Disclaimer: I own neither X-men nor Yu Yu Hakusho. I don't know WHO owns
them, but it certainly isn't ME.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech
- : - : - : - : - : -
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.
- : - : - LAST TIME: - : - : -
"Hey, bub!" Logan's gravelly voice was easily recognizable. "Either drop the sword or get reborn as shish kebab. It's you're call."
A/N: I was SO tempted to put 'shish ke-BUB,' but I restrained myself. ^_^;
- : - : - Chapter Eight: Where There's Smoke . . . - : - : -
Several things happened almost at once.
In response to Logan's threat, Hiei bared his too-sharp fangs in an amused smirk and raised his sword into a ready position, widening his stance.
In other words, he did almost everything possible in body language aside from rude gestures to encourage the other man to attack.
Jean, Scott, Evan, and Rogue all piled into the room right behind Logan while the burly man stood in a ready stance, his arms wide and his claws unsheathed, the deadly blades glimmering in the dim light filtering through the open doorway at his back.
Yuusuke swiftly dissipated the reiki that he had been gathering in his palm, recognizing the 'intruders' as his newfound 'allies' and knowing that a reiki shotgun blast was a NO-NO. He also saw Hiei's typical 'Bring-It-On' attitude and groaned inwardly, sensing trouble bursting into bloom faster than one of Kurama's roses when the youko was threatened.
Kurama had already pulled one of the aforementioned blossoms from his thick mane of red hair and held it ready in his right hand, eyeing both groups apprehensively, praying silently that no one did anything stupid.
. . . Is anyone here familiar with Murphy's Law?
- : - : - : - : - : -
Logan bared his teeth in a feral grin, the blood in his veins heating with his battle excitement. The red-eyed runt on the far side of the room, standing between and behind Yuusuke and Shuichi, smirked in a way that made Logan wish to attack all the more.
His eyes skimmed over the tense, alert postures of the new transfer students, reassuring himself that they were unharmed, before moving his gaze back to the intruder who held a slender sword at the ready, in a perfect position to attack Shuichi, Yuusuke, or any of the assembled X-men.
Had the boy's eyes just glowed?
"Yuusuke," he said firmly, "Shuichi, when I move, hightail it outta' there, y' understand?"
Shuichi stiffened. "I don't think---"
Logan let out a bellow and charged toward the black-clad trespasser, one set of claws aimed unerringly at the small being's throat.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke had time for one, crystal-clear, unbelievably profound thought.
It was something along the lines of 'That stupid toddler REALLY hates me.'
Then he was pushing himself firmly in between Hiei and the oncoming clawed mutant, hoping that his combined reiki and youki auras were strong enough to turn aside metal blades.
Jean cried out in horror. Scott and Evan looked aghast. Rogue's skin was even paler than normal.
Logan's eyes widened, and he tried to stop, but his momentum was too much and he was less than a second away from his claws catching the boy firmly in his ribcage.
Yuusuke braced himself . . . for an impact that never came.
Something long, thin and green --Yuusuke recognized Kurama's signature Rose- Whip with a definite lifting of his spirits-- shot out of the darkness and coiled around Logan's wrist, jerking the man off balance and sending him stumbling straight into Kurama's waiting arms.
Within seconds, the claw-bearing mutant was firmly restrained, a loop of Kurama's Rose-Whip around his neck --Kurama had apparently un-grown the thorns so as to keep the man in one piece-- and his arms pinned firmly behind his back.
"Now that I've got you where you won't attack my friends unnecessarily," growled Kurama in a dangerous voice, "Are you ready to listen to reason?"
Logan --doubtless amazed that he had been restrained by a young man at least two-thirds his size-- still managed a somewhat intimidating growl. "What're you up to?"
. . . Intimidating, that is, if you weren't a veteran member of the Reikai Tantei, a team that had faced down, and DEFEATED, demons that had given the God of Death the heebie-jeebies.
"I am attempting to keep everyone's skin safely in one piece," said Kurama, his voice still holding that soft, feral note. From where he stood, Yuusuke could see a bit of gold shining in the other's irises. "Will you allow me to do so, or must I stand like this throughout the entire discussion?"
A new voice, firm and authoritative, broke in from the direction of the doorway. "I believe that we would ALL enjoy an explanation. Jean, get the lights, please. Shuichi --you ARE Shuichi, are you not?--, release Logan, if you would be so kind."
The lights flicked on as though of their own accord, and Yuusuke gazed suspiciously at Jean before returning his attention to the newcomer.
A bald man --though obviously not overly old-- seated in a wheelchair, was standing (sitting?) in the open doorway, the slender form of Ororo Monroe standing at his shoulder.
Kurama hesitated momentarily at the man's order, glancing toward Yuusuke.
="S'all right."= Yuusuke examined the man who was obviously some sort of authority figure, judging by the way the other mutants had stepped out of the way as he entered. ="I think that's the Xavier guy. Let Logan go."=
Kurama nodded once, releasing Logan's wrists, and the Rose-Whip shrank away, shriveling back into the small blossom from whence it had grown, and then back into a seed which Kurama secreted away in his hair once more.
