Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, therefore, I am not a multi-
millionaire.
Quote of the week: "Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies." -Haley
KKC: . . . I really expected more reviews for chapter 18, but oh well. One review is better than nothing, even if the reviewer is totally lost when it comes to the plot. Heck, do I even have a plot?
Grimoire: What did I tell you about those who read but never review?
KKC: Its just common courtesy to review, though!
Grimoire: Hmph! In MY day we never let our children become as rude as you guys are today! If they talked back to us, we'd beat them until they were black and blue! And then we'd-
KKC: *sighs* Grim, quiet.
Grimoire: *still going on about punishment way back (I mean WAY back) in his day* and then we'd feed them to the Nile Crocs, but before that the little brats would be doused in sheep's blood to make the crocs hungry...
KKC: *waves* I'm starting the nineteenth chapter now. You can stop, Grim.
Grimoire: And after the crocs, we'd make them walk to school in the snow, five miles each way, and uphill BOTH ways! Hah! That taught 'em!
KKC: -_-* . . . ever get the feeling you're being ignored?
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Shishiwakamaru stood outside on the dock, waiting with Rogerik and Yusuke, until the girls and Kurama paid for the boat. Finally, Kuwabara putted up in a tiny motorboat, barely big enough the fit nine human-sized companions, much less all their luggage, Bones, Kyuro, and the fox-kit Kurama. "W-we're traveling in that little dinghy?!" Yusuke asked through chattering teeth. Kazuma grinned and cut the motor, then tossed the rope to his skeleton dog, who caught it and looped the rope around one of the dock's posts. "Only part of the way," He replied, "Lyra, Lark, and Holly arranged for someone else to pick us up once we get out into the deeper water."
"That's very reassuring, Kuwabara. And how much, exactly, are we paying for the transportation?" Shishiwakamaru asked. Kuwabara shrugged. "I dunno. I think that Lyra said it was pretty much free."
"Well, you get what you pay for..." Rogerik muttered, eye twitching. Yusuke looked at the chilly December water, then the run-down little boat, then back at the dark ocean, white snowflakes sharply contrasting against the nearly black water. "Er... flying sounds like a pretty good idea right about now..."
"Come on, Hiei. Cheer up! Its not that bad." Holly floated a little over the demon's head, her bag and Kyuro carefully balanced on her broomstick. Hiei gave her one of his patent death glares and "hn"-ed. Obviously, he wasn't too happy with the accommodations. Yusuke leaned over the side, hand trailing in the water. "How much farther do we need to go, Lyra?" The raven- haired girl blinked, then searched through her messenger bag for a map, which she unfolded and spread out in the boat, not caring if Shishiwakamaru or Rogerik rather didn't want to be used as a table. "Well, we're here," she said, tapping her finger on a square just a little off from the academy itself, then tapped a region less than a half-inch from their location. "- and we're being picked up here. I'd say... we're just about five minutes away."
"'bout time, I hate boats." The Japanese teen mumbled, then pulled his quickly pulled his hand back in. "What the hell?! There's something under us!"
"No way. There's nothing around for miles-" Kuwabara said, looking into the murky sea water from his position by the rudder. All of a sudden, the water buckled and the tiny boat lurched, flipping over and nearly dispersing its passengers and luggage into the sea. With a gust of wind, Jin suspended his companions and their bags in the air, then he floated down towards the wild waves to get a better view. "Jin! Turn off the motor!" Lark shouted, pointing to the boat, propellers wildly thrashing in the dark water. "Okay, okay! Got it..!" Jin flipped upside down and cut the engine, causing the propellers on the boat to screech to a halt.
"Well, we're screwed." Hiei darkly muttered, glaring at the rubbery material that emerged above the surface of the water. Holly floated down closer on her broomstick to the strange piece of land, and was immediately sprayed in the face by a stream of salt water and mist. The witch and familiar both screeched and Holly wheeled her broom away, wiping her face as she did so, cursing and screaming obscenities. Lark fought her way down from her mid-air perch and ran over to a hole about the size of a baseball in the "ground", kneeling down as she did do. After a few seconds, she stood back up and grinned at her companions. "Its alright!" she yelled over to them, "It's just our ride to the den!"
