Wow, it's like a landmarkor something! And what do I have to show for it? Not much...only two reviews! I was hoping for a few more but my two reviewers are profusely thanked for reviewing me!
EyeoftheTigerKissoftheDragon- I like your name and thank you for reviewing! Here is the chapter!
Gothic-ember- I know...Reiko did have a pretty awful past but it explains why she is how she is...you wanted to know what Yukina was planning? Well let me give you a hint...you get a hint of it in this chapter it has to do with playing matchmaker...
EyeoftheTigerKissoftheDragon & Gothic-ember I dedicate this lovely chapter to you two!
Chapter Twenty
(Reiko)
Sitting in the living area of Genkai's house I waited for Koenma to come, he had questions for me to answer and Genkai didn't want me to travel. It was a few weeks after I had told everything to Hiei, that had been extremely difficult and I trusted him with my whole heart. How hard would it be to tell someone who I really didn't like? I was able to tolerate Koenma just barely when I was normal, who knew how I would act now? Just waiting for him was awful.
"You ok?" I glanced to my right and saw Yukina looking at me with sympathy. Swallowing hard I nodded and began to play with my bandages as I fought hysteria. Where was he? Why did I have to talk to him? Why was I so nervous?
"Focus on something else," Hiei told me placing his hand on my shoulder. It was amazing how just physical contact with him soothed me so much.
"Like what?" I demanded unconsciously reaching up to touch his hand and make sure it was there.
"Like how much you hate the outfit you're wearing," Hiei suggested plucking at my shirt with his other hand. "If I remember correctly you particularly detested this outfit." Looking down I shuddered, how had I not noticed? I was in a pair of white pants that hugged my skinny frame and flared out slightly at the bottom; a pale pink tank top with a collar and a tiny butterfly embroidered on the left side of the shirt; a pair of tan sandals and a bucket hat that has been dubbed "cute" too many times. Not only was it in very light colors but it also showed tons of scars!
"How could you let them put me in this?" I growled scowling down at the outfit.
"I was kicked out during the dressing part," Hiei informed me removing his hand. "It was deemed that me staying in there would be an insult to the whole female populace. Though I almost had the right price for Shizuru, Yukina refused to give in." It took a moment but it finally clicked that he was making a joke.
"So not funny," I muttered. "I don't want to die in pink." I hissed out the loathed color between my teeth.
"But it becomes you so well," Hiei retreated to the far corner of the room as he made this statement. At first I thought it was because he didn't want me to kill him but then the door opened and Koenma stepped in. Instantly I broke out into a cold sweat as my senses began screaming: MAN!
"Hello, Reiko," he greeted me pleasantly and I forced a pained smile at him as I tamped down on my newly ingrained survival instincts. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," I murmured swallowing hard as I slid my hands under my thighs and clenched them in the material of my pants tightening my muscles so the trembling that was overtaking me wouldn't show that easily.
"I have only a few questions, that's it, ok?" Koenma sat down across from me as Yukina slipped out the door to give us more privacy but thankfully Hiei stayed. I could always count on him.
"Mmm-hmm," I nodded concentrating on keeping my breathing normal and regulated so that he couldn't see my fear.
"Did Zinan get the information from you?" My temper rose, which did nothing to help my racing heart. I can see flames burning in your eyes. Starting I whipped my head around trying to find who was talking to me. How had they gotten past my barriers? I know my way around people's minds…you might want to answer Koenma; he's looking at you like he's worried about your sanity. It was Hiei. I was stumped and I sat there stunned for a moment.
"What do you think?" I had meant for this to come out harsh and angry but instead it sounded distracted and halfhearted. "Of course he didn't get anything from me." Hiei chuckled in my mind and I twitched a little still not used to someone in my mind after such a long time.
