Disclaimer: *sigh* Do I have to? *lawyers nod* Oh, fine. I don't own... what
was it again? Yu Bu Hashuka? Su Yu Shahaka? Who cares... whatever it is, I
don't own it. *lawyers glare* What? Oh, sorry about that. I meant; I don't
own Tu Yu Habasha. Did I get it right? What? Why are you all looking at me
like that?! Oh, fine, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... everyone happy now?
Kin: So... welcome to the sixth chapter of Falling Into Fiction. Or it could be the seventh depending on how you look at it. I don't like to count my prologues as chapters though, so even if the story chapter number says seven, I'll call it six in the actual story. I just thought I'd say that in case anyone was wondering why all of my chapters have the wrong number on them. Anyway, I just thought I would take this time to thank any people who may be reading this but not reviewing. Thanks, I hope you like the story anonymous people!!
Mizuna: Don't you have anything to say about the chapter?
Kin: Well, I guess not. I already told everyone that this chapter was going to be the Halloween dance, the next the Ball, and the one after that was going to be pure action. I think that's all...
Kashaku: You better fix stuff between Touya and me!!
Kin: *raises eyebrow* Stuff?
Kashaku: Yeah!! And you better fix it!
Kin: Or what?
Kashaku: Or I'll do something mean!!
Kin: I feel so threatened....
Mizuna: Are you attempting to be sarcastic?
Kin: And what if I am?!
Mizuna: Then you aren't doing a very good job of it. Leave it to the professionals.
Kashaku: Does that mean when you grow up you're going to become a professional sarcastic lady? How much money does that pay?
Mizuna & Kin: *sweatdrop*
Kin: Well, anyway... Enjoy the chapter; it will contain much fluff and other assorted things. Try to be patient; I know the storyline is progressing rather slowly, but it's getting there and it'll go WAY faster after a couple more chapters. Okay, read away!
"blah" speaking
'blah' thinking
/blah/ conscience
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Falling Into Fiction
Chapter 6: Auras
A huge room had been dedicated to the Halloween dance and contained a writhing mass of witches, demons, historical figures, and anything else you could think of. Loud music controlled by a DJ was blaring out over large speakers and could be heard even outside on the deck where some people were loitering around and smoking or drinking. There was a buffet table inside with tons of different foods and two large punch bowls with pink liquid resembling lemonade inside of them. The entire mass of people was dancing and clustered around the DJ stand, and the people who didn't really want to dance hung around the back or leaned up against the walls.
The casino and other entertainment centers had been shut down for tonight, and everything was focused on the dance. Even the captain, a jolly, fat man, made an appearance dressed as Julius Caesar and flanked by ship personnel dressed as Roman soldiers. It had only been just over a half hour since the dance started and already everything was in full throttle. You had to admit, the cruise line had gone all out, even including fake spider webs, jack 'o lanterns, skeletons and tons of other decorations. In only a day the entire ship had been transformed into a representation of a ghost ship, and it actually looked good.
"This is stupid."
A small group of four guys were leaning against the wall and looking as if they were waiting for someone. Many girls in various cutesy and "sexy" costumes had approached them and asked to dance, but had all been declined politely or otherwise. The blue-haired young man that had just spoken crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, blocking out the throng of dancing bodies in front of him. He had opted to wear the fighting clothes he had worn to the Dark Tournament rather than suffer the indignity of dressing as someone else. He leaned against the wall, thinking about the red-haired girl that he was waiting for specifically.
Yusuke gave Touya a look that clearly asked, "What the hell is your problem?" and proceeded to vanish into the throng of people, sick of waiting after only thirty minutes. A bunch of girls quickly surrounded him, complimenting him on his vampire costume. He had simply put on a tux and black cape, slicked his hair as usual, and put in some fake pointy teeth, but they didn't really seem to care in the least. Soon they were lost in the mass of apparitions and couldn't be found no matter how hard you tried, demon vision or not.
The other three guys, however, remained together, waiting. Touya stood leaning against the wall, Kuwabara staring at the door so as to see the exact moment when Kin walked in, and Jin sitting against the wall with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. He too had opted to wear his training clothes rather than dress up as someone else, and a lot of girls were standing across the room and drooling over his bare chest. To tell the truth, both demons were getting a headache from the extremely loud music and strong scent of sweat and adrenaline, and ignoring it was becoming increasingly harder no matter how far away from any speakers they were.
Luckily, the girls chose that moment to arrive. No, there wasn't any scene where everyone turned around and gawped at their beauty, but you could definitely say that the people they walked past noticed them. They cautiously skirted the edge of the dance floor, careful not to be pulled into the mob of dancers, and made their way over to where the guys were.
Kuwabara immediately went for Kin to grab her hands and most likely go off in a tizzy about his love for her, but he didn't really make it that far. A foot stuck out conveniently in his way tripped him and he fell flat on his face. He hadn't worn a costume, and now his T-shirt was probably stained with punch and food. Oh well, no one cared anyway. The person who had tripped him was of course the cheerfully smiling Jin who had stood up just seconds ago when he had heard the girls come in.
"You're absolutely stunning," he commented Kin in hopes of getting in her good graces.
Kin was actually looking rather sulky. Mizuna had apparently forced her into an angel costume and she wasn't too happy about it. Her long golden hair was in a single braid coming over her shoulder while her long bangs still fell into her eyes as usual. There were small wings strapped to her back that matched perfectly with her pure white dress as well. It was an off the shoulder dress trimmed in silver lace with long sleeves that went past her wrists and a long flowing skirt, while the torso fit snugly. She had of course refused to wear shoes or to take the golden bangles off her wrists and ankles, but it just added to the effect.
"Yeah, whatever," was the huffy response.
Touya left his position leaning against the wall to approach Kashaku. "You look...nice," was all he said as he observed her. She was dressed as a devil, in tight, black leather pants and a red tank top with no straps. Her hair was loose and her nails were painted black, while she also had red high- heels and devil horns poking out on top of her head. Her unearthly yellow eyes just made her look more the part, and drew attention being the only other color visible. She seemed rather less happy than usual, but she didn't seem to be mad at him specifically. However, his deduction was shot when she just gave him a blank look before turning away; she was apparently going to ignore him.
"Well, are you going to dance or just stand around staring at each other all night?" Mizuna asked while stepping on Kuwabara's back on her way over to the group. Whether this was on purpose or not was unknown.
