Hello! Hello! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know I took forever this time… and trust me I am shame-faced. I have a lot of stuff going on right now. Like, the two best things, which also take up my time and money:
1. I got an awesome boyfriend!
2. And I'm going to PROM!
Woo-Hoo! Yeah, time and money. Plus, I've been planning my best friends' Sweet 16 B-day party and her vacation of a gift (I'm getting her a Japanese hot stone massage) and I'm also on the Prom Decorating Committee (Against my will). And I got a prom dress that is actually not elegant and mysterious like was aiming for, but actually CUTE! Weird, huh? And I didn't think I liked anything cute. It's black and strapless that poofs just a little, and there are three thin fuchsia pink ribbons across the bust area with a tiny little bow in the center of each ribbon. I saw it in a magazine and I didn't like it, but then I saw for real and I was like "I WANT THAT!" So, I'm not going to throw away my entire image, so I dyed my hair all black after the black and fuchsia try(didn't stay fuchsia, it became red after three days).
Yeah, I'm hyper, too. And another thing that has been stalling me is DeviantART and my older sisters' graduation (which I also have to decorate for). And I got a job, so I can hopefully get my license and a car. And DeviantART is cool; I like it. A link to my work (which I INSIST that you see) is on my profile.
And finally, I had just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury(Good meaning to the book) and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The Da Vinci Code has become my favorite book of all time! It's amazing, but very controversial. If you haven't read it and are interesting into reading it, if your parents aren't open-minded or if they are All Hail Christianity!, don't let them know that you are going to read it. My mom freaked when she saw me with the book and it nearly killed my grandparents to see me reading it. They said it's a book of falsehood and lies and since I'm young and gullible (I'm 17!) I shouldn't read it at all. I asked my grandma "Have you read the book?" she said "No, but Father Mike told us that it discriminates against Christianity and speaks only lies. So you shouldn't read it. I know it's hard for you to realize that not all books are true." Then I finished up with "Mémère, I only fight armed opponents." She freaked.
I had an argument with my mom about the book and she made me so mad I thoughtlessly yelled out my thoughts of the Christian God (oohhh boy…) and I almost told her what I DID believe! She was already spastic, and if I said I was pagan? She would have gone through with her promise and burned all my books! (Yeah, she told me she would do that.) Anyway, since then, she has been fitting in What Would Jesus Do? as often as possible, even when it comes to eating!
But, anyway. To my reviewers!
Natalie: Oh trust me, this is a chapter. Therefore you will see more chapters in the future.
Spirit Talker: Thank you for respecting, approving, and fully supporting my opening comments!
Asilin Kheldarson: Fine… I WON'T hide it! Gosh! I know, it IS greatness, isn't it?
Uta-Arashi: Yummmm… Virtual Absinthe… You know, my mom just decided to throw a 'Let's go to Virginia the weekend of May 6th' So, yeah… I have finally reached the negatives of money and can't do anything else anymore. But it would be cool to have a whole bunch of fic writers meet up, even though I am poor and can't even afford my lunch. Yah for Eurotrip!
mandy: I'm evil… but cool… hmmm… Coovil?
night.fire: Of course they're hooked, know why? Because I'm a fisherman… err, woman.
Aella: Of course! Everyday!
Thoughtless Darkness: I take Kempo martial arts, like Life in the story. It's a Japanese style and based mostly on offensive techniques that include defensive techniques that can also be offensive at the same time (like a block can be a block and a strike at the same time kind of thing).
JESS: Oh yeah. Do it to your clothes, it's fun when the teachers give you a look and they can't do anything about it because you're not breaking the dress code (This coming from someone who has done it several times).
MaNdY118 & darkgost: Yeah, I know… I missed it… But why? One reason is I forgot that my mom was dragging me to Virginia. And others reasons were because of school. Oh well… sorry.
And thank you all for wishing me a happy birthday!
Disclaimer: I'm afraid that I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho…
"Mommy!"
A tiny little vampire sprinted into my room, crying without tears. "What's wrong?" my voice concerned.
