Hey folks! Updates, believe it or not, might be even SLOWER now that I'm entering into high school (in 4 days! AHH!). O.o Yeah, school SUCKS. But don't worry, there aren't so many chapters left (three!) so updates won't be so hard on me, lol! I have a few surprises for Inside My Mind…ehehe…the sequel and some other little tidbits. Thanks for all your lovely reviews! They make me feel warm inside.
Sorry to those who expected response to their reviews. O.o It is now a rule that you're not allowed to respond to reviewers in your chapters. But how are we supposed to respond to reviewers? Crazy fools…anyway, if you really want an answer, go check out my livejournal (same username). I'll post my answers there. XD Cheat the system I shall…
AND ONE MORE NOTE:
o.o I went back to reread some of the chapters (so I can make sure I don't mess up the plot if I miss a detail or something) and I noticed a HUGE error. Back in chapter 14, I accidentally wrote Mika's date was going to be on Saturday and she had to change it to the next day. AUGH, THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS! X.X I suggest you re-read chapter 14 just to make sure you don't get confused (I fixed the error). Mika's date is ON Saturday! Sorry for messing up!
Chapter Warnings: lots of er…(cough)adult situations mentioned in this chapter. I thought it was wise to warn ya…lol! NOTHING HAPPENS…but the characters have fun mentioning the stuff…XD And the cursing has suddenly gotten much vulgar…lol
"…you know, the only part of my body that doesn't hurt is my ass?"
"That's cause no one with common sense is gonna touch THERE."
"…I'm too tired to even curse you off…"
"Ha."
Mika had successfully beat Karasu's harsh onslaught of punches and kicks finally by simply sending him to that black hole thing and then throwing him back out hundreds of feet away. He did manage to beat her up to the point where she fell flat on her face after her final blow and refused to move from that point on. Kuronue had finally gotten his chance to take over and was quietly out of the way for now (he was stuffing himself in front of the fridge).
"Want an herb for pain relief?" Kurama offered gently.
Her muffled reply said, "Dude, you keep that in your hair, I ain't eating anything you grow. Ever."
"I do wash my hair, you know."
"Yeah, but you haven't since you guys barged in here."
Hiei was leaning against the hill (which appeared randomly again after they had finished training). He opened one blood red eye to stare at them.
"Murasaki."
"What?"
"What's Christmas?"
Mika lifted her head, ignored her soreness. "Uh, a human holiday…why?"
The short demon sat up straight. "I was shifting through some of your memories again—,"
"HEY!"
"—and I discovered one of Kurama's."
"Excuse me?" Kurama suddenly looked up, noticing he was part of the conversation. "How would that be possible?"
"When you were controlling her body, your minds merged, so to speak. Your memory became hers as well."
Mika cocked an eyebrow. "So? What does that have to do with Christmas? If you haven't noticed, it's October."
"I saw what he saw," Hiei began. "And it seems he found…something of interest."
"Who's interest are we talking about here?"
Hiei gave her a blank look. "Of general conversation. It's nothing important, really. But I'd like to know and I'm sure the Fox would love to as well."
"Ah…" Kurama suddenly got it. "That."
"WHAT'S THAT?" Mika shouted. She really did hate being left out of information.
Kurama titled his head slightly, looking at her. "Mika, why are you hiding a picture in that bible in your room?"
Mika paused, not quite sure what to do, and then slowly asked, "What…picture?"
"Mika's Third Christmas," Hiei said coolly, recalling the words.
Hiei's shadow suddenly came up behind him and slammed him harshly into the ground.
"WHO GAVE YOU FREAKS PERMISSION TO GO SCREWING WITH MY STUFF?" Mika screamed angrily. She was standing up, her fists shaking at her side.
Kurama held up his hands in defense. "Now, now, I didn't mean to snoop around, it just happened. And its not like it's a major thing—just a picture."
"Not a major thing to YOU maybe…" Mika muttered, though she did calm down a little. "I knew I should have burned that…"
"What is it?" Karasu asked.
Mika sat back down and stared at the ground sadly. "About the only picture I have left of me and my parents actually…happy…together. A little after that picture was taken, my dad got a higher position at work, my mom got a job at the bank and I started to see…things.
