Road Trip!
Chapter 12: An answer and 2 days to go!
Solaris: Let's see… Several things. First, sorry for my lack of updates. I'm a lame-o who got my ass kicked off the net for the remainder of the 9 weeks for my crappy grades, and was only truly redeemed by making a 98 on my Geometry semester final, one of the few high grades I've ever had in that class. Second, I suffered extreme writer's block on this chapter and couldn't get started on writing the hard copy of chapter 13 until I got back online and printed off a couple of character sheets. Said characters will appear in chapter 13, so brace yourself for more insanity. Third, I have an ACT prep school to go to in the mornings to prepare for the June 11 ACT, so I can't pull the same tricks I pulled last summer and write all day. I'll have something to say about the ACT crap at the end. Plus I'm looking for a job. Finally, (This has to be one of the longest authoress notes I've ever written/typed/whatever.) I've had a few familial problems. A Great-Aunt of mine who has been in the hospital since last year finally died, which is sorta good because now she's not in pain, but it's also sorta bad 'cause I had to sing for the funeral. With funerals, I tend to get really depressed for a few days afterwards and not do much. That includes writing. So, in conclusion to this awful excuse… Bows deeply Gomen Nasai! DON'T KILL ME!
Foxglove: Uhm, standard disclaimers apply. Pardon the drama queen there.
"WAKEY WAKEY!" Raccoon yelled, right into Solaris's left ear. It was effective, to say the least.
"OW! Dammit, was that truly necessary!" Solaris yelled right back, holding her left ear down to try and stop the ringing therein.
"Yes. Wake Melody up." Raccoon demanded. "I'm going to get breakfast." With that, Raccoon headed out the door. Solaris sighed and hauled herself out of the bed.
"C'mon, princess, wake up time." Solaris said, tapping the girl snoozing on the couch.
"Nah, cheify, dun wanna wakey. No school today…" Melody slurred sleepily. Solaris sweatdropped, scowled, then unceremoniously pushed the girl off the couch, yelling the whole time.
"Wakey Wakey, eggs and bakey! Or whatever Raccoon orders for breakfast!" Suddenly a very pissed-looking Melody popped up from the floor.
"Dammit! I'm tired!" she shrieked. Something about her was different…
"AH! Kitsune!" Solaris yelped in shock, leaping backwards from the orange tailed and eared foxgirl in front of her. (A/N: Think Tails of Sonic fame and you have the color.)
"And you are! Mine only pop up when I'm mad or startled though." Melody said, more calmly than before. Just as suddenly as the ears and tail had appeared, they vanished.
"That brings the fox total up to five. Six, if you want to count Kurama. We are a veritable pack." Solaris sighed.
"No joke." Foxglove nodded. "No worries, I know when to shut my yap." She smiled as she saw Melody's startled look.
"No you don't." Solaris said.
"Shut up, Sol-Sol." Foxglove grinned.
"Bite my fluffy fox tail, 'Sis'." Solaris grinned back, swishing said appendage. "So, are we going to a dojo today?"
"You bet! Time to strip that ninja!" Foxglove laughed.
"As soon as I'm dressed." Melody said, then picked up a suitcase and went into the other room.
"She's got a point. And what about breakfast?" Solaris asked.
"Oh, yeah. We'll need our energy if we intend to go strip a ninja." Foxglove conceded just as Melody re-entered the room in baggy black jeans, black sneakers, and a t-shirt with a picture of Dark Magician Girl of Yu-Gi-Oh! fame on it. Solaris looked ready to yell a totally random thing, but that ended when Raccoon burst into the room with a cart piled high with food.
"Breakfast! Pancakes, soda, orange juice, waffles, fried eggs, whatever you want!" she called. "Kurama and the others are coming over here soon."
"Huh? What's with all th' c'motion? 'Twas sleepin' time last I checked." Jenks said sleepily. He blinked his pearl gray eyes a bit and tried to smooth down his hair.
"Sorry, Jenks." Raccoon laughed as the little pixy blinked and tried his hardest to look awake. Solaris, Foxglove, and Melody grabbed plates, food, drinks, and went into the other room.
"Conference time, don't disturb, if you please." Solaris said. Kurama, along with Hiei and Day, entered just in time to see the three girls exit the main room.
"What was that about?" Kurama asked in shock.
"Beats me." Raccoon shrugged, repositioning the Almighty Pencil of Doominess.
MEANWHILE…"Okay, so Solaris baits 'em, and we get 'em from behind," Foxglove said to Melody.
"How can Solaris bait a ninja? And didn't Hiei say you two couldn't sneak around very well?" Melody pointed out, blushing faintly as she said his name. Foxglove either didn't notice or chose not to say anything (knowing Foxglove's obsession, she prolly didn't notice.)