Umeko choked on her words, "D—...D—...Daddy hit me!"
My right eye twitched lightly "Where did he hit you?"
Umeko clutched the back of her head, "Here," she whimpered.
"Let me see..." you drew her hands away.
"Don't touch it!" she pulled away, "It hurts really bad!"
"Umeko, I'll be very careful, I promise." Reluctantly, she let me touch it. As I grazed two fingers along the back of her head lightly, I felt a bump. Not a large bump, but not a small one either. "Where's Daddy at?"
"In th-the li-living room."
Without another glance toward the child, I stormed my way out of my bedchamber and through the halls, "HIEI I- DON'T- KNOW- YOUR- MIDDLE- NAME- IF- YOU- EVEN- HAVE- ONE JAGANSHI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!"
I found Hiei planted in his usual spot, on the windowsill. "HIEI!"
"What!" he snapped back at me.
"You hit Umeko!"
"She bit me!" He argued back, showing his hand that had two small bleeding sores between the thumb and forefinger.
"You probably deserved it!"
"She was hungry! That's your job!"
"My job! No! That's our job, Dad!" He winced at his newfound name.
"What the frick is up with all this yelling?" Yusuke walked in followed by Kurama.
I heaved an immense sigh, "Hiei hit Umeko," I narrowed my eyes menacingly at Hiei.
"Hiei, she's only a child..." Kurama trying to be rational.
"She. Bit. Me," each word oozed between clenched teeth.
I stepped up to him, "You. Should. Have. Tak-En. Her. Out. To. Eat. Then," smacking him upside the head with each syllable I spoke. Hiei quickly recovered from the smacks, and was being held back by Yusuke and Kurama who were desperately attempting to keep him from tearing me limb from limb.
I took his chin firmly in my hand, "Now," I desperately forced my voice to stay low, "You and I are both going to take her out to eat. And I want you to apologize to Umeko. Understand?"
Hiei merely glared more fiercely at me, then ceased to struggle. I released his chin as Yusuke and Kurama loosened their restraints.
"Wow, Life. You and Hiei are like me and Keiko," Yusuke exclaimed.
I turned to Yusuke with a cocked eyebrow, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I think" Kurama reasoned, "what Yusuke is trying to say is that you seem to almost have him wrapped around your pinkie, put kindly."
"Watch your tongue, Fox," Hiei growled rather threateningly.
Yusuke, however, did not comprehend Hiei's threat, "He's right, Life. You've got 'em whipped!" with an imitation of cracking a whip.
With a roar of outrage, Hiei pounced on Urameshi; thrashing out his fists and legs wildly. The only thing that could be heard in that five-minute span was Hiei's grunts and Urameshi's cries… which indeed brought warmth to my heart. The pounding scene was put to an end, unfortunately, when Kuwabara came in crawling on his hands and knees.
Umeko was perched on his back; a little plastic tiara on her head and a plastic silver wand gripped in her right hand. A blue bed sheet was tied around her neck as she wore an oversize pair of pink high heels. The rest of us all stared with cocked eyebrows.
"Giddy up, Horsy! We have to save the prince," Umeko declared as if she was on some important mission.
"Neh!" I caught a sweat drop from more than one person at Kuwabara's poor attempt to sound like a horse as he crawled faster across the floor.
"Go! Go!" Umeko smacked his thigh with the wand hard.
"Ow!" Kuwabara collapsed to the floor in a mix of pain and exhaustion; arms and legs sprawled like a facedown Vitruvian Man.
"Uncle Kuwabara! Come on! We have to save the prince!" Umeko whined and bounced on his back.
"Umeko, I'm tired! Let me rest..." Loud snoring soon followed Kuwabara's complaining.
I rolled my eyes in Kuwabara's favor and then brought my attention to Umeko. I eyed her inquisitively, "Umeko, where'd you get that wand and tiara?"
"Uncle Kuwabara gave them to me. He said that I was already a princess, I just needed to dress like one."
