Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho does not... *lawyers lean in* have a crab for one
of its main characters. *lawyers shake heads* If it did have a crab as a
main character, it would probably be a purple crab. *lawyers roll eyes and
pull out staplers* O.O Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me. Please don't
staple me!! *lawyers look satisfied* Stupid lawyers with their stupid
staple guns...
Kin: Well, it's another chapter of Falling Into Fiction. I think I might have figured out how to make my computer update, but last time might have just been a fluke. When I try to update this chapter, I'll know for sure. So anyway, I just want to say that I'm sorry once again about the stupid filler chapter and it probably won't happen again. This chapter starts with them on the cruise, so the adventure, action, and fighting is coming up VERY soon. There will be fluff, humor and pointless rambling, but if you start to get bored, just keep in mind that it's going to get good soon. This story is going very slowly, but you just have to remember that this IS a romance/humor fic after all. However, I have planed everything out and I can GUARANTEE that there will be action and fighting eventually.
Mizuna: I would like proof of that statement.
Kashaku: I would like a lollipop.
Kin: And I would like a million dollars but you don't see that happening do you?!
Mizuna: *glares* I was merely wondering if you were ever going to get to the good parts in the story. You just keep going on and on about pointless things.
Kin: SHUT UP!! There is going to be a lot of plot in the next few chapters, so why don't you just be quiet!
Mizuna: Because I don't feel like it.
Kashaku: Do you happen to have a lollipop on you by any chance?
Mizuna & Kin: NO!!
Kin: And if I did, I wouldn't give it to you anyway!
Kashaku: *gets teary-eyed* I'm so under appreciated...
Mizuna: *rolls eyes* Here it comes.
Kashaku: WHAAAAAAA!!!! Y-YOU'RE SO M-MEAN TO ME!
Kin: SHUT UP! YOU'RE HURTING MY EARS!!
Mizuna: I feel a migraine coming on.
Kashaku *starts to run around while still crying loudly* WHAAAAAA!!!
Kin: SHUT UP!!
Mizuna: Alright. That's it. The fic is starting; enjoy it.
Kin: Wait a second-
"blah" speaking
'blah' thinking
/blah/ conscience
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Falling Into Fiction
Chapter 5: Questions
The cool sea breeze blew Mizuna's long dark ponytail over her shoulder. The sea itself was a rolling surface of deepest blue glass, the sun setting into its endless depths. Red, purple and orange painted dancing colors across the sky and clouds stood low outlined in molten silver, like a lining of tangible light always just out of reach. The waves breaking against the side of the ship provided a comforting background noise, completing the feeling of contentment that was settling in around her. However, no matter how beautiful the scene was, Mizuna's mind was elsewhere.
The group had arrived at the docks to be met with what seemed to be a humongous cruise ship, complete with tourists, four pools, a casino, five game rooms, and a ton of other entertaining things. That had been when Kuwabara had shown up. Looking quite worse for the wear and mumbling about crazy old ladies, he had stumbled up the ramp to the ship and Yusuke had grudgingly admitted that he was with them. There had been no real problems and they had gone looking for the rooms they would be staying in. There were two: one for the guys and one for the girls, the guys' being pretty large with beds in blue silk sheets and an ocean motif all around. The girls' had been a bit smaller considering that there were only three of them, and the room had been done in shades of red and pink with purple silk sheets.
Everyone was probably still unpacking. Kashaku and Kin were probably arguing over which drawer belonged to whom and there was no telling what the guys were doing. Probably throwing their stuff everywhere in an attempt to get started on wrecking their room by the end of the cruise. Mizuna had neatly folded her clothes in one of the drawers and hung up her dress and other more formal clothing. Something had called her over to the remote spot at the front of the ship where the railing was strangely devoid of the normal throng of tourists holding cameras and hoping for dolphins to photograph.
She could feel it. It was faint, but there nonetheless: a dim sense of something waiting for her. It felt almost as if it were calling her, needing her to find it. She was almost sure that it was the pendant. What else could it be? The ship was setting a direct course for it and she wondered if Koenma had arranged it specifically or if he had just chosen a cruise that happened to be going in the right direction. He had said that the pendants would be hidden in the wrong world of origin, so hers must have been forged in either the Reikai or the Makai. Whichever world it had originated from, it didn't matter, the only thing that did was the slight tugging that it was exerting on her mind.
A child suddenly ran by laughing, startling her out of her reverie. She blinked and let go of the rail. It had made an imprint on her hands; she hadn't even realized she had been gripping it that hard. There was something strange going on besides the pendants call; Mizuna's senses were tingling with foreboding. There was some kind of mystery surrounding the pendants and the guardians; something that they didn't yet understand, something critical. What was it? However, her question remained unanswered and she continued to watch as the sun set.
++++++
Kashaku walked barefoot along the deck, not wanting to go inside or go swimming just yet. The sky was a beautiful tableau of colors and she assumed that was why Mizuna had left the room without them; she didn't want to miss it. There were a few children out playing on the deck as well, their mothers keeping a sharp eye that they didn't go to close to the railing. The flame-haired sorceress sighed and wondered how long it was until dinner. She supposed that she could gather a few of the others and seek a dining hall or restaurant or some other place with food, but she didn't really feel like it just yet.
She wandered along the vast first floor deck for a while more before finally becoming bored. The fight between her and Kin about the drawers had finally been resolved just a little earlier when she had finally relented and let Kin have the top drawer while she took the bottom and she wasn't quite sure where her argumentative friend had taken off to afterwards. The guys had scattered as well, everyone going their separate ways to find something they wanted to do in the time before dinner. So, she had wandered off as well in search of something she wasn't quite sure of.
