Title: Blood's Calling
Author: Bradybunch4529
Disclaimers: Not mine in anyway. I'm simply borrowing the Yu Yu Hakusho gang
Rating: PG-13 to R in later chapters
Summary: AU OOC Future fic: A young vampire is pushed over the edge with a single act. The world has been paying for the mistake for almost 1000 years. Is there hope to be found in the rebirth of a girl.
Pairings: Keiko/Yusuke
Reviews:
Little Teapot ( ): Cute name! I am so mean aren't I? I'm thrilled you are enjoying the angst. I really want to develop the characters in their own way and in a different direction. Thanks so much!
KittySand Katie: Yep I did! But they really don't like me! I thought I described him really well. Ah well. Thanks for reviewing!
Apathetic Empath 2: I'm so blushing right now! I am a terrible person for such a cliffhanger! But I really thought that the chapter should stop there. The beautiful comment made me smile. Thanks so much! Loops are always fun! And this one has loops that I wasn't planning on. Didn't the black eyes work out so well. I was really proud of how I worked that in there. You picked out one of my favorite paragraphs! That one I worked really hard on. I really wanted to point out that everything had changed! Isn't the Botan twist great? It's definitely going to be fun playing it out. Isn't Keiko great? She's definitely going to shake things up.
Egustogustason: Thanks so much! I am terrible aren't I?
Animefan103( ): I am so mean! Thanks for the compliment!
Kenshinlover2002: It's a surprise! Thanks!
So-Kun: Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it!
Garnet ( ): Aren't they great? Thanks so much!
Riyo-the Protector: So glad you are enjoying the story. I try really hard.
Poptart: I hope this is on time! I really kicked it up a notch to get it up today.
Chapter 5: The Collision
Keiko Yukimura sighed as she stepped out into the cool evening air. The tension of the day was slowly disappearing as the cool breeze caressed her face. Her chocolate brown eyes fluttered closed and contentment slowly spread its way through her. This is what everything is about,Keiko told herself. Her eyes slowly opened and stared up at the evening sky.
The sun was slowly beginning to set. Brilliant reds, oranges, yellows and purples were stretching across the sky. Shadows were slowly beginning to deepen on between buildings. A glance at the diner showed that Moira was dealing with two vampires. It took Keiko only a moment to recognize the two Kings advisors. Better her than me, Keiko mused as she turned away.
She had changed from her uniform, the air warm and soothing against her bare arms. Her jeans skimmed her slender legs and nipped in her tiny waist. Her white sneakers were comfortable as she began to move through her crowd. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun, wisps of it curling around her face.
The street was busy, large crowds outside after the many weeks of rain. High school children laughed and flirted on corners, driving by with music blaring. Keiko couldn't stop that grin that graced her features as she dodged around a particularly boisterous group. She hefted her book bag hair on her shoulder, casually glancing around her. There didn't seem to be anyone paying any particular attention to her, but if they were good at their job there wouldn't be.
Keiko didn't believe that it was chance that several of the King's advisors were staring to appear at her job. Especially following a vampire asking questions at a part about her. But she was also not going to panic and rush off blindly. She was almost done with school, one last semester and she would graduate. Then she and Tohru could move anywhere they wanted and quietly disappear.
Tohru's warning were still vivid in her mind and a niggling sense of being watched had Keiko moving to the edge of the noisy crowd and ducking into an alleyway. All appearance of casual wondering disappeared as Keiko moved quickly down the alley, using several dumpsters as cover. The small section was only big enough for Keiko to slip in between the two dumpsters.
Her book bag was placed on the ground and she began to pull things from it. A new bag, this one a oversize canvas bag, was removed from the book bag and shook out. She removed her shoes, pants and shirt, stuffing them into the new bag. Her hands burrowed into her book bag and pulled out her books, stuffing them into the other bag.
Once the books were arranged in her new bag Keiko pulled out a tiny black skirt. She stepped into it, ignoring how short and tight it was. A brilliant green shirt was next, a halter top style with a single strap wrapping around her neck. Keiko quickly unsnapped her bra and tossed it into the new bag. The new shirt was slipped over her head, smoothing it down into place. It took only a minute for Keiko to secure the strap around her neck and adjust the tight shirt.
