Winds of Thyme: The Sequel

By Sakura Takanouchi

Winds of Thyme: The Sequel Chapter Nine: Lost in Thought

Disclaimer: WOOHOO! A new arc! Which everyone shall find out the topic of IN THIS CHAPTER! Oh, and a note on my other unupdated fics? Since I've gotten back online and CAN update, I WILL try to update. But I have what I call lacking in the 'Will to write' so I'll try to update when I can. Also, I update on what is easier for me to write, So my priorities are:

Yugana Kashi (One more chapter, really hard to write!)

The Title

It all Started

Bite Size

Whatever comes after that!

I'm also trying to think up a lovely little Seto/Serenity fanfic so I can write one, since I've always wanted to do that. I LOVE Seto/Serenity fics, so keep a lookout for me!

Yoshihiro Togashi owns YYH. Sucks, doesn't it?

Sakura anged her body to the baseline of the tennis court. She threw the ball into the air and hit it neatly into the service box. Her opponent swung at it, and lobbed it over the net. Sakura smashed the ball, and it flew over her opponent's head.

"And that ends the hard-fought match between Tsukino Maho and Takanouchi Sakura! This makes Takanouchi the winner of the inter-high championships!" The announcer's voice was lost in the crowd of cheering fans. Sakura and Maho shook hands, and Sakura's teammates and coach came onto the court, Sakura's coach holding a shiny trophy.

"I can't believe you won!" Yuzuriha gushed as they walked over to an ice-cream stand with Ryuzo.

"I'll have a triple scoop of chocolate with sprinkles," Ryuzo ordered to the ice cream dude.

"So, I wonder where Kiramkei is," Sakura commented. "Yeah, I'm surprised she didn't show up for the match," Yuzuriha replied.

"She didn't show… because she is on a date," Ryuzo licked his ice cream thoughtfully, and smiled.

"WITH WHO?" Sakura leaned forward, interested.

"With this friend of hers. I don't know his name, but I saw them together at the mall. He's short, and has lots of black hair. He's pretty tough-looking, too." Ryuzo chewed at his ice cream cone, and frowned. "I can't believe she didn't tell me who he was."

Sakura smiled into her ice cream. 'I'm glad both Hiei and Kirameki have someone they can confide in,' she thought. "Well, why don't we walk along the wharf and do a little shopping? Then we can all go back to my place, and we'll all cook dinner together," Sakura suggested.

"Oh, great idea! I love wharf food!" Yuzuriha brightened at the idea.

"Yes, the master chef will take you to school!" Ryuzo bit a chunk off of his ice cream cone. Sakura giggled. The afternoon was going to be a blast.

At Sakura's Apartment, 3 hours later

"Whew…" Sakura heaved a huge sigh as Ryuzo and Yuzuriha shut the door behind them and continued on to their homes. Dinner was wonderful; it turned out that Ryuzo could cook, and so they had a multi-course dinner that lasted quite long into the night. It was currently 8:00, and she would be getting ready for bed soon.

"Agh!" She felt her shoulder burning. She lifted up the fabric of her shirt and noticed that her temporary jagan was fading into her skin. It was the full moon and she needed to apply a new one. She walked into her bedroom and opened her chest. Inside were her weapons and healing supplies, a tattoo-like jagan was on top. She took it out and went to the bathroom and began to attach the jagan to her skin much like a tatoo is applied.

"Perfect, I can feel my senses being heightened!" Sakura said aloud happily. She walked back into the living room to watch TV, and had just sat down when the doorbell rang.

'I wonder who could be here at this hour?' She thought as she opened the door. There stood Kurama, looking rather weak.

"Hi! You look a little tired. Why don't you come in and I'll get you some tea while you tell me why you're here." Sakura led him inside and got some tea ready for him.

"I'm sorry for bothering you like this, it's just…it's a full moon," Kurama said.

"Yeah, I know. So what's that got to do with anything?"

"You know how I told you that I'm actually Youko Kurama, the fox demon?" He said, turning to look at her.

"What's wrong, Kurama? You look so pale." Sakura set the tea down on a small table and sat down in a chair across from him.

"You see, it's like this. Every full moon, I must change, back into Youko Kurama. And my mother doesn't know anything about that side of me, so I need a place to stay, and someone who will try to help keep me under control. Last month I managed to chain myself to my bed for 24 hours, but that was rather painful. I just… don't want to hurt anyone." Sakura watched Kurama intently as he uttered a small cry of pain as his hair grew in length and changed color. His eyes changed, and his teeth changed. The clothes he was wearing turned into a long, white robe and his shoes became leather sandals. The cry of pain turned into a laugh of pleasure. But his laugh was dark and demonic. Sakura shrank back in terror, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Youko.

