Title: Silver and Cold
Chapter: 15/?
Chapter Title: Career Day, Books and Tea
Current Rating: PG-13 (for a vague mention of gore)
Author: Kage Kashu
Archive: FF, AFF, Mediaminer
Chapter Summary: Ryouga ends up visiting the Tendo dojo on accident. Jouno has to deal with his father's... "speech" to his class. Book-sama is happy. And We find out what Sanosuke's friend Rokanu is doing visiting them.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these cute/lovely/sexy/cool/bizarre characters... excepting "the book", meaning Book-sama.
Author's notes: The guess has been made!!! I don't mind if you guys keep guessing... 'cause it wasn't posted as a review... but the prize has been taken!! Yamai Daiken! She IMed her guess to me. (I think she emailed it too...)
Current guesses that have been made, and were unfortunately wrong: Subaru (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Kenshin's sensei (Rurouni Kenshin). Chichiri (Fushigi Yuugi). Seishirou (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Hikitsu (Rurouni Kenshin). Trowa (Gundam Wing).
Warnings: For this chapter? Weirdness. Weirdness and vague mention of blood and gore. Weirdness. And... weirdness.
Crossover Shows: Ranma 1/2. YuGiOh. Gundam Wing. Rurouni Kenshin. X-men: Evolution. (If that doesn't give away who Rokanu is, I don't know what will.)
Timeline: AUish, after Noa Arc. Some years later.
~*~*~*~*~*~
~And I wonder
Day to day
I don't like you
Anyway
I don't need your shit today
You're pathetic
In your own way~
~~Whatever(1)
Saotome Ranma blinked at the familiar figure standing at the end of the table, mildly confused. Was Ryouga here to start another fight? He rather hoped not. He'd managed several months of peace and quiet, and was quite ready for more. If the other boy was here to ruin the little shred of happiness he'd managed, he would be _pissed_.
Although, from the looks of it, this isn't where Ryouga had been heading in the first place. The eternally lost one looked rather confused himself. Not that Ranma was just going to let it go at that. He needed to be sure that Ryouga wasn't here for a fight. "You're not here to break the peace are you?"
He almost grinned at the confusion that played across Ryouga's face as the Tendos, and even Ranma's father and Happosai, all edged away from Ranma, nervously. Ryouga scratched the back of his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. "No... Actually, I was on my way to work... I'm gonna be so late..." He sighed.
Ryouga had a job? Just how the hell does someone with Ryouga's directional sense get a job? Ranma stared at him for a moment. "Alright, then. If you're not here to start a fight, you can eat with us. Kasumi cooked it, so it's safe."
Ryouga blinked at him. "Thank you," he said, politely sitting to join them. Of course, for some reason, the only free place at the table was right next to Ranma, anyway. Maybe it was that threat he'd made about fighting at the table...
As for Ryouga, he was mildly annoyed that he wouldn't be making it in to work today, being as the Nerima district was just as far away from Domino as the rest of Tokyo; he was also a bit confused at Ranma's attitude, but he wasn't sure, considering the looks on the faces of Saotome Genma, Happosai, and the Tendo family, if he should comment.
Eventually, curiosity won out for both boys. But it was Ryouga to speak first. "What happened here? Everything's so quiet..."
Ranma smiled. Okay, that was creepy. "Yes... Quiet. I like it better like this. As for why it's quiet... I had a disagreement a while back with Xian Pu. It's been nice and quiet around here ever since." He gave Ryouga a friendly grin. "So..." and his voice tensed, "How've you been, these past few months?"
Ryouga blinked again. He was a bit surprised by it, but it seemed that Ranma had been worried about him. He bowed his head slightly. "I had trouble with something, and haven't been able to make contact... And I've been rather busy. I haven't been getting lost so much lately, because Sagara-san got me GPS (2)... I just wasn't really looking at it, this time, because it didn't seem to important to get there quickly..." He felt kind of strange saying it, but... He figured that they had a right to know.
Ranma nodded. "You usually send postcards..."
He bobbed his head slightly. "Yeah... I sent a few, but I haven't even had time to get a hold of any lately..."
Akane broke in, "We only got one..."
Ryouga wanted to curse postal service. "I apologize if I made you worry." He bowed his head slightly, again. And all of the tension he could feel from Ranma just... slipped away. Ranma must have been very upset about it, if he got so tense...
Akane smiled across the table at him. "You have a GPS now?"
