Unless you didn't feel like reviewing that last chapter…in which case I can't blame you, because I hated it...
No, really. What I actually did was take down that first page of story notes and incorporate the ones I still needed into the first chapter, therefore downsizing the story by a chapter while at the same time adding a new one.
Sorry I haven't been posting; I've been trying to get stuff down for 'The Truth' and finally finished posting the sucker. TGIF! (Thank God I'm Finished!)
Tenika Dargan – I guess I didn't fool you! ^.~ That's okay, at least you reviewed. *sweatdrop* I've never actually worn a kimono either, but a friend of mine had a Japanese exchange student and she wore one once; I got my ideas from her. Thanks for reviewing!
I hope this chapter's better…
Four months later I was stronger, faster, and practicing one-on-one with Genkai. I'd actually started the latter two months previous, but I hadn't been any good until the present. With nothing else to do at the temple but talk to the boys, all I'd done was practice and train, practice and train, practice and train...
Until one night.
That evening we were in the living room, me looking over notes from my class, and the others either talking or watching television. I was sharing a lazey-boy with Hiei. I looked up with a frown, then noticed Genkai watching me. Someone suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke, and I jumped slightly, accidentally dropping my notes on the couch. I automatically went to pick them up, but eyes watching me made me jerk my hand back like I had touched scalding water. I glanced back up at the figure, who was sitting on air and sucking on...a pacifier? This must be Koenma, I thought uncertainly.
"Geez! You know, Koenma, you could always warn us before just showing up like that!" Yusuke snapped from a new position of almost sitting on Kuwabara. I smiled.
"Hello to you too, Yusuke," the toddler said with a snort. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Wallace. I am the Great Koenma." I nodded, a half-bow, even though I knew who he was. "I have good news for most of you. The gateways are up and running. We had to repair hundreds, but they all function properly except for one."
Most of you? Who else would the gateways being open be bad for? A quick survey revealed a happy Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke, Genkai was grinning, and beside me Hiei...looked stoned. Utterly stoned. He started slightly and blinked rapidly, noticed me looking at him, and let his eyes catch with mine. I forced my dismay away and looked back to the young god before us.
"Which gateway?" Genkai asked.
"The one they tried to use before coming to the temple." His slanted eyes opened. "And I would love to know exactly what happened to it." His brown gaze pinned me to the spot.
My heart hammered in my chest, but I didn't breathe. Where do I start? "Well, we were running from a large group of demons, and Hiei took me to the gateway. He went to cut it to open it," a quick nod from Kurama reassured me that I was right, "and he just sorta froze. Then the portal showed up-"
"Showed up?" Koenma cut in.
"Yeah. It was like a huge whitish oval. Then it got cracks in it, and a black liquid oozed out from the lines. It leaked down the portal, and the thing began to disappear where the black touched it, like it was eroding or something. It melted back into scenery - I could see trees and grass again in the holes. Then the entire thing just...disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
I blinked. "M-hm. I couldn't see it anymore."
"What happened after that?"
Why did it matter? I told him what happened to the gateway. "I...pulled Hiei away from it. I guess he was unconscious because he fell against me. A demon showed up and cut the space he'd been in before. I moved, he moved, and I fell down because he weighs a lot. We barely missed being decapitated. I screamed, Kurama showed up, killed the demoness, and Hiei woke up a few moments later."
"Hiei, what did it feel like when you stabbed it?" Koenma asked, floating to sit on the floor.
"Getting hit by lightning."
"Becca, what did you feel when you grabbed him?"
"If you've ever touched a hot wire fence, you'll know. I even heard a snap when I grabbed his shoulders," I said flatly, the memory making my fingers twitch.
"Interesting." Koenma looked at us like he would a piece of art.
I glanced at Hiei, who glanced at me, and realized he'd never heard the whole story of what had happened. I snuck a peek at Koenma, then looked back to Hiei. He showed no emotion, but he was sitting too still.
"What's interesting?" I asked skeptically.
"That both of you lived."
"What?!" many voices chorused.
"I could see it hurting Hiei, but Becca? She didn't touch it," Yusuke asked, scratching his head.