"Every time I look at it…it just makes me burn up inside. It reminds me of all the things I'll never have again. It's not a family portrait anymore…it's just a portrait," Mika continued. "I'll never say I regret that shift in my life, but I sure regret the rift in my family that came out of it."
"Mika…" Kurama said sympathetically.
"…" Hiei finally pulled himself out of the dirt, glaring. "Again with the drama."
"Don't like it, you can go to the other side of my head."
"Do you realize that your brain is an abyss that never stops growing once you start walking?"
"…wait, you TRIED?"
"Never mind…"
Suddenly, Mika heard voices coming from the direction Kuronue's happy munching had been coming from. Her mother!
"Lemme take control!" Mika shouted upwards.
"…really can't eat in her head, so that's why I'm out," Kuronue's chipper voice came clearer.
Her mother sounded a little nervous. "Oh. Um…"
"RAHHHHHHHHHH!" Mika shouted angrily. Blinking, she realized she was back in control of her body, feeling slightly full. "Huh?"
"…" her cautious mother was staring down at her, wearily. "Mika?"
"Hiya mom!" Mika grinned and waved slightly. "Sorry about that, I was talking with the other ones."
"That's ok dear…but the fridge…"
Just then she noticed the cool air sweeping over her. Mika groaned and put the chocolate sauce back on its shelf. She couldn't wait to see her face.
Mrs. Murasaki twisted the sleeve of her nightgown. How late was it anyway? "Dear…"
Uh oh, here it comes. Another big "talk". Mika thought darkly.
"Honey…do your friends need some sleeping bags?"
"…what?" Mika looked her at mother with a bewildered expression.
"Well, the one who was just…in control…he mentioned something about a hard hill. I didn't know exactly what he meant, but are you sure they're comfortable?"
"…"
'What. The. Hell.'
#I wouldn't know.#
:HA! YOUR MOTHER CARES MORE ABOUT US THAN YOU:
'SHUT UP GAYLORD!'
While her guests were laughing at her expense, Mika sighed heavily in reality. "No. Even if they want them, they ain't getting anything but that stupid weird hill that keeps appearing randomly in my abyss of a head."
Mrs. Murasaki suddenly got that scolding look again. "Honey, 'ain't' is not a word."
They stared at each other for a moment in silence.
Mika started to giggle. Her mother soon joined her and both were laughing quietly (they didn't want to wake Mr. Murasaki up).
"What a thing to say at eleven o'clock at night…" Mrs. Murasaki said, shaking her head. She smiled at her daughter. "Speaking of night, you need to get to bed. You have school tomorrow."
"Alright," Mika agreed. She got up and started for the hallway. She paused at the entrance. "Mom?"
"What, dear?"
"Thanks…for being cool with everything," Mika said softly, turning her head.
Her mother smiled slightly. "You're welcome, honey."
"Good night."
"Good night."
That night, Mika actually was thankful her problems occurred like they did. Her life was looking a whole lot better because of them.
------
The next few mornings were the same: get ready for school, head to school, sit through a bunch of boring classes and head home in the afternoon. When she got to her house, she immediately went back into her mind for more "training". (Extreme physical abuse, Mika complained at the dinner table)
Her relations with her parents were somewhat distant during that time, but not in a bad way. They wanted to give their daughter time alone to figure out how to deal with her problems. Mr. Murasaki gave her a lot of books about demons and hunters and helped her sort through them after they ate dinner. Mrs. Murasaki tended to just serve the snacks, but she did lurk around to hear the stories about demon hunters. That only made her worry more.
"Are you sure you don't want to just call the police?" she begged.
Mika just smirked and shook her head. "All five of the voices in my head agree: we settle this our own way."
Her grades were steadily getting better (thanks to a very bored Kurama) and even her reputation was a little better. Word had spread fast that she had been asked out. She had officially joined the ranks of the "desirable" girls. Saturday was coming fast and Kenji still waved and smiled at her in the halls, which was a good sign.
There was still one thing that wasn't quite right.
