Chapter 15: The truth and nothing but the truth: part I

Solaris: Hey, Foxglove. Let's call the narrator dude at the end of this chappie, what d'ya think?

Foxglove: I say we call him right now to do the disclaimer. What do you think about it, Kurama?

Kurama: I'm all for it.

Solaris and Foxglove: HEY, NARRATOR DUDE! COME ON AND DO THE DISCLAIMER!

Narrator dude: *Walks in and smiles* This time on A Fox Thief in Tokyo?:

Rose acknowledges that she is a reincarnation and accepts that she needs protection from Yuni/Lexi. But what if she can't escape her pursuer? Will she remember enough of her former life to use a spiritual attack? And if she can't, how will she escape?

Solaris: *rolls eyes* We said disclaimer, not foreword.

Narrator dude: Sorry. Neither Solaris nor Foxglove own anything famous in this story, least of all Yu Yu Hakusho. Do not sue them, since they lack money.

Foxglove: *shoves the narrator dude out of the room* Okay, thanks for coming, appreciate it, bye-bye!

Solaris: Translating the jargon of the narrator dude, unless you understand it:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Us no own,

So you no sue.

Foxglove: Although technically, violets aren't blue. They're purple.

Solaris: Let's not get into this now, Foxglove…

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As soon as Rose woke up, Koenma launched straight into an explanation of her former life and her reincarnation. All the while Rose was shaking her head. At the end of this, she held up a hand and shook her head, as if it was all too much (which in her opinion, it was.)

"So let me get this straight: What Kurama told me was true, and I was killed by the demented dog-girl, who was my former partner, and now she's hunting me down again. All right, Botan, please, I beg of you, hit me with that oar." Rose pleaded.

"You're not dead, it might cause brain damage, no." Botan said firmly. Rose sighed.

"Okay, I guess I have to live with the fact that I'm not dreaming. And that some crazy woman is after my head. So, kid, what do you propose we do?" she sighed as she leaned on Koenma's desk, earning another pop on the head.

"I AM NOT A KID!" he shouted. Rose backed off and hid behind Kurama. "And since you and Kurama seem so close…" he began.

"No joke!" yelled Yusuke. Botan bopped him over the head with her oar.

"I don't think his brain can be damaged any more." she explained as she saw the shocked look on Rose's face.

"Anyhow, as I was saying, I think Kurama should watch over you. Just be careful, okay?" Koenma said. Kurama nodded and started to say something. "No, I know you didn't tell her, and I know you had no choice but to go Youko to protect her. Now go." Kurama nodded.

As they left, Rose asked Kurama, "You do know you can't follow me everywhere, right?" He nodded. "Good, just so long as we're straight on that."

~~~

A few weeks later, Kurama stopped by Rose's house. It was January and it was exactly six months since she had moved to Tokyo. The car was gone and from that, Kurama thought that Rose had gone out of town. But when he looked closer, he saw a familiar face at Rose's window: Rose.

"Hello there!" he shouted, which caught her attention. A smile brightened her face.

"Shuichi-San! I'll be right down!" she yelled back. True to her word, she was and opened the door, smiling as she let Kurama in the house. "Mom and Dad went out of town for the week yesterday night. So I get the house to myself." she laughed. "It's peaceful at least. Oh, sorry to chew your ear off like that. I was just making dinner. Would you like any?" she asked.

"Yes, please. If it isn't any trouble." he said. She laughed a little as she set the table and walked into the kitchen.

"Trust me, ramen is no problem. It's all I'll be eating all week. The only dilemma is whether to eat chicken or shrimp." she giggled. Kurama smiled at her joke, then realized she was serious. He still laughed as he got the glasses out.

Poor girl. I'll have to take her out to dinner sometime this week. he thought. So they enjoyed a peaceful dinner, a first for them.

