I apppologize once again for taking so long to update! But here it is! I'm trying really hard to make sure all my words are spaced out from now on. I hate reading it in other fics and I'm sure you all do as well.
I'd like to thank those who have stuck with me on this fic so far. I deeply appreciate the reviews and it's just great to know that I'm doing ok.
While working on this chapter I became very hungry. I was so hungry it hurt! I forced myself to wait until it was done to eat. I held off eating food just for you all. Well without further ado I give you Chapter 11!
(AN) Heros, one of Nomino's men is notpronunced hero's. Just so you know I realized that it looked like that writing this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho but I wish I did! I do own Osina however, she's mine, no touchie! Oh yeah so are Heros and Zesto.
Chapter 11: Breakfast at Osina's
The storm that had appeared so suddenly the day before was long gone. It had been replaced by a warm morning with vibrant sunshine and the beautiful melody of bird songs. The mansion still stood, unfazed by nature's fury. A large number of the birds were currently gathered around one of the arched windows. The birds themselves came in a variety of colors that could make Joseph jealous. They were all flitting about and tapping their beaks against the windowpane. Something on the other side had grabbed their attention and until it acknowledged them they wouldn't leave.
The something on the other side was actually a someone.Ashley sat quietly on a seat on the other side of the window. The birds trying so hard to get her attention went unnoticed by her. She was lost in thought and seemed to be struggling with some sort of inner problem. Her small mouth was set in a firm frown and her usually bright brown eyes were clouded and dim. Somehow she managed to stay completely focused even though the sounds of agitated birds could be heard through the thick glass.
Her main problem was Hiei. For some reason or another she found herself growing attached to him. She'd never felt this way before and she wasn't completely sure she liked it. It had only been a day since she'd first ran off he'd come to save her. That itself was more confusing then her own twisted feelings. 'Why did he risk his life for her when he had openly admitted to hating her?'
Ashley shook her head and propped it up with small hand. It made no sense no matter what way she looked at it. 'Maybe he just wanted to finish her off himself?' No, it wasn't that. If he'd had any plans to do so he would have done the job already. Then there was the whole thing about him falling asleep in her arms and the incident from last night. Ashley sighed as the image of him lying before her took control of her thoughts. How his red eyes seemed to glow, as if on fire and his unruly black hair framed his lightly tanned face giving him an even more exotic appearance.
Outside one of the birds decided it would be ignored no longer. It flew off of the window seal and took flight. It readied itself for impact as it sped down at the window.
A loud 'thud' pulledAshley from her vivid daydream and sent her crashing to the floor. "Ack!" She rose from her sprawled position as she gingerly rubbed her backside. With her bubble burst and her lower half wounded she walked over to the window to investigate. She could see numerous spots of color moving around outside. She pressed her face onto the cold glass to get a better look.
The newly awakenedKurama was on his way to the little boy's room when he heard an unmistakable scream. "What on earth is she up to at this hour?" he questioned a nearby houseplant.
The only answer he got from the plant was a snicker and a witty remark about his 'morning toilet time'. He sent it a warning glare before walking off in a huff to see why anyone other then him and Hiei were up this early. He rounded the corner and traversed down the hallway softly so as not to alertAshley of his coming. He stopped next to her room and knocked on the door. He smiled; it wasn't polite to enter a ladies room without permission after all.
When no one answered Kurama rapped on the door again. Still no answer. "Hello, Ashley, I'm coming in." he announced before stepping inside the room. The room was very neat and tidy. In fact it looked as though no one had been in it for days. 'Why would she not use her room?'
With his 'morning toilet time' momentarily forgotten he walked further down the hall and peered into the room. His eyes enlarged and his mouth hung slightly open as he stared at the scene in front of him. Ashley had her face pressed up against the window and was muttering something about evil colors. He backed away slowly and headed off to his original destination.
Kurama glanced back down the hallway he had just traveled. In normal circumstances he would have left the young woman alone but there were still a few things that required explanations.
He turned around and headed back towards the room she was in. He stepped inside the room keeping his eyes trained on her doing his best to snicker at her actions. He tried to make a little noise so that she would look over and see him.
The only thing she did do was roll her head from side to side mocking the birds on the other side of the glass. Then as if feeling his presence she looked over at him. She gave him a look of complete boredom and went back to mocking the colorful fowl.
Kurama sighed heavily his shoulders slumping in defeat. It was far to early to deal with any type of female. The young man slumped off back to the bathroom. His demon side nagged at him for being so soft and gentle. He on the other hand didn't mind his newly acquired nature. Although from time to time he did miss his old job. What he trully missed was his mother.
After a good ten minutes of harassing the birds Ashley finally got up and left the room. She'd ignored Kurama because she wasn't intereseted in talking about what had happened. She needed to find something to keep her occupied and the best way for her to do that was to cook!