The blue-haired demoness was dressed in the traditional garb of feudal times. Her kimono was a deep, shimmering blue color with paler blue and white clouds scudding across it like the sky at dusk. She wore pale purple slippers to match her obi and had her hair up in dark wooden chopsticks. The completely bored expression that she still retained made her seem more like a china doll than anything else, and she had her hands tucked in her sleeves as if she had worn these clothes all her life.
Kin glared at her, looking for all the world like a disgruntled angel. "I don't have to dance if I don't want to! Apparently, the only person I have to listen to is God," she said haughtily and with a rather exaggerated sniff.
A raised eyebrow was her only reply from the water demoness before being totally ignored. In fact, Mizuna was busy writing something on a small piece of paper that looked rather like a nametag. She slipped the piece of paper into what seemed to be the kind of necklace you wore for backstage passes or student ID and handed it to the also curious Jin. He read the nametag, grinned, and slipped it over his head. Want to try and guess what it said? Yep, "God" in big black letters.
"There you go," Mizuna said. "Go have fun children, and remember, don't do drugs or take candy from strangers," she finished sarcastically. The now almost fully enraged Kin was dragged into the crowd; at a loss for words she was so angry. However, the "angel" and "God" as he was now to be called were lost from sight in only a few seconds. Mizuna nodded in approval. That left only....
Kashaku was still ignoring Touya in favor of staring at a fascinating spot on the wall. Well, Mizuna assumed it was fascinating by the look of utter concentration that the other girl's features were set in. It looked like Touya needed a little prodding in the right direction, and well, Mizuna had nothing better to do at the moment than meddle in her friend's love lives. She decided that she would just go with the direct approach and get this over with.
"Touya, say sorry to Kashaku. Kashaku, get over it," she said in monotone.
The two stared at her for a moment before looking at each other. Touya looked uncomfortable, but decided that perhaps the demoness was right. "I'm... sorry."
Kashaku immediately grinned. "Finally! Now we can go dance!" she sang as she dragged the now completely and utterly confused ice demon with her towards the dance floor. With everyone else lost to sight, Mizuna simply decided to wait outside for a while until the results of the costume contest were announced. The extremely loud pop/punk music was starting to make her ears ache and she wondered how the other demons among the crowd were standing it. Probably too busy with each other to notice. She smirked. Walking over Kuwabara once again, she started towards the door before suddenly stopping. There it was, the aura.
Turning around, Mizuna searched among the crowd of dancing youth to try and locate the mysterious demon aura that had been flitting through her senses for almost the entire trip so far. Touya was also able to sense the aura for a while now; Mizuna had seen him go into deep meditation randomly for the last couple of days. He probably didn't notice now, being too busy with Kashaku, but the blue-haired demoness could definitely sense it. The aura was hard to pin down and she could only get flashes of jagged black and red, but she was sure that the demon was somewhere in the crowd of dancing teenagers. She braced herself and entered the throng.
Immediately she was in a mass of sound and movement, being swept away on the waves of adrenaline pumping through the crowd. It seemed like thousands of strange faces were whipping around her so fast that she couldn't even fully register them in her brain before they were gone. Her senses were being overloaded and the aura that she had been chasing after had gone; she wasn't even sure if it had even been there in the first place anymore.
Someone shoved her and she nearly fell, her kimono slipping down off her shoulder. The wild auras of the people were mixing and invading the blue- haired demoness' own mind in a swirl of chaos. Starting to panic, Mizuna began to elbow her way through the crowd without so much as a sorry and eventually broke out of the mob after what seemed like an eternity.
She stumbled; her breathing was harsh and her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would explode. Taking some calming breaths, Mizuna slowly calmed down and got her heart rate down to a more normal level. Pulling her kimono back into place she quickly walked out onto the deck, ignoring the catcalls from the drunks hanging around the door. The ocean was just barely reflected by the light of the moon, and a silver spot on the waves rippled in a swell. A figure already stood at the spot at the railing that Mizuna had claimed as her own, wrapped in the darkness.
'Who...?' The figure turned their head to the side, letting the profile of their face be outlined in moonlight. Sharp features and narrow, red eyes regarded her with what could almost be considered vague curiosity. However, it was quickly replaced with contempt and another, more unidentifiable emotion. Mizuna gave Hiei an equally unreadable look and came to stand next to him, looking out at the dark sea.
To tell the truth, Mizuna hadn't seen Hiei, well, actually since the very beginning of the trip. He apparently didn't sleep in the guys' room across the hall, and no one was really sure where he was most of the time. There were a few flashes of his aura, but he was hiding it quite well. He didn't really seem to want to interact with anyone at all until he was needed for the mission. Glancing over at him, Mizuna searched his face for any signs of loneliness but couldn't find even a trace.
Hiei suddenly turned his head, catching Mizuna looking at him. "What are you staring at?" he asked with narrowed eyes. The water demoness looked away embarrassed at having been caught, a slight blush across her cheeks.
She coughed. "Nothing... nothing."
Her silent companion gave her a suspicious look before once again turning his eyes towards the ocean. Mizuna sighed in relief and let her gaze soak up the perfect beauty of the night: the moonlight glancing off the waves, the stars dancing in the sky. The panic of just a few minutes ago seemed suddenly distant and the flickering aura of the unknown demon also seemed unimportant. The only thing that mattered was now, the contentment that was seeping in around her, the comfort of another. She was surprised to realize that Hiei was part of her calm, but she simply brushed it off as her imagination.
The fire demon from her thoughts was also slightly relaxing in the feeling of calmness and security that was suddenly enveloping the pair. Hiei couldn't help but feel some sort of connection between him and the water demoness. He hadn't even known her for very long, but there was just something about her that urged him to trust her. Suddenly realizing his relaxed aura, he tensed and cursed himself for such foolish weakness. He used his demon speed and disappeared only to reappear up on one of the smokestacks of the ship. He looked down on the now confused-looking Mizuna and narrowed his eyes. The girl was trouble; he would have to stay away from her.
Mizuna meanwhile, was looking around trying to locate Hiei. Realizing that he must have used his demon speed to leave, she leaned on the rail and looked once again out at the sparkling sea. Her heart was for some reason aching, and she couldn't help but feel that she had lost something very important.
++++++
Jin was surprised to find that Kin was an extremely good dancer. Once she was on the floor, she got swept up in the adrenaline of the crowd and went wild. Her movements were quick and untamed. Her braid came undone and her hair spilled down her back long and shining gold. Eyes teasing, the kistune's furious dance was difficult to follow, but Jin was always up to a challenge. He matched her movements perfectly and grinned at her when she looked surprised. He hadn't almost won the Dark Tournament for nothing; he was a very agile demon after all.
