HOLY SHIT!!! I just was watching the one Taboo episode of YYH while I started writing this---and Kurama scared the SHIT out of me with his game thing!!!!!! I wonder what face he made to make Ogre, Koenma, and Kaito laugh so hard? Whatever, he's still going to get punished for scaring me like he did...I was freaking out. You all know how it gets...he was all, "If I lose, you can have my soul!"
And I was all, "WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU MORON!?!?!?!?!"
But I had faith in him ((sweatdrops, and is still sweating a downpour from nervousness over Kurama's safety)) and he won.
Kurama- Aww, it's great to see you had faith in little old me...
Don't get used to it...and by the way... ((evil death glare of doom))
Kurama- ...((sweatdrop))
DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Chapter Nine- Time Apart
It was rather an unexpected, and most unwanted, surprise, when at approximately three thirty in the afternoon, Koenma found himself facing four very unhappy teenage boys, all of which had been giving him pretty damn evil glares since their arrival. "How the hell did Asa find out about us?!" was probably the first thing spat at him by the Spirit Detective himself.
"Uh........" Lost for words, he stared at Yusuke as he ranted about what a "stupid toddler" he was and how he wouldn't have let a mortal girl find out about anything if he were running the "show". "Hold on a second, Yusuke, what are you talking about?"
"Asa knows! She called Kurama by his name!" Kuwabara hollered in Koenma's face. The toddler glared at him, wiping spit from his face.
"I asked for the news...not the weather. And as to how she found out your secret, how am I supposed to know?" he asked, giving them an "I'm just a baby!" look.
"Actually," Botan mused aloud, "Even if you don't know; I think you know someone who does, Koenma, sir."
"Who...? My father?"
"Bingo!" She clapped triumphantly for him, since he was staring at her evenly, a completely dumbfounded expression on his face. "So call up Daddy Dearest and find out what's going on!"
If looks could kill, she would have died a horrible, gruesome, painful death...a very slow one. "Botan, how in all the River Styx do you expect me to just ring up King Yamma ((that's how you spell it, right?)) and ask him what's going on? He's a busy man, my father."
Finally, Hiei spoke up, "Asa is going to Ireland soon, and she said she does not want to come back. We need to know the means by which she found out about us, so Fox can construct an apology that will keep her here."
They all glanced at the fire demon rather quizzically, then at Kurama, who shrugged. "If it makes him happy," he gestured at Hiei, who glared at him, "and if it appeases her ire, I'll grovel," he admitted.
"Whoa, Fox-boy's really in deep," Yusuke commented sarcastically. Kurama glared at him pointedly, and he continued, turning to Koenma, "So, are you going to call your pops or do I have to do it for you?"
"I'll do it," he responded quickly, "Lord knows what you'd say...OGRE!" he bellowed then, making Yusuke fall backward onto his backside, rubbing his ears that he exclaimed he was sure were now deafened, as Koenma smirked down at him, then furrowed his brow, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot impatiently until the big blue ogre came running.
"Yes, Koenma, sir?!" he asked excitedly.
"Get me my special phone...the one I use to call my father," Koenma commanded. "And make it fast. My patience is running thin."
"...Okay, sir!" A quick wait and an annoyed, "Hn," from Hiei later, the phone was sat on the desk, having no need for any connection to the phone plug that most people would see in the wall of a place, since it was a magical connection. With a nervous gulp, the toddler picked up the phone and dialed his father's number.
"...Um...hello?" he spoke in a tentative voice, that made almost everyone in the room snort in amusement. "...Yeah...it's me, Father...um...yeah...Uh...No, everything's okay...I didn't screw up, no...um...yeah, I've gotten that done...Why did I call then? ...Well, I wanted to ask you something." A pause. A LONG one. Everyone exchanged glances when Koenma fell over, his face completely white. "I DID NOT!" he cried into the phone, "You tell her that she's being a jerk! ...Oh...no, sorry...I didn't mean to yell in your ear..." He sweatdropped, picking himself up off the desk and sitting cross-legged on it. "No...Father, seriously, I need to ask you something!"
Another long pause. "Yes, sir, I understand that...no sir...no. I won't do it again. Okay, can I ask you now?" Shorter pause. "Yay!" Another short pause as Koenma did a victory dance that made everyone stare at him as if he were crazy. "...Um, sorry," he said, finally getting to the point, "It's about one of the Spirit Detective's---no, sir, he doesn't do all my work---friends. Asa Ichazuki. Does the name ring a bell?"