"Wha?" Jin lowered himself onto the strange surface, poking the rubbery, flesh-like floor underneath him. "What is it?"
"It's a Sealord!" Lyra answered, a small giggle escaping her lips as she landed on the thing and bounced a few inches before settling down. Shishi glared at her. "A what?"
"A Sealord! We managed to convince one to transport us!"
" I know that! But what the hell is a Sealord?!"
"Hm? You don't know what one is?"
"I wouldn't be asking the question if I did, now, would I?" The samurai growled, arms crossed. Lyra sighed and answered, "Where did you grow up? Never mind. A Sealord is a giant whale, about three-hundred feet long." Lyra pointed about forty feet from where they were standing and explained, "That should be where the head is, I guess... so the fluke is... waaaay down there." Yusuke raised an eyebrow and sarcastically replied, "Well, that's specific..."
"Enough out of you, Yusuke. If you want to talk, go apologize to the Sealord for cutting him with our boat motor."
"But why me?!"
"'Cause I said so. Go. March, soldier, march!" Lark pointed towards the head, which was submerged in water. Yusuke grumbled and grit his teeth, but stomped into the knee-deep water anyways.
"Hey." He greeted, not really expecting an answer. The giant whale did reply though, in the form of a giant wave, which crashed over the boy and almost tore him off into the freezing ocean. Yusuke gripped onto the thick flesh and held on, trying not to look at the three huge eyes glowing from underneath the water. Jin floated down, surveying the scene with curiosity. "Want any help, Urameshi?" The demon asked, lending Yusuke a hand so he could clamber back up on the angry whale. "Sure..." Yusuke muttered, grabbing onto Jin's wrist, and then climbing back up. Glaring at the monstrous creature underneath him, Yusuke kicked the whale's giant back and yelled, "Stupid, ungrateful fish! Try anything and I'll shoot my spirit gun up your a-"
"YUSUKE! STOP FOOLING AROUND WITH THE POOR CREATURE AND HELP STEADY THESE BAGS!" Holly shouted across the fifty or so feet that separated the group. "P-poor creature? Did you see what that fish did to me?!" He yelled back, walking over to the rest of his companions. "Um... it's a mammal." Kuwabara corrected. Yusuke incredulously looked at his friend, who was sitting down with Bones' head on his lap. "I don't care if it's a frickin' oversized otter. Taking a whale to a dragon's lair is still a stupid idea."
"Stupid idea or not, its free; which is pretty much all we can afford." Lyra sighed, and unzipped one of her bags, puling out a few blankets. Next was a portable grill, which was unfolded and set up a few feet away. Lark dug into another large duffel bag and retrieved a small can of gas for the grill, a pot, and a few packages of instant Ramen noodles. "Dinner." She said, tossing the objects to Rogerik, who was tinkering with the grill. Kurama took one look at the grill and instant food, and sniffed, showing his obvious displeasure. "I can agree with you there, Kurama." Rogerik flinched as the gas grill flared to life, then filled up the pot with bottled spring water. "But at least its better than Holly's cooking..."
"I heard that..." Holly hissed. Rogerik gulped and turned around to look at the severely pissed and murderous wind witch. "This is going to be a long trip..."
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Day 1
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It took Shishiwakamaru a few minutes to adjust to the blinding light. Groaning, he pulled off the thermal blanket he had been using, immediately shivering in the chilly temperature. Grumbling, he pulled the blanket around him like a cloak and blindly stumbled to the small gas grill they had used to cook last night. Instant Ramen noodle containers littered the area, and a few were dangerously close to dropping into the gray ocean, which reflected the overcast sky above. It was a wonder they hadn't frozen during the night, even with the heat-storing blankets and grill.
