Now, it gets more interesting... MUHUHUHAHAHA 'cough cough' i mean, uh, tee-hee...

PS-Own nothing.

"Uuuugh"

"Hey, I think he's still alive!" said a child's voice.

"Not when I get through with him...," a samurai spoke up.

"Just a bit of cabin fever, mates. Can't say I blame 'im."

"I can! If Spirit World caught us here...! It would not be a beautiful sight!"

"I'll handle this."

All heads turned to the life long partner of the now waking warrior. Touya slowly walked to Jin's side, awaiting the moment that his friend would become fully alert to his surroundings.

Jin had been placed on a long, flat rock. It served as a makeshift bed for the elf-like demon until the senses that Master Genkai had knocked out of him could return. It was about 7 feet in overall length, maybe 3 feet wide, give or take, and cropped out from the side of the cave at waist level to Touya. Jin had not been placed here, by the "wall," as a matter of coincidence. When he woke up, there would be nowhere to run. His comrades had a few bones to pick with him.

"Oooooh... me head...," Jin groaned, as he moved one hand to the source of the pain. "OW!" fresh pangs of agony shot through his skull as his hand reached a tiny lump right behind his horn. "Aye! A good'n that was! Be feelin' this for a while! The hell happ'nd?"

"I'll tell you what happened! Your attitude nearly got us shipped back to Demon World!"

'Oh no... 'e don' sound a bit happy...,' Jin thought as he dragged himself into an upright position. He'd heard Touya mad enough times in his life to know that that's exactly what this tone of voice entailed. He was still a little groggy from his "nap," but he knew how much it took to anger the cold demon. More than that, he knew what happened when he was angry. Jin mentally braced himself to add another pump knot to his newly forming collection...

Jin's head was still spinning, probably from sitting up too fast, but he wasn't really sure. Touya wasn't helping his headache one bit either. He was going on and on about "what could've happened" and "what if someone besides Genkai found you?" Jin was tuning him out, something he'd had much practice with over the years. He knew Touya's facial expressions well enough to know when a nod or remorseful look was required. A couple of times it crossed his mind to retaliate, but the other four demons were standing right behind Touya, ready to get their shots in if it didn't look like Touya's lecture was going to be sufficient. This would go by much faster if he let them think they'd won. He nodded and tried to look sorry while the events that transpired before Genkai whammed him slowly started to come back to him.

Nearly two full hours later, it seemed as if Touya was through scolding him, but he was still fuming. Jin had earned his fair share of reprimands in his day, make no mistake about that, still, he couldn't stand his best friend holding a grudge against him. 'Now, how do I be goin' about gettin' ol' Frosty back in good spirits?' he pondered. Touya had sat down on the other side of the cave and was now reading a book, displaying a rather threatening look on his face. The others had all gone off elsewhere, too, going about their own business, all seemingly ignoring Jin. 'I know how to get him talkin' 'gain!' His ears perked up and began to wiggle slightly. He grinned wide and began to giggle to himself, quickly catching the attention of the rest in the "room."

"What's so funny?" the ice apparition inquired, raising his eyes from his book. He had no idea what Jin could be laughing at, given the circumstances, but, then again, he never had any idea what was on Jin's mind.

"Oh, nothin' ye'd be wantin' to know about..."

"Really?" 'He does this every time! He thinks my curiosity will get the better of me, that he can reel me in and make me forget why I was angry. Not this time! I'll just act as if I don't care, he'll tell me eventually. He never could keep a secret...' "Well then, if it's nothing you want to share with the rest of the group, please hold your voice down. I'm almost to the climax of the story." he stated without emotion, returning his icy blue eyes to the pages before him, appearing to not give Jin's amusement a second thought.

'Oh, wants ta play hardball, he does! Alrighty boyo! I can do that too!' Jin leaned back against the wall, lacing his fingers together behind his still throbbing head to be used for a pillow. He then started whistling. Touya knew this tune, "I Know Something You Don't Know Doo-Da, Doo-Da" He clenched his teeth and gripped his book tightly, color draining from his knuckles. 5 minutes, then 10, 'I'm not going to ask him!' 15 'Dammit Jin! I WILL NOT!' 19...

"ARRRRG! Spit it out already if it'll get you to stop making that infernal noise!"

"Oh, it's nuttin'..."

Touya's left eye began to twitch 'Maybe if I kill him while we're sparring I can say it was an accident...'

"Just a lass who's taken a likin' to ye..." He snuck a glance at Touya through the corner of his eye. The ice master's mask of anger had been replaced with one of shock. Oh how Jin loved this! 'Hook, line an' sinker...'

"A las-, girl?" 'Dammit! He got me!' Touya did his best to regain his poker face, hoping against hope that Jin hadn't witnessed him lose it, yet, knowing he had. Intense ear-wiggling told him that. There probably was no girl, just a ploy, and he had taken the bait.

Ahem "Like who?" in his normal, flat, disinterested voice.

"Oh, it's not import'nt. You wouldn't be carin' if the ice maiden was crushin' on ye."

"The ice maiden!" There goes the poker face again...

"Yup..."

"What did she say?" 'Dammit Touya! You're walking right into this!'

"Not much, just jabberin' away to the ferry-girl bout how she liked ye and how cute ye are...," still looking at Touya by way of peripheral vision.

'He's making all this up to get a good laugh at me, just like the time back when we were teenagers, he told me Ruka and her friends were having a party and wanted me to come. Half true, they were having a slumber party and they weren't exactly expecting any gentleman callers...' The left eye twitching resumed with this memory. He'd had enough of this game for the night.

"Nice try, Jin. I'm not buying it this time." He stood up, marked the page ofhis book and started to walk away. "I'm going to get some sleep. Good one though, you almost had me fooled."

"Wait! It's all true I say!"

"Whatever..."

"Heard every word straight from the mare's mouth!"

"And I suppose they told you all this themselves? Tell me, did they invite you for manicures and shopping after their next girl-talk session, as well?" The memory of that slumber party flashed in his head again.

"Well...," twiddling thumbs and staring at the ground "They didn't, whatcha say, tell me exactly..."

"Oh...?"

Jin spilled the whole story, how he snuck out and ran across the two girls chatting about them, how he'd eavesdropped on their "girl-talk" and finally, how Master Genkai had "got" him before he could do anything about it.

The crew had listened intently to every word, watching Touya's face closely, searching for things to tease him about later and poked some fun at Jin for blushing now. Hundreds of years old and they were all behaving like school children Touya had thought. He shrugged it all off, acting as if none of this concerned him. He scolded Jin for listening in to others' private conversations, then went to bed, still pretending he wasn't fazed.

Key word: Pretending.

OK, so this one's not that funny, still setting it up, I'll get around to humor eventually, I PROMISE! I blame my lack of sugar intake today, I'll get a few Kit-Kats next time and bring the crew together with their new, awkward feelings toward each other. Let the games begin! Till then though, tell me whatcha think!

By the way, as for Botan's extreme perkiness in Chap. 1, she had already hit the brownies, hard, and was headed back for seconds, I chopped that out cuz I tend to be long winded and have to cut things so I don't have 20 page chapters, but her sugar rush will come back into play later...