A pause that was ensued by Yamma yelling, "YOU KNOW ASA ICHAZUKI!?" on the other end of the line made them all exchange a slightly concerned glance. Yamma's voice quieted, and he continued to speak to Koenma, who listened with a raised eyebrow.
Fear was written on the toddler's face for a moment, and he swallowed hard. "I understand, Father...I won't meddle any further into their business. She will be forgotten. Thank you." He hung up abruptly, turning back to the impatient Reikai Tentai plus Botan, and raised an eyebrow, lacing his fingers together as he sat down in his chair and resting his chin on them. "Well, I'm not allowed getting involved in this...and neither are any of you. Apparently, a higher power than even my father has spoken that they wish for Asa to go to Ireland, regardless of how she gets there. It's out of my hands."
"A higher power than your father?!" Kuwabara demanded, "Who could be higher than your father?!"
"The gods," Koenma answered simply, turning the chair away. "The entire Kamekai ((Divine World)) is against anything intruding on Asa's trip. And unless any of you wants to take them on, a battle which you'll surely lose, I don't think we can say much to argue against their wishes."
"Wait a second...I didn't know there was a Kamekai!" Botan exclaimed.
"Well...there is. It's the home of the so-called Gods, who're really only immortals so powerful that they were deemed gods. They're kind of like Elders, each gifted with strengths of a certain element."
"...Okay. Weird."
"So, what you're saying is, we have to let her leave, and hope that she decides to come back?" Kurama asked anxiously.
"Hai. That is what I'm saying, unfortunately." All was silent then, as each of them turned to their own thoughts. Kamekai...what connection could the gods have to little Asa? As good a question as it seemed, it was the furthest one from their minds at the moment. What would happen with Asa...? Would she ever forgive them? These were the ones more to the point of their concern.
And their concern was reflected, in the girl in question, who had some of her own worries as she flew toward Ireland, face pressed to the glass to get last glimpses of the home she thought she'd known...and wondering after the people she had also thought she'd known...
-
"Deagh-bheatha!" The Gaelic speech caught both Umi and Asa off guard. As they were standing in the air port, completely surrounded by hordes of people, Umi dressed in a red button-up blouse with her dark auburn hair tied up in a bun and her weirdly-colored honey eyes watching Asa as the girl, who had been forced by her cousin to wear a rather snug black sleeveless turtleneck with a short pleated black skirt. Umi had said she'd wished Shuuichi could see Asa now...Asa had hit her on the back of the head with a book.
When they both heard the familiar Gaelic term for "Welcome," however, they were distracted from their staring at how frigging crowded the air port could get to look at their Irish grandmother, who stumbled up to them, grinning like she'd just gotten a serious birthday gift. "Brenna, Edana!" They were gathered into a swift hug, both glancing nervously at one another for their grandmother's use of their Gaelic nicknames.
Enda Cairine stepped back from her granddaughters, releasing them to give them a good look-over. Her eyebrow arched and her lips formed a firm line of disapproval when she eyed the girls' choice of outfit, her own being a dark emerald dress complete with bodice that had so many folds it made her look plump, despite the fact that she was a rather slender woman, especially for her sixty-five years. Her graying hair, that was the same dark auburn as Umi's, was pulled back into a French twist, which was odd, since they usually saw her wearing some sort of strict hairstyle, like a tight bun. Her strangely-colored blue eyes that reminded them often of sapphires fell upon the girls' faces, and she smiled.
"My, aren't you two a sight? I see neither of you are my caileags anymore..."
"We are, Nanna!" Umi protested, grabbing their grandmother's hand in both of hers. "You know we'll always be your little girls, isn't that right, Asa?"
"Hai!"
"D?" Enda asked, raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar language.
"Uh...I mean, yes, that's right..." Asa corrected herself sheepishly, blushing and scratching the back of her head.
"Brenna, your arm..." Enda observed in a voice barely above a whisper, looking down at the cast. Asa pulled it back behind her, out of her grandmother's view, her cheeks flushed again, but for a different reason.
"It's nothing, Nanna. Diobair." Enda's eyes narrowed, then she nodded.
