Yay! I got a review! Thank you pixie-loves-night! I'm glad you liked it, amd so I'm updating just for you! So enjoy.
"Oh, they probably didn't know my name. I'm Flare."
The nurse nodded. "Well, ok, Flare. Go back to sleep and heal. You aren't leaving until you are well." she chided gently before leaving Flare's bedside.
Flare sighed as she settled herself back down, wondering what was going to happen to her now. Making herself as comfortable as she could while still on her stomach, she though.
I'm probably still a slave, to one of those boys, I suppose. Well, that doesn't seem too bad. unless its that orange-haired kid. I don't think I'd like him as a master.
Flare look back over at the red-head, then reminded herself to call him Kurama, not Akage. He has a name, so she should use it, even in her mind. But you felt really bad for burning him like that. Maybe she could help him?
Shaking her head, she lay back down, tired and still sore, despite the pain medication.
Flare's gold eyes snapped open, something suddenly waking her up. Making sure she stays still, Flare tries to analyze what it could have been that woke her up. A careful turning of her head showed her the clock, the luminous green numbers telling her it was 2:26 in the morning.
It was almost pitch black in the room, besides the glowing clock numbers, so Flare could hardly see a thing. So, deciding it was nothing, she sighed and turned, ready to go back to sleep.
Acid green eyes were watching her, seeming to glow with their own inner light.
Flare's eyes widen in surprise and she quickly calls fire to her palm, then sighed again, this time in relief, discovering only Kurama.
"You startled me." Flare said, watching the shadows flicker on his face in response to the flame she held.
He smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, I never meant to." he said, in his eerily calm voice.
Flare intensifies her fire so she could see him better, which brought Kurama's burns into stark relief, angry and red against his pale skin. "Oh! I'm so sorry about burning you! A total accident, I swear!"
Kurama chuckled a little. "Yes, that is what I assumed. But it was my mistake as well. If I had known you were a fire demon, I'd never have done that. But what's done is done, and there is no need to worry over it any longer."
Flare tilted her head. "I'm not a fire demon. I'm only part of one. I'm also a siren, and I can shapeshift. But I can't really use my fire powers for much. I can light a room, or set someone on fire if I'm angry or scared enough. I have no special moves with my fire." she said, then paused, as if thinking. "Actually, I do have one. I know its strange, but I created a move that uses fire to heal. Odd, isn't it? I was going to heal you earlier, but I was too tired to do it. But I can now, if you want me to." she offered.
Kurama nods. "That would be very kind of you. Yukina isn't supposed to get here for another two days, and these burns will take a while to heal. Your help would be much appreciated."
Flare sigh and nodded in agreement. "Yes, I may not be strong, but my flames are usually much hotter than any you would normally encounter, which makes my weak flames that much more dangerous. Now, can you stand up and come over here? We have to be touching, and I don't think I can move at the moment."
She watched as Kurama nodded and sat up, his eyes scrunching up just a bit in pain, but her quick eyes caught that much as he made his way over to her bed. Yet he still kept that pleasant smile on his face.
Holding her hand out and placing it on Kurama's chest, Flare murmured, "Cleansing Flame."
A white fire enveloped him. It was pleasantly warm as it caressed his skin, the burns slowly disappearing until there was hardly any evidence that suggested he had even had any burns.
Once it had completed its job, the flame disappeared, and Flare flopped weakly back on to her pillow. She was now thoroughly exhausted. That just showed her how much of an invalid she was at the moment. That shouldn't have taken that much of her energy, and wouldn't have, if she'd been fully healed.
But Kurama was healed. That was all that mattered at the moment.
As she fell into sleeps waiting arms, Flare vaguely felt the covers being pulled up around her shoulders and heard a lowly murmured, "Good night, Flare." before she was completely oblivious.
The next time Flare woke, light streamed in through the window that was near her bed. She lifted her head, and discovered that moving didn't hurt anymore.
As she was puzzling over this mystery, a feminine, bubbly voice shouted, "Good morning, Flare!"
Startled, she looked over and spied a girl next to her bed. She had bright blue hair put up in a pony-tail and bubblegum pink eyes, her kimono matching her wide-eyed look.