Lost in her thoughts, Kashaku didn't see the woman until it was too late. She walked right into her and nearly knocked her over. "I'm so sorry!" she said dramatically. "I didn't mean to bump into you! I just wasn't looking were I was going and then I ran into you and...." Kashaku trailed off.
The woman was giving her a speculative look as if measuring her up to some unknown scale. It made her uneasy. The woman was extremely beautiful, almost impossibly so, with short chin-length ebony hair, straight cut bangs and bright green eyes. Her ageless face was perfectly proportioned with arching eyebrows and high cheekbones. The long black coat and black slacks that she wore did nothing to hide her faultless figure and graceful form. As if finding what she was looking for, the unknown woman gave Kashaku a smile that didn't quite reach her long-lashed eyes.
"It's alright," she said with a low, purring voice that made her R's sound drawn out. She gave the girl one last unreadable look before walking away with a fluid grace that could almost be considered gliding.
The yellow-eyed sorceress watched her go with apprehension. There was just something sinister about that implausibly beautiful woman. The way she had looked at her... like she was the cat and Kashaku the mouse in a deadly game of chase. The woman had the grace of a feline and could have easily avoided being bumped into, the question was: why hadn't she? There was something strange going on, but Kashaku, knowing that she would receive no answers, went off in search of the others. She was hungry.
+++Next Day: Early Morning+++
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERTS!!"
Kin ran through the halls of the ship towards the room she shared with Mizuna and Kashaku and was only now starting to get desperate. She was in nothing more than a short towel that just barely covered her necessities and her hair dripped in thick locks, seeming to be dark amber rather than shining gold because of its wet state. Five young men about her age in the ships personnel uniform chased after her waving back scrubbers and soap.
"Wait miss!! We're just doing our job to make sure you receive the best service! Don't you want a relaxing scrub in the hot tub? We'll make sure you're completely clean!"
Her eyebrow twitched. Clean, yeah sure. Luckily, she saw a figure leaning against the wall up ahead; she could enlist their help in beating off the persistent idiots. Unfortunately for her, the person up ahead had red hair, was a demon, controlled the element of wind, spoke in an Irish accent... you get the picture. Just great, now she would have to deal with Jin as well. It seemed that hentai were just attracted to her or something; there could be no other logical explanation.
No other choice apparent, she jumped behind Jin surprising him awake. The previously only half conscious wind master blinked and promptly woke all the way up when he saw five young men in uniform holding bath materials charging towards him. They looked pretty scary if not deranged to say the least. "What the-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Kin prodded him in the back. "Go! Beat them up or something! Defend me damnit!!"
He turned around to find a soaking wet and half-naked fox demoness glaring at him. If he wasn't fully awake before, he certainly was now. He looked her up and down and whistled making her blush furiously. Before he could make a comment though, she prodded him again, this time in the chest.
"Hurry!! They're almost here! Protect me!"
Jin turned around again to see the men almost directly in front of them. They looked quite crazy, and who knew what crazy bath attendants could or would do? Probably rip off Kin's towel and chase her around some more. Hey that wouldn't be such a bad idea....
The golden-haired fox demoness, who was getting quite fed up with the whole situation, gripped her bath towel firmly in one hand and cracked the knuckles of the other. "That's it! I'll kill you all one handed! Don't look at me like that Jin; I saw that perverted look on your face just a second ago! I'll give you a ten second head start. One. Ten!"
And with that, the great chase began. A red-haired passenger and five bath attendants were chased for quite a while before finally being caught. It goes without saying that they were all pretty bruised afterwards. However, a kitsune still sopping wet and in only a towel marched off to her room to put on some clothes with satisfaction. She only "hmpf"ed in response to the questioning gazes she received from fellow early risers. And so the first day of the cruise began.
++++++
The sun was rising, and whereas Mizuna had stood only the night before watching the sunset, she now stood watching it rise. Land was no longer visible, and shining blue-black waves stretched off in all directions. The sun hung low in the sky as of yet, sending pale light bouncing off the endless expanse of water. More questions were plaguing her mind, this time about the past. It seemed as if the faint sense of the pendent was bringing forth more questions that she couldn't answer. The demoness could remember nothing of her childhood, as if her memories had been locked away in the furthest corners of her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder: Who was she?
She imagined that she had a family, wherever they might be at the moment, and she wondered what they were doing; if they missed her. Back in the illusionary world that she, Kin, and Kashaku had been living in, her parents had been distant figures only known to her by their providing positions and fleeting glimpses. They had seemed so faint, and she had wondered what it would be like to be a part of a real family. Perhaps now was her chance. Koenma had said that they would gradually remember their pasts, and as soon as she won the pendent, she would find her true family and have the childhood that she so desperately needed.
A hand on her shoulder interrupted the train of thought. "Hey Mi-chan, what are you doing up so early? Kin-chan went to have an early morning soak and woke me up when she stubbed her toe on my staff on the way out. It's amazing that Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't wake up with all her cursing and yelling!"
Mizuna reluctantly let her hopeful thoughts subside for the moment and focused her attention on her flame-haired friend. It was pretty strange that she hadn't sensed her coming, but she just assumed it was because she had been in such deep thought. She could sense the others, everyone being in different places on the ship except for Yusuke and Kuwabara who were still sleeping. One of her powers seemed to be the ability to sense auras. At the moment, Kashaku's aura was a normal flame red color with a little bit of a yellow tinge.
"Mi-chan, I'm worried about you. You've spent almost the entire time so far standing at the rail of the ship and staring out to sea. You need to let loose and have some fun! Let's go swimming after breakfast; just try to forget the pendent for a little while," Kashaku practically sang.