"Huh," Urameshi gruffed thoughtfully, "Hiei, even Kuwabara would've been a better father than you."
The Makai demon replied with a scowl "Let him," he made his way to the door and halted at the handle, "Are we going or not?"
After removing the sheet, shoes, and other accessories from the petite child, I followed briskly out the door.
ooo
It has been two weeks since Umeko has joined the "family". And sure, I've been going to school unwillingly as she slept under the watchful eyes of Botan, Mum, and even Koenma on occasions. Everyone has seemed to grow a fondness for the adorable child. At times, I would even suspect Hiei cared, or at least acknowledged her. And to think, the only reason she was brought here was to keep her alive.
But now, three figures stood on the rooftop of a taller building in Kyoto; eyeing the many people below. "Get this over with" Hiei spoke impatiently, tapping his foot annoyingly on the gravel.
"Hiei, tonight we're going to find out what she received with the Dark Gift. This may take a few hours, so maybe if you'd quit tapping your foot it would go by quicker for all of us," I turned to Umeko, "This is considered training. I'm not going to be that easy on you. Savvy?"
She nodded.
"Good. Now... Follow me." I leapt into the air and broke into bats thirty feet above her; only to change back two buildings away across the street. The building I stood on was six stories taller than the one Hiei and Umeko stood, and nine floors higher than the building between the two.
Even despite the distance, I could catch Umeko sigh before stepping back about twenty feet. She broke into a run, leapt from the edge toward the shorter building. A single foot made contact with the edge of the short building, only to slip. She grasped the edge of the building with her tiny fingers for the dear life of her own. I just stood there; arms crossed, trench coat swaying in the night breeze with my long dark hair; watching. I want to help her, but I can't...
"All for the sake of training," a voice came from behind my swayed form.
I merely twisted my head, "Hn. All for the sake of living."
Hiei situated himself next to me, both of us inspected Umeko and no longer each other.
"She must learn. She has to learn if she wishes to be in this world as she is. A wanted child..." our eyes did not stray from the undead child.
"You want her to learn, too," he replied monotonously, "Not just for her, but for you."
"Don't shrink me," I snapped, soon to focus on Umeko once again, almost dazed "Our own little forbidden child..." Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I caught Hiei's expression darken as his head drooped ever so slightly. "What?" I was somewhat confused and more thoroughly annoyed by his actions, but no such considerate emotions played on my face or through my lips.
Hiei turned away, "She is not living," he mumbled for only my ears, "She died two weeks ago. We're guarding a corpse," he gave the finally situated Umeko a final glance, "I'm going for a walk. You and that baka child be back at the rooftop in three hours ready to leave," he spoke flatly, motioning toward a rooftop before closing the door on the roof leading downstairs.
As I focused on the child, I watched her take another running start to leap twenty-five feet in the air. Not even close to how high I could jump; I could jump about seventy feet myself. Those words Hiei had spoken repeated themselves in my mind.
…We're guarding a corpse…
She caught hold of a windowsill on the building I was planted, on her way down. She still had eight stories up to go.
…She is not living…
But if she is not living… "Am I not living?"
"Mommy!" she cried to me, "I'm stuck!"
I narrowed my eyes directly down at her, "Get yourself unstuck then!" I snapped, which took Umeko off guard. She did a double take down, terrified of the sight below her. She was holding on for dear life nine stories above hundreds of tiny people and small cars and concrete sidewalks.
Within a few minutes, however, she was standing on the windowsill, hugging the wall.
"You're wasting time, Umeko!" I glared, "Quit behaving like a baby and get up here!" She must learn… I repeated in my head over and over again, convincing myself that my harshness was helping her.
Fingers desperately found crevices in the wall as she climbed further and further away from the window, occasionally slipping. An hour later she was a floor below me, losing her grip more and more frequently. She pulled herself onto a windowsill, heaving for breath, "I can't—do this anymore—Mommy…" she struggled to make her voice loud enough for me to hear, though I obviously had no trouble at all.
