Hey everybody! Sorry I took a few days to update, but a lot has been going on lately. May is the last month of school at my school, and I've had a lot of end-of-the-year-stuff to deal with. My Musical Theatre class is doing a play called "School House Rock Live!" this week. You know School House Rock, right. Conjunction Junction, and Interplanet Janet, and Interjections? Well if you haven't seen any of them...then...wow. Anyway, we performed for our parents Thursday night and for the school during the day on Friday, and we've had dress-rehearsals almost every day this week. I even got out of school on Monday to go perform for a couple elementary schools all day! By the way, the co-writer of this story, Kitsune no Kami was also in the performance, neat huh? Oh, and yes, in the story today is Saturday and in Japan, everyone goes to work and school on Saturday. Sucks, doesn't it? Anyway, enough of my ramblings on...ON WITH THE FIC!!!
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Kairi sat quietly at the back of the bus. After her little 'stunt,' Sazume had argued with her all night until she promised to take the city bus to school like a civilized person. It was a little past four now and, after having spend the day meeting all her new professors at the college, Kairi was on her way to the book store to get all the text books she would need for her various classes. She was surprised when a boy she recognized entered the bus at the next stop and took a seat next to her.
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Kurama was waiting patiently at the bus stop. He had wanted to stop by the book store on his way home to see if they had anything new, he'd read just about every other book there already. On most days, he would have walked, but storm clouds had gathered in the sky and the scent of rain was in the air. He had changed his mind in favor of the bus as oppose to walking and being rained on when he was only half way there.
The bus pulled up just as a fork of lightning flashed overhead and Kurama felt a drop of water land on his hand as he stepped inside the bus. Sure enough, no sooner had the bus' door closed, did it start to rain, hard. Kurama turned, ignoring the thunderclaps and the constant tap of the rain on the exterior of the bus that so fascinated the younger children all around him. He could only see one empty spot, and his eyes widened in shock when he caught sight of the girl sitting next to it.
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Kairi didn't look up as the red head Kuwabara had introduced as Shuichi took a seat next to her. She thought back to what Kuwabara had said, how he had been teasing him over blushing...blushing at her. But that couldn't be right. Ferret-face must have been mistaken! Right?
Kairi spared a glance out of the corner of her eye at the boy next to her. He was looking away, staring out the window. She turned her gaze back for the floor. Normally, she would never associate with anyone on the bus, but for some reason she felt attracted to this boy, no in a romantic way so much as a magnetic way. A way that made her feel comfortable just by sitting here next to him saying nothing.
But despite that, the silence had to end. It was becoming awkward and it needed to stop. Kairi tried to think of something to start a conversation with, but drew a blank. She had always made it a point to be very antisocial, and now she didn't know how she could start a friendly conversation without sounding intrusive or offending him. After some time, she took a deep breath and just said the first thing that came to mind.
"So...it was Shuichi, right?"
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Kurama stiffened slightly. Had she been talking to him? Well, he reasoned, what other 'Shuichi' does she know? He turned slightly and once again found himself fighting a blush as he stared into her crystal blue eyes. As he looked, however, he found they weren't as bright as he once thought they were, certainly not as bright as her sister's eyes. No, Kairi's eyes were dulled by sorrow and pain. He stared for a long time...to long. He suddenly realized he must be making her uncomfortable and turned back to the window.
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Shuichi tuned at Kairi's question. He stared into her eyes for a long time...to long. The silence was becoming awkward again, made even more so this time due to his staring. He seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and quickly turned away, staring out the window once more.
"Yes, Shuichi, that's right," he confirmed, still not looking at her.
"Remember me? From yesterday in the park?" she questioned.
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'Remember you? I couldn't forget if I tried...and I have tried," Kurama thought at her ridiculous question.
"I remember you. Kairi, right?" is what he said, turning slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Try as he might he still couldn't deny his original thought; the thought that she was...beautiful.
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Kairi nodded as he said her name, seeing him turn to look at her once more. She had been too embarrassed by Kuwabara's actions yesterday to take a good look at Shuichi, but now she did. He was quite handsome. Long red hair, bright emerald eyes... She mentally slapped herself. What was she doing?!?! She was letting herself become more and more attracted to this boy, and not in a magnetic sense. How could she even think of such a thing!?!? After he mother's death, she had promised not to lose anyone else, not to let anyone get close. Acting this way towards this boy...she was only setting herself up to be hurt once more.