"Hi! I'm Botan, ferry girl and Grim Reaper for Spirit World!" she exclaimed.
One red eyebrow was arched as Flare observed this Botan. She seemed to hyper and happy to fit her title of Grim Reaper. But she supposed she had no reason to doubt the girl. Stranger things have happened.
"You know, you must have tired yourself out too much, since you slept until after Yukina arrived. She's the one who healed you. Now, are you ready to get up? we still have time to get you to breakfast!"
Rolling her eyes, Flare sits up and slides her legs over the side of the bed. Noticing she still wore her clothes from that night, she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Umm, Botan? Is there any chance of a shower and a change of clothes?" she asked the ferry girl.
"Oh! Of course! I'm supposed to show you to your room anyway." she tells Flare, her huge smile still in place.
Flare's eyes grew huge. "My own room? But I'm a sl-"
Botan cuts her off. "No you aren't, silly! Koenma doesn't keep slaves. You're free now."
"Free?" she repeats in surprise. Flare hadn't been free since she'd been taken from her family when she was ten years of age.
Botan nods. "Yes, now come on so I can show you your new room!"
Shrugging, and still a little shocked, Flare followed the peppy girl down the extensive halls and stairways, with her trying to remember every twist and turn so she wouldn't get lost.
Botan finally stops at a door and turns the knob, letting Flare into the room that was to be hers. Flare could only stare around the room in awe and amazement.
The walls were a deep golden red with lighter gold stars occupying the corners. The large bed was in the center of the room and was covered in a light gold comforter, with throw pillows of varying red and gold shades. The floor of the room was a dark cherry wood, with a few red and gold throw rugs and various other sets of furniture, also in cherry wood.
Flare claps her hands in delight. "This is all mine?" she asked, looking at Botan as she nodded.
"I went shopping for you earlier, so you have clothes in your closet. Your bathroom is over there." she told her, pointing. "I'll be back in about half and hour to take you to breakfast." Then Botan leaves Flare alone in her new room.
After thoroughly examining her room, Flare ventures into her bathroom. The walls are all in white, except for the stripe of red and stripe of gold running around the walls and the occasional red or gold tile placed among the white ones that lined the floor.
The towels piled on the sink were a rich, deep red and there was a soft, red rug placed in front of the shower.
Frowning, Flare wonders who knew that red and gold were her favorite colors? She decided she'd find out later and quickly got into her shower, letting the warm water cleanse her.
Emerging wrapped up in one of the fluffy towels, Flare makes her way to the closet to see what Botan could have possibly bought for her. There were numerous kimonos, shirts, pants, skirts, and dresses in varying colors, as well as shoes and other accessories.
It seemed Botan knew what she liked, but how that was, the young siren had no clue.
Looking through everything, she found a golden colored tank-top she immediately loved, which barely covered her midriff, and a green skirt that fell to her knees, but had a slit up to the middle of her left thigh. It also had golden embroidery around the bottom and up the side of the slit. A pair of simple sandals graced her feet to complete the outfit.
But then something else captures Flare's interest. Oh, a jewelry box. Opening it, Flare discovers bits of pretty jewelry. Going through the collection, Flare takes out a golden anklet with tiny bells hanging from it.
Flare looked over the earrings as well, but didn't pick out any, opting to leave in the small hoops she had, two in one ear and three in the other.
Going to the vanity, Flare finds a blow dryer and dries out her hair, then brushes it out so the silky locks catch the light from where they hung. That's how she preferred her hair, left down and able to swing around her hips.
Botan came back as Flare was looking at herself in a full-length mirror she found that her room also had.
"Come on and let's get us some breakfast." Botan said. "All the boys are there, so you can meet them all at once. But then we have to go to Koenma, so we can't stay too long." she warned, slipping out of the room, Flare following after she had shut her door quietly behind her.
The cafeteria Botan led her to consisted of a buffet-like table, as well as a large kitchen if one felt like making their own food.
The ferry girl leads you past many demons who wave at her, and stare at Flare, until the two of them reached a table that held the boys that Flare recognized as the Reikai Tantei, as well as a innocent-looking demoness with red eyes and blue-green hair.