"You're close. Hurry up."
"But, Mommy, my hands are all sweaty!" she cried.
"DO IT!" Kuwabara's attitude is rubbing off on her…
Reluctantly, she began to climb again. Climbing and slipping and recovering and climbing again. Within a half hour she was only two feet below me. She reached out a hand toward me. But, I wasn't going to give her the stick.
"What?" I questioned.
"Help me stand up, Mommy."
"No. You are not done until you climb over the ledge yourself."
With only one hand gripping the wall, the sweat on her hands took advantage of the opportunity, and caused her fingers to slip; her other hand not able to grab the wall in time. "Mommy!" she fell, plummeting down towards the concrete below.
I sighed and dove headfirst after her. The night air pierced my face and whipped my hair as I sliced through it. Slowly gaining on Umeko, who was still thirty feet below you; too far to save her. I broke into bats, slowly gaining until I was only five feet away from her and four stories from the ground. Quickly grouping back together, I thrust my hands toward Umeko, heel of palm against heel of palm, "Strigo!"
My hands radiated a periwinkle-lavender aura for only a moment…
… Three stories…
… Time stopped within the body of Umeko as she continued to plummet to the ground…
… Two stories…
… The aura suddenly exploded from my hands in seemingly a thousand lights. Randomly at first they flew, till the Time within Umeko pulled it in like gravity had taken oddly immense effects. For that moment when the energy was absorbed sponge-like into the childs' body, she glowed that perwinkle-ish color… only to freeze to a halt in mid-air…
… One story.
I dissolved into bats to perch myself on the windowsill aside the frozen Umeko. I inspected the Halted Form in front of me. Terror was plastered on her face; hands were reached out with sprawled fingers; strands of hair stood still in every which position, unaltered by the night breeze. She was solid-stiff one story above the people of Kyoto.
I reached out and grabbed her hand. Not wanting to waist anymore of my energy, I let loose the spell, and she swung toward the wall. I pulled her onto the windowsill to feel her hugging my waist tight.
"I thought you were going to let me die," she whispered shakily into my stomach.
"You would not have died," She would be able to recover easily enough… "You would have brought too much attention onto yourself by the mortals. That's why I caught you," I stated.
Umeko's head darted up toward mine, eyes filled with nearly the same terror as before, "You would have let me fall?" My silence made her eyes widen. I scanned over the people of Kyoto who were scurrying around with their business. "Do I have to climb it again, Mommy?" by the tone of her voice, it was effortless to depict how much she didn't.
I sighed "No. Now we shall feast," I grabbed her wrist, "Integumentum," after a faint blue glow, the both of us melted into the shadows. "Come on," I spoke "Let's jump."
"Oh no, no, no, no," I felt her body move closer to the window, "I won't jump anymore."
"It's only one story. It's more of a hop than a jump," I gave her a tug, "Now, let's go."
I hopped; pulling Umeko along with me. Something, however, was slowing my fall, and when we both landed under the light of a street lamp and became visible again, I saw why.
Umeko's nails had grown into long, sharp, grotesque looking claws about six inches long. At the base they were a natural nail color, but as I was directed to the end, they became a disgusting yellow and soon to black. I quickly blocked the view of her hands from the passerby's and looked up at the side of the building. There were five long, deep, slightly jagged gashes etched into the wall, starting at the windowsill I hopped from. I turned back to Umeko; she was closely examining her long claws with a mix of curiosity and fascination.
"Mommy... What is this?" Her nails gradually shrunk back to their normal size with a sick, crackling shlump sound that made myself cringe slightly.
"That," I spoke, "Is one of the talents you received with the Dark Gift."
She watched me unsurely, "Is this bad?"
