Another Tale of Bishonen World
Anime Chick Authoress
Chapter Two: Iri's First Bishonen and Welcome Reunions!
Faith got herself under control long enough to look up and declare, "Let's make you a trainer!"
10 Days Later...
Damn it! I'm running out of time. I need to catch my first Bishonen soon! There's no way in Hell I'm going back home now.
Irianna stared moodily out into the rain. Long fingers, ghostly in the dim light of the small cave that was her shelter, stroked a sleepy Marshmallow's head. The snake had just gorged on a rather large cave rat.
Both girl and snake had rapidly grown accustomed to Bishonen World. Their only problem was the lack of Bishounen in the area. Or maybe the Bishonen this side of the river were just really damn smart? Irianna didn't know, but she assumed it was the former or the latter.
Irianna sighed and sank deep into her nap sack. Or maybe this weather is what's got them all hiding. Rain's nice and all, but even I can't keep high spirits when it's this gray and chilly for three days straight. Irianna sighed again, staring out into the rainsoaked forest. She had removed her vivid purple contacts, so her eyes were their natural sky blue shade. She didn't like the way rainy days washed out the color of her contacts, so she was always blue-eyed on days like this.
Deeper in the cave, a few falling rocks startled Irianna out of her sulky lull. She turned her head slightly to look out of the corner of her eye into the darkness. Not that she could really see anything, but with one ear pointing fully in that direction, she might identify the noise before she actually saw it. Irianna had excellent hearing. She figured that was the reason she used her ears more than her mouth in a conversation. She was the kind of person that stuck to their strengths. And she had learned to mentally adjust her hearing to different levels of sensitivity. She could listen to a whole room full of conversations at once and process what every person was saying or zone out the entire room so that she was listening only to the beating of her own heart; she could also pinpoint specific sounds out of many, much louder sounds, and block one or more sounds to hear quieter sounds. Irianna had won many bets through that small talent. Said talent had also kept her out of trouble on numerous occasions. Now, her sharp sense of hearing was telling her some strange things...
Very, very quiet breathing, but from some large animal. Can't tell what, though. Definitely not the wind, though. Too regular. Some sort of rustling--could be cloth. Or maybe it's some snake or lizard shedding its skin? Could be either one. Dripping--most likely water. That's a natural cave sound I can just block out. There's the natural flow of air through the cave. I can block that out, too. Tiny scrabbling sounds--small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects. I'll listen to those, in case a creep crawly gets too close. Shifting rock, but made by something much bigger--that large animal again? What is it?
Irianna stayed still for several moments. She blocked out the noises of her body and all the natural cave sounds she could identify. All she hear could now was that unidentified rustling, the tiny scrabbling noises of smaller creatures, and the sounds of that much larger creature that she couldn't identify. She narrowed her blue eyes. Something was odd, out of place. The shifting of rock made by the large creature in the cave was very regular, and it seemed as though it was taking great pains to be quiet. And it was getting closer. As the noise grew louder in her ears, she closed her eyes to block out any other form of distraction. Before long, she was so intent on listening that she no longer felt Marshmallow sliding slowly over the bare skin of her arms or the rock and nap sack underneath her belly. Yes, that sound was entirely too regular, and it wasn't made by anything with more than two legs. For one brief and terrifying moment, she thought that the creature might be a bear. She quickly tossed that idea aside, though. No bear breathed that quietly. Bears were just too big and had to work their lungs too hard not to breathe loudly. It couldn't be a wild dog or cat, and not some kind of herbivore, because those were all four-legged. And then there was that rustling noise...
Damn! How could I have been that stupid!
All the sounds around Irianna suddenly invaded her ears again, and she was hearing everything normally once more. She could feel Marshmallow burrowing into the nap sack to get warm after being out in the chilly air of the cave. Finally, Irianna opened her eyes. Nothing about her person suggested that she was surprised or expectant. For all anyone looking at her new, she had just rested her eyes for a moment. She hadn't just realized that some strang person was sneaking up on her from the depths of the cave. No one could see her hand plucking a Bish-ball from the thick belt she still had slung around her hips. Not even Marshmallow, always sensitive to her owner's emotions, noticed her muscles tense ever so slightly in preparation to sling the Bish-ball into the blackness behind her.
When the footsteps were about ten feet out of her visual range, Irianna turned onto her back, but stayed laying on the ground in her nap snack. Marshmallow nudged her foot to make sure Irianna still knew she was down there. Irianna stretched her arms above her head and yawned expansively. She muttered something sleepily to Marshmallow before closing her eyes and putting her hands before her head. The Bish-ball, not yet expanded in preparation to be thrown, had been enclosed in the fist of her pitching arm. Caroline and Lenny McMillan had never let her participate in sports, worried that she would hurt herself. That's why her parents had never known how good a pitching arm she had. Even the best of the high school baseball players were impressed by how much force and precision Irianna could put behind a ball. Once she expanded that Bish-ball, it would make as a great substitute for a baseball.
