STALKER
Movement 2

"Thank goodness..." Fujiko uttered gently, as she staggered up to her apartment door. Blood was still dripping steadily from her shoulder, as her vision was starting to degenerate. Her dainty hand turned the doorknob, just barely, as the bells hung upon the other side clanged wildly. She fell into her living room floor with a loud thud.

"Shimatta..." She swore aloud. "I wish Hiei-san... would've helped me..." Fujiko could barely lift her feet as she struggled towards her bathroom, needing her Makai remedies urgently.

"If I pass out before I can make it, I'm dead..." She reached for a wall in a desperate grasp, wrapping her fingers around the doorframe of the bathroom. Finally, she made it to her medicine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of pills marked in an obviously foreign language. With her remaining amount of strength, she popped a few pills as she collapsed on her bathroom floor, letting out a painful breath.

- - - OPENING ANIMATION PLAYS TO "Kyuuketsuki Miyu" - - -

Elsewhere, Hiei was still angry at himself for being injured by such a weak youkai.

"Hn! That bastard's youki was pathetic; I could've disintegrated that weakling in one shot. ...but... that stupid youkai girl. Che," he thought to himself as he waited for Kurama. "Kisama! Kurama is..."

"Right here, Hiei," Kurama interjected, causing Hiei to raise a brow.

"Kisama! Don't sneak up on me," Hiei blurted out. Kurama smiled attractively, as always. Then, he noticed Hiei's wounded shoulder.

"Hiei, how did you get that injury?" Kurama inquired, rather curious. Hiei scoffed, again.

"It was stupid... I was waiting for you, and some girl walked by..."

"Oh, Hiei! My darling Hiei has finally become interested in women!" Kurama giggled. Hiei grunted.

"Urusai! The girl came by, and I felt her youki... she was a youkai, but going to a ningen school. So, I followed her, but she was being hunted by another youkai, a shadow youkai, to be more exact. It looked like he was going to kill her, and he injured her pretty badly; I saved her, but that bastard managed to get my shoulder. And there you have it.

"So, what happened to the girl?" Kurama asked.

"How should I know?"

"Hiei! You mean to tell me that you left an injured girl just... lying there, all alone?" Kurama interjected.

"Yes. She'll be okay... she had the strength to complain about me not helping her, so I figured it would be useless. Besides, her youki is still present... as weak as it may me, I can pick it up now."

"Heh... Hiei, you are truly heartless," Kurama laughed gently, while Hiei looked as smug as ever.

"Unnn... Hiei-saaaan..." Fujiko groaned as she was starting to regain consciousness. Her still-weak body twitched from lying dormant for many, many hours. "IMOTOU!" she cried out, sitting up in a cold sweat, her body soaking in her own blood. Her eyes scanned all over her figure, disgusted.

"Oh... my... I wonder how long I was out..." she looked at the clock, hardly able to tell the time. "Feh, it doesn't matter, really... I'm in no shape for school," she spoke gently, slowly standing up. "Ugh... I really need a bath."

Fujiko slowly prepared herself a nice, warm bath, as she slipped out of her disgusting fuku. She pinned her hair up, and climbed in carefully.

"Mmmmmm... this is just the thing I need, for my nerves, and for my wounds. She sat in a comfortable stupor for a while, as she stood up, grabbing the sprayer to wash her hair. As she lathered her hair up, she thought to herself about the events that had transpired earlier.

"Hiei-san... hmm, I wonder... was it my imagination, or did I call out his name when I was waking up?" she contemplated out loud. She gently placed the sprayer back upon its hook, sighing tenderly. Her mind slowly traveled back to reality, when it dawned upon her that the youkai who had tried to take her life was still alive.

"Rubina... imouto... Mama... jou-sama..." She whispered, as she stepped out of the bath, wrapping herself in a fluffy pink towel. Fujiko dropped to her knees as she was lost in her own memories. Thoughts raced through her mind, she lowered her head. "That youkai... whatever his name was... he's going to kill me. He's going to kill me, before this is all over... I should just go home, and die with some honor; there is no reason to fight, anymore. I can't help but give up...! I'm weak, I have no reason to even be living and breathing today..." She let out a soft whimper. Fujiko picked herself up, as she shuffled into her tiny bedchamber, collapsing into a comfortable sleep.

