Chapter 11
"Mom, I'll be gone after school." Kazuma's mother stared at him.
"All right honey."
Kazuma nodded and stuffed a toast in his mouth before leaving through the door. Jay wasn't up yet. Kazuma had left early to avoid him on purpose, his mom was easier to talk to when Jay wasn't there.
Kazuma walked calmly to school but inside he was a wreck. Today he was going to tell Kushija and Chihasu that he didn't want the gun. Of course team Urameshi would be with him, but still....
Kazuma hoped he could settle everything quietly. He hoped Kushija wouldn't be waiting for him after school, because that would just make things worse. He sighed and continued on to school. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell everyone.......
He entered the school yard and walked slowly to class. He idly noticed Yusuke wasn't there for first period. Or second. Or third. Or any other period. The day dragged on.
Finally school was over and Kuwabara was still wondering where Urameshi was. He didn't see him anywhere, he didn't see Kurama or Hiei either. One person he did see though - even though he didn't want to - was Kushija.
Kushija was sitting on the school fence grinning at Kazuma like a chesire cat stalking its prey. Kazuma gulped. He slowly walked over to Kushija.
"Uh...hi.."
"Hello Kuwabara, are you ready to see Chihasu?"
"...er...actually..."
Kushija raised an eyebrow and smiled sardonically.
"Let me guess, you don't have the money, do you?"
"Well, not exactly, you see-"
"You better come see Chihasu with me then. I'll try to straighten this out for you but.....Chihasu's pretty ruthless and your gang did beat him up after all."
Kazuma nodded and followed him. Cursing Yusuke in his mind for making promises he couldn't keep. Yusuke was always skipping out.
Kazuma was so busy mumbling about Yusuke to himself he didn't notice when they finally reached the warehouse a good half hour later. Only when Kushija led him into the poorly lit warehouse did Kazuma notice his surroundings.
He gulped. He hadn't even thought of what he was going to tell Chihasu.....it didn't matter though, Kazuma could take him if he tried to pull something. Knowing this, however, did not ease the bad feeling Kazuma had in his gut.
Kushija motioned for him to stay silent and led him further into the warehouse. Soon they came to a semi-clearing, free of crates and other factory junk. There were two couches which roughly faced each other. Chihasu occupied one and three others occupied the other. Chihasu stopped talking and raised an eyebrow when he saw Kushija approach, Kuwabara following him like a little kitten following its mother.
"So?"
"So?" Kushija echoed back at Chihasu. Chihasu gave him a serious look, which was tough considering he was smashed. Kuwabara tried not to fidget nervously as Chihasu turned to gase solemnly at him. His words were a bit slurred, yet clam and smooth as before.
"No money." Chihasu stared at Kuwabara awhile before bursting into a round of small childish chuckles. "Honey."
"No money, Honey." Chihasu repeated several times in a sing-song voice. "Look guys," he turned to the three boys on the couhc, "I'm a poet."
Kushija raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Ri~ght."
Chihasu approached Kuwabara with a sway in his step. He stopped with his toes to Kuwabara's. Kuwabara shifted back uncomfortably, the smell of booze strong. He winced.
Chihasu dreamily stood on his tippy toes and leaned up. He was nose to nose with Kuwabara. Kazuma noticed Kushija tense, smile still in place though half hearted.
"Hey Chihasu." Chihasu turned to glare at him as if he was disturbing something.
"What?! Can't you see I'm busy?!"
Kushija calmly approached Chihasu and led him back to the couch by the arm.
"You got his gun?"
Chihasu nodded angrily and tore up a cushion, opening it, he withdrew a small handgun.
"Best I could get, on such short notice." He slurred.
Kushija just nodded, inspecting the gun.
"Listen, I don't mean to rain on your parade but...our friend here doesn't have the money."
Chihasu processed this slowly and finally turned to Kazuma, smiling wickedly.
"Oh...another toy for me to play with then."
Kushija leaned in convesationally.
"Well, I was thinking, you know......you owe me for quite a lot."
Chihasu nodded. Kushija continued.
"How 'bout we make a trade. I'll cancel your debt if you give me him."
Chihasu snorted poutingly and Kuwabara's eyes were wide in disbelief but he forced himself to stay quiet.
