I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! My com's been having issues with me. I'd almost completed it,then my drive crashed completely with the info on it. I was hoping to get that fixed sowouldn't have to write all of this over again, but alas, it was a no go.I didn't mean to take this long to update. Schooljust started, so I'm swamped withhomework. Where'd they get the word 'Softmore' from anyway? Anyway,I'm using the com in my dad's room right now. -blegh- It's so slow!
But I really didn't mean to take this long. Just for you, you get to see Hiei pissed. :P Thanks for being patient! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.
Ja,
Kon
"No way," Hiei said, staring down the toddler stubbornly, "I'm not going to be Romeo. No possible chance in Hell!"
"You have no choice, Hiei. It's the play or jail for the next 400 years. Your choice, but I'd suggest the play, because jail isn't fun," Koenma replied shakily.
"I AM NOT GOING TO KISS SOME BAKA ONNA THAT HAPPENS TO HAVE SOME ACTING SKILLS!" Hiei yelled furiously.
"Alright, then I'll have Ogre take you to your cell," Koenma retorted having expected Hiei to snap soon.
"Uh… But Koenma, sir….." Ogre said, obviously scared out of his mind at the prospect of being within 10 feet of the enraged fire demon.
"Never mind," Hiei said as he turned to leave.
"Where are you going, Hiei?" Koenma asked, standing on his chair.
"Well you are the Prince of the Spirit World, aren't you? Figure it out." With that, he was gone.
"….. Man, I thought I was a goner for sure… Hiei's scary!" Koenma said with a sigh of relief.
"Hella…." Magia growled dangerously.
"Wh-what?" Hella stuttered.
"You know what…" Magia said as she approached her friend with twitching fingers that were itching to strangle something.
"N-now Magia, you promised you'd join…."
"But I never said anything about playing Juliet! There's No Way In Hell I'm Going To Kiss Some Idiot Guy I Don't Even Know!" Magia snapped.
"Magia, just do it for me! At least he's kinda cute…" Hella said.
"Is that all you ever think about!"
"Magia…I-- I'm sorry…." Hella whimpered, afraid of her friend's wrath.
"Never mind, I'm going for a walk…"
"Oh great, not you. That's the last think I need right now," Magia groaned when she spotted our favorite fire apparition leaning against the base of a tree.
"Hold your tongue onna, or I'll chop it off," Hiei said irritably. His hand rested almost lazily on the hilt of his katana as he looked at Magia with a narrowed eye.
"You wouldn't have the guts," Magia said arrogantly.
"On the contrary," Hiei said, holding his blade to her neck, "I'm sure I'd enjoy it immensely."
"H-how did you move so fast?" Magia asked, startled. She wasn't even able to follow him! One minute he was resting under the tree, and the next she had a sword pressed against her throat. "You're not human!"
"Very good, ningen. No, I'm not human, and if it weren't for the fact that I'm still on probation, I wouldn't hesitate to end your worthless life," he growled.
"Remove your sword, or I'll remove something else," Magia replied in a dangerously calm voice.
"Hn, what are you going to do? Hit me with your little whip? Or maybe a rose whip?" Hiei taunted as he removed the blade.
"How—" before she could even ask, he was gone.
"Alright, I thought we'd jump in with Act III, Scene i," the director said, "That'll get us off to a fine, energetic start. Alright places everybody. Suuichi, please start us off."
"Of course," said Kurama. Kurama and Yusuke stood next to each other, both looking at their scripts.
"I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire:
The day is hot, the Capulets abroad,
And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl;
For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring." Kurama read.
"Thou art like one of those fellows that when he
enters the confines of a tavern claps me his sword
upon the table and says 'God send me no need of
thee!' and by the operation of the second cup draws
it on the drawer, when indeed there is no need." came Yusuke's reply.
"Am I like such a fellow?" Kurama asked.
"Come, come, thou art as hot a Jack in thy mood as
any in Italy, and as soon moved to be moody, and as
soon moody to be moved." Yusuke said.
"And what to?"
"Nay, an there were two such, we should have none
shortly, for one would kill the other. Thou! why,
thou wilt quarrel with a man that hath a hair more,
or a hair less, in his beard, than thou hast: thou
wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts, having no
other reason but because thou hast hazel eyes: what
eye but such an eye would spy out such a quarrel?
Thy head is as fun of quarrels as an egg is full of
meat, and yet thy head hath been beaten as addle as
an egg for quarrelling: thou hast quarreled with a
man for coughing in the street, because he hath
wakened thy dog that hath lain asleep in the sun:
didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing
his new doublet before Easter? With another, for
tying his new shoes with old riband? And yet thou
wilt tutor me from quarrelling!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"An I were so apt to quarrel as thou art, any man
should buy the fee-simple of my life for an hour and a quarter." Kurama retorted.
"The fee-simple! O simple!" Yusuke taunted.
"By my head, here come the Capulets." Kurama warned.
"By my heel, I care not."
"Wow, Yususke and Kurama are pretty good!" Keiko whispered to Kuwabara, who was standing next to her.
"I don't understand a word they're saying," Kuwabara replied.
"Of course you don't," Hiei snapped, "You're an idiot."
"Hey! You say that to my face, shrimp!" Kuwabara said loudly.