Fujiko slowly opened her eyes to the bright sunlight streaming through her window.

"Che... another day, jam-packed full of borrowed time." She climbed out of bed, getting ready for school. Slowly Fujiko prepared herself, brushing her hair as she gazed in the mirror.

"I always look so down... but..." she grinned to herself, "no one cares, minus Arai-chan." Her gaze dropped to the floor as she saw her blood-soaked school fuku.

"That's right... I guess I'll have to use another one for today," Fujiko stated aloud, waltzing over to the closet to grab one of her other spring fuku. She slipped it on, looking in the mirror again. Fujiko looked at the ground for a minute, as she looked up with a small grin on her face.

"I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me..." she announced, turning to her bedroom window; all that could be seen was a beautiful morning skyline. "I suppose all of these goings-on have me on edge," Fujiko said with a sense of finality, as she walked out the door, her bells clanging again.

And so, her day back in the ningen mindset began. Amazingly enough, Fujiko managed to become a completely different person at school. At school and in her girlish life, she could act kind, sweet and gentle without serious repercussions.

After a day of sitting in class, the school bell sounded at exactly 2:00. Fujiko hurried out of class to meet Arai at the entrance gate.

"Fujiko-chan!" Arai called out, seeing Fujiko's figure hustle through the other kids. Fujiko smiled as she heard her friend's voice.

"Araiiiii-chan!" She returned her shout with one of her own. Arai straightened her back out as she stood up, waving a bit, as Fujiko approached her.

"So, wanna go somewhere this afternoon?" Arai said to Fujiko as she walked up. Fujiko looked a bit exasperated.

"Just where would you have in mind, Arai-chan?" Fujiko questioned as her eyes scanned the area. There was something oddly familiar...

"Eeeh I don't know! I was just curious, since it's been a while since we've gone somewhere together..." she trailed off as she noticed Fujiko wasn't listening to her. "Imadae Fujiko!"

"Ne, Arai-chan...?" She asked, looking at her.

"You weren't paying attention."

"Oh... gomen nasai," Fujiko apologized with a light, almost nervous laugh. "I really don't feel well."

"Always with the not feeling well... you just missed a day of school yesterday. You should go home and get some rest, Fujiko-chan," Arai suggested. Fujiko nodded in response.

"Yes... yes that's a good idea." Fujiko waved gently as she smiled the same muted, tense smile. "Ja ne," she mumbled as she set off.

"Fujiko-chan..." Arai said under her breath as she stood there. "You miss school days every now and then, and when you come back, you're so distant... it's like you're not... the same."

Fujiko was almost running as she looked alarmed.

"Gah! I knew I felt something that was familiar," she said aloud to herself. "This isn't that far from the place two days ago, so no wonder." Fujiko came to a neighboring junior high school as she stopped.

"Here, that's impossible... their classes get out soon, as well. But still, it seems unlikely... wait." She turned around, her eyes surveying the area. They widened for a moment as they came to rest upon a tree.

"There."

She slowly walked over to the soaring, leafy green tree as she looked up. Fujiko could hardly suppress a giggle as she tilted down a bit, jumping up and landing on a branch.

"On'na!" A shout came from a short youkai dressed in all black. Fujiko grinned a little.

"Oi. I knew that I felt your youki around here...!"

"Kisama! What are you, a stalker?"

"No... I just... wanted to thank you for yesterday—erhm, I mean two days ago."

"Is that all?"

"Well, if you put it like that, I guess so. I have a question for YOU. What are you doing in a tree, next to a junior high school of all places?" Fujiko queried. Hiei grunted.

"Waiting."

"...for...?"

"Kurama."

"Kurama? Who is that?" She tilted her head a bit.

"I am."

Fujiko looked down, nearly losing her footing, as she saw the beautiful young man with flowing red hair.

- - - ENDING ANIMATION PLAYS TO "All My Love" - - -