The bald man's eyes missed none of this. "Is that your gift, Shuichi?"
Kurama's eyes flicked over the man's form, weighing his worth, before nodding once. "Plants and I are . . . old friends."
A smirk crossed the youko's lips, a smirk which only Hiei and Yuusuke knew the meaning for.
Old friends, indeed. Try several millennia's worth of 'friendship.'
The man nodded his understanding. "I see." His eyes moved to Yuusuke, and past him to Hiei. "And your OTHER friend?"
Kurama's smirk took up permanent residence upon his lips. "I'd like you to meet Jaganshi Hiei . . . the third member of our little group."
Logan and Ororo stiffened in sync with one another. "HIEI?!" they chorused incredulously.
"I thought that you had missed the meeting!" Ororo continued, shocked.
"You're security was as lax then as it is now," sneered Hiei. "It was ridiculously easy to infiltrate that black monstrosity of a machine that you brought."
Yuusuke --having stepped away from the fire demon within moments of Xavier's arrival-- sent a suspicious glance back toward Hiei, but he kept his mouth shut.
Logan had no such inhibition. "I didn't smell you anywhere 'round."
="Neither did I,"= muttered Kurama.
"Hn."
Logan growled, sounding like nothing so much as a furious wolf.
Xavier sent a Look in Logan's direction, and immediately Logan's growl quieted.
Yuusuke exchanged a curious glance with Kurama.
Yet another mystery to add to the ever-growing pile.
- : - : - : - : - : -
~:Logan . . . :~
~:They're avoiding the truth, Chuck. I can smell it.:~
~:We've all done it at one time or another.:~
~:We can't afford to let anyone keep any little secrets that could be dangerous, especially with Shadow Tempest runnin' 'round on the loose!:~
~:They'll tell us when they're ready.:~
~:Chuck . . . !:
~:Logan, trust me. I sense no danger from them.:~
~:Tell that to the hairs on the back of my neck. Maybe YOU can make 'em settle down . . . :~
- : - : - : - : - : -
Xavier smiled slightly at the last comment, but he hid the expression well. He looked from face-to-face of the assembled mutants. From Logan's, Rogue's, and Evan's suspicious scowls, Jean's and Scott's disbelieving stares, Ororo's stunned expression, and the closed, emotionless masks in place on Yuusuke's, Hiei's, and Shuichi's faces.
An interesting group, to be certain.
And no doubt, they would make certain that it was an interesting year.
"It is late," he said at last, "and I'm sure everyone is tired. Perhaps we had best discus this in the morning, when tempers are not so . . . frayed." He looked pointedly at Logan, whose scowl deepened in response. "I shall expect all three of you in my office after breakfast tomorrow morning, is that clear?"
All three boys nodded, but only Shuichi answered with a soft "Yes, sir."
Xavier nodded. "I will see you then." He looked toward Hiei. "Do you mind sharing a room with one of your friends, or would you like for us to find you a separate room?"
"Hn."
"Have a little respect for the man, bub!"
"Logan . . ."
" . . . sorry, Chuck."
Xavier looked toward Hiei once more. "Well?"
Yuusuke slapped a hand across the smaller boy's mouth. "He'll be fine with us, thanks. WON'T YOU, Hiei?"
Scowling, the red-eyed boy yanked his head away from the other's grasp, but he didn't contradict anything that the other had said. Xavier left it at that.
A short mental command to the members of the X-men ensured that the room was soon emptied of all but Yuusuke, Shuichi, and the new boy Hiei, whose mind, Xavier had been surprised to find, was surrounded by a glowing violet shield, identical to the ones protecting Yuusuke's and Shuichi's thoughts from outside prying.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke shut the door firmly after the other's had left, then turned to level a cold glare at the smirking fire-demon.
="All right,"= snapped the Toushin, faint blue tattoos flickering in and out of existence on his face and arms. ="Spill it, Sparky."=
Hiei looked nonchalant. ="What?"=
="You know DAMN WELL what I mean!"= Yuusuke's hair was now fluffing up in odd, spiking tufts that grew and shrank in sync with the pulsing markings on his skin. ="How in the seven levels of hell did you get here? What do you know about the assignment? How much have you seen? Why in the hell haven't you shown us that you were here before? How do you . . ."= Yuusuke faltered slightly. =" . . . how in the WORLD do you know English!?"=
Hiei tilted his head just the merest millimeter to one side. ="Let me see . . . I rode on the plane with both of you, I know as much as Kurama does right now, enough, I didn't feel like it, and my Jagan allowed me to lift the language from the clawed man's mind. Anything else, Detective?"=
="You couldn't have been on the jet,"= put in Kurama. ="I would have smelled you."=
="Yeah,"= growled Yuusuke, ="Where the freak were you?"=
Hiei sneered, amusement clear in his expression. ="I'll tell you this much: it get's damn cold at thirty-thousand feet."=
Kurama's eyes widened in disbelief. ="You didn't!"=
Hiei arched one eyebrow beneath his white headband.
