I WOULD HAVE POSTED THIS YESTERDAY, BUT FF.NET WOULDN'T LET ME ON.
BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.
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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.
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.
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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.
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YOUR AUTHORESS NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
I need to know Logan's nicknames for people (Example: Jean- Red, Kurt- Elf, Evan- Porcupine, Storm- 'Roro, etc.), and the way that the Institute students address the grownups. (Example, do they all call Xavier 'Professor' or 'Charles' or what?)
Are there any particular titles that the X-men address the Brotherhood members by? Vice versa? Do they call each other by their mutant names or their human names?
I only get to see one X-men Evo episode per week, so I'm kinda' low on research material!
Thanks for reading this! ^_^;
- : - : - Chapter Nine: Subtlety? What's That? - : - : -
Yuusuke sighed heavily, reaching up to massage his temples even as he leaned back against the hallway wall.
="THAT could have gone better."=
Kurama watched the Toushin's actions with a bit of weariness showing in his eyes as well. ="Indeed."=
Hiei stood to one side, his face expressionless, but he silently agreed with is two companions.
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -
Hiei eyed the conglomerate of humans that occupied the room along with himself, Yuusuke, and the fox.
The bald ningen, Xavier, had his hands folded before him on top of a large, mahogany desk, his fingers interlaced, his eyes trailing leisurely over those people assembled in the room. Logan, Ororo, Scott, and Jean stood over to one side, placing themselves between and to one side of Xavier and the three demons.
Hiei sneered to himself. He hated enclosed spaces, especially CROWDED, enclosed spaces . . . and that went double for those crowded and enclosed spaces where ningens were the ones doing the crowding.
He felt like Kokuryuha-ing [1] someone. Badly.
"Well," Xavier said at last. "I believe the question first and foremost within out minds would be, how did you manage to get here, Hiei?"
Hiei scowled, garnet eyes flashing, but Yuusuke planted a not-so-subtle elbow in the smaller demon's side. Hiei growled warningly as he bared his fangs, glaring up at the taller boy, but he spoke.
"I snuck on board and hid in the back while your people were distracted."
"I didn't smell ya' anywhere around," retorted Logan.
Hiei sneered over at the burly mutant. "And that's significant . . . why?"
Before Logan could snap something back, Xavier stepped in. "Logan has excellent senses. Escaping his notice --especially in closed quarters-- is quite a feat indeed."
"Hn."
Yuusuke frowned at the fire-demon. ="Hiei!"=
="Is it any of their business in the first place?"=
="It is to them . . . now that we're on their territory, at least,"= said Kurama. ="You don't have to be overly polite, but try not to antagonize them."=
Hiei snorted, but he looked toward Xavier. "The air was thick with the scents of oil and fuel, as well as the scents of Yuusuke and Shuichi. How could he pick up my scent amongst that?"
Xavier sighed softly, looking toward Logan shortly as though to warn the other man against doing or saying anything rash. Hiei allowed himself another small smirk.
"I really must ask you, Hiei," said Xavier slowly, "whether or not your parents know where you are."
"I have no parents."
Ororo stiffened. "You're an . . . orphan?"
Hiei glared at the dark-skinned woman. "Generally, when one says that he has no parents, the term 'orphan' applies very well."
Logan snarled. "Watch that mouth of yours, runt!"
A low groan reached Hiei's ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiei saw Yuusuke cover his eyes with one hand, shaking his head, and even the fox had a pained expression on his face. The fire-demon gave vent to a silent sigh.
"Yes," he said, keeping his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "I am an orphan. I wander. Sometimes I stay with Shuichi or at Genkai's shrine."
"How do you make a living?" asked Scott, one eyebrow arching above his concealing sunglasses.
Hiei eyed the tall, young man contemplatively. "Mercenary work."
"WHAT?!" chorused Ororo, Jean, Scott, and Logan all at once.
"No way!" That was Scott.
"Impossible!" Jean cried.
"You're too young!" added Ororo.
"Can you even fight?" growled Logan.
Hiei sneered. "I do not wear this blade for show," he said calmly, placing one hand lightly upon the hilt of his katana. He was glad that he had opted to leave his cloak in Kurama's room. The gesture was much more meaningful to these ningens since they could actually SEE him doing it.