With her mind made up she headed straight over to the kitchen to make breakfast. She was sure Kurama would appreciate it seeing as how he did all the cooking. She used to help Jinn cook all the time. Eventually she'd taken over the job permenently. She smiled to herself as happier times flooded her concious mind. Just thinking about him always became painful after a while.
For a few quietmoments she walked in a depressed daze.
She stopped suddenly andmentally shook off the sorrow that threatened to take hold. She was done being weak and crying was a sign of weakness.
After assuring herself of her goals and regaining her strength she marched onward towards the kitchen. She stepped inside and looked around.
The shear size of the mansion never ceased to amaze her.The kitchen was just as massive and grand as the rest of the mansion. The stove was very large and had probably fed a large amount of people at one time. She walked around studying the room and all of its accesories. The counter tops were a dark grey stone and the wooden portions were a dark chocalte brown. The floor was a gray tinted offwhite that accented the light blue paint on the walls. The wash basins were large also and incredibly deep.
The cabinets up high and down low had a simple lovely design that shimmered when the light hit them. She wandered around looking at all the fine accesories that went with the enormus kitchen.
Her stomach growled reminding her of why she'd come down there. She propped herself up on to one of the dark gray counter tops. She had a strange craving for French Toast. Unfortunantly she didn't have a recipe for it. She opened up one of the matching drawes and found a cook book.
"How convinent" she said smiling now all she needed was her ingredients.
As she peered inside one of the many shimmering cabinets and she found all the dry ingredients she needed to make French toast. She was a little startled to see it all there as if the kitchen had read her thoughts. Another thing she hadn't thought of was where did they get their food supplies? The closest market was days away and they couldn't leave the mansion for more then an hour.
She gave a sidelong glance to a nearby cabinet and thought of a bag of flour. She opened it up and looked inside to find a bag of flour.
"Oh cool!" she exclaimed. Eager to see if it really worked she closed it and thought of some hard toffees. She opened it up to find nothing.
"What…I thought it would work." Sighing heavily she closed the door and tried again and got the same result.
Upset about the candy Ashley jumped slightly when someone spoke up behind her. "Your not going to get sweets of any kind out of the kitchen, Ashley. It only gives us what we need, not what we want."
"Is it necessary for you sneak around everywhere! Can't you tell someone your coming in first." She cried. "I promise, you must have been a sneak before you came here."
Kurama walked over to stand next to her, his long red hair swishing about as he did so. "That story will be for another day, for now I'm only curious as to what it is your planing to do." His arm did a sweeping motion over to where she had set up her cooking necessities.
"Well I'm making breakfast" sheanswered casually.
"I trust you know your way around the kitchen. If you need any assistance I will be in the study." he replied. "I'll make sure your not disturbed as well. It's not often that someone else cooks."
She watched his retreating form until he was no longer visible and then returned to her earlier job of making breakfast. She grabbed an apron and tied up her hair. She was in for the long haul and she was going to enjoy it.
It didn't take long for the smell to awaken the two teens. Yusuke being the first to rise from his death-like slumber. He stumbled out into the hallway rubbing his eyes with one hand and his other one under his shirt and sticking out a hole near the shoulder.
He stopped rubbing his eyes to scratch at his rugged bed hair. He yanked his arm out of his shirt and procedded towards the kitchen where he was sure Kurama would be cooking.
The feeling of his body colliding with another stopped his movements. He gazed up sleepily at Kurama and yawned. "Hey Kurama, what did you make this time?"
"I'm afraid someone beat me to it this morning" Kurama stated smiling softly as Yusuke's face paled.
"You didn't let HER cook did you!" Yusuke stepped back a few feet at Kurama's answer. He wouldn't dare let her cook breakfast, not after that last episode. He shuddered invoultarily at the thought of what Botan had cooked up.
At that moment Kuwabara chose to come out of his room and walked over to where the two were. He sniffed and smiled and headed straight for the kitchen only to be held up by one of Kurama's outstreched arms. "What's the big idea Kurama?"
"You two will remain out here until she has finished cooking." His tone of voice left no room for arguments so the two of them returned to their rooms grumbling all the way.
The clever kitsune resisted the urge to growl when Botan sauntered sleepily out of her room. She was just as bad as the teens if not worse. "Botan, I must ask you to remain in your room until I come for you." His voice was overly cheery as he spoke.
Botan took the hint and returned to her room without making so much as a peep. Kurama stared after her a little shocked that she hadn't said a thing. His job from here on out was done so he went back to the study to take a quick rest.