A small grin played on my lips, "No. Not at all." I would never say that I was somewhat envious of her gift. The Dark Gift is different for all. I, myself, who could break into bats as one of my Gifts, was a quality that no Homemade and only most born-vamps could possess. All vampires could move faster than the average man and could jump at extreme heights, even though the speed and height varied between each. "Come on," I spoke, trying to forget about my envy, "Let's find our meals." Umeko smiled and nodded.
ooo
Frantic screams and frenzied cries were heard behind me as Umeko and I sauntered away from yet another blood-drained incident with full stomachs. A smile on my face, and a song in my heart, we both casually strolled into the building as if we were completely oblivious to the ambulance driving by. We took an elevator to the eleventh floor, and took the stairs to the rooftop. I took a seat with my feet over the ledge, which Umeko decided to keep a good distance from and instead was tossing tiny stones in the air.
"You're early." I turned to see Hiei with his thumbs tucked in his pockets.
"Nice jacket," I smirked, turning back to the horror scene below; ambulances carrying several people away. Over Hiei's black muscle tee he wore a crisp new black leather jacket, much like my trench coat, only down to his thighs rather than his ankles.
"Hn. I had cash," he smirked "Nice mayhem," he snickered, following my gaze.
"Hn," my smirk turned into a grin, "It is, isn't it?"
Hiei rolled his eyes and a portal appeared for the three of us.
ooo
I woke up and got ready for my lovely day of school. I looked at myself after putting on the uniform and groaned. School administrators settled on the fishnets, but got me a new uniform, saying if I changed the uniform in any way, I would be expelled. Not that I cared, but Koenma unfortunately did. So of course, what Koenma says goes.
I grabbed my things and blew a kiss to the closed casket before heading to the living room to meet the gang.
ooo
So far, only two assignments have been given in art class, and I had already completed them both. So, as I had been doing as usual, I had my face planted to the thick, wooden tabletop, drifting to sleep.
"You know," the kind, American accented voice of the art professor spoke, "There are chairs in my room if you want to take a nap."
Not thinking clearly due to my drowsiness, I merely gave a feeble nod and dragged my way to his office, where aside from the desk and office chair, two more cream cushioned seats sat adjacent to each other; adorned with pillows, snow globes, stuffed animals, and other toys ranging from Disney's Lion King to The Nightmare Before Christmas. With a simple fwumph, I sunk into the surprisingly comfortable chair to immediate slumber…
…And was awoken again seemingly seconds later by a shift of position. Hiei was sitting in the opposite chair, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed. His head tilted slightly to his right shoulder, deep steady breathing and heartbeat, and a peaceful look on his face were all signs that he was fast asleep. I wasn't surprised, seeing that neither of us got back to the Spirit World until 3 in the morning.
"Good thing you are awake," through the office doorway Mr. Ray stepped in, "It's fourth period."
"Shit," I groaned, hunching over and massaging my temples almost instinctively. I peered over at Ray to see him situate himself on an office chair, where he set his black-framed reading glasses on the desk and rubbed his eyes groggily. "Stressed?"
"You could say that," he mumbled.
"What?" I questioned.
"I can't tell you," he replied.
I cocked an eyebrow "How come?"
"Beware the probes."
I was caught startled and questioning if I even heard what he said correctly, "Excuse me?"
"You could be driving through the country one evening," he spoke, leaning back on his chair, "On an empty road, minding your own business, and your car could suddenly be caught under a blue light. Suddenly, your car will start shaking as you feel it rise into the air, higher and higher and higher, until next thing you know, you find yourself in the insides of a huge spaceship."
I had no idea where this was going. Has he gone insane?
"The spaceship will fly off to the complete and distant far sides of the universe, where you'll land on another planet. The aliens will come out, strip you down, and strap you to a metal table, naked. They'll stick wires and chips all over you and show off their power by flashing the probe in front of your face. Then, they will ask "Why is Mr. Ray so stressed?" and you could say "I don't know" and they'd believe you, because they'd know you're telling the truth. And then they'll give you your clothes and take you back home."
I could do nothing… Nothing, but stare at this odd mortal obliviously. "…Probes…"
"Always beware the probes," he smiled.
Hearing that, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Shut up."
I glanced at the previously resting Makai demon, "Don't you shut up me."