Kurama groaned. ="Oh, kami, you DID!"=
Yuusuke had been shocked out of his semi-transformations to his Toushin form. ="You hitched a ride OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE?!"=
The other eyebrow arched to join the other. ="You would have smelled me were I inside. I wished to have a chance to look around this place before anyone knew I had arrived."=
Yuusuke's anger began to rise again. ="And THEN you come in here, PURPOSEFULLY tripping the alarms --don't give me that look, I know you could have avoided them!-- and bringing half the Institute tromping into MY bedroom where you THEN attempt to get yourself skewered by the resident slash 'n' hack expert---"=
="You were frightened for me, MY LORD?"= asked Hiei with a smirk.
Yuusuke scowled darkly, still VERY irritated that he had come that close to the tips of the other mutant's claws. ="For your information, I was worried that you were about to skewer one of our new allies, thank you SO much for your concern. Save us all a lot of stress, and keep your sword sheathed until it's time for some real slicing and dicing, got it?"=
="Hn."=
="I KNEW you were going to say THAT!"=
="New cognitive powers surfacing, Detective?"=
Yuusuke snarled viciously. ="You are SO sleeping in Kurama's room!"=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER:
: Jax : Here you go. Do you ever say anything more than two words?
: demon eyes kyo : Heck yeah, Toushin Yuusuke's gonna' make an appearance! Several, if I have it my way. And I'm going to do something . . . interesting . . . with the Brotherhood.
: Wood Nymph : Here's a chappie for you. Enjoy!
: Kittengrl39 : See, you've got Hiei now. Aren't you happy? And I'm glad that you think my story is so entertaining. Sorry about your aura guesses. Have a consolation cyber lollipop. *hands over lollipop* Enjoy!
: Animegirl8 : You'll find out what Shadow Tempest is as soon as I get to that chapter, now be patient. And as far as your threat goes . . . well, Hiei wouldn't hurt ME. I'm actually gonna' make him ultimately cool in this story. He wouldn't want me to BASH him, now WOULD HE? *glares at Hiei, who pales and shakes his head* Thought so.
: zippy-puppy3 : Thanks, and ditto.
: angelbird12241 : Glad you're enjoying it, and here's more for you!
: oOKeairaOo : Don't worry; Youko Kurama WILL make an appearance, hopefully in both of his forms. *crosses fingers* And as far as the updates, I update once a day except on Sundays. I think that I must update so late that you just don't find the chapter until the next day. *shrugs* Whatever.
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Here's another chapter, and I've got to agree with you: having a human threaten Hiei is UBER ironic. Of course, Yuusuke beat Hiei when he was just starting as a detective, but you've got to add in that Yuusuke had LOTS of luck on his side and demon blood in his veins, even if it wasn't fully awakened yet . . . .;; I just confused myself. I'm gonna' go now.
: Dragon Sythe : Oh, yeah. I'm gonna' milk Hiei's presence at the Institute for all it's worth. Thanks for all you're reviews! ^_^ *huggles* You're so nice!
: Siora : Yep, Hiei's there now. And here's another chappie. Enjoy.
: Rurouni Saiyan : Not in THIS chapter, they won't. Maybe later.
: Takahashi Shuurin : I think I translated everything okay. I have a friend who has taken Japanese and she helped. Let's see if I got everything:
a) English is your third language (VERY impressive, by the way, knowing three languages).
b) No, I know no Chinese whatsoever. I only know English, bits and pieces of Japanese, and Latin (and if you say it's a dead language, I'll have to hurt you. That's a pet peeve of mine).
c) Er, yes, you can use 'overloaded' in that context.
d) You are from Singapore (spelling?). I'm from Georgia in the U.S.
e) Arashi wa 'tempest' desu (Is that correct?).
The only sentence that I had trouble with was . . . 'haha atashi wa honto ni atama wa yokunai desu ne?' Could I get a little help on that one? ^_^;
Thanks. It's fun reading and writing back to you. I enjoy it. Let me know if I use a term that confuses you. I tend to use a lot of colloquialisms.
: CJ-Chan : Yep. Hiei's getting a little sloppy, too, no?
: lemmings_please : You tell 'em, Lemmings! Yep, Hiei's in it now, so rejoice! And I'm doing my best to update once a day, every day, except on Sundays. I need a break every now and then, you know? Enjoy the rest of the story!
: hiei-luver45 : *sighs blissfully* 'Best crossover ever.' I feel LOVED. *hands over a Hiei plushie* Take it with my thanks, dear reviewer, and be certain to enjoy the rest of the story. *sighs again* 'Best. Crossover. EVER.' . . .
: arrow-card : Yep, everybody loves Hiei. Don't worry about the 'dear' thing. I don't mind.
: kailyssia : Heck yeah, Hiei could take Logan down. (Sorry, Logan.) And I think that this chapter explained about the language question that you had.
