Satorisama- I'm finally updating (does a happy dance). Yeah, schools been eating up a lot of my time, but here's a chapter. Daja has a dream sequence, so if you don't understand, review and tell me. I'd be more than glad to explain it to you. Review and tell me what you think to!!
ADDRESSING REVIEWS—
Kitsune Kit- Thank again!!! I'm striving to stay away from Daja mary-sue-ness. THANKS!!!
PainfulxRecovery- Daja and Hiei... Hmm.... ITS SOON!!!! I cant wait, I'm in the process of writing the next chapter, it's called Reunion... (smiles knowingly) Daja and the detectives meet for the first time in months, things are bound to be complicated... THANKS!!!
Kitari- THANKS!!! Thanks for saying my fanfic is good! (blushes) it's just something I do to amuse myself. Daja and Hiei fluff? (snickers) its coming VERY SOON !!!!
Chapter 13—Austere
Botan: I sigh as I watch Daja walk besides me, trying to gently ease herself through the crowd without being noticed, and this week, it's very easy to, for the Festival of Lights is being held this weekend in the park near Yusuke's apartment. I stop for a second as I revel in the idea of three, consecutive full days of fun, and the things that I must do in order to get both Daja and myself ready since she has never been to a festival like this before. Shopping!!!! I giggle lightheartedly as I come back down to earth from my momentary daydream.
"Daja, what do you want to do? We have all the time in the worlds to do whatever you want." I ask cheerfully, having to walk faster to catch up with the tiny girl a few feet in front of me.
"I'm... not sure I what I want to do would be appropriate. I might get in trouble, and Koenma said not to break the law at all costs." Daja replies looking vaguely interested in the small outdoor produce market we have just stumbled onto on the way to the sparsely furnished apartment Koenma has leased for us to stay in until we can find better lodgings, preferably with one of the spirit detectives. Her eyes dart nervously around to all the people buying supplies for the festival as if one could be hostile towards her.
"Daja, nobody here is out to get you." I whisper reassuringly.
"I know your trying to be helpful, Botan," Daja says looking annoyed with my comment. "But, it would be more reassuring if you would shut up."
She glares at me and starts to turn around, but she stays put.
Then it hits me.
"You have no idea where your going, do you?" I ask softly, finally able to see little bits of Daja's personality shine through her soft, pensive, empty face. She looks confused, and lost. As if she can remember where she is, but she could not for the life of her figure out how to get somewhere else from there.
Daja, who is too prideful to admit this but wants to get out of this situation very badly, replies nastily. "Foolish woman, I have a headache from... being in this crowd too long." Daja pauses a moment, rubbing her temples to try to make the migraine she says she's having recede a little so she can focus at the tasks at hand. "Can we just get to the stupid apartment Koenma is letting us stay at?"
I look at her and sigh. Of all people to be assigned to watch over for a few days, I've got to watch over the female version of Hiei who at the moment seems to be having various symptoms of PMS.
"Okay!" I pronounce happily as I steer Daja down the street towards our lodgings, not quite feeling up to a fight between my new roommate already.
It takes a couple of minutes, but we get there.
I slide the key in the lock and open the door.
"Oh my gods..." Daja whispers as she walks into the living area of the apartment as if she was treading on glass.
The place is spaciously furnished, a design both boasting the apartment's cozy loft-like feel and beautiful skylights that let in a lot of natural. The furniture is funky, but fresh, and is arranged in a way to create a flow between the rooms. Walls are painted lovely hues of vivid colors, and a mural of the ocean and the heavens is painted on a wall with a door stylized with the colors of silver, lavender, and light pink, and a door of deep blues, royal indigos, and vivacious violets, leading to two rooms, a pair bedrooms with a considerably large bathroom connecting them. A well stocked kitchen with an island is across from the large windows facing the east to catch the dawns first light in the earliest hours of the morning. Overall, the ambiance of the apartment is tranquil and comforting, not at all like the feeling radiating from the cubicles at the office. There it is all confusion, but it's sort of an organized chaos to me. Where there is a will there is a way I always say.