However, unknown to the furiously dancing couple, a few of the girls that had previously been ogling the wind master's chest were now hatching a devious plot....
Before Kin knew it, she was being pushed into the mass of writhing people. Somehow, a raven-haired girl dressed as a cat had managed to wedge herself in between the pair and had pushed her off into the crowd. Now completely lost, Kin searched for the red-haired wind master but could not find him. People continued to dance around her and she spared them no courtesy as she waded through the crowd, elbowing when necessary. Soon, she broke out of the mass of costume-clad people only to find that Jin hadn't broken out as well; he was still in there somewhere. She huffed and narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Jin was blinking in confusion as four girls surrounded him lead by a girl in a striped cat costume. "Um, hi?"
"Good choice, ditching that bitchy blond for," she flipped her hair here, "for me, the raven-haired beauty," she said with a coy smile, fingering her skin-tight cat costume for emphasis.
Jin scratched his head. "Well, I wasn't really aware that I had ditched anyone," he said politely, hiding his annoyance after she had practically called Kin a bitch.
"Oh, you did. Don't worry, we took care of her."
Here Jin actually raised an eyebrow. "Really now. Well, I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I really have to go and look for 'that bitchy blond' as you so politely dubbed her." This was the closest he had ever come to being angry although he still looked friendly on the outside. He attempted to slip past the girl, but her cronies blocked his path.
"Oh please don't go! I only wanted one dance with you," the lead girl asked, her face set into the perfect imitation of pure innocence. When the red-haired demon still looked undecided, she put on the water works.
Her eyes widened and shone with unshed tears. "P-please, just one d-dance?" she asked, still practically yelling to be heard over the pounding music and noise.
Before the wind master could answer, an angel suddenly seemed to come out of nowhere only to push the raven-haired girl violently. "You bitch! He's mine and don't you forget it, so get lost!" Here she glared at the other scantily clad girls who were now helping their leader up. "And I don't want to see any of you ever again!"
With that she grabbed the stunned Jin around the wrist and stomped off. The small group of girls watched them go with as much dignity as they could muster. The raven-haired girl pulled at her striped costume with nervous energy and stalked towards the door with what little grace she could summon up as well.
Kin watched the girl go with a satisfied air and put her hands up around Jin's neck with what would probably be considered as possessive to those who did not know her or to those in denial. She swayed to the slow song, still not really paying attention until Jin coughed. She snapped her head towards him. "What?"
He smiled cheerfully. "Oh, nothing."
Narrowed golden eyes appraised him. "Don't think I like you or anything. I was just defending my pride you know, I can't have people just coming over and shoving me around!"
The red-haired wind master's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "I didn't say anything...."
"Well, good," she said with a sniff.
"But you know..."
Kin gave him a suspicious look while he continued to look innocent.
"I wasn't really aware that I was 'yours,'" he said widening his eyes further for maximum cuteness. While he was saying this, his hand was also making its way down from the safety of the kitsune's waist down to forbidden territory. "Not that I mind...."
And that was when Kin noticed. "YOU HENTAI!!"
++++++
"So, you wanna get out of here and go for a walk under the stars? Maybe we could go to my room afterwards..."
Touya's eyebrow twitched. Why wouldn't this idiot leave Kashaku alone? For quite some time now, a rather tall boy with flaxen hair and bright green eyes had been interrupting their dancing in favor of asking the red-haired sorceress to go on a walk with him on the deck of the ship. It was getting rather annoying right about now, I mean, Kashaku wasn't actually stupid enough to go with him anyway right? Right?
His thinking was interrupted when Kashaku finally answered the boy. "Okay, let's go!"
The ice demon sweatdropped. Okay, maybe he was overestimating her.... Before she could walk off, he sighed and grabbed her arm, forcing her to jerk backwards into his chest. "You'll stay away if you know what's good for you," he said coolly.
The boy looked like he was about to interrupt, so the blue-haired demon glared his worst and watched as the boy turned tail like the whimpering human that he was.
"That was fun! I want to dance now!" Kashaku said and began to do the Macarena. Touya, not having heard of this dance, and perhaps questioning his partner's sanity once again, chose not to comment. He instead crossed his arms over his chest and watched as she clapped her hands and jumped to face another direction, only to start the entire crazy dance over again.
Kashaku, realizing that Touya hadn't joined her, turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Come on, come on, do the Macarena with me!" she said while putting it to the tune of 'Locomotion.' When he only raised an eyebrow, she blew out her breath, making her bangs puff up. She pouted for a second before finally realizing why he wasn't joining her.
"Oh, I know, you don't know how to do the Macarena! That's okay, we can just do the chicken dance!" and yelling this over the music, she began to flap her arms wildly and do the chicken dance while Touya watched her with what could only be called horror. There was now actually an open circle around them about three feet in circumference, but the ice demon couldn't really find a reason to blame the people for wanting to avoid an obviously insane girl doing the chicken dance during Britney Spears' 'Toxic.'
After a few seconds, a slow song came on, much to Touya's relief. However, the red-haired girl only paused for a second the think. "This is perfect music for the Macarena! I know, I'll teach you how to do it!"
The blue-haired demon interrupted her. "No."
Kashaku tilted her head to the side. "Well what else could we do? There's nothing else left to do but cry from the empty soul that resides within my rotting flesh!" she said dramatically while making a strange pose and pretending to cry.
Another foot of space was added to the circumference of the empty circle that surrounded them. Without saying anything else, Touya grabbed her arm once again and pulled her to his chest before putting his hands around her waist as he saw the other humans doing. He felt the red-haired sorceress shrug before putting her hands around his neck.
"Well, if you wanna be boring...." She said quietly this time.
Touya chose not to reply and instead focused on the feel of her chest against his, her hands around his neck. It was actually kind of... well... nice. Not that he would admit it, but he was actually starting to get used to Kashaku's random acts of strangeness. She was the complete opposite of him, but that was what made her so magnetic. Well, not that he was attracted to her or anything; it was just something that he had observed. In fact, it seemed like he had been observing Kashaku more than he had been observing ningens culture as has been his original intention.
The red-haired girl from his thoughts suddenly stuck her face right up in front of his, startling him. "What 'cha thinking about Touya?" she asked, her nose only inches from his.
"Nothing," he replied icily. He made a vow that he would start to observe ningens as a whole rather than just Kashaku, but looking into her unearthly yellow eyes, he couldn't help but think that it would be harder than it should be.