In a less then half an hours time Ashley had finished cooking and was setting her food up to take out to the dinning room. She smiled to herself when she placed the plates and utensils on the large wooden table. It felt so good to cook for someone else again. Jinn had never been handy with anything inside the house, including cooking. Memories of him trying to bake cookies or cook stew danced around behind her closed eyelids.
Once again the empty abyss known as her stomach brought her out of her daydream. With a lighthearted sigh she laid down an extra set of utensils and a plate on the table. She knew Hiei wouldn't come and eat but if he did she'd be ready for him.Kurama had casually 'hinted' that Hiei had a sweet tooth bigger then his ego. Not forgeting what Kurama had said she'd made a few things for them all to top their toast with besides syrup. A cinnamon glaze, a fruit topping that only Kurama would touch and a fudge like chocolate sauce for the boys.
As for Botan she hadn't really gotten to know her very well. For some reason she seemed to avoid her by any means possible. Based off of her limited knowledge she made a sugar with some powdered sugar. Despite the other girls cold demeanor she still seemed like she was sugary sweet inside her bitter shell.
Surveying the table one last time just to make sure everything was perfect. These people had been generous to her and she wanted to thank them and this was the best way she knew how. Wiping her flour dusted hands on her apron she went back in the kitchen and pulled out some light-blue cloth napkins from a drawer. She placed the six napkins next to each plate and hurried off to let her new friends know they could eat.
She opened the door to find all four of them waiting impatiently. She gave them a slight nod and they all walked past her into the room. She looked back down the hallway to see if Hiei was there but seen nothing.
They might as well have Oo'd and ah'd when they seen the food. There were stacks upon stacks of golden brown french toast slices. An assorment of sauces and a pitcher of milk and orange juice were on either side. They all went over and took a seat waiting for Ashley to join them.
"Oh yeah!" Yusuke cried enthusiasticly. " He reaced forward to grab a slice and had his hand swatted by a spatula. "OW! What the heck was that for!" He sent a glare in Ashley's general direction.
"We haven't blessed the food yet! Now silence!"
Yusuke cowered in his seat looking a little shocked at the petite girls outburst. He complied as did the other three and bowed their heads in silence.
"Alright eat up and let me know what you think!" she exclaimed.
Yusuke was the first to taste the toast. He chewed it fora few seconds and swallowed making a huge production of eating the food. He finally stopped and looked at them.
"Wel how's it tasts Urameshi?" asked Kuwabara. He was anxious to eat but wasn't going to touch it until he got some answers.
A loud obnoxious burp was Yusuke's only reply as he began to shovel food into his mouth.
"Oh boy!" Kuwabara joined in as the two scarfed down the food and helped themselves to seconds.
Kurama spotted a fruit sauce and topped his toast and across from himas Botan soaked hers in melted sugary goodness.
Ashley sat back and watched as they all ate their fill and beamed as they all each enjoyed the sauces she'd made. That recipie book had come in handy. She leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling as she tried to unravel a small mystery. If she couldn't get sweets from the cabinets how come it had given it to her later?
Ah well who cares. She picked up her own fork and wrestled the chocolate sauce from Yusuke and chowed down on her acomplishment.
As the group ate another figure made it's way to the sweet aroma of cinnamon and syrup. He licked his lips in anticipation as he drew nearer. The smell of freshly cooked bread dipped in a thick sweet coating assaulted his senses. He breathed heavily flooding his nose with the scent and calming himself down. It was all he could do to keep himself from running like a madman into the dining room like some sugar-high little boy.
What ever the fox had made was something new and he found he was beside himself with joy at the idea of sinking his teeth into it. The food left his mind for a moment as he realized what he was doing. He was downstairs during the day planning on eating with the mansions other occupants.
A loud rumbling sound sent a wave of pain through his abdomen shuting up his innervoice. He didn't care who seen him, he just wanted whatever they were eating. So taking a deep breath he opened the doors and walked in.
All eyes looked up at him with the exception of Yusuke who was to preocupied with his food to care about anything else.
The shocked eyes of the diners watched as the bandaged Hiei walked over and took a seat. They continued to stare as he filled his plate and looked around. His sugar-glazed eyes stopped on the chocolate sauce as he reached over for it only to have it swatted away by an agitated Yusuke.
Hiei growled menacingly and Yusuke sent him a glare laced with daggers. Hiei sent him a warning glare and swiped the sauce pouring the whole jar onto his toast. He smacked it repeatedly to get all of it out. Even going as far as to lick his fingers.
Kurama 's eye twitched slightly and Botan was looking to make a quick exit. Kuwabara looked aprehensive as he watched Hiei begin to consume his toast. Yusuke grumbled as he watched Hiei finish off his sauce.
They all finally went back to their own toast when they realized that Hiei meant them no harm. The usually tense vibes that flooded the room when Hiei was near weren't noticed as they all ate in companionable silence.
