by peering through one of the thin gaps.
"...This is it," the girl said, knocking on the fence. It didn't make much of a sound, but it worked anyway.
A tan man with a scruffy purple beard looked over the top. He was either very tall, or he was standing on a ladder. "An' what would ye be wantin' with us, then?" He asked gruffly.
"We...we're looking for two friends of ours," Kia called up hesitantly. "A tall drunkard and a little boy. They go by the names Chuu and Rinku."
"Ah..." The man studied them carefully. "This Rinku fellow...three stars under 'is eye? Funny little cap?"
"That's him!" Kelsey said excitedly. "Can we see them?"
He sighed. "Ye came too late, m'dears; just missed 'em. They jus' left 'bout two or three hours ago. Might've just caught 'em, iffen that storm hadn't blown up."
*OOC*
My God, it just keeps getting worse! Now what? Will Kia and Kelsey break this bad luck streak? Will Yusuke survive chibi youkai? Will I stop saying "Stupid Orcs"? Who knows. ^^ Please review! NEXT Chapter!
* Kurama starts getting younger...uh-oh!
* When Kelsey loses it, her yelling attracts the wrong people...
* Well, guess who's captured? Watch the Mirror Holders try to avoid getting dunked in de pot. Ooh...bad luck, indeed. But maybe all is not lost.
Stupid Orcs. ^^;; Thanks to all who reviewed, you make my day! *huggles everyone*