"If this is what Koenma calls sparsely furnished, then I want to see what lavishly furnished is." Daja leans over and carefully touches an abstract piece of blown glass that decorates the sofa table behind the long bright blue couch. "Hell, even this would bring quite a price if I were to take it to the demon world."
"We will have to thank Koenma the next time we see him." I say, spying the two bedrooms on the other side of the room. "Which one do you want? I'll race you!" I laugh playfully to once again try and break the ice with Daja and get her to loosen up.
"Too late, Botan."
The deep colored door slams behind me, and I sigh. So much for getting to know each other and becoming friends. There's always tomorrow, I think positively already making plans to get Daja to enjoy something other than the physics of running over long distances, or training in the large dojo at the Palace of Spirit World.
I walk over to the other bedroom, the light colored door, and open it to reveal a lushly decorated bedroom paradise of the shades of green and pink. I set my suitcase down on the floor temporarily and get my bearings. A queen sized bed with a dresser and a vanity table. The door on the left is the way to the conjoining bathroom, and the one on my right is the closet. Picking up my large suitcase, I set it on the bed and begin to unpack, fighting the urge to either jump on the bed like a young child, or the urge to go see what Daja's room looks like.
After both unpacking and jumping on the bed I settle down and cautiously walk through the beautiful tiled bathroom separating me from Daja's rooms. I reach for the handle, turn the knob, and peek in.
The room is painted a deep, royal hue of purple, and the ceiling has sheer deep blue fabric draped from skylight to skylight to create a tent or canopy effect. The full size bed is in an alcove dressed in dark purple sheers to block off unwanted eyes.
"Daja?" I say quietly approaching the lump in the purple bed.
The lump moves slightly in response. A faint tangy smell enters my nose for just a second, and then disappears.
"Daja?" I say again as the lump gathers more of the blankets around itself in an effort to keep itself warm.
A muffled voice responds. "Leave me alone."
Uncertain of what to do, I gently peel back the down comforter and watch Daja curl up into the fetal position underneath the knit sheets.
"Please... just go..." Daja whimpers, pulling her head into her knees as if trying to hide from the pain.
"If you promise to come out later I will."
Daja pulls the covers over her head and answers me, her reply slightly muffled. "Fine. Whatever."
Happy once again, I stand up and almost skip out of the room. At least she didn't yell at me. I flop down on the sofa and grab the remote for the TV. All the good soap operas are on right now, and I've got nothing better to do since Daja is napping. Yeah. This is the life I've always wanted, being able to sit back on the couch and just care for me for awhile. But... I think I like caring for others a lot more now.
Gazing back at the dark colored door, I smile. Yep, a lot more now.
Daja:
Daja's Dream Sequence:
Dark... Darkness everywhere... can't see, eyes aren't adjusted yet.
RUN!!!
I can't breathe... Gasping for air, now.
Something wet, on my hands... is it blood? It tastes like blood...
Keep running, they'll catch you... They always do...
Get away from here, you can't sit still for a minute, or they will catch you...
THEY'RE COMING KEEP GOING!!!
I'm beating them.... they will never catch me, I'm unbeatable, I'll never be caught...
Only me running now...
Wait...
DAMIEN!!!!
No...
The blood... everywhere, on everything...
No... he's not... he can't be...
Keep running... they're going to get you.... GO!!! Don't just sit there!!!
I can't breathe...
Cold...
I'm so cold...
Snow? It's snowing...
What is that? Are those footsteps?
No... I've failed... I'm caught... they found me...
Wait...
It's you...
Your crimson eyes....
NO!!! DON'T LOOK AT ME!!!
No, please.... Don't...
STOP!!!
Please... don't touch me...
Don't.... I'm not who you think I am.... please...
It's so cold...
I can't breathe...
Snowing harder now...
Warmth... it's so warm now... is there a fire burning nearby?
No... it's you....
I like it.... stay... stay with me...
Wait... no...
Don't go...
Please...
Don't leave me here alone....
Please...
Don't...
The snow... it's falling so fast... can hardly see him...
So cold... shivering, now...
Don't go....
It's so cold with out you...
I don't want to be alone anymore...
