DISCAILMER: once again, I don't own YYH, but all my original characters and plot lines are mine
a/n: uhhhh…not much to say really (I just got done with my little workout for this evening so I'm a little numb in the brain for the moment :nervous laugh:) But I've had this chapter ready for awhile! (LoL, I was that excited about it!) Egh…but usually when I'm excited about a chapter, it doesn't usually turn out all that well…
WELL! Let's hope this one does for once!
Cookies to my reviewers!
Umeko Saito: uh oh! Why are you swooning? (do I want to know…?) haha, okay, well I'll keep your opinion in mind, kk?
Little Sakura 87:whistles innocently: Haha, you'll just have to see won't you? (Though, this chapter may be a bit obvious…)
loves-winged-dark-angel: haha, thank you! I'm glad you like it, I'll be sure to update as soon as I can!
seeyu: LoL, well I'm glad you like Puu! Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be in this particular chapter (soon though! I promise!) Haha, well it does take me awhile sometimes, doesn't it? Kitkat needs to break that habit…
Sarah1281:twitch: yes I realize that, and I personally think that it would look weird if I put "Yus…uke…" the 'uke' part would look kind of…odd…ANYway! I need to get on with the chapter—that you've already read—
Enjoy!
Thoughts
With Every Drop of Blood
:Fever:
The guardian managed to wipe away her tears before she opened the door to the hotel room. But almost immediately, she found Urameshi standing directly in front of her with that goofy grin etched along his face.
"Where have you been? We were almost tempted to start celebrating without you!"
But she didn't answer him. With saddened eyes, she stared up at him wordlessly. The detective blinked in surprise when she looked at him like that.
"Mai? What's up with you?"
She suddenly realized what she had been doing and shook her head, forcing a weak smile on her face, "It's nothing…just kind of zoned out there for a moment," she insisted and playfully hit her own head with her hand, "Stupid me—"
Unexpectedly though, the guardian lost her balance and staggered. On instinct, Yusuke reached out and caught her before she could hurt herself. Kurama removed himself from the couch almost immediately and hurried over to the pair. With a gentle hand, the redhead placed his palm along her forehead.
He frowned, "She has a fever," he stated as the girl started to recover. She blinked several times and glanced between the two uncertainly.
After an uneasy pause, she found herself forcing another smile, "Heh, must have lost my balance…"
"Yusuke, do we have any ice in here?" Kurama wondered as he glanced around the room.
The detective shook his head, "We've used the last of it…I should go get some though…"
But Mai shook her head, "Don't worry about it," she averred, "I'll go get some myself…maybe the walk will do me some good…" she smiled again as she headed for the door. Before it closed, she gave both of them an encouraging wave and shut the door behind her.
Urameshi folded his arms over his chest, "Do you think she'll be alright like that?" he asked openly, "I mean, there are some strange people walking around here…"
-:-
Ugh…Mai placed her hand to her head and shifted the ice container to her hip. Gods, this fever is such a pain…she groaned inwardly as she turned a corner. But wouldn't that just be perfect; they were in the middle of the Dark Tournament and she had to come down with a cold.
"Ah well…" she told herself, "Maybe Kurama's right…maybe some ice would help—"
Abruptly, a hand clasped onto the guardian's wrist and the ice bucket clattered to the floor. She felt several more hands grasp onto her shoulders and arms as she started to struggle.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you guys are doing!"
-:-
Yusuke found himself looking up as Kazuma walked through the doorway. He noticed the redhead frown at an envelope he held in his hands.
He held it up for a moment, "Hey Urameshi, come take a look at this; I found it outside the door."
Curiosity overcame him and he cautiously walked over to him and observed the envelope. By this time, Kurama had also grown interested in Kuwabara's find and stood to stand beside them.
Dear Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei
We have kidnapped Mai
But don't worry! If you want her back, you know where we are!
Love,
Botan, Keiko, Shizuru, and Yukina
Urameshi blinked, "'Kidnapped'?" he repeated, "Who the hell kidnaps their friend?" he demanded.