The blue-haired demoness glanced once over her shoulder at the sparkling ocean once last time before nodding and walking away with her friend to go to breakfast. Her thoughts would just have to wait until later; Kashaku was right, she needed to have some fun while she still could.
+++Fourth Day of the Cruise: Late Morning+++
It was strangely hot for October. The sun shone down mercilessly on the decks of the cruise ship making walking without any shoes quite uncomfortable for anyone who wasn't a demon. It wasn't too hot in the shade though, and many of the passengers had taken to sitting under umbrellas beside whichever of the four swimming pools on deck was closest to their quarters. It had been a lazy four days, with much sleeping in, some swimming, and a trip to the casino. The casino hadn't been such a good idea, Kashaku having lost most of their money, but it had been fun.
Everyone had a bit of a tan, but all the lazing about was been more fun for some than others. Hiei and Touya were completely bored and annoyed with the entire situation, but everyone else seemed to be enjoying their off time, especially Yusuke who could be seen flirting with some of the girls in the ships staff. So, as you can see, the first four days of the cruise had been kind to our heroes, and we find everyone except Hiei and Kuwabara arriving at the nearest pool for some fun.
Kashaku immediately pulled off her T-shirt and shorts, revealing her silver, two-piece Bandeau swimsuit and dived right into the middle of the pool. The pool was pretty crowded, and everyone near her was thoroughly splashed. A few women who were lying on floating bed thingies glared at her before paddling themselves farther away. The sorceress however took no notice and made it her personal duty to try and get Touya in the water, and after that was accomplished, she would attempt to get everyone else in the water as well.
Unfortunately, the said ice demon was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the water with a T-shirt still on, and refused to budge even when she grabbed one of his hands and pulled with her legs braced up against the wall of the pool. He continued to ignore her and had his eyes closed as if in a meditative state and didn't seem to be bothered by her attempts to yank him in. Thoroughly annoyed by now, Kashaku huffily let go and went off to play with some little children until she could think up a better plan.
Mizuna, having now taken off her own T-shirt and shorts, was taking cover in the shade and practically lathering herself with sunscreen. She was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit that had no sides, and thin strips of fabric like stripes, showing her skin through the gaps, were the only protection from completely bare skin. Her pale skin was extremely sensitive to the sun and she didn't want to be sunburned even slightly so the product she was using was extremely potent, and once it had soaked in she would be able to swim without fear of turning as red as a lobster. She sat down in a conveniently placed plastic chair and put on a pair of sunglasses, watching Kashaku splash around and give kids piggyback rides through the water.
The sweltering day was actually not so horrible for some. Kin was lying stretched out on a long, extended plastic beach chair without any sort of umbrella covering her from the glaring sun, and she actually seemed to be enjoying it. She had on a black string bikini and a black baseball cap pulled down over her eyes. Seemingly asleep, a few guys were brave enough to sit rather closer than necessary and were busy drooling over her. She, however, didn't notice or didn't care. Mizuna looked at her just lying in the sun without any kind of sunscreen or covering and shuddered.
Calculating that enough time had elapsed for her to get into the water, the blue-haired girl began to make her way to the steps of the pool. On her way there, she couldn't help but notice that Jin wasn't anywhere to be seen. What could this mean? He was probably up to something foolish...oh well; it wasn't her problem. She did however deduce that it would have something to do with Kin, and if she stayed near the edge were the fox demoness was she would most likely be splashed. So, she delicately stepped into the pool avoiding small children and waded out across the shallow end to the opposite side of the pool. And just as she had predicted...
"YOU HENTAI!!"
A giant splash soaked everyone near to the opposite edge as someone was shoved violently into the pool. Three guesses who. A now thoroughly wet, and shirtless Jin surfaced and smiled cheerfully. He was immediately surrounded by a group of giggling girls and Mizuna watched as Kin glared and "hmpf"ed before angrily stomping back to her chair and lying down and pulling her cap down over her eyes again, sulking. It was actually a rather normal day considering the routine that had been established since the first day of the cruise. Now all that they needed was....
"Hey you guys! I know you must have only accidentally given me the wrong directions to the pool by mistake. So, what have I missed?"
Mizuna rolled her eyes as Kuwabara trotted up in a pair of ugly swim trunks covered in pink hearts and unknowingly knocked the meditating Touya into the pool. He would never have managed this except for the fact that the ice demon only had his mind tuned to the strong auras around him, and well, Kuwabara didn't have one.
The blue-eyed demon stood up, the water only barely reaching his waist this being the shallow end. His shirt was sticking to his chest and his hair was dripping; his eyebrow twitched. Kuwabara however didn't notice this and was completely taken by surprise when he was suddenly jerked into the pool hitting the water face first. He hit with a huge smack and promptly sunk. Touya pulled off his shirt and glared a warning to the gaggle of girls that were eyeing him before pulling himself back out of the pool to return to meditation.
Yusuke, who was surrounded by a different flock of girls, was showing off all the muscles he had gained from intense training with Genkai and the trial of the Dark Tournament. Sure he had a girlfriend, but she didn't have to know, did she? His boasting was suddenly interrupted when an electric shock ran through his body. He saw everyone else in the water jerk as well and look around for the source, but only he and the rest of the group actually realized what it was. Kin, who had apparently become bored with just lying in the sun, was sitting at the edge of the pool and trailing one hand through the water while looking innocent; however, she had most likely shocked them on purpose.
