Thanks to all of my patient (and not so patient) reviewers for not killing me. My computer had a major epileptic attack and had to be sent away for emergency surgery. I just recently got it back and convinced it that, yes, it IS in its best interest to let me post my stories.
Now, for fear of being attacked by 'evil sponges' glances dubiously at a recent review I hereby present you with the next chapter of Mission X.
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I have a new piece of FANART up on Mediaminer.org entitled "DEMON IN MY VIEW." (I hope the site is up and running if you go visit. Does anyone know a more reliable site to post fanart on? A FREE site? With lots of memory space?)
Anyway, it's a shaded drawing of Yuusuke when he's inside the mall parking garage trying to resist his demon side, and there's an image of Toushin Yuusuke looming over him. It's my best work yet as far as shading goes, so be sure to check it out, and it wouldn't hurt for you to leave a review while you visit, now, would it?
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 161885
And there's also this picture, "THREE REASONS," which is of Yuusuke, Hiei and Kurama standing together with a five-tailed fox, black dragon, and phoenix behind them. Drawn and shaded in pencil. Check it out and drop me a review!
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 162865
Copy, paste, remove the spaces, and hit enter.
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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.
- : - : - Chapter Twenty: Infirmaries and Irritation - : - : -
Hank McCoy was thankful for Charles' ability to speak to him mentally. Otherwise, the cavalcade bearing the three victims of the 'close-encounter of the Rogue kind' would have arrived to a distinctly unprepared infirmary.
However, Charles WAS able to communicate mind-to-mind, and therefore the professor was able to give Hank the necessary warning. Thus there were three beds made up and ready for the victims' arrival, and all the tools and medications the blue-furred doctor thought might be necessary were laid out on a nearby table.
First to enter was Logan, his mouth set in a grim line, bearing the limp form of Rogue in his arms, and beside him came Kurt sans his hologram disguise, golden eyes locked upon the unconscious form of his friend. Jean followed at their heels, and behind her came three teenage boys that could only be the new students that Hank had heard so much about.
Hank motioned for Logan to place Rogue on the bed nearest the door, and then he turned to face the new students, putting on his best 'Just-relax- and-please-don't-run-away-screaming-I'm-a-perfectly-rational-being' smile, hoping that his fangs wouldn't appear TOO prominent.
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Had Hiei not been able to clearly smell 'mutant' all over the blue-furred creature in front of him, he would most likely have slashed first and asked questions later. Even in comparison to Kurt --blue fur, fangs, gold eyes and all-- this mutant appeared far more bestial than should have been possible.
="It is a sad day when a human looks more demonic than some demons do,"= he murmured to Kurama.
The kitsune merely shot an admonishing look toward his companion before proceeding further into the infirmary --for all intents and purposes ignoring the strange mutant-- as Yuusuke made a beeline for one of the beds and settled himself on the edge of the mattress with a near-inaudible sigh of relief.
Instinctively, Hiei also moved into the room, striding past Yuusuke to stand against the wall at the head of the Toushin's chosen bed, a place from which Hiei could easily watch all activity going on in the good-sized room as well as keep an eye on Yuusuke himself.
Kurama sneezed softly --No doubt the fox's nose was bothered by the many different chemical scents wafting through the air.-- before moving to sit on the bed beyond Yuusuke's, his eyes alert as he watched the burly, blue- furred mutant who, after giving the three demons one last, measuring look, moved over to examine Rogue.
Amusingly enough, Logan had settled himself against the wall at the head of Rogue's bed, unconsciously mimicking Hiei's own position, right down to the dangerous scowl and the crossed arms.
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Unknown to the other people within the infirmary, while Hank was examining Rogue he was also carrying on a running conversation with Charles.
:Will she be all right?: came the Professor's worried query.
Deftly slipping the earpieces of a stethoscope into his ears and placing the metal disk firmly against the girl's chest, the doctor timed Rogue's heartbeat. The beats, though faint and somewhat fast, were evenly spaced and showed no signs of abnormalities. :She should be fine,: he replied. :It merely appears as though she had a bit of an overload. You told me that our newcomers are all very powerful; perhaps draining one of them was a shock to her system?:
:Who exactly did she touch? It would be best to know in advance what powers to expect her to have acquired when she regains consciousness.:
:Good point.: Hank removed the stethoscope from his ears and looped it around the back of his neck. He glanced around at the infirmary's occupants. "Who did she touch? Do any of you know?"
