Be sure to check out my new YYH oneshot, Immortality. It's my first attempt
at angst, so I'd like some feedback, onegai. ^_^
- : - : - : - : - : -
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.
- : - : - : - : - : -
This chapter had to be cut into two sections: it was turning out to be over twenty-five pages (size ten font) and the latter half had some gaps in it that I'm having trouble filling in. I thought you'd appreciate it if I went ahead and got this out instead of making ya'll wait longer. So, here goes.
- : - : - Chapter Eighteen: Overload, Part One of Two - : - : -
"Oh, honestly!" Kitty eyed the scattered bags and clothing littering the floor of the store with exasperation. "Men! We can't leave them alone for a MINUTE!"
Rahne scowled. "I TOLD you we should have set someone to watch them!"
Jubilee knelt down and began to gather up the discarded parcels, grumbling quietly to herself. Something about 'stupid boys' and locking 'those irresponsible jerks' in the Danger Room until they learned their lesson.
Kitty turned pleading eyes to Jean, who was watching the proceedings with a big-sisterly sort of amusement. "Jean, can't you find them for us? We've only got, like, another hour before we're supposed to meet Rogue!"
Jean frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know. There are a lot of people around, Kitty; it's a lot of interference to sort through to find three people . . . well, four, if you count Hiei."
"You know Kurt really well, though," protested Kitty. "It'll, like, be easier for you to pick him out, right? And the others are probably with him!"
Jean thought for several moments. "I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to try."
Kitty beamed. "Thanks, Jean!"
The auburn-haired young woman closed her eyes and focused her mind. She could sense Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee easily enough, all three of them giving off mild waves of irritation. She pressed her senses further outward, searching for Kurt's vibrant, sparkling personality.
What she received instead was a violent jolt of shock, disbelief, and fear so strong that her eyesight blurred and her knees weakened. She was barely aware of the voices of Kitty, Jubilee and Rahne as the girls called out to her in alarm.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Every strand of fur upon Kurt's body was standing on end. His amber eyes were wide with a mix of confusion and fright, and his tail lashed uncontrollably behind him.
The confusion was due to several things: namely, Shuichi's and Yuusuke's sudden alarm and flight from the store, the fact that they found both Hiei and Rogue without any way of knowing where either of the missing mutants were, and the sprawled, unconscious bodies of four men lying upon the cold cement slabs lining the ground of the parking-garage.
The fright was mostly due to the fact that Rogue --her hands bare-- was touching Hiei . . . and as a result, Hiei was . . . glowing. The black haired mutant's entire body was outlined in a strange, violet-black shimmer with occasional sparks of red flickering here and there.
The light was faint, and Kurt could almost believe that he was imagining it, save that he could also see that Hiei's skin was slowly darkening to an unnatural shade of green, and something beneath Hiei's ever-present white bandana was shining violet . . . and steaming.
Kurt found little comfort at all --if anything, he became even more worried- - when he noticed that Yuusuke and Shuichi looked just as tense as he himself felt, if not more so.
"Oh, Inari . . ." breathed Shuichi softly, sounding almost fearful.
Yuusuke's hands balled into fists by his sides. "Oh, shit."
Kurt's eyes darted anxiously between Rogue and the two teenage boys. Kurt had never seen such a look of agony upon Rogue's face before, and Yuusuke and Shuichi were just STANDING THERE! The blue-furred mutant opened his mouth to demand what they were waiting for, couldn't they see Rogue needed help?
But Yuusuke and Shuichi were already moving, as though prodded into action by a silent signal.
Almost faster than Kurt's eyes could follow, Yuusuke and Shuichi darted forward. Shuichi went for Hiei and Yuusuke for Rogue, the two boys each grabbing their chosen target and tugging them apart.
Rogue and Hiei's hands separated abruptly, like two magnets tugged away from each other. In an instant, all the tension drained from both mutants' bodies, and they collapsed bonelessly in their rescuers' arms, their eyes sliding closed. As Shuichi lowered Hiei to the ground, the light faded from around the smaller mutant and his skin resumed its normal shade, the strange glow behind his bandana fading.
Yuusuke had knelt, bearing the limp form of Rogue gently to earth, propping her shoulders against his chest, but his eyes were intent upon Shuichi and Hiei. He voiced a quiet question in that strange 'rare dialect' of theirs. It sounded as though he was asking as to Hiei's condition, though there was no way for Kurt to be certain.
