FW: (free of Sola-san's chains) Yes, that's right, Sola-SAN. Her birthday's come, and now, we're the same age, which makes us, (gag) equals!
Hiei: Get over it.
FW: Wow, that's disturbing!
Kurama: What?
FW: My friend say's "get over it" all the time!
Hiei: Your friends have taste? Shocking.
FW: Not YOUR kind of taste. Short skirts, belly shirts, lots of makeup…. Wouldn't look bad though….
Everyone but Hiei: (has "interesting" images…)
Hiei: (smoking)
FW: (noticing the danger) Uh… so anyway, happy birthday Sola! This is dedicated to you! And while I'm giving shout outs… (sigh) sandry stardiamond-san, I've been trying to keep the main plot, but if I'm not, sorry. And to AmnarRanma-sama, that WOULD have been wicked funny if it were a girl taking enzyte! (thanks for the correction, Deus X Machina-sama)! Little disturbing, but that's what makes life fun!
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any Green Day songs.
START"It had to be a PRACTICAL test…" Yusuke muttered irritably. All night learning definitions and formulas wouldn't help him here.
Hiei found himself agreeing. All night teaching that idiot definitions and formulas wouldn't help the detective here.
The lab focused on chemistry, naturally. They were supposed to make a minor chemical reaction, create water. The two-seat table held everything they needed, including a partner.
Which was lucky or unlucky by the way you looked at it for Yusuke. Hiei was smart, but a little… explosive-happy.
"Hiei, just swallow your pride and wear the gloves," he instructed, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"No."
One hour… one hour Yusuke had to complete the lab….
Across the hall, Kuwabara was struggling with his own exam, Global Studies. His was in the traditional form of a written test. Who knew there was a country called Zagastaria, (FW: Yeah, I made it up) and who'd know its capital?
After much pained thinking, the teenager just scribbled "banana" and moved on.
As expected, Botan was doing decently enough.
So, back to Yusuke….
KABOOM!
"HIEI! I TOLD YOU NOT TO SET IT ON FIRE!" Yusuke yelled, staring at their ruined project.
Hiei stared at it too. "You said it needed extreme heat."
"Not "Dragon of the Darkness Flame" extreme!"
Somehow, all their classmates and teacher managed to survive, now looked fearfully at the arguing detectives.
Yusuke just noticed that now. "Hiei, can you do something about them? We can't leave witnesses."
Hiei nodded, powering mortal flame in his hand.
"Don't KILL them Hiei! Just erase their memories!"
"You never let me do anything my way."
Somehow, the four made it through the day, handing in hastily finished projects and tests.
Again, before the bell managed to ring and release the over pressured kids, the itcom made an announcement. "Mr. Nesul would like to inform all his band students, because so few bands remain, the next competition will be finals. Be prepared as best as you can, and if you have any information on the whereabouts of section leader, Mia, please tell him. That is all." The click responded.
The detectives breathed a sigh of relief. Even if they failed their midterms and broke the C or better rule, it would be too late to know before the last show on Friday, which meant they couldn't get penalized!
For once, they didn't walk to their houses together, each wanted to hurry and get some missed rest, except for Botan, of course, who just needed some "girl time".
Which left Kuwabara to walk this empty street, on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams-
Wrong story.
Anyway, Kuwabara was walking down an empty street, when he felt a familiar energy. He stopped, trying to remember it. The first thought was Mia, but he dismissed it quickly. It definitely wasn't her.
Because he senses were for once failing him, he trusted his eyes to not, turning around.
"Rackly?" He thought, not understanding. It wasn't Rackly who he thought he'd sense, and he knew the teen well enough to recognize him.
He moved into the shadows quickly, knowing Rackly hadn't seen him yet. It was purely instinct. He didn't even know why until a pained, gasping voice said "Rackly!" in his mind. Kurama's voice. The last thing he said before losing his memory. Maybe now he'd find out why.
As he suspected, it wasn't Rackly's energy he had been sensing, it was coming from the inside of a car following the sousaphone player.
The window rolled down. "Come on Rackly," a man's deep voice sounded, "I'll give you a ride home."
"No thanks," the other said, not bothering to look at him, obviously knowing exactly who it was, and not pleased. All traces of humor were gone from the normally fun boy.