Logan's and Jean's eyes immediately went to Kurt, who, in turn, fidgeted and looked toward the young red-haired mutant sitting on one of the beds down the row. Hank looked between the blue-furred boy and the new student for several moments, frowning.
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Kurama mentally smirked at Kurt's obvious reluctance to say anything that might violate their prior agreement to 'wait on Rogue.' Smart boy. He would have done well as a kitsune, if he had learned to mask his expression more effectively.
"She touched both Yuusuke and Hiei," the kitsune broke in smoothly, calmly looking the 'doctor' in the eye as he spoke, "though Hiei's 'encounter' was the longer of the two. . . If I might ask, exactly what side-effects can we expect from this?"
The doctor blinked. "Well, for starters, in normal cases, they wouldn't be conscious for another hour or so."
Damn. Another abnormality for the Reikai Tantei. Their 'acting inconspicuous' plan was sinking ever-closer to the proverbial drain.
Nodding, Kurama filed that bit of information away, his youko side already plotting ahead to various plausible reasons for Yuusuke's and Hiei's strong resistance to Rogue's powers. "I see."
The doctor's eyes went from Kurama to Hiei to Yuusuke. "So, who's Hiei and who's Yuusuke?"
In response, Yuusuke grunted irritably and Hiei voiced his standard 'hn.' Kurama hid a smirk. Very talkative, the both of them were.
Unfazed, the doctor picked up a blanket folded at the foot of Rogue's bed, letting it fall open and settling it over the unconscious girl, tucking the edges in snugly. That done, he turned and began to make his way toward Yuusuke, obviously judging him to be the one most in need of medical assistance.
"All right then, . . . Yuusuke or Hiei?"
"Yuus'ke," mumbled the demon.
The doctor nodded. ". . . Yuusuke. I'm Hank McCoy. If you could just lie back on the bed, I'll give you a once-over and see what I can do to help."
Kurama couldn't see Yuusuke's face from this angle, but the Toushin tipped his head back and --if the doctor's surprised expression was anything to go by-- glared up at the burly mutant. "Believe me when I say that it's in both our best interests when I say 'no.'"
Frankly, Kurama would have been greatly worried if Yuusuke had complied. Lying on the bed would have entailed assuming a submissive position, belly and neck exposed and vulnerable while another being stood over him, that was all-too-close to some of the subservient positions assumed by demons showing obeisance to those beings stronger than themselves. The doctor had just told Yuusuke to do as much as show complete and utter submission to him.
S-class demons didn't submit to ANYONE.
Not without a fight.
Of course, being from Ningenkai, the doctor didn't understand the implications of his request. "No?"
"It's a headache," insisted the Toushin firmly. "That's all that's wrong with me. Give me some Tylenol or something and I'll survive."
The doctor --McCoy-- frowned, undecided, but apparently a life of dealing with stubborn mutant patients with destructive powers had taught him that discretion was the better part of valor. He walked over to one of the tables lining the walls and picked up one of the many bottles that cluttered its surface. Undoing the cap, he shook two pills out into his palm and returned to Yuusuke's side, holding them out toward the Toushin.
"Here you are, then. Do you need water?"
In answer, Yuusuke plucked the two capsules out of the man's furry hand/palm and popped them into his mouth. McCoy moved away, going to one of the cabinets along the opposite wall and digging through their contents for something or another.
Kurama frowned minutely.
="I would advise that you don't swallow that, My Lord."=
The Toushin turned slightly, pinning the kitsune with one ruby-tinted brown eye. ="And why is that?"= he replied, the pills tucked into his cheek.
="Medicine is medicine, whether Makai-based or otherwise. I don't know how human medicines would react with what I planned on giving you later. What would you rather: six hours of slightly dulled pain, or a night of no pain at all?"=
The Toushin brought one hand up to his mouth and coughed lightly, as though clearing his throat. Casually, he brought that selfsame hand back down to the bed, dropping two saliva-dampened pills onto the sheet, out of the sight of the mutants in the room.
Kurama leaned forward as though whispering something to the other boy, reaching out to scoop up the pills with one hand and hide them from sight until he could find a garbage can.
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:Kurt?:
Kurt started violently where he was crouched on the foot of Rogue's infirmary bed. :Pro-Professor?:
:What happened, Kurt? None of the others know anything beyond that Rogue touched one of the new students. Can you tell me anything more?:
Kurt's gaze locked with the impossibly keen, emerald gaze of Shuichi. The red-haired not-mutant arched one eyebrow in query, almost as though he knew that the professor of the Xavier Institute for Exceptionally Gifted Youngsters was currently prodding insistently at Kurt's psyche, seeking answers.