Before Shuichi had a chance to answer, however, Hiei's body stiffened, and a pair of garnet eyes snapped open to glare up at the red-haired boy. Kurt heard the small mutant growl a comment that even Kurt could understand was a threat.
Shuichi obligingly moved away, allowing the black-haired mutant to sit up, still scowling. Kurama murmured something to Yuusuke, and some of the tension drained out of the other boy's frame, a small smile appearing on his lips.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Charles Xavier was experiencing a rare, peaceful moment to himself, something that he savored immensely. He sat quietly on the balcony outside of his room, looking out over the green expanse of the Institute grounds and enjoying the fresh air brushing against his face.
However, despite the peaceful scene, his thoughts were racing furiously. Looking upon the trees of the forest merely brought to his mind the problem of the 'kitsune' Kitty had seen roaming Institute grounds.
What sort of creature could it be? The only possible answer thus far was Logan's 'fox-spirit' theory, but Charles' truly hoped that there was a more reasonable explanation than that.
Was it friend, foe, or merely a dumb beast?
What --or WHO-- had led it here?
Most importantly of all, was it dangerous?
It disturbed him greatly that he had no answers.
He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, firmly pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind. It had been over a month since his last chance to simply relax and enjoy silence; at the Institute, it was rare indeed that there was quiet for any significant length of time. There was always someone yelling or laughing, and occasionally there would be a mild explosion from the Danger Room or wherever some of the more 'destructive' students happened to be --I.e. Jubilee, Amara, Scott, and (not so long ago) Tabitha.
Now, all to be heard was the rustling of the wind through the trees, the distant singing of a woodland bird, and the soothing, rushing sound of the sea crashing against the cliffs near the mansion.
He was lulled into a light doze, every muscle in his body comfortably limp.
He nearly fell out of his chair when the frantic cry of Jean's mind-voice echoed inside his skull.
~:PROFESSOR!:~
Charles' eyes snapped open and sat up, his back ramrod straight. ~:Jean? What's wrong?:~
~:Professor, we need help! Something's wrong with Rogue!:~
He had never heard her sound so anxious. She was on the verge of stammering incoherently, and for Jean to be so upset . . . that was truly cause for worry.
~:Calm down, Jean. Slowly now, breathe. Tell me, what's wrong with Rogue?:~
~:I don't know! I was trying to talk to Kurt, and . . . and there was this image of Rogue . . . touching someone, I think. Kurt was focused on Rogue; I couldn't see the other person clearly. Professor, she's in PAIN. You've got to send help; Kurt was beside himself, and I don't know where they are! Something's interfering with my powers; I can't track them down!:~
Charles' hands were already guiding his chair back into his rooms, heading purposefully for Cerebro. ~:What do you mean, 'interference'?:~
~:I . . . It's . . . Like mist, professor. All different colors, black and violet and red. I can sense Kurt and Rogue, but there's this MIST all around them, keeping me from tracking them. I don't know what to do!:~
~:Where are you now, and who's with you?:~
~: . . . Jacqueline's Ladies' Apparel. Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee are all here. Everyone else is missing.:~
~:And the van?:~
~:The---the parking garage, second level.:~
~:Go to the van and wait. I'm sending help.:~
~:Hurry, please!:~
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei hated weakness. Loathed it, in fact.
Therefore waking up to find himself lying flat on his back with a certain red-haired kitsune bending over him was not something that would put him in an especially good mood.
="Get your damn hands off me, Kurama, and get the hell away. Now."=
Kurama blinked once in mild surprise, but he moved away, allowing Hiei to have the personal space he desired.
The Jaganshi pretended not to notice Kurama's mild, amused comment of, ="Don't worry, Yuusuke. He seems perfectly fine to me."=
The small, black-haired demon growled to himself as he sat up. What the hell had that human brat DONE?
A headache flickered around inside his head like numerous flashes of especially vindictive lightning. His entire body throbbed. His youki was straining unnaturally against his control, as though he had suddenly been flooded with three times the amount of energy he was normally accustomed to carrying around inside himself, and his Jagan burned angrily; the implanted eye tended to be a bit possessive when it came to it's host. Were it not for the warded headband restraining the Jagan's power, the girl would most likely be dead as payment for her intrusion into Hiei's mind.