At the end of the forest all was quiet save for the raised voices of two men. They were fighting over wether they should enter the forest.
"Heros! Your gonna get us killed!" shouted the older of the two. His short brown hair shook as he screamed at his younger partner.
"You gotta live once and a while Zesto! I mean it can't be that bad." replied the adventurous one. His bright yellow eyes gleamed with excitment.
"If you die it's not my fault."Zesto crossed his arms in defiance and looked away.
"Yeah, yeah whatever. SO are you coming or what?" asked Heros mischievously.
"Oh fine I'll come but only to keep you out of trouble" Zesto answered.
The two began to walk into the forest both looking around and on full alert for anything. They walked for almost ten minutes when they finallybegan torelax and enjoy the serene setting. They stopped at a small clearing in the forest and looked up at the clear sky.
"Hey I told you nothing would happen Zesto." teased Heros.
"Whatever Heros, I still think we should head back. It's not safe to be in here uninvited by the ice demon clan."
A loud crash in the distance disrupted the silence as it came crashing towards them. Both men loooked at each other for a second and then bolted back to the clearing.
"I can't believe you talked me into doing this Heros!" Zesto screamed as he jumped over a log trying to avoid being ht by braches.
"Yeah well I can't believe you let me talk you into it!" Heros shot back.
The crashing sound began to get louder as whatever was chasing them got closer.
The two of them ran like madmen as they raced to the forest edge. They're hearts pounding in their chest and their brows were drenched in sweat. The crashing was growing louder with every stride they took and it was gaining fast. They could hear as their pursuer ran through bushes and mowed down countless saplings.
"I'm gonna die!" screamed Heros. His eyes had taken on a look of pure horror as he ran.
"We are going to make it Heros, pull your self together!" shouted Zesto. His own adrenaline rush was spiking his awarness and he had been sure he'd heard the sound of breathing and growling behind them. He was just as frightned as he was, if not more.
As if someone had magically pushed them forward they burst through the tree line and fell onto their faces landing infront of a fallen tree trunk. Seconds later a very familiar male Vacer lept over them splatering them with blood that was gushing from a wound.
They stared up as time froze capturing the creature in mid flight showcasing its raw power and deadly natural weapons. The Vacer finally landed with an undignified thud as its own legs collapsed under its weight. It moaned in pain at the impact and braced itself to stand again.
Zesto and Heros were shivering in fear clinging to one another as they awaited death. When nothing happened they peered over the trunk and watched as the Vacer struggled to stand.
Growling mournfully the Vacer stood breathing hard short gasps as it began to walk and broke into a run. The soldiers thought that it was going to make it until it fell forward letting out a yelp of pain as it hit the ground.
The two men looked at each other giving a silent agreement to help the Vacer. They walked up cautiously and bent down next to his side.
A low deep growl rumbled from within as the Vacer eyed them suspiciously. Heros seemed to have forgotten what the beast was cpable of as he reached out and stroked its thick black fur.
Zesto held his breath and didn't let it out until the Vacer stopped growling and began to whine. Once again the two of them made a silent agreement and on the count of three lifted the Vacer up and carried him back to the village.
After Nomino's men had exhausted their supplies they had went to the neighboring village and forced the people there to accommodate them. The soldiers had went into the poor villagers homes and taken everything, from precious family heirlooms to their women.
Nomino went from home to home assuring the towns folk that everything would be returned to them after they got what they had come for. The villagers agreed to Nomino's demands and set aside a building for them to stay in. Nomino himself made sure that his men stayed in line and took care of his special guest the wind master.
The whole group had finished eating and everyone was dying to ask Hiei some unanswered questions. Before they could all round on him Ashley stood up and struck one of the glass cups with a fork.
They all looked over at her diverting their attention awayfrom the former fire demon.
"I have an announcement, I'd like to tell you all my 'real' name." Ashley watched them all as they sat down realizing the improtance of her announcement.
"My name is Osina. It's the only thing I have left from my mother whom Ihave never met." she stated solemnly. "I'd appreciate it if from now on you adressed me as Osina seing as how Ashley is a nickname Jinn gave me."
Botan stood up and walked over to her and embraced her. "Welcome to our home, Osina."
Osina smiled and returned the hug. It was the first time she'd really felt at ome since she'd been seperated from Jinn. She looked around at the othersbright smilesand avoided eye contact with Hiei. Maybe after she rescued Jinn her new family would allow him to stay as well.
Tada! That's the end! ...NOT! I'd throw myself down the stairsbefore I left this fic unfinished. This chapter was a lot longer then my other ones. Sory again for taking so long but look how well I wrote i this time, ya? Ok I'll let you go. Don't forget to review as payment