:Professor . . .: Kurt withdrew slightly from the other's presence, tucking his thoughts out of the other's 'sight,' hating what he was about to do.
:No, Professor,: he lied. :I saw her touch Hiei and Yuusuke. I don't know anything else.:
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Logan watched the three new students with suspicion clear in his eyes.
Even after first meeting them, he hadn't known quite what to make of them, and now, weeks later, they were still a mystery.
He didn't like mysteries.
First off, how in the WORLD did Yuusuke and Hiei get away from touching Rogue with just headaches to show for their troubles? Any other mutant who 'met' her that way would have been laid out flat for the better part of a couple of hours.
As far as their fighting skills went, Logan was suspicious about those as well.
Whatever Chuck might say about the benefits of 'training with a martial arts master,' Logan knew better. The three boys knew how to FIGHT, not just how to perform the movements correctly. Yuusuke had all the earmarks of someone who knew street fighting intimately, and Hiei's skill with that sword of his went beyond simple kendo training. Shuichi . . .
Shuichi was the most secretive of the lot, for all that he tried to appear open and unthreatening. He had a keen mind and quick wits, with even quicker reflexes, Logan realized, thinking back on the incident in Japan . . .
When Logan had showed his claws to Yuusuke and Shuichi, Yuusuke had tensed, but Shuichi had reached toward his hair, an action that had puzzled Logan at the time.
But Logan now knew that Shuichi stored his seeds, his weapons, in his hair.
The boy had been ready to fight.
Logan frowned at the sudden revelation.
Moreover, the three newcomers had been in life-threatening situations before. Their attitudes whenever they were in a fight or felt threatened said it as plain as day. They knew danger, and they knew how to deal with it. Hell, the Danger Room hadn't fazed ANY of them, and even Logan had done a double-take at a couple of the tricks that murder-machine had thrown his way!
The trio knew more than they were willing to tell, and they were dangerous. Logan was now certain of that, after seeing their cool, blasé attitudes toward the Danger Room and Rogue's powers.
Logan wanted answers.
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Hiei narrowed his eyes at the burly, blue-furred monstrosity that the Institute had employed as their 'doctor.'
"No."
The mutant narrowed his own eyes in response. "Just sit down on one of the beds and let me take your heartbeat and temperature."
"As Yuusuke said," Hiei replied in a low, even voice, "It is a headache. Nothing more. I've suffered far worse in training bouts."
Well, THAT was true enough. One didn't grow up in Makai raised on strawberries and cream and handled by kid gloves, after all.
The doctor sighed, sounding irritated. "Very well." He went to the same table as before and retrieved two more of the tiny, human-medicine caplets before returning to Hiei. "I suppose you won't be needing water either?"
Without replying, Hiei took the two pills from the blue-furred palm and mimed putting them in his mouth and swallowing, all the while keeping the pills firmly tucked inside his fist. The doctor watched this with a small frown, then nodded abruptly and returned to Rogue's bedside.
Hiei smirked.
="These mutants,"= he murmured. ="No demon would have fallen for such a trick."=
Kurama nodded. ="Indeed. But it makes things easier for us, doesn't it?"=
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When the door of the infirmary opened once more, all heads turned toward the sound. Relief showed clear on many of the mutants' faces when the figure of Charles Xavier was revealed in the doorway.
Yuusuke merely rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his forehead against his fists, wishing greatly that he would be able to get OUT of the infirmary and AWAY from all the mutants before he absolutely had to release some of his youki. Containing so much power was a strain on his system. Usually when he was possessed of such high levels of youki, he was using it up as swiftly as his body could produce it in an attempt to win a fight, save the world, or rescue Keiko from her latest demonic attacker.
Reining in so much energy was an exercise in mental control that even the Grandma couldn't top.
The professor first checked on Rogue's condition; Yuusuke could clearly hear the professor's soft, murmured conversation with Logan and Hank. They conversed for several minutes, and then the professor made his way toward the Tantei.
The rasping-squeak of the old man's wheelchair drew ever closer to him, and Yuusuke was finally forced to look up and meet the mutant's gaze when it was obvious the old man was sitting in front of him waiting for a response.
Yuusuke restrained the scowl that wanted to display itself prominently upon his face, and instead he settled for a nice, blunt, "What?"
The professor appeared unfazed. "I was merely wondering how you were feeling."
"'ve got a killer headache, and I want t' go sleep. How's that?"
"Better than many others would expect after being touched by Rogue," replied the man calmly.