"Somehow, I SERIOUSLY doubt that," snapped Logan.
Hiei turned the full force of his glare upon the other man, and Logan appeared to be taken aback by the fierce nature of the fire-demon's gaze.
"I could always arrange for a demonstration, should you wish it," said Hiei coolly.
"HIEI!" chorused Yuusuke and Kurama together.
Yuusuke placed himself firmly in the fire-demon's main path of attack leading toward the clawed mutant, feeling a not-so-pleasant sense of déjà vu.
~"Logan-san, you really might want to reconsider that,"~ said Kurama, falling into Japanese in the hopes of lessening whatever bruising that Logan's ego might take from the conversation. ~"Hiei is far more than merely accomplished in swordplay."~
~"He doesn't need you pampering him, Fox,"~ said Hiei, still staring straight into Logan's eyes. ~"If he wants to play, then let him try."~
Yuusuke growled deep in his chest. ="This translator thing really stinks, you know that? What're you three saying?"=
Kurama sighed, and it was a show of exactly how frayed his temper was growing that he actually answered with sarcasm heavy in his words. ="Oh, the usual. Logan's pushing for a fight, Hiei's encouraging it, and the situation is deteriorating. How's your day going?"=
Xavier was frowning sternly at Logan and Hiei. "Logan, I think that's quite enough."
="I have to say the same for you, Hiei,"= murmured Kurama.
="Hn."=
Xavier turned his penetrating gaze on the trio of foreigners before him, looking strangely focused.
Hiei's instincts blared warnings at him even as he felt the smallest of feather-light probes stretching toward the shield around the minds of himself, Yuusuke, and Kurama. His eyes narrowed.
He tapped into the shields that he had carefully erected the day before, and he 'flexed' his aura just SO, causing the shields to pulse with renewed power . . . just as the probe brushed against the shield surface.
Hiei was gratified to hear a pained breath hissing through the bald ningen's teeth, even as he closed his eyes against the youki backlash that had doubtless left his senses reeling.
Hiei truly enjoyed that little trick.
The concerned gazes of all the other ningen's rested upon their leader.
"Professor?" asked Jean.
"I'm . . . fine, Jean," the man managed at last. "Just a . . . headache."
And one that would last quite a long while, if Hiei was any judge.
Xavier turned eyes that were now slightly unfocussed upon the assembled Reikai Tantei.
"For now," he said, "I see nothing wrong with . . . allowing you to remain. I do expect you to follow the rules and attend school . . . You may go . . . Kurt will find you when it's time for your first practice in the Danger Room . . . Please, leave."
Kurama nodded in acknowledgement and did nothing so much as herd Yuusuke and Hiei out of the room, the concerned voices of the ningens fading behind them with each step they took away.
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -
Yuusuke folded his arms over his chest, looking pensive. ="At least Xavier seems normal enough."=
="Hn."= Hiei's lip curled. ="You of all people should know that appearances count for nothing on missions. That 'Xavier' ningen is dangerous."=
Instantly, brown and emerald eyes were focused firmly upon him.
="How so?"= asked Kurama.
="He attempted to break into all of our minds. If not for my Jagan, none of us would now have anything hidden from them."=
Yuusuke frowned. ="What does your Jagan have to do with anything?"=
Hiei smirked, but didn't answer. Yuusuke glared.
Sensing the growing irritation of the detective, Kurama sighed softly and explained. ="Having a Jagan implanted grants the subject powerful telepathic and telekinetic powers as well as a power-boost . . . You shielded out minds, Hiei?"=
Hiei nodded once.
Yuusuke grimaced slightly, growling in irritation. ="Humans with telepathy. Things are never simple, are they?"=
Both the youko and the fire-demon could see Yuusuke's mind kicking into high-gear, thinking over what they had seen thus far and assessing other possible threats that he hadn't previously considered.
="How long can we count on this shield of yours, Hiei?"= asked the Toushin, his voice serious and businesslike.