"How did he get you?" Koenma was asking all the questions I didn't want to think about. Quietly I wracked my brain; there was no way he could have possibly known where I was yet somehow he had known. It was possible one of his men had been a psychic but then my barriers had been up completely I had been on total block, no one could have gotten me that way. I had masked my energy; Yukina hadn't known I was a Spirit Detective at the time so they couldn't have pulled it from her. No one at Spirit World had known where I was so it couldn't have been a mole; it must have been…wait.
"How many of my safe houses do you have on file?" I questioned.
"We only have one, the one that's…oh," Koenma's eyes got big as he realized what I was saying.
"You have a mole," I informed him even though it wasn't necessary.
"I have only one more question left and I'm sorry to have to ask you this but how does one change Dream apparitions into Nightmare apparitions?" Koenma stared me straight in the eyes as if he thought he could will it from me.
"That is something that will go with me to the grave," I was dead serious and I knew he wouldn't be happy. "In order to protect all my fellow Dream apparitions I refuse to tell you. I destroyed the machine that would do it along with the blueprints and the only other person who knew is pushing up daisies."
"Reiko…" Koenma growled but I wasn't intimidated, this was one thing I would never give in on.
"No Koenma, I will not tell you. I think you have a bigger problem with finding the mole in your system. You don't want to lose any detectives…they're hard to come by." I smirked at him as he cursed and disappeared headed no doubt to Spirit World to see about the mole. Sighing I sank backwards into the couch, I wouldn't be able to dodge Koenma forever. I wanted out, this wasn't my life any more, I had served him for most of my life and now I wanted out.
"How are you feeling?" Genkai came in and I looked at her wearily.
"Not too hot," I rubbed my arm where a particularly noticeable scar was.
"Well, we're almost done with you, you're almost healed," she said this so nonchalantly that it threw me.
"Really?" I scanned myself and saw that what she said was true, all that was left to be taken care of were my feet and they were almost done healing by themselves.
"Yes, Yukina is going out tomorrow night with Shizuru and Keiko and I'm going out to handle some things. Since it's your birthday tomorrow Yukina rented you and Hiei some videos to watch and bought you an ice cream cake." Tomorrow was my birthday? Throwing my brain into overdrive I did the calculations and figured out that today was July 26th, which meant…tomorrow was my birthday.
"How did you know?" I was shocked; no one had ever cared when my birthday was. No one.
"Well, Zinan's not the only one with a mole in Spirit World." Genkai grinned and I felt myself becoming overwhelmed, someone had cared enough to find out when my birthday was.
"Th-thank you," I covered my mouth with my hand.
(time elapse)
That night Hiei was gone and I was left all by myself; I sat in the window of my room, missing him, I fell asleep watching shooting stars. I was awoken by Yukina the next day. She was surprised to find me not in bed, but she wished me happy birthday and told me her and Genkai's first gift would be to heal my feet so I could get around on my own. It would have been a wonderful gift if I didn't know that it would drain me for the day. Following proper etiquette, I smiled warmly and thanked her my mine on where Hiei was.
"Leiko, could you please come in here?" A woman with long white hair that shimmered many different colors came in.
"Hello Reiko, I am Leiko. I too was in the Palace of the Doomed," she informed me softly as she swept over to me. Her eyes were a deep endless purple that didn't reflect any light whatsoever.
"Hello," I replied watching her carefully as she came to sit on the chair next to the window. She had this aura of being untouchable around her, like she was royalty or something. I had the feeling that I should be extremely polite and on my best behavior around her.
"I am a very rare kind of apparition called a time apparition, I can manipulate time around objects as small as a molecule or as big as the universe. Yukina contacted me to see if I could possible speed up time around your wounds only and heal them." Leiko's voice was a beautiful tinkling of sounds. I realized that I had been right, she was someone to respect, most time apparitions didn't survive because the burden of their power was to much. The power to skip from time period to time period and not age but there was usually nothing they could ever do about what they saw."There are no side effects of this to your body, it is merely just me speeding up the process, will you allow me to do this?"