He nodded. Then he remembered something. He turned slightly toward Ranma. "I almost forgot. I'm not supposed to be getting in... I think Sagara-san called them 'random fights' with you anymore. Something about not having proper control for it."
There was a round of blinks and Ranma sighed. "I was half worried about that. But who exactly is this 'Sagara-san' that he can get you to avoid those kind of fights?"
Ryouga grinned into his tea. "He's my... boss. And he's stronger than me." His grin widened when Ranma choked slightly on his tea.
"Stronger than..."
"Than me. You. Happosai. Cologne. He's also teaching me. But it's more how to control myself, I think." He glanced up at the clock. Any minute, Yahiko would be calling, because he hadn't shown up for work. As if on cue, his cell phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, standing, and moving outside.
Ranma stared after him. "GPS, huh? And a cell phone too. Ryouga's getting in with technology... Maybe, if I got a job... Naw." He shook his head, deciding that, instead of pondering the possibilities of getting a job, he would listen in on Ryouga's telephone conversation. Along with all of the other members of the household.
"Hibiki," Ryouga answered the phone tersely. "Huh? Oh, yeah.
"No, I'm in Nerima...
"No, I'm not... Tell Sagara-san that it's all fine, I just wasn't paying any attention to where I...
"Huh? Oh, so you guys have a visitor? Is he paying rent?
"Well, if you say so... Kamiya-san hasn't come back?
"Not really, especially after I saw what they had been taking pictures of...
"Of course I got the camera... I just hadn't expected it to be so... so... You know.
"Yeah, that's the word. I don't know how you guys could have sat and watched them doing _that_... Yer a buncha...
"Yeah, I'll ask them why they were in Domino... I'm kinda curious myself.
"The psycho did what? Uhmm... No, I don't want to...
"Damn it! I was saying that I didn't want to know!! Now I'm gonna have all these horrible...
"Oh, you too?
"No I'm not getting rid of the pictures. Blackmail, you know.
"Fine, fine... 50/50. No, that's the best you're getting from me.
"Well... No. Maybe later.
"You really think so? Just don't tell Sagara-san that I have the film, okay?
"Yeah, see ya when I get back. Ja matte ne." He tapped a button on the phone, before turning to see that everyone was staring at him. He frowned slightly. "Hm... I forgot. No privacy around here... (3)"
Ranma leaned back against the wall, grinning innocently. "So, what was that all about?"
The other teen placed the cell phone back into a pocket. "Not much actually. Found out that Sagara-san had a visitor... Kamiya-san hasn't come back from running off, after Sagara-san saw the altar. Yahiko-kun found out that I've got the... pictures of... that thing that the thing with the altar was all about. Found out that Happosai and Cologne were in Domino a few nights ago... That Psycho-san offered someone a cigarette. And now I owe Yahiko-kun 50% of what I make off of the blackmail. That's about it. Not that you would really know most of the people I was just mentioning."
There was a round of blinks, and Nabiki popped in with, "Blackmail pictures? Can I see?"
~*~
Jounouchi Katsuya managed to hide, fairly well even, behind the shortest of his friends. Why this had to be the class that all of his friends were in, he really didn't know. His father wasn't in the class yet, but... Oops. Correction, his father hadn't been in the class yet.
Considering that he had already heard just about everything that his dad could say about his job, he tuned it out, instead paying attention to the reactions of everyone else. Honda leaned in, to speak with him. "Dude..."
"What?" he hissed, as Anzu leaned in from the other side.
Anzu spoke first. "Your dad... He's so... He's..."
Jouno groaned, plopping his head on his desk as he heard Bakura's darker half mutter, "Sexy?"
"What kinda guy wears dangly earrings?" Honda asked. "I woulda thought that that would make him look flaming, but... It actually kinda suits him."
It was a bit of a surprise when Kaiba leaned over to join the conversation. "I still don't see what you're worried about. He hasn't said anything that terrible yet, and... Just look at him. I'm beginning to think that you were exaggerating..."
Jouno shook his head. "He just needs a little encouragement in that direction, that's all..."
Yuugi tipped his head slightly back, also to join the conversation, "Encouragement in what direction?"
"To tell gory stories. Any minute now, it'll start heading in that direction..." He covered his head, with his arms.
A bit of what Jounouchi Tasuki was saying drifted to them, "It's not all clean work, though, that's for sure. Sometimes, it goes beyond dangerous into downright messy." A bunch of questioning voices rose in the wake of that revelation.
Jouno shook his head, "Here it goes..."