="No human 'mutation' could possibly break my shields."=
="But if you were injured?"= put in Kurama, his own mind mulling over their situation as the youko side of his thoughts came to the fore, bringing his keen wits into the equation. ="You can't maintain the focus needed if you're unconscious."=
="True. In sleep I can maintain it subconsciously, but forcibly knocked out . . . no."=
Yuusuke sneered. ="In essence, that means that SOMEHOW our bad luck will kick in, and Hiei'll trip in the shower or some shit like that, and THEN where will we be?"=
Hiei snarled. ="I don't TRIP."=
="Are we so certain that the humans could even tell the difference between our minds and those of other students?"= Kurama asked. ="Maybe they'll just think we have odder thought-patterns than most."=
="No chance,"= snapped Hiei irritably. ="I saw a glimpse of Xavier's mind. Human auras are dull and composed of thoughts and emotions. To them, we are practically blinding."=
="They see us as light?"= Kurama was intrigued, his youko curiosity aroused. ="Our reiki and youki is the cause, obviously, but is it truly that conspicuous?"=
="Like supernovas at several thousand feet,"= growled Hiei. ="At midnight, during the new moon."=
Yuusuke grimaced. ="Ouch."=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER (OVER THREE PAGES LONG!!! o.O;; ):
: Evil Towel : Yep, you came back, all right! And Hiei's quite the little daredevil, ain't he? ^.^
: Seiyo-san : You've already read the conclusion to the cliffy, so you don't want to hurt me now, do you? Anyway, thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story.
: TrueChildOfDarkness : I've got a bit of good news for you: *SPOILER WARNING: AVOID IF YOU WILL WISH TO DISEMBOWEL ME AFTER READING* Genkai comes back to life! I'm not sure how, I just know that she does 'cause I've seen a screenshot of her from the very last episode of the series, sitting in the shrine drinking tea with Puu. *SPOILER HAS PASSED: CONTINUE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS* I'm not certain whether the nicknames bit is cannon, but feel free to use it if you want. Just put a bit of advertising for me in the story, k? ^_^ I'd appreciate it!
: Yayo : *winks* You'll just have to wait and see, no?
: Siora : I'm SO happy that you like all of that! You picked out things that I was really hoping would go over well, and it looks like they did! YAYNESS!
: Animegirl8 : o.O; Rath?! Oh, crap. KURAMA! *Kurama appears in youko form, beating back Rath with his Death Tree* Whew! *grabs Hiei and runs away, Kurama following*
: cyn skysong : Yes, I know Latin. Salve, quid agis hodie? (SAHL-way kwid AH-gis HOH-dee-ay) Hello, how are you today? ^_^; And you'll just have to see who Shadow Tempest is when I get around to it!
: Kailyssia : I'm glad you like everything, and Professor Xavier doesn't know what their powers are because he can't see into their minds to find out!
: CJ-Chan : Yep! Little daredevil, ain't he?
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Thank you, thank you, and *snatches Toushin Yuusuke plushie and huggles* THANK YOU!
: Tione : *glomps* I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE THE MOST AWESOME, UBER REVIEWER EVER! *hands over Youko Kurama, Hiei, and Yuusuke plushies* Have some plushies!
: Takahashi Shuurin : *grimaces* Yeah, I didn't like putting that 'so' in. It sounded VERY un-Yuusuke. *shrugs* Oh, well. Life goes on.
a) Tempest means a very large, violent storm.
b) I think that you have a wonderful brain! (You know THREE languages! Be proud! I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of kids at my school that know TWO languages, let alone THREE!)
c) Lax means . . . er, 'relaxed' might be a good comparison, but 'lax' leans more toward 'shoddy' or 'lazy.' And, yes, 'tight security' is a common term in English.
Thanks!
: Chronicles Bailey : Have you ever seen anyone with powers like Kurt's, Kitty's or Scott's? That's all I meant; they're unique. . . and anyway, in response to your other review, if I DIDN'T write more, I'd be mobbed by tons of angry reviewers! *shudders and goes to hide*
: DespairingAngel : Interesting.
: Madame Arrow Foxfire : Salve, mea amica, quid agis hodie? Ego bene sum. Et tu? Gratias tibi for the review. And I didn't want to send Yukina since a) Hiei would have been PISSED at me for putting her in dangers and b) she can't really fight that well. She'd have been in too much danger.
: Saelbu : Thankies!
: ~*CLS*~ : Yep, Kurama is perfect. *joins CLS in singing, then pauses* Toushin Yuusuke is hottest, though. *continues singing*
: Ryoken : Thankies!