"Well, let's get you two home! Edana, get your things and stop flirting with those boys," she scolded, upon seeing Umi eyeing a group of Irish boys at the doorway. Their grandmother, though she spoke mostly Gaelic, was an Irish girl all the way. Her mother had been Gaelic, and had married her Irish father, resulting in her Irish birth and upbringing. Gaelic just seemed to be her favorite language, since it was more 'understandable' than Irish. She shuffled ahead of them, glancing over her shoulder with chastening looks every now and then to keep Umi from meandering off somewhere.
Asa kept her eyes glued to the ground, unaware of the conversation her grandmother was having with Umi. Why had her grandmother worn the emerald dress? Why hadn't she decided to wear a black one, or a gray one...? Emerald...the color was a curse as of the past few days. ((Wonder why???))
She was quiet the whole way to the farmhouse that her grandmother lived on with several of her helpers, who lived in smaller guest cottages along the seventeen acre patch of heaven that Enda had acquired from her husband after his death. Everything was the same as the last time she'd visited; the small white cottages looking lively and bustling with activity, the larger crème colored farmhouse with dark blue trimming radiant amongst everyone that was running around.
The three of them stepped out of Enda's P.O.S....err, uh, rickety old car, and Enda ushered the girls inside, escorting each to her room while they were there. Umi's was a bright pink color, the room she'd always gotten, and one that had been her mother's as a child, and Asa's...Asa couldn't even muster up the strength to act surprised when her grandmother led her into a room that was undoubtedly her own mother's once upon a time. Everything was as in a Gaelic fairy tale---her mother, Aingeal, Tenshi in Japanese, had been a hopeless romantic, and had grown up pretending she was a princess. There was a tiara on her dresser, and a closet full of dresses that she'd worn growing up, and books all over the place, from Cinderella to Snow White, her mother had collected them all as a girl.
"Do you like it?" her grandmother inquired quietly.
Asa, knowing that this was the first time anyone been allowed to stay in this room since her mother died, and that no one besides her mother had used it before that, nodded, grinning as she turned to Enda, "It's coimhlion."
"I'm glad you think so," Enda admitted, a smile gracing her lips. "You'd best get unpacked, Brenna." Asa nodded, reaching for her bag, and coincidentally and ironically, a picture fell out of the front pocket---of herself and Kurama. Before she could snatch it up, Enda leaned down to retrieve it, taking note of her granddaughter's flushed face. She observed the picture for quite a long moment, before she commented, "Dáicheil, very dáicheil." Asa's blush worsened, if it were possible, as her grandmother forked over the picture with a knowing smile.
"Not really..." she mumbled in protest, "He's just...very photogenic."
"I'm sure that's all it is," Enda agreed with a small nod of her head. "I'll leave you to unpack...be sure to come down for dinner before six thirty, though...I know how you are about your art and not leaving it to even eat..." Enda gave a reassuring smile to Asa, who nodded and turned away, then left the room.
Asa looked at the picture that, until her grandmother shut the door behind her, had been held to her heart with her good hand. Her smile was sadly nostalgic as she glimpsed the familiar emerald eyes and the flaming hair. On the day the picture was taken, he'd offered her a piggy-back ride, and she'd accepted, wrapping her arms around his neck and hopping up as his arms hooked under her knees. Thankfully she'd been wearing bell bottoms that day instead of a skirt, for the rather lecherous Yusuke had been there, and was the one who, after shouting, "SAY CHEESE, YOU TWO!" had taken the picture. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck, and her cheek had been snuggled against his, both grinning.
With a sad sigh, she put the picture away, mumbling, "If only you had trusted me enough to tell me..."
-
"Fox, you need to get that stupid frown off your face and focus," Hiei scolded, "We're not here to watch you mope around..." Kurama lifted his eyes to meet the ruby ones, and glowered at his friend.
"I'm not moping," he argued stubbornly, even though they could all see that, despite his and Hiei's sparring match that Kuwabara and Yusuke were scrutinizing very annoyingly, he wasn't as focused as he could have been, and his movements were sloppy, which was unforgivable, for him. He was forever the careful, decisive one out of the lot of them; always calculating and deliberate. So, watching him act so foolishly in a simply training session was rather unnerving for them all.