"Where are you going on such a rainy afternoon?" Shuichi asked. Kairi blinked, yanked from her thoughts, and found herself staring into those bright emerald eyes of his. She swallowed in surprise, fighting off a blush. She wouldn't give in, she couldn't! She simply refused to subject herself to the kind of pain involved in getting close to someone, not again.
"The book store," she answered simply, trying but finding herself unable to break his gaze and look down.
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Kurama held her gaze, hiding his shock at the answer. He was beginning to think that maybe all the times he'd seen this girl weren't merely coincidence after all. Wasn't there an old saying that said running across someone three times was fate, not coincidence? What number time was this? There was her jump over the street yesterday, and then again in the park, and now...that made three times!
'Don't be stupid. That's just a silly superstition,' a voice in the back of his head scolded him for his irrational thoughts.
Of course he had to agree. That was a ridiculous notion. How could he even consider it? Then again, this girl had been making him think a lot of strange things lately.
"The book store? What a coincidence, that's were I was heading," he said, forcing a smile.
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Kairi stared in wide-eyed shock. She wasn't sure she liked this anymore. Now she would almost certainly be forced to remain in his company once they reached the book store, simply out of courtesy. She wasn't good at this, socializing that is. She had always kept her distance from everyone. The truth was, Kuwabara wasn't her only friend because she couldn't make any other ones, it was because she didn't want any other ones. Friendship leads to closeness, and closeness leads to pain. That was all there was to it. Right?
The bus pulled to a halt, the wheels squealing as the brakes dragged them to a stop. The sudden sound and absence of movement released Kairi from her thoughts and she blinked around her, wondering where they were.
"This is our stop," Shuichi informed her, standing up.
'Great,' she thought, also standing up.
They stepped off the bus and into the rain that was now falling fast in large, icy drops. The both of them hurried to the door of the book store, trying to avoid becoming completely soaked. Shuichi reached the door first, and politely held it opened for Kairi. Kairi dashed inside and he quickly followed.
The book store was all but empty. Most of the people that were sitting in the various chairs or at one of the numerous tables were simply waiting for the rain to cease. Kairi shook her head, sending a spray of water in every direction. She then proceeded to the text book section, hoping that Shuichi would go his separate way and that would be that.
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Kurama stood in the book store's entrance, waiting to see where Kairi would go so he would know what section of the store to avoid. To be honest, he was just as anxious to part company with her as she was with him. She made him feel strange, new, and confusing things...and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. She started off for the text book section, and Kurama breathed a sigh of relief. He had no reason to go over there. He was about to start out for the fiction section when a voice behind him stopped him.
"Hey! Kurama! There you are. I've been looking all over for you!"
Kurama turned to see a dripping Yusuke standing before him.
"Yusuke?" Kurama asked, wondering why the rowdy spirit detective had been looking for him. Before he could say anything else, however, Yusuke grabbed him and steered him into a deserted area at the back of the store. Once he was sure they were alone, he turned back to Kurama.
"Yusuke, what is it?" Kurama asked.
"Botan found some more information about Nightmare," Yusuke explained in a whisper.
"And?" Kurama prompted him to continue.
"They think that Nightmare is going to capture their next victim soon. Like, 'by the end of the week' soon," Yusuke said.
"Why do they think that?" Kurama wondered.
"Botan said that they've been preparing their system to add new data, data that can only come from new experiments," Yusuke answered.
"Anything else?" Kurama asked, wanting to be as prepaired as possible when these 'Nightmare demons' did show up.
"Yeah, one more thing. All the demons working for Nightmare have a tattoo of a skull somewhere on them. That's all we know," Yusuke finished.
"What are we planning to do then?" Kurama asked. Yusuke's plans were always...unique, and Kurama was curious to know what plan of action he had.
"Well, for now, I think the only thing we can do is keep a good watch out for any suspicious activity. Hiei agreed to take the first patrol. To be honest though," Yusuke added, lowering his voice slightly, "I think he just wanted to do it so he'd have an excuse to decapitate the first demon he came across. This whole thing has got him all worked up for some reason. Any idea why?"
Kurama shook his head. "None."
Yusuke shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter, I guess. Hey, by the way," now Yusuke let an evil grin spread across his face, "who was that girl you walked in with?"
"Don't know her," Kurama said quickly...too quickly. Damn! Yusuke would know he was lying for sure.
Yusuke laughed. "You sly dog...or should I say fox?"
