Of Wind and Fire
Golden Foxfyre
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Chapter 6
The group entered the posh hotel and were greeted by a bell hop. "Welcome, we have been expecting you. Please follow me." He turned to lead them through the crowd of wealthy people who'd come to watch the fight from the boxes.
Kuwabara grunted as he and Suzaku turned with the others. "Man, Urameshi weighs a ton!" he gasped, going red in the face.
"You're no pile of feathers yourself, Kuwabara. You have no room to talk." Suzaku zinged. His eyes widened as her statement hit home. He'd hoped she hadn't remembered that little accident on the boat ride over.
"Your rooms, Team Urameshi." The bell hop bowed then retreated. He detested the duty of showing the teams to their rooms, even if one member was quite pleasing to the eye. But, beauty often belied weakness to the other fighters. Not all that were beautiful could keep up with their fighters.
Once they'd settled in and laid a sleeping Yusuke on the couch another server brought a group of mugs to the room and left them on the coffee table.
Uneasily, the apparition eyed the mugs. There was a strange scent coming from the dark liquid within them. It unsettled her and made her stomach churn.
"What's wrong? The coffee isn't going to bite you, Suzaku." Hiei snorted. He alone of her companions had noticed her unease.
Blue eyes pierced the fire youkai to the core then softened, almost as if apologizing for her burst of temper. "This doesn't exist in my homeland." She shrugged before continuing. "The usual beverages are water and teas. For more important occasions, wines are served and there are those who brew their own ale."
A slurping sound caught their attention. They turned sharply. Revealed to their sight was a youkai child drinking one of the cups of coffee.
"What are you doing here, kid?" Kuwabara demanded, shooting to his feet.
"Indulging my curiosity." he replied innocently. Quietly, he counted the people in the room. "Six? You brought your substitute stays with you?"
Suzaku's abrupt gesture cut off any retort. "There's nothing wrong with that. Child, it is better to plan ahead. Hopefully, I won't be needed." 'I've dealt with such attitudes before. I know what I'm doing.' Her friends calmed when her voice sounded in their minds even as she spoke to their unexpected guest.
His eyes widened. "You? But you're a girl!" He sounded so surprised that it was hard for them to keep themselves from laughing.
"And you're a child. Gender and age make no difference if the warrior is skilled and experienced."
A yap came from the balcony and Suzaku laughed. She walked over and opened the door, allowing a black she-wolf to bound in.
Morwen halted and snarled, baring her teeth to the gums. A full-grown youkai stood in their door way, staring at them with silent menace. ~He's not one to be trusted.~ The wolf continued to snarl her warnings to the youkai in the doorway, but he ignored her.
"There you are. What are you doing?" He demanded.
"Checking out our opponents." He spryly replied, hopping down off the dresser to approach his team mate.
The blond youkai glared at them. "You don't look like a team to be feared. Tomorrow, you could end up looking very much like that cup." It split down the middle, spilling hot liquid all over the table. The two left the room, then Suzaku slammed the door behind them.
~Nice try.~ Morwen snorted, shaking her head. ~He's so sloppy when it comes to threat displays. I've seen better ones from goblins!~
Suzaku bit back a laugh. "Most of the time, they don't bother." Her sapphire eyes were twinkling with mirth.
The smallest of their number rose from her chair. "We have a long day tomorrow. Maybe we should turn in." The rest of the group agreed and trailed off to the side rooms that housed the beds.
"Morwen, stay with them. I need to meet someone. Make sure no youkai get in here." Silently, she slipped out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She could hear her totem animal settle behind the door, ready to guard their allies.
Suzaku slunk through the night until she came to a certain tree. There, under the overhanging branches, stood Toguru. He gazed into the night, then noticed he had company.
"You didn't have to agree to help them, Suzaku. While I am eager to see how much you've learned and improved, I don't want to see you get killed." His dry voice held the barest hint of emotion for the apparition he'd cared so much for years before, when she'd been but a child.
"I see you still care." She observed wryly. "But you aren't the man I once knew. You've changed too much." A sigh escaped her as she recalled why they'd come before. "Toguru, you once faced the vampire lords. The team I have chosen to aid holds the most powerful people in today's world."
He turned away, startled by her tone of voice. He never realized that she was so loyal. As a child she'd been free spirited and energetic, never showing the amazon within. Everything had been play to her.
She continued, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I've found a family I never knew I had. I even may be able to see my aunt again. And," she stressed the conjunction, "I would rather put myself in danger than allow someone to die because I didn't." Suzaku was standing her ground. It was obvious she'd been through greater wars, not just minor disagreements with those who were once close friends of hers.
"Then I feel I should warn you. A Darkfire apparition joined my team a few months ago. He calls himself Don Diablo." 'Be careful, Suzaku-chan. You know they will need you in the coming days.'
"Good night." Toguru walked away, back to his hotel room to stay with his brother.
Sakio met him half way back. "She's Nightingale Suzaku?"
"Yes." He replied stonily. "She's improved much over the years she's spent in her homeland. I believe Suzaku participated in wars fought there. And with her skills as a healer, she'd be tough to defeat."
"I believe you want to see her fight." Sakio observed, eyeing the team leader side long.
"Yes. Suzaku is a strategist as well as powerful. She should put on quite a show."
