Have any of you noticed that I never get a chance to update when I say I will? Sucks, don't it? Sadly, I'm so busy this month that it's not even funny and it'll be a miracle if I live through it (particularly the week of the 13th), so updating for this and any of my other stories will be understandably slow. Bare with me, alright? I'll make up for it during Christmas break, I swear! Alright and now...ON WITH THE FIC!
(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)
As the bus fish-tailed dangerously though a thankfully deserted intersection, Kuwabara, having taken a seat, stared mournfully at his reflection. How could he have gone against his honor code, against everything he believed in? The answer came almost as quick as the question. The game. The game had made them all desperate and on edge; none of them were acting like themselves.
He had cheated of all things, and the others were acting more and more out-of-character by the minute. Hiei had actually agreed to hide from the hunter in the store. Hiei! Hide! Those were definitely two words that should never appear in the same sentence. Kurama was acting strange as well. Usually the voice of reason in the group, he hadn't said so much as a syllable when Yusuke stole the bus and even now, as they broke more traffic laws then you probably even want to think about, the fox turned human didn't even try to protest. Yusuke...Yusuke had stolen a bus. He may be a "street-punk bad-boy," but he would never steal anything more then the occasional bike. Contrary to popular belief at the school, he wasn't the kind to beat anyone up to take something from them. No, Yusuke only kicked their ass if they really pissed him off. It had nothing to do with the "victim's" money or anything like that. Keiko and Neiko were starting to get edgy and irritable as well.
'Let's face it, we're falling apart here. We have to finish this, and soon!' Kuwabara thought as he continued to watch his reflection in the window.
Neiko, noticing the sad look on Kuwabara's face and where he was looking, leaned over and patted his arm saying, "You don't look that bad. Besides, we'll finish the game and have it fixed in no time." Kuwabara smiled slightly, but it quickly turned to a scowl as Hiei grunted.
"It's an improvement if you ask me," he smirked.
"Why you--!" Kuwabara started to stand up, fists raised.
"Enough! Somebody take their stupid turn before I crash this thing already. Let's try to finish before the bugs, or the monkeys, or the lion or any of the other shit that's running amok out there comes back!" Yusuke yelled from the front of the bus.
Neiko sighed. "Fine. It's Hiei's turn." She took the game board from Kuwabara and opened it on her lap, handing the dice out to Hiei. Hiei snatched the dice form her and threw them over the board. They landed on a one and a three, totaling to four. Silently, Hiei's black rhino moved four spaces and stopped. They all held their breaths (with the exception of Hiei, who had closed his eyes) as the smoky words began to appear.
"You're almost there," Keiko read, "with much at stake; but now the ground begins to shake."
"Shit!" Yusuke swore as the bus began to tremble with the force of a powerful earthquake. He turned the wheel wildly back and forth, trying to avoid the objects that had begun to fall into the street.
"Yusuke, stop! It's too dangerous to keep going!" Keiko screamed as a loud crash marked a tree falling onto (or rather through) a car parked nearby. Yusuke nodded to himself and came to a skidding halt in the middle of an empty intersection.
Neiko was the first to see it. With a scream of terror, she attempted to stand only to fall helplessly back into her seat as the earthquake continued shake the bus. However, it appeared that the shaking wasn't coming solely from the earthquake. Just in sight, far down the right-side street of the intersection, was the stampede. (You all remember the stampede right? See ch. 4)
"Urameshi! Hit the gas!" Kuwabara yelled.
Yusuke was about to do just that, when there was a loud BANG! and the right side of the bus sank slightly lower then the left.
"What the--?" Yusuke turned to see the hunter, strolling slowly and casually towards the bus. "Perfect..." He was about to floor it, when a thought stuck him. The earthquake drowned out the sound and feel of the approaching stampede and the hunter couldn't see past the bus...
"Detective!" Hiei growled, the only one still standing in the isle. "What are you waiting for?!"
"Hey! You should be grateful for what I'm about to do!" Yusuke shot back. "The bastard is after you, don't forget!" Hiei blinked at the cryptic response, but decided to wait and see rather then argue.
Yusuke leaned forward in his seat, waiting.
'Gotta time it just right...'
"Urameshi?! What's the hold up?!" Kuwabara cried.
"Come on..." Yusuke muttered under his breath, his own words never reaching his ears as the sounds of the earthquake and the approaching stampede swallowed them.
"Any time now, Yusuke!" Neiko called nervously, watching the stampede draw ever closer.
'Almost there...'
The stampede was less then ten yards away now, and the hunter was closing in as well. He walked coolly towards the bus, wondering what his prey was doing since he couldn't see through the high, tinted windows. He walked with the air of a man who truly believes he has won.
An elephant trumpeted close by. Too close. It was more then enough to start the verbal attack on Yusuke once more.
"Yusuke!" Kurama was the first to call out. He had long ago caught onto Yusuke's plan but now, with the bus crippled due to a flat tire, he feared that the detective had waited too long.
"Please, Yusuke! Go!" Keiko cried in terror, trembling from more then just the shaking of the bus around her.
"Come on Yusuke!" Neiko screamed, grabbing the seat in front of her with one hand and hugging the now closed game board to herself with the other.
"Urameshi!"
"Detective!"
"NOW!" Yusuke suddenly exclaimed, ramming the gas into the floor. Heck, he almost forced it right through the floor! For one terrifying, heart-stopping second, the tires screeched against the pavement without carrying the bus forward. Then, with shocking speed, the bus lurched into motion. Yusuke was hard put to try and keep it moving straight, spinning the wheel frantically as the flat tire caused the bus to swerve left and right wildly. Somehow, they made it out of the intersection.
As the bus shot forward, the hunter was left standing alone in the intersecting, facing the charging animals before him. Let me take this moment to remind you that, while Yusuke and the others can't hurt the beings from the game, those beings, being from the same dimension, can easily hurt each other. Therefore, it is understandable why the hunter's cool and calm attitude turned to absolute horror so quickly that he nearly wet his pants.
"Oh shi--" That is all he got out before he became aware of what a piece of gum stuck to a person's shoe must feel like.