Taking the piece of paper, Kurama observed it quietly, "Did they really have to say 'kidnapped'?"
The detective rolled his eyes, "I doubt it," he said as he crumpled the note in his fist and tossed it over his shoulder. He then headed back and plopped down on the couch without so much as another word to the other boys.
For a second, Kuwabara did a double-take, "Wait, shouldn't we go and get her?"
He shrugged, "Maybe later…besides, what's the worst they can do?"
-:-
Mai blinked this time as she stared at the group of girls in front of her. Well this was random…hell, they could have just asked me to come…they didn't have to scare the crap out of me like that.
"Sorry about that!" Botan chimed as she popped into the room with her arms filled with drink, "But we though you could use some time away from the guys."
The guardian rubbed the back of her neck, "You still could have given me a little bit of a heads up…"
She grinned, "But that wouldn't have been nearly as fun!" she insisted as she passed Mai (as well as Keiko and Yukina) a can of soda while the ferry-girl and Shizuru settled with a bottle of beer. The guardian popped her can with a quiet sigh and stared down into the fizzing liquid.
"Is something wrong?" Yukina asked worriedly.
Mai blinked, "Huh? Oh no, I'm just a little tired," she told the ice-apparition with a weak smile.
"I'll say," Shizuru put as she stretched across the armchair and took a swig of her beer, "What was with that one fight with Frosty earlier? You totally wigged," she said rather casually, and for a moment, Mai only blinked; unsure of what she was talking about.
"Oh, you mean my fight with Touya…" she concluded and once more stared down at her hands. For some reason, she had hoped no one had seen (although that would have been nearly impossible), "…I…it was just my energy…acting up, you know…" she told them quietly.
Seeing her become uncomfortable, Botan made a short coughing sound, "Um, heh—Hey Mai, have you ever had a makeover?" she asked quickly.
She frowned, "A what?"
Keiko, Shizuru and Botan stared at her in disbelief.
"You gotta be kidding me," Shizuru said, "You've never heard of a makeover before? Did you not go to Junior High or something?"
The guardian shrugged (technically, she hadn't; she had always schooled herself from Ms. Megumi's shop (see 'Fire Dancer')), "I've never heard of it."
As if on cue, both Keiko and the ferry-girl glanced at one another, "Well then!" Botan chirped, "We'll just have to show you then, right?" she nudged the brunette next to her and they both grinned.
Before she knew it, Shizuru, Botan, Keiko and Yukina were ushering her into the bathroom.
"Hey! But—!"
"Don't worry kid," Shizuru reassured her, "You might even have some fun."
-:-
Mai stared back at her reflection in the mirror. When she blinked, a pair of azure eyes batted their eyelashes—thick with mascara—back at her. Locks of crimson hair fell in curls around her shoulders and the indigo stripes along her cheeks were covered up with foundation. While across her eyelids were shimmers of light purple eye shadow. It took a moment before the guardian recognized herself.
"So that's a makeover," she said in near bewilderment as Botan placed her elbow on the girl's shoulder.
"You look great Mai!" she insisted and laughed, "If all the demons here were guys, they'd all be crushing over you right about now!"
"Speaking of which…" the older girl mused, "Don't we have a few specimens downstairs to try out our new creation on?" she asked the others.
Mai blinked, "What? I-I don't really think—"
"Uh, well we can always go see them later, right?" Keiko cut in after noticing the guardian's nervousness, "It's not like they're going anywhere—let's do someone else!"
The girl smiled at her in appreciation; even for being a girl, she would have been almost completely embarrassed if she had to confront the guys the way she looked. But she suddenly felt her vision blur and she clutched her head instinctively.
Standing, she cautiously made her way towards the door.
Botan glanced up quickly when she noticed her leaving, "Hey, Mai, where are you going?"
