Disclaimer: still don't own Yu Yu Hakusho
A/N: this one takes place after the Dark Tournament. I haven't seen the end so hopefully you all know what happens. I heard that there was some sort of wish the winners got so any friendly reviewer who wants to tell me if this is true would be appreciated. And if it is what were the wishes? Maybe?
"talking"
'thinking'
-Hiei's thoughts-
Chapter four: Encounters and Tricks
Erica tossed in bed, frustrated. She hadn't been sleeping, but still refused to get out of bed that day. It had been fourteen days since she'd seen Kurama and she was a little bit worried.
'I'm kinda glad it's Saturday, I have time to waste.' She lifted the covers back off her head and looked at the clock.
'4:30'
Ding dong
Erica sat up in bed and faced towards the direction of the front door.
Ding dong
'I wonder who that is.' she thought, 'No one ever visits.'
She went to the door and opened it halfway. Kurama stood on the front step his hand raised to the doorbell. Erica noticed that his clothes were ragged and bloody.
"You look lovely." He said smiling commenting on her disheveled appearance.
Ignoring his comment, Erica looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"Kurama what happened to you?"
"Well that kinda a long story. But basically nothing."
"Basically nothing?" she asked disbelievingly. "If it was nothing then why are your clothes ripped and bloody? Are you hurt?"
"Are you going to let me in or do I have to go to Hiei's house?" he asked.
"Uh, sure, come in." she stood to the side and opened the door wider.
"Thank you for letting me use your first aid." Kurama said. "I didn't want kaa-san to see me like this."
"No problem. Erica said putting away the kit. "By the way, what did happen to you?"
(Explain Dark Tournament)
Erica stood in front of Kurama not really believing what he had just told her. After a minute of silence she spoke up.
"And you risked your life in this 'Dark Tournament' for what?"
"I had no choice. If I refused they would have come and killed me. So I went."
"Oh, okay then" Erica still looked confused but decided to just agree with him and move on to another subject. Leaving Erica's bedroom, Kurama walked down to the kitchen.
Erica quickly got dressed and joined him down stairs to find him rummaging through the pantry.
"Would you like to meet my teammates?" he called over his shoulder.
"Ah, sure, but do you mind not going through my pantry?" She walked over to him. He turned to face her smiling. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out the front door.
"Hurry, let's go."
"Hey, wait." Erica yelled running after him as he pulled her
"Come on faster."
Erica stood panting at the bottom of a stairway. She stared up towards the top of the huge structure." Where does this lead to? I can't even see the top of it."
Kurama turned back to face her from the 20th step.
"Come on, it's not far."
"Not far? Let me state this again, 'you can't even see the top'. It's very far." She stood at the bottom not willing to see how high the steps would lead. A hand entered her field of vision, took hold of her hand and started pulling her up.
"Hey let go!" Erica yelled at Kurama as she jogged behind him, stumbling every so often. He stopped and facing her let go of her hand and on impulse picked her and started running.
"Hey what's at the top of these?" Erica asked.
"A temple."
Erica looked off to the side 'Oh you're so informative.' She thought.
"He doesn't have to elaborate to a baka ningen." A voice in her ear whispered.
"What?" she looked up at Kurama.
"You should ignore the voices in your head." He told her, knowing that it was Hiei that she had heard.
"I'll try." She said. 'I think I'm going crazy.' She thought.
-Going. Going. Gone.-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Kurama setting her on her feet at the top of the stairs. Noticing that she was now standing she turned to Kurama.
"Thanks." She said simply.
"Doitashimashite." He said walking to the door. Reaching it he turned back to Erica. "Coming?"
"Yeah." Erica said and followed him.
They entered as a body slammed into Erica. Erica in turn fell backwards on to Kurama who had entered after her. Erica looked up and realized that a large person with orangey red hair was lying on top of her and she was on top of Kurama.
"Hey fox boy you're here. Who's he?" Yusuke asked as the trio untangled themselves and stood up.
"This girl is Erica Cooper. A friend of mine." Kurama said.
Yusuke walked over and started to shake Erica's hand.
"Well congrats on the girlfriend Kurama! Hey Cooper-kun, you sure you're a girl?"
"Yes I'm sure." she said taking her hand back and whacking Yusuke on the head. "And it's not kun."
"Yusuke she's not my girlfriend. She's just a friend." Kurama said stopping the quarrel.
"When did you get a female friend?" Kuwabara asked glancing at Erica.
"Since she found out that I was a demon." Kurama answered.
"You shouldn't have been so careless." Genkai said walking into the room.
"He wasn't careless. She was nosy." Hiei said joining Kurama.
"I'm not nosy." She said to Hiei crossing her arms.
Impatient and thick-skulled Yusuke got right in her face, determined to embarrass Kurama, failing to notice Kurama leave. "Hey Cooper-kun have ya kissed your boyfriend?" he yelled.