The black-haired spirit detective glared at her and splashed her with a wave of water. Big mistake. The golden-haired fox demon immediately dived in and tackled him, beginning a tussle. The two weren't actually fighting, and it was kind of fun. Not that either of them would admit it, but they actually felt a kind of brother-sister bond beginning to form. The group of girls that had been previously surrounding Yusuke started cheering for him and booing whenever Kin had the upper hand and just generally acting like cheerleaders. Mizuna raised one eyebrow and got in a better position so that she could see the play fight without being splashed, while Jin just frowned and wished he were the one tussling with the bikini-clad girl instead.
Touya meanwhile continued to meditate, attempting to corner the strange aura that he could faintly sense. A weird feeling that something was going to happen before the cruise was done was starting to creep over him, and maybe this strange aura had something to do with it. He was sure that it was a demon; they were attempting to cover their aura, but they were doing a rather sloppy job. He couldn't get a clear fix on their power level, and it was extremely frustrating. Until he had some confirmation, he wouldn't bring it up to the rest of the group. If there were actually something to worry about, Hiei would most likely bring it up before him anyway. There, he almost had a fix on it....
"Hey Touya, what're you doing?"
A red-haired girl in a silver swimsuit sat down next to him and dangled her feet in the water. She cocked her head to the side and watched the fight between Kin and Yusuke escalate to include cheap tricks like pinching and hair pulling. Seeing that the aura had once again slipped through his fingers, Touya couldn't help but be irritated and annoyed. He had been so close, but Kashaku had just had to come along and interrupt him with her foolishness as usual.
"None of your business," he said coldly. "In fact, perhaps it would be best for you to go and play with your intellectual equals. There are a few human children over there; I'm sure you would fit in just fine."
Kashaku stiffened and Touya immediately regretted what he had said. He hadn't meant it; she had just come up to him at a bad time, interrupting him during his meditation. But before he could say anything to rectify the situation, the yellow-eyed girl abruptly stood up and walked away, grabbing her towel on the way. She headed towards the general direction of their rooms and he could only assume that he had hurt her feelings. He had no experience with these things, he was a demon after all, but he did feel rather uncomfortable.
The fight between Yusuke and Kin was going all out, and Touya watched as they splashed everyone in the near vicinity. He sighed. It wasn't his problem Kashaku was so weak and emotional; he didn't care.... She was just a worthless girl with strange mood swings and the annoying habit of clinging to him. However, the feeling of discomfort continued to grow inside him and he wanted nothing more than to have her hanging all over him again if just to make it go away. The Halloween dance was tonight; perhaps he could make it up to her then.
++++++
"And then he said that I should go play with my intellectual equals, children!"
Kin and Mizuna exchanged looks, both refraining from any comments. The fire sorceress was doing a handstand and didn't really look like she was upset, but both friends could tell that her feelings had been hurt. Her usually smiling face was set in a rather confused expression, and she wasn't singing or dancing around. Whenever Kashaku was in a more serious mood or needed to think she would do handstands just as she was now. It wasn't a very good sign.
The dance was in only a few hours and the girls still had to start getting ready. Yeah, you heard me, a few hours, five to be exact. Hey, a girl needs time to get ready; you don't think that we look miraculously beautiful by just puling on some random clothes and smearing our faces with makeup do you? It could almost be considered an art form, and it takes time to learn how to be ready in less than eight hours.
"Hey, don't worry Ka-chan. I'll beat him up if you want me to! I can take him!" Kin said cracking her knuckles and glaring at the door as if it would make the ice demon appear.
Mizuna interrupted. "You know that's actually bad for your knuckles. We don't have time to waste on pleasantries; the dance is in a few hours and we still haven't even started getting ready. You'll have to save it until later, hurry up."
The golden-eyed kitsune crossed her arms over her chest and blinked. Dances weren't really her style, but she had relented and decided to go, I mean, what else would she do? Hang around the room and sulk? Well, she had been going to, but Mizuna had persuaded her to come anyway. In fact, Mizuna had also picked out both her and Kashaku's costumes as well as her own due to the fact that the golden-haired kitsune hated shopping, and well, Kashaku tended to pick out extremely strange things in the mall. No one was even really sure where she found some of her clothes.
The said sorceress was still doing handstands. Kin poked her foot and she fell over in a heap, still grumbling something about an ice demon that was a big meanie. The other two girls sweatdropped and dragged the STILL mumbling Kashaku off into the bathroom to commence preparations for the dance. It would certainly be a night to remember....
To be continued....
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Kin: Well, there you go. Another chapter and in less than a week! Aren't you proud? I have planned out all the chapters and decided that next chapter will be the Halloween dance, the next the Ball, and the one after than will actually be the one were the action comes in. Don't worry, I'm sure this time. I planned everything out and have an outline. I'm trying to fit in most of the genres, but this is mainly a romance and humor, so if you don't like that then you can just go away. So, was the chapter okay? I tried to put in some underlying seriousness.
Kashaku: There was seriousness? I must have missed it....
Mizuna: Whatever.
Kin: Hmpf. You people are so mean; I don't know why I even bother to update!
Mizuna: Because if you didn't we would gang up on you and hit you with rubber chickens and plastic hammers.
Kin: Oh yeah....
Kashaku: I think that Kin-chan is losing her memory.
Kin: I am not!
Mizuna: That remains to be seen.
Kin: You guys are losing it. Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll try to update again soon, but I think that I might need some reviews to get motivated... Well, see you next chapter!
Review Responses:
SukiYumi: Yes, children in puffy jackets.... What's not to love?
Hedi Dracona: Well I'm really flattered by your review...but what the hell is that supposed to mean...?
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Slytherin's GoldenYouku: Thanks for the giant teacup!! I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that Kurama wasn't in it but he comes back in VERY soon so don't worry, he isn't dead or anything.