"Yusuke, I can assure you that-"
"Nothing is going on? Yeah right!" Yusuke interrupted. "I saw the way you reacted when I mentioned her. Just admit it, you like her, don't you?"
"No!" Kurama protested. He was getting fed up with being teased by everyone, especially considering that he wasn't even sure if they were right or not.
Yusuke opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a crash and a scream from the text book section.
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Kairi sat quietly at the back of the bus. After her little 'stunt,' Sazume had argued with her all night until she promised to take the city bus to school like a civilized person. It was a little past four now and, after having spend the day meeting all her new professors at the college, Kairi was on her way to the book store to get all the text books she would need for her various classes. She was surprised when a boy she recognized entered the bus at the next stop and took a seat next to her.
------------------
Kurama was waiting patiently at the bus stop. He had wanted to stop by the book store on his way home to see if they had anything new, he'd read just about every other book there already. On most days, he would have walked, but storm clouds had gathered in the sky and the scent of rain was in the air. He had changed his mind in favor of the bus as oppose to walking and being rained on when he was only half way there.
The bus pulled up just as a fork of lightning flashed overhead and Kurama felt a drop of water land on his hand as he stepped inside the bus. Sure enough, no sooner had the bus' door closed, did it start to rain, hard. Kurama turned, ignoring the thunderclaps and the constant tap of the rain on the exterior of the bus that so fascinated the younger children all around him. He could only see one empty spot, and his eyes widened in shock when he caught sight of the girl sitting next to it.
------------------
Kairi didn't look up as the red head Kuwabara had introduced as Shuichi took a seat next to her. She thought back to what Kuwabara had said, how he had been teasing him over blushing...blushing at her. But that couldn't be right. Ferret-face must have been mistaken! Right?
Kairi spared a glance out of the corner of her eye at the boy next to her. He was looking away, staring out the window. She turned her gaze back for the floor. Normally, she would never associate with anyone on the bus, but for some reason she felt attracted to this boy, no in a romantic way so much as a magnetic way. A way that made her feel comfortable just by sitting here next to him saying nothing.
But despite that, the silence had to end. It was becoming awkward and it needed to stop. Kairi tried to think of something to start a conversation with, but drew a blank. She had always made it a point to be very antisocial, and now she didn't know how she could start a friendly conversation without sounding intrusive or offending him. After some time, she took a deep breath and just said the first thing that came to mind.
"So...it was Shuichi, right?"
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Kurama stiffened slightly. Had she been talking to him? Well, he reasoned, what other 'Shuichi' does she know? He turned slightly and once again found himself fighting a blush as he stared into her crystal blue eyes. As he looked, however, he found they weren't as bright as he once thought they were, certainly not as bright as her sister's eyes. No, Kairi's eyes were dulled by sorrow and pain. He stared for a long time...to long. He suddenly realized he must be making her uncomfortable and turned back to the window.
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Shuichi tuned at Kairi's question. He stared into her eyes for a long time...to long. The silence was becoming awkward again, made even more so this time due to his staring. He seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and quickly turned away, staring out the window once more.
"Yes, Shuichi, that's right," he confirmed, still not looking at her.
"Remember me? From yesterday in the park?" she questioned.
------------------
'Remember you? I couldn't forget if I tried...and I have tried," Kurama thought at her ridiculous question.
"I remember you. Kairi, right?" is what he said, turning slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Try as he might he still couldn't deny his original thought; the thought that she was...beautiful.
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Kairi nodded as he said her name, seeing him turn to look at her once more. She had been too embarrassed by Kuwabara's actions yesterday to take a good look at Shuichi, but now she did. He was quite handsome. Long red hair, bright emerald eyes... She mentally slapped herself. What was she doing?!?! She was letting herself become more and more attracted to this boy, and not in a magnetic sense. How could she even think of such a thing!?!? After he mother's death, she had promised not to lose anyone else, not to let anyone get close. Acting this way towards this boy...she was only setting herself up to be hurt once more.
"Where are you going on such a rainy afternoon?" Shuichi asked. Kairi blinked, yanked from her thoughts, and found herself staring into those bright emerald eyes of his. She swallowed in surprise, fighting off a blush. She wouldn't give in, she couldn't! She simply refused to subject herself to the kind of pain involved in getting close to someone, not again.
"The book store," she answered simply, trying but finding herself unable to break his gaze and look down.