She blinked at him. "Boyfriend?"
"Yeah Kurama."
"He's not and I havent kissed him." She said taking a step back before hitting him again. "And I told you it's not 'kun'."
The orange haired person poked Erica in the chest.
"Hey Yusuke it is a girl." He said.
Yusuke blinked and started poking her too. "Yeah you're right Kuwabara."
Erica smacked their hand away and jumped back crossing her arms in front of her chest. "What do you think you doing?" she yelled at the two idiots.
"Making sure your not some weirdo guy hitting on Kurama." Yusuke said matter of factly.
Kuwabara looked around, "Hey, where is Kurama?"
Yusuke looked behind Erica "Hiei's gone too. He's probably with Kurama though. Wherever he is."
"Idiots you didn't notice anything. Kurama left before you started messing with Erica. Hiei left with him." Genkai said turning to leave. "Since Kurama was the one I needed to talk to I'm going back to my game. So don't bother me."
"Hey Cooper-kun how bout we go look for your boyfriend." Yusuke said to Erica smiling.
"Sure, and like I said earlier he's not my boyfriend." She answered.
Erica was alone at the hot spring contemplating on an idea.
Flash back
"Hey Cooper-kun go down that way to look for Kurama." Yusuke ordered her.
End Flash back
'Well I've been looking for about an hour now, so why not?' she thought deciding to take a dip. 'I'll continue in ten minutes.'
She walked over to the edge and took her shoes off. She touched the water with her foot to test how hot it was. She then took her shirt and pants off, folding and putting them by the edge. In only her under garments she stepped into the water and sat down up the water up to her neck. 'I love hot springs.'
"What are you doing?" a harsh voice asked startling Erica out of her euphoria induced thoughts. She turned to face Hiei.
"Ah, taking a three minute break because I couldn't find Kurama?"
Hiei jumped landing next to Erica. Scowling he gripped her shoulder, "Come on I need you to patch up Kurama."
"Patch?"
"Yeah, sew him back together."
"What happened to him?"
"I don't know. I wasn't with him at the time." He said grasping her wrist and dragging her out of her water and up into a tree.
"Hey! Put me down."
"Why?"
"Because I don't enjoy hanging 25 feet in the air with barely anything on."
"So?"
"It doesn't matter the reason just put me down."
"All right." He said jumping down into a black hole.
"Where are we going?" Erica yelled as they landed of the forest floor. Saying nothing he dumped her on the ground.
'Rude.' She thought as she stood up and bushed off some dirt, reminding her self that she only had on undergarments.
"I thought you needed my help with Kurama."
"I lied. Kurama is at his home in the human world. And you're in demon world."
"Demon world?" she asked worriedly.
"Hn." Hiei smirked and disappeared.
-Dispose of Erica. Check.-
"Hey come back!" she yelled trying to run after him, but soon lost sight of him.
Crashing sounds came from the underbrush. Voices slowly reached Erica's ears.
"I smell a human girl."
Kurama sat at his desk doing homework. He looked up at a tap on his window. Sighing he stood up to let Hiei in. Hiei went to sit on the bed while Kurama went back to his work.
"Hiei don't ever joke about my mother. She's fine." Kurama said rounding on Hiei.
"Well she looked fatally ill." Hiei muttered.
Irritated he turned his back on Hiei. "If you don't stop lying people are going to stop believing you." He said not believing him. "Have you seen Erica? I went back to Genkai's and Yusuke said she went to look for me." Kurama said as the fire demon smirked at him behind his back.
"No I haven't. But if I do I'll tell her that you're worried." ((a/n) Lying is a bad habit to start.)
Erica sat shivering in a tree, watching the forest floor move. A strong wind blew through the branches and she crossed her arms. 'Kami-sama it's cold.' She thought.
A large silver fox with five tails came to sit at the base of Erica's tree. Seeing the fox, Erica pulled her feet up and hugged her knees. A low rumble sounded appearing to come from the fox. The fox raised its muzzle as a big fluffy rabbit bounded into the clearing. With a snarl the fox pounced on the hapless animal ripping its head off in one swipe. Slightly disturbed, Erica watched as the fox mauled and devoured the rabbit.
'Poor bunny. Better it than me though.' She thought. Finished and leaving the bones the fox trotted back to its spot under the tree. From her vantage point Erica could see the blood that still dripped from its muzzle. Suddenly stopping it sniffed the breeze. With a foxy grin it looked up into the tree where Erica sat.
"Come down little human. Let's play dinner."
Kurama sat up in bed senses alert. He glanced at a clock and saw it was after midnight. Leaving Hiei asleep he grabbed a jacket and jumped out the open window into the rain.
The silver fox leaped, jaws snapping shut inches from Erica's feet.
"Ahhh! Go away!" she screamed, trying to reach a higher branch.