"What's going on between you and Ayumi, Mika-chan?" Kimi asked Friday at lunch.
Mika choked on her sandwich. "Huh?"
Kimi pointed over to another table where Ayumi was sitting, alone, glaring down at her school-served soup. She looked anything but friendly.
"Oh…just a disagreement," Mika replied airily. Inside, however, she felt slightly bad. She had totally ignored Ayumi that whole week ever since they had that fight.
'I bet she feels real left out…' Mika thought, guiltily.
#Talk to her after school. Invite her over to help search for more information about the Karyuudos. Your dad still has a lot of books left for us to look over.# Kurama suggested.
'Then she'd feel like I'm using her for cheap labor or something.'
/Make up your mind: ignore her or use her./
'I'M NOT REALLY GONNA USE HER!'
/whatever…/
'I'll talk to her after my date tomorrow…I'm sure she'll be overly obsessed in finding out what me and Kenji did and did not do…'
#Watch yourself, now. You have four people watching over everything you do.# Kurama said with a very parental sounding tone.
'Dude, you guys better be gone by the time I get married, cause I ain't gonna put up with guys watching me and my husband do it—!'
/That was way more that I EVER wanted to hear./
:and who would ever marry you, brat:
Kuronue snickered evilly. ((Maybe Aki would want to.))
'SHUT IT!'
------The DATE -------
'I never thought it was possible or that I would ever utter this sentence but…DAMN I LOOK SEXY!'
/…you're so freaking weird, brat./
'Mwa, I know…'After the morning ritual of making fun of her guests, Mika was getting ready for her date with Kenji. He had asked her to meet him at a popular café downtown about twelve. She was happy with the outfit she picked out (slight blue blouse and a darker skirt) and was very excited about her first date.
Kurama was still bugging her about Ayumi. #You should call her before you leave…You know, to let her know you're not mad at her or anything.#
'I think she's mad at me though…' Mika sighed, sitting down on her bed. 'I don't know what he deal is either. She just got angry at me!'
#Fine, ignore my advice like always. Just you wait, something bad will happen.#
'What are you now, a psychic? That's my job, demon boy.'
/Both of you shut up…/
Mika smirked. 'Midget boy tired?'
/Screw you…/
((We had lots of fun playing 'poke-your-neighbor-till-they-explode' last night. I won!))
'Man, did that ever sound gay. But fun. I take it Hiei lost?'/Actually, Karasu did. AND I WASN'T PLAYING ANY STUID GAME/
'Ha…wait, where is Karasu?'((He kinda just walked away…and kept walking…and didn't come back.))
'…'
#My, I do believe you are the only person in the world whose brain is large enough for people to get lost in. Congratulations.#
'Was that sarcasm?'
#No.#
'…I'm just gonna get my bag now …'
After successfully completing that task, Mika decided it was time to head out to the Café. Her mother insisted she drive her daughter ( "To meet the young man, dear.") and the two started off for the city.
"So, what's this gentleman like?" Mrs. Murasaki asked.
"…nice. He respects me, which is a plus," Mika replied indifferently.
They rode in silence for awhile.
Mika turned to her mother suddenly. "You're not actually getting out of the car are you?"
"Mika! Of course I am!"
"Mom—!" the teen let out an aggravated sigh.
"Honey, I want to meet your friends, especially the ones you have a romantic interest in!"
"You sound like I'm getting married!"
"I'm just being a responsible mother."
Mika pouted and leaned against the window frame. She didn't feel like arguing anymore. She had done enough of that.
"Can you just not make any mentions of sex or anything?"
"Mika!"
"Just asking…"
Finally, they arrived at the Café. Mika bounded out of the car and looked around hurriedly.
"Where is he?" she whispered nervously to herself.
/Maybe he got the right idea and didn't come/
'SHUT UP PANSY!'/WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME WEIRD NAMES/
'No.'
/…/
"Mika-san!"
She instantly swirled around so fast she almost toppled over. Kenji was waving at her from his seat at one of the Café's tables.
"Kenji-kun!" Mika called back. "I'll be right there!"
She turned back to her mother, waiting expectantly in the car. "I will seriously give you money if you leave us alone."
