Chapter 20: If it ain't one thing, it's another...
Solaris: We don't own YYH. Are you happy now?
Foxglove: Whoa, someone's touchy today.
Solaris: Can I help it? I'm tired. Now butt out and let me write this darn chapter. Rose got home about 6 at night from her latest training session with Genkai. Yusuke used to gripe that at least she got to go home, he'd had to stay there the entire time he trained. She pulled her tennis shoes off in the doorway and practically collapsed on the couch. Her parents were gone again on yet another business trip, so she had run of the house for another few weeks yet. Just as she was contemplating sleeping on the couch and staying there for the rest of the week, the phone rang. She reached behind her head, picked it up and answered.
"'Lo? Whozzat?" she asked sleepily.
"It's Hiei. Who is this?" came the voice of her favorite spiky-haired demon.
"It's Rose, firstly, and secondly, I'm surprised that you even know how to use a phone." she said tiredly.
"Gimme that, Hiei! Good grief, you got no manners!" Yusuke said as he claimed the phone. She laughed weakly.
"And you don't have good language," she smiled as she heard Kuwabara steal the phone.
"Let me explain. We need to get Kurama out of his house, and you're the only one we can think of who would even have a chance of convincing him. Will you?" he asked.
"Look, under normal circumstances, if I knew the reason, I'd love to..." she began.
"He stays holed up too much. Just get him, would you?" Yusuke asked as he hung up. She put the phone back and lifted her head skyward.
"FOR GOODNESS SAKES I'M TIRED AND THEY ASK ME TO GET HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE!" she shouted.
"Get whom out of the house, Rose?" she heard Kurama question. As she turned her head, she saw him smile from the door. "You forgot to lock it."
"Sorry. I just got in about five minutes ago and the guys just called..." she explained.
"They got my answering machine. I just bought it and programmed the message, which pretty much says that I'm busy. I guess they figured I wasn't leaving the house, and that induced their 'let's pull Kurama off on some madcap adventure' fit." he grinned. Rose had to laugh.
"Probably." she agreed. He watched her as she stretched out and yawned, then went toward the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I just got home and I'm exhausted. Sorry I can't cook something." she apologized.
"It's okay, I'll get you something. Ramen okay?" he smiled. She nodded and smiled. As soon as the ramen was ready, he brought her a bowl. The poor thing was asleep already. She looked really peaceful asleep, he thought. She turned over to one side and a strand of her long red hair fell over her face. Kurama set the bowl down and brushed it off of her face, smiling as he did so. She stirred a little bit. Suddenly, Kurama got a semi-devious idea. Picking up the phone, he dialed Yusuke's phone number quickly. "Uh, hi. Sorry, guys, but I have to bail. Homework and I'm tired... sorry."
"Gosh, we'd have let you be had we known. See you later, Kurama." Hiei said. As Kurama hung up the phone, he heard Rose wake up quietly and grab the bowl of ramen.
"Thanks." she said as she ate. He grinned then saw the stereo. "If you want, take a look." she said to him between mouthfuls. He walked over to the stereo and opened the CD tray, then looked back at her in puzzlement. "Hillary Duff. Go ahead, turn it on. But I warn you, it's in English." she cautioned. He turned it on to hear some strange song with a sad sort of beat to it.
"It's 'Coming Clean'. I burn stuff sometimes, so there's no telling what I put on after that. I think I put 'Pink Rose' on after that. (A/n: Pink Rose is a Dance Dance Revolution song. I like it, so nyah!) True to her guess, it was. Kurama looked at the stereo while Rose ate the ramen. "Uh, Kurama, it's not going to move or anything." she said. Then she paid attention to the song. "OH MY GOD!" she shouted.
"Who was that? It sounded like a boy." Kurama asked.
"It was one of my old guy friends from America. Just ignore what he said, he's a kidder." she smiled nervously.
"An old boy friend? He said he loved you." Kurama asked suspiciously.
"He was joking." she grinned. "Anyhow, why would you care? It's not like we're dating or anything..."
"By your standards, no we aren't. But according to the gossip at school, we are." he nodded.
"And you pay attention to that? Those are just girls looking for kicks, and they get 'em by spreading rumors about us. I just ignore them. I didn't in America and look where it got me..." she mumbled. Then she noticed Kurama paying close attention to her and she sighed. "Cat's out of the bag, eh? I suppose I had better tell you."
