Chapter Three-Rainy Day

It was around noon the following day and things were rather gloomy. There was no sun and the rain was still pouring. The weatherman had just announced on the radio that the storm was heading their way. Spectra wasn't very enthusiastic about that. She dreaded rainy weekends.

A few minutes after twelve, she woke up from a burst of loud voices from a room to her left. They were female voices. One in particular was dominating the loud outburst. Although she could hear what was been said, she was still drowsy from sleep and couldn't make out the words. Easing herself out of the sofa she'd slept in, she realized she was in her undergarments and remembered the events of the night before. According to her memory, her clothes were in the laundry and she would happen to be in the house of the Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi. Lucky me, she thought. Then substituting her blanket for a towel, wrapped it around her and headed for the room she had heard the noise coming from. She walked in.

Four girls and a blue fuzz ball the size of a shoe stared back at her.

"You're awake…" said Keiko, who seemed to be studying her.

"What time is it?" Spectra asked.

"Um….About five after twelve," answered a girl she had never seen the day before. Then after, Spectra stared to Yukina and asked, "Where's your brother?" Yukina stared blankly. "My brother…" she started to say, and then Botan grabbed Spectra by the arm and dragged her out before Yukina could finish her sentence. They entered the living room and Botan dragged her across still to the far side of the room. She leaned closer and eagerly whispered, "I don't know whether Hiei has told you or not…well seeing as how you asked that question I guess you don't…but Hiei has not told Yukina he is her brother and no one else is supposed to for that matter unless Hiei gives the permission to…do you understand that?"

"Sure. Why not? Will you let my arm go now?"

Botan's arm fell away.

"Where's my stuff?"

Botan pointed to her make believe bed and said, "Aside the couch," and left the room. She had suddenly noticed something that the rest of the girls simply had to know. When she entered the kitchen, everyone turned to her. "What's wrong?" Keiko asked. Botan seated herself and whispered, "You guys…I could definitely say not that she and Hiei are absolutely not friends!"

"Why would you say that, Botan? Asked Yukina.

"She has a hicky! I can't remember seeing a hicky on her neck yesterday. If she did, we would've definitely seen it. Her neck was bare!"

"You're saying Hiei gave it to her?" asked Shizuru.

"Who else would've!" Botan shrieked.

"I guess you're right…but still…." Shizuru looked thoughtful.

"Uh…..guys…." Yukina broke in.

"Yes, Yukina," said Shizuru.

"Look behind you."

Turning around now, they all saw Spectra staring back at them, fully clothed now.

"I never thought I was important enough to start a gossip cliché," she said.

"We're not gossiping, we're discussing!" Botan retorted.

"So you say," Spectra muttered.

"Why don't you put our suspicion to rest," Shizuru said suddenly, "and tell us, are you in love in Hiei?"

"Hmm…maybe," Spectra said plainly, as if it were NO BIG DEAL.

Botan gasped.

"Is Hiei in love with you?" Shizuru continued.

"Nope."

"But you just said you loved him," Botan shrieked.

"Doesn't mean he has to love me back. Ever heard of crush?"

"You mean you two are not going out?" Botan asked slowly.

"No, we're not."

"But…then how do you explain the hicky!"

"What hicky?"

"The one on the left side of your neck."

"It's not a hicky."

"Well it certainly doesn't look like a scar!"

"It's not a scar. It's a birthmark."

"Liar!" Botan said pointing a finger at Spectra. "You're screwing with Hiei and there is no use denying it. It's so damn obvious!"

Spectra wrapped her fingers around Botan's pointed finger….and twisted it.

Botan cried out.

Keiko and Yukina gasped.

Shizuru narrowed her eyes at Spectra who at the moment had let go of Botan's finger and stepped back as Botan fell to her knees.

"Get the facts straight before you start pointing fingers, Grim," she said, as she slowly raised her head to Shizuru, smirked, and left the room.

Yukina and Keiko rushed to Botan who was sobbing and holding the wrist of her throbbing and bleeding finger.

Shizuru rushed out after Spectra.

"Hold it right there!" Shizuru shouted as Spectra was about to exit the apartment.

Spectra stopped and turned around. There was a hint of anger in her eyes which made them seem a little menacing. This did not surprise Shizuru. Botan had probably hit a nerve of Spectra's and Shizuru concluded that Spectra hated assumptions.

"I really must get home now," Spectra said warningly.

"Not until you give me an explanation. There is obviously more to you than what meets the eye and unfortunately for me the rest of the girls can't see the beastly aura you carry. It's drawn Hiei to you though, and that's what you have to explain."

"I don't have to explain anything. I have to go home."

"Don't you dare."

"What are you going to do if I do? Yell at me? Lecture me? Enroll me in the school of Good Girls With Bitchy Behavior?"

"Keep pushing it and I'll yell loud enough to return the boys to the apartment and have Hiei kick you ass—oh!" Shizuru stopped suddenly, amid her exclamation. She was afraid to breath. Spectra still stood across from her but her hair reached across and wrapped around Shizuru's neck. Spectra had thin dark hair that looked much shorter that it actually was. It closed about seven feet of space between them in less than a second. Shizuru's guess was that Spectra planned to strangle her to death until she noticed the thin silver dagger attached to the end of the long braided hair. It looked very sharp. The kind of weapon that could administer a quick and painless death. Focusing too much on the weapon about to kill her, Shizuru hadn't noticed a sudden chance of character in the girl standing across from her in the room. Not until the door burst open and made her look up then wince. A thin trail of blood run down her neck and into her clothes.

"Shizuru!" a male voice shouted. It was followed by, "Rose whip!" by a voice familiar to Spectra. Then the first male voice also shouted, "Spirit Sword!" Although Spectra had he back to the door, she was well aware of the scene behind her. Without warning Kazuma Kuwabara tried to slice through the hair of the she-devil about to kill his sister, ignoring his 'honor code.' He found that his sword left no effect at all. Shizuru cringed. The grip around her neck had tightened.

"Stop the nonsense," came Hiei's voice angrily but sternly.

Spectra released her grip and pulled her back, allowing it to hand freely but still braided. Shizuru sighed. Kurama did also. Yusuke looked galled. Hiei walked to Spectra and gave her a nice, hard, very meaningful slap. Tears immediately rose to her eyes. She held her face with both hands, not looking at Hiei then suddenly rushed out.

Rain was still falling heavily when Spectra finally found her way out of the apartment. He pulled her hair back into the small tight bun and started running in the direction she thought was home. Her abdomen hurt like hell but she couldn't figure out why. Slowing down to a jog she lifted her midriff slightly and pressed her hand over what she thought was the injured part of her body and pressed down slightly. Then quickly pulled away.

She did not need to look at her hand to confirm that she had cut herself badly. Spectra was unaware that she was about to run into the road with the "DON'T WALK" sign flashing. She was unaware until a car's horn blared at her several times and she realized what was going on. By then, it was too late. She was sailing in the air and was about to kiss the concrete floor. Another car was going to pancake her.

Goodbye, Hiei, she thought, and embraced herself.

But there was nothing to embrace herself for.

Someone had caught her.

Someone had saved her.

Someone was carrying her.

"Metari…" she thought suddenly gripping unto reality. As if he could read her thoughts, he looked down at her and smiled.

"Itsuki, I've got her. Let's get out of here!"

Spectra closed her eyes sighing.

They were going home.

They were going to face Daddy.