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Kurama held her gaze, hiding his shock at the answer. He was beginning to think that maybe all the times he'd seen this girl weren't merely coincidence after all. Wasn't there an old saying that said running across someone three times was fate, not coincidence? What number time was this? There was her jump over the street yesterday, and then again in the park, and now...that made three times!
'Don't be stupid. That's just a silly superstition,' a voice in the back of his head scolded him for his irrational thoughts.
Of course he had to agree. That was a ridiculous notion. How could he even consider it? Then again, this girl had been making him think a lot of strange things lately.
"The book store? What a coincidence, that's were I was heading," he said, forcing a smile.
----------------
Kairi stared in wide-eyed shock. She wasn't sure she liked this anymore. Now she would almost certainly be forced to remain in his company once they reached the book store, simply out of courtesy. She wasn't good at this, socializing that is. She had always kept her distance from everyone. The truth was, Kuwabara wasn't her only friend because she couldn't make any other ones, it was because she didn't want any other ones. Friendship leads to closeness, and closeness leads to pain. That was all there was to it. Right?
The bus pulled to a halt, the wheels squealing as the brakes dragged them to a stop. The sudden sound and absence of movement released Kairi from her thoughts and she blinked around her, wondering where they were.
"This is our stop," Shuichi informed her, standing up.
'Great,' she thought, also standing up.
They stepped off the bus and into the rain that was now falling fast in large, icy drops. The both of them hurried to the door of the book store, trying to avoid becoming completely soaked. Shuichi reached the door first, and politely held it opened for Kairi. Kairi dashed inside and he quickly followed.
The book store was all but empty. Most of the people that were sitting in the various chairs or at one of the numerous tables were simply waiting for the rain to cease. Kairi shook her head, sending a spray of water in every direction. She then proceeded to the text book section, hoping that Shuichi would go his separate way and that would be that.
----------------
Kurama stood in the book store's entrance, waiting to see where Kairi would go so he would know what section of the store to avoid. To be honest, he was just as anxious to part company with her as she was with him. She made him feel strange, new, and confusing things...and he wasn't entirely sure he liked it. She started off for the text book section, and Kurama breathed a sigh of relief. He had no reason to go over there. He was about to start out for the fiction section when a voice behind him stopped him.
"Hey! Kurama! There you are. I've been looking all over for you!"
Kurama turned to see a dripping Yusuke standing before him.
"Yusuke?" Kurama asked, wondering why the rowdy spirit detective had been looking for him. Before he could say anything else, however, Yusuke grabbed him and steered him into a deserted area at the back of the store. Once he was sure they were alone, he turned back to Kurama.
"Yusuke, what is it?" Kurama asked.
"Botan found some more information about Nightmare," Yusuke explained in a whisper.
"And?" Kurama prompted him to continue.
"They think that Nightmare is going to capture their next victim soon. Like, 'by the end of the week' soon," Yusuke said.
"Why do they think that?" Kurama wondered.
"Botan said that they've been preparing their system to add new data, data that can only come from new experiments," Yusuke answered.
"Anything else?" Kurama asked, wanting to be as prepaired as possible when these 'Nightmare demons' did show up.
"Yeah, one more thing. All the demons working for Nightmare have a tattoo of a skull somewhere on them. That's all we know," Yusuke finished.
"What are we planning to do then?" Kurama asked. Yusuke's plans were always...unique, and Kurama was curious to know what plan of action he had.
"Well, for now, I think the only thing we can do is keep a good watch out for any suspicious activity. Hiei agreed to take the first patrol. To be honest though," Yusuke added, lowering his voice slightly, "I think he just wanted to do it so he'd have an excuse to decapitate the first demon he came across. This whole thing has got him all worked up for some reason. Any idea why?"
Kurama shook his head. "None."
Yusuke shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter, I guess. Hey, by the way," now Yusuke let an evil grin spread across his face, "who was that girl you walked in with?"
"Don't know her," Kurama said quickly...too quickly. Damn! Yusuke would know he was lying for sure.
Yusuke laughed. "You sly dog...or should I say fox?"
"Yusuke, I can assure you that-"
"Nothing is going on? Yeah right!" Yusuke interrupted. "I saw the way you reacted when I mentioned her. Just admit it, you like her, don't you?"
"No!" Kurama protested. He was getting fed up with being teased by everyone, especially considering that he wasn't even sure if they were right or not.
Yusuke opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a crash and a scream from the text book section.