Youko and Kurama's laughs echoed in the back of his mind as he left the room.'Dear kami!!' Youko wailed, Shuiichi could practically see the silver haired demon rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach.
'That was excellent! It seems that we are rubbing off on you after all, Shu!' Kurama cackled.
Shuiichi coughed again and rubbed his throught absently without replying. The pain hadn't lessened from his little 'stunt' like he had hoped it would. "Can't either of you do anything to stop the pain?"
Youko paused his chuckles and told Shuiichi to check his plants. The red-headed boy ran a hand through his hair and pulled out a seedling, then making it grow in his palm. "Will you help me little one?"
The little plant seemed to brighten when Shuiichi talked to it. One of it's many leaves fell off and onto the boy's hand before it returned back to it's seed form. 'Crush it and swallow.' came Kurama's sleek voice in his ear.
He did as he was told and swallowed the small leaf, in seconds his throat felt much better. No pain remained at all, anywhere.
'Do you have any money?' asked Youko.
"Yes, plenty." Shuiichi said softly.
'Then go get a c.d. player and some c.d.s!"
"W-what?" he asked, even softer, his voice retreating so he was speaking in his mind.
'Last time I was out, I was listening to some ... music.' Youko said, with a short laugh. 'Something like Ding Dong pollution?'
'You mean Dance Dance Revolution.' Shuiichi replied.
'Yeah, that.' Youko said with a nonchalant shrug, 'It was pretty good.'
Shuiichi nodded and went to the nearest music shop. He walked over to the counter, and caught the attention of the clerk. "Ummm, excuse me." He said softly, "Can I get a c.d. player and some DDR soundtracks?"
The clerk smiled and pointed to the wall of music. "Thanks."
"What kind of c.d. player were you looking for?" the man asked.
"Oh, just a silver, red and...." he paused when Kurama's voice screeched in his ear, 'BLACK!!'. "and black, perferibly..."
The clerk smiled again and said, "I think I have just what you're interested in." the man disappeared in between the doors that led into the backroom and came out with a colorful box. "Here you go." he paused, "Since it's not supposed to come out on market until next week, I think I can get you a half price deal." he smiled agian.
Shuiichi smiled and nodded, he now had an armful of DDR soundtracks. "That would be wonderful!" he brought the c.d.s up to the counter and placed them next to the register.
"That'll be $30.40." the man said with another smile.
"That cheap?" Shuiichi asked with a smile. "I can't believe it! This day is looking up after all!"
"Well," the clerk pointed to the sign above the c.d.s, "It is buy-one-get-one-free-day!" he paused to laugh, "And you did buy.... seven c.d.s. I just added the last two, free of charge of course, in because they are new releases."
Shuiichi laughed and handed him the money, "You're spoiling me!"
The man laughed with the younger boy, "Hurry up before I find something else to mark down the price." he said with a chuckle. "The stores going to have to sell half of it's inventory if we want to stay in business. Would you like to work here? A young boy in here might attract alot of attention."
'Take the job.' Youko said in the back of his mind, 'It'll get things off of your mind, Shuiichi.'
Shuiichi thought about it and smiled, "Sure. It'd be only fair since I got all these at really low prices. Do you ahve any fliers I can hang up around my school?"
The man pulled out a stack of papers and slipped them into Shuiichi's bag, "Okay, you start... how about tomorrow?"
"Sure, that'd be great." Shuiichi said with another smile. "I'll come by after school."
The man extended his hand, "My name is Hideto. No last name." he said with another smile, "Absolam works in here with me, but he called in sick. The bastard probably has a date with one of his infamous females. God, it's like they flock to him!"
"I'm Shuiichi Minamono." Shuiichi took the time to take in the man's features as he walked the boy to the door. Hideto's ears were lined with earings of different varieties, big green eyes and he had short, slightly wavy neon pink hair. "Is that natural, Hideto-san?" he blurted out before he realized.
"Yup, don't worry. I don't mind." Hideto laughed, "Just call me 'Hide'. You make me feel old and I'm just out of college!"
"What did you major in?
"Religion and Mythology." Hide said with a proud grin. "But, I dabbled in art for a few years. I got out of high school in less than a year."
"Really?" Shuiichi asked, his face showing signs of hero-worship.
"Really. But, that bastard Absolam didn't even go to college in that time...." he growled. "He's a total brain."
Shuiichi couldn't hold back his laughter, "You sound like you really love Absolam!" he laughed some more before turning around with a wave. "I gotta go, my mother will be furious!"