++++++
"There were so many fantastic costumes that it was hard for me to choose just two, but after careful deliberation I have come up with the winners! I would like to thank you all for participating! And without further ado, the winners are...."
Kashaku gave Mizuna a curious look as the water demoness slipped in the door just as the winners were being announced. Where had the blue-haired girl been all this time? It was already time to announce the winners with the best Halloween costumes. The two winners, one female and one male would do the honorary slow dance in just a minute.
"The winners are.... Mr. Takamurai and Ms. Surashi! Please come up to the front to collect your gift certificates for a free massage! Come on now, don't be shy!"
A tall, very handsome boy with a head of dark curls and dressed in an extremely elaborate and striking medieval king's robe, walked up to the front with a jaunty walk and a grin to the group of friends he had come from. When the boy reached the stage, he bowed to the crowd and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the other winner to step up for a dance. He didn't have to wait long. Kashaku watched in surprise as the same woman that she had bumped into at the very beginning of the trip walked sinuously up to the stage.
The woman was dressed as an Egyptian queen, most likely Cleopatra, and she still had that almost impossible beauty, now strangely reminding Kashaku of a cat. Her short ebony hair was dusted with gold and a fancy headdress speckled with gems was upon her brow. Her bright green eyes were outlined darkly in gold and black, while the slinky white dress with long slits offset her graceful figure and showed her long shapely legs. There were a lot of golden bracelets, armlets and rings on her body each with a different gem inlaid in them, and even a jeweled collar accenting her long, slender neck.
Everyone watched in awe as the woman walked fluidly up to the stage and gave a small wave and nod of thanks to the crowd. She smiled and the crowd sighed almost all at once, marveling in her beauty. Kashaku however, watched the woman warily. The woman was once again smiling a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, one of those smiles that you think is beautiful and then you think back on it and you realize that they didn't really mean it. The fire sorceress gripped Touya's sleeve tightly and watched the cat-like woman and handsome boy begin to dance.
Beside the woman, the boy seemed clumsy and awkward when he might otherwise have been considered a good dancer. The fluid grace and litheness of the woman drew everyone's attention as she danced like she had wings on her feet. Kashaku had to admit that she was a really graceful dancer, but there was just something that she didn't like about the strange woman. Looking up at Touya, she actually saw to her surprise that he was almost glaring openly at the woman.
Mizuna had also noticed. It was the woman; she was the one with the aura. Flashes of red and black were now accosting her mind as she watched her dance, shaming the boy with her fluidity. The water demoness glared at the woman and was even further annoyed when the woman smirked. At her. So, the woman had known that there were people trying to sense her aura and had been giving them flashes of it to tease them. Mizuna was positive that she was a demon, what kind she wasn't quite sure, but a demon nonetheless. It wasn't good news, there was no innocence in the woman's position, and there was some reason that she was here. And it wasn't for a visit.
The dance ended and everyone applauded. The aura had once again disappeared, and so had the woman. As the crowd surged back on to the dance floor, Mizuna tried to follow the woman with her eyes but couldn't. She cursed. Without surprise she noticed Touya glaring angrily into the crowd as well. He had obviously sensed it as well and was quite annoyed with the woman who dared to play games.
"It seems that she escaped."
Mizuna gave Touya a flat look and walked away. She was done. Being toyed with didn't sit well with her, and she didn't want to hang around the dance any longer. She assumed that the woman must have been sent by Takashi, and for the first time she actually considered Takashi in the light of him being an actual threat. He had seemed so unreal and distant, but now it was time to consider him dangerous.
+++Next Morning: Fifth Day of the Cruise+++
"So, who the hell was that woman anyway?" Kin asked while poking at a piece of broccoli with her fork disgustedly.
Mizuna gave her a preoccupied look. "I'm pretty sure that she was sent by Takashi."
"You mean that evil guy who wants the pendants or whatever?"
The blue-haired girl's eyebrow ticked. "Yes. I suspect that the woman will strike in a few days, towards the end of the cruise. She has been teasing us with her aura, making us wonder where she is, but now that she has revealed herself, it is quite possible that she will attack."
Kin continued to poke her broccoli. "So?"
Mizuna lost her patience. "So? Is that all you can say?"
"The demon won't attack until the ball you know. Well, unless she's an idiot. I doubt she really cares if all the people on this ship die, and the time we'll be most hindered is at the time of the ball. We'll be trying to take care of the innocent people and be more likely to get killed," the golden fox demon said while still looking suspiciously at the green vegetable on her fork.
Her blue-haired friend sat in silence for a moment contemplating the information she had just been given. It was probably true that the demon wouldn't attack until the ball.... Perhaps Kin was right, there was no sense in worrying until it happened anyway. There were only two days until the ball, they had that long to relax. Mizuna suddenly felt sure that at that ball, their adventure would truly begin. Everything would be different from that point on; she knew it.
To be continued....
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Kin: Okay, I am very sorry about the lateness of this chapter... once again. I seem to get writers block very often now. Over the course of this chapter I have come to realize that my story has no plotline anymore. I am going to bring it directly back the original plot in the next chapter, and their will be a lot of action and stuff. I'm going to have the ball be the next chapter, but it will also cut to the action and adventure. I'm sorry about the wait and the boringness.
Kashaku: *yawn* You're telling me!
Kin: *glares and paint chips off wall*
Kashaku: O.O
Mizuna: You should just say goodbye and do the Thank-you's. People don't want to listen to your ramblings after so long a wait for a chapter.
Kin: *sulky* You're the one that was bugging me to update...
Kashaku: I'll say good bye then!
Mizuna: You just did.
Kashaku: Oh.
Review Responses:
SukiYumi: Yay!! You reviewed first! Okay... that's all.
Slytherin's GoldenYouku: Yay! Well, you can tell your friend that next chapter will be the beginning of the continuation of the plot. I will actually start the adventure and danger and all the other stuff like that. Thanks for the ice cream cone!!
Hiei 17: I hope you liked the Mizuna/Hiei moment in there. I'll try to add in some more for you!!
Riyo Lee: I'm glad you like the story, thanks for the compliment! It's reviewers like you who actually motivate me to update more than once a year. I'm also glad that you can relate to the characters, I hope it adds to the whole overall enjoyment you derive from the story.
LoneWolf7423: I hope you liked the Mizuna/Hiei stuff in this chapter, there will be more to come! Okay, I put the Hoover in the mail and I hope you get it soon. P.S. you spelled it correctly.