Hiei's eyes fell upon the girl in question where she lay limply in Yuusuke's lap, and his glare intensified even as his thoughts whirled with possible theories explaining what had just happened.
Yuusuke's voice interrupted Hiei's speculations. ="Yeesh! It's nice to know you're not dead, but still!"= The Toushin was grinning slightly, more than a little of his demon nature showing through. ="Crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"=
Hiei's glare was immediately transferred to the dark-haired young man, and he snarled viciously, in no mood to tolerate the young demon's joking nature. ="Shut UP, detective."=
Kurama was eyeing Rogue, taking stock of her condition from where he stood beside Hiei's kneeling form. ="She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"=
="With my luck? She'll hurl all over me, Kurama."=
Kurama's eyes narrowed, more than a little gold showing amongst the emerald, indicating that Kurama's Youko side was vying for dominance. Even Hiei could tell that the fox disliked being in the middle of 'human' territory with so many strange, possibly Makai-related things going on. Hiei himself was feeling exposed, and he was oddly enough looking forward to getting back to the mansion. At least their rooms there were semi-secure from outside interference.
Kurama glared. ="Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."=
Yuusuke's gaze sharpened, and he gazed at Kurama for a few short seconds, reading the kitsune's tense posture and the telltale signs of Kurama's Youko side coming to the fore.
The Toushin grinned lopsidedly. ="I never liked this shirt much anyway."=
- : - : - : - : - : -
Ororo suppressed a terrified yelp and clung tightly to Logan's waist as the burly mutant directed the motorcycle around yet another sharp curve . . . at about sixty-five miles per hour.
If not for the helmet that Logan had practically shoved over her head in his haste to get on the road, her hair would have been whipping around so violently that it would most likely have left red welts on her face. She was also thankful for the glass face-shield of the helmet; it was far easier to breathe when moving at such high speeds if the wind wasn't rushing suffocatingly against one's nose and mouth.
She had been in the middle of watering the plants of her small indoor garden via her . . . unique . . . methods when Logan had crashed through the door, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her through the mansion to the garage.
He spoke five words the entire time. "Trouble. Rogue. Bayville Mall. Now."
By the time her mind had caught up with her body, she wasn't exactly in a position to protest; namely, she was behind Logan, astride a motorcycle that was pushing seventy mph down a very large, very crowded highway.
She clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip, silently resolving to have a LONG talk with Logan sometime in the near future about his choice of transportation.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurt inched forward slowly, carefully remaining within the shadows of the still-open doorway. He debated silently with himself: to remain hidden and learn more about the three strange newcomers, or to show himself --and reveal that he had been spying on them-- to help them with Rogue.
His tail twitched and curled slightly around his thigh, a visible sign of his indecision.
He WANTED to help Rogue, but he didn't want to upset Yuusuke, Kurama or Hiei . . . ESPECIALLY not Hiei. The small, black-haired mutant seemed the kind of person to use fists --or blades-- to work out disputes.
Almost like a little Logan, really.
Kurt's gaze was intent upon Yuusuke, watching the teenager bend closer to Rogue's pale face as he shook the girl slightly. Kurt could hear him talking softly to the unconscious mutant, cajoling her to wake.
Kurt fidgeted, chewing on his bottom lip.
He wanted to help her. He needed to help her.
He placed one foot tentatively forward . . . even as his eyes widened upon seeing Yuusuke's hand settle lightly upon Rogue's cheek.
His shocked cry of, "NO, DON'T--- !" came almost in unison with an equally vehement cry from Hiei.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"YUUSUKE! TEINOUSHA---! [1]"
Hiei snarled loudly in surprise as his senses were battered by the violent flare of youki from Yuusuke's body. He fought to stand, but his muscles protested at the abrupt movement, and he dropped back to his knees. Beside him, Kurama flinched violently at Yuusuke's spike in energy, dropping into a secure fighting stance through instinct.
"NO, DON'T---!"
Hiei's gaze snapped toward the open door leading toward the mall, and he saw the blue-furred mutant boy --Kurt-- standing there, his eyes wide with dismay and one hand outstretched toward Yuusuke.
Hiei bared his fangs. Things were rapidly being shot to hell. He could practically hear their cover-story crumbling down around their ears.
But first things were first: deal with Yuusuke, and THEN they would worry about keeping their cover in tact.
He dragged his attention back to Yuusuke.