Once again, Irianna focused her hearing. The angle she was at reduced how well she could interpret the location of her target, but she would make do. She had to. If the person in the darkness was a Bishonen, she had to catch them. Even if she didn't have a Jin as her first Bishonen as she had sworn she would do, it was better than going home without ever catching one at all. She was willing to catch anyone at this point. She didn't care if she caught a Naraku, though even the friendly one that traveled with Faith gave her the chills. So she listened intently, all the while appearing as though she had fallen into a light sleep. The footsteps had stopped at some point, probably while she was readjusting herself. She could just barely hear breathing, as though her target were all but holding their breath. Then they were moving again, more carefully and slowly than ever. Even the person's rustling clothing seemed to have quieted itself. Irianna wondered briefly as to how anyone could be that incredibly quiet? How could someone muffle the sounds of their movement so much? And then a new sound started building. It was coming from her target. It reminded her of swirling air, and it was muffling her target's approach even further. It was almost as if the wind was bending itself to the stranger's purposes, creating a miniature cyclone to aide in their stealth...
Irianna's eyes almost snapped open. How many Bishonen controlled the wind? There were several, actually, but how many could control it that precisely? How many wind adept Bishonen could influence air currents to flow around them so quietly, so obediently? Most used spells that created massive blasts of air and tornadoes, but few could make it that precise. Excitement was starting to build, creating butterflies in her stomach. She almost let a grin slip. But Irianna quickly got her emotions under control. She knew from experience that, no matter how well concealed, intense emotions permeated the air and were picked up by even some of the least sensitive of people. If she didn't stay calm, she would alert her target to her knowledge of their presence. She didn't want to do that.
Finally, her target was close enough to be visible even in the dim light of the cave. They were slinking along the opposite side of the cave entrance from where she was laying. She could feel the wind from their human-sized cyclone on her face and limbs. Marshmallow was stirring cautiously. She had felt the vibrations from the footsteps as they approached. Irianna felt the snake's tongue on her foot as it tasted the air. Finding nothing but the odors of the bag and her owner, Marshmallow began to slide out of the warmth and comfort of the nap sack to find the scent of what dared to come near her human! Irianna didn't worry for the snake's safety. Every person that had broken into her home ran from Marshmallow like she was a dog foaming at the mouth! She wondered what this stranger would think of Marshmallow. Sure enough, she caught the harsh intake of breath that was a gasp. Marshmallow was working as the perfect distraction! The person's footsteps suddenly quickened. They had dropped the cyclone, and they weren't bothering to keep their breath as quiet. They weren't absolutely terrified, but a large snake made anyone nervous.
The strang person was suddenly about five feet from Irianna's still body. Blue eyes snapped open just as Marshmallow bit into the man's ankle. He howled in pain. At the same time, Irianna had chunked the expanded Bish-ball at the person, beaning him right in the middle of his forehead. She had just enough time to register lots of red hair, white pants, and a shirtless torso before the Bishonen was enveloped in that familiar red light and sucked into the ball. Marshmallow landed harmlessly on the cave floor, hissing in surprise and agitation at the abscence of her enemy. The black and silver Bish-ball landed with an audibal thunk next to her albino head.
For just a few moments, Irianna lay still in her nap sack. She was still seeing red in her vision, an after-affect of seeing so much light after being in the dark for so long. The Bish-ball was shaking violently, as though her newly captured bishie was trying to get out.
My bishie? My bishie?
Took it a while for it to click in her head, huh? I said she was smart, but I never said she was the quickest girl, either.
Iri was suddenly up and dancing around the cave. She did a cartwheel, a back flip, a front flip, a little Irish jig, and even the funky chicken. After ten freaking days, she finally had her first damned Bishonen! Brilliant! Not even the dreary rain could keep her spirits low now.
Marshmallow, although a little confused and still a little irked over the loss of her "prey", did happy circles around Irianna's still dancing feet. Irianna eventually stopped doing an Irish jig to pick up the snake, wrap her like a feather boa around her shoulders, and kiss Marshmallow's nose. Poor Marshmallow wasn't really sure as to what was going on, but her owner's good mood was infectious, and she flicked her tongue at Irianna's face enthusiastically. For the first time since coming to Bishonen World, Irianna was in pure bliss! Then she remembered the ball. Irianna put Marshmallow's head on her own, the snake's favorite position, and walked over to the still quivering ball. She crouched down to pick it up and examined its surface. She thought she knew who she had caught. As far as she knew, there weren't more than a couple Bishonen that controlled the wind, wore white clothes, and had red hair. And only one came to mind. She grinned broadly. This was it. It had to be him! If she hadn't caught a Jin, then she didn't know who the hell it could be!
Still smiling, Irianna stood up. She pointed the ball toward an empty space in the lighted portion of the cave. The button depressed, and red light spilled from the ball, quickly forming into a man much taller than Irianna herself. When Irianna's vision cleared of the after-image left by the Bish-ball's light, she could barely suppress her excitement. The Bishonen was nearly six feet tall, which made him about nine inches taller than Irianna, and well muscled. His wild hair was blazing red and some of it should-length. His eyes were a brilliant shade of blue. He had elongated ears that were pointed like an elf's, a white horn sprouting from just above his hairline, and a single fang escaped his lips. The Bishonen's clothes consisted of a pair of baggy white pants, a blue belt with a large red stone, two odd strips of white cloth that crossed his otherwise bare chest and back, and a pair of shinobi sandals. There was no doubt in Irianna's mind that this was Jin the Wind Tamer. She had achieved the first of her goals!