"Yes, and soon, preferably." Kurama said frostily.
"Okay. Back in the U.S., I didn't have too many friends, and a majority were guys. We were a lot like the Reikai Tantei on days off: goofing around and acting like normal teens. But all the gossip had it that I was dating one of the guys, and so we all grew distant. Pretty soon the only guy left by my side was Gene, and he had a crush on me. Well, we went to a dance together as friends, and a terrible thing happened. Someone stepped on the hem of my jeans and I tripped, right into his arms. If it wasn't bad enough, I accidentally kissed him. Of course I fled the scene. But he asked me out a few days later. I said yes, in my embarrassment. Then, a few days before the move, I broke up with him. I said we weren't really meant for each other, since we had been fighting over the tiniest things. It was really enraging, and especially since I was around him twenty four seven." She explained.
"You don't mean that..."
"Yes, Kurama. I was a runaway for almost 6 months. And Gene was 18. A senior. He said he wanted to marry me out of high school, but I thought he was joking. Until he gave me a ring. And that's when I broke up with him and ran home to my parents. He sends me e-mails with vocal attachments. And the last one I got, I..."
"Accidentally burned the attachment to a CD." Kurama finished in shock. "I don't get why you ran away."
"I had just turned 15, and I was mad at my parents for a really trivial reason. I didn't think moving would be fun. I was wrong, of course, but I didn't know that at the time. All I knew was that I'd be moving across the ocean. And I didn't like it. So Gene took me under his wing. He had an apartment. And now, I think he's going to come to Japan to find me." Rose said shakingly.
"Why?"
"Because he said he still loved me and would find me in his last e-mail." she shuddered.
Solaris: Ooh, a cliffhanger. Woo-Hoo.
Foxglove: Okay, that does it! pulls out a king-sized bag of skittles
Solaris: What are you doing with that? OH GOD NO! I DUN WANNA BE HYPER NOW! I'M TRYING TO REST!
Kurama: Now, now, Foxglove, let's not be hasty... sweatdrop
Solaris: We don't own YYH. Are you happy now?
Foxglove: Whoa, someone's touchy today.
Solaris: Can I help it? I'm tired. Now butt out and let me write this darn chapter. Rose got home about 6 at night from her latest training session with Genkai. Yusuke used to gripe that at least she got to go home, he'd had to stay there the entire time he trained. She pulled her tennis shoes off in the doorway and practically collapsed on the couch. Her parents were gone again on yet another business trip, so she had run of the house for another few weeks yet. Just as she was contemplating sleeping on the couch and staying there for the rest of the week, the phone rang. She reached behind her head, picked it up and answered.
"'Lo? Whozzat?" she asked sleepily.
"It's Hiei. Who is this?" came the voice of her favorite spiky-haired demon.
"It's Rose, firstly, and secondly, I'm surprised that you even know how to use a phone." she said tiredly.
"Gimme that, Hiei! Good grief, you got no manners!" Yusuke said as he claimed the phone. She laughed weakly.
"And you don't have good language," she smiled as she heard Kuwabara steal the phone.
"Let me explain. We need to get Kurama out of his house, and you're the only one we can think of who would even have a chance of convincing him. Will you?" he asked.
"Look, under normal circumstances, if I knew the reason, I'd love to..." she began.
"He stays holed up too much. Just get him, would you?" Yusuke asked as he hung up. She put the phone back and lifted her head skyward.
"FOR GOODNESS SAKES I'M TIRED AND THEY ASK ME TO GET HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE!" she shouted.
"Get whom out of the house, Rose?" she heard Kurama question. As she turned her head, she saw him smile from the door. "You forgot to lock it."
"Sorry. I just got in about five minutes ago and the guys just called..." she explained.
"They got my answering machine. I just bought it and programmed the message, which pretty much says that I'm busy. I guess they figured I wasn't leaving the house, and that induced their 'let's pull Kurama off on some madcap adventure' fit." he grinned. Rose had to laugh.
"Probably." she agreed. He watched her as she stretched out and yawned, then went toward the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I just got home and I'm exhausted. Sorry I can't cook something." she apologized.