"You could run into trouble-"
"YOU are trouble," the now angry teen stated, a fire growing in his eyes not unlike Yusuke's.
"Now is that any way to treat your uncle?"
Uncle? Kuwabara's eyebrows furrowed. Why would Rackly hate his own uncle so much? And this still didn't explain why Rackly's name would be the one cried out by a hurt fox.
Rackly didn't respond to the question, only walked faster. Kuwabara was sure he'd see his poor hiding place, but the leader was so upset, he stormed right past, never turning back.
The car continued to follow, and the orange haired man caught a glance of Rackly's uncle. He wasn't anything special. Short, dark hair, brown eyes. He looked to be human, but Kuwabara could only see his round, tan, face.
It was a face Kuwabara had managed to remember: the opposing band director they'd been sent to check out.
Kuwabara had to clamp his hand over his mouth to keep from uttering a noise of surprise. He figured it out! That man took Kurama out by some kind of scent that would let him switch his memories around, Hiei and himself hadn't been affected because their sense of smell isn't nearly as keen. It had been a trap designed for the fox.
Rackly must have inherited some traces of the strange energy, and Kurama must have recognized it, trying to warn them that the two were somehow connected.
Upon realizing this, Kuwabara found something else. Every time someone found something, they were ambushed. Joane was discovered to be the same one from four years ago, now he was in the hospital. Kurama was taken out twice, and Mia, who knew WHERE she was.
He'd just have to lay low long enough to tell the others. After that, well, he'd figure that out later….
With that stupid thought in mind, he hurried off to find Yusuke.
Meanwhile, Hiei wouldn't admit it, but teaching the detective all night could really take its toll on you, especially if he's just plain not learning!
He was seriously looking forward to finding a nice tree to sleep in, but first, he wanted to check on the fox. Make sure those idiot humans hadn't managed to kill the toughest thief of all time.
Hiei smirked. Right, even in a coma, they couldn't kill him….
He strode in the doors confidently, by now the staff knew not to mess with him. It was after he stepping into the familiar room that housed his friend that he faltered.
The redhead was sitting up, gazing out the window, seemingly unaware of the fire demon's presence.
Fatigue forgotten, Hiei walked up to his friend, who was still unaware of his presence and tapped him lightly on the throat with one finger. Startled, the fox jumped. Hiei smirked. "Not up to your usual standard."
Kurama turned to face him, Hiei expected to see cheer reflected in his green eyes, and was shocked to find nothing but frost, and… anger? "Kurama?" Hiei asked, fearing the worst for his friend's memory. What if it had been manipulated into thinking Hiei was an enemy?
"Hiei," the redhead said so coldly it would have rivaled Hiei's own voice.
"What's wrong with you?" Hiei almost yelled, grabbing his shoulders as gently as he could force himself to, which wasn't too gentle. Kurama never responded.
"Nothing. In fact, I feel better than I have in decades."
Hiei groaned in realization. "Youko," he greeted, not sure what else to say.
Kur, YOUKO, smirked. "I see you've figured it out. Shuichii's a little bent out of shape. Lucky for you, I'm able to fill in."
"Fill in? What are you talking about?" Hiei asked, knowing the answer, but not wanting to voice it.
Youko gave a harsh laugh. "The band. Without Shuichii, there's an empty place where he should march. I'm the only one who can fill it."
Hiei gritted his teeth and released a pleased Youko's shoulders. In normal situations, Hiei would have just flat out said no. These WERE the finals though, they wouldn't get another shot. Besides, Youko would know the drill and how to play, thanks to Kurama's learning.
To put it simply, he didn't have any choice.
"Don't do anything stupid."
END CHAPTER 22
FW: There we go! Happy birthday Sola-san!
Yusuke: The chapter's officially over, so I get the "honor" of telling the readers something they missed. Last chapter, FW didn't write that she'd "take it in stride" to see how many people would notice.
FW: And the answer is… no one! Yay! I pulled a fast one!
Sola-san: You ARE pathetic.
FW: Don't hit birthday girl, don't hit birthday girl, don't hit….
Sola-san: I'm going to have fun with this!
Yusuke: (watching FW chant) K, looks like I'll have to end this. Review if you like, but it's not required. If you flame, ok. She'll take it in stride!
