I'm going to go ahead and start on this even though I haven't posted the other yet...Does it seem like Ranma likes Kurama and Yusuke? If it does, I'm sorry. He doesn't; he's just nosy and feels inexplicably threatened by their presences, as anyone might.
Warnings: I own nothing. This is yaoi. Look out – behind you!!! (Eh...no pun intended, I swear...)
Sounds of argument came through the classroom door even before Ranma reached it, and the pigtailed boy could only feel relief that, for once, it didn't involve him. He had left the dojo at an extremely early hour in order to avoid Akane, Shampoo, Kuno, Kodachi, and Ryoga – who had only just returned from only God knows where last night. For some reason, all of them felt like attacking him lately, and he just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Besides, no one would think to look for him at school.
Not that he was hiding from them or anything...
Besides, the principal was threatening a lawsuit if he was the cause of destroyed school property one more time.
Still, Ranma was surprised to find anyone other than himself at the school at that hour.
"No! No, I won't do it; it's stupid!"
"She's you're mother, my dear. The least you can do visit her at her request."
"I should kill Kuwabara for giving her my new number." Yusuke glanced up as Ranma walked into the classroom, then dismissed him as if he didn't exist. He sat on top of Kurama's desk, and the redhead sat properly in his seat, a novel held open but ignored as he spoke with his dark haired friend. "Look, Kurama," Yusuke had lowered his voice, but Ranma was a very good eavesdropper. "I know your mom's great, yadda yadda yadda, she taught you about caring for others, yeah, whatever," He hissed, "But my mom is a drunken, irresponsible whore and I don't want to see her ever again. She's the reason I ever started living with you, if you'll remember."
"Oh? And here I thought it was because..." And here Kurama's voice dropped too quiet for Ranma to have any hope of overhearing. The pigtailed martial artist pillowed his head atop his arms on his desk and pretended to be asleep.
"That's the reason why I stay." Yusuke grumbled quietly, tone of voice odd and almost...sheepish.
Kurama chuckled quietly and their conversation continued in whispers. Ranma lifted his head to chance a glance and found their heads close together, eyes locked on each other. There was something about their body language that was somewhat disturbing to Ranma, but he couldn't pinpoint why. It was obvious that they were close friends; he just couldn't remember ever seeing two guys sit so close to each other.
A group of girls came in then, talking and chattering happily until they spotted the two new boys, who they then made a beeline for.
"I know where I know you from now, Yusuke-kun." One of the girls said flirtatiously, sitting on top of the desk next to the one Yusuke sat on and shifting in such a way that her skirt came up and flashed her thigh. Her name was Miki, and she was the class harlot, shamelessly flirting with anything male. She usually didn't waste her time on guys her own age though. "My friend Natsume goes to your old school!" She looked at him through her lashes and smiled wickedly, voice low. "She said you were a big bully. Really scary. Do you want to bully me, Yusuke-kun?"
A low growl sounded in the boy's throat and he smiled dangerously and the girls all squealed.
"Oh! You really are scary!"
"You got that right. I was the biggest punk that old place ever saw. They couldn't handle me, I tell you."
"Yusuke," Kurama was frowning at the girls and turned slowly to his friend, eyes half-lidded as he gave a small smile and brushed long strands of hair over his shoulder. "Do you know the original meaning of that word? Punk?" He had succeeded in attaining the other boy's rapt attention, and Yusuke seemed almost entranced by his eyes as he shook his head no. Giving the girls a smile Ranma could only describe as naughty, Kurama put a hand on Yusuke's shoulder and pulled him down, whispering in his ear so quietly that not even the girls heard what was said.
Yusuke stared at him for a long while after he had finished, then silently slid from the top of Kurama's desk and moved to his own, swatting the girls away as if they were flies. He sat staring at the chalkboard for a few moments, before turning large eyes back on the redhead.
Kurama calmly stood. "I believe I have left something in my locker. If you will excuse me, please, ladies."
Rolling his eyes, Ranma buried his head in his arms, only raising it when, about five minutes later, the disappointed sounds of the girls alerted him that Yusuke was leaving as well.
The classroom was beginning to fill up. The five new girls had come in followed by the male (and two female) classmates who had taken it upon themselves to stalk them. They ignored their admirers completely as they took their seats and chatted cheerfully amongst themselves.