Kaija Katake: Yay!! There's no need to bother me; a new chapter is here! Thanks for updating!
Yuna Tidas Lover: Thanks for reviewing! There will be many fluffy situations in the next chapter, so be ready!!
baka-chibi-puffs: Thanks for liking my filler! I really appreciate your reviews!
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Please Review!! If you send me a nice review I'll give you a shiny new Hoover vacuum cleaner, if you send me a flame I'll be forced to give you a giant killer dust bunny.
Kin: Well, it's another chapter of Falling Into Fiction. I think I might have figured out how to make my computer update, but last time might have just been a fluke. When I try to update this chapter, I'll know for sure. So anyway, I just want to say that I'm sorry once again about the stupid filler chapter and it probably won't happen again. This chapter starts with them on the cruise, so the adventure, action, and fighting is coming up VERY soon. There will be fluff, humor and pointless rambling, but if you start to get bored, just keep in mind that it's going to get good soon. This story is going very slowly, but you just have to remember that this IS a romance/humor fic after all. However, I have planed everything out and I can GUARANTEE that there will be action and fighting eventually.
Mizuna: I would like proof of that statement.
Kashaku: I would like a lollipop.
Kin: And I would like a million dollars but you don't see that happening do you?!
Mizuna: *glares* I was merely wondering if you were ever going to get to the good parts in the story. You just keep going on and on about pointless things.
Kin: SHUT UP!! There is going to be a lot of plot in the next few chapters, so why don't you just be quiet!
Mizuna: Because I don't feel like it.
Kashaku: Do you happen to have a lollipop on you by any chance?
Mizuna & Kin: NO!!
Kin: And if I did, I wouldn't give it to you anyway!
Kashaku: *gets teary-eyed* I'm so under appreciated...
Mizuna: *rolls eyes* Here it comes.
Kashaku: WHAAAAAAA!!!! Y-YOU'RE SO M-MEAN TO ME!
Kin: SHUT UP! YOU'RE HURTING MY EARS!!
Mizuna: I feel a migraine coming on.
Kashaku *starts to run around while still crying loudly* WHAAAAAA!!!
Kin: SHUT UP!!
Mizuna: Alright. That's it. The fic is starting; enjoy it.
Kin: Wait a second-
"blah" speaking
'blah' thinking
/blah/ conscience
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Falling Into Fiction
Chapter 5: Questions
The cool sea breeze blew Mizuna's long dark ponytail over her shoulder. The sea itself was a rolling surface of deepest blue glass, the sun setting into its endless depths. Red, purple and orange painted dancing colors across the sky and clouds stood low outlined in molten silver, like a lining of tangible light always just out of reach. The waves breaking against the side of the ship provided a comforting background noise, completing the feeling of contentment that was settling in around her. However, no matter how beautiful the scene was, Mizuna's mind was elsewhere.
The group had arrived at the docks to be met with what seemed to be a humongous cruise ship, complete with tourists, four pools, a casino, five game rooms, and a ton of other entertaining things. That had been when Kuwabara had shown up. Looking quite worse for the wear and mumbling about crazy old ladies, he had stumbled up the ramp to the ship and Yusuke had grudgingly admitted that he was with them. There had been no real problems and they had gone looking for the rooms they would be staying in. There were two: one for the guys and one for the girls, the guys' being pretty large with beds in blue silk sheets and an ocean motif all around. The girls' had been a bit smaller considering that there were only three of them, and the room had been done in shades of red and pink with purple silk sheets.
Everyone was probably still unpacking. Kashaku and Kin were probably arguing over which drawer belonged to whom and there was no telling what the guys were doing. Probably throwing their stuff everywhere in an attempt to get started on wrecking their room by the end of the cruise. Mizuna had neatly folded her clothes in one of the drawers and hung up her dress and other more formal clothing. Something had called her over to the remote spot at the front of the ship where the railing was strangely devoid of the normal throng of tourists holding cameras and hoping for dolphins to photograph.
She could feel it. It was faint, but there nonetheless: a dim sense of something waiting for her. It felt almost as if it were calling her, needing her to find it. She was almost sure that it was the pendant. What else could it be? The ship was setting a direct course for it and she wondered if Koenma had arranged it specifically or if he had just chosen a cruise that happened to be going in the right direction. He had said that the pendants would be hidden in the wrong world of origin, so hers must have been forged in either the Reikai or the Makai. Whichever world it had originated from, it didn't matter, the only thing that did was the slight tugging that it was exerting on her mind.
A child suddenly ran by laughing, startling her out of her reverie. She blinked and let go of the rail. It had made an imprint on her hands; she hadn't even realized she had been gripping it that hard. There was something strange going on besides the pendants call; Mizuna's senses were tingling with foreboding. There was some kind of mystery surrounding the pendants and the guardians; something that they didn't yet understand, something critical. What was it? However, her question remained unanswered and she continued to watch as the sun set.
++++++
Kashaku walked barefoot along the deck, not wanting to go inside or go swimming just yet. The sky was a beautiful tableau of colors and she assumed that was why Mizuna had left the room without them; she didn't want to miss it. There were a few children out playing on the deck as well, their mothers keeping a sharp eye that they didn't go to close to the railing. The flame-haired sorceress sighed and wondered how long it was until dinner. She supposed that she could gather a few of the others and seek a dining hall or restaurant or some other place with food, but she didn't really feel like it just yet.
