Note: If you've never read the full version of Treasure Island, please read the following:
Most shortened versions of TI don't mention the black spot given to Billy Bones, the guy that gets Jim involved in the whole pirate treasure thing. Basically, pirates gave the black spot to fellow pirates who betrayed the crew. Whoever had the black spot was killed within forty-eight hours.
Disclaimer: I don't own Treasure Island or Yu Yu Hakusho.
Chapter 8: James Hawkins, aka Jimmy
The minute they entered the building, a waitress was there with two menus on hand. The mousy-looking waitress seemed petrified by the sight of ten people in the restaurant. She called to someone named Joe from the back and they pushed together the three largest tables so that the ten patrons could sit together.
For some reason, the table ended up looking like this: Criss, Botan, Kurama, Jun, and JD seated exactly across from Hiei, Yukina, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Keiko. Criss glanced up and down the table, uncertain of what to do. As far as she knew, only she and Kurama knew the languages of all those present and Kurama was the only one to speak them completely fluently. That is, until Botan spoke in perfect English, quite similar to Kurama's.
"Well, this is awkward," she said. The blue-haired girl glanced at the menu, which had a picture of each dish on the front. "I guess everyone can just point…"
"That's what I like about A League of Its Own," Criss said. "They picture everything." She spoke again in slow Japanese. "What would you like? I will pay."
"Hey, she can talk!" said Kuwabara.
Criss glared at him. "I know seven languages. Eight, if you include sign language." She said the last two words in English, not knowing what they would mean in Japanese.
Kurama translated them for her. Kuwabara sort of gulped.
"At least you're smarter than Urameshi," he muttered.
"What did you do to JD?" Criss pointed at the other boy.
It was Yukina that answered, in perfect Japanese. "Yusuke-san was muttering in Japanese about him, knowing full well he couldn't understand. He was saying that he looked smart and sassy, but his tone might have suggested otherwise."
"You did that for ten full minutes?" Criss glanced at Yusuke. She switched to English for the last part. "Jeez, and I thought he was the stupid one." She gestured off-handedly to Kuwabara. "Next time, JD, just mutter back. Is that what you were so freaked by?"
"That and Kuwabara poking me in the back," JD admitted. "I said they're crazy, didn't I?"
Criss rolled her eyes.
It took a short while to get everyone's orders. I mean, with ten people, several of which did not speak the same language, why wouldn't it? Kurama spoke mostly with Yusuke and Kuwabara (Hiei didn't speak at all) while they waited for their orders. Criss didn't talk much, only listening to their conversation. She was very interested in the video game business that Yusuke and Kuwabara had partnered.
JD and Botan were talking about sports, of all things. Jun and Keiko were attempting to discuss clothes, but they never really got very far. Unlike Kurama and Botan, Keiko didn't have much of a vocabulary when it came to English. It wasn't a subject she excelled at.
"Excuse me," said the waitress when she arrived with three of the plates. Joe was carrying three more. "One of the gentlemen that was here for the normal lunch hour said that there would be a group of ten to come in at or around three o'clock. I'm guessing he meant you guys."
"That would explain the shock," Criss said, smiling slightly. "But how did he know we were coming?"
"I don't know. We've never seen him before. Shady character, dressed in a black cloak with the hood up. He came in here and told us that, told me to give to a girl with a name like a boy this folded up piece of paper. He said he'd kill me if I looked at it."
The poor waitress looked very pained at this. Criss blinked at her. "I suppose that would be me. My name's Criss. Why would anyone want to kill a perfect stranger for looking at a piece of paper?"
"I don't know, ma'am." The waitress gave her the paper as the others sat quiet, staring at it. Even those who couldn't understand what was happening in English knew that this wasn't a good thing. The waitress and Joe backed away once they'd served everyone at the table.
Slowly, Criss unfolded the piece of paper. Inside of it was another, smaller piece of ripped paper. This had an enormous black dot on it. A flash of memories struck Criss's brain, of all the stories that had had a black dot in its context. None of them had ever been good to the one who received the black dot. The Lottery and Treasure Island were the ones to leap clearest in her mind. Slowly, her hands trembling, she moved the dot away to read the letter itself.
It was written in clear print, the type that most children were taught in school. However, this person, whoever it was, clearly knew what they were talking about.
I wondered once what would it have been like if Jim Hawkins were a girl. How would she feel over the loss of her father, and then of another person so suddenly in her life? Women are so much weaker in the heart than men, you see. I see no Billy Bones here, young Criss, but that is because he is dead as a door.