Three minutes before class was scheduled to begin, Ukyo came in, slipping him a note and a small satchel of breakfast foods on her way to her desk. The note read: DANGER! PREPARE TO SUCK UP BIG TIME! – U
Its meaning became clear once Akane walked in, a mere seconds before the bell rang. She was disheveled and glaring furiously and there were black rose petals in her hair – a telltale sign of a spat with Kodachi. If the past was anything to judge by, Shampoo had probably been there as well.
"Where the hell were you?" She hissed, sliding into her desk. "I swear, Ranma, I am sick to death of cleaning up your messes for you!"
How the hell was she supposed to understand how utterly sick he was of everyone he knew trying to kill, or worse, marry him? She would never believe that he grew tired of the constant fighting. "I had some things to take care of." He answered sleepily. Why did Ryoga always have to attack in the middle of the night?
Akane's eyes softened. "Is there a problem, Ranma? Do...do you need to talk about something?"
He snorted.
Her eyes hardened once more. "Like I'd want to help you anyway! It was detention again, wasn't it? You are such a slouch, Ranma!"
"All right, quiet, quiet! Everyone in your desks!" The teacher paused in taking out his lesson plans, looking around the room. Ranma noticed a small child had followed him into the room and stood silently behind him, observing the class with cold, almost hateful eyes of ruby. "Where are Urameshi and Minamino?"
"Shuichi-kun had to get something from his locker." Miki supplied. "And Yusuke-kun just...left."
The teacher frowned and made a mark in his planner. "Both tardy on their second day..." He grumbled, then looked up and motioned impatiently to the child behind him. "We have yet another new student. This is Hiei Hiei." He looked up at the boy. "You have the same last and first names?"
The child only glared.
Mr. Tako seemed suddenly very, very nervous. "W...we...well, isn't that...isn't that unique. You...you can just...uh...choose a seat...anywhere."
"Thanks." He answered, sounding sarcastic. "Where do the two who came here yesterday sit?" It was pointed out to him, both front seats; Kurama's the beginning seat of the first row. Wordlessly, Hiei lifted the boy sitting in the seat next to Yusuke's by the collar and hauled him up, pushing him away.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're - !?"
Glaring, he gathered the boy's books and pushed them at him and then, turning to the desk next to the one he had emptied, he took up Yusuke's books and put them on the newly emptied desk, then sat in the middle desk and crossed his arms, ignoring the girls who squealed over the presence of the "kawaii chibi"
It was while the teacher was taking roll that both Yusuke and Kurama returned, both stopping in the doorway to stare at the new boy.
"Hiei!" Kurama exclaimed, for the first time that Ranma had seen appearing to be surprised.
"I should have guessed you would come here after the way you attacked us yesterday when we got home." Yusuke muttered, grinning broadly. Blowing off Mr. Tako's attempts to demand to know why he was late, he took a seat in his new desk.
The new girls, Ranma noticed, were staring at the three newest members of the class, who continued to lean in and whisper to one another even after Mr. Tako had begun teaching and made an assignment. Ranma thought that once the teacher was about to scold the three for disturbing the class, but he trailed off as if afraid. At that point in time, Yusuke and Kurama were leaned in close having a heated conversation in whispers while Hiei, between them, had his hands neatly folded on his desk and his eyes fixed on the teacher, a strange, menacing expression on his face.
By lunch time, Ranma realized they were still discussing what they had been that morning. It was also very clear that somehow the new boy was a part of the deep friendship that Kurama and Yusuke obviously shared, even though he refused to speak to anyone else, and didn't seem the friendly type. When Yusuke and Kurama had moved to the lunch line to buy food, the short boy had stopped them with a glare and wordlessly pulled out three sacked lunches.
Yusuke obviously thought it would be amusing to sit at Ranma's table again, much to Ranma's annoyance. The presence of the two "hot new bishis" and the "kawaii chibi" meant more people than usual sitting at the tables around him and trying to sit at his table. More people he would have to ensure didn't get hurt if someone decided to randomly attack him.
Which was entirely possible. Ranma had no doubt that Yusuke himself had probably already picked him out as the strongest in the school, and if he was any kind of fighter he would be challenging the pigtailed boy before very long.