Hiei's1girl: Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been super busy and stuff. If you're still reading this I commend you.
yusuke's1girl: Sorry to keep you bored for so long! I'll update sooner after this... ^_^'
Please Review!! If you send me a nice review I'll give you a fluffy little chipmunk, if you send me a flame I will be forced to give you a drowned rat with the plague. Thanks!!
Kin: So... welcome to the sixth chapter of Falling Into Fiction. Or it could be the seventh depending on how you look at it. I don't like to count my prologues as chapters though, so even if the story chapter number says seven, I'll call it six in the actual story. I just thought I'd say that in case anyone was wondering why all of my chapters have the wrong number on them. Anyway, I just thought I would take this time to thank any people who may be reading this but not reviewing. Thanks, I hope you like the story anonymous people!!
Mizuna: Don't you have anything to say about the chapter?
Kin: Well, I guess not. I already told everyone that this chapter was going to be the Halloween dance, the next the Ball, and the one after that was going to be pure action. I think that's all...
Kashaku: You better fix stuff between Touya and me!!
Kin: *raises eyebrow* Stuff?
Kashaku: Yeah!! And you better fix it!
Kin: Or what?
Kashaku: Or I'll do something mean!!
Kin: I feel so threatened....
Mizuna: Are you attempting to be sarcastic?
Kin: And what if I am?!
Mizuna: Then you aren't doing a very good job of it. Leave it to the professionals.
Kashaku: Does that mean when you grow up you're going to become a professional sarcastic lady? How much money does that pay?
Mizuna & Kin: *sweatdrop*
Kin: Well, anyway... Enjoy the chapter; it will contain much fluff and other assorted things. Try to be patient; I know the storyline is progressing rather slowly, but it's getting there and it'll go WAY faster after a couple more chapters. Okay, read away!
"blah" speaking
'blah' thinking
/blah/ conscience
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Falling Into Fiction
Chapter 6: Auras
A huge room had been dedicated to the Halloween dance and contained a writhing mass of witches, demons, historical figures, and anything else you could think of. Loud music controlled by a DJ was blaring out over large speakers and could be heard even outside on the deck where some people were loitering around and smoking or drinking. There was a buffet table inside with tons of different foods and two large punch bowls with pink liquid resembling lemonade inside of them. The entire mass of people was dancing and clustered around the DJ stand, and the people who didn't really want to dance hung around the back or leaned up against the walls.
The casino and other entertainment centers had been shut down for tonight, and everything was focused on the dance. Even the captain, a jolly, fat man, made an appearance dressed as Julius Caesar and flanked by ship personnel dressed as Roman soldiers. It had only been just over a half hour since the dance started and already everything was in full throttle. You had to admit, the cruise line had gone all out, even including fake spider webs, jack 'o lanterns, skeletons and tons of other decorations. In only a day the entire ship had been transformed into a representation of a ghost ship, and it actually looked good.
"This is stupid."
A small group of four guys were leaning against the wall and looking as if they were waiting for someone. Many girls in various cutesy and "sexy" costumes had approached them and asked to dance, but had all been declined politely or otherwise. The blue-haired young man that had just spoken crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, blocking out the throng of dancing bodies in front of him. He had opted to wear the fighting clothes he had worn to the Dark Tournament rather than suffer the indignity of dressing as someone else. He leaned against the wall, thinking about the red-haired girl that he was waiting for specifically.
Yusuke gave Touya a look that clearly asked, "What the hell is your problem?" and proceeded to vanish into the throng of people, sick of waiting after only thirty minutes. A bunch of girls quickly surrounded him, complimenting him on his vampire costume. He had simply put on a tux and black cape, slicked his hair as usual, and put in some fake pointy teeth, but they didn't really seem to care in the least. Soon they were lost in the mass of apparitions and couldn't be found no matter how hard you tried, demon vision or not.
The other three guys, however, remained together, waiting. Touya stood leaning against the wall, Kuwabara staring at the door so as to see the exact moment when Kin walked in, and Jin sitting against the wall with his arms behind his head and his eyes closed. He too had opted to wear his training clothes rather than dress up as someone else, and a lot of girls were standing across the room and drooling over his bare chest. To tell the truth, both demons were getting a headache from the extremely loud music and strong scent of sweat and adrenaline, and ignoring it was becoming increasingly harder no matter how far away from any speakers they were.
Luckily, the girls chose that moment to arrive. No, there wasn't any scene where everyone turned around and gawped at their beauty, but you could definitely say that the people they walked past noticed them. They cautiously skirted the edge of the dance floor, careful not to be pulled into the mob of dancers, and made their way over to where the guys were.
Kuwabara immediately went for Kin to grab her hands and most likely go off in a tizzy about his love for her, but he didn't really make it that far. A foot stuck out conveniently in his way tripped him and he fell flat on his face. He hadn't worn a costume, and now his T-shirt was probably stained with punch and food. Oh well, no one cared anyway. The person who had tripped him was of course the cheerfully smiling Jin who had stood up just seconds ago when he had heard the girls come in.
"You're absolutely stunning," he commented Kin in hopes of getting in her good graces.
Kin was actually looking rather sulky. Mizuna had apparently forced her into an angel costume and she wasn't too happy about it. Her long golden hair was in a single braid coming over her shoulder while her long bangs still fell into her eyes as usual. There were small wings strapped to her back that matched perfectly with her pure white dress as well. It was an off the shoulder dress trimmed in silver lace with long sleeves that went past her wrists and a long flowing skirt, while the torso fit snugly. She had of course refused to wear shoes or to take the golden bangles off her wrists and ankles, but it just added to the effect.
"Yeah, whatever," was the huffy response.
Touya left his position leaning against the wall to approach Kashaku. "You look...nice," was all he said as he observed her. She was dressed as a devil, in tight, black leather pants and a red tank top with no straps. Her hair was loose and her nails were painted black, while she also had red high- heels and devil horns poking out on top of her head. Her unearthly yellow eyes just made her look more the part, and drew attention being the only other color visible. She seemed rather less happy than usual, but she didn't seem to be mad at him specifically. However, his deduction was shot when she just gave him a blank look before turning away; she was apparently going to ignore him.
"Well, are you going to dance or just stand around staring at each other all night?" Mizuna asked while stepping on Kuwabara's back on her way over to the group. Whether this was on purpose or not was unknown.
The blue-haired demoness was dressed in the traditional garb of feudal times. Her kimono was a deep, shimmering blue color with paler blue and white clouds scudding across it like the sky at dusk. She wore pale purple slippers to match her obi and had her hair up in dark wooden chopsticks. The completely bored expression that she still retained made her seem more like a china doll than anything else, and she had her hands tucked in her sleeves as if she had worn these clothes all her life.