Each of his companions was buried under a small heap of snow, looking more like a cluster of drifts than living things. Shishi searched through his duffel bag and pulled out a hairbrush. Sighing, he unbound his hair from its loose ponytail and brushed through it quickly, tying it back up before the others could awaken. He turned one of the knobs on the grill, coaxing a small bluish flame. Looking through the food bag, the samurai managed to find something to his tastes and started to heat up the beef-flavored ramen noodles. Remembering that the others would wake up soon, probably starving too, he did another check through the bag for any more noodles. Pulling out a container of chicken-flavored Ramen, he tossed that in with his own breakfast, stirring the pot occasionally.
"Hm... should I call it Bicken or Cheef..." he mumbled to himself, staring out at the vast, endless ocean while he stirred the noodles. At the smell of food, however, most of the familiars, Kurama included, started to wake up. The former human shook the snow off his back, snuck out from his position curled around Lyra's head, and trotted over to the grill and sat by the samurai, enjoying the serene quiet while he could. The two both nodded a polite good morning, and Shishi ladled some of the Ramen into a small bowl for the fox. Kyuro walked over, stretching his tiny black body like a contortionist, and settled by the grill. "What's for breakfast?" the familiar mumbled, then yawned widely, showing off his perfect little razor- sharp fangs.
"Ramen, Bicken flavor." Shishi replied, sliding another bowl of noodles to the cat. Kyuro daintily sniffed the broth, then lapped some up, savoring the taste. "Not bad... didn't know you could cook." The samurai tossed an empty container at Kyuro and it landed on the familiar's head, covering his slitted, green eyes. The black cat hissed and pulled the plastic cup off, then read the side. "Oh, instructions... what do you want dog?" Kyuro glared at Bones, whose green orbs were dimly glowing. The skeleton clacked his jaws a few times and yawned, his lower mandible almost popping off, before lying back down, his head draped on Shishi's lap. "Dogs..." Kyuro muttered under his breath.
"I still don't believe you when you say this thing is three hundred feet long." Yusuke told Lyra, slurping his noodles at the same time. The older Admarant sister uncrossed her legs and stood up. "Guess I'll have to prove it then." She replied, then walked down towards the Sealord's head. The rest of the group watched as she seemed to talk with the whale, and jumped in alarm as the monstrous mammal rumbled from deep within its throat, making everything shake like they were in some minor earthquake. From far off in the distance, a giant fluke lifted up from underneath the water and waved a around for a minute before crashing back down into the ocean. Yusuke just blinked and turned back to the smug Lyra, who was finishing her instant breakfast. "O-kay... so it ~is~ that big." Jin floated up high in the air, shading his eyes with his hand. "Actually," he called down, "It's bigger than she said." Kuwabara shuddered at the thought. "Glad it's on our side."
Nothing much had gone on during the afternoon, and Jin sighed, then flopped on his back, arms crossed behind his head, to watch the clouds. He had though that this trip would be a vacation, but the teachers had loaded the students with homework. Suzuka had been so callous as to assign them each a ten-page essay on what they did during the trip, surely as revenge for tricking Shishiwakamaru into traveling with them instead of helping the inventor correct test papers. In his mind, Jin thought about what he would write. "Day one: Boredom struck today, leaving a devastating path in its wake..."
"HI!" Jin jumped, looking around for the source of the voice. He must've fallen asleep, as the sun was setting and a chilly breeze whipped over the waves. The stars were starting to come out, and behind him, he could hear the others chatting over the warm grill/fire. "Jin, dinner." Holly levitated on her broom, right above the demon's head, smiling. "Don't do that, okay?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his blue eyes. Yawning, he stretched and got up. "What's for dinner?" he asked, dreading the answer. Holly sighed and floated lower on her broom. "Ramen..."
"Again?"
"Yep. Vegetarian style."
"For crissakes, didn't anyone think to bring a fishing rod or something besides instant noodles?" he muttered, hands in his jean pockets.
"Nope, we're kinda strapped for cash..."
"Hence the reason we're hitch-hiking on a giant whale."
"Yep... Kind of depressing, huh?" Holly shifted her weight on the weather- beaten broomstick and played with a loose strand of her reddish-brown hair. Jin shrugged and walked over to where his roommates were clustered around the warm blaze, over his shoulder, he said to the witch, "Better than starvin' I guess."