The green shirt cupped her full breasts and skimmed her flat tummy. The shirt rested over the skirt, the tiny black pleats slowly widening to create a flounce around her mid thighs. Keiko reached back into the bag and pulled out a pair of knee high black boots. She winced at the thought of how much they were going to hurt her feet but forced herself to pull them on.
They added another 3 inches to her height and Keiko wavered for a moment on them. A hand reached out and rested on the brick wall behind her until she got her balance. Then she was undoing her bun and letting her hair fall down her back. It was like a chocolate wave rippling down her back. Her ran through her hair, tousling it and making sure that it caressed her face.
A wry smile touched her mouth at her own actions. It was often the smallest things that would render a person invisible. Keiko never wore skirts or sexy tops, preferring comfort over eye catching. By doing so now she had rendered herself unnoticeable as Keiko Yukimura. While everyone might notice the sexy woman walking down the street they wouldn't be able to say it was her.
Finally Keiko pulled a necklace from the bag. The simple gold chain held a blood red stone that caught and held the fading sunlight. It seemed so innocent Keiko mused. No one would ever believe how much power was in that simple stone. Keiko had gotten the stone years ago from a very old and powerful witch. The stone was simple in its purpose.
It would connect with the power and aura of one person. Unless it was worn against the skin it wasn't activated. The moment that Keiko put the stone on it would begin to confuse anyone around her. While they would see a pretty young woman they would never be able to remember the particulars of that woman. It had made blending in and disappearing quite easy.
She secured it around her neck, the stone snuggling between her breasts and beginning to pulse with Keiko's own heartbeat. The red was deeper, the center seeming to flow with blood to any who looked closely. She folded her book bag and placed it into the other bag, which she swung the straps over her shoulder. She ran her hands over her outfit, scanning to make sure everything was in place before quickly striding to the opposite end of the alley.
Within seconds she was moving through the crowd, appearing to be doing nothing more than window shopping. She casually scanned the crowd but other than a few guys giving her a once over no one appeared to be paying much attention. A sigh eased its way through Keiko's mouth as she relaxed slightly.
Kurama watched in amazement as Keiko ducked into an alley way. He moved quickly across the roof of the building he was one, determined to keep her in his sights. His green eyes were glowing with determination. His shoes made no sound on the tiled roof as he moved to the edge and began to scan the alley.
His green eyes widened in stunned disbelief. To his amazement Keiko was actually stripping in the alley, using the dumpsters as cover while she changed her clothes. He shook his head slightly, red hair brushing his cheeks as he watched the way she changed her appearance with a few minor adjustments. Grudging approval snaked its way through his system.
While the girl below was obviously Keiko Yukimura this girl was definitely cut from a slightly different cloth. She had obviously grown up in a slightly different environment than the Keiko from old. It made him wonder what else was different about this Keiko. For some strange reason he had always assumed that Keiko would be the same when she was reborn. He shook his head at the folly of that thought.
By the time she was done dressing Kurama had to admit that if he hadn't been watching her change, he never would have been able to find her again. His eyes closed and a sigh worked its way from his throat. It was going to be harder than he had thought to track her. A strange energy signature suddenly caught his attention and his eyes snapped back open.
His green eyes narrowed as he scanned the area. To his surprise when his eyes passed over Keiko's form it was slightly blurred. It was almost like his eyes couldn't actually focus on her figure. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear it from the fuzziness that suddenly seemed togrip him.
Kurama forced his eyes open and to follow Keiko. But there was a strange compulsion to look away and he had to fight the need to look away. A flash of red around her neck caught his attention. His green eyes narrowed on it and he realized that he recognized the spell that was working. A smile suddenly bloomed across his face.
This Keiko was definitely not the old Keiko. This one had managed to find someone who could do magic that he hadn't seen in almost a 100 years. And to actually tie it into her own karma was pure brilliance. And it was powerful enough that he had trouble looking at her! He couldn't wait to see what else Keiko was going to do. Then his eyes widened slightly when she wasn't there anymore. It took him a few minutes to find her again. She was at the end of the alley and beginning to mingle in the crowd on the sidewalk.
Kurama quickly followed her, determined to keep her in his sights. She was crossing the street, hips swinging gently as she balanced on those impossibly high heels. It had changed her entire way of moving, hips swung and enticed, a rolling walk that called attention to her. He glanced across the street and noted the flag pole that was directly across from him. A smile graced his face and he backed off from the edge, getting a running start.