"She's got admirers in both worlds. A ningen boy named Mitsuo has the hots for her, and Sota… well, we're not sure what he is. And our old boss liked her a lot." Foxglove said, ignoring Solaris's protests of 'Mitsuo's a skirt-chaser', 'Sota's a playa', and 'he liked you too!' "All she'd have to do us wear a dress and leave her hair loose. Maybe gloss and mascara, but that's it."
"Uhm, I don't have any dresses, save that white one. I think I have my denim skirt and that one lilac blouse." Solaris said.
"Those will do. So do we have a plan?" Melody asked.
"You bet!" nodded the foxgirls.
"But how do we get past the cops without arousing suspicion?" Solaris asked, referring to Kurama, Hiei, Day, Rooney, Raccoon, and (though he probably couldn't have cared less) Jenks.
"Sudden visit to the infirmary?" Melody suggested.
"Sounds good." Solaris nodded.
"Solaris hurt her ankle?" Foxglove pitched in.
"Has been known to happen." Solaris nodded, then at the 'sounds like a plan to me' nods from the other two girls in the room, she went to the closet to change.
Everyone else (Rooney had just joined them) was out in the front room eating, when a shriek of pain caught their attention. Melody and Foxglove rushed out, half carrying Solaris.
"Move please! Solaris hurt her ankle! Which way to the infirmary?" Melody cried, sounding panicked.
"First floor, by the gift shop. Be careful." Kurama said, beginning to worry. The three girls had rushed out before it really registered that something was fishy. Solaris had looked really cute, a little like she had tried for a change, she never tripped in heels unless they caught in the carpet, and the ones she had on were in such good condition that only well traveled areas could trip her. Plus, she never shrieked when she hurt her ankle, and certainly not in such a theatrical way. "HEY!" Kurama yelled as the rest of the group ran out after the three, but it was too late: they were on the elevator, Solaris laughing the whole time.
"Oh, great." Day sighed, pushing a strand of aqua-and-honey-blonde hair into place. "Where do you think they went?"
"Where else?" Rooney asked, sighing.
"Ninja-stripping." was the mass reply.
The three girls walked down the street, giggling occasionally. They looked for all the world like a group of teenaged girls out for a day of shopping, aside from Foxglove's and Solaris's ears and tails.
"So, to a dojo?" Melody asked.
"To a dojo!" all three cried out happily.
In no time at all they had reached a small dojo. "Okay, Solaris, stand here and look cute. Melody and I will hide." Foxglove commanded. Solaris stood there and did as Foxglove told her to while the other two prepared to wait. They didn't have to wait long.
"Miss, are you okay?" came a voice. Solaris spoke back quietly, and Foxglove and Melody pounced. It wasn't until they had tied up their supposed ninja to prevent his escape that they found out he wasn't a he after all.
"Guys, I don't think that's a ninja." Solaris said. Suddenly, the 'ninja' seemed to melt through the cords as kitsune ears and a tail appeared.
"No shit! What's your beef! Damn!" she yelled.
"We were trying to find a ninja." Foxglove said, ears lowered and betraying her scolded-child feeling.
"Why the hells do you want a goddamned ninja!"
"So we can strip them and see if they do or don't wear underwear." Melody said, suddenly feeling very silly.
"Oh, that's all? It differs for each ninja." She answered flippantly. "I've known a few. Now who are you clowns? And what, for that matter?"
"Foxglove, a muse-slash-fox demon, the girl we used as bait is Solaris, a full fox demon and my sister in a sense. I'm her muse. And that's Melody, a… well, we aren't really sure what she is yet, she's just not human." Foxglove explained.
"Now who and what are you?" Solaris asked, pride regained.
"Kara Tenshi, shadow demon with illusion and kitsune mixed in.," the girl said. "Do your parents know you're in the human world?"
"Pfft! Parents? Dad's a no-show and Mom's a bitch! Besides, at 148, we're old enough to take care of ourselves." Solaris laughed. "Do yours?"
"At 7313, I think I'm capable of living on my own. Don't let the 15-year-old face fool you." Kara scowled.
"Well, anyhow, arigatou for answering our ninja question. Would you like to join us for lunch?" Solaris asked, fairly pleasant.
"Can't. Reservations at the Sakura hotel." Kara said, the scowl fading marginally.
"Oh! That's where we're staying! How long are you here for?" Foxglove asked.
"Two days, until I leave for Tokyo."
"We live there! Well, Melody's our friendly wanderer, so she's coming back to Tokyo with us." Solaris grinned.
"Hn… Well, maybe I'll remember your names and come chat with you. Maybe." Kara said as she left.
"Well, she was helpful. Just so… distant." Melody noted.
"Yeah, but she answered our question, so she's cool. Now let's go get lunch and celebrate getting an answer." Foxglove suggested. So they took off.