: JCKIDSMART : Here. A chapter.
: SSJ Cisco : Well, there was kinda' a bit of action in this chapter. Hope you liked it.
: Jax9 : It's a new chapter, isn't it? -_-;
: Melissa : Hiei'll lie, of course. Hmm . . . The boys do tend to have to lie a lot, don't they? Their consciences must be shot to HFIL by now . . .
: QG : *munches on a cyber cookie* Yummikins. Thanks. *takes pile of cyber cookie to stash away with her cookie cake from the last chapter* Great thing about cyber food is that you never gain any weight. And I need all the help I can get on that! -_-; Anywho, thanks for all the support! You're one of my favorite reviewers!
: Saelbu : Yep, thanks, and here you go.
: leahcar310 : Thanks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
: ownerofattackcat : If you like moderately long chapters and you like Gundam Wing fics, you should really check out 'Lost in Shadow' by Gryphon Gal. She's a friend of mine (even lets me borrow one of her e-mail addresses for my reviews since I'm too lazy to make my own account! ^_^; ), and a really good author. Maybe if she gets more reviews, she'll get off her duff and FINISH THE STORY! *yells the last toward GG, who glares* Anyway, back to you. I am a really fortunate author. I DO have lots of faithful reviewers, and I LOVE them ALL! *huggles reviewers* You guys are awesome!
: Chronicles Bailey : Love you too, hon! Thanks!
: Gemini Star1 : Hey, I LIKE the name Ororo! I think it's neat! . . . *snickers* But you ARE right. It is a tongue-twister, and no mistake! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
: West Wind : Hope your throat doesn't get too sore from all that screaming. ^_^ And, anyway, yeah, I think I answered most of your questions in this chapter, and I'm UBER glad that you like it. Thanks for your support!
: Ryoken : *revives with Super Special Magic Potion Thingy* Better? And anyway, *sniffs haughtily* it took him SEVEN chapters to get there, thank you very much!
: Pewter : *snatches Kurama and Jin plushies, squealing in delight* YAY! I LOVE JIN! And I LOVE KURAMA! You are the greatest!
: Evil Towel : You were right. She came back. And thankies for the review. I enjoyed reading about lemmings-please's little . . . incident. *snickers* Sounds like a friend of mine (well, actually, it sounds like ME, but since I talk to myself a lot, I consider myself a friend. Shhh. Don't tell!).
: mooshoeblue : Thanks.
: Snowfire : I try to make them so that everyone enjoys them. Otherwise, what's the point? *pouts* Don't hurt Mister Snuffles! You'll scar poor Kura- babe, and THEN where will all the fan girls of the world be? *smiles brightly* But thanks for the free massage! *snatches Kurama and disappears*
: Kitsune Whiterose : I'm way ahead of you in the Pietro vs. Hiei department. *smirks* Writing that is gonna' be FUN. And you'll be seeing more of Kitty, too. Enjoy!
: Yayo : *snatches away coffee, downs it all in one gulp* Yeesh! I needed that! I had to wake up at SIX A.M. on SATURDAY and SEVEN A.M on a SUNDAY! *scowls darkly* Evil school project and stupid JCL Latin Convention. *goes off to take a nap*
: Tione : I DO feel special! ^_^ And I'm happy that you actually recommended my story to someone! Is it because I update so much, or *fishing for ego-boosters* because my writing is actually good? C'mon, tell me!
: Lobo-Chan : *hands over a Touya plushie and an optional attachable ice- sword for his hand* Here. I made him myself!
: HowLong : Thanks. -_-;
: tina : As far as the shish kebab thing goes, I was inspired. And as far as longer chapters go, well . . . If and when I lose what little social life I've managed to gain during my years in high school, THEN I will write longer chapters. Until then, you'll just have to make do.
: Tri : Yep, Hiei's here at last! Yayness!
: Mistress of Dragons : *frowns sympathetically* Yeah, necks ARE stupid. Tell you what, as soon as Kurama gets through giving me the massage that Tione promised me, I'll hand him over to you for a nice backrub, ne? (Kurama: o.O; Again?!) As for your challenge: Go n-eiri an t-adh leat. It's Gaelic! I LOVE Ireland. Do you actually know Gaelic, or is it just a random phrase you know?
: rdl : I'm glad that you like it so much! I'm glad that you like Logan's little snide remark about Kurama's hair. ^_^ I feel proud.
: YYHgurl : Yeppie yep yep! I'm gonna' LOVE writing about all those things! They're gonna' be UBER fun! Especially with Yuusuke building his reputation! I have so many new good ideas because of your review! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! *huggles and hands over a Hiei plushie* Here. Let me know if you want to exchange it for a Kurama, Jin, or Yuusuke!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
"blah." means that the words are in English (unless the section is told from a Japanese-speaker's point of view with only Japanese people talking -- I.e. Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Logan, Genkai, etc.)
~"blah."~ means that the words are in Japanese.