"It's okay, I'll get you something. Ramen okay?" he smiled. She nodded and smiled. As soon as the ramen was ready, he brought her a bowl. The poor thing was asleep already. She looked really peaceful asleep, he thought. She turned over to one side and a strand of her long red hair fell over her face. Kurama set the bowl down and brushed it off of her face, smiling as he did so. She stirred a little bit. Suddenly, Kurama got a semi-devious idea. Picking up the phone, he dialed Yusuke's phone number quickly. "Uh, hi. Sorry, guys, but I have to bail. Homework and I'm tired... sorry."
"Gosh, we'd have let you be had we known. See you later, Kurama." Hiei said. As Kurama hung up the phone, he heard Rose wake up quietly and grab the bowl of ramen.
"Thanks." she said as she ate. He grinned then saw the stereo. "If you want, take a look." she said to him between mouthfuls. He walked over to the stereo and opened the CD tray, then looked back at her in puzzlement. "Hillary Duff. Go ahead, turn it on. But I warn you, it's in English." she cautioned. He turned it on to hear some strange song with a sad sort of beat to it.
"It's 'Coming Clean'. I burn stuff sometimes, so there's no telling what I put on after that. I think I put 'Pink Rose' on after that. (A/n: Pink Rose is a Dance Dance Revolution song. I like it, so nyah!) True to her guess, it was. Kurama looked at the stereo while Rose ate the ramen. "Uh, Kurama, it's not going to move or anything." she said. Then she paid attention to the song. "OH MY GOD!" she shouted.
"Who was that? It sounded like a boy." Kurama asked.
"It was one of my old guy friends from America. Just ignore what he said, he's a kidder." she smiled nervously.
"An old boy friend? He said he loved you." Kurama asked suspiciously.
"He was joking." she grinned. "Anyhow, why would you care? It's not like we're dating or anything..."
"By your standards, no we aren't. But according to the gossip at school, we are." he nodded.
"And you pay attention to that? Those are just girls looking for kicks, and they get 'em by spreading rumors about us. I just ignore them. I didn't in America and look where it got me..." she mumbled. Then she noticed Kurama paying close attention to her and she sighed. "Cat's out of the bag, eh? I suppose I had better tell you."
"Yes, and soon, preferably." Kurama said frostily.
"Okay. Back in the U.S., I didn't have too many friends, and a majority were guys. We were a lot like the Reikai Tantei on days off: goofing around and acting like normal teens. But all the gossip had it that I was dating one of the guys, and so we all grew distant. Pretty soon the only guy left by my side was Gene, and he had a crush on me. Well, we went to a dance together as friends, and a terrible thing happened. Someone stepped on the hem of my jeans and I tripped, right into his arms. If it wasn't bad enough, I accidentally kissed him. Of course I fled the scene. But he asked me out a few days later. I said yes, in my embarrassment. Then, a few days before the move, I broke up with him. I said we weren't really meant for each other, since we had been fighting over the tiniest things. It was really enraging, and especially since I was around him twenty four seven." She explained.
"You don't mean that..."
"Yes, Kurama. I was a runaway for almost 6 months. And Gene was 18. A senior. He said he wanted to marry me out of high school, but I thought he was joking. Until he gave me a ring. And that's when I broke up with him and ran home to my parents. He sends me e-mails with vocal attachments. And the last one I got, I..."
"Accidentally burned the attachment to a CD." Kurama finished in shock. "I don't get why you ran away."
"I had just turned 15, and I was mad at my parents for a really trivial reason. I didn't think moving would be fun. I was wrong, of course, but I didn't know that at the time. All I knew was that I'd be moving across the ocean. And I didn't like it. So Gene took me under his wing. He had an apartment. And now, I think he's going to come to Japan to find me." Rose said shakingly.
"Why?"
"Because he said he still loved me and would find me in his last e-mail." she shuddered.
Solaris: Ooh, a cliffhanger. Woo-Hoo.
Foxglove: Okay, that does it! pulls out a king-sized bag of skittles
Solaris: What are you doing with that? OH GOD NO! I DUN WANNA BE HYPER NOW! I'M TRYING TO REST!
Kurama: Now, now, Foxglove, let's not be hasty... sweatdrop