"Well, there was one case I was on... Probably one of the messiest ones, 'cause the guy we were after had this thing for mutilation... And he didn't really clean up too well afterwards, either..." A few shocked gasps from the young audience and Tasuki nodded. "That's right, we ended up having to pick these things up. And the guy was apparently trying to summon some sort of demon, but we didn't know that at the time...
"We usually found the bodies... not all of them were human, either... a few days too late, but they were, at least identifiable... Except that one... Anyway, we managed to catch some guy dumping one of the bodies, and managed to find the guy responsible... A little too late for the last victim though, poor sap. The real shocker was what happened when we got him backed into the corner of the room...
"I'm still not sure why the guy had something like that in his... office, but it was, in a way, kind of advantageous to us, because it didn't give him the time to use his gun... It was a trap built into the wall. A half dozen blades about the length of my body, so the intended victim doesn't get a chance to get away... He was split into seven pieces, and... I've never seen a messier ending to a case, actually... Any questions?" The question was too cheerful.
Several students ran out of the class, looking quite green, and Yami Bakura leaned forward to ask what exactly the body had looked like, afterward. Of course, Tasuki, happy to have an eager listener, began to describe in great detail to the class at large just what a body sliced into seven large pieces looks like. Very few remained by the end of his description.
Jounouchi Katsuya turned to Kaiba, who, not so surprisingly, was one of the students to remain in class. "You see what I meant?"
Honda groaned on his other side. When Jouno turned to look... Well, Honda was nearly as green as the students who had left the room at a run. "Ne, Jou? How do you manage not to get sick, hearing that?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Practice," was his dry reply.
Kaiba tapped his shoulder. "If he's seen that kind of thing... Why did he get so upset when you had your arm in his face?"
Jouno snorted. "What would you do, wakin' up ta that? Besides, from what I understand, he was rather sleep deprived that week, and that was the longest sleep he had even _gotten_ that week. So, yeah, he was a bit of a nerve case as well. He'd been working constantly... things seem to be going slow, though, now, considering that every time I go home, he's there..."
He jumped when Malik snickered behind him. "You know, if I didn't know that he's gotta be a lot older than us..."
Yami Bakura concluded the thought, "You'd be distinctly interested in him? It doesn't really matter... Jouno... didn't you say that he had divorced your mother?"
Jouno's eyes went wide. "Don't you fucking dare!! That's my dad!! He's like... well... He's my dad!"
Yami Bakura shrugged. "So?"
Honda began snickering as Jounouchi's head shook back and forth. "That's just _wrong_ man, _wrong_!!"
Kaiba began snickering, too. "Afraid of having someone your age hitting on your father?"
"It's not that!" He groaned. "It's just... Not my friends. It's just... not right. Please don't, Bakura... I really don't want to deal with that..."
Honda started laughing louder. And they all jumped when a pleasantly deep voice (4) sounded out behind them, "Don't want to deal with what, Katsu- chan?"
"Aaaaiiiiii!!" he yowled, at hearing his father's voice right behind him. "Daaaaaad!! Don't do that!!"
Jounouchi Tasuki grinned at his son's discomfiture, 'prominent canines' showing slightly. "Really... So, what's Katsu-chan all worried about?"
Honda began laughing again. He'd only just managed to control it, and now... this... Of course, while he was laughing, Yami Bakura was giving Tasuki a close look over.
Tasuki leaned slightly to the side. "Mou... Are you the one I threw that bottle at?"
Honda stopped laughing abruptly, and nodded. "Uhmm..."
Tasuki scratched the nape of his neck, nodding. "Yeah, I probably should apologize for that..." His gaze caught back on his son. "Well, I've gotta head back to the precinct, so... ja matte ne, Katsu-chan..." His grin widened, and he waved at the 'kids' before wandering out of the class.
Yami Bakura sighed. "If only..."
"No."
~*~
The book... was happy. It wasn't often that it was left open, like so, but currently, not only was it left open, but there was a presence above it to talk to. It was kind of boring, just sitting there, waiting for someone to open it, so, sitting open like this was a privilege. And if the presence above didn't want to listen, it didn't matter, because it _had_ to listen.
Yes, the book was quite happy with this arrangement. Considering that the presence couldn't even ask questions, in its condition, it would only hear what the book wanted to talk about, and, spending centuries in the fashion it had, it had picked up a lot of gossip. That was its favorite thing to do. But those who opened the book rarely wanted to hear gossip, so, this was a golden opportunity.