="blah."= indicates words spoken in a Makai dialect. (Wait a few chapters . . . you'll see what I mean . . .)
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech
- : - : - : - : - : -
A/N: This will not be a blatantly yaoi or shounen-ai story. In fact, there will be NO romance WHATSOEVER. There will be brother-brother relationships between Yuusuke, Kurama and Hiei, but I suppose that some of you out there could interpret their actions as 'love' if you wanted. It's your call, however you want to view it.
- : - : - LAST TIME: - : - : -
"Hey, bub!" Logan's gravelly voice was easily recognizable. "Either drop the sword or get reborn as shish kebab. It's you're call."
A/N: I was SO tempted to put 'shish ke-BUB,' but I restrained myself. ^_^;
- : - : - Chapter Eight: Where There's Smoke . . . - : - : -
Several things happened almost at once.
In response to Logan's threat, Hiei bared his too-sharp fangs in an amused smirk and raised his sword into a ready position, widening his stance.
In other words, he did almost everything possible in body language aside from rude gestures to encourage the other man to attack.
Jean, Scott, Evan, and Rogue all piled into the room right behind Logan while the burly man stood in a ready stance, his arms wide and his claws unsheathed, the deadly blades glimmering in the dim light filtering through the open doorway at his back.
Yuusuke swiftly dissipated the reiki that he had been gathering in his palm, recognizing the 'intruders' as his newfound 'allies' and knowing that a reiki shotgun blast was a NO-NO. He also saw Hiei's typical 'Bring-It-On' attitude and groaned inwardly, sensing trouble bursting into bloom faster than one of Kurama's roses when the youko was threatened.
Kurama had already pulled one of the aforementioned blossoms from his thick mane of red hair and held it ready in his right hand, eyeing both groups apprehensively, praying silently that no one did anything stupid.
. . . Is anyone here familiar with Murphy's Law?
- : - : - : - : - : -
Logan bared his teeth in a feral grin, the blood in his veins heating with his battle excitement. The red-eyed runt on the far side of the room, standing between and behind Yuusuke and Shuichi, smirked in a way that made Logan wish to attack all the more.
His eyes skimmed over the tense, alert postures of the new transfer students, reassuring himself that they were unharmed, before moving his gaze back to the intruder who held a slender sword at the ready, in a perfect position to attack Shuichi, Yuusuke, or any of the assembled X-men.
Had the boy's eyes just glowed?
"Yuusuke," he said firmly, "Shuichi, when I move, hightail it outta' there, y' understand?"
Shuichi stiffened. "I don't think---"
Logan let out a bellow and charged toward the black-clad trespasser, one set of claws aimed unerringly at the small being's throat.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke had time for one, crystal-clear, unbelievably profound thought.
It was something along the lines of 'That stupid toddler REALLY hates me.'
Then he was pushing himself firmly in between Hiei and the oncoming clawed mutant, hoping that his combined reiki and youki auras were strong enough to turn aside metal blades.
Jean cried out in horror. Scott and Evan looked aghast. Rogue's skin was even paler than normal.
Logan's eyes widened, and he tried to stop, but his momentum was too much and he was less than a second away from his claws catching the boy firmly in his ribcage.
Yuusuke braced himself . . . for an impact that never came.
Something long, thin and green --Yuusuke recognized Kurama's signature Rose- Whip with a definite lifting of his spirits-- shot out of the darkness and coiled around Logan's wrist, jerking the man off balance and sending him stumbling straight into Kurama's waiting arms.
Within seconds, the claw-bearing mutant was firmly restrained, a loop of Kurama's Rose-Whip around his neck --Kurama had apparently un-grown the thorns so as to keep the man in one piece-- and his arms pinned firmly behind his back.
"Now that I've got you where you won't attack my friends unnecessarily," growled Kurama in a dangerous voice, "Are you ready to listen to reason?"
Logan --doubtless amazed that he had been restrained by a young man at least two-thirds his size-- still managed a somewhat intimidating growl. "What're you up to?"
. . . Intimidating, that is, if you weren't a veteran member of the Reikai Tantei, a team that had faced down, and DEFEATED, demons that had given the God of Death the heebie-jeebies.
"I am attempting to keep everyone's skin safely in one piece," said Kurama, his voice still holding that soft, feral note. From where he stood, Yuusuke could see a bit of gold shining in the other's irises. "Will you allow me to do so, or must I stand like this throughout the entire discussion?"
A new voice, firm and authoritative, broke in from the direction of the doorway. "I believe that we would ALL enjoy an explanation. Jean, get the lights, please. Shuichi --you ARE Shuichi, are you not?--, release Logan, if you would be so kind."
The lights flicked on as though of their own accord, and Yuusuke gazed suspiciously at Jean before returning his attention to the newcomer.
A bald man --though obviously not overly old-- seated in a wheelchair, was standing (sitting?) in the open doorway, the slender form of Ororo Monroe standing at his shoulder.
Kurama hesitated momentarily at the man's order, glancing toward Yuusuke.
