DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH, but all my original characters and story plots (at least the parts that I tweak from the show) are mine—so please, if you want to use my ideas, ask first.
a/n: ….uhhhh….
Kitkat isn't feeling all that well at the moment so there really isn't much to say. But I was a little surprised that no one guessed who it was in Koenma's office—haha, O well, cookies for everyone anyway!
Just as a little heads up, this chapter may be a bit confusing, but at least I'm updating…
YEAH SPRING BREAK!
Thankies to all my reviewers!
Kraz: …okay…no offense, but that's just plain creepy. Sorry that you've been grounded permanently off the computer—hell, you might not be able to read this anyway…
Umeko Saito: Haha, thank you! Don't worry—Puu is too unique to replicate; I would have had to use too much energy :nervous laugh: ah well.
Little Sakura 87: Don't you worry, you're not alone (when I gave one of my friends the rough draft, it took them at least an entire class period to guess who it was). Yeah I kind of assumed that would have been a bit too evil, so I toned down the cliffhanger at least by a little bit…
Sarah1281: yeah, we all know he has issues (I hope he can't read this now…or in the future :sweatdrop:) anyway, you need to update (and you know very well which story I mean) unless you've already done so by the time I finish this chapter…
XxXHellzFire AngelXxX: LoL, well you'll just have to see, won't you?
Daylight dancer: Thank you! Um…I think I've seen it before, but that was awhile ago I think…
Sarah1281 (again): yeah, you better not tell them who it is :evil glare: haha, but they'll all find out really really soon!
Yahaku-kan: Yay! It's a new reviewer! And I'm so happy that you think that! (we all wish that we could have more reviews, don't we? LoL, but that doesn't always seem to work :nervous laugh:)
Shadowkitsune7: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you were able to find my story; I hope you enjoy the next chapter too!
Thoughts
With Every Drop of Blood
:Burning Up:
Looking around the room, no one—at first—would have noticed the young woman before them, looking up at the screen with a small smile. When she heard the door open and close, she swiftly turned towards them; obviously awaiting their arrival. Mai felt her body go numb and could only stare in disbelief at the crimson-haired beauty in front of her.
When the shock had finally set in, she shook her head as tears began to well up within her eyes. Unable to control herself, she stumbled forward and wrapped her arms tightly around the apparition, "Kira…" the girl sobbed into the other's kimono while her body began to tremble. The former guardian smiled weakly and returned the embrace.
Neither of them said anything while Mai continued to cry. It was too good to be true…but it was impossible; she had even felt Kira die herself—there wasn't any way on heaven or earth that the apparition was here now. And yet she was able to feel her arms hugging her protectively. The guardian held tighter as if she was afraid to let go and lose her forever. The only person she had eve loved like a sister—maybe even a mother—had died and come back to life.
After awhile, the apparition wiped a few strands of hair out of the girl's tearful face and smiled, "You know…I may be dead, but I still have to breathe once in awhile."
Mai choked on a laugh and wiped her eyes free of tears. Overcome with joy, she couldn't help but smile. But then she turned to the toddler now sitting at his desk, "But…but I thought you said…" she trailed off.
The demigod shrugged with a grin, "Well, she surprised me too…" he admitted, "Never thought I'd see the likes of her in my office again. But you still have plenty of tricks up your sleeves, don't you Kira?" he inquired and turned towards the former guardian.
She smiled again in return, "Honestly, I'm a bit surprised myself, I only expected myself to get as far as passing on. I guess I had more energy stored up than I thought," she confessed and awkwardly scratched the back of her neck.
"So what's going to happen to you?" Mai asked, a bit worried, "Won't you go to Rekai?"
"That's where our problem occurs," Koenma cut in, "You see, the space we had planned for Kira when she first died has now since been filled up—and since we had no idea as to when she would pass on, we couldn't find a space for her."
The guardian blinked, "So you're stuck here?" she asked.