"You woke me up, damn you," Hiei growled, either not knowing or caring that Mr. Ray was even there.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes, not wanting to deal with a completely pointless argument.
There was a brief moment of silence, "Well," Mr. Ray spoke up, "Here you guys go," he handed each of us a slip of paper. I scanned the chicken scratch writing:
Life to 4th period.
Rand RayWhat do I do with this? I thought to myself, If he wants me to go to class, shouldn't he just tell me?
"Give that to your teacher," Ray unknowingly answered my question. I absently nodded and tailed the Makai demon out of the classroom.
ooo
"Damnit, Hiei," I snapped at Hiei through the halls, "The Hell is wrong with you?"
"Hn."
I growled agitatedly, a little too much, for what was meant to be a mortal snarl came out as a true, low-toned, vampire roar.
Hiei swerved at me and apprehensively clasped his hand across my mouth. There was stillness for only a brief second when echoes rang through the passageways. Hiei's head darted tensely left to right before he reached for the closest door and pulled me in after him.
My eyes easily adjusted to the darkness of the room to quickly learn it was a janitors' closet, and a very crammed full and small one I might have added. I saw Hiei reach for the door handle and pull it just enough to leave the door a quarter ajar, for that was the furthest it could be closed without the two of us shoved against each other.
Hiei released his grip for me to be within the door path as he leaned against the cluttered shelves at the opposite wall.
"Hiei, wha—"
"Sh!" he pointed out the door toward a small group of tardy students rushing by. I barely had to strain my ears to hear them conversing about a zoology instructor and how one of his crazy animals probably got loose.
We waited in silence until they were out of sight and earshot before I spoke hushed, "What the Hell is wrong with you?"
Hiei stared eyes glazed, to the floor, "I don't trust that ningen," he murmured.
"Ray?" I clarified, half-astonished, half-annoyed.
"He wants something," his eyes turned hard into mine "Watch yourself."
"Me?" I forced through a laugh, "A ningen would be a threat to me?"
"We are ningens to this species," He spoke, "To them you a ningen female. There are old males who will take advantage of you because you are weak to them."
"Not every male is a sexual predator," I argued, "And if anyone was, I'd kill them."
"You stupid kyuuketsuki onna," his voice raised, "We cannot kill in a ningen school! Not even I can!"
"Since when?" I raised my voice to him, "Aren't you the cruel, heartless, murderer I've heard about? Fool."
There was a long-lasting silence. "Is that why you didn't go to class?" I asked, my tone crawled back down the ladder.
"What?" he snapped.
"Were you concerned for me?" I slightly forced.
Another pause, "I'm babysitting," he growled, his eyes went downcast to the floor once again, "Nothing more."
ccc
The chubby janitor pushed his cart along the hallway, whistling a random tune as he wiped his forehead on his shirtsleeve. He caught sight of the ajar janitors' closet door and carelessly pushed it shut as he stepped.
ccc
The door behind I suddenly knocked my Achilles' heel, shoving me forward and loosing my balance.
"Woah!" I crashed into Hiei's chest, who caught me around the waist as I instinctively caught him around the neck; cleaning utensils rained all over the both of us; our faces mere centimeters apart, turning into a very awkward position for the two of us.
"What the—" a man's voice was heard outside the door, before it was opened to reveal a man in a filthy gray uniform.
"What have we got here?" the janitor queried, "Caught in the public display of affection act."
"Affection?" I asked.
ooo
Hiei and I sat with no displayed emotions in the chairs that were situated directly across from the principals' desk. The janitor stood beside the two of us. Despite my statue-like exterior, the thoughts inside me were confused. Display… Affection… Public? What the Hel—oh, I get it! No! No, no, no, no!
"—so I slammed the door. Then I heard a noise and when I opened the door, there they were."
The principal, Mr. Takanaka according to the bronze plaque sitting on the desktop, was a beefy male of mustard-like hair and an interrogating face "I see…" a ringing from the telephone interrupted his thoughts as he retrieved it from the receiver, "Yes? … Mm-hm… Mm-hm… Thank you," he hung up, "It seems, Mr. Jaganshi, that your guardian has arrived."