The vampire in the glass jar sitting on the book's open pages would _have_ to listen to its centuries worth of gossip. And Kushrenada... didn't even have a way to object...
~*~
Rokanu didn't necessarily like tea, but he knew Japanese custom, and it would be rude to refuse too vehemently. Especially considering that refusal of refreshments is considered as merely being polite. And Sanosuke had been around long enough to have certain customs engrained into him, and in this case, the ingrained custom being to all but annoy the guest into taking refreshments. (4)
He hated tea. Saitou, it seemed, hated tea too, but Sanosuke managed to get him to take some as well. The look on the man's face was actually kind of amusing, as he drank the tea. It seemed that Saitou disliked tea far more than Rokanu did.
And now... They were just sitting there, rather quietly as well. It seemed odd to Rokanu, as Sanosuke had been a very hyper man, when they had first met. Sanosuke didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable sitting all still like that, either. And this is how it had been for the past twenty minutes. Rokanu was _not_ used to being polite at all, and he'd lost most of his Japanese mannerisms, so this wasn't exactly comfortable.
Finally, the silence was broken. "So, how was Canada?"
Rokanu blinked. Canada? Oh, yes, Canada. "Troublesome," he grumbled. "I prefer New York."
Sanosuke stared at him interestedly. "I know someone who used to live in New York... At least, one would think so, by his accent." He grinned. "What've you been up to recently?"
"I've been working at a school boarding house, actually." He sipped the tea, wishing that Sanosuke had had the decency to at least put some alcohol in it.
Said were raised his eyebrows sharply. "Weren't you saying that you hated kids?"
"I do." He frowned at the tea. Nasty, plain green tea. Sanosuke seemed to be enjoying his, though. Which was strange, too. Sanosuke hadn't really cared much for tea, then.
"And you're working with a bunch of them?" Saitou broke in, amused.
Rokanu shrugged. "It would bother me more, but these kids..."
"Similar to you?" Sanosuke asked softly. "I can understand that, I guess... But what brings you back out here?"
"Looking for you," he admitted, grimacing. He really hated tea. "One of our kids... seems to have trouble with her... talent."
"Yeah? What's her name?" Sanosuke asked, sipping calmly at his tea.
"Rahne Sinclair (5)." Rokanu nodded. "She's a shapeshifter that turns into a wolf. Not exactly a were, but similar."
"And you want me to..." Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. "I've got enough kids to handle right here."
"She's fifteen."
"Whoa," Sanosuke shook his head. "I'm so not gonna deal with a teenage girl. That is completely out of the question!"
"Actually, some of us are going to be staying here for a while, anyway, so..." He grimaced again, into his tea. "All I'm asking is that you help teach her how to deal with being a wolf as well as a human..." He snorted. "You wouldn't have to be boarding her, or anything, just..."
Sanosuke sighed quietly. "Alright, but... Just so you know, I won't exactly be making it all gentle on her, just because she _isn't_ exactly a were..." He grinned, "Oi, Korogi-san (6)... Why are you still here, anyway?"
Saitou blinked at him. "Purely out of curiosity, ahou."
~*~*~*~*~*~
(1) I love this song, and it took me forever to figure out that it was by Godsmack, and not Metallica... Heh. And I'm a bit of a fan of both...
(2) GPS. Global-Positioning-System.
(3) No such thing as privacy if you're in the Tendo dojo. ^^
(4) According to Japanese custom, when you're first offered refreshments you're supposed to refuse. Then the host says something along the lines of "Don't be shy..." And I think (I'm not sure of this...) that it's kind of a "politeness" war. That's how it seemed to me, anyway. Whoever acquiesces first is the less polite.
(5) Rahne Sinclair. With a heavy Japanese accent, this would come out as "Rani Senkureir"... I think. Sometimes it's hard to mangle names into the accent of another language... And this may give you a clue as to who Rokanu is. ^^
(6) Korogi-san. Cricket-san.
~*~
Reviews:
Danyella Skyler Silverfire: Yes, Rubberwall-sama. ^^
anaraz: You have no idea. That was just a modified version of my dream, and nowhere near as frightening... That friggen snake scared the living daylights outta me...
Molly-chan the Anime/Game fan: O.o Mou, yer spirit friends scare me. lol But I do have doubts as to whether or not YB has that ability. D, I think you need to be careful what you eat, if ya get sick that easily... At least I understand A's reason... O.o Yeah. ^^'
Chapter: 15/?