She wandered along the vast first floor deck for a while more before finally becoming bored. The fight between her and Kin about the drawers had finally been resolved just a little earlier when she had finally relented and let Kin have the top drawer while she took the bottom and she wasn't quite sure where her argumentative friend had taken off to afterwards. The guys had scattered as well, everyone going their separate ways to find something they wanted to do in the time before dinner. So, she had wandered off as well in search of something she wasn't quite sure of.
Lost in her thoughts, Kashaku didn't see the woman until it was too late. She walked right into her and nearly knocked her over. "I'm so sorry!" she said dramatically. "I didn't mean to bump into you! I just wasn't looking were I was going and then I ran into you and...." Kashaku trailed off.
The woman was giving her a speculative look as if measuring her up to some unknown scale. It made her uneasy. The woman was extremely beautiful, almost impossibly so, with short chin-length ebony hair, straight cut bangs and bright green eyes. Her ageless face was perfectly proportioned with arching eyebrows and high cheekbones. The long black coat and black slacks that she wore did nothing to hide her faultless figure and graceful form. As if finding what she was looking for, the unknown woman gave Kashaku a smile that didn't quite reach her long-lashed eyes.
"It's alright," she said with a low, purring voice that made her R's sound drawn out. She gave the girl one last unreadable look before walking away with a fluid grace that could almost be considered gliding.
The yellow-eyed sorceress watched her go with apprehension. There was just something sinister about that implausibly beautiful woman. The way she had looked at her... like she was the cat and Kashaku the mouse in a deadly game of chase. The woman had the grace of a feline and could have easily avoided being bumped into, the question was: why hadn't she? There was something strange going on, but Kashaku, knowing that she would receive no answers, went off in search of the others. She was hungry.
+++Next Day: Early Morning+++
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERTS!!"
Kin ran through the halls of the ship towards the room she shared with Mizuna and Kashaku and was only now starting to get desperate. She was in nothing more than a short towel that just barely covered her necessities and her hair dripped in thick locks, seeming to be dark amber rather than shining gold because of its wet state. Five young men about her age in the ships personnel uniform chased after her waving back scrubbers and soap.
"Wait miss!! We're just doing our job to make sure you receive the best service! Don't you want a relaxing scrub in the hot tub? We'll make sure you're completely clean!"
Her eyebrow twitched. Clean, yeah sure. Luckily, she saw a figure leaning against the wall up ahead; she could enlist their help in beating off the persistent idiots. Unfortunately for her, the person up ahead had red hair, was a demon, controlled the element of wind, spoke in an Irish accent... you get the picture. Just great, now she would have to deal with Jin as well. It seemed that hentai were just attracted to her or something; there could be no other logical explanation.
No other choice apparent, she jumped behind Jin surprising him awake. The previously only half conscious wind master blinked and promptly woke all the way up when he saw five young men in uniform holding bath materials charging towards him. They looked pretty scary if not deranged to say the least. "What the-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Kin prodded him in the back. "Go! Beat them up or something! Defend me damnit!!"
He turned around to find a soaking wet and half-naked fox demoness glaring at him. If he wasn't fully awake before, he certainly was now. He looked her up and down and whistled making her blush furiously. Before he could make a comment though, she prodded him again, this time in the chest.
"Hurry!! They're almost here! Protect me!"
Jin turned around again to see the men almost directly in front of them. They looked quite crazy, and who knew what crazy bath attendants could or would do? Probably rip off Kin's towel and chase her around some more. Hey that wouldn't be such a bad idea....
The golden-haired fox demoness, who was getting quite fed up with the whole situation, gripped her bath towel firmly in one hand and cracked the knuckles of the other. "That's it! I'll kill you all one handed! Don't look at me like that Jin; I saw that perverted look on your face just a second ago! I'll give you a ten second head start. One. Ten!"
And with that, the great chase began. A red-haired passenger and five bath attendants were chased for quite a while before finally being caught. It goes without saying that they were all pretty bruised afterwards. However, a kitsune still sopping wet and in only a towel marched off to her room to put on some clothes with satisfaction. She only "hmpf"ed in response to the questioning gazes she received from fellow early risers. And so the first day of the cruise began.
++++++
The sun was rising, and whereas Mizuna had stood only the night before watching the sunset, she now stood watching it rise. Land was no longer visible, and shining blue-black waves stretched off in all directions. The sun hung low in the sky as of yet, sending pale light bouncing off the endless expanse of water. More questions were plaguing her mind, this time about the past. It seemed as if the faint sense of the pendent was bringing forth more questions that she couldn't answer. The demoness could remember nothing of her childhood, as if her memories had been locked away in the furthest corners of her mind, and she couldn't help but wonder: Who was she?
She imagined that she had a family, wherever they might be at the moment, and she wondered what they were doing; if they missed her. Back in the illusionary world that she, Kin, and Kashaku had been living in, her parents had been distant figures only known to her by their providing positions and fleeting glimpses. They had seemed so faint, and she had wondered what it would be like to be a part of a real family. Perhaps now was her chance. Koenma had said that they would gradually remember their pasts, and as soon as she won the pendent, she would find her true family and have the childhood that she so desperately needed.
A hand on her shoulder interrupted the train of thought. "Hey Mi-chan, what are you doing up so early? Kin-chan went to have an early morning soak and woke me up when she stubbed her toe on my staff on the way out. It's amazing that Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't wake up with all her cursing and yelling!"
Mizuna reluctantly let her hopeful thoughts subside for the moment and focused her attention on her flame-haired friend. It was pretty strange that she hadn't sensed her coming, but she just assumed it was because she had been in such deep thought. She could sense the others, everyone being in different places on the ship except for Yusuke and Kuwabara who were still sleeping. One of her powers seemed to be the ability to sense auras. At the moment, Kashaku's aura was a normal flame red color with a little bit of a yellow tinge.