She turned back to her, "I'll be right back," she insisted and forced a grin, "I had to go get some ice before you guys 'kidnapped' me…"
"Oh, I can help you with that!" Yukina said and made a move to conjure a few ice crystals for her, but the guardian stopped her.
"Ah, don't worry about it," she said with a smile, "I'll do it myself, I don't want to trouble you or anything…besides, I think I need to take a walk or something…"
-:-
Sighing, the girl lifted the ice bucket from the machine, might as well drop this off with the guys, she thought to herself while she placed the container on her hip. She blinked a few time to cure herself of her dizziness before she started back down the hall.
"Mai? Hey, Mai!"
The guardian turned to find Kuwabara trudging down the corridor after her. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.
He grinned as he came to stand next to her, "Hey! I thought it was you; you looked different—but anyway, everyone else is looking for you."
She quirked an eyebrow, "Why aren't you with them?" she wanted to know.
That was when the redhead started to laugh nervously, "Heh, see about that…we were heading up to the girls' room, but I sort of got lost…"
At this, Mai couldn't help but smile a little, "Really…"
"Do you mind if I follow you back?" he asked meekly tapping his fingers together. The guardian laughed and shook her head, gesturing the redhead to come with her as she headed back to the room.
"So how did you know where I was?" she inquired.
"Oh that, my sister and the others said that they 'kidnapped' you," he explained as they rounded a corner and down another hallway. Inwardly, Mai laughed; she should have known that Botan would come up with something like that (it made her smile when she though about the ferry-girl seriously trying to be cynical).
"It should just be around here," she told Kazuma as they headed down a new corridor. She could hear muffled voices coming from nearby. But as they started to turn another corner, Mai suddenly stopped and Kuwabara crashed into her from behind.
"Whoa! Hey, what's the holdup?" he asked, but the guardian didn't answer. She felt her eyes going wide and her hands steadily beginning to shake the bucket in her hands.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Keiko asked softly. Yusuke blinked, obviously confused, but she continued anyway, "Why didn't you tell me where you were going…what was actually going on? I was worried sick about you!"
He watched her eyes fill with hurt, "I-I didn't want you to get caught up in all of this…" the detective tried to explain, "I didn't want you to worry…"
Keiko's eyes shot up at him, "Worry? I'm your friend, I care about you! Why wouldn't I be worried?" she blinked and her voice softened, "Why wouldn't I worry…?"
Tears began to fill her eyes and she turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment. Urameshi said nothing for a moment and stood uncertainly, "Keiko…?"
Kuwabara now poked his head out from around the corner, "I wonder what they're talking about…" but once again the guardian didn't answer. She slowly began to feel her throat close up and her heart beating painfully in her ears. For a second, she started; why was she getting all worked-up about this?
"I don't want you getting hurt, Yusuke…" the girl said while trying to force back her tears and stay strong. She stared down at the ground for a moment but then she glanced back up at him, forcing a weak smile, "So if you die, I swear I'll kill you…" she promised and then mocked his spirit gun pose, "Bang."
It took a moment before Yusuke reacted, "Right," he replied with a soft grin.
Then it was a second or two until Keiko's smile faded and she stared back at the ground, "I…I still don't want to see you get hurt…gods you're such a reckless idiot; I'm surprised you haven't died yet," she said bitterly, but it was inevitable that she was going to break down into tears. Her fists balled up at her sides and from her hiding place, Mai saw several teardrops plummet to the ground, "You're—you're such an idiot, Yusuke!"
Unexpectedly, the brunette wrapped her arms around the detective's middle and sobbed into his shirt. Yusuke blinked once or twice as he stared down at her; unsure of what to say. After a moment, he sighed and carefully wrapped his arms around her in return.
For the briefest instant, Mai felt her heart stop and she took an instantaneous step backwards into Kazuma.
"Hey, Mai? What's wrong—?"
But instead of answering him, she shoved the ice bucket into his chest and raced blindly down an opposite hallway. The redhead juggled the container for a moment after his shock and stared worriedly down after the guardian.