Mrs. Murasaki frowned. "Don't you try to bribe your mother, young lady."
"Sorry," Mika muttered, desperately trying to remain civil.
Mrs. Murasaki turned the ignition off and stepped out of the car. "I'll say hello, ask when you'll be back and that's it, OK?"
Normally, she would have asked their blood type, had they ever had a girl friend before and what their insurance was. Mika smiled slightly. Her mom was trying to be a little more relaxed. Suddenly having a daughter with demons in her head can change a person.
"Hi!" Kenji broke into a huge smile when he saw Mrs. Murasaki and Mika approach the table. He got up and bowed formally. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sato Kenji."
" Murasaki," Mrs. Murasaki smiled and bowed in returned. "I wanted to meet you, so I hope you don't mind that I came along too."
"No, not at all! I wanted to meet you as well."
'Kenji's so sweet and thoughtful', Mika sighed dreamily.
/But you know the moment he's gone he'll have his hands down your pants./
'Don't be vile! Besides…maybe I'll let him.'
:You do that kid, I swear I will take control and throw him at a moving car.:
'Aww, do you care about me or something?':No. I'll bet anything that you're gonna force one of us, undoubtedly me, in control so we'll get extremely freaked out. Hell, I'm getting chills just thinking my HOUSE being in a situation like that…:
'Dude, I ain't your house! I'm not your anything!'Silence.
'Wait, when the hell did you come back?':Dunno. I kept walking…and suddenly I was back here again. Damn.:
'Damn, I thought I could have gotten rid of you—!'"Mika!" her mother's sharp voice rang out, brining her back to reality.
"Huh?" Mika looked around. Her mother and Kenji were looking at her expectantly.
"I asked you when you think you'll be back, dear," Mrs. Murasaki said, her smile tight.
Mika shrugged. "Ah, I dunno. Before three, I guess."
"Yes, we'll probably just look around at the shops," Kenji added, smiling sweetly. "Nothing too time-consuming."
"Alright," Mrs. Murasaki said. She smiled over at Kenji. "Well, it was very nice meeting you, Kenji-san."
"You too, ma'am." Kenji replied, bowing slightly.
After bowing back and giving Mika a 'I-Trust-You' look, Mrs. Murasaki went over to her car and started it up. The last thing Mika saw of her mother as she pulled away was a quick wave outside the window.
"You're mother is very nice, Mika," Kenji complimented. "You must get your kindness from her."
:Kindness? KINDNESS? This child must be blind.:
Ignoring Karasu, Mika turned back to Kenji. "Thanks…you really impressed her."
"How do you know?"
"She didn't ask so many questions."
Kenji laughed and then motioned for her to sit down. "The waiter just left. I ordered you a soda. Is that ok?"
"Yeah, just fine," Mika said as she smiled at him. She sat down in the seat.
Smiling back, Kenji tilted his head so that his hair covered part of his left eye. Mika had always thought it was very adorable. "So…anything new happening in your life?"
'Where to begin…?' Mika scratched her head. "Well…Ayumi and I are in a fight."
She suddenly gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry! That was incredibly rude! You obviously don't want to hear about my life problems, but that just slipped out…!"
"No, it's alright," Kenji laughed and waved his hands. "I'm sorry to hear about that, though. You two seem like twins half the time in school, well acting-wise, anyway. What happened?"
"I don't know…" Mika said with a sigh. She fingered the end of the table in her sudden change of emotion. "She just…snapped at me. Out of the blue, too. I guess since this weekend, everything's been a little hard on both of us."
"What happened this weekend?"
:DOH:
/Niccceee, Murasaki./
'SHUT UP!'#Exnay on the demons, ok?#
((Ha! That's a funny word!))
"Oh…" Mika's mind quickly came up with a cover up. "We…kinda…well, there was this guy who kept bugging us…ruined the whole weekend."
Kenji took it seriously when he replied, "What? Did he hurt you guys or something? Are you ok?"
"Yeah…he hasn't come back, so it's ok now," Mika smiled. 'He really is sweet…'
/I think I'm gonna hurl…/
"If he's still bugging you…" Kenji reached over and folded his hands over Mika's own hands. "Just tell me, ok? I'll help you out."