Yuusuke grunted, maintaining eye-contact with the mutant.
The professor seemed to examine him for several moments before speaking once more. "I can understand your need for rest, so I won't detain you any longer. But if you, Shuichi, and Hiei--" The professor made contact with each person as he named them. "--could all come to my office sometime tomorrow, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what transpired today."
Yuusuke resigned himself to facing the nosy human at some point during the next day. "Fine."
"Of course," replied Kurama politely.
Hiei sneered. "Hn."
Xavier smiled slightly. "Good. Now, if Hank is satisfied that you won't collapse if you leave the infirmary, perhaps he can be convinced to let you leave?"
The last seemed more directed at the doctor than at any of the Tantei, and Hank frowned slightly at the professor. Where he stood at Rogue's bedside, hooking up various wires and monitors, the blue-furred doctor's gaze went from Yuusuke to Hiei and back again.
"I suppose," he allowed grudgingly. "But be sure to come straight back here if you get dizzy or the pain gets worse, understood?"
Yuusuke was already standing and striding toward the door, Kurama and Hiei at his heels.
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:Logan.:
:Yeah, Chuck?:
:From now on, I want you to keep a closer eye on those three. They appear to have a more of a tendency for trouble than we thought.:
:I'm already on it.:
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Yuusuke's teeth were clenched and his eyes narrowed as he strode purposefully through the halls of the mansion. Kurama and Hiei flanked him on either side, and the few students that they encountered in the hallways couldn't get out of the trio's way fast enough --no one could ever say that any of the X-men possessed anything but commendable instincts for danger, and at that moment, Yuusuke was Danger Incarnate.
He shoved the door to his room open forcefully, sending it crashing back into the wall, and Hiei and Kurama were only barely able to slip inside before he slammed the door shut and locked it.
He let loose a low growl even as he ever-so-slightly slackened the hold upon his raging youki. A blue glow highlighted his form, but he forced himself to hold back from a full transformation. Someone could walk in, or the room could be under surveillance. A blue light could be explained away; a complete stranger standing in place of one of the Institute's new students could NOT.
The pressure of the high levels of energy pressing against his control abated slightly, enough so that the headache lessened to a bearable ache.
="You will not rid yourself of so much extra energy through THAT,"= said Hiei from where he leaned against the wall.
Yuusuke snarled, his fangs prominent. ="I will NOT transform in the heart of human territory. We've screwed up too many times already to be careless now."=
Kurama looked thoughtful. ="Then we must find a place where you CAN transform. Your youki will not wane away by itself."=
Yuusuke's eyes flashed ruby for a moment as he glared at the kitsune. ="I KNOW THAT."=
Kurama raised his hands, palms outward, in a placating gesture. ="I am merely attempting to help."=
Yuusuke turned away, clenching his eyes shut, silently berating himself for his near-loss of control. ="Sorry."=
Hiei watched the exchange with gleaming, blood-red eyes. ="Lord Yuusuke, you are only having this difficulty because your body is accustomed to holding both youki and reiki. If we can wait for your reiki to regenerate somewhat, you won't be as susceptible to your demon side."=
Yuusuke sneered at the Jaganshi. ="That's wonderful, Hiei, but I still need to get rid of a hell of a lot of youki before I'm back to normal."=
Hiei returned the Toushin's gaze coolly. ="I am well aware of that. However, if you have more reiki to balance out your youki, you'll have more control . . . enough control to last until we can reach a place for you to transform."=
Kurama's eyes glittered with trace amounts of gold. ="Perhaps this can work in our advantage."=
Yuusuke looked at the kitsune, his gaze intent. ="I'm open to suggestions."=
="Well, we know that we're searching for someone with links to a demon, correct?"= Kurama drew one hand through his hair meditatively. ="No matter where one travels in Ningenkai, there is always a nearby place where demons gather."=
="The Barrier's closed, Kurama,"= Yuusuke pointed out. ="There shouldn't be enough demons TO gather."=
Hiei snorted. ="It is ridiculously easy for low-levels to slip through the barriers between worlds."=
="Indeed."= Kurama smiled slightly. ="But as I was saying, if there happens to be a gathering place nearby, it is likely that Black Tempest will frequent it. What better time would there be for us to visit such a place other than when you are at your most . . . demonic?"=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
No review responses again. Gomen, ne.
But here's some advertising!
I now have four poems and the first chapter of an original, fantasy story up on [ w w w . fictionpress . com / kuromeshiretsu ]. (Now, children, WHAT are you supposed to do with that link?) Come, read, and review, onegai!