It was almost dusk when they returned to the hotel, due to lingering over lunch and being asked to have photos taken. Most people wanted proof that they had seen what they thought were cosplayers in Kyoto.
"Do you think we'll be in trouble?" Solaris asked worriedly.
"Nah." Melody smiled.
"They think we had to go to the infirmary for Solaris's ankle. We're cool." Foxglove laughed as they reached their room. No sooner had they opened the door than they were surrounded by angry faces, Kurama's being the first such face, and by far the most furious.
"Uhm, hi? I don't suppose 'we got lost' will work?" Solaris asked, ears flat on her skull in embarrassment.
"Oh, no, it won't." Kurama said, his voice practically arctic.
"We thought Sota had kidnapped you, and… and… AND YOU HAD US WORRIED!" Rooney cried in a fury.
"I hope you found your damn ninja today, because after that stunt, no more!" Hiei yelled.
"Actually, we did find the answer: it varies." Foxglove smiled.
"WE DON'T CARE!" Raccoon yelled.
"Ya coulda been kill'd an' ya don' care! So long as ye get an answer to yer ninja question!" Jenks shouted.
"We're lucky someone saw you and happened to hear us talking about you three!" Day shrieked. There, on the couch, sat Kara, sipping tea calmly as if the world wasn't falling down around the three girls' ears.
"KARA!" the guilty party yelled.
"Didn't know you had roommates. Now, if you'll excuse me, Detective Conan is on." Kara replied.
"Ooh! What episode?" Solaris asked. It was a three-girl stampede to watch the show.
"Solaris…" Kurama intoned as he motioned to the door.
"Aw… But it's Mountain Villa Murder!" Solaris cried.
"You've seen it before, you'll see it again, now come on!" He gritted his teeth, frustrated with the almost-childlike demon. "I have to talk to you."
"Fine." Solaris sighed, clearly unhappy. "Tell me what happens." She followed the redheaded boy silently to the now-crowded restaurant. Kurama bought dinner and stared across the table at Solaris, even after it was delivered. She looked up at him, a weirded-out expression on her face. "What?" she finally asked.
"You could have been kidnapped, Sota could've found you, and being in a group wouldn't have helped. I doubt he'd have any objections to taking foxglove and Melody too. Did you really want an answer so bad you'd endanger your friends and family?" Kurama asked in a low voice.
"I didn't think we were in any danger. He had sensors on my door. I guess he figured that if Foxglove and I are sisters, we'd room together, and even if we didn't, he'd get one of us." She smiled, only a trace of uneasiness in her eyes. "I found and destroyed them last night. So no worries."
"If he had sensors on there, don't you think he has more? Don't you think…" Kurama hesitated to destroy her perfect dream, where all was sweet and light, and what wasn't could be solved with-if not words- then a well-placed heel. "Don't you think he'll bait it again?"
"Kura-kun, I refuse to spend my vacation in paranoia. These ningens think my ears and tail are fake, and I'm in no hurry to correct them. At least they aren't running in fear, and I'm not having to worry someone will find out that I'm a demon. Sota is a minor annoyance. A few rabbit punches to the kidneys would solve that problem." Solaris smiled, hands in an open gesture on the top of the table. With only a moment's hesitation, Kurama reached over and clasped them both, staring her in the eyes.
"Solaris, he's not ningen. You said he swam faster than you. The speed champ at Meiou is still mad that you beat her, and that was without your tail for extra propulsion. You also said that your punches seemed to faze through him underwater, and he wasn't affected by pressure when you were." Kurama pointed out, ignoring her protests of 'but I'm a forest creature, water pressure could just faze me sooner'. "Tell me again what he said to you when you surfaced. Leave nothing out."
"He said, and I quote, 'So lovely. Too bad you had to breathe.'" Solaris said. Kyoto had something in the air that made people weird, as well as a demon problem, apparently.
"Repeat the last bit."
"Too bad you had to… breathe…" Solaris said in a daze. "That's it… That's it!" She laughed. "That's it!" The rest of the diners looked at her strangely. She ceased laughing just long enough to glare at them and lace a "what?" with enough venom to kill several cobras. The diners turned back to their food. "That's it!" Solaris whispered excitedly.
"What?" Kurama had already figured it out, but Solaris was so excited that he decided to let her tell him.
"Sota's not a ningen, he's some type of water demon! It's not a kappa, I don't remember the exact type right now, but his type are known for lechery. I knew one in MAC once! Ooh… I hated that jerk…" Solaris growled, ears flat in disgust.
"Huh?" Kurama asked.
"He tried to blackmail me into a date once. Threatened to tell Joshi just who had slashed and shrunk his best suit. I told him to step off, Joshi already knew it. Plus he was always trying to touch my tail. Or more accurately, just under where my tail is attached to my spine." Solaris explained.