Golden Foxfyre
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Chapter 6
The group entered the posh hotel and were greeted by a bell hop. "Welcome, we have been expecting you. Please follow me." He turned to lead them through the crowd of wealthy people who'd come to watch the fight from the boxes.
Kuwabara grunted as he and Suzaku turned with the others. "Man, Urameshi weighs a ton!" he gasped, going red in the face.
"You're no pile of feathers yourself, Kuwabara. You have no room to talk." Suzaku zinged. His eyes widened as her statement hit home. He'd hoped she hadn't remembered that little accident on the boat ride over.
"Your rooms, Team Urameshi." The bell hop bowed then retreated. He detested the duty of showing the teams to their rooms, even if one member was quite pleasing to the eye. But, beauty often belied weakness to the other fighters. Not all that were beautiful could keep up with their fighters.
Once they'd settled in and laid a sleeping Yusuke on the couch another server brought a group of mugs to the room and left them on the coffee table.
Uneasily, the apparition eyed the mugs. There was a strange scent coming from the dark liquid within them. It unsettled her and made her stomach churn.
"What's wrong? The coffee isn't going to bite you, Suzaku." Hiei snorted. He alone of her companions had noticed her unease.
Blue eyes pierced the fire youkai to the core then softened, almost as if apologizing for her burst of temper. "This doesn't exist in my homeland." She shrugged before continuing. "The usual beverages are water and teas. For more important occasions, wines are served and there are those who brew their own ale."
A slurping sound caught their attention. They turned sharply. Revealed to their sight was a youkai child drinking one of the cups of coffee.
"What are you doing here, kid?" Kuwabara demanded, shooting to his feet.
"Indulging my curiosity." he replied innocently. Quietly, he counted the people in the room. "Six? You brought your substitute stays with you?"
Suzaku's abrupt gesture cut off any retort. "There's nothing wrong with that. Child, it is better to plan ahead. Hopefully, I won't be needed." 'I've dealt with such attitudes before. I know what I'm doing.' Her friends calmed when her voice sounded in their minds even as she spoke to their unexpected guest.
His eyes widened. "You? But you're a girl!" He sounded so surprised that it was hard for them to keep themselves from laughing.
"And you're a child. Gender and age make no difference if the warrior is skilled and experienced."
A yap came from the balcony and Suzaku laughed. She walked over and opened the door, allowing a black she-wolf to bound in.
Morwen halted and snarled, baring her teeth to the gums. A full-grown youkai stood in their door way, staring at them with silent menace. ~He's not one to be trusted.~ The wolf continued to snarl her warnings to the youkai in the doorway, but he ignored her.
"There you are. What are you doing?" He demanded.
"Checking out our opponents." He spryly replied, hopping down off the dresser to approach his team mate.
The blond youkai glared at them. "You don't look like a team to be feared. Tomorrow, you could end up looking very much like that cup." It split down the middle, spilling hot liquid all over the table. The two left the room, then Suzaku slammed the door behind them.
~Nice try.~ Morwen snorted, shaking her head. ~He's so sloppy when it comes to threat displays. I've seen better ones from goblins!~
Suzaku bit back a laugh. "Most of the time, they don't bother." Her sapphire eyes were twinkling with mirth.
The smallest of their number rose from her chair. "We have a long day tomorrow. Maybe we should turn in." The rest of the group agreed and trailed off to the side rooms that housed the beds.
"Morwen, stay with them. I need to meet someone. Make sure no youkai get in here." Silently, she slipped out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. She could hear her totem animal settle behind the door, ready to guard their allies.
Suzaku slunk through the night until she came to a certain tree. There, under the overhanging branches, stood Toguru. He gazed into the night, then noticed he had company.
"You didn't have to agree to help them, Suzaku. While I am eager to see how much you've learned and improved, I don't want to see you get killed." His dry voice held the barest hint of emotion for the apparition he'd cared so much for years before, when she'd been but a child.
"I see you still care." She observed wryly. "But you aren't the man I once knew. You've changed too much." A sigh escaped her as she recalled why they'd come before. "Toguru, you once faced the vampire lords. The team I have chosen to aid holds the most powerful people in today's world."
He turned away, startled by her tone of voice. He never realized that she was so loyal. As a child she'd been free spirited and energetic, never showing the amazon within. Everything had been play to her.
She continued, bringing him out of his thoughts. "I've found a family I never knew I had. I even may be able to see my aunt again. And," she stressed the conjunction, "I would rather put myself in danger than allow someone to die because I didn't." Suzaku was standing her ground. It was obvious she'd been through greater wars, not just minor disagreements with those who were once close friends of hers.
"Then I feel I should warn you. A Darkfire apparition joined my team a few months ago. He calls himself Don Diablo." 'Be careful, Suzaku-chan. You know they will need you in the coming days.'
"Good night." Toguru walked away, back to his hotel room to stay with his brother.
Sakio met him half way back. "She's Nightingale Suzaku?"
"Yes." He replied stonily. "She's improved much over the years she's spent in her homeland. I believe Suzaku participated in wars fought there. And with her skills as a healer, she'd be tough to defeat."
"I believe you want to see her fight." Sakio observed, eyeing the team leader side long.
"Yes. Suzaku is a strategist as well as powerful. She should put on quite a show."