Your father started something with me a long time ago. A little game, we should say. I would hide the treasure. He would find it. Then he would hide it and I would find it. A very simple game, but you see, the treasure was always something different. I found out that my fellow treasure-hunter had been murdered, you see.
That black spot you hold in your hand is for his murderer. Find who it is, give it to them, and I will personally see to it that your father is avenged. Perhaps, one day, we can return to the carefree days of treasure-hunting. You did it once with your father. I know you do not remember it, little Criss. Your memories are so staggered and isolated by the forces that murdered him.
So that also means
you don't remember me.
Maybe you will if I tell you my name
It's Jimmy. James Hawkins.
And by the way. Those new friends of yours? Two are going to help you. One helped murder your father. The rest will come back later, when you've given away the spot.
There was nothing else. Criss looked up at the others, perplexed. Kurama, JD, and Jun. One of them helped murder her father. Only one knew anything about him. The others waited patiently for her to say something. Anything.
"An old family friend," Criss said. "He wants to help me find the person who murdered my father." Kurama stared at her.
"Do you know who it is?"
"Only that I called him Jimmy. He was a treasure-hunter, with my father. That's all I really know. My memories of him are gone."
"Then how do you know you can trust him?" Jun said.
"I recognize the writing," Criss answered quietly. "I remember someone who took the time to read me the entire, unedited Treasure Island. If those aren't reasons to trust him, I don't know anyone I can trust."
Slowly, the others turned back to their meals. Talk began to rise again. But Kurama did not participate. He merely ate quietly, eating his Japanese-French fusion dish. He watched Criss pick at her food, eat it slowly. When they left, her food was barely touched, and the letter with the black spot was securely in her front pocket. She didn't speak as they drove back to the college.
In one of the guest rooms (belonging to Keiko, Botan, and Yukina), the girls suggested a game that sent chills up and down Kurama's spine.
Spin the Bottle.
Instead of traditional spin-and-kiss, Botan procured a store bought spinner than said things like "sing a love song" and "nibble ear". They still used a normal bottle to determine who with and a rule was instantly declared by Yusuke (translated seconds later by a blushing Keiko) that if you landed on someone of the same sex, you spun again.
"Count me out," Criss said, diving for the safety of the door. Hiei was right on her tail.
"Oh, no you don't." Jun grabbed her arm and Yusuke grabbed Hiei. Neither person was very happy as they sat in a circle on the floor.
"Yusuke first!" Botan announced. No one objected. The poor boy spun the bottle on the floor, which landed on Hiei first. He quickly spun again and got Botan. Everyone held their breath as he spun the store bought disk. It landed on "ten second massage".
The game continued on quite like this for several minutes before it became Jun's turn after JD kissed her hand. It landed on Kurama.
Everyone held their breath as the ticker went around. "Spin Again." Breathing started again, then held.
"Kiss for 30 Seconds".
Instantly, Kurama's face was redder than his hair. Kuwabara asked for a translation of the "funny-looking words". Criss told him, to which he happily started watching. Jun sidled up to Kurama and someone grabbed a clock. There was no need.
No one seemed to be able to stop watching. Jun toyed with his lips like they were made of sugar. Criss was the only one to turn away as they continued. Kurama didn't seem to give in too much, even though Jun was on him like nothing else. In the back of his mind, Youko was screaming for more.
But Kurama wasn't.
She tasted dangerous, like poison.
But for some reason, he liked it. It was like money. You wanted things, a whole lot of things, but you didn't have enough. Now, he had enough. He wanted it all, but he couldn't take it all. Not in front of everyone else.
Not like this.
"Uh…you guys, you can stop any time you want," JD said, breaking through. Jun stopped, and drew back with a wink. He tried not to smile or do anything that could incriminate him.
Kurama spun the bottle on the floor.
Criss.
He glanced up at the poor, blushing girl. She'd already been traumatized once tonight, why did he have to be the one to do it again? But no one would stop staring at him. He sighed and spun the other bottle.
Kurama gulped hard.
"French kiss".
Criss blushed harder.
Why did Botan have to bring this contraption? At least with normal spin the bottle, you only had to give a chaste kiss. No one spoke as Kurama approached the girl.
She shut her eyes tight. Kurama sighed and placed his trembling lips on hers. Unlike Jun, so unlike Jun, she tasted of strawberries and sugar. He gently licked her lips, asking for entrance. Her lips parted.