Chapter Title: Career Day, Books and Tea
Current Rating: PG-13 (for a vague mention of gore)
Author: Kage Kashu
Archive: FF, AFF, Mediaminer
Chapter Summary: Ryouga ends up visiting the Tendo dojo on accident. Jouno has to deal with his father's... "speech" to his class. Book-sama is happy. And We find out what Sanosuke's friend Rokanu is doing visiting them.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these cute/lovely/sexy/cool/bizarre characters... excepting "the book", meaning Book-sama.
Author's notes: The guess has been made!!! I don't mind if you guys keep guessing... 'cause it wasn't posted as a review... but the prize has been taken!! Yamai Daiken! She IMed her guess to me. (I think she emailed it too...)
Current guesses that have been made, and were unfortunately wrong: Subaru (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Kenshin's sensei (Rurouni Kenshin). Chichiri (Fushigi Yuugi). Seishirou (Tokyo Babylon/X1999). Hikitsu (Rurouni Kenshin). Trowa (Gundam Wing).
Warnings: For this chapter? Weirdness. Weirdness and vague mention of blood and gore. Weirdness. And... weirdness.
Crossover Shows: Ranma 1/2. YuGiOh. Gundam Wing. Rurouni Kenshin. X-men: Evolution. (If that doesn't give away who Rokanu is, I don't know what will.)
Timeline: AUish, after Noa Arc. Some years later.
~*~*~*~*~*~
~And I wonder
Day to day
I don't like you
Anyway
I don't need your shit today
You're pathetic
In your own way~
~~Whatever(1)
Saotome Ranma blinked at the familiar figure standing at the end of the table, mildly confused. Was Ryouga here to start another fight? He rather hoped not. He'd managed several months of peace and quiet, and was quite ready for more. If the other boy was here to ruin the little shred of happiness he'd managed, he would be _pissed_.
Although, from the looks of it, this isn't where Ryouga had been heading in the first place. The eternally lost one looked rather confused himself. Not that Ranma was just going to let it go at that. He needed to be sure that Ryouga wasn't here for a fight. "You're not here to break the peace are you?"
He almost grinned at the confusion that played across Ryouga's face as the Tendos, and even Ranma's father and Happosai, all edged away from Ranma, nervously. Ryouga scratched the back of his head and glanced at the clock on the wall. "No... Actually, I was on my way to work... I'm gonna be so late..." He sighed.
Ryouga had a job? Just how the hell does someone with Ryouga's directional sense get a job? Ranma stared at him for a moment. "Alright, then. If you're not here to start a fight, you can eat with us. Kasumi cooked it, so it's safe."
Ryouga blinked at him. "Thank you," he said, politely sitting to join them. Of course, for some reason, the only free place at the table was right next to Ranma, anyway. Maybe it was that threat he'd made about fighting at the table...
As for Ryouga, he was mildly annoyed that he wouldn't be making it in to work today, being as the Nerima district was just as far away from Domino as the rest of Tokyo; he was also a bit confused at Ranma's attitude, but he wasn't sure, considering the looks on the faces of Saotome Genma, Happosai, and the Tendo family, if he should comment.
Eventually, curiosity won out for both boys. But it was Ryouga to speak first. "What happened here? Everything's so quiet..."
Ranma smiled. Okay, that was creepy. "Yes... Quiet. I like it better like this. As for why it's quiet... I had a disagreement a while back with Xian Pu. It's been nice and quiet around here ever since." He gave Ryouga a friendly grin. "So..." and his voice tensed, "How've you been, these past few months?"
Ryouga blinked again. He was a bit surprised by it, but it seemed that Ranma had been worried about him. He bowed his head slightly. "I had trouble with something, and haven't been able to make contact... And I've been rather busy. I haven't been getting lost so much lately, because Sagara-san got me GPS (2)... I just wasn't really looking at it, this time, because it didn't seem to important to get there quickly..." He felt kind of strange saying it, but... He figured that they had a right to know.
Ranma nodded. "You usually send postcards..."
He bobbed his head slightly. "Yeah... I sent a few, but I haven't even had time to get a hold of any lately..."
Akane broke in, "We only got one..."
Ryouga wanted to curse postal service. "I apologize if I made you worry." He bowed his head slightly, again. And all of the tension he could feel from Ranma just... slipped away. Ranma must have been very upset about it, if he got so tense...
Akane smiled across the table at him. "You have a GPS now?"