"Uh-huh. Ai seems preternatural also." Kurama said, switching subjects. That was one thing he did not want to think about.
"She's a cat demon! I know because of her scent!" Solaris smiled, tapping her nose.
"So you know all this? Let's go!" he smiled and pulled her back to the room.
As soon as Solaris had finished her explanation, Kara laughed. "God damn, but this city has one hell of a demon problem!"
"No joke. But if Sota and Ai tick me off, the world will be free of two demons." Solaris vowed.
"For now, let's just enjoy the rest of vacation. We only have a day and a half left." Rooney laughed, motioning to the window that overlooked the darkened city.
"And there's a dance tomorrow night. Break out the formals, 'cause it's party time!" Foxglove laughed, spinning in place.
"Is she always like that?" Kara asked Hiei in a whisper.
"Yes, sometimes worse. What's really bad, though, is when she cries. All hell breaks loose then." Hiei replied.
"Uh, guys? I'd love to go, but I don't think that my white dress is fancy enough." Solaris sighed.
"It'll do." Hiei and Kurama said in unison, with two different reasons: Hiei didn't want to go shopping, and Kurama actually thought it would be perfect. Kara took that opportunity to drag the unnerved foxgirl into the hall.
"How many goddamned boyfriends do you have!" Kara growled.
"None. I'm single." Solaris said, purely confused.
"Hiei knows what you have packed, Kurama took you to dinner, and you have a ningen boy in Tokyo after you!" Kara half yelled.
"Hiei helped me pack because I had to make snacks for our trip here, Kurama is the guy who rescued me in the Makai and we've been friends since, and Mitsuo, well, Mitsuo's just weird." Solaris said levelly. Suddenly, Kara began to laugh.
"That clears that right up!" she gasped in between laughs.
"Jeez, and I thought I was bipolar…" Solaris blinked.
Kurama was really having trouble sleeping. It was unusual; Solaris was the insomniac, not him! Deciding that sleep was impossible, he headed down to the first floor and the restaurant. Much to his surprise, it was open, or at least the bar was. And sitting there, drinking a strawberry soda, was Solaris. From all he could tell, she was only in the purple tunic that she used as a nightshirt sometimes. He sat by her.
"It's raining." She said quietly after some time.
"Really? I guess you're having a normal night." Kurama noted.
"Yeah. My insomnia rubbing off on you?" Solaris smiled softly.
"Only if I can blame you."
"Fine by me." She shrugged. "Hell, my mom used to blame me for the weather." Solaris earned a laugh from Kurama. He had met her mom around the end of May or the beginning of June. He could believe that Nohara would blame her eldest daughter for the weather. "Just foolin'. She blamed me for everything else, though. The day me and Foxglove left, I told her she might as well blame me for the weather."
"It's unreasonable. But then, Nohara is an unreasonable person." Kurama shrugged.
"Yeah." Solaris laughed without humor. Her eyes turned back to the vibrant red-pink of the strawberry soda. "I wanna apologize. It was a stupid thing for me to run off like that. But, well… What's the slogan of that American Tabloid? National something?" Solaris asked.
"Inquiring minds want to know. Yeah, I can understand that." He nodded. She sipped at the soda.
"Hey, have you ever had this stuff before? It's sorta fizzy, but sweet like strawberries." Solaris asked.
"Yes, I have. You've never had strawberry soda before?"
"I don't think so. This is really good. Do they sell it in Tokyo?" Solaris asked innocently. Kurama laughed and pulled her into an one-armed hug. Sometimes the little fox demon could be so innocent it was cute. It was hard to believe that she had only been in the Ningenkai for three months now. May and June had passed fast, and the end of July was rapidly approaching.
"Of course they do." He smiled. Shortly thereafter, the pair headed back to their rooms. Come the morning, Kurama wouldn't remember if it had been a dream or reality.
Solaris: Wow, one of my longer chapters. Okay, like I said, I'd have something to say about the ACT, so here goes:
This chapter was finally typed by June 6, and my ACT class had taken a practice test on the previous Friday. My composite is 28, which really isn't bad. I'm aiming for 30 or above though. Uh, lessee… looks at a sheet of paper My scores stand at this:
English: 31
Math: 22
Reading: 32
Science: 28
This is my first time to take the ACT, so hopefully I'll get a good scholarship-worthy grade the first try. It's all over the 11th though, so keep your fingers crossed!
Also, I have a question. I've been hooked on Gravitation lately, and I know I said I'd never write yaoi, but I guess I should never say never. What I'm driving at is… takes a deep breath I wrote a Gravitation fanfic, and I want to know if you people out there think I should post it. It'd be rated PG-13 at most. Please review or e-mail me and tell me what you think! Flames will be used to boil water for ramen; Foxglove's getting hungry.
Ja ne! Review please!