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Part Five: Moving in, Moving on
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It was around 9 in the morning. Solaris bit her bottom lip and fidgeted with her thin gold chain anxiously. Foxglove was zoning to music and Kurama was looking past Solaris out the window. Yusuke and Kuwabara were a few seats back, arguing about whether Spiderman or Batman could kick the other's butt. Hiei didn't take the bus. Kurama looked over at Solaris and gently tapped her hand.
"Don't do that, you'll break the chain. Don't be nervous, either. Next stop is just a few blocks from your house. Say... did you get a new necklace?" he asked, pointing to a black cord around her neck, where 11 beads were, in a mirrored pattern of black, white, blue, green, pink and red.
"Yeah. It's a reminder of my punishment for my folly, so I don't make the same mistake over again. See, black is the dark time when I fell in with the company, white is when the Reikai Tantei caught me and began my rescue, blue is the dark time of my fear, green is the emerald and it's illusion that I'm glad Joshi didn't try to pick up since all he'd have gotten was a fistful of air, pink was the rescue and red is a reminder that I have some hope. The other side is Foxglove's, same meanings. And when this is over, I'll cut it off and save it." Solaris explained.
"Cut it off? Why? Isn't there a clasp or something?" Kurama asked.
"No. I made it myself out of some weird kind of plastic beading thread, and it's fastened by a connector. It won't come off unless I cut it off." Solaris said as the bus came to a halt at her stop. "Come on, it's a few blocks away."
About five minutes later, they stood in front of a gate that had Solaris's name on it. As they entered, they saw her lovely new house. It had two stories and an attic, plus a forest of sorts. There were rose bushes and lilac everywhere, and by a small pond grew some weeping willows. Sakura trees abounded and it was just the place that any foxgirl would love. Foxglove put her purse and backpack down to run into the forest happily. Solaris unlocked her front door and walked in. Her slippered feet padded softly into the carpeted living room, and tapped into the tiled kitchen. She then reappeared to run upstairs.
"Wow! All of these rooms are so spacious! And six of them! With the four downstairs, that makes 10!" she shouted back down. Then you could hear her feet pounding up one last flight of stairs. Kurama followed her footsteps to find her in the biggest attic he had ever seen. "It's perfect for a studio!" she smiled.
"You know there's a basement too." he smiled back. She nodded.
"Yeah. Foxglove wants it to be a game room. So I've got plenty of guestrooms and a nice spacious home. Hey, where does Hiei live?" she asked.
"Nowhere in particular I suppose."
"Could you suggest that he come live here? Foxglove would be ecstatic and it'd be easier to keep an eye on us. Or three." Solaris smiled. Kurama nodded. By 7 that night, Hiei was settled into his new home and room, Solaris helping to paint it black. Foxglove had been roped into helping Kurama shop. "The best thing is that all the things I do to this house are a reward for turning in MAC!" Solaris laughed evilly. "Don't mess with the best!" Hiei smiled as she said that, he could really get to like this girl.
"So what do all the rooms look like?" Hiei asked 30 minutes later when it was done. Solaris, who had been sitting on the floor, got to her feet.
"C'mon, I'll give you the tour and my plans!" she grinned. They started with the downstairs. "The living room is going to be great around the holidays. I'm going to have a pretty good size TV there, and shelves for books, plushies, DVDs, videos, and the like over there. The big kitchen is great too, but I want to convert the sunporch into a greenhouse. In order to do that, I need to get the roof removed and a glass one installed, not to mention the door. And the back doors aren't what I want either. I want traditional Japanese doors in front of the screens. The four rooms downstairs are strictly guest rooms, and the basement is a game room. All permanent rooms are on the second floor. Obviously you saw yours. Foxglove had hers painted a soft gold and got a bed and bookshelf combo. She has a desk, chair, phone, and laptop computer. And now for my room!" Solaris smiled. The tour had gone from downstairs to upstairs pretty fast.
Hiei stared in the doorway of her room in shock. The walls were lilac, the bed had a purple leopard print cover, and sheer black curtains covered the door to the balcony. Even though it was shut he could tell that the closet was spacious. There was a huge bookshelf, a good-sized desk with a laptop computer on it, a computer chair, and a nightstand with a French style rotary phone on it. It actually looked nice.