To the Jaganshi's ki-sensitive sight, Yuusuke's body was outlined in light of the deepest blue . . . the energy was so concentrated that even a human would probably be able to see it.
. . . and for every second that passed, the light grew brighter, rising far faster and far higher than Hiei's youki levels had when he had been in Yuusuke's position. Already blue markings were fading into existence upon the Toushin's skin.
Hiei glared up at Kurama. "What are you WAITING for?!" he yelled. "GET HIM OUT OF THERE!"
Kurama jerked in surprise at the abrupt order, but he didn't need to be told twice.
- : - : - : - : - : -
To Kurt's eyes, it seemed as though Kurama disappeared from beside Hiei . . . only to see him reappear behind Yuusuke. The red-haired mutant hooked his elbows beneath Yuusuke's arms and bodily dragged the slightly smaller boy away from Rogue.
Kurt flinched violently as Rogue's upper body fell back against the cement, her head landing upon the hart ground with a very audible *clunk*.
He bamphed to her side, bending down so that his ear was directly above her nose and mouth. The fine blue hairs were stirred by her breath, and he let out a short breath he had been holding. He had certainly never seen anything like THAT happen to her before; he wasn't certain what condition she would be in.
But she WAS breathing; that was always a plus.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurama's lips thinned in annoyance as he watched Yuusuke roll onto his side, groaning.
="Holy shit . . ."= The Toushin pressed his hands against his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. ="Who kicked me?"=
Kurama sighed, his eyes falling upon the unconscious figure of Rogue, who was currently being tended by an anxious Kurt. ="Lord Yuusuke, might I suggest you follow the 'look, don't touch' approach in the future?"=
Yuusuke gingerly raised himself to a sitting position, then abruptly lowered his forehead down to rest between his knees. ="My head feels like it did after Raizen tried playing puppet-master with me. What the hell happened?"=
="To be completely truthful, I'm not certain."= Kurama frowned slightly, looking toward Kurt. ="But I know someone who can explain."=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
[1] Teinousha- Japanese, 'moron'
- : - : - : - : - : -
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything of Edgar Allen Poe's.
The kitsune information in this story (aside from direct references to Kurama or his past) is from http : // w w w . comnet . ca / ~ foxtrot / kitsune / kitsune 1 . htm . I used some snippets of info from there to flesh out my kitsune explanation, but some of it is tweaked slightly.
- : - : - : - : - : -
This chapter had to be cut into two sections: it was turning out to be over twenty-five pages (size ten font) and the latter half had some gaps in it that I'm having trouble filling in. I thought you'd appreciate it if I went ahead and got this out instead of making ya'll wait longer. So, here goes.
- : - : - Chapter Eighteen: Overload, Part One of Two - : - : -
"Oh, honestly!" Kitty eyed the scattered bags and clothing littering the floor of the store with exasperation. "Men! We can't leave them alone for a MINUTE!"
Rahne scowled. "I TOLD you we should have set someone to watch them!"
Jubilee knelt down and began to gather up the discarded parcels, grumbling quietly to herself. Something about 'stupid boys' and locking 'those irresponsible jerks' in the Danger Room until they learned their lesson.
Kitty turned pleading eyes to Jean, who was watching the proceedings with a big-sisterly sort of amusement. "Jean, can't you find them for us? We've only got, like, another hour before we're supposed to meet Rogue!"
Jean frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know. There are a lot of people around, Kitty; it's a lot of interference to sort through to find three people . . . well, four, if you count Hiei."
"You know Kurt really well, though," protested Kitty. "It'll, like, be easier for you to pick him out, right? And the others are probably with him!"
Jean thought for several moments. "I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to try."
Kitty beamed. "Thanks, Jean!"
The auburn-haired young woman closed her eyes and focused her mind. She could sense Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee easily enough, all three of them giving off mild waves of irritation. She pressed her senses further outward, searching for Kurt's vibrant, sparkling personality.
What she received instead was a violent jolt of shock, disbelief, and fear so strong that her eyesight blurred and her knees weakened. She was barely aware of the voices of Kitty, Jubilee and Rahne as the girls called out to her in alarm.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Every strand of fur upon Kurt's body was standing on end. His amber eyes were wide with a mix of confusion and fright, and his tail lashed uncontrollably behind him.
The confusion was due to several things: namely, Shuichi's and Yuusuke's sudden alarm and flight from the store, the fact that they found both Hiei and Rogue without any way of knowing where either of the missing mutants were, and the sprawled, unconscious bodies of four men lying upon the cold cement slabs lining the ground of the parking-garage.