"Of course, if you are willing, I would love to be able to walk again." I held out one of my feet and Leiko grasped it in her hands and a pale purple haze gathered around it. Her lips moved as she chanted something I could not hear, it was strange because I couldn't feel my foot at all while she was holding it. When she was done with that foot she did the same thing to my other foot.
"As a piece of parting wisdom I offer you this to think on and to always keep in your mind: the path of the future is always uncertain and is as malleable as you make it. If someone tells you that you will die and you believe it and live your life around that one prediction you will die but if you do not let it affect you it may not come true. A teller of what is to come makes their predictions by assuming you will stay as you are then but if you change and do not allow others to control who you are the prediction will not come true." Leiko never took her eyes off me as she said this and I was drawn deep into what she was saying, I didn't even notice the man who had entered the room until he spoke.
"What she means to say is happy birthday and I hope you have a nice life," an amused male voice translated and I looked up to see one of the men who had been there, fighting Zinan. His name eluded me.
"This is my fiancé Drake," Leiko introduced him and he nodded at me as he extracted a small wrapped package from his pocket.
"You were so excited to go and help the heroine you left the present behind." He held it out to her as he rolled his eyes.
"Oh! Oops! I forgot about that! But that's why I have you!" She took the present and in turn handed it to me. "Happy birthday from Drake and me!" Knowing that everyone was watching me I carefully removed the bright paper covering the thing. When I was done I found a beautiful box that was made out of silver with many jewels and intricate designs covering it. Upon opening it I found a set of Egyptian Tarot cards, that I knew were brand new just from how they looked.
"Sayo, my twin made the box," Drake told me. "She's an amazing smith, she can make anything. The cards were Leiko's idea."
"See, I'm not completely useless!" Leiko smiled at us and in that action I was able to take her off the pedestal I had instantly put her on and realize she was just like me. "How is Akiko doing?"
"'Kiko's doing fine, Oki and her matchmaking ploys are working wonders for her and that guy…Chai I believe his name is." Drake told her and I vaguely recalled Zinan once mentioning a girl named Akiko, he had said she could read the future and would bring his victory to him.
"We have to be going now! Oki is expecting us and if we keep her waiting you'll get in trouble," Leiko said as she stood up. "It's so cute how she always blames you and never me."
"Cute? It's damn annoying!" Drake growled as he nodded his farewell to me and followed Leiko out of the room. Smiling I hopped off the windowsill and wondered at the fact that there was no pain. Looking at Yukina who was glowing with happiness I felt it seeping into me and I twirled around to show her how great I was feeling.
"Here's your next gift," Shizuru announced walked in carrying a big box wrapped up in paper that had penguins all over it and 'happy birthday' in multiple languages. Taking it from her I slowly began to peel off the tape to try and extend the pleasure but… "Just rip it off! It's much more fun." Shrugging I did and then tore open the box and pulled out a black miniskirt; a pair of black combat boots; a long black sleeveless trench coat; a black tank top with a white skull and crossbones on it; a pair of black cut-off gloves that went up to my elbows and had spikes on them and some accessories.
"Oh…wow," I looked up from my treasures. "Thank you so much!"
"Well, I guess you can't wear pink all the time," Shizuru chuckled as she took a drag on her cigarette.
"Once you're done getting dressed come down for breakfast!" Yukina told me as she left with Shizuru.
"Hey!" I called stopping them before they had completely left. "I just want you guys to know how much this means to me…I-I've never had anyone care about me enough to do this. Thank you so much."
"What are friends for?" Yukina walked back over to me and enveloped me in a hug; I was so startled I stiffened but then I relaxed and hugged her back reveling in the feeling of accepting. "Come down when you're ready." She then got up and left me there to don the clothes. When I was done I looked in the mirror and smiled at what I saw, a small wraithlike girl decked out in gothic clothing. Reaching out I touched the glass not looking at the scars that marred my body but into my eyes, into the windows to my soul. What I saw reassured me. What I saw was a person who had overcome many obstacles and came out on top; someone who had their whole life ahead of them; I saw me.
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