He nodded. Then he remembered something. He turned slightly toward Ranma. "I almost forgot. I'm not supposed to be getting in... I think Sagara-san called them 'random fights' with you anymore. Something about not having proper control for it."
There was a round of blinks and Ranma sighed. "I was half worried about that. But who exactly is this 'Sagara-san' that he can get you to avoid those kind of fights?"
Ryouga grinned into his tea. "He's my... boss. And he's stronger than me." His grin widened when Ranma choked slightly on his tea.
"Stronger than..."
"Than me. You. Happosai. Cologne. He's also teaching me. But it's more how to control myself, I think." He glanced up at the clock. Any minute, Yahiko would be calling, because he hadn't shown up for work. As if on cue, his cell phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, standing, and moving outside.
Ranma stared after him. "GPS, huh? And a cell phone too. Ryouga's getting in with technology... Maybe, if I got a job... Naw." He shook his head, deciding that, instead of pondering the possibilities of getting a job, he would listen in on Ryouga's telephone conversation. Along with all of the other members of the household.
"Hibiki," Ryouga answered the phone tersely. "Huh? Oh, yeah.
"No, I'm in Nerima...
"No, I'm not... Tell Sagara-san that it's all fine, I just wasn't paying any attention to where I...
"Huh? Oh, so you guys have a visitor? Is he paying rent?
"Well, if you say so... Kamiya-san hasn't come back?
"Not really, especially after I saw what they had been taking pictures of...
"Of course I got the camera... I just hadn't expected it to be so... so... You know.
"Yeah, that's the word. I don't know how you guys could have sat and watched them doing _that_... Yer a buncha...
"Yeah, I'll ask them why they were in Domino... I'm kinda curious myself.
"The psycho did what? Uhmm... No, I don't want to...
"Damn it! I was saying that I didn't want to know!! Now I'm gonna have all these horrible...
"Oh, you too?
"No I'm not getting rid of the pictures. Blackmail, you know.
"Fine, fine... 50/50. No, that's the best you're getting from me.
"Well... No. Maybe later.
"You really think so? Just don't tell Sagara-san that I have the film, okay?
"Yeah, see ya when I get back. Ja matte ne." He tapped a button on the phone, before turning to see that everyone was staring at him. He frowned slightly. "Hm... I forgot. No privacy around here... (3)"
Ranma leaned back against the wall, grinning innocently. "So, what was that all about?"
The other teen placed the cell phone back into a pocket. "Not much actually. Found out that Sagara-san had a visitor... Kamiya-san hasn't come back from running off, after Sagara-san saw the altar. Yahiko-kun found out that I've got the... pictures of... that thing that the thing with the altar was all about. Found out that Happosai and Cologne were in Domino a few nights ago... That Psycho-san offered someone a cigarette. And now I owe Yahiko-kun 50% of what I make off of the blackmail. That's about it. Not that you would really know most of the people I was just mentioning."
There was a round of blinks, and Nabiki popped in with, "Blackmail pictures? Can I see?"
~*~
Jounouchi Katsuya managed to hide, fairly well even, behind the shortest of his friends. Why this had to be the class that all of his friends were in, he really didn't know. His father wasn't in the class yet, but... Oops. Correction, his father hadn't been in the class yet.
Considering that he had already heard just about everything that his dad could say about his job, he tuned it out, instead paying attention to the reactions of everyone else. Honda leaned in, to speak with him. "Dude..."
"What?" he hissed, as Anzu leaned in from the other side.
Anzu spoke first. "Your dad... He's so... He's..."
Jouno groaned, plopping his head on his desk as he heard Bakura's darker half mutter, "Sexy?"
"What kinda guy wears dangly earrings?" Honda asked. "I woulda thought that that would make him look flaming, but... It actually kinda suits him."
It was a bit of a surprise when Kaiba leaned over to join the conversation. "I still don't see what you're worried about. He hasn't said anything that terrible yet, and... Just look at him. I'm beginning to think that you were exaggerating..."
Jouno shook his head. "He just needs a little encouragement in that direction, that's all..."
Yuugi tipped his head slightly back, also to join the conversation, "Encouragement in what direction?"
"To tell gory stories. Any minute now, it'll start heading in that direction..." He covered his head, with his arms.
A bit of what Jounouchi Tasuki was saying drifted to them, "It's not all clean work, though, that's for sure. Sometimes, it goes beyond dangerous into downright messy." A bunch of questioning voices rose in the wake of that revelation.