The door opened to a man… err… teenager. It was Koenma, with the absence of a pacifier and traded for a mortal business suit. "Ah, Mr. Bob. Take a seat."
Bob? Mister BOB? Please don't tell me this mortal is this thickskulled…"Coffee, Mr. Bob?" Mr. Takanaka offered.
"No, thank you. May I ask what young Hiei has done?" He didn't look even slightly older than seventeen!
"Ah, yes. Mr. Jaganshi and Ms. Hawthorne here were found a half hour ago, committing PDA."
"PDA," Koenma eyed us in a way that could kill rodents; I narrowly avoided eye contact with him and I suspected Hiei did the same.
"Yes. Normally this isn't considered a terrible violation and just given a warning, but these two were caught doing PDA during class in a janitors' closet. That makes this serious. It has given me no choice but to give them two weeks out of school suspension."
"I see," seemed to be all Koenma could say.
"So," Mr. Takanaka continued, "If you could please take Mr. Jaganshi home. I have yet to reach Ms. Hawthorne's parents..."
"Yes," Koenma replied, "Actually, Ms. Hawthorne's mother lives next door to us. I could take Ms. Hawthorne, too. Her mother works nights, so she probably isn't..."
"Yes, of course. If you just sign her out, please. Have a good day, Mr. Bob."
ooo
"Grounded. You are both grounded."
"Excuse me?" I questioned; outraged "You cannot ground me. You are not my father!"
"Yes, I can ground you. We made a deal. I am your boss. And what I tell you to do, you do or else."
"We didn't do anything," Hiei hissed.
"Then explain to me what did," Koenma ordered.
Half-reluctantly, Hiei and I did tell the story; from the art room, to the closet, "That's what happened," Hiei snapped.
"I see," Koenma seemed to be pondering it over, "You're still grounded."
"Why?" the both of us nearly exclaimed.
"Because you both still skipped class and got suspended. Two weeks. No training or missions for either of you. Life, no TV. Hiei, no windowsill."
"That's not fair," we burst in sync. We glared at one another, "Quit copying me!" at the same time. We both storm out the door, "Stop that! GRR!" again, at the same time.
On the way to the living room, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Keiko, and a girl with light brown hair stop the both of us.
"Hey guys!" Urameshi greeted, "Did you hear the gossip? A guy and some chick were caught making out in the janitors' closet… their shirts off and everything!"
"FUCK OFF!" we barked, shoving past them and locking ourselves in our rooms.
But, what continued behind our backs… "What's up with them?" Kuwabara questioned.
Yusuke shrugged "Time of the month?"
Kuwabara chuckled, "Both of them?" they cackled, until Keiko smacked them both in the stomach.
ooo
The eight of us were all seated in the living room in unnerving silence several hours later. The tele' was off, since I wasn't allowed to watch it; so I sat on the windowsill just to get on Hiei's nerves. I had been introduced to Shizuru earlier; the light brown haired girl, as well as Kuwabara's sister. I was surprised that Kuwabara could actually be related to someone who didn't look like the back-end of a werewolf. He must be the black sheep of the family, I had thought previously.
"So," Kuwabara broke the dead silence, "Hiei... Is she a good kisser?" Soon followed by the poundings from three people over his head. Hiei, Shizuru, and myself.
"We didn't do anything, Baka!"
"You were just talking," Yusuke said, not sounding like he was nearly convinced.
"Yes," I pressed.
"With your shirts off?" Kuwabara smirked.
I growled menacingly. "Well," Botan started to keep from a fierce battle, "I don't know about you guys, but if all we have to do is talk about some schools' latest gossip, we should play a game or something."
"What do you have in mind?" Kurama queried.
"Truth or dare!" she chirped.
"Nah," Yusuke shrugged off, "I got a game…" but Mum, who glided in from the halls, cut him off, however.