: Bloodfang : Thanks for all the support! I'm glad you like the story so much. *snatches cupcake* And thanks again! *munch-munch*
: arrow-card : Yay! *bows*
: Mistress of Dragons : Congrats on your test! *hands over a Jin the Windmaster plushie* Hope you like! And as far as Gaelic goes, I think that's awesome. Go to http : / / www . freelang . net / dictionary / irish _ gaelic . html (remove the spaces and you'll be fine!). It's a Gaelic- English dictionary! Scroll down the page and you'll see two icons that look like floppy disks. You'll need to download both the program and the dictionary. If you go to the main page, you should be able to find your way to a page where you can download a Japanese word list to add to your dictionary. Hope that helps! Slan!
: Melissa : Thanks!
: hahazinsanity : I doubt that they'll meet Pyro. I've never seen an episode with him, and I've got to see a character in action to know how to write their character. Sorry! Thanks for the review, though!
: blue moon gurl : Thankies!
: Leria006 : Thanks bunches! I'm glad that you like it so much, and the fact that you can understand the story without every having read X-men Evo is a REAL ego booster for me! Thanks again!
: Tina : Thankies!
: QG : Thanks! I feel special since you like the story so much. *snatches plushies* MINE!
: Pewter : *snatches plushies* Thanks! And I'm glad that my story could brighten your day!
: Lobo-Chan : Don't you LOVE sugar highs? They're great. And don't worry, Touya's all yours. He's awesome and everything, but Toushin Yuusuke is MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE!!!!
: Jax : ^_^;
: oOKeairaOo : Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. Hmm. Must integrate that into the story . . .
: shakiya : THANKIES!
: zippy_puppy3 : No, Shadow Tempest is all original. Sorry to disappoint.
: Freak Moister : Thankies! I really appreciate it!
: Gemini Star1 : I'm working on the Kurama situation, and yeah, Hiei is gonna' cause tons of hell-- er, excitement, heh-heh. ^_^;
: Jaid Skywalker : Thankies bunches. Yep, I'm gonna' have fun writing all of that!
: Everqueen : Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
: Terris : Thanks, and you're welcome!
: Snowfire : HEY! Don't endanger your eyesight just for a story! If you wait until your eyes are better, then you'll get to read lots of chapters at once, anyway! But I'm glad that Mr. Snuffles is okay. Kurama was really worried. *huggles Kurama* (Kurama: Did you just GOOSE me?! . . . Me: ^_^; ME? Nah, couldn't have been . . .)
: Kazam : -_-; Wonderful imagery. I'm gonna' go hide under my bed now . . .
: angelbird12241 : Thankies!
: spellwing : That's right! *hands over cyber cookie* Enjoy!
: Kittengrl39 : My story's a smash hit!? AWESOME. And it's a crossover, which generally isn't that popular! I'M HAPPY! *snatches cookies* Oh, and thanks for these!
: Tri : Thankies!
: Dark Dreaming : Thanks bunches. I'm glad that you like it!
: ccs rox : Thanks!
: West Wind : I think you mean a metaphor or simile. Analogies are stories where everything is symbolic of something else (I should know; we're studying them in Lit right now. -_-; Blech.) Thanks. Maybe I should start a support group: MXAA . . . Mission X Addicts Anonymous. ^_^; Anyway, I'm glad you like the story so much!
: hanyougirl : Thanks.
: BlackFireDragonK : Here's more!
: hiei-luver45 : I'm glad you're liking it so much. I hope this chapter was up to my usual standards!
: The real Eternal Sailor Earth : *hands over Hiei and Kurama plushies* Here, but I'll be expecting another review from you, ya' hear?
: Killua-san : Thanks. I'm going to try my best to keep to my no-romance policy. Feel free to bop me upside the head if I stray, okay?
: Yanslana : o.O; Uhmmm . . . apparently. *throws down smoke bomb and runs away while Yanslana is distracted*
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NEXT TIME: DANGER ROOM INSANITY ENSUES! BWAHAHAHAHA!
BIG TIP: If you know for a fact that I've posted a new chapter but the site continually tells you that it doesn't exist, make certain that you are at the URL of where the chapter SHOULD be and type ONE PERIOD at the end of the address and hit enter. It should take you to the page. This trick also works well on those 'site experiencing overload' pages, but sometimes it won't go through.