Jouno shook his head, "Here it goes..."
"Well, there was one case I was on... Probably one of the messiest ones, 'cause the guy we were after had this thing for mutilation... And he didn't really clean up too well afterwards, either..." A few shocked gasps from the young audience and Tasuki nodded. "That's right, we ended up having to pick these things up. And the guy was apparently trying to summon some sort of demon, but we didn't know that at the time...
"We usually found the bodies... not all of them were human, either... a few days too late, but they were, at least identifiable... Except that one... Anyway, we managed to catch some guy dumping one of the bodies, and managed to find the guy responsible... A little too late for the last victim though, poor sap. The real shocker was what happened when we got him backed into the corner of the room...
"I'm still not sure why the guy had something like that in his... office, but it was, in a way, kind of advantageous to us, because it didn't give him the time to use his gun... It was a trap built into the wall. A half dozen blades about the length of my body, so the intended victim doesn't get a chance to get away... He was split into seven pieces, and... I've never seen a messier ending to a case, actually... Any questions?" The question was too cheerful.
Several students ran out of the class, looking quite green, and Yami Bakura leaned forward to ask what exactly the body had looked like, afterward. Of course, Tasuki, happy to have an eager listener, began to describe in great detail to the class at large just what a body sliced into seven large pieces looks like. Very few remained by the end of his description.
Jounouchi Katsuya turned to Kaiba, who, not so surprisingly, was one of the students to remain in class. "You see what I meant?"
Honda groaned on his other side. When Jouno turned to look... Well, Honda was nearly as green as the students who had left the room at a run. "Ne, Jou? How do you manage not to get sick, hearing that?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Practice," was his dry reply.
Kaiba tapped his shoulder. "If he's seen that kind of thing... Why did he get so upset when you had your arm in his face?"
Jouno snorted. "What would you do, wakin' up ta that? Besides, from what I understand, he was rather sleep deprived that week, and that was the longest sleep he had even _gotten_ that week. So, yeah, he was a bit of a nerve case as well. He'd been working constantly... things seem to be going slow, though, now, considering that every time I go home, he's there..."
He jumped when Malik snickered behind him. "You know, if I didn't know that he's gotta be a lot older than us..."
Yami Bakura concluded the thought, "You'd be distinctly interested in him? It doesn't really matter... Jouno... didn't you say that he had divorced your mother?"
Jouno's eyes went wide. "Don't you fucking dare!! That's my dad!! He's like... well... He's my dad!"
Yami Bakura shrugged. "So?"
Honda began snickering as Jounouchi's head shook back and forth. "That's just _wrong_ man, _wrong_!!"
Kaiba began snickering, too. "Afraid of having someone your age hitting on your father?"
"It's not that!" He groaned. "It's just... Not my friends. It's just... not right. Please don't, Bakura... I really don't want to deal with that..."
Honda started laughing louder. And they all jumped when a pleasantly deep voice (4) sounded out behind them, "Don't want to deal with what, Katsu- chan?"
"Aaaaiiiiii!!" he yowled, at hearing his father's voice right behind him. "Daaaaaad!! Don't do that!!"
Jounouchi Tasuki grinned at his son's discomfiture, 'prominent canines' showing slightly. "Really... So, what's Katsu-chan all worried about?"
Honda began laughing again. He'd only just managed to control it, and now... this... Of course, while he was laughing, Yami Bakura was giving Tasuki a close look over.
Tasuki leaned slightly to the side. "Mou... Are you the one I threw that bottle at?"
Honda stopped laughing abruptly, and nodded. "Uhmm..."
Tasuki scratched the nape of his neck, nodding. "Yeah, I probably should apologize for that..." His gaze caught back on his son. "Well, I've gotta head back to the precinct, so... ja matte ne, Katsu-chan..." His grin widened, and he waved at the 'kids' before wandering out of the class.
Yami Bakura sighed. "If only..."
"No."
~*~
The book... was happy. It wasn't often that it was left open, like so, but currently, not only was it left open, but there was a presence above it to talk to. It was kind of boring, just sitting there, waiting for someone to open it, so, sitting open like this was a privilege. And if the presence above didn't want to listen, it didn't matter, because it _had_ to listen.
Yes, the book was quite happy with this arrangement. Considering that the presence couldn't even ask questions, in its condition, it would only hear what the book wanted to talk about, and, spending centuries in the fashion it had, it had picked up a lot of gossip. That was its favorite thing to do. But those who opened the book rarely wanted to hear gossip, so, this was a golden opportunity.