KITTENGRL39, aren't you happy? I'm expecting a review from you!
Now, for fear of being attacked by 'evil sponges' glances dubiously at a recent review I hereby present you with the next chapter of Mission X.
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I have a new piece of FANART up on Mediaminer.org entitled "DEMON IN MY VIEW." (I hope the site is up and running if you go visit. Does anyone know a more reliable site to post fanart on? A FREE site? With lots of memory space?)
Anyway, it's a shaded drawing of Yuusuke when he's inside the mall parking garage trying to resist his demon side, and there's an image of Toushin Yuusuke looming over him. It's my best work yet as far as shading goes, so be sure to check it out, and it wouldn't hurt for you to leave a review while you visit, now, would it?
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 161885
And there's also this picture, "THREE REASONS," which is of Yuusuke, Hiei and Kurama standing together with a five-tailed fox, black dragon, and phoenix behind them. Drawn and shaded in pencil. Check it out and drop me a review!
http : w w w . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 162865
Copy, paste, remove the spaces, and hit enter.
- : - : - : - : - : -
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.
- : - : - Chapter Twenty: Infirmaries and Irritation - : - : -
Hank McCoy was thankful for Charles' ability to speak to him mentally. Otherwise, the cavalcade bearing the three victims of the 'close-encounter of the Rogue kind' would have arrived to a distinctly unprepared infirmary.
However, Charles WAS able to communicate mind-to-mind, and therefore the professor was able to give Hank the necessary warning. Thus there were three beds made up and ready for the victims' arrival, and all the tools and medications the blue-furred doctor thought might be necessary were laid out on a nearby table.
First to enter was Logan, his mouth set in a grim line, bearing the limp form of Rogue in his arms, and beside him came Kurt sans his hologram disguise, golden eyes locked upon the unconscious form of his friend. Jean followed at their heels, and behind her came three teenage boys that could only be the new students that Hank had heard so much about.
Hank motioned for Logan to place Rogue on the bed nearest the door, and then he turned to face the new students, putting on his best 'Just-relax- and-please-don't-run-away-screaming-I'm-a-perfectly-rational-being' smile, hoping that his fangs wouldn't appear TOO prominent.
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Had Hiei not been able to clearly smell 'mutant' all over the blue-furred creature in front of him, he would most likely have slashed first and asked questions later. Even in comparison to Kurt --blue fur, fangs, gold eyes and all-- this mutant appeared far more bestial than should have been possible.
="It is a sad day when a human looks more demonic than some demons do,"= he murmured to Kurama.
The kitsune merely shot an admonishing look toward his companion before proceeding further into the infirmary --for all intents and purposes ignoring the strange mutant-- as Yuusuke made a beeline for one of the beds and settled himself on the edge of the mattress with a near-inaudible sigh of relief.
Instinctively, Hiei also moved into the room, striding past Yuusuke to stand against the wall at the head of the Toushin's chosen bed, a place from which Hiei could easily watch all activity going on in the good-sized room as well as keep an eye on Yuusuke himself.
Kurama sneezed softly --No doubt the fox's nose was bothered by the many different chemical scents wafting through the air.-- before moving to sit on the bed beyond Yuusuke's, his eyes alert as he watched the burly, blue- furred mutant who, after giving the three demons one last, measuring look, moved over to examine Rogue.
Amusingly enough, Logan had settled himself against the wall at the head of Rogue's bed, unconsciously mimicking Hiei's own position, right down to the dangerous scowl and the crossed arms.
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Unknown to the other people within the infirmary, while Hank was examining Rogue he was also carrying on a running conversation with Charles.
:Will she be all right?: came the Professor's worried query.
Deftly slipping the earpieces of a stethoscope into his ears and placing the metal disk firmly against the girl's chest, the doctor timed Rogue's heartbeat. The beats, though faint and somewhat fast, were evenly spaced and showed no signs of abnormalities. :She should be fine,: he replied. :It merely appears as though she had a bit of an overload. You told me that our newcomers are all very powerful; perhaps draining one of them was a shock to her system?:
:Who exactly did she touch? It would be best to know in advance what powers to expect her to have acquired when she regains consciousness.:
:Good point.: Hank removed the stethoscope from his ears and looped it around the back of his neck. He glanced around at the infirmary's occupants. "Who did she touch? Do any of you know?"
Logan's and Jean's eyes immediately went to Kurt, who, in turn, fidgeted and looked toward the young red-haired mutant sitting on one of the beds down the row. Hank looked between the blue-furred boy and the new student for several moments, frowning.
