Imouto

Amai: Okay, so it's been a long time... sorry! -runs and hides from rampaging angry readers-

CHAPTER EIGHT: More Arrow-Stomping!

Later in the evening, Jin and the guys were catching up down in the living room while the girls did... something up in Mizuki's room. "So what exactly is your relationship with Mizu-chan?" Kurama asked Jin. He shrugged.

"We've been friends forever. I've asked her out on dates before, but I don't think she figured out that they were supposed to be dates. Zuki-chan is very innocent." He gave another helpless shrug. "All I know for sure is that I wouldn't give her up for the world, whether she was my girlfriend or just a friend. She's too much darn fun!"

"Where are you going to stay while you're here?" Yusuke asked. He didn't say it, but he was indicating that he was not going to be sharing his room. He had gotten too used to having his own.

"Dun' worry, I have my own room upstairs next to Zuki-chan's. I'm around here quite a bit." He grinned when the other guys gave him an odd look.

"Jin-kun!" Mizuki yelled with amazing volume down the stairs. "Come teach these girls the right way to play DDR!"

"I'm still in my fighting clothes, I came over in a hurry!" Jin shouted back. "You know I can't dance in them!"

"You have clothes in your room! Change and then come dance!" Jin chuckled and headed up the stairs to his room.

"DDR... is that their stupid arrow-stomping game?" asked Hiei, who was the only one to have experienced the game.

"I don't know what it is," Kurama admitted. Yusuke nodded, meaning that he didn't either. "Sounds interesting, though."

Much to Hiei's chagrin, Kurama and Yusuke were soon dragging him up the stairs to get a look at the 'arrow-stomping game'. They beat Jin to Mizuki's room where they found Yukina and Mizuki standing on square floor mats with arrows and game controller symbols on them. "You have to step on the arrows when they line up with the other arrows at the top of the screen," Mizuki was explaining to Yukina. The koorime nodded but still looked lost.

"Zuki-chan, let's show 'em how it's done!" Jin suddenly announced from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at him and all but Mizuki were rather surprised to see him wearing baggy denim shorts and a black t-shirt.

"Don't call me Zuki-chan," Mizuki reminded him for the umpteenth time. Yukina stepped off her mat and Jin took over. He quickly chose a song both he and Mizuki seemed familiar with; it was called "Break Down". "I gotta switch down to standard, I can't do level nine," Mizuki complained.

"Wimp," Jin teased. As soon as the song began their feet started flying. Everyone's jaw dropped when Jin just decided out of the blue to flip over and dance on his hands for a few moments before going back to his feet and missing only a couple of steps in the process.

"Show off!" Mizuki shouted above the music. Soon the song was over. Jin hadn't even broken a sweat, but Mizuki was breathing heavily. "Jin has all the high scores on all my games," she complained as she flopped down on the bed. She had been playing DDR since almost immediately after dinner and was just plain tired.

"It's not my fault I'm good," Jin replied with a wide, reckless grin.

"You have demon strength and endurance, it's an unfair advantage," Mizuki replied, sticking her tongue out.

Kurama noticed that the match wasn't finished, even if Mizuki was. "I'd like to try," he volunteered. Hiei looked shocked that his friend would even consider such a thing and finally left the room.

"You'll get too hot in that," Jin pointed out, indicating Kurama's long-sleeved outfit. The kitsune nodded and began to take off his shirt, which for some reason got all the girls' attention. He was only wearing a white wife-beater underneath.

"Look at that, now we're sure Kurama's a guy," Botan giggled, causing him to turn red.

"Aw, leave him alone Botan," Mizuki chided. "He's trying to play!"

"Why would Kurama-san be a girl?" Yukina asked innocently, looking quite confused. Kurama, however, looked more grateful.

"Shuddup and play!" Mizuki commanded, eager to see what Kurama could do.

"Sure, sure," Jin replied, exasperated. He showed Kurama how to switch the controls down to an easier level and picked out a song that wasn't too hard. Kurama did so well on "Dream a Dream" that Mizuki immediately demanded he try Standard. On "Burnin' Heat" Kurama didn't exactly get an "A", but he passed!

"You're really good!" Mizuki praised. "Hey, can you dance for real, like ballroom dancing and stuff?"

"I don't know... why?" Kurama asked. He noticed that Jin was looking at both of them with a rather hurt expression.

"I've been trying to sign up for dance lessons, but Jin-kun won't go and I need a partner!" Mizuki answered.

"You know I would, Zuki-chan, but with this horn on my forehead and my ears I'm not exactly going to pass as human," Jin pleaded. Mizuki didn't even correct him on the "Zuki-chan" part.

"If I sign up tomorrow I can still start this month. Please say you'll go, Kurama-kun! Please?" She put on her very best puppy dog pout.

Kurama glanced back at Jin, then again at Mizuki. "Sure, I'll do it," he agreed.

No Japanese translations this chapter, you should know all the words I used for now