"Has it been one month since I last came out of this ningen shell? I feel so alive!" Youko looked at Sakura, and smiled. "I recognize you. I have been watching you through Shuiichi's eyes. You are Takanouchi Sakura, the daughter of the demon vanquisher and the Toganawa Shrine Master Takanouchi Tsutomu. I had come to his shrine to steal a precious jewel there, and he banished me back to the Makai, where demon hunters shot at me. It is he who I must thank for being in Shuiichi's body." Youko sneered at Sakura, who still had not taken her eyes off of him.

"My father was killed by a gang because of his religion," Sakura replied, sniffling a little.

"I do not understand the ningen emotion of compassion, although It is felt all too often by Shuiichi. So do stop your crying, Sakura." Youko sniffed the air. "We have company."

Suddenly Hiei appeared beside Sakura. "How'd you get in here?" She screeched.

"Open window," he replied. His gaze focused on Youko. "So the rumor of the full moon is true. Youko Kurama stands here before my eyes. And yet, you have done nothing to the apartment, to the city, to her--" Hiei's eyes narrowed. "Why is this?"

'Huh?' Sakura thought. 'What is he talking about? Does Youko…hurt people when he is like this?'

"It is the human Shuiichi inside me who prevents me from doing anything, or leaving this apartment." Youko stared at Sakura. She returned his gaze, showing him she was not afraid, just interested.

"So, Hiei, why are you here?" Sakura asked, her attention shifting to Hiei.

"I came because Kurama told me I should drop by tonight, since he was coming here to avoid any complications." Hiei looked like he had just explained everything, and sat down to express that he wasn't leaving.

"So…..what shall we do to occupy our time?" Youko asked. "I cannot leave, you won't leave, and this is her apartment."

"I know!" Sakura rushed towards a closet and began to dig through its contents. She pulled out a colorful box. "We're gonna play Truth or Dare Jenga!"

Hiei stared at her, his eyes all bleary and an emotionally worn expression on his face. Youko stood there, confused. "What is this truth or dare jenga?"

"You'll find out!" Sakura emptied the box on the table in the living room, and they all sat down around it. "First, we stack these wooden bricks in 3-by-3 squares as high as they'll go." They did so, without much conflict.

"Then, whoever goes first pulls out any block they want, and whatever it says on the block, they must follow! Then, they put the brick on top of the tower, and the next person goes. Whoever knocks the tower over loses."

"Simple enough," Youko said, pulling out a brick from the middle of the tower. His face frowned. " Have you ever gone out without your…underwear?" He read, confused.

"I'm waiting for the answer," Hiei said.

Sakura started laughing hysterically. "He's wearing a freaking bathrobe, whaddaya think?" Youko's face turned a reddish color at the last comment.

"I'll bet he has smiley face boxers or something," Sakura laughed. Hiei glared at her. "Don't diss the smiley face," He said.

"I have decided… no comment." Youko's posture remained regal in appearance, as he set the block on top of the tower. Hiei drew another one, except this one was a different color.

"Uh…Sakura…what is belly dancing?" He asked cautiously.

"Sakura cracked up. "As much as I would love to see you try, I think we'd better skip your turn. Oh, by the way, how was your date with Kirameki?" Hiei looked at his feet, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Okay, don't tell me." She drew a block from the bottom of the tower, and read her dare. "Oh, great."

They continued playing ino the night, and ended up watching cartoon network until the wee hours of the morning. Hiei slept curled up in a chair, Youko slept on the floor, and Sakura was snoring from the couch. Sakura woke up first, looked around, and smiled. Kurama was back to his usual self, sleeping peacefully on the floor.

Kurama and Hiei woke up to the aroma of biscuits, bacon, and coffee. "I just love American breakfasts," Sakura said as she took out three plates and began to set food on them. The three of them enjoyed breakfast together before they all went their separate ways… for the morning, anyways.

A/N

Hey, I made a rhyme! Yay! Wow, that chapter was long. And it was full of nothingness. Yes, that's right. Just a filler chapter between arcs. But I like writing this kind of stuff. It's prime character development… sort of. Hey, I wonder if anyone reads my author wisdom? Maybe I'm just taking up uneeded and unwanted space. So, here's your comment ballot to fill when you send your REVIEW:

DO YOU READ MY AUTHOR WISDOM?

And

WHAT KIND OF STUFF DO YOU WANT ME TO WRITE?

(school stuff, comedy, romance, action, the next arc)

I need your advice, since my author wisdom is there to encourage others, not enlighten myself. I use other people for that. Which is why I need you!

I'm not on crack!

Sakura Takanouchi