"I guess the other three rooms are guest rooms." Hiei surmised. She nodded.
"Hey, taidama!" Foxglove yelled from downstairs. Solaris ran downstairs, Hiei following reluctantly. Just like he had suspected she'd do, the muse tried to hug him.
"Just a little housewarming present." Kurama smiled as he handed Solaris a small azalea bonsai. She smiled as she took it, set it on a table behind her and kissed Kurama on the side of his face. (A/N: Aww... How cute.)
"Hey, save that for when the impressionable aren't around!" Hiei said.
"What? It was a friend thing. Oh, and earlier, I called some carpet installers. They'll be here tomorrow. Oh!" Solaris said as she hit the palm of her hand, "Kurama, any specific decorations for your guest room?"
"No. I looked at it earlier, and the green bedspread and curtains are perfect." he smiled. "Hiei, please don't kill the carpet installers.
"Yeah, they're putting down carpet in yours and Solaris's rooms," Foxglove nodded.
-The next day-
A girl with wavy curly auburn hair stepped into a class at Meiou High. Her ears were pierced funny, two in the right ear lobe and one in the left. She seemed nervous, but strangely calm at the same time. "Class, this is our new student, Solaris Moon." the teacher said. A few idiots laughed, but a quick death glare on the parts of both her and the teacher cut them short. The new girl smiled pleasantly and waved a bit.
"Hello." she said. Her voice had a strange ring to it, soft, but it could be heard all through the crowded room.
"Yes, well, why don't you sit by Shuichi? The boy with the long red hair." the teacher suggested. The glares from fangirls were ignored by all parties involved.
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"Class, this is Foxglove Adiea. (A/N: That's pronounced Ay-DEE-yah. Some old song was on and one of the lyrics sounded like 'Adiea'. It sounded perfect for her last name.) the teacher at Tokyo High said. "Why don't you sit by Mujaki, the girl with the blonde hair over there?" the teacher said, so Foxglove walked over. (A/N: Mujaki = Innocence) Mujaki was awfully quiet, so Foxglove held her tongue. It was only the beginning of the day and she was already missing Hiei.
I gotta get a locket for my charm bracelet...she thought.
Around 11, Hiei let the carpet guys in, and ended up stopping one from stealing a pretty silver music box containing a ring of a blue opal set in silver. Solaris loved that box and ring.
At the end of the day, Foxglove entered the gate of her new home, tired. Mujaki was friendly, but really shy. It was annoying. As she was about to shut and lock the gate, she saw Kurama and Solaris running so fast you could see smoke coming off their heels. Behind them was a regular mob of girls, screaming indiscernible things, but from the expressions on the pursued one's faces, they weren't saying anything good. They reached the gate, ran in, and Solaris latched it. The girls clustered around screaming. "Hey, this is my property, so clear off before I call the cops on your arses!" Solaris yelled as they went inside. "Fangirls... why did I not receive this memo?" Solaris asked.
"I tried to tell you, but you were too busy stuffing your face." Kurama panted, catching his breath from the run.
"Oh."
"SOLARIS HIDE YOUR DAMNED VALUABLES FROM NOW ON!" Hiei shouted. "I had to clobber a damned carpet installer to keep that box and ring of yours safe."
"Hiei-Sama, I need some help here." Foxglove whined at the back door. She wanted to go outside to do her homework, and if Hiei could help her, all the better.
"One, drop the 'Sama', it gets you nowhere except on my nerves faster, and two, what makes you think I can help you?" Hiei asked.
"Well, you're so powerful, wise, and all-knowing, I figured you could help me with this." Foxglove said. Hiei sighed and followed her. Solaris sat on the couch, pulling out her homework as well. Somehow she and Kurama had all the same classes, so he could help her out easily. Suddenly she got up, ran to her room, and returned wearing a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, her foxtail and ears back.
