Okay, my second chapter.
QueenofAngstyFics: My first reviewer! Thank you! Okay, I'll try to keep getting out the chapters. I will have a contest later, but that will come after the 3rd/4th chapter. I'm glad you like the story, please keep writing!
Ryu Shoku: Umm…why are you reviewing when you can just talk to me face to face? Anyway, tell me if something's wrong.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, Allie, or Ryu Shoku. Or anything else except Kage in this story.
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Yusuke flipped the controllers of the arcade pilots' game much harder than normally warranted, growling as he forced his fighter around the flight course. It was two hours after Kurama had called him from the Keika hospital.
Flashback:
Yusuke ran into the hospital panting as he watched a puffy-eyed Shizuru leave the room with a nurse. He saw Kurama sitting on the couch, and Hiei flitting to the windowsill, probably having been forced just to sit in a chair. Taking another look at Kurama, he saw that either it was covered in blood, or his friend had gotten a very odd new uniform that radiated red from the center in odd drops. Not likely.
"Kurama! What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Relax, Yusuke. Not me." He looked slightly traumatized, but he still had his calculating look, which was a good thing. If this teen looses that look, you had better watch out.
"Well then, whose is it?"
Taking a deep breath and wincing at what would probably be Yusuke's reaction, the red-haired kitsune teen said softly, "Kuwabara's."
As expected, Yusuke exploded. "What the HELL do you mean?" yelled the Ma-zoku, so loudly that everyone in the room who wasn't already staring at the odd group turned to look. Kurama did not answer, just looked Yusuke straight in the eye, waiting for him to ask an intelligent question. Yusuke turned away, and thought for a question that would please the fox, yelling at Kurama in his head the whole time. But the Kurama in his head was doing the exact thing the real Kurama was doing: Just sitting there. In his head (because he didn't dare do it outside), he began yelling at Kurama ferociously for just sitting there.
Kurama resisted the urge to chuckle at Yusuke. That would break his stare, and he wanted Yusuke to remember to ask a real question. It was interesting that this band of misfits were friends. When Hiei was annoyed at a friend, he would list shortcomings and weaknesses. When Kurama was annoyed, he just pushed it out of the way and smiled (normally). When Yusuke was annoyed, apparently he yelled.
Finally calming down, Yusuke sat down across from Kurama. "Okay, what do you know about this that I don't?" He sounded suspicious, as though he expected Kurama to tell him that Yama was behind him or something.
"About time you asked an intelligent question." The fox was unable to resist the urge to poke a little fun at his hotheaded friend. "Alright. Kuwabara has just passed out of critical condition. It is still very serious, mind you – he could easily still die. However, knowing Kuwabara, I'm doubting that."
"Yeah, he's like a cockroach." Yusuke took a second look (or was it third? He doesn't seem very observant today….) at Kurama. "Wait a moment, if he's not gonna die, why are you still so pale?"
"It is the nature of the wounds which concerns me."
"Why? They infected or something?" But beneath his calm appearance, Yusuke was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this.
"No…but they had an uncanny resemblance to the wounds inflicted upon us by the Toguros' team."
"Toguro? You gotta be kidding me!"
"No, I'm afraid I'm not. His right shoulder had very suspicious-looking tunnels, lifting his shoulder cap off his shoulder. Quite like fingers. And his legs had gaping, fleshy holes, as though he had run through a minefield."
"Wait a sec…fingers? Minefield? You can't mean – Elder Toguro and Karasu?"
"That is my guess, yet I have not consulted with Hiei. He may very well know something we don't."
Yusuke looked at the black cloaked Koorime. "Well?"
"Hn. I know nothing but that whoever it is has a very good barrier."
At that point Shizuru came out, still puffy-eyed and shaky. Kurama got up and helped her to her car. The group disbanded then, as Kurama decided that Shizuru was unfit to drive in her state, and Hiei refused to be stuck alone with the ningen-like baka.
End Flashback
Yusuke was brought back to reality by a beeping on his pilot game.
You have lost 452 times. Please insert more tokens to play again.
Was flashing on the screen.
"Damn…gotta find…coins…" he muttered as he searched his pockets. He stopped abruptly as he felt a hand on his shoulder. An almost pasty white hand with black fingernails was daintily holding two quarters in front of him.
"Oh, hey Kage." He glanced around and located her friends, Allie and Ryu, also in the arcade. Ryu was playing Gauntlet, and Allie was punching the stuffing out of the punching game. The first time Kurama had suggested that they might be demons, Yusuke had rejected it without a second thought, but every time he saw them, it got harder to deny. They sure had the look down!
Kage was like a white and black photograph reject. She had pure white skin, white long hair to her knees with black streaks, wore a black long sleeve shirt and black slacks, with black leather boots and a white belt. She had black lipstick and heavy eyeliner and mascara. Her eyes were black on the top gradating down to white, with no pupils. Definitely a demonic look.
Ryu had waist length black hair, turning to red at the tips. Her eyes were almost like Hiei's – crimson – but not so large. She always wore jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, with variations on the design. Today it was a slipknot band sign.
But of those two were cute, their friend Allie was stunning. She looked almost human, but for her tilted emerald green eyes, which solicited specks of forest green pin wheeling out in a captivating design. She was wearing shimmering gold eye shadow, and gold highlights on her already shimmering natural tan. Adding to the Puerto Rican looks was her impeccably cut gold-red hair, shifting constantly at her shoulders as she turned her body to get the most out of her punches. She was wearing white Capri's and flip-flops, and a white, no-seam tank top, with a tan jacket that sported gold seams. And she kept pounding the shit out of the punching machine. Man, she was hot.
"What's wrong?" Kage had an uncanny knack for knowing his feelings. He really had to figure out how she did that….
"Aw, nothin'."
"No, something's wrong." It was quite unnerving to be stared at by someone without pupils, without even any color toward the bottom of her eyes, so he answered.
"Fine. A friend got hurt last night, pretty badly. He's in critical condition at the Keika Hospital."
"Oh!" One thing he hated about this girl: she was too kind. He had never seen her hurt anything, and now she looked physically pained to hear of Kuwabara's misfortune.
"Hey, get over it! He's gonna be fine!"
Yeah, okay. She handed him the quarters and turned to a fighting game. She kicked ass at it, as always, but her expression never changed. Always blissfully calm and slightly sad, while Allie glared, and Ryu smirked. He turned to the pilot game, but his concentration was shot, and was further broken by the sound of the phone ringing.
"Yeah?"
"Yusuke, I called Shizuru and she was crying. What happened?" It was Keiko Yukimura.
"Wait there. I'll come and explain."
"Um…Okay…"
"I'll see you there." He clicked off his phone and turned. "Thanks for the coins, Kage! Gotta go."
"Alright. Be careful." That was Kage.
"Yeah, bye!" Was elicited from Allie, and a "Don't get yourself killed," from Ryu, although he could have sworn that on his way out he heard her say, "Actually, on second thought…"
Yusuke walked to Keiko's house, which was not too far from the arcade. He walked up the stairs and knocked on the door to Keiko's house. No answer.
"Hey, Keiko, it's me! Open up!"
No answer.
Yusuke sighed and reached under the doormat, finding the key the Yukimura always left there. Lifting it, he turned it and opened Keiko's door.
"Keiko! Where are you?"
He walked upstairs to her room and opened the door.
And found it covered in blood.
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Author's note to Allie (Makenna): What type of demon are you? Review and tell me.
And to everyone else, please review, and thanks for reading!