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Kurama mentally smirked at Kurt's obvious reluctance to say anything that might violate their prior agreement to 'wait on Rogue.' Smart boy. He would have done well as a kitsune, if he had learned to mask his expression more effectively.
"She touched both Yuusuke and Hiei," the kitsune broke in smoothly, calmly looking the 'doctor' in the eye as he spoke, "though Hiei's 'encounter' was the longer of the two. . . If I might ask, exactly what side-effects can we expect from this?"
The doctor blinked. "Well, for starters, in normal cases, they wouldn't be conscious for another hour or so."
Damn. Another abnormality for the Reikai Tantei. Their 'acting inconspicuous' plan was sinking ever-closer to the proverbial drain.
Nodding, Kurama filed that bit of information away, his youko side already plotting ahead to various plausible reasons for Yuusuke's and Hiei's strong resistance to Rogue's powers. "I see."
The doctor's eyes went from Kurama to Hiei to Yuusuke. "So, who's Hiei and who's Yuusuke?"
In response, Yuusuke grunted irritably and Hiei voiced his standard 'hn.' Kurama hid a smirk. Very talkative, the both of them were.
Unfazed, the doctor picked up a blanket folded at the foot of Rogue's bed, letting it fall open and settling it over the unconscious girl, tucking the edges in snugly. That done, he turned and began to make his way toward Yuusuke, obviously judging him to be the one most in need of medical assistance.
"All right then, . . . Yuusuke or Hiei?"
"Yuus'ke," mumbled the demon.
The doctor nodded. ". . . Yuusuke. I'm Hank McCoy. If you could just lie back on the bed, I'll give you a once-over and see what I can do to help."
Kurama couldn't see Yuusuke's face from this angle, but the Toushin tipped his head back and --if the doctor's surprised expression was anything to go by-- glared up at the burly mutant. "Believe me when I say that it's in both our best interests when I say 'no.'"
Frankly, Kurama would have been greatly worried if Yuusuke had complied. Lying on the bed would have entailed assuming a submissive position, belly and neck exposed and vulnerable while another being stood over him, that was all-too-close to some of the subservient positions assumed by demons showing obeisance to those beings stronger than themselves. The doctor had just told Yuusuke to do as much as show complete and utter submission to him.
S-class demons didn't submit to ANYONE.
Not without a fight.
Of course, being from Ningenkai, the doctor didn't understand the implications of his request. "No?"
"It's a headache," insisted the Toushin firmly. "That's all that's wrong with me. Give me some Tylenol or something and I'll survive."
The doctor --McCoy-- frowned, undecided, but apparently a life of dealing with stubborn mutant patients with destructive powers had taught him that discretion was the better part of valor. He walked over to one of the tables lining the walls and picked up one of the many bottles that cluttered its surface. Undoing the cap, he shook two pills out into his palm and returned to Yuusuke's side, holding them out toward the Toushin.
"Here you are, then. Do you need water?"
In answer, Yuusuke plucked the two capsules out of the man's furry hand/palm and popped them into his mouth. McCoy moved away, going to one of the cabinets along the opposite wall and digging through their contents for something or another.
Kurama frowned minutely.
="I would advise that you don't swallow that, My Lord."=
The Toushin turned slightly, pinning the kitsune with one ruby-tinted brown eye. ="And why is that?"= he replied, the pills tucked into his cheek.
="Medicine is medicine, whether Makai-based or otherwise. I don't know how human medicines would react with what I planned on giving you later. What would you rather: six hours of slightly dulled pain, or a night of no pain at all?"=
The Toushin brought one hand up to his mouth and coughed lightly, as though clearing his throat. Casually, he brought that selfsame hand back down to the bed, dropping two saliva-dampened pills onto the sheet, out of the sight of the mutants in the room.
Kurama leaned forward as though whispering something to the other boy, reaching out to scoop up the pills with one hand and hide them from sight until he could find a garbage can.
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:Kurt?:
Kurt started violently where he was crouched on the foot of Rogue's infirmary bed. :Pro-Professor?:
:What happened, Kurt? None of the others know anything beyond that Rogue touched one of the new students. Can you tell me anything more?:
Kurt's gaze locked with the impossibly keen, emerald gaze of Shuichi. The red-haired not-mutant arched one eyebrow in query, almost as though he knew that the professor of the Xavier Institute for Exceptionally Gifted Youngsters was currently prodding insistently at Kurt's psyche, seeking answers.