"You do know you can always visit us, Keiko," Urameshi told her, "Heh, maybe then you wouldn't be so worried…"
She smiled up at him and shook her head, "I didn't want to get in your way of having fun…" she insisted.
He blinked, "Fun?"
Keiko nodded and stared off at the ground, "Mai pointed that out to me before…she said she didn't like it any more than I did, but it was what you really wanted…"
For a few seconds, Yusuke watched her before he grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, good ol' Mai…you can always count on her to say something like that when you need to."
She smiled and nodded again, "You said she's your guardian, right? Well she better guard you and make sure you do all that schoolwork of yours when I'm not around. I might just have to come and set her straight," she told him and winked, giving him a thumbs-up sign.
The detective laughed, "Watch out, Keiko, she might be a match even for you!"
Both of them grinned at one another and Yusuke gave her a quick noogie. From the corner, Kazuma still watched after Mai—who was now long gone and probably wandering the halls alone. Was it something he had said?
-:-
The guardian stumbled through the corridors while bumping into several people (and demons) along the way. But she didn't care and kept running. Tears stung at her eyes and streamed down her face without end. Why the hell was she crying? What did she do to make herself so upset?
Without really knowing it, the guardian found herself racing up a set of stairs to who knows where. But her legs continued to carry her forward.
With her hand, she irritably wiped at her tears while her face heated with both frustration and embarrassment. Her foot caught on one of the stairs and she sprawled forward. The side of her face struck the corner of the steps and she felt a trickle of blood run down her cheek. For the longest time she merely lay there, sobbing.
They were only friends he said; he didn't want her to get hurt so they were only friends…
Then why did she feel like this?
Slowly Mai picked herself off of the ground and trudged once more up the stairs. Her mind drifted with each step she took as the staircase continued to wind continuously upwards.
Why was she acting like this? It wasn't as though they had kissed or anything—
Wait. What did that have to do with any of it? She was perfectly happy with Kurama, if Keiko and Yusuke wanted to get back together, that was perfectly fine with her…
Wasn't it?
Mai found her hand along the latch of the door that now appeared before her. As she glanced—almost emotionlessly—to the sign next to it, it read: 'Rooftop'. With a sigh, she slowly pushed open the door and immediately the cold night breeze greeted her. It caused her to draw in a sharp breath and, shuddering, she let it out.
She only took a few steps before she collapsed to her knees into the hard gravel. Gripping the dirt in her fist, she hung her head and watched her tears fall into her lap. The guardian sensed her shoulders beginning to tremble and she quickly clenched her eyes shut. But the tears continued to flow.
What the hell is wrong with me? What's…what's happening to me—?
"And what are you so upset about, onna?"
Her head jerked up suddenly to find Hiei watched her with a quirked eyebrow. The guardian blinked and drew in a quick breath as she hurriedly wiped at her tears, "Nothing…" she mumbled and stared off at the ground, "It's…nothing…" Mai sniffed and hugged her arms around her middle, "How long have you been there?" she asked softly.
The apparition folded his arms over his chest, "Hn…since before you came and disturbed my peace," he answered irritably, "But now that you're here, you can wallow in your self-pity alone; I'm going…"
But even as he made a move to leap off the rooftop, Mai looked up at him with tearful eyes, "Hiei…?"
He flinched as he was getting ready to jump when he caught her tone of voice. Regrettably, the apparition turned back to the girl only to start when he saw the tears filling her eyes.
"What?" he dared to ask.
A teardrop trickled down her cheek; smudging the makeup that the girls had put on her, "…Please don't go," she forced a weak smile, "You may be a bit of a badass, but…but I need someone to talk to."
Hiei shoved his hands into his pockets, "Sorry, but I don't take well to human emotions; they make me ill…" he stated bluntly and started on his way back towards the edge of the roof, making ready to jump off, but the guardian cut him off again; her faked happiness suddenly gone.