'DON'T YOU JUST WANNA HUG THIS KID?'
:No. More like rip his throat out.:
'Aw, Kurama, you like him right?'
Kurama cleared his throat. #Oh, right. Yeah, he's alright. Just tell him to keep his hands to himself, alright?#
'…Kuronue…?'
((Yeah?))
'Do you know what's going on?'((…………….no! Why?))
'Never mind…'Mika blushed. "Th-thanks, Kenji…"
Kenji let go of Mika's hands abruptly. "Ah! Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable! I just—"
"Ready to order?" a chilling voice asked. The waiter sounded a little miffed at the suddenly teenage fluffy moment.
Kenji looked up and laughed nervously. "Oh yes…um, I'll have a chicken sandwich, please."
While Kenji might have looked up with some embarrassment, all Mika could do was scream silently with a look of horror on her face.
That wasn't a waiter.
That was…
:#/(('AAAKKKIII!'))/#:
Mika sputtered, almost falling out of her chair, "Ah—ah—!"
Aki the Waiter looked down innocently. "Yes, miss?" His face was the same, but at the same time was different. Maybe it was his aura. Mika wasn't sure. What she was sure about was this was her stalker who nearly tried to kill her and now was trying to sell her food.
'Must act rationally…' Mika stood up and glared fiercely. "Let's talk."
She grabbed Aki the Waiter's arm and shoved him forcefully towards the side of the building where they wouldn't be heard. Kenji could ask questions later—it was her turn for the moment.
"YOU!" Mika hissed.
"Mika-san," Aki began, "how lovely it is to see you…and your friends again."
Mika seethed. "There isn't anything lovely about this—what the hell do you want? Can't you stalk me another time? I will seriously PAY you to get lost for another hour or two!"
"Why would I do that?" Aki said, pretending to be hurt. "I spent all this time using magic to transform myself—!"
'So that's how he's managed to shape-shift…he's using magic!' Mika thought darkly. "About that…can't you ever appear to me as YOURSELF!"
Aki simply smirked. "I'm sure you've realized by now: I'm dead. I have no real body and no real true form. Just an essence of what I was before. If I want to stay alive long enough to kill you five, well…this is what I have to do."
Shaking visibly with anger, Mika glared up at Aki. He was taunting her—toying with her, trying to get her to loose her cool. It was working.
"You want a fight? Ok, let's fight!" Mika said loudly, almost shouting. "I've learned more tricks to kick your—!"
"Ah, ah, ah," Aki said in reprimand, shaking his finger at her. "You really want to draw such attention to yourself, demon child, when your little friend is so nearby?"
Her rage doubled, but she had enough sense to realize that he was right. If Kenji saw her using any type of power—psychic or demonic—his view of her would be seriously altered for life.
"I'm a generous man, Mika. Believe it or not," Aki said calmly, that same smirk still on his face. "And I'm generous enough to consider you're…feelings towards normal human beings. So, why don't we make another appointment for me to kill you? Say, this evening?"
He was setting her up. It was a trap. But what choice did she have?
"Fine with me," she spat out scathingly. If she wasn't careful, the whole building's shadow could spring up and swallow them all whole.
Aki smirked again as he passed by her to return to the open Café. "Excellent, then. See you tonight then, the old warehouse. Don't be late…demon."
Mika leaned against the wall of the building, shaking. She couldn't believe how angry she was. Or the fact she had contained the anger.
/…good job./
'Huh?'/You didn't let the anger control you, as it has done before. You're making progress./
'Joy.'
#But the progress is coming a little slow…# Kurama sounded worried. #Aki wants a fight tonight. You've only been practicing for less than a week.#
'Then I guess I'm gonna need your help…' Mika said, smiling softly. 'I can give all of you guys temporary forms at once, I think.'
:What happens if you thought wrong:
'Then we all die.'
((Yay! Wait…that's bad, isn't it?))
#…#
"Mika?" she felt a hand come down gently on her shoulder.