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Day 2
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Rogerik wearily opened his eyes, and confusedly looked up at the clear blue sky, too lazy to sit up or pull off the warm fleece blanket wrapped snugly around him. As he became more aware of his surroundings, the only thoughts that came to him were, 'Where am I? Why am I in someone else's yard..?' and, more importantly, 'What's for breakfast?' Suddenly, a dark silhouette blocked out the sun, her dark hair hanging down in front of her face. "Morning!" Lark chirruped, and Rogerik fully woke up from his sleep-induced stupor.
The blonde rogue quickly sat up, so fast that Lark didn't have time to move her face and his forehead collided with her chin. "Owww... Good morning to you, too..." She muttered, trying to block out the throbbing pain that the blonde's thick skull had caused. Rogerik wasn't much better off, and started to dig through his backpack for a bottle of Ibuprofen. Unscrewing the child-proof cap, he tapped a pill into his palm and swallowed, gagging a bit since he didn't have any water to wash it down with. "May I ask you why you got me up so early, Lark?" he grumbled, and the younger girl smiled, trying to scuttle away as she did so.
"Er...nothing much. But I think you should have a look at this." She pulled a pair of binoculars from her messenger bag and handed them to Rogerik. He snatched them from her grasp and scanned to horizon. "See what? It's all water, Lark." Lark sighed and forcibly turned her roommate's head over to the far left. "So? Its Misery island. Congratulations; you've just won a romantic weekend for two on dreamy Misery island, one of the most mosquito- ridden patches of land North of the equator- Eh? What's that?" the psychic student adjusted the binoculars and squinted, just barely making out a tall, thin tower hidden behind the tree-line. As the whale made its lethargic way closer, he recognized the spinning rotors and small generator. "Well, it's a windmill... probably used to generate electricity."
"Yeah, there are more of them, too. They're spread all around the den."
"That doesn't make any sense! This area is supposed to be uninhabited, and as such, wouldn't have wind-generated electricity running through it." Rogerik brought the binoculars up to his eyes again and took a long look at the many windmills spread in a circle around where the so-called "den" would be located.
"Do you think someone got there first?"
"Got where?"
"To the den. You don't think someone else has already raided the dragon's hoard, do you?" Rogerik handed the binoculars back to Lark and sadly shook his head. "To tell the truth, I have no idea."
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KKC: *sighs* I'm still taking requests for reader-created characters to appear in the story. My only real rules are that 1) the character has to be unique and original, and 2) I can't guarantee pairings with characters such as Shishiwakamaru and Hiei. Original characters like Lyonell and Farida are perfectly fine. If you're confused and want to ask me further about the subject, please e-mail me.
Grimoire: Good, you got that out of the way. Now, let's start chapter 20!
KKC: *groans and stuffs pillow over her head* Can't I take a break, oh slave-driver?
Grimoire: Take a break?! Did Shakespeare take breaks? Did Edgar Allen Poe? Mark Twain? I think not!
KKC: That's nice... they all worked themselves to death.
Grimoire: They are still great writers, and as such, are respected for their great pieces of literature-
KKC: *muffled* And they're all dead...
Grimoire: *Ignoring KKC* They have risen above the other, mediocre writers to-
KKC: Doesn't change the fact that they're dead...
Grimoire: And as such, will carve their names into the ANNALS OF HISTORY! *strike a pose!*
KKC: As a bunch of dead guys...
Grimoire: -_-* She will never learn. But fear not, dear readers! I, Grimoire, will coax her into writing her puny, pathetic fanfiction.
KKC: HEY! I HEARD THAT!!
Grimoire: *dodges pillow thrown by KKC* Until then, please review. It seems to make her want to put more effort in, and makes her feel better about not getting paid for doing this. Ciao!
Narrator Dude: *V/O* Has the den already been plundered by others? Why the heck are they riding a whale? And, most importantly... Will they ever have anything to eat besides instant Ramen noodles?! Find out next chapter in... *cue dramatic music* Cumulus Academy! Read and review!