"Mi-chan, I'm worried about you. You've spent almost the entire time so far standing at the rail of the ship and staring out to sea. You need to let loose and have some fun! Let's go swimming after breakfast; just try to forget the pendent for a little while," Kashaku practically sang.
The blue-haired demoness glanced once over her shoulder at the sparkling ocean once last time before nodding and walking away with her friend to go to breakfast. Her thoughts would just have to wait until later; Kashaku was right, she needed to have some fun while she still could.
+++Fourth Day of the Cruise: Late Morning+++
It was strangely hot for October. The sun shone down mercilessly on the decks of the cruise ship making walking without any shoes quite uncomfortable for anyone who wasn't a demon. It wasn't too hot in the shade though, and many of the passengers had taken to sitting under umbrellas beside whichever of the four swimming pools on deck was closest to their quarters. It had been a lazy four days, with much sleeping in, some swimming, and a trip to the casino. The casino hadn't been such a good idea, Kashaku having lost most of their money, but it had been fun.
Everyone had a bit of a tan, but all the lazing about was been more fun for some than others. Hiei and Touya were completely bored and annoyed with the entire situation, but everyone else seemed to be enjoying their off time, especially Yusuke who could be seen flirting with some of the girls in the ships staff. So, as you can see, the first four days of the cruise had been kind to our heroes, and we find everyone except Hiei and Kuwabara arriving at the nearest pool for some fun.
Kashaku immediately pulled off her T-shirt and shorts, revealing her silver, two-piece Bandeau swimsuit and dived right into the middle of the pool. The pool was pretty crowded, and everyone near her was thoroughly splashed. A few women who were lying on floating bed thingies glared at her before paddling themselves farther away. The sorceress however took no notice and made it her personal duty to try and get Touya in the water, and after that was accomplished, she would attempt to get everyone else in the water as well.
Unfortunately, the said ice demon was sitting cross-legged near the edge of the water with a T-shirt still on, and refused to budge even when she grabbed one of his hands and pulled with her legs braced up against the wall of the pool. He continued to ignore her and had his eyes closed as if in a meditative state and didn't seem to be bothered by her attempts to yank him in. Thoroughly annoyed by now, Kashaku huffily let go and went off to play with some little children until she could think up a better plan.
Mizuna, having now taken off her own T-shirt and shorts, was taking cover in the shade and practically lathering herself with sunscreen. She was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit that had no sides, and thin strips of fabric like stripes, showing her skin through the gaps, were the only protection from completely bare skin. Her pale skin was extremely sensitive to the sun and she didn't want to be sunburned even slightly so the product she was using was extremely potent, and once it had soaked in she would be able to swim without fear of turning as red as a lobster. She sat down in a conveniently placed plastic chair and put on a pair of sunglasses, watching Kashaku splash around and give kids piggyback rides through the water.
The sweltering day was actually not so horrible for some. Kin was lying stretched out on a long, extended plastic beach chair without any sort of umbrella covering her from the glaring sun, and she actually seemed to be enjoying it. She had on a black string bikini and a black baseball cap pulled down over her eyes. Seemingly asleep, a few guys were brave enough to sit rather closer than necessary and were busy drooling over her. She, however, didn't notice or didn't care. Mizuna looked at her just lying in the sun without any kind of sunscreen or covering and shuddered.
Calculating that enough time had elapsed for her to get into the water, the blue-haired girl began to make her way to the steps of the pool. On her way there, she couldn't help but notice that Jin wasn't anywhere to be seen. What could this mean? He was probably up to something foolish...oh well; it wasn't her problem. She did however deduce that it would have something to do with Kin, and if she stayed near the edge were the fox demoness was she would most likely be splashed. So, she delicately stepped into the pool avoiding small children and waded out across the shallow end to the opposite side of the pool. And just as she had predicted...
"YOU HENTAI!!"
A giant splash soaked everyone near to the opposite edge as someone was shoved violently into the pool. Three guesses who. A now thoroughly wet, and shirtless Jin surfaced and smiled cheerfully. He was immediately surrounded by a group of giggling girls and Mizuna watched as Kin glared and "hmpf"ed before angrily stomping back to her chair and lying down and pulling her cap down over her eyes again, sulking. It was actually a rather normal day considering the routine that had been established since the first day of the cruise. Now all that they needed was....
"Hey you guys! I know you must have only accidentally given me the wrong directions to the pool by mistake. So, what have I missed?"
Mizuna rolled her eyes as Kuwabara trotted up in a pair of ugly swim trunks covered in pink hearts and unknowingly knocked the meditating Touya into the pool. He would never have managed this except for the fact that the ice demon only had his mind tuned to the strong auras around him, and well, Kuwabara didn't have one.
The blue-eyed demon stood up, the water only barely reaching his waist this being the shallow end. His shirt was sticking to his chest and his hair was dripping; his eyebrow twitched. Kuwabara however didn't notice this and was completely taken by surprise when he was suddenly jerked into the pool hitting the water face first. He hit with a huge smack and promptly sunk. Touya pulled off his shirt and glared a warning to the gaggle of girls that were eyeing him before pulling himself back out of the pool to return to meditation.
Yusuke, who was surrounded by a different flock of girls, was showing off all the muscles he had gained from intense training with Genkai and the trial of the Dark Tournament. Sure he had a girlfriend, but she didn't have to know, did she? His boasting was suddenly interrupted when an electric shock ran through his body. He saw everyone else in the water jerk as well and look around for the source, but only he and the rest of the group actually realized what it was. Kin, who had apparently become bored with just lying in the sun, was sitting at the edge of the pool and trailing one hand through the water while looking innocent; however, she had most likely shocked them on purpose.