Kurama was the first to notice the two of them and stands up, waving Flare and Botan over.
Before letting you sit down, Botan names each boy for you. "Ok, Flare. You already know Kurama. The boy with the slicked back hair is Yusuke; he's the leader of this group. The one with the orange hair beside him is Kuwabara, and the girl beside him is Yukina, the one who healed you. Finally, there's Hiei." Botan finished, lastly pointing to the shortest member of the group.
Hiei just glares as Botan mentions his name. Flare watches him curiously before turning back to Botan,
"Oh, don't let him bother you. he acts like that with everyone." she explains.
Only then did she sit down and eat her first meal for days. She hadn't said anything before, but she felt like she was starving!
As she and the team eats, Flare gets to know each member a little, except for Hiei. He never said a thing to her, or anyone else for that matter. He only sent glares everywhere, except at Yukina.
Botan suddenly popped out of no where, making Flare fall backwards over her chair.
"Botan!" she yells, her head sticking up as she scowled at the ferry girl who smiles apologetically at the siren before speaking.
"Sorry, Flare, but it's time to go see Koenma now."
Everyone stands, and Yukina bids farewell to Kuwabara. "Goodbye, Kazuma. I'll see you later." she says, walking out of the cafeteria.
"Bye baby!" Kuwabara calls out, waving at his beloved as the rest of the group rolls their eyes and leaves him behind.
"Hey!" he called out once he'd noticed he'd been left alone. Running to catch up, he sulks, saying, "That wasn't very funny." as Yusuke laughed at him. Flare could see that the two were the best of friends, despite the way they had argued at breakfast.
Kurama, who is in front, stops in front of a pair of large, wooden doors, ogres running in and out of the lobby in front of it.
Kurama then steps back as the others file in to whisper in Flare's ear. "Koenma really isn't what most people vision. So…don't laugh." he cautions before following the others, Flare following right behind him.
Sitting at the desk was a toddler, certainly not what Flare had been expecting, even after Kurama had warned her.
Hiding her giggles, Flare nodded to Koenma, but still couldn't keep a big grin off her face.
Koenma frowns at her, but then motions for everyone to take a seat in the chairs that dotted the room, all facing his large desk. All take a seat except Hiei, who goes to sit himself in the windowsill of the large window in the office.
"Greetings, Flare." Koenma began. "I have brought you here so you could fill in some gaps in your history. We don't have a complete file on you, and well, I don't like loose ends like this." he explained.
"Oh, of course, Lord Koenma." Flare says, nodding.
"You don't mind the boys being here to hear this as well?" Koenma asks, and Flare nodded.
"Of course. They'd hear it eventually anyway, right?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. But Koenma made no comment and signaled that she was to begin.
"Well, I suppose Kurama has already told you of what I am? And that I can heal?" she asks, and they all nod. "Good. Ok, then, Lord Koenma, what do you want to know?"
"You're family would be a good start, Flare."
"Well, I have a mother, a father, and one older brother. That I know of, anyway. My father was part fire demon, his mother being the siren in my family. He goes by the name Lee Shalki. My mother is the Goddess of Dreams."
Flare stops speaking as she watches every head whip her way, eyes wide. Sighing, she regarded them with a wry expression. "No, I am not in any way a goddess." she tells them firmly. "Now, will you let me finish?"
They all nod, so she continues. "My brother is older than me by about 200 years and is the God of Fire."
Again, everyone looks at Flare in shock and surprise, and she knew why. The God of Fire was currently the strongest of all the gods at the moment, making him the leader for now. And he would hold this leadership until a god or goddess stronger than he emerged.
She smiles slightly, but the smile holds no amusement, only bitterness. "That's why I was such a prize. Whoever has me has the backing of the gods. Also, if my brother ever dies, his powers are passed along to me. My former master had hoped to have control of me, then kill my brother, gaining him his own pet goddess.
Flare almost laughed at the looks on everyone's faces, even Hiei's. She shrugged. They would have known sooner or later.
Really long, huh? 7 pages in word, so I'm very proud of myself. Please review!
Signing out
Shade