Stiffening and refraining herself from throwing the person into the wall opposite of them, Mika turned her head towards the voice. It was Kenji.
"Oh! Kenji, sorry…lost in thought!" Mika laughed pathetically. She tapped her fingers on her head in demonstration. "I do that a lot lately…"
"Are you ok?" he asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Kenji didn't looked convinced. "You were back here for a while…and you look like you saw a ghost! Did that guy do anything to make you upset?"
"He confused me with someone else—another person who skipped a bill. Didn't want me to do it again." Mika quickly lied. "He apologized after he found out I wasn't the person. No worries."
/I can't believe you're actually making lies out of the blue—and they're working/
'Neither can I…'"…if you say so…" Kenji said, though his face clearly said he knew there was more to the situation. "Do you still want to eat here?"
"Sure…let's just get another waiter, 'kay?" Mika smiled innocently.
Kenji would have asked for another one, however, there was no need to. The waiter who had served them seemed to have vanished from the area. And the funniest thing was that he wasn't even on the pay role…
Even so, the two young teens decided to not get flustered by the strange occurrences and to enjoy the rest of their date.
-------An Hour later--------
"How cute!" Mika squealed, looking into the glass of a shop window. Ten or eleven adorable puppies pawed and leaped back at her, running into each other in the process.
/How disturbing/
#I never would have thought you to be an animal person, Mika.# Kurama said, trying not to laugh.
Mika mentally huffed. 'I love small furry animals…but not Hiei.'
/HEY! I'm not an animal and I'm NOT furry/
((But you're small.))
/…/
"Glad you think so," Kenji said next to her, jerking her out of her mental conversations. He was smiling down at her. "I like dogs, too."
"Heh…" Mika blushed and looked back down at the puppies. "I have a dog at home—old and fat, but I love him anyway."
"I've always wanted a pet, but my mother is deathly allergic to animal hair," Kenji laughed. "I'd like to meet your dog."
"Ha, ok," Mika laughed, looking him the eye this time. "I'm sure he'd want to meet you too."
:You're talking about a dog, you know.:
'Excuse me for being human for once.'
Mika stood up straight and smiled over at Kenji. "Well, where do you want to go now?"
"We can head over to the park if you want…and there's always the arcade."
The things he suggested were always so common and comfortable, not to mention open for others to be around them. That was good. Mika would have hated it if he had been constricting and went to places where they would have been alone. It was somewhat comforting.
:I think I'M gonna hurl now…:
'CAN'T I EVER HAVE A SENTIMENTAL MOMENT ANYMORE?'/No/
'…'
((Are you gonna kiss him yet?))
Awkward silence.
'Kiss…who? Kenji?'((Who else?))
'I dunno…cause if you were referring to one of you punks, THINK again.'
No matter if he was just kidding around, Mika had to question it herself. Kenji was acting like they were just friends hanging out. Well, he did touch her hands earlier, but she reacted wrong. Maybe that's why he wasn't really acting…like they were on a date.
So, she dared to be more outgoing.
"Come on, then," Mika said as she grinned. Her fingers interlaced with Kenji's own fingers. "The park awaits us!"
Kenji gasped slightly at the sudden touch, but recovered. He too smiled. "Alright. Let's go."
/That was just an opening for him to try something./
'Shut up, ok? Just shut up.'
They walked over to the park without too many incidents (or at least Kenji never noticed the arguments Mika was having mentally). After Hiei and Karasu made too many mentions of a certain type of romantic encounter, Mika had taken the liberty of throwing them clear across her mind. By the time she had gotten tired of this new game, they had arrived at the park.
"I'll get us some crepes from that booth over there," Kenji said, already walking in that direction. "I'll be right back."
"Alright," Mika replied.
She walked over to a bench and sat down. Things were going pretty good—save being harassed by Aki again. Yet, that nagging guilty feeling she had felt earlier was still there.
"Ayumi," Mika said with a sigh.
Her best friend was still on her thoughts. When they had fights when they were younger, they quicker got over it. The longest they had ever been mad at each other was less than three days, and afterwards they apologized over and over to one another. Even older and just a little, tiny bit more mature, Mika still had a hard time adjusting to the fact they were in a fight. Even if it was kind of one-sided.