"I guess temporarily…" she answered, "But my energy is dying away quickly; I can't stay here forever, especially if a place doesn't open up for me—"
"But can't you go back inside of me? If you had enough energy to make it to Rekai maybe then—"
Koenma shook his head, "It doesn't work that way, Mai; it was a miracle she was able to do it in the first place; if we attempted to do the same thing now, the strain would kill you both—not that it matters for Kira, that is."
The older girl smiled encouragingly, "And we can't lose you, can we Mai? You still have to finish this tournament," she laughed when she saw Mai's look of surprise, "Don't worry, I've been watching you while I've been waiting—you've gotten so strong so quickly! I'm so proud of you!" she said as she beamed.
But the guardian didn't return the smile, "How…how long do you have?" she whispered quietly.
Both the demigod and the apparition glanced at one another. For the longest time, neither of them said anything until Mai heard Koenma sigh heavily; making her dread his answer.
"…Twenty-four hours…give or take…" he replied quietly.
"A day?" she repeated and quickly turned to the girl next to her, "You can only have that long? Then…then what happens to you?" she dared to ask.
Kira stared down at the ground, "Nothing…I'll simply cease to exist…" she answered without looking at her directly, "Unless by some miracle an unnamed space opens up in Rekai…that's what will happen—"
"That's not fair," Mai cut her off suddenly. Both Koenma and the guardian noticed how her hands balled into a fist, "It's…it's not fair…"
The demigod sighed, "Mai, that's just the way it is; there is nothing else we can do," he tried to reason, but by the look on her face, he could tell that he wasn't getting through.
"It's not fair!" she raised her voice now and whirled on Kira, "Why can't you just go to Rekai? You deserve it after all you've done! You don't deserve to just disappear!" Tears started to fill her eyes painfully—gods she had cried way too much in one day. She shook her head, fervently in denial, "You can't leave again, Kira!"
Her hands covered her face now and her shoulders began to tremble. Before either of them could try and comfort her, the guardian dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Uncertainly, the older girl glanced towards Koenma, but she soon found tears filling her own eyes. Quietly, she knelt next to her and without having to be coaxed; Mai fell into her waiting arms. The former guardian gently placed a hand against the girl's head while her shoulders shook violently. A silent tear trickled down Kira's face, but she said nothing.
"It's not fair, Kira…" she sobbed, "Gods, it's just not fair! You don't deserve this…"
The apparition forced a weak smile, "It was my choice…I've lived longer than I should have anyway—"
But Mai suddenly whirled on the demigod sitting at his desk, "Why can't you fix this?" she demanded, "You know what she's done for the world—you know she deserves better than this!"
"Mai…it's not his fault…" Kira explained and held her tighter, "…You know that I chose this on my own…"
She shook her head again and buried her face into the former guardian's shoulder. Both the older girl and Koenma stared uncertainly at one another, but Mai's crying seemed almost uncontrollable. Before they could find a way to calm her down, the two oak doors carefully opened and Ayame stepped inside.
"Koenma sir, is everything alright?" she asked softly after observing the two guardians kneeling on the floor.
The demigod nodded, "Everything is fine, Ayame…" he glanced briefly at the two girls, "But would you mind taking Mai out into the hallway for a moment? I need to speak with Kira for only a second…"
She nodded and silently made her way towards the guardian. After a few stressed moments, she reluctantly pried herself away and to her feet as the ferry-girl led her out into the corridor.
When the door had closed, Koenma turned to the remaining girl with a sigh.
A silence filled between them, prior to Kira speaking, "What are you keeping from her?"
The toddler stared down at his folded hands, "I might have a way to buy some time…" he explained quietly.
"Why didn't you tell Mai, then?" she asked without looking at him.
He managed a dry grin, "For one thing, it may not work at all; I wouldn't want to get her hopes up if that was the case…and another, you may not like the idea."
-:-
Mai had no idea when or where she fell asleep, but by the time she had finally come to her senses, she found herself once more in the hotel room. It took her a moment to realize this, but even then it had no real effect on her…
Kira was leaving her again…
…and this time for good…
The guardian sighed; all she wanted to do was make it all go away…as though if she closed her eyes, everything would be better…
If she just closed her eyes—
A bright light suddenly shone in her eyes and on instinct, the girl squinted and pulled the covers up to her head.