Jin was looking around the cave with an odd expression on his face, as though he hadn't quite figured out that he had been captured. Then he spotted Irianna. Blue eyes lit up with understanding and he gave her a resigned grin. "Guess ya really were awake, lass. Didn' dink ya would notice me takin' off. You be a sneaky one, so I say."
Irianna grinned back. "I've just got special little talents, that's all. Besides, if Marshmallow hadn't acted as a distraction, you might have noticed me moving in time enough to fly away." Irianna shrugged. "I was just lucky."
Jin shook his head. "Luck be havin' nothin' ta do wit' it. If Lady Luck be involved in dat situation, I woulda gotten away. 'Luck o' the Irish' as you might say. You jus' knew what ya were doin' is all." The Bishonen grinned and chuckled as Irianna's face got slightly more pink with each compliment. "Anyway, what be my new trainer's name, as you certainly must be my trainer, or I've jus' missed somethin' very important?"
The teenager smacked herself mentally. Where were her manners? She gave a polite nod of apology and said, "I'm Irianna Gale McMillan. Just call me 'Iri', though. I like my name, but it's kind of a mouthful to use in conversation. Should I just call you Jin? Or Jin-san?"
At the mention of the san suffix, Jin immediately shook his head. "Don' go gettin' all proper on me, lass! Call me whatever ya like, but don' be callin' me san anythin'. If yer gonna be my trainer, let's be friends, not strangers." The Bishonen grinned with that last comment. He obviously didn't really mind being a captive of Irianna's. He actually seemed to be enjoying the situation. Irianna wondered why. "Anyway, did ya not gimme a nickname or somethin' when yer Dex started blabbin'?"
Irianna tilted her head to one side and took her Dex out of her pocket. The screen was ominously blank. She raised one slender eyebrow. "Actually, it didn't do anything when I caught you. It was supposed to say what kind and what stage of Bishonen I caught. What's wrong with it?" Irianna was now pressing buttons furiously, trying to figure out what was wrong, but nothing would happen. She was starting to get frustrated.
A sweatdrop appeared above Jin's head. "Greeaat! Day one an' me trainer's already havin' troubles. What next?"
"Shut up! What's wrong with this damned thing?"
"Oh dear..."
By noon, the rain had let up, the clouds had dissipated, and the clear blue sky matched Irianna's eyes. The world seemed rejuvenated. Pools of crystal clear rainwater were scattered along the dirt road that lead Irianna and Jin through the forest. Water droplets clung to the trees, grass, and flowers. The whole forest seemed greener than before, the flowers brighter, the sky bluer, and the animals happier and more energetic. Even Marshmallow felt like some exercise, preferring to glide along the soft, cool earth and the occasional puddle of rainwater instead of riding on someone's shoulders. The day had gone from dreary and depressing to bright and beautiful and cheerful. Irianna loved it! Not even a disfunctional Dex was going to ruin her day now!
Marshmallow raced ahead of the girl and her Bishonen, pausing to drink deeply from the cool water of a rain puddle. Then she was off again. The snake's slender body made long winding tracks in the dirt as she swerved around particularly uncomfortable spots in the road. Her forked tongue kept flicking in and out of her mouth. She knew this scent, this taste. This was a welcome taste. She had fond memories of this taste. The taste reminded her of another human, a female, with warm, soft skin like her owner's and the strange male's skin. Marshmallow was racing along even faster now, excitement overwhelming her. Her owner had been very depressed for the last few days. The presence of the strange male had heartened her, but Marshmallow still tasted sadness and longing on her. Marshmallow knew exactly what she needed, and she was on the track of just the right human! This was her owner's favorite human! One that had been missing since coming to this strange place. Marshmallow was about to bring back Irianna's favorite human female!
Further back on the road, Irianna had stopped to pick a few flowers. There were so many! In her hands were several different colors of irises, a few Easter lilies, and different colored roses. Of the flora growing wild along the road were other flowers she didn't know by name that she didn't bother to collect. She had enough already. Irianna smiled and sniffed the blossoms. She had done this with Psyche, Tawny, and Darius as a child. The four of them would sneak off into a nearby field of wildflowers and pick flowers for their mothers. Irianna still liked to pick flowers every now and then. Irianna loved flowers, and the pasttime brought back warm memories. When she was through picking flowers, Irianna arranged them into a large bouquet. She tied the whole thing together with a few long blades of grass. Perfect!
Nearby, Jin was waiting on his trainer. He was hovering cross-legged on a cushion of air, his arms crossed. How was he keeping himself entertained? Actually, he was arguing with a squirell. When Irianna noticed this, she had a sudden vision of Psyche tossing twigs and acorns into a tree, a tiny squirell tossing things back, occasionally hitting each other. Jin and the squirell weren't throwing things at each other, yet, but they were arguing like Psyche did with squirells. Irianna sighed and looked down at the flowers. The flowers made her think even more of her friends. She wondered where they were? Were they okay? Had they caught any Bishonen yet? Were they still in Bishonen world, and were they far away? She sighed again. The flowers would be a reminder of her friends until she found them all. She would keep this bouquet until they were all together again. Until then...