"It doesn't matter. You could line up the entire population of the human world, have the first person touch a malfunctioning gateway, and they'd all die. Humans are not meant to stand up to the power of dysfunctional portals."
"Hiei's not human," I snorted.
"You told her?!" Koenma yelled.
"Yeah," Yusuke said defensively. "We told her everything."
The god looked furious for a moment, then sighed. "You've been training. Let me see what you've learned." I frowned. Now that was changing the subject. We walked outside to a clearing. "Kurama, fight her."
"But she's-" Kurama started.
"I know, and it doesn't matter. Just do it."
The spirit fox and I looked at each other uncertainly as we stood before each other. Please please please please don't hurt me, I thought unhappily, wishing he was telepathic as well. I assumed a fighting stance, Kurama another that I'd never seen before. Oh, shit.
"Go on," Koenma said tiredly.
Kurama threw a punch at me, which I ducked. Screw offense! I yelled at myself as he came at me. I ducked, jumped, backed, and a various other number of things to stay away from him. It seemed to be working, but I knew I wasn't going to last very long; Kurama couldn't have been trying hard. Suddenly I hit a stance I knew very well, but it wasn't really what I needed; it was a dance move I'd learned years before. Dance…hmmm…dance! I carefully switched my random movements to turn and twist in a more calculated manner. I danced my way back across the meadow, away from the forest Kurama had been forcing me into.
"Let go," Koenma snapped as we passed in front of him.
Let go of what? Who's he - bloody hell¬! I didn't even have time to think anymore as Kurama began to move faster. I tried to do the same but lost my dance. I'd evaded him for probably fifteen seconds when his leg wrapped around mine. Too tired to care, I fell, then instinctively curled into a ball on my side, putting my arm across my exposed face. When nothing happened, I peeked around my elbow suspiciously. His hand was extended to me. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me to my feet.
"What was that?" Kuwabara asked me.
"What was what?"
"What the hell were you doing?" he sputtered, gesturing towards the forest.
I smiled faintly. "Dancing."
"You never even tried to hit him!" Yusuke said.
I snorted. "Even if I tried, do you think I could've? Striking at him would've left me open, and then I might've actually gotten hurt. I'm just a human. I'm no match for a demon."
"You taught her that much defense?" Koenma asked Genkai.
"No. She danced on her own. She knows offense, but not enough of it to be effective, especially against someone like Kurama."
Koenma studied me. I didn't like to be an object of attention and glared at him, edging closer to Kurama. Kurama seemed to sense that and let me practically hide behind him. Finally, the godling sighed. "It's no use. She can't go back to the human world. Demons will be coming after her left and right. She has to be better trained." Hell-o. If I'd had ears, they would've perked. I didn't have to go back to Japan? I allowed myself to slide out from behind Kurama. He looked at me again. "I'm sorry, Becca, but it'll be quite some time before you can go back to your family."
I beat down a smile and replaced it with a slightly disappointed look. "It's okay."
"I will, however, grant you some comforts of your home. Name fifteen items, and they'll be here with you. I'll provide everything you'll need for what you choose without it being one of the ten." My throat clogged. Did he know? His glittering brown eyes told me he did. The two human boys were clearly confused, trying to figure out what the statement meant. Even Kurama and Genkai were frowning.
"Now?"
"Yes."
My head reeled. "I want them back."
"That's two."
"I don't care." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of nose, trying to think. "I want a copy of my home computer and the floppies with my stories."
"Four."
"All of my CD's and my big stereo."
"Six."
I hesitated, then went out a limb and asked him for my stuffed bunny and blankets in English.
"Nine."
"All of my clothes."
"Ten."
I drew blanks. "That's all I need for now. Can I still use the other five later?"
He nodded. "You understand, for this, you will continue your training."
"Of course."
"In the morning, everything you asked for will be with you in concordance."
My heart was hammering, and I was grinning uncontrollably. "Thank you, Koenma."
I hardly slept at all that night, but finally lost it around four in the morning.
Hmmm…what did Becca wish for? Let's just say there's going to be some 'self-insertion' of two of my favorite…things?...not friends; actually, they're not people at all. Have a hunch? *stifles insane giggle*
Charlie's gonna be home by next week! Happy days!! *runs outside, falls on the ice. again.*