"Rise and shine," said Genkai's blunt voice, "—Don't give me that look," she added swiftly when she noticed the guardian's disgruntled expression, "Your fever went down an hour ago when you stopped talking in your sleep…"
She blinked and paled, "About what?" she was afraid to ask as the old woman wrapped her mask around her head.
Genkai turned to her and after a pause, she merely turned towards the door.
"Come on…"
-:-
Mai glanced uncertainly around the clearing and then back towards Genkai. The older woman stood with her back towards her and her hands folded behind her. She blinked and huddled against the morning chill.
"Are…are we not training today?" she asked. So far Genkai had hardly said a word to her…she blushed furiously when she remembered that she had heard her talking in her sleep. Was it something she had said? Oh gods, maybe she had said something about Yusuke and Keiko—she probably though she was such a—
"You need to understand, Mai," the old woman suddenly cut off her thoughts, "Just because Yusuke has learned how to perform the spirit wave, doesn't mean his training is over."
The guardian blinked, "What?"
"Yusuke has one more test," she explained with a sigh, "I'm asking you—no matter what his test is—you are not to interfere…"
She stared at her in surprise; what kind of test could it possibly be if Genkai had to tell her not to interfere? It made her shudder; what was she planning? Was it really that dangerous?
But…if it really was dangerous, she couldn't just sit there and just watch him suffer—she was his guardian, dammit; it wasn't her job to sit back and watch him go on with his life. She was supposed to protect him.
Slowly, Mai shook her head, "I…I can't…" she whispered, but wouldn't look her in the eye, "…I can't keep that promise, Genkai…I've already made a promise to Yusuke that I would protect him…no matter what…"
The older woman observed her for a moment longer with a stern gaze, "If you're going to keep that promise…you can't interfere. Unless you want him to die when he fights Toguro, you have to step down and let him finish this test."
Mai stared at her, but her face was unreadable. She waited a second more, but soon found that she could not find anything to respond with. How…how could she expect her to just watch as he suffered? Wasn't there anything she could do to help him?
She suddenly heard Genkai sigh heavily, "Please, Mai…if you can't trust me, at least trust him—"
From behind them, the bushes suddenly began to rustle. In an instant, Genkai had disappeared just as Yusuke and Botan appeared from beyond the trees.
"There you are!" the ferry-girl chimed, "We were afraid something had happened to you when you weren't in bed this morning—!"
"How's your fever?" Yusuke quickly cut in.
The guardian didn't answer right away; she was almost too terrified to look at him. He didn't know that she had seen him the night before, but it sure as hell felt like the entire world did (not to mention Kuwabara could have opened his big fatmouth). There was a silence that suddenly filled the void between them.
Urameshi's gaze softened, "Mai…"
"Well since both of you are here," Botan quickly interrupted, "I guess we don't have to keep Koenma waiting any longer!"
Mai found herself blinked, "Why?"
"Oh! That's because Yusuke's spirit beast is about to hatch!" she explained brightly.
But the detective only stared at her dumbly, "My what?"
Botan sighed in exasperation, "Honestly, Yusuke, do you normal forget these things so quickly? The egg that you sacrificed to save Keiko? It's about to hatch already…"
She rolled her eyes and gestured for the pair to follow her. They trailed from behind slowly as Mai held her arm without saying a word. She felt Yusuke's eyes on her and her cheeks flushed a bright red.
The guardian heard him sigh, "Mai, if there's something bothering you, you can always—"
"It's nothing," she cut him off. For a second, he stopped walking and looked at her downcast eyes. When she finally glanced up at him in return, she had forced a weak smile, "I'm fine."
Even though she seemed to convince him, there was no true happiness behind it. She hated lying to him; but there was no way she could possibly tell him what was the matter with her…he'd probably hate her…And she couldn't bear that; if Yusuke or any of the others hated her for that, she wouldn't be able to stand it—
"Koenma sir?" Botan called through the trees as they entered another clearing. As they turned each of them noticed the demigod approaching them. In his hands he carried a gold-tinted egg. Mai noticed the detective eyeing it warily as the toddler came to stand next to him. The guardian had a feeling he wasn't happy with her either…she had, after all, lashed out at him the other night.