"Evening," she smiled softly, standing elegantly in her black ensemble of a corset, long skirt, and veil robe.
"Where have you been, Alexandria?" Kurama asked.
"Koenma's office. He would like to speak with the team. Where's Umeko?"
"Sleeping, last I checked," I replied, "Would the nana take watch for me?"
She nodded, "You know, it is not healthy to have her sleep in so much."
"I'll wake her when I get back, if she isn't already."
ooo
"I have some exciting news for all of you," Koenma spent his dramatic pause stamping a few more papers, then set them aside and eyed us all with his fingers intertwined in each other on the desk, "A tournament is to be held next month. And I want Team Urameshi to compete."
"YES!" Urameshi exclaimed.
"Woo-hoo!" Kuwabara and him began a little victory dance, that is, until I smacked them both upside the heads to get them to cooperate.
"Anyways," Koenma continued, "It's in the Ningenkai."
"Where in the Ningenkai?" I asked.
"An island in the United States," he replied, "The island is located in Lake Erie, not far from an island called Put-n-Bay. Humans with low or normal ki energy cannot see this island because it's hidden to them by the works of an illusionist demon."
I groaned. Out of all the places in the Mortal World, the United States was my least favorite place. Ever since the 60's, when I was last there, a bunch of psycho hippies found out what I was and chased Mum and myself out of San Francisco by chucking garlic. Not like it hurt, but the scent of garlic in intolerably irritating to vampires. Really irritating…
"We'll be taking a plane to Columbus, Ohio. From there we'll take a rental car to Sandusky. We'll take a surprisingly short ferry ride to the island from there."
"We?" Hiei cocked an eyebrow.
"Yes, Hiei. We. As in Team Urameshi, Botan, Keiko, Shizuru, Yukina, George, and myself."
"And Umeko and Mum?"
"They're staying here, where it's safe."
"Without us, Umeko will be in danger. Mum probably can't take care of her on her own."
"Have there been any attacks so far?"
"No, but—"
"But nothing. Have you ever been to a tournament."
I shook my head.
"The Dark Tournament is filled with demons," Koenma explained, "She is much safer here than anywhere else at the moment."
With nothing else to say, I leaned against a nearby wall and stared at the floor.
"If Umeko must stay behind, why must Yukina go?" Hiei questioned.
"We need her healing abilities, plus the girls want her to be with them, too," he said as-a-matter-of-factly, "They don't want Yukina to miss the ball either."
"What ball?"
"Which brings me to the next bit of news," he added, "Those American Demons, who are hosting this tournament, proposed to have a ball. A Masquerade. It'll be held two nights before the tournament. And it will be mandatory. It is at the masquerade where you must sign up the teams."
"Forget it," I stated flatly, "I haven't been to a ball in years…"
"I'm not going either," Hiei spoke coldly, "Nothing you can do to make me."
"You both are obliged to go. And I expect you all to be in formal costume apparel and have dates."
"I CALL YUKINA!" Kuwabara hopped and waved his hand in the air frantically.
"Who the Hell is Yukina?" I questioned absently. I was a bit aggravated, but no one answered me. I directed my attention to Koenma "You know I don't like you."
"Which reminds me of something else," he grinned, "I found out you've been feeding off humans again."
"Your point?"
"You feed off another human, there'll be severe punishment. Back to forest creatures. That goes for Umeko, too," he grabbed some papers and starts stamping again, "You and Hiei may go. I shall be discussing a new mission with the others."
"This is the first mission since I've been here," I stated defiantly.
"No," Koenma said absent mindedly, "There was one mission that required rescuing you. Business has been slow... until hopefully now. No go, both of you."
With final glares, we both stomped out of the office, but I stopped short to shutting the door, "The tournament… What is it called?"
"Oh!" Koenma seemed to mentally slap himself "It's the Nayanezgani Tournament."
Well, that's it. Sorry again for going PAST my due date.
REVIEW PLEASE! I want at LEAST five!
The Hidden Pagan (a.k.a. Seira Relur)