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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.
~:blah.:~ telepathic speech.
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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.
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YOUR AUTHORESS NEEDS YOUR HELP!!!
I need to know Logan's nicknames for people (Example: Jean- Red, Kurt- Elf, Evan- Porcupine, Storm- 'Roro, etc.), and the way that the Institute students address the grownups. (Example, do they all call Xavier 'Professor' or 'Charles' or what?)
Are there any particular titles that the X-men address the Brotherhood members by? Vice versa? Do they call each other by their mutant names or their human names?
I only get to see one X-men Evo episode per week, so I'm kinda' low on research material!
Thanks for reading this! ^_^;
- : - : - Chapter Nine: Subtlety? What's That? - : - : -
Yuusuke sighed heavily, reaching up to massage his temples even as he leaned back against the hallway wall.
="THAT could have gone better."=
Kurama watched the Toushin's actions with a bit of weariness showing in his eyes as well. ="Indeed."=
Hiei stood to one side, his face expressionless, but he silently agreed with is two companions.
- : - : - Flashback - : - : -
Hiei eyed the conglomerate of humans that occupied the room along with himself, Yuusuke, and the fox.
The bald ningen, Xavier, had his hands folded before him on top of a large, mahogany desk, his fingers interlaced, his eyes trailing leisurely over those people assembled in the room. Logan, Ororo, Scott, and Jean stood over to one side, placing themselves between and to one side of Xavier and the three demons.
Hiei sneered to himself. He hated enclosed spaces, especially CROWDED, enclosed spaces . . . and that went double for those crowded and enclosed spaces where ningens were the ones doing the crowding.
He felt like Kokuryuha-ing [1] someone. Badly.
"Well," Xavier said at last. "I believe the question first and foremost within out minds would be, how did you manage to get here, Hiei?"
Hiei scowled, garnet eyes flashing, but Yuusuke planted a not-so-subtle elbow in the smaller demon's side. Hiei growled warningly as he bared his fangs, glaring up at the taller boy, but he spoke.
"I snuck on board and hid in the back while your people were distracted."
"I didn't smell ya' anywhere around," retorted Logan.
Hiei sneered over at the burly mutant. "And that's significant . . . why?"
Before Logan could snap something back, Xavier stepped in. "Logan has excellent senses. Escaping his notice --especially in closed quarters-- is quite a feat indeed."
"Hn."
Yuusuke frowned at the fire-demon. ="Hiei!"=
="Is it any of their business in the first place?"=
="It is to them . . . now that we're on their territory, at least,"= said Kurama. ="You don't have to be overly polite, but try not to antagonize them."=
Hiei snorted, but he looked toward Xavier. "The air was thick with the scents of oil and fuel, as well as the scents of Yuusuke and Shuichi. How could he pick up my scent amongst that?"
Xavier sighed softly, looking toward Logan shortly as though to warn the other man against doing or saying anything rash. Hiei allowed himself another small smirk.
"I really must ask you, Hiei," said Xavier slowly, "whether or not your parents know where you are."
"I have no parents."
Ororo stiffened. "You're an . . . orphan?"
Hiei glared at the dark-skinned woman. "Generally, when one says that he has no parents, the term 'orphan' applies very well."
Logan snarled. "Watch that mouth of yours, runt!"
A low groan reached Hiei's ears. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiei saw Yuusuke cover his eyes with one hand, shaking his head, and even the fox had a pained expression on his face. The fire-demon gave vent to a silent sigh.
"Yes," he said, keeping his voice carefully devoid of emotion. "I am an orphan. I wander. Sometimes I stay with Shuichi or at Genkai's shrine."
"How do you make a living?" asked Scott, one eyebrow arching above his concealing sunglasses.
Hiei eyed the tall, young man contemplatively. "Mercenary work."
"WHAT?!" chorused Ororo, Jean, Scott, and Logan all at once.
"No way!" That was Scott.
"Impossible!" Jean cried.
"You're too young!" added Ororo.
"Can you even fight?" growled Logan.
Hiei sneered. "I do not wear this blade for show," he said calmly, placing one hand lightly upon the hilt of his katana. He was glad that he had opted to leave his cloak in Kurama's room. The gesture was much more meaningful to these ningens since they could actually SEE him doing it.