"Ow! Damn it, ya bloody unholy terr'r o' a roden', I'll rip ya ta pieces, ya--OW!"
Irianna raised an eyebrow for the second time that day. A sweatdrop rolled down the back of her head. The two looked nothing alike, didn't even sound alike, but Jin sure did remind Irianna of how Psyche might behave in some situations. Jin was now being showered with acorns, twigs, and leaves by several large and angry squirells. Jin was just getting louder and more aggressive, in turn making the squirells more aggressive. This might go on for a while. Irianna shook her head and looked around. Where was Marshmallow?
While Jin was being pelted with nuts by small woodland creatures, Irianna walked down the dirt road, walking heavily and calling out Marshmallow's name. Calling out the snake's name probably wouldn't attract her attention, but Irianna liked to do it anyway. Walking in a way the snake was trained to respond to would attract her attention, though. That is, if she weren't too far away or off the ground. Irianna, as usual, wasn't too worried about Marshmallow. That snake was a creature of habit. She didn't like to sleep unless she had the warmth of her owner to comfort her. She preferred to travel via her owner's shoulders most times, too. The snake, no matter how many times she slithered away, always came back to her human. Irianna just wanted to keep Marshmallow away from potential predators and people that might hurt her out of fear. Of those two things, she wasn't sure how many existed in this part of the woods, but it was still a possible threat for a snake. Then Irianna found the snake's trail. She had been winding all over the place. To have been traveling in such a crooked line and get out of her sight that quickly, she must have been halling tail! But Irianna couldn't figure out why. Marshmallow couldn't be hungry. She had stuffed herself on that cave rat. How could Marshmallow even move that fast with a ball of rat in her belly? Well, she had had some time to digest before the rain let up, but not that long surely...
Further along the road, Marshmallow was rubbing against a young woman's ankles enthusiastically. There was no mistaking that taste. This was the human! Said human picked Marshmallow up and allowed the snake to wrap herself around the girl's shoulders. She tasted happy to see the snake, and was rewarding Marshmallow with soft strokes against her scales. If Marshmallow had been born a cat, she would have purred. Instead, she rubbed her head against the human female's cheek and tasted her scent happily. The human would follow Marshmallow's trail back to her human owner, and the two would be much happier! This human had another strange bi-ped with her. This thing kind of smelled human, but it also smelled like a fox, and something else still yet. Her human owner liked most strangers, which would make her even happier. And now she could taste her human owner's scent on the air. She was getting closer! Marshmallow's plan was working!
Irianna could see Marshmallow now. The snake's pale body was unmistakable. But she could see something else, too. Two people were walking toward her. One was a stranger to her, though any Yu Yu Hakusho fan would recognize Youko Kurama. The other person was very familiar, though. She was five and a half feet tall. The girl's hair was waist-length, wavy, and white blonde with bright pink streaks. Her eyes were such an icy blue as to be noticable from a distance. There was no mistaking Psyche Peterson. Apparently, Psyche had noticed Irianna, too, because she was running toward her with a grin plastered on her face. And she wasn't slowing down.
Oh shit...!
Before Irianna could decide where to run to, Psyche had tackled her to ground with a loud "GRRRRRR!". Irianna couldn't breathe. It wasn't that Psyche was a heavy girl. She just knew how to put a maximum amount of force into Irianna's poor gut. Now the two were sprawled out on the ground, soaked by rainwater. Irianna had had the wind knocked out of her. Psyche was jabbering away and rubbing her face against Irianna's, occasionally planting a wet kiss on her cheeks. Marshmallow was hissing and struggling to get away. She had forgotten how excitable that human girl was! Standing apart from the three females, Youko and Jin were giving their respective trainers odd looks. Their antics sure were strange. Even the snake had a strange personality all its own. Jin and Youko looked at each other with understanding expressions: Whatever happened from now on, they would help each other tolerate their eccentric trainers. They sealed this silent understanding with simultaneous nods.
Psyche finally peeled herself off of Irianna and hauled the faint girl to her feet with one arm. She was still giggling excitedly. "Iri-chan! I can't believe I found you! Actually, Marshmallow found me first. Slithered right up to me. And then I picked her up and huggled her and I saw you and I tackled you! Mwuahahahaha!" All throughout her loud and excited spiel, Psyche talked with her mouth, hands, and any other body part she could incorporate into the very one-sided conversation. To say the least, Psyche was an energetic girl. "Well, aren't ya happy to see me, Iri? Aren't ya, aren't ya, aren't ya?"
Irianna knew better than to say no. Not that she hadn't missed Psyche. She hated separating from Psyche as much as she hated separating from Marshmallow. Psyche was just such a handful sometimes... "Of course I missed you, Psyche! It's just that you tackled me so hard that time," Irianna rubbed her belly for emphasis. It still hurt. "Kinda winded me... Oh, do you wanna meet my bishie?"
Psyche was instantly looking along the road. "Where is he, where is he? Is he hot? Is he funny? Is he strong? Who is he?"