"Okay, let's take a break," Yusuke, the ever-forgiving of his friends---minus Kuwabara, Genkai, and Koenma---said.
"Yes, let's," Hiei grumbled.
"Oh, yurusai, Hiei," Kurama grumbled. Surprised by his boldness, Hiei glanced up to throw a pointed glare at him, then turned away. Kurama's bitterness was becoming quite annoying to the Jiganshi. He was nothing like his usual self.
Maybe because his 'usual self' has always been comforted by the fact that he was alone...until she came along.
It was true. Kurama had liked being alone, with few friends and no love life of which to speak, and then...he'd met Asa. For some reason, she'd made his humanity grow a little more each day, until he thirsted for the presence of those he called friends. He had grown soft, to say the least. Once, he'd been considered a quite malicious, sly King of Thieves, and now...he was like a kit who'd found a new best friend. Or one of those ningen children that had what Yusuke called a case of 'puppy love'. Annoying, indeed.
"It looks like it's gonna rain," Kuwabara commented stupidly, eyes cast upward at the dark gray clouds that loomed in the sky above.
"Aa...we'd better get inside. Hiei, Kurama, you comin'?" Yusuke asked, eyeing both of them rather tensely. The dispute that they'd been having seemed to cause for some concern in the spirit detective. He hadn't truly seen the friends argue before. It was a bit awkward.
"Hai," Kurama answered, uncharacteristically tersely. Hiei just offered a nod, and followed them toward Genkai's temple with narrowed eyes, his hands shoved into his pockets as was usual.
Inside wasn't much less dreary than out. Botan's usually bubbly self was sitting quite solemnly beside Yukina at the table in the living room, both sipping their tea silently. Genkai didn't speak when the four boys entered the room; she was sitting as if in meditation off in the corner, eyes closed, brow furrowed. Keiko sat with Shizuru on the couch, both exchanging somewhat sad glances. As they had promised, Jin, Touya, and the twins had kept a diligent watch over Asa, and had even followed her to Ireland, so they were nowhere to be found.
We walked the narrow path, beneath the smoking skies.
Sometimes you can barely tell the difference between darkness and light.
Do you have faith in what we believe?
The truest test is when we cannot,
When we cannot see.
It was annoyingly quiet in the temple.
The silence was so deafening that Kurama excused himself, claiming he had a headache and was going out to watch the rain and get some fresh air. He found himself in the misty garden that separated the temple from the forest behind it. ((You remember the one...it was like a maze that Yusuke had to get through? Yeah, that must have been one annoying son of a bi---...um...never mind.))
I hear pounding feet in the streets below,
And the women crying,
And the children know that there's something wrong,
And it's hard to believe that love will prevail.
The roses looked sad, in the rain. Their delicate petals curled inward, as if to protect their heart from the chill that came with the damp weather. The red color they usually had seemed duller, almost a brown that was both discontenting and downright cruel to even look at. And, as usual, the other flowers in that garden weren't even close to the roses, no matter how sad they looked.
Oh, it won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
Your tears won't fall forever.
Green emerald eyes turned upward to meet the clouds as the first raindrops started to fall. They were misted over with sadness. I'm so sorry, Asa...
Oh, when I'm lonely,
I lie awake at night,
And I wish you were here.
I miss you.
Can you tell me,
Is there something more to believe in?
Or is this all there is?
I should have told her. I should have told her so long ago. Maybe then she would have stayed. But...why would the gods from Kamekai want her in Ireland? The question had nagged at him ever since Asa's departure, though it was a lesser of his worries. What could Asa have to do with the gods? The only humans that have something to do with gods are...
His eyes widened.
In the pounding feet,
In the streets below,
And the window breaks
And a woman falls,
There's something wrong,
It's so hard to believe that love will prevail.
"The only humans that have something to do with gods are priestesses," he whispered under his breath, the realization hitting him like a brick wall. Could Asa she really be a priestess?
Oh, it won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
Your tears won't fall,
Your tears won't fall,
Your tears won't fall forever.
- Shuuichi, you could probably answer that question on your own...if you cannot, you're truly unfit as a body. -
So you're saying...she is a priestess? His brow furrowed as he looked back around at the garden botanicals that surrounded him.
- I am saying nothing. - Youko's voice was annoyed.
"Fox."
Last night I had a dream.