"Somehow, I SERIOUSLY doubt that," snapped Logan.
Hiei turned the full force of his glare upon the other man, and Logan appeared to be taken aback by the fierce nature of the fire-demon's gaze.
"I could always arrange for a demonstration, should you wish it," said Hiei coolly.
"HIEI!" chorused Yuusuke and Kurama together.
Yuusuke placed himself firmly in the fire-demon's main path of attack leading toward the clawed mutant, feeling a not-so-pleasant sense of déjà vu.
~"Logan-san, you really might want to reconsider that,"~ said Kurama, falling into Japanese in the hopes of lessening whatever bruising that Logan's ego might take from the conversation. ~"Hiei is far more than merely accomplished in swordplay."~
~"He doesn't need you pampering him, Fox,"~ said Hiei, still staring straight into Logan's eyes. ~"If he wants to play, then let him try."~
Yuusuke growled deep in his chest. ="This translator thing really stinks, you know that? What're you three saying?"=
Kurama sighed, and it was a show of exactly how frayed his temper was growing that he actually answered with sarcasm heavy in his words. ="Oh, the usual. Logan's pushing for a fight, Hiei's encouraging it, and the situation is deteriorating. How's your day going?"=
Xavier was frowning sternly at Logan and Hiei. "Logan, I think that's quite enough."
="I have to say the same for you, Hiei,"= murmured Kurama.
="Hn."=
Xavier turned his penetrating gaze on the trio of foreigners before him, looking strangely focused.
Hiei's instincts blared warnings at him even as he felt the smallest of feather-light probes stretching toward the shield around the minds of himself, Yuusuke, and Kurama. His eyes narrowed.
He tapped into the shields that he had carefully erected the day before, and he 'flexed' his aura just SO, causing the shields to pulse with renewed power . . . just as the probe brushed against the shield surface.
Hiei was gratified to hear a pained breath hissing through the bald ningen's teeth, even as he closed his eyes against the youki backlash that had doubtless left his senses reeling.
Hiei truly enjoyed that little trick.
The concerned gazes of all the other ningen's rested upon their leader.
"Professor?" asked Jean.
"I'm . . . fine, Jean," the man managed at last. "Just a . . . headache."
And one that would last quite a long while, if Hiei was any judge.
Xavier turned eyes that were now slightly unfocussed upon the assembled Reikai Tantei.
"For now," he said, "I see nothing wrong with . . . allowing you to remain. I do expect you to follow the rules and attend school . . . You may go . . . Kurt will find you when it's time for your first practice in the Danger Room . . . Please, leave."
Kurama nodded in acknowledgement and did nothing so much as herd Yuusuke and Hiei out of the room, the concerned voices of the ningens fading behind them with each step they took away.
- : - : - End Flashback - : - : -
Yuusuke folded his arms over his chest, looking pensive. ="At least Xavier seems normal enough."=
="Hn."= Hiei's lip curled. ="You of all people should know that appearances count for nothing on missions. That 'Xavier' ningen is dangerous."=
Instantly, brown and emerald eyes were focused firmly upon him.
="How so?"= asked Kurama.
="He attempted to break into all of our minds. If not for my Jagan, none of us would now have anything hidden from them."=
Yuusuke frowned. ="What does your Jagan have to do with anything?"=
Hiei smirked, but didn't answer. Yuusuke glared.
Sensing the growing irritation of the detective, Kurama sighed softly and explained. ="Having a Jagan implanted grants the subject powerful telepathic and telekinetic powers as well as a power-boost . . . You shielded out minds, Hiei?"=
Hiei nodded once.
Yuusuke grimaced slightly, growling in irritation. ="Humans with telepathy. Things are never simple, are they?"=
Both the youko and the fire-demon could see Yuusuke's mind kicking into high-gear, thinking over what they had seen thus far and assessing other possible threats that he hadn't previously considered.
="How long can we count on this shield of yours, Hiei?"= asked the Toushin, his voice serious and businesslike.