Hideto waved back and leaned against the doorway, pulling out a cigarette and his lighter from his pocket. "Sometimes is doesn't help being smart." He muttered, "If all you get is admirers and no jobs you really want." Cursing his father, he went back into the shop with his cig still lit.
He dialed Absolam's cell phone and waited a few minutes before a deep voice sounded over the speaker, "What?"
"Hey buddy! I got us a new worker." he grinned and took a drag from his cigarette.
"Wonderful, and why are you smoking in the shop?" asked the cold voice.
"Gah! It's like your psychic!"
"No," Absolam growled. "You just breathe loudly. Put it out now, or I'll kick your ass out of our apartment you bitch."
Hide pouted, "Love you too, sweetums." he laughed, "But, Shuiichi Minamono is coming to work for us tomorrow."
"That's great, now I'm sleepy."
"Kiss, kiss. Baibai!" he said with a deep laugh and hung up his phone.
Shuiichi ran to his house quickly, making it there in record time. "I'm home, mother!" he called out for his mother.
"That's wonderful dear," his mother's voice came from the kitchen.
After he took off his shoes, he walked in there and kissed her on the cheek. "How are you doing today?" he asked with a smile.
"I'm fine." Shiori said with a soft smile. "Why were you so late today?"
"I got a job." Shuiichi said with a triumphant smile.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Shiori cheered, "But, you didn't have to get a job so soon."
"I want to be able to help you support the house, Mother." Shuiichi said with a soft laugh and a sincere smile.
"Okay, but you have to promise to keep the money." she said with a mock-glare. "I don't want you wasting a penny on me."
"I wouldn't be wasting then."
She smiled, "You have guests in your room."
Shuiichi nodded and hurried off to his room. A sudden dread filled inside of him as he climbed the staircase.
'Don't you worry,' Kurama said in a soft voice, 'Nothing will harm you as long as Youko and I are with you...'
His school bag was becoming a heavy burden on his right shoulder, so he opened the door to see the five people he didn't want to see for a long while lounging about in his room.
Shuiichi pulled off his school bag and his over jacket, which he hung on his coat-rack on the back of his door.
He rummaged through his school bag and pulled out the music-shop bag and walked over to his bed. "Get off." he ordered Yusuke with a smoldering glare, leaving no room for question.
He sat down and pulled out the c.d.s and showed them to Youko and Kurama. "Are these what you wanted?"
"Wanted?" Botan asked, confused.
'Yes, they're perfect.' Youko said with a triumphant laugh that every one could hear. His astral form was projected out, as well as Kurama's, he turned to face the others. 'Why are you plaguing our dear Shu?'
'Has he commited some crime against your mortal laws?' Kurama hissed.
"No," Koenma said.
'Then why are you still bothering him?' Youko hissed. 'I won't let you harm him!!'
"We have no intention of hurting him." Yusuke replied.
'One moment then...' Youko said with a deep laugh as he returned to Shuiichi's body. The body shifted ever-so-slightly and slowly Shuiichi began to turn into Youko, the demon walked over to Shuiichi's beside table and pulled out a knife Shuiichi's father had given to his mother to give to him later on in his life.
"Do you see this?" he asked, twirling the blade around in his fingers.
He walked over to Yusuke, grabbed the boy's arm and slowly drug the blade against his skin, causing it to bleed. "Do you feel this pain, Urameshi??" he hissed, "This is the pain we go through every goddamn day because of you and the rest of you bafoons!!"
'Youko!' Kurama's sharp voice cut through the air like a warm knife through butter, 'You've said too much already!!'
"So I have..." Youko withdrew the blade from Yusuke's arm and licked the blood off of it, scowling he wiped the rest off of his mouth. "Disgusting, you mortals and your feeble-tasting blood."
He slipped back out of Shuiichi's body, causing the boy to shiver from the loss of heat the demon had been giving off. 'Look at this, Youko. He's already ice cold...' Kurama hissed and moved over to Shuiichi's shivering form and slipped back inside, except he didn't take control.
Youko cackled and half kissed, half licked Shuiichi's face before disolving inside the boy. 'You'll pay dearly for what you've done to him...'
Shuiichi flexed his hands and stacked the c.ds on his nightstand and curled up on his bed, falling fast asleep. Not caring about the others as he cradled the knife close to his body.
END CHAPTER THREE
A/N: R&R!!