"Dang, I feel so weird in my human form." she said. After working for a while, she asked Kurama for some help. "I can't solve this problem," she said. Kurama came over to the other side of the table; he had finished his math and was almost done with history now. Hiei and Foxglove wandered in, she had finished her work and what little bit she needed help with, Hiei had done easily. (A/N: Amazing, considering he never went to ningen school...) First thing they saw upon entering the living room was Kurama sitting by Solaris, so close her head was touching his shoulder.
"How cyuuuute..." Foxglove grinned. Solaris looked up, pulled a crowbar out of nowhere and beat Foxglove over the head.
"He's just helping me out, dammit!" Solaris said, then blushed. "Oops." Then she went back to her work. "Oh, so that's how I solve this problem. Thanks."
"Anytime." Kurama said as he moved back around to the other side of the table. She had finished her history first, and math was her last thing. Pretty soon she stuffed all of her things into her black messenger bag and headed to the kitchen to cook dinner.
"Hey, Kurama, do you want to stay for dinner? Solaris is a really good cook." Foxglove said, watching him finish the last answer on his history.
"I suppose if I called my mother, I could." he said. Foxglove pointed to the phone. A short while later, all four teens were laughing over dinner at Foxglove's cooking disasters.
"And then there was the time that she thought the sake Joshi had given me was turkey marinade..." Solaris said between laughs, "...Boy, did I have a hangover the next day."
"Joshi swore up and down that she had come to his tent, begging him to..." Foxglove began before Solaris crammed a roll into her muse's mouth, cutting off the lewd thing that was about to emerge from her lips.
"At any rate, it was a lie. Foxglove only ate one piece of turkey, and she said I was asleep all night." Solaris said.
"This is really good. How'd you learn?" Hiei asked.
"Well, when you have Miss Can't-boil-water-without-burning-it here, you learn really fast." Solaris laughed.
-She looks so happy...- Kurama thought.
Bet I can make her happier... Youko replied.
-No. I'm not letting you destroy this girl's innocence like you did so many others. - Kurama said, then ignored his darker half. Solaris got up later to clear the dishes, and the phone rang. Kurama got it. "Moshi Moshi?" he asked.
"Shuichi, there's a slight problem with the water and lights at home. We've called someone to fix it, but it won't be fixed for a while. Why don't you stay at your friend's for a while?" his mom said.
"I'd have to ask her if it was okay." he said. Shiori asked to talk to her. As soon as she entered the room, Kurama explained to Solaris what was wrong, and Solaris took the phone. A few understanding responses later, she handed him the phone back.
"It's all right with Solaris-San. Have a good time." Shiori said and hung up. Solaris quickly went human (strangely enough, her jeans had no hole for her tail when she was human!), grabbed a sweater, and unlocked her door.
"Come on, slow poke, if you're staying here until the problem's fixed, better get you some clothes." she grinned at Kurama. As they walked to the bus stop, Kurama turned to her, wondering if she had ever had a boyfriend before. (Hey, preoccupied thoughts are often random.) When she turned to him, he jumped a bit. "Did she tell you the problem is that the power is flickering and the water won't come on?" Solaris asked.
"No. She told you?"
"Yeah, just in case you wondered. Here's the stop, and the bus too." Solaris said just as the bus pulled up. In what seemed like no time, they were on the next bus to Solaris's, Kurama holding a small suitcase. "Your mom is really nice, Kurama." she said.
"Shuichi! What're you doing here?" a boy in a Meiou uniform smiled.
"Mitsuo? What--?" Kurama began.
"Cram school. So you're hanging out with the new girl? Sweet." Mitsuo smiled. He and Shuichi weren't exactly friends, they only had biology together, but they had been lab partners from time to time
"So your name is Mitsuo? I'm Solaris, nice to meet you," she said, introducing herself smilingly.
"Same." Mitsuo laughed. She was adorable, maybe that was why his sister, another Shuichi fangirl, hated her so much.
"Well, this is my stop." Solaris grinned. As Kurama went to follow her, Mitsuo walked out behind them.
"I can walk the rest of the way, I need the air." Mitsuo declared at her surprised look. As they arrived at her house, Mitsuo halted Kurama momentarily. "Hey, Shuichi. She's a catch. Really cute, and one of the nicest people I've ever met. Don't let her escape." Mitsuo smiled, then walked on. That girl was perfect for a nice guy like Shuichi. They looked perfect together, and were already good friends. This was one of those things that really could turn into something.