="No human 'mutation' could possibly break my shields."=
="But if you were injured?"= put in Kurama, his own mind mulling over their situation as the youko side of his thoughts came to the fore, bringing his keen wits into the equation. ="You can't maintain the focus needed if you're unconscious."=
="True. In sleep I can maintain it subconsciously, but forcibly knocked out . . . no."=
Yuusuke sneered. ="In essence, that means that SOMEHOW our bad luck will kick in, and Hiei'll trip in the shower or some shit like that, and THEN where will we be?"=
Hiei snarled. ="I don't TRIP."=
="Are we so certain that the humans could even tell the difference between our minds and those of other students?"= Kurama asked. ="Maybe they'll just think we have odder thought-patterns than most."=
="No chance,"= snapped Hiei irritably. ="I saw a glimpse of Xavier's mind. Human auras are dull and composed of thoughts and emotions. To them, we are practically blinding."=
="They see us as light?"= Kurama was intrigued, his youko curiosity aroused. ="Our reiki and youki is the cause, obviously, but is it truly that conspicuous?"=
="Like supernovas at several thousand feet,"= growled Hiei. ="At midnight, during the new moon."=
Yuusuke grimaced. ="Ouch."=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
REVIEW RESPONSES FOR THE LAST CHAPTER (OVER THREE PAGES LONG!!! o.O;; ):
: Evil Towel : Yep, you came back, all right! And Hiei's quite the little daredevil, ain't he? ^.^
: Seiyo-san : You've already read the conclusion to the cliffy, so you don't want to hurt me now, do you? Anyway, thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story.
: TrueChildOfDarkness : I've got a bit of good news for you: *SPOILER WARNING: AVOID IF YOU WILL WISH TO DISEMBOWEL ME AFTER READING* Genkai comes back to life! I'm not sure how, I just know that she does 'cause I've seen a screenshot of her from the very last episode of the series, sitting in the shrine drinking tea with Puu. *SPOILER HAS PASSED: CONTINUE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS* I'm not certain whether the nicknames bit is cannon, but feel free to use it if you want. Just put a bit of advertising for me in the story, k? ^_^ I'd appreciate it!
: Yayo : *winks* You'll just have to wait and see, no?
: Siora : I'm SO happy that you like all of that! You picked out things that I was really hoping would go over well, and it looks like they did! YAYNESS!
: Animegirl8 : o.O; Rath?! Oh, crap. KURAMA! *Kurama appears in youko form, beating back Rath with his Death Tree* Whew! *grabs Hiei and runs away, Kurama following*
: cyn skysong : Yes, I know Latin. Salve, quid agis hodie? (SAHL-way kwid AH-gis HOH-dee-ay) Hello, how are you today? ^_^; And you'll just have to see who Shadow Tempest is when I get around to it!
: Kailyssia : I'm glad you like everything, and Professor Xavier doesn't know what their powers are because he can't see into their minds to find out!
: CJ-Chan : Yep! Little daredevil, ain't he?
: Aya-Mikage2002 : Thank you, thank you, and *snatches Toushin Yuusuke plushie and huggles* THANK YOU!
: Tione : *glomps* I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE THE MOST AWESOME, UBER REVIEWER EVER! *hands over Youko Kurama, Hiei, and Yuusuke plushies* Have some plushies!
: Takahashi Shuurin : *grimaces* Yeah, I didn't like putting that 'so' in. It sounded VERY un-Yuusuke. *shrugs* Oh, well. Life goes on.
a) Tempest means a very large, violent storm.
b) I think that you have a wonderful brain! (You know THREE languages! Be proud! I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of kids at my school that know TWO languages, let alone THREE!)
c) Lax means . . . er, 'relaxed' might be a good comparison, but 'lax' leans more toward 'shoddy' or 'lazy.' And, yes, 'tight security' is a common term in English.
Thanks!
: Chronicles Bailey : Have you ever seen anyone with powers like Kurt's, Kitty's or Scott's? That's all I meant; they're unique. . . and anyway, in response to your other review, if I DIDN'T write more, I'd be mobbed by tons of angry reviewers! *shudders and goes to hide*
: DespairingAngel : Interesting.
: Madame Arrow Foxfire : Salve, mea amica, quid agis hodie? Ego bene sum. Et tu? Gratias tibi for the review. And I didn't want to send Yukina since a) Hiei would have been PISSED at me for putting her in dangers and b) she can't really fight that well. She'd have been in too much danger.