Kin glared at her, looking for all the world like a disgruntled angel. "I don't have to dance if I don't want to! Apparently, the only person I have to listen to is God," she said haughtily and with a rather exaggerated sniff.
A raised eyebrow was her only reply from the water demoness before being totally ignored. In fact, Mizuna was busy writing something on a small piece of paper that looked rather like a nametag. She slipped the piece of paper into what seemed to be the kind of necklace you wore for backstage passes or student ID and handed it to the also curious Jin. He read the nametag, grinned, and slipped it over his head. Want to try and guess what it said? Yep, "God" in big black letters.
"There you go," Mizuna said. "Go have fun children, and remember, don't do drugs or take candy from strangers," she finished sarcastically. The now almost fully enraged Kin was dragged into the crowd; at a loss for words she was so angry. However, the "angel" and "God" as he was now to be called were lost from sight in only a few seconds. Mizuna nodded in approval. That left only....
Kashaku was still ignoring Touya in favor of staring at a fascinating spot on the wall. Well, Mizuna assumed it was fascinating by the look of utter concentration that the other girl's features were set in. It looked like Touya needed a little prodding in the right direction, and well, Mizuna had nothing better to do at the moment than meddle in her friend's love lives. She decided that she would just go with the direct approach and get this over with.
"Touya, say sorry to Kashaku. Kashaku, get over it," she said in monotone.
The two stared at her for a moment before looking at each other. Touya looked uncomfortable, but decided that perhaps the demoness was right. "I'm... sorry."
Kashaku immediately grinned. "Finally! Now we can go dance!" she sang as she dragged the now completely and utterly confused ice demon with her towards the dance floor. With everyone else lost to sight, Mizuna simply decided to wait outside for a while until the results of the costume contest were announced. The extremely loud pop/punk music was starting to make her ears ache and she wondered how the other demons among the crowd were standing it. Probably too busy with each other to notice. She smirked. Walking over Kuwabara once again, she started towards the door before suddenly stopping. There it was, the aura.
Turning around, Mizuna searched among the crowd of dancing youth to try and locate the mysterious demon aura that had been flitting through her senses for almost the entire trip so far. Touya was also able to sense the aura for a while now; Mizuna had seen him go into deep meditation randomly for the last couple of days. He probably didn't notice now, being too busy with Kashaku, but the blue-haired demoness could definitely sense it. The aura was hard to pin down and she could only get flashes of jagged black and red, but she was sure that the demon was somewhere in the crowd of dancing teenagers. She braced herself and entered the throng.
Immediately she was in a mass of sound and movement, being swept away on the waves of adrenaline pumping through the crowd. It seemed like thousands of strange faces were whipping around her so fast that she couldn't even fully register them in her brain before they were gone. Her senses were being overloaded and the aura that she had been chasing after had gone; she wasn't even sure if it had even been there in the first place anymore.
Someone shoved her and she nearly fell, her kimono slipping down off her shoulder. The wild auras of the people were mixing and invading the blue- haired demoness' own mind in a swirl of chaos. Starting to panic, Mizuna began to elbow her way through the crowd without so much as a sorry and eventually broke out of the mob after what seemed like an eternity.
She stumbled; her breathing was harsh and her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would explode. Taking some calming breaths, Mizuna slowly calmed down and got her heart rate down to a more normal level. Pulling her kimono back into place she quickly walked out onto the deck, ignoring the catcalls from the drunks hanging around the door. The ocean was just barely reflected by the light of the moon, and a silver spot on the waves rippled in a swell. A figure already stood at the spot at the railing that Mizuna had claimed as her own, wrapped in the darkness.
'Who...?' The figure turned their head to the side, letting the profile of their face be outlined in moonlight. Sharp features and narrow, red eyes regarded her with what could almost be considered vague curiosity. However, it was quickly replaced with contempt and another, more unidentifiable emotion. Mizuna gave Hiei an equally unreadable look and came to stand next to him, looking out at the dark sea.
To tell the truth, Mizuna hadn't seen Hiei, well, actually since the very beginning of the trip. He apparently didn't sleep in the guys' room across the hall, and no one was really sure where he was most of the time. There were a few flashes of his aura, but he was hiding it quite well. He didn't really seem to want to interact with anyone at all until he was needed for the mission. Glancing over at him, Mizuna searched his face for any signs of loneliness but couldn't find even a trace.
Hiei suddenly turned his head, catching Mizuna looking at him. "What are you staring at?" he asked with narrowed eyes. The water demoness looked away embarrassed at having been caught, a slight blush across her cheeks.
She coughed. "Nothing... nothing."
Her silent companion gave her a suspicious look before once again turning his eyes towards the ocean. Mizuna sighed in relief and let her gaze soak up the perfect beauty of the night: the moonlight glancing off the waves, the stars dancing in the sky. The panic of just a few minutes ago seemed suddenly distant and the flickering aura of the unknown demon also seemed unimportant. The only thing that mattered was now, the contentment that was seeping in around her, the comfort of another. She was surprised to realize that Hiei was part of her calm, but she simply brushed it off as her imagination.
The fire demon from her thoughts was also slightly relaxing in the feeling of calmness and security that was suddenly enveloping the pair. Hiei couldn't help but feel some sort of connection between him and the water demoness. He hadn't even known her for very long, but there was just something about her that urged him to trust her. Suddenly realizing his relaxed aura, he tensed and cursed himself for such foolish weakness. He used his demon speed and disappeared only to reappear up on one of the smokestacks of the ship. He looked down on the now confused-looking Mizuna and narrowed his eyes. The girl was trouble; he would have to stay away from her.
Mizuna meanwhile, was looking around trying to locate Hiei. Realizing that he must have used his demon speed to leave, she leaned on the rail and looked once again out at the sparkling sea. Her heart was for some reason aching, and she couldn't help but feel that she had lost something very important.
++++++
Jin was surprised to find that Kin was an extremely good dancer. Once she was on the floor, she got swept up in the adrenaline of the crowd and went wild. Her movements were quick and untamed. Her braid came undone and her hair spilled down her back long and shining gold. Eyes teasing, the kistune's furious dance was difficult to follow, but Jin was always up to a challenge. He matched her movements perfectly and grinned at her when she looked surprised. He hadn't almost won the Dark Tournament for nothing; he was a very agile demon after all.
However, unknown to the furiously dancing couple, a few of the girls that had previously been ogling the wind master's chest were now hatching a devious plot....