#Talk. To. Her.#
'Shut up, Dr. Phil.'
/More names…/
#How do you know so many English terms?#
'My auntie comes from America,' Mika replied. 'That's how I got the CD. She's going to teach me some of the language later on.'
#That's interesting…and it explains a lot.#
'Ayumi always makes fun of me when I try to say something in English…' Mika laughed mentally. 'Says I sound…croaky. Or something like that.'
/Knowing more than one language can be useful./
Mika snorted. 'Ah, I can see it now. College professor Hiei, coming into class to teach Latin…'
/I, yet again, have no clue what you just said/
'Congratulations. Do you want a cookie?'((I DO!))
Karasu sounded amused when he said:Are you really this stupid, bat:
((I'm not stupid. I choose to be funny))
/Funny my ass/
((MEANIE!))
From what she could tell, Kuronue and Hiei had gotten into a fight (how surprising) and she closed out the image. Mika bent over her seat, her head on her hands.
"I don't know what to do…" Mika whispered to herself. "I'm lost, confused and I have no idea what to do to fix anything…God…what am I supposed to do?"
"Ask a friend for help?" came a suggestive voice from behind her.
Bracing herself for a fight, Mika swirled around in her seat. She looked right up at the face of Ayumi who smirked back. Her face and her neck were covered with burns and scorch marks. Both hands were covered with white cloth bandages. Mika suspected that they were only the minor wounds.
Finally, finding her voice, Mika said, "What…happened to you?"
Ayumi waved her concern aside with her hand. "Nothing important."
"Why are you here?"
"Trying to find you. I mean, you left on your first date and never told me? That's cold, man."
"Sorry…" Mika looked down at her seat. "I thought…you were mad at me."
Pausing, Ayumi stared down at Mika. Then she swung around the bench and plopped down right next to her best friend. Placing her arm around her shoulder, Ayumi grinned. "Never. You're my best friend in the whole world, my long-lost sister! Only if I were some freaky clone and/or robot would I ever hate you."
"That's nice to know," Mika muttered, a smirk on her face.
"So, how you holding up?"
It was then that Mika relayed to her everything that occurred that day—including Aki's request. Ayumi didn't take it so well.
"WHAT THE HELL? I WASN'T THERE?" she screamed loudly across the park. "Oh my God, are you ok? AND DON'T GO, IT'S A TRAP!"
Mika raised an eyebrow. "Obviously…I mean, he would have just fought me right there if he didn't have another, better plan to kill me. And I'm going. This could be my chance to finally get him off my back."
A look of sadness flashed in her eyes. "But I can't help but ask myself…am I really willing to kill someone…for real?"
Ayumi frowned and leaned back in her seat as if in thought. Then, she said, "Don't worry, Mika. I've got your back and I'm sure the guys in your head would say the same thing…if not aloud, in their hearts."
/What does she know about demon hearts anyway…/
#She is right, though,# Kurama said, #We're here for you Mika.#
Mika smiled softly. "Thanks, Ayumi." 'And you guys.'
"Mika—ah, Takei-san!"
Ayumi and Mika both looked up and saw Kenji standing there, with the crepes.
"Oh, Kenji!" Mika laughed nervously. "I forgot about the crepes!"
"And I saw you two from a distance," Ayumi said calmly. She snickered and elbowed him. "So, tell me, have any fun yet?"
Kenji blushed, but Mika saved him from answering. "For your information, sicko, Kenji and I went to a café and then went window shopping."
Ayumi laughed and patted her on the head. "Aww, I'm only messing with you two! I trust you!"
"Gee, thanks," Mika said with a smirk.
"Takei-san, do you want a crepe?" Kenji asked politely, pointing at the stand in the distance.
Ayumi shook her head. "Nah, I just had lunch. But I would like to talk to Mika…alone, you know?"
Mika was about to scold her friend for being so rude, but Kenji nodded.
"Yes," he began with a smile, "It is just about three, and I promised your mother you'd be home around now."