The demigod promptly dropped the egg in Yusuke's hands, "About time you all showed up; it's ready to hatch any second," his expression turned grim and he glanced between the guardian and the detective, "Whatever beast hatches from it reflects the true intentions of your heart; if your actions have been evil, the spirit beast will devour you and your soul so that you will simply cease to exist…"
At this, Mai sensed him glanced her way, isn't that ironic; I'll lose two people like this…she thought bitterly.
"The same goes for you, Mai," Koenma said, turning towards the guardian.
She blinked, "Pardon?"
"Ever since you became Yusuke's guardian, a second spirit beast has been honed within that egg. So the actions of both of you affect both beasts," he explained, "The energy that both you and he created earlier was enough to give the spirit beasts strength to hatch."
Both the guardian and Urameshi glanced uncertainly one another.
Yusuke, however, decided to add his own humor to the subject, "Would you mind defining evil—?" he started to ask.
But he was suddenly cut off as a flash of lightning tore itself away from the heavens and struck the egg in his hands. Everyone shielded their eyes against the light. On instinct—and almost to her horror—Mai latched onto the detective's arm. Through their half-closed eyes, they noticed the egg in Yusuke's hands beginning to glow a bright yellow as cracks began to split the shell. Mai found herself clutching Urameshi's arm even tighter—gods, she didn't want to be eaten!
By the time the light had disappeared, everyone had to take a moment to regain their sight. As they glanced around, however, neither spirit beast was to be seen…
The detective peered around the clearing, "Maybe the egg was rotten…" he joked.
The guardian lessened her grip to give herself enough room to smack him over the head and say 'Urameshi, you idiot!' but something stopped her. She blinked dumbly at the top of his head, "Eh…?"
Koenma and Botan switched their attention to where Mai was looking. Suddenly the ferry-girl burst out laughing and clutched her stomach as she doubled over from her giggles. The demigod blinked and Mai could have sworn that his pacifier nearly fell out of his mouth, but then he too started laughing.
The detective glanced to the girl next to him, "It can't possibly be that stupid-looking, can it?" he asked as he tried to catch a glimpse of whatever it was on top of his head.
She made a weak coughing sound, "Ah…well, it's…erm…I think it's cute!" she blurted.
He stared at her in disbelief, "Cute?" he repeated, "There is no way in hell that this thing is anywhere near—"
"Puu!"
This only caused more laughter from Botan and Koenma. Now pissed, Yusuke growled under his breath and suddenly snatched whatever it was off of his head. He found himself blinking stupidly at the blue, penguin-like creature in his hands.
"It even has your hair!" Botan giggled, "Haha, but when I picture Yusuke's disposition, I see scales and beady eyes—but I guess cute and furry is another way to go—!" the detective glowered and quickly hit her over the head, "Hey! What was that for?"
Koenma wiped a tear from his eye, but then glanced towards the guardian, "Uh…where's yours?"
She blinked and looked around, "That's a good question…" she trailed off when she felt something brush against her leg. She blinked again and glanced down at her feet.
The ferry-girl had now regained some of her composure and quirked an eyebrow at the creature, "Is it a rabbit?"
"I think it's more like a cat…" the demigod mused and squatted next to it.
"Whatever it is, it sure beats this thing," Yusuke said while holding his by the scruff of the neck as it wriggled and continued to cheerfully sing out 'Puu!'
Mai bent down and gently picked it up in her arms. It did kind of look like a cat…only with really long (rabbit-like) ears that twitched happily as it started to purr.
"Aw! But it's so cute!" Botan said and beamed.
The guardian couldn't help but smile also—hey, it sure beat getting devoured. She found herself beaming, "Hello there!" she chimed at the black and white fur ball.
It seemed to cock its head towards her and smile.
"Hello to you too, Mai."
"Eh?" in her shock, the guardian dropped the cat-like creature from her hands, "What the hell?"