From trying to climb the tree countless times the fox had created deep gouges in the bark. He growled, flashing his fangs and jumped again, managed to lick the bottom of Erica's foot. Landing on the ground he gave a fox laugh, "Come little human, I'm hungry,"
It's crouched about to spring when a nine tailed kitsune leapt to sink his fangs into the others neck. The nine tail tackled it to the ground. Erica watched in terrified relief as the two foxes grappled. Vicious snarls and growls sounded through the forest and the five tail managed to slash the others flank. His blood splattering Erica's tree he pounced on the five sinking his six inch fangs deep into its side. Shaking the nine tail off by slamming him onto the same tree the five tail retreated. The victor gazed up at Erica huddling in petrified silence. The fox barked at her his fangs flashing scarlet. He crouched and jumping he landed three feet from her on the same branch. Too scared to move Erica stared at the advancing animal. He inched forward until Erica could feel his hot steamy breath rolling down her neck.
"Little human are you all right?"
Not able to speak Erica nodded her head.
"Get on."
Reluctantly, Erica got up and climbed to sit on the huge fox's back. Straightening the fox took off at a trot along the branch. Reaching the end he ran off to thunderously land on the ground. Never pausing he continued to dash through the forest weaving a path in the trees.
"Where is your den, little kit?"
"Ah, human world." She answered tightly holding on to the fox so she wont fall off.
"Hold on." He said running faster.
Erica rode the cydesdale size fox down the streets of Kyoto.
"My home i-" Erica started.
"I know where you live Erica." The fox interrupted.
Confused Erica paused and looked at the fox.
"How do you know where I live, and my name?"
"You know the answers. You also know many about me." The fox replied mysteriously.
"No. I don't even know who you are."
"Yes you do, you met me some time ago."
"I did?"
He said nothing as he stopped outside Erica's house.
"Thanks." She said getting off his back.
He licked her face with his tongue before crawling in her front door. Wiping her cheek on the back of her arm, Erica followed the fox in.
"Ah, I don't think you'll fit in here, you're too big."
Curling up in as tight a ball as he could the fox pouted at her. "At least feed me something. I had to give up my dinner to rescue you."
Falling for the pout, Erica spoke, "I don't know what you eat though."
"Anything edible."
Erica was in the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring. Moving around the fox, Erica walked to the front door and opened it, not remembering that she was still in her undergarments.
"Hello?"
Three of her friends from school stood there talking with Yusuke.
"Erica? What the f-" one girl started when Erica slammed the door shut but not before she saw Yusuke's stare. Leaving the people on her door step Erica ran up stairs and grabbed some clothes. Putting them on, she went back down and opened the door.
"Sorry about that, what do ya'll need?" she asked them. They didn't answer because a large fox head had appeared to rest on Erica's head.
"Ohh dinner," it said looking at the girls with interest.
"Erica what is that?" one girl asked none of them understand what the creature said.
"… My… puppy. You know, like Clifford, only silver." Erica lied badly.
Yusuke shifted anxious to get rid of the annoying females. Using the only idea he could think of on the spot he sent a silent apology to Kurama shouted, "Look! There's Shuichi!"
All the girls turned around at once.
"Where?" all of them said anxiously. While the fan girls were searching for Shuichi Yusuke quickly entered Erica's house and shut the door.
"Erica why do you have a yoko in your house." Yusuke demanded angrily. "You can't keep a demon fox as a pet."
"I'm not keeping it, it brought me here and now it won't leave." She argued.
"I'm not an 'it' and I have a name." the fox growled.
"Oh. Sorry." Erica said.
Ignoring the fox Yusuke went into the kitchen. "What do ya got to eat?" he yelled. The fox trotted off to follow Yusuke, glass ornaments falling and shattering at the thunderous footfalls. A loud thud was heard moments later coming from the room the fox just passed through. A louder crash from the kitchen reported the fox's progress through the first floor of Erica's house.
"Hey! Be careful, you're breaking things!" Erica yelled coming into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw the state of the room.
"… You knocked the fridge over." She said looking at the fallen appliance. The fox standing over her broken table grinned sheepishly at her.
"Sorry. It got in the way."
Erica stared in shock, as Yusuke jumped on the fox's back.
"Erica I'm gonna take Kura- I mean the yoko home." He said yanking on an ear to steer the fox. Together they leapt through the glass double French doors. Erica heard a yelp of pain as she stared blankly at the gaping hole in her wall.
SMK: this chapter is kinda lame but I had a lot of fun writing the fight scene between the two foxes. Also the DT explanation is something I can't do so what ever you know is what he said.
Scooperchan: kinda lame? No, very, but it was fun to write. And like SMK said, we didn't know how to explain the Dark Tournament, so, your gonna have to deal with the little asterisk thing. Finally, sorry about the looong wait. We had some technical difficulties, so I hope a long chapter will make up for it.
SMK: yeah, anyways the next chappie will be up in about a month. So please review.
ja ne!