"Why not?" she demanded softly, "You don't seem to mind when you're reading people's thoughts on a regular basis, do you? You know what I'm thinking; you probably know what I saw too…" her eyes filled with tears again and she looked away sadly. Hiei blinked and then began to glower after a moment. So what if he knew what she was thinking? It wasn't as though he wanted to know her business in the first place.
He abruptly found himself replaying to himself the detective's reaction earlier with his fight with Jin when they were joking around. Now that he thought about it, Urameshi seemed a bit too flustered when Jin began to talk about Mai. He hadn't thought about it too much then, but now with the mixture of the guardian's feelings and emotions, it made more sense to him.
The apparition folded his arms over his chest and snorted, "Hn, baka onna…"
Mai blinked, "What?"
He didn't answer her, but the guardian noticed his eyes narrow. Mai started when Hiei suddenly drew his katana and held it out between them.
"H-Hiei?" she stammered fearfully. Oh gods, had she said something wrong? Maybe she should have just let him leave her alone—! But an instant later, there was a tingle along the back of her neck that sent her skin crawling. Quickly, she whirled around and unexpectedly found herself stumbling to her feet.
"Toguro…" the apparition growled.
His sunglasses flashed in the moonlight while he stood in the doorway. Mai clenched her fists at her side as the demon took a few steps onto the rooftop. Hiei's arm did not falter and almost looked ready to cut the man down right there. It took a moment to realize what he had against the demon, but then she remembered that Yukina had been kept prisoner by him and his brother.
The guardian felt sweat drops beginning to form along her brow as Toguro drew closer to the odd duo.
"I didn't expect to have anyone up here at this hour…I guess this place is more popular than I thought—"
"What are you doing here, Toguro?" the apparition demanded.
He turned his attention to the shorter, "To leave a message," he said simply and then turned to Mai. The guardian stiffened as the demon took a few steps more towards her. She shivered when he bent down until his head nearly pressed against the side of her own, "Tell Urameshi I'm looking forward to our fight…" she sensed him smirk as she stood there paralyzed, "I've noticed you've grown stronger as well…watch out or I might have to come after you next…"
At this, Toguro straightened and placed his hands in his pockets. The guardian said nothing but started to realize that her breath was coming out in shudders why her heart pounded in her ears.
Without so much as another word, the man turned and left the rooftop. After the door had closed with its soft click, Hiei cautiously let his katana slide back into its sheath.
"If the detective didn't have a score to settle with that bastard, I would have slit his throat," he muttered and then turned to the guardian, his eyes narrowing, "What did he say to you?" he demanded.
But Mai shook her head, unable to respond. Tears once more welled within her deep blue eyes. Blood rushed to her head and she felt her face burning. She sensed herself swaying dangerously close to the rail of the roof and she desperately clutched her head.
I've got to protect him…I can't let him die…I…can't let Toguro hurt him…
The apparition watched her in confusion, "…?"
…Oh gods, I can't let anything happen to him…I…I have…to…
Only a moment too late, Hiei suddenly realized what was happening as the girl unexpectedly toppled over the edge—twenty stories above the ground.
"ONNA!"
-:-
(a/n: I was going to end it there, but I decided that would be mean—the cliffhanger I have at the end of this chapter hopefully won't be as bad)
"You sure she's okay?" Yusuke asked as he peered through the bedroom door for a moment. Botan and Yukina had to force both the detective and Kurama out of the room where the guardian now had her back turned towards them. The only light came from the window that cast eerie shadows across the floor, "I mean, jeeze, she just fell off the building for crying out loud…" he continued worriedly.
The apparition folded his arms over his chest, "She didn't die, be thankful of that," he muttered, "I could have let her fall for all I cared…" he said as the two girls quietly exited Mai's room.
"Despite Hiei's lack of concern," Botan started, "She will be fine in a little while after some rest; I guess she was just too stressed out…and her fever didn't very well help…"
Yukina closed the door behind her softly, "I was able to heal most of the wounds from her fall, but she needs to sleep for now…"
While he sat on the couch, Kuwabara stared down at his lap. Stress? It couldn't have been from when she ran off earlier, right? He gritted his teeth slightly; it made him wonder why she had been so upset in the first place…damn, he should have gone after her…
"Did she ever say why she was up there?" Kurama asked the apparition and Kazuma lifted his head to hear his answer.