="S'all right."= Yuusuke examined the man who was obviously some sort of authority figure, judging by the way the other mutants had stepped out of the way as he entered. ="I think that's the Xavier guy. Let Logan go."=
Kurama nodded once, releasing Logan's wrists, and the Rose-Whip shrank away, shriveling back into the small blossom from whence it had grown, and then back into a seed which Kurama secreted away in his hair once more.
The bald man's eyes missed none of this. "Is that your gift, Shuichi?"
Kurama's eyes flicked over the man's form, weighing his worth, before nodding once. "Plants and I are . . . old friends."
A smirk crossed the youko's lips, a smirk which only Hiei and Yuusuke knew the meaning for.
Old friends, indeed. Try several millennia's worth of 'friendship.'
The man nodded his understanding. "I see." His eyes moved to Yuusuke, and past him to Hiei. "And your OTHER friend?"
Kurama's smirk took up permanent residence upon his lips. "I'd like you to meet Jaganshi Hiei . . . the third member of our little group."
Logan and Ororo stiffened in sync with one another. "HIEI?!" they chorused incredulously.
"I thought that you had missed the meeting!" Ororo continued, shocked.
"You're security was as lax then as it is now," sneered Hiei. "It was ridiculously easy to infiltrate that black monstrosity of a machine that you brought."
Yuusuke --having stepped away from the fire demon within moments of Xavier's arrival-- sent a suspicious glance back toward Hiei, but he kept his mouth shut.
Logan had no such inhibition. "I didn't smell you anywhere 'round."
="Neither did I,"= muttered Kurama.
"Hn."
Logan growled, sounding like nothing so much as a furious wolf.
Xavier sent a Look in Logan's direction, and immediately Logan's growl quieted.
Yuusuke exchanged a curious glance with Kurama.
Yet another mystery to add to the ever-growing pile.
- : - : - : - : - : -
~:Logan . . . :~
~:They're avoiding the truth, Chuck. I can smell it.:~
~:We've all done it at one time or another.:~
~:We can't afford to let anyone keep any little secrets that could be dangerous, especially with Shadow Tempest runnin' 'round on the loose!:~
~:They'll tell us when they're ready.:~
~:Chuck . . . !:
~:Logan, trust me. I sense no danger from them.:~
~:Tell that to the hairs on the back of my neck. Maybe YOU can make 'em settle down . . . :~
- : - : - : - : - : -
Xavier smiled slightly at the last comment, but he hid the expression well. He looked from face-to-face of the assembled mutants. From Logan's, Rogue's, and Evan's suspicious scowls, Jean's and Scott's disbelieving stares, Ororo's stunned expression, and the closed, emotionless masks in place on Yuusuke's, Hiei's, and Shuichi's faces.
An interesting group, to be certain.
And no doubt, they would make certain that it was an interesting year.
"It is late," he said at last, "and I'm sure everyone is tired. Perhaps we had best discus this in the morning, when tempers are not so . . . frayed." He looked pointedly at Logan, whose scowl deepened in response. "I shall expect all three of you in my office after breakfast tomorrow morning, is that clear?"
All three boys nodded, but only Shuichi answered with a soft "Yes, sir."
Xavier nodded. "I will see you then." He looked toward Hiei. "Do you mind sharing a room with one of your friends, or would you like for us to find you a separate room?"
"Hn."
"Have a little respect for the man, bub!"
"Logan . . ."
" . . . sorry, Chuck."
Xavier looked toward Hiei once more. "Well?"
Yuusuke slapped a hand across the smaller boy's mouth. "He'll be fine with us, thanks. WON'T YOU, Hiei?"
Scowling, the red-eyed boy yanked his head away from the other's grasp, but he didn't contradict anything that the other had said. Xavier left it at that.
A short mental command to the members of the X-men ensured that the room was soon emptied of all but Yuusuke, Shuichi, and the new boy Hiei, whose mind, Xavier had been surprised to find, was surrounded by a glowing violet shield, identical to the ones protecting Yuusuke's and Shuichi's thoughts from outside prying.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke shut the door firmly after the other's had left, then turned to level a cold glare at the smirking fire-demon.
="All right,"= snapped the Toushin, faint blue tattoos flickering in and out of existence on his face and arms. ="Spill it, Sparky."=
Hiei looked nonchalant. ="What?"=
="You know DAMN WELL what I mean!"= Yuusuke's hair was now fluffing up in odd, spiking tufts that grew and shrank in sync with the pulsing markings on his skin. ="How in the seven levels of hell did you get here? What do you know about the assignment? How much have you seen? Why in the hell haven't you shown us that you were here before? How do you . . ."= Yuusuke faltered slightly. =" . . . how in the WORLD do you know English!?"=
Hiei tilted his head just the merest millimeter to one side. ="Let me see . . . I rode on the plane with both of you, I know as much as Kurama does right now, enough, I didn't feel like it, and my Jagan allowed me to lift the language from the clawed man's mind. Anything else, Detective?"=
="You couldn't have been on the jet,"= put in Kurama. ="I would have smelled you."=
="Yeah,"= growled Yuusuke, ="Where the freak were you?"=
Hiei sneered, amusement clear in his expression. ="I'll tell you this much: it get's damn cold at thirty-thousand feet."=
Kurama's eyes widened in disbelief. ="You didn't!"=
Hiei arched one eyebrow beneath his white headband.