" SHHHHH!" everyone hushed.
"Sorry," Kuwabara muttered.
They watched as Jin and a few others walked to the center of the stage where Yusuke and Kurama were.
"Follow me close, for I will speak to them.
Gentlemen, good den: a word with one of you." Jin said, first to the others, then to Yusuke and Kurama.
"And but one word with one of us? Couple it with
something; make it a word and a blow." Yusuke said.
"You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you
will give me occasion." Jin replied.
"Could you not take some occasion without giving?" Yusuke asked.
"Mercutio, thou consort'st with Romeo,--".
"
Consort! what, dost thou make us minstrels? an
thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but
discords: here's my fiddlestick; here's that shall
make you dance. 'Zounds, consort!" Yusuke cut Jin off.
"We talk here in the public haunt of men:
Either withdraw unto some private place,
And reason coldly of your grievances,
Or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us." Kurama warned the two men.
"Men's eyes were made to look, and let them gaze;
I will not budge for no man's pleasure, I." Yusuke said.
Hiei stepped foreword.
"Well, peace be with you, sir: here comes my man." Jin said, walking toward Hiei.
"But I'll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery:
Marry, go before to field, he'll be your follower;
Your worship in that sense may call him 'man.'" Yusuke said.
"Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford
No better term than this,--thou art a villain." Jin said insultingly to Hiei.
"Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage
To such a greeting: villain am I none;
Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not." Hiei said without so much as looking at the script he had in his hand.
"Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me; therefore turn and draw." Jin said.
"I do protest, I never injured thee,
But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love:
And so, good Capulet,--which name I tender
As dearly as my own,--be satisfied." Hiei said.
Someone please kill me… he thought.
"O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!
Alla stoccata carries it away." Yusuke said. He drew an imaginary sword and pointed it toward Jin. "Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?"
"What wouldst thou have with me?" Jin asked.
"Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine
lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you
shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the
eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher
by the ears? make haste, lest mine be about your
ears ere it be out." Yusuke taunted.
"I am for you." Jin said, drawing his own imaginary sword.
"Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up." Hiei said.
"Come, sir, your passado." Yusuke said. He and Jin pretended to engage in a vicious sword fight while still holding their scripts.
"Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.
Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!
Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath
Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:
Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!" Hiei said as he made to hold Yusuke back. Jin made a stabbing motion under Hiei's arm. Yusuke's eyes widened as he held his side. Jin and the people who came with him fled.
"I am hurt.
A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.
Is he gone, and hath nothing?" Yusuke groaned.
"What, art thou hurt?" Kurama asked worriedly.
Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, 'tis enough.
Where is my page?" Yusuke looked around and spotted an extra. "Go, villain, fetch a surgeon." He said, shoving him away. The extra left in a hurried fashion.
"Courage, man; the hurt cannot be much." Hiei said putting a hand on Yusuke's back gently as his face displayed concern.
"No, 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a
church-door; but 'tis enough, 'twill serve: ask for
me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man. I
am peppered, I warrant, for this world. A plague o'
both your houses! 'Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a
cat, to scratch a man to death! a braggart, a
rogue, a villain, that fights by the book of
arithmetic! Why the devil came you between us? I
was hurt under your arm." Yusuke spat at Hiei.
"I thought all for the best." Hiei said in a slightly horror-struck voice.
"Help me into some house, Benvolio,
Or I shall faint. A plague o' both your houses!
They have made worms' meat of me: I have it,
And soundly too: your houses!" Yusuke said. He and Kurama walked a way off, Yusuke leaning on Kurama heavily.
"This gentleman, the prince's near ally,
My very friend, hath got his mortal hurt
In my behalf; my reputation stain'd
With Tybalt's slander,--Tybalt, that an hour
Hath been my kinsman! O sweet Juliet,
Thy beauty hath made me effeminate
And in my temper soften'd valour's steel!" Hiei said bitterly.
Kurama walked back up to Hiei.
"O Romeo, Romeo, brave Mercutio's dead!
That gallant spirit hath aspired the clouds,
Which too untimely here did scorn the earth," he said.
"That's enough!" the director said, "That was fantastic! Wonderful! Glorious! Are you sure that none of you have ever had acting lessons? That was sheer brilliance for a mere read-through!"
"Nope, this is our first," Yusuke said.
"Magnificent acting! That fight looked like you'd fought with each other before!"
"Eh he he…" Yusuke and Jin said together.
"And Hiei, you didn't once look at your script! You've memorized it already?"
"Hn…" Hiei said indifferently. The director was taken aback for a moment, until Kurama spoke.
"Hiei has impeccable memory, though he usually doesn't speak more than he has to," Kurama explained.
"Ah, Suuichi, your performance was wonderful as well! Alright, that's it for today. See you tomorrow! Same time, same place!"
The building began to clear out.
"Not bad, for a smart ass," Magia said as she passed him.
"Hn," Hiei replied as he suppressed a blush that threatened to creep up on him,
What the hell am I blushing for? What am I, and idiot? he scolded himself.
"You were amazing, Suuichi!" Hella exclaimed as she clung to the fox.
"Uh, thanks…" Kurama replied as he tried to make her let go.
Someone please kill me! Hiei thought again as they all left the building.