"It talked," Yusuke said in disbelief and then stared at the spirit beast in his grip, "How come you can only say 'Puu'?" he demanded of it.
"Puu!" it cheered and his large floppy ears flapped merrily.
Mai bent down cautiously until her eyes were nearly level with the creature. Odd…that voice sounded familiar…it almost sounded like…
"Kira?"
(a/n: once again, I was going to end it there, but that would have been probably as mean as before)
…
"Eh?" the guardian blinked and glanced around hurriedly, "Ko-Koenma…? Would you mind explaining this….?"
The male youth rubbed the back of his neck, "Heh, well you see…we did eventually find a place to put Kira's soul…"
"In there?" she cried and pointed to the creature, "You couldn't find a more respectable place, at all?"
"At least it's only temporary…" Kira put off-handedly (while Botan and Yusuke remained almost entirely bewildered of what they were talking about), "think of this as a rent-out body until they can find a space for me in Rekai…"
But the guardian could only blink. It wasn't as though she wasn't happy about having her back…it was just a little odd to be talking to her through a cat…
"Don't worry, Mai," the former guardian said, "I won't have to stay here forever…Koenma thinks that there should be an open space in no more than a few days," she grinned, showing her newly pointed teeth, "But you can always visit, don't worry!"
Yusuke now leaned over—still holding his spirit beast in his hands, "Kira, right?" and then turned to the guardian, "She's the one you told me about?"
She found her blushing when she recalled the reminiscence (gods she had acted like such an idiot then…) but she managed a meek nod, "Yeah…though I can tell you she didn't look like this the last time I saw her…"
"Really…" he mused and glanced down at the cat-like creature, "so what was it like living in that crazy mind of hers?" he wondered. Mai's eye ticked dangerously, and before he could notice, she quickly smacked him over the head.
The guardian folded her arms over her chest and muttered, "Jerk…"
"Puu!" Yusuke's spirit beast squealed and flapped its ears wildly. Wrenching itself from the detective's grip, he flew quickly to Mai's shoulder where he nuzzled her affectionately.
Koenma made an awkward coughing noise, "Uh…did I mention that you're spirit beasts reflect your personalities and emotions?" he asked.
Urameshi flushed furiously at his cheeks and quickly gripped the creature by the scruff of its neck, "Get back here," he muttered, even though he sounded rather flustered.
The guardian watched him unsurely, but Yusuke appeared to by trying to avoid her gaze. She was almost ready to say something to him, but then she felt Kira nudging her with a paw.
Glancing down, she noticed her looking at her strangely. She paused for a moment before she stood quickly.
"I have to go…" she said almost monotonously as she headed off into the trees.
The remaining three stared after her dumbly as Kira trotted after her.
"I wonder what's gotten into her?" Botan asked worriedly.
-:-
"Mai?" the former guardian tried to catch a glimpse of her face, "Mai what's wrong—?"
She cut herself off when she noticed a tear plummet to the ground. A sniff soon followed as the girl wiped irritably at her eyes, but when she turned to face Kira, shad had managed a poor excuse for a smile.
"What?" does something look wrong?" she asked with faked cheeriness.
Kira sighed heavily, "Mai…"
"I'm just going for a walk, that's all…" she insisted, "Haven't been feeling that well lately, you know…" she turned back in the direction she was heading and continued forward without another word.
She sniffed again. She was lying to herself…something was wrong with her, but she just didn't' know what. The guardian shook her head instinctively—what was happening to her? She couldn't control these feelings or the powers coursing through her—
Was she just supposed to die from this pain?
Her hand reached out to a nearby tree to steady herself as tears began to cascade down her face. Kira's creature-form let out a soft 'mew' as she cocked her head up at her.
Mai suddenly let out a bitter laugh, "…What's happening to me, Kira?" she froze like that for a moment, her wry smile held in time just seconds before it faced, "Why…can't I control any of this?"
There was a silence from the former guardian, but before she could respond, she suddenly turned. Mai heard her let out a low hiss, and she quickly turned as well. A rustle of bushes resounded ahead of them.