Before Kin knew it, she was being pushed into the mass of writhing people. Somehow, a raven-haired girl dressed as a cat had managed to wedge herself in between the pair and had pushed her off into the crowd. Now completely lost, Kin searched for the red-haired wind master but could not find him. People continued to dance around her and she spared them no courtesy as she waded through the crowd, elbowing when necessary. Soon, she broke out of the mass of costume-clad people only to find that Jin hadn't broken out as well; he was still in there somewhere. She huffed and narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Jin was blinking in confusion as four girls surrounded him lead by a girl in a striped cat costume. "Um, hi?"
"Good choice, ditching that bitchy blond for," she flipped her hair here, "for me, the raven-haired beauty," she said with a coy smile, fingering her skin-tight cat costume for emphasis.
Jin scratched his head. "Well, I wasn't really aware that I had ditched anyone," he said politely, hiding his annoyance after she had practically called Kin a bitch.
"Oh, you did. Don't worry, we took care of her."
Here Jin actually raised an eyebrow. "Really now. Well, I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I really have to go and look for 'that bitchy blond' as you so politely dubbed her." This was the closest he had ever come to being angry although he still looked friendly on the outside. He attempted to slip past the girl, but her cronies blocked his path.
"Oh please don't go! I only wanted one dance with you," the lead girl asked, her face set into the perfect imitation of pure innocence. When the red-haired demon still looked undecided, she put on the water works.
Her eyes widened and shone with unshed tears. "P-please, just one d-dance?" she asked, still practically yelling to be heard over the pounding music and noise.
Before the wind master could answer, an angel suddenly seemed to come out of nowhere only to push the raven-haired girl violently. "You bitch! He's mine and don't you forget it, so get lost!" Here she glared at the other scantily clad girls who were now helping their leader up. "And I don't want to see any of you ever again!"
With that she grabbed the stunned Jin around the wrist and stomped off. The small group of girls watched them go with as much dignity as they could muster. The raven-haired girl pulled at her striped costume with nervous energy and stalked towards the door with what little grace she could summon up as well.
Kin watched the girl go with a satisfied air and put her hands up around Jin's neck with what would probably be considered as possessive to those who did not know her or to those in denial. She swayed to the slow song, still not really paying attention until Jin coughed. She snapped her head towards him. "What?"
He smiled cheerfully. "Oh, nothing."
Narrowed golden eyes appraised him. "Don't think I like you or anything. I was just defending my pride you know, I can't have people just coming over and shoving me around!"
The red-haired wind master's eyes widened in feigned innocence. "I didn't say anything...."
"Well, good," she said with a sniff.
"But you know..."
Kin gave him a suspicious look while he continued to look innocent.
"I wasn't really aware that I was 'yours,'" he said widening his eyes further for maximum cuteness. While he was saying this, his hand was also making its way down from the safety of the kitsune's waist down to forbidden territory. "Not that I mind...."
And that was when Kin noticed. "YOU HENTAI!!"
++++++
"So, you wanna get out of here and go for a walk under the stars? Maybe we could go to my room afterwards..."
Touya's eyebrow twitched. Why wouldn't this idiot leave Kashaku alone? For quite some time now, a rather tall boy with flaxen hair and bright green eyes had been interrupting their dancing in favor of asking the red-haired sorceress to go on a walk with him on the deck of the ship. It was getting rather annoying right about now, I mean, Kashaku wasn't actually stupid enough to go with him anyway right? Right?
His thinking was interrupted when Kashaku finally answered the boy. "Okay, let's go!"
The ice demon sweatdropped. Okay, maybe he was overestimating her.... Before she could walk off, he sighed and grabbed her arm, forcing her to jerk backwards into his chest. "You'll stay away if you know what's good for you," he said coolly.
The boy looked like he was about to interrupt, so the blue-haired demon glared his worst and watched as the boy turned tail like the whimpering human that he was.
"That was fun! I want to dance now!" Kashaku said and began to do the Macarena. Touya, not having heard of this dance, and perhaps questioning his partner's sanity once again, chose not to comment. He instead crossed his arms over his chest and watched as she clapped her hands and jumped to face another direction, only to start the entire crazy dance over again.
Kashaku, realizing that Touya hadn't joined her, turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Come on, come on, do the Macarena with me!" she said while putting it to the tune of 'Locomotion.' When he only raised an eyebrow, she blew out her breath, making her bangs puff up. She pouted for a second before finally realizing why he wasn't joining her.
"Oh, I know, you don't know how to do the Macarena! That's okay, we can just do the chicken dance!" and yelling this over the music, she began to flap her arms wildly and do the chicken dance while Touya watched her with what could only be called horror. There was now actually an open circle around them about three feet in circumference, but the ice demon couldn't really find a reason to blame the people for wanting to avoid an obviously insane girl doing the chicken dance during Britney Spears' 'Toxic.'
After a few seconds, a slow song came on, much to Touya's relief. However, the red-haired girl only paused for a second the think. "This is perfect music for the Macarena! I know, I'll teach you how to do it!"
The blue-haired demon interrupted her. "No."
Kashaku tilted her head to the side. "Well what else could we do? There's nothing else left to do but cry from the empty soul that resides within my rotting flesh!" she said dramatically while making a strange pose and pretending to cry.
Another foot of space was added to the circumference of the empty circle that surrounded them. Without saying anything else, Touya grabbed her arm once again and pulled her to his chest before putting his hands around her waist as he saw the other humans doing. He felt the red-haired sorceress shrug before putting her hands around his neck.
"Well, if you wanna be boring...." She said quietly this time.
Touya chose not to reply and instead focused on the feel of her chest against his, her hands around his neck. It was actually kind of... well... nice. Not that he would admit it, but he was actually starting to get used to Kashaku's random acts of strangeness. She was the complete opposite of him, but that was what made her so magnetic. Well, not that he was attracted to her or anything; it was just something that he had observed. In fact, it seemed like he had been observing Kashaku more than he had been observing ningens culture as has been his original intention.
The red-haired girl from his thoughts suddenly stuck her face right up in front of his, startling him. "What 'cha thinking about Touya?" she asked, her nose only inches from his.
"Nothing," he replied icily. He made a vow that he would start to observe ningens as a whole rather than just Kashaku, but looking into her unearthly yellow eyes, he couldn't help but think that it would be harder than it should be.
++++++
"There were so many fantastic costumes that it was hard for me to choose just two, but after careful deliberation I have come up with the winners! I would like to thank you all for participating! And without further ado, the winners are...."