Jin raised waved slowly at her and gave an uncertain grin. "Hi! Yer not gonna be tacklin' me like ya did my trainer, now are ya? Not so sure my trainer or yer bishie would be too happy 'bout that."
Psyche gave Jin a blank look before cracking up with laughter and waving a hand in front of her face dismissively. "'Course not! I don't know you, for one, and I know Iri wouldn't want me glompin' it up on her Jin! She'd kill me for sure, and short woman here can get scary when she's angry!" Then Psyche had Irianna in a headlock and was rubbing her head mercililessly. "I just love lil' Iri-chan so much and I'd never hit on her favorite bishie!"
Poor Irianna was red in the face (and not just from lack of oxygen) and struggling profusely. The constant rubbing had mussed her hair beyond all recognition. The chin-length locks would just need brushing, while the ankle-length braid was coming apart at the top and would need to be totally re-braided. And Psyche was still rubbing and had retained the headlock. "Leggo, Psyche! I'm gonna get you back for this! You're gonna tangle my hair, damn you!"
The blonde just laughed some more and wrapped Irianna's braid around the other girl's neck like a scarf. "Aaaww! Did I embarass my little buddy? Did I? It's cuz she's so shy 'round boys, ain't it?"
Irianna had given up on her dignity. She just endured Psyche's ridicule as she carefully took apart the braid, brushing it every few moments. Irianna didn't mind Psyche's teasing. They had done this to each since they were kids. If Psyche didn't tease Irianna, that's when she started getting panicky. She just got embarassed when her friend stgarted teasing her about boys. The opposite sex made Irianna nervous. Psyche, on the other hand, was a total flirt and tried many methods to persuade Irianna to be the same way. Not that it worked very well.
While Irianna brushed and unbraided her hair, Youko got his trainer's attention. "Sorry to interrupt your happy reunion, but who is this girl? Is she one of the three trainers you were talking about on the way here?"
Psyche nodded enthusiastically. "I have many friends, but my inner circle are Iri, Tawny, and Darius. Iri's like everybody's little sister in our group. She's not the youngest, but we all see her as the baby 'cause she's so shy and really super tiny!"
Youko looked the other trainer over. She certainly was small for her age. Irianna was only 5' 3" compared to Psyche's 5' 6". Irianna was a very petite, delicate girl; however, she seemed to have made up in curves and bust what she lacked in height and mass. Psyche was equally curvy but had the height to match. Irianna's hair had a strange cut: The front half was chin-length and straight, but ankle-length and very wavy in back. The hair color was also strange; bright, shining copper locks streaked with auburn and deep red framed her face and flowed out behind her. Psyche's white blonde hair was all wavy and simply cut straight. Irianna's eyes, still their naturally sky blue, were wide and endlessly deep. Those eyes were young, but told of depth that most human teenagers didn't possess. Psyche's eyes were less obviously deep behind her facade of energy and childishness, but the depth was definitely there. The girls both had a kind of look that suggested they could be trusted to no end but not underestimated. The little human wasn't Youko's type, Psyche was, but she was impressive for a human. Of course, Youko doubted that Psyche or Irianna knew just how impressive they were. Not that Youko would let on what he thought about the two of them. Not quite yet, anyway.
"Hmph. Jin could send a stiff breeze her way and it would knock her over. What kind of person is she to think she could be any good as a trainer?"
Irianna froze. The brush clattered to the ground. Psyche looked at Youko with an expression of horror.
Jin looked between Youko and the reactions of the two girls. What he saw in their faces disturbed him. A new, terrifying facet of his trainer was about to come into play, unless he could stop it. "Now, wha' was dat comment fer, Youko? Surely dat wasn' necessary? After all, ya can't be judgin' a book by its cover, so I say. Dink o' how somethin' as small as a Hiei or a Genkai can get really mean an' violent."
Youko smirked. "She may get mean, but I doubt this scrawny piece of skin and bone could defend herself in the least desperate of situations, let alone help a Bishonen train to become stronger in battle." Youko chuckled and said, "She may as well release you now, Jin, and go home. She'll just get chewed up and spat back out in this world. This little girl is worthless here and anywhere else she might end up."
All the while, Psyche's expression was becoming more horrified. She was patting Irianna's back and head, muttering contrary comments to Youko's own scathing litany. Psyche did not want Irianna to go off on her Youko. The results could be disastrous! Irianna's rage, however, was just building. Anyone that could see auras would have looked at Irianna's and ran for dear life.
Irianna gently setMarshmallow on the ground. Marshmallow slid over to Jin in a panic. Confused, Jin picked up the snake and stroked its scales calmingly. Then he understood. The snake had picked up on the same bad vibes he had gotten off of Irianna. That wasn't good! Now Irianna was looking Youko in the eye. Youko had raised one eyebrow in surprise. The girl's eyes had gone from sky blue to burning red! Jin and Youko wondered when the girl had gone demonic. Psyche wondered when she had had time to put in her red contacts. Marshmallow was just trying to keep her tongue in her mouth to keep from tasting the scent of anger coming off her owner in waves. The wind blew Irianna's long hair all around her, only making her seem even more threatening.