Kurama groaned. ="Oh, kami, you DID!"=
Yuusuke had been shocked out of his semi-transformations to his Toushin form. ="You hitched a ride OUTSIDE OF THE PLANE?!"=
The other eyebrow arched to join the other. ="You would have smelled me were I inside. I wished to have a chance to look around this place before anyone knew I had arrived."=
Yuusuke's anger began to rise again. ="And THEN you come in here, PURPOSEFULLY tripping the alarms --don't give me that look, I know you could have avoided them!-- and bringing half the Institute tromping into MY bedroom where you THEN attempt to get yourself skewered by the resident slash 'n' hack expert---"=
="You were frightened for me, MY LORD?"= asked Hiei with a smirk.
Yuusuke scowled darkly, still VERY irritated that he had come that close to the tips of the other mutant's claws. ="For your information, I was worried that you were about to skewer one of our new allies, thank you SO much for your concern. Save us all a lot of stress, and keep your sword sheathed until it's time for some real slicing and dicing, got it?"=
="Hn."=
="I KNEW you were going to say THAT!"=
="New cognitive powers surfacing, Detective?"=
Yuusuke snarled viciously. ="You are SO sleeping in Kurama's room!"=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER:
: Jax : Here you go. Do you ever say anything more than two words?
: demon eyes kyo : Heck yeah, Toushin Yuusuke's gonna' make an appearance! Several, if I have it my way. And I'm going to do something . . . interesting . . . with the Brotherhood.
: Wood Nymph : Here's a chappie for you. Enjoy!
: Kittengrl39 : See, you've got Hiei now. Aren't you happy? And I'm glad that you think my story is so entertaining. Sorry about your aura guesses. Have a consolation cyber lollipop. *hands over lollipop* Enjoy!
: Animegirl8 : You'll find out what Shadow Tempest is as soon as I get to that chapter, now be patient. And as far as your threat goes . . . well, Hiei wouldn't hurt ME. I'm actually gonna' make him ultimately cool in this story. He wouldn't want me to BASH him, now WOULD HE? *glares at Hiei, who pales and shakes his head* Thought so.
: zippy-puppy3 : Thanks, and ditto.
: angelbird12241 : Glad you're enjoying it, and here's more for you!
: oOKeairaOo : Don't worry; Youko Kurama WILL make an appearance, hopefully in both of his forms. *crosses fingers* And as far as the updates, I update once a day except on Sundays. I think that I must update so late that you just don't find the chapter until the next day. *shrugs* Whatever.
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Here's another chapter, and I've got to agree with you: having a human threaten Hiei is UBER ironic. Of course, Yuusuke beat Hiei when he was just starting as a detective, but you've got to add in that Yuusuke had LOTS of luck on his side and demon blood in his veins, even if it wasn't fully awakened yet . . . .;; I just confused myself. I'm gonna' go now.
: Dragon Sythe : Oh, yeah. I'm gonna' milk Hiei's presence at the Institute for all it's worth. Thanks for all you're reviews! ^_^ *huggles* You're so nice!
: Siora : Yep, Hiei's there now. And here's another chappie. Enjoy.
: Rurouni Saiyan : Not in THIS chapter, they won't. Maybe later.
: Takahashi Shuurin : I think I translated everything okay. I have a friend who has taken Japanese and she helped. Let's see if I got everything:
a) English is your third language (VERY impressive, by the way, knowing three languages).
b) No, I know no Chinese whatsoever. I only know English, bits and pieces of Japanese, and Latin (and if you say it's a dead language, I'll have to hurt you. That's a pet peeve of mine).
c) Er, yes, you can use 'overloaded' in that context.
d) You are from Singapore (spelling?). I'm from Georgia in the U.S.
e) Arashi wa 'tempest' desu (Is that correct?).
The only sentence that I had trouble with was . . . 'haha atashi wa honto ni atama wa yokunai desu ne?' Could I get a little help on that one? ^_^;
Thanks. It's fun reading and writing back to you. I enjoy it. Let me know if I use a term that confuses you. I tend to use a lot of colloquialisms.
: CJ-Chan : Yep. Hiei's getting a little sloppy, too, no?
: lemmings_please : You tell 'em, Lemmings! Yep, Hiei's in it now, so rejoice! And I'm doing my best to update once a day, every day, except on Sundays. I need a break every now and then, you know? Enjoy the rest of the story!
: hiei-luver45 : *sighs blissfully* 'Best crossover ever.' I feel LOVED. *hands over a Hiei plushie* Take it with my thanks, dear reviewer, and be certain to enjoy the rest of the story. *sighs again* 'Best. Crossover. EVER.' . . .