~~~

The next day, Kurama stopped by the house again, this time to take Rose out to dinner. He had called about an hour before, so she had time to get ready. He rang the doorbell, and heard something running down the stairs. "Just a minute!" her voice called. She got the door seconds later. A silver and crystal rose earring adorned her left ear and she was fastening a diamond in the second hole of her right, in addition to the silver and crystal rose. Her dress was a simple black one, sleeveless and knee-length, with a square cut neck. (A/n: I asked my mom about that last one, and she said she guessed that was what the cut was called.) Kurama managed to keep his mouth shut, but was amazed at how pretty she was. He could tell she wasn't wearing any makeup, which was a pleasant surprise. She normally wore blue jeans and tee shirts or her navy blue school uniform and a brown leather jacket if it was cold. So it was a wonderful surprise to see her dressed up like that. He noticed a pair of high heels in the tiny alcove and realized that was what she was wearing.

"Uh, couldn't you stop staring? I'm nervous enough already. I'm almost ready, come in and sit for a minute if you want." she offered. He smiled and nodded. She walked back upstairs and came down a few minutes later, smiling. Kurama noticed that she was wearing the smallest amount of the lightest of pink lipsticks, and it was beautiful on her. So she pulled on her jacket and shoes and they left. The dinner was nice and the atmosphere of the restaurant was great. "It's a welcome change from ramen." she laughed on the way out. She had insisted on paying half of the bill. On the way home, they talked, laughed, and pretty much had fun. She didn't want to go in and leave, but she had to. Suddenly, she shivered.

"What's wrong?" Kurama asked as she gripped her arms and dropped to her knees on her doorstep. He sat by her and put one arm over her shoulder. She hardly noticed it, but he noticed the look of abject terror in her eyes.

"I just got a bad feeling. Like Lexi's going to come for me tonight. It's like a wave of cold water rushing over you, then sticking your finger in an electrical socket. Shock after shock." Rose said, still shivering. The look in those pools of brown that were her eyes was reminiscent of Yusuke's when he heard about the Dark Tournament. It was pure, raw fear. She turned to Kurama and looked in his eyes, still fearful. "Please, stay here. I know it's silly, but I have this feeling." she pleaded. He took her hand and nodded.

"Sometimes feelings are correct. I'll stay." he said. She smiled and got to her feet and they went in the house. (A/n: G rating, PG at the most, y'all! Keep the minds out of the gutter!) She showed him to the guestroom and he called his mother to tell her he was staying the night at "a friend's house".

That night, a scream awoke him. He rushed to Rose's room to see Lexi dragging the white nightshirt-clad girl out the window. He called the rest of the Reikai Tantei, who promised to come ASAP.

Meanwhile, Rose was struggling against Lexi, who had dragged her to a park. "Let me go, you demented freak!" she yelled. Lexi clicked her tongue and slapped Rose across the face.

"Manners; besides, you'd never call your old partner that! But it won't matter when you die!" she said as she came at the girl again. Rose panicked and put up her hands, from which petals of roses shot and cut Lexi on the face. The dog girl put a hand up to her face and pulled it away bleeding. "Very nice. Like Kurama's Petals and Thorns. In fact, exactly alike. As I remember, a trick you picked up from Youko." she laughed. Then her ears perked up and she ran away, leaving a tiny bit of her blood on Rose's hand and face. It had dripped on her when Lexi had stood over her and had slung onto her when she turned away rapidly. Pretty soon, Kurama and the others came into the clearing. Rose's bottom lip trembled as she looked like she was about to cry. Kurama walked over to her and sat in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She did begin to cry at that and flung her arms around his neck. He looked shocked at first, then just patted her back. As soon as she stopped crying, he took her home, and stayed awake the rest of the night to watch her. It took a lot of coffee the next morning to keep him awake, but he managed it.

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Solaris: Wow! That's the longest chappie yet! Oh Mr. Narrator Dude!

Narrator dude: Yes it is! Next time on A Fox Thief in Tokyo?:

Rose's parents are back, and they have no clue what happened to their daughter. Assuming everything is normal, they try to take her out to a family dinner one night, and refuse to allow Kurama to come along. When she refuses, will they ground her? (Solaris: Probably not!) And what's going on between Kurama and Rose? Find out next time! *leaves *

Solaris: Tch. You'd have to be blind not to notice. Anywho, see y'all next time!