Later, all four sat around the living room table, chatting until Solaris yawned. "I'm headed for bed. Oyasumi Nasai." she said as she treaded up the stairs. After a while, everyone headed off to their rooms. Kurama, however, gently tapped on Solaris's. She was between two guestrooms (one being his), but the rooms were so big it was like she was isolated. Hiei's room was just down the hall from his. "Come in," she said. He entered to see her put the lid on the music box, which ended the lovely, but hauntingly mysterious melody. "Oh, Kurama." she said. "Sorry. I just like the song. What is it?" she smiled. He quietly closed the door.
"Solaris, remember the day Youko took you to dinner? Well, just before you had to leave... I wanted to apologize." he said.
"Huh? What are you talking about? We just had dinner, he didn't do anything." Solaris said. Kurama blinked; had she forgotten?
"Oh. Must have been my imagination. Gomen Nasai! Night." he laughed as he left, closing the door behind him. Hiei met him in the hall.
"She did forget. The fear at the time of her capture scared it right out of her mind." Hiei said.
"What're you doing out this late?" Kurama asked.
"Only two rooms downstairs have bathrooms. Then there's three others, one downstairs, one on this floor, and one in the basement." Hiei replied.
"Late night prowling?" Kurama asked.
"You could say that." Hiei replied and left it at that. Later that night, Youko took advantage of his human form's being asleep and took control. Solaris didn't remember his last kiss, eh? Well, he'd fix that! Hopefully.
He stole into her room so quietly, even a dog would have had problems hearing him. All he could see was a bushy tail and the tips of her fox ears poking out from under the blankets. Just barely noting that the balcony door was open, he pulled the blanket down to waist height on her to see her sleeping form. Her face had just a hint of color to it, and her lips were parted slightly. She looked so peaceful and cute in the white and lilac nightshirt. He almost felt guilty for disturbing her rest like this, but he had to or feel like a fool. As he thought this, she turned from her side to her back. He leaned over and kissed her gently, feeling her hands touch the back of his neck. He delicately pulled her into a sitting position, never ceasing his kiss. Suddenly, someone coughed gently.
"I'd let her breathe if I were you, Youko." Hiei said. Youko stopped, laid her back down and stepped away. "She started to dream she was drowning when you kissed her. That was the arm thing." he explained, the glow of the Jagan fading.
"She's strange. I mean, when Shuichi has control, he's 5'11". When it's me, I'm almost seven feet tall. Solaris, however, is constantly 5'3". It's odd." Youko noted.
"Huh. Never noticed that. Well, she's young. Maybe she's still growing." Hiei said. Solaris's dream had been pretty powerful to break into his and wake him up, so he was half-asleep.
"She's over 100, not 16, even though she looks it. She's a third of my age at least, she's done growing." Youko sighed.
"Well, maybe nerves stunted her growth, who cares? And, by the way, she's 148 and one week." Hiei said. "Now get to bed. And if I have to rescue her one more time..." he threatened.
"Okay, okay! Can't I give her a goodnight kiss at least?" he sighed. Hiei nodded his approval and Youko pulled Solaris into another kiss. After a few seconds, Hiei pulled him away by the shirt, whispering.
"That was one helluva passionate goodnight kiss!" he said. As soon as Youko got to his guestroom, he pulled a pencil out of Shuichi's school bag. Taking one of his roses, he dragged a deep gash into the pencil and then followed with two more. It wasn't a conquest thing, it was more of an 'I kissed Solaris this many times' thing. But so no one, especially not Shuichi or Solaris could find it, he hid it in a nightstand drawer. then he went to sleep, letting Shuichi take over. He was still asleep and none the wiser as to what Youko had done.
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Wow! Longest chapter I've written for this. I'm proud of myself, and yet I'm amazed that I could write things like that. Ja Ne!
Translations:
Taidama- Uh, would you believe it's slipped my mind? I'll probably remember at some totally random time.
Oyasumi Nasai- Good night.