Chapter Three

Shopping excursions

Sorna woke to sensation of someone watching her. She opened one eye and rolled over to the source of sunlight streaming in her window. Something, someone blocked the light and approached in a black blur. She screamed. The black blur stopped as several pairs of feet ran to her door. Yusuke was the first to fling the door open, bare-chested and in jeans, Morgan and Kurama behind him. The blur came into focus and a man appeared. He wore a long flowing cape and a white cloth around his forehead. Short, he could have been only five feet if measured from the tip of his spiky hair.

"What the hell?" Yusuke was the first to break the silence. The man looked at him and shook his head. "HIEI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THIS ROOM!" Yusuke flew into a rage.

Hiei turned away. "Hn."

Yusuke raised his fist and advanced on him. Hiei moved faster then anyone could follow and ended up sitting beside Sorna on the bed. Morgan giggled and everyone looked at her. "Ask him." She pointed at Hiei.

Yusuke turned. "Out with it before I knock you into tomorrow. You know I can."

"Fine." Hiei said in a cocky voice. "This is my room."

Yusuke's shoulders drooped. "Oh. Why didn't you say something before?"

"You where to busy yelling and threatening me." He got up and pushed out the door. "I felt like coming to see Kurama." He stated, moving out of sight and down the hall. They could hear him banging pots and cursing.

Morgan's smile broadened. "He's scavenging." She followed Hiei's path. "Wait Hiei, I'll make you something."

Kurama moved next. "I should go help, Morgan might light something on fire." He looked at Sorna. "She's not very good, but don't let her hear you say it." He walked out of the room with a last look at her.

Sorna sat there; she didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. Yusuke stood where he had been before being told the truth. "I'm going back to bed." She muttered and turned over closing her eyes. She heard Yusuke exit and close the door behind him. Sorna opened her eyes again and sat up, looking around. A door stood ajar across from her, she glimpsed a shower and sink. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face in hopes that she would stop dreaming. It wasn't a dream, she told herself as she looked into the mirror before her and remembered everything that had happened yesterday. She really was here and it was a nightmare, she had just remembered that she hadn't even brought a change of clothes.

The door to the other room opened with a creek and she whipped around to find Morgan standing there with a pair of jeans in her hands. "I didn't scare you did I?" She stepped forward into the bathroom and watched Sorna.

"No." Sorna backed up a little, not sure why Morgan had come in the bathroom.

"Well here." She held up the jeans and Sorna noticed a T-shirt also. "I thought that you might like a change of clothes and a shower."

Sorna nodded and took the offered cloths, smiling weakly.

Morgan pointed to a closet. "Towels in there." She turned to leave and Sorna didn't think she'd turn around again.

She did and walked forward to the point that she was very close. Sorna could smell a faint hint of roses and something else, a wild smell. She couldn't describe it; it was like the woods or the smell of winter wind. Morgan looked her in the eyes and Sorna could feel her light breath on her face. "I wanted to thank you." She was so close that Sorna could feel the heat coming from her body. She blushed at being so close to another person in such a position, a women at that. She realized that she was sitting on the edge of the tub. Morgan's lips were impossibly close and she drew closer.

Suddenly, Morgan was three feet away. She smiled and jumped up and down. "I've decided to take you shopping!" She bounced out of the room and Sorna heard her go down the hallway in a burst of notes. She heard Yusuke yelling ' Damn women, some people would like to keep their hearing and respect for music!' a crash followed and Hiei's cold chuckle.

Sorna stood on the sidewalk, her head tilted back so she could gaze at all the buildings above her.

"Come on Sorna!" Morgan stood up ahead, holding her coat around her in the chill wind. "I want to get some shopping done, you can look later. I'll have Yusuke take you out for a change." She smiled and walked further as Sorna caught up.

"Where are we shopping?" She asked, walking in step with Morgan.

"Sears, The Water Tower place."

They walked in silence for a few blocks and came upon The Water Tower Place first. It was decorated for the holidays, blue lights casting shadows in relief. Inside the store, happy shoppers and Christmas music greeted the pair.

Sorna looked around at the splendor and knew that she would never need to shop in another store after this; it had everything she would ever need in the way of clothes. She followed Sorna into the women's apparel, Morgan ahead picking out different cloths that caught her eye. She turned to watch a dazzled Sorna.

"You can pick out what you like and get it." She turned back around and went back to the outfits.

Sorna didn't want to pick anything out, she didn't have any money. She turned toward a casual selection of clothes and eyed the price on a pair of jeans. Fifty dollars, not that bad, but still more than she had at the moment and she didn't feel like being taken under Morgan's wing. A shirt caught her eye and before she knew it, the thoughts of money were chased from her head.

Morgan watched Sorna pick out several different things and smiled, she would enjoy her time with her. After a while both girls were engrossed in shopping. Sorna trying different clothes on and Morgan studying the jewelry cases, wondering what she might get for Christmas from Kurama. Sorna came up to her with an armful of shirts and jeans. "How about these?" she mumbled from beneath the pile.

Morgan glanced at the pile of clothes and smiled. "Fine. Are you done?"

"Yup." She dropped a shirt and Morgan picked it up.

"Let me help you." Morgan took half the pile and made her way to the checkout counter. "All of this." She pointed to Sorna behind her. "That to." She held out a credit card and smiled, as it was rang up and handed back to her. "Straight to the Spirit World." She muttered.

Sorna heard her and looked up in question as her clothes were put into bags and they made their way out of the store. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"One of the few perks to my job" Morgan stopped to rest, weighed down by bags.

"What exactly do you do?" Sorna couldn't help but pry.

Morgan turned to her with an odd gleam in her eye. "Finally you ask, I thought you were never going to."

Sorna sighed and waited for her to go on. "Well…"

"I work in… spirits." Morgan started to walk again.

"Huh?" Sorna didn't really understand.

"My job is to help Koenma with the demons that escape from the Makai."

"Demons?" Sorna looked at Morgan in disbelief. "You must be joking!"

"No. Demons do exist all around us, like Kurama or Hiei."

"Kurama? Hiei?"

"Kurama's just a half demon while Hiei's a full demon banished from the Makai. My job is to take the demons that come into the Human world back to the Demon world. Yusuke does the same thing with the help of the rest of the team. He won the Dark Tournament six years ago and found out that his father had been a demon lord."

"Why am I here if all that you do is true and demons do exist. Why would you need me?"

"Well, this is where you come in…"