: arrow-card : Yep, everybody loves Hiei. Don't worry about the 'dear' thing. I don't mind.
: kailyssia : Heck yeah, Hiei could take Logan down. (Sorry, Logan.) And I think that this chapter explained about the language question that you had.
: JCKIDSMART : Here. A chapter.
: SSJ Cisco : Well, there was kinda' a bit of action in this chapter. Hope you liked it.
: Jax9 : It's a new chapter, isn't it? -_-;
: Melissa : Hiei'll lie, of course. Hmm . . . The boys do tend to have to lie a lot, don't they? Their consciences must be shot to HFIL by now . . .
: QG : *munches on a cyber cookie* Yummikins. Thanks. *takes pile of cyber cookie to stash away with her cookie cake from the last chapter* Great thing about cyber food is that you never gain any weight. And I need all the help I can get on that! -_-; Anywho, thanks for all the support! You're one of my favorite reviewers!
: Saelbu : Yep, thanks, and here you go.
: leahcar310 : Thanks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
: ownerofattackcat : If you like moderately long chapters and you like Gundam Wing fics, you should really check out 'Lost in Shadow' by Gryphon Gal. She's a friend of mine (even lets me borrow one of her e-mail addresses for my reviews since I'm too lazy to make my own account! ^_^; ), and a really good author. Maybe if she gets more reviews, she'll get off her duff and FINISH THE STORY! *yells the last toward GG, who glares* Anyway, back to you. I am a really fortunate author. I DO have lots of faithful reviewers, and I LOVE them ALL! *huggles reviewers* You guys are awesome!
: Chronicles Bailey : Love you too, hon! Thanks!
: Gemini Star1 : Hey, I LIKE the name Ororo! I think it's neat! . . . *snickers* But you ARE right. It is a tongue-twister, and no mistake! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
: West Wind : Hope your throat doesn't get too sore from all that screaming. ^_^ And, anyway, yeah, I think I answered most of your questions in this chapter, and I'm UBER glad that you like it. Thanks for your support!
: Ryoken : *revives with Super Special Magic Potion Thingy* Better? And anyway, *sniffs haughtily* it took him SEVEN chapters to get there, thank you very much!
: Pewter : *snatches Kurama and Jin plushies, squealing in delight* YAY! I LOVE JIN! And I LOVE KURAMA! You are the greatest!
: Evil Towel : You were right. She came back. And thankies for the review. I enjoyed reading about lemmings-please's little . . . incident. *snickers* Sounds like a friend of mine (well, actually, it sounds like ME, but since I talk to myself a lot, I consider myself a friend. Shhh. Don't tell!).
: mooshoeblue : Thanks.
: Snowfire : I try to make them so that everyone enjoys them. Otherwise, what's the point? *pouts* Don't hurt Mister Snuffles! You'll scar poor Kura- babe, and THEN where will all the fan girls of the world be? *smiles brightly* But thanks for the free massage! *snatches Kurama and disappears*
: Kitsune Whiterose : I'm way ahead of you in the Pietro vs. Hiei department. *smirks* Writing that is gonna' be FUN. And you'll be seeing more of Kitty, too. Enjoy!
: Yayo : *snatches away coffee, downs it all in one gulp* Yeesh! I needed that! I had to wake up at SIX A.M. on SATURDAY and SEVEN A.M on a SUNDAY! *scowls darkly* Evil school project and stupid JCL Latin Convention. *goes off to take a nap*
: Tione : I DO feel special! ^_^ And I'm happy that you actually recommended my story to someone! Is it because I update so much, or *fishing for ego-boosters* because my writing is actually good? C'mon, tell me!
: Lobo-Chan : *hands over a Touya plushie and an optional attachable ice- sword for his hand* Here. I made him myself!
: HowLong : Thanks. -_-;
: tina : As far as the shish kebab thing goes, I was inspired. And as far as longer chapters go, well . . . If and when I lose what little social life I've managed to gain during my years in high school, THEN I will write longer chapters. Until then, you'll just have to make do.
: Tri : Yep, Hiei's here at last! Yayness!
: Mistress of Dragons : *frowns sympathetically* Yeah, necks ARE stupid. Tell you what, as soon as Kurama gets through giving me the massage that Tione promised me, I'll hand him over to you for a nice backrub, ne? (Kurama: o.O; Again?!) As for your challenge: Go n-eiri an t-adh leat. It's Gaelic! I LOVE Ireland. Do you actually know Gaelic, or is it just a random phrase you know?
: rdl : I'm glad that you like it so much! I'm glad that you like Logan's little snide remark about Kurama's hair. ^_^ I feel proud.
: YYHgurl : Yeppie yep yep! I'm gonna' LOVE writing about all those things! They're gonna' be UBER fun! Especially with Yuusuke building his reputation! I have so many new good ideas because of your review! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! *huggles and hands over a Hiei plushie* Here. Let me know if you want to exchange it for a Kurama, Jin, or Yuusuke!