Millefiori

Chapter 14

"OW!"

"Stop your whining brat." Rando cut his own arm using his long nails, pressing his arm to hers, letting the blood drip over the fire.

'Meh, I really wish I knew how to used those oh so convenient powers of mine. D---, this stings…'

"Quit squirming."

"Up yours," she retorted. 'Come on, work! Be useful! I don't pay to have you do nothing inside my body!'

The fire slowly started to weaken, dwindling down to a small flame. 'Yes! That is me, right?'

Rando had begun to etch some strange signs into the air with his free hand, the said symbols glowing. She glared at the symbols, and the glow started to die out.

He grinned. "Trying to stop me?" The glow was rekindled.

'Ah……' She had felt it- a draining, sucking feeling. "Unh……"

"Tired Yumiko?" He smirked. "That's how you should feel."

She felt cold, icy and brittle now. "C-Crap…"

"Rando!"

"Too late Shinobi!" he called gleefully. "Yet again!"

A glowing blue barrier was assembled, preventing the others from reaching him and Yumiko, stretching in a dome shape above them. Several attacks were launched, all becoming nothing. The barrier, instead of reflecting it, absorbed it, sucking the youki away greedily and feeding it to Rando.

"Yumiko, use your power!"

"I can't…" she muttered. "I don't know how…"

"Are you going to sit and watch as he kills you!" Yusuke stood, fists balled, glaring. "You're better than that!"

"Not… enough to matter…"

"You are by my standards." An invisible mist of protection swirled around her.

"Takeo!"

"Of course 'Miko. I wouldn't leave you here now, would I?"

"How does your spirit…?" Everyone was staring at her- she wasn't sure if they could hear him. Ah well, she got too many stares anyways.

"I have no idea. All that matters is that I'm here to help you."

"Crash course?" She grinned, bracing her body.

"Just a bit of tutoring here and there…" She sucked in a breath as he entered her body.

"I'm just going to possess you for a bit, don't worry," he reassured her. She lapsed out then, not hearing or following anything.

"Yumiko?" She came to, with her lying against a wall. Everyone looked at her questioningly.

"Where's Rando?" Yumiko asked.

"Gone," Takeo responded scathingly. "Using my technique."

"Ah, poor old man."

"Spoiled brat." She could imagine him ruffling her hair… if he had hands…

"Are you both alright?" Shuiichi came down to his knees, eyes full of concern.

"I do believe so." She examined herself. "As long as Takeo didn't trash my body."

"I would do no such thing." Insert feigned solemnity.

She snorted. "Whatever."

"'Miko, I have to go. My ghost does not have much energy left to stray from my resting place."

"Yeah, then how did you get some in the first place?"

"A young woman, around your age, lent me some. She was visiting at the local shrine, and she offered me some help. So for several moments I was able to come and speak with you."

"Who the hell-?"

"It doesn't matter. But I have to go. I haven't forgotten you- I won't ever owe you."

"Good, I didn't have much of an idea anyways."

"'Miko…" he hesitated slightly. "I have a pair of swords- I meant to train you with them, but since I was killed, I can't. They're buried outside the dojo, on the north side. Perhaps Touya could teach you, or even someone else. They both know the Ryu no Hoshi technique-"

"I swore I would not take up the sword Takeo, you know-"

He cut her off hurriedly. "But circumstances are different now. I don't have the time to tell you, but you'll need training."

"For what?"

"Sayonara." His presence disappeared.

"…You're just going to leave me hanging? What is wrong with you! Get back here-"

"Yumiko-san, we'll take you home." She looked at the concerned Shuiichi kneeling beside her.

"No more 'going to Reikai' s---?"

"You realize the threat Rando is now. You're going to be protected so that you won't be abducted again."

"You actually can't call it abduction, seeing as she was the one who fell out of the portal-"

"Shut up Yusuke! I didn't mean to!"

"HaHa! Yumi's blushing!"

"You-!"

"Those idiots can't keep quiet…"

"Hey, Koenma, portal," Yusuke said into his communicator. "Hurry up."

"Just one second Yusuke! Did you get Yumiko-?"

"Yeah, so hurry-"

"Stop rushing me-!"

"Save your breath. The detective doesn't absorb facts easily with that thick skull of his." Yusuke shot a glare at his black-clad teammate.

"Humph." A glowing blue portal appeared.

"Ah, thanks toddler." Yusuke clambered in, quickly followed by Kuwabara and Jin. Hiei stepped in as well, after catching a look with Kurama.

"I don't want to."

"You have to."

"I swore I wouldn't touch a sword. And I never break my promises."

"Why did you? Because Hiroshi was so good at it?"

"No!" The red face contradicted her answer though.

"Yumiko, he wasn't half bad."

"You just like him because he knew this stupid fancy sword technique!" she yelled at Touya.

He looked stunned. "Hiroshi was-"

"Honorable, the best, the elite! I've heard that from the Family, I don't need to hear it from you Touya!"

"Sato-san, you have to face your family ties."

"They're dead," she spat out. "And I like it that way!"

"Do you?" the redhead queried. "You speak as if you're obligated to hate them."

Shock was evident in her face. "I-"

"Your eyes tell a different story." (1) Emerald green eyes explored her own.

"Shut up! I hate my family, and I hate you! I'll never kill!" She ran out.

"You pushed it too far Kurama."

He sighed. "I'll handle it. You go ahead- make sure that he doesn't close the portal."

"Are you sure…?"

"Quite."

"Alright then." He stepped through, leaving the redhead alone.

"Just wait, Youko. I have to concentrate."

---

'How coincidental…'

She sat down on the bed, it letting out a shrieking squeak of protest before bending under her weight, waves of dusty air being emitted from it. She tucked a knee under her chin, leaning against the headboard.

'I still think my room would have been much nicer painted blue…' instead, it was pale creamy beige that uniformed the entire house. Drawing back the curtain, she tied it back securely. Dimming sunlight filtered in, reflecting of the glass sun-catcher hung in the window.

'That was my going away present, ne Kaasan? Sato Yumiko was never enough for you.'

"Yumiko."

"Go away Shuichi." She trailed a hand over the green tinted ornament- a dragon was shown, eating the moon. That's what her mother told her when she had asked why it was crescent shaped. "Leave me alone."

"You know I can't do that."

She pulled at the string holding the sun-catcher, it snapping. She got up, pulling her blanket off the bed. "Screw you." She tossed the blanket at him, struggling to pry the window open so she could slip through- no screens, so less trouble. She slipped through the gap, landing hard. Though she was glad she had on her nice comfy running sneakers. She rolled to the side slightly, to break the impact.

As soon as she got her breath back, Yumiko scrambled up. She had not gone ten feet when she was tackled from above, knocking the wind out of her (yet again). Once she regained her senses, and managed to stop cursing:

"HELL! KURAMA YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

: End Chapter

(1) ooh, who knows where that is from? It's from a manga/anime series.

14thShrineMaiden: again, reviews please. Mwagh.