Kashaku gave Mizuna a curious look as the water demoness slipped in the door just as the winners were being announced. Where had the blue-haired girl been all this time? It was already time to announce the winners with the best Halloween costumes. The two winners, one female and one male would do the honorary slow dance in just a minute.
"The winners are.... Mr. Takamurai and Ms. Surashi! Please come up to the front to collect your gift certificates for a free massage! Come on now, don't be shy!"
A tall, very handsome boy with a head of dark curls and dressed in an extremely elaborate and striking medieval king's robe, walked up to the front with a jaunty walk and a grin to the group of friends he had come from. When the boy reached the stage, he bowed to the crowd and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the other winner to step up for a dance. He didn't have to wait long. Kashaku watched in surprise as the same woman that she had bumped into at the very beginning of the trip walked sinuously up to the stage.
The woman was dressed as an Egyptian queen, most likely Cleopatra, and she still had that almost impossible beauty, now strangely reminding Kashaku of a cat. Her short ebony hair was dusted with gold and a fancy headdress speckled with gems was upon her brow. Her bright green eyes were outlined darkly in gold and black, while the slinky white dress with long slits offset her graceful figure and showed her long shapely legs. There were a lot of golden bracelets, armlets and rings on her body each with a different gem inlaid in them, and even a jeweled collar accenting her long, slender neck.
Everyone watched in awe as the woman walked fluidly up to the stage and gave a small wave and nod of thanks to the crowd. She smiled and the crowd sighed almost all at once, marveling in her beauty. Kashaku however, watched the woman warily. The woman was once again smiling a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, one of those smiles that you think is beautiful and then you think back on it and you realize that they didn't really mean it. The fire sorceress gripped Touya's sleeve tightly and watched the cat-like woman and handsome boy begin to dance.
Beside the woman, the boy seemed clumsy and awkward when he might otherwise have been considered a good dancer. The fluid grace and litheness of the woman drew everyone's attention as she danced like she had wings on her feet. Kashaku had to admit that she was a really graceful dancer, but there was just something that she didn't like about the strange woman. Looking up at Touya, she actually saw to her surprise that he was almost glaring openly at the woman.
Mizuna had also noticed. It was the woman; she was the one with the aura. Flashes of red and black were now accosting her mind as she watched her dance, shaming the boy with her fluidity. The water demoness glared at the woman and was even further annoyed when the woman smirked. At her. So, the woman had known that there were people trying to sense her aura and had been giving them flashes of it to tease them. Mizuna was positive that she was a demon, what kind she wasn't quite sure, but a demon nonetheless. It wasn't good news, there was no innocence in the woman's position, and there was some reason that she was here. And it wasn't for a visit.
The dance ended and everyone applauded. The aura had once again disappeared, and so had the woman. As the crowd surged back on to the dance floor, Mizuna tried to follow the woman with her eyes but couldn't. She cursed. Without surprise she noticed Touya glaring angrily into the crowd as well. He had obviously sensed it as well and was quite annoyed with the woman who dared to play games.
"It seems that she escaped."
Mizuna gave Touya a flat look and walked away. She was done. Being toyed with didn't sit well with her, and she didn't want to hang around the dance any longer. She assumed that the woman must have been sent by Takashi, and for the first time she actually considered Takashi in the light of him being an actual threat. He had seemed so unreal and distant, but now it was time to consider him dangerous.
+++Next Morning: Fifth Day of the Cruise+++
"So, who the hell was that woman anyway?" Kin asked while poking at a piece of broccoli with her fork disgustedly.
Mizuna gave her a preoccupied look. "I'm pretty sure that she was sent by Takashi."
"You mean that evil guy who wants the pendants or whatever?"
The blue-haired girl's eyebrow ticked. "Yes. I suspect that the woman will strike in a few days, towards the end of the cruise. She has been teasing us with her aura, making us wonder where she is, but now that she has revealed herself, it is quite possible that she will attack."
Kin continued to poke her broccoli. "So?"
Mizuna lost her patience. "So? Is that all you can say?"
"The demon won't attack until the ball you know. Well, unless she's an idiot. I doubt she really cares if all the people on this ship die, and the time we'll be most hindered is at the time of the ball. We'll be trying to take care of the innocent people and be more likely to get killed," the golden fox demon said while still looking suspiciously at the green vegetable on her fork.
Her blue-haired friend sat in silence for a moment contemplating the information she had just been given. It was probably true that the demon wouldn't attack until the ball.... Perhaps Kin was right, there was no sense in worrying until it happened anyway. There were only two days until the ball, they had that long to relax. Mizuna suddenly felt sure that at that ball, their adventure would truly begin. Everything would be different from that point on; she knew it.
To be continued....
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Kin: Okay, I am very sorry about the lateness of this chapter... once again. I seem to get writers block very often now. Over the course of this chapter I have come to realize that my story has no plotline anymore. I am going to bring it directly back the original plot in the next chapter, and their will be a lot of action and stuff. I'm going to have the ball be the next chapter, but it will also cut to the action and adventure. I'm sorry about the wait and the boringness.
Kashaku: *yawn* You're telling me!
Kin: *glares and paint chips off wall*
Kashaku: O.O
Mizuna: You should just say goodbye and do the Thank-you's. People don't want to listen to your ramblings after so long a wait for a chapter.
Kin: *sulky* You're the one that was bugging me to update...
Kashaku: I'll say good bye then!
Mizuna: You just did.
Kashaku: Oh.
Review Responses:
SukiYumi: Yay!! You reviewed first! Okay... that's all.
Slytherin's GoldenYouku: Yay! Well, you can tell your friend that next chapter will be the beginning of the continuation of the plot. I will actually start the adventure and danger and all the other stuff like that. Thanks for the ice cream cone!!
Hiei 17: I hope you liked the Mizuna/Hiei moment in there. I'll try to add in some more for you!!
Riyo Lee: I'm glad you like the story, thanks for the compliment! It's reviewers like you who actually motivate me to update more than once a year. I'm also glad that you can relate to the characters, I hope it adds to the whole overall enjoyment you derive from the story.
LoneWolf7423: I hope you liked the Mizuna/Hiei stuff in this chapter, there will be more to come! Okay, I put the Hoover in the mail and I hope you get it soon. P.S. you spelled it correctly.
Hiei's1girl: Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been super busy and stuff. If you're still reading this I commend you.
yusuke's1girl: Sorry to keep you bored for so long! I'll update sooner after this... ^_^'
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