Hiei must have noticed this because he pretended as if he couldn't recall, "Something about getting some air with that damn fever of hers…" he answered shortly. Hn, the onna's business was nothing to him, but he would let them figure it out for themselves. The apparition glowered at his own response; hell, he should have just told them, it wouldn't have made any difference to him.
Kuwabara watched Hiei for another second or so before he started to stare down at the floor. Maybe it was just his imagination then…maybe it had nothing to do with what they saw. The redhead glanced towards Mai's room…
But he couldn't help but think about how upset she was…
…Just seeing Keiko and Yusuke together…
-:-
She heard muffled voices from beyond the door. After awhile each one died down and the sliver of light beneath the door when out. Mai weakly grasped the bed sheets around her hand. Her body was still shaking from before, and she couldn't make it stop nor could make her fever go down. But the guardian couldn't seem to remember any of what happened. Hiei said she had fallen? Then how did she get back to her room?
The damp rag along her forehead fell onto her pillow as she turned to face the window. Her body ached and she sighed heavily.
What was wrong with her…? In all truth, it shouldn't matter to her about who or what goes on in Yusuke's life…
She was only there to protect him…
Mai blinked and felt her heart drop with a sudden jolt. That…that was all she was needed for…nothing else…she realized abruptly and stared down at her hands. Her eyes stared out blankly across the room.
She only needed to protect him…
Once more she felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. The guardian whimpered softly and buried her face in her pillow as she began to cry. Her shoulders trembled and she brought her hands to her mouth to stifle her sobs. Why didn't she understand before…? That she was here to protect Yusuke…nothing else…
But that still didn't make up for the feelings continuously filling within her…it didn't make up for the fact that Yusuke—
The girl shot up suddenly from the bed; eyes bolting around the room fearfully. Her ears strained for any noise.
Weird…she could have sworn—
But then she heard it again, it was coming from beneath the window…Mai felt her body starting to tremble when she comprehended the sounds of someone scaling the building wall.
What the hell? Who in their right mind would try and climb a twenty-story building? Especially in the middle of the night! It didn't make sense for someone to rob anyone at the Dark Tournament (everybody was smarter than that—unless of course they wanted to get their faces blown off).
She bit her lip and found herself huddling back beneath her bed sheets. What if it was Risho or one of those guys out for revenge? Her complexion paled and she began shivering, her eyes clenching shut…worse yet…what if it was Toguro? Maybe she should go and alert the others—but her body wouldn't respond.
Gods don't let it be him…I hope it's just some…some—oh gods, I don't know, just don't let it be him!
Mai let out a small whimper and clenched her eyes almost painfully. She wouldn't look, she didn't want to. Her body shuddered and she threw the covers up to her neck just as there was…
A knock at the window?
Inwardly, the guardian blinked. Who the hell knocked on a window if they were going to force their way in? Toguro isn't that stupid, is he? But the knock came again. Mai refused to open her eyes and felt her heart stop when she heard the window beginning to slide open.
There was the sound of someone moving through the opening and stepping softly onto the carpet flooring. They paused a moment before starting towards the bedside. The girl's senses could tell that their hand was reaching out towards her. Mai waited only a moment longer until she sensed them right next to her.
Clutching the sheets to her chest and clinching shut her eyes, the guardian shot up and threw her fist straight into the intruder's face.
"STAY OUT—!"
"Holy crap, Mai!" said an all-too familiar voice. The man staggered backwards, clutching his nose, "By Yama, I think I'm bleeding…"
The guardian quickly flipped on a light and gasped, "Koenma-dono? Oh gods I'm so sorry!" she cried frantically and scrambled out from beneath her bed sheets, "I didn't hurt you that bad?" she wondered as she went to go check on the demigod.