: Saelbu : Thankies!
: ~*CLS*~ : Yep, Kurama is perfect. *joins CLS in singing, then pauses* Toushin Yuusuke is hottest, though. *continues singing*
: Ryoken : Thankies!
: Bloodfang : Thanks for all the support! I'm glad you like the story so much. *snatches cupcake* And thanks again! *munch-munch*
: arrow-card : Yay! *bows*
: Mistress of Dragons : Congrats on your test! *hands over a Jin the Windmaster plushie* Hope you like! And as far as Gaelic goes, I think that's awesome. Go to http : / / www . freelang . net / dictionary / irish _ gaelic . html (remove the spaces and you'll be fine!). It's a Gaelic- English dictionary! Scroll down the page and you'll see two icons that look like floppy disks. You'll need to download both the program and the dictionary. If you go to the main page, you should be able to find your way to a page where you can download a Japanese word list to add to your dictionary. Hope that helps! Slan!
: Melissa : Thanks!
: hahazinsanity : I doubt that they'll meet Pyro. I've never seen an episode with him, and I've got to see a character in action to know how to write their character. Sorry! Thanks for the review, though!
: blue moon gurl : Thankies!
: Leria006 : Thanks bunches! I'm glad that you like it so much, and the fact that you can understand the story without every having read X-men Evo is a REAL ego booster for me! Thanks again!
: Tina : Thankies!
: QG : Thanks! I feel special since you like the story so much. *snatches plushies* MINE!
: Pewter : *snatches plushies* Thanks! And I'm glad that my story could brighten your day!
: Lobo-Chan : Don't you LOVE sugar highs? They're great. And don't worry, Touya's all yours. He's awesome and everything, but Toushin Yuusuke is MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE!!!!
: Jax : ^_^;
: oOKeairaOo : Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. Hmm. Must integrate that into the story . . .
: shakiya : THANKIES!
: zippy_puppy3 : No, Shadow Tempest is all original. Sorry to disappoint.
: Freak Moister : Thankies! I really appreciate it!
: Gemini Star1 : I'm working on the Kurama situation, and yeah, Hiei is gonna' cause tons of hell-- er, excitement, heh-heh. ^_^;
: Jaid Skywalker : Thankies bunches. Yep, I'm gonna' have fun writing all of that!
: Everqueen : Thanks, I'm glad you like it!
: Terris : Thanks, and you're welcome!
: Snowfire : HEY! Don't endanger your eyesight just for a story! If you wait until your eyes are better, then you'll get to read lots of chapters at once, anyway! But I'm glad that Mr. Snuffles is okay. Kurama was really worried. *huggles Kurama* (Kurama: Did you just GOOSE me?! . . . Me: ^_^; ME? Nah, couldn't have been . . .)
: Kazam : -_-; Wonderful imagery. I'm gonna' go hide under my bed now . . .
: angelbird12241 : Thankies!
: spellwing : That's right! *hands over cyber cookie* Enjoy!
: Kittengrl39 : My story's a smash hit!? AWESOME. And it's a crossover, which generally isn't that popular! I'M HAPPY! *snatches cookies* Oh, and thanks for these!
: Tri : Thankies!
: Dark Dreaming : Thanks bunches. I'm glad that you like it!
: ccs rox : Thanks!
: West Wind : I think you mean a metaphor or simile. Analogies are stories where everything is symbolic of something else (I should know; we're studying them in Lit right now. -_-; Blech.) Thanks. Maybe I should start a support group: MXAA . . . Mission X Addicts Anonymous. ^_^; Anyway, I'm glad you like the story so much!
: hanyougirl : Thanks.
: BlackFireDragonK : Here's more!
: hiei-luver45 : I'm glad you're liking it so much. I hope this chapter was up to my usual standards!
: The real Eternal Sailor Earth : *hands over Hiei and Kurama plushies* Here, but I'll be expecting another review from you, ya' hear?
: Killua-san : Thanks. I'm going to try my best to keep to my no-romance policy. Feel free to bop me upside the head if I stray, okay?
: Yanslana : o.O; Uhmmm . . . apparently. *throws down smoke bomb and runs away while Yanslana is distracted*
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NEXT TIME: DANGER ROOM INSANITY ENSUES! BWAHAHAHAHA!