The vampire in the glass jar sitting on the book's open pages would _have_ to listen to its centuries worth of gossip. And Kushrenada... didn't even have a way to object...
~*~
Rokanu didn't necessarily like tea, but he knew Japanese custom, and it would be rude to refuse too vehemently. Especially considering that refusal of refreshments is considered as merely being polite. And Sanosuke had been around long enough to have certain customs engrained into him, and in this case, the ingrained custom being to all but annoy the guest into taking refreshments. (4)
He hated tea. Saitou, it seemed, hated tea too, but Sanosuke managed to get him to take some as well. The look on the man's face was actually kind of amusing, as he drank the tea. It seemed that Saitou disliked tea far more than Rokanu did.
And now... They were just sitting there, rather quietly as well. It seemed odd to Rokanu, as Sanosuke had been a very hyper man, when they had first met. Sanosuke didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable sitting all still like that, either. And this is how it had been for the past twenty minutes. Rokanu was _not_ used to being polite at all, and he'd lost most of his Japanese mannerisms, so this wasn't exactly comfortable.
Finally, the silence was broken. "So, how was Canada?"
Rokanu blinked. Canada? Oh, yes, Canada. "Troublesome," he grumbled. "I prefer New York."
Sanosuke stared at him interestedly. "I know someone who used to live in New York... At least, one would think so, by his accent." He grinned. "What've you been up to recently?"
"I've been working at a school boarding house, actually." He sipped the tea, wishing that Sanosuke had had the decency to at least put some alcohol in it.
Said were raised his eyebrows sharply. "Weren't you saying that you hated kids?"
"I do." He frowned at the tea. Nasty, plain green tea. Sanosuke seemed to be enjoying his, though. Which was strange, too. Sanosuke hadn't really cared much for tea, then.
"And you're working with a bunch of them?" Saitou broke in, amused.
Rokanu shrugged. "It would bother me more, but these kids..."
"Similar to you?" Sanosuke asked softly. "I can understand that, I guess... But what brings you back out here?"
"Looking for you," he admitted, grimacing. He really hated tea. "One of our kids... seems to have trouble with her... talent."
"Yeah? What's her name?" Sanosuke asked, sipping calmly at his tea.
"Rahne Sinclair (5)." Rokanu nodded. "She's a shapeshifter that turns into a wolf. Not exactly a were, but similar."
"And you want me to..." Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. "I've got enough kids to handle right here."
"She's fifteen."
"Whoa," Sanosuke shook his head. "I'm so not gonna deal with a teenage girl. That is completely out of the question!"
"Actually, some of us are going to be staying here for a while, anyway, so..." He grimaced again, into his tea. "All I'm asking is that you help teach her how to deal with being a wolf as well as a human..." He snorted. "You wouldn't have to be boarding her, or anything, just..."
Sanosuke sighed quietly. "Alright, but... Just so you know, I won't exactly be making it all gentle on her, just because she _isn't_ exactly a were..." He grinned, "Oi, Korogi-san (6)... Why are you still here, anyway?"
Saitou blinked at him. "Purely out of curiosity, ahou."
~*~*~*~*~*~
(1) I love this song, and it took me forever to figure out that it was by Godsmack, and not Metallica... Heh. And I'm a bit of a fan of both...
(2) GPS. Global-Positioning-System.
(3) No such thing as privacy if you're in the Tendo dojo. ^^
(4) According to Japanese custom, when you're first offered refreshments you're supposed to refuse. Then the host says something along the lines of "Don't be shy..." And I think (I'm not sure of this...) that it's kind of a "politeness" war. That's how it seemed to me, anyway. Whoever acquiesces first is the less polite.
(5) Rahne Sinclair. With a heavy Japanese accent, this would come out as "Rani Senkureir"... I think. Sometimes it's hard to mangle names into the accent of another language... And this may give you a clue as to who Rokanu is. ^^
(6) Korogi-san. Cricket-san.
~*~
Reviews:
Danyella Skyler Silverfire: Yes, Rubberwall-sama. ^^
anaraz: You have no idea. That was just a modified version of my dream, and nowhere near as frightening... That friggen snake scared the living daylights outta me...
Molly-chan the Anime/Game fan: O.o Mou, yer spirit friends scare me. lol But I do have doubts as to whether or not YB has that ability. D, I think you need to be careful what you eat, if ya get sick that easily... At least I understand A's reason... O.o Yeah. ^^'