The black-haired spirit detective glared at her and splashed her with a wave of water. Big mistake. The golden-haired fox demon immediately dived in and tackled him, beginning a tussle. The two weren't actually fighting, and it was kind of fun. Not that either of them would admit it, but they actually felt a kind of brother-sister bond beginning to form. The group of girls that had been previously surrounding Yusuke started cheering for him and booing whenever Kin had the upper hand and just generally acting like cheerleaders. Mizuna raised one eyebrow and got in a better position so that she could see the play fight without being splashed, while Jin just frowned and wished he were the one tussling with the bikini-clad girl instead.
Touya meanwhile continued to meditate, attempting to corner the strange aura that he could faintly sense. A weird feeling that something was going to happen before the cruise was done was starting to creep over him, and maybe this strange aura had something to do with it. He was sure that it was a demon; they were attempting to cover their aura, but they were doing a rather sloppy job. He couldn't get a clear fix on their power level, and it was extremely frustrating. Until he had some confirmation, he wouldn't bring it up to the rest of the group. If there were actually something to worry about, Hiei would most likely bring it up before him anyway. There, he almost had a fix on it....
"Hey Touya, what're you doing?"
A red-haired girl in a silver swimsuit sat down next to him and dangled her feet in the water. She cocked her head to the side and watched the fight between Kin and Yusuke escalate to include cheap tricks like pinching and hair pulling. Seeing that the aura had once again slipped through his fingers, Touya couldn't help but be irritated and annoyed. He had been so close, but Kashaku had just had to come along and interrupt him with her foolishness as usual.
"None of your business," he said coldly. "In fact, perhaps it would be best for you to go and play with your intellectual equals. There are a few human children over there; I'm sure you would fit in just fine."
Kashaku stiffened and Touya immediately regretted what he had said. He hadn't meant it; she had just come up to him at a bad time, interrupting him during his meditation. But before he could say anything to rectify the situation, the yellow-eyed girl abruptly stood up and walked away, grabbing her towel on the way. She headed towards the general direction of their rooms and he could only assume that he had hurt her feelings. He had no experience with these things, he was a demon after all, but he did feel rather uncomfortable.
The fight between Yusuke and Kin was going all out, and Touya watched as they splashed everyone in the near vicinity. He sighed. It wasn't his problem Kashaku was so weak and emotional; he didn't care.... She was just a worthless girl with strange mood swings and the annoying habit of clinging to him. However, the feeling of discomfort continued to grow inside him and he wanted nothing more than to have her hanging all over him again if just to make it go away. The Halloween dance was tonight; perhaps he could make it up to her then.
++++++
"And then he said that I should go play with my intellectual equals, children!"
Kin and Mizuna exchanged looks, both refraining from any comments. The fire sorceress was doing a handstand and didn't really look like she was upset, but both friends could tell that her feelings had been hurt. Her usually smiling face was set in a rather confused expression, and she wasn't singing or dancing around. Whenever Kashaku was in a more serious mood or needed to think she would do handstands just as she was now. It wasn't a very good sign.
The dance was in only a few hours and the girls still had to start getting ready. Yeah, you heard me, a few hours, five to be exact. Hey, a girl needs time to get ready; you don't think that we look miraculously beautiful by just puling on some random clothes and smearing our faces with makeup do you? It could almost be considered an art form, and it takes time to learn how to be ready in less than eight hours.
"Hey, don't worry Ka-chan. I'll beat him up if you want me to! I can take him!" Kin said cracking her knuckles and glaring at the door as if it would make the ice demon appear.
Mizuna interrupted. "You know that's actually bad for your knuckles. We don't have time to waste on pleasantries; the dance is in a few hours and we still haven't even started getting ready. You'll have to save it until later, hurry up."
The golden-eyed kitsune crossed her arms over her chest and blinked. Dances weren't really her style, but she had relented and decided to go, I mean, what else would she do? Hang around the room and sulk? Well, she had been going to, but Mizuna had persuaded her to come anyway. In fact, Mizuna had also picked out both her and Kashaku's costumes as well as her own due to the fact that the golden-haired kitsune hated shopping, and well, Kashaku tended to pick out extremely strange things in the mall. No one was even really sure where she found some of her clothes.
The said sorceress was still doing handstands. Kin poked her foot and she fell over in a heap, still grumbling something about an ice demon that was a big meanie. The other two girls sweatdropped and dragged the STILL mumbling Kashaku off into the bathroom to commence preparations for the dance. It would certainly be a night to remember....
To be continued....
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Kin: Well, there you go. Another chapter and in less than a week! Aren't you proud? I have planned out all the chapters and decided that next chapter will be the Halloween dance, the next the Ball, and the one after than will actually be the one were the action comes in. Don't worry, I'm sure this time. I planned everything out and have an outline. I'm trying to fit in most of the genres, but this is mainly a romance and humor, so if you don't like that then you can just go away. So, was the chapter okay? I tried to put in some underlying seriousness.
Kashaku: There was seriousness? I must have missed it....
Mizuna: Whatever.
Kin: Hmpf. You people are so mean; I don't know why I even bother to update!
Mizuna: Because if you didn't we would gang up on you and hit you with rubber chickens and plastic hammers.
Kin: Oh yeah....
Kashaku: I think that Kin-chan is losing her memory.
Kin: I am not!
Mizuna: That remains to be seen.
Kin: You guys are losing it. Anyway, thanks for reading! I'll try to update again soon, but I think that I might need some reviews to get motivated... Well, see you next chapter!
Review Responses:
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