Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't belong to rogueicephoenix.

Chapter 7: Fourteen Minus Eleven Is Three

Paul flipped through a yearbook. Specifically? His kindergarten one. So many of the faces there were familiar. Cuter and chubbier, sure, but still familiar. There was one face that he zoomed in on, though, that would remain that of a kindergartener in Paul's mind. Ker Nalos. One of the Promisers, as he'd come to call the group. Ker. Huh. What had happened to him?

Maybe he'd moved to Los Angeles, where his father had become some sort of indie movie director who'd written and directed hundreds of movies that were every bit as good as LOTR, but never got recognized. They lived in a small apartment and were struggling to survive on ramen, but Ker always found ways to scrounge up enough money for video games.

Or maybe they'd moved to Florida, where Ker had one day visited the Everglades and gotten lost. Maybe he'd then had to figure his way back, though not before being confronted by an alligator and having to fight it off.

Or maybe they'd moved to England, into some weird Victorian-style house that was creepy and haunted and that Ker had invited his new friends over to scare them.

But the most likely scenario was that Ker was simply in the suburbs, enrolled in a beautiful private school for rich kids.

Michelle stared at a picture of a ballerina that was posted on the wall of her very pink room. Such a girly room, but Michelle was used to it. She felt... at home in it.

Plus, that poster reminded her of the craziest kid.

"I want to be a ballerina!"

That statement still cracked her up. Why? Because along with it came the image of a little five-year-old boy twirling around and driving their lunch helpers nuts. Ricardo Garcia... what a character! His habits had been a bit weird, and he hated any of the Power Rangers, etc. that all of the other boys liked. No, Ricardo had played with her, Sarah, Kayko, Yukina, Anastasia, and Arielle when they'd taken out the pastel-colored ponies or the doll house.

But his mother had taken him out of the school when she'd learned that the poor kindergartener had been picked on by some second grade creeps. Whenever Michelle remembered that part of the story, she frowned. Stupid boys.

She had no doubts whatsoever that by now, Ricardo would've thrown out his old hopes for something more acceptable to his peers.

He would've made a fine dancer, though.

Kayko opened the textbook and pushed it in front of her and Arielle. Tutoring took up most of her time now, though it was for a good cause. If she raised enough money, then her parents wouldn't have to pay for Kayko's plane fare when they next went back to Japan. And that meant that she was responsible. Unlike that idiot Yusuke.

"All right. So: Possessive pronou-"

"Hey, Kayko?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when we were in kindergarten?"

Actually, Kayko had forgotten. Arielle had gotten put back a grade in 4th, and so was really supposed to be graduating this year. Over the years, however, they simply forgot that they'd ever been in the same classroom together. But now that Arielle had mentioned it, memories came rushing back.

Flashback

"Clean up! Clean up! Clean up!" Genkai said loudly to the groans of her students. However, they complied, the toys scattered all over the room were put back in two minutes flat, and the children were sitting in a semi-circle around Genkai's assistant teacher, ready for attendance.

"All right, boys and girls. Is everyone sitting down?"

"Noooooo," came the chorus of tiny voices.

"Who's missing then?"

"Arielle. She's in the bathroom. Again," Genkai supplied, referring to Arielle Stevens. "Arielle, out of the bathroom! Now! It's time for Circle!"

"Aaall-right, Ms. Genkai. Just wait a little!" Genkai rolled her eyes and motioned for the assistant to proceed. There was no way that Arielle was coming out of the bathroom in the next hour. Odd, though, how the bathroom seemed to be spotless once she came out.

End Flashback

"Uh- yeah. Why?"

"Remember that promise that Yoko made us make?"

Kayko laughed almost to the point of crying.

"Y- yeah."

"Well, I'd like to, ummm... take advantage of that promise. Can I trust you with a secret, Kayko?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Don't laugh. I kind of... have a thing... for Yusuke. Urameshi."

Kayko's smile faded.

"I was almost hoping that you might... you know. Put in a good word for me."

Shocked silence ensued.

"Kayko?"

"Oh, yeah. If that's what you want, then of course, Arielle!" The smile that the 8th grader plastered on her face was fake, but surprisingly realistic-looking.

"Thanks a lot, Kayko! You're such a great friend!"

At home, Kayko wondered why she was feeling so... glum. What, was no one else supposed to like Yusuke? Not that she actually had a thing for the jerk, no way! It was just... odd. Yes, that was it. Odd. Because she'd grown up with Yusuke and they'd been sort-of friends for such a long time.

Yes. That was it.

Notes: 'kay. This chapter: It's to explain what happened to the three charries who are no longer very prominent parts of the Promisers. Two of those stories actually happened (in a way). Arielle really is a girl who, like, cleans up the bathrooms that I took care of in my 8th grade year during lunchtime. She drove me crazy. And Ricardo? Oooh, boy, Ricardo. That boy can seriously send you to the loony bin. He's another one that my friend and I took care of and he made it hell.

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