Mika, secretly wishing nothing but eternal pain to Ayumi, smiled and said, "Yeah…"
Standing up, both teenagers shifted uneasily. It was either the stare from Ayumi or perhaps their own nervousness that made them so fidgety. Finally, Kenji reached out and grabbed Mika's hand.
"Thanks for going out with me."
Blushing, Mika stuttered, "Ah, no problem—I mean, thank you for asking me! I still can't believe you'd ask me, of all people—!"
Kenji grinned. "I still can't believe someone didn't ask you sooner."
:If this gets any mushier, I think I'm gonna implode:
"Thanks…you're too kind…"
/…revolting…/
"Can I call you tomorrow?"
#I don't think so.#
"Sure…do you have my number?"
((Sure! 1-800-RAPE-ME!))
'KNOCK IT OFF!'Suddenly, Kenji pulled Mika closer. In a split second, Mika could have sworn he was going to kiss her. In another split second, she found herself standing in the middle of the hill inside her mind.
'WHAT THE HELL?'
The possessed Mika smiled tightly and pushed away from the surprised Kenji. "…not today."
Ayumi smirked behind them and pulled "Mika" backwards towards the street. "Sorry, Kenji! Gotta run!"
With a quick wave to the confused boy, "Mika and Ayumi ran towards the sidewalk and kept going. Ayumi sent her companion a grin. "Who is it?"
"…"
"Karasu?" No answer. "Hiei?" No answer. "Come on, it can't be Kuronue, cause he wouldn't have the mental capacity to pull a move like that off!"
Mika's body stopped at the end of the sidewalk abruptly, surprising Ayumi.
"Mika…is not pleased," came a very smooth and calm voice.
Ayumi face faulted. "KURAMA? NO WAY!"
Kurama placed his hand over his eyes in frustration. "Yes, its me."
"Why did you interfere?"
"He was about to kiss her!"
Ayumi grinned slyly. "Oh HO! Does wittle Kurama gotta crush on Mika?"
"…do you have any idea what we see when we're in Mika's mind?"
"Uh…nope."
"Then you wouldn't understand the concept of having to look through someone's eyes and catch something totally disturbing off guard."
Pausing, Ayumi thought about what he said. Then the light bulb clicked on inside her mind. "Oh! So, you would have had to experience the kiss almost first hand?"
"More or less…"
"…" Ayumi pat him slowly on the back. "You have my prayers, dude."
'…Kurama…!'
#I know, I know, you're going to murder me and no one will ever be able to find my remains.#
'…' Mika's anger subsided for a second. 'Whoa…how'd you guess that?'
/Enough! Ok, Murasaki, you had your fun. Now its time for work./
#Right. We need to focus our attentions on fighting Aki—tonight!#
Mika took back control of her body and inhaled deeply. "Alright…" She looked over at Ayumi. "Are you ready to throw caution to the wind, dive into obvious danger, and kick some ghost butt all the way back to the underworld?"
Ayumi grinned and gave her friend a thumbs up sign. "When have I ever not been ready?"
"…you're the best friend in the history of forever," Mika said. She hugged Ayumi lightly. "Thanks."
"No problem, kiddo!" Ayumi cried, patting her on the back. Letting go, she grinned again. "Let's go make a plan?"
"Indeed," Mika said, grinning evilly. "Let's get started…"
By the time night came around, Aki would regret ever coming back from death.
Or so our heroes hope.
FINALLY! Lol, this chapter was really long…18 pages. O.o whoa…and I know some of you hate Kenji…he DOES remind me a lot of Hojo from Inu-Yasha. Kenji plays an important role later on in the sequel, however, so he needs to be Mika's crush. Do they stay together? Do they ever get a chance to kiss? Lmao, who knows?
And I thought it was cute to make it seem like the guys are protective of Mika. But what do I know, I'm only the author…lol
-yet again, Mika being dramatic…sorry, just had to happen
-Kimi: random friend
-Mika's religion…I dunno, maybe Christian cause of the bible…she's definitely not strict about it, lol!
-I am yet again very sorry for all the crude language…twas weird writing it all. XD
-what are the guys gonna do now? Make a plan of course! What is it? I ain't telling:P