The fright was mostly due to the fact that Rogue --her hands bare-- was touching Hiei . . . and as a result, Hiei was . . . glowing. The black haired mutant's entire body was outlined in a strange, violet-black shimmer with occasional sparks of red flickering here and there.
The light was faint, and Kurt could almost believe that he was imagining it, save that he could also see that Hiei's skin was slowly darkening to an unnatural shade of green, and something beneath Hiei's ever-present white bandana was shining violet . . . and steaming.
Kurt found little comfort at all --if anything, he became even more worried- - when he noticed that Yuusuke and Shuichi looked just as tense as he himself felt, if not more so.
"Oh, Inari . . ." breathed Shuichi softly, sounding almost fearful.
Yuusuke's hands balled into fists by his sides. "Oh, shit."
Kurt's eyes darted anxiously between Rogue and the two teenage boys. Kurt had never seen such a look of agony upon Rogue's face before, and Yuusuke and Shuichi were just STANDING THERE! The blue-furred mutant opened his mouth to demand what they were waiting for, couldn't they see Rogue needed help?
But Yuusuke and Shuichi were already moving, as though prodded into action by a silent signal.
Almost faster than Kurt's eyes could follow, Yuusuke and Shuichi darted forward. Shuichi went for Hiei and Yuusuke for Rogue, the two boys each grabbing their chosen target and tugging them apart.
Rogue and Hiei's hands separated abruptly, like two magnets tugged away from each other. In an instant, all the tension drained from both mutants' bodies, and they collapsed bonelessly in their rescuers' arms, their eyes sliding closed. As Shuichi lowered Hiei to the ground, the light faded from around the smaller mutant and his skin resumed its normal shade, the strange glow behind his bandana fading.
Yuusuke had knelt, bearing the limp form of Rogue gently to earth, propping her shoulders against his chest, but his eyes were intent upon Shuichi and Hiei. He voiced a quiet question in that strange 'rare dialect' of theirs. It sounded as though he was asking as to Hiei's condition, though there was no way for Kurt to be certain.
Before Shuichi had a chance to answer, however, Hiei's body stiffened, and a pair of garnet eyes snapped open to glare up at the red-haired boy. Kurt heard the small mutant growl a comment that even Kurt could understand was a threat.
Shuichi obligingly moved away, allowing the black-haired mutant to sit up, still scowling. Kurama murmured something to Yuusuke, and some of the tension drained out of the other boy's frame, a small smile appearing on his lips.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Charles Xavier was experiencing a rare, peaceful moment to himself, something that he savored immensely. He sat quietly on the balcony outside of his room, looking out over the green expanse of the Institute grounds and enjoying the fresh air brushing against his face.
However, despite the peaceful scene, his thoughts were racing furiously. Looking upon the trees of the forest merely brought to his mind the problem of the 'kitsune' Kitty had seen roaming Institute grounds.
What sort of creature could it be? The only possible answer thus far was Logan's 'fox-spirit' theory, but Charles' truly hoped that there was a more reasonable explanation than that.
Was it friend, foe, or merely a dumb beast?
What --or WHO-- had led it here?
Most importantly of all, was it dangerous?
It disturbed him greatly that he had no answers.
He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, firmly pushing the troubling thoughts to the back of his mind. It had been over a month since his last chance to simply relax and enjoy silence; at the Institute, it was rare indeed that there was quiet for any significant length of time. There was always someone yelling or laughing, and occasionally there would be a mild explosion from the Danger Room or wherever some of the more 'destructive' students happened to be --I.e. Jubilee, Amara, Scott, and (not so long ago) Tabitha.
Now, all to be heard was the rustling of the wind through the trees, the distant singing of a woodland bird, and the soothing, rushing sound of the sea crashing against the cliffs near the mansion.
He was lulled into a light doze, every muscle in his body comfortably limp.
He nearly fell out of his chair when the frantic cry of Jean's mind-voice echoed inside his skull.
~:PROFESSOR!:~
Charles' eyes snapped open and sat up, his back ramrod straight. ~:Jean? What's wrong?:~
~:Professor, we need help! Something's wrong with Rogue!:~
He had never heard her sound so anxious. She was on the verge of stammering incoherently, and for Jean to be so upset . . . that was truly cause for worry.