A casually flick of his wrist had the rose whip appearing in his hand. As he cleared the roof his wrist snapped the rose whip through the air. It wrapped easily around the flag pole and he swung through the air to the next roof. The wind blew through his hair and for a brief moment all of his troubles seemed to disappear. Then he was landing on the roof and rushing to the side to find Keiko again.
It took him a minute, his eyes wanting to flow by her. It took him five tries before he could finally focus on the young girl window shopping her way down the street. She paused before a huge window, using it to scan the area behind her. He felt another way of admiration flow over him. This was definitely not a woman to be trifled with.
Despite the fact that there was no way she had spotted him, Keiko knew that someone was following her. And she was taking every precaution. This confirmed the opinion that he had after spending several hours a day in the diner watching her work. Thinking of the diner had him remembering that Kuwabara and Hiei had almost found Keiko today. Kurama had almost had a heart attack when he had seen them go in. For a moment he had thought that all of his planning was going to be worthless, that it as going blow up in his face.
He had watched them anxiously as they had been seated in a booth by the window. He hadn't breathed until he had watched another waitress approach them and Keiko had left the diner. It was obvious that Kuwabara and Hiei had not noticed Keiko from the way they were calmly talking to the waitress.
Kurama shook himself free of his memories and went back to watching Keiko's progress down the street. It was obvious that Keiko was going to take the long way home, probably determined to lose anyone that might be following her. So he took out his cell phone and quickly made a call. Several minutes later he was hanging up with a satisfied grin on his face. Time for the next part of his plan to begin. He couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.
Keiko couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. There were invisible eyes following her and Keiko couldn't relax. She paused at a huge window, eyes scanning everything around her. There was nobody paying any particular attention to her. At least nothing she needed to be worried about Keiko admitted wryly, noting the lustful glances that followed her.
As she perused her own reflection she couldn't see what was so special about her. Her features didn't scream pretty to her, the brown eyes just like hundreds of others. The dark brown hair flowing down her back held a slight curl but the color was rather bland. And her figure was average. A slight shrug rippled in the window as she decided that men were stupid that way.
What Keiko didn't see was the innocence and the warmth that flowed from her eyes. She didn't know that her smile invited people to join her. Instead turning away form the window and continuing her way down the street. The invisible eyes were following her again and Keiko resisted the urge to shrug away the feeling. Instead she moved through the crowd, tossing a smile at the group of teenage boys that were watching her. Chuckles and grins followed her and Keiko had to stop herself from laughing at their antics.
She moved easily across the street, moving with the crowd in the crosswalk. Keiko was starting to wish that she had waited a little longer for Tohru. Maybe then she wouldn't be attracting so much attention to herself. But then that wasn't exactly true Keiko admitted wryly to herself. But at least she would have Tohru to lean on and an extra set of eyes watching. Keiko was really starting to get the sensation that she was moving towards something that she had no control of. And ever since that night 10 years ago, Keiko had made certain she had complete control of everything.
She couldn't stand losing everyone she loved again.
Kurama watched carefully as Keiko moved across the street. There was something about the way that she was holding herself that was making Kurama uneasy. Her stride was no longer enticing, instead slightly intimidating. He knew that if he could see her face determination would be written all over it. For just a moment he was tempted to call the whole thing off. Just call Yusuke and let him know that Kurama had found Keiko and that she was well. But then he remembered what Yusuke and Botan had done to him and his resolve hardened.
A flash of blue caught his attention and Kurama switched his attention to the woman that was currently rushing headlong down the sidewalk. A satisfied smile touched his lips and his eyes began to burn. It was time to see what happened when the guilty met the ultimate reminder of their guilt.
Keiko paused at the store window across the street. A flash of red catching her eye on the roof across the street. A smile touched her lips when she realized that her stalker was on the roof and that was why she hadn't been able to find him. He didn't seem to be concentrating on her though and Keiko quickly slipped around the corner.
And slammed right into someone else. The person was going much faster though and managed to knock her off of her feet. She landed heavily on her butt, pain began to travel up her spine. Keiko's eyes had closed when she landed but now fluttered open.
"Stupid human," Botan hissed as she glared at the woman in front of her. The girls' head was turned away from her and the long brown hair was preventing her from seeing anything. "You should watch where you are going!" Botan continued her tirade, ignoring the people that were starting to stare.
