Chapter: 8- Shopping and getting ready for the dance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had just finished brushing out my hair and French braiding it when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Shinta, are you ready?" Botan's voice said through the door.

"Yes. I'll be there in a minute," I called, getting up and grabbing my purse. I put on my regular tennis shoes and walked out the door to meet Botan. She was wearing long jeans pants and a blue spaghetti strap shirt with a blue jeans jacket over it.

"Ready to go shopping?" she asked, practically jumping up and down at the prospect of going shopping.

"Err...ya, as ready as I'll ever be I guess," I said in an unsure tone. I had a slight feeling that Botan took the saying of "shop till ya drop" to a new level. And with how my friend used to be, I gotta say, that's a dangerous level. Botan quickly took my wrist and all but dragged me down the stairs to where Yukina, and Keiko joined us. Keiko was wearing a short pink skirt with a white short sleeved shirt with a red heart on it with "Love" below the heart. Yukina wasn't wearing her normal Kimono, most likely because we where going into town. She wore a white shirt with an ice blue heart in the middle of it that sparkled in the sunlight from the near by window next to the door. Her pants where white khaki's, but she wore her normal sandals. Keiko, Botan, and Yukina all had there hair in the normal fashion. Then I noticed another girl I had met about two weeks after I had started staying at Genkai temple, Shizuru. She had on her usual outfit with her hair down.

"Hey kiddo, nice to see you again," She told me, lighting a cigarette.

"Hay Shizuru. Hi Keiko. Konichiwa Yukina," I said happily. We all headed down to the car. Botan was about to get in the drivers seat of the car before Shizuru interrupted.

"Ah, Botan maybe I should drive?" Botan looked a bit hurt for a moment but then perked up at the thought of shopping and hopped into the back seat of the red convertible.

About 2 hours of shopping later....

I was looking through a rack of coats but my mind was somewhere else. I was thinking about what Kurama had gotten me, the dozen red roses. Hmmm, what can I get him? Wait, I know! I thought, smiling to myself. But before I could say anything or move from the spot I was in, Botan pulled me over to another rack saying, "I've got the perfect dress for you." She pulled me all the way over to a rack with nothing but pink dresses. She pulled out a soft pink dress.

"How do you like it?" Botan asked.

"It's pink," I said, not taking my eyes off it.

"So?" She replied.

"It's nice Botan but..." It's pink a voice said in the back of my head. "But, I don't think that's quite what I'm looking for. But thanks anyway. Hey Botan, I'm going to a shop I saw earlier. I'll be back later!" I called, running off before she could protest.

4 painfully slow hours of shopping later....

I stepped out of the car. It had been 6 hours of shopping total, and I'm not saying I enjoyed it much either, but the ride back had cured all worries or cares about the fact that my feet hurt beyond all reason. I took my three bags out of the car and walked up the stairs with Shizuru, Botan, Yukina, and Keiko whom all carried about two bags with the exception of Botan whom had about four. (') I ran to my room and set down 2 of the 3 bags I had. I slipped the 3rd under my bed. and set the other two in my closet. I then walked back downstairs. Keiko was about to walk up to me when Yusuke made a comment that he shouldn't have.

"Hey Keiko, how did you manage to only buy two bags? Usually you buy about 6." I stepped back from Yusuke, whom was behind me.

"Yusu...ke!"

SLAP!

"JERK!" She yelled and stomped back to her room. I walked over to Yusuke and smiled, shaking my head. Honestly, I am in debt to his father but this is sad. I thought to myself. Yusuke sat up and held his reddened cheek. I walked away, deciding to freshen up a bit before dinner. I walked up to my room, followed by Yusuke. I opened my door but before I went in I said "Hey Yusuke, #1 You might want to put ice on that so it's not black and blue at the dance, and #2 You might also want to give Keiko those chocolate's you have in you room that you got for her." I didn't know how I even knew he had them in his room but I had a feeling that it had something to do with my past life as a kitsune. Yusuke smirked, not noticing that I couldn't have known about the chocolate in his room.

"Thanks." he said, the edge back in his voice.

I muttered a "You're welcome," and entered my room for a hot bath.

My ears twitched as the hot water tickled my skin. I inhaled slowly then exhaled in the same way, completely relaxing. I closed my eyes and saw an image of Kurama being tortured by a guy named...Karasu? How did I know that? I sat straight up and gasped, inhaling and exhaling sharply as I saw Karasu (Lore: Hit on Kurama? F.K.: No, but it would give you just as much a scare.) torturing Kurama with invisible bombs. They were hitting him all over his body! So much blood... Was this what Genkai meant? Was this my ability? Whatever had caused it, I didn't like it. Kurama's helpless screams where bad enough, but the (Gay wod) Dude torturing him.... I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and tried to relax again but soon gave up. I washed my hair, ears, tail, and everything else, got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around me, and sighed.

What was that?.....

2 min. earlier in Kurama's room....

Kurama had shot straight out of his bed, breathing heavily. At least he hadn't screamed this time, not that the dream didn't seem any more real then when he had first had it. Lucky for him the nightmare only came around about once a month now, the ones with Karasu in it. He had defeated him yes, and he was no longer scared at the thought of him, the Yoko inside of him wouldn't allow it, but the dream was terrible, as all nightmares are. It was like he had felt the first time one of the bombs had hit him, the first time the feeling of desperation had hit him, like the first time that (Perverted !#$#$&$&$# Tara: Wow I never knew you had such colorful lang.) 'b-----' Yoko supplied. 'Agreed' Shuichi nodded and continued his train of thought. The first time that (Yoko's word) had touched his hair and noted that it was beautiful and silky. Kurama mentally and physically shook the thoughts from his head and noticed he had been sweating and decided to walk up to his room and change, not to mention take a bath.

On the way up, Kurama heard Shinta from her room. It was a soft tune and Kurama could probably relate to the lyrics, but it was her voice that stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm 15 for a moment caught in between 10 and 20, and I'm just dream'n', counting the ways to where you are. I'm 22 for a moment and he feels better than ever. (I don't own this song and changed some of the words to fit the fact that a girl is singing it instead of a guy, and that this is Yu-Yu-Hakusho.) and we're on fire makin our way back from Makai. 15 there's still time for you, time to buy and time to loose yourself. 15 there's never a wish better than this, when you've only got a hundred years ta live."

She stopped there and seemed to be moving around the room just humming it. Kurama shook himself from the trance he was in and walked the rest of the way back to his room. (He was on the couch by the way.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, you people will kill me for not updating for so long, but hey, I did put two chapters in one. Okay, next time I will most likely get to the dance.