~:Calm down, Jean. Slowly now, breathe. Tell me, what's wrong with Rogue?:~
~:I don't know! I was trying to talk to Kurt, and . . . and there was this image of Rogue . . . touching someone, I think. Kurt was focused on Rogue; I couldn't see the other person clearly. Professor, she's in PAIN. You've got to send help; Kurt was beside himself, and I don't know where they are! Something's interfering with my powers; I can't track them down!:~
Charles' hands were already guiding his chair back into his rooms, heading purposefully for Cerebro. ~:What do you mean, 'interference'?:~
~:I . . . It's . . . Like mist, professor. All different colors, black and violet and red. I can sense Kurt and Rogue, but there's this MIST all around them, keeping me from tracking them. I don't know what to do!:~
~:Where are you now, and who's with you?:~
~: . . . Jacqueline's Ladies' Apparel. Kitty, Rahne, and Jubilee are all here. Everyone else is missing.:~
~:And the van?:~
~:The---the parking garage, second level.:~
~:Go to the van and wait. I'm sending help.:~
~:Hurry, please!:~
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei hated weakness. Loathed it, in fact.
Therefore waking up to find himself lying flat on his back with a certain red-haired kitsune bending over him was not something that would put him in an especially good mood.
="Get your damn hands off me, Kurama, and get the hell away. Now."=
Kurama blinked once in mild surprise, but he moved away, allowing Hiei to have the personal space he desired.
The Jaganshi pretended not to notice Kurama's mild, amused comment of, ="Don't worry, Yuusuke. He seems perfectly fine to me."=
The small, black-haired demon growled to himself as he sat up. What the hell had that human brat DONE?
A headache flickered around inside his head like numerous flashes of especially vindictive lightning. His entire body throbbed. His youki was straining unnaturally against his control, as though he had suddenly been flooded with three times the amount of energy he was normally accustomed to carrying around inside himself, and his Jagan burned angrily; the implanted eye tended to be a bit possessive when it came to it's host. Were it not for the warded headband restraining the Jagan's power, the girl would most likely be dead as payment for her intrusion into Hiei's mind.
Hiei's eyes fell upon the girl in question where she lay limply in Yuusuke's lap, and his glare intensified even as his thoughts whirled with possible theories explaining what had just happened.
Yuusuke's voice interrupted Hiei's speculations. ="Yeesh! It's nice to know you're not dead, but still!"= The Toushin was grinning slightly, more than a little of his demon nature showing through. ="Crap, Hiei, what'd you do?"=
Hiei's glare was immediately transferred to the dark-haired young man, and he snarled viciously, in no mood to tolerate the young demon's joking nature. ="Shut UP, detective."=
Kurama was eyeing Rogue, taking stock of her condition from where he stood beside Hiei's kneeling form. ="She looks unwell, Yuusuke. Perhaps we should take her to the others?"=
="With my luck? She'll hurl all over me, Kurama."=
Kurama's eyes narrowed, more than a little gold showing amongst the emerald, indicating that Kurama's Youko side was vying for dominance. Even Hiei could tell that the fox disliked being in the middle of 'human' territory with so many strange, possibly Makai-related things going on. Hiei himself was feeling exposed, and he was oddly enough looking forward to getting back to the mansion. At least their rooms there were semi-secure from outside interference.
Kurama glared. ="Then I'LL carry her to the van and let YOU explain things to Jean and Kitty."=
Yuusuke's gaze sharpened, and he gazed at Kurama for a few short seconds, reading the kitsune's tense posture and the telltale signs of Kurama's Youko side coming to the fore.
The Toushin grinned lopsidedly. ="I never liked this shirt much anyway."=
- : - : - : - : - : -
Ororo suppressed a terrified yelp and clung tightly to Logan's waist as the burly mutant directed the motorcycle around yet another sharp curve . . . at about sixty-five miles per hour.
If not for the helmet that Logan had practically shoved over her head in his haste to get on the road, her hair would have been whipping around so violently that it would most likely have left red welts on her face. She was also thankful for the glass face-shield of the helmet; it was far easier to breathe when moving at such high speeds if the wind wasn't rushing suffocatingly against one's nose and mouth.
She had been in the middle of watering the plants of her small indoor garden via her . . . unique . . . methods when Logan had crashed through the door, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her through the mansion to the garage.