End of Dream Sequence"AAAHHH!!!" I shout as awareness of my surroundings hits me like a bucket of icy water has been thrown on me. Sitting up too quickly in the bed, the blood rushes from my head, and my stomach turns. I run to the bathroom and lift up the seat of the toilet. My stomach empties itself into the porcelain bowl. Cold sweat covers my body, and my muscles spasm as another wave of nausea causes my stomach to lurch again. My chest rises and falls inhumanly fast as my body tries to calm itself down. I hug my sides with clammy hands, and goose bumps cover my arms and legs. What the hell was that? I shiver uncontrollably.
My breathing starts to get less ragged, but another feeling of sickness washes over me and I dry heave seeing as my stomach is quite empty because of the previous vomiting.
"Ugh..." I wipe my mouth on a washcloth, and grab the cup off the counter to rinse the orange pop and pizza taste out of my mouth. (I've noticed all vomit tastes like this no matter what you ate before hand). My arm shakes so badly I nearly spill half the water on my shirt as I take a few sips to gargle the taste out of my mouth. Collapsing on the floor, I try to forget that dream, that nightmare...
What the hell... what the hell was that...
First, it was scary...
Then...
I shiver as I try to stand back up. I flush the toilet as I reach for the door that leads to my room. There is no way that I feel anything for Hiei. I cannot care. I cannot love. I am incapable of feelings, incapable of feeling love. But... the dream... so warm...
"No." I say forcefully pulling my duffle bag out from under the bed. I unzip it and pull out a bottle of whiskey I stowed away without Botan or Koenma's knowledge. They would not have approved, neither would they have understood. I pull the drapery around the bed and sit on the edge that faces the windows.
I envy the humans below me that I watch walking on the street getting ready for... for... what was it? Botan mentioned it earlier. I take a swig from the bottle, and it burns slightly going down my throat. It feels nice.
"The Festival of Lights, that is what it was." I run a hand through my hair and sigh. They seem so happy while the shop or converse with friends. They seem to project ecstasy, and they seem to wear it as a badge or medal on their coats and chests.
One more swig of the of the whiskey, and I continue to watch the humans below with interest. I wish I had been born to one of them. They all bear the marks of someone's love. I once did, but those days are long gone. They disappeared with the death of all I cared for, what I once held dear, what I once proclaimed on high. Another swallow of the whiskey, another burning sensation in my throat, another dulling of the pain.
"What the hell..." I whisper as I bring the bottle full of amber liquid to my lips and rest it there for a second, just thinking. I'm putting myself at risk, I can't keep caring for the detectives. It will be our downfall. Perhaps... Perhaps if I... no... there is no way around the wall I see in front of me. I don't know if I'll ever overcome it, this thick, emotional barrier. Anther drink of the amber liquid, another burning sensation, another dulling of the steadily worsening pain.
I finger the white colored tattoo on my hip while staring out the window. I have many tattoos, but you can't really see them unless I've tanned a little because they are all inked on in rare white ink. I wonder how many people know I have tattoos. I've never told anybody, and the only person who found out by accident that I had them, is dead.
Raising the whiskey bottle to my lips, and tilting it upward to take another drink, no liquid come out. I stare at it strangely. I didn't drink all of that right now, did I?
I cork the empty bottle though I really don't have to, and I put it back in my duffle bag. I cant let anybody see that bottle, nor the other dozen or so bottles of various alcohols I have in that duffle. That would be very bad.
I fall back on my mussed bed linins and burrow myself under them. I'm so tired. Just a little nap. Botan... didn't she say something about coming out later?
No...
I don't believe that she did...
I think I'll just stay in here, in bed...
I grin lopsidedly into my pillow and snicker uncontrollably. Why? Well, I don't rightly know. I just... can't stop laughing. And I don't really care either.
I fall asleep feeling happy and giggly. Nothing can bother me while I sleep. After all, nobody can beat me, nobody can catch me... the lone assassin of the north, that's me....
Satorisama- not much of an ending thought, tell me what you think. REVIEW!!!!
Manchester England, England! Across the Atlantic Sea!!! I'm a genius, genius. I believe in REVIEWS, and I believe that REVIEWS believe in Claude, and that's me!!!!
(lol, has anybody else seen the musical or movie Hair? I luv it!!!)