A moment passed in which human trainer and demon Bishonen just stared at each, waiting for the other to make the first move. Then Irianna was smiling sweetly and walking up to Youko, perfectly composed on the surface. She walked right up to Youko, only a foot of space separating the two of them. Youko's senses told him to do something, but why should he do something about a human roughly a third of his size? What did irk him was that she was still staring him in the eye. Yes, she had to look up to stare him in the eye, because he was a full twenty-one inches taller than her, but she was still looking him in the eye. Few humans or demons were that bold in front of him. The biggest insult was when she started giggling in his face. Youko wanted to tear Irianna to pieces.
"What's so funny, little girl? Or did you just crack? Was this world really too much for you already?"
Irianna just shook her head, still giggling. After getting herself under control, she looked back into his eyes. There was a glint in those eyes that made Youko very uncomfortable. "Look, you're my best friend's bishie, so I don't want to get anything started, but I've got to set you straight about one thing: I'm not weak. Don't ever underestimate me. I'm the baby of this outfit, but I'm also the one you need to keep an eye on. My friends will tell you as much." She grinned and continued. "I'm shy, sheltered, inexperienced, young, small, physically weak, and worst of all, human, but I'm not to be taken lightly as a person. I've made it my personal goal to be great in this world. I will be great in this world. And no arrogant, overconfident, snide, condescending, pansypretty boy is going to tell me otherwise. Words from that kind of person are worthless and insignificant to me. Words from that kind of person only make me laugh at how utterly stupid they are. If you think I'm gonna fail, thentake upyour argument again whenyou've got some real evidence to back it up. Judging me based on my appearance won't tell you a thing about me, as that's surely what you've been doing." Irianna stepped back, her grin now a smile. "Well?"
Psyche had sighed audibly. She had thought Irianna would slaughter Youko. Irianna was small and weak, but you could count on her in a fight. Irianna had definitely given Youko a tongue-lashing like Psyche had never seen from her, though. Where had she gotten the courage to talk to Youko Kurama like that? Jin and Marshmallow on the other hand were just clinging to each other fearfully. Jin hadn't known the lass had had it in her to talk like that to someone who could have torn her apart at will! How crazy was that? Marshmallow just wanted everybody to taste happy again!
Youko was unsurprised, though. Irianna had done just what he thought she would do when insulted. She might tackle and beat her friends when insulted, but only because they played like that. When it came to a stranger, Irianna tore them apart with words alone.She didn't feel like rude strangers were worth the effort it took to so much as slap them. She was like a true warrior looking down her nose at a mere amateur, but with words and body language alone. That was why she had put on the contacts (not that Youko knew she had put in contacts, as he was still figuring out where the red eyes had come from), why she had seemed so calm. Inside, though, she was a blaze of rage and anger. If Youko had been lesser of a person, he would have cringed at Irianna'sharsh words and deadly sweet voice. Youko was genuinely impressed. The girl was a waif, but her mind was on par with his own. Interesting. And Psyche apparently knew what her friend was capable of, which said a lot about his own trainer, too. Yes, these two were very interesting. He was beginning to appreciate the fact that he had been caught by Psyche. Not only was the human very attractive, but her personality and the personality of her friend made things funner. He just hoped the other two of their little posse were just as interesting.
"Actually, I never took you for weak. I was just testing you, and I must say that you passed with flying colors. Congratulations! Now, let's stop flapping our jaws and start moving toward the next town. It'll take a couple days and I want to get to the new gym at Epoh City."
The tensity was instantly dispelled. No one objected.
Kurama eyed his trainer with a expression and a large sweatdrop rolling down the back of his head. Since being caught by the trainer a week ago, Kurama had found her to be friendly enough, but couldn't figure her out for the life of him. Kurama's trainer was a sixteen-year-old American girl. She was exactly six feet tall. Her eyes were wide and muddy brown. The girl's mousy brown hair was hip-length, curl, and very frizzy, which was why she typically wore it in a braid or a pony tail. At first glance, Kurama's trainer would have seemed plain and even unattractive. But if one happened to take a closer look, they would have noticed that evey bit of her six feet consisted of perfectly shaped womanly curves under her baggy T-shirt and loose jeans. Her muscles were toned from years of sports and vigorous activities. Kurama had to admit that he hadn't seen many newbies as fit as his trainer come through this world. Sure, trainers inevitably became stronger over time, but only a fraction of them were so fit from the beginning. And for every bit of her physical strength and beauty, Kurama's trainer had just as much intelligence and mental beauty. His trainer was simply a beautiful person as a whole. However, there were times when he just couldn't understand his trainer, Tawny Clearwater. Now was a good example of one of those moments.
"This is for that smart remark the night we came here, you frigging puss!" Tawny's fist connected with the top of her captive's head. "How dare you comment on my body, you jerk!" She hit him again. "I hate you, Darius!" Another loud smack.
Kurama sighed and stared in sympathy at Darius Shay's Bishoujo, a rather confused looking Sophia Esteed. The poor girl wasn't sure if she should scold her trainer for whatever insult he had made to Tawny or try to defend him against Tawny's barrage of punches. Kurama would have tried to defend Darius if he was Sophia. Although Darius was about two years older than Tawny, he was still two inches shorter than her and much scrawnier. When Kurama said scrawnier, he meant that while Tawny had enough meat on her bones to make her curvy and obviously tone, Darius had few muscles and just as little fat. In other words, Tawny had brawn and shapely beauty while Darius was weak and skinny.