:Professor . . .: Kurt withdrew slightly from the other's presence, tucking his thoughts out of the other's 'sight,' hating what he was about to do.
:No, Professor,: he lied. :I saw her touch Hiei and Yuusuke. I don't know anything else.:
- : - : - : - : - : -
Logan watched the three new students with suspicion clear in his eyes.
Even after first meeting them, he hadn't known quite what to make of them, and now, weeks later, they were still a mystery.
He didn't like mysteries.
First off, how in the WORLD did Yuusuke and Hiei get away from touching Rogue with just headaches to show for their troubles? Any other mutant who 'met' her that way would have been laid out flat for the better part of a couple of hours.
As far as their fighting skills went, Logan was suspicious about those as well.
Whatever Chuck might say about the benefits of 'training with a martial arts master,' Logan knew better. The three boys knew how to FIGHT, not just how to perform the movements correctly. Yuusuke had all the earmarks of someone who knew street fighting intimately, and Hiei's skill with that sword of his went beyond simple kendo training. Shuichi . . .
Shuichi was the most secretive of the lot, for all that he tried to appear open and unthreatening. He had a keen mind and quick wits, with even quicker reflexes, Logan realized, thinking back on the incident in Japan . . .
When Logan had showed his claws to Yuusuke and Shuichi, Yuusuke had tensed, but Shuichi had reached toward his hair, an action that had puzzled Logan at the time.
But Logan now knew that Shuichi stored his seeds, his weapons, in his hair.
The boy had been ready to fight.
Logan frowned at the sudden revelation.
Moreover, the three newcomers had been in life-threatening situations before. Their attitudes whenever they were in a fight or felt threatened said it as plain as day. They knew danger, and they knew how to deal with it. Hell, the Danger Room hadn't fazed ANY of them, and even Logan had done a double-take at a couple of the tricks that murder-machine had thrown his way!
The trio knew more than they were willing to tell, and they were dangerous. Logan was now certain of that, after seeing their cool, blasé attitudes toward the Danger Room and Rogue's powers.
Logan wanted answers.
- : - : - : - : - : -
Hiei narrowed his eyes at the burly, blue-furred monstrosity that the Institute had employed as their 'doctor.'
"No."
The mutant narrowed his own eyes in response. "Just sit down on one of the beds and let me take your heartbeat and temperature."
"As Yuusuke said," Hiei replied in a low, even voice, "It is a headache. Nothing more. I've suffered far worse in training bouts."
Well, THAT was true enough. One didn't grow up in Makai raised on strawberries and cream and handled by kid gloves, after all.
The doctor sighed, sounding irritated. "Very well." He went to the same table as before and retrieved two more of the tiny, human-medicine caplets before returning to Hiei. "I suppose you won't be needing water either?"
Without replying, Hiei took the two pills from the blue-furred palm and mimed putting them in his mouth and swallowing, all the while keeping the pills firmly tucked inside his fist. The doctor watched this with a small frown, then nodded abruptly and returned to Rogue's bedside.
Hiei smirked.
="These mutants,"= he murmured. ="No demon would have fallen for such a trick."=
Kurama nodded. ="Indeed. But it makes things easier for us, doesn't it?"=
- : - : - : - : - : -
When the door of the infirmary opened once more, all heads turned toward the sound. Relief showed clear on many of the mutants' faces when the figure of Charles Xavier was revealed in the doorway.
Yuusuke merely rested his elbows on his knees and leaned his forehead against his fists, wishing greatly that he would be able to get OUT of the infirmary and AWAY from all the mutants before he absolutely had to release some of his youki. Containing so much power was a strain on his system. Usually when he was possessed of such high levels of youki, he was using it up as swiftly as his body could produce it in an attempt to win a fight, save the world, or rescue Keiko from her latest demonic attacker.
Reining in so much energy was an exercise in mental control that even the Grandma couldn't top.
The professor first checked on Rogue's condition; Yuusuke could clearly hear the professor's soft, murmured conversation with Logan and Hank. They conversed for several minutes, and then the professor made his way toward the Tantei.
The rasping-squeak of the old man's wheelchair drew ever closer to him, and Yuusuke was finally forced to look up and meet the mutant's gaze when it was obvious the old man was sitting in front of him waiting for a response.
Yuusuke restrained the scowl that wanted to display itself prominently upon his face, and instead he settled for a nice, blunt, "What?"
The professor appeared unfazed. "I was merely wondering how you were feeling."
"'ve got a killer headache, and I want t' go sleep. How's that?"