He plopped cross-legged on the bedroom floor while he massaged the bridge of his nose delicately, "Uh…well it's not broken…" he assured her, "Jeeze, but now I know how your opponents feel…"
"Koenma-dono, I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you!" she apologized rapidly and handed him the damp towel from her bed. The demigod took it gratefully and placed it on his nose, "But what are you doing here anyway? And through the window too…"
The 'toddler' glanced up at her, "Huh? Oh that…security locks all the doors after eleven, and when I tried to contact Botan, she didn't answer. It's a good thing your room was close to a drain pipe…"
She frowned, "That still doesn't answer why you're here…" she pointed out.
Koenma pulled the towel from his nose and looked at it for a moment, "I was getting to that," he told her and handed back the towel, "I got an emergency call from Makai during the fight earlier—"
"Do you want me to go get the others—?" she asked and started to head towards the door, but the demigod quickly shook his head.
"No…" he said, "No, Mai, the call involves you…not the others."
The guardian blinked as he began to stand, "…Me…?"
Koenma straightened his cloak and headed for the door himself, "Com on, I've temporarily been able to open a portal to Makai. Grab a coat, though," he advised as he opened the latch, "It's a bit of a walk…"
For a moment, Mai stared at him dumbly, but when the demigod stepped through the doorway, she quickly followed after him. As they crossed the main room, the guardian snatched a jacket from one of the nearby chairs while Koenma opened the front door.
"But wait!" she hissed as she closed it behind her, "You never said why this concerns me!" she tripped slightly as she tugged the coat over her pajamas.
Damn, these people were trying to kill her by dragging her around with this fever…
-:-
Mai hugged her body as she shivered beneath the cold night. Her teeth clattered behind her lips and she hopped once or twice to try and warm herself up. As she glanced up at the demigod in front of her, she noticed enviously that he was somehow unaffected by the cold. The guardian sighed and glanced off aimlessly into the trees around them.
There was a weight on her heart that would not leave; she unconsciously continued to remember seeing Yusuke and Keiko together…
She started and blinked. Was…was she jealous? There was no way in hell she could be jealous…what was there to be jealous of?
Sighing again, she forced her hands into her pockets and stared out in front of her where the male youth was leading her. She was amazed he even knew where they were going; she could barely see five feet in front of her. The guardian bit her lip as her eyes stared blankly out into space.
"It's just up ahead," the demigod pointed out suddenly.
But even as he was speaking, Mai was able to make out a faint shimmer of light between the trees in front of them. As they broke through the branches, the duo entered a small clearing where a portal of light hovered in midair.
Koenma went and gestured towards it, "After you," he said with a small smile.
She nodded weakly and took a step forward into the portal. Gods she sure hoped that she wasn't in any trouble…
A blast of wind rushed past her as well as a flash of light. An instant later, she found herself standing within the large hallways of King Yama's castle. Another second past before she heard Koenma follow after her. But as he walked ahead of her, the guardian had to blink when she realized he had changed back into his toddler form. He walked down the hallway until he had reached the giant oak doors to his office.
Mai caught up with him, "Am I in trouble, or something?" she asked meekly.
The demigod shook his head as he pushed open the doors, "No you're not in any trouble, Mai…" he assured her.
Cautiously, the guardian stepped into the office as Koenma closed the doors behind them. The thud they created echoed through the—almost empty—room eerily while she stood there dumbstruck; her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"It…it can't be…"
-:-
a/n: MWAHAHAHA! I'm so evil!
Haha, but I'll give anyone a cookie if they can figure out who it is! (It's actually pretty obvious—coughexcepttosomepeoplecoughcough—at least if you were paying attention to a certain chapter earlier…:shifty eyes:)
AHHHHHHHHHH! SPIRIT BEAST PEOPLES! I know Sarah1281 wants me to have one for Mai and Umeko Saito doesn't really, but what about the rest of you? PLEASE TELL ME!
Ciao!