Yusuke…?
But the man who revealed himself was not the detective.
She felt her nails digging into her palm, "What to do you want, Toguro?" she demanded and raised her index finger towards him, "I'm not afraid to fight you…"
The apparition smirked in amusement, "And then I'd simply take you down with one hit," he returned casually as his sunglasses flashed dangerously.
"There isn't anything for you here," she growled darkly, "You made you 'message' quite clear the other night…unless you're here to fight me, you're not worth my time…" she kept her finger raised towards him a moment longer before she lowered it and continued on her way across the clearing. But before she had gotten too far, she suddenly felt his iron-like grip around her arm.
Furiously, she whipped around to face him. Nearby, she could hear Kira growling menacingly.
For the longest time, the apparition merely stared at her through those cold black eyes behind his sunglasses; his hold on her arm never lessening. The guardian gritted her teeth and tried to stare back at him with just as much ferocity, but against her will, her body began to tremble.
Then his grip tightened around her wrist and she let out a small cry of pain.
He smirked again, "Do you now what's so ironic?" he mused casually as Mai began to clinch her teeth, "…Is that I was first attracted to your power…it fascinated me; I had never had the privilege of fighting a guardian. It was something that I had always had an interest in…" there was a deep chuckle from within his throat as his grip seemed to draw her closer towards him even as she tried to pull away, "But when you and Urameshi came to Tarukane's mansion, there was something about the passion he had when he fought…" there was a sudden glint in his eyes, "the passion he had when he was protecting you."
"Shut up…" she muttered under her breath.
Toguro cocked a mocking eyebrow, "What's wrong? I'd think that you'd want him to protect you; after the way you look at him—I'm surprised you aren't ecstatic."
The guardian gritted her teeth furiously and her eye became hooded and dark. An aura—darker and more menacing than before—hovered around her.
"Shut up—bastard, just shut up!" she shouted and her fists clenched furiously. The energy around her began to pulse, and even Kira seemed to back away from its presence. Toguro on the other hand, watched in amusement and would not let her go.
Instead, as her energy started to rise drastically, his other hand suddenly lashed out and—almost immediately—clenched around her delicate throat. Mai felt her body collide with the tree behind her and she winced painfully. She let out a strained cry as her air supply was abruptly cut short. The energy around her disappeared instantly.
The demon's grip tightened around her throat and she let out a small gasp of air. Her eyes opened weakly so that she was just barely able to make out Toguro's form. Her hands tried desperately to pry his grip away from her neck.
"Just so Urameshi gets my message this time…he still needs to get stronger before he'll be worth fighting—but when he's ready, I'll enjoy every moment," he growled and the guardian could feel his hot breath against her skin.
She gritted her teeth and gasped, "…Let…go…"
"TOGURO!"
He paused and then turned almost leisurely towards the call, bringing Mai with him. Her feet dangled off the ground and swayed back and forth when the demon turned.
Across from them, Yusuke stood at the edge of the clearing with his finger pointed directly at Toguro. The fire that burned in his eyes was deadly and he looked as though he was ready to kill at the drop of a dime. The tip of his finger started to glow a dull blue, but his eyes refused to leave from Toguro.
"Put…her…down," he growled darkly.
The demon smirked and glanced down at the guardian suffocating in his grip. Without acknowledging her, he suddenly hurled her into the tree behind her. There was the sickening cracking of wood as Mai crumpled to the ground.
"Don't bother trying to kill me, Urameshi," he told him coolly, "Until you're stronger, I won't waste my time on you…"
Placing his hands in his pockets, the apparition walked calmly across the clearing. Yusuke's finger followed him until he had disappeared beyond the trees. His hand shook furiously, even after Toguro was gone and he lowered his arm. For a moment, he stared after the demon, but when his gaze caught sight of the guardian's crumpled body, the hatred in his eyes quickly died away.
"Mai…" Urameshi went and carefully lifted the girl to her knees, "Mai!"
Gently, he shook her shoulders and prayed that she would open her eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, the guardian took a shuddering breath, and her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times and almost seemed to stare at him blankly.