Quote of the week: "Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies." -Haley
KKC: . . . I really expected more reviews for chapter 18, but oh well. One review is better than nothing, even if the reviewer is totally lost when it comes to the plot. Heck, do I even have a plot?
Grimoire: What did I tell you about those who read but never review?
KKC: Its just common courtesy to review, though!
Grimoire: Hmph! In MY day we never let our children become as rude as you guys are today! If they talked back to us, we'd beat them until they were black and blue! And then we'd-
KKC: *sighs* Grim, quiet.
Grimoire: *still going on about punishment way back (I mean WAY back) in his day* and then we'd feed them to the Nile Crocs, but before that the little brats would be doused in sheep's blood to make the crocs hungry...
KKC: *waves* I'm starting the nineteenth chapter now. You can stop, Grim.
Grimoire: And after the crocs, we'd make them walk to school in the snow, five miles each way, and uphill BOTH ways! Hah! That taught 'em!
KKC: -_-* . . . ever get the feeling you're being ignored?
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Shishiwakamaru stood outside on the dock, waiting with Rogerik and Yusuke, until the girls and Kurama paid for the boat. Finally, Kuwabara putted up in a tiny motorboat, barely big enough the fit nine human-sized companions, much less all their luggage, Bones, Kyuro, and the fox-kit Kurama. "W-we're traveling in that little dinghy?!" Yusuke asked through chattering teeth. Kazuma grinned and cut the motor, then tossed the rope to his skeleton dog, who caught it and looped the rope around one of the dock's posts. "Only part of the way," He replied, "Lyra, Lark, and Holly arranged for someone else to pick us up once we get out into the deeper water."
"That's very reassuring, Kuwabara. And how much, exactly, are we paying for the transportation?" Shishiwakamaru asked. Kuwabara shrugged. "I dunno. I think that Lyra said it was pretty much free."
"Well, you get what you pay for..." Rogerik muttered, eye twitching. Yusuke looked at the chilly December water, then the run-down little boat, then back at the dark ocean, white snowflakes sharply contrasting against the nearly black water. "Er... flying sounds like a pretty good idea right about now..."
"Come on, Hiei. Cheer up! Its not that bad." Holly floated a little over the demon's head, her bag and Kyuro carefully balanced on her broomstick. Hiei gave her one of his patent death glares and "hn"-ed. Obviously, he wasn't too happy with the accommodations. Yusuke leaned over the side, hand trailing in the water. "How much farther do we need to go, Lyra?" The raven- haired girl blinked, then searched through her messenger bag for a map, which she unfolded and spread out in the boat, not caring if Shishiwakamaru or Rogerik rather didn't want to be used as a table. "Well, we're here," she said, tapping her finger on a square just a little off from the academy itself, then tapped a region less than a half-inch from their location. "- and we're being picked up here. I'd say... we're just about five minutes away."
"'bout time, I hate boats." The Japanese teen mumbled, then pulled his quickly pulled his hand back in. "What the hell?! There's something under us!"
"No way. There's nothing around for miles-" Kuwabara said, looking into the murky sea water from his position by the rudder. All of a sudden, the water buckled and the tiny boat lurched, flipping over and nearly dispersing its passengers and luggage into the sea. With a gust of wind, Jin suspended his companions and their bags in the air, then he floated down towards the wild waves to get a better view. "Jin! Turn off the motor!" Lark shouted, pointing to the boat, propellers wildly thrashing in the dark water. "Okay, okay! Got it..!" Jin flipped upside down and cut the engine, causing the propellers on the boat to screech to a halt.
"Well, we're screwed." Hiei darkly muttered, glaring at the rubbery material that emerged above the surface of the water. Holly floated down closer on her broomstick to the strange piece of land, and was immediately sprayed in the face by a stream of salt water and mist. The witch and familiar both screeched and Holly wheeled her broom away, wiping her face as she did so, cursing and screaming obscenities. Lark fought her way down from her mid-air perch and ran over to a hole about the size of a baseball in the "ground", kneeling down as she did do. After a few seconds, she stood back up and grinned at her companions. "Its alright!" she yelled over to them, "It's just our ride to the den!"