"Better than many others would expect after being touched by Rogue," replied the man calmly.
Yuusuke grunted, maintaining eye-contact with the mutant.
The professor seemed to examine him for several moments before speaking once more. "I can understand your need for rest, so I won't detain you any longer. But if you, Shuichi, and Hiei--" The professor made contact with each person as he named them. "--could all come to my office sometime tomorrow, I'd like to ask you a few questions about what transpired today."
Yuusuke resigned himself to facing the nosy human at some point during the next day. "Fine."
"Of course," replied Kurama politely.
Hiei sneered. "Hn."
Xavier smiled slightly. "Good. Now, if Hank is satisfied that you won't collapse if you leave the infirmary, perhaps he can be convinced to let you leave?"
The last seemed more directed at the doctor than at any of the Tantei, and Hank frowned slightly at the professor. Where he stood at Rogue's bedside, hooking up various wires and monitors, the blue-furred doctor's gaze went from Yuusuke to Hiei and back again.
"I suppose," he allowed grudgingly. "But be sure to come straight back here if you get dizzy or the pain gets worse, understood?"
Yuusuke was already standing and striding toward the door, Kurama and Hiei at his heels.
- : - : - : - : - : -
:Logan.:
:Yeah, Chuck?:
:From now on, I want you to keep a closer eye on those three. They appear to have a more of a tendency for trouble than we thought.:
:I'm already on it.:
- : - : - : - : - : -
Yuusuke's teeth were clenched and his eyes narrowed as he strode purposefully through the halls of the mansion. Kurama and Hiei flanked him on either side, and the few students that they encountered in the hallways couldn't get out of the trio's way fast enough --no one could ever say that any of the X-men possessed anything but commendable instincts for danger, and at that moment, Yuusuke was Danger Incarnate.
He shoved the door to his room open forcefully, sending it crashing back into the wall, and Hiei and Kurama were only barely able to slip inside before he slammed the door shut and locked it.
He let loose a low growl even as he ever-so-slightly slackened the hold upon his raging youki. A blue glow highlighted his form, but he forced himself to hold back from a full transformation. Someone could walk in, or the room could be under surveillance. A blue light could be explained away; a complete stranger standing in place of one of the Institute's new students could NOT.
The pressure of the high levels of energy pressing against his control abated slightly, enough so that the headache lessened to a bearable ache.
="You will not rid yourself of so much extra energy through THAT,"= said Hiei from where he leaned against the wall.
Yuusuke snarled, his fangs prominent. ="I will NOT transform in the heart of human territory. We've screwed up too many times already to be careless now."=
Kurama looked thoughtful. ="Then we must find a place where you CAN transform. Your youki will not wane away by itself."=
Yuusuke's eyes flashed ruby for a moment as he glared at the kitsune. ="I KNOW THAT."=
Kurama raised his hands, palms outward, in a placating gesture. ="I am merely attempting to help."=
Yuusuke turned away, clenching his eyes shut, silently berating himself for his near-loss of control. ="Sorry."=
Hiei watched the exchange with gleaming, blood-red eyes. ="Lord Yuusuke, you are only having this difficulty because your body is accustomed to holding both youki and reiki. If we can wait for your reiki to regenerate somewhat, you won't be as susceptible to your demon side."=
Yuusuke sneered at the Jaganshi. ="That's wonderful, Hiei, but I still need to get rid of a hell of a lot of youki before I'm back to normal."=
Hiei returned the Toushin's gaze coolly. ="I am well aware of that. However, if you have more reiki to balance out your youki, you'll have more control . . . enough control to last until we can reach a place for you to transform."=
Kurama's eyes glittered with trace amounts of gold. ="Perhaps this can work in our advantage."=
Yuusuke looked at the kitsune, his gaze intent. ="I'm open to suggestions."=
="Well, we know that we're searching for someone with links to a demon, correct?"= Kurama drew one hand through his hair meditatively. ="No matter where one travels in Ningenkai, there is always a nearby place where demons gather."=
="The Barrier's closed, Kurama,"= Yuusuke pointed out. ="There shouldn't be enough demons TO gather."=
Hiei snorted. ="It is ridiculously easy for low-levels to slip through the barriers between worlds."=
="Indeed."= Kurama smiled slightly. ="But as I was saying, if there happens to be a gathering place nearby, it is likely that Black Tempest will frequent it. What better time would there be for us to visit such a place other than when you are at your most . . . demonic?"=
- : - : - To Be Continued . . . - : - : -
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