"I don't want to trade him!"
Chihasu rose and made his way over to Kazuma, Kushija not daring to stop him. He squinted up at him before attacking him, sending them both sprawling onto the ground.
For a moment Kazuma was disoriented and dizzy, Chihasu's small weight pinning him down. He was about to get up but didn't have the chance as Chihasu was roughly grabbed by the collar and hauled backwards.
Kuwabara heard some shouting and quickly jumped up. By the time he was up everyone was knocked out and he was the only one left standing, minus Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei. They looked angry.
Kuwabara let out a small weak smile and waved at them, backing up a little, Yusuke was pure red, even Hiei looked flushed in anger. Kurama had a hard look but was otherwise the same pale color they had come to expect. Kazuma swallowed. He noticed Kushija unconscious on the floor and inwardly sighed.
Yusuke exploded.
"You IDIOT! I told you not to come with out us!! Do you even know what they could have done?! Do you?!!"
Kuwabara glared at him, like always, and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yeah well, I had it under control and if YOU had just kept your promise in the first place and came-"
"We were at Koenma's!!~"
"How was I supposed to know?!!"
Before the arguement could get any worse Kurama intervened. Forever the peacemaker.
"Stop fighting. Let's just be glad we got here in time."
Kuwabara sniffed.
"I could have handled them, they were only humans."
Yusuke growled.
"Yeah, humans with guns! And in case you didn't notice, you're human too idiot."
Kuwabara huffed but didn't answer. He made his way over to Kushija's body. He sighed and tried to pick him up but was finding it difficult with one hand in a cast and having newly acquired weakness brought about by stress, worry, and lack of training and use of spiritual energy. Finally he gave up and angrily turned to Yusuke.
"Pick him up!"
Yusuke looked dumbfounded and the other two members of the reikai were looking doubtful.
"What for?!"
"Because"
"Because what?"
"Because he tried to help me okay?"
"Really?" Yusuke said dryly.
"Yes, so just put him somewhere comfortable okay?"
"Fine. You and your stupid honor code."
"It's not stupid."
"Yeah yeah"
Yusuke bent over Kushija before picking him up and heaving him onto one of the couches. Meanwhile Kazuma was writing and thank you note and apologizing at the same time. Kurama was looking confused, Hiei....well it was hard to tell with Hiei, he was either bored, angry, or constipated. Kazuma looked up into their quizzical faces. He shrugged embarrasedly, cheeks tinged pink.
"What? It's a thank you note."
Yusuke sighed exasperatedly and Hiei 'hn'-ed.
The boys found their way out of the warehouse unscathed. Kuwabara was a little jumpy and nervous.
"So...."
"So? We should probably take care of your father huh?"
"Uh....I gue- wait, what did Koenma say anyway?"
"Well Idiot," It was Hiei talking. "He said that your father wasn't on file and therefore he can't do anything about it."
"Well, he did say that we should give him what's coming to him, if that's any help...." Kurama trailed off.
Kazuma looked alarmed.
"You told him everything?"
Kurama nodded, a little ashamed.
"Oh come on guys, lighten up. It's not like Kuwabara hasn't been beaten up before. It's not exactly a traumatic experience for him. I mean, he's practically my punching bag."
"Yusuke, you should be more sensitive. Having a parent treat you cruedly is always an emotionally damaging experience."
"Wait a minute. You guys are doing this because you think I am emotionally damaged?!"
"Idiot. Maybe he beats you because he's trying to make you stronger."
"Shut up Shrimp! I don't see how you guys would know. You just think I'm a cry baby coming to whine for help! He put me in the hospital!"
"Yeah and Toguro almost killed you but you can let that slip?"
"Shut up Urameshi! You know what?! I don't need your help!"
"Stop being stupid, okay? We said we'll help you."
"I said forget it. I don't need your help."
"Kuw-"
"No, I'm going home."
Kuwabara turned on his heel and quickly left the three behind. He shouldn't have been so rash.....
"Urgh! I'm so stupid!"
Kuwabara stopped and looked around hesitantly before turning and going in the opposite direction from his apartment. He didn't want to go home..... Not to Jay.