"Wha?" Jin lowered himself onto the strange surface, poking the rubbery, flesh-like floor underneath him. "What is it?"
"It's a Sealord!" Lyra answered, a small giggle escaping her lips as she landed on the thing and bounced a few inches before settling down. Shishi glared at her. "A what?"
"A Sealord! We managed to convince one to transport us!"
" I know that! But what the hell is a Sealord?!"
"Hm? You don't know what one is?"
"I wouldn't be asking the question if I did, now, would I?" The samurai growled, arms crossed. Lyra sighed and answered, "Where did you grow up? Never mind. A Sealord is a giant whale, about three-hundred feet long." Lyra pointed about forty feet from where they were standing and explained, "That should be where the head is, I guess... so the fluke is... waaaay down there." Yusuke raised an eyebrow and sarcastically replied, "Well, that's specific..."
"Enough out of you, Yusuke. If you want to talk, go apologize to the Sealord for cutting him with our boat motor."
"But why me?!"
"'Cause I said so. Go. March, soldier, march!" Lark pointed towards the head, which was submerged in water. Yusuke grumbled and grit his teeth, but stomped into the knee-deep water anyways.
"Hey." He greeted, not really expecting an answer. The giant whale did reply though, in the form of a giant wave, which crashed over the boy and almost tore him off into the freezing ocean. Yusuke gripped onto the thick flesh and held on, trying not to look at the three huge eyes glowing from underneath the water. Jin floated down, surveying the scene with curiosity. "Want any help, Urameshi?" The demon asked, lending Yusuke a hand so he could clamber back up on the angry whale. "Sure..." Yusuke muttered, grabbing onto Jin's wrist, and then climbing back up. Glaring at the monstrous creature underneath him, Yusuke kicked the whale's giant back and yelled, "Stupid, ungrateful fish! Try anything and I'll shoot my spirit gun up your a-"
"YUSUKE! STOP FOOLING AROUND WITH THE POOR CREATURE AND HELP STEADY THESE BAGS!" Holly shouted across the fifty or so feet that separated the group. "P-poor creature? Did you see what that fish did to me?!" He yelled back, walking over to the rest of his companions. "Um... it's a mammal." Kuwabara corrected. Yusuke incredulously looked at his friend, who was sitting down with Bones' head on his lap. "I don't care if it's a frickin' oversized otter. Taking a whale to a dragon's lair is still a stupid idea."
"Stupid idea or not, its free; which is pretty much all we can afford." Lyra sighed, and unzipped one of her bags, puling out a few blankets. Next was a portable grill, which was unfolded and set up a few feet away. Lark dug into another large duffel bag and retrieved a small can of gas for the grill, a pot, and a few packages of instant Ramen noodles. "Dinner." She said, tossing the objects to Rogerik, who was tinkering with the grill. Kurama took one look at the grill and instant food, and sniffed, showing his obvious displeasure. "I can agree with you there, Kurama." Rogerik flinched as the gas grill flared to life, then filled up the pot with bottled spring water. "But at least its better than Holly's cooking..."
"I heard that..." Holly hissed. Rogerik gulped and turned around to look at the severely pissed and murderous wind witch. "This is going to be a long trip..."
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Day 1
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It took Shishiwakamaru a few minutes to adjust to the blinding light. Groaning, he pulled off the thermal blanket he had been using, immediately shivering in the chilly temperature. Grumbling, he pulled the blanket around him like a cloak and blindly stumbled to the small gas grill they had used to cook last night. Instant Ramen noodle containers littered the area, and a few were dangerously close to dropping into the gray ocean, which reflected the overcast sky above. It was a wonder they hadn't frozen during the night, even with the heat-storing blankets and grill.