He spoke five words the entire time. "Trouble. Rogue. Bayville Mall. Now."
By the time her mind had caught up with her body, she wasn't exactly in a position to protest; namely, she was behind Logan, astride a motorcycle that was pushing seventy mph down a very large, very crowded highway.
She clenched her eyes shut and tightened her grip, silently resolving to have a LONG talk with Logan sometime in the near future about his choice of transportation.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurt inched forward slowly, carefully remaining within the shadows of the still-open doorway. He debated silently with himself: to remain hidden and learn more about the three strange newcomers, or to show himself --and reveal that he had been spying on them-- to help them with Rogue.
His tail twitched and curled slightly around his thigh, a visible sign of his indecision.
He WANTED to help Rogue, but he didn't want to upset Yuusuke, Kurama or Hiei . . . ESPECIALLY not Hiei. The small, black-haired mutant seemed the kind of person to use fists --or blades-- to work out disputes.
Almost like a little Logan, really.
Kurt's gaze was intent upon Yuusuke, watching the teenager bend closer to Rogue's pale face as he shook the girl slightly. Kurt could hear him talking softly to the unconscious mutant, cajoling her to wake.
Kurt fidgeted, chewing on his bottom lip.
He wanted to help her. He needed to help her.
He placed one foot tentatively forward . . . even as his eyes widened upon seeing Yuusuke's hand settle lightly upon Rogue's cheek.
His shocked cry of, "NO, DON'T--- !" came almost in unison with an equally vehement cry from Hiei.
- : - : - : - : - : -
"YUUSUKE! TEINOUSHA---! [1]"
Hiei snarled loudly in surprise as his senses were battered by the violent flare of youki from Yuusuke's body. He fought to stand, but his muscles protested at the abrupt movement, and he dropped back to his knees. Beside him, Kurama flinched violently at Yuusuke's spike in energy, dropping into a secure fighting stance through instinct.
"NO, DON'T---!"
Hiei's gaze snapped toward the open door leading toward the mall, and he saw the blue-furred mutant boy --Kurt-- standing there, his eyes wide with dismay and one hand outstretched toward Yuusuke.
Hiei bared his fangs. Things were rapidly being shot to hell. He could practically hear their cover-story crumbling down around their ears.
But first things were first: deal with Yuusuke, and THEN they would worry about keeping their cover in tact.
He dragged his attention back to Yuusuke.
To the Jaganshi's ki-sensitive sight, Yuusuke's body was outlined in light of the deepest blue . . . the energy was so concentrated that even a human would probably be able to see it.
. . . and for every second that passed, the light grew brighter, rising far faster and far higher than Hiei's youki levels had when he had been in Yuusuke's position. Already blue markings were fading into existence upon the Toushin's skin.
Hiei glared up at Kurama. "What are you WAITING for?!" he yelled. "GET HIM OUT OF THERE!"
Kurama jerked in surprise at the abrupt order, but he didn't need to be told twice.
- : - : - : - : - : -
To Kurt's eyes, it seemed as though Kurama disappeared from beside Hiei . . . only to see him reappear behind Yuusuke. The red-haired mutant hooked his elbows beneath Yuusuke's arms and bodily dragged the slightly smaller boy away from Rogue.
Kurt flinched violently as Rogue's upper body fell back against the cement, her head landing upon the hart ground with a very audible *clunk*.
He bamphed to her side, bending down so that his ear was directly above her nose and mouth. The fine blue hairs were stirred by her breath, and he let out a short breath he had been holding. He had certainly never seen anything like THAT happen to her before; he wasn't certain what condition she would be in.
But she WAS breathing; that was always a plus.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Kurama's lips thinned in annoyance as he watched Yuusuke roll onto his side, groaning.
="Holy shit . . ."= The Toushin pressed his hands against his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. ="Who kicked me?"=
Kurama sighed, his eyes falling upon the unconscious figure of Rogue, who was currently being tended by an anxious Kurt. ="Lord Yuusuke, might I suggest you follow the 'look, don't touch' approach in the future?"=
Yuusuke gingerly raised himself to a sitting position, then abruptly lowered his forehead down to rest between his knees. ="My head feels like it did after Raizen tried playing puppet-master with me. What the hell happened?"=
="To be completely truthful, I'm not certain."= Kurama frowned slightly, looking toward Kurt. ="But I know someone who can explain."=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
[1] Teinousha- Japanese, 'moron'