Demonesque

Chapter 2: Blending In

In a tall rundown apartment building three miles south of the grocery store, a door to a small one-room apartment banged open. The silhouette of a small woman filtered in, and a hand reached out to flick on the lights. A dim light set in the middle of the ceiling gradually flickered on, revealing a rather plain twin bed set up against the far left corner of the room. The plain brown bedding clashed with the chipped black paint that the room was colored. A few piles of rubble that had obviously been hastily swept under the bed were begging to spill out.

"This is what I paid for?" The girl strode over to the old refrigerator that was about half her height. She half-heartedly pulled open the door to the freezer, fully expecting it to break off. When it didn't, she pushed rather forcefully slammed it shut again.

"If you break anything, the cost goes into your monthly rent." A raspy elderly voice came from the doorway. The girl dejectedly placed her hand on her hips and turned around. She now faced an older man with an un-orderly beard and glinty black eyes set too close together in his round head. "I collect at the end of each month, no exceptions. You don't pay, you don't stay."

The woman's face remained stoic. "I understand."

"You know," the old man ran his beady eyes over her frame, virtually undressing her. "If your low on cash, just come see me in my room. I'm sure that we can work something out…"

If anything, the girl's grey eyes narrowed. "Well, uh, sir.."

"Nate. Me name's Nate."

"Nate. I do not think that will ever happen." She growled.

"You sure? 'Cause, if I may do say so, you are one fine looking.."

"Mr. Nate, I'm sure that you realize that you push your luck?"

"Oh, ahem, right.." The same look remained in his eyes. "Well, Ms…"

The girl looked straight in the old man's eyes. "My name is Cam."

"Well, Cam, enjoy your stay and welcome to Japan." Nate turned and walked off down the hallway, laughing quietly at something or another.

Cam sighed to herself and closed the door, watching thoughtfully as dust particles floated down. Well. I guess it could be worse ,She walked over to the lone window that faced an alley. She grabbed the handle to the window and yanked. The rusted piece of metal didn't take much convincing to detach itself from the window. Oh to be wrong yet again. Throwing the handle behind her shoulder, she grabbed the window and forcefully yanked it open. She crawled out onto the fire escape and peered about.

Her apartment was at the end of an alley about a block long. Out on the streets people busily walked past, none stopping to look down the dark trash-ridden alleyway. If any had, they would have seen a young woman with shoulder-length dark-blonde hair and mismatched eyes leaning over the rusty fire escape, clothed in baggy brown cargoes and a black tank top.

And about three miles away, in a small grocery store, a spiritually-aware orange haired idiot was being royally berated by a smaller man in a green school-suit. Apparently a young human girl with grey eyes had sent him flying though several aisles and halfway through a wall.

Back at the temple, the orange-haired idiot was being interrogated by his friends for the fifth time. Sitting on the couch, Kuwabara looked little worse for the ware. He held up an ice-pack to his swollen face, and spit out the same answers he had said the first time.

"I told you!!! It was a girl, shorter than Hiei, with grey and black eyes!"

"Your sure? Your sure it wasn't a crazed demon with bunny slippers that was trying to hit you up?" Yusuke Urameshi rolled over laughing at his own joke, while the red-headed young man, Kurama, rolled his eyes dejectedly.

"NO URAMESHI! DO YOU THINK A HALF-RATE DEMON COULD REALLY KICK MY ASS?!?!" Kuwabara stood up and shouted at Yusuke, who was still curled up on the floor.

Sitting on a window sill a shadow took the form of a man with black-flame hair. A white star-burst stood out in the middle. "No, but apparently a young human girl could."

"Shut-up pipsqueak!" Kuwabara's voice spitched suddenly.

Hiei disappeared from his place on the window sill and reappeared in front of Kuwabara, a steel katana now held in his grasp. "Disgusting human oaf!" His red crimson eyes darkened as he raised his blade menacingly.

Kuwabara's eyes reduced to specks as he began stammering an apology. Kurama, who had been in pensive thought, artfully ignored his friends with practiced patience.

"I believe that we need to go track this demon down. It wouldn't do to let it run around Ningenkai."

"Oh hoo hoo hoo, snicker Kuramasnicker" Yusuke managed to stand still long enough to go to Kurama's side. He held his stomach while he choked out his opinion. "Kurama's right….snicker….We should go track this…this…this little girl down..snort"

"Hn. I do not see why this idiots incompetence should mean that we all need to go." Hiei crossed his arms, walking over to stand next to the couch.

Kuwabara's face burned red, and if you looked hard enough you could see steam seeping out of his ears.

"Hiei! Kuwabara! Stop your senseless bickering." Genkai, now finished with her tea, started striding towards the open door that led to the kitchen. "I tire of having you four in my temple. Leave." Genkai stated over her shoulder just as she passed through the door.

Yusuke gave a quizzical look in her direction, "Well guys, you heard the hag. We gotta get out of this hell-hole. We might as well search for that demon, unless we want the toddler crawling up our asses."

Kurama's lips quirked into a small smile. He turned to Hiei and tried to contemplate him coming. "Hiei, your Jagan would be helpful incase there are no leads."

Hiei just 'hned' and walked towards the door.