Each of his companions was buried under a small heap of snow, looking more like a cluster of drifts than living things. Shishi searched through his duffel bag and pulled out a hairbrush. Sighing, he unbound his hair from its loose ponytail and brushed through it quickly, tying it back up before the others could awaken. He turned one of the knobs on the grill, coaxing a small bluish flame. Looking through the food bag, the samurai managed to find something to his tastes and started to heat up the beef-flavored ramen noodles. Remembering that the others would wake up soon, probably starving too, he did another check through the bag for any more noodles. Pulling out a container of chicken-flavored Ramen, he tossed that in with his own breakfast, stirring the pot occasionally.
"Hm... should I call it Bicken or Cheef..." he mumbled to himself, staring out at the vast, endless ocean while he stirred the noodles. At the smell of food, however, most of the familiars, Kurama included, started to wake up. The former human shook the snow off his back, snuck out from his position curled around Lyra's head, and trotted over to the grill and sat by the samurai, enjoying the serene quiet while he could. The two both nodded a polite good morning, and Shishi ladled some of the Ramen into a small bowl for the fox. Kyuro walked over, stretching his tiny black body like a contortionist, and settled by the grill. "What's for breakfast?" the familiar mumbled, then yawned widely, showing off his perfect little razor- sharp fangs.
"Ramen, Bicken flavor." Shishi replied, sliding another bowl of noodles to the cat. Kyuro daintily sniffed the broth, then lapped some up, savoring the taste. "Not bad... didn't know you could cook." The samurai tossed an empty container at Kyuro and it landed on the familiar's head, covering his slitted, green eyes. The black cat hissed and pulled the plastic cup off, then read the side. "Oh, instructions... what do you want dog?" Kyuro glared at Bones, whose green orbs were dimly glowing. The skeleton clacked his jaws a few times and yawned, his lower mandible almost popping off, before lying back down, his head draped on Shishi's lap. "Dogs..." Kyuro muttered under his breath.
"I still don't believe you when you say this thing is three hundred feet long." Yusuke told Lyra, slurping his noodles at the same time. The older Admarant sister uncrossed her legs and stood up. "Guess I'll have to prove it then." She replied, then walked down towards the Sealord's head. The rest of the group watched as she seemed to talk with the whale, and jumped in alarm as the monstrous mammal rumbled from deep within its throat, making everything shake like they were in some minor earthquake. From far off in the distance, a giant fluke lifted up from underneath the water and waved a around for a minute before crashing back down into the ocean. Yusuke just blinked and turned back to the smug Lyra, who was finishing her instant breakfast. "O-kay... so it ~is~ that big." Jin floated up high in the air, shading his eyes with his hand. "Actually," he called down, "It's bigger than she said." Kuwabara shuddered at the thought. "Glad it's on our side."
Nothing much had gone on during the afternoon, and Jin sighed, then flopped on his back, arms crossed behind his head, to watch the clouds. He had though that this trip would be a vacation, but the teachers had loaded the students with homework. Suzuka had been so callous as to assign them each a ten-page essay on what they did during the trip, surely as revenge for tricking Shishiwakamaru into traveling with them instead of helping the inventor correct test papers. In his mind, Jin thought about what he would write. "Day one: Boredom struck today, leaving a devastating path in its wake..."
"HI!" Jin jumped, looking around for the source of the voice. He must've fallen asleep, as the sun was setting and a chilly breeze whipped over the waves. The stars were starting to come out, and behind him, he could hear the others chatting over the warm grill/fire. "Jin, dinner." Holly levitated on her broom, right above the demon's head, smiling. "Don't do that, okay?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his blue eyes. Yawning, he stretched and got up. "What's for dinner?" he asked, dreading the answer. Holly sighed and floated lower on her broom. "Ramen..."
"Again?"
"Yep. Vegetarian style."
"For crissakes, didn't anyone think to bring a fishing rod or something besides instant noodles?" he muttered, hands in his jean pockets.
"Nope, we're kinda strapped for cash..."
"Hence the reason we're hitch-hiking on a giant whale."
"Yep... Kind of depressing, huh?" Holly shifted her weight on the weather- beaten broomstick and played with a loose strand of her reddish-brown hair. Jin shrugged and walked over to where his roommates were clustered around the warm blaze, over his shoulder, he said to the witch, "Better than starvin' I guess."