Criss wasn't sure exactly what was happening. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she couldn't see anything. Shuichi's lips were gentle and fiery hot at the same time. Inflamed already by the kiss that Jun had given him. It made her sad to know that Shuichi had to kiss her now. Why couldn't it have been a simple one, like "sing a love song"?
Then, she felt something in her mouth. It felt interesting, not bad, not really good, either. She'd never been kissed before, and now… That was completely changed. She pressed her mouth against his. Her tongue entangled with his. He tasted different, like nothing she'd ever experienced before. Like honey and apples and something else. She withdrew back as he drew back himself.
No one spoke for a minute. She reached for the bottle on the floor and spun it. She was the last person in the room aside from…
Hiei.
"Sing a love song". She sighed in relief. Somehow, Hiei seemed to as well. She wasn't the best singer, but she wasn't the worst, either. Feeling her heart begin to beat again after the French with Shuichi, she searched her mind for a love song.
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are
But I'm
I'm with you
It was now nine o'clock. They ordered pizza, ate in silence. No one could really figure out the repercussions of what had happened. Botan gave the spinner to Criss for safekeeping, which she stuck in her pocket next to the black spot. Criss and Jun went to bed at ten o'clock. JD followed them with a "sayonara".
The three were silent on their trek up the stairs. Criss watched Jun leave them a little faster. Probably was going to write in her journal. She stopped on JD's floor and stopped him short.
"JD…" she said quietly.
"This is about your dad, isn't it." It wasn't a question.
Her nose twitched lightly. "Yes, it is."
"Don't have to say nothing," he said. "I already know. You remember when you were about nine, you and your dad came up to New York for the weekend? My master and I were the ones your dad gave a run-down of his training program to."
Criss plopped on the ground, her knees unable to hold her. "W-What?"
"I came here, cause I felt I needed to thank him. I figured he'd come back after all the mess died down at Jefferson. When I figured out he wasn't here, I called up Virginia State to find out where he went from there. They told me what they knew and I put two and two together. I'm still in the dark on some of it, but I know most of it."
"So you know how everyone thought I was the one who'd sliced off his legs, then," Criss said, glaring at the wall. "It wasn't until the autopsy that they proved otherwise. They still ain't got a clue. They think I'm crazy."
"You couldn't have known," JD pointed out. "Your dad, he was the best thing that ever happened to my master and me. My master is now a major private detective for the east coast."
Criss smirked. "You learn something new every day. You were that kid who wouldn't stop telling me I was 'purdy', aren't you?"
JD chuckled. "I'd forgotten that little detail. It still holds true now, Criss. You're still very 'purdy'."
"No, I'm not," she said. She didn't say it modestly or as a joke. She said it as if it were a fact, just something she knew. JD was taken aback, like she'd slapped him. "I'll see you in the morning, Jason. Sleep tight."
She turned around, got back on the stairs, and went up without another word.
When Kurama arrived, JD told him all that had happened. Neither boy could seem to come up with an explanation. While JD was drifting off to sleep, however, Shuichi was having a little chat with Youko.
That girl can kiss.
Which one?
Jun, you idiot!
Criss didn't even know what was happening.
I think that really was Criss's first kiss, Youko. And after Jun's little display, I think we hurt her by being so chaste.
You might be right.
I think I am right. Which means we've got a problem.
That would be?
We hurt the more powerful of the two girls, Youko. With a little more training…
Can we just forget the stupid morals for one minute! Let's throw them both down on a bed and take them together! Maybe even get JD into it…
You do know I didn't hear that, right? Why do you always joke about this kind of thing, Youko? It isn't very amusing.
And we'll find the squeakiest bed possible, really small—
La la la, I'm not listening!
The return on Youko's jokes about sex…sigh I hope the italics and bolds actually worked this time. Gah.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR PINK PICKNEYS IN THE FUTURE! And an appearance by the Demon World. I can't remember when that starts, though…
Kirei: Well, I'm setting up all of the characters (except Kurama) to have a different motive than what they first appear to have. Either intentionally or unintentionally, they have a different face than what they really are. I don't have any other way to describe it for now… Just stay tuned!
Sillylittlenothing: Yes, JD has a crush on Criss. The "purdy" comment doesn't come up again, but it's something cute that I remembered from the first guy who was crushing on me. (Why he was, I will never know…). JD's character is interesting. He acts a lot like Kuwabara at times, but he's incredibly intelligent. Isha weird combo, ne?