BEEP BEEPBEEP BEEP The alarm clock's pessimistic cry rang through the darkness of the small apartment, it's main target the lump that lay curled in the covers of the small brown bed.

BEEP BEEP

Five minutes passed, and the same moans and groans came from the lump that was finally beginning to show signs of life. The covers flew back and revealed a disheveled looking Cam, dark blonde hair frizzing from its place in her pony tail. Shoulders slumped, she flung her legs over the side of the bed. Grumbling incoherent curses about alarm clocks to herself, Cam crossed the room. She made a beeline to where the alarm clock was duck-taped to the wall, right next to the light-switch. Duck-taping the evil contraption had served its purpose, it got her out of bed.

Flicking on the lights, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to absorb the light. Little had changed from last afternoon when she had moved into the place. The walls were still cracked, black paint peeling off here and there. She had cleaned up most of the rubble she had found sitting in corners by dumping them into the alley out her window last night.

Taking up much of the space of the little room was her own personal punching bag, hanging from ceiling just to the left of the flickering light. Ratted and brown-colored, the thing was literally a piece of shit. Patches adorned it here and there, along with little slashes that could be from anything close to a small sword. Cam had a love-hate relationship going with the hunk of crap.

The only other door besides the one leading to the outer hall was the one leading into the bathroom. Yet considering that it had no door, it was more like a doorway that matched the rest of the apartment.

Cam walked lightly over to this doorway and gazed at her image in the dimly-lit mirror. She yawned, stretched, and went on with her morning ritual. At first she was somewhat discouraged by the brown water that came out of the tap, yet by waiting for about five minutes the water actually looked clean. She washed her face and dabbed a bit of make-up on, responding to the womanly urges of her race.

Pulling her hair back into a not-quite-so-ratty ponytail, Cam grabbed a pair of keys that had been resting on the counter and walked back into the main room. She glanced at the clock as she pulled her clothes on. It read 7:45. Pulling on the same black tank-top she had on yesterday along with a pair of dark-brown cargoes, she headed towards the door only stopping to grab an apple from the fridge and a small black book-back that was set next to the door.

Cam sighed and pulled open the door, Time to go blend in…

Yusuke groaned as he leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and resting his eyes. He had been out searching all night with a grumpy fire-demon who refused to use his Jagan for such lowly matters and a whiney orange-haired idiot for some trace of this demon to no avail. Not a demonic trace was left at the scene, the only evidence being a severely damaged wall.

And now he was in school, surrounded by the same day-to-day dimwitted loudmouths that were his classmates. Well, all except for the three surrounding him. Hiei sat to his left, right next to the window. In front of him sat Kurama, and to Yusuke's right was Kuwabara who was currently passed out and drooling on his desk. The space in front of Yusuke was empty, most people still afraid of him and his reputation. He had received a few shocked looks when a certain doe-eyed female had dragged him by his ear into the classroom, demanding that he stay.

The bell rang, and the previously conversing students shifted towards their desks. Once all was neat and orderly the teacher stood up and gazed over the seated students. "Class, today we will postpone our lecture until later. I expect the principal to come within a few minutes to deliver a new student to our midsts. I expect you to behave, and be NICE." This last sentence was emphasized by a direct and meaningful look towards the group in the back.

As expected people began whispering excitedly to one another, with the exception of the two demons and the sleeping idiot. Yusuke wondered briefly and quietly, Kurama's attention went to the door for a split second, while Hiei's eyes remained staring out the window.

A few more minutes passed before a rather loud rapping noise came from the door. Without bothering to be answered, in stepped a pompous balding man with a large belly hanging from his mid-section. He walked over to the teacher and whispered a few words quietly. The teacher then turned to the class and announced, "Students, I hope you will be warm and welcome Cam Ashen into our learning environment."

The girl that walked calmly in surprised everyone in some way or another. Yet the most surprised looks came from the four sitting in the back. Yusuke's eyes shot up and glued to her form, while Kuwabara started from his slumber, disoreintedly stammering "Where..were's da demon?"

Kurama's eyes rose into an arch while Hiei merely switched his glare from the outside world to the strange, surprisingly spiritually-aware girl that was staring, open mouthed, right back into their group.

Cam waited patiently while the principal talked to the teacher. He had been kind enough, if a little overbearing, and had led her directly to room 29. Cam barely listened as he talked about the schools system like it was the best ever. Her thoughts were on a certain churning in her stomach that just seemed to scream 'Don't go in there! Don't go in there!'

One hand lightly grasping the black strap to her book bag while the other one's thumb was tucked into her back pocket, she leaned against the wall directly next to the doorway. As she heard her name being announced, she heaved a sigh and walked into the room.

She looked about and saw right in front your typical stereotypes, jocks pucks Goths and geeks. Preps and cheerleaders looked her up and down, wondering if she was perhaps the type they could get along with.

Her gaze came to a screeching stop when it crossed over to the four in the back of the room. Well, to one in particular. The one that had an ugly orange hair-cut in an Elvis stye and clothed in a typical blue uniform. Her jaw slacked as she recognized the boy from the grocery store. "Oh shit…"

Well, hopefully these first two chapters caught your interest. So, how about we go with around 7-10 reviews before we move on? Eh? Eh? EH?

-llikreppoC