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Day 2
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Rogerik wearily opened his eyes, and confusedly looked up at the clear blue sky, too lazy to sit up or pull off the warm fleece blanket wrapped snugly around him. As he became more aware of his surroundings, the only thoughts that came to him were, 'Where am I? Why am I in someone else's yard..?' and, more importantly, 'What's for breakfast?' Suddenly, a dark silhouette blocked out the sun, her dark hair hanging down in front of her face. "Morning!" Lark chirruped, and Rogerik fully woke up from his sleep-induced stupor.
The blonde rogue quickly sat up, so fast that Lark didn't have time to move her face and his forehead collided with her chin. "Owww... Good morning to you, too..." She muttered, trying to block out the throbbing pain that the blonde's thick skull had caused. Rogerik wasn't much better off, and started to dig through his backpack for a bottle of Ibuprofen. Unscrewing the child-proof cap, he tapped a pill into his palm and swallowed, gagging a bit since he didn't have any water to wash it down with. "May I ask you why you got me up so early, Lark?" he grumbled, and the younger girl smiled, trying to scuttle away as she did so.
"Er...nothing much. But I think you should have a look at this." She pulled a pair of binoculars from her messenger bag and handed them to Rogerik. He snatched them from her grasp and scanned to horizon. "See what? It's all water, Lark." Lark sighed and forcibly turned her roommate's head over to the far left. "So? Its Misery island. Congratulations; you've just won a romantic weekend for two on dreamy Misery island, one of the most mosquito- ridden patches of land North of the equator- Eh? What's that?" the psychic student adjusted the binoculars and squinted, just barely making out a tall, thin tower hidden behind the tree-line. As the whale made its lethargic way closer, he recognized the spinning rotors and small generator. "Well, it's a windmill... probably used to generate electricity."
"Yeah, there are more of them, too. They're spread all around the den."
"That doesn't make any sense! This area is supposed to be uninhabited, and as such, wouldn't have wind-generated electricity running through it." Rogerik brought the binoculars up to his eyes again and took a long look at the many windmills spread in a circle around where the so-called "den" would be located.
"Do you think someone got there first?"
"Got where?"
"To the den. You don't think someone else has already raided the dragon's hoard, do you?" Rogerik handed the binoculars back to Lark and sadly shook his head. "To tell the truth, I have no idea."
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KKC: *sighs* I'm still taking requests for reader-created characters to appear in the story. My only real rules are that 1) the character has to be unique and original, and 2) I can't guarantee pairings with characters such as Shishiwakamaru and Hiei. Original characters like Lyonell and Farida are perfectly fine. If you're confused and want to ask me further about the subject, please e-mail me.
Grimoire: Good, you got that out of the way. Now, let's start chapter 20!
KKC: *groans and stuffs pillow over her head* Can't I take a break, oh slave-driver?
Grimoire: Take a break?! Did Shakespeare take breaks? Did Edgar Allen Poe? Mark Twain? I think not!
KKC: That's nice... they all worked themselves to death.
Grimoire: They are still great writers, and as such, are respected for their great pieces of literature-
KKC: *muffled* And they're all dead...
Grimoire: *Ignoring KKC* They have risen above the other, mediocre writers to-
KKC: Doesn't change the fact that they're dead...
Grimoire: And as such, will carve their names into the ANNALS OF HISTORY! *strike a pose!*
KKC: As a bunch of dead guys...
Grimoire: -_-* She will never learn. But fear not, dear readers! I, Grimoire, will coax her into writing her puny, pathetic fanfiction.
KKC: HEY! I HEARD THAT!!
Grimoire: *dodges pillow thrown by KKC* Until then, please review. It seems to make her want to put more effort in, and makes her feel better about not getting paid for doing this. Ciao!
Narrator Dude: *V/O* Has the den already been plundered by others? Why the heck are they riding a whale? And, most importantly... Will they ever have anything to eat besides instant Ramen noodles?! Find out next chapter in... *cue dramatic music* Cumulus Academy! Read and review!