You came into my room,
You took me into your arms.
Whispering and kissing me,
And telling me to still believe.
But then the emptiness of a burning sea against which we see
Our darkest of sadness.
"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama asked without even looking. His ruby-eyed friend was the only one that referred to him by that nickname.
"Gomen."
"...Nani?" he inquired, surprised. He turned to the Jiganshi inquisitively, his expression perplexed.
"I'm sorry about earlier...I was being insensitive. I know you miss her, but you've been so distant...and it gets agitating at times to see you like that and know that you love her."
Kurama's eyes widened at Hiei's confession, and blushed hotly when he realized what he'd said. "I don't love---!"
"You're not very good at lying anymore, you realize," the Jiganshi smirked.
Until I felt safe and warm.
I fell asleep in your arms.
When I awoke I cried again for you were gone.
Oh, can you hear me?
"...I don't like you very much at the moment," Kurama admitted, "You're an evil, evil demon."
Hiei gave him a look that screamed, "Well, DUH," the smirk still evident on his face. Kurama glared at him a moment. Then another. After a good collection of moments, Hiei rolled his eyes, "You still haven't admitted you love her, you know."
"...So?"
"So, just say it already so I can go back inside and make sure that baka stays away from Yukina," Hiei grumbled.
"...Okay. I admit it."
"You admit what?"
A long pause ensued, during which Kurama stared evenly at Hiei, giving him a look that would have made most men crumble. It didn't affect the fire demon, who merely returned it with a somewhat cocky, somewhat innocent look of his own.
It won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
Your tears won't fall forever.
It won't rain all the time.
The sky won't fall forever.
And though the night seems long,
Your tears won't fall,
Your tears won't fall,
Your tears won't fall forever...
"Fine, don't say it. But you know it's true. Just reminisce on that, Fox."
Kurama was relieved when he left, hurrying to escape the rain that fell so steadily down. It had worked, both of them knew; Hiei had managed to cheer up Kurama a bit. That had been his original goal, not just to apologize. Kurama would have to remember to thank him.
-
Brenna, your time is coming...I hope that you are prepared for it. Enda thought, holding the door to Asa's room ajar and peeking through it at the restlessly tossing and turning child asleep in the bed on the other side. You may not realize it yet, but your powers are beginning to emerge...that is why that monster wanted you so badly...he wanted the essence of your power.
Asa stirred, and Enda quietly shut the door with a sigh, turning and walking down the hall to her room.
Tomorrow, it begins.
Oooh, do you hate me? Do you? Lol...I love you all! Just remember that, and don't kill me...yet! ((sweatdrop)) Oh, btw, the song I used was 'It Can't Rain All the Time' by Jane Siberry. Ebil Lil Kitsune's still being a bung. So while I slowly update that, please bear with the fact that it may not be updated for a while, since, you can never tell what fun-filled surprises your computer has in store for you when you go away to school. Which is where I've been, btw. Oh...and responses.
Today, Touya's handling those.
Touya- ...Huh?
You. Make responses. For reviews. Got it?
Touya- ...O...kay. (ahem) Mel-chan! What be up, girl? ...Okay, I didn't say that out loud. Thank you, as usual, for reviewing. Oh, and Meka, as well as the rest of us lowly characters who are bound to what fate any and all authors/authoresses decide for us, say only this: THAT STORY IS THE FREAKING BOMB AND YOU MUST UPDATE IT!!!
Good job, Touya. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Touya- Heh, thanks. Okay, AzureDragoness, thanks for the review, (Hiei's gonna crap kittens when he finds out that I responded to this review instead of him...) we promise, in the near future, you will see some more A/K fluff...of course, it's going to be AFTER a big fight and some training sessions and ...(gets hit with a pot)
YOU ARE WORSE THAN HIEI AT GIVING THINGS AWAY!
Touya- ...Sorry. (swirly eyes) (shakes head clear) And last but not least, Sun Priestess, we thank you for reviewing, and it is good that you can relate with Asa's situation; if it weren't for trying to make readers relate to the characters, Meka-chan would cease to write. We very humbly thank you. (bows) (falls over, still feeling head trauma from attack by pot) (is passed out)
...Thank you, Touya. (turns to look at readers) Now, it's your cue again! Correspondence and communication are the keys to all relationships, remember that!