"What the hell did he do to you?" he demanded when the guardian hung her head. The grip on her shoulders tightened, "Mai, what did he say?"
Her eyes became hidden beneath her veil of crimson hair. But from within, the detective could hear her quiet sobs while her shoulders trembled. Teardrops fell from behind her hair, but she didn't seem to try and prevent them from coming.
Yusuke slowly let go of her and her fists clenched at the ground beneath her. He watched as the tears streamed down her face; his gaze softened as she continued to cry.
He sighed, but said nothing. After a long, hesitant pause, the detective found himself reaching out to her. And without waiting for a reaction, his arms suddenly wrapped around her and pulled her towards his chest.
It was almost as if she hadn't even noticed, but her sobs continued. Her tears stained his shirt, even though Urameshi didn't seem to mind. The detective wrapped his arms around her in a protective fashion just as he felt her hands clutching weakly at his shirt.
Both of them sat in silence for the longest time—all save for Mai's muffled sobs. From a little ways off, Kira watched the pair curiously with her head cocked. Yusuke pressed her tighter to him and Mai let out a small hiccup.
"You're…You're hopeless you know that?" he said quietly.
-:-
There was a soft knocking at the door, "Mai…?"
Urameshi carefully cracked open the door to the guardian's room. She was lying o top of the covers, staring out the window. Cautiously, he made his way to her bedside while holding out a glass of water.
"Kurama said you might need some of this…he added some herbs or something that he thought might make you feel better—"
"Get out," she said suddenly. The guardian refused to look at him and continued to stare out the window.
He blinked, stunned for a moment. But then his eyes narrowed, "What are you talking about? What the hell has gotten into you lately?"
The girl blinked after a pause, but said nothing.
Angry now, Yusuke suddenly slammed the glass on the nightstand. The guardian winced, but other than that, she made no other movement.
"Dammit, Mai! What the hell is wrong?" he hissed—trying not to alert their companions, "If it's about Toguro, get over it! I'm going to make sure that bastard never touches you again, don't you understand that?"
He found himself gripping her by the shoulders and lifting her halfway off the bed. Mai looked up at him blankly—but there was a hint of sadness deep within those violet-speckled eyes. When the detective noticed this, he blinked in surprise and gently loosened his grip.
"Mai…?"
"Please, Yusuke…just…go away…"
Yusuke stared at her in surprise—and also with a bit of hurt in his eyes. Slowly, he released her shoulders and the girl put an arm out beside her to steady herself. But her eyes stared off at the ground absently and she refused to look at him.
A heavy silence filled out between them; Yusuke stared at her in worry, and Mai looking vacantly off somewhere else. An eternity seemed to pass before the detective sighed.
"Whatever…I was only worried about you, Mai," he muttered as he turned back towards the door. But as he opened it, he cringed at the next thing that he said:
"I don't want you to get hurt."
With that, he closed the door behind him and left the guardian in the darkness. But through the gloom, Mai's hand slowly clenched the bed sheets between her fingers and a silent tear rolled down the side of her face. Eventually, her shoulders shook once again and her arms wrapped themselves around her abdomen.
What was happening to her? If it had just been for the fact that these powers were new to her, she would have been able to deal with it. But these feelings…gods, these feelings were tearing her apart.
Kira crawled out from beneath the bed and cocked her head up at her. Her bright green eyes studied her quizzically. But she said nothing and nimbly leapt into the girl's lap. The former guardian set her head on Mai's knee.
It took a moment before she slowly placed her hand along the top of Kira's head.
With a bitter laugh, she stared blankly out through the window, "I…really suck at this, did you know that?" slowly, her wry smile faded, "…I don't know what's happening to me…let alone…let alone how to control any of it."
The former guardian lifted her head for a moment and noticed tears running along the girl's face. Mai gritted her teeth weakly and clenched her free hand.
She turned her head slowly towards the open window; her tear-filled eyes staring out vacantly.
"I'm so pitiful…I could almost cry…" she whispered wryly.