"If you hadn't been going like a bat of hell around the corner then you wouldn't have slammed into me," Keiko responded carefully. Her eyes finally turned towards the woman that she had slammed into. The woman had turned way slightly, struggling to get up again. She seemed slightly familiar to Keiko but she wasn't going to strain herself figuring it out.
"Do you have any idea who you slammed into," Botan started to rant as she turned to glare at the woman. Instead she could feel the words catch in her throat and everything seemed to still around her as she met familiar brown eyes.
It can't be, Botan thought dazedly. But those brown eyes were the same and as her eyes traced the rest of the woman's features Botan knew that Keiko Yukimara had been reborn. The dark brown hair was longer, curling over her shoulders and down her back. And she wondered what the hell she was going to do now.
"Lady?" Keiko asked after the woman had been staring at her for several minutes. Keiko waved her hand in the woman's face and didn't even get a blink of surprise. "Are you okay?" Still no response and Keiko sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. She didn't know what to do. Just as she was about to give up hope and started to leave Keiko heard a familiar voice.
Botan was vaguely aware of Keiko, if she had been named that in this life, waving a hand in front of her face. But Botan was caught up in the past and seeing the old Keiko Yukimura in front of her. Keiko was starting to move away and Botan reached out to catch her arm only to stop when a male voice hailed her. .
"Yo Keiko!" A male voice called out from in the crowd.
As caught up in the past as she was Botan expected to see the old Yusuke Urameshi step out of the crowd. His black hair slicked back, his hazel eyes warm on Keiko's and his hands stuffed into his green pants. Even Keiko's reaction seemed to enforce that possibility. Her dark brown eyes lit with a warmth that Botan had only seen for Yusuke. A smile lit her entire face and love colored her voice as she called out to him.
"Tohru!"
Long legs filled Botan's vision as someone came to a stop beside them. Slowly her blue eyes traveled up, taking in the black jeans, tiny waist and a solid chest before finally meeting pale green eyes. Blond hair feel rakishly over his forehead, slightly concealing one of his eyes. They were hard and cold as they met hers that Botan found herself jolted out of the past and back into the present.
"You left before I got there Keiko," Tohru chided gently as he helped her back to her feet. His green eyes softened as met hers before sweeping down her body. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," Keiko assured him as he pulled her against him. "And I waited for almost an hour before starting home."
"I had to finish stuff at the shop," Tohru told her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and turning her away from the woman still on the ground. "Nice outfit," he teased her slightly.
"I bet you like it," Keiko responded with a laugh. Her head tilted back, her hair flowing over his arm as she snuggled closer. Her arms reached around his waist, head resting against his chest. For the first time since she had left the diner Keiko felt safe.
"Time to go," Tohru told her and began to lead her away.
"Keiko!" Botan shouted and the two paused for a moment and Keiko looked over her shoulder at the woman that had knocked her down. "Wait a minute I need to talk to you."
"No you don't," Tohru responded harshly and pulled Keiko into the crowd with him.
Botan watched as the two of the disappeared before she could scramble to her feet. She sank back onto her knees, trembling over the implications over what she had seen. Keiko Yukimura was alive and living in the same city as Yusuke Urameshi. But what was Botan going to do about it.
"Hey Botan! What in the hell are you doing down there!" Kuwabara demanded as he and Hiei stepped out of the crowd flowing around her. He reached a hand out and helped her to her feet.
"Kuwabara! Hiei! You won't believe who I saw! It was…" Botan slowly trailed off, staring at the two men who were looking at her. For some reason Keiko's name caught in her throat and she couldn't tell them who she saw.
"Who?" Kuwabara demanded and looked around the crowd. He didn't see anyone that looked familiar.
"Nothing," Botan told them with a sigh. "I was mistaken."
"Okay," Kuwabara agreed easily. "So what are you doing here?"
"Meeting me," Kurama responded easily as he broke through the crowd. "You were late," Kurama told Botan. "Did something happen?" He queried innocently.
"No nothing happened. I accidentally ran into someone."
"If you are sure," Kurama responded slowly.
"Quite sure!" Botan assured him hurriedly, a huge smile on her face. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Just a simple accident."
A/N: Well there is the next chapter. I know it took forever and a day. But my computer ate it twice! I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I really tried to make sure that it was longer and jammed pack. So tell me what you think. Thanks for stopping by.