Besides their lack of resemblance in physique, Tawny and Darius might have been kin. Darius had the same wide, muddy brown eyes as Tawny. His hair was black brown instead of mousy brown, and cropped close to his head instead of hip-length, but it was every bit as thick as Tawny's locks. And as Tawny dragged Darius's face closer to her own to continue her scolding, Kurama saw that their faces held many of the same features. Their noses were the same length and shape. Both had strong jaw lines, though Tawny's was obviously more feminine. They had the same high cheek bones. Even their lips, though Tawny's were smaller and fuller, were shaped similarly. Kurama thought that their scents were even alike, though not as similar as the scents between parents and children or siblings. Were Darius and Tawny cousins?
By now, Sophia had noticed Kurama and wandered over to him. She gently poked his shoulder. Kurama looked down at her and smiled apologetically. "Our trainer's must know each other from their previous world. It's too bad that they seem to have a score to settle. We could have been camping by now."
The Star Ocean Bishoujo nodded her agreement. "I know what you mean. I certainly would like to rest my feet, but how are we going to get them to stop fighting?" She nodded in the direction of the two trainers. Tawny had held Darius away to continue hitting him again. The older boy looked like he was about to be in tears. "They're like cats and dogs. And I don't want to get in the middle of that."
Kurama made one of his classic faces ofexasperationand nodded. "Hai, trying to separate them could be hazardous to our health. Might lose a limb or two." Kurama opened his eyes and stared at the two. There had to be a peaceful way of stopping their argument. Maybe he could use a little of the Youko side of him... The kitsune grinned and looked down at Sophia. He winked and whispered, "Play along..."
Sophia looked confused, but acknowledged the request with a small smile. All of a sudden Kurama was looking around energetically, feigning surprise. "Tawny! You won't believe what I just saw! A Sesshomaru just ran right across the road! They're never this far from their territory. Hurry and get out a Bish-ball!"
Tawny immediately dropped Darius and began to look around. A Bish-ball was in her hand and ready to be thrown. She had assumed a basketball crouch out of habit and was looking around wildly. "Where is he, Kurama, where is he?"
Sophia caught on immediately. "I think I saw him head towards the creek! Bishies camp in a clearing by there all the time! Hurry, Tawny, hurry!" Tawny was already half way to the creek, her long legs leeping bushes and briars and covering the distance with ease. Sophia looked at Kurama and her trainer and giggled. "The creek's too high to cross this time of the year. She'll probably reach it and give up when she doesn't see a Bishonen anywhere. That was a great idea, Kurama. Problem solved!"
Kurama took a bow and helped an exhausted Darius to his feet. Darius had to lean on the kitsune while Kurama led him to a large, flat rock. The teenager adjusted his glasses and leaned back on the stone. "Geeeez! I can't believe how violent that girl is. Considering she's been that way since she was like four,it's awonder I'm still alive!"
The two bishies looked at each other and chuckled. Sophia looked at her trainer and smiled. "You aren't really hurt are you? I could heal you, you know."
Darius shook his head gently. He did have to admit to himself that Tawny had left him with a wicked headache. That didn't warrant Sophia using any of her MP, though. If it didn't wear off soon, he would just knock back a couple of Tylenol. He had some in his first aid kit. Besides, Tawny had left him with much worse before. There had been a time in which the girl hadn't known how to control her own strength. He almost shuddered at the thought of those days. Not only had Tawny been hormonal and frustrated by life during that time, as she had just stepped into womanhood, but she had grown like a weed and was still unused to her changing body. In a nutshell, she was a clumsy whirlwind of rage waiting to happen. Darius unconciously rubbed a small scar above his left eyebrow. The worst incident had been after Tawny broke up with her first boyfriend. She had been thirteen and Darius fifteen. He had felt like being nice to her for once, so he jumped through his window, walked across the yard, and jumped through her window. He had tried patting her back and muttering consolences, but she hadn't been in the mood to be consoled. Instead of drying her tears, she swatted at Darius with her right hand--her stronger hand. Without realizing it, she had hit Darius hard enough to bust open his eyebrow and knock him clear across the room. Yeah, that had hurt. Of course Darius forgave Tawny later. Despite their constant fudes, Darius and Tawny were much like Irianna and Psyche: They were inseparable friends. Perhaps the only thing that kept the two from being more than friends was their blood relation. Just as Kurama had guessed, they were kin. In fact, they were cousins. Their mothers were sisters, making them first cousins and directly related to one another. Their blood relation and opposing attitudes attracted them to one another and kept them close. Irianna and Psyche only strengthened that relationship.