"Enough, Kurama." Yusuke snapped, brushing the redhead away as he continued to try intently to whisper something to him. Growling lowly, he pulled a sandwich from his bag and took a fearsome, almost violent bite out of it. "Nothing you can do will make me go and see that bitch." He snarled, mouth full of food.
"Really, my dear, must you be so coarse?" Kurama sighed.
Yusuke only glared. "I ain't goin' nowhere near her. She almost ruined my life. Hiei, side with me here."
"No chance in hell." The chibi growled. "Have him mad at me, too? What kind of fool do you take me for?"
"Hiei!"
"Yusuke, she claims to have cleaned herself up. She seems to genuinely want to see you."
"Yeah, like hell. She's done shit like this before, Kurama, but she always goes back to her old ways. Example: After I di..." he cut off, suddenly seeming to realize that he sat at a crowded table and was speaking rather loudly. "Look, enough, okay? We'll talk about this later, in private, all right?"
Kurama sighed. "Yusuke, you force me to do this. Until you go and visit her, I shall be forced to cut you off."
"What? You can't do that!"
"Cut him off from what?" Ukyo intruded rudely.
Yusuke stared at her a long moment. "Candy." He said finally. "He won't let me have any candy until I agree. Sadistic bastard."
"Now, Yusuke..."
"Anyway, it ain't gonna' work, Kurama." Yusuke snorted. "I'll just get my candy from Hiei."
"Not unless Hiei wants to stop receiving candy from me as well."
"That's not fair!"
"Why don't you just go and get your own candy yourself?" Ukyo asked, once more butting in rudely.
"What are you, some kind of pervert? Yusuke Urameshi does not need to get his own candy, understand? I ain't that pathetic!"
Hiei placed a wad of money on the table. "I say he gives in by the end of the day."
"The hour." Kurama smiled, sliding the money over to himself and placing it in his pocket.
"You're betting on me!?"
"We know how much you love your candy, kitten."
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!"
"The strange aura has grown." The dark haired girl said quietly, stirring around her rice with her chopsticks, appetite suddenly gone completely.
"Do you know what's causing it?"
"No. Not for sure yet."
The blonde's large blue eyes were large and frightened. "Are you sure it's the same aura from the dream?"
"The very one." The raven haired girl shivered in fear. The end of the world, time closing in on itself, and one great aura of both darkness and light that would either speed the end or prevent it – the distance between good and evil, life and death, a mere hairsbreadth.
She glanced at the three new boys and the unease she'd felt since they had arrived grew stronger. There was something...wrong...about them. As if they weren't even human.
"Rei-chan? You okay?"
"F...fine." She lied.
Usagi smiled brightly and tilted her head to the side, pointing to Rei's lunch. "Are you going to finish that, by any chance?"
Ranma leapt into the air, turning it into a back flip at the last moment as Kuno tried to intercept him with a side kick.
"That the best you can do?" He taunted, landing seamlessly on the school's fence and flicking his braid over his shoulder.
"I shall fell thee, foul demon!" The troubled 'blue thunder' bellowed angrily, charging, wooden sword held high. "Enemy to all women; no more shall your accursed shadow fall upon the beauteous Akane! Like the wind of a tropical storm, I shall strike quickly and fiercely and leave you, the hapless village, forever destroyed!"
"Forgot to take your medication again, I see." Ranma observed, jumping off the fence and landing on the sword.
"That is of no consequence!" He roared, letting the end of the sword drop so that Ranma was forced to jump off, then swinging wildly at the pigtailed boy's side. Ranma pulled back from the blow, swinging his leg out and catching Kuno in the side of the head.
Knockout. Another meaningless victory for Ranma.
"Idiot." Ranma muttered, straitening. He felt a pair of eyes on him and found himself turning. Yusuke leaned against the wall of the school, watching him critically.
"Not bad." The dark haired boy called. "You've got style. I know another idiot you can beat up if you want. Might be a pretty good fight. Of course, Kuwabara fights more like a speeding locomotive than a martial artist."
"And you?" Ranma asked, crossing his arms. "How do you fight?"
"Like a demon." He growled with a smirk, picking up his bag and sauntering away.
To Be Continued
I'm starting to work in a plot a little bit now. Hurray!
"Punk" was originally a term used in ancient Greece (or Rome, I don't remember which.) It referred to the submissive in a male-male relationship.
At least, that's what I've heard. Anyway, let's just say that Kurama was being suggestive and leave it at that, neh?