-:-
Yusuke leaned up heavily against the doorframe as he held his head in his hand. From behind the door, he could hear the guardian crying again, but he just couldn't bring himself to open it again. Through his hands, he let out a heavy sigh and then stared up at the ceiling above him.
"There has to be something wrong with me…" he told himself. After a long pause, he pulled himself away from the door and made his way back the main living area where the others were waiting. He didn't say a word to any of them, but took his place directly next to Kuwabara.
Only about an instant later, Puu flapped over towards the detective and landed straight onto his head. Urameshi didn't make a move to pull the creature off (though it wouldn't have done much good, anyway); instead, he stared transfixed at the table in front of him.
The others in the room seemed to catch the feeling that he didn't want to be disturbed at the particular moment. Hiei, on the other hand, glanced towards the detective quizzically as he sat away from the group near the window. His crimson eyes then found their way to Kurama who was quietly shuffling the playing cards.
Botan, of course, was the first to break the silence, "Alright folks," she announced, trying to get everyone else in the cheery mood, "The game is Dai Hin Min, last one to get rid of their cards loses, got it? Okay, Kurama, deal out the cards!"
The redhead divided the cards, but after a moment he paused and glanced up towards Hiei. The apparition nearly cringed at his cheerful grin.
"Why don't you play cards with us, Hiei?" he asked casually, "After all, we're practically family."
At this, the apparition's eye began to tick as Botan and Kuwabara burst into laughter, and Kurama was trying to suppress his own with a smile. Keiko and Yukina, however, appeared to be left out of the joke and looked inquisitively at one another.
The detective, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the comment and stared blankly down at the cards in his hands. Without realizing it, his knuckles had gone white from clenching the cards between his fingers.
What he couldn't get out of his mind was why Mai looked at him like that…There was pain in her eyes, as if she was almost sad to see him. His brow furrowed darkly—if Toguro had done anything to make her act this way, he would make sure that he was going to regret it.
-:-
Kira suddenly lifted her head and glanced around the room. The lights beyond the door had gone out, and now the only luminescence that came from the room now was the dull glow of moonlight through the window. It was clear that everyone else had gone to bed, judging by the silence in the other rooms, but something had caused the former guardian to wake up.
Her ears twitched and her head turned towards the open window where Koenma stood waiting. She yawned and stretched as the demigod made his way over towards the bed. Kira moved slowly so not to wake up Mai sleeping next to her.
"You found a space already," she said. It wasn't a question.
He nodded slowly, "Not half an hour ago…but I can only hold it off for so long."
The former guardian sighed heavily and glanced briefly towards the girl sleeping peacefully before returning her attention back towards the demigod, "You have really bad timing for these things…" she stated bluntly, "But truthfully, this body is getting on my nerves," she added, trying to shed some light on the subject.
But without waiting for a response from him, Kira closed her eyes slowly. There was a thin aura that surrounded her, but it soon began to pull away from the creature as Kira herself appeared next to the bed. Her body, however, was translucent and the beams of moonlight passed straight through her. The former guardian sighed again and stared down at Mai for a final time.
Leaning over, she gently kissed her along her forehead and brushed a few strands of the girl's crimson hair out of her face. After a pause, the former guardian straightened and turned back to the demigod with a small smile.
"Tell her to visit me sometime, Koenma," she told him and sent him a grin, just as her body began to fade away, "I want her to tell me how this tournament ended up, alright?"
He returned the smile, "I'll make sure she hears it from me," he assured her.
Kira continued to smile, even as the final remains of her body shimmered and disappeared into the air. The demigod was left alone in the room with Mai sleeping along the bed.
'I'll see you in Rekai…'
-:-
a/n:nervous laugh: yeah, sorry if that was confusing (I think this cold has messed with my brain or something…)
ANYway! I'm glad I got this done with! And since it's spring break, I might even feel up to updating again sometime this week!
Hey, and you know what I just noticed? (Despite my pictures) I really think I pictured Mai's hair looking something like Belldandy's from Ah My Goddess (only red).
…wow, but that was random—anywhos, I better go get some lunch everyone!
Ciao!