Speaking of those two, I wonder what happened to them? I landed near Eutriv City. Through her scolding, I found out that Tawny was at Cerulean, which was only a few miles to the west. We're headed for Epoh now, which is to the south. What about Psyche and Irianna? There's no telling what happened to them, or what they're up to. I know Irianna's pretty much sane, but Psyche's another story... Darius sighed and looked up at the blue sky. It had been raining until earlier today. Puddles of water still dotted the road. His clothes were still damp from the drenching he had received. Sophia had chosen to stay in her ball rather than suffer through the rain. Kurama and Tawny looked dry, so Darius figured they had found shelter during the storm. But what about the other two? Psyche had proven time and again that she could take care of herself. The girl was of medium height and skinny as hell, but she could kick ass. She was also very cunning and vengeful. You didn't do anything to Psyche without considering the repurcussions of your actions. Besides that, Psyche was just a natural survivor. What about Irianna, though? She was such a sheltered girl. Yes, Irianna could hurt someone if pressed to. Yes, Irianna had a strong and unrelentingspirit for someone so young. Irianna was also an extremely intelligent person. But she could be such a naive girl sometimes. Lenny and Caroline McMillan had done Irianna no favors by keeping her sheltered from the world. Now Irianna didn't always know what to expect of life. Irianna naturally assumed the best of people. She rarely saw the bad in someone.
A grin spread across Darius's face. Then again, Irianna had a way of melting even the coldest hearts. Darius had seen it happen. Irianna was such a naturally sweet and innocent person that most people instinctively felt the need to protect her. Of course, not many people incurred her wrath, either. Darius had. He shuddered that time.
Sophia looked at Kurama with a raised eyebrow. Kurama shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "Must be off in his own world." Sophia shrugged and tapped her trainer's shoulder. "Are you okay? You were rubbing your head a minute ago, you grinned at seemingly nothing, and now you're shaking. Do you feel delirious or something?"
Darius blanched. They had been watching him? Then he shook his head emphatically. "No, no, I'm not delirious! I was just thinking is all." He sighed and stood up. His head didn't hurt anymore. "Anyway, let's go get Tawny. She may be trying to cross that creek, flooded or not."
Kurama and Sophia looked at each other with wide eyes. Who was that girl?
Tawny was in fact very busy, but she wasn't stupid enough to try and cross a flooded creek. She had caught on to the trick the two bishies had pulled on her. Kurama sure was sharp. But she had decided to drop the whole thing instead of getting mad and getting revenge. After all, it was starting to get late. They had to concentrate on making camp. Actually, Tawny had set up most of the camp on her own. By the time Darius, Sophia, and Kurama found her, Tawny had pitched her tent, formed a fire pit with some flat rocks, collected what dry wood she could find, set some wet wood out to dry, and was looking through her capsule refrigerator for something to cook over an open fire. This was as much as a surprise to Kurama and Sophia as the thought of Tawny trying to cross a flooded creek. For the last week, Kurama and his trainer had either slept under starry skies or taken refuge in the area's many caves during the wet days and nights. He hadn't seen how swiftly and efficiently the girl set up a camp. Darius was unsurprised. He knew that Tawny was the kind of person who didn't waste time or slack off. It was only natural that she could set up camp as well as any veteran woodsman. He was grateful, too. This meant he had less work to do.
The sound of Sophia's foot snapping a twig alerted Tawny to their approach. She looked up from the refrigerator and grinned. In her arms were hotdogs, sausages, cheese, bread, a few sodas, and an assortment of condiments. "Who's ready to eat? I've already sharpened some sticks to use as roasters!"
At that moment, all four bellies in the group decided to introduce themselves. Kurama raised his hand with a sheepishexpression. "I'm hungry!"
Sophia and Darius were already roasting sausages over a crackling fire.
Yeah! Another chapter is fin! And is it just me, or is this chapter a lot longer than the other one? I certainly took longer on this one than I did the other. Anyway, the two groups will reunite in the next chapter, and I will also introduce a new character. Speaking of new characters, I need OCs for this story. Anyone want to add their own trainer to my fic? I don't know if I can portray them the way you would like, but I can try. Just try to include a description of the OCs looks and personality and what bishies they use. Try to use bishies from something I know about! Here's a list of animes, games, and even a couple of books I might take characters from and/or know a fair amount about:
Animes/Mangas:
Yu Yu Hakusho
Inuyasha
Fushigi Yuugi
Sailor Moon
Crescent Moon
Hana-Kimi
Tenchi Muyo
Rurouni Kenshin
Naruto
Happy Hustle High
Petshop of Horrors
Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School
Gundam Wing(the one with Duo and Heero)
Fullmetal Alchemist
Saiyuki
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
DNAngel
Trigun
Princess Ai
.hack(games, manga, and anime)
And I know about various characters from the works of Clamp
Games:
Legend of Dragoon
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, X, X-2
Books:
Works by Tamora Pierce
Harry Potter
Works by Anne McCaffrey (Dragon Riders of Pern)
Works by Terry Brooks
I've probably left a bunch of stuff out, but that should be plenty to choose from. I've read more novels than that, but I just can't remember many authors or titles at the moment. I'm writing this at 1:30 in the morning, can you really blame me for having a short memory? I will say that I've not read the Dragonlance series, but I hope to as soon as I figure out which book I should start with. I've noticed that there are several parts to the series and many books. Can anyone tell me which book is the beginning of the series? I have a thing about not being able to read a series of books unless I read them in order. Gomen. Anyway I just need a few things from my readers: to know which of the Dragonlance books to start with, to get a few OCs requested, and R&R. Read and Review! Thanx!